(Step Right Up and) Beat the Guru: AFL Week 17
Adam Markowitz
Thursday June 19, 2008
So once again, here’s the list of everyone, their brother, their dog, their dog’s veterinarian, their next door neighbor, their next door neighbor’s cousin twice removed, and their senile 90 year-old grandmother who all beat me in Week 16.
MBoyle (5-3), the 8-Ball (5-3), Chrisncory (5-3), AFLJunkie (4-4), InsideSix (4-4), OrlMemnoch (3-5), Phillysoul04 (3-5), Es46ne10 (3-5), Rush43 (2-6), and honorable mention for having an equally lousy 1-7 week to my fellow Predators fan, EKUVolley.
On the bright side of things, you’d like to think that a 1-7 effort would give my good friend, Scott the amateur Guru a chance to totally blow my doors off, right? But just like a typical American Conference team, he failed to take advantage, also posting a 1-7 record and bringing out tie right down to the last week of the regular season. Check out his last ditch effort at beating the REAL Guru, as well as his fantasy tips for the always difficult Week 17, at ArenaFootballOnline.
On a far more serious note… This Thursday, June 19th is a date near and dear to my heart. Five years ago, Thursday, former Predators Head Coach Fran Papasedero was killed in a drunk driving accident. Coach Fran was always one of my favorite guys around the team, and was the epitome of what Arena Football stood for when I was merely a young season ticket holder. No one taught a defensive lineman how to protect the quarterback better than Coach Fran, and you can still see so much of the pedigree he taught years ago around the AFL today. Both the AFL and the Orlando Predator organization are much better because Coach Fran was involved with the team for so many years, and one can only imagine what good he could’ve brought to the league if he remained with us.
So please take a moment this Thursday and remember Fran Papasedero, one of the nicest guys and best coaches this league has ever had…
Disclaimer: This information should be used for entertainment purposes only. Should you choose to actually lay real money on these games, that’s purely your choice, and neither I nor ArenaFan are responsible. All lines are courtesy of Olympic Sports as of Wednesday evening.
And away we go!
Columbus Destroyers (+14) @ Cleveland Gladiators: Destroyers Head Coach Doug Kay promised “extensive playing time” for his rookie backup QB Justin Zwick in last week’s game against the Rampage. Zwick came in, threw one pass for 47 yards and a touchdown (to the right team, even!). So of course, after posting a perfect QB rating, Kay sat Zwick back down and let proven loser Matt Nagy complete the defeat. I don’t know… it makes no sense to me. Nagy caught lightning in a bottle last year in the playoffs, and was only halfway decent in Georgia because he had a fantastic team around him. I always thought he was a below average QB in this league. There’s just no way he’s going into Cleveland and knocking off a team that knows win and you’re in, loss and you’re out.
Guru’s Pick: Glads by 16
8-Ball’s Pick: Gladiators
Grand Rapids Rampage (+7) @ New Orleans VooDoo: The irony around Friday night’s 51-49 Preds victory over the Doo was so tremendous that it almost wasn’t even funny. The Doo have had so many lucky bounces and things just generally go right for them in 2008, while the Preds appear to be a snake-bitten team, both with bounces, and with the injury bug. Yet with all of the problems that Orlando has had holding onto the football, it was a Danny Wimprine botched snap that resulted in a safety that at least temporarily saved the Predators’ season and put the VooDoo’s season in the balance. Still, this is a win-or-basically-go-home game for New Orleans, and after coming this far in a year where I infamously called them the worst team in the AFL, I can’t picture them losing to a Grand Rapids team who has struggled on the road against even halfway decent teams this year.
Guru’s Pick: Doo by a Doo-zen
8-Ball’s Pick: VooDoo
Los Angeles Avengers (+7.5) @ Tampa Bay Storm: Speaking of irony… The 7-8 Tampa Bay Storm are on the outside of the playoffs without a chance of getting back in, while the 5-10 Los Angeles Avengers could conceivably LOSE and still get in the playoffs. If not for Kevin Porter making the single worst coaching decision I have ever seen in all of my years watching professional football (benching D Bryant in favor of Quincy Carter), the Avengers would already be long home with nothing to play for. The good news for the Avengers is that if the mayor of LA actually ponies up on his bet with the mayor of Boston, they’ll have a new arena to play in come 2008…
Guru’s Pick: Storm by 17
8-Ball’s Pick: Avengers
Kansas City Brigade (+7.5) @ Colorado Crush: Now, it’s true that the Crush did go into the desert and knock off the Rattlers fairly handily (until the last 1:00, that is), and it’s true that Quincy Carter has put up back-to-back fairly pitiful performances. All common karma suggests that the Brigade are getting destroyed in this one, especially since they have nothing to play for and Colorado is still holding onto hopes for not only a playoff spot, but a home playoff game in Round 1 of the playoffs. There’s something in the back of my mind though, that reminds me that Colorado has only won two games all year by more than this margin…
Guru’s Pick: Crush by just 3
8-Ball’s Pick: Crush
Utah Blaze (-4.5) @ Arizona Rattlers: The Rats were an absolute mess at times on Monday Night Football, and though they have absolutely nothing to play for, this could very well be a Round 1 rematch from a couple years ago. Arizona could put Danny White and the gang on the brink of elimination with a defeat, but the scoreboard watching will inevitably be on. If the Rampage are losing in New Orleans, this game may be nothing more than an exhibition. I’ll take my chances with the better team and the points at home.
Guru’s Pick: Upset special, Rats by a deuce
8-Ball’s Pick: Rattlers
Georgia Force (+6.5) @ San Jose SaberCats: That sound you’re hearing is the vice that the SaberCats are putting on the necks of the Chicago Rush. What seemed like a formality of the Rush clinching up the #1 seed in the American Conference could turn into a catastrophe in Chicago on Sunday should San Jose be victorious on Saturday night. Coach Ho has to be getting a little hot under the collar with his recently slumping young QB and the SaberCats breathing down his neck. If the road to New Orleans goes through San Jose, look for the defending champs to be back on Bourbon Street come the end of July. No way they’re losing this game to a team with absolutely nothing to play for.
Guru’s Pick: SaberCats by 27
8-Ball’s Pick: Force
Philadelphia Soul (-3) @ New York Dragons: Well, if you play my scenario out, this game will determine whether my Orlando Predators are in the playoffs or not. I’d better make this pick count then! I just can’t shake this thought from my mind. I mentioned before how everything is going against Orlando this year, and I’m really not sold that any of these games that they need to go their way will. Coach Harding might be coaching for his job, you never know when you’re going to see Aaron Garcia for the final time, and even though the Soul are playing for the #1 seed in the National Conference, I think the Dragons will prove victorious. Remember, this New York team hung around with Philly for about 55 minutes in the Wachovia Center early in the season. I sure hope I’m wrong, but this one reeks of disaster for both Orlando and Philadelphia. I’m not just calling for an upset here, I’m calling for a romp.
Guru’s Pick: Upset Special, Dragons by 24
8-Ball’s Pick: Soul
Dallas Desperados (+3) @ Chicago Rush: Is this an ArenaBowl XXII preview? The way I have this drawn up, this game will see the winner take the #1 seed in their conference, and the loser be faced with the prospects of having to likely play in a location where they’ve had no luck in recent years to get to New Orleans. All of the stops should come out in this one. Neither team has played particularly well of late, but Dallas just keep finding ways to win games. This should be no exception, and the more they watch the scoreboard, the more motivated they will become to pull the upset off and force the Soul not only to beat them a third time to reach the ArenaBowl, but do it in their house having to play an extra game to get the job done. As for Chicago, this should be the beginning of the end, and the coronation of the SaberCats on their march back to New Orleans for a second consecutive season.
Guru’s Pick: Upset Special, Desperados by a tuddy
8-Ball’s Pick: Rush
Beat the Guru’s Top 10 (must have 35 games selected to qualify)
AFLJunkie: 77-46 (62.3%)
InsideSix: 64-54 (54.2%)
Es46ne10: 68-58 (54.2%)
AFLGuru: 68-59 (53.5%)
Arena Guru: 68-59 (53.5%)
MBoyle: 41-39 (51.3%)
EKUVolley: 54-56 (49.1%)
Phillysoul04: 38-41 (48.1%)
Rush43: 54-64 (45.8%)
Chrisncory: 27-33 (45.0%)
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Adam Markowitz is an accountant living in Orlando. Adam is an old school AFLer, having followed the AFL since 1991. He attended or covered well over 200 games, including 17 ArenaBowls. Adam worked for the Arena Football League for two years as a columnist and historian before retiring in 2017 when the 50-yard indoor war left the Sunshine State. Adam still muses about the AFL on ArenaFan from time to time, and you can follow him on Twitter @adammarkowitzea.
