After a close loss to Arizona in Week One, the Jacksonville Sharks have won eight straight and hold the best record in the league. The Sharks have the AFL's top scoring offense and defense. Jacksonville also tops the charts in turnover differential (there's no such thing as a turnover ratio) and sacks.

 

With two extra games played, most AFL team and individual records will be shattered this season. However, there are some per game averages that are on pace to be new records as well. At the league's current pace, each team will average 298.9 total yards per game. That's 12 more yards per game better than the current AFL record (last season). The passing yards are on pace for a new record. Right now, teams are gaining 273.2 yards per game, which are 3.4 more than last year's record total.

 

This season won't see the most rushing yards per game, but the 25.7 per contest is the most since 1992. Rushing touchdowns per game (1.7) is on pace for the most ever. Total touchdowns by rush/pass are on target to match last year's record (6.9). However, since field goals and return scores are lower than last year, total points per game (both teams) is on pace to be down by 7.4 per game, which would make this the lowest scoring season (per game) since 2006 (the year before free substitution was implemented). Last year was the highest points per game total in league history (11.5).

 

Thus far, four players have surpassed 200 yards rushing and over ten have at least 100. Dallas' Derrick Ross leads the way with 332 yards, which already ranks eleventh all-time in single season AFL history. He is 127 yards away from the league record held by Michael Bishop (459) from 2005. Ross' 88 rushing attempts are tied for the sixth most. This year, he and San Jose's Chad Cook are tied for the league lead with 20 rushing touchdowns, which in AFL annals rank as the eleventh most.

 

In 2008, the AFL produced its best per game attendance in the league's history (averaging 12,958 per contest). After not playing in 2009, the league returned last season and averaged over 4,000 less per game for the second worst per game total in league history. At current projections, the 2011 season will produce around 300 fewer than 2010 per game. The sad thing is that this season should have seen a significant bump in butts in seats with the departure of three teams with low crowds last year (Oklahoma City, Bossier-Shreveport and Alabama) and the additions of five strong former AFL markets and expansion in Pittsburgh.

 

Right now, eight teams from 2010 are currently averaging fewer fans than last season (Arizona, Cleveland, Iowa, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Spokane, Tampa Bay and Tulsa). Only Chicago (+372 per game) Dallas (+552), Orlando (+772 in a new building) and Utah (+3,121 in a new building) have increases from last year. Of the five pre-2008 markets that returned this season, all are averaging at least 3,000 fewer fans than they had prior to the league shutdown (Kansas City is down an average of 8,446 per game and Cleveland is down 8,017 - Orlando has the smallest dropoff of just 543 fewer than its 2008 average). Some of this can be blamed on the terrible schedule making this season (really, did Milwaukee need three Monday night home games), but these numbers are not good as a whole. Ticket prices in certain markets seem very high (almost NBA and NHL pricing in certain markets) while others have fantastic deals. In Tampa Bay, the Storm offers a season ticket with all-you-can eat and drink (alcohol included) for $35 a game. While other teams have front row seats with no booze or food for $250 per game.

 

Late last week, a story ran in San Antonio that the market was contacted by the AFL as a potential expansion team. With only Orlando and Tampa Bay averaging over 10,000 per game, expansion should not even be mentioned. Relocation is another thing. I say let Georgia move there since the first AFL incarnation of a team from the Alamo City was called the San Antonio Force so the team wouldn't have to change its nickname. Georgia is second to last in attendance and had a league-low 2,093 for a Saturday night game this season. Last year, the Force was the Alabama Vipers and moved from Huntsville to outside of Atlanta because, in part, the Vipers had attendance issues. Those are worse this season despite the team actually being good on the field.

 

As for the 1992 San Antonio Force, the team has its place in history as the only AFL squad to be shutout in league history (50-0 against Orlando). During a three-game span that one year in the AFL, the Force scored just 22 points. San Antonio finished the year 2-8 and was coached by former San Francisco 49ers head coach Dick Nolan (though you wouldn't find that in his Wikipedia page).

 

Despite the crappy on-the-field performance of the 1992 Force, I can see why the league would love to get San Antonio as a market. In 1992, the Force average 12,015 per game. That's a number higher than any team in the league this year. However, back in 1992 that was good for eighth in the then twelve-team league. The Storm averaged over 20,000 per game. Oh, those were the good ol' days in the Thunderdome!

 

After six straight losses, two-time AFL Coach of the Year John Gregory was the first head coaching fatality of the season. Looking over his AFL career, Gregory's only success has been when he had great QBs. He had Kurt Warner and Aaron Garcia under center that led to just three ten-win seasons in eight-plus seasons with those two greats. For his first seven seasons, Gregory posted a 63-33 regular season record. Since then, he's 14-34.

 

By the way, how did Gregory get the 1995 Coach of the Year award? He was 7-5 (2-4 at home) and didn't even win his own division. Tampa Bay was 10-2 with its two losses by a combined eight points that year and outscored its opponents by a league-high 18.9 points per game. Iowa had just one All-Arena performer that year (the Storm had a league-high six), but grabbed coach of the year and executive of the year honors. Fuzzy math to me.

 

After 50 some articles with the title Breaking it Down, the league put out a story with the same title last week. The cliché goes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so thanks AFL.

 

As much as I hate when people refer to turnover differential (or margin - your choice) wrongly as turnover ratio, I'm equally disturbed when people in sports use the term game film. Unless you truly have a reel-to-reel in your office, you're not using "game film" and haven't since the advent of the VHS in the late 1970s. It's safe to say that not a single player in any sport today has seen actual game film (or for that matter was even born when game film was last used).

 

Spokane head coach Rob Keefe sat his ArenaBowl MVP quarterback, Kyle Rowley, this week to give the 3-5 Shock a spark. It worked as Spokane scored touchdowns on its first eight offensive drives, got a safety and added two return touchdowns (fumble and kickoff). However, in the process, new starter Bill Stull was left in crutches after the game and Rowley was placed on injured reserve on Monday after a fourth-quarter injury.

 

With Rowley on IR for at least four weeks and Stull not playing in this week's ArenaBowl XXIII rematch against Tampa Bay, the Shock brought in three QBs with no AFL experience on Monday to compete for the starting and back up duties. The one notable of the trio was Casey Hansen who served as Nick Davila's backup on the 2009 ArenaCup championship team. Hansen completed 72.4% of his passes with 13 TDs and no picks in eleven games played that year in mostly mop up duties (six wins of at least 30+ points). He was signed by the Shock last season but left the team to try to start for the Alabama Vipers but he didn't make the team. He told the Spokes-man-Review that he hadn't thrown a football in months.

 

 

This one is a tough one. Arizona's Nick Davila and Jacksonville's Aaron Garcia are having nearly identical seasons. Both have 53 TDs (Davila has six INTs, while Garcia has seven). Both have the top team in each conference. Just like in the playoff race when there's a tie, you go to the head-to-head tiebreaker and Davila gets the Midyear MVP because his Rattlers beat Garcia's Sharks in Week One. Davila had six TDs and no interceptions, while Garcia had five scores and was picked off twice.

 

Utah QB Tommy Grady leads the league in passing touchdowns despite having played one less game than all the other QBs (the Blaze have had both byes already). He also is averaging more passing yards per game than any QB in the league. Calculated out to 18 games, Grady's on pace for 135 passing scores and 5,692 yards - both would shatter the current AFL records (117 and 5,139, respectively).

 

Individual defensive numbers are so hard to gauge in a game that averages over 100 combined points per game. Yes, Orlando's Rayshaun Kizer and Chicago's Vic Hall are having great statistical seasons (both lead the AFL in interceptions and Hall tops the charts in tackles), but for me being the best defensive player doesn't always translates into who has the most tackles, interceptions or sacks (Tampa Bay's Cliff Dukes). Sharks DB Terrance Smith is the backbone of the best defense in the league. He's posted an AFL-high three defensive touchdowns (two INT, one fumble), picked off six passes, forced three fumbles and recovered a fumble. Smith's 118 interception return yards rank third.

 

Hard to argue with the numbers for Jacksonville's Les Moss. He has the best scoring offense and defense in the game. You do that every game and you win. Those are the only stats that truly matter.

 

Two other coaches have been quite impressive (just not this week). Dallas head coach Clint Dolezel took over a 3-13 Vigilantes team and has turned them into a contender for the Central Division title. He's doubled the team's win total through just nine games.

 

In Utah, Ron James made the best decision in his AFL career by hiring Matt Sauk as his offensive coordinator. Sauk has taken last year's worst AFL offensive team and made them into the best in terms of per game averages in offensive yards, passing yards and passing touchdowns. The Blaze is second in the league in points scored per game but is allowing the second most points that has led to the team's 4-4 record.

 

Nobody. You need to play offense and defense to get this award. It's a shame that the league gives it to a player that plays one way and then plays on special teams. If that's the case, then the NFL needs to add this award and give the award to Devin Hester every year. The AFL shouldn't have given it to DeJuan Alfonzo last year because his offensive numbers were terrible. It's a slap in the face to great two-way stars like Barry Wagner and Hunkie Cooper that the AFL gives this award to players that aren't true Ironmen. It wasn't Alfonzo's fault last year. I'd take him in a heartbeat on my team, as he's one of the best Jack LBs the game has seen in the past decade, but the league has changed and Ironman football is essentially dead. Last year, Alfonzo was only used on offense when the Rush receiving corps was depleted with injuries. His first reception wasn't until Week nine and his first TD catch until Week 15 (the award is Ironman of the Year, not Ironman of a Few Games Hear and There). It's time to shelf this award unless someone truly deserves it. No one comes to mind this year.

 

Now onto the game breakdowns...

 

WEEK TEN RESULTS

PHILADELPHIA 68, Georgia 49

TAMPA BAY 46, Kansas City 30

Tulsa 48, NEW ORLEANS 35

JACKSONVILLE 79, Iowa 27

PITTSBURGH 54, San Jose 48

ORLANDO 56, Cleveland 26

Milwaukee 65, UTAH 53

Chicago 50, ARIZONA 49

SPOKANE 71, Dallas 49

Home team in ALL CAPS

BYE: None

 

• The Soul won its first home of the season.
• Philly WR Donovan Morgan caught five balls for 135 yards and four touchdowns. Two TDs came from 45 yards out; another was a 35-yarder.
• The game was back and forth until the last two minutes of the first half when the Force turned the ball over on back-to-back offensive plays that lead to 13 Soul points.
• Soul QB Ryan Vena had eight incompletions and seven passing scores to go along with 329 passing yards and two rushing TDs. He was picked off twice though.
• With his two rushing TDs, Vena passed Aaron Garcia for 17th most in league history. Vena (47) has the third most ever by a QB and trails only Todd Hammel (64) and John Kaleo (59) for the QB rushing TD crown.
• In a losing effort, Force WR/KR C.J. Johnson had 252 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns (one receiving, one on a 56-yard kickoff return).
• Johnson's teammate Maurice Purify caught five touchdowns and Larry Shipp had 108 yards receiving and tossed a TD pass (to Purify).
• Georgia QB Brett Elliott tossed a season-high three interceptions.

• Tampa Bay never trailed in the game.
• Storm QB Brian Zbydiewski tossed six TDs and no picks to notch his first AFL win as a starting QB.
• Tampa Bay WR Amari Jackson had 14 catches for 187 yards and four touchdowns.
• AFL sack leader Cliff Dukes recorded his first QB takedown in three weeks. He stands at 8.0 sacks on the year.
• In the Storm's three wins, Tampa Bay has failed to score more than 51 points.

• The Talons jumped out to a 14-0 lead and never trailed, though the VooDoo did tie it at 14 and 21.
• Tulsa QB Matt Bassuener accounted for all six Talons TDs. He threw four scores and ran in two more. Bassuener tossed just 225 yards but gained 55 more on the ground.
• VooDoo do-it-all man P.J. Berry continues to be the lone bright spot on this sad, sad team. He added 236 more all-purpose yards to his league-leading total. Offensively, Berry had 13 grabs for 129 yards and four touchdowns.
• New Orleans' offense sputtered right out the game with a lost fumble and a turnover on down on its first two drives. The last two drives of the game for the VooDoo were eerily similar (interception and turnover on downs).

• It was 7-7 with less than nine minutes to go in the first quarter before the Sharks took it to the Barnstormers. Iowa trailed by 42 before it reached the end zone again with less than a minute to go in the first half.
• Iowa's two QBs each tossed three interceptions in the game. The six picks by the Sharks defense ties the AFL record for most in a single game (seventh time ever). It was the first time since 2007 when six interceptions were thrown in a game (Los Angeles was picked off six times by Utah on June 23, 2007).
• In addition to the six INTs, the Sharks defense also had five sacks (by five different players). Charles Hunt had three of the interceptions and Terrance Smith had two, including one he returned for a touchdown.
• At one point, Iowa tossed an interception on four of five possessions. The other drive was a turnover on downs.
• Sharks WR Jomo Wilson had four touchdowns on five catches (132 yards).
• The 52-point margin of victory by Jacksonville ranks as the ninth highest in AFL history. It is the biggest blowout since the Dallas Desperados beat the New York Dragons (a team that was the original Iowa Barnstormers) by 54 in 2007 (67-13). That same year, Dallas beat New York by 53 as well (60-7 in Week One). Sharks QB Aaron Garcia was a member of the 2007 Dragons team but didn't play in either game due to an injury.
• A week after Orlando wore camouflage uniforms, the Sharks did the same. However, the Sharks' version was much better. The numbers and names were visible and the jersey as a whole was the closest thing to an original Zubaz uniform since the league did away with the legendary threads almost 20 years ago.

• This was a game of streaks. Pittsburgh scored the first 14 points, then San Jose had the next 21. The teams traded scores until the fourth quarter when the Power scored the game's final 14 points for the victory.
• Power QB Bernard Morris connected with Jason Willis on a 31-yard strike with 14 seconds left to give the expansion team its fifth victory of the season.
• Morris ended the night with 263 passing yards and eight scores, but had two interceptions, two lost fumbles and was sacked twice. On back-to-back plays, Morris was intercepted and lost a fumble resulting in 14 SaberCats points.
• SaberCats FB Chad Cook had 13 rushes for 63 yards and three touchdowns. He is tied for the league lead with 20 rushing scores.
• The SaberCats led 34-33 at the half, but could have led by more if the Power's defense didn't stop Cook for a yard loss at the goal line as the first half expired.
• Both teams turned the ball over to start the second half.
• San Jose's final four drives ended with three turnover on downs and the game ending when Burl Toler was stopped at the Pittsburgh two-yard line as time expired.
• The SaberCats led 48-46 with 1:33 left in the game at the Power's four-yard line following a failed Pittsburgh on-side kick. After a loss of a yard (2nd & goal at the five), the clock went to the one-minute mark with both teams having all three timeouts. San Jose tossed two incompletions and were stopped a yard short on fourth down without Pittsburgh calling a single timeout. There were 41 seconds left and the Power burned through all three timeouts within 27 seconds on the way down for the game-winning score.
• Is poor one-minute clock management a disease in this sport? San Jose failed at it in the first half and then in the second half, now Pittsburgh left 14 seconds that was enough time for the SaberCats to get three completions and come within two yards of victory. If it weren't for a holding penalty, San Jose may have won the game.
• San Jose DB Eddie Moten notched his 36th career interception in the game. That total is tied with Randy Gatewood, Chris Barber and Dennison Robinson for 14th all-time in AFL history.

• The Preds pounced to a 14-0 lead and never looked back.
• Orlando QB Nick Hill had as many incompletions (six) as touchdown passes to go along with 267 yards through the air. He also ran five times for 23 yards and two more scores.
• Cleveland's first half possessions were: INT, downs, TD, downs, downs, end of half.
• Gladiators QB Kurt Rocco was picked off on his first pass attempt of the game and was replaced by Dan Whalen at the beginning of the second quarter.
• Whalen tossed a 23-yard touchdown on his first pass attempt. He threw three scores and ran another in but completed less than 50% of his passes.
• This is the fifth straight game that the Gladiators have failed to score more than 50 points.
• Orlando DB Kenny McEntyre had five solo stops, forced a fumble, broke up a pass and had an interception. It was K-Mac's second pick of the season and 92nd in his career (that's 42 more than the next player). The forced fumble was his 17th in his career, which ties him with Tom Briggs for the seventh most in league history.
• Preds WR Bobby Sippio was held out of the end zone for the first time since Week 14 of 2006 - a streak of 38 games including playoffs.

• This sloppy game featured nine turnovers (seven by the Blaze) and the Mustangs committing 18 penalties.
• Utah's special teams sucked this game. It gave up a net recovery on the opening kickoff and lost fumbles on back-to-back kickoffs in the first quarter that put the Blaze behind 24-6 entering the second quarter.
• Despite the mishaps, Utah came back and briefly held the lead with ten minutes left in the game (39-36).
• Blaze QB Tommy Grady lost three fumbles and had a chance to win the game in the final seconds with Utah down 59-53. However, his last second pass attempt in the end zone was picked off by Kelvin Rogers who sprinted 52 yards for the game's final points.
• Rogers recorded 16 solo stops in the game, four pass breakups and recovered a fumble to go along with his 52-yard pick six.
• Mustangs' lineman Dwayne LeFall had two sacks and forced three fumbles (including one that was recovered for a touchdown).

• The Rattlers have lost their two games this season by a single point each (within the last three weeks).
• With one second left in the game, both teams attempted field goals. Chicago's Chris Gould connected on a 33 yarder and Arizona's Fabrizio Scaccia missed on a 51 yard as time expired. The second FG was possible because of an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on the Rush. Scaccia also missed a 32-yard attempt in the second quarter.
• Rush QB Russ Michna had five passing scores with WR Reggie Gray being his favorite target (9-141-3).
• For Arizona, Nick Davila completed 74.2% of his passes for 297 yards with five scores and no picks.

• The Shock benched Kyle Rowley in favor of Bill Stull, but Rowley came off the bench with the team down 14-13 when Stull suffered a leg injury on his 11-yard TD run (he tweaked it earlier in the game on a TD pass).
• Rowley led the Shock to six straight offensive touchdowns before being driven into the ground late in the fourth quarter that placed the ArenaBowl XXIII MVP on injured reserve.
• Dallas scored the game's final ten points with Stull and Rowley out to make the final score seem closer than this game actually was.
• Spokane didn't turn the ball over and forced three turnovers in the win.
• Rowley ended with five touchdown passes and Stull had two total scores (one passing and one rushing).
• Two Shock receivers had seven grabs and three touchdown passes each (Raul Vijil and Greg Orton).
• The game had two safeties (one or each team) and Spokane scored two TDs on returns (fumble, kickoff).
• During pregame warm-ups, Dallas' Jerrian James punched a 16-year old Shock fan in the face and was immediately suspended for the game by the league office. Eyewitnesses say that the minor didn't touch the player but there's conflicting statements if someone did in fact hit the player at all. There's no excuse, even if you're hit by a fan, to attack a fan. In addition, there's no excuse for a fan to hit a player other than to give him a high five or a pat on the back for a touchdown or good play. If video evidence proves that a fan did hit the player in an unacceptable manor that prompted this, then that fan should be held accountable just like James. It's not excusable from either side of the dasher boards.

2011 BREAKING IT DOWN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Week	Player, Team	Stat Notes
1	Mark Grieb, SJ	84%, 222 yds, six TDs, 143 rating
2	Tommy Grady, Utah	67%, 306 yds, 9 TD (7 pass/2 rush)
3	Aaron Garcia, JAX	89.5%, 308 yds, 8 TD, perfect 158.33 rating
4	Brad Banks, Iowa	65%, 383 yards, 11 TD (10 pass/1 rush), 138.9 rating
5	Sergio Gilliam, KC	3 interceptions, 5.0 tackles, 1 pass breakup
6	Rod Windsor, AZ	16 receptions for 217 yards and five TDs
7	Kyle Rowley, SPK	72%, 293 yards, 10 TD (8 pass/2 rush), 1 INT, 126.69 rating
8	Kyle Rowley, SPK	67.7%, 219 yards, 9 TD (8 pass/1 rush), 1 INT, 114.11 rating
9	Tommy Grady, Utah	73.3%, 344 yards, 10 TD, 0 INT, 134.63 rating
10	Nick Hill, ORL	79.3%, 267 yards, 8 TD (6 pass/2 rush), 0 INT, 144.61 rating

Andy Lopusnak is an 11-year AFL front office veteran, spending time with the Tampa Bay Storm, San Diego Riptide and Grand Rapids Rampage. He works as a statistician for NFL and college sports for CBS Sports and is a freelance photographer. Lopusnak received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of South Florida and has been a fan of ArenaBall since its inception.