Breaking it Down - 2011 Quarterfinals
Andy Lopusnak
Wednesday August 3, 2011
The teams with the best records in each of the four first-round playoff matchups all won for the first time since 1996. Jacksonville and Chicago beat their respective opponents for a third time on the season to advance to the Conference Championship game. Both teams lost their first-round playoff games last season. Arizona blew out the defending champs. Despite having a better record, Georgia went on the road and still beat Cleveland. Lots of history, lots of stats, lots of information. Breaking it Down starts now…
GAME RECAPS
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2011 AFL QUARTERFINALS
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JACKSONVILLE 63, Orlando 48 (10,189)
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CHICAGO 54, Dallas 51 (4,489)
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ARIZONA 62, Spokane 33 (7,105)
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Georgia 50, CLEVELAND 41 (4,948)
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Home team in BOLDED ALL CAPS
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JACKSONVILLE 63, ORLANDO 48
· The Sharks never trailed and forced three turnovers, two of which resulted in touchdowns and the third ended the game.
· Jacksonville swept Orlando in the regular season and has won 13 straight games against American Conference opponents since losing to the Predators in the playoffs last season.
· The win is the first in the franchise's two-year AFL history (lost in first round to Orlando last year).
· For the second straight game, Sharks WR/KR Jeff Hughley took the opening kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. He added another 57-yard scoring scamper to become just the fifth player in league history to post two kick returns for scores in the same game.
· After Hughley's second kick return for a score, the Predators fumbled on the goal line after three unsuccessful attempts to punch it in from a yard out and turned it over on downs on their next possession that dug a hole too deep to comeback.
· Jacksonville QB Aaron Garcia won his first playoff game against Orlando in five postseason attempts. His season ended with playoff losses to the Preds in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2010.
· Garcia had as many passing scores (four) as he had incompletions (four) completing 15-of-19 for 148 yards and had an interception. WR Jeron Harvey caught three of the scores and WR Jomo Wilson snagged the other one. It was Garcia's fourth straight playoff game that he's thrown an interception.
· On third down, the Sharks converted its only attempt, while the Predators were a measly two-of-seven and one-of-three on fourth down.
· The game's first passing score came 16 minutes into the game. Two rushing TDs and the opening kickoff accounted for the points before the Robert Quiroga's receiving score. He was the only player on either side to go over 100 yards (12-106-1).
· In his last AFL game, Orlando DB Kenny McEntyre grabbed his AFL playoff record 13th interception. He recorded no tackles in the game.
· With the win, Jacksonville is the first #1 seed from the American Conference to advance to the conference title game since San Jose did so in 2007 (and eventually won the ArenaBowl).
CHICAGO 54, DALLAS 51
· Dallas took a 30-27 lead with two seconds left in the first half and it seemed was en route to victory in the second half, but two touchdowns within 38 seconds (after a successful on-side kick) gave Chicago its third win over the Vigilantes this season.
· Three straight incompletions (all of which were broken up) from the Rush six-yard line ended any hope for a Vigilantes victory with under a minute to go.
· In his first game back since missing the last five with an injury, Rush rookie Vic Hall led all players with 10.5 tackles and broke up the final two passes of the game to seal Chicago's comeback win.
· Dallas rookie FB Derrick Ross ran for 50 yards and a touchdown on ten carries. His teammate WR Tiger Jones had 112 yards through the air on eleven grabs with three touchdowns.
· Both starting signal callers posted six passing touchdowns, no turnovers and weren't sacked. However, Rush QB J.J. Raterink did have a rushing score.
· Rush rookie receiver Reggie Gray caught nine balls for 105 yards with two scores.
· The announced attendance of 4,489 is the lowest in Rush history and ranks as the second worst in AFL playoff history.
ARIZONA 62, SPOKANE 33
· Rattlers DB/KR Virgil Gray intercepted a pass on the opening drive and then added a 54-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on his first return of the night.
· After Gray tied the game at seven with his return, the Rattlers didn't trail the rest of the game.
· Spokane turned the ball over five times with three interceptions thrown by the reigning ArenaBowl MVP, Kyle Rowley.
· Both teams turned the ball over on their first possessions of the game.
· Arizona had just one offensive snap for the first quarter - a six-yard pass that WR Kerry Reed fumbled and Spokane recovered.
· The Rattlers had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the game - both in the fourth quarter. Spokane's first game of the season (Week One loss at San Jose) also had the Shock's opponent scoring on two pick sixes.
· Arizona QB Nick Davila had an off night. He completed just 62.5% of his passes for 167 yards with four scores and two interceptions. Davila hadn't thrown a pick in the previous three games and this marked just the third time this year he tossed at least two in a game (those too were wins).
· This is Arizona's first playoff win since 2006 when the Rattlers beat Utah 57-34. In that game, the Blaze led 34-30 with less than ten minutes to go before Arizona scored the game's final 27 points.
· The announced attendance of 7,105 is the lowest in Rattlers history, which dates back to 1992.
· Spokane is the first defending ArenaBowl champion to lose its first playoff game after winning the title since 2006 when Colorado (2005 champion) lost to Chicago, which went on to win that year's ArenaBowl.
· The 29-point playoff loss is the biggest that a defending champion has given up in its title defense in league history. Five other times a defending champion was beat in the playoffs a year after winning the title by more than 10 points. The previous record was 20 that the Detroit Drive lost by to Tampa Bay in ArenaBowl VII in 1993.
GEORGIA 50, CLEVELAND 41
· The play that turned the tide for the Force came as time expired in the first half. Georgia missed a field goal and Cleveland WR Robert Redd returned it 15 yards only to lateral it to DB Joe Phinisee, who never had control of the ball and fumbled it. Georgia's Michael Johnson picked up the loose ball and ran it in from two-yards out that sparked a 26-point scoring run that put the Force up 40-21 early in the fourth quarter.
· In the final ten seconds of the first half, both teams missed field goals. Cleveland missed a 39 yarder, then Georgia missed from 41 yards out but scored on the fumbled lateral.
· Cleveland scored touchdowns on its first three drive and last three drives. In between, the Gladiators lost three fumbles, threw an interception and missed a field goal.
· The Force scored TDs on just two of its first five drives, but had two fumble returns for touchdowns and scored on the rest of its possessions.
· Georgia stuck with Darnell Kennedy under center and the rookie completed less than 50% of his passes and had three passing scores, but his biggest play was with 36 seconds left when he ran in for a score from 15 yards out.
· Force DL/LB Jerry Turner and DL Leroy Burgess each posted two sacks and forced a fumble. Turner also blocked two kicks (both PATs). I think Turner's two blocked kicks are a playoff record, but the league's Record & Fact Book doesn't list individual blocked kicks as a record. It is, however, just the sixth time in playoff history that a team has blocked two kicks in a single game (record is three held by the New York Dragons at Orlando in 2003).
· After losing two fumbles, being intercepted and getting sacked four times, Cleveland starting QB Kurt Rocco was benched in favor of John Dutton, who hadn't played since Week One when he was hurt late in the fourth quarter.
· Dutton completed eight of his 12 passes for 114 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Including his one regular season game, Dutton has completed 28-of-42 for 371 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.
· Also back with the Gladiators was WR Troy Bergeron, who missed the regular season finale due to the NFL lockout ending, but was cut by the Dallas Cowboys. Bergeron caught ten passes for 119 yards with three touchdowns (two were from Dutton in the fourth quarter).
MONDAY MAYHEM
The American Conference title game will be played this upcoming Monday because a twirling competition is tying up Jacksonville's arena from Thursday through Sunday. It will become just the ninth playoff game in league history to be played on a Monday. In a weird historical twist, the last Monday night playoff game had the Georgia Force as the road team. The Force lost that game to Cleveland, which oddly enough was the team it beat this past Sunday to get to this Monday night matchup.
This will mark the first conference title game (or semifinal prior to 2005) to be played on a Monday, though two ArenaBowls (1996-97 both in Iowa and lost by the Barnstormers) have been played on the day. The winner will have the shortest time between playoff games in league history as ArenaBowl XXIV will be held on Friday, August 12.
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MONDAY NIGHT GAMES - AFL PLAYOFF HISTORY
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DATE
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HOME TEAM
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OPPONENT
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RESULT
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8/08/2011
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Jacksonville
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Georgia
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?
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7/07/2008
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Cleveland
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Georgia
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WON
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6/30/2008
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Cleveland
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Orlando
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WON
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6/30/2008
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Arizona
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Grand Rapids
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LOST
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7/09/2007
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Chicago
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Los Angeles
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WON
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7/02/2007
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Los Angeles
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Utah
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WON
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8/05/2002
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Chicago
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Dallas
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WON
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8/25/1997
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Iowa
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Arizona
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LOST
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8/26/1996
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Iowa
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Tampa Bay
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LOST
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WINNING IS EVERYTHING
Here's some interesting numbers based on the teams with the best regular season records. The top three based on regular season record this year all won on Friday night. Dallas had the fourth best record and lost to Chicago - the third-best record team.
This marks just the tenth time in league history that the best three regular season teams have won their first playoff game. NOTE: it wasn't until 1992 (AFL's sixth season) that eight teams qualified for the postseason. NOTE 2: Orlando had the third best regular season record in 2006 but had to play on the road because New York, which had the same record but lost to the Predators won the Eastern Division.
It also is the first time since 2005 that the top two regular season record teams have won their first playoff game and is the15th time in league history.
For the first time since 1996, the teams with the best record won four playoff games in the same weekend. Arizona was one of those four teams in 1996 and beat Orlando 65-48.
This marks just the fifth time since 1992 when the league expanded the playoffs to have at least four games in a given playoff weekend that the team with the better record in each game won. Other than 1996, the feat occurred from 1992-94.
Twice among these previous four seasons have the remaining teams with the best record in their respective game won the following week. This happened in 1992 and in 1996. However, the home team for the ArenaBowl both of those seasons lost (Orlando, 1992; Iowa, 1996).
SUNSHINE SEMIS
With Jacksonville's win, the state of Florida will host the American Conference championship game for the second straight season. Last year, Tampa hosted the game with the home-standing Storm beating Orlando 63-62. A team from Florida has been in a Conference Championship or semifinals game 23 times since 1991 when the state had Tampa Bay and Orlando join the league. The only year no team From Florida made it to the final four was 2001, when Orlando lost to Chicago in the first round and Tampa Bay lost to Indiana in the quarterfinals.
HUGHLEY COMES UP HUGE
Jacksonville WR/KR Jeff Hughley returned the opening kickoff for a 57-yard for a touchdown and then added another one for the same yards in the third quarter. His two kickoff returns for scores ties and AFL record with four others and is the first in the league since Detroit Fury DS/KR Ron Carpenter did so in a 52-48 loss to that year's ArenaBowl champion (Tampa Bay) in the first round of the postseason. Of the five times that a player has returned two kickoffs for scores against the same team, twice it's been done against Orlando (including the first time in league history) and twice against Tampa Bay. The player's team has won just two of the five games. Both have been against Orlando.
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MOST KICKOFF RETURNS FOR TD, SINGLE GAME - AFL PLAYOFF HISTORY
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PLAYER, TEAM
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KOR TD
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DATE, OPP
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SCORE
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1. Jeff Hughley, JAX
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2
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7/29/2011 vs. ORL
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WON 63-48
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Ron Carpenter, DET
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2
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5/31/2003 at TB
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LOST 52-48
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Antonio Chatman, CHI
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2
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5/25/2003 at NY
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LOST 48-45
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Lamont Cooper, MIL
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2
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7/29/2000 at TB
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LOST 72-64
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Hunkie Cooper, AZ
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2
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8/10/1996 vs. ORL
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WON 65-48
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GLOVE GOES OUT WITH ANOTHER RECORD
In his final AFL game, Orlando DB Kenny McEntyre intercepted his 13th career playoff interception. It broke a tie for the all-time career playoff record with former Orlando teammate Barry Wagner. McEntyre also holds the league record for career playoff interception return yards (192) and is tied for the most returned for TDs (two).
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MOST CAREER INTERCEPTIONS - AFL HISTORY
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PLAYER
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INT
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1. Kenny McEntyre
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13
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2. Barry Wagner
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12
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3. Rod McSwain
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6
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6
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6
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BEST END ZONE DESIGN IN LEAGUE HISTORY
Give it to the Sharks for having the best end zones in the league. I love the blood red color. Then having each end zone different is just awesome. One is the word mark and the other is just the Shark logo. It's great that the team doesn't go full NASCAR with sponsor logos ruining the look like many teams do.
NFL.COM NOT IN HD
I was excited that I'd be able to watch the Preds-Sharks game and work on this story at the same time, however, I found that NFL.com's quality for the live streaming video was quite pathetic compared to other live streaming sports sites like CBS, ESPN and NBC. Yes, it was 16:9 but when I went full screen, it looked very pixilated and far from broadcast quality. If this was a NFL broadcast, NFL.com would’ve been destroyed in the media for the poor video quality.
This was very upsetting when it came to the game's final turnover that from my pixilated vantage point looked like Orlando WR T.T. Toliver was knocked into the boards before the ball was lodged loose and thus he would be down by contact. In addition, the screen froze numerous times during the broadcast. I have no problems streaming Netflix with my speed of 21mps (tested during the game). I've been told that Jamarr Ward's fumble on the goal line was also very questionable, but I couldn't tell.
Last week, the Sports Business Journal had an article where it said viewership of AFL games on NFL Network was down 27% from 2010. However, I was quite disappointed in John Lombardo not saying what percentage NFL Network was down from last year as a whole because of the NFL lockout. With the lockout, I wonder how it affected NFL Network as a whole during the same time frame. Give it some context. If NFL Network on Fridays from March to July was down (aside from the Draft coverage that bumped Aaron Garcia’s 1,000th TD pass), then report it too. This story makes it seem like the AFL was down 27% because of the product on the field. I know I critique the league for many things but I would never put out a story like this without presenting all the facts. Is NFL Network’s overall ratings up or down from a year ago for the same timeframe? It should've been mentioned.
SHARKS SECOND 13-GAME WIN STREAK
After an AFL record 13-game in-season winning streak, Jacksonville added another streak of 13 victories. This time, a 13-game streak against American Conference opponents. The Sharks' last American Conference loss came against Orlando in the 2010 first round of the playoffs.
NO RUSH TO SEE CHICAGO OR CLEVELAND
The Rush pulled off a last-minute comeback win to advance to the National Conference title game, but its fans forgot to show up for the playoff contest. In fact, the announced attendance of 4,489 is the second lowest playoff crowd in league history beating out the 2000 New England SeaWolves pathetic showing by 78 fans. That game was the last for the SeaWolves as the team became the Toronto Phantoms in 2001. The 4,489 is also the lowest ever to watch a Rush home game. Last week, Chicago drew a crowd of 10,269 for the regular season finale against Milwaukee and the team had 14,338 for its last home playoff game in 2008 when it lost 58-41 to Grand Rapids. Here's a look at the worst attended playoff games in league history.
On Sunday, the Cleveland Gladiators drew better than Chicago, but not by much. The announced crowd to see the Gladiators lose to Georgia was less than 500 more than that watched the Rush game. In the span of three days, the AFL has seen two of the three worst attended playoff games in the league's 24-year history. The Glads drew nearly 9,000 more fans for its last home playoff game (69-66 win over Orlando in 2008), which was on a Monday night. This is the lowest attendance for the Gladiators since 2007 when the team was in Sin City.
Over the last year, Cleveland has seen the biggest drop in attendance of any team in the league. In 2010, the Gladiators averaged 8,828 per game and this year (not including the playoff game) they averaged over 3,300 fewer fans per game. I know that the team is selling season tickets for next season (unlike some team in the same city as the league's headquarters), but Cleveland's owner has already moved this team twice since buying the New Jersey Red Dogs back over a decade ago (changed the name to Gladiators then moved them to Las Vegas and to Cleveland). If I were a betting man, I'd say he'd take them closer to his home in South Florida with the next move. Cleveland was 14th out of 18 teams in attendance (only Georgia, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Tulsa had fewer announced crowds). Great, something else from Cleveland heading to South Beach.
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LOWEST ATTENDANCE - AFL PLAYOFF HISTORY
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HOME TEAM
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DATE
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RESULT
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ATTENDANCE
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1. New England SeaWolves
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7/28/2000
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LOST 52-38 vs. OKC
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4,411
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2. Chicago Rush
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7/29/2011
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WON 54-51
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4,489
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3. Cleveland Gladiators
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7/31/2011
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LOST 50-41
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4,948
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4. Milwaukee Iron
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8/07/2010
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WON 64-54 vs. CHI
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5,023
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5. Pittsburgh Gladiators (played in Sacramento)
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8/12/1989
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WON 39-37 vs. DEN
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5,417
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6. Grand Rapids Rampage
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5/25/2003
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LOST 55-54 vs. DET
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5,562
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7. Tulsa Talons
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8/07/2010
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LOST 68-38 vs. TB
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5,964
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DALLAS DEBACLE
The Cowboys aren't the only football team from the Dallas area to have postseason problems for the past decade or so. In AFL history, there have been four teams from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. The playoff losses for the Texans, Calvary and Desperados ended up being the last games in each of those franchises histories.
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PLAYOFF WOES FOR AFL DALLAS AREA TEAMS
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TEAM
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PLAYOFF STREAK
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LAST PLAYOFF GM
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Dallas Texans
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Lost last two games
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1993
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Ft. Worth Calvary
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Lost only game
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1994
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Dallas Desperados
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Lost last three games
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2008
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Dallas Vigilantes
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Lost only game
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2010
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O’HARA OUT IN ORLANDO
On Monday, the Orlando Predators fired head coach Pat O’Hara, who was 19-15 in two years in the Magic Kingdom. Later that day, O’Hara’s wife, Billie, posted on her Facebook wall, "It's amazing to wake up one morning the head coach of one football team and go to bed the coach of a new team. Goodbye Orlando, hello New Orleans." At the time of this publication, there hasn’t been any confirmation from the New Orleans VooDoo or any announcement from the Big Easy. Three years ago, O’Hara was announced as the head coach of the Los Angeles Avengers on Media Day of ArenaBowl XXII, which was held in New Orleans. This is a developing story. Stay tuned to the latest from Adam Markowitz from ArenaFan Online for more details.
MILWAUKEE, KANSAS CITY OR TULSA GONE?
News stories from San Antonio and Jacksonville mentioned that the league might have some team movement in 2012 involving three of the bottom four teams in attendance. The San Antonio paper said Tulsa would “probably relocate” to Texas. In a story in the Florida Times-Union that interviewed commissioner Jerry Kurz about Jacksonville being one of the top five teams in profitability, it was mentioned that either Milwaukee or Kansas City “might relocate.” Kurz was also quoted as saying: “The other side is I’d like our other 18 teams to be all breaking even or making money before we really look at expanding too soon, too fast, too far,” he said. “More teams are making money than not. More teams are closer to making money than not, and more teams are losing less money than ever.”
PLAYOFF PREVIEWS
CHICAGO AT ARIZONA: Saturday, August 6
The Rattlers have won ten straight games since its last loss - May 14 at home vs. Chicago (50-49). After trailing 7-0 early in that game, Arizona led until the final second with Rush kicker Chris Gould hit a 33-yard field to win it. The Rattlers did have a chance to win it with a 51-yard field goal of their own after Rush FB/LB Johnnie Kirton was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, but the kick sailed wide right. Chicago scored with 22 seconds left and then recovered the ensuing kickoff to set up Gould's game winner. The Rush defense overcame two Russ Michna interceptions and a fumble by Kirton by allowing just one touchdown from the miscues. Arizona kicker Fabrizio Scaccia missed two field goals and a PAT in the one-point loss. This was one of just two games all season that the Rattlers were held under 50 points (the other was in a win over Orlando).
This game features the two of the best defenses the league has seen in many years. Chicago and Arizona finished #1 and #2 in scoring defense, takeaways, defensive passer rating. The Rush had the second worst team in total offense, but a lot of that had to do with the great defense Chicago had this year after setting a league mark with 56 takeaways. This shortened the field for Chicago and resulted in the “poor” offensive yardage totals. However, the Rush was the worst team in turning the ball over in the red zone in the league, while the Rattlers’ defense was the absolute best in taking away the ball in the red zone. This could be the deciding factor in this game.
Chicago used another comeback with under a minute to beat Dallas in the quarterfinals, while Arizona forced five turnovers in a blowout win over Spokane. This is the second time the two perennial powers have played in the postseason. The first was in 2002 with Arizona winning at home 46-35 in the semifinals (same round as conference championship) to advance to ArenaBowl XVI (lost to San Jose 52-14). In that game, the Rattlers jumped out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back.
This time, Chicago is without starter Russ Micha and had J.J. Raterink under center. Raterink played against the Rattlers in April while with Kansas City and completed just 57.5% of his passes for 245 yards with six scores, two picks and was sacked twice. His offense sputtered on third down, converting just two-of-seven attempts. Arizona is without leading receiver Rod Windsor and Scaccia (remember he missed two FGs and a PAT in the last game). Last week, the two weren't missed due to the five takeaways by the defense. Even new acquisition, Chris Jackson was held just two catches for 15 yards.
Chicago's administration is a who's who of former Arizona greats. The GM is Gene Nudo, who won AFL Executive of the Year a record three times with the Rattlers. Head Coach Bob McMillen spent the first six years of his AFL career with the Rattlers and won a title in 1997 mostly splitting time with Bo Kelly at the FB/LB position. Offensive Coordinator Sherdrick Bonner is Arizona's all-time leading passer and won two titles with the Rattlers.
If Chicago wins it, the Rush will be the first AFL team to win a conference championship in both conferences. Prior to 2005, conferences meant nothing for playoff seeding but with the creation of neutral site ArenaBowls that year, the league decided to make the conference winners meet in the ArenaBowl. In 2006, Chicago was a member of the American Conference when it went on to win that year's ArenaBowl with a 7-9 regular season record. Last year when the league returned after a year away, the Rush was placed in the National Conference because the AFL decided to use the af2's organization of division and conferences.
It’s hard to go against Arizona in any game this season. This is one of the best teams this league has ever seen. Offense, defense and special teams are all outstanding, but that’s why the games are played. The Rattlers have lost just two games – both in the final second of game play and by a single point. Last time, the Rush needed an onside kick recovery and a 33-yard field goal in the final 20 seconds to pull off the victory. Chicago’s won three games this year in the final play. If the Rush is a score away on the final play, bet on Chicago. If not, this game is all Arizona all night.
RATTLERS 52, RUSH 50
GEORGIA AT JACKSONVILLE: Monday, August 8
The Sharks swept the regular season series with a 14-point home win in Week Two and a seven-point win at Georgia in May. Jacksonville has won 13 straight games against American Conference foes. Georgia QB Darnell Kennedy completed less than 50% of his passes last week against Cleveland and was bailed out by his defense that forced four turnovers and returned two for scores. That’s not going to cut it against a Sharks team that allowed just 59.7% of passes against it (second best in the league). However, Kennedy did make his AFL debut against Jacksonville and completed a season-high 78.6% of his passes. Look for Kennedy and the Force to throw bubble screens and short passes to utilize the speed and agility of perhaps the quickest receiving corps in the league. Larry Shipp, Maurice Purify and C.J. Johnson each had over 120 catches and over 1,400 yards this season. The trio combined for five 100-yard receiving games in the two games against Jacksonville this year.
In the Week Two loss, Georgia outgained Jacksonville 405-177 through the air, but coughed it up four times. Nine weeks later, the Force converted just three of its eight attempts on third down and settled for two field goals. The Sharks took a seven-point lead with a minute left and Georgia QB Brett Elliot misfired his final three passes from inside the Jacksonville six-yard line that could’ve either potentially sent the game into overtime or won it with a two-point conversion. On the year, Georgia had the second lowest number of fourth-down conversions (12).
This is a make or break game for Sharks QB Aaron Garcia. The league’s all-time regular season leader in nearly every passing category has never been taken a team to the ArenaBowl unlike every other QB in the top seven in all-time passing yards. He’s a first-ballot AFL Hall of Famer, but without a championship ring he can never go down truly as one of the greats no matter how many touchdowns he’s thrown or yards he’s got. Garcia is just 4-8 as a playoff starter, so that’s the true intangible in this contest. He’s struggled to win in the playoffs, but finally beat Orlando in the postseason after losing to the Preds in his first four tries.
Assuming you believe this Force team isn’t the Alabama Vipers and is actually the same Force team that lost in ArenaBowl XIX to Colorado in 2005, then if Georgia wins this game it will have won a Conference Championship in both conferences. Back in 2005, the Force was the first National Conference champion when the league began neutral site ArenaBowls. When the league came back last season, the Alabama Vipers (a.k.a. the Georgia Force) was a member of the American Conference like it was when it was a member of the af2 (that team was called the Tennessee Valley Vipers back then – three name changes in three years).
I assume the Force doesn’t win this. SHARKS 68, FORCE 54
BREAKING IT DOWN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jeff Hughley, Jacksonville WR/KR
Hughley only had stats on just four plays, but two of them turned the momentum to the Sharks in each half. The first was on the opening kickoff when he took it 57 yards for a touchdown. Then after Orlando came back from a 15-point deficit to pull within a point early in the third quarter, he returned the ensuing kickoff again 57 yards for a score. That second return deflated the Predators and on their next two drives didn’t score as Jacksonville pulled away with victory.
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2011 BREAKING IT DOWN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
|
||
|
Wk
|
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
|
|
11
|
Tommy Grady, Utah
|
71.9%, 319 yards 10 TD (9 pass/1 rush), 0 INT, 143.1 rating
|
|
12
|
Dan Raudabaugh, DAL
|
87.8%, 433 yards, 10 TD, 0 INT, 156.37 rating
|
|
13
|
Bobby Sippio, ORL
|
9 receptions, 124 yards, 6 TDs
|
|
14
|
J.C. Neal, TUL
|
6.0 tackles, 2 INT returned for touchdowns, 95 INT yards
|
|
15
|
Tommy Grady, Utah
|
79.5% (31-of-39), 313 yards, 10 TD, 0 INT, 139.69 rating
|
|
16
|
Aaron Garcia, JAX
|
81.5%, 289 yards, 9 TD, 0 INT, 150.69 rating
|
|
17
|
Nick Davila
|
79.3%, 291 yards, 9 TD, 0 INT
|
|
18
|
Tiger Jones, DAL
|
17 catches for 208 yards with five touchdowns
|
|
19
|
Kyle Rowley, SPO
|
77.4%, 281 yards, 9 TD (8 pass/1 rush), 0 INT, 144.0 rating
|
|
20
|
Benji McDowell, GEO
|
Game-winning rushing TD, 4.0 sacks, 1 FF, 6.5 tackles
|
|
1st RD
|
Jeff Hughley, JAZ
|
Two 57-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns
|
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.
