Breaking it Down – 2008 Week 15
Andy Lopusnak
Wednesday June 11, 2008
The team once 0-9 is extremely close to a playoff berth, while another that started 6-2 might be out soon. Seven of the eight winning teams this past weekend scored over 60 points and all told all eight averaged almost 69 points per game with Grand Rapids leading the way with 84. Week 15 was a sweeping success for Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. These and much more will be featured in the fifteenth edition of Breaking it Down.
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WEEK 15 RESULTS
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CLEVELAND 65, Chicago 44
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GRAND RAPIDS 84, Colorado 65
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Georgia 63, COLUMBUS 34
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NEW YORK 58, New Orleans 51
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TAMPA BAY 71, Orlando 61
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Philadelphia 71, DALLAS 64
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Arizona 73, KANSAS CITY 34
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UTAH 65, Los Angeles 56
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BYE: San Jose
WEEK 15’S EIGHT GAMES FEATURED:
- Ten touchdowns scored on returns: fumble (3), interception (3), kickoff return (3) and missed field goal (1).
- Two safeties and one PAT return for two points.
- Four players had 200 or more all-purpose yards.
- Five quarterbacks had 300 or more yards passing.
- 17 players had 100 or more yards receiving.
BRING OUT THE BROOMS
Tampa Bay and Philadelphia swept their biggest rivals with wins this weekend – Orlando and Dallas, respectively. The Soul used a late Chris Jackson touchdown with 55 seconds left and a loose fumble on the ensuing kickoff to take the two-game series set against the Desperados. Last season, Dallas swept Philadelphia. The Storm survived a late rally by the Predators to sweep Orlando for the ninth regular season series sweep in the 18-year history of the War on I-4. Tampa Bay swept Orlando three times (1995, 1998 and 1999) and beat the Predators three times in 1995 (ArenaBowl). However in 1998 and 1999, the Predators beat the Storm in the playoffs after being swept in the regular season. Orlando had the first season sweep in 1993, but Tampa Bay won in the playoffs and went on to win ArenaBowl VII the following week. Orlando also swept the Storm in 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2006.
TRIPLICATE
Grand Rapids had three players post 100 or more yards receiving in its 84-65 win over Colorado. It marks the first time in that team’s history that three players have done so and the seventh time this season in the AFL. Columbus (Week Eight), Los Angeles (Week Eight), New York (Week 12), San Jose (Week One) and Utah (Week Two and Three)
NOT IN A RUSH
The Chicago Rush, like the rest of the American Conference expect for Arizona, continued its slide against teams from the National Conference. This time, the team fell by 21 points to the Cleveland Gladiators and is 1-3 against the Nationals. Chicago has lost two of its last three games with its only win in that timeframe coming against the worst team in the American Conference, which was won in the final eleven seconds of play. This does not bode well for the Rush, neither does the fact that the team still has to play to of the best teams the National Conference has to offer – the Georgia Force, winners of its last six contests, and the Dallas Desperados, which are tied for the best record in the AFL. To secure home-field advantage until the ArenaBowl, the Rush must either win one more game or San Jose must lose once.
“PHIL” YER UP
Cleveland QB Raymond Philyaw has not thrown an interception in the last five games (173 pass attempts) and he has guided the league’s worst team in 2007 into a likely playoff team. Last season, the Gladiators (then in Las Vegas) posted the league’s worst record (2-14) and have improved by six games this season with two remaining. It is the second-straight season that Philyaw has turned around the league’s worst team into a playoff-bound team – the 2006 Kansas City Brigade were 3-13 then went 10-6 in 2007 with Philyaw.
BIG MAC
Grand Rapids Rampage QB James MacPherson had eleven touchdowns in the team’s 84-65 win over Colorado. He tossed a team-record ten TDs and ran in another. In the team’s four wins, MacPherson has 30 touchdowns to just four interceptions, completing 80.2% of his passes with a 130.8 rating. In the eight losses as a starter, he is completing 62.6% of his passes with 41 TDs and 11 interceptions.
MONDAY NIGHT ARENA BASEBALL?!?
Much to my surprise when I tuned on Monday night’s game between two four-win teams, there was no Arena Football to be found - Freno and Arizona State were playing a little college baseball. Eighty-three minutes later (11:23 PM on the East Coast), the game finally began on TV. ArenaFootball.com said the game would be “joined in progress,” but ESPN2 decided to show it from the beginning. At the time, the actually game was at halftime. With the late start on TV, the game didn’t end until past 2:00 AM in the Eastern Time Zone. To add insult to injury, the ESPN2 crew had the wrong score on the screen for the first 50 seconds of the game (Utah 6, Los Angeles 0). It was changed after the kickoff and two Avengers offensive plays. Oh, and the telecast also had the wrong headshot of Utah lineman Dwayne Missouri when they did the Blaze's starting lineups.
WELCOME QUARTER“BACK” CARTER
Former Dallas Cowboys QB Quincy Carter made his AFL debut in the Brigade’s 73-34 loss to Arizona. He finished 23-of-43 for 279 yards with four touchdowns, two interceptions and was sacked twice. His perfmance was about the same as his overall perfomance last season with the af2’s Bossier Battle Wings. There he completed 59.5% of his passes for 3,254 yards with 66 TDs and 12 interceptions. However, the Battle Wings had their best season (11-5) with the former NFL quarterback under center.
WALKING THE PLANK
During his first four years as an AFL head coach, Georgia’s Doug Plank now has won more regular season games than any coach in his first four seasons (42). It’s a great accomplishment, however, he did it in his 62nd game and threecoaches won more games in their first 62 games. Those coaches did not benefit from having a 16-game regular season and a four-week postseason.
MOST WINS IN FIRST 62 REGULAR SEASON GAMES
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COACH
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WINS
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55
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51
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48
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Doug Plank
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42
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41
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40
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38
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37
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WEEKLY PLAYOFF UPDATE
No teams secured playoff berths this past weekend, though Arizona did lock up the third seed (and a home playoff game) with its 73-34 win over Kansas City. Orlando dropped out of the six-team playoff field due to losing three straight and five of its last seven. The Predators end their regular season this Friday home against New Orleans before having a bye in Week 17.
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NATIONAL CONFERENCE
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AMERICAN CONFERENCE
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SEED
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TEAM
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RECORD
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SEED
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TEAM
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RECORD
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1
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Philadelphia – Y
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11-3
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1
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Chicago – X
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10-4
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2
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Georgia
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9-5
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2
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San Jose – Y
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9-5
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3
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Dallas – Y
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11-3
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3
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Arizona – Y
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8-6
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4
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New York
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8-6
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4
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Utah
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5-10
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5
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New Orleans
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8-6
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5
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Colorado
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4-10
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6
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Cleveland
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8-6
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6
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Grand Rapids
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4-10
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X = won division and first-round bye
Y = clinched playoff berth
WEEK 15’S TOP STATISTICAL PREFORMANCES
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100-YARD RECEIVERS
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PLAYER, TEAM
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RECEIVING YARDS
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RECEPTIONS
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TOUCHDOWNS
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Willie Quinn, COL
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133
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11
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4
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Chris Johnson, GR
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132
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11
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3
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Cole Magner, GR
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111
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13
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3
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Kenny Higgins, GR
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101
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7
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3
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Kevin Nickerson, ORL
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129
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10
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1
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Hank Edwards, TB
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131
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9
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4
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Siaha Burley, AZ
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104
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9
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3
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Travis LaTendresse, CHI
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146
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12
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3
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Donovan Morgan, CHI
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103
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10
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1
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Otis Amey, CLE
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125
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6
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3
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Troy Bergeron, GEO
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165
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6
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4
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Derek Lee, CMB
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112
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11
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1
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Kevin Swayne, NY
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135
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14
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4
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Chris Jackson, PHI
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128
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10
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6
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Anthony Armstrong, DAL
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132
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7
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3
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Kevin Ingram, LA
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134
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12
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2
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LaShawn Ward, LA
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115
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6
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2
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300-YARD PASSERS
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PLAYER, TEAM
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PASSING YARDS
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PASS TDs
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INTERCEPTIONS
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James MacPherson, GR
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388
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10
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1
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John Dutton, COL
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328
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8
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0
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Shane Stafford, ORL
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362
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8
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1
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Russ Michna, CHI
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310
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6
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1
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Aaron Garcia, NY
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335
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5
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0
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200 YARDS OR MORE ALL-PURPOSE
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PLAYER, TEAM
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ALL-PURPOSE
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TOTAL TDs
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Sedrick Robinson, TB
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230
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1
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Chad Owens, COL
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219
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1
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Jeremiah Pope, NO
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267
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1
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Josh Bush, DAL
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208
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2
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DEFENSIVE LEADERS
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PLAYER, TEAM
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TACKLES
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INT
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SACKS
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FF
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FR
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PBU
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DEF TD
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Jason Perry, ORL
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9.0
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1
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0.0
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0
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0
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1
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0
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Traco Rachal, TB
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11.5
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1
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0.0
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0
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1
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0
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0
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Isaiah Trufant, AZ
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9.0
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1
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0.0
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1
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0
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1
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0
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Terrance Joseph, AZ
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4.0
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1
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0.0
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0
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1
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0
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1
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Brandon Hefflin, CLE
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8.5
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1
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0.0
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0
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0
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1
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1
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Rashad Floyd, COL
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10.0
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1
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0.0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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Lin-J Shell, NO
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16.0
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0
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0.0
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0
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0
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3
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0
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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grand Rapids QB James MacPherson accounted for eleven touchdowns in the team’s 84-65 win over Colorado. He finished 35-of-43 for 388 yards with ten passing scores and an interception. On the ground, MacPherson had three rushes for five yards and a touchdown.
HONORABLE MENTION: Philadelphia receiver Chris Jackson had six touchdowns on ten catches for 128 yards in the Soul’s 71-64 win over Dallas.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tampa Bay DB Traco Rachal posted 11.5 stops, a fumble recovery and an interception in the Storm’s 71-61 win over Orlando.
HONORABLE MENTION: New Orleans DB Lin-J Shell registered an AFL season-high 16.0 tackles as well as three pass breakups in a losing effort against New York. Shell also scooped up a loose ball after a blocked extra point and returned it for two points for the VooDoo.
IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
Tampa Bay WR/KR Sedrick Robinson compiled 230 all-purpose yards with a touchdown, forced fumble, recovered a fumble and had a solo tackle in the Storm’s 71-61 win over Orlando. He returned eight kickoffs for 168 yards including on he took 58 yards for a touchdown. Robinson also caught five balls for 62 yards. He forced a fumble and recovered it after a Tampa Bay interception.
HONORABLE MENTION: Grand Rapids WR Chris Johnson had 2.0 tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams along with eleven catches for 132 yards and three 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.
