“I’m excited. I know I’ve had some tough games here on the road, I know it’s a great fan base and I’m excited to do it in green,” said Michna about the upcoming game.

This past week of preparation for Michna has been focused on finding a rhythm with new group of offensive weapons.

“I think more than anything else we’re just trying to figure each other out. We’ve got four good receivers here and everyone does everything just a little bit differently. So we’re all still trying to get on the same page and make sure we’re thinking the same thing out there in every situation,” said Michna.

Last week, Michna spread the ball around to three different receivers for scores and only had two offensive turnovers, one fumbled snap and an interception. Going into this week’s game against the Gladiators, he’s looking to keep the momentum up and continue to gel with his offense. Expect to see the chemistry between Michna and receiver Jason Willis continue to grow this week. Willis helped the SaberCats move downfield last week with eight catches and he averages 94.2 receiving yards per game, leading the team with 471-yards and 42 catches in only five games.

There’s no doubt about the fact that Michna has a stacked group of receivers to connect with, it’s all a matter of how quickly he’ll be able to establish synergy with them. On any team, a change in the quarterback position presents its challenges however; it’s how the team responds to these challenges that will prove what potential they have.

“I said it from day one when I got here, this is a really talented group of receivers. I’m really excited about what we can do and they all have their own traits and their own skills. I’m still trying to figure them out exactly, as well as how we can use them best but I’m definitely excited about the potential.”

While the Gladiators 1-4 record doesn’t say much about the team’s performances, Michna knows better than to underestimate their defense.

“They’re aggressive, they’re physical, they come up and hit, and they’re the kind of team that you respect as soon as you see them on film. They’re going to be in the right place almost all the time and they’re going to come up and make tackles. Offensively, it makes you be a little sharper because you know they’re not going to make any big mistakes. So you have to be on your game,” said Michna.

Just last week against the Blaze, the Gladiators defense had some big plays leading to defensive stops. Defensive back Lenny Wicks had an over-the-wall interception on reigning AFL MVP Tommy Grady’s fourth-down attempt in the end zone for the Cutters Catch of the Week and posted a team-high of 9.5 tackles putting him at 33 for the season. Another defensive threat is linemen Todd Storm who wreaked havoc on the Blaze’s offensive line last week, consistently being physical up front and registering a sack.

On the other side of the ball, the SaberCats defense will be facing a Gladiators receiving corps that has had some inconsistency week to week.

Gladiator’s coach Steve Thonn expressed last week in a post-game interview with the media that the team’s offense was off. Thonn went on to say that Zbydniewski tried to force too many passes, causing two interceptions against the Blaze and the receivers routes weren’t ran well which contributed to the two stops the Blaze defense had on them. This disappointing offensive performance in week six followed a big game for the Gladiators where they beat the Soul 64-57 in overtime and Zbydniewski threw for eight touchdowns receiving the AFL Offensive Player of the Week award.

Some popular targets for Gladiator’s quarterback Zbydniewski have been receivers Jonathan Wilson who has had touchdowns in four straight games for Cleveland and Iron Man Thyron Lewis who has had at least six catches in four consecutive games.

On the ground, Gladiator fullback Derik Steiner has posted five rushing touchdowns and Zbydniewski has had a rushing touchdown in all but one game of the season.  It’s hard to say what to expect from the Gladiators going up against the SaberCats as they seem to vary week to week.

The SaberCats defense will play a big part in this game as both the ‘Cats and Gladiators have very similar statistics in most offensive categories. The SaberCats defense will have to get off to a fast start just as they came out strong last week against the VooDoo, allowing only a field goal in the first quarter. Impact defensive players will be Clevan Thomas who leads the team with five interceptions and 20 tackles and defensive linemen Jason Stewart who leads the team with 2.5 sacks.

The SaberCats defensive line has been emphasizing technique and fundamental sound. As veteran and dominant linemen Stewart explains his focus is, “Just staying on sides. That’s a critical situation for us as defensive linemen to stay on sides because you know, we get two and then we’re out the game.”

Stewart goes on to express what he’s seen of the Gladiator’s offensive line on film, “They’re physical and they’re technique is sound. They pretty much try to get after the defensive linemen, so we got to do the same thing to them.”

While the SaberCats have undergone quite a bit of change throughout these seven weeks, they’ve still managed to keep a tight brotherhood on the field as they keep one goal in mind and that’s to pursue the ArenaBowl Championship.

Leanne is a freelance sports journalist residing in the San Francisco Bay Area as she finishes up her Mass Communication, Media Production B.A. at Cal State University, East Bay. This will be her second season as a correspondent covering the San Jose SaberCats.