Predators win War on I-4, await the real war next week against Sharks
Adam Markowitz
Saturday August 8, 2015
ORLANDO -- Give Rob Keefe this much. He wasn't going to let the Orlando Predators lose any momentum going into the playoffs.
By definition, the Preds had nothing to play for on Saturday night aside from bragging rights on I-4. The Southern Division title had already been won, and regardless of what happened in Week 20, the Amway Center was going to host its first ever AFL playoff game against the Jacksonville Sharks next week.
Still, Orlando was riding a four-game winning streak coming into this one, and Keefe, perhaps rightly so, wanted to keep that streak going. The 59-40 win over the Tampa Bay Storm wasn't monumental, but it might make the men in black the most dangerous unit in the AFL going into the playoffs.
On a night where Les Moss elected to pull his starting quarterback, Tommy Grady out in an equally meaningless game in the third quarter, Keefe kept his foot on the gas pedal until about midway through the fourth when this one was out of reach.
Randy Hippeard was surely knocked around a little bit, Greg Carr missed a couple plays in the second quarter when he came up limping, and there might even be a rather large injury casualty in the form of kicker Mark Lewis, who was on the sidelines in a sling in street clothes in the second half.
But the Predators kept winning, and they did so their way. They did so by playing intense and with far more passion than their rivals from 80 miles down the road did. They used promotions to put a season-best 15,188 in the crowd in the City Beautiful on the same night that Orlando City had nearly 30,000 right across the way in the Citrus Bowl.
The newest promotion in Orlando is, "We own the South." Yes, the Predators might be able to hang consecutive division title banners, but they should also be aware of the history with Jacksonville. The first time the Sharks won the Southern Division in 2010, an Orlando team which limped into the playoffs at 8-8 won in North Florida. This Jacksonville side might have finished 10-8, but clearly, it will only recognize that Orlando won the battle.
The 58th edition of the War on I-4 might have gone to the Predators, but the real war awaits next week against the Sharks.
Boltus, Storm Set Offensive Marks
The Storm finished up this season at a disappointing 7-11, tying the record for the most losses in a season in franchise history. There wasn't much of a silver lining this season, and clearly, everyone in the organization is going to have their jobs evaluated starting on Monday. However, there are some interesting statistical notes.
Jason Boltus threw for 300 yards in this game, putting him at 5,025 for the season. He's the first Tampa Bay QB to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, and he also broke franchise records for passes completed (408) and passes attempted (714). Boltus now sits second in league history for most pass attempts in a season behind Tommy Grady's 743 attempts in 2012.
The Storm also nearly put all three of their main wide receivers over 1,000 yards. TT Toliver finished with 1,536, while rookies Julius Gregory and Kendrick Ings had 1,036 and 997 respectively.
