Week 4 Game Preview: Valor at Empire
Thursday May 3, 2018
After a road loss against Baltimore, 52-49, the Albany Empire return home to take on the Washington Valor on Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Times Union Center. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network and ALT 105.7.
Both the Empire and Valor had a bye week in Week 2, giving players and coaches time to gel and further prepare for road ahead. “The bye week came at a great time for us,” said Rob Keefe, Head Coach of the Albany Empire. “We got these guys together and they have been working so hard for weeks at an incredible pace. The break gave the guys time to click and prepare themselves for a long stretch of football; a challenge that our entire organization is up for.”
The Valor will look to improve on getting more points in the early portion of the game. Washington is coming off a road lost to the Philadelphia Soul and found themselves at a scoring deficit early in the game for the second straight matchup. In the team’s first game against Baltimore, the Valor were down 20-7 after the first quarter, causing them to play catch-up all game long. As is typical in Arena Football, the Valor did heat up and cut the lead to within five by the end of the third quarter. The Valor went on to lose that game 61-56. In Week 3 versus the Soul, the Valor could not gain enough momentum to catch up the Philadelphia, losing 67-51.
In similar fashion, the Empire also started off slow in their season opener putting up only a single touchdown in the first quarter. Albany kept a steady pace with Baltimore in the team’s Week 3 matchup, going back and forth with the lead the entire game. Both teams will look to come out of the gates firing on all cylinders to avoid giving up early leads and playing from behind as each team seeks their first victory of the season.
The first matchup to lookout for is the Albany Empire backfield versus the Valor quarterbacks. Three-time league MVP, quarterback Nick Davila, suffered a season-ending injury in Philadelphia, leaving backup quarterback, Warren Smith, to finish the game. Davila tossed four touchdowns prior to his early exit against Philadelphia in Week 3. If Smith is at the helm for the Valor, that doesn’t change the Empire’s defensive game plan. Smith is a three-year AFL veteran, with this being his second year in Washington’s system. He was the starting quarterback for the Spokane Shock in 2015, his rookie season, where he tallied 32 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns.
The key to victory in this matchup is for the Empire to lockdown Valor receivers Rod Windsor and Josh Reese. Windsor dominated the targets in Week 1, reeling in team highs with nine catches for 87 yards and three touchdowns. Though four Valor receivers found pay dirt in the team’s 2018 debut, Windsor received the lion’s share of the action. Reese had a big second game as he claimed the team lead in total yards with 161 and caught three touchdown passes of his own. The pair combine for nine touchdown receptions of the Valor’s 11 total passing touchdowns over the team’s first two games. If the Empire can shut down Windsor and Reese, it will force the Valor to utilize other options and could cause problems for Washington all night long. Expect to see big plays out of Varmah Sonie and Arthur Hobbs as they lead the backfield and shadow the Valor’s receivers.
Another matchup to watch out for is Empire receiver, Joe Hills, against the Valor defensive backs. Hills is coming off back-to-back Wide Receiver of the Year awards and is looking forward to continuing his chemistry with Empire quarterback Tommy Grady. Nicknamed ‘Superman,’ Hills can be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. In his Empire debut against the Brigade, Hills pulled in a whopping four touchdowns and was seemingly unstoppable on his way to Offensive Player of the Game. Reeling in his first touchdown early in the game against Baltimore, Hills improved his impressive streak of consecutive games with a receiving touchdown to 82. Standing in at 6’4, 225lbs, Hills has the explosive ability to burst off the line of scrimmage past any defender, along with the capability to jump over defenders and pull in big catches. Dominic Addison of Washington will see a lot of Hills on Saturday. The four-year veteran set a career high in tackles and pass breakups a season ago and led the Valor in tackles in Week 1. After two games, Addison continues to lead the Valor in tackles with 11.5. Addison will have his hands full trying to contain Joe Hills and his nose for the end zone.
The entire receiving unit for the Empire will look to give the Valor issues all night long. Aside from Hills, Doug McNeill III, Greg Carr, Collin Taylor and rookie standout Malachi Jones give Grady plenty of options. All four receivers found the end zone in the team’s debut against the Philadelphia Soul on April 14, while both Taylor and Jones chipped in another touchdown each in the team’s second game a week ago. Both of Jones’ touchdowns have come from 40+ yards (on a 50-yard field), so look out for his playmaking abilities and breakaway speed.
Another important matchup to note is between the Empire and Valor’s kickoff return units. Receiver Chris Duvalt of Washington has been stellar with his kickoff returns over the team’s first two games. In ten total kick returns, Duvalt has racked up 194 yards and even brought one to the house for a touchdown. Duvalt is averaging an incredible 19.4 yards per return as he constantly sets the Valor up with great starting field position. Empire kicker, Kenny Spencer, will have to try different kicks off the net to try to take Duvalt out of his rhythm to prevent a big gain. Look for Spencer to mix in some short pooch kicks to keep Duvalt on his toes. On the other side of the ball, The Empire are still trying to determine their return man to help get them set up with better starting field position. The team has split kickoff returns between Collin Taylor and rookie Jordan Williams. Williams showed some upside in the team’s Week 3 game against Baltimore, but never broke out for a long return. Taylor is a seven-year league veteran who will look to use his experience to help the Empire in the return game.
The last matchup to lookout for is in the trenches between the Empire defensive line and the Valor offensive line. Against the Brigade, The Empire gave 2017 AFL MVP, Randy Hippeard, all sorts of trouble in the backfield. Led by the league’s third all-time sacks leader, Joe Sykes, The Empire will look to pressure the quarterback all night long to limit his time in the pocket and force errant throws. In Week 3, Sykes had two sacks and forced a fumble. The Valor offensive line will have their hands full with the likes of Sykes, Darryl Cato-Bishop, Nick Seither and Willie McGinnis as they look to protect the backfield. Over the first two games, the Valor have given up two sacks; a number that the Empire will seek to increase.
Tickets for the remaining Empire home games are still available at TheAlbanyEmpire.com. Ticket packages include: pro-rated season tickets, family four packs, group and corporate outing experiences, birthday party packages, Bud Light Party Zone tickets, Pioneer Bank Field Zone tickets, Pepsi Family Zone tickets and single game tickets. For additional information, please call 518-53-2200.
