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AFL Insider: Week 5
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Courtesy: Wayne Morris
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Release: 03/30/2008
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Courtesy: Juan Ocampo/AFL/GettyImages.com
Can WR Kevin Ingram lead the Los Angeles Avengers passed the Grand Rapids Rampage |
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By Wayne Morris -- Each week, former AFL player and current broadcasting analyst Wayne Morris takes an insider’s look at every game. Check out Wayne's breakdown for Sunday's Week 5 matchups.
SUNDAY'S GAMES
Los Angeles Avengers (2-2) @ Grand Rapids Rampage (1-2)
Why to Watch
The Rampage came away with their first win of the season and at the same time gave Steve Thonn his first win as the new Rampage head coach. They did it in dramatic fashion as they put up 92 points on the road against the Kansas City Brigade. The 92 points set a new AFL record for most points scored by a road team in a single game. Now the Rampage return home and look to build off their impressive win fueled by starting QB James MacPherson, who made the start last week over Adrian McPherson. The Avengers outscored their opponents 129 to 68 in their first two wins in which they looked every bit of a dominant team. But the last two weeks have not been kind to Ed Hodgkiss’ team. The Avengers have had the tables turned on them as they were blown out by an average of 24 points by Georgia and Philadelphia. Los Angeles is a talented team but they have not played well and they are looking to turn things around.
Keys to the Game
Regain Swagger! The Avengers were 2-0 and looking dominant but in the last two weeks the wheels have fallen off as they have been the ones getting pushed around by Georgia and Philadelphia. This is good team personnel-wise but something has happened in the last two weeks. LA has a very good coach in Ed Hodgkiss and combined with their talent they should be playing better than they have in recent weeks. The Avengers must come out and play with the same swagger and confidence that they showed in their two wins. But it starts with execution and taking care of the football and they have been uncharacteristically turning it over way too much.
Consistency on offense! When you score 92 points in a blowout in the back of your mind you’re thinking maybe we should save some of these points for next week. The Rampage played well in their opener scoring 58 points in a close loss to San Jose, but then were blown out in their second game only scoring 35 points. So for Steve Thonn, he’s hoping the move to James MacPherson will payoff in two straight games and his offense comes out and plays as well as they did last week.
Key Match Ups
LA DB Damen Wheeler vs. Grand Rapids WR Kenny Higgins
The Rampage pass distribution has been spread out among 4 different receivers, but when it comes to the big plays Higgins is the man leading the Rampage with 6 touchdown receptions and averaging 17.2 yards per catch. Wheeler is the leader and a top playmaker of this defense that has not made any impact in the last two weeks. Besides containing Higgins, Wheeler needs to lead the way and provide one of those impact plays.
LA WR Timon Marshall vs. Grand Rapids DB Ahmad Hawkins
Marshall came over in free agency after spending the last two seasons starring for the Rampage. He has made an immediate impact as a receiver for the Avengers, leading them in every category through four games. Hawkins will look to contain the speed of Marshall by keeping everything in front and preventing Marshall from picking up big yards after the catch. This will be important for him to win this match up.
Edge: Los Angeles
Dallas Desperados (4-0) @ New York Dragons (1-3)
Why to Watch
The Dallas Desperados are looking to move to 5-0 for the second time in the last two seasons. They have been impressive wining 3 in a row without their star QB Clint Dolezel. QB Chris Sanders has been outstanding filling in for Dolezel. The Desperados are also looking to keep pace with division rival Philadelphia who are now 5-0 after a win over Tampa Bay yesterday. The Desperados also have owned New York, sweeping the last two season series. The Dragons are struggling at 1-3 and made a number of personnel changes this week. They will be motivated to get back to playing well and also should be motivated to atone for last season’s embarrassing losses to the Desperados. Dallas outscored New York an astounding 127-20 in the meetings in 2007. Quarterback Aaron Garcia is expected to return to the line up and this should certainly help New York as he did not play in either of those games.
Keys to the Game
Protection! It is no secret the injury to Aaron Garcia has hurt this club and in this game he needs his offensive line to play big for him and keep the Desperados’ very good pass rush off of him for two reasons. The first is so he can simply finish the game. Garcia has started two games for New York but has not finish either contest because of injury. The second reason is so he can have time to make some plays. Garcia is only completing 58% of his passes and that is certainly not where this future hall of famer is accustom to being, but even the great QBs get affected by the pressure.
Force Turnovers! If the Dragons expect to get revenge for last season’s drubbings and knock the Desperados from the ranks of the unbeaten they must win the turnover battle convincingly. The Dragons defense must put pressure on Sanders and force him to do what he has avoided in his first three starts and that’s make mistakes and give away the football. Sanders has thrown 15 touchdowns and just one interception.
Key Match Ups
Dallas WR Marcus Nash vs. NY Dragons Secondary
Nash is a physical mismatch for any of the Dragons starting defensive backs and this group will need to knock around the Desperados’ big 6-2, 220 lbs. wide out, as he has had big games vs. the Dragons. Will Pettis is listed as probable with the concussion he suffered last week, but if he can’t go or is limited, the focus on stopping Nash will be even more vital.
Dallas OL Jeremy Callahan vs. NY DE Henry Taylor
Pressure will be essential for the Dragons defense in this game as they try and slow down an explosive offense and disrupt QB Chris Sanders. Taylor leads the Dragons with 2.0 sacks and is the best pass rusher they have, as he was brought in to be the dominant game-changing DE that New York has needed for years. Callahan has taken over for Devin Wyman who was traded to Utah in the off-season and the results have been the same. The Desperados’ offensive line has protected their quarterback well allowing just 3.0 sacks thus far.
New Orleans VooDoo (3-1) @ Colorado Crush (1-2)
Why to Watch
The VooDoo are one of the hottest teams in the AFL heading into this weekend. After losing the opener badly out in LA the VooDoo have won three straight including two straight dominating wins over the Storm and Gladiators, who were both unbeaten prior to facing the VooDoo. Quarterback Danny Wimprine continues to be the big story as he in 3-0 after taking over for injured starter Steve Bellisari. Bellisari is healthy, but head coach Mike Neu has remained with Wimprine as the starter. And who can blame him with the way this second-year player has sparked a team that was uncertain on offense to start the season after the injury to WR Derrick Lewis. Wimprine will play his first road game and he’ll face a Colorado team that has lost two straight to the likes of Dallas and Chicago. Colorado is still a mystery to what they will be in the long run and they have an experienced quarterback in John Dutton and a talented group of receivers, but it has not translated into wins over the last two weeks. Expect Colorado to play a more competitive and complete game this week at home.
Keys to the Game
Pressure Wimprine! Wimprine has made it look easy in his first three starts. Certainly it is not easy to play quarterback and win games, but he has had no internal pressure to win games due to high expectations, but he has also not had any pressure from his opponents either. Wimprine is in such a comfort zone you would think he has been starting for years. He is not making mistakes and putting up big numbers as well. He will continue to play well until someone knocks him down a few times or forces him to play from behind. The Crush must accomplish both in this game.
Force turnovers! This is getting redundant with the Crush. Turnovers continue to hurt this club and the VooDoo have been getting after the quarterback -- leading the league in sacks (8.0) and turnover differential (+9). The VooDoo are away from the “Graveyard” for the first time since Week 1, so the home-field advantage and energy is not there for them. But this defense is in a groove and if they can continue to force Colorado into mistakes they will come up with another big defensive performance.
Key Match Ups
NO WR James Jordan vs. COL DB Rashad Floyd
Jordan has quietly led the VooDoo in receiving by a large margin. He has 28 receptions for 314 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has just about half of the teams receiving touchdowns, so he will draw the attention of the Crush defense. Floyd usually draws the opponents’ best receiver and he will look to deal with Jordan’s size. Jordan is at 6’2, 230 lbs. and will be a challenge for the smaller Floyd.
NO Lin J Shell vs. COL WR Ben Nelson
Shell has anchored a ball-hawking secondary that has already racked up 11 interceptions. He is the most experienced and leader of this group, and he will look to contain Nelson in this game. Shell must control Nelson’s speed game and make the 3rd-year wide out work to get open and down the field. Nelson has had a very productive first three games with his new team as he leads the Crush in receptions and receiving touchdowns.
Edge: New Orleans
SATURDAY'S GAMES
Tampa Bay Storm (2-1) @ Philadelphia Soul (4-0)
Why to Watch
The Soul continued to roll last week as they dominated the LA Avengers on the road. This coming just four days after losing their franchise QB in Tony Graziani to injury for a couple of weeks. The win over LA was big not just because of the score or moving to 4-0 and to keep pace with division rival Dallas, as they are the only two unbeaten teams left -- it was huge because this organization has been snake bitten by costly injuries to Graziani over the last two seasons and they have struggled in those games going 1-9. This win was also big for their confidence and their championship hopes. The key was QB Matt D’Orazio and his 8-touchdown performance with WR Chris Jackson catching 6 of those tosses. D’Orazio was brought in for this very reason, so credit goes to the Soul front office and head Coach Brent Munsey for making the move. The Storm looked in control of the Southern Division and it appeared they were going to have very little competition after the first two weeks, but they ran into a brick wall in the form of the New Orleans VooDoo, who put a beating on the Storm in New Orleans two weeks ago. The Storm has had two weeks to lick their wounds and prepare for the Soul. They have solid veterans and great coaches, so expect the Storm to bounce back in a big way and be prepared to play a strong game.
Keys to the Game
Win turnover battle! This is something the Storm must do if they expect to knock off the unbeaten Soul in Philly. Tampa has done a great job of taking care of the ball in almost all of Dietz‘s 13 regular season starts. Dietz has been able to make plays while avoiding mistakes and this is a major reason why he’s 11-2 in those games. But he’s facing an aggressive front four and a ball hawking secondary and it’s vital that he doesn’t give the explosive Philadelphia offense any extra opportunities against his own defense.
He’s no back up! D’Orazio, who quite frankly should be starting somewhere in the AFL, is not the typical back up, as he walks around Philadelphia with his ArenaBowl ring he won in Chicago in 2006. He did what this franchise has been begging for over the last two seasons -- he won a game in Graziani’s absence. The key for the Soul is clearly D’Orazio. He must play very well in back to back games, so the Philly fans can take a deeper breath and fully forget the 1-9 record over the past two seasons without Graziani.
Tampa offensive line must protect! They were outplayed in their last game vs. New Orleans and it does not get any easier vs. the Soul’s pass rush. The Storm’s big men up front must bounce back with a solid effort and allow Dietz the time to work on a good but beatable Soul secondary, as they love to take chances and make plays on the football. If Dietz’s timing is disrupted against this defense it will lead to interceptions rather than in completions.
Key Match Ups
Tampa Bay DB Jeroid Johnson vs. Philadelphia WR Chris Jackson
Was anyone really surprised that Jackson took his game to another level in the Soul’s first game without Graziani? Jackson recorded a season high 6 touchdowns in the blowout win over the Avengers and allowed D’Orazio to get comfortable right away. Johnson must find a way to contain Jackson and force D’Orazio to rely on his other weapons. Johnson is no slouch as he is playing at a high level for the Storm, anchoring the middle.
Tampa Bay Offensive line vs. Philadelphia DE Gabe Nyenhuis
Tampa Bay’s big men have had a week off to rest up for the Soul’s relentless pass rush and while it’s been a group effort for the Soul, Nyenhuis has made the biggest splash in the first 4 weeks. Nyenhuis has been a beast getting after the quarterback with 5.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery coming off the edge with speed and aggressiveness. Tampa Bay, who allowed 4.0 sacks vs. the VooDoo must control Nyenhuis, as he has consistently made impact plays from his defensive end spot.
Edge: Philadelphia
San Jose SaberCats (2-2) @ Kansas City Brigade (0-3)
Why to Watch
This is the first meeting ever between these two American Conference teams and it could not have come at a worse time for the Brigade. When you’re 0-3 and you just gave up 92 points in a loss at home to another winless team, the SaberCats are one of the last teams you want to see walking into your building. The Brigade have underachieved and played below expectations. They are much better than their record states but the results are the results and the Brigade have had issues at the quarterback position which prompted KC to go with Matt Kohn under center. Kohn will have to improve very quickly in his second career start. The defending champs are coming off a tough loss to the Desperados, which ended their 15 game home wining streak. The loss also dropped the SaberCats to 2-2 and in a three-way tie in the Western division. But considering their two losses have come to Chicago and Dallas there should not be any worries about this team. Remember they have started slow in each of the past three seasons. The SaberCats will look to jump on the struggling Brigade early in this game and if the ‘Cats play their game it will be tough for the struggling offense of the Brigade to keep up on the scoreboard.
Keys to the Game
KC Must take care of the football! The Brigade are having difficulty scoring consistently and a major reason for their offensive struggles has been the turnovers. The Brigade are a league worst -8 in turnover differential which includes 11 giveaways (second most in the AFL). This is not a great sign considering they have played just three games and now facing the SaberCats’ defense, which is the top-ranked unit in takeaways (12). Head coach Kevin Porter needs big time production from his quarterback position, something that he has not gotten at all this season. Kohn must come up big by making plays, but also stop the bleeding when it comes to turnovers and mistakes.
SaberCats must apply the pressure on defense! The ‘Cats defense has remained an aggressive unit despite some defenses around the league playing more zone coverage because of the new jack linebacker rule. They will challenge the Brigade receiving corps with their talented starting three defensive backs. It will make it tougher on a young quarterback if you can not only bring pressure with your front four but to disrupt the receivers routes and play tight man coverage forcing the quarterback to be even more accurate. Kohn completed just 52.8% of his passes in his first start.
Key Match Ups
SJ WR Cleannord Saintil vs. KC DB Monty Montgomery
Saintil has not only replaced Ben Nelson’s speed in the lineup, he has replaced his production as he leads the team in receptions with 39 and yards (519), including a league high 219 last week. He faces a physical and tough defender in Montgomery. Montgomery and the rest of the secondary will be fired up after last week’s effort, in which they allowed Grand Rapids to complete 25 of 28 passes.
SJ DB Clevan Thomas vs. KC WR Mike Horacek
Horacek is the veteran of the receiving corps and he must come up big this game to help out his rookie quarterback. Horacek has been the big-play receiver averaging 16.9 yards per catch and leads the team with 6 touchdown receptions. The key to his battle with Thomas is wining the battle at the line of scrimmage or against tight man coverage. Thomas is looking for an interception, which will allow him to pass Mark Ricks for 4th all-time with 44 career interceptions.
Edge: San Jose
Orlando Predators (2-2) @ Columbus Destroyers (1-3)
Why to Watch
Both teams won in dramatic fashion last week, and they needed every second of their games to secure victory. Both games came down the last play as the Destroyers finally broke through in a close game with a game-winning FG by Mark Lewis as time expired. Meanwhile the Predators much maligned defense came through by stopping Georgia WR Charles Pauley inside the one-yard line as the clock struck zero. The Destroyers are the defending National Conference champs and the Predators are a perennial power, but both have fallen out of the spotlight in the first quarter of the season and as a result there are players on both sides that have put up some good numbers without much fan fare. Both QB Shane Stafford (23 TDs vs. 2 INT) and Matt Nagy (18 TDs vs. 3 INT) have played well. So this game is not short of top playmakers and it will be interesting to see which club can build off their recent success and take another positive step.
Keys to the Game
Execute down the stretch! The Destroyers have played three games that have been decided in the final minute and they are 1-2 in those games, while the Predators have been on both sides in two games that were decided on the final play. The Destroyers held the explosive Blaze to 49 points while the Predators defense played their best game giving up a season low 45 points to Georgia. This game is sizing up to be a close low scoring affair, so the team that can make the big plays in the final minute and execute their offense when it matters will come out on top.
Pressure on the quarterback! Both quarterbacks have taken care of the football as they have combined for 41 TDs and only tossed 5 picks. They have only been sacked 4 times in 8 games. The bottom line is both offensive lines have done a good job up front and the defense must step up with the pressure. The Predators only have one sack thus far and Columbus has not done much better with just three. The defense that can get one of these two quarterbacks out of their rhythm and force a mistake particularly in the red zone and late in the game could be the difference maker.
Key Match Ups
Orlando WR T.T Toliver vs. Columbus DB Nate Coggins
Toliver has been huge for Jay Gruden as he leads the league in receiving yards and first down receptions. He is also 2nd in touchdowns and 4th in receptions. He’ll be in a battle with Coggins who is having a solid season as well. He leads the AFL in tackles and is 3rd in pass break ups, which means that he is consistently around the football. Coggins should look to challenge Toliver when he is in man coverage.
Orlando secondary vs. Columbus WR Derek Lee
Lee has quietly had a huge year thus far and if not for the Destroyers 0-3 start he would be getting more attention. Lee’s size and athletic ability makes him a difficult match up for any of the Predators’ starters. The Predators secondary have not played well overall this season, but the defense played a much better game in last week’s win over Georgia.
Edge: Orlando
Georgia Force (1-3) @ Utah Blaze (0-4)
Why to Watch
Usually a game featuring two teams with a combined 1-7 record would not offer much intrigue. But both of these teams have talented players and weapons to put on an exciting show. They just have not played well enough or consistent enough to come away with more victories. The Blaze have been a disappointment as many had them heading back to the playoffs and possibly taking a step up from their 8-8 record from a year ago. Now the Blaze are just looking to simply step into the win column. Their problem has been their defense once again and as faith would have it they gave up a season low 52 points, but then lost on a last-second field goal. The Force’s issues are just the opposite: their offense has struggled to find the right combinations of players and have not found that comfort level that has been here for several years. But the Force seem to be getting closer with the addition of WR Charles Pauley, who has led the team in receiving the last two games and they also traded for WR Damien Groce this week.
Keys to the Game
Pressure on Germaine! Despite their 0-4 record the Blaze is still an explosive offensive unit and QB Joe Germaine is the key. The Force secondary has been the weakness on this defense and the front four must get consistent pressure on Germaine if Doug Plank’s defense expects to hold this offense down. If they can get some consistent pressure it may lead to some forced mistakes for Germaine, who has 5 picks on the season, but is completing 66.5% of his passes and has a rating of 115.6.
Repeat performance by their defense! The Blaze were giving up a league worst 66 points per game before allowing just 52 points to the Destroyers. They still lost the game, but if this defense can hold teams to 52 points they have a real good chance of winning games because of their explosive offense that is 3rd in the league in scoring. But besides just keeping teams to a reasonable point total they need to start making the key stops and impact plays on defense, particularly in the 4th quarter. They face a much tougher challenge in the Force than they saw last week vs. the more conservative Columbus team.
Key Match Ups
Georgia WR Charles Pauley vs. Utah secondary
Pauley has been red hot since being picked up as an unsigned free agent two weeks ago. He has led the Force in receiving in both games he has played, as he has racked up 24 catches for 304 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Blaze secondary must look to stop his momentum and it will take a group unit slow down any of the Georgia receivers.
Georgia DE Jermaine Smith vs. Utah OL Devin Wyman
Smith is the Force’s all-time sack leader and is coming off a 7.5 sack season in 2007 and an All-Arena Second Team selection. The Force are deep up front and Smith is a strong pass rusher off of the edge and he’ll be locked up in a real good battle with big OL Devin Wyman. Wyman was brought in to help solidify the Blaze offensive line to give Germaine better protection than he had over the past two years. The move has been successful, as Germaine has been sacked just 3 times in four games this season.
Edge: Utah
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Arizona Rattlers (2-2) @ Chicago Rush (3-1)
Why to Watch
The Rattlers came up with a big win over New York evening their record at 2-2. The Rattlers are tied for first place in the Western Division and have done it with a young team that has played without its biggest star in WR Siaha Burley for 3 of their 4 games. They also have played without their starter Lang Campbell for 2 ½ games. Yet their new head coach Kevin Guy has found a way to bounce back after two very tough losses and with facing a tough challenge in the Rush before a bye week makes last week’s win even bigger. Burley is scheduled to return in this game and they should get back Campbell after the bye, so they need Jeff Smoker to play well once again this week if they hope to go into Chicago and get a win, which would move them to 3-2 for the first time since 2004. Last week Chicago WR Damian Harrell got a chance to play against his former team for the first time and he had a rewarding game as he set the AFL’s new career receiving touchdown record and also helped Chicago to an easy 70-35 victory over division rival Colorado. This week it’s QB Sherdrick Bonner’s turn to get nostalgic as he faces his former team for the first time. Bonner led Arizona to 5 Arena Bowl appearances and two titles. While the focus will be on Bonner vs. his former team the Rattlers cannot not get to caught up as the Rush have weapons all over the field and like Colorado found out last week the game can get away from you very quickly, especially playing in Chicago.
Keys to the Game
Pressure on Smoker! The Rattlers two losses can be tied to their quarterback situation and offensive turnovers but last week Smoker played very well and it resulted in a win, as the Rattlers topped the 60-point mark for the second time this season. The Rush should look to pressure Smoker consistently as the main reason for his struggles in those same two losses were due to the fact he was under consistent pressure. Against New York he was well protected by his offensive line and he was able to be effective.
Rattlers must protect the football! The Rattlers are a young team and they will be facing an experienced elite team on the road that is more explosive on both sides of the football and it will be important for the Rattlers to maximize their opportunities and protect the football. They have had games fall apart because of the turnovers, so the pressure will be on Smoker and the Rattlers offensive to play another sound game as they did in the win over New York. Arizona cannot allow the Rush any extra scoring chances in this game.
Key Match Ups
Arizona WR Siaha Burley vs. Chicago DB Jeremy Unertl
Burley has missed 3 of the Rattlers first four games and was slowed down by the injury bug in the only game he played back in Week 2. Burley, who is one of the top receivers in the game, brings a lot to the table and is difficult match up because of his speed, quickness and route running ability. Unertl will need to challenge Burley physically and not allow him to have free releases or too much space to operate. Unertl must make Burley work in his first game back.
Arizona DB Isaiah Trufant vs. Chicago WR Damian Harrell
Harrell set the new career TD mark last week against his former team as he continues to play at a very high level for his new teammates. Harrell’s length and ability to catch the ball at the highest point with his hands will be tough for Trufant. Trufant, who is listed at 5’11, had opportunities in coverage last week against Dragons WR Kevin Swayne (who is similar in size to Harrell), but could not make the plays on the football in situations where he had tight coverage as Swayne’s size advantage and experience won over. Trufant certainly has the speed to run with Harrell, but being in position is only half the battle!
Edge: Chicago
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