Last Week: 5-2
Overall: 15-8 (.652)
Dallas Vigilantes at Utah Blaze: UTAH.
Jacksonville Sharks at Tampa Bay Storm: JACKSONVILLE.
Iowa Barnstormers at San Jose SaberCats: SAN JOSE.
Kansas City Command at Spokane Shock: SPOKANE.
Chicago Rush at Cleveland Gladiators: CLEVELAND.
Tulsa Talons at Pittsburgh Power: TULSA.
Georgia Force at New Orleans VooDoo: NEW ORLEANS.
Orlando Predators at Arizona Rattlers: ARIZONA.
Philadelphia Soul at Milwaukee Mustangs: PHILADELPHIA.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Week 4 Power Rankings
| | Rk (LW) | Team | Rec. | Note |
|
| 1 (1) | Arizona Rattlers | 3-0 | Not many teams can shutdown a team the way Arizona did to Tulsa |
|
| 2 (2) | Chicago Rush | 3-0 | Beating the SaberCats only confirms that Chicago is one of top teams in their conference |
|
| 3 (3) | Orlando Predators | 2-0 | Orlando took control against a talented Utah team and got the job done |
|
| 4 (6) | Cleveland Gladiators | 2-0 | Cleveland took care of business the way they should have against a bad Tampa team |
|
| 5 (4) | San Jose SaberCats | 2-1 | A road loss to one of the top teams in the league is nothing to be surprised about |
|
| 6 (7) | Jacksonville Sharks | 2-1 | Its starting to get hard to imagine how Hughley will fit into this team when healthy |
|
| 7 (5) | Utah Blaze | 1-1 | A tough loss on the road to a very talented Orlando team, expect the team to bounce back though |
|
| 8 (8) | Dallas Vigilantes | 2-0 | A real test this week traveling to face a great Utah team |
|
| 9 (9) | Philadelphia Soul | 1-1 | The Soul get a gift coming off a rough loss and bye week in facing Milwaukee |
|
| 10 (11) | Pittsburgh Power | 2-1 | The Power almost let one slip away against a lesser Milwaukee team |
|
| 11 (17) | Iowa Barnstormers | 1-1 | A strong and tough win against a good Spokane team |
|
| 12 (12) | Georgia Force | 1-1 | The Force get to test what benefits the week off gave against a struggling New Orleans team |
|
| 13 (13) | Kansas City Command | 0-2 | Things don’t get much easier for the Command as they travel to Spokane |
|
| 14 (10) | Spokane Shock | 0-3 | Oh my how the champions have fallen |
|
| 15 (14) | Tampa Bay Storm | 1-2 | Without Deitz Tampa can’t seem to find an offensive game |
|
| 16 (15) | Milwaukee Mustangs | 0-3 | The Mustangs may have found a QB to bring this team around in RJ Archer |
|
| 17 (16) | New Orleans VooDoo | 0-3 | The VooDoo just can’t seem to put it all together, the season may be rough if they can’t |
|
| 18 (18) | Tulsa Talons | 0-3 | The Talons have 6 points in 1st Quarters this season, not the strongest place to start |
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Talons grab Rodney Wright
Today the Tulsa Talons claimed Rodney Wright off reassignment. Wright, out of Fresno State, has had various stints with the NFL but is known primarily for his role with the San Jose SaberCats. Wright was the star of the SaberCats dominance during the past few years of the original AFL.
Yesterday the SaberCats announced they were releasing Wright due to family concerns. It is unsure whether the Talons and Wright came to an agreement or whether they simply claimed him and hopes he reports. If he does make an apparence in Tulsa he will add a strong star-like veteran presence to the team.
YouTube Tuesday - March 29, 2011
The Talons face Terrance Carter this week, and in honor of it we have a highlight video of TC:
Monday, March 28, 2011
Talons get de-winged, Lose to Arizona 69-20
The term "clipped" isn't strong enough for this game. Bobby Reid could not the offense started all game, ending with 4 INTs and only 29 yards rushing. The Talons could not get on the board until the end of the third quarter, well after the game was out of hand at 49-6. But not much more could have been expected with a Talons team that is near the bottom of the league and inexperienced faced one of the best teams in the league.
Arizona QB Nick Davila ended the game 15 for 22, 158 yards, and four touchdowns. Former Talon, Odie Armstrong had 2 touchdowns and 10 yards on the ground.
Through the muck, there were some flashes of hope. Defensive back, and veteran, Fred Shaw was physical all night; with 3 tackles and a highlight reel of hard hits. Linebacker Jamar Ransom came in on offense to score a rushing touchdown followed by another rush for a two-point conversion. Finally, QB Matt Bassuener came in to replace Reid in the fourth quarter and looked impressive, despite some failures on the offensive line.
The Talons travel to Pittsburgh Saturday to take on former Talon Terrance Carter and the Pittsburgh Power.
Headlines - March 28, 2011
2011 Player Bios
Tulsa World's recap of last week's game: "The Tulsa Talons looked impressive scoring 33 second-quarter points. But what have they done for fans lately? Not much in Saturday's second half. The Talons were held to a lone touchdown after intermission and lost to the Dallas Vigilantes 64-40 in the American Airlines Center."
A good, and fun, look at AFL clock management.
Trent Shelton on why he came to Tulsa: "Coach Mitch said he wanted some playmakers and his passion for the game made me want to play for a coach like him. He really wants to be out there with us if he could and that fuels my fire playing for a coach with that much passion for the game. And of course hearing that we have the greatest fans in arena football played a big part!"
An Update on Anthony Bolden: "The Talons aren't overloaded with veteran players, but one could be reporting soon. Allner said he's trying to get three-year Talons offensive lineman Anthony Bolden back in the harness as quickly as possible. Bolden hasn't reported because he's been helping coach the girls basketball team at his old high school in Baldwin, N.Y."
Bobby Reid set a league record: "Talons QB Bobby Reid became the first player in league history with back-to-back games with at least 80 yards rushing and three rushing scores."
Bleacher Report's preview of the game tonight: "The Talons have a two game losing streak to start to their season and will be looking for their first victory. Their only problem is they may not have the team necessary to hold off the Rattlers attack on any side of the ball. The Talons have a team of inexperience that has only scored 87 points in the last two games. That would be the lowest points for a team in their division if the barnstormers didn’t have a humble 28 points to start their season. However they do lead their division in the most points allowed. Statistically speaking the Talons will have their hands full against the Rattlers. But, we know statistics only speak six days of the week during the season."
AFLInsider's look at the Talons: "The Talons are in my opinion, clearly the best of the remaining teams. Bobby Reid has a ton of talent and their rookie cast could eventually make up a top tier team. However, this team needs to get used to the arena game and gel before they are a factor. It is possible that a large crowd for Monday’s free game could propel the Talons to upset the highly favored Arizona Rattlers."
Veteran Talon is impressed by Reid: "Reid continues working to develop a quicker passing release. Veteran linebacker Jamar Ransom sees the progress. 'You can tell his throwing has changed. I always thought he had an elongated throw at OSU, but he’s come in here and tapered off to where he doesn’t have to wind up before he throws,' Ransom said."
Great article from Urban Tulsa: Reid continues to improve. "The ball was on-time and he had good footwork," Allner said after his first game of the season. "The one thing a lot of teams don't have is a quarterback that can do that in the passing game, but also beat you with his legs. That is something he is proving that he can do especially early on in his arena football career."
Mitch Allner on improvement: "Right now we are mainly concentrating on cleaning up the small mistakes that we are making, which has been the difference in winning and losing the first two games we’ve played. Once we get that taken care of we are going to be a tough team to beat."
Allner on Jamar Ransom: "He definitely is a coach for us, especially for the guys up front defensively," Allner said. "Yes, we're young, but we wanted to have enough veterans at key positions to help with the young guys."
Don't forget to get all your friends to come out tonight for the game against Arizona! Go Talons!
Tulsa World's recap of last week's game: "The Tulsa Talons looked impressive scoring 33 second-quarter points. But what have they done for fans lately? Not much in Saturday's second half. The Talons were held to a lone touchdown after intermission and lost to the Dallas Vigilantes 64-40 in the American Airlines Center."
A good, and fun, look at AFL clock management.
Trent Shelton on why he came to Tulsa: "Coach Mitch said he wanted some playmakers and his passion for the game made me want to play for a coach like him. He really wants to be out there with us if he could and that fuels my fire playing for a coach with that much passion for the game. And of course hearing that we have the greatest fans in arena football played a big part!"
An Update on Anthony Bolden: "The Talons aren't overloaded with veteran players, but one could be reporting soon. Allner said he's trying to get three-year Talons offensive lineman Anthony Bolden back in the harness as quickly as possible. Bolden hasn't reported because he's been helping coach the girls basketball team at his old high school in Baldwin, N.Y."
Bobby Reid set a league record: "Talons QB Bobby Reid became the first player in league history with back-to-back games with at least 80 yards rushing and three rushing scores."
Bleacher Report's preview of the game tonight: "The Talons have a two game losing streak to start to their season and will be looking for their first victory. Their only problem is they may not have the team necessary to hold off the Rattlers attack on any side of the ball. The Talons have a team of inexperience that has only scored 87 points in the last two games. That would be the lowest points for a team in their division if the barnstormers didn’t have a humble 28 points to start their season. However they do lead their division in the most points allowed. Statistically speaking the Talons will have their hands full against the Rattlers. But, we know statistics only speak six days of the week during the season."
AFLInsider's look at the Talons: "The Talons are in my opinion, clearly the best of the remaining teams. Bobby Reid has a ton of talent and their rookie cast could eventually make up a top tier team. However, this team needs to get used to the arena game and gel before they are a factor. It is possible that a large crowd for Monday’s free game could propel the Talons to upset the highly favored Arizona Rattlers."
Veteran Talon is impressed by Reid: "Reid continues working to develop a quicker passing release. Veteran linebacker Jamar Ransom sees the progress. 'You can tell his throwing has changed. I always thought he had an elongated throw at OSU, but he’s come in here and tapered off to where he doesn’t have to wind up before he throws,' Ransom said."
Great article from Urban Tulsa: Reid continues to improve. "The ball was on-time and he had good footwork," Allner said after his first game of the season. "The one thing a lot of teams don't have is a quarterback that can do that in the passing game, but also beat you with his legs. That is something he is proving that he can do especially early on in his arena football career."
Mitch Allner on improvement: "Right now we are mainly concentrating on cleaning up the small mistakes that we are making, which has been the difference in winning and losing the first two games we’ve played. Once we get that taken care of we are going to be a tough team to beat."
Allner on Jamar Ransom: "He definitely is a coach for us, especially for the guys up front defensively," Allner said. "Yes, we're young, but we wanted to have enough veterans at key positions to help with the young guys."
Don't forget to get all your friends to come out tonight for the game against Arizona! Go Talons!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Week 3 Picks
Last Week: 6-3
Overall: 10-6 (.625)
Spokane Shock at Iowa Barnstormers: SPOKANE. Spokane finally catches a break here. Going up against two of the best teams in the league is a hard way to start the season for any team. It obviously is even harder on the defending champs. Expect them to finally settle into a groove against a lesser Iowa team.
San Jose SaberCats at Chicago Rush: CHICAGO. This is a toss up. Last week Chicago looked outstanding in a blowout rout of the Soul. The SaberCats were less than impressive in their matchup against the Command. In any toss up, the nod has to be given to the home team.
New Orleans VooDoo at Jacksonville Sharks: JACKSONVILLE. Jacksonville has been a little underachieving this season, but the come up against a struggling VooDoo team. The VooDoo may need a win bad, but the Sharks should be able to take care of things.
Utah Blaze at Orlando Predators: UTAH. Another marquee matchup for Week 3. The Blaze were amazing in their opener last week. Meanwhile the Predators struggled at times to put away a lesser VooDoo team. Utah, as long as Grady plays smart, should pull away with a win.
Cleveland Gladiators at Tampa Bay Storm: CLEVELAND. Losing Dutton for the season hurts, but they come up against a Storm team that has trouble scoring in the air. Cleveland gave the defending champions fits, and that should continue this week.
Arizona Rattlers at Tulsa Talons: ARIZONA. Odie Armstrong returns to the BOK Center in an unfamiliar color. He comes backed with one of the best offensive teams in the league. The Talons have the hardest home opener matchups of any team in the league. The Talons should struggle and fall short, but prove me wrong.
Pittsburgh Power at Milwaukee Mustangs: PITTSBURGH. The Mustangs have struggled with QB play this season. Pittsburgh shouldn't make that any easier either. The Power should control the game and allow their offense to pull away with the win.
Overall: 10-6 (.625)
Spokane Shock at Iowa Barnstormers: SPOKANE. Spokane finally catches a break here. Going up against two of the best teams in the league is a hard way to start the season for any team. It obviously is even harder on the defending champs. Expect them to finally settle into a groove against a lesser Iowa team.
San Jose SaberCats at Chicago Rush: CHICAGO. This is a toss up. Last week Chicago looked outstanding in a blowout rout of the Soul. The SaberCats were less than impressive in their matchup against the Command. In any toss up, the nod has to be given to the home team.
New Orleans VooDoo at Jacksonville Sharks: JACKSONVILLE. Jacksonville has been a little underachieving this season, but the come up against a struggling VooDoo team. The VooDoo may need a win bad, but the Sharks should be able to take care of things.
Utah Blaze at Orlando Predators: UTAH. Another marquee matchup for Week 3. The Blaze were amazing in their opener last week. Meanwhile the Predators struggled at times to put away a lesser VooDoo team. Utah, as long as Grady plays smart, should pull away with a win.
Cleveland Gladiators at Tampa Bay Storm: CLEVELAND. Losing Dutton for the season hurts, but they come up against a Storm team that has trouble scoring in the air. Cleveland gave the defending champions fits, and that should continue this week.
Arizona Rattlers at Tulsa Talons: ARIZONA. Odie Armstrong returns to the BOK Center in an unfamiliar color. He comes backed with one of the best offensive teams in the league. The Talons have the hardest home opener matchups of any team in the league. The Talons should struggle and fall short, but prove me wrong.
Pittsburgh Power at Milwaukee Mustangs: PITTSBURGH. The Mustangs have struggled with QB play this season. Pittsburgh shouldn't make that any easier either. The Power should control the game and allow their offense to pull away with the win.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Week 3 Power Rankings
This is not the league we knew from last year. The two af2 teams that won their divisions last season are now 0-2. Some teams that were dismal last year are undefeated. But that just adds to a fun debate as to power rankings! Here we go for this weeks polls:
AFL Fanpoll Rankings
1. San Jose SaberCats
2. Arizona Rattlers
3. Chicago Rush
4. Orlando Predators
5. Cleveland Gladiators
6. Dallas Vigilantes
7. Utah Blaze
8. Jacksonville Sharks
9. Philadelphia Soul
10. Pittsburgh Power
Coaches Poll
1. San Jose SaberCats
2. Arizona Rattlers
3. Chicago Rush
4. Orlando Predators
5. Dallas Vigilantes
6. Cleveland Gladiators
7. Utah Blaze
8. Jacksonville Sharks
9. Philadelphia Soul
10. Pittsburgh Power
As for my own rankings, I shook up the barrel. After finally getting to see every team play I wanted to do a true ranking of where each team is. So here we go:
AFL Fanpoll Rankings
1. San Jose SaberCats
2. Arizona Rattlers
3. Chicago Rush
4. Orlando Predators
5. Cleveland Gladiators
6. Dallas Vigilantes
7. Utah Blaze
8. Jacksonville Sharks
9. Philadelphia Soul
10. Pittsburgh Power
Coaches Poll
1. San Jose SaberCats
2. Arizona Rattlers
3. Chicago Rush
4. Orlando Predators
5. Dallas Vigilantes
6. Cleveland Gladiators
7. Utah Blaze
8. Jacksonville Sharks
9. Philadelphia Soul
10. Pittsburgh Power
As for my own rankings, I shook up the barrel. After finally getting to see every team play I wanted to do a true ranking of where each team is. So here we go:
Rk (LW) | Team | Rec. | Note | |
| 1 (4) | Arizona Rattlers | 2-0 | With the return of Rod Winsor the Rattlers may be unstoppable to win the Western Division. |
| 2 (5) | Chicago Rush | 2-0 | Maybe we slept on the Rush. Friday was one of the most dominating defensive performances of any team. |
| 3 (2) | Orlando Predators | 1-0 | The Preds were not impressive against the VooDoo, but the good news is star WR Bobby Sippio returns next week. |
| 4 (1) | San Jose SaberCats | 2-0 | After a dominating performance against the defending champs. SJ needed every second to take down KC. |
| 5 (13) | Utah Blaze | 1-0 | Wow. Just wow. This Utah team just obliterated an undermatched Tampa team. Don’t write them off. |
| 6 (9) | Cleveland Gladiators | 1-0 | The NFL lockout has helped raise the Gladiators to one of the better teams in the league. |
| 7 (6) | Jacksonville Sharks | 1-1 | This is definitely not the same team as last year. Garcia’s age has to be getting to him. |
| 8 (15) | Dallas Vigilantes | 2-0 | The Vigilantes defense has given up zero first quarter points. Not surprising they are 2-0. |
| 9 (3) | Philadelphia Soul | 1-1 | Where was the team from last week? Allgood looked like he never played arena football before. |
| 10 (7) | Spokane Shock | 0-2 | A terrible start for the defending champions. The plus side is they have face two of the best teams in the league. |
| 11 (12) | Pittsburgh Power | 1-1 | After a slow start Pittsburgh defense utterly shut down Iowa. That kind of defense will lead to more wins. |
| 12 (8) | Georgia Force | 1-1 | Georgia looked better than expected against JAX. However, they are still not playoff level. |
| 13 (17) | Kansas City Command | 0-2 | KC responded big against the top ranked team in the league. There may be more to this team than first thought. |
| 14 (11) | Tampa Bay Storm | 1-1 | Flu-ridden and under talented isn’t a good combo in any league. |
| 15 (16) | Milwaukee Mustangs | 0-2 | The lack of a quality QB has really hampered the Mustangs. However, with Damian Harrell on the roster anything can happen. |
| 16 (18) | New Orleans VooDoo | 0-2 | The VooDoo put up a strong performance against the Predators. Defense seemed to do rather well against one to the top teams in the league. |
| 17 (14) | Iowa Barnstormers | 0-1 | Other that the obviously great play of Todd Blythe, this Iowa team is lacking talent. |
| 18 (10) | Tulsa Talons | 0-2 | With a team full of rookies it’s understandable this team has taken a rocky start. |
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