Behind injuries, Talons fall to Gladiators 34-30

Well what can you say (except for a few expletives)?

The Talons opened up the game perfectly. The defense was playing tough, making Cleveland work for everything they got and eventually came up with a safety in the first half. The offense scored on their first 3 possessions and the team took a 23-21 lead into halftime with the ball to start the second half.

Then the game changed. But not because both teams weren't playing well. To start the downward spiral, Cleveland's QB Kurt Rocco went down and didn't return. Shortly thereafter Talons WR Al Hunt injured his ankle on a kickoff. Then to start the fourth quarter, star Talons WR Troy McBroom took a big shot and left the game with what appeared to be a concussion.

The Talons defense closed the game well, holding the Gladiators to only 13 second half points (usually a winning performance). However, the Talons offense sputtered without its two big receivers only putting up 7 points (0 after McBroom left the game).

In the end, the Talons were left with one last shot at the endzone which fell off the nets incomplete. However, it appeared that Cleveland had jumped two yards offsides before the snap with no call. It was finished, the Talons lost.

Matt Bassuener finished the game 23 for 40 and 246 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Both Brandon Copeland and Troy McBroom ended the game with 101 yards each. DE Collin Bryant had a forced fumble that ended up in a Cleveland safety.

Next week the Talons return home to the BOK Center to face off against the Chicago Rush. However, I think everyone can agree that if feels like the Talons need a bye week to recover.

Talons at Gladiators: Pregame Primer

vs.

Tulsa Talons (2-4, 1-2 road) vs. Cleveland Gladiators (3-2, 1-1 home)

TV: N/A
Stream: Click here
Radio: KRMG 740 (740 AM)
Time: 6:30 CT

Passing Yards per Game: Talons – 211.5 (17th), Gladiators – 273.8 (9th)
Rushing Yards per Game: Talons – 61.7 (1st), Gladiators – 19.0 (10th)
Total Yards Allowed per Game: Talons – 294.5 (12th), Gladiators – 257.8 (1st)

View from the enemy: N/A

Tulsa is coming off an exciting last second field goal to take down Iowa. Talons have established a strong WR core of Copeland, Hunt and McBroom.

Cleveland coming in: The Gladiators played last Saturday loosing to Jacksonville after being shutout in the 4th Quarter.

THE MATCHUP

The Offense behind QBMatt Bassuener has finally begun to click. Troy McBroom, as one commentator has said, appears to be the heir apparent to Donovan Morgan. Bassuener and McBroom face a tough challenge this week against the league's best defense.

On Defense, J.C. Neal and Fred Shaw may have caught a break with the recent injunction lifting the NFL lockout. Cleveland WR Troy Bergeron has a futures contract with an NFL team and may not be allowed to play in this week's Gladiator's game. The Talons' defensive backfield will still need to play better than last week when the Talons gave up the most points they have all season.

Kickoff at 6:30 CT.

Headlines - April 29, 2011

The moment we have been relishing in all week: Bongarra had to wait when Iowa called timeout with four seconds left to make him think about things, but he calmly stroked his kick through the middle of the uprights. "The offseason is not only about physical preparation but also mental preparation," said Bongarra, whose previous game-winning kick came last year for the Albany Panthers in the Southern Indoor Football League. Bassuener, who held for Bongarra on the winning play, said he couldn't watch. "I usually look up but I couldn't this time. I'm just glad my roommate (Bongarra) came through," he said.

Rick Couri's call on Bongarra's kick

Highlights, including the kick and celebration

Football Gameplan's Preview for Tonight's Game

Bongarra's Kick won the Spaulding Highlight of the Week: "Bongarra (6-3, 190, Albany State) kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Talons their first home victory of the year, defeating Iowa 61-60. He converted on all six of his extra point attempts in the contest."

Bongarra on his kick: "I knew I had the leg, but I was just hoping the snap and hold were as good as they had been the rest of the night," Bongarra said. "Pretty much when (QB Matt Bassuener) put the ball down, I knew my chances of missing were higher than my chances of making, but I've been practicing and trying to get better for opportunities like this," he said.

Week 8 Picks

Last Week: 5-4
Overall: 35-19 (.648)

Tulsa Talons at Cleveland Gladiators: TULSA.

Dallas Vigilantes at Kansas City Command: KANSAS CITY.

Pittsburgh Power at Georgia Force: PITTSBURGH.

Tampa Bay Storm at Milwaukee Mustangs: TAMPA BAY.

New Orleans VooDoo at Chicago Rush: CHICAGO.

Orlando Predators at Jacksonville Sharks: JACKSONVILLE.

Philadelphia Soul at Iowa Barnstormers: IOWA.

Arizona Rattlers at Spokane Shock: ARIZONA.

Week 8 Power Rankings

	Rk (LW)	Team	Rec.
	1 (1)	Arizona Rattlers	6-0
	2 (5)	Jacksonville Sharks	5-1
	3 (6)	San Jose SaberCats	5-2
	4 (2)	Orlando Predators	4-2
	5 (3)	Chicago Rush	4-2
	6 (4)	Cleveland Gladiators	3-2
	7 (7)	Georgia Force	4-2
	8 (9)	Dallas Vigilantes	4-2
	9 (8)	Utah Blaze	3-3
	10 (11)	Spokane Shock	2-4
	11 (13)	Kansas City Command	2-4
	12 (14)	Tulsa Talons	2-4
	13 (10)	Iowa Barnstormers	2-4
	14 (17)	Pittsburgh Power	3-3
	15 (12)	Tampa Bay Storm	2-4
	16 (15)	Philadelphia Soul	1-5
	17 (16)	New Orleans VooDoo	1-5
	18 (18)	Milwaukee Mustangs	1-5

YouTube Tuesday - April 26, 2011

I know you can't see the kick really, but can hear the whole BOK center erupt!

Photos and Videos from Barnstormers Game (April 23, 2011)

Took a lot of photos from the game last night that you can check out here:

Talons Central Facebook Page

Also check out the following videos from last night:

Live Coverage: Iowa at Tulsa - April 23, 2011

Barnstormers at Talons: Pregame Primer

vs.

Iowa Barnstormers (2-3, 1-2 road) vs. Tulsa Talons (1-4, 0-2 home)

TV: N/A
Stream: Click here
Radio: KRMG 740 (740 AM)
Time: 7:00 CT

Passing Yards per Game: Talons – 195.8 (18th), Barnstormers – 289.0 (8th)
Rushing Yards per Game: Talons – 60.6 (1st), Barnstormers – 28.0 (6th)
Total Yards Allowed per Game: Talons – 286.8 (9th), Barnstormers – 291.0 (13th)

View from the enemy: N/A

Tulsa is coming off a tough loss to the SaberCats where the Talons lead for the entire first half. Talons new WR Tory McBroom continues to impress with his amazing skillset.

Iowa coming in: The Barnstormers played last Saturday loosing to Chicago due to a last second field goal.

THE MATCHUP

The San Jose SaberCats players after lasts week's game said it best; if we play as well as we are capable of we should win. While the Barnstormers have had some impressive wins this season, they are far from being an elite team.

QBMatt Bassuener will have some tough looks against the Barnstormers' tough Defense. He will need big plays out of WRs Al Hunt and Troy McBroom.

On Defense, J.C. Neal and Fred Shaw will need to keep an eye on WR Jesse Schmidt who may be one of the best receivers in the league. The Talons' biggest strength is their defensive backfield that has begun to evolve into one of the best in the league. If they can put up the same performance as last week, where the Talons held the high-scoring SaberCats to 42 points, the Talons should win this game hands down.

Kickoff at 7:00 CT.

Headlines - April 23, 2011

McBroom is taking the blame for Bassuener's 3Q INT: "McBroom said he tried to fake an underneath route and run past Moten, but the veteran defensive back didn't take the bait. Instead, Moten stayed over the top of the route, leaving the underneath free. "I should have stayed underneath, because that's where (Bassuener) threw the ball, but I tried to work back outside and left (Moten) inside," he said.

ArenaFan sees promise in Troy McBroom: "In a losing effort, Tulsa WR Troy McBroom had 13 catches for 177 yards and two scores. This is just his second game this year and already McBroom looks to be the heir apparent for Donovan Morgan. McBroom has led the team in receiving yards and scores in both games."

Football Gameplan's Preview of Tonight's Game

Tulsa World on Safety J.C. Neal: "I don't know a lot about it. There's a lot to get used to. I'm trying to learn as we go and help this team win," Neal said. The North Carolina State rookie has been one of the most productive Talons. He ranks among the Arena Football League leaders with 32.5 tackles and eight pass breakups.

Talons sign J.J. Payne

Yesterday the Tulsa Talons signed Fullback J.J. Payne. Payne averaged more than 3 yards a rush last season for the Iowa Barnstormers and had some definite power.

Fullback is the one position I have seen a clear lack of talent for the Talons all season. Payne cannot fill Odie Armstrong's shoes, but he is a lot better than a lot of options other teams have (outside of Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Arizona).

Week 7 Picks

Last Week: 6-3
Overall: 30-15 (.667)

Pittsburgh Power at New Orleans VooDoo: PITTSBURGH.

Kansas City Command at Chicago Rush: CHICAGO.

Philadelphia Soul at San Jose SaberCats: SAN JOSE.

Cleveland Gladiators at Jacksonville Sharks: CLEVELAND.

Dallas Vigilantes at Tampa Bay Storm. DALLAS.

Spokane Shock at Orlando Predators : ORLANDO.

Georgia Force at Milwaukee Mustangs: MILWAUKEE.

Iowa Barnstormers at Tulsa Talons: TULSA.

Utah Blaze at Arizona Rattlers: ARIZONA.

Week 7 Power Rankings

	Rk (LW)	Team	Rec.	Note
	1 (1)	Arizona Rattlers	5-0	The Rattlers continue to dominate the league.
	2 (4)	Orlando Predators	4-1	Orlando escaped a tough Georgia team to climb in the rankings.
	3 (3)	Chicago Rush	4-1	Chicago needed every second to get by Iowa.
	4 (2)	Cleveland Gladiators	3-1	Somehow, someway, the Gladiators fell to the VooDoo they were lucky to not fall more.
	5 (5)	Jacksonville Sharks	4-1	Jacksonville handled a talented, but injured, Pittsburgh team.
	6 (6)	San Jose SaberCats	4-2	The SaberCats looked entirely too fallible against Tulsa.
	7 (7)	Georgia Force	3-2	Without Brett Elliot Georgia may be in store for a tough few weeks.
	8 (8)	Utah Blaze	3-2	Utah took down the defending champs in an inspiring fashion.
	9 (11)	Dallas Vigilantes	3-2	Dallas did just what they needed to do against a weak Milwaukee team.
	10 (10)	Iowa Barnstormers	2-3	Iowa needed the help of a few good calls to stay in the game with Chicago.
	11 (9)	Spokane Shock	1-4	Where did last year’s Spokane team go?
	12 (17)	Tampa Bay Storm	2-3	The addition of a few key personnel have really started to turn this team around.
	13 (12)	Kansas City Command	1-4	Kansas City was entirely outclassed by the best team in the league.
	14 (14)	Tulsa Talons	1-4	The Talons continue to improve; when will they get over the hill and back to their winning ways?
	15 (13)	Philadelphia Soul	1-4	After opening the season with an impressive win, the Soul have continued to digress.
	16 (18)	New Orleans VooDoo	1-4	A miracle win! But will it last?
	17 (15)	Pittsburgh Power	2-3	The Power need a few wins against lesser competition to get their swagger back.
	18 (16)	Milwaukee Mustangs	1-4	Milwaukee is still lacking something to turn their season around.

YouTube Tuesday - April 19, 2011

Fred Shaw has really started to hit his stride. In honor of his great performances, we have this gem from last year:

Photos and Videos from SaberCats Game (April 16, 2011)

Took a lot of photos from the game last night that you can check out here:

Talons Central Facebook Page

Also check out the following videos from last night:

Live Coverage: San Jose SaberCats at Tulsa Talons - April 16, 2011

Coverage begins at 6:30-6:45ish.

SaberCats at Talons: Pregame Primer

vs.

San Jose SaberCats (3-2, 0-1 road) vs. Tulsa Talons (1-3, 0-1 home)

TV: N/A
Stream: Click here
Radio: KRMG 740 (740 AM)
Time: 7:00 CT

Passing Yards per Game: Talons – 183.0 (18th), SaberCats – 296.8 (5th)
Rushing Yards per Game: Talons – 72.8 (1st), SaberCats – 17.2 (14th)
Total Yards Allowed per Game: Talons – 278.0 (5th), SaberCats – 339.4 (18th)

View from the enemy: N/A

Tulsa is coming off a bye week after an impressive win over the Pittsburgh Power. Talons are now lead by new QB Matt Bassuener who had an outstanding game both passing and running the ball two weeks ago.

Pittsburgh coming in: The SaberCats played last Friday, pounding the talented Utah Blaze.

THE MATCHUP

Like the Talons last BOK Center appearance, the Talons may be outmatched in this one. While the SaberCats give up more yards than any other team in the league, they have improved on defense and an offensive powerhouse.

On Offense, Matt Bassuener lucked out with former Talons DE Gabe Nyenhuis on the Injured Reserve, however another former Talon Adam Huebner will still be leading the SaberCats rush. Luckily, Bassuener has been great at the quick release, and buying time to find a receiver so far. Having the WR core of Al Hunt and Troy McBroom definitely helps as well.

On Defense, Jamar Ranson and Fred Shaw still need help from the defensive line that has improved, but need to get better to help out the secondary. Mark Grieb is a future AFL Hall of Famer and has a talented group of receivers at his disposal. Despite the great showing last week, the Talons D may be in trouble.

Kickoff at 7:00 CT.

Headlines - April 16th, 2011

Arena Pigskin has Tulsa at 15: "Tulsa at 1-3 – averaging 38 pts a game in the home town of league headquarters. Not good."

Coach Allner on Matt Bassuener: "I knew going into the game that he was a very athletic quarterback and we tried to incorporate that into the game plan as much as we could. I was very pleased with the production of both our quarterbacks in last weekend’s game and hope to see improvement in both as the season goes on."

Brandon Copeland's Arena Career: "At the end of the 2008 AFL season, I was on the Philadelphia Soul’s practice squad. After the league ceased operations for the 2009 season, I spent time with the Peoria Pirates and Tri-Cities FeVeR of the af2. I also spent all of last year with the FeVeR."

Football Gameplan's preview for tonight's game.

The QB Situation for Tonight's Game: "Allner said quarterback Matt Bassuener would start Saturday's game, based on his winning performance in his first AFL start against Pittsburgh. But Allner said he would continue to evaluate both quarterbacks and was pleased with how Bobby Reid handled his backup role against the expansion Power."

The AFL apparently will now also reveal the Coach's Poll in Highlight Form too.

A look at the game from the SaberCats prospective: "The matchup features one of the AFL’s best passing attacks against one of the league’s best rushing offenses. QB Mark Grieb sits atop the league rankings in passing yards (1,511) and passing touchdowns (28) while ranking second in completion percentage (70.5) and fourth in passer rating (122.1). Tulsa QB Bobby Reid currently leads the Talons in passing (509) and rushing (211) yards with the Tulsa defense only allowing 278.0 yards per game, good for a tie of fifth in the league."

Matt Bassuerner on the effect of the Arizona loss: "Quarterback Matt Bassuener said the Talons have to win back the fans' respect, and Saturday's home game with the San Jose SaberCats would be a good place to start."

Week 6 Picks

Last Week: 3-1
Overall: 24-12 (.667)

Milwaukee Mustangs at Dallas Vigilantes: DALLAS. The Mustangs had an outstanding last second win against Philly in their last outing. However, they have not faced a defense as good at the Vigilante's. If Dallas can get solid QB play they should walk to a win.

Tampa Bay Storm at Philadelphia Soul: PHILADELPHIA. Philadelphia has taken a horrible 3 game slide. Luckily, they run into a Storm team in disarray. Even in Tampa's one win this season, they didn't throw a single TD. Philadelphia should have no problems here.

Spokane Shock at Utah Blaze: SPOKANE. This is the game of the week in my opinion. Spokane, while struggling to start the season, are still the defending champs. Utah is one of the darlings of this season, going from worst in the league last year to becoming one of the best teams in the league. This one is likely to come to the wire, but the Shock should squeak it out to begin returning to form.

Jacksonville Sharks at Pittsburgh Power: JACKSONVILLE. The Power have been beaten up over the first four game. On their third QB of the season due to injury, they should have trouble getting past Jacksonville which is one of the best teams in the league.

Orlando Predators at Georgia Force: ORLANDO. Georgia is a surprising 3-1. However, their opponents in those three wins are a whopping 3-9. Orlando, however, is one of the most complete teams in the league. Their only loss is to the best team in the league, on a last second score. Orlando should easily improve to 4-1.

New Orleans VooDoo at Cleveland Gladiators: CLEVELAND. Umm the WhoDoo? Cleveland in a blowout.

Arizona Rattlers at Kansas City Command: ARIZONA. KC got a strong win against a solid Iowa team on overall great play on both sides of the ball. However, they face the top of the ladder this week against the Rattlers. Arizona is too complete to let this one go.

San Jose SaberCats at Tulsa Talons: SAN JOSE. Hard to do it, but San Jose is the better team RIGHT NOW. But this Talons team is continuing to improve, and the defensive backs bring the pain. However, the Talons will need to pressure San Jose QB Mark Grieb to have any chance.

Chicago Rush at Iowa Barnstormers: CHICAGO. This may end up being a great game if Brad Banks plays to his potential for the Barnstormers. However, Chicago has an outstanding defense combined with an All-Star QB. Chicago should win, but by how much depends on Brad Banks.

Week 6 Power Rankings

	Rk (LW)	Team	Rec.	Note
	1 (1)	Arizona Rattlers	4-0	Bye Week.
	2 (4)	Cleveland Gladiators	3-0	Bye Week.
	3 (2)	Chicago Rush	3-1	Bye Week.
	4 (3)	Orlando Predators	3-1	Orlando was taken to the limit by a struggling Soul team. But they ground it out like a great team.
	5 (5)	Jacksonville Sharks	3-1	Bye Week.
	6 (8)	San Jose SaberCats	3-2	The SaberCats got back on track, dismantling a talented Utah team.
	7 (10)	Georgia Force	3-1	Georgia was challenged by a Dallas team that had issues with turnovers all game long.
	8 (6)	Utah Blaze	2-2	Utah has looked brilliant at times, but that does not include the trip to San Jose.
	9 (9)	Spokane Shock	1-3	Bye Week.
	10 (7)	Iowa Barnstormers	2-2	Brad Banks looked incredibly fallible against the Command.
	11 (11)	Dallas Vigilantes	2-2	The QB situation is beginning to become an issue in Dallas.
	12 (16)	Kansas City Command	1-3	And impressive win against a strong division opponent. The Command are starting to turn it around.
	13 (12)	Philadelphia Soul	1-3	After opening the season with an impressive win, the Soul have continued to digress.
	14 (13)	Tulsa Talons	1-3	Bye Week.
	15 (14)	Pittsburgh Power	2-2	Bye Week.
	16 (15)	Milwaukee Mustangs	1-3	Bye Week.
	17 (17)	Tampa Bay Storm	1-3	Bye Week.
	18 (18)	New Orleans VooDoo	0-4	Bye Week.