Jamar Ransom wants San Antonio to keep the Talons name

Tulsa Talons' Jack LB Jamar Ransom wants San Antonio to keep the Talons moniker, but not for reasons you may be thinking. As he said on facebook:

Jamar Ransom Keep the name so players who have dedicated everything to the team can have their records upheld and hopefully have a case for the AFL HOF! My opinion

This is something I hadn't thought about, but is important for the Tulsa fanbase. The Talons have had a lot of great talent grace the field in the BOK and Convention Center. It would be sad not to see people like Jamar, Gabe Nyenhuis, Jeff Hughley, Donovan Morgan possibly enter the AFL Hall of Fame without a reference to their time in Tulsa.

Talons douse Blaze 81-51, Tied for 4th Playoff Seed

Well that felt good. The Talons, much like the Chicago game at home a few weeks ago, dominated for pretty much the entire game. Fueled by outstanding defensive play, the Talons took three turnovers to the house and helped the Offense, which played pretty flawlessly, maintain control of an 81-51 win to get into a four way tie for the fourth playoff spot in the National Conference.

The game started off shaky as Blaze WR Chris Bocage took the opening kickoff back for a TD after Kicker Juan Bongarra barely missed nocking him out of bounds. However, the Talons answered with a methodical drive to answer with a TD of their own. The Blaze and Talons then traded scores again until Defensive Back J.C. Neal picked off Utah QB Tommy Grady and returned it 52 yards for TD, which may be a Talons record for longest INT return (we are still checking on that), to give the Talons their first lead of the game.

At halftime the Talons lead 41-33 and would not lose that lead for the remainder of the game. The Third quarter was highlighted by a great forced fumble sack on Grady by Defensive End Victor Degrate that popped the ball up to a waiting Jack LB Jamar Ransom who scoped and scored. The Talons got to their final total 81 points off another J.C. Neal pick six, this time for 43 yards (giving him 95 yards off INTs).

J.C. Neal's two INT touchdowns leads the league for a single game high (along with his 95 yards). As one Talons player put it after the game, "if he doesn't get Defensive Player of the Week something is wrong." I can't disagree with that, he may even be a MVP of the week candidate. The Talons 81 points are also a league high for single game scoring.

The win brings the Talons into a four way tie for the fourth National Conference playoff spot along with San Jose, Utah, and Spokane. The Talons also remain 2 games behind the Dallas Vigilantes with six games to go (one of which against Dallas in two weeks) for the three seed.

The Talons travel to Philadelphia next Friday to take on the Soul at 6:05 PM. The game should be especially important to several Talons players. I'm sure Jamar Ransom wants a shot at former Talons WR Donovan Morgan and Justin Allgood will want to show the team that traded him away what they are missing.

YouTube Tuesday - May 17, 2011

It was great getting to see the Talons on National TV friday night. Here is one of the more memorable moments:

Headlines - April 8, 2011

No game this week, but we still have Headlines!

From the Top 10 Observations from Week 4: "The Central Division got a lot more competitive. Entering Week 4, it looked like either Dallas or Chicago would turn it into a two-team race. But both lost. The Barnstormers won to move over .500 and the Tulsa Talons surprised most fans with a 45-22 win over the Power. Look for some good divisional games between the Barnstormers, Rush, Talons and Vigilantes to duke it out."

Jamar Ransom and Matt Bassuener were Week 4 POW Candidates

From the Central Week 4 Recap: "Tulsa quarterback Matt Bassuener, starting in place of Bobby Reid, threw for just 199 yards and three touchdowns, but the key stat: zero interceptions. Turnovers plagued Tulsa last week against the Arizona Rattlers. The Talons fell behind 42-0 at halftime and gave the ball away six times."

Mass Bassuener the TV star: "The new Tulsa Talons passer said he couldn't imagine anything worse than getting cut by the Louisville Fire in the old af2 league in 2008. But that led to a three-year gig as a stunt quarterback for the television series Friday Night Lights. The show, which ended in 2010, was filmed in Austin, Texas. Bassuener was there to try out for the Arena Football League's Austin Wranglers."

A Pittsburg Fan's recap of the game: "A lot of the credit goes to jittery mindset by the home team, but the lion's share goes straight to Tulsa for being wherever the ball was. If they didn't pick it out of the air, they were right there to force a fumble and recover it."

Talons at Power: Pregame Primer

vs.

Tulsa Talons (0-3, 0-2 road) vs. Pittsburgh Power (2-1, 1-1 home)

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

Passing Yards: Talons – 564 (16th), Power – 644 (14th)
Rushing Yards: Talons – 226 (1st), Power – 57 (10th)
Passing Yards Allowed: Talons – 849 (12th), Power – 774 (9th)

View from the enemy: Boltsburgh Blog

Tulsa is 0-3 on the season, coming off the worst loss in franchise history. So the Talons will be ready and hungry. They’ve been learning together and on the verge of turning the corner. But beating the Power will definitely be a challenge.

Pittsburgh coming in: The Power played Monday, barely escaping Milwaukee.

THE MATCHUPS

The teams are much closer than their records reflect. However, where things went wrong for the Talons, they went right for the Power.

On Offense, Bobby Reid will be pressured constantly by former Talons Terrance Carter. The offensive line will need to be on its game tonight to give Reid the time he needs to get the ball to the Talons receivers. A bright spot for the Talons is that for Pittsburgh, the defensive backfield has been the weak point on their defense.

On Defense, Jamar Ranson and Fred Shaw will need help from the defensive line that has been struggling all season. The power have had some injuries on the offensive side of the ball, especially at quarterback. So, some pressure could possibly force some mistakes that will help the Talons pull this one out.

Kickoff at 6:30 CT.

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!

Offensive Miscues trip Talons, fall to Dallas 64-40

While competitive through the half, the Talons fall apart offensively in the second half to the Dallas Vigilantes. The Vigilantes had jumped up 14 on the Talons quickly as the the Talons turned the ball over on downs on their opening drive. This began the hole that the Talons nearly crawled out of.

After taking a 21-6 lead the Vigilantes attempted an onside kick to catch the Talons off guard. Fred Shaw recognized this quickly grabbing the kick and running it in to bring the Talons within 8. This started a momentum swing to Tulsa. On the ensuing drive, the Talon DB Jeremy Gray picked off Dallas QB Dan Raudabaugh. Bobby Reid then found Brian Copeland diving in the endzone for touchdown. A great run by Jamar Ransom would give the Talons the two point conversion and tie the game at 21. The teams would trade touchdowns until the half, leaving the Talons behind 35-33.

Coming out after halftime the Talons offense looked lost. On the first two drives the Talons turned the ball over on downs. The Talons only break came on a missed field goal attempt by the Vigilantes, which even then left WR Trent Shelton injured for most of the game. The Talons would bring the game within two at 42-40 after an outstanding rushing TD by Bobby Reid before the Vigilantes just pulled away to win 64-40.

The one thing that can be said about this game is that the offensive line needs work. The line committed several false start penalties and gave up several sacks, including a safety. Without time to throw, Reid looked panicked and shaken. However, in addition to line problems, the offense seemed to lack diversity. Everything was underneath throws or runs by Bobby Reid. Mitch Allner rarely let the team air it out and stretch the field.

The defense looked, at times, improved from last week. The DBs closed quickly on receivers and the front men put decent pressure on Raudabaugh. However, the defense still allowed Dallas to air the ball out by being slightly behind the receiver and out of position.

The Talons have a real test next week as the Arizona Rattlers come to town. The game kicks off on Monday, March 28th at 6:00 PM CST at the BOK Center.

Coach Allner's Letter to Fans

Yesterday Coach Mitch Allner posted a letter to the Talons faithful on Talonsnews.com

Here is the text of the letter in its entirety:

"I just wanted to write a quick hello to all of you out there. I hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the season starting up here in just a few short months. As always, I along with everyone else in our office appreciate the support you have all given us in the past and continuing on in the future.

We're obviously still a few months out from training camp starting, but it will be here before you know it. I look forward to seeing all of you great fans filling up the BOK Center once again. We're going to have some familiar faces from previous teams and obviously some new new young talent as well. The coaching staff has been working our tails off, as always, to put together another championship quality team that you will all be proud to cheer for. I promise, you're going to love some of the new Talons players that we're bringing in for this 2011 season.

Last year was a great season both on and off the field for our team, but we obviously fell short of our goal of winning the championship and that is what is expected every single year. Our organization expects it, the coaching staff expects it and you as fans should expect that too. So Talons fans, it's time to retool, put on our hard hats and get back to work, which is exactly what we as a coaching staff are going to do. 2011 is going to be our best season yet, just wait and see. See you all very soon and as always, Go Talons!

Coach Allner"

The portion that concerns me is "We're going to have some familiar faces from previous teams" which sounds like he does not expect any familiar faces from last season. The player I am most concerned with at this point is Jamar Ransom. Ransom has been a favorite in Tulsa for a few years. His loss would be a deep cut for many fans. We will have to wait and see though.

Also, yesterday the Talons picked up another player:

OL Joe Blanks 6’4 330 10/24/86 Winston Salem State

Restricted Free Agency Begins

From a facebook post from Talons Jack Linebacker Jamar Ransom we got some info on free agency:

"Restricted free agency starts today. This is where the player can only sign with the team that he played for the previous season. On the 16th you are an unrestricted free agent and can sign anywhere. Fans make sure you make some noise for your favorite players if you want to see them play for your team next season. Should be interesting. Let's see what happens."

So for the next two weeks we have to be pushing for our favorite Talons to stay with the team! Send some shout outs to people! And encourage players from other teams (*cough* Fred Shaw *cough*) not to return to theirs, in hopes they will come to Talons camp!

All-Arena Teams Contain 5 Talons Players

Today the AFL Announced the All-Arena first and second teams. Here are where Talons Players fell:

First Team:
Donovan Morgan (WR)
Gabe Nyenhuis (DL)
Steve Watson (MAC)

Second Team:
Odie Armstrong (FB)
Jamar Ransom (JACK)

Headlines - July 10, 2010

Recap from the Cleveland Thumping

Jamar Ransom won the AFL's Highlight of the Week Award for his Pick 6 in the Cleveland Game

Tulsa likely to have Three 1,000+ receivers this season: "The Talons are on track to have three 1,000-yard receivers in the same season for the first time. Donovan Morgan reached quadruple digits weeks ago and has 1,407 yards. Carlese Franklin and Jeff Hughley have 934 and 933, respectively, with four games left."

The Tulsa World takes a look at an improved Talons Defense: "With our offense, if you give us three or four additional possessions, and limit them, then we believe we'll win. We are that confident in our offense to go out and score on nearly every possession. So, we're not talking about a lot of defense. Make a few stops."

Brett Rayl made an interesting post to facebook: "Thanks to all my Texas friends for making my trip so much fun! I will be back in September for good, so keep in touch." The phrase that concerns me is "for good," is Brett saying this is his last year with the Talons? It's probably not but just putting it out there.

This story made me love Donovan Morgan even more

A look at fullback Odie Armstrong: "Coming back here was a no-brainer. I loved the city and the guys they had coming back. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Last night Tampa Bay was the first team to clinch a Playoff Birth

Tonight's game from Bossier's viewpoint: "I want to embarrass Tulsa," Battle Wings wide receiver and backup quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster said. "Last year they beat us up there when we got the bad end of the stick. Tulsa is like the brother you can't get along with and you're always in competition with. I hate Tulsa. I hate Tulsa with a passion."