YouTube Tuesday - July 26, 2011

Found this guy who has made the Arena League into Madden teams. Check out this video from a matchup between the SaberCats and Talons. Gotta say, the jerseys look great.

Playoffs? You're talking about Playoffs?

Well actually I am. A lot of people have made comments about how much of a disappointment this season has been. Starting out 0-3. Losing on last second plays on back to back weeks. Countless injuries. Losing veteran players.

However, will all that a side. The Talons are just one game out of the playoffs with 7 more games to play. Even more, the game against Utah this week is much more important than we realize. Utah currently is the four seed in the conference. With a win on Saturday Tulsa would be in a three way tie with Utah and San Jose for the four seed. That's pretty exciting!

Also, the Talons are playing good ball right now. We are the only team on the outside looking that is in the top five in scoring defense (we are third). The Offense has been getting better and if Allgood can click with Copeland and McBroom we could be more dangerous that last season's league leading team.

All this combined with a pretty easy remaining schedule (at least according to arenafootball.com) the Talons are poised to make a strong run into the playoffs and face either Chicago or Arizona. I plan to make either trip if we get there!

So get excited Talons nation because the season really is just starting! Bring all your friends out to the BOK center at 7pm on Saturday and lets help push this team in a victory over the Blaze!

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.

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 15, 2011

Well it was a tough loss this week, but there was a tougher loss for another former af2 team. To cheer us up, I thought we could use a look at Spokane's week 1 loss:

Gabe Nyenhuis to the Sabercats, Huebner too.

So on the transactions wire today it was announced two of the Talons all star Defensive line will be leaving for the San Jose Sabercats. Gabe Nyenhuis and Adam Huebner have signed with San Jose and leave the Talons without a starting defensive lineman. Nyenhuis was the AFL Defensive Player of the year this past season and is sure to continue that in San Jose. Both players will be sorely missed. The question for now is, can the Talons reload on the defensive line?

More Transactions, Huebner to Cali?

So yesterday the Talons got 3 more players on the transactions wire:

FB/LB Vince Chase 6’4 260 6/6/85 Southern Methodist
OL/DL Reggie Scott 6’4 280 10/28/85 Tulane
WR Will Scott 6’2 185 2/23/84 North Carolina Central

I haven't had time to investigate them yet, but be when I do I will try to make a post.

Also, Adam Huebner, Talons Defensive Lineman, said on facebook that he is heading to California. Does this mean he's going to the San Jose Sabercats?

What will the AFL look like next year?

Well the ArenaBowl is over, and congratulations to the Spokane Shock; even if I did pick against you. Now comes the offseason, a horrible 7-8 month wait till the next kickoff. At least in the mean time I have NFL, NCAA, and NBA to keep my busy. But also, we have AFL speculation to keep us busy as well. As of this morning there are a lot of rumors for shakeups for AFL franchises.

First off, we know the announced expansion teams will be around:

Philadelphia Soul
San Jose Sabercats
Kansas City Brigade
and as of last night, the Pittsburgh Power

But where does that leave the other 15 franchises? For some it may mean relocation.

The Alabama Vipers:
Late last night it was announced that the Georgia Force may be returning. But they may not be an expansion team. Instead it has been rumored that the Alabama Vipers will be relocating and rebranding as the Force. This season Alabama played in the smallest arena in the AFL. They could only max out at around 7,000 fans. That heavily limited the amount of income the team could bring in, both is tickets and in sponsorship. That combined with higher costs could be too much for the owners to handle.

The Bossier-Shreveport BattleWings:
It has been rumored for weeks, since their owner registered aflvoodoo.com, that the BattleWings could be relocating to New Orleans and rebranding as the VooDoo. The BattleWings never pulled a large crowd, even in their time in the af2. The difference was that in the af2 the loss on the owners was acceptable, in the AFL its much larger. This could spell doom for the BattleWings.

The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz:
The Yard Dawgz were a decent team this year. They pulled decent crowds as well. However, they still were loosing money, and have been since at least the time the Thunder came to town. That combined with the new AHL Hockey Team (Barons), could mean the owners aren't willing to try to compete with other sports in town. Instead they could take their team elsewhere and try to turn a profit. The rumored location? Seattle. Yeah, another Seattle/OKC team swap. Very Ironic, but could happen.

As for the rest of the league nothing seems likely to change. The only team with light rumors is the Milwaukee Iron. The Iron have had issues with an ownership group and attendance. However, for the foreseeable future they will probably remain in the league.

YouTube Tuesday - August 17th, 2010 (ArenaBowl Edition)

Don't forget to tune into NFL Network on Friday at 7 PM CST for ArenaBowl XXIII!

Mid-Season AFL Expansion Rumors

With the season half-over there are lots of rumors circulating about possible teams expanding and/or leaving the AFL. It looks like there will be 5-6 teams joining the league next year and I want to take a look at the possibilities.

Possible Expansion Cities (by likelihood):

1. Philadelphia, PA

The most likely of all the expansion talks is Philadelphia. This has been mentioned since day one. The only thing that was scary was the Tampa Bay Storm Radio reported on Twitter that there were some hangups with bringing the Soul back. However, there are rumors that the hangups have been solved. Possibility 95%

2. San Jose, CA

San Jose has been a historic franchise in the AFL. However, when the league reformed this year, workers compensation law scared the league away from California. As the league and San Jose (along with some changes to California WC law) have come to terms, this is looking more and more likely. Possibility 90%

3. Kansas City, KS

When the league was forming this year Kansas City was one of the 20 cities looking to join. However, certain things kept KC out. In addition to certain rumors I will talk about below, the league seems to want to have KC in the league. Not only were they a good fan base in the old AFL, it also makes sense geographically. KC sits perfectly between Tulsa and Des Moines, making regional travel very easy. This will help keep costs down for the league. Possibility 85%

4. Pittsburg, PA

The workers town of the USA. Rumors have been floating about this city for awhile now. It would make sense too. It's perfect for the region and the type of city where the AFL should flourish. Possibility 75%

5. Los Angeles, CA

LA was talked about in conjunction with San Jose. However, the biggest roadblock to the return of professional football to the City of Angels is finding a venue. The best thing they could do is put the team in Anaheim. Possibility 60%

6. Denver, CO

The Crush were a solid long-term franchise of the AFL, mainly due to involvement from John Elway. However, in the current league they are in a somewhat remote market. They could make a good addition to the West who are already spread out. Possibility 35%

7. San Antonio, TX

It has been rumored that San Antonio is hungry for a team. However, their first stint with a team in 1992 ended in the same year. The San Antonio Force was the first team shut out in the AFL. If the city is really wanting to join the AFL I can see it happening, but not next year. Possibility 20%

Possible Franchise Closing/Moving/Changing

1. Dallas Vigilantes

This rumor surprised me when I first heard about it, but it seems to make sense, but in a round about way. Rumors are that Jerry Jones wants to return to the AFL and bring the Desperados back with him. To do so, his "Franchise Fee" would be used to move the Vigilantes to Kansas City and be rebranded as the Brigade. Jerry Jones can fill seats in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, so if he really does want to come back it will happen.

2. Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz

The Yard Dawgz have been struggling with attendance (and wins). This is most likely due to the Thunder and NBA owning that city right now. If they don't think they can improve this would be a very likely closure.

3. Utah Blaze

The Blaze have been struggling all season with attendance. If they can't get a deal to get into an arena in downtown this team could fold just because their current arena doesn't pull in a crowd.

4. Bossier-Shreveport

This is something that has been rumbled but no specifics at all. The ownership seems to support the team, even as they fail to make money. But with the increased costs in the AFL who knows how long that will last.

How I see the league looking next year:

South Division:

Alabama Vipers

Jacksonville Sharks

Tampa Bay Storm

Orlando Predators

Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings

Southwest Division (maybe renamed to Central):

Tulsa Talons

Dallas Desperados

Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz

Kansas City Brigade

Iowa Barnstormers

Midwest Division

Milwaukee Iron

Chicago Rush

Cleveland Gladiators

Philadelphia Soul

Pittsburg

Western Division

Spokane Shock

Arizona Rattlers

Utah Blaze

San Jose Sabercats

Anaheim (Avengers)