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Thurs
Feb 24 "Moose's Arena Footy week 5 picks!" Myk Aussie
You
can hear Moose most Friday nights on SportsRage between 1-1.30am EST talking Arena footy
with Gabriel Morency Click
here.
"Week
5 Picks:
Austin OVER Georgia
Orlando OVER Chicago
Las Vegas OVER Nashville
Columbus OVER Grand Rapids
Colorado OVER Los Angeles
Philadelphia OVER Dallas [On NBC this weekend, East Coast region]
Arizona OVER New York
Tampa Bay OVER New Orleans in O.T.!" Moose
Wed
Feb 23 "Moose's Arena Footy week 4 scores and report!" Myk Aussie
Arena
Pro Football Update By:
Moose Salzer
Week 4 Scores:
Dallas 42, Orlando 28
Los Angeles 71, San Jose 69
Georgia 38, Las Vegas 13
New Orleans 61, Philadelphia 47
Colorado 74, Arizona 69
Columbus 52, Chicago 39
Austin 73, Grand Rapids 61
New York 62, Nashville 49
Week
Four Game Balls:
1) Columbus QB, Matt D'Orazio
2) Grand Rapids QB,
Mike Bishop
3) New Orleans OL/DL, Hans Olson
4) New Orleans OL/DL
Aaron Hamilton
5) New Orleans QB, Andy Kelly, the Damon Allen of the Ar.FL
Who
really cares if Rod Robinson or Craig Whelihan QB Las
Vegas until Clint Dolezel gets back? It's hit or miss until big Clint
gets in the lineup anyway. Orlando's loss last Thursday night was
a fluke. But don't underestimate Coach Will McClay's boys in Big
D. Columbus and Austin proved last weekend that they are not as
bad as their records. Watch ArFL the rest of the '05 season!
Best
Coaching job so far this season is Mike Neu in the Big Easy. I
really still DON'T believe in those 'boneheads' down the stretch, but...
Next
Issue...The Af2 Third International Player Draft. Be there,
Aloha!!!!!!!!!" Moose
Fri
Feb 18 "Moose's Arena Footy week 4 picks! Moose on SportsRage with Gabriel
Morency tonight! Arena Footy MYKwebTV" Myk
You
can hear Moose tonight on SportsRage 1am EST talking Arena footy Click
here.
Moose's Week Four Picks
Orlando, the hottest team in the Loop now, OVER Dallas.
Colorado OVER Chicago by a point!
Nashville OVER New York (the Kats finally get it right!)
Austin (who really isn't that bad, despite the surprising recent retirement
of great two-way lineman, Chris Snyder) OVER Grand
Rapids.
Philadelphia to put the hoodoo on New Orleans.
San Jose OVER Los Angeles [Sabercats have Post-ArenaBowl
blahs...]
Las Vegas [even without Clint Dolezel] OVER Georgia
New
Arena Footy MYKwebTV Feb
18, 05 "Talking Arena footy with Moose "Mr Arena footy" Salzer!"
The trip to Jacksonville!
With accommodation booked out within 60 km's of Jax I decided to fly to
Virginia, catch up with Moose "Mr Arena Footy" Salzer, rent a minivan
to sleep in and drive to Jax." Arena
Footy MYKwebTV
Click
here"
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Tues
Feb 15 "Arena Football League Report week 3" Moose Salzer
Nashville
found out the hard way (and Austin and Columbus better listen,too...) that
you can only get so many chances to win a Football game; indoors or out.
Nashville had 13 penalties and
five turnovers in their 'closer-than-it-looked' 11 point
loss to Philly in the Wachovia Centre Arena Sunday. We also get to see Bon
Jovi / Craig Spencer and Ron Jawaorski's Soul-men v. an overrated New Orleans
team this Sun., that is owned by Saints Tom Benson(boogie).
The
Kats have a different uniform but the same logo, team records, et, al, that
the Nashville Kats team did from 1997-2001. Leon Murray, the pivot that
many thought was just keeping the job warm until Adrian McPherson got
healthy again, played very well for Nashville Sun. But former Hawai'i Islander
Gabe Amey and two other Kats WRs dropped several TDs. Nashville's
vaunted running game did well until FB/LB Dan Alexander drove
the final nail in the Kats coffin with the 5 and last turnover of the day
for Pat Sperduto's bunch. Columbus and Austin, also talented, albeit
young teams, also lost this past weekend because of dumb mistakes.
Don't read too much into New Orleans close win over slumping
defending Champ San Jose last Sunday. I still don't think they
are for real. NBC's studio guest in seat number 3 this weekend was
ex-Ar.FL H.Coach, now Tampa Ast., Steve DeBerg, who was too kind.
Trautwig and Parker both screwed up saying that DeBerg played QB
for 17 NFL seasons. Actually guys, it was 18 seasons.
I
still can't hardly believe though that DeBerg and I think the same 5 QBs
are the best in the Indoor Pro
League. We may not have them in the same
order but I wouldn't have Aaron Garcia and Sherdrick Bonner on my
list(s) either. Neither has won their OWN ArenaBowl (Bonner how- ever
was ON two ArenaBowl Champ teams but Garcia has never been close
to leading a team to the Championship game)!
DeBerg
picked the following 5 as the best QBs in the Arena Pro League: 1)
Clint Dolezel, (2) Joe Hamilton, (3) Shane Stafford, (4) Tony Graziani,
5) Mark Grieb. I completely
agree. Honorable Mention to Chicago's Ray Philyaw
and Denver's John Dutton.
Week
three scores:
New Orleans 62, San Jose 61
Chicago 51, Colorado 48
Philadelphia 59, Nashville 48
Dallas 35, Columbus 31
Georgia 61, Arizona 47
Orlando 61, Tampa Bay 46
Las Vegas 41, New York 37
Los Angeles 64, Austin 51" Moose
Wed,
Jan
26 05 "Moose's
Arena footy extensive previews as the 05 season starts this weekend!"
Myk Aussie
Arena Football League
2005 Preview
Nineteenth Season
By: Moose Salzer
Orlando Predators: 15th season, alltime team record: 125-65-0, Six
ArenaBowl appearances, two wins. Coach: Jay Gruden. QBs: Joe Hamilton, Chris
Sanders, former reserve with both Columbus and Roanoke in Af2 & Jon
Schneider (no, he's not related to the guy from the 1980's hit show, the Dukes
of Hazzard!). The Predators are ovedue to make an ArenaBowl appearance; the last
one was a last second win over Nashville, who by the League for the first time
in five seasons. And Yes, Pat Sperduto is back as H.Coach, too. He and Jay
Gruden used to play alongside each other for Tim Marcum's Tampa Storm Champion
teams in the mid Nineties. Gone is longtime 'Slash' Connell Maynor, after 11
years in the League; he is now on the Coaching/Scouting staff. I see that NBC's
Ray Bentley has already picked these guys to win the ArenaBowl and I AM NOT
doing the same because Ray, who I do like very much, is. I have different
reasons. The Predators are loaded with weapons everywhere you look; The best set
of corners in the League, the best set of WRs in the League, with OS Travis
(Flash) McGriff back, and with Joe Hamilton back in the fold, an excellent Arena
QB with both NFL/NFL E experience. Why didn't the Colts keep him? [Why does
Peyton Manning fail in the playoffs each year? Qs for "that other US Pro
League"]. The only that really slowed these guys down last year was a slow
start, that the Preds sometimes have. Not with almost everybody resigned; not
likely to happent again. Predicted finish: Southern Division and ArenaBowl XIX
Champions. And not because Ray Bentley says so either. They have a loaded roster
and even outspent the 'Evil Empire' across the state - Tampa Bay! Orlando
"buying" a Championship?! Why not, it's the Twentieth Century.
Austin Wranglers:
2nd season, alltime team record: 8-8-0. Coach: Skip Foster. QBs: John
Fitzgerald, Bobby Pesavento, David Priestley. Other Key players: K Tony Dodson,
FB/LBs Dane Krager, lighter this year at 232 lbs., Rich McCleskey, a former OL/DLm
from Af2, WR/DBs Charlie Davidson, Kevin Nickerson, the ex-Tampa Bucc, OL/DLm:
Angel Rubio, who came over in the Detroit Fury/Carolina Cobras/Indiana
Firebirds player
dispersal draft, Marc McKenzie, Jamie Lovern, over from cross-state rival,
Dallas. The expansion Wranglers almost made the playoffs last season with an
expensive roster, which almost got
this team relocated. But with a year of Arena League experience under his
belt, former Af2 Champ Coach Foster (no relation to the man who invented the
Arena League game concept) and staff will do better in clock management
situations. They lost thre of their last four regular season game, despite
having Defending ArenaBowl Champ QB John Kaleo (who's since taken his hefty
paycheck to L.A.) @ the pivot. This year quality journeyman John Fitzgerald
(formerly with Carolina/Houston/Dallas and New Orleans) replaces him.
He's younger [and less consistent] than Kaleo, and has a less expensive price
tag. The Wranglers packed the house last year with their expensive roster and
won 5 of eight home games. But they lost mucho free agents in the off season and
will have a difficult time making the playoffs this year. Unless they pick up
enough studs from the NFL E or CFL camps in the next two months they may
struggle to get that 8-8-0 mark back they earned last year. Predicted finish: No
playoffs.
Arizona Rattlers:
14th season, alltime team record: 122-57-0. Five ArenaBowl appearances, two
wins, three losses in-a-row. New Coach: Todd Shell. QBs: Sherdrick Bonner, Joe
Germaine, Travis Cole. Other Key players: WR/DB Hunkie Cooper, WR/LB Randy
Gatewood, OL/DL Sebastian Barrie, K Nelson Garner. The Rattlers parted Co. with
longtime G.M./H.Coach Danny White, now doing play-by-play for his Almer Mater,
Arizona St., and waiting for his next Arena Pro gig - Coaching th Utah Jazz
(primarily) owned
Salt Lake City team,
set to come into the League next year ('06). This is a team going downhill.
Sherdrick Bonner is an aging Arena pro QB that is back because nobody else
wanted him and because they have to pay for this season anyway. Can he recapture
the Rattler's magic of the '94 & '97 seasons. CAN ANY OF THESE GUYS?
Doubtful. Unless the rest of the Western Division gets food poinsoning or planes
crash, they are heavy favorites to come in last in the West. There is no depth
and Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Defending Champ San Jose are way too strong.
Prediction: Todd Shell, Defencive Coordinator on the
'94 Champ team, close to a nervous breakdown (what is it with this guy?
He always get stuck with a team with a broken down aging QB!) near midseason and
last place in the Western Division; no playoffs this go around. Maybe they
should have kept White?
Nashville Kats:
6th season, alltime team record: 46-24-0. Two Arena- Bowl losses ('00 &'01)
Coach: Pat Sperduto. QBs: Adrian McPherson, Leon Murray, Bill Whittemore. The
Kats are back! And with a new
Country
singer/part-owner [out with Travis Tritt - in with Tim McGraw]. Well man, this
IS 'NashVegas'. The Kats come back in the League at the right time; New Orleans,
after their one season splurge is free
agent depleted and
Tampa is two years removed from being Champs. The Kats will have a lot of
familiar faces back on the Gaylord Centre turf; TE/DE James Baron, a vet of both
of the Kats early 21st Century
ArenaBowl runner-up teams is back & OL/DL Benedict Isibi from the
Winnipeg Blue BomberS (another Double Dipper), but, smartly, Sperduto resisted
the urge to get ancient Andy Kelly back and he went to N'Awlins'. Kelly lost
both of those ArenaBowls and Sperduto thought long and hard about bringing him
back to Music City a QB truely on last (passes?) leg(s). Kelly has nearly 32,000
yards passing indoors (that's 64,000 outdoors!). Into his hands fell a plum -
Adrian McPherson, former suspended Florida St. star, who played last year at now
defunct Indiana. He'll have to beat out solid vet Murray, who came over in a
trade from Georgia. I say let Murray take the beating the first half of the
season then Mac will be ready for the second half. The first half of the
schedule is brutal and who knows what a basically new Nashville Kats team can do
and how soon. Ex-Hawai'i Islander from Af2, WR/DB Gabe Amey might be a real
steal, too. Predicted finish, a merciful third in the Southern Division but no
playoffs this year. 8-8-0 would be VERY respectable and could be easily
attainable.
Colorado
Crush: 3rd season, alltime team record: 14-20-0. Coach: Mike Dailey. QBs:
John Dutton, Jose Davis & James McPherson (no relation to Nashville's
McPherson). Other Key players: FB/LB Rich (great name!) Young, WR/DB Willis
Marshall, ex-of the Calgary CFL Champs, '01, FB/LBs Satu Pual, John Peaua, WR/LB
Kamau Peterson, TE/DE Rusunguko Sunungura. This team is loaded but must adapt to
the new playoff set-up and a more difficult schedule this season. They have an
excellent front office and Coaching Staff with ex-ArenaBowl Champ Coach Dailey,
third- winnigest in League history, at the helm. And the commercials with Big
John Elway and Jon Bon Jovi are cute too. Being in the Central Divsion, though,
has it's drawn backs as they must play Chicago, the most physical and rugged
team in the League,
twice.
If they can at least win one of those contest, the Crush will cruise into the
Playoffs once again. Prediction: Second place in the Central Divsion and at
least to round two fo the playoffs -
provided
the starters stay healthy.
Columbus Destroyers:
7th season, alltime team record: 30-60-0. New Coach/ G.M., part owner: Chris
Spielman. QBs: Ryan Vena, Matt D'Orazio[Roanke Af2 vet, Milwaukee & New
Jersey of the Ar.Fl], Chad Salisbury, former starter of the Toronto Phantoms.
Other Key players: WR/DBs Bobby Olive (how much left in his tank? The last
Championship team he played on was the NFL E Bowl III Frankfurt Galaxy in '95,
w/ Werner Hippler!), Jason Kaiser, OL/DL Bill Duff (over from Indiana in the
Dispersal Draft [last Championship team; Berlin, played alongside Marc Megna on
the DL], Josh (Just like) Beckham [no relation to brit soccer star]. The
Columbus Destroyers are a franchise trying to get all the pieces of the puzzle
put together. They are still a year away. With solid ownership (Mark Hamister,
Spielman, ex-H.Coach, now Pres. Footie Ops., Earle Bruce, NFL WR Joey Galloway),
Front Office and Coaching, if
former injury-prone
Phantom QB Salisbury beats out the two Af2 novices that Bruce employed last
season [Over former ex-Sask. Roughrider reserve pivot John Rayborn!], they might
just squeeze into the playoffs. They got better attendence in Columbus than in
Buffalo the sesason before so things are looking up.
As long as they don't
bring back ancient Jerry Crafts for like the third time! Prediction: 9-7-0 or
8-8-0, playoffs, maybe. Good luck to Speilman, once one of the best NFL
linebackers.
Chicago Rush:
5th season, alltime team record: 36-26-0. Coach: Mike Hohensee. QBs: Ray Philyaw,
Todd Hammel, Sam Clemons, Asad KaliqAbdul (Minnesota). Other Key players: WR/LB
Etu Molden, runaway
rookie of the year,
'04, FB/LB Bobby McMillian, who could break the alltime Arena League rushing
record this season. Biggest Arena League offseason pickup was ex-Baltimore,
Calgary CFL'r OL/DL Demetrious (D-Max) Maxie, a classic double-dipper (he's
played both CFL and Arena League the last two seasons). He will add strength and
smarts to a depleted Line that lost former Nashville OL/DL James Baron back to
Nashville. This is the biggest and most physical team in the League. That won't
change in getting Maxie! He's easily good enough to replace Barron. If Phiyaw, a
one-time Hamilton reserve pivot, is back 100% healthy after knee surgery, the
Rush, with new owner Mike Ditka in charge should be close to the ArenaBowl
again. They will win the Central Division - barely, over John Elway's Colorado
Crush. Predicted Finish: Could meet Orlando in ArenaBowl XIX in 'Vegas, June
12th.
Dallas Desperados:
3rd season, alltime team record: 23-24-0. Coach:Will McClay. QBs: Scott
Driesbach, Chris Griesen, former NFL/NFL E/Af2 vet pivot & Clint Stoener.
Poor Will McClay (career mark:
7-10-0). Last season
started off well enough. After the team lost both their season opener and H.
Coach Joe Avezzano (he left to go Coach Da Raidahs Special Teams for Norv
Turner, what a fate!) the team reeled off three straight wins. They were the
talk of the Ar.FL then QBs Glenn Gauntt (pronouced 'Gant') and Walt Church [both
now retired] got hurt, the team went through pivots like water until former
Scotland Claymore/L.A. Avenger and Georgia Force-'r Scott Driesbach ask for his
release from awful Grand Rapids and won Dallas two of it's last three games.
Dreisbach, if he returns, looks more like the classic Indoor Pro QB than the Af2
vet Gauntt, who has a propensity to look too much at his intended
receiver.
The year before he came in to get a try out and ended up beating out two more
experienced Arena Pros for the job, following neck surgery for former starter
Jim Kubiak (now with Georgia and who
spent last season with
now defunct Detroit on I.R.). Other Key players in the mix for Jerry, Jerry Jr.,
and Steven Jones / Dallas Cowboy
operated club are: FB/LB Ja'Bar Toombs and former Hawai'i Warrior and longtime
Arena vet DS Shawndel Tucker. The club was hit hard again by free agency and
didn't go too
deep into the free agent player market which could backfire drastically
this season. Others (Detroit, Indiana, Carolina) have found out the hard way
that usually is cause for a losing season and it will be the case for Dallas
this year. The Desperados, who have a good Coach in McClay, who has four
Championship rings in this League as a player, might be playing the odds to see
who will get released in the NFL E or CFL later this spring. I Predict: that'll
be too late. Predcited finish 7-9-0. No playoffs this season.
Georgia Force:
3rd season, alltime team record: 21-28-0. New Coach: Doug Plank. QBs: Jim Kubiak,
Matt Nagy, Todd Doxzon (also plays WR/ DB/KR) Other Key players: NFL E vets, K
Ola Kimrin, WR/LB Scott Mc-
Cready, the only
british-born player to get a Super Bowl ring, with New England Patriots, '01, WR/DB
Joe Douglas, over from Elway's Crush team, which lead the League in attendence
again last year.
Changes a-plenty with
the Force this season as Atlanta Falcon owner Art Blank takes over 94% team
ownership. Gone are Coaches Bob Kroenenberg and Marty Lowe, who filp-flopped
roles several times
last year after former
Frankfurt NFL E Champ QB ('03) James Brown (HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!) quit after game
two. Leon Murray took over but got hurt and ex-Ar.FL/CFL'r Todd Bankhead
couldn't hold the fort, Lowe got fired. Or was it demoted? He was back on the
sidelines th next week, at least on Offence anyway and Kroenenberg as ex-CFL /
NFL E Champ ring-winner took the additional duties of I.H. Coach (pls. don't
call him the Ar.FL's Rick Venturi or Terry Robiskie). Both, gone this year -
enter former Mr. number #46,
Doug Plank, former
Arizona Rattler Defencive Coordinator / ANNOUNCER. Also gone, in a trade to
Nashvegas Kats is QB Leon Murray. Question - does Kubiak still have the magic he
exhibited the year before ('03) when he took Dallas to the playoffs (where they
lost to - who else, Georgia)? Stay tuned, unless you're a fish! Plank also did
the unthinkjable in releasing OS/KR Markieth Cooper,
the ex-Toronto Argo to
New York (mistake). Prediction: fourth place Southern Division. No playoffs.
Grand Rapids Rampage:
8th season, alltime team record: 45-57-0. One win in one ArenaBowl appearance,
'01. Coach: Sparky McEwen. QBs: . Michael Bishop, Darnell Kennedy, Romero
Miller, Nick Browder. My what a differnece two years in the Arena League makes.
Beginning before the '04 season, a colleague of mine said to me, "Didn't
the Rampage just win the ArenaBowl a couple years ago." Yes, actually they
did! In '01, I was there. To say last year was an unmitigated disaster for this
once proud Ar.FL franchise would be a slight understatement. It wasn't that
good! Gone are both Coaches from last season, Rick Frazier, now with Jim
Foster's Quad City Steamwheelers in Af2 and Bob Cortese, who's either in a nut
house somewhere or in a retirement home, the poor guy. Grand Rapids is still in
better shape than the Detroit Fury, their former in-state rivals. McEwen returns
to the team he once QB'd as an
expansion team in '98
and He once was an Offencive Coordinator for when they were Champs. Getting OS
Chris Jackson and OL/DL Tony Bowick should help - some. McEwen raided the CFL
for 3 QBs,
but what about the rest
of the team Sparky? (Seriously, can you imagine being a Pro Football player
playing for a Coach named Sparky?) Predicted finish: Last in Central Division.
No playoffs.
Bring on the AHL Griffins!
Las Vegas Gladiators:
9th season, alltime team record: 54-62-0. New Coach: Ron James. QB/ Offencive
Coordinator: Clint Dolezel, other QBs: Rod Robinson (ex-CFL/Af2,who can play WR/LB
too) Last season was an under acheiving one for the Galdiators, 7-9-0. They have
arguably the best QB in the League in former Grand Rapids Champ Dolezel. They
have one of the best WRs corps in this League as well, lead by Marcus Nash,
Offencive player of the year. They are deep at OL/DL, lead by Steve (Kono)
Konopka, ex-of Toronto. But they failed to land Hunkie Cooper and Randy Gtewood,
two ex-UNLV hometowners, who reupped just in time to lose the Championship with
Danny White's Rattlers, who are losing their bite. Don't worry Gladiator fans.
Hope and help is on the way. New Coach James is a smart Arena League vet Coach
and ex-player who will get their attention better than Kiddie-Coach Frank Haege
did. Haege was great in Af2, but the battle scared Arena League vets didn't
respect him enough or he wasn't good enough
to get their attention.
One of the two. Vegas WILL have a winning season this year and WILL make the
playoffs. But to expect them in the Division they are in to make the June 12th
ArenaBowl, the League's first Neutral site one, at home is asking
a bit too much - this year. Predicted finish: third West but in the
playoffs with a 9-7-0 mark. James for Coach of the Year? Could be!
Los Angeles Avengers:
6th season, alltime team record: 36-39-0. Coach: Ed Hodgkiss. QBs: John Kaleo,
Billy Mann, Ryan Van Dyke. What can one do when almost the whole roster defects
to free
agency in the off
season? Pray is one answer. Coach Ed Hodgkiss and Co.'s bigest losses in
personnel were QB Tony Graziani, 99 TD tosses last year, to Bon Jovi/Jaworski's
Philly Soul and OS Chris Jackson to Grand Rapids to play catch with three ex-CFL
pivots, eh? No matter on Graziani, they got a better model in vet John Kaleo. He
spent a meaningless year in Austin last year with an 8-8-0 expansion team. This
year he can play pitch-and-catch with Greg Hopkins and Kelvin Ingram, the two
WRs L.A. didn't lose. This is a very good team who should hold off 'Vegas for
second but they won't quite catch Defending Champ San Jose for the West Divisin
title. Predicted finish: finally a playoff win, 10-6-0.
Philadelphia Soul:
2nd year, alltime team record: 6-10-0. Coach: Mike Trigg. QBs: Tony (the graz)
Graziani[L], Tim Levcik,Tony Zimmerman. The soul return the fourth best Coach in
Ar.FL
history and a ton of
quality players such as: FB/DE-LB Chris Ryan and six good two-way OL/DL, a
crucial necessity to winning in this League. If everybody stays healthy, Philly
will challenge to win their Division. Graziani leaving L.A. is a win-win deal
for both L.A. & Philly since it worked out well for both of these very good
franchises. NBC will show a ton of Soul games on T.V and viewers don't want to
watch an over-the-hill Todd Mammel or nobody H-backup QBs like Nick Browder, now
back in Grand Rapids. Prediction:
9 or 10 wins for this
second year club will more than be good enough to carry them a round or two into
the Playoffs. Another pick of mine: Ryan for League M.V.P if he stays healthy -
or doens't eat himself
out of the League!
Tampa Bay Storm:
19th season, alltime team record: 158-63-0. Record in ArenaBowls: 4 wins, three
losses. Coach: Tim Marcum ["The Coach." Arena Football's alltime
winningest Coach: 164-54-0 mark, 17 seasons] QBs: Shane Stafford, Pat O'Hara,
Stony Case. Other Key players: FB/LB Muhammad two blue-chip OL/DLm: CFL'r's
TE/DE Kelvin Kinney & OG/NG Elfrid Payton. Another CFL'r, DS Jonathan
Ordway, will also be tired from playing three back-to-back-to-back seasons of
Pro Indoor 'ball in the U.S. & CFL up north for six months from when the
Ar.FL season ends until Nov. The biggest reason I see for this team not even
making the playoffs is: only eight teams will make the new playoffs but this
time they will have TO GO THOUGH Orlando, instead OF AROUND them to make a run
for ArenaBowl XIX. They may scrape by enough teams to get the last wildcard
spot, but with so many players new to the Indoor style Footie, or old, or tired,
I just don't see the Storm hitting on all cylinders. Predicted finish: 8-8-0.
But don't EVER count Coach Marcums boys out!
San Jose Sabercats:
11th season, alltime team record: 96-49-0. Two wins in two ArenaBowls. G.M. /
Offencive Coordinator; Terry Malley, Coach: Darren Arbet. QBs: Mark Grieb, Nick
Rolovich. FB/LB Keala
Keana'aina is not going
to an NFL camp this time around so the Sabercats can breath easier this year.
When you are going into an Indoor Football season with only 20 active players
and most teams in this loop go through many FB/LBs every year, you really have
to have good scouting. I guess that is the main reason that they have won two
ArenaBowls in the last three seasons. Start with good depth (every time their
QBs get dinged up, they call on realiable Scott Wood to jump back into uniform
and it's worked like a good luck charm, two of the last three seasons). Also
back are: quality players like Norfolk St. grad WR/LB James Roe, OL/DL Frank
Beede, OL/DL Joe Jacobs, WR/LB Jerry Reece, WR/ DB Shalon Baker (CFL rookie of
the year in '95), OL/DL Sam Hernandez, the Leagues alltime sack leader [69.5].
How much these guys have left will determine how far they go. They have the best
overall Coaching staff in Arena Pro 'ball and two very good QBs. Prediction:
First place in the West, fighting off both L.A. & L.V. loss in the second
round of the playoffs.
New Orleans
(second season) and New York (11th season). New Orleans QBs: John Rayborn, Andy
Kelly, Billy Dicken. New York QB / Offencive Coordinator; Aaron Garcia, other
N.Y. QBs: [can you
believe they still have
the rights to Giant's QB Kurt Warner?}, Chris Boden, Kane Claunch & Robbie
Gordon. New Orlean Coach, Mike Neu, was Coach of the year in '04, as well he
should have been for getting these jokes into the playoffs with only OS Aaron
Bailey, FB/LB Dan Curran, the ex-U Mass. hockey player and TE/DE B.J. Cohen, who
appears to be on last legs, chewing gum, tape and bailing wire. In
the first playoff
round, despite being at home, New Orleans, which very well could go from 11-6
last year to 6-10 this year, ended up on the short end of a shoot out with John
Elway's Colorado Crush, 45-41. Too many QBs were paraded through Bourbon street
into New Orleans Arena last year and journeyman John Fitzgerald, now with
Austin, was the best.
He had lost his job
three weeks earlier to ex-Saskatchewan backup, John Rayborn, who came to
N'Awlins three weeks earlier on waivers from Columbus, when the Destroyers
activated ex-Roanoke Af2 pivot, Matt D'Orazio [a vet of Milwaukee and New
Jersey's former Ar.FL teams]. Rayborn then proceeded to blow a 'hoof' [left
achilles heal] on National television and they went back to the inconsistent
Fitzgerald, who helped get Coach Neu's Carolina Cobras into the playoffs and
they upset Champ Grand Rapids in the first round in '02. Rayborn is still on the
rebound and so ancient Andy Kelly, the only QB in Pro Football history to throw
for over 700 TDs (684 in Ar.FL play and 17 more in the NFL 'AAA's in Europe),
ex-Hamilton Tiger-Cat, Chicago Rush and Detroit Fury pivot Billy Dicken, who
helped Quad City win the '00 first Arena Cup is also on hand. Lucky N.O.!
They'll need it. With the divisions properly realigned New York, with ancient
Aaron Garcia (no relation, thank goodness!), also a career 600 TD passer on
hand, Chris Boden and two Af2 vets: Claunch and Gordon on hand, probably won't
make the playoffs this season. I doubt both these teams will either be in the
League in a year or two or still be in the same cities.
A lot will depend on when the NHL starts playing again and
whether N.O. owner Tom
Benson buys an NHL franchise or not. Neither New York, N.O., or for that matter
Columbus invested much in free agent players this off season, while most Arena
teams loaded up for bear. This is what finished off the Carolina franchise after
the '04 season. Detoit and Indiana were finished off because of scheduling
problems getting Arena dates. See, not all teams have adapted well
to the NBC enforced old
XFL schedule of playing right after the NFL season. And this year, the teams
start even earliersince NBC wants to show the National Lacrosse League allstar
game (Calgary, Feb. 26th) and the NFL decided to move the Super Bowl back
another week after the National and American Conference Championships, both not
to smart moves in this Footie Reporters mind. But hey, at least the CFL's
schedule makes sense this year, eh? New Orleans, New York, Columbus, Austin and
Nashville will have mucho trouble making the playoffs. Also, expect many new
teams in the Ar.FL and Af2 next year. More NFL owners are coming in, as well as
the '06 start-up of the Salt Lake City team, with Coach Danny White at the helm,
owned in part by Larry Miller and the Utah 'Jazz'. Maybe Benson can trade his
team's ridiculous nickname to Utah for the 'Jazz'. Or maybe John Stockton and
Karl Malone will sign up as part-owners. As "the Arena stomach turns."
Moose
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