Thursday, April 14, 2011

Pittsburgh Power QB situation

So it was finally announced that the Pittsburgh Power have signed WR/QB Xavier Lee to the roster.  This was a vital move considering the only healthy quarterback on the Power roster was 3rd stringer Anthony Morelli.

To date so far the Power quarterbacks have been mediocre at best.  Coach Siegfried is hoping one of them make a move to stake their claim to the job permanently.

Bernard Morris was the first player ever assigned to the Power and was the starter heading into the season.  Anthony Morelli and Kevin McCabe were both signed to compete for the backup position with mcCabe originally winning the job. 

Morris aggravated a shoulder injury in the opener and by the time the Iowa game rolled around he was forced to the bench and subsequently the IR.  McCabe looked solid in the second half against Iowa in relief and we expected big things from him in game 3 against Milwaukee. 

McCabe started solidly against Milwaukee but seemed to run into a wall in the second half (not literally) and his play severely declined as the offense went scoreless in the 4th quarter and barely hung on for a 49-47 win.

McCabe remained the starter for week 4 against Tulsa but looked completely lost before being removed for injury reasons.  At one point he threw 6 straight incompletions and his two interceptions didn't help the cause either.  Anthony Morelli came in relief and while he managed to throw his first ever TD pass in the AFL, he also looked a bit inaccurate in his passes.

The reality right now is the Power have four quarterbacks, two of them on IR.  They will have to make some roster moves at this position beginning next week.  I see things breaking down like this.

Morelli will start this week against Jacksonville.   This is a crucial week for him because he needs to prove he deserves to keep his roster spot. 

Morelli will either:
A) Play well enough to become the starting quarterback.
B) Play solidly and keep the backup role once Morris returns next week.
C) Fizzle and likely be cut next week when Morris returns from the IR.

Obviously Power fans hope for option A as it hopefully helps the team win this crucial matchup and get to a 3-2 record.  It is very important that the Power keep winning at this point due to the fact Cleveland is off to an undefeated start.

As for Lee, he's a nice type of player to have as he can contribute both at wide receiver and quarterback, giving the team some roster flexibility.   He might remain with the team regardless of the quarterback situation and continue to contribute in the receiving game.  Who knows, maybe we'll see the Power add some trick plays to their repertoire.

In any case, the Power need more consistency from their passing attack, most specifically from the quarterback position.  It has to begin this week.

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