Sunday, May 1, 2011

Consistently Inconsistent: Power Falls to the Force 58-39

As you look at the way the season has unfolded for the Pittsburgh Power, it's hard not to get frustrated by the way they look so good at times, and then look completely lost at others.


One week after being named the National Guard AFL Player of the Week, Anthony Morelli looked like a different quarterback against the Georgia Force.

The wide receivers and Morelli seemed on different pages all night long. There was definitely a lot of confusion on the routes being run, but give some credit to a tough Georgia secondary for some excellent coverage.

Lonnell DeWalt, who had been making some real highlight catches the past two weeks, was very quiet in this one, not making a catch until the game was out of reach.

One receiver who made the most of the opportunity was Xavier Lee, who continued to improve as a goal line threat by rushing for several touchdowns and adding one more through the air.

Mike Micco and I spent some time on The Power Plant talking about the great job the offensive line has been doing. How do they respond? They give up four sacks on Morelli.

Paul Edinger continued his struggles, missing a 38 yard field goal and two extra points. Even his kickoffs aren't bouncing off the rebound nets the way they had been earlier in the year.

One positive I saw in this game was how much pressure the Power front three were generating. They may have only ended up with one sack, but they forced a lot of errant passes by Brett Elliott. This may have been an uglier final score if not for that.

For all the struggles in the first half, the score was only 20-19 at halftime in favor of Georgia, but a 21-0 run in the 3rd quarter blew the game wide open and Pittsburgh never seriously threatened again.

Maurice Purify lived up to all the hype by hauling in 90 yards and four touchdowns. C.J. Johnson led the Force in receiving yards with 140 and three touchdowns.

The Power will get a boost by returning home and will also have Michael "Mick" Walsh on the sidelines which should provide an inspirational lift as the Power look to beat the defending ArenaBowl champions, the Spokane Shock.

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