Pittsburgh Power @ Cleveland Gladiators Preview

Friday July 15th, 2011 - 7:30 PM

Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland, Ohio

TV: NFL Network

Radio: 93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh), 850 ESPN (Cleveland)

Twitter: SteelCityVoice

I think the line Michael Richards utters as Stanley Spadowski pretty much sums up the Power's attempts to claim the Eastern Division Title.  I wrote an article earlier in the week about the many missed opportunities the Power have had to lock up the division but now this is their last chance. 

A loss to Cleveland would officially eliminate Pittsburgh from the AFL Playoff chase.  A victory puts Pittsburgh back in the drivers seat and they would only need to win next week or see Cleveland lose to Utah to win the division.

Both teams are coming off ugly losses last week.  Cleveland fell on the road 49-21 to division rival Philadelphia, and the Power got crushed at home by the Arizona Rattlers 68-34.   Both teams will be motivated to show they are better than their performances a week ago.

Bernard Morris fumbled twice and threw an interception .  He finished 19 of 35 for 181 yards, 4 TD's and the aforementioned fumble.  He will have to play better but he will be up against the league's top scoring defense so points will be at a premium. 

JLS Ironman of the Week Mike Washington needs to repeat his amazing performance against Arizona.  He had 6 catches for 63 yards and three touchdowns but his biggest impact was the nine kickoff returns for 228 yards and a touchdown.  Lonnell DeWalt made an appearance on the score sheet with five catches for 47 yards and a score.  The rest of the Power offense didn't even bother dressing for the game. 

Morris is the X factor with his mobility, it doesn't force him to make throws against a strong Gladiator secondary.  He's also the only major rushing threat in the lineup with the release of Joshua Rue.

Kurt Rocco has had an up and down season, and the Gladiators hope he will bounce back from last week.  19 of 33 for 201 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus a rushing touchdown.  he will look to target his trio of 1000 yard receivers. 

Troy Bergeron's presence was missed in the first game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, so it'll be interesting to see how well the Power secondary matches up with him now that they are missing Carlos Campbell who helped seal the victory last time with a goal line interception with about a minute to play.  Bergeron’s stats on the season are 71 catches for 1043 yards and 28 TD’s. 

Robert Redd is the other big threat in the Gladiator offense.  He has 89 catches for 1084 yards and 24 touchdowns.  The four year AFL vet out of Bowling Green had 6 catches for 49 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting with Pittsburgh.

Dominick Goodman is the third option Rocco will be looking at as the Gladiators try to pass on the Power secondary.  He has 96 catches for 1028 yards and 7 TD’s.  He isn’t the first option at the goal line, but his ability to make plays in the open field make him a valuable part of the Cleveland offense.  He posted 12 catches for 97 yards in the last game against the Power. 

Levy Brown leads the Gladiator defense with 118 total tackles, 10 passes blocked, 2 fumbles forced and recovered, and he has 4 interceptions.  Joe Phinisee is second on the team in tackles with 79.5 and also has 4 interceptions on the year.  Demarcus Robinson and Mike Bragg also round out a strong secondary with 5 interceptions each.

Linebacker Tim Cheatwood generates a lot of pressure up front as evidenced by his 10.5 sacks, but his 6’4” 270 pound frame also makes it hard for receivers to make plays over the middle.  Cheatwood has forced 3 fumbles so far this season.  Defensive lineman Anthony Hoke also generates a strong pass rush and has 7.5 sacks on the season.

Pittsburgh needs the recent run of strong play to continue for Josh Lay and Lonnell DeWalt.  DeWalt could be a huge presence at the goal line on both offense and defense as he is capable of the big play at any moment of the game. 

Both kickers have been pretty bad on the season in terms of extra point percentage, with Pittsburgh's Paul Edinger having a slight edge in his accuracy.  The last game saw Matt Denny of Cleveland miss three extra points which coincidentally was the difference in the final score.

The biggest key to this game will be how well Neil Purvis, Terrance Taylor and Terrance Carter generate a pass rush up front.  They also need to remain focused and stay onsides.  This group gave Arizona way too many free first downs last week.

Overall the teams matchup well, although both teams have been glaringly inconsistent this season.  One week they look like Arena Bowl contenders, the next they are getting crushed.

If Bernard Morris can limit the turnovers on offense it should give the Power a chance to establish a rhythm.  If he doesn't, momentum should easily go the way of the home team.

Pittsburgh's pass rush did a good job forcing Rocco to make some errant throws and he was a bit careless with the ball as he scrambled.  There are opportunities here for the Power defense.

I've avoided the homer pick all season, but I think Coach Siegfried is going to light a fire under the Power after their recent struggles, and I think the extra Power fans making the trip to Cleveland could provide a bit of a boost. 

The Voice Says....PITTSBURGH 46, CLEVELAND 45