Pittsburgh Power Year End review.

The inaugural season for the Pittsburgh Power had some ups and some downs, and even though the team ultimately missed out on the playoffs, they did manage to provide some excitement for the fans at the Consol Energy Center. 

Injuries played a huge role for this team as five different starting quarterbacks saw action for the Power. 

The Power averaged 9197 fans per game, good for 6th overall in the AFL.  They did this despite going up against Pitt in the NCAA Tournament and several huge games for the resurgent Pittsburgh Pirates. 

The ownership group did a phenomenal job of marketing the team and getting the word out to the fans and I feel the season was successful in spite of missing the playoffs.

Coach Siegfried is definitely the man to lead Pittsburgh to AFL glory in the years to come, and he seems happy to be here.

One lowlight was the fact some players called out their teammates following the Arizona loss, and you can't have people giving less than 100% effort in this league.  I hope the team addresses this in the offseason and gets rid of those players not willing to give all out effort.

I have a few awards I want to give out, so let's get to it.

Offensive Player of the Year

Winner – Mike “The Joystick” Washington
Honorable Mention – Lonnell DeWalt, Bernard Morris

If you are looking for the most consistent performer for the Power on offense, it’s hard to argue with the Joystick.  He ended up leading the team with 114 catches, 1367 yards, and 30 TD’s.  He provided many of the big plays during the season. 

Lonnell DeWalt contributed quite a bit on offense despite being a two-way player, and his 21 TD’s included some of the best catches of the season. 

Bernard Morris had a solid year at quarterback, but it’s hard to give offensive player of the year to a guy who missed almost half of the Power’s games, and whose turnovers cost them big down the stretch.

Defensive Player of the Year

Winner – Carlos Campbell
Honorable Mention – Lonnell DeWalt

DeWalt again drew strong consideration for his four interceptions and overall strong play since moving to the jack linebacker position midway through the season, but there’s no question how strong of a player Carlos Campbell was, and the secondary was nowhere near as strong once Campbell went on injured reserve.  Despite missing most of the second half of the season, Campbell still finished as the leading tackler on the team.

Ironman of the Year

Winner – Lonnell Dewalt
Honorable Mention – Mick Walsh

The fact DeWalt was runner up for offensive and defensive player of the year (in my opinion that is) should tell you all you need to know.  There are some AFL experts who think DeWalt has a strong chance at winning the AFL Ironman of the Year award, and that’d be well deserved in my opinion.

I give Mick Walsh an honorable mention because he is the embodiment of courage and spirit, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to win. 

Game of the Year

Winner - Come from behind win over Spokane
Honorable Mention – 76-75 win over Dallas in Dallas, Comeback against San Jose

Anytime your team finishes 9-9 and in the playoff hunt until the end of the season, there’s bound to be some highlights.  You could argue the first game against Cleveland was exciting because of the close score and the fact it took a last second interception to decide it, but it wasn’t an exciting game overall.  Same with the last second win against Milwaukee.  It was like watching paint dry until the very last play. 

For excitement, it doesn’t get any better than the one point shootout against Dallas, but anytime you come from two touchdowns down at halftime against the defending champions, that says a lot.  I also give some value to this game as it was the game in which the Power granted Mick Walsh’s wish to become part of a professional football team.  Just a special night all around.

Highlight of the Year

Winner – Mike Washington’s one-handed catch against Spokane
Honorable Mention – Lonnell DeWalt’s Game tying catch against Milwaukee with Zero seconds left.

I was torn between these two plays as both were special in their own right.  Joystick’s catch was more impressive because it sparked the Power to a comeback win, and started them on a nice little winning streak.  Plus it was a one handed catch.  Not taking anything away from DeWalt’s over the wall grab, just more of a personal style choice.

Most Disappointing Player

Winner – Bernard Morris
Honorable Mention – Nick Zeck, Jerome Mathis, Paul Edinger

I include Zeck on here because of two reasons.  He became a turnstile in the second half of the season, and his fumble against Tampa Bay with the Power leading turned out to be a backbreaker. 

Mathis couldn’t stay healthy at all this year.  While he may have had some big games for the Power, he was hardly in the lineup to make an impact.

Edinger's extra point accuracy took a serious dive as the season progressed and even his kickoffs weren't as accurate in his attempts to cause bounces off the rebound nets.

Morris earned this win though because of the fact he became a turnover machine just when Pittsburgh needed him the most.

Four turnovers against Arizona, followed up by four more against Cleveland in a must win game cemented his victory in this column, not to mention he struggled to stay healthy all season.