I've never seen a team this poor at holding onto the ball. Already entering the game with the worst turnover margin in the league, the Power gave the ball away three more times. Fumbles by Oderick Turner and Bryan Randall killed early momentum for the Power, and Derek Cassidy threw an interception later in the game which sealed the Power's fate.
P.J. Berry stood out for the Power in all three phases of the game. He had 10 catches for 94 yards and 2 TD's, plus an interception and another solid showing in the return game. Oderick Turner had 8 catches for 94 yards plus the fumble, and Mike "Joystick" Washington had 6 catches for 74 yards and 2 TD's.
Starting quarterback Bryan Randall, fresh off a franchise record performance against the San Antonio Talons, went 9 for 13 for 86 yards and 2 TD's. He was benched after a critical lost fumble and replaced by Cassidy. Cassidy was floating passes all game long, some being dropped by Command defenders. He easily could have thrown four interceptions in this game.
Coach Siegfried had no answers after the game, and seeing how this season has played out, he may not have to answer questions much longer. This is a team that started out the 2011 season 6-2 and sat in first place in the Eastern division before sputtering to a 9-9 finish down the stretch due to, what else, turnovers. That trend has continued through every game of the 2012 season. Siegfried even seemed resigned to this possible fate by apologizing to ownership in the postgame press conference for not being able to deliver a winner.
Siegfried brought up the point that some members of the team, who he refused to name, seemed content to just be here. He hinted there would be more roster moves after the bye week, but it's probably too little too late. Siegfried seems like a nice enough guy, but this team appears to have quit on him.
It's probably no coincidence that both teams involved in the opening night strike fiasco have a combined record of 3-16. Where would they be right now if Kyle Rowley was still in a power uniform. Just last night, Rowley was leading the Spokane Shock to a big win over the Philadelphia Soul. He's the kind of experienced quarterback that could have given the Power a few more wins this year. Sadly we'll never know.
Where does Pittsburgh go from here? Sitting at 2-8 with a loss to the worst team in the league, plus the only two wins of the season coming against the equally woeful Orlando Predators, what positives can we focus on. Fans are turning on the team quickly on the Power's Facebook page. It's an ugly situation all around.
Maybe it's time to make a move at the head coaching position and see if that lights a spark under the team. What could it hurt? Again this doesn't seem to be a fluke seeing how the team had the same issues last year.
A likely interim replacement would be defensive coordinator Derek Stingley, who was the head coach of the New Orleans VooDoo last year and is one of the best AFL players in the history of the game. Stingley was more involved in this game due to Siegfried suffering from food poisoning. Spend the rest of the season figuring out who wants to be here and who doesn't and try to build for the future as best as you can.
It's not like things can get any worse....
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