Pittsburgh Power @ Orlando Predators Preview

Friday July 1st, 2011 - 8:00 PM

Amway Center - Orlando, FL.

TV: NFL Network

Radio: 93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh) 740 AM The Game (Orlando)

All eyes in the AFL world will be on the Amway Center as the Pittsburgh Power (8-6) travel into "The Jungle" to take on the Orlando Predators (8-6).

Pittsburgh is fresh off a thrilling 39-38 game they won with no time left on the clock.  A loss to Milwaukee could have put a serious hindrance on the Power's hopes of claiming a division title.

Orlando is riding a three game losing streak and lost last week at home to division rival Georgia 64-34. 

Orlando brings an offense ranked 2nd in yardage, and 9th in scoring into the matchup.  Quarterback Nick Hill is a dual threat weapon which makes him hard to contain.  Cover the passing lanes down field he’ll take off and burn you on the ground.  Focus too much on his scrambling, and he’ll kill you downfield.  He's posted 4117 yards passing, 86 TD's, 16 Interceptions, a 117.0 QB Rating, and is also the league's second leading rusher with 326 yards and 9 TD's.

Orlando also boasts a passing attack with three receivers all over 1000 yards. 

Antoine “TT” Tolliver is a 2008 First Team All Arena receiver and former Ironman WR/DB.  The 10^th year WR is having one of his best years and currently sits only 6 TD’s behind his career best of 31.  This year he has 98 catches for 1279 yards and 25 TD’s.  Bobby Sippio, a seven year AFL veteran, has 83 catches for 1012 yards and 25 TD’s. He is a 2007 First Team All Arena Wide receiver.  Robert Quiroga, a 5 year AFL veteran, has 94 catches for 1168 yards and 17 TD’s. 

The Power offense has sputtered the last two weeks with Bernard Morris out of the lineup.  They only scored 41 points against the worst scoring defense in the league (Utah Blaze), and put up 38 points at home against Milwaukee.  It still has not been announced whether Morris will play in this one.  Power fans should hope he can go as Pittsburgh is 5-2 with him as a starter.

Pittsburgh has two dynamic receivers in Mike "Joystick" Washington and Jason Willis.  Washington has 90 catches for 1061 yards and 21 TD's, and Willis has added 85 catches for 940 yards and 15 TD's.  Where things get iffy is the third wide receiver position.  Lonnell DeWalt has been huge in goal line situations, grabbing some of the biggest highlight catches for the Power this year, Jerome Mathis is hurt again and on injured reserve, so the Power will go with DJ Hall to round out the receiving corps.

Look for Pittsburgh to try and change things up a bit and run Josh Rue a bit inside to soften up the Predators front line.

On defense, the Predators secondary boasts three of the top 10 leaders in interceptions in the AFL.  It is very tough to pass on this defense without making mistakes.

Rayshawn Kizer has 13 interceptions (2^nd in the league), 82.5 total tackles (leads the team), and 2 Touchdowns.  This is his second year in the league and he already has 25 interceptions in his career.  A complete ball hawk, and whoever he covers for Pittsburgh is going to have a hard time producing.  He’s also blocked 12 passes and forced two fumbles.  A complete beast on defense, and a strong defensive player of the year candidate.

They also have seven year AFL vet Marlon Moye-Moore with 7 interceptions, 1 TD,  60.5 tackles (2^nd on team) and five year AFL vet Travis Coleman with 8 Interceptions and 59 tackles.

The Power defense finally stepped up last week, although it was against the worst offense in the league.  Josh Lay had a huge pick six, and had a second interception nullified by penalty.  DeWalt not only caught two touchdowns, but added an interception and had a fumble return for a touchdown wiped out by a questionable call on the field.  Most importantly Terrance Carter forced a Gino Guidugli fumble with 22 seconds left in the game to give the Power their last chance to win.

Pittsburgh's secondary has been under fire over the last month and they will need every trick in the book to try and contain the strong trio of receivers Orlando has on their roster.

 

 

The keys to the game will be:

- How will the experience of Orlando play against the young Power?

- Can the Power secondary matchup with the Predators ferocious passing attack?

- Can the Power contain the league’s second leading rusher?

- Can the Power offense do anything against the Predators secondary? 

- Does Pittsburgh have enough healthy bodies to field a team?

Even though Orlando is slumping, I still think they match up incredibly well against the Power’s weaknesses and this one being in Orlando in the jungle is going to be too much for Pittsburgh to overcome.

The Voice Says....Orlando 70, Pittsburgh 54

Other Previews

John Buffone - Examiner.com

About time we have something to cheer for!

It's been 14 years since meaningful baseball was being played this late in the season by the Pittsburgh Pirates.   In fact it took 10 years to set the attendance record the Pirates drew this past weekend against the Boston Red Sox.

I've been a Pirate fan my entire life, and yet for more than half of it, it's been a losing cause.  I was a year out of high school when they last had a chance at the playoffs in 1997, and even that was a losing season. 

It's a shame that a game I loved so much has fallen a bit by the wayside in terms of my priorities.  I haven't given up hope that the Buccos will return to glory someday, but almost two decades of losing is very hard for even the most diehard to stomach.

That's what makes this season so fun for us Pirates fans, even if they are still barely above the mythical .500 mark.  It's a dramatic change of pace to listen to the local sports talk shows and not hear the usual Pirates dread stories and the typical focus on the future stars instead of the current ones.

I think what makes this even more special is the fact the Pirates are doing this without Pedro Alvarez, who has spent the season either slumping or on the DL.  Clint Hurdle has to be commended for bringing a belief to this team that they can win.  After several years of John Russell sitting like a statue on the bench, Hurdle's fire and passion are a welcome change and he should get some serious consideration for Manager of the Year if the Pirates do manage to finish above .500 this year.

Now comes the tricky part.  Playing the role of buyer at the trade deadline.  It's clear the team needs offensive help but who is out there and, most importantly, what will it take to get them.

I hope Neal Huntington doesn't trade away guys like Paul Maholm and Joel Hanrahan at the deadline unless it brings players the team can build around immediately for the rest of the year.  The team needs a catcher, a shortstop, a first baseman, and a right fielder.  Even getting just one or two could make the world of difference to a pitching staff that has been doing an amazing job so far.

The bottom line though is that for the first time in my adult life, we have meaningful baseball to cheer for and I hope this continues the rest of the summer.  It also proves that if you put a winning team on the field, they WILL come out to support the team at PNC Park.

Mustangs Put Down Just before Crossing The Finish Line.

The Pittsburgh Power (8-6) stunned the Milwaukee Mustangs (4-10) on a touchdown throw from Chris Wallace to Lonell DeWalt with no time left on the clock.  Paul Edinger made an extra point to provide the final margin of 39-38.

The game appeared to be over when Wallace lost a fumbled snap with 28 seconds left, but Terrance Carter forced a fumble and got the ball right back for Pittsburgh.  Wallace made the most of the second chance to send the Power faithful home with a win.

The low scoring game was marred by penalties, turnovers, and more questionable AFL officiating, which has become a recurring theme this season.  Pittsburgh had a drive stall when Jason Willis lost the ball well after he was down, and the officials awarded the ball to Milwaukee.  Coach Siegfried mentioned after the game how he tells his players never to let go of the ball to make sure the refs can't blow the call.

Overall the Power defense came to play inspired football after last week's 81-40 beatdown at the hands of the Utah Blaze.  Josh Lay had a huge interception return for a touchdown and had a second interception nullified by penalty.  Lonnell DeWalt made a big time interception in a goal line stand.  He also had an apparent fumble recovery/touchdown return overturned and ruled an incomplete pass.  Replays seemed to show the ball travelled backwards.

The biggest momentum shift for the Power defense came in the fourth quarter.  Facing a 38-32 deficit, the defense blocked what would have likely been a game sealing field goal by Garrett Lindholm.   "Our guys never quit and that blocked field goal was the play of the game for us," said Siegfried.

Paul Edinger continued his recent struggles, going three for six on extra points but, most importantly, did convert the final attempt.

The win was extremely important for Pittsburgh as Cleveland crushed San Jose 82-21.  The Power remain tied with the Gladiators for first place as they head towards their July 15th showdown in Cleveland.   

Pittsburgh travels to Orlando next week to take on the Predators. 

Milwaukee Mustangs @ Pittsburgh Power Preview

Saturday June 25th - 7:30 PM EST - Consol Energy Center

TV: CW19 (Pittsburgh), AFL Live App on Niftytv.com

Radio: 93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh),  540 AM ESPN (Milwaukee)

The Pittsburgh Power (7-6) will host their divisional rivals, the Milwaukee Mustangs (4-9) in a game Pittsburgh needs to win to rebuild momentum.  After a four game winning streak lifted the Power into first place in the Eastern Division, a two game losing streak has put that position in peril.

Pittsburgh's offense fell apart in Utah in an 81-40 beatdown.  Backup Kevin McCabe was forced to start in place of the injured Bernard Morris, and after two lost fumbles on three drives, his night was over.  Chris Wallace came in and struggled to complete 50% of his passes.  He did have four touchdowns and no interceptions, but he left way too many plays on the field.  He'll have to maximize his opportunity to start this week against a stingy Milwaukee defense that leads the league in yardage defense and ranks sixth in scoring defense.

Whoever starts at quarterback has to get the receivers involved early on and develop a consistent rhythm.  Jerome Mathis has been Pittsburgh's best receiver the last two weeks, but the Power are going to want to get more out of Mike "Joystick" Washington and Jason "Whatyoutalkingbout' Willis.  The Power running game was a big factor in the first meeting of the year with Milwaukee, and the offense could use Josh Rue to change things up a bit to keep Milwaukee guessing.

Pittsburgh's defense has to improve on their performances of the last two weeks.  Carlos Campbell's injuries have finally forced him to the injured reserve list and the Power have brought in former Woodland Hills and Pitt defensive back William Ferguson.   In addition to his signing, they need other players on defense to step up their games.   This secondary only has 10 interceptions on the year, and needs to start making more plays down the playoff stretch.

Milwaukee's starting quarterback R.J. Archer leads the league's worst offense into this divisional showdown.  Archer's 80.81 QB rating is one of the worst for an AFL starter.  Milwaukee cannot rely on him to win games alone.  The Mustangs best offensive weapon, Mykell Benson, will be sitting this one out, and the status of their leading receiver Damian Harrell is also up in the air.  Even facing a weak Power secondary, the Mustangs don't have enough firepower to fully take advantage of this.

The Mustangs defense might take a hit if the rumors of leading defensive back Andre Jones leaving for the CFL are true.  Jones is third in the AFL with 11 interceptions, including a 54 yard return for a touchdown in the first meeting. 

It won’t be clear sailing however as they still have a potent defensive back in Kelvin Rodgers.  He has 6 interceptions on the year, three for touchdowns and he is the Mustangs leading tackler this year.   He has great height for a DB (6’1”) and presents tough matchup problems for whichever receiver he is covering.  If he draws Mike Washington, he’ll have almost six inches of height advantage. 

Linebacker Marcus Everett is third on the team in tackles and has also added three interceptions.  Look for him to help out in pass coverage this week, especially if Pittsburgh tries to pass it to lineman slash tight end Nick Zeck.

Overall, the Mustangs work well as a team on defense, mostly because of their ability to slow down the pace of play on the other side of the ball.  They limit your amount of opportunities, so that makes it very important to score when you can. 

The key to this game will be how well the Power develop a rhythm on offense.  Even at half strength, the Power offense should still be able to score enough points to outpace the Mustang offense. 

The Voice Says....Pittsburgh 49, Milwaukee 42

For more previews of the game I recommend the following links:

John Buffone - Examiner.com
Matt Popchock - 93.7 The Fan
Jerry DiPaola - Tribune-Review
Craig Meyer - Post-Gazette

Lost In A Fire: Utah Blaze 81, Pittsburgh Power 40

If you were a Pittsburgh Power fan, you had to feel confident about your team's chances to score points going up against the worst scoring defense in the AFL. Unfortunately the odds of success took a dramatic turn downwards when starting quarterback Bernard Morris was sidelined before the game with a sore shoulder.

The first offensive play of the game saw Khreem Smith break through the line and hit Kevin McCabe, causing the ball to jar loose. Utah was in business and scored quickly to take a 7-0 lead. Power fans may have remembered Lonnell DeWalt intercepting the first pass of the game last week, only to see Tampa Bay rally to win. I'll admit I was thinking along those lines, but how wrong was I?

Two drives later, McCabe fumbled deep in Power territory and Utah recovered to go up 21-6. The short leash was yanked and Pittsburgh was on to their 4th quarterback of the season, newly signed Chris Wallace.

Tommy Grady had his way with a Power secondary that has been beyond atrocious in three out of the last four weeks. He was the second quarterback to throw for 10 touchdowns on Pittsburgh in the last month, and almost assuredly will be named National Guard MVP of the Week for his efforts.

On the night the Pittsburgh offense lost five fumbles, and were stopped on downs several times as well. There wasn't much good to write about in this game except for how efficient Utah was in tearing the hearts out of the Power. At least the death was quick and painless. Pittsburgh did also do a good job containing a strong kickoff return unit that was one of the AFL's best coming into the game.

Over the past month, the Power defense has given up 250 points (75, 32, 62, 81) in their last four games. Take a look at how the last four opposing quarterbacks have done against Pittsburgh.

Dan Raudabaugh - 433 yards and 10 TD's.
Kurt Rocco - 261 yards and 4 TD's/1 Int.
Brian Zbydniewski - 372 yards and 8 TD's/1 Int.
Tommy Grady - 313 yards and 10 TD's.

On average, they've given up 8 TD's and almost 345 yards a game during this stretch, and that's with one dominating performance against Cleveland factored in. The results have been ugly.

I think above all else, too many players are hiding injuries and hurting the team, and the Power really need to look at bringing in some players that can bolster this weak area, because it's pretty clear what isn't working right now.

Pittsburgh did get a little bit of good news today when the Kansas City Command stunned the Cleveland Gladiators, so Pittsburgh does remain tied for first place in the Eastern Division. Pittsburgh heads home to host the Milwaukee Mustangs and really need to get things going in the right direction.  

I'm hesitant to call this game against Milwaukee a "must-win" game, but Pittsburgh desperately needs to get momentum going in the right direction.  They also need Bernard Morris back at quarterback.  They are 5-2 with Morris as a starter, 2-4 without him.