First Half Grades For the Pittsburgh Power

We've reached a bye week and the mid-season point for the inaugural season for the Pittsburgh Power.  The team sits at 5-4 and possibly could have another win or two this year.  The Power have faced a lot of injuries so far this year and have managed to get through them pretty well.

How has the team done so far? Let me break it down for you.

QUARTERBACK
The Power have started three quarterbacks at various points this year, and the results have been mixed.  Bernard Morris has shown the most out of the three, but even he has some warts.  He threw three interceptions in the opener against Philadelphia, including the backbreaking pick six that lost it for the Power in overtime.

Morris was knocked out halfway through the second game against Iowa, and didn't return until week 9 against Spokane.  He started off with an 8 for 20 first half in that one as the Power fell behind but to his credit he did rally the troops to a big win. 

Just this past week against San Jose, he had two horrible interceptions and 2 lost fumbles to let San Jose hang around but he kept the team focused, ended up with 8 TD's, including the game winner to Jason Willis with 14 seconds left.  He's shown some tendencies to be careless with the ball and I really feel the Power defense has bailed him out of a lot of tough situations. 

Anthony Morelli was 1-2 as the fill-in starter once Morris and McCabe went down with injuries.  He did a solid job in the loss to Jacksonville, going toe to toe with AFL legend Aaron Garcia.  Statistically they had similar games although unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the offense was stopped on downs three times. 

Morelli was named the National Guard MVP of the week for the AFL for his performance against the New Orleans Voodoo, in what has probably been the cleanest game for a Power QB this year.  Unfortunately he followed that up with a complete stinker on the road against the Georgia Force by going 22 for 41, and throwing for only 188 yards, two TD's and three interceptions.  That prompted the return to Morris at quarterback.

Kevin McCabe had a solid first half against Iowa and looked solid for much of the game against Milwaukee, but appears to be the odd man out at quarterback for the Power right now.

Overall, the Power Passing offense ranks near the bottom of the league, and the team has failed to cross the 60 point mark yet this season, which seems to be a benchmark of sorts in the AFL.  Again, while they've shown flashes of brilliance, I just don't think the quarterbacks have done enough to get more than an average grade so far this year.
GRADE: C+

RUNNING BACK
Josh Rue started the year off on fire, establishing himself as the go-to threat on a team that was trying to find its way in the passing game.   The fans of Pittsburgh quickly became "Ruebirds" as his hard running, bruising style reminded fans of Jerome Bettis who suited up for that "other team" in town.  So far this year Rue has 37 carries for 90 yards and 8 TD's, plus he's added 9 catches for 75 yards and two scores through the air. 

Unfortunately he started fumbling the ball and it seems as though Coach Siegfried isn't trusting him much in key situations as the season progresses.  Xavier Lee, while still on the active roster, really seemed to supplant Rue as the short yardage threat. 

The Power quarterbacks have boosted the running game a bit, whether it's been Morris or Morelli.  Both have made huge plays with their legs.  As a team, the Power rank 3rd overall in the AFL in rushing offense, so it's hard to say they haven't had some success.

While a running attack is not always key to success in the AFL, the Power need to be able to change it up now and again, and Rue will need to pick his game back up down the stretch.  He hasn't seen the end zone since three weeks again against Georgia.
GRADE: B+

WIDE RECEIVER
It's become a two man race for the Power wide receivers as Mike "The Joystick" Washington and Jason "Whatyoutalkingbout" Willis have separated themselves from the rest of the Power receivers.  Injuries have been to blame for some of the inconsistencies, but it's clear these two are the best the Power have.

Washington had a breakout game last week against San Jose, going off for 120 yards and 4 TD's.  His knack for making the highlight reel catch has been a welcome addition to an offense still looking for a spark overall.  He seems to have the best chemistry of all the receivers with the quarterback, and he has really improved his route running the last few weeks.  So far on the season, Washington has caught 50 catches for 590 yards and 12 TD's.  While it's not exactly league leading stats for the wide receiver position, he's been above average and improving each week. 

Willis also had a huge game last week against the SaberCats with 6 catches for 88 yards, and 3 TD's, including the game winner with 14 seconds left.  On the season he's got 63 receptions for 661 yards, and 11 TD's.  The biggest drawback I could see with Willis is that he sometimes loses focus and drops a few easy catches.  He does usually bounce back and make big catches later in the game, but these drops hurt his overall stat lines.

Lonnell DeWalt has proven himself as a strong goal line receiver, posting numbers of 22 receptions for 267 yards and 9 TD's.  He's had some big games when given the chance, but his move to jack linebacker seems to have lowered his role in the offense somewhat.  I still think he will be a solid force moving forward.

The rest of the receiving corps has been a cycle of players who have had moments of greatness, but then moved on.  Jerome Mathis has 9 catches for 128 yards and 2 TD's but is currently injured and not playing.  Xavier Lee saw a few games of action and caught 8 passes for 48 yards and 3 TD's, plus proved himself as a ground and passing threat.  Craig Fulton, Jr. and DJ Hall currently seem to be fighting for some playing time at the 3rd WR position, but haven't yet stood out very much.

Overall, the Power seem to like to spread the ball around, and the passing attack isn't focused on just one weapon.  That should be helpful moving forward as the receivers hopefully continue to grow and improve each week.

GRADE: B-

OFFENSIVE LINE
I have a positive observation about the offensive line.  They have helped pave the way for the 3rd ranked rushing attack in the AFL.   A big negative exists though as the Power rank 16th out of 18 teams in sacks against. 

Injuries have had a factor in this as the Power lost Chris Terrell, and now look to face a stretch without center Sione Ohuafi. 

The line is going to be a huge key to how well the Power finish out the second half of the season.  If they continue to give up 2-3 sacks a game, it could continue to hold the offense back.  I think if the line gets back to full strength good things will happen but for now I have to say they've done a solid job overall.
GRADE: C

DEFENSIVE LINE
There's no other way to put it.  If Neil Purvis is in the lineup, the Power Pass rush is going to be dominant.   In the few games he missed due to injury, the drop was noticeable, although the line has done a solid job regardless.  The last two games in particular have shown the Power getting to the quarterbacks early and often.  It clearly threw Spokane's Kyle Rowley off his game, and even this past week, Mark Grieb was forced to throw the ball early which led to several turnovers on downs.

Abe Koroma, Terrance Carter, Dayon Benson, Anthony DeGrate, and Purvis.  Whoever lines up on the line has done a pretty good job against all comers this year except for Jacksonville.  Don't judge them by sack totals, as it is very hard to get to the quarterback in this leaguwe with all the rules put in place to benefit the offense. 

This group has done a phenomenal job so far this year and I am going to give them a strong grade as a result.
GRADE: A-

LINEBACKERS
Gary Butler is the clear cut leader on this defense.  His emotions and wrecking ball style of play have set a strong tone for the Power defense so far this year.  In the few games he was struggling with a shoulder injury, the defense as a whole took a step back.  Now that he's been healthy, the Power defense is back to playing their hearts out.  Butler is capable of disrupting the play both in the backfield (3 sacks), as well as at the line of scrimmage with his multiple pass blocks. 

Tyrell Herbert was also a force early in the season at the jack linebacker position, but his injury forced Head Coach Chris Siegfried to make a surprise move and put Lonnell DeWalt there instead.  The move has been a good one so far.  DeWalt and his 6'6" Frame make it very tough for opposing quarterbacks to pass the ball, especially in the goal line area. 

Pittsburgh has always loved the linebackers, and the Power have some good ones.  They did have some downtime, so I'll have to ding them a bit, but there's no mistaking why the Power have managed to stay competitive with the offense struggling.
GRADE: B+

SECONDARY
This unit has played fairly solid despite the fact Josh Lay has missed multiple games due to injuries and suspension.  Antonio Smith played well for a few games but was released to move on to the UFL.  Carlos Campbell has battled the injury bug but is a huge contributor to the goal line defense.  Royce Adams does a great job of holding defenders to minimal gains after the catch. 

It's easy to say the secondary gets beat a lot, but all AFL secondaries do.  The key is how the teams play in terms of getting those few key stops throughout the game.  The Power D has excelled at this so far. 

Going forward, it will be interesting to see how well Lay continues to play as he recovers from his concussion.  The swagger and physicality he brings to the game is much appreciated by the Pittsburgh fans. 
GRADE: B

SPECIAL TEAMS
Yardage wise, the Power have been one of the stronger teams in terms of returning kicks, although they have yet to break one for a touchdown.  They have also done a good job of bottling up opponents on their kickoffs.  One of Paul Edinger's strengths as a kicker has been hitting the kicks off the rebound nets to help prevent a big return.  Larico Stevenson has really excelled at Special teams coverage so far this year.

Edinger has made three field goals this year, two of which were at clutch moments of the game.  His game tying kick at the end of regulation in week one allowed the Power to force overtime.  He also nailed a field goal late against Spokane to stretch the lead to ten points and ice the game.  His extra points could use a little work although he is far from the wirst kicker in the AFL in terms of that.

Overall, this group has done a very good job. 
GRADE: B

Personally I think the Power have done a strong job overall as a team.  The offense still needs to get better but the defense has done a great job of keeping the team in games late until the O can find a way to win it.  As the team continues to get healthier and get their key players back, the playoffs are still a strong possibility as long as the Power keep playing fundamentally smart football and keep pace with Cleveland.

What do you all think of the Power so far?  Feel free to comment below.