Quarterback carousel continues as Power fall to division rival Cleveland.

The roulette wheel known as the Pittsburgh Power quarterback position keeps spinning.  This time it landed on Bryan Randall, but the results were pretty much the same they've been all season as the Pittsburgh Power lost to their division rival, the Cleveland Gladiators, 58-43.

Randall did finish the day with 309 yards passing and 5 touchdowns, but he also threw 2 interceptions and the Power (2-5) lost two fumbles.  The Power also turned the ball over on downs two additional times.

The Power jumped out to a 21-7 lead, but sat by helplessly as Cleveland (4-3) rattled off 35 unanswered points to take firm control of this Eastern division showdown.   Unlike the last home game against Orlando, there would be no epic comeback from the abyss.

Chris LeFlore set a Power franchise record with his sixth interception of the season, breaking Josh Lay's mark of five interceptions from a year ago.

Mike Washington stood out on offense with 13 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns but he also lost a fumble that helped the Gladiators on that 35 point run.   P.J. Berry was strong once again in the return game (8 for 103 yards) but he almost certainly will see his streak of three straight weeks as the JLS Ironman end after this loss.

Coach Siegfried mentioned after the game that he's still waiting for someone to take the quarterback position and run with it.  He seemed confident that the answer to the Power quarterback struggles is on the roster but he wouldn't name who that was.  Bill Stull should return from injured reserve soon, and could be in line to reclaim the starting role.

Pittsburgh will continue their search for a quarterback this week as they host the Georgia Force.   It will be "Super Hero" Night so come dressed as your favorite superhero.
 

Cleveland Gladiators @ Pittsburgh Power Preview

It's rivalry week once again for Pittsburgh and Cleveland.  Two sports towns that don't like each other much.

Both teams are looking for a win to stay in the middle of the wild card hunt in the American Conference.  The Gladiators are sitting in second place in the Eastern division with a record of 3-3 and Pittsburgh is a game behind them but sitting in fourth place at 2-4.

Neither offense has had much luck scoring this season.  Cleveland enters the game ranked 13th in the league at 49 PPG, while Pittsburgh ranks 15th at 47.7 PPG.  What they both do well is stop the other team on defense.  The Gladiators are second in scoring defense (48.2 PPG) and have the league's best yardage defense (255.5 YPG).   Pittsburgh is 9th in scoring defense (55.5 PPG) and just behind Cleveland in total defense (256.8 YPG).

Quarterback play is the first place to look when trying to see who has the edge.  Cleveland features a 12 year AFL veteran in John Dutton.  He's thrown for 1695 yards (7th in league), 36 TD's (7th), and completed 65.6% (6th) of his passes this year.

Pittsburgh will counter with recently signed Bryan Randall, the 2010 IFL MVP who played for the Allen Wranglers and Lehigh Valley Steelhawks this year in the IFL.  Randall will be the 5th quarterback listed atop the depth chart this year for Pittsburgh through 7 games, hardly the kind of consistency you want from the position.  Randall is 6'1" and played college ball at Virginia Tech.  He's more of a stay at home passer, but will scramble when he has to.

Cleveland's receiving corps is fairly deep.  Dominick Goodman leads the way with 68 receptions (1st in AFL), 658 yards (6th) and 15 TD's (6th).  He is the reigning Russell Offensive Player of the Week in the AFL.  They also have Robert Redd who ranks amongst the league leaders as well.  He's caught 53 passes (6th), 560 yards (12th) and 11 TD's (11th).

They also have Thyron Lewis who is having a solid season, and expect to see Maurice "Moe" Williams be active for this game.  Williams was rumored to have drawn strong interest from the Power this offseason, but no offer was ever made.

The Power receiving corps continues to play strong overall, as all three leading receivers are putting up almost identical stats.  Randy Hymes seems to be emerging as the top receiver in the bunch, but the Power spread the ball around so well it's hard to predict who will be Randall's favorite target.  P.J. "Superman" Berry continues in his quest to repeat as JLS Ironman of the Year.  He's won the weekly award three straight times heading into this game.

Defensively, Chris LeFlore is having a strong season for the Power.  He's already tied the franchise record of five interceptions, set by Josh Lay last season, and looks to break it this week against the Gladiators.  Jarrett Sanderson joined the team last week and ended up leading the team in tackles against the VooDoo.

The Gladiators have several standouts to watch as well.    Levy Brown leads the team in tackles and has three interceptions and a fumble recovery.  Derrick Boyd is second on the team in tackles and has two interceptions, and fellow DB Joe Phinisee has also added three interceptions.  Up front look for Drew Berube (5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles) and Tim Cheatwood (2 sacks and an interception) to make life miserable for the Power.

Keys to the game for Cleveland

• Limit turnovers.  If Cleveland holds onto the ball, they should be able to outscore the Power offense.  
• Create havoc for Bryan Randall.  This is the rookie's first start in the AFL so you want to make it as uncomfortable for him as possible.
• Take the crowd out of the game early.  Pittsburgh fans were loud for last year's Gladiators game, and don't like Cleveland at all.  If the Gladiators get up early in this one it'll be huge for them.

Keys for Pittsburgh

• Keep it simple for Randall.  Don't ask the rookie to do too much early on.  Turnovers would kill his confidence and take the crowd out of the game.
• Get the ball to your playmakers.  I loved the trick play last week with P.J. Berry throwing a TD pass to Randy Hymes.  Keep up the creative playcalling.
• Finish drives!  Pittsburgh should have won the game last week but their inability to finish drives cost them once again.  You cannot rely on field goal kicking in this league, and the fact Collin Wagner missed all three attempts against the VooDoo shows you why.

Pittsburgh needs a win in the worst way, but I just don't like this matchup.  Cleveland has been inconsistent at times this year but they are still the only team to have beaten the Philadelphia Soul this year, and that was on the road.  I expect this game to be lower scoring like last year's game in Pittsburgh but I think Cleveland is slightly better right now.

Collin Wagner Hexed By the VooDoo, Power fall 51-48

Kicking in the AFL is a difficult proposition.  The goal posts are only nine feet wide.  Obviously not much space to aim to make a successful kick. 

Having said that it's Collin Wagner's job to make kicks for his team, and he failed in that regards four times on Friday night, and the Power came up three points shy of reaching the .500 mark.  Overall, Wagner missed three field goals and an extra point in a closely contested game.

The game saw solid quarterback play from the Power's Derek Cassidy.  He completed 18 of 27 passes for 226 yards, 5 TD's and an interception.  He also lost a fumble.  His rival on the other side of the field, Kurt Rocco, one of the AFL's best this year, was somewhat erratic, finishing 19 of 39 for 276 yards, and matched Cassidy's touchdown and interception numbers. 

P.J. Berry, the reigning two time JLS Ironman of the Week winner, had another standout game for Pittsburgh.  He opened the Pittsburgh scoring with a kickoff return for a touchdown.  Overall he had nine returns for 252 yards and a score, he threw a touchdown pass, and added 4 catches for 44 yards and a score.

Randy Hymes continues to state his case as the Power's top receiver this year.  He finished three yards shy of the century mark and hauled in three touchdowns.  Good times for Randy Hymes indeed.

Chris LeFlore tied the franchise record for interceptions in a season by nabbing his fifth pick of the year.  He still has ten games to move ahead of Josh Lay in the record books.

This was a game in which the Power seemed to outplay the VooDoo in many ways in the game, but again, they had critical mistakes at critical points of the game and once again find themselves adding to the loss column.  The fumbled exchange between Derek Cassidy and center Beau Elliott definitely hurt, as did the Power's inability to stop the VooDoo on fourth down on the game winning touchdown drive.

In spite of it all, the Power still had their chance to tie the game and go to overtime, but once again, they found themselves just a bit off the mark.

Pittsburgh will come back home to take on their divison rivals, the Cleveland Gladiators, on April 28th.  It's Fan Appreciation Night for Power fans.  Get your tickets for the game now.

Fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship: Not So Good for Friendships

By Guest Blogger: Steven G. Folmar

   On Saturday night in Atlanta, 2 former friends, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones and former Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad “Suga” Evans will step in the ring coming full cycle in their relationship. The former friends and training partners will come to blows in one of the most acrimonious partner splits in the UFC since Ortiz / Liddell. The winner will look almost unstoppable in the Light Heavyweight Division, the loser will have to think long and hard about their future in the UFC.
    Jon Jones is an incredible athlete, probably one of the most gifted in the UFC right now. No fighters have lasted long in fights against him. His wrestling is great, his striking unpredictable and fierce, and his submissions are solid, as we all saw when he put away Lyoto Machida with a standing choke. Evans is a more complete fighter without some of the God given talent that Jones has. He was a very accomplished collegiate wrestler at Michigan State. He can knock you out with punches, kicks or chokes. A couple times in his last fight with Tito Ortiz I thought he was caught in submissions that somehow he fought out of no worse for wear. Both have more than enough knockout power. But the story with these two is as much more the story of how they got here than the athletes themselves. Both were training partners, both also claimed they would never fight the other to preserve their friendship. When Evans hurt his knee before a title fight with Shogun Rua, Bones jumped in a won the title. This immediately rubbed Evans the wrong way and the bad blood began. This has led to no small amount of name-calling and bad feelings between the two.
    I have very mixed feelings about them both going into this fight. I feel this is two of the most talented two young men to fight in years. And the bad blood only makes for a more intriguing fight. I have always been an Evans fan but everyone knows he can come off cocky. He was told to quit showboating by opposing team captain and UFC legend Matt Hughes during The Ultimate Fighter Season 2. He has rubbed opponents wrong many times in the past. But when he does personal interviews I think you see a very intelligent fella who is well aware of how precarious his situation is. Conflict is always a great lead in for fights, Ali/Frasier, Leonard/Duran, Manny/ Mayweather (If they ever manage to get it off the ground) just to name a few. But I don’t think it is real good for maintaining friendships. I think both have acted childish in the leadup to this fight. How can Evans truly believe they would never going to fight considering they are both in the top 5 of their division. That is like Eli and Peyton not playing in a football game because the Giants and Broncos are playing each other. You are professionals, it is what it is. Evans seems naive on this point. This may be his way of vilifying a friend to make him want to fight. Interviews since then have been cocky on both sides. Jones, despite being extremely talented, seems like he may be getting a little cocky. He still has not been pushed into later rounds, outside of the Rampage Jackson fight, when he spent a lot of his time chasing Rampage, who was looking for that knockout punch. This may be his Brock Lesnar/Frank Mir like wake up call.
    In the fight, Rashad has experience on his side. He has been humbled and I think that has made him hungrier. He also has experience with bigger opponents with longer reach. I was watching the championship fight from TUF Season 2 today where Evans did a great job of adapting against a much bigger Brad Imes, whose 6’7” frame and reach seemed insurmountable. But Evans learned as the fight progressed and won one of the classic TUF matchups. Jones has not been tested going into the later rounds beyond the Rampage Jackson fight where he had to chase more than anything else and I think Evans will frustrate him by taking him there. I also think that Evans has got in his head and Jones is going to get frustrated. I have Rashad taking back his title with a knockout in the final two rounds. But Jones will not be sidelined long. And you should plan on seeing these two, and their feud, around the light heavyweight division for quit a while. Win or lose, this is going to be a good one!  

Pittsburgh Power At New Orleans VooDoo Preview

The Pittsburgh Power pulled off the most dramatic comeback in AFL history last week, coming back from a 48-17 3rd quarter deficit to defeat the winless Orlando Predators.   It gave the Power a much needed victory but also opened up a lot of question marks.

The first major question mark for the Power (2-3) is what they have at the quarterback position.  The year started with Kyle Rowley in the role before he was released prior to the season opener against Orlando.  Bill Stull and Andrico Hines have also served in that capacity with somewhat poor results.  This week's starter, Derek Cassidy, will be the fourth signal caller to be labeled as starting quarterback for the Power already this year.

Looking back to last week, Cassidy completed 12 of 22 passes for 148 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.  He also rushed for 20 yards and a score.  One of his interceptions was fumbled in the end zone by Orlando and recovered for a touchdown, so it was still a positive play for Pittsburgh.    He made the plays to win the game, but I cannot say that he was flawless in victory. 

The Power continue to spread the ball around on offense.  Power wide receiver P.J. "Superman" Berry was named the JLS Ironman of the week for the second week in a row after catching 3 passes for 66 yards and a score, plus 151 return yards in the game.  Mike "Joystick" Washington and Randy Hymes each caught two touchdown passes. 

Defensively the Power secondary ranks second in the AFL in yardage allowed at just over 250 yards per game.  Defensive back Chris LeFlore snagged two interceptions last week against Orlando and now has four this year, one behind the league leaders.  Larico Stevenson has also added two interceptions in 2012.

New Orleans is led by quarterback Kurt Rocco, who ranks second in the league in yards (1613), seventh in touchdowns (30), and ranks fourth in the league in QB rating (119.9).   Power fans will remember Rocco as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Gladiators last year.  He's a tall QB at 6'5" who sees the field well.

Rocco's favorite targets this year are L.J. Castile (38 catches, 446 yards, 11 TD) and Josh Bush (29 receptions, 400 yards, 7 TD's). Bush is also a threat out of the backfield with 11 rushes for 38 yards and two scores and doubles as the VooDoo kickoff return man. 

The VooDoo have multiple standouts on defense.  Linebacker Alvin Ray Jackson is one of the league's standout stars.  He has four interceptions this year already.  Defensive back Jeremy Kellem also has four picks this year and leads the team in tackles (36) and passes blocked (8).

Turnovers are going to play a huge factor in this game.  New Orleans is 1st in the league in turnover margin (+10) this year whereas Pittsburgh ranks 15th in the league (-7).   Pittsburgh has to put a stop to their own self-inflicted wounds.   Pittsburgh does have the edge in the penalty department, ranking first in the league with just 25.8 yards of penalties per game.  The VooDoo average 56.6 YPG in this area, putting them at 14th in the league. 

As usual, when deciding who is going to win a particular AFL game, you need to start at the quarterback position.  The VooDoo have a decided advantage in this area, so it will be up to the Power secondary to play as well as they did in the second half against Orlando.  Pittsburgh needs to force some turnovers to have a chance in this one.

I don't see that happening.  VooDoo win this one.