The Wild Card Round of the Arena Football Playoffs are in the books, and there was some great action all weekend.
Friday June 27th:
#3 Dallas Desperados (12-4) vs. #6 New York Dragons (8-8)
This turned out to be the biggest upset of the opening round as the Dragons took down the Desperados 77-63 . Leading the way for the Dragons was Garcia who went 28-39 with 330 yards and 9 touchdowns. Next up for the Dragons is top seeded Philadelphia. ( July 5th7pm ET on ESPN).
Saturday June 28th:
#5 Colorado Crush (6-10) vs. #4 Utah Blaze (6-10)
The crush sneaked passed the Blaze in their opening match defeating the Blaze 49-45. Top Performers:
Crush: Dutton: 30-47 for 268 yards and 6 TDS
Williams: 13 Receptions for 123 Yards and 3 TDs
Blaze:
From The Ohio State University: Joe Germaine: 23-36 for 252 yards and 6 TDS
Next up for the Crush is Grand Rapids on Sunday July 6th at 3pm ET and you can catch that one on ESPN as well.
Sunday June 29th:
#5 Orlando Predators (9-7) vs. #4 Cleveland Gladiators (9-7)
The Gladiators make it out of wild card play in the first ever season in Cleveland with a 69-66 victory over Orlando. Offesnsive player of the game goes to Gladiators QB Raymond Philyaw for throwing 8 TD’s in the game. On the defensive side the game ball goes to Brandon Hefflin who not only had 2 INTS but recovered a fumble with only 2 minutes left to play to help seal Cleveland’s victory.
Next Up for Cleveland is # Georgia Force which can be seen Monday July 7th at 8pm ET on ESPN2.
#6 Grand Rapids Rampage (6-10) vs. #3 Arizona Rattlers (8-8)
Arizona might have lived up to their word by coming through on their playoff guarantee, but unfortunately it didn’t last long as they fell to the Rampage 48-41. James MacPherson was 27 of 40 for 285 yards and five touchdowns for the Rampage leading them into a matchup with #1 Seed Chicago Rush next. You can catch that game July 6th 3pm ET on ESPN.
4Real Out...
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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
AFL Playoffs: Round 1 Recap
Sunday, June 15, 2008
AFL Update: Rattlers Money Back Guarantee Pays Off
So I think I made it to week three of AFL recaps before losing sight of my goal to become a legitimate Arena fan. That being said I am sure most of you skimmed over those articles anyways and forgot about it all together. That is why with about two weeks to go in the season I’ll give you a quick update for Arizona’s own Indoor football team.
As you may recall the Rattlers organization made a guarantee to their fans that they would give a 100% refund to their season ticket holders if they didn’t make the playoffs. Well they can breath a sigh of relief as they have clinched a berth with an 8-6 record with two left to play. They are currently sitting in 2nd place behind the defending arena bowl champion San Jose Sabrecats (10-5) in the American Conference’s Western Division. Besides the pressure of the wager and the fact that it is Head Coach Kevin Guy’s first season the Rattlers were sitting on a record of 4-6 with the playoffs seemingly out of reach. Then all of a sudden something sparked and the squad started closing out the close games they had been dropping all season. They were coming off back to back losses when they faced the Dallas Desperados (currently 12-3 and tied with Philadelphia Soul for best record in the AFL) where they came away with a 55-54 upset. Next up was a sub par Grand Rapids Rampage team who they also narrowly beat out 52-48, followed by a 60-53 win over a good Orlando Predators team. Then last Sunday (Jun 8th) the rattlers faced the Kansas City Brigade and a chance to clinch a playoff berth. Arizona showed up in a big way setting records for most point in a half (49) and most points in a quarter (36) giving them their biggest margin of victory all season with the 73-34 win.
The Rattlers are heading in to the last two games of their season with some serious momentum and are facing match ups against Colorado Rush (4-10) and Utah Blaze (5-10). Arizona should be able to take both of these games if they keep on their game. If that is the case, and San Jose loses their final game to the Georgia Force (10-5) they will be tied for the top spot in the western division. Not too shabby for a team that had a long way to go to make a playoff spot.
Later this week I will give a run down on the Cleveland Gladiators season and playoff chances before giving a playoff preview so check back.
4Real Out….
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Saturday, March 15, 2008
AFL Week 3
Week 3 action in Arena Football saw the Arizona Rattlers going up against defending Arena Bowl Champion San Jose Sabrecats as well as The Cleveland Gladiators facing off against the Columbus Destroyers for “The Battle of the Buckeye State Trophy”.
The Arizona Rattlers Still competing with themselves on the season ticket bet with their fans fell to 1-2 against the Sabrecats after tonight’s loss (63-43). The Sabrecats were in control for most of the game putting a 20 point hurting on the Rattlers. Turnovers were the story of this game as the Rattlers lost three fumbles as well as Smoker throwing 3 interceptions. With the win San Jose moves to 2-1 and the rattlers fall farther away from winning their playoff bet.
Next Week: March 21st vs. New York Dragons
In the Battle of the Buckeye State the surprise of the AFL continued to shock and awe as the Gladiators won a nail biter against the Columbus destroyers 59-57. It came down to the wire as Destroyer’s QB Nagy connected on a 33 yard pass with 20 seconds left to put the score at 59-57. They failed to convert the two point conversion, and after Cleveland recovered the onside kick it was all over. Philyaw behind the helm for Cleveland connected 19 of 28 passes for 209 yards and 5 touchdowns. On the receiving end Redd posted 7 catches for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Amey had 6 catches for 71 yards and 3 touchdowns. With this big win over last year’s Arena Bowl Runner Ups Cleveland has moved to 3-0 and knocked Columbus down to 0-3.
Side Note For all of you Buckeye fans out there who are still wondering what happened to Justin Zwick: He is currently backing up Destroyers QB Matt Nagy. He didn’t exactly pan out the way we thought he would did he?
Next Week: Friday March 21st @ New Orleans VooDoo
4Real Out...
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Monday, March 3, 2008
Football In The U.S is a 365 Thing
With Spring Training in high gear and moving towards the upcoming season I realized that as un-American as it is, a lot of people don’t get as excited for Baseball as I do. So…in the spirit of making sure you all get your football fix I am here to remind you that this weekend (Mostly today) that the Arena Football season is kicking off.
For those here in Arizona, the Rattlers started off the season with a big win over the Utah Blaze. It was an exciting game for anyone who was able to catch it, with multiple touchdowns being exchanged down to the last second when the Blaze missed the winning field goal attempt. They would fall to Arizona 63-62. Depending on how you look at it that’s good news for the Rattlers and their big gamble with the fans. You can catch the Rattlers on ESPN 2 next Monday the 10th against the LA Avengers.
For those of you in my home state, tonight is the inaugural game for the Cleveland Gladiators. Bernie Kosar’s (CEO and President of the Club) new passion project takes on the New York Dragons. We can see if the Gladiators who relocated from last place in Vegas can fare better in Cleveland. Veteran AFL QB Raymond Philyaw will be behind the helm and will be carrying a lot of the load on his shoulders. I'll keep you updated periodically on both clubs as the season progresses if for no other reason than to see if Cleveland secures another losing franchise, and if the Rattlers refund will break the bank.
4Real Out....
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
Arizona Rattlers Lay Down A Friendly Wager
I don’t know how I missed this one. The Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers have made a hefty wager with their fans. They are offering a 100% money back, no strings attached guarantee that they will make the playoffs. If they don’t you will be refunded 100% of the amount you paid for your season tickets.
What do they have to lose right? Well…..
2007 Average Attendance: 10,077
2008 Season Ticket Packages at $744.75, $645.75 and $528.75 are already sold out. An average season ticket package would cost you around $312 for the year. If roughly half of the average attendance are paying the average season ticket price then the Rattlers are looking at losing over a million dollars just in ticket prices alone. In case you were wondering…the salary cap for an Arena Football team is 1.82 million.
2007 Record: 4-12
Last year the Rattlers finished second to last in the American Conference’s Western Division. This is the same division that the defending Arena Bowl Champion San Jose Sabercats call home. The only team they finished ahead of? The Las Vegas Gladiators. The Gladiators have subsequently folded and moved to Cleveland to disappoint me in upcoming years.
More after the jump...
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