Week 12 - Evaluating The Barnstormers

The Barnstormers continue a terrible skid to 4-7. More of the same troubles this week.

Offense: B-

Yes, the Barnstormers managed to keep pace. It was not enough. Spokane's defense has been hot, and coming out in the first quarter with misfires and giving up quick pressure, as well as immediately losing one of the brand new offensive lineman, just was not a good showing. J.J. Raterink also gave the home crowd a scare, going out for a play after last week's injury after using his hurt shoulder to attempt to mow down a defender. Not a great decision. Chris Dieker managed to momentarily redeem himself for last week, however, coming out and slinging a TD pass while the training staff looked over Raterink.

Defense: C-

This defense needs to stop the pass, and they need to do it now. The scheme isn't working, the players are getting outrun, outmanned, and outsmarted. If you want to have a shot at winning in the AFL, you have to man up and stop the pass.

Special Teams: B-

Nothing doing on onside kicks, and a missed PAT definitely didn't help.

What's Next:

The Barnstormers (4-7) host the Gladiators for their NFL network home game.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Spokane Shock @ Iowa Barnstormers Preview

You'll notice I didn't grade the Barnstormers for last week's dismantling.


Well, it may be childish of me...


But I've decided not to speak of it.


So let's just move onto Spokane.


OFFENSE

Spokane:

Spokane has been getting the job done since the addition of Kyle Rowley at the QB position. Adron Tennell has been in beast mode lately, picking up 5 TDs last week.

Iowa:

Quick trivia - who's the most efficient passer at the halfway mark of the AFL season? Answer, J.J. Raterink, QBing a 4-6 team. Next question - will he take the field on Friday? Better yet, will the team give him any help? The Barnstormers have brought in an entirely new set of guards on the O-line that are expected to "make an immediate impact." Well, let's hope so.


ADVANTAGE - Spokane

DEFENSE

Spokane:


Terrence Sanders was absolutely unstoppable against the Soul last week, and the week before brought back 2 TDs on special teams. He's definitely in a huge rhythm both on defense and special teams, and that's just not good for the Barnstormers.

Iowa:

Things just aren't getting any better. 

ADVANTAGE - Spokane


SPECIAL TEAMS

Spokane:

Remember that part about Terrence Sanders bringing back 2 TDs two weeks ago? It can happen.

Iowa:

3 Touchdowns, 19 points.

ADVANTAGE - Spokane


OVERALL


The Barnstormers have little momentum - back to where we were. Spokane, however, is hot and looking for revenge. Iowa knocked out Spokane's starting QB Eric Meyer to begin the season, and now are going into this game uncertain as to the status of J.J. Raterink. All in all, this doesn't look to be a good week for the Barnstormers.


ADVANTAGE - Spokane

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Arena Football Week 12 Power Rankings

Seriously, the game on Saturday put me off the AFL until just now. Crazy.

1. Arizona Rattlers (7-3)

I'm giving the Rattlers the number 1 spot back, I really think they have the strongest roster in the AFL, and their record is starting to reflect that again.

2.  San Jose SaberCats (7-3)

San Jose dropped one, and it wasn't in an impressive fashion.

3. San Antonio Talons (7-3)

San Antonio, welcome back. It was hard to believe a Garcia-lead team took this long to get to the top 3.

4. Philadelphia Soul (7-3)

Philly is starting to lose games it should be winning. Bad news for Philly fans.

5. Utah Blaze (6-4)

Utah is on a two game losing streak. Ouch.

6. Chicago Rush (6-4)

Chicago drops out of the top 5 on a bye week.

7. Cleveland Gladiators (6-3)

This week is a huge game for Cleveland. If they sweep Philly, things will be looking very good.

8. Georgia Force (6-4)

Georgia is cruising through the creampuff part of their schedule.

9.  Spokane Shock (5-4)

This team is HOT.

10. Tampa Bay Storm (5-5)

This team needs wins, and 10+ point losses aren't elping.

11. Jacksonville Sharks (4-5)

Hello, Jacksonville. Welcome back to the AFL.

12. New Orleans VooDoo (4-5)

Watch out, guys. The New Orleans VooDoo can barely stave off the preds.

13.  Iowa Barnstormers (4-6)

There are no words.

14. Milwaukee Mustangs (3-6)

Hard to believe this team beat the Soul.

15. Pittsburgh Power (2-8)

A loss to the Command, and Arizona on the schedule? Eep.

16. Kansas City Command (1-8)

KC breathes a sigh of relief.

17.  Orlando Predators (1-8)

Welcome to Orlando, the land of the almost.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Iowa Barnstormers @ Jacksonville Sharks Preview

Iowa, thankfully, finally has the opportunity to create a winning streak in Jacksonville and climb back to .500. Let's take a look.


OFFENSE

Jacksonville:

The Sharks have weapons, but have been plagued by a revolving door at the QB position. Chris Leak, Omar Jacobs, Bernard Morris, and now ex-Preds QB Collin Drafts has been added to the roster. 

Iowa:

Quick trivia - who's the most efficient passer at the halfway mark of the AFL season? Answer, J.J. Raterink, QBing a 4-5 team. Jesse Schmidt and Marco Thomas have been getting quite a bit of action, but the offense still is easily capable of confusing and terrible drives, as was demonstrated by a few penalty plagued drives and a terrible INT against the Command.


ADVANTAGE - Iowa

DEFENSE

Jacksonville:

Another high ranked defensive matchup for the Barnstormers this week. The Sharks are sitting at 6th in overall defense. However, turnovers haven't come quite as easily for them, with only 9 takeaways on the year.

Iowa:

This team has certainly been capable of forcing turnovers, with 24 total turnovers on the year. Of course, the D has also allowed 57 pass TDs, which is the 2nd worst in the league. The defense would do well to keep the Sharks off the board early in the game to build a lead. 

ADVANTAGE - Iowa


SPECIAL TEAMS

Jacksonville:

Terrence Smith can certainly make big plays, with 3 return TDs on the year. The kicking team has been decent on PATs, but they've had issues covering onside kicks.

Iowa:

Jason Simpson continues to have a nice push for Iowa on kick returns. Big plays from the special teams will make a huge impact for this team. 

ADVANTAGE - PUSH


OVERALL


The Barnstormers have a little momentum, finally. Now is not the time to give it up. A huge game this week against a Sharks team that has been very up and down. The Barnstormers have been great on the road this year, and that trend should continue this week.


ADVANTAGE - Iowa

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Arena Football - Week 11 Power Rankings

We've officially reached the midpoint of the season, and last week didn't bring about much movement. Without further ado, your midseason power rankings!

1. San Jose SaberCats (7-2)

The SaberCats put the Blaze away to the discredit of any questionable rankings.

2.  Philadelphia Soul (7-2)

Philly hangs onto their spot, but only after an early wake up call from the scrappy Sharks.

3. Chicago Rush (6-3)

Chicago dropped one to Arizona this week, but they hang on to their spot by virtue of just plain being better than they looked this week. The story will be different when Michna returns.

4. Utah Blaze (6-3)

Utah hung in there, and ended with a very low-shame loss to the SaberCats.

5. Arizona Rattlers (6-3)

Arizona didn't gain or lose any ground, but putting away Chicago at home had to feel good.

6. San Antonio Talons (6-3)

The Power hung around an awful long time against this team..

7. Cleveland Gladiators (5-3)

Cleveland put one up on Philly earlier this year. If they want to keep advancing, they need to keep making those big wins. Their playoff prospects will feel a lot better if they can top Tampa this week.

8. Georgia Force (5-4)

Georgia has to feel good about picking up a win while RJ Archer is in minicamp with the Detroit Lions.

9. Tampa Bay Storm (5-4)

Tampa Bay needs to perform when they get opportunities. A team with a sudden QB change should be one of those opportunities.

10. Iowa Barnstormers (4-5)

Did they win at home? Yes. Is a win against the Command going to get you into the playoffs? Not by itself.

11. Milwaukee Mustangs (3-5)

Hot cold is the name of the game. If it wasn't for the win against Philadelphia last week, I would still continue to scream creampuff wins. If this team can win any more big games is to be determined.

12. Spokane Shock (4-4)

Overtime against New Orleans is a big boost for a team that is in a rough division.

13. New Orleans VooDoo (3-5)

A far cry from sitting on top of their division a few weeks ago.

14. Jacksonville Sharks (3-5)

The Sharks kept things interesting in the first half, but nobody really expected them to hang around against the Soul.

15. Pittsburgh Power (2-7)

A missed opportunity this week. Sounds an awful lot like their whole season. 10 weeks in, and the only team the Power have topped are the Predators.

16. Orlando Predators (1-7)

If any team needed a break from getting spanked, it was this one.

17.  Kansas City Command (0-8)

Another rough offensive showing, this time against the worst pass defense in the league. Ouch. Things are looking awfully bleak for the Command.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Happy Hump Week: Midseason Playoff Picture

10 weeks, 9 games, and a 4-5 record are the story so far for the 2012 Iowa Barnstormers. The team sits at 3rd in the National Central division, and 2 games behind the Talons and Rush, who are tied for the division lead. So far, the Barnstormers 5 losses have come to top 5 teams, losing to Utah twice, Chicago twice, and San Jose.

The Barnstormers still have to face San Antonio twice, as well as the Rattlers and San Jose again (both away). They also get to play the Command, Sharks, Power, Shock, and a potentially winnable game against Cleveland. Assuming the trend of dropping games against rough teams and winning winnable games continues, the Barnstormers could be looking at anywhere from 9-9 to 12-6. Historically, that's a decent shot at the playoffs.

On the other hand, the National Conference is absolutely stacked. Both divisions have 3 teams that are realistically potential competitors for the division title, which will inevitably leave 2 teams out on the curb come playoff time.

What does this tell us? Nothing we didn't know at the beginning of the season. The Barnstormers absolutely need to win big games in the second half of the season, and if they want to make the playoffs, have to stay focused in the games that are easily winnable.


If the playoffs started today:

American East - Philadelphia Soul
American South - Georgia Force
National Central - Chicago Rush
National West - San Jose SaberCats

American Wildcards - Cleveland Gladiators, Tampa Bay Storm
National Wildcards - Arizona Rattlers, Utah Blaze


And just for fun, a prediction bracket for how I think that playoff would go.

Round 1: (it's interesting how many games in this round 1 were actually played this week)

Philadelphia Soul  (X)
Cleveland Gladiators

Georgia Force
Tampa Bay Storm (X)

San Jose SaberCats (X)
Utah Blaze

Chicago Rush
Arizona Rattlers (X)

Round 2:

Philadelphia Soul (X)
Tampa Bay Storm

San Jose SaberCats
Arizona Rattlers (X)

ArenaBowl:

Philadelphia Soul
Arizona Rattlers (X)


Lots of football left to be played, it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Let the playoff push begin!



-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Week 10 - Evaluating the Barnstormers

The Barnstormers finally snap their skid and pick up a win at home against the winless Kansas City Command.

Offense: A-

Kansas City plays tough defense, so credit should be given where credit is due. The Stormers came out running on empty, and pumped out an opening drive that was plagued with miscues, penalties, and wasted time-outs. However, once things got synched up, they buried the Command into a 20 point hole and left them there. Some other quick areas of concern that kept the Barnstormers out of A+ range: a needless Rodney Filer fumble at the end of the game, an awful interception that should have been thrown away, and J.J. Raterink spending a lot of time getting chased around in the backfield.

Defense: B+

The defense took advantage of opportunities it was given, which is something that hasn't always happened this season. However, the worst pass defense in the league still spent most of its time looking like the worst pass defense in the league. Derek Pegues got burned badly twice, and they allowed 42 points from a team that to this point averaged only 35 a game.

I would also like to personally extend my congratulations to Justin "The Swat Machine" Mincey for jumping up and pulling down one of the most insane D-Line interceptions I've ever seen. Easily the most exciting moment of the game, and definitely huge for the Barnstormers.

Special Teams: A

And for really the first time this year, some pride in the Barnstormers special teams! No PAT issues, 2 fantastic field goals by Camay, and good work protecting the ball. Consistency in this phase will create lots of good opportunities down the road.

What's Next:

The Barnstormers (4-5) head to Jacksonville to take on the QB carousel that is the Sharks.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Arena Football - Week 10 Power Rankings

Week 9 is behind us, and I've got my week 10 power rankings prepped and ready for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

1. San Jose SaberCats (6-2)

Finally, someone found their way above the Soul. Another week of domination for the SaberCats

2.  Philadelphia Soul (6-2)

Philly drops to number 2 after a close loss to the Mustangs.

3. Chicago Rush (6-2)

Chicago stays on top of the division after stomping out the Barnstormers.

4. Utah Blaze (6-2)

11 touchdowns for Grady? Sheesh.

5. Arizona Rattlers (5-3)

Arizona drops after a loss this week, but there's still no shame in losing to the powerful SaberCats.

6. San Antonio Talons (5-3)

San Antonio finally has the clouds part on Wild Card potential.

7. Tampa Bay Storm (5-3)

The Storm absolutely dominated their I4 rival Predators.

8. Cleveland Gladiators (4-3)

Cleveland continues to sit pretty in the top ten.

9. Georgia Force (4-4)

Barely squeaking by the Power? Sheesh.

10. Milwaukee Mustangs (3-4)

Huge win for Milwaukee over last week's #1 Soul.

11. Iowa Barnstormers (3-5)

The Barnstormers continue a 3 game losing skid, all against important teams.

12. New Orleans VooDoo (3-4)

The VooDoo were at one point atop their division. Losing to the Sharks doesn't help.

13. Spokane Shock (3-4)

Another mediocre week for the Shock.

14. Jacksonville Sharks (3-4)

The Sharks manage to pull out a win against a division rival, finally. Can they keep it up?

15. Pittsburgh Power (2-6)

More of the same for an awful Power team.

16. Orlando Predators (1-7)

Orlando was absolutely demolished by Tampa Bay.

17.  Kansas City Command (0-7)

KC continues to fail to find themselves a win. If they do, they can probably jump above the Predators, who have been truly atrocious lately.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Kansas City Command @ Iowa Barnstormers Preview

The Barnstormers look to recover at home against the winless Command. Let's take a look.


OFFENSE

Kansas City:

Ladies and gents, it's not pretty. This is the worst passing offense in the league, and it shows. The Command have been held to under 30 points twice already in this season.

Iowa:

This offense stayed step to step with Chicago for the whole game. Had it not been for a costly safety, the Barnstormers stood a good chance of making the upset. Are they going to be elite? Maybe not. But Iowa definitely has a potent offense.


ADVANTAGE - Iowa

DEFENSE

Kansas City:

Welcome to Arena Football - the winless Kansas City Command feature one of the best pass defenses in the league. Unfortunately, that's not going to get you far in this league if your offense can't produce.

Iowa:

The hapless Barnstormer D had another tough week in Chicago. They didn't come up with a single stop until after the Marco Thomas safety in what was essentially garbage time - the game had been lost by that point.

ADVANTAGE - Kansas City


SPECIAL TEAMS

Kansas City:

The Command have a plethora of kick returners that are absolutely mediocre, as well as only being 26-33 on PATs on the season. That's right, 33 attempts.

Iowa:

Jason Simpson made huge gains for the offense on kick returns last week. Unfortunately, Marco Thomas also couldn't find his way out of the endzone (but did manage to find his way into it), giving up a safety for the first stop of the game, and kind of making the special teams a moot point. Special teams have been rough for the Barnstormers this year.

ADVANTAGE - PUSH


OVERALL


The Barnstormers are in a tough spot. The only way they could make it tougher is by giving the Command their first win this week. The Kansas City Command have had no solution all year for any team, having only come within 10 points of winning a game to this point. There's no reason the Barnstormers should drop this one, and if they do...well, we'll cross that bridge if we come to it.


ADVANTAGE - Iowa

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Week 9 - Evaluating the Barnstormers

The Barnstormers continue a 3 game losing streak against the Rush to drop to 3-5. Let's take a look.

Offense: B

The screen pass was again the name of the game. The offense did a good job of getting itself out of a few tough situations, especially when starting on its own one yard line. When the game was on the line, however, down by 2 scores at the end of the game, there was no big-play ability being flashed.

Defense: C+

The defense came up with a grand total of 0 defensive stops until the last few minutes of the game, at which point the game was basically decided anyway. If this team wants to win games, someone needs to step up and create a turnover.

Special Teams: C+

Camay had a great game kicking the ball, and Jason Simpson did a great job of creating field position for the Barnstormers, averaging 21+ yards on kick returns. Unfortunately, the first stop of the game came on a poorly fielded kickoff by Marco Thomas that ended with a safety. That ended up being the turning point in the game that the Barnstormers just never recovered from.

What's Next:

The Barnstormers (3-5) host the winless Kansas City Command, with both teams trying to dig themselves out of a huge self-inflicted hole.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Iowa Barnstormers @ Chicago Rush Preview

How does a team get shut out in the second half? The 3-4 Barnstormers have a lot to prove this week in Chicago.


OFFENSE

Chicago:

We all know by now where this unit is at. Russ Michna's crew has performed again and again this year, including against the Barnstormers. A few close losses don't detract from that at all.

Iowa:

Collin Taylor proved to be a decent replacement for Chris Matthews. Hopefully he can continue to step up. An offense that doesn't score in an entire half of Arena Football, however, has a lot to be embarrassed about, and hopefully come out with fire in their eyes this weekend.


ADVANTAGE - Chicago

DEFENSE

Chicago:

Kelvin Morris has 4 picks on the year, and the Chicago defense historically is good at forcing turnovers.

Iowa:

Let's face it - the Barnstormers have the worst pass defense in the league. They allow plenty of points, and it's becoming a problem. Somebody needs to find a way to keep opposing teams out of the endzone, and soon.

ADVANTAGE - Chicago


SPECIAL TEAMS

Chicago:

89% on PATs, and more importantly, haven't allowed a kick return for a touchdown yet this season.

Iowa:

The Barnstormers got their long snapper back, which is good news. The bad news? The offense and defense dropped one again. They also suffered a blocked kick.

ADVANTAGE - Chicago


OVERALL


Let's face it. If the Barnstormers want to contend for the division this year, they're going to have to go through this game to get there. At midseason, the Barnstormers are at third in the division. To contend for a wild card spot this year, they have to manage to beat out one of the 5-2 teams in the west division. If they drop this game, then they have to rely on someone else to drop Chicago, they absolutely have to beat San Antonio twice, and then have to focus on taking down the West. Not an easy task. This should be regarded as a must win game by the Barnstormers, but on a skid and on the road, it's going to be a tough one.


ADVANTAGE - Chicago

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Arena Football - Week 9 Power Rankings

I'm going to change the way I name these. It's currently week 9, so these are the week 9 power rankings. Enjoy.

1. Philadelphia Soul (6-1)

Yet another week at the top for the Soul after squeaking back past the Preds.

2.  San Jose SaberCats (5-2)

San Jose absolutely stomped the Barnstormers, and a shut out in the second half easily deserves the second spot.

3. Arizona Rattlers (5-2)

Arizona is still hot on offense, and their defense dominated Georgia.

4. Chicago Rush (5-2)

Chicago was finally dropped again, this time by the division rival SaberCats. Although this weekend probably looks good for them..

5. Utah Blaze (5-2)

Utah just barely squeaked by the Mustangs, but remain tied for their division lead.

6. San Antonio Talons (4-3)

San Antonio finally proved they can perform against the division rival Rush.

7. Cleveland Gladiators (4-3)

Another team that needed to prove it could perform.

8. Iowa Barnstormers (3-4)

Shut. Out. I've never seen an AFL team get shut out in a half before.

9. Tampa Bay Storm (3-3)

Tampa Bay got a nice easy game on national TV against the Command.

10. New Orleans VooDoo (3-3)

New Orleans drops by virtue of Tampa moving up on their bye week.

11. Georgia Force (3-4)

Loss to the Predators, followed by a stomping by the Rattlers. Sad few weeks in Georgia.

12. Spokane Shock (3-3)

The Shock get some momentum this week against the Sharks, but have a huge divisional hole to climb out of.

13. Milwaukee Mustangs (2-4)

Mustangs keep their spot yet again by virtue of hanging on against a tough team.

14. Jacksonville Sharks (2-4)

Omar Jacobs - 4 int. Not much more to the story than that.

15. Pittsburgh Power (2-5)

Same story this week, this time getting put down by the Glads.

16. Orlando Predators (1-6)

How do you give up two 30+ point leads in a single season, let alone 9 weeks?

17.  Kansas City Command (0-5)

Another week in the basement for KC after dropping one on national TV to the Storm.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet

Week 8 - Evaluating the Barnstormers

Well, uh. It wasn't pretty, ladies and gentlemen. The Barnstormers dropped one 76-33 to the San Jose Sabercats at home this week. The score at halftime? 41-33. Ouch. In interest of remaining positive, I'm going to providing two grades to each phase of the game this week. One for the first half, and one for the second half.

Offense: B+/Z-

The offense has a new strategy - the screen pass to Marco Thomas. They did a decent job of opening up the field as well, getting a few touchdowns to Jesse Schmidt and the new WR Collin Taylor.

Then, they quit. Fumbles and fourth downs were the name of the game in the second half.

Defense: B/Z-

John Mohring continues to be unstoppable on defense, making some huge tackles and absolutely flattening James Roe on a forced fumble. The defense kept the game manageable going into the second half.

Of course, then they got 38 unanswered points hung on them in the second half.

Special Teams: B/Z-

Finally, our long snapper has returned. There were no missed PATs. However, one was blocked in the first half. This game was also a nice reminder of why the Barnstormers didn't bring back Nick Pertuit.

Not much action in the second half, of course.

What's Next:

The Barnstormers (3-4) head to Chicago for a huge game against the Rush.

-Shard
Follow @ShardNet