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posted February 25, 2008 at 20:58 in Other Articles

Chicago Rush (12-4 in 2007, lost in American Conference title game to San Jose)

Has there been a better coaching job done in the past few years than that of Rush Head Coach Mike Hohensee? Since Chicago was given a franchise in 2001, the team has only had one losing season, and it came surprisingly the year they won the ArenaBowl. Chicago has solidified themselves as one of the powers in this league. After a disappointing ending to their 2007 season, expect them to be back in the title hunt for ‘08.

2007 Highlight: After a surprise loss at Kansas City to kick-off their ’07 campaign, the Rush regrouped in a big way against the always potent San Jose Sabercats. For the game, the Rush were out-gained by almost a 3-1 tally and despite QB Matt D’Orazio completing only 15 of 28 passes, the defense contained one of the best offenses in the league just enough to hold off a late Sabercat rally. The 48-45 win over the eventual champs began a stretch of eight straight wins for the Rush.

2007 Lowlight: Without superstar WR Bobby Sippio in the lineup, the Rush took on the lowly Nashville Kats at home in a game they were heavily favored to win. After scoring on their first possession, Chicago was outscored 44-20. They only mustered 163 yards of offense, and only 6 points in the 2nd half.

Key acquisition: WR Damian Harrell (132 catches, 1575 yards, and 47 TDs for Colorado in 2007). Harrell will essentially offset losing Sippio to the Kansas City Chiefs in the off-season. The Rush are hoping that he can continue his streak of 7 straight seasons with at least 1200 yards and five straight seasons with at least 35 TDs.

Key loss: QB Matt D’Orazio (3803 yards, 69.1% completions, 82/10 TD/INT ratio in 2007). The Rush didn’t suffer many losses in the off-season, but the ones that they did lose were substantial. Sippio was replaced, and DE EJ Burt had a down year that can be replaced, but D’Orazio was the heart and soul of the Rush the past two seasons. Throughout his stay in the “Windy City”, he completed almost 70% of his passes and only threw interceptions on 1.6% of his throws, one of the lowest numbers in the league. Replacing D’Orazio is 39-year old Sherdrick Bonner from Arizona, who is in the later stages of his career and very injury prone.

2008 Preview: The Rush returns last year’s 12-4 team almost fully intact and should feast on a very weak Central Division for the 2nd straight year. Age could play a role in the coming season, but even if they do suffer some injuries, they should be able to prevail as the division winner.

2008 will be a success if… Sherdrick Bonner makes it through the season. Bonner has only successfully completed one of the past three seasons, and if he can’t make it through the 16 game schedule and the playoffs, the onus will be on backup Russ Michna.

If anything happens to Bonner, the Rush could slip back to the rest of the field in the Central, but the rest of the team is so much better than everyone else that it shouldn’t ultimately matter.

Prediction: 9-7, 1st place Central Division

Grand Rapids Rampage (4-12 in 2007, missed playoffs)

The Grand Rapids Rampage have consistently been at the bottom of the AFL since their championship in 2001. Last year was no exception, as they continually looked like the lesser team in basically every game they played. A makeover to the roster and the coaching staff, along with a weak division should provide Grand Rapids fans with some hope for 2008.

2007 Highlight: They battled against an AFL power on their home turf and lost their quarterback in the 3rd quarter, but the Rampage started off 2007 on the right foot, knocking off the Colorado Crush 44-42 in Week 1. Trailing 28-20, backup QB Matt Sauk entered the game for the injured Chad Salisbury and led the Rampage to 21 straight points, doing just enough to hold off the 2005 champs.

2007 Lowlight: The very next week, the Rampage found themselves in the unfamiliar favored position against the Las Vegas Gladiators. After scoring just 36 points in Week 1, the Glad’s fired back with 79 points against the porous Rampage D. Shaun King tied an AFL record with 10 TD tosses, and Kevin Prentiss caught an AFL record 9 of those TDs on the night.

Key acquisition: Head Coach Steve Thonn. He was the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Force, who averaged a whopping 62.9 PPG in 2007. However, it’s more of a case of addition by subtraction for the Rampage, who fired Sparky McEwen after several dismal seasons without a playoff birth.

Key loss: WR Timon Marshall (3057 all-purpose yards, 36 TDs in 2007). Marshall was only with the Rampage until Week 14, but he scored at least one TD in every game last season. In an otherwise abysmal season, Marshall was a highlight, as every time he touched the ball, either off the nets or on a reception, something exciting was going to happen.

2008 Preview: The Rampage rebuilt their roster through Nashville and Austin folding. The secondary looks rather impressive, headed up by Ahmad Hawkins, who broke the AFL record with 13 INTs in 2007. The offense seems patchwork, but if anyone can build an offense from the ground up, it’s Steve Thonn.

2008 will be a success if… The Rampage can qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Grand Rapids and their fans have experienced some rough campaigns of late, but HC Thonn offers up the start of a new era of Rampage football with his arrival in Michigan.

A weak division and a favorable schedule should help the Rampage make 2008 a successful season and the beginning of a turnaround that’s been a long time coming. Even if they don’t make the playoffs, the very young Rampage should be an exciting team to watch develop over the course of the season.

Prediction: 7-9, 2nd place Central Division

Kansas City Brigade (10-6 in 2007, lost in first round to Colorado)

Brigade Head Coach Kevin Porter worked wonders with a team in just their second year of existence. His 10-6 season in 2007 rewarded him with a whopping five-year contract extension in the off-season. If his team is going to improve in 2008 though, it’s going to come with a largely reworked roster.

2007 Highlight: Kansas City asserted themselves into the forefront of the Central right off the bat last season by dominating the defending champion Chicago Rush on national television the first Sunday of the season. DB Kenny McIntyre recorded two interceptions, and the offense racked up an amazing 93 yards on the ground to slow down the Rush offense. The 54-41 win set the tone for a very successful season in “The Hangar”

2007 Lowlight: The rematch against Chicago in Week 17 was for the Central Division crown and a first round bye in the playoffs. The Rush returned the favor from the Week 1 loss by holding the Brigade scoreless in the 2nd half. QBs Raymond Philyaw and Jose Davis combined to go just 15-of-36 passing in a game where the offense mustered only 21 points. The Rush took a 21-21 game late in the 2nd quarter and finished the game on a 27-0 run to lock up the division.

Key acquisition: K Peter Martinez (10/20 FGs, 80/98 PAT’s for Columbus in 2007). Martinez made himself famous by hitting the crossbar on back-to-back kickoffs in the playoffs for the Destroyers against heavily favored Dallas. The two odd bounces gave Columbus two extra possessions, and swung the momentum in their favor in their second upset on their march to ArenaBowl XXI. The Brigade have never had a consistent kicker in their franchise’s two years, and Martinez hopes to change that this coming season.

Key loss: DB Kenny McIntyre (76 tackles, 9 INTs in 2007). The 10-year veteran left KC after just one year this off-season. He was the heart and soul of a defense that was 4th best in the league at 48.5 PPG. Though the Brigade are deep in the secondary this year, replacing arguably the greatest DB in league history will be difficult.

2008 Preview: The often injured Philyaw has departed, to be replaced by John Fitzgerald, fresh out of retirement. The defense has the potential to be outrageous, and they might need to be in order for the Brigade to make a return trip to the playoffs in their 3rd season.

2008 will be a success if… Fitzgerald doesn’t lose games for them. Seemingly every game, he makes that one costly decision that can cost his team a victory. If he limits his turnovers, the defense can lead this team far.

Trusting a QB who has a very high percentage of interceptions per attempt (3.1%) is impossible in the AFL. The entire year for the Brigade rests on Fitzgerald’s shoulders, and a repeat of the 15 INTs he averaged in his last three seasons before he retired spell’s doom for KC in ’08.

Prediction: 5-11, 3rd place Central Division

Colorado Crush (8-8 in 2007, lost in second round to Chicago)

Two years removed from their ArenaBowl season, John Elway’s team returns in 2008 with some new faces to replace some key departures. Head Coach Mike Dailey has plenty of questions to resolve about his team before the season begins, or it could be a long campaign for the Crush.

2007 Highlight: In spite of a largely average day by QB John Dutton, the Crush fought tooth and nail in a gritty first round playoff match in Kansas City. The defense only surrendered touchdowns on 50% of their possessions, and WR Damian Harrell scored his 3rd TD with 2:12 remaining to lock up the playoff victory for the Crush.

2007 Lowlight: The June 4th nationally televised game between the Crush and Blaze was supposed to be a showcase between two of the league’s best offenses. After scoring on their opening possession, the Crush didn’t score for almost three full quarters in an embarrassing 51-14 loss at the hands of the Blaze. The 14 points scored was the worst score in franchise history, and the 2nd lowest point total of any team in 2007.

Key acquisition: WR Ben Nelson (100 receptions, 1240 yards, 25 TDs for San Jose in 2007). Nelson’s job is going to be a big one for the Crush: Replace Damian Harrell. The task will be an incredibly tough one for the 3rd year receiver, as Harrell had over double the TD grabs the past two seasons than Nelson did.

Key loss: WR Damian Harrell (132 catches, 1575 yards, and 47 TDs in 2007). The all-time leading receiver in Crush history has departed for Chicago. Harrell wasn’t just Dutton’s favorite target, at times he was the entire offense. He had 4 or more TDs in a whopping 20 games over the past fourseasons, and only had one game in his Crush career where he didn’t score a TD.

2008 Preview: Before winning their playoff game, the Crush had lost four straight outings to close the regular season. In their loss to San Jose in the playoffs, Dutton was noticeably upset for being benched by Coach Dailey, which could linger into 2008. The defense has struggled every year of the Crush’s existence, and this year should be no exception.

2008 will be a success if… the defense steps it up a notch. A largely veteran defense needs to hold teams down at all costs, as Dutton has been known to turn the ball over quite a bit in his career. Giving up 53.6 PPG just won’t cut it with an offense that only averaged 49.6 PPG, and needs to find a replacement for 47 of its TDs from a year ago.

Nelson’s a nice receiver to have, but he’s not a #1 go-to guy. If Dutton averages an INT a game like he has over the past three seasons, the Crush are in a lot of trouble this year.

Prediction: 4-12, 4th place Central Division

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