The Wild Card Round of the 2007 AFL playoffs kicks off on Friday night, as the journey to Arena Bowl XXI begins.
Friday's playoff opener pits the Orlando Predators against the Philadelphia Soul. Both AFL teams went 8-8 during the regular season, but Philadelphia has a slight edge having defeated Orlando 63-49 to close out the regular season in Week 17.
The Soul will need another solid game from veteran quarterback Tony Graziani if they hope to repeat their win over the Predators. Graziani finished the season with 2,841 passing yards, 64 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Predators, who made it all the way to the Arena Bowl last season, have a good veteran quarterback of their own in Shane Stafford. Stafford passed for 4,284 yards with 76 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season, and has two reliable receivers in Javarus Dudley and T.T. Toliver.
The Wild Card Round continues on Saturday with two games, featuring the Columbus Destroyers and the Tampa Bay Storm, and the Colorado Crush and the Kansas City Brigade.
The Destroyers and Storm engaged in a hard-fought battle during the regular season when Tampa Bay edged Columbus 34-32 as a 4.5-point underdog. The Storm lost starting quarterback John Kaleo to a wrist injury in that game and have relied on Brett Dietz to lead their offense ever since. There is a chance Kaleo could be ready to return on Saturday, but most likely Dietz will be behind center for Tampa Bay. The Destroyers finished a disappointing 7-9 during the regular season, but could right the ship quickly in the 2007 playoffs if QB Matt Nagy can find standout receiver Damien Groce on a regular basis.
The Crush and Brigade both have heavy-hitting offenses, but on defense the edge has to go to Kansas City, which could be the difference on Saturday. However, the Crush and Brigade squared off twice this season and Colorado came away with a win in both contests. Colorado edged Kansas City 45-42 on the road and beat them 44-40 at home. A possible shootout could be coming up on Saturday between Colorado QB John Dutton and Kansas City pivot Raymond Philyaw. Dutton threw for 4,320 yards with 84 touchdowns this season, while Philyaw topped him with 4,338 yards and 85 touchdowns.
In Sunday's lone playoff battle the Utah Blaze battle the Los Angeles Avengers. The Avengers may have finished the regular season with a better record than the Blaze (9-7 to 8-8), but Utah picked up two of those wins against Los Angeles. The Blaze defeated the Avengers 47-37 on the road and rocked them 76-63 back home. Utah has one of the best offenses in the AFL league led by Joe Germaine and his 107 touchdown passes. The Blaze also boast receiver Siaha Burley, who led the league with 166 receptions for 2,129 yards and 49 touchdowns. LA's chances on Sunday will depend on quarterback Sonny Cumbie. Cumbie threw for 4,370 yards and 83 touchdowns this season, and he'll have to match Germaine stride for stride to get a win for the Avengers.
Check WagerWeb for the latest lines on AFL playoff action.
No comments:
Post a Comment