- Big game this weekend in Seattle, where the Generals come in for the division title. I have no doubt that this game will settle who gets a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Tritons are a seven-point favorite, and for good reason; they took out the Generals 22-10 in Week 3. But the Generals have only lost once since then, and are ripe for a big win. The big issue is whether or not Monte Meier can outwit the top-notch secondary of San Francisco. Expect a lot of draw plays this weekend, on both sides of the ball. We point out San Fran's great secondary, and their third-ranked pass defense. But believe it or not, Seattle is ranked second in the same category. Also equally surprising is the Generals' rush defense, which is tops in the AFL. Will Quincy Jones be shut down? He rushed for 93 yards in the first meeting between the two teams, and it will take a lot to stop who may be the second-half MVP. Expect a very low-scoring game, one that may not reach double-digits. And, just as a side item...the word is that both locker rooms are a bit tense this week, expecting a war on the field. Penalties may really come into play in this one, and the team who has the most composure is the one, in my mind, who will come out on top.
- Another game to watch this week is in Los Angeles, where the Marshalls do battle against Cincinnati. This will be the toughest test for the Marshalls until the playoffs, as Cincy owns a 10-point victory over Miami, the current #2 seed in the HFC. Los Angeles fans would love for their team to go 15-1, but I just don't see it happening this week. I think the Marshalls have the pressure mounting on them to win each week, and a loss to a tough Cincy team will do them just fine for the playoff stretch. There is talk that the Marshalls may actually de-activate Sammy Hoambrecker, for fear of injury. Word is that he got banged up in two practices this week, and may be beginning to show what wear and tear can do to a rookie workhorse. If the Wrecker does play, it'll be an interesting clash between two RBs who have done the job this year. Barry Robinson leads all scorers with 16 rushing touchdowns, and 19 total touchdowns on the year. Hoambrecker is the league's leading rusher with 1,500 yards, and is a leading candidate for HFC Player of the Year. This will be a very interesting matchup that can go either way, and could be a HFC Championship preview.
- The Pittsburgh Pride may have lost all hopes of winning a playoff game. The team is all but assured the division, but a first-round bye has been eliminated as a possibility, thanks to a three-game losing streak. This latest loss, to Baltimore, was much more costly than any of the other three, as team leader Billy Rolovich is probably out for the year after breaking his foot during the game. The team must now play with rookie backup Robin Pritchett, who was 7-of-17 for 86 yards in relief of Rolovich. As if the loss of their quarterback isn't enough, the team is also without Drew Anderson, their leading rusher, for at least a week, and maybe the rest of the regular season. Anderson dislocated his elbow on a tackle last game, and is listed as doubtful for their game against Louisville. The team absolutely has to win this week to assure themselves at least a tie of the division. They have two easy teams--the Colonels and Nashville--on their schedule before a season-ending game with surging Carolina. Believe it or not, this race, which was the easiest to declare over, is most definitely not.
- There are some big-name players who may be free agents next year. Let's look at a few, complete with their ratings by the AFL Scouts Inc., a scouting-service that rates players on a 1.0-5.0 scale, for both current and potential ability.
QB: Michael Armstead, PHI (3.0/5.0); Leonard Smith, CIN (4.0); Marc Hamdan, KC (3.5/5.0); Billy Rolovich, PIT (3.0/4.0); James Scott, SD (2.5/3.5)
RB: Trumaine Ogden, BOS (FB, 4.0); Barry Robinson, CIN (3.5); Carroll Stamper, HOU (FB, 4.0); Henry Gentry, IWA (FB, 3.5); Ike Pierce, KC (3.5/3.5); Otis Tyler, LA (FB, 3.5); Vince Gilmer, NO (3.5); Aaron DeRogatis, OAK (3.5); Dennis Zimmerman, PHI (4.0); Visco Haggans, PHI (FB, 4.0); Tommy McCauley, SF (FB, 3.5), Randy Barton, TAM (FB, 4.0/4.0); JT Lipps, WSH (3.0/4.5);
WR: Jim Wisne, ATL (3.5); Bobby Piller, BAL (4.0); Patrick Connell, SD (5.0); Deron White, SEA (4.0); Jason McCall, TAM (4.0);
TE: Jim Adamle, DEN (3.5); Bobby Joseph, MCH (3.5);
OL: Marion Downing, BAL (OG, 4.0); Lamar Hayes, CAR (OG, 4.0/5.0); Zach Warner, CHI (OG, 4.5); Alvin Primus, CIN (OT, 4.0); Keith Woods, CLV (OT; 4.0); Wayne Shuler, CLV (C, 3.0/4.0); Andy Woolfolk, IND (OG, 2.5/4.5); Rich McCants, LA (C, 3.5); Tre Davis, MIN (OT, 4.0); Rex Starring, MIN (C, 4.0); Verron Byrd, NY (OT, 4.5); Chris Elling, NY (OG, 3.5/4.0); Josh Cannon, TAM (OT, 3.5); Josh Dixon, TAM (C, 3.5);
DL: George Gardner, CAR (3.5/5.0); Ron Frisch, CHI (5.0); Tim Reger, KC (3.5/4.0); Joe Bannister, KC (3.0/4.0); Lew Beckman, OAK (3.5); Chris Olds, SF (3.5/4.0); John Croom, SEA (4.0/5.0); Dave Hunter, TAM (3.5)
LB: Aaron Kramer, ARZ (3.5); Eugene King, CLV (4.0); Chas Boyd, IWA (3.0); Darrell Bacon, MIN (3.5/4.0); Jerry Green, MIN (3.5); Chris Theismann, PIT (3.5)
CB/S: Cecil Hall, BAL (S, 5.0); Doug Kanell, MIA (CB, 3.5); Steve Jones, NO (CB, 5.0); Marc Bates, NY (CB, 4.5); Matt Adams, PHI (CB, 5.0); Ifeanyi McCord, SEA (CB, 4.0); Richard Crocker, STL (CB, 3.0); Isiah Taylor, WSH (S, 3.5)
Now, granted, many of those, including all of the quarterbacks, most of the running backs, and a lot of the linebackers, will get re-signed. But some of them...namely Bobby Piller, Deron White, Patrick Connell, and maybe Ifeanyi McCord, will be looking at new teams next year. There's a lot of talent available.
