AFL Power Poll Week 3

(CURRENT) (TEAM) (LOG W/L) (RANGE OF PAST WEEKS)

1) Colorado Crush (2-0) (LW: 1) Neither of Colorado’s first two wins of the season would rank as dominant, but a win is a win and the defending champions sit atop the power poll for the third consecutive week. They handed Georgia their first home loss in 13 games and were able to avoid the rematch point in their thrilling 61-59 road win. OS Harrell had a big day once again, with 11 passes for 132 yards and five touchdowns, further cementing himself as the league’s top offensive threat. I’m not in love with this club’s defense yet, but you have to get past them to beat them, and not many will be able to do that this year. The Crush return home in Week 3 to take on a rejuvenated Las Vegas club coming off their first win of the season.

2) Philadelphia Soul (2-0) (LW: 3) The Soul revealed just how deep the club they own is with their 47-33 home win over the Avengers. Starting quarterback Tony Graziani suffered a hand injury on Philadelphia’s first drive of the game, but the offense didn’t miss a beat with backup quarterback Matt Sauk leading the way. They never fell behind in the game, and the defense sacked LA QB Brian Mann four times and constantly pressured him throughout the game. Special teams also recorded their first score of the season when WR/DB Mike Brown returned a missed FG to midfield and threw to DS Kevin Gaines for a TD to give the Soul a 14-0 cushion. The Soul is buzzing flat out right now after going out to the franchise’s first start 2-0, and will be a formidable foe when they visit “The Jungle” on Saturday night.

3) Nashville Kats (2-0) (LW: 4) I was impressed by the Kats’ effort in New York when they beat the Dragons, so I really don’t know what word to use to describe what they did as an encore against Columbus. . Dominating, to say the least, are these Kats, as they simply played their first two opponents. Quarterback Clint Stoerner had another solid outing throwing five touchdowns, but it’s the defense that once again took center stage. They have now given up a total of 55 points in two games, and are on pace to break the single-season record for fewest points allowed. They forced three turnovers and allowed Columbus their first tally late in the second quarter. HC Pat Sperduto has a fantastic club on his hands, and a win this week in Chicago will only instill that much more confidence. Scary!!!

4) Dallas Desperados (2-0) (LW: 5) The Desperados pulled off a big win on the road in front of over 16,000 at the Delta Center to move to 2-0 in the young season. New QB Clint Dolezel has found himself a new favorite target in OS Terrill Shaw, who caught 11 passes for a team-record 208 yards and four TDs. His eye-catching performance led to him being named the offensive player of the game, but Despo fans must love how their new field general has settled in so far. In addition, they only scored five penalties. That number says a lot about where this club is headed this season. Another tough spot awaits them this Saturday night, as division rival Columbus will be a salty host after being hammered last week.

5) Georgia Force (1-1) (LW: 2) The Force clawed, scratched and grappled in their pre-Super Bowl XL battle, but it wasn’t enough to avenge their ArenaBowl loss to The Crush. A look into the numbers would show that it is a very close game, so the two-point margin of victory should come as no surprise. However, Force never led the game, and their defense allowed Crush too many offensive opportunities that allowed them to control the time of possession. Lost FGs and extra points didn’t help either. Many are still upset about the “no call” on the 2-point conversion, but even if they converted on that play, Crush had 19 seconds to work with. Hopefully, they can shake off the disappointment of that loss before their divisional matchup with the Storm on Friday night.

6) Austin Wranglers (2-0) (LW: 8) The Wranglers have been the beneficiaries of a very easy schedule to open their 2006 season, but that hasn’t stopped them from having an outright impact. They brought their lunch boxes to work in each of their first two games and outscored opponents by a count of 117-80. The offense has been electric and the defense has been opportunistic. DS Damon Mason made his presence felt once again in his beefed-up secondary as he hooked three more passes to bring his season total to five interceptions on the year. Austin seems to have found the recipe for success in this league at a very early stage. They will hit you with a balanced attack on offense and force you to make mistakes on defense. Up next is their first division game of the season vs. The brigade

7) Orlando Predators (1-1) (LW: 11) It was by no means pretty, but the Predators pulled off a crucial division victory last week when they defeated the visiting Brigade by a count of 48-41. Preds QB Joe Hamilton had a more efficient passing game (21 of 28), but he still threw a couple of interceptions. Preds’ defense simply had no answer for the Brigade’s passing attack as it was chewed up for a flashy 353 yards on the night. This Orlando team is still coming together, and we should have a better idea of ​​what these teams are up to in the coming weeks. Big test this week as the 2-0 Soul pays “The Jungle” has visited.

8) Tampa Bay Storm (1-1) (LW: 13) The Storm got more of a Rampage battle than they bargained for, but got the job done with a “never say die” mentality that allowed them to split their first two Games road of the season. Tampa was expected to bounce back after its dismal showing in Philly, and that’s exactly what they did. Quarterback Shane Stafford completed 26 of 37 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns. The defense came up with some huge defensive plays, including a late-game safety from GR QB Jose Davis that allowed the Storm to pull away for the win. This performance should be a huge motivator for Storm’s parry unit as they got to see their hard work paying off in live game action. TB returns home for its first Forum game this year to take on division rival Georgia, but will be without HC Tim Marcum, who was suspended one more game because he violated his probation.

9) New York Dragons (1-1) (LW: 15) I was one of 15,000 strong Friday night attendees who watched the Dragons come to victory from the jaws of defeat on a controversial block on the back call to finish the game. . Regardless of that call, the Dragons were a completely different team than the one that took the field just a week ago at home vs. the Kats. Their offense took what Chicago’s “D” would give throughout the game, and their defense pulled off a pair of crucial interceptions that allowed them to get ahead in the possession court early on. Quarterback Aaron Garcia was hit once again (4 sacks), but was still able to lead his team to victory on their last crucial drive of the game. They now head to Utah to take on a Blaze squad that lost at home last week.

10) Columbus Destroyers (1-1) (LW: 7) Not much to say about the past few weeks’ performance, except that Columbus knows it still has a ways to go before it can compete with the AFL’s elite in the highway. They just got roughed up by the Kats last Friday night, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is still a very solid football team. Look for them to bounce back this week with a much better effort when they host the Desperados.

And the rest…

11) Chicago Rush (0-2) (LW: 10)

12) Utah Blaze (1-1) (LP: 9)

13) Los Angeles Avengers (1-1) (LW: 6)

14) Vegas Gladiators (1-1) (EP: 17)

15) Kansas City Squad (0-2) (LW: 12)

16) San Jose Sabercats (0-2) (LW: 14)

17) Grand Rapids Rampage (0-2) (LW: 18)

18) Arizona Rattlers (0-2) (LW: 16)