NFL

DID YOU SEE THAT?
Our AFL preview is modeled after the league itself: fast and furious.
By Gary Horton, Scouts Inc.

The AFL begins its 22nd season on Feb. 29. And with that bit of pregame introduction out of the way, here's everything you need to know about the gun-'n-run league. Good luck keeping up.

BEST PLAYER:Clint Dolezel, QB, Dallas Desperados. Dolezel threw for a team-record 107 scores last season, and his 865 career passing TDs is a league mark. Sure, he's 37, but with two prolific receivers in Will Pettis (46 TDs) and Marcus Nash (23), Dolezel will continue to make this game look easy.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Rashad Floyd, DB, Colorado Crush. The 5'9", 180-pound, six-year vet set the AFL single-season record with 156 tackles in 2007. He also had nine picks and broke up 20 pass attempts. BEST TEAM Desperados. Dallas has lost only four games the past two seasons but has come up empty in the playoffs. Coach Will McClay's team will get it done this year because it has depth at every position.

GAME TO WATCH: Desperados at SaberCats.
Dallas' title march goes through San Jose, which won its third championship in '07 and hasn't had a losing season since 1999.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Ahmad Carroll, DB, Orlando Predators. An '04 first-round pick of the Packers, Carroll has great closing speed (4.4 in the 40) and NFL experience (28 starts). He should make an immediate impact—and could even return to the NFL.

MOST ENTERTAINING OFFENSE: Desperados. McClay is the best in the AFL at mixing the run and pass, and he allows Dolezel to audible at will, à la Peyton Manning. The O-line, which allowed only four sacks in '07, keeps the whole show humming.

BEST RUNNING: BACK Dan Alexander, Chicago Rush. He's a six-foot, 265-pound bruiser, making him the ultimate matchup nightmare (426 yards and 41 rushing TDs, the latter a league record) for typical AFL defenses built on speed.

BIGGEST-ARMED: QB Joe Germaine, Utah Blaze. He threw for an AFL-record 5,005 yards in '07, scorching the hands of many a receiver. The 32-year-old can fit the ball into tight spots with velocity and touch.

BUSIEST PLAYER: Will Pettis, WR/DB, Desperados. A true ironman, Pettis had 130 receptions for 1,471 yards at receiver and 59.5 tackles and three picks playing DB. Oh, and he averaged 21.2 yards on kick returns, including four to pay dirt.

NEXT PLAYER TO MAKE AN NFL IMPACT: Ahmad Hawkins, DB, Grand Rapids Rampage. The 5'10", 188-pounder, who led the AFL with 13 picks in '07, has the ballhawking skills to excel on an NFL team that favors zone or the Cover 2. Catch him while you can.

---

FOLLOW THE MONEY
By John Clayton

You gotta love the NFL. We're barely one month removed from Super Bowl XLII, and fans already are obsessing about their teams, thanks to the March 1 start of free agency. Here's how the off-season dominoes might fall at three bigbucks positions.

CORNERBACK After Asante Samuel signs with the Eagles or Skins, the Titans and Lions will get after San Diego's Drayton Florence. Tampa's Brian Kelly could reconnect with former Bucs D-line coach Rod Marinelli in Detroit. The losers will explore a trade for Philly's Lito Sheppard or Atlanta's DeAngelo Hall.

RUNNING BACK Expect the Bears to offer San Diego's Michael Turner a deal at 12:01 a.m. on March 1; Cedric Benson is not the answer there. With Cadillac Williams' knee a question mark, the Bucs will target Dallas' Julius Jones. Meanwhile, the Cowboys could package restricted FA Marion Barber in a deal to acquire Miami's No. 1 overall pick, which Jerry Jones would use to draft Darren McFadden of Arkansas.

LINEBACKER Arizona's Calvin Pace is the big prize, because he can play either OLB in a 3-4 or DE in a 4-3. Chief among his suitors will be the Browns, who want a bookend for LB Kamerion Wimbley. If the Cards lose Pace, they'll pursue Pittsburgh's Clark Haggans; coach Ken Whisenhunt is familiar with him from his Steelers days. Zach Thomas' deal with the Cowboys got the market moving at ILB. The Saints must settle for Carolina's Dan Morgan, while the Lions will wine and dine Denver's Al Wilson. That leaves the Broncos to pursue a trade for Jets MLB Jonathan Vilma, which would allow D.J. Williams to move to his natural strongside LB position.

Print Article . Email Article. Subscribe to The Magazine