ESPN AFL

Chicago might be the best team in the AFL that nobody is talking about. Even though the Rush are the defending AFL champs, for some reason they have a very understated 5-1 record and are not getting the publicity that Philadelphia and Dallas are. This is a veteran team without a rah-rah personality and they quietly know what it takes to win without being overly flashy.

Remember, Chicago was mediocre during the regular season a year ago before going on its playoff run. The Rush seem to play to the level of their competition, which can lead to close games and upset losses to inferior teams. But don't overlook the fact that Chicago is currently fifth in the league in scoring and seventh in the league in points allowed.

Look for this team to play well, but not perfect, for the rest of the regular season. But when playoff time comes, they should be able to turn it up a notch. They will be an experienced group that nobody wants to play and that could be the recipe for another championship run.

• It is surprising to see so many AFL teams use the onside kick as a weapon at any time of the game. The thought process is that even if the kick doesn't work, it leaves the opposing team with a short field and, in this game, that's not always a benefit to the offense. It's tough for an offense to open up and score in the red-zone area because receivers have so much less room to work. Also, many Arena games are won by the team that has the most offensive possessions, and a successful onside kick certainly will help in that category.

• The most overrated statistic in the AFL might be time of possession. In the NFL, controlling the clock is a positive thing, but in this league, the good teams score quickly and give the ball right back to the opposition. In fact, no team in the AFL that controls the ball for more than 30 minutes has a winning record.

• Have we ever seen more trash talking and silly personal fouls than in Monday night's game between Georgia and Philadelphia? The teams combined for 24 penalties for 124 yards, and both defenses tried to intimidate the offenses with late hits, pushes, and taunting. You get the feeling that these AFL players are becoming more aware that they are playing on national television, and that leads to a lot of showboating and playing to the cameras. There is nothing wrong with some competitive trash talking and physical play, but it almost overshadowed the quality of Monday's game, which was excellent. This week, Monday night features a great matchup between Philadelphia and Dallas [8 p.m. ET, ESPN2]. The Desperados are another team with a swagger, which could lead to more of last week's antics.

• I really was disappointed in the play of the Philadelphia secondary in Monday's loss to Georgia. Not only did it play poorly, but it also played with marginal composure and spent most of the night trying to intimidate the excellent Georgia receivers, to no avail. With a pass rush that didn't get much pressure on QB Chris Greisen, the Soul defensive backs were isolated in man coverages and consistently beaten on deep patterns and crossing routes after taking bad angles to the ball. DBs Eddie Moten, Johnnie Harris and Mike Brown are good players. Maybe they just had an off night. Most defensive backs in this league are only as good as their pass rush and Philadelphia's rush didn't help much this game. The Soul secondary will have its hands full again this week versus a potent Dallas passing game.

• It is easy to see why Georgia WRs Troy Bergeron, Chris Jackson and Derek Lee are the best group in the AFL. In a league that rewards offenses that can put three quality receivers on the field at the same time, the Force are putting up huge passing numbers. All these guys have unique qualities and that makes it difficult for defenses to match up. Bergeron is the speed guy. Lee is the physical guy with size and good red-zone production. And Jackson is smart and crafty and knows how to separate and get open. Force QB Chris Greisen also plays no favorites and will spread the ball to all three guys. That's tough on defenses and also keeps all of the receivers happy.

• How unusual is it to see the best rivalry in the AFL not mean a lot? As Tampa Bay visits Orlando this week, neither team is playing at a high level. While Tampa Bay is just trying to get back to being a competitive team, Orlando right now does not have the look of a playoff team. This is a big psychological game for both organizations.

• Can one player turn a team around? Grand Rapids QB Chad Salisbury finally played last week after being out with a concussion since Week 1 and was brilliant in a win over New York. Although nobody talks about the Rampage, it is a dramatically different group with Salisbury and might quietly become a competitive team in the next few weeks.

• Is Las Vegas ready to implode? In a city that loves to win, this is the worst team in the league right now. The Gladiators waived QB Shaun King this week and there is a lot of grumbling among the players. They don't look like they can have any success with their current roster. They have a lot of work to do to turn this thing around.

• Can Dallas continue to live on the edge? In the last two weeks the Desperados have trailed by 23 and 30 points to inferior teams (Austin and Columbus) before rallying to win. This is a talented, veteran team that might just get bored if it isn't challenged. If Dallas continues to play inconsistently early in the game, it might find itself at some point in too deep a hole. • While most of the early AFL headlines seem to be going to the East Coast teams, we are seeing an excellent race starting to form quietly in the Western Division of the American Conference. San Jose, Utah and Los Angeles are all good teams, and the SaberCats and Avengers have survived a tough early road schedule. This is going to be fun to watch over the next several weeks. One of these three teams easily could develop into a championship contender.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.