ESPN AFL

In their seven years in the AFL, the Rush have been one of the most successful organizations in the league. They have been to the playoffs every year, won three division titles and won one ArenaBowl. They have a strong ownership group led by co-owners Arthur Price, Peter Levin and NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka. They are one of the most stable franchises, with very little turnover. Plus, the team does a great job in the community and marketing itself, which leads to great attendance.

Coaches and front office

Mike Hohensee is the only coach the Rush have had, and in 13 years as an AFL coach, he has posted 107 victories, 10 playoff appearances and six division titles. He is considered an offensive mastermind and excellent playcaller. He also is the director of football operations and has an excellent staff. Walt Housman runs the defense, Ryan Leonard coaches the wide receivers, ex-player Bob McMillen coaches the fullbacks and linebackers, and Bryan Schwartze coaches the defensive backs and oversees personnel.

Key players

QB Sherdrick Bonner -- He is 39 years old, but this 14-year veteran is not slowing down. He had a great 2007 season at Arizona, throwing for 4,036 yards and 83 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. He has been to five championship games and won two. He will be productive this year on a great team in Chicago, which should be fun to watch.

WR Damian Harrell -- He is the other half of Chicago's dynamic duo and will be asked to replace Bobby Sippio, who now is playing for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL. Last year in Colorado, Harrell caught 132 passes for 1,547 yards and 47 TDs. The chemistry between Bonner and Harrell should be terrific.

FB Dan Alexander -- He is a scoring machine in the red zone, posting 41 TDs last year for Nashville, and was a first-team, All-AFL performer a year ago. When the Rush are close to the goal line, Alexander is automatic.

WR/LB DeJuan Alfonzo -- He is a game-changing linebacker. He had 93 tackles and six interceptions in 2007. When the receivers went through a rash of injuries, he stepped in at wide receiver and scored 15 TDs. He is a great player with a high motor and an All-AFL performer.

DL John Moyer -- He is the veteran up front, and while he is not flashy, he is steady. He posted 30.5 tackles and three sacks last year and has 37.5 career sacks.

DBs Jeremy Unertl, Dennison Robinson and Jonathan Ordway -- This is one of the most productive secondaries in the AFL and a big reason Chicago led the league in pass defense in 2007. Robinson led the team with 102 tackles, seven interceptions and 22 passes broken up. Unertl was a second-team, All-AFL performer, with 72.5 tackles, six interceptions and 22 passes broken up. Ordway recorded 39 tackles, three interceptions and 13 passes broken up and returned three kickoffs for touchdowns.

Players to keep an eye on

WR Ryan Dennard -- He spent the past two seasons with the Utah Blaze as a complementary receiver to Siaha Burley, and he caught 35 passes for 449 yards and 14 TDs last year. He is a big receiver (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), which gives him a chance to be a good red-zone target. With Harrell getting all the attention, Dennard will get favorable matchups and very few double teams. This is not a deep receiving corps, and if Dennard steps up, Bonner will get him the ball.

Outlook

The Rush made it to at least the semifinals in five of the past seven seasons and appear to be loaded in 2008. After going 12-4 last year and losing to AFL champion San Jose in the American Conference finals, they now have a legendary quarterback in Bonner, and the ex-Arizona Rattler is looking for one more shot to win a championship.

Sippio is gone to the NFL, but the Rush have replaced him with future AFL Hall of Famer Harrell, and this offense won't miss a beat. The Rush do not have a lot of player turnover, and the roster is full of savvy veterans who know their window of opportunity won't last forever, even though this organization is astute at player acquisitions.

Chicago doesn't have great depth at wide receiver, but the Bonner-Harrell duo should be explosive. One upgrade on offense is Alexander, and if the Rush get close to the goal line, he will take it in. Defensively, they are rock solid, especially on the backend. They have an active and deep secondary with outstanding linebacker play. They were No. 1 in pass defense and scoring defense a year ago, which should not change in 2008. Bonner will have a great year, and the team will be a legitimate contender for the AFL championship.

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