Originally Published: April 15, 2008
Philadelphia, Dallas hang on to top two spots
Philly and Dallas stay undefeated and hang on to the top two spots.
Who's the best team in the AFL? Scouts Inc.'s Gary Horton has watched all the film and ranks every team, Nos. 1 through 17.
1. Philadelphia Soul (7-0) | Previous: 1 | Week 7: Beat San Jose 58-57 | Next: at Columbus The Soul were down by as many as 26 points before they made a strong second half comeback. It took a late touchdown and a game-winning two-point conversion to get past a good San Jose team that made the Soul earn their seventh win.
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2. Dallas Desperados (7-0) | Previous: 2 | Week 7: Beat San Jose 55-44 | Next: Bye
QB Clint Dolezel was in playoff form as the Desperados won their 15th consecutive regular season game. They did it versus a very good VooDoo team, especially on defense. Dallas played a solid game in all three phases to keep pace with Philadelphia.
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3. Chicago Rush (5-2) | Previous: 4 | Week 7: Beat Kansas City 49-42 | Next: vs. Grand Rapids With starting QB Sherdrick Bonner and several key defensive players out with injuries, the Rush played a gutty road game against an underrated Kansas City defense. After a great first quarter, they struggled the rest of the game but made plays when they had to and earned the win.
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4. New Orleans VooDoo (5-2) | Previous: 3 | Week 7: Lost to Dallas 55-44 | Next: at Arizona The VooDoo ran into a complete Dallas team and New Orleans' usual explosiveness on both sides of the ball was missing. QB Danny Wimprine was solid, but he was pressured all day by the Desperados defense and his own defense struggled to get pressure on Dolezel.
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5. Orlando Predators (5-2) | Previous: 5 | Week 7: Beat Grand Rapids 75-56 | Next: at Georgia The Predators have won five in a row and this game was more of a blowout than the score indicates. Shane Stafford led a solid offensive effort and the Orlando defense shut down the usually explosive Grand Rapids offense.
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6. Georgia Force (3-3) | Previous: 6 | Week 7: Bye | Next: vs. Orlando The Force are back in action versus bitter division rival Orlando after a bye week. They are starting to gel on offense and look like they can make explosive plays on both sides of the ball. They are showing solid improvement.
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7. San Jose SaberCats (3-4) | Previous: 7 | Week 7: Lost to Philadelphia 58-57 | Next: at Utah The SaberCats played good defense early, but couldn't hold on late versus a strong Philadelphia offense. Offensively, they got a strong game from QB Mark Grieb, but lost on a last-second two-point conversion. What's missing with this team?
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8. Colorado Crush (3-3) | Previous: 9 | Week 7: Beat Cleveland 69-66 | Next: at Kansas City Veteran QB John Dutton is finally starting to settle in. He's playing with excellent consistency, throwing eight TDs and rushing for another in Week 7. The Crush played a clean game in the second half and the difference may have been two Rashad Floyd interceptions.
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9. Arizona Rattlers (3-3) | Previous: 15 | Week 7: Beat Tampa Bay 63-62 | Next: vs. New Orleans The Rattlers had a huge fourth quarter, scoring 29 points, and they made a couple of key plays on special teams in a surprise road upset over fading Tampa Bay. They were crisp on offense with quicker passing plays and better pass protection.
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10. Cleveland Gladiators (3-3) | Previous Rank: 8 | Week 7: Lost to Colorado 69-66 | Next: at L.A. This was a tough loss in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, but Dutton played a little cleaner game than Raymond Philyaw. Two key Crush interceptions and Cleveland going 1 for 6 on third down conversions were the difference.
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11. New York Dragons (3-4) | Previous: 13 | Week 7: Beat Columbus 62-44 | Next: at Tampa Bay The Dragons have played three solid games in a row on both sides of the ball and as long as QB Aaron Garcia is healthy, they can move the ball on most defenses. Defensively, they did a nice job shutting down a good Columbus offense, especially in the first half.
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12. Los Angeles Avengers (3-4) | Previous: 14 | Week 7: Beat Utah 79-62 | Next: vs. Cleveland The Avengers put together a solid offensive effort versus a Utah defense that doesn't make very many plays. Los Angeles finally played a pretty clean game without the game-changing turnovers that have plagued them in recent weeks.
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13. Tampa Bay Storm (2-4) | Previous: 10 | Week 7: Lost to Arizona 63-62 | Next: vs. New York The Storm are really struggling. They played poorly on special teams and couldn't solve Arizona's short and quick passing game. Plus, Tampa Bay's usually reliable defense gave up a whopping 29 fourth quarter points.
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14. Grand Rapids Rampage (2-4) | Previous: 11 | Week 7: Lost to Orlando 75-66 | Next: at Chicago The Rampage are starting to fade and their blowout loss to Orlando was basically decided by halftime. They could not move the ball consistently versus a Predators defense that pressured QB James MacPherson all day and the explosive pass offense we've seen in recent weeks was missing.
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15. Columbus Destroyers (2-5) | Previous: 12 | Week 7: Lost to New York 62-44 | Next: vs. Philadelphia The New York defense set the tone in the first half, shutting down a usually good Columbus pass offense. The Dragons offense exploited good matchups versus a struggling pass defense and a pass rush that didn't apply much pressure.
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16. Kansas City Brigade (0-6) | Previous: 17 | Week 7: Lost to Chicago 49-42 | Next: vs. Colorado The Brigade play hard, especially on defense, but they just don't seem to have enough playmakers and aren't a very explosive team right now. After getting behind early, Kansas City fought to get back in the game and gave Chicago all they could handle down the stretch.
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17. Utah Blaze (0-7) | Previous: 16 | Week 7: Lost to Los Angeles 79-62 | Next: vs. San Jose The Blaze continue to play respectable offense, but also continue to play very little defense. They are still the most one dimensional team in the AFL. This game was over in the third quarter and not as close as the score indicates.
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Gary Horton, a pro scout for Scouts Inc., has been a football talent evaluator for more than 30 years. He spent 10 years in the NFL and 10 years at the college level before launching a private scouting firm called The War Room.
