Originally Published: May 6, 2008
Philly loses, but still holds on to top spot
Philly loses, but still holds on to top spot in Power Rankings.
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 (9-1) | Previous: 1 | Week 10: Lost to Cleveland 67-55 | Next: at Georgia In a classic trap game at Cleveland, the Soul were upset thanks to a fourth-quarter surge by the Gladiators and an injury to QB Matt D'Orazio. The usually stout Soul defense couldn't stop QB Raymond Philyaw or a very impressive Gladiators running game.
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2. Dallas Desperados (8-1) | Previous: 2 | Week 10: Beat Columbus 48-45 | Next: vs. Grand Rapids
The Desperados might have still been feeling the affects of their loss in Week 10 with another lackluster performance in a last-second win over struggling Columbus. Neither offense played particularly well, but the Dallas defense got a couple of timely stops that made the difference.
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3. Chicago Rush (8-2) | Previous: 3 | Week 10: Beat Tampa Bay 51-46 | Next: Bye It wasn't pretty and they needed to recover an onside kick at the end, but the Rush scratched out a tough win over the Storm. Chicago was led by QB Russ Michna and WR Travis Latendresse and now has a 3½ game lead in their division with a bye week coming up.
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4. New Orleans VooDoo (7-3) | Previous: 4 | Week 10: Lost to Georgia 66-39 | Next: at Tampa Bay The usually terrific VooDoo defense had an off night versus a good Georgia pass offense that played nearly mistake-free football. New Orleans QB Danny Wimprine also had his own off night with two key interceptions. This was not the team we have seen in recent weeks.
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5. Orlando Predators (7-3) | Previous: 5 | Week 10: Beat San Jose 61-35 | Next: at Cleveland The Predators built a solid halftime lead and coasted to an easy win over visiting San Jose. The offense, under QB Shane Stafford, played well, but the story of the game was the Orlando defense that produced two interceptions and a fumble recovery for three TDs.
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6. New York Dragons (5-4) | Previous: 7 | Week 10: Bye | Next: at Los Angeles The Dragons are the new hot team in the AFL. They are getting excellent production from QB Aaron Garcia behind an improved offensive line. Add in a defense that is young and opportunistic and it's easy to see how they keep winning. However, they have their work cut out for them with a tough cross-country trip to L.A.
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7. Cleveland Gladiators (5-4) | Previous: 9 | Week 10: Beat Philadelphia 67-55 | Next: vs. Orlando The Gladiators played their best game of the season, upsetting the best team in the league. They beat Philadelphia using an almost perfect night by QB Raymond Philyaw, a terrific run game, and a good defense that really tightened up late in the game.
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8. Georgia Force (4-5) | Previous: 10 | Week 10: Beat New Orlando 66-39 | Next: vs. Philadelphia The up-and-down Force pass offense finally put together a complete game behind QB Chris Griesen and dominated a usually great VooDoo defense from start to finish. Georgia's defense also came up big with two sacks and two key interceptions in a much-needed win.
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9. San Jose SaberCats (5-5) | Previous: 6 | Week 10: Lost to Orlando 61-35 | Next: at Arizona The SaberCats offense couldn't get anything going for much of the game against Orlando's defense that cause three turnovers it turned into TDs. It was a tough night for QB Mark Grieb and Co.
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10. Colorado Crush (4-5) | Previous Rank: 11 | Week 10: Beat Grand Rapids 63-28 | Next: at Utah QB John Dutton played a great game in a win over the inconsistent Rampage. Colorado's defense played its best game of the season, producing five sacks, causing two fumbles, and scoring two defensive TDs.
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11. Los Angeles Avengers (4-6) | Previous: 14 | Week 10: Beat Arizona 66-59 | Next: vs. New York The Avengers played just enough defense to eke out in a win in the fourth quarter over division-rival Arizona. They got good performances from QB Tom Hicks and WR Timon Marshall. The lead in this game changed 11 times, but L.A. played with more resiliency and focus than in recent weeks.
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12. Tampa Bay (3-6) | Previous: 8 | Week 10: Lost to Chicago 51-46 | Next: vs. New Orleans The Storm played hard, but could not capitalize on scoring opportunities. Plus 14 penalties and an average night by QB Brett Dietz didn't help their chances to pull off the upset.
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13. Arizona Rattlers (4-5) | Previous: 12 | Week 10: Lost to Los Angeles 66-59 | Next: vs. San Jose In a tight game that had 11 lead changes, the Rattlers defense couldn't make enough key plays in the fourth quarter as L.A. scored 28 points and wasted a good game by QB Lang Campbell.
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14.Grand Rapids Rampage (3-6) | Previous: 13 | Week 10: Lost to Colorado 62-38 | Next: at Dallas Who are the Rampage? At times they look great, while at other times they are very ordinary. Colorado totally dominated them in all areas and pass protection was a huge problem for the Rampage, who gave up five sacks in a game that was basically over at halftime.
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15. Columbus Destroyers (2-7) | Previous: 15 | Week 10: Lost to Dallas 48-45 | Next: at Kansas City Columbus played hard, especially in the first half, and caught Dallas on an off night, but it still wasn't enough. Columbus' offense did not have an explosive night while Dallas' defense made some key late stops and that was the difference. It's too bad because the Destroyers defense played well enough to win.
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16. Utah Blaze (1-9) | Previous: 17 | Week 10: Beat Kansas City 67-50 | Next: vs. Colorado The Blaze finally played a decent defensive game to complement their potent offense. QB Joe Germaine threw eight TD passes and the Utah defense had one sack, four tackles for loss, and two fumbles recovered. That's a recipe for success.
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17. Kansas City Brigade (1-8) | Previous: 16 | Week 10: Lost to Utah 67-50 | Next: vs. Columbus The Kansas City offense was decent but faced a Utah defense that actually created pressure with sacks and tackles for loss. The other problem was the Brigade couldn't slow down Blaze QB Joe Germaine.
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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.
