Originally Published: June 10, 2008
The Soul return to the top of the power rankings
Philadelphia returns to the top of the 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 (11-3) | Previous: 2 | Week 15: Beat Dallas 71-64 | Next: vs. Cleveland The resilient Soul showed their character with a huge road win at Dallas that featured 12 lead changes and three ties. They got excellent pass protection from their offensive line versus a terrific Dallas pass rush. That helped QBs Tony Graziani and Matt D'Orazio make big play after big play, many to WR Chris Jackson, who scored six TDs.
|
2. Dallas Desperados (11-3) | Previous: 1 | Week 15: Lost to Philadelphia 71-64 | Next:vs. New York The Desperados ran into a gritty Philadelphia team that matched them punch for punch in a surprising home loss. Their defense had trouble creating big plays versus an excellent Soul offensive line, and while QB Clint Dolezel and the Dallas offense were good, they just wasn't explosive enough.
|
3. Chicago Rush (10-4) | Previous: 3 | Week 15: Lost to Cleveland 65-44 | Next: at Georgia Chicago's normally smothering defense couldn't stop Cleveland QB Raymond Philyaw, especially in the first half. Chicago's offense also seemed to lack explosiveness and just didn't seem to play with a sense of urgency.
|
4. San Jose SaberCats (9-5) | Previous: 4 | Week 15: Bye | Next: vs. Tampa Bay The SaberCats had the week off and are now poised for a big finish to the regular season in an effort to gain momentum heading into the playoffs. They usually plays their best football late in the season and this year is no exception. San Jose will be a tough out in the postseason.
|
5. Georgia Force (9-5) | Previous: 5 | Week 15: Beat Columbus 65-44 | Next: vs. Chicago The Force recorded their sixth consecutive win with big win over Columbus. Their defense played well, applying consistent pressure and notching big plays plus the offense played nearly error-free football with a diverse passing game.
|
6. Cleveland Gladiators (8-6) | Previous: 10 | Week 15: Beat Chicago 65-44 | Next: at Philadelphia QB Raymond Philyaw continues to play great football. He's thrown 173 straight completions without an interception and had only five incompletions in the win over Chicago. The Gladiators won this game with a great first half (38 points) and held on to stay in the middle of the playoff race.
|
7. New York Dragons (8-6) | Previous: 7 | Week 15: Beat New Orleans 58-51 | Next: at Dallas In almost a must-win situation, the Dragons delivered with a good defensive effort -- especially in the second half -- and a solid game by QB Aaron Garcia, who did a great job of spreading the ball around versus a good VooDoo defense.
|
8. New Orleans VooDoo (8-6) | Previous: 6 | Week 15: Lost to New York 58-51 | Next: at Orlando The VooDoo defense played well enough to win versus a good Aaron Garcia-led New York offense -- with five tackles for loss and three sacks -- but the offense was only 5 for 15 on third- and fourth-down conversions. They just couldn't make enough big plays in the second half.
|
9. Arizona Rattlers (8-6) | Previous: 8 | Week 15: Beat Kansas City 73-34 | Next: vs. Colorado The surging Rattlers are suddenly a hot team with a road rout over Kansas City. They did it thanks to a 49-point first half, solid play from QB Matt Sauk and a defense that produced two sacks, five tackles for loss, and recovered three fumbles.
|
10. Orlando Predators (8-7) | Previous Rank: 9 | Week 15: Lost to T.B. 71-61 | Next: vs. New Orleans QB Shane Stafford *8 TDs) played as well as he could in the loss to rival Tampa Bay, but the Predators defense could not stop the Storm offense. They couldn't get any pressure on the QB, big plays from the secondary and 13 penalties didn't help matters either.
|
11. Tampa Bay Storm (7-7) | Previous: 12 | Week 15: Beat Orlando 71-61 | Next: at San Jose In a game that didn't feature a lot of defense, the Storm recorded a much-needed win -- and season sweep -- over rival Orlando. QB Brett Dietz spread the ball around to seven different receivers, including Hank Edwards, who had four TDs.
|
12. Utah Blaze (5-10) | Previous: 13 | Week 15: Beat Los Angeles 65-56 | Next: Bye The Blaze defense played well late and created some critical turnovers to lead the Blaze to their fifth win in their last six games. Once again, the offense, led by QB Joe Germaine, played a solid game.
|
13. Grand Rapids Rampage (4-10) | Previous: 16 | Week 15: Beat Colorado 84-65 | Next: at Columbus QB James MacPherson played the game of his life with 10 TD passes and three of his receivers recorded over 100 yards in receptions. They scored 37 points in the second quarter and played a clean defensive game. It was good to see the return of this creative offense.
|
14. Los Angeles Avengers (4-10) | Previous: 14 | Week 15: Lost to Utah 65-56 | Next: vs. Kansas City The Avengers played hard but couldn't put enough together offensively late in the game to keep pace with the Blaze. They didn't have an answer on defense for QB Joe Germaine and a very good Utah offense.
|
15. Colorado Crush (4-10) | Previous: 11 | Week 15: Lost to Grand Rapids 84-65 | Next: at Arizona The Crush seem to be fading fast and were embarrassed by a so-so Rampage team. Their defense applied decent pressure, but their secondary could not make enough big plays versus hot Grand Rapids QB James MacPherson. Offensively, Colorado's numbers were respectable but there just is not a lot of explosiveness in any phase for this team.
|
16. Columbus Destroyers (3-11) | Previous: 15 | Week 15: Lost to Georgia 63-34 | Next: vs. G. Rapids The Destroyers were overmatched in all phases in a lopsided loss to Georgia and were virtually shut down in the second half. Constant pass rush pressure from the Force defense and the inability to convert on third and fourth downs led to a disappointing night for Columbus.
|
17. Kansas City Brigade (3-11) | Previous: 17 | Week 15: Lost to Arizona 73-34 | Next: at L.A. The Brigade played a sloppy and uninspired game at home and Arizona made them pay for it. The offensive line gave up two sacks and five tackles for loss and new QB Quincy Center never had time to get into a flow, which led to interceptions and three lost fumbles. This game was over at halftime.
|
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.
