Originally Published: June 17, 2008
Georgia creeping up the power rankings
Philadelphia, Dallas, Georgia top 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 (12-3) | Previous: 1 | Week 16: Beat Cleveland 62-61 | Next: at New York Defensive back Eddie Moten made a game-saving interception on the last play of the game to keep the Soul's hopes of having home field advantage in the playoffs alive. The Soul defense held a good Gladiators offense to 2 for 8 on third and fourth downs and QB Matt D'Orazio used his arm and feet to make enough offensive plays.
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2. Dallas Desperados (12-3) | Previous: 2 | Week 16: Beat New York 51-49 | Next: at Chicago Dallas played great defense in the first half, holding a good New York offense only two touchdowns, and also made two excellent fourth-quarter stops to preserve the important win. The defense also bailed out the Desperados' up-and-down offense that struggled in the second half.
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3. Georgia Force (10-5) | Previous: 5 | Week 16: Beat Chicago 50-47 | Next: at San Jose It was close, but the Force edged the Rush in front of a huge home crowd and clinched their third Southern Division crown in four years. QB Chris Greisen did a nice job of spreading the ball around to all of his receivers and Georgia's defense applied solid pressure with one sack and three tackles for loss.
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4. San Jose SaberCats (10-5) | Previous: 4 | Week 16: Beat Tampa Bay 73-70 | Next: vs. Georgia The SaberCats won an old-fashioned, offensive shootout and continued their seemingly annual late-season surge. QB Mark Grieb threw nine TD passes, but the usually-stout San Jose defense struggled to make stops and a good offensive line struggled to protect Grieb.
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5. Chicago Rush (10-5) | Previous: 3 | Week 16: Lost to Georgia 50-47 | Next: vs. Dallas The Rush just hasn't looked like the same explosive team we saw earlier in the season, although winning at Georgia is not an easy task. QB Russ Michna was solid, but he didn't get his usual great offensive line protection and the offense just couldn't make key plays late when it needed them.
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6. Orlando Predators (9-7) | Previous: 10 | Week 16: Beat New Orleans 51-49 | Next: Bye The Predators played great defense in the first and fourth quarters, but struggled in the middle of the game and their offense could not capitalize on several key defensive stops. Still, this game belonged to the defense.
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7. Cleveland Gladiators (8-7) | Previous: 6 | Week 16: Lost to Philadelphia 62-61 | Next: vs. Columbus The Gladiators played hard in a game they really needed to win, but fell short when they missed a last-second, two-point conversion. QB Raymond Philyaw played well, but was under a lot of pressure from the Soul pass rush. The Cleveland D did a nice job against the explosive Soul offense.
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8. New York Dragons (8-7) | Previous: 7 | Week 16: Lost to Dallas 51-49 | Next: vs. Philadelphia The New York offense really struggled versus the excellent Dallas defense, especially in the first half, and couldn't convert enough plays late in the game. Still, the Dragons defense played well enough to win.
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9. New Orleans VooDoo (8-7) | Previous: 8 | Week 16: Lost to Orlando 51-49 | Next: vs. Grand Rapids The VooDoo played well in the middle of the game, but a fourth-quarter fumble by Danny Wimprine led to a safety and New Orleans couldn't overcome it. While the VooDoo defense played well enough to win, the fact the offense was just just 3 for 10 on third and fourth down conversions hurt.
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10. Arizona Rattlers (8-7) | Previous Rank: 9 | Week 16: Lost to Colorado 62-55 | Next: vs. Utah The Rattlers were sloppy early with turnovers that put them in a big hole at halftime. They did fight back with a great fourth-quarter rally, but came in short in a game that had no bearing on their playoff status. They showed some character in the second half, but this was not a good effort from a team that has shown great resiliency for most of the year.
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11. Tampa Bay Storm (7-8) | Previous: 11 | Week 16: Lost to San Jose 73-70 | Next: vs. L.A. Tampa Bay needed this game and gave San Jose everything it could handle before dropping a close one. QB Brett Deitz was excellent with 10 touchdown passes, but the offensive line struggled in pass protection and the Storm defense couldn't make key stops when needed.
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12. Utah Blaze (5-10) | Previous: 12 | Week 16: Bye | Next: at Arizona The Blaze took advantage of a late-season bye to get ready for a huge road game at Arizona with a trip to the playoffs in the balance. The Blaze are an outstanding, explosive offense led by QB Joe Germaine, and when their defense plays even adequately they are tough to beat. The Blaze will give Arizona all it can handle.
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13. Colorado Crush (5-10) | Previous: 15 | Week 16: Beat Arizona 62-55 | Next: vs. K.C. The Crush kept their playoff hopes alive with a big win over Arizona. Their defense created early turnovers and held off a late Rattlers comeback. QB John Dutton also played a good game.
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14. Los Angeles Avengers (5-10) | Previous: 14 | Week 16: Beat K.C. 51-48 | Next: at Tampa Bay The Avengers kept their playoff hopes alive with a gutsy effort, especially late in the game. Their much-criticized defense finally played with emotion, pressured K.C. QB Quincy Carter and dominated a bad Brigade offense.
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15. Grand Rapids Rampage (5-10) | Previous: 13 | Week 16: Beat Columbus 63-60 | Next: at N.O. The Rampage offense scored nine touchdowns, including two kickoff returns for TDs by Chris Martin, but it took some quality defensive stops to steal a win in a very competitive game.
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16. Columbus Destroyers (3-12) | Previous: 16 | Week 16: Lost to G. Rapids 63-60 | Next: at Cleveland QB Matt Nagy played his usual solid game with six touchdown passes and 341 yards. The Destroyers defense applied solid pressure but just couldn't make a critical play late. This team continues to lose the close games.
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17. Kansas City Brigade (3-12) | Previous: 17 | Week 16: Lost to L.A. 51-48 | Next: vs. Colorado A bad Kansas City pass offense was constantly pressured by a so-so Los Angeles defense and QB Quincy Carter continues to struggle along with a porous offensive line. The Brigade defense kept them in the game, but their slim playoff hopes are now gone.
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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.
