AFL Arena Football League

Arizona Rattlers Enter Season Atop Coaches' Poll

Published on March 7, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release


CHICAGO - The Arizona Rattlers claim the top spot in the AFL Preseason Coaches' Poll, although the San Jose SaberCats received the most first-place votes with ten. Four of this season's top ten ranked teams did not make the 2012 League playoffs.

The Rattlers return National Guard MVP quarterback Nick Davila to a potent offensive attack, only strengthened with the addition of standout wide receiver Maurice Purify. Their defense, which was among the League leaders in takeaways last season, also added a key piece in linebacker Cliff Dukes. The Rattlers finished a League-best 16-2 last season, and look to pick up where they left off with a return to ArenaBowl XXV, where they represented the National Conference last August.

Arizona's division rival, the San Jose SaberCats came in with the second place ranking while tallying more first place votes than any team. Quarterback Mark Grieb will look to improve on his record-breaking 2011 season, where he threw for the most passing yards (5,312) in League history. The team has added wide receivers Ben Nelson and James Roe and improved their defense to ensure these yards can turn into wins in 2012.

The American Conference took the next three spots, with the Soul, Rush and Predators ranking third, fourth and fifth respectively. The Soul completely retooled both sides of the ball after a disappointing finish last season (6-12), adding top League talent in QB Dan Raudenbaugh, WR Anthony "Tiger" Jones and DB Micheaux Robinson among others. The Rush will rely again on their stout defense and big plays through the air, especially in wide receiver Reggie Gray. In Orlando, confidence in quarterback Collin Drafts seems to be growing as the Predators even tallied five first-place votes, although ranking in fifth.

Ageless legend Aaron Garcia and his new team, the San Antonio Talons are ranked sixth, after the entire League witnessed his magical quarterbacking heroics in ArenaBowl XXIV. Garcia's former team, the Jacksonville Sharks are ranked behind the Talons at seventh, even with a quarterback battle looming prior to their first game. The Sharks are defending ArenaBowl Champions and will pose as a threat to return to the big game, held this season in New Orleans. West-coast rivals, the Utah Blaze and the Spokane Shock are eighth and ninth in the preseason polling, continuing a battle that will persist all season. Quarterback Tommy Grady leads a Blaze offense that scores as efficiently as anyone in the League, while the Shock rely on their raucous crowd and limited turnovers to propel them to victory.

The final spot in the Preseason Coaches' Poll belongs to the Georgia Force, whose tough division field's three teams in the top ten. The Force have many weapons, especially WR C.J. Johnson, a threat from anywhere on the field. Last season, the Force fell just short of an ArenaBowl appearance, barely losing to the eventual champion Jacksonville Sharks.

PRESEASON COACHES' POLL

RK Team (1st place votes) W-L Pts Last Season

1 Arizona Rattlers (8) 0-0 142 16-2

2 San Jose SaberCats (10) 0-0 125 7-11

3 Philadelphia Soul (9) 0-0 113 6-12

4 Chicago Rush (6) 0-0 90 13-5

5 Orlando Predators (5) 0-0 66 11-7

6 San Antonio Talons (3) 0-0 66 -

7 Jacksonville Sharks (7) 0-0 65 14-4

8 Utah Blaze 0-0 51 9-9

9 Spokane Shock 0-0 48 9-9

10 Georgia Force 0-0 45 11-7

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