Brian Noble Sends Out "Call To Arms" To Blizzard and Packers Fans as Blizzard Battles Pioneers
June 20, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Green Bay Blizzard News Release
The Green Bay Blizzard is no stranger to drama this season, as evinced by their numerous spectacular game-ending plays. From the goal-line stand that sealed a win over the Quad City Steamwheelers to the last-second field goal that beat the South Georgia Wildcats to the bizarre overtime onside kick return by the Stockton Lightning, the Blizzard has had their fair share of heart-stopping drama. However, none of that compares to the challenge that they are faced with this Saturday, when the Division-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers come to town for the biggest game of the season.
"This is the kind of game that Blizzard and Packers fans should live for," said Blizzard President Brian Noble. "The first-place team is coming to town, we're the second-place team, and there's a lot of history between us. This is going to be a great game."
Noble is also sending out a "call to arms" to Blizzard fans to come and help the team win another big game. "One thing I love so much about our fans is how loud they get," he said. "I remember it was absolutely deafening during that goal-line stand [against Quad City], and I honestly believe that the fans had as much to do with making that stop as the players. If we can get a full house and make this place shake, they'll find out what it's like to have to play against our '9th man'."
This game will be the rematch of the May 5th game that saw the Blizzard fall to the Pioneers 42-27. The 15-point loss was one of only 2 road losses for the Blizzard all season, and it was also the most lopsided loss of the year, in more ways than one. In the game, the Blizzard was called for 19 penalties, while the Pioneers were called for only 4. Games against Division rivals are always intense, but this one was even more so, as the Blizzard were trying to hand the undefeated Pioneers their first loss of the season.
The Blizzard and Pioneers are back-to-back in several statistical categories, including Scoring Offense (Pioneers are ranked 13th, the Blizzard 14th) and Scoring Defense (Blizzard are ranked 4th, the Pioneers 5th). The key to this Saturday's game will be the 4th-ranked Blizzard defense (42.7 ppg) against the 14th-ranked Pioneers offense (47.2 ppg). Why? The Pioneers recently parted ways with their top playmaker, 3rd-year OS J.R. Thomas, who had led the team in receiving yards (720) and scoring (18 TDs). The loss of Thomas, who had accounted for more than 21% of the Pioneers' scoring and more than 29% of their receiving yards, could be the edge the Blizzard needs to get the win.
The Blizzard sees the departure of Thomas as a potential chink in the Pioneers' offense. While the Pioneers have won 8 of their 11 games, they have not been doing so in blowout fashion. In their 8 wins, their average margin of victory is 8.75 points, but that is skewed by their 15-point wins over the Manchester Wolves and the Blizzard. Removing those results from their average, the Pioneers are averaging only a 6.33-point margin of victory. What this tells the Blizzard is that the Pioneers can be susceptible to teams with a strong defense. Conversely, the Blizzard is averaging 13.8 points in their 6 wins, and if you remove their 34-point win over the Macon Knights, they still have an average margin of victory of 9.9 points per game.
Statistics are valuable tools in determining how best to approach an opponent, but they only help in reviewing games that have already been played. Statistics are about the past; this game is about the future. What counts in this one is which team is going to want it more.
The Blizzard is hungry to get back to their big-winning ways, and after two games that came right down to the wire, they would love to have another big win. The Pioneers are also hungry to post back-to-back wins for the first time since they opened the season 5-0. Since then they are a meager 3-3, and have rotated wins and losses along the way. They won last week at home, 55-52 over Quad City, but only narrowly: the Steamwheelers missed a 51-yard field goal at the end of the game.
If the playoffs started today, the Pioneers would hold the 2nd seed in the American Conference, behind the 8-2 Florida Firecats. As the leaders of their Divisions (East and South, respectively), they would each enjoy a first-round bye. The Blizzard would, by virtue of their higher Division standing, play then host to the 6-5 Birmingham Steeldogs. If that game were to take place, it would be of great interest to Green Bay Packers fans: Steeldogs starting QB Ryan Hawk is the older brother of the Packers' first-round draft pick, LB A.J. Hawk.
There are a lot of teams vying for position as the af2 playoffs approach. The Blizzard, know league-wide for their ferocity and relentless defense, are poised to make a statement this weekend against the Pioneers. As any Arena Football coach will tell you, when you get to the postseason, it doesn't matter what you did in the regular season. However, a game that has this much riding on it - playoff seeding, Division standing, and good old-fashioned pride - means as much to the men playing it as any playoff game.
For more information, contact the Blizzard office at (920) 405-1264.
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