Playoff Implications And Mother's Day Celebrations Headline Week 11

Published on May 7, 2008 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release

NEW YORK - The Mitsubishi Motors Drive to ArenaBowl XXII New Orleans kicks into high gear as conference matchups with playoff implications headline Week 11 in the Arena Football League.

The AFL and Spalding will honor all mothers this weekend with a ceremonial pink game ball that will be used during all AFL games. AFL teams will use a ball that features a pink ‘S' stripe, pink laces and pink crosshairs. The commemorative balls will be used for first- and second-half kickoffs and during special coin toss presentations. Local charities will benefit from the sale of autographed balls that are auctioned off.

The Georgia Force (4-5), No. 10 in this week's Schutt Sports Poll, welcomes the Philadelphia Soul (9-1), No. 1, to The Arena at Gwinnett Center on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Monday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2 HD, ESPN360.com) in a National Conference matchup.

ESPN2 will present a special "Live Wired" telecast that will bring viewers out of their living room and into the arena through additional microphones, inside locker room access, and wall-to-wall action and sound of the game. Analyst RAY BENTLEY will narrate the game and lead viewers in and out of breaks, timeouts and plays in the red zone, as well as conduct live interviews throughout the telecast. But, the majority of story-telling will come straight from the on-field sound supplied by action on the field and commentary from the players, coaches and referees.

This matchup marks the return of Soul WR CHRIS JACKSON to Georgia, where he spent three seasons (2005-07) with the Force and anchored a receiving corps that reached ArenaBowl XIX.

Jackson, who leads the AFL in scoring (198 pts) and receiving touchdowns (33), can move into second place all-time in two categories against his former team. With two receiving touchdowns, he will pass EDDIE BROWN for second all-time with 304 career. He also needs 158 receiving yards to pass Chicago Rush WR DAMIAN HARRELL and EDDIE BROWN for second place on the all-time receiving yards list.

Philadelphia, along with Dallas and Chicago, currently holds the best road record in the AFL at 4-1. The Soul can clinch a playoff spot with a win and a Tampa Bay loss.

Georgia is 3-2 at home this season and is currently one game behind Cleveland and New York for the sixth and final playoff spot.

The Dallas Desperados (8-1), No. 2, welcome the Grand Rapids Rampage (3-6) to American Airlines Center on Saturday, May 10 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN360.com, Metro Sports Local - Live).

Dallas Desperados QB CLINT DOLEZEL is set to make AFL history for the second consecutive week as he stands seven touchdowns away from becoming the first quarterback in professional football history to throw for 900 career.

The all-time series between Dallas and Grand Rapids is tied 1-1, with both teams winning in Dallas.

The Rampage enters this matchup one game behind Colorado for third place in the Mitsubishi Motors Central Division and currently holds the sixth and final spot in the American Conference.

The San Jose SaberCats (5-5), No. 8, travel to U.S. Airways Center to face the Arizona Rattlers (4-5), No. 11, on Friday, May 9 at 10 p.m. ET (CSN Bay Area Local - Live) in a Mitsubishi Motors Western Division matchup.

With a win, the SaberCats can set the AFL record for most consecutive wins against division opponents with a 15-game winning streak dating back to Week 2 of 2006.

San Jose QB MARK GRIEB can also move closer to an individual milestone. Grieb needs 168 passing yards to pass JOHN KALEO for fifth place all-time with 35,245 career.

The playoff-guaranteed Rattlers are tied for third place in the American Conference standings with one game separating third and sixth place.

With a win, Arizona can also stay one-half game ahead of Los Angeles for second place in the division, but will fall into third place with a loss since the Avengers swept the Rattlers this season.

This week's other games include: Orlando at Cleveland on Friday; New Orleans at Tampa Bay on Friday (Catch 47 Local - Live, CSS - Delay, 5/10 at 1 p.m. ET); Columbus at Kansas City on Saturday (ESPN360.com, KSMO-TV Local - Live); Colorado at Utah on Saturday (AFL NET, ESPN360.com, FSN Rocky Mountain Local - Delay at 11:30 p.m. MT, KJZZ Local - Live); and New York at Los Angeles (MSG Plus - Live, FSN Prime Ticket - Delay at 10:30 p.m. PT). BYE: Chicago

Following is Chicago's and Philadelphia's postseason-clinching scenario for Week 11:

The Chicago Rush can clinch an American Conference playoff spot with a loss by: Arizona, Colorado, Grand Rapids, Kansas City or Los Angeles.

The Philadelphia Soul can clinch a National Conference playoff spot with a: Win + Tampa Bay loss.

SCHUTT SPORTS POLL

RANKING

TEAM

POINTS

1

Philadelphia Soul (13)

188

2

Dallas Desperados (2)

175

3

Chicago Rush (1)

165

4

Orlando Predators

140

5

New Orleans VooDoo

128

6

Cleveland Gladiators

108

7

New York Dragons

94

8

San Jose SaberCats

83

9

Colorado Crush

57

10

Georgia Force

53

11

Arizona Rattlers

29

12

Los Angeles Avengers

19

Also receiving votes: Tampa Bay (9). Dropping out: Tampa Bay (10)

Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from May 7, 2008

• Dallas's Dolezel Can Become First Member Of 900 Club On Saturday - AFL I
• Soul Can Clinch Playoff Spot This Week - Philadelphia Soul
• Playoff Implications And Mother's Day Celebrations Headline Week 11 - AFL I
• Chicago, Philadelphia Can Clinch Playoff Spots This Week - AFL I

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.