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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Wild Card Weekend on ESPN and ESPN2

June 27, 2008 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


New York Dragons (8-8) @ Dallas Desperados (12-4)

The History

By Ray Bentley -- The Arena Football League playoffs kickoff Friday night as two Eastern Division foes resume their rivalry. The New York Dragons visit the Dallas Desperados in a National Conference Wild Card game on Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. It will also be shown in HD.

This will be the first ever post season meeting between these two teams who have met 12 times. Dallas holds a nine to three edge in the series. The Desperados have won six in a row over New York including a pair of two point victories this year. The Desperados beat the Dragons 33-31 in Week 5 and then again 51-49 just three weeks ago in Dallas.

The Stakes

The stakes rise in the playoffs as it is "win or go home" time. New York is the sixth seed so they will be headed to play the top seeded Philadelphia Soul on Saturday, July 5th if they win. Dallas is the third seed so if they win they will head to Georgia to play the second seeded Force on Monday, July 7th.

The Players

Both Dallas and New York lost important players to injury in the final week of regular season play. Dallas lost return specialist and back up receiver Josh Bush who broke his fibula against Chicago. New York lost their top receiver, Jason Willis (135-1544-30 TDs) to a dislocated ankle. These are big losses for both of these teams and whoever is better able to fill the void has the better chance of advancing.

Dallas does get perhaps their best player back in Will Pettis (95-1035-25 TDs). Pettis has missed the last couple of games due to his second concussion of the season but has been declared healthy for the playoffs. He has been practicing and said he feels "great". This will be a huge boost to Dallas in all facets of the game. Pettis is the Desperados "go to" receiver, plays corner as well as anyone in the game and is one of the best return men in the AFL. Above all of that, he is a great leader on the field.

New York is expected to use either rookie Terry Moss (15-150-2 TDs) or second-year man Keron Henry (12-197-3 TDs) to fill the big shoes of Willis. They will also need their other veteran receivers to step up and make plays. But that should not be a problem as Kevin Swayne (113-1242-33 TDs) and Chris Anthony (114-1143-21 TDs) are both capable of taking over a game.

This game will feature perhaps the best two QBs to ever play in the AFL in Dallas' Clint Dolezel and New York's Aaron Garcia. Dolezel is the all-time TD pass leader in the AFL with 931 while Garcia is second with 880. That's a whole lot of end zone dancing and spiked footballs. Dolezel has one title under his belt having won it all with Grand Rapids back in 2001 while Garcia has yet to put his name on the trophy.

Both of these slingers also call their own plays. Both seldom misread coverages and both understand and can make all of the throws. But the thing that sets them in a class of their own is their toughness. Both have fought through injuries and played hurt throughout their careers. Both will stand in the pocket and take cruel and unusual punishment just to buy the time for a route to come open. The fact that they hang in there and take the pounding gives them the right to lead their respective teams and is a valuable currency in the locker room. It's true leadership.

Dolezel has more weapons than just Pettis. Marcus Nash (109-1318-33 TDs) is still trucking after all these years. He can still get deep, uses his body well in the red zone and competes at a high level. Anthony Armstrong (85-1148-18 TDs) has developed into a solid AFL receiver and is a tremendous deep threat with his speed. Andrae Thurman (25-290-7 TDs) filled in admirably for Pettis and may be the answer to replace Josh Bush as the kick returner.

Both teams have excellent fullbacks in Josh White for Dallas and Idris Price for New York. White finished as the second leading rusher in the AFL (258 yards) while Price moved over to FB from his Mack linebacker spot due to Ricky Hall's injury three weeks ago. Price has four TDs on just 11 carries and is a stout and savvy addition to the offense for New York.

Defensively, these teams are built somewhat similar. They both have an All-Arena pass rusher, playmakers at the Jack linebacker and for the most part, veteran secondaries. Colston Weatherington of Dallas led the AFL in sacks this year with 10.5 while the Dragon's Henry Taylor was only one behind with 9.5. Both of these guys have a myriad of moves which all start with a bull rush. If the offensive lineman doesn't anchor his weight they will carry him right back to the QB. They also both have the speed to run the hoop and get around the edge.

Bobby Perry has turned in another excellent year at Jack linebacker with six interceptions, 76.5 tackles and 11 pass breakups. With his size, Dallas also uses him at corner in the red zone. New York's rookie, John Walker, has quietly had a tremendous impact this season. He leads all Jack linebackers with seven interceptions, forced three fumbles, broke up seven passes and had 57.5 tackles. Both of these guys deserved some kind of postseason honors.

The Dragon's secondary is led by veteran middle man Billy Parker who had eight picks to lead the team. Parker makes the calls in New York's complicated coverage scheme. They picked up veteran Monty Montgomery late in the season and he has been a perfect fit at the field corner. The boundary corner, Levy Brown doubles as a return man and made the All-Rookie Team this year. He led the team with 93.5 tackles and also pitched in with six interceptions.

Dallas also has a veteran middle defender in sixth-year man, Jermaine Jones. Jones works well with new teammates DaShane Dennis and Donvetis Franklin who both have played previously for New York. This group has been together for the last quarter of the season and is beginning to click very well together.

Dallas also has the All-Arena Mack linebacker for the past two years in Duke Pettijohn. Pettijohn plays with great desire and effort and sets the tone for the entire team. It will be a good battle between him and Price in this one. New York will miss Price's presence on the defensive side as they will go with Antonio Ficklin there and play Price primarily on offense. If you are bored during kickoff coverage during this game just watch these guys fly down the field. Somebody is going to get run over.

In the kicking game Steve Azar has been very good for New York connecting on 100 of 109 extra points and 5 of 12 field goals. For Dallas, Remy Hamilton earned All-Arena Second Team honors as he hit 101 of 119 extra points and 8 of 16 field goals. Hamilton also led the league with six converted onsides kicks, twice as many as the next closest guy.

The Game

This will be the second meeting between these two teams in the last three weeks as they met in Dallas in Week 16. This will be helpful for both teams as they face a short week having played last Sunday. Both lost key players to injury last week and how they fill that void will be a key in this one. New York relied on Jason Willis as a quick one-on-one match-up guy that could win and make the big play. Swayne and Anthony are a different kind of receiver so they really need Terry Moss or Keron Henry to bring that element to their attack.

There are interesting similarities to these teams. Both have a head coach who was a former player in the AFL in Will McClay for Dallas and Weylan Harding for New York. Both coaches have great passion and call and coordinate their defenses. Both have future Hall of Fame QBs who call their own plays. Both have a strong pass rush and playmakers at the linebacker spots. Five of the six starting DBs learned the game of Arena Football from Coach Harding. Both have a highly productive one-two punch of veteran receivers.

All of this familiarity should breed some good contempt. This is playoff time, after all. There will be a lot of intensity and hostility in this ballgame. The team that is better able to keep its composure and not commit the "stupid" fouls will gain a serious advantage. Both teams play on that edge which is good as long as they don't go over the edge.

Dallas gets a huge lift with Will Pettis returning to the lineup. He hasn't played the past two weeks but he has been practicing so it shouldn't take long for him to get up to game speed. He is the security blanket for Dolezel and seems to always make the big play when Dallas needs it. It appears to be a headsy move by McClay to keep him out and healthy as the playoffs begin.

Not many people give New York much of a chance in this one which I think can work to their advantage. The pressure is all on Dallas because of their recent playoff history. If the Dragons can get off to a quick start and get a break or two early on, Dallas might start thinking, "Here we go again." Now that will be a true test of their character.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 27, 2008


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