Sunday, March 27, 2011

GAME PREVIEW - WEEK 3 - POWER VS MUSTANGS


(1-1)

vs

(0-2)

Monday, March 28, 2011
7:30 PM
TV:

Radio: 93.7 The Fan
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin


The Power gear up for their first ever road test this week, travelling to the Bradley Center to take on a team, who, after making the second round of the playoffs last year, is coming out of the gates flat to start out the 2011 campaign.

The Power, used to playing in front of the largest crowds in the AFL, will have to contend with what will probably be a quiet, pre-season like atmosphere. The Mustangs only drew about 3,000 fans for their first game against Chicago, a 49-41 loss.

Perhaps it's for the best, as the Mustangs don't seem to play well in front of large audiences. In the second week, they travelled to Arizona to take on the Rattlers in front of over 9,000, where they were obliterated, 62-31.

The Mustangs are lead by QB Eric Ward out of Richmond, who through two weeks has amassed 475 yards passing and 6 touchdowns to go along with 3 interceptions.

They've got a trifecta of productive receivers in Damian Harrell, Antoine Burns, and Brent Holmes, combining for the bulk of the Milwaukee offense as well as all six of Ward's TD passes. Since 2001 when he was battery mates with local product Chad Salisbury for the Toronto Phantoms (Frazier HS, University of Buffalo), Harrell has amassed over 1,000 yards receiving in each consecutive season.

In spite of the 0-2 record, the Mustangs sit around the middle of the pack in almost every statistical category.

Power coach Chris Siegfried and the team got some bad press this week, when the Trib decided to, inexplicably, run a story about the HC's wife's legal problems. Good God, selling fake weed? Really?

On the field for the Power, the key is whether Kevin McCabe can continue his phenomenal start -- after replacing the injured Bernard Morris last week, McCabe was fantastic in leading the Power to a convincing 58-28 win over the Iowa Goggles.

McCabe is backed up by a bevy of fine receivers, as well as a secondary that really shut down Brad Banks and the Iowa attack in the second half last week, lead by Lenny Wicks and Josh Lay. McCabe's primary targets, as always, will be Mike "Joystick" Washington, Jason Willis, and Lonnell DeWalt. After returning from injury last week, Jerome Mathis and Irv Campbell started to show some signs of life as well. Toss in folk hero Josh Rue, and the Power have a ton of weapons on offense that can hurt you. They've also activated WR David Ball #82 for this weeks game. No word on who will be benched or why.

The Mustangs really are an enigma, having given Chicago, who is tearing the league apart currently, a very close game before getting completely crushed by the Rattlers. As was previously stated, the only real reason we can come up with is that they enjoy playing at home in front of practically no fans. If this were a home game for the Power, it would be an easy call. The Consol Energy Center would have a big crowd, it would be loud, and Milwaukee would simply collapse. However, it's in the Bradley center, there will be 2,000 people there, and the Mustangs will have their home field advantage. Scary stuff.

PREDICTIONS:
For every Power game we cover here on the BOLTSBURGH POWER BLOG, our three contributing editors will pass along their expert picks for the game, along with the key to victory. We call these our BOLTSBURGH POWER BLOG KEYS TO VICTORY! There are three of them. One each.

- Perry -
Kevin McCabe is emerging as one of the top QB's in the entire AFL. Milwaukee has the home field "advantage", but the Power's secondary is finally stepping up. If they can shut down Harrell, they can put up enough points to let the defense carry them to their first road win.

Power 56
Mustangs 31

- Pro -
If you wouldn't have had that half case of Old Milwaukee, you would've finished high school and wouldn't be paying child support right now. Milwaukee vomits on their own shoes and the Power win.

Power 62
Mustangs 41

- Schwartz -
Seems like a good week to lose 71-70.

Mustangs 71
Power 70

KEYS TO VICTORY:

1) Power secondary need to shut down a potent Milwaukee receiving corps.
2) Don't vomit on your shoes.
3) Lose

6 comments:

Dom Errico said...

Let's go with a similar score to Iowa. 50-28 Pittsburgh.

PowerFan said...

I think that two Mustangs players will be involved in a controversy this evening, surrounding a prank played on QB Eric Ward. The prank, intended as retribution for Ward’s disappointing performance against the Rattlers, will go horribly wrong and result in damage to Ward’s personal property.

Ward will complain to the team, who will assign an inexperienced staffer to defend the players in an internal investigation, hoping he’ll tell them to just pay the $50 and move on. The players will invoke the defense that Head Coach Bob Landsee ordered the prank, and the staffer will instead decide to take the matter to AFL’s Infractions Committee, just to stick it to the Mustangs.
At the hearing, things will look very bleak for the players, until the staffer finds his baseball bat and realizes he should call Landsee to testify. On the stand, irritated by the staffer’s line of questioning and lack of respect, Landsee will go into a rant “…You WANT me on this team – you NEED me on this team…..Did I order the prank? You’re goggles-damn right I did!”

Kurz will decide that the Landsee must pay Ward for the damages, but will also fine the players for “Conduct Unbecoming an AFL Player”.
All this distraction will work to the Mustang’s detriment, who will drop the game 42-58 (21 safeties to 18 FGs and two safeties).

Perry said...

@Voice - Here's hoping.

@PowerFan - Wow. That was the best comment we've ever received. I'm completely and utterly confused.

Dom Errico said...

That IS a very impressive comment from PowerFan

DONNIE FROM BLAWNOX said...

NOW THAT THEY PICKED UP LARICO STEVENSON IT SHOULD GO A LONG WAY TOWARD FIXING THAT SECONDARY. THIS TEAM IS THE REAL DEAL AND THE OFFENSE IS SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE BUT THAT DEFENSE HAS MORE HOLES IN IT THAN AN EAGLES FAN'S EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THEY'VE NEVER WON A SUPERBOWL. I'M REALLY HOPING THEY CAN JUST SHUT DOWN THE RUN GAME AND HOLD THE MUSTANGS TO TWO TO THREE SCORES.

ANYBODY KNOW IF THERE'S ANY GOOD BARS NEAR MONESSEN SHOWING THE GAME I'M SUPPOSED TO GO OUT THERE TO HANG OUT WITH THIS GIRL I MET ON PLENTY OF FISH.

Perry said...

Check out the Firemans club in Monessen, Donnie.

I reccommend the Cactus in Perryopolis as well.