Post by DiamondThief on Apr 5, 2016 13:36:27 GMT -8
Portland Steel at Orlando Predators
What: The Steel make their first-ever trip to Orlando to face the Predators.
When: Saturday, April 9 at 4:30 p.m. (PT).
Where: Amway Center; Orlando, Florida.
Regional Media: Radio - 750 The Game (AM).
National Media: Web Stream - ESPN3/WatchESPN.
This season: July 9 - Predators at Steel.
Series History: Regular Season - Predators lead 1-0 (1-0 home).
Note: Portland's first head coach, Matthew Sauk, is the offensive coordinator for the Predators.
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HELPFUL LINKS
Arena Football League Schedule and Results 2016
Portland Steel Schedule 2016
Portland Steel Season Preview 2016
SUMMARY
The Steel come in 0-1, 0-0 on the road and 0-0 in inter-conference play. They are coming off an 80-28 home loss to the Arizona Rattlers on April 1. They are averaging 28.0 points per game (seventh in the AFL) and are allowing 80.0 points per game (eighth).
The Predators are 1-0, 1-0 at home and 0-0 in inter-conference play. They are coming off a 76-25 road win over the Tampa Bay Storm on April 1. They are averaging 76.0 points per game (second in the AFL) and are allowing 25.0 points per game (eighth).
BREAKDOWN
First Downs - Steel 12; Predators 21.
Yards per Game - Steel 265.0; Predators 300.0.
3rd Down Conversion - Steel 25.0%; Predators 75.0%.
4th Down Conversion - Steel 44.0%; Predators 100.0%.
Total Tackles - Steel 17; Predators 28.
Tackles for Loss - Steel 3; Predators 3.
Total Sacks - Steel 2; Predators 1.
Fumbles - Steel 2, Predators 0.
Fum Rec - Steel 1, Predators 1.
Interceptions - Steel 0, Predators 3.
Had Intercepted - Steel 2, Predators 0.
PORTLAND STEEL
Steel QB Danny Southwick passes to WR Colt Lyerla (photo courtesy DiamondThief)
ROSTER
# - name (pos)
1 - Jabin Sambrano (WR)
2 - Colt Lyerla (WR)
5 - Tom Gilson (WR)
6 - Jared Perry (WR)
7 - Kasey Peters (QB)
8 - Terrence Mitchell (DB)
9 - Sergio Gilliam (DB)
11 - Dexter Davis (JLB)
13 - Danny Southwick (QB)
17 - Ernesto Lacayo (K)
20 - Bryce Peila (DB)
21 - Tim Shelley (DB)
23 - Reggie Wilson (DE)
26 - Mike McMillan (DB)
36 - Bryson Kelly (NG)
62 - Rico Forbes (OL)
64 - Jarien Moreland (OL)
66 - Deveric Gallington (FB)
79 - John Collins (C)
91 - Brandon Sesay (DE)
99 - Robert Hayes (MLB)
Roland Johnson (DL)
Frank Mays (DL)
Ron James - Head Coach
Will Mulder - Defensive Coordinator
Ron McBride - Offensive Line Coach
Kirk Broussard - Wide Receivers Coach
Note: Roster information is subject to change and is presented here as a basic guide for following the game. Roster information is gathered from the AFL's official website, which is not updated on a consistent basis. Updates will be provided here as soon as they become available.
ORLANDO PREDATORS
Predators WR Greg Carr (photo courtesy oursportscentral.com)
ROSTER
# - name (pos)
2 - Darryl Cato-Bishop (DE)
3 - Paul Stephens (DB)
4 - Greg Carr (WR)
5 - Bernard Morris (QB)
8 - Terrence Moore (LB)
9 - Kent Richardson (DB)
10 - Varmah Sonie (DB)
11 - Lamark Brown (WR)
12 - Randy Hippeard (QB)
14 - Brandon Thompkins (WR)
18 - Mark Lewis (K)
21 - Emmanuel Cook (DB)
51 - Will Maxwell (C)
53 - Mike Lewis (DE)
56 - Willie McGinnis (DL)
62 - Sam Longo (OL)
63 - Jordan McCray (OL)
64 - Justin McCray (OL)
67 - Terrance Taylor (NG)
74 - Adam Shead (OL)
80 - Brelan Chancellor (WR)
81 - Paul Browning (WR)
90 - Monte Lewis (DL)
92 - Calvin Fance (MLB)
Rob Keefe - Head Coach
Matthew Sauk - Offensive Coordinator
Steve Edwards - Line Coach
Note: Roster information is subject to change and is presented here as a basic guide for following the game. Roster information is gathered from the AFL's official website, which is not updated on a consistent basis. Updates will be provided here as soon as they become available.
ANGI'S TAKES
STEEL
To say the Steel had a rough time in their season opener would be an understatement. They scored on the opening possession, but then were outscored the rest of the game by a near 4-1 ratio. That first pass was a 38 yard pass down the left sideline from Danny Southwick to Nick Truesdell, who would leave the game after the play with a rolled ankle. While there was not a lot to like, there were a couple of bright spots. Wide receiver Tom Gilson seemed to emerge as Southwick's favorite target. The third-year player from UMass caught 12 passes for 128 yards. Ironically, his lone touchdown came on a 35-yard grab came from beckup quarterback Kasey Peters in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach. Though four conversions is a small sample size, kicker Ernesto Lacayo was a perfect 4-4 on extra points. Southwick struggled with his timing all night, but completed 19 of 37 passes for 239 yards, 3 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He also was sacked twice. Jared Perry caught 8 passed for 117 yards and a touchdowns. Recent trade acquisition Colt Lyerla was a consistent target of both Southwick and Peters, but most of the passes to him were off the mark. It seems as though the team plans to promote the former Oregon Duck Lyerla as the face of the franchise, much as it attempted to do with Darron Thomas two years ago. Aside from Lacayo, special teams also struggled, as only two kickoffs were returned beyond the 5 yard line. Bryce Peila, the only returning player on defense, paced the team with 5.5 tackles, and Dexter Davis Jr. blocked a Rattlers extra point attempt. The Steel will need to improve their quarterback protection, while Southwick will need to clean up the timing to his receivers. Of course, the receivers also will have to do a better job at separating from defenders. On defense, the Steel will need to cover the sidelines much better than they did against the Rattlers. Additionally, the Steel were repeatedly flagged by teh referees. While some were clearly blown calls (the AFL will never be known for its quality of officiating), the Steel will definitely need to clean that up. Player to Watch: Tom Gilson (WR). Wild Card: Jared Perry (WR).
PREDATORS
Portland fans watching this game will see some familiar faces. Original Portland head coach Matthew Sauk is now the offensive coordinator for the Predators, who scored 76 points in their season-opening win over the Tampa Bay Storm. The Preds scored on every possession, sans their final possession of the game when they were merely attempting to run out the clock. Quarterback Randy Hippeard was an efficient 20 or 30 for 241 yards and 6 scored. He neither threw a pick nor was sacked. Greg Carr was the beneficiary, catching 7 passes for 113 yards and 4 touchdowns. LaMark Brown hauled in 9 catches for 105 yards and a score, while Brandon Thompkins added 6 receptions for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hippeard did a great job of spreading the ball around. Sam Longo, who was brought over via trade from the Steel two weeks ago, helps anchor the protection for Hippeared. Another familiar face is defensive back Varmah Sonie, who spend the better part of the past two seasons in Portland. Sonie picked off two passes to go along with his team-high 7.5 tackles and 2 pass break ups. Sonie signed with the Predators as a free agent during the off season. Defensive back Paul Stephens also registered an interception and a pass break up for the Predators last weekend. There is a lot to like about Sauk's offense, They do not possess huge AFL names, but they are efficient, and scored the second-highest amount of points while allowing the least in the league in week one. In order to continue their success, they will want to continue the team play, protect Hippeard and let him find his receivers. The defense must continue to be opportunistic and disrupt the Steel offense. Player to Watch: Randy Hippeard (QB). Wild Card: Varmah Sonie (DB).
QUOTABLE
Steel head coach/general manager Ron James
“It’s easy to think, boy, we just don’t have a chance, but if we lined up and played them again in a week, things could be different. I’ve been on (arena) teams where we got killed and came back and beat a team. It’s never 25 plays that decide a game, it’s like 10 plays. You need to get the majority of them, and all 10 went Arizona’s way."
Steel WR Nick Truesdell on his ankle injury
“A guy in the end zone jumped on my back, and my foot rolled up. I got up to celebrate and couldn’t push off my foot.”
Steel WR Colt Lyerla on learning the arena game
“I hadn’t played football in almost two years; the first time putting a helmet on was last Wednesday (in practice). And then transitioning from the outdoor game to the arena game, there are a lot of odds and ends you have to learn. So it’s a bit of a curve, but me and (Steel) Coach (Ron) James are getting through it, and the coaches are teaching me well.”
Predators head coach Rob Keefe on the win over the Storm
"I'm proud of the way the guys fought. I'm proud of the execution. But the thing I'm most proud of, is we started a little slow there, and I thought you saw the rust. I definitely did.
I was proud of when guys faced some adversity, they were able to handle the moment."
Predators QB Randy Hippeard
"We started out a little shaky right there on offense. We have a lot of young guys out there, and once they got the butterflies out and once the nerves went away, we were pretty steady up front.''
Keefe ...
"This is a steppingstone, and definitely the foundation has been laid. And now, we've got to build that mansion all the way to the ArenaBowl."
FEATURED SOCIAL MEDIA
OTHER AFL GAMES THIS WEEK
April 9 - Tampa Bay Storm at Cleveland Gladiators, 4 p.m. (ESPN3/WatchESPN)
April 9 - Arizona Rattlers at Los Angeles KISS, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
April 11 - Jacksonville Sharks at Philadelphia Soul, 4 p.m. (CBSSN)
NOTE
Portland and Orlando have faced off just once, last season's 69-43 Predator's win in Orlando. Darron Thomas got the start for the then-Thunder, but suffered an injury midway through the game and was replaced by Kyle Rowley. The duo combined to complete 31 or 41 pases for 6 touchdowns in the Portland loss Bernard Morris threw for 6 scores and ran for two more for the Predators. Click for the boxscore.
EXTRA
Prior to the Steel's game at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter against the Arizona Rattlers - Here is my quite amateurish video of the Steel's opening introductions. - ANM
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Graphic courtesy of David.