AZ  @ Dallas: How it will go:

 The Rattlers are National Conf/ West Div Champs at 15-2 and are 8-1 Home, 7-1 Away. They have scored 1059 points and given up 787. The team earned home playoff games for NC.

Only two points separate AZ from being 17-0. They lost by one to both Spokane and Chicago. Now they play a ticked off Vigilante squad that has to play Chicago for the 2^nd time in 3 weeks in playoffs. AZ should be able to win but with a #1 seed locked up and a bitter, revenge seeking Shock in the first round, the Snakes may not risk too much to beat Dallas. If things get off track in the game, I don’t think KG will worry too much about it. All the talk about Kicker and Windsor leaving for the NFL is Blah, Blah, Blah. This can happen to any AFL team. Get over it. Injuries are a bigger threat for AZ. The addition of Chris Jackson is also a non starter. AZ is a solid team and Davila spreads it around to guys that are hungry for the ball. Me, I would pull Davila and put in the “Parachute Tester” at QB Trevor Harris and let him get some of that….Yep, yep.

 Next up for them will be the Dallas Vigilantes 11-6. At home 6-2, away 5-4. Scoring 1,012 gave up 952. A top QB in Raudabaugh and RB in Ross with 596 yards and 26 TD’s. Dallas lost it’s second to the Rush and with it the Div Title. After this game they face Chicago for the 3^rd time and for the right to play in the Semi Finals. This is a trap game for Dallas. They need the win to get in the ready for Chi-Town but on the other hand they need to be at full strength for them also.

  Team Sacks: AZ - 41  Vigilantes: 29 For AZ it is Pittman 8.5, Hawthorne 7. Glasper 7.5, Harrington 3.5. For Dallas: Bear 11, Dibbles 7, Warren 5, Kinney 3.

Team INT:    AZ 34   Dallas 21 For AZ Gray 10, Floyd 9, Hill 6, McCullough 5, Swanson 2, Pittman, Geathers 1. For Dallas:  LeFlore 5, Harmon, Brown 4.

Around the League

 This week is proof that some things should not be done. 18^th game, after all the playoff spots are locked in 17^th Week.

OK, for a lot of wives, girlfriends and people that need a reason to drink too much beer in public, it might be worthwhile.

2011 PLAYOFF PICTURE according to the Sports and Entertainment News and ASPN Radio.

National Conference: 1 AZ, 2 Chicago, 3 Dallas, 4 Spokane defending WORLD CHAMPIONS.

American Conference: 1 JAX, 2 thru 4 in no particular order, Orlando, Cleveland and Georgia.

First change to the conferences for 2012, get rid of the NFL-JV names, American, National. Really? A league that is an original should be able to come up with some original conference names.

First playoff changes for 2012: Seed the teams by record, ignore the conferences and dump the “Division Champ” gets in garbage. Let the best teams play each other, send the rest home. Then go back to adjusting the matchups by best thru worst record for playoffs and adjust home field. Always give the Arena Bowl game to the team with best record. AFL is NOT the other leagues. The only real difference in the way it is now is that the AFL plays indoors. Give the game back to it’s fans and the original concept. 

One final thought RE: HOF nominees: actually it is a rehash, what the HECK is Kurt Warner doing among the nominees. Really? OK. I won’t bring it up again until I do.

Let’s look at the playoffs from an honest perspective. With the exception of the Sharks and now, as long as they can sustain it, the Predators. The top 3 teams in the AFL are in the OTHER conference. AZ, Chicago, Georgia. Dallas? Not so much. The Rush/AZ combo is tops and the Shock could, golly Shock the Arena World and get another really big ring. But not this year.  

 CFL Canadian Football League - Championship Grey Cup  11/27/11