hind sight is 20 / 20 :
let's see some previews of today's games....and yes, i know they're over.
Chicago (0-1) at Dallas (1-0) Sunday, 3:00 pm EST
DALLAS (Ticker) -- In their first encounter with the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season, the Dallas Desperados will be looking to exact revenge on the Chicago Rush at Reunion Arena.
After Chicago captured a 60-47 quarterfinal victory last August with a fourth-quarter rally, quarterback Jim Kubiak will be looking to lead Dallas to its first triumph in three meetings versus the Rush and first win against a Central Division foe.
Last week, Kubiak set a club record with 326 passing yards in a 60-56 victory over New York. The former Naval midshipman also threw for five touchdowns against one interception and ran for a score en route to being named game MVP.
Kubiak will be looking to continue the Desperados' winning ways by connecting with one of the top receiving tandems in the Arena League.
Offensive specialist Shannon Culver and wide receiver Dialleo Burks will attempt to take advantage of a Chicago secondary that surrendered 244 total yards and six passing touchdowns in a 47-35 loss to Orlando last week. Culver had seven catches for 114 yards and a pair of TDs in last week's win.
The Rush will be trying to avoid their their first two-game losing streak since the 2001 campaign after a 47-35 loss to Orlando.
Quarterback Billy Dicken averaged 279 yards and 6.5 touchdowns in the two wins over Dallas last season.
The leading tackler in the circuit last season, defensive specialist Cedric Walker, will attempt to slow down the Desperados' high-octane offense.
Walker is one of only six players in the history of the Arena League to record over 400 career tackles. He has seven games with over 10 tackles, including a career-high 13 that he tied against Dallas back on July 13, 2002.
Chicago 38
Dallas 46
Indiana (1-0) at New York (0-1) Sunday, 1:00 pm EST
UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- On the road for the second straight week, the Indiana Firebirds will be looking to keep their top-ranked offense firing on all cylinders when they face the New York Dragons at the Nassau Coliseum on Sunday.
In a 68-57 win at Detroit last week, quarterback Raymond Philyaw completed 18-of-29 attempts for 220 yards, threw four touchdowns and ran for one. His top target was veteran receiver Eddie Brown, who finished with 10 receptions and a pair of TDs.
Brown, a five-time scoring champion, is the Arena Football League's all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (288), receptions (869) and is second in receiving yards (11,762).
Another offensive force for Indiana is FB/LB Leroy Thompson, who rushed for 30 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week. A year ago, Thompson recorded 10 touchdowns on his way to be honored with the Built Ford Tough Man of the Year Award.
New York, coming off a 60-56 loss to Dallas, will be looking to turn around its fortunes with the Firebirds, who have captured both meetings. The Dragons suffered a tough 52-25 loss last May when Indiana's WR/LB Shawn Foreman picked off a pass with 47 seconds left to seal the victory.
Quarterback Aaron Garcia had 324 yards and eight touchdowns in a losing effort last week. The most prolific touchdown passer in the history of the Arena League (444), Garcia has also been nimble on his feet throughout his career, rushing for 36 scores.
Two of Garcia's weapons are offensive specialist Steve Papin and WR/DB Mike Furrey. Papin, who led the AFL in all-purpose yards last year with 3,147, returned five kickoffs last week for 108 yards. Furrey, a Second-Team All-Arena selection in 2002, had seven catches for 125 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Indiana 65
New York 54
Georgia (1-0) at Detroit (0-1) Sunday, 3:00 pm EST
DETROIT (Ticker) -- Looking to snap a 12-game losing streak that dates back to last season, the Detroit Fury host the Georgia Force at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday.
After a disappointing 66-57 loss to Indiana last week where they were shut out in the third quarter, the Fury will look to veteran quarterback Andy Kelly to lead the way.
Kelly, who was acquired from Dallas in the offseason, is the AFL's all-time passing leader and holds the league career records for completions, passing attempts, passing yards and touchdowns. Last week, the 10-year veteran completed 27-of-43 attempts for 224 yards, six touchdowns and an interception.
Kick returner Ron Carpenter had an outstanding performance last week for Detroit, racking up 294 return yards, including a 55-yard return for a touchdown. Overall, his total was the third-best single-game performance in league history. He started all 14 games for Georgia last year.
Quarterback Donnie Davis will attempt to lead the Force to their second consecutive road win. He recorded 254 passing yards and three touchdowns last week, but also had a pair of interceptions in a close win over expansion Colorado, 44-40.
Davis has a pair of star receivers to take aim at. Tyronne Jones had seven catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns and Darryl Hammond added six receptions, 83 yards and a TD in the triumph last week.
Georgia 31
Detroit 38
Carolina (0-1) at Buffalo (0-1) Sunday, 3:00 pm EST
BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- After suffering a loss to Tampa Bay last week largely because of turnovers, the Carolina Cobras will look to improve upon the perfect record they hold over the Buffalo Destroyers when the two teams meet on Sunday.
With quarterbacks Chad DeGrenier and Stewart Patridge combining to throw a team record five interceptions last Friday, Carolina decided some roster changes needed to be made. First-string QB DeGrenier was released and Robert Hall was signed off the practice squad to assume backup duties.
Patridge, who completed 7-of-13 pass attempts for 57 yards and an interception last week, will take over the first-string role for the first time in his four years in the Arena League. Last year, he spent the entire season on the roster of the Chicago Rush, but was inactive for all games.
Two key players for the Cobras this week will be offensive specialist Ben Bronson and WR/LB Gabe Amey. In the season opener, Bronson led Carolina with seven receptions for 58 yards and racked up 114 return yards, placing him fourth in the league. Amey, a rookie, had 3.5 tackles and an interception on defense and finished with two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown on offense.
An assistant coach and director of player personnel for the Cobras in 2000, Buffalo head coach Ron Selesky does have some fimilarity with his opponent. In his first season as a head coach in the AFL, Selesky earned AF2 Coach of the Year honors in 2002 when he led the expansion Albany Conquest to a 13-3 mark and the Northeast Division championship.
After a 54-36 loss to Grand Rapids on Saturday, the Destroyers will be looking to clamp down on defense. OL/DL Silas Demary and defensive specialist Dwaine Carpenter proved to be two of Buffalo's standouts last week. Demary recorded the game's only sack, forced a fumble and had two tackles. Carpenter led the team with nine tackles and blocked a pass.
The Cobras are 3-0 all-time against the Destroyers.
throw that one out the window: buff 44, carolina 16
Tampa Bay (1-0) at Orlando (1-0) Sunday, 3:00 pm EST
ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- The War on I-4 takes center stage on Sunday afternoon as the Tampa Bay Storm visit the Orlando Predators in an early season Southern Division showdown.
For only the second time in 31 meetings in this series, both teams enter the game undefeated.
The league's longest running rivalry dates back to 1991 when both teams began their first seasons in the state of Florida. Since then, the two teams have each won 12 regular season meetings with the Predators holding a 4-2 record in the postseason.
The Storm are coming off a convincing 60-20 victory against Carolina last week. Quarterback John Kaleo, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener last year, returned to the lineup and fired six touchdown passes.
Offensive specialist Freddie Solomon made his debut for Tampa Bay and caught 10 passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns.
Orlando opened up a 40-21 fourth-quarter lead over Chicago last week and held on for a 47-35 victory. Despite missing all of training camp while on the Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers' coaching staff, quarterback Jay Gruden did not miss a beat. He completed 18-of-26 passes for 200 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.
The two teams split the season series a year ago with each team winning on the others home turf.
Tampa Bay 51
Orlando 54
