It’s all about how you learn from your mistakes and the Pittsburgh Power (3-6) are eager to show they have learned how to avoid Shark attacks.
The first time around, the Jacksonville Sharks (7-3) dominated the line of scrimmage and shut down the Power offense. Quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Shane Austin were on the run the entire night and took 6 sacks. Add in three interceptions, two by Jefferson and one by Austin, and it’s not hard to see why the Power lost 61-35.
This time around the Power hope to have a stronger passing attack with Steven Sheffield at the helm. The team has boosted its offensive output by almost 20 points per game since he joined the lineup and that could go a long way towards whether they can win this game.
Sheffield’s ability to develop quick chemistry with receivers has helped as the Power have been dealing with a lot of injuries at the wide receiver position. James Robinson had a huge impact in the Philadelphia game earlier but was hurt the next week against Tampa Bay and is on IR. Shamar Graves and P.J. Berry are still working through injuries and may not be ready for this game. The Power will likely rely on Mike Washington as usual, plus Julian Talley, who had a strong debut last week in the win against Cleveland. The Power also added Oderick Turner to the roster this week and he could see some looks.
Jacksonville started the year on a hot streak but has cooled off a bit. Coach Les Moss has been playing musical quarterbacks over the last few games so it remains to be seen whether former Power quarterback Bernard Morris will get the start or not. If I had to bet money he would be the guy only because of how well he played in the first meeting. If not, you will see R.J. Archer under center.
The Sharks have three really good receivers in Jeron Harvey (80 receptions, 781 yards, 20 TD), Jeff Hughley (66 receptions, 736 yards, 12 TD), and Markee White (60 receptions, 648 yards, 14 TD). All three together create tough matchups for any secondary. If Morris does start at quarterback he is a threat to run the ball as well which would add another wrinkle to the Shark offense making them that much harder to defend.
The Power will have to find a way to keep Jerry Turner off of Sheffield. Turner notched three sacks in the first game and leads the AFL with eight sacks total this year. The Sharks were also assigned Derek Summers this week but he is currently listed as a backup on the depth chart that’s been put out. Things can change right before game time so look out for whether he’s in the lineup or not.
Getting past the problem of defending the quarterback, Sheffield himself will have to avoid making ill-advised passes because the Sharks have strong playmakers in the secondary. Micheaux (pronounced Mee-shy) Robinson is a 2010 1st team and 2011 second team all arena defensive back and knows how to turn the tide of a game. Terrance Smith has four interceptions this year for the Sharks as well. Tracy Belton had 11 sacks in 2012 and was named second team all-arena. These are guys who will likely make life very tough for Sheffield.
Pittsburgh will need to play a bit more aggressive and take some chances to make plays especially on the road. This is the kind of matchup where coach Stingley needs to let Chris LeFlore (This week’s AFL MVP of the week), Sergio Gilliam and Alvin Ray Jackson go for the big play and not worry about getting burned. The Sharks are going to score a lot of points anyways so why not try to get a few extra chances for your own offense?
The crowd will not be friendly and the early edge will be with Jacksonville. If Pittsburgh misses a few chances to score early in this game it could be a long night, however they are eager to show they have improved greatly since that first meeting. This will be a very tough road test for the Power. The game should be a lot closer than the first meeting but it’s tough to bet against the Sharks in this game.
Photo Courtesy Of Pittsburgh Power Facebook Page
