What significance does the date June 4th, 2011 have for the Pittsburgh Power? That is the last time the Power (3-8) beat a team with a winning record at the Consol Energy Center. That day they beat division rival Cleveland to take the division lead and create some excitement for the Power faithful.
Another opportunity presents itself as the cross-state division rival Philadelphia Soul (6-5) come to town licking their wounds from an earlier 53-48 loss to the Power a few weeks ago. If the Power have any dreams of catching Philly for the division title this is an absolute must-have victory. The Power also need a victory to stay in the wildcard hunt for the fourth and final playoff spot.
The Power will already be without starting quarterback Steven Sheffield who is on leave mourning the loss of his father earlier this week. In his place will likely be last week’s emergency starter Derek Cassidy. Power fans will remember Derek Cassidy for his role in an AFL-record 31 point comeback victory over the Orlando Predators last year, the team’s only home win of the 2012 season. Cassidy nearly pulled of some similar magic last week against the San Jose SaberCats.
Cassidy finished last week 19 of 41 for 261 yards, six touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown, and an interception returned for a touchdown on the final play of the game. He will have to be on top of his game in this one as the Soul secondary is full of playmakers.
Former Power defensive back LaRico Stevenson leads the team with four interceptions while Rayshaun Kizer and Joe Goosby have three interceptions each. Bryan Robinson will lead the Soul pass rush up front and he has tallied nine sacks so far this year, second best in the AFL this year.
Philadelphia counters with Dan Raudabaugh who is one of the AFL’s best quarterbacks again this year. Raudabaugh was solid in the last meeting with a 23 for 41 performance for 288 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. The Soul like to take chances on the long ball but leave themselves open to turnovers and the Power defense will have to capitalize on those opportunities.
The Soul also employ the man who will likely become the all-time leading rusher in the AFL this week as Derrick Ross needs just eight yards to move into first place ahead of Bo Kelly. He’s not an easy man to bring down so Pittsburgh will have to be strong in the tackling department.
Alvin Ray Jackson and Gary Butler are crucial pieces of the Power defense this week both for their ability to stop Derrick Ross but also Jackson’s coverage ability downfield. They both will need to stay disciplined in their responsibilities or else the Soul could quickly burn them for easy scores. Sergio Gilliam leads the team with four interceptions including last week’s AFL Highlight Of The Week 46-yard interception return for a touchdown which tied the score at 54 late. The Power could use a few highlights out of him and Chris LeFlore this week.
Pittsburgh’s Mike Washington continues to be the “Mr. Consistent” of this Power offense after reaching triple digits in yardage again with 109 yards and three touchdowns against San Jose. Shamar Graves has been activated for this game and could rejoin the starting lineup which would add a lot of physicality to the position.
Philadelphia’s Tiger Jones once again resides near the top of the leaderboard in AFL receiving stats. He is a dynamic receiver who is very tough to defend. The old cliché applies here; you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him. Ryan McDaniel has been a pleasant surprise for the Soul this year, working his way up the depth chart to be a great option for Dan Raudabaugh.
The bottom line, as I stated at the beginning of this article, is that Pittsburgh has to find a way to beat a good team at home. If they have dreams of a division championship then there is no margin for error. Making up three games in the standings will be difficult enough as it is, but lose this one and go down four games with six to go and I think you can see the futility in that quest.
Now is the time for the Power to take another step forward.
Photo Courtesy Of Pittsburgh Power Facebook Page
