2016 Week 6 Preview: Gladiators vs Sharks

(photo credit: cleveland.com)

The first five weeks of the season haven't been kind to either the Jacksonville Sharks (2-3) or the Cleveland Gladiators (1-4). However, something has to give when these two teams face off at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night. The Sharks are coming off a brutal dogfight of a win in Tampa, while Cleveland resumes after becoming the latest victim in the Orlando Predators current undefeated run.

While the two teams are in opposite conferences, at the rate the season is developing, this could be one of the first key matchups when it comes to playoff seeding come August, as Orlando and Arizona have both started to run away with the top two seeds and hide.

What to Watch For:

Offense: Tempo. Last week, the two teams combined for 18 possessions (nine apiece). Against Arizona, the Sharks had 15 possessions just in that one game. One stat to note is that two of these drives ended halves, and the third was a kickoff return for a touchdown. Take away those, and there were 15 possessions total between the two teams. For Jacksonville, they had eight meaningful drives: five ended in touchdowns, one was a one-play drive as an interception, one ended in a fumble, and the longest drive of the game (11 plays, 29 yards, 8:14) ended in a turnover on downs.

Prechae Rodriguez did pay immediate dividends with a touchdown catch, but he'll be asked to do a lot more this week against a much more formidable defense in Cleveland. There should be more opportunities for all of the Jacksonville receivers to make some noise, but QB Tommy Grady has to be in more of the form he showed against Arizona than he did against Tampa Bay, as with a player like Joe Powell with three pick-sixes to his credit will be hungry for more.

Defense: Pressure. For the second week in a row, the Sharks will face a team with issues at quarterback. Jonathan Bane, making his first start of the season, actually had a decent game (excellent by Storm standards in 2016), completing 21 of 38 passes for nearly 300 yards, three scores, and no picks. For Cleveland, last week they started a regular linebacker, Arvell Nelson, under center.

Chris Dieker, the designated starter for this season, got hurt in the opener. Dennis Havrilla, whom the Gladiators signed after the Dieker injury, got injured himself last week. This leaves a battle between Nelson and Stephen Panasuk, a recent signee from the CIF's Wichita Force.

The Sharks can't afford to repeat what happened defensively from that aspect. Tampa Bay has yet to score 30 points this season, but even Nelson threw for six touchdowns, so there's talent and capability there. The front three needs to get to whoever it is to avoid another potential track meet and to give the offense some breathing room to maintain a lead and further their chemistry going forward. Plus, that pressure will lead to chances for Greg Reid and the rest of the secondary to give Cleveland a dose of their own medicine and create some scoring of their own.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, and the game will be streamed live through ESPN3 and the
WatchESPN app.