2016 Week 10 Preview: Steel vs Storm

(photo credit: sportspagemagazine.com)

The Tampa Bay Storm will visit the Portland Steel at the Moda Center in Portland, OR on Friday night. The two teams are the two worst teams in the AFL, as the Steel are 0-8, while the Storm won their first game of the season last week over the Arizona Rattlers with a touchdown from wide receiver T.T. Toliver with no time left.

There is a difference between these two teams, however. The Storm may be 1-7, but their offense is so much more stellar than the Steel. The Storm have a great receiver in Toliver and a great quarterback in Jason Boltus. The Storm played games where they went down to the wire. 

The Steel, on the other hand, have been dominated in every game in someway, except two games against the Orlando Predators and Cleveland Gladiators. The offense can not get anything going, and commits many turnovers. 

This looks like a blowout on paper, despite it being a game between the two worst teams in the league based on record. The Storm are looking like they will slam the Steel and run them out of the Moda Center, but anything can happen in the AFL.

Mardy Gilyard Returns to Sharks

(photo credit: jackonsville.com)

On Wednesday, the Jacksonville Sharks announced that WR Mardy Gilyard has been activated from the Refused to Report list, beginning his second stint in the red and black.

At 29, Gilyard (6'1", 200 lbs) comes back to the Sharks for the first time since the 2014 season, where he caught 29 passes for 308 yards and eight scores and returned 16 kickoffs for 296 yards in just four games before signing with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL.

The Florida native started close to home, playing at Flagler-Palm Coast High School, then had a prolific career at the University of Cincinnati. Gilyard caught 204 passes for 3,003 yards and 25 touchdowns as a Bearcat, en route to earning All-America honors as a kick returner in 2008 and as a senior in 2009. He was also named All-Big East and Big East Special Teams Player of the Year after each of those two seasons.

Gilyard started his NFL career as a 4th-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2010. He couldn't maintain his success, logging just 78 total receiving yards with the Rams, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs.

His first foray into the CFL was with the Alouettes in 2013, and played for them again in 2014-15, reaching the playoffs in both seasons.

Storm Acquire Former NFL DB Qua Cox

(photo credit: Tampa Bay Storm/Twitter)

The Tampa Bay Storm have announced that they have acquired former NFL defensive back Qua Cox. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2014.

Before signing with the Colts, Cox played collegiality at Jackson State. He started 41 games for the Tigers. He led the Southwest Atlantic Conference with five interceptions during his junior season in 2012.

He would finish his career at Jackson State with 145 tackles, nine of which were for losses, three sacks, 10 interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He will be entering his rookie season in the AFL, and Storm vice president of football operations Jeff Gooch is excited to have him.

"Qua has tremendous upside and adds more stability to our defensive backfield," Gooch said, "he played at the NFL level and we look forward to seeing him translate that experience to the arena game."

Four Things to Watch for in the Second Half of the 2016 AFL Season

(photo credit: clevelandgladiators.com)

Cleveland Gladiators On the Road Again: the Cleveland Gladiators have won their last four games and will now play just one more home game against the Arizona Rattlers before they play on the road for the remainder of the season. The seven game road trip begins with a trip to Orlando to take on the Predators, who were the last team to beat the Gladiators. Quarterback Arvell Nelson and wide receiver Collin Taylor have been big parts of the Gladiators win streak, but an even bigger part has been the defense. Will the Gladiators keep it up in the second half of the season?

(photo credit: azcentral.com)

The Rattlers are Rattling: the Arizona Rattlers started 5-0 and dominated all of their opponents. Since then, they have lost of their last games, including two consecutive losses after the 5-0 start. Will the Rattlers find a way to get back on track, or are they headed for a collapse?

(photo credit: oursportscentral.com)

MVP Watch: There are many players that could be named the AFL MVP. Two of the top candidates include Philadelphia Soul quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, who has thrown for 46 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and Orlando Predators quarterback Randy Hippeard, who has thrown for 50 touchdowns and five interceptions. Other candidates include Arizona Rattlers quarterback Nick Davila, Cleveland Gladiators wide receiver Collin Taylor, Jacksonville Sharks quarterback Tommy Grady and so much more! Who will win the AFL MVP award?

(photo credit: oursportscentral.com)

(photo credit: portlandtribune.com)

Can The Steel or Storm Get Back on Track?: the Portland Steel and Tampa Bay Storm are the bottom two teams in the league. The Storm have played better football as the season has gone on, but they have not found ways to win. The Steel, on the other hand, have found ways to be dominant all season. Which team, if either, will get back on track in hopes to earn a higher seed before the playoffs begin in August?

Shaun Kauleinamoku's Long Journey

(photo credit: footballstories.com)

Philadelphia Soul wide receiver Shaun Kauleinamoku has come a long way to play for the Soul - literally.

While he plays his home games in Philadelphia, PA, his home is in Oahu, HI, nearly five thousand miles away. Kauleinamoku began playing sports at a young age when his parents got in involved in sports. He gives a lot of credit to his father.

"My father was the one who trained me as a boy," he said, "I lived right next to a community park so my father would take me out there everyday after my homework to work on fundamentals."

Despite playing in North America during the season, during the offseason, he spends his time in Oahu to train and spend time with family and friends. He also enjoys hiking and spending nights on the beach with his fiancée. 

Kauleinamoku left Hawaii in 2006, where he would play football at Western Oregon University. He was picked up by the Soul in 2015. In his two seasons there, he's caught 125 receptions for 1,746 yards and 37 touchdowns. 

"SK has been a great addition to our receiving core," Soul head coach Clint Dolezel said, "he is a huge team player and a great leader on and off the field.

In their loss to the Cleveland Gladiators last week, SK reached two milestones, when he caught his 400th career pass and surpassed 5,000 receiving yards in his five-year AFL career.

Sharks Announce Fan Bus to Tampa

(photo credit: Jacksonville Sharks/Twitter)

Following a successful trip to Orlando, the Jacksonville Sharks announced that they will offer another fan bus this season, this time for the game at Amalie Arena against the Tampa Bay Storm on June 11.

Seats on the bus are $130 for 2016 season ticket holders (however, providing the "experience" membership will earn the proper discount based on level) and $140 for non-season ticket holders. The package includes a seat on the bus to and from the game, and a club ticket at the arena.

Tampa Bay's club seats include complimentary food, beer, wine, and soda from kickoff through the third quarter. En route, the Sharks will offer food from Firehouse Subs, as well as soft drinks and water courtesy of Coca-Cola®. Fans are allowed to bring their own small, soft-sided cooler with beverages of their choice, but glass containers are prohibited.

The bus will depart from the south end of the Avenues Mall parking lot next to Bucca Di Beppo (10334 Southside Boulevard) at noon to ensure timely arrival for the 5:00 kickoff. The bus will return to Jacksonville shortly after the end of the game.

Fans providing their own transportation who would like to sit with the group may purchase tickets through Chris Duffy, available by phone at (813) 301-6812 or via email at CDuffy@amaliearena.com.

To purchase a seat on the bus, please contact the Sharks via phone at (904) 900-2060, ext. 701, or email at jack@jaxsharks.com.

2016 Week 10 Preview: Gladiators vs Rattlers

(photo credit: photos.cleveland.com)

The Arizona Rattlers have lost three of their last four games following a 5-0 start, and must now head on the road to take on the red hot Cleveland Gladiators in a rematch of Arena Bowl XXVII. Kickoff is set for Friday at 7 p.m. ET at the Quicken Loans Arena.  

Arizona started the season at 5-0, and looked to be the shoe in for the national conference. But three losses in four games have put those thoughts in doubt. The first two losses were to Orlando Predators and Philadelphia Soul. At the time, the Predators were 5-0 and the Soul were 5-1, so those losses are acceptable and understandable. But their loss last week has no explanation. The Rattlers fell on the road to the previously 0-7 Tampa Bay Storm 63-56, losing in the final seconds after tying the game late in regulation. 

Now they come to the site of their historic three peat: Cleveland. The Gladiators started this season 1-4, but four straight wins (two of them against Jacksonville and Philadelphia) have gotten them back over .500 and is making them a serious contender for ArenaBowl XXIX. The Gladiators will need to bring the noise again this week in order to get their fifth straight win.

Because of scheduling, this is the last home game of the regular season for the Cleveland Gladiators. The Republican National Convention will be at Quicken Loans Arena in August and the arena needs to get ready for the event. Because of this, the Gladiators played their eight home games early in the season. Arizona is undefeated lifetime against Cleveland- the most famous being the 72-32 win in ArenaBowl XXIV.