The month of July has finally arrived, which means that we are heading into the
final month of the Arena Football regular season. We have already looked at the American Conference, so now it's time to take a look at the National side of the AFL.
National Conference - Central Division
Chicago Rush - (8-6), tied for first in the central, tied for first in division
The Rush began the summer in first in a very tight central division, and enter July tied for first. Chicago enjoyed a successful June that featured three wins: 63-55 at Orlando, 67-43 vs. Utah, and 50-49 at Tampa Bay. The lone loss of the summer, a 61-54 defeat against San Antonio, has emerged as the most significant result since is is one of the things that allowed the central to turn into a tie. Chicago has also been the beneficionaries of two game-winning two-point conversions, that if failed we would be talking about a different story. Carson Coffman has grown tremendously throughout the season and we will see if he, Reggie Gray, and Jared Jenkins can lead the Rush back to the playoffs.
Key Stats
- Carson Coffman 232-376, 2974 yards, 63 TD, 11 Int; 51 rush yards, 8 rush TD (13 games)
- J.J. Payne 56 rush, 124 yards, 11 TD; 114 rec yards, 2 rec TD (13 games)
- Reggie Gray 111 rec, 1623 yards, 38 TD; Kick-ret TD (14 games)
- Jared Jenkins 66 rec, 786 yards, 19 TD (12 games)
- Vic Hall 64 tackles, 4 Int (12 games)
- Jorrick Calvin 79.5 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 4 Int; Kick-ret TD (12 games)
- Kelvin Morris 2 Int, 2 Fumb Rec, sack, 2 Def TD (14 games)
- Tyus Jackson 5.5 sacks, Darrell Campbell 3.5 sacks, Anthony Hoke 3 sacks (combined to only miss one game) --> 12 of team's 19 sacks
July Schedule
Week 16 -
@ Philadelphia
Week 17 - vs. Cleveland
Week 18 - @ Arizona
Week 19 - @ San Jose
Home Stretch Outlook
- The Rush have struggled finding a consistent third receiver, Rodney Wright's injury in week eight opened a void
- Entering July it is a head-to-head race with San Antonio to see who will make this year's playoffs
- A very tough July poses a long up-hill climb, three road games against teams who are a combined 31-11
- In order for Chicago to win the central their defense is going to have continue its form from the previous fifteen weeks
- Vic Hall and Jorrick Calvin have been a dominant tandem in the back with 8 interceptions, Kelvin Morris has been sturdy in the middle of the defense, and the front three have been one of the best D-Lines in 2013
- At all cost, Chicago must avoid a loss to Cleveland in week seventeen; lost to them earlier in year
Prediciton
Chicago faces a tough July that I think will knock them out of the playoffs. The Rush are a good team but looking at their remaining schedule you see Philadelphia who has hit their stride by winning six of seven, Arizona who is the AFL's top ranked team, and San Jose who is 10-4 in their own right. Chicago will finish with nine wins and miss the postseason by one game.
San Antonio Talons - (8-6), tied for first in the central, tied for first in division
The Talons have had a whirlwind 2013, which has seen five different quarterbacks make a start and six different ment take a snap. Injuries have also turned the receiving core behing Jomo Wilson into a revolving door. The one thing that has San Antonio in the mix is the AFL's best defense, which has been a very healthy unit. Under Rohan Davey's guidance San Antonio had a great month of June, winning four of five games that featured a thrilling 42-41 victory of Utah, a critical 61-54 win at Chicago, and wins at New Orleans and Iowa by a total of four points. The only dark patch was a 70-21 dismantling at Arizona, but since San Antonio has won three straight with all of them coming on the road. The Talons head into July riding a full wave of momentum and are looking for a second straight division title.
Key Stats
- Rohan Davey 78-141, 899 yards, 15 TD, 6 Int; 26 rush yards, 3 rush TD (4 games)
- Chad Cook 68 rush, 198 yards, 10 TD (13 games)
- Jomo Wilson 86 rec, 1116 yards, 23 TD (14 games)
- D.J. Stephens 37 rec, 452 yards, 6 TD; 4 Kick-ret TD (9 games)
- Brent Holmes 35 rec, 431 yards, 4 TD (4 games)
- Xavier Lee 577 pass yards, 8 TD, 5 Int; 30 rush yards, 5 TD; 204 rec yards, 3 TD (7 games)
- Fred Shaw 56 tackles, 9 Int, 2 Def TD (14 games)
- Jamar Ransom 74.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 6 Int, 3 Fumb Rec, 3 Def TD (14 games)
- Carlton Brown 60 tackles, 5 Int, Fumb Rec (14 games)
- Andre Jones 64 tackles, 3 Int, 2 Fumb Rec (14 games)
- Joe Sykes 10 sacks, 3 FF (14 games)
- Tim McGill 5 sacks, FF, blocked kick (14 games)
July Schedule
Week 16 - @ San Jose
Week 17 - vs. Tampa Bay
Week 18 - @ Spokane
Week 19 - vs. Philadelphia
Home Stretch Outlook
- Rohan Davey seems to have fit in at quarterback by using his veteran experience to help guide San Antonio to big win after big win
- Jomo Wilson has been a beast, catching 86 passes for 1116 yards and 23 touchdowns; but no other receiver has caught 40 passes or hit the 500-yard mark which could be an issue going forward
- Xavier Lee is the do it all offensive weapon that provides an intersting spark for this Talon offense
-San Antonio has a fair July schedule that will be a great playoff test against San Jose and Spokane
- This Talon defense has been a great unit all season and should be the deciding factor of the central division
Prediciton
The Talons look to have finally found a solid option at quarterback and pose the AFL's top defense. Depsite being paired with the best division in all of Arena Football the Talons have a shot because the saying goes "defense wins championships." It is not going to be easy, but San Antonio will pull even in July and finish with ten wins which will give them a second consecutive division title.
Iowa Barnstormers - (6-9), last in the central, 2.5 games back in the central division
The Barnstormers have had a tough 2013, a season where they have been on the wrong end of too many close games. June prooved to be not much different as Iowa saw a pair of last-second defeats to begin and end the month. A last second touchdown by Tampa Bay (65-62) and a blocked field goal by San Antonio (35-34) are two summer results that have the Barnstormers in such a deep hole entering July. A 37-33 win at Cleveland and a huge 73-68 win against San Jose had the 'Stormers on a third two-game winning streak, but the momentum was halted by a 54-30 drumming at the hands of Philadelphia in week fourteen. Iowa enters July on a two-game skid but has an easy schedule to look at for hope of a late playoff push.
Key Stats
- J.J. Raterink 303-492, 3545 yards, 70 TD, 12 Int; 7 rush TD (15 games)
- Marco Thomas 118 rec, 1343 yards, 27 TD; 87 rush yards, 4 TD (13 games)
- Marcus Harris 86 rec, 1132 yards, 19 TD (12 games)
- Jesse Schmidt 59 rec, 584 yards, 16 TD (10 games)
- Darius Reynolds 37 rec, 480 yards, 11 TD (9 games)
- De'Mon Glanton 81.5 tackles, 6 Int, Def TD (14 games)
- Ter'Ran Benton 67 tackles, 5 Int, Fumb Rec, Def TD (14 games)
- Erick McIntosh 3 Int, 2 Fumb Rec, Def TD (11 games)
- John Mohring 63.5 tackles, 2 Int, Fumb Rec, 2 Def TD (13 games)
- Mike Lewis 12.5 sacks, 6 FF, blocked kick (15 games)
July Schedule
Week 16 - Bye
Week 17 - @ Orlando
Week 18 - vs. Utah
Week 19 - vs. Arizona
Home Stretch Outlook
- Iowa has been on the wrong end of four late-game losses this season which has painted a 6-9 picture
- The only way Iowa is making the playoffs is if they can have a perfect July and get a lot of help from the opponents of San Antonio and Chicago
- J.J. Raterink has put together another good season, Marcus Harris and Marco Thomas have both had breakout years
- Mike Lewis leads the AFL with 12.5 sacks and has behind him a deep secondary crew of McIntosh, Jason Simpson, Mohring, Benton, and Glanton.
- It's hard to put a finger on the reason for soo many close losses by Iowa this year, for their sake hopefully a playoff berth is still attainable heading into the rest of July
- The July schedule looks favorable, especially with Arizona week nineteen where they might rest some players, and can set Iowa up for a late run but in order for it to matter help has to come first
Prediciton
Iowa is clearly better than their 6-9 record, but at the end of the day they face a 2.5 game deficit in the central with four weeks to play and face an uphil climb. I say they finish with eight wins, but will miss the postseason.
Central Standings heading into Week 16 Team
Overal record (division record)
Chicago
8-6 (2-2) x = clinched playoff berth
San Antonio 8-6
(2-2) y = clinched division
Iowa 6-9
(2-2) z = clinched home field advantage
National
Conference Wild Card
Standings
Spokane 10-4
San Jose 10-4 (0 games
back)
---------------------------
San Antonio 8-6 (2 games out)
Chicago 8-6 (2 games
out)
Next up is the West Division's Turn into the Home Stretch!
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