in Other Betting Trends

Tampa Bay Storm (9-7 in 2007, lost in first round to Columbus)

Odds to win ArenaBowl XXII: +600

Was there a better feel-good story in 2007 than the Tampa Bay Storm? With the death of the wife of FB Nyle Wiren and the father of FB Torrance Marshall, the Tampa Bay family was shaken. Football was clearly the 2nd thing on the Storm players’ minds, but in spite of that and a 1-6 start to the season, they rallied together to roll off seven victories in eight games to clinch a home playoff game. Most of the Storm remains intact, which will immediately pay dividends for the five-time champs as they contend for the ArenaBowl once again in 2008.

2007 Highlight: Emotions ran high in the Week 17 clash between the Storm and the Austin Wranglers. While it was the last game in Austin Wranglers AFL history, the Storm knew that a win would preserve them a home playoff game. In a game that was back and forth the entire way, the Storm tied the game for the final time with 0:51 remaining on WR Terrill Shaw’s 3rd TD grab of the night. Austin kicked a FG with 0:30 left, but Marshall’s one-yard TD plunge with 0:08 remaining sealed the deal for the Storm.

2007 Lowlight: Coming off of their first victory of the season, the Storm headed into Orlando to take on their arch-rivals after getting beaten by 25 points in their first outing of the season. For the second straight game against the Storm, the Predators defense was unrelenting, holding Tampa Bay to 37 points in the 61-37 victory, and knocking out starting QB Stoney Case for the season in the process.

Key acquisition: WR Sedrick Robinson (1636 all-purpose yards, 9 TDs in 2007 for Austin). In a free agent move that slipped quietly under the radar, the Storm landed Robinson, widely known as one of the best kick returners in the AFL. He has experience at both WR and DB, and can be a great asset in all three phases of the game for the Storm.

Key loss: FB Rodney Filer (94 rushing yards, 9 TDs in 2007). The only significant loss for the Storm in the off-season wasn’t even on the team most of 2007. Racking up nine TDs in just four games, Filer suffered a leg injury that ended his season against the New York Dragons. Marshall replaced Filer well as the FB, and he should continue to carry that load in 2008.

2008 Preview: The only starting positions that the Storm have to fill from the end of last season are at OL and DL. The entire receiving corps is intact, as is the secondary. If second year QB Brett Dietz can keep his consistent play from the end of ’07 going, the Storm should be a major player in the playoffs again in ‘08.

2008 will be a success if… Dietz avoids a sophomore slump. Not all of Brett Dietz’s games were phenomenal by any stretch of the imagination, but he only threw seven interceptions over the course of 300 pass attempts. If he continues to protect the football and let his receivers do all the dirty work, there will be no stopping Tampa Bay this season.

It’s been five years since the Storm have won a divisional championship, and Head Coach Tim Marcum has probably seen enough of other teams at the head of his division.

Prediction: 11-5, 1st place Southern Division

Orlando Predators (8-8 in 2007, lost in first round to Philadelphia)

Odds to win ArenaBowl XXII: +1000

For one of the proudest franchises in the AFL, finishing 8-8 in the regular season and losing in the first round of the playoffs is unacceptable. The Orlando Predators responded by replacing all but four starters from the end of last season. The newly infused talent is expected to make an immediate impact in Orlando, or Head Coach Jay Gruden may be on the hot seat.

2007 Highlight: Signing free agent QB Shane Stafford from Tampa Bay in 2006 was the talk of the AFL. His first game in black and red was in Tampa Bay against his former mates. The result was a resounding 52-27 victory where the Preds excelled in all three phases of the game.

2007 Lowlight: The very next week, the Preds came home for a nationally televised game with the Los Angeles Avengers. The Avengers were supposed to be rebuilding, but it was the Predators who came up short on this night. In a defensive struggle, the Predators forced overtime on Javarus Dudley’s TD grab with 0:07 to go. In the extra frame though, Dudley dropped what would’ve been the tying TD on a similar route with no DB around him. The Preds lost their home opener 44-37.

Key acquisition: LB Stevie Baggs (3 sacks with Edmonton and Winnipeg of the CFL in 2007). Perhaps the most talented rookie amongst the eleven on the Predators, Baggs will take over the “Mack” linebacker role vacated by Lance Mitchell’s departure in free agency. At 6’2” with a huge wingspan, Baggs will surely wreck havoc on opposing QB’s all season.

Key loss: DE Greg White (AFL record 15 sacks in 2007). White won ADT Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2007 for his phenomenal season at defensive end. There isn’t a talent in the AFL you can just plug in to replace a player of White’s stature, but signing former Predator DE BJ Cohen should at least help ease the pain of losing the best defensive lineman in the league.

2008 Preview: It should be fun to watch an incredibly young Orlando team play this season. The offense may struggle with continuity, but the secondary has two of the all-time greats in Kenny “The Glove” McIntyre and Damon Mason together, and former 1st round pick of the Green Bay Packers Ahmad Carroll to join them. The tandem of Stevie Baggs and Marlon Moye-Moore should be the best linebacking corps in the league.

2008 will be a success if… the defense doesn’t let the team down. Historically, the Predators are a team built on playing hard-nosed defense, and this year should be no exception. If the defensive front can pressure opposing QBs, receivers will have a tremendously difficult time getting open around McIntyre, Mason, and Carroll.

There should be plenty of ups and downs for such a young ball club, but the Predators aren’t that far away from being a championship team once again.

Prediction: 9-7, 2nd place Southern Division

Georgia Force (14-2 in 2007, lost National Conference Championship to Columbus)

Odds to win ArenaBowl XXII: +550

When the Force brought together Troy Bergeron, Derek Lee, and Chris Jackson as their receiving corps, the job of first-year starting QB Chris Greisen was supposed to be easy. An AFL record 117 TD passes was the result for the Forces field general. Only Bergeron remains from a team that came up just short in its championship aspirations, which should make 2008 an uphill battle for the Force.

2007 Highlight: It was teacher vs. student in the much-anticipated match-up of the undefeated Dallas Desperados and the one-loss Georgia Force in Week 8. Greisen, formerly Dallas QB Clint Dolezel’s backup, taught the teacher a thing or two, tossing an AFL record-tying 10 TD passes en route to a mildly shocking 78-63 victory.

2007 Lowlight: After suffering a loss to the Columbus Destroyers earlier in the season, the Force had revenge on their minds when they took on their former QB Matt Nagy and the Destroyers in the National Conference title game. The heavily favored Force came out of the blocks flat, but used three straight TDs in the 2nd half to take their first lead at 49-48 with 9:28 to go in the game. Columbus responded with back-to-back TDs, a deficit which the Force would never overcome, ultimately allowing the Destroyers a trip to ArenaBowl XXI by the count of 66-56.

Key acquisition: R-Kal Truluck (did not play in 2007). Truluck had stints in both the CFL and NFL between his previous time in the AFL and now. It may be six years since Truluck has played, but when he was with the Detroit Fury in 2001-02, Truluck made the All-Arena team twice. His job is to replace the departed Mike Sutton, who underachieved last year, recording only three sacks.

Key loss: WR’s Derek Lee and Chris Jackson (combined 228 receptions, 2801 yards, 67 TDs in 2007). The three-headed monster at receiver helped the Force put up a whopping 62.9 PPG last season, but now with only Bergeron remaining, the task for QB Greisen in his second season as a starting QB is that much harder.

2008 Preview: Not only did the 14-2 team from last year lose almost 3000 yards worth of offense, they also lost three starters on defense, who accounted for 119.5 tackles, 11 sacks, and five interceptions. Though there aren’t many familiar “names” replacing the departed, if there’s a coach who can evaluate young talent in this league, it’s Force Head Coach Doug Plank.

2008 will be a success if… Bergeron finds a way to pick up the slack left by Lee and Jackson. Of the three receivers from last year, Bergeron is the most explosive. DB’s will have a difficult time covering him even if he is the only deep threat on the team. Look for #22 to find the end zone at least 50 times this year for the Force to have a chance of sticking around in the always difficult Southern Division.

Though the Force were one of the best teams in the league last year, they’re a far cry from it this year. Expect Georgia to take a massive step backwards from last year’s 14-2 mark, but they might be a “Force’ to be reckoned with down the road once the new guys become familiar playing with one another.

Prediction: 8-8, 3rd place Southern Division

New Orleans VooDoo (5-11 in 2007, missed playoffs)

Odds to win ArenaBowl XXII: +3500

The New Orleans VooDoo returned to the AFL in 2007 following a one year hiatus caused by the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina. The team was basically an expansion team, and played like it for most of the year. With several key players from that team gone, it is likely to be a long year once again in “The Graveyard”.

2007 Highlight: Little did they know that they were playing the eventual conference champs, but the VooDoo made their triumphant return to “The Graveyard” in Week 2 against the Columbus Destroyers. Behind 17,001 fans, the New Orleans defense held on to a 52-45 victory after stopping the Destroyers on downs late in the game.

2007 Lowlight: The New Orleans offense had absolutely no success in a nationally televised game against the Philadelphia Soul in Week 12. With both teams fighting for one of the last playoff spots in the National Conference, the VooDoo turned the ball over five times and let the Soul go on a 44-0 run, including 16 points scored directly by the Philly defense. The 78-34 defeat was the worst loss in VooDoo history.

Key acquisition: LB Umar Muhammad (35.5 tackles, 8 sacks in 2007 with Georgia). At times last year, the VooDoo had the most porous defense in the AFL. They allowed 60+ points nine times, including in each of the last six games of the season. Muhammad brings a physical veteran presence that will surely help get some pressure on opposing QBs.

Key loss: WR Derrick Lewis (139 receptions, 1903 yards, and 41 TDs in 2007 for Austin). The biggest loss for the VooDoo was actually an acquisition. A native of New Orleans, Lewis was signed as a free agent following the Wranglers leaving the AFL. Early in camp, Lewis suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for the entire 2008 season.

2008 Preview: Second year QB Steve Bellisari will have his hands full this season without Lewis’ help. Last year’s top two receivers (Tyronne Jones and Kenny Henderson) are both also gone, while the defense will be without their top sack man from a year ago, Henry Taylor, and of the top five tacklers from last year’s team, only DB Chris Brown returns.

2008 will be a success if… Bellisari shows signs of improvement. Bellisari came into the 2007 season as backup to AFL legend Andy Kelly. He played in nine games, and threw 12 INTs in just 304 attempts. The wins probably aren’t coming this year, but at least if Bellisari can limit his mistakes and grow into a legitimate AFL QB, there will be hope for the future when Lewis returns in 2009.

There’s very little hope for New Orleans competing with Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Georgia in the South without their top free agent prize, and though Head Coach Mike Neu has a history of fielding teams that fight hard, the VooDoo will be on the short end of most of the games they play this season.

Prediction: 2-14, 4th place Southern Division

Go to the online sports betting action available!