2011 Arena Football League Predictions
By Red Dog Sports
The 2011 season of the Arena Football League begins on Friday, March 11. Here are my predictions for this year.
1. Spokane - The defending champions will be good again this year. Their fans support the team, they have a good defense and are led by a good quarterback in Kyle Rowley. Can they repeat?
2. San Jose - The Sabercats are former AFL champions and should be strong again. Mark Grieb has plenty of experience as a top notch quarterback.
3. Philadelphia - The Soul return to the AFL again. They won an AFL title under singer Jon Bon Jovi and have made the right moves in their return. They brought in coach Mike Hohensee from Chicago and will be quarterbacked by Justin Allgood, who played at Tulsa last year. They have good wide receivers and a good defense too.
4. Jacksonville - The Sharks have Aaron Garica at QB and he is one of the best all-time signal callers in the AFL. They should be near the top all season long.
5. Orlando - The Predators could move up our ratings as the year progresses. They have quarterback Nick Hill, and wide outs TT Tolliver and Josh Bush. They will be very strong on offense and that wins games in the AFL.
6. Arizona - The Rattlers return QB Nik Davila. They were an underrated team last year and should make the playoffs as they did last year.
7. Chicago - Losing their head coach will hurt them but they were one of the top defenses last year even though they lose a few players. It may take a game or two to figure out Chicago.
8. Cleveland - They are led by QB John Dutton, who has been a good quarterback in the Arena League but always seems to toss interceptions at the worst time. The Gladiators could surprise or be middle of the pack depending on QB play.
9. New Orleans - The Voodoo were at Bossier City/Shreveport last year. Danny Wimprine is their quarterback but the team may struggle on defense. Their offensive line needs work too. Wide out Derrick Lewis should be a leader on this team that may make the playoffs.
10. Kansas City - The KC Command have JJ Raterink at QB. They should have a solid team on offense and defense and need to gel as the season progresses. They could surprise but will probably be middle of the pack.
11. Dallas - Clint Dolezel is the coach this year. The Vigilantes were the pick to win it all last year but an injury to their QB led to their downfall. Can they upgrade in 2011? I wouldn't be shocked to see this team finish higher or they could fall apart as they did in 2010.
12. Utah - The Blaze should surprise in 2011 as they made some key changes this year. They started last season as the worst team in the AFL but did slowly turn into a decent squad as the year progressed. Can they make the playoffs?
13. Milwaukee - They were the Iron last year and led by Chris Griessen, who is now gone from the AFL. They are now the Mustangs and time will tell if they picked up a QB who can play in this league.
14. Iowa - The Barnstormers signed QB Brad Banks to lead the team. They need help on offense and defense and should finish below .500.
15. Georgia - The Force picked up Brett Elliott to play quarterback from Utah. They could surprise with their play but I expect them to be near the bottom of the league with plenty of better talented teams ahead of them.
16. Pittsburgh - The Power are a true expansion team in 2011. It should take them awhile to get going.
17. Tulsa - The Talons lost plenty from last year, as QB Justin Allgood moves on to Philadelphia. They should be near the bottom in 2011.
18. Tampa Bay - Coach Marcum resigned from the team. Tampa started bad last year and got much better. They have lost their preseason scrimmages badly so far. Will they make the necessary changes to contend and improve in 2011?