Page 44 - Fl Stats News Today

The signing of Bryan Randall by the Pittsburgh Power was seemingly a quiet transaction announced on Wednesday. Or was it? Taking a player out of the IFL might be yet another signal that the AFL is in trouble and is going the wrong direction.

Another late comeback was not to be. Entering the final quarter with a seven point lead, the Rush stepped on the gas and pulled away to a comfortable 58-30 victory.

Never before in Arena Football League history have two teams played against each other in back-to-back ArenaBowls. All of that is going to change in ArenaBowl XXVI in Orlando, as the Arizona Rattlers and the Philadelphia Soul are going to be playing for the Foster Trophy for the second consecutive season.

Apparently, someone forgot to tell us all that Week 9 was opposite week. After a week in which everything seemed to go against the grain, Week 10 featured restored order across the Arena Football League, as the world returned to its axis, and the teams which we've thought to be the best in the league all year long have gone back to playing like it.

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In a world where scores can easily reach into the 60s, 70s, and 80's, the Chicago Rush look at things a little bit differently. Defense CAN help to win games in the Arena Football League. In three of the past four seasons, the Rush has held their opponents to an average of under 50 points per game.

Any fan of arena football simply couldn't have asked for a better matchup. The three-time defending ArenaBowl champion Arizona Rattlers against the 17-1 San Jose SaberCats, the former looking to do the implausible in professional sports, and the latter looking to unleash three consecutive seasons of postseason revenge. And to top it all off with a trip to ArenaBowl XVIII on the line. The result? Arguably the best Arena Football League game of all-time.

Bad things come in threes, and in this case to No. 3s. For the third consecutive week, the No. 3 team in the Exchange rankings lost, with Chicago missing out on an opportunity to virtually seal a division championship by losing to the Talons in San Antonio.

The result of the actions of Nix earned him a one-game suspension and a $1000 fine, which are being appealed by the Players Association. In my eyes, the general rule of thumb with cheap shots should be that the guy making the cheap shot should be suspended for at least one game longer than the injured player. Since Graz is going to miss 3-4 weeks, Nix should be on the shelf for at least 4-5.

The Portland Thunder trimmed their roster to near regular season numbers only two days after a very successful energetic and occasionally hotly contested live scrimmage Saturday, May 1st. Playing in front of a large group of media and hundreds of season-ticket holders, players literally and figuratively threw themselves against the wall in a collective last-minute attempt to remain with the team.