Thyron Lewis News Today

After a five-year hiatus, the Arena Football is back for season number 33. Some familiar franchise names are back, along with a few expansion teams and some that played in other indoor and arena leagues last season. Below is a capsule of the 16-team league with early preseason roster analysis.

Destiny against Dynasty. Everything is on the line when the Cleveland Gladiators face the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXVII on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Can the Glads continue their magical run and become the first Arena Football League team to win 20 games in one season while delivering Cleveland's first pro title in 50 years? Or will Arizona stake its claim as the best franchise in AFL history by winning a third consecutive championship in four ArenaBowl appearances?

It was supposed to be the culmination of one of the greatest seasons ever by an Arena Football team. A win at home in ArenaBowl XXVII would have brought the city of Cleveland its first pro sports championship since the Cleveland Browns won the NFL title in 1964.

Last weekend, the Cleveland Gladiators offense didn't look like an ArenaBowl unit. Fast forward one week as Cleveland quarterback Shane Austin appeared fully refreshed.

CLEVELAND- The dynasty is officially continuing. The Arizona Rattlers have completed their three-peat. They knocked off the Cleveland Gladiators 72-32 to win ArenaBowl XXVII in the biggest blowout in ArenaBowl history. The Rattlers are now the second team to win three straight ArenaBowl titles.

After a season of heart-stopping finishes and miracle comebacks, the luck ran out and the clock struck midnight for the Cleveland Gladiators on Saturday night as the Arizona Rattlers ascended to dynasty status with a dominating 72-32 victory in ArenaBowl XXVII at Quicken Loans Arena.

So many teams that are new to the Arena Football League have to deal with the best of the best, and if you are in the Western Conference, wins are a rarity. For the Los Angeles KISS, wins were not only scarce, but staying in games were just as difficult.

CLEVELAND - Let the disappointment sink in. Cleveland's golden night was anything but. A sellout crowd? Not quite. The free shirts cleverly masked empty seats, but make no mistake about it, the place wasn't full. A no-fly zone? Not even close. No big hits. In its place, plenty of broken coverages. A backup quarterback turned ArenaBowl winner? Shane Austin forced throws he never had.

Cleveland has made winning look hard of late, whether it was having to come back late against Philadelphia or trailing all evening in Pittsburgh. It doesn't have to be.

This is the first ArenaFan AFL Power Ranking for the 2015 season. The offseason has seen much activity across the league that included teams leaving and one joining as well as major roster activity that saw teams completely rebuild for the coming season. Jacksonville has made the biggest jump in the ranking from where they finished 2014 while Cleveland takes the biggest drop.