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?
Mistakes and missed opportunities are the best way to describe the play of the Milwaukee Mustangs (3-5) as they were defeated by the Cleveland Gladiators (5-3) 69-48.
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.
Most of the attention this offseason for the Chicago Rush, and deservedly so, has gone toward their ownership debacle. Going from getting a new owner with only months to go prior to the season, the owner getting terminated from the league due to not securing sponsorships or a lease with the Allstate Arena, being taken back over by the league, and then getting another new owner with just five weeks to go before the 2013 season definitely warrants the attention of both the fans and the rest of the league.