The 2012 Arena Football League playoffs are now set after a wild week of games. Check out how everything went down in the final week of the season, and when and where your favorite of the eight teams will be playing this coming week for the first round of the playoffs.
SOUTH JORDAN One of the valuable lessons Caesar Rayford learned during his professional football career was to be prepared not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well as it can be the difference between success or falling short of your goal.
And the one-time defensive end, who had stints in the National Football League, Canadian Football League and with the Utah Blaze of the now-defunct Arena Football League, sees the same mentality as he tackles his next career Amazon.
At 6-foot-7, the native of Washington state casts an imposing figure that drew fear from opposing players, but these days he is using his talents to be a coach to the associates he supervises as an area manager at Amazon s South Jordan fulfillment center.
Adam Markowitz
Wednesday August 8, 2012
NEW ORLEANS This year in the Arena Football League, we saw four quarterbacks throw for over 5,000 yards and six throw for at least 107 TDs. We watched as Tommy Grady rewrote the record books, throwing for 5,870 yards and 142 TDs on a whopping 743 pass attempts. The Philadelphia Soul went out and signed Clint Dolezel, one of the four men to throw for over 40,000 yards in a career and one of the three to throw for at least 900 TDs, to be their offensive coordinator. Yet after all of this mention of the passing game, it is the rushing game that really gave Philadelphia the edge in 2012.
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And now. the moment that you all have been waiting for. The Week 7 Dubious Distinctions!
The Sparky McEwen Bonehead Coaching Move of the Week:
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz Head Coach Sparky McEwen successfully ran the Grand Rampage into the ground for three seasons, finishing 13-35 and drawing the ire of many across the state of Michigan. This award will be handed out to the head coach who displayed the most ineptitude for the week.
And the award goes to.
Ernesto Purnsley, Utah Blaze: I mean, really. Really. I may have to rename this award. Coach, I understand that you left play calling at the end of your game against the Milwaukee Iron up to one of your coordinators, but ultimately, if they screw up, you take the fall. The Blaze had every chance in the world to pull the biggest upset of the season and beat the Iron, but somehow, they snapped defeat from the jaws of victory. With the game tied at 48 with 0:55 to play facing 3rd down and goal to go with neither team having a timeout