Today the first game of the Pittsburgh Power season is going to be underway. I know that they aren’t very popular, and they probably never will be. I enjoy watching them when I can, and I hope that we can get more interest in them at least here on the forum. This will be the third season for the Power in Pittsburgh, who play their home games at the CONSOL Energy Center.
In 1987, when Arena Football began, the Pittsburgh Gladiators were one of the original four teams. The Gladiators went on to lose Arena Bowl 1 (Super bowl of Arena Football) to the Denver Dynamite. Two seasons later, the Gladiators would go onto lose Arena Bowl 3 to the Detroit Drive. The following season was the Gladiators last season in Pittsburgh because the teams Co-Owner Bob Greis decided to move the team to Tampa Bay.
In 2011, Arena Football had an expansion. Pittsburgh would have an AFL team once again. It was at that time the AFL’s policy to give expansion teams in markets that previously had teams the same name that they previously had. However, the AFL team in Cleveland’s team name is the Gladiators, so that required Pittsburgh to be given a new team name. That team is called the Power. Incidentally, the Power’s logo is a thunderbolt, the same as a previous Cleveland team, the Cleveland Thunderbolts. In 2010 it was announced that Matt Shaner would be the principle owner and GM of the team. Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann is also part of the ownership group.
If I’m being 100% honest with you, I don’t know jack squat about this team, or even Arena Football for that matter. But I am Pittsburgh Sports fan through and through (with the exception of Pitt). I am interested, and I love football. Last years team did not have very much success. The Power finished the year 5-13 and finished at the bottom of the East Division. This season the team will be coached by Derek Stingley.
In Arena football, the playing field is the exact length of an NHL rink. The playing field is 50 yards long, and each end zone is 8 yards long. During play, each team fields 8 players from a 20 man roster.
From Wikipedia “Four offensive players must be on the line of scrimmage at the snap; one of the linemen must declare himself the Tight End. One offensive player may be moving forward at the time of the snap. Three defensive players must be in a three- or four-point stance at the start of the snap. Two defenders serve as linebackers, called the Mac and the Jack. The Mac may blitz from the side of the line opposite the offensive Tight End. The Jack's role has changed after new rules set in place by the league in 2008. The Jack cannot blitz, but under new, more defense-friendly rules, the Jack Linebacker may roam sideline to sideline within five yards of the line of scrimmage and drop into coverage once the Quarterback pump fakes.[3] (Before this rule, the Jack could not drop back into coverage until the ball is thrown or the Quarterback is no longer in the pocket, and the Jack had to stay within the box designated by the outside shoulders of the offensive line, the line of scrimmage, and five (5) yards back from the line of scrimmage.)”
The Power have 2 quarterbacks on their roster for the upcoming season. Shane Austin, and Jordan Jefferson. Austin, is a 23 year old quarterback who played college football at the University of Hawaii. This will be his first year with the team. The starting quarterback however, will be Jordan Jefferson. You college football fans may recall that Jefferson played his college football at Louisiana State University for Coach Les Miles. Jefferson started 32 games in his 4 years at LSU, throwing 34 touchdowns and throwing 20 interceptions in that time. He also had 12 rushing touchdowns in his time spent at LSU. He should be a pleasant addition to the Power offense this season, and should be a fun guy to watch.
The Power’s wide receiving core this year will consist of Mike Washington, Christian Wise, Curtis Walls, James Robinson, Perry Baker, PJ Berry, and Shamar Graves. Wise will be doubling as a defensive back, and Berry will be kick returning. Washington, like Shane Austin, also played his college ball at the University of Hawaii. The past two seasons, Washington has led the Power in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Expect him to step up big for the Power this year, especially when teamed up with Jordan Jefferson. Wise played college football at Clark Atlanta University, a Division 2 school. Last season was his first with the Power. He has been in the AFL for the last 3 seasons. Curtis Walls played college football at North Carolina A&T, where he was a four year letterman. He has signed on for his first season with the Power. Robinson is also going to be in his first season with the power. He has spent time in the AFL with other teams, and on multiple NFL practice squads in 2011 as well. Robinson is currently on the injured reserve list. Baker played collegiate football at Fairmont State University. Perry is the younger brother of ex Steeler Dallas Baker, and nephew of Wes Chandler who was a 4 time NFL pro-bowler. Baker was on the team last year, but only had one reception after his season was cut short by injury. Berry was an All-American football player at Virginia State. Berry has had a very successful AFL career since 2010. In 2011, Berry was the AFL Ironman of the year. The Ironman award celebrates the player who is the ultimate team competitor and is valuable on both sides of the ball throughout and entire AFL season. He is also a very successful kick returner in the AFL. Finally, Shamar Graves is in his first season with the Power as well. He played his collegiate ball at Rutgers. Last season he played for Jacksonville in the AFL, and had 7 touchdowns. He should be a good addition to the team. Graves is currently on the injured reserve list.
This season at the defensive back position, the Power will have Christian Wise (Who I already spoke about), Tank Calais, Chris LeFlore, Brandon Freeman, and Sergio Gilliam. Calais is in his first season with the Power. He play college ball at Louisiana Tech where he lettered for 3 years. He is currently on the injured reserve list. LeFlore is returning for his second season in Pittsburgh. LeFlore was an All-American honorable mention player when he played ball at Northwest Missouri State University. LeFlore spent his first season in the AFL in 2011 with Dallas. Last season for the Power, he set the franchise interception record with 9 interceptions. He is also the only player in this franchise’s short history to record 2 interceptions in one game. Freeman played college ball at UMASS, where he was a large part of their defense and special teams. This is his third year in the AFL, and first with the Power. He spent last season with the Chicago Rush, recording 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble to go along with with over 40 tackles. Gilliam was a two year starter at Clemson. Gilliam is now a 3 year AFL veteran, and is in Pittsburgh for his first season with the power. Expect Gilliam to step up and be a HUGE part of the Power this upcoming season.
Now lets take a look at the Power offensive lineman for the upcoming year. The Power have 4 offensive lineman on their roster right now. Beau Elliot, Colton Jones, Jason Thomas, and Daverin Geralds. Let’s start with Elliot. Elliot was a 3 year starter at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Elliot is in his second season with the Power, and before that he played Center for the Chicago Rush for 3 seasons. Colton Jones is a rookie who played college ball at Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Jason Thomas is in his second AFL season, first with the Power. He started five games last year for Jacksonville. Daverin Geralds played football at Ole Miss before playing 2 seasons with New Orleans in the AFL. He started 8 games for New Orleans in 2011. This will be his first season in Pittsburgh.
On the defensive side of the line, the Power will have Neil Purvis, Darius Powell, Dominie Pittman, and Willie McGinnis. Purvis was a four year started at Virginia State, three year captain, and earned All-Conference all four years. This is his third season with the power, and 7th in the AFL. Expect him to lead the team on defense. Young played nose tackle and fullback and the University of Pittsburgh, and later at IUP. Powell started his collegiate career at the University of North Carolina, before transferring to Fayetteville State University for his senior year. The past two years he has spent playing football in the Canadian Football League. Pittman played defensive end at North Alabama, and he was dominant. After that, he spent two seasons in the CFL, before coming to Pittsburgh for his first season last year. He will be another major factor for the Power defense. McGinnis is a rookie out of Rhode Island University.
The rushing game for the Power this season will involve Kirby Griffin, Brandon Link, and Tyre Young. Griffin played collegiate football at California Pennsylvania. He has spent the last two seasons in Jacksonville for the AFL, and he was a very accomplished rusher in his time spent there. Link is a rookie who played offensive line in college. Finally, Young played college ball at University of Pittsburgh, and later at IUP. He played nose tackle and fullback in college. He will be part of the Power offense for his second year, and he has been in the AFL since 2010.
Linebacker for the Power this season will consist of Gary Butler, Alvin Ray Jackson, and Ryan Lewis. Butler played college ball at California PA. After college, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, but nothing came of it. After that he spent two seasons in the CFL, and has spent the past two leading this line backing core of the Power. He will most definitely be one of the leaders of this defense this coming season. Jackson was a punt returner and wide receiver in college, but has played on the defensive side of the ball ever since. He has been in the AFL since 2010, and this is his second year with Pittsburgh. He led the league with 14 interceptions last season. Lewis was a four year starter at Bethune-Cookman. This is his first season in the AFL.
Kicking field goals for the Power will be Josh Czajkowski, rookie from NC State.
There you have it. Now you know a little something about this 2013 Pittsburgh Power team, and you can be ready to watch. Something worth noting is that for each game it is a 20 man active roster, so not all of these players will be active for tonight's game. The Power kick off their season tonight at the CONSOL Energy Center vs the Utah Blaze. The Blaze finished their season with a 12-6 record. I will start at Game Day Thread for tonight’s game, but sadly, I cannot promise me being in their consistently tonight. I will be posting a stream to watch tonights game in that thread as well. Go Power!
