Rush Overcome Mistakes ... Beat Barnstormers

There are times that I love the phrase ... "I'd rather be lucky than good."  As I watched the Iowa Barnstormers take on the Chicago Rush, those words came to mind as Iowa seemed to be the beneficiary of several lucky turn of events in the second and third quarters.  Unfortunately, I missed the first quarter of the game, coming in to find Iowa well in the lead.  But they couldn't hold it, and as I predicted, Chicago walked away with the victory.

Let's not sell Iowa short.  They put up a great fight.  They kept the game interesting.  They took advantage of some lucky turn of events and for a while there, it appeared that Iowa may be able to pull of an upset.  But unlike Chicago's home game against Kansas City, they didn't shoot themselves in the foot, pulled themselves together, and put the points on the board to give them a nice ten point lead to win the game.

Yeah, I know ... several Kansas City fans are Barnstormer fans.  Well, I'm not one of them.  I started off a Chicago Rush fan before there was an AFL team in Kansas City, and even when I was really into the Brigade, it was hard not to be a Chicago Rush fan first.  So, while the Kansas City Command are out of the playoff, and the Iowa Barnstormer fans have seen their playoff hopes fade to black.  I can sit back and wait for the post season that will include the Chicago Rush.

So, what's next for Chicago?  The Rush host the Utah Blaze, who have their own problems they've been overcoming.  Chicago will be facing a team that is now 2-5 on the road, while the Rush are 7-1 at home.  Chicago is 6-2 within the Division, while Utah is only 3-3.  So, as long as Chicago doesn't shoot themselves in the foot.  As long as they do not too many mistakes, they should be able to walk away with a win against the Utah Blaze in Week 17.  Week 18 may be a different story as they are away against the Georgia Force.

Command Come Close ... But Mistakes Take Game Away

The Kansas City Command made another appearance on the NFL network last night as they faced the Utah Blaze in Salt Lake City.  Unfortunately, for those who had dreams of a possible wildcard position in the playoffs, that came to an end last night as the Command lost by one point ... 61-60.  This time you couldn't lay the blame at the feet of the Quarterback.  You really couldn't lay it at the feet of the defense.  This time, you have to sit back and look at the terrible performance by Kicker Brian Umstead.

Three missed extra points, including one in the final minute of the game that could have tied and put the game into overtime.  Now, granted, the last kick was blocked, but the defender was on the ground reaching up, a little more elevation and the ball would have been clear.  But what of the other two points that should have been on the board?

Overall, it was a good game.  There was an interception, but considering the past for the Command, that is a major improvement.  The team now needs to sit down and work on its mistakes.  Penalties, dropped coverage, and they really need to consider replacing Umstead unless he can pull it together and stop missing extra points.

So, what's in store for the Command for the rest of the season?  With the playoff hopes out of the picture, its time to focus on next year, and they need to focus on two critical issues.  Team Performance and getting their Brigade fans back behind them.  Week 17 for the Command is a bye.  Then they head to Iowa to take on the Barnstormers before playing the final two games at home against Jacksonville and Tulsa.  With this new Quarterback, I am actually going to give the team the benefit of the doubt and say that they could feasibly win two of their final three games.  I don't know if they can take the Jacksonville Sharks, but Iowa and Tulsa are definite possibilities.

Kansas City Upsets Cleveland! 50-41

The team said that there would be some changes this week, and they weren't kidding.  Raterink, who had been starting this season found himself benched and backup QB, Wasil came out and took control of the game.  I quickly found myself asking "why didn't we do this sooner?"  Then I remembered that Kevin Porter is the General Manager and hey, he also sucked as a Coach.

So the Command came out and actually played football.  There weren't the mistakes, there weren't the penalties, and there were completed passes.  Wasil even kept the ball and ran it in for a one yard sneak.  Cleveland was clearly caught off guard, and that was the entire difference in the game.  So, now the skeptic in me has to sit back and ask ... is this going to carry over into next week?

Next week the Command are in Utah taking on the 7-7 Utah Blaze.  Kansas City has a record of 2-5 record on the road versus the Blaze 5-2 record at home.  But the new Quarterback could change the stats.

Now, let's talk about fan support.  Again, I watched the game on Nifty-TV, and the first impression that I got looking at the screen during the National Anthem was "there's no one there!"  According to Arenafan.com and their attendance stats for week 15, the Command had an attendance of 3,938.  I find that hard to beleive, even through the game as I continued to keep an eye and an ear on the game today.  I will admit, there were more people in the lower seats after the introduction of the players and the National Anthem.

Will attendance be up for the final two home games?  KC goes up against Utah in week 16, its an away game.  Week 17 is a bye, Week 18 is against Iowa in Des Moines, and the final two home games are at home.  Depending on how this new Quarterback does against Utah and Iowa will have a direct factor on if attendance will remain around the 4,000 mark, improve or decrease.  Away against Iowa is a coin toss on a winner there.  A win against the  Jacksonville Sharks would require another upset, and I will give the Command a chance against Tulsa based on what I saw today.  But frankly, I believe that the KC fans have already given up on the Command this season.  It is going to take a major marketing plan for 2012 to get the fans back in behind this team.

Week 15 - Barnstormers, Rush

The Iowa Barnstormer (3-10) hosted the Dallas Vigilantes (8-5) this week, and to be quite honest, the odds were not in favor of the Barnstormers.  Entering the game on a three game losing streak, the Iowa Barnstormers brought to the table a record of 2-4 at home versus Dallas's two game winning streak and a record of 3-4 on the road.  So, one would think that the Barnstormers would have a reasonable chance to win against Dallas, but at the end of the day, Dallas was victorious ... 65-55.

So what about next week?  The Barnstormers will be on the road against the Chicago Rush.  What's my position here?  Well, I figure that Chicago is going to win.

The Chicago Rush were in Spokane for week fifteen, and the 6-7 Spokane Shock took the day, 63-60.  Spokane was 5-2 at home and on a two game winning streak.  Chicago was 4-3 on the road and on a one game winning streak.  But the loss poses not threat to Chicago's playoff dreams this year.  Having a record of 9-4 coming into the game and on top of their division and second in the conference, with Iowa bringing their dismal road record up against Chicago's 5-1 record at home, Chicago should remain on top of the hunt for post season.

Week 16, based on records, the Arizona Rattlers should beat the Philadelphia Soul in Philly.  The Dallas - Tulsa game could be a close one, and Tulsa will be hungry as they are still in the hunt for a wildcard slot, and if Dallas loses to Tulsa, Dallas may find itself looking at a wildcard slot for the playoffs.  And finally, I've already called this one.  Chicago over Iowa.

Fan Interference

Photograph by Daniel Russell

UPDATED - We've all seen it at the home games in the past.  The people who find their way to the Super Fan area of the End Zone reaching into the field of play after the ball.  But its not just one group of people, and its not just here in KC.  Fans sitting along the sidelines reach into the field of play after the football, sometimes interfering with the play itself.  This despite warnings at the beginning of the game that this could result in offenders being kicked out of the game.

Someone is going to get hurt.  There is going to be a collision between a player uniformed to take an impact with a fan who is not, and the fan is going to get hurt.  Then what will likely happen is that this fan will be one of those who sees an opportunity to profit from the encounter and they are going to sue Sprint and the Command for their injuries.

Maybe its time for the league owners to sit down and come to an agreement.  That a statement has to be made regarding Fan Interference.  Penalties against the home team when a fan reaches into the field of play.  Fans removed from the game for reaching into the field of play.  There are plenty of opportunities to get a souvenir game ball sitting back along the sidelines, or sitting behind the goal posts.  There is no need for situations like the one shown in the image above, showing a fan reaching into the field of play with a five gallon bucket trying to take the ball from the field of play.

Kiss Playoff Hopes Goodbye

Kansas City really needed a win against Milwaukee on Saturday night.  Unfortunately, the offense failed the team, the defense couldn't hold, and the Command, unless the rest of the conference falls apart, are out of the hunt for a wildcard slot in the AFL 2011 Playoffs.

The Command needs to develop its talent.  It needs to acquire more talent.  The sports fans of Kansas City are not supporting the team that well now, and it will only get worse as Arena Football tries to re-establish itself after the one season collapse of the AFL, and the added one season exclusion from the new league.

How bad can it be?  Well, take into consideration the plight of the Kansas City Royals.  The Baseball strike did a lot of damage to baseball in Kansas City.  Attendance is still down from the numbers prior to the strike, and with the team having less than successful seasons, the matter is taking a long time to heal.  But KC is a baseball town, and the Kansas City Royals are working hard to get the fans back into the seats.  People like Royals Stadium, and the owners of the team and the stadium are working hard to make it better, more appealing to the fans.

The Command are trying to make their comeback in an arena that many AFL fans do not like.  The people at the Sprint Center believe that in a couple of years that the old Brigade fans will come around and they will be back to the 9,000+ attendance level.  There have been some improvements ... parking around the stadium for Command games has apparently dropped.  There is a small lot in which tailgating can take place, right across the street from the Oak Street entrance to the Sprint Center.  Ticket prices seem to be comparable to other arenas in the region, but the team is losing and as I have said ... a lot of fans don't like Sprint Arena.

But the biggest killer for the team at this time is the fact that their record is currently 4-9, and people are not talking about how exciting the games are.  If the Command are going to make it in Kansas City, they NEED to win back their old Brigade fans.  They need to win back the fans that they lost when the moved from Kemper Arena to the Sprint Center.  They need to find a way to bring excitement back into their game, and they need to create some promotions that the large groups in Kansas City will support instead of trying to work around them like they did with the Scouting event they held this year.

Here's what's left for 2011:

Cleveland Gladiators

@Utah Blaze

@Iowa Barnstormers

Jacksonville Sharks

Tulsa Talons

The teams that I have in bold are pretty much a given to win against the Command, based on their records.  I am tempted to take the Iowa Barnstormers against KC, since the Barnstormers will be at home and they've made some changes that will hopefully get their team up and running for next year.  Tulsa has a slightly better record than KC, but being here in KC there is a chance that the Command could win.  So, my prediction for the rest of the season is a final record of 5-13.  That's right, I figure at best, they will win one more game, and that's being hopeful on my part.  I am willing to bet that KC has already won their last game of the season.

KC Command - Iowa Barnstormers - Its down to the final six weeks.

The Kansas City Command (4-8) are away against the Milwaukee Mustangs (3-8).  The Iowa Barnstormers (3-8) are away against the Arizona Rattlers (10-2).  Both games are on Nifty-TV tonight, and the question now hits me, which game do I want to watch live?  Actually, the choice is simple.

The Iowa Barnstormers are going to have their hands full against the Arizona Rattlers, especially since they are the visiting team.  But in my book, the Barnstormers have been playing better football, and as a viewer it will make a much better game.  Kansas City is taking on another miserable team ... Milwaukee ... and the chances are that the Command may walk away from this game with another victory.  But it doesn't promise to be that exciting of a game ... not with both teams struggling.  I will give KC the advantage, as Milwaukee just put into play a new quarterback, replacing their starting quarterback in the past week.

But Kansas City still has a chance to make the playoffs ... it may be a slim chance, but it is still there.  Four teams  from each conference will go into the playoffs.  Right now, the playoff positions for the National Conference are:

Arizona Rattlers  10-2

Chicago Rush  9-3

Dallas Vigilantes  7-5

Unless something goes drastically wrong, there is no one in the conference that can unseat these three teams.  The battle for the last slot right now is coming down to the following three teams:

Utah Blaze  5-6

Spokane Shock  5-7

San Jose SaberCats  5-7

Now, the Spokane Shock are playing against the Utah Blaze this week (14) and one of the two teams will find themselves with a new loss.  Kansas City needs a win.  Kansas City needs for the three teams competing for the final position to fall apart over the next four weeks and Kansas City needs to step up and start stringing wins or they will be watching the playoffs from home.  But the future doesn't look too bright, with Kansas City facing Cleveland in week 15, Utah in week 16, then wrapping up their season after a week 17 bye, taking on the Iowa Barnstormers in Week 18 in Des Moines where the Barnstormers are still getting fan support.

The Barnstormers, on the other hand, are looking at what should be a loss for them against Arizona this week (14), then they are at home against Dallas for week 15, away against Chicago for week 16, at home in week 17 against Tulsa before wrapping up their season at home against Kansas City in week 18.  To be honest, its over for Iowa.  They might be able to beat Dallas, Tulsa, and KC, but they are not going to get a clean sweek and beat Chicago or Arizona, not without it being a major upset.

Command Drop Another One ... Chicago 58 - Command 30

Update:  Attendance for the Rush vs KC game ... 3635 ... the second worst attendance this season for the KC Command.  This number taken from the Attendance report posted on Arenafan.com.

Again I consider myself fortunate not to be one of the handful of people who went to the game to watch the Chicago Rush tromp the Kansas City Command.  Instead, I fired up Nifty-Tv on my little Acer netbook, and worked on other projects on my main laptop while giving the game my divided attention.  What I got to see was ... Chicago almost, almost skunking the Command through the first half.  There were only seconds left on the clock when the Command scored their touchdown to finally get a score on the board.  Then they managed to get a safety.  Then, just when I was about to wonder if the Command were going to wake up, the Rush kicked one into the net, the Command muffed it, and Chicago scored.  This all took place with only seconds left on the clock for the first half.

Again, the Command failed to convert possessions into points.  An interception, a missed field goal, just to mention two of them.  Chicago, on the other hand, came out in the second half and put the game away.  Yes, the command managed to score 21 points in the second half, but the Chicago Rush came out and put 35 points on the board.  Now, you can make excuses, say its a new team, say that Chicago is the division leaders with a record of 9-3 coming into the match-up, but the simple truth is that the team needs to work on their skills, they need to stop making stupid mistakes, like Face-Mask penalties, muffing kick-offs, etc...

And now for my favorite part ... attendance.  Again, I will have to go to Arenafan Online sometime over the next week and get the attendance for the game.  There is no way that Sprint Center is going to admit that this may be the worst attendance yet this season.  Excuses?  Yeah, there are going to be excuses.  The last really bad showing was on a Friday night, and Friday nights are always bad for game attendance.  This game it will be that they were competing against the big NASCAR race out at the Kansas Speedway.  How about there was the marathon on Hospital Hill this morning as well?  The truth is that the fans in Kansas City are fickle.  They are not going to support a losing team.  Add to that group of people the ones such as myself who simply aren't going to go to the Sprint Center and watch a losing team.  Hell, I would find it hard to go to the Sprint Center and watch a winning team, because I know for a fact that if the team was winning, and attendance was up, the cost of parking would be up again as well.  Right now, the concessions are working hard to get people to spend money on their highly overpriced products.

Let's face facts.  The Kansas City Brigade blew their first season in KC.  But they made the games fun to attend, the price was right, and parking was cheap.  The upper level seats were not sitting on top of two levels of suites, and the perks that were being given away were making it up into the upper levels as well as the lower level seats.  Yes, the audio sucked in Kemper, but I don't go to a football game for the sound quality.  The Brigade moved to Sprint and attendance started to drop almost immediately.  The people who were in the upper deck immediately realized that the 'similar' seats were not similar.  There were a lot higher up.  The perks were gone, parking ranged from 10 to 25 dollars, and the deals that the Brigade made with the people at the KC Power and Light District (who eventually turned their backs on the Brigade) took players away from the after game autograph sessions mandatory by the AFL rules.

Yes, I know, I've covered all this before, but NO ONE SEEMS TO BE LISTENING!  Sprint Center isn't working for the Command.  The Arena Football fans do not like Sprint.  But there are other problems, such as the "Red Capper" that brings play to a stop, sometimes breaking momentum, so that someone can run their damn commercials. The perks are only making to the people who can afford the premium seats or are in the give away seats on the corners of the end zones.  A lot has changed, and none of it anywhere need being an improvement.

So ... I will stand my ground.  I will remain a FORMER season ticket holder that is unwilling to spend the money for the product being offered.  Besides, why should I pay to attend a Command game when I can watch them make mistakes and blow games on Nifty-TV for free?

Oh, and for the people providing the feed out of Sprint for Nifty-TV.  I have watched a number of games, in particular, the Chicago Rush, this season, and the feed for the Command is the most problem plagued channel I've been on.  And for a final note, if you like watching the Command on Nifty, you might like to use the Channel for the opposing team.  Its fun to listen to them complain about how they are sitting just under the Stratosphere, and talk about how 'no one' appears to be showing up for the Command home games.

Command Attendance third worst in League

When you look at the average attendance per game in the Arena Football League, the Kansas City Command have the third lowest average attendance.  When you look at total attendance to date, Kansas City has the second lowest attendance.  How bad is it?  Even the people for the Kansas City Command have stopped adding the attendance totals to their post-game reports.  The review of the Command victory over the shock on the KC Command web site referred to the crowd as "the thousands in attendance."  Well, you can get the numbers from Arenafan Online, and the posted attendance for the Command vs Shock game at Sprint Center was ... 3,870.  That just happens to be the second lowest attendance at a Command home game this season, and well below the attendance that the Kansas City Brigade were bringing in on their worst night prior to the collapse of the original AFL.

So, who are the best and the worst?  The top average attendance in the AFL right now belongs to the Orlando Predators.  The worst average attendance belongs to the Milwaukee Mustangs.  Between the Command and the Mustangs is Georgia, and taking a look at our neighbors to the north, the Iowa Barnstormers, they are averaging more than twice the average attendance of the KC Command.

You can blame a losing season.  You can claim that this is their first year in KC.  You can take it any direction you want, and it simply doesn't fly.  The Barnstormers lost six games in a row, still held attendance above 9,000.  The Kansas City Brigade packed more people into Kemper their first year out, and the Command aren't a new team, they are an old team with a new name, something else that upset a number of AFL fans in KC, the needless name change.  I would say, let's see how attendance looks when the Chicago Rush come to KC this next weekend, but that wouldn't be a fair comparison.  There could very well be a number of Chicago fans that come down to KC for their first experience in the Sprint Center.  It would be fun to hear their comments about the arena after the game.  But I will be watching attendance, and I will likely be watching the game from home on Nifty-TV unless somehow I fall into Free Tickets again.