Los Angeles Avengers @ Arizona Rattlers Preview

The Avengers are the trendy pick to win the American Conference, considering they play in the weaker of the two divisions. After holding the VooDoo to 9 second half points in a 59-42 home win, Los Angeles seems to have found its balance that it periodically lacked in 2007. Sonny Cumbie overcame a shaky first half filled with 3 turnovers to lead his team to a convincing win, and each of the 3 Avengers defensive backs recorded an interception. Los Angeles outscored the VooDoo 33-9 in the second half and coach Ed Hodgkiss said, "We were able to get back in the lead at the beginning of the second half and it snowballed from there." This week the Avengers face a division rival, the Arizona Rattlers, who are coming of a surprising road win at Utah with rookie quarterback Lang Campbell leading the way.

Los Angeles on offense: Sonny Cumbie isn't the flashiest quarterback or the most exciting, but he is efficient. He has a talented group of receivers, and two star players in Kevin Ingram and Timon Marshall. Against the VooDoo, Marshall had 180 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, his 116 receiving yards accounted for nearly half the Avengers total. During game interviews last season, Cumbie liked to take credit for running a "pro-style offense", in which the objective was to score on every possession and get rid of turnovers. He will find something to improve on, as he threw three interceptions in the previous game. Los Angeles will attempt to systematically pick apart a Rattlers defense that struggles to cover routes and limit yards after catch.

Los Angeles on defense: The Avengers have a strong unit of defensive backs, each having an interception last week. In 2007, the Avengers were a little inconsistent on defense, in several games they allowed more than 60 points, in others they allowed less than 50. They finished around the league average in most statistical categories, including points allowed, passing yards, yards per play, and completion percentage. They face a rookie quarterback, Lang Campbell, after shutting down second-year quarterback Steve Bellisari of the VooDoo last week. The Avengers will try to force Campbell to throw out of long-yardage situations, hoping he makes mistakes and tosses up easy interceptions.

Arizona lost their star quarterback, Sherdrick Bonner to the Chicago Rush in the offseason, but bounced back nicely in a road win over Utah. They look to carry the momentum into the home opener against Los Angeles. Getting home wins is crucial for a young Arizona team, that is "guaranteed to make the playoffs." Expectations certainly are high coming off a 4-12 season, but at least if the Rattlers don't make the playoffs, season ticket holders will get full refunds.

Arizona on offense: Lang Campbell fit in perfectly with the Rattlers as they got a big division win over Utah. It was an up and down game for Arizona, they trailed by two touchdowns for most of the first half, but gained the lead late in the third quarter and traded scores until they finally won. Campbell had 8 touchdowns and 3 Rattlers caught 8 or more passes. Kevin Nickerson was the top performer, with 9 receptions for 100 yards and 9 kickoff returns for 120 yards. Arizona might be the youngest team in the AFL, they have seven rookies and six first year players. However, they showed "mental toughness throughout the game, they got the win and are only going to get better," according to coach Kevin Guy.

Arizona on defense: It's harder to play defense than offense when you have a lot of inexperienced players. Reading coverages, jumping on pass routes, and limiting extra yards after completions are all things this Rattlers defense needs to work on. Arizona has an offense-first mentality and will try to outscore opponents, but making a few defensive stops can win them ballgames. They have the momentum and crowd support at home, so the defense will have to be fired up and ready to jump on the Avengers early in the game to have a chance at picking up the victory.

By Chad Fukoka
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer

> Check out Chad's Arena Football Rules & AFL Basics article and see how your team is doing in the 2008 AFL standings!