Chicago Rush

The 2013 Chicago Rush may only have a 1-2 record this year, but they have plenty of star power. One of those stars is new to the team this year, wide receiver Rodney Wright. Wright is in his eighth season in the Arena Football League, 2013 is turning out to be one of the best years of his career.

Just three games into the season, Wright already leads the team with 26 receptions and 326 receiving yards. His five touchdown catches puts him second behind longtime Rush receiver Reggie Gray. He also leads the team in the kick return category as well.

Wright has returned 10 kicks this year for 242 yards. His longest return this year was a 43-yard return in Week 2 against Spokane. Wright has become especially useful in the return game, a category in which the Rush have struggled in the last couple of seasons.

His presence has been felt in the Chicago Rush locker room, and he's on the verge of making his presence felt throughout the league. Wright was brought in during the off season, an off season which saw a lot of chaos for the Rush from the business side of things.

Wright along with Nate Forse, were brought in after Jared Perry and Terrance Turner departed during the winter months. Perry and Turner were the second and third receivers behind Reggie Gray in 2012. Losing the two of them was a significant blow to a team that already had it's fair share of problems.

Wright and Forse were brought in to fill those voids. Wright has definitely lived up to his end of the bargain thus far. This weekend the Rush welcome the Pittsburgh Power to the Allstate Arena. The Power are still looking for their first victory of 2013, winning this Sunday will be easier said than done.

Especially if Wright continues to put up the type of numbers that he's been putting up this year. Pittsburgh will have a hard enough time having to play defense against Reggie Gray. Rodney Wright will make their job that much harder this weekend.

I am really looking forward to Sunday's game, and I look forward to seeing Rodney Wright's continued success in a Rush uniform.

One day after an open workout, Terrell Owens has received an offer from a professional football team. Just not what he had in mind.

Wednesday, October 26 at 2:30 p.m. EDT

Andrew Siciliano reported via Twitter that the Chicago Rush of the Arena League have offered Owens a deal.

That was officially reported via the Rush's official website.

All of a sudden, Owens' situation and standing just became a little clearer. I don't think that any NFL team is in a situation right now where they need to sign Owens. Most teams can afford to wait a few weeks for someone to get hurt, or lose their effectiveness, before even exploring that option.

Still, you would figure that one NFL team would express some interest. After all, Owens is a future Hall of Fame wide receiver who's coming off of a decent season, even if he is 38-years-old. Given all of that, you would figure that one of 32 NFL teams would at least express some interest.

Of course, a team could still express interest but, right now, the only confirmed interest that we're seeing is coming from the Arena League.

Actually, if Owens truly wants to get back to the NFL, he should consider this offer. Yes, he can be a little patient to see if a more immediate NFL opportunity comes his way, but this is a way to show that he can still play.

The Arena League uses the pass almost exclusively. If he can handle that load, he's probably worth an NFL shot.

But, when Owens decided to do that workout yesterday, it's doubtful that he had what is basically a glorified minor league team in mind.

The fact that, 24 hours later, this is all we're seeing in terms of confirmed interest is not a good sign for Owens' NFL future.

Week 10 in the Arena Football League, and the Arizona Rattlers boast a 7-1 record and a 5-0 home record. Their at-home magic will be put to the test again as the Chicago Rush travel to the desert home that is getting hotter by the day along with the Rattlers.

After the tough divisional stretch the last three weeks, the Arizona Rattlers maintain control of their division by a two-game lead. And they are knocking at the door of being mathematically qualified for the postseason.  Next on the list is the Chicago Rush.  

An angry and emotional Chicago Rush will travel to Arizona and look to reestablish their dominance over the NC Central, following their second-half meltdown in Tulsa that resulted in defeat. 

Chicago doesn’t necessarily top any of the league’s top statistics, but they are still a dangerous team that could throw a wrench in Arizona’s gears. They did so last year when they defeated the Rattlers with superior defensive plays.

Even with the second-best defense in the league, the Rattlers' offense will need to be careful to protect the ball. The Rush field DB Vic Hall, who has tallied eight interceptions over the course of the season.

He may prove to be the thorn in the side of Arizona’s Nick Davila, who has thrown eight interceptions so far. However, Vic Hall may be so busy figuring out what Arizona receivers Trandon Harvey and Rod Windsor are going to do next that he might not get a chance at the ball.

Saturday will be a great opportunity for coach Kevin Guy to showcase RB Oddie Armstrong, who has 11 touchdowns and 146 rushing yards. Armstrong could be the key player in keeping Vic Hall not only honest, but also keeping the ball out of his hands and keeping their home record perfect.

Iowa Barnstormers receiver Jesse Schmidt set an Iowa record with seven touchdowns and some horrible calls by a single official went in Iowa's favor, but in the end Chris Gould and the Chicago Rush overcame the turmoil with a 50-49 win.

After grasping the momentum in the second quarter, the Rush started to pull away in the third quarter, taking an eight-point lead on a touchdown catch by Charles Dillion. On the ensuing kickoff the momentum started to be "given" to the Barnstormers. Chris Gould had a great onside kick attempt which was recovered by Chicago. 

However, the Rush were "offsides" giving the Barnstormers great field position. After two good defensive plays to force third down, a third great play by the Rush defensive backs was made. However, the Rush were guilty of pass interference. In the eyes of the official Reggie Berry the Rush defender was too early on the pass breakup. Iowa went on to score, cutting the Rush lead to 41-40.

After a good defensive play by Iowa on what would have been the answering touchdown, Russ Michna could not find a receiver open and was called for intentional grounding, resulting in a safety and an Iowa 42-41 lead.

The Rush defensive came up big on the next Barnstormer possession, stopping Iowa short of a first down, giving the Rush offence a chance to take the lead back. The attempt came in the form of a field goal by Chris Gould.

By accounts of video and radio, the field goal split the uprights to give the Rush the lead. Official Reggie Berry decided it was no good. After the Rush protested this horrible call, they were assessed two personal fouls and a missed field goal.

The Rush defense started to put pressure on Iowa QB Brad Banks, but he was able to connect with Jesse Schmidt for the seventh time of the game, giving Iowa a 49-41 lead.

Reggie Gray, who had caught three touchdowns, nearly pulled a Devin Hester, returning the ball to the Barnstormer 16-yard line. He capped the drive with his fourth touchdown, cutting the lead to 49-47. The Rush attempted a two-point conversion. It failed as Michna decided to throw into coverage instead to trying to take the ball in himself.

Iowa took the ball for their final time. On first down, Mark Weivoda finally was able to get some pressure on Banks. The officials obviously don't know what a holding call is, but Banks completed the pass. The hit rattled Banks, who overthrew his targets his next three attempts and the Rush defense gave the ball back to Russ Michna and the offense.

Following the one-minute alert, Michna hit Tod Devoe on a quick screen. Devoe made a great run after the catch, taking the ball to the 10-yard line. Michna then ran the ball to burn up some clock, could have scored but decided to slide down at the 1-yard line. Russ struggled through most of the game, but this savvy move shows why he needs to lead this offense.

With 4.1 seconds left, Chris Gould trotted onto the field to attempt the game-winner, which he made. However, on offsides call on Iowa forced him to kick a second time. This kick, as much as the officials may not have wanted it to be, was good. The Rush took a 50-49 lead with 1.5 seconds left. The Rush stopped the Barnstormer return man and the game was over.

This win was impressive for the Rush. They did not play well for most of the game. Being able to go onto the road and beat a good team when you don't play well is a sign of a good team—a championship team.    

The San Jose SaberCats took the field Friday Night in Chicago trying to defend a 2-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in the AFL. The 2-0 Chicago Rush wanted to improve on the No. 3 ranking they entered the game with. As time expired, the SaberCats head home to lick their wounds as the Rush won going away, 54-41.

The game looked like a heavyweight boxing match for most of the first half. The teams delivered blows to one another and neither team looked comfortable. Many miscues and penalties kept either team from getting into rhythm.

After scoring on their first possession, the Rush had a bad snap on the extra point attempt which ended with the SaberCats intercepting a desperate throw and returning it for a two-point conversion, cutting the Rush lead to 6-2.

The SaberCats tried to keep the dominating defensive line at bay by running short passes and many screens. The first offensive drive for San Jose was capped by a tackle eligible screen for a touchdown giving the SaberCats their first lead at 8-6, the extra point attempt was missed.

The Rush struggled on their next possession and missed a 37-yard field goal attempt giving the SaberCats the ball back and they turned it into a touchdown on Chad Cook's run giving the SaberCats a 14-6 lead, extra point missed again. The Rush and SaberCats exchanged touchdowns before Russ Michna hooked up with Reggie Gray to cut the lead to 21-20.

The momentum finally started to point to the Rush as they stopped San Jose as time ran out of the first half keeping the score 21-20, and it was the first defensive stop for the Rush defense.

The third quarter was then dominated by the Rush. It started with the defense, forcing the SaberCats to turn the ball over on downs as a tremendous push into the face of San Jose QB Mark Grieb by defensive lineman Mark Weivoda caused the ball to sail over the head of the intended receiver. The very next play Michna hooked up again with Gray to give the Rush a 26-21 lead, one that they would not give back.

Weivoda and the defensive line again put great pressure on Grieb, causing a poor throw and a great interception by Jason Simpson. Michna followed that up with an unintentional fumble rooskie play for a touchdown giving the Rush a commanding 33-21 lead. The Rush ended the third with an interception by Vic Hall and a 40-28 lead.

The SaberCats tried to keep it close, getting a defensive touchdown and a touchdown pass cutting the Rush lead to 47-41.

The ball control offense then went on a five minute, 30 second drive (very long in AFL terms) capped off by a Johnnie Kirton touchdown run on fourth down stretching the lead back to 54-41. The defense stopped the SaberCats on their final drive, ended by Simpson's second interception after another unstoppable pass rush by Weivoda and company. 

The defense once again proved that it is capable of controlling the game and the offense was the best they have been all season. Michna is getting comfortable with his wideouts and that is going to make the rest of the league worry about the best team in the AFL, the Chicago Rush.

The Chicago Rush welcomed the Philadelphia Soul to town Friday night where the Rush have started celebrating their 10th season with a "Blackout."  The Rush donned all black uniforms in honor of the occasion and fans were encouraged to do the same.

If you ask Soul quarterback Jason Allgood, Philly walked into a black hole.

The Soul connected on a touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage—after that, nearly every drive was swallowed up by the Rush defense.

The defensive line, led by nose tackle Mark Weivoda, controlled the line of scrimmage and helped cause many bad exchanges between the center and quarterback.  The miscues by the Soul on offense and special teams put them in a hole that they would not be able to climb out of. 

The defensive backfield controlled the open field after the first play. 

Russ Michna and the offense had another solid game, even if he won't admit it, but defense was the name of the game for the Rush. 

In two games this season, the Rush have shown to be a more physical team than they have been in the past.  Mike Hohensee, Philadelphia head coach, had led Chicago until this season.  As a more offensive-minded coach, the contrast between last year's playoff team and this year's 2-0 team is apparent.

Having watched the Arena game for about three years now, I know that the passing game and offense in general is the name of the game.  The key has always been getting one or two more defensive stops than your opponent. 

Rush coach Bob McMillen may be changing that dynamic slightly. 

Defensive power and ball control (even a running game) may be his way of leading the Rush to a 2011 Arena League championship. 

The AFL betting Playoffs continue on Thursday, August 12th at 8pm ET with the National Conference Championship. This match-up pit’s the Milwaukee Iron (12-5, 10-7 ATS) taking their high-powered offense to the west coast to do battle with the Spokane Shock (14-3, 10-7 ATS). Both teams took care of business in their divisional round match-ups as the Iron eliminated the Chicago Rush 64-54 as 5.5-point favorites, while the Shock knocked out the Arizona Rattlers 57-49 as 6-point chalk.

Milwaukee’s QB Chris Greisen had a monster first round game completing all but six passes, while throwing for 312 yards to go with a TD/INT ratio of 9/1. The Iron also received great games from receivers Antoine Burns who accumulated nine receptions for 135 yards and four TD’s, while Damian Harrell finished the game with eight receptions good for 90 yards and five TD’s. The Iron’s defense picked up two sacks and one INT against Rush QB JJ Raterink. They also forced two fumbles recovering one of them. The Iron is now a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in their L/5 games. The offense must continue to put pressure on the Shock if they’re to escape Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena with a ‘W’.

The Shock’s offense has been spearheaded by the consistency of QB Kyle Rowley all season long. He completed 68% of his passes and threw for 160 yards while recording a perfect TD/INT ratio of 7/0 last week against the Rattlers. WR Greg Orton was the beast of the receivers and led the team with an awesome 11 receptions (2 TDs) two touchdowns while WR Markee White led the Shock with 66 receiving yards while also hauling in a pair of touchdown catches. Travis Williams was a huge contributor defensively racking up six tackles and an INT. The Shock went 7-2 at home this season with one of those defeats coming in the teams AFL debut at home against tonight’s opponent.

The Shock did however avenge that defeat on June 26th when it went into the Bradley Center and scored the 62-48 outright win as three-point underdogs. The Iron split its four regular season road games both SU & ATS, but secured pointspread victories in each of their L/3 trips away from beer country.

Related posts:

1. AFL Playoffs Betting: Chicago Rush vs. Milwaukee Iron Outlook: August 7th 2010
2. AFL Betting: Arizona Rattlers vs. Spokane Shock Outlook: August 6th 2010
3. AFL Betting: Orlando Predators vs. Jacksonville Sharks Outlook: August 6th 2010

The AFL betting Playoffs continue on Saturday, August 7^th at 8pm ET with the final two matchups of the Divisional Round. The fans at the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee will be pumped and ready to see their own Milwaukee Iron (11-5, 10-6 ATS) take on the visiting Chicago Rush (10-6, 8-7-1 ATS) who are coming off a bye week. The Iron ended their regular season by defeating Cleveland 54-47 as two-point underdogs to enter the playoffs on a four game SU & ATS winning streak.

The Rush finished up their season with a SU record of (10-6), but finished on the plus side for AFL bettors racking up an 8-7-1 ATS mark. They were a 5-3 team both at home and on the road; they’re 1-2 SU & ATS in their L/3 outings. The Rush offense was led by QB Russ Michna who was fantastic throwing for 3862 yards to go along with a fabulous TD/INT ratio of 70/11. Unfortunately, he went down with a season ending injury in Week 16 at home vs. Dallas. Backup JJ Raterink has taken his place since; he’s completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 767 yards to go along with a TD/INT ratio of 14/2. Chicago’s offense scored an average of 56.6 PPG and gained an average 305.8 YPG, but defensively the Rush allowed 54.6 PPG and a whopping 315 YPG.

Milwaukee has been one of the more consistent squads this season (11-5, 10-6 ATS). They were almost perfect at home winning seven of their eight games, while posting a 6-2 ATS mark. They come into the playoffs with the #2 seed in the National Conference. QB Chris Greisen was the star of the team and the leader of the offense throwing for an astonishing 5139 yards along with an unbelievable TD/INT ratio of 107/11. He’s the leader of the AFL’s highest scoring team ever coming in at 1043 points on the year!

In the pair of AFL betting match-ups between these division rivals this season, the home team won each game. The first game in Milwaukee the Iron took care of business whipping the Rush 71-48 as 1.5-point underdogs, while the Rush stormed back from a 35-14 deficit in the second meeting in Chicago to win by a 63-56 final tally as nine-point underdogs.

The Iron currently sit as 7.5-point home favorites with a game ‘total’ set at 114 for tonight’s AFL Playoff betting tussle.

Related posts:

1. Arena Football Playoffs Betting: Tampa Bay Storm vs. Tulsa Talons Outlook: August 7th 2010
2. AFL Betting: Arizona Rattlers vs. Spokane Shock Outlook: August 6th 2010
3. AFL Betting: Orlando Predators vs. Jacksonville Sharks Outlook: August 6th 2010