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Posts Tagged ‘Iowa Barnstormers’

July 15th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The NFL Network will once again be broadcasting a Friday night AFL betting battle, and this week, the featured game will come between the Iowa Barnstormers and the Spokane Shock from "The Well."

Spokane Shock @ Iowa Barnstormers (+6.5)
Friday, July 16th
8:00 ET, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA

Spokane Notes: With a win and losses by both Tampa Bay and Chicago this week, the Shock can actually lock down the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. If that were to happened, they would know that they will get to play at home for the entire postseason, including the ArenaBowl. Spokane is also on a nine-game winning streak that has already seen it clinch the Western Division title. QB Kyle Rowley was one of the best signal callers at the af2 level while the Shock were playing in that league, and now he is proving to be one of the best in the biz in the AFL as well. Rowley already has 84 TD passes and over 3,500 yards through the air, making him one of the few QBs that is nearly assured to throw for 4,000 yards and 100 TDs on this season. His top two wide receivers are also two of the best in the league as well. We already knew that WR Huey Whittaker was an amazing AFL wide out, and he has 116 receptions, 1,305 yards, and 29 TDs this year. WR Raul Vijil leads the team in scores with 33. However, Vijil has been out of the lineup since Week 13 against Milwaukee. If he comes back into the lineup, the Barnstormers will have to keep a close eye on him. Vijil has had at least two TD receptions in all of his games since his first of the year.

Iowa Notes: Iowa knows that these final three games of the regular season are all probably must-wins. A loss this week to the Shock will effectively end its season, and could mathematically end it depending on the combination of wins and losses for other teams in Week 16. The Barnstormers had a decent defensive effort last week in a 52-42 defeat at Oklahoma City, as that marked the third straight effort in which the team allowed 52 points or less. QB Ryan Vena had his first 300+ yard passing game of the season, but he also had his seventh game with at least two picks as well. Vena has thrown an AFL worst 20 interceptions on the season. He also is second in the league in rushing touchdowns with 20. He has already reached career highs in virtually every category, though he hasn't played in the AFL since 2005 with the defunct Columbus Destroyers. With just seven catches, WR Jesse Schmidt will reach 100 for the season. He also leads the team in receiving yards with 1,258, though WR Todd Blythe leads the team with 22 TDs.

The Final Word: There is a huge question about motivation in this game. The Shock really already have everything wrapped up, and they have to be looking forward to the visit from the Chicago Rush next week in what could be a preview of the National Conference final. Iowa is playing for its life and knows that a home win is the only way to stay in the playoffs. We think there is an outright upset in the making, but taking the points is going to be nothing but a great buffer.

Prediction: Iowa 58 – Spokane 54

Week 16 AFL Betting Card
Iowa (+6.5) vs. Spokane
Iowa/Spokane over 107 Arizona (-23) vs. Utah

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July 10th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Saturday night's Arena Football League action kicks off tonight with four games that have huge implications on this year's playoff chase. One of those duels is an intra-conference clash between the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz and the Iowa Barnstormers.

Iowa Barnstormers (+3.5) @ Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
Saturday, July 10th
8:00 ET, Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City, OK

Iowa Notes: The Barnstormers are still in a bit of trouble in terms of making the playoffs, as they will clearly be scoreboard watching in spite of the fact that they are at a level 6-6 on the season. It is important to keep the Cleveland Gladiators under them, while trying to run down the Milwaukee Iron or the Arizona Rattlers. Milwaukee, which is on bye week this week, is a game in the loss column in front of Iowa heading into this week. Arizona is two ahead, but it faces a tough task this weekend in the Windy City. The final two foes of the year for the Barnstormers are none other than Milwaukee and Arizona. Defensively, Iowa has been playing quite well of late, which erases the memories of having conceded 60+ points in three straight games to start the year. The Dallas Vigilantes and Utah Blaze only combined to score 70 points over the L/2 weeks in a pair of Barnstormer victories, marking the league-high sixth time that this team has held an opponent to 45 points or less this year. WRs Jesse Schmidt and Todd Blythe have had good seasons, as the two have combined to catch 40 of QB Ryan Vena's 57 TD passes on the year. However, Vena is one of the few quarterbacks in this league that has yet to have a 300 yard passing game this season.

Oklahoma City Notes: The Yard Dawgz can move into the playoffs at the moment with a win on Saturday night at home. They trail both the Orlando Predators and Alabama Vipers by a half game (in the win column), and if the season was to stop today, they would hold the three-way tiebreaker advantage. OKC still has to travel to Orlando in two weeks , but it already knows that a heads up tiebreaker with Alabama will be won by virtue of its 65-39 win at home against the Vipers back on May 28th. It's hard to say that the Yard Dawgz are really deserving of their 5-7 record right now. Of their first wins, three have come against teams with backup quarterbacks playing. Close losses at Tampa Bay and Arizona are noteworthy, but at some point, those close defeats have to turn into wins. QB Tommy Grady has a big arm and is really starting to show that he can be an elite quarterback at this level. He has 66 TD passes and is just shy of 3,400 passing yards for the year. He has four receivers with at least 13 touchdown receptions, though WR Al Hunt was placed on IR this week and will be out for at least the remainder of the regular season.

The Final Word: The bottom line here is that Iowa is just the better team. Neither of these squads are fantastic, but the Barnstormers are heading in the right direction, and their defense is a lot more capable of stopping Oklahoma City than vice versa. The Yard Dawgz are overmatched running into a team with a legitimate quarterback and defense, and it should show tonight in the form of a victory for the visitors.

Prediction: Iowa 51 – Oklahoma City 45

Week 14 AFL Betting Card
Iowa (+3) @ Oklahoma City
Cleveland (+2.5) vs. Spokane Chicago (-2.5) vs. Arizona

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April 29th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The NFL Network is back with Week 5 AFL betting action from Amway Arena, as the Orlando Predators (0-2, 0-2 ATS) take on the Iowa Barnstormers (1-2, 1-2 ATS) in their first home game of the season.

Iowa Barnstormers (+7) @ Orlando Predators

Iowa Notes: The Barnstormers got into the win column for the first time this season when they took out the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz last week at home in "The Barn." QB Ryan Vena had his best game of the young season. Even though he only threw for 217 yards, he accounted for seven total touchdowns. Iowa's offense only turned the ball over one time. WR Jesse Schmidt is off to a great start this year, as he has already picked up 352 yards and five touchdowns receiving, three of which came in last week's win. There are still a ton of questions about the Iowa defense, as the unit has given up at least 60 points in all of its games this year, but the unit came up big when it had to in the third quarter against Oklahoma City, as it was down ten points and the football with less than half the quarter to play. Iowa didn't give up a touchdown on four straight possessions, its best string of the season.

Orlando Notes: Orlando enjoyed its second and final bye week of the season last week and is now ready to open the doors at "The Jungle" for the first time since the end of the 2008 season. The Predators have to be angry coming off of an embarrassing 57-31 loss at Jacksonville on national television two weeks ago at the Jacksonville Sharks. It was the worst road loss that the team had suffered in six years. Orlando's defense has only gotten four stops all season long, and the defensive line has yet to record a sack. The Predators may have the best set of wide receivers in the league, led by WR TT Toliver, who already has nearly 400 all-purpose yards on the year.

The Final Word: Iowa is a sneaky team that many don't know anything about. Two losses against Milwaukee and Chicago came against the only two undefeated teams left in the league. The win against Oklahoma City wasn't much to write home about either. We tend to believe that the Predators are going to notch their first win of the season in front of their home crowd, but doing so by more than a touchdown isn't likely. If Vena can keep the football for the Barnstormers, Iowa shouldn't have too tough of a time walking out of the Sunshine State with a cover.

Prediction: Orlando 54 – Iowa 51

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