Why the Sharks Will Lift the Trophy

On Monday night, the Jacksonville Sharks (12-1) and the Columbus Lions (10-3) will play in the inaugural NAL Championship Game. While the Lions are a bit lucky to be here, the Sharks did not get to this game by accident.

First, their offense. Tommy Grady, one of two big AFL holdovers, had an MVP start to the season, completing 62.8% of his passes for 1,060 yards and 23 touchdowns in less than five games before suffering a season-ending injury against Monterrey. Damien Fleming came in relief, and finished out the season showing off a dual threat. Fleming ran for 77 yards and four scores while completing 65.2% of his passes for 1,047 yards and 18 touchdowns. During the times where Fleming’s game struggled, Jacksonville relied on MVP candidate Derrick Ross in the backfield. Ross literally ran away towards a rushing title after a 540-yard, 25-touchdown season. Despite changing coaches from Mark Stoute to AFL legend and coordinator Siaha Burley midseason, the team didn’t miss a beat as far as talent on this side of the ball.

Second, their defense. Three players registered at least six sacks during the season (Jeremiah Price 9.0, Keith Bowers 8.5, Dalyou Pierson 6.5), as there were very few quarterbacks who got comfortable in the pocket against the Sharks. When the front three weren’t completely clicking, the secondary more than did the job. Jacksonville matched their sack total with their interception total, registering 34 apiece. Marvin Ross and Charlie Hunt were the two main ball hawks, combining for 15 picks. When the two of them weren’t grabbing passes, David Hyland anchored the secondary and controlled the middle of the field breaking up a team-high nine passes of his own (yes, he did catch three interceptions for good measure). All of this led to the Sharks leading the league in scoring defense, giving up only 24.9 points per game, more than eight points fewer than their nearest opponent.

Finally, these two teams have met before. Way back on April 29, the Lions traveled to the Shark Tank in what was already considered a playoff preview. Darren Daniel started the game for Columbus, and led his team to a surprise 17-7 lead early in the second quarter.

However, Damien Fleming shook off a bad start and completed 16 of 22 passes for 190 yards and four scores. Jacksonville’s defense also forced a fumble and a crucial fourth-down stop to earn a come from behind, 37-28 win.

Even when the Sharks are down, they’re rarely ever out, and Fleming has matured quite a bit since that Week 7 meeting. Since then, Fleming’s gained a better knowledge of the offense and better control of the ball when it’s in his hands. With the powerful receiving corps in place, and a very healthy defense, Jacksonville will want to eliminate any doubt and prevent another Columbus miracle. Monday night should be title night in Jacksonville.

Damien Fleming Can Keep Jacksonville Sharks Afloat

When starting quarterback Tommy Grady came up lame against the Monterrey Steel, Jacksonville Sharks fans held their collective breath. When backup Damien Fleming came into the game and kept the momentum, fans breathed a sigh of relief. When the announcement came that Grady’s injury was season-ending, fans gasped. Now, after Fleming’s first start, there’s a potential sense of worry. However…there shouldn’t be.

Yes, Grady was in the middle of an MVP season, among the league leaders in touchdown passes (23), passing yards (1,060), and passing efficiency (113.7), but Fleming showed he can hang in and face the same amount of pressure in the pocket. However, in his debut against the Columbus Lions, there were clear signs of shakiness: miscommunication with receivers, fumbled snaps, holding the ball too long, etc. But, the fact remains that it was his first league start, and against a team who came into the game at 3-2.

Evaluating the whole body of work, including leading half of the 60-point barrage against the then-undefeated Monterrey Steel, there are signs of some undeniable talent, and that’s the first reason why Fleming can keep Jacksonville out of the loss column. He can compete with almost any of the other quarterbacks in the league and be in consideration for the starting job, especially if he continues being a dual threat and exposes defenses to his running ability.

The second reason why there’s no need for panic: the schedule. The Sharks leave the Tank just once for the remainder of the regular season, and that’s to face the Corpus Christi Rage, currently winless at 0-5, and who comes into Jacksonville for Week 8. Following a bye, Jacksonville will see Monterrey twice, Corpus Christi, High Country, and the traveling Dayton Wolfpack, who suffered a 94-6 defeat at the hands of High Country earlier this season.

This is the best possible time for Fleming to earn reps under center, as the Wolfpack and Rage have the two worst scoring defenses in the league (allowing 64.0 and 73.6 PPG, respectively), which should theoretically lead to some simpler reading and better ability to break down schemes to find the open man or take off.

With an offensive line that’s only allowed five sacks (second fewest to the Lions’ three), receivers like Darryl Thompson, Maurice Williams, and Thyron Lewis to throw to, and Derrick Ross, the league’s leading rusher, in the backfield, Fleming will have time to continue to grow comfortable and learn the playbook.

The third and final reason why Jacksonville can still run the table: defense. In six games, the Sharks have only allowed more than 28 points twice. Despite their lowest scoring output of the season against Columbus (37), the Sharks still had control of the game in the second half, and were only threatened in the final minute.

With the return of David Hyland, who is already looking to anchor the secondary, and Jeremiah Price sitting fourth in the league with 4.0 sacks, Fleming will have plenty of opportunity to get the ball, and little to no pressure to score points when he does.

So if Fleming can cut back on the mistakes, deal with the learning curve he’s been given, and take advantage of the caliber of talent around him, Jacksonville has an excellent chance of going into the playoffs at what would be a franchise-record 14-0.

Sharks Survive Scare, Remain Unbeaten

With 14 seconds left, quarterback Mason Espinoza, in the game for all of four minutes, led the Columbus Lions’ (3-3) offense on to the field for one final opportunity to possibly win or force overtime. After a near safety and a short completion, the Lions called for a double pass. The ball sailed into the end zone…and right into the hands of the recently returned David Hyland, who caught the interception and sealed a 37-28 Jacksonville Sharks victory on Redneck Night. They are still the only unbeaten team in the NAL at 6-0. They also matched the franchise’s best start since 2013 (also starting 6-0).

It was a new-look offense for the red and black, as Damien Fleming started under center for Tommy Grady, who was roughed up in last week’s game in Monterrey. It was a quick offensive start on both sides, however, as Fleming found Maurice Williams on a long pass to set up a fourth-and-goal touchdown to Thyron Lewis to answer a Darren Daniel to Michael Reeve score to start the night.

The defenses quickly stiffened, and both kickers began the barrage of attempts at deuces to give their team every possible advantage. The only other scoring in the first quarter was a Lindsey Wolfe 24-yard field goal, and for a rare moment, Jacksonville found themselves trailing in a game at 10-7.

Columbus put the perfect season in further jeopardy after capitalizing on a Fleming fumbled snap, with Jarmon Forston catching a deflection in the back of the end zone for a 17-7 lead. Fleming quickly made up for the error, finding Williams again and setting up Derrick Ross’ first scoring run of the night. After forcing a fourth down stop, the Sharks took the lead for the first time thanks to another Fleming to Lewis connection.

The Lions would kick another field goal after the one-minute warning, and Jacksonville couldn’t score before the halftime siren, taking a 21-20 lead into the locker room.

After Darryl Thompson found the end zone to start the third quarter, both offenses nearly ground to a halt, as penalties and errors mounted on both sides. Fleming did score on a quarterback sneak in the final minute of the third quarter, but both defenses had an easy time in the second half due to inefficiency.

Trailing 37-20 after the only successful deuce of the night by Nick Belcher, the Lions would not score until Duron Neal successfully reached over the goal line after catching a Mason Espinoza pass with 1:44 remaining in the game, building the crescendo to the frantic finish.

The Sharks will stay at home to face the Corpus Christi Rage on Military Appreciation Night on Saturday, May 6. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and Jacksonville will be wearing special jerseys available for auction after the game.

Soul Survive Sharks to Win American Conference

The Philadelphia Soul hosted the Jacksonville Sharks in the American Conference Championship Game at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA on Sunday evening. The winner would travel to Glendale, AZ to take on the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXIX on Friday, Aug. 26.

On the first play of the game, a Dan Raudabaugh pass was intercepted by David Hyland and returned for a touchdown to put the Sharks on the board first. Jeramie Richardson ran in for a four-yard touchdown to tie the game up halfway through the first quarter.

After the Soul recovered a live ball on the kickoff, Raudabaugh found SK for a touchdown to give them the lead. After the two teams traded interceptions, the first quarter ended with the Soul leading 14-7.

The two teams went back and forth in the second quarter. At the end of the half, offensive lineman Adam Smith caught his fourth touchdown of the season. The Soul went into the locker room with a 35-27 lead.

The Soul forced two Sharks turnovers to start the third quarter, but were only able to score on one of those drives with a touchdown pass to a wide open Darius Reynolds. Tommy Frevert missed a field goal on the other drive. The Sharks scored on a Reggie Gray touchdown to close the gap.

On the next drive, Raudabaugh was sacked by Dexter Jackson for a safety to make it a 42-36 game. With a 49-43 lead, the Soul failed to convert a fourth down and the Sharks took over with 4:37 left in the game.

The Sharks would score a touchdown when Tommy Grady found Joe Hills with 55 seconds left. Raudabaugh threw a touchdown to Reynolds with just five seconds left to give the Soul a 55-50 lead after a failed two-point conversion.

The Sharks got the ball with just three seconds left. A failed lateral gave the Soul a 55-50 win. They will face the Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXIX.