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.

Jacksonville Sharks Fire Head Coach Mark Stoute

In a bit of a stark announcement, the Jacksonville Sharks announced yesterday that head coach Mark Stoute is relieved of his duties effective immediately, despite being the only undefeated team in the National Arena League at 8-0. According to Operating Manager Jeff Bouchy,

While this move may seem highly irregular to many, it is in the best interest of the Sharks to move in a different direction at this time. We wish Coach Stoute the best of luck in his future endeavors.

As soon as Stoute was out, the team announced the hiring of Siaha Burley as the new head coach. Burley spent the 2017 season as the offensive coordinator of the Arena Football League’s Cleveland Gladiators. Under Burley, the Gladiators were averaging 51.8 points per game, good for third in the five-team league.

“I am so fortunate to be given my first opportunity as the Head Coach of the Jacksonville Sharks. I have waited a long time for this moment,” Burley said. “I would like to thank the Sharks ownership group for putting their trust in me. I cannot wait to meet all of the players on this talented roster and finish what has already been started this season.”

Along with 11 years of playing experience with six teams in the AFL, most notably the Arizona Rattlers where he earned Second Team All-Arena honors and was named Offensive Player of the Year in 2005 after a franchise record 45 touchdown catches, Burley has spent the last six seasons coaching. Beginning his career with the Rattlers as Wide Receivers coach in 2011, he spent time as the Offensive Coordinator for the Chicago Rush (2013), Orlando Predators (2014-15), and the Rattlers (2016).

As Bouchy commented on the hire of the third head coach in franchise history, and the the third head coaching change in just two seasons:

“We are extremely excited to have an arena football legend lead our team in the coming years. We look forward to his offensive innovation and leadership of our team. I have known Siaha for many years going back to his playing days. I have watched his explosive offenses light up the Sharks over the years. It feels good that he’s finally on the good guy’s side. This is well deserved and we are lucky to have him.”

Burley’s first game as head coach will be Sunday, May 28 in Corpus Christi as the Sharks take on the Rage. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

Jacksonville Sharks Finalize Coaching Staff

The news broke Tuesday afternoon that Jacksonville Sharks head coach Mark Stoute has finalized his coaching staff ahead of the upcoming 2017 season.

Starting with a familiar name, Bob Landsee is returning to the team this season as the offensive consultant. Landsee has a lot of football experience, including earning All-American honors as a center at Wisconsin and getting drafted in 1986 by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Landsee has been coaching in the indoor game since 1999, and has made it to numerous playoffs, including last year. Landsee was on the Sharks’ staff last year, and filled in as interim head coach leading the Sharks to an American Conference Championship game against the Philadelphia Soul.

Joey Smith remained on the staff after being the Sharks’ Defensive Coordinator and Defensive backs in November of last year. Smith and Stoute do have a working history together, the duo worked in the Indoor Football League as coaches for the Cedar Rapids Titans. Smith boasts coaching the No. 1 ranked defense in the IFL in 2016 and his defense pitched only the third shutout in league history in 2015.

BJ Cohen is returning as well this season as the Defensive Line and Linebackers coach. Cohen is entering his fifth year of coaching dating back to 2013 when he was Offensive and Defensive line coach for the New Orleans Voodoo.

Stan Wrubluski joins the Sharks for the 2017 season as the team’s fullbacks and offensive line coach. Wrubluski has worked in almost every single indoor league during his coaching career.

In 2014, he made his coaching debut in the Arena Football League with the Iowa Barnstormers. Since then he has coached with the Orlando Predators, Jacksonville Tomcats in the af2, as well as the Eastern Kentucky Drillers.