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By TROY CLARDY
Bold ArenaBowl XXVIII statement #1: ArenaBowl XXVIII promises to be one of the most talent-laden championship games this league has ever seen.
A bit too bold? Maybe. But I think it fits.
This season, the stacked San Jose Sabercats have come at their opponents in waves, with depth and skill at every position. The Jacksonville Sharks staggered through the first month of the season, but became dangerously explosive when it mattered most. Both teams survived classic games in the conference championship round and earned their spot in this Saturday’s finale in Stockton.
Erik Meyer. Tommy Grady. Reggie Gray. Anthony Jones. Jason Stewart. Derrick Ross. Ken Fontenette. Joe Hills. David Hyland. Greg Reid. Put all of those names on one field and it adds up to Arena Football at its highest level. I can’t wait.
But there’s one name missing from that list. And it leads me to Bold ArenaBowl XXVIII statement #2: the best player both teams have to offer probably won’t take the field.
That would be Joe Sykes. As in, 2015 VidSwap Defensive Lineman of the Year Joe Sykes.
The same Sykes who amassed 18.5 sacks, breaking his own AFL single-season sack record. The same Sykes who recorded more sacks by himself than four AFL teams did all season. The same Sykes who has two other Defensive Lineman of the Year awards on his mantle.
And, unfortunately, the same Sykes who suffered a leg injury in the playoff opener against Orlando, sending him to the Injured Reserve list.
As varied, volatile, and fun to watch as the Sharks are on offense, as productive as Tommy Grady is at quarterback, and as many dances as Tiger Jones and Moqut Ruffins can come up with, I think Jacksonville’s most dominant, game-changing player is Joe Sykes. And it doesn’t look like he’ll be playing this Saturday.
Of all the subplots and storylines heading into Saturday, that may be the most critical to the actual outcome of the game. Although Arena Football is designed for offenses to score touchdowns, the truly critical moments come when an offense fails to punch it in.
That’s why, even in this high-flying, scoreboard-exploding, breakneck speed kind of game, a great pass rusher who can disrupt the pocket can literally change everything.
In fact, looking back on almost 14 full seasons of following the AFL, there is one individual performance that stands out to me above all others. And it wasn’t from a quarterback or a receiver. Remember Henry Taylor? I sure do. He was a lineman for six AFL teams from 2003 to 2010. I'm sure former SaberCat QB Mark Grieb remembers Taylor, too. And I suspect Grieb’s memories of Taylor are not pleasant.
One night in New Orleans in 2007, Taylor personally shut down Grieb and the SaberCats in a big VooDoo victory. He collapsed Grieb’s pocket, affected his throws, blew up San Jose’s offensive timing, and short-circuited the SaberCats. It was jaw-dropping to watch, and he did it largely by himself. Still the greatest individual performance I have seen in person in the AFL.
Joe Sykes wasn’t quite Henry Taylor in Week 18 against the Tampa Bay Storm this year, but he was close. As a central figure in Jacksonville’s 63-16 shellacking of the Storm, he lived in Tampa Bay’s backfield all night, and the Storm couldn’t do a thing about it. Along the way, Sykes finished off Storm QB Jason Boltus to notch his record-breaking, history-making, 17th sack of the season.
But even with Sykes’ dominance, he had plenty of help from his defensive friends that night against the Storm. From front to back, the Shark defensive was active and physical. Sykes played the starring role, but each of his teammates also had their time in the spotlight.
Now, without Sykes, that spotlight will get harsher as the Sharks take the biggest stage that Arena Football has to offer. Especially against the SaberCats, who certainly seem ready for their close up.
So it appears that the best player ArenaBowl XXVIII should have to offer may not play at all. Still, ArenaBowls are generally not decided by one player. They are generally decided – and won – by the best team. Jacksonville hopes to prove that truism once again, ironically, by potentially losing its best player.
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The 2015 season marked Troy Clardy’s 14th year of following the Arena Football League as a broadcaster and columnist, and his first as an announcer for the AFL on ESPN. Previously, Clardy served as the radio play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Power for their inaugural season, then called TV play-by-play the following year. He also hosted ESPN.com’s official arena football podcast for three seasons and worked San Jose Sabercats radio broadcasts for ten seasons. You can follow him on Twitter @TroyClardy.
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