Rush Playoff Preview

By: Jerome Cusson

Sunday, July 6

#6 Grand Rapids Rampage (7-10) at #1 Chicago Rush (11-5), 3 p.m. ET (ESPN HD, ESPN360.com)

Player to Watch- Grand Rapids: If Grand Rapids has a chance of winning this game, James MacPherson must make no major mistakes and play a career level game. A goal line stand to win is great, but the odds of winning two straight games in that matter are not very good at all. The Rush have one of the best goal line packages in the game. The Rampage can definitely exploit defensive backs Jeremy Unertl and Jonathon Ordway, both of whom have had very disappointing seasons. MacPherson’s ability to orchestrate a high-octane offense could easily be the difference.

Player to Watch- Chicago: By virtue of the fact that he just won himself a nice trophy, I think the focus will shift a little bit to Donovan Morgan. This is the time when he can really prove himself. He’s had a great rookie season, but for this season to be a success, his team must win the Arena Bowl. It’s the reality of having these kinds of expectations. With Morgan as the player to watch, it becomes clear just how important Damian Harrell becomes. Harrell has made some great catches and had a good season, but if Grand Rapids decides to focus on Morgan, Harrell could break out in a big way.

Analysis: If this game wasn’t at the Allstate Arena, I think Grand Rapids would have an excellent chance to win. But when you combine the crowd noise with a team that has a physical advantage due to a bye and a mental advantage because of experience, it’s going to be tough for Grand Rapids to win. But be careful of a good Grand Rapids start. James MacPherson is very capable of going out and scoring 80 without even blinking an eye. He’s developed a lot of confidence, and at this point Grand Rapids may have saved the franchise from a move with this impressive season.

The loss of DeJuan Alfonzo was extremely tough, but I think the AFL is the easiest game to cover for injuries. And because defense isn’t something that’s heavily emphasized anyway, I think people tend to overrate the onfield importance of Alfonzo. The big loss comes off the field as Alfonzo was a team leader. And although I didn’t mention him as the player to watch, Dennison Robinson is also a major player because of his 12 interceptions and might need at least one more for the Rush to on Sunday.

Since I’ll be covering the game, I will provide three keys to the game for the Rush instead of making a prediction (like Kirk Herbsteit does on College Gameday when he’s calling a game later that night:

1. The Rush must create at least two turnovers on MacPherson. Granting that the Rush could make one of their own or not score on the first turnover, the Rush must make all kinds of noise. James Baron and Dennison Robinson can have the most effect in this area.

2. One of the firm beliefs I have about the Rush is that they have a very unique advantage. With Allstate having two levels and always being jam-packed, the Rush have to keep the crowd alive so they can actually have some homefield advantage. Keep the crowd alive, and the Rampage will have a heck of a time keeping up.

3. Get through the first quarter. With the Rush having a bye, it could be a slow start. I think putting their defense on the field first will keep them relaxed. Getting a stop is not crucial, but setting an early tone would be huge within the context of the game. If the Rush come out of the period tied or ahead, they will probably be in the American Conference Championship game.

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Jerome Cusson is a proud graduate of Columbia College Chicago. Currently, he is a freelance writer and a contributer to such websites as The Cool Kids' Table and giveawaytheending.com. Check out his NSR blog as well.

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