Vipers vs. South Georgia: A Critical Win

This saturday's matchup between South Division Rivals Tennessee Valley Vipers and South Georgia Wildcats is a critical win for both teams. I firmly believe if Tennessee Valley can get past South Georgia they'll have a good chance at getting back to the ArenaCup again this year, but if they can't they'll have no chance. I hate that I'm going to miss this game, but with the addition of a baby boy to the family and lack of funds I'll be at home listening to it on the radio. I believe if Eric Scott can have a big day and Eakin continues to play near perfect/mistake free football the Vipers will take this. But if mistakes and turnovers plague the Vipers like they did the first time they played South Georgia they're in for another letdown. I believe Eakin, Scott, and Bocage will all have an outstanding night and will all contribute to the victory for the defending champions.
Vipers win by 6 in a tough, but exciting showdown.

Vipers Are The 2008 AF2 Champions!

It's been a long time coming, but the wait is finally over. The Tennessee Valley Vipers are the 2008 AF2 Champions after defeating the Spokane Shock(18-2) in overtime 56-55 monday night in front of the largest ArenaCup crowd in AF2 history(10,662). It's no shock to this fan that the Vipers pulled off what most considered an upset because I saw something special in this team even from the first game of the 08' season when the Vipers lost on the very last play of the game to South Georgia. Dean Cokinos proved that he was what the Tennessee Valley needed in a coach to bring glory back to the Vipers organization on the field, and he brought in some very special football players along with his coaching abilities. I wouldn't be surprised to see several Viper players move on to the AFL and beyond next year(Eric Scott, Terrance Ford, Alonzo Nix, Maurice Brown, just to name a few)...the loss of these players would certainly be a hit for the Vipers, but these guys deserve it and Coach Cokinos has proven that he can bring in more talent to fill the void of any guys they may lose. Kudos to Spokane for playing a hell of a game in what is considered to be the greatest ArenaCup to date and for the generous fan support in what was a sellout record crowd. The Vipers are having a Championship Celebration Party at the VBC in Huntsville Wednesday August 27th, at 5pm(and I hate that I'm going to miss it due to work, but I'll be there in spirit)to welcome home our reigning AF2 champions!!! Tony "the last samuri" Colston did what probably no one else could have Monday night...come off the bench after throwing only 4 passes all season with the Vipers and win the cup in what was his best performance in his AF2 career. Tony Colston had what could be considered a very mediocre career in 06 and 07 with the Vipers and had some injuries as well. The 08' ArenaCup proved that given a good offensive line with excellent pass protection and a capable receiving corp. Tony Colston is a legitimate quarterback with a lot of talent and a true Champion!! Tony went 20 of 30 for 288 yards, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions monday night, but the 2 point conversion he ran in to win the game proved the biggest and best of his achievements in this game. Tony also won the Offensive Player Of The Game award and this was well deserved as he carried the Vipers offensively to the Cup Win!(in no way does this discredit the rest of the offense/defense). The defense played a solid game with Desmond Foster getting the lone interception of the game, and Eric Scott blocking both a field goal and a pat. The D-line also put a lot of pressure on star rookie quarterback Nick Davila causing him to miss quite a few key throws in the game. Alonzo Nix and Gary Elliott were certainly the receivers of the night for the Vipers with both guys hauling in 4 td's a piece(tied for an ArenaCup record), Nick Hayes played well only missing one field goal and one pat on the night, and of course the offensive line played exceptional giving Tony Colston plenty of time to make the throws he needed to make. At least for now the faded memories of a 3-13 season, a 7-9 season and a Tennessee Valley Raptors team coached by "Sleepy Dick Adams" are just that....faded memories. It's been a wild ride and the best Vipers season in the 8 years they've been around. I can't wait for 2009 and again Congrats Vipers, this fan couldn't be happier.

Title Match(Round 2)

The title match in round 1 was for the south division title against South Georgia. The Vipers blew that one in the last few seconds of the game with about 7 chances inside the 5 yard line to put the game away. Round 2's title match is for the bigger championship....the American Conference Championship. This time things are sure to be different, as long as they've learned from their past mistakes. Last saturday was probably one of the most exciting(if not THE most exciting)playoff game in the past 5 years(or EVER) as the No. 4 seed Tennessee Valley Vipers upset the No. 1 seed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers in their own backyard. Sweet revenge!! The first time the two teams met in the regular season was also on Pioneers turf only the Vipers were lucky to get out of there after a 77-49 thrashing(well, they played hard up until the 4th quarter when turnovers let the game slip away). In less than impressive fashion the Vipers this time were able to pull out the upset with a 34-30 win. The offense was less than impressive that is... The defense on the other hand was more than impressive. Recording 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception returned for a touchdown on one of the leagues best quarterbacks in Ryan Vena, and they D held the leagues best offense to a total of 140 or 158 yards(depends on which article you read, the numbers differ), and a season low 30 points....13 of which were not scored by the offense(an interception returned for a td and a kickoff returned for a td). Saturday Aug. 16th will mark one of the most exciting nights in Vipers history when they take on the No. 7 seed Manchester Wolves at the VBC in Huntsville,Al. If they win this they will be in the Arena Cup for the first time since 2000(the inaugural AF2 season, when they faced Quad City for the Cup and lost). The Vipers would play on the road in Spokane or at home against Amarillo depending on who wins that match. Look for this game to be the most exciting game all year with two very good teams fighting for a shot at the Cup. If Eakin can recover from his less than stellar performance last week, and not turn the ball over the offense for TV can light the boards up w/an oustanding receiving corp, and a great rushing attack inside the red zone. The defense needs to play their best game of the year to keep a hot Manchester team from putting the game away as well. Vipers win by a touchdown in a heated battle.
Go Vipers! And Go Amarillo!

Sweet Revenge

Ah, how sweet it was last night when the Vipers pummeled the firecats! Call it sweet revenge for the past few years of them beating the Vipers mercilessly in Huntsville, starting fights, and pretty much giving every Vipers fan a good reason to hate them unconditionally. Well, the Vipers did everything I said they needed to finish strong and continue on their way to the Division title, the playoffs, and possibly the arenacup. Kevin Eakin a solid 14 of 20 for 124 yards, 4 touchdown passes, and 25 yards rushing with no interceptions. The running game was big with a little over 80 total yards on the night with I believe 4 touchdowns on the ground(2 for McDowell, 1 for Blanchard, and 1 for Webber). And speaking of rushing, congratulations to Travis Blanchard for now being tied for the Vipers single season rushing touchdown record at 12 on the season thus far(tied with Reggie Worthy). The defense played huge keeping Florida 0 for 5 on 4th down conversions and added a pair of sacks on the night, a fumble recovery on a kickoff, and an interception as well. Nick Hayes played well starting the scoring off with a 31 yard field goal and only botching one PAT on the night. Alonzo Nix led the receiving corp with 71 yards and 3 scores, and Michael Johnson in only his 2nd game with the Vipers since coming in to replace the injured Mo Brown and Gary "G-Force" Elliott played well on both sides of the ball contributing some tackles and a touchdown score as well. The Vipers now 10-5 will host what I predicted would be the biggest game since 2004 next week when Division rival and current leader South Georgia comes to town. If the Vipers win this they will secure the division title and a home playoff game. Let's hear it for Dean Cokinos and his more than astounding job of turning the Vipers around this year after 2 embarrassing seasons of a total combined 10 wins. Tony "the last samuri" Colston got to see a little playing time last night when the Vipers were up 58-21 and unfortunately went 0 for 4 killing his perfect attempts-completion ratio. Oh well, even the Samuri himself is prone to make a few mistakes. Bet on next week being game of the week and definitely an intense matchup for the South Division Title.
Until next time, Go Vipers!
Vipers beat South Georgia in a fairly close one next week.....

Playoff Bound

Well, we're just two games away from the strong possibility of hosting a playoff game at home for the first time since 2004 when the infamous Kevin Guy was running the show. This isn't surprising considering Dean Cokinos(present Vipers coach) was a mentor/coach to Kevin Guy back in his college days at West Alabama. It's nice to finally be a contendor again and not the joke of the af2, after so many years of dominance in the league. Strange that the Vipers, who prior to the past two seasons were one of the winningest af2 teams in franchise history, have never won an arenacup championship. Remember the days of Jerrian James, Wes Stephens, Ronnie Daniels, Andy "Playmaker" Fuller, Joe Minnuci, Travis McAlpine, Kelly Fields, Xavier Patterson, Josh Kellet, Matt Sauk, etc...? I do. Remember the seasons when the Vipers were 14-0 in the regular season? What about the years when the Vipers actually dominated the Firecats and not vice versa? Those were truly the good ol' days. Well this season seems to be a turn around back to those good times. Of course the brief snag of losing to a 2-10 team in Stockton doesn't help erase the memories of Vipers teams with very little talent and even worse coaching. But what can help erase that defeat to Stockton will be a win on the road against the struggling Firecats, and a win for the division title against the fired up South Georgia Wildcats. As long as the Vipers get past the Firecats this weekend less than two weeks from now the lucky Viper faithful may get to watch the biggest home game since the 2004 playoff game against the Firecats(when we lost on a very questionable call....jerrian james touchdown that wasn't called due to his knee being down??). I don't know about anybody else, but as a diehard longtime Viper/AF2 football fan I'm thrilled about this opportunity for our team. Some keys in the Vipers finishing the season strong and even making a very strong run in the playoffs will be Kevin Eakin playing up to his potential and not making mental mistakes. Defensive End Eric Scott playing like the madman we all know he can be(17.5 sacks, 1st in the league currently and a single season record in Vipers History....also 1 full sack away from being the all-time career sack leader in Vipers history), Nick Hayes stellar kicking game has to continue(who remembers Steven Lee and his more than poor and consistently horrible play for years with the Vipers....it's amazing to actually have a good kicker who is in the top 5 and top 10 in every kicking category in the af2 currently), Terrance Ford and Rico Reese must continue to dominate up front and at the linebacker position, the receiving corp must continue to play consistently and make big plays(hopefully Maurice Brown can come back for the end or at least the playoffs), and the running game in the red zone must continue to play big like they have just about all season. These all seem like things that any team in the af2 would need to work on and excel at, BUT...if the Vipers can do these things along with outcoaching the other teams then they can serioulsy have shot at going all the way. Well, that's it for now. Signing off. Until next time. Go Vipers!
Vipers beat Florida this weekend by at least 10.