Tuesday, 27th April, 2010
Thunder Clinch AFC East With Wild OT Win

By Jason Compton
FWL.org.uk

Thunder Clinch AFC East With Wild OT Win

Orlando (AP) – After a ten-year drought, the playoffs are coming back to the Citrus Bowl. The Orlando Thunder captured their fifth AFC East title, their first since Season 11, with a stirring overtime victory against the visiting Sacramento Surge. A sellout crowd was on the edge of their seats for over 73 minutes in the Thunder's longest contest this year, a back-and-forth affair which saw the Thunder tie the game with less than two minutes in regulation, then saw oft-maligned kicker James Wilhoit hit a 36-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining in overtime.

The Thunder (8-5) have wobbled down the stretch, dropping crucial divisional contests to the NY/NJ Knights and Birmingham Fire and generally looking like their Cinderella story might end well before midnight. Indeed, oddsmakers started seriously considering the chances that the Thunder, which had enjoyed a huge four-game lead earlier in the season, might finish out of the playoffs altogether. Defeating the Surge
(10-3) not only locked in a perfect 7-0 home record, but also sealed the divisional title.

The Surge decided to try to beat the Thunder with one arm tied behind its back—although most of the Surge starters took the field, presumptive league MVP Kory Chapman dressed, but only as the backup tailback.
Justise Hairston, who had logged just 9 carries so far this year, had only limited success (20 carries for 64 yards, one touchdown, two fumbles). Drew Olson was an efficient 22-of-31 for 288 yards and one touchdown, but a late knee injury put him on the sidelines in favor of inexperienced backup Andre Woodson. Woodson struggled at full game speed, completing just four of 10 passes for 40 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime.

A balanced gameplan kept the Thunder within striking distance. Dee Brown had modest success (23 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown). Kliff Kingsbury played a game representative of his entire season—passing thrills (22 of 35 for a season-high 353 yards with one touchdown and one interception), poor decisions (the pick during the two-minute drill which very nearly cost the Thunder the game), and amazing footwork (a 21-yard scramble on third down in overtime which set up the winning field goal.) Protection was a problem, as Kingsbury was sacked a season-high six times.

First-year Thunder coach John Soloman may have let a little of his frustration show through in the post-game celebration. "You win and lose with the players you have. If you want a guy to play loose, to try to create opportunities, then you can only blame him so much when it doesn't go to plan," he said, an obvious reference to Kingsbury, the league leader in interceptions. "Part of coaching is getting the best out of your guys. But another big part of it is adjusting for the other stuff your guys do, no matter how much you wish they wouldn't."

Kingsbury was less introspective. "This looks pretty good on me," he said, donning a freshly-unboxed "Orlando Thunder: AFC East Champions"
cap. "A couple more hats and a ring would look even better."

Because of superior records for the Surge and San Antonio Riders, the Thunder are the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs and will host a wildcard game against the AFC West runner-up. If the Surge win this week, the Riders will be the #3 seed and play in Orlando in the first round of the playoffs. If the Surge lose and the Riders win, the Surge will be the Thunder's guests in the first round. This season, the Thunder beat the Surge at home, and the Riders on the road.

Wilhoit Safe?

One of the shakiest contributors to the Thunder's playoff run has been second-year kicker James Wilhoit. After missing badly on both short and long-range kicks, the Thunder were reportedly in touch with former kicker John Anderson, asking if he would be game-ready. Either Anderson said no, or the team decided to ride out the storm with Wilhoit. He has rewarded the team by being perfect over the past two weeks, culminating in today's game-winner. The recent performance has been enough to rescue Wilhoit from the very bottom of the league's kicking tables, although he is certainly in no danger of being called to this year's All-FWL squad.

Pride or Pragmatism?

The Thunder are the league's only team with completely settled playoff seeding. In fact, of the nine games next week, only one has no playoff implications—the Thunder's trip to Columbus for a rematch with the Ohio Glory. With that in mind, the Thunder will have to seriously consider the choice to play or rest its key starters. Continuity is important and more than one team has lost its way by easing up in the waning weeks of the season.

However, this week's injury report may affect the Thunder's decision.
Defensive standout Zach Ville and starting guard Alonzo Ephriam both suffered joint strains and are listed as probable this week. More significantly, several teams hoping for deep playoff runs saw key players go down with serious injuries. The Scottish Claymores, an early-season pick for the EFC crown, lost its best pass rusher for the season when Tyler King tore his rotator cuff. Paris Musketeers leading rusher Loliki Bongo-Wanga will likely sit out this week's pivotal contest against Austria with a broken thumb. And the Thunder themselves put Surge starting WR/PR Ronald Bellamy on the shelf for at least two weeks with a broken collarbone. "Make no mistake, we will play to win our last game," Soloman said, although he declined to discuss the depth chart.