The Forecast: The Blizzard won all three meetings against the Express last season, including a second-round playoff game. This should bode well for Green Bay as it tries to avoid a 0-2 start, which hasn’t happened since its inaugural season in 2003.
After combining to outscore Reading 202-110 at the Resch Center last year, the Blizzard is making its first visit to the Sovereign Center. First-year coach Robert Fuller won, 60-45, at Reading last season as head coach of the Fairbanks Grizzlies. Quarterback Donovan Porterie threw for 205 yards and five touchdowns in the game.
In his Green Bay debut last Sunday at Sioux Falls, Porterie completed 50 percent of his passes for 144 yards with three TDs and an interception, which was the only turnover by either team.
Following the 73-43 defeat to the IFL champions, the Blizzard will not only be looking to force its first takeaway of the season, but also record its first sack as well against a brand new offensive line and quarterback in Reading.
Expressing concerns: Scouting Reading
The Express is playing in its seventh season overall and second in the IFL, where last season it went 8-6 to win the Atlantic division in addition to defeating Chicago in a first-round playoff game.
Reading is coming off a 54-40 loss at Bloomington in its opener last Sunday in which it fell behind 21-3 in the first quarter.
Mark Steinmeyer was promoted to head coach after Chris Thompson accepted a front office position with the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul in August. Steinmeyer, a defensive coordinator and assistant the past four years, is the franchise’s fifth coach. Thompson has since become the head coach of the IFL’s Lehigh Valley Steelhawks.
Top returners for the Express this season include defensive lineman Mike Dell, linebacker Michael Thompson and receiver Elliott White.
Rookie quarterback A.J. McKenna completed 19 of 35 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns in addition to rushing for 55 yards on 12 carries and another score in the opener. A lot of his yards on the ground came as a result of being pressured out of the pocket against Bloomington. He spent time with the Saints in a minicamp in 2010.
The Express’ top veteran addition in the offseason was receiver/returner Josh Floyd, who led the IFL last year in all-purpose yards as a member of the West Texas Roughnecks. Floyd caught four passes for 53 yards with two touchdowns and returned nine kicks for 235 yards, including a 57-yard TD return at Bloomington.
Receiver Dominique Jones presents a unique matchup. The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder is used as a fullback in addition to splitting out wide. While he only totaled 50 yards last week (46 receiving, 4 rushing), he could be a threat in goal-line situations.
Following the retirement of FB/LB Matt Sola, kicker Erik Rockhold is the only player left from the Express’ inaugural 2006 team. He has tallied over 900 points in his career.
Center exchange
The Blizzard released LeRoy Auguste and signed Shannon Breen on Wednesday.
Auguste was making his first start since 2009 when he lined up against Sioux Falls on Sunday as a center, which is not his natural position.
Breen, who played center at West Virginia Wesleyan, went undrafted last year and was not signed by a NFL team after the lockout ended (Cincinnati contacted him but didn’t offer a contract.) The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder signed with the AFL’s Milwaukee Mustangs in October. He was suspended by the AFL on Monday, presumably for signing with the Blizzard.
With Nick Thornton-Jack and Seth Smalls manning the other two spots on the offensive line, Green Bay allowed three sacks and averaged 1.9 yards per carry against a tough Storm defensive line in the opener. Look for those numbers to improve this week.
Worth the trip
The Blizzard has to play a pair of away games to open the season for a third straight year, but the road will be less traveled for the remainder of the season in terms of miles. The trip to Reading is over 900 miles and takes 16 hours one way, making it the second-longest of the year for Green Bay.
The Blizzard will return to Pennsylvania for its longest trip of the season on June 2 when it plays the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, which is about 15 miles northeast of Reading. However, three of its other four away games (Cedar Rapids, Chicago and Bloomington) combine to be about 800 miles and 14 hours of travel one way. Green Bay also plays at Omaha, which is about 550 miles and nine hours.
Frozen in time
Including the playoffs, the Blizzard is 1-5 all-time when playing in the state of Pennsylvania. The previous six meetings all came against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers in arenafootball2. Green Bay’s last visit was a 72-67 loss in the American Conference championship game on Aug. 15, 2009, which was also its last game in the now defunct af2. The Blizzard’s only victory in the Keystone state was on April 30, 2005 when it defeated the Pioneers 48-40.
Quick hit
Blizzard defensive back Aaron Moore played four games with Reading at the end of last season.
Get my drift
Reading saw a lot of change in the offseason, including ownership, and many of the parts on the field are different as well. The Blizzard should be more efficient after facing the best team in the league in the opener. Look for the Green Bay defense to fly around and create turnovers (From LB Greg Jackson and DB James Romain), while the offense has a strong output on the ground, allowing it to convert on third-down and goal-line situations.
Pick: Blizzard 59, Express 44
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