San Jose Sabercats (13-3 in 2007, ArenaBowl XXI Champions)
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“Dynasty” was the word that overwhelmingly was used following the Sabercats victory over the Columbus Destroyers in last year’s ArenaBowl. It was the franchises 3rd championship in six years for the perennial Western Division powerhouse. San Jose closed out last season with 13 straight victories, the longest such streak in franchise history.

2007 Highlight: It wasn’t the prettiest game of the season for San Jose, but any time you win the championship, it has to be your highlight. QB Mark Grieb had another typical efficient day through the air, completing 24-of-29 passes without throwing an interception. The defense was the story though, as they held a Columbus team, which had scored 66 points in its previous two playoff games, to just 33.

2007 Lowlight: You have to go back to the April 13th (also Friday the 13th) to find the last poor game San Jose played. Grieb had his worst game of the season, throwing 3 INTs, and the defense surrendered a whopping 67 points against a rookie QB in their 13 point setback to the VooDoo. The loss dropped San Jose to 3-3, though the suddenly mortal looking Sabercats became untouchable following that loss.

Key acquisition: FB/LB Frank Carter (22 tackles, 1.5 sacks for Utah in 2007). When you’re the champs, you don’t need to add much to your team. The Sabercats, for the most part, held their same team together from last year, but Carter will replace the departed FB/LB Matt Kinsinger.

Key loss: Defensive coordinator Kevin Guy. Sure, losing WR Ben Nelson (1240 yards, 25 TDs in 2007) is going to be difficult, but Guy was the man behind one of the best defenses in the AFL last year. The Sabercats allowed just 47.6 PPG last season, which was 2nd best in the entire league. Head Coach Darren Arbet has always done a great job allowing his coordinators to do their job, and losing Coach Guy will leave a huge hole in the defensive scheme for San Jose.

2008 Preview: When you’re on top of the mountain and basically kept your championship team intact, there’s no reason to believe you won’t still be at least near the top of that mountain the following season. The Sabercats are chalk full of talent at the receiver position, so someone will replace Nelson’s 25 TDs. The biggest problem may be an aging secondary, but DS’s Clevan Thomas and Omarr Smith have been together for many years and should be able to man the fort just fine.

2008 will be a success if… San Jose repeats as champions. There’s simply no other result in the 2008 season that will be acceptable.

Mark Grieb should continue to add to his illustrious career with another strong season, and the Sabercat dynasty should continue to grow, possibly with another trip to the ArenaBowl.

Prediction: 13-3, 1st place Western Division

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