BLOOMINGTON, MN - FEBRUARY 01: Former NFL player and sportscaster Daryl "Moose" Johnston attends SiriusXM at Super Bowl LII Radio Row at the Mall of America on February 1, 2018 in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Several former Syracuse football players continue to make their mark in the Alliance of American Football. Here are the Week 5 highlights.
After starting the season 3-0, the Iron have now lost two straight. Their latest loss coming by way of the Orlando Apollos, 31-14. For former Syracuse wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo he’s continuing to lick his own wounds and hasn’t seen the field in weeks.
"Speaking with a source close to the situation, “he hasn’t been able to do a whole lot and has been banged up for a while with a right knee injury.” We’ll keep you updated if anything changes on this front."
The Atlanta Legends did not list Erv Philips as a starter in the 23-20 win over the Memphis Express. Despite that, Ervin was targeted five times and caught three passes for 23 yards. So far in his young Alliance of American Football career, Philips hasn’t made the same impact he did at Syracuse, but I have faith that he’s due for an explosive performance.
After looking like one of the worst teams in the entire Alliance, the Legends have bounced back in a major way.
"“If you look up the word “finish” in the dictionary, you may see a photo of Atlanta Legends head coach Kevin Coyle. Coyle has preached the term profusely since the start of training camp. At practice, the term is yelled multiple times. There are even team drills designed to finish scenarios and situational plays”, per Jaylon Thompson of the AAF."
The Legends have now won two straight and are vying for the postseason in this inaugural season.
The Orlando Apollos remain undefeated at 5-0 after taking out the Birmingham Iron 31-14. A strong running game (182 yards on the ground) and 468 overall yards on offense were too much for Iron to handle. Tiller is the starting left guard for the Apollos.
Jordan Martin continues to be captain consistency on the Fleet ship. This week he registered six combined tackles but most importantly recorded a key fumble recovery in what ended up being a two-point win over the Salt Lake Stallions.
Wow, what a finish between the San Diego Fleet and the Salt Lake Stallions. While we would’ve loved to see former Syracuse kicker Cole Murphy deliver the last second win, we’re still happy for Dave Boller and Jordan Martin. The Fleet won this one 27-25 on a last-second field goal attempt by Donny Hageman.
Moose knows all about building championship teams. Hell, he was a key cog in one of the best dynasties in NFL history with the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s. Well, he’s back at it once again with the San Antonio Commanders. San Antonio beat the Arizona Hot Shots 29-25 in this Week 5 matchup. Good enough for a first-way tie in the Western Conference Standings with the San Diego Fleet.
