At least the Colorado Crush gets the first shot on what could be the Arena Football League’s turkey-shoot weekend at playoff spots.
With 10 teams in the running for eight playoff spots and two others on the bubble, the Crush begins its run at 7 p.m. today against Nashville at the Pepsi Center. The Kats are unbeaten in their past six games, but their 6-7-1 record makes them longshots for playoff contention.
A victory over Nashville would give the Crush a 10-5 record, and coach Mike Dailey could sit back and watch the rest of the weekend and see where the chips fall. The Crush could clinch a playoff spot with 10 victories, but the San Jose-Arizona and Las Vegas-Los Angeles games Saturday and the Grand Rapids-Chicago game Sunday could determine Colorado’s playoff status.
A Crush victory and a Las Vegas loss would clinch a berth. If Chicago loses and the Crush wins, Colorado would clinch the Central Division title and a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
The Crush finishes the regular season next week at New York, with the opportunity to gain the best playoff seeding in the American Conference.
“Every time I think I have a grasp on how this will work out, it goes a different direction,” Dailey said. “We have to do our best in the next couple of games and see where it shakes out. There’s so much parity in the league that it’s unpredictable.”
The Crush has played the past four weeks with injuries that have weakened the lineup. Those problems probably contributed to a three-game losing streak the Crush snapped Sunday with a 63-57 victory at New Orleans.
Dailey activated fullback/linebacker Rich Young and lineman Don Klein from injured reserve for tonight’s game. But fullback/linebacker Chad Dukes (groin), lineman Maurice Anderson (groin) and receiver/defensive back Darcey Levy (hamstring) were placed on injured reserve.
“We’re getting closer to being healthy,” Dailey said. “I wish our injured players were 100 percent. We just have a lot of players with bumps and bruises.”
Tonight
What: Arena Football League
Who: Nashville Kats (6-7-1) at Colorado Crush (9-5-0)
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Pepsi Center
TV/radio: Comcast, Channel 5/KHOW 630 AM
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
