There wasn’t any talk of bad luck of the draw Sunday in the Colorado Crush camp after the regular-season finales established the San Jose SaberCats will be the Crush’s first-round playoff opponent.
Instead, Crush coach Mike Dailey noted at this point every team is good when the top eight teams advance to the postseason. Colorado’s drive to ArenaBowl XIX, which is June 12 in Las Vegas, begins Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Pepsi Center; it will be the first home playoff game in franchise history.
“We know they are the defending champions, but this is an opportunity for us, and we’re looking forward to it,” Dailey said. “I have recovered a little from what happened to us Saturday night in New York, and it’s time to move forward.”
The Crush (10-6) lost 62-28 to the New York Dragons in the regular-season finale at the Nassau Memorial Coliseum, but still won the Central Division and top seed in the American Conference. The Crush has home-field advantage, and a victory against San Jose means the June 5 conference championship game would be at the Pepsi Center.
However, San Jose could be the toughest draw for the Crush. The SaberCats are 4-0 against Colorado, including an 89-41 victory April 22 at the Pepsi Center. In that game, San Jose quarterback Mark Grieb set a league record, completing all 15 of his passes. San Jose also beat the Crush 55-35 last year and 80-40 and 65-49 in 2003.
This past weekend, San Jose and Chicago won, keeping Las Vegas from making the playoffs and a possible trip to Denver for the first round.
After a league-best 8-2 record April 11, the Crush won only two of its last six games.
“It was strange, but I’m still proud of the fact that the Crush has won more games over the last two seasons than any other team in the league,” Dailey said.
The Crush was 11-5 last year for a total of 21 victories in the two years Dailey has been head coach.
After the loss to New York, Crush quarterback John Dutton said the focus is on the playoffs.
“It was only one loss,” Dutton said. “We have to get back to fundamentals and stop worrying about things we can’t control.”
SaberCats vs. Crush
What: AFL first-round playoff
Who: San Jose SaberCats (9-7) vs. Colorado Crush (10-6)
When: Sunday, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Pepsi Center
Season’s result: San Jose beat the Crush 89-41 on April 22 at the Pepsi Center. The 89 points set an AFL record for points scored by a visiting team.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
