Williams, Ta’amu honored
Spokane's Travis Williams (defense) and Ed Ta'amu (highlight) have been honored with weekly AFL awards.
Williams (No. 12 pictured above) had his seventh interception of the season in Friday's win over Arizona. He also made a tackle to stop an Arizona receiver short of the goal line on fourth-and-goal in the third quarter.
Ta'amu took a screen pass and hopped over Antonio Narcisse en route to finishing off a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
More below on the AFL awards and check back later for a Shock notebook.
From AFL office ...
TULSA – Tampa Bay wide receiver SEDRICK ROBINSON, Milwaukee quarterback CHRIS GREISEN and Spokane defensive back TRAVIS WILLIAMS have been named the JLS Ironman, Russell Athletic Offensive Players and Riddell Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 19 of 2010. In addition to these three awards, the AFL is also highlighting the player who makes the best Catch of the Week, the Playmaker of the Week and the Highlight of the Week. The Cutters Catch of the Week Award for Week 19 goes to Milwaukee wide receiver DAMIAN HARRELL, while Tulsa wide receiver JEFF HUGHLEY has been named the Playmaker of the Week. The Highlight of the Week award has gone to Spokane offensive lineman ED TA’AMU. Robinson (5-9, 180, Kentucky Weselyan) led Tampa Bay in receptions and kickoff returns in the victory over Tulsa. From seven receptions and 87 yards, Robinson caught two touchdown passes, both in the final three minutes of the first half for a 34-19 lead. The second half would just get better for the Storm, outscoring Tulsa by 21 points. Robinson also caught five kickoff returns for an incredible 102 yards. On the defensive side, Robinson accounted for two tackles in the 68-38 victory in opening round of the American Conference divisional playoffs. RUSSELL ATHLETIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Greisen (6-3, 220, NW Missouri St) had another explosive performance, solidifying his spot as a top ranked quarterback this season. Greisen is currently No. 1 in total passing yards (5146) and pass efficiency (128.2). Against Chicago, Greisen completed over 80 percent of his passes for the fourth time this season. In the 64-54 win by Milwaukee, Greisen threw for 312 yards and nine touchdowns, tying his season-high for touchdown passes. The Iron will be playing for the National Conference Championship title this week in Spokane. RIDDELL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Williams (6-1, 198, Missouri) nabbed his seventh interception of the season in the close victory over Arizona. In the dying seconds of the first half, Williams returned a 14-yard interception, ultimately leading to a field goal and 10 point advantage at the half for Spokane. Williams was also a threat for Arizona QB Nick Davila all night, with a total of 4.5 tackles and three pass breakups. Spokane will be playing for its first Conference title in the AFL this weekend when they host Milwaukee. CUTTERS CATCH OF THE WEEK Harrell (6-3, 200, Florida St) had an impressive game for the Iron, scoring over half of Milwaukee’s touchdowns in Milwaukee’s first appearance in the AFL playoffs. Almost all of Harrell’s catches ended in points, with eight receptions for five touchdowns and ninety yards. His highlighted catch was a tremendous one-handed catch over the wall. -MORE- NIFTY PLAYMAKER OF THE WEEK Hughley (5-8, 175, Averette) is awarded his second honor this season, previously receiving Ironman for Week 16. Hughley kept any hope alive for Tulsa in the loss against Tampa Bay, leading the team in kickoff returns and helping offensively. Hughley returned six kickoff returns for 111 yards, plus caught six receptions for 58 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Hughley had one tackle. SPALDING HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK Ta’amu (6-3, 350, Utah) shocked Arizona’s defense as the 350 pound lineman made an amazing play. After ten minutes without either team scoring, Ta’amu caught a 6-yard touchdown reception to take a 13-7 lead. Although it was his only reception of the night, the largest man on the team caught two previous passes and one touchdown in the regular season. Spokane would go on to win the game, 57-49. JLS Ironman of the Week candidates included: Jacksonville’s Sale Key, Spokane’s Markee White and Milwaukee’s Tyre Young Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week candidates included: Orlando’s Bobby Sippio, Spokane’s Kyle Rowley and Tampa Bay’s Brett Dietz Riddell Defensive Player of the Week candidates included: Orlando’s Dion Byrum, Milwaukee’s Leroy Burgess and Tampa Bay’s Errick McIntosh
JLS IRONMAN OF THE WEEK
