Command Can't Claw Back Against The Talons, Fall 58‐48

Standings aside, the Kansas City Command (3-12) went toe-to-toe with the Central Division leading San Antonio Talons (12-3) but fell short to the Talons, 58-48 Saturday night in front of 8,153 fans at the Alamodome.  Quarterback Aaron Garcia threw for 253 yards, seven touchdowns and led the San Antonio to their ninth straight win.
The Command started a bit behind the 8-ball as they deferred the opening kickoff which was returned 56 yards by Jomo Wilson to put the Talons on the board just 49 seconds into the game.  Kansas City’s wide receiver tandem of Bret Smith and Samie Parker, along with Jackie Chambers’ special teams play helped keep the Command in contention, each of them scoring two touchdowns apiece.  Zack Eskridge was more consistent in just his third AFL start finishing with 261 yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers.
“One thing I take a lot of pride with our guys, they play hard and they don’t quit,” said Command head coach Danton Barto.  “We’re obviously a player or two, or a play or two away from where we need to be. Hopefully we’ll get Matt (Gutierrez) back this week and that will spark us, and Samie is everything we thought he’d be.  He’s going to help us tremendously for these last three games.”
Kansas City started the second half with great field position after Jackie Chambers 41 yards kickoff return, compounded by a Talons personal foul allowed the Command to start their drive from San Antonio’s 8 yard line.  Eskridge connected with Bret Smith for his second touchdown to close the gap to three points (30-27) with 12:17 left in the third quarter.  The Talons never lead by more than 10 points in the entire second half, but penalties nixed any opportunities for Kansas City to take the lead.
KC’s defense stayed true to form by reining in the Talons enough to allow the Command to cut the lead to three points twice during the game.  The Command forced Garcia into throwing two picks in the game, the second interception was returned for a touchdown by Bradly Chavez which would have given KC their first lead of the game, but another penalty took the points off the scoreboard.  Kansas City racked up 20 penalties for 127 yards and negated both interceptions in their loss to San Antonio.
“It’s tough because our guys play hard,” said coach Barto. “The problem is we make too many critical mistakes at the wrong time.  We get a huge interception return by Bradly Chavez, and we get a late hit. We just can’t do that.”
The Command return home next week to host their Central Division rival Iowa Barnstormers Saturday July 7th for Trophy Night at Sprint Center.

Command Travel To San Antonio To Take On Talons

The Kansas City Command (3-11) will try to keep the division-leading San Antonio Talons from securing a spot in the Arena Football League (AFL) playoffs this Saturday, June 30 at the Alamodome. Saturday night's 7 p.m. matchup will mark the second-to-last road game of the regular season for the Command, who finish the season on the road at Arizona.
The Talons (11-3) know that a win this weekend means a potential home playoff game at the Alamodome, and their unrivaled eight game winning streak is causing some playoff fever throughout San Antonio.
"This is a big step toward our ultimate goal," says quarterback Aaron Garcia. "But the first step is to get to the playoffs and then have the opportunity to win a professional football championship for San Antonio," Garcia adds.
In their last match up with the Talons, Kansas City’s defense gave a stellar effort. In that game Sergio Gilliam had two interceptions, earning him Riddell Defensive Player of the Game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Command could not hold on to a fourth quarter lead and fell to the Talons 41-31 that Saturday night at Sprint Center.
The Command’s defense, led by J.C. Neal, Rashad Barksdale and Gilliam has kept the team close in most games. The unit, which has been the team’s strong suit all season long, is currently ranked 5th in Total Defense and 8th in Scoring Defense in the league. On the down side the team has the 15th best Red Zone Defense in the AFL.
Recently, Kansas City has received a boost from Jackie Chambers, the team’s All Purpose Yardage leader.Chambers has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in two straight games.
The San Antonio offense, led by Garcia, is ranked 8th in Scoring Offense and 11th in Total Offense in the AFL. The Talons do have the 2nd ranked Red Zone Offense in the league.
The Talons (Tulsa/SA) lead the all time series 2-1 and have won the last two matchups with the Command.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN 1510 AM and Ustream.tv/kansascitycommand.

Command Fall Short Once Again, Losing to San Antonio 41-31

The Kansas City Command fell to the San Antonio Talons 41-31 Saturday night in Arena Football League action in front of 6,342 fans at Sprint Center.  The loss drops Kansas City to 0-7 on the season while San Antonio improved to 5-3.

Quarterback Matt Gutierrez threw for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions but did lose two costly fumbles.  Armand Robinson and Marcus Barnett each made their Command debuts tonight and led the KC receiving attack.  Robinson finished with eight catches for 96 yards and a score.  Barnett had five grabs for 89 yards and a TD.  Sergio Gilliam was named Ridell Defensive Player of the Game after picking off two Aaron Garcia passes.

Garcia threw for 231 yards and five touchdowns.  Jomo Wilson, just back from injured reserve, was Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Game after catching 10 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns.

The Command will next play Saturday, May 12 at 7pm on the road against the Iowa Barnstormers.  The game will air live on Sports Radio 810 WHB and on the web at Ustream.tv/KansasCityCommand.  The Barnstormers are 3-4 and play tomorrow afternoon against Chicago.

San Antonio Talons vs Kansas City Command Preview

The Kansas City Command return home from a three-game road trip to take on the San Antonio Talons Saturday, May 5 at 7pm at Sprint Center. The Command (0-6) are still seeking the team’s first win after dropping a 63-46 contest at Tampa Bay Monday night. San Antonio (4-3) is coming off a thrilling 56-55 win over the division-leading Chicago Rush Saturday night.
The Command were within three points early in the fourth quarter but Tampa Bay exploded for 35 points in the period to pull away late, despite taking just four offensive snaps. The Storm scored on a kick return, a net recovery and a fumble recovery.
Looking beyond the surface of Tampa Bay scoring 63 points, the Command defense played well. 21 Storm points came via special teams and a defensive score. Tampa Bay scored six offensive touchdowns, but two were set up by short fields from a turnover and an onside kick recovery. Kansas City’s defense stopped the Storm five times, including forcing two turnovers.
San Antonio never led Chicago until scoring with 1:22 left in the game. In a back-and-forth battle, the game was either tied or a 7-point Rush lead except for two brief 14-point Chicago leads in the first half. The Rush broke a 49-49 tie with 6:03 left but the PAT was blocked allowing San Antonio’s subsequent TD to put them up by one. The Rush had plenty of time to regain the lead, but from San Antonio’s 13-yard line with 7 seconds left, Chicago QB Russ Michna was forced to scramble and time elapsed before he got out of bounds. Officials reviewed the play to consider adding time back to the clock but ruled the game had ended with the Rush at San Antonio’s 3-yard line.
The Command and Talons have met twice, with each team winning on the other’s field last season. The Command had their most thrilling victory of the season in Tulsa (the Talons moved to San Antonio in the offseason), winning 40-38 on a Bradly Chavez TD reception on the last play of the game. The Talons won 71-55 at Sprint Center in the season finale for both teams.