| 2008 Orlando Predators season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jay Gruden |
| Home field | Amway Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Gladiators) 66–69 |
The 2008 Orlando Predators season was the 18th season for the franchise. Finishing the regular season with a 9–7 record, the Predators made the playoffs for the 17th consecutive year. In this season, they made the playoffs as the 5th seed in the National Conference. The Predators were eliminated in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, losing to the Cleveland Gladiators, 66–69.
Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | CON | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Georgia Force | 10 | 6 | .625 | 927 | 848 | 3–3 | 6–4 | 6–2 | 4–4 |
| x-Orlando Predators | 9 | 7 | .563 | 881 | 898 | 3–3 | 4–6 | 5–3 | 4–4 |
| Tampa Bay Storm | 8 | 8 | .500 | 903 | 876 | 4–2 | 5–5 | 5–3 | 3–5 |
| New Orleans VooDoo | 8 | 8 | .500 | 893 | 835 | 2–4 | 2–6 | 6–2 | 2–6 |
y - Clinched division
x - Clinched playoff berth
Regular season schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Location | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 1 | at Philadelphia Soul | L 56–77 | 0–1 | Wachovia Center | 17,869 | Recap |
| 2 | March 9 | at New Orleans VooDoo | L 53–54 | 0–2 | New Orleans Arena | 13,042 | Recap |
| 3 | March 14 | Utah Blaze | W 69–61 | 1–2 | Amway Arena | 11,861 | Recap |
| 4 | March 22 | Georgia Force | W 50–45 | 2–2 | Amway Arena | 12,107 | Recap |
| 5 | March 29 | at Columbus Destroyers | W 47–44 | 3–2 | Nationwide Arena | 13,035 | Recap |
| 6 | April 6 | Chicago Rush | W 57–56 (OT) | 4–2 | Amway Arena | 12,483 | Recap |
| 7 | April 13 | at Grand Rapids Rampage | W 75–56 | 5–2 | Van Andel Arena | 6,946 | Recap |
| 8 | April 19 | at Georgia Force | W 65–62 | 6–2 | The Arena at Gwinnett Center | 10,079 | Recap |
| 9 | April 26 | Tampa Bay Storm | L 41–48 | 6–3 | Amway Arena | 13,365 | Recap |
| 10 | May 3 | San Jose SaberCats | W 61–35 | 7–3 | Amway Arena | 11,733 | Recap |
| 11 | May 9 | at Cleveland Gladiators | L 43–62 | 7–4 | Quicken Loans Arena | 13,808 | Recap |
| 12 | May 18 | at Kansas City Brigade | W 58–51 | 8–4 | Sprint Center | 10,992 | Recap |
| 13 | May 23 | Dallas Desperados | L 41–67 | 8–5 | Amway Arena | 12,366 | Recap |
| 14 | May 31 | Arizona Rattlers | L 53–60 | 8–6 | Amway Arena | 12,821 | Recap |
| 15 | June 7 | at Tampa Bay Storm | L 61–71 | 8–7 | St. Pete Times Forum | 17,344 | Recap |
| 16 | June 13 | New Orleans VooDoo | W 51–49 | 9–7 | Amway Arena | 13,423 | Recap |
| 17 | Bye Week | ||||||
Playoff schedule
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Location | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC Wild Card | June 30 | at Cleveland Gladiators (4) | L 66–69 | Quicken Loans Arena | 13,896 | Recap |
Coaching
Roster
| Uniform # | Player | Position | Height | Weight (lb) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Eaton | QB | 6' 2" | 215 | |||||
| 2 | Damon Mason | DB | 5' 9" | 195 | |||||
| 3 | Ron Johnson | WR | 6' 3" | 223 | |||||
| 4 | Ahmad Carroll | DB | 5' 11" | 190 | |||||
| 5 | B.J. Cohen | DL | 6' 2" | 280 | |||||
| 9 | Marlon Moye-Moore | FB/LB | 6' 2" | 240 | |||||
| 14 | Shane Stafford | QB | 6' 3" | 220 | |||||
| 15 | John Vaughn | K | 6' 0" | 200 | |||||
| 17 | T.T. Toliver | WR | 5' 11 | 175 | |||||
| 21 | Chas Gessner | WR | 6' 5" | 220 | |||||
| 28 | Kenny McEntyre | DB | 5' 11" | 175 | |||||
| 34 | Odie Armstrong | FB | 5' 11" | 265 | |||||
| 42 | Nick Allison | DB | 5' 11" | 180 | |||||
| 44 | Brian Ballantine | LB | 6'1" | 235 | 53 | Steve Baggs | LB | 6' 2" | 245 |
| 55 | Chris Jahnke | OL | 6' 5" | 315 | |||||
| 62 | Johnathan Clinkscale | OL | 6' 3" | 315 | |||||
| 65 | Tim Goins | OL | 6' 3" | 300 | |||||
| 68 | Darrell Campbell | DL | 6' 4" | 290 | |||||
| 72 | Jasper Harvey | OL | 6' 3" | 315 | |||||
| 75 | Bobby Harris | OL | 6' 4" | 315 | |||||
| 96 | Doug Miller | DL | 6' 2" | 290 | |||||
| 98 | Charles Hill | OL/DL | 6' 3" | 300 |
Stats
Regular season
Week 1: at Philadelphia Soul
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORL | 9 | 13 | 14 | 20 | 56 |
| PHI | 14 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 77 |
at Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: March 1
- Game time: 7:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 17,869
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at New Orleans VooDoo
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORL | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 53 |
| NO | 7 | 27 | 7 | 13 | 54 |
at New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: March 9
- Game time: 3:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 13,042
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: vs. Utah Blaze
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTA | 7 | 28 | 14 | 12 | 61 |
| ORL | 14 | 21 | 21 | 13 | 69 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: March 14
- Game time: 7:30 PM EST
- Game attendance: 9,722
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Georgia Force
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA | 21 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 45 |
| ORL | 10 | 21 | 7 | 12 | 50 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: March 22
- Game time: 7:30 PM EST
- Game attendance: 12,107
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at Columbus Destroyers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORL | 7 | 16 | 7 | 17 | 47 |
| CLB | 10 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 44 |
at Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
- Date: March 29
- Game time: 7:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: N/A
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: vs. Chicago Rush
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | 14 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 56 |
| ORL | 13 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 8 | 57 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: April 6
- Game time: 2:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 12,483
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: at Grand Rapids Rampage
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORL | 13 | 34 | 28 | 0 | 75 |
| GR | 7 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 56 |
at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Date: April 13
- Game time: 2:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 6,946
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at Georgia Force
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORL | 21 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 65 |
| GA | 7 | 26 | 14 | 15 | 62 |
at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Duluth, Georgia
- Date: April 19
- Game time: 7:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 10,009
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay Storm
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm | 7 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 48 |
| Predators | 7 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 41 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: April 26, 2008
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 13,365
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10: vs. San Jose SaberCats
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJ | 7 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 35 |
| ORL | 17 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 61 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: May 3
- Game time: 7:30 PM EST
- Game attendance: 11,733
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Cleveland Gladiators
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORL | 13 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 43 |
| CLE | 7 | 20 | 21 | 14 | 62 |
at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: May 9
- Game time: 7:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 13,808
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at Kansas City Brigade
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORL | 14 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 58 |
| KC | 14 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 51 |
at Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: May 18
- Game time: 2:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 10,992
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Dallas Desperados
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | 7 | 21 | 25 | 14 | 67 |
| ORL | 14 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 41 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: May 23
- Game time: 7:30 PM EST
- Game attendance: 12,366
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: vs. Arizona Rattlers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARZ | 7 | 22 | 14 | 17 | 60 |
| ORL | 6 | 7 | 16 | 24 | 53 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: May 31
- Game time: 7:30 PM EST
- Game attendance: 12,821
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 15: at Tampa Bay Storm
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predators | 12 | 20 | 7 | 22 | 61 |
| Storm | 21 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 71 |
at St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
- Date: June 7, 2008
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 17,344
- Recap
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. New Orleans VooDoo
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NO | 0 | 27 | 15 | 7 | 49 |
| ORL | 7 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 51 |
at Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
- Date: June 13
- Game time: 7:30 PM EST
- Game attendance: 13,423
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Playoffs
National Conference Wild Card: at (4) Cleveland Gladiators
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (5) ORL | 20 | 13 | 20 | 13 | 66 |
| (4) CLE | 14 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 69 |
at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: June 30
- Game time: 7:00 PM EST
- Game attendance: 13,896
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|