MIKE PETICCA

Special to The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A glance at the numbers indicates that the Cleveland Gladiators' passing game is rather ordinary.



Most statistics, though, don't tell the whole story.



"We're not too worried about the stats on paper," Gladiators quarterback Shane Austin says. "Our mindset has been the same all year. We want to go 1-0 each week. That's the only statistic we're worried about."



The Gladiators have gone "1-0 each week" they've played during this Arena Football League season. Their 9-0 record gives them a 2 1/2 game lead in the American Conference East over the second-place Pittsburgh Power, whom the Gladiators visit on Saturday.



And it's the coolly efficient passing attack, with its flair for the dramatic, that has keyed Cleveland's emergence as a championship contender after a 4-14 record last year.



"We've got a great core," receiver Thyron Lewis said of Cleveland's passing game. "We have veteran receivers. We have two great quarterbacks and outstanding blocking.



"We work extra after practice, always working on our timing. We can adapt to coverages well and we always have options to our routes."



Steve Thonn, in his fifth season as the Gladiators coach and 10th overall as an AFL head coach, also coordinates the team's offense. Thonn played in the league as a wide receiver/defensive back from 1988-93, and -- including his service as an assistant -- coached in the AFL since 1994. He was a Division III All-America wide receiver at Wheaton College.



Cleveland's effective passing game relies on Austin's quick decision-making and release, precise routes by receivers such as Lewis and Dominick Goodman, and a stout group of blockers including center Shannon Breen and fullback Chad Schofield.



The Gladiators, halfway through their 18-game regular season schedule and primed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, rank just eighth among the 14 AFL teams in points per game (51.4) and eighth in passing yards per game (251.8).



The offense has been at its best, however, when it has mattered most. It's been able to capitalize on opportunities presented by a Cleveland defense that has allowed the second fewest points per game (41.6) in the league and by superb special teams play. That defense, by the way, features Marrio Norman and LaRoche Jackson in the secondary. Norman leads the AFL with eight interceptions and Jackson is the league-leader with 77 total tackles and 60 solos.



Austin, who turns 25 on June 14, replaced Chris Dieker, 26, at quarterback in the early going of Cleveland's third game, a 54-47 home opener win over the Iowa Barnstormers. The previous week, Austin relieved Dieker with the Gladiators trailing the New Orleans Voodoo, 20-3, at halftime, and rallied the team to a 37-26 win.



Dieker was Cleveland's starter last season. The Gladiators signed Austin as a free agent after he made a few starts last season for Pittsburgh.



"When Chris struggled a little, we gave Shane a chance, and he really did well," Thonn said about the switch to Austin. "It wasn't so much that Chris was doing badly as it was that Shane was doing well."



Dieker remains an integral part of the Gladiators, occasionally getting the football as a ball-carrier. And, he made one of the biggest plays of the season, subbing for a shaken-up Austin in the final minutes of Game 5, and throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lewis as time expired, giving Cleveland a 52-50 road win over the Spokane Shock.

Austin and his receivers thrive on the AFL field that is 50 yards in length from goal line to goal line and 85 feet wide. By comparison, NFL fields are 100 yards between the goal lines and 160 feet wide. Eight players are on the field for both the defense and offense, which includes three blocking linemen and four players who are eligible receivers -- including one who can be in forward motion prior to the snap.



Cleveland's most dramatic win came last Friday at Quicken Loans Arena. The Gladiators trailed the Philadelphia Soul, 52-35, before Lewis caught a 19-yard scoring pass from Austin. The clock continues to run in AFL games after a touchdown unless a timeout is called, and there were just 51.7 seconds left when Aaron Pettrey's extra point cut the Philadelphia lead to 52-42. Goodman then recovered a Pettrey onside kick at the Cleveland 11, and a few plays later caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Austin, trimming the Gladiators' deficit to 52-48 with 24.2 seconds to go.



Luke Black recovered yet another onside kick by former Ohio State standout Pettrey, again at the Gladiators' 11. Austin completed three passes for 28 yards before, on the game's final play, he scrambled out of the pocket and hit a sliding Lewis in the end zone for the touchdown and a 54-52 Cleveland win.



Austin's 61.1 percent completion rate is fourth in the AFL. He has completed 161 of 270 passes for 1,925 yards, 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Lewis has 52 receptions for 763 years, ranking second in the league in yards per catch (14.7) and eighth in touchdown catches (19). Goodman is fifth in receptions with 71, for 681 yards and 13 scores, boosting his four-year totals with Cleveland to 508 catches for 5,030 yards and 84 touchdowns.



Tyrone Collins (43 receptions, 459 yards, eight touchdowns) and Collin Taylor (29 receptions, 337 yards, five touchdowns) have also made numerous big catches this season.

PASSING FANCY

Keys to the Gladiators' passing game, according to head coach and offensive coordinator Steve Thonn:

Protect the quarterback, as the Gladiators and other Arena Football League teams pass on about 90 percent of their offensive plays.

Especially due to the smaller field (85 feet wide), throw the football on time with precise route-running by the receivers. Otherwise, on sideline routes, the receiver might run into the sidelines wall and be out of bounds before getting the ball.

Screen passes, bubble screens and other similar plays -- which essentially serve as a form of a running game -- must be quick-hitting.

Try to stretch the field as much as possible by sending the forward-motion receiver on deep routes.

Go after matchups; when you think a receiver has an advantage in a man-to-man matchup, keep going to it.

THE PLAYERS

Shane Austin

Position: Quarterback.

College: Hawaii. Passed for 1,303 yards and six touchdowns during his career.

You may not know: The California native enjoys karaoke, playing the guitar, snowboarding, surfing and playing indoor soccer.



Dominick Goodman

Position: Wide receiver.

College: Cincinnati. Caught 204 passes for 2,512 yards and 22 touchdowns during his career.

You may not know: Enjoys drawing, reading and golf. As a senior quarterback, rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns to lead Cincinnati Colerain to a 50-10 win over Canton McKinley in Ohio's 2004 Division I state championship game.



Thyron Lewis

Position: Wide receiver.

College: Howard. Caught 30 passes for 513 yards and four touchdowns during his junior and senior seasons.

You may not know: Was a member of the Washington Redskins' practice squad in 2006. Serves as an assistant football and track coach at a Los Angeles high school during the offseason.

