Coming down the stretch of the AFL's regular season the defending champion San Jose SaberCats show all the signs that they will be the team to beat in the postseason, which gets under way with the Divisional Round of the playoffs on the last weekend of this month.

Well armed
and loaded
The SaberCats have talent all over the field.

They are a very well coached team and a team that's well led by outstanding veteran quarterback Mark Grieb.

I just think they do just about everything well, and when you can say that about a team you know they will be very tough to beat.

Besides the stellar passing of Grieb and an excellent corps of receivers, San Jose has shown strength in running the ball, rushing the passer and playing solid defense.

Coach Darren Arbet's team has all the ingredients that you look for in a championship-caliber team.

Prolific passer and offense
Grieb who is his eighth AFL season and seventh with San Jose had the best passing year in league history last season when he posted a completion percentage of 73.0 and a passer rating of 133.5.

He's been just about as good this season as the SaberCats are on pace to break the record for most points scored in a single season (966), which they set in 2003.

San Jose leads the league in scoring with an average of over 61 points per game, and the SaberCats have a shot at becoming the first team in the AFL to score 1,000 points in a season.

Part of what makes Grieb so good is that he's incredibly accurate in his passing.

And like every other good quarterback in the AFL, Grieb is tough.

Another key is his ability to shake off mistakes.

Grieb is a proven winner with a great feel for the AFL game.

Weapons galore
Last year James Hundon starred at offensive specialist for the SaberCats.

The five-year AFL veteran had 87 receptions for 1,253 yards and 21 touchdowns.

But Hundon is missing this season due to a bulging disk in his upper back.

San Jose tapped Rashied Davis to replace Hundon at offensive specialist and the move has proven to be a master stroke.

Since moving to offensive specialist Davis has over 1,100 yards receiving and 35 touchdowns.

He is four touchdowns shy of breaking the SaberCats' single-season mark set by Steve Papin in 2000.

San Jose is patient with players and seeks to develop them into stars and that's what we're seeing with Davis, who before this season had played in only 20 games for the SaberCats.

I could sense when seeing Davis last year that when he got his opportunity to contribute in a major way he would take advantage of it.

There are a lot of quick players in the AFL but Davis is exceptionally quick and fast, and he just outruns opponents.

He catches a pass and one step later he is at full speed.  

Grieb has other weapons besides Davis.

James Roe, a wide receiver and linebacker who I think is one of the premier two-way players in the league, also has over 1,100 yards receiving and 26 touchdowns.

And rookie Rodney Wright, who has missed some time this season, still has over 500 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.

Rushing the football the SaberCats can call on fullback Matt Kinsinger, Shalon Baker, Wright, Davis or Barry Wagner, one of the all-time great AFL players.