LAS VEGAS (AFLWA) – As it did in its ArenaBowl championship season last year, San Jose is saving its best for last. So, too, is SaberCats quarterback Mark Grieb.

Grieb

With nine touchdown passes, Grieb outdueled Tampa Bay quarterback Brett Dietz, and helped San Jose eliminate the Storm from playoff contention. With the performance, he was named the Arena Football League Writers Association's Player of the Week for Week 15. Grieb was 26-of-38 for 274 yards, and threw three scoring passes in each the second and fourth quarters in a 73-70 win.

The SaberCats, who started slowly for the second consecutive season, have picked it up as of late and can clinch home-field advantage in the American Conference with a win at HP Pavilion over equally hot Georgia and a loss by Chicago, which hosts Dallas on Sunday.

Grieb's favorite target last Saturday was Cleannord Saintil, who had 12 receptions for 107 yards and four touchdowns. Rodney Wright and James Roe combined for 13 catches for 150 yards and five scores.

The SaberCats put the game away in the fourth quarter, as Grieb found Saintil twice for touchdowns over a three-minute span, giving San Jose a 66-49 lead with 7:35 remaining.

The AFLWA, founded at the start of the 2004 season, is a national organization made up of media members who cover the Arena Football League. The association will name an AFL Player of the Week each week throughout the 2007 season. The AFLWA has presented this weekly award since its inception during the 2004 season. Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is the AFLWA's founder and executive director.