A 50-yard field boxed in by 32-foot high nets in the end zones, sideline walls that stand 4-feet high and are part of the playing field and eight-player teams where defenses are limited and receivers may go in a forward motion before the snap.
Yes, the Arena Football League has brought some variations to the sport that Clevelanders have never seen before.
With a victory over the rival Columbus Destroyers tonight, the Cleveland Gladiators would give their fans something they haven’t seen in awhile — playoff football.
“We’d love to not only bring a playoff berth to the city but hopefully a playoff game as well,” Gladiators coach Mike Wilpolt said. “We’re pretty focused on what we have to do. We control our own destiny right now.”
A win against Columbus and the Gladiators earn their spot in the playoffs. A victory over the Destroyers coupled with losses by New Orleans and New York would have Cleveland playing its first postseason game in Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cleveland Browns haven’t played in the postseason since 2002, and haven’t hosted a playoff game since 1994.
“We feel the playoffs start for us (tonight),” Gladiators quarterback Raymond Philyaw said. “We have to win to keep going and if we lose we’re done.
“We still feel we have a lot to prove to ourselves, our fans and the city of Cleveland.”
Before the franchise moved to Cleveland this season, the Gladiators went 2-14 last year in Las Vegas. The team was reworked from top to bottom — including a new general manager, coaching staff and the bulk of the skill players — and the team has looked solid in building an 8-7 record heading into tonight’s season finale.
At the heart of the Gladiators’ powerful offensive attack is Philyaw, who has thrown for 4,018 yards and 77 touchdowns this year. Philyaw, in his ninth AFL season, holds the best TD-to-INT career ratio (9.03) in league history and his 131.79 rating during the 2001 season is third-best in league history.
“I try to lead by example both on and off the field,” Philyaw said. “It’s fun to play (the quarterback) position. It’s one of those feelings I really can’t explain.
“But it’s still just football at the end of the day.”
But it’s arena football at its best when the Cleveland offense is on the field.
Philyaw is the third-highest rated quarterback this season — his 122.5 rating is slightly less than former Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine’s 122.8 for Utah — and running back Marlion Jackson is leading the league in rushing. Philyaw also has two receivers ranked in the top eight in the league — Robert Redd has 1,455 yards and Otis Amey has 1,445 yards and leads the league with 48 touchdowns.
“It’s always nice to have a couple guys like that to throw to,” Philyaw said. “When you go up against a great defense, they have to play you honest. They know we have a few guys on our team that are putting up big numbers and can make big plays.”
It’s defense that has been the Gladiators’ weakness this season. Wilpolt, who is considered one of the top defensive minds in the league, said the team has shown flashes of greatness on that side of the ball but haven’t been able to maintain it for a string of games.
“We just have to find a little more consistency,” Wilpolt said. “We’ve been up and down on the defensive side of the ball, especially over the past few games. Ultimately, the guys on the field have to make the plays.”
The “Battle of the Buckeye State” already has a celebration feel to it, as the fans will get bobblehead dolls of co-owner Bernie Kosar when they pass through the gates, and Youngstown’s Kelly Pavlik, the WBO and WBC middleweight boxing champion, will be the captain for the honorary pregame coin toss.
But the Gladiators don’t want to take anything for granted and know that the Destroyers still pose a threat to their postseason chances.
“We have a dangerous team in Columbus,” Wilpolt said. “We’re not really sure which Columbus team we’re going to get (tonight) —- the one that wants to hurry up and get their season over, or the one that wants to knock us out and spoil our year.”
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

TONIGHT

WHO: Cleveland vs. Columbus
TIME: 7 o’clock
WHERE: Quicken Loans Arena
TV/RADIO: FSN Ohio; WKNR 850-AM

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