1. Boston Nighthawks
Defeated Bourbon Street Bullies 47-20
Boston gets it done with a balanced attack instead of with the rush-heavy scheme of the past. The Monkeys might make a whole lot more noise in USA Pro, but for my money it's the Nighthawks which are the team to beat in the league.
2. Washington Bullets
Defeated Richmond Rebel Yell 31-14
Apparently Stud Griffin didn't hold out after all, but you wouldn't have known it from the final score. Good field position and slow, methodical drives gave Washington the advantage over a surprisingly timid Richmond side.
3. Philadelphia Pushovers
Defeated Dallas Vaqueros 41-7
Same opponent as the last scrimmage, same result. Philadelphia looked like the Dan Fouts San Diego Chargers as they rolled up 464 yards passing on Dallas. The man of the match here: The Natural (11 rec for 216 yards, 2 TDs). Bet his fantasy owners were happy.
4. Cincinnati Shockers
Defeated South Bay Spartans 31-27
Although it appears the Spartans have lost a step or two since their stunning defeat in the first round of last season's playoffs, they still have arguably the best halfback in GLB, so this is a quality win over a tough opponent. The Shockers still have some holes to fill (as evidenced by their ad in Teams Looking for Players) but even without further additions, they have the look of a playoff team.
5. Detroit Demon Lions
Defeated Houston Hookers 165-0
A win which proves absolutely nothing except that the bad old days of cupcake games in Pro aren't completely gone. The game against the Chicago Mustangs in two days will do a lot more to prove what they're really worth in this conference.
6. Doomsday Sin
Defeated San Antonio Saints 29-28
A vastly entertaining but sloppy game by the Sin. There were ten total turnovers in this one, six by Doomsday. The Sin won on a 44 yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the game after the Saints' kicker missed his extra point attempt right before Doomsday's final possession. Apparently the PAT problem hasn't yet been addressed.
7. Green Bay Maulers
Lost to San Francisco Fire 42-27
A loss against a tough, quality opponent. This might have even gone Green Bay's way had the Maulers been able to pick up more of the four fumbles they forced, but they still went +3 on turnovers, capturing two interceptions and recovering one fumble while committing no miscues themselves.
8. Chicago Mustangs
Lost to Monmouth Evil Monkeys 56-23
One would have hoped for more against Monmouth, which is a team begging to have someone shut them up, but Chicago clearly isn't the team to do it. Despite the Evil Monkeys' chest-thumping, the Mustangs were in it for three quarters before their poor depth sunk their chances. Then again, I can't imagine who in their right mind would want to play for Tim Harper.
9. D.C. Warpath
Defeated Kailua Daggers 34-27
The Warpath were outgained and showed a lot of softness deep in the secondary but still pulled out a win over the Daggers, breaking a tie with 2:50 to go in the fourth quarter. Taking honors for D.C. was RB Matt Conley who had 182 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs.
10. Gridiron Rage
Defeated Washington Extreme 46-17
The Extreme came into this game starting a CPU fullback and defensive tackle and having a couple other starters who barely qualified under the new level requirement. This game should have been a blowout and although the Rage totaled nearly 500 yards on offense, they had much less to show for it than one would have expected.
11. Philadelphia Continentals
Lost to Oklahoma City Thunderstorm 34-33
The Continentals, days removed from USA BBB, almost pulled off a stunning upset over a team which went 12-4 in USA AAA last season. Humble origins aside, this is a deep, disruptive, dangerous team with a lot of upside, but poor chemistry will hobble them for now and stern conference foes loom directly ahead.
12. Rhode Island Red Wolves
Lost to Las Vegas Freebirds 30-17
The Red Wolves applied lots of pressure to a stout opponent, but it didn't matter as much as it should have. Las Vegas' quarterback still completed 19 out of 31 passes for 233 yards, 2 TDs and no picks despite being sacked six times. By the way, Youngtana, you might want to close your build.
13. Kalamazoo Coyotes
Lost to Columbus Bucks 26-20
The Bucks simply brought better pressure on K-Zoo. I'm not convinced this is a harbinger of things to come, but in an aerial battle, you'd better be sure your O-line can protect your passer. I expect Kalamazoo to pop up the rankings like a cork in the near future, but for right now these ratings can't forgive seven sacks and three interceptions.
14. Kentucky Madcats
Lost to Honolulu Hurricane Warriors 70-6
The Wangs are a world-class team, but you can't take a trip to the woodshed like this and expect to be in the top half of the rankings. Both tried to rush heavy in this one: the Warriors gained 12 yards per carry compared to Kentucky's anemic 1.9. Enough said.
15. Orlando Pirates
Lost to Minnesota Marauders 48-15
Minnesota simply shut down the Pirates, who couldn't even amass 200 total yards in this game. The stats don't lie: if your quarterback completes only 16 for 39 for an average gain of 3 yards per pass, you're in for a long day.
16. Camden Outkasts
Lost to Anchorage Penguins 65-13
Anchorage is a good team, but Camden showed huge holes in their defense in this matchup. Evidence of poor gameplanning, poor builds and poor execution lead me to believe the Outkasts need to make some major changes if they're going to avoid relegation.
Defeated Bourbon Street Bullies 47-20
Boston gets it done with a balanced attack instead of with the rush-heavy scheme of the past. The Monkeys might make a whole lot more noise in USA Pro, but for my money it's the Nighthawks which are the team to beat in the league.
2. Washington Bullets
Defeated Richmond Rebel Yell 31-14
Apparently Stud Griffin didn't hold out after all, but you wouldn't have known it from the final score. Good field position and slow, methodical drives gave Washington the advantage over a surprisingly timid Richmond side.
3. Philadelphia Pushovers
Defeated Dallas Vaqueros 41-7
Same opponent as the last scrimmage, same result. Philadelphia looked like the Dan Fouts San Diego Chargers as they rolled up 464 yards passing on Dallas. The man of the match here: The Natural (11 rec for 216 yards, 2 TDs). Bet his fantasy owners were happy.
4. Cincinnati Shockers
Defeated South Bay Spartans 31-27
Although it appears the Spartans have lost a step or two since their stunning defeat in the first round of last season's playoffs, they still have arguably the best halfback in GLB, so this is a quality win over a tough opponent. The Shockers still have some holes to fill (as evidenced by their ad in Teams Looking for Players) but even without further additions, they have the look of a playoff team.
5. Detroit Demon Lions
Defeated Houston Hookers 165-0
A win which proves absolutely nothing except that the bad old days of cupcake games in Pro aren't completely gone. The game against the Chicago Mustangs in two days will do a lot more to prove what they're really worth in this conference.
6. Doomsday Sin
Defeated San Antonio Saints 29-28
A vastly entertaining but sloppy game by the Sin. There were ten total turnovers in this one, six by Doomsday. The Sin won on a 44 yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the game after the Saints' kicker missed his extra point attempt right before Doomsday's final possession. Apparently the PAT problem hasn't yet been addressed.
7. Green Bay Maulers
Lost to San Francisco Fire 42-27
A loss against a tough, quality opponent. This might have even gone Green Bay's way had the Maulers been able to pick up more of the four fumbles they forced, but they still went +3 on turnovers, capturing two interceptions and recovering one fumble while committing no miscues themselves.
8. Chicago Mustangs
Lost to Monmouth Evil Monkeys 56-23
One would have hoped for more against Monmouth, which is a team begging to have someone shut them up, but Chicago clearly isn't the team to do it. Despite the Evil Monkeys' chest-thumping, the Mustangs were in it for three quarters before their poor depth sunk their chances. Then again, I can't imagine who in their right mind would want to play for Tim Harper.
9. D.C. Warpath
Defeated Kailua Daggers 34-27
The Warpath were outgained and showed a lot of softness deep in the secondary but still pulled out a win over the Daggers, breaking a tie with 2:50 to go in the fourth quarter. Taking honors for D.C. was RB Matt Conley who had 182 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs.
10. Gridiron Rage
Defeated Washington Extreme 46-17
The Extreme came into this game starting a CPU fullback and defensive tackle and having a couple other starters who barely qualified under the new level requirement. This game should have been a blowout and although the Rage totaled nearly 500 yards on offense, they had much less to show for it than one would have expected.
11. Philadelphia Continentals
Lost to Oklahoma City Thunderstorm 34-33
The Continentals, days removed from USA BBB, almost pulled off a stunning upset over a team which went 12-4 in USA AAA last season. Humble origins aside, this is a deep, disruptive, dangerous team with a lot of upside, but poor chemistry will hobble them for now and stern conference foes loom directly ahead.
12. Rhode Island Red Wolves
Lost to Las Vegas Freebirds 30-17
The Red Wolves applied lots of pressure to a stout opponent, but it didn't matter as much as it should have. Las Vegas' quarterback still completed 19 out of 31 passes for 233 yards, 2 TDs and no picks despite being sacked six times. By the way, Youngtana, you might want to close your build.
13. Kalamazoo Coyotes
Lost to Columbus Bucks 26-20
The Bucks simply brought better pressure on K-Zoo. I'm not convinced this is a harbinger of things to come, but in an aerial battle, you'd better be sure your O-line can protect your passer. I expect Kalamazoo to pop up the rankings like a cork in the near future, but for right now these ratings can't forgive seven sacks and three interceptions.
14. Kentucky Madcats
Lost to Honolulu Hurricane Warriors 70-6
The Wangs are a world-class team, but you can't take a trip to the woodshed like this and expect to be in the top half of the rankings. Both tried to rush heavy in this one: the Warriors gained 12 yards per carry compared to Kentucky's anemic 1.9. Enough said.
15. Orlando Pirates
Lost to Minnesota Marauders 48-15
Minnesota simply shut down the Pirates, who couldn't even amass 200 total yards in this game. The stats don't lie: if your quarterback completes only 16 for 39 for an average gain of 3 yards per pass, you're in for a long day.
16. Camden Outkasts
Lost to Anchorage Penguins 65-13
Anchorage is a good team, but Camden showed huge holes in their defense in this matchup. Evidence of poor gameplanning, poor builds and poor execution lead me to believe the Outkasts need to make some major changes if they're going to avoid relegation.
Last edited Nov 13, 2008 09:08:29
