Week 6 Recap:
West:
Most of the games were fairly boring in Week 6. The biggest news came with the gutting and resale of the Hawaii Revolution. The new owner, KAPLAN, renamed the team the Goshen Gippers. He faces an uphill battle trying to recruit his team up to speed with the rest of the league. For his sake, hopefully he is able to recruit like Charlie Weis, but coach better.
Las Vegas (6-0) vs. Colorado (0-6): (57-0). Las Vegas has no starters above level 16, but continues to dominate its opponents. Can the one-man-show continue to roll? Colorado was held to 61.5 yards, but will face the Concord Skyhawks next week, so expect Colorado to get its first win. Las Vegas faces Minnesota in the toughest game of the year so far for them.
Minnesota (6-0) vs. Lauderdale (3-3): (26-6). Minnesota keeps getting it down, dominating Lauderdale by holding them to under 30 yards rushing. Although Lauderdale has 3 wins, its opponents only have 2 wins between them. Minnesota prepares for its showdown with Las Vegas next week.
EZ (6-0) vs. Tallahassee (4-2): (26-6). EZ Company gets it done with a smothering defense and effective offense that scores enough points, but doesn't show off in the process. Tallahassee couldn't get anything going on the ground and kept it close until the second half when EZ put it away. Boomer Baker had 220 yards with 2 TDs against this tough opponent.
Fresno Snakes (5-1) vs. SNK Crushers (3-3): (21-9). Fresno could very well be the 2nd best team in the conference, only losing a close one to EZ. Although they were outgained by SNK, Fresno's D was the difference, holding SNK to 3 field goals. A lot of big plays made the difference for Fresno, which started with Peanut-Charles Tillman's 89 yard kickoff return. The game was put away on a 40.5 yard TD pass to Mark "Rambo" Bavaro. SNK may only be 3-3, but their losses are to teams with only 1 combined loss. Expect SNK to rebound once their schedule gets a bit easier in the next few weeks. Fresno faces a tough game against Tallahassee next week.
San Francisco (3-3) vs. Texas (3-3): (12-10). San Francisco is one of the most improved teams this season, and has moved themselves from the cellar to a playoff contender this year. In a tough defensive battle, they were able to upset the Teabaggers. The Teabaggers did a good job of keeping San Francisco out of the end zone, but it wasn't enough, as Andits Good went 4/4, including 3 40+ Yard FGs. Give him the game ball. San Francisco has the toughest part of its schedule behind it, and could improve its position in the next few weeks. Texas looks to recover, but still has to face Las Vegas, AZ, and Fresno in upcoming games.
New Jersey (3-3) vs. Oakland (0-6): (37-0). New Jersey recovered from their tough loss to Tallahassee with a shutout of the Turtles. New Jersey put up an amazing 485 yards, mostly on the ground, and held Oakland to -11 yards of Rushing. Jack Riley and Adrian Walker each put up 2 TDs, and Walker had an amazing 11 broken tackles in his 147 yards.
Tijuana (2-4) vs. Hawaii/Goshen (0-6): (45-0). Tijuana was able to get another win against the recently gutted Hawaii Revolution. Hawaii could do nothing with the ball, and Tijuana was able to run up and down the field on them. Kicker Zakk Wylde got tons of experience, making 8 FGs, and 3 XPs on a perfect outing. In a surprising move, Tijuana's coach Brau Krieger sent in the Punter to attempt a field goal, that was missed. I guess Wylde's leg got tired.
Laurier (2-4) vs. Concord (1-5): (47-0). Laurier was able to crush Concord. It could have been much uglier, but Laurier called off the dogs in order to give their backups a shot.
Next Week's Biggest Games:
Minnesota vs. Las Vegas- Two will enter, 1 will leave undefeated. Two evenly matched teams are competing for the top of the standings, and the right to face EZ for a likely undefeated battle.
Fresno vs. Tallahassee- The best two teams who have lost will face each other. Either of these teams have great shots at getting a home playoff game. Both also have outside shots at winning the Conference as well.
East:
Crimson (6-0) vs. New York Mustangs (2-4): (51-0). Crimson has only allowed a single touchdown all season, and kept New York Mustangs from scoring in a dominating game. Crimson looks unstoppable as it rolls over every team it faces. Several big games remain left on their schedule, including Naperville and Columbus. New York looks to regroup next week against struggling Red River.
Columbus (6-0) vs. Pittsburgh (3-3): (28-3). Columbus finally found the end zone after struggling all season. Brian Hartline brought in the first two TDs to bring the first quarter lead to 16-0, and they never looked back. The Columbus Defense proved outstanding again, stopping Pittsburgh on a 1st and goal from the .5 yard line and holding them to a single field goal. Kick DaBrick also kicked a career high 51 yard field goal in the game. Pittsburgh faces a tough opponent in Maine next week, and Columbus will battle St. Louis.
Indianapolis (5-1) vs. Detroit (1-5): (37-3). Indy looked outstanding on the ground and in the air again as they put up 435 yards to Detroit's 141. Indy, which started 0-4 last season, has made a name for themselves this season. They might want to take up LSU's "Undefeated in Regulation" argument to the BCs committee, as their only loss is a 3 point loss in OT to Columbus. Indianapolis faces a daunting schedule coming up with games against Milwaukee, New York Launch, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis in the next 4 weeks. They'll need a lot of luck to make it through that gauntlet. Detriot faces a similarly hard run coming up against Naperville, Milwaukee, Crimson, and New York Launch.
Naperville (4-2) vs. Martha's Vineyard (1-5): (34-6). Naperville has recovered nicely from their 0-2 start to the season with a win over Martha's Vineyard. Deuce Shaley_ was able to put it in the end zone 3 times on 19 carries, with 95.5 yards. Martha's Vineyard was able to pass the ball well, but had no running game, being held to -4 yards. Naperville gets a rest against Detroit, followed by a battle with undefeated Crimson. Naperville still controls its own destiny, and wins over Crimson and Columbus will give them homefield advantage if they can win the rest of their games.
New York Launch (4-2) vs. Maine (3-3): (15-14). If any team this year has had more hard luck, its Maine. Their 3 losses are by a combined 6 points. New York looks to continue last year's successful run since the meat of the toughest games on their schedule are behind them. The star for this game was kicker Ivan Ivanovich, who was 5/5, inclduing a 55 yard boot in the 2nd quarter.
St. Louis (4-2) vs. Sin City (2-4): (25-19). St. Louis overcame a 13-0 deficit early in the game to defeat Sin City 25-19. Neither team could do much on the ground, but the passing game for St. Louis was superb, putting up 319 yards on 61 attempts. There were 3 INTs by both teams, in this game that was mostly in the air. Both kickers were perfect on FGs and XPs. St. Louis may be 4-2, but the teams they have beat have been suspect. Are they the real deal or a paper tiger? Next week's game against Columbus will test them. Sin City has faced a daunting schedule so far, but things get easier for them for a little. Can they make a recovery and make a playoff run?
New Orleans (3-3) vs. Red River (0-6): (30-3). New Orleans dominated this game both through the air and on the ground. Red River was held to under 10 yards rushing, and only managed to get 103 yards passing. They did manage to have no turnovers, a minor victory. The big star for New Orleans was Deuce Dillinger, who managed to get 140 yards on 8 receptions, including 1 for a touchdown with a 55 yard early strike to retake the lead. New Orleans is still in the hunt and faces an exciting game against Sin City.
Milwaukee (3-3) vs. Cleveland (1-5): (22-3). Milwaukee stopped its two game losing streak with 22 unanswered points against the Cleveland Buckeyes. Kicker adam strip was kept busy with 5 FGs in his perfect outing. Milwaukee is still in good position to make a playoff push, with 3 tough losses against good teams. Cleveland has had one of the toughest schedules so far, but still faces many tough battles ahead.
Next Week's Biggest Games:
Indy vs. Milwaukee
Indianapolis needs to win this game to stay in the hunt for a home playoff game. Milwaukee looks strong and could give them a real test.
Columbus vs. St. Louis
St. Louis continues to be an enegma. They have high level players, but have only been able to pull off close wins against the weaker teams in the conference. Columbus has an offense that struggles to score at times, and a good defensive battle with a few turnovers could give St. Louis an upset.
Maine vs. Pittsburgh
Maine looks to take back the "Year of the Hawk" against Pittsburgh. This game should be close, but my money is on Maine. If they lose in a heartbreaker again, it might be hard to keep its players motivated for a playoff run.
West:
Most of the games were fairly boring in Week 6. The biggest news came with the gutting and resale of the Hawaii Revolution. The new owner, KAPLAN, renamed the team the Goshen Gippers. He faces an uphill battle trying to recruit his team up to speed with the rest of the league. For his sake, hopefully he is able to recruit like Charlie Weis, but coach better.
Las Vegas (6-0) vs. Colorado (0-6): (57-0). Las Vegas has no starters above level 16, but continues to dominate its opponents. Can the one-man-show continue to roll? Colorado was held to 61.5 yards, but will face the Concord Skyhawks next week, so expect Colorado to get its first win. Las Vegas faces Minnesota in the toughest game of the year so far for them.
Minnesota (6-0) vs. Lauderdale (3-3): (26-6). Minnesota keeps getting it down, dominating Lauderdale by holding them to under 30 yards rushing. Although Lauderdale has 3 wins, its opponents only have 2 wins between them. Minnesota prepares for its showdown with Las Vegas next week.
EZ (6-0) vs. Tallahassee (4-2): (26-6). EZ Company gets it done with a smothering defense and effective offense that scores enough points, but doesn't show off in the process. Tallahassee couldn't get anything going on the ground and kept it close until the second half when EZ put it away. Boomer Baker had 220 yards with 2 TDs against this tough opponent.
Fresno Snakes (5-1) vs. SNK Crushers (3-3): (21-9). Fresno could very well be the 2nd best team in the conference, only losing a close one to EZ. Although they were outgained by SNK, Fresno's D was the difference, holding SNK to 3 field goals. A lot of big plays made the difference for Fresno, which started with Peanut-Charles Tillman's 89 yard kickoff return. The game was put away on a 40.5 yard TD pass to Mark "Rambo" Bavaro. SNK may only be 3-3, but their losses are to teams with only 1 combined loss. Expect SNK to rebound once their schedule gets a bit easier in the next few weeks. Fresno faces a tough game against Tallahassee next week.
San Francisco (3-3) vs. Texas (3-3): (12-10). San Francisco is one of the most improved teams this season, and has moved themselves from the cellar to a playoff contender this year. In a tough defensive battle, they were able to upset the Teabaggers. The Teabaggers did a good job of keeping San Francisco out of the end zone, but it wasn't enough, as Andits Good went 4/4, including 3 40+ Yard FGs. Give him the game ball. San Francisco has the toughest part of its schedule behind it, and could improve its position in the next few weeks. Texas looks to recover, but still has to face Las Vegas, AZ, and Fresno in upcoming games.
New Jersey (3-3) vs. Oakland (0-6): (37-0). New Jersey recovered from their tough loss to Tallahassee with a shutout of the Turtles. New Jersey put up an amazing 485 yards, mostly on the ground, and held Oakland to -11 yards of Rushing. Jack Riley and Adrian Walker each put up 2 TDs, and Walker had an amazing 11 broken tackles in his 147 yards.
Tijuana (2-4) vs. Hawaii/Goshen (0-6): (45-0). Tijuana was able to get another win against the recently gutted Hawaii Revolution. Hawaii could do nothing with the ball, and Tijuana was able to run up and down the field on them. Kicker Zakk Wylde got tons of experience, making 8 FGs, and 3 XPs on a perfect outing. In a surprising move, Tijuana's coach Brau Krieger sent in the Punter to attempt a field goal, that was missed. I guess Wylde's leg got tired.
Laurier (2-4) vs. Concord (1-5): (47-0). Laurier was able to crush Concord. It could have been much uglier, but Laurier called off the dogs in order to give their backups a shot.
Next Week's Biggest Games:
Minnesota vs. Las Vegas- Two will enter, 1 will leave undefeated. Two evenly matched teams are competing for the top of the standings, and the right to face EZ for a likely undefeated battle.
Fresno vs. Tallahassee- The best two teams who have lost will face each other. Either of these teams have great shots at getting a home playoff game. Both also have outside shots at winning the Conference as well.
East:
Crimson (6-0) vs. New York Mustangs (2-4): (51-0). Crimson has only allowed a single touchdown all season, and kept New York Mustangs from scoring in a dominating game. Crimson looks unstoppable as it rolls over every team it faces. Several big games remain left on their schedule, including Naperville and Columbus. New York looks to regroup next week against struggling Red River.
Columbus (6-0) vs. Pittsburgh (3-3): (28-3). Columbus finally found the end zone after struggling all season. Brian Hartline brought in the first two TDs to bring the first quarter lead to 16-0, and they never looked back. The Columbus Defense proved outstanding again, stopping Pittsburgh on a 1st and goal from the .5 yard line and holding them to a single field goal. Kick DaBrick also kicked a career high 51 yard field goal in the game. Pittsburgh faces a tough opponent in Maine next week, and Columbus will battle St. Louis.
Indianapolis (5-1) vs. Detroit (1-5): (37-3). Indy looked outstanding on the ground and in the air again as they put up 435 yards to Detroit's 141. Indy, which started 0-4 last season, has made a name for themselves this season. They might want to take up LSU's "Undefeated in Regulation" argument to the BCs committee, as their only loss is a 3 point loss in OT to Columbus. Indianapolis faces a daunting schedule coming up with games against Milwaukee, New York Launch, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis in the next 4 weeks. They'll need a lot of luck to make it through that gauntlet. Detriot faces a similarly hard run coming up against Naperville, Milwaukee, Crimson, and New York Launch.
Naperville (4-2) vs. Martha's Vineyard (1-5): (34-6). Naperville has recovered nicely from their 0-2 start to the season with a win over Martha's Vineyard. Deuce Shaley_ was able to put it in the end zone 3 times on 19 carries, with 95.5 yards. Martha's Vineyard was able to pass the ball well, but had no running game, being held to -4 yards. Naperville gets a rest against Detroit, followed by a battle with undefeated Crimson. Naperville still controls its own destiny, and wins over Crimson and Columbus will give them homefield advantage if they can win the rest of their games.
New York Launch (4-2) vs. Maine (3-3): (15-14). If any team this year has had more hard luck, its Maine. Their 3 losses are by a combined 6 points. New York looks to continue last year's successful run since the meat of the toughest games on their schedule are behind them. The star for this game was kicker Ivan Ivanovich, who was 5/5, inclduing a 55 yard boot in the 2nd quarter.
St. Louis (4-2) vs. Sin City (2-4): (25-19). St. Louis overcame a 13-0 deficit early in the game to defeat Sin City 25-19. Neither team could do much on the ground, but the passing game for St. Louis was superb, putting up 319 yards on 61 attempts. There were 3 INTs by both teams, in this game that was mostly in the air. Both kickers were perfect on FGs and XPs. St. Louis may be 4-2, but the teams they have beat have been suspect. Are they the real deal or a paper tiger? Next week's game against Columbus will test them. Sin City has faced a daunting schedule so far, but things get easier for them for a little. Can they make a recovery and make a playoff run?
New Orleans (3-3) vs. Red River (0-6): (30-3). New Orleans dominated this game both through the air and on the ground. Red River was held to under 10 yards rushing, and only managed to get 103 yards passing. They did manage to have no turnovers, a minor victory. The big star for New Orleans was Deuce Dillinger, who managed to get 140 yards on 8 receptions, including 1 for a touchdown with a 55 yard early strike to retake the lead. New Orleans is still in the hunt and faces an exciting game against Sin City.
Milwaukee (3-3) vs. Cleveland (1-5): (22-3). Milwaukee stopped its two game losing streak with 22 unanswered points against the Cleveland Buckeyes. Kicker adam strip was kept busy with 5 FGs in his perfect outing. Milwaukee is still in good position to make a playoff push, with 3 tough losses against good teams. Cleveland has had one of the toughest schedules so far, but still faces many tough battles ahead.
Next Week's Biggest Games:
Indy vs. Milwaukee
Indianapolis needs to win this game to stay in the hunt for a home playoff game. Milwaukee looks strong and could give them a real test.
Columbus vs. St. Louis
St. Louis continues to be an enegma. They have high level players, but have only been able to pull off close wins against the weaker teams in the conference. Columbus has an offense that struggles to score at times, and a good defensive battle with a few turnovers could give St. Louis an upset.
Maine vs. Pittsburgh
Maine looks to take back the "Year of the Hawk" against Pittsburgh. This game should be close, but my money is on Maine. If they lose in a heartbreaker again, it might be hard to keep its players motivated for a playoff run.
