WEEK 1 RECAPS
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Eastern Conference prevailed this year in cross conference week. The games were largely high scoring, with some teams posting a ridiculous number of points that simply shouldn't be happening in the games deepest and most evenly matched league, a symptom of AI mistakes and turnoverfests.
Chicago Hedgehogs 38, ***Official*** Footballguys 31
This was one of the better contests of opening day. OFG outgained the Hogs in this matchup, but lost two critical GLB battles that sealed their fate: time of possession and turnovers. The Hedgehogs ran 82 plays to the 58 of the fighting Duff Men, and committed only one turnover against ***O***'s 4. The fumble bug stopped at this game on the way to the Green Bay / San Diego contest just long enough to tap much maligned OFG return man Blandon Clemmons on the shoulder (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473962&pbp_id=4032182), but the interceptions and the early return TD gave Chicago the edge in this one. Both Chicago star Tom Koziol and his OFG counterpart (HULK)(FLING ROCK) had their fair share of hits and misses, and OFG scat back (HULK)(BLAZING) showed lots of heart in this one, willing his team to stay in it whenever Chicago pulled away. (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473962&pbp_id=4032422, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473962&pbp_id=4037829). Seriously, that's one big, huge, pulsating heart he's got there.
Alpine Golfers 51, Parma Burglers 23
A disappointing first outing for the revamped Burglers roster. Although from the numbers it seems Parma did outplay the Golfers, ultimately their inability to sustain and complete drives did them in. Though they outgained Alpine both through the air on the ground both in total and average yards, Alpine was able to make enough timely stops - like this horrific, backbreaking fumble return (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473956&pbp_id=4034713) - to pull away. Even when Parma struck big (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473956&pbp_id=4037789), it seemed the Golfers were able to answer (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473956&pbp_id=4037845).
Northwest Arkansas Naturals 27, Las Vegas Freebirds 24
Realism buffs, we've finally, finally found you a game. The Freebirds and the Naturals staged a contest in week 1 that would please any die hard NFL fan. A rough and tumble match that featured two efficient offenses giving and taking from two stout defenses, grinding it out tooth and nail with the victory going to whoever had the ball last and got in field goal range. Today, it was the nats. Okay, so the offenses weren't *exactly* NFL style - the naturals staged their usual air raid, while the Freebirds hit the turf with a punishing(?) ground game resembling a s8 offense; The game began with an utterly boring first quarter in which neither offense sniffed the endzone, although there was an interesting exchange of fumbles on consecutive plays (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4032329, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4032546). Ultimately the exchange was meaningless as NAN failed to capitalize, turning their insuing possession over on downs on the Freebirds 19. The teams began to pick up steam in the second, however, exchanging blows with efficient, multiple play drives, until towards the end of the third quarter when they decided a big play or two was in order (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4037686, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4037774). However the game ultimately would belong to NAN, as they took their final position from their own 34 with 7 minutes left in the game and marched downfield on perhaps the longest drive we may see this season (Hallelujah, season 8 is truly dead): a 21 play, 6 and a half minute dink and dunk fest which resulted in a rare quarterback spike followed by a more ubiquitous field goal with 23 seconds to spare.
Minnesota Marauders 50, Richey Royals 45
Proving the extent of the randomization of GLB, the Marauders in this game averaged more yards per rush than their opponents did per pass - something that was rare even last season. Frustratingly enough for the Royals, they won time of possession in this game - 82 plays to minnesota's 52, but 2 costly interceptions contributed to their demise. What may have contributed more is the fact that every time Richey put together a methodical drive on the strength of running back Dusty Turner (39 rushes, 171 yds 3 tds http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4018937, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4023124) and their precision passing game, Minnesota would just casually toss the ball to one of their 15 backs and watch him go 40 yards. (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4022696, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4019385, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4018294).
Washington Wolfpack 43, Columbus Woodys 10
USA Pro hasn't been kind to tomcollins's crew so far - being one of the few USA Pro teams without a power back in season 8 got them off to a rocky start, and losing star TE Pete McKellar just in time for a passing sim in S9 hasn't helped matters. Neither did catching the Wolfpack for their opener. Neither team had much success passing the ball, although the running games found some purchase. Columbus back Laurie Wilson had a few tricks up his sleeve (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473971&pbp_id=4030673), but George Street (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473971&pbp_id=4030854) showed that he is an elite back in any sim condition, and so did his backfieldmate Patrick Partlow (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473971&pbp_id=4036781) as the Wolfpack disposed of the Woodys in the former AAA2 rivals' first meeting in the Pros.
Las Vegas Gamblers 61, NY-CA Ground Pounders 9
The Pounders are another team that the s9 sim does not favor, but even so, this was an impressive win by the Gamblers who have looked extremely good so far. They began their quest for an unprecedented second consecutive USA Pro title by carving apart an islander1 defense - never an easy thing to do. Riding a balanced offense featuring a potent running game and a pinpoint passing game, the gamblers piled up 469 yards of offense and 61 points. Tailback Cia Penguin had a big day, scoring TDs on 4 of his 15 carries (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473965&pbp_id=4023912, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473965&pbp_id=4024370). Though the NY-CA defense tried to fight back, (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473574&pbp_id=4290314) the Gamblers D was too much for the Pounders' offense as the game got out of reach quickly and forced them off of their game and into the passing game. NY-CA QB Phil Makraken was running for his life - hurried 14 times and sacked 6 more.
Cincinatti Shockers 75, Monmouth Evil Monkeys 41
This was probably billeted to be the game of the week, but it turned out to be anything but. I will avoid puns in reference to Cincinatti's mascot, but if I wanted to make them - they're served up on a silver platter right here. The turnover bug has smacked Monmouth in both of their losses this season (counting pre-season), this time handing the ball to Cincy 5 times. The Diabolical Simians 6 punts didn't help matters either. Shockers tailback Jacob Orangeblood has always been one of the better backs in the game, and his 5 total touchdowns (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4016483, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4023203) against a talented Monkeys defensive unit served as a resounding reminder. Although the team management perplexingly decided to shelve their star studded backfield for this one (7 carries for Csonka and company), Drago Puncher and the Monmouth receiving corps fought valiantly to stay in the game (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4017840, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4019141). Unfortunately, a poor defensive effort and another disappointing outing by backup QB Elisha were too much to over come.
Spicewood Longhorns 111, Chocolate City Cha Chings 41
Not much to see here - CCCC took much of the suspense out of the USA Pro passing race with an AI mistake for the ages. The super aggressive defenses intended for use on the goal line started getting called even against the Spicewood 5 wide sets (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473970&pbp_id=4014831). A two year old could throw touchdowns in that situation, and star Spicewood QB Hugh Laurie is at least, like, 50, and he obligingly destroyed the Cha Chings.
Detroit Demon Lions 38, Lincoln Navigators 34
Not much has changed for Paul Blake since preseason - he can still barely complete a pass, but fortunately for him when he does manage to put the ball in the same zipcode as ICECOLD!, good things seem to happen (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4034598, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4037804) . Now, before we hate on Paul Blake too hard, let's not forget that Lincoln has a very good secondary. That didn't seem to matter to ICECOLD! though, as he racked up 169.5 yards and 3 touchdowns in this game. Despite that, Lincoln was still in the driver's seat early (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4031902, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4030708), but when Andrew Vick decided the 4th quarter would be a good time to start throwing interceptions (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4036522, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4036704), DDL had the opportunity they needed to come back.
Green Bay Maulers 90, San Diego Lightning 20
Not many teams look as scary as the green bay maulers right now. One of them that looked at least as frustrating as them was the San Diego Lighning. Though the San Diego special teams did manage to get on the board (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4019438), less than ably supported as usual by the San Diego offense (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4021598), Green Bay had little trouble protecting the football and gave the Lightning a taste of their own medicine: (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4014575, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4023217) On top of the 6 forced fumbles, Green Bay piled on a healthy dash of interceptions (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4024794), and the 9 turnovers became far too much for the hapless Lightning to overcome as they got blown off the field 90 to 20.
South Bay Spartans 37, Washington Bullets 34
On a week in which the East beat the West pretty comfortably, South Bay represented proudly as they struck a blow against the Season 7 USAPL Champs, the Washington Bullets. Season 8 hadn't been kind to the Bullets, and it was obvious early on that they were ready to flex their aerial muscles once more (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473957&pbp_id=4034389). However, South Bay's offense was clinical in their execution, taking care of the football and executing longish drives to find the endzone. Everytime Washington was able to get on the board, South Bay found a way to answer (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473957&pbp_id=4033297) and ultimately Sparta prevailed.
Kalamazoo Coyotes 48, Dallas Vaqueros 30
Does anybody from either of these teams actually read this board? Well, here's the Reader's Digest condensed version: Two teams, two turnovers, one punt, Kzoo wins by only 18 despite getting nearly twice the yardage of Dallas. Booyah.
Over the Rhine Red Dots 72, Texas Roughnecks 38
A lot of bitterness between these two teams, and OTR took great delight in shoving the metaphorical rod up the Roughnecks metaphorical asshole. JK Tooley could be seen on the sidelines grinning like an idiot throughout the sodomizing, cackling with each savage red dot thrust (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473960&pbp_id=4019274, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473960&pbp_id=4021194). Although the Roughnecks tried to deny OTR entry on at least one occasion, (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473960&pbp_id=4021818), nothing could break the resolve of the surging Tooleys, as they viscously pounded their way to a 72-38 victory.
Carolina Hammer 22, Honolulu Hurricane Warriors 14
Not a lot of people saw this coming. HHW struggled to adapt early to the sim last year as well, so while my colleagues may write them off I expect it won't be long before they are able to make the adjustments they need to stay on top for season 9. Hukton's Carolina Hammer squad had a rough end to last season, but for any of those who checked out some of their games - they actually can play defense, and quite well, as the Warriors found out in this one. It was a low scoring affairm marked with largely ineffective rushing games (2.4 and 1.3 rushing averages for the two teams) and fairly anemica air attacks (less than 200 yards for both). The monotony was broken by a couple of interceptions (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473967&pbp_id=4014974, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473967&pbp_id=4018131) and the now common kickoff fumble (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473967&pbp_id=4020273). Though statistically the game was close, the Hammer jumped on top early and while they rarely extended their lead, they never relinquished it.
Indianapolis Gurupies 42, Bourbon Street Bullies 38
This game was something of an enigma. The Bullies got things started off right (they forced a special teams turnover): http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473969&pbp_id=4029212 , but the Gurupies (seriously, what the hell is a gurupie? Is it like a fish? A really wise and heavily stoned fish?) answered back quickly (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473969&pbp_id=4030102). Though fanaticsports21 hasn't yet reached USA Pro, his influence on the Gurupies was apparent in their choice of gameplan, rushing the ball 13 times and throwing it 58. Bourbon Street's more balanced approach certainly appeared more efficient on paper. We have a team that won basically every single statistical category except total passing yards (their passing average was higher), yet still managed to lose. The difference in the game, of course, was one possession on which the Bullies had to settle for a field goal, while for the Gurups it was all touchdowns all the time.
Compton Vikings 76, Pittsburgh Steel 14
USA Pro West's very own horde of angry Pokemen ran roughshod over the Pittsburgh Steel in this one. Yet another game that began with a kickoff fumble return (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4014141), it didn't prove to matter much as far as the Vikings were concerned.They spent the remaining 59 minutes and 42 seconds leaving the Steel with no doubt that they would have won anyway, regardless of special teams turnovers. Though the Steel did manage to snag (again I avoid the bad pun - seriously you guys owe me for this) one from Tarvaris Jackson early (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4016818) and torch the Viking secondary with only 2 seconds to go in the first half (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4019976), this game belonged to Compton from the get go. By air (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4021714) and by ground (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4022358), Compton had their way with the steel defense all game long.
Week 2 Previews
1. Washington Wolfpack V 12. Las Vegas Freebirds. The Pack will look to use their aggressive pass D (5 picks last time out) and Ball control offense in their Matchup with the Freebirds. LVF's lack of a rushing attack is going to be a huge problem this time out. With the Wolfpack being able to focus on pass Defense the Birds are going to have to be very careful with the ball.
CV Wolfpack 49-17
RJ Wolfpack 31-17
2. Minnesota Marauders V 7. South Bay Spartans. The Marauders ground attack was explosive the first time out. They have shown an ability to blow people off the ball up the gut and take it to the outside with ease. On the D side of the ball they are going to have to avoid giving up the big play through the air. Ball control with Mr. Smith will be huge in this one for the Spartans. Despite being outgained last time out the combination of Smiths running and some timely turnovers led them to a W.
CV Minnesota 42-24
RJ Minnesota 38-27
3. Spicewood Longhorns V 15. Dallas Vaqueros. Hugh Freaking Laurie and the Spicewood and the AirHorns offense is on fire. Laurie put up numbers against a decent C4 team that would be impresive against a gutted squad. It's hard to get a feel for the Longhorn D because they didn't need any and C4 had to air it out the entire game. Dallas needs two things to compete in this one, a solid ground attack and a huge effort by their Pass rush.
CV Spicewood 78-14
RJ Spicewood 50-10
4. Monmouth Evil Monkeys V 10. Bourbon Street Bullies. The Evil Monkeys need to hang onto the ball, plain and simple. You can't win against the better teams in this league giving up 5 turnovers. BSB needs to get their ground game going to control the ball and keep it away from the Monmouth passing attack. Also, their D line is going to have to step it up and pressure the QB.
CV Evil Monkeys 45-28
RJ Evil Monkeys 56-31
5. Lincoln Navigators V 13. Parma Burglars. The Navs are another squad that was killed by turnovers the last time out. They need to throw the ball to the right team and stop the Burglars from throwing the ball deep. Lincoln needed 2 late scores to make the game close with DDL despite outgaining them by 180. Parma needs to get TD's and not settle for Fieldgoal attempts to be in this game. They have good balance on O and a solid pass D. They are going to have to get a strong effort out of the run d.
CV Lincoln 48-28
RJ Lincoln 45-21
6. Chicago Hedgehogs V 14. NY-CA Groundpounders. The Hogs need to find a running game. 2.9 Per carry from your lead back isn't going to cut and they can't depend on winning the turnover battle by 3 everytime out. Their Passing game is very good, but other teams are going to be able to focus on it and nothing else. Welcome to USA PRO GroundPounders. NY-CA needs to step up their offensive effort in a big way to stay in their game this week. Defensively they can't let the Hogs QB pick them apart, like Bithel did for the Gamblers.
CV Hedgehogs 44-21
RJ Hedgehogs 31-28
8. Honolulu Hurricane Warriors V 16. Texas Roughnecks. I still have faith in the Wang organizations ability to bounce back and fix what is wrong with the team. HHW will put up a hell of a battle defensively as always it's just a matter of them figuring out a way to move the ball consistently. Texas better find Some defense or the Warriors will get healthy on O in a hurry. OTRRD torched them on the ground and through the air. The need to keep their O going the way it is Minus the Turnovers if they want to make this one a game.
CV HHW 33-19
RJ HHW 31-28
9. Compton VIkings V 11. San Diego Lighting. Compton is on a roll offensively. They moved the ball both passing and rushing with ease. A big game from Jackson at QB again this time out is going to be crucial. SDL needs to find 20 chem points in a hurry. That and try to avoid 9 Turnovers (trust me I know what that is like). Honestly though it's hard to Judge the Lighting's effort because of all the turnovers.
CV Vikings 42-38
RJ Lighting 56-38
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Eastern Conference prevailed this year in cross conference week. The games were largely high scoring, with some teams posting a ridiculous number of points that simply shouldn't be happening in the games deepest and most evenly matched league, a symptom of AI mistakes and turnoverfests.
Chicago Hedgehogs 38, ***Official*** Footballguys 31
This was one of the better contests of opening day. OFG outgained the Hogs in this matchup, but lost two critical GLB battles that sealed their fate: time of possession and turnovers. The Hedgehogs ran 82 plays to the 58 of the fighting Duff Men, and committed only one turnover against ***O***'s 4. The fumble bug stopped at this game on the way to the Green Bay / San Diego contest just long enough to tap much maligned OFG return man Blandon Clemmons on the shoulder (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473962&pbp_id=4032182), but the interceptions and the early return TD gave Chicago the edge in this one. Both Chicago star Tom Koziol and his OFG counterpart (HULK)(FLING ROCK) had their fair share of hits and misses, and OFG scat back (HULK)(BLAZING) showed lots of heart in this one, willing his team to stay in it whenever Chicago pulled away. (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473962&pbp_id=4032422, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473962&pbp_id=4037829). Seriously, that's one big, huge, pulsating heart he's got there.
Alpine Golfers 51, Parma Burglers 23
A disappointing first outing for the revamped Burglers roster. Although from the numbers it seems Parma did outplay the Golfers, ultimately their inability to sustain and complete drives did them in. Though they outgained Alpine both through the air on the ground both in total and average yards, Alpine was able to make enough timely stops - like this horrific, backbreaking fumble return (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473956&pbp_id=4034713) - to pull away. Even when Parma struck big (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473956&pbp_id=4037789), it seemed the Golfers were able to answer (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473956&pbp_id=4037845).
Northwest Arkansas Naturals 27, Las Vegas Freebirds 24
Realism buffs, we've finally, finally found you a game. The Freebirds and the Naturals staged a contest in week 1 that would please any die hard NFL fan. A rough and tumble match that featured two efficient offenses giving and taking from two stout defenses, grinding it out tooth and nail with the victory going to whoever had the ball last and got in field goal range. Today, it was the nats. Okay, so the offenses weren't *exactly* NFL style - the naturals staged their usual air raid, while the Freebirds hit the turf with a punishing(?) ground game resembling a s8 offense; The game began with an utterly boring first quarter in which neither offense sniffed the endzone, although there was an interesting exchange of fumbles on consecutive plays (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4032329, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4032546). Ultimately the exchange was meaningless as NAN failed to capitalize, turning their insuing possession over on downs on the Freebirds 19. The teams began to pick up steam in the second, however, exchanging blows with efficient, multiple play drives, until towards the end of the third quarter when they decided a big play or two was in order (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4037686, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473959&pbp_id=4037774). However the game ultimately would belong to NAN, as they took their final position from their own 34 with 7 minutes left in the game and marched downfield on perhaps the longest drive we may see this season (Hallelujah, season 8 is truly dead): a 21 play, 6 and a half minute dink and dunk fest which resulted in a rare quarterback spike followed by a more ubiquitous field goal with 23 seconds to spare.
Minnesota Marauders 50, Richey Royals 45
Proving the extent of the randomization of GLB, the Marauders in this game averaged more yards per rush than their opponents did per pass - something that was rare even last season. Frustratingly enough for the Royals, they won time of possession in this game - 82 plays to minnesota's 52, but 2 costly interceptions contributed to their demise. What may have contributed more is the fact that every time Richey put together a methodical drive on the strength of running back Dusty Turner (39 rushes, 171 yds 3 tds http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4018937, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4023124) and their precision passing game, Minnesota would just casually toss the ball to one of their 15 backs and watch him go 40 yards. (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4022696, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4019385, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473968&pbp_id=4018294).
Washington Wolfpack 43, Columbus Woodys 10
USA Pro hasn't been kind to tomcollins's crew so far - being one of the few USA Pro teams without a power back in season 8 got them off to a rocky start, and losing star TE Pete McKellar just in time for a passing sim in S9 hasn't helped matters. Neither did catching the Wolfpack for their opener. Neither team had much success passing the ball, although the running games found some purchase. Columbus back Laurie Wilson had a few tricks up his sleeve (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473971&pbp_id=4030673), but George Street (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473971&pbp_id=4030854) showed that he is an elite back in any sim condition, and so did his backfieldmate Patrick Partlow (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473971&pbp_id=4036781) as the Wolfpack disposed of the Woodys in the former AAA2 rivals' first meeting in the Pros.
Las Vegas Gamblers 61, NY-CA Ground Pounders 9
The Pounders are another team that the s9 sim does not favor, but even so, this was an impressive win by the Gamblers who have looked extremely good so far. They began their quest for an unprecedented second consecutive USA Pro title by carving apart an islander1 defense - never an easy thing to do. Riding a balanced offense featuring a potent running game and a pinpoint passing game, the gamblers piled up 469 yards of offense and 61 points. Tailback Cia Penguin had a big day, scoring TDs on 4 of his 15 carries (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473965&pbp_id=4023912, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473965&pbp_id=4024370). Though the NY-CA defense tried to fight back, (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473574&pbp_id=4290314) the Gamblers D was too much for the Pounders' offense as the game got out of reach quickly and forced them off of their game and into the passing game. NY-CA QB Phil Makraken was running for his life - hurried 14 times and sacked 6 more.
Cincinatti Shockers 75, Monmouth Evil Monkeys 41
This was probably billeted to be the game of the week, but it turned out to be anything but. I will avoid puns in reference to Cincinatti's mascot, but if I wanted to make them - they're served up on a silver platter right here. The turnover bug has smacked Monmouth in both of their losses this season (counting pre-season), this time handing the ball to Cincy 5 times. The Diabolical Simians 6 punts didn't help matters either. Shockers tailback Jacob Orangeblood has always been one of the better backs in the game, and his 5 total touchdowns (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4016483, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4023203) against a talented Monkeys defensive unit served as a resounding reminder. Although the team management perplexingly decided to shelve their star studded backfield for this one (7 carries for Csonka and company), Drago Puncher and the Monmouth receiving corps fought valiantly to stay in the game (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4017840, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473961&pbp_id=4019141). Unfortunately, a poor defensive effort and another disappointing outing by backup QB Elisha were too much to over come.
Spicewood Longhorns 111, Chocolate City Cha Chings 41
Not much to see here - CCCC took much of the suspense out of the USA Pro passing race with an AI mistake for the ages. The super aggressive defenses intended for use on the goal line started getting called even against the Spicewood 5 wide sets (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473970&pbp_id=4014831). A two year old could throw touchdowns in that situation, and star Spicewood QB Hugh Laurie is at least, like, 50, and he obligingly destroyed the Cha Chings.
Detroit Demon Lions 38, Lincoln Navigators 34
Not much has changed for Paul Blake since preseason - he can still barely complete a pass, but fortunately for him when he does manage to put the ball in the same zipcode as ICECOLD!, good things seem to happen (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4034598, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4037804) . Now, before we hate on Paul Blake too hard, let's not forget that Lincoln has a very good secondary. That didn't seem to matter to ICECOLD! though, as he racked up 169.5 yards and 3 touchdowns in this game. Despite that, Lincoln was still in the driver's seat early (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4031902, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4030708), but when Andrew Vick decided the 4th quarter would be a good time to start throwing interceptions (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4036522, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473964&pbp_id=4036704), DDL had the opportunity they needed to come back.
Green Bay Maulers 90, San Diego Lightning 20
Not many teams look as scary as the green bay maulers right now. One of them that looked at least as frustrating as them was the San Diego Lighning. Though the San Diego special teams did manage to get on the board (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4019438), less than ably supported as usual by the San Diego offense (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4021598), Green Bay had little trouble protecting the football and gave the Lightning a taste of their own medicine: (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4014575, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4023217) On top of the 6 forced fumbles, Green Bay piled on a healthy dash of interceptions (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473966&pbp_id=4024794), and the 9 turnovers became far too much for the hapless Lightning to overcome as they got blown off the field 90 to 20.
South Bay Spartans 37, Washington Bullets 34
On a week in which the East beat the West pretty comfortably, South Bay represented proudly as they struck a blow against the Season 7 USAPL Champs, the Washington Bullets. Season 8 hadn't been kind to the Bullets, and it was obvious early on that they were ready to flex their aerial muscles once more (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473957&pbp_id=4034389). However, South Bay's offense was clinical in their execution, taking care of the football and executing longish drives to find the endzone. Everytime Washington was able to get on the board, South Bay found a way to answer (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473957&pbp_id=4033297) and ultimately Sparta prevailed.
Kalamazoo Coyotes 48, Dallas Vaqueros 30
Does anybody from either of these teams actually read this board? Well, here's the Reader's Digest condensed version: Two teams, two turnovers, one punt, Kzoo wins by only 18 despite getting nearly twice the yardage of Dallas. Booyah.
Over the Rhine Red Dots 72, Texas Roughnecks 38
A lot of bitterness between these two teams, and OTR took great delight in shoving the metaphorical rod up the Roughnecks metaphorical asshole. JK Tooley could be seen on the sidelines grinning like an idiot throughout the sodomizing, cackling with each savage red dot thrust (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473960&pbp_id=4019274, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473960&pbp_id=4021194). Although the Roughnecks tried to deny OTR entry on at least one occasion, (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473960&pbp_id=4021818), nothing could break the resolve of the surging Tooleys, as they viscously pounded their way to a 72-38 victory.
Carolina Hammer 22, Honolulu Hurricane Warriors 14
Not a lot of people saw this coming. HHW struggled to adapt early to the sim last year as well, so while my colleagues may write them off I expect it won't be long before they are able to make the adjustments they need to stay on top for season 9. Hukton's Carolina Hammer squad had a rough end to last season, but for any of those who checked out some of their games - they actually can play defense, and quite well, as the Warriors found out in this one. It was a low scoring affairm marked with largely ineffective rushing games (2.4 and 1.3 rushing averages for the two teams) and fairly anemica air attacks (less than 200 yards for both). The monotony was broken by a couple of interceptions (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473967&pbp_id=4014974, http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473967&pbp_id=4018131) and the now common kickoff fumble (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473967&pbp_id=4020273). Though statistically the game was close, the Hammer jumped on top early and while they rarely extended their lead, they never relinquished it.
Indianapolis Gurupies 42, Bourbon Street Bullies 38
This game was something of an enigma. The Bullies got things started off right (they forced a special teams turnover): http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473969&pbp_id=4029212 , but the Gurupies (seriously, what the hell is a gurupie? Is it like a fish? A really wise and heavily stoned fish?) answered back quickly (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473969&pbp_id=4030102). Though fanaticsports21 hasn't yet reached USA Pro, his influence on the Gurupies was apparent in their choice of gameplan, rushing the ball 13 times and throwing it 58. Bourbon Street's more balanced approach certainly appeared more efficient on paper. We have a team that won basically every single statistical category except total passing yards (their passing average was higher), yet still managed to lose. The difference in the game, of course, was one possession on which the Bullies had to settle for a field goal, while for the Gurups it was all touchdowns all the time.
Compton Vikings 76, Pittsburgh Steel 14
USA Pro West's very own horde of angry Pokemen ran roughshod over the Pittsburgh Steel in this one. Yet another game that began with a kickoff fumble return (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4014141), it didn't prove to matter much as far as the Vikings were concerned.They spent the remaining 59 minutes and 42 seconds leaving the Steel with no doubt that they would have won anyway, regardless of special teams turnovers. Though the Steel did manage to snag (again I avoid the bad pun - seriously you guys owe me for this) one from Tarvaris Jackson early (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4016818) and torch the Viking secondary with only 2 seconds to go in the first half (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4019976), this game belonged to Compton from the get go. By air (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4021714) and by ground (http://goallineblitz.com/game/replay.pl?game_id=473963&pbp_id=4022358), Compton had their way with the steel defense all game long.
Week 2 Previews
1. Washington Wolfpack V 12. Las Vegas Freebirds. The Pack will look to use their aggressive pass D (5 picks last time out) and Ball control offense in their Matchup with the Freebirds. LVF's lack of a rushing attack is going to be a huge problem this time out. With the Wolfpack being able to focus on pass Defense the Birds are going to have to be very careful with the ball.
CV Wolfpack 49-17
RJ Wolfpack 31-17
2. Minnesota Marauders V 7. South Bay Spartans. The Marauders ground attack was explosive the first time out. They have shown an ability to blow people off the ball up the gut and take it to the outside with ease. On the D side of the ball they are going to have to avoid giving up the big play through the air. Ball control with Mr. Smith will be huge in this one for the Spartans. Despite being outgained last time out the combination of Smiths running and some timely turnovers led them to a W.
CV Minnesota 42-24
RJ Minnesota 38-27
3. Spicewood Longhorns V 15. Dallas Vaqueros. Hugh Freaking Laurie and the Spicewood and the AirHorns offense is on fire. Laurie put up numbers against a decent C4 team that would be impresive against a gutted squad. It's hard to get a feel for the Longhorn D because they didn't need any and C4 had to air it out the entire game. Dallas needs two things to compete in this one, a solid ground attack and a huge effort by their Pass rush.
CV Spicewood 78-14
RJ Spicewood 50-10
4. Monmouth Evil Monkeys V 10. Bourbon Street Bullies. The Evil Monkeys need to hang onto the ball, plain and simple. You can't win against the better teams in this league giving up 5 turnovers. BSB needs to get their ground game going to control the ball and keep it away from the Monmouth passing attack. Also, their D line is going to have to step it up and pressure the QB.
CV Evil Monkeys 45-28
RJ Evil Monkeys 56-31
5. Lincoln Navigators V 13. Parma Burglars. The Navs are another squad that was killed by turnovers the last time out. They need to throw the ball to the right team and stop the Burglars from throwing the ball deep. Lincoln needed 2 late scores to make the game close with DDL despite outgaining them by 180. Parma needs to get TD's and not settle for Fieldgoal attempts to be in this game. They have good balance on O and a solid pass D. They are going to have to get a strong effort out of the run d.
CV Lincoln 48-28
RJ Lincoln 45-21
6. Chicago Hedgehogs V 14. NY-CA Groundpounders. The Hogs need to find a running game. 2.9 Per carry from your lead back isn't going to cut and they can't depend on winning the turnover battle by 3 everytime out. Their Passing game is very good, but other teams are going to be able to focus on it and nothing else. Welcome to USA PRO GroundPounders. NY-CA needs to step up their offensive effort in a big way to stay in their game this week. Defensively they can't let the Hogs QB pick them apart, like Bithel did for the Gamblers.
CV Hedgehogs 44-21
RJ Hedgehogs 31-28
8. Honolulu Hurricane Warriors V 16. Texas Roughnecks. I still have faith in the Wang organizations ability to bounce back and fix what is wrong with the team. HHW will put up a hell of a battle defensively as always it's just a matter of them figuring out a way to move the ball consistently. Texas better find Some defense or the Warriors will get healthy on O in a hurry. OTRRD torched them on the ground and through the air. The need to keep their O going the way it is Minus the Turnovers if they want to make this one a game.
CV HHW 33-19
RJ HHW 31-28
9. Compton VIkings V 11. San Diego Lighting. Compton is on a roll offensively. They moved the ball both passing and rushing with ease. A big game from Jackson at QB again this time out is going to be crucial. SDL needs to find 20 chem points in a hurry. That and try to avoid 9 Turnovers (trust me I know what that is like). Honestly though it's hard to Judge the Lighting's effort because of all the turnovers.
CV Vikings 42-38
RJ Lighting 56-38
Last edited Apr 27, 2009 12:20:31
