I thought I'd do a quick run down of my thoughts about the season thus far. It's been pretty tame, compared to last season, when it seemed like every game had great import. Anyway, here are some thoughts on what's going on in the league:
1) Diablo's dominance. It's their trophy to take, and I see no reason (sincerely) that they shouldn't run their streak to 80 games. That said, considering their 37-10 victory over the Gridiron Phantoms, it's possible that a team steps up and pulls of the shock of the century.
2) The demise of Wellington. Personally I thought that the Frog's would step up quickly and replace Wellington, but it looks like they need another season of...seasoning. Now, when I say demise with tongue firmly in cheek. Wellington should still go something like 14-2 or 13-3, by my book. They've had a weird season--tough loss to Macon Bacon (who are better than they sometimes play, but aren't quite at the true "elite" level yet), good win against Cozumel (odd to see them take such a step back this year). They have a good strong team. A little underleveled in places (compared with the fortress of level 70s that ransacked Casuals for 2+ seasons), but still capable of knocking off good teams. I expect them to lose to Texoma and Athens, but the Athens game might be a little too close for this particular owner's comfort.I think that there's a certain sense around here that The Avenger is a tactical genius and Wellington is more of a butcher-squad, but if you watch how McDuffy's teams operate from season to season, it's really evident to me that he knows and understands just as much about the game as anyone. I think he likes to fly under the radar about that stuff, so consider him outed.
3) The Rise of Texoma. Last year I thought it would be a miracle if we got by them in the first round, and they came all the way to the Athens 31 with 1:40 left before turning the ball over on downs. Almost their entire team is ~375 days old, and after praising Razor in a bunch of PMs between us last year, I know that Peach is just as much of a force as Razor. Next year will be truly interesting, because although I expect Diablo to reload, the Texoma team will be coming into their number 1 season. It could come down to which team adapts to the changes better. I feel pretty confident in suggesting that Texoma will represent one of the conferences (hopefully the "rivalries" system will keep them in the West) in next season's finale.
4) Wild Thangs lurking. In less than 2 weeks we'll have the marquee matchup of the Eastern conference's season, as Diablo travels to the Wild Thangs stadium for a matchup between the two remaining unbeaten teams in the East. Stizz is a great coach, and as demonstrated by their 87-0 shellacking of the ND Bison, and their solid victories over Cozumel and Bay Area, I think that with the proper game plan, they can make this game exciting. Am I willing to give them the nod? No, of course not. But maybe they learn something that helps them later in the playoffs...It will be interesting to see how they do against Cozumel in their rematch.
5) The continued success of teams like GLB's Most Wanted give pause to the idea that you need a lot of depth. Are they going to make any noise in the playoffs? Probably not. But it's certainly interesting to see them competing so well despite the huge difficulty they had recruiting this year, and it shows that Big Bill has a pretty solid idea of how to game plan in a way that maximizes his team's strengths. He definitely gets the "efficiency" award this year.
6) The ever-so-slight decline of Cozumel. This has always been a proud franchise, one that has routinely handed Athens our ass through the years. So it's a little odd to see them "only" at 6-2. They have a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way, but at this point, I wouldn't be entirely shocked to see them lose to Bay Area, North Dakota, and the UhOh Squad. But it's just as likely that they run it out to 14-2 by the end of the year. Their twin backs are still destroying people, and look for Toadie Flex to wrap up his second straight MVP award.
7) In general, the Uncapped and AAA teams have had their asses handed to them this year, so I feel like I should single out a couple of them for props. The Uh-Oh squad, which is probably the best squad to make the jump this year, has done a really excellent job of competing this season. They've taken a couple of tough losses to two excellent teams (Diablo and Gridiron), but they've taken down some solid teams as well. Their game against Cozumel tomorrow will be a good measuring stick. As well, Macon Bacon has stepped up to their very tough schedule thus far, including a win against Wellington, and a close loss against Bridgetown. I expect both these teams to make some real noise next season.
8) Bay Area is lurking, and they got crushed by the Wild Thangs, but they've put together another excellent team. I expect them to finish at 14-2 this year, which should more than make up for their disappointing 10-6 from last year.
9) I hate to toot my own horn, but Athens has put together another solid season. For whatever reason, we seem to be fairly hohum during the regular season, but me, my co-owner James, my headcoach JT, and my teammates all take pride in doing well in the regular season. We achieved our 100th win this year, and if all goes well, we should wrap up our 2nd 15-1 season in 3 years. I feel pretty confident that we'll be making our 2nd straight appearance in the conference title game, as well.
Final Standings Predictions:
West:
1. Texoma Pirates 16-0
2. Athens Minotaurs 15-1
3. Wellington Spitfires 13-3
4. Gridiron Phantoms 13-3
5. GLB Most Wanted 12-4
6. Macon Bacon 11-5
7. Baltimore Fuggers 11-5
8. Bridgetown Rum Runners 9-7
East:
1. Diablo Dots 16-0
2. Wild Thangs 15-1
3. Bay Area Bulls 14-2
4. Cozumel Jedi Knights 13-3
5. Uh-Oh Squad 11-5
6. North Dakota Bison 11-5
7. Great Lakes Wolfpack 10-6
8. Geriatric Society 9-7
MVP Predictions:
West:
O: HB Armando Allen--a highly versatile back who's been unstoppable all season
D: DE Quickness McSacksalot--Wellington has a solid SOS coming up, and he dominates regardless, which will move him up.
ST: CB Return to Sender--super talented, he's GLB's main offensive force. Great player
East:
O: HB Toadie McFlex--old but good. OopsyaMissedMe could sneak in if Wolf Pack fall apart.
D: DE Havoc Junior--has it already locked up. Just a monster.
ST: CB Cubby Bumphous--he got screwed out of the award last year, so I'm personally pulling for him this year.
1) Diablo's dominance. It's their trophy to take, and I see no reason (sincerely) that they shouldn't run their streak to 80 games. That said, considering their 37-10 victory over the Gridiron Phantoms, it's possible that a team steps up and pulls of the shock of the century.
2) The demise of Wellington. Personally I thought that the Frog's would step up quickly and replace Wellington, but it looks like they need another season of...seasoning. Now, when I say demise with tongue firmly in cheek. Wellington should still go something like 14-2 or 13-3, by my book. They've had a weird season--tough loss to Macon Bacon (who are better than they sometimes play, but aren't quite at the true "elite" level yet), good win against Cozumel (odd to see them take such a step back this year). They have a good strong team. A little underleveled in places (compared with the fortress of level 70s that ransacked Casuals for 2+ seasons), but still capable of knocking off good teams. I expect them to lose to Texoma and Athens, but the Athens game might be a little too close for this particular owner's comfort.I think that there's a certain sense around here that The Avenger is a tactical genius and Wellington is more of a butcher-squad, but if you watch how McDuffy's teams operate from season to season, it's really evident to me that he knows and understands just as much about the game as anyone. I think he likes to fly under the radar about that stuff, so consider him outed.
3) The Rise of Texoma. Last year I thought it would be a miracle if we got by them in the first round, and they came all the way to the Athens 31 with 1:40 left before turning the ball over on downs. Almost their entire team is ~375 days old, and after praising Razor in a bunch of PMs between us last year, I know that Peach is just as much of a force as Razor. Next year will be truly interesting, because although I expect Diablo to reload, the Texoma team will be coming into their number 1 season. It could come down to which team adapts to the changes better. I feel pretty confident in suggesting that Texoma will represent one of the conferences (hopefully the "rivalries" system will keep them in the West) in next season's finale.
4) Wild Thangs lurking. In less than 2 weeks we'll have the marquee matchup of the Eastern conference's season, as Diablo travels to the Wild Thangs stadium for a matchup between the two remaining unbeaten teams in the East. Stizz is a great coach, and as demonstrated by their 87-0 shellacking of the ND Bison, and their solid victories over Cozumel and Bay Area, I think that with the proper game plan, they can make this game exciting. Am I willing to give them the nod? No, of course not. But maybe they learn something that helps them later in the playoffs...It will be interesting to see how they do against Cozumel in their rematch.
5) The continued success of teams like GLB's Most Wanted give pause to the idea that you need a lot of depth. Are they going to make any noise in the playoffs? Probably not. But it's certainly interesting to see them competing so well despite the huge difficulty they had recruiting this year, and it shows that Big Bill has a pretty solid idea of how to game plan in a way that maximizes his team's strengths. He definitely gets the "efficiency" award this year.
6) The ever-so-slight decline of Cozumel. This has always been a proud franchise, one that has routinely handed Athens our ass through the years. So it's a little odd to see them "only" at 6-2. They have a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way, but at this point, I wouldn't be entirely shocked to see them lose to Bay Area, North Dakota, and the UhOh Squad. But it's just as likely that they run it out to 14-2 by the end of the year. Their twin backs are still destroying people, and look for Toadie Flex to wrap up his second straight MVP award.
7) In general, the Uncapped and AAA teams have had their asses handed to them this year, so I feel like I should single out a couple of them for props. The Uh-Oh squad, which is probably the best squad to make the jump this year, has done a really excellent job of competing this season. They've taken a couple of tough losses to two excellent teams (Diablo and Gridiron), but they've taken down some solid teams as well. Their game against Cozumel tomorrow will be a good measuring stick. As well, Macon Bacon has stepped up to their very tough schedule thus far, including a win against Wellington, and a close loss against Bridgetown. I expect both these teams to make some real noise next season.
8) Bay Area is lurking, and they got crushed by the Wild Thangs, but they've put together another excellent team. I expect them to finish at 14-2 this year, which should more than make up for their disappointing 10-6 from last year.
9) I hate to toot my own horn, but Athens has put together another solid season. For whatever reason, we seem to be fairly hohum during the regular season, but me, my co-owner James, my headcoach JT, and my teammates all take pride in doing well in the regular season. We achieved our 100th win this year, and if all goes well, we should wrap up our 2nd 15-1 season in 3 years. I feel pretty confident that we'll be making our 2nd straight appearance in the conference title game, as well.
Final Standings Predictions:
West:
1. Texoma Pirates 16-0
2. Athens Minotaurs 15-1
3. Wellington Spitfires 13-3
4. Gridiron Phantoms 13-3
5. GLB Most Wanted 12-4
6. Macon Bacon 11-5
7. Baltimore Fuggers 11-5
8. Bridgetown Rum Runners 9-7
East:
1. Diablo Dots 16-0
2. Wild Thangs 15-1
3. Bay Area Bulls 14-2
4. Cozumel Jedi Knights 13-3
5. Uh-Oh Squad 11-5
6. North Dakota Bison 11-5
7. Great Lakes Wolfpack 10-6
8. Geriatric Society 9-7
MVP Predictions:
West:
O: HB Armando Allen--a highly versatile back who's been unstoppable all season
D: DE Quickness McSacksalot--Wellington has a solid SOS coming up, and he dominates regardless, which will move him up.
ST: CB Return to Sender--super talented, he's GLB's main offensive force. Great player
East:
O: HB Toadie McFlex--old but good. OopsyaMissedMe could sneak in if Wolf Pack fall apart.
D: DE Havoc Junior--has it already locked up. Just a monster.
ST: CB Cubby Bumphous--he got screwed out of the award last year, so I'm personally pulling for him this year.
Edited by josephblitz on Apr 22, 2010 21:37:06
Edited by josephblitz on Apr 22, 2010 21:35:36
