Pacific Pro Preseason Analysis
Oceania Conference
Cryptic Legends
The Cryptic Legends, via the “Hardcore” Rejects are a promotion request acceptance from Regional Pro. Orbical does everything staffing wise for this team. They were an 8-8 Team is S43 and honestly I don’t’ see much reason they can’t repeat that, as they look to have a pretty solid roster.
Offensively, I think Ty Craven is going to lead this team. He is a very well built Power Back, pretty much the ideal specimen. Defensively I think Moses Censored Hansen could be the standout player. If I had to pick one strength for this team, I’d say it would be the running game. Ty Craven is no joke, he’s going to give opposing defenses serious problems imo. If I had to pick a weakness, I think it could actually be their offensive line. The depth there leaves a bit to be desired and that could be a problem in deeper part of the season, especially at Left Tackle.
Overall, I think this team has potential but I’m just not sure they’re ready for Pro yet. I’ve been wrong before and I could very well be wrong here. We shall see.
My Rank: 15
OffTopica Miracle
OffTopica is another Farm Based team that has been around for a very long time in Oceania. Back in S15 the branch of teams won a league title in AAA. For the next 15 seasons the team would compete heavily in Oceania Pro; where they would remain. In Season 30, the team moved down the ranks with a youthful team in preparation to move back up the ranks at a higher rate of domination. Unbeknownst to them, some demotion changes would be made, S31 would grant them a Regional Pro silver and return to Oceania Pro. That’s when JDBolick arrived for what would soon be known within the organization as the “Dream Team” of staffs. In S34 the team finally won OPL Gold and moved on to World League in S35. From S36-41 they spent their time back in OPro, going to Reg Pro in S42 and now, they once again return to Pro where their hope is to dominate.
The Key players on this team appear to be Running Back Van Mainline Highland who will be complimented by Cannonball Roaring. They have an experienced Offensive Line and complimentary FB’s and TE’s leading the charge in front of them. Bruce Catchemall will be the star coming out of the passing game who is complemented by seasoned veteran wide receivers.
Defensively Wrath of Khan is going to be leading the charge, in S42 he had over 50 sacks, this probably means extra blocking help from the opposition.
From a Coaching Standpoint, the coaching staff is ‘advisory’ in nature, while Yello is really the guy behind the madness.
From an opposition standpoint, I didn’t get the impression that there is a ton of confidence, as they felt like the only ‘potential wins’ would be DIG & Sumatra as they’ve had a tough time with much of the remaining competition near the top of the conference.
Their strongest weapon is their devotion to the Pope (their words, not mine). The oppositions offense seems to be OT’s biggest weakness…according to sources.
This is a team that doesn’t think they deserve a high rank or even a seasonal feature. That, to me, suggests they could shock a few teams.
Their Rank: 14-15
My Rank: 11
Dirty Island Gurupies
DIG is a returning team from S42 and they’ve earned their respect. There is a reason that so many people have named them as one of the teams most likely to be the toughest competition. Coming off of a 14-2 season last season, frankly I was a bit surprised when they were upset in the playoffs. Their running attack is most definitely their strength, with multiple 1,000+ yard rushers last season, don’t be shocked if they duplicate that this season. Their weakness? Maybe their punter, he’s wasting a roster spot, all he’s gonna do this season is keep someone’s seat warm. Seriously though, it wouldn’t’ shock me if this is one of the two teams in the Conference Championship. I think my ranking of them suggests as much.
My Rank: 2
Sumatra Seahawks
If there’s a team I know, it’s this one; not in terms of their roster, not in terms of what they’re going to do this season, not even in terms of expected game plan. In terms of knowing how long they’ve been around, in terms of knowing that this team is going to be tough because their ownership always has been.
The Seahawks are without question one of my two picks for the Conference Championship in the Oceania Conference. Seriously; I know they didn’t make it far last season, but they did make the playoffs and this is a team that’s always been strong and very competitive. I have 0 reason to doubt their capability to win and win often. To be blunt, if you underestimate this team, you’re just stupid, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This team has been to World League 8 times, and a proud member of the Oceania Region since Season 4. To me their strength is their backfield. They’ve got a nice mixture of receivers and runners there and I’ve said this a few times in my write-ups but the running game is where the bread n’ butter is right now, so this could be extremely impactful. Their weakness? Well, that’s honestly a tough one, Maybe QB? They don’t have a rushing QB, I’m not sure that’s a weakness, but that’s one thing that the opposition won’t have to worry about. Honestly, I don’t see this as a team with much weakness at all.
My Rank: 1
L.A. Resistencia
L.A. Resistencia started out as a Farm Team for the Dot Cartel Network, so there’s always been an emphasis on Pro level success. This season they return again to the Oceania Conference as they continue their quest for the Pacific Pro Trophy.
The coaching staff for L.A. has gone through some changes offensively and in S43, it will undergo yet another change as Kboum will take over the offense and resume his duties as the Defensive Coordinator as well. With this change, there is some speculation that we will see more of a West Coast Attack offensively with your prototypical defensive attack.
Keep an eye on Ray Pierce at Running back who could the biggest threat offensively to opposing defenses. Defensively, a guy to watch is Red Bryant who projects very well as a grueling Run Stopping Defensive End.
Potentially the three toughest opponents for L.A. this season, the three teams they have the worst track record against are DIG, Asmara, & Razorback Nation. They’re all very strong adversaries and have excellent coaching staffs. I don’t think that L.A. is the only team these three will be a thorn in the side for.
Heading into this season, expect a heavy dose of running, L.A. could finish the season with the best Oline in the conference, maybe the league and their RBs are no chumps. The question is, can their passing game support their running game? Defensively, their front seven is going to be a tough matchup for some teams but their secondary has some holes that could give opposing teams an advantage, or will they?
According to sources within the team, they’d personally rank themselves between #2 & #6, I think there’s a few teams that are a bit better than they are, but I think they’re a very good team that could also find themselves a little underrated
Games to Watch this season: Dirty Island Gurupies – One of the thorns in L.A.’s side, expect this game to be featured!
Their Rank: 2-6
My Rank: 5
Legacy’s Huntington Beach Surf
Another Legacy team, led by Hatchman who’s been around for quite a long time; they are coming off of a great S42; but unfortunately, I don’t think they’re ready for this league. My primary reasoning behind that, which could change by the time the season rolls around, is because of the lack of depth in some areas of their team. With some serious lack of quality depth on the defensive line and secondary, as well as the offensive line, their strength, their Running game, I think is going to be overshadowed. I definitely think they’ll win some games, I just don’t think they’ll get close to a playoff berth this season. It’s their connections to Legacy that make me rank them as high as I did.
My Rank: 12
Bow Chicka Brown Cows
The Brown Cows are the poster children for “Zero Cares” during their journey to the Pro level. They’ve been around since Season 6, most of their agents have been around since the birth of GLB.
We Rule refers to himself as the “Marty Schottenheimer of GLB”, good enough to get to the conference championship game, never good enough to win it. A Regular season wizard and a playoff disappointment.
For most of their existence they have been an SEA Pro team, this time around, they decided to come to Oceania, to mix it up a little bit.
They have a history with the Surfs and with Offtopic, both whom have been tough opponents one way or the other. DIG & Sumatra are also teams they feel will be fierce competition. They feel they are a talented team with a Clown Car Coordinator Group.
Hot Skillet is a guy to watch for the Brown Cows.
My Rank: 9
Amsterdam Crusaders
Amsterdam is an interesting specimen, there’s a few clear things about them, their weakness is the # of CPU teams on their roster and their secondary. Unfortunately for Amsterdam, I think that’s going to be enough to keep them down and out this season. I just don’t think they’ve done enough in recruiting and those 3 QB’s really take away from other positions. There’s potential on this team, but sadly, they lack a ton of talent for this level, they would have been better served in Regional Pro this season.
My Rank: 14
Newfoundland Roughnecks
The Newfoundland Roughnecks, formerly the Newfoundland Ballers, named in tribute to the Newfoundland Vikings & Montreal Ballers both of whom played a major role in the teams development within GLB, have been led EvilVoodoo77. Originally of the European Pro League, EV decided to bring his team to a more competitive Conference in Pacific Pro: Oceania.
Arguably the best HB in the league, EV hpHB looks to be a major focal point of the offense this season. Antwon Chambers & Present Moment are extremely consistent receivers who should bolster a very impressive passing attack. Patrik & Hottie look to be a worthy duo on the back end.
EV has had some difficulty in finding comfort with Defensive Coordinators, however with QB Eater, he has found that comfort. Spread-Em Offense has been the OC up to this point, however, this season EV is taking over those duties as SEO gives more time to the Smexies and other teams he is involved with.
As many others have said, they expect their toughest challenges to be DIG, Resistencia, Asmara, Sumatra, & RN; though they anticipate that no game in this conference will be easy. Their potential weakness may be special teams, according to team sources.
Right now the team believes they are worthy of being ranked between 6 & 8 in the conference but they also believe they’re most definitely a playoff team.
Two games that will likely be featured for Newfoundland are the KC game & LA
Overall, I think there’s plenty of potential here, I think that at the top of this conference, there is going to be a dog fight until the very end and Newfoundland will find themselves very much within that dogfight.
Their Rank: 6-8
My Rank: 7 With some adjustments to the ranking (which I didn’t do), I would put them at 7, sliding both $C$ & Whatever down, in part because I have not seen this team in action yet but would agree they’re a Top 8 team.
$in City $ydnicate
A playoff team last year in Pacific Pro, led by Dawg, of the Growl Network, I’d more than bet they return to the playoffs this season. Their strongest player on the team imo is Romper Stomper Bomper, their Powerback. With such an emphasis on the running game with this team, it could suggest the passing game to be a weakness, however, It’d be too difficult for me to actually pick a weakness for this team.
$in City has been around a long time and I fully expect them to improve upon their 8-8 season this season.
My Rank: 7
KC’s METRO CHOPPERS
KC, led by Chief C, brings yet another very competitive team to Pacific Pro. This team however, like a couple of others, is going to have to deal with a low Team Chemistry early on. Their strength is most definitely their running game and defense. Their weakness, well, it’s Team Chemistry. They’ve got a very good, experienced talent and a ton of great agents. There’s no lack of talent on this team so I see no reason they can’t be a playoff team as long as they can overcome the Team Chemistry issue.
While I do view them as playoff capable, I also think the Team Chemistry could be enough to keep them in the lower tier of the conference for now.
My Rank: 10
Dallas Paladins
Team History Highlights A summary of the key successes and the journey to Pacific Pro, how you ended up here and your accomplishments along the way
The Dallas Paladins are one of the “dark horses” of this league for me personally. From S10-S16 they were a strong team despite a lack of title wins, an average of about 12-4 each season, during the slow build. During the ‘early years’ the league was dominated by a small group of teams that climbed fast and dominated swiftly. They struggled against those teams and just couldn’t get deep enough to make any real noise. After some time, Hook stepped away from being an owner, doing all the work for his team, frankly, he got burnt out.
In S29, the itch was too intense, even the rake he was using on his back wouldn’t make it go away. He chose to delve back into Ownership with a good, close friend and a World League Player Builder as his Offensive Coordinator. Hook took the reins as the Defensive Coordinator and the team would become a playoff contender for their first 13 seasons.
In S37 when they reached Canada Pro, despite getting to the playoffs, they just couldn’t get deep within them. At that point, they decided a change of venues was in order and moved to Oceania Pro. In their first season, they went 13-3 and made it to WL, despite losing to Razorback Nation in the Conference Championship. On their journey to WL, their team would see a dramatic overhaul and were not the Paladins of old; they would go on to struggle in WL in S41. In S42 in Oceania, they still struggled but mustered up a 8-8 season, missing the playoffs by one game, despite being teams like Chico High, who would go on to make it to WL.
Heading into this season, they have fired their Asst Defensive Coorinator,
Offensively, their key players appear to be HB Stu “The Scottish Sensation” Stewart III, FB Heinrich Chan, & Tight End Sammy Snaggerman. Stu could very well be one of the best Scat backs there is, period, he looks to be a major part of the offense and has averaged 8.2 YAC in WL. Chan had 1300 Yards and 20 TDs last season, the expectation this season is for him to improve on those #’s. Sammy appears to be an important part of the offense where his production and build will speak for itself.
Defensively, Shayne Ledbetter is a fumble forcing pain in the backside. Forrest Bradford could possibly be the best returner in the league, and D.Noize projects to be a beast of a shutdown Corner. Last but not least is Irvin Strausser is going to be a thorn on the defensive line. Built like a beast and ready to destroy opposing Olines.
Hook runs the Defense and has also done so for $in City up until this season. DiMo runs the Offense and has done so since S29.
DiMo28 - OC since restart in S29. Has ties to being a builder for Honolulu Wife Carriers.
Asmara, Razorback, LA, DIG, and $in City are the teams they project as the toughest competition for this upcoming season. The team feels strongly that their strength is their balanced offensive attack and game plan experience on both sides of the ball. Their biggest weaknesses are poor chemistry and defensive time commitments by Hook while being a Teacher, Coach, Father, & Husband. It is expected that this could potentially be Hook’s final season as an Owner & DC in GLB.
Hook views the team as a 5th or 6th but thinks they have the potential of being Top 3. This is a team that will certainly be featured this season, games to watch are likely to be vs. Sumatra, $in City, KC, RN, & LA.
Their Rank: 5-6 (with Top 3 Potential)
My Rank: 6 Based on their history, the potential is certainly there, what I want to see is the follow-through
Whatever
Whatever is another heavy hitter in the long line of them within the Oceania Conference. Their weakness, like a couple other teams, might be their rushing attack production, but I wouldn’t think it’s much of weakness at all. Their strength is their unified roster. Build by pretty much the same agents across the build, you can bet that they’re built to a very specific design, which has worked for this team for the most part. To me, this is a fringe playoff team, I say fringe because I simply haven’t seen them in action enough to make a more concrete assessment. Frankly, I think this is going to be one of those teams that leave other teams disappointed because they get pushed out of the playoffs at the hands of Whatever.
My Rank: 8
”Hardcore” Williamsport Soul Reavers
The Williamsport Soul Reavers were born in Season 5, climbing through the ranks to what was once known as the Oceania Pro League; while they’ve had some success, playing in multiple Conference Championships between Seasons 5-12, maintaining a Top 3 Defense and a Top 5 Offense, they weren’t able to grab the League Championship Trophy. Taking some Time off in S13, the Williamsport Soul Reavers returned in Season 22 and have been climbing back up through the ranks. In S42 they had a rough season and it came time to make some significant changes. 31 Players later, I’m not real sure that those within the organization even recognize the team, but that isn’t a bad thing.
There is an obvious hope and determination for improvement.
Heading into this season, I have a really strong feeling that one of the highlight players for our team is going to be Cierre Wood. Cierre Wood, a newly acquired talented running back helps to bolster a running attack that has three new faces within it.
Defensively, all eyes may be on HydroSly Westbrook who was a Top Addition to the secondary this offseason.
Strengths and weaknesses? I think our strength is our knowledge base, there’s a lot of seasoned agents within the organization and so ‘help’ isn’t going to be hard to find. Our biggest weakness, without a doubt, is our Team Chemistry right now. It’ll hurt the team early, but if we can find a way to claw out a playoff spot, then who knows what’ll happen.
As far as where I personally would Rank my team, currently we stand at 16th imo. Why? Because we were demoted from Pro, we were able (thanks to a CPU team) to move back up, because that’s why so many drastic changes were made, to compete at this level, not lower levels, but we frankly haven’t yet earned the right to be ranked higher.
The team I think will be our toughest opponent this season in our conference is Sumatra for sure. WSR has a long history with Sumatra from back in the days of OPL, I know what they’re about and I know what seahawks10 brings to the table. There’s no doubt in my mind there’s going to be plenty of tough competition, like L.A., Razorback Nation, OffTopica & DIG among others, but those guys in Sumatra, I think are going to be our biggest challenge of the regular season.
My Rank: 16
Razorback Nation
In one form or another for more than 20 seasons Razorback Nation has been a part of the Oceania Region. They’ve done a little bit on the Trophy front in previous seasons and for the last two seasons have been representing Oceania proudly in World League. RN, jlrock, is one of the ‘still standing’ longest tenured Oceania owners in the game.
The leader of this team offensively is Quarterback, Machine Gun Razorback. Trucking Razorback is regarded as a special weapon specifically designed for the offense of RN. The Wide Receivers, according to sources, they are very capable, perhaps nothing special but they work well together and can be a big part of this offense when given the opportunity, perhaps the most underestimated part of the offense in fact.
Defensively, the strongest point of this team is their defensive line, it’s simply bone crushing. Keep in mind we’re talking about a roster that has been good enough to be in World League for the last two seasons, Championship Favorite much? Teams that have been built to certain designs may have trouble when having to deal with guys like Razorback DT, who has become known for wreaking havoc. Champ Bailey may be the star of the secondary, but it’s hard to tell, that secondary is pretty darn good across the board. Ownership is hoping for guys to really grab their attention, but there is no lack of confidence in the roster on either side of the ball.
Jlrock doesn’t just own his team, he leads it. He is his own Offensive Coordinator and Kanaan has run the defense for the last 3 seasons. Kanaan, according to sources, might very well just be the best addition that Jlrock has made to this team, there’s been an obvious improvement to an already great team since his arrival. The staff within Razorback Nation dares you to underestimate them, because I see no reason they can’t finish the season with the #1 Defense in the league. Kanaan, according to sources, is a very big part of the reason and more so, the catalyst, to their World League bid; they simply would not have made it there without his help; at least that is the belief from the top. Spread-Em has helped other teams such as the Paris Smexies get to World League, he can be a difference maker if given an opportunity. SEO co-owns the team, so if you have any doubts, there is no lack of knowledge with this team either. Take it from someone (me) that has been around OPL since Season 4, that this crew is as legit as it gets. No one on this team has a title for the sake of having a title. You don’t make it to World League without a staff you can trust and rely on, this team has no lack of that. SEO is the kind of guy that steps in when needed, without having to be asked, he is a “Team-First” guy with a huge knowledge base and tons of experience. I’m telling you right now, when you get to the point of seeing the teams’ rank (by me), understand that this is an ‘underestimation’ based on not really having seen the team in action in quite some time first hand and nothing more. This team is good and the teams that have to face them, including mine, better buck the **** up because it’s going to be a blood bath if you’re not prepared.
Yes, RN is a Network team, so they have a plentiful supply of agents and resources, but don’t think for a second that alone is the reason behind their success, the effort within this organization is ridiculous (in a good way). Need more proof? Their Network has 5 World League Teams for S43…FIVE!
It is believed within the Organization that DIG, Sumatra, Asmara, LA, & Dallas might be the toughest opponents on their schedule.
For the rest of the staff, I would say our network which has some of the best agents in the game. The Agency, has 5 teams in WL this season and that comes with a great group of people that work to build great dots like I have. We all recruit for each other and scout hard games to make things easier as a whole. I probably would have left the game if it were not for the fun I have with them.
The Strength of this team is simply the quality of their dots (at least that’s what I was told), for me, I think it’s their running game. Not to discount their passing game by any means, but they’ve got one heck of a running game and right now, it would seem that at the World League level, that’s where the ‘bread n’ butter’ is. The weakness for this team might be the team chemistry hit early on as well as finding the right way to fit certain dots in. This team has their eyes set on getting back to World League, anything less will be considered a failed season.
As far as where they rank themselves, they were pretty blunt about that, they feel strongly that they’re one of the best 3 teams in the entire league and that this season will separate the contenders from the pretenders. I got the feeling they don’t feel like there’s actually a ton of competition here, though they did go as far as to say that they do feel there’s a small handful of teams that could vault themselves into WL.
From my assessment, it’s this simple, don’t take RN lightly, I see no reason to believe that they’re not one of the Oceania Teams in the Conference Championship this season.
Their Rank: 1-3
My Rank: 3
Preseason Rankings My Rankings based on above
1. Sumatra Seahawks
2. Dirty Island Gurupies
3. Razorback Nation
4. Asmara Freedom Fighters
5. L.A. Resistencia
6. Dallas Paladins
7. Newfoundland Roughnecks
8. $in City $yndicate
9. Whatever
10. Bow Chicka Brown Cows
11. KC’s Metro Choppers
12. OffTopica Miracle
13. Legacy’s Huntington Beach Surf
14. Amsterdam Crusaders
15. Cryptic Legends
16. “Hardcore” Williamsport Soul Reavers
Oceania Conference
Cryptic Legends
The Cryptic Legends, via the “Hardcore” Rejects are a promotion request acceptance from Regional Pro. Orbical does everything staffing wise for this team. They were an 8-8 Team is S43 and honestly I don’t’ see much reason they can’t repeat that, as they look to have a pretty solid roster.
Offensively, I think Ty Craven is going to lead this team. He is a very well built Power Back, pretty much the ideal specimen. Defensively I think Moses Censored Hansen could be the standout player. If I had to pick one strength for this team, I’d say it would be the running game. Ty Craven is no joke, he’s going to give opposing defenses serious problems imo. If I had to pick a weakness, I think it could actually be their offensive line. The depth there leaves a bit to be desired and that could be a problem in deeper part of the season, especially at Left Tackle.
Overall, I think this team has potential but I’m just not sure they’re ready for Pro yet. I’ve been wrong before and I could very well be wrong here. We shall see.
My Rank: 15
OffTopica Miracle
OffTopica is another Farm Based team that has been around for a very long time in Oceania. Back in S15 the branch of teams won a league title in AAA. For the next 15 seasons the team would compete heavily in Oceania Pro; where they would remain. In Season 30, the team moved down the ranks with a youthful team in preparation to move back up the ranks at a higher rate of domination. Unbeknownst to them, some demotion changes would be made, S31 would grant them a Regional Pro silver and return to Oceania Pro. That’s when JDBolick arrived for what would soon be known within the organization as the “Dream Team” of staffs. In S34 the team finally won OPL Gold and moved on to World League in S35. From S36-41 they spent their time back in OPro, going to Reg Pro in S42 and now, they once again return to Pro where their hope is to dominate.
The Key players on this team appear to be Running Back Van Mainline Highland who will be complimented by Cannonball Roaring. They have an experienced Offensive Line and complimentary FB’s and TE’s leading the charge in front of them. Bruce Catchemall will be the star coming out of the passing game who is complemented by seasoned veteran wide receivers.
Defensively Wrath of Khan is going to be leading the charge, in S42 he had over 50 sacks, this probably means extra blocking help from the opposition.
From a Coaching Standpoint, the coaching staff is ‘advisory’ in nature, while Yello is really the guy behind the madness.
From an opposition standpoint, I didn’t get the impression that there is a ton of confidence, as they felt like the only ‘potential wins’ would be DIG & Sumatra as they’ve had a tough time with much of the remaining competition near the top of the conference.
Their strongest weapon is their devotion to the Pope (their words, not mine). The oppositions offense seems to be OT’s biggest weakness…according to sources.
This is a team that doesn’t think they deserve a high rank or even a seasonal feature. That, to me, suggests they could shock a few teams.
Their Rank: 14-15
My Rank: 11
Dirty Island Gurupies
DIG is a returning team from S42 and they’ve earned their respect. There is a reason that so many people have named them as one of the teams most likely to be the toughest competition. Coming off of a 14-2 season last season, frankly I was a bit surprised when they were upset in the playoffs. Their running attack is most definitely their strength, with multiple 1,000+ yard rushers last season, don’t be shocked if they duplicate that this season. Their weakness? Maybe their punter, he’s wasting a roster spot, all he’s gonna do this season is keep someone’s seat warm. Seriously though, it wouldn’t’ shock me if this is one of the two teams in the Conference Championship. I think my ranking of them suggests as much.
My Rank: 2
Sumatra Seahawks
If there’s a team I know, it’s this one; not in terms of their roster, not in terms of what they’re going to do this season, not even in terms of expected game plan. In terms of knowing how long they’ve been around, in terms of knowing that this team is going to be tough because their ownership always has been.
The Seahawks are without question one of my two picks for the Conference Championship in the Oceania Conference. Seriously; I know they didn’t make it far last season, but they did make the playoffs and this is a team that’s always been strong and very competitive. I have 0 reason to doubt their capability to win and win often. To be blunt, if you underestimate this team, you’re just stupid, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This team has been to World League 8 times, and a proud member of the Oceania Region since Season 4. To me their strength is their backfield. They’ve got a nice mixture of receivers and runners there and I’ve said this a few times in my write-ups but the running game is where the bread n’ butter is right now, so this could be extremely impactful. Their weakness? Well, that’s honestly a tough one, Maybe QB? They don’t have a rushing QB, I’m not sure that’s a weakness, but that’s one thing that the opposition won’t have to worry about. Honestly, I don’t see this as a team with much weakness at all.
My Rank: 1
L.A. Resistencia
L.A. Resistencia started out as a Farm Team for the Dot Cartel Network, so there’s always been an emphasis on Pro level success. This season they return again to the Oceania Conference as they continue their quest for the Pacific Pro Trophy.
The coaching staff for L.A. has gone through some changes offensively and in S43, it will undergo yet another change as Kboum will take over the offense and resume his duties as the Defensive Coordinator as well. With this change, there is some speculation that we will see more of a West Coast Attack offensively with your prototypical defensive attack.
Keep an eye on Ray Pierce at Running back who could the biggest threat offensively to opposing defenses. Defensively, a guy to watch is Red Bryant who projects very well as a grueling Run Stopping Defensive End.
Potentially the three toughest opponents for L.A. this season, the three teams they have the worst track record against are DIG, Asmara, & Razorback Nation. They’re all very strong adversaries and have excellent coaching staffs. I don’t think that L.A. is the only team these three will be a thorn in the side for.
Heading into this season, expect a heavy dose of running, L.A. could finish the season with the best Oline in the conference, maybe the league and their RBs are no chumps. The question is, can their passing game support their running game? Defensively, their front seven is going to be a tough matchup for some teams but their secondary has some holes that could give opposing teams an advantage, or will they?
According to sources within the team, they’d personally rank themselves between #2 & #6, I think there’s a few teams that are a bit better than they are, but I think they’re a very good team that could also find themselves a little underrated
Games to Watch this season: Dirty Island Gurupies – One of the thorns in L.A.’s side, expect this game to be featured!
Their Rank: 2-6
My Rank: 5
Legacy’s Huntington Beach Surf
Another Legacy team, led by Hatchman who’s been around for quite a long time; they are coming off of a great S42; but unfortunately, I don’t think they’re ready for this league. My primary reasoning behind that, which could change by the time the season rolls around, is because of the lack of depth in some areas of their team. With some serious lack of quality depth on the defensive line and secondary, as well as the offensive line, their strength, their Running game, I think is going to be overshadowed. I definitely think they’ll win some games, I just don’t think they’ll get close to a playoff berth this season. It’s their connections to Legacy that make me rank them as high as I did.
My Rank: 12
Bow Chicka Brown Cows
The Brown Cows are the poster children for “Zero Cares” during their journey to the Pro level. They’ve been around since Season 6, most of their agents have been around since the birth of GLB.
We Rule refers to himself as the “Marty Schottenheimer of GLB”, good enough to get to the conference championship game, never good enough to win it. A Regular season wizard and a playoff disappointment.
For most of their existence they have been an SEA Pro team, this time around, they decided to come to Oceania, to mix it up a little bit.
They have a history with the Surfs and with Offtopic, both whom have been tough opponents one way or the other. DIG & Sumatra are also teams they feel will be fierce competition. They feel they are a talented team with a Clown Car Coordinator Group.
Hot Skillet is a guy to watch for the Brown Cows.
My Rank: 9
Amsterdam Crusaders
Amsterdam is an interesting specimen, there’s a few clear things about them, their weakness is the # of CPU teams on their roster and their secondary. Unfortunately for Amsterdam, I think that’s going to be enough to keep them down and out this season. I just don’t think they’ve done enough in recruiting and those 3 QB’s really take away from other positions. There’s potential on this team, but sadly, they lack a ton of talent for this level, they would have been better served in Regional Pro this season.
My Rank: 14
Newfoundland Roughnecks
The Newfoundland Roughnecks, formerly the Newfoundland Ballers, named in tribute to the Newfoundland Vikings & Montreal Ballers both of whom played a major role in the teams development within GLB, have been led EvilVoodoo77. Originally of the European Pro League, EV decided to bring his team to a more competitive Conference in Pacific Pro: Oceania.
Arguably the best HB in the league, EV hpHB looks to be a major focal point of the offense this season. Antwon Chambers & Present Moment are extremely consistent receivers who should bolster a very impressive passing attack. Patrik & Hottie look to be a worthy duo on the back end.
EV has had some difficulty in finding comfort with Defensive Coordinators, however with QB Eater, he has found that comfort. Spread-Em Offense has been the OC up to this point, however, this season EV is taking over those duties as SEO gives more time to the Smexies and other teams he is involved with.
As many others have said, they expect their toughest challenges to be DIG, Resistencia, Asmara, Sumatra, & RN; though they anticipate that no game in this conference will be easy. Their potential weakness may be special teams, according to team sources.
Right now the team believes they are worthy of being ranked between 6 & 8 in the conference but they also believe they’re most definitely a playoff team.
Two games that will likely be featured for Newfoundland are the KC game & LA
Overall, I think there’s plenty of potential here, I think that at the top of this conference, there is going to be a dog fight until the very end and Newfoundland will find themselves very much within that dogfight.
Their Rank: 6-8
My Rank: 7 With some adjustments to the ranking (which I didn’t do), I would put them at 7, sliding both $C$ & Whatever down, in part because I have not seen this team in action yet but would agree they’re a Top 8 team.
$in City $ydnicate
A playoff team last year in Pacific Pro, led by Dawg, of the Growl Network, I’d more than bet they return to the playoffs this season. Their strongest player on the team imo is Romper Stomper Bomper, their Powerback. With such an emphasis on the running game with this team, it could suggest the passing game to be a weakness, however, It’d be too difficult for me to actually pick a weakness for this team.
$in City has been around a long time and I fully expect them to improve upon their 8-8 season this season.
My Rank: 7
KC’s METRO CHOPPERS
KC, led by Chief C, brings yet another very competitive team to Pacific Pro. This team however, like a couple of others, is going to have to deal with a low Team Chemistry early on. Their strength is most definitely their running game and defense. Their weakness, well, it’s Team Chemistry. They’ve got a very good, experienced talent and a ton of great agents. There’s no lack of talent on this team so I see no reason they can’t be a playoff team as long as they can overcome the Team Chemistry issue.
While I do view them as playoff capable, I also think the Team Chemistry could be enough to keep them in the lower tier of the conference for now.
My Rank: 10
Dallas Paladins
Team History Highlights A summary of the key successes and the journey to Pacific Pro, how you ended up here and your accomplishments along the way
The Dallas Paladins are one of the “dark horses” of this league for me personally. From S10-S16 they were a strong team despite a lack of title wins, an average of about 12-4 each season, during the slow build. During the ‘early years’ the league was dominated by a small group of teams that climbed fast and dominated swiftly. They struggled against those teams and just couldn’t get deep enough to make any real noise. After some time, Hook stepped away from being an owner, doing all the work for his team, frankly, he got burnt out.
In S29, the itch was too intense, even the rake he was using on his back wouldn’t make it go away. He chose to delve back into Ownership with a good, close friend and a World League Player Builder as his Offensive Coordinator. Hook took the reins as the Defensive Coordinator and the team would become a playoff contender for their first 13 seasons.
In S37 when they reached Canada Pro, despite getting to the playoffs, they just couldn’t get deep within them. At that point, they decided a change of venues was in order and moved to Oceania Pro. In their first season, they went 13-3 and made it to WL, despite losing to Razorback Nation in the Conference Championship. On their journey to WL, their team would see a dramatic overhaul and were not the Paladins of old; they would go on to struggle in WL in S41. In S42 in Oceania, they still struggled but mustered up a 8-8 season, missing the playoffs by one game, despite being teams like Chico High, who would go on to make it to WL.
Heading into this season, they have fired their Asst Defensive Coorinator,
Offensively, their key players appear to be HB Stu “The Scottish Sensation” Stewart III, FB Heinrich Chan, & Tight End Sammy Snaggerman. Stu could very well be one of the best Scat backs there is, period, he looks to be a major part of the offense and has averaged 8.2 YAC in WL. Chan had 1300 Yards and 20 TDs last season, the expectation this season is for him to improve on those #’s. Sammy appears to be an important part of the offense where his production and build will speak for itself.
Defensively, Shayne Ledbetter is a fumble forcing pain in the backside. Forrest Bradford could possibly be the best returner in the league, and D.Noize projects to be a beast of a shutdown Corner. Last but not least is Irvin Strausser is going to be a thorn on the defensive line. Built like a beast and ready to destroy opposing Olines.
Hook runs the Defense and has also done so for $in City up until this season. DiMo runs the Offense and has done so since S29.
DiMo28 - OC since restart in S29. Has ties to being a builder for Honolulu Wife Carriers.
Asmara, Razorback, LA, DIG, and $in City are the teams they project as the toughest competition for this upcoming season. The team feels strongly that their strength is their balanced offensive attack and game plan experience on both sides of the ball. Their biggest weaknesses are poor chemistry and defensive time commitments by Hook while being a Teacher, Coach, Father, & Husband. It is expected that this could potentially be Hook’s final season as an Owner & DC in GLB.
Hook views the team as a 5th or 6th but thinks they have the potential of being Top 3. This is a team that will certainly be featured this season, games to watch are likely to be vs. Sumatra, $in City, KC, RN, & LA.
Their Rank: 5-6 (with Top 3 Potential)
My Rank: 6 Based on their history, the potential is certainly there, what I want to see is the follow-through
Whatever
Whatever is another heavy hitter in the long line of them within the Oceania Conference. Their weakness, like a couple other teams, might be their rushing attack production, but I wouldn’t think it’s much of weakness at all. Their strength is their unified roster. Build by pretty much the same agents across the build, you can bet that they’re built to a very specific design, which has worked for this team for the most part. To me, this is a fringe playoff team, I say fringe because I simply haven’t seen them in action enough to make a more concrete assessment. Frankly, I think this is going to be one of those teams that leave other teams disappointed because they get pushed out of the playoffs at the hands of Whatever.
My Rank: 8
”Hardcore” Williamsport Soul Reavers
The Williamsport Soul Reavers were born in Season 5, climbing through the ranks to what was once known as the Oceania Pro League; while they’ve had some success, playing in multiple Conference Championships between Seasons 5-12, maintaining a Top 3 Defense and a Top 5 Offense, they weren’t able to grab the League Championship Trophy. Taking some Time off in S13, the Williamsport Soul Reavers returned in Season 22 and have been climbing back up through the ranks. In S42 they had a rough season and it came time to make some significant changes. 31 Players later, I’m not real sure that those within the organization even recognize the team, but that isn’t a bad thing.
There is an obvious hope and determination for improvement.
Heading into this season, I have a really strong feeling that one of the highlight players for our team is going to be Cierre Wood. Cierre Wood, a newly acquired talented running back helps to bolster a running attack that has three new faces within it.
Defensively, all eyes may be on HydroSly Westbrook who was a Top Addition to the secondary this offseason.
Strengths and weaknesses? I think our strength is our knowledge base, there’s a lot of seasoned agents within the organization and so ‘help’ isn’t going to be hard to find. Our biggest weakness, without a doubt, is our Team Chemistry right now. It’ll hurt the team early, but if we can find a way to claw out a playoff spot, then who knows what’ll happen.
As far as where I personally would Rank my team, currently we stand at 16th imo. Why? Because we were demoted from Pro, we were able (thanks to a CPU team) to move back up, because that’s why so many drastic changes were made, to compete at this level, not lower levels, but we frankly haven’t yet earned the right to be ranked higher.
The team I think will be our toughest opponent this season in our conference is Sumatra for sure. WSR has a long history with Sumatra from back in the days of OPL, I know what they’re about and I know what seahawks10 brings to the table. There’s no doubt in my mind there’s going to be plenty of tough competition, like L.A., Razorback Nation, OffTopica & DIG among others, but those guys in Sumatra, I think are going to be our biggest challenge of the regular season.
My Rank: 16
Razorback Nation
In one form or another for more than 20 seasons Razorback Nation has been a part of the Oceania Region. They’ve done a little bit on the Trophy front in previous seasons and for the last two seasons have been representing Oceania proudly in World League. RN, jlrock, is one of the ‘still standing’ longest tenured Oceania owners in the game.
The leader of this team offensively is Quarterback, Machine Gun Razorback. Trucking Razorback is regarded as a special weapon specifically designed for the offense of RN. The Wide Receivers, according to sources, they are very capable, perhaps nothing special but they work well together and can be a big part of this offense when given the opportunity, perhaps the most underestimated part of the offense in fact.
Defensively, the strongest point of this team is their defensive line, it’s simply bone crushing. Keep in mind we’re talking about a roster that has been good enough to be in World League for the last two seasons, Championship Favorite much? Teams that have been built to certain designs may have trouble when having to deal with guys like Razorback DT, who has become known for wreaking havoc. Champ Bailey may be the star of the secondary, but it’s hard to tell, that secondary is pretty darn good across the board. Ownership is hoping for guys to really grab their attention, but there is no lack of confidence in the roster on either side of the ball.
Jlrock doesn’t just own his team, he leads it. He is his own Offensive Coordinator and Kanaan has run the defense for the last 3 seasons. Kanaan, according to sources, might very well just be the best addition that Jlrock has made to this team, there’s been an obvious improvement to an already great team since his arrival. The staff within Razorback Nation dares you to underestimate them, because I see no reason they can’t finish the season with the #1 Defense in the league. Kanaan, according to sources, is a very big part of the reason and more so, the catalyst, to their World League bid; they simply would not have made it there without his help; at least that is the belief from the top. Spread-Em has helped other teams such as the Paris Smexies get to World League, he can be a difference maker if given an opportunity. SEO co-owns the team, so if you have any doubts, there is no lack of knowledge with this team either. Take it from someone (me) that has been around OPL since Season 4, that this crew is as legit as it gets. No one on this team has a title for the sake of having a title. You don’t make it to World League without a staff you can trust and rely on, this team has no lack of that. SEO is the kind of guy that steps in when needed, without having to be asked, he is a “Team-First” guy with a huge knowledge base and tons of experience. I’m telling you right now, when you get to the point of seeing the teams’ rank (by me), understand that this is an ‘underestimation’ based on not really having seen the team in action in quite some time first hand and nothing more. This team is good and the teams that have to face them, including mine, better buck the **** up because it’s going to be a blood bath if you’re not prepared.
Yes, RN is a Network team, so they have a plentiful supply of agents and resources, but don’t think for a second that alone is the reason behind their success, the effort within this organization is ridiculous (in a good way). Need more proof? Their Network has 5 World League Teams for S43…FIVE!
It is believed within the Organization that DIG, Sumatra, Asmara, LA, & Dallas might be the toughest opponents on their schedule.
For the rest of the staff, I would say our network which has some of the best agents in the game. The Agency, has 5 teams in WL this season and that comes with a great group of people that work to build great dots like I have. We all recruit for each other and scout hard games to make things easier as a whole. I probably would have left the game if it were not for the fun I have with them.
The Strength of this team is simply the quality of their dots (at least that’s what I was told), for me, I think it’s their running game. Not to discount their passing game by any means, but they’ve got one heck of a running game and right now, it would seem that at the World League level, that’s where the ‘bread n’ butter’ is. The weakness for this team might be the team chemistry hit early on as well as finding the right way to fit certain dots in. This team has their eyes set on getting back to World League, anything less will be considered a failed season.
As far as where they rank themselves, they were pretty blunt about that, they feel strongly that they’re one of the best 3 teams in the entire league and that this season will separate the contenders from the pretenders. I got the feeling they don’t feel like there’s actually a ton of competition here, though they did go as far as to say that they do feel there’s a small handful of teams that could vault themselves into WL.
From my assessment, it’s this simple, don’t take RN lightly, I see no reason to believe that they’re not one of the Oceania Teams in the Conference Championship this season.
Their Rank: 1-3
My Rank: 3
Preseason Rankings My Rankings based on above
1. Sumatra Seahawks
2. Dirty Island Gurupies
3. Razorback Nation
4. Asmara Freedom Fighters
5. L.A. Resistencia
6. Dallas Paladins
7. Newfoundland Roughnecks
8. $in City $yndicate
9. Whatever
10. Bow Chicka Brown Cows
11. KC’s Metro Choppers
12. OffTopica Miracle
13. Legacy’s Huntington Beach Surf
14. Amsterdam Crusaders
15. Cryptic Legends
16. “Hardcore” Williamsport Soul Reavers
Edited by Captain Jack Riley on Aug 26, 2014 08:48:15
Edited by Captain Jack Riley on Aug 22, 2014 10:18:23
Edited by Captain Jack Riley on Aug 21, 2014 11:44:29
Edited by Captain Jack Riley on Aug 18, 2014 11:18:20
Edited by Captain Jack Riley on Aug 18, 2014 08:17:31
