Week 5 Recap
It was definitely the week of blowouts as there were only two games closer than 26 points! The AVERAGE margin of victory was over 54 points! Let's see who did the stomping and who got stomped.
Fiji Rage (4-0) vs Port Moresby Scallywags (3-1) (Prediction: Port Moresby by 3, 30-27)
Actual Score: Port Moresby by 52, 65-13.
Well, I called this one right… not. At least I got the right winner, but the game was not what I expected. Fiji put up an effort, but the steroid beast, Ana Bolic HB (40 Rush, 317yds; 1 Rec, 6yds; 6 TD; 46 broken tackles) left a lot of Rage players laying on the ground – really ground into the ground! Not only were the Scallywags moving the ball on the ground (494 total rushing yards), but they also moved it in the air with Achilles Boldin WR (9 Rec, 101yds, 1 TD) leading the way. Port Moresby announced loud and clear that they are one of the true contenders for this season. They have gotten their offense rolling – who will stop them? As for Fiji, they fall from the ranks of the unbeaten (there are none left in Zeta). They need to quickly just shake this game off and get ready for their next one against An Album Cover.
Honolulu Skulls (3-1) vs Lexington Armada (0-4) (Prediction: Honolulu by 155, 161-6)
Actual Score: Honolulu by 95, 95-0.
Honolulu continues to look solid as the swat their opponents out of their way. They didn’t score as much as I expected, but they booked another shutout as they prove that their defense is one to be reckoned with. The game stats say it all – Lexington total yards: 7 The Armada isn’t going to be scoring too many points in a game if all they can get is 7 yards! The defense was lead by Collapsen DaPocket DE (11 Tkl, 15 Hry, 9 Sack, 3 FFum) who lived up to his name today. The Skulls were being equally sloppy with the ball and gave it back to Lexington 3 times, but that didn’t mean much. Lexington looked pretty much like a sieve, allowing Honolulu to complete 54 out of 63 passes, a staggering 86% completion rate and 646 yards passing. Not once today did the Skulls need to punt.
Komodo Dragons (3-1) vs Rochester Iroquois (0-4) (Prediction: Komodo by 33, 50-17)
Actual Score: Komodo by 70, 77-7.
Komodo didn’t slow up after beating DECATUR last week as they continued to impress with a sound whooping of Rochester by 70 points. The Dragon rushing game seemed to move at will behind Moving Wall HB (36 Rush, 186yds; 0 Rec, 0yds; 8 TD) and the passing attack wasn’t too shabby either, led by Tony Kelly QB (26/32, 330.5yds, 2 TD, 1 Int) and Axle Grind WR (9 Rec, 87.5yds, 1 TD). Komodo was able to generate nearly 4 times the offense yardage-wise as the Iroquois. For Rochester, there’s an old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, things do appear broken in Rochester and they need to do some serious fixing quickly. If they don’t, then they may be looking to take a dive back down to the A leagues next season.
DECATUR STALEYS (3-1) vs Suva Sparkless (0-16) (Prediction: DECATUR by 180, 180-0)
Actual Score: DECATUR by 139, 139-0.
I would say something about Rohn Jiggins HB for DECATUR getting 42 broken tackles, but this opponent doesn’t count for any stats. Actually, the only stat that I will mention in this game is DECATUR had 25 missed tackles – that’s right, DECATUR. Obviously, they must have all gone with POWER tackling to try to generate fumbles, but they only forced 3. Thanks for the experiment.
Samoa Savages (3-1) vs Alaska Wild (2-2) (Prediction: Samoa by 10, 27-17)
Actual Score: Alaska by 4, 17-13.
Great upset Alaska! I almost feel like an authentic prognosticator when I said that “a mistake or two would make this a very close game”. The only problem is I said a mistake or two by Samoa. Samoa was intercepted 1 time, but Alaska was intercepted 3 times (twice by Brett Erickson) and still pulled out the win. I’ve been saying all along that Alaska has shown that they are much better than last season, but I wasn’t sure they were ready to compete with the good teams. Evidently, they are definitely not only ready to compete, they are ready to win! It was a very balanced attack all around by the Wild as many players were making significant contributions. I’m not sure what is going on with the Savages at this point. They don’t seem to have a real identity as yet for season 8. They are still ok at 3-2, but any more unexpected losses might put them on the playoff bubble. As for Alaska, congratulations on your first BIG win. Enjoy it while you can and then quickly get ready. Next game you face the steroid Beast from Port Moresby!
Christmas Islanders (2-2) vs Dayton Gunslingers (1-3) (Prediction: Christmas by 10, 24-14)
Actual Score: Christmas by 7, 38-31.
This was a great contest and one worth watching. The score went back and forth throughout the whole game as each team fought all the way to the end to try to pull out a victory. In the end, the difference was that the Islanders were able to severely hinder the Gunslingers rushing attack, holding them to just 1.8 yards per rush, and forcing them to punt 6 times to Christmas’ 2 times. A couple of interceptions by Dayton gave the Gunslingers a chance, but it wasn’t quite enough this day. Christmas’ HB tandem of Marshall Smith and J Breezy both had solid performances to lead the Islanders attack. Dayton’s Ted Ginn 3rd WR (8 Rec, 120yds, 2 TD) led a very good passing attack mounted by the Gunslingers. Both teams showed today that they are really good teams and will definitely be in the hunt when we approach playoff time.
Devonport Devils (2-2) vs Dunedin Drones (2-2) (Prediction: Devonport by 13, 30-17)
Actual Score: Devonport by 26, 52-26.
The Devonport Devils doubled down on da Dunedin Drones and doubled their score too. Crown Devonport the Duke of Double D. (At least for this season!) It was a good game, but the high flying passing attack of the Devils scorched the field as Michael "Buzz" Hamilton QB (13/16, 238yds, 5 TD, 0 Int) and J STARNES WR (7 Rec, 149.5yds, 3 TD) had great performances to put this game out of reach for the Drones. Otherwise, it was a hard fought battle all day as neither team would give in – the Drones wouldn’t give up and the Devils wouldn’t give back any of their lead.
Ayers Rock Krakens (2-2) vs An Album Cover (1-3) (Prediction: An Album Cover by 4, 24-20)
Actual Score: An Album Cover by 41, 72-31.
Ok, this was supposed to be the game for Ayers Rock to prove they can compete with the AA teams from last season, but that didn’t happen. I warned you that the AAC 1-3 record was misleading as they showed as they cracked the Krakens wide open for 72 points. What I thought would be a defense controlled game, ended up a free-for-all offensive blowout. Brady Jess QB (33/44, 608.5yds, 9 TD, 1 Int) had a career kind of day with a host of receivers having great production: Matt Orr TE (12 Rec, 181yds, 4 TD), Adam S WR (2 Rec, 131yds, 2 TD), and Jerry Montano WR (6 Rec, 151yds, 1 TD). Ayers Rock will have to regroup before their next game against Dayton.
Week 6 Predictions
Honolulu Skulls (4-1) vs Samoa Savages (3-2)
Honolulu has relaxed the last two weeks and are ready to play a little competition again. Samoa has been blind-sided two weeks in a row and face two very tough weeks coming up. This doesn't look too good for the Savages as they have struggled to score two weeks in a row and now will face an even tougher defense. If they don't get that straightened out quickly, this will be a slaughter. The Skulls will continue to show their dominance in their quest to get back to AAA. Honolulu will take a few heads in this game to add to their collection as they win by 39, 45-6.
Komodo Dragons (4-1) vs Dunedin Drones (2-3)
A tale of two different seasons. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Komodo has surged into a top spot and look to be positioning themselves to stay there. These Dragons are definitely breathing a hefty fire right now. Dunedin had taken some serious blows lately and are going towards the bottom of the respectable teams quickly if they don't find a new answer. It is usually very tough for most teams the first season they move up. Komodo felt it last year; Dunedin is feeling it this one. I don't see the Drones pulling out this one, but if they can even keep it within a TD, that will be a major step. The Dragons will move to 5-1 and Dunedin will slide to 2-4. Komodo by 21, 45-24.
Port Moresby Scallywags (4-1) vs Alaska Wild (3-2)
The Scallywags from Papua New Guinea have really caught everyone's attention this season. Similar to Komodo, they went from an okay team, to a top team. Following behind their powerful rushing attack, Port Moresby is leaving behind them a trail of defeated opponents, the last of which was the devastated Fiji squad. So this week, Alaska comes flying to the island for their shot to knock off the Scallywags. Just as Port Moresby made a significant statement last week, the much improved Wild have their shot this week to show just how strong they are and how much respect they deserve. Their upset over Samoa was good, but Samoa hasn't really made a big statement yet for us to know how big this win was. A week ago, Alaska wasn't listed in my top 10. I think they have broken into that list, but where? A victory over the Scallywags would say that spot is pretty high. But for now, I will say they are in the 9-10 range and Port Moresby is in the top 4. The Scallywags will take care of business as Port Moresby wins by 32, 45-13.
DECATUR STALEYS (4-1) vs Lexington Armada (0-5)
Another sleeper week for the STALEYS as they take their turn to sink the Armada. What is Lexington doing? They were in AA, went down to A, have now come back up to AA and it looks like they will be going back down to A at the end of this season. I guess they just like to sail between ports - more like a cruise liner than an armada. DECATUR will have some fun trying different ideas out again as the slaughter hapless Lexington. DECATUR by 79, 85-6.
Fiji Rage (4-1) vs An Album Cover (2-3)
Ok, Fiji is no longer unbeaten. They question now becomes, how good are they really? Of their victories, Suva and Lexington don't count. The Mighty KC Chiefs are just an okay team as Samoa appears to be too. If the loss to Port Moresby hadn't been so convincing, then I would say they are still a really good team. But 52 points! They need to take care of An Album Cover to maintain the respect that they had earned in the early part of this season. A loss to AAC will quickly slide the Rage to the bottom of the top 10 list. An Album Cover started the season with 3 losses to good to very good teams. They have come back from 0-3 with two solid wins over promoted teams. They probably belong in that 8ish range where I think Fiji will also end up. That means that this is a key game as they are both probably playoff bubble teams, so a victory over the other one may be the difference as to who gets in at the end of the season. I like the fact that AAC was able to control PMS's offense a little better than Fiji did. I give the edge in this game to An Album Cover by 6, 30-24.
Devonport Devils (3-2) vs Christmas Islanders (3-2)
Two 3-2 teams that are both considered good teams, probably about 6-7 in the current top 10 list. A convincing win by the Devils will push them towards the top 4. A victory by the Islanders would give them a quality win and should vault them to the top 4. Devonport is a slightly stronger team and will be expected to win, but it should be a pretty close game. Christmas is definitely the strongest of the promoted teams and seems ready to compete with the older AA teams. Their big loss to DECATUR looks bad, so a good showing against Devonport is a must for them. Devonport by 8, 38-30.
Ayers Rock Krakens (2-3) vs Dayton Gunslingers (1-4)
This is a really interesting matchup. Ayers Rock has made a respectable showing so far this season, but they don't seem to have the ability to surprise you with an upset. They did ok against Port Moresby, but then also got beat up badly by AAC. I believe that Dayton is the second strongest of the promoted teams, but they appear to have some weaknesses that can be exploited. They did better against Port Moresby and An Album Cover than Ayers Rock did, so they will be the favorites in this game. Although, this game isn't out of reach for Ayers Rock. Can the Krakens finally show some surprises and pull out the upset? Or will the Gunslingers shoot them where they stand? Dayton by 10, 34-24.
Rochester Iroquois (0-5) vs Suva Sparkless (0-5)
So, someone will get their first win in this game. It will be Rochester taking the scalps of the Suvanians. If the Iroquois win by less than 70, then I'll have to come up with a whimpy nickname for them for the rest of the season. Rochester by 79, 85-6.
That's all folks! Have a great game and see you next time.
It was definitely the week of blowouts as there were only two games closer than 26 points! The AVERAGE margin of victory was over 54 points! Let's see who did the stomping and who got stomped.
Fiji Rage (4-0) vs Port Moresby Scallywags (3-1) (Prediction: Port Moresby by 3, 30-27)
Actual Score: Port Moresby by 52, 65-13.
Well, I called this one right… not. At least I got the right winner, but the game was not what I expected. Fiji put up an effort, but the steroid beast, Ana Bolic HB (40 Rush, 317yds; 1 Rec, 6yds; 6 TD; 46 broken tackles) left a lot of Rage players laying on the ground – really ground into the ground! Not only were the Scallywags moving the ball on the ground (494 total rushing yards), but they also moved it in the air with Achilles Boldin WR (9 Rec, 101yds, 1 TD) leading the way. Port Moresby announced loud and clear that they are one of the true contenders for this season. They have gotten their offense rolling – who will stop them? As for Fiji, they fall from the ranks of the unbeaten (there are none left in Zeta). They need to quickly just shake this game off and get ready for their next one against An Album Cover.
Honolulu Skulls (3-1) vs Lexington Armada (0-4) (Prediction: Honolulu by 155, 161-6)
Actual Score: Honolulu by 95, 95-0.
Honolulu continues to look solid as the swat their opponents out of their way. They didn’t score as much as I expected, but they booked another shutout as they prove that their defense is one to be reckoned with. The game stats say it all – Lexington total yards: 7 The Armada isn’t going to be scoring too many points in a game if all they can get is 7 yards! The defense was lead by Collapsen DaPocket DE (11 Tkl, 15 Hry, 9 Sack, 3 FFum) who lived up to his name today. The Skulls were being equally sloppy with the ball and gave it back to Lexington 3 times, but that didn’t mean much. Lexington looked pretty much like a sieve, allowing Honolulu to complete 54 out of 63 passes, a staggering 86% completion rate and 646 yards passing. Not once today did the Skulls need to punt.
Komodo Dragons (3-1) vs Rochester Iroquois (0-4) (Prediction: Komodo by 33, 50-17)
Actual Score: Komodo by 70, 77-7.
Komodo didn’t slow up after beating DECATUR last week as they continued to impress with a sound whooping of Rochester by 70 points. The Dragon rushing game seemed to move at will behind Moving Wall HB (36 Rush, 186yds; 0 Rec, 0yds; 8 TD) and the passing attack wasn’t too shabby either, led by Tony Kelly QB (26/32, 330.5yds, 2 TD, 1 Int) and Axle Grind WR (9 Rec, 87.5yds, 1 TD). Komodo was able to generate nearly 4 times the offense yardage-wise as the Iroquois. For Rochester, there’s an old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, things do appear broken in Rochester and they need to do some serious fixing quickly. If they don’t, then they may be looking to take a dive back down to the A leagues next season.
DECATUR STALEYS (3-1) vs Suva Sparkless (0-16) (Prediction: DECATUR by 180, 180-0)
Actual Score: DECATUR by 139, 139-0.
I would say something about Rohn Jiggins HB for DECATUR getting 42 broken tackles, but this opponent doesn’t count for any stats. Actually, the only stat that I will mention in this game is DECATUR had 25 missed tackles – that’s right, DECATUR. Obviously, they must have all gone with POWER tackling to try to generate fumbles, but they only forced 3. Thanks for the experiment.
Samoa Savages (3-1) vs Alaska Wild (2-2) (Prediction: Samoa by 10, 27-17)
Actual Score: Alaska by 4, 17-13.
Great upset Alaska! I almost feel like an authentic prognosticator when I said that “a mistake or two would make this a very close game”. The only problem is I said a mistake or two by Samoa. Samoa was intercepted 1 time, but Alaska was intercepted 3 times (twice by Brett Erickson) and still pulled out the win. I’ve been saying all along that Alaska has shown that they are much better than last season, but I wasn’t sure they were ready to compete with the good teams. Evidently, they are definitely not only ready to compete, they are ready to win! It was a very balanced attack all around by the Wild as many players were making significant contributions. I’m not sure what is going on with the Savages at this point. They don’t seem to have a real identity as yet for season 8. They are still ok at 3-2, but any more unexpected losses might put them on the playoff bubble. As for Alaska, congratulations on your first BIG win. Enjoy it while you can and then quickly get ready. Next game you face the steroid Beast from Port Moresby!
Christmas Islanders (2-2) vs Dayton Gunslingers (1-3) (Prediction: Christmas by 10, 24-14)
Actual Score: Christmas by 7, 38-31.
This was a great contest and one worth watching. The score went back and forth throughout the whole game as each team fought all the way to the end to try to pull out a victory. In the end, the difference was that the Islanders were able to severely hinder the Gunslingers rushing attack, holding them to just 1.8 yards per rush, and forcing them to punt 6 times to Christmas’ 2 times. A couple of interceptions by Dayton gave the Gunslingers a chance, but it wasn’t quite enough this day. Christmas’ HB tandem of Marshall Smith and J Breezy both had solid performances to lead the Islanders attack. Dayton’s Ted Ginn 3rd WR (8 Rec, 120yds, 2 TD) led a very good passing attack mounted by the Gunslingers. Both teams showed today that they are really good teams and will definitely be in the hunt when we approach playoff time.
Devonport Devils (2-2) vs Dunedin Drones (2-2) (Prediction: Devonport by 13, 30-17)
Actual Score: Devonport by 26, 52-26.
The Devonport Devils doubled down on da Dunedin Drones and doubled their score too. Crown Devonport the Duke of Double D. (At least for this season!) It was a good game, but the high flying passing attack of the Devils scorched the field as Michael "Buzz" Hamilton QB (13/16, 238yds, 5 TD, 0 Int) and J STARNES WR (7 Rec, 149.5yds, 3 TD) had great performances to put this game out of reach for the Drones. Otherwise, it was a hard fought battle all day as neither team would give in – the Drones wouldn’t give up and the Devils wouldn’t give back any of their lead.
Ayers Rock Krakens (2-2) vs An Album Cover (1-3) (Prediction: An Album Cover by 4, 24-20)
Actual Score: An Album Cover by 41, 72-31.
Ok, this was supposed to be the game for Ayers Rock to prove they can compete with the AA teams from last season, but that didn’t happen. I warned you that the AAC 1-3 record was misleading as they showed as they cracked the Krakens wide open for 72 points. What I thought would be a defense controlled game, ended up a free-for-all offensive blowout. Brady Jess QB (33/44, 608.5yds, 9 TD, 1 Int) had a career kind of day with a host of receivers having great production: Matt Orr TE (12 Rec, 181yds, 4 TD), Adam S WR (2 Rec, 131yds, 2 TD), and Jerry Montano WR (6 Rec, 151yds, 1 TD). Ayers Rock will have to regroup before their next game against Dayton.
Week 6 Predictions
Honolulu Skulls (4-1) vs Samoa Savages (3-2)
Honolulu has relaxed the last two weeks and are ready to play a little competition again. Samoa has been blind-sided two weeks in a row and face two very tough weeks coming up. This doesn't look too good for the Savages as they have struggled to score two weeks in a row and now will face an even tougher defense. If they don't get that straightened out quickly, this will be a slaughter. The Skulls will continue to show their dominance in their quest to get back to AAA. Honolulu will take a few heads in this game to add to their collection as they win by 39, 45-6.
Komodo Dragons (4-1) vs Dunedin Drones (2-3)
A tale of two different seasons. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Komodo has surged into a top spot and look to be positioning themselves to stay there. These Dragons are definitely breathing a hefty fire right now. Dunedin had taken some serious blows lately and are going towards the bottom of the respectable teams quickly if they don't find a new answer. It is usually very tough for most teams the first season they move up. Komodo felt it last year; Dunedin is feeling it this one. I don't see the Drones pulling out this one, but if they can even keep it within a TD, that will be a major step. The Dragons will move to 5-1 and Dunedin will slide to 2-4. Komodo by 21, 45-24.
Port Moresby Scallywags (4-1) vs Alaska Wild (3-2)
The Scallywags from Papua New Guinea have really caught everyone's attention this season. Similar to Komodo, they went from an okay team, to a top team. Following behind their powerful rushing attack, Port Moresby is leaving behind them a trail of defeated opponents, the last of which was the devastated Fiji squad. So this week, Alaska comes flying to the island for their shot to knock off the Scallywags. Just as Port Moresby made a significant statement last week, the much improved Wild have their shot this week to show just how strong they are and how much respect they deserve. Their upset over Samoa was good, but Samoa hasn't really made a big statement yet for us to know how big this win was. A week ago, Alaska wasn't listed in my top 10. I think they have broken into that list, but where? A victory over the Scallywags would say that spot is pretty high. But for now, I will say they are in the 9-10 range and Port Moresby is in the top 4. The Scallywags will take care of business as Port Moresby wins by 32, 45-13.
DECATUR STALEYS (4-1) vs Lexington Armada (0-5)
Another sleeper week for the STALEYS as they take their turn to sink the Armada. What is Lexington doing? They were in AA, went down to A, have now come back up to AA and it looks like they will be going back down to A at the end of this season. I guess they just like to sail between ports - more like a cruise liner than an armada. DECATUR will have some fun trying different ideas out again as the slaughter hapless Lexington. DECATUR by 79, 85-6.
Fiji Rage (4-1) vs An Album Cover (2-3)
Ok, Fiji is no longer unbeaten. They question now becomes, how good are they really? Of their victories, Suva and Lexington don't count. The Mighty KC Chiefs are just an okay team as Samoa appears to be too. If the loss to Port Moresby hadn't been so convincing, then I would say they are still a really good team. But 52 points! They need to take care of An Album Cover to maintain the respect that they had earned in the early part of this season. A loss to AAC will quickly slide the Rage to the bottom of the top 10 list. An Album Cover started the season with 3 losses to good to very good teams. They have come back from 0-3 with two solid wins over promoted teams. They probably belong in that 8ish range where I think Fiji will also end up. That means that this is a key game as they are both probably playoff bubble teams, so a victory over the other one may be the difference as to who gets in at the end of the season. I like the fact that AAC was able to control PMS's offense a little better than Fiji did. I give the edge in this game to An Album Cover by 6, 30-24.
Devonport Devils (3-2) vs Christmas Islanders (3-2)
Two 3-2 teams that are both considered good teams, probably about 6-7 in the current top 10 list. A convincing win by the Devils will push them towards the top 4. A victory by the Islanders would give them a quality win and should vault them to the top 4. Devonport is a slightly stronger team and will be expected to win, but it should be a pretty close game. Christmas is definitely the strongest of the promoted teams and seems ready to compete with the older AA teams. Their big loss to DECATUR looks bad, so a good showing against Devonport is a must for them. Devonport by 8, 38-30.
Ayers Rock Krakens (2-3) vs Dayton Gunslingers (1-4)
This is a really interesting matchup. Ayers Rock has made a respectable showing so far this season, but they don't seem to have the ability to surprise you with an upset. They did ok against Port Moresby, but then also got beat up badly by AAC. I believe that Dayton is the second strongest of the promoted teams, but they appear to have some weaknesses that can be exploited. They did better against Port Moresby and An Album Cover than Ayers Rock did, so they will be the favorites in this game. Although, this game isn't out of reach for Ayers Rock. Can the Krakens finally show some surprises and pull out the upset? Or will the Gunslingers shoot them where they stand? Dayton by 10, 34-24.
Rochester Iroquois (0-5) vs Suva Sparkless (0-5)
So, someone will get their first win in this game. It will be Rochester taking the scalps of the Suvanians. If the Iroquois win by less than 70, then I'll have to come up with a whimpy nickname for them for the rest of the season. Rochester by 79, 85-6.
That's all folks! Have a great game and see you next time.
Last edited Mar 6, 2009 10:08:41
