Rookie S6 Ladder Week 11
Sunday version. I have some family at the house, so while I wanted to get to all of the games today, the wife may say otherwise. (Happy wife, Happy life!) If you don’t see a write-up on your team’s game, I'm sorry. I’ll try to get to all of the games today, but it may not be till later tonight / early tomorrow morning.
By Rank: (Picks are here in bold; winners will be bolded in the time section on ladder day.)
06: #1 LogZilla Boys vs. #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/397/1050
15: #2 Killer Kiwi’s vs. #16 Boston Redcoats http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1084/1092
09: #3 Inner City Kids vs. #9 Louisiana ASSassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/356/1098
04: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters vs. #7 Mykonos Hoplites http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1056/436
08: #5 Fear Factory vs. #16 East Coast Badasses http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1057/375
19: #6 Compton Regulators vs. #14 Default Name http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/382/1088
12: #8 Rangers Reborn vs. #19 Ground Assault http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1089/1046
20: #9 Death Valley Deadites vs. #18 NJ Surge http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1053/863
21: #9 Milwaukee Beers vs. #24 Allentown Assassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/830/1069
By Time: (I'll put results links here tomorrow when updating.)
04: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters vs. #7 Mykonos Hoplites http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109732 Hoplites win 21-0.
06: #1 LogZilla Boys vs. #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109728 Boys win 38-17.
08: #5 Fear Factory vs. #16 East Coast Badasses http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109733 FF wins 10-3.
09: #3 Inner City Kids vs. #9 Louisiana ASSassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109730 Kids win 31-0.
12: #8 Rangers Reborn vs. #19 Ground Assault http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109741 Rangers win 13-0.
15: #2 Killer Kiwi’s vs. #16 Boston Redcoats http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109729 Kiwi's win 42-0.
19: #6 Compton Regulators vs. #14 Default Name http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109735 Compton wins 21-7.
20: #9 Death Valley Deadites vs. #18 NJ Surge http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109743 Surge win 21-11.
21: #9 Milwaukee Beers vs. #24 Allentown Assassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109742 Beers win 56-21.
04: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters vs. #7 Mykonos Hoplites
Sexy Dance Fighters Record: 18-3 Global: 217 Tier: 4
Owner: Extremedaze (2 SHIPs) GM: Greg0781 (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 43 with 3 S* G, G, WR
Sexy has outscored opponents 75-17 in their last two Ladder games and are now 8-2 in Ladder games on the season. Sexy is a QB Rollout / HB Sweep team. They won their last Ladder game 54-17 against #19 Ground Assault. They are now 8-2 in Ladder games this season. Their QB is averaging 8.6 yards per carry and their HBs are averaging 4.7 and 4.2 yards per carry. They have a trio of top HOF LBs that are sack machines. Their best wins are against #9 Death Valley Deadites, #19 Ground Assault and #9 Louisiana ASSassins. Their only losses are to #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #5 Fear Factory and #3 Inner City Kids.
Mykonos Hoplites Record: 16-4-1 Global: 2226 Tier: 7
Owner: ryokeley12
Roster: 43 with 5 S* DT, DT, DT, DE, DE
Mykonos Hoplites have been outscored by opponents 31-70 in their last 2 Ladder games against the #1 LogZilla Boys and #3 Inner City Kids and are now 6-3-1 in Ladder games. Mykonos is a primarily pass team that has a 52/21 play calling mix in League. They have gone from running 4WR sets with HB Dives/ Slams and the 4WR Unders/ Hooks/ Slants combo to running more pure Hooks across multiple WR sets. The Hoplites are at a completion rate of 54.7%. Their best wins are against #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx, #16 East Coast Badasses, #21 Sandy Cheeks and #25 Central Falcons. Their only losses are to #1 LogZilla Boys, #3 Inner City Kids, #5 Fear Factory and #6 Compton Regulators. They tied the #8 Rangers Reborn.
Game comment: There are only 2 games today that feature Top 10 teams facing each other. This first Ladder game starts the day off with a bang as these are two evenly matched teams. This could easily be the game of the day. Sexy runs outside while the Hoplites pass a ton. Both teams have beat all teams ranked lower than them and lost to only teams ranked higher than them. The Hoplites have beaten more Top 25 teams while Sexy has higher quality wins. The Achilles heel of the Mykonos defense has been trying to stop the outside running game of the top teams. While this should be close, Sexy is the pick until the Hoplites can stuff the best outside running teams.
06: #1 LogZilla Boys vs. #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx
LogZilla Boys Record: 19-2 Global: 211 Tier: 1
Owner: Xars (6 SHIPs)
Roster: 41 with 2 S* QB, WR
LogZilla Boys have outscored opponents 74-31 in their last two Ladder games against #7 Mykonos and #6 Compton. The Boys just barely beat the #9 Milwaukee Beers in league play 45-42. The Boys are now 9-1 in Ladder games. The LogZilla Boys are an all-pass team that is almost exclusively a 3WR Corner Threat & TE Post offense. The LZ Boys are at a completion rate of 54.3%. The LZ Boys best wins are against: #5 Fear Factory, #6 Compton Regulators, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #8 Rangers Reborn, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks, #16 Boston Redcoats and #20 Oklahoma Outlaws. Their only losses are to #9 Louisiana ASSassins and #18 NJ Surge. The Boys have played 12 (9 Ladder, 3 League) of the other 19 teams in the Top20, going 10-2.
Quick Rookie Tip: There’s this thought that Rookie QB’s need to spam Pass Awareness to 40-50 to beat the Blitz. Don’t ever do this. Ever. The Belgarath QB build (open) should prove this wrong and end all future debate since his TD to Sack ratio has now improved to 71-58 on the season, a QB rating of 86.5 and 436 passing yards per game. It’s all about play selection and having TEs/WRs that can, first, catch and then, second, get open. Pass Technique and Receiving Hands are needed first to stop the high drop % of Rookie and then Sprinting and Route Tech are needed on the targets so that the QB will recognize them as open enough to throw the ball. You don’t want to progress through 4 reads; you want the first/second read to be open and the ball thrown.
Iron Brigade Phalanx Record: 15-6 Global: 236 Tier: 15
Owner: Hua GM: william78 (4 SHIPs) aGM: rob4121983 (2 SHIPs) DC: Ticca (1 SHIP)
Roster: 41 with 5 S* FB, OT & DT, DE, CB
Iron Brigade Phalanx have outscored opponents 83-14 in the last two Ladder games against #34 Canisteo Bulldogs and #39 Flying Spaghetti Monsters. They are now 6-4 in Ladder games on the season. IBP is a 13 pass/ 56 run play calling mix team in League. Their pQB is at a 51.3% completion rate with their rQB at 11.6 average rushing. Their best wins are against #25 Central Falcons and #24 Allentown Assassins. Their losses are to: #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #19 Ground Assault and #7 Mykonos Hoplites.
Game comment: IBP is a balanced inside/outside run team that will have to find a way to run on the Boys. Can they follow-up on the Beers performance against the Boys? The Beers scored a season high 42 against the Boys and ran for over 550 yards. IBP will have to ramp up their offense as they have only scored more than 21 points in a Ladder game twice this season. The Boys have done it 6 times including the last 4 straight games. By all measures, the Boys should win and are the pick for this game.
08: #5 Fear Factory vs. #16 East Coast Badasses
Fear Factory Record: 18-3 Global: 219 Tier: 5
Owner: temujin83 (1 SHIP) GM: HayRow (4 SHIPs) OC: MrPicklez DC: mrm708 (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 40 with 6 S* QB, HB, TE, WR & DT, DT
Fear Factory has been outscored by opponents 21-35 in their last 2 Ladder games; a loss to the #2 Killer Kiwi’s and a win against #9 Death Valley. FF is now 7-3 in Ladder games. They are a pure rushing team of 1 rQB and 2 HB. Their QB is averaging 7 yards per carry and the HBs are at 3.6 and 3.8. They use QB Rollout and then pound HBs inside. Their OLBs are sack machines. Their best wins are against: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #19 Ground Assault, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #14 Default Name, #23 Draco Dragons and #9 Death Valley Deadites. They have losses against: #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’s and #8 Rangers Reborn.
East Coast Badasses Record: 14-6-1 Global: 237 Tier: 16
Owner: tbray222 (1 SHIP)
Roster: 40 with 4 S* HB, OT WR and K
ECB has outscored opponents 34-14 in their last 2 Ladder games; a win against the now CPU POOPZILLA BOYS and the #31 Coruscant Imperial Forces. ECB is now 6-4 in Ladder games. ECB is a 29 pass/ 36 run play calling mix team in League. Their completion rate is 46.5% and their HBs average 4.3 and 3.6 per rush. Their best wins are against: #6 Compton Regulators, #12 POOPZILLA BOYS (CPU) and #24 Allentown Assassins. They have losses against: #33 Olaf’s Warm Hugs, #29 Providence Radicals, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #3 Inner City Kids, #88 Blue Mountain State Goats and #19 Ground Assault.
Game comment: ECB has won 7 in a row to make a charge to a #16 Ladder ranking. They now get to face an elite team in Fear Factory. FF stomps all over teams outside the Top10. ECB has risen quickly, but probably too far, too fast as beating the #12 team has undoubtedly helped their rankings (though it’s now a CPU team) and this game against FF should end their winning streak. A blowout is possible here.
09: #3 Inner City Kids vs. #9 Louisiana ASSassins
Inner City Kids Record: 18-3 Global: 213 Tier: 3
Owner: crazyveggie GM: jjet5552007 aGM: Silvermist HC: agginpil DC: joannes3000
Roster: 37 with 8 S* HB, C, G, OT, WR & LB, SS, FS
The Kids have outscored opponents 47-20 in their last two Ladder games and are now 8-2 in Ladder games this season. The Kids are a GL QB Rollout / HB Sweep team that has added 4WR Spread sets with HB Dives and Strong Pitches. Their play calling mix is 10 pass/ 57 run in League. Their rQB averages 11.9 yards per carry and their HBs are at 5 and 3.7 each. Their best wins are against #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #16 East Coast Badasses and #18 NJ Surge. They have losses to #14 Default Name, #21 Sandy Cheeks and #13 Tampa Bay Drunks.
Louisiana ASSassins Record: 16-5 Global: 229 Tier: 9
Owner: TaintStick (2 SHIPs) GM: Outlawz (2 SHIPs) aGM: Tigerbait0307 (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 43 with 4 S* HB, OT, WR & DT with 10 low contracts.
The ASSassins have outscored opponents 33-10 in their last two Ladder games (a win and a loss) and are now 6-4 in Ladder games this season. LA is primarily an outside run team but will run inside and pass enough to keep the D honest. They are a 19 pass/ 49 run play calling mix in League games. Their Meathead HBs average 4.9 and 3.9 yards per carry. Their QB has a 55% completion rate and 83.5 QBRtg. They could start having more problems in the second half of the season as their 9 of their defenders are on low contracts. Their best wins are against #1 LogZilla Boys, #23 Draco Dragons, #14 Default Name, #25 Busan Giants and #22 North Texas Mean Greens. They have losses against #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #7 Compton Regulators, #20 Oklahoma Outlaws and #16 Boston Redcoats.
Game comment: This is the second Top10 matchup of the day. The Kids are on a great winning streak – 16 games. LA has had a few losses over that time. There’s only a few rankings difference in the tier (6), but overall it’s 16 and that’s a better indication of this matchup. LA has mostly losses against the Top10 teams, while the Kids have wins. LA has the SHIP advantage, but is it enough to overcome the roster strength and recent performance of the Kids? The probabilities favor the Kids in this matchup.
12: #8 Rangers Reborn vs. #19 Ground Assault
Rangers Reborn Record: 15-4-2 Global: 228 Tier: 8
Owner: RazzleDazzle GM: Danthesportsman (4 SHIPs) aGM: Mordaloch (1 SHIP)
Roster: 42 with 4 S* FB, OT, DT, SS
The Rangers have outscored opponents by 45-20 in the last two Ladder games which were a win (#39 Yaksmen) and a loss (#19 NJ Surge). They are now 6-2-2 in Ladder games this season. They are a 45 run /25 pass play calling mix in League games. They are very balanced with inside/outside runs. Their rushing averages are rQB at 9.2, and HBs at 4.2 and 3.8 yards per carry. Their pQB is at a 49.8% completion rate, but only 44.4% in Ladder games and 81.5 overall / 72 Ladder QBRtg. Their best win is against #4 Fear Factory and #24 Allentown Assassins. Their losses are against #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #14 Default Name and #19 NJ Surge. They have two ties against #20 Oklahoma Outlaws and #7 Mykonos Hoplites.
Ground Assault Record: 15-6 Global: 241 Tier: 20
Owner: maGz GM: Galithor (3 SHIPs) aGM: wannaknow147 (5 SHIPs) HC: McGruffHawk (2 SHIPs) OC: USC_Trojans (5 SHIPs) DC: Adderfist (8 SHIPs)
Roster: 37 with 9 S* HB, HB, & DT, DT, DT, CB, CB, SS, FS with no low contracts
Ground Assault has been outscored by opponents 41-54 in the last two Ladder games; a win against the Redcoats and a loss to Sexy Dance Fighters. They are now 5-5 in Ladder games this season. They have no WRs on the roster so you should see a lot of GL and Big I. They primarily run outside, though inside is usually a one-third mix. Their rQB is averaging 8.2 per rush and their HBs are at 4.5 and 4.8. This is a team built by an All-Star cast of agents and not just on the coaching staff as they have Sean1995, Phisch, PaulM, tezed, James1985 and other agents who have players on this team. Their best wins are against: #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #13 Tampa Bay, #15 iron Brigade Phalanx, #17 Boston Redcoats and #16 East Coast Badasses. Their losses are against: #5 Fear Factory, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #23 Draco Dragons, #25 Central Falcons, #27 Winnipeg Wrath and #45 Newcastle Butchers.
Game comment: Why has GA been stuck at #20 on the Ladder? This is a team with the coaches, agents and roster to contend at the top of the Ladder. I would have easily ranked them as a Top5 (maybe even the favorites for a #1 ranking) Ladder team before the season. So what’s wrong? Is this a case of too many Generals and not enough foot soldiers? Is 9 S* too far to push a roster? (Providence Radicals and Carolina, each with 9 S*, are outside of the Top25 too.) I have no idea what’s wrong, but the more important question is: Do they? The Rangers have hung around the Top 10 all season. They are 1-2-1 against the Top10 and 1-2-1 against the next 15 to round out the Top25. They have impressive individual games, but more setbacks than you might expect from a #8 ranking. Are the Rangers a team that should have won their 2 ties and now have 17 wins or are they really a 15-6 team like GA? This game seems closer to me than the rankings would indicate. I’ll go with the Rangers though this seems like a coin flip game.
15: #2 Killer Kiwi’s vs. #16 Boston Redcoats
Killer Kiwi’s Record: 19-2 Global: 212 Tier: 2
Owner: Roma30 GM: rob4121983 (2 SHIPs) aGM: Chevanton10 (1 SHIP) HC: OrigJoker
Roster: 42 with 4 S* HB, C, OT & SS
The Kiwi’s have outscored opponents 70-14 in their last two Ladder games; wins against Fear Factory and Winnipeg Wrath. They are now 9-1 in Ladder games this season. They are a pure rushing team utilizing 2 rQBs and 2 HBs that primarily runs outside (60-80%+). Their rQBs average 10.0 and 10.4 yards per rush with the HBs at 4.4 and 4.0. The Kiwi’s best wins are against #5 Fear Factory, #8 Rangers Reborn, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #7 Compton Regulators, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #9 LA, and #20 Iron Brigade Phalanx. Their only losses are to #14 Default Name and #20 Ground Assault.
Boston Redcoats Record 15-6 Global: 237 Tier: 16
Owner: Morphar (1 SHIP) GM: Bongbongo aGM: Evil Sports Agent (2 SHIPs) HC: HayRow (4 SHIPs)
Roster: 39 with 6 S* QB, FB, OT & DT, DE, DE
The Redcoats have been outscored by opponents 7-24 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to GA and a win against Winnipeg. They are now 6-4 in Ladder games this season. The Redcoats are a primary rushing team with a 42 run/ 20 pass play calling mix in League play. Their rushing attack is a rQB at 6.8 ypc, HB at 3.7, HB at 3.3 and FB at 2.3 ypc. While they can be balanced, they usually favor inside runs significantly. Their best wins are against the #9 Louisiana ASSassins, #22 North Texas Mean Greens and the #25 Busan Giants. Their losses are to: #1 LogZilla Boys, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #20 Ground Assault, #23 Draco Dragons, #29 Las Vegas Vipers and the #61 Carolina Pirates.
Game comment: Boston has struggled over their last 6 games; they gone 3-3. Starting with the LogZilla Boys game, they got shut out for 3 straight games (LZ Boys, Draco Dragons and GA) and then had 3 wins where they scored 30, 7 and 6 points. Their offense needs to get on track - 43 points in 6 games isn't good enough. In the Ladder games against the Boys and GA, their rushing average was close to zero – yes zero per rush. They went to a mix of inside running and passing against Winnipeg and won 7-0. I struggled with what I’m about to write here. I’ve debated all weekend whether it’s appropriate for me to say this. In the end, I can only hope that the student is ready for the teacher to appear. Hopefully Boston and other Rookie teams learn something from this next part. Quite frankly, Boston’s play book was ridiculously predictable. Sorry, but their coaching staff is better than that. They ran outside in GL, 1WR and 3WR sets. They ran inside in 2WR, 4WR and 5WR sets. If they don’t permanently change up their playbook (they've started to but 7 points doesn't equal effectiveness), they won’t break into the Top10. They either need to be an all inside team, all outside or balanced across all WR sets and build the OLine and running backs for the strategy. Are they really going to make the SP investment in building an efficient passing offense like they tried to against Winnipeg? If so, they need a playbook that attacks all parts of the field evenly so the Defense can never call the perfect play against them 100% of the time. What are they going to be? It’s an identity question and I think they should have a higher ranking than they do, so I’m hoping they figure it out. Sorry. I started doing these write-ups to make the game, every team and every coach and agent better. I truly apologize if I come across as an arrogant ass; it’s not my intent. The Kiwi’s meanwhile are dominant. They don’t need a long paragraph here. There’s a Global ranking difference of 25 in this matchup and that’s more realistic than the 14 in the tier. The Kiwi’s should win easily unless Boston overhauls their O playbook significantly and finds a winning formula.
Rookie Tip: The major advantage of a computer sim is the ability to avoid human tendency. The greatest chess player in the world, Gary Kasparov, will tell you that you beat your opponent by understanding their tendencies and then using themselves to beat themselves. So if you’re planning on a run only team, you need to mix up inside and outside running by WR sets. You can’t be 100% inside or outside in a particular WR set and it doesn't mean you have to be exactly 50/50 either. But don’t lie to yourself and say “we’re balanced” running in/out when you haven’t balanced the play calling internally (by WR set) as well as externally (in/out in the tactics setting). I see this across a lot of teams. They think their builds, play book and tactics are in alignment when they aren’t. It’s not about loading up a roster full of Superstars or just being a running or passing team. How can you be an outside running team with slow running backs? With no Lead Awareness on your blockers? You have to decide if you are going to excel with a small playbook or a large one and then run your tactics accordingly and build/allocate SP in the right manner. When building a team you should know what plays on both O and D you are going to run and when you are going to run them, BEFORE you build your roster. Almost everyone seems to build the roster first. I've made that mistake plenty of times and have the losses to prove it. This game is a chess match against other players. If you're not great at chess (I'm not), then think like you would in solving a maze. The easiest way to find the path is to start at the end. I'm not the smartest person in this game nor in anything I do in the real world. I've poached a lot of my thinking from a lot of other people. Talk to lots of people, read the boards and find the nuggets that other people talk about. Very little of my thought process started with myself. I've simply combined really smart things that really smart people have said and I'm constantly looking for the next thing. I could name at least 20 things I've learned from 20 different people. Finally, I'm as surprised as anyone that I'm ranked #1 on the Ladder this far into the season. I seriously doubt I'll end there and over the next few seasons there's really no way I should be even in the Top10. So remember, there are plenty of things I don't know that others do and if you want to get better, pay attention to everyone; question everything and everyone (myself included) and find what works for you, your team and the agents you are aligned with. And then share those insights with others; after you've won.
19: #6 Compton Regulators vs. #14 Default Name
Compton Regulators Record: 17-4 Global: 223 Tier: 7
Owner: Dark_Fate (1 SHIP)
Roster: 43 with 1 S* OT with 1 CPU (down from 3)
Compton Regulators have outscored opponents 69-34 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to the LogZilla Boys and a win against the Syndey Wombats. They are now 7-3 in Ladder games this season. They are primarily a rushing team that throws some. They favor outside runs (QB Rollout), but run inside enough. Their QB has a 7.8 yard average with the HBs at 3.8 and 4.1 ypc. Compton’s best wins are against #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #9 Louisiana ASSassins, #18 NJ Surge and #23 Draco Dragons. Their losses are against #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’, #16 East Coast Badasses and #46 Newcastle Butchers.
Default Name Record 15-6 Global: 236 Tier: 14
Owner: Stobie (10 SHIPs) GM: Xars (6 SHIPs)
Roster: 43 with S* QB, TE, K
Default Name has outscored opponents by 89-24 in their last two Ladder games; wins against Olaf’s and Cleveland Freeze. They are 5-5 in Ladder games this season. They have a 59 run/ 12 pass play calling mix in League games. DN is anywhere from balanced in inside/outside mix to predominantly outside. The HBs are averaging 4.8 and 4.2 yards per rush with tier rQB at 7.4 ypc. Their best wins are against #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #3 Inner City Kids and #8 Rangers Reborn. They have losses against: #17 POOPZILLA BOYS before they were CPU, #9 Louisiana ASSassins, #46 Newcastle Butchers, #33 Canisteo Bulldogs, #4 Fear Factory and #66 NH Preachers.
Game comment: Compton has hung around the Top10 for most of the season, while DN dropped a bunch and has now risen back up some. Both are heavy run teams, with DN running inside more. Every write-up I check to see if Compton still has CPU players. They are finally down to one. Both teams have wins and losses against the Top10 and yet also losses against lower tier teams. Compton has been much more consistent, but Default should be back on stride and have an edge in talent and SHIPs. Default just beat the Kiwi’s and I think they’ll have the Defense to shut down Compton too.
20: #9 Death Valley Deadites vs. #18 NJ Surge
Death Valley Deadites Record: 16-5 Global: 230 Tier: 9
Owner: rch3 GM: ya577 (2 SHIPs) aGM: ArkPhoenix
Roster: 43 with 3 S* CB, DT, DE
Death Valley has been outscored by opponents 34-42 over their last two Ladder games; a loss to Fear Factory and a win against the Beers. They are now 6-4 in Ladder games this season. Death Valley is a balanced team that will throw in some QB Rollout. Their run mix is primarily outside, but they’ll bust it inside enough. Their best wins are against #9 Milwaukee Beers and #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx. Their losses are to: #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #5 Fear Factory, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters and #20 Ground Assault.
New Jersey Surge Record: 13-6-2 Global: 241 Tier: 18
Owner: bcota91 (1 SHIP) GM: excalibur143 (1 SHIP) aGM: Barret (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 40 with 2 S* QB, DT
The Surge have been outscored by opponents 16-34 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to the Inner City Kids and a win against Rangers Reborn. They are now 5-4-1 in Ladder games this season. The Surge are primarily a pass team that can easily be all pass or up to 1/3 run. Their play calling mix in League is 42 pass/ 22 run, though they’ve gone all pass in some Ladder games. Their best wins are against: #1 LogZilla Boys, #8 Rangers Reborn, #20 North Texas Mean Greens, #25 Sandy Cheeks and #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks. They have losses to: #3 inner City Kids, #7 Compton Regulators, #20 Oklahoma Outlaws, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #49 Blue Ridge Moonshine Club and #93 Fart Wafters (how?).
Game comment: The Surge are moving up the Ladder ranks. They are the re-incarnation of a successful team. Death Valley has been around the 10-spot all season. Death Valley has had much greater consistency, losing only to top teams. The Surge have been erratic by beating highly ranked teams and then losing to much lesser competition. The Surge like to pass a lot in Ladder games and Death Valley should be able to handle it. Death Valley is the probable choice here.
21: #9 Milwaukee Beers vs. #24 Allentown Assassins
Milwaukee Beers Record: 16-5 Global: 227 Tier: 4
Owner: Aeir
Roster: 41 with 3 S* HB, OT, TE
The Milwaukee Beers have been outscored by opponents by 27-30 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to Death Valley and a win against the LV Vipers. They are now 7-3 in Ladder games this season. They are a pure rushing team with 1 rQB and 2 HB. Their QB is averaging 7.1 yards per carry and the HBs are at 4.0 and 4.0 ypc. They are usually an 80%+ outside rushing team. Their best wins are against the #20 Oklahoma Outlaws, #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx, #25 Sandy Cheeks, #18 NJ Surge, #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks and #16 Boston Redcoats. Their losses are to: #1 LogZilla Boys, #3 Inner City Kids, #5 Fear Factory, #9 Death Valley Deadites and #27 Winnipeg Wrath.
Allentown Assassins Record: 14-7 Global: 253 Tier: 25
Owner: gw20404 GM: klocc1
Roster: 38 with 7 S* QB, OT, WR & DT, DE, SS & K
The Allentown Assassins have outscored their last two Ladder opponents by 75-0; both wins. They are now 5-5 in Ladder games on the season. They are a 41 pass/ 34 run play calling mix team in League. Their QB has a 43.8% completion rate and a QBRtg of 70.7. Their HBs average 3.9 and 3.8 ypc. Their best win is against: #39 American Envoy Eagles. Their losses are against: #37 Nashville All Stars, #34 Fort Hood Fierce Cucumbers, #16 East Coast Badasses, #31 Coruscant Imperial Forces, #8 Rangers Reborn, #29 Sydney Wombats and #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx.
Game comment: I don’t understand ELO. I don’t get how Allentown can get a #25 ranking while never beating a team ranked higher than #39 and have losses against teams in the 30s too. The Ladder Gods must have it in for Allentown because they are really out matched here. The Beers are an excellent outside running team. In the League game of LZ Boys-Beers, Beers QB Howie Wynn ran for 550 yards and 6 TDs while the Boys spammed C1 Wide Dogs. No other team has had that kind of outside success against the Boys all season. QB Wynn is easily the fastest rQB in Rookie. Allentown could get rolled here. A close game would be 40 points. The Beers may win this by 80.
Sunday version. I have some family at the house, so while I wanted to get to all of the games today, the wife may say otherwise. (Happy wife, Happy life!) If you don’t see a write-up on your team’s game, I'm sorry. I’ll try to get to all of the games today, but it may not be till later tonight / early tomorrow morning.
By Rank: (Picks are here in bold; winners will be bolded in the time section on ladder day.)
06: #1 LogZilla Boys vs. #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/397/1050
15: #2 Killer Kiwi’s vs. #16 Boston Redcoats http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1084/1092
09: #3 Inner City Kids vs. #9 Louisiana ASSassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/356/1098
04: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters vs. #7 Mykonos Hoplites http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1056/436
08: #5 Fear Factory vs. #16 East Coast Badasses http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1057/375
19: #6 Compton Regulators vs. #14 Default Name http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/382/1088
12: #8 Rangers Reborn vs. #19 Ground Assault http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1089/1046
20: #9 Death Valley Deadites vs. #18 NJ Surge http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/1053/863
21: #9 Milwaukee Beers vs. #24 Allentown Assassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/compare_teams/830/1069
By Time: (I'll put results links here tomorrow when updating.)
04: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters vs. #7 Mykonos Hoplites http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109732 Hoplites win 21-0.
06: #1 LogZilla Boys vs. #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109728 Boys win 38-17.
08: #5 Fear Factory vs. #16 East Coast Badasses http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109733 FF wins 10-3.
09: #3 Inner City Kids vs. #9 Louisiana ASSassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109730 Kids win 31-0.
12: #8 Rangers Reborn vs. #19 Ground Assault http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109741 Rangers win 13-0.
15: #2 Killer Kiwi’s vs. #16 Boston Redcoats http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109729 Kiwi's win 42-0.
19: #6 Compton Regulators vs. #14 Default Name http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109735 Compton wins 21-7.
20: #9 Death Valley Deadites vs. #18 NJ Surge http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109743 Surge win 21-11.
21: #9 Milwaukee Beers vs. #24 Allentown Assassins http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/game/109742 Beers win 56-21.
04: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters vs. #7 Mykonos Hoplites
Sexy Dance Fighters Record: 18-3 Global: 217 Tier: 4
Owner: Extremedaze (2 SHIPs) GM: Greg0781 (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 43 with 3 S* G, G, WR
Sexy has outscored opponents 75-17 in their last two Ladder games and are now 8-2 in Ladder games on the season. Sexy is a QB Rollout / HB Sweep team. They won their last Ladder game 54-17 against #19 Ground Assault. They are now 8-2 in Ladder games this season. Their QB is averaging 8.6 yards per carry and their HBs are averaging 4.7 and 4.2 yards per carry. They have a trio of top HOF LBs that are sack machines. Their best wins are against #9 Death Valley Deadites, #19 Ground Assault and #9 Louisiana ASSassins. Their only losses are to #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #5 Fear Factory and #3 Inner City Kids.
Mykonos Hoplites Record: 16-4-1 Global: 2226 Tier: 7
Owner: ryokeley12
Roster: 43 with 5 S* DT, DT, DT, DE, DE
Mykonos Hoplites have been outscored by opponents 31-70 in their last 2 Ladder games against the #1 LogZilla Boys and #3 Inner City Kids and are now 6-3-1 in Ladder games. Mykonos is a primarily pass team that has a 52/21 play calling mix in League. They have gone from running 4WR sets with HB Dives/ Slams and the 4WR Unders/ Hooks/ Slants combo to running more pure Hooks across multiple WR sets. The Hoplites are at a completion rate of 54.7%. Their best wins are against #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx, #16 East Coast Badasses, #21 Sandy Cheeks and #25 Central Falcons. Their only losses are to #1 LogZilla Boys, #3 Inner City Kids, #5 Fear Factory and #6 Compton Regulators. They tied the #8 Rangers Reborn.
Game comment: There are only 2 games today that feature Top 10 teams facing each other. This first Ladder game starts the day off with a bang as these are two evenly matched teams. This could easily be the game of the day. Sexy runs outside while the Hoplites pass a ton. Both teams have beat all teams ranked lower than them and lost to only teams ranked higher than them. The Hoplites have beaten more Top 25 teams while Sexy has higher quality wins. The Achilles heel of the Mykonos defense has been trying to stop the outside running game of the top teams. While this should be close, Sexy is the pick until the Hoplites can stuff the best outside running teams.
06: #1 LogZilla Boys vs. #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx
LogZilla Boys Record: 19-2 Global: 211 Tier: 1
Owner: Xars (6 SHIPs)
Roster: 41 with 2 S* QB, WR
LogZilla Boys have outscored opponents 74-31 in their last two Ladder games against #7 Mykonos and #6 Compton. The Boys just barely beat the #9 Milwaukee Beers in league play 45-42. The Boys are now 9-1 in Ladder games. The LogZilla Boys are an all-pass team that is almost exclusively a 3WR Corner Threat & TE Post offense. The LZ Boys are at a completion rate of 54.3%. The LZ Boys best wins are against: #5 Fear Factory, #6 Compton Regulators, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #8 Rangers Reborn, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks, #16 Boston Redcoats and #20 Oklahoma Outlaws. Their only losses are to #9 Louisiana ASSassins and #18 NJ Surge. The Boys have played 12 (9 Ladder, 3 League) of the other 19 teams in the Top20, going 10-2.
Quick Rookie Tip: There’s this thought that Rookie QB’s need to spam Pass Awareness to 40-50 to beat the Blitz. Don’t ever do this. Ever. The Belgarath QB build (open) should prove this wrong and end all future debate since his TD to Sack ratio has now improved to 71-58 on the season, a QB rating of 86.5 and 436 passing yards per game. It’s all about play selection and having TEs/WRs that can, first, catch and then, second, get open. Pass Technique and Receiving Hands are needed first to stop the high drop % of Rookie and then Sprinting and Route Tech are needed on the targets so that the QB will recognize them as open enough to throw the ball. You don’t want to progress through 4 reads; you want the first/second read to be open and the ball thrown.
Iron Brigade Phalanx Record: 15-6 Global: 236 Tier: 15
Owner: Hua GM: william78 (4 SHIPs) aGM: rob4121983 (2 SHIPs) DC: Ticca (1 SHIP)
Roster: 41 with 5 S* FB, OT & DT, DE, CB
Iron Brigade Phalanx have outscored opponents 83-14 in the last two Ladder games against #34 Canisteo Bulldogs and #39 Flying Spaghetti Monsters. They are now 6-4 in Ladder games on the season. IBP is a 13 pass/ 56 run play calling mix team in League. Their pQB is at a 51.3% completion rate with their rQB at 11.6 average rushing. Their best wins are against #25 Central Falcons and #24 Allentown Assassins. Their losses are to: #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #19 Ground Assault and #7 Mykonos Hoplites.
Game comment: IBP is a balanced inside/outside run team that will have to find a way to run on the Boys. Can they follow-up on the Beers performance against the Boys? The Beers scored a season high 42 against the Boys and ran for over 550 yards. IBP will have to ramp up their offense as they have only scored more than 21 points in a Ladder game twice this season. The Boys have done it 6 times including the last 4 straight games. By all measures, the Boys should win and are the pick for this game.
08: #5 Fear Factory vs. #16 East Coast Badasses
Fear Factory Record: 18-3 Global: 219 Tier: 5
Owner: temujin83 (1 SHIP) GM: HayRow (4 SHIPs) OC: MrPicklez DC: mrm708 (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 40 with 6 S* QB, HB, TE, WR & DT, DT
Fear Factory has been outscored by opponents 21-35 in their last 2 Ladder games; a loss to the #2 Killer Kiwi’s and a win against #9 Death Valley. FF is now 7-3 in Ladder games. They are a pure rushing team of 1 rQB and 2 HB. Their QB is averaging 7 yards per carry and the HBs are at 3.6 and 3.8. They use QB Rollout and then pound HBs inside. Their OLBs are sack machines. Their best wins are against: #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #19 Ground Assault, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #14 Default Name, #23 Draco Dragons and #9 Death Valley Deadites. They have losses against: #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’s and #8 Rangers Reborn.
East Coast Badasses Record: 14-6-1 Global: 237 Tier: 16
Owner: tbray222 (1 SHIP)
Roster: 40 with 4 S* HB, OT WR and K
ECB has outscored opponents 34-14 in their last 2 Ladder games; a win against the now CPU POOPZILLA BOYS and the #31 Coruscant Imperial Forces. ECB is now 6-4 in Ladder games. ECB is a 29 pass/ 36 run play calling mix team in League. Their completion rate is 46.5% and their HBs average 4.3 and 3.6 per rush. Their best wins are against: #6 Compton Regulators, #12 POOPZILLA BOYS (CPU) and #24 Allentown Assassins. They have losses against: #33 Olaf’s Warm Hugs, #29 Providence Radicals, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #3 Inner City Kids, #88 Blue Mountain State Goats and #19 Ground Assault.
Game comment: ECB has won 7 in a row to make a charge to a #16 Ladder ranking. They now get to face an elite team in Fear Factory. FF stomps all over teams outside the Top10. ECB has risen quickly, but probably too far, too fast as beating the #12 team has undoubtedly helped their rankings (though it’s now a CPU team) and this game against FF should end their winning streak. A blowout is possible here.
09: #3 Inner City Kids vs. #9 Louisiana ASSassins
Inner City Kids Record: 18-3 Global: 213 Tier: 3
Owner: crazyveggie GM: jjet5552007 aGM: Silvermist HC: agginpil DC: joannes3000
Roster: 37 with 8 S* HB, C, G, OT, WR & LB, SS, FS
The Kids have outscored opponents 47-20 in their last two Ladder games and are now 8-2 in Ladder games this season. The Kids are a GL QB Rollout / HB Sweep team that has added 4WR Spread sets with HB Dives and Strong Pitches. Their play calling mix is 10 pass/ 57 run in League. Their rQB averages 11.9 yards per carry and their HBs are at 5 and 3.7 each. Their best wins are against #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #16 East Coast Badasses and #18 NJ Surge. They have losses to #14 Default Name, #21 Sandy Cheeks and #13 Tampa Bay Drunks.
Louisiana ASSassins Record: 16-5 Global: 229 Tier: 9
Owner: TaintStick (2 SHIPs) GM: Outlawz (2 SHIPs) aGM: Tigerbait0307 (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 43 with 4 S* HB, OT, WR & DT with 10 low contracts.
The ASSassins have outscored opponents 33-10 in their last two Ladder games (a win and a loss) and are now 6-4 in Ladder games this season. LA is primarily an outside run team but will run inside and pass enough to keep the D honest. They are a 19 pass/ 49 run play calling mix in League games. Their Meathead HBs average 4.9 and 3.9 yards per carry. Their QB has a 55% completion rate and 83.5 QBRtg. They could start having more problems in the second half of the season as their 9 of their defenders are on low contracts. Their best wins are against #1 LogZilla Boys, #23 Draco Dragons, #14 Default Name, #25 Busan Giants and #22 North Texas Mean Greens. They have losses against #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #7 Compton Regulators, #20 Oklahoma Outlaws and #16 Boston Redcoats.
Game comment: This is the second Top10 matchup of the day. The Kids are on a great winning streak – 16 games. LA has had a few losses over that time. There’s only a few rankings difference in the tier (6), but overall it’s 16 and that’s a better indication of this matchup. LA has mostly losses against the Top10 teams, while the Kids have wins. LA has the SHIP advantage, but is it enough to overcome the roster strength and recent performance of the Kids? The probabilities favor the Kids in this matchup.
12: #8 Rangers Reborn vs. #19 Ground Assault
Rangers Reborn Record: 15-4-2 Global: 228 Tier: 8
Owner: RazzleDazzle GM: Danthesportsman (4 SHIPs) aGM: Mordaloch (1 SHIP)
Roster: 42 with 4 S* FB, OT, DT, SS
The Rangers have outscored opponents by 45-20 in the last two Ladder games which were a win (#39 Yaksmen) and a loss (#19 NJ Surge). They are now 6-2-2 in Ladder games this season. They are a 45 run /25 pass play calling mix in League games. They are very balanced with inside/outside runs. Their rushing averages are rQB at 9.2, and HBs at 4.2 and 3.8 yards per carry. Their pQB is at a 49.8% completion rate, but only 44.4% in Ladder games and 81.5 overall / 72 Ladder QBRtg. Their best win is against #4 Fear Factory and #24 Allentown Assassins. Their losses are against #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #14 Default Name and #19 NJ Surge. They have two ties against #20 Oklahoma Outlaws and #7 Mykonos Hoplites.
Ground Assault Record: 15-6 Global: 241 Tier: 20
Owner: maGz GM: Galithor (3 SHIPs) aGM: wannaknow147 (5 SHIPs) HC: McGruffHawk (2 SHIPs) OC: USC_Trojans (5 SHIPs) DC: Adderfist (8 SHIPs)
Roster: 37 with 9 S* HB, HB, & DT, DT, DT, CB, CB, SS, FS with no low contracts
Ground Assault has been outscored by opponents 41-54 in the last two Ladder games; a win against the Redcoats and a loss to Sexy Dance Fighters. They are now 5-5 in Ladder games this season. They have no WRs on the roster so you should see a lot of GL and Big I. They primarily run outside, though inside is usually a one-third mix. Their rQB is averaging 8.2 per rush and their HBs are at 4.5 and 4.8. This is a team built by an All-Star cast of agents and not just on the coaching staff as they have Sean1995, Phisch, PaulM, tezed, James1985 and other agents who have players on this team. Their best wins are against: #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #13 Tampa Bay, #15 iron Brigade Phalanx, #17 Boston Redcoats and #16 East Coast Badasses. Their losses are against: #5 Fear Factory, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #23 Draco Dragons, #25 Central Falcons, #27 Winnipeg Wrath and #45 Newcastle Butchers.
Game comment: Why has GA been stuck at #20 on the Ladder? This is a team with the coaches, agents and roster to contend at the top of the Ladder. I would have easily ranked them as a Top5 (maybe even the favorites for a #1 ranking) Ladder team before the season. So what’s wrong? Is this a case of too many Generals and not enough foot soldiers? Is 9 S* too far to push a roster? (Providence Radicals and Carolina, each with 9 S*, are outside of the Top25 too.) I have no idea what’s wrong, but the more important question is: Do they? The Rangers have hung around the Top 10 all season. They are 1-2-1 against the Top10 and 1-2-1 against the next 15 to round out the Top25. They have impressive individual games, but more setbacks than you might expect from a #8 ranking. Are the Rangers a team that should have won their 2 ties and now have 17 wins or are they really a 15-6 team like GA? This game seems closer to me than the rankings would indicate. I’ll go with the Rangers though this seems like a coin flip game.
15: #2 Killer Kiwi’s vs. #16 Boston Redcoats
Killer Kiwi’s Record: 19-2 Global: 212 Tier: 2
Owner: Roma30 GM: rob4121983 (2 SHIPs) aGM: Chevanton10 (1 SHIP) HC: OrigJoker
Roster: 42 with 4 S* HB, C, OT & SS
The Kiwi’s have outscored opponents 70-14 in their last two Ladder games; wins against Fear Factory and Winnipeg Wrath. They are now 9-1 in Ladder games this season. They are a pure rushing team utilizing 2 rQBs and 2 HBs that primarily runs outside (60-80%+). Their rQBs average 10.0 and 10.4 yards per rush with the HBs at 4.4 and 4.0. The Kiwi’s best wins are against #5 Fear Factory, #8 Rangers Reborn, #9 Death Valley Deadites, #7 Compton Regulators, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters, #9 LA, and #20 Iron Brigade Phalanx. Their only losses are to #14 Default Name and #20 Ground Assault.
Boston Redcoats Record 15-6 Global: 237 Tier: 16
Owner: Morphar (1 SHIP) GM: Bongbongo aGM: Evil Sports Agent (2 SHIPs) HC: HayRow (4 SHIPs)
Roster: 39 with 6 S* QB, FB, OT & DT, DE, DE
The Redcoats have been outscored by opponents 7-24 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to GA and a win against Winnipeg. They are now 6-4 in Ladder games this season. The Redcoats are a primary rushing team with a 42 run/ 20 pass play calling mix in League play. Their rushing attack is a rQB at 6.8 ypc, HB at 3.7, HB at 3.3 and FB at 2.3 ypc. While they can be balanced, they usually favor inside runs significantly. Their best wins are against the #9 Louisiana ASSassins, #22 North Texas Mean Greens and the #25 Busan Giants. Their losses are to: #1 LogZilla Boys, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #20 Ground Assault, #23 Draco Dragons, #29 Las Vegas Vipers and the #61 Carolina Pirates.
Game comment: Boston has struggled over their last 6 games; they gone 3-3. Starting with the LogZilla Boys game, they got shut out for 3 straight games (LZ Boys, Draco Dragons and GA) and then had 3 wins where they scored 30, 7 and 6 points. Their offense needs to get on track - 43 points in 6 games isn't good enough. In the Ladder games against the Boys and GA, their rushing average was close to zero – yes zero per rush. They went to a mix of inside running and passing against Winnipeg and won 7-0. I struggled with what I’m about to write here. I’ve debated all weekend whether it’s appropriate for me to say this. In the end, I can only hope that the student is ready for the teacher to appear. Hopefully Boston and other Rookie teams learn something from this next part. Quite frankly, Boston’s play book was ridiculously predictable. Sorry, but their coaching staff is better than that. They ran outside in GL, 1WR and 3WR sets. They ran inside in 2WR, 4WR and 5WR sets. If they don’t permanently change up their playbook (they've started to but 7 points doesn't equal effectiveness), they won’t break into the Top10. They either need to be an all inside team, all outside or balanced across all WR sets and build the OLine and running backs for the strategy. Are they really going to make the SP investment in building an efficient passing offense like they tried to against Winnipeg? If so, they need a playbook that attacks all parts of the field evenly so the Defense can never call the perfect play against them 100% of the time. What are they going to be? It’s an identity question and I think they should have a higher ranking than they do, so I’m hoping they figure it out. Sorry. I started doing these write-ups to make the game, every team and every coach and agent better. I truly apologize if I come across as an arrogant ass; it’s not my intent. The Kiwi’s meanwhile are dominant. They don’t need a long paragraph here. There’s a Global ranking difference of 25 in this matchup and that’s more realistic than the 14 in the tier. The Kiwi’s should win easily unless Boston overhauls their O playbook significantly and finds a winning formula.
Rookie Tip: The major advantage of a computer sim is the ability to avoid human tendency. The greatest chess player in the world, Gary Kasparov, will tell you that you beat your opponent by understanding their tendencies and then using themselves to beat themselves. So if you’re planning on a run only team, you need to mix up inside and outside running by WR sets. You can’t be 100% inside or outside in a particular WR set and it doesn't mean you have to be exactly 50/50 either. But don’t lie to yourself and say “we’re balanced” running in/out when you haven’t balanced the play calling internally (by WR set) as well as externally (in/out in the tactics setting). I see this across a lot of teams. They think their builds, play book and tactics are in alignment when they aren’t. It’s not about loading up a roster full of Superstars or just being a running or passing team. How can you be an outside running team with slow running backs? With no Lead Awareness on your blockers? You have to decide if you are going to excel with a small playbook or a large one and then run your tactics accordingly and build/allocate SP in the right manner. When building a team you should know what plays on both O and D you are going to run and when you are going to run them, BEFORE you build your roster. Almost everyone seems to build the roster first. I've made that mistake plenty of times and have the losses to prove it. This game is a chess match against other players. If you're not great at chess (I'm not), then think like you would in solving a maze. The easiest way to find the path is to start at the end. I'm not the smartest person in this game nor in anything I do in the real world. I've poached a lot of my thinking from a lot of other people. Talk to lots of people, read the boards and find the nuggets that other people talk about. Very little of my thought process started with myself. I've simply combined really smart things that really smart people have said and I'm constantly looking for the next thing. I could name at least 20 things I've learned from 20 different people. Finally, I'm as surprised as anyone that I'm ranked #1 on the Ladder this far into the season. I seriously doubt I'll end there and over the next few seasons there's really no way I should be even in the Top10. So remember, there are plenty of things I don't know that others do and if you want to get better, pay attention to everyone; question everything and everyone (myself included) and find what works for you, your team and the agents you are aligned with. And then share those insights with others; after you've won.
19: #6 Compton Regulators vs. #14 Default Name
Compton Regulators Record: 17-4 Global: 223 Tier: 7
Owner: Dark_Fate (1 SHIP)
Roster: 43 with 1 S* OT with 1 CPU (down from 3)
Compton Regulators have outscored opponents 69-34 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to the LogZilla Boys and a win against the Syndey Wombats. They are now 7-3 in Ladder games this season. They are primarily a rushing team that throws some. They favor outside runs (QB Rollout), but run inside enough. Their QB has a 7.8 yard average with the HBs at 3.8 and 4.1 ypc. Compton’s best wins are against #7 Mykonos Hoplites, #9 Louisiana ASSassins, #18 NJ Surge and #23 Draco Dragons. Their losses are against #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’, #16 East Coast Badasses and #46 Newcastle Butchers.
Default Name Record 15-6 Global: 236 Tier: 14
Owner: Stobie (10 SHIPs) GM: Xars (6 SHIPs)
Roster: 43 with S* QB, TE, K
Default Name has outscored opponents by 89-24 in their last two Ladder games; wins against Olaf’s and Cleveland Freeze. They are 5-5 in Ladder games this season. They have a 59 run/ 12 pass play calling mix in League games. DN is anywhere from balanced in inside/outside mix to predominantly outside. The HBs are averaging 4.8 and 4.2 yards per rush with tier rQB at 7.4 ypc. Their best wins are against #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #3 Inner City Kids and #8 Rangers Reborn. They have losses against: #17 POOPZILLA BOYS before they were CPU, #9 Louisiana ASSassins, #46 Newcastle Butchers, #33 Canisteo Bulldogs, #4 Fear Factory and #66 NH Preachers.
Game comment: Compton has hung around the Top10 for most of the season, while DN dropped a bunch and has now risen back up some. Both are heavy run teams, with DN running inside more. Every write-up I check to see if Compton still has CPU players. They are finally down to one. Both teams have wins and losses against the Top10 and yet also losses against lower tier teams. Compton has been much more consistent, but Default should be back on stride and have an edge in talent and SHIPs. Default just beat the Kiwi’s and I think they’ll have the Defense to shut down Compton too.
20: #9 Death Valley Deadites vs. #18 NJ Surge
Death Valley Deadites Record: 16-5 Global: 230 Tier: 9
Owner: rch3 GM: ya577 (2 SHIPs) aGM: ArkPhoenix
Roster: 43 with 3 S* CB, DT, DE
Death Valley has been outscored by opponents 34-42 over their last two Ladder games; a loss to Fear Factory and a win against the Beers. They are now 6-4 in Ladder games this season. Death Valley is a balanced team that will throw in some QB Rollout. Their run mix is primarily outside, but they’ll bust it inside enough. Their best wins are against #9 Milwaukee Beers and #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx. Their losses are to: #1 LogZilla Boys, #2 Killer Kiwi’s, #5 Fear Factory, #4 Sexy Dance Fighters and #20 Ground Assault.
New Jersey Surge Record: 13-6-2 Global: 241 Tier: 18
Owner: bcota91 (1 SHIP) GM: excalibur143 (1 SHIP) aGM: Barret (2 SHIPs)
Roster: 40 with 2 S* QB, DT
The Surge have been outscored by opponents 16-34 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to the Inner City Kids and a win against Rangers Reborn. They are now 5-4-1 in Ladder games this season. The Surge are primarily a pass team that can easily be all pass or up to 1/3 run. Their play calling mix in League is 42 pass/ 22 run, though they’ve gone all pass in some Ladder games. Their best wins are against: #1 LogZilla Boys, #8 Rangers Reborn, #20 North Texas Mean Greens, #25 Sandy Cheeks and #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks. They have losses to: #3 inner City Kids, #7 Compton Regulators, #20 Oklahoma Outlaws, #9 Milwaukee Beers, #49 Blue Ridge Moonshine Club and #93 Fart Wafters (how?).
Game comment: The Surge are moving up the Ladder ranks. They are the re-incarnation of a successful team. Death Valley has been around the 10-spot all season. Death Valley has had much greater consistency, losing only to top teams. The Surge have been erratic by beating highly ranked teams and then losing to much lesser competition. The Surge like to pass a lot in Ladder games and Death Valley should be able to handle it. Death Valley is the probable choice here.
21: #9 Milwaukee Beers vs. #24 Allentown Assassins
Milwaukee Beers Record: 16-5 Global: 227 Tier: 4
Owner: Aeir
Roster: 41 with 3 S* HB, OT, TE
The Milwaukee Beers have been outscored by opponents by 27-30 in their last two Ladder games; a loss to Death Valley and a win against the LV Vipers. They are now 7-3 in Ladder games this season. They are a pure rushing team with 1 rQB and 2 HB. Their QB is averaging 7.1 yards per carry and the HBs are at 4.0 and 4.0 ypc. They are usually an 80%+ outside rushing team. Their best wins are against the #20 Oklahoma Outlaws, #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx, #25 Sandy Cheeks, #18 NJ Surge, #13 Tampa Bay Belligerent Drunks and #16 Boston Redcoats. Their losses are to: #1 LogZilla Boys, #3 Inner City Kids, #5 Fear Factory, #9 Death Valley Deadites and #27 Winnipeg Wrath.
Allentown Assassins Record: 14-7 Global: 253 Tier: 25
Owner: gw20404 GM: klocc1
Roster: 38 with 7 S* QB, OT, WR & DT, DE, SS & K
The Allentown Assassins have outscored their last two Ladder opponents by 75-0; both wins. They are now 5-5 in Ladder games on the season. They are a 41 pass/ 34 run play calling mix team in League. Their QB has a 43.8% completion rate and a QBRtg of 70.7. Their HBs average 3.9 and 3.8 ypc. Their best win is against: #39 American Envoy Eagles. Their losses are against: #37 Nashville All Stars, #34 Fort Hood Fierce Cucumbers, #16 East Coast Badasses, #31 Coruscant Imperial Forces, #8 Rangers Reborn, #29 Sydney Wombats and #15 Iron Brigade Phalanx.
Game comment: I don’t understand ELO. I don’t get how Allentown can get a #25 ranking while never beating a team ranked higher than #39 and have losses against teams in the 30s too. The Ladder Gods must have it in for Allentown because they are really out matched here. The Beers are an excellent outside running team. In the League game of LZ Boys-Beers, Beers QB Howie Wynn ran for 550 yards and 6 TDs while the Boys spammed C1 Wide Dogs. No other team has had that kind of outside success against the Boys all season. QB Wynn is easily the fastest rQB in Rookie. Allentown could get rolled here. A close game would be 40 points. The Beers may win this by 80.
Edited by Xars on Sep 30, 2014 01:57:20
Edited by Xars on Sep 29, 2014 17:46:47
Edited by Xars on Sep 29, 2014 17:46:29
Edited by Xars on Sep 29, 2014 13:48:20
Edited by Xars on Sep 29, 2014 13:45:34
