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Tuscon Times
Published: Friday, May 9, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
Unfortunately the Breakdown won't format correctly here so if your interested in seeing it go to the link above.
Tuscon: It's plain to see the NightHawks domination on both offense and defense. The Oilers have good starters but have depth problems. Their wins come against the Patriots, the Phanlanx, and the Pimps. They've managed to beat every team in the league that starts with a P. Unfortunately for them the NightHawks are not one of them.
When the Oilers enter the NightHawks Den tomorrow night they'll be facing a team that's won 8 straight games and who's defense is as dominating now as it has been at any point during the year. It's offense is also coming off it's most productive stretch of the season. "Our goal right now is to keep the Train rolling," said Head Coach p-nutt, "We can't afford to lose our focus. We're coming off a big win but we have to put that behind us and focus on an Oilers team that already upset one playoff bound team, we have to make sure that doesn't happen to us."
The Oilers are coming off a tough loss to the Anchorage Maulers. They trailed by 3 at the half and 7 after 3 quarters but were unable to mount a serious threat in the 4th quarter eventually losing 23-12. "Anchorage is another playoff bound team," pointed out NightHawks OC Dolhoz, "They managed to take the Strikers to the limit as well so you can be guaranteed we're going to be ready."
Odds makers have the NightHawks as a 12 point favorite. Those making the odds might be right but I doubt the Oilers are listening.
Published: Friday, May 9, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
Unfortunately the Breakdown won't format correctly here so if your interested in seeing it go to the link above.
Tuscon: It's plain to see the NightHawks domination on both offense and defense. The Oilers have good starters but have depth problems. Their wins come against the Patriots, the Phanlanx, and the Pimps. They've managed to beat every team in the league that starts with a P. Unfortunately for them the NightHawks are not one of them.
When the Oilers enter the NightHawks Den tomorrow night they'll be facing a team that's won 8 straight games and who's defense is as dominating now as it has been at any point during the year. It's offense is also coming off it's most productive stretch of the season. "Our goal right now is to keep the Train rolling," said Head Coach p-nutt, "We can't afford to lose our focus. We're coming off a big win but we have to put that behind us and focus on an Oilers team that already upset one playoff bound team, we have to make sure that doesn't happen to us."
The Oilers are coming off a tough loss to the Anchorage Maulers. They trailed by 3 at the half and 7 after 3 quarters but were unable to mount a serious threat in the 4th quarter eventually losing 23-12. "Anchorage is another playoff bound team," pointed out NightHawks OC Dolhoz, "They managed to take the Strikers to the limit as well so you can be guaranteed we're going to be ready."
Odds makers have the NightHawks as a 12 point favorite. Those making the odds might be right but I doubt the Oilers are listening.
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Tuscon Times
Published: Friday, May 9, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Get Another Pretty Win In Ugly Game Vs. Oilers
Tuscon: Wins are a beautiful thing even when the play that provides them is as ugly as the effort that produced the NightHawks latest win in their 9 game streak to go to 10-1.
It's like taking an ugly girl to the prom who ends up being a great lay. Your a bit embarrassed to have shown up with her but you still end up with a smile on your face.
The NightHawks went into the game against Houston coming off an emotional win over another team from the LoneStar state. They clicked on all cylinders in that win, like a finely tuned sports car. The win over the Oilers closer resembled a ragged out Yugo that sputtered and smoked it's way to the finish line. "That wasn't a very good effort on our part "admitted Head Coach p-nutt, "we seemed to go out there flat and never really seemed to wake up on either side of the ball. There were times when I thought we were about to but it never materialized."
Early in the game it appeared the NightHawks would pick up right where they left off last week. After the Oilers took the opening kickoff and managed just 6 yards before being forced to punt the NightHawks wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard and the home crowd. On their 3rd play from scrimmage Farve-fan found Shayde Black streaking up the left side and hit him right as he split between the corner and safety and outran everybody to the endzone. "It was a perfect play call by Coach Dolhoz. We caught them in the right coverage and once I caught the ball I knew none of them would be able to catch me," said Black on the scoring play.
The rout was on or so the home crowd thought. Unfortunately for the NightHawks and the fans though there would be 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter before they found the promise land again.
Houston played a tough and gritty game using a surprising passing game and a tenacious defense to keep them in the contest. Twice in the first half they took over possession at or near midfield and put together grinding drives to reach field goal position where kicker Jean Claude Van Damme put the ball thru the uprights. The first, a 12 play drive that ended up with a 31 yard field goal. The second, a 7 play drive that culminated in a 41 yard FG that made it a 7-6 game.
There were times in the first half where Tuscon seemed to be on the verge of scoring only to sputter to a halt. One such drive came right after the Oilers first field goal. The NightHawks took possession of the ball at their own 46 after a nice kick return by Mark Ingram Jr. After driving the ball to the Oilers 29 yard line they faced a 4th and 3. Rather than attempt a 46 yard field goal with Cantphil MaLeg they opted to go for it on 4th down but Blah Dow was stuffed forcing a turnover on downs. "We called a timeout and discussed what we wanted to do," said Coach p-nutt, "Coach jascol24 felt that 47 yards was just outside MaLeg's range so we opted to go for it. Unfortunately they called the perfect defense for the play call. We probably should have audibled out of that play at the line or called another timeout."
The second came with the score 7-6 in the 3rd quarter with a little more than 7 minutes remaining. The NightHawks took possession at their own 20 and mixed the run and pass to perfection to reach the Oilers 15 yard line after a 14 play drive. They came up empty handed though when Cantphil MaLeg missed wide left from 33 yards away. "That one hurt because it left them with the option of being able to beat us with a field goal," said Coach p-nutt.
And it seemed like they might drive and do just that. After taking over possession at their own 20 after the missed field goal the Oilers appeared to be moving the ball. The came to a 3rd and 6 from their own 37 when I B Stuffingholes broke free right up the middle and stuffed Oilers QB Mo C for a 6 yard loss that ended any hope of a drive. "They'd double teamed me with the fullback a good portion of the night. This time I split right between them and was on him (QB Mo C) before he knew what was happening." said Stuffingholes.
Houston punted and Mark Ingram Jr. returned it 14 yards to the NightHawks 46 yard line. Tuscon's offense seemed to wake up then driving the ball from their own 46 to the Oilers 6 where Farve-fan found Eric "Pancake" Roy dragging out to the right side for the score that put the game out of reach. The drive was keyed by 2 huge 3rd down conversions. Conversions the NightHawks hadn't been making earlier in the game. The 1st came on a 3rd and 5 from the Houston 38 yard line where Farve-fan found Shayde Black up the left side for a 11 yard reception. The second came with Tuscon facing a 3rd and 6 from the Oilers 22 when Farve-fan again hit the big pass this time a 10 yard pass to Big Bomb to the Oilers 12 yard line. The extra point made the score 14-6.
The Oilers knew they still had a chance. A TD drive and a 2 point conversion would tie the game up and possibly send it to overtime. Their drive started from their own 20 yard line. After recording 2 first downs and driving the ball out to their own 46 yard line where they faced a 3rd and 7. Mo C dropped back and tried to find Sweet "James" Jones up the right side for the first down but the ball was batted away at the last second by Ikkyu hosagawa to force a 4th down. The Oilers faced a choice, with only 2:25 left in the game if they punted the ball they might never get it back. If they went for it and missed then the game was likely over. Surprisingly they opted to punt the ball. The NightHawks took possession and managed to make a critical 1st down to run the clock down eliminating any change the Oilers had of a comeback.
"Sometimes you have to play games like these to get better," said NightHawks QB Farve-fan, "We made some critical plays on both sides of the ball in the second half, plays we had to have to win the ball game."
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with......
The 7 hurries and 2 sacks the NightHawks front 7 came up with.
Or on the other side we could go with..........
The 0 hurries and 0 sacks the NightHawks offensive line allowed.
Or maybe.........
The 9 broken tackles Blah Dow accumulated.
But I think I'll go with................
The 11 tackles for loss by the NightHawks defense most of which came a critical times in the close game.
Next up for the NightHawks in the San Fran Gangsters on the road at Big Gay Al Stadium. The Gangsters and 3-8 and have lost 5 straight with their wins coming against the Orangebloods, Oilers and the Lumberjacks. The NightHawks should be a dominant favorite to win their 10th straight.
Published: Friday, May 9, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Get Another Pretty Win In Ugly Game Vs. Oilers
Tuscon: Wins are a beautiful thing even when the play that provides them is as ugly as the effort that produced the NightHawks latest win in their 9 game streak to go to 10-1.
It's like taking an ugly girl to the prom who ends up being a great lay. Your a bit embarrassed to have shown up with her but you still end up with a smile on your face.
The NightHawks went into the game against Houston coming off an emotional win over another team from the LoneStar state. They clicked on all cylinders in that win, like a finely tuned sports car. The win over the Oilers closer resembled a ragged out Yugo that sputtered and smoked it's way to the finish line. "That wasn't a very good effort on our part "admitted Head Coach p-nutt, "we seemed to go out there flat and never really seemed to wake up on either side of the ball. There were times when I thought we were about to but it never materialized."
Early in the game it appeared the NightHawks would pick up right where they left off last week. After the Oilers took the opening kickoff and managed just 6 yards before being forced to punt the NightHawks wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard and the home crowd. On their 3rd play from scrimmage Farve-fan found Shayde Black streaking up the left side and hit him right as he split between the corner and safety and outran everybody to the endzone. "It was a perfect play call by Coach Dolhoz. We caught them in the right coverage and once I caught the ball I knew none of them would be able to catch me," said Black on the scoring play.
The rout was on or so the home crowd thought. Unfortunately for the NightHawks and the fans though there would be 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter before they found the promise land again.
Houston played a tough and gritty game using a surprising passing game and a tenacious defense to keep them in the contest. Twice in the first half they took over possession at or near midfield and put together grinding drives to reach field goal position where kicker Jean Claude Van Damme put the ball thru the uprights. The first, a 12 play drive that ended up with a 31 yard field goal. The second, a 7 play drive that culminated in a 41 yard FG that made it a 7-6 game.
There were times in the first half where Tuscon seemed to be on the verge of scoring only to sputter to a halt. One such drive came right after the Oilers first field goal. The NightHawks took possession of the ball at their own 46 after a nice kick return by Mark Ingram Jr. After driving the ball to the Oilers 29 yard line they faced a 4th and 3. Rather than attempt a 46 yard field goal with Cantphil MaLeg they opted to go for it on 4th down but Blah Dow was stuffed forcing a turnover on downs. "We called a timeout and discussed what we wanted to do," said Coach p-nutt, "Coach jascol24 felt that 47 yards was just outside MaLeg's range so we opted to go for it. Unfortunately they called the perfect defense for the play call. We probably should have audibled out of that play at the line or called another timeout."
The second came with the score 7-6 in the 3rd quarter with a little more than 7 minutes remaining. The NightHawks took possession at their own 20 and mixed the run and pass to perfection to reach the Oilers 15 yard line after a 14 play drive. They came up empty handed though when Cantphil MaLeg missed wide left from 33 yards away. "That one hurt because it left them with the option of being able to beat us with a field goal," said Coach p-nutt.
And it seemed like they might drive and do just that. After taking over possession at their own 20 after the missed field goal the Oilers appeared to be moving the ball. The came to a 3rd and 6 from their own 37 when I B Stuffingholes broke free right up the middle and stuffed Oilers QB Mo C for a 6 yard loss that ended any hope of a drive. "They'd double teamed me with the fullback a good portion of the night. This time I split right between them and was on him (QB Mo C) before he knew what was happening." said Stuffingholes.
Houston punted and Mark Ingram Jr. returned it 14 yards to the NightHawks 46 yard line. Tuscon's offense seemed to wake up then driving the ball from their own 46 to the Oilers 6 where Farve-fan found Eric "Pancake" Roy dragging out to the right side for the score that put the game out of reach. The drive was keyed by 2 huge 3rd down conversions. Conversions the NightHawks hadn't been making earlier in the game. The 1st came on a 3rd and 5 from the Houston 38 yard line where Farve-fan found Shayde Black up the left side for a 11 yard reception. The second came with Tuscon facing a 3rd and 6 from the Oilers 22 when Farve-fan again hit the big pass this time a 10 yard pass to Big Bomb to the Oilers 12 yard line. The extra point made the score 14-6.
The Oilers knew they still had a chance. A TD drive and a 2 point conversion would tie the game up and possibly send it to overtime. Their drive started from their own 20 yard line. After recording 2 first downs and driving the ball out to their own 46 yard line where they faced a 3rd and 7. Mo C dropped back and tried to find Sweet "James" Jones up the right side for the first down but the ball was batted away at the last second by Ikkyu hosagawa to force a 4th down. The Oilers faced a choice, with only 2:25 left in the game if they punted the ball they might never get it back. If they went for it and missed then the game was likely over. Surprisingly they opted to punt the ball. The NightHawks took possession and managed to make a critical 1st down to run the clock down eliminating any change the Oilers had of a comeback.
"Sometimes you have to play games like these to get better," said NightHawks QB Farve-fan, "We made some critical plays on both sides of the ball in the second half, plays we had to have to win the ball game."
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with......
The 7 hurries and 2 sacks the NightHawks front 7 came up with.
Or on the other side we could go with..........
The 0 hurries and 0 sacks the NightHawks offensive line allowed.
Or maybe.........
The 9 broken tackles Blah Dow accumulated.
But I think I'll go with................
The 11 tackles for loss by the NightHawks defense most of which came a critical times in the close game.
Next up for the NightHawks in the San Fran Gangsters on the road at Big Gay Al Stadium. The Gangsters and 3-8 and have lost 5 straight with their wins coming against the Orangebloods, Oilers and the Lumberjacks. The NightHawks should be a dominant favorite to win their 10th straight.
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Gangsters Look to Wack NightHawks
Posted on 2008-May-17 at 8:20 PM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link
Tuscon: Crime doesn't pay but apparently losing football does. The San Francisco Gangsters are 3-8 on the season including losses to cellar dwellers the Phalanx, and the Patriots. At that pace, crime won't pay for long.
On offense they're a slightly distorted version of the NightHawks. If you look at the numbers you see two teams that both run the ball for a very high average and both rank near the top of the league in rushing. They've thrown the ball a similar number of times and have relatively the same completion percentage. Only one real difference stands out between the two, the NightHawks put the ball in the endzone. Despite the very similar rushing stats Tuscon has scored 16 times on the ground compared to the Gangsters 13. More noticeable though is the difference in passing TD's. The NightHawks have 16 passing TD's to the Gangsters 7.
That would lead you to think the Gangsters are settling for field goals but that's not the case either. In fact the NightHawks have nearly made as many field goals, 18, as the 19 the Gangsters have attempted.
On defense the Gangters have been more charitable than the Salvation Army allowing 22 touchdowns and 23 field goals, the latter more than anyone in the league. Opposing offenses have rushed for 140.3 yards a game against San Francisco while they were amassing 185.7 yards a game thru the air. "I don't care what other teams have done against them," said Head Coach p-nutt, "We've looked at alot of game film and feel good about some things we think we can accomplish. We'll work on those things in practice and see what happens come game time."
The Defense will once again have something to shoot for, the Gangsters have only allowed QB Rob Toaster to be hurried 5 times and he's been sacked, are you ready for this, 0 times this year. "Oh that's one cherry that's gonna get busted" predicted NightHawks sack leader IB Stuffingholes. The NightHawks lead the league in sacks having accumulated 24 on the season. That's 15 more than any other team in the conference and 23 more than the Gangsters. DC p-nutt talked about the importance of pressuring the quarterback, " Toaster is a talented kid capable of hurting us if we don't hurry him. Their line is extremely good at pass protection as you guys know from the stats so we may have to stunt a little more this week and bring some extra blitzes."
***Game Matchups***
Passing
Both teams have very similar stats as far as attempts and yardage but the NightHawks have 9 more passing TD's
Winner: Tuscon
Rushing: The NightHawks rush against the Gangsters defense. The Gangsters rush agasint the NightHawks defense.
Winner: Tuscon
Rushing Defense: Now your just being silly even reading this part
Winner: Tuscon
Passing Defense: The NightHawks are used to teams throwing the ball against them because teams playing the NightHawks are usually behind, something the Gangsters don't know allot about.
Winner: Tuscon
Special Teams: The NightHawks have missed and made more field goals than the Gangsters
Winner: Tuscon
Temptation is to give the NightHawks a 3 or 4 touchdown win but unfortunately they've tended to play to the level of their competition this year. NightHawks 21 Gangsters 6
Posted on 2008-May-17 at 8:20 PM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link
Tuscon: Crime doesn't pay but apparently losing football does. The San Francisco Gangsters are 3-8 on the season including losses to cellar dwellers the Phalanx, and the Patriots. At that pace, crime won't pay for long.
On offense they're a slightly distorted version of the NightHawks. If you look at the numbers you see two teams that both run the ball for a very high average and both rank near the top of the league in rushing. They've thrown the ball a similar number of times and have relatively the same completion percentage. Only one real difference stands out between the two, the NightHawks put the ball in the endzone. Despite the very similar rushing stats Tuscon has scored 16 times on the ground compared to the Gangsters 13. More noticeable though is the difference in passing TD's. The NightHawks have 16 passing TD's to the Gangsters 7.
That would lead you to think the Gangsters are settling for field goals but that's not the case either. In fact the NightHawks have nearly made as many field goals, 18, as the 19 the Gangsters have attempted.
On defense the Gangters have been more charitable than the Salvation Army allowing 22 touchdowns and 23 field goals, the latter more than anyone in the league. Opposing offenses have rushed for 140.3 yards a game against San Francisco while they were amassing 185.7 yards a game thru the air. "I don't care what other teams have done against them," said Head Coach p-nutt, "We've looked at alot of game film and feel good about some things we think we can accomplish. We'll work on those things in practice and see what happens come game time."
The Defense will once again have something to shoot for, the Gangsters have only allowed QB Rob Toaster to be hurried 5 times and he's been sacked, are you ready for this, 0 times this year. "Oh that's one cherry that's gonna get busted" predicted NightHawks sack leader IB Stuffingholes. The NightHawks lead the league in sacks having accumulated 24 on the season. That's 15 more than any other team in the conference and 23 more than the Gangsters. DC p-nutt talked about the importance of pressuring the quarterback, " Toaster is a talented kid capable of hurting us if we don't hurry him. Their line is extremely good at pass protection as you guys know from the stats so we may have to stunt a little more this week and bring some extra blitzes."
***Game Matchups***
Passing
Both teams have very similar stats as far as attempts and yardage but the NightHawks have 9 more passing TD's
Winner: Tuscon
Rushing: The NightHawks rush against the Gangsters defense. The Gangsters rush agasint the NightHawks defense.
Winner: Tuscon
Rushing Defense: Now your just being silly even reading this part
Winner: Tuscon
Passing Defense: The NightHawks are used to teams throwing the ball against them because teams playing the NightHawks are usually behind, something the Gangsters don't know allot about.
Winner: Tuscon
Special Teams: The NightHawks have missed and made more field goals than the Gangsters
Winner: Tuscon
Temptation is to give the NightHawks a 3 or 4 touchdown win but unfortunately they've tended to play to the level of their competition this year. NightHawks 21 Gangsters 6
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Tuscon Times
Published: Sunday, May 19, 2008
NightHawks Make Sure Gangsters Sleep With The Fishes
Tuscon: There was little doubt the outcome Sunday night when the Tuscon NightHawks flew into Tampax Stadium for a conference showdown with the San Francisco Gangsters. The big question seemed to be not "if" the NightHawks would win but by how much. The NightHawks covered the spread and then some with a 30-7 win.
"They had one of the top rushing games in the league so we knew we had to slow it down," said Tuscon Head Coach p-nutt. The NightHawks scheme seemed to be to use their top rated D line to feed the Gangster rushing attack to the the Tuscon linebackers. The plan worked to perfection limiting San Francisco to a paltry 52 yards rushing. "Part of that was our defense" said OC Dolhoz, "but part of it was our offense putting 30 points up on the board. It made them have to throw the ball. Anytime you can force a running team to have to throw the ball you've given yourself a good chance of winning the game."
The offense set the tone right away taking the opening kick off and going 62 yards on 14 plays to take an early 7-0 lead. Key on the drive was Dolhoz's decision to not settle for a long field goal try on the drive but to instead go for it on 4th and 3 from the Gangster 30 yard line. Blah Dow slipped a tackle at the line of scrimmage and rambled 7 yards for the first down. He then capped the drive when he followed fullback L-train's block off left tackle for a 1 yard touchdown run. "The guys up front were making some good holes out there" said Dow.
The NightHawk defense held the Gangsters scoreless in the first quarter limiting them to 23 yards total offense. Tuscon Linebacker Bubba McGillicutty broke down the first quarter defensive effort, "We knew they would try to run the ball so we made our goal to put them in as many passing situations as possible. I think we held them to 7 rushing yards and forced them to put the ball in the air 5 times which was one more time than they ran the ball so we won that battle."
With 12:33 left in the 2nd quarter Tuscon took control of the ball on offense and put together a scoring drive of 7 plays that covered 57 yards. The NightHawks faced a 3rd and 7 from the Gangster 44 yard line when Farve-fan connected with See-You-In-The- Endzone for a 10 yard gain and the conversion. Blake Cooter followed that with a first down run of 6 yards to the opponents 26 yard line. Facing a 2nd a short Cooter took a pitch out and rambled for another NightHawks first down on a carry of 14 yards down to the Gangster 12 yard line. "Moon pulled out and just managed to slow the linebacker down enough that I could get around him and then See-You-In-The-Endzone got a great block on their corner to free me," said Cooter. Farve-fan then found All-Pro Tight End Eric Roy for a 11 yard connection down to the Gangster 1 to set up a first and goal. Roy felt like he should have scored on the play, "The receiver cleared out the corner on his route down field and I ran a little 5 yard out underneath. I thought I had the linebacker beaten to the corner but he made a nice diving tackle to keep me out of the endzone." The NightHawks made up for it on the very next play though when Kazuma Kuroki put a nice inside move on the corner and caught a 1 yard TD pass to put the NightHawks up 14-0.
It became 17-0 later in the second when the NightHawks took possession near midfield and drove 30 yards in 8 plays to set up a 41 yard field goal by Cantphil MaLeg. The field goal was made possible by Farve-fan hooking up with Eric Roy for 20 yards. "We caught them blitzing a corner. I scraped off my block and sat down in the seam about 10 yards down the field right as the ball got to me. It was perfect timing by Farve-fan," said Roy who rambled for another 10 yards down to the Gangster 33.
The NightHawks defense held the Gangsters to 56 net total yards in the 2nd quarter again forcing them to throw the ball more than they ran it. "I think they netted 7 yards rushing in the second quarter which amounted to 14 in the half. You'll win allot of ballgames doing that," said p-nutt.
The Gangsters half time adjustments helped them get their running game going to start the second half. They rushed for 30 yards on a 12 play scoring drive before Toaster found the Burger King up the left side for the score. Coach p-nutt explained the TD saying, "We were playing to far off the line on the score. We should have jammed him at the line of scrimmage considering we had help over the top."
Again taking possession beyond the 40 yard line thanks to another nice kick off return by Burtton Scott, the NightHawks answered right back going 57 yards before fullback L-train found paydirt running behind guard Comfortably dumb for the 3 yard score. A key play on the drive was a 17 yard hook up from Cheatham to Black on a 3rd and 9 to keep the drive alive. "They were in a zone and I ran a late breaking post. Their safety was late in getting over to help out in coverage and Cody threw a perfect pass," said Black. The score gave the NightHawks a 24-7 lead.
Despite giving up the score to open the half p-nutt was happy with his defense's effort in the 3rd. "We gave up a total of 64 yards in the quarter and that's still not to bad. Despite them having some success running the ball early on in that opening drive we adjusted and shut them down the rest of the quarter. They still ended up having to pass the ball more than they ran it."
The 4th started with yet another NightHawk scoring drive. This time another field goal by MaLeg to make the score 27-7. Again the NightHawks came up with a big 3rd down play to make the drive possible. Facing a 3rd and 9 from the Gangster 40 yard line Cheatham found See-you-in -the-Endzone for a 12 yard pickup to get the first down. "He ran the same post we'd had luck on earlier and I hit him right as he broke into his post," said Cheatham.
The NightHawks would close out the scoring 2 possessions later when MaLeg connected on his 3rd field goal of the night, this one from 38 yards away, to make the score 30-7. The offense made two 3rd down conversions on the drive to make the field goal possible. The first came on a 3rd and 4 from the NightHawks on 41 yard line when Blah Dow took the hand off and followed his right guard for a 7 yard gain. The second came when the NightHawks faced a 3rd and 5 from the Gangsters 36. Farve-fan took the snap and on a 3 step drop hit Kuroki on a 6 yard gain. "I saw they had man coverage on him and were playing off at the line of scrimmage so it was an easy read," said Farve-fan.
The Gangsters made one last ditch attempt to get back on the scoreboard on the follow up drive when they drove the ball down to the NightHawks 27 yard line all thru the air. The drive was ended when on 4th and 3 a Toaster pass was incomplete giving the ball back to the NightHawks who then ran out the clock.
In his post game press conference p-nutt stressed the importance of celebrating the win then putting it behind them as they face the toughest part of their schedule ahead. "It was a great win with solid performances on both sides of the ball. We got to play allot of people which always helps with depth down the road. I thought the offense had perhaps it's most complete game of the year. We might have had a few more yards in another game but I thought consistency wise our guys delivered a great game. Defensively we gave up a few more yards than we normally do but we held their rushing game to about a 100 yards less than it normally gets on a night when stopping the run was our priority. We have a game coming up next against a very tough opponent. I believe they lost tonight which means they'll probably come in here in a very bad mood looking to save their season. It will be a huge game for both teams with heavy playoff implications on the line as far as seedings go so we have to go into it ready to play."
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with.......
The 8 pancake blocks the NightHawks O-line came up with against a very experienced San Francisco defensive line.
Or we could use.......
That Tuscon receivers only had 2 dropped passes on a night they threw the ball 47 times
But I think I'll go with.......
The 11 NightHawks receivers that caught passes on the night.
Last edited May 18, 2008 23:54:33
Published: Sunday, May 19, 2008
NightHawks Make Sure Gangsters Sleep With The Fishes
Tuscon: There was little doubt the outcome Sunday night when the Tuscon NightHawks flew into Tampax Stadium for a conference showdown with the San Francisco Gangsters. The big question seemed to be not "if" the NightHawks would win but by how much. The NightHawks covered the spread and then some with a 30-7 win.
"They had one of the top rushing games in the league so we knew we had to slow it down," said Tuscon Head Coach p-nutt. The NightHawks scheme seemed to be to use their top rated D line to feed the Gangster rushing attack to the the Tuscon linebackers. The plan worked to perfection limiting San Francisco to a paltry 52 yards rushing. "Part of that was our defense" said OC Dolhoz, "but part of it was our offense putting 30 points up on the board. It made them have to throw the ball. Anytime you can force a running team to have to throw the ball you've given yourself a good chance of winning the game."
The offense set the tone right away taking the opening kick off and going 62 yards on 14 plays to take an early 7-0 lead. Key on the drive was Dolhoz's decision to not settle for a long field goal try on the drive but to instead go for it on 4th and 3 from the Gangster 30 yard line. Blah Dow slipped a tackle at the line of scrimmage and rambled 7 yards for the first down. He then capped the drive when he followed fullback L-train's block off left tackle for a 1 yard touchdown run. "The guys up front were making some good holes out there" said Dow.
The NightHawk defense held the Gangsters scoreless in the first quarter limiting them to 23 yards total offense. Tuscon Linebacker Bubba McGillicutty broke down the first quarter defensive effort, "We knew they would try to run the ball so we made our goal to put them in as many passing situations as possible. I think we held them to 7 rushing yards and forced them to put the ball in the air 5 times which was one more time than they ran the ball so we won that battle."
With 12:33 left in the 2nd quarter Tuscon took control of the ball on offense and put together a scoring drive of 7 plays that covered 57 yards. The NightHawks faced a 3rd and 7 from the Gangster 44 yard line when Farve-fan connected with See-You-In-The- Endzone for a 10 yard gain and the conversion. Blake Cooter followed that with a first down run of 6 yards to the opponents 26 yard line. Facing a 2nd a short Cooter took a pitch out and rambled for another NightHawks first down on a carry of 14 yards down to the Gangster 12 yard line. "Moon pulled out and just managed to slow the linebacker down enough that I could get around him and then See-You-In-The-Endzone got a great block on their corner to free me," said Cooter. Farve-fan then found All-Pro Tight End Eric Roy for a 11 yard connection down to the Gangster 1 to set up a first and goal. Roy felt like he should have scored on the play, "The receiver cleared out the corner on his route down field and I ran a little 5 yard out underneath. I thought I had the linebacker beaten to the corner but he made a nice diving tackle to keep me out of the endzone." The NightHawks made up for it on the very next play though when Kazuma Kuroki put a nice inside move on the corner and caught a 1 yard TD pass to put the NightHawks up 14-0.
It became 17-0 later in the second when the NightHawks took possession near midfield and drove 30 yards in 8 plays to set up a 41 yard field goal by Cantphil MaLeg. The field goal was made possible by Farve-fan hooking up with Eric Roy for 20 yards. "We caught them blitzing a corner. I scraped off my block and sat down in the seam about 10 yards down the field right as the ball got to me. It was perfect timing by Farve-fan," said Roy who rambled for another 10 yards down to the Gangster 33.
The NightHawks defense held the Gangsters to 56 net total yards in the 2nd quarter again forcing them to throw the ball more than they ran it. "I think they netted 7 yards rushing in the second quarter which amounted to 14 in the half. You'll win allot of ballgames doing that," said p-nutt.
The Gangsters half time adjustments helped them get their running game going to start the second half. They rushed for 30 yards on a 12 play scoring drive before Toaster found the Burger King up the left side for the score. Coach p-nutt explained the TD saying, "We were playing to far off the line on the score. We should have jammed him at the line of scrimmage considering we had help over the top."
Again taking possession beyond the 40 yard line thanks to another nice kick off return by Burtton Scott, the NightHawks answered right back going 57 yards before fullback L-train found paydirt running behind guard Comfortably dumb for the 3 yard score. A key play on the drive was a 17 yard hook up from Cheatham to Black on a 3rd and 9 to keep the drive alive. "They were in a zone and I ran a late breaking post. Their safety was late in getting over to help out in coverage and Cody threw a perfect pass," said Black. The score gave the NightHawks a 24-7 lead.
Despite giving up the score to open the half p-nutt was happy with his defense's effort in the 3rd. "We gave up a total of 64 yards in the quarter and that's still not to bad. Despite them having some success running the ball early on in that opening drive we adjusted and shut them down the rest of the quarter. They still ended up having to pass the ball more than they ran it."
The 4th started with yet another NightHawk scoring drive. This time another field goal by MaLeg to make the score 27-7. Again the NightHawks came up with a big 3rd down play to make the drive possible. Facing a 3rd and 9 from the Gangster 40 yard line Cheatham found See-you-in -the-Endzone for a 12 yard pickup to get the first down. "He ran the same post we'd had luck on earlier and I hit him right as he broke into his post," said Cheatham.
The NightHawks would close out the scoring 2 possessions later when MaLeg connected on his 3rd field goal of the night, this one from 38 yards away, to make the score 30-7. The offense made two 3rd down conversions on the drive to make the field goal possible. The first came on a 3rd and 4 from the NightHawks on 41 yard line when Blah Dow took the hand off and followed his right guard for a 7 yard gain. The second came when the NightHawks faced a 3rd and 5 from the Gangsters 36. Farve-fan took the snap and on a 3 step drop hit Kuroki on a 6 yard gain. "I saw they had man coverage on him and were playing off at the line of scrimmage so it was an easy read," said Farve-fan.
The Gangsters made one last ditch attempt to get back on the scoreboard on the follow up drive when they drove the ball down to the NightHawks 27 yard line all thru the air. The drive was ended when on 4th and 3 a Toaster pass was incomplete giving the ball back to the NightHawks who then ran out the clock.
In his post game press conference p-nutt stressed the importance of celebrating the win then putting it behind them as they face the toughest part of their schedule ahead. "It was a great win with solid performances on both sides of the ball. We got to play allot of people which always helps with depth down the road. I thought the offense had perhaps it's most complete game of the year. We might have had a few more yards in another game but I thought consistency wise our guys delivered a great game. Defensively we gave up a few more yards than we normally do but we held their rushing game to about a 100 yards less than it normally gets on a night when stopping the run was our priority. We have a game coming up next against a very tough opponent. I believe they lost tonight which means they'll probably come in here in a very bad mood looking to save their season. It will be a huge game for both teams with heavy playoff implications on the line as far as seedings go so we have to go into it ready to play."
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with.......
The 8 pancake blocks the NightHawks O-line came up with against a very experienced San Francisco defensive line.
Or we could use.......
That Tuscon receivers only had 2 dropped passes on a night they threw the ball 47 times
But I think I'll go with.......
The 11 NightHawks receivers that caught passes on the night.
Last edited May 18, 2008 23:54:33
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Tuscon Times
Published: Sunday, May 19, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimes Tuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Hope To Show Who the Real BBB13 Legends Are.
Tuscon: The Legends appear to be pretty much that after losses 2 of the last three weeks but don't expect the NightHawks staff and players to buy into them being anything else than an excellent team that ran into two hot teams.
After starting the season 9-0 Las Vegas was beaten by the Silverymoon Fairies 30-14. They rebounded the following week to win a battle of the field goal kickers against the Portland Pimps before falling again in their most recent game against the Anchorage Maulers 10-3. NightHawks Coach p-nutt said it pretty much amounts to the law of averages when you face tough competition week in and week out. "The early part of the season just happened to be the easier part of their schedule so they were able to develop as a team without facing any serious threats. By the time they got to the Dallas game they had developed a pretty strong team and it showed in that game. Then they had a stretch of easier games again before coming up against 4 very tough games in a row. First Silverymoon, then Portland and Anchorage followed by us. Going into a stretch like that you'd hope to come out of it winning all 4, you'd be happy with winning 3 of 4, but you wouldn't complain about winning 2 of 4. Right now their 1 of 3 so we have to hope they leave here 1 of 4 and very unhappy."
The game couldn't come at a better time for the NightHawks who are coming off one of their most productive offensive performances of the year. Dallas has a solid defense so having the Tuscon offense kicking on all cylinders is very important. OC Dolhoz feels his group is ready "They've had a good week of practice. I think we're healthier in our running game than we have been all year long so I really expect them to have a big game. Our passing game has had great games 2 of the last 3 weeks. Now we have to put together back to back productive weeks. I think we're ready to do that. We feel like we have a solid gameplan going in but as with any game we won't be afraid to make any adjustments to it during the game."
The Defense faces perhaps it's toughest competition of the year in a Vegas passing game that ranks as one of the toughest in the league. Not as polished as Dallas perhaps but still very productive. They've allowed 20 hurries and 7 sacks along with throwing 9 interceptions on the season. You can bet the NightHawks front 7 will be looking to put plenty of pressure on Vegas QB Rex Vick. Their rushing game is capable but not spectacular. The NightHawks front 7 hopes to work the same magic against them that it's used to hold other average running games to teen and sub-teen numbers.
***Game Match-Ups***
Passing Game
The Legends hold the statistical edge over the NightHawks but have to face a Tuscon Defense that is the stingiest in the league.
Advantage: Even
Rushing game: The NightHawks hold a significant advantage in this category on both sides of the ball.
Advantage: NightHawks
Defense: The Dallas defense is very highly ranked but not as highly ranked as the NightHawks. Both teams have allowed similar amounts of TD's though the Legends have allowed 6 more field goals.
Advantage: NightHawks (but not by as much as you'd think)
Special teams: Vegas holds an advantage in the kicking game and the return game but not by much.
Advantage: Legends
This is about as evenly matched an opponent as the NightHawks have faced all year long. This game could go either way. I expect it will be a low scoring affair with the winner taking it by a field goal. NightHawks 10 Legends 7
Published: Sunday, May 19, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimes Tuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Hope To Show Who the Real BBB13 Legends Are.
Tuscon: The Legends appear to be pretty much that after losses 2 of the last three weeks but don't expect the NightHawks staff and players to buy into them being anything else than an excellent team that ran into two hot teams.
After starting the season 9-0 Las Vegas was beaten by the Silverymoon Fairies 30-14. They rebounded the following week to win a battle of the field goal kickers against the Portland Pimps before falling again in their most recent game against the Anchorage Maulers 10-3. NightHawks Coach p-nutt said it pretty much amounts to the law of averages when you face tough competition week in and week out. "The early part of the season just happened to be the easier part of their schedule so they were able to develop as a team without facing any serious threats. By the time they got to the Dallas game they had developed a pretty strong team and it showed in that game. Then they had a stretch of easier games again before coming up against 4 very tough games in a row. First Silverymoon, then Portland and Anchorage followed by us. Going into a stretch like that you'd hope to come out of it winning all 4, you'd be happy with winning 3 of 4, but you wouldn't complain about winning 2 of 4. Right now their 1 of 3 so we have to hope they leave here 1 of 4 and very unhappy."
The game couldn't come at a better time for the NightHawks who are coming off one of their most productive offensive performances of the year. Dallas has a solid defense so having the Tuscon offense kicking on all cylinders is very important. OC Dolhoz feels his group is ready "They've had a good week of practice. I think we're healthier in our running game than we have been all year long so I really expect them to have a big game. Our passing game has had great games 2 of the last 3 weeks. Now we have to put together back to back productive weeks. I think we're ready to do that. We feel like we have a solid gameplan going in but as with any game we won't be afraid to make any adjustments to it during the game."
The Defense faces perhaps it's toughest competition of the year in a Vegas passing game that ranks as one of the toughest in the league. Not as polished as Dallas perhaps but still very productive. They've allowed 20 hurries and 7 sacks along with throwing 9 interceptions on the season. You can bet the NightHawks front 7 will be looking to put plenty of pressure on Vegas QB Rex Vick. Their rushing game is capable but not spectacular. The NightHawks front 7 hopes to work the same magic against them that it's used to hold other average running games to teen and sub-teen numbers.
***Game Match-Ups***
Passing Game
The Legends hold the statistical edge over the NightHawks but have to face a Tuscon Defense that is the stingiest in the league.
Advantage: Even
Rushing game: The NightHawks hold a significant advantage in this category on both sides of the ball.
Advantage: NightHawks
Defense: The Dallas defense is very highly ranked but not as highly ranked as the NightHawks. Both teams have allowed similar amounts of TD's though the Legends have allowed 6 more field goals.
Advantage: NightHawks (but not by as much as you'd think)
Special teams: Vegas holds an advantage in the kicking game and the return game but not by much.
Advantage: Legends
This is about as evenly matched an opponent as the NightHawks have faced all year long. This game could go either way. I expect it will be a low scoring affair with the winner taking it by a field goal. NightHawks 10 Legends 7
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Tuscon Times
Published: Tuesday, May 21, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimes Tuscon Times NightHawk Blog
Legends Prove Plenty Real Against NightHawks
Posted on 2008-May-21 at 2:02 AM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link
Tuscon: Using a surgical like passing attack the Las Vegas Legends exposed the Tuscon NightHawks defense for 281 yards passing and a 13-3 upset win.
Coach p-nutt made it clear where he thought the blame lay in the loss. "This one is on us, the coaches. We had no answer for their passing game. We were unable to make adjustments to stop it. We gave their QB all day in the pocket to throw the ball and looked to confused in the secondary to make the plays we should have made." In the secondary's defense they did manage to pick off 4 Legends passes and didn't receive much support as far as a pass rush. Then again you can't really blame the front 4 as they were facing long odds at disrupting the flow of the passing game when there were 2 more blockers than there were pass rushers for most the night.
Offensively the NightHawks never did seem to get into the flow of things after a field goal at 9:48 of the first quarter. Abandoning their running game in favor of the passing game they were held to their lowest offensive production of the year. "We felt like we were unable to run the ball between the tackles during the game so we made the decision to put the ball in the QB's hands and see what he could do. Unfortunately things didn't work out. We had to many dropped passes and passes that were off the mark. This was the first game I can remember that we had two passes intercepted. We're a much better offense than what we showed tonight." said OC Dolhoz somewhat dejectedly. The NightHawks pretty much abandoned the inside running game after the 1st quarter despited having some success on the right side.
Then there were decisions to go for it on 4th down well into field goal range. This decision might have been understandable earlier in the year when placekicker Cantphil MaLeg had his struggles. It was somewhat quizzical in tonights game considering MaLeg's solid performances of late.
With the NightHawks holding a 3-0 lead the Legends took control of the ball, and the game it turns out, with 11:42 left in the second quarter. After a drive including pass plays of ll, 9, and 6 yards the Legends hit a 34 yard field goal to tie the game. Two drives later the Legends again took the ball and put together a 9 play drive that included pass plays of 8, 10, 9, and 12 yards before stalling at the NightHawks 8 yard line and having to settle again for a 25 yard touchdown and a 6-3 lead that they carried into half time.
The game wouldn't see another scoring drive till 6:17 of the 3rd quarter. The Legends took the ball and went on a 11 play scoring drive that finally hit paydirt on a 8 yard touchdown pass. Again the Legends did their damage thru the air hitting 7 of 9 passes on the drive including gains of 4, 8, 6, 11, 18, 13, and 8 yards. The TD and extra point made the score 13-3 which proved to be more than enough to win the game.
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with........
6 dropped passes by NightHawks receivers
Or we could go with.........
22.6 yards after catch by Tuscon wide receivers on 26 catches.
But I think we have to use............
4 hurries and 0 sacks by the NightHawks defense on a night they new they had to pressure the QB.
Next up for Tuscon is the Phalanx. I don't even know what the hell a Phalanx is but I do know this one barely has a pulse. That might be just what the Hawks need before their big showdown with the Fairies.
Published: Tuesday, May 21, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimes Tuscon Times NightHawk Blog
Legends Prove Plenty Real Against NightHawks
Posted on 2008-May-21 at 2:02 AM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link
Tuscon: Using a surgical like passing attack the Las Vegas Legends exposed the Tuscon NightHawks defense for 281 yards passing and a 13-3 upset win.
Coach p-nutt made it clear where he thought the blame lay in the loss. "This one is on us, the coaches. We had no answer for their passing game. We were unable to make adjustments to stop it. We gave their QB all day in the pocket to throw the ball and looked to confused in the secondary to make the plays we should have made." In the secondary's defense they did manage to pick off 4 Legends passes and didn't receive much support as far as a pass rush. Then again you can't really blame the front 4 as they were facing long odds at disrupting the flow of the passing game when there were 2 more blockers than there were pass rushers for most the night.
Offensively the NightHawks never did seem to get into the flow of things after a field goal at 9:48 of the first quarter. Abandoning their running game in favor of the passing game they were held to their lowest offensive production of the year. "We felt like we were unable to run the ball between the tackles during the game so we made the decision to put the ball in the QB's hands and see what he could do. Unfortunately things didn't work out. We had to many dropped passes and passes that were off the mark. This was the first game I can remember that we had two passes intercepted. We're a much better offense than what we showed tonight." said OC Dolhoz somewhat dejectedly. The NightHawks pretty much abandoned the inside running game after the 1st quarter despited having some success on the right side.
Then there were decisions to go for it on 4th down well into field goal range. This decision might have been understandable earlier in the year when placekicker Cantphil MaLeg had his struggles. It was somewhat quizzical in tonights game considering MaLeg's solid performances of late.
With the NightHawks holding a 3-0 lead the Legends took control of the ball, and the game it turns out, with 11:42 left in the second quarter. After a drive including pass plays of ll, 9, and 6 yards the Legends hit a 34 yard field goal to tie the game. Two drives later the Legends again took the ball and put together a 9 play drive that included pass plays of 8, 10, 9, and 12 yards before stalling at the NightHawks 8 yard line and having to settle again for a 25 yard touchdown and a 6-3 lead that they carried into half time.
The game wouldn't see another scoring drive till 6:17 of the 3rd quarter. The Legends took the ball and went on a 11 play scoring drive that finally hit paydirt on a 8 yard touchdown pass. Again the Legends did their damage thru the air hitting 7 of 9 passes on the drive including gains of 4, 8, 6, 11, 18, 13, and 8 yards. The TD and extra point made the score 13-3 which proved to be more than enough to win the game.
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with........
6 dropped passes by NightHawks receivers
Or we could go with.........
22.6 yards after catch by Tuscon wide receivers on 26 catches.
But I think we have to use............
4 hurries and 0 sacks by the NightHawks defense on a night they new they had to pressure the QB.
Next up for Tuscon is the Phalanx. I don't even know what the hell a Phalanx is but I do know this one barely has a pulse. That might be just what the Hawks need before their big showdown with the Fairies.
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Phalanx look to out flank NightHawks
Tuscon: The word Phalanx refers to a military term first coined at the height of the Greek empire. It referred to a rectangular shaped military formation usually made up of heavily armed combatants. The ATX Fightin Phalanx that the NightHawks face tonight can hardly be described as combatants with their 1-12 record, much less heavily armed.
After a disheartening loss to the Las Vegas Legends last week the NightHawks will look to take their frustrations out on the lightly armed Phalanx. Coach p-nutt said, "You can tell these guys took last weeks loss personally. Practices have been very high spirited all week." Asked if he was referring to the multitude of fights rumored to have taken place in practice this week p-nutt said, "We had a few guys go at it but sometimes it takes that to get the frustrations of a loss out of your system. Those happened earlier in the week, towards the end of the week they seemed to be looking forward to hitting on someone wearing another teams jersey." Sources within the NightHawks indicate a sideline emptying brawl took place in Monday's practice when middle linebacker Bubba McGillicutty got tangled up with fullback L Train in a blocking drill. McGillicutty apparently took offense at a forearm underneath his chin, delivered by L Train during the drill. Reports are he grabbed Train's facemask and slung him to the ground ripping off his helmet. The sidelines emptied and it took several minutes before order could be restored by the coaching staff. There were reportedly several punches thrown but no damage was done though McGillicutty did receive several stiches to his chin from the block.
Asked if any changes were expected as a result of the loss p-nutt indicated that there might be a few adjustments to scheme but there would be no personell changes resulting from the loss. "We might tinker with the system a bit, do some fine tuning, but we won't be making any drastic changes. Personell wise the only change is the addition of new left Guard Cano Guard. Comfortably Dumb played a great game for us last week doing a very good job at right guard at a time we had some depth problems. Moon Mullins will move back to Right Guard with Cano stepping in at the Left Guard position. Comfortably dumb will back up Cano at the left Guard position."
Defensively he indicated we should expect no changes in personell and little if any in scheme. "We've had two games this year where we didn't live up to our capability. We've talked about that this week and think we've gotten any problems worked out. You have to realize these guys have dominated 10 other teams this year and as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Coach Dolhoz was pleased with the way his offesne performed this week in practice. "We had lots of energy and focus out there this week. The guys seemed to be practicing with a purpose which is something any coach likes to see. You usually play how you practice."
***Game Matchups***
Passing game: The NightHawks have raised their season average to 180.4 yards per game while accumulating 17 touchdowns thru the air, second best in the league. The Phalanx passing game on the other hand is next to last in ypg with an average of 125 yards per game and only 4 TD's passing.
Advantage: Tuscon
Rushing game: The NightHawks rushing game has dropped in recent weeks falling to a still very impressive 162.5 yards per game with 18 rushing TD's while the Phalanx have struggled to reap 63.2 yards per game and have yet to score a TD on the ground.
Advantage: Tuscon
Defense: Surrendering just 188.1 total yards per game and giving up 9 total touchdowns the NightHawks D has been very stingy. The Phalanx on the other hand have been more giving than the United Nations allowing 378.4 total yards per game and a whopping 43 touchdowns, 30 of them on the ground.
Advantage: Tuscon
Special Teams: The Phalanx kicker is the highlight of the team with a 69.2% field goal percentage. NightHawks kicker Cantphil Maleg has seen his percentage rocket to 59.5 percent thanks to his recent hot streak. Tuscon averages nearly 4 yards a return more in the kickoff game. In the punt return game it's almost a 3 yard a game average. The NightHawks punting game has struggled this year yet still holds an advantage over the Tuscon punting game.
Advantage: Tuscon
The spread in this game is currently 18 points with the NightHawks of course giving up the points. That's allot of points but I still think the NightHawks cover with room to spare provided they don't sit all the starters and start the backups. Then they may just barely cover.
Tuscon: The word Phalanx refers to a military term first coined at the height of the Greek empire. It referred to a rectangular shaped military formation usually made up of heavily armed combatants. The ATX Fightin Phalanx that the NightHawks face tonight can hardly be described as combatants with their 1-12 record, much less heavily armed.
After a disheartening loss to the Las Vegas Legends last week the NightHawks will look to take their frustrations out on the lightly armed Phalanx. Coach p-nutt said, "You can tell these guys took last weeks loss personally. Practices have been very high spirited all week." Asked if he was referring to the multitude of fights rumored to have taken place in practice this week p-nutt said, "We had a few guys go at it but sometimes it takes that to get the frustrations of a loss out of your system. Those happened earlier in the week, towards the end of the week they seemed to be looking forward to hitting on someone wearing another teams jersey." Sources within the NightHawks indicate a sideline emptying brawl took place in Monday's practice when middle linebacker Bubba McGillicutty got tangled up with fullback L Train in a blocking drill. McGillicutty apparently took offense at a forearm underneath his chin, delivered by L Train during the drill. Reports are he grabbed Train's facemask and slung him to the ground ripping off his helmet. The sidelines emptied and it took several minutes before order could be restored by the coaching staff. There were reportedly several punches thrown but no damage was done though McGillicutty did receive several stiches to his chin from the block.
Asked if any changes were expected as a result of the loss p-nutt indicated that there might be a few adjustments to scheme but there would be no personell changes resulting from the loss. "We might tinker with the system a bit, do some fine tuning, but we won't be making any drastic changes. Personell wise the only change is the addition of new left Guard Cano Guard. Comfortably Dumb played a great game for us last week doing a very good job at right guard at a time we had some depth problems. Moon Mullins will move back to Right Guard with Cano stepping in at the Left Guard position. Comfortably dumb will back up Cano at the left Guard position."
Defensively he indicated we should expect no changes in personell and little if any in scheme. "We've had two games this year where we didn't live up to our capability. We've talked about that this week and think we've gotten any problems worked out. You have to realize these guys have dominated 10 other teams this year and as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Coach Dolhoz was pleased with the way his offesne performed this week in practice. "We had lots of energy and focus out there this week. The guys seemed to be practicing with a purpose which is something any coach likes to see. You usually play how you practice."
***Game Matchups***
Passing game: The NightHawks have raised their season average to 180.4 yards per game while accumulating 17 touchdowns thru the air, second best in the league. The Phalanx passing game on the other hand is next to last in ypg with an average of 125 yards per game and only 4 TD's passing.
Advantage: Tuscon
Rushing game: The NightHawks rushing game has dropped in recent weeks falling to a still very impressive 162.5 yards per game with 18 rushing TD's while the Phalanx have struggled to reap 63.2 yards per game and have yet to score a TD on the ground.
Advantage: Tuscon
Defense: Surrendering just 188.1 total yards per game and giving up 9 total touchdowns the NightHawks D has been very stingy. The Phalanx on the other hand have been more giving than the United Nations allowing 378.4 total yards per game and a whopping 43 touchdowns, 30 of them on the ground.
Advantage: Tuscon
Special Teams: The Phalanx kicker is the highlight of the team with a 69.2% field goal percentage. NightHawks kicker Cantphil Maleg has seen his percentage rocket to 59.5 percent thanks to his recent hot streak. Tuscon averages nearly 4 yards a return more in the kickoff game. In the punt return game it's almost a 3 yard a game average. The NightHawks punting game has struggled this year yet still holds an advantage over the Tuscon punting game.
Advantage: Tuscon
The spread in this game is currently 18 points with the NightHawks of course giving up the points. That's allot of points but I still think the NightHawks cover with room to spare provided they don't sit all the starters and start the backups. Then they may just barely cover.
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Tuscon Times
Published: Friday, May 23, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Overwhelm Phalanx With Offense
Tuscon: Will the real Tuscon NightHawks offense please stand up? Pulling the Jekyll/Hyde routine yet again the NightHawks rode a strong offensive effort to a 37-13 thrashing of the ATX Fightin Phalanx.
Several times lately the NightHawks have followed a dominating offensive effort with a lackluster one. After abandoning the run game last week in favor of a "Air Coryell" style attack that resulted in very mixed results the NightHawks went back to their roots rushing 52 times as opposed to 30 passes resulting in a much better production. Granted the competition wasn't at nearly the same level, still, every time this year they've used such an attack it's been to good results.
The benefit of the return of the NightHawks ground attack tonight was Blake Cooter. Cooter rushed 23 times for 115 yards and 2 TD's while showing good power in breaking 6 tackles. Add to that the totals from backups Blah Dow and Mark Ingram Jr. and both fullback who accumulated another 104.5 yards, and you have 219.5 total rushing yards. "The offensive line did a fantastic job tonight opening up holes for the backs," said Cooter, "I'm starting to feel allot more comfortable with the offense so I'm seeing the holes allot better which makes them much easier to hit."
Another fairly recent addition is finally starting to pay dividends. Wide receiver Big Bomb had his best night in a NightHawks uniform raking in 6 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown. The passing game was far from left out on the offensive side of things despite the focus on the running game. They still managed 218.5 yards through the air. Bomb seemed to think the running game actually helped them in their production, "You could see their linebackers and safeties start to cheat up. Once that happened it was a whole lot easier to make things happen in the air." OC Dolhoz agreed, "Once the running game was established it really opened up the play action and the screens." Asked if we could expect a similar plan against the league leading Fairies Dolhoz wouldn't bite, "Every opponent brings different challenges. We'll attack them the best way we feel necessary."
The NightHawks won the toss but deferred till the second half. The Phalanx took the kickoff and on their first play from scrimmage QB Pierce Arrow was picked off by defensive end Quickly Sacked setting the NightHawks up at the Phalanx 39 yard line. After 2 Cooter rushes accumulated a first down the NightHawks went up top reaching the 11 yard line before being forced to settle for a Cantphil Maleg 28 yard field goal.
Tuscon again got on the board when they took possession of the ball with 6:15 left in the 1st quarter. After a Big Bomb catch netted a first down on a gain of 14 yards Cooter again came in and netted 16 yards on 2 catches sandwiched around another Bomb 5 yard reception. Again though they were stopped short of the endzone an forced to kick a field goal making the score 6-0.
The Phalanx made it a 6-3 ball game when they recovered a Zo Lawrence fumble on a punt return and managed to move as close as the NightHawks 9 yard line before being forced into the field goal try. The NightHawks again found themselves feeling charitable when QB Farve-fan was intercepted on Phalanx 47 yard line. The Tuscon defense bowed up this time forcing another Phalanx punt.
Using the run and the pass the NightHawks managed to drive down to a first down on the Phalanx 37 yard line where Cody Cheatham found Burton Scott on an inside post that went the distance for the NightHawks first TD of the game and a 13-3 lead. The NightHawks nearly managed another first half score when with time running out and the NightHawks facing a 3rd and 7 from their own 38 yard line Farve-fan found Big Bomb on a hitch pass where be broke the tackle of the corner and managed to outrace 2 linebackers and the strong safety as time ran out in the half, only to be caught down around the Phalanx 5 yard line by their Free Safety.
The NightHawks quickly made up for it though when they took the 2nd half kickoff and drove the length of the field. The NightHawks ate up 50 yards on the ground during the drive before Blake Cooter reached the endzone on a 6 yard run to give the NightHawks a 20-3 lead. The Phalanx answered right back with a field goal drive of their own. Using a mix of run and pass they drove down inside the NightHawks 20 yard line before the drive stalled. The field goal made the score 20-6 with 4:49 left in the 3rd quarter.
With 3:14 left in the 3rd Reggie White forced a fumble that was picked up and returned 6 yards to the Phalanx 32 yard line by Bubba McGillicutty. Again using the rush almost for the entirety of the drive the NightHawks managed to reach the Phalanx 1 yard line before being forced to kick a 18 yard field goal. The kick left the NightHawks with a 23-6 lead.
The NightHawks offense found paydirt again when Farve-fan hit Big Bomb on a 49 yard fade pattern that he hauled in and outraced the defense for the score refusing to be caught from behind again. The drive took only 3 plays and left Tuscon with a 30-6 lead. The lead reached 37-6 on the next NightHawks drive. Going 57 yards on a 13 play drive that was all on the ground Blake Cooter again found the endzone on a 1 yard plunge. Cooter had 23 yards rushing on the drive.
The Phalanx finally scored a touchdown with 1:26 left in the game on a 4 yard TD pass from Arrow to Mr. Universe closing out the scoring. The NightHawks took the kickoff and ran out the clock notching their 12th win on the season against just 2 losses.
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with........
Cantphil Maleg's 7th straight field goal
Or we could use.........
The defense missing only 2 tackles the entire game.
But I think I'll go with...........
NightHawks receivers not dropping a single pass all night long
The next game will be against the unbeaten homo's from Silverymoon. They'll travel south in an attempt to keep their perfect season alive. They'll likely come in as a 7-10 point favorite to win the game and a 2-1 favorite to hit the Tuscon Gay bars.
Published: Friday, May 23, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Overwhelm Phalanx With Offense
Tuscon: Will the real Tuscon NightHawks offense please stand up? Pulling the Jekyll/Hyde routine yet again the NightHawks rode a strong offensive effort to a 37-13 thrashing of the ATX Fightin Phalanx.
Several times lately the NightHawks have followed a dominating offensive effort with a lackluster one. After abandoning the run game last week in favor of a "Air Coryell" style attack that resulted in very mixed results the NightHawks went back to their roots rushing 52 times as opposed to 30 passes resulting in a much better production. Granted the competition wasn't at nearly the same level, still, every time this year they've used such an attack it's been to good results.
The benefit of the return of the NightHawks ground attack tonight was Blake Cooter. Cooter rushed 23 times for 115 yards and 2 TD's while showing good power in breaking 6 tackles. Add to that the totals from backups Blah Dow and Mark Ingram Jr. and both fullback who accumulated another 104.5 yards, and you have 219.5 total rushing yards. "The offensive line did a fantastic job tonight opening up holes for the backs," said Cooter, "I'm starting to feel allot more comfortable with the offense so I'm seeing the holes allot better which makes them much easier to hit."
Another fairly recent addition is finally starting to pay dividends. Wide receiver Big Bomb had his best night in a NightHawks uniform raking in 6 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown. The passing game was far from left out on the offensive side of things despite the focus on the running game. They still managed 218.5 yards through the air. Bomb seemed to think the running game actually helped them in their production, "You could see their linebackers and safeties start to cheat up. Once that happened it was a whole lot easier to make things happen in the air." OC Dolhoz agreed, "Once the running game was established it really opened up the play action and the screens." Asked if we could expect a similar plan against the league leading Fairies Dolhoz wouldn't bite, "Every opponent brings different challenges. We'll attack them the best way we feel necessary."
The NightHawks won the toss but deferred till the second half. The Phalanx took the kickoff and on their first play from scrimmage QB Pierce Arrow was picked off by defensive end Quickly Sacked setting the NightHawks up at the Phalanx 39 yard line. After 2 Cooter rushes accumulated a first down the NightHawks went up top reaching the 11 yard line before being forced to settle for a Cantphil Maleg 28 yard field goal.
Tuscon again got on the board when they took possession of the ball with 6:15 left in the 1st quarter. After a Big Bomb catch netted a first down on a gain of 14 yards Cooter again came in and netted 16 yards on 2 catches sandwiched around another Bomb 5 yard reception. Again though they were stopped short of the endzone an forced to kick a field goal making the score 6-0.
The Phalanx made it a 6-3 ball game when they recovered a Zo Lawrence fumble on a punt return and managed to move as close as the NightHawks 9 yard line before being forced into the field goal try. The NightHawks again found themselves feeling charitable when QB Farve-fan was intercepted on Phalanx 47 yard line. The Tuscon defense bowed up this time forcing another Phalanx punt.
Using the run and the pass the NightHawks managed to drive down to a first down on the Phalanx 37 yard line where Cody Cheatham found Burton Scott on an inside post that went the distance for the NightHawks first TD of the game and a 13-3 lead. The NightHawks nearly managed another first half score when with time running out and the NightHawks facing a 3rd and 7 from their own 38 yard line Farve-fan found Big Bomb on a hitch pass where be broke the tackle of the corner and managed to outrace 2 linebackers and the strong safety as time ran out in the half, only to be caught down around the Phalanx 5 yard line by their Free Safety.
The NightHawks quickly made up for it though when they took the 2nd half kickoff and drove the length of the field. The NightHawks ate up 50 yards on the ground during the drive before Blake Cooter reached the endzone on a 6 yard run to give the NightHawks a 20-3 lead. The Phalanx answered right back with a field goal drive of their own. Using a mix of run and pass they drove down inside the NightHawks 20 yard line before the drive stalled. The field goal made the score 20-6 with 4:49 left in the 3rd quarter.
With 3:14 left in the 3rd Reggie White forced a fumble that was picked up and returned 6 yards to the Phalanx 32 yard line by Bubba McGillicutty. Again using the rush almost for the entirety of the drive the NightHawks managed to reach the Phalanx 1 yard line before being forced to kick a 18 yard field goal. The kick left the NightHawks with a 23-6 lead.
The NightHawks offense found paydirt again when Farve-fan hit Big Bomb on a 49 yard fade pattern that he hauled in and outraced the defense for the score refusing to be caught from behind again. The drive took only 3 plays and left Tuscon with a 30-6 lead. The lead reached 37-6 on the next NightHawks drive. Going 57 yards on a 13 play drive that was all on the ground Blake Cooter again found the endzone on a 1 yard plunge. Cooter had 23 yards rushing on the drive.
The Phalanx finally scored a touchdown with 1:26 left in the game on a 4 yard TD pass from Arrow to Mr. Universe closing out the scoring. The NightHawks took the kickoff and ran out the clock notching their 12th win on the season against just 2 losses.
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with........
Cantphil Maleg's 7th straight field goal
Or we could use.........
The defense missing only 2 tackles the entire game.
But I think I'll go with...........
NightHawks receivers not dropping a single pass all night long
The next game will be against the unbeaten homo's from Silverymoon. They'll travel south in an attempt to keep their perfect season alive. They'll likely come in as a 7-10 point favorite to win the game and a 2-1 favorite to hit the Tuscon Gay bars.
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Tuscon Times
Published: Saturday, May 24, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Prepare For Showdown With Silverymoon
Tuscon: Though the loss to the Las Vegas Legends two games ago took a bit of the shine off the NightHawks/Silverymoon showdown you would never know it from talking to Tuscon players this week. "This is one of those measuring stick games," said Tuscon DE Wain Gro, "They're the best in the league right now and supposedly the class of the league. If we go into the game and get blown out then folks will say we went from contenders to pretenders. We plan on measuring up though and shocking the world." Asked did he mean they thought they would win the game he replied, "We wouldn't play the game if we didn't."
Someone forgot to show Gro the length of the measuring stick they were up against. The Fairies lead the league in rushing and average yards per carry. Their passing game is 3rd best in the league. They lead the league in yards per attempt and passing touchdowns. They've given up less passing touchdowns than anyone in the league and are 3rd in yards allowed per game. They're 3rd in sacks and 4th in passes defended. They've had fewer missed tackles than anyone in the league. They're so far ahead in pancakes that the 4th and 5th place teams totals together don't add up to the Fairies totals. They're second in total kick returns this year, an obscure stat that points out something very important, their defense doesn't give up allot of points. They're first in punt return yards and and 2nd in field goals allowed. Did we mention they haven't lost a game this year?
"They're an awfully talented group, both as individuals and as a team," said NightHawks head coach p-nutt. He then added, "Their QB is the best in the league despite his sexual orientation and Alpha Dog is a freak of nature that pancakes everything in his path. It's a shame they both suffer from SPS, the disease that keeps them from playing in the Pro Leagues." Silverymoon Quarterback Alex Johnson, offensive Tackle Alpha Dog and Guard Longar Longar all suffer from SPS which is an acronym standing for "Small Penis Syndrome". SPS was featured in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a prestigious medical journal most doctors dream of getting published in. The Journal describes the disease as a chemical imbalance in the testicles that causes them to shrink to nearly nothing along with the rest of the male genitalia. Sufferers lose the ability to challenge themselves frequently taking the easy way out. Studies conducted since the release of the medical findings on SPS indicate that most school yard bullies suffer from SPS. People who chicken out at anything tough are said to "Have no balls", a term that comes from the symptoms of SPS.
So how can the NightHawks players think they can win? Well an interesting thing jumps out when you look at the stats. You discover that this NightHawks team despite it's two losses isn't all that bad.
They're 1st in the league in yards per completion. They're 2nd in the league in touchdown passes and have thrown fewer interceptions than anyone in the league. They're first in the league in Passing yards per game allowed and 3rd in the league in passing touchdowns allowed. They're 2nd in the league in rushing. They're 3rd in the league in rushing touchdowns. They've allowed fewer fumbles than anyone in the league and are 1st in the league in rushing yards allowed. They're 1st in the league in rushing touchdowns allowed. They're receivers are 1st in the league in yards after catch. They're 1st in plays run from scrimmage. They are 2nd in points scored. They are 2nd in points allowed. They're 2nd in missed tackles and have hurried and sacked more quarterbacks than anyone in the league. They're 1st in passes defended and tied for 3rd in interceptions. They are 1st in forced fumbles and 2nd in punt return average. They're tied for 1st in field goal attempts per game and are 1st in field goals allowed. In other words this team can play a little football too.
Odds makers have the NightHawks as a 7 point underdog. The over/under on the game currently sits at 36, meaning a somewhat low scoring affair is expected. Most of the "experts" and amateurs are picking the Fairies but something about this NightHawks team tells me they just might have a chance. David did after all slay Goliath, the original sufferer of SPS.
NightHawks 16 Fairies 14
Published: Saturday, May 24, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Prepare For Showdown With Silverymoon
Tuscon: Though the loss to the Las Vegas Legends two games ago took a bit of the shine off the NightHawks/Silverymoon showdown you would never know it from talking to Tuscon players this week. "This is one of those measuring stick games," said Tuscon DE Wain Gro, "They're the best in the league right now and supposedly the class of the league. If we go into the game and get blown out then folks will say we went from contenders to pretenders. We plan on measuring up though and shocking the world." Asked did he mean they thought they would win the game he replied, "We wouldn't play the game if we didn't."
Someone forgot to show Gro the length of the measuring stick they were up against. The Fairies lead the league in rushing and average yards per carry. Their passing game is 3rd best in the league. They lead the league in yards per attempt and passing touchdowns. They've given up less passing touchdowns than anyone in the league and are 3rd in yards allowed per game. They're 3rd in sacks and 4th in passes defended. They've had fewer missed tackles than anyone in the league. They're so far ahead in pancakes that the 4th and 5th place teams totals together don't add up to the Fairies totals. They're second in total kick returns this year, an obscure stat that points out something very important, their defense doesn't give up allot of points. They're first in punt return yards and and 2nd in field goals allowed. Did we mention they haven't lost a game this year?
"They're an awfully talented group, both as individuals and as a team," said NightHawks head coach p-nutt. He then added, "Their QB is the best in the league despite his sexual orientation and Alpha Dog is a freak of nature that pancakes everything in his path. It's a shame they both suffer from SPS, the disease that keeps them from playing in the Pro Leagues." Silverymoon Quarterback Alex Johnson, offensive Tackle Alpha Dog and Guard Longar Longar all suffer from SPS which is an acronym standing for "Small Penis Syndrome". SPS was featured in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a prestigious medical journal most doctors dream of getting published in. The Journal describes the disease as a chemical imbalance in the testicles that causes them to shrink to nearly nothing along with the rest of the male genitalia. Sufferers lose the ability to challenge themselves frequently taking the easy way out. Studies conducted since the release of the medical findings on SPS indicate that most school yard bullies suffer from SPS. People who chicken out at anything tough are said to "Have no balls", a term that comes from the symptoms of SPS.
So how can the NightHawks players think they can win? Well an interesting thing jumps out when you look at the stats. You discover that this NightHawks team despite it's two losses isn't all that bad.
They're 1st in the league in yards per completion. They're 2nd in the league in touchdown passes and have thrown fewer interceptions than anyone in the league. They're first in the league in Passing yards per game allowed and 3rd in the league in passing touchdowns allowed. They're 2nd in the league in rushing. They're 3rd in the league in rushing touchdowns. They've allowed fewer fumbles than anyone in the league and are 1st in the league in rushing yards allowed. They're 1st in the league in rushing touchdowns allowed. They're receivers are 1st in the league in yards after catch. They're 1st in plays run from scrimmage. They are 2nd in points scored. They are 2nd in points allowed. They're 2nd in missed tackles and have hurried and sacked more quarterbacks than anyone in the league. They're 1st in passes defended and tied for 3rd in interceptions. They are 1st in forced fumbles and 2nd in punt return average. They're tied for 1st in field goal attempts per game and are 1st in field goals allowed. In other words this team can play a little football too.
Odds makers have the NightHawks as a 7 point underdog. The over/under on the game currently sits at 36, meaning a somewhat low scoring affair is expected. Most of the "experts" and amateurs are picking the Fairies but something about this NightHawks team tells me they just might have a chance. David did after all slay Goliath, the original sufferer of SPS.
NightHawks 16 Fairies 14
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Tuscon Times
Published: Sunday, May 25, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Fumble Away Chances Against Fairies
Tuscon: If you listen to Silverymoon fans tell it, the outcome of this game was preordained. They were always going to beat the NightHawks, there was never any doubt about it. First half statistics though tell a different story. If ever there were a game that was a tale of two halves, this would be it.
In the 1st quarter the NightHawks dominated things winning the rushing battle easily and finishing in almost a dead heat with the high powered Silverymoon offense in the passing game. They also won the battle of the scoreboard where it counts the most. Using a majority of run while mixing in just the right amount of passing the NightHawks took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field to score on a 9 yard hook-up between Farve-fan and Eric Roy. Roy ran a corner pattern almost colliding with teammate wideout Shayde Black before making the catch and diving into the endzone. "When I lined up I noticed they had a linebacker covering and the strong safety was cheating over towards the other side. The linebacker covering was cheating inside in case we ran a dive play or a sneak. I gave a hand signal to Farve-fan signaling I was changing my route from running a skinny post to a corner. It ran me away from the linebacker who couldn't catch up but right into Shayde who pulled up when he saw that the ball was in the air. We collided a little but I was able to make the catch and get in for the score," said Roy.
The 2nd quarter produced almost identical stats with the only difference being the Fairies winning the scoring battle. Silverymoon was driving to end the first quarter and finished that drive off to open the 2nd quarter with a 25 yard field goal to make the score 7-3. The NightHawks answered right back with a touchdown drive that was set up by a huge pass play. On a 3rd and 8 from the Silverymoon 44 yard line Farve-fan connected with Big Bomb, who for the second game in a row showed why the NightHawks were so eager to trade for him, and Bomb out ran the Silverymoon corner and safety for what appeared to be a touchdown. Officials instead marked him down at the two yard line. The replay though clearly showed the ball crossing the goal line well before Bomb's knee came down at the two. "Yeah I thought I scored too but thats alright, we got in there the next play," said Bomb. Indeed they did when Farve-fan hooked up with Blah Dow who took a swing pass and cut inside the strong safety, who over ran the play, for the touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
Silverymoon answered right back though with a 9 play drive that covered 60 yards. The drives crucial point came when on a 3rd and 9 from the NightHawks 33 the Fairies converted with a 14 yard reception from Johnson to Towers. Towers got inside position on Zo Lawrence and made the catch at the 1st down marker before picking up 4 more yards. The drive was capped by a Gonzales touchdown run off right tackle from 5 yards out to make the score 14-10 NightHawks.
Tuscon appeared to be in position to put more points on the board before the half ended when they drove down inside the Silverymoon 25 yard line but horrible clock managment cost them the chance. Facing a 1st and 10 at the Silverymoon 24 yard line with just a little over a minute left on the clock the NightHawks took their time coming out of the huddle before they ran a pitch play to Blah Dow who picked up 7 yards on the play but Silverymoon players layed on him till officials forced them to get up. By the time Dow made it back to the huddle there was only 38 seconds left on the clock. The NightHawks were out of timeouts but could have spiked the ball to stop the clock and give them plenty of time to get the field goal unit out on the field for what would have been a 34 yard field goal from the right ash for hot kicker Cantphil Maleg. Instead they took their time getting out of the huddle and up to the ball and went for the first down, presumably to temporarily stop the clock and to get a better angle for Maleg, Disaster struck though when Dow was held a yard short of first down yardage. By the time they had unpiled the players and declared it 3rd and 1 there were only 12 seconds left on the clock. The field goal unit took what seemed forever to get out on the field and get into position. The ball was snapped but not until time had expired on the game clock ending the half. Maleg, who's kick would have been good, said "That was horrible. I don't know what happened, it just seemed like everything was going in slow motion and we didn't get it off."
It was an inauspicious end to the first half and as it turned out, a harbinger of bad things to come in the second half. The first half though ended with the NightHawks holding a 1st half lead on the scoreboard 14-10 and in the stats, 180 total yards for the NightHawks to just 124 for the Fairies. Superstar tailback Jerry Gonazles of Silverymoon was held to just 23 yards rushing.
The 3rd quarter will be one the NightHawks coaches, players and fans will want to forget but most likely struggle to for a long time. After both teams exchanged punts the Fairies managed to get the score to 14-13 after a 39 yard Silverymoon field goal.
The beginning of the end for the NightHawks happened shortly thereafter. After a 34 yard kickoff return set up the NightHawks offense at near midfield, Tuscon ran a pitch play to the left to Blake Cooter who had no more caught the pitch and taken a step when he was plastered by Silverymoon defensive end Beattle Bailey. The ball came loose and was recovered by the Fairies at the NightHawks 46. Silverymoon then drove for the go ahead score, a field goal of 28 yards that gave them a 16-14 lead.
Had that been the end of the NightHawks bad play they might have been able to recover. Disaster struck again on their next series when on the first play from scrimmage quarterback Cody Cheatham's attempted pass to Kazuma Kuroki was intercepted at the NightHawks 25 yard line. It took Silverymoon 8 plays but they finally found the endzone when Hugh Gayn went in from 3 yards out to make the score 23-14 and a complete domination by Silverymoon who had rattled off 13 straight unanswered points in the third.
The 4th opened with Silverymoon driving 50 yards for a touchdown. The drive was capped by a Johnson to Towers connection of 11 yards. The touchdown left the score 30-14 and give the Fairies a insurmountable lead which they were soon to add to. 3 plays in to the next NightHawks drive Farve-fan was intercepted on an attempted pass to Big Bomb. On the very next play Johnson went up top and toasted the NightHawks secondary for a 50 yard touchdown pass to Blazin Speed that left the score at 37-14.
And the rout was on.
Not to be out done by the offense the special teams gave up the next turnover. After a nice return to nearly midfield Mark Ingram Jr. fumbled the ball and gave it right back to the Silverymoon offense who gladly took it and added a field goal to the score making it a 40-14 margin that mercifully for the NightHawks, ended up the final score.
On the failed attempt to get off a field goal at the end of the first half a seemingly shaken Coach Nutt said, "That was on us coaches. We should have had everyone ready on the sidelines in the event we didn't get the first down and we didn't." Asked why they didn't spike the ball and chose to instead go for the first down Nutt said "We thought we needed to line it up in the middle of the field for the kicker to have a solid chance." On the turnovers he said " I think allot of our mistakes tonight came down to confidence, they had it and we didn't. You've got to have it in big games to win. After a very well played first half on both sides of the ball, we had a little controversy going into the locker room at half (The mismanaged attempt at a field goal) and it seemed we came out in the second half playing like we were waiting to see what else would go wrong to cause us to lose."
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with.........
Alpha Dog had been averaging almost 20 a game, was held to just 4.
....or we could use........
Big Bomb's 9 receptions for 126 yards.
....but ultimately you have to go with......
The 4 turnovers that led to 36 unanswered points by Silverymoon.
Last edited May 25, 2008 21:30:43
Published: Sunday, May 25, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Fumble Away Chances Against Fairies
Tuscon: If you listen to Silverymoon fans tell it, the outcome of this game was preordained. They were always going to beat the NightHawks, there was never any doubt about it. First half statistics though tell a different story. If ever there were a game that was a tale of two halves, this would be it.
In the 1st quarter the NightHawks dominated things winning the rushing battle easily and finishing in almost a dead heat with the high powered Silverymoon offense in the passing game. They also won the battle of the scoreboard where it counts the most. Using a majority of run while mixing in just the right amount of passing the NightHawks took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field to score on a 9 yard hook-up between Farve-fan and Eric Roy. Roy ran a corner pattern almost colliding with teammate wideout Shayde Black before making the catch and diving into the endzone. "When I lined up I noticed they had a linebacker covering and the strong safety was cheating over towards the other side. The linebacker covering was cheating inside in case we ran a dive play or a sneak. I gave a hand signal to Farve-fan signaling I was changing my route from running a skinny post to a corner. It ran me away from the linebacker who couldn't catch up but right into Shayde who pulled up when he saw that the ball was in the air. We collided a little but I was able to make the catch and get in for the score," said Roy.
The 2nd quarter produced almost identical stats with the only difference being the Fairies winning the scoring battle. Silverymoon was driving to end the first quarter and finished that drive off to open the 2nd quarter with a 25 yard field goal to make the score 7-3. The NightHawks answered right back with a touchdown drive that was set up by a huge pass play. On a 3rd and 8 from the Silverymoon 44 yard line Farve-fan connected with Big Bomb, who for the second game in a row showed why the NightHawks were so eager to trade for him, and Bomb out ran the Silverymoon corner and safety for what appeared to be a touchdown. Officials instead marked him down at the two yard line. The replay though clearly showed the ball crossing the goal line well before Bomb's knee came down at the two. "Yeah I thought I scored too but thats alright, we got in there the next play," said Bomb. Indeed they did when Farve-fan hooked up with Blah Dow who took a swing pass and cut inside the strong safety, who over ran the play, for the touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
Silverymoon answered right back though with a 9 play drive that covered 60 yards. The drives crucial point came when on a 3rd and 9 from the NightHawks 33 the Fairies converted with a 14 yard reception from Johnson to Towers. Towers got inside position on Zo Lawrence and made the catch at the 1st down marker before picking up 4 more yards. The drive was capped by a Gonzales touchdown run off right tackle from 5 yards out to make the score 14-10 NightHawks.
Tuscon appeared to be in position to put more points on the board before the half ended when they drove down inside the Silverymoon 25 yard line but horrible clock managment cost them the chance. Facing a 1st and 10 at the Silverymoon 24 yard line with just a little over a minute left on the clock the NightHawks took their time coming out of the huddle before they ran a pitch play to Blah Dow who picked up 7 yards on the play but Silverymoon players layed on him till officials forced them to get up. By the time Dow made it back to the huddle there was only 38 seconds left on the clock. The NightHawks were out of timeouts but could have spiked the ball to stop the clock and give them plenty of time to get the field goal unit out on the field for what would have been a 34 yard field goal from the right ash for hot kicker Cantphil Maleg. Instead they took their time getting out of the huddle and up to the ball and went for the first down, presumably to temporarily stop the clock and to get a better angle for Maleg, Disaster struck though when Dow was held a yard short of first down yardage. By the time they had unpiled the players and declared it 3rd and 1 there were only 12 seconds left on the clock. The field goal unit took what seemed forever to get out on the field and get into position. The ball was snapped but not until time had expired on the game clock ending the half. Maleg, who's kick would have been good, said "That was horrible. I don't know what happened, it just seemed like everything was going in slow motion and we didn't get it off."
It was an inauspicious end to the first half and as it turned out, a harbinger of bad things to come in the second half. The first half though ended with the NightHawks holding a 1st half lead on the scoreboard 14-10 and in the stats, 180 total yards for the NightHawks to just 124 for the Fairies. Superstar tailback Jerry Gonazles of Silverymoon was held to just 23 yards rushing.
The 3rd quarter will be one the NightHawks coaches, players and fans will want to forget but most likely struggle to for a long time. After both teams exchanged punts the Fairies managed to get the score to 14-13 after a 39 yard Silverymoon field goal.
The beginning of the end for the NightHawks happened shortly thereafter. After a 34 yard kickoff return set up the NightHawks offense at near midfield, Tuscon ran a pitch play to the left to Blake Cooter who had no more caught the pitch and taken a step when he was plastered by Silverymoon defensive end Beattle Bailey. The ball came loose and was recovered by the Fairies at the NightHawks 46. Silverymoon then drove for the go ahead score, a field goal of 28 yards that gave them a 16-14 lead.
Had that been the end of the NightHawks bad play they might have been able to recover. Disaster struck again on their next series when on the first play from scrimmage quarterback Cody Cheatham's attempted pass to Kazuma Kuroki was intercepted at the NightHawks 25 yard line. It took Silverymoon 8 plays but they finally found the endzone when Hugh Gayn went in from 3 yards out to make the score 23-14 and a complete domination by Silverymoon who had rattled off 13 straight unanswered points in the third.
The 4th opened with Silverymoon driving 50 yards for a touchdown. The drive was capped by a Johnson to Towers connection of 11 yards. The touchdown left the score 30-14 and give the Fairies a insurmountable lead which they were soon to add to. 3 plays in to the next NightHawks drive Farve-fan was intercepted on an attempted pass to Big Bomb. On the very next play Johnson went up top and toasted the NightHawks secondary for a 50 yard touchdown pass to Blazin Speed that left the score at 37-14.
And the rout was on.
Not to be out done by the offense the special teams gave up the next turnover. After a nice return to nearly midfield Mark Ingram Jr. fumbled the ball and gave it right back to the Silverymoon offense who gladly took it and added a field goal to the score making it a 40-14 margin that mercifully for the NightHawks, ended up the final score.
On the failed attempt to get off a field goal at the end of the first half a seemingly shaken Coach Nutt said, "That was on us coaches. We should have had everyone ready on the sidelines in the event we didn't get the first down and we didn't." Asked why they didn't spike the ball and chose to instead go for the first down Nutt said "We thought we needed to line it up in the middle of the field for the kicker to have a solid chance." On the turnovers he said " I think allot of our mistakes tonight came down to confidence, they had it and we didn't. You've got to have it in big games to win. After a very well played first half on both sides of the ball, we had a little controversy going into the locker room at half (The mismanaged attempt at a field goal) and it seemed we came out in the second half playing like we were waiting to see what else would go wrong to cause us to lose."
***Stat of the Game***
We could go with.........
Alpha Dog had been averaging almost 20 a game, was held to just 4.
....or we could use........
Big Bomb's 9 receptions for 126 yards.
....but ultimately you have to go with......
The 4 turnovers that led to 36 unanswered points by Silverymoon.
Last edited May 25, 2008 21:30:43
pontiacnutt
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Tuscon Times
Published: Monday, May 26, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Ready For Playoff Tuneup Game Against J-Hawks
Tuscon: Today's game against the J-Hawks holds no bearing on whether Tuscon makes the playoffs though it could effect their positioning and opponent in the playoff bracket. More than anything though it's a chance for the NightHawk coaching staff to fine tune their personel and game plans. Tuscon Head Coach P-nutt thinks it's also a chance to find out where his depth stands for their playoff run, "We need more than our starters playing well to get thru to the championship game. I need to know that I can rest our starters and not have a significant drop in our game play while they're on the bench. Plus you never know what will happen in the off season with trades and free agency so backups playing well now might be able to play themselves into a starting role in the event someone ahead of them leaves."
The J-Hawks on the other hand have no play off hopes to play for so their only incentive is to play the spoiler role. A win by them would drop the NightHawks seeding though probably not enough to move them into the upper bracket where the Silverymoon Fairies await. "We'll eventually have to beat them to reach the championship anyway, "said Head Coach P-nutt, "but till that time comes we have to take care of whats placed in front of us and today that's the J-Hawks."
NightHawks starting quarterback 1-true Farve-fan, who will be a free agent in the off season, knows this is his chance to showcase his ability to carry a team deep into playoff competition, "I can't think about what might happen during the off season. I do know though that if I play well and we can win a championship that it can't hurt my position." Asked whether he felt like he'd be playing elsewhere next year Farve-fan would only say, "I'm leaving that up to my agent."
The NightHawks offense should match up well agasint a J-Hawks defense which has been average at best this season. "We feel like we've got a good gameplan going into the game, "said halfback Blake Cooter. "We looked at alot of film and saw some things we think we can exploit" Wideout Big Bomb is looking for his 3rd big game in a row after making 18 catches for well over 200 yards in the last two games. "I wouldn't be surprised at all for us to hit a couple deep balls in this game. I'm not saying we're going to air the ball out the whole game I'm just saying the opportunity is there."
The NightHawks defense will face a J-Hawks offense that has ran the ball well but has struggled a bit in the passing game. Coach P-nutt is quick to point out though that the NightHawks secondary has struggled in recent games to stop the pass. "We've got to play better pass defense. Early in the year our front 7 was getting to the quarterback so often that I think it kind of masked some problems in the secondary. Now the offenses we're facing have adjusted to the pressure to give their quartebacks more time in the pocket. As a result they've been able to find the open man." Asked what changes were necessary to eliminate the problems P-nutt said, "Well without going into to many specifics we'll probably throw a few new stunts in for the front 7 to increase pressure on the quarterback. Our corners need to quit giving up their inside shoulder so easily as well." Asked what he meant he said, "When they have help over the top from the safeties they need to stay to the inside of the receiver between him and the quarterback. They way they have them sandwiched between themselves and the safety or the sideline. It limits the area the quarterback has to put the ball and still be able to come up with a reception."
Las Vegas has Tuscon as a prohibitive 12 point favorite. That's probably about right for a betting line but I think the NightHawks cover and then some.
Tuscon 34 J-Hawks 10
Published: Monday, May 26, 2008
http://www.blogmyway.org/?w=TusconTimesTuscon Times NightHawk Blog
NightHawks Ready For Playoff Tuneup Game Against J-Hawks
Tuscon: Today's game against the J-Hawks holds no bearing on whether Tuscon makes the playoffs though it could effect their positioning and opponent in the playoff bracket. More than anything though it's a chance for the NightHawk coaching staff to fine tune their personel and game plans. Tuscon Head Coach P-nutt thinks it's also a chance to find out where his depth stands for their playoff run, "We need more than our starters playing well to get thru to the championship game. I need to know that I can rest our starters and not have a significant drop in our game play while they're on the bench. Plus you never know what will happen in the off season with trades and free agency so backups playing well now might be able to play themselves into a starting role in the event someone ahead of them leaves."
The J-Hawks on the other hand have no play off hopes to play for so their only incentive is to play the spoiler role. A win by them would drop the NightHawks seeding though probably not enough to move them into the upper bracket where the Silverymoon Fairies await. "We'll eventually have to beat them to reach the championship anyway, "said Head Coach P-nutt, "but till that time comes we have to take care of whats placed in front of us and today that's the J-Hawks."
NightHawks starting quarterback 1-true Farve-fan, who will be a free agent in the off season, knows this is his chance to showcase his ability to carry a team deep into playoff competition, "I can't think about what might happen during the off season. I do know though that if I play well and we can win a championship that it can't hurt my position." Asked whether he felt like he'd be playing elsewhere next year Farve-fan would only say, "I'm leaving that up to my agent."
The NightHawks offense should match up well agasint a J-Hawks defense which has been average at best this season. "We feel like we've got a good gameplan going into the game, "said halfback Blake Cooter. "We looked at alot of film and saw some things we think we can exploit" Wideout Big Bomb is looking for his 3rd big game in a row after making 18 catches for well over 200 yards in the last two games. "I wouldn't be surprised at all for us to hit a couple deep balls in this game. I'm not saying we're going to air the ball out the whole game I'm just saying the opportunity is there."
The NightHawks defense will face a J-Hawks offense that has ran the ball well but has struggled a bit in the passing game. Coach P-nutt is quick to point out though that the NightHawks secondary has struggled in recent games to stop the pass. "We've got to play better pass defense. Early in the year our front 7 was getting to the quarterback so often that I think it kind of masked some problems in the secondary. Now the offenses we're facing have adjusted to the pressure to give their quartebacks more time in the pocket. As a result they've been able to find the open man." Asked what changes were necessary to eliminate the problems P-nutt said, "Well without going into to many specifics we'll probably throw a few new stunts in for the front 7 to increase pressure on the quarterback. Our corners need to quit giving up their inside shoulder so easily as well." Asked what he meant he said, "When they have help over the top from the safeties they need to stay to the inside of the receiver between him and the quarterback. They way they have them sandwiched between themselves and the safety or the sideline. It limits the area the quarterback has to put the ball and still be able to come up with a reception."
Las Vegas has Tuscon as a prohibitive 12 point favorite. That's probably about right for a betting line but I think the NightHawks cover and then some.
Tuscon 34 J-Hawks 10
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