Originally posted by ecrana
Hell of a second round but at the end of the day I think we just got 2 very good games to look forward to in the Conference Champ. match-ups.
Conference Championship Games
Fulham Flying Hellfish (18-0) vs Cagliari Outbreak (16-2)
Last match-up: Week 3 - Fulham wins 32-27
Flying Hellfish is a very apt name because the Fish let their offense soar this week. 246 yards on the ground and 441 yards through the air. 40 minutes TOP with only one turnover all game. Defensively they took the Demons run game out of it quickly and held the passing game to under a 40% completion rate while harassing the QBs with 31 hurries, 6 sacks and 4 INTs. Dominating win over a team that was coming into it's own this season.
I had picked defense as being the deciding factor in Cagliari's game but apparently I picked the wrong defense. Outbreak shutout Franchise for over 40 minutes in this game. Their offense had the ball for 43 minutes behind a strong running game. The defense kept Franchises offense sputtering all game long. 9 completions out of 24 attempts, too many 3 and outs, an OL that gave up way too much pressure, etc. It was just not a good day for the Franchise out there.
Cagliari lost to two teams this season. After handing out this beating to Franchise they have avenged one of those losses. The other loss was a 5 point loss to Fulham early in the season. It's hard to pick against the reigning undefeated Lion team but I think I'm going to have to go ahead and do it this time around after the game Cagliari just put up against Franchise.
Nairobi Warthogs (18-0) vs The Black Hand (14-4)
Last match-up: Week 2 - Nairobi wins 76-13
What's left to say about Nairobi. The Warthogs are undefeated for a reason. Just looking at the second round game shows how deadly they can be by sustaining long drives but they are just as effective at hitting the big plays. WWR did a good job of securing the ball with no turnovers but they lacked the big plays to keep up with Nairobi in the end.
TBH put on a clinic of their own in the second round. The defense really made the Sons struggle the entire game with 4 INTs, solid pressure on the QBs holding them to a combined 15/36 completion rate and just solid run coverage. Offensively TBH played lights out behind one of the strongest running displays this season. Three HBs split the load and each had at least 150 yards rushing. This is the team I've been waiting to see in the playoffs.
The big question now is what do they have left up their sleeve for Nairobi because that game just got a hell of a lot more interesting. Both of these offenses have the ability to create big plays and sustain long drives. Both of these defenses have the ability to create turnovers and bring pressure on the QB. The one minor difference I can see is that Nairobi has done a better job protecting the football in the playoffs. One could say that they had an easier road than TBH did but the fact is that Nairobi was better during the regular season at minimizing turnovers as well. I think that is going to be the big decider in this game. Can TBH keep their mistakes to a minimum while forcing Nairobi to make mistakes they rarely do?
It's going to be an interesting game but how can you pick against a team that has dominated the conference all season long.
Fulham counters Outbreaks mass of exploit blitzs they win
Hell of a second round but at the end of the day I think we just got 2 very good games to look forward to in the Conference Champ. match-ups.
Conference Championship Games
Fulham Flying Hellfish (18-0) vs Cagliari Outbreak (16-2)
Last match-up: Week 3 - Fulham wins 32-27
Flying Hellfish is a very apt name because the Fish let their offense soar this week. 246 yards on the ground and 441 yards through the air. 40 minutes TOP with only one turnover all game. Defensively they took the Demons run game out of it quickly and held the passing game to under a 40% completion rate while harassing the QBs with 31 hurries, 6 sacks and 4 INTs. Dominating win over a team that was coming into it's own this season.
I had picked defense as being the deciding factor in Cagliari's game but apparently I picked the wrong defense. Outbreak shutout Franchise for over 40 minutes in this game. Their offense had the ball for 43 minutes behind a strong running game. The defense kept Franchises offense sputtering all game long. 9 completions out of 24 attempts, too many 3 and outs, an OL that gave up way too much pressure, etc. It was just not a good day for the Franchise out there.
Cagliari lost to two teams this season. After handing out this beating to Franchise they have avenged one of those losses. The other loss was a 5 point loss to Fulham early in the season. It's hard to pick against the reigning undefeated Lion team but I think I'm going to have to go ahead and do it this time around after the game Cagliari just put up against Franchise.
Nairobi Warthogs (18-0) vs The Black Hand (14-4)
Last match-up: Week 2 - Nairobi wins 76-13
What's left to say about Nairobi. The Warthogs are undefeated for a reason. Just looking at the second round game shows how deadly they can be by sustaining long drives but they are just as effective at hitting the big plays. WWR did a good job of securing the ball with no turnovers but they lacked the big plays to keep up with Nairobi in the end.
TBH put on a clinic of their own in the second round. The defense really made the Sons struggle the entire game with 4 INTs, solid pressure on the QBs holding them to a combined 15/36 completion rate and just solid run coverage. Offensively TBH played lights out behind one of the strongest running displays this season. Three HBs split the load and each had at least 150 yards rushing. This is the team I've been waiting to see in the playoffs.
The big question now is what do they have left up their sleeve for Nairobi because that game just got a hell of a lot more interesting. Both of these offenses have the ability to create big plays and sustain long drives. Both of these defenses have the ability to create turnovers and bring pressure on the QB. The one minor difference I can see is that Nairobi has done a better job protecting the football in the playoffs. One could say that they had an easier road than TBH did but the fact is that Nairobi was better during the regular season at minimizing turnovers as well. I think that is going to be the big decider in this game. Can TBH keep their mistakes to a minimum while forcing Nairobi to make mistakes they rarely do?
It's going to be an interesting game but how can you pick against a team that has dominated the conference all season long.
Fulham counters Outbreaks mass of exploit blitzs they win
