Zeta Pre-season Power Rankings week2 recap, week 3 preview
Wow, this week was a breathtaking one with 3 games going for less than a TD difference, specially, two that we anticipated on the previous rankings last week.
The battle between the leader Mamertini and the Bocs fall on the side of the Iberian guys thanks to a late FG from his recently acquired Kicker, but the fact that the Mamertini kept the Bocs to only 3 FG on the whole 2nd half of the game is something to be remarked. Welcome to the Show had another stellar appearance with 2TD that kept his team on the fight when they needed most but the key on this one was the rushing game as the Bocs were able to run for over 250 yds and kept the Milano to only 93, despite having one of the best running backs of the league. Obviously, it’s still early to say what will happen on 14 weeks, but don’t be surprised if you see again this matchup running for the Zeta championship.
The weekend continued with another amazing game on the Dragons vs VCA. Men, that was not a game, that was a war on the trenches!!
VCA scored a FG on the opening drive and that was all for most part of the first half, as the Dragons turned the superpowers on to win the turnovers battle for 6-0, including 1 pick and 5 forced fumbles. That game could have gone to any team, as there were so many plays that could have turned into the winning one, but if I have to choose a single play that decided the fate of the game, I think that’s the 49 yarder with 9:51 on the 3rd Quarter, specially as the winning TD for the Vatican came on the following drive. What could have happened if they would have punted the ball instead? We will never know…
Nevertheless, the Dragons did an incredible job stopping VCA offense and winning in almost all statistical aspect of the game: they had more rushing yds than Vatican and even a better passing percentage, but the pose from the holy city guys was the difference one more time. Anyway, Dublin kept VCA to only 17 points which I can bet will be one of the lower scores of this team throughout the season (if not the lowest). Finally, keep a name on your minds as I’m sure you will hear more from him this year: Micah McDonald, the HB from Dublin who had an incredible performance and kept his team alive for most of the game.
Finally, the last killer game of the week was the one between the Blackpool Scourge and the Bologna Nips. The Scourge looked good after his season opening win against Lyon and came to the game with high expectations for their post-season hopes; however, the Nips prepared a tactical battle that led the game to a Special Teams battle, and keeping Blackpool away from the Endzone for all day. I said on the pre-season rankings that Bologna is one of those teams you can’t underestimate, as they are loaded with talent and that they can certainly put a lot of upsets throughout the league, however, I’m still reluctant to give them a higher rank as their perennial depth chart issues might cost them more games than they would like.
I don’t want to finish this summary without giving a few lines to the other title contender, The Hague Pirates, who really destroy the Nuts on a game that should have been much closer, at least on the Nuts mind. Hague kept the Nuts on negative yardage on the ground on 23 attempts!! after sacking their QBs for 9 times, while they had their rushing game working at full strength after more than 200 yds to secure a victory on a very dangerous team.
Now, let’s see how the rankings are looking after 2 weeks of competition.
- Will fight for the championship -
1.The Hague Pirates (2-0) W2
The Pirates climb this week to the top position as the favorite to win the regular season thanks to his football domination over the Nuts. Believe me when I say the Nuts are not as bad as the Pirates made them look. You have to credit this guys who usually don’t make too much noise on the boards but get the job done week in and week out. This week they host one of those games that everybody is waiting for all season long, the Vatican coming to town mean serious business as they kept them away from homefield last season, though the Pirates took revenge eliminating the holy city guys on first round. Their personal matchup is therefore 1-1 and this one will give us a good clue about who will be the team to beat this season.
Next three: VCA, Storm, Manglers
2.Iberian Bocs (2-0) W2
The Bocs suffered more than predicted to get rid of the Mamertini. An incredible game resolved by a late FG and almost an appointment for me to go the hospital. However, they have come out 2-0 from a tricky early schedule and now have some time to regroup and comeback.
Next three: Motown, Snakes, Bulls
3.Vatican City Apocalypse (2-0) W2
PowersConnection is a wise guy and he knew in advance that their matchup against the Dragons was not going to be any easy. They suffered to get the win as Dublin stopped their offense for most of the game and also VCA lost the turnover battle big time. This week they visit the Pirates on a must win game too early in the schedule that both teams are still trying to figure out what’s going on with season 8. And if that’s not enough, Milano is waiting for them next week to challenge the 3rd place.
Next three: Pirates, Milano, Motown
4.Milano Mamertini (1-1) W1
Moving from the pursuers group to the head as these guys have shown they can compete with the elite of the league on their game against the Bocs. They were outleveled in most of the positions not to mention in depth on the roster but their perfectly planned tactics give them a shot to fight for a win that for a lot of minutes I thought they should have picked. They lost one game, but they won the respect from the league. Honestly, if they keep playing like they did today the 4th seed in the conference has already a name.
Next three: Nuts, VCA, London Storm
- Playoff at home is still an option -
5.London Crimsom Storm (2-0) W2
London leads the league standings this week after routing the Stallions for 255-0. However, is not only that win that made me move them up to the 5th place but their win against the Matadors on week 1 combined with the fact that they have good talent on some key positions. Maybe they will still be a bit short to really contend on a league with so many high-level teams, but they are on the good track no doubt. Their upcoming schedule is a killer one though, as they face the hot Dragons, and 2 of the elite teams on the league.
Next three: Dragons, Pirates, Milano
- The middle of the pack -
6.Pamplona Bulls (1-1) W1
I’m not really sure that the Bulls are the first team of the rest of the league; however, for now the numbers are on their own and until they face a tough opponent to really evaluate their progress it will be difficult to measure if this is going to be the season for them. Last year they made the playoffs thanks to a great late run and the fact that Copenhagen went CPU, but this year I feel overall competition has increased in the league and they will have a tough time to win their ticket.
Next three: Snakes, Bologna, Bocs
7.Dublin Dragons (0-2) L2
Probably the hottest team on the league right now. They played great physical football against Vatican and they have to prove now they can also put W in the boards or their heroic deed will mean nothing. They have an interesting game this week against London Storm, who is leading the lead and still undefeated. It’s surely on their range, but they can’t fall short on this one or they will regret for the rest of the season.
Next three: Storm, Manglers, Scourge
8.Blackpool Scourge (1-1) L1
The Scourge were aforementioned as the “next VCA” on the league in our previous rankings but it took just one game to discover they won’t be the team to inherit the Apocalypse blessing. They were not able to score a single TD against the Nips in a game that surely they will remember (and regret) for the rest of the season. After their impressive win against Lyon, they have now lost any advantage to their competitors for a post season trip and any mistake from now on could be a costly one in their hopes to be part of the game after week 16.
Next three: Warlords, Stallions, Dragons
9.Bologna Nips (2-0) W2
The Nips racked up the biggest upset this week by keeping the Scourge away from their endzone all day long and taking advantage of their opportunities. That 49 yarder with 2:47 to go took away any hopes for a comeback from the Scourge and also secure a deserved hard-earned win to put them 2-0 early in the season. I’m still reluctant to give them a playoff spot as their roster has still some weaknesses, but if they are able to do it once, count that they can do it again. Also, their upcoming schedule with no elite teams in the horizon can give them enough time to improve and become another team on the battle.
Next three: Knights, Bulls, Warlords.
- In a world of hurt -
10.Bastogne Nuts (0-2) L2
I must confess I’m a bit disappointed with these guys. They came to the league claiming for a role that they have not supported yet on the field. For sure they have faced probably the toughest schedule from all Zeta teams (Baton Rouge + Hague) but the scores on both games are anything but promising. 168-7 is the combined result of both games and I’m not going deep in any other statistical aspect of the game. They have now a good chance to redeem themselves with a visit to Milano’s Stadio de Mamertine for a game that won’t be any easier than the previous two. Of course they won’t be dead just after week3 but starting 0-3 is not something you are looking for.
Next three: Milano, Motown, Snakes
11.Motown Legends (0-2) L2
The Motown are in a similar fashion than the Nuts. They didn’t shake the boards with predictions though, but after winning BBB#9 last season you must expect a bit more from these guys. They had a tough opening game against the Syndrome, but their loss 7-65 against the Snakes is just not acceptable for a team who should be fighting at least for the last post season ticket on the conference. Unfortunately for them, their upcoming schedule is a tough one as they will receive the Bocs this week and then visit the Nuts who are in a similar situation. The trilogy is closed with a home game against the Vatican.
Next three: Bocs, Nuts, Vatican City
- making some noise –
12.Tillburg Snakes (1-1) W1
Nobody counted with them in any pool for the playoffs; however, after their impressive win against the Motown they get a last entry on the rankings. For now, they don’t have much pressure on their shoulders and they can leave with it, but if they put another upset this week against Pamplona, maybe they would get a big jump on the rankings.
Next three: Bulls, Bocs, Nuts
NOTE ON THE PREDICTIONS: I do not use any of the league projectors, so this is my prediction based purely on observation.
GAME OF THE WEEK: THE HAGUE PIRATES vs VATICAN CITY APOCALYPSE
There is no doubt for this one. The Hague will be hosting a game that they would have preferred to host last season first round in the playoffs, but it was the VCA who took out from them that possibility. Now both teams have a good reason to hate each other, as Hague killed any post season hopes on the Vatican on that first round game. The overall between these two teams is 1-1 and this recent rivalry could be a long lasting one in the league. The Pirates have been playing a bit better lately than the Vatican but the Powers always has a trick on his hand to pull an upset when you less expect.
I guess this one will be decided on the 4th quarter by a late FG after a scoring fest from both teams.
The Hague Pirates 34 – 31 Vatican City
MUST SEE TV: MILANO MAMERTINI vs BASTOGNE NUTS
After their great performance against the Bocs, the Mamertini would like to keep it rolling and show everyone that they are another true candidate for the title. On the other side of the field, the Nuts will look to comeback from a 0-2 start that is already killing them. None of the teams can step back if they want to have a successful season.
Milano pulls this one out after another great show by their HB.
Milano 38 – 17 Bastogne
THE LATE GAME: DUBLIN DRAGONS vs LONDON CRIMSOM STORM
Another duel of fates on the matchup between Dublin and London. The Dragons demonstrated the league that they can (almost) beat anyone but the Storms are the current leader of the league after two solid performances. The winner of this one will get more than a W on the boards; they will also get a tiebreaker advantage that you can expect to be crucial after week 16.
London is looking good, however, Dublin will get this one on their way to the 5th.
Dublin 27 – 14 London
Wow, this week was a breathtaking one with 3 games going for less than a TD difference, specially, two that we anticipated on the previous rankings last week.
The battle between the leader Mamertini and the Bocs fall on the side of the Iberian guys thanks to a late FG from his recently acquired Kicker, but the fact that the Mamertini kept the Bocs to only 3 FG on the whole 2nd half of the game is something to be remarked. Welcome to the Show had another stellar appearance with 2TD that kept his team on the fight when they needed most but the key on this one was the rushing game as the Bocs were able to run for over 250 yds and kept the Milano to only 93, despite having one of the best running backs of the league. Obviously, it’s still early to say what will happen on 14 weeks, but don’t be surprised if you see again this matchup running for the Zeta championship.
The weekend continued with another amazing game on the Dragons vs VCA. Men, that was not a game, that was a war on the trenches!!
VCA scored a FG on the opening drive and that was all for most part of the first half, as the Dragons turned the superpowers on to win the turnovers battle for 6-0, including 1 pick and 5 forced fumbles. That game could have gone to any team, as there were so many plays that could have turned into the winning one, but if I have to choose a single play that decided the fate of the game, I think that’s the 49 yarder with 9:51 on the 3rd Quarter, specially as the winning TD for the Vatican came on the following drive. What could have happened if they would have punted the ball instead? We will never know…
Nevertheless, the Dragons did an incredible job stopping VCA offense and winning in almost all statistical aspect of the game: they had more rushing yds than Vatican and even a better passing percentage, but the pose from the holy city guys was the difference one more time. Anyway, Dublin kept VCA to only 17 points which I can bet will be one of the lower scores of this team throughout the season (if not the lowest). Finally, keep a name on your minds as I’m sure you will hear more from him this year: Micah McDonald, the HB from Dublin who had an incredible performance and kept his team alive for most of the game.
Finally, the last killer game of the week was the one between the Blackpool Scourge and the Bologna Nips. The Scourge looked good after his season opening win against Lyon and came to the game with high expectations for their post-season hopes; however, the Nips prepared a tactical battle that led the game to a Special Teams battle, and keeping Blackpool away from the Endzone for all day. I said on the pre-season rankings that Bologna is one of those teams you can’t underestimate, as they are loaded with talent and that they can certainly put a lot of upsets throughout the league, however, I’m still reluctant to give them a higher rank as their perennial depth chart issues might cost them more games than they would like.
I don’t want to finish this summary without giving a few lines to the other title contender, The Hague Pirates, who really destroy the Nuts on a game that should have been much closer, at least on the Nuts mind. Hague kept the Nuts on negative yardage on the ground on 23 attempts!! after sacking their QBs for 9 times, while they had their rushing game working at full strength after more than 200 yds to secure a victory on a very dangerous team.
Now, let’s see how the rankings are looking after 2 weeks of competition.
- Will fight for the championship -
1.The Hague Pirates (2-0) W2
The Pirates climb this week to the top position as the favorite to win the regular season thanks to his football domination over the Nuts. Believe me when I say the Nuts are not as bad as the Pirates made them look. You have to credit this guys who usually don’t make too much noise on the boards but get the job done week in and week out. This week they host one of those games that everybody is waiting for all season long, the Vatican coming to town mean serious business as they kept them away from homefield last season, though the Pirates took revenge eliminating the holy city guys on first round. Their personal matchup is therefore 1-1 and this one will give us a good clue about who will be the team to beat this season.
Next three: VCA, Storm, Manglers
2.Iberian Bocs (2-0) W2
The Bocs suffered more than predicted to get rid of the Mamertini. An incredible game resolved by a late FG and almost an appointment for me to go the hospital. However, they have come out 2-0 from a tricky early schedule and now have some time to regroup and comeback.
Next three: Motown, Snakes, Bulls
3.Vatican City Apocalypse (2-0) W2
PowersConnection is a wise guy and he knew in advance that their matchup against the Dragons was not going to be any easy. They suffered to get the win as Dublin stopped their offense for most of the game and also VCA lost the turnover battle big time. This week they visit the Pirates on a must win game too early in the schedule that both teams are still trying to figure out what’s going on with season 8. And if that’s not enough, Milano is waiting for them next week to challenge the 3rd place.
Next three: Pirates, Milano, Motown
4.Milano Mamertini (1-1) W1
Moving from the pursuers group to the head as these guys have shown they can compete with the elite of the league on their game against the Bocs. They were outleveled in most of the positions not to mention in depth on the roster but their perfectly planned tactics give them a shot to fight for a win that for a lot of minutes I thought they should have picked. They lost one game, but they won the respect from the league. Honestly, if they keep playing like they did today the 4th seed in the conference has already a name.
Next three: Nuts, VCA, London Storm
- Playoff at home is still an option -
5.London Crimsom Storm (2-0) W2
London leads the league standings this week after routing the Stallions for 255-0. However, is not only that win that made me move them up to the 5th place but their win against the Matadors on week 1 combined with the fact that they have good talent on some key positions. Maybe they will still be a bit short to really contend on a league with so many high-level teams, but they are on the good track no doubt. Their upcoming schedule is a killer one though, as they face the hot Dragons, and 2 of the elite teams on the league.
Next three: Dragons, Pirates, Milano
- The middle of the pack -
6.Pamplona Bulls (1-1) W1
I’m not really sure that the Bulls are the first team of the rest of the league; however, for now the numbers are on their own and until they face a tough opponent to really evaluate their progress it will be difficult to measure if this is going to be the season for them. Last year they made the playoffs thanks to a great late run and the fact that Copenhagen went CPU, but this year I feel overall competition has increased in the league and they will have a tough time to win their ticket.
Next three: Snakes, Bologna, Bocs
7.Dublin Dragons (0-2) L2
Probably the hottest team on the league right now. They played great physical football against Vatican and they have to prove now they can also put W in the boards or their heroic deed will mean nothing. They have an interesting game this week against London Storm, who is leading the lead and still undefeated. It’s surely on their range, but they can’t fall short on this one or they will regret for the rest of the season.
Next three: Storm, Manglers, Scourge
8.Blackpool Scourge (1-1) L1
The Scourge were aforementioned as the “next VCA” on the league in our previous rankings but it took just one game to discover they won’t be the team to inherit the Apocalypse blessing. They were not able to score a single TD against the Nips in a game that surely they will remember (and regret) for the rest of the season. After their impressive win against Lyon, they have now lost any advantage to their competitors for a post season trip and any mistake from now on could be a costly one in their hopes to be part of the game after week 16.
Next three: Warlords, Stallions, Dragons
9.Bologna Nips (2-0) W2
The Nips racked up the biggest upset this week by keeping the Scourge away from their endzone all day long and taking advantage of their opportunities. That 49 yarder with 2:47 to go took away any hopes for a comeback from the Scourge and also secure a deserved hard-earned win to put them 2-0 early in the season. I’m still reluctant to give them a playoff spot as their roster has still some weaknesses, but if they are able to do it once, count that they can do it again. Also, their upcoming schedule with no elite teams in the horizon can give them enough time to improve and become another team on the battle.
Next three: Knights, Bulls, Warlords.
- In a world of hurt -
10.Bastogne Nuts (0-2) L2
I must confess I’m a bit disappointed with these guys. They came to the league claiming for a role that they have not supported yet on the field. For sure they have faced probably the toughest schedule from all Zeta teams (Baton Rouge + Hague) but the scores on both games are anything but promising. 168-7 is the combined result of both games and I’m not going deep in any other statistical aspect of the game. They have now a good chance to redeem themselves with a visit to Milano’s Stadio de Mamertine for a game that won’t be any easier than the previous two. Of course they won’t be dead just after week3 but starting 0-3 is not something you are looking for.
Next three: Milano, Motown, Snakes
11.Motown Legends (0-2) L2
The Motown are in a similar fashion than the Nuts. They didn’t shake the boards with predictions though, but after winning BBB#9 last season you must expect a bit more from these guys. They had a tough opening game against the Syndrome, but their loss 7-65 against the Snakes is just not acceptable for a team who should be fighting at least for the last post season ticket on the conference. Unfortunately for them, their upcoming schedule is a tough one as they will receive the Bocs this week and then visit the Nuts who are in a similar situation. The trilogy is closed with a home game against the Vatican.
Next three: Bocs, Nuts, Vatican City
- making some noise –
12.Tillburg Snakes (1-1) W1
Nobody counted with them in any pool for the playoffs; however, after their impressive win against the Motown they get a last entry on the rankings. For now, they don’t have much pressure on their shoulders and they can leave with it, but if they put another upset this week against Pamplona, maybe they would get a big jump on the rankings.
Next three: Bulls, Bocs, Nuts
NOTE ON THE PREDICTIONS: I do not use any of the league projectors, so this is my prediction based purely on observation.
GAME OF THE WEEK: THE HAGUE PIRATES vs VATICAN CITY APOCALYPSE
There is no doubt for this one. The Hague will be hosting a game that they would have preferred to host last season first round in the playoffs, but it was the VCA who took out from them that possibility. Now both teams have a good reason to hate each other, as Hague killed any post season hopes on the Vatican on that first round game. The overall between these two teams is 1-1 and this recent rivalry could be a long lasting one in the league. The Pirates have been playing a bit better lately than the Vatican but the Powers always has a trick on his hand to pull an upset when you less expect.
I guess this one will be decided on the 4th quarter by a late FG after a scoring fest from both teams.
The Hague Pirates 34 – 31 Vatican City
MUST SEE TV: MILANO MAMERTINI vs BASTOGNE NUTS
After their great performance against the Bocs, the Mamertini would like to keep it rolling and show everyone that they are another true candidate for the title. On the other side of the field, the Nuts will look to comeback from a 0-2 start that is already killing them. None of the teams can step back if they want to have a successful season.
Milano pulls this one out after another great show by their HB.
Milano 38 – 17 Bastogne
THE LATE GAME: DUBLIN DRAGONS vs LONDON CRIMSOM STORM
Another duel of fates on the matchup between Dublin and London. The Dragons demonstrated the league that they can (almost) beat anyone but the Storms are the current leader of the league after two solid performances. The winner of this one will get more than a W on the boards; they will also get a tiebreaker advantage that you can expect to be crucial after week 16.
London is looking good, however, Dublin will get this one on their way to the 5th.
Dublin 27 – 14 London
Last edited Mar 1, 2009 02:34:39
