by Franklin Dixon of Goal Line Blitz News. We pound news so hard it forgets the time of day.
Alice Springs left no doubt they're #1. Devonport left no doubt that rather than reaching the echelon, they were eclipsed by Brisbane. Perth stunned us by talking in the forum, although scoring 209 adds confidence to a lot of people. Insert team here, Insert verb here, Insert tiny phrase about previous game here. That's lame. This league is about honesty, as is this column.
So, let's talk honestly. A debate will rage soon enough in Goal Line Blitz, as to whether builds or strategy is more important to win games. The faces will say "it's strategy." The heels will say "it's builds, and we're better than you." As a reporter, I judge unbiasedly. Unbiasedly, the only way strategy can beat builds is when builds are bad. This is a statistical sim, and one has to look for good builds because the strategy in this game is naive. Essentially this is a number comparison game; strategy will not solve that problem. One can beat an overleveled team if they have a bad strategy; no one questions that, and Fiji's easily explained 1st round failures are 2 of many examples. However, a great-built team with a medicore strategy will beat a mediocre team with a great strategy. One only has to look at Newcastle's history, losing to two 16-0 teams and this year's possible 16-0 candidate. Or Brisbane, who torched Devonport with better builds. Or Woolloomooloo, who is using better builds and rather than a good strategy to fight for the playoffs. I am not saying that it is true in every case, and there are certainly examples that would disagree with me. However, there are weeks where David Eckstein will hit .500; over the long haul, he's still a terrible hitter. Builds are still king in this universe.
Phalloplasty Games: Plastic doesn't just look good on women's chests.
(10)Forrest Run @ (16)OA8
OA8 got renamed to Alexandria WhoGivesACrap. New ownership will hopefully give them a boon, but if I was them I'd try to lose the rest of my games too. I'd recruit for OA8 next year and go for a championship with what looks like will be a completed stadium. Of course, this means they're fodder for testing tactics. Forrest Run needs to figure their passing game out somehow. If I was defending them, I'd have the entire front 7 blitz and single cover everyone else. What's da Silva going to do? He can't hit the wide side of a barn.
(15)OA7 @ (2)Newcastle
OA7 has a win. It's against OA8, so who cares. Usually, the question is which of them and Apia is going to relegate. However, they're the ones with CPU players and Apia isn't gutted, just working on creating a team. So, they'll get relegated. Newcastle gets to test out tactics again! They decided they could test until Devonport. I say they can test until Brisbane. Of course, Newcastle's defense has given up random points late in games, which along with the meltdown against Alice Springs begs the question: can Newcastle finish the way they start?
(12)Wollongong @ (3)Tasmania
po has created a good network of agents and owners in this game; however, he's failed to create a team from that network. Everyone expected johnbarber to fix that, but it seems like he's more interested in finding a strategy that will take the current team places. To get Guadalcanal great, he tried that way and then ended up having to recruit to win. I guess he's not bringing that same winning approach. On the other side, Tasmania recruited builds to beat Fiji. Did you notice how Tasmania got two quick scores on Alice Springs in the 4th? I wonder where that was in the other three quarters. Also, Tinman Tim had 55 plays so there must have been 55 offensive plays, a terribly small amount. Howie was in on 54 of them. Huh? Look, he's great. Keep him fresh, and he'll be even better. Don't waste him early. It obviously didn't help that this was a huge defensive battle. Don't let the early TD fool you; it was a fumble return and that doesnt add anything to the analysis.
(8)Woolloomooloo @ (14)Apia
The battle of the promoted! While one team has stepped up and shown some mettle, another has decided to open their mouths and close their eyes for the best present ever. What has Woo done to make themselves worthwhile? Well, they realized that in any league, there are a few teams with gaping holes. I think their wins will constitute a list of teams that are fighting to find their place. Apia will be included on that list.
Viagra Games: Remember when you couldn't stop getting it up?
(6)Devonport @ (11)Hamilton
Every time Devonport loses, more people wonder if this, and not Perth, is the team that only wins when they should. They should win this game, so I should favor them. Brisbane was close enough to them that Devonport decided it was a good time to lose. Perth and on downward are teams they should beat. So, don't be surprised to see them 9-7, getting in the playoffs, bowing out early, and being happy for doing that. Hamilton ... well they're working. Against Budapest, they didn't get any player to go overboard statistically, which is interesting. Is it a sign they held back or a sign that they are still two seasons away from playoff contention? They have "depth" in the sense that they have enough at every position. Then again, who's to say those builds are any good?
(9)Rockhampton @ (13)Dharma
Dharma is completely out-leveled and probably out-built in this game. Look at their defense. I wonder if they're all slow-built or unboosted. If they're unboosted, then I feel sorry for them. If I was them, I'd go with wacky AI all over the place. Try to figure out the system. Just because the rest of the GLB world says "don't do this too much" or "this is nerfed" doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. On the other side, Rockhampton is the team that might stun someone in the first round. Everyone is bound to say that the top 4 teams are going to round 2. If I was Fiji, I wouldn't want to face Rockhampton. That's for damn sure. They actually have the levels and the gambling virus to destroy a team that's catnapping. They shouldn't, because teams shouldn't catnap. People should realize their running game is in the crapper and they can't cover anyone medium or deep. Hopefully Hamilton does.
(5)Brisbane @ (7)Perth
Jay Mariotti said this was a statement game and Woody Paige agreed. So, Brisbane's going to put Perth back in its place with a huge win, because Jay Mariotti and Woody Paige are idiots. What does Brisbane have that made them supplant Devonport as the "best of the rest"? Maybe they just beat a bunch of scrubs and two down teams. Maybe they finally decided to stop the pass with their outside linebackers, instead of stopping the run first like is done in real life. Actually, they need to finish the separation from the rest with wins against Perth and Redcliffe back to back in order to justify where they are. Listen to this: they might be a whopping 8-2 before facing Fiji!
Enzyte Game of the Week: Believe me, you want to smile like Bob when you're plowing http://www.hot-screensaver.com/wp-myimages/gemma-atkinson-photo.jpg
(4)Fiji @ (1)Alice Springs
Fiji has been a little ashamed since the Tasmania loss. They took out Forrest Run because they were bored. Did anyone notice QB Dinwiddle didn't boost yet? I wonder if he's going to boost right now, right before Alice Springs. By all accounts, they should be great. They should follow in the tradition of the Stingers and destroy everyone else. All 5 wideouts are highly leveled, but to be honest maybe their builds got crimped by the balancing adjustments by Bort. Before they can say "well Bort sucks," they should know that these changes were to be expected roughly. Then again, I'm a huge detractor of Bort too, for not enacting a ton of changes that should exist. On Alice Springs' side, they should beat Fiji. They should beat them easily. Ernie Never should go for 150. This game should have a huge 4th quarter disparity. Should should should. The truth is it will be close because the offense of Alice Springs is overrated and the defense is underrated. Sometimes I wonder if their defense can continually withstand the 45-minute challenge long enough for the offense to get its customary double-digit 4th quarter total and seal the deal. Tomorrow is the time for us to see if Fiji can step up and dent the 45-minute defense enough.
Alice Springs left no doubt they're #1. Devonport left no doubt that rather than reaching the echelon, they were eclipsed by Brisbane. Perth stunned us by talking in the forum, although scoring 209 adds confidence to a lot of people. Insert team here, Insert verb here, Insert tiny phrase about previous game here. That's lame. This league is about honesty, as is this column.
So, let's talk honestly. A debate will rage soon enough in Goal Line Blitz, as to whether builds or strategy is more important to win games. The faces will say "it's strategy." The heels will say "it's builds, and we're better than you." As a reporter, I judge unbiasedly. Unbiasedly, the only way strategy can beat builds is when builds are bad. This is a statistical sim, and one has to look for good builds because the strategy in this game is naive. Essentially this is a number comparison game; strategy will not solve that problem. One can beat an overleveled team if they have a bad strategy; no one questions that, and Fiji's easily explained 1st round failures are 2 of many examples. However, a great-built team with a medicore strategy will beat a mediocre team with a great strategy. One only has to look at Newcastle's history, losing to two 16-0 teams and this year's possible 16-0 candidate. Or Brisbane, who torched Devonport with better builds. Or Woolloomooloo, who is using better builds and rather than a good strategy to fight for the playoffs. I am not saying that it is true in every case, and there are certainly examples that would disagree with me. However, there are weeks where David Eckstein will hit .500; over the long haul, he's still a terrible hitter. Builds are still king in this universe.
Phalloplasty Games: Plastic doesn't just look good on women's chests.
(10)Forrest Run @ (16)OA8
OA8 got renamed to Alexandria WhoGivesACrap. New ownership will hopefully give them a boon, but if I was them I'd try to lose the rest of my games too. I'd recruit for OA8 next year and go for a championship with what looks like will be a completed stadium. Of course, this means they're fodder for testing tactics. Forrest Run needs to figure their passing game out somehow. If I was defending them, I'd have the entire front 7 blitz and single cover everyone else. What's da Silva going to do? He can't hit the wide side of a barn.
(15)OA7 @ (2)Newcastle
OA7 has a win. It's against OA8, so who cares. Usually, the question is which of them and Apia is going to relegate. However, they're the ones with CPU players and Apia isn't gutted, just working on creating a team. So, they'll get relegated. Newcastle gets to test out tactics again! They decided they could test until Devonport. I say they can test until Brisbane. Of course, Newcastle's defense has given up random points late in games, which along with the meltdown against Alice Springs begs the question: can Newcastle finish the way they start?
(12)Wollongong @ (3)Tasmania
po has created a good network of agents and owners in this game; however, he's failed to create a team from that network. Everyone expected johnbarber to fix that, but it seems like he's more interested in finding a strategy that will take the current team places. To get Guadalcanal great, he tried that way and then ended up having to recruit to win. I guess he's not bringing that same winning approach. On the other side, Tasmania recruited builds to beat Fiji. Did you notice how Tasmania got two quick scores on Alice Springs in the 4th? I wonder where that was in the other three quarters. Also, Tinman Tim had 55 plays so there must have been 55 offensive plays, a terribly small amount. Howie was in on 54 of them. Huh? Look, he's great. Keep him fresh, and he'll be even better. Don't waste him early. It obviously didn't help that this was a huge defensive battle. Don't let the early TD fool you; it was a fumble return and that doesnt add anything to the analysis.
(8)Woolloomooloo @ (14)Apia
The battle of the promoted! While one team has stepped up and shown some mettle, another has decided to open their mouths and close their eyes for the best present ever. What has Woo done to make themselves worthwhile? Well, they realized that in any league, there are a few teams with gaping holes. I think their wins will constitute a list of teams that are fighting to find their place. Apia will be included on that list.
Viagra Games: Remember when you couldn't stop getting it up?
(6)Devonport @ (11)Hamilton
Every time Devonport loses, more people wonder if this, and not Perth, is the team that only wins when they should. They should win this game, so I should favor them. Brisbane was close enough to them that Devonport decided it was a good time to lose. Perth and on downward are teams they should beat. So, don't be surprised to see them 9-7, getting in the playoffs, bowing out early, and being happy for doing that. Hamilton ... well they're working. Against Budapest, they didn't get any player to go overboard statistically, which is interesting. Is it a sign they held back or a sign that they are still two seasons away from playoff contention? They have "depth" in the sense that they have enough at every position. Then again, who's to say those builds are any good?
(9)Rockhampton @ (13)Dharma
Dharma is completely out-leveled and probably out-built in this game. Look at their defense. I wonder if they're all slow-built or unboosted. If they're unboosted, then I feel sorry for them. If I was them, I'd go with wacky AI all over the place. Try to figure out the system. Just because the rest of the GLB world says "don't do this too much" or "this is nerfed" doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. On the other side, Rockhampton is the team that might stun someone in the first round. Everyone is bound to say that the top 4 teams are going to round 2. If I was Fiji, I wouldn't want to face Rockhampton. That's for damn sure. They actually have the levels and the gambling virus to destroy a team that's catnapping. They shouldn't, because teams shouldn't catnap. People should realize their running game is in the crapper and they can't cover anyone medium or deep. Hopefully Hamilton does.
(5)Brisbane @ (7)Perth
Jay Mariotti said this was a statement game and Woody Paige agreed. So, Brisbane's going to put Perth back in its place with a huge win, because Jay Mariotti and Woody Paige are idiots. What does Brisbane have that made them supplant Devonport as the "best of the rest"? Maybe they just beat a bunch of scrubs and two down teams. Maybe they finally decided to stop the pass with their outside linebackers, instead of stopping the run first like is done in real life. Actually, they need to finish the separation from the rest with wins against Perth and Redcliffe back to back in order to justify where they are. Listen to this: they might be a whopping 8-2 before facing Fiji!
Enzyte Game of the Week: Believe me, you want to smile like Bob when you're plowing http://www.hot-screensaver.com/wp-myimages/gemma-atkinson-photo.jpg
(4)Fiji @ (1)Alice Springs
Fiji has been a little ashamed since the Tasmania loss. They took out Forrest Run because they were bored. Did anyone notice QB Dinwiddle didn't boost yet? I wonder if he's going to boost right now, right before Alice Springs. By all accounts, they should be great. They should follow in the tradition of the Stingers and destroy everyone else. All 5 wideouts are highly leveled, but to be honest maybe their builds got crimped by the balancing adjustments by Bort. Before they can say "well Bort sucks," they should know that these changes were to be expected roughly. Then again, I'm a huge detractor of Bort too, for not enacting a ton of changes that should exist. On Alice Springs' side, they should beat Fiji. They should beat them easily. Ernie Never should go for 150. This game should have a huge 4th quarter disparity. Should should should. The truth is it will be close because the offense of Alice Springs is overrated and the defense is underrated. Sometimes I wonder if their defense can continually withstand the 45-minute challenge long enough for the offense to get its customary double-digit 4th quarter total and seal the deal. Tomorrow is the time for us to see if Fiji can step up and dent the 45-minute defense enough.
Last edited Oct 4, 2008 01:39:11
