Once again I find myself apologizing for the lateness of the post. I worked a long day while suffering through an agonizing sinus infection, so I almost didn't post at all, but I realized that I promised I would, so I will. We're down to eight teams remaining to fight it out for the championship, and every game in the bracket could go either way.
Alpha Bracket:
Warsaw vs Stalingrad: A quick look at the matchup numbers shows a noticeable disadvantage for the Ironmen in pass defense, but we all know that you can't count on the scouting numbers to tell the story. Stalingrad's defense did a fine job in the regular season, keeping most foes from scoring a lot of points. The three times an opponent managed to score more than 24 points on the Ironmen were all losses, however, and in two of those losses an opposing wide receiver has gained over a hundred yards. The Gods of War had two wideouts surpass the hundred yard mark in defeating the Ironmen, so there might be something to the mismatch after all. Halfback J.C. Seneca had an outstanding performance for Warsaw in the previous matchup as well, so Stalingrad will have to find a way to shut down multiple offensive weapons to have a chance to take this game away from Warsaw.
Vilnius vs Vorkuta: The regular season matchup between these teams was won convincingly by the Velociraptors, but the game is still very fresh in the minds of the Yellowhammers. Vorkuta couldn't get much going on the ground in that game, and surrendered over 600 yards to the Raptors, letting them march up and down the field at will. The Yellowhammers will have to find some answers for a Raptor offensive line that opened up big holes for their runners, and also allowed only two hurries, no sacks, and only one tackle for a loss. If the defense can get it done for them, they will have more opportunities to mix up the playcalling and get it going on the ground.
Zeta Bracket:
Bratislava vs Warsaw: On paper, Warsaw looks like the better team, but the record tells a different tale. The recent matchup between these two in week fourteen was a convincing victory for the Butchers, sealing the deal on their perfect season. Warsaw's chemistry was a bit more of an issue for them in that game, but there is still room for it to cause them problems now. Bratislava won't be relying on the Wolfpack's poor chemistry to get the job done for them, but will instead look to their tremendous defense to keep the score low and allow the offense time to get the job done. Warsaw will have to come up with a pretty impressive game plan to come away from the Butcher's Block with a win.
Secretville vs South City: The scab is still fresh on South City's wounded pride following their week 15 defeat to the Offtopics. After allowing such a phenomenal performance from Secretville HB Bullrush Nomark, the Chiefs will need to readjust their defensive approach to the running game. It's a difficult task for a defensive coordinator to try to focus some attention to one aspect of an offensive attack, when so many teams like Secretville can hit you with so many different weapons. South City could take the chance and focus on stopping Nomark, and turn around and get burned by one of Secretville's wide receivers for a huge gain. It's a difficult choice, but that's what the DC's job is all about.
Tomorrow's games set up the Conference Championships, and at this point, it's anyone's guess what those matchups will be. Will the big rematch happen between Secretville and Bratislava? Will Vorkuta rise above that sixth seed and give themselves a shot at the trophy? We'll have those questions answered, and new questions raised, tomorrow morning.
Alpha Bracket:
Warsaw vs Stalingrad: A quick look at the matchup numbers shows a noticeable disadvantage for the Ironmen in pass defense, but we all know that you can't count on the scouting numbers to tell the story. Stalingrad's defense did a fine job in the regular season, keeping most foes from scoring a lot of points. The three times an opponent managed to score more than 24 points on the Ironmen were all losses, however, and in two of those losses an opposing wide receiver has gained over a hundred yards. The Gods of War had two wideouts surpass the hundred yard mark in defeating the Ironmen, so there might be something to the mismatch after all. Halfback J.C. Seneca had an outstanding performance for Warsaw in the previous matchup as well, so Stalingrad will have to find a way to shut down multiple offensive weapons to have a chance to take this game away from Warsaw.
Vilnius vs Vorkuta: The regular season matchup between these teams was won convincingly by the Velociraptors, but the game is still very fresh in the minds of the Yellowhammers. Vorkuta couldn't get much going on the ground in that game, and surrendered over 600 yards to the Raptors, letting them march up and down the field at will. The Yellowhammers will have to find some answers for a Raptor offensive line that opened up big holes for their runners, and also allowed only two hurries, no sacks, and only one tackle for a loss. If the defense can get it done for them, they will have more opportunities to mix up the playcalling and get it going on the ground.
Zeta Bracket:
Bratislava vs Warsaw: On paper, Warsaw looks like the better team, but the record tells a different tale. The recent matchup between these two in week fourteen was a convincing victory for the Butchers, sealing the deal on their perfect season. Warsaw's chemistry was a bit more of an issue for them in that game, but there is still room for it to cause them problems now. Bratislava won't be relying on the Wolfpack's poor chemistry to get the job done for them, but will instead look to their tremendous defense to keep the score low and allow the offense time to get the job done. Warsaw will have to come up with a pretty impressive game plan to come away from the Butcher's Block with a win.
Secretville vs South City: The scab is still fresh on South City's wounded pride following their week 15 defeat to the Offtopics. After allowing such a phenomenal performance from Secretville HB Bullrush Nomark, the Chiefs will need to readjust their defensive approach to the running game. It's a difficult task for a defensive coordinator to try to focus some attention to one aspect of an offensive attack, when so many teams like Secretville can hit you with so many different weapons. South City could take the chance and focus on stopping Nomark, and turn around and get burned by one of Secretville's wide receivers for a huge gain. It's a difficult choice, but that's what the DC's job is all about.
Tomorrow's games set up the Conference Championships, and at this point, it's anyone's guess what those matchups will be. Will the big rematch happen between Secretville and Bratislava? Will Vorkuta rise above that sixth seed and give themselves a shot at the trophy? We'll have those questions answered, and new questions raised, tomorrow morning.
