My preseason prognosis was in this thread: http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=3322915
Now that we are half way through I figured it would be an ideal time to take a look and see where we are now. Some things have changed, some things have not, and there have been a surprise here and there to make things interesting.
In the preaseason, I had our Silver 7 champ being one of three possibilities; 1) Final Thought, 2a) Crib Midgets and 2b) GLB Headhunters. At the mid point of the season, I see that list expanding a little with the emergence of a serious contender in the East. With that in mind, here is my new list of potential champs and it has become a 4 horse race:
1) GLB Headhunters. They are undefeated in a doozy of a conference, and for now the logic has to stand that since GLB beat Crib, and Crib beat FT, well, GLB is the team to beat. FT gets their shot in a couple weeks to change this but for now, the championship goes through GLB.
2a) Georgia Assault. This team has put together an impressive first half of dotball in Silver, not only in league play but also in scrimmages and tournament action. I expect this team to dominate their side and represent the East for the title.
2b) Crib Midgets. Finally they get tasted a victory over FT by the slimmest of margins, and in the process they not only provided themselve with the belief in team philosophy but also demonstrated that they will contend.
2c) Final Thought. They are the same solid team we have come to expect and they likely view the loss to Crib as a bump in the road rather than a major stumbling block. FT continues to be a dominant team and will require a near perfect sim by their opponent to lose come playoffs.
Spoiler team: UFC Gladiators. Capable of beating the Fabulous Foursome above, this is a dangerous team who just missed inclusion in the top group based on their T and their results against teams that have faced both UFC and GA. It would not be very surprising if in a month we are congratulating UFC and wishing them good luck in Gold.
Our league seems quite imbalanced as we have great teams on top, awful teams on the bottom, and a lot of decent teams in the middle. I truly beleive that many of those middle teams could be competing for championships in several other Silver leagues, but here in S7 they will have to be satisfied with making playoffs and an early exit this season. The 'best of the rest' is another foursome that will fight for one of the top seeds and get a well deserved first round playoff W before succumbing to the top teams.
- Windhorst Trojans: They got my attention by tying UFC when I expected a L, and holding their own against GA. I will be interested to see how they do against Eugene, which for me will be a true statement game.
- Eugene Cobras: The most improved returning S7 team im my mind. They had great results going against the top 2 teams (GA, UFC) and have steamrolled all other opponents with a stifling D. If they stick around next year, I think they will turn some heads.
- Fat Kids: They loved to talk the talk in the preseason, and they started strong until they ran into some competition. They may finish the season with only 4 losses and earn a high seed, but they are not ready to compete with the elite teams just yet.
- Irish Wee Lads: Last year's inconsistent bunch is now a lot more focused and are turning in some impressive results. Losses to FT and GLB are not uncommon as almost the whole conference will share that distinction by season's end.
The rest of the teams really have to go on a tear to salvage their seasons, and it will be interesting to see who distinguishes themselves and the remaining playoffs spot likely won't be decided until the last sim.
Good luck to all teams in the homestretch!
Now that we are half way through I figured it would be an ideal time to take a look and see where we are now. Some things have changed, some things have not, and there have been a surprise here and there to make things interesting.
In the preaseason, I had our Silver 7 champ being one of three possibilities; 1) Final Thought, 2a) Crib Midgets and 2b) GLB Headhunters. At the mid point of the season, I see that list expanding a little with the emergence of a serious contender in the East. With that in mind, here is my new list of potential champs and it has become a 4 horse race:
1) GLB Headhunters. They are undefeated in a doozy of a conference, and for now the logic has to stand that since GLB beat Crib, and Crib beat FT, well, GLB is the team to beat. FT gets their shot in a couple weeks to change this but for now, the championship goes through GLB.
2a) Georgia Assault. This team has put together an impressive first half of dotball in Silver, not only in league play but also in scrimmages and tournament action. I expect this team to dominate their side and represent the East for the title.
2b) Crib Midgets. Finally they get tasted a victory over FT by the slimmest of margins, and in the process they not only provided themselve with the belief in team philosophy but also demonstrated that they will contend.
2c) Final Thought. They are the same solid team we have come to expect and they likely view the loss to Crib as a bump in the road rather than a major stumbling block. FT continues to be a dominant team and will require a near perfect sim by their opponent to lose come playoffs.
Spoiler team: UFC Gladiators. Capable of beating the Fabulous Foursome above, this is a dangerous team who just missed inclusion in the top group based on their T and their results against teams that have faced both UFC and GA. It would not be very surprising if in a month we are congratulating UFC and wishing them good luck in Gold.
Our league seems quite imbalanced as we have great teams on top, awful teams on the bottom, and a lot of decent teams in the middle. I truly beleive that many of those middle teams could be competing for championships in several other Silver leagues, but here in S7 they will have to be satisfied with making playoffs and an early exit this season. The 'best of the rest' is another foursome that will fight for one of the top seeds and get a well deserved first round playoff W before succumbing to the top teams.
- Windhorst Trojans: They got my attention by tying UFC when I expected a L, and holding their own against GA. I will be interested to see how they do against Eugene, which for me will be a true statement game.
- Eugene Cobras: The most improved returning S7 team im my mind. They had great results going against the top 2 teams (GA, UFC) and have steamrolled all other opponents with a stifling D. If they stick around next year, I think they will turn some heads.
- Fat Kids: They loved to talk the talk in the preseason, and they started strong until they ran into some competition. They may finish the season with only 4 losses and earn a high seed, but they are not ready to compete with the elite teams just yet.
- Irish Wee Lads: Last year's inconsistent bunch is now a lot more focused and are turning in some impressive results. Losses to FT and GLB are not uncommon as almost the whole conference will share that distinction by season's end.
The rest of the teams really have to go on a tear to salvage their seasons, and it will be interesting to see who distinguishes themselves and the remaining playoffs spot likely won't be decided until the last sim.
Good luck to all teams in the homestretch!
Edited by vrecksler on Oct 27, 2009 23:11:05
...be interested to see how it would turn up with the lines set up for a serious game... 
