West Projections USA A #1(CCC)
Time for the third season in what is of course the best league in the game. Leaving us is the long time top team Tallahassee and the up and coming Pirates. We also had two teams leaving us this year, and some moving up and a couple swapping leagues, suffice to say I lost total track of it.
Billy Creech Gangstaz
A new entry in to the USA A, they are moving down from AA #2. It looks like they could indeed be a contender for the playoffs this year with a good core of players. On the downside they have some very inexperienced players on the O-Line and on defense in the secondary, that could come back to haunt them.
Offense: Well it speaks for itself that they went 0-16 last season, they need a lot of work game planning and finding the endzone. David Prater will need to get his team rallied and start to move the ball. Marcus Thomas had better prove he can run the ball coming off a clear back up role season. If he is not able to get the job down it will be a very long season for the Gangstaz.
Defense: Once again speaks for itself they went 0-16 last season, giving up 40+ points multiple times, this has got to be stopped immediately if they wan want to do anything in the A #1. With no real leaders on defense its import for for someone to step up and start leading this squad by example out on the field. Door is open for a good season from the LB core lead by Mr Florida, the D-line must also step up.
Allen Zephyrs
The Zeps were able to avoid relegation last season, now it time to see if they fixed the holes the team had. Going 5-11 last season it was clear they were not one of the worst teams in the league. That said it was also clear they were not a team to make a playoff run. It seems they made some moves this offseason and with some luck maybe they can pull out of the tailspin and find a way to mid table late in the season for a playoff run.
Offense: Some of the blame for the mixed results can be placed here. But they were a stong side for most of the year. One of the major problems was finding points once they got over the 50 yard line, drives seemed to stall and a lot of time went off the clock with no results. This might be able to change with a better game from Doc Jenkins who had some very good games, and some very bad ones. One of the major detractors from the team is the new inexperienced RB CA Dupin, they really need to find a way to make him successful.
Defense: Here is where you will find the reason for a lot of the losses, these guys will play great until the decide to give up quick scores for no reason. Katchun Zees needs to et this team working hard on the technical sides of the game, the need to stop being out of place on the field and better adapt to blown coverage’s. The D-line needs to step up big this year to stop the rushing attack another huge hole for the Zeps.
Houston Orangebloods
Houston had a strong second season, had the misfortune to play Tallahassee in the semifinals or they could very well have been a strong contender in the conference final. Its clear they are real playoff contenders this year and are in the hunt for the lucrative home seed. They are Spheres rival holding them in check every time they play them just not able to pull the trigger and get a win out of the close games, which could very well change this year.
Offense: The passing attack is brutal. The rushing attack is good but if it finds a way to improve this year Houston will indeed be dominant in a way they never have been. Dean Cochran arguably the best QB in the league is in the drivers seat and its clear he can get the job done, now its on him to win the close games that seem to find a way to slip through Houstons fingers. Tying it all together is Chris Whaley coming off a one thousand yard season and 16 TDs its clear he can get the job done but he was still unable to match those results against the top teams.
Defense: Getting 5 shut outs last year its clear they know what they are doing on this side of the ball. They also held Sphere and Tallahassee to 10 points or under in the big games when it mattered. Jake Rock is an absolute beast, if any team wants to get around Houston they better not ignore one of the best D-lines in the league. It does not get better from there the Houston Secondary is as good as any other team in the A #1. Finding points on this squad will be a sure test of a teams talent.
Omaha Beef
Get ready for a long, long, long season. The Beef are doing massive rebuilding and the team is in no shape to join one of the ten hardest leagues to compete in all of GLB. They will just need to control the bleeding and hope to somehow win a game or two to avoid relegation. But to be fair its highly unlikely we will be seeing them next season.
Offense: Jake Cutler is highly inexperienced and has not foundation to stand on. He comes in playing some of the top defenses in the entire A leagues. It will be a long uphill battle. He must find someway to avoid throwing needless picks and control the clock to cover for his underwhelming defense. Rushing the ball is Tony Leger, with a grand total of 36 yard to his name its clear this is a massive hole in the Beef. One of the good thing Beef has working is a seemingly solid O-Line, but that does not score points unless the guys working behind it are any good and that remains to be seen.
Defense: MLB GROS KIKI Will need to rally the soon be tested LB core and find some way to plug up the dam of offense explosion they are sure to see. The D-line leaves much to be desired and unless they find some way to fix that with some midnight trades rushing teams will have a field day. All you can really say here is good luck.
K-Town Hates Phil
Going 5-11 last season, K-Town had some work to do. They missed the playoffs by a few games and the season was a sure let down. They hope they can return to the strong defense of old and a solid rushing attack.
Offense: They have got to find away to score late, they lost a lot of close games due to drives puttering out late in the game. Its clear they will need to find some way to push past the redzone into the endzone. Leading them is Billy Badazz coming off a hot and cold season he needs to be a bit more stable and steady this season to find any good results. Why he was able to get over the 2,000 yard mark he also had 22 ints, that’s unacceptable in any league. The O-line did not help must last season giving up 15 sacks and only allowing Justin #3 Smith 600 yards on the ground.
Defense: Mike Sheahan leads his defense into the unknown this season. This unit needs to discover how to close out games and not give up late scores when it hurts the team the most. Most of the time they are playing great and making big plays, then they seem to fall into a void where people score on them at will. The seconday needs to step up this year also and shut down the passing game better than last season.
Omaha Mavericks
Omaha has lost some depth just like many other teams this offseason, but its far to early ton start counting them out. They earned a playoff spot last year with good play ost of the season. They hit a bid of a slide mid season but they did recover and then had the misfortune of round one being in the Western conference where they were outsiders looking in at the top 6.
Offense: The loss of DC Rambo will for sure have negative effects on the team. He was a mainstay of Omaha and Platz Koenigs has big shoes to fill. Large Arm comes into the season looking good after he stopped throwing ints last season and finished with a 2,000 season. The O-line will need to step up big this season and find some way to keep Platz from getting hit in the backfield.
Defense: Other than the two new players at RDE and SS what more can you want from a team like this. They should have no problems shutting down any team with the right gameplan. Debutante Ball is looking damn mean and its clear you will need to shut him down to get any sort of rushing attack working. Demetrius Valens will of course be flying all over the field like last season making any plays he can. This is a very strong side.
The Real Austin Longhorns
These guys need some help. They have lost the Austin bowl two seasons running and they might be forced to drop ‘The Real’ from the name any day now. The do have a foundation to build from, just no results yet. Maybe the 134 GMs they have signed can make something happen?
Offense: Nathan Joiner is still at the helm with his 2,000 yard 25 interception season, he left a lot to be desired. To be fair he was also sacked 21 times. You can’t blame the O-Line for it all though his receivers need to find a better, faster way to get open. Vondrell McGee returns hunting for his first 1,000 yard season. Yet that looks a bit far off with the poor O-Line, it will be an interesting year on this side of the ball.
Defense: They have the building blocks, they just need to start slamming things together until the fit. El Diablo Deck had a very good season with over 80 tackles and 3 sack. Unfortunately he was doing the job of his D-Line on most of those 80+ tackles. Name of the game here is front four need to shut down the run early if they want to have any chance of improving results from last season.
Caribbean Sphere
Wat. Season 1 lost to Denton, Season 2 Tallahassee and Season 3 it will of course be MB. Spheres got to find the golden ticket to getting out of the league. It was clear who the better team was last season with two losses to Tallahassee, but they are indeed the favorites this year with wins in the playoffs and regular season over all the remaining West teams.
Offense: Iowa Jones. It starts and ends with Iowa. When he plays well Sphere is unbeatable, if hes having an off game its starts to turn ugly. Of course Jim Plunkett is there for those times and he proved most of the time he can get the job done, unless he see a blond in the crown in which case a instant int is thrown. The unsung hero is indeed Tom Foolery who lead all A #1 kickers with 39 made field goals, maybe some of those turn to TDs this season(Sorry Tom).
Defense: Sphere was great of defense all season save for two hiccups, Tallahassee and the Horns. They have worked on the leaks and now have another strong team returning to the field. Bull Sharkowski leads the LB core to another season of bone crushing hits and shutting down the outside run. Cerneo Quam will lead the front four and crush any inside runs. The weakness once again will be the secondary who seem unable to hold teams to under 200 passing yards.
Austin Longhorns
The Real, Real Austin. This team is right on the edge of being one of the mainstay teams in the West, it could happen this season. Or they could have another season of mixed results. Whatever the case they are not a team to lose focus of, or think they will be an easy win.
Offense: Chet McLawson had a 3,000 yard season but he also had more Ints than TDs. That of course will need to be changed unless they do not want to add to their win total from last season. The Oline needs to find away to stop giving up sacks and also open up the running lanes for TA Xausted. He needs to get the ground attack working from first down to open up the passing game that they seem to want to be able to run.
Defense: They must find away to shut teams down, even poor teams were able to score double digits last season and they must be stopped to have any real chance at the play offs. Front four looks a little shaky but if the can atleast slow down the LB core lead by Butch McCray should be able to stuff the run with some success. The secondary looks strong and as long as the safeties are not tackling RBs it should be a good season for these guys.
Dallas Horns
Horns have done major work in the off season and they appear to have made a lot of advances. They should find away into the playoffs and if they can beat Texas or Houston they might just find a home seed.
Offense: Going 10-6 last year with losses only to the top teams. Mister Clean was one of the top QBs last season and I see no reason for that to change. The Horns are very dangerous in the air and can score on just about any play, one missed tackle and its an easy 6. He had over 3,300 and 20+ TDs. The air attack is very scary. They made a move and pick up a stud RB in Gengr Flash who was hiding playing out in Europe. He boast a 4+ YPC and should add an extra spark to this up and coming team.
Defense: They held Houston, Texas and Sphere to under 20 points last season. If they can match that feat they will go very far this year. Frank TheTank leads the front four in the hopes they can better stop the run this year. They have got to find away to only rush four and still have results up top or they will still get beat over the middle of the field. The secondary last year was a bit bipolar in the play. They seem to give up big plays almost randomly and they need to find someone who is a solid and steady rock to keep them focus in the coverages.
Chicago "MB" Bears
MB. We are all waiting for them to dominate. They have looked awesome on paper for a long time now. Then they play the big games, and lose. That could change this year. They seem to be refocused and hungry for championship, of anything.
Offense: They had a very solid team, going 13-3 last year. Louis Cannon was solid last year he was not asked to do to much but when asked he got it done with little fuss. The real power house is the O-Line and Steve Blazer. MB is a rushing team that tries to be balanced, when they stop doing that who knows what the can do.
Defense: Righteous Honky and the front 7 have got to step up and shut down the run early in the games this year. That’s what killed them in the big games with Tallahassee and Sphere. If they can fix that they should have a strong shot at reaching the top of the hill and looking down at everyone else from the number one seed. The secondary has always played well but they need to reach that next level to be great. Expect MB to play hard and keep people under 20 points every game, you will have a real close game every time you play them.
Texas Roughnecks
Roughnecks are a interesting team. They are great on paper and in the game, until they play a tough game then they lose. To stop that I hope they have some more tricks to throw out this season. They need to find some way to score that last field goal in close games.
Offense: Andrew Matsis as just short of a 3,000 yard season, he was also 9 TDs short of passing his own interception mark. To add insult to injury he was sacked 15 times. The O-Line has got to find some way to step up and play without letting the pass rush hit them when it hurts the most on third and long in fourth. The Tick has his work cut out for him he was short of the 1,000 yard mark last season and he missed it even with 226 carries. On the upside he caught the ball for another 200 yards so is a threat in the flats.
Defense: Grim Ironjaw got himself a taste of what sacks feel like last season, that has only proved to make him want more and he will be a threat all season, QBs better write his number down before it hits them in the face. They need to find away to shut down that late drive in the fourth that leads them to the inevitable 3 points that beats them by 1 late in the game. Once they fix a couple holes they will be right there fighting for the home seed.
San Francisco Stonecutters
The mainstay of the bottom end of the league, Stonecutters are the punch bag of the West just when you think they have moved beyond and are ready for a playoff game they lose to a bad team. This year they come with a great looking offense and a very lackluster defense. Will it work?
Offense: A lot to like here. They only gave up five sack last season and were able to get Dan Parino to just under 2,500 yards. If you are looking for the weak link look no further than Cole Cleary. Less than 500 yards on 230 carries is ridiculous. That’s got to eb changed if they want to see the field of a playoff game this season. Another worry is the inexperienced receivers.
Defense: Chris Cleary and Teddy Pain need to slap the new players around and get them worked into a frenzy, or it will be another long wasted season for the Stonecutters. They look weak on this side of the ball and I don’t think they can shut down the big 6. Lucky for them 8 teams get into the playoffs so they might sneak in. Although unless they plug the holes they will not do anything in the playoffs anyway. Best case for them they win the games they are supposed t and win a couple of the close ones and hope they can shut down the better teams just enough to have a chance.
Texas Tornado
These guys are a transfer from A #8. Sadly for them they transferred into the pressure cooker known as A #1 West. They will get a chance to prove they have what it takes but I think they fold, lack of depth and experience will be the undoing of the Tornados.
Offense: They went 9-7 in A #8, whatever that means. They look very solid in terms of depth and do have some experienced players. Unlucky for them they also have some holes in the team. Addison Ashley seemed to have a poor first season, only two TDs under 2,000 yards and 11 picks. That’s not good. Lo Carb went for just over 400 yards on 100 carries, that’s not to bad. If they can work on that he should have a good season. The O-Line seems solid so maybe they can carry the team for the first few games.
Defense: Uh oh. Much like the Stonecutters they have all sorts of problems here. Back ups starting for the first time in a league like this one is a recipe for disaster for any team. They have got to find a way to claw a couple of wins just to avoid relegation and they start and ends with the front 7. Theo Kojak could be the man to do just that. He has the potential to have a great season and if he can find away through he double teams he could give them a fighting chance to avoid the drop.
Oklahoma Thunder
BBB #1Western Conference Champ, whats that worth in the CCC? Nothing. Thunder have a long season ahead of them if they are unable to compete on this level. Lucky for them it appears they can hit the ground running and be a real playoff threat.
Offense: Jim Swarthout is coming off a 2,300 yard 20+ TD season, enough said. The O-Line gave up one sack all season, something sure not to be matched in the A #1. Gallopin Gnus was able to rush for 1,600 yard and 12 TDs. The real test is can they do all that on these battle hardened teams. We won’t have to wait long to find out.
Defense: Timothee Williams will lead the battle of the trenches. Looking to drive his team into the playoffs with some hard nose defense and a unmovable wall of bodies in the front 7. The key to this defense is shutting down the run early and completely. The secondary can’t handle to many big plays and the LBs will need to be there to help in the zone schemes. Run on them and they will fall apart.
H-Town Hitmen
Season 2, USA BBB #2 League Champion, so what. This team is in the same shape as the Thunder. They will need to find some way to claw into the playoffs, anything short of that has to be a poor result from them. Welcome the West, hardest play to play in just about league.
Offense: They scored a lot in the BBB, I doubt they will be able to put up 30+ in almost every game in the A #1. That said its clear they know how to game plan and win the games they need to. Uncle Reeko had a 2,800+ 25 TD+ season, that’s not to be over looked. He was also only sacked 5 times so its clear the O-Line is not useless. Jemarcus Kane had a good year with 1,500 yard on the ground and 17 TDs. Key to shutting these guys down is a strong secondary and then close the rushing lanes.
Defense: Here is where they shine, they had a quite a few shutouts and the game planning on side of the ball is also excellent. Even if you get the ball past the front 7 the secondary can more than take care of business and they are able to crush anything that gets near them. They might have some troubles with some of the bigger teams but they should find a way to shut them down in turn and then they could very easily win a couple close one, not to be ignored.
That was alot of work.....
Time for the third season in what is of course the best league in the game. Leaving us is the long time top team Tallahassee and the up and coming Pirates. We also had two teams leaving us this year, and some moving up and a couple swapping leagues, suffice to say I lost total track of it.
Billy Creech Gangstaz
A new entry in to the USA A, they are moving down from AA #2. It looks like they could indeed be a contender for the playoffs this year with a good core of players. On the downside they have some very inexperienced players on the O-Line and on defense in the secondary, that could come back to haunt them.
Offense: Well it speaks for itself that they went 0-16 last season, they need a lot of work game planning and finding the endzone. David Prater will need to get his team rallied and start to move the ball. Marcus Thomas had better prove he can run the ball coming off a clear back up role season. If he is not able to get the job down it will be a very long season for the Gangstaz.
Defense: Once again speaks for itself they went 0-16 last season, giving up 40+ points multiple times, this has got to be stopped immediately if they wan want to do anything in the A #1. With no real leaders on defense its import for for someone to step up and start leading this squad by example out on the field. Door is open for a good season from the LB core lead by Mr Florida, the D-line must also step up.
Allen Zephyrs
The Zeps were able to avoid relegation last season, now it time to see if they fixed the holes the team had. Going 5-11 last season it was clear they were not one of the worst teams in the league. That said it was also clear they were not a team to make a playoff run. It seems they made some moves this offseason and with some luck maybe they can pull out of the tailspin and find a way to mid table late in the season for a playoff run.
Offense: Some of the blame for the mixed results can be placed here. But they were a stong side for most of the year. One of the major problems was finding points once they got over the 50 yard line, drives seemed to stall and a lot of time went off the clock with no results. This might be able to change with a better game from Doc Jenkins who had some very good games, and some very bad ones. One of the major detractors from the team is the new inexperienced RB CA Dupin, they really need to find a way to make him successful.
Defense: Here is where you will find the reason for a lot of the losses, these guys will play great until the decide to give up quick scores for no reason. Katchun Zees needs to et this team working hard on the technical sides of the game, the need to stop being out of place on the field and better adapt to blown coverage’s. The D-line needs to step up big this year to stop the rushing attack another huge hole for the Zeps.
Houston Orangebloods
Houston had a strong second season, had the misfortune to play Tallahassee in the semifinals or they could very well have been a strong contender in the conference final. Its clear they are real playoff contenders this year and are in the hunt for the lucrative home seed. They are Spheres rival holding them in check every time they play them just not able to pull the trigger and get a win out of the close games, which could very well change this year.
Offense: The passing attack is brutal. The rushing attack is good but if it finds a way to improve this year Houston will indeed be dominant in a way they never have been. Dean Cochran arguably the best QB in the league is in the drivers seat and its clear he can get the job done, now its on him to win the close games that seem to find a way to slip through Houstons fingers. Tying it all together is Chris Whaley coming off a one thousand yard season and 16 TDs its clear he can get the job done but he was still unable to match those results against the top teams.
Defense: Getting 5 shut outs last year its clear they know what they are doing on this side of the ball. They also held Sphere and Tallahassee to 10 points or under in the big games when it mattered. Jake Rock is an absolute beast, if any team wants to get around Houston they better not ignore one of the best D-lines in the league. It does not get better from there the Houston Secondary is as good as any other team in the A #1. Finding points on this squad will be a sure test of a teams talent.
Omaha Beef
Get ready for a long, long, long season. The Beef are doing massive rebuilding and the team is in no shape to join one of the ten hardest leagues to compete in all of GLB. They will just need to control the bleeding and hope to somehow win a game or two to avoid relegation. But to be fair its highly unlikely we will be seeing them next season.
Offense: Jake Cutler is highly inexperienced and has not foundation to stand on. He comes in playing some of the top defenses in the entire A leagues. It will be a long uphill battle. He must find someway to avoid throwing needless picks and control the clock to cover for his underwhelming defense. Rushing the ball is Tony Leger, with a grand total of 36 yard to his name its clear this is a massive hole in the Beef. One of the good thing Beef has working is a seemingly solid O-Line, but that does not score points unless the guys working behind it are any good and that remains to be seen.
Defense: MLB GROS KIKI Will need to rally the soon be tested LB core and find some way to plug up the dam of offense explosion they are sure to see. The D-line leaves much to be desired and unless they find some way to fix that with some midnight trades rushing teams will have a field day. All you can really say here is good luck.
K-Town Hates Phil
Going 5-11 last season, K-Town had some work to do. They missed the playoffs by a few games and the season was a sure let down. They hope they can return to the strong defense of old and a solid rushing attack.
Offense: They have got to find away to score late, they lost a lot of close games due to drives puttering out late in the game. Its clear they will need to find some way to push past the redzone into the endzone. Leading them is Billy Badazz coming off a hot and cold season he needs to be a bit more stable and steady this season to find any good results. Why he was able to get over the 2,000 yard mark he also had 22 ints, that’s unacceptable in any league. The O-line did not help must last season giving up 15 sacks and only allowing Justin #3 Smith 600 yards on the ground.
Defense: Mike Sheahan leads his defense into the unknown this season. This unit needs to discover how to close out games and not give up late scores when it hurts the team the most. Most of the time they are playing great and making big plays, then they seem to fall into a void where people score on them at will. The seconday needs to step up this year also and shut down the passing game better than last season.
Omaha Mavericks
Omaha has lost some depth just like many other teams this offseason, but its far to early ton start counting them out. They earned a playoff spot last year with good play ost of the season. They hit a bid of a slide mid season but they did recover and then had the misfortune of round one being in the Western conference where they were outsiders looking in at the top 6.
Offense: The loss of DC Rambo will for sure have negative effects on the team. He was a mainstay of Omaha and Platz Koenigs has big shoes to fill. Large Arm comes into the season looking good after he stopped throwing ints last season and finished with a 2,000 season. The O-line will need to step up big this season and find some way to keep Platz from getting hit in the backfield.
Defense: Other than the two new players at RDE and SS what more can you want from a team like this. They should have no problems shutting down any team with the right gameplan. Debutante Ball is looking damn mean and its clear you will need to shut him down to get any sort of rushing attack working. Demetrius Valens will of course be flying all over the field like last season making any plays he can. This is a very strong side.
The Real Austin Longhorns
These guys need some help. They have lost the Austin bowl two seasons running and they might be forced to drop ‘The Real’ from the name any day now. The do have a foundation to build from, just no results yet. Maybe the 134 GMs they have signed can make something happen?
Offense: Nathan Joiner is still at the helm with his 2,000 yard 25 interception season, he left a lot to be desired. To be fair he was also sacked 21 times. You can’t blame the O-Line for it all though his receivers need to find a better, faster way to get open. Vondrell McGee returns hunting for his first 1,000 yard season. Yet that looks a bit far off with the poor O-Line, it will be an interesting year on this side of the ball.
Defense: They have the building blocks, they just need to start slamming things together until the fit. El Diablo Deck had a very good season with over 80 tackles and 3 sack. Unfortunately he was doing the job of his D-Line on most of those 80+ tackles. Name of the game here is front four need to shut down the run early if they want to have any chance of improving results from last season.
Caribbean Sphere
Wat. Season 1 lost to Denton, Season 2 Tallahassee and Season 3 it will of course be MB. Spheres got to find the golden ticket to getting out of the league. It was clear who the better team was last season with two losses to Tallahassee, but they are indeed the favorites this year with wins in the playoffs and regular season over all the remaining West teams.
Offense: Iowa Jones. It starts and ends with Iowa. When he plays well Sphere is unbeatable, if hes having an off game its starts to turn ugly. Of course Jim Plunkett is there for those times and he proved most of the time he can get the job done, unless he see a blond in the crown in which case a instant int is thrown. The unsung hero is indeed Tom Foolery who lead all A #1 kickers with 39 made field goals, maybe some of those turn to TDs this season(Sorry Tom).
Defense: Sphere was great of defense all season save for two hiccups, Tallahassee and the Horns. They have worked on the leaks and now have another strong team returning to the field. Bull Sharkowski leads the LB core to another season of bone crushing hits and shutting down the outside run. Cerneo Quam will lead the front four and crush any inside runs. The weakness once again will be the secondary who seem unable to hold teams to under 200 passing yards.
Austin Longhorns
The Real, Real Austin. This team is right on the edge of being one of the mainstay teams in the West, it could happen this season. Or they could have another season of mixed results. Whatever the case they are not a team to lose focus of, or think they will be an easy win.
Offense: Chet McLawson had a 3,000 yard season but he also had more Ints than TDs. That of course will need to be changed unless they do not want to add to their win total from last season. The Oline needs to find away to stop giving up sacks and also open up the running lanes for TA Xausted. He needs to get the ground attack working from first down to open up the passing game that they seem to want to be able to run.
Defense: They must find away to shut teams down, even poor teams were able to score double digits last season and they must be stopped to have any real chance at the play offs. Front four looks a little shaky but if the can atleast slow down the LB core lead by Butch McCray should be able to stuff the run with some success. The secondary looks strong and as long as the safeties are not tackling RBs it should be a good season for these guys.
Dallas Horns
Horns have done major work in the off season and they appear to have made a lot of advances. They should find away into the playoffs and if they can beat Texas or Houston they might just find a home seed.
Offense: Going 10-6 last year with losses only to the top teams. Mister Clean was one of the top QBs last season and I see no reason for that to change. The Horns are very dangerous in the air and can score on just about any play, one missed tackle and its an easy 6. He had over 3,300 and 20+ TDs. The air attack is very scary. They made a move and pick up a stud RB in Gengr Flash who was hiding playing out in Europe. He boast a 4+ YPC and should add an extra spark to this up and coming team.
Defense: They held Houston, Texas and Sphere to under 20 points last season. If they can match that feat they will go very far this year. Frank TheTank leads the front four in the hopes they can better stop the run this year. They have got to find away to only rush four and still have results up top or they will still get beat over the middle of the field. The secondary last year was a bit bipolar in the play. They seem to give up big plays almost randomly and they need to find someone who is a solid and steady rock to keep them focus in the coverages.
Chicago "MB" Bears
MB. We are all waiting for them to dominate. They have looked awesome on paper for a long time now. Then they play the big games, and lose. That could change this year. They seem to be refocused and hungry for championship, of anything.
Offense: They had a very solid team, going 13-3 last year. Louis Cannon was solid last year he was not asked to do to much but when asked he got it done with little fuss. The real power house is the O-Line and Steve Blazer. MB is a rushing team that tries to be balanced, when they stop doing that who knows what the can do.
Defense: Righteous Honky and the front 7 have got to step up and shut down the run early in the games this year. That’s what killed them in the big games with Tallahassee and Sphere. If they can fix that they should have a strong shot at reaching the top of the hill and looking down at everyone else from the number one seed. The secondary has always played well but they need to reach that next level to be great. Expect MB to play hard and keep people under 20 points every game, you will have a real close game every time you play them.
Texas Roughnecks
Roughnecks are a interesting team. They are great on paper and in the game, until they play a tough game then they lose. To stop that I hope they have some more tricks to throw out this season. They need to find some way to score that last field goal in close games.
Offense: Andrew Matsis as just short of a 3,000 yard season, he was also 9 TDs short of passing his own interception mark. To add insult to injury he was sacked 15 times. The O-Line has got to find some way to step up and play without letting the pass rush hit them when it hurts the most on third and long in fourth. The Tick has his work cut out for him he was short of the 1,000 yard mark last season and he missed it even with 226 carries. On the upside he caught the ball for another 200 yards so is a threat in the flats.
Defense: Grim Ironjaw got himself a taste of what sacks feel like last season, that has only proved to make him want more and he will be a threat all season, QBs better write his number down before it hits them in the face. They need to find away to shut down that late drive in the fourth that leads them to the inevitable 3 points that beats them by 1 late in the game. Once they fix a couple holes they will be right there fighting for the home seed.
San Francisco Stonecutters
The mainstay of the bottom end of the league, Stonecutters are the punch bag of the West just when you think they have moved beyond and are ready for a playoff game they lose to a bad team. This year they come with a great looking offense and a very lackluster defense. Will it work?
Offense: A lot to like here. They only gave up five sack last season and were able to get Dan Parino to just under 2,500 yards. If you are looking for the weak link look no further than Cole Cleary. Less than 500 yards on 230 carries is ridiculous. That’s got to eb changed if they want to see the field of a playoff game this season. Another worry is the inexperienced receivers.
Defense: Chris Cleary and Teddy Pain need to slap the new players around and get them worked into a frenzy, or it will be another long wasted season for the Stonecutters. They look weak on this side of the ball and I don’t think they can shut down the big 6. Lucky for them 8 teams get into the playoffs so they might sneak in. Although unless they plug the holes they will not do anything in the playoffs anyway. Best case for them they win the games they are supposed t and win a couple of the close ones and hope they can shut down the better teams just enough to have a chance.
Texas Tornado
These guys are a transfer from A #8. Sadly for them they transferred into the pressure cooker known as A #1 West. They will get a chance to prove they have what it takes but I think they fold, lack of depth and experience will be the undoing of the Tornados.
Offense: They went 9-7 in A #8, whatever that means. They look very solid in terms of depth and do have some experienced players. Unlucky for them they also have some holes in the team. Addison Ashley seemed to have a poor first season, only two TDs under 2,000 yards and 11 picks. That’s not good. Lo Carb went for just over 400 yards on 100 carries, that’s not to bad. If they can work on that he should have a good season. The O-Line seems solid so maybe they can carry the team for the first few games.
Defense: Uh oh. Much like the Stonecutters they have all sorts of problems here. Back ups starting for the first time in a league like this one is a recipe for disaster for any team. They have got to find a way to claw a couple of wins just to avoid relegation and they start and ends with the front 7. Theo Kojak could be the man to do just that. He has the potential to have a great season and if he can find away through he double teams he could give them a fighting chance to avoid the drop.
Oklahoma Thunder
BBB #1Western Conference Champ, whats that worth in the CCC? Nothing. Thunder have a long season ahead of them if they are unable to compete on this level. Lucky for them it appears they can hit the ground running and be a real playoff threat.
Offense: Jim Swarthout is coming off a 2,300 yard 20+ TD season, enough said. The O-Line gave up one sack all season, something sure not to be matched in the A #1. Gallopin Gnus was able to rush for 1,600 yard and 12 TDs. The real test is can they do all that on these battle hardened teams. We won’t have to wait long to find out.
Defense: Timothee Williams will lead the battle of the trenches. Looking to drive his team into the playoffs with some hard nose defense and a unmovable wall of bodies in the front 7. The key to this defense is shutting down the run early and completely. The secondary can’t handle to many big plays and the LBs will need to be there to help in the zone schemes. Run on them and they will fall apart.
H-Town Hitmen
Season 2, USA BBB #2 League Champion, so what. This team is in the same shape as the Thunder. They will need to find some way to claw into the playoffs, anything short of that has to be a poor result from them. Welcome the West, hardest play to play in just about league.
Offense: They scored a lot in the BBB, I doubt they will be able to put up 30+ in almost every game in the A #1. That said its clear they know how to game plan and win the games they need to. Uncle Reeko had a 2,800+ 25 TD+ season, that’s not to be over looked. He was also only sacked 5 times so its clear the O-Line is not useless. Jemarcus Kane had a good year with 1,500 yard on the ground and 17 TDs. Key to shutting these guys down is a strong secondary and then close the rushing lanes.
Defense: Here is where they shine, they had a quite a few shutouts and the game planning on side of the ball is also excellent. Even if you get the ball past the front 7 the secondary can more than take care of business and they are able to crush anything that gets near them. They might have some troubles with some of the bigger teams but they should find a way to shut them down in turn and then they could very easily win a couple close one, not to be ignored.
That was alot of work.....
Last edited Jun 12, 2008 13:25:45
