Apologies for missing last week, bloody RL.... 
31 games from 38 so far, still a few surprises coming up every now and then.
And so, getting on with it:
Surabaya Tigers (8-0) v Riverside Kings (8-0)
Definately Game of the Week here, the winner of this game is looking very likely to finish the season 16-0. Very similar game plans from both teams, preferring to pound their opposition on the ground over throwing it. Both teams have proved their abilities in remaining undefeated this far into the season, with both teams having more Rushing Yards then some teams have produced with their entire offense, this is likely to be a close game.
I'm going to have to go with Surabaya here, if only because all the teams that both of them have played this season, Surabaya beat by a greater margin (in the case of the Yaks game 30 points more) and that offense will overrun almost any D.
Surabaya by 7.
Vietnam Veterans (7-1) v Hong Kong Valley Knights (3-5)
One of the top teams faces off against a team looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, but the Valley Knights wil have to pull out something special to get past the Veterans, who have beaten everyone since they were beaten by Surabaya way back in Week 1. They can take courage from their win against the Metalheads last week however, a result I probably wouldn't have picked, had I the time to do them last week.
Even with that win though, I cant see Hong Kong getting past the Veterans, but with a bit of luck they could at least keep the score respectable.
Veterans by 14.
Southern Wastes (6-2) v Hanoi Heat (1-7)
This may be the second most uneven game this round, Hanoi have little chance of a result here, against a team that has seemingly recovered from their surprise loss to the Avengers.
While the Heat's offense have some strong players, their defense has few players of great ability, and the backups aren't up to the task of facing one of the more dangerous passing attacks in the league.
Wastes by 14.
Yokohama Yaks (6-2) v Toungoo Tigers (0-8)
Clearly the most uneven game this round, the Tigers have allowed 37.4 points/game, and that isn't likely to improve against the Yaks.
I cant see Toungoo having any chance of winning this game, save maybe the Yaks playing the whole game with nothign but their backups, and that would only give em a 50-50 chance at best. This is gonna be a blowout, with the Tigers fans probably packing up and going home at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Yaks by 30+.
Phuket Blazers (5-3) v Portland Microbrews (5-3)
Two evenly matched teams, and both teams a coming off big wins against the 2 bottom teams, be prepared for a slugfest.
Phuket must have been buying players like mad, because they have some big stars in their defensive lineup all of a sudden, to go with their big O-Line. Portland have some big players themselves in their secondary, but they lack the big front 7 that Phuket has, and that could prove crucial.
Overall I think Phukets recent purchases should be more then enough to see them past Portland, and may even be enough for the Yaks next week, as long as they can work as a team.
Blazers by 10.
Mean Street Metalheads (4-4) v Tiananmen Square Dancers (4-4)
This game shows two teams with matching records, if not matching abilities. Sure both teams are 4-4, but Tiananmen only have Vietnam left out of the top 4 teams, whereas the Vets are the only top 4 team Mean street have played.
After a tough start to the season the Dancers have improved greatly, winning 3 of thier last 4 games, while Mean Street have struggled to put wins together, limiting their progress all season. Defensively there aren't many teams better then Tiananmen, who are still the only team to hold Surabaya to a single digit score. The only thing stopping them from dominating the rest of their season is their offense, which struggled last week against a Wastes D which has struggled against the pass thus far.
The Metalheads on the other hand have a pretty awful defense, especially in the air, only the Steelers have allowed more Passing Yards. While they started the season pretty well, I think the Metalheads will struggle to make the playoffs this season, they have alot of tough teams left to face, including this week.
Tiananmen by 7.
Monte Cristo Avengers (3-5) v Kenosha Bootleggers (1-7)
Monte Cristo could perhaps count themselves a little unfortunate to lose to the Veterans last week, with mistakes costing them points on at least 2 occasions, but they have an easier game this week, as they face the Bootleggers, who have struggled to put up much resistance, though they can take heart in the fact that the games they lost were against some of the better teams in the comference, leaving them with some easier games left to play (not counting the thrashing Surabaya will dish out next week).
I cant see Monte Cristo losing this game to be honest, Kenosha still have plenty of room for improvement, especially amongst their backup O-Line and D-Line players.
Avengers by 10.
Cebu Matador (2-6) v Shanghai Steelers (1-7)
Neither of these teams have much chance of making the playoffs from here, but miracles can happen, and they can start with this week.
Cebu has had some player movement in their roster, but taking a look at it I can tell whether they bought players or sold them, but either way they may have trouble working together. But their players (in the Defense especially) should be good enough individually to make up for any failure of communication. Shanghai really need their offense to get their act together, having only reached double digits vs lowly Hanoi and Kenosha, that could be a big problem for them.
I see Cebu winning this one, assuming the game hasn't been washed out by the typhoon that swept through recently...
Cebu by 7.
Now we have reached the halfway point of the season, and there seems to be a gap developing between the Top Teams (Surabaya, Riverside, Vietnam and Yokohama) for whom the playoffs is all but inevitable; the Main Pack (Southern, Phuket, Mean Street, Portland, Tiananmen, Hong Kong, Monte Cristo) fighting for the rest of the Top 8 spots; and the Rest, for whom getting to the playoffs is becoming a distant dream with each passing week...
Thats all for this week, RL should allow me to do next round also, will see how we go.
Smegish
Southern Wastes
'Special' Teams Uncoordinator
31 games from 38 so far, still a few surprises coming up every now and then.
And so, getting on with it:
Surabaya Tigers (8-0) v Riverside Kings (8-0)
Definately Game of the Week here, the winner of this game is looking very likely to finish the season 16-0. Very similar game plans from both teams, preferring to pound their opposition on the ground over throwing it. Both teams have proved their abilities in remaining undefeated this far into the season, with both teams having more Rushing Yards then some teams have produced with their entire offense, this is likely to be a close game.
I'm going to have to go with Surabaya here, if only because all the teams that both of them have played this season, Surabaya beat by a greater margin (in the case of the Yaks game 30 points more) and that offense will overrun almost any D.
Surabaya by 7.
Vietnam Veterans (7-1) v Hong Kong Valley Knights (3-5)
One of the top teams faces off against a team looking to keep their playoff hopes alive, but the Valley Knights wil have to pull out something special to get past the Veterans, who have beaten everyone since they were beaten by Surabaya way back in Week 1. They can take courage from their win against the Metalheads last week however, a result I probably wouldn't have picked, had I the time to do them last week.
Even with that win though, I cant see Hong Kong getting past the Veterans, but with a bit of luck they could at least keep the score respectable.
Veterans by 14.
Southern Wastes (6-2) v Hanoi Heat (1-7)
This may be the second most uneven game this round, Hanoi have little chance of a result here, against a team that has seemingly recovered from their surprise loss to the Avengers.
While the Heat's offense have some strong players, their defense has few players of great ability, and the backups aren't up to the task of facing one of the more dangerous passing attacks in the league.
Wastes by 14.
Yokohama Yaks (6-2) v Toungoo Tigers (0-8)
Clearly the most uneven game this round, the Tigers have allowed 37.4 points/game, and that isn't likely to improve against the Yaks.
I cant see Toungoo having any chance of winning this game, save maybe the Yaks playing the whole game with nothign but their backups, and that would only give em a 50-50 chance at best. This is gonna be a blowout, with the Tigers fans probably packing up and going home at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Yaks by 30+.
Phuket Blazers (5-3) v Portland Microbrews (5-3)
Two evenly matched teams, and both teams a coming off big wins against the 2 bottom teams, be prepared for a slugfest.
Phuket must have been buying players like mad, because they have some big stars in their defensive lineup all of a sudden, to go with their big O-Line. Portland have some big players themselves in their secondary, but they lack the big front 7 that Phuket has, and that could prove crucial.
Overall I think Phukets recent purchases should be more then enough to see them past Portland, and may even be enough for the Yaks next week, as long as they can work as a team.
Blazers by 10.
Mean Street Metalheads (4-4) v Tiananmen Square Dancers (4-4)
This game shows two teams with matching records, if not matching abilities. Sure both teams are 4-4, but Tiananmen only have Vietnam left out of the top 4 teams, whereas the Vets are the only top 4 team Mean street have played.
After a tough start to the season the Dancers have improved greatly, winning 3 of thier last 4 games, while Mean Street have struggled to put wins together, limiting their progress all season. Defensively there aren't many teams better then Tiananmen, who are still the only team to hold Surabaya to a single digit score. The only thing stopping them from dominating the rest of their season is their offense, which struggled last week against a Wastes D which has struggled against the pass thus far.
The Metalheads on the other hand have a pretty awful defense, especially in the air, only the Steelers have allowed more Passing Yards. While they started the season pretty well, I think the Metalheads will struggle to make the playoffs this season, they have alot of tough teams left to face, including this week.
Tiananmen by 7.
Monte Cristo Avengers (3-5) v Kenosha Bootleggers (1-7)
Monte Cristo could perhaps count themselves a little unfortunate to lose to the Veterans last week, with mistakes costing them points on at least 2 occasions, but they have an easier game this week, as they face the Bootleggers, who have struggled to put up much resistance, though they can take heart in the fact that the games they lost were against some of the better teams in the comference, leaving them with some easier games left to play (not counting the thrashing Surabaya will dish out next week).
I cant see Monte Cristo losing this game to be honest, Kenosha still have plenty of room for improvement, especially amongst their backup O-Line and D-Line players.
Avengers by 10.
Cebu Matador (2-6) v Shanghai Steelers (1-7)
Neither of these teams have much chance of making the playoffs from here, but miracles can happen, and they can start with this week.
Cebu has had some player movement in their roster, but taking a look at it I can tell whether they bought players or sold them, but either way they may have trouble working together. But their players (in the Defense especially) should be good enough individually to make up for any failure of communication. Shanghai really need their offense to get their act together, having only reached double digits vs lowly Hanoi and Kenosha, that could be a big problem for them.
I see Cebu winning this one, assuming the game hasn't been washed out by the typhoon that swept through recently...
Cebu by 7.
Now we have reached the halfway point of the season, and there seems to be a gap developing between the Top Teams (Surabaya, Riverside, Vietnam and Yokohama) for whom the playoffs is all but inevitable; the Main Pack (Southern, Phuket, Mean Street, Portland, Tiananmen, Hong Kong, Monte Cristo) fighting for the rest of the Top 8 spots; and the Rest, for whom getting to the playoffs is becoming a distant dream with each passing week...
Thats all for this week, RL should allow me to do next round also, will see how we go.
Smegish
Southern Wastes
'Special' Teams Uncoordinator
