Hey all,
I decided to do a power ranking for our league! Now, that being said, I figured I’d just glaze over the teams and whip something up real quick. 6 hours later, I am still not satisfied with the results, but it’s as good as it’s going to get. I don’t have a lot of info to go off of, so there are a lot of generalities and assumptions. Hope you enjoy the read!
ALPHA CONFERENCE
The Alpha Conference is strong. There are some teams that should have some serious ass-whoopin type games and are strong candidates to win it all for the league.
I’ve listed the team by an overall ranking, but I’ve also noted what I ranked them on Offense and Defense.
Berlin Devil Dogs
Overall Rank - 1
Offensive Rank - 2
Defensive Rank - 1
Two good RBs that make up a Thunder and Lightning running game or perhaps Thunder and Thunder? White Streak is a quick, pass catching scat back and Rhys Wheeler appears to maybe be of similar mold. Although he broke a fair number of tackles last season. With their high end FB blocking for them, and what looks like a deep and probably highest level front line blocking for them (including a blocking TE), this could be a serious Offensive attack team. This team is solid everywhere on Offense and has few holes on Defense where depth is a concern. Perhaps the team to beat in the all the league.
Sofia Spiders
Overall Rank - 2
Offensive Rank - 1
Defensive Rank - 2
An experienced owner and GM could take this team far. They have the one of, if not the best WR corp in the league. With some serious talent on the Offensive Line, if the QB steps up, this will be a very hard offense to contain. There is quality and depth abound on defense as well. They have the makings to be one of the elite teams in the league.
Mukachevo Cheetahs
Overall Rank - 3
Offensive Rank - 3
Defensive Rank - 3
With 2 quality QBs to pass to him, watch out for WR Boom Shanka. He could be the game changer in a lot of matchups this season. WR corp is deep. There are not many holes in this team. Defense also looks solid all around. This team will be one of the elite teams in the league as well.
Dallas Galaxy
Overall Rank - 4
Offensive Rank - 6
Defensive Rank - 4
Excellent depth at every position on both sides of the ball except OT where the quality of the starters may make up for the lack of depth anyway. If they can find ways to make use of their depth, they will be a strong competitor. If he can get some help around him, Line Crasher, their NT, could cause offenses some fits.
Transylvania Impalers
Overall Rank - 5
Offensive Rank - 4
Defensive Rank - 7
The Impalers have a solid QB duo. But with only 3 WRs, they might have trouble against tougher defenses moving the ball through the air. Only 2 human CBs will also cause them fits trying to slow down pass attacks. They need depth to stay fresh. In general, this team has some high end talent at some key positions QB, RB, WR, OT, G. Enough so that they will win a lot of games.
Black Sea Pirates
Overall Rank - 6
Offensive Rank - 7
Defensive Rank - 6
This team has serious depth on both sides of the ball. Not much for standout stars, but enough quality that they will be able to compete and stay fresh in most games. This teams success may come by wearing out opponents and taking advantage when backups are in by being consistent on their own depth. They look to perhaps being trying a Thunder and Lightning approach at HB? It can be tough to game plan against a team with a quality Power HB and quality Elusive HB.
Budapest Samurais
Overall Rank - 7
Offensive Rank - 9
Defensive Rank - 5
At the playmaker positions on Offense, this team is solid and could be dangerous. Offensive line is average and hope to be able to hold up long enough to make some plays. They were shut out by what looked like a comparable team in a scrimmage game, though, so they might have to figure out some tactics that work for their players. Defense has good Defensive line and good starters at LB and will need time for backups to grow. Secondary is solid, however.
London Wildcats
Overall Rank - 8
Offensive Rank - 8
Defensive Rank - 9
Slightly low chemistry, but shouldn’t affect them. They have 4 HBs, not sure how they will get them all involved. Watch out for Philips, though. He’s fast and agile. WRs are a bit thin, but TE caught 42 balls last season so might be ready to break out. Defense looks somewhat middle of the road. Not to say they can’t be good, they just don’t appear to have any game changers that will dominate a game.
Fayette Mafia Crew
Overall Rank - 9
Offensive Rank - 5
Defensive Rank - 13
The Mafia Crew is deep at WR and TE. With a quality QB, they could have a nice pass attack. They employ an ..interesting depth chart at offensive line, we’ll just have to see how it works out. Somewhat thin at LB and CB. Defense could be a problem though they do have some talent in spots. The offense will keep them in games.
The Saratov Swift Sharks
Overall Rank - 10
Offensive Rank - 10
Defensive Rank - 8
This team looks solid all around on Offense and Defense. They have pretty good depth on Offense. Jesper Swift is one of the higher QBs in the league. They might have some issues at WR with only 3 total and 2 lower levels, but perhaps they lean heavily on TE receiving with 2 solid TEs. The low depth in some spots might hurt them in tough, long games. Defense has some stars but is “half and half”. Might be a big disparity between starters and backups play in games.
The Wheatfield
Overall Rank - 11
Offensive Rank - 11
Defensive Rank - 10
Another experienced owner managed to get a fairly solid squad put together. Pretty middle of the road at most Offensive positions. Defense has depth everywhere except at CB. Passing Defense might be a weak spot for them unless they can get their FS’s to cover the holes acceptably.
Woburn Tanners
Overall Rank - 12
Offensive Rank - 12
Defensive Rank - 11
First thing that sticks out on this team is the experienced coaching staff. Having won a title GMing another team, the coaches may be able to swing games by game plan alone. They may need it because though they are not weak, they do have a couple depth and other quality issues on the team that puts them a step behind the top tier of teams in the Conference. You’ll almost see 2 distinct teams when the Tanners defense is on the field. When the starters play and when the backups play. Large disparity.
Kazan Black Dragons
Overall Rank - 13
Offensive Rank - 14
Defensive Rank - 12
This team will play well when their offensive starters are in the game, but may have trouble late in games or when putting in backups. CPUs are backing up the top 2 WRs and they have no backup OTs. They’ll be a little more consistent on defense, but they look to struggle as a team this season.
Budapest Coffee Mugs
Overall Rank - 14
Offensive Rank - 13
Defensive Rank - 15
Either this team is pure genius or ..tactically challenged. I’ll be curious to see why they decided to put their Kicker in the WR depth chart. One of the lower level QBs and WR issues means they might have trouble passing so maybe it’ll help! The defense will take some time to develop and be competitive. However, looking at how they performed in Scrimmages, perhaps they have a game plan, teamwork and coaching that might cause some waves sooner than expected.
Texas Longnecks
Overall Rank - 15
Offensive Rank - 15
Defensive Rank - 14
The Longnecks will need their experienced owner to supplement their lack of high end talent on offense. The offensive line should be able to hold their own but the rest of the Offense might need some time to become competitive. Defense managed to pull in a few stars, but will have trouble with depth for a while on the front line and LBs. They might have trouble stopping the run and pass defense might not be a whole lot better.
Bratislava Chaos
Overall Rank - 16
Offensive Rank - 16
Defensive Rank - 16
This team is relying on a lot of CPU help. This could be a patch to win a few games this season, but they’ll need some serious help in Free Agency to compete long term. The Offensive Line is ok and might allow them to get some offense generated. Defense will need time to develop and more human players to be able to slow down most teams in the Conference. Looks like a tough year in store for the Chaos.
ZETA CONFERENCE
In general, this appears to definitely be the weaker division. There are a couple very low end teams, a few high end teams that might be able to compete with the Alpha Conference, and a whole bunch of middle of the road “average” teams. Results should be interesting.
Wroclaw Wolverines
Overall Rank - 1
Offensive Rank - 1
Defensive Rank - 3
This team has played well in scrimmages against pretty tough opponents, but take scrimmage games with the necessary grain of salt of course. But it doesn’t look to have been flukes. 2 Solid QBs lead an offense with quality at all skills positions. If the Offensive Line can hold up, they will score a lot of points. Defense has quality starters and only a few young backups. This team looks to be a contender to win a lot of games.
Kosovo Kryptonite
Overall Rank - 2
Offensive Rank - 3
Defensive Rank - 2
Kosovo is going with the GM by committee approach, utilizing quite a few experienced Agents. Their 2 scrimmage games were wins against very strong Zeta Conference teams. Having a team with good players across the board, but only a few elite players, this may be a result of quality game planning. Time will tell. Their greatest strength may just be in their exceptional depth.
Columbus Crush
Overall Rank - 3
Offensive Rank - 2
Defensive Rank - 7
With an impressive 63% completion percentage, QB Devil Hiruma may be the key this above average Offense. He has plenty of receiving targets to allow this team to compete. Assuming the lack of a NT is just an oversight, this Defense is deep and strong everywhere but the secondary, where they are going to get killed if they don’t get help. They have 1 CB and not enough anywhere else to cover. The Sim will be pulling in God knows what positions to fill on passing plays. This really kills their ranking. Otherwise, this is a quality Defense.
Chernobyl Nuclear Assault
Overall Rank - 4
Offensive Rank - 4
Defensive Rank - 5
Very experienced owner (in appearance at least) might have some good game planning up his sleeve to help make this team compete with the top teams in the Conference. This offense has some talent at QB and HB. Though hurting for human depth, the defense does have a quality front line and “average” secondary. They’re just a couple players from being competitive with the “elite top 3” of the Conference.
Terlingua Javelinas
Overall Rank - 5
Offensive Rank - 5
Defensive Rank - 6
A team that looks similar to many others in the Conference. Javelinas aren’t a whole lot different then the next few teams. “Average” players at most positions followed by lower end talent as backups. Offense looks to employ another example of out of position offensive backups, but in general, the Offensive line looks pretty strong. Being the core of any team being able to play at a high level on Offense, the good Offensive line helps them rank higher. Defense is strong and fairly “average” as well.
Rome Colossus
Overall Rank - 6
Offensive Rank - 8
Defensive Rank - 1
The Colossus have decent quality across the board on Offense. They are, however, at least for now perplexingly playing some Offensive linemen out of position. The QB on the HB depth chart is almost as confusing as the Kicker in the WR depth chart for the Coffee Mugs. Until you see that he is a rushing QB. Interesting way to get him playtime. Defense looks deep and solid. There are no weak spots. Their defense will not only keep them in games, it may win a few for them.
Ukrainian Warheads
Overall Rank - 7
Offensive Rank - 7
Defensive Rank - 4
HB Fastshoes Widower might be the best player on this offense. There is good depth across the board on Offense however, so he won’t need to carry the team. He’ll have pretty good blocking though. #1 positions on defense have quality starters, but talent drops off after that. They should be able to stay in a lot of games, though.
Kiev Cossacks
Overall Rank - 8
Offensive Rank - 6
Defensive Rank - 8
My money is on this being a Thunder and Lightning attempt in the backfield with 1 Power and 1 Elusive back. A solid Offensive Line may allow this team to have an effective running game. They might need to upgrade at FB for that to happen, however. Marcos Polo anchors a decent secondary, no glaring holes to be exploited, but no other “stars” to be seen.
Las Vegas Highrollers
Overall Rank - 9
Offensive Rank - 9
Defensive Rank – 9
With quality starters at key positions, Highrollers are going to play well at least at start of games. They are also, however, employing the strategy of out of position players on the Offensive line. They’ve got troubles on the Defensive line and a general lack of depth on defense. Depth issues might cause them to lose the close games.
The D-League Home For Underprivileged Children
Overall Rank - 10
Offensive Rank - 10
Defensive Rank - 10
This team will tire out opponents simply by having to say their team name! Another experienced owner who has GMed a team to a Championship looks to have the beginnings of a pretty good team, but they lack depth and starters are not elite for the league. The passing game may struggle for a while with the young Roger “4th Quarter” Staubach at the helm. This team might try to utilize the 3-4 on Defense. There will be a growth curve up front as the Defensive line and LBs are all young. Secondary is only slightly more experienced. Scrimmages still may not tell us much as teams experiment, but they didn’t look good in the two they had.
Bucharest Vampires
Overall Ranking - 11
Offensive Ranking - 12
Defensive Ranking – 11
Owner has significant number of players on his team making tactics easier and builds can be customized to work together well. That being said, it’s going to be a considerable amount of time before this team can throw the ball. All but 1 WR is fresh out of college, a scary proposition for the passing game. This team looks to be planning to utilize the 3-4 defense, but will again need time to get some experience for its incredibly young LB corp and CBs. They will struggle early in the season.
Minsk Mavericks
Overall Rank - 12
Offensive Rank - 11
Defensive Rank - 15
The Mavericks have a middle of the pack type offensive line that will help give the young skill position players a little breathing room. But that won’t be enough. With 3 CPU WRs, this team will struggle to pass. Defenses should be able to key on the run game to stop their best Offensive player, RB The “A” Train. Defense is almost completely stocked with CPUs. They will get scored on a lot. Hard to say, is it worse to have all CPUs if decent level or all low level humans? I’m going with humans. This drops their Defense ranking. Going to be a tough year for Minsk.
Nysa Sentinals
Overall Rank - 13
Offensive Rank - 14
Defensive Rank - 12
The owner has a considerable number of his own players on the team, bringing with that it’s benefits and detriments. The WR corp is…consistent, we’ll say. The patchwork Offensive line has a couple holes. There are only a few players beyond rookie level on this offense, but at least that includes the QBs and HBs. Defensively, their lineman crew has some potential to play well. And if nothing else, their LBs and secondary are somewhat deep. This team will likely struggle, however, to win more than a few games.
Washington Cowboys
Overall Rank - 14
Offensive Rank - 13
Defensive Rank - 13
The Cowboys are in trouble. They managed to pull in a few top tier talent players, but with a level 1 starting at ROT and level 4 C starting at RG, the offensive line will have trouble keeping defenses off the quality QB and RBs. Lot of level 1s starting for the defense as well. This looks to be the makings of an expansion type team that will need to suffer through a season before they compete for much of anything.
Constantinople Romans
Overall Rank - 15
Offensive Rank - 15
Defensive Rank - 14
Another Championship winning owner brings his knowledge to building a team that appears to be starting from scratch. Most offensive players are fresh from college + boost. Few exceptions mean this team will need time to season before being anywhere close to competitive. Defensively, with the same scenario it will be an ugly year for the Romans. But is there a method to their madness? A spot check shows a lot of experienced owners with players on the team. Hmm.
Caspian Sea Dragons
Overall Rank - 16
Offensive Rank - 16
Defensive Rank - 16
This team will dominate!!....maybe someday in the future. As it stands, it will be a…disappointing year for the Dragons. The goal might be to try not to go winless. What they do have is consistency and depth across the board and a whole bunch of good owners. What will this team be in a season or two? We’ll have to wait and see but as for now, this team has a solid grasp on the worst in the Conference, perhaps league.
I decided to do a power ranking for our league! Now, that being said, I figured I’d just glaze over the teams and whip something up real quick. 6 hours later, I am still not satisfied with the results, but it’s as good as it’s going to get. I don’t have a lot of info to go off of, so there are a lot of generalities and assumptions. Hope you enjoy the read!
ALPHA CONFERENCE
The Alpha Conference is strong. There are some teams that should have some serious ass-whoopin type games and are strong candidates to win it all for the league.
I’ve listed the team by an overall ranking, but I’ve also noted what I ranked them on Offense and Defense.
Berlin Devil Dogs
Overall Rank - 1
Offensive Rank - 2
Defensive Rank - 1
Two good RBs that make up a Thunder and Lightning running game or perhaps Thunder and Thunder? White Streak is a quick, pass catching scat back and Rhys Wheeler appears to maybe be of similar mold. Although he broke a fair number of tackles last season. With their high end FB blocking for them, and what looks like a deep and probably highest level front line blocking for them (including a blocking TE), this could be a serious Offensive attack team. This team is solid everywhere on Offense and has few holes on Defense where depth is a concern. Perhaps the team to beat in the all the league.
Sofia Spiders
Overall Rank - 2
Offensive Rank - 1
Defensive Rank - 2
An experienced owner and GM could take this team far. They have the one of, if not the best WR corp in the league. With some serious talent on the Offensive Line, if the QB steps up, this will be a very hard offense to contain. There is quality and depth abound on defense as well. They have the makings to be one of the elite teams in the league.
Mukachevo Cheetahs
Overall Rank - 3
Offensive Rank - 3
Defensive Rank - 3
With 2 quality QBs to pass to him, watch out for WR Boom Shanka. He could be the game changer in a lot of matchups this season. WR corp is deep. There are not many holes in this team. Defense also looks solid all around. This team will be one of the elite teams in the league as well.
Dallas Galaxy
Overall Rank - 4
Offensive Rank - 6
Defensive Rank - 4
Excellent depth at every position on both sides of the ball except OT where the quality of the starters may make up for the lack of depth anyway. If they can find ways to make use of their depth, they will be a strong competitor. If he can get some help around him, Line Crasher, their NT, could cause offenses some fits.
Transylvania Impalers
Overall Rank - 5
Offensive Rank - 4
Defensive Rank - 7
The Impalers have a solid QB duo. But with only 3 WRs, they might have trouble against tougher defenses moving the ball through the air. Only 2 human CBs will also cause them fits trying to slow down pass attacks. They need depth to stay fresh. In general, this team has some high end talent at some key positions QB, RB, WR, OT, G. Enough so that they will win a lot of games.
Black Sea Pirates
Overall Rank - 6
Offensive Rank - 7
Defensive Rank - 6
This team has serious depth on both sides of the ball. Not much for standout stars, but enough quality that they will be able to compete and stay fresh in most games. This teams success may come by wearing out opponents and taking advantage when backups are in by being consistent on their own depth. They look to perhaps being trying a Thunder and Lightning approach at HB? It can be tough to game plan against a team with a quality Power HB and quality Elusive HB.
Budapest Samurais
Overall Rank - 7
Offensive Rank - 9
Defensive Rank - 5
At the playmaker positions on Offense, this team is solid and could be dangerous. Offensive line is average and hope to be able to hold up long enough to make some plays. They were shut out by what looked like a comparable team in a scrimmage game, though, so they might have to figure out some tactics that work for their players. Defense has good Defensive line and good starters at LB and will need time for backups to grow. Secondary is solid, however.
London Wildcats
Overall Rank - 8
Offensive Rank - 8
Defensive Rank - 9
Slightly low chemistry, but shouldn’t affect them. They have 4 HBs, not sure how they will get them all involved. Watch out for Philips, though. He’s fast and agile. WRs are a bit thin, but TE caught 42 balls last season so might be ready to break out. Defense looks somewhat middle of the road. Not to say they can’t be good, they just don’t appear to have any game changers that will dominate a game.
Fayette Mafia Crew
Overall Rank - 9
Offensive Rank - 5
Defensive Rank - 13
The Mafia Crew is deep at WR and TE. With a quality QB, they could have a nice pass attack. They employ an ..interesting depth chart at offensive line, we’ll just have to see how it works out. Somewhat thin at LB and CB. Defense could be a problem though they do have some talent in spots. The offense will keep them in games.
The Saratov Swift Sharks
Overall Rank - 10
Offensive Rank - 10
Defensive Rank - 8
This team looks solid all around on Offense and Defense. They have pretty good depth on Offense. Jesper Swift is one of the higher QBs in the league. They might have some issues at WR with only 3 total and 2 lower levels, but perhaps they lean heavily on TE receiving with 2 solid TEs. The low depth in some spots might hurt them in tough, long games. Defense has some stars but is “half and half”. Might be a big disparity between starters and backups play in games.
The Wheatfield
Overall Rank - 11
Offensive Rank - 11
Defensive Rank - 10
Another experienced owner managed to get a fairly solid squad put together. Pretty middle of the road at most Offensive positions. Defense has depth everywhere except at CB. Passing Defense might be a weak spot for them unless they can get their FS’s to cover the holes acceptably.
Woburn Tanners
Overall Rank - 12
Offensive Rank - 12
Defensive Rank - 11
First thing that sticks out on this team is the experienced coaching staff. Having won a title GMing another team, the coaches may be able to swing games by game plan alone. They may need it because though they are not weak, they do have a couple depth and other quality issues on the team that puts them a step behind the top tier of teams in the Conference. You’ll almost see 2 distinct teams when the Tanners defense is on the field. When the starters play and when the backups play. Large disparity.
Kazan Black Dragons
Overall Rank - 13
Offensive Rank - 14
Defensive Rank - 12
This team will play well when their offensive starters are in the game, but may have trouble late in games or when putting in backups. CPUs are backing up the top 2 WRs and they have no backup OTs. They’ll be a little more consistent on defense, but they look to struggle as a team this season.
Budapest Coffee Mugs
Overall Rank - 14
Offensive Rank - 13
Defensive Rank - 15
Either this team is pure genius or ..tactically challenged. I’ll be curious to see why they decided to put their Kicker in the WR depth chart. One of the lower level QBs and WR issues means they might have trouble passing so maybe it’ll help! The defense will take some time to develop and be competitive. However, looking at how they performed in Scrimmages, perhaps they have a game plan, teamwork and coaching that might cause some waves sooner than expected.
Texas Longnecks
Overall Rank - 15
Offensive Rank - 15
Defensive Rank - 14
The Longnecks will need their experienced owner to supplement their lack of high end talent on offense. The offensive line should be able to hold their own but the rest of the Offense might need some time to become competitive. Defense managed to pull in a few stars, but will have trouble with depth for a while on the front line and LBs. They might have trouble stopping the run and pass defense might not be a whole lot better.
Bratislava Chaos
Overall Rank - 16
Offensive Rank - 16
Defensive Rank - 16
This team is relying on a lot of CPU help. This could be a patch to win a few games this season, but they’ll need some serious help in Free Agency to compete long term. The Offensive Line is ok and might allow them to get some offense generated. Defense will need time to develop and more human players to be able to slow down most teams in the Conference. Looks like a tough year in store for the Chaos.
ZETA CONFERENCE
In general, this appears to definitely be the weaker division. There are a couple very low end teams, a few high end teams that might be able to compete with the Alpha Conference, and a whole bunch of middle of the road “average” teams. Results should be interesting.
Wroclaw Wolverines
Overall Rank - 1
Offensive Rank - 1
Defensive Rank - 3
This team has played well in scrimmages against pretty tough opponents, but take scrimmage games with the necessary grain of salt of course. But it doesn’t look to have been flukes. 2 Solid QBs lead an offense with quality at all skills positions. If the Offensive Line can hold up, they will score a lot of points. Defense has quality starters and only a few young backups. This team looks to be a contender to win a lot of games.
Kosovo Kryptonite
Overall Rank - 2
Offensive Rank - 3
Defensive Rank - 2
Kosovo is going with the GM by committee approach, utilizing quite a few experienced Agents. Their 2 scrimmage games were wins against very strong Zeta Conference teams. Having a team with good players across the board, but only a few elite players, this may be a result of quality game planning. Time will tell. Their greatest strength may just be in their exceptional depth.
Columbus Crush
Overall Rank - 3
Offensive Rank - 2
Defensive Rank - 7
With an impressive 63% completion percentage, QB Devil Hiruma may be the key this above average Offense. He has plenty of receiving targets to allow this team to compete. Assuming the lack of a NT is just an oversight, this Defense is deep and strong everywhere but the secondary, where they are going to get killed if they don’t get help. They have 1 CB and not enough anywhere else to cover. The Sim will be pulling in God knows what positions to fill on passing plays. This really kills their ranking. Otherwise, this is a quality Defense.
Chernobyl Nuclear Assault
Overall Rank - 4
Offensive Rank - 4
Defensive Rank - 5
Very experienced owner (in appearance at least) might have some good game planning up his sleeve to help make this team compete with the top teams in the Conference. This offense has some talent at QB and HB. Though hurting for human depth, the defense does have a quality front line and “average” secondary. They’re just a couple players from being competitive with the “elite top 3” of the Conference.
Terlingua Javelinas
Overall Rank - 5
Offensive Rank - 5
Defensive Rank - 6
A team that looks similar to many others in the Conference. Javelinas aren’t a whole lot different then the next few teams. “Average” players at most positions followed by lower end talent as backups. Offense looks to employ another example of out of position offensive backups, but in general, the Offensive line looks pretty strong. Being the core of any team being able to play at a high level on Offense, the good Offensive line helps them rank higher. Defense is strong and fairly “average” as well.
Rome Colossus
Overall Rank - 6
Offensive Rank - 8
Defensive Rank - 1
The Colossus have decent quality across the board on Offense. They are, however, at least for now perplexingly playing some Offensive linemen out of position. The QB on the HB depth chart is almost as confusing as the Kicker in the WR depth chart for the Coffee Mugs. Until you see that he is a rushing QB. Interesting way to get him playtime. Defense looks deep and solid. There are no weak spots. Their defense will not only keep them in games, it may win a few for them.
Ukrainian Warheads
Overall Rank - 7
Offensive Rank - 7
Defensive Rank - 4
HB Fastshoes Widower might be the best player on this offense. There is good depth across the board on Offense however, so he won’t need to carry the team. He’ll have pretty good blocking though. #1 positions on defense have quality starters, but talent drops off after that. They should be able to stay in a lot of games, though.
Kiev Cossacks
Overall Rank - 8
Offensive Rank - 6
Defensive Rank - 8
My money is on this being a Thunder and Lightning attempt in the backfield with 1 Power and 1 Elusive back. A solid Offensive Line may allow this team to have an effective running game. They might need to upgrade at FB for that to happen, however. Marcos Polo anchors a decent secondary, no glaring holes to be exploited, but no other “stars” to be seen.
Las Vegas Highrollers
Overall Rank - 9
Offensive Rank - 9
Defensive Rank – 9
With quality starters at key positions, Highrollers are going to play well at least at start of games. They are also, however, employing the strategy of out of position players on the Offensive line. They’ve got troubles on the Defensive line and a general lack of depth on defense. Depth issues might cause them to lose the close games.
The D-League Home For Underprivileged Children
Overall Rank - 10
Offensive Rank - 10
Defensive Rank - 10
This team will tire out opponents simply by having to say their team name! Another experienced owner who has GMed a team to a Championship looks to have the beginnings of a pretty good team, but they lack depth and starters are not elite for the league. The passing game may struggle for a while with the young Roger “4th Quarter” Staubach at the helm. This team might try to utilize the 3-4 on Defense. There will be a growth curve up front as the Defensive line and LBs are all young. Secondary is only slightly more experienced. Scrimmages still may not tell us much as teams experiment, but they didn’t look good in the two they had.
Bucharest Vampires
Overall Ranking - 11
Offensive Ranking - 12
Defensive Ranking – 11
Owner has significant number of players on his team making tactics easier and builds can be customized to work together well. That being said, it’s going to be a considerable amount of time before this team can throw the ball. All but 1 WR is fresh out of college, a scary proposition for the passing game. This team looks to be planning to utilize the 3-4 defense, but will again need time to get some experience for its incredibly young LB corp and CBs. They will struggle early in the season.
Minsk Mavericks
Overall Rank - 12
Offensive Rank - 11
Defensive Rank - 15
The Mavericks have a middle of the pack type offensive line that will help give the young skill position players a little breathing room. But that won’t be enough. With 3 CPU WRs, this team will struggle to pass. Defenses should be able to key on the run game to stop their best Offensive player, RB The “A” Train. Defense is almost completely stocked with CPUs. They will get scored on a lot. Hard to say, is it worse to have all CPUs if decent level or all low level humans? I’m going with humans. This drops their Defense ranking. Going to be a tough year for Minsk.
Nysa Sentinals
Overall Rank - 13
Offensive Rank - 14
Defensive Rank - 12
The owner has a considerable number of his own players on the team, bringing with that it’s benefits and detriments. The WR corp is…consistent, we’ll say. The patchwork Offensive line has a couple holes. There are only a few players beyond rookie level on this offense, but at least that includes the QBs and HBs. Defensively, their lineman crew has some potential to play well. And if nothing else, their LBs and secondary are somewhat deep. This team will likely struggle, however, to win more than a few games.
Washington Cowboys
Overall Rank - 14
Offensive Rank - 13
Defensive Rank - 13
The Cowboys are in trouble. They managed to pull in a few top tier talent players, but with a level 1 starting at ROT and level 4 C starting at RG, the offensive line will have trouble keeping defenses off the quality QB and RBs. Lot of level 1s starting for the defense as well. This looks to be the makings of an expansion type team that will need to suffer through a season before they compete for much of anything.
Constantinople Romans
Overall Rank - 15
Offensive Rank - 15
Defensive Rank - 14
Another Championship winning owner brings his knowledge to building a team that appears to be starting from scratch. Most offensive players are fresh from college + boost. Few exceptions mean this team will need time to season before being anywhere close to competitive. Defensively, with the same scenario it will be an ugly year for the Romans. But is there a method to their madness? A spot check shows a lot of experienced owners with players on the team. Hmm.
Caspian Sea Dragons
Overall Rank - 16
Offensive Rank - 16
Defensive Rank - 16
This team will dominate!!....maybe someday in the future. As it stands, it will be a…disappointing year for the Dragons. The goal might be to try not to go winless. What they do have is consistency and depth across the board and a whole bunch of good owners. What will this team be in a season or two? We’ll have to wait and see but as for now, this team has a solid grasp on the worst in the Conference, perhaps league.
Last edited Aug 3, 2008 11:42:07
