I realized I got a few records and small bits of info wrong in the last write up. I apologize for that and if you notice something wrong, please feel free to let me know via PM or just post. Retractions aside, it’s time for a new analysis!! Week 7 and 8 showed some interesting battles that are starting to have playoff implications, some upsets and some standard outcomes. Teams are starting to secure their place in their leagues, whether that be championship contender or basement dweller. Let’s see how things shook out…
ALPHA CONFERENCE
Sofia Spiders
Record: 8-0
Last game: 45-20 W over Devil Dogs
Rank - 1
Previous Rank - 1
The Spiders are a broken record. Save for week 1, they have the same outcomes in games. Score 40 to 50 points, hold opponent to 10 or 15. Week 7 was no different, beating an up and coming Cheetahs team 45-10, defensively doing so in fairly standard manner of shutting down the running game. Offensively, they certainly didn’t get help from field position as their TD drives were all lengthy of 63 yards or more. The Spiders did miss 2 FGs, so I think they might want to panic! Week 8 was more of the same, but the Devil Dogs did managed to put up 20, a defensive letdown for the Spiders.
Black Sea Pirates
Record: 7-1
Last game: 28-10 W over Impalers
Rank - 2
Previous Rank - 2
Week 7, the Pirates made it 3 straight games putting up 55 points, the downside being their schedule to this point had been against mostly the bottom tier of the Conference, including this game against the Wildcats. Both QBs performed well with Weatherford getting 2 touchdown tosses and Yew getting a slightly better completion percentage at 75%. Defensively, the Pirates played well, posting 12 pass deflections, 1 hurry and 2 sacks. Week 8, the Pirates did a good job containing the Impalers passing attack, knocking down 9 balls and intercepting one.
Budapest Samurais
Record: 7-1
Last game: 17-3 W over Tanners
Rank - 3
Previous Rank - 4
The Samurais continue to elevate their game, playing well on both sides of the ball against the Galaxy in week 7. The defense allowed just 185 total yards while the offense cranked out 19 first downs, including when they needed them the most, obtaining first downs on 80% of 3rd down plays. Week 8, the Samurais got up 17-3 in the first half and neither team could put points on the board the 2nd half, with each team finishing the game with an INT on their last possession.
Berlin Devil Dogs
Record: 5-3
Last game: 20-45 L to Spiders
Rank - 4
Previous Rank – 3
The Devil Dogs had a little more trouble against the Tanners in week 7 than I might have expected. The Dogs only managed 3.6ypc on the ground and didn’t do much better passing, with 50% completion and 1 TD and 1 INT. The Berlin defense stepped up and played very well, forcing 9 drives to end after 5 plays or less. Without the Tanner TD in the waning seconds of the game, the Dogs would have pitched a shut out and allowed only 172 yards of total offense. They followed up in week 8 by getting pushed around by the Spiders. They managed 20, but the first TD was on a bizarre play where a fumbled punt was picked up and run in for 6. Though they have potential, the Dogs seem to just not be playing at a high level.
The Saratov Swift Sharks
Record: 6-2
Last game: 17-13 W over Wheatfield
Rank - 5
Previous Rank - 5
The Swift Sharks continued their 1 sided offensive assault in week 7, rushing 40 plays for 413 yards vs just 10 pass attempts. The Sharks are simply daring teams to stop their running game and it hasn’t happened too often, posting 10.3 yards per carry in this outing. The Swift Shark LB crew had a monster day, grabbing 35 of the 71 tackles made by the team. Week 8, even though outgained by 140 yards, the Sharks got a win, doing so with big plays. A 70 yard INT return for a TD started the bleeding, and they followed up with a 33 yard rumble for 6 by the Nigerian Nightmare.
The Wheatfield
Record: 5-3
Last game: 13-17 L to Swift Sharks
Rank - 6
Previous Rank - 8
The Wheatfield brought their A game week 7 against the Impalers and took it to a good team by controlling the clock almost 40 minutes and slowing the game down, running 58 times for 274 yards. The defense was a rock wall against the run, allowing only 47 total rushing yards. Week 8, the Wheatfield fought back to stay in the game with the Swift Sharks, finally succumbing when they failed to convert a 4th down on the 11 yard line with 1:20 left in the game. Even after the loss, this team seems to be getting better week after week.
Mukachevo Cheetahs
Record: 4-4
Last game: 30-0 W over Coffee Mugs
Rank - 7
Previous Rank - 7
Week 7 was against the monsters of the league, the Sofia Spiders, and ended about as expected, with a tough loss to the #1 team. They Cheetahs held the ball no more than 6:10 in any of the 4 quarters. 3 drives ended prematurely with ROCKET ARMSTRONG throwing interceptions, but the Cheetahs did manage to get in the end zone at scrub time in the 4th quarter with a 71 yard drive, though obviously way too late to matter. Week 8, they got the Coffee Mugs to practice on, dismantling them 30 to nothing, allowing just 180 yards.
Transylvania Impalers
Record: 4-4
Last game: 10-28 L to Pirates
Rank - 8
Previous Rank - 6
The Impalers were shocked by the Wheatfield in week 7, losing 21 to 7. The offense simply couldn’t get a rhythm going, gaining no more than 27 yards on 10 of 12 possessions. They struggled in the field position game as well, starting 5 drives on their own 25 yard line or worse, including the final 3 drives of the game when they needed to come up big. The Impalers played well against the pass of the tough Pirates team, but they were eaten up by the run, allowing almost 300 yards on the ground. Dropping 4 of their last 5 games now, the Impalers are looking very average at best.
Woburn Tanners
Record: 3-5
Last game: 3-17 L to Samurais
Rank - 9
Previous Rank - 10
The Tanners have enough working defensively, posting 6 tackles for loss and missing only 3 tackles against the Devil Dogs in week 7, that they could make a run to sneak into the playoffs, but they’ll need the offense to start stepping up. 16 completions out of 39 attempts won’t get the job done by any means. The Tanners followed up with a very quiet outing against the Samurais, completing only 30% of their passes and averaging 3.7 on the ground.
Dallas Galaxy
Record: 3-5
Last game: 52-7 W over Chaos
Rank - 10
Previous Rank - 11
The Galaxy looked to be a competitor early in the season, but have faltered since. Week 7, the Galaxy limped to a 3.3 ypc average ran only 54 plays in the game only 8 total drives. The Galaxy finally got a win again against the hapless Chaos with their HB trio each getting over 120 yards each.
Fayette Mafia Crew
Record: 3-5
Last game: 38-31 W over Black Dragons
Rank - 11
Previous Rank - 12
The Mafia Crew get a win in week 7 against the Coffee Mugs, but didn’t impress doing it. They only outgained the Mugs by 37 yards and ran 16 fewer plays. Week 8 saw the Crew play a similar skilled Black Dragon team. This shootout came down to the final seconds, with the Mafia Crew scoring the go ahead TD with under 2 minutes left and stopping the final drive of the Black Dragons.
Kazan Black Dragons
Record: 3-5
Last game: 31-38 L to Mafia Crew
Rank - 12
Previous Rank - 9
The Black Dragons struggled defensively in week 7, allowing 45 points by the Swift Sharks, though they did have success running the ball, with 3 backs putting up over 58 yards each. Kazan pulled to within just 3 points in the 3rd quarter, but a huge 70 yard rush by Jonny Swift, followed by 2 consecutive 3 and outs put the game out of reach. Week 8, they played a very evenly matched game with the Mafia Crew, but they were stopped 8 yards short of tying the game on the final play of the game.
London Wildcats
Record: 3-5
Last game: 25-23 W over Longnecks
Rank - 13
Previous Rank - 13
The Wildcats had another poor showing against the Pirates in week 7, defensively allowing a Touchdown on every possession except one that didn’t end by way of the quarter ending. The offense actually played fairly well, sustaining 8 straight drives of 7 plays or more, with 4 ending with points and 1 ending with a missed FG. They just couldn’t keep up with the Pirates firepower. Week 8, they won a battle against another bottom dwelling team, beating the Longnecks on the strength of Luca Conjis leg, punching through 4 field goals.
Texas Longnecks
Record: 2-6
Last game: 23-25 L to Wildcats
Rank - 14
Previous Rank - 14
The Longnecks looked downright serviceable in their week 7 game against the Chaos, but considering the Chaos are likely one of, if not the worst team in the entire league, completing only 19 of 39 passes was disappointing. The defense did a great job, allowing only 3 points and harassing the Chaos QBs for 2 hurries, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Week 8, they went back to their faltering ways, losing to a team they actually had a chance against, the Wildcats.
Budapest Coffee Mugs
Record: 1-7
Last game: 0-30 L to Cheetahs
Rank - 15
Previous Rank - 15
The Coffee Mugs drop another game in week 7, breaking down late in the game to lose the lead they had going into the second half. They looked strong offensively early, driving for 11+ plays and scoring on their first 4 possessions. As the game wore down, so did the Mugs, gaining 12 first downs in the first half to only 3 in the second. Week 8, the Mugs couldn’t get anything going offensively, but they only dropped 6 catches, so that’s something to build on.
Bratislava Chaos
Record: 0-8
Last game: 7-52 L to Galaxy
Rank - 16
Previous Rank - 16
Week 7 really emphasized how poorly this team plays, when they only managed 3 points against the Longnecks and allowing 28. There’s no one aspect of the game that caused the failure, though 12 dropped passes stalled quite a few drives and 21 missed tackles allowed the Longnecks to control the clock, including almost 12 minutes of the final quarter. Week 8 was more of the same, losing by 45 to the Galaxy, but at least they managed to put up 7.
ZETA CONFERENCE
Wroclaw Wolverines
Record: 8-0
Last game: 42-14 W over Cossacks
Rank - 1
Previous Rank - 1
Week 7 was your standard worst vs first blowout, with the Wolverines scoring 14 points in each quarter and holding Washington to under 200 total yards. Wroclaw did a great job finishing out the game. In the 4th quarter alone, they held the rock for 12 minutes, ran 22 plays with 10 first downs, and put up a monster 118 yards on the ground. Week 8, they shut down the Cossacks to 176 yards, and took their first 4 possessions down for Touchdowns, putting the game out of reach early.
Kosovo Kryptonite
Record: 7-1
Last game: 69-14 W over Highrollers
Rank - 2
Previous Rank - 3
Kosovo had no trouble disposing of a decent Cossacks in week 7, doing it with their powerful HB combo once again, this time 265 yards and 21 broken tackles, including a huge 58 yard scamper for a TD by Thruya in the 2nd. He got some excellent blocking to break him free. The Kryptonite absolutely moved the ball at will in week 8, having an amazing 9 possessions ending with touchdowns. The defense did allow a considerable 265 yards passing which could be a concern.
Terlingua Javelinas
Record: 7-1
Last game: 22-21 W over Crush
Rank - 3
Previous Rank - 4
Week 7, the Javs take their turn beating up the Mavericks, running up 21 pts in the 1st and scoring on 7 possessions. Offensively, they got it done in mostly small chunks, with 24 first downs in the game. Offensive Guard Mikhail Gorsky was an absolute beasting, pancaking his opponent 36 times out of his 51 plays. The defense was not as solid as they looked the week before, missing 14 tackles and allowing the Mavs to put up 21, their highest of the season. Week 8, the Javs faltered, but still squeeked by the Crush by a point with a last second FG.
Chernobyl Nuclear Assault
Record: 7-1
Last game: 10-28 L to Warheads
Rank - 4
Previous Rank - 2
Week 7 the Nuclear Assault played out a tough game against a likely playoff team in the Vampires, winning the game, but showing some cracks in the armor. Reports indicate the Assault coaching staff was quoted as saying they were trying some new formations and plays. Winning the close games is always a good sign, but Chernobyl dropped 10 balls and had a little trouble running up the middle, having most of their running success come on the far outside edges. Then in week 8, they wheels finally came off when the Nuclear Assault drop their first game to the Warheads. The Assault came out trying to pound the ball, but managed just 1.6ypc in the 1st quarter, forcing them to try to pass. But the Warheads were able to keep pressure on the passing game and stall out any Chernobyl attempts to get back in the game. 1 week of questionable play won’t move you too much on the board, two straight weeks has me putting a few doubts in the Nuclear Assault dominance.
Ukrainian Warheads
Record: 6-2
Last game: 28-10 W over Nuclear Assault
Rank - 5
Previous Rank - 6
The Warheads played rough back and forth ball with the Colossus week 7, but let the win get away in the last 2 minutes of the game. In what was a very tight game, the decision to go for it on 4th and 1 on their first possession of the game may have been a difference maker, as it set up the Colossus for a FG on the following possession. A false start penalty forced a Warhead FG attempt at the end of the 1st half back to 40 yards, resulting in a miss as well. This game could have gone either way. Week 8 they more than made up for the previous failure by taking it to the Nuclear Assault, immediately proving themselves a team to contend with.
Rome Colossus
Record: 6-2
Last game: 30-10 W over Sentinals
Rank - 6
Previous Rank - 5
Two playoff caliber teams battled it out week 7 when the Colossus met the Warheads, with the W going to the Colossus this time in an exciting defensive showdown, with neither team allowing more than 270 total yards. The Colossus took down a lesser opponent in week 8, dominating the second half of play where they shut out the Sentinals and allowed just 79 yards of offense.
Bucharest Vampires
Record: 4-4
Last game: 31-17 W over HUC
Rank - 7
Previous Ranking - 8
Week 7, the Vamps drew the tough Nuclear Assault team and almost pulled out an upset when Willie Maykit broke 6 tackles to run back the opening kickoff of the 2nd half for a Touchdown. The Vamps then pulled ahead briefly in the 3rd quarter before falling behind and coming up empty on their last 5 possessions of the game, losing 24-21. Week 8, the Vampires pulled out a win with big plays, running 2 kickoffs back and having Jack Bauer ! bust through for a 67 yard TD on the ground.
Kiev Cossacks
Record: 4-4
Last game: 14-42 L to Wolverines
Rank - 8
Previous Rank - 7
The Cossacks were made to look much worse than they really are against the Kryptonite in week 7, losing big, by 35. The offense was completely taken out of the game, only managing to score after a 10 play drive at the end of the 3rd. A defensive team effort saw every defensive player except 1 make a tackle, but only forced 2 punts in the game. Week 8, the Cossacks fell behind early, and never managed to make a game of it, with only 2 drives all day over 7 plays.
Columbus Crush
Record: 3-5
Last game: 21-22 L to Javelinas
Rank - 9
Previous Rank - 9
The Crush occasional still show a glimmer of their potential and did so week 7, winning a game they should win by beating the Dragons by 31. They rolled up a monstrous 471 yards on the ground, including 2 long TD runs of 58 and 51 yards by each of their two HBs. Breakfast was served with 119 pancakes by 19 different players. The Crush looked fairly good in week 8 against the Javelinas, but let the win slip away with 9 play drive ending in a game winning FG for the Javs.
Nysa Sentinals
Record: 3-5
Last game: 10-30 L to Colossus
Rank - 10
Previous Rank - 11
Outside of the game against the HUC in week 2, the Sentinals had allowed at least 24 points to every opponent up until week 7, when they managed to stymie the Romans for only 3 points. The Sentinals ran an incredible 61 times and still averaged 6.3 per carry with 238 of their 384 rushing yards coming in the 2nd half.
Las Vegas Highrollers
Record: 3-5
Last game: 14-69 L to Kryptonite
Rank - 11
Previous Rank - 10
Week 7, the Highrollers rolled out the 7s, scoring 5 TDs against the HUC. The defense gobbled up the HUC passing game, deflecting 11 passes and allowing only 99 yards total through the air. The backfield also had a huge day, gaining 7.7ypc on 37 totes of the rock. Week 8 saw the Highrollers rolled by the Kryptonite, getting pushed around defensively. The running game was smothered, but the rollers did complete 26 balls to 7 different receivers and managed a couple scores.
Minsk Mavericks
Record: 1-7
Last game: 17-6 W over Romans
Rank - 12
Previous Rank - 14
The Mavs running game actually fared pretty well against the Javelinas in week 7, averaging 4.4 per carry and getting in the end zone twice. But the Mavs fell down early and were forced to air it out, which didn’t fare as well. The receivers dropped 13 passes, contributing to the 42% completion percentage. Then just when I thought they might go winless the entire season, IsThis TouchFootball took a 4th quarter pitch 55 yards to seal the Mavs first win in week 8 against the Romans. This team might be coming around to actually compete against the lesser teams.
Caspian Sea Dragons
Record: 1-7
Last game: 17-21 L to Cowboys
Rank - 13
Previous Rank - 12
The Dragons returned to earth after their win in week 6 by putting up a meager effort in week 7 against the Crush. The defense missed 24 tackles and allowed the Crush to put up 570 yards of offense. The good news was they did manage to put up a TD on their first possession of the game after a quick 3 play drive. The bad news is the 57 yards gained on that first drive was 1/4th of their entire offensive output in the game. The Dragons outgained the Cowboys, but lost in part to a couple missed FGs.
Washington Cowboys
Record: 2-6
Last game: 21-17 W over Dragons
Rank - 14
Previous Rank - 16
The recent news report of in fighting at the Cowboys camp comes as no surprise. It’s easy for management to be on edge when they are playing as bad as the Cowboys are, though they did indeed over-react HUGELY, in this writers opinion, by benching their starting TE and C, moves making this terrible team even worse. Week 7 was no surprise, with the Cowboys getting pounded by the #1 Wolverines. They did have a brief bright spot, managing a 14 play drive to start the game that ended with a FG. Week 8 saw the Cowboys pull out a win in a tight fight with the Dragons, managing to hold off the Dragons, despite allowing them to rush for 6.4ypc.
The D-League Home For Underprivileged Children
Record: 1-7
Last game: 17-37 L to Vampires
Rank - 15
Previous Rank - 13
The HUC might need to be playing in a “special” league, as their play isn’t competing in this one, losing a game that made the Highrollers look respectable in week 7. They do occasionally get it all together, putting together drives of 11 and 12 yards that rumbled for 68 and 80 yards respectively, but outside of those two, they had 10 drives of 18 or fewer yards and 4 that gained zero or negative yardage. Defensively, the team missed 33 out of 98 tackle attempts in the game. I’m not sure what happened, but he HUC actually played well in week 8 against the Vamps. Well enough to compete in the game, except their special teams let them down huge, allowing 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Constantinople Romans
Record: 1-7
Last game: 6-17 L to Mavericks
Rank - 16
Previous Rank - 15
A week after looking terrible in week 6, the Romans maintained consistency in week 7, allowing the Sentinals to score touchdowns on all but 3 opportunities and visiting the scoreboard just once with a 2nd quarter FG. The Romans didn’t gain more than 50 yards in any of the 4 quarters even though they did have multiple sustained drives of 9, 9, 10, and 18 plays.
ALPHA CONFERENCE
Sofia Spiders
Record: 8-0
Last game: 45-20 W over Devil Dogs
Rank - 1
Previous Rank - 1
The Spiders are a broken record. Save for week 1, they have the same outcomes in games. Score 40 to 50 points, hold opponent to 10 or 15. Week 7 was no different, beating an up and coming Cheetahs team 45-10, defensively doing so in fairly standard manner of shutting down the running game. Offensively, they certainly didn’t get help from field position as their TD drives were all lengthy of 63 yards or more. The Spiders did miss 2 FGs, so I think they might want to panic! Week 8 was more of the same, but the Devil Dogs did managed to put up 20, a defensive letdown for the Spiders.
Black Sea Pirates
Record: 7-1
Last game: 28-10 W over Impalers
Rank - 2
Previous Rank - 2
Week 7, the Pirates made it 3 straight games putting up 55 points, the downside being their schedule to this point had been against mostly the bottom tier of the Conference, including this game against the Wildcats. Both QBs performed well with Weatherford getting 2 touchdown tosses and Yew getting a slightly better completion percentage at 75%. Defensively, the Pirates played well, posting 12 pass deflections, 1 hurry and 2 sacks. Week 8, the Pirates did a good job containing the Impalers passing attack, knocking down 9 balls and intercepting one.
Budapest Samurais
Record: 7-1
Last game: 17-3 W over Tanners
Rank - 3
Previous Rank - 4
The Samurais continue to elevate their game, playing well on both sides of the ball against the Galaxy in week 7. The defense allowed just 185 total yards while the offense cranked out 19 first downs, including when they needed them the most, obtaining first downs on 80% of 3rd down plays. Week 8, the Samurais got up 17-3 in the first half and neither team could put points on the board the 2nd half, with each team finishing the game with an INT on their last possession.
Berlin Devil Dogs
Record: 5-3
Last game: 20-45 L to Spiders
Rank - 4
Previous Rank – 3
The Devil Dogs had a little more trouble against the Tanners in week 7 than I might have expected. The Dogs only managed 3.6ypc on the ground and didn’t do much better passing, with 50% completion and 1 TD and 1 INT. The Berlin defense stepped up and played very well, forcing 9 drives to end after 5 plays or less. Without the Tanner TD in the waning seconds of the game, the Dogs would have pitched a shut out and allowed only 172 yards of total offense. They followed up in week 8 by getting pushed around by the Spiders. They managed 20, but the first TD was on a bizarre play where a fumbled punt was picked up and run in for 6. Though they have potential, the Dogs seem to just not be playing at a high level.
The Saratov Swift Sharks
Record: 6-2
Last game: 17-13 W over Wheatfield
Rank - 5
Previous Rank - 5
The Swift Sharks continued their 1 sided offensive assault in week 7, rushing 40 plays for 413 yards vs just 10 pass attempts. The Sharks are simply daring teams to stop their running game and it hasn’t happened too often, posting 10.3 yards per carry in this outing. The Swift Shark LB crew had a monster day, grabbing 35 of the 71 tackles made by the team. Week 8, even though outgained by 140 yards, the Sharks got a win, doing so with big plays. A 70 yard INT return for a TD started the bleeding, and they followed up with a 33 yard rumble for 6 by the Nigerian Nightmare.
The Wheatfield
Record: 5-3
Last game: 13-17 L to Swift Sharks
Rank - 6
Previous Rank - 8
The Wheatfield brought their A game week 7 against the Impalers and took it to a good team by controlling the clock almost 40 minutes and slowing the game down, running 58 times for 274 yards. The defense was a rock wall against the run, allowing only 47 total rushing yards. Week 8, the Wheatfield fought back to stay in the game with the Swift Sharks, finally succumbing when they failed to convert a 4th down on the 11 yard line with 1:20 left in the game. Even after the loss, this team seems to be getting better week after week.
Mukachevo Cheetahs
Record: 4-4
Last game: 30-0 W over Coffee Mugs
Rank - 7
Previous Rank - 7
Week 7 was against the monsters of the league, the Sofia Spiders, and ended about as expected, with a tough loss to the #1 team. They Cheetahs held the ball no more than 6:10 in any of the 4 quarters. 3 drives ended prematurely with ROCKET ARMSTRONG throwing interceptions, but the Cheetahs did manage to get in the end zone at scrub time in the 4th quarter with a 71 yard drive, though obviously way too late to matter. Week 8, they got the Coffee Mugs to practice on, dismantling them 30 to nothing, allowing just 180 yards.
Transylvania Impalers
Record: 4-4
Last game: 10-28 L to Pirates
Rank - 8
Previous Rank - 6
The Impalers were shocked by the Wheatfield in week 7, losing 21 to 7. The offense simply couldn’t get a rhythm going, gaining no more than 27 yards on 10 of 12 possessions. They struggled in the field position game as well, starting 5 drives on their own 25 yard line or worse, including the final 3 drives of the game when they needed to come up big. The Impalers played well against the pass of the tough Pirates team, but they were eaten up by the run, allowing almost 300 yards on the ground. Dropping 4 of their last 5 games now, the Impalers are looking very average at best.
Woburn Tanners
Record: 3-5
Last game: 3-17 L to Samurais
Rank - 9
Previous Rank - 10
The Tanners have enough working defensively, posting 6 tackles for loss and missing only 3 tackles against the Devil Dogs in week 7, that they could make a run to sneak into the playoffs, but they’ll need the offense to start stepping up. 16 completions out of 39 attempts won’t get the job done by any means. The Tanners followed up with a very quiet outing against the Samurais, completing only 30% of their passes and averaging 3.7 on the ground.
Dallas Galaxy
Record: 3-5
Last game: 52-7 W over Chaos
Rank - 10
Previous Rank - 11
The Galaxy looked to be a competitor early in the season, but have faltered since. Week 7, the Galaxy limped to a 3.3 ypc average ran only 54 plays in the game only 8 total drives. The Galaxy finally got a win again against the hapless Chaos with their HB trio each getting over 120 yards each.
Fayette Mafia Crew
Record: 3-5
Last game: 38-31 W over Black Dragons
Rank - 11
Previous Rank - 12
The Mafia Crew get a win in week 7 against the Coffee Mugs, but didn’t impress doing it. They only outgained the Mugs by 37 yards and ran 16 fewer plays. Week 8 saw the Crew play a similar skilled Black Dragon team. This shootout came down to the final seconds, with the Mafia Crew scoring the go ahead TD with under 2 minutes left and stopping the final drive of the Black Dragons.
Kazan Black Dragons
Record: 3-5
Last game: 31-38 L to Mafia Crew
Rank - 12
Previous Rank - 9
The Black Dragons struggled defensively in week 7, allowing 45 points by the Swift Sharks, though they did have success running the ball, with 3 backs putting up over 58 yards each. Kazan pulled to within just 3 points in the 3rd quarter, but a huge 70 yard rush by Jonny Swift, followed by 2 consecutive 3 and outs put the game out of reach. Week 8, they played a very evenly matched game with the Mafia Crew, but they were stopped 8 yards short of tying the game on the final play of the game.
London Wildcats
Record: 3-5
Last game: 25-23 W over Longnecks
Rank - 13
Previous Rank - 13
The Wildcats had another poor showing against the Pirates in week 7, defensively allowing a Touchdown on every possession except one that didn’t end by way of the quarter ending. The offense actually played fairly well, sustaining 8 straight drives of 7 plays or more, with 4 ending with points and 1 ending with a missed FG. They just couldn’t keep up with the Pirates firepower. Week 8, they won a battle against another bottom dwelling team, beating the Longnecks on the strength of Luca Conjis leg, punching through 4 field goals.
Texas Longnecks
Record: 2-6
Last game: 23-25 L to Wildcats
Rank - 14
Previous Rank - 14
The Longnecks looked downright serviceable in their week 7 game against the Chaos, but considering the Chaos are likely one of, if not the worst team in the entire league, completing only 19 of 39 passes was disappointing. The defense did a great job, allowing only 3 points and harassing the Chaos QBs for 2 hurries, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Week 8, they went back to their faltering ways, losing to a team they actually had a chance against, the Wildcats.
Budapest Coffee Mugs
Record: 1-7
Last game: 0-30 L to Cheetahs
Rank - 15
Previous Rank - 15
The Coffee Mugs drop another game in week 7, breaking down late in the game to lose the lead they had going into the second half. They looked strong offensively early, driving for 11+ plays and scoring on their first 4 possessions. As the game wore down, so did the Mugs, gaining 12 first downs in the first half to only 3 in the second. Week 8, the Mugs couldn’t get anything going offensively, but they only dropped 6 catches, so that’s something to build on.
Bratislava Chaos
Record: 0-8
Last game: 7-52 L to Galaxy
Rank - 16
Previous Rank - 16
Week 7 really emphasized how poorly this team plays, when they only managed 3 points against the Longnecks and allowing 28. There’s no one aspect of the game that caused the failure, though 12 dropped passes stalled quite a few drives and 21 missed tackles allowed the Longnecks to control the clock, including almost 12 minutes of the final quarter. Week 8 was more of the same, losing by 45 to the Galaxy, but at least they managed to put up 7.
ZETA CONFERENCE
Wroclaw Wolverines
Record: 8-0
Last game: 42-14 W over Cossacks
Rank - 1
Previous Rank - 1
Week 7 was your standard worst vs first blowout, with the Wolverines scoring 14 points in each quarter and holding Washington to under 200 total yards. Wroclaw did a great job finishing out the game. In the 4th quarter alone, they held the rock for 12 minutes, ran 22 plays with 10 first downs, and put up a monster 118 yards on the ground. Week 8, they shut down the Cossacks to 176 yards, and took their first 4 possessions down for Touchdowns, putting the game out of reach early.
Kosovo Kryptonite
Record: 7-1
Last game: 69-14 W over Highrollers
Rank - 2
Previous Rank - 3
Kosovo had no trouble disposing of a decent Cossacks in week 7, doing it with their powerful HB combo once again, this time 265 yards and 21 broken tackles, including a huge 58 yard scamper for a TD by Thruya in the 2nd. He got some excellent blocking to break him free. The Kryptonite absolutely moved the ball at will in week 8, having an amazing 9 possessions ending with touchdowns. The defense did allow a considerable 265 yards passing which could be a concern.
Terlingua Javelinas
Record: 7-1
Last game: 22-21 W over Crush
Rank - 3
Previous Rank - 4
Week 7, the Javs take their turn beating up the Mavericks, running up 21 pts in the 1st and scoring on 7 possessions. Offensively, they got it done in mostly small chunks, with 24 first downs in the game. Offensive Guard Mikhail Gorsky was an absolute beasting, pancaking his opponent 36 times out of his 51 plays. The defense was not as solid as they looked the week before, missing 14 tackles and allowing the Mavs to put up 21, their highest of the season. Week 8, the Javs faltered, but still squeeked by the Crush by a point with a last second FG.
Chernobyl Nuclear Assault
Record: 7-1
Last game: 10-28 L to Warheads
Rank - 4
Previous Rank - 2
Week 7 the Nuclear Assault played out a tough game against a likely playoff team in the Vampires, winning the game, but showing some cracks in the armor. Reports indicate the Assault coaching staff was quoted as saying they were trying some new formations and plays. Winning the close games is always a good sign, but Chernobyl dropped 10 balls and had a little trouble running up the middle, having most of their running success come on the far outside edges. Then in week 8, they wheels finally came off when the Nuclear Assault drop their first game to the Warheads. The Assault came out trying to pound the ball, but managed just 1.6ypc in the 1st quarter, forcing them to try to pass. But the Warheads were able to keep pressure on the passing game and stall out any Chernobyl attempts to get back in the game. 1 week of questionable play won’t move you too much on the board, two straight weeks has me putting a few doubts in the Nuclear Assault dominance.
Ukrainian Warheads
Record: 6-2
Last game: 28-10 W over Nuclear Assault
Rank - 5
Previous Rank - 6
The Warheads played rough back and forth ball with the Colossus week 7, but let the win get away in the last 2 minutes of the game. In what was a very tight game, the decision to go for it on 4th and 1 on their first possession of the game may have been a difference maker, as it set up the Colossus for a FG on the following possession. A false start penalty forced a Warhead FG attempt at the end of the 1st half back to 40 yards, resulting in a miss as well. This game could have gone either way. Week 8 they more than made up for the previous failure by taking it to the Nuclear Assault, immediately proving themselves a team to contend with.
Rome Colossus
Record: 6-2
Last game: 30-10 W over Sentinals
Rank - 6
Previous Rank - 5
Two playoff caliber teams battled it out week 7 when the Colossus met the Warheads, with the W going to the Colossus this time in an exciting defensive showdown, with neither team allowing more than 270 total yards. The Colossus took down a lesser opponent in week 8, dominating the second half of play where they shut out the Sentinals and allowed just 79 yards of offense.
Bucharest Vampires
Record: 4-4
Last game: 31-17 W over HUC
Rank - 7
Previous Ranking - 8
Week 7, the Vamps drew the tough Nuclear Assault team and almost pulled out an upset when Willie Maykit broke 6 tackles to run back the opening kickoff of the 2nd half for a Touchdown. The Vamps then pulled ahead briefly in the 3rd quarter before falling behind and coming up empty on their last 5 possessions of the game, losing 24-21. Week 8, the Vampires pulled out a win with big plays, running 2 kickoffs back and having Jack Bauer ! bust through for a 67 yard TD on the ground.
Kiev Cossacks
Record: 4-4
Last game: 14-42 L to Wolverines
Rank - 8
Previous Rank - 7
The Cossacks were made to look much worse than they really are against the Kryptonite in week 7, losing big, by 35. The offense was completely taken out of the game, only managing to score after a 10 play drive at the end of the 3rd. A defensive team effort saw every defensive player except 1 make a tackle, but only forced 2 punts in the game. Week 8, the Cossacks fell behind early, and never managed to make a game of it, with only 2 drives all day over 7 plays.
Columbus Crush
Record: 3-5
Last game: 21-22 L to Javelinas
Rank - 9
Previous Rank - 9
The Crush occasional still show a glimmer of their potential and did so week 7, winning a game they should win by beating the Dragons by 31. They rolled up a monstrous 471 yards on the ground, including 2 long TD runs of 58 and 51 yards by each of their two HBs. Breakfast was served with 119 pancakes by 19 different players. The Crush looked fairly good in week 8 against the Javelinas, but let the win slip away with 9 play drive ending in a game winning FG for the Javs.
Nysa Sentinals
Record: 3-5
Last game: 10-30 L to Colossus
Rank - 10
Previous Rank - 11
Outside of the game against the HUC in week 2, the Sentinals had allowed at least 24 points to every opponent up until week 7, when they managed to stymie the Romans for only 3 points. The Sentinals ran an incredible 61 times and still averaged 6.3 per carry with 238 of their 384 rushing yards coming in the 2nd half.
Las Vegas Highrollers
Record: 3-5
Last game: 14-69 L to Kryptonite
Rank - 11
Previous Rank - 10
Week 7, the Highrollers rolled out the 7s, scoring 5 TDs against the HUC. The defense gobbled up the HUC passing game, deflecting 11 passes and allowing only 99 yards total through the air. The backfield also had a huge day, gaining 7.7ypc on 37 totes of the rock. Week 8 saw the Highrollers rolled by the Kryptonite, getting pushed around defensively. The running game was smothered, but the rollers did complete 26 balls to 7 different receivers and managed a couple scores.
Minsk Mavericks
Record: 1-7
Last game: 17-6 W over Romans
Rank - 12
Previous Rank - 14
The Mavs running game actually fared pretty well against the Javelinas in week 7, averaging 4.4 per carry and getting in the end zone twice. But the Mavs fell down early and were forced to air it out, which didn’t fare as well. The receivers dropped 13 passes, contributing to the 42% completion percentage. Then just when I thought they might go winless the entire season, IsThis TouchFootball took a 4th quarter pitch 55 yards to seal the Mavs first win in week 8 against the Romans. This team might be coming around to actually compete against the lesser teams.
Caspian Sea Dragons
Record: 1-7
Last game: 17-21 L to Cowboys
Rank - 13
Previous Rank - 12
The Dragons returned to earth after their win in week 6 by putting up a meager effort in week 7 against the Crush. The defense missed 24 tackles and allowed the Crush to put up 570 yards of offense. The good news was they did manage to put up a TD on their first possession of the game after a quick 3 play drive. The bad news is the 57 yards gained on that first drive was 1/4th of their entire offensive output in the game. The Dragons outgained the Cowboys, but lost in part to a couple missed FGs.
Washington Cowboys
Record: 2-6
Last game: 21-17 W over Dragons
Rank - 14
Previous Rank - 16
The recent news report of in fighting at the Cowboys camp comes as no surprise. It’s easy for management to be on edge when they are playing as bad as the Cowboys are, though they did indeed over-react HUGELY, in this writers opinion, by benching their starting TE and C, moves making this terrible team even worse. Week 7 was no surprise, with the Cowboys getting pounded by the #1 Wolverines. They did have a brief bright spot, managing a 14 play drive to start the game that ended with a FG. Week 8 saw the Cowboys pull out a win in a tight fight with the Dragons, managing to hold off the Dragons, despite allowing them to rush for 6.4ypc.
The D-League Home For Underprivileged Children
Record: 1-7
Last game: 17-37 L to Vampires
Rank - 15
Previous Rank - 13
The HUC might need to be playing in a “special” league, as their play isn’t competing in this one, losing a game that made the Highrollers look respectable in week 7. They do occasionally get it all together, putting together drives of 11 and 12 yards that rumbled for 68 and 80 yards respectively, but outside of those two, they had 10 drives of 18 or fewer yards and 4 that gained zero or negative yardage. Defensively, the team missed 33 out of 98 tackle attempts in the game. I’m not sure what happened, but he HUC actually played well in week 8 against the Vamps. Well enough to compete in the game, except their special teams let them down huge, allowing 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Constantinople Romans
Record: 1-7
Last game: 6-17 L to Mavericks
Rank - 16
Previous Rank - 15
A week after looking terrible in week 6, the Romans maintained consistency in week 7, allowing the Sentinals to score touchdowns on all but 3 opportunities and visiting the scoreboard just once with a 2nd quarter FG. The Romans didn’t gain more than 50 yards in any of the 4 quarters even though they did have multiple sustained drives of 9, 9, 10, and 18 plays.
Last edited Aug 18, 2008 12:33:12
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