Sunday, November 23, 2014

Week 11 Injuries

Name - Team - Position - Weeks Remaining on Injury List

New Injuries
Orville McDunough ABI LB 5
Adrian Juarez ABI LB 1
Andy Wright DWN QB 5
Art Kirby FAR DL 1
Albert Walter TEX WR 3

Old Injuries
Moose Roberts ABI OL 2
Brian Partner CAL LB 4
Miles Redman CAL OL 3
Darion Padgett CAL DL 2
Thalia Perez CHI K 4
Wallace Curtis CHI LB 1
Terrance Darby EAS LB 4
Alexander Gamble GRD DL 1
Sandy Bonilla NFL LB 4
Bert Dailey TEX LB 4
Brad Fitzpatrick TEX DL 2

Cleared This Week
Stan Patton ABI WR 0
Domenic Smiley CAL OL 0
Benne Sierra CHI LB 0
Roy Dejesus CHI QB 0
Amos Granger CHI RB 0
Ronny Beard CHI S 0
Ian O'Connor DWN DL 0
Erick Farmer DWN LB 0
Morton Ritter EAS QB 0
Harland Wonder EAS LB 0
Norman Ybarra EAS LB 0
Terence Curran GRD QB 0
Zackary Brock LVB OL 0
Dudley Doleman LVB S 0
Coby Carson LVB CB 0
Randy Stanford NFL WR 0
Wyatt Curran NYT RB 0
Mox Prowler NYT LB 0
Miles Pratt NYT LB 0

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Playoff Scenarios

Heading into the final third of the season, here is a team by team breakdown of the 2014 playoff picture, but first a quick reminder about the playoff format:

The 2014 UFFL playoffs will feature a six-team, double elimination tournament with the two conference victors squaring off in the Fur Bowl. Each conference will have three representatives, with the conference champion (the team with the best conference, not necessarily overall, record) earning a first round bye. The remaining two teams from each conference will be determined by overall record and will play each other in the first round, with the higher seeded team earning home field advantage.

In the Continental Conference, three teams: Fargo, Baltimore, and California have distanced themselves from the pack, each amassing impressive 8-3 records. However, all six teams are still technically alive for the playoffs.

FARGO (4-1, 8-3)
The Axmen currently control their own destiny in the Continental Conference. They are tied for the best conference record with Baltimore, but own the head-to-head advantage after defeating the Ponies earlier in the season. If they win out, they will claim the conference championship in the simplest fashion. A loss to either Baltimore or California would quickly open the door for one of those teams to pass over them in the standings. Even if that were to happen though, we like Fargo's chances of claiming one of the conference's three playoff spots given their impressive overall record so far.

BALTIMORE (4-1, 8-3)
Baltimore is in a similar position as Fargo heading into the final third of the season, in that they control their own destiny. Winning all five of their remaining games would garner them the conference championship since in that scenario they would conclude with one less loss than the Axmen, assuming Baltimore was their only remaining defeat. Regardless of the conference title hunt however, just like Fargo the Ponies are sitting well for the postseason after a strong performance in inter-conference play.

CALIFORNIA (3-2, 8-3)
Like Fargo and Baltimore, California would win the conference championship if they win out, although possibly not as clearly. Since both the Axmen and the Ponies already hold the head-to-head advantage over the Dons, defeating either or both in the second round of conference play would not definitively separate them. Assuming California won out and Baltimore and Fargo each won all of their remaining games, the conference records would be California 8-2 and either Fargo or Baltimore at 8-2 and 7-3, depending on their match up between each other. In that situation, the Dons would benefit from their 5-1 non-conference record however, which would give them a better overall record at 13-3 than the other 8-2 team, which would be 12-4 (regardless of whether it was Fargo or Baltimore). Thus the Dons would be declared the conference champions in that scenario. In any case, like Fargo and Baltimore, California is in good position to make the playoffs based on their overall record.

EASTON (2-3, 6-5)
The Bald Eagles have had a good season so far, but have been at a disadvantage given the strong teams in their conference. Even though they are tied for the 4th best record in the entire league, they have an uphill climb to play themselves into the playoffs. With three conference losses, they would need the teams ahead of them to drop games for them to slide into conference championship talk, but it's not a completely realistic scenario to imagine... Supposing they won out, that would give all three teams ahead of them an additional loss. Those three teams then also have to play each other, resulting in two more guaranteed losses. Depending on who beat who, that means Easton would only need one specific team to lose one additional game for them to take the top spot! It's not likely, but definitely not quite the long shot it might seem to be at first. As for just making the playoffs, if Easton wins out, they would most likely be in (barring a couple of strange tie-breaker scenarios). The Bald Eagles could possibly even suffer a loss or two and still be in the hunt if any of the teams ahead of them drop off significantly, but each loss they suffer here on out will make it that much more difficult.

ABILENE (1-4, 4-7) and GRAND RAPIDS (1-4, 4-7)
I lump the Lancers and the Dragons together because they're both in similar positions. There is a very strange scenario where Grand Rapids could possibly win the conference championship since their lone continental win to date is over Fargo, but it's so unlikely that it's more probable that Mars will spontaneously explode. That said, they say that winning cures all ills, and the postseason dream is still alive for both franchises so long as they find the W column early and often as we run down the home stretch. Either team winning out and garnering a 9-7 overall record would at least get them a shot if the cards fell right.

While the Continental Conference playoff picture is becoming crisper by the day, the United Conference is like a Jackson Pollock painting. For that reason, rather than try to sift through the thousands of possible scenarios for each team, we'll take a look at the broader picture.North Florida currently holds the lead due to their record and head-to-head results, but every team is very much alive (yes, even Chicago) not only for the playoffs, but the conference championship. It's hard to believe, but despite sitting at 2-9 overall, the Outlaws are only 1 game behind the conference lead!!!! That said, in terms of just making the playoffs North Florida, Texas, and New York each hold a distinct advantage for the two at-large spots given their 6-5 overall records. It's fair to say though, that at this point, the United Conference is literally up for grabs, which should make for an extremely exciting end to the regular season!


Monday, November 10, 2014

Week 10 Injuries

Name - Team - Position - Weeks Remaining on Injury List

New Injuries

Stan Patton ABI WR 1
Domenic Smiley CAL OL 1
Darion Padgett CAL DL 4
Brian Partner CAL LB 6
Thalia Perez CHI K 6
Ian O'Connor DWN DL 2
Erick Farmer DWN LB 1
Morton Ritter EAS QB 1
Terrance Darby EAS LB 6
Harland Wonder EAS LB 2
Zackary Brock LVB OL 2
Dudley Doleman LVB S 2
Wyatt Curran NYT RB 1
Mox Prowler NYT LB 1
Randy Stanford NFL WR 2
Sandy Bonilla NFL LB 6
Brad Fitzpatrick TEX DL 4
Bert Dailey TEX LB 6

Old Injuries

Moose Roberts ABI OL 4
Miles Redman CAL OL 5
Wallace Curtis CHI LB 3
Benne Sierra CHI LB 2
Roy Dejesus CHI QB 2
Norman Ybarra EAS LB 1
Alexander Gamble GRD DL 3
Miles Pratt NYT LB 2

Cleared This Week

Adrie Dawkins ABI QB 0
Cody Fowler ABI S 0
Bart Rosario BAL LB 0
Lyndon Griggs BAL TE 0
Arthur Christopher CAL WR 0
Patrice Bush CHI S 0
Ronald Lackey DWN FB 0
Fritz Lockhart EAS LB 0
Roy McKenzie FAR LB 0
Alex Smith LVB RB 0
Patrick Penguinator TEX WR 0

Monday, November 3, 2014

2014: Week 9 Rundown

DOWNRIVER whips out the big plays to end the Fargo Axemen’s winning streak.

It was a colder day in Taylor than last week, but the stakes were larger - Fargo was coming to town, and they weren’t showing any signs of slowing down early. Two quick scores early on gave Fargo a 14-0 lead; Samantha Castora managed to run one in right before the half to make it 14-7. However, the biggest play was yet to come - after Penguinator completed a third touchdown to Chad Zielinski to go up 21-14. The following drive, backed up at their 7-yard-line, Andy Wright threw arguably one of the greatest passes of the year to rookie Alex Kangaroo - a 93-yard completion - to tie the game back up. And, as fate would have it, Fargo would not be able to use their tools in this one - the determination was all Waves; even Draco Zingora, who has been in the news lately wishing for a trade, kicked the game-winning field goal. It was all smiles for the Waves, who handed Flip Penguinator his first loss of the season.

Final Score: Waves 24, Axemen 21

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LAS VEGAS usurps the time clock and limits the Dragons’ rush attack in their win.

It was “force-fed action”, as the announcer called it - a game where Stapler remained a bit unsteady from the mounting pressure to win out the season. It was not perfect; Grand Rapids scored first on a field goal that hit the left upright and trickled in - but Renato Hanna stepped up, catching the first touchdown of the day from Stapler and giving the Bandits the lead. The Bandits defense continued to shine - a red-zone holdoff kept Grand Rapids from scoring a touchdown in the second quarter; giving Las Vegas the halftime lead (12-6). Stapler would come back from the half just as nervous - two straight interceptions to Ahmed Ball put the offense at risk of defeat. However, the Dragons rushing offense never showed up - and the time-of-possession was the main reason Grand Rapids couldn’t pull it out again at home. The “Fantastic Five” was led by Rowe and Fritz today; a combined 13 tackles, coverages, and a sack - it’s proof that the Bandits won’t give up on this season.

Final Score: Bandits 26, Dragons 13

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Despite early flubs, CALIFORNIA stops the Texas offense and scores a road win.

Much of what made this game the “Game of the Week” was due to the resurgence of two young rookies, looking to garner the spotlight for their teams. Texas had troubles early on; touchdowns to Arthur Christopher and Mitch Jeffries gave California a 14-0 lead in Q2. The Ramblers would then receive two “gifts” - Bowers threw an interception to Robert Mueller, and the short-statured gibbon returned it for a score to give Texas their first score of the day. One drive later, after another 3-and-out for California, none other than zebra Don Stone - arguably the best running back in the league - returns the punt 88 yards for another touchdown - it was now a tied game, going into the half, and the Dons’ energy seemed burnt out. The rest of the game was less eventful - a lot of trade-off scores and punts - but California would respond in the fourth quarter with a final touchdown that would give the win to the West.

Final Score: Dons 24, Ramblers 17
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NORTH FLORIDA’s Velazquez kicks the winning field goal Pratt didn’t want to make.

On the cool, sunny day in Tallahassee, tension was at an all-time high, and the Renegades wanted this win so badly that they handed out signs for fans to shine and to raise team spirits. The game started out very slowly, and Velazquez missed his first field goal - but it wouldn’t be the first missed in this game. Baltimore scored first with a quick run-in touchdown, but Masquarde and company responded with a pass to Blaine Vernon, tying the game in the second quarter at 7 a piece. It was like this for much of the game - score tradeoffs and lots of punts and kicks - but Virginia Pratt put away a 38-yarder towards the end of the 3rd to mark a 24-14 lead. It seemed bad for the Renegades - a Maqui Jelani sack on Masquarde ended the ensuing drive early - but Kennith Shrader returned the favor on an uncovered Aspen Redfield and returned the ball to the team. From there, the Renegades scored the ten points needed to send it into overtime. What happened next was pure rookie nerves - the Ponies’ Virginia Pratt missed a game-winning field goal from only 34 yards out; the Renegades would take over and, under the foot of Velazquez, he would not miss again - North Florida wins the home game in this upset.

Final Score: Renegades 27, Ponies 24 (OT)

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EASTON credits their kicker (Clueton) as well for their windy win against Chicago.

Game time conditions were the coldest and windiest of any game thus far in the season - a matter of preparations took place to keep the team warm and refreshed for the long and blustery event. In this type of environment, coaches would usually restrain their kickers from going for it, but neither kicker - Chicago’s Perez and Easton’s Clueton - would back down. Perez and the Outlaws scored first on a 34-yarder, followed by Clueton’s 39-yarder to start off the second quarter. The goat then defied the coaching staff by running to the field with the special teams unit to attempt a 62-yarder; they had the wind coming from their backs, but it was by far the longest field goal of the season thus far, and it gave Easton a 6-3 lead going into the half. There had been attempts to capitalize on turnovers, but missed field goals also plagued each team. By the fourth quarter, there had been nine attempts on the post between the two teams. The actual first trip into the endzone was a stellar catch by Olen Reuyters from the healthy Darius Smith, and it gave Chicago a temporary 13-9 lead. But Easton didn’t go out so easily - they marched the ball right back down the field and scored on a Patrick Bryan pass to grab their fourth win of the season. Pinned at their 11-yard line, and facing the wind, the Outlaws could not get moving again.

Final Score: Bald Eagles 16, Outlaws 13

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NEW YORK takes on Abilene cleanly to end their winning streak and stay above .500.

Similar conditions in New York kept the scores low in this matchup as well - but the Lancers had less trust than their cohorts in their kicker’s ability to make it through the uprights and, thus, kept him off the field for the game. The Titans scored first with a short rush between defenders by Wyatt Curran (7-0 Titans), and a series of beautiful punts by Abilene to pin New York and shut out their offense gave the Lancers great field position; they would score on a similar rushing play by Acey Craft - however, the kicker missed the extra point; thus, it was 7-6 at the half. After which, the action got dull - several punts, one interception by Everett Simms, but mostly - the door remained open until half-way through the fourth quarter when the Titans’ Botkis threw two great passes to Stahl and Guzman to score the lone passing TD in this matchup. The Lancers’ final scoring attempt was intercepted by Adolph Garner - and the Titans won the home matchup, ending the Lancers’ four-game winning streak.

Final Score: Titans 14, Lancers 6

Week 9 Injuries

Name - Team - Position - Weeks Remaining on Injury List

New Injuries

Adrie Dawkins ABI QB 1
Lyndon Griggs BAL TE 1
Arthur Christopher CAL WR 1
Miles Redman CAL OL 6
Patrice Bush CHI S 1
Fritz Lockhart EAS LB 1
Roy McKenzie FAR LB 1
Patrick Penguinator TEX WR 1

Old Injuries

Moose Roberts ABI OL 5
Cody Fowler ABI S 1
Bart Rosario BAL LB 1
Wallace Curtis CHI LB 4
Benne Sierra CHI LB 3
Roy Dejesus CHI QB 3
Ronald Lackey DWN FB 1
Norman Ybarra EAS LB 2
Alexander Gamble GRD DL 4
Alex Smith LVB RB 1
Miles Pratt NYT LB 3

Cleared This Week

Robert Goady ABI QB 0
Dallas Larkin ABI RB 0
Kim Fletcher BAL DL 0
Jesus Kidd BAL LB 0
Jim Hardin BAL LB 0
Brian Partner CAL LB 0
Devin Hollingsworth DWN OL 0
Randy Conner DWN CB 0
Raul Wolff NYT LB 0
John Cameron NYT QB 0
Efren Frank NYT RB 0
Don Stone TEX RB 0