CFL: Boston Panthers, Season Two

[Passacaglia]

We're back! For those who missed Season One, it's still in my sig file. I abandoned it, as a team took a turn for the worse, and since I wasn't even the original owner, I didn't even get to choose the preference draft. But after an offseason, we're back! I think that I've improved the team mightily by bringing in two of the best CBs available in free agency, yet I still don't think this is 'our year'. Our QB, McMillan, is still pretty young, and this year will show if he's the guy to lead us the distance next year, or if we need to bring someone else in. Anyway, we start with a home game against division rival Hartford!

[wade moore]

Yay! I will follow this closely... Too bad we do not play each other this year unless it is in the playoffs...

[Passacaglia]

So here we are in Boston, for the first game of the season! We win the toss and receive, starting at our own 28. RB Sheehan starts out horridly, losing 3 yards on his first run. We end up punting an 4th and 10, but Schrimsher saves us with a nice 51 yard punt, returned for 5 yards to the 26. Oberg comes out strong for Hartford, throwing a 15 yard pass, but that's the only first down they get, as his 3rd and 8 pass is complete for only 7 yards. But on 4th and 1 at midfield, they go for it! Lincoln picks up 2 yards. They end up getting one more first down, but Oberg's 3rd and 7 pass from our 32 is complete for only 3 yards. And the 46 yard field goal is missed by Richmond! We take over at our own 36. Sheehan gets those 3 yards back on our first play, then Armitage moves the chains for the first time this season with a 10 yard catch. McMillan's 3rd and 4 pass from the Hartford 45 is incomplete, and our punt is a touchback. Hartford gets a couple false start penalties, but the real trouble for them comes when Oberg's pass is intercepted by Mattos at the Hartford 44! Our offense shows they were obiously not ready to come out on the field, as McMillan is sacked on the first play. Next play, Sheehan fumbles! Hartford takes over at their own 48. A few plays later, Jackson fumbles for Hartford, but they recover it. As the quarter ends, it's 3rd and 1 at our 31.

And Cassady runs for 4 yards to convert. But the drive stalls at our 20, as Lincoln drops Oberg's 3rd and 3 pass. This time, though, Richmond hits the field goal. 3-0 Hartford. Our offense gets 3 measly yards, and Schrimsher's punt starts Hartford off at their own 42. They drive all the way to our 10, and a field goal gives them a 6-0 lead. Our offense finally clicks into gear, and McMillan hits Briseno for 29 yards and a touchdown! Boston lead, 7-6! Hartford drives for the rest of the half, but there's not enough time to get into field goal range. The half ends with Boston somehow in the lead!

Hartford starts the 2nd half running the ball, getting 8 yards in 3 carries. Not enough. The punt goes out of bounds at our 23. Our offense picks it up again, until a holding penalty gives us a 1st and 20 that we can't make. But Schrimsher's punt goes 51 yards, downed at the 3! And then we get a sack! Oh, yeah, but that came after gains of 16 and 9. Oh, but there's a fumble! Hiatt falls on it at the 20, and our offense is back in business! Sheehan runs for 7 yards on the first 2 plays, but McMillan can't convert the 3rd and 3. Lynch kicks a 30 yard field goal, and we lead 10-6. Hartford gets the ball back, and gets one first down before punting. We take over at our 27. Sheehan gets some more nice runs in, but McMillan throws incomplete and 3rd and 4. Schrimsher gets off a nice punt again, fair catch at the 8. As the third quarter ends, we have 2nd and 3 at the 15.

And Jackson runs for 8 yards to pick it up. Oberg then goes to the air, 12 yards to Frazee. Oberg throws incomplete, then hits Plotkin for 37 yards! Jackson runs for a yard, and fumbles! It's picked up by Nichols! He brings it back 8 yards, and we take over at our 35. 12:57 left. Sheehan runs for 3, then 11. We keep feeding it to him -- he loses a yard, then gains 6 yards, then 8 yards. But there's a flag! We're called for unsportsmanlike conduct. It stays 1st and 10, but we're moved back to our own 47. We keep giving it to Sheehan, who runs for no gain, then picks up 2 yards. On 3rd and 8, we mix it up...by giving it to the fullback! Austin runs for no gain. 4th and 8 from our own 49, Schrimsher punts 41 yards, returned 1 yard. Hartford takes over at their 11. 8:57 left. Jackson runs for 2 yards, then Oberg hits Plotkin (don't these guys have *two* receivers?) for 20 yards. Lincoln loses 3 yards, Jackson gains 2, then Oberg throws incomplete to Plotkin. Sheehan loses a yard on the punt return, and we take over at our own 24. 6:23 left. Sheehan picks up 3 yards, then runs for no gain, fumbling! Luckily, we pick it up. Sheehan then loses 3 yards, and we punt, returned by Plotkin to their 40 yard line. 3:59 left. Oberg throws incomplete, but we're called for holding, bringing up 1st and 10 at the 45. Cassady catches an 11 yard pass. Oberg throws incomplete, then complete to Jackson for 6 yards, then is sacked by Mattos for a loss of 6! Their punt goes for a touchback. But -- Annelli is injured on the play -- this appears to be a serious injury. Crap. For those not in the know, that's my first round pick. He was pretty much a backup DT this year, but coming in on passing situations. Oh, well. Anyway, we take over at our 20, with 2:03 left. Sheehan loses a yard, and we head into the two minute warning. Oh, but we're also called for holding, bringing up 1st and 20. Robinson runs fo 3 yards, then Sheehan picks up 3, then 1 more. We burn all their timeouts, but a poor punt by Schrimsher, and they take over at our 49, with 1:29 left. Ach! And we're called for fair catch interference, bringing it to our 34!! Oberg throws incomplete, then complete to Plotkin for 15 yards! A false start call brings up 1st and 15 at the 24. But Oberg completes to Beech for 15 yards, to the 9!! Then Oberg spikes the ball to stop the clock. 2nd and goal, 26 seconds left. Incompete. 3rd and 9. Dropped by Diaz. 4th and goal at the 9, 11 seconds left. It's blocked at the line by Saavedra!!! Wow. Boston wins a close one, 10-6.

[Passacaglia]

All right! Here we are, ready for Game Two, hosting Boise City. Two 1-0 teams going at it, since Boise City won 20-3 in Seattle. Interestingly enough, we just met this team two weeks ago, in Boise, in preseason, winning 20-10. We're playing without Kirk Annelli, our first round draft pick, who's out for the season. Stupid holdouts -- this is what happens when you miss training camp, kids! Anyway, let's roll:

All right, I can't seem to find the file for the Bosie City game to watch it, so we're moving on to the San Antonio game, in Week 3! Let's roll:

We win the toss and receive. Three runs, 7 yards, and we punt, returned to the San Antonio 45. San Antonio cuts through our defense, not even getting in a 3rd down situation, as they take a 7-0 lead. Our offense starts to look alive, but a delay of game brings kills our momentum, and we can't convert the 2nd and 8 that arises. We punt from the San Antonio 44, and it's a touchback. Our defense recovers from its poor performance last time, getting San Antonio to go three and out, although they were helped by an unecessary roughness call. San Antonio punts from their own 22, for 55 yards, going out of bounds at our 23. We get called for a false start right away, and despite a 10 yard pass to Armitage, we can't get a first down. San Antonio takes over after out punt, and is looking at 2nd and 7 at midfield as the quarter ends.

And they get the first down right away, on a 12 yard pass to Redman. But that's all the first downs they get, and on 4th and 5 at our 33, the 50 yard field goal is short! But there's a flag! We're offsides! 1st down, San Antonio!! Augh! Luster hits Redman for ten yards, then Finkle runs for 17, but there's a fumble! But when things don't go your way, they don't go your way. San Antonion recovers, and still have the ball at our 1 yard line. They give it to Finkle again, but he loses a yard. On 2nd, Luster tries to throw it in, but it's incomplete. On 3rd, there's a false start flag! So on 3rd down, part two, from the 7, Luster throws again, incomplete. This time the field goal is good, and there are no flags. 10-0 San Antonio. Backup CB Ira Davey gets us a nice kick return, and we set up at the San Antonio 30, trying to get back in this game. Sheehan runs for one first down, then fumbles, and we recover. That's all we get, and Lynch hits a 33 yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-3. San Antonio gets a couple 9 yard passes off, then we're called for encroachment. But after 1st and 5, we stop them three times, including a sack by Mattos on 3rd and 4. Dorris gets a nice punt for them, which Sheehan returns for 0 yards to our 8 yard line. On our next drive, Armitage catches 3 passes for 40 yards, and Briseno adds a 25 yard catch, and San Antonio helps us out with an unnecessary roughness call, all setting up a 4 yard touchdown run by Sheehan. The game is tied, 10-10, as we head into halftime!

As the third quarter begins, our defense starts out strong, forcing a three and out, including a sack by Jefferson. Dorris punts from the 16, for 30 yards, and Armitage calls a fair catch at the San Antonio 46. We stumble on a 3rd and 2 at the 28, when Sheehan picks up only one yard. Then Lynch fouls up the 44 yard field goal attempt. Luster strikes back with a 30 yard pass play to Stearns. Their offense continues to drive, but Mattos saves the day with his second sack of the game, and Brown hits a 42 yard field goal to give San Antonio a 13-10 lead. Davey gets us another good return, to our 39 yard line, but the offense gains no yards on three plays, and loses 15 more from an unnecessary roughness call. Our punt is returned to the San Antonio 40. Five plays later, Luster hits Redman for a 27 yard touchdown. 20-10, San Antonio. As the third quarter ends, backup RB Robinson picks up a close 4th and 2, and we've got 2nd and 7 at the San Antonio 41.

And we get the first down right away, off a 12 yard pass to FB Austin. But there's holding on the next play, then false start, and we're looking at 1st and 25. We get some back on a 9 yard pass to TE Blackwell, then a 5 yard pass to Austin, but then we get ANOTHER false start flag, bringing up 3rd and 16! Blackwell drops the pass, and we punt from the 35, for a touchback. Luckily, we get a three and out, highlighted by a sack by Saavedra. Sheehan returns the punt to our 42, 10:42 left. McMillan throws to Blackwell for 7 yards, then Austin for 1 yard, then hands to Sheehan for the last 2. Back to the air, Briseno catches a 4 yard pass, and Austin catches an 8 yard pass. Briseno catches another 5 yard pass, but on 2nd and 5, McMillan is intercepted by McEachern. San Antonio takes over at their 24, 6:53 left. Finkle picks up 12 yards. We stop them, as Finkle runs for no gain, Cowley catches a 4 yard pass, then Rogers runs for 2 yards. Sheehan returns the punt to the 9 yard line, 3:33 left. McMillan gets sacked, and we're at our own 3, then Armitage catches a 6 yard pass, then on 3rd and 10, McMillan throws incomplete. We punt from our 9, and San Antonio gets a nice return, but there's holding, so they take over at their own 48, 2:42 left. Finkle loses a yard, then Jefferson gets a sack, then Stearns catches a 14 yard pass that's not enough for the first down. The punt is a touchback, and there's 2:14 left, but we have no timeouts. Sheehan drops a pass, then San Antonio is called for encroachment, then Blackwell catches a 30 yard pass! We hit the two minute warning. Soriano comes in (!) and throws incomplete to Austin, then incomplete for Briseno, then he throws one straight to McEachern, for his second interception -- and this one he returns for a touchdown! The game effectively ends, 27-10 San Antonio.

[Passacaglia]

The good news is that is looks like we beat Boise City, 13-6. I still don't have the boxscore or game log for that game, but we're still tied for the division lead with New York at 2-1!

[wade moore]

I have the box score and game log if you need it...

Good write-up! Tough Loss to San Antonio though, but they're a very solid team...

[Passacaglia]

Okay, here we are for our first road game, against 3-0 Detroit! Detroit was an awful team last year, but it just goes to show the improvement a team can make with that sure-fire solid #1 pick on their side! What? Their #1 pick, Scott Flowers, is out for the season? Oh. Well, I guess it just goes to show what free agency and a nice schedule can do! Anyway, I see that there's a recent post by wademoore, but in case he said something about the game, I don't want to read it yet. My guess is he said something like "good game, you guys played hard and lost a close one." Okay, I guess that's a little pessimistic, but it's better than "man, too bad about that career-ending injury to RB William Sheehan, and right after you rejected a trade offer for him!" Hopefully, of course, he said something like, "awesome win -- how do you guys keep doing it?" Well, let's find out.

Detroit wins the toss and receives (does a team *ever* defer?). Their offense moves well, running and passing, converting some hard third downs, but eventually get stuck with 4th and 6 at our 32. The field goal is good, and Detroit takes a quick 3-0 lead. Our offense goes to it, and picks up 10 yards in three plays -- unfrotunately, starting off with a false start call leaves us at 4th and 5. Three and out. Schrimsher gets a nice 50 yard punt, returned for 3 yards, and Detroit takes over at our 23. Two straight 16 yard plays, and we're looking like we're in trouble. But the next three plays pick up only 5 yards, and they're stopped at our 40. The punt goes for a touchback. Our offense finally joins the game, thanks mostly to the running attack, but as soon as we get into Detroit territory, a holding call brings us back. On 3rd and 17, McMillan throws one out to Briseno -- for 16 yards! 4th and 1 at the Detroit 38. What do we do? Ugh, punt it. But hey, Schrmisher gets it downed at the 8, not bad. And Detroit's RB Wadsworth fumbles it on the first play! Jefferson falls on it at the 11! Two plays later, McMillan hits Briseno for 9 yards and the score! 7-3 Boston! Infante sets Detroit up with a nice return to the 34 yard line, and Detroit has 1st and 10 at their 48 as the first quarter ends.

After one more first down, we have them practically stuffed, 3rd and 10 at our 38, when their FB Bevan breaks free for all 38 yards and a touchdown! Detroit leads 10-7! We keep it mostly on the ground, and don't get much, punting from our 43. The punt goes 35 yards for a fair catch at the Detroit 22. Their offense gets quite a few first downs, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against them was what kept them out of field goal range. Their punt form their own 46 goes 29 yards, and Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 25. And we get nine yards on three plays, falling just short. Schrmisher punts 47 yards, downed at the 19. Detroit passes on us crazily, then finally gets stuck with three incomplete passes at our 17 yard line. The field goal is good. 13-7 Detroit. We only have time for three plays -- two of them 2 yard runs by Sheehan, with a 15 yard pass to Armitage in between. We head to the lockers down 13-7, and our struggling offense needs to pick it up when we start out with the ball in the 3rd quarter.

And we do! After a 1 yard run by Sheehan, McMillan launches it to Briseno for 34 yards! But does this get us into filed goal range? No. Sheehan picks up 5 yards to get us to the Detroit 40, but two incomplete passes and our drive is over. But the punt is downed at the 1 yard line! Now the defense needs to kick in again. And it does! Wadsworth runs up the gut, right into our DT Desmarais for a loss of a yard and a safety! 13-9 Detroit! But our offense is as stagnant as ever, running three times for 9 yards. But we fake the punt! Schrimsher throws it to FB Austin for 2 yards and the first down! This is all followed by a 4 yard sack, a 5 yard run, and an incomplete pass. We don't fake this punt, and Detroit takes over at their own 23. But the defense comes up strong again! CB Nichols intercepts the pass at the Detroit 35, and we take over there! For some reason the backup QB, Soriano, comes in, but it's okay because Sheehan hits his stride, running 4 times for 26 yards, and catching a 4 yard TD pass to give us a 16-13 lead! Detroit takes over at their own 20, but a false start call and a sack by Saavedra give them 2nd and 21 at the 9. They get 10 yards on 2nd down, but the 3rd down pass is incomplete. They get a nice 51 yard punt, which Sheehan returns for 7 yards to our 37. Again, our offense gets no first downs, but Schrimsher's punt goes out of bounds at the 9 yard line. Three and out for Detroit, and their punt is returned by Sheehan to our 45 yard line. Looks like we're winning the battle of field position here. Sheehan runs for 2 yards, bringing up 2nd and 8 at our 47 as the 3rd quarter ends.

And we get the first down! Sheehan picks up 6, then gets the last 2 on 3rd down. We go back to Sheehan, but they're onto us. He loses 3 on 1st down, then loses 1, then on 3rd and 14, we give it to him AGAIN, for 2 yards. Schrimsher's punt goes out of bounds at the 3 (can you say MVP?) where Detroit takes over with 11:49 left. Threats picks up 6 on first down, then Mathias's pass falls incomplete, but they do a little flip play to WR Ramirez on 3rd down for 5 yards. On first down, they go back to Ramirez, this time on a reverse, for no gain, then to backup RB Threats for a gain of a yard, then Mathias drops back to pass, but is sacked by MLB Jefferson coming in on the blitz! Welch punts from the 9, for 44 yards, and Sheehan breaks a few tackles, returning it 13 yards to the Detroit 40. 8:22 left. More Sheehan -- he picks up 4 yards on 1st, then 5 yards on 2nd, but steps out of bounds. He makes up for it by converting the 3rd and 1, running for 3 yards. Back to Sheehan on 1st for 1 yards, then to backup RB Robinson, who loses 2 yards. On 3rd and 11, we give it to Sheehan (maybe we brought in Soriano cause he can handoff better?), for 3 yards, but again he steps out of bounds! Lynch hits a 43 yard field goal, and we lead 19-13. Kemper returns it out to the 38 for Detroit, 4:31 left. Mathis throws incomplete on 1st down, but scrambles for 10 on 2nd. But he fumbles! It's picked up by our backup DE Aceves, who runs 5 more yards to the Detroit 43! 4:09 left. We give it to Robinson for no gain, then Austin for a loss of a yard. But Detroit is offsides! 2nd and 5. This time it's to Sheehan for no gain. On 3rd and 5, we give it to Sheehan again, who loses 2 yards. Now we're in trouble -- 4th and 7 at the 40. A field goal would give us a 9-point lead to ice the game, but it would be 57 yards, and we'd be in trouble if we miss. And with Schrimsher punting so well, it makes sense to punt it. But we DON'T!! I swear I typed all that stuff about it making sense to punt before finding out we didn't. My God. Detroit takes over at their own 47 with 2:15 left on 2 timeouts. Our defense needs to make one last stand. Mathias throws incomplete. Wadsworth runs for 2 yards, and we hit the two minute warning. Mathias is hurried by DT Hiatt, incomplete! 4th and 8. Mathias hits Bevan for 10 yards, and he's out of bounds! 1st and 10 at our 41, 1:37 left. Mathias's pass is dropped by Bevan. Saavedra gets another hurry, incomplete. On 3rd down, Meyers gets the hurry, incomplete again. 4th and 10. Incomplete again, defended by OLB Mattos! But Detroit still has two timeouts, and there's 1:08 left. Sheehan runs for no gain, then for 4 yards. On 3rd and 6, Soriano takes a knee, but there's still 5 seconds left on the clock! On 4th down, we punt it, and Detroit calls a fair catch (!). But we're called for fair catch interference! No one cares, and the game is over. 19-13 Boston.

[sachmo71]

Good luck!

[Passacaglia]

Thanks, sachmo! This win was huge, against a 3-0 team on the road. Being 2-1 was not much of a big deal, since we hadn't beat anybody that good, but even if it was Detroit, who was an awful team last year, it's still got to be a big deal that we beat them after they've put together a few wins in a row. When I get time, I'll try to post some more info relevant to the team!

[sachmo71]

Don't forget to lose against the Breakers!

[wade moore]

Great game pass, glad you had better luck than I did!

[Passacaglia]

Thanks, wademoore! Watching these games, I wonder how I'm winning at all. But hey, whatever the reason, it's happening somehow! I am a bit worried, since we started out 3-0 last season, then proceeded to nosedive. I do think we're an improved team, but I also think we'll be better next season, so the best is yet to come.

[wade moore]

Winning ugly is better than losing pretty, that's what I say!

[Passacaglia]

Okay, here we are for Game 5, ready to take on the 1-3 Chicago Hitmen, in Chicago!

We win the toss and receive -- Green gets us a nice return, to the 36. And it's all about the running game -- Sheehan runs twice to get us one first down, but Sheehan gets no gain, and McMillan runs a draw for 5, and on 3rd and 5, our pass is incomplete. Schrimsher's punt, from the Chicago 45, goes for a touchback. The Hitmen respond in similar fashion -- one first down, then punt. They punt 45 yards from the 30, out of bounds at our 25. We get 2 first downs, but our second one, on 3rd and 2 is called back for holding! And we punt, fair caught at the Chicago 32. Pisano breaks off a couple nice runs for the Hitmen, of 15 and 13 yards, but once they get to our 33, just in field goal range, they get a false start penalty, and three plays for no gain, so they punt from our 38 for a touchback. Our offense gets moving, but as the quarter ends, we're facing a 4th and 2 at the Chicago 40.

And we punt for a touchback. After two runs which result in a combined loss of a yard, Darr breaks out, throwing three straight passes for a total of 73 yards. This leads to a 5 yard catch by Blevins for a touchdown two plays later. 7-0 Chicago. Our offense comes back and does absolutely nothing. We punt from our 18, for 30 yards, and Chicago starts at our 48. They get to our 35, but a holding penalty takes them back to our 45, and they work their way to 4th and 11 at our 36. The 53 yard field goal attempt it wide right. Armitage gets two key catches on 3rd and long to keep our drive alive, but on 3rd and 3 at the Chicago 5, McMillan throws to Briseno instead, and it's incomplete. We settle fr the 22 yard field goal, and the lead is cut to 7-3. Chicago has about a minute left, and they just run out the clock, to lead 7-3 at the half.

Chicago starts out the second half with a nice return, giving them the ball at their own 38. Spates catches a 16 yard pass, and two runs get 7 yards, but on 3rd and 3, Darr's pass to Spates is incomplete. The punt from our 39 is a touchback. Our offense starts out moving, getting a few first downs, until McMillan is intercepted at the Chicago 32. Chicago gets a couple first downs as well, but are finally stopped at 4th and 9 at our 35. They try another long field goal, for 52 yards, and this time, it's short. We get two first downs, and are looking at 1st and 10 at the Chicago 36 as the fourth quarter begins.

We get another first down, but it's called back for offensive pass interference! That sends us back to the 42, where we flip it to WR Armitage off left tackle for 1 yard. On 3rd and 15, McMillan throws it to FB Austin for 7 yards, giving us 4th and 8 at the 34. We kick the fiel goal, and it's good! 7-6 Chicago. Our kickoff is a touchback, and Chicago takes over at the 20, 13:09 left. Brady picks up 4 yards, then 5 yards, then on 3rd and 1, he loses 2 yards! The Hitmen punt from the 27, for 31 yards, and Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 42. 11:18 left. Sheehan runs for a yard, then McMillan hits TE Blackwell for 14! McMillan tries to go back to Blackwell, but it's blocked at the line. The next pass is for Austin, who gets 5, then steps out of bounds. Then it's Armitage to save the day, getting a 6 yard catch on 3rd and 5. McMillan's first pass is incomplete to Bridges, but his next is complete to Bennett for 12 yards! Now we go to the ground. Robinson loses a yard, then Sheehan loses a yard, then Austin gets no gain. Lynch hits a field goal from 39 yards out, and we lead, 9-7!! Chicago gets another good return, and starts at the 37, with 5:18 left. Pisano runs for 3 yards, and Brady loses all of them back. On 3rd and 10, Darr's pass to Bernier is incomplete. Harden punts 30 yards from the 37, and Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 33. Time to grind it out. Sheehan picks up 3, then runs for no gain, then we give it to Robinson for 3 more. Schrimsher punts from our 39, for 31 yards, downed at the 30. We hit the two minute warning, and Chicago has only two timeouts left. Darr gets going right away, hitting Spates for 18 yards. His next pass is incomplete, then there's a delay of game flag. Darr's next two passes are incomplete, and they're looking at 4th and 15 at our 43. They go for it, and it's complete to Spates for 15 yards! Wow. They call their second timeout, with 52 seconds left, at our 42. Darr throws incomplete, but then hits Blevins for 16 yards! They call their last timeout, and sit at our 26 yard line, with 34 seconds left. Brady runs for 7, to our 19. Darr spikes the ball, and it's 3rd and 3 with 12 seconds left. McNeil hits the field goal, and Chicago wins 10-9. Blah.

[wade moore]

Tough Loss

[daedalus]

Rough way to lose. Meh.

[Passacaglia]

Okay, despite a tough loss in Chicago, we still managed to hang on to be tied for the division lead, since our rival, the New York Empire, lost to the Detroit Vampires, 6-0. Sounds like a Boston kind of score. Anyway, that sets up THE BIG GAME this week, New York at Boston. Both teams are 3-2, with a 1-0 division record. The winner gets sole possession of first place, but not necessarily by a full game -- New Brunswick is waiting in the wings at 2-2.

New York wins the toss and receives, starting at the 25. They run the ball all over us, but a sack by Mattos gets them into too much trouble. 4th and 8 at our 39, and th punt is downed at our 10. We start out horribly, with two straight penalties, but Sheehan bails us out with a 14 yard catch. We give it to Sheehan a ton more times -- he gets 7 carries for 32 yards on the drive. But our drive ends with a sack on 3rd and 9, and we punt from our own 44, and a fair catch is called at the 26. New York calls on their backup RB Valenzuela three times in a row, and he picks up 7 yards. Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 25. We grab a couple first downs, one due to an unnecessary roughness call, and have first and 10 at our 49, when McMillan's pass is intercepted in the end zone. Must have lost control of that one. What was one of their defenders doing in the end zone anyway? New York takes over at their 20. Valenzuela and their starting RB Foran get a first down each, but FB Cupp loses three yards for them, bringing 2nd and 13 at the NYC 39 as the quarter ends.

Valenzuela runs for three, but Pace's 3rd and 10 pass is incomplete. Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 20. Our offense gets a holding penalty, a two yard loss on a run by McMillan, and a couple incomplete passes, and we're punting from our 8. NYC takes over at our 48. There's a running into the kicker penalty, but we decline it, cause yeah, having them start in our territory is a good thing, and Schrimsher is really unlikely to boot it more than that 39 yard punt again. New York manages one first down, but a 3rd and 8 pass at our 32 is incomplete. The 49 yard field goal is missed! We take over at our 39. More Sheehan. We give it to him 6 plays in a row, for 33 yards. Then...we pass to him for 6 more. Giving him a break, we hand it to backup RB Robinson, who gets a couple. McMillan drops back to pass, and is sacked, but on 3rd and 13, he connects with Briseno for 15! After another incomplete pass, Robinson runs the final 10 yards to the end zone! 7-0 Boston! We kick off again, and it's returned to the 22. And now the Empire is frazzled. A false start call, then two incomplete passes, and a 3 yard run by Cupp. Sheehan gets a 1 yard return, to our 37, and we have one more chance to score before the half. Unfortunately, we only manage 6 yards in 3 plays. NYC runs one play, a short 5 yard pass, and the half is over.

We start out the second half with a nice return by WR Bridges, out to the 40 yard line. FB Austin catches an 11 yard pass to give us one first down, but that's all we get. We punt from the NYC 42, and a fair catch is called at the 12. Pace throws a 9 yard pas to Cupp, but they still don't manage to get a first down. Carpio's punt from the 20 goes for 41 yards, and Sheehan returns it 61 yards for a touchdown! 14-0 Boston! We kick off once more, returned to the 27. Foran and Cupp run well, and Pace throws a 16 yard pass to WR Parr, but Cupp is the big hero, running a 31 yard touchdown. 14-7 Boston. We return the kick to the 32, and manage only 8 yards. Schrimsher punts 44 yards, and NYC loses a yard on the return, to the 15. And we get the quick stop we need on defense -- two Foran runs get 2 yards each, and the 3rd and 6 pass is dropped by backup TE Schokora. And Carpio's punt is blocked! Our DT Winters deflects it, and it's picked up by our SS Rodriguez at the 7, and he walks into the end zone! Special teams! 21-7 Boston. NYC returns the kick to the 22, and on their first play, Rodriguez comes up big again, intercepting Pace's pass at our 29! As the 3rd quarter ends, we're looking at 2nd and 4 at our 28.

It takes Sheehan two times, but he picks up the first down. But that's the only one -- we punt from the NYC 47, with a fair catch at the 10. 12:04 left. They hand it to Foran twice, for no gain. On 3rd and 10, they pass...To Foran, for 3 yards. Carpio gets the punt off, and Sheehan calls a fair catch at the NYC 47. We keep running. Robinson gets a yard, then Sheehan gets 8 and fumbles! But it's recovered by our LT Barnard. On 3rd and 1, Sheehan gets 2. We go back to Sheehan for another yard, then Robinson for 5 more, then Sheehan again for 2. Stopped at the 28, Lynch hits a 45 yard field goal. 24-7 Boston. NYC returns our kick out of the end zone, to the 17 yard line, 5:28 left. They give it to Foran again, pass to backup WR Paulino for 3 yards, then give it to Cupp, who loses 2 yards. Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 48. We give it to Sheehan, who picks up 5, then McMillan dives in himself for a yard, then our 3rd RB, Green, gets a rare carry for 2 yards. Schrimsher punts from the NYC 44, downed at the 4! 2:37 left, NYC is down to 2 timeouts. Valenzuela catches a 4 yard pass, then Foran breaks one for 18, as we hit the two minute warning. But our CB Nichols puts an end to things, intercepting Pace's pass at the NYC 29, and returning it to the 14! We take over there with 1:47 left. Robinson picks up 2, Green picks up 3, then Robinson gets 2 more. Lynch's field goal is blocked! NYC falls on the ball at our 14. I guess this is the best time ever to have a kick blocked. 32 seconds left. Valuenzela catches a 36 yard pass to take them to midfield, but there's only time for one more play -- an incomplete pass to Parr.

[Passacaglia]

All right, a nice bye week for our guys, and we're back for a rematch with the Hartford Attack! We beat these guys in a close one in Boston, 10-6. It'll be interesting to see how much we've improved since that game. Also, it's a division game, and it would be nice to improve to 3-0 in our division.

Hartford wins the toss and receives, and the kick is a touchback. The first play is a good one for Boston -- OLB Rabb comes in on a blitz and sacks Oberg for a loss of 8 yards! He fumbles, but Hartford falls on it. Oberg strieks back with an 8 yard pass, but there's a flag for an illegal block below the waist. The Attack are now looking at 2nd and 28 at the 2. They give it to RB Jackson for 4 yards, but we're called for unnecessary roughness! I guess we were just a little too antsy to get that safety. Anyway, that sets them up with 1st and 10 at the 21. And theHarftord offense goes on the Attack, getting three gains of 10-12 yards on three straight plays. But it's Rabb to the rescue! He picks off Oberg's pass at our 33, and runs 36 yards, to the Hartford 31! Now it's time for some mediocre Boston offense. Sheehan runs for 1 yard, then 2, then on 3rd and 7..we give it to the backup, Robinson, for no gain. And what's worse, Lynch misses the 45 yard field goal. Rabb's efforts have completely gone to waste so far. Hartford goes back on the attack, but they're eventually looking at a 4th and 1 at our 31. They try the field goal, too -- for 48 yards, and it's also short. More Sheehan for Boston -- 3 runs for 7 yards, and we punt. A fair catch is called at the 12. This time, Hartford won't be stopped, and Oberg passes to WR Beech for a 32 yard touchdown. They lead, 7-0. In response, we finally open up our passing game, and McMillan nails a few, but eventually, he throws three straight incomplete passes. The quarter ends with Schrimsher punting from our 48, and he gets it out of bounds at the 5.

Hartford gets a few first downs, but a sack by our backup MLB Makowski gets them into some trouble, and they punt from our 40, for a touchback. Our offense finally starts clicking, barely converting a couple 3rd and long plays early, mixing the run and pass well, but we're eventually stopped at 4th and 6 at the Hartford 11. We kick the field goal, and cut the lead to 7-3. Unfortunately, Beech gets them a nice return to the 31 as we hit the two minute warning. But we get a three-and-out! The Hartford punt goes 35 yards, and Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 28. But we do nothing with it, and it's 7-3 at halftime.

We take the ball to start the 3rd quarter, and return it to the 29. We get one first down, but on 3rd and 6 at our 44, McMillan is sacked. He fumbles, too, be we fall on it at our 37. Schrimsher's punt is returned for 10 yards to the Hartford 28. They get just one first down, too, but Oberg's pass on 3rd and 2 at our 48 falls incomplete. They punt, and it's downed at our 2. We keep running, 3 times for 4 yards, and punt from our 6. Schrimsher's punt goes 32 yards, and Hartford takes over at our 38. Our defense comes up big, though. On 3rd and 7, DT Hiatt sacks Oberg for a 5 yard loss, setting up 4th and 12 at our 40. They punt, but again, we're in field position trouble, as the ball is downed at our 4. And again, we go three and out. Robinson runs for 5 yards, but McMillan throws two incomplete passes. We punt from our 9, and Schrimsher gets a nice 50 yard punt off, but it's returned 22 yards, and Hartford takes over at our 37! This time, they get one first down, and that's enough to keep them in field goal range. Richmond hits a 34 yard field goal, and the Hartford lead is now 10-3. We return the kick to our 29 again. But there's holding! We take over at our own 18. On 2nd an 9, McMillan hits WR Briseno for 10 yards, and we have 1st and 10 at the 29 when the final quarter begins.

We start the quarter running again, giving it to Sheehan for a yard. But McMillan hits Briseno again, for a 14 yard gain. Back to Sheehan for a yard, but then McMillan drops back and picks up yardage again, throwing it to Sheehan for 9 yards. Back to the ground on first down, as Robinson picks up 2 yards, then to the air, with McMillan hitting FB Austin for 9 yards. On 1st, Sheehan runs for 1 yard, then on 2nd, Robinson runs for the other 9 and another first down. McMillan drops back and dumps it to Austin for 3 yards, but then on 2nd down, he's sakced for a loss of 6! On 3rd and 13, McMillan runs a draw for 3 yards. We're at the 25, but Lyunch misses a 42 yard field goal! That's okay, we needed a touchdown anyway. Hartford takes over at their 32, with 8:27 left. Oberg's pass is incomplete, then FB Cassady runs for 6 yards, then DE Meyers combines with Rabb to sack Oberg for a 6 yard loss! Hartford punts, and Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 23, 6:50 left. Sheehan gains a yard, then loses a yard, then McMillan's pass is dropped by Austin. We punt, and Hartford takes over at their 38, 5:54 left. Cassady runs for 3 yards, then Oberg throws to Frazee for 8 more. Oberg goes back to Plotkin for 36 yards. Oberg throws incomplete, then gets sacked, then throws incomplete again, but kicking the 37 yard field goal here will kill us. It's good. 13-3 Hartford. And that's pretty much the game.

[Passacaglia]

Well, there's a bit of good news. New York lost to Chicago, 7-6, so we still have the division lead!

Boston 4-3 2-1
New York 3-4 1-1
New Brunswick 3-4 0-1
Hartford 2-5 1-1

We're definitely looking like the loser division. The one where you need to win it to make the playoffs, and if you end up 2nd place, you have no chance of getting the wildcard. As it is now, the wild card teams would be 5-2 Tampa Bay, and 5-2 Albany.

Our next game is at home against 2-5 Cleveland, so we have another try against a team that's supposed to be worse than us. Meanwhile, New York goes up against New Brunswick, and the winner will be either tied with me or at least the sole 2nd place team.

Injury report: As has been reported earlier, our first round draft choice, Kirk Annelli, is out for the season. There are only two other injuries -- our starting tackles, Michael Nelson and Jaime Barnard, are both doubtful. They'll both play, because I can't afford to sit them both out, and I can't decide which one to have sit out. And besides, after the embarrassing loss to Hartford, I want to come back with a win.

So that's that. See you next week, when we take on Cleveland!

[Passacaglia]

All right. Time for the Cleveland game!

We win the toss and receive, and it's a touchback. Sheehan gets us started out right, running around the end for 48 yards. Then he comes right back for 16 more! We give Sheehan a break, and give it to the backup, Robinson, but he loses a yard. McMillan throws incomplete, and Sheehan can only pick up 6 yards on 3rd and 11, so we have to settle for a 28 yard field goal by Lynch. 3-0 Boston. Still, it's a good start. The Flats return the kick out of the end zone, and only get to their 18. Cleveland gets a nice drive, passing the ball a lot, and with 1st and 10 on our 22, they pull off the most skillful play I've ever seen -- their QB Hoover passes to their RB Woolridge for no gain -- but there's a flag for an illegal forward pass! How did Hoover manage to be across the line of scrimmage, throw the ball forward, yet manage to gain no yards on the play? Maybe it was some fancy dancing by Woolridge. Anyway, the penalty is a loss of down, and they get 8 more yards on the next 2 plays, but they also have to settle for a field goal. 3-3. Our offense isn't nearly as explosive as on our first drive, but at least it's not as bad as it usually is. We've got 3rd and 5 at the Cleveland 38 as the quarter ends.

And we get it! Robinson comes in and picks up 27 yards!! And later, and 2nd and goal at the 2, Sheehan runs it in for the score, 10-3 Boston! We kick it into the end zone again, and this time they take the touchback. The Flats start passing the ball around some more, until CB Nichols comes away with the interception at our 37, returning it to the Cleveland 42! We call 9 plays on our next drive, with two pass attempts -- one ended in a sack, and the other ended in a 17 yard scramble by McMillan. 17-3 Boston! This time, our kick falls short of the end zone, and it's returned to the 30. Back to the air for Cleveland, and they complete a 53 yard pass to Blackmon! Their drive ends with a 3 yard pass to Posey, to cut our lead to 17-10. We return the kick to our 22, and punt for the first time, I believe. It's a poor 36 yard punt, setting Cleveland up at their 36. Three passes, and the half is over.

We kickoff for a touchback -- and Hartley is injured for Cleveland. Serious. And on a touchback, too. That sucks. On the 2nd Cleveland play, Nichols comes up big again, intercepting a pass at the Cleveland 32, returning it to their 20! However, our offense blows it, and Lynch caps the blowing it by missing a 25 yard field goal! Cleveland takes over at the 20, but we get them on a 3 and out. Sheehan calls a fair catch at our 28. At this point, McMillan comes out, although it seems like he's been doing fine for the few passes he's thrown, and his mentor, Soriano, comes in. It doesn't matter much anyway, because Sheehan provides most of our offense anyway. But Soriano does hit Briseno for a couple of nice passes, and we get all the way to the 3 yard line before we settle for a 20 yard field goal, which Lynch hits. 20-10 Boston. Again, our kick goes in the end zone, and the Flats return it, this time to the 13. They run once for a loss of a yard, and throw twice incomplete. Their punt from the 12 goes a pathetic 27 yards, and it's returned 10 yards by Sheehan! We take over at the Cleveland 29. But Soriano gets intercepted on the first play at the 23 yard line, and it's returned to the 41. Hoover throws incomplete, then to Oaks for 36 yards, and to Hibbler for 23 yards and the touchdown. 20-17 Boston. We return the ball to our 29, and are looking at 3rd and 10 there as the quarter ends.

And we get it! Briseno catches another 10 yard pass to keep our drive alive! However, the next three plays net us 0 yards, and we punt from our 39. Schrimsher punts it 48 yards, and a fair catch is called at the 13, 12:41 left. Woolridge catches a pass for 4 yards, then Hoover runs a draw for 6 and the first down. Posey picks up 5 yards, then Woolridge catches a 3 yard pass, then Hampton picks up 2 yards and another first down. Hoover runs again, for 5 yards, then for 4, then Grunow picks up 3 for a first down, but there's a flag! Holding on Cleveland! On 3rd and 11, Hoover passes to Grunow for 3 yards, and they have to punt from their 35. It goes 47 yards, and Sheehan returns it 12 yards to the 30. 7:25 left. Robinson runs for no gain, then Sheehan loses a yard then gains 2 yards, and we punt, from our 31, for 37 yards, and Cleveland calls a fair catch at their 32. 4:57 left. Hoover throws incomplete, then Poses loses 2 yards, then Grunow catches a 5 yard pass. They punt, and we call a fair catch at our 23. 3:17 left. FB Austin loses a yard, then we're called for a false start, then Robinson runs for no gain, then Sheehan for no gain. We punt from our 17, and it goes 40 yards, returned to the Cleveland 47. 2:07 left, and Cleveland is down to one timeout left. Posey runs for 6 yards, and we hit the two minute warning. Hoover picks up the rest, scrambling for 4 yards. But S Sampson comes through with the game-winning interception! That pretty much ends it, 20-17 Boston!

[Passacaglia]

Well, New Brunswick really took it to New York, 26-3, so the standings look like this:

Boston 5-3 2-1
New Brunswick 4-4 1-1
Hartford 3-5 1-1
New York 3-5 1-1

We've got a tough game against 5-3 Albany, while New Brunswick hosts Hartford. New York travels to Clelveland.

Injury report: Both our tackles are looking better: Barnard is up to probable, and Nelson is up to questionable.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Well, New Brunswick really took it to New York, 26-3, so the standings look like this:

Boston 5-3 2-1
New Brunswick 4-4 1-1
Hartford 3-5 1-1
New York 3-5 1-1

We've got a tough game against 5-3 Albany, while New Brunswick hosts Hartford. New York travels to Clelveland.

Injury report: Both our tackles are looking better: Barnard is up to probable, and Nelson is up to questionable.

New Brunswick?

[Passacaglia]

Oops. I meant Atlantic City.

[Passacaglia]

Okay, after a few tough games, we're at 6-5, and one game behind Atlantic City. And we head into Durham!

We start out with the ball, and move well, getting stopped at the Durham 35. We wuss out and punt, but Schrimsher does his job, getting the ball downed at the 3. Durham drives all the way down the field against us, when Nichols comes up with the big play, intercepting a pass at our 4 yard line, where we take over. Unofrtunately, our offense can't pick up a first down, and we punt from our 10. Schrmisher kinda shanks it, and Durham takes over at our 42. They're looking at 3rd and 2 at our 34 as the quarter ends.

And they get it. But we do stop them there, and they kick a 45 yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. We start out at our own 18. McMillan throws a couple nice passes -- one for 33 yards to Sheehan, and one for 14 yards to Armitage on 3rd and 10. But we get stopped at the 26, and miss a 43 yard field goal. Durham's offense gets one 17 yard pass and a couple encroachment calls, and that's enough to set up a 50 yard field goal. 6-0 Durham. Our offense starts at the 13, and it's time to step it up. We get one first down, and that's it. Schrimsher's punt again goes only 33 yards, and Durham takes over at their 31. Again, they hit a long field goal (51 yards), and lead 9-0. We get some big plays next drive, but there's no time to take advantage of them.

Durham gets called for holding on the opening kick, and starts out at the 7. They end up punting from the 26, and we return it to our 48. We start out with a sack, and a fumble! It's recovered by "Torpedes" Vazquez for Durham, and they take over at our 41. Three plays later, Durham leads 16-0. We start really throwing the ball around here, but a holding call puts us in trouble, and our punt from the Durham 43 is a touchback. But the defense comes up big -- Rodriguez picks off a pass at the Durham 36! McMillan goes to his bread and butter, Armitage, first for 14 yards, then for 22 yards and the score. We go for ONE, and trail 16-7. Durham gets good field position, at the 39, but we get them on a three and out. But we're called for face mask! Durham is looking at 3rd and 14, though, at midfield, at the quarter ends.

And we stop them! The punt is a touchback. But McMillan tries for too much on the first play, and gets picked off at the Durham 48, returned to our 48. We get another three and out, and another touchback. 13:11 left. This time, it's three and out for us, and Schrimsher again only punts 33 yards. Durham takes over at their own 47. Another three and out, but we're buried at the 1 this time! 11 minutes left. On 3rd and 7, McMillan throws the ball away to avoid the safety, and we're called for intentional grounding -- at the 1, not the end zone. Luckily. Schrimsher finally boots it away, for 50 yards, and Durham starts at their 49. 9:26 left. They get one first down and punt again, and AGAIN we're buried at the 1! 5:48 left. We get nothing, and Schrimsher boots it out to the Durham 47. 4:41 left. We stop them again, and with a holding call, they punt from their 46, and it's a shank, landing at our 29. 2:06 left. McMillan hits Armitage for 46 yards, and we're at the Durham 15 yard line, but we get two straight holding calls, brining up 2nd and 30 at the 35. Armitage catches a 13 yard pass, but on 4th and 17 at the 22, McMillan gets sacked. That pretty much ends it, 16-7.

[Taco]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

We start out with a sack, and a fumble! It's recovered by "Torpedes" Vazquez for Durham, and they take over at our 41.

Motormouth made a big play!!!

Good game and write up, Passacaglia!

[Passacaglia]

Thanks! I wish I could have wraked some havoc, getting revenge for us being called the #29 team at the beginning of the season. I guess there might still be a chance of that, if we end up going 6-10. But I doubt it.

[Passacaglia]

This is where the recap of the Atlantic City game will go.

[Passacaglia]

So we're a half game behind the division lead here. Hartford is 7-6-1, and both Atlantic City and I are 7-7. But we have a tough game, hosting Oregon.

We win the toss and receive, returning the ball to the 22. We run the ball 8 times, then hit WR Bridges with a 34 yard pass, taking us to the 4. Two plays later, Robinson runs it in from 2 yards out. 7-0 Boston! Oregon takes over at their 25. They get into field goal range, but a couple penalties, combined with a sack by Rodriguez, takes them out. They punt from their 49, downed at our 4. We get out of trouble, but still punt from our 31, downed at the 18. Oregon has 2nd and 10 there as the second quarter starts.

They get it, and a ton more. Again, a sack (by Jefferson) ends their drive, taking them from our 25 to our 32. And they fumble! Saavedra picks it up! We run Sheehan three times, but only get 8 yards. The punt goes to the 10, returned for 4 yards. But Oregon fumbles, and it's picked up and returned for a TD -- by Oregon! 7-7. We get the ball at the 20. We run a lot, but mix in a couple short passes, and Sheehan catches a 4 yard pass to give us the lead again, 14-7! Oregon takes over at the 22, and drives down the field, throwing a 14 yard TD pass with 19 seconds left! We go into the half tied, 14-14.

Oregon starts out the second half, at their 20. Again, they're sacked as they near field goal range, and punt from our 41, touchback. We get a nice 20 yard pass to Armitage, but an offensive pass interference call ends our drive later. We punt from the Oregon 44, fair catch at the 14. We get a three-and-out. A real once, since they fumbled on third down. Davey and Mattos combine for the sack, and Winters picks up the ball at the Oregon 9! Three plays later, Sheehan runs a 1 yard TD. Boston leads, 21-14! Oregon takes over at the 17. But Oregon comes right back, with a 31 yard TD pass to tie the game, 21-21. Green gets us a nice return to the 35. And we have 3rd and 7 at the 38, with one quarter left.

First play of the quarter, McMillan is intercepted, the ball returned to our 32. And Oregon takes advantage, scoring a 7 yard TD run. We return the ball to the 32, 12:23 left. Sheehan runs for a yard, then McMillan throws two incomplete passes. We punt, and Oregon takes over at the 11, and end up with a 19 yard TD pass. 35-21 Oregon. We start at the 20, 6:12. Second play of our drive, Sheehan fumbles after catching a pass, And they end up missing a field goal! However, we only have 2:08 left. McMillan is picked off on the second play. That's pretty much the game. 38-21.