02-17-2006, 04:36 PM | #101 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Illinois
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The Midterm Evaluation
We've reached the halfway point of our season, and that means it is time for some reflection and self-evaluation. The team's performance, to date:
Code:
The Offense Offensively, our team has been pretty pedestrian this season. In part that is because of our problems with protection on the O-line, and in part it is due to a few individual performances that have been below expectation. Drew Holliday is one such culprit, who started off the season with a bang, but has been very ordinary since. His last game was downright pathetic. He'll have to step it up if we're to maintain any hopes for the postseason. Sydney Armitage was brought in to inject some life into the passing game, but hasn't proven to be much more effective than the guy he replace (Carl Markey - who is inexplicably having a career year with Oregon). I expected nothing less than a 1000 yd season from him, but he's on pace to have just 750 yds receiving. Disappointing. "Colonel" Hogan, however, has continued his solid performance from last year, and currently sports a QB Rating of 97.0. TE Anthony Torres has settled nicely into the starting role, and Demetrius Higginbotham has chipped in nicely as a secondary option in the passing game. But perhaps the most pleasantly surprising aspect of our offense has been our unwillingness to surrender the ball: just 5 turnovers committed so far this year, which is best in the league. Grade: C+ The Defense The "D" has been getting the job done in almost every respect, and is a huge reason why we have a winning record. We're 9th in rushing ypc, 4th in passing ypa, and 3rd in points allowed. While it is hard to complain about that performance, it would be nice to see them improve on forcing turnovers and getting more pressure on the QB. Hopefully Stoltzfus will help in both regards. I mentioned before that Keven Biggs is having a great season (when healthy), and it should be clear why: 9 PDs in just 4 games, only 6 completions allowed. Those 9 PDs tie him for the team lead with Mitchel Enoch, who also has 2 INTs to his credit. Grant Wash is our leading tackler at the moment, but that is only because SLB Joseph Watford has missed the last 3 games. Once we get him back, he'll probably reassert himself as the leader of the defense. Stoltzfus has begun to settle in, and while he has 8 pressures and an INT(!) he has no sacks to his credit yet. He is likely a big reason for the improvement in our run defense. On the not-so-good side, DT Kenneth Neubauer signed a huge contract in the offseason, and has responded with predictably poor season. Ray Minahan has also been disappointing this year - he may not like how he's been yanked into and out of the starting lineup. Toughen up, wuss. Grade: B+ The Special Teams K Rubin Castorena is in serious jeopardy of getting cut in the offseason. He's barely made 50% of his kicks this year (11/20), and has missed several makable attempts this year, including a chip-shot 25 yarder that was blocked in his last game. He's never been great on kickoffs, so his main asset has been his ability to kick long field goals. However, if he can't even make the short ones I'm not sure he has any value whatsoever. P Edward Winters has improved markedly from last year. His net average is up nearly four entire yards (42.6 vs. 38.8 last year), and he's continuing to drop a third of his punts inside the 20. The scouts think he might be capable of improving even more. We'll see, but I'm happy with him right now. Primary punt returner Darryl Bradley has done well, sporting an 11 yard average on 9 returns. Kick returns, however, have been another story. We continue to struggle here, with primary returner Brent Garcia making several boneheaded decisions to take the ball out of the end zone (and do little in the process) and averaging just 21.8 yards per return. Mack Ramirez hasn't done any better at 21.1 ypr. I'd really like to improve this area of the team in the offseason. Grade: C- Overall Evaluation: B- We've done okay this season, but we could be a lot better. We'll have to improve considerably on offense over the last half of the season to make any nosie come playoff time. I'm looking at you, Drew. Last edited by Fonzie : 02-17-2006 at 04:39 PM. |
02-20-2006, 09:27 PM | #102 | |
Pro Rookie
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Location: Illinois
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Focus On: The Stars of Honolulu
There's really only one star you need to know about: Honolulu's legendary QB, Ronnie Tu. I've described him a bit previously, and so I won't go into further detail here, but he is a truly great quarterback. He's capable of beating any team in the league all by himself. Think Brett Favre in his prime (only evil) and you'll get an idea of what Ronnie Tu is all about.
As for the rest of the Honolulu squad they have some good talent in spots, but in general my lead-in to our first game against Honolulu still holds true: Quote:
Not much to add here. They're still good and very capable of beating us at home. I just hope they don't. |
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02-20-2006, 09:50 PM | #103 |
General Manager
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Ooh, thanks for the bump! I almost forgot to send my file in tonight... :o
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UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
02-20-2006, 11:09 PM | #104 |
Pro Rookie
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Glad to be of service.
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02-21-2006, 12:02 AM | #105 |
Head Coach
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If I pull itoff, I would be surprised.
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02-21-2006, 08:31 AM | #106 |
General Manager
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Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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Is the CFL site down for everyone else or is something screwy on my end? I need to see how badly I beat fargo, dammit!
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UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO Last edited by JeeberD : 02-21-2006 at 08:31 AM. |
02-21-2006, 12:53 PM | #108 | |
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Quote:
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02-21-2006, 01:59 PM | #109 | |
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Location: Illinois
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Quote:
I feel your pain. |
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02-21-2006, 02:00 PM | #110 | |
Pro Rookie
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Quote:
I wouldn't be. Tu can win any game at any time. He doesn't have the talent around him that he once had, but on any given Sunday... |
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02-21-2006, 02:06 PM | #112 | |
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Quote:
Despite the fact that he's a 12th year vet I think he'll stick around, if only to be a pain in my neck for a bit longer. Actually, if memory serves MrBug hinted that this would be Tu's last season in Honolulu. Bug was rather cryptic about it, but it sounded like he might consider shopping Tu next ofseason (assuming he doesn't retire). |
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02-21-2006, 08:40 PM | #113 |
Head Coach
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He's not usually one to be hurt, but I'd like to move him...
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02-21-2006, 10:57 PM | #114 |
General Manager
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Ooh, I know who won the game!
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UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
02-21-2006, 11:34 PM | #115 | |
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Quote:
Don't spill the beans! I've still gotta type it up yet! |
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02-21-2006, 11:45 PM | #116 |
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Week 10: vs. Honolulu
Today marks the beginning of a brutal month-long stretch against some great teams. First up is Honolulu, of course, and immediately following them is a game at Arizona. Those two games will have enormous implications for the divisional race, and I consider them to be "must-wins." But things won't get any easier after those two: I then host Detroit (7-1) and visit Tulsa (7-1).
But first things first: we've gotta take care of business vs. Ronnie Tu and company. We've had good recent success against Tu by virtue of our three straight wins over Honolulu. Can we nab a fourth? Code:
Wow. You have to figure that any game starting off with a fumble that you recover and return for a TD might go your way. And boy howdy that's exactly what happened in this charmed match. Our defense came up big again today, registering six sacks and forcing a career-high four INTs from Mr. Tu. We were constantly on the poor old man, and we simultaneously held their running game to a meager 3.2 ypc. And just as impressive was our defensive red zone performance: 4 trips for Honolulu, 0 TDs. Drew Holliday at least returned to a fairly pedestrian form today, which is a huge improvement from his last disastrous outing. Hogan again continues to be an efficient game manager, and Daryl Bradley got (yet again) more carries than I'd like but was very productive. We sustained one injury of note to FS Kenneth Hartung, who will only be out a few weeks. Next up: at Arizona! |
02-22-2006, 09:11 AM | #118 | |
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Quote:
It sure was. I wasn't expecting anything like this, but sweeping Honolulu helps to make up for the despair I felt after losing to Santa Cruz. In fact, based on our performances against Honolulu this year (30-14 win on the road, 38-9 win at home) I'd like to see them every week! The score might've been even worse for Honolulu had stupid Rubin "Stupid" Castorena not stupidly missed 38- and 46-yard attempts. I don't know what's wrong with that stupidhead, but he's been terrible this year. He's just 12 for 23 or something stupid like that. I think his smarts are not so good. |
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02-22-2006, 11:14 PM | #119 |
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Week 10 Roundup
Lots of big happenings in the world of CFL football this week:
Atlantic City (4-5) 6, Hartford (4-5) 38 - Holy crap. Hartford seems to be making up for lost time in a vicious way of late, this time by beating poor Atlantic City silly. This one was a bad blowout that could have been worse, had it not been for Oberg's 3 INTs. Hartford outgained ACI 503-128 yds - this one seriously could have been a 52-0 laugher if Oberg had been a bit more careful with the ball. Still, Oberg had on balance a solid day, adding a 24/42 for 364 yds and 4 TDs to his 3 INTs. He also ran for a TD. As good as Hartford' offense was, take a look at what their defense did: Code:
That's an ass-kicking right there. ACI's only score came on an INT return (conversion failed, of course). Hartford is one scary-assed team. Detroit (7-2) 21, Baltimore (4-5) 26 - The Bombers pulled off a nice upset of the Vampires with Phillip Barbieri leading the way. Detroit's excellent secondary was missing many components today, and they had no answer for Barbieri, who was 25/33 for 285 yds and 1 TD. Johnnie Titone looked every bit the jittery 2nd year player, and only managed a disappointing 14/27 for 113 yds, 2 TDs and 2 INTs (one of which was returned for a TD). Detroit's secondary got a bit healthier this last week, though, and excellent S Michael Dustin might be available for next week's game. Durham (7-2) 13, Charleston (5-4) 17 - It seems weird to say this about any game in which Landon Hurst is playing, but he managed to upset Durham with his nifty 18/26, 215 yd, 2 TD-1 INT performance. As much as Hurst did to win this game, Durham's O-line did to lose it. They only managed to pave the way for a 3.5 ypc average, and worse they allowed Edward Kimber to be hurried 5 times and sacked 5 times. His two 4th quarter INTs ruined any hope Durham might have had of making a comeback. Fargo (6-4) 16, El Paso (4-6) 20 - Here's a head-scratcher: how does a team outgain their opponent 471-292 yds, outsack their opponent 5-2, win the ToP battle 35:45-24:15 and still manage to lose? Apparently, the answer is that you have to bomb on special teams (2 missed field goals) and choke in the Red Zone (0-for-2). Tony Straight did a great job filling in for Hedges, but 356 yds passing just wasn't enough. Huntington Beach (4-5) 23, Arizona (6-3) 10 - Remember how I was saying that I couldn't believe HB was doing so poorly earlier in the year? Well, they finally started to turn things around and they couldn't have done it at a better time. 'Zona scored the first 10 points of the game, but then HB racked up 23 unanswered to finish the game. Freddie Matthias continues to look uncomfortable behind Arizona's line, this time registering a 13/29 for 131 yds, 1 TD and 1 INT performance. He was hurried 6 times and sacked 5. Poor guy. Jesus Dennis even tried to let Arizona back into the game with his 3 INTs, but it wasn't to be. Shreveport (6-3) 10, Boston (5-4) 24 - Boston and Shreveport both held steady at one game behind their respective division leaders after this one. A rather beaten-up Boston squad managed to squelch the Shreveport offense quite effectively, resulting in the staggering decision to bench QB Douglas Hartmann in the 4th quarter. On the very next play star wideout Pedro Lopez suffered a torn achilles tendon and will be out for the season. Ouch. Tulsa (8-1) 13, Boise (6-3) 10 (OT) - Tulsa took a 10-0 lead into the 4th quarter only to see Branden Lin rally his team to tie it with :33s on the clock. The game of course went into overtime, where Branden Lin threw his third, and most costly, interception of the game. Tulsa immediately charged down the field and kicked the game-winning FG. This game really had no business being tied, as Tulsa outplayed Boise by a fair margin, but they just couldn't put points on the board. I'm sure Tulsa is happy to get the win, but I doubt that either team's management is especially happy with this game. |
02-23-2006, 09:24 AM | #120 |
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An observation
For the Numerologists out there:
Tucson began the year with 2 straight wins. We then lost 3 straight, which we followed up by winning 4 in a row. Hmmm... |
02-23-2006, 09:54 AM | #121 |
Coordinator
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Phew.
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02-23-2006, 11:31 AM | #122 | |
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Quote:
That was a nice win over Shreveport. Bridges is really paying dividends for you. |
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02-24-2006, 01:29 PM | #123 |
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Week 11: at Arizona
We stand tied with the Arizona Outlaws for 1st place with a 6-3 record. However, we are teams moving in different directions, as Arizona has lost two straight after their amazing 6-1 start, and we've won 4 straight after our disappointing 2-3 start. 'Zona's troubles aren't easy to pin down, but a good chunk of it seems to be their poor play at WR. Freddie Matthias hasn't been able to do anything with those "weapons." Artie Sonntag, at least, has been having a career year - stopping him will be key to this game's outcome.
We, meanwhile, are pinning our division title hopes on this game. A win here would put us 1 game up on Arizona, and given that our next two games are tough a win here would at least give us some minimal cushion. On to the game! Code:
Whew! This is one of the luckier wins we've had this year. First, Artie Sonntag starts to run all over us (5 carries, 35 yards) but gets hurt and has to leave the game. Arizona's running game never got back on track, which made it relatively easy to key on Matthias. Second, we got a HUGE 70-yd punt return for a TD from Daryl Bradley, which wound up being the difference in the game. Third, we were able to survive yet another disastrous performance from Rubin "Stupid" Castorena, who had a 44-yd attempt blocked and recovered by 'Zona. And finally, we lost the turnover battle but won the game, and any time that happens I'd say luck was on your side. We now sit alone in 1st place, 1 game ahead of Arizona and 2 games ahead of both Honolulu and Las Vegas. I'm certainly happy about that, but Drew Holliday continues to be a source of concern. He's gone 7 straight games without topping 100 yds, and I have no idea what to do about it. Let him work through it? Give the productive backup Bradley more carries? Focus more on the passing game? I dunno. I just dunno. We'd better figure it out soon though. Detroit (8-2) is coming to town next week. |
02-24-2006, 01:35 PM | #124 |
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dola-
I love the fact that the last game's box score shows the game as being played at "Arizona, AZ." |
02-28-2006, 02:57 PM | #125 |
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Week 12: vs. Detroit
Today's matchup is against fantastic flying froggies' Detroit Vampires, who sit atop their division with an 8-2 record. They are led by 2nd-year QB Johnnie Titone, who unseated veteran QB Freddie Matthias in the preseason (resulting in Matthias heading to RoF rival Arizona). For this reason alone we're hoping to beat Titone senseless, but we'd also like to get a win out of this one. We remain a game ahead of Arizona, and face another tough matchup next week at Tulsa. A win here would help us out a lot.
We've also caught a bit of a break: Detroit is currently suffering from an outbreak of influenza, and many of their best players are so dehydrated as to be listed as "Questionable" on the injury report. Hopefully we can take advantage of that turn of events. Code:
Holy crap. Take that, Johnnie Titone! I'd say we accomplished our two main goals: beating up on Titone and getting a good win. Poor Johnnie was a pathetic 6 for 35 passing, for just 63 yards and 2 INTs. If that isn't an ass-kicking, I don't know what is. Our defense stepped up and did the job (again), and while they may have been aided by the viral infection that has plagued the Detroit lockerroom, I don't think that's the entire story. Our D just plain came to play today. Two interceptions, 7 passes defensed, 3 passes blocked at the line, and while we registered just 1 sack we had 15 hurries! Awesome performance by the whole group. This was our first shutout since Week 16 of 2007. And our offense did a decent job too, racking up 362 total yards and taking advantage of turnovers and good field position to the tune of 27 points. Holliday was again quite average, but again Daryl Bradley was there to pick up the slack in the running game. Milan Hogan continues to chug along with his gaudy 98.4 QB Rating, and Sydney Armitage had his best game since the season opener. Rubin Castorena even had a decent day, with no misses on either of his FG attempts. Just about everything went right today. The only downer is that we lost starting LG Ross Poplawski to a high-ankle sprain for a couple of months. He wasn't having a particularly effective season, so his loss is far from devastating. But it is time to do a bit more shuffling on the O-line. The outcome of this one may well have been different were it not for the flu, but anytime our D plays this well there's a good chance we'll win. Detroit is a good team, and I have no doubt they'll bounce back from this temporary setback. Next week: at Tulsa. Last edited by Fonzie : 02-28-2006 at 03:03 PM. |
03-01-2006, 09:09 AM | #127 | |
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Quote:
That'll teach ya to trade your top talent into my division! |
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03-01-2006, 09:57 AM | #128 | |
College Starter
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Quote:
and Freddie finally had a good game |
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03-01-2006, 03:20 PM | #129 | |
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Quote:
I think it was really cool that he had a good game against a team he's used to play. You know, he's played Albany twice a year for the past 5 years, he knows the damn team inside out! Probably just a freak occurence, but those little stories really help with the immersion.
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Detroit Vampires (CFL) : Ve 're coming for your blood! Camargue Flamingos (WOOF): pretty in Pink |
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03-01-2006, 10:37 PM | #130 | |
Pro Rookie
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Quote:
Indeed he did! Let's hope he doesn't make a habit of that. On a related note, real life has imposed several requirements on my free time, which is why my weekly roundups/opponent previews have been sporadic lately. I hope to get back to doing them on a more regular basis in a few weeks. |
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03-03-2006, 03:08 PM | #131 |
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Week 13: at Tulsa
Our opponents this week are the Tulsa Talons, owned and operated by Doug5984. Tulsa has come on strong over the last few seasons, thanks largely to the emergence of QB Donnie Lowe. The 5th year pro came into his own last year with a QB Rating of 86.0 on 3508 yds passing and 25 TDs. He's continuing his strong play this year, and has propelled Tulsa to an 8-3 record. Tulsa has other weapons too, including stud RB Butch Fulton and an excellent defense. This will be one tough match, and being on the road doesn't make it any easier.
Code:
Gentle reader, please recall my comments after week 9, in which I stated that we were entering perhaps the toughest stretch of our schedule. We faced a home game vs. Honolulu, a road game at Arizona, another home game vs. Detroit, and a road game vs. Tulsa. And guess what? Much to my amazement we won all four games. And we didn't just win them, we won them in style by a combined score of 130-36. This is perhaps the most inspired month's worth of football I've ever seen from this team. Very nicely done, boys! In many ways today's game was the least expected win of these last four games (or the whole season, for that matter). We were on the road against a tough team, had a few injuries to contend with, and have been suffering with a slumping Drew Holliday for months. The conditions were perfect for us to lose 41-10, but Tulsa came out flat and made numerous mistakes. We were able to capitalize on those mistakes, and that's really all we needed to do. We blocked a punt on their first drive, recovered it at their 11 and scored a TD to take a quick lead. Three more turnovers from Tulsa and a few good drives from our offense were all we needed to come away with a huge win. I don't know what happened to Tulsa , but we didn't see the "real" Talons squad today. Much like our last game against Detroit, I pin a lot of this win on luck (of the good variety for us, of the bad variety for Tulsa). Drew Holliday finally busted out of his slump and topped 100 yards for the first time in 10 weeks, Hogan was again efficient, Castorena again had a good performance (including a 56-yarder!), and our defense was again outstanding. We suffered another couple of injuries at LB, but we've got enough depth there to get by. Ken Wickes' deathwatch: It is difficult to get too pissed off at a coach who has just guided your team through such an enormously successful stretch, but Wickes continues to make boneheaded decisions that would have been devastating in closer games. To wit: Tulsa's only TD came after we turned the ball over on downs while trying to convert a 4th down at our own 41. Why, in god's name, would we be doing that when we've got a huge lead? That's just plain stupid. I'm keeping an eye on you, Ken. Next up: at Chicago. Last edited by Fonzie : 03-03-2006 at 03:17 PM. |
03-03-2006, 03:14 PM | #132 |
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RIP Ronnie Tu
The biggest development in week 13 of the CFL's 2009 season was undoubtedly the torn ACL suffered by legendary Honolulu QB Ronnie Tu. He will require extensive surgery and rehabilitation, and is estimated to need at least 64 weeks to fully recover. Tu, 33, may elect to call it a career after such an extraordinarily devastating injury.
Godspeed, Tu. And my condolences, MrBug. That's a terrible way for Tu to go out (assuming he doesn't come back). |
03-03-2006, 08:57 PM | #133 | |
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Quote:
Yes. |
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03-05-2006, 09:09 PM | #134 |
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A Momentous Day
As many of you will know, fantastic flying froggies posts a weekly ranking of all teams in the CFL, i.e., much like the traditional "Power Rankings" you see during the NFL season. Unlike those rankings, however, fff disdains reliance on subjective opinion and scuttlebutt. No, he opts to use a complex and idisputably accurate formula to objectively evaluate all teams, relying heavily upon their performance and team statistics.
Why might I bother you with this information? Well, because we have returned to the #1 spot in the fff rankings for the first time since week 9 of 2006. Four out of five CFL owners agree: my awesomeness is both beautiful and terrible to behold. Last edited by Fonzie : 03-05-2006 at 09:14 PM. |
03-07-2006, 04:35 PM | #135 |
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Week 14: at Chicago
The Chicago Hitmen, managed by dberner30, have been one of those cursed franchises who have never been able to put it all together. Their best seasons were in 2003 and 2005, when they sported 7-9 records. Last year they were 2-14, and this year they stand at 2-9-1. They are tied with Arizona for the worst career record at 31-76-1. They've continued to lose despite having one true standout on offense, RB Arthur Brady. Brady is the CFL's career rushing leader, carrying the ball 2628 times for 10759 yards as of this game. He's been so dominant that he has a 2000+ yd lead on the 2nd-place rusher.
But Chicago has, obviously, had problems in other areas. Many of those areas have been addressed in recent years, and this year they seemed on their way to making an improvement. But then they lost their starting QB in the preseason, traded for a replacement who didn't work out, and have unravelled ever since. Look for them to make a big turnaround next year, though. Of course, with Chicago's troubles and Tucson's recent success one would think that we'd have the upper hand in this game. I've long since learned, however, that the FOF match engine can bite you in the petunias when you least expect it (see: loss to Santa Cruz earlier this year), and so I'm bracing for the worst. Code:
Much like our earlier loss to Santa Cruz, this game featured some puzzling about-faces for our Toros. One of our strengths, pass defense, fell apart under the withering assault of a very green QB. One of our weaknesses, however, the pass rush, magically converted into a strength via our 8 sacks. Our offensive strength this season has been our passing game, which was held in check by Chicago's talented secondary. Instead, our heretofore hibernating running game roared back with an outstanding game. To top it all off, our kicking game, which has sucked most of the season, came through in a big way with 2 50+ yarders. Weird game. Some bad news on the injury front, however: we lost starting DT Kenneth Neubauer for 25 weeks with a torn rotator cuff, and his backup Henry Stansell is now out for 5 weeks with a separated shoulder. Special teams stud/backup RB extraordinaire Daryl Bradley is also doubtful with an abdominal strain. Our injury list is getting absurdly long, and we're not getting folks back very quickly. We've got six players listed as "out" and a variety of others unavailable to play. If we could let up a bit I'd be happy to rest some injured starters, but as you'll see in my next post, we can't afford that luxury yet. |
03-07-2006, 04:45 PM | #136 |
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Divisional Race Update
Your beloved Toros currently sit atop the Ring of Fire, but our grip on 1st is tenuous at best.
Code:
Our eight game winning streak vaulted us on top, but Arizona and Las Vegas keep on winning, goddammit. Vegas, in particular, has captured a bit of their own lightning in a bottle by winning five straight. We'll see them next week, and hopefully be able to split the division series with them. On the Wild Card Front, Arizona and Fargo (8-5) are currently in the driver's seats, but Vegas and Tulsa (8-5) are also in the running, with Honolulu (6-7), Huntington Beach (6-7), Sacramento (6-7; division leader) and Oregon (6-7) as longshots. Should be a fun final month of the season. Stay tuned! Last edited by Fonzie : 03-07-2006 at 04:46 PM. |
03-08-2006, 09:57 AM | #137 |
Coordinator
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Jeez, RoF is almost as tough as Yankee.
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03-09-2006, 10:34 AM | #138 |
College Starter
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i can see my team folding for the last 3 games and missing out on the postseason
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03-09-2006, 04:17 PM | #139 | |
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Quote:
That would be most appreciated. |
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03-10-2006, 09:17 AM | #140 |
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Week 15: vs. Las Vegas
This week we draw division rival Las Vegas in what will be a matchup of two of the league's hottest teams. Vegas (8-5) has won five straight, while we've won eight. The Rounders feature a strong defense (who will probably be without the services of their star DT Mario Ah Yat) and mad-bomber Lenny "Jackpot" Olson at QB. Olson is a weapon to be feared, as he can nail a 50-yarder at any time. This year, however, he's not been too effective, completing just 51% of his passes for 2665 yards, 14 tds and 9 ints. Not bad, but not what we're used to seeing from him. Hopefully he won't turn things around against us today, as we desperately need a win to stay on top of the division. Arizona plays Honolulu in the other division matchup today - if Bug could pull out a win in that tilt it would be much appreciated.
One final note: our defense has played marvelously all year, but we've been suffering key injuries at an alarming rate over the 2nd half of the season. It remains to be seen if we can hold them together long enough to get some players back, but we need to hope for no new injuries in this game. On to the action! Code:
Not the prettiest of games, but in many ways this wound up being a RoF classic. A loss here would've put us just one game ahead of Vegas, so a tough, tight match was expected, and that's exactly what we got. The defenses both did a great job neutralizing the offenses, and our D did an especially good job as Vegas' only TD came on an INT return. That's noteworthy, as we're currently missing three starters on the defensive front. But this one really boiled down to special teams. Rubin Castorena again came up huge for us, making both of his FG attempts including a 57-yarder. We also held the edge in the punting game (again, an area that I think most owners overlook), which helped to level the field position battle. Overall, I'm satisfied with this win, especially considering our limitations on defense. Unfortunately, my hope for making it through a game injury-free was shattered when we lost starting RCB Jeremy Rosenberry for 8 weeks with a stress fracture in his leg. We've got some depth in the secondary, but we really can't afford to lose anyone else. On a happier note, MrBug did come through for us and pulled off an upset win at Arizona, 20-17 (thanks Bug! I've asked my secretary to send you a fruit basket). That puts us two games ahead of the Outlaws with two games left to play. In fact, I think we may have clinched our division today, even though FOF doesn't show it. We're 11-3 and Arizona is 9-5, and we've already beaten Arizona once this year. If we both finish 11-5 and they beat us in the season finale, we'd split and the next tiebreaker would be division record, which would be 4-2 for me and 2-4 for Arizona. While I won't count this as a division clincher until I see it in the game, we may have just won our first division title! Allow me to shout out a tentative "woohoo!" We still have those two games to play though, and at present we have the best record in the Western Conference. It would sure be nice to secure home field advantage through the playoffs, so I don't anticipate letting up too much down the stretch. Our next game is at Albany (3-11). Stay tuned! Last edited by Fonzie : 03-10-2006 at 09:19 AM. |
03-10-2006, 09:36 AM | #141 |
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Congrats on the divison title hopefully we can still make it as a wildcard team
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03-13-2006, 10:55 PM | #142 | |
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Quote:
Thanks condors. You're certainly in the driver's seat - I expect we'll be meeting again after Week 17. |
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03-14-2006, 02:28 PM | #143 |
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Location: Illinois
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Week 16: at Albany
Today's matchup is against the Albany Crows (3-11). Their record is atrocious, but don't let that fool you - they've got some good talent on that team. Most notable is the #1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Norm Fisk. He's a green rookie who has been thrown into the fire, but he is developing and looks to be a franchise QB in a few years. Albany also picked a gem in the 3rd round this year in RB Archie Chasser, who is already over 1200 yards on the season. They have great talent on the O-line and some good players on defense. However, they've also had some pretty bad luck in the injury department, with their two best wideouts done for the year, two of their best O-linemen out, and their two top secondary players out. That's tough to overcome, especially with a rookie QB at the helm.
This situation would seem to favor Your Beloved Toros, but I'm always leery of games in which we're favored. We've also not had good luck against green QBs this season, so I fear a Santa Cruz-type situation all over again. We need a win here, though, to maintain our 1-game lead for best record in the conference (and thus homefield advantage). So we won't be holding back any starters here. Code:
It is clear to me that Albany is a team on the rise. With another season under his belt Norm Fisk will be a very good QB, Archie Chasser will continue to be a monster, their O-line will get healthy, and they'll have another high pick in this year's draft. Look out, Great Lakes division! But that's next year. This year, we beat them in a somewhat ugly game. I just love eeking out wins when we are clearly not playing our best football, as was clearly the case today. On offense Holliday again had an unspectacular day, but was able to pound away and eat up the clock. Hogan had another efficient day but his yardage was a bit disappointing, especially considering the sorry state of the Crows' secondary. Our defense again did an exceptional job, forcing two turnovers and holding the Crows to just 239 yards. In fact, our defense would've done an awesome job had it not been for their surrendering a screen pass in the 4th quarter that Archie Chasser ran for 74 yds and a TD. Take that fluke play away and we held them to 165 yds and 0 points. I'll take that. One of our best performances today came from punter Edward Winters. He only averaged 39.8 yards on his 9 punts, but four of his punts were nailed inside the 20. In fact, they were downed at the 5, 9, 3, and 1 yd lines. Beautiful stuff. Perhaps more beautiful was the fact that we suffered no new injuries. Daryl Bradley and Joseph Watford are now back and fully healthy, and C Steven Odum is just two weeks away from resuming play. A few other guys should at least be healthy enough to play come playoff time. Next week we finish the regular season at home against Arizona. If we win that game we'll have home field advantage locked up throughout the playoffs. Stay tuned! |
03-14-2006, 03:17 PM | #144 |
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Join Date: Oct 2000
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The Playoff Picture: WFC
Here's how things are looking in the Western Conference as of Week 16:
Code:
As you can see, a lot will ride on the last week's games. The San Andreas division winner will be determined by the HB-LB and Sac-SC games. Boise will seek to determine their final playoff seeding against an already-eliminated Anchorage squad. Denver and Tulsa meet to determine the division winner, which will also have implications for the Wild Card race. Fargo is also still alive in that race. Of greatest relevance for Yours Truly is the status of the RoF. Please note that ours is the only division in the Conference, and in the whole CFL for that matter, with zero teams eliminated from playoff contention. I've been saying all along how brutal this division is - and it remains that way down to the final week. Arizona lost to Detroit in Week 16, and so they no longer control their own destiny. That perk fell to Las Vegas, who managed a win despite losing QB Lenny Olsen to a season-ending fractured ankle (suffered on the 2nd-to-last play of the game, running out the clock!). If they beat Honolulu this week they'll make it into the playoffs as a WC team. All other permutations are too complex for my addled brain. My biggest concern is to secure homefield advantage, so we need to take care of business vs. Arizona this week. Or hope for a Boise loss to Anchorage, which isn't looking very likely. |
03-14-2006, 03:31 PM | #145 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
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Pish! Western Conference. The Beasts are in the East this year.
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03-14-2006, 03:55 PM | #146 | |
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Quote:
I agree. Hartford and Durham are looking very, very good. :samuray-chino: |
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03-14-2006, 04:26 PM | #147 | |
The boy who cried Trout
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: TX
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Quote:
Who the FUCK is running this team?!?! |
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03-14-2006, 04:46 PM | #148 | |
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Illinois
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Quote:
I assume you're asking about your old franchise? The New Orleans Raging Horde (or "Raging Whores") is currently run by meatholes. They now sit at 4-11 and suffered an excruciating 11-game losing streak this season. They've won their last two however. And with respect to the Hartford prediction I made in that quote: they've gone 10-1 since week 6, including a current 7-game winning streak. They're damned scary. What's worse is that they're mostly healthy at a time when most of the rest of the league is piling up injured bodies. I suspect they'll take the whole enchilada this year. |
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03-14-2006, 09:02 PM | #149 | |
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Quote:
Last edited by Raven Hawk : 03-15-2006 at 12:49 PM. |
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03-16-2006, 01:32 PM | #150 |
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Week 17 Preview
There are a number of games this week with major playoff implications. In fact, there are only a handful of games that won't have an impact on the playoffs. Let's run through them quickly, shall we?
The Eastern Football Conference Atlantic City (7-8) at Boston (9-6) - Boston has already registered their first-ever winning season, a huge accomplishment for a team coming off a 4-12 season. But to make the playoffs they need to win here and hope that somebody else loses. Their best bet will be in this game: Hartford Atack (10-5) at New York Knights (9-6) - Hartford is white hot, having gone 10-1 over their last 11 games, and almost fully healthy. The Knights aren't in such good shape health-wise, but as long as they have Kim "Burly" Pace (he's 230 lbs) at QB they'll have a chance. Hartford has already clinched their division and has an outside chance at a 1st round bye, although they'd need three other division leaders to lose for that to happen. Will Hartford chance starting their key guys in a game that might mean nothing? New York hopes not. Baltimore (6-9) at Charleston (10-5) - Charleston needs a win here to secure their WC spot, and a win would also give them a chance at a division title should Durham lose to Tampa Bay. Durham (11-4) at Tampa Bay (7-8) - The Torpedoes have been a plucky group this year, and are all that stands between Durham and a 1st-round bye. They're a bit beaten up at the moment, but expect Durham to start all their big guns. Detroit (11-4) at Albany (3-12) - Detroit is another of the logjammed teams at the top of the EFC looking to secure a 1st round bye and perhaps homefield advantage. They have some troubles on the O-line, but are fortunate to draw a favorable matchup in week 17. San Antonio (10-5) at Shreveport (11-4) - This match will determine the division winner, as San Antonio would hold the tiebreaker advantage. Shreveport might also stand to gain a 1st round bye with a win. The Stingers have been in a bit of a free fall of late, as they've now lost both their 1st and 2nd string QBs to long-term injuries. Look for 3rd stringer Brent Kassell to get his first start in nearly four years. --------------------- The Western Football Conference Arizona (9-6) at Tucson (12-3) - Arizona lost control of their destiny with a loss last week at Detroit, and so to have any hope of making the playoffs they need a win on the road at division winner Tucson. But the Toros are expected to put up a fight, as they have homefield advantage at stake with this game. Las Vegas (9-6) at Honolulu (8-7) - Las Vegas can clinch a WC spot with a win, but they'll have to do so without the services of longtime QB Lenny Olsen, who suffered a broken ankle last week. Fortunately for Vegas, they've drawn a matchup with another team stuck without their nominal starting QB in Honolulu. An interesting trivia note: if Honolulu wins, this will be the first time in CFL history that every team in a division will have finished with a winning record. The Cavalary division came close in 2008, with every team 8-8 or better. Boise (11-4) at Anchorage (5-10) - Boise has their division crown wrapped up, but is looking to secure a 1st round bye with a win and, possibly, homefield advantage if Tucson loses. Boise is mostly healthy, but will be without the services of star WR Abe Muncy. El Paso (5-10) at Fargo (8-7) - Fargo is mathematically still alive, but need a lot of things to fall just so to make the playoffs. They started their season a very promising 6-2, only to see the wheels fall off thanks to some front office unrest. Fargo's spirits have to be lifted by the possible return of QB Brett Hedges, whose ankle is sufficiently healed to start. Tulsa (10-5) at Denver (9-6) - The winner of this game wins the division (Denver would own the tiebreaker). Tulsa is fairly healthy, but Denver has to be worried about Marcus Garibaldi's pulled groin. Tulsa would still make it as a WC if they lose, but Denver's playoff hopes will be much murkier with a loss. Huntington Beach (7-8) at Long Beach (3-12) - HB controls their own destiny - a win here and they clinch the division. A loss would mean their destiny would be decided by Sacramento's game. Either way, only HB or Sacramento will make the playoffs - the other team goes home. Santa Cruz (3-12) at Sacramento (7-8) - See above. Sacramento needs to win/tie and hope for a HB loss in order to clinch the division. Anything else happens and they go home. |
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