The League

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week 2 Preview: Orlando Rage vs. Waco Mavericks

Last season, the Waco Mavericks were one of few teams that proved to be capable of keeping up with the fast-track Orlando Rage offense. However, the Mavericks' defense was their ever-so-obvious Achilles' heel, and the team was swept by their division rivals by a total of 14 points. The two teams should be just as competitive this season, as the Rage are out for a second attempt at the League Championship, while the Mavs have improved greatly on defense while maintaining their firepower on offense.

Key Players: Waco

QB Tommy Player: Player was very inconsistent and very uncomfortable during last week's game against the New England Regulars. Despite this, he did not put his team in a huge hole like other Mavericks quarterbacks have previously. The Orlando Rage secondary is still a weakness, but notably improved from last season. Player will have to get comfortable and not make mistakes as his failed substitutes did last season if Waco wants to reverse their fortunes against the defending American Conference champions.

TE Lennox Bridges: Notwithstanding Jason Tucker, Bridges may have the surest hands of any receiver on the team and early on looks like he will be a favorite target of Tommy Player from the tight end spot. While he obviously won't be seen catching passes on seams routes, look for Bridges to keep the Rage's linebackers' collective hands full all day long.

FS Dexter Reid: The former North Carolina Tar Heel and New England Patriot has brought a bit of stability to the free safety position in Waco. Orlando still has the fastest receivers in The League, and Reid can't afford to be a weak link in the secondary. If he becomes such, Jeff Brohm and co. will have an explosive outing.

Key Players: Orlando

HB Brian Shay: With Michael Black gone, Shay is the only real option on the ground for the Rage. The team is trying to become more balanced on offense this year rather than relying on Jeff Brohm so much, as they did last year, and while Shay certainly has the talent, he has yet to put it all together on the field and be a complete back. He struggles in pass protection and his hands on passing plays are still suspect, which limits his ability to be an every down back. Shay must capitalize on every opportunity given today, as there is no fallback option.

WR Kevin Swayne: Like last year, the focus of the Mavericks' defense will probably be on the more athletic, more polished Dialleo Burks, but Swayne began to emerge as the better all-around receiver at the end of last season. If the Mavs forget about Swayne, he will remind them of his presence, possibly to the tune of three touchdowns.

DE Sedrick Clark: Clark will be matched up with Mavericks' rookie offensive lineman Mark Fox for most, if not all, of today's game. Player showed a tendency to panic in the pocket last week when he could see the pressure coming from in front of him; that is, from Fox's side. Clark would serve his team well to take advantage of Fox's inexperience and see if he can continue to make Player get happy feet.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

2007 Regular Season, Week Two
Orlando Rage (0-1) vs Waco Mavericks (1-0)

Ladies and gentlemen, the Waco Mavericks would like to proudly introduce to you the newest star of The League: quarterback Tommy Player.

Or rather, Player would like to introduce himself, and his newest co-star in Mo Sylvester.

In a game where everything else went wrong, the second-year passer out of TCU refused to give up hope and kept fighting for his team. Though in the first half he performed poorly, still not completely settled and seemingly a bit protective of his right shoulder, which cost him the the second half of his rookie season, Player still managed to top 150 yards passing with a pair of touchdowns in the first two quarters of play.

As for Sylvester, the 24-year old speedster caught a touchdown on the first play of scrimmage on a play-action deep bomb, but struggled for much of the game, recording four dropped passes throughout the contest. Despite his struggles, he didn't let it get to his head and pressed on where many would have given up.

The Mavs' defense, however, was seemingly not up for the challenge. Rage running back Brian Shay gashed the Mavericks' now-athletic but inexperienced defense early and often, finishing with an astounding 284 rushing yards on 21 carries and four touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Jeff Brohm "chipped in" with a pedestrian, for him at least, 168 yards passing and two scores.

On top of those letdowns, arguably the best player on the Mavs' offense coming into the game, running back Stacey Hartley, left the game with a bruised sternum midway through the second quarter and did not return; at the time he had accumulated 42 yards on 7 carries. Rookie Justin Black filled in decently, totalling 44 yards on 12 carries, but would become an interesting part of the final stages in the game.

In the third quarter, with Stacey Hartley gone for the game and Justin Black not adequately picking up the slack, the decision was made by coach Steve Wieslaw to open up the vertical passing game. Player responded to this shift in playcalling immediately, throwing a 25-yard strike to receiver Spencer Spalding, which Spalding took for 43 more yards for pay-dirt. Player now had three touchdown passes to his credit for the day, but his team was still on the short end of the stick; in other words, his job was not finished.

As the fourth quarter opened, the score was 35-20, but the Mavericks had great field position at the Rage's 15-yard line to open the final period. On the opening play of the quarter, Player found tight end Lennox Bridges on a post route between the safeties in the end zone, cutting the lead to 35-26. The Mavs opted to try for the two-point conversion, converting after a second effort from Justin Black on a predictable but effective line plunge; the score was 35-28.

Then, things got particularly interesting.

On the ensuing drive, Jeff Brohm was flushed out of the pocket to the left and attempted to hit receiver Percy Kennison on an out route; unbeknownst to him, Mavs' corner Dennis Weathersby had been reading Brohm's eye's the whole play and was sitting on the out route, and when Brohm threw the ball Weathersby was in perfect position for the interception, which he came down with and returned 37 yards for a score. The game was now tied at 35, and much of the quarter remained to be played.

The Rage got the ball back following this epic error, and though one could feel a sense of panic and urgency on their part, the veteran Brohm calmed down the offense and led a clock-consuming drive that marched the Rage into Waco territory and into field goal range. Kicker Jay Taylor converted a 37-yard try, and the Rage regained the lead, 45 to 42.

Waco took the ensuing kickoff, and Tommy Player and co. took the reigns again. However, fortune was not on their side; on a first-and-ten play at midfield, Justin Black's number was called on a draw play; the rookie was drilled in the backfield and fumbled the football. The loose ball was recovered by Rage defensive tackle Shawn Banks, and with just under two minutes left and with the Mavs having two timeouts, the game appeared to be over.

The Rage got a first down on the ground and burnt one of Waco's timeouts and seemed to be well on their way to victory, but then, something odd happened; the Mavs stopped running back Brian Shay for three consecutive plays, a feat which they had come nowhere close to accomplishing the entire game. A collective hush fell over the stadium as Rage punter Deon Ball came in for his only punt of the game, which he angled nearly perfectly, sailing out of bounds at the Waco 9-yard line. With no timeouts remaining, nineteen seconds and an insurmountable 91 yards stood between Waco and victory.

On first and ten, Player took the ball from shotgun, read his progressions, and threw a deep-out to receiver Jason Tucker. The pass was overthrown of his favorite receiver, however, and sailed out of bounds. Fifteen seconds remained.

Player took the snap from shotgun again on second-and-ten; the Rage took a gamble and called an overload blitz from the strong side; Player scrambled left and threw the ball into the stands. Ten seconds and two downs remained, and the Mavs hadn't moved the ball an inch.

On third down, Player once more took the snap from shotgun. Player pump faked in the direction of Jason Tucker on the right side, then stepped up in the pocket, looked to the other side of the field, and slung the ball with all the strength he could muster. The pass sailed from the Mavs five, where Player stood, to the Rage's forty yard line; meeting the ball was none other than the struggling Mo Sylvester, who caught the ball over his shoulder and outran Rage safeties Scott Cloman and Kelly Malveaux for the game-winning touchdown with but four seconds remaining on the clock.

The touchdown pass was Player's fifth of the game, the longest of his young career (91 yards), and his second victory game-winning drive of his career. Coincidentally enough, the last time Player slung up a long game-winning touchdown pass, last year against Seattle, it was to none other than Mo Sylvester, who for the game posted an eye-opening 180 yards on three catches.

After this week's barnburner, Player, Sylvester, and the rest of the Mavericks will host the Arizona Outlaws next week.

Statistics: Waco (49) QB Player: 14/33, 345 yards, 5 TDs HB Hartley: 7 carries, 42 yards HB Black: 12 carries, 42 yards WR Sylvester: 3 catches, 180 yards, 2 TDs WR Spalding: catch, 66 yards, TD CB Weathersby: 8 tackles, INT, TD SS Hooe: 6 tackles DT Redding: 4 tackles LB Rosario: 4 tackles, TFL

Statistics: Orlando (45) QB Brohm: 9/13, 168 yards, 2 TDs, INT QB Puleri: 1/3, 30 yards, INT HB Shay: 21 carries, 284 yards, 4 TDs WR Kennison: 5 catches, 140 yards, TD TE Hart: 2 catches, 29 yards DT Banks: 6 tackles, FF, FR CB Gilliard: 5 tackles SS Malveaux: 5 tackles CB Fisher: 4 tackles

[Blaxican8504]

Re: The League

Sweet.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week Two Roundup

(0-1) Maniax - 24 -- 13 - Regulars (0-1) (0-1) Xtreme - 10 -- 24 - Enforcers (0-1) (0-1) Redhawks - 45 -- 7 - Hammerheads (0-1) (0-1) Divots - 6 -- 17 - Comets (0-1) (1-0) Crusaders - 24 -- 33 - Bolts (0-1) (1-0) NY/NJ Hitmen - 14 -- 31 - Devils (0-1) (1-0) Aces - 20 -- 13 - Grizzlies (1-0) (0-1) Copperheads - 23 -OT- 20 - Unforgiven (1-0) (1-0) Bearcats - 28 -- 16 - Armada (0-1) (1-0) Vipers - 20 -- 6 - Marauders (1-0) (1-0) Crossfire - 18 -- 20 - Aztecs (1-0) (1-0) Nightmare - 31 -- 3 - AZ Outlaws (1-0) (1-0) Demons - 31 -- 7 - Reign (0-1) (1-0) Cyclones - 19 -- 17 - LV Outlaws (0-1) (0-1) Rage - 45 -- 49 - Mavericks (1-0) (0-1) Cal. Hitmen - 19 -- 24 - Reapers (1-0)

The League Player Of The Week
QB Tommy Player, Waco Mavericks

Commentary and League News: An already weak Armada backfield just got weaker this week with an injury to starting tailback Lake Linde. Linde fell awkwardly on his arm and was diagnosed with a sprained elbow. The injury could keep him out as long as six weeks, though doctors anticipate that Linde will recover sooner than that prognosis indicates. San Jose is in a tough position, however, as the team doesn't have any real depth at halfback on the roster behind Linde, who is not that great of a starting option himself, and in the tough division they are in, they need to field the best team possible to have a chance of making the playoffs this season.

Though he has yet to play a season's worth of games, Mavericks' quarterback Tommy Player appears to be a budding star in The League at the quarterback position. Though his completion percentage numbers are low at this point, Player is among League leaders in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passer rating after two games. Player also had a hot start last season, but against far inferior competition compared to the teams he's matched up with thus far this season. The 22-year old second-year passer possesses incredible poise and leadership skills for a player of his inexperience, not to mention a cannon of an arm which the Mavericks have probably learned after last week's game against Orlando to take advantage of more often.

The Washington Redhawks have appeared thus far to have made the right call on dumping maligned quarterback Mike Mexico. Thus far with the Hammerheads, Mexico is a dreadful 29 of 64 with no touchdown passes and two picks, good for a 43.3 passer rating. While in Mexico's defense Orlando isn't exactly overflowing with talent, every rookie quarterback in The League from this past year's draft has outperformed the four-year veteran thus far. Mexico needs to improve his dreadful play if he wants to help improve upon the Hammerheads' dreadful 0-16 mark of last year, a feat that apparently is easier said than done.

The Las Vegas Outlaws are off to a slow start at 0-2. It isn't readily evident where the team is struggling; Rod Smart is among League leaders in rushing yards, as is receiver Yo Murphy in receiving yards, and the defense remains a solid unit as it was last season. The team hasn't been able to come through in clutch situations thus far, a trend that will have to change.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week 3 Preview: Arizona Outlaws vs. Waco Mavericks

The Waco Mavericks (2-0) are coming off an emotional roller coaster of a game against the Orlando Rage, which they won by the count of 49 to 45 after a 91-yard touchdown pass by Tommy Player with four seconds remaining. The Arizona Outlaws (1-1) defeated the Orlando Rage as well, winning 22-14 in the opening week of this season, and are coming off a decisive loss against the New York Nightmare that saw several of their players leave the game due to injury. The Outlaws boast little talent on the defensive side of the ball, but their offense can go blow-for-blow with whatever their opponents score against them.

Key Players: Waco

HB Justin Black: Arizona's defense is vulnerable in the front seven, but evening the odds is the fact that Stacey Hartley is a bit dinged up two games into the season. If Hartley is unable to go or isn't 100%, Black will be called upon to pick up the slack. The rookie nearly fumbled the game away last week, and will be looking to atone for this miscue as well.

WR Jason Tucker: Tucker has had a relatively quiet first two games to this season, but has a huge opportunity to bust loose in today's matchup. The Outlaws' top cornerback, Byron Connell, was injured last week against his former team, the New York Nightmare, and is not expected to play this week. This will leave the inexperienced Anquan Craig to cover Tucker, a matchup which clearly is on the Mavs' side.

LB Lake Thomas: The rookie linebacker, and all his cohorts for that matter, played very poorly against Orlando, allowing running back Brian Shay 241 yards on the ground. Justin Mears and Craig Davis are both quite capable backs for Arizona, and Thomas and his teammates must show a better effort than they did last week if they don't want to be exposed a second time.

Key Players: Arizona

QB Chris Kane: Kane was one of many Outlaws who was sidelined with an injury against the New York Nightmare, but is expected to play this week. The 27-year-old passer hasn't shown the greatest durability in the past two years, leaving or not playing in ten games due to injury. The Mavs will no doubt be coming for him, and he has to release the ball more quickly than he has if he doesn't want to get clobbered, which he has been thus far this season.

WR Tito Maas: Maas is off to a typical start for a player of his calibre, catching passes for 225 yards in the past two games. He will be matched up with the Mavs' Anquan Jackson, and will have to find space against the athletic, rangy corner and consistently provide Kane with a big, fast target to throw to.

DE Gary Patton: Patton is the only active player worth mentioning on the Outlaws' defense. If the Outlaws are to contain the Mavs' offense, it will be due to a great performance from the veteran defensive end. He doesn't have the most favorable matchup, as he will line up across from All-League tackle Al Taylor, but he has the talent to beat Taylor and get to Player.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

2007 Regular Season, Week Three
Arizona Outlaws (1-1) vs Waco Mavericks (2-0)

The Waco Mavericks put forth an impressive performance on both sides of the ball as they efficiently defeated the Arizona Outlaws by the score of 38 to 14.

Leading the charge was the Waco defense. In what is becoming a suspect trend, the Mavs injured their opponent's starting quarterback for the third straight game; Chris Kane was knocked out of the game early in the first quarter with a pinched nerve and did not return. Backup passer Chad Hutchinson was confused by the Waco defense for most of the day in Kane's absence, completing 8 of 19 passes for 169 yards, a score, and three interceptions. One of these three picks was returned for a touchdown by dime back Cedric McFarland. The Waco defense also totaled three sacks.

On offense for the Mavs, Tommy Player didn't have as stellar of a day as he did last week, but he did complete 50% of his passes for the first time this season, with 11 of his 22 attempts being caught by receivers for 185 yards and a score to Jason Tucker. Player also chipped in 37 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. Halfback Stacey Hartley ran for 119 yards on 19 carries, but did not find the endzone as he was spelled in the redzone for the tougher Justin Black, who ran for 26 yards and two scores on eight carries.

The Mavericks head on the road for the first time this season as they visit the Baltimore Bearcats.

Statistics: Waco (38) QB Player: 11/22, 185 yards, TD, 37 rush yards, TD, INT HB Hartley: 19 carries, 112 yards HB Black: 8 carries, 26 yards, 2 TDs WR Tucker: 4 catches, 54 yards, TD TE Bridges: 3 catches, 65 yards SS Hooe: 4 tackles, sack, INT LB Thomas: 3 tackles, sack LB Greer: 3 tackles, INT DE Peete: 3 tackles

Statistics: Arizona (14) QB Hutchinson: 8/19, 169 yards, TD, 3 INTs HB Davis: 10 carries, 35 yards WR Hunt: 6 catches, 100 yards WR Langham: 2 catches, 46 yards WR Maas: 3 catches, 32 yards FS Higgins: 8 tackles LB McDaniel: 6 tackles SS Carter: 5 tackles LB Brown: 4 tackles

[CaptainZombie]

Re: The League

The 2005 NFL season has concluded with a triumph of the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XL in Detroit. However, relations between the NFLPA and the owners of the 32 NFL teams, along with commisioner Paul Tagliabue, have reached a breaking point. The players have vowed to lock out of the 2006 NFL season unless the NFL Salary Cap is abolished and contracts are guaranteed. The owners obviously have scoffed at such a notion.

However, before the NFL could begin its search for replacement players, which is seemingly their modus operandi for dealing with such employee revolts, a smaller, lesser-known football operation, known by its followers simply as "The League", introduced its existence publicly to the world by reaching an exclusive broadcast agreement with ESPN effective immediately. The League's existence had been kept under wraps until the time of the agreement, and thus in a blink of an eye the vast majority of potential replacement players NFL owners thought were available were suddenly under contract to teams in a rival league. The League also launched a massive advertising campaign that both promoted its own product, featuring marquee players such as quarterback Julius Williams and linebackers Quentin Sands and Bruno Battaglia, while smearing the NFL for its current labor negotiations scandal.

In an unexpected move, The League was approached by and reached a deal with sports-entertainment mogul Vincent K. McMahon; the deal resurrected the formerly-defunct XFL, restores each of its original eight teams' rosters to their state immediately following the Million Dollar Game, and puts those teams under the wing of The League. An unprecedented seven expansion teams also were accepted by The League, capping the league at 32 teams.

Essentially, the combination of moves made by The League all-but-eliminated the possibility of the NFL using replacement players. Thus, the NFL owners haved opted to wait out the NFLPA's player strike instead, gambling on The League being a massive failure and not being on the same level as their own product.

Owners and players in The League, however, have other plans.

Game: Madden NFL 06 (PC)
Difficulty: Pending
Sliders: Pending

Note: concepts and art for various teams is credited to their respective creators.

Note: For the curious, the players in the banner, from left to right, are:

Julius Williams, Dallas Aztecs; (barely visible) Quentin Sands, New York Nightmare; Darnell McDonald, Los Angeles Xtreme; Tony Forbes, Minnesota Reapers; Jacob Williams, Washington Redhawks; Kelvin Diggs, Las Vegas Aces; Corey Ivy, Chicago Enforcers; Mike Mexico, Washington Redhawks.

Did you do this using Blitz: The League?

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Did you do this using Blitz: The League?

Sort of.

I bought Blitz: The League back in October or November, was playing it, enjoying it thoroughly, but it got stolen from me and I didn't have the money to replace it. So I made all the teams on my PC copy of Madden 06 using art and information from the Blitz website, threw in the XFL teams for good measure, made up some teams, then threw em all in a franchise and this thread documents it all.

[CaptainZombie]

Re: The League

Sort of.

I bought Blitz: The League back in October or November, was playing it, enjoying it thoroughly, but it got stolen from me and I didn't have the money to replace it. So I made all the teams on my PC copy of Madden 06 using art and information from the Blitz website, threw in the XFL teams for good measure, made up some teams, then threw em all in a franchise and this thread documents it all.

That's cool. It's the joy of PC Gaming, being able to mod and create as many teams needed to do something like this.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week Three Roundup

(0-2) Cal. Hitmen - 41 -- 24 - Redhawks (1-1)
(2-0) Reapers - 20 -OT- 23 - Enforcers (1-1)
(1-1) NY/NJ Hitmen - 16 -- 34 - Regulars (0-2)
(1-1) Marauders - 20 -- 22 - Comets (1-1)
(1-1) Maniax - 38 -- 13 - Bearcats (2-0)
(1-1) Copperheads - 14 -- 17 - Devils (1-1)
(0-2) Hammerheads - 45 -OT- 48 - Xtreme (0-2)
(0-2) Armada - 6 -- 24 - Grizzlies (1-1)
(0-2) LV Outlaws - 28 -OT- 25 - Demons (2-0)
(2-0) Cyclones - 6 -- 13 - Reign (0-2)
(1-1) Crossfire - 12 -- 17 - Rage (0-2)
(1-1) Unforgiven - 33 -- 20 - Bolts (1-1)
(1-1) AZ Outlaws - 14 -- 38 - Mavericks (2-0)
(2-0) Aztecs - 21 -- 27 - Nightmare (2-0)

The League Player Of The Week
WR Charles Jordan, Memphis Maniax

Commentary and League News: The Los Angeles Xtreme are off to a very sluggish start to the season. Their record stands at 1-2, and their only win came in overtime this week against the lowly Orlando Hammerheads. The poor performance to this point can be attributed to the poor play of quarterback Tommy Maddox, who thus far has thrown an uncharacteristically high four interceptions thus far this season. There is plenty of room for improvement in the performance of the defense as well, which is missing leadership after the departure of veteran linebacker Rico Mack during the offseason and an injury to safety Reggie "Dirty" Durden during the Xtreme's matchup against the Chicago Enforcers.

Things just got tougher for the Memphis Maniax. During their opening game against the Baltimore Bearcats, running back Rashaan Salaam and receiver Quincy Jackson both left the game with injuries which at first were thought to be only minor. However, updated reports and examinations have revealed that the feature back of the Ax has a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season, and his receiving counterpart has a fractured vertebrae, which will keep him out for the remainder of the season as well. Memphis has won their two games since both players got injured, but things may get tougher for them as the season wears on.

Carolina Copperheads' quarterback Grant Tanner has been overly critical of his team's coaching staff to the media. The second-year passer feels that the playcalling has been "extremely vanilla" adding that "the coaching staff doesn't have confidence in myself or my teammates to open up the playbook, and it's costing us games." To date, Tanner has struggled thus far in his sophomore outing, throwing five touchdowns to seven interceptions thus far.

Wally Richardson may have thrown his last pass for the New York - New Jersey Hitmen. The maligned former Nittany Lion to date has struggled to complete 40 percent of his passes and has thrown two interceptions to go with two touchdowns, and the Hitmen coaching staff have decided to change direction at the quarterback position due to his struggles. Rookie passer Leonard Jackson is expected to start for the club next week against the Cincinnati Crusaders.

[Innocent]

Re: The League

That's cool. It's the joy of PC Gaming, being able to mod and create as many teams needed to do something like this.

It's interesting stuff isn't it. I'm really an old-school purist and traditionalist when it comes to football, but I've sure enjoyed this league.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview / Week 4 Preview: Baltimore Bearcats

The Waco Mavericks play their first road contest this season against the Baltimore Bearcats. The Bearcats have been a bit of a surprise in the earlygoing this season, mounting a 2-1 record, but their schedule is fairly backloaded and they could be due for a performance similar to that of the Waco Mavericks last year.

Offense: The Bearcats drafted quarterback Gabe Wheaton with the third overall pick in last year's draft, and to this point Wheaton has been the most productive passer of his class. Wheaton has a strong arm and is quite a presence in the pocket despite his inexperience. The greatest beneficiary of Wheaton's presence and skills thus far has been receiver Ed Duncan, who has caught six of Wheaton's seven touchdown strikes this season. Randall Wilkinson is the primary tailback for the Bearcats; Wilkinson is a north-south runner with incredible burst, straightline speed, and strength, but hasn't proven to be a very tough runner to this point. He goes down too easily for a man of his size and strength.

Defense: The household name on this defense is linebacker Bruno Battaglia, who wreaks havok unto any ballcarriers in his vicinity. Adding to Battaglia's reputation is the fact that he is not above committing a deliberate personal foul to incapacitate a key player on the opposing squad. When Battaglia doesn't get to the ballcarrier, his top two cohorts, fellow linebacker Ron Collins and safety Jason Forrest, are more than willing to perform mop-up duty. Despite the star power on this unit, however, they seldom are all on the same page and allow big plays far more frequently than they should.

Projection: The Bearcats have jumped out to a hot start, and the Mavericks ought to be a nice litmus test for the club to see how far they have really come from their dismal effort last season.

---

Keys Players: Baltmore Bearcats vs. Waco Mavericks

Key Players: Waco

QB Tommy Player: Player has performed better in each successive game that he's played and is developing right before fans' very eyes. Against a Bearcats' defense which is particularly vulnerable to big plays, the second-year man could have a repeat performance of his game against Orlando.

WR Mo Sylvester: Sylvester's success is directly linked to Player's, but his reasoning for being key in this game is similar to his quarterback. Sylvester is the proverbial home-run hitter for the Mavericks, and could come up huge in today's contest with his uncanny ability to burn DBs.

DE Stacey Peete: Peete is adjusting on-the-fly to playing the defensive end position in The League against bigger, stronger, faster offensive tackles. To this point he has recorded one sack in three games, but has a favorable matchup against a suspect Bearcats' offensive line. The rookie could potentially wreak havok on fellow rookie Gabe Wheaton's day.

Key Players: Baltimore

LB Bruno Battaglia: Battaglia will likely have his eyes set on Stacey Hartley the entire day, as the halfback is still Waco's most established offensive threat, but he will have to keep an eye on quarterback Tommy Player as well, who has been scrambling for yards a bit more than he did last season. Either way, Battaglia is a game-changing player and his presence will change the way Waco runs their offense.

WR Ed Duncan: Duncan has been Gabe Wheaton's most consistent, reliable target thus far this season, but faces his toughest matchup yet in cornerback Anquan Jackson. Duncan must find a way to overcome his athletic disadvantage in this matchup and continue to give Wheaton a big target to throw the ball to.

HB Randall Wilkinson: Wilkinson is the most established player on the Bearcats' offense at the halfback position, and despite their improvement personnel-wise the Mavericks still struggle against the run at times. Wilkinson needs to come through with a big day to take pressure off rookie quarterback Gabe Wheaton.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

2007 Regular Season, Week Four
Baltimore Bearcats (2-1) vs Waco Mavericks (3-0)

The Baltimore Bearcats were eager to prove just how far they had come as a football club compared to last season. Quarterback Gabe Wheaton has already been declared the Bearcats' savior, and some pundits have predicted playoffs for the club based on their hot start.

Then they ran into the Waco Mavericks, who flattened them like pancakes.

The Mavs dominated their foes in every facet of the game, downing the Bearcats by the score of 49-20.

The tone was set early on Waco's first drive, which lasted all of four plays, all of which were completed passes by Tommy Player. The drive was capped by a strike to veteran Justin Jonas, who found a hole in the Bearcats' zone defense in the center of the endzone. Player would leave the game during the third quarter after falling the victim to a roughing the passer penalty by Bruno Battaglia, but set career-high marks in efficiency by completing 11 of 16 passes, 169 yards, and two scores.

The Mavericks continued to assert their offensive prowess on the ground. Though Stacey Hartley did not many opportunities in the first half, the young runner was the focus of his team's offense in the second half and particularly the fourth quarter and finished with 199 yards on 19 carries and four touchdowns.

The Mavericks' defense was at times dominant, despite allowing over 300 total offensive yards and 20 points to their opponents. The defense had five sacks on quarterback Gabe Wheaton, and the constant pressure forced the rookie passer into throwing five interceptions.

Next week, the Waco Mavericks will return home to host the Kansas City Crossfire.

Statistics: Waco (49) QB Player: 11/16, 169 yards, 2 TDs, INT HB Hartley: 19 carries, 199 yards, 4 TDs TE Bridges: 4 catches, 58 yards WR Sylvester: 4 catches, 52 yards, TD FB Taylor: 2 catches, 47 yards SS Hooe: 8 tackles, INT FS Reid: 8 tackles DE Peete: 3 tackles, 2 sacks LB Rosario: 3 tackles, 2 sacks

Statistics: Baltimore (20) QB Wheaton: 15/29, 221 yards, TD, 5 INTs HB Wilkinson: 14 carries, 127 yards, TD WR Seymour: 4 catches, 69 yards WR Nielson: 4 catches, 49 yards TE Wiley: 2 catches, 45 yards LB Battaglia: 6 tackles, sack LB Collins: 6 tackles, sack FS Houston: 4 tackles SS Teall: 4 tackles

[Blaxican8504]

Re: The League

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice! 4-0 baby!

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week Four Roundup

(1-1) Crusaders - 3 -- 24 - NY/NJ Hitmen (1-2)
(3-0) Mavericks - 49 -- 20 - Bearcats (2-1)
(0-3) Hammerheads - 9 -- 34 - Nightmare (3-0)
(2-1) Reapers - 14 -- 17 - Cal. Hitmen (1-2)
(1-2) Bolts - 31 -- 12 - Vipers (2-0)
(2-1) Maniax - 38 -- 14 - Crossfire (1-2)
(1-2) Reign - 33 -- 14 - Aces (2-0)
(0-2) Divots - 10 -- 16 - Unforgiven (2-1)
(1-2) Marauders - 38 -- 29 - Cyclones (2-1)
(1-2) Regulars - 20 -- 10 - LV Outlaws (1-2)
(2-1) Comets - 0 -- 12 - Grizzlies (2-1)
(2-1) Demons - 14 -- 26 - Xtreme (1-2)
(0-3) Armada - 14 -- 28 - AZ Outlaws (1-2)
(1-2) Copperheads - 13 -- 35 - Aztecs (2-1)

The League Player Of The Week
HB Ty Dixon, New York Nightmare

Commentary and League News: Quarterback Julius Williams of the Dallas Aztecs is off to a stellar start to the 2007 season. In four games, the prolific passer has already topped the 1,000 yard mark passing and leads The League in passing yards, and has also thrown nine touchdowns with but three interceptions. Williams also has added 135 yards and three scores on the ground. Should he keep up his current pace, the passer will finish with 4,500 total yards and an astonishing 48 touchdowns; such a performance would no doubt merit MVP award consideration.

The Santa Fe Unforgiven have jumped out to a hot start as well as a team, putting up a 3-1 record in four games. While the team is not without flaws, most notably the inconsistent play of quarterback Travis Robinson, the defense has been particularly opportunistic in the earlygoing, recording fifteen takeaways and two defensive touchdowns. Receiver Justin Randolph has put forth a quite commendable performance as well to this point, grabbing 35 passes for 499 yards and four scores.

The Calgary Hitmen may be wishing they didn't let go of veteran running back Larry Jordan. Dontrelle Drayton, the man responsible for the ousting of Jordan, dislocated his elbow in the Calgary Hitmen's matchup with the Minnesota Reapers, and is expected to miss up to six weeks' worth of games. Drayton appeared to be in a bit of a sophomore slump before the injury, picking up only 184 yards and three touchdowns in prior contests. In Drayton's absence, third-year man Clay Williams will likely get the bulk of the carries, but look for the Hitmen to rely more on the arm of Bret Costanza and the hands of his top two targets in All-League receiver Ralph Bundy and rookie Grant Perry.