The League

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview: Calgary Hitmen

The Calgary Hitmen are arguably the strongest of the expansion clubs, at least on paper. They field a very talented defense, combined with a very strong running game and an efficient, game-managing quarterback, which makes them a formidable oppenent for any football team.

Offense: The team's offense undisputably runs through running back Larry Jordan. Jordan is a workhorse tailback who would much rather run through his opposition than around it, and is among The League's best in getting out of tackles. Jordan is aided by a strong offensive line and backed up by Dontrelle Drayton, who plays eerily similar to his starting counterpart but remains in the coach's doghouse due to his ongoing battle with fumblitis. At quarterback, the team is led by seventh-year man Bret Costanza (who unfortunately is not related to George Costanza...). Costanza has a decent arm paired with decent athletic ability, but where he particularly excels is in the mental facet of the game; he has a thorough understanding of his team's offense and rarely makes mistakes. His top targets, receivers Ralph Bundy and Gary Jordan, are servicable, but look for the team to make an upgrade in this area in the offseason.

Defense: The Hitmen have the most talent on the field when they don't have the ball. Several players on this defense have great amounts of talent, experience, and youth, which means continued excellence for this group both this year and in the future. Defensive ends Randall Grandmount and Zach Perez anchor the defensive line. Both rely on their raw power and bull rush moves to get to opposing ball carriers and quarterbacks. Behind these two is linebacker Ty Brooks, a 25-year old Canadian import whose stock has been rising steadily since he left college. He has great athleticism and range for his Mike backer position and at 6'3" is more than capable in playing the pass. The best player in the secondary is cornerback Dernard Booker. Booker is a high-risk player, as he often takes chances at making interceptions rather than simply deflecting passes away, but his four career defensive touchdowns prove that he is more than capable of playing however he chooses.

Projection: The Hitmen are grouped in arguably the toughest division in The League, having to play the Minnesota Reapers, Detroit Devils, and Chicago Enforcers twice each. They definitely have the talent to play with these teams, but the gap between any two clubs in this division is practically non-existent. Nine wins is a sure bet, but beyond that is anyone's guess.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview / Week 2 Preview: Sanctuary Divots
(killing two birds with one stone here...)

The Sanctuary Divots enter The League with, putting it in all honesty, no chance of winning the League Championship this season. There is very little talent on this team at this point in time, and while they exceled in their former small-time Canadian league, they will inevitably struggle against the tougher competition of The League.

Offense: The leader of the Divots' offense is fourth year pro Ralph Turner. Turner has deceptive speed but despite this he isn't known for his scrambling, preferring to stay in the pocket and make use of his reasonable accuracy. Teaming up with Turner in the backfield is rookie runner "Tiny" Tony Chandler out of Marshall. Chandler has good speed but is fumble prone and doesn't offer much in the passing game. Also, at 5'8" there are big question marks over whether he can last the course of an entire League season. Behind Chandler are Walter Daniels, who is sure handed but slow and "Lord" Harrington Farnworth, who, according to head coach Carson Chunk, "wouldn't fumble the ball if you greased his hands with butter and then backed a planet over him, but has no speed, agility or ability to read blocks up front". Turner's only reasonably capable targets in the passing game are receiver Willie Brady and tight end Evan Gross.

Defense: The running joke in Divot-land is that, surprisingly, their team does field a full compliment of 11 guys on defense at all times, some of whom are vaguely aware of the rules of football. The bright spots, relatively speaking, include rookie defensive end Jessie Welch, who prefers bull rushing to speed rushing, and safety Reed "Read" Reid, who is "so good they named him thrice". Other notable players include cornerback Andrew Mansfield and linebacker Na'Li Robinson, both of whom are decent players but probably wouldn't start elsewhere.

Projection: The talent level on this team, as mentioned before, is shockingly bad. Even if they were to go 0-16, which is not nearly as farfetched as it sounds, one wonders if their head coach Carson Chunk should really take the blame for it as he really does have next-to-nothing to work with. They will probably end up stealing one win from some team late in the season, and they may be competitive against the expansion Dakota Comets, but beyond that, the immediate future is not too bright for this club.

---

Week 2 Preview: Sanctuary Divots vs. Waco Mavericks

The Mavericks open up their home slate of games in what should be a cakewalk of a game for them against the Sanctuary Divots. On paper, the Divots are completely overmatched by the Mavs in virtually every facet of the game. The Divots will have to pull a few things out of their hats if they expect to even compete in this contest.

Key Players: Waco

QB Tommy Player: Again, the rookie quarterback goes to work. He put together an impressive performance last week against a better team, and can't afford to have a letdown game this week. This is a game the Mavericks should not lose.

LB Nick Rosario: Rosario will be assigned to one of the two main receiving threats of the Divot offense in tight end Evan Gross. Gross does have a significant size and strength advantage over Rosario, but Rosario is more athletic. This matchup should be an interesting one to watch.

CB Casey Black: Except for one big play, Black played a perfect game against Crusaders' receiver Tyrone Amaris last week. He is facing a different sort of player in Sanctuary's Willie Brady, who is a more physical, in-your-face receiver compared to Amaris' darting all around the field. Black needs to contain Brady again and force the Divots to look elsewhere.

Key Players: Sanctuary

QB Ralph Turner: Turner is one of the few players in this offense that understands the difference between playing in a small-time Canadian league and playing in The League itself. He must play within himself and help maintain the composure of the offense, as if he performs poorly, everyone else on the offense undoubtedly will.

TE Evan Gross: As mentioned before, Gross is involved in a favorable matchup with Mavericks' linebacker Nick Rosario. Gross has definite advantages in size, strength, and experience, while Rosario is the more athletic of the two. Gross needs to find ways to get open and provide a big target for Turner to throw to.

CB Andrew Mansfield: Mansfield has the unenviable task of matching up with receiver Jason Tucker, who showcased his skills last week against the Crusaders. If Tucker has a big day over Mansfield, none of the other previously listed matchups may matter.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week 2: Sanctuary Divots (0-1) at Waco Mavericks (1-0)

The Mavericks opened up their home schedule with a bang as they run over, around, and through the Sanctuary Divots, downing their guests by the score of 48-14.

The Mavericks rotated three halfbacks throughout the entire game, and the Divots had answers for no one of them. Starter Anthony Castle passed the century mark in 10 carries and got into the endzone thrice, while backup Stacey Hartley ran for 127 on 11 carries and scored once. Even third-stringer Bob Lowe got in on the action, rushing for 49 yards on nine carries, including a 32 yard run to pay-dirt.

With the running game as effective as it was, quarterback Tommy Player had a very easy day, completing 8 of 12 pass attempts for a more modest 113 yards. Player did open scoring in the game with a 6 yards touchdown scramble in the first quarter, however. His primary target was once again Jason Tucker, who caught four balls for 70 yards.

For the Divots, the problems were quite obviously the defense, which surrendered over 400 total yards, and the offensive line, which gave quarterback Ralph Turner no time to make any semblance of a read on the Mavericks' coverage schemes. Turner finished the day completing just 8 of 25 passes for 172 yards, two scores and a pick. He was also sacked an eye-opening seven times, and on one occasion lost the ball, which was eventually returned for a touchdown by veteran defensive end Freddie Emanual. One of Turner's two touchdown strikes was on a desperation heave-ho to Willie Brady, who hauled in four other passes as well for a total of 125 yards. Tight end Evan Gross was seemingly nowhere to be found, as he was held without a catch.

The Mavericks, now 2-0, face a much tougher schedule beginning next week as they travel to Seattle to take on the Reign.

Statistics: Waco (48) QB Player: 8/12, 113 yards, 1 rush TD HB Castle: 10 carries, 108 yards, 3 TDs HB Hartley: 11 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD WR Tucker: 4 catches, 70 yards WR Sylvester: 2 catches, 30 yards WR McAllister: 2 catches, 23 yards DE Emanual: 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD DE James: 3 sacks FS Randle: 2 tackles, 1 INT LB Mitchell: 2 tackles, 3 deflections

Statistics: Sanctuary (14) QB Turner: 8/25, 172 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT HB Chandler: 10 carries, 52 yards WR Brady: 5 catches, 125 yards, TD FB Farnworth: 1 catch, 12 yards, TD WR Dishman: 1 catch, 23 yards TE Gross: 0 catches CB Mansfield: 7 tackles, 1 fumble forced SS Bell: 5 tackles, 1 deflection LB Robinson: 4 tackles DE Welch: 3 tackles, 1 sack

---

A note about my current ease of winning: foremost, my sliders are fluid, and after every win, I nudge them further in the favor of the CPU by a small amount. Also, the way I set up the rosters of each team, the difference level in talent of teams is more pronounced than in the default Madden roster; ergo, the good teams are really good, the bad teams are pretty bad, and there is more separation between teams in the middle. Finally, the Divots are worse than any team you can ever imagine, and the Crusaders aren't much better with the exception of Mbutabe at running back. If you are concerned that I'm just gonna roll over every other team in this Franchise, I assure you that future games will be more competitve.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

GAME OF THE WEEK
Week 2: San Diego Cyclones at Las Vegas Outlaws

Coming into the week, this matchup was the most intruiging on paper; both teams are middle of the road teams looking to make the jump to the 'elite' status this season.

It is clear after this result which club is further along; Las Vegas, a traditionally run-first team, had a great amount of production through the air despite the efforts of the Cyclones' talented secondary led by cornerback Ezekial Freeman. Quarterback Ryan Clement threw passes for 157 yards and 4 TDs. The running game for the Outlaws was a one-two punch of Rod Smart and Chrys Chukwhuma, who ran for 46 and 52 yards, respectively. "The Chuckwagon" also added a touchdown of his own.

For the Cyclones, their performance wasn't all bad; they committed no turnovers, but their drives were short-circuited by poor offensive line play the entire day. Tailback Jerome Kennedy ran for just 56 yards on 17 carries, adding two scores, while quarterback Dwight Parker completed 20 of 32 passes for 198 yards, but was sacked three times by right defensive end Antonio Edwards, twice by left defensive end Kelvin Kinney, and a jaw-dropping seven times total.

Statistics: San Diego (14) QB Parker 20/32, 198 yards HB Kennedy 17 carries, 56 yards, 2 TDs WR Lynnwood 6 catches, 64 yards WR Remlinger 5 catches, 53 yards DT Hales 8 tackles DE Young 7 tackles LB Carrier 4 tackles FS Gooden 3 tackles

Statistics: Las Vegas (38) QB Clement 15/30, 157 yards, 4 TDs HB Chrys Chukwhuma 17 carries, 52 yards, TD HB Rod Smart 13 carries, 46 yards WR Murphy 10 catches, 72 yards, 2 TDs DE Edwards 3 sacks DE Kinney 2 sacks LB Jackson 1 sack FS Sanders 3 tackles, 1 deflection

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week Two Roundup

Baltimore Bearcats - 7 -- 31 - Potomic Vipers
Chicago Enforcers - 24 -- 16 - Detroit Devils
Minnesota Reapers - 28 -- 19 - Dakota Comets
Cincinnati Crusaders - 10 -- [b]31 - Orlando Rage[b/]
Kansas City Crossfire - 35 -- 10 - Arizona Outlaws
Washington Redhawks - 13 -- 24 - Sante Fe Unforgiven
Las Vegas Aces - 17 -- 10 - New York Nightmare
[b]Memphis Maniax - 26 /b] -- 10 - Carolina Copperheads
Seattle Reign - 20 -- 31 - Los Angeles Xtreme
Sanctuary Divots - 14 -- 48 - Waco Mavericks
Birmingham Bolts - 10 -- 20 - San Francisco Demons
San Diego Cyclones - 14 -- 38 - Las Vegas Outlaws
Chicago Marauders - 26 -- 26 - Calgary Hitmen
New England Regulars - 14 -- 10 - NY/NJ Hitmen
San Jose Armada - 3 -- 45 - Denver Grizzlies
Orlando Hammerheads - 17 -- 45 - Dallas Aztecs


The League Player Of The Week
WR Nate Ross, Kansas City Crossfire

Commentary: The second week is in the books, and with it another interesting week in the 2006 season of The League.

The Aztecs' performance was the strongest of any team this week, as they bounced back from a tough and hard-fought, but questionable loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Granted, the Aces this week defeated Dallas' equally-talented arch-rivals, the New York Nightmare, so perhaps they aren't as mediocre as was originally thought.

The northern division of the National Conference proves again to be a very formidable and competitive division, as the Enforcers beat the Devils in a hard-fought contest, while the Calgary Hitmen played the Chicago Marauders and their white-hot offense to a tie. Minnesota also notched a win over the expansion Dakota Comets.

The assimilation of the XFL teams into The League has gone on thus far without a hitch; Los Angeles, Memphis, and San Francisco remain lossless and all look very sharp.

The Washington Redhawks surprisingly falls to 0-2. They have been in both of their games, but haven't put it all together yet. Critics are already pointing fingers at quarterback Mike Mexico and calling for a change to be made under center.

Finally, the expansion teams continue to live in a sort of blessed-or-damned world; Waco and Potomic each earned another win, while Sanctuary and San Jose struggled.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview: New York Nightmare

The New York Nightmare (1-1) return after a solid season last year that ended with them falling just short of glory in the League Championship game, losing to the Dallas Aztecs. This year, all their core players are back and have an additional year of experience, and their hunger for victory is now insatiable.

Offense: The Nightmare lead a balanced offense that boasts no one player that can be held above the rest, but rather a collection of above-average players that work together very well in their offensive system. Under center is Clinton Thorpe, a traditional pocket passer with a good arm and a fair understanding of the offense. He is still rather green, but he has gotten better over time and is certainly capable. Thorpe's targets are receivers Sunny Brown and Nate Roberts, both of whom possess deceptive speed and good hands, and tight end Justin Betterly, a large redzone target who has very soft hands for man is stature. Lining up at tailback for the Nightmare is third-year man Ty Dixon. Standing at 5'8", critics argue that Dixon is undersized for the running back position, but despite this he has consistently produced in his first two years with the Nightmare. He is fairly consistent in his performances, is a sure-handed receiver, and has the physical ability to turn any routine run into a game-changing play. He is helped out by a good, but not stellar offensive line.

Defense: The famed New York Nightmare defense is just that, a nightmare to play against. Playmakers are littered through this defense, beginning of course at linebacker. Foremost is Mike backer Quentin Sands, who needs no introduction. Sands has a rare blend of speed, strength, instincts, and ability seen only in all-time great players. He is easily the best linebacker in the League, and this is only his third season. Fellow linebackers Aiden Oshea and Russell McKensie are also very talented in their own right, but they are often forgotten about with Sands in the middle. Defensive linemen Marcus Colton and Sedrick Shafer anchor the powerful defensive line, and the cornerback tandem of Jacob Oliver and Darius Tulley is as good as you will find in the League.

Projection: The Nightmare only have competition in their division from Dallas, and they match up favorably with most of the teams on their schedule. 10 wins and the playoffs is all but certain for this club, as they are too talented not to achieve such.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview: Las Vegas Outlaws

Las Vegas got its wish in a professional sports franchise when the XFL announced the Outlaws would play in their fair city. The franchise didn't put up great numbers in the win column during their only season under McMahon's watch, but statistically many players played well and there is hope this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Offense: The Outlaws (1-1) are lead by one of the most recognizable players in the XFL to-date: "He Hate Me". Known on the official roster as Rod Smart, the 5'9", 185 lb running back started off slow in the 2001 XFL season but later was given the starting role and quite literally ran with it. He latched on to the Carolina Panthers after the XFL folded as a kick returner, and was the first XFL player to appear in a Super Bowl, playing with the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Smart returns to the Outlaws hoping to continue to build off his recent successes.

Also on offense for the Outlaws are quarterback Ryan Clement, who struggled during the 2001 XFL season, and receiver Yo Murphy, his most reliable target, though historically not very reliable in his own right. To both their credit, however, they seem to each be turning a new leaf two games into this young season.

Defense: While they have but one great player on offense, the Outlaws have many on defense. The most notable is defensive end Antonio Edwards, who may be the best defensive lineman in The League coming into this season. With a blend of size, strength, speed, and skills that coaches dream about, Edwards gets to quarterbacks so quickly and so often, they may as well start giving him frequent flyer miles. If Edwards doesn't take down the opposing quarterback, fellow defensive end Kelvin Kinney is often there to finish the job. Though Kinney is could get by on his own merits and is overshadowed by Edwards in this defense, he prides himself on complimenting Edwards well and being part of a tandem that gives opposing offensive coordinators nightmares.

The most notable player in the secondary is Brandon Sanders, "B-Mack" for short. Sanders isn't the most talented safety in the game, but makes the best of what he has in both his limited talent and the help he has up front and frequently makes plays on passes.

Projection: Coming into the season, Ryan Clement had proved to be nothing more than a mediocre quarterback, and struggled even to reach that level at times. However, his last game against San Diego appears to show signs of a change for the better in his play, which is good for the Outlaws because all this team is missing is a passing offense. If Clement can consistently put up remotely similar performances to his last game, the Outlaws may surprise and take the western division of the American conference, but if he plays as he was expected to coming into the season, expect no more than nine wins from this club.

[skitch]

Re: The League

HE HATE ME!

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview / Week 3 Preview: Seattle Reign

The Seattle Reign surprisingly have yet to get a win two games into this season. While they lack a true star player on offense, the players they have on that side of the ball are all talented enough to win football games, especially given as strong as their defense is.

Offense: The quarterback of the Reign is sixth-year man Darius Wickman. Originally a second-round draft choice who declared for the draft after his junior season, Wickman has never completely fulfilled on the promise he showed during his final season at Wake Forest, but nevertheless has put up respectable numbers. His mobility is limited but he reads defenses fairly well and has an above-average arm. His receiving corps is deep, but lacks a true go-to guy. Zack Valentine was drafted last season to fill such a role, and he has the ability, but he struggles with his route running at times. The Reign do have a decent running game to fall back on, led by aging runner Ed Peterson. Peterson is a powerful back who has maintained his ability and durability despite his eleven years in The League.

Defense: This group is dangerous for their speed. The three stars on this defense, linemen Chad Longstreet and Bubba Stapleton and cornerback Ross Holden, all are freakishly athletic for their positions. Longstreet and Stapleton use their abnormal quickness to get to opposing quarterbacks and surprise running backs in the backfield, while Holden poses a dual threat: he can hurt opposing teams by making lightning-fast breaks on poorly thrown balls, or he can put points on the board with his incredible ability as a punt returner.

Projection: Coming into the season, it would be tough to pick the Reign to win the division given that they have to face both San Francisco and Los Angeles twice. In their present situation, with the emergence of the Las Vegas Aces as a competitor and their own recent struggles on offense, one wonders if they may be one of the clubs that disappoints this season.

---

Week 3 Preview: Seattle Reign vs. Waco Mavericks

The Waco Mavericks hope to add a third win to their surprising early total over a respectable opponent this week as they take on the Seattle Reign. The Reign, meanwhile, hope to right their own ship, get a win, and knock the wind out of the Mavs' sails.

Key Players: Waco

RB Anthony Castle: The Reign's defense isn't exactly on the same level as that of the Crusaders or the Divots; in fact, they are light years beyond both clubs. Veteran back Anthony Castle has proven at least to this point that he can still provide a fearsome running game for a football team, and his best effort will be needed here to open up passing lanes for quarterback Tommy Player.

LT Al Taylor: In the trenches, Taylor will be taking on one of the best defensive ends in The League in Chad Longstreet. Taylor is likely to not receive any help as teams traditionally double team the more established defensive lineman Bubba Stapleton on the inside, and thus the left tackle has to be able to contain Longstreet on his own; a rather daunting task.

P Derrick Gilbert: Yes, the punter is a key player in today's game. The Mavericks face a dangerous punt returner in Ross Holden, and thus Gilbert must either angle his punts out of bounds and prevent returns, or get plenty of hangtime under his kicks to allow his coverage team time to get down the field.

Key Players: Seattle

QB Darius Wickman: To this point in the season, Wickman has struggled, completing only 51 percent of his passes. He will have to do much better than that to both keep the Waco offense off the field and to help his team finish drives.

WR Treyton Walker: Unfortunately for Seattle, their young receiver Zack Valentine is unavailable for this game, as last week he suffered a pinched nerve and doctors have yet to clear him to play. Walker will have to fill his injured comrade's shoes and provide Wickman with a reliable target to throw to.

DE Chad Longstreet: Longstreet has a favorable matchup this week, going one-on-one with Waco left tackle Al Taylor. Longstreet must be able to capitalize on his tremendous speed advantage and not allow himself to be overpowered as he has been known to do on occasion. If he can put pressure on or rattle the cage of Tommy Player, the rookie will undoubtedly make a mistake.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week 2: Waco Mavericks (2-0) at Seattle Reign (0-2)

If you were in Seattle today and not watching football, you missed a real treat of a game. The Seattle Reign and the visiting Waco Mavericks, two evenly matched clubs, took to the gridiron with expectations for putting forth an interesting game, and they delivered, big-time.

The Mavericks, having not played a real football team yet this season, opened this game up in the worst possible way; quarterback Tommy Player threw an interception on a playaction pass, a turnover which was capitalized on just one play later when Reign halfback Ed Peterson took a routine swing pass 63 yards for a touchdown. Less than 30 seconds into the game, the Mavs were already in an uphill battle.

The Mavericks also had their worst collective rushing performance on the ground to-date, as halfback Anthony Castle only managed 35 yards on 13 carries and a score. He was inactive for most of the second half, as the younger and faster Stacey Hartley took his place in the lineup and gained 39 yards and a score in nine attempts.

Seemingly mocking the expansion club's meager rushing output, the Seattle Reign broke off big play after big play on the ground thanks to a strong performance by their offensive line and the explosiveness of Ed Peterson, who finished the day with an astounding 178 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 13 carries, in addition to his previous reception score.

Despite all these factors, the Mavericks hung around in the game, and late in the fourth quarter seemingly had taken the game when halfback Anthony Castle was called upon to finish a drive, not with his running, but rather on a trick play; Castle was called upon to execute the ever-popular halfback pass, and was successful in finding receiver Jason Tucker just beyond the goal line.

Not to be outdone, however, the Reign took the ball on the ensuing drive, inside the two-minute warning, and worked their way down the field, taking large chunks of yardage at a time. The drive was finished with a pass from quarterback Darius Wickman to receiver Treyton Walker; this touchdown gave Seattle the lead with a mere 0:22 showing on the game clock.

In an appropriate turn of events for the Reign's season so far, however, their following kickoff sailed out of bounds, and the Mavericks were given great field position with 22 seconds and two timeouts to work with.

Quarterback Tommy Player found receivers Jason Tucker and Austin McAllister for 20 quick yards on two plays, but incompletions between the two gains had drained the game clock to six seconds. The Mavericks needed a to go to the well once again, having already gone there twice with the halfback pass and surviving two lost fumbles, one could only assume the well would be dry.

The final play of the game was called by ESPN's Mike Patrick as follows:

"...and this is it, for all the marbles in today's game... Player lines up in shotgun, sends Sylvester in motion from right to left... takes the snap, drops back, is flushed out of the pocket... rolling left, fires, and this one's got a chance... and it's CAUGHT! AN UNBELIEVABLE CATCH BY MO SYLVESTER IN THE END ZONE! TOUCHDOWN MAVERICKS! And this back and forth game is over! Holy cow, what a finish!"

Receiver Mo Sylvester somehow found a window in the prevent defense and Tommy Player got just enough under the ball to get it over the safety and into Sylvester's waiting hands. Waco barely comes out on top in a back-and-forth game, 31 to 28. They will take on the Arizona Outlaws next week.

Statistics: Waco (31) QB Player: 16/25, 240 yards, TD, INT HB Castle: 13 carries, 35 yards, TD HB Hartley: 9 carries, 39 yards, TD WR Tucker: 7 catches, 98 yards, TD WR Sylvester: 4 catches, 72 yards, TD TE Bridges: 3 catches, 43 yards DE Emanual: 2 tackles, 1 sack SS Hooe: 6 tackles, 1 sack LB Greer: 4 tackles CB McFarland: 1 tackle, 2 deflections

Statistics: Seattle (28) QB Wickman: 9/23, 154 yards, 2 TDs HB Peterson: 13 carries, 178 yards, 2 TDs HB Peterson: 1 catch, 63 receiving yards, TD WR Walker: 4 catches, 64 yards, TD WR Bryant: 1 catch, 18 yards WR Battle: 2 catches, 10 yards LB Maguire: 7 tackles, 2 sacks DE Longstreet: 3 tackles, 1 fumble forced FS Lawrence: 4 tackles, INT CB Holden: 5 tackles

[Hooe]

Re: The League

GAME OF THE WEEK
Week 3: Los Angeles Xtreme at San Francisco Demons

The Los Angeles Xtreme made a quick trip down to the city by the bay to take on their rivals, the San Francisco Demons. The last time these two clubs played each other was in 2001 at the XFL Million Dollar Game, with the Xtreme coming out on top and winning the coveted XFL League Championship.

This week's contest wasn't for any sort of monetary bonus, but the two teams played as if their existences were on the line, battling tooth and nail with each other for the entire sixty minutes. Los Angeles took the lead on a 22-yard field goal by Jose Cortez with less than two minutes to play, which appeared to seal the deal until Demons' quarterback Mike Pawlawski found receiver Jimmy Cunningham on a seam route for 50 yards. The Demons' offense could not finish the drive for a touchdown, however, and neither could their kicker Mike Panasuk, missing a 46 yard attempt to the right, sealing the game for the Xtreme.

Statistically, there were a few notable performances on offense. Tailback Saladin McCullough, playing full-time since fellow halfback Rashaan Shehee was out with a pulled hamstring, gained 97 yards and a touchdown in 19 carries, and quarterback Tommy Maddox completed 18 of 29 passes for 172 yards, a pick, and a score. For the Demons, quarterback Mike Pawlawski finished the day completing 21 of 38 throws for 268 yards, and tailback Kelvin Anderson put up 78 yards and two scores on 23 carries.

Defensively, the top performers for each team were Xtreme linebacker Rico Mack, who was all over the field and tallied 16 tackles, and Demons' safety Kevin Kaesviharn, who made five stops and got a pick.

Statistics: Los Angeles (24) QB Maddox 18/29, 172 yards, TD, INT HB McCullough 19 carries, 97 yards, TD WR Copeland 6 catches, 87 yards, TD WR McDonald 3 catches, 18 yards LB Mack 19 tackles SS Vickers 5 tackles CB McGee 3 tackles CB Keck 2 tackles

Statistics: San Francisco (21) QB Pawlawski 21/38, 268 yards HB Anderson 23 carries, 78 yards, 2 TDs WR Hundon 5 catches, 64 yards WR Roberson 4 catches, 98 yards SS Kaesviharn 5 tackles, INT LB Floyd 9 tackles LB Powell 9 tackles DE Miles 5 tackles, sack

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week Two Roundup

Birmingham Bolts - 6 -- 24 - Memphis Maniax
Dakota Comets - 13 -- 66 - Detroit Devils
Carolina Copperheads - 6 -- 20 - Calgary Hitmen
Chicago Marauders - 20 -- 6 - Arizona Outlaws
Potomic Vipers - 20 -- 19 - New England Regulars
Santa Fe Unforgiven - 10 -- 31 - Minnesota Reapers
Kansas City Crossfire - 6 -- 30 - NY/NJ Hitmen
Denver Grizzlies - 9 -- 21 - New York Nightmare
Waco Mavericks - 31 -- 28 - Seattle Reign
Dallas Aztecs - 17 -- 23 - Las Vegas Aces
Los Angeles Xtreme - 24 -- 23 - San Francisco Demons
Baltimore Bearcats - 8 -- 26 - Cincinnati Crusaders
Washington Redhawks - 14 -- 28 - San Diego Cyclones
San Jose Armada - 6 -- 12 - Las Vegas Outlaws


The League Player Of The Week
RB Tony Forbes, Minnesota Reapers

Commentary: Three weeks of play have concluded now, and a number of points of interest in this week.

Foremost, there were a number of spectacular individual player performances this week. Foremost is obviously Tony Forbes. Forbes was all the offense the Reapers needed against the Unforgiven, setting a League record in offensive output by a non-quarterback with 326 total yards. Quarterbacks Randy Coltran of Detroit and Tommy Player of Waco also put up impressive individual performances. The former led his team to amassing 66 points against the Dakota Comets, and the latter led his team to a victory in dramatic fashion over the Seattle Reign.

Several teams that were counted out before the season are still to this point undefeated. These teams are the Mavericks, the Vipers, and the Aces. All weren't expect to compete this season, as among the three, two are expansion clubs and the third has always struggled historically. However, all three are playing very good football right now and are building momentum for the rest of the 2006 campaign.

Meanwhile, the reigning champion Dallas Aztecs have put forth a 1-2 record this point. To this point they are playing decent football and not making mistakes, but for whatever reason they have yet to reach the level of excellence they have demonstrated they were capable of over the past two seasons. Will this trend continue?

The Redhawks lose again, and the Mike Mexico bashing thus continues. Making things interesting, however, is that now backup quarterback Lance Irwin is among the critics, stating in a post-game interview that despite Mexico's obvious rushing prowess, the quarterback's job is to throw the ball, something Mexico "simply cannot do." More on this situation as it develops.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: The League

When will you be posting standings? After Week 4, 8, 12, 16? Or how are you planning on doing that?

[Hooe]

Re: The League

When will you be posting standings? After Week 4, 8, 12, 16? Or how are you planning on doing that?

Exactly as you said, after Weeks 4, 8, 12, 16, and in addition I'll post final standings after Week 17. Oh, and stats will come with standings too (my team, League leaders).

[The GIGGAS]

Re: The League

Sounds good. Can't wait to see how the league shapes up, good job with Waco.