The League

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview / Week 7 Preview: Los Angeles Xtreme

The Los Angeles Xtreme (4-1) bring to the table one of the better, more well-rounded offenses in The League, as well as a talented, experienced defense. The team is also championship-proven, being the only team to win the XFL Million Dollar Game.

Offense: The two main guys on offense are quarterback Tommy Maddox and receiver Jermaine Copeland. Maddox was a first-round draft choice out of UCLA many years ago, but never really found success early in his career and was labeled a bust. He was then acquired by the Los Angeles Xtreme in 2001, a team he would lead to victory in the XFL Million Dollar Game. Maddox returned to the NFL for a time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the NFLPA strike has brought him back to where he made his name. His favorite target, Jermaine Copeland, is a tall, strong receiver who makes his living off outmuscling, outsmarting, and winning jumpballs over smaller cornerbacks. That said, Copeland has deceptive speed and can beat DBs over the top as well. The team has a balanced running attack between scat-back Saladin McCollough and rising star Charles Jefferson, and also have an experienced backup in Rashaan Shehee. The final player worth noting on the offensive side of the ball is kicker Jose Cortez, who is as close to automatic as they come in The League (I know that sounds really funny... he is the best kicker in The League though... -ed.)

Defense: The defense is a solid group that has a few notable playmakers. Foremost is safety Reggie Durden. "Dirty Durden" is a skilled cover man and quite the ballhawk, though teams have generally avoided throwing in his direction this season. Jamal Duff, aka "Death Blow" is a proficient defensive end who plays a pretty well-rounded game, and linebacker Rico Mack has been all over the field this season, surprising those close to the team.

Projection: The Xtreme have tough competition for the western division title in the San Francisco Demons, who they have defeated once this season. Los Angeles is the more complete squad, however, and should take the division and be poised for a run deep into the playoffs.

---

Week 7 Preview: Waco Mavericks at Los Angeles Xtreme

The Waco Mavericks (4-2), according to several players on the team, dropped a "gimme game" last week to the Dakota Comets, and are looking again to right the ship this week. The Xtreme are easily more talented than the Dakota Comets, however, which means the Mavs have their work certainly have their work cut out for them.

Key Players: Waco

RB Stacey Hartley: One part of the Mavericks' game that unfairly gone uncriticized is their special teams; they have yet to break a big return, either on a kickoff or a punt, this season. While it's not all return man Stacey Hartley's fault, he could do a better job reading his blocks and finding the wedge on returns. Hartley could also be a factor in the running game, as his blazing speed allows him to run past defenders if he can find the hole.

WR Austin McAllister: The Mavs have not gotten a whole lot of production from their second receiver spot; part of this is due to their rookie quarterback Tommy Player, but McAllister has struggled to get open at times this season, and his route-running has been awful at times. His route-running needs to be crisp today, as teams are starting to double-cover the only proven receiving threat that Waco has presented this season in Jason Tucker.

SS Jared Simpson: Simpson is filling in for the injured Chris Hooe today. Simpson does not have the physical talent that Hooe does, but he does have a better understanding of and more experience in the Mavericks' system than the rookie. Simpson needs to make sure he's in the right spot at all today, as he doesn't have the speed to correct for even the smallest mistake.

Key Players: Los Angeles

HB Saladin McCullough: McCullough could have, and should have, a field day against the Waco run defense, which has failed to contain any running back they've faced this season. McCullough's speed will stretch out the Mavericks' defense and open up passing lanes for quarterback Tommy Maddox.

WR Jermaine Copeland: Hardly a reach of a pick, but Copeland does present serious matchup problems for the Mavericks' defense. There is no one player on the defense with the talent to stick with Copeland, and if he gets double-covered this will present opportunities for other players on the Xtreme to impact the game.

CB Dell McGee: It's no secret, the Mavericks are going to throw the ball to Jason Tucker. It will be McGee's job to minimize how many times the strategy is successful. He'll probably be the best corner Tucker will have matched up with up to this point in the season, so it should be a good battle to watch.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week 7: Waco Mavericks (4-2) at Los Angeles Xtreme (4-1)

What was supposed to be a Shakespearean drama of a football game between two talented teams turned into a comedy of errors. The stage: Los Angeles, California, the actors: the Waco Mavericks and the Los Angeles Xtreme football clubs, the conflict: which team wants to lose more?

In the first quarter alone, there were three interceptions; two thrown by Mavs' rookie passer Tommy Player, and one by Xtreme veteran Tommy Maddox. The Mavs' rookie passer would add one more INT to his count later in the game, but surprisingly head coach Steve Wieslaw stuck with him rather than insert backup veteran Cade Rotolo.

Another important event to later elements in the plot is late in the first, tailback Anthony Castle left the game due to knee bursitis and was very limited in the offense through the remainder of the contest. His injury was not the only circumstance preventing his return, however.

With the injury to Castle and the poor performance of Player in the first quarter, the onus of moving the offense fell upon backup running back Stacey Hartley. Unlike his injured counterpart and rookie peer, Hartley delivered in spades, finishing the game with 201 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns, the second of which would come after a series of unfortunate events.

For the Xtreme, the turning point of the game was undoubtedly when Tommy Maddox injured his throwing arm in the third quarter, leaving the game for two series. However, in these two series, backup quarterback Scott Milanovich proved to be completely incapable, throwing two interceptions in two his two passing attempts in the game.

The game's conclusion was equally baffling as the rest of the game. Down by two points, the Mavericks drove the length of the field and with two seconds left in the game sent out the field goal team. Miscommunication between the coaching staff and the players, however, resulted in both the incorrect long snapper and place-holder being sent out to the field. As a result the place-hold for the field goal was botched, but the "place-holder" turned out to be half-back Stacey Hartley, who righted his costly error by turning the broken play into a Waco touchdown, giving the Mavericks a five point lead as time expired. While the play will go into the books as a fake field goal, the intention was never such.

Back in the win column in a truly roundabout fashion, the Mavericks return home next week to take on the Denver Grizzlies.

Statistics: Waco (34) QB Player: 19/34, 277 yards, TD, 3 INTs HB Hartley: 18 carries, 201 yards, 2 TDs HB Castle: 9 carries, 35 yards, TD, receiving TD WR Tucker: 6 catches, 118 yards WR Sylvester: 2 catches, 47 yards WR McAllister: 4 catches, 43 yards SS Simpson: 6 tackles, INT LB Rosario: 5 tackles, 3 TFLs, INT FS Randle: 4 tackles DE Emanuel: 2 tackles, 2 TFLs

Statistics: Los Angeles (29) QB Maddox: 10/17, 239 yards, 2 TDs, INT QB Milanovich: 0/2, 0 yds, 2 INTs RB McCullough: 15 carries, 53 yards WR Copeland: 3 catches, 121 yards, 2 TDs WR Rachal: 3 catches, 48 yards TE Wilcox: catch, 46 yards SS Vickers: 9 tackles FS Durden: 7 tackles, INT LB Mack: 6 tackles CB Carpenter: 2 tackles, INT, TD

[Hooe]

Re: The League

GAME OF THE WEEK
Week 7: San Jose Armada (2-3) at New England Regulars (3-2)

This week's key matchup featured two teams both in the midst of their divisions fighting for positioning in the stretch run and to augment their playoffs aspirations.

San Jose opened up the scoring with a 12 yard off-tackle scamper to the end zone by halfback Craig Davis and added a field goal late in the first quarter. New England responded in the second period with a touchdown run by tailback Andre Lester, followed later by a touchdown strike from Regulars' quarterback Clyde Rowlins to receiver Marcel Freeman. The Armada would add another field goal before the break to bring the margin to but a point, as the teams headed into the locker rooms with the score 14-13 favoring New England.

San Jose came out hot in the third quarter, driving immediately down the field and scoring on a seven yard pass from quarterback Bryant Terrell to receiver Jason Jones. The teams jockeyed for position throughout the rest of the period, and the deadlock was broken in the final period with a third San Jose field goal. Down by 8 with just over nine minutes left, the Regulars put together a relatively fast drive, which ended with Rowlins finding receiver Royce Edwards in the back corner on a fade pattern. However, with just under five minutes left, the Armada were able to work the clock and put up the final touchdown in the game to break the 22-point deadlock with a second touchdown pass from Marcus Langford.

Statistics: San Jose (29) QB Terrell 16/28, 149 yards, 2 TDs HB Davis 34 carries, 139 yards, TD WR Jones 7 catches, 51 yards WR Langford 5 catches, 54 yards, TD LB Spires 8 tackles CB Taylor 6 tackles LB LB Nielson 5 tackles CB Johnson 3 tackles, INT

Statistics: New England (22) QB Rowlins 17/33, 187 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs HB Williams 19 carries, 94 yards WR Freeman 6 catches, 55 yards, TD WR Edwards 4 catches, 69 yards, TD LB Rogers 7 tackles CB Willis 5 tackles LB Vandon 4 tackles, sack CB Treonday 4 tackles

[gtm]

Re: The League

Krioniq, this is just "way cool" what your doing. How do you take the pictures and post them here? They are nice and clear. Keep it going.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week Seven Roundup

Cincinnati Crusaders - 10 -- 16 - Dakota Comets
Chicago Enforcers - 14 -- 7 - Chicago Marauders
Arizona Outlaws - 18 -- 24 - Orlando Rage
San Jose Vipers - 29 --22 - New England Regulars
Calgary Hitmen - 17 -- 20 - Minnesota Reapers
San Diego Cyclones - 9 -- 29 - New York Nightmare
Santa Fe Unforgiven - 3 -- 17 - Seattle Reign
Las Vegas Aces - 20 -- 3 - Orlando Hammerheads
Dallas Aztecs - 29 -- 25 - San Francisco Demons
Waco Mavericks - 34 -- 29 - Los Angeles Xtreme
Sanctuary Divots - 0 -- 44 - Detroit Devils
Las Vegas Outlaws - 27 -- 3 - Washington Redhawks
Memphis Maniax - 14 -- 17 - Denver Grizzlies
NY/NJ Hitmen - 20 -- 41 - Birmingham Bolts


The League Player Of The Week
LB Quentin Sands, New York Nightmare

Commentary and League News: It looks as if there will be no League-mandated punishment to linebacker Quentin Sands for his unsportsmanlike conduct two weeks ago, when he took a deliberate shot at the head of quarterback Julius Williams; instead The League has honored Sands this week with The League's Player Of The Week award. The hit in question gave the Aztecs' passer a minor concussion but to this point there have been no long-term reprocussions, other than bad blood between the two players.

Detroit Devils' receiver Cookie Wallace had one of the best games of his young career this week, putting up four total touchdowns against the Sanctuary Divots in a 44-0 victory. Wallace caught two passes for scores, took a end-around handoff 41 yards to pay-dirt, and in the most athletic play of the day returned a punt 55 yards for six. "Everything was clicking for me today," the normally self-centered but somewhat subdued receiver said after the game. "Our offense was perfectly in rhythm and the blocking on offense and on special teams was great all game. They made everything possible for me today."

The Las Vegas Outlaws have reeled off six straight wins. Though their traditionally strong running game headed by Rod Smart is a very significant factor in the streak, the progression of quarterback Ryan Clement and receiver Yo Murphy is what has the organization excited about the team's potential for the rest of the season. "Those two really have something clicking right now," head coach Jim Criner commented about the two. To date, Clement has passed for 1064 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while Murphy has caught 53 passes for 549 yards and eight scores.

Dateline Mexico: the Redhawks lost again this week, and once again the blame is being put squarely on the shoulders of quarterback Mike Mexico. Mexico once again failed to get his team into the end zone and he threw another interception. To date, the athletic quarterback has a passer rating of 54.4, having thrown eight interceptions compared to just four touchdowns. Mexico did not speak to the media following the game, not on his own accord but rather by order of the Redhawks' head coach who is instituting media gag order around the team and its players. The team wants to handle the situation in-house, which is probably the best way to go about resolving the issue. Seeing as the Redhawks stand at a dismal 1-5, the kinks need to be worked out as soon as possible.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Krioniq, this is just "way cool" what your doing. How do you take the pictures and post them here? They are nice and clear. Keep it going.

Thanks for the compliments

About my screens, in the PC version of Madden 06, you can take a screen capture at any time by pressing the F1 key. Whenever there's an interesting play, I go into replay and take a screenshot, then I import the screen into Paint Shop Pro 6 to add the ESPN Bottomline. I then upload the finished screens on Photobucket and link to them from my posts.

As for their clarity, as I said I am screen-capturing from a PC, but my ATI Radeon X1600 certainly doesn't hurt

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Team Overview / Week 8 Preview: Denver Grizzlies

The Denver Grizzles (5-1) have perhaps the second-most talent on defense in The League, behind only the vaunted New York Nightmare's group. Though the offense is still a work in progress, the defense has plenty of playmakers capable of winning the game for the team even if the offense fails to score.

Offense: On offense, the Grizzlies are somewhat weak. Their best player is running back Tyler Neal, who is a strong back, but compared to other running backs in The League has very pedestrian speed. He's never wanted to outrun people, however, as he's always looking for the next defender to plow through. At quarterback and often handing Neal the ball is quarterback Erik Masters. Masters, like his halfback counterpart, has very average physical tools. However, on top of this Masters has shown very questionable decision making historically. He has improved somewhat, but he has still thrown five interceptions to go with his seven touchdowns, good enough for a passer rating of 75.4. If he had a notable threat at wide receiver, he would most certainly improve, but the wide outs on this team are only notable for their exceptional run blocking abilities.

Defense: This unit is single-handedly capable of winning games, without an offense to back them up. Leading the charge is rookie defensive end Kelvin Donaldson. Rookie in name only, this fiery player spent a number of years with the military and just this year is getting a chance to showcase the awesome skills he had in college to The League. He's struggled some recently, but his teammates have more than made up the slack. Two of these teammates are cornerback tandem Cade Bryson and Payton Williams, who are probably the best duo of cornerbacks in The League. Both of these ballhawks have amazing speed, agility, instincts, and both could play wide receiver; some are surprised that Denver's coaching staff haven't experimented with using one of the two on offense. Saftey John Mahorn also has very good cover skills and is a hard hitter in run support.

Projection: The Grizzlies can only go as far as their excellent defense takes them. That said, they are sitting pretty at 5-1 right now, a mere half a game out of first place in their division. In addition, Denver has a somewhat favorable schedule, ensuring that they will be in the playoff hunt.

---

Week 8 Preview: Denver Grizzlies vs. Waco Mavericks

After an emotionally charged win over the Los Angeles Xtreme that ended on a bad call turned good, the Waco Mavericks attempt to put together a win streak as they face the Denver Grizzlies. The Grizzlies defense will undoubtedly be the best the Mavs have played against this season.

Key Players: Waco

QB Tommy Player: Player continues to struggle with his reads and his accuracy, as he tossed three picks last game early on. That said, he also helped to lead his team back into the game, albeit with the help of running back Stacey Hartley. That kind of production on the ground can't be expected every game, so Player has to cut down on his mistakes; the chances of mounting a comeback on the Grizzlies' defense are slim to none.

Waco offensive line: All five players in this group will have to bring their A-game today, as the Denver front seven is better than just about any other group in The League not belonging to a team named the New York Nightmare. If they get beat to the point of attack, Waco's offense will fold quickly.

SS Jared Simpson: Starting safety Chris Hooe returned to Mavericks' practice this week, but was very limited in drills and only participated in activities that involved minimal risk of head injury. He is still listed as 'Out' on the injury report, so Simpson will be called upon again to fill the void. He performed fairly well last week, recording six tackles and a pick, and is facing a more mistake-prone offense today.

Key Players: Denver

QB Erik Masters: The Mavericks are starting to improve against the run, allowing less than 75 yards on the ground in each of their last two games. Expect the Mavericks to key in on the run again this week, which means Masters must be able to beat the Waco secondary over the top.

CB Cade Bryson: Bryson matches up with the main receiving threat of the Waco offense, wideout Jason Tucker. Bryson has a significant athletic advantage over Tucker and is one of the best corners in The League. If he can make Player look away from Tucker, Denver's chances of winning the game improve considerably.

DE Kelvin Donaldson: Donaldson has struggled in the past few games to even get on the stat sheet, but he has a favorable matchup this week against Waco offensive tackle Neal Hejl. While Hejl has performed adequately for the better part of this season, he has yet to face an end of Donaldson's caliber, and Donaldson needs to be able to capitalize on Hejl's inexperience and disrupt things in the Waco backfield.

[bkrich83]

Re: The League

Awesome, simply awesome.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week 8: Denver Grizzlies (5-1) at Waco Mavericks (5-2)

The Waco Mavericks surprised their hometown fans with the unveiling of slick new blue alternate uniforms. Unfortunately, that's about all fans had to be excited about.

To use a sports-entertainment metaphor, the Mavs were beaten from pillar to post by the Denver Grizzlies, as they were physically worn out throughout the game both on offense and defense. The Grizzlies did not allow the Mavericks to cross midfield until midway through the second quarter and prevented the hometown team from scoring until the fourth quarter, after they were already down by twenty.

The game was one to forget for the Mavericks in all facets. Quarterback Tommy Player was in and out of the game as he left the field several times due to injuries, and backup veteran Cade Rotolo showed why he was second-string behind a rookie quarterback, tossing up two picks. The running game was a non-factor for Waco as well, other than a 57-yard run by Stacey Hartley.

For the Grizzlies, the game was pretty standard-fare; Tyler Neal was the focal point of the offense, rushing for 119 yards on 24 carries. In addition, quarterback Erik Masters led an efficient passing attack, completing 10 of 14 passes for 189 yards and two scores. The Grizzly defense played admirably, allowing only 245 total yards and forcing three turnovers.

The Mavericks will attempt to bounce back from their worst loss yet this season next week against the Chicago Marauders. Following that game, the Mavs will have a week off to recuperate for the late season stretch run.

Statistics: Waco (13) QB Player: 9/17, 117 yards, INT QB Rotolo: 5/11, 60 yards, TD, 2 INTs HB Hartley: 5 attempts, 55 yards HB Castle: 6 carries, 18 yards WR Sylvester: 3 catches, 42 yards WR McAllister: 3 catches, 39 yards SS Simpson: 9 tackles LB Rosario: 6 tackles, sack FS Randle: 5 tackles, deflection DT Redding: 4 tackles

Statistics: Denver (23) QB Masters: 10/14, 189 yards, 2 TDs HB Neal: 24 carries, 119 yards FB Koslowski: 3 carries, 15 yards WR Reese: 5 catches, 89 yards, TD WR Perez: 3 catches, 71 yards, TD TE Avery: catch, 21 yards CB Bryson: 5 tackles DE Hampton: 4 tackles SS Combs: 4 tackles LB Sabbatini: 3 tackles, INT

[Hooe]

Re: The League

GAME OF THE WEEK
Week 8: Minnesota Reapers (5-1) at Potomic Vipers (4-2)

The surprising expansion Potomic Vipers were featured this week in an particularly noteworthy matchup with the offensive juggernaut that is the Minnesota Reapers. In the earlygoing, it looked as if the Reapers demonstrated their offensive prowess with 21 quick points in a ten minute span to open the game; one score via a swing pass to prolific halfback Tony Forbes, another from a Forbes 1-yard line plunge, and a third touchdown on a strike from quarterback Taylor Stanton to receiver Mario Farmer.

The momentum began to shift during the second quarter, however, and did so rather drastically, as Vipers' safety Jeff Banks picked off an errant pass from Stanton and returned it 72 yards for Potomic touchdown. The Reapers were completely shaken on offense following this key miscue, and would not score the rest of the game. In fact, Stanton would finish the game with three interceptions.

On the Potomic side of the ball, the offense was also inconsistent, but the team was able to build enough off Reapers' miscues to put 17 more points in the final two quarters to take the game from Minnesota.

Statistics: Minnesota (21) QB Stanton 15/26, 189 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs HB 32 carries, 135 yards, 2 total TDs WR Blake 3 catches, 61 yards WR Farmer 2 catches, 60 yards, TD LB Steele 8 tackles DT Shannon 6 tackles LB Hollings 5 tackles, sack CB Kennedy 3 tackles, INT

Statistics: Potomic (24) QB McNeal 20/34, 194 yards, TD, 3 INTs HB Williams 16 carries, 55 yards HB Mason 14 carries, 65 yards WR Jones 14 catches, 114 yards, TD FS Banks 8 tackles, INT, TD LB Jones 7 tackles LB Nelson 5 tackles CB Gray 4 tackles, INT

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Week Eight Roundup

Minnesota Reapers - 21 -- 24 - Potomic Vipers
Calgary Hitmen - 79 -- 7 - Dakota Comets
Los Angeles Xtreme - 16 -- 41 - Dallas Aztecs
Detroit Devils - 6 -- 34 - Chicago Enforcers
Chicago Marauders - 13 -- 24 - Orlando Rage
New England Regulars - 28 -- 10 - Santa Fe Unforgiven
Orlando Hammerheads - 10 -- 44 - Washington Redhawks
Denver Grizzlies - 23 -- 13 - Waco Mavericks
Kansas City Crossfire - 10 -- 41 - Seattle Reign
San Jose Armada - 12 -- 43 - San Diego Cyclones
New York Nightmare - 9 -- 7 - Las Vegas Outlaws
Carolina Copperheads - 15 -- 33 - Las Vegas Aces
Memphis Maniax - 19 -- 10 - Baltimore Bearcats
Sanctuary Divots - 6 -- 30 - Cincinnati Crusaders


The League Player Of The Week
HB Dontrelle Drayton, Calgary Hitmen


Standings

American Conference North: Chicago Marauders, 3-3-1 Cincinnati Crusaders, 2-5-0 Dakota Comets, 2-6-0 Sanctuary Divots, 0-7-0 South: Orlando Rage, 5-2-0 Waco Mavericks, 5-3-0 Kansas City Crossfire, 3-4-0 Arizona Outlaws, 1-6-0 East: Memphis Maniax, 6-2-0 New England Regulars, 4-3-0 NY/NJ Hitmen, 3-4-0 Baltimore Bearcats, 0-7-0 West: Denver Grizzlies, 6-1-0 Las Vegas Outlaws, 6-2-0 San Diego Cyclones, 5-3-0 San Jose Armada, 3-4-0

National Conference North: Chicago Enforcers, 6-1-0 Minnesota Reapers, 5-2-0 Calgary Hitmen, 4-2-1 Detroit Devils, 4-3-0 South: Potomic Vipers, 5-2-0 Santa Fe Unforgiven, 4-4-0 Birmingham Bolts, 3-4-0 Carolina Copperheads, 0-7-0 East: New York Nightmare, 5-2-0 Dallas Aztecs, 5-3-0 Washington Redhawks, 2-5-0 Orlando Hammerheads, 0-7-0 West: Las Vegas Aces, 6-1-0 Los Angeles Xtreme, 4-3-0 San Francisco Demons, 4-3-0 Seattle Reign, 4-4-0

Commentary and League News: The Dakota Comets probably still don't know what just hit them this past week. The Calgary Hitmen rolled up an overwhelming 79 points on their unfortunate visitors. The team was led by halfback Dontrelle Drayton, who ran his way into the annals of League history with a monstrous 365 yard effort, scoring five times along the way. Quarterback Bret Costanza also threw for five scores, and the team recorded a safety for good measure. "We weren't trying to run up the score," Costanza said in a post-game interview, "but if they can't stop us, are we supposed to stop ourselves? It's still a regular season game, and if we didn't want to let up and possibly give them a window of opportunity. I feel bad for them, but hey, it's football."

Drayton's monster performance should have his teammate Larry Jordan concerned. Though he has been the starting tailback in Calgary for a few years now, Jordan has been injured for the better part of this season, and is in his contract year. At 22, Drayton has five more years of youth over the 27-year-old Jordan, and to this point looks as if he is more than capable of carrying the load, making Jordan potentially expendable.

Surprisingly at the top of western division of the National conference are the Las Vegas Aces. They have been a sort of under-the-radar team, as the Los Angeles Xtreme and San Francisco Demons get most of the attention within the division, and the team is also passed over by local media for the more popular Las Vegas Outlaws. Regardless, teams should start paying attention, as the Aces are holding all the cards at the moment.

Another low-key team that one may want to pay attention to is the Memphis Maniax. Though the wins haven't always been pretty, the team is finding ways to pull it all together and is playing very well as a team at this point in time. Quarterback Jim Druckenmiller in particular exemplifies how this team is playing at the moment; while not putting up stellar numbers, having thrown for 1950 yards, 5 TDs and 5 picks, he is finding ways to move his team into position to win games, not playing outside his talents and responsibilities, trusting his teammates, and isn't making costly mistakes.

COMING UP: League Statistical Leaders, through Week 8
COMING UP: League Power Rankings, through Week 8

Edit: I was gonna post awards and such, but I just played my Week 9 game and... well, things just got real interesting.

[Hooe]

Re: The League

STATISTICS: Waco Mavericks

Passing
Tommy Player 119/200, 1573 yards, 8 TDs, 10 INTs, 76.9 Rating
Cade Rotolo 7/14, 81 yards, TD, 2 INTs, 52.0 Rating
Anthony Castle 1/1, 7 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 135.4 Rating

Rushing
Stacey Hartley 77 attempts, 600 yards, 7 TDs, 0 fumbles
Anthony Castle 99 attempts, 538 yards, 9 TDs, 2 fumbles
Tommy Player 15 attempts, 101 yards, 2 TDs, 3 fumbles
Bob Lowe 5 attempts, 49 yards, 1 TD, 0 fumbles
Rashard Taylor 8 attempts, 25 yards, 1 TD, 0 fumbles
Jonathan Dillon 1 attempt, 4 yards

Receiving
Jason Tucker 47 catches, 748 yards, 5 TDs
Mo Sylvester 18 catches, 317 yards, 2 TDs
Austin McAllister 16 catches, 181 yards
Lennox Bridges 11 catches, 138 yards, TD
Rashard Taylor 11 catches, 108 yards, TD
Justin Jonas 4 catches, 60 yards
Anthony Castle 15 catches, 56 yards, TD
Stacey Hartley 3 catch, 37 yards
Bill Bridges catch, 9 yards
Jonathan Dillon catch, 7 yards

Defense
Jeremy Randle 25 tackles, 2 INTs, 4 deflections
Jared Simpson 24 tackles, 2 INTs
Nick Rosario 24 tackles, sack, INT, deflection
Jarvis Greer 22 tackles, 3 deflections
Shyrone Mitchell 17 tackles, sack, INT
Cory Van 17 tackles, 2 sacks
Freddie Emanuel 16 tackles, 5 sacks, fumble recovery, TD
Casey Black 16 tackles, INT, 7 deflections
Cedric McFarland 16 tackles, 4 deflections
James James 15 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 fumbles forced
Chris Hooe 15 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INTs, 2 deflections
Ken Nickerson 10 tackles, deflection

[Hooe]

Re: The League

Statistical Leaders: League-Wide

Passing:

Yards:

Casey Weldon (Birmingham Bolts): 1807
Shane Spain (Chicago Marauders): 1757
Tommy Maddox (Los Angeles Xtreme): 1721
Ralph McNeal (Potomic Vipers): 1705
Mike Pawlawski (San Francisco Demons): 1697

Touchdowns:

Bret Costanza (Calgary Hitmen): 15
Tommy Maddox (Los Angeles Xtreme): 14
Ryan Clement (Las Vegas Outlaws): 13
Taylor Stanton (Minnesota Reapers): 12
Shane Spain (Chicago Marauders): 12

Rushing:

Yards:

Tony Forbes (Minnesota Reapers): 1008
Dontrelle Drayton (Calgary Hitmen): 822
Jermaine Knight (Dallas Aztecs): 728
Mike Mexico (Washington Redhawks): 708
Kelvin Diggs (Las Vegas Aces): 701

Touchdowns:

Stevo Jones (Detroit Devils): 9
Anthony Castle (Waco Mavericks): 9
Stacey Hartley (Waco Mavericks): 7
Ed Peterson (Seattle Reign): 7
Brian Shay (Orlando Rage): 6

Receiving:

Yards:

Henry Jones (Potomic Vipers): 806
Jason Tucker (Waco Mavericks): 748
James Jules (Las Vegas Aces): 741
Jermaine Copeland (Los Angeles Xtreme): 721
Tito Maas (Arizona Outlaws): 685

Touchdowns:

Ralph Bundy (Calgary Hitmen): 9
Yo Murphy (Las Vegas Outlaws): 9
Jermaine Copeland (Los Angeles Xtreme): 8
Douglas Blake (Minnesota Reapers): 7
Henry Jones (Potomic Vipers): 7

Defense:

Sacks:

Zach Perez (Calgary Hitmen): 9
Randall Grandmount (Calgary Hitmen): 7
Patrick Brickley (San Diego Cyclones): 7
Dwayne Saab (NY/NJ Hitmen): 6
Tyrell Price (Kansas City Crossfire): 6

Interceptions:

Jacob Oliver (New York Nightmare): 4
Jeff Little (Seattle Reign): 3
John Mahorn (Denver Grizzlies): 3
Victor Russell (Denver Grizzles): 3
Payton Williams (Denver Grizzlies): 3

[Dallasin2K3]

Re: The League

Lookin' sweet.. hopefully that rook from TCU gets back on track!

[Hooe]

Re: The League

POWER RANKINGS

01		(+6) Flat-out scary on defense right now. Though there are still concerns on offense, the Grizzlies are tied for the best record in The League and are playing in a very tough division.
02		(+12) It appeared that the Enforcers would falter when quarterback Kevin McDougal went down for the season with a knee injury a couple of weeks ago, but backup Tim Lester has played good enough, not making mistakes and letting John Avery and a tough defense win games for the club.
03		(+3) Passer Ryan Clement and receiver Yo Murphy have developed a real rapport as of late. Rod Smart is nicked up but still producing for the team as well, and defense is as good as it always was.
04		(+7) The Aces are surprise leaders of the western division of the National Conference after eight weeks of play. Quarterback Germaine Miles is playing fairly well and putting up plenty of passing yards, and Kelvin Diggs has quietly picked up 701 yards this season, averaging over five yards per carry.
05		(-2) The Nightmare drop not so much because they are playing worse, but other teams are playing better. The injury to halfback Ty Dixon is hurting, but the defense is still tops in The League.
06		(+6) The Maniax keep playing in and keep winning close contests. They aren't winning in the prettiest fashion, but nevertheless they keep winning, and isn't that all that really counts?
07		(+6) The Reapers' latest loss isn't indicative of how they've been playing as of late. Tony Forbes is dominating and quarterback Tyler Stanton is playing fearless.
08		(+14) The Aztecs are the biggest jumpers in the power rankings. Quarterback Julius Williams put the team on his back and has completely saved their season.
09		(+1) Leaders of the southern division of the American offense, the Rage are a bit more balanced on offense than originally anticipated. Quarterback Jeff Brohm hasn't had to carry as much of the load, which is a good thing.
10		(+7) The Vipers are playing the best football of all the expansion teams. Quarterback Ralph McNeal has been quite a surprise this season, and receiver Henry Jones is a rising star in The League.
11		(-9) They hit some speed bumps so they had to drop in the rankings. If the record-breaking performance by Dontrelle Drayton is any indication, however, they won't be down for long. They also lead The League in sacks and quarterback Bret Costanza is surprisingly among the League leaders in touchdown passes.
12		(-7) The Mavs hit the tougher part of their schedule, and rookie Tommy Player is actually looking the part now. The run defense has gotten better lately, but the pass rush has recently disappeared. They need to get that back if they want to keep up with Orlando in their division.
13		(-4) The turnover differential is still in their favor, but the Cyclones haven't been able to finish drives. The team is in sort of a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation right now; sometimes everything clicks, and at other times, they just look awful.
14		(+2) At the bottom of their division at 4-3. That should say something about how good the competition the Detroit Devils have faced is, and they themselves been rather competitive. In just about any other division, they'd be playoff-bound, but they just happen to share a division with the Hitmen, Reapers, and Enforcers.
15		(+0) The Regulars haven't been bad, but they haven't been good, either. Quarterback Clyde Rowlins is having a major fumbling problem that may get him benched for the stretch run.
16		(-8) Their division has been very competitive, but it looks as if the Demons aren't balanced enough to win it. If they do get into the playoffs, passer Mike Pawlawski will have pulled off a small miracle.
17		(-16) Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The emotionally-charged loss to the Mavericks appears to have taken the air right out of the team, and though the players are putting up gawdy statistics, stats won't win The League Championship.
18		(-14) Except for the play of quarterback Shane Spain, the Marauders have taken a few steps back in the last four weeks. Being in the same division as the Comets and the Divots, however, they'll still make the playoffs, but they may not go very far.
19		(+8) The Reign have regrouped and are in the race for their division crown after a rocky 0-4 start. Quarterback Darius Wickman has thrown but two interceptions this season, and the return of receiver Zack Valentine has allowed the team to stretch the field more than they could in their first four contests.
20		(-2) Santa Fe is sitting pretty at .500 and behind the Vipers for the division crown. They've surprised some good teams along the way, however, and thus could very easily jump ahead of Potomic in the final eight weeks if they play their best football.
21		(+3) Casey Weldon is still an inconsistent passer, but he's playing better than he was earlier. There just isn't enough talent on the Bolts as a whole to really expect big things this season.
22		(-1) The Crossfire are another team battling the inconsistency bug. The pass rush, led by the volatile Tyrell Price, has been very strong, however.
23		(+2) The Armada may yet turn around, as struggling quarterback Glenn Mickens has been pulled, but they may have dug themselves too deep a hole. They aren't creating enough turnovers on defense, either.
24		(-5) So much for the NY/NJ Hitmen being a surprise team, as was speculated four weeks ago. The entire team has collapsed and is playing very uninspired football, particularly on offense where the lack of production by all has been unfortunate.
25		(-6) The never-say-die attitude of running back Kwazi Mbutabe apparently hasn't rubbed off on his teammates much this season. The Crusaders are beating the bottom-feeders, but no one else. They need to bring in some more talent to take that next step.
26		(-3) If the Redhawks want to improve, they seriously should consider trading Mike Mexico this offseason. The quarterback has name value and is a very dynamic athlete to have under center, but he has wrecked this team's chemistry, not to mentioned struggled as a passer.
27		(+4) The Comets had a couple nice wins; one has to wonder if they might completely fall apart after they got hit by the Mack truck that is Dontrelle Drayton, however.
28		(-2) The Arizona Outlaws' quarterback situation, despite the recovery of all parties involved from injuries, hasn't gotten much better, and the pass defense has been pourous. This team should start looking to the draft.
29		(-1) The pickup of Maurice Clarett was intriguing and has helped the Copperheads, but it's going to take more than one player to turn this team around.
30		(+0) Sanctuary is, well, still Sanctuary. The team has scored all of five touchdowns total this season. The lone bright spot is receiver Willie Brady, who has been by far the most consistent performer on this team.
31		(-2) Despite the obvious lack of talent, the coaching staff has done a terrible job managing what the Hammerheads have this season; one has to wonder what the staff's fate will be in the offseason.
32		(+0) Baltimore is still rather pitiful out there. Running back LeMarcus Wiley has been decent in limited touches, and Bruno Battaglia is having a season that is par for the course for him, but the passing game has been the worst seen by League viewers in decades.