Week 2 is in the books and we lost nearly half of our undefeated teams, as we now have 9 teams 2-0. New York Stars WR Albert Olson set the all time league record with 2,835 receiving yards, or 177 a game. We are only 2 games in, but Olson is averaging 245 yards a game, yet he is 2nd in the league behind Glen Hampton. The Georgia WR has 604 yards through 2 games, on pace for over 4,800 yards. He is also on pace for 40 TD receptions, which would shatter Mark Hsu's record of 29. Interesting stuff to keep an eye on as we move deeper into the season.
Gamblers 30 Blitz 19
Chicago had a rough schedule out of the gate, having to face the champs a week after defeating 3 time champ Portland in Week 1. Blitz RB John Gates had 212 combined yards and a receiving TD at the start of the 2nd quarter to give Chicago a 13-7 lead. Houston got their 7 on a Tony Dean 72 yard TD pass to Hugh Chance, more on them later. The next 3 scores were FGs, with Houston kicking 2 before halftime to tie the game at 13, then in the 3rd, Chicago took the lead back on a FG by Evan Joseph. Tony Dean took the lead right back with TD #2 to Chance, this one 57 yards. Chicago cut the lead to 20-19 with Joseph's 4th FG of the game but the 4th quarter belonged to the Gamblers. Tony Dean opened the 4th with a 49 yard TD pass to Hugh Chance, their 3rd scoring connection of the game. Chance only caught those 3 passes but fantasy football players love the 3-178-3 stat line. Dean finished with 306 yards while Donald Turner and Lloyd Ellis provided a solid 1-2 punch in the running game as the champs improve to 2-0. Don't sleep on Chicago now their schedule should lighten up some.
Outlaws 16 Federals 6
Oklahoma wasted little time taking a 7-0 lead as Carlos Williams found Craig Icenhour with a 59 yard TD pass on the second play of the game. The Outlaws got a FG on their next drive for a 10-0 lead before we saw a steady stream of punts on both sides. The second half came and Washington finally moved the ball a little bit, although Scott Bieber threw an interception before they settled for a pair of FGs by Steve Jones. That's as close as the Federals would get, as the Outlaws defense kept Washington out of the red zone and end zone all day, and added a late FG for the final margin. Very good win for the Oklahoma franchise, but the Washington fans have to be flooding sports talk radio with questions about what's wrong with their offense.
SaberCats 47 Sun 0
This game was over early as Southern California turned the ball over on their first 4 possessions, while San Jose turned those into a 20-0 lead. The onslaught never stopped as the SaberCats built the lead to 30-0 by halftime and 44-0 after 3, helped tremendously by 3 more Sun turnovers. San Jose's RBBC ran well, with 163 yards on 36 carries and Jake Plummer threw for 298 yards and 4 TDs. WR Mark Hsu led the way with 2 scores and 127 yards receiving as San Jose improves to 2-0.
Hawaiians 19 Renegades 7
Orlando's rough start continued today as the Renegades had 4 more turnovers, giving them 8 through 2 games while the defense has forced just 1. Orlando did have an early 7-3 lead after Trey Lyons found Jesse Carr for a 44 yard TD, but Honolulu led 9-7 at the half thanks to 3 FGs by David Owen. Late in the 3rd quarter, Derek Henry threw a 9 yard TD pass to Anthony Graves, extending the lead to 16-7 and the defense closed it out for the victory. Both teams spread the ball around rushing and receiving so there are no notable stat lines to highlight.
Gold 31 Express 13
Denver ran for 194 yards as a team today and actually lowered their average per game. RB Erik Younker added 78 yards to his league leading rushing total and scored a TD as well, while Jerry Murphy added 69 yards. Andrew Brewer didn't need to do too much, but he did complete 17/24 for 217 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to newly acquired WR Steven Riley. The win improves Denver's record to 2-0.
Showboats 14 Gunslingers 7
San Antonio took a 7-0 lead on a Robert Fanelli 6 yard TD pass to Guadalupe Bennett late in the 1st quarter. Erik McNamee tied the game for Memphis with a 27 yard TD pass to Paul Davis a few minutes later. The game stayed 7-7 until the 4th quarter, when Memphis capped off a 12 play, 94 yard drive with McNamee's 2nd TD pass, this one going to William Fey. San Antonio's last 2 drives ended with a missed FG and an INT, while Memphis missed a pair of FGs that could have increased their lead. The Showboats are 2-0 regardless.
Thunderbolts 19 Panthers 13
Cleveland traveled to Michigan for an early season game to determine the leader of the Midwest. Michigan took an early 7-0 lead cashing in a Lawrence Schroeder short TD plunge to cap a 6 play, 75 yard drive. A couple of punts later, Tony Romo tied the game for the Thunderbolts with a 45 yard TD pass to Ferdinand Lee. Romo bounced back after throwing 3 INTs in last week's 19-13 win over Philadelphia, completing 17/22 for 245 turnover free yards. Cleveland did lose 2 fumbles, but they converted 7/16 3rd downs compared to 4/16 for Michigan. Those extended drives allowed Cleveland to kick 4 FGs to 2 for the Panthers for their second consecutive victory by a 19-13 score.
Maulers 23 Stars 17
Pittsburgh and Baltimore played a competitive, back and forth game with the Maulers getting some fortunate bounces to improve to 2-0. That's good for sole possession of 1st place in the Atlantic, and while it's early, it's significant in that Pittsburgh has struggled ever since Tribewriter left. Washington and Baltimore had owned this division, except for TW's 3 seasons leading the Maulers to a wildcard spot. RB William Obrien had 2 TD runs for Pittsburgh while Wm Jones scored twice for Baltimore, once on the ground and once through the air. Stephen Ponder found Jones for that passing TD with 5:29 left in the game to pull Baltimore within 20-17, and they kicked away hoping for a defensive stop. Instead, the Maulers had an 11 play, 38 yard drive that took all of the remaining clock, booting a FG as time expired to win by 6.
(NY) Stars 36 Wheels 3
The New York defense held Detroit to 216 total yards and sacked Gabriel Flanagan 4 times as they allow the Wheels only 3 points today. The Stars ran the ball a lot more this game after just 1 rush last week, and they barely passed 2 ypc, gaining 77 yards on 36 carries. QB Damien Oleary completed 19/24, 459 yards and 4 TDs, with you know who doing most of the damage. Albert Olson just keeps getting better as he caught 7 for 285 yards and 3 scores today, although he is just 2nd in the league in receiving yards. New York is off to a 2-0 start and hope to continue to build momentum so they can take the East title from New Jersey.
Generals 37 Bell 2
Philadelphia has ran into some early season offensive woes as their defense has produced 9 points compared to 6 from the offense. The Bell's lone points today came when they tackled David Koresh in the end zone early in the 3rd quarter, trailing 21-0. That safety did not spark the offense as New Jersey held Sidney Maggard below 50% completions, intercepting him twice and forcing a fumble. Philadelphia did shut down the Generals running game, allowing 24 yards on 26 carries, but the Bell defense had no answer for Don Ferguson. The Generals QB faced some competition for his job as the team signed Antonio Martinez this offseason, although his INT problems were worse than Ferguson's. The veteran has responded so far as Ferguson was 32/43, 462 yards and 5 TDs for the game, with no INTs. WR Franklin Cherry had 129 receiving yards and 2 scores while RB Kurt Cobain caught 7 for 128 and a score. Eric Davis also had 2 receiving TDs to help New Jersey improve to 2-0.
Bulls 13 Bandits 10 (OT)
Tampa Bay is starting a rookie QB, and games like today go with the territory. Both teams struggled to consistently move the ball but rookie Nicholas Irvine got the Bandits on the board first with a 42 yard TD to Willie Dubreuil. Jacksonville cut it to 7-3 with a 2nd qtr FG, but Tampa Bay got those 3 points back in the 3rd. The Bandits had a chance to extend the lead to 10 points early in the 4th, but a missed FG kept the score 10-3. Jacksonville would tie the game inside the 2 minute warning on a Derek Joyce 12 yard TD pass tp Tyron Bailey. There was enough time to force a punt and try a 57 yard FG at the end of regulation but the kick was short and we were headed for OT. Jacksonville got the ball first and punted, then Irvine threw an INT. That one didn't cost them the game as the Bandits defense held firm, but the ensuing punt pinned Tampa Bay at their own 6. Irvine promptly threw another INT, allowing Jacksonville to kick the game winning FG.
Breakers 27 VooDoo 23
There were 5 lead changes in this game as Boston and New Orleans took turns on top. Boston scored first on a 4 yard run by Joshua Estes in the 1st, but New Orleans scored 10 in the 2nd for a 10-7 halftime lead. Boston came out of the locker room for the 3rd quarter and immediately took the lead on a 75 yard TD pass from Larry Henderson to George Cade. Ellis Soza answered with his 2nd TD pass for New Orleans to give the VooDoo a 17-14 lead. Boston tied the game with a FG late in the 3rd, but New Orleans kicked a pair of FGs in the 4th to take a 23-17 lead just inside the 2 minute warning. Larry Henderson needed just 2 plays to get the lead back for Boston on a 64 yard TD pass to Anthony Temple. New Orleans then turned it over on downs, allowing Boston to kick a FG for a 4 point lead. The VooDoo got to midfield on their final drive before time ran out and Boston holds on for the win.
Steamer 31 Force 17
It looks like Shreveport studied film and were ready for Georgia's aerial attack, although Glen Hampton still went off for 184 yards and a TD on 6 receptions. The Steamer defense forced Thomas Jacobi into 3 INTs while also recovering a pair of fumbles, eventually building a 31-7 lead. Newly acquired LB Nathaniel Elliott led the team in tackles while new RB Scott Randall chipped in 91 combined yards. The Steamer didn't run the ball particularly well but they stuck with it, rushing 46 times for 124 yards. George Marcil kept the chains moving with his 25/32 passing day, throwing for 212 yards and 4 TDs, and Shreveport hogged the ball for nearly 40 minutes.
Blazers 29 Hornets 14
Florida's defense forced Charlotte QB Robert Ament into 4 INTs, holding the Hornets to 2/12 on 3rd down and allowing less than 22 minutes of possession. The Blazers ran for 174 team yards with Robert Romero accounting for 116, and the ground success made it easy for QB Willie Graham, who completed 18/20 passes for 2 TDs. Florida led 16-0 at the half, then scored 10 more after a Charlotte TD for a 26-7 lead with 5:34 to play. The win improves Florida to 1-1.
Storm 34 Stallions 23
Portland was determined not to start 0-2 as Melvin Driggers got the Storm off to an early 14-0 lead with a pair of TD passes to Richard Robinson. Norman Maldonado cut the lead in half with a TD pass to Joseph Oliver before a Jose Moses TD run put the lead back to 14 points at the 2 minute warning. . Francis Schultz then returned the kickoff 86 yards for a TD but Portland added 3 at the end of the half to take a 24-14 lead into the locker room. Portland would extend the lead to 34-14 after scoring a TD and a FG in the 3rd qtr while a late Birmingham rally fell short. Norman Maldonado completed passes to 10 different receivers, Melvin Driggers 9, but that didn't stop Richard Robinson from catching 8 passes for 126 yards and 2 TDs in addition to his unexpected kickoff duties. RB Jose Moses added 2 rushing TDs for the Storm offense.
Wranglers 16 Invaders 10
Arizona wins a defensive struggle as they made life rough on rookie RB Dale Wild. The Wranglers held him to 39 yards on 25 carries and forced him to fumble once, more on that later. Both offenses struggled to maintain drives and the first half saw nothing but FGs, with the Wranglers making 3 of the 4 for a 9-3 lead at the break. Late in the 3rd quarter Andrew Moreno led the Invaders to the only offensive TD of the game, a 7 yard pass to Charles Brockman. Arizona's offense had moved the ball decently in the first half, but the second half was a different story as the Invaders allowed the Wranglers just 1 first down and 17 yards. Oakland's lead didn't last long however, as Dale Wild lost his fumble, which Curtis Prevatte scooped up and went 17 yards for a TD to give Arizona a 16-10 lead. Late in the 4th Oakland had a 1st and goal from the 4 but turned it over on downs after they failed to crack the end zone. The ensuing three and out meant Oakland's last drive would start near midfield, but they couldn't muster a first down let alone a TD and Arizona hangs on for the win.
