Weeks 2/3: Scoring is Down and other Observations

 Weeks 2 and 3 are in the books and the consensus is version 4.6 sucks if you like offense and passing stats. Through 3 weeks of games, we are averaging 29.16 points per game. For comparison's sake, we averaged 38.34 in 1996, 38.12 in 1995 and 36.43 in 1994. This year's numbers were boosted by Week 3, when we averaged 33 points a game. The breakdown for this year is:

0-9 points (2)

10-19 points (11)

20-29 points (14)

30-39 points (14)

40-49 points (4)

50-59 points (1)

60-69 points (1)

70-79 points (1)

Only 3 of the 30 point games were higher than 35, meaning only 10 of 48 games have had more than 35 points total. A majority of out games have less than 30 total points.

Part of the fun of writing this blog was highlighting the big stat performers and that's just not happening now. I don't know how I will handle the blog going forward, but the days of writing something about every game are likely over. There is no joy writing about a FG kicking contest with 15 combined sacks and 300 yards passing repeatedly. 

Passing stats are obviously down, not just total yards but yards per attempt as well. This season we have 1 QB over 7 yards per attempt and 4 more over 6. In prior years most starting QBs were over 6 yards per attempt. Damien Oleary of New York leads the league with 849 passing yards through 3 games, next closest has 716 yards. New York is passing every down and Oleary is averaging just 5.05 yards per attempt, so the yards look nice but it's not a prolific passing offense like they were last season. Of course nobody has a prolific passing game anymore, and one reason is sacks.

In 1996 we had 18 QBs sacked 10+ times in 16 games. So far in 1997, we already have 13 QBs sacked 10+ times in only 3 games. So far in 1997 we have 19 QBs who have 2+ TD passes. Of those 19, only 7 have a positive TD/INT ratio, 4 are even and 8 have thrown more INTs than TDs. Last season, every single QB in the top 19 of TD passes had a positive TD/INT ratio.

Not every game is a 1950's leather helmet game as Honolulu torched New York in Week 3, amassing 598 yards, 361 through the air with 10.31 yards per attempt. There are probably a few others, but admittedly I have not looked at very many box scores for the last 2 game weeks. 

If you like running the ball, version 4.6 is for you as that's 1 area of offense that has improved. We had just 3 RBs gain 1,000 yards last season, but we have 19 on pace for 1,000 this year. 

Sacks are up as well as last year saw 7 players with more than 5 sacks but none with more than 9. This year we already have 6 players with more than 5 sacks and we will likely have several players with double digits.

Needless to say, version 4.6 is sucking the joy right out of this game.

Week 1: Thanksgiving in September

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone even though it's September in MFN land. Thanksgiving in September sums up what looks to be an oxymoron of a season. Using football and version 4.6 in the same sentence is an oxymoron as this new version reminds me of the leather helmet days back when Dayton had an NFL team. How else do you explain 3 time defending champion Houston laying a goose egg in Shreveport? I can't remember a Houston performance this awful since the days of Booger926 ownership. We had 1 QB throw for 300+ yards (Damien Oleary, NY Stars) and he needed 42 completions to get there and we had just 3 QBs with a QBR over 100. 

The running game is alive and well as we had 5 players crack 100 yards and we have a QB on the front page of the rushing stats. QBs will take off and run now, so speed matters for them now. Overall a crappy week of football, and if you use 40 total points as average, 14 of 16 games were under this week. We had games of 9-6, 9-0, and 8-6, and a total of 9 games with less than 30 combined points. 

Without further ado, let's look at the ugliness.

Steamer 9 Gamblers 0

Houston couldn't run the ball or pass it, as Tony Dean threw 3 INTs today. It's a good thing this game was on the road, as the Gamblers are giving fans replica rings for the home opener and there would have been a good chance of the fans giving them back en masse, as in they all throw them on the field in disgust. Shreveport was led by Scott Randall's 150 rushing yards, but all of the scoring came from kicker Jeffrey Smith. Each of Dean's INTs put Shreveport in instant FG range and Smith nailed all 3 to give the Steamer the win.

Generals 25 Bulls 7

New Jersey QB Don Ferguson had a record setting 1996, so how would he react to version 4.6? Not bad, as he was 1 of 3 QBs with a 100+ QBR, completing 28/36, 243 yards and a TD. The Generals defense shut out Jacksonville the first 3 quarters while the offense built a 20-0 lead. Derek Joyce brought the Bulls within 20-7 with a 68 yard TD pass to William Morrison but was later sacked in the end zone for a safety as New Jersey wins.

Force 37 Federals 17

Wow, 37 points...who says 4.6 limits offense? Looking deeper, the point explosion was a direct result of Washington having every punt blocked, one leading directly to a TD, the rest great field position. Also, before we freak out about the blocks, Washington had their placekicker doing the punting for some reason. A mistake for sure, but let's see if it continues when a real punter is back there. Last year's record breaking WR Glen Hampton is now a RB thanks to the version switch and he ran for a TD and leading the Force RBBC with 56 yards. Washington also lost a fumble, threw an INT and had a sack in the end zone for a safety as Georgia wins to start 1-0.

Gunslingers 31 Wranglers 17

San Antonio did have a 101 yard kickoff return for a TD to help crack 30 points, but unlike Georgia, the Gunslingers showed some offensive prowess. RB Roy Johnson had 72 yards to lead the RBBC that gained 131 while Robert Fanelli threw for 248 yards and 2 TDs. Arizona QB Brian Carmichael also threw 2 TD passes, both to William Haubert, but the Wranglers couldn't run like the Gunslingers, leading to defeat. William Stott had 99 receiving yards and a TD for San Antonio in addition to his kickoff return TD, and got 1 of 2 game balls with Fanelli getting the other.

Bell 16 Hawaiians 15

I can see why trslick doesn't want to watch games anymore after looking at the box score as this was one ugly game. The teams combined for 15 sacks, 6 turnovers and 2 safeties with a grand total of 384 offensive yards. Derek Henry threw 4 INTs and suffered 9 sacks, one going for a safety in the 4th qtr which proved to be the winning margin. Philadelphia did have an 80 yard TD from Sidney Maggard to Craig Hines, but other than that the Bell had 92 yards today yet still win.

(NY) Stars 24 Sun 10

New York either didn't get the memo about 4.6 or they didn't care as they threw every down today, save for 3 QB scrambles when nobody was open. Damien Oleary completed 42/60, 371 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT, and 4 sacks. WR Albert Olson, off back to back 2800 yard seasons, caught 4 for 27 yards as FB Donald Adams led the way with 15 catches, 112 yards. The New York defense intercepted Sean Ogden twice and sacked him 6 times as the Stars start 1-0. 

Storm 20 Gold 10

Portland had 361 yards of offense, 205 rushing, as the Storm kept the ball over 38 minutes. Jose Moses had 74 rushing yards, Jeffrey Frost 64 and a TD. Each QB threw 1 TD and 2 INT, but Denver also lost 2 fumbles and didn't run as well as Portland, helping the Storm win to start 1-0.

Renegades 26 Bandits 10

Tampa Bay had their passing game working when they weren't getting sacked. Dwayne Byrd was 26/38, 282 yards and a TD but was sacked 8 times and lost 1 of 2 Bandits fumbles. Orlando QB Trey Lyons threw 2 TDs and the Renegades RBBC ran for 148 yards for the win. 

Showboats 21 Stallions 3

Norman Maldonado returned to Memphis to face his old team and was given a rude welcome by the Showboats defense. Maldonado was 18/34, 106 yards, 1 INT and was sacked 7 times. Memphis QB Erik McNamee was also sacked 7 times but he also threw 2 TD passes and got some help from Steve Ransome, who ran for 92 yards and a TD with 4 catches for 71 yards as a receiver. Birmingham managed just 3 points and 107 yards today.

Stars 22 Breakers 0

Both teams ran the ball well and struggled through the air, but the Stars kept better care of the ball to come away with the victory. Wm Jones ran for 103 yards, Lucio Hill 76 to support Trevor Siemian and his 81 passing yards. Siemian did have a TD pass and William Ferguson booted 5 FGs to lead the Stars offense. The Baltimore defense forced 3 turnovers and shut out Boston, allowing just 24 minutes of possession.

SaberCats 16 Express 13

The San Jose defense was frustrating the Los Angeles offense all game long but the SaberCats offense couldn't get in the end zone. Their 3rd FG gave them a 9-7 lead in the 3rd qtr then Gordon Auyeung took the kickoff 110 yards to tie the all time record and give the Express a 14-9 lead. The Los Angeles defense looked like they were going to hang on for the win until David Tavarez put them in an impossible situation. Tavarez threw 3 INT in all with 2 coming late in the 4th. One set up San Jose inside the red zone and Jake Plummer found Dave McEntee with a 12 yard TD pass to give the SaberCats the lead 16-13. Los Angeles then had a chance to tie near the end of regulation but Mario Price was wide right on a 37 yard kick, giving San Jose the win.

Panthers 16 Blitz 10

Lawrence Schroeder ran for 106 yards and a TD to lead the Michigan offense today while John Gates ran for 94 yards to lead Chicago. Gates added a receiving TD as the Blitz and Panthers played to a 10-10 tie at halftime. Michigan added a pair of FGs in the 3rd quarter and the Panthers defense did the rest, holding on for the victory. 

Wheels 15 Hornets 9

Not much to talk about in this game as nobody ran for more than 54 yards, had more than 60 receiving yards, or scored a TD. Charlotte turned it over 3 times, Detroit 2 and all scores came via FG. Detroit's Kent Olden out dueled Charlotte's Fred Boyce 5-3 as the Wheels win a literal game of foot ball to start 1-0.

VooDoo 16 Outlaws 9

Oklahoma is starting a rookie QB with undeveloped skills, and they ran the ball 63 times to protect Raymond Settles. The Outlaws had a pair of 100 yard rushers, Christopher Oliver was 25-114 and Paul Wickland ran 32 times for 106. Settles finished 2/9 for 9 yards and that lack of passing kept Oklahoma out of the end zone today. New Orleans matched the 3 Oklahoma FGs and scored the game's only TD on a 90 yard Zachary Kinkead pass to David Barfield, who finished with 3 catches, 170 yards. That TD was the difference as New Orleans starts 1-0.

Maulers 9 Thunderbolts 6

We will see a lot of games like this in 4.6, where both teams struggle to move/keep the ball and it devolves into a kicking contest. Actually both teams ran the ball decently, but Cleveland sacked Paul Marcum 6 times and forced an INT while Pittsburgh had 1 sack, and 2 turnovers on defense. The game was tied 6-6 until just before the 2 minute warning when Brett Bowman's 3rd FG gave Pittsburgh a 9-6 lead they would hold onto for a 1-0 start to the season.

Blazers 8 Invaders 6

Not much offense to talk about in this game either, although Ronald Kirby did run for 92 yards. Florida QB Willie Graham was 18/26, 139 yards and 1 TD to Douglas Jordan. The XP was no good however and Oakland would tie the game at 6 with a FG in the final minute of regulation. Oakland would force a Florida punt to get the ball back, but Vincent Worley was sacked twice, the second time in the end zone by Matthew Oneal for a game winning safety. 

World Bowl XXIII: Houston Wins 3rd Consecutive Title, 7th Overall

 In the early years of the USFL, the Houston Gamblers were run by a loud mouthed jerk with the screenname of Booger926. He used to talk a lot but not be able to back it up on the field, compiling a record of 27-69 in 6 seasons with none over .500. Setherick took over the Gamblers when Booger left, going 32-16 in 3 seasons, and bringing a championship to Houston with a win over the New Jersey Generals in World Bowl IX. Seth walked away after that win and Offensive Taco took over for 1 season before Cjfred68 started the current dynasty. This was the 12th season that CJ has led Houston, and the 12th time they have been in the post season. During this incredible run, Houston has only lost more than 3 games in a season 1 time, and that was 12-4 in 1994. Houston won the World Bowl in each of CJ's first 2 seasons, then 3 years later, CJ won his 3rd title, team's 4th. Since that 1988 title, Houston was still a solid title contender, but went 5 seasons without a World Bowl appearance until that 12-4 season in 1994. They went all the way through the playoffs and won the World Bowl over Washington and repeated that feat in 1995. 

In order to three-peat, Houston had to overcome the New Jersey Generals and their high powered offense. Generals QB Don Ferguson threw 64 TD passes this season, most in league history and he led New Jersey to a pair of lopsided playoff wins to get to the World Bowl. 

Houston Gamblers 21 New Jersey Generals 6

Tony Dean got Houston on the scoreboard first with a 2 yard pass to Donald Turner on the Gambler's second drive of the game after each team had punted once. New Jersey would answer with a long drive of their own, but the offense stalled at the Houston 2 yard line and an Al Borland FG cut the lead to 7-3. The New Jersey defense forced a three and out, then Don Ferguson threw an INT but the defense bailed him out with another three and out and the score remained 7-3 Houston after a quarter.

New Jersey went on another long scoring drive in the 2nd quarter, but once again they had to settle for an Al Borland FG to trail 7-6. Tony Dean and the Gamblers answered with a TD drive, taking a 14-6 lead on Dean's 35 yard TD pass to Jett Black inside the 2 minute warning. 

The 3rd quarter was scoreless until Tony Dean found Hugh Chance with a 9 yard TD pass with 4:29 to go, giving Houston a 21-6 lead. Don Ferguson and the Generals never threatened to score again as A.J. Winehouse had 2 punts die at the New Jersey 1 yard line and Ferguson threw an INT as they approached the Gamblers red zone. 

QB play was the big difference in this game as Don Ferguson completed 27/49, 245 yards and 2 INTs while Tony Dean completed 18/31, 219 yards and 3 TDs. Tony Dean was named World Bowl MVP again and is awarded a brand new 1997 Corvette for his effort. He'll have to build a new addition to his garage.