Week 1 Roundup
Every week has its Upset Special, and this one was definitely special for Philadelphia Bell fans who suffered through a 6-10 season in 1974. Philadelphia scored 10 points in the final 53 seconds to stun East Division favorite Boston, 31-30, on the Breakers' home turf at Nickerson Field.
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| Coach Bgartz29, Philadelphia Bell |
Boston, led, 30-22, with 43 seconds to go when WR Cory Robinzine turned a flanker hook into a 75-yard TD. The Breakers stopped the 2-point converstion attempt, but Robinzine recovered the onside kick. Bell QB Leo Brixey found John Mandel down the middle for a 30-yard completion, setting up Matthew Williams' game-winning 41-yard field goal that snuck inside the left upright with 2 seconds to play.
- If the Oakland Invaders' 36-3 win over the Denver Gold wasn't an upset, its margin of victory certainly was. The Invaders' defense limited Denver to 111 net yards. Dustin Nichols, who took over at QB when league offensive co-MVP Augustin Cook was traded to Birmingham, had a forgettable debut: a 36.50 QB rating (15-for-46, 180 yards) and was sacked nine times, including by Oakland LDE John Deaton for a first-quarter safety.
- Cook was a winner is his first game behind center for the Stallions, a 31-14 win over the Southern California Sun. His QB rating was 158.33 on 15-for-19 passing and four TDs, including this 75-yarder to WR Bruno Fredericks on the first play of the third quarter.
- The Orlando Renegades were a winner in taylorman88ca's coaching debut, beating the New York Stars, 22-10. Orlando LDE Chris McDuffie stripped New York QB Jason Weston and SS Jerome Stevens picked up the ball at the 8 and ran it into the end zone for a TD that widened a 15-7 Renegades lead to 22-7 in the fourth quarter.
- Florida Blazers backup QB Steve Voll completed his only pass of the game for his team's only TD as the defending World Bowl champions edged the Pittsburgh Maulers, 16-10, in new coach Shiftywxm's first game at the helm.
- The New Jersey Generals led, 31-0, late in the second quarter, then hung on for a 31-28 victory over the New Orleans VooDoo. New Jersey RB Maurice Carthon returned the opening kickoff 106 yards for a TD, breaking three tackles and delivering a vicious stiff-arm to the trailing defender along the way.
- Charolette Hornets QB George Melton and his Arizona Wranglers counterpart, Ralph Trowbridge, combined to throw 12 interceptions. The last pickoff was by Arizona CB Robert Welsh with 1:59 remaining, preserving the Wranglers' 23-17 victory. Charlotte SLB David Bronson intercepted Trowbridge three times.
- The Baltimore Stars are all alone in first place in the Atlantic Division after outlasting the Tampa Bay Bandits, 17-10. Baltimore QB Victor Gorman hit WR Howard Cardenas with the game-winning TD pass in the fourth quarter, then RDE Ambrose Oneil intercepted a Bandits pass at the Stars' 8-yard line with 1:16 to go.
Week 2 Preview
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| Jonathan Neal, MLB, 'Slingers |
Coach Profile/Predictions
Coach: raidergreg69
Team: New Jersey Generals
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| raidergreg69 |
Playing MFN since:10/25/16
Birthplace: Dayton, Ohio
Current residence: Dayton, Ohio
Favorite sports teams: Oakland Raiders, Ohio State Buckeyes football, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Celtics, North Carolina basketball.
Real life sports experience: I quit playing sports in ninth grade, so my experience is as a fan. I used to have Bengals season tickets and witnessed history, though it was short-lived. I was in attendance when Corey Dillon broke the single-game rushing record vs Denver, for the Kimo von Oelhoffen game and the game where the fan stole the ball from Brett Favre, stalling the Packers momentum and basically saving the game.
The Dillon game was during my drinking days. One time early in the game, Dillon ripped off a long run when I went to fetch a beer. A little later, I went up to the concourse to smoke and Dillon ripped off another long run. Upon returning to my seat, I was advised by the people sitting around me to get my ass back up on the concourse for the rest of the game because Corey Dillon scores a TD every time I go. I did and the rest was history until Jamaal Lewis.
Fantasy experience: I have been playing fantasy sports so long, I once played in an XFL fantasy league on an old fanball.com site, Exit 42. Had a perfect season in XFL too. Not only that, I played fantasy sports by mail in the late 80s/early 90s through Big Apple Sports. You would mail in your lineup for the week and they would mail out the results. If you didn't want to wait, they had a phone number you could call. I was a teenager/20-something and I would give my mom money to cover the checks she wrote for it.
Coaching Tips: There are so many pieces of advice new players need, but the simplest might be: Don't ignore the bottom of your roster. While it's important to have the best possible starting lineup, it's equally important to have strong depth. Injuries happen so a guy not starting now may be starting later. In my 18-1 season in CUST 79, my backup QB started 7 games and won them all.
Having solid depth can also improve overall team play. I have 2 or 3 starting caliber RB on my more successful teams and their YPC are similar, meaning I can run 35+ times a game and keep the other team off the field.
Also don't ignore your long snapper and kick holder. You can have the most accurate K but if you have a crappy holder and/or snapper, your K likely becomes inconsistent.
Week 2 Predictions (aka Greg's Guesses):
Boston 41, NY Stars 14
Philadelphia 27, Shreveport 24
Honolulu 31, New Orleans 30
Memphis 28, Houston 17
Portland 23, San Antonio 20
Denver 43, Washington 20
Chicago 31, Arizona 17
Michigan 21, Cleveland 17
New Jersey 26, Jacksonville 24
Florida 20, Baltimore 19
Orlando 16, Charlotte 13
Birmingham 34, Georgia 30
Los Angeles 34, Southern California 20
Oklahoma 28, San Jose 27
Detroit 51, Oakland 31
Pittsburgh 24, Tampa Bay 14
