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| Jerry Montalvo, QB, Arizona |
Jerry Montalvo, Arizona's star QB, suffered a 10-week knee injury in the fourth quarter. With his knee's health rating currently at 2, it is doubtful Montalvo would be ready for the playoffs. He has thrown for 4,177 yards and 35 TDs so far this season.
Montalvo was on target all day against Portland, completing 26 of 34 passes for 351 yards and two TDs and Ralph Trowbridge, Montalvo's much-maligned backup, fired his first TD pass of the season.
Trowbridge started for the Wranglers for two seasons. He threw 58 TDs and 56 interceptions, with QBRs of 74.78 and 63.19. His surrounding cast will be much better this time around, however.
Perhaps Arizona (10-3) can still fend off the Oakland Invaders (9-4) and Portland (8-5). The Wranglers finish with games against Jacksonville (4-9), Memphis (3-10) and Oakland.
In other Week 13 games:
- The Birmingham Stallions (9-4) and Shreveport Steamer (9-4) both won to stay tied atop the South Division, one game ahead of Georgia (8-5).
- The Cleveland Thunderbolts topped the Oakland Invaders, 26-16. Both teams are 9-4, one game ahead of Portland for the final American Conference wild card spot. Cleveland's 20-point second quarter included a pair of Brandon Robertson TD passes. Oakland's Christopher Curtis returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score, his third return TD of the season.
- Although the platoon QB system will be in trouble when V4.3 comes out, it is working pretty well right now for some coaches. New Jersey QBs Stephen Labelle and Doug Fluty combined for 22 completions in 31 attempts, 514 passing yards, and six TDs as the Generals totally eclipsed the Southern California Sun, 54-0. New Jersey (8-5) has won six in a row and is tied with Baltimore for the final National Conference playoff berth.
- The Detroit Wheels, still seeking the USFL/WFL's first undefeated regular season, limited Michigan to 152 total yards in a 46-3 win over the Panthers. Detroit LDE Josh Daughtry was credited with four sacks.
- Oklahoma DT Andrew Wu came up big at the end of the Outlaws' 26-21 victory over the Memphis Showboats. Wu stuffed Memphis RB Gregory Shea on third-and-2, forcing the Showboats to settle for a field goal. Wu's third-down sack with just over 2 minutes to play sealed the win.
- Denver Gold CB Donald Lopez intercepted three passes, giving him 25 for his career, during a 16-10 loss to the Orlando Renegades. Denver LDE George Turner had 11 tackles, 2 sacks and an interception.
- Houston Gamblers RDE Paul Walker had 13 hurries, 2 sacks, 4 tackles, and a fumble recovery during his team's 34-9 loss to Georgia.
Week 14 Preview
The Atlantic Division lead will be up for grabs when the Pittsburgh Maulers (8-4-1) host the Baltimore Stars (8-5). The South Division could be back in a three-way tie if the Georgia Force (8-5) beats the Shreveport Steamer (9-4) and the Orlando Renegades (6-7) knock off the Birmingham Stallions (9-4). Division leaders meet when the New York Stars (10-3) host the Tampa Bay Bandits (12-1).Record Book
Denver Gold CB Donald Lopez picked off three passes vs. Orlando on Tuesday, giving him 25 interceptions for his career. Lopez ranks third on the USFL/WFL career list behind Georgia's Richard Glasgow (28), Detroit's David Peralta (28), and San Antonio's Leon Crisman (27).Coach's Profile
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| tribewriter (right) |
tribewriter, New York Stars
Playing MFN Since: November, 2016
Hometown (town, state): Ennis, MT
Current residence (town, state): Dayton, OH
Day job: Marketing writer/editor
Favorite teams (all sports): Cleveland Indians, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wright State Raiders
A real-life sports experience: During my sports writer days, the only time I ever asked for an autograph was after interviewing Hank Aaron. I still have that notebook stored among my most prized possessions.
A fantasy sports experience: My first fantasy experience was playing Strat-O-Matic basketball while in college. My favorite team was the Seattle SuperSonics. I coached Seattle to Game 7 of the league championship against my roommate. Lonnie Shelton missed two free throws at the end of the game and Seattle lost. My roommate reminds of this every time we talk.
Coach's Corner: (tip for a new MFN coach): If you haven't started writing rules, do so now! You can start off with just a few for special situations, then expand. It takes time, but you are so much more in control of the outcome than with trusting your coach's gameplan.
