Week 4 is in 2 hours so the Week 3 blog will be just a quick rundown. I had 2 drafts in Round 1 today which took up a good chunk of my time.
Showboats 36 Wranglers 13
The Memphis winning streak is now 22 games, as the Showboats raced out to a 29-3 lead despite Willie Howland's "sub-par" performance. The sure fire future HOFer "only" had 112 yards on 6 catches and zero TD's. Every other WR in the league would love 6-112 every week, but Howland has set the bar so high with all of his stellar stat lines. I joked about the Donut Mogul last week but I guess he took me seriously. Tim Horton had a nice game leading the team in rushing and chipping in 3 catches for 98 yards and 2 TD's. Arizona has struggled out of the gate after making the playoffs the last 2 years and their upcoming schedule doesn't look pretty.
Hawaiians 20 Gunslingers 14
We had 7 one score games Week 3 after only 6 such games the first 2 weeks combined. San Antonio ran the ball well but struggled through the air. Honolulu had more passing yards but all 4 TD's this game came via the running game. The Hawaiians made 5 red zone trips (2 TD/2 FG) vs 2 for the Gunslingers (2/0). Honolulu has the early Pacific Division lead while San Antonio is struggling at 0-3.
Invaders 25 Storm 17
Portland had the better stats for the most part, including the red zone. The Storm scored touchdowns on both of their trips and defensively, they held Oakland to a TD and 2 FG's in their 3 trips inside the 20. The difference in the game was an Oliver Thomas 108 yard kickoff return for a TD after Portland's first TD and one of Oakland's 2 sacks of Oscar Willis occurred in the end zone for a safety. The West Division is up for grabs among all 4 teams, though as noted above, Arizona has a rough stretch ahead.
Thunderbolts 17 Wheels 10
There isn't much to say about this seemingly boring game, which isn't meant as an insult. It just means there didn't seem to be any big plays or outstanding statistical performances. In 1986 the Midwest Division was a pushover but all 4 teams are playing some serious defense, averaging between allowing 10-13 ppg. Despite their 1-2 record, this is the best I've seen Detroit look in awhile. The Wheels still struggle to score but their defense is keeping them in every game. Cleveland has looked solid as well at 2-1, though they're a game behind division leading Michigan.
Gold 24 Hornets 19
Denver built a 24-7 halftime lead then watched as Charlotte mounted a late comeback attempt with 2 4th qtr TD's to get within 5 points. The Gold then ran out the remaining clock to preserve victory. The Hornets barely ran for half a yard per carry (29-16) and Gold WR Jose Buford caught 5 for 166 and 2 TD's. Denver sits at 2-1 in the thick of the West race while Charlotte is 0-3 despite looking better than 1986.
VooDoo 13 Bell 10
New Orleans survives the Philadelphia scare and comes away with the victory. The VooDoo won this game on 3rd down, converting 5 of 18 plus 2 for 2 on 4th down while holding the Bell to 0-11. Philadelphia has a top half run defense and they limited the VooDoo ground game but QB James Perry had the short passing game working. Perry completed nearly all his passes, 21/24 for 173 yards. WR James Sheckler did most of the damage through the air, catching 9 for 133 and the TD. New Orleans is currently in a 3 way tie for 1st in the South at 2-1 while the Bell are 1-2.
Force 13 Steamer 7
This game was similar to Cleveland/Detroit as in not much action. Shreveport only had 206 yards all game with 63 coming on their TD. The Steamer were 1 for 12 on 3rd down while Georgia was 6 for 18. The Force had a more consistent day with the ball but they're usually going to have to do better than 10 points in 3 red zone trips to maintain winning ways. Georgia really needed this game as a loss would have made the Force 0-3 to the Steamer's 3-0. Instead, Georgia is now 1-2 while Shreveport is tied with New Orleans and Birmingham at 2-1.
Blitz 13 Express 7
Chicago's defense held down the ownerless Express offense and the Blitz did just enough to come away with the 13-7 victory. Chicago's running game made the difference as they doubled Los Angeles's output (29-104 to 28-49). Chicago is 2-1 and tied with Cleveland for 2nd in the Midwest while Los Angeles shares the Pacific basement with San Jose.
Gamblers 24 Outlaws 6
Houston still struggled some early offensively but the Gamblers defense kept Oklahoma from taking advantage. Tony Dean led Houston's 11 play 84 yard opening drive which culminated in a TD pass. That was a good sign for the Gamblers fans as talk radio had been freaking out all week about the goose egg Dean put up in TD passes last game and the team's slow starts. The next 3 drives did not go as well however, ending in a fumble and 2 punts. Houston's defense gave up chunk yardage on the ground but gave up very little through the air as Oklahoma punted their first 7 drives before the turnovers started. Houston fumbled 5 times, losing 3 of them, which is quite odd with the game in a dome. Despite the up and down nature of the Houston offense, they won handily as they try to keep Memphis in their sights. Oklahoma falls to 0-3.
Bulls 33 Maulers 24
Jacksonville got out to a 30-10 lead before Pittsburgh closed the gap to 30-24 just before the 2 minute warning. Pittsburgh struggled to run the ball but they were 8-18 on 3rd down and scored 3 TD's and a FG in their 4 red zone trips. Jacksonville ran much more effectively and hit some big plays in the passing game thanks to Stanton Redmon (4-128-1). Jacksonville is 3-0 with a 2 game division lead while Pittsburgh suffered their first loss to fall a game behind Baltimore in the Atlantic.
Sun 27 SaberCats 13
Southern California scored the last 17 points of the game to turn a 13-10 deficit into the 27-13 win. The Sun ran for 212 yards as a team, converted 8 of 14 3rd downs and was 4 for 4 in the red zone (3 TD/1 FG). San Jose actually had more yards than the Sun but they also had 2 lost fumbles and less red zone success (1 TD/2 FG's in 3 trips). The win makes the Sun 1-2, a game behind Honolulu while San Jose falls to 0-3.
Generals 44 Breakers 0
New Jersey had 748 yards of offense, including a whopping 360 on the ground while the Generals defense held Boston to 90 total yards. The only negative for New Jersey, aside from a bunch of minor injuries, was red zone efficiency. Six red zone trips resulted in just 3 FG's as QB Ric Flair was careless with the football. That's easily overcome when Rudi Johnson runs for 219 yards and 3 TD's. New Jersey is 3-0, leading the East while Boston falls to 0-3.
Panthers 27 Renegades 10
I started this blog post 90 minutes ago, need to start hurrying up as Week 4 rolls in 40 minutes. Michigan was all over Orlando in this game. The Panthers defense pretty much completely shut down Orlando's passing attack and the Renegade's lone TD was a defensive TD. Michigan did have trouble running the ball effectively but they were 7 for 18 on 3rd down conversions while holding Orlando to 1-13.
(NY) Stars 23 Stallions 10
Visitors to NYC often say New Yorkers are rude, and the Stars lived up to that image. Birmingham came up for a visit and the (NY) Stars wouldn't let the Stallions keep the ball. Birmingham only called 6 running plays all game and threw 3 INT and suffered 3 sacks. New York ran the ball 44 times as they had 42 minutes of possession. The upset win makes New York 1-2 while Birmingham falls to 2-1.
Federals 31 Bandits 16
There were a combined 105 pass attempts in this game, 64 by Tampa Bay. The YPA and YPCompletion were very close but Washington ran the ball better. The Federals scored 3 TD's and a FG in their 4 red zone trips while the Bandits got 1 TD and 2 FG's in 3 trips. This was a back and forth game for 3 quarters before Washington pulled away in the 4th. Washington improves to 2-1 while Tampa Bay falls to 1-2.
Stars 38 Blazers 16
It seems this week there were many great team rushing performances and many terrible ones. This game featured both. Florida could only muster 6 yards on 16 carries while Baltimore was 30-198. The passing stats were close to equal but 3rd down conversions weren't. Baltimore was the team blazing for first downs, converting 10 of 15 3rd downs while Florida was 2 for 11. Baltimore is off to a 3-0 start while Florida fell to 1-2.
