Adam Scales spent nearly 4 and a half years as starting QB of the Michigan Panthers, averaging over 4000 yards and 31 TD per year while leading Michigan to 3 straight Midwest Division titles. Scales struggled with interceptions this season, so head coach Jose Espinoza, in consultation with owner/GM Hellbringer, decided to see what 3rd year pro William Mauriello can do as the starter. Mauriello doesn't quite have the same skill set as Scales, but his leash grew longer after today's 5 TD performance. I don't know why lesser backup QBs out perform better, established starters that struggle, but I've seen it happen for a couple of my teams in other leagues. Hmmm, maybe it's time to move on from Ric Flair in New Jersey?
It's getting to the point of the season where we start looking at playoff implications, and we had some games affect that this week. Portland got the sweep over Denver which essentially makes their 1 game lead 2. Pittsburgh upset New Orleans, knocking the VooDoo out of BYE position, although they still have a 2.5 game division lead. Florida didn't exactly eliminate New Jersey from the playoffs, but they did severely cripple their chances. The Blazers are currently tied for 1st place with suddenly ownerless Orlando. Former Renegades owner/GM pumph left abruptly, leaving the following message on league chat. "Enjoyed playing in this league. Well
done, with the awards voting as a nice touch. I'm just going to stop
playing all leagues at this time and refocus my time/energy. Best of
luck." The Renegades are currently being run by the USFL/WFL league office.
Panthers 51 Renegades 10
There is a new sheriff in town and his name is William Mauriello. The 3rd year pro completed 28/38, 412 yards and 5 TDs, 3 to Roger Starnes. The other 2 went to James Hillis who caught 6 in all for 171 yards. Orlando QB Bradley Austin moved the ball well too, completing 31/48, 403 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. WR David King caught that TD among his 9 grabs for 232 yards. Despite giving up over 400 yards of offense, the Michigan defense forced 3 total turnovers, including a strip sack in the end zone by Ramon Carter for a TD. RB/WR Walter Simmons ran for 143 yards, adding 42 more receiving as the Panthers have a 2 game division lead over Chicago.
Storm 40 Gold 7
Portland is coming off their first loss of the season, and a Denver win would leave these teams tied for the division lead. The Storm bounced back in a big way as Oscar Willis threw for exactly 400 yards and 4 TDs while the Portland defense shut down Jake Peralta and the Gold. Richard Robinson had 130 yards and 3 TD receptions and Timothy Roquemore had a combined 123 yards in support of Willis.
Maulers 19 VooDoo 14
Pittsburgh is on a roll, as they won their 4th out of the last 5 games with the only loss an excruciating OT loss to the 8-1 Portland Storm. The Maulers have been doing it with defense, as they've only given up 47 points in this 5 game stretch. New Orleans was able to generate 391 yards of offense but had just 8 points through 3 and a half quarters. That's when Bruno Wilson tossed his 2nd TD pass of the game, cutting the lead to 19-14 after the failed 2 point conversion. The onside kick was successful, and Wilson had the VooDoo on the move, getting just outside the red zone when he tossed his 2nd INT of the game. Pittsburgh would later fumble near midfield, giving New Orleans one last chance but they turned it over on downs.
Blazers 22 Generals 15
Florida won their 4th game in a row as they move into a first place tie with Orlando in the Southeast. The Blazers were ice cold in the red zone, only getting 9 points from 5 trips but they still controlled the ball over 36 minutes and had 451 offensive yards. Sidney Maggard threw for 358 yards but only 1 TD as Florida rode the leg of Gerald Harmon for 5 FGs. The Generals rallied late, but their 4 turnovers were too much to overcome.
(NY) Stars 23 Bandits 17
New York now has a 3 game lead in the East with their victory over Tampa Bay, who fall out of first place in the Southeast as a result. The Stars could not stop Thomas Whitley (4-153-2) or Paul Meade (4-103 plus 25 rush yards) but Melvin Driggers tossed 3 INTs to derail the Bandits. Tampa Bay led 14-13 at the half and extended that lead with a FG just before the 2 minute warning. New York would get a 44 yard Willie Bust TD pass to Stephen Tavera with 1:35 left, taking the lead for good and an add on FG gave us our final score.
Federals 44 Steamer 10
Washington got huge games from Scott Bieber, Andrew Favela and Robert Sullivan on offense and the Federals defense shut down the Shreveport offense en route to victory. Bieber threw for 321 yards and 3 TDs, including 1 each to Favela and Sullivan. Favela caught 5 for 164 yards while Sullivan caught 7 for 108 while adding 61 yards and a TD on the ground. Allan Buchanan capped the Washington scoring with a Pick 6 late in the game.
Stars 20 Force 6
Baltimore and Georgia were in a kicking battle until the 4th quarter, when Stars QB Jon Snow tossed 2 TD passes to break open a 6-3 game to help Baltimore maintain their 1 game lead on Washington in the Atlantic. Snow had 288 passing yards in all with 125 going to Mark Numbers.
Showboats 48 Gunslingers 3
Memphis QB David Allen was 20/25, 330 yards and 4 TDs while the Showboats defense intercepted 3 passes and allowed just 160 yards of offense. Mark Glenn caught 3 of those TD passes as part of his 6 catch, 177 yard game and he added a rushing TD among 9 carries for 44 yards.
Gamblers 31 Outlaws 24
This was a back and forth game as Houston scored the first 10 points before Oakland tied the game. From that point, the teams alternated TDs with Houston scoring last in the final minute of the game to break a 24 all tie. The game winning TD, Tony Dean's 4th of the day, was a 56 yard pass to Hugh Chance. Dean's favorite target today was Jett Black, who caught 6 for 186 yards and 2 TDs, but Mr. MVP also tossed 2 interceptions. Oakland QB Andrew Moreno (292 yards 2 TD/1 INT) and WR Nelson Martinez (9-167-1) tried to keep pace with Houston but they ran out of time.
Blitz 24 SaberCats 16
San Jose started out the game with an interception and a fumble on their first 2 offensive drives as Chicago got out to an early 10-0 lead. The SaberCats would settle down to tie the game at 10, then taking the lead 16-10 late 3rd quarter on a Jake Plummer TD pass to Mark Hsu. From that point, San Jose's last 4 drives ended INT, punt, fumble, and downs. Chicago QB Ronald Brown wasn't flashy, but he was a solid 22/27 for 189 yards and the eventual game winning TD pass in the 4th qtr to David Karim. RB Jay Kinder would add the clinching TD a short time later, his 2nd TD run of the game.
Stallions 10 Hornets 9
Birmingham QB Stephen Ponder threw for 305 yards and an early 70 yard TD pass to Joseph Oliver to give the Stallions a 7-6 4th quarter lead. Charlotte would get a FG just inside the 2 minute warning to take a brief 9-7 lead. Ponder then led Birmingham on a 10 play, 67 yard drive which ended on a Gerald Hinton game winning 25 yard FG at the final gun.
Bulls 34 Breakers 9
Jacksonville held Boston to exactly 200 yards of offense and less than 17 minutes of possession. Offensively, the Bulls converted 11/15 3rd down conversions and scored TDs on 4 of 5 red zone trips and a FG on the other. QB Joseph Serio completed 30/35 for 219 yards and TD passes to 3 different receivers.
Bell 20 Outlaws 7
Philadelphia QB Robert Hernandez threw 2 first half TD passes and the Bell defense forced Oklahoma into several mistakes in the second half to preserve their 2nd consecutive win.
Wheels 26 Wranglers 3
This game was a tale of two quarterbacks. Detroit's Gabriel Flanagan was 22/28, 331 yards and a TD while Arizona QB Zachary Kinkead was 8/36, 59 yards and 5 interceptions, all in the 4th quarter. Detroit was not efficient in the red zone, kicking 4 total field goals, otherwise the final margin would have been bigger.
Thunderbolts 23 Sun 13
Cleveland broke their 5 game losing streak as QB Michael McGowan was 24/27, 243 yards and 2 TDs. The Thunderbolts took a 13-10 lead into the locker room at halftime, and that score stood until midway through the 4th when McGowan's 2nd TD pass extended the lead to 20-10. Southern California was able to get within 7 on their next drive but that's as close as they would get.
Hawaiians 38 Express 24
Both teams had 387 total offensive yards and similar splits rushing/passing, but that is where the box score similarity ends. Honolulu had 24 first downs, nearly a 75% completion rate, 7 for 14 on 3rd down and 5 red zone trips resulting in 4 TDs and a FG. Los Angeles had 11 first downs, less than 50% completion rate, 1 for 10 on 3rd down and just field goals on both red zone trips. Time of possession favored Honolulu 39:45 to 20:00, which means 15 seconds are unaccounted for??? RB Scott Stillings ran for 90 yards and a score, adding 103 receiving and Derek Henry tossed TD passes to 3 different receivers in leading Honolulu to victory.
