Week 8: Halfway Point

 Scoring fell back to "normal" levels as we had just 3 games with 40 or more points with only Portland scoring more than 28. I could keep beating the dead horse or just move on to the games, so...

Maulers 6 @ Wheels 24

Bell 0 @ Express 15

Gold 6 @ SaberCats 13

(NY) Stars 19 @ Renegades 17

Bandits 18 @ Blazers 10

Invaders 3 @ Panthers 20

Sun 3 @ Thunderbolts 9

Blitz 16 @ Hawaiians 0

Steamer 17 @ Hornets 14

Force 28 @ Gamblers 21

Showboats 28 @ Wranglers 24

Gunslingers 13 @ Outlaws 6

VooDoo 7 @ Breakers 18

Federals 24 @ Generals 27 (OT)

Stallions 10 @ Stars 15 

Bulls 3 @ Storm 34

   

New Jersey was without their top 2 RBs among others but they still led Washington 24-10 after 3 quarters. QB Tristan Arnold then had a pair of 10 yard TD runs in the final 5 minutes to send the game to OT. Arnold threw an INT on the Federals second drive of OT and Al Borland gave the Generals the win with a 47 yard FG. Memphis outlasted Arizona in a back and forth game. Showboats QB Erik McNamee didn't run today but he threw 4 more TD passes, giving him 10 the last 2 weeks. McNamee finished 27/35, 321 yards and his 4th TD pass came inside the 2 minute warning to give Memphis the lead. Arizona had a nice balanced attack all game long, but they couldn't move the ball late after they lost the lead. Houston jumped out to a 14-0 lead but Georgia fought back to tie it late in the 3rd. The Gamblers took the lead early in the 4th, but Robert Hernandez threw 2 TD passes as the Force upset the champs. Hernandez finished the game 23/33, 335 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. The good news for Jacksonville is they didn't turn the ball over. The bad news is they only had 124 offensive yards and couldn't stop the Portland offense. Emanuel Fugate threw for 311 yards and 2 TDs while the Portland RBBC ran for 191 yards. Detroit got 2 TD runs from James Fischer and QB Gabriel Flanagan was the only Wheels QB to appear in the box score for the first time in I can't remember how long. I like it, having QB2 come in for a few plays helps nothing. The Wheels held Pittsburgh to 110 total offensive yards in the win. Michigan had no problems with Oakland today, holding the Invaders to 66 total yards. The Panthers had 103 rushing yards from Lawrence Schroeder and 98 from Walter Simmons.

That's it for games involving teams scoring 20 or more points. Los Angeles got a Ronnie Nix TD run and 3 Mario Price FGs and the Express defense held Philadelphia to 144 total yards in the win. Denver got Andrew Brewer back but the San Jose defense kept the Gold out of the end zone and Jake Plummer's 3 yard TD run in the 1st qtr was the difference as the saberCats beat the Gold. New York dusted off the running portion of their playbook and QB Damien Olearly was much more efficient as a result. The Stars ran 36 times for 150 yards while Oleary completed 16/20 for 142 yards. Orlando got 308 yards and 2 TDs from Trey Lyons and an impressive 96 yard drive late, but it wasn't enough to beat New York today. Tampa Bay reached the red zone 5 times, coming away with nothing but FGs, but the Bandits defense held Florida to 183 offensive yards, forcing 2 turnovers and recording 3 sacks to defeat the division rival Blazers. Cleveland beat Southern California in a kicking contest where neither QB topped 90 passing yards. Somewhere, Captain Defender, aka The Admiral is smiling. Chicago beat Honolulu for their 2nd straight win after starting 0-6. The Blitz sacked derek Henry 5 times, intercepted him twice and kept Anthony Davis in check. Shreveport got out to an early 14-0 lead on a George Marcil run and TD pass, but Charlotte got within 14-8 on a TD and 2 point conversion. The Hornets tied it with a pair of FGs before halftime. The Steamer broke the tie with a FG early in the 4th, and it turned out that was the game winning kick. Familiar story for Oklahoma, they ran the ball well but couldn't pass. The Outlaws defense played tough, but San Antonio was able to put the ball in the end zone once to win by a TD over their division rival. Boston had a balanced attack, running for 188 yards and passing for 184, with a good chunk of that coming on a 74 yard Adam Scales TD pass to Gregory Williams. The Breakers held New Orleans to 230 yards  in the win. Birmingham scored the game's first TD early in the 4th to take a 10-9 lead on Baltimore. The Stars defense clamped down after that and William Ferguson's 4th and 5th FGs of the game gave the Stars the win.

Week 7: A Decent Scoring Week

 As I stated in Week 6 blog (it was going to be a combined blog for weeks 6/7) we scored 552 points this week with 7 games totaling 40 or more. We must have had some good weather, bad defense, or whatever but Week 8 saw us back to "normal" scoring levels. Since I am behind, let's just get to it.

Hawaiians 24 @ Sun 21

Federals 3 @ Stars 21

Wheels 13 @ Express 15

Thunderbolts 21 @ Panthers 24

Gold 27 @ Gunslingers 16

Wranglers 17 @ Invaders 10

Storm 27 @ Bandits 9

Bell 13 @ Bulls 32

Maulers 14 @ Stallions 3

Outlaws 0 @ Gamblers 27

Hornets 12 @ Blitz 18

(NY) Stars 7 @ SaberCats 44

Breakers 0 @ Generals 40

Renegades 6 @ Force 10

VooDoo 3 @ Showboats 52 

Steamer 7 @ Blazers 16

 

Memphis scored a league season high 52 points as Erik McNamee showed off his arm and his wheels. QBs will take off and run in 4.6 and McNamee had a 73 yard TD run to open the scoring. McNamee then went on to light up the New Orleans defense for 6 TD passes and 342 yards. Thomas Ballard (2-125), Richard Harris (4-101) and Wayne Ross (5-22) caught 2 TDs each while Steve Ransome chipped in 94 rushing yards. San Jose had a pair of 100 yard rushers while New York might not have 100 yards rushing as a team this entire season. Frank Huber ran for 110 yards and a TD while Rodney Richardson ran for 104, and if that wasn't enough, Jake Plummer was almost perfect. Plummer completed 27/31, 318 yards and 4 TDs, with Harold Marshall catching 3 of the scores and topped 100 receiving yards (7-107). New Jersey got 330 yards passing and 4 TDs from Don Ferguson and 116 rushing yards from Kurt Cobain to lead the offense. The Generals made life rough for Boston QB Adam Scales, holding him to 7/25, 47 yards, 2 INTs and 4 sacks. Houston got 2 TD passes from Tony Dean and 188 yards rushing from Francisco Russell and the Gamblers defense kept Oklahoma off the scoreboard. The Outlaws ran the ball well but continue to hide their passing game until they feel comfortable unleashing Settles. Jacksonville didn't play a great offensive game, but they made less mistakes than Philadelphia. Derek Joyce threw 3 TDs and 2 INTs while the Bulls also lost a pair of fumbles for 4 turnovers, but Joyce was not sacked. Bell QB Tony Romo wasn't so lucky, getting sacked 6 times and throwing 4 INTs to go with 2 lost fumbles. Southern California QB Sean Ogden threw 3 TD passes but also 3 INTs as the Sun lose a close game against Honolulu. The Hawaiians got 2 Derek Henry TD passes and 117 rushing yards from Anthony Davis, and their defense allowed nothing after they took a 24-21 lead in the 4th. Michigan jumped out to a 21-3 2nd qtr lead before Cleveland chipped away. They got a FG to end the half, pulling within 21-6, then got a pair of John Crisp 4th qtr TD passes and a 2 point conversion to tie the game late. Cleveland got the ball back with less than a minute to play and Crisp was intercepted trying to avoid OT. That gave the Panthers instant FG range and Jonathan Ruch's 51 yard FG at the gun gives Michigan the win. Los Angeles had 380 yards of offense but couldn't crack the end zone, and they found themselves trailing 13-12 after Detroit got a 7 yard James Fischer TD run late in the 3rd. The Wheels turned it over twice in the 4th qtr though, and the Express got a 5th Mario Price FG inside the 2 minute warning to escape with the win. Denver is still without Andrew Brewer, but Hassan Hullinger had the Gold up 27-7 at the half and things looked great. San Antonio played much better defense in the second half, forcing a pair of turnovers and allowing no more points, but the Gunslingers could only manage 3 FGs and the comeback fell short. Portland had 410 offensive yards and Emanuel Fugate had a pair of TD passes in the Storm's win over Tampa Bay. The Bandits Dwayne Byrd threw for 260 yards but also had an INT and was sacked 4 times and he had no support from the running game. Chicago got 115 yards rushing and a TD from John Gates but the Blitz still trailed Charlotte 12-7 after 3 quarters. Ronald Brown had a 4th qtr TD pass and the 2 point run was good as Chicago took the lead for good and they hold on for their first win of the season. Baltimore played turnover free football and the Stars defense made life rough for the Washington offense, intercepting Tristan Arnold twice and sacking him 5 times. Arizona and Oakland got together for their 2nd game this season and the Invaders fubled away their chance at their first victory of the season. The game was tied 10-10 early in the 4th when Vincent Worley was sacked, fumbled, and returned for a TD. Curtis Prevatte pulled the trifecta (sack, fumble rec, TD) and that was the winning margin for the Wranglers. Pittsburgh only had 180 total yards, but they forced 3 Birmingham turnovers and turned 2 short fields into TDs. The Stallions had 270 total yards but Norman Maldonado threw 2 INTs and they turned it over on downs twice in the 4th qtr as the Maulers hang on for victory. Former WR turned RB Glen Hampron ran for 107 yards and a TD as Georgia hosted Orlando. The Force led 10-6 in the 4th when Trey Lyons had the Renegades in the red zone seeking the go ahead TD. Lyons was intercepted however, and Georgia holds on for the win. Florida ran 51 times for 192 yards to control the clock despite 4/11 passing by Willie Graham. Shreveport didn't have much offensive success today, turning it over 3 times (1 INT, 2 lost fumbles), and their lone TD was a defensive score.  

Week 6: Nobody's Perfect

 Last time I wrote the blog, Michigan was the last undefeated team standing, and while the Panthers still have yet to lose, they are no longer perfect after playing a 10-10 tie with Honolulu in Week 6. Speaking of Week 6, we scored 437 points, or about 27 per game. We had 4 games with a total of 40 or more and 14 teams scored less than 10 points. The lack of scoring and stats has really dampened my enthusiasm for writing the blog, as there are only so many ways to describe FG kicking contests with 400 combined yards. 

As a league, we are all trying to find our way with inconsistent results, and some weeks it looks like we all made the proper adjustments. Week 7 saw our 32 teams score 552 points, 34.5 points per game and we had 3 teams score 40 or more including a season high 52 by Memphis. Still, we had just 7 games with 40 or more points and 9 teams scored single digits.

Week 6 Scores

Hawaiians 10 @ Panthers 10 (OT)

Federals 7 @ Wheels 16

Sun 7 @ SaberCats 33

Stars 6 @ Hornets 18

Thunderbolts 13 @ Blitz 3

Breakers 13 @ (NY) Stars 16

Maulers 9 @ Bell 12

VooDoo 7 @ Gamblers 35

Gunslingers 2 @ Force 19

Storm 9 @ Showboats 15

Blazers 0 @ Bulls 6

Steamer 13 @ Stallions 6

Outlaws 6 @ Express 13

Renegades 7 @ Generals 47

Gold 41 @ Invaders 6 

Bandits 13 @ Wranglers 19 (OT)  

Michigan tied the game with a late FG while Honolulu missed a potential game winning FG at the gun, sending the game to overtime. Nobody had a scoring opportunity in OT and they ended in a tie, ruining the Panther's perfect season. Detroit and Washington played to a 7-7 offensive tie but the Wheels got the win thanks to an INT return for a TD and a sack for a safety. San Jose held Southern California to 150 yards and forced 3 turnovers, while they had a pair of 100 yard rushers. Frank Huber ran for 119 and a TD while Rodney Richardson ran for 106. Jake Plummer threw for 2 TDs, both to Harold Marshall who had 136 receiving yards on 8 catches. Charlotte and Baltimore had a kicking contest, with the Hornets getting 6 FGs from former longtime Stars kicker Fred Boyce as they improve to 4-2. Cleveland got an early TD pass from John Crisp and the Thunderbolts defense held Chicago to 147 yards. New York continues to ignore the running game, throwing every down and the points just aren't coming. The Stars got 3 FGs and had just 125 total yards, but they won the game thanks to a kickoff return for a TD after a Boston score. Philadelphia scored 12 the hard way, with a TD, FG and a safety, but that was enough to beat Pittsburgh. In true 4.6 fashion, both QBs combined to complete 43/53 for just 270 yards with 6 sacks. Houston got 3 rushing TDs and intercepted 3 passes to win big over New Orleans. Tony Dean also threw 3 INTs, but had a pair of TDs to go with it. Georgia got 2 rushing TDs from Henry Young and the Force defense held the San Antonio offense scoreless, allowing just a safety. Memphis and Portland had a FG kicking contest that the Showboats won 5-3. Steve Ransome ran for 109 yards for Memphis. Jacksonville got a pair of FGs from Salvador Denison and the Bulls defense shut Florida out en route to the win. Shreveport got a 3rd qtr TD pass from George Marcil to take the lead for good after Birmingham scored the game's first 6 points. Oklahoma continues to be the anti New York out of necessity as rookie QB Raymond Settles finds his way. The Outlaws basically look like the Patriots did Monday Night, always running. The defense forced 4 turnovers, but Los Angeles was able to overcome those and win their 5th straight. New Jersey produced a box score that looks straight out of 4.5. Orlando turned the ball over twice and the Generals had 100 yard rushing games from David Koresh (112 yards and a TD) and Kurt Cobain (114 yards). Koresh also caught 10 passes for 145 yards, giving him 257 total. Franklin Cherry had exactly 100 receiving yards and Don Ferguson completed 39/54, 498 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT. Denver was without QB Andrew Brewer but backup Hassan Hullinger completed 23/30, 309 yards and 4 TDs. Steven Riley caught 2 of the TDs among his 10-173 and Brian Turner ran for 140 yards to lead the Gold over Oakland. Arizona and Tampa Bay played a turnover free game despite throwing 95 combined passes. The Wranglers kicked a FG inside the 2 minute warning to take a 13-6 lead, but Dwayne Byrd led the Bandits down the field for the tying TD, sending the game to OT. With the clock winding down, Roy Walter had a walk off 27 yard TD run as the Wranglers get the OT win, avoiding the 2nd tie of the week.

Week 5: What Adjustments? Michigan Last Undefeated Team

 Any thoughts of us making progress in this new version came to a screeching halt, as we were back to week 1/2 levels of scoring with 446 points in 16 games, or roughly 29 combined points a game. We had just 1 game go over 40 combined points, but even that game had just 41 points. 

Week 5 and we're down to just 1 undefeated team, the 5-0 Michigan Panthers. Are they the best team? Their record says so, although I don't even know what a good team looks like in this version. The Panthers do have a top 10 offense and defense, so it's no fluke they're winning. Best of luck to them as they hope to continue their good play.

We have a pair of 0-5 teams, Oakland and Chicago. Oakland is in rebuilding mode and their record is a reflection of having the league's bottom ranked offense and defense. Chicago on the other hand, has been unlucky, losing all but 1 game by 1 score or less. Good luck to the Invaders and Blitz as they try to get off the schneid.

Panthers 16 Stars 12

Michigan got a 2nd qtr TD pass from Will Allison and an INT return for a TD by Jess Woodward as Michigan defeats Baltimore to improve to 5-0 on the season. Baltimore got their points from 4 William Ferguson FGs as both offenses combined for 456 yards, 5 sacks and 4 turnovers.

Bandits 22 Breakers 19

This game might have produced the most points of the week, but it was still ugly. There were 8 combined turnovers in this game, 5 by Tampa Bay and they started coming early. Dwayne Byrd was intercepted on 3 of the first 4 drives but Boston couldn't take advantage, turning the ball over twice themselves in their first 4 drives. Byrd did take advantage of one of the Breakers turnovers with a 9 yard TD pass to James Morse for a 7-0 lead. From this point until 3 minutes to play in the game, Tampa Bay and Boston gained yards (606 combined) but also traded more turnovers and failed red zone opportunities. All told there were 8 red zone trips that produced 1 TD and 5 FGs. There were 8 total FGs after the Tampa Bay TD and before Boston tied the game with their TD as the score was 19-12 Bandits with time winding down in the 4th. Larry Henderson found Anthony Temple for the game tying 55 yard TD with 2:44 to play. Tampa Bay punted but got the ball back with 0:26 left and Byrd got the Bandits in FG range and Edward Walter's 53 yard kick split the uprights for Tampa Bay's 2nd win in a row.

Hawaiians 20 SaberCats 10

San Jose came into this game undefeated and Jake Plummer started out hot with a 29 yard TD pass to Harold Hedberg for a 7-0 lead. Plummer finished the game 22/26, 140 yards and that TD. Honolulu had their offense working again as Anthony Davis ran for 103 yards and Derek Henry completed 18/27, 232 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. Both TDs went to Mark Schram who caught 6 for 161 yards total. The Hawaiians defense limited San Jose after the initial TD and they hand the SaberCats their first loss of the season to tighten up the Pacific division.

Federals 16 Steamer 7

Shreveport came into the game undefeated and their defense had yet to allow a TD, and at the half they still hadn't allowed a TD as they trailed Washington 6-4. Yes you read that correctly, Washington kicked a pair of first half FGs while Tristan Arnold was sacked twice in the end zone for safeties. Arnold was sacked 7 times total today but he did complete a 45 yard TD pass to Andrew Favela in the 3rd qtr to retake the lead after a Steamer FG gave them a 7-6 lead. George Marcil threw 3 INTs and the Shreveport offense could not cut the deficit, losing their first game of the season. 

Gunslingers 13 Gamblers 9

Version 4.6 is a strange beast as our 3 time champion Houston Gamblers had 402 yards of offense, Tony Dean was not sacked and they had just 1 lost fumble, yet they could not crack the end zone, settling for FGs in 3 red zone trips. The Gamblers were also just 1/10 on 3rd down while the Gunslingers converted 10/17. San Antonio got a TD pass from Robert Fanelli to Arthur McGrath on their opening drive and FGs on their next 2 drives to take a 13-0 lead. Houston tried to comeback but their lack of red zone execution allowed San Antonio to win, making both teams 3-2.

Express 17 Blitz 10

Gary Sappington ran for 120 yards and his 17 yard TD run in the 2nd qtr gave Los Angeles a 7-0 lead. That was the only score of the first half but Chicago got a FG in the 3rd and a John Gates TD early in the 4th to take a 10-7 lead. Mario Price tied it with a 54 yard FG a few minutes later. With the clock winding down, Chicago was trying to get in FG position when Robert Krone fumbled after a reception and Fred Gargano picked up the loose ball and took it to the end zone for the game winning score. Los Angeles is now 4-1 on the season.

Storm 20 Outlaws 9

Oklahoma can run the ball quite well but the Outlaws are still struggling in the passing game. Eventually Raymond Settles will be a good QB once his attributes fully mature as he has a potential of 492/500 in the 5 main QB traits. In the meantime there will be more 2/11, 23 yard games where they manage just 3 FGs. Portland had been the top offense but they were held to 243 yards today, although they did score a pair of TDs. Emanuel Fugate had a 1st qtr TD pass and Jeffrey Frost had a 4th qtr TD run to put the game away for the 4-1 Storm.

Generals 26 Bell 7

Don Ferguson completed 31/46, 238 yards and 3 TDs, 2 to RB Kurt Cobain as the Generals roll Philadelphia. New Jersey held Philadelphia to 4 first downs, 124 yards, had 4 sacks and forced a pair of turnovers. David Koresh ran for 112 yards to take over the league lead in rushing as New Jersey improves to 4-1.

Blazers 15 Renegades 13

Florida won despite still not having an active kicker. I logged on and got one signed but the AI didn't put him in the depth chart. If we don't find an owner before the next game, I'll log in again and fix their depth chart. Florida got a 50 yard run by Manuel Aponte for a 6-0 lead, then they had an INT return for a TD by James McCormick for a 12-0 lead. Orlando got within 12-10 at halftime with a FG and a Trey Lyons TD pass to Jesse Carr, but Lyons threw 4 INTs today and a lost fumble gave the Renegades 5 turnovers for the game. Tough to overcome even against AI with a DE doing the kicking. Matthew Oneal made a 19 yard FG at the end of the 3rd for his first good FG in 11 tries (3/12 on XP). That was huge as Orlando got a FG early in the 4th to get within 15-13 but couldn't get any closer.

Maulers 20 Force 19

The first half was a kicking contest won by Georgia 2-1 for a 6-3 lead. The Force got a 65 yard punt return in the 3rd qtr by Daniel Franks and a Robert Hernandez TD pass for a 16-6 lead. Pittsburgh used the big play (they still have these in 4.6, sometimes) to get back in the game as Chad Magana broke free for an 84 yard TD to pull Pittsburgh within 3. Georgia added a FG before the 2 minute warning for a 6 point lead. Paul Marcum and Elias Williams decided to forgo the whole 2 minute drive thing and just score right away. Their 75 yard catch and run TD tied the game and the XP gave Pittsburgh the slim lead. The Maulers defense held the Force and win the game.

Showboats 10 Gold 3

We actually had a QB injury in this game as Andrew Brewer has a messed up ankle and should miss a few games. Hassan Hullinger came in the game to relieve him but neither QB could get into the red zone. Memphis got 110 combined yards from RB Steve Ransome and his TD pass from Erik McNamee was the difference in this defensive struggle. The Memphis win gives the Showboats sole possession of first in the Southwest.

Hornets 31 Thunderbolts 6

Charlotte had 430 yards of offense, 229 on the ground and the Hornets won the turnover battle 3-2 as they win big over Cleveland. Kenneth Olson ran for 107 yards to lead the RBBC while Mark McDuffie and David Delgadillo scored rushing TDs. Charlotte also got a TD pass from both Robert Ament and Jeremy McDonald while the defense held Cleveland to 142 yards as Charlotte improves to 3-2.

Bulls 17 (NY) Stars 3

New York continues to throw every down and the results continue to not be good as Damien Oleary completed 43/64, 281 yards and 5 INTs. Oleary was also sacked 4 times and lost 1 of the 2 fumbles for a grand total of 7 turnovers. Jacksonville only had 198 total yards and this was a 3-3 game late in the 4th when the Bulls finally took advantage of a couple of turnovers to score 14 points in 36 seconds around the 2 minute warning. Fredrick Whidden scored both times, first on a 5 yard pass from Derek Joyce, then on a 1 yard run as Jacksonville improves to 2-3 with the win.

VooDoo 20 Stallions 3

This was a 4.6 special as both teams combined for 352 total yards with just 1 TD the entire game. New Orleans led 9-3 late in the 4th when Donald Brown finally cracked the end zone with a 5 yard run. The 2 point conversion gave New Orleans a 17-3 lead and they would add on a FG as the VooDoo improve to 3-2.

Sun 23 Wheels 9

Detroit nearly doubled the yardage of Southern California 324-167, but Gabriel Flanagan was responsible for 4 of the Wheels 5 turnovers and the Sun took advantage. All 5 Southern California scores came as a result of turnovers, including a strip sack by Andy Epley that Jose Wright scooped up and took it into the end zone. The Sun also got a 1 yard Michael Johnson TD run while they held the Wheels out of the end zone all day.

Wranglers 21 Invaders 0

The one good thing for Oakland today was they committed zero turnovers, but it was an otherwise miserable game. The Invaders managed just 5 first downs and 65 total yards. They actually had 127 yards but allowed 7 sacks for minus 65 yards and converted just 1/10 3rd downs. Arizona had 384 total yards, 170 rushing but they scored 21 the hard way. QB Brian Carmichael completed 25/34, 236 yards and a TD, Brian Haworth booted 4 FGs and Chad Woodard sacked Vincent Worley in the end zone for a safety as Arizona gets their first win of the season.

Week 4: Adjustments being made?

 The scoring from weeks 3 and 4 are showing an uptick over the first 2 weeks, 1049 to 872, which equates to an increase of nearly a TD per game (5.5 points). Are we as a league making adjustments? Probably too early to tell, but I did have to make an adjustment to our list of owners. My Generals just played Florida, who did not have a kicker on the roster. I was going to give him a chance to sign one and continue owning the team, but he had not logged in for over 2 weeks, so I just removed him. 

I haven't checked the box scores yet, going to do that as I go, so no telling how this blog plays out.

Express 30 Storm 27 (OT)

Portland is leading the league in offense, gaining 462.3 yards per game. The Storm are first in passing yards and second in rushing, so they are balanced and they nearly hit their average dead on today, gaining 461 yards. Jeffrey Frost ran for 128 yards, Emanuel Fugate completed 34/51, 304 yards and 3 TDs, all to Richard Robinson who caught 6 for 123 yards total. Portland came out aggressive against Los Angeles, basically refusing to punt, turning it over on downs the first 3 possessions. Los Angeles got 10 points from shortened fields before the Storm rallied for a 14-10 halftime lead. Two Portland FGs in the 3rd gave them a 20-10 lead before we saw a possible reason the Storm kept going for it on 4th down. The one punt by the Storm was returned for a TD by Gordon Auyeung, cutting the lead to 20-17. Portland would answer with the 3rd Fugate to Robinson TD before the Express scored the last 10 points in regulation to force OT.

Portland got the ball first in OT and decided to go for a 4th and 5 from their own 46 yard line. Fugate was sacked by Robert McGlothin, giving the Express the ball at the end of FG range. Four plays later, Mario Price nailed a 43 yard FG for the win. This game featured 15 sacks, 8 by Portland, 7 by Los Angeles.

Hawaiians 43 Wranglers 7

Honolulu is #2 in the league for scoring offense and yards, 3rd in passing yards, so even though slick doesn't like to watch the games anymore, his team is performing well. Derek Henry completed 26/39, 298 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT to lead the Hawaiians offense. Luis Martinez caught 2 TD passes while Carl Jordan added a pair of rushing scores. Defensively, Honolulu limited Arizona to 162 yards, forcing 3 INTs, 2 lost fumbles and sacking Brian Carmichael 4 times as the Hawaiians even their record at 2-2.

Gamblers 23 Stallions 10

Some people in Houston think the new rules were aimed at limiting Tony Dean and the Gamblers offense, but after a Week 1 shutout, they have scored 30 points a game and have the 3rd ranked offense at 376.3 yards a game. It's not as pretty as it used to be, especially Mr. MVP Tony Dean. If Dean stays on his current pace, he will end with his worst completion % and yards per attempt since his rookie season, and will finish with more INTs than TDs. Dean doesn't care so long as the wins keep coming, and the win today improves the champs to 3-1. Today, Dean was 19/34, 305 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT, with both of his TDs coming on big plays. Dean found Hugh Chance for an 83 yard TD in the 1st qtr and Steve Austin in the 4th for the game sealing 75 yard TD. 

Steamer 30 Maulers 3

Shreveport is playing some serious defense, so maybe Houston shouldn't be upset about the shutout in Week 1. The Steamer defense has yet to allow a TD this season, allowing only 4 FGs in 4 games and they allow a league low 178.8 yards per game. They also have the league's leading rusher in Scott Randall, who ran for 148 yards and a TD today, giving him 525 yards on the year. It's only 4 games in, but Randall is on pace for 2,100 yards rushing which would break the league record of 2,056 set by Bruce Fine of Chicago way back in 1974. Oh yeah, the game...Shreveport's defense held Pittsburgh to 111 yards, forced 3 turnovers and controlled the game to improve to 4-0.

Panthers 23 Wheels 13

Michigan played ball control, keeping the ball nearly 40 minutes, converting 10/20 3rd downs and rushing for over 150 yards to improve to 4-0. Lawrence Schroeder ran for 86 yards and a TD while Will Allison tossed 2 TD passes to lead the Panthers offense. Defensively Michigan gave up some big plays, but made stops when they needed to, holding the Wheels to 2/12 on 3rd down, intercepting 3 passes and sacking the QBs 3 times.

SaberCats 20 Thunderbolts 17 (OT)

San Jose nearly fumbled away their chance to remain undefeated, losing all 4 fumbles, but Jake Plummer was efficient and the running game was working when they weren't fumbling. Plummer was 26/35 for 202 yards with 2 TDs, both in the first half as the SaberCats led 14-0. In the 3rd, Cleveland returned a San Jose fumble for a TD, cutting the lead in half. San Jose would kick a FG for a 17-10 lead early in the 4th, only to see Cleveland tie it after a 16 play, 75 yard TD drive. In the OT period, Cleveland got the ball first and went three and out. San Jose took over, marching 64 yards in 11 plays for the game winning FG. 

Generals 21 Blazers 18

If anyone is wondering why I would boot someone for not having a kicker, I present this game as evidence. Yes I am the commissioner, but it's not necessary to give me gifts. Florida hasn't had a K all season and today it cost them the game as RDE Matthew Oneal tried his best but missed all 3 XP tries and a short FG try in a 3 point loss. Last year's leading passer Don Ferguson isn't adjusting well to 4.6, but he still threw for 2 TDs and got good support from the running game. David Koresh ran for 142 yards and Kurt Cobain had over 100 combined yards to lead the Generals offense as this win pushes their record to 3-1.

Sun 23 Blitz 20

Chicago controlled the clock and won the yardage battle, but 3 turnovers and a kickoff return TD did them in. The Blitz took an early 3-0 lead but Michael Johnson took the ensuing kickoff 109 yards for a TD and a 7-3 Sun lead. Ronald Brown got the lead back for Chicago with his first TD pass but Southern California tied it at 10 with a FG before the end of the 1st. Sean Ogden gave the lead back to Southern California just before halftime with a TD pass as the Sun now led 17-13. The Sun kicked a pair of FGs to extend the lead to 23-13 before Ronald Brown's 2nd TD pass got the Blitz within 3. Chicago never threatened to score again as Southern California hangs on for the win.

Gold 14 Bulls 13

Donald Turner ran for 83 yards and a TD while Peter White's 2 yard TD run in the 4th was the game winner as Denver pulls out a tight victory over Jacksonville.

Stars 9 Federals 6

Unfortunately this type of game is all too common in version 4.6. The teams combined for no TDs and no turnovers, 454 total yards and 4 sacks. Combined passing was 35/49, 282 yards and we had 4 red zone trips all end in FGs. Baltimore nearly scored a TD at the end of the game, settling for an 18 yard William Ferguson FG to give Baltimore the win and mercifully prevent OT.

Hornets 18 VooDoo 10

Robert Ament threw 2 TD passes and Fred Boyce made a pair of FGs to lead Charlotte to victory over New Orleans. The VooDoo got 83 yards and a TD from Donald Brown but 23 Zachary Kinkead completions gained just 92 yards and he was sacked 4 times for minus 34 yards. Charlotte and New Orleans are both 2-2.

Bell 18 Renegades 3

Philadelphia and Orlando played stay out of the end zone, combining for 415 total yards, 5/31 on 3rd down, 10 sacks and 2 turnovers. Neither team cracked the end zone but Philadelphia K Steve Matthews made all 6 of his FG attempts to lead Philadelphia to the win.

Breakers 16 (NY) Stars 10

Boston led 13-0 after 3 quarters thanks to their running game and pass defense. New York is still throwing every down as Oleary completed 36/52, 156 yards, 1 TD and 4 sacks. Boston QB Raymond Howell didn't have a good game and in the 4th quarter nursing a lead, Howell threw a pair of INTs that New York turned into 10 points to get back into the game. The Breakers defense didn't live up to their name as they held the Stars on their next possession, forcing a turnover on downs to seal the game for Boston's first win of the season.

Bandits 24 Invaders 3

Tampa Bay and Oakland met to see who would get their first win of the season and the Bandits produced a box score that looks like an average game in 4.5. RB Charles Granier had 165 combined yards, 116 on the ground while QB Dwayne Byrd completed 20/32, 245 yards and 2 TDs. We even had a 100 yard receiver, Craig Icenhour (7-105-1) which is rare, just the 14th time all season. Last year it seemed we had 14 every week. Oakland did score first for a 3-0 lead, but it was all Bandits after that.

Outlaws 16 Force 10

Oklahoma is breaking in a rookie QB and trying to return to the playoffs for an impatient fan base. So far that hasn't been a winning formula but the Outlaws had 200 yards rushing and their defense matched the 2 INTs that rookie QB Settles threw to the Georgia defense. Paul Wicklund ran for 122 yards and a TD to lead the Outlaws RBBC. Oklahoma broke a 10-10 halftime tie with a pair of second half FGs, and had to hold off Georgia on a late drive into their territory, stopping them on 4th down to save the win.

Gunslingers 16 Showboats 7

Memphis got the ball first and went 85 yards in 5 plays as Erik McNamee's short TD pass to Steve Ransome gave the Showboats a 7-0 lead. San Antonio answered with a 9 play, 75 yard TD drive that ended with a short Roy Johnson TD run to tie the game at 7. Memphis would punt and fumble their next 2 drives while the Gunslingers added a pair of FGs for a 13-7 lead early in the 2nd. Memphis tried to comeback but McNamee threw 2 INTs and the other drives ended with a punt or ended the game. San Antonio hands memphis their first loss, evening their record at 2-2 in the process.