2006 NFA (3-18) Wildcard League News Update

Here's this weeks Wildcard Recap along with projections for the Divisional Playoff round. Here are the Wildcard games...

Bar Harbor Captains at West Virginia Wizards
38 to 7
Kentucky Stallions at Wyoming Wildcats
35 to 32
Atlantic Tide at Puerto Rico Piranhas
10 to 27
Dakota Vipers at Mexico Bulls
7 to 21

Talk about some upsets. I at least thought the Capatins would make it a close game, but I never expected them to beat West Virginia like this. They looked like Yukon out there and they were defenitely bringing some of their best stuff. I'm also suprised Wyoming lost, I was expecting better things from them, but at least it was a close game. Speaking as the owner of the team that's always played huge games against the Tide every year in the playoffs I'm happy to say they lost to a team that's not even based in the United States. What it pretty much came down to in my opinion is the Tide's lack of a good QB, everything else works pretty well for them. I was also suprsied that Dakota went down so easily; especially to a team like the Bulls. After those Wildcard results, here's the matchup for the Divisional Playoff round...

Bar Harbor Captains at Yukon Yeti
Mexico Bulls at Boston Liberty
Puerto Rico Piranhas at Carson City Comets
Kentucky Stallions at Madison Timberwolves

First game is Bar Harbor at Yukon... wow that just makes me shiver, this is going to be one of the most intense games in the NFA to this point. After Bar Harbor's recent preformance against the Wizards and Yukon's recent preformance in their last game of the season I have to say that Bar Harbor has a realistic chance at an absolutely huge upset. A big factor to keep an eye on for this one is the fact that Yukon's HB; Tim Peterson will be playing, he's not fully healed, but Yukon coaches confirmed that he will start. Well the running game never seems to be a big factor in games between these two teams, Peterson will also open up more passing opertunities for Mathis (who now holds the record for most touchdown passes in a single season). Bar Harbor now has a fully healed Darren Poole to play at QB and the rest of their team is looking good, expect this to be an insanely intense game. Mexico heads to Boston to face the very powerful Liberty in what is a rematch of week 8. The Liberty hammered Mexico that time, but this time the playoffs are running, and teams will do mostly anything to win. I expect this one to at least be somewhat close with the Liberty probably coming out on top. For the next one; Puerto Rico at Carson City I expect Carson City to take this one. I know Puerto Rico took down the Tide, but I just don't think it'll last with Carson City's powerful defense and great running game. Carson City also has the one thing the Tide didn't; a great QB (Charlie Joyce). I fully expect Carson City to maxamize their potential in this playoff game and I predict that they will continue to the AFC Conference Championship. Kentucky at Madison seems apparent that the Timberwolves will win, because last year they took out the Liberty in this same game on the road. However, even though this is the case I'm not completely sure that Madison's defense can handle the Stallions' offense. I'm still predicting Madison, but this could certainly go either way. Game to watch for sure is Captains at Yeti, but this is the playoffs, so watch them all.

2006 NFA ProBowl

Here's the rosters for the NFA ProBowl teams this year...

AFC QB:
Torry Mathis (Yukon Yeti)
Dre Thomas (West Virginia Wizards)
Marc Madison (Oklahoma Twisters)
HB:
Carl Bird (West Virginia Wizards)
Will Reynolds (Carson City Comets)
Antonie Page (Oklahoma Twisters)
FB:
Andrew Cook (Carson City Comets)
Trevor Dunbar (Hawaii Warriors)
WR:
T.J. Oliver (Yukon Yeti)
Mack Pleasant (Yukon Yeti)
Alfred Lewis (Portland Flyers)
Andre Edwards (Oklahoma Twisters)
Jake Kramer (West Virginia Wizards)
Richard Brooks (West Virginia Wizards)
TE:
Kendrick Doss (Bar Harbor Captains)
Jim Hendricks (Spokane Ospreys)
Grant Perry (Atlantic Tide)
LT:Bam Taylor (Yukon Yeti)
D'Wayne Woodson (Lincoln Tribe)
RT:
Solomon Page (Carson City Comets)
Roger Payne (Yukon Yeti)
LG:
Adrian Millard (Atlantic Tide)
Fernando Fong (Lincoln Tribe)
Gary Hoover (Atlantic Tide)
RG:
Percy Forrest (Atlantic Tide)
C:
Chuck Renick (Oklahoma Twisters)
Chuckie Perry (Little Rock Crocs)
RE:
O.J. Glenn (Little Rock Crocs)
LE:
Chuck Heyward (Atlantic Tide)
Dee Nelson (Puerto Rico Piranhas)
Brandon Roberts (Yukon Yeti)
DT:Fred Triplett (Carson City Comets)
Michael Turk (Spokane Ospreys)
George Lott (Salt Lake Scorpions)
LOLB:
Kevin Hilton (Little Rock Crocs)
ROLB:
Neal Farr (Montana Grizzlies)
Tim Wiley (Puerto Rico Piranhas)
Russell Duncan (Atlantic Tide)
MLB:
Michael Eubanks (Oklahoma Twisters)
Benjamin Ortiz (Atlantic Tide)
CB:
Ted Watts (Yukon Yeti)
Rich Francis (Yukon Yeti)
Darick Miller (Concord Hawks)
Pete Harris (West Virginia Wizards)
FS:
Amos Lewis (West Virginia Wizards)
Jon Hitchcock (Puerto Rico Piranhas)
SS:
Brain Herman (Lincoln Tribe)
Thomas Williams (Carson City Comets)
K:
Shevin Thomas (Carson City Comets)
P:
Zack Andrews (Puerto Rico Piranhas)
KR:
Jared Shelton (CB, Atlantic Tide)
Tyrone Sparks (CB, Oklahoma Twisters)

NFC QB:
Corey Maguire (Boise Bison)
Scott Lyons (Tucson Kings)
Jon Austin (Kentucky Stallions)
HB:
Josh Page (Boston Liberty)
Terrance Griffith (Springfield Knights)
Chauncey Butler (Wyoming Wildcats)
FB:
Jake Crankshaw (Boston Liberty)
Terrell Jones (Kentucky Stallions)
WR:
Dee Kirby (Boise Bison)
Scott Galloway (Dover Deer)
Raymond Clay (Topeka Oilers)
Tony Adkins (Kentucky Stallions)
Billy Madden (Wyoming Wildcats)
Rocco Carter (Kentucky Stallions)
TE:
Terrell Taylor (Tucson Kings)
Ben Fletcher (Kentucky Stallions)
Mike Holland (Wyoming Wildcats)
RT:
Marcus Schultz (Boston Liberty)
Omar Wooden (Dakota Vipers)
Wendell Thomas (Kentucky Stallions)
Tyrone Stokes (Dover Deer)
RG:
Howard Jones (Kentucky Stallions)
Bob Hallen (Iowa Rangers)
LG:
Jared Andrews (Boston Liberty)
Alvin Brown (Springfield Knights)
C:
Tom Cox (Boston Liberty)
Ike Green (Dakota Vipers)
LE:
Ken Martin (Boston Liberty)
RE:
Anthony Reeves (Dover Deer)
Ryan Hartley (Iowa Rangers)
Onterrio Hewitt (Mexico Bulls)
DT:
LaBron Jeffries (Boston Liberty)
Ryan Gaines (Kentucky Stallions)
Ethan Carlton (Jackson Dragons)
ROLB:
Carnell Thomas (Wyoming Wildcats)
LOLB:
Adam Westbrook (Dakota Vipers)
Phillip O'Neal (Boise Bison)
Lake Campbell (Edmonton Beavers)
MLB:
Mike Mickens (Wyoming Wildcats)
Roland Smith (Madison Timberwolves)
CB:
Fred Price (Mexico Bulls)
Steve McGwire (Dover Deer)
Carnell Pickens (Dakota Vipers)
Roberty Lawton (Springfield Knights)
FS:
Chad Norman (Kentucky Stallions)
Joel Jackson (Madison Timberwolves)
SS:
Nate Otto (Boston Liberty)
Anthony McKinnie (Springfield Knights)
K:
Byron Hayden (Boston Liberty)
P:
Ken Nelson (Boston Liberty)
KR:
Omar Abraham (CB, Kentucky Stallions)
Zeke Schroeder (CB, Madison Timberwolves)

2006 NFA Awards

Here's the awards for the 2006 NFA season...

MVP: Torry Mathis (QB, Yukon Yeti)
Offensive Player: Torry Mathis (QB, Yukon Yeti)
Defensive Player: Ted Watts (CB, Yukon Yeti)
Offensive Rookie: Luther Hodges (HB, Bar Harbor Captains)
Defensive Rookie: Vernon Harrison (ROLB, Hartford Lightning)
Best QB: Torry Mathis (QB, Yukon Yeti)
Best RB: Josh Page (HB, Boston Liberty)
Best WR: Mack Pleasant (WR, Yukon Yeti)
Best OL: Tom Cox (C, Boston Liberty)
Best DL: LaBron Jeffries (DT, Boston Liberty)
Best LB: Tim Wiley (ROLB, Puerto Rico Piranhas)
Best DB: Ted Watts (CB, Yukon Yeti)
Best Kicker: Dwayne Payton (K, Bar Harbor Captains)
Coach: Bill Cowher (HC, Yukon Yeti)

2006 Season Recap

Today I bring you every team's record for the 2006 NFA season. Shortly after I'll also be writing up about the pro bowl, the awards, and the playoffs. Here's the records for the 2006 NFA season (playoff teams have a *)...

AFC North

Yukon Yeti 16-0*
Bar Harbor Captains 10-6*
Lincoln Tribe 8-8
Montana Grizzlies 6-10

AFC South

Puerto Rico Piranhas 11-5*
Oaklahoma Twisters 10-6
Hawaii Warriors 6-10
Salt Lake Scorpions 4-12

AFC East

West Virginia Wizards 12-4*
Atlantic Tide 10-6*
Concord Hawks 7-9
Hartford Lightning 5-11

AFC West

Carson City Comets 12-4*
Spokane Ospreys 7-9
Little Rock Crocs 5-11
Portland Flyers 3-13

NFC North

Madison Timberwolves 11-5*
Dakota Vipers 11-5*
Springfield Knights 7-9
Edmonton Beavers 2-14

NFC South

Mexico Bulls 9-7*
Topeka Oilers 7-9
Tiburon Sharks 6-10
Jackson Dragons 5-11

NFC East

Boston Liberty 15-1*
Kentucky Stallions 9-6-1*
Dover Deer 8-7-1
Iowa Rangers 4-12

NFC West

Wyoming Wildcats 10-6*
Tucson Kings 8-8
Boise Bison 8-8
Santa Fe Bandits 3-13

League News Update 3-17

Here's the league news update for the final week of regular season play. Bar Harbor beat the Mexico Bulls, meaning both teams will advance to the wildcard playoffs. It was a good close game that was heavy on defense. Bar Harbor scored first with a safty shortly followed up by a field goal. Yukon completed the third perfect season in NFA history this week with their win over the Little Rock Crocs this week. Again I have to say Yukon looks sluggish on some of their plays and I'm wondering if their momentum is beginning to slow. However, they still took it to the Crocs and are ready for the playoffs. This week also saw the conclusion of Pro Bowl voting of which I will anounce the results of in a follow up post. Several players also won many awards that will be reported in with the Pro Bowl voting. The 2006 NFA regular season has come to a close, but the playoffs have just started, and this is where it gets interesting...

League News Update 3-16

I'm really behind on this now, but here's what I got for week 16. The Captains took on the Montana Grizzlies this week and kept their playoff hopes alive with a win. Yukon took on Lincoln and did win, but showed some slower pace football as compared to the fast rate of scoring we're used to seeing from Yukon. However, they still preformed well above any other team in the NFA right now as Mathis lit up the score board during the first 3 quarters. Ben Harris was played at QB for the 4th quarter and he preformed good especially on a long connection to Mack Pleasant. Something of positive value to note from Yukon's slower gameplay is their incredible punter; last year's rookie; Richard McCaffery. McCaffery had three striaght punts that pinned Lincoln within their own five yard line, two of these punts were on the one, and one of these punts caused a safty on the ensuing play by Lincoln. Yukon is obviously still a force to be reckoned with. Bar Harbor heads into their last game of the season with their playoff hopes on the line; they must overcome the Mexico Bulls or face elimination from the playoffs alltogether.

League News Update 3-15

Another week in the NFA and I don't have much to report on except for that ever interesting contest between Bar Harbor and Yukon. Yukon kept rolling this week with a win and they show no sign of slowing. The opening drives for the game showed some tough defence by both teams untill Bar Harbor broke open the scoring. On the ensuing drive by Yukon a simple 1 play worked to perfection as it always has seemed to with Mack Pleasant going deep for a 79 yard touchdown reception. The game was still deadlocked after this untill Patrick Andrews picked off a Shawn Warren pass and returned it for a touchdown. After this Yukon continued rolling with toucdown receptions from Derek Pruit and Richard Cummings. The Yeti relied heavily on the pass and Torry Mathis was named the AFC offensive player of the week with 6 passing touchdowns. Bar Harbor continues to struggle passing the ball as Warren also threw a few more picks throughout the game. This game puts Bar Harbor to 8-6 where their record matches that of the division rival Lincoln Tribe. What will also make this next week interesting is the fact that both Bar Harbor and Yukon keep the AFC North interesting in that next weeks matchups pit Bar Harbor at home against the Montana Grizzlies and Yukon at the Lincoln Tribe. This is another big week for Bar Harbor to capitalize on a tough game for the Tribe and maybe still retain hope of a wildcard playoff spot. This week also saw the confirmation of the Boston Liberty and the Yukon Yeti as the two teams currently with home field advantage in the playoffs. Beyond that there is little else going on this week, but as the season starts to come to an end with only two more games left to play things should get intense as teams complete for the playoffs.

Team Feature: Yukon Yeti 3-14

I'm starting a new section here for team feature. Now obviously I've covered Yukon more than enough, but I want to focus on how what they've done in the past has got them here today to one of the most potent offences in the NFA and the number 1 run stopping defense. In 2004 the NFA started and Yukon faired alright in the preseason with nothing really special about them. Something very risky and huge they did during only the third week of 2004 preseason was trade their starting QB; Charlie Joyce. Don't get me wrong, Joyce is a very good QB; he took Carson City to the 2004 Super Bowl, but Yukon coaches wanted a prospect that they could mold to the purpose of the Yeti offensive capability. Thus the former backup for Joyce; Torry Mathis was set to be the starter. Mathis performed quite effectively for the first six weeks of the regular season untill he was injured. Mathis was out for at least 4 to 6 weeks and now we have a rookie QB; Kenny Mansfield starting. I'm not going to sugar coat this; Mansfield was not what the coaches at Yukon wanted. He was slow and had major issues with keeping is head in pressure. He fumbled an average of one time per game, something that Yukon coaches were not very happy about. Yukon was still doing alright though, starting HB Tim Peterson carried more of a load during Mathis' injury and Yukon got by as an average team for that time. Once Mathis returned and played a few more games Yukon was slated for a wild card spot against division rival Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor played a very good close game against the Yeti, yet Torry Mathis and the Yeti offence prevailed and Yukon was set for divisionals. The divisional title game set Yukon on the road against the powerful Atlantic Tide. The Tide under the leadership of Thomas Logan destroyed Yukon's defense. Yukon's offense was not able to reach it's full capability thanks to the tough Atlantic defense that hardly allowed any rushing and forced mutiple turnovers. Atlantic won that game and advanced to the AFC conference championship against the Carson City Comets. The Comets under the leadership of Charlie Joyce won and advanced to the super bowl only to be crushed by the insanely powerful Boston Liberty. The 2004-2005 offseason was huge for Yukon. Without a doubt if Yukon did not get the players they did that offseason they never would've made it to the super bowl. Yukon's first round draft pick was 5 foot 11 QB Ben Harris. Yukon coaches extensively scouted Harris before hand and they very much liked what they saw. Harris was a talented QB who was very fast and had a cannon for and arm. His one weakness was has passing accuracy, which Yukon coaches started working on right away. Other key accusitions included WR Wade Thomas, SS Marc Bever, and of course Mack Pleasant. With their new accusitions Yukon went through an undefeated preseason, but Yukon coaches didn't have what they wanted yet. The receiving core struggled. First string WR Chris Anderson and third string WR Jason Williams both left Yukon. This left the 2004 5 foot 6 rookie TJ Oliver in charge. Oliver and Mathis had a hard time connecting during the first few games, it may've had something to do with the fact that Mathis was exactly a foot taller than Oliver. Despite this Yukon still won their games in the beginning, but the coaches knew that they would never be able to beat the Boston Liberty and Atlantic Tide with what they had then (both the Liberty and the Tide were huge games in Yukon's schedule that year). Upon making this conclusion the coaches and manager orchestrated one of the biggest trades that year with division rival Bar Harbor Captains. During Week 3 Yukon traded 1st string 3 year pro CB Jimmy Wayne, 3rd string 1 year pro WR Rob Gray (an offseason accusition), and 1st string 1 year pro SS Ralph Waller (who at the time was competing with Marc Bever for starter at the Strong Safty position) for Bar Harbor Captains 2nd string 1 year pro WR Richard Cummings, 1st string 3 year pro SS Antwaan Mason, and 5th string 2 year pro CB Devin Rogers. The trade was huge as Yukon's offense made major adjustments. Lamaar Craig (Yukon's 2nd string WR) was moved to 3rd string as Richard Cummings became the 2nd string wideout. Antwaan Mason became the starting Strong Safty with Marc Bever under his tutalege. However, Yukon wasn't put together yet. Yukon coaches realized they still needed something special to jump start their receiving core (now consisting of TJ Oliver, Richard Cummings, Lamaar Craig, Wade Thomas, and Mack Pleasant), but it wasn't untill Wade Thomas was traded that they finally realized the way to form one of the most potent passing attacks in the NFA to date. Wade Thomas was soon traded a few weeks after the huge trade ironiclly to the same team as before; the Bar Harbor Captains. The Captains agreed to trade a few draft picks for the rookie WR. Once this was completed Mack Pleasant was set to be the fourth string WR. Then a few days after the trade deadline Torry Mathis finally discovered the incredible talent that everyone had completely not seen coming. Pleasant was fast, really fast, very really fast. Combined with his towering height and improving catching ability Pleasant looked like everything the Yeti needed and more. Yukon's offensive coordinater then set about making formation subsitutions for individual receivers based on their strengths and the defence's weaknesses and thus one of the most potent passing attacks in the NFA was born. Mathis to Pleasant, Mathis to Oliver, Mathis to Cummings, Mathis to everybody, Yukon's passing attack spread the ball all over the place and had defences wondering if these guys were even stoppable. Yukon's defense also began to grow, however a huge setback rolled around when Antwaan Mason was injured for 12 weeks with a broken jawbone. Still Yukon's offense kept rolling as they beat both the Tide and Liberty. They finished the season with a perfect 16 and 0 closely followed by division rival Bar Harbor who only lost a few games. The Liberty also faired well that season as they only suffered 2 losses; one to Yukon, and their first loss came against the Dover Deer in a game where Boston simply screwed up. Then the playoffs rolled around with Atlantic and Yukon being the 2 teams in the AFC with home field advantage in the playoffs. Bar Harbor went to wild card and beat the Hawaii Warriors on the road. Captains at Tide was a good game, but the Tide were still a very powerful team under 2004's rookie QB; Cade Lewis. Yukon's offense easily swept aside their opponent and the AFC Confrence Championship game of the year was set. Yukon had beat the Tide earlier in the season, but they knew that this wasn't going to be an easy one despite home field advantage. The game quickly turned into a high scoring match up with the team that played mistake free football the leader. Yukon trailed most of the game untill with 1:30 remaining in the game Yukon tied it up with a Mathis to Pleasant combination. On the Tide's ensuing drive Yukon's defense held them to a 4 and out and the Atlantic Tide were forced to punt with a minute left to play and the game tied. Yukon started the next drive calling shotgun 4 wide. The first two plays were both incomplete with the second nearly being an interception, but on the thrid play Yukon struck gold on a Mack Pleasant bomb. Pleasant with reasons still unknown stalled at the Tide 4 yardline and was tackled. Yukon sent their field goal unit on to the field led by rookie draft pick; kicker Ronnie Johnson. The Tide then stopped the clock to prevent Yukon from running it down to a few seconds and then kicking the field goal. Yukon then ran the ball up the middle with FB Charles Burnett to run clock. Finally Yukon called a timeout with 1 second left in the game and the AFC Conference title on the line. They sent Ronnie Johnson out there and he was iced the first time through. With the Atlantic Tide depleted of timeouts and a second left to play Ronnie Johnson was sent out there again to determine wether the Yeti win or the game be sent into overtime. Johnson nailed it and the Yukon Yeti were super bowl bound with a team that had yet to lose a game that year. Mack Pleasant was named player of the game for 6 catches and 283 recieving yards; a phenominal total. Torry Mathis threw for a total of 504 yards. It was probably the turning point that proved to the NFA that the Yeti were a team to be worried about. Although the game was an offensive slug fest the final drive of the Tide showed some excellent defense, especially coverage wise. Antwaan Mason played most of the game with just minor hints of his broken jawbone from earlier in the season, he be 100% for the super bowl. The super bowl turned out to be a mismatch as Yukon defeated the Topeka Oilers 35 to 13. The 2005-2006 offseason wasn't as big as the previous one, but it still strengthened the Yeti as a whole. Roscoe Terrell was added at WR to bring the Yukon passing attack to an all time high. The rookies from 2005 also showed great improvement as they continue to get better. Yukon's defense also gained a lot of strength and now stands as the number one rushing defense in the NFA and 2nd for total defense (just behind Carson City). And here the Yukon Yeti stand; 13-0 with 3 more games to play. It looks like Yeti fans are in for another awesome season, but there's one possibility that I think may be likely. I predict that the Yeti will once again make the super bowl, but this time face the Boston Liberty in what is sure to be an epic game along the the lines of that Atlantic, Yukon conference championship game from 2005. Only time can tell and the Yeti keep on moving.

League News Update 3-14

Another good series of games this week as the playoff picture begins to form. Because I'm behind a bit I'm going to give you this week's scores and records and then do a bit of a breakdown...

West Virginia Wizards (9-4) at Concord Hawks (5-8)
31 to 19
Springfield Knights (7-6) at Edomton Beavers (2-11)
16 to 10
Hawaii Warriors (5-8) at Oklahoma Twisters (9-4)
14 to 21
Boston Liberty (12-1) at Dover Deer (6-6-1)
38 to 7
Bar Harbor Captains (8-5) at Little Rock Crocs (4-9)
21 to 13
Sante Fe Bandits (2-11) at Topeka Oilers (5-8)
3 to 38
Puerto Rico Piranhas (9-4) at Salt Lake Scorpions (3-10)
18 to 17
Yukon Yeti (13-0) at Mexico Bulls (7-6)
41 to 0
Kentucky Stallions (7-5-1) at Iowa Rangers (4-9)
28 to 17
Atlantic Tide (8-5) at Carson City Comets (10-3)
13 to 29
Portland Flyers (3-10) at Wyoming Wildcats (10-3)
10 to 34
Lincoln Tribe (7-6) at Hartford Lightning (4-9)
30 to 35
Montana Grizzlies (5-8) at Spokane Ospreys (5-8)
10 to 3
Jacson Dragons (4-9) at Tiburon Sharks (3-10)
17 to 24
Dakota Vipers (10-3) at Madison Timberwolves (8-5)
10 to 17
Tucson Kings (7-6) at Boise Bison (6-7)
17 to 35

The first thing about this that jumped out at me was the Mexico Bulls. Now yes they did play the Yeti this week so it's not an unexpected loss, but if you follow trades in the NFA you can see what exactly happened to Mexico. Ever since Mexico traded Luther Hodges to Bar Harbor they've hardly won a game. Mexico's entire gameplan is in tatters and just about any team can beat them right now if they come at them with the right strategy in mind. Another interesting trade related trend here is the Hartford Lightning. Ever since they acquired Thomas Logan they've been winning more consistently and this week they were able to beat a pretty tough team in the Lincoln Tribe. This loss combined with Bar Harbor's win this week puts Bar Harbor in position to win wildcard in the AFC North seeing as the Yeti have already secured a playoff spot. Another thing to notice is the Atlantic Tide, man have these guys taken a tumble. Cade Lewis goes in the IR and their whole team starts to breakdown, it just goes to show you how important a good QB really is. That's pretty much it for week 14, but there's one game I want to point out in week 15 that's going to be a good one. Bar Harbor heads to Yukon to face the undefeated Yeti in a very big game. If Bar Harbor can win this they'll knock Yukon off their winning streak and probably secure a playoff spot ahead of Lincoln. If Bar Harbor loses this one they might miss out on the playoffs alltogether depending on how tightly contested the AFC is. I defenitely expect this one to be a close game. That about wraps it up for week 14, see you next week.

League News Update 3-13

I fear I've fallen behind on my weekly updates, but here's what I recall of week 13. The Yeti beat the Tribe 38 to 14 in a fairly interesting game. The Bar Harbor Captains showed some strength this week by overcoming the Topeka Oilers on the road with a final score of 27 to 24; defenitely a good game to watch. Other teams to watch this week are the Dakota Vipers as they push their record to 10-2 with a 10 to 9 victory over the Concord Hawks on the road. The Boston Liberty are still moving well with a 20 to 3 victory over the Madison Timberwolves. This pushes the Liberty record to 11-1 with their victory over the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year, I fully expect the Liberty to get far in the playoffs and they're my favorite for making the Super Bowl in the NFC right now. That's all for this week.

League News Update 3-12

This one is going to be short, but here are the basics. Yukon took on Bar Harbor this week and as most people predicted Yukon did come out on top. Mack Pleasant was named AFC offensive player of the week as well as player of the game for his incredible performance. He had mutiple touchdown receptions and over 250 receiving yards. Bar Harbor's rookie saftys just couldn't cover him and after the first 90 yard bomb the game seemed to be over. Despite this there was still some good play calling on both sides of the ball and it was an interesting game to watch. Bar Harbor also put their new free agent accusition to use and he performed very well, he never dropped a pass. Around the league things went as usual.

League News Update 3-11

Here's the League News Update for week 11. I am sad to announce that I have fallen behind on these, so the next few will probably be brief summeries of the week. First off though let's once again have a look at the Yukon Yeti, who took on the well balanced Carson City Comets this week. Right away I just want to make clear that Carson City is a good team, not an average team, a very good team, probably one of the top 5 best in the NFA right now. Of course remember that the Yeti are also on that list, so I was expecting quite a good game. Well... the stats speak for themselves, Carson City was blown apart, 56 to 14. Yukon's offence in the first quarter was incredible, not normal incredible, but scar incredible. Mathis' first 3 passes all went for touchdowns. Yukon's defence played most of the game because the offence was scoring so quickly, and it put up some good totals on its own. Charlie Joyce was hammered with a constant pass rush and he threw 2 interceptions that both went for touchdowns the other direction. All of this happened in the 1st half, so after the half the score was 49 to 0... oh yeah, and Torry Mathis got injured in the second quarter on the drive after his 3rd touchdown pass. Ben Harris comes in, first passing play goes for another 6. Either something was seriously wrong with Carson City's defence or something was seriously scary with Yukon's offence in the first half, and I'm betting on the latter. The second half saw Carson City's return and they finally played as people expected, but it was a bit too late then. Torry Mathis finished the game with a 158.3 passer rating and 263 pass yards. He also completed 4 touchdowns despite being injured in the second quarter. His passing stats ended up at 10 for 12 with a 83% completion percentage. Ben Harris went 2 for 4 passing, and both his completions were touchdowns, which brings his total to 99 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. On the recieving end of the ball Mack Pleasant and T.J. Oliver led the way with 3 touchdowns for Mack Pleasant on 3 recpetions for 120 yards and T.J. Oliver also had 3 touchdowns on 3 receptions and 165 yards. Overall this game just made Yukon look scary... really scary. Not much else happened this week, Bar Harbor won one to stay within persuit of the Tribe, and that concludes my League News Update for week 11 in the NFA.

One on One with Tim Peterson

The other day, Sportscenter and EPSN the Magazine writer Stuart Scott, had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Yeti halfback Tim Peterson about his devastating injury.

Stu: First of all, when do you expect to get back on the field?

Tim: Well I am definetly missing the whole regular season, might be able to play the playoffs if we get there, and hopefully the Super bowl.

Stu: How does it feel to be watiching your team play from the sidelines?

Tim: Well Stu, I just feel terrible, I really want to be out there helping my team as they go on this undefeated season. I would be out there playing hurt but my doctor and the coach both say that I need to get alot of rest and come back full strength.

Stu: Do you still encourage your teammates and act like a mentor and a coach to the young players out there?

Tim: Oh yeah, I give them tips when they come back from a play, mainly the running backs.

Stu: Well it was great talking to you Tim, I hope that you recover fully and come back full strength.

Tim: Thanks Stu, great talking to you.

League News Update 3-10

Let's take a look at the Yukon game first, since we've been doing that lately. Yukon beat Topeka with a score of 39 to 7. Yukon defenitely got a sell out crowd for this one and I'd say the fans got their money's worth. Torry Mathis led the Yeti with perfect passes and incredible speed and awareness. He finished the game with a passer rating of 90.3, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also totaled up 324 passing yards and a completion percentage of 54. Mathis ripped Topeka's defence apart on big third down plays where he ended up rushing for a total of 69 yards on 5 attempts. This combination kept Yukon rolling and it is the reason the Yeti didn't punt once in this game. However, the Oilers defence did show itself as one of the better units in the league as they held Yukon in check when they got near the redzone. Yukon's kicker; Ronnie Johnson kicked 6 fieldgoals including a 51 yarder that hit the goal post support. Rushing wise you've already heard about Torry Mathis, but Ki-Jana Carter was also big after finishing with 105 rushing yards and an average rush of 4.3 yards. He's not Tim Peterson, but the combination of running and deadly passing kept Yukon's offence on a roll and defenitely showed it to be one of the best in the league. T.J. Oliver was by far Mathis' favorite target as he had 8 receptions, 146 yards, and a touchdown catch. Richard Cummings totaled up 63 yards on some big plays and Mack Pleasant had an incredible diving catch straight up the field for 43 yards. Once again Yukon did a great job of spreading the ball around and the defence never knew who the ball was coming to. On the defensive side of the ball Yukon put on an ironic performance considering their last game. They held Larry Taylor (the QB for the Oilers) to 37 passing yards and let him leave the field knowing he completed the game with a whopping passer rating of zero. Taylor threw 2 interceptions (one to Francis, one to Harry) and only completed 6 passes out of 21 attempts. However, the Oiler's running game soared with a total of 96 yards, including a big 76 yard break out run by Tre Evans; the starting HB. Yukon's powerful pass defence and dynamo of an offence really hammered the Oilers and near the end they were able to let loose again and finally start scoring touchdowns. Topeka tried hard, but there's only so much you can do against the Yeti it seems. I now believe that Topeka is actually quite a good team. I reported earlier that they were a one year show, but I now believe this to be incorrect after seeing their recent performance against the Yeti. They excell at the run, but they lack at the pass, and usually their good defence makes up for it, but not today. The Oilers are a good team, but they're still not in the same class as Yukon. In other news, it looks like the once powerful Mexico Bulls are falling back as they lost to Tiburon this week as they move their record to 5 and 4. It also seems like Thomas Logan is helping the Lightning as they beat the powerful Wizards this week, 23 to 20. The Atlantic Tide also suffer another loss under their poor QB as they fall to the Hawks 14 to 19. Meanwhile the Liberty keep rolling in the NFC, right on par with the Yeti. The Captains played the Tribe this week in a big game and they lost 19 to 18. With this loss the Captains fall to 5 and 4 as well as lose their spot as number 2 in the AFC North division. It was a good game with the Captains being in control untill a few mistakes on offence and defence led to a big turnover and a long pass play of 92 yards that led to the Tribe's victory. Next week the Captains take on the Dragons and after that they host the Yukon Yeti. Another week in the books.

Middle Linebacker 3-9

Middle Linebacker is a critcal position on the defensive end of the ball. You can pretty much consider him the quarterback of the defence. Personally I'm going to come out and say that I think Terrance Bryant is the best MLB in the NFA right now, and he probably will continue to be for most of carrer. Bryant combines run stuffing defence with incredibly soft hands. He's picked off more passes in his first 3 years then I think that most average corners pick off in 6. He started the franchise as a rookie and has anchored Bar Harbor's defence throughout their seasons. He continues to impress me with incredible run stopping and pass coverage. I expect him to get nominated for at least one award this year and he should defenitely make the Pro Bowl. Now I speak as the person who runs the Yukon Yeti, Bryant has real talent and I should know. I have 2 excellent linebackers who are both above average players and keep my defence in the game; Lionel Nipper and Anthony Moss. Nipper is the starter and is a better cover MLB then Moss, but Moss is usually more useful for clogging lanes and stuffing the run. When run the 3-4 defence I usually get good results, but nothing like just having Terrance Bryant out there on any play. He gets in the action time after time, and makes huge plays regardless of what position he's put in, wether the Captains are running Dime or 4-3 defence, I see this guy making big plays that matter. Terrance Bryant is a game changing player, and one that will certainly give Bar Harbor the advantage against any offence, pass or run.

League News Update 3-9

Week 9 passes in the NFA with some interesting contests and scores. We'll break it down, coming up. First off the Yukon, Portland game. I know you're probably wondering why I'm reporting about this when it probably was a blow out, and it was 61-10, but this is defenitely one of those games where the score does not say it all. Yukon's pass defence looked horrible, and I mean really bad. If they play like they did this game they will lose to any team with a good defence. Portland's QB Brad White was playing the whole game injured and threw for 293 yards and a touchdown with only 1 interception. He had a passer rating of 71.2 and a completion percentage of 51. These stats are phenominal for any QB when playing one of the top overall defences in the NFA. Torry Mathis also threw 2 interceptions in the first quarter, one to rookie Marc Wolford (SS) and one to former Bar Harbor corner Marc Stabler. Despite these somewhat demeaning interceptions, Mathis put on another show with a passer rating of 111 and 6 touchdowns. He also threw for a total of 371 yards with a completion percentage of 55. These stats led to him being awarded the AFC Offensive player of the week award, an award he's no stranger to. After Mathis threw his second interception Yukon's coach pulled him out in favor of Ben Harris. While Harris only threw the ball 5 times, he looked a tad shaky passing today, however his running skills continue to impress as his only run gained a nice 18 yards. Yukon does an excellent job of sharing the ball, and today really showed that. 5 players had rushing yards, both runningbacks, 2 of Yukon's 3 quarterbacks and the fullback and they all rushed for a number at least in double digits. Receiving wise was incredible for spreading the ball. The Yukon Yeti threw to every possible elgible reciever except for the 3rd string running back. All 5 wide recievers, all 3 tight ends, the halfback and the full back, all caught passes. T.J. Oliver once again led Yukon with 129 yards and 3 thouchdowns. Mack Pleasant had some big gains and Richard Cummings was excellent, especially on the first passing play of the game in which Mathis and Cummings improvised a short route to capitalize on the defensive scheme resulting in a 60 yard plus touchdown. Brad White's one interception was thrown to Rich Francis, who's proven himself to be worthy of 3rd string corner and he's defenitely been getting a good number of picks lately. Another thing that seems minor, but really impressed me was Yukon's punter. He punted an average of 54.3 yards and 2 of his 3 were inside the 10 yardline and one of them ended up forcing a safty after Portland's runningback was stuffed in the end zone. His 3rd punt was a touchback. This was still a pretty strong outing for Yukon's offence and run defence, but the pass defence was just plain ugly. When you give up 451 total yards to a team like the Flyers, you know you need to start changing something on defence. Let's see what Yukon does as they've got a Super Bowl rematch next week as they take on the Topeka Oilers. Around the league we have a huge accusition this week. Former Atlantic Tide star QB Thomas Logan was signed by the Hartford Lightning this week. Orland Plummer is now going to start seeing the bench, but this move may save any hopes for the playoffs. Meanwhile the Tide are going to have to live with a bad QB as Cade Lewis has been placed on the IR and is out for the season, but this hasn't slowed them down one bit in their recent game against the tough West Virgina Wizards as they took the victory 40 to 17. The Sante Fe Bandits also clinched their very first win of the season in a South West game versus the Tuscan Kings. Meanwhile let's have a look at the Bar Harbor, Montana game this week. Bar Harbor took this one in a pretty easy win. Montana is defnitely not looking good right now. Darren Poole threw for 253 yards and 4 touchdowns despite his 2 interceptions. He finished the game with a completion percentage of 51 and a passer rating of 91.3. However, Poole didn't play most of the second half, he was injured about midway through the 3rd quarter. I don't know what the Captains' game plan is, but it clearly invloves keeping Adrian Justice on the bench (for what reason I don't know, but there's some weird rumor going around about it being something to do with the way he throws) because they put in 3rd string QB Shawn Warren. Warren had a rating of 39.6 with only one pass completion for 11 yards. He only threw 4 passes though, so he did pretty well with a completion rating of 25. At runningback Bar Harbor has rookie star Luther Hodges who rushed for 60 yards and a total average of 2.8. The passing game once again played a big role with 1st string Antwaan Peterson getting a total of 131 reception yards along with 3 touchdowns. Bar Harbor's other's receivers fared alright with last year's rookie Alex Gilbert following Peterson with a total of 5 receptions for 45 yards. These recent successes in the passing game have ranked Bar Harbor at 5th for passing offence in the NFA. Defensively Bar Harbor did decently considering their recent performance. While Avery Holmes was able to throw for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns, Bar Harbor absolutely put on a dominating performance with their run defence holding Montana to a overall total of 8 rushing yards on 8 attempts. Back on the pass defence front Holmes did throw 3 interceptions. Ryan Diamond picked one of these for a touchdown, he also had 6 tackles on the game. Bar Harbor middle line backer star Terrance Bryant put on an excellent performance once again with 2 interceptions and 5 tackles. Antwaan Peterson was named the player of the game, as Bar Harbor seems to continue their recent stretch of wins. Bar Harbor faces the Tribe next week in what looks to be a very intense and closely matched game. Both teams have the same record and this could be huge for determining the playoff picture in getting a wild card spot assuming Yukon continues their constant success. Week 9 wraps up and there are still 2 undefeated teams around.

League News Update 3-8

The NFA is underway once again and week 7 goes by. First off I'd like to take a look at the Yukon, Montana game this week. Montana got completely destroyed with a final score of 62 to 7. This game also was big for Yukon in 2 aspects, both injury related. Yukon Yeti star running back Tim Peterson is out for at least 10 weeks with a dislocated elbow, this injury took place early on in the game, so now 32 year old HB Ki-Jana Carter is the starter. The other main aspect is that Torry Mathis the star QB for Yukon was also injured early on, his injury took him out for the entire game and possibly a bit of next week's game as well. Ben Harris played most of the game at QB and he put up numbers that are starting to mirror Mathis' during his rise to fame. Despite playing less then half the game Torry Mathis still put up 230 passing yards and a touchdown with a completion percentage of 43. Ben Harris threw for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 66. Ben Harris is looking very good at QB, and plays just seemed to click just as well with him or Torry Mathis as Harris was named the player of the game and also AFC player of the week. Another advantage to having Harris at QB is the incredible speed you get. Harris rushed for 42 yards and one touchdown on 4 attempts. These attempts also came on big 3rd down plays that were key in keeping the Montana defence on the field. Montana's defence simply broke down near the end and Carter was finally able to gain some ground, his total rushing for the game stands at 52 yards on 11 attempts. However the biggest reason for this blowout was probably the large amount of turnovers forced by the Yukon defence. Six takeaways led to a large time of possesion differential and with Yukon's offence on the field throughout it kept feeding the powerful Yukon defence when it did come onto the field. The five interceptions were fed by Lionel Nipper with 2, Rich Francis, Ted Watts, and Antwaan Mason all with 1 each. Montana's poor offence and the overwhelming offense of Yukon contributed to this huge blowout. However it will be very interesting to see how the loss of Tim Peterson affects the Yukon Yeti run at the playoffs. The other powerful team in the NFA kept rolling this week. The Boston Liberty beat the Mexico Bulls (game of the week) with a score of 34 to 14. Another interesting game to look at this week would be the Bar Harbor Captains at the Tiburon Sharks. While the Captains did manage to win this game with a score of 27 to 24, it felt as if the Captains could've pulled ahead by more if they'd tried. I'm not sure if this brinkmanship is intentional or not, but one particular move by the Captains has me suprised. The Captains did not start Adrian Justice, their recent accusition from the Madison Timberwolves. He was slated to be the starter for the Captains and to usher in a new era at the starting QB position, but he's being benched in favor of the Captains second string QB, Darren Poole. Poole has started a few games earlier this season and he does look to be a promising QB... at backup. However, we're going to leave the judgement calls to the Captains' manager and see what works for them, maybe he knows something I don't. We'll see the comparison soon enough as the Captains pay a visit to the Montana Grizzlies next week in what is sure to be an interesting match up after the Grizzlies recent blowout at the hands of the powerful Yeti squad. Meanwhile Yukon comes to Portland to face the 1 and 6 Flyers. Next week's game of the week is the Wyoming Wildcats at the Carson City Comets, both squads have won 6 games, but the Comets have an extra loss due to a bye week for the Wildcats. It should prove to be another interesting week in the NFA.

Offseason Exhibition Update

Well it's been a long break from football so far. The Yukon Yeti reopened their practicies this week with an exhibition game agianst the division rival Bar Harbor Captains. This game went as many people predicted, but this is defenitely an example of where the stats and score don't say it all. Yukon won the game 42-10, but I'm seeing some very solid play from the Captains. The Captains' starting quarterback position has been in crisis these past few regular season weeks, but I think they've found their groove. Adrian Justice the current quarterback for the Captains was acquired during a mid season trade with the Madison Timberwolves. His stats don't say much with a passer rating of 50.2 and a completion percentage of 45, but there were certainly some moments in the game where things looked like they just clicked and Bar Harbor would not be stopped even by the powerful passing defence and pass rush of the Yukon Yeti. Justice completed 20 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. His two interceptions were just a result of excellent defence and poor pass blocking. Justice's favorite target was by far the mid season aqusition from the Yukon Yeti; Wade Thomas. Thomas had 8 receptions for 83 yards and he looked very solid. Bar Harbor's running game, however was not so strong. Luther Hodges rushed for only 23 yards on 10 attempts, a very poor outing, but we must consider this: the Yukon Yeti are ranked first in the NFA in run stopping and they also feature a highly run stop orientated defence, with a lot of 46 sets. Luther Hodges still looks to be an excellent back against most teams. Bar Harbor looked solid despite the heavy loss. Yukon continues to look extremely tough as they come off as defending Super Bowl Champions. Torry Mathis threw for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 61. Mathis only played the first half of the game. Yukon coaches started former rookie prospect Ben Harris during the second half and he looked very strong indeed. Harris threw for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns with a passer rating of 137.8 and a completion percentage of 69. Harris could very well replace Mathis in terms of potential. On the ground Yukon was diverse and strong as usual. The player of the game was Tim Peterson, who ran for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns along with one 2 yard reception for a touchdown. Ben Harris also looked good on the ground as he broke down the Bar Harbor defence on the run with 23 yards on 2 carries. On the recieving end T.J. Oliver led the Yeti with 133 yards on 4 receptions followed by Mack Pleasant with 4 receptions and 89 yards. Yukon continues to spread the ball in ways most teams find hard to do, resulting in many recivers and a defence with mutiple threats to handle from all over the place. However, Yukon cannot hold on to it's advanced recieving core indefenitely, but right now this team looks just as good if not better then last years. Overall I gathered some very interesting insight from watching this game. The Bar Harbor Captains are defenitely not in decline, in fact they look to be on the rise again and I expect them to make the playoffs in a wildcard spot again this year. The loss of Stephen Garner hasn't slowed the Captains one bit. Now the look to be almost as diverse as Yukon in their threats with a lot of developing potential in their very strong rookies. Adrian Justice and Luther Hodges should carry this team far on offence, while 5 year veteren Terrance Bryant looks to make another incredible year for himself and the Captains on defence. Bar Harbor is by far not out of this and would defenitely win this division if Yukon was not in it. This is a rebuilding year for the Captains, but it doesn't look like it. The Bar Harbor Captains are gaining strength and if this rate holds steady I expect them to give Yukon a run for their money next year. That's all my report from this weeks exhibition game, I know it's a long time before the regular season begins, but already many NFA teams are getting ready for the season to resume. This looks like a good contest.

^T.J. Oliver leaps for the touchdown in a practice vs. the Captians^

Super Bowl and NFA "report offseason"

Steelers vs. Cardinals, an interesting matchup to be sure, worth watching. The NFA will resume once the NFL season begins in 2009, I will probably see you here next year for the NFA to resume.

League News Update 3-7

Now I believe it was suggested that I post scores. I've decided to do this, but definitely not weekly, because it takes a lot of time. Anyway here are all the scores for week seven with the current team records after this week, I'll also include the 2 teams that didn't have a game this week, so here it is.

Oaklahoma Twisters (4-2) at Bar Harbor Captains (3-3)
23 to 35
Dakota Vipers (5-2) at Hartford Lightning (1-5)
42 to 24
Madison Timberwolves (5-2) at Springfield Knights (4-3)
19 to 34
West Virginia Wizards (5-1) at Little Rock Crocs (2-5)
31 to 24
Wyoming Wildcats (6-1) at Boise Bison (1-5)
23 to 20 (OT)
Salt Lake Scorpions (1-6) at Boston Liberty (6-0)
3 to 32
Kentucky Stallions (1-4-1) at Dover Deer (3-3-1)
20 to 20 (OT tie)
Topeka Oilers (2-5) at Tiburon Sharks (1-6)
37 to 23
Carson City Comets (5-2) at Portland Flyers (1-5)
24 to 17
Yukon Yeti (6-0) at Spokane Ospreys (4-2)
49 to 3
Edmonton Beavers (1-5) at Santa Fe Bandits (0-6)
27 to 20
Atlantic Tide (5-2) at Hawaii Warriors (4-3)
10 to 24
Lincoln Tribe (3-3) at Montana Grizzlies (2-4)
12 to 25
Mexico Bulls (5-1) at Jackson Dragons (3-4)
16 to 21

The second to last game listed was Sunday Night Football. The last game listed was Monday Night Football. Here are the other two teams that had byes this week.

Iowa Rangers (1-5)
Puerto Rico Piranhas (5-1)

The big game that everyone should be watching for is the Bulls vs. the Liberty, I can't wait to see who wins this one, because if anyone can stop the Liberty the Bulls are probably one of the few teams that can do it. Unfortuneatly I'm going on vacation for two weeks starting Sunday, January 18th, so this will be my last report for a while. I hope to come back to a few new posts and lots of discussion. This concludes my week 7 report.

Rookie of the Year 3-6

Alright, alright, I know it's a bit early to be talking about who will win rookie of the year. We don't even have voting out there right now. I'm just saying, we have some good candidates this year. Ever sence the Captains acquired Luther Hodges and Adrian Justice and are actually starting them, this is where things get interesting. So who do you pick? A starting rookie HB on a team that has been consistently passing with the lowest run average in the NFA in the past 2 years, or a starting rookie QB for a team that just got rid of Stephen Garner a 2 time pro bowl player with about 6 years of expierence? Don't forget about some of the other rookies, Duece Foley of the Timberwolves is the fastest player in the NFA, faster then Mack Pleasant, for crying out loud if someone who was actually intelligent enough to realize they could live off the big play with this guy this would for sure be a rookie of the year. Then you have Roscoe Terrel of the Yukon Yeti. Yukon has their Wide Recievers just stacked; T.J. Oliver, Richard Cummings, Lamar Craig, Mack Pleasant, and Roscoe Terrel. Now somehow Yukon keeps every single one of their recievers in the game. They're all big threats, with Terrel leading special teams after the departure of WR Wade Thomas in a trade with the Captains he has some potential if he can turn into a dangerous return man and still be one of Torry Mathis' favorite targets. There are plenty of good rookies this season, but if you have to ask me I'm picking HB Luther Hodges, because I think that the Captains offence will take a while to adapt their gameplan to the presence of Adrian Justice. Hodges has already proved himself after just 2 games with 100 rushing yards or more in each. Bar Harbor hasn't had a running back like that sence the retirement of J.J. Shields in 2004. If they continue to give the ball to Hodges, defences will take a while to adapt due to the fact that Bar Harbor has been throwing the ball all the time. So if Hodges continues to handle the ball I can imagine him topping 1300 yards this season. There are some great candidates for rookie of the year, I'll report when voting begins...

League News Update 3-6

It's trade deadline time. The Captains have made several huge trades, which I will leave for Micro to elaberate on. As the league moves on the NFA is starting to take shape with history as old playoff teams fight to return and keep the new ones on the sideline. A good game to watch for in week seven will be the Twisters vs. the Captains. Bar Harbor needs to get in gear if they want to win this one, because Oaklahoma has only lost one game this season. Former Boston Liberty QB Marc Madison was able to lead Boston to Super Bowl 1 and the first perfect season in NFA history. This off season Madison was acquried by the Oaklahoma Twisters, who had everthing right except the QB position. With former Yukon Yeti rookie Kenny Mansfield starting his second year in Oaklahoma, interceptions and fumbles plagued the Twisters all year. This year with Madison starting, the Twisters could easily make the playoffs and possibly go all the way this year. In other news, Carson City looks to still be a good team, however it is now apparent that they have fallen out of the elite status they have held in the past two years. Their record still stands at 4-2 this season, but as they take on the Flyers this week it looks like they'll still be in the playoff picture if they continue to face easy teams. Another good game to watch in week seven is Yukon at Spokane. The Spokane Ospreys look like they finally got things together this season with a record of 5-1. The defending Super Bowl champion Yeti roll into town to see if they can knock Spokane out of their winning streak. That's it for week 6 update, we're getting closer to the midseason point.

^Yukon at Spokane^

Captains: Looking for an Answer

-DECOMISSIONED-
This article has been classfied as being no longer up to date or false.

Just before the trade deadline, the Bar Harbor Captains aqcuired some key players that they believe will end the drought that has suddenly overcome the team. The players they recently got are rookie runningback Luther Hodges, quarterback Ben Harris, wideout Dee Kirby, defensive tackle Ty Tillman, and cornerback Matt Gill. The Captains announced that Ben Harris would be their starting quarterback as soon as they aqcuired him in a trade from the Yukon Yeti. Expected to be starter, Darren Poole, will now be a backup. This is the latest news out of Bar Harbor and we will see if these players can help turn around Bar Harbor's season. ^ Antwaan Peterson has been a reliable reciever for the Captains, they couldn't possiblely be looking to trade him could they?^

Oilers; the one year show?

As I might of mentioned in previous posts, it appears the Topeka Oilers are a one year show. They went 11-5 in the 2005 regular season and defeated the Madison Timberwolves in the NFC championship game. They then got pounded by at least 20 points in Super Bowl 2 by the Yukon Yeti, a team that had been on fire all season. The Oilers still managed to score 13 points in the Super Bowl, but it was no where near enough to counter the onslaught of points scored by Torry Mathis and the Yukon Yeti offence. This year the Oilers have had a very dissapointing season, already it is the start of week 6 and the Oilers are 0-5, a horrible start to their season. Even the weakest teams seem to be able to take on the Oilers right now eventhough they seem to retain most of the players they had last year. Why did the Oilers do so well last year? If this year is any indication this team is inconsistent, will the Oilers start winning games suddenly and make the playoffs? As unlikely as it sounds, it is possible, strange things can happen in football.

The 2006 Topeka Oilers offence in the huddle in a regular season game vs. the Tiburon Sharks

Met's week 5 picks.

I've decided to list my picks for who will go to the playoffs every pregression week. It's week 5 so here are my picks (starred) home field advatage has 2 stars, and wildcard has a ^* so here are my picks...

NFC

NFC North

Dakota Vipers^*

Madison Timberwolves*

Edmonton Beavers

Springfield Knights

NFC West

Boise Bison^*

Wyoming Wildcats*

Santa Fe Bandits

Tucson Kings

NFC East

Dover Deer

Kentucky Stallions

Iowa Rangers

Boston Liberty**

NFC South

Jackson Dragons

Tiburon Sharks

Topeka Oilers

Mexico Bulls**

AFC

AFC North

Bar Harbor Captains^*

Yukon Yeti*

Lincoln Tribe

Montana Grizzlies

AFC West

Carson City Comets

Portland Flyers

Spokane Ospreys*

Little Rock Crocs

AFC East

Atlantic Tide**

Hartford Lightning

Concord Hawks

West Virginia Wizards

AFC South

Hawaii Warriors^*

Oklahoma Twisters**

Salt Lake Scorpions

Puerto Rico Piranhas

Sorry it wouldn't let me space, I'll try and fix it later.

League News Update 3-5

Breaking news this week. The Bar Harbor Captains have traded star quarterback and NFA Icon Stephen Garner to the Mexico Bulls. The trade was the last in a long line of negotiations that the Captains haved had in looking to deal away Garner. Apparently the Captains are going to start rookie Darren Poole, who was acquired earlier in the season in a trade with the Montana Grizzlies. The Captains also traded their starting Halfback; Willie Boone to Mexico. In return the Bulls traded rookie Halfback Luther Hodges, 29 year old Defensive Tackle Ty Tillman, and a third round draft pick. This is a very interesting trade because it relies almost completely on player potential for the Captains to get the bargain they wanted. Darren Poole, Luther Hodges, and the third round draft pick acquired at the end of the season will need to prove themselves worthy players in order for the Captains to keep rolling. This also may be the push that vaults the Bulls to the super bowl, very similar to the trade in 2004 when the Yukon Yeti traded starting QB Charlie Joyce to the Carson City Comets. The Mexico Bulls, have much potential and I believe this is the push they need to overtake the Tiburon Sharks, who've had a consistent record so far of about 9-7. This trade will make things very interesting for both the NFC and AFC in the NFA because the Captains have been playoff contendors for the last 2 years and the Bulls may be on the rise. Another week passes in the NFA

^ Luther Hodges Starts at HB for the Bar Harbor Captains^
^Ty Tillman Starts at DT for the Bar Harbor Captains^

Timberwolves ready to take the NFC?

The Madison Timberwolves look to be a very promising team. Last year they managed to defeat the defending super bowl champions; The Boston Liberty. This was no easy feat, especially because they managed to do it without the help of star QB A.J. Pope. Unfortunately for the Wolves they fell short of the Super Bowl and were defeated in the NFC conference championship game by a team that seems to be a one year deal; The Topeka Oilers. This year the Timberwolves have started decently, not perfect, but not bad. One big reason why they might make it back to the playoffs this year is because of the addition of 2 very young and excellent rookies; Wide Reciever Duece Foley and back up QB Adrian Justice. The Timberwolves may head farther if Pope is able to stay healthy, but even if he doesn't Adrian Justice has promising talent at QB and he is able to learn under A.J. Pope while Pope is starting. Duece Foley farther helps the Timberwolves by bringing some fresh recieving talent to the field, meaning the Wolves won't have to rely on former Bar Harbor Captains reciever Robert Cleveland as much. Overall it looks like the Timberwolves have a lot of potential to dominate this year, the only problem is that the Timberwolves play in a very closely contested division each year. The NFC north contains the Dakota Vipers (they managed to clinch home field advantage in the 2004 playoffs) and the Springfield Knights (a team that seems to do a good job of staying in the playoff hunt despite being knocked out a couple times). The other NFC north team is the Edmonton Beavers, they're still rebuilding and I predict that they won't give the powerful Madison Timberwolves squad any trouble. The NFC North could go to just about any team (except the Beavers, barring a miracle), but I think the Timberwolves have the best shot at it.

A Big Suprise

In week 4 of our franchise the Lincoln Tribe have shown themselves to be a pretty good team at the start of the season. They are 3-1 which is pretty good for them as they have been in the cellar of our division for the past 2 seasons. One of their superstar players, Ray Cenci, is very dangerous at receiver. But his main talent and threat is his kick returning skills. He is among the top kick returneres in the league. The big question is, will the Tribe make it to the playoffs this year? What do you think? I have a poll on the sidebar so if you have time, please vote.

Ray Cenci, puts the moves on and scores a touchdown during a week 6 game vs. the Captains

Offensive Line: UNDERATED

Many people think Quarterbacks are the heroes of the NFL when really the offensive line is. They basically do all the work. The Quarterback would be nothing without his line. No one really talks about the line and they don't think they are important but they really are. They are the true heroes of football in my opinion.

Whats the PR Dempartment's problem?!?!?

The PR Department in the NFA has been in a bad mood lately. They don't seem to like any team's jersey's now a days. They really need to lighten up!!!

Defensive Rookie of the Year?

Bar Harbor Captains acquired Strong Safty Randy Stephens in the second round of the NFA draft. The 22 year old rookie turned out to be a good addition to the Bar Harbor Captains run defence, after 4 weeks of play he has already forced two fumbles. This is no easy feat, he beat out former Yeti prospect Ralph Waller for the starting job at strong safty during preseason. His powerful performance thusfar has impressed coaches and players alike. Stephens needs only to improve on his pass defence and speed to become one of the premire players in the NFA. The Bar Harbor Captains especially need Randy's talents now as starting free safty Kelvin Hutchinson is out for another 10 weeks because of an injury. This means that 21 year old rookie Jimmy Rhodes is now starting at free safty for the Captains. The Captains are lucky to have such a big playmaker at strong safty, he has a lot of potential and I predict he will win defensive rookie of the year if he keeps this up.

Is Mack Pleasant going to be better than Randy Moss?

Mack Pleasant celebrates in the endzone during a week 7 game at the Ospreys

Yukon Yeti wideout Mack Pleasant had a phenomenal rookie year helping the Yeti to win their first Super Bowl of the franchise. The big question is if when Mack's carreer is over, will he go down as better than the legendary Randy Moss? Many people think that he will be if he manages to stay healthy. He is one of the fastest players in the league and can beat out any safety or corner. He is especially dangerous when thrown to by the young Ben Harris with exceptional throwing power. These two young talents have been and will continue to be threats for any defense.

Ben Harris fires a short pass to Tim Peterson during week 7 at Spokane

Rumors of Garner Trade Continue to Stir

There has been talk about a possible trade of Bar Harbor Captain's quarterback Stephen Garner. The Captains are looking for a HB or a LE. The Captains have attempted numerous trades with a couple of teams but they run hard bargains and are giving the Captains a hard time. Bar Harbor is looking to start rookie quarterback Darren Poole, reportedly being the next Tory Mathis. Darren is going to have to live up to those expectations and help Bar Harbor win the Super Bowl.

What's in store for Flyers?

The Flyers started out in this franchise as a cupcake team. Their first season they went 0-16 along with the Beavers. The good thing is that they get good draft picks and young talent for the future. I predict that the Flyers will make it to the playoffs in 5 years.

League News Update 3-4

It's year 3 of this franchise (2006 NFA season) and week 4. This update also features information about happenings in the NFA prior to 3-6. Super Bowl 1 was the Boston Liberty vs. the Carson City Comets, the Liberty emerged victorious completing the first perfect season in NFA history as well as winning the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 2 was an interesting contest between the Yukon Yeti and the Topeka Oilers, the Yeti were victorious as they dominated and completed the second perfect season in NFA history. This year it looks to be interesting as the Carson City Comets appear to be declining. They no longer win the games the once could, despite the fact that star QB Charlie Joyce remains healthy their defence is no longer what it once was and several players complained in 2005. The Topeka Oilers also appear to be a one year show in 2005 as they have yet to win a game this season. More updates may follow.

NFA

The National Football Association was created in the year 2004 to coexist with the NFL. The NFA has many of the same coaches in the NFL and it also has free agents from the NFL as of 2004, the teams are as follows...

NFC

NFC North

Dakota Vipers
Madison Timberwolves
Edmonton Beavers
Springfield Knights

NFC West

Boise Bison
Wyoming Wildcats
Santa Fe Bandits
Tucson Kings

NFC East

Dover Deer
Kentucky Stallions
Iowa Rangers
Boston Liberty

NFC South

Jackson Dragons
Tiburon Sharks
Topeka Oilers
Mexico Bulls

AFC

AFC North

Bar Harbor Captains
Yukon Yeti
Lincoln Tribe
Montana Grizzlies

AFC West

Carson City Comets
Portland Flyers
Spokane Ospreys
Little Rock Crocs

AFC East

Atlantic Tide
Hartford Lightning
Concord Hawks
West Virginia Wizards

AFC South

Hawaii Warriors
Oklahoma Twisters
Salt Lake Scorpions
Puerto Rico Piranhas

Franchise posts will follow, Met runs the Yukon Yeti and Micro runs the Bar Harbor Captains.

The Stadium of the Yukon Yeti