The Super Bowl went down this week and it was a pretty fantastic game.
Yukon Yeti vs. Kentucky Stallions
45 to 6
Don't let the score fool you, this was a very tight game until the second half. The Yukon Yeti may be the Super Bowl champions, but they didn't play like it until the end of the second quarter. Kentucky opened up the game and they had a 6 point lead with 2 minutes left to play in the second quarter. Yukon is fantastic at the two minute drill and it really showed in this case as they delivered 17 points in under 2 minutes to finish halftime with a score of 17 to 6. The rest of the game was a complete blowout as Yukon dominated every aspect of the game. Torry Mathis was named Super Bowl MVP once again as he went 19 for 31 (completion percentage of 61%) with 371 passing yards and 5 touchdowns. He constantly delivered on long passes and his excellent awareness allowed his short passes to turn into huge gains. Overall Mathis had a QB rating of 142.6 and an average of 11.9 yards per pass play. He wasn't sacked a single time and he never turned the ball over. His favorite target was once again Mack Pleasant, as he amassed 213 receiving yards on 6 receptions (average of 35.5 yards per catch). Pleasant accounted for 3 of Mathis' passing touchdowns and he had 60 yards after the catch. Mathis also rushed for 40 yards on 3 attempts with an average of 13.3 yards per run. On the other end of the spectrum Jon Austin was shut down from doing anything productive. He amassed an atrocious passer rating of 14 as he went 11 for 30 (completion percentage of 36%) with a total of 151 yards. Austin also threw 3 interceptions and only averaged 5 yards per pass play. Austin's favorite target was Rocco Carter, who had 4 receptions for 71 yards (average of 17.7 yards per catch). However, the Stallions were at least able to rush the ball better than they had against Boston as Doug Malone picked up 65 yards on the ground with 22 attempts. He averaged 2.9 yards per rushing play and fumbled once, but it was recovered by his own team. On the other hand, Tim Peterson faired pretty well with 50 rushing yards on 12 attempts (average of 4.1 yards per rushing play). Defensively the driving forces of the Yeti were their two safeties. Free safety Jon Baker had 7 tackles and an interception and strong safety Antwaan Mason had 6 tackles and one interception. Middle linebacker Lionel Nipper also had a great game with 6 tackles; five of those tackles were for a loss. Yukon really delivered when it mattered and once again they are the Super Bowl Champions.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
2006 NFA (3-20) Conference Championship League News Update
It's that time again...
Carson City Comets at Yukon Yeti
14 to 34
Kentucky Stallions at Boston Liberty
12 to 7
The Carson City and Yukon game was a good one to watch despite the score. I did project the Yeti to win and I was right, but the way they went about it surprised me. Yukon's offense was inconsistent, not something I'm used to seeing from them. At the end of the first half the score was Yukon 27, and Carson City 0. As you can tell by the final score, Carson City outscored the Yeti in the second half and eventually Charlie Joyce eclipsed Torry Mathis in terms of passing yards, not something that happens every game. Torry Mathis was 17 for 31 with 305 passing yards and a completion percentage of 54.8%. Mathis threw 3 touchdowns (2 to Mack Pleasant and 1 to Lamaar Craig) and one interception. This certainly wasn't his worst game; I was just surprised at how well Charlie Joyce and his passing offense worked for Carson City. Joyce was 29 for 50 with 315 passing yards and a completion percentage of 58%. However, Joyce's touchdown and interceptions are the inverse of Mathis' with 1 TD pass (to Lance King) and 3 interceptions. Carson City threw the ball awfully well for a team that was ranked 31st in the NFA in passing offense. Both quarterbacks seemed to have favorite targets that got over 100 receiving yards this game. Carson City had Lance King and Yukon had Mack Pleasant. Carson City is usually known for their strong defense and rushing attack, and only one of them worked on the Yeti. The Comet's rushing game was absolutely shut down by the powerful Yeti linebackers who relentlessly filled holes and pursued the ball. Pro Bowl running back Will Reynolds ran for only 27 yards on 16 rushing attempts. That's a rushing average of 1.7 yards per carry, not something you usually see from a Pro Bowl running back. However, Reynolds did rush for one touchdown. On the other side of the ball Yukon's running game worked under Tim Peterson and a few scrambles by Torry Mathis. Peterson was playing at about 90% of his full health and I thought he did alright for facing one of the best rushing defenses in the NFA. He ran for 54 yards on 11 carries with an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Another thing about this game that really jumped out at me was Yukon's powerful defense in the first half. Carson City was held to a 3 and out on their first 2 possessions. The MVP of the game was Yukon's middle linebacker Lionel Nipper with 9 tackles (at least 2 of those were for a loss). Nipper also swatted away 3 passes and intercepted one near the end of the game which he returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. This was certainly an interesting game, but there are still some major concerns for Yukon. First of all, their offensive motor just about stalled in the second half. Not one point from the offense in the entire second half and three turnovers (2 fumbles and an interception). Yukon needs to work on consistency if they want to win the super bowl, especially against a Kentucky Stallions team that's looking very hot this time of year. This brings me to the Kentucky, Boston game this week. This NFC Conference Championship game turned out to be one that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I cannot believe that Boston lost to Kentucky. I was stunned at Kentucky's defensive power that seemingly came out of nowhere. I was expecting this to be a shootout with Boston's defense preventing Kentucky from keeping up with the quick tempo of the Boston offense. Shane Gaines was mostly shut down with only 148 passing yards and a completion percentage of 41% (he was 10 for 24). Gaines also threw the only Liberty touchdown of the game to Leslie Johnson, but he also threw an interception. On the other end was Pro Bowl QB Jon Austin who did around the same as Gaines with 154 passing yards and a completion percentage of 52% (13 for 25). Austin was briefly injured in the 3rd quarter and backup Erik Gore came in and delivered a few solid plays as he went 2 for 3 with 32 passing yards. The rushing game for both teams was shut down and this is probably what hurt the Liberty the most. Liberty Pro Bowler Josh Page only got 21 yards on 10 rushing attempts (average of 2 yards per carry). Kentucky's running game was a bunch of negative numbers except for running back Doug Malone who only gained 10 yards on 18 rushing attempts. However, Kentucky was able to spread the ball through the passing game as they methodically moved down the field. This led to 4 field goals kicked by Bryce Johnson, his longest being from 51 yards out. The MVP was Kentucky Strong Safety Courtney Smith with 6 tackles and the game's only interception. The key to Kentucky's victory was a consistent passing attack that allowed them to get in scoring range. Boston's only score was a 60 yard pass to Leslie Johnson. As you can see, it seemed the Liberty overstretched themselves instead of being consistent and methodical as the Stallions were. This is what may be a key factor in the Super Bowl. As I mentioned when talking about the Carson City, Yukon game, Yukon lacked consistency. If they can't maintain that in the Super Bowl then the Stallions may very well prevail. However, there was a point near the end of the game were Boston had a chance to run a 2 minute drill. They came through on a big 4th and 15 situation deep in their own territory with a minute and 56 seconds left to play, but they failed on a 4th and 10 as they neared the redzone. Boston's only points came in the first quarter where as Kentucky put up 3 in the first quarter, 6 in the second quarter, and 3 again in the third quarter. Again, I point out that the key to Kentucky's victory was consistency. Now that I've taken a look at the Conference Championship games let's take a look at the Super Bowl.
Yukon Yeti vs. Kentucky Stallions
It's not hard for me to think that this is a situation just like last year, but last year the Topeka Oilers never had to face the Liberty. The Stallions have a very underrated defense to compliment their well known powerful passing offense. Kentucky's style isn't too far apart from Yukon's and it should make for an interesting Super Bowl at the very least. As for the score, I'm expecting a shootout that puts the final score in the high 20s to low 30s with Yukon coming out on top at the end. At the very least I'm excited that it's this time of year again. All injuries for both teams are now fully healed; I expect a great game.
Carson City Comets at Yukon Yeti
14 to 34
Kentucky Stallions at Boston Liberty
12 to 7
The Carson City and Yukon game was a good one to watch despite the score. I did project the Yeti to win and I was right, but the way they went about it surprised me. Yukon's offense was inconsistent, not something I'm used to seeing from them. At the end of the first half the score was Yukon 27, and Carson City 0. As you can tell by the final score, Carson City outscored the Yeti in the second half and eventually Charlie Joyce eclipsed Torry Mathis in terms of passing yards, not something that happens every game. Torry Mathis was 17 for 31 with 305 passing yards and a completion percentage of 54.8%. Mathis threw 3 touchdowns (2 to Mack Pleasant and 1 to Lamaar Craig) and one interception. This certainly wasn't his worst game; I was just surprised at how well Charlie Joyce and his passing offense worked for Carson City. Joyce was 29 for 50 with 315 passing yards and a completion percentage of 58%. However, Joyce's touchdown and interceptions are the inverse of Mathis' with 1 TD pass (to Lance King) and 3 interceptions. Carson City threw the ball awfully well for a team that was ranked 31st in the NFA in passing offense. Both quarterbacks seemed to have favorite targets that got over 100 receiving yards this game. Carson City had Lance King and Yukon had Mack Pleasant. Carson City is usually known for their strong defense and rushing attack, and only one of them worked on the Yeti. The Comet's rushing game was absolutely shut down by the powerful Yeti linebackers who relentlessly filled holes and pursued the ball. Pro Bowl running back Will Reynolds ran for only 27 yards on 16 rushing attempts. That's a rushing average of 1.7 yards per carry, not something you usually see from a Pro Bowl running back. However, Reynolds did rush for one touchdown. On the other side of the ball Yukon's running game worked under Tim Peterson and a few scrambles by Torry Mathis. Peterson was playing at about 90% of his full health and I thought he did alright for facing one of the best rushing defenses in the NFA. He ran for 54 yards on 11 carries with an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Another thing about this game that really jumped out at me was Yukon's powerful defense in the first half. Carson City was held to a 3 and out on their first 2 possessions. The MVP of the game was Yukon's middle linebacker Lionel Nipper with 9 tackles (at least 2 of those were for a loss). Nipper also swatted away 3 passes and intercepted one near the end of the game which he returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. This was certainly an interesting game, but there are still some major concerns for Yukon. First of all, their offensive motor just about stalled in the second half. Not one point from the offense in the entire second half and three turnovers (2 fumbles and an interception). Yukon needs to work on consistency if they want to win the super bowl, especially against a Kentucky Stallions team that's looking very hot this time of year. This brings me to the Kentucky, Boston game this week. This NFC Conference Championship game turned out to be one that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I cannot believe that Boston lost to Kentucky. I was stunned at Kentucky's defensive power that seemingly came out of nowhere. I was expecting this to be a shootout with Boston's defense preventing Kentucky from keeping up with the quick tempo of the Boston offense. Shane Gaines was mostly shut down with only 148 passing yards and a completion percentage of 41% (he was 10 for 24). Gaines also threw the only Liberty touchdown of the game to Leslie Johnson, but he also threw an interception. On the other end was Pro Bowl QB Jon Austin who did around the same as Gaines with 154 passing yards and a completion percentage of 52% (13 for 25). Austin was briefly injured in the 3rd quarter and backup Erik Gore came in and delivered a few solid plays as he went 2 for 3 with 32 passing yards. The rushing game for both teams was shut down and this is probably what hurt the Liberty the most. Liberty Pro Bowler Josh Page only got 21 yards on 10 rushing attempts (average of 2 yards per carry). Kentucky's running game was a bunch of negative numbers except for running back Doug Malone who only gained 10 yards on 18 rushing attempts. However, Kentucky was able to spread the ball through the passing game as they methodically moved down the field. This led to 4 field goals kicked by Bryce Johnson, his longest being from 51 yards out. The MVP was Kentucky Strong Safety Courtney Smith with 6 tackles and the game's only interception. The key to Kentucky's victory was a consistent passing attack that allowed them to get in scoring range. Boston's only score was a 60 yard pass to Leslie Johnson. As you can see, it seemed the Liberty overstretched themselves instead of being consistent and methodical as the Stallions were. This is what may be a key factor in the Super Bowl. As I mentioned when talking about the Carson City, Yukon game, Yukon lacked consistency. If they can't maintain that in the Super Bowl then the Stallions may very well prevail. However, there was a point near the end of the game were Boston had a chance to run a 2 minute drill. They came through on a big 4th and 15 situation deep in their own territory with a minute and 56 seconds left to play, but they failed on a 4th and 10 as they neared the redzone. Boston's only points came in the first quarter where as Kentucky put up 3 in the first quarter, 6 in the second quarter, and 3 again in the third quarter. Again, I point out that the key to Kentucky's victory was consistency. Now that I've taken a look at the Conference Championship games let's take a look at the Super Bowl.
Yukon Yeti vs. Kentucky Stallions
It's not hard for me to think that this is a situation just like last year, but last year the Topeka Oilers never had to face the Liberty. The Stallions have a very underrated defense to compliment their well known powerful passing offense. Kentucky's style isn't too far apart from Yukon's and it should make for an interesting Super Bowl at the very least. As for the score, I'm expecting a shootout that puts the final score in the high 20s to low 30s with Yukon coming out on top at the end. At the very least I'm excited that it's this time of year again. All injuries for both teams are now fully healed; I expect a great game.
Monday, August 23, 2010
2006 NFA (3-19) Divisional League News Update
Here's this week's Divisional Round recap and some projections for the upcoming AFC and NFC Conference Championship games. Here are the Divisional Playoff Round games...
Bar Harbor Captains at Yukon Yeti
27 to 66
Mexico Bulls at Boston Liberty
9 to 35
Puerto Rico Piranhas at Carson City Comets
9 to 25
Kentucky Stallions at Madison Timberwolves
27 to 22
I wasn't too surprised with the results of this playoff round; there's only one game that really surprised me. Yukon steamrolled Bar Harbor with their powerful offense and it looks like their game is back in gear. However, I was impressed with the offense the Captains had; they could've beaten the Yeti if they had some better defense and more luck (which is it seems most teams need to stop Yukon from scoring more than 21 points in a game). I wasn't surprised at the outcome of the Mexico, Boston game. It seems clear to me that Boston will make it to the Super Bowl this year, although I didn't think the Timberwolves would be able to stop them last year and look what happened. Puerto Rico didn't stand a chance against Carson City, but Carson City has a very tough game ahead. The only game that really surprised me this week was the Kentucky, Madison game in which Kentucky beat out the Timberwolves. I didn't believe that Kentucky really had a defense to stop the T-Wolves. There's only two games left to play as the playoffs near their conclusion; here's the match up for the Conference Championship games...
Carson City Comets at Yukon Yeti
Kentucky Stallions at Boston Liberty
This first game is the AFC Conference Championship and a rematch of week 11 in which the Yeti destroyed the Comets 54 to 14. However, do not forget this is the playoffs and anything is liable to happen. Despite this, I expect Yukon to come out on top as they did back in week 11, but expect a narrower gap. The next game is the NFC Conference Championship and should also be somewhat predictable with the Liberty rolling over the Stallions and advancing to the Super Bowl. Kentucky just doesn't have the right stuff to face a team like Boston, but I've been wrong before. In any case these are the Conference Championship games, usually the most tightly contested game of the entire playoffs. I expect the Super Bowl to be the best one yet with Boston facing Yukon. During the first few years of this franchise it seems apparent that the same teams are consistently making the playoffs. This is to be expected, but I can't help but wonder when powerful teams like the Boston Liberty, Yukon Yeti, and Carson City Comets will disband. To me it seems that the Atlantic Tide are already on the way out and this year could prove to be their undoing in the long run. I'll report back as soon as the Conference Championship games are done.
Bar Harbor Captains at Yukon Yeti
27 to 66
Mexico Bulls at Boston Liberty
9 to 35
Puerto Rico Piranhas at Carson City Comets
9 to 25
Kentucky Stallions at Madison Timberwolves
27 to 22
I wasn't too surprised with the results of this playoff round; there's only one game that really surprised me. Yukon steamrolled Bar Harbor with their powerful offense and it looks like their game is back in gear. However, I was impressed with the offense the Captains had; they could've beaten the Yeti if they had some better defense and more luck (which is it seems most teams need to stop Yukon from scoring more than 21 points in a game). I wasn't surprised at the outcome of the Mexico, Boston game. It seems clear to me that Boston will make it to the Super Bowl this year, although I didn't think the Timberwolves would be able to stop them last year and look what happened. Puerto Rico didn't stand a chance against Carson City, but Carson City has a very tough game ahead. The only game that really surprised me this week was the Kentucky, Madison game in which Kentucky beat out the Timberwolves. I didn't believe that Kentucky really had a defense to stop the T-Wolves. There's only two games left to play as the playoffs near their conclusion; here's the match up for the Conference Championship games...
Carson City Comets at Yukon Yeti
Kentucky Stallions at Boston Liberty
This first game is the AFC Conference Championship and a rematch of week 11 in which the Yeti destroyed the Comets 54 to 14. However, do not forget this is the playoffs and anything is liable to happen. Despite this, I expect Yukon to come out on top as they did back in week 11, but expect a narrower gap. The next game is the NFC Conference Championship and should also be somewhat predictable with the Liberty rolling over the Stallions and advancing to the Super Bowl. Kentucky just doesn't have the right stuff to face a team like Boston, but I've been wrong before. In any case these are the Conference Championship games, usually the most tightly contested game of the entire playoffs. I expect the Super Bowl to be the best one yet with Boston facing Yukon. During the first few years of this franchise it seems apparent that the same teams are consistently making the playoffs. This is to be expected, but I can't help but wonder when powerful teams like the Boston Liberty, Yukon Yeti, and Carson City Comets will disband. To me it seems that the Atlantic Tide are already on the way out and this year could prove to be their undoing in the long run. I'll report back as soon as the Conference Championship games are done.
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