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Wednesday, 14 July 2010 08:15 |
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Last week saw the Milwaukee Storm in town for our kickoff...no, wait...last week saw the Milwaukee Storm in town AFTER the scheduled kickoff time, and with barely enough guys for a squad. The Storm, who haven't won a game all season, were no-shows at kickoff time, which was 7PM. It was pretty disconcerting, as well, since
A: This was Family Night, and we had a great crowd on hand to watch us;
B: We need to work out kinks that have been bothering us since before the Panthers game;
and C: This team was billed as filled with a "players and coaching ranks mostly consist[ing] of IFL veterans and proven winners". Instead, we had exactly two guys in opposite colored uniforms at 7. The refs agreed to delay the kickoff by 20+ minutes, and when their eleventh man walked onto the field, a sigh of relief was felt from our sideline: we would get our game in after all. I think they wound up with 20 players total, and the subsequent butt-kicking we put on in the first half was enough to ensure that just about everyone saw plenty of field time. Even Bob Gingras, our 55 year old owner, who has been practicing with us QB's for the last month, saw three series. He threw for a score, led a scoring drive and had one other drive fizzle out, but he helped us amass a 30+ point halftime lead. Petro continued to make his strong case for league MVP, tossing a few more scores and running one in himself. He was out midway through the third quarter. I got to play the rest of the game (Dave Hebgen had an unfortunate incident with a hockey stick and his mouth and was unavailable at the start of the game). However, we had a running clock for some of the third quarter and most of the fourth, resulting in two drives total for the second and third teamers. We were up 55-0 at this point, so it was a moot point anyhow, and I'm pretty sure EVERYONE was looking forward to getting out of their gear. The hot July air was incredibly sticky, and the sidelines reeked of disgustingness and sweat. The Hit Squad continued to play killer football, forcing several turnovers (as Will Smith put it, forcing their quarterback to play "500 with us"), including a pick-six late in the game. It was a good win for us, and moved us to 30 in a row, giving us the longest current active winning streak in the country. Next week sees a return to some serious competition, with the Hitmen on the schedule. Should be an interesting week for practice, with intensity jacking up several notches. |
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Monday, 12 July 2010 19:48 |
This week's preview is coming from Duluth, MN, and the beautiful Beacon Pointe Resort on the shores of Lake Superior. Yes, kids, just because I'm on vacation from my lucrative 40-hour per week gig driving a forklift, I'm never on vacation from thinking about football.
Here we go, kids, the last week of the regular season, the playoff teams are set, it's time to figure out the seedings. We have some games that are essentially playoff games, and the winner will decide the Conference Champs.
Last Week: 6-0
Season: 37-5
Stampede @ Phoenix
A win for the Stampede clinches the West. The Phoenix will not be able to overpower the Stampede's D with their running game, in fact, the opposite will be true.
Stampede by 10
Gladiators @ Force
This one's a winner-take-all for the Conference. The Force showed their late loss before the bye may have been a fluke, and a re-worked offense for the Force may cause fits for the Gladiators. The Force have experience in big games, and that experience will be the difference.
Force by 7
Predators @ Dragons
The Dragons need to win big to take the Central here, and that won't happen. These teams played close Week 1, and it may be another nail-biter.
Predators by 7
Spartans @ Crush
2010 has been a difficult year for both these teams. The Crush missed the playoffs for the first time ever, and the Spartans need to re-build for next year. The Orangeheads will come out in full force to give their team a great send off.
Crush by 10
Giants @ Pioneers
The Pioneers might rest their starters for a bit in this one, getting ready for the playoffs. The Giants want to play spoiler, but I don't think that's happening.
Pioneers by 10
Arctic Blast @ Storm
Will this be the Blasts' swan song? Their core players are getting older, recruiting has been clearly soft, something needs to be done to resurrect this once-proud franchise. The Storm, however, may use this game to figure out how to organize the team for 2011. Expect some different looks, and players in different positions. The Storm Chasers want a home win, and this week will be their best chance to make that happen.
Storm by 4
Stay tuned next week for my Playoff Preview... |
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Tuesday, 06 July 2010 19:09 |
Last Week: 1-0
Season: 31-5
Hope everybody had a Happy 4th, didn't drink too much and came away with all your digits...
The Playoff picture got a little clearer, and hopefully we'll have a few more teams clinch this week.
Dragons @ Spartans
The Spartans have had a rough season, injuries have taken its toll on last years Offensive juggernaut. The Dragons cannot be looking ahead to next week, or the Spartans might steal one.
Dragons by 10
Giants @ Stampede
The Stampede need a win to take the Conference, while the Giants need a win just to stay mathematically alive in the race. The Stampede will run all over the Giants' suspect D.
Stampede by 10
Storm @ Force
The Storm finally got a W, while the Force let one slip away late. The Force need a W to set up next week's matchup against GB, but the Storm could play spoiler. The Force cannot turn the ball over, but should be passing the ball a lot. If the Force look ahead too much, the Storm might pull off an upset.
Force by 7
Phoenix @ Pioneers
The Pioneers need a W and a little help if they want the Conference, and they will do their part. The Phoenix lost big in their first meeting, but they have improved and the Pioneers have looked vulnerable.
Pioneers by 14
Gladiators @ Blast
The Gladiators threw a wrench into the Eastern Conference race by beating the Force, and that high should last this week. The Blast will play hard as usual, but will come up short against the tested Gladiators
Gladiators by 14
Predators vs Crush
The battle for Eau Claire wages again, and the Predators look just as good as their dominant season last year. The Dragons will be rooting for the Crush, no doubt.
Predators by 10
Everybody be safe, play well, and keep your head on a swivel. |
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Friday, 02 July 2010 08:49 |
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Week five. Panthers. Supposed to be a cake walk. Unfortunately, the minute any single person believes what it's supposed to be, it never is. Call it the Quantum Theory of Football: By knowing something that is supposed to be known, you alter it so that it is impossible to occur. Yeah, I like that. I think I'll go with it. Anyhow, this was my first game back following the trip to Honduras. We came off a bye week, which may have attributed to the problem. The Wednesday before we seemed a little to loose at practice, and by the Wednesday immediately before the game, things just seemed to be a little rusty. It doesn't help that we're battling a spate of injuries and had several starters out, or playing in limited capacities, going against a team with nothing to lose. Defense, as usual, played lights out. They battled a few times in the first half and never really were threatened. In the second half, with several starters out, the Panthers O was able to move a little, but I don't think anyone on our sideline was ever concerned- at least not about the D. Offensively we had our own issues. Yes, we were missing some linemen. Yes, we were probably a little conservative in our playcalling. Yes, we shot ourselves in the foot a few times. But nonetheless, when you boil it down, we didn't perform to the high standards we hold ourselves to, and so the disappointment is our own doing. Most teams would be thrilled with a 30-2 win. But as we talked about at practice this week, we're not most teams. We take pride in executing on every play, and I think everyone would agree that from man #1 to man #100, we all had an off week. That, however, is what we build on. You can't build on perfection, you can only build on imperfection. And judging from the attitudes two nights ago, I think a lot of people are taking that to heart. Also, I lost a fingernail at practice. Two weeks ago I had my right index finger (throwing finger) crushed between two 200lb rocks while building a boulder wall. I'm lucky I had on the special reinforced boulder gloves, or it could have been season ending. Anyhow, after lancing the nail several times to relieve pressure, the bed finally began to heal enough that I was able to rip it off at practice. I have feeling back in the pad of the finger now, for the first time in two weeks, so I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing some more PT next week against the Storm. That's all from Mustang camp this week. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend everyone! |
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Monday, 21 June 2010 16:32 |
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Last Week: 4-2
Season: 24-5 We got one more interesting week of games before the 4th of July Byes, and it's time for teams to start their playoff runs... Phoenix @ Stampede
The Stampede made things VERY interesting in the West by upsetting the Pioneers, while the Phoenix were dominated by the Dragons. The Stampede are riding a high, and will ride that past the Phoenix.
Stampede by 14 Force @ Gladiators
Finally! The game the East has been waiting for. After beating up on the bottom of the League all season long, the Force finally play a team with more wins than losses. They've been dominant the past few weeks, but they've been doing it against teams they SHOULD dominate. The Gladiators are licking their wounds again after a savage beatdown at the hands of the Predators. Look for the Gladiators to get their ducks in a row and cut some of the chaff. I'm putting the Force on upset alert.
Gladiators by 3 Pioneers @ Giants
The P-Unit was shorthanded against the Stampede, but don't look for that team to use that as an excuse. After 2 straight losses, they look to rebound against a Giants team that moved the ball well against the struggling Spartans. I don't see the Pioneers dropping 3 straight.
Pioneers by 10 Spartans @ Predators
The Predators seemed to play a near-perfect game against the Gladiators, while the Spartans dropped another rough game. The Spartan D needs to slow down the Predator offense, and if they couldn't do that against the Giants, the Predators will have another blowout.
Predators by 20 Storm @ Blast
This is the game both these teams have been waiting for. The best thing I can say about this matchup is that someone will win (unless there's a tie). The Storm O has been struggling all season, and wasted some golden opportunities to put points on the board against the Crush, but the Special Teams unit has come on as of late, scoring 3 Touchdowns in the last two weeks. Special Teams will probably be the difference in this game.
Storm by 7 Crush @ Dragons
The Dragons took the earlier matchup between these squads, and if the Crush want to avenge that loss, they need to keep their hands on the ball. If they turn the ball over as much as they did against the Storm, they won't. They got away with it last week, but the Dragons are a much better team.
Dragons by 7 That's it for this week, everybody stay healthy and keep your head on a swivel. |
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