Wildcard Weekend was here and now it's gone, along with 6 teams that lost their games. Only 2 of the 6 games were within one score, so there wasn't a whole lot of game drama. Congratulations on making the playoffs Houston, Portland, Denver, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Shreveport. While your seasons didn't last quite as long as you'd like, you were more successful than more than half the league, so there's that. There can be only one World Bowl Champion, the rest of us end up wanting more.

Michigan Panthers 26 Houston Gamblers 19

Michigan got the ball first and took an early 7-0 lead after 3 plays when Willie Reddish found Brendan Tullis for a 50 yard TD pass. The next 3 drives ended in punts, then Michigan turned it over on downs at their own 25. Houston couldn't get a first down but the great field position did result in a 35 yard Tom Overton FG, cutting the lead to 7-3. A few more punts happened, then Dale Baber threw his own 50 yard TD pass to Rob Van Dam. Houston now led 10-7 but Michigan would tie it on the next drive on a 31 yard Raymond Spencer FG. Tom Overton would kick Houston into the lead at halftime with a pair of FGs inside the 2 minute warning. The 2nd FG came as a result of another turnover on downs by Michigan.

The Gamblers had the momentum going into halftime, but they left it in the locker room as Baber threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage in the 3rd qtr, with Houston West (ironic name) taking it down to the 5 yard line. Baber forced West to fumble but the Panthers recovered at the 2. Willie Reddish found Jimmy Martin for a short TD pass 2 plays later and the XP gave Michigan a 17-16 lead. Raymond Spencer extended the lead to 20-16 with a 37 yard FG. Later in the 3rd, Spencer made a 46 yard FG for a 23-16 lead. Tom Overton made a 53 yard FG to start the 4th but the Michigan defense made sure that's as close as the Gamblers would get.

Brendan Tullis had a combined 118 yards and a TD reception while Willie Reddish completed 23/36, 236 yards and 2 TDs.

San Jose SaberCats 47 Portland Storm 7

San Jose scored first on a Myron Dustin TD pass and Portland tied it on a Howard Glidden 31 yard TD run, before San Jose scored the next 40 points to close the game and advance. Myron Dustin completed 23/38, 385 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT and 3 sacks taken. The SaberCats ran for 178 yards and 2 TDs, led by Lynn McLaurin's 65 yards. McLaurin didn't score either rushing TD, but he caught 2 TD passes among his 8 for 58 yards while Scott Isaacs had 125 yards and a TD. Defensively they intercepted Curtis Torres 3 times and held the Storm to 126 total yards.

Honolulu Hawaiians 30 Denver Gold 3

Kevin Via and Denver got the ball to start the game and drove 71 yards for a FG and a 3-0 lead. The rest of the game saw the Gold gain just 103 as Kevin Via finally turned into a pumpkin against the team that drafted him 16th overall in 2002. Via finished 13/37, 141 yards, 3 INTs and 5 sacks taken. Victor Russell completed 25/37, 275 yards and 2 TD passes to Fred Thomas, who caught 4 for 145 yards today. The Hawaiians ran for less than 3 yards per carry but still managed 96 rushing yards and 2 TDs to complement Russell and Thomas. The game was tight until the 4th, when Honolulu finally pulled away after having a 14-3 lead through 3 quarters.

The glitch is popping up and the American Conference is finished, so good place to take a break.

Pittsburgh Maulers 17 Jacksonville Bulls 13

The first quarter was a punting clinic as Robert Spence pinned Jacksonville at their 1 on his first punt, while Jacksonville drove out of the hole enough for Virgil Leon to pin Pittsburgh at their 8. Spence then pinned the Bulls at their 11 before the Maulers finally start a drive in decent field position early in the 2nd. Field position didn't matter for Andrew Paul though, as he broke free for a 50 yard TD run and the XP gave Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead. Virgil Leon would then pin Pittsburgh at their 7 after another fine punt, then the defense forced a 3 and out for good field position. William Barron and Harry Graves pased and ran Jacksonville down to the goal line when Barron found Larry Stafford for a "zero" yard TD to tie the game at 7. There was yet another fine punt by Spence to pin the Bulls at their 10 and we went to halftime tied at 7.

Jacksonville got the ball to start the 2nd half and they drove for a 45 yard Charles Tello FG and a 10-7 lead. Pittsburgh answered with an 11 play, 75 yard TD drive, with Andrew Paul catching a TD this time, a 6 yard pass from Thomas Hampton. That made the score 14-10 Pittsburgh and the Maulers would make it 17-10 after the defense intercepted William Barron. Barron would throw another INT on the next drive and we went to the 4th with Pittsburgh winning 17-10. Charles Tello added a FG midway through the 4th but that's as close as the Bulls would get as their last 2 drives ended with a punt and turnover on downs.

New York (NY) Stars 21 Orlando Renegades 0

The Stars defense came to play today as they held Michael Smith to a 15/42, 96 yards, 2 INT, 2 sack game while also holding Giuseppe Jones to 50 total yards. This was a 6-0 game on a pair of New York FGs until the final 5:27, when Jamie Orman found Charles Conlon for a 6 yard TD pass. Orman's 2 point pass made the score 14-0 and James Luna capped the scoring with a 1 yard TD run inside the 2 minute warning. Orman dinked and dunked his way to a 39/58, 280 yard game, completing passes to 9 different receivers.

Washington Federals 27 Shreveport Steamer 0

This game went about as expected as Shreveport RB Frederick Thomas predictably struggled (16 rushes, 10 yards) on a shredded knee that should have landed him on I.R. RT Fred Diaz also played despite a badly injured ankle and allowed 2 sacks. Shreveport didn't turn the ball over but they also had just 4 first downs, 63 total yards, and 0/11 on 3rd down. Offensively for Washington, Michael Erickson completed 24/33 295 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. William McDuffie caught 6 for 120 yards and 2 TDs while James Ford ran for 103.

Not much drama in the divisional round either as none of the games were one score games. Will the Conference Finals and/or World Bowl provide an exciting finish?

American Conference Divisional Round

San Jose SaberCats 27 Michigan Panthers 10

Michigan kept the game close in the first half but the defending champs pulled away in the 2nd half for the win and a trip to the Conference Championship. Michigan got the ball first and Willie Reddish was intercepted by Jason Medlin. Myron Dustin led a 10 play FG drive afterwards for an early 3-0 lead. Michigan responded with a 15 play, 75 yard TD drive that ended on an 11 yard Reddish TD pass to Jimmy Martin for a 7-3 Panthers lead. A couple of drives later, Dustin responded with a 34 yard TD pass to Arthur Reina as San Jose retook the lead for good. Ken Branch would add a 27 yard FG later in the 2nd qtr as the champs led 13-7 at the half.

San Jose got the ball to start the 3rd and Charles Tillman lost a fumble. The defense had his back though, as Jason Medlin intercepted Willie Reddish again 3 plays later. Medlin returned it 26 yards to set up San Jose with good field position. Seven plays later James Valdez scored on a 2 yard run and the XP made the score 20-7 San Jose. The champs looked to be headed toward another score on their next drive but on the 11th play, Dustin was intercepted by Christoper Tinker. Michigan finally got on the board again with a FG in the 4th to pull within 20-10. There were about 9 minutes left and the Panthers opted for an onside kick, which failed. Michigan got the ball back without allowing additional points but Willie Reddish threw his 3rd INT of the game. Richard Kinman did the honors and 3 plays later James Valdez scored for the 2nd time, this time on a 3 yard run. The XP made the score 27-10 and the defending champs move on to face the winner of Honolulu/San Antonio. Believe it or not there were no noteworthy offensive stat lines from either team.

San Antonio Gunslingers 35 Honolulu Hawaiians 3

San Antonio racked up 449 yards but managed just 1 offensive TD on the day as George Warner threw 2 INTs. Warner finished 20/28, 272 yards, 0 TDs and those 2 picks while Michael Barry led the RB committee with 87 yards and a TD. Glenn Graham had 83 yards rushing but made his presence felt in the return game. Prior to today, no player had returned multiple kickoffs for TDs in the post season, but Glenn Graham did exactly that, scoring on a 97 yard return following a safety and returning the second half kickoff 105 yards. Dennis Lovett kicked 4 FGs and the Gunslingers will host defending champs San Jose for the right to play in World Bowl XXXVIII.

I'm on the downstairs computer and the glitch was showing up again on this PC. It happens when I have multiple MFN tabs open at the same time and go back and forth, looking at stats or game log, then back to typing. Quite annoying. Anyway...

National Conference Divisional Round

New Orleans VooDoo 37 Pittsburgh Maulers 0

New Orleans mauled Pittsburgh with the running game, getting 231 yards and 2 TDs. Gerald Waldon led the way rushing for 177 yards and 1 score while also adding 42 receiving yards and a TD on 6 catches. James Wright threw for 194 yards and 2 TD passes while the VooDoo defense intercepted 2 Thomas Hampton passes and completely shut down the Maulers running game to the tune of 2 yards on 16 carries. Ohio started recreational marijuana sales today, and I partook, but those stats are not backwards. 16 carries netted 2 yards for a team with the 3rd best rushing offense in the league, 4th in yards per carry. New Orleans will host the winner of New York/Washington for the National Conference Championship.

New York (NY) Stars 27 Washington Federals 16

This game did actually have some 4th quarter drama so to speak, although it was more like a flipping of the script. Washington got the ball first and drove for a FG for an early 3-0 lead. NY QB Jamie Orman was intercepted by Willie Brown on their 2nd drive, leading to a second Raymond Hosmer FG and a 6-0 Federals lead. Orman would bounce back with a 12 play, 75 yard TD drive that took the game into the 2nd qtr. The score came on a 2 yard Orman pass to Sleepy Sandmann and the XP gave the Stars a 7-6 lead. The teams exchanged punts, then Washington went on a 13 play, 87 yard TD drive, with James Coleman running in the final 2 yards for the score. The Federals led 13-7 after the XP was good. Jamie Orman was left with just over 2 minutes before halftime and he led the Stars to a FG, cutting the lead to 13-10.

Washington extended the lead late in the 3rd on the 3rd FG by Raymond Hosmer, making the score 16-10. There were more punts until mid 4th, when Jamie Orman found Charles Conlon for a 7 yard TD pass. The XP gave the Stars a 17-16 lead. The New York defense forced a quick punt and Orman found Tree Bark with a 30 yard TD pass, extending the lead to 24-16 after the made XP. Washington failed on a 4th down in their own territory and New York took over already in FG range. Kenneth Williams made the 29 yard kick to salt the game away with an 11 point lead inside 2 minutes. New York wins and advances to play New Orleans for the right to play in World Bowl XXXVIII.

Jamie Orman finished 39/53, 394 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, and no sacks taken. Orman completed a pass to 10 different receivers and his TD passes went to 3 different receivers, but Dylan Fryer went off for 9 catches and 160 yards, but no scores. Washington did run the ball much better than New York, with James Ford gaining 82 yards while also leading the team in receiving, catching 7 for 61 yards. Unfortunately for the Federals, Michael Erickson was average today, completing 18/38, 184 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, and 2 sacks taken.

American Conference Championship

San Jose SaberCats 3 San Antonio Gunslingers 0

Obviously this game was a defensive struggle given the final score, but San Jose finally broke through with a short FG in the 4th for a 3-0 win to send them to World Bowl XXXVIII. San Jose had 3 scoring chances on the game, but on the first chance they elected to punt, rather than go for it on 4th and 3 from the 23 or kick a 41 yard FG. To be fair, San Jose doesn't usually employ a kicker other than to kick off as they like to go for 2 points and 4th downs so the kicker they do have has just 76 accuracy (100 strength though).

The second chance for San Jose points came after Richard Dickinson intercepted George Warner. They took over at their 46 and drove into the red zone when Perry Nelson lost a fumble, keeping the game scoreless.

San Antonio never had much of a scoring chance today as they only ran 3 offensive plays in San Jose territory all game and those came at the end of the first half. They faced a 4th and 4 from the San Jose 43 as the first half clock wound down and a 60 yard FG attempt fell short.

The 3rd quarter was a punt fest with mostly bad starting field position for both teams. Early in the 4th, George Warner threw his 2nd INT after a San Jose punt pinned the Gunslingers at their 8 yard line. Wesley Barber made the interception for the SaberCats, and while the offense couldn't score a TD, Ken Branch made a 25 yard FG for a 3-0 lead. That lead would hold up since San Antonio had no 2nd half plays in SaberCats territory. Scott Isaacs ran 27 times for 124 yards for the only stat line worth mentioning.

Not experiencing the glitch yet, but we're getting close to the sim time so I'll post the National Conference Recap after that.

National Conference Championship

New Orleans VooDoo 18 New York (NY) Stars 12

New Orleans "had one of those games" today, turning the ball over 6 times total, 4 on turnovers and twice on downs. Howard Becker lost a fumble on the VooDoo's 2nd drive and they turned it over on downs on the 3rd. Kenneth Williams missed a 55 yard FG try for New York but he made a 54 yard try on the first play of the 2nd qtr for a 3-0 lead. New Orleans would then drive into FG range but James Jones was wide right on a 42 yard try. Three plays later Matthew McGrath intercepted Jamie Orman, leading to a James Jones successful 48 yard FG, tying the game at 3. New York would be forced to punt but they pinned the VooDoo deep, then Peter O'Reilly intercepted James Wright. The Stars offense went backwards but still broke the tie on a 39 yard FG by Kenneth Williams. James Wright would give New Orleans the lead at the half with his 6 yard TD pass to Howard Becker inside the 2 minute warning.

New Orleans got the ball to start the 3rd qtr but punted. The defense got the ball back, intercepting Jamie Orman but James Jones missed another FG wide right, this one from 47 yards. In the middle of the 3rd qtr, New Orleans was in prime scoring position until James Wright was intercepted at the New York 7. The defense forced a quick punt but they failed to convert a 4th and 1 from the New York 31, and still led 10-6. Jamie Orman then drove New York into FG range as the game moved into the 4th qtr.

Kenneth Williams made a 23 yard FG with 13:34 to play, pulling the Stars within 1 at 10-9. With 7:11 to play, Christian Newhouse intercepted James Wright, the 3rd INT Wright threw today. New York drove all the way to the cusp of the goal line and faced a 4th and goal "at the 0" with 2:49 to play, trailing by 1. They opted to go for the FG and Kenneth Williams made the 17 yard kick to give New York a 12-10 lead. James Wright answered right away with a 68 yard TD pass to Michael Ferrell and Gary Erickson's 2 point run gave New Orleans an 18-12 lead with 2:41 left. New York would have 2 more drives but neither went anywhere and New Orleans survives and advances to World Bowl XXXVIII.

Gerald Waldon ran for exactly 100 yards while James Wright threw for 300 yards and 2 TDs to go with his 3 INTs. Michael Ferrell caught 3 for 101 yards and a TD to round out the high stats.

That ACC was a helluva baseball game.

Interesting to note that deep down in Smirt's gameplan is a field goal try.