I ran out of time before work to write anything but I just noticed UKRAIN no longer owns Charlotte. His name does not appear in the sign up blocks, which I take to mean he didn't abandon his team.

I did not boot him, so my guess is what happened to amalric7 in the past has happened to UKRAIN. I just reached out to him via PM, so we'll see what happens.

Looks like we've had quite a bit of scoring, and I did look over most of the box scores already. Patrick Howard had a HUGE game, Philadelphia had a combined 8 TD passes from 2 QBs and the Bell won their game 59-38...I think the OVER hit.

Oklahoma, Orlando, and Philadelphia punched their playoff tickets today, joining Memphis, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Birmingham, and New Orleans.

I'll do the write ups after work in the early morning.

I was hoping to be finished by now but here I am just getting started. I guess it's just been a scatterbrain day for me, I have so much I want to do I don't know where to begin.

Week 13

I'll try to be informative but brief, we'll see how it goes.

We'll start with Pittsburgh because they're 13-0 after their 42-7 win over Shreveport. The Maulers defense were content to force punts as they only had 1 turnover and no sacks. No big deal as the offense exploded for 641 yards. They had 255 yards rushing, including 112 yards and 2 TDs from USFL leading rusher Matthew Goebel, although Goebel didn't even lead his team today. Israel Wick led the way with 126 rushing yards. QB Brian White threw for 386 yards and 4 TD passes, all to Patrick Howard. The league's leading receiver caught 7 in all for 262 yards, pushing his season total to 2,083 with 22 TDs.

This is our 33rd season and Howard's 2,000 yards is the 28th time a receiver has eclipsed that total. 22 TDs is already tied for 14th best in a single season. Of course Howard is still too far away from the single season records of 4,075 yards and 41 TDs set by Glenn Hampton of the 1996 Georgia Force.

Pittsburgh looks unbeatable at the moment, but it's possible they don't get home field advantage. The Maulers play Birmingham Week 16 and if they both keep doing what they're doing, it will be 14-1 Birmingham vs 15-0 Pittsburgh and the winner gets the BYE.

Birmingham could also not even win their division if they finish 14-2. New Orleans is hot on their heels and could force a tiebreaker scenario.

Birmingham had a tough game against Midwest champs Michigan, beating them 28-21. Michigan out gained the Stallions 420-319 but Birmingham did better in the red zone, going 3 for 3 with 3 TDs while Michigan was 0/2 with 2 FGs. Russell Gall threw 4 TD passes with Arnold Griego catching 2 of the scores and 135 receiving yards. Willie Reddish threw for 345 yards and 2 TDs, but also threw 2 INTs and was sacked 4 times.

New Orleans kept pace by defeating Georgia 34-10. The VooDoo scored on their opening drive, then the offense went stagnant until the 4th qtr. New Orleans did recover a fumble on a punt return to set up a FG in the 2nd qtr and they got a Pick Six of Adam Patrick for a 17-0 2nd qtr lead. Willie Graham gave the TD back though as he found Robert Palmer simply irresistible, throwing an interception to him that was returned for a TD for a 17-7 halftime score. Willie Graham threw 2 TDs and 2 INTs for the game and was sacked 7 times.

The VooDoo defense had 4 sacks of their own to go with 2 INTs and 2 fumble recoveries, though like I said earlier, one was on special teams. The 3rd quarter was scoreless and New Orleans won the 4th 17-3. Benjamin Jones caught 9 for 155 yards and 2 TDs.

Philadelphia out scored Arizona 59-38 in a wild, streaky game. Arizona scored 17 points in the first quarter for a 17-0 lead before Philadelphia scored 45 unanswered points for a 45-17 lead early in the 4th. The Wranglers didn't quit though, scoring 21 unanswered points of their own to get within 45-38. Philadelphia then got 2 TD passes from backup QB Bryant Smith to finish the scoring and the win for the Bell.

Joel Jasso threw for 441 yards and 6 TDs while Bryant Smith threw for 74 yards and 2 TDs. Alfredo Montoya was the leading receiver, catching 12 for 155 and 2 TDs. Arizona got 442 yards and 3 TD passes from Curtis Kim and that produced a pair of 100 yard receivers, Brett Estrada and Nick Mitchell. Estrada's dad Erik would be proud as Brett CHiPped in 7 catches, 160 yards and a TD while Mitchell had 109 yards and 2 TDs.

Memphis and Portland faced off today in a possible playoff preview. Defense was the order of the day as the teams combined for 384 yards, 17 punts, 6 turnovers and 11 sacks. Memphis scored an early TD for a 6-0 lead (missed XP), then Portland made it 6-3 with a 2nd qtr FG. Memphis would add a FG in the 3rd and 4th qtrs for a 12-3 lead before Cesar Houser's 14 yard TD run just before the 2 minute warning sealed the Showboats win.

Oklahoma shutout Honolulu 41-0 behind 5 Raymond Settles TD passes. Settles threw for 476 yards with Arthur Reina (6-145-1) and Gary Kahn (5-136-2) leading the receivers. Steven McCurdy and Adam "Not Pacman" Jones combined for 153 rushing yards and the Outlaws defense had 2 INTs and 3 sacks.

San Jose couldn't take advantage of the Hawaiians loss as they were upset by Southern California 32-28. The SaberCats offense had 477 yards, including 178 on the ground, went 9/15 on 3rd down and 2/4 on 4th. San Jose led 20-6 at the half and 28-13 until late 3rd quarter when the Sun went on a run, scoring 3 TDs for 19 unanswered points (2 failed 2 point tries). After Southern California made the score 28-26, San Jose had a 15 play drive that took 8:40 off the clock, but a missed FG left the score unchanged. Larry Henderson threw an INT on the next drive and the Sun ran out the clock for victory.

Houston beat Chicago 49-10, keeping hold of the 2nd wildcard berth. I'll get to the Gamblers offense but first, their defense deserves credit for holding Chicago to 246 yards and getting 5 sacks. That unit is still ranked 29th, but today was a good day. Offensively, it looks like Dale Baber was sick and tired of throwing INTs and hearing the fans talk smack about him on local podcasts. To be fair, Houston fans complain about the defense a lot more, but you know how sensitive some QBs can be (you done messed up A-A Ron).

Baber completed 40/45 for 435 yards, zero INTs and zero sacks. Harley Race caught 7 for 123 yards and 2 TDs while Randy Savage had 171 combined scrimmage yards.

Orlando beat Boston 47-14 thanks to 5 Dwayne Byrd TD passes and 269 rushing yards. Byrd only threw for 197 on 32/47 passing and 5 different receivers caught scores. Henry Gilbert had 129 rushing yards to lead the Renegades BCBC and the defense had 3 sacks and 3 INTs.

New Jersey beat Denver 30-0 in a game where the Generals defense got to flex their muscles, allowing just 66 total yards with 7 sacks and 3 turnovers. Vic Mackey had 110 rushing yards and QB Kevin Via completed 17/21 with 2 TDs.

New York beat Oakland 20-0 behind a defense that allowed just 149 yards and forced 3 turnovers. Jamie Orman threw for 240 yards and a TD, completing passes to 9 different receivers.

Jacksonville escaped Tampa Bay with a 9-6 victory to stay 1 game out of the #7 seed. The Bulls offense was bullsh..(just a play on words), gaining a paltry 176 yards but they didn't turn the ball over and scored the games lone TD, albeit with a missed XP. The Jacksonville defense held Tampa Bay to 220 yards, getting 3 sacks and 3 INTs and held the Bandits out of the end zone.

Cleveland beat Detroit 33-13 despite just 201 offensive yards. The Thunderbolts defense/special teams held the Wheels to 157 total yards, getting 9 sacks, an INT and 3 fumble recoveries. One of those fumble recoveries came on a punt and Edward Shaul returned it for a TD for Cleveland. Carlos Reed kicked 4 FGs and Carl Langlois completed 25/33 with a TD.

Los Angeles got by Washington 17-14 despite 3 INTs by QB Myron Dustin. The Express offense started slow with a punt, INT and a missed FG, finding themselves down 6-0. After the 2nd Washington FG, Robert Brown took the kickoff 102 yards for a score. Richard Neufield caught 4 for 122 yards and a TD to put the Express ahead 14-6. Washington tied it quickly on a 74 yard Michael Erickson TD pass and a 2 point conversion, then Los Angeles went ahead thanks to a short FG and the defense made it stand up as the Express keep their playoff chances alive.

Baltimore beat Charlotte 30-23 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Jerry Parker was sacked 5 times and threw 2 INTs but he also threw for 418 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Stars to victory. Wilber McKey caught 7 for 121 yards and 2 scores.

San Antonio broke their 9 game losing streak with a 20-16 win over Florida, overcoming 6 sacks and 3 turnovers. Dylan Shultz completed 23/32, 264 yards, 2 TDs and an INT, with Albert Callan catching both scores among his 8 for 158 yards. For the Blazers, Graham Folks ran for 99 yards and Daniel Pitts had a pair of 50+ yard FGs to get the season record of 17 back in his sights.

Week 14

I will only be able to write a little bit thanks to all of MFN running slow like dial up. I had stuff to do in other leagues and it took longer than expected. As usual, I'll add stuff in the morning.

The National Conference playoff teams are almost set, as 6 of 7 spots are taken with New York just 1 win or 1 Jacksonville loss from joining them.

What would MFN be without a standings glitch? Arizona is not eliminated yet, although they are on the brink. At 6-7-1, they need to win their last 2 games while both Honolulu and Cleveland lose their last 2.

With not much time before work, I'll start with the National Conference. I feel those write ups will be quicker.

The beat rolls on for Pittsburgh as they improve to 14-0 with a 27-7 win over Jacksonville. Brian White threw for 286 yards and 2 TDs but also threw 3 INTs and Patrick Howard was held under 100 yards. USFL leading rusher Matthew Goebel had 154 yards and the Maulers defense held the Bulls to 130 yards.

Birmingham beat Shreveport 57-10 as the Stallions scored 2 rushing TDs, 3 passing TDs, a punt return TD, and 6 XP and 5 FGs by Al Borland. Birmingham held Shreveport to 92 total yards with an INT and 5 sacks. The Birmingham BCBC ran for 309 yards, led by Lee Ramos with 119.

Philadelphia rung Baltimore's bell with a 58-7 victory behind 7 Joel Jasso TD passes. Jasso threw for 434 yards with Alfredo Montoya (12-141-2) and Roderick Uribe (8-128-1) topping 100 yards. The Philadelphia defense disrupted the Stars passing game all day, as Jerry Parker completed 15/48, 133 yards, 6 sacks and 5 INTs.

New Orleans "only" beat Charlotte 31-3, but when your defense only allows 50 total yards, all rushing btw, you don't need to score 50+. Willie Graham threw for 262 yards and 3 TDs (2 INTs), with Benjamin Jones catching 2 of the scores among his 12 for 101 yards. Charlotte had 46 gross passing yards but 5 sacks by the VooDoo defense took away all 46 yards for a net of zero.

Orlando is yet another playoff team flexing their muscles as they shut out San Antonio 34-0. Dwayne Byrd threw for 307 yards and 4 TDs with John Jones catching 3 scores among his 6 for 168 yards. The Orlando BCBC ran for 185 yards and the defense had 9 sacks and 2 INTs while holding the Gunslingers to 75 total yards.

Good place for me to stop, time to go to work.

New Jersey clinched a playoff berth with a 23-20 win over Boston. The Generals led 20-3 after 3 quarters, then had to sweat an onside kick inside 2 minutes after the Breakers got within 23-20. The New Jersey BCBC ran for 231 yards, led by Vic Mackey's 140. Kevin Via threw 2 TD passes and 2 INTs today, giving him 11 of each this season. Via finally has more TD passes than Generals victories. Boston QB Scott Dahl threw for 295 yards and 2 TDs and Timothy Painter caught 4 for 142 yards and a score.

Now let's switch to the American Conference for a few games.

Memphis beat Florida 29-26 for their 12th win in a row. It wasn't easy as Erik McNamee threw 3 INTs and Memphis kicked the game winning FG with 1:00 left in the game. McNamee did throw for 280 yards and 3 TDs as well, with Todd Heap catching 2 scores. Michael Olsen ran for 142 yards and the offense converted 6/12 3rd downs. Florida kicker Daniel Pitts has tied the record for most 50+ yard FGs in a season with 3 such kicks today. Pitts is 17/18 from distance, better than the 17/19 by Daniel McCormack of the 1980 Houston Gamblers.

Houston and Oklahoma met for the second time this season, and the defending champs have the Outlaws number this year. The Gamblers won the first game 35-33 and they completed the sweep with a 40-26 victory today. Oklahoma has given up 187 points in 12 games this season, with Houston scoring 75 in 2 games. Take that away and Oklahoma allows 11.2 ppg to everyone other than Houston, but 37.5 to the champs.

Dale Baber threw for 329 yards and 3 TD passes with Lex Luger leading the receivers, catching 11 for 135 yards. The Houston defense allowed 382 yards but they also recovered 3 fumbles, had an interception and sacked Raymond Settles 5 times. Settles still had 390 yards and 3 TDs and his leading receiver was Arthur Reina, who caught 7 for 171 yards and a score.

Michigan held off Detroit 20-19, improving to 11-3 and solidifying themselves as the #2 seed with a chance at the BYE. Detroit got the ball first and kicked a FG, although Todd Mack would miss 2 FGs in the 4th qtr that would loom large. Michigan WR Charles Keller had 64 yards rushing and 78 receiving with a pair of TD receptions from Willie Reddish. Michigan took a 13-3 lead early 3rd qtr when Detroit's Paul Perez returned the kickoff 97 yards for a TD, cutting the lead to 13-10. Michigan got the ball back and Reddish threw a Pick Six to Clarence Whitaker and Detroit now led 17-13. Michigan would score the go ahead TD later in the 3rd and the score remained 20-17 Panthers until close to the 2 minute warning. Detroit stuffed a Michigan running play in the end zone for a safety to get within 20-19, then took the drive after the free kick down to the Michigan 38 yard line. Time was about to run out so Todd Mack came on to try a 55 yard FG that was short and to the left, allowing the Panthers to hang on for the win.

Portland beat San Jose 29-11 despite allowing more than 3x the yards they gained. San Jose has a big play offense that can score points in bunches, but the sheer volume of passes lends itself to lots of sacks and INTs. Those in and of themselves don't necessarily spell doom as they have overcome those before but when you add in 2/10 on 4th down conversions against a playoff team, it's difficult to win.

Larry Henderson completed 40/68, 377 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, and 7 sacks. Jacob Newman caught 19 for 150, setting a new single season league high 197 catches and counting. Newman broke the record teammate Harold Hedberg set in 2004. Portland would have only 114 offensive yards but their average drive start was the San Jose 44. Storm kicker Aaron David kicked 5 FGs, taking advantage of great field position and an offense stuck in mud.

Honolulu beat Chicago 35-6 to improve to 8-6 and move into a first place tie in the Pacific with San Jose. Victor Russell threw for 318 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT to lead the offense while the Hawaiians defense had 2 INTs and 4 sacks, including one for a safety. Gary Cunningham had 135 receiving yards for Chicago in the loss.

MFN says Cleveland is the current #7 seed and Honolulu is #8 and that is incorrect. They are tied with 8-6 records and Honolulu beat Cleveland head to head Week 1, so idk what kind of logic they use.

Cleveland came from behind to defeat Georgia 23-15 and keep themselves in the playoff race. Georgia had a 15-3 lead thanks to 5 James May FGs but Cleveland outscored Georgia 20-0 over the final quarter and a half. Carl Langlois threw 2 TD passes to Robert Hamby and the defense sacked Adam Patrick 9 times, forcing three and outs on all drives after the Force took that 15-3 lead. Jesse Bishop and Howard Williams led the sack brigade with 3 apiece.

The last game with playoff implications was between Arizona and New York. Looking at the standings/playoff picture, it looks like New York will play in January while Arizona needs a lot of help to do the same. The New York Stars under Beercloud have had a nice bounce back season after the aptly named Nosedive Neil screwed things up, while Rialto turned things around midseason. The Wranglers were 2-5 after 7 games, having scored 42 points. The last 7 games, they are 4-2-1, with their 2 losses coming to Oklahoma and Philadelphia, and they have scored 176 points in that span. I'm sitting here thinking it's a good thing my Generals are already in because Arizona might light my defense up.

Arizona lit up New York today to the tune of 507 yards in a 37-10 win. The Wranglers rushing duo of Michael Chapin (17-83-1) and Daniel Fleming (13-63-2) combined for 146 yards and 3 TDs. QB Curtis Kim added 10 rushing yards for good measure to go with his passing line of 34/43, 350 yards, 1 TD and 2 sacks.

There were 3 games without playoff implications.

Oakland beat Denver 19-3 behind a strong defense and a BCBC that ran for 132 yards and a score. The Invaders defense held the Gold to 148 total yards and had 2 INTs and 5 sacks. Kicker John Dean made all 4 FG attempts for Oakland.

Tampa Bay beat Washington 13-10 in OT thanks to 2 INTs by Washington QB Michael Erickson. Erickson got the Federals on the board first with an 81 yard TD pass to Arthur Smith but threw a Pick Six to Chester Janik in the 3rd qtr. Washington had kicked a FG earlier in the 3rd and still led 10-7 until Samuel Oakes tied it at the end of regulation with a 56 yard FG. Michael Erickson's 2nd INT came on the Federals' 2nd drive of OT, setting up Tampa Bay at the 25 yard line. Two plays later, Samuel Oakes nailed the game winning FG from 32 yards out to break the Bandits' 9 game losing streak.

Los Angeles beat Southern California 9-6 in a game with middling stats. Neither QB topped 150 yards passing, neither team ran for 100 yards and neither team cracked the end zone. Franklin Benevides of the Sun did have 95 scrimmage yards, 49 rushing, 46 receiving. Neither defense forced a turnover, although Los Angeles sacked John Barrios 4 times.

Kevin Hart recently said "respect your age" after he hurt himself racing Stevan Ridley, ex NFL RB in a 40 yard dash. https://deadline.com/2023/08/kevin-hart-wheelchair-racing-injury-1235528097/ He tore his abdomen and abductor muscles.

I'm 10 years older than Hart and last night, I hurt myself stepping off a loading dock at work. It's the second time my knee has popped out and then right back in and it's pretty sore. The step was kind of steep and the knee said nope when I planted on the ground. There's usually an upside down 2 liter carrier we use as a step but those weren't there.

I'm fine, although tomorrow at work is gonna ****, all that getting in and out of the car and climbing steps. Google says I have a Patellar Instability, which is fancy talk for loose knee. I had a brace on when it happened, because I already knew my knee was loose, as the cracking and popping clued me in.

I also cut the grass today because despite my knee, I have work tomorrow, a fantasy football money league draft Tuesday and going to see The Offspring in Cincinnati Wednesday, so it was today or wait until Thursday.

By the time I finished work for my other leagues, it was getting too close to gametime to talk about stats, as most of you would be reading it after the games get played, making it old news.

Good luck to those teams fighting for playoff spots and/or seeding. I'm about to take an epsom salt bath.

Possible stat spoilers, just a couple quick notes

Matthew Goebel of Pittsburgh will be the league rushing champion barring a historic performance from Michael Olsen (Memphis) or Graham Folks (Florida) Week 16. Goebel has 1,520 yards, 224 ahead of 2nd place Vic Mackey of New Jersey. Sources tell me Mackey won't play in Week 16 though. Olsen and Folks are nearly 400 yards behind Goebel.

Goebel also leads in rushing TDs with 11 but Raymond Still (San Jose) has 10

Larry Henderson of San Jose has a nearly 200 yard lead for most passing yards over Houston's Dale Baber and he's nearly 300 ahead of Philadelphia's Joel Jasso. Henderson has 5,654 yards, needing 346 for the 18th 6,000 yard season in league history.

Dale Baber has 48 TD passes, Brian White (Pittsburgh) 46. There have been 50+ TD passes 21 times so far in league history, will we have 22, or maybe 23?

Jacob Newman of San Jose has extended the league record for receptions in a season to 213, a ridiculously high number that probably won't be repeated, except by a Smirt receiver. He already has the top 3 totals, all recently.

Patrick Howard of Pittsburgh seems safe to lead the league in receiving yards and TDs. Howard has 2,392 yards, 332 ahead of Newman and his 26 TD catches are 8 more than Benjamin Jones of New Orleans.

Florida kicker Daniel Pitts had 2 opportunities to break the single season record for most 50+ yard FGs in a season but he missed them both, and now has a lower percentage (17/20) than Daniel McCormack had (17/19) back in 1980.

New Jersey rookie DE Nathan Explosion leads the league with 28 sacks, tied for 12th most in league history. My Generals source isn't sure on the playing status of Explosion for Week 16.

That's probably all I'll do for stats this week, I'll save the next in depth look for after Week 16 when the season is over.

Time to look at some games before limping off to work.

Week 15

Pittsburgh crushed San Jose 50-6, although the SaberCats nearly matched the Maulers yard for yard. Everyone should know by now that Smirt plays an aggressive style of offense, tons of passes and going for most 4th downs. When it's working he crushes opponents. When it's not working, the results depend on who he's playing, as he'll still win some of those games where the 4th down failures pile up. Sometimes he'll lose a close game, and other times he gets crushed by an unbeaten team that crushes most opponents.

Larry Henderson completed 45/71, 308 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs and 4 sacks. San Jose was 5/11 on 4th down, so essentially that's 10 turnovers. Of course Pittsburgh made them pay for most of the early turnovers, scoring 34 second quarter points to take a 34-6 halftime lead. One of Henderson's INTs was returned for a TD and a 4th qtr pass completion turned into a safety for the Maulers.

Brian White didn't have a great game other than throwing 4 TD passes and 0 INTs. He completed less than 50%, 14/29 for 269 yards. Most of those yards went to Patrick Howard, who had 211 yards and 3 TDs on just 4 catches.

Pittsburgh is 15-0, but has to play all out Week 16 if they want home field advantage as a loss to Birmingham means they play Wildcard Weekend.

San Jose has lost 3 in a row but all they have to do in Week 16 is beat 3-12 Detroit and they win the Pacific.

Houston is the defending champs, and although they will be a wildcard this season, the Gamblers put the league on notice today with a 66-21 win over Oakland. Houston had 750 yards of offense, including 601 yards and 8 TDs by Dale Baber. Baber did throw 1 INT that turned into a Pick Six in the 1st qtr. Oakland hung tough early, trailing 21-14 after 15 minutes, but then Houston scored 45 unanswered points to take control of the game. Harley Race caught 6 for 262 yards and 4 TDs, Lex Luger caught 8 for 137 and 2 scores, and Randy Savage had a combined 124 yards to lead the Gamblers offense.

I have to go to work soon, so I might get 1 or 2 more games in. No way will I be able to get to all of the title contenders before I leave as there are a lot of teams capable of hoisting the trophy.

Once the playoffs start, there will be no easy games as most of the teams will be capable of winning 3 or 4 in a row. Don't be fooled by a spotless record, as I've seen many 16-0 teams lose in the first round. Also don't be fooled by a mediocre record like a 9-7 division winner. I think most people here already know that despite a less than stellar W-L record that Smirt is capable of going on a run. Our defending champs are in 3rd place in their division, albeit they're 11-4.

Memphis will be the #1 seed in the American Conference after their 49-3 win over San Antonio. Memphis nearly had a pair of 100 yard rushers as Michael Olsen ran for 99 and 2 TDs while Cesar Houser had 92. The Showboats defense held the Gunslingers to 123 total yards, intercepted 5 passes, including a pair of Pick Sixes, recovered a fumble, and had 6 sacks, including one for a safety.

Oklahoma beat Portland 27-7 with a dominant defensive performance. The Outlaws shut out the Storm offense, with their lone TD coming on a kickoff return in the 4th qtr. Oklahoma's offense got 126 rushing yards from Steven Huddleton and 93 and a TD from Adam "Not Pacman" Jones. Raymond Settles threw for 382 yards and 2 TDs.

I was gonna try 1 more game but MFN is back to being slow for me so I'll be back in the AM.

I'm probably going to be briefer than normal as I have a fantasy football draft tonight and I think I might be getting sick. Also if MFN gets too laggy, I'll stop, not really in the mood for dial up speed BS.

Birmingham beat Cleveland 23-0, setting up the battle for the #1 seed tonight. The Stallions had a so-so offensive game as their BCBC had 204 yards rushing split among 6 ball carriers. Russell Gall threw for 197 yards, 2 TDs and an INT while getting sacked 3 times. The Birmingham defense forced no turnovers but Cleveland hardly threw the ball downfield as Carl Langlois was 15/20 for 66 yards before 2 sacks take away 19. The Thunderbolts also ran for less than 1.4 yards per carry.

We had a possible playoff preview as New Orleans traveled to Philadelphia to play the East winners. New Orleans out gained the Bell by 102 yards and ran the ball better than Philadelphia, but Willie Graham threw 5 INTs. The VooDoo still nearly won the game, although Philadelphia tied it with a FG in the final minute, then kicked the game winner after the 5th Graham INT came in OT. Philadelphia got the OT win but New Orleans had the stat guys, as Gerald Waldon ran for 138 yards and 2 TDs while Benjamin Jones caught 6 for 162.

Orlando looked sharp in a 43-0 win over Florida as Dwayne Byrd had 310 yards passing and 3 TDs. The Renegade's BCBC ran for nearly 5 yards a carry, gaining 134 yards with 2 TDs while Arthur Reader caught 5 for 121 yards and a score. Defensively, Orlando allowed just 133 yards, intercepting a pass and getting 3 sacks.

New Jersey got past Arizona 19-17 in a game featuring 5 total turnovers and 16 sacks. Arizona out gained the Generals if you don't take away sack yards, but we do take them away, so 12 New Jersey sacks lost a combined 109 yards. Steven Gonzales led the way with 5 sacks and sack leader Nathan Explosion had 4, including 1 for a safety. Arizona employed 2 QBs today, Kenneth Anderson was 15/26, 140 yards and 3 sacks while Curtis Kim was 15/25, 95 yards and 9 sacks, with each throwing 1 TD pass.

New York beat Shreveport 37-21, clinching a wildcard spot in the process. Jamie Orman completed 32/38, 382 yards and 4 TDs, with Perry Nelson leading the way with 4 catches for 115 yards. Both teams were good in the red zone as Shreveport was 3/3 3 TDs while New York was 4/5 for TDs, getting a FG on the other one.

Midwest winner Michigan traveled to Georgia for a defensive struggle against the Force. Neither team ran the ball well, combining for 42 rushes, 54 yards, while the QBs were under pressure all game. Michigan's defense had 6 sacks and an INT while Georgia had 3 sacks and 2 INTs. Georgia saved their best drive for the end game. Trailing 7-3 with 5:09 left, the Force drove 80 yards in 16 plays, scoring the game winning TD with 0:21 left when Adam Patrick hit William McNeil for a 4 yard TD.

Honolulu would have clinched a playoff spot with a win over Baltimore, and after 3 quarters it looked like they would do just that, leading 20-10 behind 3 Victor Russell TD passes (1 missed XP). Jerry Parker of Baltimore also threw 3 TD passes, 2 in the 4th quarter to lead a come from behind victory 24-20. Kenneth Allen caught 6 for 153 yards and a TD to lead the Stars skill guys.

Detroit beat Chicago 21-14, with the Wheels getting 21 the hard way. Both QBs had decent/good days with Chicago's Terrance Anderson completing 30/41, 210 yards and 2 TDs while Detroit's Mark Lott was 31/36, 298 yards and 2 TDs. Lott wasn't sacked while Anderson was dropped 5 times by the Wheels defense, two for safeties.

Boston and Washington had a FG kicking contest that needed OT to decide a winner, with Boston winning 15-12. Washington had the better stats and had they converted just 1 of 4 red zone chances into a TD, the Federals would have won in regulation. James Martinez ran for 157 yards for Washington with an additional 122 rush yards from Norman Thomas and Duane Miller. Looks like I just assumed a 15-12 game was all FGs, but Boston actually scored a TD with 11:00 to play on a Scott Dahl 69 yard TD pass to Calvin Rose but the XP was no good, keeping the score 12-12. In OT, both teams had the ball twice with Boston getting the game winning FG as the OT clock expired.

Tampa Bay officially eliminated Jacksonville with a 22-13 win over the Bulls, who passed every down. William Barron was 32/54, 293 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT with 7 sacks. Donald Wade caught 3 for 104 and a TD, but all that passing hurt time of possession. Tampa Bay had the ball over 40 minutes, with the Bandits BCBC gaining 171 yards and a TD, with James Aguirre leading the way with 101 yards. Joshua Colvard caught 4 for 126 yards and a TD.

Southern California beat Denver 37-14 and if the Sun beat the Hornets Week 16, they'll finish 8-8. That would be just the 4th time the Sun have finished .500 or better in league history. John Barrios completed 27/35, 305 yards and 2 TDs and he had help with 150 yards from the running game. It could have been a bigger margin of victory but the Sun converted just 3/7 red zone trips into TDs.

Los Angeles beat Charlotte 33-0 thanks to an efficient game by LA QB Myron Dustin, who completed 25/28, 266 yards and a TD. Defensively, the Express held the Hornets to 111 offensive yards, had 3 sacks, 3 INTs, and held Charlotte to 0/9 on 3rd down. Los Angeles had just 1 sack allowed with no turnovers and went 8/15 on 3rd down.

Week 16

Congratulations to all playoff teams. It's not easy playing January football with the caliber of team owners we have here. Our defending champs were 3rd place in their division and are the #6 seed. Smirt, who has won over 120 titles across MFN, will miss the playoffs, the first time in 17 seasons the SaberCats don't play in January.

The biggest game of the week was obviously Pittsburgh @ Birmingham as the winner would get a week off before playing the Divisional Round, while the loser has to play Wildcard Weekend. Pittsburgh beat everyone so far, coming into the game 15-0 while Birmingham was 14-1, with just a Week 9 loss to division rival New Orleans spoiling their record.

Pittsburgh turned the ball over on 4 of their first 5 possessions but only fell behind 13-0. The Maulers would bounce back to take a 14-13 halftime lead thanks to Matthew Goebel, who caught a 16 yard TD pass and ran in a score from 44 yards out. The 3rd quarter saw just a Pittsburgh FG as the Maulers led 17-13 after 3.

In the 4th, Birmingham QB Russell Gall had 2 TD passes to take a 27-17 lead with 3 minutes to play. While Birmingham was driving in the 4th, the Maulers weren't, punting twice. After Birmingham went up 10, Brian White threw a pair of INTs, one setting up a FG for our final score of Birmingham 30 Pittsburgh 17.

Lee Ramos ran for 124 yards and a TD for Birmingham, adding 4 catches for 26 yards and another score. Matthew Goebel of Pittsburgh nearly matched him with 126 yards rushing and a TD, catching 4 for 22 yards and another score. The big, obvious difference today was QB play. Russell Gall threw 2 TDs and 2 INTs while Brian White threw 1 TD and 5 INTs.

Pittsburgh was 9/17 on 3rd down while Birmingham was just 1/12 but the Maulers lost the turnover battle 7-2, losing 2 fumbles in addition to White's 5 INTs.

The next most important game this week turned out to be Detroit's upset 19-18 win over San Jose. That loss sent a ripple effect at the bottom of the playoff seedings. San Jose was without USFL leading receiver in receptions Jacob Newman and Larry Henderson struggled as a result. Henderson actually was not sacked, but completed 27/37, 229 yards and 2 INTs.

Detroit led 10-6 at the half with a scoreless 3rd taking us to the 4th qtr. San Jose got within 10-9 with a FG early in the quarter then Larry Henderson had a 1 yard TD run, but the 2 point try failed, making the score 15-10 San Jose. Hector Haynes had a good day for Detroit, catching 8 for 223 yards and a TD in the 4th to make the score 16-15 after the Wheels failed going for 2.

San Jose drove down the field and kicked what they thought was the game winning FG with 26 seconds left, but they still had to play defense. That man Hector Haynes struck again, catching a 58 yard pass to put Detroit in FG range and Todd Mack nailed the 40 yard FG as time expired, ending San Jose's season in the process.

The San Jose loss meant a Honolulu win over Los Angeles would make the Hawaiians Pacific Division champs. This game was a tale of two halves as Honolulu won the first 30 minutes 23-0 while LA won the last 30 minutes 17-0. Those of you with math skills already know that means Honolulu won 23-17 and they are in fact division champs. Dave Yang ran for 100 yards and 2 TDs, but Victor Russell threw 4 INTs, helping the Express make their comeback that ran out of time. Myron Dustin threw 2 TD passes in the 4th quarter and had the Express inside the red zone when the clock hit 0:00.

These games all run at the same time, but the San Jose loss combined with the Honolulu win means Cleveland is the #7 seed no matter what. I don't think I even looked at this scenario for Cleveland, what would happen if San Jose lost. Cleveland beat San Jose head to head by a score of 23-8 in Week 8, meaning they own the tiebreaker.

Chicago ended up beating Cleveland 17-16 as the Thunderbolts failed to convert their red zone chances into TDs. Carl Langlois completed 28/34, 225 yards and a TD, with Felix Vaughn contributing 100 yards on the ground. Terrance Anderson was 21/30, 200 yards and 2 TDs for Chicago, including the game winning 14 yard TD to Alberto Allen with 0:37 left.

The rest of the results had very little impact on playoff seeding, but we'll check out each game anyway.

Orlando lit up Memphis 37-6 behind 5 Dwayne Byrd TD passes. Byrd threw for 423 yards and John Jones caught 10 for 216 yards and 2 TDs while Lyle Opitz caught 11 for 122 yards and 2 TDs. It's a good thing Orlando had some big plays because both team's defenses had 3rd down on lockdown. Orlando converted 1/14, Memphis 1/18.

Oklahoma beat San Antonio 22-3 thanks to a defense that allowed a nice 69 total yards. Raymond Settles didn't have a great game, throwing 3 INTs and no TDs, but the running game was working. Adam "Not Pacman" Jones ran for 102 yards and a TD while Paul Schroeder had 95 and a score. The Outlaws defense had 7 sacks.

New Orleans beat Michigan 13-9 in a defensive struggle. New Orleans got the only TD of the game on a 1st qtr Willie Graham TD pass to James Peterson, then rode their defense that had 7 sacks and forced 2 turnovers to victory. No good stat lines worth mentioning here.

Houston beat Denver 47-13 and I'll get to the usual suspects soon enough but I want to mention Rick Rude first. Rude pulled of the daily double if you will, returning a 2nd qtr punt 83 yards for a score, then in the 4th, Rude returned a kickoff 107 yards for a score. It's probably happened before but idrk, wish I had my own Elias Sports Bureau to fall back on. Aside from Rude's big day, Dale Baber threw for 351 yards and 5 TDs, with Lex Luger catching 7 for 178 yards and 3 TDs. For Denver, Daniel Boone (not THAT Daniel Boone) caught 11 for 142 yards and a TD.

If you never heard of Daniel Boone, Daniel Boone was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of the Thirteen Colonies. Wikipedia

Arizona beat Portland 15-10 thanks to winning the turnover battle 4-1. Portland scored the game's only TD and led at the half 10-9 but the only scoring in the second half was a pair of 4th qtr FGs by the Wranglers. Nothing in the stats worth mentioning.

Philadelphia beat Oakland 39-22 after taking a 36-0 lead early in the 4th. The Bell BCBC ran for 152 yards on over 5 ypc and Joel Jasso threw for 380 yards and 3 TDs. Joe Solis caught 4 for 164 yards and a TD and Mitchell Allen's 1 catch went for a 92 yard score. Oakland QB Daniel McKibben completed 15/39, 318 yards, 3 TDs and 4 INTs. The first 3 quarters were miserable for the Invaders before exploding for 297 4th qtr yards and 22 points.

New Jersey got past Jacksonville 23-20. Offensively, the Generals were lead by the rushing duo of Malcolm "In The Middle" Wilkerson and Charlie "Two and a Half Men" Harper. Wilkerson had 109 yards on the ground while Harper had 83 and 2 TDs. Defensively, rookie DE Nathan Explosion had 6 of New Jersey's 7 sacks but was injured and will likely miss the Wildcard game against Philadelphia. Explosion ends the season with 34 sacks, tied with Lee Kelley (2002) of Pittsburgh for the most sacks in a season by someone not named Mark McKeon.

For those not around in USFL 1989, Seth found a mismatch that allowed McKeon to routinely sack the QB and he ended up with an unbreakable 71 sacks that season. It could have been more but if I remember correctly, he backed off a bit after he kept hearing complaints. Basically McKeon was a fast, lightweight LB who blew by OL with ease. The controversy came because despite the LB designation, McKeon played DE and was a major reason we used to have positional/weight rules.

New York got past Boston 26-16. The Stars BCBC had 136 yards on just 16 carries and Jamie Orman had 2 TD passes. Boston hung tough but their defense couldn't make enough stops and the Breakers passing game wasn't productive.

Tampa Bay beat Florida 31-3 behind an almost flawless day by QB Curtis Torres. Idk how to figure QBR but I guess Torres' ypa was too low for a perfect QBR as his 26/28, 218 yard, 3 TD performance is a QBR of 134.82. George Stops led the Bandits BCBC with 91 of the 165 total rushing yards. Florida's Daniel Pitts missed his only long FG attempt and ends the season 17/21 from 50+, leaving him tied with Daniel McCormack (1980 Houston Gamblers) for the most in a season. McCormack was 17/19 in 1980, a better rate than Pitts.

Georgia beat Shreveport 16-3 in a defensive struggle. The teams combined for 398 yards, 3 turnovers, 9 sacks, and roughly 2.5 ypc. Scott Isaacs had a 2 yard TD run for the game's only TD and James May kicked 3 FGs for the winning Force.

Southern California beat Charlotte 33-7 with an offense that kept the ball over 42 minutes. John Barrios threw for 300 yards and 2 TDs and the Sun offense was 12/21 on 3rd down. Defensively the Sun had 5 sacks and 5 turnovers, 4 of them INTs as they held the Hornets to 191 total yards.

One last game on the docket and it's pretty similar to the rest, a lot of sacks, turnovers and 3rd down failures.

Washington beat Baltimore 16-7 as both teams were "playing out the string". Just a few seasons back, these two teams fought for conference supremity, and their fans hope they can get back to that soon. Each QB threw 1 TD pass but Baltimore's Jerry Parker threw 3 INTs to just 1 by Michael Erickson of Washington. Washington led 10-7 after 3 and kicked 2 FGs in the 4th while Baltimore's drives that quarter ended with a missed FG, fumble, punt, and turnover on downs.