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We are already 25% done for the season, time flies in MFN. We still have six teams without a loss and four without a win. Half of the 4-0 teams have 2 game division leads already, San Jose, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia.

We had a pair of division games between 3-0 teams with Oklahoma beating San Antonio and the champion New Orleans VooDoo beating Birmingham.

The Cleveland Thunderbolts are the other 4-0 team and they lead Michigan by a game.

Half of the winless teams are AI as Arizona and Washington have no owner and no wins. The two human owned winless teams play each other in Week 5 as New Jersey travels to Boston.

Usually winless teams give up a lot of points but the Generals have allowed just 15 a game and have still not lost a game by double digit points yet. Offense is the problem here as my passing game is awful.

The Southwest division has only had 4 non division games all season as they have completed a round robin of divisional games. In English, all 4 teams have played their division mates once each, with Oklahoma finishing 3-0, San Antonio 2-1, Houston 1-2 and Memphis 0-3. Outside of the division they are collectively 3-1.

I might do game by game stuff after work but for now I'll look at stats.

Memphis QB Glenn Burns leads the league with 1,257 passing yards but his QBR is just 74.35 due to a 5/6 TD/INT ratio. Oklahoma's Raymond Settles is 2nd in yards with 1,213 but he's leading the MVP race at the moment. His QBR of 108.49 is well ahead of everyone else as Settles has 10 TDs, 3 INT and has an 8.92 yards per attempt. Philadelphia's Joel Jasso is 3rd in yards and has the same 10:3 TD:INT ratio as Settles but his QBR is way lower due to nearly 2.5 less yards per attempt (6.44).

In total we have 6 QBs with over 1,000 yards passing.

San Jose's Lynn Mclaurin leads the league in rushing with 479 yards. Frederick Martin (Philadelphia) is second with 388.

San Jose's James Valdez has 4 rushing TDs to lead the league while Frederick Martin is tied with San Antonio's Glenn Graham with 3 TDs.

We have a tie for most receiving yards between Portland's Frank Gonzalez and Oklahoma's Domenic Winstead with 428 yards each. Philadelphia's Jason Wharton is 3rd with 394 yards.

Winstead and Wharton are tied for the most receiving TDs with 5 each. Gonzalez is one of four receivers tied for 2nd place with 3 each.

The record for most kickoff returns in a season is 6, first done by Gregory Shea (Memphis) in 1977. Houston's Gus "Hightest" Gas tied it in 2005 while Pittsburgh's Larry Martinez (2004) and Birmingham's Barry Stringfellow (2008) came close with 5.

Southern California return man Ryan Habib has 4 already, so the record watch is on.

No punt return TDs as of yet this season.

Honolulu kicker Michael Marmon is perfect so far, going 12/12 on FGs and 8/8 in XP. Several other kickers are also perfect but don't have as many total kicks as Marmon. Pittsburgh MLB James Paxton is 3/5 on FGs and 2/3 on XP. FYI I did try to log into my alt account but forgot the password. I have it written down somewhere but I can't find it.

San Jose's Clarence Marcus is tied with 2 Pittsburgh Maulers for the league lead in sacks with 8. San Antonio's Kenneth Allen is next with 7 sacks, and factoring in his league leading 10 hurries, he's currently the league's best pass rusher.

Jacksonville's Chad Armstrong leads the league with 5 INTs while Boston's Edgar Barber has 4.

San Antonio RB Glenn Graham leads the league in total yardage with 905, Southern California RB Ryan Habib is 2nd with 803 yards while Chicago's David Pinkerton is 3rd with 624 yards.

Habib leads the league with 6 total TDs, followed by 5 each by Frederick Martin and Jason Wharton from Philadelphia, Glenn Graham, San Antonio and Oklahoma's Domenic Winstead.

Here is your way too early look at the playoff picture

Week 5 is finished and we have six teams with a zero in their W-L record. Four teams have that zero on the right side as San Jose, Oklahoma, Jacksonville, and New Orleans are off to fantastic 5-0 starts. The two teams with the zero on the left are AI Arizona and New Jersey.

It's been a strange season so far in New Jersey. In 5 games, our defense has allowed 15, 20, 16, 9, and 9. Those shouldn't be associated with a team that's 0-5. Maybe the point totals are fluky because we are 22nd in yards allowed so the defense is actually mediocre. I wish my offense was mediocre because that would be an improvement. Switching QBs did not help, it's gonna be a long season.

Vent over. We were going to lose at least one of the winless teams regardless because New Jersey played 0-4 Boston. The Breakers won 9-7, climbing into 3rd place at 1-4. AI Washington got their first win of the season with a 10-3 victory over Detroit.

We also had a battle of 4-0 teams as Philadelphia traveled to Jacksonville to play the Bulls. Neither offense looked spectacular but the Bulls ran better, converted on 3rd down better and had better ball security. Philadelphia lost a fumble and had an INT as they fell behind 23-3 before a late TD made the final score more respectable. Jacksonville now has a 2 game lead on Tampa Bay in the Southeast while Philadelphia saw their East lead trimmed to 1 game.

That's because New York beat Orlando 24-7. The Renegades outgained the Stars and held New York to 0/10 on 3rd down. Dwayne Byrd continues to turn the ball over however, as he added 3 more to his league leading INT total which now stands at 13.

Oklahoma continues to roll as they had no problem beating AI Arizona 29-3. Raymond Settles threw for 369 yards and a TD with Domenic Winstead accounting for 200 yards on 11 receptions.

San Antonio outlasted Memphis 37-30 to stay 1 game behind the Outlaws. The Gunslingers started out hot, getting out to a 20-0 lead and taking a 30-10 lead into halftime. Memphis came back in the second half, getting within 30-20 after 3 quarters. San Antonio extended the lead to 37-20 in the 4th before Memphis got within 37-30. The Showboats had a chance for the tie or win but their final drive stalled.

Memphis QB Glenn Burns completed 33/66, 393 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT. Memphis also lost 2 fumbles for 4 total turnovers. San Antonio committed 2 turnovers and QB George Warner completed just 16/34, but for 296 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. Jack Lu caught 6 for 153 yards and a TD.

Southern Californis handed Cleveland their first loss of the season with a 30-24 win. John Barrios threw for 363 yards and 3 TDs, all to Willard Wood as the Sun built a 24-10 lead. Cleveland struggled to pass and convert 3rd downs but Angel Perry's 2nd TD run pulled the Thunderbolts within 7 and Barrios threw a Pick Six to tie the game in the 4th. Southern California got a pair of late FGs for the win.

Michigan beat Oakland in a battle of 3-1 teams to claim a share of the Midwest lead. Oakland won the yardage but the box scores were pretty close all around. The scoreboard was back and forth as well with neither team leading by more than 7 at any point. Oakland scored first for a 7-0 lead before Michigan scored 14 unanswered for a 14-7 lead before Oakland tied it at 14. Michigan took a 21-14 lead after that, then they exchanged FGs the rest of the game as the Panthers win 27-20.

The Oakland loss opened the door for Portland to take sole possession of the West, which they did in a 38-0 win over Denver. Portland QB George Schacht threw for 4 TDs and 3 INTs, Thomas Frank ran for 115 and a TD while the defense held the Gold to 67 total offensive yards.

San Jose beat Honolulu 13-7 with a gameplan I thought I was going to see last week, or whenever I played the SaberCats. Zero passes from San Jose, 61 rushes for 257 yards. Lynn McLaurin led the way with 99 yards on 19 carries. San Jose got out to a 10-7 lead, then the running game and defense kept the Hawaiians at bay until the SaberCats extended the lead late in the 4th. They are now 5-0 with a 2 game lead on Southern California.

Defending champions New Orleans had no trouble beating Charlotte 23-0. The VooDoo outgained the Hornets 413-45, and held Charlotte to 1/13 on 3rd down thanks in part to amassing 7 sacks. Offensively New Orleans spread the wealth in the running and passing game so no stat lines stand out.

Birmingham was hoping to keep pace but they had the unfortunate task of facing a human owned Pittsburgh team. Previous play usage was all AI so Birmingham was essentially blind gameplanning. Pittsburgh signed a kicker but his plane didn't land in time for the game so MLB James Paxton handled kicking duties again and he was 0/3 on XP.

Pittsburgh led 18-10 after 3 qtrs before Birmingham got a FG and a TD in the 4th. The 2 point try failed but the Stallions had a 19-18 lead inside the 2 minute warning. Brian White found Felix Vaughn for a 75 yard catch and run TD and the 2 point conversion gave the Maulers a 26-19 lead. Birmingham had enough time to drive into the Pittsburgh red zone but the clock hit 0:00 before they could score a TD and the maulers escape with a win, taking sole possession of the Atlantic lead.

AI Los Angeles continues to be a thorn in human owned team's sides. The Express are coming off back to back shutout, 9-0 wins and their lackluster offense continued. The first half ended with Chicago leading 7-3, then in the 3rd, Blitz QB Eric Hansen was sacked for a safety, then Manuel Martinez returned the free kick 84 yards for a score, taking a 12-7 lead thanks to defense/special teams. Los Angeles would add a FG later in the 3rd before Chicago scored 11 in the 4th for a 18-15 lead, thanks to a FG, TD, and 2 pt conversion. Los Angeles tied the game at 18 on a 55 yard FG as time expired, then the teams played a scoreless OT with the game ending in a tie.

Georgia beat Baltimore 20-13 to improve to 3-2. Scott Isaacs led the way with 92 rushing yards and a TD. Baltimore hung tough but couldn't get over the hump in this game.

Houston beat Shreveport 29-3 for their 2nd straight win after an uncharacteristic 0-3 start. It wasn't pretty as they only scored 2 TDs in 5 red zone trips but a win is a win. The Gamblers defense played well today, holding the Steamer to 206 total yards. Offensively, Randy Savage ran for 122 yards and Dale Baber threw for 2 TDs.

Tampa Bay beat Florida 24-10 behind 3 rushing TDs by Carl Gillard. Gillard finished with 84 rushing yards while James Aguirre ran for 91, forming an effective 1-2 punch. The Bandits defense intercepted 3 passes and had 7 sacks as they improve to 3-2 on the year.

Week 6 has come and gone and every team has a win now. AI Arizona and my New Jersey Generals both scored their first wins of the season, while San Jose suffered their first loss in a wild game in Memphis. Oklahoma, Jacksonville, and defending champs New Orleans are all 6-0, the last of the unbeatens.

In Memphis, the Showboats need a win to keep pace with Oklahoma and San Antonio and through 3 quarters it looked like they were headed to a win with a 29-8 lead. Halfway through the 4th and 3 Larry Henderson TD passes later and Memphis saw it's lead dwindle to 29-26 as all 3 2 point tries failed. Memphis QB Glenn Burns then threw an INT which led to the game tying FG. Burns bounced back, leading a 75 yard TD drive, finishing it with a 22 yard TD to Michael Olsen.

Larry Henderson then led a 75 yard TD drive of his own, throwing a TD pass to Brian Smith and a 2 point pass to Harold Hedberg for a 37-36 late lead. Memphis got the ball back with 1:15 to play and drove into FG range where John Everhart's 43 yard FG went through the uprights, giving Memphis the win at the gun.

Glenn Burns threw 4 TD passes for Memphis while Larry Henderson threw for 5 scores and 564 yards for San Jose.

Oklahoma beat San Antonio 13-6 to improve to 6-0 and take a 2+ game lead. The plus is due to the Outlaws sweep of the Gunslingers, meaning San Antonio needs to finish these last 10 games with 3 more wins than Oklahoma if they want to win the Southwest. They are still in good wildcard position.

Jacksonville beat Portland 32-20 in a battle of division leaders. William Barron threw for 378 yards and a TD while George Smith ran for 2 TDs. George Schacht threw for 336 yards and 2 TDs for Portland. Each team had a pair of 100 yard receivers as well. The Bulls improve to 6-0 while Portland falls to 4-2.

New Orleans beat Georgia 23-7 to improve to 6-0. Defensively they held the Force to 155 total yards, less than 20 minutes of possession and intercepted 3 passes. Offensively they spread the ball around in the run and pass game although Michael Ferrell caught 7 for 138 yards.

Cleveland got past Detroit 20-16 thanks to a strong 2nd half. The Wheels led 13-6 at the half but Carl Langlois found Robert Smalls for a 51 yard TD and Michael Barry had a 5 yard TD run as Cleveland took a 20-13 lead. Detroit would get a FG early in the 4th but the rest of the game was a punt fest as the Thunderbolts hang on for the win and keep a share of first place with Michigan.

The Panthers traveled to Hawaii to face the Hawaiians and stole a victory in the final minute. This was a back and forth game with 5 lead changes, and Michigan actually led 20-10 going into the 4th. Brian Copley then had a 3 yard TD run and a 6 yard TD catch as the Hawaiians took a 24-20 lead halfway through the 4th. Michigan would get within 24-23 after a FG, then had their final drive start at their 1 yard line following an excellent punt. On 3rd and 10 from the 17, Willie Reddish completed a pass to Greg Reed, who took it to the end zone for an 83 yard TD with 0:44 to play. The 2 point try failed but the Michigan defense held as the clock ran out as the Hawaiians crossed midfield.

Victor Russell threw for 320 yards, 2 TDs, and 3 INTs for Honolulu while Willie Reddish threw for 367 yards, 3 TDs and an INT for Michigan. Alvin Eckenrode caught 3 for 128 yards and a TD.

Oakland beat Houston 24-10 to improve to 4-2 and gain a share of first place in the West. The Invaders lost 4 fumbles, yet their BCBC had 199 yards with a TD. Domingo Robinson completed 17/20 for 166 yards and 2 TDs. Houston's offense couldn't get going today, gaining just 234 yards and converting 1/13 on 3rd down.

Philadelphia bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 43-13 win over Baltimore. Joel Jasso threw for 465 yards and 4 TDs while Jason Wharton caught 8 for 160 and a TD, a 96 yard catch and run score in the final minute of the game. Defensively the Bell held Baltimore to 205 total yards, forcing 3 turnovers and getting 5 sacks.

Pittsburgh ran for 225 yards as a team, led by Christopher Goins' 171 and their newly signed placekicker paid immediate dividends in a 17-13 victory over Chicago. The Maulers got 17 the hard way, with a pair of safeties, a pair of FGs, and a TD with a successful XP. The win improves Pittsburgh to 4-2 and they have a 2 game lead on Charlotte in the Atlantic.

Tampa Bay beat Boston 23-14 to stay 2 games behind Jacksonville in the Southeast. Jerry Parker made his Boston debut and completed 37/49, 259 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT. One of his INTs came deep in his own territory and led to a 6 yard TD drive. Curtis Torres threw for 2 TDs for Tampa Bay and Carl Gillard ran for 150 to lead the Bandits offense. Tampa Bay got out to a 23-0 lead before the Breakers scored 14 in the 4th to make the score close.

Birmingham beat Charlotte 38-3 thanks to 289 yards and 4 TDs from their BCBC. Philip Snyder led the way with 140 yards and 2 TDs. The Stallions converted 13/17 3rd downs and held the Hornets to 90 total yards.

New Jersey upset New York 27-10 for their first win of the year. Vic Mackey ran for 148 yards and 2 TDs while Jesse Pinkman ran for 92 to support the Generals pathetic passing game.

Most teams play better when their QB doesn't throw INTs and Orlando's Dwayne Byrd finally got the memo, throwing zero INTs and 3 TDs. Today it was the Renegades defense getting INTs as they picked off 3 Nicholas Meis passes. Nine different ball carriers combined for 151 yards in support of Byrd and the passing game as Orlando beats Florida 33-7.

Shreveport beat AI Washington 17-7 in a defensive struggle. After 15 minutes it was 10-7 Steamer, then the game was all punts except for a Pick Six in the 3rd qtr by Shreveport's Richard Retherford.

AI Los Angeles continues to frustrate human owned teams with tough defense and pulling out wins out of their behinds. Today Southern California held the Express to 183 total yards, but Los Angeles was able to score TDs while the Sun only got FGs. The Sun took a 6-0 lead in the 2nd qtr but Manuel Martinez returned the kickoff 106 yards as the Express took the lead 7-6. Myron Dustin threw a TD pass at the end of the 3rd and AI Los Angeles gets the win, putting them in 2nd place in the Pacific.

AI Arizona got a 13-6 win over Denver as Barry Adams ran for 122 yards and Mitchell Barnes scored the game's lone TD on a 5 yard run in the 3rd to give the Wranglers the lead for good.

Week 7 is finished and at first glance it looks like a boring week. I don't really see any upsets as the beat goes on for the top teams, but I have yet to look at any box scores besides my own. Let's see what happened.

Seven of the eight first place teams won and the one who lost, Pittsburgh, lost no ground because the whole Atlantic division lost this week. Cleveland and Michigan are tied at the top of the Midwest with 6-1 records. Portland has a 1 game lead on Oakland and the rest all have at least a 2 game lead. Oklahoma and New Orleans are both 7-0 with 2 game division leads while the other 7-0 team Jacksonville has a 3 game lead. Philadelphia (6-1) and Pittsburgh (4-3) have 2 game division leads while San Jose leads the Pacific by 2.5 games.



That's the current playoff picture after 7 weeks, still more than half the season left to change your fortunes. I did not include the "In the Hunt" portion because everyone is in the hunt.

Oklahoma beat Oakland 38-6 behind strong games from Raymond Settles and Domenic Winstead. Settles threw for 487 yards and 5 TDs with Winstead catching 14 for 309 yards and 2 TDs.

FYI, the 309 receiving yards isn't even on the first page of the highest yardage games and is also not even halfway to the record. Second most in any game is 490 yards by Oakland's Christopher Curtis in 1980 while the most was 694 by David Austin of Memphis in 1986. By comparison, my leading receiver through 7 weeks has just 177 yards, so the record is pretty ridiculous and will probably never be broken.

The defending champs roll to 7-0 with a 46-5 win over AI Washington. The Federals have an owner now but they did not at game time. New Orleans QB Kenneth Anderson threw for 332 yards and 2 TDs, producing 3 100 yard receivers. Patrick Molina had 112 yards and a TD, Michael Ferrell had 101 and so did Charles Grogan, but also with a TD. James Peterson had 2 kickoff return TDs as the champs were rolling in all 3 phases as the defemse allowed the Federals 143 total yards and forced 5 turnovers.

Jacksonville won 30-6 over Florida to maintain their 7-0 record and had little trouble doing so. The Bulls scored a TD on their first 3 drives then followed that up with a pair of FGs on the next 2 in building a 27-3 lead. Offensively 4 ball carriers combined for 201 yards and a TD while William Barron threw for a pair of TD passes. Defensively they held the Blazers to 114 yards and had 7 sacks.

San Jose beat Detroit 28-10 to improve to 6-1. One thing I've noticed is San Jose has a seemingly different offensive approach each game while in years past it was Air Henderson. IMO that makes them more dangerous than ever, since it's harder to key in on what he might do. Today the SaberCats ran for 111 yards and a TD while Larry Henderson threw for 481 and 2 TDs. Alfredo Montoya caught 1 TD among his 10 for 182 yards while Lee Ramos caught 14 for 163 and a TD. Defensively, they only let Detroit have 18 minutes of possession and they intercepted 4 passes.

Portland took back sole possession of first in the West with a 40-6 win over Denver. Thomas Frank ran for 147 yards, George Schacht threw for 3 TDs (and 2 INTs) and 296 yards, producing a pair of 100 yard receivers in Patrick Howard (2-118-1) and Frank Gonzalez (5-100). Defensively they had 6 sacks and held the Gold to 132 yards.

Cleveland got by Baltimore 14-7 to maintain a share of first in the Midwest. This was a defensive struggle as both teams combined for just 345 yards despite combining to convert 11/35 3rd downs. The first half ended 7-7 and Cleveland got the game winning TD in the 3rd on a 28 yard TD drive following a lost Baltimore fumble.

Michigan squeaked past Pittsburgh in a battle of first place teams. Michigan intercepted a Brian White pass on the first drive which set up great field position for their second drive after a pair of punts. Willie Reddish threw a 3 yard TD pass to Sean Medina for a 7-0 lead. Pittsburgh would tie it up on a Kenneth Allen TD run before Michigan took the lead again on a TD run by Kristopher Wrenn. Pittsburgh would tie it up on a Christopher Goins TD run midway through the 3rd before both defenses took over. The rest of the game was mostly punts but Michigan got a safety when Patrick Croy sacked Brian White in the end zone. Those 2 points were the difference in the game as Michigan wins 16-14 to keep pace with Cleveland.

Philadelphia beat Boston 27-10 behind 226 rushing yards and a TD from Frederick Martin. The Bell overcame 3 lost fumbles and an inefficient game from Joel Jasso (completed 20/50 passes). The defense allowed a 93 yard TD pass but otherwise held the Breakers in check until late in the game.

San Antonio will have a hard time catching Oklahoma but after their 41-9 win over Houston, they are the current top wildcard and look to be a tough out come January. George Warner threw for 276 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INT while Glenn Graham ran for 105 and a TD, adding 51 more on 5 receptions. Defensively they harassed Dale Baber, sacking him 7 times, intercepting him twice and holding him to 20/46 passing.

Birmingham beat Georgia 38-20 to remain the top wildcard in the National Conference. The Stallions BCBC had 271 yards led by 97 from David James. Anthony Gray ran in 2 TDs while Russell Gall completed 22/30 for 263 yards and 2 TDs. Defensively, they got burned by the pass when Adam Patrick was upright. The Stallions sacked Patrick 4 times but he still completed 16/19, 241 yards and 3 TDs. Birmingham won this game on 3rd down, converting 9/15 offensively and holding Georgia to 1/8 defensively, plus the Stallions got a 106 yard kickoff return TD from Barry Stringfellow.

Shreveport beat Charlotte 6-0. Not much to say about this game stat wise but Charlotte was driving late for a possible game winning TD, getting all the way down to the Steamer 10 yard line before a failed 4th and 3 with 0:19 left sealed the win for Shreveport.

Chicago beat Southern California 16-10 as Eric Hansen threw a TD pass and Samuel Diaz booted 3 FGs. The Blitz intercepted John Barrios twice and sacked him 3 times.

New Jersey beat Honolulu 26-13 behind 2 TD passes by former Hawaiian Kevin Via. Jesse Pinkman caught both scoring tosses among his 5 catches for 133 yards and the Generals defense intercepted Victor Russell 3 times.

New York beat Los Angeles 17-10 behind QB Jamie Orman's 251 yards and a TD. James Luna had a rushing TD and 145 combined yards, 101 of that reciving and the Stars led 17-3 late in the 4th. Los Angeles had an 80 yard TD drive to get within 17-10 but the onside kick failed and the Stars bled the clock for the win.

Orlando escaped with a 17-12 win over Tampa Bay, overcoming 3 INTs by Dwayne Byrd. Orlando led 17-3 at the half, but allowed a safety and a TD to let the Bandits in the game, but the Renegades defense held the Blazers' running game in check, forcing a lost fumble and a turnover on downs after the bandits got within 17-12.

Memphis beat Arizona 41-6 behind 351 yards and 5 TD passes by Glenn Burns. Agustin Fiecke caught 4 for 144 and a TD while William Beasley caught 2 TDs. The 3 headed Memphis BCBC ran for 172 yards while the defense stymied the Wranglers offense.

tampa in playoffs as it stands,screenshot it :)

Week 8 is complete and with that half of the regular season remains. We have just one division race within one game so we may only have wildcard drama come the playoff stretch.

Division Leaders

San Jose 6-2 (2.5 game lead)
Portland 6-2 (2 game lead)
Oklahoma 8-0 (2 game lead)
Cleveland 7-1 (1 game lead)

Jacksonville 8-0 (4 game lead)
New Orleans 8-0 (3 game lead)
Pittsburgh 4-4 (2 game lead)
Philadelphia 7-1 (2 game lead)

Current Wildcards

San Antonio (6-2), Michigan (6-2), Oakland (4-4)

Birmingham (5-3), New York (5-3), Orlando (4-4) owns tiebreaker over Tampa Bay (4-4)

Top 5 Offenses (Points Scored)

Philadelphia 240
San Antonio 231
Jacksonville 205
Oklahoma 202
New Orleans 200

Top 5 Defenses (Points Allowed)

New Orleans 51
Jacksonville 73
Oklahoma 76
New Jersey 95
New York 99

A couple of notes about this, the 3 undefeated teams appear on both lists which is not a surprise given their 8-0 records. Every team on both lists except one is currently a playoff team. New Jersey finds itself as the 4th stingiest defense but find themselves at 3-5 thanks to an offense that was putrid the first 5 games.

Stat Leaders

Glenn Burns (Memphis) leads in passing yards with 2,567.
Raymond Settles (Oklahoma) leads in YPA with 8.15, TD passes (19) and QBR (102.7)
William Barron (Jacksonville) leads in completion percentage (69.9%)
Hector Bednar (Baltimore) has been sacked a league high 34 times.
Dwayne Byrd (Orlando) leads the league with 17 INTs
Joel Jasso (Philadelphia) completed the longest pass (96 yards)

Frederick Martin (Philadelphia) leads the league with 769 rushing yards.
Angel Perry (Cleveland) leads the league in yards per carry (5.7) among ball carriers averaging 10 carries a game
Barry Anderson (Charlotte) has the longest run (94 yards)
Glenn Graham (San Antonio) leads with 6 rushing TDs.

Domenic Winstead (Oklahoma) leads the league in receptions (60) and receiving yards (970)
Frank Gonzalez (Portland) leads the league with 14 dropped passes.
*side note...in 2006 Winstead led the league in drops while with Baltimore
Donald Ramirez (Oklahoma) leads the league with 19.7 yards per catch among those with at least 16 catches
Jason Wharton (Philadelphia) caught Joel Jasso's 96 yard pass for the longest of the year so far
Wharton leads the league in TD receptions with 8, one ahead of Winstead.

Ryan Habib (Southern California) and James Peterson (New Orleans) are tied for most kickoff return TDs with 4 each.

The next punt return TD this season will be the first.

Perfect Kickers

Michael Marmon, Honolulu (18/18 FG, 15/15 XP)
Daniel Pitts, Houston (18/18 FG, 9/9 XP)
Oscar Hall, Shreveport (14/14 FG, 5/5 XP)
Gary Ridgeway (Tampa Bay) (13/13 FG, 9/9 XP)
Raymond Spencer, Michigan (11/11 FG, 17/17 XP)
Todd Mack, Detroit (10/10 FG, 8/8 XP)
Jack Maestas, Pittsburgh (2/2 FG, 3/3 XP)

*side note...Roger Love, Orlando has missed just 1 XP on the season, making 13/14 while nailing all 15 FG tries. Love struggled with XP in 2006, missing 8 and he struggled with FGs in 2007, making only 70%, when he's 85% for his career. Idk for sure but if I had to bet, the Renegades probably had a sub par long snapper or kick holder in 2006/7.

Jonathan Wilson, Birmingham, leads the league with 11 sacks.
Quentin Blandon, New Orleans, leads the league with 18 hurries

Michael Stagg (San Jose) leads the league with 7 INTs

We have had 8 Pick Sixes with no player having more than 1

Glenn Graham, San Antonio is the first half yardage leader with 1,523, 363 ahead of second place David Pinkerton (Chicago).

Graham is also the TD leader with 9 total scores.

Who's Hot?

8 wins in a row: Oklahoma, Jacksonville, New Orleans
3 wins in a row: Cleveland, Orlando, Philadelphia, New Jersey

Who's Not?

7 losses in a row: Florida
6 losses in a row: Denver, Detroit, Charlotte
3 losses in a row: Southern California, Georgia, Washington

The games from Week 8 were low scoring as only San Antonio scored more than 28. We had 21 teams score 19 or less with 11 scoring single digits. That should help with me trying to get this done fast.

Oklahoma stayed unbeaten with a 17-7 win over Georgia. The Force defense played well in limiting the league's #2 offense to 305 yards and 17 points but the Outlaws defense hung with it until Raymond Settles' 2nd TD pass with 12:50 to play gave Oklahoma a 2 score lead. USFL leading receiver Domenic Winstead missed the game with a foot injury.

New Orleans got by Memphis 17-15 thanks to a couple of special teams plays. Memphis had just taken a 6-3 lead when James Peterson returned the kickoff 109 yards for the go ahead TD. Skipping to the 3rd qtr, Kenneth Anderson threw a 78 yard catch and run TD to Michael Ferrell, making the score 17-6. From there, John Everhart kicked 3 FGs to get Memphis within 17-15, and he had a chance to kick the Showboats into the lead as the 2 minute warning approached but his 58 yard try was short. The champs ran out the remaining clock to improve to 8-0.

William Barron threw for 230 yards and a TD as Jacksonville beat Tampa Bay 20-7 to improve to 8-0. The Bulls defense forced the Bandits to punt on every possession except the last one when they already had a 20-0 lead. Gerald Alexander caught Barron's TD pass among his 8 for 123 yards.

Portland took a major step toward another West division title with a 20-13 win over Oakland, giving the Storm the sweep. Oakland would have to finish 3 games better than Portland down the stretch to steal the division. Neither team's offense was great but Portland was better on both sides of the ball today, although special teams did allow a 109 yard kick return TD by Stacey Slavin.

San Antonio beat Birmingham 41-7 in a battle of pretty good teams stuck in 2nd place behind an 8-0 team. San Antonio's defense limited the Stallions to 147 total yards, intercepting Russell Gall 3 times and sacking him twice. Birmingham's only points came on a Barry Stringfellow 106 yard kickoff return. George Warner threw for 259 yards and 4 TDs, Jack Lu had 142 combined yards and 2 TD receptions, while Glenn Graham had a combined 191 yards and a rushing TD with 129 coming via the run.

Philadelphia got by San Jose 23-17 in a battle of 6-1 teams as the turnovers flowed on both sides. Philadelphia's turnovers came on Joel Jasso INTs, he threw 5 in all while Larry Henderson had 4 of 5 SaberCat turnovers on 3 INTs and a lost fumble. Philadelphia converted 6/17 on 3rd down while they held San Jose to 1/13. Trailing 23-10 entering the 4th, the SaberCats defense did it's job, holding Philadelphia scoreless but the offense could only get 1 of the 2 TDs they needed to win.

New York beat Pittsburgh 22-0 to keep pace with Philadelphia. The Stars defense intercepted Brian White 4 times and sacked him 3 times, including once for a safety. Jamie Orman threw for 240 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs to lead New York's offense.

Houston bounced back from last week's debacle with a solid 28-10 win over the previously 6-1 Michigan Panthers. The Gamblers defense held Michigan to 191 total yards with 6 sacks and 2 INTs. Offensively Dale Baber and Randy Savage put the team on their backs, overcoming a pair of lost fumbles to put up 424 yards and 28 points. Baber completed 20/30, 353 yards and 2 TD passes to Randy Savage, who caught 7 in all for 257 yards.

Cleveland took advantage of the Panthers loss, getting sole possession of first in the Midwest after a 23-3 win over Charlotte. Carl Langlois completed 18/21, 125 yards and 2 TDs while the BCBC ran for 172 yards and a TD.

Orlando beat Denver 25-0 for their 3rd straight win after a rough 1-4 start. Dwayne Byrd threw for 257 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT while the defense held the Gold to 88 total yards. John Jones caught 6 for 120 yards for the Renegades.

Baltimore squeaked by Shreveport 7-3 in a defensive struggle. The Steamer got their 3 points on an 18 play, 73 yard drive that took 11 minutes off the clock. The rest of their drives ended in turnovers, punts, or downs. Baltimore had a chance to tie it in the 3rd qtr following a lost Shreveport fumble but the FG try was no good and the game remained 3-0. A couple of drives later, the Baltimore defense intercepted Gary Westerfield and this time they cashed in on a TD as Hector Bednar found Gerald Parsons for a 22 yard score. The Stars get the 7-3 win despite 3 INTs by Bednar.

New Jersey beat Southern California 27-3 to win their 3rd in a row after an 0-5 start. The defense continued their good play, allowing just 158 yards, 17 minutes of possession and 0/10 on 3rd down. Offensively Kevin Via completed 22/26 for 180 yards and a TD while Jesse Pinkman ran for 112 yards and Alec Hardison ran for 93.

Victor Russell threw for 376 yards and 2 TDs to lead Honolulu over Detroit 23-7. The Hawaiians defense allowed 156 total yards, 0/9 on 3rd downs and the only Detroit points came on a John Robinson Pick Six.

Boston beat Los Angeles 28-10 behind Clarence Valdez and the defense. Valdez ran for 102 yards and a score while the defense intercepted Myron Dustin 3 times and sacked him 6 times, once for a safety. Felipe Norfleet added 4 FGs for the Breakers.

Arizona struggled but still got past Florida 12-10 for their 2nd win of the season. The Wranglers had 302 offensive yards but scored just 3 points in 3 red zone trips and converting 4/6 FGs overall. Florida got on the board first following a 3 yard TD drive, with the short field courtesy of an INT by Arizona QB Keith Carter. The Wranglers defense was tough all day, allowing just 128 yards, forcing 3 turnovers and sacking Nicholas Meis 8 times.

Chicago beat Washington 13-3 thanks to 143 rushing yards and a TD by David Pinkerton. It's the 2nd win in a row for the Blitz and they're among a group of teams just outside of a current playoff spot.

Week 9 was completed and the beat rolls on for Oklahoma, Jacksonville and New Orleans as they continue their winning ways, although the champs only won 12-6. These teams have been invincible in 2009 and I use that word because I'm listening to the new Judas Priest album, Invincible Shield, while I write this.

Jacksonville was more than invincible, as they pretty much did whatever they wanted in a 69-9 win over Arizona. The Bulls had 748 total yards, 286 of that came on the ground with Robert Chagnon leading the BCBC with 113 yards and a TD. William Barron threw for 471 yards and 8 TDs and William McLendon was the leading receiver, catching 8 for 277 yards and 5 TDs.

Oklahoma stayed unbeaten with a 35-8 win over Detroit. The Outlaws scored the first 35 points of the game on 5 TD passes by Raymond Settles, before Detroit closed the scoring with a safety and a pair of FGs. Settles didn't have a perfect game as he threw 2 INTs to go along with his 5 TDs and 397 yards and the Outlaws also lost 2 fumbles. Oklahoma's defense forced some turnovers of their own in building that 35-0 lead, getting 2 INTs and a fumble recovery in the first 16 minutes of the game. USFL leading receiver Domenic Winstead padded his totals with 10 catches for 190 yards and 2 TDs.

It's not very often, if at all you'll see a team win a game while going 0/13 on 3rd down but that's exactly what New Orleans did this week as they survive Shreveport's upset bid with a 12-6 win. The Steamer led 6-5 late in the 3rd when Kenneth Anderson threw a 1 yard TD pass to Michael Kreuger for the game's only TD, with the XP giving the VooDoo the 12-6 lead they'd hold until the end.

Memphis beat Portland 34-32 in a wild, back and forth game that tightened both the West division race along with the wildcard chase. Memphis had the halftime lead of 21-16 but Portland got within 21-19 after recovering a Memphis fumble in Showboats territory. Dustin Michael then tied a league record on the ensuing kickoff, returning it 110 yards for a TD. The 110 yard kickoff return has been done many times throughout our history, I stopped counting at 2 full pages of them, which is 40 times a page.

Memphis would add a FG early in the 4th for a 31-19 lead and the Storm would punt on their next 2 possessions. Portland would score a TD with 2:57 to play when George Schacht found George Baines with a 19 yard TD pass, and the XP made the score 31-26. The Storm opted to try an onside kick and it was successful and they took the lead 32-31 when Schacht found Baines with a 42 yard TD pass. The 2 point try failed, which would be huge because Glenn Burns drove Memphis into FG range where John Everhart's 54 yard FG at the gun was a game winner.

Glenn Burns threw for 367 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs for Memphis while George Schacht threw for 362 yards and 3 TDs. Memphis converted 9/17 on 3rd down while Portland was 1/15.

That loss opened the door for Oakland to get closer in the division race but the Invaders needed a late rally to avoid tripping over their own shoelaces. Oakland dominated the box score, gaining 537 yards of offense as their BCBC ran for 191 yards and a TD on 40 carries but they also lost 3 fumbles. QB Domingo Robinson threw for 346 yards and 2 TDs but also threw 2 INTs, giving Oakland 5 turnovers. Three of those turnovers came in their own territory and helped Denver score all 17 of their points as the Gold had a 17-3 lead early in the 4th.

The Invaders got their first TD on a Guillermo Rockwell 1 yard run but still needed Domingo Robinson's first TD pass on the last play of regulation to send the game to OT as they had an INT and a turnover on downs in between TDs. Oakland won the toss in OT and they would get a 52 yard walk off TD pass by Robinson to Daniel Fleming, winning 23-17.

San Jose beat Michigan 29-6 in a battle of playoff contenders. The SaberCats defense forced 5 turnovers, 4 coming on Willie Reddish INTs in his worst game of the season for Michigan. Reddish was also sacked 3 times. San Jose didn't exactly fill the stat sheet offensively but they did have 334 yards in a balanced attack and with no 4th down tries, Samuel Oakes converted all 5 of his FG attempts.

Cleveland beat AI Washington 31-3 to improve to 8-1 on the season. Michael Barry ran for 91 yards and a TD while Carl Langlois threw for 237 yards and 2 TDs, both to Mark Baltazar, who caught 6 for 165 yards in all. Coupled with the Michigan loss, the Thunderbolts now have a 2 game lead in the Midwest.

Philadelphia got by Los Angeles in a 9-3 defensive struggle. The teams combined for 414 yards with 10 sacks and 4/27 on 3rd down. Philadelphia was the only team to reach the red zone, doing so twice with 2 FGs to show for it. This win was ugly but Bell fans do not care as they just want to play in January again like they have gotten used to, and this win improves their record to 8-1.

Pittsburgh stung the Hornets 42-10 behind 329 yards and 2 TDs from their ball carriers and 4 Brian White TDs. Arthur Ortega had 115 rushing yards while Kenneth Allen had 112 and 2 scores. No Mauler receiver topped 45 yards but Wilbur McKey had 2 of White's 4 TD receptions. The win improves Pittsburgh's record to 5-4 with a 2 game lead on Baltimore in the Atlantic.

San Antonio eclipsed the Sun 49-0 to maintain the top wildcard spot. The Gunslingers had 543 offensive yards with 9 red zone trips, scoring 4 TDs and 5 FGs. George Warner threw for 359 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT and produced a pair of 100 yard receivers. Daniel Cruz caught 8 for 116 and a TD while Glenn Graham had a double triple, catching 9 for 128 and a TD while adding 111 on the ground. Frederick Paradiso only carried the ball 5 times but he scored on 2 of them. Defensively the Gunslingers were rude hosts, allowing John Barrios to complete just 9/28 for 76 yards, 5 INTs and 6 sacks.

Two things you won't hear me say the rest of this season...the Generals have yet to allow more than 20 points in a game and have yet to lose by double digits. Birmingham obliterated both stats when they obliterated my run defense to the tune of 390 yards and 2 TDs. The Stallions improve to 6-3 with the 37-3 win behind 136 rushing yards and a TD from Gary May and 101 with a TD by David James.

Orlando won their 4th game in a row as they shut out division rival Tampa Bay 27-0. The Renegades defense intercepted 2 passes, sacked Curtis Torres 3 times, and held the Bandits to 165 total yards. Dwayne Byrd completed 19/25, 201 yards and a TD for Orlando, but the important number was 0, as on how many INTs he threw today.

Honolulu beat New York 21-7 behind Victor Russell, who completed 24/27, 222 yards and 2 TDs along with 157 rushing yards and a TD from their BCBC. New York got their points on a 95 yard Jamie Orman TD pass to Dylan Fryer right before halftime to tie the game at 7. The break ruined any momentum gain, as did Honolulu coming out after halftime with back to back 11 play TD drives.

Houston beat Georgia 20-10 despite Force RB Scott Isaacs' 195 combined yards and an offense that converted just 1/13 on 3rd down. Isaacs ran for 116 yards and caught 7 for 79 to lead Shreveport but Houston's Snake Roberts ran for 125 and a TD and it was an Isaacs fumble on a pass reception which set up the Gamblers with a 1st and goal from the 8, leading to their first TD. The win improves the Gamblers to 4-5 and into the group one game behind Oakland for the last wildcard.

Baltimore beat Chicago 23-3 for their 2nd win in a row, and it's probably the Star's best game so far under Lunkan. Baltimore nearly doubled Chicago in yardage, 304-157 and they converted 9/17 3rd downs while holding the Blitz to 0/10. QB Hector Bednar did take 6 sacks but when staying on his feet, he completed 32/47, 281 yards and 2 TDs. RB Sean Cleveland caught one of the TD passes among his 6 for 50 yards and Cleveland added 63 and a TD on the ground for a combined 113 yards and 2 scores. The Stars defense also forced 2 turnovers and had 4 sacks.

Florida broke a 7 game losing streak with a 34-7 win over Boston. Here I thought my run defense was bad this week, giving up 390 but Boston said hold my beer. The Blazers ran for 446 yards with John Sanchez gaining 237 while scoring twice. Russell Williams chipped in with 169 rushing yards, and while QB Nicholas Meis only completed 11/22 for 81 yards, he threw for 2 TDs. The Blazers defense held Boston scoreless until late in the 4th after a lost Williams fumble gave the Breakers a short field to score their TD.

Week 10 Game of the Week

New Orleans (9-0) @ Jacksonville (9-0)

I wonder which game I'll write about first Monday or Tuesday? Any guesses? Obviously the winner will have the upper hand and the tiebreaker for home field advantage which will be huge seeing as these are the 2 most dominant teams in the National Conference so far.

It's still real early for this but it's still nice to see where you stand since we're still a couple of games away from any eliminations.

And then there was one. We knew we'd lose 1 undefeated team this week with Jacksonville and New Orleans playing each other but Oklahoma was upset by Denver in Big Poppa's first game as owner of the Gold.

All week the media hyped the big game, then once the ball was kicked off the defenses flexed their muscles. The offenses combined for 413 yards and 5/29 on 3rd down with 17 total punts. Neither team ran for more than 3 yards a carry or 185 passing yards. Jacksonville intercepted 2 passes and had a sack while New Orleans had 6 sacks and an INT.

In the middle of the 4th Jacksonville led 9-3 when Kenneth Anderson threw a 9 yard TD pass to James Peterson to tie the game and Mark Adams put the VooDoo ahead 10-9 with the XP. The defense stymied the Bulls the rest of the game and New Orleans improves to 10-0, the last undefeated team in the league because...

We had the upset of the year in Denver. It's one thing to pull an upset but it's another to take on one of the best offenses in the league and shut them out. To be fair, Denver's offense did next to nothing, gaining 121 total yards and converting just 3/15 on 3rd down. In the 3rd qtr they got an instant red zone possession after a lost Oklahoma fumble which turned into the game's first points, then late in the game Oklahoma turned it over on downs 3 times in a row with one being an instant red zone possession. Again, the Gold only converted a FG but those 6 points were enough.

Oklahoma had their own instant red zone opportunity in the 2nd qtr but their kicker missed a FG. The Outlaws only gained 258 total yards and came away empty in 2 red zone possessions. It wasn't pretty but Denver took advantage of their opportunities while Oklahoma did not, and now their hold on the #1 seed isn't quite as strong as it was before kickoff.

Checking in on the other division leaders and we find San Jose nearly had a perfect game in a 66-7 rout of Southern California. Every drive but one resulted in a TD for the SaberCats while their defense allowed 15 total yards for the game. I did not miss a digit, fifteen total yards. The Sun got their TD on a muffed punt that was returned for a score. Other than that it was all San Jose.

The stat line of the day belongs to James Valdez, who ran 7 times for 13 yards...and 5 TDs. The 5 rushing TDs is a USFL/WFL single game record, surpassing the 4 done by several previous runners. Five had never been done in the regular season or post season prior to today. Congrats.

There's more stats though. In all the San Jose BCBC ran for 183 yards and 6 TDs, led by Dale Babin's 94 and a TD. Babin liked 94 so much, he caught 7 passes for 94 yards, giving him 188 total today. Lynn McLaurin caught 17 passes for 112 yards and a TD while Lee Ramos had 95 yards and 2 scores. Larry Henderson completed 54/67, 531 yards and 3 TDs.

West leading Portland hosted San Antonio, losing 13-6. Glenn Graham had 146 total yards, 97 on the ground and George Warner threw a TD pass to lead the Gunslingers offense. Portland had a pair of FGs to keep it close in the first half, trailing 7-6 but the San Antonio defense forced 4 straight three and outs while extending their lead before eventually winning. San Antonio is now 1+ games behind Oklahoma and remain in the top wildcard spot.

Cleveland improves to 9-1 with a 13-3 win over Detroit. The Thunderbolts ball carriers ran for 168 yards and a TD while Carl Langlois completed 22/26 passes. The Cleveland defense intercepted 4 passes, recovered a fumble, had 3 sacks and held the Wheels to 1/12 on 3rd down.

Philadelphia improves to 9-1 with a 26-0 win over Shreveport. Joel Jasso threw for 400 yards and a TD while the Bell defense intercepted 3 passes. The Steamer defense had no answer for Matthew Nelson, who caught that TD among his 10 for 244 yards. Keeshawn Tye made 4 FGs.

Pittsburgh took a big step toward the Atlantic division title with a 40-7 win over Baltimore. The Pittsburgh BCBC ran 50 times for 222 yards and 2 TDs, led by Kenneth Allen's 92 and a TD. Brian White only completed 12/15 passes but 3 went for TDs and he threw for 226 yards. Defensively they sacked Hector Bednar 7 times and intercepted 2 passes.

Birmingham remains the top wildcard in their conference with a 13-6 win over Georgia. Russell Gall had a sub par game, completing 10/26 for 122 yards but the defense and running game helped him out. The Stallions ran for 184 yards and a TD, led by Gary May's 113. The defense forced 4 turnovers and had 2 sacks, shutting out the Force after their big play TD in the first (XP was no good).

Michigan maintains a solid playoff position with a 35-3 win over Los Angeles. The Panthers 3 headed BCBC had 180 yards led by 92 from Charles Keller while Willie Reddish threw for 306 yards, 5 TDs and an INT. Alvin Eckenrode had a big game, catching 10 passes for 171 yards and 3 TDs. Defensively they held the Express to 115 total yards with 5 sacks.

Orlando beat Oakland 22-7 in a battle of playoff contenders. It's the 5th straight win for the Renegades and Dwayne Byrd once again had a clean game, throwing for 294 yards and a TD. That TD came on the 1st play of the game, a 75 yard catch and run score to Michael Cousar, and from there Roger Love made all 5 of his FG tries. Orlando's defense forced the Invaders to punt on their first 10 drives before allowing a TD in the 4th qtr.

Honolulu beat Houston 22-13 to move into the #7 seed according to MFN. Victor Russell completed 28/38, 252 yards and a TD while the Hawaiians BCBC had 169 yards and a TD. Honolulu converted 10/19 3rd downs while holding Houston to 0/7 and intercepting Dale Baber twice.

Memphis beat Chicago 33-9 to improve to 5-5 and putting them in the thick of the wildcard race. Glenn Burns threw for 435 yards and a TD to Jacob Newman, who caught 7 for 146 yards in all. The Showboats also had 2 rushing TDs and kept the ball for 40 minutes. Defensively they made life rough for Eric Hansen, allowing him 17/51, 177 yards, 2 INTs and 3 sacks.

New York beat Florida 20-6 to maintain their current #6 seed. Jamie Orman threw for 260 yards and 2 TDs to lead New York. James Sanchez ran for 123 yards for Florida. Most of the action was in the first half as New York led 17-6 with the entire 3rd qtr being a puntfest.

Tampa Bay and Arizona held a FG kicking contest which the Bandits won 4-2. Translating into a football score, Tampa won 12-6 as both QBs threw a pair of INTs and neither team cracked the end zone. It was a 6-6 game until the final 5 minutes when Tampa got 2 late Gary Ridgeway FGs for the win. Arizona kicker Rafael Ray missed a pair of 50+ yard FGs in the game.

Boston beat Charlotte 34-6 thanks to the defense which forced 5 turnovers and several short fields. The Breakers scored 34 with only 294 offensive yards and no scores from the defense or special teams returns. Boston ran for 218 yards and 4 TDs led by the 112 and 2 from Aaron Bush. Leroy Payne didn't need to do much at QB other than not screw up and he delivered with a line of 12/16, 94 yards, 2 sacks and no turnovers.

New Jersey beat AI Washington 34-6 behind their bad cop/career criminal backfield. Vic Mackey, named for the corrupt cop from The Shield, ran for 166 yards and a TD. Jesse Pinkman, named from Breaking Bad, ran for 163 yards and 2 TDs. Pinkman added 36 receiving yards (199 total) and Mackey 18 (184 total). The Generals defense shut down the pass and cruised to the win.