Week 1 Preview

Birmingham at Orlando

Tough opener for both teams as a win here could prove to be an important divisional tiebreaker. Orlando get the edge because they are at home but Birmingham with young QB Seth Burford at the controls could cause problems. Orlando have the better rushing attack and gets the edge here.

Orlando by 7

New York at Ohio

Another important divisional game. Ohio could be one of the surprises of the season, they are set at QB and HB with Jamal Robertson having his best year last season. New York are the better team but Ohio do have the homefield advantage and could cause an upset in Week 1. Still New York are looking to win the FWL Bowl this year and are one of the favourites in the AFC.

New York by 3

Mexico at Raleigh-Durham

Two teams who are looking to bounce back to a winning season this year and a good start is needed by both teams. Raleigh have a great offense and with former Surge HB Mike Green as the new starting HB they could be even better. If Green stays injury free he could do well for Raleigh. The Skyhawks have also tightened up their defense with a great draft and these players could start from day 1. For Mexico its unclear who will start at QB, Robey Williams throws too many ints and most pundits agree young JT O'Sullivan is the better QB. The team have a lot of young talent on offense which should be even better this year, there are still holes on defense though but 3rd year DE Akbar Gbaja-Biamiller could finally have his breakthrough season. Mexico have a lot of great sackmasters but have to stop the yardage more.

Raleigh by 7

San Antonio at Montreal

HUGE game for both teams. Montreal despite their loss in the FWL Bowl last year are still the team to beat in the AFC, they have strengthened their squad in the offseason and have good depth at the skill positions. For San Antonio surely this might be their year ? The Riders have been very close the last few seasons but Montreal just manage to pip them to the AFC title each time. Montreal have the clear advantage as they are 18-3 at home the last 3 seasons. Should be a close game though.

Montreal by 3

Sacramento at Paris

Paris could get off to a hot start in this game. The rumours are Kevin Kreinhagen is the new starter from veteran Corey Sauter at QB and if Kreinhagen plays as well as he can in his few appearances already the Musketeers could be one of the surprises in the AFC. For Sacramento its a rebuilding year and they have new faces at QB, HB and WR. If the young offense could gell early then Sacramento could put some points on the board. The Musketeer defense isnt the best but recently signed veteran LB Matt Finkes and rookie S Lamont Brightful should make their defense better.

Paris by 10

Rhein at Scottish

Both teams dont look like contending this season but there could still be a surprise from either team. For Scotland QB Craig Nall had a great offseason and is looking excellent, he has a speedy WR in Olaf Fischer to throw to who could emerge as the WR1 target. However their rushing attack feature slow RB's as Aaron Stecker and Ken Shelby are showing their age and beginning to slow. Rhein havent made many changes to their squad , they have a new rookie CB Blue Adams who could be tested by Nall but for a team with a losing record last season their quiet offseason is a surprise.

Scotland by 3

Frankfurt at London

If Joe Aska can carry on the form from last year then this should be an easy Galaxy win. However London are a strange team and could cause a major upset. However at presstime no one knows who the starting London QB will be, whoever it is need WR's though and the Monarchs WR's are one of the worst units in the league. If Payton can get some yards against the tough Galaxy defense London stands a chance. For Frankfurt after winning the FWL Bowl they surprisingly changed a lot of their defense, why change a championship team ? Only time will tell if this was a wise decision. QB Rohan Davey has begged GM Marco Lambert to keep his favourite WR Thabiti Davis as his main target but it looks like Tony Simmons and Marcus Knight two former 1st round picks finally get their chance to shine.

Frankfurt by 14

Amsterdam at Barcelona

A good test for Amsterdam in Week 1. Barcelona have an excellent offense and if their LB's can play better they have a chance to win some games. Rookie LB Rich Scanlon could have a great year for the Dragons. Amsterdam are unsettled at QB, it looks at presstime that Joe Hamilton will probably get the nod. If Amsterdam can find a rushing attack this year they could be excellent. The defense is as good as ever but they do face a tough away game.

Amsterdam by 3

Berlin at Austria

Tough opener for Austria. Berlin were the team who defeated them in last years EFC Wildcard game in a close game but they have a chance to gain revenge. For Berlin this could be the last year of the old playmakers, QB Barnes, WR Blundin and HB Black. All 3 played excellent last year but they could be on their last legs. Austria had an excellent draft and offseason and have rebuilt a lot of their defense, rookie S Shawn Mayer should have a great first game and could have a huge year. Pat Barnes is getting slower each year and could be sacked a lot by the fast quick DarkKnights defense. Its only a matter of time until young QB Nate Hybl takes over the reigns but Barnes did have one of his best seasons last year. A slow start by Berlin could send him to the bench tough. For Austria QB Curt Anes needs to prove last year wasnt a fluke and HB Marlion Jackson needs to have a huge year if Austria want to make it back to the playoffs. Austria gets the slight edge because they are at home.

Austria by 3

Players to watch....

Musketeers QB Kevin Kreinhagen - Can Kreinhagen perform well over a whole season ? In spot appearances he is excellent but has never started more than 2 games in a row. Big pressure on him replacing Musketeers legend Corey Sauter

Surge QB Rob Adamson - Only started 3 games in his career and only played well in one of them. The fans arent happy with Todd Bouman being benched and if Adamson struggles early on Bouman could come back to lead the team.

Aztecs QB Robey Williams - We are unsure who is starting for Mexico but if it is Williams who GM Joe Jackson has shown a lot of faith in he is surely in last chance saloon. Williams finished the season strong but still set an FWL record with 14 interceptions last year and fumbled 8 times. Last season he was a walking talking turnover.