Week 4 - Preview

[Paul-London]

San Antonio (2-1) at Birmingham (0-3)

Dangerous game for San Antonio as Birmingham are a good team but have been unlucky and are winless currently.  They seem to have found a rushing attack in HB Clarence Williams but still make errors on defense and they are ranked just 16th overall defensively.  San Antonio after a bad Week 1 loss are playing much better, their defense needs to play better but they are a good team and HB Curtis Alexander seems to be off to his best start, Birmingham arent that bad a team though and with homefield advantage they 'could' come away with an upset win.

San Antonio by 4

London 3-0 at Ohio 0-3

Another winless team could cause surprises this week.  Ohio have the 10th ranked offense and 5th ranked defense but because of a tough start to their season they are 0-3, they are a dangerous team though.  London are 3-0 and have the best offense in the league and the 8th ranked defense but lately QB Matt Lytle has been back to his bad old ways.  He is throwing the ball very well but 7 fumbles in 2 games isnt good at all and if has to cut down on the turnovers.  Could be a very good close game.

London by 3

Mexico 2-1 at Sacramento 2-1

Tough game for both teams, not many people thought either team would be 3-1 this year but one team will be next week.  Mexico are ranked 11th offensively and defensively, young QB JT O'Sullivan is having some quiet games and was very quiet against the tough NY defense last week and needs to play better.  For Sacramento finally HB BJ Askew got the yards on the ground at home and with another home game here he could do well.  Both teams are very similar statistically and it could be a close game, Sacramento gets the edge as theyre at home.

Sacramento by 3

New York 3-0 at Raleigh-Durham 0-3

It doesnt get any easier for the 0-3 teams.  Raleigh who just cant run the ball go against the tough Knights defense.  New York look to be one of the best teams in the league and if they can get past their final hurdle Montreal this could be their year.  On a recent poll 88% of Raleigh fans wanted to see Mike Green at HB, theres been changes every week in Raleigh and no combination yet has worked well rushing the ball.  Until they solve that problem Raleigh could be in for a tough year. Raleighs offense is great but their defense is ranked just 17th and despite a great draft those young defensive rookies arent coming through (yet).  With the Knights having the 3rd ranked offense and 2nd ranked defense they are looking great.

New York by 10

Orlando 2-1 at Montreal 3-0

A surprise loss to Sacramento could put Orlando on a losing streak, they now face a tough undefeated Montreal team away in Montreal.  Offensively both teams are playing very well, HB Ken Simonton had a poor game last week and will face a tough time against Montreal this week.  For Montreal with HB Lawrence Phillips making his first start things went well as QB Danny Wuerffel had a career game.  Should be another home win for Montreal but Orlando have weapons offensively.

Montreal by 7

Frankfurt 1-2 at Amsterdam 2-1

Amsterdam have had success against Frankfurt the last few seasons and were one of the few teams to beat them last year.  Their nemesis from last year QB Joe Hamilton is back as the starter with Amsterdam so Frankfurt will be gearing to stop him.  A huge game for both teams, with a loss at 1-3 and with tiebareakers against Rhein and Amsterdam, Frankfurt could be in a deep hole.  The offense has played well but the defense hasnt come up with many great games until last week against Paris.  Amsterdam with the addition of two former Machine players look to be excellent on defense and if WR Eddie Conti breaks out they could be great on offense.  With the 4th ranked defense Amsterdam could make life tough for Frankfurt.  Could be a great game and is the game of the week.  Could come down to a late FG.  With HB Joe Aska and QB Davey the Galaxy always stand a chance but for Amsterdam being a home and also HB Huerta on fire they could come away with the win.

Amsterdam by 3

Berlin 0-3 at Rhein 2-1

Berlin are in a huge hole, they have injuries and players playing like theyre 80 years old.  Omar Bacon deserves another shot at starting despite last weeks bad display, QB Pat Barnes is still getting the job done but how long till the team make huge changes and go with the younger players ?  For Rhein after a tough loss to Austria they want to get back to winning ways and being at home they have the advantage.  Rhein are ranked in the top 10 offensively and defensively and could make life tough for Berlin whos offense is ranked last in the league.

Rhein by 10

Scottish 0-3 at Paris 0-3

At least one of these disappointing teams will win unless its a tie !  For Paris the switch to Kevin Kreinhagen at QB has bombed this year and GM Andrew Battye could save face by putting Sauter back in as the starter.  The defense is playing well for Paris but the offense is terrible ranked 17th in the league.  For Scotland the situation is worse, the offense is terrible and the defense is ranked dead last.  Big changes need to be made for Scotland and Scotland need draft picks to bulk up this year with new young players.  They cant run the ball at all and the team has got slow and old.

Paris by 7

Barcelona 2-1 at Austria 3-0

Barcelona are surprising us all with two straight wins and a 2-1 record.  Their defense is playing brilliantly and is ranked 3rd overall but their offense at times has been pretty poor and it could be near the end of Chad Dukes starting career with the Dragons. For Austria theyre off to an unbeaten start and at 3-0 are looking very good, their offense is only ranked 12th and needs to improve but their defense like the old days in Austria is awesome and is ranked 1st overall, 1st against the run allowing an amazing 170 yards in 3 games on the ground.  The defensive line has played better the past few weeks, if the Austrian offense can score more touchdowns instead of settling for FG's then Austria could be the best team in the league.  For Barcelona QB Dameyune Craig is still getting the job done but they will have to put up a huge performance in order to get past Austria at home.

Austria by 10

[Andrew-Neutral]

Scotland at Paris could be the first ever 0-0 tie! Definately not the game of the week, more the game of the weak. Or the Stupor Bowl.

[Niki]

Scotland at Paris could be the first ever 0-0 tie! Definately not the game of the week, more the game of the weak. Or the Stupor Bowl.

why not call it teh toilet bowl

some Admirals and Dragons, came up with this idea in 2002 before the week 9 game (in amsterdam) the losser would end 6th and the winner 5th. So the winner of the game is not winless anymore and the losser will win the Toilet Bowl

[Stuart-Barcelona]

Barcelona 2-1 at Austria 3-0

Barcelona are surprising us all with two straight wins and a 2-1 record.  Their defense is playing brilliantly and is ranked 3rd overall but their offense at times has been pretty poor and it could be near the end of Chad Dukes starting career with the Dragons. For Austria theyre off to an unbeaten start and at 3-0 are looking very good, their offense is only ranked 12th and needs to improve but their defense like the old days in Austria is awesome and is ranked 1st overall, 1st against the run allowing an amazing 170 yards in 3 games on the ground.  The defensive line has played better the past few weeks, if the Austrian offense can score more touchdowns instead of settling for FG's then Austria could be the best team in the league.  For Barcelona QB Dameyune Craig is still getting the job done but they will have to put up a huge performance in order to get past Austria at home.

Austria by 10

Just to add a note to that, Barcelona actually have the best yards per carry of all the defences, the reason Austria have conceded less yards it becasue teams haven't tried to run at them as much.

I say Barcelona by 3 and the rest of the predictions seem about right.

[Niki]

oh well Barca has the good luck that they are a;ready not good in running the ball, just like Austria, Starting RB Jackson is below 3 avg (2.6) and Barca's RB is 3.0 avg, hm if both HB's will have a +100 yds game i think it will be funny

[Mario ADK]

Just to add a note to that, Barcelona actually have the best yards per carry of all the defences, the reason Austria have conceded less yards it becasue teams haven't tried to run at them as much.

I say Barcelona by 3 and the rest of the predictions seem about right.

Cmon Stuart, i mean:
AUS: 3,2
BAR: 3,0
Both run-defenses are similar but my offense and my DBs seem to be much stronger than yours. Even before i take a closer look at our matchup i would go for Pauls preview: +10

i am not kahky here, it is my genuine evaluation. But as i said i will take a closer look. I am so confident, i even might start Moore as WR1 because i obviously have a game-plan which prevents Anes form throwing to him. He tried to get to him just TWICE this entire game. This is waste of talent.

[Mario ADK]

btw:
will be interesting to see if BAR start Dukes or if AUS starts Mayer??? Both injuries are huge for the team next week so it is quite even.

G Neal (AUS) and DE Roundtree (RHE) are P-1 as well but both can easily be replaced and won´t be missed THAT much.....

[Stuart-Barcelona]

btw:
will be interesting to see if BAR start Dukes

That would be telling 

[Mario ADK]

COWARD ;-)

Austrian Management hereby announce that Calvin Spears will take over the starting S1-Job from injured Shawn Mayer.

G1 Neal will also be out of the entire game due to a sore knee. He will be replaced by John Blick, an excellent young prospect.

More than that WR2 Cecil Moore is put to a test as WR1, with current WR1 Hatchette put back to WR2.

You see: I am convident that even my backups will slaughter the Dragon 

[Stuart-Barcelona]

I can see a little rivalry starting, we play each other 3 times in the space of a few weeks.

I fully expect three Barcelona wins 

[Mario ADK]

3 games? Where? When? Äh?


oh. you mean we meet in the playoffs? Iwould not say that i will be in there but my chances are good, but Barcelona? London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Rhein will have better records than you. And Austria of course will win TWICE!!! No playoffs for you sir.

Please stay away from alcohol, Stuart...... 

Hey, is there a new rivalry coming or what? 

[Stuart-Barcelona]

I think i need more alcohol, i thought i read that we play 3 times this year...my mistake

2 victorys will have to do then 

[Mario ADK]

 

come over here and i beat you up, you little *peep*

My D-line is eating raw meat already and Anes gets another beautiful virgin to "talk to" day by day....
The DarkKnights will find the Dragon, hunt him and slaugther him.

Long live the DarkKnights. the dark force of the FWL....

 

[Mario ADK]

My predictions:

San Antonio (2-1) at Birmingham (0-3)

San Antonio has been a top-performer year in-year out, whereas Birmingham can´t stand the heat of playing on a high level anymore and won´t be playoff-bound this season. I would go for the Riders

San Antonio by 10

London 3-0 at Ohio 0-3

Watch the surprise here. I am still confident in Ohio, they had tough opponents to beat. I Ohio wants to enter the playoff-race, they better do not start 0-4, even if easier games are ahead. London surprises as all but did not convince against poor Scotland and they will be stunned by the future FWL-Bowl-Champion....

Ohio by 3 in OT

Mexico 2-1 at Sacramento 2-1

Is Sacramento under- or overperforming? This team is one of the misterys of the league. On paper, they do not look great, but they perform very well. The Aztecs played well so far but with the homecrowd cheering, the Surge might come out winners.

Sacramento by 3

New York 3-0 at Raleigh-Durham 0-3

FWL-Bowl-bound New York will destroy the disappointing Skyhawks. Despite all their excellent draft-results the Skyhawks are one of the big disappointments of the season so far.

New York by 17

Orlando 2-1 at Montreal 3-0

Orlando played very well on paper BUT they did not face tough opponents yet. Montreals injuries should not worry GM Harwood that much. Won´t be a tough game.

Montreal by 7

Frankfurt 1-2 at Amsterdam 2-1

Yes, sureley the game of the week. I am not talking about a "do or die"-situation but hey if the Galaxy doesn´t win it will be a steep battle back. Amsterdam is 2-1 but is not back to their old form as they where destroyed by London in week 2 and face another true test this week. All in all i see Frankfort as the better team.

Frankfurt by 6

Berlin 0-3 at Rhein 2-1

The Fire did not confince against Austria but the Thunder is clearly that most disappointing team so far. They have no weapons at all and i see no point that they will bounce back. Should be the time to set up a team for the future as this is the team of the past.....

Rhein by 10

Scottish 0-3 at Paris 0-3

Duh! i would not pay any money to watch this game, hey they even should pay money to me and i might come watching? Hard to say who will make less mistakes in this game.

Tie

Barcelona 2-1 at Austria 3-0

If Austria wants to get back-to-back-titles in the EFC West there is no doubt they need to win this. Both teams lack of injuries to important players and Kreiner already decided to give his backups a chance to show what they are made of. Barcelonas win against Birmingham might surprise many but all in all the new DarkKnights seem to be able to stop any Offense out there and wait for the next FG to come.

Austria by 10

[Andrew-Neutral]

My predictions:

Scottish 0-3 at Paris 0-3

Duh! i would not pay any money to watch this game, hey they even should pay money to me and i might come watching? Hard to say who will make less mistakes in this game.

Tie

Turned out to be a good game! Both offences were on fire (or the defences were asleep). Paris got an average of ten yards and only committed one turnover!

[Niki]

waw just looking at the stats of that game, Claymores kicker Sievers blocked 3 out of 4 PAT's, is that a league record?

[Paul-London]

Well Scotlands kicker is very slow so i presume his walk up to his kick is so slow the defense can crash through and block the kick.

Or this week he was so shocked by all the touchdowns he forgot how to take XPs !! ;-)  Sorry Ronnie !

[Paul-London]

Great win for Paris, nice to see Itai on the scoreboard again.

Strange how Penkki didnt complete one pass to his WR1 Coleman ??!

[Mario ADK]

Barcelona 2-1 at Austria 3-0

If Austria wants to get back-to-back-titles in the EFC West there is no doubt they need to win this. Both teams lack of injuries to important players and Kreiner already decided to give his backups a chance to show what they are made of. Barcelonas win against Birmingham might surprise many but all in all the new DarkKnights seem to be able to stop any Offense out there and wait for the next FG to come.

Austria by 10

Well, my backups did not impress much:
<) My DBs where average (at best) without Mayer with controversal trade-bait CB2 Howards starring with 6 tackles and one crucial interception
<) My O-line was like swiss cheese. 4 sacks conceeded does not look bad at all at first sight BUT take this: QB Anes was hurried and forced to run with the Ball 10(!!!) times so it could have been 14 conceeded sacks as well. Houston, i have a problem!!!

For the rest of the game:
<) A big halleluja to Curt Anes: 81% completions
<) I will switch to a 9 Lineman + Anes + Hatchette formation. Should win the FWL-bowl with this as i need nobody else but Hutchette....
<) Jacksons fumblitis scares me to death, i will bench him and start HB2 Allen instead against London.....
<) K Andersons streak is over
<) BAR played a good game offensively but benefitted a lot by Anes INT and the fumble to start 10-0
<) 3rd down efficency: BAR: 1 out of 10(!); AUS 8 out of 13..... point taken?

Plus:
if i beat London next week i am +2 games in the EFC. The DarkKnights are really going from zero to hero this season. I am impressed.....

[Paul-London]

Well its a sign of a good team when you win the close games.   Dont think your offensive line played well in that game at all, couldnt open up holes for the rushing game and for some reason Anes was running for his life.  Great game passing the ball though.

Hatchette has turned into a great WR in Austria and looks like he could be one of the top WR's this year already.  KeKoyo Bell is out performing Cecil Moore, be interesting to see him at WR2.

Your defense played well, take away one long run and HB Wiley didnt do much at all.  Your secondary totally limited the Dragons passing attack who couldnt get any big plays.  Looking at the play by play Moore did come up with some big plays, 20-13 and Barcelona punt and Moore returns it 25 yards.  Then on 3rd & 9 he catches a 9 yard pass for the first down, 3 plays later touchdown Austria and its all over