My team stunk up the joint this week. Turnovers and poor play calling. Much needed loss to see what changes are needed going forward!

Yeah, lots of turnovers and my defense has improved over our last game. I did make some changes that have paid off in a few games recently.

You know what though, you were spot on in the "why to watch" part of your review again. I was way off. I really thought I would get beat like our last game, but you were spot on.

Thunder Week 9 By The Numbers: Results and Preview

This was an abnormal week in the Thunder. Every match that looked like a competitive instant classic game in the making beforehand ended in brutal beatdowns. Somehow, I mustered up a few reviews.

Nobody's perfect. Fans at "The Links" were treated to a wire-to-wire thrashing as their home team Inbhir Narann (5-3) beat the Totoras Patriots (4-4) 29-7, holding them to 53 total rushing yards on 27 carries (2.0 avg). This game was 24-0 at the half, and it was clear Narann was going to remain unbeaten at home for another week. The wide receivers for Narann were almost perfect, dropping only 1 pass on 34 attempts from S35 1st round pick QB Eulogio Ferrer. Ferrer went 31-34 (91% ), 243 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 picks, 116.05 Qb rating, and 1 rush for 6 yards. He was sacked 2 times. Not perfect... but pretty darn close!

Some victories can turn the tide of a season for the better. The Kokomo Mantis (5-3) raced out to a 31-6 lead and put down the Vicious Attack Dogs (8-1) 38-20, handing the Attack Dogs their first loss of the season and tightened the race for the NC South crown at the same time. The Mantis consistently converted on 3rd downs (6 for 12) when it mattered and scored at will. Home-grown S30 YA promote WR Otto Cornell (28yo) was a big problem for the Dogs as he caught 10 passes for 116 yards (11.6 avg), 75 Yac (7.5 avg), a long of 23 yards, 2 broken tackles, 1 touchdown, and 0 drops.

Former NFL Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green once blew up in the post-game press conference and said" They are who they thought they were." STATE (4-5) oF is headed to a bright future, but as of today... they are not playoff material. The Vienna Falcons (7-1) surely are, however, and win 37-17 on the road. This game was 37-7 after 3 quarters! While WR Troy Legget had his normal " Marvin Harrison" type game, it will be 23-year-old CB Darko Oljic' we show some love to this game. He tallied 12 tackles (0 missed), 3 interceptions, and 1TD in 53 snaps on defense as the Falcons continue to make the Whitings sweat it out for the NC East title.

The Woflings (7-1), Basterds (8-0), Istanbul Whitings (8-0), and Nashville Renegades (2-6) proved to be better prepared than their opponents, while Bulldozer (6-2), Duluth Eskimos (7-1), Fredericksburg Comanches (6-2), and Kalapana Wild Thangs (7-2) all beat bots.

Boonley Bulldozers (0-8), Deflators (7-1), RC Frogs (2-6), Valiant Pinoys (6-2), Wap Bam Boogie (4-4), and Xu Da (4-4) had byes.

Upcoming Games To Watch

Basterds (8-0) @ Woflings (7-1)
Fredericksburg Comanches (6-2) @ Inbhir Narann (5-3)
Kokomo Mantis (5-3) @ Totoras Patroits (4-4)

Why Watch Em'

Here we go! A possible AC Thunder Championship preview at " The Den". The Basterds have won every game by 25 points or more and dispatched the very talented Wolverines team last week 38-7. The Basterds 2,367 passing yards rank 4th in the league and will go against the 5th best pass defense. The Woflings have made their mark the last few seasons as a rushing team and will pit the 7th best rushing attack (1,669) against the 7th best rush defense. Respectively these teams sit 1st and 3rd in the way too early AC playoff race. These teams have split the last 10 matchups between them with the Woflings winning two in a row in the series. (BONUS: These 2 met in the S28 Bowl with the Woflings winning 24-10)

Halfway through the season and the Comanches sit 1 game back in the AC East, an accomplishment in itself giving the Woflings dominance in the division. The Comanches rushing attack rank 5th with 1,729 yards and will try to establish themselves against the 9 best rush defense in the league. Naranns' 12 interceptions also rank 6th in the league, so the Comanches, who only have 3 thrown picks on the season, should be talented enough to make this game a close one. Narann sits 2nd in the NC South. The Comanches have won the only matchup between these two teams 42-34 last season.

The Mantis championship-caliber swagger was on full display last week vs the Attack Dogs and should continue with their 3rd best passing attack with 2,659 yards against the 16th ranked pass defense. The Patriots have a chance to control the time-of-possession however, as their rushing has netted them 1,452 yards, good enough for 12th in the league. These two teams both made the playoffs last season, but sit on the outside looking in as of today. While the Mantis have won 3 of their last 4 games... the Patriots have lost 3 of the last 4 games. The Patriots won 28-14 earlier this season and 2 in a row overall while the Mantis have won 6 of the past 10 matchups.

Away game with low morale due to stupid SC loss. Pressure on the Wolverines

Thunder Playoff outlook

Still too early to be talking playoffs or magic numbers, but lets take a view of what the playoff race might look like if the season ended today since Kevin sparked my interest:

AC standings

1- Basterds 8-1 (346 PD)
2- Duluth Eskimos 8-1 (PD 288)
3- Wolflings 8-1 (PD 198)
4- Kalapana Wild Thangs 7-2 (PD 304)
5- Fredericksburg Comanches 7-2 (PD 221)
6- Valiant Pinoys 7-2 (PD 210)

Barossa Bulldogs 6-3 (PD 263)
Xu Da 5-4 (PD 133)

NC standings

1- Istanbul Whitings 9-0 (PD 325)
2- Deflators 8-1 (PD 290)
3- Vicious Attack Dogs (PD 250)
4- Bulldozer 7-2 (PD 174)
5- Vienna Falcons 8-1 (PD 157)
6- Waukesha Wolverines 6-3 (PD 195)

Kokomo Mantis 6-3 (PD 166)
Inbhir Narann 5-4 (PD 199)

note - I only included teams with winning records at this time. There are other teams that could make the playoffs that are not included on this list.

Thunder Week 10 By The Numbers: Results and Preview

OVERTIME!!!! That's what we were treated to in this possible AC Championship playoff preview.
135,767 fans saw the Woflings (8-1) kick a game-winning field goal from 34 yards, 3 minutes into overtime on their first possession, and beat the Bastards (8-1) by the final score of 19-16. The Basterds tied this game at 13 apiece just 4 minutes into the 4th quarter with an 11-yard touchdown pass. The Basterds would also need a 30-yard field goal with 39 seconds left to send this one into overtime. It's surprising this game was so close considering how well the Woflings moved the ball. They had more total yards (512- 317), rushing yards ( 205-78), passing yards (307-239), first downs (33-21), and ball possession time ( 34:07 - 25:53). But they were sacked 5 times, threw an interception, and went 6 of 15 on 3rd downs. Those latter numbers can kill an offense. On defense, the Wolfings were spearheaded by the stellar play of 32-year-old DL Bolaji Silva who had 6 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, and 2 sacks.

Total domination. That's what the Fredericksburg Comanches (7-2) displayed in a 34-17 schooling against Inbhir Narann (5-4). The Comanches ran 90 plays vs Narann’s 51. As a result Narann only held the ball for 20 minutes. Or, maybe they only held the ball for only 20 minutes because of the Comanches' run defense. The Comanches, after all, faced the run 24 times and only gave up 16 yards (0.7 avg). They also only yielded 10 first downs while having 34 on their own. They only allowed 2 of the 12 - 3rd downs to be converted. They ran the ball 44 times for 197 yards (4.5 avg). They had homegrown S35 youth promoted TE Devin Bullock who only seemed interested in catching touchdowns as 3 of his 5 catches went for scores. They dominated. Total domination.

Returning the favor seems to be the Kokomo Mantis (6-3) motto. For the second straight week, they dismantled an NC South foe, avenging the previous season's series matchup result. After the Vicious Attack beatdown, they kept the whips lathered in beating the Totoras Patriots (4-5) by the score of 40-20. The Mantis raced out to a 17-0 lead and used a dual QB system to achieve 344 passing yards. The QB duel of 29-year-old s36 -1st round draftee Hershel Gunderson and 22 years old s40 - 1st round draftee Rob Ainsworth completed 39 0f 50 passes (6.9 avg), had 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception thrown. Converting on 9 of 15 3rd downs, the Mantis kept the ball moving and scored 10 points exactly in every quarter. Each quarter the Mantis scored a touchdown first, then an FG... in that order. All of a sudden after a 2-2 start, the Mantis looks Elite bound.


The Deflators (8-1), Duluth Eskimos (8-1), Istanbul Whitings (9-0), and Vienna Falcons (8-1) all proved to be better prepared than their opponents, while the Barossa Bulldogs (6-3), Moorefield Flames (3-6), Bulldozer (7-2), Jarheads (3-6), Xu Da (5-4), Valiant Pinoys (7-2), and Waukesha Wolverines (6-3) all beat bots.

The Kalapana Wild Thangs (7-2), STATE oF (4-5) , and Vicious Attack Dogs (8-1) had byes.


Upcoming Games To Watch

Duluth Eskimos (8-1) @ Basterds (8-1)
Fredericksburg Comanches (7-2) @ Kokomo Mantis (6-3)
Inbhir Narann (5-4) @ Deflators (8-1)
Waukesha Wolverines (6-3) @ Vienna Falcons (8-1)

Why Watch Em'

For the second straight week, the Basterds find themselves in a possible AC Championship playoff preview. The Duluth Eskimos sit in first place in the AC North by 1 game over the Valiant Pinoys and 2nd seed overall in the AC. The Basterds, despite their first loss coming last week, still sit as the #1 seed in the AC and holds a 2 game lead in the AC south over Barossa Bulldogs. The Eskimos own the best rushing offense and defense in the league, while the Basterds sit 9th in both of those and boast the 6th best passing attack.
The Basterds won the only match at home between these two 23-16 in season 37.

The Fredericksburg Comanches are 2nd in the AC East and hold the 1st wildcard slot in the AC. They also are on a 6 game winning streak and currently are 5th in rushing offense and 7th in rushing defense. The Mantis is 2nd in passing offense and 8th in passing defense. The Mantis are 2 games back of the Vicious Attack Dogs in the NC South and 29 PD behind the final NC wildcard spot. The Kokomo Mantis won the only matchup at home between these two teams 42-17 last season.

The Waukesha Wolverines hold the 2nd spot in the NC West and NC Wildcard spot. They are 1 game back of Bulldozer in the NC West and have won 6 of their past 7 games. They are 4th in passing offense and 4th in rushing defense. The Falcons have won 5 straight and sit 1 game back in the NC East behind the Istanbul Whitings. They hold a 2 game lead on the 1st NC Wildcard spot. The Falcons are 8th in passing offense. The Wolverines won the only matchup between these two 83-0 last season.

Thanks, Tpal for the playoff preview. Now that all byes are complete, we're looking forward to those playoff updates!

Thanks for all you guys' patience as of late. My work has caused these reviews to be writing later than I want… but better late than never.

Sorry all, but you can rule me out of play off contention. Yesterday was my first day off this year and I am not finding the time I should to improve in this game. I forgot to set match instructions today and I sent out my shadow squad into today's game.
I have sacked a couple of players to save some long term cash but I just cannot see myself spending enough time on the game for the next couple of months at least.
I will try to set up a default line up for friendlies and one competitive games if that can be done, but if I can't the Wolverines are likely to be very inconsistent.
Love the analysis of games. I get the irony that I only ever see it after my games, but I really appreciate the time that is put in there!
Cheers all
P

I totally forgot to set my main lineup today with the NCAA tournament starting, so I used my Young practice squad team. Looks like I eeked out a win anyway! Go Mantis!

That was an incredibly lucky upset you gifted me there, this explains it!

Hope you get back into it soon, your squad is pretty damn good.

Ok, just checked my schedule, and looks like the Wolfings and Kokomo Mantis have 2 back to back games this week. One in the League and one in the Supercup. One on Monday, and one on Tuesday.

Hope we can adjust our playbooks in between games, but it will be tricky if the first game is really close!

Monday is the Supercup game, so it might set the stage for a great League game on Tuesday!