Major upset today. Vienna Falcons 34, Duluth Eskimos 15

After reading some of the messages above, looks like even with the low rating of the Falcons, they are going to be a force in Thunder very soon. The Eskimos are a good team, no ifs, ands, or buts about that, and for the Falcons to do that to them shows they may be around come playoff time.

Thunder Week 3 By the Numbers: Results and Preview

Trailing 13-6 with 4:53 left in the game and driving in opponent territory, Narann's (2-1) QB Eulogio Ferrer passed to WR James Kerr but was intercepted by CB Brent Pollard, which sealed this game as Inbhir Narann lost 6:20 at the Vicious Attack Dogs (3-0) "Mauling Pit Of Terror". Brent Pollard finished with 8 tackles, 0 missed and 2 interceptions to complement a defensive line that held talented Narann to 37 rushing yards on 34 attempts, something the Attack Dogs manager never expected from the D-line.

The Duluth Eskimos (2-1) first-half possessions went : 3 & out, 3 & out, 3 & out, intercepted, intercepted, field goal. That field goal made it 24-3 and the Vienna Falcons (2-1) are no longer flying out of sight, but now has opposing teams on the lookout. Vienna Falcons won 34:15 on the road against the Duluth Eskimos and had 2 Wide Receivers top double-digit catches and 100 yards. Troy Leggett had 14 catches, 0 drops, and 124 yards, while Vincent Medlin (who although had 4 drops), tallied 10 catches for 109 yards.

The Fredericksburg Comanches (1-2) played inspired D with 8 sacks, 1 safety, and 2 interceptions against one of the best the Thunder has to offer in the Wolfings (3-0). Their kicker Eoghan MacMahon even had 4 field goals with one coming from 50 yards. Yet, the Wolflings won over the Fredericksburg Comanches 20:14 due in part to a huge 4th down stop with 3:38 left in the game. The Wolflings stop came with a 17-14 lead and it would have been a 51 FG attempt for Comanches at that time. The Comanches defense would then give up the only points they would that second half which was a 43-yard field goal with 33 seconds left.

The Deflators (3-0), Whitings (3-0), Xu Da (3-0), Bulldozer (2-1), Pinoys (2-1), and Wolverines (1-2) proved to be better prepared than their opponents, while the Basterds (3-0), Mantis (2-1), Patriots (2-1), Bulldogs (2-1), Jarheads (1-2), Wild Thangs (2-1), and Frogs (2-1) all beat bots.


Upcoming Games To Watch

Bulldozer (2-1) @ Nashville Renegades (1-2)
Duluth Eskimos (2-1) @ Kalapana Wild Thangs (2-1)
Kokomo Mantis (2-1) @ Vicious Attack Dogs (3-0)
RC Frogs (2-1) @ Inbhir Narann (2-1)
Xu Da (3-0) @ Valiant Pinoys (2-1)

Why to watch em'

Bulldozer needs to win vs teams like the Renegades to prove they are making real progress. They did win 38-10 last season and should win this one. (Oops, did I do it again?)

The Eskimos will need a bounce-back performance vs the Wild Thangs to keep pace with division rival Pinoys. The Wild thangs had a good win vs the Pinoys but gave up 41points in a loss to the Deflators. This game is huge for both identity-wise.

The Kokomo Mantis has won 8 of the last 10 vs the Attack Dogs in this NC South battle, a game sure to give the winner a ton of confidence going forward. Look for this one to decided late in the fourth. May the best D win.

The Frogs got trounced in week 2 vs the Attack dogs 65-10. Another game like that vs another NC South team and officially I say they have no chance of the NC North. Narran played better than the final score would indicate in week 3, and with two road games between the Woflings and Whitings to follow, a win here is a must.

Xu Da is a very hard team to figure out, and this matchup vs the Pinoys will be their first true test of the season. As for the Pinoys, this matchup will gauge how serious of a run they could make once again to make the Elite.

Great writeup yet again. Personally, I don't think the Mantis have much left in the tank for the Attack Dogs. Your team is definitely the cream of the crop in our division now. Good luck tomorrow! I just hope to keep it close.

As for your other things, yes you may have done it again. That Renegades and Bulldozer game should be a great game all the way until the end of the 4th quarter.

They bought a very good player indeed: Rokas Liepinskas - Draftee Season 37 Class Pick #15 by Amersfoort Alligators

Don't harp on the final score of my match-up today..
Super aggressive 4th quarter play calling definitely played a part in my game today vs Mantis.

lol Kevin, that final score is about right though. All you have to do is look at team rankings and you will see you should have won by that amount.

Sure, some aggressive playing calling in the 4th, but you controlled that game all throughout. Even with that 20 point 4th quarter you still solidly beat me. Without any scoring in the 4th, you still would have beaten me 19-14.

My 4th quarter drives were:

Turnover on downs
INT on 4th down for a return TD
Turnover on downs
Turnover on downs
Turnover on downs

I tried to be aggressive, but just did not pan out on those only 5 drives I had in the 4th.

You also had 8 sacks during the game. That shows your DL and LB game is tons better than my OL. Actually you proved it hands down. I can legitimately say my team won't even finish 2nd in the division. You and the Patriots have beaten me this season, so best I can hope for is 3rd, but I bet Narann has something to say about that. I have a feeling I finish last in our division by the end of the season for sure! No doubt about it.

Ranking the undefeated teams so far after 3 or 4 games

AC

Wolflings 4-0
-have 2 quality wins (10 over Totoras, and 6 over the Comanches)

Basterds 4-0
-have 1 quality win over Barossa by 25

After 4 weeks, I would leave them in the order above, but the next few weeks could have the Basterds pull ahead depending on some upcoming games.

NC

Vicious Attack Dogs 4-0
-hands down the best team in the NC right now. Beat conference foes Narann and Mantis solidly, and beat other playoff contender Frogs solidly. I dare say, this is the best team in Thunder right now with 3 quality wins. (Frogs by 55, Narann by 14, and Mantis by 25)

Deflators 4-0
-have 1 quality win over the Wild Thangs by 20.

Istanbul Whitings 4-0
-Not sure they have any quality wins, but a potential quality win over the Wolverines by 7 might qualify. They are still a good team, and some future games could tell us if they move up.

Vienna Falcons 3-0
-the surprise of Thunder so far, they have 1 quality win over the Eskimos by 19. A 2nd game against Bulldozers could be a quality win as we progress through the season. This team is on the rise, but some future games could determine if they move up or down the rankings.

Thunder Week 4 By The Numbers: Results and Preview

Two teams looking to identify themselves went to battle at Kalapana Wild Thangs " The House of Pain", but I'm not sure if either did. The Wild Thangs (2-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the first quarter before the Eskimos (3-1) decided to make this game an interesting one. The Eskimos would make it 21-14 before going into halftime tied at 21. The Eskimos would then take a 31-21 lead and never look back beating the Wild Thangs 38-35. QB Moshe Jacques (who is on the transfer market due to massive budget cuts the Eskimos seem to be making {again} after this game), played stellar. He finished 39 of 53 on pass attempts for 74% with 4 TD's, 0 picks, 0 sacked, and a rating of 120.09. The Wild Thanks are now averaging 39.5 points against in their 2 losses. The Eskimos on the other hand have to figure out balancing finances to avoid gutting a competitive team every other season. For a team with an average age of 24.1 and exactly one 30-year-old on the roster, a $6,280,900 player payroll might be a bit excessive until they have a clear understanding of training and salary best practices.

Teams looking to make the playoffs for the first time usually need to complete a series of tasks. One task is beating the teams you are supposed to beat. Bulldozer (3-1) beat the Renegades 31-17 (1-3) spearheaded by the team rushing for a total of 266 yards on 45 carries for an average of 5.9 per rush. Two players for them topped 100 yards. Former 3rd round (s37) Alpin Ducks draftee Christophe Perrot finished with 156 yards on 18 carries (8.7 average), 6 broken tackles and 4 TD's while former 2nd round (s40) Leverkusen Leopards draftee Daniel Walsh had 22 carries for 103 yards and 5 broken tackles. Leading the NC West after 4 games must sure feel good when looking at the standings right now for Bulldozer.... even if it's temporary.

Brick Walls cant be run through. Phareux and the Mooreland Flames (0-4) found that out by rushing 37 times for a total of 28 yards... YIKES! Wap Bam Boogie (2-2) wins this one to the tune of 31-23 and was in complete control throughout. Leading 31-3, only a late surge by the Flames allowed this game to make my review cut. What's interesting is that Boogie had 9 tackles for a loss, with 3 total coming from 2 different O- linemen. Do whatever it takes to win...right?

The Whitings (4-0), Deflators (4-0), Attack Dogs (4-0), Narann (3-1), Wolverines (2-2), and (3-1)Pinoys all proved to be better prepared than their opponents while the Bulldogs (3-1), Basterds (4-0), Comanches (2-2), and Wolflings (4-0) all beat bots.

Upcoming Games To Watch

Bulldozer (3-1) @ Kokomo Mantis (2-2)

Deflators (4-0) @ Wolverines (2-2)

Inbhir Narann (3-1) @ Wolflings (4-0)

Istanbul Whitings (4-0) @ RC Frogs (2-2)

Vialiant Pinoys (3-1) @ Vienna Falcons (3-0)

Xu Da (3-1) @ Fredericksburg Comanches (2-2)

[I] Why watch em'

Bulldozer pulled off a stunning week 1 victory defeating the Wolverines, a team Kokomo faced and beat in last season's Divisional Playoffs 25-3. This game means more to the Mantis. After this they have a bye, then they host the Frogs who stunned them 29-17 last season. Then it's @ Deflators, Vs Attack Dogs, @ Patroits, Vs Comanches, @ Woflings. That some tough to look forward to.


The Deflators sit atop the NC North and are looking for top spots come playoff seeding. They currently are in the top 10 in rushing offense and defense, as well as passing offense and defense. The Wolverines would like to get back into first place in the NC West. I'm not too sure a wildcard team will make it from that division, so they need to protect their QB and compete against playoff contenders. Although their schedule is favorable, the learning experience vs top teams is huge.

Get your popcorn ready for Narann @ Wolfings. Look at these results!
S41 Woflings 13- Narann 10.
S35 Woflings 36 - Narann 38.
S26 Woflings 12- Narann 13.
Both these teams are currently in the top 10 in rushing offense, rushing defense, and passing defense.

The Whitings are looking to show that Elite form against the Frogs, who is averaging 60 points against in their 2 losses. This could very well be a trap game for the Whitings as the Frogs are looking to rekindle that "upset" recipe from last season. The Whitings can't afford to look ahead to Narann or Pinoys whom they face after this one.

The Pinoys got a huge win over Xu Da last game, meaning this team still has an Elite return in mind. The Falcons have played well this early in the season and have yet to give up 20 points in any game. That D will be tested vs the # 2 passing offense and # 3 rushing offense from the Pinoys.

The Comanches played the Woflings tough a few games ago and will need another performance against Xu Da to keep their playoff dreams strong. A Supercup match last season went to the Comanches 41-20. Xu Da has had some strong teams the last few seasons, but still hasn't found much playoff success. A 4-1 start here would be nice considering they have the Besterds and Wild Thangs up next.

great glance at those games Kevin! I agree 100% that those games will be interesting. Can't wait!

Thanks Tpal. If all those games are close, I might need help doing the review writeup as that's one of the best weeks Thunder has had recently as far as the number of quality matchups. It could take days to disect...lol.