Week 9: Team Updates (How Is Your Team Doing?)

[aholbert]

Week 9: Team Updates (How Is Your Team Doing?) <hr style="color: rgb(168, 168, 168); background-color: rgb(168, 168, 168);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> We are at the quarter point of the the season and I wanted to get a read on how most owners feel their team is performing.

We are the worst 5-2 team in the history of the OSFL. I have a QB who has thrown at least one int in every game. We have a star RB who has only one 100 yd game this season. Our two best defensive players have missed 3 games each. And some how we are in first place.

[Matt]

5-2 with the 2 losses being each by 3 points. One game we fumble on the 6 yard line with a minute left, the other we allow a late TD to send it into OT where we lost.

Overall I am really happy with where we are. Unfortunately I seem to be jinxed lately with the injury bug in every single online league I decide to participate in. My TE Antigua, one of the best in the league, is out for the season. My WR Holzberger, one of the best in the league, is out for probably 3-4 weeks with tobacco withdrawal syndrome (drug suspension), and my backup RB Singleton who was a very capable backup is out for the season.

My rookies are playing well which does make me happy. HB Nigel Clark is competent but his 5 fumbles have hurt. DE Mark Fisk is progressing nicely and we hope he turns into a dominant DE in a year or two. RG Fred Richey is also coming along and we hope to have him starting next season.

The good news is we have 6 of the last 9 games at home after our brutal away stretch to start the year. I just don't know how our offense is going to perform without our 2 best wideouts and down a runningback. Hopefully the defense can keep playing as well as it has been.

[Jistic]

No Comment, but paper bag sales are up 200% at the stadium.

[Clay]

Motor City Mechanics : 5-2 (0-2)

4-1 on the road
1-1 at home

It's been a season of good news, bad news for the Mechanics. When you start the season with 5 road games in your first 7 games, you should be very happy with 5-2. Unfortunately, the 0-2 record in the AC East is discouraging.

With 6 of our last 9 games at home and both head to heads with the AC East Leader Phils still to play, we feel like our season has barely started. We currently sit in the #1 Wildcard spot.

What's Been Good
- #1 Total Defense, #2 Scoring Defense -- Getting good pressure from our front 4 and playing really well along the secondary.

- OSFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Cris Gardner continues to impress. While our revamped Offense has changed his production in the passing game, he should easily eclipse 2200+ All-Purpose yards this season. He's cut his fumbles and looks like an All-Pro.

- Speaking of ROY, we may have to dust off another spot at team HQ's as 1st Round Pick Clifton Trabosh looks like a contender for the Defensive honor.

What's Been Bad
- Two bad divisional losses

- "The Jiz" has been good, but has began fumbling the ball

- Missed 5 FGs of less than 50 yards. Way too many missed opportunities.

- Still getting nothing out of our return game. Gardner is clearly our best returner, but I just don't think I can risk him.

[Pat]

Portland Phantoms: 4-3 (1-1)

2-2 on the road
2-1 at home

What's Been Good
- My defense has really been putting some good weeks together. After starting the season 0-2, my defense has given up just 14.8 points per game. I'm also getting some really good performances from individuals. MLB Lenny Prescott is the #1 is having the statistical season for MLBs. RDE Michael Hagglund is the #4 for his position.

- The running game has been a staple in Portland since league inception, despite the team not having a franchise-type RB since about 2007. John Chart (who plays 1st and 2nd down) and Tim Hartman (who subs and is the 3rd down back) have combined for 874 rushing yards, 205 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

What's Been Bad
- Injuries. QB, LT, KR/PR, all lost for about a month each. Still hurting.

- When that QB, Eddie Castillo, has been healthy, he has not been playing good. At all. The passing game is nonexistant.

Season Outlook
- Well, I didn't expect to be 4-3, so that is a plus. I think I can win four, maybe five games the rest of the way. Is 8-8 or 9-7 going to be good enough? Probably not. But this group is improving.

[Guest]

Camden Cutters 6-1 (2-0)

3-1 on the road
3-0 at home


What's Been Good

-The running game is picking up right were it left off last year, averaging 177.1 yards per game and 5.17 yards per carry. Despite the loss of WR Eric Flemming for most of the beginning of the season, the passing game has been working as well with our TD/INT ratio improving to 14/4 from 5/7 over the first seven games last year.

-Special teams play is also improved from a year ago. We are 1st in the league in KR average, and 3rd in the league in Opp KR Ave. Gotta like having field position advantage.

-While the defense has been inconsistent, we are still able to get to the opposing quarterbacks despite the retirement of DE Casey Vines (3rd in the league in Sacks and PRPct).

-We're also winning some close games this year (1-6 in games decided by less than a touchdown last season.) Put it all together and we've gone from 1-6 to start last year to 6-1 this season.


What's Been Bad

-We're averaging over 7 penalties per game, worst in the league.

-We're 29th in the league for opponents 3rd down conversion percentage (47.9%).

-We're last in the league in points allowed per red zone visit (6.0).

-By and large my major off season moves haven't amounted to much. Only three players from this year's draft even made the team, two of them have yet to step foot on the field. Of our four big free agent signings only C Chris Prescott has been a regular starter, and his numbers so far this season are actually a little worse than last year's starter.

Season Outlook

-Our next three opponents have a combined record of 5-16, but after that 5 of our last 6 foes are currently above .500.

-Prediction 9-7, first round playoff exit.

[Rip Murdock]

Utah lost its star QB Foy in the first game of the season. We had a shot at getting into the playoffs again with Foy, but the prospects of making it into the playoffs without him were not good.

In addition, the team isn't getting any younger. Foy is in his 9th season and the dynamite wide receivers -- Viola is in his 10th season and Quinteros his 8th -- are closer to decline with every game they play. The guys on defense are a little younger but are not as talented as Foy and the rest on offense.

So the question was: cash it in for the season or fight on? I decided to fight on and got a QB in a trade to try to keep the team competitive. Tim Hein has not done well yet stats-wise, and his record is 1-1 as a starter. The team is 4-3 ATM.

The team has an outside shot at the playoffs, but let's face it, even if we made the playoffs we'd be long gone by the time the championship game rolls around. So we're taking it one game at a time, relishing the wins and wondering what might have been with every loss. There's always next season.


Utah

[Guest]

No Comment, but paper bag sales are up 200% at the stadium.

lmao --- and sales of scissors for the eye holes

[Guest]

On Offense --My merry band of misfits and castoffs are somehow getting it done...

On D they still are underperforming (coaching?) --

One of the worst 7-1 teams in history---