05-24-2022, 04:24 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-04-2022, 07:36 AM by soevil. Edited 3 times in total.)
#1 - Tijuana Luchadores (7-0)
High: 1 Low: 1
Standard Deviation: 0
Movement: None
Up this week: @
, 
, 
Again it has been a good week in Tijuana. Our team as a unit is just firing on all cylinders. I failed to give our defense the credit it deserves last time so I have some sins to make up for. We’re currently sitting at 7-0 and have almost clinched a playoff berth. Lots of things we can look at as factors. I think it was @Liter who said we have the most intelligence, on average, in the league so I wanted to check out penalties over the last three games.
4 penalties for 45 yards lost. That’s all we had over three games. For context, in game 5 against the Ducks, they racked up 8 penalties for 80 yards. Our only penalty that game was due to a BOT WR getting too excited and hugging a Duck for too long. Notably, in my incredibly small lens of these three games, it really seems like this is playing a factor into our success. Bold take alert: speed might not be the only thing that matters in creating a player (someone has to be the speed heel and I’m still gonna build all speed lol).
Of course, we can say that Elessar Jones is an offensive powerhouse(most passing TDs, most total TDs). But let’s focus on our defensive prowess and more specifically, that beautiful Offensive Line. With the least sacks allowed and a nice 144 in the pancake department, TIJ Is here to stay. Week 7 has essentially locked us in as the top 1 team in the league with a victory over the dominant passing game off the KCC Coyotes. Elessar Jones especially was instrumental to the success of this team this game as a 4 TD performance, 3 of which going to top WR Maximilian Hamilton and 1 of which to your boy Don T. Dobbler. The boys are going nuts as always.- @Jaywe88
#2 - Norfolk Seawolves (5-2)
High: 2 Low: 2
Standard Deviation: 0
Movement: None
Up this week: @
, @ 
,
Norfolk had a very up and down past three games, but it evens out to bring them back to 2nd place, this time unanimously.
Their game against the London Royals was a good performance, but the expected one. Ultimately Norfolk did not do anything in this game outside of their wheelhouse and it resulted in a win that was largely a defensive win. Their defense held the league leading rusher to a total of 62 yards and an average of only 3.3 YPC. Similarly, they held the opposing passing offense to a measly 3.9 yards per attempt. That said, the team’s performance wasn’t all good. Zuh had a lackluster day with a completion percentage below 50 and one TD and one Int. That being said, the rushing attack was as dominant as ever, with the average yards per rush being just under 6.4.
The next game was against the Minnesota Grey Ducks, and it resulted in Norfolk taking their second loss of the season. This was quite the upset, and while it ended up being close 27-24, the Ducks were in firm control for almost the entire game. It is hard to diagnose a single problem this game, as Zuh had a pretty good game, going 33/48 and getting 318 yards with one touchdown and one pick. The rushing attack was less efficient than usual averaging fewer than 5 YPC. If anything, the biggest problem may have just been not capitalizing on turnover opportunities, while the team forced two fumbles, they weren’t able to recover either of them. Ultimately it is tough to tell if this was a fluke loss, or an indication of some underlying problems.
The last game of the week was against the Portland Pythons, which ended in a 30-24 win for the Seawolves. This color rush game was quite the banger, Zuh had a great game going 15/20 with a TD and 0 INTs. That TD ended up being the only offensive touchdown of the day for the Seawolves though. Instead everything else came from special teams. Holland has a kick return and punt return for a touchdown while Jimbo Jr.Jr.Jr. D. went 3/3 in field goals. The defense had one of their worst days in recent memory allowing Portland’s leading rusher to 5 YPC and their QB had an 18/30 day with one TD and no INTs. While this game may have ended with a good result, one cannot help but ask the question if this result is sustainable given how “lucky” they seem to have gotten in special teams.
While Norfolk is unanimously the second best team in the league right now, there is plenty of room for skepticism with a shaky second game from this week and a highly improbable win over Portland. Luckily, they have the chance this coming week to prove that they are a dominant contender. @PurpleReign
#3 - Portland Pythons (5-2)
High: 3 Low 3
Standard Deviation: 0
Movement: None
Up this Week: @
, 
, @
The Pythons enter the second half of the season squarely ranked #3 with a solid record of 5-2. It's solid enough to have them alone at the top of the Northern conference and in great position to see the playoffs. So why #3? The answer is actually more simpler than you might think. Namely , it is because Tijuana and Norfolk are the only teams to have beaten the Snakes. And that's it! That is why they are ranked #3 instead of #2, they have lost to the only teams above them. Easy right?
Well not so fast! With the Pythons ranking #1 in points, #2 in points allowed, how did they lose to Norfolk? They were coming off a solid win against London and dropped 50+ points on Dallas, so why the drop? I believe it comes down to the kick and punt return touchdowns by Norfolk that served to derail the Python's gameplan.
Portland has the top scoring running back but are ranked in #6 in rushing yards which suggests that they are adept at getting good field position and then just bashing though defenses on the short field. This where they can take advantage of their Power back and control the clock for the game. By not allowing the defense to see the field twice, Norfolk diminished the Portland defenses potency.
This is a large potential problem as the season progresses as this could happen again in another game. The Pythons have to find a more consistent way to move the ball when field position is not in their favor so they do not need to rely on their defense as much. If they can master this, it is hard to see any team being able to beat them. - @XaveValor
#4 - Kansas City Coyotes (3-4)
High: 4 Low: 5
Standard Deviation: .0463
Movement: Up 1
Up this Week: , @ 
,
The Kansas City Coyotes are currently ranked fourth in the Developmental Simulation Football League with a ton of momentum behind them. While their ranking may have only increased one spot the expectations for this team have skyrocketed. The last 3 games saw the Coyotes finish 2-1 with their only loss against the DSFL leading Tijuana Luchadores. Last article I focused on individual players to give a brief introduction to some of the key players. This week we’ll be taking a macro look at what the team is doing well and doing not so well.
Kansas City is third in the North Conference due to their previous loss to the London Royals. With another matchup against the Royals coming up and the Grey Ducks only a game behind it’s too early to tell which of the 3 punches their ticket to the playoffs. Fortunately for Yote fans though the last three games have been overwhelmingly positive. Week Five’s offensive performance was unreal but not entirely unexpected. The air raid found their target with over 450 yards completed through the air. The Bondi Beach Buccaneers saw four different receivers with over 80 yards and 4 different receivers with a touchdown against them. The rushing game was no joke either with a combined total over 120 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. This performance is exactly what fans thought they would see this year. The defense was also noteworthy in their performance with only 12 points allowed. Week Six was more of the same with over 400 passing yards, 120 rushing yards, and only 19 points allowed to the Dallas Birddogs.
Week Seven saw the Coyotes visiting Tijuana for a litmus test against the undeniably best team in the league. While the Coyotes couldn’t leave Tijuana with the win there was only a few things that went wrong for Kansas. The two biggest discrepancies were the rushing performance of Kansas and the difference in penalty yards. The air attack started where they left off again completing over 400 yards. Unfortunately, the rushing attack was nonexistent with 12 attempts for 20 yards. It’s no secret that Kansas was going to predominantly throw but having even an average run game here would have helped this deadly offense. Kansas also gave up 94 yards on 9 penalties while Tijuana only gave up 20 yards on 2 flags. In what ended up being a one possession game I truly believe Kansas would have won if any one of these statistical categories improved.
Looking forward to the next three games show’s an extremely important week for playoff ambitions. The Coyotes will complete the DSFL North cycle with the Royals, Pythons, and Grey Ducks. Wins against the Royals and Grey Ducks will pay off impressively by creating a bigger distance for the second-place spot.c- @Repgnar
#5 - London Royals (3-4)
High: 4 Low: 6
Standard Deviation: 0.641
Movement: Down 1
Up this Week: @ , , @
Falling down one spot from the previous ranking, the London Royals are settled in at number 5. On the positive side, they only dropped one spot while going 1-2 over the past three games. On the negative, their lack of a passing game has been increasingly glaring. When Kaguya Shinomiya and Lenny Lyons cannot dictate the pace with their legs, the Royals' offense is stagnant.
In Week 5 against the Norfolk Seawolves, the Royals were completely outclassed. They could not figure out the Seawolves' defense. Furthermore, Norfolk took a page out of London's playbook and executed it ten times better. Led by the truck that is Sconnie McSix, they amassed an eye-opening 256 yards on the ground on 40 carries, averaging a whopping 6.4 yards per rush. The Seawolves built up an 11-point lead by the end of the first half and never looked back.
In Week 6, the Royals hosted the Portland Pythons, and they treated these snakes like kings. London's defense could not get out of its own way, as in the first quarter on a Portland 3rd and 25 stop, DE Jayce Higins was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, granting the Pythons an automatic first down. In the following two plays, Portland went 26 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Royals stopped the Pythons on a 3rd and 13, but a roughing the passer penalty on DE Harley Andrews gifted them a first down. Immediately afterward, S/LB InBe Tweener was called for neutral zone infraction, and Portland scored a TD on the next play. These two huge swings of momentum seemed to deflate the Royals and the Pythons tread all over them by a final score of 37-16.
In Week 7, the Royals halted their four-game skid against the visiting Dallas Birddogs. Thanks to the Birddogs' porous defense, the London offense was back to its old self as the backfield tallied 201 ground yards on 39 attempts, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Even with Shinomiya's two interceptions, the Royals soundly beat the Birddogs 38-23.
Despite this last win, the Royals cannot be content with their performance over the first half of the season. With no victories against teams with winning records and an offense whose running game still out-gains its passing game, they may end up on the outside looking in when the playoffs roll around. The London Royals will have to rattle off some definitive wins in order to be even considered a threat. - @Twenty6
#6 - Bondi Beach Buccaneers (2-5)
High: 6 Low 7
Standard Deviation: 0.463
Movement: Up 2
Up this Week: , @ ,
Bondi Beach moves up two spots in our rankings this week after going 1-2 in this last week. A loss to Tijuana was expected, but the Buccaneers did manage to split their two remaining games, dropping one to a red-hot Kansas City squad but managing to pick up a win over the hapless Grey Ducks. The Plunderers Down Under now sit at 2-5 in third place in the South division in the DSFL, three games behind Norfolk for the wild card spot.
I spoke last weekend about how QB Bageshwari Singh was having a historically awful season, and how if he could manage to turn it around then BBB could find success. Last week ... well ... let's just look at the games, shall we?
Week 5 - @KCC. Bageshwari Singh has a decent game, by his own previous standards. 9/22 completions is just below average, especially in the DSFL, with 156 yards and a score along with 0 INTs. Not a bad statline given that DSFL teams tend towards the run-heavy side of the playbook space. Speaking of, BBB's run game in Kansas City was ... horrendous. 70 yards on 25 attempts for a YPC of 2.7, with lead back Bean Delphine Jr. ® putting up a genuinely awful 1.6 YPC on 17 touches. On the other side of the ball, the Yotes dropped 603 total yards of offense, with QB Queen Elizabeth ® recording a perfect 158.3 QBR. Bondi Beach gets stomped as everything that could go wrong does, except for QB play.
Week 6 - @TIJ. Again, Singh has an okay game; 17/33 for 187 yd/1 TD/0 INT. BBB's running game doesn't suck wind this time around, but the Buccaneers just can't manage to find the end zone. Again, the opposing QB (Elessar Jones) has a field day, this time generating 193 yards of offense by himself on the ground to go along with 186 yards in the air. Tijuana wins, surprising nobody.
Week 7 - MINN. The strangest of the three. Bondi Beach comes into this game with a very well-defined game plan: run the Grey Ducks into the dirt. Singh completes just 5 of 12 passes for 50 yards, while Delphine Jr. and RB Udo Beaty combine for 242 yards of running offense on 48 total carries between themselves. This time around, Bondi Beach's defense manages to hold its own, and the Buccaneers pick up a much-needed win.
BBB has an outside shot at making the playoffs, but they don't control their own destiny any more. They need a complete Norfolk collapse in the back half of the season to be able to steal away the wild card spot in the division. They have a chance at getting that ball rolling in Week 8 at home against the SeaWolves, and will have to continue picking up wins in Dallas and at home vs Portand in weeks 9 and 10. - @infern8
#7 - Minnesota Grey Ducks (2-5)
High: 5 Low: 8
Standard Deviation: 0.886
Movement: Down 1
Up this Week: , @ , @
I’m back at it again with the Grey Ducks. They’re currently…well low on my rankings. Looking at the standings, they’re 2-5. It’s rough out there for the boys. The sim has not been kind. Week 5 highlighted the massive potential that Minnesota has in terms of defense. Over the last three games, Minnesota has been continuing to lead the league in tackles. Oddly enough, there’s another stat that MIN has ballooned into.
Minnesota is the LEGEND at picking up Fumble Recoveries. They have, count ‘em, SIX over the last three to make it 10 for the season. Now I’m not here to say whether it was a MIN or the other team who’s fumbling all these balls. I’m just here to find where Minnesota is doing their best. I see that kicking was a concern over the first four games and let’s see how it’s been since that day. Six for seven isn’t bad at all! So at least that’s going in the right direction! The only FG missed would be a tough 43 yarder so I’m willing to say that the problem is resolved.
Minnesota is a hard team to rank if you’re talking potential. You can’t beat the #2 Norfolk Seawolves and then lose immediately to Bondi Beach. It’s super weird, fellas. Bondi Beach needed that win to gain some confidence back.
Here’s the part where I shame ya. Y’all really gotta stop the penalties. Your passing is middle of the pack, and your rushing yardage might also be as well. Let’s go back for the penalties breakdown. Over the last three, it’s been an average 9 penalties a game for an average of 77 yards lost. Way too much, your record should be a lot higher if it wasn’t for the penalties backing you up every time you got close. It’s rough, and I know y’all aren’t living up to your fullest potential. A couple locker room hype speeches will get y’all back in there, see you in the playoffs. - @Jaywe88
#8 - Dallas Birddogs (1-6)
High: 7 Low: 8
Standard Deviation: 0.354
Movement: Down 1
Up this Week: , , @
The Dallas BirdDogs were saved from a unanimous last place finish by one single vote. They find themselves in dead last both in the conference and the league with a 1-6 record. They have lost five consecutive games and are probably out of the running for the postseason, even if it is not quite official yet. The BirdDogs are pretty average on offense. Santa Cruz, their rookie QB, is tied for second in the league with touchdowns at 12, is third in the league in pass yards, and leads the league in interceptions. Santa Cruz could have a bright future at the position if they can cut down on the interceptions in the future. The BirdDogs woes are mostly on defense. They have allowed the most points in the league (33.7 points per game…), the most yards per game, and the most pass yards per game. The one semi-positive is that their rush defense is only below average. Unfortunately for Dallas, their schedule does not get a whole lot easier. In Tuesday’s double header, they play the unanimous #1 pick in Tijuana before taking on Bondi Beach, where they might be able to pull out another win to double their total to this point in the season. Looking at some bright spots on the BirdDogs roster, Mobley has managed a league leading four forced fumbles so far in their campaign and is tied for the league lead in interceptions with 3. No offense to the BirdDogs, but it is relatively difficult to find many positives outside of that. The team is clearly in a down year and can look forward to early draft picks, which, based on the way the DSFL usually goes, should help catapult them back to the top of the table if they hit on their picks. It’s certainly possible, so we will see how they do in the upcoming draft. We will see if they manage to hold on to 1oa, which is currently theirs to lose. Other than that, they just have to ride out the season and look to the future. -@Ephenssta
@XaveValor - 9%
@PurpleReign - 15%
@Jaywe88 - 21%
@infern8 - 15
@Twenty6 - 13%
@Ephenssta - 11%
@Repgnar - 15%
High: 1 Low: 1
Standard Deviation: 0
Movement: None
Up this week: @
, , Again it has been a good week in Tijuana. Our team as a unit is just firing on all cylinders. I failed to give our defense the credit it deserves last time so I have some sins to make up for. We’re currently sitting at 7-0 and have almost clinched a playoff berth. Lots of things we can look at as factors. I think it was @Liter who said we have the most intelligence, on average, in the league so I wanted to check out penalties over the last three games.
4 penalties for 45 yards lost. That’s all we had over three games. For context, in game 5 against the Ducks, they racked up 8 penalties for 80 yards. Our only penalty that game was due to a BOT WR getting too excited and hugging a Duck for too long. Notably, in my incredibly small lens of these three games, it really seems like this is playing a factor into our success. Bold take alert: speed might not be the only thing that matters in creating a player (someone has to be the speed heel and I’m still gonna build all speed lol).
Of course, we can say that Elessar Jones is an offensive powerhouse(most passing TDs, most total TDs). But let’s focus on our defensive prowess and more specifically, that beautiful Offensive Line. With the least sacks allowed and a nice 144 in the pancake department, TIJ Is here to stay. Week 7 has essentially locked us in as the top 1 team in the league with a victory over the dominant passing game off the KCC Coyotes. Elessar Jones especially was instrumental to the success of this team this game as a 4 TD performance, 3 of which going to top WR Maximilian Hamilton and 1 of which to your boy Don T. Dobbler. The boys are going nuts as always.- @Jaywe88
#2 - Norfolk Seawolves (5-2)
High: 2 Low: 2
Standard Deviation: 0
Movement: None
Up this week: @
, @ , Norfolk had a very up and down past three games, but it evens out to bring them back to 2nd place, this time unanimously.
Their game against the London Royals was a good performance, but the expected one. Ultimately Norfolk did not do anything in this game outside of their wheelhouse and it resulted in a win that was largely a defensive win. Their defense held the league leading rusher to a total of 62 yards and an average of only 3.3 YPC. Similarly, they held the opposing passing offense to a measly 3.9 yards per attempt. That said, the team’s performance wasn’t all good. Zuh had a lackluster day with a completion percentage below 50 and one TD and one Int. That being said, the rushing attack was as dominant as ever, with the average yards per rush being just under 6.4.
The next game was against the Minnesota Grey Ducks, and it resulted in Norfolk taking their second loss of the season. This was quite the upset, and while it ended up being close 27-24, the Ducks were in firm control for almost the entire game. It is hard to diagnose a single problem this game, as Zuh had a pretty good game, going 33/48 and getting 318 yards with one touchdown and one pick. The rushing attack was less efficient than usual averaging fewer than 5 YPC. If anything, the biggest problem may have just been not capitalizing on turnover opportunities, while the team forced two fumbles, they weren’t able to recover either of them. Ultimately it is tough to tell if this was a fluke loss, or an indication of some underlying problems.
The last game of the week was against the Portland Pythons, which ended in a 30-24 win for the Seawolves. This color rush game was quite the banger, Zuh had a great game going 15/20 with a TD and 0 INTs. That TD ended up being the only offensive touchdown of the day for the Seawolves though. Instead everything else came from special teams. Holland has a kick return and punt return for a touchdown while Jimbo Jr.Jr.Jr. D. went 3/3 in field goals. The defense had one of their worst days in recent memory allowing Portland’s leading rusher to 5 YPC and their QB had an 18/30 day with one TD and no INTs. While this game may have ended with a good result, one cannot help but ask the question if this result is sustainable given how “lucky” they seem to have gotten in special teams.
While Norfolk is unanimously the second best team in the league right now, there is plenty of room for skepticism with a shaky second game from this week and a highly improbable win over Portland. Luckily, they have the chance this coming week to prove that they are a dominant contender. @PurpleReign
#3 - Portland Pythons (5-2)
High: 3 Low 3
Standard Deviation: 0
Movement: None
Up this Week: @
, , @ The Pythons enter the second half of the season squarely ranked #3 with a solid record of 5-2. It's solid enough to have them alone at the top of the Northern conference and in great position to see the playoffs. So why #3? The answer is actually more simpler than you might think. Namely , it is because Tijuana and Norfolk are the only teams to have beaten the Snakes. And that's it! That is why they are ranked #3 instead of #2, they have lost to the only teams above them. Easy right?
Well not so fast! With the Pythons ranking #1 in points, #2 in points allowed, how did they lose to Norfolk? They were coming off a solid win against London and dropped 50+ points on Dallas, so why the drop? I believe it comes down to the kick and punt return touchdowns by Norfolk that served to derail the Python's gameplan.
Portland has the top scoring running back but are ranked in #6 in rushing yards which suggests that they are adept at getting good field position and then just bashing though defenses on the short field. This where they can take advantage of their Power back and control the clock for the game. By not allowing the defense to see the field twice, Norfolk diminished the Portland defenses potency.
This is a large potential problem as the season progresses as this could happen again in another game. The Pythons have to find a more consistent way to move the ball when field position is not in their favor so they do not need to rely on their defense as much. If they can master this, it is hard to see any team being able to beat them. - @XaveValor
#4 - Kansas City Coyotes (3-4)
High: 4 Low: 5
Standard Deviation: .0463
Movement: Up 1
Up this Week:
, @ , The Kansas City Coyotes are currently ranked fourth in the Developmental Simulation Football League with a ton of momentum behind them. While their ranking may have only increased one spot the expectations for this team have skyrocketed. The last 3 games saw the Coyotes finish 2-1 with their only loss against the DSFL leading Tijuana Luchadores. Last article I focused on individual players to give a brief introduction to some of the key players. This week we’ll be taking a macro look at what the team is doing well and doing not so well.
Kansas City is third in the North Conference due to their previous loss to the London Royals. With another matchup against the Royals coming up and the Grey Ducks only a game behind it’s too early to tell which of the 3 punches their ticket to the playoffs. Fortunately for Yote fans though the last three games have been overwhelmingly positive. Week Five’s offensive performance was unreal but not entirely unexpected. The air raid found their target with over 450 yards completed through the air. The Bondi Beach Buccaneers saw four different receivers with over 80 yards and 4 different receivers with a touchdown against them. The rushing game was no joke either with a combined total over 120 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. This performance is exactly what fans thought they would see this year. The defense was also noteworthy in their performance with only 12 points allowed. Week Six was more of the same with over 400 passing yards, 120 rushing yards, and only 19 points allowed to the Dallas Birddogs.
Week Seven saw the Coyotes visiting Tijuana for a litmus test against the undeniably best team in the league. While the Coyotes couldn’t leave Tijuana with the win there was only a few things that went wrong for Kansas. The two biggest discrepancies were the rushing performance of Kansas and the difference in penalty yards. The air attack started where they left off again completing over 400 yards. Unfortunately, the rushing attack was nonexistent with 12 attempts for 20 yards. It’s no secret that Kansas was going to predominantly throw but having even an average run game here would have helped this deadly offense. Kansas also gave up 94 yards on 9 penalties while Tijuana only gave up 20 yards on 2 flags. In what ended up being a one possession game I truly believe Kansas would have won if any one of these statistical categories improved.
Looking forward to the next three games show’s an extremely important week for playoff ambitions. The Coyotes will complete the DSFL North cycle with the Royals, Pythons, and Grey Ducks. Wins against the Royals and Grey Ducks will pay off impressively by creating a bigger distance for the second-place spot.c- @Repgnar
#5 - London Royals (3-4)
High: 4 Low: 6
Standard Deviation: 0.641
Movement: Down 1
Up this Week: @
, , @ Falling down one spot from the previous ranking, the London Royals are settled in at number 5. On the positive side, they only dropped one spot while going 1-2 over the past three games. On the negative, their lack of a passing game has been increasingly glaring. When Kaguya Shinomiya and Lenny Lyons cannot dictate the pace with their legs, the Royals' offense is stagnant.
In Week 5 against the Norfolk Seawolves, the Royals were completely outclassed. They could not figure out the Seawolves' defense. Furthermore, Norfolk took a page out of London's playbook and executed it ten times better. Led by the truck that is Sconnie McSix, they amassed an eye-opening 256 yards on the ground on 40 carries, averaging a whopping 6.4 yards per rush. The Seawolves built up an 11-point lead by the end of the first half and never looked back.
In Week 6, the Royals hosted the Portland Pythons, and they treated these snakes like kings. London's defense could not get out of its own way, as in the first quarter on a Portland 3rd and 25 stop, DE Jayce Higins was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, granting the Pythons an automatic first down. In the following two plays, Portland went 26 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Royals stopped the Pythons on a 3rd and 13, but a roughing the passer penalty on DE Harley Andrews gifted them a first down. Immediately afterward, S/LB InBe Tweener was called for neutral zone infraction, and Portland scored a TD on the next play. These two huge swings of momentum seemed to deflate the Royals and the Pythons tread all over them by a final score of 37-16.
In Week 7, the Royals halted their four-game skid against the visiting Dallas Birddogs. Thanks to the Birddogs' porous defense, the London offense was back to its old self as the backfield tallied 201 ground yards on 39 attempts, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Even with Shinomiya's two interceptions, the Royals soundly beat the Birddogs 38-23.
Despite this last win, the Royals cannot be content with their performance over the first half of the season. With no victories against teams with winning records and an offense whose running game still out-gains its passing game, they may end up on the outside looking in when the playoffs roll around. The London Royals will have to rattle off some definitive wins in order to be even considered a threat. - @Twenty6
#6 - Bondi Beach Buccaneers (2-5)
High: 6 Low 7
Standard Deviation: 0.463
Movement: Up 2
Up this Week:
, @ , Bondi Beach moves up two spots in our rankings this week after going 1-2 in this last week. A loss to Tijuana was expected, but the Buccaneers did manage to split their two remaining games, dropping one to a red-hot Kansas City squad but managing to pick up a win over the hapless Grey Ducks. The Plunderers Down Under now sit at 2-5 in third place in the South division in the DSFL, three games behind Norfolk for the wild card spot.
I spoke last weekend about how QB Bageshwari Singh was having a historically awful season, and how if he could manage to turn it around then BBB could find success. Last week ... well ... let's just look at the games, shall we?
Week 5 - @KCC. Bageshwari Singh has a decent game, by his own previous standards. 9/22 completions is just below average, especially in the DSFL, with 156 yards and a score along with 0 INTs. Not a bad statline given that DSFL teams tend towards the run-heavy side of the playbook space. Speaking of, BBB's run game in Kansas City was ... horrendous. 70 yards on 25 attempts for a YPC of 2.7, with lead back Bean Delphine Jr. ® putting up a genuinely awful 1.6 YPC on 17 touches. On the other side of the ball, the Yotes dropped 603 total yards of offense, with QB Queen Elizabeth ® recording a perfect 158.3 QBR. Bondi Beach gets stomped as everything that could go wrong does, except for QB play.
Week 6 - @TIJ. Again, Singh has an okay game; 17/33 for 187 yd/1 TD/0 INT. BBB's running game doesn't suck wind this time around, but the Buccaneers just can't manage to find the end zone. Again, the opposing QB (Elessar Jones) has a field day, this time generating 193 yards of offense by himself on the ground to go along with 186 yards in the air. Tijuana wins, surprising nobody.
Week 7 - MINN. The strangest of the three. Bondi Beach comes into this game with a very well-defined game plan: run the Grey Ducks into the dirt. Singh completes just 5 of 12 passes for 50 yards, while Delphine Jr. and RB Udo Beaty combine for 242 yards of running offense on 48 total carries between themselves. This time around, Bondi Beach's defense manages to hold its own, and the Buccaneers pick up a much-needed win.
BBB has an outside shot at making the playoffs, but they don't control their own destiny any more. They need a complete Norfolk collapse in the back half of the season to be able to steal away the wild card spot in the division. They have a chance at getting that ball rolling in Week 8 at home against the SeaWolves, and will have to continue picking up wins in Dallas and at home vs Portand in weeks 9 and 10. - @infern8
#7 - Minnesota Grey Ducks (2-5)
High: 5 Low: 8
Standard Deviation: 0.886
Movement: Down 1
Up this Week:
, @ , @ I’m back at it again with the Grey Ducks. They’re currently…well low on my rankings. Looking at the standings, they’re 2-5. It’s rough out there for the boys. The sim has not been kind. Week 5 highlighted the massive potential that Minnesota has in terms of defense. Over the last three games, Minnesota has been continuing to lead the league in tackles. Oddly enough, there’s another stat that MIN has ballooned into.
Minnesota is the LEGEND at picking up Fumble Recoveries. They have, count ‘em, SIX over the last three to make it 10 for the season. Now I’m not here to say whether it was a MIN or the other team who’s fumbling all these balls. I’m just here to find where Minnesota is doing their best. I see that kicking was a concern over the first four games and let’s see how it’s been since that day. Six for seven isn’t bad at all! So at least that’s going in the right direction! The only FG missed would be a tough 43 yarder so I’m willing to say that the problem is resolved.
Minnesota is a hard team to rank if you’re talking potential. You can’t beat the #2 Norfolk Seawolves and then lose immediately to Bondi Beach. It’s super weird, fellas. Bondi Beach needed that win to gain some confidence back.
Here’s the part where I shame ya. Y’all really gotta stop the penalties. Your passing is middle of the pack, and your rushing yardage might also be as well. Let’s go back for the penalties breakdown. Over the last three, it’s been an average 9 penalties a game for an average of 77 yards lost. Way too much, your record should be a lot higher if it wasn’t for the penalties backing you up every time you got close. It’s rough, and I know y’all aren’t living up to your fullest potential. A couple locker room hype speeches will get y’all back in there, see you in the playoffs. - @Jaywe88
#8 - Dallas Birddogs (1-6)
High: 7 Low: 8
Standard Deviation: 0.354
Movement: Down 1
Up this Week:
, , @ The Dallas BirdDogs were saved from a unanimous last place finish by one single vote. They find themselves in dead last both in the conference and the league with a 1-6 record. They have lost five consecutive games and are probably out of the running for the postseason, even if it is not quite official yet. The BirdDogs are pretty average on offense. Santa Cruz, their rookie QB, is tied for second in the league with touchdowns at 12, is third in the league in pass yards, and leads the league in interceptions. Santa Cruz could have a bright future at the position if they can cut down on the interceptions in the future. The BirdDogs woes are mostly on defense. They have allowed the most points in the league (33.7 points per game…), the most yards per game, and the most pass yards per game. The one semi-positive is that their rush defense is only below average. Unfortunately for Dallas, their schedule does not get a whole lot easier. In Tuesday’s double header, they play the unanimous #1 pick in Tijuana before taking on Bondi Beach, where they might be able to pull out another win to double their total to this point in the season. Looking at some bright spots on the BirdDogs roster, Mobley has managed a league leading four forced fumbles so far in their campaign and is tied for the league lead in interceptions with 3. No offense to the BirdDogs, but it is relatively difficult to find many positives outside of that. The team is clearly in a down year and can look forward to early draft picks, which, based on the way the DSFL usually goes, should help catapult them back to the top of the table if they hit on their picks. It’s certainly possible, so we will see how they do in the upcoming draft. We will see if they manage to hold on to 1oa, which is currently theirs to lose. Other than that, they just have to ride out the season and look to the future. -@Ephenssta
@XaveValor - 9%
@PurpleReign - 15%
@Jaywe88 - 21%
@infern8 - 15
@Twenty6 - 13%
@Ephenssta - 11%
@Repgnar - 15%
![[Image: Purplereign.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Purplereign.gif)
