*Preseason Week 1 and 2 Power Rankings

[tlk742]

Preseason is fun. It tells us all sorts of things. One of my favorite things it tells us is that the sim engine is still working. It really lets Er calibrate the tampering.
Y’all complain about how the ranks not being too hot, but then also complaining about where the team is located on the rankings. Inconsistent.
Power rankings indicate that if two teams face off with all things neutral, the higher team should win, does that happen? It’s why we play the game.

1. Baltimore Hawks Δ+1
Ranker note: THIS HOT ENOUGH MOTHERFUCKERS!? New QB, New RB. The Hawks offense looks as good as it gets. The reigning NSFC champs played games that were clinical. The team from Baltimore went without a penalty in their home game against the Liberty. What was also amazing is how this defense looks. They took super accurate QB Orosz down a peg in San Jose by getting three turnovers. Here’s a red flag though Hawks fans, 3 turnovers and a six point difference means there’s something not quite right in Baltimore, my guess is that the only viable Wide receiver on this team is Wilie.

2. Arizona Outlaws Δ-1
Last season the Outlaws got cute with their preseason lineup, this preseason it doesn’t look like they did. I’m not going to take the home win against Sabercats as a sign of good, the Cats lost by a field goal in what otherwise would have been a loss. There might be a change in the player layout I am missing but a near-loss at home to San Jose and a loss on the road to Philly may be a sign of things about to change.

3. Orange County Otters Δ0
The Otters offensive machine is kicking and scoring. Two wins and this team is looking like they haven’t missed a beat from last season. That said, DID I MISS SOMETHING!? Burnsman hasn’t set foot on the field, I think he’s had an injury, but who’s to say. The otters showed up without their featured back from last season, so they might just be an x-factor away in the contentious ASFC.

4. San Jose SaberCats Δ0
If the Sabercats played like this all season and in the NSFC they would be a strong candidate for playoff glory. The defense is nuts, the fact that they lost at home is a disappointment, but 3 turnovers and less than a touchdown worth of points between them and the Hawks means that this team can do what they really couldn’t do last season if they can utilize the deadliest offense in the league and capitalize off the turnovers and stops the defense can make and make consistently. When Darren Smallwood is the weakest piece of that offense, you know the #sabersabersabercats are going to be high octane.

5. Philadelphia Liberty Δ0
Rove is getting in rhythm; the real question is where the player linemen will go if they decide to take advantage of the free switch. Last time I said they hadn’t done anything yet, and was rightfully corrected to point out that they still had time to switch. Omar Wright is the weak link on this offense, and if I were a betting man, I’d expect that to change in the near future.

6. Yellowknife Wraiths Δ0
The offense looks different from two years ago. Nuck and Orosz are gone, as is Garden, and it shows in some ways and not in others. Kennedy has taken his role as featured back and it looks like watching Nuck from two seasons ago. It’s impressive. Cook is still Cook, and Orosz being replaced by Akselsen doesn’t seem to have changed much, but that’s where the problem with this team lies. Cook can’t fill in the role of Garden in the same way Garden could. The passing game more or less starts and stops with Cook. Shut down Cook, and the other players cannot get far. The offense doesn’t have the dimensions it had in the past making it sluggish and predictable. The Yellowknife Wraiths could struggle a lot.

7. Colorado Yet Δ+1
Hot take comment: Wozy, you’re good, Tweed you’re good, the rest of your team has ways to go. Pierno can rise, but with no wide receivers to cover up the problems that Ralz is still struggling with. This is not saying Ralz cannot be good, he absolutely can. He just has ways to go to get there still. The Yeti turnaround is going to be needed, but they have a lot of ways to go. The defense is moving in the right direction, but their just hitting their stride where other teams are in their own speed.

8. Las Vegas Legion Δ-1
Stone isn’t an upgrade from Berc. It’s not a downgrade, just a sideways move. Savea finally gets the line he dreamed of, but the team has ways to go before they can compete. Don’t get me wrong though, the Legion are better from last year, and still can be a spoiler for some team’s playoff dreams as they have been for the past two years.

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[kckolbe]

I'd say Cook is doing a solid job filling in for Garden, but Jarden is doing a poor job filling in for Cook. All in all, though, it should be clear that Yellowknife isn't in fire sale mode.

And yeah, Philly will be a different team week 1.

[Keyg_an]

The team that lost twice, including a loss to the team below them gets bumped up a spot.. Interesting..

Especially when the team that beat them didn't have their O-Line bots or their kicker updated..

[ADwyer87]

Well, this is the worst power rankings in history

[Raven]

Hawks take not hot enough.

[Beaver]

[ItsJustBarry]

The hottest take is @tlk742 not sharing the media payout.

[SwagSloth]

Just to add to the Wraiths' RB situation, Nuck is still part of the team. I haven't had in-depth conversations about my role. As much as I lobby for a bigger role in the media, I tend not to be pushy behind the scenes and more or less just try to fill as many potential roles as I can, so they can use me however they need me. Nuck and I share really close TPE totals, so I'm hoping for RBBC with some passing work involved, but I don't know the regular season plans yet. I believe Nuck will still be heavily involved. That said, I'm really glad they gave me the opportunity to be the bell cow yesterday as it was a really pleasant surprise and I was heavily pleased with my performance. It felt good after all of the work I put in this offseason.

As far as the passing attack goes, Akselsen obviously looked amazing. Cook stepped up big, but he's not just replacing Garden, he's replacing a two-pronged attack led by two amazing receivers. It's going to take Hunt/Jarden time to adjust and that means life will be harder for Cook in the short term. I thought Askins also looked very respectable and he could primed for a bigger role this year. There's lots of room to grow over the course of the season. I think that Hunt and Askins are going to be pivotal to the Wraiths' success this season, so let's hope they can live up to those expectations.

[Zoone16]

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[daBenchwarmer]

I'd say Cook is doing a solid job filling in for Garden, but Jarden is doing a poor job filling in for Cook