ELITES VS SAVAGES
ELITES
The Elites lost a tough game against the Bandits. They were finally able to score more than 20 points. Despite a decent performance, they lost to a winless, depleted Bandits team. The Elites are who we thought they were. They’re a below average team that’s quickly slipping in the standings. They’re the 6th seed, but they sure as hell don’t play like it. What we do know is that they will not finish above the 6th seed which means they are guaranteed a tough playoff date with a top 3 team. Although they’ve grown A LOT this year, they’re still not a significant threat to upset anyone. At the moment, they are no better than the Bandits or Cobra Kai. They are however better than the Thunder which isn’t saying much. Their next opponent is the #1 ranked team – the undefeated Savages.
SAVAGES
The Savages finished with a tie against a hungry Underdog team. Weather played a significant factor in this game. Players couldn’t gather their footing and QBs found it nearly impossible to throw and complete a pass. This is the 1st tie of the season. The tie doesn’t really impact either team. The Savages are practically locked in as a top 3 team. What more can we say about them? They’re still the favorites to win it all and they may be the most balanced team in the league. Their game against the Elites seems like a layup at the moment.
MATCHUP
Is this a trap game for the Savages? It might be. Cobra Kai played very well against them and it was evident that the Savages took them lightly. Will they take the Elites lightly? The Savages are better than the Elites in every category. They have the athleticism, speed and all star caliber players that the Elites lack. We don’t see the Elites making much of a game out of this one.
Savages 44 – Elites 12
BANDITS VS THUNDER
BANDITS
Finally the Bandits notched a victory against the sinking Elites. They’re now potentially only 1 game away from jumping to the 6th seed. We never completely counted this team given their great track record. Burhan has done a great job getting the most out of a depleted team. Jay is quietly playing well as their QB. He’s utilizing his star players and he’s moving the ball on offense. Miguel is also having a very good season. He is top 10 in receptions. This team has the makeup to make a little run these next few games. Their next games are against the Thunder TWICE and one more game against Cobra Kai. This team has a realistic chance of winning 4 games and being in prime position to claim the 6th seed. There is also a rumor that Dheeraj will play in this game. If he does play…look out!
THUNDER
Where do we start with this team? They’ve just looked pitiful in every aspect of the game. They almost look like they don’t belong in this league…instead they look like they belong in the pee-wee leagues that are played at Eisenhower. This team is an outright mess. We can understand the Thunder losing games to the likes of AK, Savages, Browns…but to get shutout in 2 straight games against a team with only 6/7 guys and an Underdog team that is average defensively is flat out embarrassing. This is flag football not the NFL. We can’t fathom why it’s so hard to score. We can understand bad defense, but when your team is so inept that scoring a single TD is this painful…something is seriously wrong. The Thunder really need to look deep within themselves and start identifying their weaknesses and strengths. They also need to gameplan better and be a whole lot more creative. GET THE BALL to your star players at ALL TIMES! There should be no excuses why Curtis, Jesse, and Adam don’t get the ball more. We also see some glaring weaknesses. Based on the stats and schedule, it’s evident they miss Mo Soliman’s defense. After he sustained the injury during the Savages game, they’re giving up an average of 49 ppg. That’s flat out unacceptable. Prior to his injury, they were only giving up 21 ppg even when we included the Savages 40 point performance. We aren’t saying Mo is the key to the teams success. At the same time, his defense in the middle of the field was solid and they miss it BADLY. In this league, personnel and talent is key. The Thunder do not lack talent and they do have the personnel to compete. They must formulate a solid gameplan if they seek to defeat the Bandits. On another note…talking smack when your 1-6 is a recipe for disaster.
MATCHUP
This game has Bandit victory written all over it. We can see Jay taking advantage of the poor Thunder defense and dissecting it piece by piece. The Bandits will need to feed Miguel the ball as often as possible. We don’t think anyone on the Thunder can cover him. The only caveat for the Bandits is their defense. They will have to play better. The Thunder do have lots of speed and we’re not sure if the Bandits can keep up. The Thunder will need to formulate a solid game plan and execute it. Justin MUST have a big game for this team to win. In the previous games, he’s looked timid and has failed to get into rhythm. The Bandits have the better QB in Jay. They’re better offensively and defensively. Perhaps that victory against the Elites will propel them to a solid winning streak. This will be a relatively close game. Bandits will pull away in the 2nd half.
BANDITS 34 Thunder 18
GATORS VS COBRA KAI
GATORS
The Gators got blown out by AK. The Gators can not break away from AK’s suffocating defense. Even with the terrible weather conditions, the Gators looked gassed, tired and lacked the speed to keep up with AK. We obviously think the Gators ARE championship contenders. Their playoff run will be predicated on who they play. If the standings hold up, they’re scheduled to play a dangerous Underdog team. If this were the case we would pick the upset and take the Underdogs. The Gators got off to a very good start. They’re now riding a 2 game losing streak and are looking to bounce back against Cobra Kai.
COBRA KAI
CK was demolished by the Browns. They just couldn’t stop Shu even with the bad weather. However, we are very impressed with the growth of CK. They’ve earned the respect of every team in the league. They play hard for Fabio and have been relatively competitive in half their games. Considering the fact they put a team on the fly, Fabio deserves Manager of the year. It is not easy to put a team together, be competitive and actually win in this league. Where will this team finish in the standings? Right now, we think they’re a bit below the Bandits in terms of overall talent. They’re better than the Thunder, but not better than the Elites. We expect this team to battle out the Thunder for the right to advance in the playoffs against the daunted 1 seed.
MATCHUP
The Gators will look to avenge a bad loss against AK. CK will have a very hard time stopping Richie. He’s one of the best in the league and CK doesn’t have the personnel to play man defense. For the most part, man defense will stop the Gators. Obviously Richie is better than Fabio and the Gators are better offensively and defensively. If CK can get this win, it will do a lot for their confidence and seeding. If they lose, they’re very likely going to finish as the 8/9 seed. The Gators will bounce back.
GATORS 40 CK 13
BROWNS VS AK
BROWNS
This team keeps rolling. They’re playing much better defense and Shu looks better than ever. They’ve circled this matchup against AK for a very long time. They know AK will come out fired up. There’s no doubt that Shu and the Brown’s will be ready for them. The Browns have the most dangerous weapon in the league in Nafi. There’s no one in the league that can cover him and the Browns will heavily utilize him. The question that’s on our minds is – can the Browns defense hold AK to 35 points or less? Is the Browns defense better than last year? They’ve lost key playoff battled personnel guys. This will be a playoff like atmosphere with a big crowd.
AK
This is one of the biggest games of the year for AK. Even if they defeat the Browns, this will not avenge the loss in the finals. They still have to go thru the Browns in the playoffs. Do we think AK can beat the Browns? Ofcourse. What AK needs to do is settle down and play their game. We know for a fact they’ve circled this game on their calendars and the time has come for them to make a statement win. Not a 6 or 7 point defeat, but at least an 18 point defeat. We get the feeling that they will come out fired up and ready to thrash the Browns. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will. Sometimes they’re trash talking elevates their play, and sometimes it’ll drag them down a bit where they lose focus of their respective assignments. On paper, AK is a much better team. Can they fool Shu and force him to make arid throws in 21 mph winds? How will they stop Nafi?
MATCHUP
This is the game we’ve been waiting for all season. They’re 2 of the best teams in the league. There are players on both sides that flat out don’t like each other which makes this game even more intriguing. In regards to seeding purposes, these 2 teams have all but locked up a top 3 seed. This game is just for bragging rights. Shu and Nafi vs Sims and Richie. Which tandem is better? Who will step out and have a huge game? This will be a great game. If we compare QBs, it’s almost impossible to do. Offensively, the slight edge goes to the Browns. Defensively, AK is MUCH better. Can AK limit the Browns to 35 points or under? We don’t expect them to hold the Browns under 35 points. We do expect AK to notch this victory especially in the 2nd half when AK picks off Shu for a pick 6!
AK 43 Browns 38
