South Asian Football League (SAFL) – POWER RANKINGS – Week 4

BANDITS

The last time the Bandits were this good, we had a different president agitating some of us. Amazon was trading in the 600 range. A jawbone was found in Ethiopia believed to be about 2.8m years old, extending the timeline of the Homo genus by about 400,000 years. It’s been a long time. The Bandits are playing a game that usually produces many regular season wins – stifling defense and just enough offense. What we’d like to see is a more consistent O. The Bandits have areal chance to go 4-0 as they play a wounded Savages team.

AK

AK has gone Milton Berle on us this season. For those of you who don’t know what that is, look up Milton Berle + SNL. They’re doing just enough to secure the W. They’ve traded in their going 100 mph on every play mentality to doing playing smarter. That epiphany is going to be trouble for the rest of the league. Everyone will get a false sense of hope that AK is slipping and that they have a chance, but in reality they don’t. AK is just toying with you. We’re looking to see how this play out against the Browns who employ a similar mentality. AK’s superior athleticism may be the difference.

BROWNS

The Browns are back on the championship track after walloping the hapless Thunder. Their D looked better and more focused. Their O did what they always do – make it look easy. The Browns have a very deep roster so they can give off different looks on O and D. Which look will they go for against AK. Is it the regular season Browns or will it be the playoff Browns. We’re itching to find out as really this should be the most exciting game of the season through week 4.

COBRA KAI

We at the Power Rank Committee notice things that others don’t. We have an innate ability to see through all the noise and assess things for what they are. Over the course of the summer, we have noticed that CK improved dramatically over the poo poo platter they put out last year. Their GM picked up a tremendous QB and what was once a below average roster bereft of talent is now among the best. You don’t have to be a genius to know putting a competent QB together with guys who can run like the wind and have hands is going to produce some awesome results. Now if they can just stay healthy and get more reps in together, there is a very good chance they will end up with a high seed for the playoffs. They will get a good test against a suddenly desperate Elites team.

PRIME TIME

PrimeTime looked good against the Elites. Their D held put in a great showing and their O followed suit late in what turned out to be a blowout. PT has better athletes than most teams and a QB who can throw it anywhere he wants. PT D is much improved. But there are weak links too. That’s for other teams to figure out and exploit. PT’s O needs more consistency as they have too much talent not to be a threat on every drive. Their D has the potential to be lock down. Their management is still inefficient but they have ability. They have a desperate Thunder team on deck.

RENEGADES

The Renegades are improving incrementally. Their D is getting better. Their O has become stagnant. They have the underlying foundation to be a good team but it hasn’t shown up yet in the scoreboard. We think what is holding them back is very simple. They just don’t enough bodies to compensate. Guys are playing almost the whole game and while that is fun for most guys in the park, in organized leagues that is a recipe for disaster. There are teams that understand the importance of load management and then there’s the Renegades who are running on fumes towards the end of games. This will quickly become a lost season if they can’t field a more balanced roster. They face a determined Gators team looking to prove they are the top team in the league.

SAVAGES

Take what we said about the Renegades and repeat for the Savages. One difference for the Savages is that they are missing an all-league talent. That dynamic element is missing right now. And it affects the whole team. The O and D will be more dynamic once their leader returns from injury. In the meant time they’ve got to figure out how to work with the considerable talent they have available. Its quite possible to win with the current roster. The smart move would be slow down the game and minimize possessions. There are  dual threats still playing so all is not lost. Believe it or not their talent level isn’t all that different from the Bandits who they play next. They could get their season back on the upswing in a big way with a victory.

THUNDER

The Thunder have reached a low point this season, which is hard for us to write with a straight face. They laid a complete egg against the Browns. Dropped passes galore. No execution, just more frustration. What’s it going to be boys? You want to play to win or you want to play to break a sweat. Also, call your QB and get him to show up. We do see a silver lining though. We see a more assertive leader emerging. They are slowly kicking out all the chefs. If they get their QB to show up then they have a trio of WR that are as good as any in the league. PT in on deck and while we don’t divulge secrets there, that D is suspect and the O is unimaginative. Figure this boys. You got only a few weeks left. Call the commish and he’ll direct you to the director of football research if you need secrets divulged. Its desperation time.