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OFL w12
Hey!
Sillykid99 won a playoff game.
Tar dropped six touchdowns on the Raiders.
Bung didn't come up big in a clutch moment.
Yup, welcome to the ever changing landscape of the Old Football League!
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PLAYOFF WILDCARD RECAP:
Not much happened. The divisional and conference rounds are where the craziest things are going to go down. I refereed both games, and can tell you-- that Ducks win was impressive and downright DOMINANT. That’s what we’ve waited all season for from these Ducks! Will they finally heat up for a ‘Cinderella’ playoff run? Offensively, sure, maybe you can chalk up their offensive execution to the absolute garbage dump known as the REDCLIFF Raiders defense. But, good gosh, did you SEE that defense the Ducks fielded? Amazing. Yes, they still got mossed hard often, but that's not the point. The defensive ends were unbelievable the entire game, and pretty much made the corners cover for five seconds tops. If that happens every games, the Ducks, with an equally potent offense, can go far. Like, Victory Bowl far. But I need to see this divisional round first. They have played with no consistency all season. That Raiders game just showed what they can do...now can they maintain that success?
Joston-Panthers was the snoozefest in this draw, though. DeathsVictim was a late scratch and it hurt Joston badly. Nearly ended their season. My immediate outtake from that game was: “neither of these teams deserve to be in the playoffs”. Offenses on both sides were trudging and pretty much awful, defenses were weak and just lucking out from having passes thrown literally into their chests...it was embarrassing for Joston. Defensive ends got no pressure, and superkoopa could pretty much only pass to a guy who was open for five seconds already. That's not a playoff team. Now, to cut them slack, they were missing their Most Valuable Player, but still-- these teams don't look to go far after that performance. To knock off the Snowhawks and create the largest upset in Old Football League history, they'll have to improve. Like, a lot.
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POWER RANKINGS
(I'm only including playoff teams. If you're eliminated, what power would you hold in the league? None.) I'm also trying to classify them by group, just to make it a bit interesting.
VB FAVORITES:
#1: SPARTANS
#2: Snowhawks
CONTENDERS:
#3: Rams
#4: Sunterodactyls
#5: FFC
#6: Punishers (tbh you can classify em as pretenders too but I'm gonna seem salty if I do that so I'll keep them here).
Borderline CONTENDER:
#7: ducks (on paper they're a top three team, they had their first good offensive and defensive performance all season literally, they haven't performed up to their talent yet...can't tell if they're pretenders yet, but those DEs were suffocating and can take them beyond Saxon and Millikan)
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PRETENDER:
#8: Joston JackRabbits
No disrespect to Joston, but they're just not set up to compete for a chip yet, and we all pretty much know it. Their offense can easily get shut down if superkoopa turns it over once or twice (as seen in Panthers game, where they shouldve romped, not just score a meager 18)...and really, if foot puts just a bit more lead, if acknowledged doesn't make the play of his life, the Panthers are in this spot, not Joston. Takes luck to win, sure, but I cannot see them possibly winning and contending for a championship. I'd be flinging HCOTY mentions @silly if they beat the Goliath Snowhawks.
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PREDICTIONS [[Divisional]]
PUNISHERS @ FFC: Saturday at 7
I'll be real: I think Florida will win. Are they the better team? Most probably. But, yes, MrMackHD won't make the game. That's .gonna hurt. The Punishers are an 8-2 team, and you're now asking Mailad to go from victories versus the 1-9 Rattlers to beating an 8-2 playoff team fighting for their season. Even for my homer self, I'll admit Punishers win this matchup (with me at QB, that type of game that is) in S1-S7. Now, though, 8v8 opens a new path! You saw it with NykeStrike, losing to Mack 31-30 last week in W10, or Superkoopa, shredding the Rams until OT, or Flexing, beating the Rams 26-6 at one point, or DCForRap the whole season-- it's been the “year of the backup”. You can realistically take the life out of another team and beat them even without playing or doing much, if you execute right.
So, uh, analyst hat back on, FFC HC hat off. Punishers should win this game. Florida’s defense has been leaky (TO PUT IT LIGHTLY), the offense wasn't too hot even with Mack at the helm….this is treko’s best shot to finally get a playoff win, period. A win like this could finally unify an oftentimes divided FFC team...but, realistically, if the Punishers play it right, they'll win. If they do their stuff, if there's no letdown, as long as the Punishers defense gets a turnover or two (and the offense capitalizes), they'll win.
But...FFC S7 and S8 was supposed to win too, right?
I won't predict a winner since everyone knows who I think will win. Just make your own prediction, put it on the comments, talk about it, whatever.
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JOSTON @ KORBLOX
after the rattlers came so close to stunning undefeated FFC in S7, losing 14-10, and the Warriors missed a FG in S6 to lose to undefeated Barton….this is another chance for legends to be made! simply put, a win here by Joston would be the biggest upset in Old Football League history, HANDS DOWN!!!!. (FFC/huskies s2 wasn't a giant upset like ppl portray it now, FFC s8 vs huskies was an upset but not giant as well).and is this upset so far fetched?
Maybe not. Let’s analyze Healable in the losses this season, in his Snowhawks career, in the playoffs, and in CLOSE GAMES THIS SEASON.
CLOSE GAMES S9:
rattlers (confused MCPATTY face?????)
Joston (although some stat stuffing made the score look a bit like a blowout at the end)
Let’s look at these quick. They have a common thread. In Healable’s own words, he has a “bad game”. The ENTIRE Snowhawks team is totally on Healable’s arm. When he has bad games, so does the team, because he IS the team at this point. While they have outstanding talent, it's unused and unusable when Healable has his regular bad game. In the Rattlers game, he threw 1 TD to 3 INTS in a 28-21 win (which rattlers had in control really) because Lebron went AFK in the final rattlers drive. If he plays like that, Joston would win.
The Joston game, Healable tossed some picks, gave Joston some early momentum, but then the Rabbit defense just collapsed. Healable got back into it, tossed some touchdowns, and Superkoopa couldn't keep up in the shootout. That's more likely than what happened in the Rattlers game to happen this weekend.
In previous seasons (not really counting S8 except for two gamescuz he just flopped in S8)
S8 FFC vs Snowhawks
S8 Raptors vs Snowhawks
S7 Snowhawks vs Raptors
S7 FFC vs Snowhawks
Let's start with S7. This is the beginning of a trend with Heal at QB-- mistakes can sink him, especially late on. Snowhawks stayed close all game, lost by seven, heal got trapped and his runs got locked down, he committed some turnover on downs. He was too passive. This has changed, as heal’s whole “I'm going for QBOTY!!!!!” quest has turned him into an uberaggressive player.
Snowhawks vs Raptors. S7. How'd they lose (they means Snowhawks)...? Heal had his “bad game” that I've used as a theme in this passage. Heal was on a hotspot, his throws were off, and it culminated in him throwing a swat six in overtime. That's the bad game you don't want.
S8 Raptors vs Snowhawks. Heal starts slow, and revs it up. Only issue? Ikios KEEPS UP. They go score to score, and Healable and the S8 Snowhawks not taking the Raptors seriously (they even had playoff jerseys made-- they would miss.) bit them. This can happen in the divisional. They got flustered.
S8 FFC/Snowhawks. Heal got stifled by the FFC defense, forced to take slow drives to score, turning it into a twenty point game. How'd it end? Heal lag rhrew a Hail Mary just over a Snowhawks WR. 28-21, FFC.
S9 Spartans/Snowhawks. Best example I've got. He throws a pick or so, his defense gets a pick, but he loses. What was the stat that stood out to me there? ZERO RUNS, BY ANYONE, THAT GAME. Why’s that important? Stay with me.
What's the theme here, by pointing out his failures? He's still an outstanding quarterback and a Joston upset would be nothing short of a miracle. They were awful last week anywho. But, with all these games, you see a theme with heal not changing in key areas: offensive diversity, that “clutch” factor. I'm not calling Heal a choker. He's not. But, he really finds ways to come up short sometimes when it counts, usually not for his own play (lag), but it happens nonetheless...but that point is rather irrelevant compared to:
OFFENSIVE DIVERSITY!!!! The Snowhawks are awful at it. I told my friend when that Spartans game started. Heal blatantly ignoring wide open check downs, wide open 15 yard rushing lanes to force it up to Kill and Eli (although due to the soft opponents they were playing, it was usually caught) would EVENTUALLY come to bite him. It's always been my belief that when good teams play literally nobody until the playoffs (FFC S7), that first game of good competition in the playoffs will jolt them and potentially stun them. You can't have playoff games with the Snowhawks where you have zero runs. Accardi has helped alleviate that, but it's an issue nonetheless. Every other QB that's thrown deep exclusively has struggled this season (Mack, Jallace, Bung somewhat)...except heal. He needs to adjust and do what it takes to win, not to win QBOTY, and that urge can put him on upset alert.
As I've said, the run game needs to become a focal point. To be real, Snowhawks shouldn't score fifty once this playoffs unless Joston lays an egg. Or fourty, for that matter. There's going to be a team, if they beat Joston, where their deep pass offense will be shut down. That's where my teams personally crumbled. S8 FFC had our deep passes SHUT DOWN, and we kept forcing the issue and turned a 10 point fourth quarter deficit into thirty and lost to the Huskies in the OEC Championship. Adjusting ingame isn't as easy as you think. Zero runs won't get it done if they have one bad offensive game and they keep forcing it and keep melting down.
And, I'll say one last time...HEAL IS A GREAT QB!!!! S9 MVP IMO!!!!!!, but like everyone, he has flaws. I'm not hating on heal, I'm just doing my job and showing a scenario where a boring matchup can become a stunning one.
With all that said, Snowhawks win. Honest to god, if I saw Joston win, I wouldn't be surprised. The quality of competition, when you actually play a good team after playing nine bad ones (and it's happened to me too, I'm not bashing the Snowhawks for having an easy schedule they didn't choose), it's a curve that you need to adjust to, to start the game. If Joston can shut down the deep passing game from Healable, try to make him think someone is open deep to bait a bad decision and frustrate him, along with their typical slow offense (superkoopa cannot try to score quick and get into a shootout. He’ll lose. A 28-21 game is a game he needs)...they can win. I think that Joston will keep it close and interesting early, Snowhawks will get a turnover and pull away in the third.
It's so tough to upset teams like this. You need to play a perfect game. One turnover ends it for Joston.
Snowhawks win, 35-21.
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DUCKS SPARTANS
UPSET PICK!!!
Ducks win. Slice is an awesome piece of bread, and Lanny is a pretty good QB, but ducks will win. I know I sound like a total noob considering I've spent the rest of the season down talking the Ducks and saying they're light, but their defensive ends have made me undergo a total conversion. Did you see those DEs versus the Raiders? Monsters! Yung can totally shut down the entire Spartans offensive attack, and as long as akame doesn't get mossed again, and Tuuz does something, the Ducks can win this. Actually, I expect the Ducks to win.
The defensive ends are by a mile the best in the Old Football League, and I think the Ducks corners are good enough to cover for like six seconds. It's going to rest of tuuz’s shoulders to deliver a clean game (doesn't have to be seven touchdowns, just no turnovers), to have a game akin to their raiders game to pull the upset and run to the OWC Championship as previously expected in the pre-season. Ever since the Spartans got annihilated versus the Rams, they have shown more and more cracks in the armor. They can lose. They ain't unbeatable.
But, these are the Ducks we’re talking about. They can revert to the mean and their DEs can get ate and they'll just collapse and lose by thirty. But, I think yung, the new sack record holder can do something to Lanny, who really hasn't worked under much DE pressure this season, to carry the Ducks to a victory.
DUCKS: 31 SPARTANS: 24
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MILLIKAN RAMS @ SAXON SUNBIRDS
ok who would say I'm not lying when I say DcForRap will get a home game at QB vs LordJallace and Shaun and the Millikan Rams. Don't lie. Nobody would. This is completely unforeseen! With that said, Shaun has been the actual definition of a legend. The Rams have been dead without him, and they resurrect with him. It's pretty amazing, but it also shows that the Rams aren't as strong as years past. I don't know how to go with this game.
I'm leaning towards thinking Saxon gets karma in a large dosage and Rams best them, for all their trash talk, because now Saxon thinks they're the stuff. But, that's not a very analytical way to put it. Listen, Saxon’s defense is pretty bad and I can say it from experience. I expect Shaun to have a field day versus the DEFENSE. Saxon’s offense is great obviously, but prone to being shutdown. If you remember, DC was playing a perfect offensive game versus the Dansville Ducks in the regular season, until he got INT’d on a speedout and they couldn't win, despite scoring every drive after.
Let's face it. On paper and talent wise, Saxon isn't a better team than the Rams. It's not close. That's what makes their 7-3 record so impressive. They literally need to play mistake proof games to beat teams of this caliber, with the talent that they don't have and the defense they're lacking. So, the chessmatch between DcForRapII and the Millikan Rams defense will decide this game. One pick from DC will end the game. One drop on fourth by the shaky Sunterodactyls receivers will end the game. I expect the Rams to have no problems offensively. I don't feel too comfortable asking DcForRapII to score every drive.
This game is going fifty fifty either way. I'll go with the Rams, 35-28, just as the safe pick because I've already made my upset pick. But, if DC plays another perfect game like He did when he stunned the Rams and beat the Ducks, he’ll be playing the Ducks in a very even match to go to the Victory Bowl.
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Thanks for reading! Post comments, thoughts, and suggestions in the comment section, try to do so respectfully. I'm just starting a conversation. I'm not trying to go 4/4 in picks. If you disagree, just cross off my prediction mentally and add yours. Don't flame me over it.
AND AGAIN IM NOT HATING ON HEAL HES GOOD I JUST WANT TO PLAY ADVOCATE!!
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M.
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