THE COACHING CAROUSEL BEGINS!

Head Coach – Personell | By Ryan Sollis |

The Professional Football League’s version of Black Monday began with three Head Coaching firings and one stepping down from their post with immediate effect.

HARTEFORD HAWKS HC Chris Zucker was sacked as his team deteriorated to a 2-15-1 season, with the number one overall draft pick. i.e. the worst team in the league, for the second time in three seasons. This was another disastrous season for the Hawkmen. They need to pick up soon.

ST. GEORGE SHARKS HC Gary Levicek was sacked following a 2-15-1 season, where the team regressed so badly. Both co-ordinators had been fired during the season. This wasn’t enough to the save him his job.

EREGON EAGLES HC Ali Mack was fired. They finished 4-14, lost the main QB early and never recovered. A slight raising of their game in midseason offered hope. It all flittered out into endless losses.

MELBORO GIANTS HC Neil Fagan resigned, following a very disappointing 5-13 season. He never got Tom Tomkowski comfortable in his offensive scheme and they paid for it all season. The defence regressed too.

We’ve yet to hear from the Rochester Trojans and Iomagh Steelers‘ camps. We gather that the Chakota Wasps will not be making a change, as this season is put down to being a ‘blip’. After all, they made it to the Crystal Bowl last year with pretty much the same squad of players.

REG SEASON ENDS- PLAYOFFS SET

2020-21 Regular Season | Week 20

That’s it! Eighteen games over twenty weeks. 144 games in total. This has now finalised the 8 play-off seedings and matchups.

HOW WE GOT THERE

There were head-to-head title deciders matchups in the PFL East and Central. Landor 96ers took the East with a 30-24 victory over New Chester Knights. The Adelphia Phoenix clung on to a 27-24 win against the Oakland Ravens, ensuring at least one home play-off game as no.3 seed.

Caligara Giants already had sewn up the North and needed a late touchdown to beat Iomagh Steelers 19-16. They rested most of their stars in that game. The Ballymore Tigers lost to Harteford Hawks 20-17 in a way that only they can! They always slip up to a losing team late in the season.

The Chakota Wasps restored some pride with a victory over Rochester. The Trojans led early, but Chandler threw two fourth quarter TD passes to bring them back to a 24-17 win.

Hallas wrapped up their regular season with tidy 37-24 win against the St. George Sharks. The Stars are the no.4 seed. At 2-15-1, the Sharks know they need to rebuild. Relocation is also a possibility.

This left two teams fighting over the number eight spot:

San Angelo, knowing they had to better the Bears’ score, stormed out to a 31-13 first half- lead against the Eregon Eagles. The Bulldogs were losing at half-time to the Melboro Lions 21-14, even though the Giants had only three first downs at that stage.

In the second half, the Miners added two more TD’s – Ryan Bruce passed for 413 yards and 5 touchdowns… but it was to no avail.
The Bulldogs rallied to lead 34-31 with a game-tying 45 yard field goal set up for the Lions with just one second left on the clock. Veteran kicker Billy Young hooked the kick wide right.

AND SO, THE BULLDOGS GO THROUGH VIA HEAD-TO-HEAD.

NUMBER ONE DRAFT PICK

The race for the number one draft pick was nearly lost by the Harteford Hawks, who only went and beat the play-off bound Ballymore Tigers. The Sharks also finished 2-15-1, with the tie the game between the two.
Following confirmation of the tiebreakers in this case- The Hawks retained the worst record by virtue of conceding more points and worst points- difference.

They have the first pick in June’s draft.

NEXT WEEKS PLAYOFF MATCHUPS:

Hallas Stars	4	vs	5	New Chester Knights
Caligara Giants	2	vs	7	Oakland Ravens
Landor 96ers	1	vs	8	Bristol Bulldogs
Adelphia Phoenix	3	vs	6	Ballymore Tigers

Just seven games remain before we crown the 2020-21 champions. Who will it be standing in the podium at Crystal Bowl 51?

What’s on the off-season agenda?

Following the end of the 2020-21 regular season the matters for teams outside of the play-offs will be about coaching changes and other player personnel moves. For the league, there are even bigger questions to look into this off-season.

What to do with the Eborian Football Conference (EFC)?

Once the monopolies commission have made the decision on the acquisition of the EFC by the PFL, which is expected to be given the okay there will be work to do. Currently the league have 16 teams in 4 divisions of 4, whilst the EFC have 8 teams in 2 conferences. Although fantasy youtubers and online comments prophesise a 24 team league, this would not make sense to most within the game. Imagine this:

-The league would need to employ an additional 400 players, who would be expected to be at PFL standard for the inaugural expanded season.

-Several EFC teams would need to upgrade their stadiums immediately.

-It is not likely that the television deals, which mostly fund the league, would be increased by 50% to accommodate the extra games. This is likely to be the case because it will be perceived that there will be a lessening of the talent level with an extra 8 teams.

Of course, this would be a mute point if the monopolies commission do not approve the buyout by the PFL. There was little talk of other investors being interested in a bailout.

What is currently predicted based on the league’s approval is a recommendation that four teams will be absorbed into the league. The four teams would be placed into the remaining divisions, although it is not known whether there would be the returning of conferences. There has been some talk in the league of conferences returning, with additional play-off spots and the (maybe) return of the Elite Bowl-the All-Star game that was dropped in 2018. It’s not known if that would even be popular.

The four mooted teams are the Nashford Lions, the Arkheim Raiders, the Pottsburgh Cardinals and the Amorgan Blues. This is based on them being the larger teams with stadiums already available to them. Remember of course, the Cardinals and Blues were removed from the league due to insolvency. If these teams were to return, they would likely need to provide certain assurances over their financial futures.

Expanding the Playoffs

Regardless as to what happens with the EFC, the league is also making plans outside of this towards future expansion towards 18 and then 20 teams. Along with this, comes the ever raised question about expanding the play-offs. Currently 8 teams qualify and they play quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the Crystal Bowl.

When the league had 20 teams previously, 10 teams where in the play-offs with the top 3 in each conference receiving a bye and seeds 4 and 5 playing off for the final spot. Some league owners are pressing for an expansion of the play-offs anyway, even though the standard league position is that there should never be more than 50% of the teams qualifying for the play-offs as it waters down the competition and value of qualifying.

Two extra play-off games would not only increase the season by one week, but give more “special” play-off matches, to bring in more revenue. Professional sports leagues obviously like more revenue!

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation!

The city of Mayona, led by the city’s mayor, have been pressing for a professional football team in the city. An attempt to take the Sharks out of St George was voted down last year. It is understood that prospective owners have also acquired into the status of two EFC clubs and the Iomagh Steelers. It is likely that further attempts will be made by a city keen to have pro football on its resume. The league will have to decide whether they think that the city is a suitable one for pro football and whether they think that it will be suitable to have an existing franchise relocated or to grant them a brand-new franchise.

As with most things, money talks, making it likely that Mayona will have a team within the next 5 years.

WEEK 19 RECAP- FINAL WEEK PREVIEW

The Professional Football League’s regular season comes to an end this coming weekend. With 17 games played in the 19 weeks to date, Seven of the eight play-off spots are secured, with the final week bringing up some intriguing encounters.

To recap: with the Caligara Giants lost 29-24 to the Ballymore Tigers, they relinquished the number one seed position to the Landor 96ers (as they lost in the head-to-head encounter). Meanwhile, the Hallas Stars secured their PFL West divisional championship with a 37-10 victory at Eregon Eagles. The San Angelo Miners kept in the play-off chase with their shaky 16-9 win over the St George Sharks – they will need to better the Bristol Bulldogs result in the final week.

The New Chester Knights kept up the pressure on the Landor 96ers with their victory over the Melboro Lions. They will win the PFL East division with a win against the 96ers on Sunday and the team from the capital would fill the number 5 seed as the best runner-up!

The Adelphia Phoenix absolutely dismantled and embarrassed the Chakota Wasps in the penultimate game 56-14. Matt Kelly threw for 6 touchdowns and no interceptions in a clinical display. The Wasps defence capitulated in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, leading to calls for the coordinator to lose his job. Chakota will make their decisions after Sunday.

Wins for the Ballymore Tigers and the Oakland Ravens give them good momentum going into the play-offs in the 6th and 7th respectively. In fact, the Ravens could win the PFL Central with a win against Adelphia – so the Phoenix would be on their travels in the play-offs with a loss. This would have been unthinkable about 5 weeks ago!

W2WO4- What to Watch out for! Wk20 Implications

Divisional title deciders: the PFL East comes down to the final confrontation between the Knights and the 96ers. The Knights must win or they will be on the road in the play-offs. Whoever is the runner-up, will be for definite the number 5 seed and will travel to the Hallas Stars.

In the PFL Central: the Oakland Ravens must be the Adelphia Phoenix to win the division on a tiebreaker, otherwise they will be the number 7 seed. Both of these games are great matchups.

Seed jostling Depending on what happens in the Oakland/Adelphia game, the Tigers the 6 or 7 seed, regardless of whether they win or not.

The final play-off spot will be decided by 2 matches: the Bristol Bulldogs at Melboro Lions and the San Angelo Miners hosting the Eregon Eagles. The Bears have the head-to-head advantage, so will automatically go through if they win or if the Miners do not win. In the rare event that the Bears lose and the Miners tie, the Miners would ‘sneak’ in.

The race for the number one draft pick: at the moment the Harteford Hawks have a one-game advantage over the St. George Sharks. If the Hawks however manage to win and the Sharks lose on the final day, were not quite sure of the tiebreaker here because they drew head-to-head and would have the same divisional records! I think it might come down to points conceded, which still heavily favours the Hawks, but this might require further consultation!

Final Week Fixtures:
All games kick off at the same time on Sunday 31st January-

Melboro Lions		vs		Bristol Bulldogs
New Chester Knights		vs		Landor 96ers
Adelphia Phoenix		vs		Oakland Ravens
Rochester Trojans		vs		Chakota Wasps
Harteford Hawks		vs		Ballymore Tigers
Caligara Giants		vs		Iomagh Steelers
San Angelo Miners		vs		Eregon Eagles
Hallas Stars		vs		St. George Sharks

TWO WEEKS TO GO- THE PLAYOFF RUN-IN

There are just two weeks remaining now and the PFL regular-season. 9 teams remain in contention for the 8 play-off places, with Chakota Wasps being eliminated with their defeat against the Oakland Ravens.

In the PFL East, the New Chester Knights still remain one game behind the Landor 96ers, with the two facing each other in the final week of the season.The Bristow bears still hold the eighth slot, with a one-game lead over the San Angelo Miners who remained in contention following their win last night at home to the Hallas Stars.

Adelphia Phoenix’s lead in the PFL Central is back to one-game, following their loss and Oakland’s win. Again, these two teams go head-to-head on the final day. Adelphia will take on the Chakota Wasps this weekend, whilst the Ravens will be looking to do the double against the Rochester Trojans. Adelphia hold the tiebreaker, which will be neutralised with a Ravens win on final day.

The Caligara Giants still hold the best record in the league with a 14-2 record and dibs on the first seed. Behind them, the Ballymore Tigers have gone past the .500 humdrum in the past few weeks and are now sitting pretty at the number six point with a head-to-head advantage over the Oakland Ravens. The less said about the Iomagh Steelers and the Harteford Hawks, the better. Disastrous campaigns for both teams.

Out in the West, the Hallas Stars remain in control of the division, but have slipped to a 10-6 record.Following three successive defeats, the Stars will need to get back into the winning ways before the play-offs start. It is possible for the Miners to win the division if they win out and the Stars lose out. The Miners would win on divisional record. The Eregon Eagles have fared better since Cameron Reed returned, but have still been shaky opponents. The (St. George) Sharks’ dismal season continued with a loss to the Eagles and their reputation has sunk this season.

W2WO4 -What to watch out for

So looking at this penultimate weekend, the Bulldogs can guarantee a play-off spot with a victory and a Miners defeat. A Bulldogs defeat and Miners victory would make the run for the final play-off spot interesting. If the Knights lose and the 96ers win, then Landor will win the PFL East. If the Phoenix win and the Ravens lose, the PFL Central will go to Adelphia.

The Stars win the PFL West with a win and a Miners defeat, which would seal up the fourth play-off spot.

Playoff standings right now:

	PFL	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	PCT	PD	DIV
1	Caligara Giants	16	14	2	0	460	319	.875	141	4-0
2	Landor 96ers	16	13	3	0	452	353	.813	99	4-0
3	Adelphia Phoenix	16	12	4	0	496	344	.750	152	3-1
4	Hallas Stars	16	10	6	0	487	375	.625	112	2-2
5	N.C. Knights	16	12	4	0	420	356	.750	64	3-1
6	Ballymore Tigers	16	11	5	0	410	373	.688	37	3-1
7	Oakland Ravens	16	11	5	0	413	358	.688	55	3-1
8	Bristol Bulldogs	16	9	7	0	359	369	.563	-10	1-3
–	San Angelo Miners	16	8	8	0	391	368	.500	23	4-0
x	Chakota Wasps	16	6	10	0	430	393	.375	37	0-4
x	Rochester Trojans	16	5	11	0	358	450	.313	-92	2-2
x	Melboro Lions	16	5	11	0	333	377	.313	-44	0-4
x	Eregon Eagles	16	4	12	0	298	398	.250	-100	1-3
x	Iomagh Steelers	16	4	12	0	262	438	.250	-176	1-3
x	St. George Sharks	16	2	13	1	298	408	.156	-110	1-3
x	Harteford Hawks	16	1	14	1	227	415	.094	-188	0-4

Week 19 fixtures:

Bristol Bulldogs		vs		Landor 96ers (FRI)
Eregon Eagles		vs		Hallas Stars (SAT)
Chakota Wasps		vs		Adelphia Phoenix (SAT)
Oakland Ravens		vs		Rochester Trojans
St. George Sharks		vs		San Angelo Miners
Harteford Hawks		vs		Iomagh Steelers
Melboro Lions		vs		New Chester Knights
Ballymore Tigers		vs		Caligara Giants (MON)

THREE WEEKS BEFORE PLAYOFFS- 10 TEAMS IN THE HUNT

There are just 3 weeks remaining in the PFL season. 10 of the 16 teams remain in the running for the 8 play-off places. These last 3 weeks all feature exclusively divisional contests.

Tonight the Bulldogs who are in the 8th spot entertain the Knights in an important match up. If the Bulldogs lose, the Miners can gain ground on the 8th spot. The Knights are one game behind the 96ers at the top of the PFL East and will be looking to keep this competitive until the two meet on the final day. The Landor 96ers host the Melboro Lions at noon on Sunday.

Also competing for the final play-off place, are the Chakota Wasps, who will need to win all their remaining 3 games to have even a chance. They are away to the Oakland Ravens this week. The Ravens themselves, being two games behind the Adelphia Phoenix will be looking to continue to press for the PFL Central divisional title. The 12-3 Phoenix are away to the Rochester Trojans, who will be looking for revenge for their earlier thrashing.

The PFL North has been headed by the Caligara Giants since day one, with the Ballymore Tigers coming over a losing streak to maintain a challenge from the runner-up position. The number one seed Giants are at home to the abysmal Harteford Hawks, whilst the Tigers entertain the equally woeful Steelers. With a three-game lead, the Giants are still expected to be the divisional winner and the number one seed.

It’s been a one team show in the PFL West, with the Hallas Stars running through the opposition. The San Angelo Miners have been at around .500 the entire season, they need victories to end the season to gain the final play-off place. The Eregon Eagles began the season in disarray, when Cameron Reed had to leave the team for personal reasons so that he could return home to America. They have been 3-6 since his return, which is not bad bearing in mind he’s had to hit the ground running.

The St George Sharks have been a disaster this season, with quarterback Dre Nalen suffering a regression and later injury. The team will likely be moving on from Nalen in the 2021 draft, unless somebody becomes available in free agency.

Current play-off standings:

	PLAYOFF ORDER
	PFL	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	PCT	PD
1	Caligara Giants	15	13	2	0	426	306	.867	120
2	Landor 96ers	15	12	3	0	429	333	.800	96
3	Adelphia Phoenix	15	12	3	0	475	316	.800	159
4	Hallas Stars	15	10	5	0	459	345	.667	114
5	N.C. Knights	15	11	4	0	396	339	.733	57
6	Ballymore Tigers	15	10	5	0	383	356	.667	27
7	Oakland Ravens	15	10	5	0	384	335	.667	49
8	Bristol Bulldogs	15	9	6	0	342	345	.600	-3
–	San Angelo Miners	15	7	8	0	361	340	.467	21
–	Chakota Wasps	15	6	9	0	407	364	.400	43
x	Melboro Lions	15	5	10	0	313	354	.333	-41
x	Rochester Trojans	15	4	11	0	330	429	.267	-99
x	Iomagh Steelers	15	4	11	0	245	411	.267	-166
x	Eregon Eagles	15	3	12	0	281	384	.200	-103
x	St. George Shark	15	2	12	1	284	391	.167	-107
x	Harteford Hawks	15	1	13	1	214	381	.100	-167

‘-‘ in contention, ‘x ‘eliminated

Week 18 fixtures:

Bristol Bulldogs		vs		New Chester Knights (FRI)
Landor 96ers		vs		Melboro Lions
Rochester Trojans		vs		Adelphia Phoenix
Ballymore Tigers		vs		Iomagh Steelers
Caligara Giants		vs		Harteford Hawks
St. George Sharks		vs		Eregon Eagles
Oakland Ravens		vs		Chakota Wasps (SUN Night)
San Angelo Miners		vs		Hallas Stars (MON)

PFL WEST 2020-21 REVIEW

PFL West: Eregon Eagles | Hallas Stars | San Angelo Miners | St. George Sharks

EREGON EAGLES

What type of Eagles team will turn up for the 2020-21 season? It is not helped by QB Cameron Reed having to return to the US over family issues. Veteran QB Bo Mills has just been added in. The Eagles have a good balanced team, who on their day can compete. The problem for the past three seasons has been if the do in fact, show up.

HALLAS STARS

The Stars are looking to rebound from THAT defeat in the playoffs. Chase Hand had a terrific season under Centre, throwing for 5,000 yards and 39 TDs. The defence, for most part played excellently. If not for that second-half slump in a playoff game, we could have been looking at the new champions. They will have to shake off that loss to be stronger this time around.

SAN ANGELO MINERS

The Ryan Bruce era begins! The former Trojan QB is now heading up the Miners. San Angelo are stacked with talent as they have gone all in for the ‘now’. Last season, it didn’t work, but with Bruce’s relatively cap-friendly deal (for a starting QB), it allowed them to other key retain players. Allen and Higgins are hungry young runners, the receiving corps is great. Should be challenging for top of the PFL West- with the Stars.

ST. GEORGE SHARKS

The Sharks are another team that are hard to read, They often struggle against lesser teams, whilst bringing it on against the league’s finest. QB Dre Nalen is a top-tier passer, whilst the defence, lead by Finnish nationals Heikki Karppinen and Niku Laukkanen is good enough to challenge anyone. The hardest team to predict, as they could as easily win the division as sit at the bottom.

PFL NORTH 2020-21 PREVIEW

PFL North| Ballymore Tigers | Caligara Bulldogs | Harteford Hawks | Iomagh Steelers

The PFL North is a balanced division, in that there are two very strong teams and two very weak teams! Due to the new format, Ballymore and Caligara faced off for the championship in 2018-19. Harteford and Iomagh have been battling it out at the bottom, not what either fanbase would like.

BALLMORE TIGERS

The Tigers are still a strong team, with Cam Rogers at the helm, the Tigers are still the main team that took the title two years ago.

The defence is still the focus of the team, with a little bit of sprucing up, they could become elite in 2020. Drafted Alfred Foster to pick up from Sam Randall as the pass rusher. Patrick Harper left under FA, so Bob Taylor and Freddie Boyle will compete.

CALIGARA BULLDOGS

The defending champions are still stacked with talent, but do they have the hunger after successive Crystal Bowl appearances? Jon Palmer is a great young head coach, who let’s his experts do their jobs. If there’s no need to tinker with a winning formula, they could well be biting their foes in the playoffs. Zack Slater (QB) to Seth Slater (WR) is still an extremely good combination.

HARTEFORD HAWKS

Last season was a progression for the mean green flyin’ machine. The Hawks went from 2-16 to 6-12. This year they will look to build on that siccess (9-9?). They are a balanced team, they will need either rookie QB Aaron Murphy or Dexter Williams to come good. If the defence is stronger, it should help even out the scores too. Veteran RBs Marshall Knight and Donovan Kelly were massive upgrades for the run game.

IOMAGH STEELERS

Iomagh were a disaster last season, going 2-16, with a couple of horrendous blowouts. Off-season trades were aplenty, and they were very active in the free agent market. Brandon Mullen and Kelvin Stewart (remember when he was the golden boy?) will compete for the starting role at QB. Thomas Linderholm returns from injury to help what was a leaky front line last term. Will do well do double their victory count from last year, though.

PFL CENTRAL 2020-21 PREVIEW

PFL CENTRAL: Adelphia Phoenix | Chakota Wasps | Oakland Ravens | Rochester Trojans

The PFL Central lost the Tallassea Oilers but gained the two-time Crystal Bowl winners Adelphia Phoenix in 2020. This will be a great line-up for a strong, competitive, division.

ADELPHIA PHOENIX

The Phoenix picked up quite the coup, picking up RB Kylian Floyd in the draft. He, along with Jamal Davies (first round pick in 2018), should mean that they will have replaced Marshall Knight. QB Matt Kelly shows know sign of ageing yet, and a good receiver core means the attacking force is strong.

The defence is still a worry. The line is good, with Blake and Dez Williams being particularly strong. The midfield is mixed, whilst the back four have been suspect for the last two seasons. 50-50 to make the playoffs.

CHAKOTA WASPS

With Trent Harris or Eric Chandler at the helm, the Wasps look hot on the offensive. Neil James is a standard RB and the line is good holding off the defence just enough. Defensively, they are hit and miss, Like Adelphia, this could cost them when it counts.

OAKLAND RAVENS

With a young,dynamic QB in Tayvon Coles (from Ohara) running this team, they should pound their enemies into submission. A tough team from top to bottom. I fancy them to win the division as the most balanced team.

ROCHESTER TROJANS

The Trojans took a chance with QB Josh Hennigan, and that could easily prove to be a good move. The Trojans will need to keep everyone around him healthy. Moving on from Ryan Bruce was a good idea, now they need to be ruthless in other areas. They won’t have enough to challenge for the division this year, but should not exactly be walkovers either.

PFL EAST 2020-21 PREVIEW

PFL EAST: Bristow Bears | Landor 96ers | Melborg Giants | New Chester Knights

The 2020-21 starts on Friday 18th September, with the champion Bulldogs hosting the Tigers in the big kickoff. The PFL East doesn’t have long to wait though, as they start on Sunday September 20th. League newcomers Bristow, who replaced the outgoing Tallassea Oilers have a difficult placement.

BRISTOW BEARS

The Bears have on paper a decent squad, with some PFL journeymen and great young players. Will this be enough to get the team in the playoffs? It is unlikely, but QB Brad Robinson is accurate and they inherited deep-ball threat Edjerious Jones and RB Lamar Hall give the team more than hope. Coaching could be the key to that fine line between success and failure for the Bears.

LANDOR 96ERS

The ‘Sixers have a tremendous defence, that will play havoc with ANY team’s gameplan. The Attacking options are going to be the key. Veteran QB Kurt Sierra is injury-prone, whilst WRs Robert Johnson and Asante Brown are not getting any younger. If the ‘O’ play strong this team could very well go all the way to CB 51.

MELBORG GIANTS

The Giants are still in a bit of a rebuild mode. QB Tom Tomkowski has not been the steal that some thought he would be. His accuracy improved last year, as his running stats went down. Their vocal home support the ‘G-Fence’ will need to carry this team somewhat.

NEW CHESTER KNIGHTS

The Knights are going to be there or thereabouts once again this season, aren’t they? Elijah Brooks will always make time to find people, the plethora of receivers always keeps the passing game good and defence honest. Veteran RB Chauncey Smith will have help in 2020-21.

The Knights have a good, young defence, lead by AMF Stephen Cooks and CMF Cooper Riley. Will battle with the 96ers for the division title, now Adelphia are in the Central.