Adelphia Phoenix QB Matt Kelly injured a finger in his throwing arm in last nights game versus the Caligara Bulldogs. Kelly is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, depending on how his throwing action can cope with any necessary adjustments. Greg Wayne, who took over in the first quarter, is expected to deputise, despite his poor outing in Caligara. Wayne couldn’t complete 50% of his passes and the team only gained 10 first downs in three and a half quarters with him at the helm.
Ravens at 5-0, but where is the love?
Oakland Ravens | PFL | Season 2017-18
By Ryan Solis, PFL Reporter.
The Oakland Ravens are the only undefeated team after five rounds of the PFL season. They have been the only truly consistent team this year, so whay have they not been getting the love and appreciation that Landor were getting last year?
No Razzle Dazzle?
The main difference between the 2016 Landor Knights and the 2017 Oakland Ravens is showmanship. You had the capital city, bright lights, a little bit of styling and profiling, dabbing, charisma. The Ravens have been saying and doing the right things- just it has been a little too low-key for TV! Some say boring, even. Tom Tomkowski, or ‘TOM2’ is a brand, but he’s been playing to the part lines, been a team player. This is a very good thing, but it doesn’t raise the profile. That is how the Ravens seem to like it, though.
Option Kings?
Tom Tomkowski is a good all-rounder. The team have been successfully implementing triple option and read-option plays into their schemes. With a league that apart from a few prefer the air-raid passing attacks, this is a novelty. You played against it in UFB, but not so much in the PFL. This is showing to be a good option for the Ravens so far.
Defensive Showing?
The Ravens’ defence has played very well to date, only conceding 60 points in five games, 7 points of the 67 came from a kick return. They have shown a lot of discipline in sticking to their roles and allowing the combined talent to shine. This reminds me a lot of the New England Patriots ‘do your job’ mantra. So far, so good.
Only five games in
Part of the lack of hype has been that we are only five games in, less than a third of the season played out. The hype will definitely grow if they continue to win as the weeks go by. No one is expecting an 18-0 team in this new 16 team set-up. You play everyone nowadays. My thoughts are that the team are happy flying a little under the radar, just taking things week by week.
Without making headlines or seeking attention, the Ravens are clearly doing it their way- as a team. Best of luck to them.
PFL Week Four wrap up
PFL Week 4 Roundup
One team still undefeated? Many teams at 2-2? What went down this past weekend in the PFL:
Oakland Ravens remained undefeated following a Field Goal contest with the Iomagh Steelers. The game finished 9-6!
The Chakota Wasps shut out the visiting Harteford Hawks 20-0. Humphrey looks hot, the Harteford Hawks do not. Guess last week was a fluke, huh?
Eregon Eagles moved to 2-2 by beating the San Angelo Miners 28-14. Brandon Mullen struggled against the Eagles defence, taken down by Jeff Holliday three times.
New Jorg 96ers left it late to win at home to Caligara 23-17. The ‘sixers continue to look impressive, being a surprise team this season. It took no time for Kurt Sierra to settle in at QB and he has lit a flame under WR Asante Brown’s boots and gloves. The defence is stacked too.
The Trojans needed an extra-time field goal to win against the Tallassea Oilers in Rochester. QB Ryan Bruce led them to a late tying touchdown with 17 seconds left in regulation. The Oilers lost another close one, surely their luck will change soon?
St George’s defence capitulated at home to the Hallas Stars (41-17). The Sharks gave up 40 points for the second time in four weeks. Drew Williams returned to fine form in the onslaught.
Ballymore got revenge for the Crystal Bowl XLVI loss in Adelphia against the Phoenix. The Tigers won 20-14, following Slater’s late TD run. Bo Mills left the game early, with Cam Rogers filling in well. Adelphia’s defence showed signs of cracking against the run down the stretch.
On Monday Night, the Landor Knights won 22-9 against the visiting Melborg Giants in an all-PFL East clash. Elijah Brooks led their balanced attack, as the team improved to 2-2. At 1-3, The Giants need to start winning soon, before the get thrown out of the play-off picture.
Week three wrap up
PFL | Week 3 | 2017-18
Oakland remain as the only undefeated team after three rounds! The Ravens go into this Friday Night fixture hoping to go 4-0. What a league season this is turning out to be.
New Jorg 96ers rallied late to a 20 – 13 victory away to the Ballymore Tigers, Asante Brown caught 8 passes, Kurt Sierra gained 311 yards through the air. Tigers QB Bo Mills struggled to run the offence, will he still be starting next week?
Rochester Trojans dispatched the hosting San Andreas Miners 45 – 35. Ryan Bruce returned to fine form this week, throwing for 389 yards and three TDs. San Andreas couldn’t keep up, their defence is leaking yardage and points. This was another weary display from that side of the board.
One of the PFL’s only undefeated teams, the Oakland Ravens, remained that way on Sunday. They beat St. George Sharks 21-14 at home. The Ravens have looked very solid and adaptable in all stages of the game so far this year. An all round team.
The Melborg Giants got their first win, due to three missed kicks by the Chakota Wasps. Problems with the longsnapper-holder exchange caused Wall to miss two field goals and an extra point attempt. The Giants held on to open their win account for the season.
One of the PFL’s only undefeated teams, Iomagh Steelers lost 7 – 14 to the Tallassea Oilers– the Oilers first win of the year. In a low-scorer, the Oilers managed a late touchdown to break a 7-7 deadlock. Again, Edjerious Jones was held to just three catches.
In Hallas, the Adelphia Phoenix destroyed the Hallas Stars 37 – 13 with Matt Kelly throwing three touchdown tosses. The Stars committed four turnovers, meaning they couldn’t keep up.
In the late Sunday game, Landor Knights lost to the Caligara Bulldogs 20 – 26. We’ve already talked about that.
In the Monday evening slot, Harteford Hawks opened their account with a 20 – 10 win at Eregon. The Eagles showed no composure up front and the Hawks finally showed some football gumption. It was in front of the Monday Night audience too!
Champs in trouble? (1-2)
By Ryan Solis, PFL Correspondent.
The defending Champion Landor Knights have lost two games in a row. Was the week one defeat of the Tigers a fluke? Are they in trouble, with perhaps a championship hangover? I guess only time will tell and it may be a little early to suggest an empire is falling down, but it is telling on the field. If there isn’t change soon, the Knights may be looking at giving up those repeat plans.
Here are three reasons to panic right now:
- The Forwards are not blocking, injuries and inexperience are showing up front. QB Elijah Brooks has little time to let a play develop. He’s making plays with his legs as the the pocket frequently breaks down. He’s gonna get killed out there!
- The defence is leaking yards and plays. The Bulldogs attack stayed on the field for over 70 plays (47 running) on Sunday, meaning the Knights ‘D’ were also on the field for 70 plays. They have been stretched and are to this point, beaten down.
- Everyone knows how they play. The Knights have been somewhat predictable this season, if the defence knows what they do, they are going to try and shut that down.
And here are three reasons to be optimistic:
- They have time on their side. There are another fifteen games to go- and two rest weeks. Plenty of time to iron out any wrinkles and get players healthy.
- Receiving core- there’s too many players to cover. Even when shutting down most of the Knights’ attack, Shyrone Rogers came up with 10 grabs for 243 yards!
- They don’t have to play the Stars or Bulldogs again this season, barring the playoffs. Two losses on the road are not the end of the world. They can still win lots of games, especially the 8 remaining home games.
Sunday Sizzlers!
PFL Week 3 | Sunday games
We thought we would be in for a treat- and we were yesterday. In the late afternoon game, Adelphia marched over Hallas, 37-13 at the Stardome. Matt Kelly threw for three TDs and Drew Williams was picked off three times. The game was very entertaining to watch- easy on the eye as both teams moved the ball. It was perhaps the four turnovers that stopped the scoreline being so close. But hey, it was good Sunday watching for the neutral.
Matt Kelly passed for 258 yards , in a very much improved performance than last week- where Oakland shut the passing game down. Marshall Knight gained 141 yards on the ground. The Stars could not protect the ball, which was their undoing (three picks and a fumble from Williams).
Then, for the Sunday Night Game, we had a very close 26-20 win for the home team in Caligara, as the Bulldogs beat the defending champions Landor Knights. The Bulldogs dreamt up the perfect game plan, running nearly 50 times (47 atts) and commanding the time of possession- at nearly 40 mins. By doubling down on Rashaan Johnson, Landor had to find other options. Although Shyrone Rogers had 10 catches for 241 yards- 79 on the first pass play and 49 on their penultimate drive. He WAS the Landor offence.
Zack Slater completed 17 of 23 passes, for 246 yards and one score. Jeremy Franklin gained 101 yards (28 atts) for the ‘Dogs. An Old school approach won out the day.
Ryan McKenzie was quiet on the day for the Knights, gaining only 32 yards, and key to the fightback, fumbled a pass from Brooks, which the Bulldogs recovered.
Zack Slater drills a TD pass to Max Buchanon.
Parity Football League?
Ten of the sixteen teams in the PFL are 1-1 after the first two games. There are two shocks in the standings right now- that the Melborg Giants are 0-2 and the unfancied Iomagh Steelers are 2-0!
We’ve been looking for more parity following the collapse of four teams and reduction to 16 sides- it seems the league has evened out. It will be interesting to see if this remains for the next 16 games. Play-off tie-breakers would become a factor.
Oh, and the Landor Knights are already 1-1, so no talk of an undefeated season for them.
PFL Week Two wrap-up
PFL | Week 2 | 2017-18
The second round of matches are complete, following the season openers- you can perhaps throw the form book out of the window. Only three teams that won on opening weekend repeated. Only three teams that lost, lost again.
Adelphia Phoenix got back to winning ways against the Tallassea Oilers, feeling at home in the Dome, they raced to an early lead. Tallassea came back, but it was not quite enough. The Phoenix won 23-20. The Adelphia Defence limited Edjerious Jones to three catches. The Oilers’ defence gave up points early, but shutout Matt Kelly and Co. for the second half.
The Melborg Giants gave up a late touchdown to Bo Mills and the Ballymore Tigers to lose 24-20. Mills threw a late pass to Slater for 19 yards, with only 17 seconds remaining. The Giants are 0-2 for the first time in a 12 seasons.
The Oakland Ravens marched to a 20-13 victory over the New Jorg 96ers. The Ravens have a ground based attack working very efficiently, with Tom2 pulling the strings at QB. The 96ers look dangerous, but were overloaded by blitzes in the 4th Quarter.
Iomagh Steelers maintained their 100% record by beating the hosting Harteford Hawks 21-10. The Hawks scored an extra seven points to last week, but still looked way off the ark. Not to take anything away from this Iomagh side, who looked like a well oiled machine out there on Sunday.
In a surprise Sunday afternoon showdown showing, the Hallas Stars beat the Landor Knights 27-21 at home. Normally a Sunday/Monday Night Game, this was a normal daytime showing. Both teams looked less sparkly than normal. Brooks and Williams put up modest numbers- as again- defence was well played.
The Rochester Trojans succumbed to the Eregon Eagles 34-16. The Eagles used a balanced attack to throw the Trojans off guard. The Eregon defence also dialed up some amazing schemes to upset Ryan Bruce and the Trojans’ passing lanes. The Trojans looked like a different side out there.
In the late Sunday game, the San Andres Miners put up 48 on division rival St. George Sharks. This game was a blow out, with the Sharks scoring two 4th Quarter TDs to make the score closer than it was, even thought it finished 48-28! As prolific as the offences looked, it was shoddy tackling by both sides that led to some big (and long) scoring plays.
And in the Monday Night Game, the Chakota Wasps moved to 2-0 by beating the Caligara Bulldogs 35-27 in Caligara. The Wasps started out slowly and trailed 13-7 at the half. Veteran QB Billy Humphrey threw late TD passes as the Wasps took it home. Caligara had late opportunities to equalise, but Zack Slater’s pass for Moss was intercepted in the end zone.
Week one wrap-up
PFL Week 1 | Roundup
The first week of the 2017-18 Season has been completed. Here is the rundown of the game played from Friday to last night.
In the opener, the Landor Knights started off with a 24-20 win over the Ballymore Tigers at Knights stadium. Elijah Brooks and Ryan McKenzie looked at home in the opener. The defences for both teams looked stacked.
The Oakland Ravens knocked off the Adelphia Phoenix in Adelphia, 17-14. The Ravens’ defence locked down the Phoenix attack, whilst a good ground game saw the visitors pull through in a low-scoring game.
The Melborg Giants lost 16-26 to the Caligara Bulldogs at Bulldogs Stadium in Caligara. The Bulldogs looked legit against a very balanced Giants team. Chase Hand was picked off twice in unusual fashion, he had three turnovers on the day.
Edjerious Jones took over the headlines in the Tallassea Oilers‘ 27-29 loss to the hosting St. George Sharks. The Tallassea rookie shone with 8 catches for 155 yards and three scores, including an opening 66 yard catch. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to the league!
Rochester Trojans destroyed the visiting Harteford Hawks 41-3 in their season opener. Ryan Bruce had three TD passes, Ray Shell had two on the ground. The Hawks looked ill-prepared from the kickoff.
The Eregon Eagles defence picked off three passes in the first half in their loss to the Chakota Wasps 13-26. The Eagles had plenty of opportunities inside the 20, but the Wasps’ defence played very strongly in the red zone. Wasps’ 41-year old QB Billy Humphrey said he was disgusted with himself, afterwards (re- the picks).
The Iomagh Steelers caused the shock of the weekend by beating the perennial contenders- San Angelo Miners at Steel City. The well-organised defence shut-down the pass-happy Miners attack. Up front, the Steelers’ forwards gave time and space to run and pass through a clock-managing, efficient offence.
And last night, the New Jorg 96ers came into Hallas and pulled off an early coup over the Stars. Rookie DE Vin Marshall got his first QB Mark, whilst new 96er QB Kurt Sierra ran the passing game and the ‘Sixers pulled off the 34-24 win.
MNG: ‘Sixers edge Stars in Hallas
PFL Week 1| Monday Night Game | EBC Television
NEW JORG 96ERS 34
HALLAS STARS 24
The New Jorg 96ers walked out of the Stardome with a victory tonight in the season’s first Monday Night Game on EBC.
Kurt Sierra debuted at Quarterback for the ‘Sixers, running the offence well. Frank Bowman was effective on the ground too. On the defensive side, they battered Stars’ QB Drew Williams all night long. Williams also had to miss out a few plays following a big hit by veteran hitman Ray Madison.
96ers DE Vin Marshall recorded his first PFL QB Mark, which we think is the first of many. The Stars receivers had a tough time all evening, with the mixes of coverages and presses designed to through them off. If worked- enough.
It won’t get any easier for the 0-1 Stars, they have another home game with the defending Champion Landor Knights next Sunday.
The 1-0 ‘Sixers move on to Oakland next week. That should be a good battle to watch!
The Professional Football League of Eboria 