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So I lay down to take a nap under a tree and when I wake up we have gone through three rounds of the Imperial Football League playoffs and are into the mother of them all, the Imperial Bowl. Ok, so it wasn’t that fast, but it did seem just a little too fast for me to keep up with articles the last couple of weeks. Not complaining, just pointing out my inability to write anything without 4-5 days to do it and still have it be relevant to where the league is at. And it wasn’t just a nap either, I must admit. I got a ride from this trucker who offered me some huge cans of jalapenos he said he had left over from a load, and since I was hurting for food I took him up on them. After two days of nothing but jalapenos, my ass was on fire for four days. Lets get to the Playoff Ramblings, shall we?
-Iowa City and Vermont in the Imperial Bowl? I never would have guessed it in a million years, but it is pretty nice to see some fresh faces I think. Vermont took out the kings of the NC to get here as they beat Little Rock and Lawrence, both on the road. If that isn’t impressive (or shows the Toads and Phantoms were paper tigers, you pick) I don’t know what is. Virgil Sepulveda gets all the glory, but he is riding his team mates coattails right now if you ask me. I am not trying to knock the guy down either, it’s just that a team riddled with injuries this year has had several guys step up and take up the slack instead of Virgil becoming Superman. That is how they got here. Bob Fann and David Sonnier are two running backs who will fade away back into mediocrity after this season, but are on top of the world right now as they have combined for 406 yards in three playoff games. On the other side of the ball the defense has done well in stopping offensive playmakers such as J.B. Lincoln, Ralph Given, Brian Dixon, Tobias Stanfield, Harris Mahoney, and Bucky Beaver. Impressive.
-The Snipe Hunters didn’t have to go out on the road and stay there as the Mountaineers did, but their trip to (fill in site of Imperial Bowl here) wasn’t exactly easy and unimpressive either. In fact, I think I have a man crush on Sammy Mathews, the Snipe’s young quarterback who has averaged a QB Rating of 106.9 in three playoff games this year. The days of one and done in the playoffs already seem long gone for the Snipe Hunters, who’s previous four division titles hadn’t resulted in a single playoff victory. Sammy Mathews is a near god in Iowa now because of this. He had some help of course. You can not defeat Houston, the win at Portland, and take out Murfreesboro without it. I want to point out one area that has been amazing though, the defensive pass rush. Iowa City defensive linemen have been dominating the trenches in their three playoff games. They (which includes DE Freddie Swift, DT Bo Bloedorn, DT Jay Gaden, and DE Ron Escalera among others) have racked up 12 sacks, 5 passes blocked at the line, 27 QB hurries, and 20 QB knockdowns. With guys at the line of scrimmage disrupting things it is no wonder three of the games top quarterbacks (Nigel Booker, Jay Caro, and Otis Peterson) where unable to rally the troops and score anything higher then 17 offensive points against the Snipes over this run.
Now let’s ramble on about the boys sitting at home thinking about what could have been.
-Murfreesboro Mules, I salute you. It was a heck of a run, and the support you got from around the country in your first trip to the playoffs is just one more thing Iowa City had going against then and makes their win over you that much more impressive to me. The Mules first ever playoff game, and home game at that, was a smacking of the Anchorage Lynx. The Vipers had won 6 straight playoff games at home, but the Mules went in there and on the strength of a defense that intercepted Viper QB Harold Lozier, the Mules pulled off one of the bigger upsets in a year of upsets.
-Lawrence looked like a team of destiny this year. After losing to Norfolk in the Imperial Bowl last season, they rolled through the regular season with a 15-1 record. Their one loss was to Little Rock, who got booted out of the playoffs before Lawrence had a chance to get revenge. Surely Vermont couldn’t come into Lawrence, where the Phantoms haven’t lost since 2007, and defeat them. Um, wrong. Vermont came in and held the Phantom offense to only 3 points! Guess what hosers? That is the fewest points Lawrence has scored in a game since the final week of the 2005 regular season.
-Norfolk and Little Rock, oh how I am disappointed in thee. Your regular season records will look nice and pretty in the record books, but one and done in the playoffs is nothing to write to momma about. At least the Vipers won the whole enchilada two years ago and was in the AC Championship last year, Toads have been one and done two years in a row now. What are you going to do Toads, if Brian Dixon waves good bye this off season? Ralph Given didn’t look like he could carry that team. Dixon will look like William Brown in another year. That’s right Vipers, your William Brown. You got some old farts as well so don’t think you are dodging me, and like the Toads you could be one and done for a second year next season without an upgrade at RB.
-Portland, Madison, Houston, Anchorage, Vancouver, as the saying goes, better luck next year. As the saying goes, only one team in the playoffs gets to win their last game of the year. As the saying goes, it just wasn’t your time. That’s enough sayings. I thought a few of you would get further, but (oh crap, as the saying goes) that’s the reason you play the game. On paper California would have been a AC title contender. Lansing, you went a round further then most thought you would so I give you credit for that.
Random ramblings now.
-Otis Peterson for MVP. I love the guy. I love the Mule on his helmet.
-I am already dying to see if guys can repeat their excellent years this season. J.B. Lincoln in Vancouver was a stud while finishing second in rushing yards and seventh in receptions. Butch Schulz, in his rookie season for Newark, made 12 of 16 field goals over 50 yards. Rookie Tulsa LB Clay Bradbury was second in the league in tackles while West Virginia rookie LB Carlton Nitschke was third. Is this the future at LB in this league?
-Iowa City is 2-0 all time against Vermont. I am riding the Vermont bandwagon though.
-This is the first time an AC North team has been to the Imperial Bowl since 2003. So that makes this the first time an NC East team has faced an AC North team in the Imperial Bowl since 2003. That game ended with the NC’s Orlando winning over the AC’s Cleveland. That makes the NC East 1-0 all time against the AC North in the Imperial Bowl. I am now riding the Iowa City bandwagon.
-Iowa City has two first round draft picks in the coming draft, theirs and Little Rock’s. The rich get richer next season.
-Iowa City and Vermont have two of the top pass defenses in the league. Virgil Sepulveda and Vermont have shown they can beat a team with a top pass defense when they took out Little Rock. Iowa City and Sammy Mathews showed the same thing when they got past Portland. I give up, best two out of three coin flips gets me on their side. IWC is heads, Vermont is tails.
One…….tails.
Two…….heads of course.
Three……heads, looks like I am picking Iowa City to win. Go Snipe Hunters!
-Iowa City and Vermont in the Imperial Bowl? I never would have guessed it in a million years, but it is pretty nice to see some fresh faces I think. Vermont took out the kings of the NC to get here as they beat Little Rock and Lawrence, both on the road. If that isn’t impressive (or shows the Toads and Phantoms were paper tigers, you pick) I don’t know what is. Virgil Sepulveda gets all the glory, but he is riding his team mates coattails right now if you ask me. I am not trying to knock the guy down either, it’s just that a team riddled with injuries this year has had several guys step up and take up the slack instead of Virgil becoming Superman. That is how they got here. Bob Fann and David Sonnier are two running backs who will fade away back into mediocrity after this season, but are on top of the world right now as they have combined for 406 yards in three playoff games. On the other side of the ball the defense has done well in stopping offensive playmakers such as J.B. Lincoln, Ralph Given, Brian Dixon, Tobias Stanfield, Harris Mahoney, and Bucky Beaver. Impressive.
-The Snipe Hunters didn’t have to go out on the road and stay there as the Mountaineers did, but their trip to (fill in site of Imperial Bowl here) wasn’t exactly easy and unimpressive either. In fact, I think I have a man crush on Sammy Mathews, the Snipe’s young quarterback who has averaged a QB Rating of 106.9 in three playoff games this year. The days of one and done in the playoffs already seem long gone for the Snipe Hunters, who’s previous four division titles hadn’t resulted in a single playoff victory. Sammy Mathews is a near god in Iowa now because of this. He had some help of course. You can not defeat Houston, the win at Portland, and take out Murfreesboro without it. I want to point out one area that has been amazing though, the defensive pass rush. Iowa City defensive linemen have been dominating the trenches in their three playoff games. They (which includes DE Freddie Swift, DT Bo Bloedorn, DT Jay Gaden, and DE Ron Escalera among others) have racked up 12 sacks, 5 passes blocked at the line, 27 QB hurries, and 20 QB knockdowns. With guys at the line of scrimmage disrupting things it is no wonder three of the games top quarterbacks (Nigel Booker, Jay Caro, and Otis Peterson) where unable to rally the troops and score anything higher then 17 offensive points against the Snipes over this run.
Now let’s ramble on about the boys sitting at home thinking about what could have been.
-Murfreesboro Mules, I salute you. It was a heck of a run, and the support you got from around the country in your first trip to the playoffs is just one more thing Iowa City had going against then and makes their win over you that much more impressive to me. The Mules first ever playoff game, and home game at that, was a smacking of the Anchorage Lynx. The Vipers had won 6 straight playoff games at home, but the Mules went in there and on the strength of a defense that intercepted Viper QB Harold Lozier, the Mules pulled off one of the bigger upsets in a year of upsets.
-Lawrence looked like a team of destiny this year. After losing to Norfolk in the Imperial Bowl last season, they rolled through the regular season with a 15-1 record. Their one loss was to Little Rock, who got booted out of the playoffs before Lawrence had a chance to get revenge. Surely Vermont couldn’t come into Lawrence, where the Phantoms haven’t lost since 2007, and defeat them. Um, wrong. Vermont came in and held the Phantom offense to only 3 points! Guess what hosers? That is the fewest points Lawrence has scored in a game since the final week of the 2005 regular season.
-Norfolk and Little Rock, oh how I am disappointed in thee. Your regular season records will look nice and pretty in the record books, but one and done in the playoffs is nothing to write to momma about. At least the Vipers won the whole enchilada two years ago and was in the AC Championship last year, Toads have been one and done two years in a row now. What are you going to do Toads, if Brian Dixon waves good bye this off season? Ralph Given didn’t look like he could carry that team. Dixon will look like William Brown in another year. That’s right Vipers, your William Brown. You got some old farts as well so don’t think you are dodging me, and like the Toads you could be one and done for a second year next season without an upgrade at RB.
-Portland, Madison, Houston, Anchorage, Vancouver, as the saying goes, better luck next year. As the saying goes, only one team in the playoffs gets to win their last game of the year. As the saying goes, it just wasn’t your time. That’s enough sayings. I thought a few of you would get further, but (oh crap, as the saying goes) that’s the reason you play the game. On paper California would have been a AC title contender. Lansing, you went a round further then most thought you would so I give you credit for that.
Random ramblings now.
-Otis Peterson for MVP. I love the guy. I love the Mule on his helmet.
-I am already dying to see if guys can repeat their excellent years this season. J.B. Lincoln in Vancouver was a stud while finishing second in rushing yards and seventh in receptions. Butch Schulz, in his rookie season for Newark, made 12 of 16 field goals over 50 yards. Rookie Tulsa LB Clay Bradbury was second in the league in tackles while West Virginia rookie LB Carlton Nitschke was third. Is this the future at LB in this league?
-Iowa City is 2-0 all time against Vermont. I am riding the Vermont bandwagon though.
-This is the first time an AC North team has been to the Imperial Bowl since 2003. So that makes this the first time an NC East team has faced an AC North team in the Imperial Bowl since 2003. That game ended with the NC’s Orlando winning over the AC’s Cleveland. That makes the NC East 1-0 all time against the AC North in the Imperial Bowl. I am now riding the Iowa City bandwagon.
-Iowa City has two first round draft picks in the coming draft, theirs and Little Rock’s. The rich get richer next season.
-Iowa City and Vermont have two of the top pass defenses in the league. Virgil Sepulveda and Vermont have shown they can beat a team with a top pass defense when they took out Little Rock. Iowa City and Sammy Mathews showed the same thing when they got past Portland. I give up, best two out of three coin flips gets me on their side. IWC is heads, Vermont is tails.
One…….tails.
Two…….heads of course.
Three……heads, looks like I am picking Iowa City to win. Go Snipe Hunters!
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