Renomitsu

Hard to say. I think Memphis, personally, is working with house money 'til proven otherwise. They're fantastic on both sides of the ball, but there's no doubt their offense is by far the star of the show since Wisconsin and New Orleans have comparable, if not slightly better defenses at this exact second. But yeah, any season you can manage 3 1k+ TPE & receiving yard WRs is a great one, bar none. Wilinsky got the shortest end of the deal here. I think the more pressing problem is that no offense, be it Miami, Wisconsin, San Antonio, Seattle, etc. has been/will be able to match the offensive production of Memphis, even if they have comparable or better QBs (Rose, Renomitsu) because they don't have the weapons. Gotta try something weird like Denver I think.

(Nearly) Squishing Snakes – How'd Expansion Teams Nearly Take Down Memphis? The worst-kept secret in the EFL is Memphis’s status as a front-runner. A quick look down their first few weeks in the league – a 59-15 clobbering of Miami, a 44-19 shellacking of rival Wisconsin, a 34-3 mercy killing of Toronto – were the natural consequences of a team that has one of the most complete offenses in the league in spite of being subject to expansion this past offseason. Their two most recent, on the other hand, were a different story. Memphis managed to pull away a little bit from a struggling Minnesota team with a twelve-point victory, elevated to double digits only by fourth-quarter touchdown. And the whole world nearly saw the Denver Steam shock the Mambas just yesterday, as the snakes escaped by the skin of their scaled teeth with a 104-yard kickoff return by Dale Cooper. But what made these games against expansion teams so freakishly different than, say, their casual 25-point victory over Wisconsin? Containing Memphis’s Backs Memphis’s weapons need no introduction – especially since all except for Gus Bus were so prominently featured in last season’s championship squad. As a matter of fact, Memphis had such a ridiculous number of weapons last season that some posited that the receivers actually hurt each of the others’ production. But in Memphis’s Week 3 matchup with the Brigade, there were two prominent trends – for one, obviously the Mamba passing attack was lethal – that much is obvious with the Carswell/Vorschlaghammer/Cornholio combo. But in both rushing and receiving, Dale Cooper was absolutely dominant – accruing 216 yards total split roughly evenly between the ground and air. He scored a touchdown each way, too, to say nothing of filler Gus Bus’s 6 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown. Provided three of Memphis’s receivers managed 40+ yard longs that game, it should be of no surprise that the Mambas out-earned the Wisconsin offense by nearly a hundred yards. Realistically, one should expect the likes of Cornholio and Vorschlaghammer to hit about 100 yards and maybe a touchdown per game. But the fact that Memphis’s two backs combined for four touchdowns (3 through the air) and 274 total yards (53% of total offense) means a lot. Since we don’t have access to game tape or tactics, it’s a little tough to say what Minnesota and Denver did differently. But since Minnesota held Memphis to the lowest point total they’ve had all season, it’s worth noting that they managed to hold Cooper to just 78 total yards (68 ground, 10 air) and just 3.6 yards/carry. It’s not necessarily the prettiest number, but three of their players including veteran Abroham Drinkin @ADwyer87 and Jabari Spalding @TotallyNotGus managed TFLs against the electrifying back. Perhaps more relevantly, they managed three PDs between their linebackers. And in spite of their success, they still allowed nearly 100 yards and a TD from third receiving threat Gus Bus. The Steam, on the other hand, took a slightly different approach. Personnel Packages Are Confusing Dissecting Denver’s success against the Mambas, in my opinion, is hard. Logan Crawford managed a great performance in spite of being <400 TPE, and while the Steam have a slightly better passing attack overall than Minnesota, the balance and breadth of their offense is what truly separates them (between expansion teams, at any rate). You need to look no further than their pass (40)/rush (31) split in that game, even with the limited success of Schitt Brickhouse. But what jumps out to me is just how many receivers they used. Six different players recorded receptions for the Steam, including both of their backs, three wideouts (two of which are fillers), and Wisconsin’s old tight end Suspicious Dave. In terms of matching personnel packages and the relative evenness of the receivers’ TPE, the Steam going as wide as humanly possible to create mismatches may have been the reason things worked out for them this time through. A quick examination of their averages suggests Denver went for a dink-and-dunk offense (save one of Howerynough’s spectacular catches forty yards down the field); indeed, death by a thousand cuts with a large number of receivers on the field seems to have mitigated Crawford’s waning arm strength. Plus, no one was a threat to cap. At the end of the day, Wisconsin’s offense likely stalled out due to their two human player receivers (Howlson and West) capping out, and Clap Trap eventually wearing down after a total of twenty-seven touches in a single game. The sim is a cruel mistress, but tamps down almost immediately on receivers that exceed the invisible cap. Wisconsin’s pass defense may be great enough to hold Memphis in check to an extent – but two failed fourth-down conversions, a <50% third down conversion rate, and 50 yards in penalties are indicative of both bad luck and a systemic upper limit on offenses across the league.

SBL +6

the most appropriate end to this game has to be a tie

Well, it was the end-result @Jetsqb101 expected with the team he's absolutely masterfully crafted (as I've been saying for, what, four seasons now?) but I'm incredibly proud of our team today. Thanks for the game, Memphis. @Pengu put up 250+ yards and a TD against one of the best defenses in the league, with his usual accomplices @Caboose30 and @Anthony Ouellet leading the way. @okochastar absolutely nailed two tough 40+ yarders. And defensively, we had @ADwyer87 with a TFL, sack, and PD, as well as @TotallyNotGus with a TFL and PD of his own. Obviously some of our LBs couldn't put up a ton of sacks provided the crazy passing offense Memphis has put together but we sure as hell made 'em count.

efl gms lookin' at this thread like (not that i'd know)

31-17 Carnage

Will the Carnage vs Generals game have over or under 691 yards of total offense? Over Which running back will have the most EFCA rushing yards in week 5 - Fred Flinstone, Khalil Carson, or Levi Lattimore? Fred Flinstone Which EFCA team will score the most points in week 5? Anchorage Storm Will the total ECFA passing yards for week 5 be - below 2,050 yards, between and including 2,050 and 2,250 yards, or over 2,250 yards? What ECFA receiver will lead the country for the season in receiving after week 5? Terren Lasley Will there be over or under 283 points scored in week 5 of the EFL? under Which EFL passer will put up the most passing yards in week 5 of the EFL? Vince Carswell In the Kraken vs Wolfpack game, which player of these 3 will have the most tackles - Amina Gunner, Baker Blade, or Mum-O Killowe? Amina Gunner Will the Miami Neptune have a better, worse, or the same record as the San Francisco Frenzy at the end of week 5? Better Will Johnny Gregg make over or under 2 field goals in Wisconsin's week 5 game vs Toronto? Over

fml

mcw ilu

Pity that we couldn't get a win on NY. But EXPANSION TEAM WIN GANG GANG

Retirement. It's the boogey man in the room nobody wants to talk about regardless of player age or level of performance. But with a comparatively Luke Kuechly retiring this off-season, the players in the NFL probably had the idea of self-preservation cross their mind once or twice. Premature retirement, however, is not the focus of this article - it's an even more uncomfortable subject: regression. Hanging it up for one's own health at a younger age is an uncontroversial decision, but when play begins to decline multiple seasons past regression, even the sharpest, fittest players begin to ask themselves: "How long can I keep this up?" We're going to take a look at two teams with important players deep into regression and see what their team outlooks might be like. Let's start with Miami, and further consider New York. We'll consider anyone more than three seasons into regression even if they're still sitting pretty at 1,100 TPE - but those with a lower starting point two seasons in will also be discussed. QB Gavin Rose (EXP 9) WR Patrick Kelley (EXP 11) LB Ian Kelley (EXP 13) LB Demetrius Sharkstrong (EXP 12) CB Brian Strong (EXP 11) Perhaps the team being singularly hardest-hit by regression is the Miami Neptune – who have a total of five players in their fifth year of regression or worst. Though their kicker Diana Gunner will be rock-solid for the next half-a-dozen seasons based strictly on banked TPE (and that sweet delayed regression on kickers), they have four players in double-digit experience, plus a quarterback entering his third year post-regression (though it certainly doesn’t seem to have hut him much!). There are ‘steps’ even within those hardest-hit, however, including the likes of Ian Kelley and Demetrius Sharkstrong, who are in their fifth and sixth years of regression, respectively. And they’ve taken vastly different approaches to handling it this season – with Kelley spending literally all he has left (908 applied) versus Sharkstrong holding on to nearly 400 (604 applied). It still means Miami will have a decent set of linebackers – especially with linebacker Deiondre Colt and safety Leo Baker providing an extra set of hands for pass rushing or run stuffing – but as stated in an article last season, they won’t be as elite. On the other hand, Patrick Kelley is in the same stage of regression as Sharkstrong with a little bit less in reserve (745 applied, 128 banked). How much does this affect Miami’s current and future chances? Well, Gavin Rose can probably handle regression for another few seasons if he so chooses – even after reaching max build, he has 151 banked. WR Kelley still has another high-quality season or two in him, and with Colt Calle just entering the last year of his prime, Miami is probably set with a great offense for the next couple of seasons. But LB Kelley is all-in on this season, I’d be surprised if he chooses to continue on beyond next season (but wouldn’t be surprised if he called it quits this season either), while the opposite holds true for Sharkstrong. We’ll likely see Miami transition to a more balanced defensive team as their lifelong linebackers see their careers come to a close – but even that’s come in question with Brian Strong heavy into regression. In general, their results this season have been discordant with their overall team talent: there’s no question Gavin/Colt/WR Kelley should be a fantastic passing attack, but Miami has really struggled to put together wins against quality opponents through these first two weeks. FS/CB Dee Fence (EXP 10) FS/CB Lamarcus Oshiomogho (EXP 9) TE Johnny Bravo (EXP 10) WR Dewey Jackson (EXP 9) The New York Herd aren’t knee-deep in geriatric players, but they do have some heavily aging pieces that will play a role in how their team is constructed in the future. And their moves in this most recent draft make it clear what their intention is because of their moves for Dewey Jackson win now and rely on star first-gens to carry the future. Speaking of, Jackson is entering his ninth season, meaning he’s just gotten his third round of regression applied. He’s still as great as ever – what with 99 speed and 90 hands – and has still managed to keep 94 banked. And on offense, QB Omgits DaddyTurner actually has a nice cadre around him to make his fourth season in the majors great: Jackson, fifth-year quality receiver Jeff Downey, and still-somehow-relevant TE Johnny Bravo. Throw on top of that the threat of Thormond Jakobsen as a first TE or elite FB, as well as Apollo King in the backfield, and New York has an extremely versatile offense that rivals the likes of Wisconsin and some hybrid of Memphis from S19 & 21. On the defensive end, we continue to see a very slight drop in ability from Dee Fence and Lamarcus Oshiomogho, both elite talents in the defensive backfield who should remain among the best in the league this season. They’re in their tenth and ninth seasons, respectively, and can still prevent receivers from taking the top off of defenses – lightening the load off of Steven Donovan and Tom Esau, an inactive and a filler, respectively. And while Oshiomogho is just two seasons into regression, he has a slightly lower peak to start with than the immovable Dee Fence. I suspect that these two still have a couple of good-to-great seasons left in them before being hit worse by the regression bug. But how does this make them look in the greater Eastern Conference landscape? With Miami in a bit of a regression, Wisconsin with a tricky roster situation, and Memphis burgeoning with the absolute best of them, New York frankly has a chance to be second or third place for the next few seasons if things go well. Their offense is generally mid-career – and with Apollo King coming up as Jackson goes down, I suspect they’ll be set in that regard. Their defense – especially with Fence, Bobsky, and Oshiomogho being roughed up by regression in a couple of seasons – will be suspect on the passing end, but with Violent E and Clinton King as linebackers they should be in a great spot in terms of a pass rush.

@Turts is a kicking deity confirmed

Monday ECFA Week 3 Rangers @ Phalanx Tuesday EFL Week 3 Frontier @ Neptune Wednesday ECFA Week 4 Encounter @ Carnage Thursday EFL Week 4 Herd @ Mambas Friday ECFA Week 5 Pirates @ Rangers Friday EFL Week 5 Skyhawks @ Brigade

Wisconsin