*Week 4 & 5: Fan Reviews!

[IsaStarcrossed]

Two more weeks of NSFL action have slipped by us and we all know what that means! Time for more fan reviews. Keep in mind I do this all for fun and most of it is strictly opinion. Hope you guys enjoy!

@ 41-23, Wraiths win. With the Liberty leading in the first half, I thought this game would finally be the rebound we were all waiting for. Everyone has kept saying that Philadelphia will come back, that Philadelphia is a better team than their performance so far, that Philadelphia can still make a run. I had all the faith in the world through the first half. That faith didn't waiver as they entered the fourth quarter. Then the Wraiths really turned it on and 21 points later they left the stadium with a commanding win. I've been a little harsh on him so far this season, but after looking at this game there is only one man you really need to talk about. Cooter Bigsby. 34 of 56, 401 yards, four touchdowns, and zero turnovers. You can't put up statistics like that and not be the talk of the town. He was aided in a big way by seven catches for 122 yards and two scores by Canton, but at the end of the day Bigsby made it all happen. The good news for Philadelphia is that Falconi had a classic game. 30 of 51, 316 yards, and two scores isn't anything to sneeze at as she posted what has become a rare day without mistakes. Unfortunately it may be too little too late for Philadelphia's playoff run.

@ 14-28, Butchers win. Baltimore did everything right in this game except score points. They gained more yards, they moved the sticks more efficiently, they controlled time of possession, and their one turnover at least didn't result in a Butchers score. They played this game well, but at the end of the day the end zone eluded them in a big way, Dorfus Jimbo had his worst game of the season thus far. His struggles finding points is no secret across the league, but at least he has been able to consistently put the Hawks in scoring position. In this game? Not so much. On the other side you had Rose Jenkins produce a near perfect game. At 17 of 20 for 197 yards and three scores, he didn't do anything flashy, but he didn't have to. He was efficient and surgical, picking his spots in the secondary and ripping them apart while minimizing any mistakes that might be a detriment to his team. A few more performances like that and the Butchers might start becoming a favorite to win it all.

@ 20-23, Outlaws win. I had thought the Outlaws were favorable in this match-up from the outset, but half way through the game I was beginning to get a little concerned. A second quarter interception thrown by Reese was almost immediately turned into the first touchdown of the game and it looked like they had given Orange County a lead that the Otters had no intentions of giving up. One fourth quarter collapse later and here we are. The Otters managed to amass a total of 15 yards in the fourth quarter if you account for a 17 yard interception return that ruined a drive that started at mid field. The offensive breakdown wasn't enough though as they also had to give Arizona 152 yards in the fourth quarter alone. This was a team win for Arizona and a team loss for Orange County as neither team had any players who really popped out at me with stat lines. The Otters will be beating themselves up this week as this game was the difference between having their name at the top of the standings and being listed in the middle of the pack and they only have themselves to blame.

@ 17-24, Copperheads win. In a wicked turn of luck, I have now gotten slapped down by what I like to call the caster's curse. Last week I mentioned the Copperheads upset of the Outlaws being the likely unquestioned biggest upset of the season. This week the Copperheads did their best to prove me wrong by knocking off a SaberCats squad that came into this game as the hottest in the league. On the backs of another top tier performance by Easton Cole and an explosive appearance by rookie Ashley Owens, the Copperheads nearly doubled the offensive production of the SaberCats. 20 of 33, 220 yards, three scores, and only one interception capped off a solid day for Cole and 138 all purpose yards for Owens really set this team up for success. The San Jose rushing attack was absolutely nonexistent this game with their leading rusher only amounting 15 yards and while Christ is an incredible player under center, he can't do it all himself. With back to back upsets for the Copperheads and a lackluster performance by the SaberCats, these two teams are going in opposite directions.

@ 13-27, Yeti win. It is official ladies and gentlemen. We will not have a zero win team this season. Colorado absolutely manhandled New Orleans in a game that was never close at any point. The Yeti got off to an early start and never looked back as they left the Second Line in the dust. An incredible 147 yard game by Terry Taffy coupled with a dominant defensive effort that saw New Orleans held under 100 yards rushing had the Second Line looking confused out there. New Orleans leans heavily on their one two punch of Forrest Gump and Tyler Swift, but neither player seemed to be able to find success against Colorado. Their one bright spot was a monster 138 yard game by veteran Vladimir Fyodorovich, but even his performance could give New Orleans any fuel. With this win, the Second Line are now battling for last place. Its an ugly look for a team that came into this season with a lot of hope.

@ 31-27, Yeti win. Colorado just marched into Philadephia and took this game from the Liberty. Two weeks ago I would have called this result an upset of monumental proportions, but at this point it is hard to argue with this result after the fall from grace for Philadelphia. In what became one of the most exciting games of the week, Wolfie McDummy had his first standout game of the year. 20 of 31, 185 yards, three scores, and not a single turnover. None at all. One of the biggest weakness for Colorado has been McDummy's ability to hand their opponents the game, but not only was he not a detriment against Philadelphia, he was a key asset to the victory. For Philadelphia, Falconi also played one of her better games on the season. 30 of 47, 340 yards, and three touchdowns is definitely enough to give Philadelphia fans hope. Unfortunately, she also had an interception was was cashed in for a touchdown one score later. That mistake was the difference in the game. The Liberty now have the worst defense in the NSFL and are ranked in the bottom half on offense. They look sloppy and lost and have now fallen into last place in the standings. As of right now, the Yeti are simply a better team that Philadelphia and for that reason I can't consider this an upset.

@ 20-48, Wraiths win. This game was a showdown between two teams trending in very different directions and it shows in the scoreline. Yellowknife was absolutely dominant throughout the course of this game, starting off with a 20 point quarter and never letting off the gas. The Hawks made some moves in the off season to improve their defense, but it did not show at all in this absolute stomp they received from the Wraiths. 487 yards and 48 points allowed as the Hawks put on the worst defensive performance of any team so far this season. Much like in their game against Philadelphia, it was all about Bigsby and Canton. Cooter Bigsby put up fine numbers by completing 27 of 51 passes for 389 yards, a touchdown, and only one interception. That said, this game was more about Jerrod Canton and his 11 catch, 201 yard day. Nothing the Hawks did could contain Canton and he even added an additional 35 yards rushing to mix a little insult to the injury. This was likely the biggest day of any single player so far this season as Canton absolutely exploded. On the other side, Dorfus Jimbo had another disappointing day. For the second time in two weeks, Jimbo had his worst game of the season. 68 yards and no scores is not going to cut it as a primary back and as his ability to get into space has decreased, so has the Hawks fortunes. The worse Jimbo is, the worse the Hawks are. They're going to have to figure this out if they want to climb back into this season.

@ 34-22, Outlaws win. After a close victory in week four, this game shaped out to be more of the type of game we expect from the NSFL champions. A large part of why the Outlaws were able to make their title run last season was because of their defense. That same defense was a big reason why the Outlaws won here as well. Despite gaining more yardage overall than Arizona, San Jose simply could not keep pace in points due to the Outlaws defense holding them to five field goals and only a single touchdown in their six trips to the red zone. Couple that with a performance by Andrew Reese that saw him go 26 of 48, 308, three scores, and no turnovers and you had a game that was well within Arizona's hands from the first quarter on. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, their star running back Slim Shady isn't getting as involved as most people would like, but when Reese is performing like this he doesn't have to be. Again San Jose's rushing attack simply didn't produce. Their lack of ability to get anything at all going on the ground may be the exclusive reason why they were unable to convert in the red zone. Right now, Arizona looks like the best team in the league as they make a run at their title defense. Meanwhile the SaberCats are faltering as they put together two weeks of the worst excuses for a rushing attack that I've seen in recent memory.

@ 31-24, Otters win. After spending four weeks getting dominated in every game they played statistically, New Orleans finally decided to put a full game together. They beat the Otters in yards gained both through the air and on the ground, doubled their number of first downs, went even in turnovers, and controlled time of possession. They looked like an incredible machine led by Forrest Gump and his 182 yard, one touchdown campaign. But then you look at the scoreboard and realize that somehow they did all of that and it fell short. Franklin Armstrong put together a three touchdown score and was aided by Apollo Reed who tried to match Gump's production with 150 yards and two scores of his own. It was a solid showing that was enough to take Orange County to the promised land. On paper it shouldn't have been, but Sunnycursed's 109 yards of kick returns matched with Blaze's 51 repeatedly put Orange County in prime position to score off of a short field. This was a rare occasion where special teams was truly the difference between a win and a loss, showing that even when New Orleans appears to have it figured out, something else goes wrong.

@ 16-23, Butchers win. This game was fun to watch in the sense that it was absolutely hilarious in the second half. It was a close game throughout, but contained a block of about 20 minutes of game time in the second half in which neither team really seemed like they wanted to win. Turnovers, quick punts, and mistakes galore made the second half of this game look like something out of a comedy skit. It was a solid competition in who wanted to give the game up more. Ultimately the Butchers came out on top. The game should have never been remotely as close as it was. A dominant 20 point first half put Chicago in front and they should have been able to run away with it, but on the back of three second half turnovers, they did everything they could to keep Austin competitive. Still, the Copperheads couldn't capitalize on the gifts they were given. Much of that can be put on the shoulders of Ashley Owens. So far this season, the rookie has had solid showing after solid showing and as such Austin has been quite competitive. In this game though, Austin struggled to get him involved and he only put together a 53 yard campaign. Austin picked him first overall to be a difference maker and giving him only 10 opportunities in 60 minutes doesn't even give him a chance. A 184 yard effort by Mako Mendonca was admirable as he tried to carry the entire team on his shoulders, but at the end of the day one player simply cannot do it all. The Copperheads are performing better than anyone could have expected this season and are on a definite upwards trend. The Butchers need to clean up the kind of mistakes that almost cost them the game in the second half. If they put on this kind of second half performance against any other team, it is highly unlikely they come out with a win.