UFL Update: Week 9, What Happened to Omaha?

The last four weeks could not have been more different than the first five. In week 5, Omaha won their third game of four, Sacramento lost to Vegas 26-3, and Florida was middling in the middle of the pack. It seems the only consistency throughout is that Hartford sucks. Last year, when they were the New York Sentinels, they went 0-6 for the season, so I guess 2 wins is an improvement. Maybe if they move to Vermont next season, they'll break 50%. Now Omaha can't even beat Sacramento, Sacramento's finishing 4-4 having beaten Vegas, and Florida's averaging over 30 points per win. If you want to see my hyper-over-analysis, you can, but suffice to say, I was right. The entire season's coming down to the first game next week, Tuskers at Omaha. Omaha can't make it to the Championship, but they can control everything. With a win, they force a 3-way tie, and the advantage goes to Sacramento. If they lose, Florida pulls out ahead and goes to the Championship. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This is what happened this week.

Game 1: Tuskers Trample Colonials 41-7

I hope Florida sticks with Chris Griesen for the rest of the season. It's not just because I hate Brooks Bollinger, but Griesen just makes the Tuskers a more interesting team. I have to admit, too, I love the story. Drew Bledsoe gets injured, and everyone discovers Tom Brady. Brady gets injured, and now Matt Cassels has taken the KC Chiefs to the top of the AFC West. That accounts for the 41, but how did Hartford only score 7? I get the desire to play both of your QB's, but sticking to some sort of artificial rotation between McCown and Perrilloux is fucking dumb. In the first half, McCown got next to nothing done, while Perrilloux, who plays every third drive, was making some plays. The solution? Coach Chris Palmer moved the rotation down to every other drive. What the fuck, dude? You're not confusing the defense by switching up QB's, you're just confusing your own offense. Now he has until next year to think about how offense works.

Game 2: Mountain Lions Also Trample Nighthawks 41-3

Upon further analysis, Omaha's initial record was soft. Their wins were all by 5 or fewer points, but their losses are by 12 or more. Two of those three wins were against Hartford. They've proven that in the face of good teams, or even just teams with solid momentum, they fold. Next week, they're going to fall apart against the Tuskers, just handing them the Championship. It's a shame. The Mountain Lions have staged one hell of a comeback to stay in contention, and we're just going to end up with a re-match of last year's Championship.

So there you have it. I'm not going to say much more. A blow out is a blow out, and this week we had 2. I hope the Tuskers/Nighthawks game will live up to its importance. The other game, Hartford/Vegas, will have no bearing on anything, so I'd look forward to Jim Fassel auditioning his players for the Championship. For my money, I hope he sticks with Chase Clement.