Semi-Finals
What happened last week:
The reign is over! A new streak has begun! Two-time defending AldenLeague Champions CheektoWojo were upset by 6th-seeded The Skyns, who scored their first post-season win in 6 tries throughout AldenLeague history. In the other matchup, Most Murderous, after dropping their final 6 games of the regular season, rebounded to overcome the BountyHunters in their maiden trip to the AldenLeague Playoffs.
That brings us down to the final four, which are dominated by the presence of 3 teams from the Crittenden Division. Let's let 'er rip on the message board while you're still alive!
Matchup #1 - "Round Three"
#1 Ice Cold Bruschis (9-4) vs. #5 Most Murderous (8-6)
A bitter divisional rivalry got split during the regular season, as words were exchanged on numerous occasions. It's time to see who's got the cajones to back them up when it really counts.
Team Profile: Ice Cold Bruschis
2008 was a learning experience for a franchise in their first year of existence. 2009, however, wasn't so lucky for opponents of the I.C.B. The team fired through the regular season at break-neck pace, clinching the Crittenden Division, a first-round playoff bye, and the #1 overall seed by as early as Week 11. AldenLeague has a history of young franchises achieving greatness early on - let's see how this one pans out.
What We Already Know: Most Murderous' Maurice Jones-Drew tore up the Colts on Thursday night, racking up 37.90 pts, as the first and only blood drawn in this matchup so far.Matchup Breakdown:
Last Meeting: ICB won 182.68-119.59 in Week 12.
Last Playoff Meeting: None
Room for Improvement: None. Both teams have used all their ACQ's.
Injury Report: Ice Cold Bruschi's: WR Sidney Rice did not practice on Thursday due to illness. TE Jeremy Shockey (turf toe) is limited in practice, and his status for Saturday is unknown. RB Ronnie Brown (on IR) has not been miraculously healed yet this week. Most Murderous: QB Matt Hasselbeck (sore shoulder) is good to go. QB Matt Ryan (turf toe), who has missed the last 2 games, could play this week vs the NY Jets, but it hasn't been decided yet. K Shaun Suisham (cut) has yet to find a new team.
Key Matchups: Most Murderous QB Matt Hasselbeck takes on the 7th (really!)-ranked pass defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cleveland coaching staff has commented on exploring the possibility of using WR Joshua Cribbs in a traditional RB role vs. the Chiefs' 28th-ranked rush defense. Pittsburgh has fallen off the track a bit recently, but still have the NFL's #1 rush defense, which will take on Ice Cold Bruschis' Ryan Grant this week. His partner, ICB RB Justin Forsett, goes in the opposite direction, against the 31st-most difficult rush defense of Tampa.
Yahoo! Projection: Most Murderous 155.48 - ICB 150.88
Matchup #2: The Battle of Los Angeles
#2 L.A. Ninjas (8-5) vs. #6 The Skyns (8-6)
Making up 2/3 of AldenLeague's L.A. Contingency, the Ninjas and Skyns battle it out to determine who will have to change their name to "The Los Angeles ____ of Anaheim" in order to attract more fans after the loser limps home after this one.
Team Profile: L.A. Ninjas
Steady as she goes - the Ninjas fought through their regular season schedule without hitting any lows, hitting the triple-digit scoring mark in every single game en route to their first Most Points title in franchise history. Going 4-2 in Westwood Division play (including a clean sweep in the Weeks 11-13 divisional stretch) helped set up the dramatic division-clinching win over the Boys of Summer in Week 13's Hartman Bowl. This season also marks the 3rd year in a row that the L.A. Ninjas have qualified for post-season play.
What We Already Know: Good News/Bad News for each of these teams, as Skyns QB Peyton Manning put on a clinic to the tune of 45.55, but 25.57 of those points were made up by the receiving efforts of one of Manning's favorites: L.A. Ninjas' TE Dallas Clark. The Skyns' WR Pierre Garcon added another 2.29, and the Skyns take an early 47.84-25.57 lead.
Matchup Breakdown:
Last Meeting: The Skyns won 148.55-138.68 in Week 6.
Last Playoff Meeting: None.
Room for Improvement: Each team has 1 more ACQ at their disposal.
Injury Report: LA: WR Greg Jennings (knee) is fine after missing part of last week's game. RB Steven Jackson (back) will play through the pain. The Skyns: RB Pierre Thomas (hip) practiced with pain, but his game status is unknown. RB Frank Gore (toe) seems to have finally recovered in full. Reserve QB Jake Delhomme (finger) did not practice and is not expected to play.
Key Matchups: L.A.'s Ricky Williams takes on the 7th ranked Tennesee rush defense, while Skyns' DeAngelo Williams takes on the 4th-ranked Minnesota rush defense.
Yahoo! Projection: L.A. Ninjas 163.21 - The Skyns 144.28
