Gridiron Gazette: Goal Line Stand (Week 9)

Adrian Peterson has turned expansion Anheuser-Busch into a serious championship contender. However, an injured knee will keep the 21 year old out this week against Golden. Can AB be competitive without their record-setting rookie?








Goal Line Stand (Week 9)
Cam Pannalist, Gridiron Gazette



With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, all 11 teams still have a chance at making the playoffs. And once the playoffs start, like the annoying motto goes, "Anything can happen."

In order to make sure your team isn't on the outside looking in, there are 5 important aspects to follow when molding your championship contender:


1. Running Back
Backs are the easiest position to predict success. Even the best in the league won't rush for 1000 yards if their offensive line is terrible, but for the most part a quality running back holds his fate in his own hands. QBs are only good if the receiver catches the ball, and the receiver can only be good if their quarterback gets the ball to them. Ironically, kickers are only good if their offense is bad enough not to get the ball in the end zone. Having solid running backs throughout the season is much more important than getting a lucky 200 yard performance in any given week.
Best Advantage: Fitchburg Tech, Bud Heavy


2. Quarterback
In order to be successful, you must have a successful player under center. 10 of the top 15 quarterbacks are currently on playoff teams. There is of course that rare occasion where the rest of the team is bad enough and the QB cannot carry them (like Tony Romo in Dublin) but, as been example this season, your passer's ability parallels your team's wins.
Best Advantage: Fitchburg Tech, Anheuser-Busch


3. Defense
The unsung heroes of a team is definitely their defense. The difference between holding an opponent to 3 points or 7 points can mean the game for your team, as demonstrated in the Week 8 matchup between Gillespie State and Mexico. The dominance of Seattle's DEF gave Gillespie State 17 points in a comeback that gave them a win by 0.67. A game can come down to just 1 sack, and having a solid, productive defense to compliment your offense is extremely valuable. Unfortunately, defenses can sometimes be hit or miss, like in the case of Chicago and Baltimore this year, but getting the right one can be great for you.
Best Advantage: Dublin, Golden


4. Trade Bait
The best part about this piece of playoff hopefulness is that you don't even have to be in the playoff hunt to be successful with it. Teams building for next year can be some of the most important players in the trading game. Are you in last place, holding onto that 32 year old running back who is having a fantastic season? Send him to a contender for a back on injured reserve and a draft pick. Is your 40 year old quarterback shredding apart defenses? Go and get that 21 year old receiver who's 1 offseason away from becoming productive. The most important key to being a shark at the trade deadline is addressing other people's needs and not getting into useless negotiations. Why try and trade your veteran QB to Fitchburg Tech or Stardust University?
Best Advantage: Athol A&M (QB), Bud Heavy (RB), Mexico (WR)


5. Schedule
The single most important ingredient for success in a playoff run is your schedule. Nothing boosts your confidence more than seeing the 1-10 Shmucks on your remaining schedule. In the FAC-10, teams are lucky enough to get a bye week once a season, and 3 teams still have yet to face them. Mexico, Bud Heavy, and Arizona-Kickery won the late-season-bye-week lottery, which should give all three teams huge confidence going into the playoffs. Mexico also gets to face (8) Rakeville and (9) Dublin, but if Kickery's recent victory is any indication, its that the teams at the bottom of the standings are fully ready to play spoiler.
Best Advantage: Mexico, Golden, Dublin

---

Week 9 Matchups
(1) Gillespie State over (11) Arizona-Kickery
(2) Fitchburg Tech over (4) Athol A&M
(3) Anheuser-Busch over (6) Golden
(5) Mexico over (8) Rakeville
(9) Dublin over (7) Stardust
(10) Bud Heavy over Bye

---

Power Rankings
1. Gillespie State ( - )
2. Anheuser-Busch (+1)
3. Fitchburg Tech (-1)
4. Mexico ( - )
5. Dublin (+4)
6. Rakeville (+2)
7. Golden (-1)
8. Athol A&M (-3)
9. Stardust (-2)
10. Arizona-Kickery (+1)
11. Bud Heavy (-1)

---

League Notes
- David Garrard will be the 5th quarterback to start for the Rakeville Grays this season. Quarterback Coach Greg Anderson had no comment on his players' recent string of injuries.

- The celebration that followed Arizona-Kickery's first victory of the season was intense. Four players still remain unaccounted for, and Greg Jennings's hand will never smell the same.

- Anheuser-Busch RB Adrian Peterson did not travel with the team to Golden this week. Apparently, the temptation of beer would have been too much for the recovering alcoholic.