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Between the Walls

by Josh Stein
March 23, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)


Nothing hurts more than a hard-fought loss. In a week that had a few surprise results, we had games like Sioux Falls almost beating Utah, but losing in the end 51-49, with a fourth-quarter safety being the difference. Show Me nearly took Lexington out at home, but had an extra point blocked in double overtime in their one-point loss. Waco couldn't get it done in their franchise opener, losing 39-32 at home to Wichita Falls, in their first game. Yes, it was yet another exciting week in the NIFL, with all of the close losses to prove it. Will week three prove much of the same?

After the third week, there will be enough games in the books for adequate stats to start the TD Watch and the OHSAA poll rankings. Again, if there are any features you want added, feel free to email me at exit322@yahoo.com.

And now, let's see what we have to work with in the football world. One oddity, to start with. Waco plays two games this week, one on Saturday (3/27) and one on Tuesday (3/30). That has to suck.

*****A game that could decide a division title, THIS early?

Fort Wayne Freedom @ Lexington Horsemen
Lexington eked out a win last week in Show Me, by a point in two overtimes. Fort Wayne eked out a win last week against Evansville, by 39 points without an overtime. What is this a testament of, especially after the Freedom whacked Show Me in their first game? The Believers were better in game two. Evansville isn't very good. Lexington wasn't ready for football quite yet. Well, Lexington is ready for football now, and Fort Wayne is rolling. It will be a good game, but the Rupp fans will be feeling the UAB treatment after this one. Freedom 54-45. Maybe we'll even see a behind-the-back pass?

**** Love? I don't think so.

Sioux Falls Storm @ Sioux City Bandits
Sioux Falls has game number three in a row on the road. The War for I-29 starts off early, as the Bandits haven't played anything yet. Certainly, after playing much better in Week 2, the Storm have a huge advantage. Especially since the Bandits do lose a lot of the guys who had that original hatred for the Storm in the first place. It's a rivalry game, but the Bandits fans may want to save their ticket money for when Sioux City has played football. Storm 44-27.

Lake Charles Landsharks @ Waco Marshals
Why is this hatred? Well, the Sharks already hid once from Waco for some reason. Granted, from what I hear, it was a good reason and had nothing to do with the Sharks not wanting to play Bronk's boys, but it still makes for good crowd fodder. The big question here...is Waco going to be 1-1 or 0-2 coming into this game? Well, that and "is Lake Charles able to come back from their ugly loss in Houma?" I say 1-1, and "no." Waco 52, Lake Charles 31.

Utah Warriors @ Billings Outlaws
Part of the changing of the guard in 2003 was the Utah Warriors beating Billings twice early in the season, to make it known that the Warriors were the 2003 kings of the west. After loading up (and giving Black Hills a beat down), Billings is out to show that they are once again the kings of the west. Utah's defense is much improved, and it appears that their offense has some spark in it as well. Billings' defense played well against a questionable Red Dog offense, but does it have enough to stop Utah? It doesn't matter, the Outlaws offense should be able to call their shot on most teams in the NIFL. Outlaws 55, Warriors 42.

*** The unknown can make for interesting talk

Wichita Falls Thunder @ Lincoln Capitols
They're both 1-0. But do we *really* know anything? The Capitol offense is iffy, but their defense appears to be as strong as ever. Bronkhorst's traditionally strong offense was stuffed against Wichita Falls. Does that mean this is going to be a defensive fight? I certainly think so. However, we'll know a lot more about these teams after this game. Me personally? I'll take the home team, because they are still much more experienced than the Thunder. Capitols 42, Thunder 25.

Wyoming Cavalry @ Tri-City Diesel
The Cavs have a better head coach, some better talent, and a new outlook on life. The Diesel have a winning record. That means they have more experience than the Cavalry do at this point, which is a huge advantage early in the season. However, Matt Strand and his merry men in Cavalry uniforms will be able to play around with their victims before they get shot and killed. Cavalry 39, Diesel 24.

Greenville Riverhawks @ Myrtle Beach Stingrays
Time for TIPS' Elder Statesman to make a statement that isn't, "Oops, we lost." The other two TIPS teams couldn't do it, so someone has to. Myrtle Beach is nothing like the joke that started their 2003 campaign. They have some true talent in Albert Higgs, Marquette Smith and Derrick Coakley. This is only intriguing because both teams are basically starting anew. It probably won't be interesting for long, however, as the Beach is way too talented here. Stingrays 54, Riverhawks 24.

** I dunno.

Black Hills Red Dogs @ Omaha Beef
The Dogs showed some promise in losing close to Lincoln. Then they got their butts handed to them by Billings. Omaha did the handing in their easy win over the Sioux Falls Storm. This game could be good, as the teams aren't all that familiar with eachother, but...Beef 58, Red Dogs 30.

Waco Marshals @ Evansville Bluecats
Sure, why not? Evansville isn't so good so far, but they could be a lot like Show Me, and nearly get a big win at home after being bushwhacked in Fort Wayne. Waco is coming off a heartbreaker (they play this game before the Lake Charles one later). This is a different situation than in Show Me, as the Believers played some fairly decent ball at times, especially in holding Omaha to less than 100 yards in their preseason game. There was a spark there. Evansville has none. Waco 46, Evansville 25.

* And again...no.

Atlantic City Card Sharks @ Show Me Believers
I think it was more Lexington not ready than Show Me improved. But, they did improve. Atlantic City is an unknown. Not even an unknown that *looks* all that good. This game may be good, but no one really cares. It's kind-of sad, really, as these guys are football players, too. Maybe after an exciting opener, fans will show up. Believers 45, Card Sharks 42.

Staten Island Xtreme @ Ohio Valley Greyhounds
The XFL is dead. If Staten Island had the talent that the XFL champion Los Angeles Xtreme did, maybe they'd have a chance. The Greyhounds won an NIFL title, won another one, and improved in places. I'm even hearing rumblings that Hupp's replacement on the Big Uglies may be even better than he was. Couple that with Quentin Cradle + Rayshawn Askew, well, if the Xtreme think they have a chance, they're dead wrong. Greyhounds 64, Xtreme 25.

As with last week, I'm going to throw on my thoughts of the NIFL's Week 2 here. Some are good, some aren't so good, and some probably have no reason to be here. If you're offended, well, sorry you get offended so easily.

  • Billings so far has shown that they are a good team for the money. I wonder if Duane Anderson will blame arena costs for his "money woes" this time around, and I wonder if the rest of the league will tell him to shut his pie hole for doing it.
  • We're still missing stats for Beaumont last week, and for Waco this week. What's with Texas?
  • Contenders down south: Houma (after a big win), Tupelo (after 2 good wins). Can Tupelo take their show on the road? Can Lake Charles get it back?
  • Maybe Lake Charles got rid of Ted Robison last year strictly because he wasn't a good-enough quarterback. He certainly didn't look good in Tupelo, by way of the stats.
  • Richard Fuentes week 1: 6/14, 54 yards, 3 INT. Week 2: 24/36, 247 yards, 6 TD 0 INT. Only a slight turnaround.
  • What's happening with Colorado? And if Colorado goes under, does the NIFL have the balls to throw TIPS out like they should have thrown Bruce Bailey out last year for bailing out on Rapid City?
  • Do I really think they'd do something like that?
  • No.
  • Two overtimes is a great way to get fans interested in their team again, even in a loss. Now they need to market an exciting team, and one that can get it done at home. The Believers probably still have their best team ever.
  • Show Me WR Moses Regular must be a glutton for punishment. I remember reading his receiving stats during the 2001 IPFL season as a RiverCity Renegade. There are multiple NIFL teams that had more wins last year than he has had total in his indoor career.
  • I can't wait to see the Greyhounds' home opener in Wheeling on March 29.

Okay. I'm done. Well, until next Tuesday. Then, we'll start getting other stuff in this mess. I'm working on getting a couple of interviews for this article, and if someone really has a good start to their year, I'll start a "Birdie Dockery Watch." You never know, someone could get 1,603 rushing yards. I doubt it. Until that happens, and until after the next batch of NIFL games, this is the War Between the Walls.

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National Indoor Football League Stories from March 23, 2004


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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