Between the walls

by Josh Stein
June 9, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)


So let me get this straight. I get married and go on my honeymoon, and the NIFL continues its downward spiral. Waco up and almost completely dies. Oklahoma "decides to move for next year," which is a translation of "dies." Wichita Falls is killed. Will the league even HAVE 12 teams to fill their newly expanded playoffs?

Well, yes. There's still a good number of viable franchises in the NIFL, but they have to be getting awfully tired of all of these antics. Although I am not a fan of af2's model of doing business, it certainly has to be considered for some of the NIFL franchises. Anyways, that's enough of my posturing, it's on to the games. Note: I will be using the NIFL's conference standings

***** HUGE Game

West #1 Sioux Falls Storm @ West #2 Billings Outlaws

Richard Fuentes went out, and the Storm haven't dropped a bit. Of course, it's another Fuentes running that show. This matchup is big for two reasons. One, it's for the number one seed in the West (which hasn't meant much recently). Two, the loser could fall to #3 with Tri-City waiting. Anyways, Billings will be fired up after losing last time to the Storm. But, is Sioux Falls good enough to win on the road like that? Almost. Billings 51-49.

**** Still some very important matchups

East #5 Beaumont Drillers @ East #2 Houma Bayou Bucks

Beaumont could fight and get a division title out of this, as Houma has lost games they should never have lost before. If Beaumont can go into the swamp and beat the Bucks, there is another Beaumont-Houma game on the horizon. This game could and should show some of the surprising offensive fireworks out of the South division this year, as both defenses have had their problems. But, Houma is too strong to lose at home. Houma 44-27.

West #7 Wyoming Cavalry @ West #4 Omaha Beef

Wyoming, with a couple of wins and some Utah help, could make the playoffs in what has been a fairly weak (record-wise) West, especially now that there are 6 teams in the mix. Wyoming has an explosive offense with Matt Strand leading the way, and a defense that doesn't play pitifully at times. Omaha's offense has been sketchy at times, but their defense is rock solid. A great defense will beat a great offense. Wyoming will need a lot more Utah help after this one. Omaha 41-21.

East #4 Show Me Believers @ East #3 Lexington Horsemen

Huge game for the Believers, as they lost at home to the Horsemen earlier in the year. The winner here (if the Believers win fairly big) gets a huge boost in their race to the Atlantic-North division title. If Lexington wins, they have the division all but wrapped up, and could then work on securing a first round bye. Show Me has had an excellent year, and will be in the playoffs, but can their defense, which is still suspect when playing good offensive teams, keep up with Dusty Bonner and his Horsemen mates? Not in Lexington, even though the Believers have a potent offense of their own. Horsemen 56-40.

*** There's still a little bit of intrigue here.

West #3 Tri-City Diesel @ West #9 Lincoln Capitols

Although Lincoln has been playing like crap lately, 9 of the10 not-dead West teams are still in a fairly legitimate playoff hunt. Lincoln HAS to win out, however, to do so. Tri-City is not the Diesel of old, a team that won at home and scared everyone at home, and played awful on the road. Coming off a big road win in Sioux City, the Diesel are primed for a playoff run, and could get a bye with some help. Tri-City is not the team they were last year, and neither is Lincoln. Diesel 54-20.

West #8 Black Hills Red Dogs @ West #5 Sioux City Bandits

Black Hills is up in the tiebreakers on Lincoln, but both are bad 3-8 teams. Black Hills needs to seriously revamp its lineup if it ever wants to compete, and Sioux City may actually get back to the playoffs for the first time since the IFL days. Granted, it took an NIFL rule change, but who's looking? The Bandits have a decent squad, but most wonder if it honestly is any better than the 2003 version. Either way, they're much better than the Red Dogs, especially in Sioux City. Bandits 42-21.

East #7 Fort Wayne Freedom @ East #8 Atlantic City CardSharks

Look here, the last two teams to beat the Greyhounds. Fort Wayne held off a great CardShark rally in Indiana to take the previous meeting, and it appears that the Sharks are much better than that team. After a pitiful performance in Wheeling, the Sharks have done very well, including beating those same Greyhounds. Fort Wayne has been an awful road team. Atlantic City has been pretty decent at home. That's not a good combination. CardSharks 52-34.

East #6 Tupelo FireAnts @ East #10 Evansville BlueCats

Although Evansville's quarterbacking situation is very poor, Tupelo still hasn't gotten over that hump, and Evansville can be the ultimate spoiler. Does Evansville really have a prayer against this much improved FireAnts team? Yes. It is a home game. Tupelo lost at #12 seed Lake Charles recently, and anyone can win at home in this league. However, a very poor quarterback situation can cost you in a big way. Tupelo 32-22.

** Some games are pretty bad.

East #1 Ohio Valley Greyhounds @ East #12 Lake Charles Landsharks

At least the game's in Lake Charles, right? Well, after a very important lesson in Wheeling, Franzer may actually be a team player. And if not, Akili Roberson proved that he's just fine. Oh yeah, the Greyhounds defense is pretty close to full strength again, and that's a horrible sign for a very questionable Lake Charles team. Greyhounds 61-24.

East #11 Staten Island Xtreme @ East #9 Carolina Stingrays

What's worse, the interest in this game, or the attendance that it will bring in Florence? Carolina has brought a quality squad in, with additions like Marquette Smith. It's going to probably be too little, too late, though, as the season's almost gone. Staten Island is a mess, but ownership is committed, and the fans will give the team a year or so to get off their feet. Hiring Coach Atadero before the season was a big mistake in Staten Island, though. Stingrays 47-20.

* This one takes the cake.

East #13 Waco Marshals @ West #10 Oklahoma Crude

The East's least against the West's least. And the East's least isn't even Waco, it's the APFL's Texas Thunder (from what I understand). They'll give the Crude a run for their money, because your local J-V team would give the Crude a run for their money, but in the end, Oklahoma will be too strong. Thank God? Crude 33-31.

At least the playoffs will soon be here, and only viable franchises (probably) will be there, hopefully not screwing the league up even more. This offseason will be extremely interesting, as the NIFL has to make changes somewhere. Carolyn Shiver has proven to almost everyone that she can't do it as league president. Unfortunately, if she insists on staying on in that role, her NIFL will be in an even bigger shambles. Good luck. Until next week, this is the War Between the Walls.



National Indoor Football League Stories from June 9, 2004


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