Dragons chasing playoff berth
Published on April 17, 2006 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release
As Week 13 approaches with one playoff spot in the National Conference already locked by the Dallas Desperados, the Dragons continue to fight strong for their shot at the 2006 ArenaBowl on Sunday, June 11th in Las Vegas.
Week 12's victory over the division rival Columbus Destroyers (5-7) puts the Dragons right back in the race as they improve their season record to 7-5. If the season ended today, the Dragons would hold the final playoff spot in the National Conference above the Tampa Bay Storm (6-6) and the Destroyers. The Kansas City Brigade are out of the running with a 2-10 record so far this season.
Here is a look at what the playoff picture looks like for the National Conference going into Week 13:
National Conference:
Dallas** (10-2)
Orlando (8-4) *Won head-to-head vs. Austin
Austin (8-4)
Philadelphia (7-5) *Won head-to-head vs. New York and Georgia
Georgia (7-5) *Won common opponents vs. New York
New York (7-5)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tampa Bay (6-6)
Columbus (5-7)
Kansas City^(2-10)
**Denotes team secured playoff spot
^ Denotes team eliminated from playoffs
The Tampa Bay Storm only trail the Dragons by one game and the Storm beat the Dragons head-to-head in Week Eight, making the Dragons last four games crucial. They must keep their record above the Storm because a tie record for the two teams means that Tampa Bay takes the spot over the Dragons. The Dragons also still face Philadelphia and Georgia in Week 14 and Week 15 respectively, the two teams that currently have a tied record with the Dragons but lead through tie-breakers.
The Dragons take on the Avengers this week when they head to Los Angeles for their matchup on Saturday night at 10:30 pm.
Come get involved in the action at the Nassau Coliseum when the Dragons return home on Saturday, April 29th at 7:30 pm versus Philadelphia and Saturday, May 6th at 7:00 pm against Georgia for the final home games of the season.
Check back each week for playoff updates and to see where your New York Dragons stand.
How The Playoffs Work:
(From the AFL official 2006 Record and Fact Book)
The top 12 teams qualify for the playoffs with six teams from each conference. The six teams from each conference are made up of the Division Champions and four Wild Cards (teams with the remaining best records within the conference).
The playoffs are separated into conferences and the division champions receive a bye in the first round. The highest seeded Wild Card hosts the lowest seeded Wild Card team and the second highest seeded Wild Card team hosts the third highest seeded Wild Card team.
Winners of the Wild Card Rounds within each conference advance to the Divisional Round. The highest seeded Division Champion hosts the lowest seeded Wild Card and the second highest Division Champion hosts the highest seeded Wild Card team remaining.
Winners of the Divisional Rounds within each Conference advance to the Conference Championships where the teams are re-seeded, regardless of Division Champions. The highest seeded team remaining hosts the lowest seeded team and the second highest seeded team remaining hosts the third highest seeded team.
The two winners from the Conference Championships advance to the ArenaBowl!
Tie-Breaking Procedures:
If two teams have tied records at the end of the regular season, the following steps will be taken to determine seeding:
The first deciding factor is head-to-head. If the teams split head-to-head games, the next tie-breaker will be the point differential in those two games. The third step taken would be the best won-lost percentage in common games followed by the strength of schedule (total number of wins by opponents already played). If a tie still needs to be broken, the best net touchdowns in all games (individual team touchdown differential = TD's for - TD's against) will determine the team. Lastly, if the teams are still tied after the previous, a coin toss will be the final step in determining who makes the playoffs
If three or more teams have tied records at the end of the regular season, the previous tie-breaking procedures are used, however, the rules differ slightly and the point differential is not used. Once a third team is eliminated during any step of this procedure, the remaining two teams revert to step one of the two-team format where the point differential is used. All tied teams must have played all other tied teams head-to-head for step one to be utilized in a multiple-team tie.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from April 17, 2006
- Dragons chasing playoff berth - New York Dragons
- The OSC Interview: Austin Wranglers President Doug MacGregor - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- Rattlers Road Game Versus Dallas Rescheduled - Arizona Rattlers
- Destroyers close out final fourth of season with three of four games on the road - Columbus Destroyers
- Slide Continues for Avengers - OSC Original by Tim Peterson
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