NIFL Weekly

by Rocky Larson
Published on April 11, 2003 under National Indoor Football League (NIFL)

An indoor football coach walked into the locker room before a big game, looked over towards his star player and said, "I'm not supposed to let you play, since the doctor told me that you've taken one too many hits to the head, but we really need you in there. So, what I'm going to do is ask you a question and, if you get it right, I'm going let you suit up."

The player agreed, so the coach looked into his eyes and asked intently: "Okay, now concentrate hard and tell me the answer to this question. What is two plus two?"

The player scratches his head and thinks for a moment before giving his answer. "Coach, the answer is four."

"Four? Did you say four?" The coach can barely contain his excitement.

Suddenly, the other players on the team begin to complain. "Come on coach! Give him another chance!"

Feel free to groan. Okay, so maybe football players end up being easy targets for humor at their expense. In the end, football players are what make leagues like the National Indoor Football League possible, and I salute their talent and courage.

Once again, NIFL teams continue to prove that the home-field advantage is alive and well in the NIFL. Last week, home crowds were treated to wins in six of the nine games played with their team outscoring the visitors, on average, 47-37.

One NIFL game was played last week before the NIFL Weekly was written, so I was only able to cast predictions for the remaining eight contests. I can't complain with the outcome, as I brought home the bacon with an accuracy of 6-2 on the week. For the season, my yearly accuracy rests at 24-7, or 77.4%.

The NIFL has 10 games scheduled for this weekend, with one early game having already been played on Wednesday, April 9th. In that game, the Myrtle Beach Stingrays fell to the Lexington Horsemen, 44-34.

Friday, April 11th

• Omaha Beef (1-1) @ Lincoln Capitols (1-2)
  

  Now this is a heated contest. Is it no secret that the cities of Lincoln and Omaha savor a long, intense rivalry with each other and that this rivalry very naturally has spread to the indoor football field. Omaha is coming off of a 1-point home loss to the previously-winless Bismarck Roughriders. The Capitols, previously-winless themselves, come home after a solid win over the Rapid City Red Dogs. This should be a good game, but the qb position for the Capitols is less than consistent. I expect the Beef to take advantage of an errant Cap's pass or two and to steal a road win.

• Lake Charles Land Sharks (3-0) @ Oklahoma Crude (0-2)
  

  Lake Charles wins. Big. Really big. What, you want me to say more? Okay. Lake Charles is going to roll up on Oklahoma like Rosie O'Donnell stalking a Twinkie. In the end, nothing will be left but a trace of cream filling.

Saturday, April 12th

• Austin Rockers (0-2) @ Tupelo FireAnts (0-3)
  

  Austin gives up 1.8 points for every point they score. That is a sobering statistic, but not one that Tupelo can take any comfort in. The FireAnts give up 2.5 points for every point they score. It isn't that I like Austin to score more, but rather I like the Rockers to give up less. Austin earns that tough first win with their defense.

• Sioux Falls Storm (2-1) @ Billings Outlaws (1-2)
  

  Pssst. I have a secret to tell you. The Sioux Falls Storm are a pretty good football team. But don't tell the Outlaws, who are reeling after dropping two straight division games to the Utah Warriors. Billings is the favorite, as they are playing at home and really are a team stacked with talent. But the Storm is the more focused squad of the two. I'm taking Sioux Falls in an upset as their 3-2 defense and strong pass rush force the Outlaws into making mistakes.

• Wyoming Cavalry (1-2) @ Tri City Diesel (2-1)
  

  Talk about two teams at cross-roads. Both need a win this week in order to remain competitive in their respective conferences. Tri City can stay towards the top of the Pacific North Division with a win while Wyoming needs the momentum that pulling even at .500 would give them. I like the home team in this contest. The Diesel win by less than two touchdowns.

• Ohio Valley Greyhounds (2-0) @ Fort Wayne freedom (2-0)
  

  Without a doubt, this is the NIFL Weekly Game of the Week. Both teams are atop the Atlantic East Division with perfect records. After this week, only one team will be king of the hill. Fort Wayne, an expansion team, is undefeated at home and is pulling in crowds around the 10,000 mark. Ohio Valley is the power house team of the Atlantic Conference and have proven to a tough team to rattle. The Freedom might have the best "extra man" in the league with their home crowd, but this day belongs to the dogs. I like the Greyhounds in an up and down affair.

• Louisiana Bayou Bucks (2-1) @ Beaumont Drillers (3-0)
  

  The Bucks of Houma lost on the road last week to the Utah Warriors. This week, their road travels take them into the hostile confines of Beaumont. Simply put, the Beaumont have scored more points on offense and given up less points on defense than the Bayou Bucks have over a span of 3 games. That's good enough for me. The Drillers improve to 4-0.

• Tennessee RiverHawks (0-2) @ Evansville Bluecats (0-3)
  

  Reports out of Tennessee are that they have little to no money, little to no coaching staff, little to no cohesion and little to no hope. Ouch. On the bright side, the get to visit Evansville, home of the 0-3 Bluecats. But appearances are deceiving. Besides a route at the hands of the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, tbe Bluecats played hard and close games in their other two losses. I like Evansville to pull out the win.

• La Crosse Night Train (2-1) @ Sioux City Bandits (2-1)
  

  Sioux City has strung together two straight wins. Their last loss? On the road to the La Crosse Night Train. La Crosse is a solid team that has yet to win that first game on the road. On the flip-side, Sioux City is a horrible place to play a road game. My bathroom is larger than their arena. It also has better seating. In the end, I predict that the Sioux City Arena wins the game and the Bandits get the W.

Monday, April 14th

• Rapid City Red Dogs (2-2) @ Bismarck Roughriders (1-2)
  

  After starting the season 2-0, the Rapid City Red Dogs have dropped 2 straight to Sioux City and Lincoln. The Roughriders started their season 0-2 before earning a gritty 1-point win over the Omaha Beef last week. I'm a firm believer in momentum in this game, and right now Bismarck has it and Rapid City needs it. Bismarck at home is a tough nut to crack, and I predict a Roughrider win.

NIFL Power Poll

Every week, a group of NIFL experts ranging from media personalities to rabid fans put together the NIFL Power Poll. Back for it's third year, our pollsters rank each NIFL team. The poll results are then averaged and each team ranked according to power.

National Indoor Football League Stories from April 11, 2003

• NIFL Weekly - OSC Original by Rocky Larson
• Utah Warriors get a breather - Utah Warriors

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.