Just Flying By
Atlanta defense comes to Duane's rescue again in 79-77 nailbiter
It is said that defense wins championships, however in fantasy football, defense is rarely given a second thought (or at least a draft pick in the first five rounds for that matter). But for the 6-1 Eugene Levies, who have had to overcome season-ending injuries to all three of his protected players from last year (Deuce McAllister, Ahman Green and Javon Walker), not to mention a serious injury to first round draft pick Darrell Jackson, they have had to find their points elsewhere. So far this year, it has been the Atlanta Falcons defense.
The Falcon defense has been the difference in three wins this season helping lead Duane to a league best 6-1 record. It was a close game until the very end, but aided by a fumble recovery for a touchdown, Atlanta scored a team-leading 17 points to squeak out a 77-75 win over division rival Jeremy. Not to be outdone, the Lions defense scored 17 for the Llamas, but they were hurt by limited points out of running backs Anthony Thomas and Jamal Lewis.
Around the League
Ironwood Cox 124 Grand Rapids Greased Lightning 95
It was just three weeks ago that Nick beat Mike to reclaim the King of the Mountain Trophy. Mike returned the favor this week, scoring a convincing 29-point victory to create a three-way tie for the PFL's Eastern Division lead. After scoring a record 200 points last week, Nick couldn't muster half that in a key divisional game. "It's almost a guarantee that after a team goes nuts scoring one week, that they are way down the week after," said the Lightning's coach. "While 95 is by no means bad, it's not enough against an increasingly tough Ironwood team." Ironwood was led by high scorers Lamont Jordan (34 points) and Daunte Culpepper (26).
Climax 69ers 104 Alaskan Assassins 76
In a game featuring two of the preseason Patzer Bowl favorites, Paul may have started to pull out of his struggles while keeping Dave mired in his. Clinton Portis led a breakout performance by the 69ers with 29 points while Donovan McNabb led the Assassins with 18. Both teams are now 2-5, which puts them in a 4-way tie for the final playoff position. "This (was) a must-win game," said Paul. "We need to start putting some wins together to get back in the playoff chase."
Standale Big Knox 105 Muskegon Mudhens 42
The other player in the PFL East race, the Standale Big Knox, took advantage of Brian's randomized lineup and scored an important 105-42 victory in a inter-divisional contest. Despite an unusually poor performance from LaDanian Tomlinson, a team effort, led by Willie Parker's 19 points was more than enough to help his team improve to 5-2. The Mudhens are involved in the four-way tie at 2-5 with the loss.
Yukon Icebreakers 114 Crazy Jimmies 62
Another team with luck on their side is right on Eugene's tail as Yukon, who won their fourth straight over the Jimmies. Free agent pickup Mark Brunell led the Yukon attack with 24 points while Aaron Brooks led the Jimmies. Yukon improves to 5-2 while the Jimmies fall to 1-6. Ironiclaly, the Jimmies' only win came in week 1...against the otherwise undefeated Eugene Levies.