HARDCORE BOWL IV

#2 Seed Tusharp's Redskins vs. #6 Seed Knockemstiff Blues.

Redskins start the game off with the ball.  First play, picked pass 3 = 30 yard gain as the bottom corner is asleep and WR Koren Robinson hits a fly route down the sidelines.  2 plays later, same thing happens.  Down at the goaline the Skins opt to dump it to RB Jamal Lewis and go up 7-0 early in Hardcore Bowl IV.  FB and all Pro Sam Gash gets a huge gain on the kickoff and takes it down to the Skins 37.  Skin LB Mike Barrow sneaks into the flat and snags the dump off pass from Blue QB Tom Brady.  Very next play HTL Offensive MVP Chad Pennington returns the favor and throws to a covered WR and Blue LB Tedy Bruschi picks it off. Blues get smart and decide to do what they do best............POUND PORTIS.  Blue MVP Clinton Portis takes the team on his shoulders and drives within field goal range for all pro K Josh Brown; shanks the biggest kick of his career and the Blues still trail 7-0.  First play after getting the ball back, Pennington air mails a bomb to a covered WR Peter Warrick.  CC in Bruschis grill and the Skins looking in good shape up 14-0 midway through the 2nd quarter of their first ever title game.  Gash does his thing on the ensuing kickoff and returns it into Skin territory.  Portis takes the load and breaks a tackle at the line of scrimmage thanks to a bump from a Offensive lineman and scampers 30 yards for the score and its now 14-7 Redskins.  44 ticks left on the clock in the first half, and Pennington throws a deep bomb on the last play of the 2nd quarter and is picked by DB Ronde Barber, Barber tries to sneak out in hopes of one more play but the gun sounds and Tusharp's Redskins go into the showers up 14-7.

Mighty Bomb jacks put on a nice half time show, and head off the field to a standing ovation, crowd chanting encore encore(in hopes of prolonging the future Patel title win)

2nd half comes around and Sam Gash actually only makes it out to the 20.  Blues try for the pass, and DB Darren Sharper takes after WR Muhammad one-on-one deep. Brady decides to pass it up the middle to Portis, but Sharper is there, leaving the deep guy wide open! On the next play, Sharper decides to cover Muhammad, one-on-one. And this time, Brady decides to throw it across his body down the field. The throw is picture perfect, Muhammad leaping to the sky and nabbing it. Sharper misses the tackle, and Muhsin takes it home.  What is good for the goose is good for the gander, sound familiar.  Patel's JJ style bites him in the arse in the 3rd quarter and we have a brand new ball game as the Blues tie it up at 14.  Jamal Lewis the ground attack for the Redskins gets the call a few times, but Pennington is a gambler and chunks it deep, to DB Tyrone Poole.  3 picks for the offensive MVP in what possibly was his worst game of the season.  14 a piece at the end of 3.  The 4th quarter opens up with a nice red dog pickup and dump off to Clinton Portis out of the backfield and he squeezes his way for the first down.  The Blues go back to what got them here..........POUNDING PORTIS.  Possibly fatigued from playing superman all game long he fumbles it on the 8 yard line of the Skins.  14 all Patel wants to get Pennington back on track.  First play looking for a huge play downfield, and Blue DE Carlos Hall sacks the lofty tossing qb IN THE END ZONE.  Blues 16-14.  Blues march into Redskin territory and Portis gashes a 30 yard sprint down the sideline for the score. Blues up 23-14 with a little under 2 to play.  Blues put their prevent D in, as Jamal Lewis gets yards on the ground and get set up for a K John Kasay FG who buries it from 50 yards out with 8 seconds to play.  Blues hanging on 23-17.  Nice strategy from Patel, get the FG and hope for the onside kick and put his JJ offense to use............unfortunately the Onside doesn't bounce the Skins way and the Blues cherish their first ever title win near midfield.  Blues put every critic to rest with a 23-17 well earned Hardcore Bowl victory.

GAME MVP - RB CLINTON PORTIS 14 CARRIES FOR 142 YARDS AND 2 TOUCHDOWNS  Portis finally got the ring he never was able to get from that slacker owner CANES.

 Analyst Chris Berman caught up to the Hardcore MVP after the game and had this interview

Berman : Clinton you finally did it...how do you feel?

Portis : Chris this feels bout as good as can be.  Underdogs throughout the whole season, I never lost hope.  We have a great group of guys here and man this feels great. 

Berman :  What were your thoughts after that fumble at the 8, when you seemingly had the go ahead score in your radar?

Portis: Things like that happen, You just have to put that behind you and move on.  We weren't trailing fortunately and I knew Coach Bent would give me the ball in crunch time when needed.  Can always count on #26 when you push your chips in.

Berman : Mid season, you were seemingly in the dog house and taking a back seat to Thomas Jones who dominated the league for about a 2-3 week span.  Feel like Knockemstiff wasn't the place for you?

Portis : Nah, i love Knockemstiff, I love this organization.  Thomas was playing well, he deserved the playing time.  I have no beef, Damn Chris we just won the Hardcore bowl, can you believe this?

Berman : Clinton im the analyst, I ask the questions.  What is next for you Mr. Hardcore MVP?

Portis:  Well im gong back home to South Beach.  Prob do the whole Disney world thing ya know how I roll.  My boys Shock and Sapp probably coming with me.  Going to keep training, being Hardcore is a year round business.

Berman : HTL Commish Canes has stated that Season V will be a complete roster makeover with the exception of one keeper.  You afraid the Blues wont tag you?

Portis : Chris I know this is a business.  They do what they got to do.  142 and 2 scores is pretty nice though in the biggest stage of them all.  Yes we got Tom, and Teddy, but if the blues want to keep this rolling and repeat, im the man, I will always be the man.  In Knockemstiff or anywhere I land.

Berman : First 3 seasons of your career you were on the Titans, Canes a die hard Miami Hurricane Fan loved you on his team.  Your reaction this off-season when you heard the news you were dealt.

Portis : Actually I was working out and saw the ESPN2 ticker go across the screen.  The TV in my weight room is still busted.  Never really fixed it to remind myself that there are no friends in this business.  Its a way of life, got to do what's best for you.  Canes felt he was getting what he needed to put the Titans over the top.  Backfired as I got my ring, and he still doesn't. 

Portis : What did you think Chris, in the Preseason no one gave us any kind of respect in the league.  Picked to finish horribly.  In fact the biggest props were from the best player in the league...Edge.  "A very stingy defense combined with a new addition to the offense with Portis. He should change a otherwise lackluster offense. Brady hasn’t lived up to expectations in the Dawg Pound as of late, but they sure have the chance with the new tools. Could Bent make yet another HTL Cinderella story come true? Let's hope his Uncle duties don't come before his film study in the dark room this season. I actually see the Browns sneaking into the playoffs with a low seed and playing the role of spoiler throughout the post-season.  going 7-6"  I mean that's pretty dead on, but the other league members.  No respect and guess what Chris I plan on repeating in with the Blues.  Going to make HTL history and have back to back titles.  Next season im going to lead the league in rushing. 

Berman : Clinton pretty big words

Portis : Im  a big man Chris....im a champion.  This feels better than all those days at the U.  This is what you dream about when your 10 years old, playing street ball in the road with the kids on the block.  Being a Hardcore champion.  Holding the T-O trophy.  What its all about.

Berman : You are right, I tell you what go congratulate further with your team, you deserve it.

Portis : Yeah we deserve it, remember Chris I said we are repeating.

Round 2 of the Season 4 Playoffs

#1 Seed SF 49ers vs #6 Seed Knockemstiff Blues

Edge came out dominating and shutting the pound and ground technique that the Blues threw at the niners. With RB Clinton Portis back from a strained hip flexor he still couldnt get off. RB Ahman Green went down on the first drive for the niners but FB Mack STrong filled in admirably. Reigning back to back MVP DB Ty Law was causing havoc and pick Tom Brady off in the flat and took it to the house to vault Edge to a 14-0 lead early. Things werent looking good for the Blues at Candlestick Park. Edge comes out and takes a early 21-0 lead and is in range for a game sealing FG before the half. K David Akers lines it up from the top hash.... Doink, big deal right its still 21 zip? Well thats why they play the whole game and you never leave anyone any time left to score. We all are aware of the 100 yard passes that the QBs are capable of throwing in this game we so love TECMO. Brady drops back and heaves it from 11. WR Mushin Muhammad leaps in the air and glides down with the Wilson in his hands as he drops within punching range for Ty Law. MVP kept his cool but the lead was cut to 14, 21-7 at the half. The Blues receive the kickoff and get a nice start by FB Sam Gash returning it to around the niner 40. Few plays later Portis narrows the gap to 1 score with a trot into the endzone, 21-14 Niners. 4th and long for the Blues deep in their own territory with around 4 minutes to go. AND THEY GO FOR IT! And amazing they have enough guile to call a run and pick it up. Few plays later WR Muhsin Muhammad with Law all over him just keeps stride and ties the game up.....by now im sure Edge was just foaming at the mouth. Tie ball game 21 all. Edge gets the toss and the rock. FB strong misses a wide open and i mean a wide open pass after a great shake off by Vick as he threw a few lineman. 3rd down and WR Terry Glenn is wide open on pass 2 up top.......deflected. 4th down and Edge decides to punt. The play that ensued was probably a top 5 weirdest play in tecmo. LB Tedy Bruschi for the Blues must have been in excellent as on the punt he jukes his counterpart opposite him and TACKLES the punter deep in Niner territory. WTF? Anyways a few Portis runs and All Pro Kicker Josh Brown comes on to do what he does best and nail game winners and he knocks it in and the Blues reach the Hardcore Bowl 24-21 in a game that will be talked about for ages.

#2 Seed Tusharp's Redskins vs #4 Seed Y Vegas Titans

In what was billed Patels last game vs his arch rival Canes in HTL. Canes receives the kick first and drives down the field with what Patel later called a "junk" playbook. One that Canes had never ever used before in league play. Opening drive all Pro Rb Marshall Faulk chews up major yardage on the ground and QB Steve McNair hit WR Derrick Mason for a nice little pass and the Titans are on the board 7-0 early. Patel gambles and goes for it on 4th and long in his own territory..........picked play, but he catches it and luckily enough my drone who was laying on the ground unties his shoestrings and he goes down 1 yard short of the marker. One of Canes' achilles heel came into play a few snaps later as his kicker shanks a gimme to put the Titans up 10-0. Patel bounces back fast and hail marrys a JJ down to the Titan 3. Titans defense has been stingy all playoffs long inside the redzone and particularly close to the goaline. 1st down- picked play. 2nd down stop short of the endzone, third down...see 2nd down. 4th and goal and QB Chad Pennington decides to get tricky and sneak it in...........I DONT THINK SO, stopped at the 1. 3 minutes to go in the half. Titans mix up the backs and Michael Bennett and Marshall Faulk stall out at midfield and are forced to punt. This gives the skins the ever so dangerous attempt at the End Of Half JJ. If you do not know the power of this read the recap above, Edge knows what I mean. Patel moves down..30 seconds left at the Titan 30. Why is it on a called pass 3 Shotgun the bottom corner forgets to cover the TE till hes already passed him? Yup I guess his play and my corner is caught with a boner looking at the Washington cheerleaders......Koren Robinson streaks it untouched to tie the game at 7. Skins waste no time after receiving the 2nd half kickoff. 3 plays, 2 successful JJs and one unsuccessful and they are up 14-7 fast. 2 Tds within a minute Tecmo time span. Ouch what a blow to the Titan Ego. Same story different verse. Titans sputter at midfield after a huge 4th and 2 pickup by RB Bennett. So they punt and here we go again...triple covered cc completed to Troy Brown. Skins start the 4th qtr up 14-7. On 3rd and 12 Pennington was taking a stroll in the park in Washington territory and is hammered 27 yards behind the line of scrimmage on a 3rd down play. Wisely Patel punts and the Titans have one last chance to knot the score up with 3:28 left on the clock. In trots QB McNair(Montana style) or so he thought. Runs and catches by Bennett and the Titans are at the 4 with 9 ticks left. What to do what to do? Run 1 offset pitch down is called. Bennett catches the toss, cuts it back and bypasses the centers gap and decides to turn it into a sweep the opposite side. LB Derrick Brooks hot on his heels swarms him and the Skins defense comes away with the lil engine that could at the 1 inch line.
"McNair scrambles, avoids the pressure, hits Kevin Dyson, spins stretches and ...............no he doesnt make it. Down at the 1 inch line by Ram LB Robert Thomas."
How can my worst actual nfl nightmare become true in TECMO?
Washington was able to hold the Titans off the scoreboard after the first drive. Redskins 14 to 7 over the Titans. Skins move on to face the blues in the Hardcore Bowl IV.

Looking ahead...Hardcore Bowl IV

#2 Seed Tusharps Redskins vs #6 Seed Knockemstiff Blues

Tusharps first and last HTL playoff apperance has been memorable. Last weeks triumph over the Titans and arch rival Canes has him looking good in the bowl and a 6 point favorite. What about the underdog you ask. In the past month Bent has been able to knock off the top 3 tecmoers in the HTL skill wise for the first times ever. Canes..System.......Edge. I was informed patel OWNS bent. Something to the tune of 22-1 in league matchups. Well Canes owned Bent, System owned Bent, Edge owned Bent. What happened? They are watching via message board at Hardcore Bowl IV now. One thing to be aware of, prior to the release of the rom, the Blues are without RB Thomas Jones and FB Dan Krieder. This could play to be a huge thorn in the Blues ground and pound game plan. Chad Pennington is licking his chops and wants to top off an incredible run with a TO Trophy(Lombardi) to put next to his Offensive Mvp in his trophy case. Will patel keep his cool or lose his senses when Bent chews up the clock and keeps the ticking time bomb JJ offense on the sideline? We will See...

Round 1 of the Season 4 Playoffs

#4 Seed Y Vegas Titans vs #5 Seed Eagen Inmates.

The Titans came into the game as 7 point underdogs although they had the homefield advantage. This game was a tight game with some great defense played by both teams. Titans without go to rb Marshall Faulk were forced to switch up their gameplan and pass a bit more than they liked. QB Steve McNair was efficient enough and went 5 for 6 for 173 yards. The inmates led by Peyton Manning as the QB tallied 45 total plays to the Titans 10. Amazing stat. Manning was a dismal 6 for 16 although he did have 1 score. The inmates were looking to repeat as Hardcore Champs but a few overthrows and some key defensive stops especially at the goaline by the Titans sealed the upset. Titans move on 14-7

#3 Seed P Town Panthers vs # 6 Knockemstiff Blues Vegas.

Odds makers had the Panthers as 9 point favorites. Why not, they were everyones preseason pick to win it all and the Blues were without all HTL performer and team leader RB Clinton Portis. The Panthers opened the game with a costly overthrow into the waiting hands of DB Brian Russell. The ground and pound game of the Blues was effective in the first quarter with backup RB and superstar on the verge RB Thomas Jones. First play 2nd qtr, it happened. Cracked kneecap and Jones is lost for the game. Bent was faced with throw the ball more(which he didnt do much in the season) or use his FBs to run the ball who were blazing at 31 ms and 25 ms. He chose the latter to keep the lead. A crucial blocked XP by LB Keith Brooking had the Blues up 17-13 into the 4th quarter as their D was stifling enough to keep Tomlinson in check. Eventually the Panthers would take the lead and go up 20-17 with a few minutes on the clock. Somehow Bent gets a triple covered catch by TE Bubba Franks who was in bad, go figure. K Josh Brown comes into the game and ties it up 20 all. We go into OVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVERTIME. Back and forth , ugly game in the extra session. The Blues sputter on offense and the Panther cough it up. So we go to DOUBLER OVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVERTIME. Faced without both RBs, Tom Brady lead his troops to the game winning field goal through some nice dump off passes and some nice minimal runs by Dan Krieder. Josh Brown sealed it from about 50 yards out and this game will be known as the greatest game in HTL history due to the stakes. Blues win 23-20.

Looking ahead to Round 2....

#1 Seed SF 49ers vs #6 Seed Knockemstiff Blues

Bent in the past 3 weeks has knocked off Canes for the first time. Has knocked off System for the first time. And now this week will face Edge(whom he has never beat) Can he slay the triple headed monster............or has he ran out of gas? Luckily enough for Bent RB Clinton Portis comes back this week to face off versus the very stingy Niner defense led by Back to Back MVP DB Ty Law. Who is in good btw. Can Bent keep the ball out of the ever so dangerous Mike Vicks hands? Or Will Edge be able to dominate and cruise through the competition like he has the entire season? I believe Edge will make it to his 3rd straight Hardcore Bowl and should be favored by 10 points.

#2 Seed Tusharp's Redskins vs #4 Seed Y Vegas Titans

30-14 That was the score when these 2 clubs met just 2 weeks ago to finish the regular season off. The skins jumped up early in that game 28 zip 4 minutes into the game. By far the worst thumping Canes has ever taken by the hands of Agnee. Sour taste in his mouth, Patels his online rival. So the edge has to go to Patel. He is favored by 3 points. Can patel keep his winning streak going and reach his first ever Hardcore Bowl in his first ever appearence in the playoffs? Canes gets star RB Marshall Faulk back from this game so that helps tremendously as he is pissed he was hurt in wk 13 at the hands of LB Derrick Brooks and company. QB chad Pennington who was announced as Offensive MVP for HTL this season looks to find WR Steve Smith early and often. This one will be a nail biter in the nations capital.

RB Edgerrin James finishes the season strong for the Manglers. James huge performance was vital in the Manglers 49-14 thrashing of the West Milly Ballers. 13 carries for 104 yards and 3 scores. Add on 2 receptions for 29 yards and you have the complete weapon out of the backfield. This strong performance put Edge at 930 yards on the season. Will it be enough for all league honors? Possibly, it will be a nail biter but i dont beleive it will be enough.

Game of the Week: Tusharp's Redskins vs Y Vegas Titans

Patel punishes the Titans. Got ugly early folks. What was suppost to be a very close, hard fought game was far from that early in this game. Ball bounced Patels way early and often. QB Chad Pennington was sharp and took advantage of the short field situations that were given to the Redskins. Pennington lit it up to the tune of 12 of 16 passing for 301 yards and 3 scores. The Titans were down 28 zip less than 4 minutes into the game. Canes was disgusted how the tecmo gods played him. Hoever late in the game he rallied to make it 28-14 with the ball ever so close to crossing the goaline once more to close the gap to a one score ball game, but just wasnt the case. Patel out right wins the #2 seed and finished the sesaon on a 11 game win streak with the 30-14 victory over his long time nemesis and arch rival Canes.

Looking Ahead...
Round 1 of the Season 4 Playoffs #4 Seed Y Vegas Titans vs #5 Seed Eagen Inmates. The odds makers have the Inmates as a 7 point favorite despite their underdog seeding, and them being the road team. Titans are without all pro RB Marshall Faulk as he was hurt in mop up time of their wk 13 loss to the Redskins. His backup is in bad, so this looks ugly for the Titans. On the flip side, the Inmates trying to defend their league championship look strong with QB Peyton Manning. Manning had an off year.......i guess??? He wasnt all pro but still had some very solid numbers. RB Shaun Alexander and Warrick Dunn should provide adequate support when Peyton is calling his audibles at the line of scrimmage. Ray Lewis is the catalyst for the defensive unit and no doubt he will have his boys ready and everyone will be chanting "What time is it." #3 Seed P Town Panthers vs # 6 Knockemstiff Blues Panthers come into the game a 9 point favorite. Why you ask such a high spread. Would have been much closer had RB Clinton Portis the only 4 time all HTL performer for the Blues not been injured in week 13. The Panthers are led by their signal caller Aaron Brooks. In the offseason Brooks was brought in, however RB LaDainian Tomlinson stole all the headlines and the media in the locker room when the Panthers were picked to win the whole damn thing on all SIX league members forecasts. The defensive unit is a little weak, but System defenitely makes up for that in tecmo talent. Qb Tom Brady of the Blues is a real stud. Wasnt called on that much this season even though he does have 63 PC. Portis was the main anchor for their offense. Now its crunch time, Can Brady mirror his real life counterpart and dominate in the playoffs and lead the Blues to a title? Or will he be too tired dreaming about what could have been with him and Tara Reid???

QB Quincy Carter of the West Milly Ballers proved that he should be getting some looks under center. Carter was able to torch the Green Bay Ghosts secondary to the tune of 180 yards with 5 TDs on 8 of 11 passing. Carter, who hasnt seen much playing time this year, figured he must perform well since he was giving the starting nod due to injury prone Kurt Warner. Carter definitely came through, and perhaps earned another start next week. Carter controlled the tempo of the game, even though his pure passing numbers suck. He led his team to victory 35-14 over Green Bay this week.

Game of the Week: San Francisco 49ers vs P Town Panthers

Niners nail the Panthers. A few bounces didn't go P Towns way, and the niners were able to capitalize. 49ers win 53-7 and break the single game scoring record in HTL.

looking ahead to wk 13
This is what I have been waiting for all year. For once this game will mean something. The winner between Canes and Agnee(two bitter tecmo rivals) will lock down the #2 seed and be far away from Edge in the playoff seeding. Usually in HTL patel, just chokes like a 10 dollar slut does, this season however he has found the recipe for success. Tusharp's Redskins come into the game with the best record in the league at 9-3, and the Titans are just 1 game off the pace at 8-4. Patel will finally be able to taste the atmosphere in the HTL playoffs, for me though, the playoffs start this week. People say i set this up to make sure i played patel in the last week of the season.........maybe i did, maybe i didnt. Doesn't matter, all i know is this game will be a great game and im wiling to bet down to the wire.

RB Priest Holmes of the New England Nationalists had a huge game in week 11. 22 carries for a total of 261 yards and 4 TDS. Add 2 catches for 26 yards and you have a very well rounded football player. This performance pretty much made Holmes a lock for The HTL Squad im sure. The Nationalists won their game and stayed in the thick of things in the playoff race with the 55-7 thumping of the Green Bay Ghosts. Holmes now leads the league with 16 TDs and 1171 rushing yards. Even an outside shot at eclipsing the season record of 1598 yards set in season 1 by Canes and Clinton Portis. 2 weeks to go and the chase for the record is on, but im sure disastamasta would much rather lock up a playoff spot than a htl record.

Game of the Week: Eagen Inmates vs West Milly Ballers

Blues keep on truckin. Defeating the San Antonio Saints 30-10 this week, they showed great adversity in recovering from a heartbreaking loss the Ptown Panthers last week. The Blues once again played their game to perfection and got the W. QB Tom Brady was 6 for 10 and tallied 165 and put 2 scores in. RB clinton Portis got his starting job back and had 11 carries for 101 and 2 scores himself. Mistake free football is what has kept the Blues in the playoff chase and probably is what will let them sneak in the back door, when not many gave them a chance in the preseason. Saints QB Trent Green was promptly benched after misfiring on 5 passes. His game stats were 1 for 6 for 14 yards and a pick. Backup QB Rich Gannon didnt filled in nicely but just wasnt enough to overcome the great strategy by the Blues.

looking ahead to wk 12
Game of the Week no doubt will have go to the San Francisco 49ers and the Ptown Panthers. Most likely the 2 most skilled tecmoers out of the league, and pretty much everyones superbowl pick for the most part. Both teams come in at 8-3, however the Niners hold their fate in their own hands. 2 other clubs the Titans and Redskins also are 8-3 but have been defeated by san Fran. Niners win out, they are home for the playoffs. Will take a little more help, but very much a possibility for the Ptown Panthers to be sitting at home as well come playoff time. One glaring hole comes to mind in this game, Systems All Pro QB Aaron Brooks was nursing an injury at press time and is listed as Doubtful on the Teams injury report on the teams website. Can 31 ms and 38 Pc Kordell Stewart lead his team to a huge victory?

QB Aaron Brooks continued his steady play this season with a great performance against the red hot Knockemstiff Blues. To the tune of 4 TDs on 11 for 16 passing and 178 yards. Adding 11 yards on 2 carries on the ground just for effect. The blues came storming in to this game with a great winning streak, but Aaron Brooks had other plans. Brooks the HTL League leader in passing scores has 27 and is on pace to shatter the old HTL record of 33 set by Mike Vick in season 2. 6 Short with 3 weeks to go, its pretty much in the bag i would expect. Can the Mustangs, Niners, or the Saints stop this MVP canidate?

Game of the Week:Knockemstiff Blues vs P Town Panthers

Panthers pounce Blues! The P Town Panthers always come to play in key, critical games. System is what you can say clutch. The team needed a win to keep its hopes up for the home field advantage in the playoffs, while Beau came in with a huge winning streak sparked by RB Thomas Jones of all people. Critics were silenced as System and his QB Aaron Brooks showed why they were the odds on favorite to win it all in the preseason predictions by basically the whole league. Brooks tallied four more scores through the air, and is on a pace to break the all time htl record. Yes its only a 4 year league in existence, but many doubted that would be accomplished with the offseason addition of the best RB in football Tomlinson. Maybe the Blues lost 28-14 because RB Thomas Jones only got the "pill" one time. This man had 35 carries for 448 yards and 8 TDs over the past 2 weeks. How can he not be in the gameplan? Mystery to me.

Looking ahead to wk 11
The interesting battle between the Eagen Inmates and the West Milly Ballers will be intense. Both teams come into this game with the Do or Die motto here. Both clubs stand at 5-5 and this key tiebreaker will serve huge backup points when it comes to who is in the playoffs and who isnt. If i had to pick, id say the loser will be watching the playoffs from the tecmo message boards. Going down 5-6 and having to make up 2 games with the tiebreaker effect in, with 2 weeks to go is pretty much out of the question. Manning or Samari Rolle. The key matchup to watch this week.

Clinton Portis who? Again for the 2nd straight week Portis played backseat and second fiddle to RB Thomas Jones. The Knockemstiff Blue back got the rock 17 times and produced big time. 256 yards and 3 huge scores. Everyone was needed as well as they Blues got their 2nd straight big time win in a nail biter as they edged the West Allis Mustangs 35-27. Jones also added 1 reception for 11 yards, but the story is this folks. If your 63 PC QB Tom Brady has only completed 4 passes and your 63 MS RB has only carried the ball 4 times. Either your totally stupid, or there is a good reason. Hell yeah there is a good reason. Superstar in the making in RB Thomas Jones. Perhaps this late season push is a little late for all league honors? Perhaps not. Either way his work is helping Bent cruise to a playoff appearance. I strongly suggest some people open their eyes and not overlook this man.

Game of the Week: San Francisco 49ers vs New England Nationalists

Well we have a new first place team in the HTL. The Niners were able to reclaim their spot as front runners this past week as they beat the New England Nationalists 28-14. 49ers QB Mike Vick vowed in practice not to disappoint on the field. Only connecting on half of his attempts, Vick's play was still stellar as he was able to tally 64 yards on the ground and control the clock with 7 carries. Fellow running mate got the game ball with 2 scores and 85 yards of his own on just 5 carries. The Niner D stepped up and held the Nationalists to only 2 scores even though New England RB Priest Holmes tallied 120 yards on 11 carries and 1 score. N.E. QB Matt Hasselbeck threw a costly pick that resulted in San Fran points. Can't make mistaked when Edge and Vick are ur opposition. San Francisco moves up the standings at 7-2, while the Nationalists fall back to 2nd place, but are sitting pretty at 6-2-1. As we hit the playoff stretch run, home field advantage looks like the Hardcore Bowl will have to go through the bay area.

Looking Ahead for wk 10
The Ptown Panthers and the Knockemstiff blues. A very crucial week 10 matchup appears to be a possible playoff matchup. If not, a very crucial tiebreaker and could possibly determine who stays and who goes home during playoff time. The Blues had an offensive explosion in week 9 and thank god at the right time. Yeah they got QB Tom Brady and RB clinton Portis, but little did anyone except to see seldom used RB Thomas Jones to take the cake and the player of the week honors for last week. Can he continue to take the pressue of Brady and Portis and be a PTPer? On the flipside, the Ptown Panthers are led by of course the ground game of LT and QB play of Aaron Brooks. So much hype in the offseason about System being able to acquire the RB we all covet, but has anyone noticed the TD pace that Brooks is on? Hes on pace to surpass Systems own TD record. Stacking the line of scrimmage and putting 8 in the box might not be the best bet as evident with Brooks lovely timing jjs. Spreading the ball around to pretty much whoever he wants to on a given day. Everything aside this one is Systems to lose, but i believe Bent has finally turned the corner and will be able to start competing with the big boys!

Knockemstiff Blues Rb Thomas Jones shocked the world. He saw some huge holes and took advantage of a vulnerable West Milly Baller defense. He gouged them for 4 scores on 18 carries and racked up 192 yards. Not bad for a guy who never got more than 5 carries a game in the HTL. Maybe Super-stud RB Clinton Portis has competition? One things for sure if they both can step up and play huge like they did in the Blues smashing of the Ballers 31-7, the whole league could be in for some trouble. The every so silent Blue offense is starting to hit stride; Brady, Portis and Thomas Jones! Watch out!

Game of the Week: Knockemstiff Blues vs West Milly Ballers

Blues Bomb Ballers 31-7! Coach Bent might have been chatting it up with the bloodline this week. As people in the online tecmo community have claimed his brother, Adobery, was one who liked to milk the clock with a ground control type style offense. Who can complain, Ryan got the title last season. So brother Bent might be taking some advice from big bro. Acquiring RB Clinton Portis was huge in the offseason in taking the first step for this to happen. Unfortunately for the West Milly Ballers Portis shares time with RB Thomas Jones. 18 carries for 192 yards and 4 TDs was a great line. This is Thomas Jones stat line, not one Clinton Portis. Blue QB Tom Brady only had to drop back 4 times which is the way the Blues like to play. Being down early the Ballers had to go to the air. QB Kurt Warner wasnt able to produce enough to keep pace with the Blues offense. Warner did manage 6 completions for 208 yards and a TD however. Just not enough to overcome a breakthrough by the Blue offense. Big Bro would be happy as Bent is in striking range to keep the family tradition alive and make the playoffs. The Blues move to 4-3-1 as the Ballers fall to 4-4. Both middle of the pack so this was a key tie breaker for the Blues.

Looking Ahead for wk 9
"why is Felix in first place?" -Headlines in USA Today and Sports Illustrated. Quotes by San Fran Coach Edge. Felix was quick with the witty comeback, saying he had obviously the best win loss ratio in the league. I'm sure Edge was just wondering how Felix could be in first place, as im sure he's smart enough to know how the standings work. This week the Niners travel to New England to take on the Nationalists for the first place spot in the HTL. Can Felix prove why he's got the best win loss ratio and put Edge away with an exclamation point? Or Will Edge show why his comments 2 weeks ago were deserved. Edge will be looking to hand Felix his first ever HTL loss. Look for a very aggressive game, filled with key plays. The Defenses will probably decide the victor in this one. One things for sure. I will be glued to my TV Set on Monday Night to hear John Maddens analysis of this game. "Boom" "Well you see what we got is a guy and he runs the ball Al, we call them Running backs." "Lets hand out the turducken now, where's Nate Newton when ya need him."

QB Jon Kitna got some shocking news when the Titans returned to practice on Tuesday. "Jon you are getting the nod this week." What was Coach Canes thinking? Benching #1 HTL Rated passer Steve McNair? Some people from Y Vegas were calling for his head after that shocking news. All critics were silenced when Kitna put on perhaps the greatest performance out of a backup. 9 of 10 passing for 250 yards and 4 TDs. Kitna was able to find 5 different Titan receivers to rack up his stat total. "I believe I proved my worth today. Everyone was wondering why Coach Canes traded away #1 Draft pick and franchise superstar RB Clinton Portis this off-season. Yes we got Marshall but he also thought I had potential." Direct quotes taken by Jon Kitna. When asked about the upcoming game in Massachusetts on who his starter would be under center. Coach Canes declined comment. All signs point to Kitnas amazing performance as being a one-n-done type thing. Sort of like Patel's playoff chances in any tecmo league. :)

Game of the Week: San Antonio Saints vs Eagen Inmates

QB and reigning offensive HTL MVP Peyton Manning led his troops into battle versus the San Antonio Saints today. A very crucial battle between vets Blue and J Diddy. Manning connected on 50 percent of his passes but had 4 TDs and 227 yards. WR Plaxico Burress and TE Jim Kliensasser hauled in 2 TD receptions each. Manning had to take the team on his shoulders since real life MVP RB Shaun Alexander was basically non existent with his measly 26 ground yards. For the Saints RB Deuce McAllister tallied 98 yards on 14 carries and 1 score. His effective ground game was able to make this a close clock consuming game. Basically was looking like whoever had the ball last would be the victor. LB LaVar Arrington and company were swarming as they were able to get to and bring down Peyton Manning. In the end Manning and his receiving core were just too much for the Saints to handle at home. The Inmates were able to steal a victory on the road and take it 28-21.

Filling in for future Hall of Famer Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson of the Nationalists didn't disappoint. Not wanting to be called a cry baby by now coach Felix, as opposed to his run ins with former coach Dick Vermeil, Johnson proved he can play with the big boys of the HTL. 18 carries and 165 yards on the ground. That's a Man for ya there. 3 scores to boot helped the Nationalists put it on the Giants in what was billed the game of the week by the tone of 34-14. Giants owner Nate didn't know what to do, blitz with LB Zach Thomas or Cover the run with DB Charles Woodson. Whatever was decided it looked like the gambler was always ahead.(Reference to the bball star who went to las Vegas). Controversy is running ramped now. Did Priest Holmes just lose his job? Did Larry Johnson's stock rise for the upcoming HTL Season 5 redraft? Only time will tell, and only Felix can decide.

Game of the Week: New York Giants vs New England Nationalists

Nationalist RB Priest Holmes sat and watch from the bench as his real life heir apparent Larry Johnson stole the show. Johnson amassed 165 yards and had 3 TDs in route to a breakthough performance. LB Zach Thomas and DB Charles Woodson had no clue what to do. When secondary player QB Matt Hasselbeck only attempts 4 passes, but completes 3 for 179 yards and 2 Tds, its going to be a great day. Thats exactly what it was for the Nationalists. On the flip side RB Stephen Davis was his steady self notching exactly the 100 yard mark on 16 carries, one including a score. WR David Boston proved huge once again with 4 receptions and 144 yards. The Bright side for the G Men was the much needed experience of QB Eli Manning. Nate allowed Manning to play most of the game to get some "in game" experience. Completing 6 of 10 for 180 yards with 1 TD and 1 pick is a nice start to this young mans career. "I just hope i can live up to my big brothers glory." I love him so much, after all he did get the stocker at the grocery store to sign a loaf of bread for me." Nate needs to get on his ass and make him review game film instead of talking about brotherly love. Nationalists take it 34-14

QB Aaron Brooks woke up this week and recovered from a poor outing in the previous week #1 match up with the Y Vegas Titans. Brooks only completed 50 percent of his passes, but was able to find pay dirt 5 times with one bad pass being picked by the "Bad Guys." Brooks has been able to take advantages of mismatched defenses, especially when they put 8 in the box to stop RB LaDanian Tomlinson. Brooks huge performance has slid him into the #2 spot in terms of touchdown passes in the league behind New York QB Daunte Culpepper. Can Brooks keep it rolling next week versus the very aggressive West Milly Ballers opportunistic defense?

Looking Ahead: A potential playoff match up could be on the horizon in week 6. The Nationalists travel to meet the Giants. Nate has went back to his season 2 ways and started to dominate on the ground with his team. Milking the clock, and the new play style of blitzing with Zach Thomas has brought him some success. Felix on the other hand is still undefeated in HTL. Definitely using RB Priest Holmes to reach his potential. Felix has the right mentality with his offense and defensive schemes. Who will win this huge week 6 showdown. Odds are this will be a tiebreaker situation in terms of the playoff race. Its only the 2nd month of the season, but this has huge ramifications. Good Luck to Nate and Felix.

The game of the week lived up to it's billing. Matching up the (2-0) P Town Panthers and the (2-0) Y Vegas Titans. Panther QB Aaron Brooks committed some costly turnovers in his JJ attempts to help the Titans gain control of the game. Titan RB Marshall Faulk dictated the tempo of the game on route to his potential player of the week performance and 4 TD day. First play of the 2nd half Zach fractured his wrist on his keyboard tray, but hes a gamer and kept going without asking for a blow. Titans take sole possession of first place and become the only undefeated team in the HTL at 3-0

In other news, Tushar Patel once again has dug himself another huge hole to get out of. Why is it that Patel can do pretty well in other leagues, but when it comes to being "HARDCORE" he just cant hack it? Very talented owner he is, and with all the pieces of the puzzle in D.C. we should be talking about the skins in the playoff mix. Its not too late, but at 0-3 after the dismal performance vs the Green Bay Ghosts, one has to wonder if Tushar needs to study a little more training film, or is he trying to get Reggie Bush next season :).

A lot of thanks goes out to Felix for helping me make this kickass revamped HTL site. Sorry guys im not as skilled as Felix with this graphic/site stuff. But thats why he makes the big bucks. Everyone make sure you tell him what a good job he did and has helped HTL once again outdue itself in attempt to become one of the greatest online tecmo leagues out there today.

LOOKING AHEAD...
The Eagen Inmates and New York Giants.

In Week 4 this will be the game of the week. The defending champion Inmates rebounded from their week 2 defeat to the Titans to impressively beat the Blues 35-21. The G-Men on the other hand come back after a disappointing heartbreaking lost to the San Fran Niners. Can Daunte regain his MVP caliber performance or will Peyton show who really is the class act when it comes to signal callers in the HTL?