Gridiron Tournament Season II Progress

[Sargun II]

Tomorrow morning will be the date of the next playoff games.

[KingChris]

So will the games be split up like earlier for the next round? We still have the same number of matches.

[Sargun II]

The next round will feature all matches currently needed to be played.

[Sargun II]

[b]Disparu Dratinis vs. Sarnunga Saints[/b]
[i]Dratinis favored by nine points[/i]

The Sarnunga Saints, the cinderellas of the season, are up against the defending champions the Disparu Dratinis. The Saints came out strong with a touchdown, and the Dratinis, notorious for their stingy defense, responded with a brutal ninety yard drive for their own score. They two teams played a tit-for-tat offensive game as the Saints trumped the Dratinis defense over and over. Tied late in the game, the Dratinis' defense finally won through and shut out the Saints for the last fifteen minutes. The final score was surprising:

[s]Sarnunga Saints[/s] 38 - 41 [u]Disparu Dratinis[/u]

[b]Hansa Rainbow Warriors vs. Army[/b]
[i]Army favored by five points[/i]

The Hansa Rainbow Warriors, underdogs the entire season, came into their first playoff game fired up and ready to go. Army, favored heavily after their dominant performance over the Rebel Brutes, deflated at the first snap - their quarterback broke two ribs. With a subpar backup and thus an anemic offence, Army lost most of its spark and failed to score just like their opponents did last week. The Rainbow Warriors took advantage of the situation to score twice, but could not get in a rhythm and rode a losing Army most of the way to a surprising victory.

[s]Army[/s] 0 - 14 [u]Hansa Rainbow Warriors[/u]

[b]Riyadh Falcons vs. Adelaide Sea Dogs[/b]
[i]Sea Dogs favored by eleven points[/i]

No contest. The Adelaide Sea Dogs, undefeated for the season, continued their streak with a devastating first quarter against the Falcons. The Falcons were outmatched from the beginning, giving up 17 unanswered points before finally firing back. Down 35-10, the Falcons collapsed in the third quarter and managed to score only once more while the Sea Dogs romped their way around en route to the semifinals.

[u]Adelaide Sea Dogs[/u] 42 - 13 [s]Riyadh Falcons[/s]

[b]Arctica Lemurs vs. Texas Longhorns[/b]
[i]Longhorns favored by two points[/i]

In arguably the throw-up game of the season, the Arctica Lemurs and Texas Longhorns put on the defensive display of a lifetime. Both offenses, despite throwing the entire book at the opponent, only managed to score ten points during the first four quarters. In overtime, neither team scored on the first two drives, but the Longhorns finally managed to break through and nailed a long field goal to win it.

[u]Texas Longhorns[/u] 13 - 10 [s]Arctica Lemurs[/s]

[Pikachurin]

[quote name='Sargun' date='07 June 2010 - 09:41 PM' timestamp='1275961300' post='2328410']
[b]Disparu Dratinis vs. Sarnunga Saints[/b]
[i]Dratinis favored by nine points[/i]

The Sarnunga Saints, the cinderellas of the season, are up against the defending champions the Disparu Dratinis. The Saints came out strong with a touchdown, and the Dratinis, notorious for their stingy defense, responded with a brutal ninety yard drive for their own score. They two teams played a tit-for-tat offensive game as the Saints trumped the Dratinis defense over and over. Tied late in the game, the Dratinis' defense finally won through and shut out the Saints for the last fifteen minutes. The final score was surprising:

[s]Sarnunga Saints[/s] 38 - 41 [u]Disparu Dratinis[/u]
[/quote]

Sports bars throughout Disparu would spark alive as news of the Dratinis' victory over the Saints reached North America. As usual, some bartenders would begin serving drinks for free, some people would celebrate on the streets, and some doubtful people would be emptying their pockets to grinning Dratini fanboys after losing a bet with them.

[Subtleknifewielder]

At the news of the absolutely devastating win, celebrations erupted throughout the nation of Australia. Having just been party to a war where uncertainty was great, something like this was needed...a big morale booster.

[Sargun II]

[b]Disparu Dratinis vs. Hansa Rainbow Warriors[/b]
[i]Dratinis favored by seven points[/i]

In a matchup eerily reminiscent of last week's game against the Saints, the Disparu Dratinis took it upon themselves to make sure that their defense held firm this time. It did - but their offense sputtered as well. The Hansa Rainbow Warriors took the initiative and played the conservative Disparu football, creating a 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Despite the best efforts of the Rainbow Warriors' offence, they could not simply put the game away and ended up turning the ball over on fourth down. The Dratinis, seized by the energy knowing this would be their last drive of the season, pushed on and scored a touchdown with seventeen seconds remaining.

[s]Hansa Rainbow Warriors[/s] 10 - 14 [u]Disparu Dratinis[/u]

[b]Adelaide Sea Dogs vs. Texas Longhorns[/b]
[i]Sea Dogs favored by six points[/i]

The Adelaide Sea Dogs, despite their initial spread of fourteen points, seemed to lose some stock in the forecasting because of their alleged weak schedule. The Sea Dogs seemed to take it to heart as they exploded on the field with the most amount of points scored in a game in all two seasons of this tournament. The Sea Dogs scored on almost all of their possessions and, despite giving a few touchdowns to the Longhorns, showcased an almost equally-impressive defence.

[s]Texas Longhorns[/s] 14 - 65 [u]Adelaide Sea Dogs[/u]

[Subtleknifewielder]

There was a collective jaw drop across the continent as the news of this success--even more smashing than the last--hit home. Free drinks were commonplace in bars and pubs, and police had to be called out more than once to quell unruly revelers.

[Sargun II]

[b]Preview[/b]

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the sporting world. Tonight, after months of playing and delays due to war, the Gridiron Cup is due to be played at Sarnunga Stadium on the island of Cozumel." A rather attractive woman with a somewhat loud voice was giving the official forecast. "Tonight's matchup will feature the defending champions the Disparu Dratinis against the record-setting Adelaide Sea Dogs - two countries over ten thousand miles away on opposite poles. The official Gridiron Cup Judges sitting on my right will give forecasts to the score and their reasons why. Gentlemen?"

[i]Jake Long[/i]: 25-21, Dratinis. I think that the Sea Dogs, despite their records, had an unusually weak schedule and their victory over the Texans proved it. The Texans were inconsistent and played weak teams as well, and the Sea Dogs are just the Best of the Worst.
[i]Drew Brees[/i]: 28-21, Sea Dogs. Weak schedule or not, you don't go 16-0 for no reason.
[i]Archie Manning[/i]: 45-10 Sea Dogs. SEA DOGS WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[i]Adam Vinatieri[/i]: 30-15, Dratinis. The Sea Dogs defence isn't the best, while the Dratinis are certainly capable of bending but not breaking. Dratinis all the way.
[i]Brian Urlacher[/i]: 17-14, Dratinis. A defensive battle that leaves the experienced team ahead at the end.

"The judges, sober all except for Mr. Manning, have ruled 3-2 in favor of the Dratinis. Here are the Points of Victory."

[b]Disparu Dratinis[/b] - Keep up the good defence. Bend, do not break. Keep the chain intact. Play conservatively, control the pace. Keep the game going the way you like it and the victory will be yours.
[b]Adelaide Sea Dogs[/b] - First-round knockout! You need to get ahead fast and before the Dratinis can respond, change your style of play to keep them guessing. Unpredictable is the way to victory.

[size=4]note: the cup will be played tonight, instead of tomorrow. i'm moving the schedule up a day.[/size]

Edited June 8, 2010 by Sargun

[KingChris]

We would like to invite Jake Long to [s]get shot[/s] try and improve our team for next season.

[Sargun II]

[center][b]World Championship Match

Disparu Dratinis vs. Adelaide Sea Dogs[/b]

The Second Gridiron Cup could not have come at a more dramatic time. The Disparu Dratinis are fighting to keep their championship at home, while the Adelaide Sea Dogs are looking to cap off perfection. The Dratinis, despite repeating for their shot at a championship, are doubted because of their inconsistent offense. The Sea Dogs, despite their perfection, are considered the "weaker" team due to a poor schedule. Both teams are going for glory, although records have already been set that are undoubtedly not going to be broken. This is soul. This is perfection. This is Gridiron.

[u]Recap of Predictions[/u]

Jake Long: 25-21, Dratinis.
Drew Brees: 28-21, Sea Dogs.
Archie Manning: 45-10 Sea Dogs.
Adam Vinatieri: 30-15, Dratinis.
Brian Urlacher: 17-14, Dratinis.

Dratinis 3 - 2 Sea Dogs.
Average margin of victory: 7 points. Dratinis favored by seven.
[/center]
[b][u]GAME RECAP[/u][/b]

The first quarter was full of surprises. The Dratinis' much-maligned offense took the stage with such ferocity that the Sea Dogs actually had to use two time-outs to fix their defensive formations. In a stunning quarter, the Dratinis scored three touchdowns and their defense held the Sea Dogs to two field goals. The Dratinis ran the ball so well that they had a 9.8 yard per carry average, and only three three times. [b]21-6, Dratinis.[/b]

The second quarter was the turnaround point. The Sea Dogs adjusted to the Dratinis' running game and stuffed them on fourth down in the red zone, then drove the ball down the field in a time-munching, eight minute drive to score. The Dratinis responded with a long kickoff return to put the score back up, and the Sea Dogs had the ball again. In another brutal march down the field, the Sea Dogs threw the ball the entire way and scored again just before halftime. [b]28-20, Dratinis.[/b]

The halftime show featured the hit band [i]the Foo Fighters[/i].

The Sea Dogs came out after the halftime whistle and scored quickly on a botched hail mary attempt. They successfully converted a two-point try. After that, both teams quickly cooled down and entered the fourth quarter tied, [b]28-28[/b].

The fourth quarter was arguably the most controversial quarter of the entire season. A mysterious false-start penalty pushed the Dratinis deep into their own territory, and the Sea Dogs took advantage to score an unprecedented safety. The Sea Dogs, now with the ball and the lead, played the run game. The referees, perhaps sensing the bad call that led to the Dratinis' current predicament, called another mysterious false-start penalty on the Sea Dogs which forced them to punt the ball while in deep field goal territory. The Disparu Dratinis, knowing that their season was on the line, their entire country was watching for a repeat, knowing that if they lost they might be relegated to one-hit wonders, now had two minutes and thirteen seconds to drive down the field. They ran the ball efficiently down the field, eating up time and time-outs as they did. At the thirty-four yard line, they used their last time out at two seconds remaining. The Dratinis kicker, the same one who played last year, lined up for the 51-yard field goal, watched it snap, he kicked it... it went wide right!

But the Sea Dogs did not win yet, because just before the snap there was a false start penalty against the Dratinis and the play was nullified. It was now a 56-yard kick, even more impossible. But the Dratinis elected to kick it again. The ball was snapped, it was placed, it was kicked, and the aim was true, but was it powerful enough... IT'S GOOD! With no time left and the game on the line, the Dratinis pulled through [b]31-30[/b] and were crowned Gridiron Champions for the second year in a row.

[Subtleknifewielder]

"Disappointing, I'll admit--after an unbeatable run so far, it is a bit of a shock to have finally lost. Still, no one expected us to get this far. And if we had to lose to someone, i can think of few it would be less of a shame to be beaten by...the Dratinis were challenging opponents for two seasons running...I expect an equal challenge next season."

~The coach of the Sea Dogs, quoted from an after-game interview

[Pikachurin]

Nearly everyone in Disparu cheered as news of the Dratinis' second victory in the Gridiron Tournament reached North America. Fireworks lit the sky in some major cities, while nearly every urban centre with a bar and football fans was celebrating the Dratinis' victory in one way or another. Wine and beer bottles were popped open, amateur singers burst out in song, confetti fell into the streets, and enthusiastic shouts would fill the once silent night. The celebrations throughout the country would last for nearly a week.

The Dratinis, meanwhile, also had their own personal celebration back in the Sarnungian Republic. The Dratinis would be treated as heroes and legends upon their return to Disparu, and would be met by screaming fans at the airport.