NLL Insider

Checking out the league team-by-team at what they’re doin’ well and what they’re not lookin’ so hot in. Going in order of Shanny’s Power Rankings, which got a mild shakeup this week.

Colorado Mammoth (4-0)
The Mammoth have been as close to perfect as you can get. They kicked San Jose around the court, punkin’ their lunch money and then handing out one of the year’s most one sided beatings to date. Even in games when they fall asleep for a bit like they did against Portland, the Mammoth still managed to comeback and take it in OT. These guys are playing championship caliber ball just four games in. Not once this year have they closed up shop and got run over. Bottom line, they’re damn good and obviously need no tinkering during their week off. Think Bob McMahon is influencing this team more than people thought he would.

Philadelphia Wings (3-0)
After giving up a pretty decent lead, it looked like Buffalo was not only gonna come back, but also drop the Wings in their own barn. Like I mentioned last week though, 08’s Wings are provin’ they can answer the bell. There’s a belief in Philly this year that no game is unwinable and it shows in their play. Can they do it on the road though? Philly has a home heavy first half to their season, which is fine, but they can’t get caught up in all this early season hype and get too far ahead of themselves. Had they given up a the lead like they did against Buffalo in Buffalo, nine times outta ten, think the Bandits take it. Like most, they have this week off, but then are in Colorado against the team many think are this year’s best lookin’ club so far. Yeah I know this is a new look Wings team, but with only two wins on the road last year and the only team yet to leave their own barn, February 15 in Denver should be interesting.

Minnesota Swarm (3-0)
The Swarm are playing some of the most effective and honest team concept O that this league has seen in a helluva long time. When you have absolutely everyone buying into every system and concept your sellin’, you have what Minny has this year. Nick Patterson has yet to be chased outta his cage though, so we haven’t seen rook Kevin Croswell, which might be their only question mark at this point. Other than that, hard to find any holes in their game so far. With wins at the ACC and BCA, the Swarm has done what Philly has yet to prove in 08. Those two wins are massive character building games on what is really still a pretty young cast in Minnesota.

Rochester Knighthawks (1-3)
Wow, 1-3, who woulda guessed. Although I’ve ragged on their power play and inability to play consistent O, their D on the weekend mighta been their greatest cause for concern. Last week I asked players who the biggest lost player would be this year, but I mighta missed the biggest one when I made up the poll… Mike Hasen. Yeah not having Mike Accurrsi on their PP is hurtin’ them, but not having the leadership and work ethic that comes with Hasen looks like it might be hurtin’ them too. Still think they have the right players to go back to the final, but something’s gotta be done to get this derailed train back on track.

Buffalo Bandits (2-2)
The Bandits have been caught not playing four full periods in most of their games this year. Mike Thompson got hung out to dry a bunch of times against Philly the other night. Still really surprised to see Dan Teat putting up the anemic numbers he’s posted so far too. Only four looks on net against the Wings is not much at all for a guy that still probably has the legs to be scoring four not just shooting four times. Nice to see Kevin Dostie playing some solid ball over the past few games. Had it not been for Dostie’s finish in the fourth, the Bandits’ power play woulda looked brutal again. And outside of their win over the Titans, the Bandits’ have routinely not shown up in the second quarter, getting outscored 14-8 after four starts. Their lack of depth on O has really not allowed them to play the consistent ball they’re capable of.

Calgary Roughnecks (2-2)
Although Lewis Ratcliff is always gonna be their go-to-guy, the reason Calgary won this weekend was that the rest of their offense opened up and took on a ton more responsibility than just a couple weeks before. Whether they were caught off guard with Tracey Kelusky outta the lineup those first couple weeks, they looked a whole lot better and more dangerous this entire weekend. Their D was a lot more mobile and breaking up a ton of potential pick-and-rolls and obviously their speed on the break just killed San Jose. Also, Kelly Hall should be a guy starting on that line every night. He’s a guy that’s always good for at least a pair and is that secondary scorer any team in this league could use.

San Jose Stealth (1-2)
Their D got rolled over by the Necks and then their O folded up against the Mammoth. Think they got stunned by vastly different play from Calgary and mighta just got beaten by simply a better team against Colorado. Head Coach Walt Christianson was saying their depth towards the end of their lineup was better this year than in years past, but it definitely appeared to be lacking for most of the weekend. Are they missin’ a guy like Callum Crawford more than first thought? This San Jose O has proved to be a tough one to mesh with. We’ve seen guys like Scott Ranger, Kelly Hall and now Crawford go onto bigger and better after being dealt from the Stealth. Should be interesting to see how their rooks progress as the season goes on.

Toronto Rock (3-2)
The play they got from Ryan Benesch this weekend is really the kinda ball they need to take the pressure off their big three in Shooter, Manning and Wilson. The Rock used to be a team that offensively, if one or two guys were slumping, someone else on O was always there to pick up the slack. They got that kinda play against New York, but it hasn’t been a constant over the past year and a half. Also, awesome to see the heart that Jon Harasym is bringin’ to this roster. His double TKO against Jarett Park was awesome to see and if everyone on the team played with the same passion Jon has shown, things would definitely have been different in the first two periods against NY. Also, the Rock’s O press was almost there, but a lot of sloppy passes and broken plays just didn’t allow them to go off like they did against Edmonton.

New York Titans (1-2)
In the second half against Toronto, it seemed like the Titans were just waiting for someone to step up and stop the bleeding, only thing, no one was really stepping up. Although they’re a fast, athletic team, they really needed to slow things down and halt up that Rock momentum. Think that showed their slight inexperience on D in the second half in this most recent loss. They need to know when to recognize when to run that break like a bat outta hell and when to slow things up, take stock of what they and their opposition has on the floor and move on from there. There was one goal that TO scored that appeared may or may not have screamed through the twine and hit the back boards. There was no replay shown anywhere, so it was tough to tell if the ball actually went in, but the refs called it a goal. The Titans have gotta brush that kinda stuff off and not get too excited. They need someone to step up and settle things down not only physically but mentally as well. Also, my new pick fro ROY, Jordan Hall. This kid has some serious speed on his first step and I’m not sure anyone can catch him in open court. His finish on Saturday was on par with anyone in the L this year. To me, the game’s MVP from either team. Get those HALL 4 ROY signs ready at MSG.

Chicago Shamrox (1-2)
As good as Chicago’s offense looked posting 17 against Edmonton, think the real story of the night was the solid play on their D, especially a man down. Edmonton hasn’t really been the toughest team to keep at bay this year, but the Rox’s D definitely looked good. If they can stay composed while still playing in your face D, Chicago will definitely be in the running for the last playoff spot in the East again. It’s that intense, explosive style of lacrosse I really feel you gotta be able to play to do well in today’s game, and Chicago is definitely running with it. Lookin’ forward to their rematch against Toronto, cuz think those two will be barkin’ at one another for that fourth spot.

Edmonton Rush (0-3)
The Rush’s 38 shots on goal were only better than the 35 San Jose had in their embarrassing loss to Colorado during week five. That is definitely a concerning stat, especially against a Chicago team that came in lacking a bit on D heading into their clash on Saturday night. They definitely have the talent, but just aren’t using certain guys properly. Coach Day says it can be tracked back to trust issues from a new group of guys not knowing or trusting one another’s game just yet. There has also been some bad decision making on O so far this year too. On paper, Edmonton definitely should be better. You can be 0-3 and still be positive about your play, but 0-3 and not much coming out of loses is a tough mental blow to any team. You could make an argument about their first game against Colorado, but they definitely deserve to be 0-2 over the last couple. At this point you gotta stick to the guys you have on the rug and let them work it out themselves. The major changes have been made, know you gotta let the ballers do what they do best. Forget those first three. The season starts today in Edmonton.

Portland Lumberjax (0-3)
I think Portland was hoping that Daws and Malawsky were gonna step in and solve a lotta their problems from last year, but so far, that’s just not happening. Although both new guys are playing good ball, you gotta factor in stuff like chemistry, cohesiveness, knowing where each player is on the floor during certain plays, etc… Skill is only a small fraction of what makes up a solid team in really any team sport on the planet. The effort is there, but the chemistry isn’t. To let that game against Colorado escape them really showed how outta sync the Jax are when under pressure. I think eight games or so in, you’ll see more fluid play from these guys, but will it be enough at that point? A couple exhibition games under their belts woulda helped this team more than any other in the league. Think they came in really frustrated after that disheartening loss to Colorado and their six goals against Calgary showed that.

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