NLL Insider

Has Rochester come close to finding that fifth scoring option?

Has Chicago found a true leader on their struggling O?

Who’s gonna step in when Billy Dee Smith is on the sidelines?

How much longer should San Jose hold onto two legit pro starters?

Here’s how this past weekend shook out and what to expect this coming as the NLL heads into week ten.

Philadelphia Wings (5-0 overall, 4-0 divisional)
11-4. No, not talkin’ about one of two Rock losses this year, just talking about the ridiculous tear AI and the boys ran off on Friday night as they not only drove past the Minnesota Swarm, but went Charlie Manson insane on them in the fourth quarter. The Rush would probably give up their right… just to score 11 in a game, but the Wings are doing it in 15 minute increments. Once that first goal went in, there was no turnin’ back, they had Minny’s number and that was it. When rook David Mitchell goes crashing to the ground, face ready to meet carpet (don’t even go there Mossy), not even knowing how Nick Patterson is positioned, and just throws up some lame ball that somehow goes top shelf on Patterson, you knew things were gonna go from bad to fugly right there and then. These guys know how to do it when it matters most. There’s no denying it. I think I’ve hyped every part of their game since doing this QB post, so we’ll just leave it at that.

Minnesota Swarm (6-2, 4-2)
No Andy Secore, no Travis Hill (suspension) and Craig Point (ankle) and Mark Miyashita (knee) both getting injured during the game, didn’t help the Swarm much while also getting out loose balled, out worked at the circle (but who isn’t against Snider anyways) and ultimately out played in a fourth period that they actually led heading into. Like Dewey said last week, Minny isn’t gonna win games they get out hustled in. This is a no nonsense, hard workin’, leave it all on the floor kinda team that can’t lean on that one guy that’s gonna shoot the lights out and still pull out a win. Give ‘em this bye week to heal up, get all their boys back in the lineup and I suspect these guys will be back and ready to go to war like always. Think fans and players alike will be in for a rude awakening if they write these guys off after this two game slide.

Colorado Mammoth (5-2, 5-1)
Like Minny, Colorado was out some key guys too, which obviously didn’t help ‘em as they got out worked for two if not three periods against Calgary. Guys like Josh Sims (ankle), Jim Moss (shoulder) and Brian Langtry (finger) were on the shelf on Sunday. No excuse, but just sayin’. Calgary did a good job playing solid 1v1 D against their top dawgs and for stretches of the game Colorado just couldn’t answer the bell. They poured it on at the end, but they were definitely playing with a higher level of urgency at that point too. Nothing really comin’ outta their own end, which a team like the Mammoth can usually kill you with, and with that said, not a huge surprise they came up empty against a re-jigged Calgary team. They got a bye week comin’ up too, which will hopefully get some of those previously mentioned names back 100%, but oh what a game when they come back on the 8^th. Colorado vs. San Jose for the West lead. Should be a beauty.

Calgary Roughnecks (3-5, 3-3)
Whether Troy Cordingley’s decision to sit Kaleb Toth and Devan Wray is what sparked these guys is obviously up for debate, but what isn’t up for debate is that Calgary played a way better game on Sunday at home against Colorado versus that train wreck of a game they had against Portland. If anything, I think that move by Troy really let him put his own stamp on this team and showed he wasn’t gonna put up with guys that aren’t producing or leaving it all on the rug every night. Hate listening to people that say guys like Troy and Terry Sanderson are nuthin’ but hot head coaches that do nothing but yell and scream on the bench. That combined five minutes you see ‘em blasting some guy (usually for a good reason) in a single game makes up about a percentage of the coaching and behind the scenes stuff any coach, not just Troy, does in his job. Do you seriously think Troy just told Kaleb he wasn’t playin’ and that was it?? Give your head a shake guys. If they get that improved effort and sense of urgency they got from the team on Sunday afternoon, whether Tracey Kelusky and Steve Dietrich are in the lineup or not, you’ll have a team prepared for battle every night. I’d say expect to see Kaleb refocussed and ready to get-off against Toronto this coming.

San Jose Stealth (4-3, 2-2)
Again, San Jose thumped the team they needed to against Edmonton, but we’ll see in a couple weeks what the Stealth are really made of this year. They’re 1-3 against 07 playoff teams and then 3-0 against those that never made it a year ago. Can they hang with the big boys this year? Not sure that question’s been answered yet. They turned it on when they needed to against Edmonton, but again, the Rush are 0-6 this year. And damn, now these guys have to deal with another bye week this week after just coming off one a week before the Edmonton game. Really thought San Jose would be pushing the top teams this year, and with Colorado and then Philly next on their plate, guess we’ll find out soon what these guys are capable of. Also, not that it’s a point that needs to be tackled yet, but how much longer can they carry two starting keepers on that bench? They’d score serious loot for either keeper and definitely give them at least another high profile guy that could start in their starting five at either end of the floor. What team might be looking? Edmonton? Calgary? Portland? Maybe even Rochester if you’re thinkin’ long term. And although I think Mike Poulin’s proved capable in relief of Whipper, how would Cosmo look in a Rock sweater again?

New York Titans (4-4, 3-3)
Like I mentioned earlier today, these guys are playas this year for sure. Can they hang around long enough to pinch off that fourth post-season spot? They’ve got an insanely hard second half of the year with an eastern heavy slant, but with Matt Vinc playing well, a mobile D that has given some of the best this year major problems, and an O that have regularly hit double digits, I don’t think that fourth spot is all that out of the question for a team both me and Shanny had as last at the start of the year. Yeah, they’ve definitely had some brutal showings this year, but with Toronto, Buffalo and Rochester all playing some seriously inconsistent ball, that last spot is definitely as much their’s as any of those other three contenders. I think they could still probably use a guy to plant on the crease and in traffic that is finishing better than Jeff Ratcliffe right now, but hard to really be too negative about the Titans on this 3-0 run.

Chicago Shamrox (1-5, 0-4)
Even with some off-season pickups, the Rox still can’t score to save their lives this year. And this week, the shots were there! They had a ridiculous 68 shots against Buffalo, easily a season high this year, but the finish was just not there again (only eight goals against Buffalo). They have a lotta guys that would probably be considered big time secondary scorers on most teams, but they definitely haven’t stepped up to take on that more prominent role with Chicago this year. Think Coach and GM Jamie Bately is in a tough spot. What can he do at this point? Unless they win almost all the rest of their games, the playoffs are probably outta the question this year. They really needed to at least take one game over the last two that saw them dropped by third and fourth place players New York and Buffalo, but they just kept playing major games of catch up being down 10-1 against the Titans and 8-2 against the Bandits. Know lacrosse is a game of momentum and big runs, but dang, they were in need of a couple massive runs over the past two weeks. No real depth to pull from here either, at least on O. As much as I and others have beaten up on the likes of Edmonton and Portland this year, think Chicago finds themselves in a similar spot in the East. Can they move a guy like Lindsay Plunkett or Callum Crawford to a team like Rochester who’s in desperate need for a secondary scorer? Can they afford to build for the future? If the results aren’t there, will fans keep comin’ to watch them play?

Portland Lumberjax (3-5, 3-3)
Are they better than a lot of us had them pegged? Not sure yet. I think they played a really flat, unemotional Calgary team this week. Not to take anything outta their win, but if they played those same Necks on Sunday, not sure we woulda seen that 13-9 score line they rocked Calgary with on Friday night. Definitely getting that secondary scoring they needed and aren’t relying on their big three as much. Definitely getting some clutch goaltending from Matt King we may not have seen since that rookie season in Calgary. Definitely finishing better outta their own end, an area of their game they really needed to be doing better with based on the guys they have on that roster. Definitely getting that hustle and work ethic they seemed to be lacking during those first five or six first games. With the way Edmonton is playing, it looks like they’ve got fourth place taken care of. They’ve knotted it up with a Calgary team that has really been playing below where they should be too. I’m still kinda torn with what I’d do with Dawson and Malawsky right now. With one game playoff showdowns, I guess anything is possible, but if the Sting franchise does come back and those two are forced to leave, should Portland have dealt them to a legit Cup tender and got what they could for them? The sooner that rotting scorpion logo gets moved or just pulled off the shelf, the clearer guy’s futures become.

Rochester Knighthawks (3-4, 2-4)
The Hawks have gotten away with not playing at one end of the court, but when they drop the ball at both ends, this past Saturday night happens. A lot of frustrated looking ball, a lot of undisciplined ball and the usually game Pat O’Toole got chased outta his crease again. Can all this really be narrowed down to Mike Accursi and Mike Hasen not playin’ for Rochester this year? The rookies they’ve brought into the fold have looked good at times, but they haven’t provided the kinda numbers that this team needs. Rumors are already making the rounds that Rochester might already be looking to make a move to shore up that missing link, aka Accursi. What it costs them is another question. Rochester holds that juicy first round 2009 draft pick (@ Edmonton’s spot) that could end up being a guy like Zack Greer, Garrett Billings, Corey Small or even Sid Smith. If I was a GM, that’d definitely be part of the deal I made with Jody Gage, but is Rochester desperate enough yet to part with that pick? Or, with games against Edmonton and Chicago (x2), making up their next three, do they just wait and see if things get pulled together while playing two of the league’s lowest ranked teams? I see Gage waiting one more game and if things still look dicey on the floor, think a deal gets made.

Buffalo Bandits (5-4, 4-4)
Buffalo’s continued to get guys stepping up from all over the court, the latest clutch performer, third string keeper Dan Sams (who woulda guessed). These kinda gutsty showings are building a ton of character on this depleted Bandits’ lineup and with Mike Thompson and Kevin Dostie expected back for their next game, and then Brett Bucktooth back hopefully sometime later in March, this team could be the Cup contender a lot thought they would have been Sean Greenhalgh included or not. This team could be very dangerous once they have all their ducks in a row. We’ll see what happens to suspended defender Billy Dee Smith this week, with various team staff from around the league already telling us that they’d expect Smith’s suspension to be brought down to at least three or four games versus the five he’s currently looking at. I’ve been super impressed with Clay Hill this year. He’s quietly putting together maybe his best ever pro winter and for me has been maybe Buffalo’s most consistent and solid presence in their own end. Hill’s already got five goals off the press and is almost at a cool 50 loosies. Think the loss of Smith for however many games, is softened dramatically by the play of Clay.

Edmonton Rush (0-6, 0-4)
It was definitely an improved performance against San Jose, unfortunately still a loss for the Rush though. Big question now is, will Bob Hamley flip the switch on any deals now that he’s had a chance to talk to each player and has seen first hand how they perform game day and at pracy? A number of teams are lookin’ for some of what the Rush has and although they haven’t really meshed on the Rexall Centre rug, sure there is a decent lineup for a number of players on that roster. They’ve got Portland for the third time in the past month next week and with a tougher second half of the sked versus their first half, which has seen them go winless so far, this coming week’s tilt could be the league’s earliest make-or-break kinda game.

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