NLL Insider

Seriously, who went 3-0 in pick ‘ems this past weekend? Even wIth only three games on the docket, the way things played out, I’m gonna say very few swept week 14.

I’m thinkin’ not even cayugawolf19 hit the trifecta this past weekend, and that dudes somehow sittin’ at a 44-20 record (leadin’ Showdown with Shanny).

Hell, if I didn’t semi-gamble on Rochester over Philly, I woulda had the same amount of wins as the Leafs are gonna end up with in the playoffs this year. Not sure if anyone’s heard, but the blue-and-white bit the dust AGAIN!!.

Here’s what the teams comin’ outta a ridiculous week 14 are lookin’ like…

Edmonton Rush (3-7 overall, 2-4 division)
Any player you talk to that got dumped by the Rush sometime over the past month has just one name to drop on ya as far as why they lost… Bob Hamley. Never in this league has the hiring of a GM or coach been as big as what we’re seein’ in Edmonton this year. Between the trades and the recent influx of wins, teams are definitely fearin’ the Rush like somethin’ fierce these days. With that said though, Edmonton as a team, are definitely playin’ some solid, fundamental lacrosse that is frustrating the hell outta their opposition. Whether it’s cuz guys are playin’ with the mindset that their jobs are on the line or Hammer has ‘em believing in themselves more so than their own mothers probably ever did, the Rush have looked beyond good of late, and I gotta tell ya, I don’t think it’s a fluke. Kinda surprised there hasn’t been a ton of chatter on the Rush debut of former Sting defender, Chris McKay. He had a massive night point-wise and was a full out hustler for Edmonton (see his 12 loosies) on the night. Would make for one of the most insane stories in league history if the Rush were to make a serious Cup run after that brutal, brutal start to the season. All this without Andy Turner.

San Jose Stealth (6-5, 4-3)
Bipolar much? What’s with these dawgs? They’re kickin’ ass against Colorado and then just totally leavin’ a steamer between the sheets against Edmonton. Totally impossible to know what kinda game you’re gonna get from the Stealth this year. The only thing for certain in San Jose this year is that if you and 10K of your closest friends want last minute tickets to a pro indoor lax game in Cali, you my friend are in luck. Anyways, just a brutal game, especially offensively for San Jose, who a week earlier were getting’ praise from everyone in the game for their stellar come from behind against Calgary. The loss of Luke Wiles, more than likely for the rest of the season (playoffs included), is the last thing this team needed in the shape they’re in, but that’s life I guess. They’re definitely not the first to experience a monster loss this year. Will be interesting to see what these guys are made out of now that one of their prime time cats is on the shelf. Breakout the Rolaids, it’s gut check time in San Jose.

Chicago Shamrox (3-7, 2-6)
Although extremely unlikely, technically, the Rox still have a chance to land a playoff spot this year. Again, really unlikely, but with the way this season is playing out, it probably wouldn’t surprise some conspiracy theorists to see ‘em sneak in. And although many were surprised that Chicago didn’t deal Arizona Sting rental Scott Self at the deadline, GM and head honcho Jamie Batley told us this past weekend, “Scott Self for eight games is worth more than the 25th pick in the 2008 draft.” They’d definitely need to win outright, maybe five of their last six, but are they totally outta the mix with the guys they’ve got on the rug right now? This’ll be like the fourth time I’ve plugged him in the last couple weeks, but Matt Roik has looked stellar in his return to the bigs, just absolutely stellar. He’s forcing some of the best snipe shows in the league to second guess themselves and allowing the Rox to hang around in games they’d likely have been buried alive in earlier in the season. Imagine if they were playing at this level at the start of the year?

Minnesota Swarm (7-4, 5-4)
Like San Jose, the Swarm are having some serious issues with consistency lately, especially on O. The team couldn’t buy a goal in the middle of their game against Chicago, and when they finally seemed to get their sh** together, it was way too late to spark a W, let alone a… And although the rumor mill has heated up on why Dean Hill hasn’t seen any game time lately, NLL Insider learned this week that Dean has actually been experiencing some pretty nasty respiratory problems that won’t allow him to suit up. Will likely be a game time decision again this weekend. A lot of people, including me, thought four against Chicago in their back-half was a dream close-out, but evidently, if the Swarm show up in the same manner they did this past weekend, gonna be nothing short of a nightmare ending to what looked like a promising 2008 campaign.

Rochester Knighthawks (5-6, 4-5)
Big win over the Wings, but we’ve seen this before from the K’Hawks this year. They throw up some sick, outta quicksand kinda win, but then just drop a deuce the next week out. Are they back? Your guess is as good as mine. I hate sitting on the fence, but it’s too tough to know where these guys are at this year. Beauty win over the Wings though. Everyone was on the same page for sure. Got a great start outta Pat O’Toole and out transitioned the team most in the game feel are the league’s best two-way team around. They’ve got a bitch of a close-out to the season though. Colorado and Toronto this coming, then Buffalo, Minnesota and New York to finish their regular season sked. The balls kinda in their court right now. Win and they’re in (pretty much). But if they drop more than one of those eastern clashes, you can probably count ‘em outta the post-season in 08. A 2-0 weekend this week is pretty crucial, while 0-2 would more than likely send ‘em packin’. By far the biggest weekend’s worth of lacrosse this franchise has seen in a while.

Philadelphia Wings (7-3, 5-3)
Like Shanny said yesterday, when these guys lose, they do it in style (and by style I mean getting their clocks cleaned). The Wings are just getting thumped bad and showing next to no composure lately. They’re rattled and totally off their game. They’ve let in a whack of goals as of late too, which can’t do much for their confidence. They’re 1-3 on the road, where they’ve been outscored 52-74, a nasty minus 22 goal differential. And with a likely suspension coming to Geoff Snider mid-week, where does that leave the team most had pegged as heavy Cup faves just a few short weeks ago? Can they rebound? Which games will they be without Taylor Wray and Shawn Nadelen due to their NCAA coaching gigs? Who gets the start between the pipes in their double header this weekend? Lots of questions surrounding the Wings comin’ outta week 14 and with a ton of road games piled in front of them, will they rebound before the post-season?

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