Long Island EFL Week #3 Scores (More to Follow)

Long island EFL · October 7, 2023

LEGENDARY BUTKUS DIES.

(Long Island Electric Football League, Long Island, New York). It's a sad day in Chicago as another Bears legend has passed away. Chicago Bears legend Dick Butkus, one of the greatest middle linebackers to ever suit up in the NFL, has died at the age of 80, the team announced via a statement from his family.

The Butkus family said the Pro Football Hall of Famer "died peacefully in his sleep overnight at home in Malibu, California." Butkus patrolled the middle for the Monsters of the Midway for nine seasons, stuffing the stat sheet and striking fear into the hearts of opponents in the process. In real life, Butkus was a five-time first team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Butkus was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-1960s and All-1970s teams and was inducted as a player in 1979.

Written by Levi Vick, approved by Billy O'C. (Long Island, New York). The FORUM on the Tudor Games site is a great way to preach our hobby! LIEFL Commissioner Billy O'C said, "With Bryan or Beenut at the helm for Tudor, the game of electric football can only get better! Already we see a difference in product delivery. We ordered player bases last week, and we received the bases in literally three days from the date of purchase. We hope the quality improves by bringing back a wish list of vintage game boards, player figures, and quality decals. In our purchase, we could only use one out of 22 bases for our draft pool. The rest were duds, so Tudor and Nutt have challenges ahead, but we believe he will meet the desire for quality. Cincinnati's Ickey Woods is the only player who came from the pool.

Like your leagues, the LIEFL draft is a testament to how amazing the league has been, with a constant focus on improving every single player, that's 352 in the LIEFL with the best-of-best 11-man rosters, but without high-quality bases we are at the mercy of Tudor's production team in the future. Playing for money puts a different twist on things in terms of supply and demand. The demand is the same Kaizen philosophy that 'a business can always make or do things better, and that all problems should be seen as opportunities to improve things as a methodical process'. That is the approach the LIEFL has taken under Billy O'C to improve the league, and it just keeps getting better. The riches come with improvement.

... A look back in history ... carrying on with tradition, reaching a new level of the hobby, electric football for Tudor Games could be the innovators in reinventing Norm Sas' dreams and vision in a modern way. Enough is never enough when you are a board warrior! We are well aware that there is whole world of bad-ass EF-Ballers out there and we full well realize we are not alone! That's the amazing part of the hobby.

The futuristic, even better electric football games, players, and accessories might find a new place in history. Bryan Nutt has the mind to do this and more, and he is methodical from our experience as customers of his, and he won't fold under pressure or the blitz! He's the mechanical savvy G O A T of the game. Miggle's Mike Landsman, Tudor's Doug Strohm, and Bryan Nutt, we salute you!

Imagine if we could get specifications to remake the molds that made the incredible high-quality player bases of Tudor Games electric football of the 60's or 70's that came from Tudor Games when they were located on Johnson Street in Brooklyn, New York. The LIEFL can't speak for anyone, but we think that is what metal gridiron ballers want for the game, to match the quality of that era, even if it costs more. Some may argue otherwise. That's the dream, to bring back the best high-quality performance bases like the ones' of the 60's and 70's, or close. Tudor has not satisfied that quality to that level yet. We have player bases 45 years-old that can still play and outperform many of the player bases of today by far. OJ Simpson's base is from the 70's, and man he can go still with no wear-and-tear in sight.

Also, in terms of information, Bill O'C told me that, "We can't forget how Chris LeMay of the National Electric Football Game Museum has lifted the game worldwide either. Never in a million years could we have imagined where the hobby would be today if not for these men and others, who have made major contributions to the game."

THIS WEEK IN THE LIEFL (WEEK #3)

UNDEFEATED PACKERS HAND BEARS FIRST LOSS 24-21 IN AN ELECTRIFYING GAME IN OT!

This week's LIEFL Game of the Week goes to the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, two historic teams in an epic matchup, probably just like the rivalries in your leagues! The energy filled the air with premiere Coach Viggs undefeated Green Bay Packers (2-0) against Patty Brannigan’s unbeaten Chicago Bears (2-0). Four other coaches came to watch the game between two heated division rivals.The undefeated Chicago Bears came out on fire today!

THE GAME:
On the opening kickoff Coach Viggs had his Packers make a statement when Sterling Sharpe rung the Bell of Willie Gault, who was stopped at the 35-yard line! Chicago ran the football, but they were stopped on three plays until Coach Paddy Brannigan decided to go for the first down on Walter Payton on 4th down. That was a huge risk after a 10-yard loss. Payton exploded in an end-around 73-yards touchdown scamper into the end zone to give the Bears an electrifying lead, 7-0 with 7:42 remaining in a half! Incredible matchups are on the front line as we watch the Bears build rebuild!

The Green Bay Packers came fighting right back but Sterling Sharpe was turned by his own man at their own 30-yard line. It only took the Packers two plays to get into the endzone on Terdell Middleton’s 11-yard run, and then Middleton exploded for a blazing 59-yard run around the right end and into the end zone to tie the game to end the half, 7-7!

Chicago roared right back. LIEFL star Willie Gault flew downfield for a 42-yard kick-return and he was hit hard by Ray Nitschke. Walter Payton on first down blasted though the Packers tough defense for a 54-yard run, and then on second down from the 4-yard line Payton ran into the end zone to give the emerging Bears the lead, 14-7. Can Green Bay answer that?

Ed Viggs, undefeated Packers showed their resilience just like the Bears after a 38-yard kick-return by Sterling Sharpe. Three plays later with runs of 7, 53, and finally a 3-yard touchdown run, the Packers tied the game with Terdell Middleton scoring his second touchdown run of the game, 14-14!

Chicago’s Willie Gault ran back another beautiful 47-yard kick-return, and he was hit again by Sterling Sharpe at the 47-yard line. Sharpe made two big tackles in the game. It took the Bears just one play for Walter Payton to score his third touchdown of the game on an electrifying 53-yard run around the corner of Bears right tackle Steve McMichael with 2:27 remaining in the game!! The Bears regained the lead 21-14! Wow! This is Electric Football at its best between two fierce competitors in a historic division rivalry!

My goodness! With just 45 seconds left to go in the game playmaker Sterling Sharpe (PHOTO ABOVE) broke Free down the right sideline for a 49-yard touchdown pass to tie the game 21-21, bringing the game into overtime! Sharpe is having a game! What an exciting classic! Coach Viggs put his fist up in the air watching Sharpe explode down the sideline and into the endzone.

What a fantastic finish for Sterling Sharpe. In overtime Sharpe returned a speedy 67-yard kick return to set up a coach Viggs 33-yard field-goal and the Packers walk away undefeated, beating the Bears with the field-goal 24-21, in what will be the game of the week! Electrifying, literally!

The Green Bay Packers defense was heavily tested with Walter Payton running for a record high 176-yards on seven touches, including three touchdowns, one of them a 60-yarder. Willie Gault played fantastically with three returns for 124 yards.

And the News again is one of the hottest players in the league is Terdell Middleton who rushed the ball five times for 133 yards with two touchdowns, including a 59-yard TD scamper. The showstopper Sterling Sharpe exploded for 235 all-purpose yards on five touches, including a 49-yard touchdown catch handing the Chicago Bears their first loss!

The Chicago Bears (2-1) will have to regroup fast because they play the high-octane Las Vegas Raiders (1-2) next week in Vegas.

The Green Bay Packers are (14-4) in the past three seasons. Coach Ed Viggs has this team fired up! The Pack plays at Johnny-Freeport’s Detroit Lions next week against offense star Dexter Bussey who has 19 all-purpose touches for 691 yards with five touchdowns before their game at Minnesota this week. Four of Bussey’s touchdowns are 100-yarders! That game next week will be another classic and historic matchup between two fierce competitors and great LIEFL elite teams!

RAIDERS SLAY JETS IN OT 27-21 AS BO JACKSON ARRIVES!

The Raiders and Jets game turned out to be an LIEFL electric football classic as Las Vegas running back Bo Jackson exploded for 139-yards rushing with three touchdowns, giving Las Vegas their first win of the season as the league and competition heats up!

JETS (1-1) VS. RAIDERS (0-2) ... PRE-GAME: This game was a tricky one between these two teams because we didn't know what to expect in the new season other than excellent coaching. The Jets picked up several player bases for their front line in the draft, which have paid off. Before the game, Jets Running back Le'Veon Bell was the #2 Rusher in the AFC with 14 touches for 280 yards, including five touchdowns! For Las Vegas, the Raiders also received several drafted player bases, but they've struggled in the trenches because of their size. For 67-Big Men, Las Vegas are a little undersized, but last week the Raiders rose to the occasion on the road against Buffalo losing 28-24, to a fierce Bills team in a terrific game against the top lethal offense in the league. OJ Simpson and Jay Brown for the Bills are in top form for Coach Billy O'C but it's likely that Coach Joe Bino, our alternate coach will take over Billy O'C's teams from here because O'C is working on the Yankees documentary and he can't find any time to play from this point on between his teaching and the doc. We'll miss him, but we will run the league as good, maybe better than him.

Raiders six-time LIEFL All-Pro Dave Casper is on everyone's list in the league to try to stop. Casper had a breakout game against the Bills last week with 363 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns, including a 100-yard kick return. When Casper gets hot, he's one of the most explosive and dangerous players in the league, but he's also very streaky. Before today's game, the burden of the Raiders offense has fallen on Casper's back because the running game has struggled. Las Vegas couldn't establish a rushing game in the two games that they've played this season. Running back Bo Jackson managed just 41-yards rushing against division rival Denver in the season opener, and he was silenced against the Bills defense last week. Coach Kevin Mac continues to work with the Raiders, who by the way won LIEFL Super Bowl XI in 2008 against the Giants in overtime in one of the most memorable games in our LIEFL history. Casper was the star MVP of that game running back 100-yard touchdown to start the game, and then another one to end the game in overtime beating the New York Giants, 27-21!

New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell in the first two games has been explosive. In week one Bell rushed for 145 yards with three touchdowns against Dallas and last week against the Jaguars he ran for another 140-yards against the Jaguars. Who will rise to the level today?

BACK TO THE GAME:

It was an intense LIEFL game between the Jets and the Raiders. The Raiders came out swinging with Dave Casper running back 100-yard kick return to open the game making the score 7-0! Both lines in the trenches went to war! Las Vegas frontline led by Gene Upshaw battled hard against New York’s Winston Hill for the middle-game, cornered by Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau on each end of the front three.

It was Jets rising star Don Maynard for the Jets, who shocked the Raiders the most. Maynard has taken the AFC East by surprise with his past two performances and he's been on the rise in the league the past two games with his kick returns. Maynard revved up New York with his second 100-yard touchdown of the season on the Jets kickoff, tying the score at 7-7! Both Maynard and Wesley Walker have shared the duty of kick returning the ball, and Jets Coach Joey Pizz said he loves Maynard’s magic!

Talk about the speed of the game. In this game, 48 points were scored in 30 minutes which is incredible. Coach Pizz said after the game, “If you can’t get an instinctual feel for a team in 10 or 15 minutes, you don’t know football. The game is moving hard and you don't need 50-plays to know a team, in my opinion. We have no set number of plays allowed in the league. For me, twenty to thirty combined plays in a game is good enough, except in the playoffs. Taking away pivots, resets, and being a one stop league for busy guys like me is awesome."

The pressure to perform, set, and execute under the strain of the clock is intense. Bobby Biggs has won one game, but before the season he talked about this league as though we are nothing. Pizz said, "Booyah, like Johnny-Freeport, his mouth has been bigger than his game. I get tired of hearing these two guys brag about how great they are, and not back it up, but it's all part of the game. Look at Coach Viggs, he is the most low key talented coach I have ever seen, and I have played against hundreds of coaches. Viggs does all the talk he needs to do by playing solid-core electric football on the field, and he was a hell of an athlete. His teams seem to come alive and he is probably the one coach in the league that could play against anyone in the world. He is the master of preparation and a highly skilled Wall Street Guru and thinker. I am just an average coach who loves football."

Coach Kevin Mac added, "We play more games in a shorter amount of time because of the regulation rules, and playing these fast-paced games gives a coach a nice look at how talented the teams and coaches are because in real-life we don't get game stops to turn players around, pivots, and countdowns to set. I played organized football my entire life as a fullback and linebacker, and I know talent when I see it. It doesn't take me 60 minutes to figure a team out. This is high quality electric football at its best. I study every team and coach before I play. It would be awesome if Billy O'C had 32 coaches in the league, but he wants to call it quits in 2025, and some of us don't know what we will do without a weekend of electric football in the winter. I don't see other leagues share their league status and stats like this league and it would be so cool to see others innovate the hobby. This league is so well organized, and we never say we are the best league, but we know we can compete.”

On the next drive the Raiders offensive star Dave Casper shot right back and returned the 61-yard kick, and then one play later Bo Jackson arrived with a blazing 44-yard touchdown run to give Las Vegas the lead 14-7! Jackson got off to a slow start this season. He relies heavily on Otis Sistrunk, Lyle Alzado, and the big man in the middle, Gene Upshaw to give him that small hole he needs to get the job done. This is the first game this season that we saw the Raiders working on all cylinders.

Pizz' Jets came right back with another explosive Don Maynard 100-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, to tie the score at 14-14! We have a game!

Suddenly, the Raiders offense in back-to-back games are blowing up in the second half, torching defenses. Running back Bo Jackson scored again, this time from the 1-yard line with some nifty offensive line work by Las Vegas lineman Gene Upshaw, who opened up the inside game for Jackson, to put the game at 21-14, Raiders! Jackson rushed 48 times for 542 yards with 8 touchdowns in 2022, ranking 14^th in the AFC last season in rushing. Finally, Jackson is doing his part in getting the balance between running, special teams, and receiving right for the silver and black.

On New York's next drive, the Jets would refuse to fold under the pressure as Coach Joey Pizz connected with Don Maynard to tie the game at 21-21, putting the game into overtime.

The Raiders won the coin toss in overtime and they wasted no time driving downfield after 46-yard kick return by Dave Casper. Two plays later Bo Jackson took his third touchdown of the game into the endzone on an end around cutting through the middle of the field for a 52-yard game-winning touchdown for the Raiders who beat the Jets 27-21, in 3:36 of overtime! What a lift for the Raiders and Coach Kevin Mac.

Las Vegas (1-2) plays in a war next week against Paddy Brannigan's Chicago Bears highly touted defense, currently (2-0), in what will be a showdown in Vegas, and the Jets (1-2) play at home against the red-hot Buffalo Bills (2-1)! Those will be games to watch.

EXCITING DOLPHINS STAY UNDEFEATED BEATING BROWNS IN OVERTIME 20-17!

After the Miami Dolphins strange win last week over the Houston Texans 3-0, the Dolphins offense was mismatched by a roaring Texans defense after Houston Coach Levi Vick, mentored by Coach Ed Viggs made important adjustments. Houston was stomped in Week #1 by Billy O’C’s Colts 24-14.

The game between Miami and Cleveland is a rematch of last year's AFC Wild Card Game won by the Dolphins, 38-34!

This time around the game was on Cleveland's home turf and the Browns impressive defense has to come up big in order to keep this Browns team in the early look playoff hunt. A loss for Cleveland can be catastrophic because they play two out of three division rivals on the road, and they would be at risk of letting the season get away after making the 2022 playoffs.

THE GAME:

On the opening drive for Cleveland, two tremendous teams came out slugging with Browns running back Mike Pruitt carrying the football with some nifty running of 38-yards and 11-yards in the first half behind Jim Brown’s set-ups. But it was Pruitt's 5-yard touchdown run that gave the Browns an advantage until an electrifying runback by Miami's LIEFL All-Pro Mark Duper, who blazed into the end zone for a gorgeous 100-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7-7! Duper continues to be an explosive player in the LIEFL.

The battle in the trenches was on in a great matchup between Miami lineman and LIEFL All-Pro Jason Taylor of Miami and Browns Simon Fraser. On Cleveland's next possession they were forced to settle for a field goal. Miami's next possession forced the Dolphins to do the same thing, kicking a field goal to tie the score at 10-10! Miami running back Mercury Morris was shut down with four runs on 19-yards. Defenses have figure the Dolphins running game out it seems.

Coach Kevin Mac had his Browns ready as LIEFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown (PHOTO ABOVE) ran back a super 100-yard touchdown return to give the Browns the lead, 17-10!

And the other half of the Dolphins “Mark’s Brothers” Mark Clayton, dug into the game with a blazing 94-yard kick return with the place going wild! After driving down to the Cleveland seven-yard line, fullback Larry Csonka caught a seven-yard pop-pass from Billy OC to tie the game 17-17, sending the game into overtime in dramatic fashion with no time left.

In an Unbelievable turn of events, Miami won the coin toss in overtime!

Dolphins star Mark Duper returned the ball 37-yards on the overtime kick off. This was a war in the trenches in overtime as Miami roughed the ball all the way to the 42-yard line of Cleveland after three runs totaling 39-yards by Mercury Morris. Finally, Billy O’C was close enough for the field-goal and Miami kicked the field goal to win the game in 6:43 of overtime, 20-17! What a lift for Billy O’C and his Dolphins.

The Dolphins remain undefeated at (3-0) and Miami plays Dallas next week in what should be a great game. The Browns (1-2) lost a heartbreaker at home which will be hard to come back from, but don't count them out. The Browns will have to dig deep down and hope for some luck that the other teams in the AFC North fall apart. Pittsburgh is on the rise, and the Ravens will compete hard for the division title! It was an even match up, but Miami took advantage of the overtime opportunity and Coach Billy OC mastered his way downfield against the very strong Cleveland Browns team.

Week #3 is always an eye-opening week because we're almost halfway home in a seven-game season, which is moving rapidly. Wins are very important at this point in the season, but particularly now where it's a pivot point in the season and life in the LIEFL.

GIANTS PLAY BIG BEATING EAGLES 14-7!

EAGLES-GIANTS

The Eagles and Giants are a historic division matchup and needless to say, an incredible exciting war! Giants Coach Joey Pizz took his Giants to the NFC Championship Game last year, falling short of a Super Bowl appearance for the third time in their history, losing to the 49ers, 51-44.

Eagles Coach Matt Zoo-York has a high-powered offense that is streaky at best, but we never underestimate Philadelphia because they bring it each week. Zoo is certainly having the magical season he had in 2022 when he won a LIEFL Super Bowl title, plus $1800 dollars to boot! He played HUGE!

THE GAME:

After failing to score on their first drive the Eagles punted the ball on 4th down submitting to a revived Giants defense in Week #3 after New York lost to division rival Washington in Week #1, 17-6. Giants’ linebacker Lawrence Taylor (PHOTO ABOVE) made it known that he is leading Big-Blue’s D E F E N S E with two huge tackles on Philadelphia star running back Keith Byers.

Last year's LIEFL Player of the Year Ahmad Bradshaw ran back a speedy 79-yard punt return to set up Giants running back Shaquon Barkley and the Giants running game. Barkley rushed for 107 yards with two touchdowns last week in New York’s huge win over the LA Rams, 21-17!

There was a major battle in the trenches between New York and Philadelphia with both teams remaining scoreless at the half.

The Giants got it going in the second half on five consecutive runs by Shaquon Barkley, until Barkley exploded for a 22-yard touchdown into the end zone to give the Giants the lead 7-0!

Philadelphia struggled and was shaky on kick returns trying to find the right combination on the line to block for Harold Carmichael as the Eagles stormed back on a 35-yard kick return. But, on the first play from scrimmage, the Eagles impressed as running back Keith Byars plowed through the #4-hole 65-yards downfield blazing into the end zone to tie the score at 7-7! Wow!

On the ensuing kickoff, the Giants special teams were on fire! Ahmad Bradshaw ran an electrifying 60-yard kick return, and he was hit hard by Eagles linebacker Bill Bergey at the Philadelphia 40-yard line. With time running out Bradshaw put the Giants ahead for good 14-7 on a seven-yard pass play to win the game!

When two teams go all out and leave all the energy on the field, we have to wonder, like Toy Story, do they have a soul on the metal board, and how great is the imagination?

The Giants are (2-1) and they face Reggie Bush and rookie coach Bobby Biggs New Orleans Saints next week! The Eagles are a tough team with some bad luck thus far, falling to (0-3). It will be very tough to come back with their backs against the wall, the Eagles will need a miracle. Philadelphia plays New England at home next week.

Coach Billy O'C brought his Buffalo Bills team and their high-octane offense to make a statement against defending AFC East Champion New England Patriots and Coach Levi Vick. LIEFL All-Pro OJ Simpson and the “Electric Company” is on fire coming into this game against Levi Vick's Patriots who shocked everyone last year are in for a battle!

BILLS DOMINATE AS THEY CRUSH PATRIOTS 24-17!

Buffalo sensation Jay Brown continues to shock the league as he opened the game with a 98-yard kick return, just short of his 6th 100-yard touchdown return of the season. That's all OJ Simpson needed and the offensive line of the Bills who have been dominating, ran right through a notable Patriots front line. It took Simpson one play to run in a two-yard touchdown to give the Bills the lead 7-0.

New England’s return man Rob Gronkowski returned to bustling 62-yard kick return on the Patriots opening kickoff, but after two failed runs and a failed pass play, New England had to settle for a field goal, making score 7-3, Buffalo in the lead.

That offensive line of the Bills continued to impress on Buffalo’s next possession. After a hard earned 35-yard kick return by Jay Brown, OJ Simpson ran for 9, and 23 yards to close the half. Simpson then blasted through the right side of the Patriots defense for a powerful 28-yard touchdown run to give Buffalo the lead 14-3! The pace set by Buffalo is hard to match.

The Patriots came rolling back with Rob Gronkowski’s an electrifying 100-yard kick return to make the score 14-10, and what a run by Gronk!

Buffalo wasn't finished yet. After a 58-yard kick return by Jay Brown, it was OJ Simpson again who found his way into the end zone to make the score 21-10, Buffalo! The Bills offense serves as a reminder in the league what they are capable of. This is one of the highest scoring teams in the history of the Long Island Electric Football League. Who could forget how they lit up the scoreboard in last year’s playoffs playing till the death against Miami and Kansas City.

In 2017, as a Wild Card team it was like winning the heavyweight championship of the world for them when they crushed the defending Super Bowl champion Detroit Lions 49-35 LIEFL Super Bowl XIII. OJ Simpson had 623 all-purpose yards in that game, earning LIEFL Super Bowl XIII MVP, in the best LIEFL Super Bowl performance ever! Simpson had a record seven touchdowns in the game! This season Billy OC picked up a few Linemen in the draft, and here we are competing for the AFC East!

Unbelievable! New England Rob Gronkowski just returned his second consecutive 100-yard kick return of the game for a touchdown to make the score 21-17, Buffalo in the lead! What a play!

Buffalo’s Jay Brown returned a speedy 50-yards return on the ensuing kickoff and OJ Simpson took charge from that point on with runs of 17 yards and 10 yards before Buffalo ran down the clock enough to save time for a field goal to win the game 24-17! The Bills are opening eyes around the league with their Sunday performance. Both of these teams will compete hard for the AFC title!

What a great competitive game. OJ Simpson rushed for 131-yards, scoring three touchdowns on eight touches, and Jay Brown had four kick returns for 241-yards! New England’s Rob Gronkowski was the offense for the Patriots with three touches for 262-yards with two 100-yard touchdown returns!

The Buffalo offense has produced an LIEFL league leading 90 points on offense, and with four games remaining in the regular season, the Bills are on a record-setting pace to crush the Giants 140 points record scored last sea
son. Billy O’C said, “This might very well be a better team than the 2017 season, but everyone keeps improving with us. We look forward to the battle against the Jets next week and we will be ready.”

Buffalo (2-1) have a date with the hot offense of the New York Jets (1-1) and Le'Veon Bell in New York next week while New England faces the winless Philadelphia Eagles (0-3) at Philly.

WOODS AND BENGALS BEAT 49ERS 14-7 TO WIN FIRST GAME OF SEASON!

The NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers (1-1) lost a heartbreaker to Dallas last week, but Coach Ed Viggs promises to return in their 2022 form when they made it all the way to the LIEFL Super Bowl XVII, losing to Kansas City. This year’s story is another issue. This game could be pivotal in how the 49ers land up in the talented NFC West.

The Bengals are a rare opponent for Coach Ed Viggs 49ers against Johnny Freeport and Johnny has his Bengals rising with the resurgence of a terrific special teams game. It is always an exciting matchup because the talk from Johnny never stops.

In the LIEFL the home team is responsible for cleaning the field thoroughly so that there is no lint or hair, or any strands or fiber left on the field. We are sure readers know that one small piece of fiber can mean the outcome of the game and that was the case today.

For some reason players did not play to their potential. Coach Viggs repeatedly looked underneath his player bases when the ball carrier didn’t do their job, and Boom! What he found was tiny strands beneath Jerry Rice’s player base, which caused delays in the game. On several occasions Rice couldn't even get past the 50-yard line. This caused the stoppage in the game and Viggs demanded that the players bases be dipped in water again so that any sign of fiber was washed from their bases into the water. Rice has been streaky at best this season. Viggs has the right to ask Freeport to reclean the entire field. While it improved, the damage was done.

After a few words exchanged the field was clean and the game resumed. And what a battle it turned out to be. The new player base bottom that Johnny Freeport earned in the draft for Icky Woods was the difference in the game for the Bengals. Woods rushed for a season high 139-yards in the game with two touchdowns. A combination of his speed and versatility was enough to carry Cincinnati to a 14-7 win over Viggs 49ers. Viggs said, “I usually adapt to everything, but the field issue diverted my attention from Woods and instead I made the mistake of focusing on my guys in the game. I was really shocked that Freeport ran the ball so much and while it was close on the line Woods was terrific getting around the outside today and that was the difference in the game. I ran out of time in the last 40 seconds I should have passed my way down field, but Ricky Watters was running so good consuming a lot of yards that I thought it would be no problem because it was over 3 minutes left in the game. I was wrong.”

Rickey Watters finished the game with just four touches for 80-yards, with one touchdown, a 50-yarder! The news of the day though was the resurgence of Bengals running back Icky Woods who rushed ten times for 90-yards, with two touchdowns!

Johnny Freeport said, “I knew I could beat Viggy. It’s the league that is fooled by him, not me. That goes for everybody, that if you step on my field, you're going to leave unhappy and to beat the 49ers is a great feeling because now that keeps this team in the playoff hunt. I'm disappointed in Collinsworth, but it is what it is and will be back next week.”

Next week Johnny-Freeport’s Bengals (1-2), face divisional rival Cleveland (1-2) at home in a huge matchup! The 49ers (1-2) are at Baltimore to play the Ravens. Week #4 is a key week in the LIEFL.

CHARGERS EDGE CHIEFS IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE 7-6!

It wasn't a pretty game between Coach Ed Viggs Los Angeles Chargers and the defending LIEFL Super Bowl XVII Kansas City Chiefs, and in fact, the Kansas City offense struggled without the power and high-octane effort of Tyreek Hill. Viggs recovered fast from his 49er’s loss saying, “Hey, I have to focus on one team at a time, and my best chance to get to the Super Bowl for the third straight season I think, is through the Chargers. The Chiefs are always a big game, we win at home, they win at home, and I just have to deliver more punches than Zoo!”

The Chargers star defensive LIEFL All-Pro lineman Earl Fason played exceptional against his rival Willie Lanier. LA switched it up and so did Coach Matt Zoo-York who is also struggling at (3-8).

Success! Coach Viggs Chargers were able to shut down that powerful Kansas City offense and it seemed magical. On the opening kickoff LaDainian Tomlinson ran back of 57-yard kick return. Three plays later the Chargers put it up in the air and Viggs connected with Tomlinson, his go-to guy for a 47-yard touchdown pass to give LA the lead and that’s all the Chargers would need.

It’s the second game in a row that last year’s Superstar and Super Bowl MVP along with Priest Holmes, Tyreek Hill, ran back a 39-yard tick return and that was the last we saw of him for the whole game. That's how dominant the Chargers were throughout the game. Earl Fason dominated the line against Buck Buchanan and Willie Lanier. Kansas City was held to two field goals in the Chiefs 7-6 loss, and their high-octane offense was held to just 132-yards total all-purpose yardage. Coach Viggs continues to figure out ways to win. LA held Kansas City running back Priest Holmes to just 60 rushing yards, but more important, LA stopped Tyreek Hill from scoring and setting up Holmes to carry the big damage for the Chiefs. Viggs said, “You shut down Holmes and Hill, you shut down the Chiefs. My guys did their job and we executed on offense and that’s the way to win in the fast-paced LIEFL. I haven’t even unleashed Lance Alsworth yet, but he’s coming!” Viggs continued in a rare talk. “This is a one-stop league and one-setup league. We waste not a second. I love the speed of the game. It forces me to think quick on my feet like I had to when I played on my high school team, said Viggs.”

Viggs will prepare for another war with these Chargers as they take on the top dog in the division in Denver.

At (1-2), the Chiefs are in trouble. They have a rough schedule ahead and they will really have to raise their game to make the playoffs this season. Kansas City will go to war at home against the red-hot Steelers and Lynn Swann, and Jerome Bettis “The Bus”, and then the Chiefs play at Chicago, the New York Jets, and finally, Kansas City plays the highly competitive Green Bay Packers and Coach Viggs again at home.

SKINS BEAT COWBOYS TO STAY UNBEATEN 14-7!

The division rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins is always exciting. Dallas Coach Levi Vick has his team revved up for this huge game. Vick will play against his new mentor Coach Ed Viggs so this game should be a great battle. Both teams are undefeated coming into the game and Dallas coming is coming off of a huge 10-7 victory against San Francisco, the 2022 NFC Champion.

THE GAME:

Cowboys LIEFL All-Pro Terrell Owens ran back of 41-yard kick return to open up the game against a tough Redskins defense, hit hard by tackle Mark May. Dallas put the ball in Emmitt Smith’s hands. Smith carried the ball four times for 57-yards and then Vick connected at the one-yard line to Tony Dorsett giving the Cowboys ahead, 7-0!

The Redskins have been red hot, but never did they expect receiver Charlie Taylor to come up as big as he did today against that Dallas defense. Tony Green was very quiet in the game after a 40-yard kick return. Dallas stopped Tony Green and forced coach Viggs to pass. Viggs made a huge pass connecting with Charlie Taylor for 82-yards bringing the ball to the 2-yard line on third down. On the next play after Washington's first down on the pass to Taylor, it was Taylor again wide open in the end zone who caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7!

On the Cowboys ensuing kickoff in the second half Dallas played hard and marched downfield with a 57-yard kick return for Terrell Owens. Then Emmitt Smith ran for a 14-yard first down, but the clock was ticking, and the Redskins were pushing the clock to the limit. After stopping the Cowboys, Dallas was forced to kick a field goal which gave them the lead 10-7.

It was Tony Green who came up big with a 60-yard kick return on Washington's next possession. Green ran for 11-yards on first down and with less than a minute to go in the game coach Viggs played the clock perfectly with a 29-yard pass connection to Charlie Taylor again who scored his second touchdown of the game giving Washington a dramatic on the road victory against their Nemesis the Dallas Cowboys, winning the game 14-10, and what a game it was! The Cowboys held Green to 111 all-purpose yards. With the New York Giants playing some rising electric football, it will be an epic finish in the NFC East this season. The Eagles have an excellent team, but their (0-3) record doesn’t represent their diversity on offense.

For Washington, LaVar Arrington, Mark May and Dexter Manley anchored the defense. Arrington had three tackles and May had two, but Manley was key at Nose Tackle in stopping Emmitt Smith by causing lockups on the line for Arrington to use his speed and make tackles. Coach Viggs keeps getting better, and he does it quietly.

Charlie Taylor came up huge today and was the star of the game! Taylor had three touches for 123 yards receiving with two touchdowns as the Skins remain undefeated!

The Redskins will head to Seattle next week to face their biggest test of the season against Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch’s Week#2 totals speak for itself with 14 touches for 562 all-purpose yards with five touchdowns ranking him #3 in the NFC! Dallas plays the undefeated Miami Dolphins (3-0) next week at Dallas.

SEAHAWKS BEAT CARDINALS 17-14 FOR FIRST WIN OF SEASON!

Seahawks Rookie Coach Bobby Biggs came into this game wanting to prove to this league that he can compete at a high level. It's not his fault that he has lost a bunch of games. It is an undertaking to focus on one team at a time for Biggs in the same season because he hasn’t watched every LIEFL team, but he has studied stats and wins-losses. The rest is to rely on how each team performs on the field.

To not know your competition and then find player bases in the draft that will help you to perform the way you need to perform in any League is a huge challenge. But Biggs is saving himself from embarrassment by not quitting. He should be given credit according to Billy OC. “I love Bobby Biggs. I think he's an awesome competitor and he will win a Super Bowl in this league I believe because he has the tenacity, and the drive to take his teams to the next level. Don't forget this is just his first year. Next year will be a whole different year for this guy because now he knows the teams and he's been writing notes after the game. I saw him doing it. He takes little notes.”

The Seahawks are on the prowl at this point to go beyond a Wild Card Game. They are a lethal team who could propel their momentum throughout the playoffs. The Cardinals are no slouch. In fact, there isn’t a team in the league that can’t compete at a high level. Arizona is one of the best 0-2 teams in the league. Records can be deceiving depending on the competition in the league. One of their biggest issues for the Cardinals is the luck-of-the-draw, and they don't seem to be able to progress on offense or defense under pressure, but rather, they play catch up football. That is where Coach Kevin Mac has to improve.

THE GAME:

Seattle LIEFL All-Pro Marshawn Lynch ran the football back 53-yards on the opening drive and after several runs, the Seahawks and Coach Biggs connected with Joey Galloway on a 50-yard touchdown play into the end zone to give the Seahawks the lead 7-0!

Arizona superstar Mel Gray set out today to help his team be competitive. Gray returned the ball 56-yards on the Cardinals opening kickoff. Arizona had a hard time running the football against this tough Seattle defense led by the Big Boy, lineman Cortez Kennedy. Cards running back OJ Anderson has been consistent this season. After three consecutive runs, Seattle's defense stepped up until Anderson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run Arizona's to tie the game at 7-7!

It was time for Coach Biggs to capitalize. And as the second half started it was Marshawn Lynch who ran back a beautiful 60-yard kick return, setting up great field position for the Seahawks. Lynch went into BEAST MODE blasting through the Arizona defense 44-yards for the first down! On the next play it was Lynch again who ran in the Seahawks second touchdown of the game on a 24-yard run, 14-7 Seahawks!

The Cardinals answered with a blazing Mel Gray 100-yard kick return to tie the game 14-14! What a run!

On their final drive Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch returned a 39-yard kick return. The Cardinals defense stopped Seattle on several downs, and then the Seahawks decided to run a quarterback sneak for a 16-yard first down with time running out in the game. Seattle kicked the game-winning field goal to win the game 17-14!

COLTS STAY UNBEATEN AS THE GET BY A TOUGH STEELERS TEAM IN OT 27-21!

In another huge matchup, the rising high-powered defense and offense of the Steelers led by Lynn Swann and "The Bus" Jerome Bettis take on an undefeated Indianapolis Colts team who boast one of the best runners in the LIEFL, Joseph Addai.

On the opening drive Joseph Addai took a 75-yard kick return to the 25-yard line of the Pittsburgh Steelers, nearly breaking free for the touchdown. Addai was full of electric blowing through the Steelers tough defense for 11-yards, but he was stopped on the next two runs. The Colts relied on receiver Raymond Berry who broke free on the right side of the field to score a 25-yard touchdown to give the Colts the lead, 7-0!

Pittsburgh's Lynn Swann has been just electrifying this year as he opened the Steelers first drive with a hundred yard kick return into the end zone to tie the game at 7-7!

On the ensuing kick off, Indianapolis' Joseph Addai returned another beautiful 74-yard return and two plays later Addai was in the end zone with a 26-yard touchdown run, 14-7 Indianapolis! It was another fast paced game in the LIEFL. Alternate Coach Joe Bino fills in for Billy OC who will miss many games while finishing B A T B O Y The Ray Negron Story. Bino is a fierce competitor who hates to lose so the Colts are in good hands.

The first half came to a close with a beautiful 61-yard kick return by Lynn Swann and Swann continues to change the Steelers hopes for a playoff game in 2023. Pittsburgh started the Bus, Jerome Bettis who ran for a 10-yard first down on this next Steelers drive. On the next play Bettis pulled his way for a 28-yard touchdown to tie the game 14-14!

Never test Joseph Addai. After running back at 32-yard kick return Indianapolis chewed up the clock on four straight runs of 15, 31, 13 and finally a 9-yard touchdown run by Addai his second of the game to make the score 21-14, with time running out.

Lynn Swann is amazing he ran back at 39-yard kick return then on first down caught a 25 yard pass to bring the ball to the 35 yard line of the Colts we are on first down again, Lynn Swann broke Free from Joseph Addai for a 35-yard touchdown pass to tie this score 21-21, and put the game into overtime! What a game. It's going to be another heartbreaker and nail biter right to the finish!

This is definitely not the same Steelers team we've seen the last two or three seasons. This team will fight you every second of the game till the end.

It's going to be a dramatic one! The Colts won the overtime coin toss and they will receive the ball. It's hard, but somebody's got to lose and somebody must win.

A flip of the coin was the difference in the game in 4:37 in overtime. Joseph Addai ran back a 38-yard kick return followed by an explosive 19-yard run, and then Addai bulled his way through the Steelers defense with a 25-yard run for another first down. On the next play, it was LIEFL All-Pro Joseph Addai again on the scamper, a 17-yard touchdown run into the end zone for Addai's third touchdown of the game as the Colts win in a heartbreaker, beating the Steelers 27-21, in overtime!

Colts running back Joseph Addai finished the day with a whopping 16 touches for 385 all-purpose yards, with three touchdowns giving Addai eight touchdowns on the season with 886 all-purpose yards! Pittsburgh's Lynn Swann had five touches for 260 yards with two touchdowns, including a blazing 100-yard kick return for a touchdown! The Steelers have a huge game at Kansas City next week, and then Pittsburgh plays two consecutive home games against division rivals Cincinnati and Cleveland. The (3-0) Indianapolis Colts play the bruising Carolina Panthers next week at home. Then the Colts head to New England, then Baltimore before finishing the season finale against Tennessee.