Author: Rastahaze

“Close game my ass…this was a beat down from jump street.” not the kind of words you want to hear coming from your head coach after a lopsided lost to the Texans. Games played against Coach EMac are usually close down to wire games. This was out of control from the start.

The Texans first drive took all but six plays and they were up 7-0. Old favorite Dana McClemore took the ensuing kickoff 95yds for a score and the game was tied at 7. That would be the last you would hear from the Niners. Steve Young had his worst day as the Niners starter going 9-22 for 143yds. Not hitting passes and not even attempting to run the ball will cost you games. Run the ball and you might open up some passing lanes. Just a thought. Since starting the season 2-0 the Niners have gone 1-3 in their last games and haven’t beaten a coach yet with a winning record. Things better change if they want to make some noise come playoff time.

Reporting for the LAEFL Buzzwire Newsletter I’m Rastahaze and this has been the news according to me.

Doubling down is what the enthusiastic player will do when he believes he can walk away with it all in a poker game. The “Showdown in San Diego” was played on 10/10 in 2020, that’s doubling down. When the 49ers and Coach Rasta hosted the “Showdown” against the Texans and Coach EMAC doubling down was not on their mind, getting a “W” was. When these teams last played, a missed 50 yard field goal was the difference in the game. Coach Rasta had taken down the Vikings earlier in the season and Coach EMAC was very concerned it could happen to him. But the “Showdown in San Diego” for these teams was more of a show up for the Texans as the 49ers couldn’t get going on any of their team’s phases except special teams which responded with a 95 yd TD on the kickoff to tie the game after the Texans went up 7-0 after a long drive. The rest of the game was all Texans as Coach EMAC went 8-10 in the passing game and Coach Rasta couldn’t hit anything but open spaces. This “Showdown” goes to the Texans 31-7.

Tex Weatherford reporting for the Houston Chronicle

The Vikings and Coach Ajah (Pat Pat to Coach EMAC) were home to the visiting Texans in this “Showdown in San Diego” and a throwdown was what each team got. When they last played, Coach EMAC escaped with a 26-20 O.T. win and the Vikings were not letting Coach EMAC forget that fact. As the teams fought through every play, the 1st quarter ended 0-0. in the 2nd qtr the Texans came alive to take a 6-0 lead as shaky hands led to missed XP. The rest of the half remained scoreless as the Vikings were threatening on the final drive of the half but ended at the Texans 20 yd line. The Vikings, inspired by their final drive before the half, came flying out of blocks with a score of their own to tie it 6-6 (Vikings missed XP). Coach EMAC rallied the troops by switching to QB live format to slow the Vikings pass rush and it paid off with another TD for a 13-6 lead. A kick return by Kleinsasser brought the score to 13-12 (another missed XP). The middle of the 4th qtr the Texans continued with the QB live format and scored again to take a 19-12 lead (another missed XP). The Vikings were not done in this “Showdown” as Dalvin Cook came out of the backfield and caught the pass that brought the Vikings to a 19-18 game, The Vikings, not wanting another O.T. to decide the game, chose to go for 2 and the lead. In a brilliant call to let the QB roll out to the left as he had done in an earlier play, the QB does his thing only to be shut down by the Texans DB at the 2 yd line ending the 2 pt conversion with 2:34remaining. The Texans take possession at their 20 and hold the ball until time expires. Texans 19-18, what a :Showdown”.Tex Weatherford for the Houston Chronicle

“There is nothing wrong with your team!!” Quipped Coach Patterson as his Vikings posted a 28-6 win over Coach Berry and his Browns. Coach Berry aka Dawg Pound came into the game saying his team wasn’t ready his offense needed work. Midway through the first quarter his Dawgs were up 6-0 after causing a fumble and scoring on the next play. The Vikings regrouped and pulled away for the win but all you kept hearing was there is nothing wrong with your team!!

For the LAEFL Buzzwire Newsletter I’m Rastahaze and this has been the news according to me.

It was a cloudy overcast day one comes to except in June when one lives in California, but that didn’t damper the sprits of the 5 coaches who made the trip to Irvine on Saturday. After nearly three months of no games due to the corona virus COVID-19, the league shutdown like the rest of America for health reasons. This past Saturday was the first time games were played since March.

Games on tap Eagles vs Raiders first meeting, Forty Niners vs Bills instant classic , Steelers vs Raiders new team same results, and the night cap Eagles vs Forty Niners beat down at the Vet.

Well the Eagles game against the Raiders was billed as a possible championship game preview. Early on that preview was gone. The Raiders scored early and often as the Eagles inability to hold on to the ball while passing cost them big plays and possible touchdowns. The game turned on the first punt of the game by the Eagles which went 11 yards. The Eagles defense just missed stopping the Raiders short of the goal line. Raiders 7-0. Philly couldn’t do anything on their possession and the Raiders took the ball and drove downfield for another score and a 14-0 after the first quarter. The second quarter saw Philly pull to within one score at 14-7, but they couldn’t get closer than that as the Raiders pulled away late for the 27-7 win. Coach Isaac Cash praised the Raiders for out coaching him. “My players didn’t lose this game I did”.

This game wasn’t suppose to be played but in a strange turn of events I’m sure the league was happy it was. Instant classic game. Before we get to the climatic ending we first have to tell you how we got there. Well 6 plays into the game Jim Kelly scrambles right eluded a few Niner defenders and waltzed 63yds for the first score of the game. The Bills wouldn’t lead or share the lead until late in the game. First back to the first half. The Niners came back with a drive that featured Jerry Rice he caught two passes the last a 61yd catch and run for the go ahead score. After a blocked punt the Niners wasted no time with another Rice score from 21yds out to put them up 14-6 at the half. Jim Kelly started the scoring for the Bills with a 30yd touchdown run to cut the lead to just two points. Again they missed the extra point the Bills trail 14-12 going into the final quarter. Now down 20-12 after Steve Young tossed his third touchdown of the day to Terrell Owens from 53 yds out. Paul Cofer missed the extra point which set the wheels in motion for this instant classic. The Bills start their drive from the 20 yd line and had the Forty Niners defense on their heels. Running the ball had them at the 49 yd line of San Francisco. Kelly drops back and fires a dart to Don Beebe who then shows his speed and out runs Jeff Fuller to the end zone. Touchdown Buffalo! Needing the two point conversion to tie they cross up the Niners defense and Thurman Thomas takes it in to tie the game at 20. With just a 1:54 to play Steve Young calmly brought his team to the line called his play and threw an incomplete pass. His next three were darts. 15 yds to Rice, then 7yds to Owens, then not calling time out dropping back and hitting John Taylor who out ran the Bills defense to the right corner of the end zone for the game winning score as time expired. 26-20 Forty Niners

The only thing that changed in this game was Coach Anthony Price was now coaching the Steelers. He and Coach Eric Robinson met in last years SHOW won by coach Price 7-0. “ Today’s game wasn’t even close”, stated a defeated coach Robinson. The Steelers jumped on the Raiders early and forced them to be one dimensional pretty much the rest of the game. The Raiders offense couldn’t get anything in motion. The running game couldn’t penetrate the Steel Curtain defense. If it weren’t for Stablers scramble of 72yds the Raiders could have been shutout for the second game in a row to coach Price. Well there were two changes. Coach Price came out slinging the rock all over the field. This new scheme threw the Raiders as they were setting up for a power run game and saw the ball continually go over their heads. Terry Bradshaw had 4td passes on the day. Coach Price now has a passing game to go with his running game the Steelers will be a tough out for anyone. Their only down fall might be the defense. They played with 10 players on defense most snaps. Going forward they will need to clean that up.

The beat down at the Vet saw 7 combined sacks, 3 turnovers, and no scoring in the second half. Randall Cunningham started game off going 63yds for the score and the Eagles never looked back. They did all their scoring in the first half and rode their defense in the second half for the win. John Taylor had the Niners only score as the defense once again struggled to contain a running quarterback. Cunningham finished the game with 2td passes along with his earlier run. He accounted for all of Philly’s points.

For the Buzz the unofficial newsletter of the LAEFL I’m Rastahaze and this is the LAEFL according to me. Next game day tentatively scheduled for July 11th. Site still to be determined.

Here is another part in the series from back in the day of the LAEFL.  This is from 2002 of April 24 after game day 2 and the Commissioner David (SARS) Campbell thought some words about sportsmanship were needed.

Coaches,

Despite my two loses, I had a good time at our last Game Day Sunday.  I hope that everyone else had as much fun as I did.  We had good fellowship, good food, and good clean fun playing electric football, what a winning combination.  Speaking of winning, I know that some tempers flared during some of Sunday’s games and I believe that this is because of everyone’s competitive spirit.  We all want to have fun, but at the same time we all want to win.  I know I must have freaked all of ya’ll out when I did my little “dispey-do dance” across the room and knocked over the water.  I wasn’t actually trying to knock over the water, I just wanted to swing at the air and I accidentally hit the cup.  Ya’ll should have seen your faces, the whole room just stopped like, “What the heck is wrong with him?  Is that Dave?”

It was quite hilarious when I think about it.  Although my anger was not directed at an individual but at a situation, I’m sorry if I spooked any of you all and I’ll try my best not to do it again.  However, I’m not 100% sure that I won’t because I know that I’m nowhere near perfect.  As coaches we should never have the intent of getting angry or going off and we should always try not to.  But when someone does go off we, as refs, opponents, and other participants, should try to remember that this is neither the norm nor their intent, and that the situation just got the best of them.  In other words these types of things happen and we shouldn’t take them personally, even if we are their ref or opponent for that game.

As refs need to do our best to be impartial, both coaches need to feel that it doesn’t matter who wins to the ref, and that the calls are being made fairly on a consistent basis. At the same time we as coaches need to respect the refs call.  Trust me, there will be some botched calls!  We will ALL make some bad calls and we will ALL have some bad calls go against us, it’s inevitable.  It’s also realistic.  We should all try to keep this in mind when we play and we should all try to remain respectful towards one another.  Is this making sense, I feel like I’m rambling on and on so I’ll stop here.  I was just thinking about last Sunday and this is what came out.

I’m out to work on my squad, I’ve got ten games left to try to make the playoffs and the Browns, from the looks of their schedule, will be 9-1 by the time we meet them again when conference play resumes.  I’ve got work to do!  Coach DMC LAEFL – New York Electric Football Giants

Rasta Haze here, and while we are in this Covid-19 virus lockdown for a bit longer I thought I’d go through some of the old newsletters and see what was written in our leagues 20 years.  Not much has changed from 2002 to now.  After reading this article is there an apathy within the league towards tournaments?  Open Run and the new created Fault Line Rumble?

Desert Apathy was written by the one and only Scoopy T. NewsWorthy…beat writer for the Philadelphia Daily News.  Here is his interview with then head coach of the Eagles..Eagle Al Clegg about the upcoming Dual in the Desert tournament.

The annual EFL classic “Dual in the Desert” is set to be played soon, but some of the main components will not be there, mainly? TEAMS!!!!!!!  This reporter being the Curious Cat that I am, decided to delve deep into this growing phenomenon pledging the LAEFL, called “Desert Apathy”…..  First I went into my own back yard and had a question and answer sit down with Coach Eagle Al ….

Scoopy: Why aren’t the Eagles going to participate in the tournament?  Eagle AL: Well it seems to me that having a tournament in the middle of a season just doesn’t make since, I know this type of contest generates money, but as the old Domino players use to say, “All Money Ain’t Good Money”….You see Scoopy, I like a Small league with Big values, not a Big league with small minds, but that’s another subject: But back to this tournament Crap!! that kind of thing (tournament) is for second rate pansy’s who don’t know their a@#$ from a mud hole, hell this ain’t College Basketball for goodness sake!!

Scoopy: I see you aren’t a big proponent of Tournaments period.  Eagle AL: Yah Think?  Scoopy: Coach do you think Mike Turner (coach of the high flying circus Denver Broncos) has a hidden agenda by staging his tournament during the season?  Eagle AL: Look Scoopy I love Mike Turner hell I’ve known old Mike longer then any coach in this league except for Peatros, but I’ll tell you one thing about Mike, his head is as hard as my….err…as penitentiary steel, and he is as stubborn as a mule, matter of fact he kind of reminds me of that Mule in Sherak..ha,ha,ha..

Scoopy: That was a Donkey….. Eagle AL: Potaaaaaatos, Potatos, man you know what I meant….Anyway my point was that Mike is Stubborn and for some reason he is stuck on some antiquated, ancient, relic, Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon, cave man crap ass rule called “RULES 2000”.

Scoopy: Rules 2000? We had to debate on the pros and cons of Rules 200 in my sports journalism class at Yale….I remember my Professor saying that those rules were the RUN AND SHOOT of league rules, our main argument was that it looked good on paper but in the long run it had to many flaws to maintain substance.  Eagle AL: Exactly my point to the 10th power squared….You know, I don’t get old Mike sometimes, Mike’s got a great squad, he wins plenty of games, hell he was in the SHOW last year albeit he got stomped, but hey, none of the other coaches were there; My point is why do’s he have to insist and persist on playing those flag football rules when our league wouldn’t dare stoop it such low’s.

Scoopy: Well since it’s so easy to pass in that style of play and Mike’s teams do a lot of passing, do you think that has something to do with it?  Eagle AL: Of course Scoopy, but like I said the Broncos made it to the SHOW the last two years so why would that be an issue? I don’t get it…..

Scoopy: Coach I also heard  that he is really putting this tournament on for Coaches in other leagues all over the country and that this is what the other coaches want….  Eagle AL:  That’s a bunch of Fat Bull Nuts; If that’s the case why isn’t there an invasion on Las Vegas during tournament week, heck I’ve been there and it is so quite at the hotel that you can hear a mouse piss on cotton…Nobody shows up….Besides I’ve talked to league officials in San Antonio, and in Dallas and they said that at least half of their teams would take the trip to Vegas if RULES 2000 were eighty sixes….Half of their league!!!!!! those guys have more teams then our league and they say half would come.  Everyone wants a big huge turnout; well change the rules and THEY WILL COME……..

Scoopy: Have you told this to Mike?  Eagle AL: Have you been listening to me?  Jesus man your head is as hard as Mike’s!!  Scoopy: Sorry, I forgot…  Eagle AL: Just kidding with yah kid…..But seriously maybe you can get into his brain, and make some since of this.

Scoopy: Coach thanks for your time I know you have to get to practice….  Eagle AL: Any time Scoopy, just don’t start asking stupid question…….

From the desk of Scoopy T. NewsWorthy

 

Side note to this piece this week marks 16th anniversary of the last “Dual in the Desert” game.  It was won by our very own Earl (RevE) McMillan over Al Clegg 21-20 bringing to a close the first tournament on the west side of the US.  The Open Run would bring a few folks west but has mainly been a LAEFL event.  The next time the EFL community would venture west wouldn’t be until 2018 when Marcello Trioli started up his Fault Line rumble tourney.  Reporting for the BUZZ the unofficial newsletter of the LAEFL I’m Rasta Haze and this has been a trip down memory lane according to me.

 

 

Eagles v Cowboys

Texans v Rams

Ravens v Steelers

Lions v Jets

Raiders v Browns

49ers v Vikings

Chiefs v Bills

9am games home team listed first

Ravens v 49ers

Vikings v Texans

Steelers v Raiders

Eagles v Chiefs

Lions v Bills

*Jets v Rams

Cowboys v Browns

Afternoon games home team listed first.

*=Rams / playing one game. This game can be made up prior to the April 4th game day.