Took a break last week to recoup--week 6 wasn't great. 1-2 with surprising upsets by OHI and TEN take us to 11-6-1 on the season. Week 8 should be a little better

Los Angeles at Honolulu (-6) - The Outlaws head west to visit the division leading Sharks this week off a solid win over the Rounders and backup QB Gonzalez. While HON seems like a cut above the rest of the Ring of Fire, I wouldn't be in a rush to lay the points this week.

First, the visitors: LAS isn't a great team. They're a good team. Despite having the gunslinging QB Bailey leading the squad, it's been the defense that wins the day. Against LVS, they allowed just 100 yards after the first quarter (excluding the final drive where they played prevent D up 8 points). Turnovers have been a big part of their success but the talent on the defense allows them to be extremely flexible with their schemes. Are you going against studs like RB Gmerek or RB Holzer? Leave CBs Schwartz and Barber on their respective islands and bring safety help. Matched up against clear WR1 target hogs like WR Porter or WR Sanderson? The Outlaws will bring the double team to force the ball elsewhere. The coaching staff has a good handle on what needs to be done defensively but it's up to the offense to put points on the board.

HON started the season looking absolutely dominant but after dropping a head scratcher to TEX, the Sharks have returned to earth. The boys needed fourth quarter heroics against both SCU (down 20-27) and DVY (0-10)-- two very mediocre teams in the conference. It seems like QB England can get into slumps in the middle of games and the coaching plan is to just play through them instead of handing the ball off. While they've been squeaking out these wins, a team like LAS is well positioned to capitalize if the ball breaks their way.

I think this is a good spot to take points with the visitors. The Sharks haven't covered a 6 point spread since week 3 and haven't been very convincing in recent matchups. I think they'll probably win if they tidy up the first 45 minutes but division rivals hit differently. HON wins: 24-20.

Hartford at Boston (-5) - Whatever Hartford did during the BYE was not the play. After beating Detroit somewhat handily, they've lost to 3 of the 4 Deep South teams on their schedule. Yes, NOS and SAO are on the come up but that loss to TEN is... not good. The Attack abandon the run quickly whenever they get behind and QB Barker has not been the most efficient passer out there. Lately he's been staring down WR Carpenter and opponents are quick to adjust. Maybe the team should try to get WRs Rowley and Joseph some more looks... or just keep using RB Feagles. The team has too much talent to be 2-4 but they need to start winning.

Boston is always under the microscope. The front office's patience for mediocrity leads to regular trades and big moves that can really shift the balance of the league. Fortunately, the controversial QB Klingbiel trade hasn't exploded in their face. 3-3 is probably a bit behind where they were hoping to be at this point in the season but the team could easily be 6-0. BRK and SAO both won by way of field goal as time expired and STL was down 8 with just 2 minutes to go. The team, like HAR, is extremely talented but the difference is the game plan. RB Hancock is a true bellcow-- one of the few in the league-- and the team's commitment is paying off.

While I do like the Blizzard in this spot, I think 5 points is a bit much to lay. BOS has won this matchup just once in the last three years and the teams are more or less equally talented in my eyes. RB Feagles has shown that he can handle more volume and I think if Hartford eases the load on QB Barker, they'll bounce back. The Attack cover this week but Boston pulls out their fourth W of the season: 27-24.

Shreveport at New Orleans (-5) - The Pride have some questions to answer after a week 7 BYE. Significant turnover and changes in the offseason have completely upended the SHR offense. RB Russell, WRs Warren and Stanton are gone. QB Ellison has been moved to the starter over QB Nolan. The team is trotting out a lot of youth and team's offensive struggles are no surprise. What IS more concerning is the defense allowing an average of 32 points in losses to LVS, KCY, TEN, and ACI. They were a relatively balanced defense last season and the addition of DE Reilly was supposed to be a significant upgrade but it hasn't quite panned out.

There has been a changing of the guard across the league but the two horse race of TEN and SHR in the Deep South is no more. New Orleans has been on the up and up and sit comfortably at 4-3 on the season with commanding wins over LAS and DUR but success in the division requires conquering their ghosts. QB Reid has a ways to go before he's a reliable starter but RBs Wells and Tatum offer multiple ways to move the ball if the passing attack stalls out. Young talent up and down the roster show a ton of promise as they gain experience and gel together. On the other side, though, changes to the secondary present some weakness against deep ball threats. S Shaeffer and CB Lauher were anchors there and their replacements haven't been as effective.

The Pride won at home in week 1 but since then these two teams have been on opposite trajectories. We could see big changes out of Shreveport's BYE but I just don't think the personnel is there to take advantage of the NOS secondary. First round pick WR Tang hasn't really been on the field but they might need his unique blend of size and speed to break the game open. The Voodoos just have to keep doing what they're doing-- maybe lean more on the ground and pound and give QB Reid some easier connections-- and they should even up the series. NOS wins and covers: 30-17.

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GL Division Champions: 2057, 2059, 2065
EFC Champions: 2057