ELF: Five takeaways from Week 5
The fifth round of play in the European League of Football’s 2022 season wound up this past weekend with some new trends beginning to appear.
Once again, we check out five clear indicators of which way developments are headed.
1. Raiders Tirol are back to winning ways
The Raiders snagged an impressive 23-17 win over the red-hot Frankfurt Galaxy this past weekend. This was a combined effort that saw their defense hold the Galaxy to just two touchdowns.
If the season ended today, the Raiders would be in the playoffs. This may just be the spark they need to reignite their season after such a woeful start.
2. 2k Toonga?
Seven hundred and fifty-four yards and nine touchdowns with one more week to go until the midpoint. Hamburg Sea Devils running back Glen Toonga might just break 2,000 rushing yards and gift us all with some beautiful alliteration – 2k Toonga.
3. Cologne’s passing attack has fallen off a cliff
In Weeks 1-2, Cologne quarterback Jan Weinreich threw for 711 yards and seven touchdowns helping his team to wins in both games. In weeks 3-4, both losses, he threw for 611 yards and five touchdowns but this time. In the 34-7 loss this past weekend to the Berlin Thunder, he threw for 224 yards and one touchdown.
It doesn’t take a quantum statistician to figure out the numbers are falling…drastically. Granted, the Centurions schedule has gotten harder as the weeks have gone by, but this excuse won’t fly come playoff time.
4. Vienna’s Jackson Erdman is a touchdown machine
One third of completions by Jackson Erdman in Vienna’s 30-6 pounding of the Wroclaw Panthers were touchdowns.
As impressive a statline this is, it is slightly misleading. In weeks 2, 3 and 4 he threw a grand total of three touchdowns. But his team is 4-0, so the takeaway is that the Vikings have multiple ways to win (and that Erdman is a part-time touchdown machine).
5. Stuttgart Surge are a statistical anomaly
When you throw for 400 yards and keep your opponent under 30 points, you expect to win. This is not the case for the painful-to-support Stuttgart Surge.
Newly acquired quarterback Dante Vandeven shredded the Leipzig Kings. Even before Vandeven’s arrival the Surge were putting up serviceable numbers offensively. But, as in weeks’ past, they continue to fail in finding a way to win.
