BDL 2022 Playoffs Week 2 - #8 Ivory Coast Black Rhinos @ #2 Anchorage Trappers

[Scoundrel]

9 hours ago, RuskieTitan said:

Anchorage is nice in the take home to meet mom sense, but all ya'll playas know ya'll want to vote for ICBR let's go!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EaglesPeteC]

I would expect this to be a relatively low scoring game. The power of ICR on the d-line gives Anchorage some troubles but in the end, there are too many great players on the Anchorage roster for ICR to stop for an entire game. Anchorage in a close one.

[Blue]

I think both these teams had great gameplans and are both deserving of a BizzBowl spot. Anchorage has a great plan to stop the run and rotate their defensive linemen in on pass-rushing downs. I think they really struggle to contain an exceptionally talented front four of ICBR.

Where this comes down to for me is in the ICBR secondary against the Anchorage receivers. I'm on the edge with Diggs at safety, as I think even if you believe his skillset translates well to safety in coverage, he is still going to have some growing pains there even with 2-3 games in the book and he's still a liability against the run. Even if he's only out of position once or twice, those could be game-changing plays against a QB like Joe Burrow. Worse, it makes an already poor cornerback group even worse with Terrell not playing up to last year's level and Darnay Holmes moving into the slot as the only other active DB of note.

I think this is an unfortunate but close loss for an ICBR team that really needed elite play from Aaron Rodgers and better health at safety, neither of which they got.

Edited December 20, 2022 by Blue

[LAOJoe]

Anchorage is just better almost everywhere. IC needed a perfect counter to whatever Anchorage was bringing and they didn't.

[Jlash]

This game was interesting. I think IC will be able to pressure Joey B a little bit, but for him that's nothing out of the ordinary. On the contrary, while I don't know if Anchorage gets the same amount of pressure because of how good the ICBR OL is, I do think Anchorage is so stout up front that it's going to stall a ton of drives out for Rodgers and Co knowing he needs that run game as a healthy base to be able to operate from.  I think Anchorage's depth and ability to match up chess pieces with his opponent is unmatched. 

[rackcs]

I think Anchorage wins this matchup because IC wants to go run heavy to control the clock but Anchorage has such absurd depth on the DL that I think he can stay fresh and handle the run. And like Jlash said, Burrow is so good against pass rush and is so good in the pocket that I think it will mitigate IC's biggest advantage.

[Pickle Rick]

Not sure where the offense comes from for Anchorage here.  You ain't winning with a 1 man show.  

IC for me 

[Ragnarok]

I find myself agreeing with blue's analysis.  That secondary for IC is so beat up that I think it costs them here.

[Scoundrel]

GG @RuskieTitan and @ny92mike you are both class act gentlemen and tough competitors. 

[RuskieTitan]

11 minutes ago, Scoundrel said:

GG @RuskieTitan and @ny92mike you are both class act gentlemen and tough competitors. 

Gg and good luck in the bowl

[MWil23]

9 hours ago, Ragnarok said:

I find myself agreeing with blue's analysis

Quoted for posterity