June 7, 2023
By Daniel Cohen
“Player Chatter” is a new series consisting entirely of player quotes, thoughts, and feelings from around the league. All current AUDL players were sent a handful of prompts earlier this week designed to be as open-ended as possible. Additionally, players were asked to vote in a single-question, multiple choice survey.
Week 7 Survey Results
Which teams will still be undefeated after this weekend?
New York and Colorado: 50.0 percent of votes
New York and Salt Lake: 38.9 percent of votes
Only Colorado: 5.6 percent of votes
Only Salt Lake: 5.6 percent of votes
Week 6 Reactions
“Maybe force Joe White forehand?” Anonymous AUDL player (verified)
“Everything went the Hotbirds’ way in the fourth, you love to see it. Impressive break percentage there at the end.” Kyle Henke, Austin Sol
“James Pollard continues to be a problem for any defender who tries to guard him.” CJ Colicchio, Philadelphia Phoenix
“Congrats to Philly for the crucial W over the Flyers to essentially save their season. And I didn't even get the Cup back. What a waste of seven perfectly good dollar bills.” Clint McSherry, Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
“Carolina-DC game was very entertaining and close the entire time.” Jeremy Hill, Toronto Rush
“This Flyers team doesn't seem to want to play at their peak every week. They'll have an awesome game one day and a let down game the next.” Felix Pronove, Colorado Summit
“I had a hunch Carolina was going to go 1-1 on the weekend, so there weren’t any surprises in that regard.” Jacob Blackman, Atlanta Hustle
“The Spiders have found their premier shooter and definitely feel a step above the Aviators on offense. Bet they win that season series.” Felix Pronove, Colorado Summit
“I have never had my team start so flat in any ultimate game I can remember. We lost by five after being down seven within 15 minutes, to a team we've beaten. Credit to our coaching staff for their adjustments and game planning to get us back on track. Double credit to our D-line players for stepping up and working us back into the game. But our O-line was a dumpster fire until at least midway through the second quarter. At least a dozen unforced errors on our behalf is never going to win an AUDL game against any sort of serious competitor. And then we only got broken once the entire second half. We're better than this performance and will be putting in extra hours to keep ourselves in the playoff race.” Clint McSherry, Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
“On June 2nd, a full moon rose in the Texas sky to signal the death of the integrity call. Gone, but not forgotten. RIP.” Anonymous AUDL player (verified)
“Props to the Havoc for keeping their game tight vs. the Sol and having enough in the tank to win the second game of a doubleheader weekend.” Clint McSherry, Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
Players Not Getting Talked About Enough
“Max Trifillis is mid-season Defensive Player of the Year. He takes the hardest deep cutters and consistently wins those battles.” CJ Colicchio, Philadelphia Phoenix
“Carl Johnson is quietly winning all of his matchups and I love it. You can look this up and this is true: He leads the league in goals-per-10-possessions and has a smile that will melt your heart. A true double-threat.” Clint McSherry, Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
“Quinn Finer. Just look at this last week, no [Jonathan Nethercutt] and he steps up into that shooter role. But he literally does everything right every game. Minimal mistakes, maximum swag.” Felix Pronove, Colorado Summit
“Evan Magsig. Has been an absolute dog this year, slotting into whatever role the Oakland O line needs him to.” Anonymous AUDL player (verified)
“Hot take for the season so far, at least for our division, is that Duncan Fitzgerald is the most important player on Sol. Cool dude too.” Matt Bennett, Houston Havoc
“Evan Swiatek isn't getting the credit he deserves! Having a great season with Austin.” Jeremy Hill, Toronto Rush
“You mean to tell me the guy leading the league in goals just finished his fourth game against Dallas/Houston? Neat.” Jacob Blackman, Atlanta Hustle
On to Week 7
“Week after week we see Jacob Blackman speaking about divisions he’s never played. We’ll see how much he has to say after he and Atlanta get a taste of the East this weekend.” Thomas Nye, Philadelphia Phoenix
“If Atlanta gets all their shooters healthy and cooking this will be one spicy game! I predict overtime will be necessary.” Felix Pronove, Colorado Summit
“Hoping to see Atlanta come back down to earth after their East trip, but at the same time hope they’ll represent the South well.” Kyle Henke, Austin Sol
“Excited to see how New York deals with their first out of conference matchup, but I think they’re too strong for Atlanta. NY -3.5.” CJ Colicchio, Philadelphia Phoenix
“LA vs. POR 23-20; LA vs. SEA 19-17; SD vs. OAK 21-20; COL vs. SLC 20-19.” Michael Kiyoi, Los Angeles Aviators
“LA can’t hang in the Pacific Northwest, and Everest Shapiro can’t do long division.” Anonymous AUDL player (verified)
“Carolina at Dallas might be the highest chance for a team to get held to single digits this season since New York did it Philly in a super sloppy week 1 game. The Flyers held the Havoc to 11 at home just last week, it'll be interesting to see if traveling takes a toll on them enough to keep Dallas in the game. Also, Boston might have the first Friday/Sunday doubleheader weekend in AUDL history?” Clint McSherry, Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
“Not so hot take: Summit keeps its perfect record vs. Salt Lake intact.” Felix Pronove, Colorado Summit
“Parlay of the week: Hustle, Flyers, Summit, Aviators, Phoenix, Union, Empire, Wind Chill, Flyers, Spiders, Aviators, Royal, Thunderbirds.” Anonymous AUDL player (verified)
Water Cooler
“I’d love to take a look at integrity calls. Are they way way down? Feels like it’s a thing of the past, only people that seem to do it are players that have been in the AUDL long enough to remember it was a thing—a bit exaggerated but still.” Matt Bennett, Houston Havoc
“13.6 Integrity Rule
13.6.1 Any player or head coach can overturn any call made by an official if the official’s call favored the player’s or coach’s own team. Officials shall respect the integrity call. This allows teams to display sportsmanship and remedy an incorrect call against their opponent. A call includes fouls, stalls, or decisions regarding the results of a play (e.g., goal vs. no goal, in vs. out of bounds).
13.6.2 A player can call a foul against themselves if the call would result in a change in possession (e.g., a player may call a foul against themselves for fouling the thrower and causing a turnover).” Kyle Weinberg, Salt Lake Shred
“After stepping into Breese Stevens for the first time this weekend, I learned three things. First, Madison's fan support is the best I've seen anywhere in the league, probably only rivaled by Salt Lake, which I haven't experienced. Second, Pat Shriwise gives me hope that turning 30 doesn't mean my limbs are in danger of falling off or that I'm instantly retirement-age in the AUDL. And third, Ken Adams has the best mustache game in the AUDL this season (prove me wrong).” Clint McSherry, Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
Follow Daniel Cohen on Twitter
