2025 edition of The Indoor War has OFFICIALLY COMMENCED, and what a weekend it was. We had two Eastern Conference rivalries to kick off Friday night and one East-West showdown on Saturday that delivered some great action.
The IFL Network also made it's debut and was pretty solid for the majority of the games through the weekend. All of the bells and whistles that have been talked up aren't there just yet, but for the first week the streams were pretty good.
Massachusetts had a slight issue at the beginning and San Antonio had a couple audio issues here and there, but overall was able to deliver for the majority of the games -- and most notably all of the games had the same IFL scorebug, which is a little detail but will go a long way with the direction the league is wanting to take.
Apparently not agreeing with the IFL's roll out of the IFL Network makes me a hater and a hypocrite in the eyes of some, but hey if that's what you think more power to you. I'm a fan of the IFL and I enjoyed the weekend of games and look forward to Week 2!
What did we learn in Week 1?
Jacksonville Sharks @ Massachusetts Pirates
Result: 46-25 Jacksonville
What We Learned: The Sharks are gonna very good this year & the Pirates might have a problem on their hands
Heading into this game, the Sharks became the darling of the IFL Power Rankings -- coming in at #2 despite finishing 5-11 last year -- and their major free agency moves were a big reason why.
RB Jimmie Robinson Jr came over from Massachusetts and joined the Sharks, along with RB/WR Eddie Vander from Quad City. Adding those two pieces to the Sharks offense that finished 2024 strong seemed like a great idea on paper and it showed to be a really good upgrade on the field as well in Week 1.
The Sharks offense was efficient and got many pieces involved early and often. Vander accounted for 2 TDs, one rushing and one receiving, while Ka'ron Ashley opened his Sharks account with 2 TDs of his own (stats, stats) . This wasn't the best Kaleb Barker game (stats, stats) but the Sharks defense had the Pirates offense in hell all game -- so they had some room for error.
For the Pirates, this was brutal to watch on offense. New QB Kenji Bahar had a really, really rough debut, throwing 3 INTs and losing 2 fumbles (stats, stats) on the day and just looked lost out there for a majority of the game. I know Pirates fans were excited to see Bahar get in the mix and take over for the recently retired Alejandro Bennifield, but it's very clear it is going to take some time for him to adjust to the indoor game.
I think it is way too early to consider pulling him but they've gotta figure out a way to get the ball out of his hands quickly and into the hands of their playmaking wide receiver group -- which is amongst the most talented and experienced group in the entire IFL.
RB Pooka Williams did look really good in this one as he filled in for the departed Jimmie Robinson Jr -- accounting for 3 TDs (stats, stats) and is going to be a very productive back for the Pirates this year. The Pirates defense actually played pretty well in this one and gave their team opportunities to get back into it, but the offense just let them down.
Pirates have a lot of work to do to get the offense cleaned up for next week against Quad City.
Green Bay Blizzard @ Quad City Steamwheelers
Result: 39-37 Quad City
What We Learned: Green Bay continues their Week 1 slump & Quad City's home field advantage stays strong
This was a type of game that we saw Quad City participate in pretty often in 2024, and it was usually one that they would find a way lose. Last year they had a rotating QB group and it was ultimately what held them back from achieving more.
But the addition of QB Daquan Neal, so far, is looking like the missing link for this Steamwheelers offense to make the next step. They were able to finish drives when it mattered most and Neal & Jarrod Ware Jr are looking like they are going to be a lethal combo for Quad City this year. (stats, stats)
Quad City is now 23-8(!) at home at Vibrant Arena since 2019 and has a strong case for the best homefield advantage in the entire arena & indoor football landscape.
On the other side for Green Bay, this was a game where they looked a little stale on offense until the very end of the game, but their defense kept them in it with an opportunity to come back and tie it with a game-tying deuce attempt with 11 seconds left in the 4th quarter.
pauses to take a breath
The Green Bay defense was solid (as expected) for the majority of the game and kept this a low scoring affair -- like many Green Bay-Quad City games have been over the years -- but they were not able to get out of their Week 1 slump. The Blizzard have not won an opening week game to start their season since 2017(!), which is pretty wild to think about.
But I don't think this game is anything that Blizz fans should be worried about. QB Max Meylor will get back into a groove and should pick up where he left off in 2024. I liked how RB Joshua Mack looked in this game and think he can be a major contributor paired up with Meylor in the red zone. Green Bay will still be a good team this year. Put the panic button away.
Tulsa Oilers @ San Antonio Gunslingers
Result: 28-20 Tulsa
What We Learned: The Fighter-Oilers fusion is off to a great start & San Antonio has a very similar Pirates problem
One of the biggest talking points of the IFL offseason was the Frisco Fighters going dormant, which sparked the exodus of talent from Frisco to Tulsa. Tulsa offensive coordinator Andre Coles was the Frisco head coach in 2024, so it only made sense for some players to follow him over.
QB TJ Edwards, WR Cole Blackman, WR Phazione McClurge, RB Martez Carter and more came over and the "haha wouldn't it be if" scenario of the Tulsa Oilers-Fighters became a reality. This team is an Andre Coles coached offense with several of his key pieces from Frisco paired with a Marvin Jones coached defense with several of those key pieces returning to Tulsa.
Great offense with a great defense. I like that philosophy!
The Frisco transplants immediately made their presence and chemistry known -- with TJ Edwards scoring the 1st TD, Phazione McClurge scoring the 2nd, Cole Blackman scoring the 3rd and Phazione again for the 4th (over the wall btw). Tulsa looked good on offense to start the game, stalled a little bit and couldn't punch it into the end zone, but then was able to get key first downs and scores down the stretch to put the game away.
The Tulsa defense made life for the San Antonio offense difficult, and friend of the program DB Tre Harvey was able to come away with 2 interceptions in the second half.
Tulsa is only going to get better and I'm really pumped to see them grow from here!
On the other side, in 2024 San Antonio was known for explosive offense and porous defense, but the script seemed to be flipped for this first game of 2025 for the Gunslingers.
The defense came out and was playing tough against the talented offensive cast of the Oilers. The Gunslingers defense, led by Jordan Jones & Ulric Jones, really was flying wall to wall and making their presence known and lay some big hits. Ultimately the defense was doing their part and keeping them in the game, but the offense was a huge let down.
If you would've said in 2024 that the San Antonio offense in 2025 would have scored 20 points in a game, you probably would have been laughed at just because of how incredible proficient last year's squad was. But this year there is a new QB and a couple of WRs started the season on the Short Term IR, which you can tell caused a bit of flux in the offense.
New QB Malik Henry didn't ever look fully comfortable and settled in, was constantly holding on to the ball for too long and seemed to be very disconnected from his wideouts. He was signed more recently after the Arizona Bandits debacle, so it might also be something that requires a little more time and reps to get comfortable. But the Tulsa pass rush was getting to him and was forcing errant throws through the majority of the game, so the offensive line protection is something to take note of for future games.
It wasn't the 2025 debut that the Gunslingers hoped for, but there is plenty of room for growth. Get Nyqwan Murray & Kali Rashad back out there and focus more on shorter quick throws and this Gunslingers offense can be back in business in no time.
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