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2006
Playoff Recal (Pre-Super Bowl IX)
Well, n CFL season has been complete without a playoff meltdown by Polk High, and the 2006 season has already seen that. However, unlike in the past when the President's received lackluster performances from some of their star players, this year they were just out-manned by the CFL All-Stars. Well, that and a putrid effort from Terry Glenn. A 40-yard TD would have not only gone a long way towards getting Polk High a step closer to their first championship, but it would have put them in the Super Bowl. However, much like in 1998, Glenn caught a pass on the pening possession, and that was it. In '98 it was Ed McCaffrey needing 100 yards, and nabbing a pass on the opening possession, only to be shut down afterwards.
The upshot is that ultimately Polk High will certainly address the receiver position in the offseason, and probably make same other changes as well. But, as for the threatened roster shake-up, don't count on it.
Meanwhile, Royal Flush will face the Stars in the 'big game'. They become the tenth team to reach a Super Bowl, and with a minr upset, would become the seventh to capture the championship trophy.
As for the game itself, it looks like the Stars have a very good chance to become the third team to win a second title. Their recever advantage is enormous, even though collectively the trio of Torry Holt, Roy Williams and Marques Colston are coming off a poor game. LaDell Betts, a fill-in for Clinton Portis, has been on fire of late, which should continue. And the defense has play-makers.
On the other hand, besides Marc Bulger and Steve Smith, the Cards have steady, but not spectacular players. To win, they will need big games from their two stars, and will need a third, and maybe a fourth, player to step up huge to become the champs.
The one thing we do know for sure is that the Mighty Mice will soon become the sixth straight team to unsuccessfully defend their title.
Week 14
Well, let's jump right into it in the final regular season installment of the Coach's Corner. A lot of playoff hopes were riding on the line in week 14, and all the questions were answered, with mostly predicted results. Packmen and Ernie's Heroes held serve, and took the final two at-large invitations to the postseason dance.
The one shakeup occurred in the seedings, where Polk High leapfrogged The Crushers to take the top seed. The factors at work there were 2 special teams touchdowns for the Presidents, while The Crushers literally took the field without quarterbacks or running backs. In the end, it really doesn't matter though, as both still get first round byes.
The one way in which it might be better for The Crushers to be the second seed is that the top seed has gone on to win the Super Bowl just once in 8 years. And, it hasn't happened since Hord's Horrors did it way back in 1998. Certainly the number one seed is worth claiming, but it hasn't done much for Polk High or others recently.
And, while we are on the topic of the Super Bowl, here is a look at an interesting stat. Never has a team finished with double-digit wins and a Super Bowl championship. There is no good explination for this, but it is a fact. The key appears to be close to 10 wins, but not quite getting there, or for settling for 8. Of the 8 former champs, 5 have finished with 9 wins, 2 with 9-4-1 records, while three future champs finished 9-5. The other three champs were 8-5-1. That makes t hard to guess who will win this year based on those historical anomonolies.
This year's playoff field also features just two previous champions, the CFL All-Stars and Packmen, and one of those will be eliminated in the first round. All three division winners are still also looking for their first title as well. However, perhaps we could subtitle the 2006 playoffs the horseshoes and hand grenades tournament. Polk High is 0-4 in Super Bowls, Packmen are 1-1, Ernie's Heroes are 0-1, while the All-Stars are 1-0 in week 17.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Round 1 These are seemingly getting more meaningless every year. If for no other reason than before the season none of these teams were predicted to have a week 15 game. In the 3 vs. 6 matchup, while Royal Flush may not have been a pick to get this far this sson, certainly nobody anticipated a 10 win season. The question is, are the healthy enough to push that win total much higher. On the other side of things, Ernie's Heroes will need big things from LJ and Tiki to take the first step towards consecutive Super Bowl appearances. The guess here is that Steve Smith will overshadow the diminishing returns of Randy Moss and the Flush wll get by here.
In the 4 vs. 5 game, the question is can Packmen finally beat the CFL All-Stars after 8 consecutive losses. Packmen seemed to be the little team that could this year, while the All-Stars seemed to be a bit of a disappointment, starting with a loss to The $lick Ones. The Stars receivers have answered the bell, but there have been a lot of questions everywhere else, however getting Willis McGahee healthy is big. The guess here is that they will turn it up a notch once the playoff lights come on, but both opening round games should be close with the higher seeds edging out the competition.
Round 2
The number one seed was not solid from start to finish, but they are still the class of the field, and they are getting healthy. And they are probably deeper than they have been from top to bottom in years. But, they have been very incnsistent, looking Super one week, below average the next. However, their clear superiority on paper should propel them to a fifth Bowl appearance.
The Crushers on the other hand have to get healthy, and depth is not one of their strengths. Their receivers are very good, but there are some other questions that are not addressed well after the starters, especially at QB and RB. Now, against the projected opponent of Royal Flush they may be okay....but the All-Stars or Packmen would probably pull off the upset if Ernie's Heroes gets by the Flush and the Crushers face the wild card winner.
Super Bowl IX
Well, no real matchup was predicted, but I think this is one of those cases where it won't matter. Despite history and uncertain status for a couple of their stars possibly factoring in, it shouldn't matter. Polk High will put together a solid two game stretch and finally get the monkey off their back. Why? At quarterback they are three deep now with the addition of Tony Romo as the third option, and they drafted with the playoffs in mind and have Julius Jones and Warrick Dunn behind LT and Alexander. Is this a perfect team? No, far from it, but destiny seems to be helping them for a change. They are getting healthy as the playoffs approach, have lots of depth, and the week 14 leapfrog may be symbolic of the tide finally going their way. Presumably, from the predictions, they would play The Crushers. Polk High would beat them by double digits. CFL All-Stars? Same result. Royal Flush? Same thing. The bottom line is this is Polk High's year, and even Aaron believes....unlike previous years where the search for the fantasy football equivilient of Bartman was on starting in week 7.
Week 13
Well, the playoof picture is starting to clear up, a little. We know this much going into the final week of the 2006 regular season. Polk High, Royal Flush, and The Crushers have won their divisions are have qualified. The President and The Crushers have first round byes. What remains to be decided there is the overall number one seed for the tournament. With a win or tie, The Crushers will have the number one seed. With a loss and a Polk High victory, the Presidents will leap frog them into the tip spot. Regardless of this weekend's events, Royal Flush will be the three seed and the CFL All-Stars will be the four seed.
After that it is wide open with four teams within striking distance of the playoffs. The easiest path is for Ernie's Heroes and Packmen. Simply put, if they both win, they are in. After that, here are the ways any of four teams would qualify.
Ernie's Heroes: if they lose or tie they need a two of the following three teams to lose or tie; Crapshoot, Packmen, The mujahaDean.
Packmen: if
they lose, they can still advance with losses by Crapshoot and The mujahaDean. The mujahaDean: they make it with a win and losses by either Ernie's Heroes or Packmen.
Crapshoot: they need a win to be a facgtor. If they hold serve then they need help from losses by two of the three following teams; Ernie's Heroes, Packmen, and The mujahaDean.
There is also a completely remote possibility that the Dirty Birdz could qualify, but it would involve a win, ties by two of the teams ahead of them, and an ape climbing the Empire State Building on a even numbered day between the hours of 1 and 1:47am using Stick'em and with help from a man that needs to see a horse. To say it is a longshot is an understatement. Winning Powerball and the Masters in the same day would be an easier accomplishment, which isn't possible since the lotto drawing is on a Saturday and the tourney made famous by Greg Norman choking concludes on Sunday afternoon with Chris Berman wearing that hideous green jacket.
Also unlikely is Crapshoot making the playoffs, which as has been pointed out would be a first in league history. However, they have won three of their last four to give themselves a shot. If they do not make it, Polk High would be left as the only team to never miss a postseason. And, the CFL All-Stars would then move up a notch, by having the second-longest consecutive playoff appearance streak at eight in a row.
One team with an uphill battle that will kickoff next week is Royal Flush. They jumped out to an early lead in the Central, clinched early, but are now suffering from a nasty bite from the injury bug. Losing QB Donovan McNabb hurts them greatly as they struggle to find a second option at a critical position. For a team already a little thin at receiver, and admitting to seeming always selecting the wrong tight end every week, they needed every break they could get, but McNabb's knee was not the one they intended.
With their victory over the Mighty Mice, the Badgerz improved their non-division record on the season to 4-4. That is the second year in a row they finished with that mark. Just as odd is the fact that with a loss this week they would finish 1-5 in the East for the second straight year. That would be back-to-back 5-9 record, achieved the same way. And, going back four years, they have repeated their non-division record again, going 5-3 in 2003 and 2004, while adding a 4-4 mark in '05 and '06.
Finally for week 13, only one team has a chance to pull off the rare feat of beating every CFL team in one season. Polk High has actually pulled off the feat twice, and enter the playoffs with a chance to do it for a third time. They will need to play, and beat, the CFL All-Stars and Packmen in the playoffs. Of course, that will be tough to do, and not just since their playoff success has been spotty. It would require Packmen to be the sixth seed in the playoffs, and win their first game to advance to play Polk High in a later round. There is a much better chance of them getting a second crack at the CFL All-Stars. If Packmen get the fifth seed or miss the playoffs it cannot happen, and even for it to occur, one team would need one win and the other two playoff victories. A useless stat to be sure, but interesting nonetheless.
Week 12
The Corner has taken a few weeks off, but it is back, and just in time to discuss playoff football. ANd with two weeks to go, 9 of our 12 teams are still in the running for the posseason, or are already in and fighting for better seeding. So, without further to do, let's take a look at the sprint to the playoffs.
Division Winners: Polk High (East) and Royal Flush (Central) One or both of these teams will have a first round bye. With a pair of victories, Polk High gets a bye and minimally the second seed. Royal Flush can earn a bye only by finishing ahead of both Polk High and The Crushers, because they lost to both teams this year and therefore lose all tie-breakers.
Playoff Qualifiers: The Crushers, CFL All-Stars One of these teams will win the West, the other will almost certainly be the number 4 seed. These teams meet in week 14. If The Crushers win this week, they win the division, and clinch a first round bye. If they lose and the Stars win, then the winner of that game wins the West, and a possible bye.
Still Eligible: Ernie's Heroes: earn a wild card birth with a win. They could earn the number four seed with two wins and a pair of CFL All-Stars losses. They could also even make the playoffs without another win, but we'll cover those possibilities next week, if needed. Packmen: clinch a postseason spot with two wins. If they lose once, they need a loss or tie by the Dirty Birdz to wrap up a spot. Again, they coould make the playoffs without winning another game, but it's less likely. Dirty Birdz: they need two wins and help. The help would be a Packmen loss. If they lose in week 13, they still may have a shot to make it in week 14, but they would need everything to break their way for that possibility to exist. The mujahaDean: now we get to the long-shots. They need a pair of wins and lots of help. They would also need two Packmen losses and a loss by the Dirty Birdz. Without two wins you can stick a fork in them. Crapshoot: barely hanging on to hope for their 9th consecutive trip to the playoffs. They need to win out, have Packmen lose out, and have both the Dirty Birdz and The mujahaDean lose at least once.
The pictre should clear up significantly this weekend, and we will piece together the rest of the puzzle next week.
Tidbits from the past few weeks: Polk High lost a few games, over the past few weeks, and can top out at 11-3. They will win less than 12 games for the first time since 2002. The are in danger of being lower than the top seed in the playoffs for the first time since 2001, and could miss earning a first round bye for the first time since 1999. However, with one more win they win hit double-digits in that column for the sixth straight season.
That said, Polk High should be getting a big boost in the next week or two. Shaun Alexander looks healthy, and will return to their lineup for week 13. Shawne Merriman's suspension ends this weekend, and he will return to the lineup. And Marques Colston and Osi Umenyiora are finally able to practice, and could be ready to play in the next week or two. It has been an injury and suspension riddled year for the East champs, but they appear to be getting a dose of health at the right time.
In week 11, the Dirty Birdz and Packmen tied. While that by itself isn't unusual, the fact is that they have now tied three straight games. Which means Packmen, while playing to three ties in three years, still has never beaten the Birdz.
Royal Flush win their first division title in history. The Crushers are a win from matching that feat. Assuming both do end up as division champs, that would mean only two teams would be without a minimum of one division crown in league history, Badgerz and The $lick Ones.
Here are some of the bigger-name players around the CFL not getting regular playing time this season: Ben Roethlisberger (Dirty Birdz), Deuce McAllister, Edgerrin James, Santana Moss, Dwight Freeney (The mujahaDean), Jamal Lewis (Royal Flush), Ed Reed (Packmen), Carnell Williams (CFL All-Stars), David Carr (Ernie's Heroes), and AJ Hawk as of late (The Crushers). Perhaps some of these names will be seen involved in trades over the offseason.
And with that, enjoy another weekend of football. Remember, two things. Rosters freeze Sundy at noon, with the exception of drafted players that get hurt and may be replaced. So if you have trades left and want to make some moves you have a few days to accomplish that. Also, there are Thursday evening games the rest of the season, so get those lineups in early enough to use those players if you so choose. Everyone has been very good this year about getting lineups in on time (unlike your commish who can't get results done in a more timely fashion, for which I apologize), but I would like to make it clear that there will be no leeway granted in the playoffs.
Week 9
The ninth week represented a chance for a lot of teams to make a move, and there was some of that at the top. There are now a number of different ways the top four spots in the playoffs could fall. The Crushers pulled into a tie in the West, Polk High came back to the pack with a loss, and Royal Flush won, meaning all three division leaders are 7-2. With four teams sitting at 7-2, and Ernie's Heroes sitting at 6-2-1, there is going to be quite the race to the regular season finish line.
Clearly the most shcoking result from week 9 was Packmen's drubbing of Polk High. With their loss, the 6 time defending East champions lost their second game of the year, which matches their high loss total for a season over the past four years. But, the Packmen margin of victory is the stunner. Polk High hadn't been doubled up on the scoreboard since 2002 when they were blown out 31-13 in Super Bowl V. And, in the regular season that type of beatdown hasn't happened since a 33-12 drubbing delivered by the CFL All-Stars. The stretch lasted 58 regular season games.
One of the best stats going into this weekend also involves Packmen. However, this trend isn't quite as favorable to them. In the father-son matchup between Packmen and the Dirty Birdz, the Birdz have never been defeated. The Birdz are 6-0-2 in the series, although, the teams have tied each of the last two years. This would be a great time for the Packmen to break that streak though, as a win would give them the tie-breaker over the Dirty Birdz, and allow them to pull even at 5-5 fr the final playoff spot. A loss would effectively drop them three games behind the Birdz with the tie-breaker.
Royal Flush is on the verge of winning the Central division for the first time in franchise history. With a 3-2 finish down the stretch the wrap it up, or with a couple losses y the Packmen they will end that drought. Assuming that they finish off the season as the champs, it would also mark the first time that a team other than Crapshoot or Packmen emerged as the division champs.
Finally for week 9, The Crushers also have a chance to win the West for the first time, however, their route is a little more difficult. After a set of games with the Mighty Mice the next two weeks, they have two with Ernie's Heroes and one left with the CFL All-Stars. Their opponents over the past three weeks are a combined 19-6-2.
Week 8 The regular
season is now more than half over, and the contenders are really beginning to emerge. Polk High and Royal Flush have
commanding leads in their divisions, and the CFL All-Stars have a chance to break away from The Crushers if they can defeat
them this weekend. Speaking of
Polk High, a few weeks back it was looking as though they were not the same dominant force that they have been in recent regular
seasons. Injuries and under-performing players, plus a suspension or two threatened to turn this into a team that was
going to fight for the East division crown. However, they have flipped the switch the past three weeks and look every
bit as good as they have been in recent years, including a thrashing of the Dirty Birdz, which effectively wraps up a seventh
consecutive East title. And the Flush
continue to outperform their owner's expectations. Coming into the season Steve looked at 2006 as a rebuilding year,
with hopes that Steve Smith and a solid QB duo might be enough to sneak into the playoffs. Then in week 8 he was convinced
they were doomed to lose, and have a fight for the Central division crown. Instead his team pulled it together and took
a three game lead in the race. While those
teams may be at the top of the playoff heap, there are still a glut of teams in the race for the final wild
card spot. Even The $lick Ones at 2-6 could get back into the race with a hot stretch of games, and they have
been 2-2 over the past month and in every one of those games. The Dirty Birdz, once far ahead of the pack, have come
back to the field, although Perry saw it coming due to their recent schedule. With division play about to really heat
up over the final weeks, a team from the Central could emerge as the sixth playoff team. Plus, there is also the chance
that The mujahaDean could return to form and make a push for the postseason. Polk High's
owner has been unhappy with the play of his receivers all year, and has repeatedly tried to upgrade the unit. However,
their week 8 play may change that plan, as Joe Horn and Marques Colston had huge games to go with the steady play of Darrell
Jackson and Todd Heap. Jerry Porter even returned to the field and could see some time down the stretch, and Peerless
Price has finally been taken out of the lineup, where he was never expected to be anyway. The mujahaDean's
defense cost them a win in week 8, one that will probably come back to haunt them at the end of the season. The Dean's
offense has rarely been an issue over the years, but the defense has gotten very little out Dwight Freeney this year, and
with the exception of one huge game from Ronde Barber has gotten in the way of victory this year. If this trend continues
it would not be shocking to see some of the stockpile he has at RB and WR to be moved later this year or in the offseasn to
address that area. Crapshoot returned
to the win column in week 8, and it shows why this team is always a playoff qualifier. Larry hasn't written this season
off, and at 3-5 could come back and figure into the playoff race. He has steadily been improving the talent level of
this team since week one, and if last year is a guide, could easily go 4-2 or 5-1 down the stretch to get to 7-7 or 8-6 which
figures to minimally be on the doorstep of the postseason. Finally for
the week 8 edition, Carnell Williams, or Cadillac, was back in the shop in week 8 for the CFL All-Stars. It has to be
a little bit of a concern that one of last year's top rookies can't put together a consistency heading into the second half
of the season. Week 7
We are officially at the halfway mark of the season. Some teams are meeting their expectations, others are exceeding
them, and then there are a few of the perenial contenders on the brink of missing the playoffs. However, we have a lot
of division play left to go, and there are big some big games featuring the top two teams in the East and Central beginning
in week 8.
An outstanding battle has been brewing for weeks between Jack and Steve from The Crushers and Royal Flush respectively.
Both keep touting themselves as executive of the year, and both have legitimate claims. The Flush, as has been documented
here in recent weeks, are on the verge of running away with the Central, and returning to the playoffs for the first time
since 2001. Meanwhile, The Crushers are looking for their first invite to the postseason party since 2000, and may have
made the best trade of the offseason, acquiring WR Anquan Boldin. And then there are the Dirty Birdz. They have
a tough road ahead of them with five games left against the East, and it looks like The mujahaDean woke up with a huge win
in week 7.
Holy Crapshoot. They get a huge game from Joey Harrington, Brian Westbrook, and still coem up short. It has
been a tough season for them, and even when they bring their "A game" they run into the Polk High buzzsaw. There is
still time for them to pull a Jesus and return from the dead, but they almost have to run the table to win the Central for
the third consecutive year and seventh in eight seasons.
The $lick Ones are proving to be a team that gets off to a very rough start, then heats up right when the chips
seem down. Last year the recovered from a horrid start to remain in the Central division race through 13 weeks.
This season they started 0-4, won 2 games, and were two points awat from a victory over a good team in The Crushers
which would have returned them right into the playoff hunt.
Finally for this week, I would like to point out that Gregory from the Badgerz returns from a six month deployment to
South America. I would like to thank him for his contribution to our military, even though I frequently joke about
that trip being a cruise. He has also remained active in our league during his time at sea. While his team will
likely miss the playoffs, he is a champion in my book.
Week 6
We are rapidly approaching the midway point in the season, and as such, the contenders and the pretenders are emerging.
Teams like Polk High and the CFL All-Stars almost always seem to be listed among the contenders, but the exciting thing is
that some new teams are adding their names to the mix. And the Dirty Birdz can be listed among the contenders, and they
will have an opportunity to move up the league's unofficial power rankings if they can get past the CFL All-Stars this weekend.
Looking back at the week that was for week 5, there were several players that had breakout performances. It has
been a rather slow season in terms of huge games from individuals. But that changed last weekend, as there were a number
of credible candidates for the Horse Trailer. The Birdz had three candidates, in QB Philip Rivers, RB Kevin Jones, and
WR Reggie Brown, who was the subject of a trade rumor three weeks ago. Also lighting up the stat sheet were a pair of
WRs Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith, who fell short of Holt's excellent week. And then there was Packmen RB Travis Henry
who emerged from the great beyond to post 32 carries and 178 yards.
But it was an excellent week for Polk High, who were getting a little anxious about their average play to date.
5-1 is certainly better than 2-4 or 0-6, but they haven't really been rolling to that solid record. However, that changed
this week, even somewhat short-handed. LaDainian Tomlinson did his best Al Bundy impression, scoring 4 touchdowns.
The Chicago defense posted three scores, as both edged out the strong field to make the Trailer.
Don't look now, but The $lick Ones are slowly creeping back into the playoff race. Winners of two in a row, they
have a showdown with The Crushers this weekend, and if they pull off the upset this week they get to 3-4, in the mix in the
Central and the wild card race.
Crapshoot fell to 2-4 with a loss to the Dirty Birdz in week 5. They have never missed the playoffs in league history,
and while they started slow last year, their work may be cut out for them this time around. Their division seems to
have improved, and they have yet to find an answer at running back, with the season-ending loss of Domanick Davis and rarely
healthy Brian Westbrook.
Finally, a report from the Badgerz. They are almost certainly in the market for a QB. They are no specific
comments to indicate they will deal, but it certainly sounds like they are interested in acquiring a starter....
Week 5
It is hard to believe, but we are already more than a third of the way done with the 2006 regular season here in the
CFL. And, judging by the standings, we already have a pretty good idea which teams are the haves, and which ones are
the have-nots. However, things are likely to change some over the next few weeks, as Crapshoot and The mujahaDean rarely
are on the outside looking in at the playoffs, but they have holes to dig out of if that trend will continue this year.
One team that certainly has played like a legitimate Super Bowl contender is the CFL All-Stars. However, if the
past is a good guide, their championship hopes may have taken a hit with their week 5 loss to The $lick Ones. Over the
past 6 seasons, the teams that have gone on to capture the trophy have gone 6-1 against them. The lone loss in that
stretch came in 2002 when the Mighty Mice lost a 23-22 thriller. Then again, it should be pointed out that both teams
to capture multiple titles have lost once in their championship season to them, and are 1-2-1 in the meetings in those four
seasons.
After their week 5 victory, Royal Flush has improved to 3-2 and is now shedding the rebuilding label and talking
playoffs, and possibly become the Central division champions. Steve, their owner, is even talking about making
some moves, to add to a young nucleus of players added through the draft. The next two weeks will probably determine
that course of action, leading up to what will be the first of a pair of games with division co-leader Packmen.
Another owner looking ahead is Jack from The Crushers. Having already matched last season's win total, he is already
annointing himself owner of the year. He has quickly worked his team into a playoff contender, and get an extra boost
if he can pull off the son-over-father victory this weekend when they face Packmen.
While the big game in the West between the co-leaders earned game of the week honors, the game with the most importance
down the line may prove to be between the Dirty Birdz and Crapshoot. The Birdz are flying high at 3-2, and
with a win over Crapshoot would take a two game lead over them in the standings for what could prove to be a fight for
a wild card. Adding to that, they would also earn the tie-breaker if it comes down to that at the end fo the season.
On the other hand, if Crapshoot pulls it out, they leap-frog the Birdz in the standings via the tie-breaker.
Finally for week 5, let's take a look at some individual player award races. Thus far the league MVP has to go
to Royal Flush quarterback Donovan McNabb, who has proven to be a regular on the Horse Trailer and has carried his team
to a share of the division lead. And for draft pick of the year, it has been a close race between Packmen's RB Frank
Gore and The Crushers WR Greg Jennings. Then again, worst pick of the year is an easy one, as Polk High LB Odell Thurman
won't be suiting up due to a league suspension.
Weeks 3 and 4
After a week off, the Corner is back, doing something of a combo platter. So let's get to the highlights and
lowlights from around the CFL.
Week 3 featured a rarity, a Polk High loss. At least in the regular season. But the reason it was unusual
is that the loss occurred outside of the East. Over the past two years they had lost a grand total of zero non-division
games. They became the first team to defeat every team in the league in the same season in 2004, and matched that feat
last season. That streak came to an end after the CFL All-Stars easily defeated them.
Another issue for the Polks is the status of LB Odell Thurman. Coming off of a great rookie year in which the sky
was the limit, the young man has run into trouble instead of ballcarriers since then. His season-long suspension will
hurt a team that expected him to be their number 2 or 3 threat at the position. It is a devistating loss for them, the
owner is furious (even though he knew he faced a 4 game suspension to start the year), and there is not much help on the way.
Usually this team's problems begin in week three of the playoffs, not the regular season.
After four weeks we can begin to take a look at what teams are better and worse than they were expected to be.
The good surprises are the Dirty Birdz and Royal Flush. The Birdz rolled to a couple easy early-season victories,
and are at 3-1, tied for the lead in the East. And the Cards are 2-2, but could have easily won all four games.
Donovan McNabb has been outstanding early on, and with the return of WR Steve Smith better things could be on the way.
On the other side of the equation as teams like The mujahaDean and The $lick Ones. 'The terrorists,' as The mujahaDean's
were termed at the draft, have struggled to a 2-2 record out of the chute. While a team with as many talented skill
players and a solid QB in Tom Brady will turn things around, they are currently sitting in third place in their division,
and are one of nine teams with 2 or more wins.
Things for The $lick Ones never seem to be easy, and this year is just a different chapter of the same story. Coming
off one of the best seasons in franchise history, expectations were raised during the offseason, and it hasn't panned out
for them yet. The good news is they are in a division with no dominant team, and if the Drew's (Brees and Bledsoe) get
it together and the running game gets it together they could put together a second straight second half run and move back
into the hunt.
Injuries are a big part of the game, but 2006 has been reasonably tame through four weeks. Then again, for teams
being bitten by the bug, that fact is of little consolation. Without a doubt, the biggest injury to date is Polk High's
star RB Shaun Alexander. While the Birdz may be hurting with QB Ben Roethlisberger being banged up, the duo of Philip
Rivers and Matt Hasselbeck have been mor ethan adequate. Crapshoot is certainly missing RB Domanick Davis, and that
could be the difference between their current 2-2 and the more-expected 3-1 they normally are at this point.
And, talking about awards of sorts, let's take a look at what teams are the unfficial leaders at their positions.
The QB position has been played best by Royal Flush, led by big numbers being posted by McNabb. No running back duo
has really separated themselves from the field yet, but the overall abilites of Reggie Bush may make the Dirty Birdz the leaders
in this area at this point. The mujahaDean's would be a close second.
At receiver it is easy. The CFL All-Stars have a solid trio of wideouts, with Roy Williams, Andre Johnson, and
Roy Williams posting triple digits nearly every week.
Polk High's defense/special teams unit has been stellar for three games this year. The use of Carolina in a week
3 loss backfired, but without a doubt they are the class of this division.
The defensive line action has been so similiar around the league that it is nearly impossible to pick the top unit.
However, Ernie's Heroes has received solid play so far and would be marginally better than the rest. And at LB they
are stronger, as Urlacher and Nick Barnett are reliable every time out.
Finally, the DBs are an important position, in that a pick or a sack can turn a game around, especially if one of the
players goes to the house. And Polk High has gotten big games this year out of Adrian Wilson, and in week 3, when they
plugged in Ken Hamlin for previous starter TOry James they seemingly got much better.
Week 2
The second week of CFL play has concluded, and four teams remain undefeated. Three of the four were playoff teams a year ago, but the one that was on the outside looking in is the Dirty Birdz. They are flying high after a pair of big victories. And, according to their owner, this is just the first step for a team with a talented nucleus of young talent. On the other end of the spectrum are four teams that have yet to enter the win column. Two of these teams missed the playoffs last year, but they are joined by the defending Super Bowl champions, and Crapshoot, who has won the Central division the past two years, and six of the last seven seasons.And things do not get easier for them, as they face The mujahaDean this week. Congratulations go out to The Crushers owner Jack for picking up his first victory in CFL competition. With his first win he becomes the twentieth owner in CFL history to win a regular season game. He now is tied for eighth in all-time winning percentage. Going a step further, he is tied with several people in playoff victories, obviously with zero. Nine owners have won playoff games. For the record, Jack is the fourth owner of the franchise that originally began as Wu, and with a 1-1 record is the most successful, percentage-wise. Speaking of owners with records approaching the break-even mark of .500, if Packmen loses this weekend Greg’s all-time record would fall to 55-55-5. And, if that were to happen, if you include playoff games, they would be 59-59-5 including playoff games. However, they have been an above average franchise, as they have captured a pair of Central division championships and were the winners of Super Bowl IV. Week 2 games saw a number of 100 yard receivers. 14 players surpassed the century mark, although a number of players were not even in their team’s lineup. The mujahaDean’s led the way, passing up on a pair of 100 yard games. Donald Driver (153 yards) and Amani Toomer (137 and 2 TDs) were benched while erupting for big games. Polk High elected not to use Darrell Jackson, and his 127 yards. Packmen tight end L. J. Smith toiled on the bench as well as he posted 111 yards. After a couple weeks the trade talks around the league seem to have started. While some of the talk is speculative, a few things are known. Polk High is in the market for some receiving help. The Dirty Birdz are looking for a running back. Looking at other teams, it is possible that both Crapshoot and The Crushers might be willing to deal for a quarterback. With Tatum Bells splitting carries, The $lick Ones may join the Dirty Birdz in the market for a running back. And then there is the plight of Royal Flush who considered this a rebuilding year. They are 1-1, with their loss coming against Polk High in a game closer than the final score indicated. With Steve Smith about to return, they could certainly challenge in the Central if they keep playing solidly. And, if they are contenders in the division they may well enter the trade market. Week 1
Welcome everyone to another season of CFL play. With the race to Super Bowl IX now officially underway I guess
that means some official predictions should be made about what will transpire over the next four months. So, before
hitting on specific week 1 issues, here are some Cliff Notes picks.
Division Winners: Polk High (East), Crapshoot (Central), CFL All-Stars (West)
Wild Cards: The mujahaDean, Mighty Mice, Dirty Birdz
Playoff Predictions: Rd.1 #3 Crapshoot defeats Dirty Birdz; #4 The mujahaDean defeats #5 Mighty Mice.
Rd. 2 #1 Polk High defeats #4 The mujahaDean; #2 CFL All-Stars defeat #3 Crapshoot
Super Bowl IX: Polk High finally wins their first championship
Now, on to week 1. Certainly the team making the most noise in the opening week was Royal Flush. The Royalties
put two players on the Horse Trailer, and rolled past Crapshoot in convincing fashion. For a team that is rebuilding,
they certainly showed they can beat anyone at anytime.
Among the other things we learned in the opening week is that Polk High's receivers are not very good. While they
expect to have Darrell Jackson back soon, they are relying on the agelessness of Rod Smith and Joe Horn. And Peerless
Price, who had a nice opening week, but is far away from his peak form in 2002. While they still probably have the best
quarterbacks, running backs, and defense'special teams unit, they are vulnerable in some areas.
The opening week also means that Jack has now played his first game in our league. He takes over a team (The Crushers)
that features some quality players, and nearly defeated the runner up in last year's Super Bowl. Most feel that his
first draft was a good one, and hopefully over the years he adds to the talent on display each week in our league. And,
don't be surprised if he is able to take this team into the playoffs as a rookie, even if he competes in the toughest division
top to bottom in our league.
The opening week was a tough one for the running backs across the CFL. Normally there are several candidates from
the position for the Horse Trailer, but only LaDainian Tomlinson was even close in the opening week. In fact, several
running backs struggled, including reigning MVP Shaun Alexander. Kevan Barlow, Reuben Droughns, LaMont Jordan,
and Cadillac Williams struggled out of the gate as well. Ronnie Brown only ran for 30 yards, but his 2 TDs made
up for that total.
Finally for the opening week, here is the unimportant stat of the week. With Royal Flush's upset victory over
Crapshoot, it means that one of the most successful franchises in league history has now lost 5 of their last 7 season openers.
However, the key is they don't dig themselves too much of a hole, as they are 6-1 in the second week of the season over the
same stretch of years.
2005
Playoff Recap (Pre-Super Bowl)
The checklist for any recent season seems to include the following things. Polk High finishes the season with the
best regular season record. Check. Polk High goes into the playoffs without one or more of their best players
available. Check. Polk High loses to a team they are heavily favored to beat. Check. Therefore, 2005
is an official season.
Look back at the history of the franchise and you will see a pattern of unfulfilled expectation. In recent years
we have the 2003 meltdown, where Peyton Manning showed up for the playoffs bringing his worst game in three years. In
2004 it was a solid second round victory leading to the JV team being trotted out to try and win a Super Bowl. Not to
mention Ricky Williams abrupt one year retirement which meant instead of the former 1,000 yard back they had to resort to
Willis McGahee who followed up several 100 yard games with a Subpar Bowl performance. And then this year Peyton Manning
was out, Steve Smith was ejected, and best of all, the defeat was capped when a Brett Favre handoff (it was technically a
pass) was walked into the end zone by Lance Briggs to secure another pathetic Polk High loss.
One can only wonder how long it will be before everyone on that team is traded. We have seen year after year after
year of big-time playmakers not getting it done when needed the most. From poor showings in playoff games by Shaun Alexander,
Peyton Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson, to guys not even being available to play, it seems there is always something holding
this team back. It is quite comical really. Perhaps the problem is too much talent. Maybe a Manning for
Kyle Boller trade should be looked at (after his big week 16 game, and that is when the playoffs are held). Jerry
Porter was brought in after he led the Dirty Birdz to a Super Bowl VII title. He responded with a couple grabs for less
than 30 yards. If you get the idea that Polk High is a little upset, you aren't getting the entire picture. We're
talking Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation, George Kostanza on Seinfled, steam shooting out of his ears, face turning redder
than Rowdy Roddy Piper's irate. And the best part about it is, what can really be done about it? Certainly trading
down isn't the answer, besides, they already have Peerless Price, who is about as bad as it gets.
On a much brighter note, it is interesting how playoff runs can be made with third round draft picks. Had Ernie's
Heroes not covered their bases and drafted Larry Johnson they would have missed the playoffs and not advanced to their first
Super Bowl. And these are the type of things that seem to happen every year. A seemingly insignificant player
is drafted in a later round, nobody seems to care because it is a player not on their radar, and the guy ends up leading a
team to the playoffs, the Super Bowl, or a championship. Look at where Ernie's Heroes selected Priest Holmes in 2001
(third round) and they haven't missed the playoffs since. Badgerz picking Anquan Boldin a few years back, and he
went on to lead the Dirty Birdz to a title two years later. Curtis Martin was a late pick many years back and led Crapshoot
to several division titles. Andre Johnson was a third rounder for the CFL All-Stars in 2003 and led them to a championship.
And while Badgerz haven't made the playoffs in the past two years, nobody can argue with the success of their brilliant final
pick of the 2004 draft, Antonio Gates.
Finally, while the draft order has yet to be determined, based on what team wins the Super Bowl,we do know that The Crushers,
Royal Flush, and Badgerz own the first three picks. The remaining draft order will be posted next week, along with the
crowning of the Super Bowl VIII champion.
Week 14/Playoff Preview
Well, we have made it through the regular season. I will do a few award type things first, and then take a look
at the playoffs. And, it should be pointed out that the draft is only about 8 months away.
MVP
The regular season MVP probably has to go to Polk High's Shaun Alexander. As was pointed out last week, if you
look at the teams on top of their divisions and that made the playoffs, they all seem to have a solid running game, and since
Polk High was 12-2, "Shaun Alex" gets the nod. Other top candidates include LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson (who
may have won if he started all year), Peyton Manning, and based on position scarcity and a few huge outings Antonio Gates.
Rookie of the Year
With the huge start to the season that he had for the CFL All-Stars you have to give the award to Carnell "Cadillac"
WIlliams. It is a limited field for rookies in our league, and even after returning to Earth after returning from injury
the nod goes to Williams. Down the road Alex Smith or Ronnie Brown may prove to be better, but in 2005 that wasn't the
case.
Draft Choice of the Year
Easiest decision of them all. Larry Johnson by Ernie's Heroes. Without LJ Ernie's Heroes would have lost
Priest Holmes and had nobody in reserve to lead them to the playoffs. LJ had an MVP caliber season over his last 8 game
stretch and saved Ernie from a possible 4-10 season.
Biggest Surpise Team
The award goes to the winners of the West, the Mighty Mice. The talent was there all along, but when Eli Manning
stepped up his game this year the rats took off. Since their Super Bowl win in 2002, the Mice had fallen badly.
At the midway point of the season they may well have been the best team in the league, but even without Terrell Owens they
managed to win the West and gert a first round bye.
Playoffs
It's the best time of the year because now every stat counts. No more correcting the problems next week, watching
for other teams to lose, it is all about the game. Or, in this case, the five game, six team tourney for the trophy.
Round 1
Ernie's Heroes faces the Central division champions, Crapshoot. The Heroes have the studs to win this one,
but they need to wake up Randy Moss. However, Crapshoot is on a roll of late, and if their running game can match LJ
and Tiki the shoot will extend their streak.
The mujahaDean facing the CFL All-Stars has game of the week written all over it. One of these pre-season favorites
will be knocked out here. The edge probably belongs to the Deans, because of their depth at reciever and quarterback
duo. Also, watch what the dinged up Mike Vick does in this one. If Torry Holt gets hot and Troy Polamalu makes
a big play on defense the Stars can pull it out.
Round 2
Polk High will face Ernie's Heroes. In a battle of the best running back duos in the game the Heroes will win that
battle, but Polk High will win the war. Polk High is deeper that Ernie's Heroes, even with Peyton Manning's status to
be determined.
The Mighty Mice face The mujahaDean. The question here will be will the Mighty Mice or a rat with wings show
up. When they bring the "A" game, the Mice can beat anyone in the league. However, they have battled inconsistency
over the past six weeks without T.O., and the Dean's depth will prove to make the difference.
Super Bowl VIII
As normally becomes the issue, what will Polk High be able to field for a team by this point? With Manning and
probably MVP pick Alexander likely wearing sweats instead of jerseys, they may face yet another uphill climb to that elusive
Super Bowl title. Even with the Edge likely joining injured CMart and Deuce on the sidelines by this point, their depth
should prevail, giving them a third Super Bowl championship.
And, with all that out of the way, it is time to lace them up and take it to the field!
Week 13
After some technical issues the Corner returns, and just in time to discuss the end of the regular season. And
what an interesting season it has been. Larry Johnson is now leading Ernie's Heroes to the playoffs, Carson Palmer is
half of the Polk High QB duo, The $lick Ones shrugged off injuries and nearly made the playoffs, and Royal Flush went from
being a preseason Super Bowl pick to potentially having the first pick of the 2006 draft. There will be plenty of time
for other oddities of the year that was later, but the year isn't over yet, and what better way to prove it than by discussing
playoffs.
PLAYOFF SEEDINGS/POSSIBILITIES
#1 Seed: Polk High locked this one up in week 12.
#2 Seed: The winner of the West. With a win, or CFL All-Stars loss, the Mighty Mice earn a first round
bye. With a win and Mice loss or tie, the CFL All-Stars get the bye.
#3 Seed: The winner of the Central. With a win or Packmen loss or tie, Crapshoot wins the division, and final
remaining playoff spot. With a win and Crapshoot loss or tie, Packmen win the division. There is also a marginal
chance that The $lick Ones could win the division. However, for that to happen, they would need to win their game, Crapshoot
would have to lose, and the point difference in the two games would need to equate to 101 points. For example, The $lick
Ones would need to win 51-0, and Crapshoot would need to lose 50-0.
#4 Seed: The mujahaDean secures this spot with a win or a tie. The Deans slide to the fifth seed only
if they lose, and CFL All-Stars win in week 14, coupled with a Mighty Mice victory.
#5 Seed: Any one of four teams could land in this spot. The mujahaDean could end up here, using
the scenario laid out earlier. The Mighty Mice will be the fifth if they don't win the West. Ernies
Heroes could jump to the fifth seed if they win and the CFL All-Stars lose. If none of those things happen, the CFL
All-Stars take the fifth seed, which is the thing most likely to occur.
#6 Seed: Very likely to belong to Ernie's Heroes. However, as detailed above, they could leapfrog the CFL
All-Stars into the fifth seed.
DRAFT ORDER SCENARIO
#1 Pick: While six teams will soon battle for the Super Bowl trophy, the other half lives waiting for next August's
annual draft. The Crushers will have their shot at the top spot with a loss or tie. Royal Flush moves into the
top spot with a loss and a win by The Crushers.
WEEK 13 NOTEBOOK
From the notebook, Polk High has some interesting numbers going. With their loss to The mujahaDean they have a
chance to set another record, if they can lose to the Dirty Birdz. If the defending champs beat the number one seed,
Polk High would finish the regular season with exactly one victory over every team in the league in the 2005 season.
In 2003 they also defeated each team, but they won two against division foe Badgerz. Digging deeper, Polk High is 23-1
in their last 24 games outside the division, which was also part of a run in which they are 45-5 in their last 50 regular
season games. And yet, they are just 2-3 in the playoffs in the years that stretch comes from.
As another regular season wraps up and six teams chase the trophy, lets take a look at how teams have done historically
in defense of their titles. The answer may shock you, as there seems to be a rapid decline for the teams after their
victories.
1999 Hord's Horrors 9-5 (9-4-1 in Super Bowl season of 1998)
2000 Hord's Horrors 6-8 (9-5 during Super Bowl season on 1999)
2001 Badgerz 6-8 (8-5-1 in Super Bowl season of 2000)
2002 Packmen 6-8 (9-5 in Super Bowl season of 2001)
2003 Mighty Mice 4-10 (8-5-1 in Super Bowl season of 2002)
2004 CFL All-Stars 10-4 (9-5 in Super Bowl season of 2003)
2005 Dirty Birdz 5-7-1 (8-5-1 in Super Bowl season of 2004)
In the season after winning the Super Bowl, defending champions are an average at best 46-50-1. En route to winning
the Super Bowl however, their combined record was 60-34-4. It is also interesting to note that no team has ever won
a Super Bowl coming off a year in which they won ten or more games. And, only one team has one the Super Bowl after
losing a number of games other than five. Let's see if that stat holds true this year, as three teams could finish the
year with five losses, while only Polk High is out of the running due to their double-digit win total.
On the other end of the spectrum, the team losing the previous Super Bowl has fared better than the defending champions.
1999 Packmen 8-6 (9-5 before losing Super Bowl I)
2000 Polk High 9-5 (7-6-1 before losing Super Bowl II)
2001 Mighty Mice 3-11 (8-5-1 before losing Super Bowl III)
2002 Polk High 10-3-1 (10-4 before losing Super Bowl IV)
2003 Polk High 12-2 (10-3-1 before losing Super Bowl V)
2004 Crapshoot 8-6 (7-7 before losing Super Bowl VI)
2005 Polk High 11-2 (13-1 before losing Super Bowl VII)
Teams have recorded a 61-35-1 record coming off Super Bowl setbacks. While that is down from the 64-31-3 they combined
for on their way to the Super Bowl, the regression after a trip to the championship game has been much lower. While
only two defending champions have returned to the playoffs after their Super Bowl seasons, only the 2001 Mighty Mice failed
to return to the playoffs after their Super setback.
Week 10
Well, thanks to a Polk High win over the weekend, we have officially enter the point in the season in which we can put
letters in front of team names in the standings. Polk High is the first team to clinch a spot in the post-season playoff
party. They could be joined this weekend if the CFL All-Stars defeat The Crushers coupled with losses by four other
teams. A Polk High victory or a loss by The mujahaDean would wrap up the East division. Finally, a Polk High win
and a loss by the CFL All-Stars would clinch them the number one seed in the playoffs. You have to love the complex
formulas of figuring out the teams that can clinch playoff spots and seeds, especially if you are one of the teams going to
the second season.
Speaking of the team that clinched a playoof berth, they came out away with a victory over The mujahaDean thanks in part
to the defense in week 10. Second round draft choice Will Witherspoon recorded an interception and touchdown and rookie
Derrant Williams matched that feat as well. Combined with Shaun Alexander's three touchdown effort, the short-handed
Polk High beat the Deans, who were also playing without Chad and Rudi Johnson among others.
This from the Cliff Clavin school of meaningless information. If the playoffs were to begin today, four of the
six teams that would qualify have won a Super Bowl. And five of the six would have played in one. However, with
the defending champions just a half game back, if you add the Dirty Birdz to the mix and eliminate Ernie's Heroes, current
holders of the sixth seed, five of the six would have Super Bowl trophies, and all six would have played in the final game
of the year. How is that for a little known, or cared about, fact?
Things have gone south quickly for the Mighty Mice in the past few weeks. In what might be the Coach's Corner version
of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, ever since they were touted as a legitimate Super Bowl contender things have gone bad.
They entered week 8 at 5-2-1, leaders of the West, and within reach of a possible top seed in the playoffs. Since then,
star wideout Terrell Owens has been suspended for four weeks and likely the season, they have dropped two straight games,
and have only a one game lead over the seventh seed Dirty Birdz. That comes on the heels of The $lick Ones and Packmen
being touted as longshots to make playoff runs, and both teams turned it on in the wake of that in recent weeks. And,
Royal Flush was picked as the favorite to win the Super Bowl before the season, and they wouldn't make the playoffs if the
season ended today.
Last week we talked about the number of scenarios that could play out in Week 10 and leave any one of a number of teams
in the Central division lead. Week 10 did nothing to simplify things, as Crapshoot and Packmen won and The $lick Ones
and Royal Flush lost. However, that meant nothing compared to this week. At the end of week 11, any of the four
Central division teams could emerge as the leaders of the pack. Things should clear up over the remainder of the season
however, as after this week two of the final three weeks will feature division play, which will likely lead to one team breaking
away from the others.
Finally, since this has been a playoff-themed column, here is one last meaningless stat. Only three teams have
made the playoffs with a losing record in league history. In 1999 the CFL All-Stars won the West with a 6-7-1 record.
In 2000 Packmen secured the final wild card spot after posting a 6-7-1 record. And in 2002 Crapshoot won the
Central with that same 6-7-1 record. All three teams went on to lose their first round playoff game. However,
it appears increasing possible a team will sneak into the playoffs with a losing record in 2005, so perhaps that streak of
playoff futility will end in 2005.
Week 9
What a difference a week makes. Heading into week 9, the Mighty Mice looked like serious contenders. Then
Terrell Owens gets suspended, and is probably done playing for the year. This is a huge blow to a Mighty Mice team that
was playing the best football in the league. Without TO they were easily defeated by The Crushers and look like a team
that will be unable to make the playoffs. The truth for what lies ahead for the Mice most likely lies between best and
worst team in the CFL, but certainly far closer to worst now than they were a week ago.
Another team facing a player being finished for the remainder of the season is Ernie's Heroes. The difference between
the Heroes and the Mice is that Priest Holmes is far more easily replaced with the emerging Larry Johnson, whom they wisely
drafted in August. The probable loss of Holmes for the rest of the year just moves up the timetable of Johnson taking
over for Holmes alongside Tiki Barber in the backfield.
We had a first in league history over the weekend. Dirty Birdz and Packmen played to a tie for the second
consecutive year. The Birdz have never lost to Packmen, but have now tied them twice.
The CFL All-Stars recaptured the lead in the West over the weekend. They are one of three teams in the four
team division to have the lead thus far in 2005. Ernie's Heroes had the lead earlier this season after sweeping the
season series over the Stars. Eventually the Stars took the division lead back, before the Mighty Mice went on
a winning streak and took the division lead. With their loss and the Stars win in week 9, the CFL All-Stars have
taken the lead back. In the East Polk High has led wire-to-wire thus far. Which leads us to the Central, where
any one of three teams could be the division leader by the end of week 10. With a win this weekend, Royal Flush
retains the lead in the division, minimally by tie breaker. With a win and Royal Flush loss, The $lick Ones would
assume the Central top spot. Also possible, Packmen taking the division lead with a win over Royal Flush and a loss
by The $lick Ones. And, if your head isn't spinning yet, with a win over The $lick Ones and a Packmen win over
Royal Flush, Crapshoot would be one of three Central teams at 4-6, with Packmen leading the division at 4-5-1.
After nine weeks, we can begin to look at which teams have been disappointed by players they were counting on thus
far in 2005. And there is no position where it is easier to do that than in the backfield. The Dirty Birdz have
not gotten the production hoped for out of Kevin Jones (381 yards on 3.0 yards per carry) thus far. Brian Westbrook
(325 yards on 3.5 YPC) looked like a potential breakout star coming off a solid 2004, but has struggled in the rushing game
this year. Ahman Green (255 yards on 3.3 YPC) has been a major letdown for The $lick Ones since acquiring him a
year ago, and their rise to contention this year in spite of that has been impressive. J.J. Arrington (116 yards on
3.1 YPC) hasn't had the rookie season that some thought he was capable of having. However, the team let down the most
by the running game has to be Royal Flush. While it was expected Marshall Faulk (a mere 142 yards) would have a
reduced role in 2005, that reduction has been much greater than expected. Jamal Lewis (436 yards on 3.0
YPC) is the leading rusher for Royal Flush, and that helps to explain the inconsistency of the current Central division
leader.
Finally, we are reaching the point in which the Badgerz have fallen apart the past two seasons. While the
Badgerz are a very respectable 13-15 since Gregory took over the team in 2003, they entered this season 5-9 in the second
half the past two years. That includes a 5 game slide to end the 2004 season. With a week 8 loss, that
record moves to a dismal 5-10 since 2003. For the Badgerz to return to the playoffs for the first time
since 2000 that will obviously have to change.
Week 8
The second half of the season has begun, and the race to the playoffs is now in full swing. The first half of the
season is normally about giving yourself a chance to make the postseason, and the second half is about getting in, and positioning
yourself as well as possible for a run at the Super Bowl. By the end of week 8 you begin to get a feel for which teams
have realistic chances, and what teams are probably on the outside looking in. History dictates that 8-6 always gets
you into the playoffs. Only one team cannot get to that record, The Crushers. However, a number of teams face
that sixth loss in week 9, as Crapshoot, Dirty Birdz, Packmen, and The $lick Ones all enter this weekend with 5 losses.
A couple people speculated that Polk High may run the schedule undefeated. Well, that thought can be put to bed.
Behind a huge game from Antonio Gates, Badgerz knocked off Polk High. The loss ends a 19 game regular season winning
streak for Polk High, or more impressively, it was Polk High's first loss since last September. Polk High is now 23-2
in their last 25 regular season games. More devistating than the loss of the game is the loss of QB Daunte Culpepper.
While Carson Palmer slides right in as the official starter alongside Peyton Manning, the injury brings Polk High right back
to the field in terms of depth at the position.
With Polk High's loss, the league's longest winning streak now belongs to the Mighty Mice. And the strength of
that roster is an impressive receiving corps. Terrell Owens, Hines Ward, Steve Smith, and Tony Gonzalez have been putting
up monster stats lately. With the emergence of Eli Manning, the Mice lead the West division. They have burst on
the scene as legitimate contenders this year, after finishing 8-19-1 the previous two years since winning Super Bowl V.
The mujahaDean have reaped the benefits of Jake Plummer's improvement in 2005. In exchange for a pick that Dirty
Birdz used to select RB Ronnie Brown, the Dean's picked up a quarterback that threw 4 touchdowns in week 8, and hasn't been
picked off since week 2. Meanwhile, the Dirty Birdz have struggled mightily at the position this year, and face an uphill
climb to the playoffs in their Super Bowl title defense.
Looking back at the draft, four QBs were selected in the first round. And none of them head into week 9 as probable
starters. Brian Griese (second to Packmen) is out for the year, Kyle Boller (fifth to Badgerz) hasn't played since opening
night, J. P. Losman (seventh to The mujahaDean) lost his starting job a few weeks back, and Alex Smith (eighth to Ernie's
Heroes) missed last week's game due to injury. In fact, with Daunte Culpepper now finished for 2005, the only QB that
a 2005 draft pick was used on who is expected to play this weekend is Kerry Collins, whom the Mighty Mice resigned in the
third round.
Finally, the stat of the week heading into the weekend belongs to the Dirty Birdz. In this father-son matchup,
the Dirty Birdz are undefeated all-time against Packmen, entering the game 6-0-1 all-time.
Week 7
Well, seven down, seven to go in the regular season. At the halfway point of the season, it seems as though we
have a lot of teams right in the middle of the playoff mix. The Crushers are the only team that don't seem to have
much chance of getting into the playoffs. Even at 2-5, teams like Packmen and Crapshoot could still make runs at the
postseason, especially in the Central, which is average at best. Everyone else is at least 3-4 or better. With
increased divisional play in the second half, we'll see how that factors into things over the next month and a half.
In that very playoff mix are The $lick Ones. It seems as though the road from here on will be quite rocky for them.
Ahman Green is now done for the season, which will be a major hurdle for them to overcome. The bright side
is they play 5 of their final 7 games against the Central division. The good news however, is that no matter what happens
down the stretch, they have exceeded their win total from each of the last two years already.
While The $lick Ones might be gearing up for their first playoff appearance, one impressive streak may be coming
to an end. Crapshoot has made the playoffs each of the past seven years. However, following a 2-5 start, that streak
is in serious jeopardy. Polk High also has an equally impressive streak in tact, but at 7-0 would seemingly be on track
to secure a playoff spot in a few weeks. However it may be too early to stick a fork in Crapshoot since they
are just two games back in the Central.
Week 7 was a very interesting week around the league. There were virtually no monster numbers put on the stat
sheet by players. In fact, the Horse Trailer saw the worst set of numbers all year. October has seen one great
week by QBs around the league, one big week for the running backs, and week 7 was simply weak.
The Crushers may have found a solid running back in LaMont Jordan. The former backup to Curtis Martin has been
hot the past few weeks. With an offense consisting of Trent Green, Jake Delhomme, Jordan, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie
Wayne, they will certainly have a hand in what teams make the playoffs. While their 1-5-1 start gives them the worst
record in the league, that offense can compete with anyone in the league. If they can solve their problems on defense
they will be a factor around the CFL in the coming years. And they are certainly a dangerous team to have coming up
on the schedule for teams looking to make the playoffs.
Speaking of teams from the West, the Mighty Mice are looking more and more like legitimate contenders. Eli
Manning is beginning to emerge as a budding star at quarterback. Terrell Owens, Hines Ward, and Tony Gonzalez are as
good as any WR/TE trio around the league. If Fred Taylor can get, and stay, healthy, and Steven Jackson can play with
more consistency, there is no reason the Mice can't reach Super Bowl VIII.
Finally, Polk High has been approached a number of teams this season about the availability of QB Daunte Culpepper.
However, now one begins to see why there has been no interest in moving him, despite his high cap number. While Carson
Palmer has seen more playing time than Culpepper thus far, Culpepper teamed with Manning to lead Polk High to victory in week
7. This week, it will be Culpepper and Carson Palmer at QB for Polk High. Peyton Manning would figure to be a
lock as starter for the undefeated leaders of the East, but the flexibility this trio gives Polk High, and ability to exploit
matchups, are why Polk High won't be trading Culpepper, even with his playing time diminishing this season.
And don't bother on Carson Palmer. He also isn't going anywhere. Except possibily to the Pro Bowl.
Finally, let's take a look at teams potentially looking to deal. It was speculated a few weeks back that The $lick
Ones may look to deal a QB. With their recent winning streak, that may have changed. They still have three quarterbacks
in the last year of their contracts, but playing for 2006 wouldn't appear to be the immediate plan now. However, if
offered a RB for a QB, that may draw serious interest. The CFL All-Stars have been rumored to be looking for a QB.
Polk High has explored possible trades for a WR, but with Darrell Jackson and Joe Horn expected to return well before the
playoffs, they aren't in a position to have to make a move. It can probably be speculated that Badgerz would be in the
market for a running back. If they lose this week, would Packmen consider trading Brett Favre? In the last year
of his contract, and nobody knowing his future, one could certainly argue the future Hall of Famer might be expendable.
Week 6
A few weeks back we saw the week of the quarterback, but week 6 was the tale of the tailback. Shaun Alexander and
LaDainian Tomlinson combined for 281 yards and 7 touchdowns (one passing) for Polk High. The Edge went for 143 yards
and three scores for The mujahaDean. Tatum Bell, making his first start for The $lick Ones, crossed the 100 yard barrier.
And then there is Priest Holmes, who struggled in the rushing game, but hit the century mark receiving.
Speaking of runners, one has to wonder what The mujahaDean's plans are for Deuce McAllister. The talented running
back suffered a season-ending knee injury in week 5. With three other very talented runners still in the fold, and McAllister
being a free agent, will he be back in 2006? While Edgerring James has been able to come back from a serious knee injury, runners
like Terrell Davis and Jamal Anderson never regained their form. Will the Dean's resign McAllister, try to deal him
to someone looking to get a top five RB on the cheap, or will they cut the Deuce loose? It should be an interesting
decision for the two-time Super Bowl champions.
There were quite the number of scores posted by defenses in week 6. Packmen, Polk High and the Mighty Mice each
got a pair of touchdowns from the other side of the ball. Crapshoot and The mujahaDean also posted defensive touchdowns.
There had been very few points put up on the defensive side of the ball coming into the weekend, so we'll see if the defenses
start piling on the points now.
The $lick Ones were on the fringe of having another of their injury-plagued seasons in which their record hit the "two-and"
mark. After finishing 2-12 in each of the last two years, they have hit two wins in the first half of 2005. Their
victory over then-West leading Ernie's Heroes showed an impressive array of weapons. Drew Bledsoe tossed for over 300
yards, Bell had over a hundred on the ground, Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Smith totaled hundred yard days receiving, and Zach
Thomas paced the defense with a dozen tackles. They are still alive in what has been a weaker Central division than
we've seen in recent years. They enter week 7 just one game out of first.
There were a lot of close games in week 6. Three games were decided by just two points. There haven't been
many close games all year long, and then half of the week 6 schedule was decided by just two. Among the goals in
the off-season was to make for a more competitve league, and hopefully week six was an example of that becoming reality.
At the halfway mark there is only one team that has less than two wins, only one team has more than four, and everyone still
has a legitimate chance of making the playoffs as we reach the middle of the season.
Week 5
Five down, nine to go in the regular season. We are finally entering that portion of the season where records mean
something. A team with a softer schedule jumping out to a 2-0 record really doesn't mean too much, but by week 5 you
start to get a feel for which teams might be for real, which teams may be surprises in 2005, and which teams may be disapointments.
Then again, with many team checking in at either 3-2 or 2-3 at this point, not too much has been established, and there is
plenty of time for teams with rough starts to get things back on track for a possible playoff push.
Depth is always an important quality, especially for teams that figure to be in the playoff race. Losing a star
back or receiver can be a deadly blow to a team likely to be on the playoff bubble. Many teams currently feature three
legitimate runningbacks today, and as a result an injury to a starter may hurt, but not ruin a season. And then there
is the case of The mujahaDean. With a quartet of Edgerrin James, Rudi Johnson, Curtis Martin, and Deuce McAllister,
they may have the most talented backfield this side of Notre Dame's fabled Four Horsemen. Even with McAllister's week
5 season-ending injury, the Deanos should still be in good shape down the stretch, as no team would appear to be better suited
to suffer a loss like that to their running game.
Would the real Josh McCown please stand up. Benched last year for ineffectiveness, McCown was pressed into action
in week four and responded with over 400 yards of total offense. In week 5 he repeated that feat. If this is the
real McCown, one has to wonder if Badgerz knew something nobody else did when they traded Brett Favre and acquired Steve McNair
on draft day. Now if Kyle Boller returns from injury in a few weeks and puts up consecutive 400 yard efforts we'll know
that they stumbled on to something. Perhaps the team that finds hidden gems at receiver on a seemingly yearly basis also
has that knack for the QBs as well. Now, if only that held true for the running game....
Just food for thought, will there be any deals going down in the next few weeks? One team that could soon walk
up to the bargaining table is The $lick Ones. With Ahman Green ineffective thus far, and missing last week's
game due to injury, a playoff push seems unlikely given their current 1-4 record. They have three legitimate starting
QBs, all with one year deals, in Drew Bledsoe, Drew Brees, and Aaron Brooks. While every indication has been given
that Brees will be resigned, it would not be shocking to see either Bledsoe or Brooks dealt in the next month.
Things will get very interesting if a few more starters go down. Polk High would seem to be the only team that
could sustain an injury to a starter and not be expected to consider a run at one of the B's. And then there are the
teams that might have interest in an upgrade even without injuries.
The Mighty Mice took an interesting week 5 gamble. With Tony Gonzalez sitting out his bye, and with no other
TE's on the roster, the Mice elected to play only three receivers and conserve a trade for later in the season.
And it was a gamble that paid off, as they defeated The mujahaDean. In the end the matter might be moot if they make
minimal changes to the roster as the season progresses, but that could be the type of gamble that could pay off for them
down the line.
Week 4
Week four, the week of the quarterback. The Mannings combine for eight touchdowns, benefitting Polk High and the
Mighty Mice. Marc Bulger and Josh McCown each throw for over four hundred yards to help Badgerz and Royal Flush.
Brett Favre and Brian Griese joined the three hundred yard club helping Packmen to their first win of the season. And three
touchdown tosses from Donovan McNabb helped Royal Flush to a victory.
You have to feel for the plight of the CFL All-Stars in week four. Mike Vick and Cadillac Williams left the
game early, Darren Sharper and Julian Peterson didn't hit the field, and Ernie's Heroes threw two defensive touchdowns on
the board. While Sharper was on the injury list and his status was questionable, the loss of Peterson hurt, as
it was announced he was inactive late Sunday afternoon. Since the Stars won the linebacking categories anyway,
that wasn't the major problem, but you got the sense that Ernie's Heroes was in the power play all afternoon.
The Mighty Mice escaped with a tie in their matchup with The Crushers, who are for the record playing much better lately.
The Mice ground game was limited to say the least. Steven Jackson and Fred Taylor combined for 31 yards on 18 carries.
Jackson carried the load with 10 tries for 17 yards, while Taylor chipped in 8 attempts for 14 yards. The Mice rushed
for a total of roughly 93 feet, which doesn't stack up well against 126 yards each from The Crushers LaMont Jordan and Warrick
Dunn.
While there was a lot of success through the air for some teams, The $lick Ones did not join in that success. Their
receivers caught a total of 9 passes 87 yards. That type of production does not generally lead to success, especially
with the seeming downturn in Ahman Green's game. Factor in a number of their defensive regulars getting a week off and
running into a hot McNabb and Bulger combination, and you are going to lose games 46-21.
Week 3
After three weeks, we have some new things going on around the league. For the first time in team history, Packmen
has began the season 0-3. It's been a struggle for them so far, and a long fall since winning Super Bowl IV. The
team they beat in that Super Bowl however has done the exact opposite. For the first time in their team history, Polk
High is 3-0 out of the gates. It is somewhat shocking that Polk High hasn't started a season 3-0 until 2005 since they
own the best record in league history. At least the best regular season record.
So, the game of the week for week 3 was an important matchup between the Dirty Birdz and Royal Flush. How do the
teams respond? Royal Flush starts Nate Burleson who was out of action last week with injury, Ray Lewis, whose
team didn't play a week ago, and Donte Stallworth, who failed to make a catch. But, not to be outdone, the Birdz went
with the Baltimore defense and Dunta Robinson which weren't in action, and did the Flush a favor by going with TE Jeb Putzier
who didn't bother to catch a pass. Royal Flush went on to win the game, but it was hardly the game of the week
when you factor those thing into the equation.
The real game of the week was between Polk High and the Mighty Mice. Polk High won on the strength of their passing
game, and especially their running game. RBs Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson combined for a league-record
eight touchdowns. They ran for seven of them, and LT contributed a passing touchdown. The combination of the running
game and QBs Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer contributed 27 of the team's 34 points in the win.
With division play kicking off league-wide this weekend, let's take a look at those teams that have had the most success,
and least success, in division play ove rthe years. The two team with the best records in the regular season are
also the most successful in division play. Polk High has a 30-12 record in the East, and Crapshoot has a 27-15
record in the Central. The most successful team in the West is Ernie's Heroes, who are 23-17-3 in the West, which includes
a week 2 victory over the CFL All-Stars, their opponent this weekend. Teams with less success include Badgerz (16-26)
in the East, The $lick Ones (11-30-1) in the Central, and The Crushers (17-23-2) in the West. A quick glance at those
numbers might suggest that the key to success in the CFL is taking care of business in your own division.
The best stat line from week 3 goes to Kyle Orton. Roughly halfway through the third quarter he was 5 for 15 with
5 interceptions. But when you think about it, he completed 5 passes to teammates, 5 passes to the opposition, and
5 passes to nobody.
Congrats to Curtis on his first win last weekend. The Crushers 33-22 victory over Crapshoot puts Curtis into the
win column for the first time in CFL competition. With the victory, Curtis becomes the 19th owner to win a game in the
league. More interesting is that if The Crushers were to make the playoffs and win a game, Curtis would be just
the 10th person to win a playoff game.
Week 2
The second week of the season is never a very important week, unless later in the season you have to revert to tie-breakers.
And perhaps the game in the West in which Ernie's Heroes pulled a minor upset could rank as one of those games. Talk
about a resiliant team with big potential down the road, the Heroes are one of only two undefeated teams left
in the league. Larry Johnson looks to be the heir apparent to Priest Holmes, and the future may not be as far away as
one would thnk. Randy Moss is going to continue coming up big. The big question for the team will remain at quarterback.
But, at least after two weeks of football Ernie's Heroes looks like a legitimate contender, in a year in which
that was thought to be untrue.
Royal Flush had a huge game out of banged up starter Donovan McNabb, and gives them three Horse Trailer players after
only two weeks. It is entirely possibly more than one team won't get three for the season, and they pulled off
that feat in two weeks. Of course a win would have been better, but theyare showing signs of the explosiveness
mentioned in prior weeks.
Is there a better, more underrated group of receivers than Polk High's quartet. Joe Horn is generally overlooked,
but has been a major contributer for years, but is best remembered for pulling out a cell phone during an endzone dance
a few years back. Darrell Jackson is a very steady player that is known for dropping passes, but his stats would indicate
he does catch a fair number of them too. Todd Heap is a year removed from being a top rated tight end, and
now has been relegated to the lower half of the top ten. And Ike Bruce has been the fourth starter the past two
weeks, and his numbers over his career speak for themself. Week in and week out over the years this unit has gotten
the job done, but have never been viewed as an upper echellon group at the position.
The Crushers seem to be a poorly named team at this point, but that will change. There have been some good
additions made to a team that needed an infusion of youth and talent. Getting beaten badly the first two weeks of the
season is more indicaitve of thepast they are going to have to overcome than the future. And taking Jerome Betis out
of the lineup would be a good place to start.
Week 1
Another season of play kicked off over the weekend, and the individual defensive players era is off to a good start. Also,
using the tight end position has added to the games in the first week of the season. It will be interesting to
see how these changes impact the league standings at the end of the season. One week is far too small of a sample size
to use when evaluating any shakeups in the standings caused by these changes.
let it never be said that Badgerz can't figure out a way to pull off a minor miracle. Two years ago they drafted
Anquan Boldin and he became a star right off the bat with a huge bedut game. Last year Antonio Gates was a relative
unknown, and Badgerz took him and now have one of the top TE's in the game. And, in 2005 after one week we can add Willie
Parker to the list. Who? Yes, Willie Parker, the only back in the league to total over 200 yards of offense
in the opening week. The big question for Badgerz entering the year was how their offseason trades would impact the
team, but players like Steve McNair, Willie Parker, another another draftee Deion Branch had a bigger impact than former Badgerz
Brett Favre and Travis Henry in week one.
It's early, but you have to respect the results of The $lick Ones. An opening week victory gets them off to
a good start, coming off a season in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The Crushers are a
team with a legitimate upside, so scoring a win over that ballclub is a step in the right direction for a franschise that
has struggled in the past.
Speaking of defense and impact, Royal Flush DL Jason Taylor provided both in being named the first defensive player
to make the Horse Trailer. He recorde a sack, scored a touchdown, and provided a big boost to Royal Flush in a
big opening week victory. They have played good football going back to the second half of last year, and will be a legitimate
contender in 2005.
It's far too early for any game to be considered big, but Ernie's Heroes faces off with CFL All-Stars this weekend.
The winner of this game will take an ealry one game lead in the division. Ernie's Heroes has played the All-Stars very
well over the years, and if they are going to recapture the West crown they need to continue that success in 2005.
Speaking of Ernie's Heroes, we could have some drama unfold as the season progresses. In week one Larry Johnson
out-performed Priest Holmes in every category. As the season goes along with till be interesting to see if and
when the high Priest's role diminishes. However, LJ was picked up for drunk driving by Kansas City police Sunday
evening, and this could present a problem for Johnson. He has proven to have a huge upside, but questions about
his character won't go away after this incident.
Prediction Column
The first games of the 2005 season are hours away from kicking off. With kickoff rapidly approaching, it is time
for the prediction column, so that in four months when everything I said doesn't happen there will be record of my words.
With that disclaimer taken care of, here is what will be happening in the upcoming season.
East Division:
This is Polk High's division. It has been since 2000, and there is no reason to think 2005 will be any different.
The offense is just too good for this team not to capture another division crown and playoff appearance. After Polk
High it becomes an interesting battle for "best of the rest". The mujahaDean should finish second, as their lineup is
stacked with possibly the second best offense in the league. Then again, Dirty Birdz are the defending Super Bowl champions,
and they should return to the playoffs, provided Ben Roethlisberger is a suitable second at QB. Badgerz have some major
questions in the backfield, and need a sack-machine season from Michael Strahan to return to the playoffs.
Central Division:
Probably the most wide-open. Anyone could win, and yes friends, that does include The $lick Ones. Last year
they could have finished 8-6 if they scored 25 more points. They won't win the Central this year, but they are a lot
better than the 2-12 they finished a year ago. Packmen is another team that struggled a year ago, and they revamped
the QB position, which was a pressing need. They also won't win this division this year, but they too are improved from
a year ago. So, it becomes a two team race. However, it's so close that it comes down to a battle between
the QB's of Crapshoot versus the play of rookie LB DeMarcus Ware. I think Ware outperforms the Crapshoot QB duo and
takes the Central for the first time in team history. As a result, Crapshoot battles for a wild card spot.
West Division:
First of all, The Crushers are two RBs away from being a contender. If LaMont Jordan has a big year they are a
step closer, and could challenge for a playoff spot. Ernie's Heroes is in semi-rebuilding mode, and will probably miss
the playoffs for the first time since 2000. Mighty Mice had a real nice draft, but are probably one more draft like
it away from winning the West for the first time since 2002. That means a very good CFL All-Star team will win the West
for the second year in a row.
Playoff Teams:
We have established that Polk High, Royal Flush, and CFL All-Stars are in the playoffs after winning their respective
divisions. Now, who joins them in the post-season dance? Well, let's look at the contenders. I
think The mujahaDean is in, without a doubt. So it will become a race for 2 more invitations to the party.
On the bubble are Crapshoot, the Dirty Birdz, and Mighty Mice. Each team has a lingering question heading into
the season. The defending champs seem to have the best potential answer of the trio, so we'll put them in the ballroom.
That means it will be father versus son for the final playoff spot. In the end it will come down to who wins their week
6 matchup, and going out on a limb, it will be the Mighty Mice.
Road to Super Bowl VIII:
Round 1
Royal Flush will squeek by the Mighty Mice.
Dirty Birdz will continue their playoff success over The mujahaDean.
Round 2
Polk High goes back to another Super Bowl as they end the magical post-season run of the Birdz.
Royal Flush will barely get by another opponent, this time the CFL All-Stars.
Super Bowl VIII
Well, we know Polk High can't win a Super Bowl, so Royal Flush becomes the seventh team in the league to capture a Super
Bowl trophy.
There you have it, on paper, or at least the internet, what will undoubtedly happen this year. No question, every
"i" was dotted, every "t" was crossed, I carried the one, and even Carnack the Magnificent was consulted. The Magic
8 ball never lies. Not even a rabbit's foot is going to help if you aren't Royal Flush. Then again, none of this
will happen, and that's why we play the games. So, tell me, who's ready for some football?
Post Draft It was a very interesting afternoon at the 2005 draft. Normally the draft brings about a number of trades, some groaning from other owners as "their player" is picked right before their selection, and some choices lead to eyeball rolling. That really wasn't the case yesterday, as the drafts, both offensive and defensive, mostly went according to plan, if you go by the rankings national publications had entering the draft. That is not to say that everything went according to plan, and there were a number of interesting facets to yesterday's proceedings. In the bigest deal of the day, Badgerz sent Bret Favre and Travis Henry to Packmen for Lee Suggs. That drew a lot of criticism and some of that eyeball rolling. While nobody is certain what role Henry will have with Tennessee this year, and nobody seems to know how much longer Brett Favre will be wearing green and gold, Suggs is a player in the last year of his contract, and also has an uncertain role. The only other deal to go down was Badgerz acquiring another former MVP quarterback, Steve McNair, for a future draft choice. McNair is only a few seasons removed from winning his MVP award, and if healthy will be a great addition to the Badgerz lineup. Of course, that if has been a bigger and bigger question in recent years after his early-career Favre-like exploits as a player that never missed a start. A trade that completed on the eve of the draft saw Jake Plummer go to The mujahaDean for a first round pick. Dirty Birdz expected Alex Smith to be around when they pciked on Saturday, but when he was selected eighth by Ernie's Heroes they instead opted for Ronnie Brown. The Birdz never did select a QB in the draft, and as a result will rely on last year's rookie sensation Ben Roethlisberger to start with Matt Hasselback. While that combination was likely to be starting this year anyway, the impact of this deal will be evident in the future when the Birdz eventually do get their heir-apparent under center. Between the offensive and defensive drafts a number of players were resigned. There were some easy calls, such as Shaun Alexander, Daunte Culpepper, and Torry Holt. Kerry Collins will stay in a Mighty Mice uniform, Derrick Mason stays with The $lick Ones, and Lavernues Coles remains with Crapshoot. All three could be poised for big seasons, but were not the easy, automatic decisions Alexander, Culpepper, and Holt were. As for the draft itself, the draft changed with the ninth pick when Crapshoot selected Julius Peppers. It seemed as though it was at that point that a number of teams started to scramble as the first round came to an end. That isn't a dig at Takeo Spikes, Charles Grant, or Kevin Williams, but he was the final big name pick that came in round one. Plenty of superstar players went after Peppers, but players such as Jason Taylor (18th), LaVar Arrington (19th), Derrick Brooks (25th), and Ronde Barber (30th) went a little lower than their star-power would suggest they would. Age would certainly be a factor for some of these superstars, while injury-plagued seasons in the past may have been a factor as well. On the other hand, younger players such as Lance Briggs (1st), Jonathon Vilma (14th), Marcus Trufant (16th), and rookie DeMarcus Ware (31st) suggest that some selected youth and potential over star power. The addition of defense has the potential to shake up the standings this year. A team like Packmen who was able to add players like Ed Reed, Jonathon Vilma, and Nate Clements to the roster could facilitate a quick return to contender status after a down year in 2004. It will be interesting how this affects the standings this season. Teams like Polk High and CFL All-Stars who have tremendous fire power on offense are likely to remain championship contenders, but it also figures to elevate teams that had the higher picks on defense. In the end it figures to improve the competitive balance, which is good for the league. Offensively one needs to start with this observation. And, it figures to be something nobody expected going into the draft. Three Buccaneers, Brian Griese (2nd), Michael Clayton (9th), and rookie Carnell Williams (10th), were drafted in the first round. Just as shocking, the top ten picks in the offensive draft saw more Buccs drafted than the entire defensive draft. The addition of the tight end position made an impact in the draft as well. Alge Crumpler (6th), Jason Witten (19th), Randy McMichael (21st), and Ben Troupe (25th) are all players unlikely to have been drafted under the old rules. All figure to be impact players this year, along with players like Jeremy Shockey, Tony Gonzalez, Todd Heap, and Dallas Clark who were selected in recent years. It will be interesting to see the impact of tight ends on the league this year, especially in the trade market. A record six running backs were selected in the first round. Willis McGahee (1st), LaMont Jordan (3rd), Stephen Jackson (4th), Carnell Williams (10th), Julius Jones (11th), and Ronnie Brown (12th) all had their names called. When CFL All-Stars selected McGahee with the first overall pick it was the second time in three years CFL All-Stars selected a running back with the first pick of the draft. McGahee joins Barry Sanders (1998), Ron Dayne (2000), DeShaun Foster (2002), and Clinton Portis (2003) as running backs taken first overall. Ernie's Heroes had a very interesting draft. Selecting Alex Smith and Larry Johnson shows vision for the future. The thinking is that Larry Johnson will be the running back of the future when Priest Holmes hangs up his cleats. Alex Smith may or may not play this year, but with Patrick Ramsey and David Carr already in place to start this year, it allows the Heroes a year for Smith to develop before needing to put him in the lineup. They wanted to draft Carson Palmer a year ago for the same reason, and that is basically the way that Polk High has used Palmer. A blueprint for the future seems to be developing for Ernie's Heores. Mighty Mice is another team that seems to be building around young players instead of trying to acquire a veteran or two to return to the playoffs quickly. Keeping Kerry Collins in the fold should allow Eli Manning a year or two to develop. Drafting Stephen Jackson and J. J. Arrington on offense, along with younger defensive players like Terrell Suggs and Marcus Trufant makes you believe that Mighty Mice could be a force for a number of years once everything comes together. Arrington, selected with the 16th pick, may prove to be the steal of the draft. In the end, it appears as though the emphasis on younger players has increased in recent seasons. Players like Kurt Warner, Warrick Dunn, and Steve Smith who figure to make big contributions were left undrafted whereas Alex Smith, Tatum Bell, and Larry Johnson were drafted and may not see the field much this year. The impact of this draft may be as evident in 2007 as it is in 2005, but only time will tell. A college professor once told me that only lazy writers use that phrase, but it's the only line that is appropriate after the draft.
WEEK 14 The regular season
has come to a close, and after 14 weeks of play, we finally are set for the playoffs.
It was an interesting season, as The $lick Ones notched both their first playoff appearance and first division title
in their history. They joined Royal Flush who also went worst-to-first last year
to win the Central, which sets up a meeting between the squads. The big game of
the week lived up to the hype, as The mujahaDean held off a strong challenge from Polk High to capture the East, a first round
bye, and the number one seed in the playoffs. It took a 400-plus yard day from
Tom Brady and a defensive score to get the victory. It also continued the trend
for Polk High of getting destroyed by defensive scores. Take away three games
in which defensive scores, and normally multiple one, made the difference, and they finish 11-3 instead of From a competitive
aspect, I would like to thank everyone for putting forth their best lineups in the final weeks of the season. There is always the temptation to ‘tank’ the final weeks of the season with a look ahead at
better draft position, but nobody did that, and that created some drama in the race for the postseason. Speaking of the
draft, the tentative draft order for 2008 has been posted on the front page. Keep
in mind that the Super Bowl champion will take the last pick on rounds 1, 2 and 4, and the top pick of round 3. Therefore, some of the playoff teams could move up a spot depending upon how the playoffs play out. Also, the draft order does not reflect trades involving any of those picks. All of this will be completely updated after the Super Bowl in played in week 17. PLAYOFF PREVIEW Finally, a playoff
preview. First of all, I correctly predicted 4 of the 6 playoff teams. Now, let’s see how well I can do in guessing how these teams fare over the next few weeks. Wild Card Round: Third seeded The $lick Ones take on division rival Royal Flush. The third seed in 4-5 in the opener over the years, so the trend is that seeding means nothing in this
game. These teams seem to have some big philosophical differences, but the bottom
line is that quarterback play will determine a winner here. Drew Brees and Derek
Anderson should be enough to pull Round 2: We start
with a rematch of The mujahaDean and Polk High. It may defy logic slightly, but
Polk High is the pick here. Why? Well,
look at what it took for the top-seeded team to win in week 14. Polk High solidified
the running game in week 12 with the pickup of Ryan Grant, and what will be the difference here, along with TO catching passes
at a receiver position that makes these team’s early season matchup irrelevant.
One the other side, The $lick Ones and the CFL All-Stars would square off. The
bottom line is that the Stars need a huge game from their receivers and defense to win.
More often than not this season they have got that to happen for them. However,
The $lick Ones seem to have that lucky rabbit’s foot in this one, and I might add, the more well-rounded team. Super Bowl: So, this sets up Polk High vs. The $lick Ones in the Super Bowl. Raise your hand if you ever saw this one coming. If you have
your hand up, I know you are a liar. The major question here is what roster Polk
High has available, which has been a big problem for them over the years in 4 previous Super Bowl appearances. All along, I have said this is the year that Lady Luck finally sides with Aaron, and while logic would
say Tyler is going to add a Super Bowl crown to his magical season, this is the week in which Aaron is repaid for every bad
break this year, getting a touchdown or two on defense to eek out a victory and finally get his trophy. WEEK 13 A big Week 13 hello
to you all. As we head into the final week, not much has been decided about the
playoffs. Here are the few things that we know.
The CFL All-Stars have won the West and will be the number 2 seed in the playoffs.
That is set in stone regardless of what happens in week 14. Then we begin
the speculation. The easiest thing to determine is the top seed. The winner of Polk High’s matchup with The mujahaDean will be the top seed. Should that game end in a tie, The mujahaDean wins the East. All
three of these teams are in the playoffs. A win by The $lick Ones, or matching
any result from Royal Flush gives them the Central division and the third seed. The
Dirty Birdz have clinched a wild card, but the seed could vary. They will get
the fourth seed with a win. A loss by the Birdz means the loser of the East title
game takes the fourth seed. All of that, if
you can believe it, is the easy part. There is a chance four teams could end
with identical 8-6 records. Should that happen, The $lick Ones win the Central
and the three seed, Royal Flush would be the fifth seed and the Birdz would be the sixth seed, and Ernie’s Heroes would
be out. It is also possible that four teams could finish 7-7. In that scenario, The $lick Ones still win the Central and the three seed, the Dirty Birdz get the fifth
seed, and Royal Flush get the sixth seed, with Ernie’s Heroes and the Mighty Mice missing the playoffs. And, if any of these teams have a week 14 tie, I will let you figure it out! The easiest way
to sum it all up is for The $lick Ones and Royal Flush a win gets them in. Ernie’s Heroes needs a win and a loss by
one of those teams. It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out. Now that I have
that unpleasantness out of the way, let’s look at week 13. Some teams played
very well. The Mighty Mice slim playoff hopes were dashed despite an emphatic
win over The $lick Ones. The Spartans were also impressive in a victory over
the Dirty Birdz. There have been times in which Curtis’s squad has been
very impressive this season. And, the CFL All-Stars, one week removed from talk
about rebuilding, came up huge in a win over The mujahaDean. As a note to playoff
qualifiers, I will be emailing you an official copy of your playoff roster sometime prior to your first game of the postseason. I will remind you of this again next week, but check it to make sure we are all on
the same page. Expect an updated
playoff preview next week, complete with predictions that will of course ultimately prove incorrect. Then again, going back to predictions from the start of the season, two of my three division guesses could
prove to be correct. Then again, only one of them may prove to be true. However, I could hit four of my six playoff guesses.
And, it goes without saying, congrats to the Dirty Birdz, Ernie’s Heroes, and The $lick Ones for proving me wrong! Finally for this
week, The Spartans and Mighty Mice will complete their first season of play under new ownership. I would first like to thank Jim and Curtis for their work and dedication this season, and as their combined
WEEK 12 The trading deadline
has passed and we are down to just two weeks of regular season play. The unusual
thing is that only one team, The mujahaDean, has clinched a playoff berth. Six
teams are fighting for the five remaining playoff spots, and it looks as though this could be the rare season in which a 7-7
or better record may not be good enough to qualify. Week 12 congratulations
to The $lick Ones who are just one win away from clinching their first playoff berth in league history. Speaking abut the
playoffs, here are the teams that can wrap up a playoff spot with a win in week 13.
The Dirty Birdz have the easiest path to locking up a spot, as a win, tie or Royal Flush loss will get them in. Polk High and the CFL All-Stars also clinch with a win or a loss by Royal Flush. Meanwhile, a win by Ernie’s Heroes and The $lick Ones combined with a loss by
the Flush will give them a postseason spot. The $lick Ones are in a good spot
however, as they can with the division with a week 14 victory over The Spartans, no matter what happens this week. As you can probably tell, Royal Flush needs a week 13 victory to keep the majority of their chances alive,
while the Mighty Mice might be able to sneak in with two wins and the always popular ‘several games breaking their way.’ We did this earlier
this season, but with the final week of games between teams in different abut to be played, let’s look at the records
each division has attained against the others. The East is 19-11 against the
Central and West. The West is 13-14-1 against the East and Central divisions. And bringing up the rear, the Central has fared the worst, compiling a Finally this week,
a milestone was reached in week 12 as Polk High notched regular season victory number 100 with their victory over The Crushers. They are now 100-35-3 in just less than 10 full seasons. The current East division leaders The mujahaDean is the closest in the race to become next to 100, with
an all-time record of 83-52-3 record. WEEK 11 Week 11 is now complete,
or as it could otherwise be called, the week of the defensive/special teams scoring.
A bunch of teams benefited from a score by those players supposedly trying to keep people out of the endzone. However, nobody was a bigger benefactor of these extra scores than the Dirty Birdz. Antrel Rolle scored twice, and nearly had a third – it was called back. He also got a score from the Last week I referred
to good player pickups this season, and Polk High WR Terrell Owens outdid himself again in week 11. He posted 4 touchdowns, which gives him another Horse Trailer sighting, his second in three games for the
new team, and truthfully, he could have easily been three for three. His numbers
in three games are 24 receptions for 472 yards and 7 scores. Also in the trading
pipeline, it appears as though Steven Jackson is back off the market. After some
trade discussions took place, it appears as though Jim has decided to keep him in the fold.
A different player whose name came up over the weekend is WR Steve Smith. It
is unclear what Royal Flush would want in return for the pass catcher. As a reminder,
rosters freeze this Sunday at WEEKS 8-10 And down the stretch
we come, as week 11 signals that the unofficial playoff push begins now. There
are quite a few interesting storylines as we hit the final turn. In the Central,
The $lick Ones are looking to make their first playoff appearance, with a chance to win the Central division crown in the
process. The West features four teams that seem to have no interest in capturing
the division title. CFL All-Stars hold a slim lead over the field, which includes
a 3-7 Mighty Mice team that is still alive. In the East, Polk High takes on the
Dirty Birdz in week 11, the winner stays alive in the race, while the loser probably will make the playoffs via the wild card
route. Just another reminder
that rosters freeze at Speaking of trades,
let’s take a moment to evaluate some of the deals that we have seen thus far in 2007.
As was mentioned before, Polk High has been quite active on the trade front this season. Starting before the campaign began. T.O. has had a pair of
big games for them, while RB Kevin Jones, WR Reggie Brown, LB Julian Peterson and DB Troy Polamalu have contributed to their
Royal Flush lit
up the email inboxes of fellow owners last week, talking about his selection of RB Adrian Peterson. The rookie of the year candidate promptly went out and had a sub-par game by his standards, then got hurt
and will miss at least next week. While Steve launched a grenade with his boasting,
let’s examine another rookie having an excellent first season – Dwayne Bowe of the Dirty Birdz. Selected with the 34th pick, the rook has surpassed the numbers of every other receiver picked
ahead of him. Calvin Johnson (1st), Marques Colston (5th),
Mike Furrey (18th), Braylon Edwards (26th), Jerricho Cotchery (27th), Chris Chambers (31st),
and Dwyane Jarrett (32nd). While talking about
the Birdz, their chances in the East and at a second Super Bowl crown have been taking a beating in recent weeks. Literally and figuratively. The biggest loss is RB Ronnie
Brown, who was developing into a star. DB Dunta Robinson recently joined him
on the ‘out for the season’ list. While those two suffered season-ending
injuries, QB Jay Cutler is playing banged up and RB Brandon Jacobs missed time earlier in the year due to injury. This team remains a threat, but their margin for error was much greater about five weeks ago, when they
were in the midst of a six-game winning streak. You know how you
can tell you are having a rough season? When you lose two games in one week. That is what happened to the Mighty Mice in the past seven days. To be accurate, the standings published after week 8 incorrectly credited them with a victory and The Crushers
with a loss. Jack alertly notified the league office (you think I am going to
admit to the error?), and the change was made. After a week 10 loss, the Mice
went from 4-5 to 3-7. And just to be sure, everything was checked after the error
was discovered, and the rest of the standings are accurate. Finally this week,
back to playoff talk. Or at least trying to assess which teams stand to qualify
for the postseason. Royal Flush has the easiest remaining schedule, facing teams
that are a combined 13-26-1. On the other end of things, Badgerz and Mighty Mice,
two teams facing long odds to begin with, take on opponents clicking to the tune of 23-15-2 marks. Here is the record of each team’s remaining opponents. Badgerz 23-15-2;
CFL All-Stars 16-23-1; Dirty Birdz 18-19-1; Ernie’s Heroes 19-20-1; Mighty Mice 23-15-2; Packmen 19-20-1; Polk High
21-18-1; Royal Flush 13-26-1; The Crushers 22-17-1; The mujahaDean 19-20-1; The $lick Ones 19-20-1; The Spartans 21-19. WEEK 7 As we settle into
the halfway point of the season, it is a good time for a statement of reminders from the league commissioner. The first is the if you have unsigned draft picks, please get that taken care of soon. The list of drafted players in on this site, so check out your team and you’ll know. The other thing to keep in mind is that rosters freeze after kickoff for week 12, with the exception of
replacing an injured drafted player. You have up to 8 moves at your disposal,
so use them however you see fit. That takes care
of the front-office stuff. On the field, the Dirty Birdz are red hot. With a victory over Polk High, they now have a league-best five game winning streak and have moved into
second place in the East. Perry, who now refers to himself as ‘Triple Crown’,
described consecutive victories as beating the ‘Twin Towers’ of The mujahaDean and Polk High, the two teams with
the most wins in league history. That is the good news for the Birdz. The bad news is they are going to be without RB Ronnie Brown, who was emerging as a star, for the rest
of the season. This season had
been lacking some trash-talking until the past few days. In fact, only in week
2 when Packmen played the Badgerz and Greg said that a Greg was going to win that week, there was none. That all changed in week 7. The Dirty Birdz and Polk High
enjoyed a spirited war of words leading up to their game, which is not uncommon in the long-standing Aaron-Perry rivalry. Then Royal Flush upped the ante, saying that his team was back on the path to the
Super Bowl, and that they had the best receivers in the CFL. However, by Monday
evening he was backing away from the Super Bowl comment, saying it came only after a Donte Stallworth touchdown. Let’s see what week 8 brings from the bi-polar Flush. With a few teams
sitting at 2-5, we are at that point of the season where some teams may decide to deal players. And, unlike recent years where in-season deals were pretty low, it appears as though there are a number
of teams that feel like they are in the race and the level of deals may increase. Plus,
a few teams in the hunt for the Super Bowl trophy have suffered significant injuries, meaning they may feel the need to reload. I like to come at
you loyal readers with some stats and figures to think about every week, but this one just is a subjective opinion. It seems as though defensive and special teams touchdowns are way up this season. This week alone I believe every one of our 6 league games featured at least 1 score from those units. Normally teams seem to get a couple extra scores a year, but this year it feels like
it is way up. In fact, it seems like Packmen has really benefited this year,
while Polk High has seen bonus touchdowns against them in 5 weeks and at least 7 extra scores. Finally this week,
as we are at the halfway mark, it is a good time to check to see what division is the strongest. Thus far, the East has dominated outside their division. Polk
High ran through the Central in the opening weeks, completing a sweep of that division.
Meanwhile, The $lick Ones are 0-3 outside the Central, yet they are 3-4 overall.
Here is how the divisions stack up outside the division. The East has
an 11-3 record. The West has the second-best mark at 3-6, while the Central has
struggled to a 3-8 record. WEEK 6 With six weeks in
the books, we now know that we will once again not have an undefeated team in the CFL.
The red-hot Dirty Birdz knocked off previously unbeaten The mujahaDean to end their flirtation with 14-0. With that shot at the record gone, they now have a chance to tie Polk High’s 13-1 record from the
2004 campaign. Our second trade
of the season has just been completed as I sit down to write this week’s column.
Last week Polk High traded a RB that is a legitimate starter, probably on the downside of his career. This week, it is another RB involved, in a classic ‘I’ll take your player that you are sick
of if you take mine’ trade. In this deal, Polk High is once again at the
center of the deal, shipping Warrick Dunn to the Dirty Birdz in exchange for WR Reggie Brown. Two candidates for
the league’s rookie of the year award have emerged in the first half of the season.
The Dirty Birdz have enjoyed a solid start by WR Dwayne Bowe, but Royal Flush RB Adrian Peterson looks to be a lock
for the award. By hitching his name to the league’s Horse Trailer with
a 224 yard, 3TD game, it seems as though the back everyone now claims they wanted is going to be a star for a long time for
a team hanging on to a glimmer of a playoff hope. The Mighty Mice
returned to the win column for the first time since week one. During the course
of the week, Jim asked what his team was doing wrong thus far, and it’s a tough one to answer. There is plenty of talent on the roster, but an injured and underperforming running game would appear to
be the biggest problem, along with some health concerns at quarterback. Don’t
be surprised though, if they make a run at a playoff spot by the end of the season, if they can get healthy. Finally for this
week, congrats to Curtis for building on to The Spartans lead in the Central. Returning
to the league after a one-season stint in 2005 with The Crushers, he has his new team on a roll, and could be on the verge
of leading them back to the post-season after they missed out last year. After
dominating the Central division for much of the leagues initial seasons, then-Crapshoot struggled somewhat in recent years,
coming back to the pack. They have posted records of WEEK 5 With the completion
of the fifth week of games, we are now past the one-third mark of the season. While
it remains a little early to assign too much value to the standings at this point, a few teams are already on the brink of
needing to go on nice runs to make the postseason. Traditionally a 7-7 record
has been good enough to qualify for the playoffs, and there are currently two teams, Mighty Mice and Royal Flush, that are
at 1-4 and facing the possibility to needing to win 6 of their final 9 games to get to that magic number of 7 wins. Our first in-season
trade of the 2007 campaign was completed roughly 45 minutes prior to kickoff on Sunday morning. Polk High sent RB Shaun Alexander to Badgerz for WR Craig ‘Buster’ The $lick Ones continued
their hellish early season schedule in week 5, and were soundly defeated by Polk High.
It was their first blowout loss, the others coming by 6 points each time. They
sit in the middle of a tight Central division race at 2-3, which is pretty amazing considering the records from 2006. A year ago, they finished the season 2-12. Meanwhile,
their opponents in the first five weeks of this season were Royal Flush (10-4 in 2006), The Crushers (11-3), Packmen ( The CFL All-Stars
are attempting to become the first team in league history to repeat as West division champions. After wining the division in 2006, they are off to a solid Finally taking a
look ahead at week 6, there are a few divisional matchups which will have return matches from week 5 games. This is a scheduling anomaly that tends to happen once or twice a season.
This will mark the 13th and 14th time this has occurred in the league’s ten-year history. Thus far, the team that wins the first game tends to go on and win again the following
week. There have been 8 sweeps in this scenarios, 2 splits, and once the second
meeting resulted in a tie. Packmen will be looking for the sweep of The Spartans
this time around, and the CFL All-Stars will attempt to make it two in a row over Ernie’s Heroes as well. WEEK 4 With four weeks
of play completed, every team has earned a victory, now that the Badgerz entered the win column, courtesy of a 30-24 victory
over The Crushers. The mujahaDean has remained undefeated, and everyone else
falls somewhere in-between. The $lick Ones continued what has now officially
become trend, losing a non-divisional game. They are 2-0 against the Central,
and 0-2 versus the rest of the league. And, in a possible changing of the guard,
Royal Flush, who reached the Super Bowl last year, is the only team in the league to have scored fewer than 100 points on
the season. Polk High enjoyed
a decisive 44-15 victory over Royal Flush in the fifth annual meeting between Aaron and Steve in a series that dates back
to the 2003 season. Polk High has taken each of those five matchups, all in rather
convincing fashion. Including the 2007 renewal of this rivalry, the scores between
these teams equate to a 198-81 advantage for Polk High. Entering the 2007
season, The Spartans and the CFL All-Stars had combined for just 3 ties in the nine-plus year history of the CFL. So, fittingly, the teams managed to play to a 29-29 deadlock. They
had been 146-109-3 combined all-time entering this contest. Coincidently, of
those three other ties in their combined history, two came against Polk High. The
All-Stars had their tie back in 1999. The Spartans tie came in 2002, when the
team was known as Crapshoot. The other time either team had tied was in week
11 last season, when the All-Stars and Ernie’s Heroes played to a stalemate. WEEK 3 Another week of
CFL play is in the books, and we are down to just one undefeated team. The mujahaDean
beat Polk High to remain unbeaten in the East, and pick up a one-game lead in the division to go with it. In the West, Ernie’s Heroes got off the mat and knocked off the previously perfect Crushers to tighten
things in that division. Astonishingly, only six teams have a chance to tie the
all-time league record for regular season in a single-season, which is 13 held by Polk High in 2004 when Aaron finished 13-1. It never seems to
fail in the opening week or two of the season that rushing numbers are down around the league.
Then, beginning around week three, the numbers start to shoot higher and higher.
That has been the case again this year. Shaun Alexander hit triple digits
on the ground on the head for Polk High to pace all bonus point earners. Marion
Barber III hit the century mark for The $lick Ones, posting 102 yards. Ronnie
Brown had 112 yards rushing, and ended Sunday with 211 total yards. Steven Jackson
tallied 115 yards for the Mighty Mice before getting hurt. Thomas Jones added
110 yards for Ernie’s Heroes. Impressively, The Crushers had a pair of
rushers go for over 100 yards. LaMont Jordan (121) and Laurence Maroney (103)
led Jack to double back bonuses. Adrian Peterson had 102 yards fro Royal Flush. And then there was Brian Westbrook, who contributed 100-yard days rushing and receiving
for The Spartans. The versatile back had 110 rushing yards, 111 yards as a receiver,
and chipped in three scores as well. Finally this week,
with The mujahaDean’s victory over Polk High, they move into first place in the East.
The team they defeated has won the division every year since the turn of the Century.
Even more amazing, dating back to the beginning of the 2005 season, Polk High has posted a 25-6 record, but half of
those losses have come to the hands of the Deans. WEEK 2 We are now two weeks
into the tenth season of CFL competition, and the quest for the elusive first undefeated season in league history is going
through some choppy waters. Only three teams remain alive in this journey, and
that number will be reduced by at least one when two of those teams meet in week three.
The same is true on the other end of the spectrum as well, as a trio of teams enter next week winless, but that number
will be reduced in the other intra-divisional battle in the East. The Packmen made
it four touchdowns on defense or special teams in week two, as Adalius Thomas intercepted a pass and took it the other way
for a touchdown. While there are no league records kept on such obscure things,
and I am too lazy to go back and look, I believe four defensive scores in the season’s first two weeks to be a record. Congratulations to the Packmen, co-leaders of the Central, on this achievement. Last week we discussed
the success people have had in their debuts over the past few seasons. Now it
is time to see how some people have impacted their teams. When Jack took control
of The Crushers in 2006, they had a franchise record of 45-66-4. In a season
and two games, Jack has accumulated a 13-3 record. Among the owners that have
taken over teams, that winning percentage is tops, slightly better than Jerry’s 54-28-1 since taking over the CFL All-Stars,
who were 17-27-1 at the time. Speaking about the
CFL All-Stars, they found the win column for the first time this season by defeating the Dirty Birdz. However, it may prove to be a costly victory, as WR Andre Johnson was injured. Johnson chipped in a pair of touchdowns, and every offensive player scored, except for TE Jason Witten. While quarterback is an area of concern for the defending champions, the good news
is they have plenty of solid candidates at receiver, so Johnson’s loss, so long as it’s nothing long-term, is
something they should recover from. Following a week
2 loss to The mujahaDean, Ernie’s Heroes is 0-2 on the season, and running in the direction of a losing season. The last time Irv suffered through a losing campaign was in 2000, when they finished
the season On the other side,
with that victory, Jason earned his 76th CFL victory. That total is
second in league history for an owner. He is now 4 ahead of Larry (formerly of
Crapshoot), and 13 ahead of Irv. However, he remains 19 victories behind Aaron,
who now sits just 5 wins shy of becoming the first to 100 wins. Finally, some statistical
analysis for you. Week 2 featured the first father-versus-son matchup on the
new campaign. Here are some stats from the first nine years of CFL play when
these games come up. Thus far, the sons have fared pretty well against their
proud parent, jumping out to a 22-13-5 record. The week 2 matchup between Packmen
and the Badgerz bucked that trend, as ‘original Greg’ beat the younger variety, pulling the series to 22-14-5. The most interesting series has occurred between the Greg’s Packmen and son
Perry’s team, the Dirty Birdz. The Birdz won the first five games of the
series, and the squads have tied each of the last 4 years. Here is a glance at
the all-time records, including Packmen’s week 2 victory: Dirty Birdz lead
Packmen 5-0-4 Bluesky took the
series against The $lick Ones 3-0 Polk High lead Ernie’s
Heroes 7-2 Badgerz lead Packmen
3-2 Packmen lead Curtis,
who formerly owned The Crushers in 2005 before returning this season, 1-0 The Crushers lead
Packmen 1-0 Crapshoot and Wu
split their four games 2-2 Crapshoot and the
Mighty Mice played to an all-time tie, Therefore, if you
take the series between fathers and multiple sons, it breaks down like this; Crapshoot was WEEK 1 The opening week
of the season saw a few upsets, most notably The $lick Ones beating the defending Central division champion Royal Flush. The team that finished last season with a 2-12 record may have turned the ship back
in the right direction. They selected WR Calvin Johnson with the first pick of
the draft, and he was instrumental in their season-opening victory. And while
it may be over-emphasizing the importance of one win, consider the fact that they were For the second season
in a row, new owners were victorious in their CFL debut. Jim was a winner with
the Mighty Mice in his first game in the league, while Curtis was a winner in his return after a one year sabbatical. This makes it three in a row for newcomers in their initial games, with The Crushers
winning in Jack’s debut last season. Going back to 2003 when Steve (Royal
Flush) and Gregory (Badgerz) split their debuts, new owners have won four of the last five games. Coming out of the
draft, Jerry from the CFL All-Stars asked Polk High’s Aaron why he didn’t go after a receiver or two in the draft,
since it was and is an obvious area of need for the defending East champs. In
their victory over Packmen, it was the receivers that carried the load. During
a week in which the studs at QB and RB failed to deliver up to their usual lofty standards, the Polk receivers earned their
keep. It was more due to down week by Packmen, but a win is still a win. In fact, it was enough to overcome a three touchdown effort from the Packmen defense! Finally for week
one, one rule change that was going to be put into effect this year, but honestly wasn’t only due to the fact that your
commissioner forgot, was to award a bonus point for kickers that make game-wining field goals in the final minute of games. While that would not have impacted any games this week, there were several late, game-winning
kicks in the opening week. Expect to see that rule change next season. PREDICTIONS Another season of
CFL play has begun. Before we dive into what happened in week 1, here are some
predictions about the 2007 season. EAST Once again, this
will be Polk High’s division to lose. Things are pretty reliable in this
division, as the same team has won the division every year since 2000. So, why
go against that trend now? Sure, it is as exciting as the Braves winning their
division in baseball nearly every year in the 1990s, but we strive for accuracy here.
The muajahaDean is also a likely playoff team, while the Dirty Birdz could contend for a wild card as well. CENTRAL As Royal Flush owner
Scuba Steve said recently, this is a pretty weak division. There is no reason
to argue with the Super Bowl runner-up. Packmen and Royal Flush figure to duke
it out for the division title. However, The Spartans and The $lick Ones both
enjoyed very good drafts and could be darkhorse candidates for the final playoff spot. WEST By far, the best
division in the league. Any of the four teams could take home the crown this
year. The CFL All-Stars are the obvious pick, since they are the defending league
champions. Last year’s division winner, The Crushers, will figure into
the mix as well. Ernie’s Heroes, another playoff team from last year, will
have a chance to compete. And Jim takes over the Mighty Mice, who are just a
season removed from a Super Bowl victory. DIVISION WINNERS: Polk High (East), Packmen (Central), CFL All-Stars (West) WILD CARDS: Royal Flush, The mujahaDean, Mighty Mice PLAYOFFS One thing we know
is that Polk High will not win the Super Bowl. As with the East division race,
the playoff predictions are easy to make using this as a starting point. However,
this is the year they buck that trend. They will finally get over the hump in
what has been termed their last go-around with this roster in-tact. In order
to capture the crown, they will defeat Royal Flush for the championship. That
means that the Mice will defeat Packmen in the opening round, according to these predictions.
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