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Draft Day 2004

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Another BFFL draft is in the books, and it was a successful one. We got started earlier than expected and completed earlier than ever. Thanks to all of the owners for being on time and being ready. I've updated the website again this year, and one thing you'll notice is the owner login. You'll need to login to submit your lineup, which will be tracked online this season instead of via e-mails. As a result, the deadline for lineups will now be two hours prior to the week's first game. Look for an e-mail detailing this and other new features on the site. As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

All-American Final

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Some things, like death, taxes, and an early playoff exit by the Flyers, are inevitable in this world. In the BFFL world, we live by a few other axioms: Muravsky making fun of Eddie on draft night, Whiteside voting "no" for any rule change proposal, Loch Ness missing the playoffs or getting bounced in the semi-finals, and Durango playing in the BFFL Cup. Well, it's been a wacky season to date, and only one of these perennials bloomed in 2004 (Loch Ness). Muravsky missed his second straight BFFL draft, so no Eddie imitations occurred. No rule change proposals were on the docket, so Whiteside didn't have the opportunity to vote anything down. And playoff novice Amity knocked off three-time BFFL Cup champion Durango to advance to their first career finals appearance. The Blitz held a three point lead heading into the New England-Miami Monday night matchup. Durango was banking on another strong performance by their New England Defense to fend off Amity's Corey Dillon. Dillon notched two short scores, including his first TD reception since 2001, and rumbled for 121 yards on the ground to earn nine BFFL points. The New England Defense had four sacks and a fumble recovery, but inexplicably couldn't shutdown A.J. Feeley in the fourth quarter. Miami's 20+ point night not only won the game for the Dolphins, but took three valuable BFFL points from the New England Defense (Points Against category) and allowed the Sharks to escape with a thrilling one point win, 33-32. Amity will face Vandalay, who breezed to a 62-38 win over Sun City in the other semi-final, in an all-American Division final. The Vandals swept the Sharks this season to improve to 4-2 lifetime against them. Amity is the hot team in this game, having won four straight. On the other hand, Vandalay's semi-final win broke a two game slide. Their 62 points are the third highest ever in a BFFL semi-final game, and the fourth highest in BFFL playoff history. BFFL Cup: Amity (9-6) vs. Vandalay (11-4) -7.0 O/U: 101.0 Vandalay swept the season series averaging 56 PPG, and leads the lifetime series 4-2. This is the third BFFL Cup appearance for the Vandals, where they are a perfect 2-0. Amity is making their first BFFL Cup appearance since joining the league in 2002. The Sharks have relied on Brett Favre, David Akers, Shaun Alexander, and the surprising NY Jets Defense this season. Favre gets to sling it against the porous Minnesota defense, but the rest of the team appears to have tough matchups. The Vandals hope Daunte Culpepper can light up one of the worst pass defenses in the league (Green Bay), and they appear to have some favorable matchups at the other skill positions. How hard is it to win three straight against a division rival, who also happens to be number two in the Power Rankings and number three in Points Ranking? Take Amity +7.0, but stay away from the over/under. Durango (10-5) vs. Sun City (9-6) +6.0 O/U: 82.0 Sun City leads the lifetime series 9-5, but Durango spanked them 57-22 in Week 4 to break a three game losing streak in the series. The Blitz, who averaged 57.5 PPG during Weeks 8-13, has failed to break 40 points in their last two games. The Zulus, who would have beaten both Amity and Durango in the semis with their 38 points, haven't broken 40 the last two weeks, either. McNabb is T.O.-less, and the Blitz have some tough matchups, so look for another low-scoring affair. Take Durango -6.0 behind Manning's arm, but stay away from the over/under.

Underdogs Have Track Record

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Four of the five home teams are heavy favorites for opening week (see [b]Las Vegas Odds[/b]), but BFFL history has not been kind to homers. In 2003, home favorites were a paltry 6-27 (.182) ATS, while favorites overall were just 16-56 (.222) ATS. See the [b]Lifetime ATS[/b] report for all of the numbers. [b]This week's Best Bet:[/b] Take Kalamazoo +16.5 against Caribbean. The Killers are 24-15 ATS career as the road dog, while the Pirates check in at a mere 3-10 ATS career as the home fave. The ultimate dog? Gotta be Sun City with a career 61-27 record ATS as the underdog.

Colt 145

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

The Durango Colts, er, Blitz, are riding the wave of success generated by the Peyton Manning - Reggie Wayne combo. Following Week 10's dismantling of the Chicago Bears, the elder Manning now has 35 TD's to just 7 INT's, along with 2,960 yards for a league-best 145 BFFL points. Wayne, who has played in the shadow of Marvin Harrison the past three seasons, upped his season totals to 9 TD's on 47 catches and 742 yards, equating to 57 BFFL points (third-best among WR's). In only 10 games, Manning broke the BFFL record for Most Points by Starting QB in Regular Season (140 Steve Young Vandalay 1998), and he is on pace to shatter the league records for Most Points by QB in Regular Season and Most Points by a player in Regular Season (both 153 Steve Young Vandalay 1998). Assuming he starts the next four games, Manning projects to finish with 203 total and starting points, and would become the first player in BFFL history to surpass 200 (or 160, for that matter!) points in a season. [b]Week 10 Recap:[/b] After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Amity in Week 10, in which Durango's season-high 64 points were still 3 points short, the Blitz followed up with and almost equal score to knock off stubborn Kalamazoo in a shootout. Manning and Wayne combined for 29 points to fend of Gates, Muhammad, and company. Caribbean kept their postseason dreams alive, and may have dashed all hope of a Loch Ness playoff appearance. The Ravens Defense did their usual job, but the Monsters got zilch from RB's, WR's and TE. For the Pirates, Drew Brees, the Edge, and Westrook covered for a lousy effort by the Arizona Defense (-2). Has Venice started their second winning streak of the season? The Isles lost their first three, then vowed to make the playoffs and reeled off four straight victories. But they followed that with three straight losses to fall to 4-6. The Pittsburgh Defense and Colts Offense (max of 10 pts) led the way for Venice as Del Val dropped their eighth of the 2004 campaign. Mac Daddy threw for four TD's, but all were of the shorty category. Vandalay got a super effort from Tampa Bay personnel (17 pts for the Defense and 12 for Pittman), coupled that with balance scoring to hit for their fourth straight 50+ week, and won the battle of the division leaders. It was an important win for the Vandals as division foe Durango also was victorious. Amity and Leningrad faced off for a possible do-or-die game, and it was a close one. The Sharks displayed balanced scoring, but the Lenzbians had the Monday night comeback magic (Trent Green 387 yds, 2 TD's and 13 pts versus Dillon's 118 yds, 2 TD's and 8 pts) to edge Amity and improve to 6-5. Thanks to wins by both Vandalay and Durango, playoff hopes now look dim for the 5-6 Fish. They lose tiebreakers to both the Vandals (0-2 head-to-head) and the Blitz (division record), so they'll probably have to win out and hope for Leningrad and Venice losses along the way. [b]Week 11 Matchups:[/b] [b]Vandalay (8-3) @ (5-6) Caribbean +19.5 O/U 97.5[/b] Vandalay has dominated the lifetime series 4-1-1 and beat the Pirates 51-33 in Week 6. Caribbean will try to get back to .500 while the Vandals will continue to try and fend off Durango. Based on lifetime ATS trends, you have to love the home dog here, especially since Vandalay has scored 50+ points the last four games and is due for a letdown. Take the Pirates +19.5 and the under, as well. [b]Venice (5-6) @ (7-4) Durango -6.0 O/U 78.0[/b] Venice is 9-4 lifetime against the Blitz, and prevailed in Week 6 33-29. Durango needs a win to try and catch Vandalay for the American Division crown, while the Islanders need a win to stay in the wildcard hunt. You have to think the 78.0 over/under is low, especially with each team's scoring the last two weeks (Durango 64,63 and Venice 44,53). Take the over but lay off the spread. [b]Kalamazoo (5-6) @ (3-8) Del Val +20.5 O/U 68.5[/b] These two old friends face off for 15th time since 1994, a series dominated by the Twins 9-4-1. Del Val will be playing the role of spoiler as they have a minuscule .0005% chance of a wildcard berth. The Killers are desperate for a win to stay in the mix for the playoffs. Kalamazoo's scoring has been super with six straight 44+ weeks, but have been a bit unlucky with just a 3-3 record over that span. Stay with the home dog trend and take The Twinkies +20.5, but also jump on the low over/under and take the over. [b]Sun City (7-4) @ (5-6) Amity -7.5 O/U 83.5[/b] The Zulus didn't show up in the last meeting with the Sharks, an easy 46-15 Amity win. Both teams are coming off losses and are hungry for a win, especially the Fish, who will probably drop out of the wildcard hunt with a seventh loss. With both team's inconsistent scoring, this game is not a recommended play. [b]Leningrad (6-5) @ (4-7) Loch Ness -1.0 O/U 82.0[/b] The Lenzbians got a big Week 10 division win with a Monday night comeback on Amity, while the Monsters probably killed their playoff hopes with a loss to Caribbean. Loch Ness is oddly favored, but the play is Leningrad +1.0. Stay away from the over/under, though.

Off and Running (and Hitting)

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

A high-scoring first week this year, with the league scoring average at 42.5 PPG. Vandy was the top dog, but still only won by 7 points over the tough-luck Amity Sharks. The Sharks would have beaten 8 of the other 9 teams this week. Del Val began their title defense with an easy victory over division rival and product of their loins Loch Ness. Best Bet Kalamazoo covered the spread in a loss at Caribbean, so the Swami starts off the year at 1-0. All-in-all, the underdogs performed as expected, finishing 3-2 ATS overall, with road puppies finishing at 3-1 ATS. As for wins and losses, the favorites were 4-1. On the whole, it looks like the Las Vegas lines were pretty accurate: Projected Scores - 4 Short, 1 Met, 5 Exceeded Over/Under - 2 Under, 3 Over * At the end of the year, we'd expect the Unders and Overs to be approximately equal if the Vegas lines are accurate.

2004 BFFL Pro Bowl

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Despite being dominated by their counterparts in both the regular season and the playoffs, the McNicholas Division won the 2004 BFFL Pro Bowl, their fourth straight Pro Bowl win over the American Division. There were a couple of questionable picks by Ron DiSalle of Durango, most notably Peyton Manning (most deserved, but not expected to play much in the Colts season finale), David Akers, and the Philly Defense (the Eagles were expected to play their scrubs against Cincy, and did just that). Torry Holt had a big day, as did Jason Elam, but the Americans could have benefited from Brett Favre and a starter-laden defense. Selected by Sun City's Curt Whiteside, the Mickies got a huge game from Marc Bulger, as well as standout performances from Rudi Johnson, Jason Witten (the new Tony G.), and the always-reliable Baltimore Defense. Here's a link for the breakdown of the game: Pro Bowl Breakdown NFL Playoff Pool: Get your family and friends to join you for some added playoff fun - the BFFL Playoff Pool. It's been a great success the past few years, and we are hoping to increase the entrants above the fantastic 32 we had in 2003. It's a total points contest, with each entrant's lineup accumulating points throughout the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl. It costs $10 to enter - the winner takes 80% of the pot, and the runner-up gets the remaining 20%. From the pool of NFL playoff teams, each entrant must select: 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 OFF, and 1 DEF/ST. The one restriction is: no more than 2 players/teams from any 1 NFL team (no loading up on Steelers or Pats). Lineups are due by noon on Saturday January 8th. The scoring will be based on the BFFL scoring rules - see the Static link on the left for Rules to download/open the BFFL rulebook in PDF format. Scroll to the end to see the scoring rules. Here's a list of eligible players sorted by position and BFFL points: Player Pool. You can e-mail your entries (and those of your family and friends) to: bobwool89@comcast.net. Please send checks for the entry fee(s) to: Bob Woolard 27 Waterford Way Wallingford, PA 19086 Thanks for a great season and I look forward to your participation in the Playoff Pool!

Not Much Action

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

There was suprisingly very little action on the Vegas Bets this week, despite the wacky spreads and over/unders. Only two teams placed bets this week, the first week betting was open. As expected, both teams bet the over on the Venice-Leningrad matchup, listed at a mere 46 O/U. Venice put nearly their whole nest egg on that lone bet - a $950 wager that will surely double their money. I hope more teams will get on board next week - this could be a lot of fun, and it won't cost you a dime if you lose all of your "money". [b]Best Bets:[/b] [b]Venice-Leningrad Over 46.0[/b] It's too hard to ignore how low that O/U is for the two teams that drafted 1 and 2. [b]Amity +26.0 vs. Durango[/b] Amity is coming off a 51 point opening week, and they are 10-3 career ATS as the home dog. Durango, on the otherhand, is only 10-21 career ATS as the road fave. [b]Sun City +24.5 @ Loch Ness[/b] The Zulus are 32-14 career ATS as the road dog, and they are coming off a 55 point week, while the Monsters scored just 22 points last week.

Birds and Da Boys

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Monday night's visit to Dallas is a big one for the Philadelphia Eagles, who are looking to make a statement following their debacle in Steel Town. The Cowboys are coming off a horrid effort, as well, and they are surely treating it like a playoff game. It's also a big night for the BFFL, with several key games going down to the wire. The first showdown is a battle atop the McNicholas Division. Venice trails Sun City by one point in a crucial game for the Islanders. A Zulus win would provide a series sweep and open up a virtually insurmountable three game lead in the division. The Isles offer Vinnie and Keyshawn versus Donovan and Jason Witten. Loch Ness (now 4-5) and Caribbean (on the doorstep of 4-5) are rooting for some Venice magic at the Durex Dome. Speaking of those Pirates, they are looking for 6 plus points from Westbrook and T.O. to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Leningrad is in the books with 34 and a 5 point lead, hoping to hold on and get to 6-4. The Lenzbians are also pinning hopes on Kalamazoo and Amity both pulling upsets over Vandalay and Durango, respectively. The Vandals (6-3) are finished and have an 11 point lead, but that doesn't appear very safe the way the Dallas offense has stumbled over itself lately. If the Iggles hold the Cowgirls under 10 points, which seems likely, the Killers would be halfway to victory thanks to their Philadephia Defense. A couple of sacks and turnovers and the comeback, and series sweep, would be complete for Kalamazoo (5-4). The Sharks need Akers and the Philly Offense to make up 7 points and hold off Durango in a shootout. The Blitz are hoping to hang on and are rooting for the Kalamazoo rally so they can take over the American Division lead with their seventh win. An Amity win would move the Sharks to .500 and further clutter the race for the division and wild card spots.

Flying High, Now

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Vandalay's hopes for a Monday night comeback were dashed twice - first by Culpepper's goal line fumble, then by a Vikings penalty that nullified Culpepper's 11 yard TD run. Toss in the late 3 point TD to Moss and the 300+ yards passing, and the Vandals would have beaten nemesis Kalamazoo. As it was, all four teams that entered Monday night's tilt with the lead escaped with victories. As a result, some of the usual suspects are atop the standings: Three-time BFFL Cup winner Durango is alone atop the American Division standings at 2-0, while two-time winners Del Val and Sun City share the McNicholas Division lead at 2-0 each. [b]Team Statistics:[/b] The Zulus check in with the highest power ranking to go along with their league-leading 53 PPG. The Blitz has benefitted from the schedule and is the luckiest team of the season, sitting at 2-0 despite being ranked eighth in both starter and bench points. [b]Streaks:[/b] - Durango has a 5 win division streak going dating to last season, and they take on division foe Kalamazoo in Week 3. Loch Ness, on the other hand, is now mired in a 5 game division losing streak following their Week 2 loss to Sun City. - Leningrad's Week 2 win over Venice extended their interdivision win streak to 8. - Sun City has a 4 game home winning streak that will be put on the line when they host division rival Caribbean in Week 3. - Durango's win over Amity extended their home winning streak to 3 games. - Durango's 4 straight regular season wins is the longest active streak in the BFFL, while Loch Ness has now lost 4 straight. [b]Vegas Bets:[/b] All five bets were won this week, and Vandalay and Venice both increased their bank rolls. The Isles put 95% of their bank on the line and won with the over on their matchup with Leningrad, setting themselves up nicely as the Vegas lines start to level off starting in Week 3. Hopefully we'll see much more action this week.

And Then There Was One...

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

One week remains in the 2004 BFFL season, and only two mysteries need to be solved: American Division winner and second wildcard. Durango visits Vandalay, with the winner clinching the American Division championship and loser going on the road to face Sun City in the semi-finals. The final wildcard spot will be decided between Amity and Leningrad, and it could go down to the fifth tiebreaker (Strength of Victory). Just-eliminated Kalamazoo hosts the Lenzbians, while Amity finishes out the season at home against last-place Del Val. Leningrad will advance with a win, regardless of the Amity-Del Val result, based on a better Strength of Victory (combined win% of defeated opponents), or a tie and Amity loss. Any other combination will result in the Sharks clinching their first career playoff spot. Sun City has to worry about his bread-and-butter during the BFFL playoffs. If the Eagles beat the 'Skins this weekend and the Falcons lose, the Birds may clinch home field advantage, which should mean reduced playing time for Donovan McNabb in Weeks 15 and 16. Did You Know?: - Sun City clinched their first back-to-back playoff appearances since 1995-1996, when they lost consecutive BFFL Cups. - The winner of the Durango-Vandalay game will secure a fourth career American Division crown, the most in American Division history. - If Leningrad wins the last wildcard spot, they will make their fourth playoff appearance in five career seasons. - In the playoffs, Sun City and Vandalay will be trying to deny Durango a fourth BFFL Cup title, all the while attempting to join the Blitz as three-time champions. - The league is on pace to obliterate league average record of 38.1, set in 2003 (points per team per game). The current league average is 42.5, and the mean weekly average the last four weeks is a whopping 48.4. Record Breakers: Most Starting/Total Points by QB in Regular Season: Peyton Manning is sitting at 182, which destroyed the previous marks of 140 (Starting) and 153 (Total), both set by Steve Young in 1998 for Honalei/Vandalay. Manning has a shot this week at becoming the first BFFL player to break 200 points in a regular season. Most Starting/Total Points by TE in Regular Season: Antonio Gates exploded onto the scene this season and broke the marks (both 67) set by Tony Gonzalez in 2000 for Caribbean/Del Val. Free-agent pickup Gates is at 71 points with one week to go, with Gonzalez right on his heels with 68. Longest Division Winning Streak (Regular Season): Sun City's Week 13 win over Del Val was their eigth straight division win dating back to Week 14 2003, which tied the record held by Honalei (Week 7 1995 to Week 6 1996) and Kalamazoo (Week 9 1995 to Week 7 1996). A victory in Week 14 over Caribbean will give the Zulus the outright record of 9 straight division wins, as well as secure the first perfect division record in BFFL history (four teams have recorded 7-1 division records). Longest Road Losing Streak (Regular Season): Loch Ness tied this dubious mark of 9 consecutive road losses, held by Durango (Week 4 2000 to Week 4 2001), with a Week 13 loss at Durango. The Monsters will set a new record for road futility with a loss at Venice in Week 14. Likely-to-be-Broken Position Records: Most Starting/Total Points by Def in Regular Season: Loch Ness' Baltimore Defense needs just 3 points in Week 14 to break the marks (both 121) set by the Tampa Bay Defense in 2003. Most Starting/Total Points by Off in Regular Season: Venice's Indianapolis Offense needs just 3 points in Week 14 to break the marks (both 72) set by the Denver Defense in 1996. Most Starting/Total Points by WR in Regular Season: Caribbean's Terrell Owens needs 11 points in Week 14 to break the marks (both 107) set by Randy Moss in 2003. Most Starting/Total Points by K in Regular Season: Amity's David Akers needs 10 points in Week 14 to break the mark for starting points (103) set by Mike Vanderjagt in 2003. He needs 13 points to breal the mark for total points (115) set by Jeff Wilkins in 2003. Week 14 Preview: Durango (9-4) @ (9-4) Vandalay -12.0 O/U: 103.0 The winner of this matchup will win the American Division title, but the loser gets to play Sun City in the semi-finals next week. There's too much pride at stake for either one to tank the game, with the career series tied at 11-11 and both teams vying for a tie-breaking fourth American Division chamionship. The Blitz can't be stopped thanks to Peyton Manning and the New England Defense, so take Durango +12.0 and the over. Leningrad (7-6) @ (6-7) Kalamazoo -7.0 O/U: 85.0 The Killers will try for a season sweep as they hope to spoil Leningrad's bid for a playoff spot. Kalamazoo hasn't scored less than 42 points since Week 5, and the Lenzbos are coming off a 75 point week, so take the over and lay off the line. Del Val (3-10) @ (7-6) Amity -25.0 O/U: 71.0 Amity is vying for their first career postseason appearance and shouldn't get much of a fight from the Twins. Stay away from the big line, but jump on the suspiciously low over/under. Sun City (8-5) @ (6-7) Caribbean -1.5 O/U: 78.5 The Pirates trail the lifetime series 3-6, and they are hoping to finish at .500 after a disappointing second half of the season. The Zulus clinched the division last week but are looking to tie their franchise record for wins (9, set in 1995). Take the over here, but lay off the line. Loch Ness (5-8) @ (5-8) Venice +5.0 O/U: 76.0 A game of pride (lifetime series tied 11-11) to determine the final league standings for these two teams. The Monsters never put together more than two wins or losses all season. Venice started 0-3 and made a bold playoff guarantee. The Isles won 4 straight to get in the hunt, then lost 3 in a row and 5 of 6. Both teams have secured a second consecutive losing season, the first time for both franchises. Take the home dog trend and the over.

Week 3 Matchups

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Three teams face critical games this weekend - Amity, Venice, and Loch Ness. Since 1994, only two BFFL teams have qualified for the postseason after starting 0-3. In 1997, the Venice Islanders recovered from an 0-3 start to finish at 8-6 before falling in the wildcard round. The Del Val Liberty Twins did Venice two better in 2000, rebounding from 0-3 to finish at 8-5-1, then topping it off with their first BFFL Cup. The Amity Sharks are home this week, hosting division rival Leningrad. The all-time series is tied 2-2 for these young franchises, but Amity manhandled the Lenzbians in their last matchup, the 2003 season finale, 42-22. This game is expected to be tight, what with a 0.0 Vegas Line (a pick'em!). Barring a tie, either Venice or Loch Ness will finish Week 3 with an 0-3 record, almost surely dooming them to finish out of the playoffs. The host Monsters are favored by 23.5 in the game, a ridiculous line considering the paltry 43.5 Over/Under. The Islanders hold a slim edge in the all-time series 11-10, and they knocked off Loch Ness in their last meeting Week 13 of 2003.

BFFL Playoff Pool

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

The 2004 BFFL Playoff Pool is under way! We have 28 entrants this year, unfortunately down from 32 last season. Seems like many of the BFFL owners weren't interested in joining the fun this year. Oh well, their loss! To follow are links to the four reports that will be updated throughout the playoffs. I will actually be updating them approximately every half hour during the games each weekend! Check in at :05 and :35 after each hour during the games for the latest scores. Standings Scoring Breakdowns Scoring History Playoff All-Stars Enjoy!

By the Hair of Our Chinny Chin Chins

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Vandalay and Sun City escaped with victories by the narrowest of margins this week, sending Del Val and Caribbean to disappointing losses. After getting zero points from the Tampa Bay Defense, it didn't appear the Vandals' five-point lead would hold up against the Twins' trio of Gannon, Portis, and the Washington Offense. But Gannon got knocked out early, and the Dallas Defense contained Portis to help Vandalay avoid a 1-2 start. The Zulus got five points from Hines Ward in that mess of a game in Miami to squeak past the Pirates. It was the second straight week that Sun City came from behind to win the game. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Durango, who along with Del Val have dominated the BFFL of late, is once again on top of the American Division after a 3-0 start (3-0 division). Since 1997, the Blitz has accounted for three of the seven BFFL Cups. In addition, they have appeared in four championship games in that span. And let's not forget Sun City, back-to-back winners of the Cup the first two seasons of the league (1991, 1992) and also a four-time participant in the championship game. The Zulus are off to an impressive 3-0 start thanks to some outrageous scoring (51.7 PPG), and have jumped to a 3-0 division record, to boot.

Finally!

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Playoff Pool Reports: Standings
Scoring Breakdowns
Scoring History
Playoff All-Stars The Eagles finally made it over the hump and will get the chance to play New England in the Super Bowl on February 6th. After watching the Pats dismantle Pittsburgh Sunday night, it looks to be a tough task for the Birds in Jacksonville. Brady doesn't seem to get rattled and makes some unbelievable throws, and that defense always finds a way to make something happen. But let's just enjoy the next two weeks and worry about all that on Super Sunday. Movers and Losers: Five people made positive double-digit moves in the Playoff Pool, led by Tyler DiSalle, who jumped 15 spots all the way to 4th. However, unless the New England Defense can outscore Corey Dillon by 23 points, Tyler cannot catch pool leader Bob Woolard. Other people moving up this weekend were: Rick M. rocketing 14 places to 10th overall, Katie Butscher rising 12 spots to 9th, Mike D. jumping 11 places to 7th, and Herb Butscher moving up 10 spots to 13th. All five entrants are still mathematically alive to win the pool. Only two people had double-digit drops this week: Lucy & Elsa plummeted 19 spots to 25th overall, and Finn S. fell 13 places to 18th overall. Finn joined Lucy & Elsa on the elimination list, which reached 13 entrants after nine more people were wiped out. While the 15 remaining players, based on remaining starters, all have a mathematical chance of winning the pool, most of them can kiss it off. For instance, while last place Bob DiBenedetto (31 total points) has a unique combination of remaining starters (Westbrook and L.J. Smith), he would need TE Smith to outscore McNabb, Dillon, and Vinatieri by 76 points to pass leader Bob Woolard. The BFFL record for TE points in a 14-week season is 73 - the one game record is just 21. See ya next year, Bob D.! Also, those with Offenses still alive take note: the maximum points an offense can score in a game is just 10. The scoring for the other positions are technically unlimited, but the BFFL records for each position top out at: QB - 31 (D.Marino, 1994) RB - 32 (C.Portis, 2002) WR - 24 (J.Smith, 2000; J.Walker, 2004) TE - 21 (Sh.Sharpe, 2003) K - 20 (B.Cundiff, 2003) OFF - 10 (19 Tied) DEf - 24 (N.E., 2003) Playoff Pool Notes: ~ Bob Woolard led the weekly scoring for the second straight week and surpassed Klemper to take over first place. Klemper has been eliminated since, based on remaining starters, she cannot catch Bob. ~ 11 entrants will have maximum starters (4) in the Super Bowl, and none of them have been officially eliminated. ~ First Family of the Playoff Pool: The DiSalles, who have three of four family members in the Top 5, all with a chance to win it. ~ Highest Ranked Elimated Entry: Klemper, currently ranked 2nd with 101 points. ~ How dumb did the Eagles look with those gigantic T-shirts draped over their shoulder pads? They all looked like indoor lacrosse goalies.

Week 4 Review

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Heeee's baaaack! Ricky's Return? The Durango Blitz won handily in the battle of the unbeatens and moved to a 4-0 start (see list or 4-0 starts below). Coupled with Venice's first win of the season, the Blitz are now the only team with a zero in their record. They are also full of league-leading streaks: Longest Active Division Win Streak (6), Longest Active Home Win Streak (3), and Longest Active Away Win Streak (4). The only other team with a top win streak is Leningrad with the Longest Active Interdivision Win Streak (8). Week 5 is a big week for the American Division. Durango could open up a three game lead over their rivals with a win over Vandalay, a Kalamazoo win over Leningrad, and a Loch Ness win over Amity. There could be a three way tie for first in the McNicholas Division if Del Val hands Sun City a second straight defeat and heavily-favored Caribbean upends Venice. Games of the Week: Vandalay (2-2) -0.5 @ Durango (4-0) Series history: Durango 11-10 A Blitz win could be devastating to the rest of the division. Del Val (2-2) +11.0 @ Sun City (3-1) Series history: Tied 11-11 A Zulus victory will keep them on top of the division. Week 5 Best Bets: I'd love to take the over on the lowest O/U on the board (Caribbean @ Venice 64.5 O/U), but after reviewing the expected lineups and opposing defenses, this is looking like a low-scoring affair. With that in mind, though, and the Islanders coming off a breakout week, let's take Venice +23.5 vs Caribbean. Amity has scored 51+ points in three out of four weeks, and is coming off a 2004 league high of 63. Loch Ness posted back-to-back weeks of 48 and 55, then plummeted to 17 last week. Look for those scores to trend towards each other and take Loch Ness +20.5 vs Amity. 4-0 Starts Since 1994: 1994 - Honalei (11-2-1, Division Title), Venice (10-4, Division Title) 1995 - Sun City (9-5, Wildcard, BFFL Cup runner-up) 1996 - Loch Ness (7-6-1) 1997 - Roxborough (8-6, Wildcard) 1998 - Venice (9-5, Division Title) 1999 - Loch Ness (8-6, Wildcard) 2000 - Kalamazoo (12-2, Division Title) 2002 - Venice (11-3, Division Title, BFFL Cup runner-up) Note: Only one team missed the playoffs (Loch Ness '96), five division titles and three wildcards, but not a BFFL Cup Champion in the lot!

Down the Stretch

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Welcome to Week 10, the annual start of the BFFL Playoff Push. No teams have been officially eliminated from the postseason, yet no teams have clinched a spot either. And there are still three weeks of roster moves remaining to load up for the stretch run. Also, this is the last NFL bye week, so the BFFL rosters should be firing on all cylinders starting next week. Strength of Future Schedule (see Projections report on the Weekly menu) favors Sun City, but Loch Ness, Venice, and Leningrad could take advantage of the schedule, as well. Possible Record Breakers: ~ Kalamazoo can celebrate another year of owning the record for Best Overall Regular Season Record (12-2, 2000). This record was actually secured since Week 8 when Sun City dropped their third game of the season. ~ Sun City has three division games remaining, and with a sweep they will set a new BFFL record for Best Division Regular Season Record of 8-0. Those three wins would also allow Sun City to break the all-time record for Longest Regular Season Division Winning Streak (8 wins, Honalei 07/1995 - 06/1996, Kalamazoo 09/1995 - 07/1996). ~ Wins in both of their remaining inter-division games will garner Leningrad a second straight undefeated (6-0) inter-division record (12 straight overall). ~ Loch Ness will hope to win at least one of their two remaining road games to avoid tying the all-time record for Worst Road Regular Season Record (0-7 Durango 2000). Should they lose those two games, the Monsters will also break the record for Longest Road Regular Season Losing Streak (9 losses Durango 04/2000 - 04/2001). Loch Ness also needs to win 4 of their last 5 games to avoid a franchise-first second straight losing season. In fact, they only have had two losing seasons total since 1994 (1994 4-10, 2003 6-8). ~ Continued poor coaching by Vandalay could enable them to capture the not-necessarily-impressive record for Most Bench Points in the Regular Season (423 Venice 2002). The Vandals are on pace to tally 465 bench points, but they are also on pace to lead the league in starter points, which would be only the third time that has occurred in BFFL history (Vandalay 2001, Ocean City 1997). ~ Two more weekly coaching highs by Amity will allow them to break the record for Number of Coaching Highs in the Regular Season (5 Loch Ness 1997, Vandalay 2002). Week 10 Best Bets: Underdogs are an amazing 492-244 (.668) against the spread (ATS) since 1994, and home dogs are an unbelievable 251-116 (.684)! As the Vegas lines dial-in these last several weeks, it's time to start betting the trends. Kalamazoo (5-4) @ (6-3) Vandalay -10.5 101.5 O/U The Killers are 12-9-1 in the regular season against the Vandals, and beat them in Week 2 by six. Take Kalamazoo +10.5. Leningrad (5-4) @ (3-6) Caribbean +7.5 79.5 O/U Per the home dog trend above, go with the Pirates +7.5 in this game. Del Val (3-6) @ (3-6) Loch Ness -13.0 67.0 O/U This is pretty much a bragging-rights game only, but we'll recommend two plays on this one. Staying with the underdog theme, take the Twins +13.0. Even though these are two of the three lowest scorers in the league, the over/under is just too low to ignore - take the over on the 67.0 O/U.

Week 5 Recap

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

These aren't your father's Packers. Vandalay's Chris Brown ran wild in the first half and Tennessee had Monday night's game in hand by halftime, sending the Pack to an unbelievable 0-3 at Lambeau this season. As for BFFL action, it was a week of "What if's": What if...Leningrad had covered itself with an offense in lieu of Kansas City (bye) and almost assuredly picked up an additional point or two to avoid a division loss to Kalamazoo? What if...Durango (44 points) had played any team other than Vandalay (franchise record 71 points) or Loch Ness (45 points), and was sitting at 5-0 right now instead of 4-1? What if...Caribbean had started Marc Bulger or Marcus Robinson and avoided a division loss to Venice? What if...Sun City (23 points) had played any team other than Del Val (week-worst 18 points) and dropped to 3-2 on the year? What if...well, I got nothin' for the Amity @ Loch Ness matchup. Sub-par Season: An amazing 7 out of 10 BFFL teams are under .500, and every single one of them sits at 2-3! But no team is more than 2 games out of first in either their division or the league. Last year at this time, though, the BFFL had 6 of 10 teams ABOVE the .500 mark, with only one team more than 1.5 games out of first (Venice, 0-5). Game of the Week: If forced to choose one, we'll go with Kalamazoo 37 @ Leningrad 36. The Lenzbians have owned the Killers since coming into the league in 2000 (6-2 all-time head-to-head), and were favored by 3.5 points. Kalamazoo trailed by 4 heading into Monday night, but seemed assured of a win with Ahman Green and the Green Bay Offense in their lineup. However, Green was shutout and Tennessee dominated the Pack (only 35 yards rushing), and things looked grim. But, despite forcing Green Bay to pass the whole second half, the Titans failed to register a single sack. The Packers also racked up 22 first downs with all of that second-half passing and tallied the five points Kalamazoo needed to garner the upset.

Green Domination

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Wow. Can anything more be said about Monday's performance than that? The Eagles offense pummelled Dallas, then let the defense cap off the night. Donovan McNabb continued his love affair with Terrell Owens as the two hooked up for 6 catches, 134 yards, and 3 TD's. Even Levens and Pinky got into the act for the Birds. It's always sweet seeing the Cowgirls get beat at home by the Eagles! How did the Monday night game affect the BFFL games? The tightest game going in was Sun City's 1-point lead over Venice. Vinnie hit for 2 TD's for the Isles, but unfortunately they were both to Sun City's Jason Witten, who tallied a BFFL 2004 TE high of 19 points. Throw McNabb's MVP-garnering 23, and the Zulus skied to 78 points for the week, tying the franchise high (Week 4 2001 vs. Del Val) and setting the league high for the season. The win also surely guarantees a division title for Sun City - barring future ties, they are projected with a 98.2% chance to win the McNicholas Division. The loss dropped Venice, who started the season 0-3 only to win 4 straight and guarantee a playoff spot, to 4-6 and only a 4.06% chance of postseason play. The Blitz must be shaking their heads right now after a 64-point week ended in a loss to Amity. The Sharks rode Akers and the Philly Offense to 10 points for a Monday night come-from-behind 3-point win. Amity is now at .500 and a 16.08% chance of a playoff spot, while Durango dropped a game back of first place in the division at 6-4. Kalamazoo had to feel very hopeful that their Philly Defense could make up an 11-point deficit on division-leading Vandalay. But the 3 Dallas TD's erased hope of any Points Against help, and also made Lito Shepherd's late interception return for a TD a moot point. The Vandals took sole possession of the American Division lead with their seventh win and increased their postseason chances to 83.01%. Caribbean easily made up a 5-point deficit on Leningrad thanks to T.O.'s 18 and Westbrook's 5. The loss dropped the Lenzbians to 5-5 and just a 14.80% chance of making the playoffs. The Pirates improved to 4-6, but still have no better than a 5.05% chance of seeing the postseason. Week 11 Games of Note: Sun City (7-3) @ (7-3) Vandalay -17.5 94.5 O/U Unfortunately for Vandalay and Sun City, the two division leaders must face each other in Week 11. Both teams are 7-3 and working on winning streaks (3 straight for the Vandals and 2 straight for the Zulus). It's a more critical game for home team Vandalay with a bunched-up American Division - no team is under .500 or more than 2 games out of first. Durango (6-4) @ (5-5) Kalamazoo -3.5 84.5 O/U These two teams will play while keeping and eye on the Sun City-Vandalay matchup. The Killers need a win to split the series and keep their playoff hopes alive. Amity (5-5) @ (5-5) Leningrad +7.0 86.0 O/U The Sharks broke 60 points for the second time in Week 10, but they've been inconsistent, never putting together more than 2 wins in a row. The Lenzbians are riding their first losing streak of the year after dropping their second straight in Week 10, and need a win to split the season series with Amity. The loser here will be in dire straits concerning playoff hopes.

Commish Lineup Gaffe

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Loch Ness owner Jeff Butscher called from Las Vegas on Monday morning (9:30 AM EDT, 6:30 AM PDT) to report an error in their lineup. The commish was responsible for making a change to their lineup this weekend and goofed big time. Loch Ness requested a pickup of the Detroit OFF and wanted to start them in place of their Baltimore OFF (Bye). The commish instead gave them the Detroit DEF and started them in place of Loch Ness' Buffalo DEF. The result is an 18-point swing in the Monsters final score and puts Leningrad, who awoke Monday morning with a win, into a comeback position with Torry Holt and the St. Louis DEF going on MNF. My apologies to Jeff and Steve for the mistake - it will be corrected here on Monday night. NOTE: Jeff was smart in copying Steve with his pickup and lineup requests, so there is no doubt in the resolution. If you will ever be out-of-town and need the commissioner to make an adjustment to your lineup, always copy your opponent with your lienup change as a level of backup.

The American Dream

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

The American Division took 4 of 5 games from the McNicholas Division in Week 12 to run their season inter-division record to 19-9. All four winners scored 50 or more, with three teams reaching the 70 point mark (a BFFL first). Sun City, which lost to Amity, benefited the most from the near-sweep by backing into the McNicholas Division title, only their second in franchise history. The Zulus will host the top wildcard team in Week 15, and will play out the string against eliminated Del Val and near-eliminated Caribbean. Should they lose both games, they will still be the division winner with a 7-7 record! The win was only the fourth against McNicholas Division teams in three seasons for the Sharks. Vandalay and Durango both clinched playoff spots with their wins, though the battle for the American Division title may come down to their head-to-head matchup in Week 14. The only playoff spot available is for the second wildcard, and six teams will be vying to secure it the next two weeks. All five American Division teams are .500 or better, and all have either clinched a playoff spot or are still eligible. Scoring Machines: Vandalay set a new (unofficial) BFFL record for total points over a five-game regular-season span - 291 since Week 8, with all five scores over 50 points (another unofficial mark). The Vandals are averaging 58.2 PPG during this five game win streak. Not to be outdone, Vandy's division rival Durango has also been on a tear, totalling 289 points over the same period, a 57.8 PPG average, while going 4-1. Peyton Manning's big Turkey Day propelled him to BFFL records for Most Starting Points during Regular Season and Most Points during Regular Season. He'll surely pad his current total of 167 in the next two weeks, with a shot at becoming the first BFFL 200-pt man. Antonio Gates broke the BFFL record for Most TE Points during Regular Season with 71, and he'll look to add to that total the next two weeks, as well. Week 13 Matchups: Kalamazoo (6-6) @ (6-6) Amity -1.0 O/U: 94.0 The loser here would need a loss by Leningrad to stay afloat. Amity leads the series 3-1-1 and won handily in Week 4, 63-36. Vandalay (9-3) @ (6-6) Leningrad +22.0 O/U: 96.0 A loss here by the Lenzbians would probably kill any playoff hopes, especially since there has to be a winner in the Amity-Kalamazoo game. Vandalay is trying to win out and tie their franchise high for wins, but may want to rethink - the first wildcard team gets to play Sun City in the semis. The career series is even at 5-5, with Leningrad taking the last meeting in Week 4 by 15 points. Jump on the home dog trend and take the Lenzbians +22.0. Venice (5-7) @ (5-7) Caribbean -3.0 O/U: 73.0 The loser is cooked here, so it's a must-win for both squads. The Isles have the series edge 6-4, and slipped past the Pirates in Week 5, 40-36. Over 73.0 looks good here. Sun City (7-5) @ (3-9) Del Val +14.0 O/U: 61.0 The Zulus have a slight advantage in the career series, 12-11, and managed a win over the Twinkies in Week 5 despite scoring just 23. The game is meaningless for the two teams, but take the over on the 61.0 over/under line. Loch Ness (5-7) @ (8-4) Durango -2.5 O/U: 86.5 It's do-or-die for Loch Ness, coming off a win with Randy Moss back on the field. Durango, much like Vandalay, probably wouldn't mind a loss here in hopes of landing a matchup with Sun City in Week 15. Manning can't be stopped, so take the Blitz minus 2.5 and the over, as well.

I'm a Pepper

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Vandalay is reaping the rewards of their number eight pick, who has led the Vandals to a 4-2 record and the top spot in the league. Daunte Culpepper is posting huge numbers, and has a 24 point lead over his nearest rivals (Peyton Manning IND and the Philadelphia DEF, both at 54 points) for BFFL MVP honors. He is on pace to crush the existing records for "Most points by starting QB during regular season" (140 by Steve Young SF in 1998 for Vandalay) and "Most points by QB during regular season" (153 by Steve Young SF in 1998 for Vandalay). Culpepper has 82 points through 6 weeks, including a bye week, and is on pace to tally 191 points. His 45 combined points in Weeks 5 and 6 are just 3 points shy of the all-time BFFL record for back-to-back weeks (48 Randall Cunningham MIN Weeks 4-5 1998 for Kalamazoo). The last time Vandalay had the top scoring QB at the end of a BFFL season was way back in 1998 (153 Steve Young SF), when they posted a league-best 9-4-1 record and were upset in the wildcard round by Ocean City. It's unsure if the D-train will keep rolling (see Randy Moss' hamstring), but's it's been a sweet ride so far! Game of the Week: Thanks to the big oops by the Commish, Leningrad woke up Monday morning and inked in a win over Loch Ness. However, once the dust settled and the Monsters' pickup and lineup were corrected, the Lenzbians faced an 8 point deficit. But thanks to Torry Holt and the St. Louis DEF (rather, Adam Archuleta), Leningrad posted a big 24 point night and easily beat Loch Ness 49-33. That "whew!" you just heard was the Commish expressing a big sigh of relief! Hot and Not: Much-maligned Venice started the season 0-3, but made the bold prediction (see Smack Board) that the Islanders would make the playoffs. Well, that Jim Fassell-like statement is taking shape as Venice has now won 3 straight and is alone in second place in the McNicholas division, just a tie-breaker away from a wildcard spot. On the other hand, Del Val's stock has plummeted. After Week 2, the Twins were 2-0 (2-0 division) and ranked second in the league, third in points rank, and third in power rank. However, their Week 6 loss to Kalamazoo was their fourth straight defeat, and they are now ranked eigth in the league, tenth in points rank, and tenth in power rank. Thanks to league parity, though, Del Val is only 2 games out of the division lead and 1 game out of a wildcard spot. Did You Notice...: ...that Jermaine Wiggins (TE MIN) either has a really weird body shape or wears a kicker's tiny shoulder pads? ...that Jerry Rice (WR OAK) was still in the NFL, AND on a BFFL team (Loch Ness) until Week 6? ...that Eric Johnson (TE SF) put up a zero in Week 6, yet still leads all TE's with 34 points? ...that Leningrad's victory over Loch Ness extended their streak of consecutive inter-division wins to 9? ...how poorly our website up-time has been lately? I'm hoping to avoid a mid-season switch of web hosts, but stay tuned. Week 7 Best Bets: Vandalay @ Loch Ness +20.5 101.5 O/U Take the under here - it's Vandalay's third straight game with an over/under above 100, and, due to byes and injuries, we don't see either of these two teams putting up big numbers this week. If Randy Moss doesn't play, the Monsters will have to pick up a free agent WR to start with Burress on bye. And the Vandals will be in the same boat with RB's if Chris Brown can't go (D.Davis on bye). Leningrad @ Del Val +14.0 63.0 O/U We recommend the over on this game, even though the Twins have been struggling of late and both teams have some bye issues. Only four games out of 30 have failed to produce 63 points thus far and Del Val is due for a break-out week after five straight sub-40 efforts. Also, the Lenzbians have scored 36 plus points the last three weeks, and have failed to tally at least 34 only once (29 in Week 3). Amity @ Venice +15.0 86.0 O/U Not the lowest line to work with, but take Amity -15. The Sharks are number 1 in points rank as opposed to the Islanders at number 9. Amity has no major bye issues, either, whereas Venice will have to contend with the loss of their first (Pittsburgh DEF) and third (Eric Johnson TE SF) leading scorers.

Second Season Awaits

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

A wild Monday night game capped the 2004 BFFL season, but the brackets were already set by Monday morning. Tony Gonzalez couldn't provide enough firepower for Vandalay to catch Durango, and the Blitz finished the regular season at 10-4, clinching a fourth career American Division title and the top seed in the playoffs. In Week 15, Durango will host playoff virgin Amity, who squeaked by Del Val 32-31 and beat out Leningrad for the last wildcard spot via the Strength of Victory tiebreaker (see Tiebreakers on Weekly menu). Sun City wrapped up the McNicholas Division back in Week 12, and will play host to Vandalay in the other semi-final matchup. Based on the Power Ranks, both wildcard teams will be road favorites (first time in league history), which does not bode well for them - on the season, road favorites were just 11-18 (.379) ATS, while just 118-257 (.315) total since 1994. Did You Know?: - Durango's fourth division title is still two shy of the BFFL record of six held by the Venice Islanders. - The Blitz are making their sixth postseason appearance since 1994. Sun City and Vandalay are both making their fifth appearances, while Amity makes their first. - The league squashed the previous league average record of 38.1, set in 2003 (points per team per game). Despite a relatively low-scoring week, the league average finished at 42.1. Record Breakers: Check out the Broken Records link on the Weekly menu to see what all-time BFFL records were broken this week/season. Peyton Manning finished with 189 starting/total points, obliterating the previous records held by Steve Young and set back in 1998. It seems unlikely those numbers will ever be threatened again in the BFFL's lifetime. Tony Gonzalez reclaimed his TE scoring records from Antonio Gates with a 5-point Monday night. Tony G. finished the season with 73 starting/total points. Money Matters: The league needs to collect fees from all non-playoff teams. Please go to you team page and click on the Trans (Transactions) link to access your finances. Send me a check for the amount in your current balance if it's negative. Playoff teams can hold off until we see what the prize payouts are. NFL Playoff Pool: I will be running the popular NFL Playoff Pool again this year, and will be posting the weekly results on this site. It's a lot of fun - get your family and friends to play, too. I'll send each of you an e-mail with details. Week 15 Preview: Amity (8-6) @ (10-4) Durango +3.0 O/U: 94.0 Top seed and point leader Durango should be fired-up at being an underdog at home. The Blitz lead the all-time series 4-2 and inexplicably lost 67-64 in their last meeting back in Week 10. That was their only loss in their last seven games, a span during which Durango averaged 54.9 PPG. Amity, making their first playoff appearance, finished the season winning four of their last five, averaging 54.2 PPG in that span. Both squads are hot at the right time, but take Durango +3.0 and the under. Vandalay (9-5) @ (9-5) Sun City +16.5 O/U: 94.5 Sun City has been waiting for this game since they clinched the McNicholas Division title in Week 12. As for wins and losses, these two teams are going in opposite directions. The Zulus won their last two games and became the first BFFL team to finish with a perfect division record (8-0). The Vandals, after winning five straight, lost their last two games with fading scoring. Vandalay leads the all-time series 10-4-1 and won handily 59-29 in Week 11 during their last meeting. Jump on the the big home dog and take the under, as well.

Up for Grabs

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

There's some serious elbowing going around the BFFL this week as every team jostles for the four playoff spots. No team is more than 3 games out of the division lead, and everyone is at least within 2 games of a wildcard spot. How jammed is it? Cases in point: - Vandalay was ranked number 1 through Week 6 at 4-2, coming off two wins with 122 total points. A Week 7 loss to Loch Ness dropped the Vandals to 4-3, and worse, out of a playoff spot to number 5. - Leningrad was sitting at number 7 with 3-3 record through Week 6, but their Week 7 spanking of Del Val propelled them to 4-3 and up to a number 3 ranking. Photo: Donovan McNabb got back on track this week for Sun City after two straight sub-par weeks that sandwiched the Eagles bye week. McNabb tied for top position player of the week with Priest Holmes (18 points) and tallied his fourth double-digit score of the season. The Zulus are riding his heroics, with wins in all four of those games. In fact, Sun City has scored 49+ points in each of those games, while never breaking 23 points in McNabb's two poor outings and his bye. Game of the Week: Venice 52 vs 35 Amity The Sharks were favored by 15.0 points on the road, and Venice used that line as bulletin-board fodder. The Islanders went out and spanked Amity by 17 points in winning their fourth straight game. After a rough 0-3 start followed a suspect draft, Venice now finds themselves one game out of the McNicholas Division lead and at the number 4 league rank. They set their top mark of the season with the 52 point outburst, and have averaged 42.8 PPG over their four game win streak. Hot and Not: The Venice Islanders (hot) have climbed from the cellar to a wildcard spot thanks to a four game win streak. Next up for the Isles is up-and-down Vandalay. Honorable mention: Leningrad's victory over Del Val improved their season inter-division record to 3-0 and extended their BFFL record for consecutive inter-division wins to 10. A fifth straight defeat for the Del Val Liberty Twins (not), a streak during which they have never scored above 34 and are averaging just 26.4 PPG (league average for the season is 39.4 PPG). Next opponent Durango (number 2 league rank, number 3 points rank) is salivating for Week 8. Best Bets: Durango @ Del Val +12.5 60.5 O/U The Twins haven't been scoring much, but Durango has. Take the over on this game. Vandalay @ Venice +9.5 97.5 O/U Are either of these teams going to score 50 points, let alone both of them? Put your bling bling on the under, Holmes. Sun City @ Leningrad -3.0 78.0 O/U As McNabb goes, so does Sun City. But Donovan faces the number one BFFL defense (BAL), who have given up less than 21 points five times this season, and the Westbrook threat is gone. Take the Lenzbians minus 3 against the Zulus. And take the over (2) on Ray Lewis jiggy dances.

Record-tying Title Game

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

The Vandals win the Cup! The Vandals win the Cup! The Vandalay Vandals secured their third career BFFL Cup Championship with a convincing win over playoff rookie Amity. The Vandals now share the league record for career Cup wins with the Durango Blitz, and improved their title game record to a perfect 3-0. Vandalay averaged 62.5 PPG in their two playoff wins, with a 22 PPG win margin. Only Del Val, who scored 128 points in the 2003 postseason, has scored more than Vandalay's playoff total of 125 points (Caribbean also had 125 in the 2003 playoffs). They also became the first team to break 60 points in both rounds of the same playoffs. The Vandals leaned heavily on Daunte Culpepper to win the title. Culpepper, who started the season on fire (82 points in five games through Week 6), then went dead cold (just 42 points in the last eight weeks of the regular season), exploded for 19 and 16 points in the semi-final and final, respectively. Tony Gonzalez, held scoreless in the semis, tallied 16 points and broke his own 1-year old record for Most TE Points in a Postseason Game (previously 13 points for Caribbean in the 2003 semis). The Amity Sharks had a great showing in their first BFFL playoff appearance, and had the makings of a title game upset after getting a record-tying performance by Shaun Alexander (19 points, Most RB Points in a Postseason Game) and a second consecutive impressive BFFL Cup game by Brett Favre (13 points after a record-setting 22 points in the 2003 title game). But the rest of the Sharks didn't show up, with no other starter or backup scoring more than 5 points. Durango won the third place money after an easy win over Sun City in the BFFL Saucer game. Peyton Manning and the New England Defense, stalwarts for the Blitz in their division-winning season, led the way again for Durango. Career Statistics: See Lifetime Team Stats report for more. ~ Leningrad's 8-6 regular season season dropped them to a career .629 win percentage, still tops in the league by 87 points (Vandalay .542). ~ Vandalay's 9 wins, couple with subpar seasons by Venice and Loch Ness, created a three-way tie among those franchises for career regular season wins with 81 apiece. ~ Sun City's perfect division record (8-0), vaulted their career division record from 39-40-1 (.494) to 47-40-1 (.540), good for fourth best in league history. ~ Vandalay's 5-1 inter-division record, tops in the league, enabled them to tie Leningrad for best career inter-division win percentage (.667). The Vandals now have five more career inter-division wins than their closest rival (Loch Ness with 38). ~ Leningrad dominates the Career Stats - they are tops in the following categories: Average League Rank (3.6) Average Power Rank (19.0) Regular Season Win % (.629) Average Points Pro (571.0) Average Luck (6.35) Average Points Rank (4.4) Average Division Points Pro (329.0) Division Win % (.600) Inter-division Win % (.667) Home Win % (.657) Away Win % (.600) All that and a quarter will get the Lenzbians zero BFFL Cup titles.

Week 8 Preview

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Games of the Week: The BFFL hits a critical juncture for several teams this weekend. Four teams are at risk of suffering their fifth loss through eight games, and one team is already there. The losers of the Caribbean-Amity and Loch Ness-Kalamazoo matchups will join Del Val in a position that has not been kind to BFFL teams of yore. Only three teams in BFFL history have ever had 5 or more losses through Week 8 and gone on to make the playoffs, the most recent being way back in 1998. Here's the short list of odds-beaters:

Year  Team            Week 8  Final   Playoffs 
=================================================
1994  Durango Blitz     3-5   8-6 WC  BFFL Runner-up
1995  Honalei Dragons   2-6   8-6 DW  Semi-final loss
1998  Ocean City Unos   3-5   8-6 WC  BFFL Runner-up

Best Bets: Durango @ Del Val +12.5 60.5 O/U The Twins haven't been scoring much, but Durango has. Take the over on this game. Vandalay @ Venice +9.5 97.5 O/U Are either of these teams going to score 50 points, let alone both of them? Put your bling bling on the under, Holmes. Sun City @ Leningrad -3.0 78.0 O/U As McNabb goes, so does Sun City. But Donovan faces the number one BFFL defense (BAL), who have given up less than 21 points five times this season, and the Westbrook threat is gone. Take the Lenzbians minus 3 against the Zulus. And take the over (2) on Ray Lewis jiggy dances.

Welcome Back

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

There's no T.O. vs. Moss subplot for the rematch between the Vikings and Eagles, so we'll fall back onto the McNabb vs. Culpepper angle. Mac Daddy hasn't played (seriously) in over three weeks, and his last two meaningful outings (both primarily T.O.-less) were less than stellar: 21-38 for 260 yds, 1 TD and 1 INT in Week 14 against the Cowboys, followed by 20-35 and 223 yds, 1 TD and 2 INT's against the Skins in Week 15. Culpepper, on the other hand, was on quite a roll leading into his wildcard visit to Lambeau: Week 15 at Detroit he racked up 404 yds on 25-35 passing with 3 TD's and 1 INT, followed by 16-23 for 285 yds and 3 TD's with no INT in a Week 16 home loss to Green Bay. He stayed hot at Green Bay last weekend with 19-29 for 284 yds, 4 TD's and no INT. Playoff Pool Update: Basically, if you didn't choose Peyton Manning you may not have a chance in this pool. He is liable to score more points in 2 games, assuming a loss to New England this weekend, than any other quarterback chosen could score in 3 or 4 games. If he advances to play a third games the non-Manning entrants can probably pack it in. I say it every year: the Playoff Pool is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Lauren Butscher proved me wrong last year as her huge first week (84 points) eventually led to a 7 point win over Amy Woolard. This year, Klemper is the early leader with 59, and is setup pretty nice thanks to Minnesota's upset of Green Bay and Reggie Wayne's big day. But they did lose their defense and one running back, and four remaining players are road underdogs this week, so in no way is the pool over just yet. Lucy & Elsa had a good week and sit just 6 points back of Klemper, but they lost 6 of their 9 starters and will rely on Manning, James, and the Pittsburgh defense to carry them to the end. They are guaranteed to have at most 2 players come the Super Bowl, so my prediction is they will be caught by others. Bill D. is third with 47 points but lost both running backs, a wide receiver and a tight end. To follow are links to the four reports that will be updated throughout the playoffs. I will actually be updating them approximately every half hour during the games each weekend! Check in at :05 and :35 after each hour during the games for the latest scores. Standings Scoring Breakdowns Scoring History Playoff All-Stars Playoff Pool Notes: ~ The player selected by most entrants was Marvin Harrison WR IND, chosen on 19 ballots. He scored 0 points in the first week but lives to play another game. ~ Two of the top six selections were eliminated already: Javon Walker (16 selections and 0 points) and Antonio Gates (15 selections and 8 points). ~ 31% of the selections bit the dust in the first weekend (78 out of 252), which equated to 13 of the 47 players picked. ~ Only 2 entrants still have all 9 starters alive, but they may be too far behind to catch the rest of the pack: Bob Woolard has 7 points (Torry Holt) while Anna Marie tallied just 2 points (Curtis Martin). ~ Most common wide receiver combo was Harrison and Walker, selected by 9 entrants. The Westbrook-Dillon running back pairing was chosen by 7 entrants.

Tecmo Bowl Returns

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Remember how most of us wasted much of our youth playing Tecmo Bowl? Well, get ready to waste your remaining youth with this version I found for the PC. It is a PC version of Super Tecmo Bowl for the Super NES system, and this version has NFL teams from 1983-2004, plus two NCAA seasons (1998, 2001). I was also able to add our league with approximate rosters as of Week 8! Just click this link (Tecmo Super Bowl) to download the zip file, then extract the file using WinZip or PKZip. It should extract to a folder called "SuperTecmoBowl". Then just double-click the "tsbultra.exe" file to start the game. Choose File | PLAY => Single Game. Select the league and team for each player, then mode (MAN=manual, COA=coach, COM=computer) and weather. Now just click PLAY and enjoy!

Movin' On Up

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Divisional Playoff weekend is typically moving day for the BFFL Playoff Pool, and this year was no exception. Five entrants moved 5 or more places up in the standings, while four entrants dropped 6 or more spots. The biggest move was by Bob Woolard, who jumped from 25th (out of 28) all the way to 2nd. The +23 rise was due to a team banking heavily on the bye teams, a squad that had all 9 positions intact this past weekend and generated a weekly high of 60 points. Bob will enter this weekend with 8 of 9 starters still active. Lisa DiSalle was not to be outdone, and leaped 9 spots from 16th to 7th behind another bye-laden team. Anna Marie made a move with a +7 spot climb from 27th to 20th, and has lost only two starters to date. Finally, Katie Butscher rounds out the movers with a jump from dead last to 21st. After a donut in the first week, Katie came back with 46 this weekend for a +7 improvement, and, like Bob, will enter the upcoming weekend with 8 starters intact. The lead sinkers of the week were led by Bill P., who plummeted 12 spots from 5th to 17th. After losing two more starters this weekend, Bill has been officially eliminated since, based on remaining starters, he cannot catch others ahead of him (Chad, Gary, Jon) - see you next year, Bill. Bob DiBenedetto was another double-digit sinker, dropping 11 places to last place after tallying a weekly low of 7 points. Unless L.J. Smith suddenly turns into Tony Gonzalez, it appears Bob is done as well. Despite a 20 point week, Llama fell from 19th to 27th for a -8 drop. And finally, Jeff Butscher's first week success was followed the fourth worst score of the week. Jeff dropped 6 spots from 6th to 12th, and is eliminated since he can't catch 8th place Susan. Reports updated :05 and :35 after each hour during the games: Standings Scoring Breakdowns Scoring History Playoff All-Stars Playoff Pool Notes: ~ Klemper put up 26 this week, and maintained her spot atop the standings. However, she lost Culpepper, Moss, Wayne, and the Indy Offense is left with just three starters, all of which are on the road this weekend. ~ Bob Woolard has the same three starters as Klemper, and just needs McNabb, Westbrook, Ward, the Pittsburgh Offense, and the Atlanta Defense to make up an 18 point deficit. Plus, no matter the result of this weekend's games, Bob is guaranteed to have the max of 4 starters in the Super Bowl. Katie Butscher is the only other entrant with that same guarantee. ~ Watch out for Lisa DiSalle - she is just 6 points back of Bob and has a vastly different roster than him: Roethlisberger vs. McNabb, Bettis vs. Dillon, Akers vs. Vinatieri, and N.E. Defense vs. Atlanta Defense. Westbrook and Crumpler are the only two common remaining starters for them. ~ Officially Eliminated: Llama, Bill P., Jeff Butscher, and Lucy & Elsa. ~ Highest Ranked Elimated Entry: Lucy & Elsa, ranked 6th with 63 points.

Week 9 Recap

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

It wasn't quite the shootout that was expected, but it was an exciting finish none-the-less. Mike Vanderjagt booted a short FG with no time remaining to lift the Colts past the Minnesota Vikings. The kick also enable Sun City to complete a Monday night comeback against division rival Loch Ness. The Zulus expected an easy win with Vanderjagt and the Minnesota Offense needing to combine for just 7 points. But the Vikes struggled without Randy Moss and the Colts kept getting TD's, limiting Vanderjagt to single-point kicks. The turning point came when Colts right defensive end Dwight Freeney, who abused young Minnesota left tackle Bryant McKinney all night long, was denied his third sack of the night by an Indianapolis defensive penalty during the Vikings game-tying fourth quarter drive. That allowed the Minnesota Offense to supply Sun City with 1 point, and made Vanderjagt's game-ending kick a winner for the Zulus. It was another case of Sun City playing the right opponent at the right time: the Zulus would have lost to 6 of the other 9 teams. Thus their league-leading 19.8 luck rating. Postseason Projections: The first postseason projections are available this week (to be posted Tuesday night 11/9), and Sun City is the early favorite. Sitting at 6-3 and atop the McNicholas Division, the Zulus have an 87.19% chance of making the playoffs, and have an 86.40% chance of winning their division. Plus, Sun City currently has the easiest Strength of Future Schedule - their future opponents have a combined .444 wining percentage. Durango and Vandalay both have 59+% chances of postseason appearances, with Kalamazoo rounding out the top four. While no team has been eliminated yet, Loch Ness, Caribbean, and Del Val each have less than a 3.15% chance of a second season. Notable Week 10 Games: Venice (4-5) @ (6-3) Sun City With a win, the Zulus could open up a three game lead and all but wrap up the McNicholas division. Amity (4-5) @ (6-3) Durango A win for the Blitz would be their seventh, and BFFL history nearly guarantees a playoff berth for teams with 7 or more wins through 10 games. Since 1994, 16 of 18 (88.9%) teams with 7+ wins through 10 weeks have reached the playoffs. Kalamazoo (4-5) @ (6-3) Vandalay The Killers are 12-8-1 against the Vandals in regular season games dating back to 1994, including a 41-35 win back in Week 2. Vandalay may need a win and season split to avoid a future tiebreaker loss in this tight division (all five teams within 2 games of each other).

TO, TO, TO, TO - As In Turnover

Vandalay Vandals — Mon, 18 Jan 2038 17:14:07 -0600

Yet another disappointing end to an Eagles season for the Philadelphia fans. Donovan McNabb was like two different QB's during the Super Bowl, at times looking great, but mostly looking confused and sloppy. He threw three interceptions, but a fourth was called back by penalty, and his first quarter fumble was reversed because his knee was down. His picks came at inopportune times, to say the least. First, he had Brian Westbrook heading for the corner of the endzone but inexplicably threw a flutter ball short, resulting in an interception that killed a solid first quarter scoring chance. This was one play after taking a 16-yd sack on a play from the Patriot's 5-yd line. Another interception came on a horrible throw across the middle with about 8 minutes left and down by 10 (see picture above). That was followed by an un-hurry offense on their next possession, which resulted in a TD, but left less than 2 minutes on the clock. While the defense did not play great - only one takeaway and two sacks - you have to place the blame on the offense for this defeat. Only 45 yards rushing, 4 sacks allowed, 3 interceptions, and one fumble lost. Throw in the lack of urgency in the next-to-last possession, and Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb will have plenty to think about until they hit Lehigh this summer. Playoff Pool Reports: Standings
Scoring Breakdowns
Scoring History
Playoff All-Stars Tyler DiSalle had the weekly high with 31, but Bob Woolard's 28 was tied for second and allowed him to easily win the 2005 NFL PLayoff Pool. Bob finished with a total of 134 for a 19-point victory over Tyler. The late TD by McNabb to Greg Lewis dashed Klemper's hopes for a second place finish, and Tyler will take home the 20% runner-up prize ($56). Bob will pocket the 80% winner's prize ($224). Thanks to everyone for playing and we hope to see you back again next year!