1997 FFL Postseason Newsletter
Round 1: Crawling King Snakes 48 Natural Mystics 19
Grande To The Party 34 PMS 29
FFL Title game: Crawling King Snakes 31 Grande To The Party 30
What's inside:
1. Letter from the Commish
2. Playoff recap
3. Shotgun Tournament recap
4. Final season schedule w/ scores
Letter from the Commish:
Better late than never, PP (aka Pete Pedersen) is now on-line with AOL. His address is listed above. Feel free to contact him sometime.
The game summaries and recaps are provided in the Playoff Recap section but a few tidbits are in order. With the first round defeats (upsets?) of PMS and the Natural Mystics, teams with a combined 23-7 record, the championship game pitted the Crawling King Snakes and Grande To The Party, teams with a composite 15-15 regular season record. Never before has the championship game involved two teams with a worse combined record. This is not to denigrate the two teams. This is just the fact of the matter. In any event, the Commish seriously doubts that either Coach Erickson or Coach Will cares how he got to the final game. Also, with their defeat in the semi-finals, the Mystics became the third #1 seed in five years to be beaten in the opening round. Additionally, the Crawling King Snakes became the third wildcard club to advance to the championship game (following the Whisker Biscuits in 1993 and the Bone Club in ‘96) and became the first to win it. Coach Will becomes the first ever two time championship game loser, continuing his trend of coming up short in the big game. Moreover, on both occasions, Coach Will had the winning points on his roster but left them on the bench. In 1995, it was his second kicker that cost him the title. This year, he left (of all people) Emmitt Smith riding the pine. Emmitt’s 4 yard TD run early in the fourth quarter would have meant victory for Grande 36-31. Instead, in the closest title game ever played, the King Snakes were victorious by a 31-30 count.
The Greenback Iguanas can be expected to submit a rule proposal next draft day. They lost out on a playoff berth due to the #2 tiebreaker, best division record. They split their season series with the King Snakes and outscored them for the season. Their contention is that the #2 tiebreaker should not apply when determining a wildcard berth. The Commish would agree that this has some merit. As it turns out, though, it would not have made a difference in ‘97. Tracking their entire roster in Week 16, the Iguanas would have scored a maximum of 8 points in a possible first round playoff game. Taken against the actual starting lineup of the Natural Mystics (who would have been their first round opponent), they would have lost 19-8. Ironically, under that scenario, the Mystics would have played Grande for the title and would have won 31-30 if they’d used Eric Green at TE. Of course, there’s no way of knowing if they’d have chosen Green. In the game of "What If..." PMS lost to Grande in the first round due to 2 missed Jason Elam field goals and a questionable penalty on a Steelers’ interception return for a TD. Had PMS won, they would have scored 32 points in the finals and beaten the King Snakes as well as the Mystics if either of those matchups had materialized. Of course, "If ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a wonderful Christmas."
All this hypothetical talk aside, congratulations go out to the Crawling King Snakes. Coach Erickson’s squad turned in its worst record since its abysmal 1994 2-13 (or 3-12) debut. Yet, when the chips were down, the Snakes won 5 of 7 and snuck into the playoffs on the last day of the season, then turned in perhaps their best performance of the season in defeating the Natural Mystics in the first round of the playoffs before squeeking past the verbose Coach Will for their first ever title.
With the season over, it’s time for the presentation of the All League Team. What makes this truly objective is that it is based solely on points scored in FFL play. If the player didn’t start, he didn’t score. Without further adieu, here’s the 1997 All League team with points scored for the season in parentheses. Note that the first team did not include a King Snake or a Grande To The Party (whatever that means). Also included are the 1995 and 1996 teams so that you all can see a little history and identify those players who have stood out over the others for an extended period of time:
‘97 All League First Team: ‘97 All League Second Team:
QB Kordell Stewat (144) Bone Club Brett Favre (131) Grande To...
RB Terrell Davis (112) Supercuts Jerome Bettis (74) Natural Mystics
RB Barry Sanders (107) Bone Club Dorsey Levens (72) Natural Mystics
WR Cris Carter (74) Beer Spillers Michael Irvin (60) Cr. King Snakes
WR Rod Smith (70) Natural Mystics Antonio Freeman (58) PMS
Joey Galloway (58) April’s Supercuts
TE Ben Coates (42) NFC Norris Tony McGee (38) Palace of Swords
U K Abdul Jabbar (100) Gr. Iguanas Napoleon Kaufman (63) PMS
K Jason Hanson (111) Gr. Iguanas Jason Elam (99) PMS
Adam Vinatieri (111) NFC Norris
D Broncos (64) Gr. Iguanas Chargers (48) Cr. King Snakes
MVP: Kordell Stewart
Rookie of the Year: Warrick Dunn
Most Improved Player: Rod Smith
‘96 All League First Team: ‘96 All League Second Team:
QB Brett Favre (151) Supercuts John Elway (128) Two Turntables...
RB Terry Allen (112) Gr. Iguanas Terrell Davis (92) Supercuts
RB Curtis Martin (108) Palace of Swords Rickey Watters (84)
WR Tony Martin (80) Palace of Swords Michael Jackson (64) Cr. King Snakes
WR Carl Pickens (74) St. Highways Herman Moore (54)
Jerry Rice (54)
TE Shannon Sharpe (64) Two Turntables Keith Jackson (54) Cr. King Snakes
U Emmitt Smith (98) Two Turntables Jerome Bettis (80)
K Jason Elam (99) North Dallas 40 John Carney (97) St. Highways
D Packers (38) Gr. Iguanas Steelers (36) PMS
MVP: Brett Favre
Rookie of the Year: Karim Abdul-Jabbar
Most Improved Player: Tony Martin
‘95 All League First Team: ‘95 All League Second Team:
QB Scott Mitchell (124) Bone Club Brett Favre (112) Cr. King Snakes
RB Emmitt Smith (150) Supercuts Curtis Martin (86) When The Shit...
RB Chris Warren (92) Bone Club Rickey Watters (84)
WR Carl Pickens (98) Cr. King Snakes Jerry Rice (80) When The Shit...
WR Herman Moore (96) Palace of Swords Michael Irvin (74) The Boys
TE Shannon Sharpe (28) F. Falcons Ben Coates (26) Deadbeats
Jay Novacek (26) The Boys
U Cris Carter (94) Supercuts Marshall Faulk (74) Bone Club
Barry Sanders (74) LA Riots
K Jason Elam (117) Bone Club Morton Anderson (111) The Boys
D Raiders (36) Cr. King Snakes Chargers (32) LA Riots
MVP: Emmitt Smith
Rookie of the Year: Curtis Martin
A couple of interesting tidbits:
The Bone Club gave up 87 points more than any other team. They gave up 150 more points than the team least scored upon. That’s an average of exactly 10 points per game.
Kordell Stewart averaged 25 points per game against the Strange Highways, with single game totals of 24 and 26 for a total of 50 points on the year. The Highways managed to gain a split (with their victory in Week 15 knocking the Bone Club out of the playoff race).
The Natural Mystics gave up 19% of their points in one game, the 81-39 defeat to Hog’s Breath in Week 15.
Final 1997 payouts are as follows:
Jeffery $ 245.00 Paul Y $15.00
Mark $152.50 April $15.00
Alex $121.25 Kevin/Kyle $15.00
Kip/Lisa $106.25 Darin/Chris $15.00
Paul N $ 30.00
Paul said he’d have everybody’s money out to them by next week or so. The Commish is providing him with everyone’s address. For those teams jointly owned, I don’t know how you want to do it but I’ve told Paul to send the money to one of the two owners so you can figure it out from there.
We had five participants in the two week Shotgun Tournament. The winner, with 88 points, was Coach Nerz. He won by getting TD catches from Rob Moore and Rickey Dudley in the 3:00pm games this week to edge out Coach Wassem (76) and Coach Karstetter (67). Coach Widtfeldt finished fourth with 56 points and Coach Will was a distant fifth with 39. Individual player point totals are listed below in the recap section.
You will also find included in this final letter the first ever FFL Record Book. Though by no means comprehensive, the Commish has put much time into this and feels that it provides a representative sampling of the first five years of the league. You will find league records, team records, individual records, head to head information, coaching records, etc. If there’s anything not listed here that you think is worthy of research and possible inclusion, let me know and I’ll check it out. In the meantime, enjoy reading through this. Early indications are that April’s Supercuts will be folding up shop and will need to be replaced. Additionally, rumblings have been heard from the Bone Club camp about retirement. The Commish attributes this to the sour "grapes" taste of missing the playoffs for the first time and fully expects Coach Young to trudge his ass back to the draft table next August. If anyone knows they will not be back, please let me know so we may plan accordingly. As it stands, I’m looking at August 16 or 23 as possible draft days. I’ll let everyone know as it becomes more firm. With that said, another FFL season has come to a close. The Commish heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night."
Go deep, I'll throw it!
-The Commish
Playoff Recap
Round 1
Favre To Brooks Proves To Be Difference Again;
Grande Stumblebums Way Back To Finals 34-29
For the second consecutive week, Grande To The Party prevailed with the help of the combination of Brett Favre to Robert Brooks, this time defeating PMS 34-29 in the first round of the FFL playoffs. In each instance, the final outcome was five points (last week’s score being 24-19). The Party also got bonus production from emergency starter Sherman Williams who wound up seeing extensive playing time and crossed the endzone for six. James Jett was on the receiving end of yet another Jeff George aerial for a touchdown, Brett Favre contributed his usual production (12 points on this day) and Jeff Wilkins tallied another four points. PMS got no production from its ground game in the absence of the injured Terry Allen and Tyrone Wheatley. Danny Kanell contributed for a second straight week, Antonio Freeman had a nice game with 14 points, Rickey Dudley caught a TD from George and Jason Elam kicked five points Monday night. However, Elam missed two field goals that could have been the difference. More than that, though, the Steelers defense returned an interception for a touchdown only to see it waived off due to a supposed forward lateral penalty. Replays seemed to show that the lateral was legal. With the loss, their third in a row to finish the season, PMS concludes an outstanding season on a down note but winds up with a record of 11-4 and the Curly division flag. Grande To The Party, 7-8 during the regular season, has sometime managed to drive blind all the way into the FFL title game next weekend.
PMS 29 34 Grande To The Party
Kanell 04 QB 12 Favre
Kaufman 00 RB 06 S Williams
Barber 00 RB 00 Dunn
Freeman 14 WR 06 R Brooks
J Reed 00 WR 06 Jett
Dudley 06 TE 00 Sharpe
McCardell 00 U 00 Bruce
Elam 05 K 04 Wilkins
Steelers 00 D 00 Cardinals
Round 1
King Snakes Play Best Game Of Year In Putting Wood To Mystics; Reach Finals For First Time
The Crawling King Snakes saved the best for last, scoring 48 points and defeating the Natural Mystics 48-19 in first round FFL playoff action. The King Snakes, 0-2 previously in first round playoff games, broke the playoff losing streak early and convincingly. Scott Mitchell got things going by returning to the Lions’ game after having been knocked out then throwing a 1 yard TD pass after Tommy Vardell was unable to rush in for the TD on the previous play. Mitchell later threw his second TD pass to Herman Moore from the three yard line with :03 seconds left in the game. Marshall Faulk had a touchdown rushing and another receiving. Michael Irvin accounted for 100 yards as did Darney Scott to go along with Scott’s TD reception. Other bonus points came from Fred Lane as he went over 100 on a 35 yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Gary Anderson finished the Snake scoring with 10 MNF points. Their first ever playoff victory propels the King Snakes into the FFL title game against Grande To The Party next week in a game that will guarantee a new league champion.
Crawling King Snakes 48 19 Natural Mystics
Mitchell 08 QB 12 J George
Faulk 12 RB 00 Bettis
Morris 00 RB 00 Levens
Irvin 02 WR 00 T Brown
D Scott 08 WR 00 R Smith
Drayton 00 TE 00 Wycheck
F Lane 08 U 00 Owens
G Anderson 10 K 07 Longwell
Chargers 00 D 00 Cowboys
FFL Title Game
Emmitt Can Only Watch While The Party Ends;
King Snakes Capture Their First FFL Title 31-30
While Emmitt Smith and his 4 yard rushing TD for the Cowboys watched from the sidelines, Grande To The Party took a crushing 31-30 loss to the Crawling King Snakes handing the title to long suffering Coach Erickson. The King Snakes were led by the revitalized Marshall Faulk and his 14 points. Darney Scott added 8 points in his second consecutive productive game and Gary Anderson added three field goals including the game winner at the 7:10 mark of the third quarter. K Jeff Wilkins led the Party with 12 points while Brett Favre added 8 points despite playing only about half the game. Shannon Sharpe also had 8 points for the Party and Warrick Dunn added 2 bonus points for going over the 100 yard mark on the day. The win ended a playoff drought for the King Snakes who, before 1997, were 0-2 in playoff games in franchise history. The Party suffered flashbacks of their harrowing 1995 title game loss when they left the wrong kicker on the bench. This time, it was Emmitt who collected splinters in favor of Sherman Williams. While Emmitt would have scored the game winner, Williams failed to score on the day, rendering Coach Will 0-2 in the title game. After the game, Coach Will fielded an assortment of consolation phone calls from such luminaries as Bud Grant, Marv Levy, Dan Reeves, Bobby Cox and the spirit of Thomas Dewey.
Crawling King Snakes 31 30 Grande To The Party
Mitchell 00 QB 08 Favre
Faulk 14 RB 00 S Williams
Morris 00 RB 02 Dunn
Irvin 00 WR 00 R Brooks
D Scott 08 WR 00 Jett
Drayton 00 TE 08 Sharpe
F Lane 00 U 00 Bruce
G Anderson 09 K 12 Wilkins
Chargers 00 D 00 Cardinals
The First Annual Shotgun Tournament was also held over the course of these past two weeks. We had five participants this first year. With a two week total of 88 points, the winner this season is Coach Nerz of the NFC Norris. The $50 winner take all payout goes to him. With the $30 he earned for having high points twice during the regular season, Nerz almost comes out even steven for the year (after it took him five weeks to get his money to us in the first place). For team results, see below:
Coach Karstetter 67 Coach Wassem 76 Coach Widtfeldt 63
QB Brunell 16 K Stewart 11 Favre 20
RB Levens 00 B Sanders 10 B Sanders 10
RB Bettis 00 Jabbar 00 R Smith 10
WR Rison 00 C Carter 18 T Brown 02
WR Freeman 20 Thigpen 02 R Brooks 06
TE Drayton 00 McGee 06 B Jones 00
U D Scott 14 T Davis 06 Irvin 02
K Vinatieri 03 Hanson 09 Mare 07
D Chiefs 14 Chiefs 14 Giants 06
Alt: Elway 16 Favre 20 M Allen 12
T Davis 06 Elam 13 Stoyanovich 16
B Sanders 10 Bettis 00 J George 16
Coach Will 39 Coach Nerz 88
QB K Stewart 11 K Stewart 11
RB B Sanders 10 C Dillon 08
RB Bettis 00 B Sanders 10
WR Rison 00 C Carter 18
WR Thigpen 02 R Moore 06
TE Chmura 00 Dudley 12
U Levens 00 Jabbar 00
K Hollis 16 Hanson 09
D Chargers 00 Chiefs 14
Alt: Favre 20 T Davis 06
T Davis 06 D Levens 00
Gannon 04 T Brown 02