1997 FFL Week 11 Newsletter
This week's high scoring team: The Greenback Iguanas become the seventh league member this year to get in on high points with their team total of 55 this week vs. Bone Club. Their leading scorer was the D with 22 points, a new league record.
This week's stooge: The unlucky Hog’s Breath, who held a 14-6 lead entering Monday night only to see the Beer Spillers get two defensive touchdowns and pull out a Cornhusker victory.
What's inside:
1. Letter from the Commish
2. Transactions
3. Week 11 Recaps & Boxscores
4. The Swami Sez
5. Schedule
6. Rosters
Letter from the Commish:
Let the Commish tell you the story of the birth of the Great White Buffalo. In Native American lore, the birth of a great white buffalo is a powerful omen of great changes to come. In 1997, the great white buffalo has arrived at the FFL. Once powerful animals such as the great Strangus Highwayus, the Grandius To The Festivius, and the Crawlus King Snakius have succumbed to climactic change on a grand geological scale. Why, even the proud Bonasaurus Erectus has had difficulty adapting to a new era, as witnessed by its pounding under the torrents of the newly resurgent Bloody Bleeders and Au Natural Mystiques though the once-king-of-the-beasts has begun to make the transition as of late. And close behind the heels of the Bleeders and the Mystiques are other newly evolved mammals such as the NFC Frozen Tundrus and the Greenbackius Igsrulius. A second ancient Indian saying says that something lives only as long as the last person who remembers it. With each passing sunset, the memories of 1993, 1994, 1995, and even 1996 become just so much haze on the edge of the horizon, fog within which the past is relegated to live out its lonely existence, something reached for but never quite recaptured. While grown beasts may cry at their loss, younger, stronger beasts stand ready to exorcise today from the grips of yesterday. So, amidst all this millenial technology and modern medical discoveries, do not lose sight of the stories of our elders, stories derivative of something real, something true, stories based in some small way on fact. The Commish stands ready to espouse a new gospel, the gospel according to Dub. The fact of the matter is simply that this is 1997 and this is no longer your parents’ FFL.
With the bye weeks over, the waiver wire has cooled considerably. This week’s one coveted commodity was Fred Lane, another RB for the Seattle Panthers (or is that the Carolina Seahawks?). Some teams need to settle on a feature back and let it be. One thing the Commish feels comfortable in saying, however, is that Anthony Johnson will not be back in Charlotte come next fall. Which brings me to Coach Will, who’s scrambling for another running back in a big way. Let’s see...Emmitt has one TD; Warrick has begun drawing such attention from opposing defenses that, until Tampa Bay can demonstrate an ability to pass the ball on at least a rudimentary scale, he will be followed more closely than Princess Di; and Ernest Byner has just received his orders to report to the glue factory by 8:00 am on the 16th for inspection.
As a reminder, this Sunday at 11:59am CST is the trading deadline. For any of you still looking to improve your chances at catching the lead horses or for you front runners looking to make like Secretariat, your time is running short. Coach Pedersen made a pickup of Chris Chandler this past week to replace the broken down Elvis Grbac. This marks Chandler’s second term with the Swords and unites him with wideouts Terrance Mathis and Bert Emanuel as well as RB Jamal Anderson. After all, you can never have too many Falcons. Coach Will attempted to upgrade his running corps with the acquisition of Sherman Williams. If all else fails, Will has someone to paint his house now. In addition to the trading deadline approaching, the waiver deadline is exactly one week away (11:59am CST on Sunday of Week 13). If you have more than two transactions to make between now and then, it would be wise to make at least one move this week in preparation for your final rosters. As of noon on Week 13, rosters are frozen for the rest of the year.
With the bye weeks behind us, the Commish did a little research to see which marquee players missed out on starting against some of the teams around the league. Although not all inclusive, here are a few names. Note, it would appear that PMS did a good job of avoiding some big name players in 1997 (a little luck and a lot of talent will get you a 9-2 record): The Crawling King Snakes did not face Bettis, Elway or Robert Smith; the Bone Club avoided Jeff George, Blake, Rod Smith, Tim Brown and Ben Coates, the Natural Mystics missed out on Carl Pickens, Keyshawn (not the same player since leaving the LA Riots as a free agent folllowing the 1996 season), and Emmitt Smith (like that would have made a difference in ‘97); the Swords skipped Kordell, Herman Moore, Rickey Watters, and Vinny Testaverde; the Beer Spillers missed Eddie George, Murrell, Barry Sanders, and Sharpe; the Iguanas did not see Marc Brunell; Grande hid from Jimmy Smith, Antonio Freeman, Brad Johnson and Jake Reed; the NFC Norris did not have the pleasure of Rickey Watters’ company, Raymont Harris, and Tony Martin; PMS truly were blessed by not facing Terrell Davis, Andre Reed, Curtis Martin (the invisible man except only Pete Carroll can’t see him), Favre, Robert Brooks, Warrick and Joey Galloway; the Supercuts missed Napoleon Kaufman, Ricky Dudley and Cris Carter; Hog’s Breath did not play against Jabbar and the underrated Derrick Alexander; and the Highways skipped out on Bledsoe and Levens. Conversely, due to trades, the Strange Highways faced Watters and Rison twice (rather than once as would otherwise have been the case). Rison was the Highways’ worst nightmare after his Week 3 catch on Monday night with 5 seconds left in the game defeated the Highways. NFC Norris also faced Emmitt twice, once as a member of the Highways and once while with the Party.
The top three scoring offenses in the league all struggled to some degree in Week 11, with PMS scoring 35, the Bone Club 29 and the Natural Mystics 19. Two of the three lost although only the Bone Club suffered severely from losing. Around the league, the race for the wildcard got even tighter as NFC Norris was tripped by April’s Supercuts, opening the door for a sprint to the finish involving as many as seven teams. Norris still holds the edge by virtue of its win over the Greenback Iguanas. Both teams are 6-5 as is April’s Supercuts who currently lead the Moe division but could be a factor in a wildcard race should they be defeated down the stretch. Immediately behind those three teams at 5-6 are the Crawling King Snakes, Grande To The Party, Beer Spillers and Bone Club. The big Week 12 matchup (not to be confused with the Big 12 South matchups. Those take place Weeks 14 & 15 when someone must yet crawl out of the muddy Moe) is Grande To The Party versus NFC Norris. Coach Will, like Jackie Smith, has had trouble holding on in the big games over the years. A Party loss would make it next to impossible for Coach Will’s team to get the wildcard, meaning they would have to win their division outright. It would also keep Norris in the driver’s seat. A Norris loss would put both teams at 6-6 and give Will an advantage over Coach Nerz in a tiebreaker. The other big Week 12 contests are the Bone Club vs. the Crawling King Snakes. The winner stays alive. The loser begins making plans for 1998 unless, in the Bone Club’s case, the Moe division can still be had. Expect a humbler, quieter Coach Young this week (we never dared hope for so much) after he came out smack talking before Week 11. The Greenback Boys meet the ever dangerous hired guns of Highwayville while the spoiling Swords meet the Supercuts. The other two games are for nothing more than positioning in the playoffs for two of the three teams still in playoff contention as PMS faces Hog’s Breath and the Natural Mystics meet the Beer Spillers. Both will be heavily favored. A Beer Spillers upset would keep their hopes alive for a wildcard berth. If the playoffs were to begin today, the matchups would be as follows: #1 PMS vs. #4 NFC Norris and #2 Natural Mystics vs. #3 April’s Supercuts.
For this league being simply a fun way to spend Sundays and a chance to hang with and tease our buds, winning and losing sure seems to bring out the true inner beings in some of us. The Commish can still vaguely (only vaguely since 1997 marks the year of the New FFL) recall 1996 when Coach Wassem was rided unmercifully for his despondency under the weight of a five game losing streak, a streak during which his beloved LA Riots found every possible way to lose. At the forefront were the league’s old guard, led by Sleezy E Widtfeldt, Grande M, and PJ the DJ (aka: the ganster, the killer, and the dope dealer---Westsiiiiide). Anyway, the Commish has noted of late the distinct lamentations of said Old Guard as they have born the weight of bad drafts, bad luck and bad breath. Coach Will tends not to even answer his phone after Sunday losses though he’s the first to offer "condolences" to others in their time of defeat; Coach Widtfeldt took a while but finally showed his hand during Week 10 upon hearing the news that his benched QB Gus Frerotte was in the midst of putting up 14 points while newly minted starter Steve "Airless" McNair layed the golden egg; and Coach Young is like a bear hibernating for winter during his team’s cold times, making fewer roster moves and neither placing calls nor receiving them thanks to his in-home screening device. In fairness, his trading remains undimished during troubled times. This is probably best explained by his lack of trading even during prosperous periods. Coach Young lives by the philosophy, "I’d rather my players be stiffs for me than turn into studs for you." Coach Erickson should also be mentioned. The Commish felt downright bad for the league’s single resident of Morrison Hotel as he heard Coaches’ lineup being called in on the Commish’s voicemail before gametime on Week 10. By Tuesday, however, Coach Morrison was a new man, leaving the bath tub of Paris completely behind as he so joyfully basked in the warmth of his PMS sweep, in the knowledge that his ten game winning streak was secure for another season and that he had playoff life for another week. All this makes the Commish smile wide in the knowledge that we have a league like no other. Here’s hoping we stick around awhile because, after all, "You like us. You really, really like us."
Enough of Week 11. On to Week 12. Go deep, I'll throw it!
-The Commish
Mark---Stop here for reminders:
Drop/Adds begin Wednesdays at 6:00pm this year.
Wednesdays from 6:00pm-10:00pm are reserved for pickups based on low season point total.
First come/first serve drop/adds begin Wednesdays at 10:00pm.
All transactions are to be called in to 402-392-9749 and left on my voice mail for date/time stamping. This will serve as the official arbitrator of any disputes that may occur.
All lineups will be called in to 402-392-9749 for the same reasons.
To find out what lineup your opponent is using, either: call your opponent directly (remember to notify me of your starting lineups in any event-see above) or call me at 402-341-2674 after kickoff of the first weekly game.
I realize some trades are made at the last minute but, whenever possible, please notify me of any trades ASAP after they are made by leaving a voice mail at 402-392-9749.
Transactions:
11/5 Crawling King Snakes waive WR Charles Johnson and RB Rodney Hampton; add RB Fred Lane and WR Darnay Scott
11/5 Grande To The Party waives RB Ernest Byner; adds RB Sherman Williams
11/5 Palace of Swords waives QB Elvis Grbac; adds QB Chris Chandler
11/6 NFC Norris waives TE Ernie Conwell; adds WR James McKnight
Week 11 Recap
Best Beats Best In Battle of League Leaders 36-19
In a game that showed neither team at its offensive finest, PMS had enough in the tank to defeat the Natural Mystics 36-19 in a game between the two FFL teams with the best records. PMS was led by Jason Elam’s 11 points and a defensive shutout from the Steelers (somebody else has to draft the Steelers next year and force the PMS coaching staff to find another non-Steeelers, non-Chiefs D). Antonio Freeman chipped in for 8 points while Brad Johnson threw a TD and 2-pt. conversion. The Mystics never quite got the offense going on this day as Jeff George appeared to be equally bothered by his still sore ribs and the surprisingly tough New Orleans (??) defense. His only production was helping Ricky Dudley account for 100 yards receiving. Jerome Bettis had a 100 and scored a TD but was again the victim of the gangster thief Kordell Stewart who bogarted another 1 yard TD plunge from the Bus. Although Rod Smith scored another TD, it wasn’t enough as the Mystics could not sustain enough offense to stay close. PMS and the Mystics both go to 9-2 on the season with PMS holding the #1 seed for the moment. Despite their loss, the Mystics saw their magic number drop to two by virtue of the NFC Norris loss. PMS, with their win, also reduce their magic number for a first ever division title to two.
Natural Mystics 19 36 PMS
George 00 QB 05 B Johnson
The Bus 08 RB 00 Cough-man
Levens 00 RB 06 T Allen
T Brown 00 WR 08 Freeman
R Smith 06 WR 00 Jake Reed & The Fat Man
Wycheck 00 TE 02 Dudley Do Right
Owens 00 U 00 McCardell
Longwell 05 K 11 Elam
Cowboys 00 D 04 Steelers
Record Setting D Ignites Iguanas Past Club 57-23
Munch, munch, munch. That was the sound Sunday of the Iguanas’ defense cleaning off the remaining bones of Coach Young’s Bone Club in the wake of bulletin board fodder provided by Young in the days leading up to their Week 11 tilt. The previously high flying Club took a verbal jab in the days leading up the game by informing Coaches Bernadt that the Bone Club was ready to feast on Iguana meat. The Greenies, however, turned the tables on the Clubbers on this Day of the Iguana. The Iguanas, ignited by Darrien Gordon’s 2 punt returns for touchdowns to go with an interception return for a TD and a defensive shutout, exploded to put the hammer to Coach Youngs’ boys 57-29. The Iguanas struck early with Karim Abdul-Jabbar scoring 2 TDs and gaining 100 while Raymont Harris scored a TD in the noon games. However, it was during the 3 o’clock games that the fireworks commenced. The defense accounted for 22 points, a new league record, smashing the old record of 12 points set by multiple teams and the Iguanas also saw the return of Toto in the re-emergence of Tony Martin who scored twice and had an even 100 receiving. The Clubbers left "Yo" Adrian Murrell on the bench but he would have made no difference in the outcome. Despite Kordell’s 10 points and Barry Sanders’ TD and 100, Bone Club was too far out to make up the difference. The Iguanas improve to 6-5 and are tied with NFC Norris for the wildcard berth once again while the Bone Club drop down to 5-6, a game out of both the wildcard and the Moe division lead. Both teams have Week 12 dates against other wildcard contenders in matchups that should speak loudly in determining who winds up in the playoffs.
Greenback Iguanas 57 29 Bonasaurus Erectus
Vinny 00 QB 10 Kordell
Sky Hook Boy 14 RB 00 Broussard
Ray Mt. Harris 06 RB 08 Barry S
Rowen & Martin 14 WR 00 Shepherd
Keyshawn 00 WR 00 Cab Calloway
Ashes To Asher 00 TE 00 Chewy-mura
Engram 00 U 06 Hearst
Hanson 01 K 05 Hall
Broncos 22 D 00 Buccaneers
Boniol Boots Cuts Back Into First Place 34-31
In a Monday night cliffhanger, Chris Boniol kicked the April Supercuts back into sole possession of first place in the Moe division, by a score of 34-31 over the NFC Norris. The victory improves the Cuts to 6-5, a game ahead of second place Grande To The Party and the Bone Club. The Cuts were tied at 6 going into the 3 o’clock games but Warren Moon found Joey Galloway twice for TDs and Terrell Davis ran for 100 yards to keep the Cuts within 3 points of the Norris as the Norris scored 25 points in the late afternoon games. The Norris built its lead with an Elway TD pass, an Eddie George TD and 100, a Ben Coates TD catch and 7 points from Adam Vinatieri. The Norris had a chance to negate Boniol’s Monday night points but William Floyd was shut out and the Supercuts completed their comeback. The Norris drops to 6-5, tied with the Greenback Iguanas for the wildcard berth and beginning to hear the whispers of the ghosts of 1996 as the noose slowly tightens around their necks. The tiebreaker favors the Norris who now face Grande To The Party in an important Week 12 game. A Norris loss shakes up the entire bottom half of the playoff picture.
April’s Supercuts 34 31 NFC Norris
Moon 08 QB 04 Elway
#34939 Phillips 06 RB 08 E George
Terrell 02 RB 06 J Stewart
Galloway 12 WR 00 M Jackson
Early To Bed... 00 WR 00 Kennison
Riemersma 00 TE 06 Coates
Way 00 U 00 Floyd
Bony-Hole 06 K 07 Vinatieri
G-Men 00 D 00 Da Raiders
Beer Spillers Steal Last Second Win With Returns
In a game that meant nothing to the playoff picture at kickoff but victory to the winner, the Beer Spillers pulled off the impossible on Monday night, scoring 2 defensive touchdowns to defeat Hog’s Breath 18-14 and climb back into the playoff picture by virtue of the NFC Norris loss. There was little offense in this game. For the Breath, Cory Dillon scored a TD in the noon game to give Hog’s Breath an early lead. Jimmy Smith added a 100 yard game and Olindo Mare booted 6 points. Steve Young’s failure to find the endzone Monday night cost the Breath a chance at a comeback.The Spillers continued a trend of either scoring enough points one week to contend for league honors or barely scoring enough points to avoid the weekly "Stooge" honor. On this day, it was the stooge honor at risk. Drew Bledsoe fired a TD pass and Cris Carter caught a 2 point conversion for the Spillers’ only offensive points. However, the Spillers’ valiant 49er defense returned a fumble and a punt for touchdowns as they snatched victory from the hands of defeat. Matt Stover was held scoreless by the Steelers D. Hog’s Breath’s record falls to 2-9 while the Beer Spillers improve to 5-6 and suddenly find themselves with new life.
Hog’s Breath 14 18 Beer Spillers
S Young 00 QB 04 Bledsoe Much
M Allen 00 RB 00 Watters
Dillon 06 RB 00 McPhail
J Smith 02 WR 00 Bad Moon
McCaffrey 00 WR 02 C Carter
If the Glover Don’t Fit... 00 TE 00 Bruener’s Bagels
J Lewis 00 U 00 Rb Moore
Mare 06 K 00 Stover
Eagles 00 D 12 49ers
Swords Slide Past Party Behind Special Teams TD
In one of the more bizarre plays in the 1997 FFL season, the Palace of Swords defeated Grande To The Party 38-33 behind a Kansas City Chiefs defensive touchdown. The Chiefs had the ball when Rich Gannon threw an interception to the Jags’ Chris Hudson. While trying to return the pick, Hudson was stripped of the ball by Andre Rison. The ball bounced into the arms of Damon Hughes of the Chiefs who scooped it up and ran 7 yards for the score that snatched victory from defeat for the Swords. The loss prevented the Party from remaining in a first place tie with April’s Supercuts and continued Coach Pedersen’s recent jinx of Coach Will. Last season, the Swords swept the Party, winning once by a blowout and winning the other game by a single point. Those two losses contributed in keeping Coach Will out of a second consecutive trip to the playoffs. Yesterday’s loss may have done the same thing. The Swords, 4-1 lifetime vs. Coach Will, were led by the surprising Tony McGee’s 2 TD receptions although only one came from QB Jeff Blake who left the game with an injury. Curtis Martin scored a TD and once again came up just shy of 100. Brett Favre and Warrick Dunn led the Party with 12 points apiece. Emmitt Smith found the endzone but Jeff Wilkins was held to a single point in the kicking game. The Swords improve to 4-6-1 and will try to play spoiler again in Week 12 when they face April’s Supercuts. For Coach Will, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow after he had pointed to Week 11 since draft day, having declared the Swords a rival game. The Party falls to 5-6 and faces a huge game against NFC Norris in Week 12 with the season on the line.
Grande To The Party 33 38 Palace of Swords
Favre 12 QB 04 Blake
Em-mutt 06 RB 06 C Martin
Over Dunn 12 RB 00 J Anderson
Bruce Wayne 00 WR 00 A Reed
R Brooks 00 WR 06 Emanuel
Sharpe 02 TE 12 McGee
Jett 00 U 00 Green
Wilkins 01 K 04 Del Greco
Cardinals 00 D 06 Chiefs
Snakes Curl Up And Die On The Highway 36-26
Just when the Crawling King Snakes were making a bid to return to the playoff race, the Strange Highways went and played spoiler, defeating the Snakes by a 36-26 score. Mike Alstott got the Highways off to an early lead for the second straight week with a 47 yard TD run. Gus Frerotte threw a TD and Richie Cunningham accounted for another six. Thigpen scored 8 and the Patriots’ D scored twice. Coach Erickson’s defense negated the Highways’ D with a pair of touchdowns of their own. However, the only offensive TD was a Carl Pickens catch in the back of the endzone. Marshall Faulk tallied his second 100 yard day in his last 35 and Gary Anderson tacked on 6 points kicking. The Snakes drop to 5-6, still in the hunt but dangling precariously. Coach Widtfeldt defeated a close coaching buddy and improved the Highways’ mark to 3-7-1. They have the opportunity to play spoiler again in Week 12 as they take on the Greenback Iguanas.
Crawling King Snakes 26 36 Strange Highways
Mitchell 00 QB 04 Frerotte
Lane 00 RB 00 L Johnson
Bam 00 RB 06 Alstott
Slim Pickens 06 WR 00 H Moore
Irvin 00 WR 00 Alexander
Drayton 00 TE 00 Walls
Faulk 02 U 08 Thigpen
G Anderson 06 K 06 Little Richie Cunningham
Chargers 12 D 12 Patriots
Swami Sez:
Grande To The Party (5-6) vs. NFC Norris (6-5)
Power Rankings: Grande To The Party 5; NFC Norris 6
This game between playoff contenders will serve to improve the chances for one team while damaging the chances for the other. The Norris will enter the game hoping that Curtis Conway and Michael Jackson are able to suit up this week. If not, the Norris will be fielding their wide receiver "B" team. Norris matchups appear as follows: Elway (at KC), Stewart (Tenn), Eddie George (Jax), Conway (NYJ), Jackson (Philly Blunt), Coates (TB), and Kennison (Atl). For Grande’s Party, it looks like Favre and Robert Brooks vs. Indianapolis, Emmitt vs. the Skins, Warrick (NE), Bruce (Atl), Jett (SD), Sharpe (KC) and, if Coach Will goes to them, McDuffie vs. Buffalo on Monday night and Chrebet vs. Da Bears. Any Sharpe TD catches will negate the Norris’s Elway. The Norris’s backfield will be squaring off against each other. A Norris loss renders the wildcard a mad scramble amongst seven teams. A Party win keeps Coach Will in position for Week 14 and 15 showdowns against division rivals April’s Supercuts and Bone Club for all the marbles in the muddy Moe. Last year, Grande won the only previous meeting between these two teams.
Crawling King Snakes (5-6) vs. Bone Club (5-6)
Power Rankings: Crawling King Snakes 8; Bone Club 2
The Crawling King Snakes lead this series 2-1 but Coach Young’s team enters the game winners of five of seven. The Snakes, after a mid season tailspin, have rebounded and are attempting to stay in the hunt for the wildcard berth. When they square off this week, the matchups will look something like this: for the Snakes, it’s Mitchell (Minn) or Kramer (NYJ), Bam (Philly), Faulk (GB), Lane (SF), Irvin (Wash), Pickens (Pitt), Stokes (Car), and Drayton (Buff). Bone Club is led, as always, by the touchdown thief Kordell Stewart (Cin), slumping Murrell (Chi), Barry Sanders (Minn), Hearst (Car), Glenn (TB), Shepherd (Dal) and Chmura (Indy). The Swami loves Leslie Shepherd but not this week. Bam Morris should know soon whether he will get to finish the season in Baltimore or if he’ll be finishing it out in the Texas Correctional Facility for violating his probation order for drunk driving.
April’s Supercuts (6-5) vs. Palace of Swords (4-6-1)
Power Rankings: April’s Supercuts 9; Palace of Swords 10
The Palace of Swords have been relegated to the role of spoiler down the stretch. They’ll attempt to make life miserable for the last two playoff contenders they still face, April’s Supercuts and NFC Norris. This week, it’s the Supercuts. Coach Pedersen has stated that he’s sticking with more of a set lineup during the final month in an attempt to end the season on a positive note entering the offseason. We’ll see if that happens. The probable Swords lineup would include newly re-instated starting QB Jeff Blake (Pitt), Curtis Martin (TB), Robert Smith, if healthy (Det), Jamal Anderson (Rams), Andre Reed (Mia), Emanuel (Rams) and McGee (Pitt). If Coach Pedersen wishes, he could throw out Chandler (Rams) and Mathis (Rams) and go with the entire starting Falcon offense with the exception of O.J. "Has anybody seen Waldo?" Santiago. For April’s Supercuts, the QB is up in the air. Coach Johnson has had some bad luck in getting the right QB into the starting lineup. The Swami is guessing it’ll be Warren Moon (NO) this week along with Terrell Davis (KC), Phillips (Atl), Way (Ariz), Galloway (NO), Early (Mia) and Riemersma (Mia). Brunell faces the Oilers if Coach Johnson so chooses to go that route. The Cuts need to win against the teams in the lower echelon to remain in the hunt, thus, Week 12 is a big game for Coach Johnson while it’s a chance to spoil the Cuts’ playoff hopes for the Swords after doing just that versus Grande To The Party this past week.
Greenback Iguanas (6-5) vs. Strange Highways (3-7-1)
Power Rankings: Greenback Iguanas 3; Strange Highways 6
Coach Widtfeldt would like nothing better than to play a spoiler role and grease the wheels for the wildcard entry to come from within the Highways’ division though he thinks the Moe division is still there for the taking. He’ll have that chance this week against Greenback Iguanas. Although there’s no truth to the rumor that Coaches Kevin & Kyle Bernadt plan to break out the all green uniforms this week, this is a huge game for the Iguanas nevertheless if they want to remain even with NFC Norris for the wildcard. To that end, they plan to hitch their wagons to a starting lineup of Vinny Testaverde (Philly), Jabbar (Buf), Raymont Harris (NYJ), Tony Martin (Oak), Keyshawn (Chi), Asher (Dal), perhaps Bobby Engram (NYJ), and the Broncos defense, the Iguanas most productive player in 1997. The Highways will trot out either Frerotte (Dal) or McNair (Jax) at QB, Alstott (NE), Ki-Jana (Pitt), Alexander (Phil), Thigpen (Cin), Herman Moore (Min) and Walls (SF). The all-time series record is 1-0 in the Greenbacks’ favor.
PMS (9-2) vs. Hog’s Breath (2-9)
Power Rankings: PMS 1; Hog’s Breath 12
Strictly in terms of season records, this game would appear to be a formality for PMS. But in this league, take nothing for granted. Hog’s Breath will still be there to play the game. One thing about this league: no matter how bad a team is, it only takes one or two wins against quality opponents to improve one’s outlook and provide talking rights for a year. Expect the Breath to start Steve Young (Car), Marcus Allen (Den), either Warren (NO) or Means (Tenn), Jimmy Smith (Tenn), McCaffrey (KC), Jermaine Lewis (Philly), and TE Glover (Det). As usual, PMS will counter with the same lineup they usually go with. Only the Utility position is up for grabs in the PMS starting lineup. They’ll start Johnson and Jake Reed (Det), Kaufman and Dudley (SD), Terry Allen (Dal), Freman (Indy), and either Hawkins (Cin), McCardell (Tenn), Wheatley (Ariz) or Tiki (Ariz) although the Swami is betting against Tiki. This is the first ever game between these two clubs.
Natural Mystics (9-2) vs. Beer Spillers (5-6)
Power Rankings: Natural Mystics 4; Beer Spillers 11
This first ever battle between childhood friends wouldn’t have had the importance that often comes with a Week 12 matchup were it not for a late comeback by the Spillers on Monday night. However, this game will still be for bragging rights in the off season. The Beer Spillers have suffered through a disappointing inaugural season at times, losing several close games and swinging alternately from high production weeks to stagnant ones. Yet, Coach Schmitz has steered his squad into position to back into the playoffs in spite of the struggles. To Coach Schmitz’s credit, he, along with Coach Nerz, was involved in the league’s largest ever trade, one involving 12 players after Week 4. This week, Coach Schmitz has prepared a tentative starting lineup of: Bledsoe (TB), Watters (Balt), McPhail (Buff), C Carter (Det), Rison (Den), Rob Moore (NYG), and Brent Jones (Car). The Mystics’ lineup has been pretty pat for most of the year, with only an occasional tweek here and there. Expect no surprises from Coach Wassem as he starts George and Tim Brown (SD), The Bus (Cin), Dorsey Levens (Indy), Rod Smith (KC), Owens (Car), and Wycheck (Jax). The Spillers have an uphill fight to the playoffs, having to defeat both the Mystics and PMS in Week 15. So, for the Spillers, there’s time like the present.
Swami went 4-2 for the week including a couple of doggies, bringing his record for the season to 31-33.
Grande To The Party (5-6) -1 NFC Norris (6-5)
Bone Club (5-6) -6 Crawling King Snakes (5-6)
April’s Supercuts (6-5) -1 Palace of Swords (4-6-1)
Greenback Iguanas (6-5) -3 Strange Highways (3-7-1)
PMS (9-2) -11 Hog’s Breath (3-8)
Natural Mystics (9-2) -7 Beer Spillers (4-7)
Wednesday's order of pickup w/ total points scored for season to date:
1. Hog's Breath 218 7. NFC Norris 343
2. Beer Spillers 298 8. Grande To The Party 363
3. Strange Highways 310 9. Greenback Iguanas 402
4. Crawling King Snakes 315 9. Bone Club 402
5. Palace of Swords 321 11. Natural Mystics 416
6. April’s Supercuts 342 12. PMS 445