1997 FFL Week 13 Newsletter
This week's high scoring team: For the second straight week and third time overall, the Natural Mystics take high points with a total of 51, including Rod Smith’s late TD catch Monday night to clinch the money over PMS, who scored 45.
This week's stooge: Beer Spillers with 11, followed by the Crawling King Snakes with 17.
What's inside:
1. Letter from the Commish
2. Transactions
3. Week 13 Recaps & Boxscores
4. The Swami Sez
5. Schedule
6. Rosters
Letter from the Commish:
This is the abbreviated edition of the FFL newsletter. So, in deference to Dragnet, that 60’s contribution to conservative chic, we’ll stick to the facts. This Thursday is Thanksgiving. Sleep in, eat turkey and watch football, football, football. Sleep some more. Remember to call your lineups in by kickoff of the first game. Also, Thanksgiving means that the season is winding down. We have only two weeks left of the regular FFL season. That’s two weeks remaining for four teams to fight it out for the Muddy Moe division title and for four other teams to vie for the wildcard berth. With two weeks to go, here’s how things shape up.
It’s official. The wild card cannot come from the Moe division. This is because the second place team in the Moe cannot finish with a better record than every other potential wild card team out there and, in a tie for the wild card berth, it would lose any and all tiebreakers to any other team. Thus, the Muddy Moe has come down to a battle for the division title with the winner taking all. Going into Week 14, all four teams can still win the division. Some need help, some don’t. If either April’s Supercuts or Grande To The Party wins their last two games, that team would win the division outright. A single loss by either the Bone Club or the Strange Highways would knock that team out of the running. Any two way or three way tie involving April’s Supercuts, Grande To The Party and the Bone Club would favor the Bone Club based on the third tiebreaker, most points scored for the season (the first two tiebreakers being head to head and division record--neither of which would break the tie).
April’s Supercuts win the division with victories in Weeks 14 & 15; OR-- with a loss in Week 14 coupled with a Grande win then a Cuts win in Week 15 over Grande coupled with a Bone Club win in Week 15.
Grande To The Party wins the division with victories in Week 14 & 15; OR--with a loss in Week 14 coupled with a Cuts victory then a Grande win in Week 15 over the Cuts coupled with a Highway victory in Week 15. Grande would win the third tiebreaker (as it stands currently).
Bone Club wins the division with victories in Weeks 14 & 15 coupled with a loss by April’s Supercuts in either Week 14 or 15. Any two or three way tiebreaker would be won the the Bone Club based on points scored (the third tiebreaker).
Strange Highways win the division with victories in Weeks 14 & 15 coupled with a loss by Grande To The Party in either Week 14 or 15.
As for the wildcard situation, four teams are still in the running while five teams were knocked out. Due to the combination of wins and losses in Week 13, all of the Moe division, as mentioned earlier, are out of the wildcard running as is the Beer Spillers. The four teams still in are the Greenback Iguanas, NFC Norris, Crawling King Snakes and the Palace of Swords. At the moment, the Iguanas lead the race by one game with the Swords one-half game behind. The Snakes and the Norris are a full game back after Week 13. Listed below is the possible scenarios entering Week 14.
Greenback Iguanas are in if they win their last two games. In the event of a tie record with the King Snakes, the Iguanas would advance based on total points scored for the season. The Iguanas would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker if they finish with the same record as the NFC Norris.
NFC Norris must win out and hope for at least one Iguanas loss. The Norris wins the tiebreaker against both the Iguanas and the King Snakes individually and would also win the tiebreaker over both in the event of a three way tie since they hold the head-to-head over both clubs.
Palace of Swords must win out and hope for at least one Iguanas loss. This is one instance where a tie was better than a loss since they still hold a 1/2 game edge over both the NFC Norris and the Crawling Kings Snakes.
Crawling King Snakes must win out and hope for losses by the Iguanas, the Norris and the Swords (one each)
As a reminder, the tiebreakers work like this:
1. All ties for the division title are broken first. This year, that would only apply to the Muddy Moe should two or more teams finish with identical records.
2. When deciding the wildcard team, the order is as follows:
a. head to head (if more than two teams, one team would have to have defeated each of the other teams or have a better record against the others as a group than anyone else has).
b. Division record (if the only teams remaining are from within the same division).
c. Any teams still tied after the last tiebreaker (the others drop off), would then look at their total points scored for the season.
d. If still tied, the next tiebreaker would be total points scored in division games. However, this one would be moot since this tiebreaker is designed for ties within a division rather than a wildcard tiebreaker involving teams from different divisions (unless the only teams involved in the tiebreaker are from the same division).
e. Next, we would look at the most points scored by those teams in the games against one another.
f. Fewest points allowed in the season, overall.
g. Fewest points allowed in division games (if the teams are within the same division).
Since the remaining league games are all within the same divisions, final composite division records can now be calculated. The Larry division will finish with an overall 28-27-1 record for 1997, the Curly division will finish at 31-25 and the Moe division finishes 24-31-1. The Curly fared the strongest while the Moe did the worst. In the Moe’s defense though, everyone was more balanced while the Mystics carried the flag for the Larry division as the Norris was a first half team and the Swords were a second half team in ‘97.
Other notable observations for ‘97 include that fact that both the Natural Mystics and PMS, with records of 11-2, have equalled the second best league record in history. With wins by both in Week 14, they’ll tie for the best ever mark (currently the King Snakes 12-3 in ‘96) and, with two wins, they could each tie each other for best ever, surpassing the King Snakes.
Coach Will thought it would be interesting to research the winning percentage when a team’s defense scores in a game. So, the Commish took a look at this and learned that for the 1997 season (through Week 12), the overall record in games that a team’s defense scored is 26-15, a winning percentage of .634. Several of those games were counted as both a win and a loss because each team’s defense scored. In approximately seven instances, the defensive points proved decisive in the game including twice for team PMS. So, although this can be termed a piece of trivial information, don’t underestimate the effect that your defense can have in your overall won-loss record for the season. In a 15 game schedule, even one or two wins can be the difference between going to the playoffs and staying home for the holidays. It’ll be interesting to see if any of the 7-6 or 6-7 teams catch the good defensive break that propels them into that wildcard berth or the Muddy Moe title.
Has anyone else noticed the recent re-emergence of the old fashioned fullback? Rushing yardage is up around the league in 1997 and the fullback is a big reason why. More teams are once again utilizing two back sets and are even giving the fullback more of an offensive role aside from being a simple blocking back. A few fullbacks benefitting from this are Mike Alstott, Charles Way, Ray Zellars (who also plays halfback at times), a once-again healthy William Floyd and, most recently, Harvey Williams and Tommy Vardell. Alstott has scored each of the past 3 or 4 weeks, Williams scored 4 TDs in Week 12 and Tommy Vardell had the hat trick against the Vikes. Way has been routinely rushing for close to 100 yards weekly while averaging five yards per carry. It would not surprise the Commish to see more teams emulate this trend in 1998. Keep that in mind on draft day next year.
The Commish was contacted by the Iguanas front office last Tuesday and notified that an error had occurred in a waiver wire pickup made by Coach Will and his Party. It seems that Derrick Mayes was already the property of the Greenback Iguanas but Grande To The Party picked him up prior to Week 12. The Commish did not catch the error when adding Mayes to the Party’s roster. This is most likely due to the fact that the Commish assumed (erroneously, as it turns out) that anyone picking up a player has bothered to take the time to check the other rosters before claiming a player. However, the Commish accepts full accountability for the error and has made all necessary corrections, including deducting Mayes’ 2 points from Coach Will’s score in Week 12. Fortunately for Coach Will, it had no bearing on the game. And that’s almost too bad as it would have made for another fine Grande tale to tell. However, as he has in the past, the Commish once again wishes to remind all front offices that, when making transactions (and this is more for 1998 now obviously), they need to be perusing the rosters of all opposing teams. This is something that the Commish has been working with Coach Will on for a couple of seasons. However, the concept has been a difficult one for Coach to pick up. Never a quitter, the Commish will endeavor to continue working with Will for as long as it takes so we may yet eliminate the enjoyment of another Kimble Anders episode (a fine memory from 1996), O.J. Santiago (who, by the way Coach, has a broken leg and does you absolutely no good on your active roster. Too bad transactions are done for 1997. And why were you carrying three tight ends in any event?) and now Derrick Mayes. Ah, what would the league be without the constant entertainment value supplied from the organization that truly IS Grande?
The season ending newsletter will be out sometime after the FFL championship game is over. It will include the normal newsletter. In addition, it will include the FFL Record Book you’ve heard me allude to recently. It will also include all-time series records for every team and 1997 year-end awards. Do to its size and formatting, I will directly mail the final newsletter out rather than send it via e-mail. If this is a problem for anyone, please let me know. Expect it to be published a little later than normal.
Enough of Week 13. On to Week 14. Go deep, I'll throw it!
-The Commish
Transactions:
11/19 Strange Highways waive QB Craig Whelihan and QB Jake Plummer; add K Scott Blanton and RB Jay Graham
11/19 Natural Mystics waive RB Gary Brown; add WR Henry Ellard
11/20 Bone Club waive WR Leslie Shepherd; add TE Harvey Williams
11/20 April’s Supercuts waive RB Troy Davis and WR Charles Jordan; add Ray Zellars and K Eddie Murray
11/24 PMS waive QB Rodney Peete and TE Ted Popson; add QB Danny Kanell and TE Pete Mitchell
11/24 Palace of Swords waive WR Chris Sanders; add K Pete Stoyanovich
Week 13 Recap
Iguanas Turn The Party Out Saying, "This Is My MothaFuckin’ House"; Lead Race For Wildcard
Once again, Grande To The Party took the field for a big game and once again Grande To TheParty left the game with its shot glass between its legs as the Greenback Iguanas answered every punch delivered by the Party in route to a 42-28 victory in Week 13 FFL action. Every time the Party found the endzone, the Iguanas found it too, once within 1-2 minutes of a Grande TD. Brett Favre threw 4 TD passes and Emmitt scored a TD giving Grande 22 points by 3 o’clock. However, the Iguanas answered that barrage with 3 Karim Abdul-Jabbar TD runs, a Raymont Harris TD and 14 points from Jason Hanson, also all before 3 o’clock. In addition, Harris and Keyshawn Johnson both tallied 100 yard games. The 42 points by the Iguanas included zero production from a recently quiet Vinny Testaverde and only 2 points from its starting trio of wide receivers (Martin, Johnson, Mayes). With the loss, Grande To The Party wasted a big Week 12 win against NFC Norris and is now out of the running for the wildcard berth but, oddly enough, finds itself still in the thick of its division race, needing only wins in its last 2 games to clinch the Moe title and set up a first round playoff meeting against the #2 seed (currently the Natural Mystics). The Greenback Iguanas’ win, combined with yet another NFC Norris loss, propels the Iguanas into the lead for the wildcard with a record of 7-6. Two wins would secure a first ever playoff berth for the Iguanas and a date against the #1 seed (currently PMS). The Iguanas could conceivably clinch the wildcard berth in Week 14 if they win and the Swords, Snakes and Norris each lose. The Iguanas take a 3-1 series lead all-time over Grande To The Party including a two game sweep in 1997.
Grande To The Party 28 42 Greenback Iguanas
Favre 16 QB 00 Testaverde
E Smith 06 RB 18 Jabbar
Dunn 00 RB 08 R Harris
R Brooks 00 WR 02 K Johnson
Bruce 00 WR 00 T Martin
Sharpe 02 TE 00 Asher
Jett 00 U 00 Mayes
Wilkins 04 K 14 Hanson
Cardinals 00 D 00 Broncos
Elam Boots Propel PMS To Clubbing Of Boners; Young’s Team A Loss From Elimination In Moe
PMS withstood an early scoring blitz from the Bone Club to come from behind to defeat Coach Young’s squad by a 45-42 score. The Boners got off to a quick start behind Barry Sanders’ 16 points (2 TD, 200 yards), Kordell Stewart’s 2 TD passes and John Hall’s 12 kicking points. Barry has rushed for 100 or more yards in 10 straight games. Chris Calloway closed out the Club scoring with a Sunday night TD catch. PMS countered with a combined 30 points from Brad Johnson (16) and Jake Reed (14), along with an Antonio Freeman TD catch, 100 yards from Keenan McCardell and Jason Elam’s 7 kicking points on Monday night. Elam’s lone FG came in the 2nd half of the Monday night game and clinched the win. The PMS receiving trio combined for 22 points. The Coach Young started Terry Glenn at one WR. He did not play, however. The Club has been beset by injuries from its pass catchers (Chris T. Jones, Leslie Shepherd, Terry Glenn). Bone Club also started new TE Harvey Williams, leaving Mark Chmura on the bench. Chmura accounted for 12 points and would have been the difference between victory and defeat. 1997 surprise Garrison Hearst was quiet this week. Defensively, the Bone Club has entered the top 10 in points allowed for a season and has a legitimate shot to move all the way to #1 in the next two weeks. They also have a good chance of finishing on the top 10 list of most points scored offensively in a season. The 1997 Bone Club would be the third team to crack both top 10 lists in the same season, following both the 1995 and 1996 April’s Supercuts. With the loss, the Bone Club falls to 5-8 and out of contention for the wildcard berth. It can still win out in the Moe division but must win its remaining two games to have a chance. Despite scoring 37 and 42 points in its two games against PMS this year, the Club came out on the losing end both times as PMS cashed in for 50 and 45, respectively. With the season sweep, PMS has drawn even with the Club in the all-series, 3-3.
Bone Club 42 45 PMS
K Stewart 08 QB 16 B Johnson
Murrell 00 RB 00 Kaufman
B Sanders 16 RB 00 Allen
Glenn 00 WR 14 J Reed
Calloway 06 WR 06 Freeman
H Williams 00 TE 00 Dudley
Hearst 00 U 02 McCardell
Hall 12 K 07 Elam
Buccaneers 00 D 00 Steelers
Highways Win As Norris Relives ‘96 Nightmares
NFC Norris continued its free falling ways in the second half of the ‘97 season with its 7th loss in 10 games, losing this week to the re-energized Strange Highways in a contest between arch rivals. The Snore-us never led as the Highways sped out to a quick 28 points by 3 o’clock aided by Steve McNair’s 2 TD runs a one TD pass and 2 interceptions for TDs by the defense, including one of 100 yards. McNair started in place of Gus Frerotte who was scratched at gametime due to a strained throwing elbow that threatened to keep Gus on the sidelines. As it turned out, Frerotte wound up on the sidelines in any event as he fell victim to "the zone", scoring on a TD run in Washington’s Sunday night game but spraining his neck when he headbutted the padded wall behind the end zone during his post TD celebration. The Norris’s only points were from a Frank Sanders touchdown catch, Adam Vinatieri’s 9 kicking points and John Elway’s one TD pass Monday night. This game marked the fifth time during this 10 game skid that the Norris has failed to reach 20 points (17,19, 16, 17, 19). Of the other games, the Norris scored only 20 and 21 in two of them. The 20 points effort actually resulted in a victory. Only their 70 point effort in Week 7 (a win over the King Snakes) and their 37 point effort in Week 8 (a win over the Iguanas) were above average. The only other Norris win during this timeframe was a Week 10 win over Hog’s Breath (the 20 point performance). At 6-7, the Norris must win its final two games and get some help in order to still have a chance for a playoff berth. The win gives the Highways a season split against the Norris and ties the overall series at 2-2. The Highways, 4-1-1 over the last six weeks, are only 1/2 game behind the Moe division leaders and can now see the division title through their windshield. "From here on out, every game is do or die," said McNair when asked about the Highways’ improving playoff possibilities. However, they still need to win out and get help form within the Moe division to finish their improbable comeback.
Strange Highways 31 19 NFC Norris
McNair 16 QB 04 Elway
Alstott 00 RB 00 J Stewart
J Graham 00 RB 00 E George
H Moore 00 WR 06 F Sanders
Alexander 00 WR 00 M Jackson
Walls 02 TE 00 Coates
Thigpen 00 U 00 Floyd
Blanton 01 K 09 Vinatieri
Patriots 12 D 00 Raiders
Levens Leads Way; Mystics Sanitize Cuts 51-35
The Natural Mystics supplied the help desired by Grande To The Party, the Bone Club and the Strange Highways in defeating April’s Supercuts 51-35 in Week 13. The Mystics built a huge lead only to see Terrell Davis attempt a monster comeback with 3 Monday night TD runs against the porous Raider defense. However, Rod Smith caught a John Elway pass in the second half to give the Mystics all the breathing room they needed. The Mystics built a large lead entering the Monday night game on the strength of Dorey Levens 2 TD runs and 190 yards rushing. His rushing total was the most ever in 79 years by a Packer running back, more than Paul Hornung, more than Jim Taylor, more than John Brockington, Edgar Bennett and everyone else. Also helping Levens was balanced point production throughout the lineup with 4 from back up QB Trent Dilfer who gave Jeff George the week off, 6 from Bettis and Owens, 9 from kicker Longwell and 6 stylish points from Deion Sanders on an interception returned for a TD. The Cuts sputtered on Sunday, tallying only 17 points. Ten of those were from a Moon to Galloway TD connection. Marvin Harrison scored a TD and Eddie Murray scored a single point at K. But Terrell Davis made it interesting with his three Monday scores. The Supercuts’ 35 points were tied with the Bone Club for the 2nd most given up all season by the Mystics, trailing the 36 points that PMS scored in Week 11. The Mystics appear to be a cinch to finish in the top 10 among teams who have been scored upon the least over the course of a full season. The Supercuts had the points on the bench to win this one but Boniol’s 11 points, Quinn Early’s 14 and the Packers’ 6 all went for naught. With their win, the Mystics sweep the season series against the Supercuts and now lead the overall series by a 3-2 count. The Mystics improve to 11-2, still tied with PMS for best in the league. April’s Supercuts tumble to 6-7, still tied for the Muddy Moe lead and in the hunt for the division title.
April’s Supercuts 35 51 Natural Mystics
Moon 04 QB 04 Dilfer
T Davis 18 RB 06 Bettis
Zellars 00 RB 14 Levens
Galloway 06 WR 06 R Smith
Harrison 06 WR 00 T Brown
Riemersma 00 TE 00 E Green
Way 00 U 06 Owens
Murray 01 K 09 Longwell
Giants 00 D 06 Cowboys
Hog’s Breath Rises Up To Play Spoiler On Snakes
Hog’s Breath, destined for the league’s worst record of 1997, rose up from the ashes like Phoenix to engulf the Crawling King Snakes in flames and defeat them by a 24-17 score. Hog’s Breath, relegated to the role of spoiler, did just that in administering a crushing blow to the Snakes’ playoff hopes. Steve Young led the Breath with a pair of TD tosses. Cory Dillon scored a TD, Mare kicked 6 points through the uprights and Jimmy Smith and Andrew Glover each tallied 2 points. The Snakes tried to fight its way back into the game with a Stokes and a Chargers TD to go with Gary Anderson’s 5 points. However, it was not enough as Mitchell, both running backs and two of the receivers all went scoreless for the week. Fred Lane tripped his way to 61 yards on 19 carries. Said Michael Irvin after the game, "We got beat. We got beat bad. The last time I took a beating like that, my father gave it to me." To add insult to injury, the King Snakes lost WR Carl Pickens for the season to injury. At 6-7, the King Snakes are not out of the running. However, they have dug themselves a hole which will prove difficult to climb out of. Hog’s Breath collected its third victory of the season, ending a five game skid and earning a season split with the Snakes after being drubbed in the first encounter by a 43-4 score. The Breath’s other victories of ‘97 also impacted the playoff race as they defeated both the Palace of Swords and the Strange Highways. Note that Coach Erickson has a new/old telephone number. It is listed on page 1 with the other league members.
Hog’s Breath 24 17 Crawling King Snakes
S Young 08 QB 00 Mitchell
Dillon 06 RB 00 Faulk
Warren 00 RB 00 Lane
J Smith 02 WR 00 Irvin
McCaffrey 00 WR 00 Pickens
Glover 02 TE 00 Drayton
J Lewis 00 U 06 Stokes
Mare 06 K 05 G Anderson
Eagles 00 D 06 Chargers
Swords Slice And Dice Way Into Playoff Picture; Pedersen’s Troops 1/2 Game Behind Iguanas
The Palace of Swords, continuing their strong second half run, defeated the Beer Spillers 30-11, earning a split of the season series and reaching .500 for the first time in 1997. They did so on the strength of Chris Chandler’s 2 TD passes and TD catches from Bert Emanuel and Tony McGee. Al Del Greco kicked 8 points and the Swords tallied a safety on defense. They made up for the lack of production generated by the starting running backs, Robert Smith, Curtis Martin and Jamal Anderson. The Spillers’ only points were the result of 100 yards receiving by Cris Carter and Rob Moore along with 7 points from K Matt Stover. With the loss, the Beer Spillers are officially eliminated from the playoff race and are guaranteed a losing record for the year. The Swords are 5-2-1 over their last eight games which trails only the 7-1 mark of PMS and the 6-2 record of the Natural Mystics. Yet, the Swords have also been riding a crest of good luck, hitting 38 points once during that period of time and topping out at a mere 30 three other times. The opposition has scored a combined 189 points in those eight games, an average of 23.6 points per game, and not once hitting 40. The Swords final two games are against Hog’s Breath and NFC Norris. They have a combined record of 9-17.
Beer Spillers 11 30 Palace of Swords
Bledsoe 00 QB 08 Chandler
Watters 00 RB 00 C Martin
McPhail 00 RB 00 R Smith
Rison 00 WR 06 Emanuel
C Carter 02 WR 00 Morton
Bruener 00 TE 06 McGee
R Moore 02 U 00 J Anderson
Stover 07 K 08 Del Greco
49ers 00 D 02 Chiefs
Swami Sez:
Bone Club (5-8) vs. Grande To The Party (6-7)
Power Rankings: Bone Club 4; Grande To The Party 5
In the rematch of Grande To The Party’s Week 4 62-46 spanking of the Bone Club like a baby, the season is on the line for both teams. A Grande win knocks the Bone Club out of the playoff running. For that reason alone, the Club will probably win since Coach Will has never been known to win the big game. And this is a big game. Should the Bone Club win, Grande To The Party would also be eliminated unless the Supercuts lose in Week 14, the Highways lose in Week 15 and the Party somehow managed to make up 41 points against the Bone Club in the last game of the season. I don’t think so. Coach Young has already sent a note to the Swami saying, and I quote, "Grande To The Crack House is DUE HIS DUE!!! That sixty-some outburst will be fully remembered when we face again." It sounds to Swami as though running up the score and taunting Coach Young from across the field on Young’s own home turf could have repurcussions. On the basis alone, Swami has installed the Boners as a favorite to come out of the Week 14 rematch with a "W". For starters, it lines up like this: The Party will go with Favre and Robert Brooks (Minn-MNF), Emmitt (Tenn-Turkey Day), Dunn (NYG), Bruce (Wash), Jett (Mia), Sharpe (SD), Wilkins (Wash) and the Cards (Pitt). Bonasaurus Erectus will start Kordell Stewart (Ariz), Murrell (Buf), Sanders (Chi), Glenn (Indy), Calloway (TB), Chmura (Minn), Hall (Buf) or Hollis (Balt) and the Bucs (NYG). The Bone Club leads the series 2-1. The Swami predicts that we’ll all hear from the winner in the remotest parts of the world as a win is worth bragging rights for the day, for the elimination of the other team and for a Week 15 date for a possible division title.
April’s Supercuts (6-7) vs. Strange Highways (5-7-1)
Power Rankings: April’s Supercuts 9; Strange Highways 6
The Supercuts still have hopes of winning the Moe division but, first, must get past the Highways. The same can be said for those strange, Strange Highways. The Supercuts lost Lawrence Phillips last week when he was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Rams (who the hell ever saw a Ram in St. Louis?). The Cuts will try to make up for his absence with Ray Zellars (Car) to go along with the normal starting lineup of Warren Moon and Joey Galloway(Atl), Terrell Davis (SD), Charles Way (TB), Riemersma (NYJ), either Quinn Early (NYJ) or Marvin Harrison (NE), Boniol (Cin) and either the G-Men (TB) or the Pack (Minn). The Highways, now that they’re stuck with a set roster for the remainder of the season (god forbid!) will probably start Frerotte (St. Louis), Alstott (NYG), last minute addition Jay Graham (Jax), Thigpen (Ariz), Herman Moore (Chi), Derrick Alexander (Jax), Wesley Walls (NO), Richie Cunningham (Tenn) and the Pats (Indy). Derrick Alexander’s playing time is in question as he has lost his starting WR spot in Baltimore for the moment. Yet, the Highways are banking on some offense from the Ravens in order to have any success. A Highways loss ends their season. The Supercuts can stomach a loss provided they win in Week 15 and the Bone Club loses one of their last two contests. The Supercuts lead the series 2-1, including a 39-32 victory in Week 4.
PMS (11-2) vs. Greenback Iguanas (7-6)
Power Rankings: PMS 1; Greenback Iguanas 3
In a game the Iguanas need to win in order to stay in front in the wildcard race, they have to face the possible #1 playoff seed PMS. They’ll do so with Vinny Testaverde (Jax), Jabbar (Oak), Raymont (Det) or Thermal (NYJ), Keyshawn (Buf), Tony Martin (Den), Asher (St. Louis), perhaps Brett Perriman (Oak), Jason Hanson (Chi) and the Broncos (SD). PMS will cart out the same old tired lineup of Brad Johnson and Jake Reed (GB), Napoleon Kaufman and Rickey Dudley (Mia), Terry Allen (St. Louis), Freeman (Minn), Elam (SD), the Steelers (Ariz) and, at Utility, either McCardell (Balt), Wheatley or Barber (TB) or Courtney Hawkins (Ariz). The Iguanas had begun to slump badly since being 5-3 after Week 8. But they were able to turn back onto their green stomaches with a Week 13 win and position themselves as the front runner for the wildcard entering Week 14. The Iguanas have never defeated PMS, trailing in the series 2-0, including a decisive 50-29 beating in Week 4 of the season. A PMS win, combined with a loss by the Natural Mystics, would give PMS the #1 seed and a date against the wildcard team in the first round of the playoffs.
Crawling King Snakes (6-7) vs. Beer Spillers (5-8)
Power Rankings: Crawling King Snakes 7; Beer Spillers 11
The Crawling King Snakes, another team still with hopes of getting the last playoff spot, meet the Beer Spillers, a close 30-29 loser to the Snakes in Week 4 of the season. This game is for all the marbles for the Snakes. A loss and they are out of playoff contention. They’ll start either Mitchell (Chi) or Kramer (Det) at QB. Note, that they face each other on Thanksgiving day. At RB, it’ll be Faulk (NE) and either Lane (NO), McElroy (Pitt) or "Choke" Morris (Jax); Pickens (Philly), Irvin (Tenn) and Stokes (KC) at WR, Drayton (Oak), Gary Anderson (KC), and the Chargers (Den). The Spillers will counter with Bledsoe (Indy), Watters (Cin), McPhail (Oak), Rison (SF), Cris Carter (GB), Rob Moore (Pitt), Bruener (Ariz) or Brent Jones (KC), Stover (Jax) and the 49ers (KC). The King Snakes lead the series 1-0.
Natural Mystics (11-2) vs. NFC Norris (6-7)
Power Rankings: Natural Mystics 2; NFC Norris 10
The NFC Norris finds itself in a must win situation against a team in the hunt for the #1 playoff seed. The Norris lost in Week 4 to the Mystics 50-17 and, although they may deny it, would love to kick the Mystics’ butts. Assuming they can muster the offense, they’ll try doing just that with Elway (SD), James Stewart (Balt), Eddie George (Dal), William Floyd (KC) and two of the following wide receivers: Kennison (Wash), Conway (Det), Frank Sanders (Pitt), Michael Jackson (Jax), or James McKnight (Atl). The rest of the lineup will look like Coates and Vinatieri (Indy) along with the Raiders (Mia). The Mystics, assuming they start their "A" team, will go with Jeff George (Mia), Levens (Minn), Bettis (Ariz), Rod Smith to counter Elway (SD), and two of the following three between Terrell Owens (KC), Irving Fryar (Cin), and Tim Brown (Mia), Wycheck (Dal) or Eric Green (Jax), Longwell (Minn) and the Cowboys (Tenn). A loss by the NFC Norris most likely would knock them from the playoff hunt. The series is tied 1-1.
Hog’s Breath (3-10) vs. Palace of Swords (6-6-1)
Power Rankings: Hog’s Breath 12; Palace of Swords 8
The Palace of Swords meet Hog’s Breath in a game that means nothing to Hog’s Breath but is of monumental importance to the Swords who have slowly moved into playoff contention despite an inconsistent offense and now trail the Greenback Iguanas by a mere 1/2 game for the lead in the wildcard race. The Swords lost a crippling game in Week 4 to the Breath 38-25, one of only three sHog’s Breath wins (the others were against the Strange Highways and, just last week, against the Crawling King Snakes). Thus, Hog’s Breath has still had a say in the playoff race despite its record. The Swords will be looking for revenge by starting a bevvy of Falcons including Chandler, Mathis, Emanuel, and Jamal Anderson (Sea). If Mathis sits, it could be Andre Reed (NYJ). Curtis Martin (Indy) and Robert Smith (GB) are definite Sword starters as is Del Greco (Dal), Tony McGee (Phil) and the Chiefs (SF). Hog’s Breath will go with Steve Young (KC), Cory Dillon (Phil), Chris Warren (Atl), Marcus Allen (SF) or Natrone Means (Balt) at RB, Jimmy Smith (Balt), McCaffrey (SD), and Jermaine Lewis (Jax), Andrew Glover (GB), Mare (Oak) and the Eagles (Cin). Hog’s Breath leads the series 1-0.
Swami went 4-2 for the week, bringing his record for the season to an even 35-35. With two weeks left in the regular season, the Swami is making his move for a plus .500 record.
Natural Mystics (11-2) -8 NFC Norris (6-7)
Palace of Swords (6-6-1) -4 Hog’s Breath (3-10)
PMS (11-2) -2 Greenback Iguanas (7-6)
Crawling King Snakes (6-7) -4 Beer Spillers (5-8)
Bone Club (5-8) -1 Grande To The Party (6-7)
Strange Highways (5-7-1) -3 April’s Supercuts (6-7)