1998 Week 3 Newsletter
Letter from the Commish:
This week is a special week for reasons not relating to football. This past Saturday, our very own Coach Pete "P.P." Pedersen stood in front of his family, friends, and creator to announce to us all his love and devotion for the girl of his dreams and to exchange those most heartfelt of vows in taking lady Diana Hafermann as his wife. The Commish would like to congratulate Pete on his marriage and wish him nothing but the best in the days ahead. Much happiness, buddy!
The Commish wants to give all league members advance notice that he will be traveling to the Boston area on business next Sunday through Tuesday. As a result, any pickups made on Sunday will not be verified until the following Wednesday. Keep this in mind if you intend to pick up a player that you wish to use for Week 4. It would be safer to make that sort of pickup no later than Saturday. Also, next week’s newsletter will probably be a day or two later. The Commish will, however, post an e-mail on Wednesday with each team’s pickups from this week so that you can make whatever notes may be necessary in preparation for next week’s pickup decisions. Additionally, he will find himself in that hotbed of pro football, Green Bay WI, for several days during the following week of October 5. While there, he fully intends to have his personal trainer take a look at the leg of Dorsey Levens with the hope that some new therapies might push up the timetable for Levens’ return from the injured list.
Week 3 proved to be one of the lower scoring weeks in some time. Entering the MNF game, Grande To The Party had the highest point total in the league at a paltry 34. King of Dogs only had to wait until Week 3 of their first season to crack the list of teams who have scored less than 10 points in a ballgame. This was good news for the Strange Highways. The Highways scored only 16 points of their own and would have lost on most weeks. This is a good sign for the Highways (as the ’96 Bone Club can attest to). The Iguanas-Mystics game was also low scoring, the Iguanas winning by a 21-16 count as the Mystics lost yet another starter.
Week 4 is another division week. While all games are important, it’s next to impossible to find one’s way into the playoffs without doing well inside the division. Thus, Week 4 carries additional weight around the league. The Week 4 matchups are: King of Dogs (0-3) vs. Greenback Iguanas (2-1) and PMS (0-3) vs. Bone Club (1-2) in the lightweight Dewey division; Strange Highways (3-0) vs. Natural Mystics (2-1) and Montezuma’s Revenge (1-2) vs. Stanley Steamers (1-2) in the Cheatem division; Palace of Swords (2-1) vs. Retreads (3-0) and NFC Norris (1-2) vs. Grande To The Party (2-1) in the Howe division. There are only 2 teams in the league left with undefeated records entering Week 4.
Coach Koll called the Commish over the weekend to share the news that PMS has identified their home city as Tampon Bay and their stadium as the Toilet Bowl. Team colors and logo are still forthcoming. The team has contracted out with someone they know to help in designing a logo. The Commish was privy to the hoped-for design but will keep it under wraps until the finished design is submitted. Regarding team colors, one can only assume that red will be a featured color in the overall scheme. Coach Koll also provided the Commish with a new telephone number which is now listed above.
The Commish has had a couple teams call with scoring corrections. He thanks you for your close scrutiny and wants to make his yearly reminder to all teams to please double check your points each week. It could make a difference later on.
Go deep, I’ll throw it!
-The Commish
Highways Pave 3-0 Start Despite Mere 16 Points
In one of the lowest scoring league games in history, the Strange Highways continued undefeated by beating the King of Dogs 16-8. The 24 total points scored marked the sixth lowest scoring game ever. The lowest game on record is the Deadbeats 16-0 victory over A Team With No Name in 1993. The fewest points scored by a winning team in a league game is 13, done four times (James Gang, LA Riots and Wisenheimer Weasels in 1993, and the Bone Club in 1996). The Highways were the perfect example on this day of how a team can catch the right breaks and find their way into the playoffs. The only team in the league that the Highways would have beaten in Week 3 was the King of Dogs and, as fate would have it, that’s who showed up. The Highways had a TD pass from Favre, a TD catch from TE Rickey Dudley and 6 kicking points from Jason Hanson. The King of Dogs had only 8 points from RB Adrian Murrell. The Steelers were shut out by the Dolphins, preventing both Kordell Stewart and Norm Johnson from putting any points on the board for the Mutts. With the win, the Strangers improve to 3-0 and face the Natural Mystics next week in division action. The all time series is tied at 3-3. The King of Dogs, 0-3, face the Greenback Iguanas.
Strange Highways 16 08 King of Dogs
Favre 04 QB 00 K Stewart
Enis 00 RB 00 Avery
Staley 00 RB 08 Murrell
D Alexander 00 WR 00 F Sanders
Galloway 00 WR 00 Engram
Dudley 06 TE 00 Sharpe
Moulds 00 U 00 Lockett
Hanson 06 K 00 N Johnson
Buccaneers 00 D 00 Ravens
Late Bonus Points Keep Retreads From Blowing Up
Late bonus points from Terrell Davis (100 yards rushing) and Keenan McCardell (100 yards receiving) allowed the Retreads to edge past winless PMS 33-30 in Week 3 FFL action. PMS appeared primed for the upset with late scores from Jeff George and a marvelous 43 yard scoring catch from TE Dave Moore, starting for the 1st time in ’98 for PMS. K Mike Hollis added 6 more points during the three o’clock games. The Retreads took an early 16-0 lead by halftime of the noon games. Only the bonus points and a defensive touchdown by the Seahawks saved the day for the Retreads. The Retread defense has scored 28 points already on the young season (10 points in Week 1 and 12 points in Week 2). At 3-0, the Retreads next face the Palace of Swords in a big division game out in the Howe division. A Retread win would allow them to maintain their division lead. PMS will meet the Bone Club in a Dewey division game. The loser of that one can expect a long season ahead of them.
The Retreads 33 30 PMS
Bledsoe 04 QB 04 J George
Abdul-Jabbar 08 RB 00 Bettis
T Davis 02 RB 08 Means
Thigpen 00 WR 00 Morton
McCardell 02 WR 00 Conway
E Green 00 TE 06 D Moore
J Reed 00 U 06 Chrebet
Stoyanovich 11 K 06 Hollis
Seahawks 06 D 00 Steelers
Iguanas Stay Unbeaten As Mystic Starters Drop
The combination of the Cowboy defense and the groin injury to Emmitt Smith was the combination necessary to allow the Greenback Iguanas to escape with a 21-16 victory over the Natural Mystics. The Mystics stayed close throughout the game as Andre Rison caught a 44 yard TD and Todd Peterson kicked 6 points. However, Rison was injured on his TD catch, his 2nd injury in three weeks. In Sunday’s 3 o’clock games, Nap Kaufman and Rod Smith were both held scoreless. On MNF, Emmitt Smith became the 3rd Mystic RB to drop to injury, following Dorsey Levens and new acquisition Greg Hill who was left on the bench this week and scored 14 points. Further, the Mystics still are without QB Elvis Grbac and saw QB Rob Johnson fall to a concussion in Week 1. In all, the Mystics have suffered injuries to six players off the 16 player roster. After Smith’s injury, Sherman Williams scored a TD in the second half Monday night that would have been the Mystic game winner. The Iguanas were forced to start Steve McNair at QB following the benching of Scott Mitchell and the injury suffered by Glenn Foley. McNair scored 4 points. The big difference was Jimmy Smith who caught a 72 yard TD late Sunday which also helped put him over 100 yards for the afternoon. Antowain Smith scored 2 bonus points and Ryan Longwell had 7 for the Iguanas, 3-0. Next week, the Iguanas meet the 0-3 King of Dogs while the Natural Mystics, if still standing, will square off against their 2nd consecutive undefeated opponent, the Strange Highways.
Greenback Iguanas 21 16 Natural Mystics
McNair 04 QB 04 Kanell
Sanders 00 RB 00 E Smith
Faulk 00 RB 00 Kaufman
J Smith 08 WR 00 R Smith
D Scott 00 WR 06 Rison
C Gedney 00 TE 00 Gonzalez
A Smith 02 U 00 R Harris
Longwell 07 K 06 Peterson
Vikings 00 D 00 Cardinals
Boners Give Swords Wedding Gift; Kiss On Cheek
The coaches have been friends for years. They used to be roommates. Now they’re sharing to a higher degree. Neither coach wanted to see the other one lose so they settled on a 22-22 tie. Of course, the Swords have a history of this. Last season, they tied the Strange Highways 30-30 in Week 9. That game impacted the playoff chances for both teams the final six weeks of the 1997 season. Ultimately, both fell ½ game short of having a chance. This time, the Swords didn’t wait so long. The starting QBs had 4 points. Rickey Watters of the Bone Club had 8 while Jermaine Lewis of the Swords matched that. Finally, both kickers had 10 points. Three players on each team scored. With the tie, both teams go to 1-1-1 on the young season. The Swords next play the unbeaten Retreads while the Bone Club play the winless PMS bunch.
Palace of Swords 22 22 Bone Club
Cunningham 04 QB 04 Moon
J Stewart 00 RB 08 Watters
D Bennett 00 RB 00 Anders
Freeman 00 WR 00 C Carter
J Lewis 08 WR 00 Pickens
Coates 00 TE 00 Glover
C Way 00 U 00 Kennison
Del Greco 10 K 10 Elam
Packers 00 D 00 Chiefs
Cunningham Kick Sails Left; Norris Wins 1st Game
Richie Cunningham missed a 38 yard field goal left in the second half of the Cowboys-Giants MNF game and the NFC Norris held off Montezuma’s Revenge 33-31. The difference was the kicking game. The Norris got 17 points (5 FG; 2 PAT) from kicker Gary Anderson. The 17 points was the 3rd highest in league history, the sixth time a kicker had tallied 17 in a game. The all-time record for kickers is 21 in FFL competition. The Norris was also aided by an interception return for a TD by their Bronco defense. Other than Anderson and the Broncos, only Jake Plummer (4) and Robert Edwards (6) scored for the Norris. For the Revenge, Cunningham finished with 7 points while Terry Glenn had 8, Randy Moss and Warrick Dunn had 6 each and John Elway had 4 before he had to leave the game with a reoccurance of his hamstring injury. Elway’s loss also was a factor. The Norris improve to 1-2 and will next meet 2-1 Grande To The Party. Montezuma’s Revenge, 1-2, play the 1-2 Stanley Steamers next week.
Montezuma’s Revenge 31 33 NFC Norris
Elway 04 QB 04 Plummer
R Smith 00 RB 00 Dillon
T Allen 00 RB 06 R Edwards
Glenn 08 WR 00 T Brown
Moss 06 WR 00 M Irvin
McGee 00 TE 00 E Perry
W Dunn 06 U 00 M Harrison
Cunningham 07 K 17 G Anderson
49ers 00 D 06 Broncos
Backup QB Dilfer Leads Party To 34-28 Victory
Grande To The Party got a huge boost from backup QB Trent Dilfer (9 points) late in the game and held off the Stanley Steamers 34-28 in Week 3 action. The Party finally received some production from its running back corps (8 points for Eddie George; 2 points for Curtis Martin) and Keyshawn Johnson scored for the 3rd straight week. Adam Vinatieri also had another solid game (9 points). The Steamers got a big game from Marc Brunell’s 10 points. Mike Alstott also made his presence felt for the 1st time this season (8 points) as did Robert Brooks (6 points). K Matt Stover, taking over for former kicker Michael Husted, had 4 points to round out the Steamer scoring. Grande To The Party ups its record to 2-1 although each game was close enough that Coach Will’s team could be anywhere from 3-0 to 0-3. The Party plays NFC Norris in Week 4. The Steamers drop to 1-2 and play Montezuma’s Revenge next week.
Stanley Steamers 28 34 Grande To The Party
Brunell 10 QB 09 Dilfer
Alstott 08 RB 08 E George
Potts 00 RB 02 C Martin
H Moore 00 WR 06 K Johnson
R Brooks 06 WR 00 C Johnson
F Jones 00 TE 00 Chmura
Bruce 00 U 00 D Mayes
Stover 04 K 09 Vinatieri
Redskins 00 D 00 Jets
Swami Sez:
Things got a little rockier this past week for the Schwam. However, he still holds his head high after going 3-2-1 in Week 3. This brings his overall mark on the season to 12-5-1. After the past couple years, this is playoff caliber by the Swami’s standards. Week 4 is division week. Teams are beginning to get an identity and one doesn’t need the proverbial scorecard to the extent it was necessary the first couple weeks. Here goes for Week 4:
King of Dogs (0-3) vs. Greenback Iguanas (3-0)
Power Rankings: King of Dogs 10; Greenback Iguanas 3
This one’s a mismatch on paper. The Iguanas come into the game 3-0, with a #3 power ranking and the 4th most points scored. The King of Dogs enter at 0-3, a #10 power ranking and the 11th most prolific offense in the league. Dan Marino and John Avery will miss the game for Coach Rady’s team while Glenn Foley, Antowain Smith, and O.J. McDuffie will be absent for the Iguanas. Only Smith will be missed. Iguanas to win.
PMS (0-3) vs. Bone Club (1-1-1)
Power Rankings: PMS 11; Bone Club 8
Both teams have struggled. Neither is putting up a lot of points. The Bone Club is without Andre Reed. PMS is without Wayne Chrebet and the Patriots defense. Will Ed McCaffrey get the start this week for the Bone Club? Both teams have tough matchups. Based on the first 3 games, the Bone Club must be considered the favorite to win.
Strange Highways (3-0) vs. Natural Mystics (1-2)
Power Rankings: Strange Highways 7; Natural Mystics 12
The Highways’ 3-0 start is misleading when looking inside the numbers. They are #7 in the power rankings and in scoring. In Week 3, they were playing the only team in the entire league they could have beaten on that day. Based on all that, one would be tempted to take the doggie. However, everything has gone wrong to date for the Mystics who are merely trying to field a healthy roster at the moment. Will Emmitt play? Will Rison play? Is Grbac healthy yet? Levens and Greg Hill are out for 3 months and 6-8 weeks respectively. Is it Kaufman’s turn to go down? Forget looking at the match ups. It’s the Highways in this one.
Stanley Steamers (1-2) vs. Montezuma’s Revenge (1-2)
Power Rankings: Steamers 9; Revenge 5
Montezuma’s Revenge and the Stanley Steamers play an early season "must" game. The winner stays close to the Strange Highways while the loser digs a hole for itself. The Revenge is without Terry Glenn while the Steamers are without Shawn Jefferson (who has yet to start this season for the Steamers). The two teams have scored 82 and 89 points respectively. John Elway is a wild card with his hamstring injury. Since the Revenge has played better ball the past two weeks, the pick here is the Stanley Steamers.
Palace of Swords (1-1-1) vs. The Retreads (3-0)
Power Rankings: Palace of Swords 6; Retreads 1
The 1st and 3rd highest scoring teams square off here. The Retreads will need to pick up a QB for the game. They are also without Karim Abdul-Jabbar. The Swords are without Ben Coates, Sedrick Shaw and Quinn Early. The Retread defense cannot keep scoring every week. They will need a big game from Terrell Davis this week. Look for the Swords to knock the Retreads from the ranks of the unbeaten by catching them at the right time.
Grande To The Party (2-1) vs. NFC Norris (1-2)
Power Rankings: Grande To The Party 2; NFC Norris 4
The Party is without Curtis Martin, Keyshawn Johnson and Adam Vinatieri but get Steve Young and J.J. Stokes back. The NFC Norris loses Robert Edwards for the week. Regardless, the Party has too much offense for the Norris to keep up. Look for Grande to win out.