South Suburban Fantasy Football League

Tiebreakers

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:23:00 +0000

For those of you in the playoffs:

The complexity of the tiebreakers, in addition to the flexibility required for you, means that the tiebreakers will not be done in the system this year.

You are required to submit three tiebreakers. It is in your best interest to submit four to maintain maximum flexibility with your swing, 1 RB, 1 TE, and 2 WR.

Why submit four? Let's look at the possible tiebreaker combinations:

If you start 2 RB, 1 TE, and 2 WR, your tiebreakers can be either 1 TE and 1 WR or 2 WR, in any order

If you start 1 RB, 1 TE, and 3 WR, your tiebreaker can be 1 RB and either 1 TE or 1 WR, but the first tiebreaker must be the RB or a TE.

If you start 1 RB, 2 TE, and 2 WR, your tiebreaker must be 1 RB and 1 WR, in either order.

Thus, it is in your best interest to submit 4... 1 RB, 1 TE, and 2 WR, though you can get away with either 1 TE and 1 WR or just 2 WR. Again, maximum flexibility.

When submitting the tiebreakers, the other thing to keep in mind is that, if you are not sure who you will actually start in later games, that you say what the "pecking order" is. For example: If I were in the playoffs, I would say something like "I'm not sure whether I will start Lance Moore or Mario Manningham, but the other one will be my highest possible tiebreaker."

Finally, after they play, you can't change where they rank. So if you say "Willis McGahee is my RB Tiebreaker and he is my second ranked tiebreaker" then you are saying that he will be TB2 unless he has to be TB1 because of your starters.

Regular Season Finale Update

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:57:00 +0000

Here we go:

First Round:
Baltimore @ Myrtle Beach
New Orleans @ South Bend
Las Vegas @ Toluca Lake
Sonoma @ Tacoma

Draft Order after 1st Round:

Albuquerque
Charlotte Amalie
Tampa Bay
Gainesville
Barrow
New York
South Park
Laupahoehoe
Baltimore
New Orleans
Tacoma
Las Vegas
Sonoma
Toluca Lake
South Bend
Myrtle Beach

(note, the champion will move to the bottom, and the runner up will move to #15 and everyone after will move up where necessary)

Lottery

Albuquerque: B1-B15, I16-I23
Charlotte Amalie: I24-I30, N31-N36
Tampa Bay: N37-N45, G46-G49
Gainesville: G50-G60, O61-O62
Barrow: O63-O68
New York: O69-O71
South Park: O72-O73
Laupahoehoe: O74-O75

Week 12...

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:50:00 +0000

Only muddled things further.

Let's just go over the surprises:

Laupahoehoe over Toluca Lake-- The ? stay relevant while the Leprechauns didn't lose any ground.
Tacoma over Sonoma -- It's been a rough three games for Sonoma, and their once sure run to the playoffs is now not looking so sure. Tacoma has flashed back into the picture.
Charlotte Amalie over Gainesville -- Charlotte knocked Gainesville's slim hopes for a playoff spot down the drain.

Best I can tell situations:

Myrtle Beach has won the division, gets home field with one win or one South Bend loss
Charlotte Amalie makes the playoffs with two wins and two losses from two of Baltimore, New Orleans, and New York and at least one loss from Gainesville
Gainesville has been eliminated, because Gainesville cannot win tiebreakers against Baltimore, New Orleans, or New York. If Gainesville wins two games, they get second place, eliminating Charlotte Amalie
Tampa Bay has been eliminated
South Bend has won the division, gets home field with two wins and two Myrtle Beach losses
New York makes playoffs with two wins, one win and one loss from either Baltimore or New Orleans, or two losses from Baltimore and either two wins from Gainesville or one loss from Charlotte Amalie
Baltimore makes playoffs with one win or two losses from either New York or New Orleans and either two wins from Gainesville or one loss from Charlotte Amalie
New Orleans makes playoffs with two wins, or one win and two losses from either New York or Baltimore
South Park wins division with one win or one Tacoma loss.. Cannot win wildcard. Wins home field with two wins and two Toluca Lake losses and one Sonoma loss.
Tacoma wins division with two wins and two South Park losses. Wins wildcard with two wins and one loss by Sonoma or one win and two losses by Sonoma and one loss by Laupahoehoe
Barrow has been eliminated
Albuquerque has been eliminated
Toluca Lake has clinched playoffs. Wins division with one win or one loss by Sonoma. Wins home field with one win or one South Park loss and one loss by Sonoma.
Las Vegas clinches playoffs with one win or one loss by both Laupahoehoe and Tacoma.
Sonoma clinches playoffs with two wins or one win and one loss by Tacoma or two losses by Tacoma and one loss by Laupahoehoe. Wins division with two wins and two losses by Toluca Lake. Wins home field with two wins and two losses by Toluca Lake and one loss by South Park.
Laupahoehoe clinches playoffs with two wins and two losses by either Sonoma or Las Vegas and one loss by Tacoma.

As we rush into Thanksgiving Week

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:48:00 +0000

For those who don't know, this is the week upon which the entire schedule is based.

I have two stock schedules (that admittedly need some tweeking for home game clumping) that I use for the season: one for odd numbered years, and one for even numbered years. The schedule is set up like this:

C1 @ C2
C3 @ S3
P1 @ M1
P3 @ P4

Etc. the letters being the division, and the number being what place they finished in last season. I have each week set up with a letter, A through N, for each of the 14 weeks.

When the NFL releases their schedule, I look for which week Thanksgiving will be, either week 13 or week 14. I then find the game in the schedule where Toluca Lake is at Laupahoehoe. Say it's week B. Week B becomes Thanksgiving week. Week C becomes the next week. Week D becomes the next week. Week E becomes opening week, Week F is week 2, and on down. So if the standings hold in the Southwest, you'll see Myrtle Beach @ Charlotte Amalie, Barrow @ South Park, New York @ Gainesville, Sonoma @ Albuquerque, Tacoma @ Baltimore, South Bend @ New Orleans, and Tampa Bay @ Las Vegas during the Thanksgiving week.

Last week muddied things.

Myrtle Beach has clinched the Southeast, and holds a two game edge over South Bend for Home Field throughout.
Gainesville, Tampa Bay, and Charlotte Amalie have not yet been eliminated but are hanging on by a thread. The shame for Tampa Bay and Charlotte is that neither of them will win a tiebreak with Gainesville, but Gainesville will lose tiebreaks with the entire Crescent division. This means that Tampa and Charlotte would win tie breakers against New York, but may not get the chance because a tie between Gainesville and New York is won by New York. There are no three way ties.
South Bend has clinched a wildcard, and has a healthy two game lead on Baltimore and New York with three to play. They are in because they are guaranteed to have a better record than Gainesville, Tampa Bay and Charlotte Amalie, and would win a tiebreaker with New Orleans, who can only tie them.
Baltimore is in an OK spot right now. A loss to South Bend knocks them out of division contention, but a win strengthens them due to a sweep of South Bend. A loss will cloud the playoff opportunities as well.
New York, which has no right being above .500 at this point, has their toughest stretch of the season right now. Games against Las Vegas, South Bend, and New Orleans will cause the finish to the season to be a nailbiter. The losses to Tampa Bay, Charlotte Amalie, and Barrow hang on their head like an albatross.
New Orleans has the gift of a good schedule. Tampa Bay, New York, and Charlotte Amalie should lead to 2-1 and a 7-7 record. This year that should be enough to get in.
South Park has it tough for the rest of the season. Going to Barrow is always tough, followed up by Toluca Lake and Las Vegas. I suppose the theory is they will be battle tested for the playoffs, should they make it.
Tacoma is in the same boat. Sonoma this week, an apparent breather against Gainesville, followed by Toluca Lake.
Barrow is hanging on by a thread, and has a date with South Bend next week, which could end hope for this year.
Albuquerque has done marvelously considering their cap problems. Next year, they will be penalized on the cap, but 2-9 isn't all that bad.
Toluca Lake has clinched a wildcard and continues to dominate, but the end of the schedule isn't easy. Laupahoehoe will be tough. South Park and Tacoma both need wins and both are very close in production to them. A win this week sews up the division, but a loss gives Sonoma another shot.
Sonoma is NOT a shoe-in to the playoffs. Tacoma, Las Vegas and Laupahoehoe, three teams also vying for a wildcard, are on the slate. 7-7 is not likely but it isn't out of the realm of possibility. At the same time, it's possible for them to still snare the division from Toluca Lake.
Las Vegas has possibility been eliminated from division contention, but I'm not sure how a 3 way tie with Toluca Lake, Sonoma, and Las Vegas would work, or if it's even possible given the rest of the schedule. However, they definitely haven't been eliminated from the wildcard and while the schedule isn't helpful, three home games will make it uncomfortable for their opponents.
Laupahoehoe is not out yet, though it doesn't look good. Toluca Lake this week, Baltimore next week, and closing out with Sonoma all at home give them some hope.

Taxi Squad vs. Practice Squad

A refresher on these two.

The Taxi Squad consists of players that a team has drafted, but have never had available to start. Their contracts count against the cap. They are not available to be bid on as free agents. A player becomes ineligible for the taxi squad if he is ever on an active roster or he is available to be bid on by other teams.

The Practice Squad consists of players signed to practice squad contracts. These are players that, after two weeks on the practice squad, can be called up immediately to the active roster at the minimum. Players can be signed to the practice squad without bidding, and can be waived from the active roster with the intent of placing them on the practice squad. Players on the practice squad ARE free agents and can be signed to the active roster of another team. However, once signed to the active roster from a practice squad, they cannot be put on the new team's practice squad.

A note about new players

For whatever reason, this season has brought on an abundance of players being added to the system. I am working on a means for you to add players yourselves. However, keep in mind that when this happens, if you add a player already in the system (there will be NO indulgence for misspelling of names) you will be fined heavily for the work I have to do to pull the player out.

Speaking of Player Updates

You have the ability to change the NFL teams of players on your roster. I expect you to use it when you realize that a player is on the wrong team.

Week 10 recap

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:13:00 +0000

The games:

Gainesville 16
South Bend 25

Myrtle Beach 32
New Orleans 0

Las Vegas 25
Sonoma 12

Baltimore 0
South Park 42

Charlotte Amalie 0
Toluca Lake 28

New York 8
Barrow 48

Tampa Bay 60
Laupahoehoe 69

Albuquerque 4
Tacoma 43

The Aftermath

Myrtle Beach (8-2) has clinched the Southeast division by virtue of a guaranteed split with Gainesville (4-6) and guaranteed better conference record than 2nd place Gainesville
South Bend (7-3) has a two game lead in the Crescent. All three other teams in the division are 5-5 and two games back.
Right now, the wildcards would go to Baltimore (5-5) and New York (5-5). New Orleans (5-5) is shut out, but we're talking about tiebreakers.
Speaking of New Orleans. They have lost 4 straight after winning 5 straight. They have South Bend again this week, followed by arguably three of the four worst teams (New York, Tampa Bay (3-7) and Charlotte Amalie (3-7)). They may be falling, but they can right themselves.
It isn't out of the question for either Tampa Bay or Charlotte Amalie to make the playoffs. Further, it is completely within the realm of possibility for a 5-9 team from the Eastern Conference to make the playoffs.

If Tampa and Charlotte win their remaining games against the other 4 teams, Gainesville beats New York this week, New York beats New Orleans, and they all lose the rest of their games, New York will get into the playoffs at 6-8, while there would be 5 teams at 5-9, and Baltimore would emerge as the second playoff team with the tiebreak over Gainesville.

New York has managed to lose to all three teams that average under 70 points of production/week (Albuquerque rounds up to 70.)
FYI... the HFA for the New York vs. Barrow (4-6) game was the highest ever, at 11.

3 pts HFA
2 pts Championship HFA
3 pts Time Zone
3 pts Weather

Over in the Western Conference, the only thing we do know is that Albuquerque (1-9) has been eliminated from the division race. I don't think there's a way they could make the playoffs but I'm not calculating it.
South Park (5-5) remains an enigma. They are the fourth highest production team, fifth in the power rating, and are 13th in production against. Yet, they are .500. It appears that whenever it's close, they lose, but they blow out the other team when they do well.

Monday Night, Week 9

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:28:00 +0000

South Bend + 7 vs. New Orleans -- New Orleans has Mike Nugent tonight. I think New Orleans gets an HFA.
Barrow + 12 vs. Charlotte Amalie -- Barrow is done. Charlotte has Mendenhall, Heath Miller and Terrell Owens. I think Charlotte gets win #3
Baltimore +40 vs. Gainesville -- I don't think it's gonna matter how each of the players does. Baltimore.
Assuming the stats are correct, New York has won an HFA vs. Tacoma
Laupahoehoe -25 vs. Toluca Lake -- Jeff Reed and Dhani Jones need to come up big, which they probably won't. Toluca Lake
Albuquerque -2 vs. Las Vegas -- Farrior for Albuquerque vs. Hines Ward and Ochocinco. I think it's Las Vegas all the way.
Sonoma +3 vs. South Park -- James Harrison and Cedric Benson vs Mike Wallace. I think first TD wins and it'll be South Park.
Tampa Bay -37 vs. Myrtle Beach -- Tampa has Ike Taylor, which won't be enough. Myrtle Beach

Tuesday Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:31:00 +0000

I'm doing this instead of my screenwriting homework.

South Bend (5-3) 47 Tampa Bay (3-5) 26 -- This was no surprise. Tampa Bay managed 80+ but was unable to win against the hottest team in the league.
Toluca Lake (6-2) 19 Gainesville (4-4) 0 -- Toluca Lake keeps pace with Sonoma with this lackluster win. Gainesville falls 2 games back.
Myrtle Beach (6-2) 18 South Park (4-4) 3 -- Both teams were lackluster but Myrtle Beach prevailed to create distance in the Southeast. South Park had an opportunity to create distance but now has Tacoma in shouting distance.
Charlotte Amalie (2-6) 40 Baltimore (4-4) 11 -- Despite starting an injured QB, Charlotte put up 92 in this big win. They are starting to turn around a bit. Baltimore is showing the effects of injuries and byes.
Tacoma (3-5) 30 Barrow (3-5) 0 -- 25 from Calvin Johnson set the pace as Tacoma didn't have to face 100 this week. Barrow is showing some potential with Stafford beginning to play well.
Sonoma (6-2) 3 Albuquerque (0-8) 0 -- Not a bad performance from either team, even if it's below average for Sonoma this year. Albuquerque is not as bad as their record, and when their cap troubles are over could be dangerous.
Las Vegas (5-3) 17 Laupahoehoe (4-4) 3 -- Laupahoehoe's defense failed them in this game, while Vegas's stepped up. Both teams are trying to stay in the hunt for a wildcard, as it seems two will come from this division.
New York (4-4) 12 New Orleans (5-3) 11 -- New Orleans' dismal offense matched against New York's dismal defense led to a New York victory. 40 of New York's 55 production came from three players (Janikowski, Fitzgerald, Fitzpatrick).

The summary:

Myrtle Beach put another game between them and Gainesville
South Bend and New Orleans are tied as they face off this week.
With South Park playing Sonoma, Tacoma playing New York, and Barrow playing Charlotte Amalie, there could be a three way tie in the Mountain division after this weekend.
The entire Southwest division could be swirled up if Sonoma and Toluca Lake lose and Las Vegas and Laupahoehoe win.
The wildcard jockeying is intense in the east, with Baltimore, Gainesville and New York tied for the final spot. Baltimore and New York have split and Gainesville has games left with both.

Vikings Waive Moss

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:13:00 +0000

According to ESPN, the Vikings have waived Randy Moss.

I would do nothing but laugh if his one game that he did well wasn't against the New York Groove in a week when the Patriots were on a bye, and cost me the game.

1/2 Way Home, Power Rankings, etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:24:00 +0000

Let's start with the Power Rankings.

In case anyone has forgotten, the Power Rankings show what your winning pct would be if you played every team every week.

1.   South Bend (4-3) -- South Bend is back on top of the power ratings. This year is different though for them, and I'll go into why later.
2t. South Park (4-3) -- South Park? Yeah, South Park. They're on top of the Mountain division at 4-3, but unfortunately for them, only 2 games ahead of the ever dangerous Tacoma.
2t. Sonoma (5-2) -- Say what? Sonoma, formerly known as Boston, has exploded this year! They are tied for the division lead in the formidable Southwest.
4.   Toluca Lake (5-2) -- Craziness I say. Toluca Lake, which was number one until they threw the ultimate clinker this week, has been the most consistent team until this week.
5.   Las Vegas (4-3) -- Snakebitten as usual.
6.   Baltimore (4-3) -- Welcome to a strong division
7.   Myrtle Beach (5-2) -- They definitely got what they wanted out of the move
8.   Tacoma (2-5) -- Talk about snakebitten! When I go over the luck numbers, you'll see this poor team.
9.   New Orleans (5-2) -- Sitting on top of the preseason top division as the top of the bottom.
10. Laupahoehoe (4-3) -- Up and down all year
11. Gainesville (4-3) -- It's a testament to their division that they were playing for first last week
12. New York (3-4) -- Free agency hit harder than anticipated
13. Albuquerque (0-7) -- Can't win for losing this year.
14. Tampa Bay (3-4) -- Only a game out of the wildcard
15t. Barrow (3-4) -- Also only a game out of the wildcard
15t. Charlotte Amalie (1-6) -- They're trying

First Half Year

I already went over the power ratings. Let's take a more holistic approach here with a look towards the rest of the season.

Eastern Conference

Southeast

Myrtle Beach (5-2) -- You really can't begrudge them their success. They're third in their conference in the power rating, beat Baltimore, South Bend, and Gainesville, and have just one bad loss. South Park this week is big, but with games left against Tampa Bay, Albuquerque, and Charlotte Amalie, they are almost guaranteed 8 wins, so winning one of their remaining four is practically a guaranteed division championship.
Gainesville (4-3) -- Mirrors... 4 wins, against teams with a combined power rating of 19.8 (2 vs Tampa Bay, 1 vs Barrow and 1 vs Charlotte Amalie). Three rugged games with Toluca Lake, Baltimore, and South Bend, with an extremely underachieving Tacoma and division leading Myrtle Beach left, could leave them gasping for oxygen.
Tampa Bay (3-4) -- 2 wins against Charlotte Amalie plus an HFA against New York leads to this team still hanging around for the playoffs. With 5 almost surefire losses on the schedule and 2 others possible, they may not make 4 wins.
Charlotte Amalie (1-6) -- Things are not looking up. HFA loss to Tampa and a convincing win vs. New York are promising signs, but the rest of the year only looks to give them one more win.

Crescent Division

New Orleans (5-2) -- It will take a collapse for them to not make the playoffs. 2 with South Bend and 1 with Myrtle Beach look like the only potential losses.
Baltimore (4-3) -- They've responded well after starting 1-3. They've got at least 2 wins left in them and 5 close ones that could go either way. I like their chances to pick up a wildcard.
South Bend (4-3) -- The 6-peat on division championships is in jeopardy. South Bend's production hasn't really tailed off, but teams are putting up production against them now. They have 3 pretty solid wins left on the slate with 4 extremely important games, 3 of them divisional in the middle. I think they hit the playoffs, but the division will be tough
New York (3-4) -- Don't let the record fool you. This team is bad and getting worse. Ryan Fitzpatrick is helping, but the wide receiving core is folding and there is no running game. With only two solid opportunities for wins left, they are hoping for a miracle.

Western Conference

Mountain Division

South Park (4-3) -- It's not going to get any easier, while they either tear it up or throw a clunker. They have *5* legitimately tough contests left so 6-8 is not out of the question as a division winner here as no one else is stepping up.
Barrow (3-4) -- Barrow is an amazing 3-4 at this point. They've had one week over 80. Just one. Yet, here they are, only one game out of the division lead. They play Charlotte still and have 2 with Albuquerque, so they could possibly end up at 7-7 which will contend for the division.
Tacoma (2-5) -- This is truly insane. 100-100-130-61-66-66-120. That's the production they've faced. And one of those 66es resulted in a HFA loss. They aren't out of it though. They have 5 great shots at wins and 2 tough matchups. They could get their third straight division title.
Albuquerque (0-7) -- It won't get any easier. 2 against Barrow and one against Tampa are interspersed in 4 rugged games. They are headed back to the top of the draft heap.

Southwest Division

Toluca Lake (5-2) -- This is the story of the year. Not that Toluca Lake is on top of what is now the toughest division in our league, but that until this week, were doing it convincingly. They're 3-1 against the top 5 in the power rating. However, with Romo down, it'll be a fun watch with them, seeing how they respond. Kitna's on his way. Will it be enough to hold off this crazy group?
Sonoma (5-2) -- Story #2. They are as scary as anyone in the league right now. However, the schedule is not conducive for them. 2 with Vegas, South Park, Baltimore, and even Tacoma is dangerous. From here, it's probably 3 to the wildcard, but it will be a rough ride.
Las Vegas (4-3) -- They break free of Superior (now Myrtle Beach) and South Bend, only to find themselves in the new tough division. They have a big divisional game this week, 2 chippies, and 4 tough games that will all play into positioning for the division and the wildcard.
Laupahoehoe (4-3) -- It hasn't been easy so far, and it's not going to get easier. 2 with Toluca Lake, Vegas, Sonoma, Myrtle Beach, Baltimore, and an apparent gimme against Tampa. Tough to predict but it doesn't look good.

Projected finish

Myrtle Beach 11-3
Gainesville 6-8
Tampa Bay 3-11
Charlotte Amalie 1-13

New Orleans 11-3
South Bend 10-4
Baltimore 7-7
New York 4-10

South Park 8-6
Tacoma 8-6
Barrow 6-8
Albuquerque 2-12

Toluca Lake 10-4
Sonoma 9-5
Las Vegas 8-6
Laupahoehoe 8-6

New Orleans over Baltimore
South Bend over Myrtle Beach
South Park over Sonoma
Las Vegas over Toluca Lake

South Bend over New Orleans
Las Vegas over South Park

Las Vegas over South Bend

Worst Team and Update for last week (was posted to wrong blog)

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:27:00 +0000

6 weeks in, and I think it's fairly apparent which team is the worst in the league.

It's the New York Groove.

This isn't me just being self-deprecating. Let's look at the facts:

Opponents Production: This is telling for the Groove, because I've faced the 5th lowest production. The combined record of those that have faced less: 16-8.
Own Production: Again, here I have the 5th lowest production.
Teams lost to: After coming through a rough first 4 games, including 2 against Baltimore (6th in power rating), South Bend (4th in power rating) and Myrtle Beach (2nd in power rating), I faced Tampa Bay (13th in power rating) and Charlotte Amalie (16th in power rating) and managed to lose both games! Granted, the loss to Tampa Bay was HFA but it doesn't matter, a loss is a loss. The loss to Charlotte was decisive AND at home!

I don't think there's a question, and picking up Patrick Crayton won't help that.

Trade Deadline

A reminder to everyone. The trade deadline is 11:59pm Wednesday night.

Player Positions

This one has become a problem, especially with all the NFL teams going from 4-3 to 3-4, making DTs become DEs and DEs become LBs.

First, as far as what is needed to prove your player is in a position that he is not listed at in the system, you need to show he is playing the position you want him to be played at. The best way to do that is NFL gamebooks, aka the official results of the games. However, this isn't enough to prove it. You will also need either NFL.com or some other sports website (foxsports.com, sports.yahoo.com, cbssports.com, espn.com, etc.) to show that the player is listed at that position. Also, the more gamebooks showing he's playing that position, the better.

Second, it is not good enough to pick up a player then say "hey Bosk, he doesn't play the position he's listed at in the system, so change him". No props are given because you did a search on DEs to find a wrongly labeled DT. His position must be changed before you place a bid on him.

Third, if you take issue with a position that someone on another team is listed at, those requests to change a players position need to come in well ahead of that player's game. When I say "well ahead" I mean days, not hours. It isn't fair to challenge someone starting at DE the day of the game, if he doesn't have another active DE. Do it early. Do it often if you'd like, but the first challenge needs to come by Wednesday.

Finally, that last rule applies to you too. Sunday is my only day off when I actually get a day off, so I don't want to have to rush through my email to find a position change and make it so you can start him. Do it earlier in the week. Preferably by Wednesday.

Update after Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:10:00 +0000

I'm not going to run down the games this week. I will however, give the scores:

Tampa Bay (1-3) 22 Charlotte Amalie (0-4) 16
New York (2-2) 46 Baltimore (1-3) 17
New Orleans (3-1) 37 Sonoma (2-2) 12
Las Vegas (3-1) 13 Gainesville (3-1) 0
Tacoma (1-3) 41 Albuquerque (0-4) 1
Toluca Lake (4-0) 25 Barrow (1-3) 0
Laupahoehoe (3-1) 4 SouthPark (2-2) 2
Myrtle Beach (3-1) 9 South Bend (3-1) 1

This last game is of particular interest. It is the first time since October 12, 2003 that Myrtle Beach, then Superior, defeated South Bend in a regular season game. That snapped a 13 game regular season losing streak. To give perspective to it, the lifetime record between the two teams is 22-6 for South Bend. The teams in South Bend's new division have each beaten South Bend at least 5 times, with New Orleans and New York having 6 wins each. Combine that with an abysmal record against Las Vegas also, you can see why they moved east.

Bug in the Starter Placing

I cannot figure out why, but only a few players from Indianapolis and Tennessee are moving automatically from the starting lineups to the chosen starters. I have been moving the rest of them manually. I continue to work on this.

Emails for transactions

At this time, the only emails that are being sent out are when you bid on a player, when a player where your high bid gets outbid, and when a player is waived. If someone bids at your practice player, that is not an email that goes out, and according to the code, nor has it ever been. If this is a change we'd like to see, then I will make that change.

Early Surprises

Toluca Lake is 4-0. Not only are the Leprechauns undefeated and in first place in their division, but they are doing it strongly, averaging 91 pts of production a week AND have only been home once in those four games.
The toughtest division so far is the Southwest. Even though the Crescent division has defending repeat champion New York and three division winners from last year, the four in the southwest have been tough. Toluca Lake is #1 in the power ranking, Las Vegas #3, Sonoma is tied for 6th, and Laupahoehoe a respectable 11th. No team in the division has a losing record.
Tacoma is the snakebitten team so far. Each of the first three weeks, Tacoma faced at least 100 points, with 130 against new division rival South Park in Week 3. Their average opponent production is 97.75. Yet, they are only one game out of first.

Games this week:

Baltimore (1-3) @ South Bend (3-1): Baltimore needs a win to stay close.
Myrtle Beach (3-1) @ Charlotte Amalie (0-4): If Charlotte is serious, it needs to pull one out here
New Orleans (3-1) @ Gainesville (3-1): Both teams are tied for their division leads.
New York (2-2) @ Tampa Bay (1-3): Both teams need a win to remain relevant
Laupahoehoe (3-1) @ Tacoma (1-3): Laupahoehoe needs a win to keep pace with Vegas and Toluca Lake. 1-4 is not where Tacoma wants to be in this division.
South Park (2-2) @ Albuquerque (0-4): South Park needs a dominating performance to stay on top
Las Vegas (3-1) @ Barrow (1-3): It's never easy playing at the North Pole.
Sonoma (2-2) @ Toluca Lake (4-0): As sad as it sounds, being 2-3 in this division is almost insurmountable.

Going into Monday, Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:28:00 +0000

New York (+35) @ Myrtle Beach -- It's Justin Smith vs 35. I think the defending champions will come through. New York

Tampa Bay@ Gainesville (+26) -- Gainesville has Pierre Thomas while Tampa Bay is done. Gainesville

Las Vegas (+11) @ Charlotte Amalie -- Will Smith, Drew Brees and 11 points vs Joe Nedney. It would be hard for Nedney, short of a 56+ to overcome that. Vegas

South Bend (+23) @ Tacoma -- Frank Gore + 23 vs. Dashon Goldson and Jonathan Vilma. Barring injury and huge games from the two defenders, it's gotta be South Bend

Laupahoehoe (+5) @ Sonoma -- Marques Colston +5 vs Roman Harper. This is going to be pretty tight but right now Laupahoehoe should hold on

Barrow @ South Park (+6) -- Patrick Willis vs. 6 points. This could be the first HFA win of the year, but I think Willis gets his points and Barrow wins

Albuquerque @ Toluca Lake (+33) -- Reggie Bush would need to return a lot of punts for TDs. Toluca Lake

Baltimore @ New Orleans (+3 and HFA) -- Jabari Greer and Michael Crabtree against anywhere from 7 to 10 points. This one is too close to call, but I lean towards Baltimore

Who will blink first?

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 03:11:00 +0000

Here it goes. A 5 (FIVE) person game of chicken going on.

This is the deal.

New Orleans sent me a list of players to bid on, because he couldn't get on the internet. Like the good commissioner I am, I placed the bids for him. Like the bad commissioner I am, I made two mistakes. Mistake #1 was not programming the system correctly to handle bids on restricted free agents vis a vis the compensation. Mistake #2 was assuming that the bids I was asked to make would be in compliance vis a vis compensation.

Now, comes the game of chicken. Three bids were made on restricted free agents requiring first round draft picks. One from Baltimore, one from South Bend and one from Las Vegas. No bid order was given to me to make the bids so there's not really a way to say that one bid supersedes another. I believe in each instance, the cap hit for the offer would be less than the tender offer made by the team.

This situation is easily resolved by any one of these teams matching these contracts, which are not big, or New Orleans rescinding one of the bids. The question is, why hasn't this happened? If you tendered the guy, you were willing to take him on, at a price that is actually higher than the bids. If you know you made three bids where you have to give up a first round draft pick for the player, and you don't have three, you risk what is called in the financial world a settlement failure. Instead, everyone is sitting pat, and each one will complain about the solution I have to devise.

I make mistakes. I made a mistake by putting those bids in for New Orleans without looking at the compensation. I made a mistake by not fixing the system so my exclusive franchise tag on Brandon Marshall didn't show up and he was able to be bid on and won away from me. I made a mistake by allowing Kirk Morrison to be considered a restricted free agent though he has more than 3 years in the league. I'm not going to go back and change history because I made mistakes. However, it would be nice if someone would step up and say "yes, Boskey made a mistake, and I do not want to profit from his mistake, or cause him to pay for his mistake with a pound of flesh."

New Conferences and Divisions, Draft Picks, Free Agency

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:02:00 +0000

When the dust settled, we had three teams move.

Halifax has moved to Gainesville, FL

Superior has moved to Myrtle Beach, SC

Boston has moved to Sonoma, CA

Thus I am changing the divisions to look like this, and I'll explain why in each case.

Eastern Conference

Southeast Division

Charlotte Amalie Boisterous Bums
Gainesville Gators
Myrtle Beach Snators
Tampa Bay Vanilla

Why: You can't get away from the geography. Two Florida teams, and two teams close to if not right on the gulf stream.

Eastern Division

Baltimore Commission
New Orleans Hurricanes
New York Groove
South Bend Fighting Amish

Why: This division maintains the natural rivalry between New Orleans and New York, reestablishes the rivalries among South Bend, New Orleans and New York, and folds in Baltimore to the fold. All 4 teams are original 12, with 3 being original owners. The idea of putting 3 division winners and the champion together doesn't appeal personally but I'm excited about this division.

Western Conference

Mountain Division

Albuquerque Running Deer
Barrow Bowhead Whales
South Park Reservoir Dogs
Tacoma Sea Otters

Why: Tacoma and South Park have been in a position to be rivals. Tacoma and Barrow have their rivalry because of both joining the league at the same time. Albuquerque and South Park are too close geographically to not be in the same division.

Southwest Division

Las Vegas Card Counters
Laupahoehoe ?
Sonoma Bombers
Toluca Lake 6-Fingered Leprechauns

Why: Sonoma and Toluca Lake, in addition to being a personal rivalry, are also a classic Northern Cali vs. Southern Cali rivalry. Laupahoehoe and Toluca Lake are a big rivalry. Las Vegas fits in geographically more with California than with the Mountain teams.

Draft Picks

If you haven't seen, the new draft contracts are up. I will retrofit today.

Free Agency

Tonight is your last chance to get your free agents. If you don't then, you lose them to the open market. Make your tender offers! If you need to call me, 706-400-9629

2009 Champion - New York Groove

noreply@blogger.com (Pivoney) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:47:00 +0000

Congratulations to the New York Groove on their back-to-back SSFFL championship.

GM Jason Boskey has directed the franchise to their fourth SSFFL championship in the last 5 years.

Thanks to all of the owners on another successful SSFFL season and good luck next year.

- Pivoney, New Orleans Hurricanes

For the Conference Championship

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:03:00 +0000

New York - New Orleans --It's Charles Tillman +8 for New York vs. Ray Edwards for New Orleans.

Las Vegas - South Bend -- South Bend has a 4 point lead with Jared Allen and Pat Williams playing tonight.

If it does end up New York vs. South Bend, one of the teams will emerge with 3 SSFFL Championships.

End of the season stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Congratulations to Baltimore and South Bend for their 6th division titles, Tacoma for their fourth, and to New Orleans for their first division title since being in Dodge City in 2001.

Here is the first round

New York @ Baltimore
Halifax @ New Orleans
Superior @ South Bend
Las Vegas @ Tacoma

The draft order for the 8 teams that didn't make the playoffs is set for all but the first round.

Charlotte Amalie
Toluca Lake
Barrow
South Park
Boston
Albuquerque
Tampa Bay
Laupahoehoe

Also, the lottery will take place the week after Christmas (let's get it out of the way). The numbers are as follows:

Charlotte Amalie -- B1-B15,I16-I26 (26)
Toluca Lake -- I27-I30, N31-41 (15)
Barrow -- N42-N45,G46-G52 (11)
South Park -- G53-G59 (7)
Boston -- G60, O61-O66 (7)
Albuquerque -- O67-O70 (4)
Tampa Bay -- O71-O73 (3)
Laupahoehoe -- O74-O75 (2)

Based on past performance, here are the odds for winning the championship this year:

South Bend: 5/2
Las Vegas: 9/2
New York: 7/1
Baltimore: 8/1
Tacoma: 9/1
New Orleans: 9/1
Halifax: 15/1
Superior: 24/1

I'm not just making this up. This is based on the power ratings.

Now that the idea has been brought up for a week 16 end of the season, please chime in with your ideas.

Next season

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:08:00 +0000

We all make mistakes. I get the opportunity to confess one and rectify it.

After reading the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, I believed the NFL limited player acquisitions after a certain point before the end of the season. From what I am now seeing I realize I was wrong, so therefore I am going to propose a change for this.

As it stands, players cannot be acquired after week 11 in the SSFFL. This was put in for two reasons. First, I was under the impression that the NFL limited player movement after week 12, so to match that, we went with week 11. Second, I want to avoid teams that no longer have a shot at the playoffs from gathering promising rookies at cheap prices for the next 3 years. I feel I have a compromise on this.

In 2010, you will be able to acquire players until the first game of the last week of our season. However, players acquired following week 10 will not be afforded exclusive or restricted free agency rights for the next season.

Additionally, you may have read that there will be no cap in the NFL in 2010. However, we will not be following suit on this. Everyone I've spoken to regarding this has felt that going with no salary cap would be a bad idea for a fantasy football league, and I can't say I find fault with their arguments.

College Draft Contracts

I am proposing the following college draft contracts, applicable retroactively, for the first round

1-1: 44 signing bonus, 9/year: Cap hit = 20/year (was 25)
1-2: 40 signing bonus, 8/year: Cap hit = 18/year (was 22)
1-3: 36 signing bonus, 8/year: Cap hit = 17/year (was 20.5)
1-4: 32 signing bonus, 8/year: Cap hit = 16/year (was 19.5)
1-5: 30 signing bonus, 7/year: Cap hit = 14.5/year (was 18)
1-6: 26 signing bonus, 7/year: Cap hit = 14/year (was 17)
1-7: 24 signing bonus, 6/year: Cap hit = 12/year (was 15.5)
1-8: 22 signing bonus, 6/year: Cap hit = 11.5/year (was 14.5)
1-9: 18 signing bonus, 6/year: Cap hit = 10.5/year (was 13)
1-10: 18 signing bonus, 5/year: Cap hit = 9.5/year (was 12)
1-11: 16 signing bonus, 5/year: Cap hit = 9/year (was 10.5)
1-12: 16 signing bonus, 4/year: Cap hit = 8/year (was 9.5)
1-13: 14 signing bonus, 4/year: Cap hit = 7.5/year (was 8)
1-14: 14 signing bonus, 3/year: Cap hit = 6.5/year (was 7)
1-15: 12 signing bonus, 3/year: Cap hit = 6/year (was 5.5)
1-16: 12 signing bonus, 2/year: Cap hit = 5/year (was 4.5)

While the original calculations were based on the NFL, I believe this is more appropriate for us. If the league approves, these will be applied retroactively for picks 1-14 of the first round where these contracts were used.

Week 13 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:40:00 +0000

It's going to be crazy:

Charlotte Amalie 24 Baltimore 11 -- There will be no Detroit Lions, as Charlotte Amalie (1-12) used a career day from Alex Smith to defeat division leader Baltimore (9-4). Baltimore was led by Jon Beason's 16.
Tampa Bay 17 New Orleans 51 -- New Orleans (9-4) clinched the Southeastern division for the first time and clinched a division championship for the first time since 2001 with this win over division rival Tampa Bay (6-6-1). Brandon Jacobs got 19 for New Orleans while Matt Stover got 10 for Tampa Bay. Both these teams have huge games next week, as Tampa plays for a wildcard spot and New Orleans plays for HFA.
Toluca Lake 33 Halifax 42 -- Halifax (7-5-1) took a major step towards the playoffs with this close win over Toluca Lake (4-9). Matt Prater and Roy Williams each had 15 for Halifax, and Tony Romo's 25 wasn't enough for the Leprechauns.
Boston 0 Superior 39 -- Superior (6-6-1) kept their playoff hopes alive by beating Boston (5-8). The FREEZE were led by 26 from Robert Meachem, while the Bombers got a surprising 17 from Brady Quinn.
South Park 24 Albuquerque 33 -- Albuquerque (6-7) remains alive for a playoff spot after doing what they needed against South Park (5-8). Albuquerque got 21 from Kurt Warner while the Reservoir Dogs got 20 from Philip Riviers.
Tacoma 25 Barrow 21 -- Tacoma, arguably the hottest team in the league used a big performance to get by Barrow in Barrow. The Sea Otters (8-5) clinched the Pacific division behind 17 from Joseph Addai, while the Bowhead Whales (3-9-1) were unable to use their strong effort this week.
Las Vegas 29 Laupahoehoe 33 -- Laupahoehoe gets a much needed HFA win against wildcard bound Las Vegas. Laupahoehoe (7-6) was led by 17 from Knowshon Moreno, while the Card Counters (8-5) got 19 from Drew Brees.
New York 24 South Bend 38 -- South Bend (11-2) pulls out the victory against undermanned New York (7-6). South Bend was led by Tom Brady's 14, while New York, without starting running back Deangelo Williams, was led by 14 from Larry Fitzgerald and Santonio Holmes.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference:

Baltimore has clinched the Atlantic division. Clinches HFA with a win over New Orleans.
New Orleans has clinched the Southeast division. Clinches HFA with a win or tie against Baltimore.
Halifax has clinched a wildcard
New York clinches a wildcard with a win or tie
Tampa Bay clinches a wildcard with a win

Western Conference

South Bend has clinched the Flatlander division and HFA
Tacoma has clinched the Pacific division
Las Vegas has clinched a wildcard
Laupahoehoe clinches a wildcard with a win or a tie and a Superior loss
Superior clinches a wildcard with a win and Laupahoehoe loss or tie or a tie and a Laupahoehoe loss
Albuquerque clinches a wildcard with a win and a Laupahoehoe loss

Games this week

Charlotte Amalie (1-12) @ Boston (5-8): Will Charlotte get to two wins? Will Boston correct its swoon?
New York (7-6) @ Tampa Bay (6-6-1): The winner goes to the playoffs. The loser goes home.
Albuquerque (6-7) @ Superior (6-6-1): The loser is eliminated from the playoffs. The winner watches to see if Laupahoehoe can beat South Bend.
Laupahoehoe (7-6) @ South Bend (11-2): Laupahoehoe needs to win to go to the playoffs. South Bend has nothing to play for right now other than to spoil both Boskeys in consecutive weeks.
Tacoma (8-5) @ Las Vegas (8-5): This could be a preview of the first round of the playoffs. Tacoma is on a roll, and Vegas needs to win to secure the #3 seed.
Halifax (7-5-1) @ South Park (5-8): Halifax is the #4 seed with a loss, and #3 seed with a win. South Park is playing for respect at this point.
Toluca Lake (4-9) @ Barrow (3-9-1): This game is about draft positioning and schedule implications, as the loser plays Baltimore and New Orleans next year.
New Orleans (9-4) @ Baltimore (9-4): The winner gets HFA in the East. The loser is the #2 seed.

Week 13 Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:48:00 +0000

With all the playoff implications, this week is huge.

Charlotte Amalie (0-12) @ Baltimore (9-3) -- With Charlotte Amalie improving, this could potentially be a trap game for Baltimore. A win for Baltimore puts pressure on New Orleans for home field advantage.
Tampa Bay (6-5-1) @ New Orleans (8-4) -- New Orleans is seeking its first division championship since 2001. Tampa Bay's playoff hopes are greatly enhanced with a win.
Toluca Lake (4-8) @ Halifax (6-5-1) -- The hard luck Leprechauns can play spoiler with a win here. Halifax needs to keep pace with Tampa Bay and New York.
Boston (5-7) @ Superior (5-6-1) -- A loss eliminates Boston while a loss cripples Superior's chances, though they still have a pulse with a loss.
South Park (5-7) @ Albuquerque (5-7) -- Just like the previous game. South Park is eliminated with a loss, while Albuquerque is barely breathing after a loss.
Tacoma (7-5) @ Barrow (3-8-1) -- Tacoma clinches the division with a win. Barrow is looking to next season.
Las Vegas (8-4) @ Laupahoehoe (6-6) -- Vegas is playing for position at this point. Laupahoehoe needs to win considering they are playing South Bend next week.
New York (7-5) @ South Bend (10-2) -- New York needs a win to stay ahead of Halifax and Tampa Bay. South Bend wants to even up the lifetime series between these two teams (currently 6-5 favoring New York.)

The intricacies involving Laupahoehoe, Superior, and Albuquerque are delicious, especially with Superior playing Albuquerque in week 14. Only one will claim the last playoff spot (I understand there is a chance that Tacoma will not make the playoffs, but they have a huge advantage having a game and a half on Superior, two games on Albuquerque and needing Laupahoehoe to lose just one game or winning one game to win the division.) In the other conference, 5 teams fighting for 2 spots (I'm assuming New Orleans is in.) Boston and South Park need New York to make it in order to get there, and New York is by no means a lock.

Week 12 Results and Playoff Scenarios

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:40:00 +0000

Toluca Lake 13 Laupahoehoe 33 -- Laupahoehoe (6-6) managed some revenge to remain strong in the playoff hunt with this win over Toluca Lake (4-8), crippling the Leprechauns playoff opportunity.
Halifax 33 Boston 0 -- Halifax (6-5-1) had 5 players in double figures in this big divisional win vs. Boston (5-7).
New Orleans 21 New York 11 -- New Orleans (8-4) took one step closer to clinching a playoff spot and the division by completing the season sweep of New York (7-5). New York managed to set a record for highest production without a player scoring in double figures (79).
Albuquerque 1 Tampa Bay 0 -- Albuquerque (5-7) still has a faint pulse in the race for a wildcard in the west with this win over Tampa Bay (6-5-1).
Barrow 0 South Bend 54 -- South Bend (10-2) continues to roll with this win over Barrow (3-8-1).
Tacoma 42 Charlotte Amalie 4 -- Tacoma (7-5) wrested control of the Pacific with this win over the improving but not ready for primetime Boisterous Bums (0-12).
Baltimore 28 South Park 19 -- Baltimore (9-3) continues their turnaround and is very close to HFA in the playoffs with this win over South Park (5-7).
Superior 0 Las Vegas 47 -- Las Vegas (8-4) regains its form with this big win over Superior (5-6-1).

Playoff Scenarios.

These are accurate to the best of my ability. Ties can screw things up. One thing to keep in mind is that if Halifax and Tampa Bay tie at 7-6-1 and Halifax's win is against South Park, we will go to strength of wins for each team to determine the tie breaker win.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic

Baltimore clinched division. Clinches Home Field Advantage with two wins or one win and one New Orleans loss.
Halifax clinches wildcard with two wins or one win and New York loses two games and Tampa Bay loses two games or Tampa Bay loses two games and Boston loses two games and South Park loses two games
Boston clinches wildcard with two wins and two losses by Halifax and two losses by Tampa Bay

Southeast

New Orleans clinches division with one win or one loss by New York and Tampa Bay. Clinches playoffs with one loss by Halifax, New York, or Tampa Bay
New York clinches division with two wins and two losses by New Orleans. Clinches wildcard with two wins or one win and one loss by Halifax or Tampa Bay or two losses by Halifax or Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay clinches division with two wins and two losses by New Orleans. Clinches playoffs with two wins or one win and either one loss by Halifax or two losses by New York or one loss by Boston and one loss by South Park and two losses by Halifax
South Park clinches playoffs with two wins and two losses by Halifax and Tampa Bay and one loss by Boston

Western Conference

Pacific

Tacoma clinches division with one win or one loss by Laupahoehoe. Clinches playoffs with one loss by Superior and one loss by Albuquerque
Laupahoehoe clinches division with two wins and two losses by Tacoma. Clinches playoffs with two wins or one win and one loss by Superior and one loss by Albuquerque.

Flatlander

South Bend has clinched Home Field Advantage.
Las Vegas has clinched wildcard.
Superior clinches wildcard with two wins and one loss by Laupahoehoe or two losses by Tacoma or one win and one loss by Albuquerque and two losses by Laupahoehoe
Albuquerque clinches wildcard with two wins and one loss by Laupahoehoe or two losses by Tacoma or one win and two losses by Superior and two losses by Laupahoehoe

Clinching in Week 13

Baltimore clinches HFA with win and New Orleans loss
New Orleans clinches division with win or New York loss. Clinches wildcard with loss by Halifax or Tampa Bay or New York
New York clinches wildcard with win and Tampa Bay loss or Halifax loss.
Tacoma clinches division with win. Clinches playoffs with loss by Albuquerque and loss by Superior
Laupahoehoe clinches playoffs win and loss by Albuquerque and loss by Superior

Power Ratings Week 11

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Power Ratings

1. South Bend (9-2) -- One win away from the division and home field. Nothing but home games left, though one is against surging New York.

2. Baltimore (8-3) -- 2 1/2 ahead with 3 to go, including a game against Charlotte Amalie. Must stay sharp to get home field, and the game against New Orleans in Week 14 could be for those marbles.

3. Las Vegas (7-4) -- 3 huge games to go. Power rating has dropped 8 points in the last 4 weeks, which is going in the wrong direction.

4. New York (7-4) -- Had to pull one out against Charlotte Amalie. Big matchup this week against New Orleans, where a loss means down 1 1/2 games with two to go.

5. Tacoma (6-5) -- Has increased power rating 8 points in last 4 weeks, while going 3-1 to take over the divison lead. 3 on the road to end, but one is Charlotte Amalie this week. A win and a Laupahoehoe loss clinches the division due to division record.

6. New Orleans (7-4) -- At New York, hosting Tampa, and at Baltimore to end the season, but a win this week puts the division in their grasp, and they control their own destiny to Home Field.

7. Laupahoehoe (5-6) -- Rough the last three weeks and it will only get worse. They need to return to form to make the playoffs but it won't be easy.

8. Superior (5-5-1) -- Their path might be considered easier, but Vegas has been consistently better, Boston can surprise, and Albuquerque just beat them.

9. Halifax (5-5-1) -- On the plus side, they have two games left against playoff contenders in their conference. On the minus side, both games are on the road. Two out of three should get them into the playoffs.

10. Toluca Lake (4-7) -- Outside chance with 3 wins, and all three are on the road. Tough world with all their Bears too.

11. Tampa Bay (6-4-1) -- Early success keeps them in the thick of things. 3 losses in a row hurt but having to play New Orleans and New York to end the season may hurt more.

12. South Park (5-6) -- Lost a nailbiter to Vegas, and having to play Baltimore is do or die. Halifax the last week could be for the last playoff spot.

13. Barrow (3-7-1) -- Running backs continue to mount problems here, as does being #3 in Production Against.

14. Boston (5-6) -- Made a run to get to 5-4 but has lost 2 since. Hot and cold as always so still has a shot to move up.

15. Albuquerque (4-7) -- Still comes up with wins out of nowhere and has an outside shot at a playoff spot, but must win 3 in a row to do it.

16. Charlotte Amalie (0-11) -- Actually wasn't last in production for the week, but even with 88 in production it wasn't enough. Tacoma, Baltimore and Boston don't make the schedule look any better.

6.

Week 11 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Let's recap the week.

Boston 21 Baltimore 33 -- Baltimore (8-3) came from behind with 13 from Bironas to split the season series. Steve Smith led the charge for Boston (5-6) with 12.

South Bend 22 New Orleans 19 -- Newcomer Jason Snelling had 17 to propel South Bend (9-2) into this victory over the Hurricanes. New Orleans (7-4) got 19 from Aaron Rodgers but not much else.

Charlotte Amalie 18 New York 28 -- In a nailbiter, Matt Schaub's 18 sealed the victory for New York (7-4). Charlotte (0-11) more than doubled their previous high production for the year with 16 from Alex Smith and Terrell Owens.

Tampa Bay 1 Toluca Lake 8 -- 16 from Kevin Smith got Toluca Lake (4-7) this upset victory. Tampa Bay (6-4-1) continues its slide, with 16 from Tyvon Branch.

Tacoma 64 Laupahoehoe 3 -- Tacoma (6-5) exploded this week with 7 players in double figures, led by 22 from Brett Favre. Laupahoehoe (5-6) wasn't quite so lucky, getting 12 from Carson Palmer.

Superior 20 Albuquerque 26 -- Albuquerque (4-7) pulls out another HFA win, this time over Superior (6-5). The Running Deer got 14 from Hines Ward, while the FREEZE got 13 from Steven Jackson.

Las Vegas 29 South Park 26 -- Las Vegas (7-4) hangs on in a tough contest against South Park (5-6). Drew Brees picked up 16 for the Card Counters while Ricky Williams had 26 for the Reservoir Dogs.

Halifax 32 Barrow 13 -- 6 players in double figures propelled Halifax (5-5-1) to this big must win over Barrow (3-7-1). Gary Brackett and Ryan Grant each had 14 for Halifax while Eli Manning put up 22 for Barrow.

Playoff Situation:

Eastern Conference:

Baltimore 7-4
New Orleans 7-4
New York 7-4
Tampa Bay 6-4-1
Halifax 5-5-1
Boston 5-6
South Park 5-6

Baltimore clinches playoffs with a win or either a Tampa Bay loss or a Halifax loss. Clinches division with win or a Halifax loss.

New Orleans clinches playoffs with a win and South Park loss and Halifax loss or tie.

New York clinches playoffs with a win and Halifax loss or tie.

Western Conference:

y-South Bend 9-2
Tacoma 6-5
Las Vegas 7-4
Superior 5-5-1
Laupahoehoe 5-6
Toluca Lake 4-7
Albuquerque 4-7
Barrow 3-7-1

South Bend has clinched the playoffs. Clinches division with a win or Las Vegas loss. Clinches Home Field with a win or Las Vegas loss and Tacoma loss.

Tacoma clinches division with win and Laupahoehoe loss.

Las Vegas clinches playoffs with win.

Charlotte Amalie

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:06:00 +0000

So Charlotte Amalie, the team that averages 33 points per week in production, and has not had a week higher than 40 since week 3, puts up 88 against New York, and now NY needs 9 from Schaub to get an HFA victory! Had he played Beanie Wells he would have 99 right now!

Roster moves, Post Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Gilman Chatsworth) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:23:00 +0000

At the scheduled kickoff time for Monday's game, week 12 begins. At this point, players cannot be added to your roster.

Some things to consider...

Practice squad players will still go through jail. Two weeks must elapse before you can move them to the active roster.
You cannot cut players to the practice squad. You can cut players, but not to the practice squad.
You can move practice squad or taxi squad players to the active roster only if there is room.