We have our third leader in three weeks, as a huge (or, as Al Michaels would say it, uuuge) week for the Gnomies shot them from 5th place all the way to the top. The Cyclones held steady in second place, while The Dominator and The Dragons stand nearly tied for third. Hopefully, this trend will continue and we will have some movement in the standings as the season moves along. Maybe adding an extra team or two was what we needed to create some parity and excitement in the league.
In what was an extrememly eventful week on the gridiron, Brett Favre achieved his career high for TD passes in a game, the states of Missouri and Ohio finally produced a win, Ed Hochuli screwed up again, and Terrell Owens is slowly starting to twist off. If the season continues getting better, 2008 could be truly epic.
Official Standings (Week 4):
Gnomies 479.80 (166.83)
Cyclones 462.92 (129.81)
The Dominator 438.50 (117.52)
The Dragons 437.29 (108.84)
Team STY 413.84 (97.50)
The Maestro 406.28 (112.04)
The Outlaws 337.31 (68.85)
The season's fourth "I Sure Wish I Would Have Played That Guy" Award goes to Team STY, who sat Steven Jackson (23.40) while Marion Barber III (3.85) and Selvin Young (4.70) were victims of their team's once formidable offenses becoming very ordinary for a week. Barber's case is interesting in itself, but understandable when you consider his teammate that is at the center of the sudden uncertainty surrounding the Cowboys' offense. Following last week's game in Green Bay where he wasn't much of a factor, T.O. predictably became agitated and demanded more touches on offense. Dallas' brain trust gave in to him and sent the ball T.O.'s way on nearly half of their offensive plays this past Sunday against Washington. The result was only nine carries for Barber (or, seven more than T.O. got), who is defnintely one of the top 10 running backs in football. T.O.'s stats were good, but not as good as they should have been when you consider the number of times the ball went his way. The end result was a Dallas loss, which made everyone reflect on the result of focusing the offense on one guy too much. Of course, T.O. believes the loss came about because he didn't get the ball enough. So, this Sunday, T.O. will either have 35 passes thrown his way and be taking direct snaps in the backfield, or he will be doing calisthenics in his driveway while wearing only an astronaut's helmet by the time Football Night in America signs off for another week.
Leading the pack right now, after the best scoring week of the season, are the Gnomies. Sunday was huge on nearly every front, as Favre (58.78) put on the vintage New York Titans uniform and threw the ball like he was in the Arena League. One of his targets was Jerricho Cotchery (19.35), who wasn't even the most productive receiver on this fake team, as Greg Jennings (26.45) found the end zone twice for Green Bay. A savvy front office move brought Steve Slaton (19.80) to the team, pairing him with fake franchise player Adrian Peterson (19.05). Tampa Bay's defense (18.00), meanwhile, turned 5 turnovers in the Bay of Pigs game into a solid fantasy week. This rise to the top of the standings will bring about the same types of questions we had last week for the Cyclones: Can a team run by kids still two years away from junior high school be able to hang around the top of a fake football league all season? And, what would all of the adults involved in this league do if they were dominated by a bunch of kids? The storylines are nothing, if not intriguing.
Another solid week kept the Cyclones within sight of the top. Drew Brees (43.21) put up numbers against the Niners that were completely expected. Anything less than 300 yards and 3 TDs would have been considered an off game. Joining Brees in the expected big game department was LaDainian Tomlinson (22.75) who came on late to help snatch another victory away from the Raiders. Larry Fitzgerald (17.10) had a solid game as the Cardinals tried to see how many passes Kurt Warner could throw before God made his arm detatch completely from the rest of his body. Josh Scobee (14.00) is making a run at the NFL MVP award, as he is the main offensive threat for the AFC South leading Jaguars. And, let's give some love to Dwayne Bowe (11.25), who plays on a team that seemed incapable of winning a game. Had the Bengals and Browns not played each other on Sunday, it is certain that Missouri would have been the victor over Ohio in the battle between those two states to see who could produce the first win of the season.
We go from young to mature, as The Dominator holds steady in third place for another week. Jay Cutler (31.52) wasn't the QB he was the first three weeks of the season. There is no video evidence to prove this, because not even the NFL wanted anyone to watch the Chiefs play on Sunday, but rumor has it Mike Shanahan's arrogance led to Cutler being forced to throw the ball left handed all day long. Shanahan, who is called The Ultimate Leader in his bio on the Broncos' website, figured he could beat the sad-sack Chiefs even if he forced all of his players to do things they are uncomfortable with. All things considered, Cutler had a pretty good day. As did Anquan Boldin (22.95) and Santana Moss (18.25). Moss did his damage on the Texas Stadium turf while having the ball thrown to him only a fraction of the times it went toward T.O. Jamal Lewis (12.70) proved that not only is he out of jail (who knew?), but he's still playing in the NFL.
Dropping a couple of places in the standings this week are The Dragons. Thank goodness Kurt Warner (43.94) and the Cardinals were getting routed by the Jets (leading to Warner throwing roughly 177 passes), otherwise the fall could have been more precipitous. T.O. (17.10) and the Browns defense (17.00) were the only other players to reach double figures last week. Reggie Bush (6.90) was a bit player as the Saints rolled over the Niners, and Marshawn Lynch (8.05) found it tough as the Rams dared Trent Edwards to beat them. As was expected, he did. Even though they're in arguably the weakest division in the NFL, it's hard to see the Rams winning more than a couple of games this season. So far, they look a lot worse than the Miami team that only won once last season. Those Dolphins stayed close in a few games, losing 7 by 10 points or fewer. Right now, if the Rams stay within 10 points of anyone, it would be like a win. They might even feel that way if they're within 10 at halftime.
Hit hard by T.O.'s antics and Shanahan's hubris was Team STY. Tony Romo (43.85) compensated some for the struggles of Marion Barber III (3.85) and Selvin Young (4.70), but didn't receive much help. Antonio Gates (13.90), Braylon Edwards (10.10), and the San Diego defense (11.00) all hit double figures, but none did anything spectacular. The first BYE week of the season defintely had its impact on this squad, as Reggie Wayne had the week off and was replaced in the lineup by the less than stellar Chris Chambers (4.10). We're only four weeks into the season, but Season 1's PPFFL champ is barely in front of last season's champ, with neither team looking very frisky. It's hard to repeat in football, be it real or fake. These teams need something to spark them and get them back into the thick of the race. Of course, better players wouldn't hurt.
You want balance? The Maestro will give you balance. Chris Johnson (18.75), Jason Witten (17.50), Steve Smith (16.80), DeSean Jackson (16.15), J.T. O'Sullivan (16.14), Pittsburg's defense (14.00), and Sebastian Janikowski (10.00) ensured that this was the only team to place seven players in double figures for the week. Unfortunately, none of them reached even 20 points, meaning it was a pretty blah week. On the bright side, Lane Kiffin, in one of his last major decisions as an NFL head coach, let SeaBass attempt a 76 yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Maestro has been calling for this to happen since about the time the PPFFL was formed. The kick was well short and wide right, but it was much better and more entertaining than if the Raiders kneeled on the ball or had JaMarcus Russell heave the ball downfield into a mass of humanity. Kiffin said SeaBass has made them from over 70 yards in practice, so let's hope he gets another chance or two at making one from over 65 yards. It's not like to Raiders have a lot to lose at this point.
Nobody was hit harder by the BYE week than The Outlaws. Aaron Rodgers (17.20) was the team's leading scorer for the week, and he was hurt during the game. Brandon Marshall (14.30) was forced by Coach Shanahan to wear oven mitts against the Chiefs. Joe Nedney (11.00) continues to put 3 on the board after Niner drives stall out in the red zone. Matt Forte (9.25) found the going tough against Philly, but not as tough as the rest of his teammates on this fake football team. This is unfortunate, because The Outlaws really seemed to have turned things around after their disastrous Week 1. Two weeks like this really put a team in a hole. The personnel is there to make a run and it's still early in the season. Here's hoping the guys wearing the bandanas are able to put together some solid weeks.
Notes:
In what was an extrememly eventful week on the gridiron, Brett Favre achieved his career high for TD passes in a game, the states of Missouri and Ohio finally produced a win, Ed Hochuli screwed up again, and Terrell Owens is slowly starting to twist off. If the season continues getting better, 2008 could be truly epic.
Official Standings (Week 4):
Gnomies 479.80 (166.83)
Cyclones 462.92 (129.81)
The Dominator 438.50 (117.52)
The Dragons 437.29 (108.84)
Team STY 413.84 (97.50)
The Maestro 406.28 (112.04)
The Outlaws 337.31 (68.85)
The season's fourth "I Sure Wish I Would Have Played That Guy" Award goes to Team STY, who sat Steven Jackson (23.40) while Marion Barber III (3.85) and Selvin Young (4.70) were victims of their team's once formidable offenses becoming very ordinary for a week. Barber's case is interesting in itself, but understandable when you consider his teammate that is at the center of the sudden uncertainty surrounding the Cowboys' offense. Following last week's game in Green Bay where he wasn't much of a factor, T.O. predictably became agitated and demanded more touches on offense. Dallas' brain trust gave in to him and sent the ball T.O.'s way on nearly half of their offensive plays this past Sunday against Washington. The result was only nine carries for Barber (or, seven more than T.O. got), who is defnintely one of the top 10 running backs in football. T.O.'s stats were good, but not as good as they should have been when you consider the number of times the ball went his way. The end result was a Dallas loss, which made everyone reflect on the result of focusing the offense on one guy too much. Of course, T.O. believes the loss came about because he didn't get the ball enough. So, this Sunday, T.O. will either have 35 passes thrown his way and be taking direct snaps in the backfield, or he will be doing calisthenics in his driveway while wearing only an astronaut's helmet by the time Football Night in America signs off for another week.
Leading the pack right now, after the best scoring week of the season, are the Gnomies. Sunday was huge on nearly every front, as Favre (58.78) put on the vintage New York Titans uniform and threw the ball like he was in the Arena League. One of his targets was Jerricho Cotchery (19.35), who wasn't even the most productive receiver on this fake team, as Greg Jennings (26.45) found the end zone twice for Green Bay. A savvy front office move brought Steve Slaton (19.80) to the team, pairing him with fake franchise player Adrian Peterson (19.05). Tampa Bay's defense (18.00), meanwhile, turned 5 turnovers in the Bay of Pigs game into a solid fantasy week. This rise to the top of the standings will bring about the same types of questions we had last week for the Cyclones: Can a team run by kids still two years away from junior high school be able to hang around the top of a fake football league all season? And, what would all of the adults involved in this league do if they were dominated by a bunch of kids? The storylines are nothing, if not intriguing.
Another solid week kept the Cyclones within sight of the top. Drew Brees (43.21) put up numbers against the Niners that were completely expected. Anything less than 300 yards and 3 TDs would have been considered an off game. Joining Brees in the expected big game department was LaDainian Tomlinson (22.75) who came on late to help snatch another victory away from the Raiders. Larry Fitzgerald (17.10) had a solid game as the Cardinals tried to see how many passes Kurt Warner could throw before God made his arm detatch completely from the rest of his body. Josh Scobee (14.00) is making a run at the NFL MVP award, as he is the main offensive threat for the AFC South leading Jaguars. And, let's give some love to Dwayne Bowe (11.25), who plays on a team that seemed incapable of winning a game. Had the Bengals and Browns not played each other on Sunday, it is certain that Missouri would have been the victor over Ohio in the battle between those two states to see who could produce the first win of the season.
We go from young to mature, as The Dominator holds steady in third place for another week. Jay Cutler (31.52) wasn't the QB he was the first three weeks of the season. There is no video evidence to prove this, because not even the NFL wanted anyone to watch the Chiefs play on Sunday, but rumor has it Mike Shanahan's arrogance led to Cutler being forced to throw the ball left handed all day long. Shanahan, who is called The Ultimate Leader in his bio on the Broncos' website, figured he could beat the sad-sack Chiefs even if he forced all of his players to do things they are uncomfortable with. All things considered, Cutler had a pretty good day. As did Anquan Boldin (22.95) and Santana Moss (18.25). Moss did his damage on the Texas Stadium turf while having the ball thrown to him only a fraction of the times it went toward T.O. Jamal Lewis (12.70) proved that not only is he out of jail (who knew?), but he's still playing in the NFL.
Dropping a couple of places in the standings this week are The Dragons. Thank goodness Kurt Warner (43.94) and the Cardinals were getting routed by the Jets (leading to Warner throwing roughly 177 passes), otherwise the fall could have been more precipitous. T.O. (17.10) and the Browns defense (17.00) were the only other players to reach double figures last week. Reggie Bush (6.90) was a bit player as the Saints rolled over the Niners, and Marshawn Lynch (8.05) found it tough as the Rams dared Trent Edwards to beat them. As was expected, he did. Even though they're in arguably the weakest division in the NFL, it's hard to see the Rams winning more than a couple of games this season. So far, they look a lot worse than the Miami team that only won once last season. Those Dolphins stayed close in a few games, losing 7 by 10 points or fewer. Right now, if the Rams stay within 10 points of anyone, it would be like a win. They might even feel that way if they're within 10 at halftime.
Hit hard by T.O.'s antics and Shanahan's hubris was Team STY. Tony Romo (43.85) compensated some for the struggles of Marion Barber III (3.85) and Selvin Young (4.70), but didn't receive much help. Antonio Gates (13.90), Braylon Edwards (10.10), and the San Diego defense (11.00) all hit double figures, but none did anything spectacular. The first BYE week of the season defintely had its impact on this squad, as Reggie Wayne had the week off and was replaced in the lineup by the less than stellar Chris Chambers (4.10). We're only four weeks into the season, but Season 1's PPFFL champ is barely in front of last season's champ, with neither team looking very frisky. It's hard to repeat in football, be it real or fake. These teams need something to spark them and get them back into the thick of the race. Of course, better players wouldn't hurt.
You want balance? The Maestro will give you balance. Chris Johnson (18.75), Jason Witten (17.50), Steve Smith (16.80), DeSean Jackson (16.15), J.T. O'Sullivan (16.14), Pittsburg's defense (14.00), and Sebastian Janikowski (10.00) ensured that this was the only team to place seven players in double figures for the week. Unfortunately, none of them reached even 20 points, meaning it was a pretty blah week. On the bright side, Lane Kiffin, in one of his last major decisions as an NFL head coach, let SeaBass attempt a 76 yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Maestro has been calling for this to happen since about the time the PPFFL was formed. The kick was well short and wide right, but it was much better and more entertaining than if the Raiders kneeled on the ball or had JaMarcus Russell heave the ball downfield into a mass of humanity. Kiffin said SeaBass has made them from over 70 yards in practice, so let's hope he gets another chance or two at making one from over 65 yards. It's not like to Raiders have a lot to lose at this point.
Nobody was hit harder by the BYE week than The Outlaws. Aaron Rodgers (17.20) was the team's leading scorer for the week, and he was hurt during the game. Brandon Marshall (14.30) was forced by Coach Shanahan to wear oven mitts against the Chiefs. Joe Nedney (11.00) continues to put 3 on the board after Niner drives stall out in the red zone. Matt Forte (9.25) found the going tough against Philly, but not as tough as the rest of his teammates on this fake football team. This is unfortunate, because The Outlaws really seemed to have turned things around after their disastrous Week 1. Two weeks like this really put a team in a hole. The personnel is there to make a run and it's still early in the season. Here's hoping the guys wearing the bandanas are able to put together some solid weeks.
Notes:
- Get your transaction requests in as soon as you can. It's always nice to have some time to get things up on this here site.
- During the writing of this summary, Lane Kiffin was officially fired by the Raiders. Tom Cable, former offensive line coach, will take over. Wouldn't it have been better if Al Davis would have fired Kiffin, then declared he was going to coach the team himself?
- Everyone's favorite official, Ed Hochuli, blew another call on Sunday, calling a bogus roughing the passer penalty while the Panthers were busy running an interception back for a TD. Somewhere in America, Phil Simms is sending Ed text messages offering shoulder massages to help make the pain go away.
- You're the biggest network in sports entertainment. You acqire the rights to Monday Night Football, the most recognizable brand in televised sports. You already have a great studio show, but feel you need to have a top flight show on site every week. What do you do? You get arguably TV's most annoying anchor, a guy who had to retire because of repeated concussions, and a guy who, although he means well, isn't exactly smooth with the English language. Watcing Stu Scott, Steve Young, and Emmitt Smith try to explain how the Ravens scored on a 2-yard pass to their tight end last night was tedious, humorous, and borderline painful, all at the same time.
- The baseball playoffs unofficially begin tonight with the Twins and White Sox squaring off to see who plays the Rays. Of course, that only means one thing.....it's almost McCarver time! Tim, I have no idea why there are seams on a baseball, can you tell me why? How about telling me why they use chalk for the foul lines. If you've missed someone on TV spending hours explaining things to you that you already knew or didn't care about, then it's almost your time of the year.
That's it for this week. Don't take any wooden nickels.
The Commish
posted by Patrick Zalasky at 9:47 AM
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