“Playoffs? Don’t talk about—playoffs?! You kidding me? Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game! Another game!”
– Jim E. Mora, 25 November 2001
Jim’s famous rant has most definitely been paraphrased or quoted exactly in the press for some BFL teams this week, as last week’s match-ups are now consigned to history. Which teams will be raising banners to celebrate their playoff advancement, and which teams will be already looking to the draft class of 2016? This week will determine both, as each game has playoff implications. There is just one week remaining before the race to the inaugural Bridgend Bowl begins, and the descent to the first Plunger Bowl continues.
Speaking of descents into crap, here comes The Dope…
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If the playoffs started today…
#4 Dezzy Does Dallas @ #1 Cleveland Clowns
#3 Maryland Cookies @ #2 Orlando Rage
Toilet Bowl: #6 Shotgun Shenanigans @ #5 Waterton Winos
Rage (6-5) @ Cookies (5-6)
Previous Matchups: Week 1, Rage 257.4 @ Cookies 218.2
Week 8, Cookies 304.2 @ Rage 165.4
(Season series tied 1-1)
Given their opponents last week, the Rage could be forgiven for taking it easy, especially given the pickup of rookie RB David Cobb, who then laid a goose egg on his highly anticipated debut, which lead many fans to worry whether this match could have been the banana skin that would see them start to circle the toilet. They need not have worried. The Rage of the early season returned with aplomb – the Rage’s GM admitted in pre-season that they drafted Cam Newton with this particular week in mind and that decision looked to be a masterstroke, as Newton’s best performance of the season (and the best performance in the league in last week’s games), saw the team pick up it’s first Hyundai Player of the Week award in sometime. WR DeAndre Hopkins certified his status as the league’s top wide out with another spectacular game, with Rage fans feeling excited about clinching a high seed in the playoffs.
But as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend”. The Cookies were fancied to win in a close game last week, but the front seven disappointed, with only WR Julio Jones breaking the 20-point mark. K Mason Crosby’s outstanding performance got him a Special Teams Player of the Week award as he led the Cookies in individual scoring last week.
The front seven of each of these teams are fairly evenly matched, with both teams having a clear RB1 and WR1, and the Cookies have the edge at TE. Like last week’s game for the Cookies, this one will come down to individual defensive players and the Rage have been active in shoring up the one part of their game that has let them down. The Rage’s IDP contingent looks the strongest on paper, but the script dictates that Cookies LB Luke Kuechly, who was drafted by the Rage but dropped when he was sidelined by a concussion, will return to haunt his old team with a strong performance.
Playoff implications:
* Rage victory would guarantee them at least the #2 seed, possibly the #1 seed if the Cookies lose their final two games. A loss could see them fall anywhere from #3 to #5, depending on the results of the other games.
* Cookies victory would move them back into #2 on the points scored tiebreaker. Depending on other results, defeat could see them go anywhere from #3 to #5, due to their superior points for total against the other teams in the league.
The Dope’s Prediction: A nail biting game that sees both teams even out their records, and the Cookies take a marginal victory.
Winos (5-6) @ Clowns (8-3)
Previous Matchups: Week 1, Winos 170.5 @ Clowns 168.4
Week 8, Clowns 196.9 @ Winos 145.6
(Season series tied 1-1)
The Dope has decided that the amount of time that is dedicated to the Winos in these previews is disproportionate to the time that the Winos GM has spent on their team this season. It can be summed up thusly: “…”
For a team that has built a reputation around it’s offence, the Clowns defence got them out of a potentially sticky situation last week, as none of their front seven broke 16 points. Instead, it was DE Cliff Avril and LBs C.J. Mosley, Malcolm Smith and Thomas Davis, as well as the Panthers D/ST that performed superbly, rounding out the Clowns as an all-round major threat to the league. An outstanding performance from QB Carson Palmer last week will see him inserted as the starter, as You Know Who has a tough match-up this week.
Sadly, the Winos are projected a strong week and at the moment, the Clowns have been wrecked by injury, which is causing havoc to the GM and the projections, especially as at press time, the team’s two star RBs in Devonta Freeman and Charcandrick West are both battling injuries (a concussion and strained hamstring respectively). These two big points scorers will be difficult to replace, especially post-trade deadline. In another bad omen for the #1 seed, the road team has prevailed on each of the two teams meetings this season.
Playoff implications:
* The Clowns will remain the #1 seed no matter the result of this game. A victory would clinch the #1 seed as the Rage would be unable to catch them with one game to go.
* A Winos victory could see them rise as high as #2 depending on other results, whilst a defeat would see them definitely finish with a losing record and potentially a #6 seed.
The Dope’s Prediction: The Clowns seal the #1 seed as the Winos continue to drunkenly stumble down the standings.
This week’s Game of the Week is presented by Advance Auto Parts, the official automotive replacement parts supplier of the BFL. Service is our best part…
Dallas (5-6) @ Shenanigans (4-7)
Previous Matchups: Week 1, Dallas 189.4 @ Shenanigans 152
Week 8, Shenanigans 169.6 @ Dallas 152.1
(Season series tied 1-1)
A match-up between two teams with losing records as the Game of the Week?! What is this heresy?! Next it will be human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!
A rare off week from The Usual Suspect for Dallas did not hamper their chances in a surprising victory last week – surprising in the sense that the team was supposed to be involved in a close run game, but there was enough daylight between the two teams that you could have parked one of Boris Johnson’s bendy buses in there with some ease. The pickup of QB Blake Bortles at the time might have raised some snickers and snorts, but quietly, Bortles has justified his position as a capable hand leading the team, and is expected to have a great game this week, justifying the faith given to him by the Dezzys management, ahead of more experienced QBs on the bench.
The return of QB Tony Romo could not have been timed any better for the Shannys. Despite losing for the first time under their new moniker last week, their performance was more than admirable. RB LeSean McCoy had his strongest performance of the season, and RB DeMarco Murray is slowly showing signs of why he was so highly praised in the off season. In this crucial match-up, the Shannys will need better overall production from their IDPs, as whilst the Chiefs D/ST was the team’s best point scorers last week, better performances across their defensive unit could have put them in a better shout for an upset last week. However, last week’s disadvantage is this week’s advantage – Dallas has a stronger team defence, but the Shannys have a more celebrated IDP core.
This match could well be the closest of the season and with a potential playoff berth on the line, The Dope would advise both team’s GM to be aware of their local medical facility, should they need it throughout this weekend.
Playoff implications:
* Depending on other results, Dallas could rise as high as #3 with a victory, or fall to #5 with a loss.
* A Shannys defeat would consign them to a definite #6 seed, irregardless of other results. A victory could see them rise to #4, depending on the amount of points they score.
The Dope’s Prediction: The Shannys stronger RB line-up leads them to an important victory and a possible “Winner Take All, Loser Leaves Town” match at Armageddon…sorry, in Week 12.
The Dope’s Week 11 Predictions: 2-1
The Dope’s Overall Predictions: 21-12 (.636)
From the Commish’s Desk…
* If you were not already aware, each NFL team has now had a bye week and therefore, every team will play over the weekend once more.
* It has been decided that there will be a form of home field advantage during the playoffs – the home team will be given a 3 point head start in each tie, as a way of rewarding their regular season records.
* I will definitely be tinkering with the scoring system next season as I don’t like the reliance on Head Coaches to win games. My initial plan was for those points to be nice little extras (no bigger than 15 points-ish), but I’m not a fan of those particular spots being the highest scoring players on at least one team a week, outscoring some offensive players who have monster numbers.
* For the most part, I think there is a good balance in the scoring settings for the rest of the league. There are opportunities to score points on each phase of the game thanks to the standard offensive positions, IDP on defence, and D/ST scoring on punts/kicks and a like as well as the defensive scoring. I have also noted that I will increase the size of the bench in 2016, definitely by 2, maybe more. I’m also considering adding a third wide receiver slot to add a further offensive scoring opportunity. ESPN leagues let you have any combination of slots to a maximum of 40 roster slots, which includes the bench and IR.
As always, Mike can a high dive into a shallow pond. To all other GMs, have a great (and healthy) week. Enjoy the expanded Thursday slate and Happy Thanksgiving!