Super Bowl 0

Not counted as part of our keeper history since this was Season Zero, so to speak.

Chunky Monkeys (119) vs Ante Up (110)-

In a stunning game that echoed last year’s NFL Super Bowl, Ante Up came up short in the championship game versus the Chunky Monkeys after making a furious Monday Night comeback behind Torry Holt’s 26 pts and Kurt Warner’s 18 pts. In a nail biter of a game, both teams showcased offensive fireworks as they fought for the finish. The Monkeys were led by playoff and Super Bowl MVP Donovan McNabb who scored 31 pts to lead all players. All the success can’t be laid on McNabb’s shoulders however, as second half hero Lamar Smith (15 pts), Muhsin Muhammed (14 pts), Ed McCaffrey (12 pts) and explosive Randy Moss (21 pts) all worked together to achieve victory. Robert Smith had no impact in this game (4 pts) but it didn’t matter with the Titans D punishing a horrible Cleveland team in the snow for 18 points.

Ante Up was down a gigantic 66 points heading into Monday Night but with three of his best players yet to take the field, the trophy was surely in reach. First off, Kurt Warner connected with Torry Holt from every angle to the tune of 316 yards. The problem was that for the two superstars to succeed meant that the Buc D had to fail. And fail it did, recording single digits for the first time in five weeks. The Buccaneers stole three INTs but those came at the expense of Warner. The only way for Ante Up to avoid self impalement was for the Bucs to get big sacks and to score TDs, neither of which happened. Fred Taylor and Jerome Bettis (20, 13 pts) were able to keep this game close but Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell caught only 1 TD between them and that could have been the difference.

A last minute drive left Ante Up nine points short but the more amazing story was how great a game this was. Ante Up may not of had won the Super Bowl this year but it had the most astonishing playoff run in league history, with two wins by a total of 15 points and putting a big scare into the Chunky Monkeys.

In the end, it was an oxymoron that felled mighty Ante Up as the Rams played the Bucs. And just as Derrick Mason and the Titans may never forget that one yard (after the Music City Miracle one week prior), Ante Up may never forget 9 points (after the miraculous 1 point victory over favored Green Team) which separated the champion and the runner up. Could a dynasty be in the works for the Monkeys? Riding seven straight wins and eight Century games to end the season? Time will tell. But for now let them bask in the glow of non-alchoholic champagne and the ever famous phrase uttered at times like this... ”I gotta go study for finals.”

Super Bowl Matchup

In a stunning story, a possible NFL MVP candidate was snubbed by the fans, coaches and players. Donovan McNabb, offensive leader and quarterback of the NFC East leading Eagles was not voted onto the Pro Bowl, much to the chagrin of the whole Eastern United States. In a direct quote taken from Al Gore’s mouth, “I feel for Mr McNabb, I know what it’s like to deserve to win and then be…excuse my French…screwed over…by the system. I will be sending Mr McNabb a fruit basket and a signed 8x11 glossy of myself as a consolation prize.” McNabb refused to comment except to say this to the media, “It’s not a big deal. I don’t want to distract myself at this point. I’m a winner. I don’t care about awards. Let some other pretty boy quarterbacks get the acclaim. I don’t need to be a Pro Bowler or a MVP or a Cinderella story. I just want to win. I got nothing left to say. Oh, except for this...I’m GUARANTEEING a great game for me. I don’t want to be pompous but I would say roughly 23-35, 390 yards, 4 TDs and no INTs. Oh, and 12 yards rushing. That’s 31 points if anyone’s counting.”

Asked if his comments were directed specifically at Kurt Warner, last year’s consensus MVP, Pro Bowler and Cinderella story, Mr McNabb would only say, “Let’s just see what happens on Sunday. I’m a player. I just play games. Games. I play them. I like to play games.” And so with this drama as a prelude, let us look at our last and final match up. SUPER BOWL.

SUPER BOWL- Ante Up (7-6) vs Chunky Monkeys (8-5) QB- The gauntlet has been thrown down by Donovan McNabb who is coming off a clutch performance. Nothing can be said here except that Donovan already played a great game. Warner is a great QB and possibly the best fantasy player but even he might be hard pressed to throw up 4 TDs against a tough Tampa Bay defense. Normally, this would be an even matchup but seeing as Donovan already played, and played great, the advantage of Kurt Warner may be negated. EDGE: Chunky Monkeys

RB- Once again, the hottest RB in the game will face a weak defense. While Fred Taylor is a little banged up, a game of this magnitude requires every player to suit up and play, especially a superstart like Taylor. Facing the inept Bengals is further incentive to come out and ignore the pain. The question at the other running back spot for Ante Up might be decided at game time. Jerome Bettis had a horrible game last week and faces another tough defense again (Washington) but he might get the call. If not, recent acquisition Ahman Green might get the start. Green has been stellar in past weeks and is coming off his best game of the season (24 pts). He will probably get into the game in place of the Bus.

For the Monkeys, the duo of Smith and Smith will have to do. Robert had been steady as rain (no, we don’t know what that means either) for 6 weeks but then came up with only 7 points last week. That could be cause for concern but why change horses at midstream? The other Smith, Lamar, is coming off a decent day (13 pts) versus the Buccaneers defense. With his legs as Miami’s only offense and facing a less than stellar Indy D, he should have a field day. This is a great matchup but it’s hard to see Fred Taylor having less than a 30 point game. If Ahman Green fails, then the Monkeys have a huge edge but the Smith brothers can also be shut down unexpectedly sometimes. EDGE: Ante Up

WR- As the Jags go, so does Ante Up and that won’t change this week. Luckily, the Jags are facing the Bengals so that spells big points for the whole team. Last week Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell teamed up for 32 points and they should be able to collectively get 30+ once again. The big question here will be Torry Holt, who had another great outing last week. He is Ante Up’s premier receiver and will get should get no less than a dozen points this week. However, the Buc defense could wreak havoc on the Rams offense so Holt could either burn them or be burned out. For the Monkeys, Randy Moss, Ed McCaffrey and Muhsin Muhammed will try to match up the Ante Up’s prolific trio.

The Monkeys receivers are just as talented as Ante Up’s and are coming off of a great week. It’s been too long since Moss has exploded and this week could end the drought, with the matchup over the short Green Bay cornerbacks. The difference maker here could be Muhsin Muhammed, who has had a great past few weeks (25, 14, 15) and Ed McCaffrey (19 pts) continuing their excellence. Look for a great day from all six receivers in a very even matchup. EDGE: none

K/D- In what would normally be a huge edge for Ante Up and their Buc Defense, I would have to say that this week the tables could reverse as Chunky Monkey has the Titan D versus the Brown offense. But underestimating the Buc defense has been the doom of many teams this year so we won’t go so far as to give the edge to the Titans. Instead, we’ll look at the irony of Ante Up’s stiff Buc D facing Kurt Warner, Torry Holt and Jeff Wilkins. If the Bucs have a great game, that could stifle Ante Up’s plans but it is also possible for the Buc D to get some sacks and INTs (and possibly another TD) without interfering with Warner and Co’s positive numbers. Ante Up will have to walk a fine line this week do avoid eviscerating themselves this week. All that can safely said about this matchup is that the Gary Anderson will be his usual steady self kicking for the Monkeys. EDGE: none

PREDICTION- A matchup of the hottest team from the first half of the season (5 straight wins to open the season for Ante) and the hottest team from the second half (8 wins and counting, plus 7 straight Century games). This is an epic war waiting to happen. Chunky obliverated Buffy last week and Ante Up has survived two straight tough games to get here. Each team has its roster concentrated on a few teams, the Rams (Warner, Holt, Wilkins), Jaguars (Taylor, Smith, McCardell) and Vikings (Smith, Moss, Anderson). Additionally, the Packers (Ahman Green) will be facing Minnesota, making this a huge game to watch. Regardless of how Sunday goes, this game will be decided on Monday Night. Anything can happen with Warner, Holt, Wilkins and Buc D all playing on Monday.

It will be a gut wrenching experience for Chunky to watch each catch or sack pull Ante Up closer and closer to victory. It would be easy to call Ante Up a dark horse to win but frankly, Ante Up has the slight advantage this week (unless TB shuts down the Rams, which would just be funny as all hell). It would only be fitting for Ante Up to fall a few points shy of victory on Monday Night, as his opposing owners in the playoffs has had to watch while their last desperate hopes for victory crumbled on national TV over the past two weeks (T Gonzalez, KC D, E James). Let’s call it Chunky Monkeys by 3.

Semi Finals: Season 0

GAME ONE- Buffy (93) at Chunky Monkeys (120)
This game looked like it would be a great battle between a team coming off an inspirational victory and the other coming off an important bye week. Truth to tell, it looks like rest is preferable to inspiration. Buffy had no juice left in the tank after their narrow escape from the Warlords last week. Check these stats: Corey Dillon (5 pts), Tim Brown (7 pts), Bill Schroeder (7 pts) and Az-Zahir Hakim a big fat zero. This game was almost over from the get go as Donovan McNabb quickly took control with 4 TD passes. His receivers benefitted from his great day as all three of them recorded 13+ points.

With that advantage, it looked like the Monkeys were headed into the Super Bowl without much difficulty. The only drama arose from the potential explosive exploits of Rich Gannon and Marshall Faulk. Marshall held up his end of the bargain with an insane 4 RUSHING TDs but Rich Gannon could not get into a groove and only posted 14 points. Without Marshall’s career night, this game wouldn’t even have been this close, if a blowout can be called close.

The Monkeys came out ready to play and dominated on both sides of the ball, indeed, the only matchup that Buffy won was with David Akers, the kicker. A disappointing finish ended Buffy’s season long ride and although they accomplished so much, they have to feel slightly disappointed with the efforts from it’s players. The big news from this game was the explosion and leadership exhibited by Donovan McNabb, which could very well carry the Monkeys over the top.

GAME TWO- Ante Up (136) at Green Team (135)
This is a game that will surely enter into the record books. A titanic struggle between two of the finest this league has had to offer this year. MVP candidates at every position and two teams that looked like they were headed for the battle of the century. Those who tuned it were not disappointed.

First on Sunday, the most dangerous team in the league (with the hottest RB) came in and did their thing to the tune of 71 pts (Fred Taylor 27, Jimmy Smith 24, K McCardell 10). Add to that the additional aerial attack from Kurt Warner and Torry Holt (a combined 40 points) and it looked like the Green Team might be blown out. Curtis Martin struggled and ended the day with a mere 8 points. But that was OK because the Bus stalled and pulled up a paltry 3 points. The Green Team’s receivers did their best to match the output of their opponent’s, with Derrick Alexander, Qadry Ismail and Rod Smith all recording double digit scores. The Ravens Defense had a great 22 point night but the Buccaneers also had 24 points (another TD). It looked like every punch by Ante Up resulted in a counter punch from the Green Team. Ali and Frasier. Ante Up and Green Team.

With home field advantage on its side, the Green Team could afford some mistakes (Trent Dilfer 9 pts) but heading into Monday Night, they needed 35 to win and 34 to tie. To the chagrin of Ante Up, the one player left was Co-MVP Edgerrin James. As the world watched, Edgerrin piled up TD after TD. And then late in the game, another TD. Three was the magic number. It looked like a glorious comeback for the regular season champs, the only question was how many yards Edgerrin had. 25? 50? 100? 150? Whatever it was, Edgerrin ended the night a little short with 33 points. Did we hear recount? Did we hear Ante Up in the Super Bowl by 1 point? Did we hear “The Greatest Game Ever Played?” Did we hear “Ante Up, the HOTTEST team heading into and perhaps out of the playoffs?”

So it’s set. Inaguaral Super Bowl. Ante Up vs Chunky Monkeys. Stay tuned……..

Record Book: Season 0

Highest Winning % Regular Season- Green Team (0.692)
Lowest Winning % Regular Season- Athena Nike (0.308)
Largest Margin of Victory- 85 (Green Team 155- Battle Angels 70 WK7)
Most Wins Regular Season- 9 (Green Team)
Most Wins- 9 (Green Team*)
Least Wins Season- 4 (Athena Nike)
Longest Winning Streak- 5 (Ante Up, Green Team, Chunky Monkeys*)
Longest Losing Streak- 5 (Ante Up)
Highest Individual Score- 47 Jimmy Smith (Ante Up WK2)
Highest Team Score- 156 (Chunky Monkeys WK10)
Lowest Team Score- 41 (DIRTeByRDeeZ WK2)
Most Century Games- 9 (Green Team)
Least Century Games- 4 (Athena Nike, Escaflowne)
Longest Century Streak- 6 (Chunkey Monkeys)
Longest Streak between Century games- 4 (Ante Up, Athena Nike, Escaflowne)
*- pending playoffs

ALL LEAGUE FIRST TEAM QB- Daunte Culpepper (275) RB- Edgerrin James (280) Marshall Faulk (274) WR- Rod Smith (224) Marvin Harrison (212) Isaac Bruce (209) K- Matt Stover (107) D- Buccaneers (201)

ALL LEAGUE SECOND TEAM QB- Jeff Garcia (268) RB- Eddie George (229) Charlie Garner (227) WR- Randy Moss (190) Eric Moulds (184) Torry Holt (166) K- Martin Gramatica (102) D- Ravens (184)

GM of the Year- DIRTeByRDeeZ
DIRTeByRDeeZ- Battling injuries and frustration, the Birds GM unearthed waiver wire gems like Terrell Owens and Joe Horn. But most of all, this award is given for the big trade that netted Daunte Culpepper and Eddie George, thus shoring up the QB and RB positions. Smart plays by the GM helped to turn around a team devasted by injury and bad luck.

Green Team- The Green Team had a great season, buoyed by pickups like Donald Hayes and Tiki Barber who had explosive games when they got on the field for the Green Team. The drafting of Rod Smith in the lower rounds was a coup and the waiver wire additions of Brian Griese and Derrick Alexander were also ingenious. However, the early cuttings of Ricky Watters and Terrell Owens cannot be forgiven and so, the Green Team is only runner up to best GM of the year award.

Ante Up- Deserving of an honorable mention for GM of the Year is Ante Up. Draft day netted Duce Staley and Jimmy Smith who propelled early season victories. But it was when the going got tough that Ante Up started to make some moves. With the loss of Duce and the slow recovery of Fred Taylor, Ante Up brought in Jerome Bettis and Tim Biakabutuka. When Kurt Warner went down, Mark Brunell and Brett Favre were brought it. The quick moves by Ante Up are noteworthy and deserving of recognition.

Chunky Monkeys- Not to give an award to everyone but surely, the best pickup of the year was for Trent Green. A contender for league MVP picked up at mid season? Amazing.

League MVP-
It’s tempting to argue for a player who pulled his team towards the playoffs, such as a Trent Green. Or to vote for a player who suddenly emerged out of nowhere to become a superstar (Charlie Garner, Jeff Garcia, Daunte Culpepper, Rod Smith). It’s easy to argue that without Jeff Garcia or Peyton Manning, Athena Nike and Escaflowne would not have won 4 and 5 games respectively. But they don’t give out the MVP award to losers. The MVP has to be the cornerstone of his franchise, as well as having such a great year that without him, you could not envision his team winning as many games as it did. The league MVP has to play well down the stretch and in the clutch, when his team needed him. That’s some tough criteria to fill. But here we go. The MVP awards.

MVP RUNNER UP #2- Robert Smith. A surprising name emerged as an MVP candidate as I looked across the charts. While Trent Green may have been the leader that pushed the Monkeys to the top, he could not have done it without the legs of Robert Smith. Consider Smith’s numbers the last four weeks as the battle for a playoff bye raged. 23, 22, 30, 21. Those are the type of stud numbers that show Smith produced when his team needed him.

MVP RUNNER UP #1- Edgerrin James. The quintessential running and receiving threat. He gets the nod over all the other running backs for his consistency. Marshall Faulk may be a better player but this year, he got hurt when his team needed him. Edgerrin paced the league with 280 points and was the rock that the Green Team needed to roll to victory after victory.

LEAGUE MVP 2000- In a close race, the award for Most Valuable Player goes to Daunte Culpepper. Second year player. First year starter. He may not be the highest scoring player in the leauge and may not have started a game until inserted onto the Birds roster in WK3 but there is no denying that this young man has been instrumental to any success the Birds have had. One of a handful of players to never dip below double digits all season, Culpepper has exceeded all expectations. He is the league MVP for putting up 29 and 25 points in back to back weeks when wins were needed.

Regular Season Recap

Wow, what a great season it’s been. The most turbulent and exciting fantasy league I’ve played in. Who would guessed it? Four teams with winning streaks of at least 4 games? A first round bye won by a mere 8 points? The playoff race was neck to neck. Everyone was mathematically into the playoffs heading into the last two weeks. Injuries have hit everyone but those who drafted wisely and made key pickups have won out in the end. There were very few trades during the season except for one blockbuster 4 team deal at midseason. Some new superstars have emerged and we can only look to the playoffs to see who will emerge as Super Bowl champion!

ANTE UP (7-6)- It’s been a crazy up and down season for Ante Up. World beater and league dominator for five weeks. Everyone around the league hoped for injuries to hit Ante Up to bring them back to earth. Somebody must have been listening because Ante Up promptly fell to .500 with five straight losses. Duce Staley went down, as did Jimmy Smith. And then the loss of team MVP Kurt Warner for five weeks. But with some great free agent pickups (Jerome Bettis, Tim Biakabutka, Jamal Anderson) and some QB juggling (Mark Brunell, Brett Favre) they won two of their last three and recovered enough momentum to challenge for a playoff bye. Ante Up still finished the season as the 2nd highest scoring team, only 129 points behind the Green Team.

Team MVP- It’s tough not to give this award to Kurt Warner but he hasn’t played in 5 games so he can’t really be considered MVP. The team MVP for Ante Up then goes to the Buccaneers Defense! They have been there for this team week in and week out. Scoring in double digits every single game (except for two) they have steadied this roster through thick and thin. The Bucs vaunted defense put up 201 points over the course of the season, without them, Ante Up could have sunk to even greater depths.

Keys to Victory- One of the few teams to utilize the run-and-shoot (often to great success) over the coarse of the season, Ante Up had one of the best WR rotations in the the league. Torry Holt emerged as the top receiver because Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell both slipped a bit. Even Peter Warrick and Johnnie Morton were solid backups for awhile. The real reason for Ante Ups resurgence though has been the recovery of Fred Taylor from early season injury. He has steadied the backfield with his outstanding running and receiving. Century Games- 7 (123, 151, 112, 123, 118, 143, 105) High- 151 (vs Green Team WK2) Low- 61 (vs Green Team WK9)

ATHENA NIKE (4-9)- Athena Nike just never was able to put themselves together all season. They would constantly be on the brink of success only to fall back and start over again. Athena certainly had a great looking roster on paper. Marvin Harriosn, Terrell Davis, Cris Carter, James Stewart. The mid season pickup of Jeff Garcia provided Nike with one of the hottest QBs of the season. So what happened? A big problem was the lack of consistency from the Terrell Davis- Mike Anderson combo. Besides splitting the backfield, the injury to Davis often left him sidelined while his fantasy value stayed at zero. That alone cost Athena Nike a game or two. Also, Cris Carter didn’t come around until WK7 with his first touchdown. And Albert Connell was a bust as a third receiver. All in all, Athena suffered through a disappointing and injury ravaged season.

Team MVP- No question here. Even though Jeff Garcia didn’t start the season as the team’s QB, as soon as he replaced Tony Banks, Athena Nike had a consistent leader. Garcia finishes the regular season with 268 points on the year and is near the top of the fantasy standings. A case could easily be made for Garcia as league MVP, as well as MVP for Athena Nike.

Keys to Victory- In the few victories that Athena Nike amassed, everything clicked. Mike Anderson and James Stewart ran the ball while Jeff Garcia aired it out to Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter. A rivalry is in the making as Athena Nike stole a one point victory away from Escaflowne in WK7 only to be denied by 5 pts in WK13. Century Games- 4 (106, 130, 147, 100) High- 147 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK8) Low- 57 (vs Ante Up WK5)

BATTLE ANGELS (5-8)- The Battle Angels didn’t have a great season, as their 5-8 record will attest. They barely snuck into the playoffs in front of Escaflowne (by 36 pts). The Angels suffered through numerous injuries and close losses all season long. Playing the toughest schedule in the league certainly didn’t help either (PA 1362). The Angels did put together a nice 3 game winning streak to pull back to .500 but then promptly lost three to fall behind again. Much of the inconsistency can be attributed to instability caused at the QB position. Brad Johnson was not the stud he was last season. Rob Johnson hardly picked up the slack either. Only Elvis Grbac provided solid QB play but by the time he was inserted into the lineup, it was too late for the Angels.

Team MVP- The clear cut choice for MVP here is wide receiver Isaac Bruce. He wasn’t as great as he was last season but he steadied the team and occassionally exploded. With the Rams high powered offense, Bruce didn’t get as many balls as he would of liked but he still managed 209 points on the season.

Keys to Victory- The Angels had WR problems as well as QB instability. Whenever a 2nd or 3rd WR could step up, the Angels had a fighting chance. Terry Glenn was overall a disappointment but sometimes he or Donald Hayes would produce and push the Angels to victory. More often however, the Angels won on the old legs of Ricky Watters (who had an oustanding season) and Emmitt Smith. Century Games- 6 (102, 106, 106, 113, 104, 111) High- 113 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK5) Low- 59 (vs Ante Up WK1)

BUFFY (8-5)- Buffy had a great early half of season, stringing together a 4 win streak (by margins of 42, 27, 52 and 51 pts) and emerged atop the league at 5-2 after a quick start. But then suddenly a two game slide made them mere mortals again. A squeaker over Ante Up (by 2 pts) in WK10 got them on track and another squeaker (this time by 1 pt) over DIRTeByRDeeZ in WK13 got them into fine position for the playoffs. A huge injury to Marshall Faulk WK10 hobbled Buffy but with a talented receiving core (Tim Brown, Marcus Robinson, Az-Zahir Hakim) and a precise QB,Rich Gannon, Buffy was hard to take down.

Team MVP- This is a tough call. Marshall Faulk put up insane numbers until he went down (274 pts). Rich Gannon got better as the season progressed (230 pts) and proved to be a clutch performer. But I think I’m gonna go out on a limb here and give the award to Charlie Garner. Charlie who? While he may not have put up more points than Marshall (Charlie had 227 pts) or even Gannon, without him, Buffy would not be at 8-5. True, His emergence occurred last year but nobody else picked him up. He is the top back not named Edgerrin or Marshall and he pulled Buffy to victory despite Marshall’s injury and Gannon’s early season inconsistency. So here it is. Team MVP: Charlie Garner.

Keys to Victory- It’s not too hard to figure out how Buffy won. With two of the top three backs this year, Buffy had a running game nobody could equal. Add Rich Gannon and Tim Brown to that and you got a winning formula. Marcus Robinson was never the stud he was supposed to be and Az-Zahir was often hit or miss but they oly had to contribue once in awhile for Buffy to win. Strong defense and a good kicking game rounded out the winning equation. Century Games- 5 (107, 110, 134, 143, 110) High- 143 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK7) Low- 76 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK13)

CHUNKY MONKEYS (8-5)- Oh those deceiving Chunky Monkeys. A early 1-3 record inspired this scribe to predict a tough season ahead for this team. Ten weeks later, the Monkeys can rest on their laurels and enjoy a bye week. How did a team that began the season with these awe-inspiring scores, 88, 88, 66, 52 end the season with five wins and totals of 124, 115, 156, 128, 131 and 105? The Monkeys hold the record for highest scoring game (156) and the longest Century streak (6 in a row). What happened?

Well, an early season trade netted Robert Smith and Muhsin Muhammad for Daunte Culpepper and Eddie George. But that isn’t it b/c Culpepper and George exploded while Muhammad has been disappointing. Robert Smith has held his own, emerging as a top 5 back, but the reasons for success has been players who slowly got better and better. Lamar Smith, Randy Moss and Ed McCaffrey all started to catch fire at once. Free agent QB Trent Green proved to be a huge upgrade over struggling Mark Brunell. And that simply led to five wins and a playoff bye. Crazy.

Team MVP- Once again, a MVP vote that is hard to decipher. It’s easy to point to the consistent play of Robert Smith (226 pts) who has performed better and better as the season progressed. It’s hard to pass over Randy Moss and his string of six games in double digits to end the season. But the real reason for this team’s turnaround has been Trent Green. A part time player who didn’t even get off the bench until WK8, he has propelled the Monkeys through their winning streak. His weekly exploits read like this, 17, 20, 29, 34, 23, 14. He gave the talented roster a leader and a winner. So this year, the Monkeys MVP is a part time player who’s reward heading into the playoffs is a seat on the pine as Kurt Warner returns. Whoo-eee.

Keys to Victory- Not to overlook Trent Green’s contributions but he was helped along by great receivers down the stretch. Randy Moss and Ed McCaffrey were amazingly this season (Moss #3 McCaffrey #8 WRs). Lamar Smith picked it up for a successful season to plug the hole next to Robert Smith. Even Muhsin Muhammad returned to top form after a few injury plagued games. Overall, this team loaded itself up with no-name players and drove itself to victory. A huge disappointment was Antonion Freeman, who just never got it going all year long. Century Games- 7 (101, 124, 115, 156, 128, 131, 105) High- 156 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK10) Low- 52 (vs Buffy WK4)

DIRTeeByRDeeZ (6-7)- The DIRTeeByRDeeZ have a great roster. The best QB in the game, Daunte Culpepper. Two backs (Eddie George and Steven Davis) in the top eight. Three receivers in the top twenty (Terrell Owens, Joe Horn, Tony Gonzalez). Great defensive (Philly and Denver) and kicking games all year long. But they end up one game under .500. Sad but true. The Birds are in the playoffs but it was in jeopardy for awhile. Injuries have been the story this season. First round pick Jamal Anderson was never himself and eventually released. Michael Westbrook, the projected #1 receiver ended his season WK1. Jason Elam hurt and dropped. Brian Griese hurt and dropped. Eddie George banged up. Steven Davis banged up. Terrell Owens, turf toe and suspension. The trainer has been busy. Also, look at the schedule Notice how four of seven teams had their highest offensive outputs vs the DIRTeeByRDeeZ? They may have fallen 2 points short of the toughest schedule in the league but there is no doubt that the Birds faced an uphill battle all season. A disappointing regular season could be rectified by a long appearance in the post season. Time will tell if this team can rebound for a successful season.

Team MVP- Daunte Culpepper is the story of the year and so he is the MVP of the Birds. Even though he was only acquired WK3, he could not have been more consistent or instrumental in the DIRTeByRDeeZ success. A league leading 275 points on the season and big games played against tough defenses for big victories. When the Birds were in danger of being pushed out of the playoff picture, Daunte had 29 and 25 points. A mark of a true leader is clutch play and a cool head. How much better for it to come from a 250 pound quarterback.

Keys to Victory- The DIRTeeByRDeeZ were very consistent (except for one blip WK2) all year and they hardly ever dipped below 90 points, even on a bad week. With numerous injuries, the Birds had to scramble to find free agent replacements and was successful in discovering Terrell Owens and Joe Horn off the waiver wire. The trade for Daunte and Eddie George solidified the roster and allowed the Birds to sit back and let the horses run. Sometimes though, injuries threw the roster into flux and a scramble for a 2nd back or a 3rd wide receiver provided a constant headache. Century Games- 7 (130, 110, 125, 150, 120, 101, 104) High- 150 (vs Ante Up WK6) Low- 41 (vs Escaflowne WK2)

ESCAFLOWNE (5-8)- What a weird and wonderful ride for Escaflowne this season. While victories came few and far between, they still had a chance to sneak into the playoffs. Indeed, only 36 points held them out of a playoff spot. Now the coach of Escaflowne should be called to task for his decisions over the season. Tim Biakabutuka, no points, WK12 and WK13. Dorsey Levens, no points, WK 10, 11, 12, 13. One would think that certainly, 36 points would have been accumulated if they had not been put in the roster despite injury. And so, Escaflowne ends the season with a big question mark. A roster with some talent, eventually left out to dry due to injury and inactivity.

Team MVP- The answer here would have been Ricky Williams if the question had been posed two weeks before. Ricky had 217 pts and established himself as a franchise worthy back, running and catching for some huge games. But then an injury down the home stretch, right when he was needed most eliminated him from contention. And so, the MVP for Escaflowne is handed to Peyton Manning. His quiet and spectacular play wasn’t noticed much this season but his 268 pts should be. While he lacked consistency throughout the season, the only reason he wasn’t noticed was because Peyton’s standards were set so high early on. A player who puts up 268 points and never fails to notch at least 13 pts is a stud on any team.

Keys to Victory- Escaflowne had a stretch where it put together some great games. 129, 129 and 112. While they never won more than two games in a row, those numbers are still impressive and indicative of an explosive team. But if you look hard at the numbers, those weeks coincided with the weeks when David Boston and Eric Moulds tore it up. As soon as they wilted, so did Escaflowne. With only two consistent performers (Manning and Williams) it was hard to establish any sort of consistency and winning rhythm. Having said that, it’s almost amazing that Escaflowne won 5 games with essentially no second RB and inconsistent WRs. Century Games- 4 (107, 129, 129, 112) High- 129 (vs Athena Nike WK7 and vs Chunky Monkeys WK8) Low- 56 (vs Ante Up WK11)

GREEN TEAM (9-4)- Saving the best for last. The Green Team wasn’t an early season favorite but they never fell out of contention and with a 5 game winning streak, they jumped to the head of the class and stayed there. Assuring themselves of a playoff appearance and a playoff bye the Green Team was able to pull away from the pack and stay there. The only favorites for the Super Bowl, the Green Team pack a loaded and consistent roster. Free agent pickups have been huge for the Green Gang. First there was early season stud Tiki Barber and then explosive Derrick Alexander. Another waiver wire pickup solidified the shaky QB situation (Brian Griese). Overall, a combination of great players and great pickups enabled the Green Team to emerge on top.

Team MVP- A second year player with dreadlocks. Thinking Ricky Williams? No way. Edgerrin James was drafted higher and has proved to be more durable and also more productive. The top point scorer in the league at 280 points, Edgerrin was never hurt and rarely slowed down. An honorable mention has to made here for Rod Smith, who is comfortably the top WR this year ahead of bigger names like Isaac Bruce, Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison. A late draft pick, nobody could have predicted Rod to pace WRs with 224 pts.

Keys to Victory- Having placed Edgerrin as the highest scoring player in the league and also Rod Smith as the best WR, it doesn’t take much more to figure out the Green Team’s winning ways. But depth is the key to any consistent and winning team. Edgerrin was joined in the backfield by Curtis Martin, a top 10 back in his own right. With two RBs like that and super consistent Brian Griese at the helm, Green Team didn’t have too many holes. At times however, there was a struggle to find receivers to complement Rod. Amani Toomer, Qadry Ismail, Donald Hayes and a host of other names came and went. Only when Derrick Alexander emerged was there even a true number two receiver on this team. Heading into the playoffs, there is still a lack of a solid three receiver, even though Shannon Sharpe may fill that hole. Most of all, the Green Team was able to use it’s reserves to full effectiveness, getting single great games out of Tiki Barber, Donald Hayes and Jamal Lewis. Century Games- 9 (110, 121, 103, 155, 120, 119, 133, 117, 132) High- 155 (vs Battle Angels WK7) Low- 77 (vs Escaflowne WK6)

The regular season, right there, presented to you on a platter. Great teams and great games. We had a huge number of victories by 1 or 2 points. Everyone had devasting injuries to stars that forced us to scramble to stay afloat. Enthusiasm was high and really, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. One interesting note, strength of schedule. Four of the top three teams had the easiest schedules. Buffy (PA 1213), Ante Up (1218) and Green Team (1234) all faced opponents who stumbled playing them. Perhaps a great defense or an intimidating home crowd helped to shut down opposing offenses. Either way, strength of schedule and defensive strengh was a big factor in nearly everybody’s season.

Go check out the awards and vote for MVP and stuff!

Mid Season Report

Mid-season and as we roll closer to the finish line we are seeing some trends emerge and some teams starting to assert their dominance. After ruling the standings for five weeks, mighty Ante Up has fallen. Buffy has taken over the lead, setting up the game of the week between them and the Green Team. One of the three 5-2 teams must fall this week, who will it be? Turbulence continues to assault all teams and some are in danger of crashing and burning. Anything can happen though. All it takes is a few injuries and a hot player or two to go on a winning streak. Some surprise players have risen to the top of the scoring charts and consistently stayed there. Some of the stars have reasserted themselves but injuries are once again taking a toll. Coming off a monster W7 where four teams scored 130+, the league looks to be in good shape.

ANTE UP- Two straight losses. One by 32 the other by 14. What is happening to the cream of the crop? Ante Up has gone from invincible juggernaut to a team with some question marks. MVP candidate Kurt Warner is still doing his part but the rest of the team is in a funk. Underachieving D Staley was lost for the season and F Taylor has not yet lived up to expectations. The pickup of J Bettis and T Biakabutka will help shore up the backfield but the real reason for Ante Up’s travails has been the receivers (and the Jaguars sucking as a whole). J Smith and K McCardell combined for close to 100 catches in 7 weeks but their productivity has been slipping. With the disappearance of T Holt, the once dominant WRs all have big question marks. It doesn’t help that J Smith got banged up this week and K McCardell had to deal with constant double teams. The question here for Ante Up is where they are headed now. It won’t take much to get them back on track but it is undeniable that they are no longer the dominant force they had been.

ATHENA NIKE- Still rolling around at the bottom of the standings, Athena Nike has some big problems on its roster. Even with an uplifting one point win over Escaflowne this past week, Athena Nike has only won 2 games. Much of it can be traced to the underachievers on this squad. RBs T Davis and M Anderson sharing a backfield has been disastrous. With T Davis being withheld finally, Anderson could establish some much needed rhythm. The other back, J Stewart, has been solid but not spectacular. The receivers look great on paper but besides M Harrison, the other two (C Carter and I Hilliard) are not living up to their billing. Carter finally had a big game and got in the end zone so that could be a potential bright spot. A Connell has been all been invisible despite being the Redskins “top” receiver. The only bright spot here is the QB switch from disappointing T Banks to high flying J Garcia. The Washington D is playing better but overall, Athena Nike needs more consistency and big games from its roster. If everyone plays up to potential, this team is dangerous but that is a big if. Look for Athena Nike to steal at least a few games on the rare weeks when the stars align.

BATTLE ANGELS- Last time we checked in, the Battle Angels were a good team on a streak of bad luck. One win later, they are a good team that is still on a streak of bad luck. But now the injury bug hits. R Johnson is out for a few weeks, as is G Crowell. The aging of R Watters (plus the emergence of S Alexander) and Emmitt Smith has led to inconsistency from the running backs. I Bruce is still a superstar receiver but T Glenn has been decent if a bit disappointing. With the loss of Crowell, D Hayes will have to step up, something he hasn’t been capable of all season. The incumbent QB, B Johnson, has been far from spectacular so that leaves another hole at a position. The Battle Angels are staring down the barrel of a long season if they can’t shape up. They have been hit with bad luck and injuries and need to make some roster moves. They have to start that climb into playoff contention now otherwise their season is lost.

BUFFY- Sitting atop the standings, Buffy is suddenly looking very Ante Up-like. Four weeks ago, I said they were a team without consistency. Now, four wins later they are smiling and gearing up for a strong second half of the season. A few free agent pickups (Broncos D, A Hakim, J Rice) has given Buffy some depth to go along with an all-star cast. M Faulk has been dominating games and campaigning for MVP while C Garner is doing his best as a not-so-poor-man’s Marshall. Buffy has one of the best RB combos in the league complemented by solid receivers. T Brown is finally rounding into shape and despite being banged up, M Robinson is putting solid numbers on the board too. If one of the other WRs can step up besides those two, Buffy will have no weaknesses. R Gannon has found his magic from last year and if he and Brown can continue their success, Buffy will have an aerial attack to go along with the two horses. This week’s game versus the Green Team will determine if Buffy will make a run at Ante-Up’s winning streak record.

CHUNKY MONKEYS- Despite some glaring holes on paper, the Monkeys keep on pulling out victories. Standing at 3-4, they aren’t great but neither are they horrible. After trading away E George and D Culpepper, the Monkeys hoped to make a run but the incoming players didn’t pan out. The two Jamal’s (Andersen and Lewis) have been disappointing and M Muhammed has been hampered by injury and weak quarterback play. R Smith however has been providing a solid ground game in George’s absence. The problem has been at the other RB spot, which remains empty and inconsistent. The receiving corps are actually quite good with R Moss (who is finally playing well), A Freeman (helped by the return of the real B Favre) and E McCaffrey. The QB situation has been a mess, with M Brunell getting pummeled behind a weak offensive line. Hopefully the addition of a more mobile D McNabb will steady the team under center. The Monkey’s problem is a rare one in this league, lack of a solid second back. If they can’t fill that spot, they will continue to be inconsistent and win and lose erratically.

DIRTeByRDeeZ- The Birds stand at 4-3, one win off of the top mark. Yet, they are struggling with offensive woes. Whenever they have eclipsed the century mark, they have won. The three times they haven’t, they lost. It’s that simple. The roster is solid, buoyed by a four team trade which netted D Culpepper and E George. George (on pace for most carries a season) has combined with top back Stephen Davis to give the Birds a huge 1-2 punch. Culpepper continues to play mistake free and create big plays. Phi D has fallen a bit but they are still one of the top defenses. The waiver wire addition of T Owens has given the Birds one of the hottest receivers around and it looks like J Horn is emerging as a solid threat. The other WRs have been shaky (B Schroeder and T Wilkins) but if T Gonzalez continues his progress that won’t be a problem. The Birds are looking good but have not yet found that consistency or magic touch to create a winning streak. The Birds did manage to knock Ante Up off its pedestal in WK6 with a 150-pt outburst. Look for them to find some much needed consistency in the second half of the season.

ESCAFLOWNE- This newsletters’ version of the Bad News Bears, Escaflowne has lost its last two games by a combined total of 7 pts. They are on a four game losing streak and have to look for help. They are not without an upside however. P Manning has been consistent (although not really spectacular) and the receiving duo of E Moulds and E Boston gives Escaflowne some explosiveness. R Williams is pulling it all together as a rushing and receiving threat and after a slow start is starting to put up all star numbers. The second RB slot had been empty before D Levens’ 17-pt performance this past week. Whether he can continue to fill that weakness is an issue for upcoming weeks. (Escaflowne passed on J Bettis as a free agent before Ante Up snatched him up). T Mathis has not been good as the third WR and that position could use an upgrade too. Why C Enis and S McNair are even on this roster is a question for the gods. Overall, Escaflowne could easily have been in contention despite the glaring hole at RB. They remain an explosive if inconsistent (and slightly unlucky) team. Escaflowne could be dangerous down the stretch with the right roster adjustments so look for them to improve over their 2-5 record.

GREEN TEAM- When last we looked in with them, the Green Team was a stud running team, powered by E James (who did have a slow two weeks) and C Martin. While they may no longer be the uncontested top duo in the league, their performance (76 pts last week) continues to power the Green Team to victory after victory. Included was WK 7’s 85-pt smearing of the Battle Angels while setting a new standard for scoring at 155 pts. They have since replaced the disappointing S Beurlein with the super consistent Brian Griese (1 INT all year), upgrading the QB position by two-fold. The problem for them is the same as before, finding that elusive third WR. A Toomer has been a pass-dropping bust and Q Ismail hasn’t quite been the same (although he did have a clutch performance in WK 6 to insure victory) with T Banks disappearance. There’s hope that D Alexander can emerge as a good second WR but even that is a little in doubt. The passing attack has been carried by the explosive R Smith but even this league leading receiver cannot carry the load forever. The special teams and defense are solid so the Green Team can look towards continued success. They are a bit thin at WR so they must look for someone to emerge or perhaps trade away scatback T Barber for a quality receiver. Green Team isn’t without its weaknesses and may be a little lucky to be standing at 5-2. If the stars ever falter, filling those gaps at receiver will be crucial.

That’s it. The mid-season report. The top teams haven’t changed much over the first half of the season and the jockeying for bye weeks will begin soon. (We’re probably gonna start the playoffs WK 14 and #1 and #2 get byes) Those at the bottom will have to work hard to avoid missing the playoffs. Are we all still motivated? It’s a whole new half of the season, anything can happen! Everyone has played each other so here we go again!

Remember that games start this Thursday so lineups must be in before then.

Anyone interested in playing fantasy basketball?

The Rules

Rosters
14 man rosters
5 keepers per season

Starting Lineups
1 QB
1 RB
3 WR/TE
1 RB/WR/TE
1 K
1 Def

Lineup deadline is 5 minutes before gametime for each player

Transactions
Add/drops are handled by a waivers process.
Dropped players remain on waivers for at least 1 day(s).

Schedule
Playoffs start in Week 14 and last for 3 Weeks

Scoring
alternate link (w/ wrong kicking points)
Offensive Categories
FG - Field Goals: 3 pts + 1 pt if FG is over 50+ yards
XP - Extra Points: 1 pt
FL - Fumble Lost: minus 2 pts
INT - Passing Interception - minus 2 pts

2P - Passing, Rushing, Receiving 2 Point Conversion: 2 pts
TD - Passing, Rushing, Receiving 2 Point Conversion: 6 pts
Big Play Bonus: +1 pt for any TD over 50+ yards

Passing Yards: 1 pt per 20 yards
Rushing Yards: 1 pt per 10 yards
Receiving Yards: 1 pt per 10 yards

Receptions: 1 pt for every 2 receptions (rounded down)

Defensive Categories
DFR - Defensive/ST Fumble Recovered: 1 pt
DTD - Defensive and Special Teams TD: 6 pts
INT - Interceptions: 2 points
PA - Points Against 0 - 6 PA: 4 pts
PA - Points Against 7 - 13 PA: 2 pts

SACK - Sack 1 point
STY - Safety 3 points
YDS - Yards Allowed 0 - 199 yards = 4 pts
YDS - Yards Allowed 200 - 299 yards = 2 pts

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Constitution: We will be keeping 5 players at the end of every year. Then at the beginning of each season, we will draft the rest of the roster anew.

Trades can be overturned by 3/4 of the Rules Committee (Jon, Evan, Eric, Ping). If it is a tie, then the trade goes through.

New rules are implemented upon a majority vote from the league (currently 6/10). [Added 8/2011, Jon]

Waivers are processed and reset to reverse order of the current week's standings once a week every Tuesday. Waiver order is set at the beginning of each season and then never reset. [Amended 8/2011, Jon]

There will be no homefield advantage beginning in 2004 (CTDB Season IV). First round byes and matchup scheduling will still be in effect.

Ties in the standings are resolved in this order: Winning Percentage, Total Points.

Playoff seeding tiebreakers will be determined by 1. Head-to-head record, 2. Points scored, and then 3. Division record. In the event that a playoff game ends in a tie, the deadlock will be broken using 1. Most touchdowns scored by a starting roster and 2. Most points scored by a starting defense. Regular season ties will be left as ties.

The yearly draft order will be calculated according to reverse regular season standings (same tie-breaker as playoff format) with the exception that the two Super Bowl contestants draft last and next to last. With the winner drafting last, of course. The Toilet Bowl participants now select #1 and #2. [Amended 8/10/06 and 8/2011, Jon]

A yearly trade deadline will be in effect beginning Week 10 of the regular season starting 2004. Adjusted to December 1st. [Amended 8/2010, Jon]

League Start Year: 2001