Super Bowl VI

Camarillo, CA

The suspense was almost unbearable, the final score a little too close to call but at the end - the Monkeys franchise secured their first ever championship title. In a close game that didn't end until the final drive, the Monkeys finally mustered enough points to pull out a 101-93 victory over the defending champions, Fat Jubas.

After what was likely the most dominating regular season in CTDB history, the Monkeys stumbled their way into their first Super Bowl victory. During the regular season, the Monkeys averaged 131 points - almost 30 more points per game than Buffy who was second in overall league scoring. 2006 saw the Monkeys break a number of records including:

1) Highest average score per game
2) Most points scored in a game
3) Highest winning percentage
4) Most high week scores
5) Most points scored in a season

Monkey co-captain, LaDainian Tomlinson, had a season for the ages with 31 touchdowns through 16 weeks and finished with an amazing 431 points through 16 weeks. The next closest was teammate, Peyton Manning, at 376 points.

However, this playoffs was a little different. The Monkeys’ final tally of 101 points was their second lowest all season. LT, for the first time in ten weeks, didn’t score at least 28 points. Monkeys’ receivers Owens, Boldin and Johnson combined for only one touchdown (on a broken play no less) and 23 total points. After a season which saw the Monkeys win by an average score of 30 points per game, the Monkeys seemed to back into this win. The Jubas left over 100 points on the bench with Vince Young and Marc Bulger combining for nearly 80 points.

After Laveraneus Coles was shut down on the final drive in the last game of Week 16, the Monkeys finally were able to pull out their championship shirts and caps. In their post game conference, Tomlinson summed up his emotions - "It feels ridiculously awesome. As good as we were all season, this was a much more difficult playoffs battle than any of us ever imagined. We didn't play our best ball, I didn't get in the endzone but guys find a way to pull it out. After 5 years of early exits, this win is the one that I will cherish. Our team deserves this – this is our trophy."

Monkeys GM, Evan Shiue, spoke to reporters after the victory. "Would we have liked to cruise through this game like we did the rest of the season? Sure. But that's why we play the game. The Jubas played a great game. I need to remember to give Eric a call to thank him for playing Brett this week. But I will not take anything away from this franchise. We are without a doubt, one of the most consistent and top performing franchises in CTDB history. All we were missing was that ring and now we have that. Our front office has done a great job in the draft and our current roster proves that. Our season proves it and now, our championship title proves it."

ESPN Analyst, Chris Berman, was clear in his thoughts about the Monkeys' win. "This championship win secures the Monkeys' place in the elite tier of league teams. This team has year after year put together great teams with great players. The current roster is probably arguably the best roster of all time and the cumulative talent assembled here will difficult to match. The records broken this year are incredible in retrospect. The win was fitting. We are finally crowning a team that absolutely dominated the league – 2006 will always be known as the year of the Monkeys."

Chunky Soup?

With an edge at nearly every position, the Monkeys are looking at their best chance to capture that elusive first championship. Last year, these two teams met in the Super Bowl and the Fat Jubas walked away with a 24-point upset victory. The automated matchup on our website predicts a 34-point win for the Monkeys this year but should the Jubas pull off an improbable upset again, it would qualify as the greatest upset of all time. Bigger than Patriots vs Rams, bigger than Pistons vs Lakers, bigger than Douglas vs Tyson...

The Monkeys have lost only one game all season and might have been undefeated but for an (unfortunate) explosion by Buffy mid-season. Everything that the Monkeys have been building up to -- for five years -- has come to this point. This is the best team that time can buy. The best QB in the game, the top two RBs, three quality WRs. There are no holes here. The Monkeys have traditionally failed in the playoffs due to their lack of a solid third receiver and the annual late season blip by Manning and Tomlinson. This year however, the Chargers and the Colts are engaged in a race for AFC homefield advantage, so neither team will sit its stars in this most crucial of weeks.

The defending champion Fat Jubas head into Super Bowl VI with a team that is a bit of a patchwork squad on paper but strong on the field. Make no mistake, the Jubas deserve to be here. They've used savvy trades and waiver wire pickups to build upon last season's success. They managed to win their division -- for the third time -- without the services of last year's MVP, Shaun Alexander, for most of the season. Now Shaun's back and he's ready to find the end zone a few times.

This is the first time that two number one seeds have faced off in the playoffs. This will truly be a battle of the titans -- despite the Monkeys averaging 38 more points per week during the regular season than the Jubas. This prognosticator thinks it'll come down to the quarterbacks. LDT and LJ will get theirs, we expect Gore and Alexander to have good games, and the wide receivers should mostly cancel each other out (although it'll be tough for Coles to match last week's career numbers).

The difference between an easy victory and a tight finish might be Peyton versus whoever ends up starting for the Jubas. Will it be old man Brett Favre? Or will it be Vince "Forever" Young? Even Marc "Big" Bulger has a chance to start. We don't envy the decision Eric will have to make behind this three-headed monster.

Speaking of Peyton Manning, this is his game to win -- or lose. If he can't prove his mettle in this biggest of pressure cookers, then the Manning era may be over in Chunky-land. Nobody represents the face of the Monkeys more than the infamous look Peyton wears after he gets upset (each year) in the playoffs. Can that face be one of victory and delight this winter? We'll see.

So, can Evan finally get the monkey off his back? Can years of regular season success and an enviable roster finally add up to a championship? If they win, we forsee a name change for the Chunkies; but let's not get ahead of ourselves, let's just get ready for what will no doubt be a historic and memorable weekend. Super Bowl VI: The Revenge?

Note: In an effort to curry favor with his fan base, Evan scooped up Chargers Defense again after a one week break. Good karma move.

Ambulances are standing by should the Monkeys lose...

De-Buffed

Chunky Monkeys (128) vs Buffy (70)

There was a palpable sigh of relief from Monkey management Monday night - the team had finally beat long-time divisional rival, Buffy. Despite being the odds on favorite for this matchup after what has largely been considered the greatest regular season of all time, the Monkeys were nervous about the match up.

Entering the playoffs, Buffy was the only team to hang a loss on the Monkeys in the regular season. Despite the Monkeys scoring 149 in week 6, Buffy surmised almost superhuman abilities to run their score to 163 and handed the Monkeys their only (and likely the highest scoring) loss during the regular season. Despite averaging a pedestrian 103 pts per week during the regular season, Buffy had shown the most explosiveness as does the typical run n gun Buffy team does. With scoring outbursts of 163 (6), 149 (10) and 140 (Wild Card game) - Buffy had the weapons to displace the juggernaut also known as the Monkeys.

Even more serious was Buffy's franchise record in the playoffs - this was the FIRST ever playoff loss for the franchise since the inception of the league. Buffy, the only two time league champion, has only made the playoff twice before this year and won both times. As such, the Monkeys' confidence was noticeably more muted this week during practice.

But thats why they play the game. The Monkeys played a typical Monkeys game which featured 3-4 offensive explosions - this time led by team captains, Peyton Manning (39) and Ladainian Tomlinson (32). Manning and Tomlinson are the only two current members on the team that were part of the initial draft class in 2001. Despite unexpected slow games by Larry Johnson and Quan Boldin, the Monkeys almost matched their regular season average of 135 points.

Buffy suffered offensive letdowns from a traditionally strong passing game. While Willie Parker and Ladell Betts (who?) combined for 35, Carson Palmer, Torry Big Game Holt, Terry Glenn and Marty Booker combined for only 25. The team only managed 70 total points.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen - "The Monkeys had Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods on the same team this week. Tomlinson and Manning were ridiculous. With so much talent on the offensive front, this team seems like they had a breakout week. It remains to be seen whether the Monkeys can shake the superbowl ghosts of years past next week at the big game."

Double Down?

Fat Jubas (124) vs Philadelphia Phreaks (66)

The Jubas are already making history. No team has had a better shot of repeating as champions. Eric's team powered its way through the regular season -- avoiding the first to worst curse -- and upended the Phreaks for a chance to go to the Super Bowl and possibly, dare we say it, repeat as CTDB Champions.

Buffy has won two rings already, but not two in a row. Could this lone Spunky Misunderstood Genius do what so many Inscrutable Drama Kings could not? Guess we'll find out.

The Phreaks have been in a state of collapse ever since franchise player Donovan McNabb went down to injury. Is it safe to say that McNabb is unclutch now? I mean, he's fabulous but his injury issues seem to doom the Phreaks each and every year.

Donovan's replacement, Jeff Garcia, put up a respectable 16 points but his primary WR, Donte Stallworth, notched a big fat zero. Nobody else on the team stepped up either. Julius Jones had 2 pts, Roy Williams had 1 pt, and only future star Maurice Jones-Drew rumbled for 20 points. As of Monday Night, TJ Houshmanzilli had yet to play, but it's safe to say that he's not scoring 50+ for the miracle win.

What can the Phreaks do? You can't lose your number one QB (Donovan) and your number one RB (Clinton Portis) and expect to win, can you?

The Jubas rode Frank Gore (25) and Laveranues Coles (26) to an easy semi-final win. They'll likely face Chunky in the Super Bowl and guess who were the primary names in that mid-season trade between Chunky and Jubas -- Gore and Coles. After handing Eric a championship last year with the trade of Shaun Alexander, could Evan beat himself again when Gore and Coles take over the game next weekend?

Oh man, that would be ugly. Even worse if Shaun himself comes back for a huge game next week (along with Gore) to defeat LDT and LJ, denying Evan his first championship. By the way, give it up for Patriots Defense -- four interceptions, four sacks, and one long ass touchdown.

Side Note: Both of these franchises have changed names in the recent past. The Jubas used to be known as the Flaming Shrapnel and the Phreaks used to be TAGHeuer. Just an interesting tidbit.

Divisional 2004 Rematch

Los Angeles, CA --
This weekend marks the Inscrutable Drama Kings Divisional Championship. It is also a rematch of the IDK DC from 2004. Once again, team Buffy will be taking on the Chunky Monkeys. In what has been the greatest season ever put together by a fantasy team, Monkeys are the clear favorites to win this match-up. The same thing was said of the Monkeys’ ’04 team as well. Following their bye week after posting a 12-1 regular season record, the Monkeys are ready to take on the winner of the wild-card game, Buffy. With a 7-5-1 regular season record, Buffy gave Tiiite End Jammers a 140-71 shellacking, for the dubious honor of taking on the Monkeys in the Divisional Championship game.

In 2004, the Monkeys boasted a lineup of Peyton Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Darrell Jackson, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Chris Chambers, and Andre Johnson. Buffy countered with Brian Griese, Corey Dillon, Michael Pittman, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Joe Horn, and Michael Clayton. Buffy was somehow victorious in the match-up, and now, two years later, the Monkeys team has been heavily upgraded and Buffy, well, they have a full roster of players.

Here’s a look at this weekend’s game:

QB
Arguably the best fantasy quarterback in league history, Peyton Manning has not been as spectacular lately, but is still a model of consistency, averaging close to 24 points each week. Carson Palmer on the other hand is not far behind. After a slow start to the season, he has exploded in the last weeks to help propel Buffy to contention. The Monkeys/Buffy game might just be decided on Monday night when Manning and Palmer face each other. EDGE: Monkeys

RB
On paper, LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson versus Willie Parker and most likely Ladell Betts is a joke. FWP has had a great season and Betts is coming to his own, but seriously, it’s LT and LJ! The same two backs that each put up 42 points Week 8. Can FWP and Betts score a few TDs to keep pace? They scored for 26 and 19 this past weekend, but that’s not going to be good enough. EDGE: Monkeys

WR
For the first time in CTDB history, the Monkeys boast a wide receiver core worth mentioning. Terrell Owens, Andre Johnson, and Anquan Boldin, are in the top 20 in scoring for WRs; TO and AJ are in the top 8. Not too shabby. While Buffy counters with franchise player Torry “Big Game” Holt, Terry Glenn, and possibly Derrick Mason this weekend. Joe Horn will play if available. As explosive as Buffy’s WRs can be, they have not shown the consistency as the Monkeys’ core has over the course of the season. Although known throughout the years as a fielding the greatest aerial attack ever, Buffy looks like they are flying a bit low this year. EDGE: Monkeys

K
Buffy has ridden the leg of last year’s top kicker Neil Rackers all season long and has wanted to make a change, but decided to stick by his draft choice. He has pulled a last minute “Bill Parcells” move and replaced him with Josh Scobee. This move may hurt team chemistry, but it seems that a change was necessary. The Monkeys’ Nate Kaeding has been one of the most consistent kickers this year. EDGE: Monkeys

DEF/ST
Usually we don’t bother rating DEF/ST, but in this case, Buffy has da Bears D, which is the best defense unit out there. The Bears D single-handedly defeated the Monkeys in their second meeting this year putting up 23 points. And after posting 29 points in week 13, there is no doubt Buffy’s D is extremely explosive. The Monkeys’ have made a last minute change and are going with the Jaguars D. Releasing hometown Chargers D must have been heartbreaking, but it seems as though Monkeys GM Evan Shiue needed to make a change to help put the best possible team out there. EDGE: Buffy

MOJO
With the highest scoring team in league history, the best regular season record in league history, with most weekly high scores, it seems pretty obvious the Monkeys will be going to the big game. It is almost impossible to put together a better roster. However, Buffy is a two-time CTDB Champion. Buffy likes playing the role of underdog, and they have been riding a 5-game winning streak. Will the week off hurt the Monkeys team? Is Buffy in fact once again the true team of destiny?

Monkeys by 30.

All In with Ante Up

Recap 2006:
Ante Up started off this season very strong with three straight wins. They had a 5-pt win over Buffy in WK1, a 55-pt drubbing of Fobsters in WK2, and then a 27-pt blow out over Dirty Birds in WK3.

Of course, this fast start was negated by a four game losing streak, which was only stopped by acquiring another win against Buffy in WK8. Sitting at 0.500, Ante Up needed to step up it up. But an up-and-down next five games (three wins and two losses) put the pressure on them in WK13.

In that last game of the season, Ante Up won a close one against the [Donovan-less] Phreaks, 83-81. Corey Dillon had a season high 20 points but indicative of the season, starting QB Rex Grossman ended up with -5 points, while Trent Green sat on the bench with 34 pts.

The Jammers also won a close last game however, 99-93 versus the Green Team, to advance over Ante Up to the playoffs. Despite similar records, the Jammers had a Points Scored advantage on the season (after 1-1 head-to-head record) and sent Ante Up packing for the winter.

Roster 2006:
So, Ante Up finished with a winning 7-6 record but got locked out of the playoffs. The big reason for their wild season? Let's point the finger at QB Trent Green, who was injured early and didn't return in time to help the team out. Replacement QB Rex Grossman was on fire during the first half of the season, but by the time he got into Ante Up's lineup, he had cooled off (understatement) and finished accruing only 40 points for the team -- including two weeks with negative scores. The other backup QB, Daunte Culpepper, was a worthy pre-season gamble, but has fallen far from his glory days.

Another player that doomed Ante Up's playoff chances? The rock of the franchise, running back Edgerrin James. The move to Arizona cost James his fantasy stud status. He could barely push over 9 points per game and was sitting on the bench by the end of the season.

To replace him, Ante Up had to use old workhorse Corey Dillon, who wasn't too much better overall. The bright spot here was Brian Westbrook, this season's Ante Up MVP. Westbrook averaged 18 points a contest (221 total), was the fourth best running back in the league, the tenth best player overall and had multiple explosive games this year (two 30+ games, four 20+ games).

The three main WRs were pretty damn good actually. Reggie Wayne finished as the second best WR around (14.75 avg) and Donald Driver was ranked tenth (13 avg). Chris Chambers didn't exactly break out as planned, but he was fine as a third receiver.

Worth mentioning is that the Ravens D was the second best defense around and averaged almost as many points as Reggie Wayne (14.3 avg).

So really, not a bad team overall. A top RB, two great WRs, and an amazing D. But that hole at QB really hurt the team, as did the total collapse by Edgerrin James. But the future is bright for Ante Up as the potential keeper core looks pretty solid.

Historical Record
Ante Up has had three 5-8 seasons, with two of those coming in our first two years of existence. After that however, Ante Up has reached the divisional finals twice, despite never quite making it into the Super Bowl. They were the best team in the league in 2005 and not every team has that on their resume.

This team -- when they're not 5-8 -- is just gunning for that ring, coming tantalizingly close a few times but never quite reaching it. They, along with the Monkeys, are the only two teams left in their division without a championship (ironically, they are the two teams who met in Super Bowl 0).

Core Roster
When I think of Ante Up, I think of a strong running game and a great defense. The defining player from this team is actually the Buccaneers Defense. Although they were only technically on the team for three years (2001, 2002, 2004), they were always crazy dominant and often led Ante Up to victory after victory. Even during the years when the Buc D ended up on other teams, Ante Up took strong defenses like Miami (2003), Pittsburgh (2005), and Baltimore (2006) to support their offense. Defense wins championships, well, almost.

Their first ever pick, RB Edgerrin James, has served solidly through thick and thin. Nobody can doubt Edge's skills and he's the only original player left from 2001. The other player that I always associate with Ante Up is Fred Taylor. I thought he was an original Ante Upper, but he actually came on board the next year, in 2002. Aside from that feared combination, backs like Jerome Bettis, Warrick Dunn (2001), and most recently, Brian Westbrook (drafted in 2005) have displayed their skills with this team.

For a long time, Derrick Mason (original draft pick, 2001) was the leader in the WR department. He was joined by Laveranues Coles and Reggie Wayne the following year and since then, Wayne has clearly emerged as a worthy number-one wide receiver. Ante Up has always lacked a traditional superstar receiver however, since Wayne is still the second banana on the Colts.

Jeff Garcia and Trent Green have been the only two men to qualify as franchise quarterbacks on this team. Garcia in his heyday was a monster. And Trent Green has been an underrated fantasy player his whole career. Journeymen like Jake Plummer and Jake Delhomme -- yes, The Two Jakes -- have stepped into the breach at times, but mostly it's been the Trent Green show since he took over the full time reins from Garcia in 2003.

A pounding running game, a dominant defense, and one stud receiver. Sounds like a Steelers team doesn't it? Maybe Ante Up need some magical rookie mojo, like the one Big Ben gave to Pittsburgh in 2005, to push them toward that elusive championship.

Season Breakdowns
2006: 7-6; Edged out of the playoffs despite a winning record.
2005: 10-3; Best record in the league and had a seven game win streak to close out the season. Upset by the Monkeys (103-89) in the divisional finals.
2004: 5-8; Finished in last place, but was only one win away from a playoff spot.
2003: 8-7; Upset the Monkeys (124-108) in the first round, but then lost to eventual champion Jammers (92-122) in the the divisional finals.
2002: 5-8; After starting out 5-3, they lost the last five games of the season to sink to second-to-last place in the division.
2001: 5-8; Finished in last place after losing the final two games of the season.

Stats
Highest Avg Game Score, Season: 102.23 (2005)
Most Points Scored, Game: 140 (2004)
Least Points Scored, Game: 51 (2003)
Best Margin of Victory, Game: 71 (2003)
Worst Margin of Defeat, Game: -63 (2002)
Longest Winning Streak, Season: 7 (2005)
Longest Losing Streak, Season: 5 (2002)

Playoffs 2006 - Round I

Well, the bye weeks weren't hard to figure out. The Monkeys had that locked up about 4 weeks ago and enters their first week bye with a record breaking 12-1 record in the regular season. The (defending champion) Jubas on the other hand lived off their nine game win streak and enters the playoffs with a commanding two game lead despite dropping the last two. So lets talk about the real matchups!

Inscrutable Drama Kings Division

Tiiite End Jammers (7-6) at Buffy (7-5-1)

Buffy revived their season entering the first week on the heels of a four game win streak. Just four weeks ago, Buffy was 4.5 games out of first and 1.5 games out of playoff contention. But the revival of Carson Palmer has enabled Buffy to rally into the second seed. A key stat here is that Buffy has won the championship ring ever year the team has made the playoffs. For the Jammers, this is their first foray in the playoffs since their triumphant appearance in the 2003 CTDB Championships. As they say, never underestimate the regular season. The Jammers took care of business and won their last game and despite being in a virtual tie in terms of overall standings and head-to-head record, the Jammers outscored Ante Up by nearly 100 points which means they, and not Ante Up, will still be playing in December. New blood has been the key for the Jammers. With the re-emergence of Vick, the explosion of rookie Addai and the solid play of what is probably the most underrated recieving core of Harrison, Jackson and Javon Walker. The team isn't extremely deep here with Fargas, Sammy Morris, Leon Washington and Deion Branch riding the pine but the starters are definitely capable.

Prediction: This will go to the team that wants it more. Buffy has the hotter streak but we can see an upset happening here. Jammers by 5.

Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses Division

Battle Angels (6-7) at Philadelphia Phreaks (7-6)

You know its a good year when you finish the regular season under .500 and still make the playoffs. The stars are aligned. You lose your last game but your divisional rivals goes and loses 6 in a row and right out of playoff contention. Go back to Week 7. Green Team was sitting pretty in second, one game back of the Phreaks with a 5-2 record. A six game slide helps no one. The moral of the story? Battle Angels in at 6-7. Now, this doesn't mean the Angels don't have a shot.

Any team with Drew Brees and Steve Smith could easily have a 60 point base on any given week. The question is what can Maroney, Ahman, Reggie Brown and Galloway do in the playoffs? On the flip side the Phreaks are reeling from the loss of #5 - McNabb. He's actually still the QB. Its unclear whether GM Shen is doin this for morale reasons or if he is just taunting Vu and the Angels. But the Phreaks were the leaders in the SMG for a good part of the season - and for good reason.

With a healthy Donte Stallworth, an emerging Roy WIlliams and a solid TJ Houshmandzadeh. The loss of CP and the emergence of Marion Barber over Julius Jones has hurt the Phreaks but M. Jones Drew and Kevin Jones are no slouches.

Prediction: With McNabb = Angels by 10, With a McNabb sub = Phreaks by 10.

Frank the First

Despite what appears to be a meaningless matchup between divisional leaders the Chunky Monkeys and the Fat Jubas (besides bragging rights), there is one interesting stat at stake.

In one of the last clauses from this year's blockbuster trade involving Gore and Boldin, the trade stipulated that if Gore was to finish in the top five of all running backs during the regular season, the Monkeys would then have the rights to the Jubas' first round pick instead of their second round pick.

Entering this week, Gore was only one point behind Willie Parker. So if Gore simply outperforms Parker, the Monkeys will move up another round.

According to GM Shiue, "Look, we are going to try our best to beat the Jubas' brains out. That should not be a question. They are the best team in the other division and we may potentially see them later on. I want our team to literally break their spirits going into the playoffs. But as an objective fan of the league, Franky G is a great back and was a great teammate when he was here with us. I will of course be rooting for him. That first round pick would also help too but thats for another year."