Super Bowl XVIIII

Saquon Barkley, the Chunky Monkey's team captain, stepped up when it counted most.  The sophomore back tallied 422 yards and four touchdowns in the Monkey's two playoff games after disappointingly only accounting for 902 yards and three touchdowns the first fourteen weeks of the season. Barkley scored a season high 41.9 points in the championship game, culminating the in Monkey's fourth championship trophy in franchise history -- tying them with Dirty Birds for best in CTDB history.

The Monkeys overcame the feared Lamar Jackson (who should be the obvious MVP) and Mark Andrews stack who delivered with 62 points, but it wasn't quite enough for Custom J. Saquon and midseason waiver wire pick, Ryan Tannehill, delivered 74 combined points, which was the difference in the game. The Monkeys beat Custom J 139.2 - 123.8.

So how did the Monkeys get here?  After missing the playoffs with a near rock bottom 4-9 season in 2017, the Monkeys hit the lottery with their Toilet Bowl win by drafting Barkley with the first pick in 2018. The team finished 9-4 in 2018 improved to 10-3 this year, en route to its first championship in six years. [ Previous titles: 2006, 2010, 2013 ] In only his second year in the league, Barkley has set the pace for resetting the Monkeys franchise.

Along with the help of an emergent Chris Godwin and the ageless Tom Brady, the Pats defense led the charge for the Monkeys in the first part of the season.  The Patriots averaged sixteen points per game over the first eight weeks -- good enough to help the Monkeys to an 8-0 streak to start the season. While Brady and the Pats D eventually faded, it was good enough to secure the Monkeys a regular season second place finish and a first week playoff bye...and the rest is history.

The Monkeys have a bit of transformation more to do this off season. While Godwin has secured his spot on the keeper roster, there are a few question marks remaining. Hunter Henry failed to live up to expectations, Mark Ingram is on the wrong side of thirty, and is Stefon Diggs is really a WR2. For now though, the Monkeys can enjoy being the first franchise to four titles: no ties, no asterisks, just titles!

Some notable season highlights:

• Mark Ingram.  Gritty performance by the thirty year old running back. Ingram finished as the #8 back on season despite being an unheralded older keeper for the Monkeys. He was a steady starter all season and locked down an unseasonably turbulent running back corps especially when Barkley was out.
• Chris Godwin.  Probably the best pick of the draft.  Godwin was snagged at the end of the first round and ended up being the #2 overall WR behind Michael Thomas.
• Tom Brady. The Monkeys long planned to stream quarterbacks but Brady, like the Patriots D, gave the team a surprisingly steady hand at QB.  Brady was a team top three performer six out of the first eight weeks and played a big role in the team's roaring start to the season.
• Ryan Tannehill. A late season pick up that clinched the playoffs with two 30+ point performances, Tannehill was the lynchpin to the late season run especially after Brady faded late in the season.

As for Custom J, Josh's first season in CTDB has to counted as a huge success since they won the regular season crown by only losing one game all season. Led by Lamar Jackson, Nick Chubb, Leonard Fournette, DeAndre Hopkins, Joe Mixon, and Mark Andrews, Custom was close to a title but fell just a bit short. A new rivalry brews between them and Chunky and we'll see where Lamar can take them next season!

Super Bowl Preview 2019

#1 Custom J (12-1) vs #2 Chunky Monkeys (10-3)

Here we are, the first Cousin Bowl in CTDB history! It could have been a Brother Bowl but after Evan took our Eddie last week with a stellar 175.6 - 116.5 stomping, the stage is set for the best and second-best teams this season to face off in a Super Bowl XVIIII. (Yes, that’s nineteen!) Josh’s Custom J took care of business by taking out LA Buffy, 153.2 - 99.4, ending Roger’s upset hopes. Let’s take a look at the matchups.

QB: It’s Lamar Jackson versus Ryan Tannehill. While I haven’t been following football very closely this year, even I know that Lamar Jackson is the new MVP and mega superstar this season. So while there’s a Tannehill resurgence or something, we’re gonna go with the historic season from Jackson. Edge: Custom J

RB: Last year’s number one overall pick, Saquon Barkley powered Chunky Monkeys back to relevance but he’s going to have a tough time going up against fellow 2018 NFL draftee Nick Chubb. He’ll have Mark Ingram — the #8 rated back on the season — alongside him but Chubb has Leonard Fournette, giving Custom J two top ten backs. Still, we like Barkley’s upside and it’s possible that he and Ingram will have a standout Super Bowl. They’ll have to, for Monkeys to stand a chance. Both teams have flexed running backs, with Custom going with Joe Mixon and Monkeys starting Mike Boone. We’re pretty sure Mixon has been trash this year so I guess we’ll just go with big cousin Evan on this one… Edge: Chunky Monkeys

WR: Tannehill will have deep threats Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, and Curtis Samuel facing off versus DeAndre Hopkins, Courtland Sutton, and Terry McLaurin. That, um, seems like a wash. Hill had a big game last weekend and he’ll have to again to keep up with Hopkins and Co. The big story here is who’s missing for both teams. Monkeys will be without the services for their number one receiver, Chris Godwin, while Custom doesn’t seem to be playing Cooper Kupp or Jarvis Landry. Will Josh’s big gamble on McLaurin turn out to be the right move? Edge: Even

TE: Ah, good old Hunter Henry. Did he finally break out this year? I guess being a top eight tight end means he sort of did, but it seems like his run of double digit scoring is over. He’ll be facing off against Mark Andrews, who is capable of multiple touchdowns and is Lamar Jackson’s safety net, meaning he averages about ten points a game. Edge: Custom J

DST/K: Where art though vaunted Patriots Defense? Monkeys rode the historic start by Patriots DST to the top of the league but they’ve been much less impressive of late. Even a matchup against the Bills might not be enough to push them back to their league crushing ways. While Custom J features the second best defense in the league in Pittsburgh, much of their success was earlier in the season as well. I guess we could talk about kickers then, with Evan’s Younghoe Koo going up against the second-best kicker in Will Lutz. I guess we’ll go with Chunky for this one, since in theory Patriots have more upside and we have to support our ex-Charger and still Korean Koo. Edge: Chunky Monkeys

Intangibles: Everything has lined up for Custom J to take the title this year. A stellar disbursement draft, a MVP candidate in Lamar Jackson. And most of all, the new/old Dirty Birds franchise has never lost to the Chunky Monkeys when its counted (is this even true? I want to say it is...) and we think cousin Josh will keep that streak alive. We predict a close win for Custom J!

Super Bowl XVIII

#3 Athena Nike (7-6) def #2 Gang Green (7-6), 141.6 - 126.5
As one prognosticator predicted, Athena Nike was the most dangerous team headed into the playoffs and then they went out and proved it, by taking down another higher seed as they romped their way to a title after putting up 135.6, 104.5, and a 141.6 points during the playoffs. (Note: The Super Bowl record for PF was 155.0 in 2001 by Buffy, which is wild since that was before we expanded starting lineups by two slots.) At the end of the day, Nike won eight straight from WK10 on, and that was after a 1-5 stretch from WK4-9, proving that perseverance is a key trait for every champion.

Their games got increasingly, slightly, tougher as they started off with a RD1 fifty-point blowout of Jammers, then a twenty-five point win versus top seeded Chunky in the Marvel finals, and finally a Super Bowl victory by “only” fifteen points. Of course, the title game was essentially sealed with a touchdown pass to Michael Thomas halfway through Sunday, and despite Ben Roethlisberger’s heroics and a comeback attempt by Christian McCaffrey, Gang Green fell short. Technically there were a lot of points left on Greg’s bench but none that would have been inserted normally, and to put an exclamation point for our year-long issues with defensive scoring, Texans defense threw up negative seven for the final matchup.

On the winning side, the heroes were many, as Baker Mayfield stepped in for an injured Cam Newton — his second start for Athena — and won a ring in his rookie NFL season. Ezekiel Elliot slowed a bit as the postseason wore on but still averaged 18+ points. The steadiest hand for Nike during the post-season was DeAndre Hopkins, who was an explosive stick of dynamite. Throw in Leonard Fournette and Adrian Peterson doing just enough, and it was a team-wide effort for this title. Heck, tight end Evan Engram was a free agent last week and then put up 14.3 points in the Super Bowl, while coach Frank also subbed out Vikings defense for Rams, resulting in a one-point increase.

In short, owner Frank’s plan worked out to perfection as he took a team that finished with only five wins in 2014 — the year Frank rejoined CTDB — and launched a rebuild that re-energized trade markets around the league and also resulted in Nike getting two #1 overall draftees despite never actually winning the Toilet Bowl.

Since inheriting a keeper core of Aaron Rodgers, Ray Rice, CJ Spiller, Alfred Morris, and Roddy White, Frank has turned over everyone to not only get younger, but also more talented. 2015 brought in DeAndre Hopkins and a RD3 for Nike's RD2 pick. That spare RD3 was then turned into Rob Gronkowski a day later. So yes, one RD2 pick brought in Hopkins and Gronk!

2016 was a mega-deal that resulted in draft picks used to grab Ezekiel Elliot and Michael Thomas. 2017 was another three-team mega-trade that involved Frank shipping off assets for Leonard Fournette and a bunch of future picks, knowing that 2018 was the year Athena Nike would mature into a contender. Three consecutive Augusts, four huge deals that laid the groundwork for this title run. There were other success stories too, like the long gestating belief in Amari Cooper’s talent if not actual production, etc. Even when stabbed in the back by GM Jon — who grabbed Calvin Ridley in 2018’s draft and gave Frank Cam Newton — things turned up roses for Frank as Newton outperformed Rodgers for most of the year.

All in all, it’s been a roller coaster ride for Frank in CTDB, split over two stints, but a short and well calculated flight to the top resulted in his first ring. Athena Nike looks stacked with talent galore and given the chance, Frank has a great shot at going back-to-back. Given the chance…

As for Gang Green, it was their fourth Super Bowl appearance but their first since their 2009 title. A third ring would’ve been nice but Greg was mostly just happy to be in the championship game after two previous seasons of getting bounced in RD1 of the Toilet Bowl. Gang Green finished the year out with the second best running back, Christian McCaffrey, and the best receiver, Davante Adams, meaning their traditionally star-less state is over. A 0-4 start to the season ended with 9-2 record until the title game loss. Being on the losing end of the highest scoring Super Bowl in CTDB history — and putting up the highest losing score ever -- is not bad at all for a runner-up season!

Super Bowl XVII

Dirty Birds def Battle Angels, 136.3 - 104.3
The Dirty Birds have been here before, a whopping four times now: champs of Catch the Damn Ball! While we haven’t had any back-to-back winners yet, this was two of three for Birds, and represents the closest two titles we’ve had in CTDB history. After finishing 5-8 last season, Birds came right back to become the second highest PF team this year (while facing the softest opposing scheduled) and earned a first round bye after starting off the season 7-1. Despite a tepid 1-4 finish to the year, once the playoffs hit, all it took was two epic games from Todd Gurley and Dirty Birds were headed for another parade.

What a quick rebuild! The only player left over from that 2015 championship team was Gurley, as old stalwart Adrian Peterson was cut from the keeper roster prior to this year. And despite losing basically every trade he made before the draft — 2017 #1 Leonard Fournette for Dalvin Cook, Travis Kelce for TY Hilton, acquiring Des Bryant and Jimmy Graham, etc — and suffering season ending injuries to Odell Beckham Jr. and Cook, Jon’s team still steamrolled through the year. What a game, fantasy football!

It wasn’t all Gurley’s work this season though, as LeSean McCoy once again proved his star status, and Dak Prescott and Philip Rivers alternately time in the starting quarterback slot. With no receiving game to speak off -- Hilton led the team with Delanie Walker placing as the #6 TE -- the Birds turned to new rules that allowed three RBs and continually ran Gurley, McCoy, and Jerick McKinnon out there.

With Beckham and Cook returning next year, could Birds go for a repeat and really cement themselves as the greatest ever in CTDB history? With a league leading four titles, they have temporarily taken the lead, but we all know that the mythical G.O.A.T. title tends to change every few years. Note: This marks the fourth season in a row that Jon has won something, from the Toilet Bowl in 2014 and 2016 to titles in 2015 and 2017. What a run!

As for our runner-up, Battle Angel was looking to grab their second title (their last one was in 2008) and looked like they were in great position to do it. Likely ROY Alvin Kamara was the pickup of the season and Angel was coming off a 142.8 week in the conference finals. Alas, Kamara was stifled in the Super Bowl and while Vu made the right choice of Cam Newton over Drew Brees, the rest of his vaunted receiver core didn’t quite come to play, especially Jarvis Landry. The good news is that after leading the league in wins this year, Battle Angel is firmly back in proper contention after going 16-10 in the last two seasons, after participating in the pre-draft blockbuster of 2016.

Super Bowl Preview 2017

#1 Battle Angel (9-4) vs #1 Dirty Birds (8-5)
Both number one seeds in the two conferences took care of business last week, pounding their opponents into submission by scoring over 140+ points each. It’s unlikely Todd Gurley and Cam Newton will go over 40+ each again, but who knows! These were the two highest powered offensive teams in the league -- despite some pre-season doubts putting Angels at #10 in the power rankings -- this year so a shootout on championship Sunday could be coming.

Dirty Birds rushed out of the gates 5-0 before tumbling back to Earth a bit but they’ve been rock solid in recent weeks, and used their first round bye to rest up. A team ravaged by injuries — Odell Beckham Jr, Andrew Luck, rookie Alvin Cook, and many lesser lights — has still been good enough to get to the final game in a weird weird NFL season. The two headed monster of Gurley and LeSean McCoy has been outstanding and while T.Y. Hilton (acquired from Battle Angels pre-draft) has been disappointing, Dez Bryant (another pre-draft acquisition) has been just enough to help the team out.

After that, there’s been a series of pretty weak WRs on the roster, thus the last minute free agent grab of Keelan Cole, who has been red hot on fire the past three weeks. Could Cole be the x-factor here? As for the flex position, Jerick McKinnon will get the chance to shine as there isn’t really a whole lot of options left behind him. At tight end, Hunter Henry is now on IR but Delanie Walker has been better all season anyway. He’ll serve as the safety valve for Philip Rivers, who gets the start over Dak Prescott, who has been boom or bust this season.

As for Battle Angels, they faced a big quarterback decision of their own as they’ve got Newton and Drew Brees on the roster and have split starts between the two of them. Newton has scored 198.1 points for Angels this season, while Brees has scored 190.6. Maybe Vu can play both, one per half? Either way, they’ll have the best TE in the league to toss the rock to in Travis Kelce, who came over pre-draft from Dirty Birds. (Great trade eh?!) Jarvis Landry has been a flat out star this season — acquired pre-draft last year — and he’ll be joined by Jamison Crowder and Mike Wallace, who have been inconsistent but useful. There’s a chance Kelvin Benjamin, Robby Anderson, or old favorite Randall Cobb could show up in the starting lineup, but for now it’s Landry plus Crowder and Wallace. Either way, it’s clear that Angels have a big edge in the receiving department.

The question is what will the running game look like? Is Vu really going with Kerwynn Williams and Theo Riddick as his RB2 and FLEX positions? Could be! It really may not matter here though as likely ROY Alvin Kamara (undrafted by the way, fantasy football is stupid…) has been incredible save one week in WK14 when he left a game due to concussion. Aside from that, Kamara has been just as good as Gurley and could explode for huge fantasy points at any time.

There's a lot on the line for both teams. Dirty Birds could become the first four-time title winner in CTDB history (and second in three years) while Angels haven't added a championship to their trophy room since 2008. Overall, Battle Angels haven’t scored less than 123.9 points since WK7 so they’re likely going to be tough to upset. We predict an easy Angels win, unless something wonky happens.

Note: Let's not forget the pre-draft controversy that exploded and resulted in Dirty Birds having to compensate Angels an extra RD2 pick in 2018. That would be sure adding salt in the wound if they lost, right?!?

Super Bowl XVI

What did we say last week? "Eric will have to rely on some witchcraft for that once in a decade upset…” Well, it happened, and it looks like our fourth three-time champion will be Fat Jubas! We gave the Tiiite End Jammers the edge at nearly every position but come game time, everyone not named Andrew Luck, LeVeon Bell, and Antonio Brown came up short for Jammers. In fact, while Sunday and Monday represented hope for Lei, this matchup was almost over by Sunday as Fat Jubas jumped out to a huge lead on Saturday night.

Playoff MVP David Johnson had another 100+ combined yards game, and threw up 31.6 points. The quarterback juggling that ended up starting Jameis Winston was a great move by Eric. And that big game Jubas needed from slumping receiver Mike Evans? Got it! Having another receiver step up to help him? Hello Alshon Jeffery's 11.7 points! And with LeGarrette Blount pounding his way to 17 pts himself, Jubas were looking great early on.

The Jammers did make a game of it though. Any time you have Bell and Brown yet to play, any lead can be overcome. And the two Steelers did combine for 47.8 points to close the gap, but a dud by Demaryius Thomas and negative five points from Titans defense really hurt. In the end, the golden trio of Luck, Bell and Brown -- plus Matt Bryant’s 17 pts -- weren’t enough to complete a comeback win for Jammers.

• Fat Jubas (9-4) def Tiiite End Jammers (10-3), 119.9 - 103.9

How did Jubas get here? Well, to be honest, they’ve always been here. Like we said last week, this was their third back-to-back title showing, and they already had two rings (2005, 2012) in their trophy room. Jubas missed the playoffs just once in recent years (starting off 1-8 in 2014), and the last decade has seen them go as far as the division finals seven out of ten times, plus four straight division titles from 2010-2013 (and an additional one this year), and four Super Bowl appearances. Are they the best team from Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses division? That’s a definite “yes.” Are they one of the best franchises in CTDB history? Again, that answer must now be answered in the affirmative.

In the 2012 title game, the hero for Jubas was Cam Newton, who subsequently became a keeper for the next two seasons. And then, starting in 2015, GM Eric decided to ditch keep-ing a quarterback and opted to stream options. Meanwhile, his entire roster has changed from then, as Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden, Vincent Jackson, and Jimmy Graham gave way to the current crop of Jubas’ champs.

The biggest pickup of all was sophomore running back David Johnson -- undrafted as a rookie -- who has emerged as the greatest fantasy weapon of all. And while there’s been ups and downs for the likes of CJ Anderson, Alshon Jeffery, and Emmanuel Sanders over the last few years, each has served their time with Jubas, with Jeffery and Sanders completing their third season before finally getting a long awaited ring.

This year, Jubas started off 5-0 before suffering a 2-4 midseason swoon, but they picked it back up for a 4-1 record to clean up the division title and earned a crucial bye. Then we had the 0.4 point win over Battle Angel to get into the Super Bowl. And then, amidst all the doubters, Jubas came through and finished the job, and got their much deserved third title! Congrats to Eric on his third ring!

As for the Jammers, this Super Bowl collapse was a disappointment but a second finals showing in three years definitely signals that the franchise is back as an every season contender. After going to our first three Toilet Bowls (2010-12), the Jammers have worked themselves up over the past few seasons, culminating in one of the most dominant seasons ever, in 2014. Coming up just short this year is still a win for a team that dropped out of the playoffs last year.

Overall, all this success signals a return to glory for Jammers, and their fantastic keeper core will keep them in title contention for years to come. GM Lei has shown a deft touch on the waiver wire, and this season unearthed Jordan Howard, Tyreek Hill, and Taylor Gabriel, among others. With Luck, Bell, Brown, plus DeMarco Murray and Demaryius Thomas on-board, this is still the most talented team in CTDB and Jammers won’t likely fall prey to the championship curse they suffered last season.

Super Preview 2016

My goodness, in what has to be the closest divisional finals ever, Fat Jubas narrowly edged out Battle Angel by 0.4 points, 84.7 - 84.3! Once upon a time we had a tie in the Super Bowl, but that was before decimal scoring came into our league, and for hyperbole’s sake let’s just say that this was the narrowest CTDB playoff victory ever! With Jammers dismissing Chunky Monkeys by a comfortable margin, the Super Bowl matchup is set, as our two #1 seeds prepare to face off for a shot at their third titles each! Let’s take a look at the matchups…

QB: Here’s to sudden waiver wire starts! Bills QB Tyrod Taylor was inserted into the lineup after being picked up off of the waiver wire right before the big game — Taylor was on this team earlier this month too, but was dumped in favor of Matthew Stafford. And that decision basically won Fat Jubas the game -- Stafford put up only 13 points, free agent two day pickup Winston had 17 (he was cut for Taylor), and Taylor threw down 19.6, a crucial difference in the tight game versus Battle Angel. Great GM move Eric, and now he'll return to the Super Bowl again.

And now Taylor is gone again, with Jameis Winston returning to the roster for the championship game. Again, this just shows how shuffling quarterbacks is a viable option in our league — Jubas has used five quarterbacks this year. Winston will face off against Lei's Andrew Luck, who has been steadily putting up 25+ points each game. EDGE: Jammers

RB: You can’t find a better backfield than LeVeon Bell and DeMarco Murray, and that combo led Jammers to their last title. But David Johnson and LeGarrette Blount aren’t slouches either. And even if Bell goes supernova, so too could Johnson, as they are neck-and-neck the best running backs in football. Both are facing off against tough defenses, so no edge there. But secondary back Murray seems to have more upside than touchdown king Blount, and so we’re going to just wait and see which pairing can combine for a bigger weekend. (I want to mention that Jordan Howard, one of the semi-breakout backs of this year, can’t even get on the field for Lei’s squad…) EDGE: Jammers

WR/TE: Aside from having a drool worthy backfield, Jammers also have Antonio Brown, the best receiver in the game. My goodness! For this Super Bowl Xmas matchup, it’ll be Brown, Demaryius Thomas, and whoever becomes the third receiver here. Last week it was Jordan Matthews, but we have a suspicion Kenny Britt, Tyreek Hill, Taylor Gabriel, or even Jeremy Maclin might get the call for their big play ability.

Unfortunately, Jubas is coming into this matchup with their number one receiver, Mike Evans, in quite a slump. The good news is Tampa Bay will play New Orleans this week, so a return to big numbers could happen for Evans. It needs to happen actually, for Jubas to have a chance. And maybe Eric could slide Alshon Jeffery into the hero slot, as Jeffery is back on the field and had a great last week. Otherwise Eric'll be juggling between Emmanuel Sanders, Tyrell Williams, and JJ Nelson for starting receivers. None look like difference changers. EDGE: Jammers

DEF/K: Matt Bryant and Matt Prater are both top kickers, working for high scoring offenses. Bryant has been the #1 kicker for most of the year, giving Jammers yet another top position option, but there’s really no big difference between Bryant and Prater. And both defenses are pretty fantasy boring. Chargers and Titans, for Jubas and Jammers respectively, are both okay but neither will top more than five or six points this weekend. EDGE: None

Prediction: There’s no way not to predict a Jammers win, as they’ve been the highest scoring team all year long (117.2 to 109.3 for Jubas), the most consistent team week-by-week, and also seem to be playing their best ball at just the right time. Fat Jubas did beat Jammers in their lone matchup this year, but that was in WK2, pre-Bell. For Jubas to win this time out, Eric will have to rely on some witchcraft for that once in a decade upset. Fun fact: Jubas has made three back-to-back Super Bowl appearances (2005-6, 2011-12, 2015-6), and each time it's been a win and a loss, so that portends well for their matchup this weekend. Still, we are going with Jammers by twelve points...

Super Bowl XV

As we mentioned last week, we had two #3 seeds facing for the 2015 championship. Fat Jubas entered the playoffs on the strength of a 5-8 record and then promptly dispatched two higher seeds behind two stellar weeks, barely breaking a yawn in the process. Dirty Birds snuck into the playoffs with a respectable a 7-6 record and then used big weeks to dispatch their division’s top two seeds, with only a scare from defending champ Chunky Monkeys.

For our Super Bowl XV showdown, it was last year's Toilet Bowl matchup all over again, but this time for bigger stakes! Both Jubas and Birds had a lot on the line. Namely, one of them was going to join the list of three-time champions -- along with Chunky Monkeys and Buffy -- but who was it going to be? Well, after a huge 43.9 point effort from Kirk Cousins on Saturday night, in his first start this season no less, the Birds held on for a victory. Jubas had a shot, with Emmanuel Sanders putting some pressure on MNF, but that effort ultimately fell short. So there we are, DIRTeByRDeeZ take the 2015 title, their first since 2007 -- their first ring was in 2002!

• Dirty Birds vs Fat Jubas, 115.1 - 103.7

Startlingly, there’s still a player left over from that roster eight years ago: Adrian Peterson. After almost getting traded this offseason, AP bounced back from a season of suspension and turmoil to become the #2 ranked running back. And it was his 18.4 point performance in the waning stages of Super Bowl XV that gave Dirty Birds the necessary buffer to win out. Dirty Bird started the season 1-5 before embarking on a six game win streak to get into the playoffs, and basically going 9-1 from WK7 and on, all the way toward a title.

Despite this, they were hardly one of the top teams for most of the season. They averaged 105.4 PF, good for only fourth in the Inscrutable Drama Kings division — and only edging out fifth place by +7.3 total PF. They did take out powerhouse Chunky Monkeys twice this season, but also lost both matchups against defending champs Tiiite End Jammers, who finished the year 4-8-1. This was not at all a wire-to-wire dominant season, like those Jammers had in 2014.

And let’s not forget that Andrew Luck, top keeper and last year’s #1 QB, was shelved by WK7 and replaced by Eli Manning. Manning did acquit himself quite well, ending the season as #8 on the quarterback charts, but he was benched in the big game for Kirk Cousins, who basically caught fire for the fantasy playoffs and probably could have been inserted into the lineup sooner. The offseason saw GM Jon trade away Rob Gronkowski and cut Larry Fitzgerald, who only turned in top ten WR/TE seasons. Whoops.

Odell Beckham Jr. was spectacular again in his sophomore season but his untimely suspension really hurt the Birds during the title game, forcing Tyler Lockett and Ted Ginn Jr. into the lineup. That duo put up a measly 6.2 points combined. But at least Sammy Watkins put in a good year, coming in with a huge second half of the season to soften the blow of keeping him over Gronk. And Tyler Eifert was a key contributor this year, although he was unavailable for most of the playoff run.

LeSean McCoy was supposed to start next to Adrian Peterson but he found himself in a semi-timeshare with Karlos Williams and while McCoy had a respectable season overall, he gave way to likely Rookie of the Year, Todd Gurley, for most of the season. As for Gurley, after starting off his career with legendary numbers, he slowed down a little before picking it up just in time for the playoffs, putting up 27.2 - 14.9 - 15.7 points in successive weeks.

In retrospect you could say that the Birds lucked into a Super Bowl win, or maybe they made all the right moves in shifting pieces around to adjust for roster instability and disappointment. At the end of the day, a team that has always been quite good on paper finally broke through and took their third championship. Greatest franchise ever? Nah, but not too bad!

As for Fat Jubas, their thrilling run into the Super Bowl marked the second straight year a 5-8 team from Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses made the championship game. Eric declared that his 5-8 team was the better squad heading into Super Bowl XV and with 128.7 - 100.1 - 127.8 points scored in the past three weeks, he had a strong argument. However, despite great games from rookies Jameis Winston and David Johnson, 25.8 and 20.2 pts respectively, Jubas fell just short.

The roster moving forward for Jubas is very interesting, as Eric will have lots of keeper decisions to make in the backfield. The mid-season trade for Marshawn Lynch didn’t work out as Allen Robinson emerged as a huge game changer right as Lynch headed to IR. And CJ Anderson and Jeremy Hill both regressed, with one or both likely on the keeper chopping block. And then there's 2014’s #2 overall pick, Melvin Gordon... Is a guy who had only three double digit games all season worth keeping? The shiny silver lining among the running back corps is David Johnson, who exploded over the past three weeks and should be keeper worthy.

Jubas was led by receivers in points scored all season, and those top three — Mike Evans, Emmanuel Sanders, Alshon Jeffery — should return as an area of strength. Two runner-up seasons for Fat Jubas in consecutive years, what will happen next? A Toilet Bowl win? Another Super Bowl title? Maybe both?!

Super Bowl XIIII

There’s foregone conclusions and then there’s what the Tiiite End Jammers accomplished this year: Inarguably the greatest single season in CTDB history. Sure, Chunky Monkeys had a similar one loss season in 2006, but they had to sweat out a tough Super Bowl. The Jammers have also earned the “greatest single season” title because this year basically came out of nowhere.

• Tiiite End Jammers vs Fob Stars, 116.2 - 88.2

Prior to last year’s 8-5 record and first round playoff exit, the Jammers had been in the Toilet Bowl for three straight years, and it would have been four times, if the Toilet Bowl had been around in 2009. Their last playoff appearance before 2013 was way back in 2008. And their last playoff win? 2003, when they won their first championship. That’s a lot of losing before this year’s explosion.

So yeah, this season was extra special because it was a lightning bolt across the sky, with Lei and his fan base re-invigorated by an incredible regular season and then an avalanche of a post-season that culminated in a Super Bowl drubbing. The numbers are impressive.

Thirteen century games, a nine game winning streak to open the season, back-to-back weeks of 170+ points, a season low score of only 94.3 (albeit in their lone loss), and a regular season scoring average of 133.7, almost 30+ points higher than their next closest PF competitor. Pair that high scoring output with the easiest schedule in the league — opponents averaged a paltry 89.1 ppg — and it’s no wonder Jammers went 12-1, with the only smear on their 2014 campaign being a shocking WK10 loss to last place Athena Nike. We haven’t seen a team so consistently smash the competition, ever.

We already covered in the Super Bowl preview how Jammers have outrageous players at running back and receivers, but it was quarterback Russell Wilson who led the way during the championship game with 43.8 points. He almost tripled Tom Brady’s meek 14.1 points. Of course, this team was still ground powered, with Le’Veon Bell and DeMarco Murray leading the way during the regular season. Heck, the third RB on the roster, Lamar Miller, scored more fantasy points on the bench than either Bell or Murray last week. That’s depth.

With Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas, and Jeremy Maclin, Jammers also had the best WR corps in the game, and again, that’s not accounting for Mike Wallace, who would have had quite the fantasy playoffs if he had started. I don’t know how many more praises to sing for this team. The bench also featured DeAndre Hopkins, and GM Lei wisely benched Jay Cutler earlier in the season. We have to give ourselves a clap on the back for giving Jammers the highest grade in the 2014 draft. Note that Wilson was a free agent pickup after Cutler and Robert Griffin both flamed out.

In the end, congrats to Jammers, and their terrific storyline for the conclusion of our fourteenth season!

A few words about Fobsters, who ran head on into the impenetrable wall that was the 2014 Jammers. This was Fobsters second Super Bowl appearance in five years and it was a very successful season all around. Jimmy’s team only went 5-8 during the regular season — like most of his division mates — but really kicked his game into overdrive for the last two months of the season. Starting in WK10, they put up 137.9, 102.1, 125.2, 121.3, 123.5, and 131.0 points until a weak showing in the Super Bowl. Still, behind a rejuvenated Tom Brady, a played his way into shape Eddie Lacey, and the super WR duo of Jordy Nelson and Dez Bryant, plus unearthing rookie Kelvin Benjamin,  the future is bright for Fobsters. Maybe next time it’ll be a Super Bowl win for them?

SuperBowl XIII

Chunky Monkeys vs Battle Angel, 93.3 - 79.7
A championship match up defined by peaks and valleys.  There really is no other way to describe what we saw this past weekend in the thirteenth CTDB super bowl with a match up between long time Mt. Carmel friends, Vu's Battle Angels and Evan's Chunky Monkeys.

Similar to their last win, the Monkeys seemingly had etched out a smoothly paved win to their third title. The Dirty Birds found a way to beat the Jammers, who at the time, was one of the hottest teams in the league.  However, the victory came at a high price and the Birds found themselves severely handicapped with Adrian Peterson and Rob Gronkowski out. The number one ranked Monkeys found themselves matched up against a very undermanned Dirty Birds.  As expected, the Monkeys cruised to an easy victory mostly on the back of your 2013 fantasy MVP, Jamaal Charles.

The same could be said for the Super Bowl.  The Jubas were the number one team on the SMG division but somehow found  themselves on the losing end against the Angels. This left the Angels matched up against the goliath Monkeys. Adding insult to injury, Angel's quarterback, Drew Brees had a really tough road match up against Carolina (who the Angels also had on their roster) and the Angels had to scramble to find viable starters for BenJarvus Green Ellis and Brian Hartline -- both were barely startable.

Then came the extreme makeover. Battle Angels tabbed free agent running back Dennis Johnson as his flex player; Johnson was named the Texans starter just three days before the match up. Then Angels promoted Greg Jennings over Hartline, and followed that up by signing Andy Dalton and the Rams defense off the street. The insertion of Johnson and Jennings was just the beginning. Coach Vu then showed the hairiest set of cojones you'll see this side of Mississippi. Despite Brees and Carolina being the second best QB and DEF all year, coach Vu decided to bench both in favor of the Red Rocket, Andy Dalton, and Rams defense. This meant half of the starting roster was new, just in time for the big game.

The last two calls were brilliant. Commissioner Jon called the moves "genius." Dalton went on to throw for 366 yards and 4 TDs, good for 43 points. On the bench, Brees was pedestrian with only 17 points. This is the single best Super Bowl pick up ever. The Rams put up seven sacks and two fumbles good for another 15 points.

Then the Angels peaked. Dalton and the Rams were nearly 75% of the Angels production. No other player scored over 9 points. Despite this mediocrity, the Angels had a strong chance going into Monday Night Football -- coincidentally the last game ever at Candlestick Park -- needing less than 14 points from Vernon Davis.  The same VD who was the third best TE all year. Instead, Coach Vu got a big fat zero from Vernon. Three targets, no catches. Unbelievable.

And that's how it ended for the Angels; needing 14 to win, the Angels got the the bagel.  43 points from the free agent quarterback and zero points from the veteran starting tight end who's been on the Angels keeper list the past two years.

On the flip side, it was another successful rebuilding year for the Monkeys.  After failing to make the playoffs for the first time in team history in 2011, the Monkeys made it to the division championships in 2012 and found themselves in a familiar position this year with a shot at the ring.

The highest scoring team this year averaged nearly 120 points per week and was led by Jamaal Charles, far and away the best non-QB this year.  However, we shouldn't forget that the Monkeys also had the #1 and #2 receivers with Megatron and Josh Gordon (who the Monkeys signed off the street in WK2 after the Angels cut him!). Charles finished the fantasy season with 1,287 rushing yards, 693 receiving yards and 19 combined touchdowns.  That is LT-esque if you ask me.  Through the air, Megatron and Gordon combined for 164 catches for 3,056 yards and and 21 touchdowns.   No other combination was close.

The team overcame season ending injuries to Julio Jones and Randall Cobb, Shane Vereen was basically was on IR all year, and Trent Richardson basically should've been injured.  The rest of the team was supported by quarterback Russell Wilson -- who performed more than admirably -- and a rotating cast of receivers ranging from Torrey Smith, to Harry Douglas, to Michael Floyd. All of them got a couple starts and while none were able to show sustained success, it was more than enough.  In the flex, we saw the emergence of Shane Vereen and Giovani Bernard.  Pundits suspect we'll see one of the two on the keeper list next year.  It's important to note the success of the Monkey's 2013 supplemental draft. Bernard, Vereen and Smith were the first draft picks.  All of them stayed with the team the entire year and all three contributed significantly all year.

Looking ahead, the future is bright for the Monkeys.  The Monkeys survived without three keepers in Julio Jones, Randall Cobb and Trent Richardson.  If things go as expected, a receiver core with Megatron, Julio and newly found superstud Josh Gordon will form the strongest receiving core the Monkeys have featured yet.  Jamaal Charles will likely be the #1 overall pick in drafts next year and the flex we suspect will go to a young rising star in Gio Bernard.  If all goes well, this may be the best keeper roster we've seen from the Monkeys -- even better than the 2007 roster which included Peyton, LT, Larry Johnson and Terrell Owens.

The Monkeys will earn their third ring -- second in four years -- which ties them with Buffy.  This certainly re-establishes the Monkey as the team to beat in CTDB.  All hail the Monkeys!!

Super Bowl XII

In a re-match of last year's Super Bowl, Fat Jubas faced off versus defending champion Buffy with all sorts of history on the line. Could Buffy become our first back-to-back champ? Could Fat Jubas be our first two time champion from Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses? First, let's take a brief look at how they got here.

Both Buffy and Jubas defended their divisional champions, and since they met each other in Super Bowl XI, it's obvious that they've been CTDB's best teams for two years running, at least. Eric's team served a quick slap down to the upstart Philadephia Phreaks, 128.85 - 60.1, in the divisional finals, while Roger snuck by Chunky Monkeys, 87.85 - 82.5. That sub-nineties score was the lowest Buffy had all year, so there was some cause for concern that a Super Bowl letdown was coming. But it wasn't like the Jubas were on fire, as they'd lost four in a row heading into the playoffs, before righting the ship in round one. This Super Bowl was going to be anyone's game!

Roger pulled an audible before the game, picking up Sam Bradford off the free agent heap to start the championship game, ahead of Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco. If that's not a bold move, we don't know what else would qualify. Matt Forte was also inserted into the lineup for Danario Alexander. All that lineup shuffling didn't matter much as Arian Foster laid an absolute egg, putting up only 1.9 points as he left the game with a literally weak heart. Sam Bradford did better than Dalton but not as well as Flacco, but it's hard to say if Mr. Baltimore would have gotten the call. Buffy got a great performance out of Wes Welker and his 10 receptions and two TDs, but A.J. Green and Victor Cruz combined for only 18.2 points.

Fat Jubas took advantage by cashing in 24.5 points from Cam Newton, 21.5 points from Eric Decker, and then unleashing a Bears defense for two defensive touchdowns and 25.0 points. That Bears defense was a key reason Fat Jubas won earlier this season, and despite late season stumbles, they recovered just in time to shut down their opponents for this fantasy championship week. Eric's running game absolutely flopped, as Chris Johnson and Darren McFadden only musterd up 11.4 combines points but in this new NFL, running isn't the only way to victory. As Sunday wound down, it was clear that the Fat Jubas were on their way to a championship -- their second overall.

While Super Bowl XII wasn't the barn burner that last year's was, the Jubas' 116.0 - 89.6 victory throws a wrench into the conversation for greatest ever. They are at the very least the new contender for best Spunky Misunderstood Genius team ever, as they now have two titles to Gang Green's one -- or half of one, as the critics like to say. It's been a long seven years for the Jubas franchise and after years of divisional titles and on the bubble contention, they've broken through and established themselves as one of the top teams in Catch the Damn Ball. Congrats!

Super Bowl XI

I mean, I guess when you win a record three CTDB Super Bowls you just let your actions speak for itself. We've never had a champion win and then refuse to write an "in your face" article. Well, this year, Buffy captured their third crown and owner Roger had steadfastly let his win just sink in. Since we believe in the power of posterity, we hired a scribe off Craiglist to throw up a little recap from Super Bowl XI. (It's April but we're backdating this entry to December.) Wipe that smug look off your face Roger!

Scoring the most points in the league, having the most wins (nine) in an ultra-tough division, and boasting a stellar lineup that torn teams apart all season, it seemed semi-inevitable that Roger was headed toward a title. I mean, that's how Buffy did it in Super Bowl I and IV.

When Roger's team is firing on all cylinders, we know it, there's no pussy footing around. The regular season is a setup for a march toward the championship, with Buffy capturing the top seed and then hurtling toward the finish line. This year they were almost upended in the divisional finals but both he and the other top seed, Fat Jubas, emerged with victories.

That set up a finale that had Buffy heavily favored. With Arian Foster, Wes Welker, Matt Ryan, Matt Forte, free agent find Victor Cruz, Antonio Gates, and rookie sensation (and 2011 first round pick) A.J. Green leading the way, Buffy was both deep and talented. The starting lineup hardly budged all season, especially when Steven Jackson was shelved and Foster returned from an early season injury. Really, Buffy were only worried about the magic of Cam Newton, who had the capability of engineering big upsets all season.

During the actual game though, Buffy locked up a win by halftime, ending up with a 130.95 - 102.95 victory. Ryan, Foster, Cruz, and Welker all had 20+ points, and Fat Jubas only had Newton's 39.05 points to hang their hat on. Even the post-game fireworks were subdued, as Roger kept it classy for the long flight home. Act like you been there...

By putting up 130.95 points, Buffy had the second most points in the Super Bowl, dating back to Super Bowl I (155 points). It's possible that Roger didn't even break a sweat for this, as Eric's roster wasn't very threatening. What we do know is that if Roger can somehow take this loaded attack intact into next season, we could all be in for another loooong season. We're still looking for our first repeat champs, will Buffy be it?

Also the argument begins anew: Who is the greatest CTDB team of all time? Buffy, with three Super Bowls in eleven years, is back in the (heated) conversation. Congrats Roger!

Super Bowl X

With their least dominant roster in franchise history, the Chunky Monkeys had the easiest championship run in recent memory. Facing no real hurdles heading into the playoffs, the Monkeys dismantled both of their playoff foes by scoring 120+ the last two weeks. Oh what a difference a(nother) ring makes. The discussion for "Best Team in CTDB History" is now re-opened with Evan's second Super Bowl win -- their first win was four years ago -- and he's going to be able to make a great case for number one. In fact, after last year's title collapse, when we named the underdog Gang Green "Team of the Decade," we may have to take that moniker back. But before we talk about history, let's take a look at the championship game that was dubbed "The Big Bowl of China," but played out more like "The Little Fight of Taiwan."

Drawing first blood, Jimmy's tenacious Fobsters had three Cowboys combine for 24 points Saturday afternoon (TE Jason Witten, K David Buehler, Cowboys D). Before the game, our sideline reporter talked to Coach Jimmy, who was considering starting a fourth Cowboy, RB Tashard Choice, before he opted to spread his roster around and inserted veteran Niners' RB, Brian Westbrook. That turned out to be a wise move, as Choice only accrued three points.

The Fobsters had high hopes of a gigantic upset heading into the week, as they matched up decently well with the Monkeys, despite lacking a slight edge at every position. Their biggest worry pre-matchup was the Monkeys' Philip Rivers, who would be facing a soft Bengals defense. Rivers had only five points heading into his fourth quarter, and that should have been great news for Jimmy. Instead, they were already so far in the hole that having Rivers eventually settle into 16 points for the week was just another kick to the groin. Behind Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe's 25 and 24 points (plus Brandon Marshall's 10 receptions and 102 yards), Evan had already sewn up the championship by early evening. Ironically, it was the hometown Chargers' poor defense that let the two Chiefs run wild, and gave Evan the huge edge. So despite a sub-par performance by Rivers, this game was all but decided by 4pm Sunday.

What really hurt Jimmy was his own roster, which really needed to step up in this time of need. Tom Brady did his part with three passing touchdowns. Jason Witten and Mike Williams both had pretty good games, but Calvin Johnson was nowhere to be found, with only four receptions and fifty or so yards. The real culprit here though was the running game. Steady Mike Tolbert, a fan favorite, stumbled to negative two points, and Westbrook only had five points himself, which meant the entire backfield for Fobsters produced three points. Ouch.

Pre-Super Bowl X, Coach Evan made a very interesting choice, sliding in free agent pickup RB Rashad Jennings into the lineup -- while players like Anquan Boldin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Danny Woodhead, Ryan Mathews, and Jacob Tamme lurked on the bench. Known to take chances, Evan was swinging for the fences here. While Jennings wasn't spectacular this weekend, we think the great karma built up from being bold enough to make the call gave the Monkeys a spiritual push. We actually can't even post the final score yet as the Monkeys have All Pro Roddy White still to go on Monday Night, and he'll surely pad the Monkeys' total even more in a celebratory victory lap. Right now it's 113-77 but that score will definitely go up after White's MNF performance.

We want to give playoff MVP to the Patriots defense actually, as they've scored 20-14-18 points in successive weeks for Evan. However, the real MVP contenders for the Monkeys' dream championship run are really the steady depth that everyone provided. For Evan's two playoff weeks, Jamaal Charles had 21 and 25 points, Rivers accrued 31 and 16, and Brandon Marshall had 19 and 15 points. Add in Roddy White and the Patriots defense, and five out of eight starters were stellar.

By winning their last five games of the season, the Chunky Monkeys re-established themselves as the team to beat, and with a roster reloaded with potential stars, they could now turn the corner to being the team that never chokes, and waltzes away with the wins. So now, let the discussion about "Team of the Decade" begin!

Edit: Final score 124-77

Super Bowl VIIII

So it's happened, the biggest upset in CTDB history and it basically encapsulates what's been happening this entire decade for us. The Chunky Monkeys romp their way to the playoffs, with a roster brimming with talent, and then get upturned somehow. Meanwhile, Gang Green churns along with a roster devoid of any top tier superstars and manages to just keep winning baby. Last week we talked about Team of the Decade? There can be no question anymore, it's Green Team, with two Super Bowl wins, an excellent overall wins record, and a huge heads up matchup record against the Monkeys. Is it any coincidence that kryptonite is green? I doubt it, since Greg's team has managed to turn a five win regular season into a championship. In fact, Gang Green slip slopped their way into the playoffs on the heels of four losses and managed to get hot at the right time, and played three playoff opponents who scored less than 90 points each week. Remember, the four leaf clover is also green!

So yeah, the Superman-esque Monkeys came out flat, losing 88-111. That's all there is to say. Chris Johnson was his usual stellar self with 142 rushing yards and a touchdown, and star receiver Anquan Boldin continued his good play with 15 points. That's all the highlights the Monkeys had. His big move at the quarterback position, from Peyton Manning to Vince Young, resulted in one less point, even though Manning only played a half of a game -- scoring nine pts. Late season sensation Jamaal Charles piled up another fine week with 124 yards combined but was actually outpointed by LaDanian Tomlinson (18 to 13), who turned in two touchdowns from the bench. And key Monkeys' contributor Mike Sims-Walker collapsed with two points, scoring less than both the kicker and the defense.

But even as Evan pulled an absolute clunker, Greg still needed to play the game and take advantage of a tremendous opportunity. Gang Green's stars really showed up this week in full force. QB Matt Schaub has been on a tear lately and continued his (playoff) MVP performance with a 24 point showing, following 29 and 22 points in his previous games. With Schaub as the steady rudder for this squad, Greg has been able to boom and bust with the rest of his roster. Last week, Thomas Jones crapped out with five points. This week he had only low single digits heading into the fourth quarter but then pounded his way to a touchdown and over one hundred yards as the Greenies ground out the clock. Critics may say that Randy Moss doesn't try all the time but he always shows up in big games, scoring three huge touchdowns to put up a tremendous 24 points. The trade for Mr. Moss a few years ago has resulted in a premiere performer for Greg and launched him to both of his Super Bowl victories.

And you don't become a champion without making all the right moves. Heading into the weekend, Greg had Hines Ward lined up as he was looking to go run and shoot. After seeing Evan start out strong on Thursday night with Charles Johnson, Vince Young, and Nate Kaeding (who totaled 38 pts), he made the switch from Ward to running back sensation Jerome Harrison. Good move? How about 148 yards and a touchdown for Harrison, totaling 18 points, versus just five for Hines? That thirteen points made a difference, giving Greg breathing room for the eventual victory. Whew. Sidney Rice's 14 points on Monday night was just the cherry on top of a great weekend for Gang Green.

With possible rule changes in the near future, Greg's stunning victory and playoff run might be the capper to an incredible first cycle for CTDB. Clearly establishing himself as the team and GM of the decade, Greg can no longer be overlooked for accolades and cheers. So Greg, it's true, you're the best around!

Super Bowl VIII

Last year's championship game came down to a Monday Night matchup and left the combatants in a tie. This year, the final game of the season went down to the Monday night wire too but a clear victor emerged. We probably could have seen this coming. Despite starting the season in a 0-3 hole with two very close losses, Vu's Battle Angels (briefly the Battle Nuggets) were the hottest team in the league by mid-season. After that rough start the Angels went 9-1 the rest of the way. The only loss during that time? A WK9 106-121 matchup with their Super Bowl opponent, the Chunky Monkeys.

So the stage was set for an epic battle between the always dangerous Monkeys and the upstart Angels. Evan and Vu are old high friends and were part of the original fantasy football wars that had drafts conducted on the baseball fields of Mt. Carmel. How far they've come. Since their early success our inaugural season, the Angels have suffered mostly down seasons so it was a bit of surprise this year when the Angels dominated. In fact, it could be argued that Vu's team had one of the most dominant CTDB seasons in history. While they weren't the highest scoring team (ten points behind the Monkeys) and faced a cakewalk schedule, the Angels had some of the best players of the year.

QB Drew Brees, our clear cut regular season MVP finished the year (including post-season) as the top rated quarterback. With a fierce passing attack that really started clicking after franchise stalwart Steve Smith came back in Week 3, the Angels mostly threw a run-and-shoot look at opponents. WRs Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings, and Smith all averaged 14+ points a game and were in the top ten of their position. The fourth receiver slot alternated between steady Derrick Mason (20th ranked receiver) and hot-and-cold veteran Isaac Bruce. The Ravens defense played tough all year and emerged as the top ranked squad. Even replacement Giants kicker John Carney was the third best at his position.

But what really made the Angels a formidable unit was when DeAngelo Williams replaced fading veterans Willis McGahee, Edgerrin James, and Rudi Johnson in the backfield. Williams scored 21, 25, 20, 33, 30, and 34 points in the last weeks of the season and completely dominated the competition. He even vaulted up to the absolute top of the RB rankings for the year in the final week, passing Matt Forte, Michael Turner, and Thomas Jones. If you're counting, that's the top ranked QB, RB, and defense, along with three premier WRs and a fantastic kicking game. No wonder the Angels dominated.

Their 113-104 Super Bowl victory wasn't a walk in the park however. Evan's Chunky Monkeys had a stellar lineup of his own and despite a semi-rough season, were more than capable of an upset. Despite not used to being the underdog, the Monkeys blasted out of the gates Thursday night with QB Peyton Manning's 36 points and three touchdowns. With a stable of running backs (LaDainian Tomlinson, Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, Pierre Thomas, Deshaun Foster) and big name receivers (Terrell Owens, Anquan Boldin, Vincent Jackson, and Chad Ocho Cinco), Evan's roster was no slouch.

By boldy sitting down Boldin and Forte, Evan showed his coaching savvy by going with red hot Pierre Thomas (four 20+ games in five weeks) and LDT in the backfield, while cutting Chad Ocho Cinco for WR Devin Hester, who had been sneaky consistent. By mid-Sunday, it looked like Evan's moves might pay off as all of his players scored in the low teens and gave him a nice lead on the Angels. But then it was Vu's turn to counter-punch. QB Drew Brees threw for 351 yards and 2 TDs in pursuit of Dan Marino's passing record. Isaac Bruce came through big time with 15 points. Andre Johnson and Steve Smith combined for only nine points but that didn't matter as DeAngelo Williams had a ridiculous four touchdowns and put up a monster 34 points.

Heading into Monday night, the Monkeys were up one (102-101) with Devin Hester to play versus Vu's Greg Jennings. Needless to say, Jennings came through big time, catching six balls for 38 yards and most importantly, a touchdown to put the Angels ahead for good. In a huge comeback, the Angels had vanquished the Monkeys, avenged their earlier loss, and became the eighth champions of the Catch the Damn Ball League (while finally giving the Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses division another championship representative).

To Vu, a deserved and long awaited championship! No diggity, no doubt.

Super Bowl VII

What is this? A tie in the Super Bowl? 105 - 105?!?

Well, something about having Greg in the Super Bowl tends to make for very exciting games. In 2004, Super Bowl IV, Buffy and the Green Team faced off with Greg narrowly losing a championship by only two points (99-97). His loss made Buffy the only two time champion.

Green Team's roster back then was Brett Favre, Thomas Jones, Reuben Droughns, Eddie Kennison, Hines Ward, and Antonio Gates. While Droughns and Ward are still on the roster, neither were standouts this year. Then again, the now re-named Gang Green has never relied on superstars and instead has always patched together fearsome teams from the waiver wire and through savvy drafting. Quick, name one player that you'd associate with the Greenies. None right? Have they ever had a top five talent on the roster? Hard to say right?

But in the last four seasons, Gang Green has won three divisional titles and advanced to the Super Bowl twice (including this year). It can be said that Greg's team has been the best team from the Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses. Nobody has gotten more out of "no-name" talent than Greg, and we say that in the most respectful way possible. This year, they made two draft day trades -- one for Jerricho Cotchery and another for Randy Moss. The two wide receivers combined for 44 points in Super Bowl VII.

In fact, the top four players for Gang Green this season were all wide receivers. Moss, Cotchery, Bernard Berrian, and Hines Ward were all more consistent than the running backs (Brandon Jacobs, Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, Reuben Droughns) and the quarterbacks (Philip Rivers and Eli Manning). Even without researching, I'm sure there's no way that has ever happened before. Going into the big game, Gang Green was severe underdogs but stepped up to the plate to create the greatest game ever in Catch the Damn Ball playoff history. But more on that later. Let's look at where the Dirty Birds have come from.

Since capturing their Super Bowl title in 2002 (Super Bowl II), the Birds have been a wreck. The trade for Ricky Williams the following year -- in exchange for Michael Vick, Marvin Harrison, and Ahman Green -- devastated the team as Ricky started his sojourn into oblivion. The Bird have had three losing seasons since and while they've made the playoffs twice, they've been swiftly eliminated each time. Despite fielding a very deep team in 2002 (Vick, Harrison, Green, Corey Dillon, Plaxico Burress, Jerry Rice, Chad Johnson, Koren Robinson) the franchise has hit upon hard times.

However, this year, everything clicked as a stable of outstanding WRs emerged. Braylon Edwards, Wes Welker, Larry Fitzgerald, Plaxico Burress, and Greg Jennings enabled the Bird to go run-and-shoot every week -- dubbed the "Red Gun" in homage to the Andre Rison / Michael Haynes offense of the 1990s -- even as the running game (Steven Jackson, Rudi Johnson, Adrian Peterson) struggled with injuries. More importantly, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Hasselbeck provided stability at the quarterback position.

For the last three years, the Birds have had great teams on paper, but have always been hobbled by a bad locker room culture and a hole at quarterback. This year, they ripped off seven wins in a row en route to a 10-3 record and a second place finish in the Inscrutable Drama Kings Division. Even trading away the best QB and WR in the land during the draft didn't stop them from turning in a stellar all-around season.

So what the hell happened this weekend? How did this tie occur? Well, on Thursday night, Big Ben and Steven Jackson started things off swimmingly for the Birds by scoring 32 and 17 points respectively. Meanwhile, Hines Ward only caught six passes for 8 points. Even early Sunday, it looked like the Birds would cruise as Braylon Edwards was on his way to another 20+ point day.

However, by the afternoon games, the tide was shifting. Gang Green's two New York stalwarts started going big. Both Brandon Jacobs (26) and Jerricho Cotchery (25) turned in season high performances. Gang Green's Randy Moss caught two quick TDs in the first half -- but ended up with "only" 19 points. Adrian Peterson, Jon's rookie of the year, turned in a Sunday night stinker and the Birds were left only fifteen points ahead with Philip Rivers to play on Monday night.

Rivers has been mercurial this season, as capable of 30 point explosions as he is of 5 point duds. Still, scoring 16 points didn't seem entirely out of reason. As the Chargers kept on racking up the points against the Broncos and Rivers inched toward 15 points, the Birds were destined for a loss. Then, around the third quarter, Chargers coach Norv Turner pulled Rivers; after he'd accrued exactly 15 points. Similar to the conference championship game versus the defending champion Monkeys (when LDT was pulled after just one explosive first half), the Birds were blessed.

What now? The game was over and both teams had scored 105 points. Fans were confused, the cheerleaders didn't have any "We Tied!" cheers, and ownership wasn't sure what to do. A quick meeting was convened between G-o-d, Allah, John Madden, and Bill Simmons and it was decided that in the spirit of the greatest game ever, and the friendship that exists between the two combatants, the Super Bowl VII trophy would be awarded to both the Dirty Birds and Gang Green. It was a King Solomon-like decision and the peasants rejoiced.

So, here are your 2007 Catch the Damn Ball co-champions, Greg and Jon!