….and other Hughes Bowl trivial-ish stuff. 
This is just the third year since we adopted the current three wild card system in 1996 that both top seeds, i.e. bye’d teams, have gone ‘one and done’, losing in the semifinals. In 2002 the Sticks and Rats came and went, and in 2002 it was the Bliz and Nats. Which means, I suppose, that Keith and Dan have felt this before.
As noted several times this is the Rats’ first Hughes Bowl game. They previously lost shots by falling in the ‘95, ‘97 and 2002 semi finals.
And it’s their third consecutive year in the playoffs. They were wildcards in ‘07 and ‘08. This is the first ever meeting of these two clubs in the playoffs.
The Strawmenn are enjoying their sixth straight post-season run. They were Kuhlmann champs last year but the previous four, as they did this season, they went as wild cards. But, unlike this year, they lost each of those years in the first round.
Mike’s club is trying to become only the third to win back-to-back championships. Previously only the Flyers (‘96-’97) and Nationals (‘99-’00) have accomplished that feat. Appearing in consecutive Hughes Bowls is not nearly as rare. We have ten other occurrences of teams playing in the title game back-to-back. That includes the Heroes unmatched 3 season run in which they fell in the Hughes Bowl games of ‘92 and ‘93 before winning it in 1994 over the Blizzard.
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Shame on me for not acknowledging Dave Lawson’s 100th career regular season win as boss of the Ridgebacks. It came back in Week 4 when he squeezed past the Strawmenn. Of course most of you know that he was Steve’s point man with the Nats (Hebepokes) back in the day and he racked up quite a few wins there. But congrats are in order for hitting the century mark as owner of his own franchise!
Upcoming marks: We are on track to see three milestones next season. Tom McLean has 97 career wins and should hit #100 early next season. It is worth noting here that over the last three seasons the Rats’ 24 wins is tied for the second most over that period.
Two of our original franchises are on the verge of their 200th wins. The Nats will try to accomplish that goal on Opening Weekend as they total 199 as 2009 closes. And the Strawmenn are just four wins away from that goal, sitting at 196.
Obviously neither of those franchises is run by their founders but I can say without hesitation that both Steve and Mark would be very proud of how Dan and Mike have carried their team’s banners. At the risk of being maudlin let me just say that as much as I miss both of my friends, two of the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for and guys I’m not ashamed to say I loved, having Dan and Mike in the league has been a blessing. They have not only been outstanding owners but they have made my life better for having known them.
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Hughes Bowl 29 Preview
Speaking of brief this will be a short look at the Hughes Bowl 29 combatants. Short because it’s a busy week and because I’ve done some analyzing of them in the previous couple of weeks.
Obviously both teams are on hot streaks, putting up major points when it counts. It’s hard to pick a favorite in this one, maybe more so than any Hughes Bowl in recent memory. Here is one man’s opinion of each team, compared by position (keep in mind that the guy doing the comparisons is not smart enough to keep his team in the playoffs):
QB: S’menn- Cutler vs Rats- McNabb or Eli Manning. Although Cutler’s numbers are not far behind the Rats’ guys’ totals they are deceiving in that Cutler had his best weeks in the middle of the season for the most part. Advantage: Rats
RB: S’menn-DeAngelo Williams, Ricky Williams and Jones-Drew vs Rats- Gore and Grant. Even with D’ Williams dinged up the S’menn’s trio outranks the impressive Gore/Grant duo (but not by much). But the Rats’ backs have easier match-ups which makes it interesting. Advantage: Strawmenn
Rec: S’menn-Andre Johnson, Dallas Clark and Holmes vs Rats-DeSean Jackson, Steve ‘The Other’ Smith and Celek. I can’t make up my mind of this one. A lot to like with both groups. Advantage: Push
Kicker: S’menn- Crosby vs Rats- Tynes. Who the hell knows… or cares? Advantage: Push
So I think it might come down to the quarterbacks. Then the question becomes “Does Tom go with the right guy?” I think he will. Actually I don’t think it will matter. I see the game just slightly lower scoring than the last few weeks have been and the Rats prevailing 88-83 to win their first Hughes League crown. It’s notable that unless there is a surprise lineup appearance the game will be decided by the end of the Sunday afternoon games. No Monday night (or Sunday night) madness this year.
The comments box is where you can call me an idiot. (But I’m not as big an idiot as Jim Zorn*)
*=I don’t think Zorn called for this one actually and if he did it might be because he is looking for a better severance package.
The Rats got exactly what they needed Monday night, a big offensive game from the NY Giants, and cruised past the Nats to join the Strawmenn in Hughes Bowl 29. With Steve Smith and Lawrence Tynes hitting their average and Eli Manning exceeding his the Rats were able to walk away with a 91-81 win.
The Strawmenn will be trying to become the third team in League history to win back-to-back titles while the Rats are making their first ever appearance in fantasy football’s biggest event.
I’m a bit out of pocket for a lot of this week but I’ll try to get a more comprehensive Hughes Bowl Preview post up on this site in a couple of days.
EDIT:
The League page (and all pages associated with MFL) seem to be offline this morning.I tried them Tuesday 10 a.m. and again at noon. Hopefully this will be resolved soon.
Turns out it was the Med Center network screening out those pages.
OK, a ‘cat fight’ is supposed to be between two females but I couldn’t resist.. Nats, Rats, Cats, get it? Anyway it’s going to be one of those really fun Monday night games that I now have to watch despite not having a rooting interest in either team. With a berth in the Hughes Bowl on the line the Nats have finished their scoring with 81 points. The Rats came thru the Sunday games with 47. But they have three Giants in the hole… Eli Manning, Steve “The Other’ Smith and kicker Lawrence Tynes. That means a 34 point deficit that sounds imposing but is actually well within reach. Consider: Manning averages close to 20 points a game this year (19.7 to be exact), Smith averages exactly 10 points and Tynes just over 9. For you math-impaired guys that totals 39 points. If I’m Dan I’m hoping for a healthy dose of Jacobs and Bradshaw on the ground tonight for the Big Blue. Keep one other thing in mind. nats have 18 points from tiebreak player Kyle Orton while the Rats have Jason Campbell going tonite as their tie buster. This is going to be fun.
In the completed semi final the Strawmenn are a step closer to repeating as Hughes champs after holding off the Sticks 99-92. The 47-zip lead that the S’menn had built on Thursday night kept melting away as Sunday progressed. Nate Kaeding’s field goal as time expired won the game for the Chargers but demonstrated some of the painful irony that comes with fantasy football. Kaeding’s kick closed out the scoring for the Sticks weekend, bringing them to the seven point deficit they finished with. But had he missed the kick it might have allowed Phillip Rivers and Vincent Jackson to hook-up in overtime and win the game for the Sticks. And to further Keith’s pain (Keith, you may want to stop reading now) had he started any of his wide receiver choices in place of the Texans’ Jacoby Jones he is spending the morning mulling over his Hughes Bowl line-up. Wow, it’s enough to make the baby Jesus cry.
So check out the game tonight and check back later in the week as I plan to post some pre-championship games material.
Gettin’ down to it now, folks. Just four teams left. As you likely know by now the Nats, this year’s #2 seed will take on the Rats who took the Lombardi flag and blasted the Ridgebacks out of the playoffs last week. And the Strawmenn, who slapped the Flyers in the Wild Card round, will attempt to make another step in their title defense when they face this season’s #1 seed, the Sticks.
Rats v Nats
Holy crap, who knew the Rats had a 136 point effort in them? Well if you looked close at their potential you could see it. But they hadn’t gotten it all together in any one week. But Manning/McNabb Gore and Grant, Jackson and Johnson is a pretty explosive lineup. I doubt they have another 136-er up their sleeve but 100+ is easily within reach.
The Nats have hung tough despite losing much of their punch at the runningback slot. Slaton and Ronnie Brown are watching Benson and Fred Jackson carry the load. Hasn’t been nearly as effective. If the Nats are going to win they will need big weeks from Rodgers and their strong wr corp. I think they can get it but I also think the Rats have nearly equal scorers at those slots and vastly superior backs.
The Rats are 0-3 in semi final games, looking to move on to their first Hughes Bowl. I think they will make it. Lets call it Rats in a shootout:
Prediction:
- Rats 96
- Nats 85
Strawmenn v Sticks
Has there been a quieter 10 win team than this year’s Sticks? Quiet and consistent. Consider the scores they’ve posted since their crappy 32 point Week 5: 104, 108, 96, 104, 84, 87, 85, 86. Seriously? That’s pretty weird, no? Weird and deadly enough to win eight straight to end the season. Whats just as remarkable is the teams run of opponents crappy scores. In that eight game run they have had only team reach 80 points against them. Hmmm. Phillip Rivers, Chris Johnson and Steven Jackson put up plenty of points and they get just enough help from Wes Welker and Vincent Jackson to make them dangerous.
I profiled the Strawmenn last week. Nothing has changed except the guys I had hoped were hurt when they played me seemed to get real damn healthy. They will trot out Andre Johnson, Dallas Clark, Mo Jones-Drew and DeAngelo Williams, package them with Cutler, and try to make it to their second straight title game. This is another real interesting match-up. But it’s hard to buck the Sticks trend.
Prediction:
- Sticks 101
- Strawmenn 88
Look for a Rats-Sticks Hughes Bowl. But don’t bet the Xmas check.
FRIDAY UPDATE:
Well the Strawmenn got 47 points from two players last night. That’s a pretty solid head start. I’m not gonna change my prediction. That wouldn’t be right. Just be aware that I’m wrong, as usual.
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Wow. How could anyone have figured those scores? Wild Card weekend was pretty wild (if you are Tom or Mike). The finals scores are to be determined tonite but frankly the games are over.
The Strawmenn took control of their match up with the Flyers early and never looked back, rolling up 112 points for an easy win. Andre Johnson and Dallas Clark nearly exceeded the totals for the previous month. This was the Strawmenn’s third 100+ point effort of the season but they hadn’t been scoring much lately so Mike has to be pretty pumped about his chances now.
The S’Rats were in a similar situation having shown the capability to score big but they were coming off a couple of average scoring weeks at best. They held a decent lead going into the Sunday night game but thats where they had all their big point guys and several came through mightily. Three players scoring 25 or more points (and Frank Gore has yet to be heard from at the moment) is very stout. Suddenly, with these two performances, the Sticks and Nats have to be feeling a little less self assured.
Interesting trivial note: Had the Rats not edged out the Flyers for the division tie break on point differential then those two clubs would have switched spots and opponents. That would have meant that the Strawmenn would have played the Rats, scored 112 points AND LOST!
Like I said, wow.
Update, Update:
The finals scores proved to be:
S’Rats 136, Rbacks 67 (which you you math-impaired folks means Tom doubled up on Dave). Pretty remarkable for a playoff game.
Strawmenn 112, Flyers 84. I’d have taken 84 if you had offered it before the weekend.
The semis will feature the Nats taking on the Rats and the defending champion Strawmenn playing the top seeded Sticks in a Kuhlmann Division showdown. I’ll try to do a Semi Final Preview by tomorrow night.
Flyers v Strawmenn
The S’menn pulled out a seven point win back in Week 7, 85-78. I’d expect about the same score this week or slightly lower. This is a matchup of two Original Eight franchises.
The Flyers are razor edge thin at RB with Forte and Rice and a couple of cadavers. Receivers are spotty, possibly due to the fact that Mr 85, T.O. and Steve ‘Slug a Teammate’ Smith are all nuts and two of them don’t have a quarterback. Roethlisberger and Alex Smith have both played better than expected and kept the Flyers from sinking below the Lombardi surface. Akers is a nice plus a kicker.
The Flyers are a mid-pack outfit that somehow has managed to overcome the fact that their two keepers, Forte and Steve Smith have been underachievers for the most part.
The Strawmenn looked like beasts through 2/3 of the season but injuries and slumps have taken their toll. Sometimes explosive guys like Maurice Jones-Drew, Dallas Clark, Ricky Williams and even Andre Johnson have lost consistency and couple that with Jay Cutler’s troubles and DeAngelo Williams’ nicks and dings and you have a team that can score 152 as they did in Week 6 or average in the mid 60s as they have for the last month.
Prediction:
- Strawmenn 74
- Flyers 68
Rats v R’backs
Tom and Dave became owners the same year (1994) and while Dave started off with more wins Tom has narrowed the gap lately with three consecutive eight win years. These two clubs have not met in 2009 until this playoff matchup.
The Rbacks rely mainly on stars Peyton Manning and Larry Fitzgerald to go along with an average RB corp and a receiving group that lacks depth. They are coming off their high point week of the season and certainly needed it to secure the final wildcard berth. They have the lowest PPG of the playoff qualifiers.
That Rats squeaked past the Flyers on a point differential tie break to claim their second Lombardi crown. They are riding a four game win streak which got them from 4-5 to 8-5. Like a lot of teams their runningback group consists of two guys and some prayers. Gore and Grant are a nice tandem. All of the receivers are worthy of starting making Tom’s job of selecting them fairly tough.
On the whole there is nothing in this matchup which makes one team a clear favorite. So I’ll take the hotter hand.
Prediction:
- Rats 80
- R’backs 71
That never gets old.
I’ve got lots of stuff going so I don’t know if I’ll do much of the post season analysis and previews that I always try, but I had to get this one up because it contains some useful info.
The Playoff Bracket is now official and its posted on the league site. This weeks games are Strawmenn-Flyers and Rats-Rbacks. The Wild Card week will be followed by the SemiFinals in Week 15. That week will see the top seeded Sticks and #2 seed Nationals back in action. As per our rules the Sticks will play the lowest available seed and the Nats will play the next lowest. That might necessitate me redrawing the bracket following this weeks games. Seeing how closely balanced the league appeared to be this year I expect tight games all the way through.
Tiebreak procedure: If you are submitting a lineup for a playoff game you will notice an additional option that requires you to add a player to be used to break a tie. It can be any non-starter. It looks to me that there is a default player in the slot who will be chosen for you if you fail to name one yourself. For me Brady Quinn was the default so I am going to assume it will be the first available guy on you roster taken in alphabetical order.
The rules page has more details on tie break procedures that cover situation in which both designated players have the same points.
And finally may I present your Heisman Trophy winner:
