PFFL 2009

Calendar
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League Information
Weekly Winners
Pre-Draft Meeting
Free Agency Rules
Playoff Formats
Playoff Brackets
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Playoff Tournament
Survivor Rules
NFL Schedule

2009 Draft

Draft Order
East Draft
Central Draft
West Draft
East Draft Recap
Central Draft Recap
West Draft Recap

PFFL 2008

League Information
Playoff Formats
Draft Order
East Draft
Central Draft
West Draft
Playoff Brackets
CT Brackets
Weekly Winners
Playoff Tournament Finals 
2008 Final Statistics

PFFL Past

Hall of Champions
Player Stats & Records
   
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Pittsburgh Franchise Football League
2008 News & Notes 

Week Seventeen

 
1 Downtowners

Congratulations to the
Downtowners
THE 2008 PFFL Total Point Champions

1 Downtowners
 

 

Weekly Conference Winners

TEAM OF THE WEEK

East Central

West

BOYS OF AUTUMN

9 Boys of Autumn
Boys of Autumn 167 Twisted Helmets 142 Irish Talbots 144
Tommy Guns/
Green Apple
130 Syndicate 141 Rounder 17/
MNE
141


Pittsburgh Survivor Football

     Survivor 1:
In the 8 years of the contest, this is the 4th time the main contest has made it to the final week and it is the second time there have been as many as 8 co-champions. In 2005 there were also 8 contestants that picked a winner in week 17. In the contest's first year in 2001 it was over by week 8! The 10 that entered this year's final week all had Atlanta available to them except 1, and that one survived with Baltimore. Seven of the 9 that could did take Atlanta and for a while it looked like we would have just 1 or 2 champions. But Atlanta pulled it out resulting in the 8 co-champions. I commend the two casualties for not taking the obvious pick in Atlanta and going for the big win but I personally didn't like their choice of Tampa Bay. It's very interesting that not one of the ten picked Green Bay at home against Detroit as Green Bay was available to all 10. Congratulations to the 8 co-champions of the 2008 Pittsburgh Survival Football Contest.

     Survivor 2: The 8 winners of Survivor 1 ties a record for most survivors in that contest but the second contest's 70 winners not only sets a new record, but doubles the previous total of 35 in 2005. And it's no wonder because you didn't even have to make a pick to win the second contest. If you did nothing and allowed the site to give you the default pick each week, you survived to the end. As in the first contest the only loser chosen was Tampa Bay as 8 of the 78 entering the final week were on the Buccaneers. Had Atlanta not pulled out their game the record would still be 35 in 2005 because there were 40 picks on Atlanta. Well the compensation isn't much but it beats nothing at all. Congratulations to the 70 Survivor 2 co-champions!


PFFL Trivia

What Super Bowl team had the worst regular season record?
Buffalo Bills Los Angeles Rams Kansas City Chiefs Dallas Cowboys

 

PFFL TOTAL POINT CHAMPIONSHIP

 
East Final Standings
Rk Franchise PF
1 7 Justice 2135
2 2 Tommy Guns 2117
3 8 Cleantown 2078
4 1 Little Johnny's 2006
5 4 Green Apple 2005
6 5 Commish East 1970
7 3 T Bones 1963
8 9 Boys of Autumn 1948
9 10 IC Lightning 1946
10 6 Rebels 1921
11 11 Aggravators 1753
  Average 1986
Central Final Standings
Rk Franchise PF
1 1 Syndicate 2192
2 2 Twisted Helmets 2170
3 5 SS Stoggies 2143
4 4 Weekend Warriors 2128
5 6 Harmony Hornets 1962
6 8 Steve Irwin Crocodile's 1924
7 7 Knockout Kings 1896
8 3 Nasty Aggravators 1895
9 10 Reno 1828
10 11 TnT 1767
11 9 R&J Inc. 1718
  Average 1966
West Final Standings
Rk Franchise PF
1 1 Downtowners 2349
2 2 JR's Boys 2166
3 3 Rounder 17 2162
4 5 MNE 2045
5 4 Commish West 2032
6 7 Irish Talbots 2021
7 10 French River 1928
8 6 Brookline 1890
9 8 Apaches  1827
10 11 B&B 1743
11 9 Sharks 1726
  Average 1990

                                  Note the final top three in each conference receive consideration

PFFL: A slow week 17 prevented the Downtowners from setting any records but even a snails pace couldn't have prevented them from winning their first PFFL Total Point Championship. The 110-point week was actually their third worst of the year and lowest total since week 9. Their 2349 total fell 100 points short of the record of 2449, but their 157-point margin of victory is the second highest margin just 23 behind the record of 180 set in 2006.

EAST: Justice's final score of 118 didn't make it easy, but it certainly left a distinct possibility for one of the other two contenders to keep them from the Title. Had they not broken 100 - something they failed to do three times this year - the Tommy Guns 130 points would have stolen the show. They are the only Conference Point Champion to have a week below 100 points scored. Cleantown was in no danger of losing third but their 116-point effort left no chance for advancement. The victory give Justice their second East Conference Point Title the first coming in 2004.

CENTRAL: With 23 points separating the top three, this conference had the best chance for a change at the top. And with the top four contenders all having players in the Sunday night game, it was still undecided going into the last game. Going in the Syndicate had a 15-point lead over the SS Stoggies with Cutler and Royal and the Stoggies just had Gates, so they were no real threat. But even though they were 49 behind, the Twisted Helmets had 4 remaining in Rivers, LT, Brandon Marshall and Vincent Jackson. A more than capable group to overcome a large deficit. The four did outscore the Syndicate's two but they were only able to make up 27 of the 49 needed. It was good enough to move them up from third to second but not good enough to knock off the Syndicate and stop them from earning their third conference point title. All three were earned in different conferences. Their first was in the South in 2004, last year in the West and this year of course in the Central.

WEST: Although the Downtowners put up a modest 110 points, they actually stretched their lead from 165 to 183 over second to win their first Point Title in a rout. At 165 behind the JR's Boys had no chance of catching them but they almost blew their 53-point lead they had over the Rounder 17. With just 92 points scored on the week, they entered Monday night up just 22 and the Rounder still had Eddie Royal in their arsenal. Royal put up 18 leaving them four short but the Rounders did enough to make the Boys sweat by making up 49 points on the 53-point deficit going into the week.


 

PFFL 2008 PLAYER AWARDS

Past PFFL MVPs
Year Winner Pos Team
2002 Priest Holmes RB KC
2003 Priest Holmes RB KC
2004 Culpepper/Manning QB/WR Min/Ind
2005 Larry Johnson RB KC
2006 Ladainian Tomlinson RB SD
2007 Brady/Moss QB/WR NE
PFFL 2008 All-Star Team
Pos Player Team Pts
QB Drew Brees NO 384
RB Matt Forte Chi 302
RB DeAngelo Williams  Car 302
WR Andre Johnson Hou 314
WR Larry Fitzgerald Ari 306
WR Calvin Johnson Det 278
Flex Maurice Jones-Drew Jac 279
K Stephen Gostkowski NE 163
DEF Philadelphia Phi 194
   
     This was one of the harder years to pick an MVP since I started in 2002. Last year Brady & Moss' exploits made it easy as did Priest Holmes in his day. This year there wasn't that one stand out player or event that picked itself. One of the criteria always considered is draft value and there was some serious draft value picks for sure. The earliest Aaron Rodgers was drafted was 13th and he finished the year as the #3 overall scorer in the PFFL. Philip Rivers and Kurt Warner weren't far behind at #4 and 5 in scoring and both drafted 10th or later. And you won't find better draft value than Matt Cassel who finished 12th overall in scoring yet was undrafted in two of the three conferences. Matt Forte and DeAngelo Williams tied as the top back 10th overall in scoring get serious consideration drafted from the 5th and 6th and 7th and 9th spots respectively. No player was better in the second half of the season than Williams. Andre Johnson stands out as the best WR and ranked 6th overall in points, but just a few points ahead of the second WR and drafted basically in the 2nd round, didn't make him a good candidate for MVP. Although not out of the question, it would take a lot for a Kicker or Defense to get considered. Since both top players in each of those categories were less than 10 points ahead of the second best, there was nothing to consider.

     I first started researching this before week 17 began and besides the players listed above one player stood out, but not quite enough that others were not being considered. But week 17 just seemed to not only separate this player from the rest, but also cement his award. He didn't break the record but I can't hold it against him for falling just 16 yards short of Dan Marino's single season passing record while finishing the year on a monster high note of 35 points. Now NFL records don't necessarily make fantasy records, fantasy points do. So it's not just the fact that he is one of only two players to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a season that gives him the award, it's the fact that he not only scored the most fantasy points in 2008, but the separation between him and the next player. The biggest gap between the top two players in every category besides QB was 8. The difference between Brees and the next player was 36 giving him the only clear separation.

     Yes more often than not the award goes to the player or players with the most points but not always. In 2005 Larry Johnson won it with just the third most RB points because of his monster second half and what he meant to the teams that had him. Kurt Warner was actually on his way to winning this award considering where he was drafted, but he faded out down the stretch. It wasn't a slam dunk as with some other choices in the past but Drew Brees is the 2008 PFFL MVP!
   
 

THE PFFL's 2008 GOOD, BAD AND THE UGLY...

Eastwood The Good: Not just this year but both of Rounder 17's first two years in the PFFL. Last year a co-champion in Survivor 1 and participation in the South Conference Championship Game. This year of course winning the 2008 title. . . . The Downtowners monster point-scoring year wining the weekly money title including four Team of the Week Honors, and the Total Point Championship. If it wasn't for one off week 15, they would have pulled off the hat trick and won the PFFL Title also. . . . After enduring a frustrating season that saw them earn just a 7th rank while 1st in conference points then go one and out in the wildcard round, Justice held on to finish the season with the highest single week of the year and the East Total Point Title. . . . The T Bones salvaging their season with a Consolation Tournament win. . . . The Tommy Guns winning the East and finishing second in the Championship Game as a first year team. . . . The Syndicate having two of the most successful back to back seasons ever in the PFFL earning the #1 rank twice, winning two conference point titles, and playing in two PFFL Championship Games winning one. . . . The Nasty Aggravators and JR's Boys 7-game win streaks in the regular season. . . . The Weekend Warriors three straight Central Conference first-places in weeks 11-13. . . . The JR's Boys winning coach of the year honors as the only team in the league with a rating in the 90 percentile. . . . Three of the 8 co-champions of Survivor 1 are from the PFFL: Mitch (Aggravators & Nasty Aggravators) Vince (IC Lightning) John (JR's Boys)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Bad: Drafting Tom Brady then watching him go out for the year before the season is even 15 minutes old. . . . The Rebel's decision to not play Tashard Choice in their second round playoff game - William you know I just had to. . . . IC Lightning's #6 in the "Coulda Won" column indicating a 10-1 record and #1 ranking were possible instead of the 4-7 and #10 ranking they had. . . . The Steve Irwin Crocodiles not replacing RB P.J. Pope who was on IR in their week 17 lineup when any one of 2 possible replacements would have given them a weekly first in the Central. . . . Icons that come and go as they please. . . . The Weekend Warriors 5-point playoff loss because they got just 4 points from Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson combined. . . . Picking a loser in Survivor 2. . . . MFL's fantasy game recaps. . . . The coach of Little Johnny's and R&J Inc. two of just three teams in the league with a coaching efficiency rating under 80%. . . . The legal mob confiscating all the poker machines in the area so people will be forced to go play in their new casinos.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Ugly: The Aggravators and B&B's season. I will spare you and them the details. . . .  TnT's side bet losses. . . . R&J Inc putting up a weekly low score 6 times resulting in their being ranked 33 out of 33 in points. . . . The Sharks 142-52 week 2 loss to the Irish Talbots. It was the biggest margin of victory (90) and the lowest single score (52) of the year. . . . The Knockout Kings, Reno and Sharks finish to the season - 3 straight sub-100 point games. . . . R&J Inc.'s 93.6 postseason average. . . . The Rebels' final score of 86 - the only sub-100 point score in the East in the final week. Sorry William, this one was totally unnecessary. . . . B&B making no lineup changes the final three weeks of the season leaving Julius Jones in their lineup for three straight weeks and getting a total of 1 point out of him. If changes were made they would have taken a 2nd in week 16 and not only a first in the final week but Team of the Week Honors! Billy if you don't fire your coaching staff I will. . . . Bailouts for billionaires!


PFFL 2008 FINAL STATISTICS
League Titles
2008 League Champion Rounder 17 West Conference
League Total Point Champion Downtowners West Conference
Consolation Tournament T Bones East Conference
Highest Single Week Justice 192 Points Wk 2
Coach of the Year JR's Boys 90.00 Efficiency Rating
Conference Titles
Head to Head Total Points
East Tommy Guns East Justice
Central Syndicate Central Syndicate
West Rounder 17 West Downtowners
Money Leaders Miscellaneous
Overall Weekly Category Team/Player
Rounder 17 Downtowners Power Rank Downtowners - 37.45
Syndicate Justice Best Record 8-3 Five Teams Tied
Tommy Guns Twisted Helmets Most Potential Points Downtowners - 2689
Downtowners Syndicate Highest week Player A. Bryant/R. Brown - 41
Twisted Helmets JR's Boys Most Points Player Drew Brees - 384

 

                                     FINAL PFFL STUFF

The Score: For the first time since the league moved online to the MFL site, the final week was above average in scoring. With the exception of 2006 when the final week hit right on that year's average, the final week has been basically low scoring. This year's final week calculated out at an above average 118. The Central actually held to tradition with just a 113 showing but the East's 122 and the West's 119 propped up the numbers. The final and official average for 2008 is 116.5, a full point below the current scoring systems last two-year average of 117.5. The now new three-year average in the current scoring system is an even 117.

●The Weekend Warriors had the most bench points 1563 and also the most points scored against 1401. Brookline had the least bench points with 916. They also had the least amount last year. . . . The Central Conference won just two of the 17 Team of the Week Honors. The East had the most with 8 and the West next with 7. The Downtowners won the most individual honors with 4. They won 3 of them in the postseason. . . . The Sharks may have had a bad year but they are still the only team to break 200 in a week. . . . Three of the four teams that played in last year's championship game, IC Lightning, Sharks and B&B, didn't even make the wildcard round this year. The fourth team the Syndicate faired better with a repeat performance. . . . Is the RB era officially over? Two WRs finished with more points than the top RB. There were 12 QBs, 9 RBs and 8 WRs in the top 30. . . . No records of note were broken this year.

PFFL Calendar: Playoff Tournament is Tuesday, December 30. The final league meeting is Wednesday, January 7.


The Last Word: We always say how fast the season seems to go by well how about 17 seasons! ... I created the PFFL in 1992 because I saw the potential in the contention of franchise football. My goal was to create a league that added worthwhile entertainment to the competition of the game itself. Obviously I wasn't alone in my idea as fantasy football as you know has become big business. As business is an ever changing entity our league has incorporated many changes over the years and your suggestions and ideas are always welcome. This past year was a tough one in many ways for all of us and I would like to personally thank each and everyone of you who participated this year. I wish all of you a Healthy, Happy, and Prosperous 2009 and beyond!

Happy New Year!

Final Point Rankings
Rk Franchise/Week PF
1 1 Downtowners 2349
2 1 Syndicate 2192
3 2 Twisted Helmets 2170
4 2 JR's Boys 2166
5 3 Rounder 17 2162
6 5 SS Stoggies 2143
7 7 Justice 2135
8 4 Weekend Warriors 2128
9 2 Tommy Guns 2117
10 8 Cleantown 2078
11 5 MNE 2045
12 4 Commish West 2032
13 7 Irish Talbots 2021
14 1 Little Johnny's 2006
15 4 Green Apple 2005
16 5 Commish East 1970
17 3 T Bones 1963
18 6 Harmony Hornets 1962
19 9 Boys of Autumn 1948
20 10 IC Lightning 1946
21 10 French River 1928
22 8 Steve Irwin Crocodile's 1924
23 6 Rebels 1921
24 7 Knockout Kings 1896
25 3 Nasty Aggravators 1895
26 6 Brookline 1890
27 10 Reno 1828
28 8 Apaches  1827
29 11 TnT 1767
30 11 Aggravators 1753
31 11 B&B 1743
32 9 Sharks 1726
33 9 R&J Inc. 1718
  Average 1980
 

PFFL Trivia Answer

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams came to Super Bowl XIV with a 9-7 regular season mark.