Week 11 2009

Pittsburgh Survival Football
Survivor 1: The two heaviest played teams were both losing late, and I do mean late, in both their games but again the default refused to lose. The 49 on Dallas breathed a little easier when they scored for the first time in the game with just 2:41 remaining to win 7-6. Jacksonville was even more dramatic making the 27 souls invested in them wait until there were just 58 seconds remaining before scoring the go ahead TD for an 18-15 win. There was every bit as much drama for the 2 losing teams of the 10 that were picked: Cincinnati (19 picks - lost with 15 seconds left) and Pittsburgh (15 picks - lost in OT) taking down a fair amount of 34 between them. Had Dallas and Jacksonville failed in their comebacks there would be just 41 of the original 535 left in this contest but as it stands, 117 will move on to week 12.
Survivor 2: The only difference in the results for the second contest from the first besides the number of participants is there were 9 teams picked to win instead of 10. The Cincinnati loss took 7 lives while Pittsburgh shot down 12 for a total of 19 fatalities. The Dallas and Jacksonville comebacks saved 26 and saved the contest from being down to just 32. It's now official that the record breaking 70 that survived last year won't be repeated this year as Survivor 2 is down to 58 with 6 weeks to go.

Around the League

Week 12 - Wildcard Week: The PFFL regular season is completed. The upcoming week is the start of the PFFL Postseason with the Wildcard Round of the playoffs and the first round of the Consolation Tournament. Weeks 12 and 13 playoff losers compete in the Consolation Tournament the following week. All Matchups are determined by rank with the highest rank always playing the lowest rank and the higher rank winning all ties. A detailed breakdown of the seedings, byes, and matchups of the postseason can be found in the Playoff Formats page.

PFFL POSTSEASON

Playoffs
Final Rank	Byes	Guaranteed Compensation	Bonus
1	Weeks 12 & 13	2nd round of playoffs stipend	1st in conf bonus
2	Weeks 12 & 13	2nd round of playoffs stipend	2nd in conf bonus
3 & 4	Week 12	1st round playoffs stipend	None
5 thru 8	None	None	None
Consolation Tournament
Final Rank	Byes	Guaranteed Compensation	Bonus
9	Week 12	None	None
10 & 11	None	None	None

PFFL EAST FINAL STANDINGS

Top Tier
Rank/Team	VP	W-L-T	Pts	Comments
1 Justice	29	8-3-0	1463	As expected they easily beat Commish East and although they left the door open by not earning 4VP, the TD's also failed to earn the max VP giving them the undisputed top rank in the East and all that goes with it. Currently leading the East in points they can also claim they deserve the #1 rank. This is the third time they have earned a #1 ranking entering the playoffs. They did it in the 2002 East and the 2000 West, or PFFL-3 as it was known back then.
2 TD's	29	7-4-0	1428	Missed out on the #1 ranking by just 2 points - no not VP points just 2 measly regular points. Got the win to maintain their 2-bye status but 2 more points scored would have given them 1 more VP and the #1 ranking. Had a 97.8 efficiency rating so no blame just fate. Finish second best in the standings but not in the byes as they will receive 2.
3 IC Lightning	29	6-5-0	1400	Got 4VP so did everything in their power to earn another bye but neither Justice or the TD's wouldn't cooperate with a loss. Played the part of spoiler to the TD's coming in 3rd for the week as they were the team 2 points ahead of them preventing the TD's from getting the 4th VP they needed. Was in the top 2 for seven straight weeks but fell out the last 2.
4 Downtowners	25	6-5-0	1437	To earn a bye had to first beat the T Bones and did; but since the Bones earned 1VP in the loss had to earn 4VP in the win and did that also. Their destiny wasn't totally in their hands but Commish East and the Syndicate went out with a whimper so their coming in with a bang earns them an all important bye this week.
Middle Tier
5 T Bones	25	6-5-0	1384	Playing without Michael Turner didn't help but it would have taken a 34-point or better effort out of him to beat the Downtowners anyway so the loss of the bye can't be blamed on injury. Forced the Downtowners to have a 4VP week at least. Actually tied in VP and record with the Downtowners so the 53 more points the Downtowners have is the real difference in a bye and a wildcard.
6 Commish East	21	6-4-1	1180	Actually had the potential to beat Justice had different players been played and even had the potential for 4VP which would have given them a bye. But a victory would also have knocked Justice from first to third and knowing that would just induce them to dig up some obscure legal precedent to give them grounds to file an injunction that could delay the start of the playoffs, I intentionally played the wrong players for the good of the league.
7 Syndicate	21	5-6-0	1329	Downtowners 4VP and 150 points meant they had to score 218 points for a bye; so the fact that they lost 162-110 had little meaning in the overall picture. Because the T Bones earned 1VP in their loss a win would have gotten them to 6th at least. They finish where they have spent the last 4 weeks, 7th.
8 Darryls	18	4-7-0	1247	Lost their game but didn't need a win to earn a wildcard, needed just 1VP and got what they needed, 1VP. Had they not procured that 1VP they were out because the Aggravators 4VP would have bounced them.
Bottom Tier
9 Aggravators	17	4-6-1	1199	Were given just one scenario to get an invite to the dance: win with 4VP and have the Darryls come up empty in VP. More than did their part with a 162 first-place week but the Darryls failed to oblige with 0VP. For what it's worth will get a bye in the CT for finishing 9th.
10 Legion of Doom	14	3-8-0	1218	Had no chance at a bye but finish on a high note with a win that pulls them out of the East cellar to 10th.
11 Twisted Helmets	12	3-8-0	1214	Had a chance at a bye but the bribe wasn't large enough so finish on a low note with a loss to the former team in the cellar making them the latter team in the cellar.

Week 12 Schedule
Wildcard Round #8 Darryls vs. #5 T Bones #7 Syndicate vs. #6 Commish East	Consolation Tournament First Round #11 Twisted Helmets vs. #10 Legion of Doom

PFFL CENTRAL FINAL STANDINGS

Top Tier
Team	VP	W-L-T	Pts	Comments
1 Reno	30	8-3-0	1379	Took full advantage of the Stoggies and TnT losses with a 162-point week that jumps them from 3rd to 1st to earn the top rank in the final regular season game of the year. Had a brief stay in first in week 2 but were in the middle tier in week 8 when they got hot with a 4-game win streak that leaves them with the #1 rank in the Central. First #1 ranking but just their second year in the league!
2 SS Stoggies	29	7-4-0	1387	Ladell Betts going out with a zero was the real culprit in their 126-125 loss, but Rob Bironas almost pulled it out for them on Monday night. He made two long kicks to bring them to within one but the one he missed ended up to be the difference in the game ending their brief 1 week stay in first. They lost 1st but the TnT loss wins them the full 2 byes that go along with 2nd.
3 TnT	27	7-4-0	1411	Were riding high with a 6-game win steak but although they still lead the conference in points, back to back losses have lost them the top 2. After spending 5 straight weeks in the top two, will now have to settle for 3rd and 1 bye. Yes the potential to win their 141-134 loss was there but in observing their roster there is really no blame to hand out; but we did lay blame anyway just to insure Little Tommy's head returns completely to normal size.
4 Pretty Kitty Central	25	7-4-0	1282	Their scenario stated they were in a must win situation if they wanted to stay in the top tier and take week 12 off. Since they are still here I recon they won.
Middle Tier
5 Boys of Autumn	25	6-5-0	1332	Gave it their max effort with a win over TnT and 4VP earned but Pretty Kitty's win kept the top tier and the bye out of reach.
6 Cleantown	24	7-4-0	1274	Also a nice 4VP win to finish the season but Pretty Kitty spoiled it for everyone below them when they beat the JR's Boys. A 3-game losing streak coming into week 11 is the real reason they must settle for a wildcard.
7 JR's Boys	21	6-5-0	1249	Even after 2 straight losses destiny was still in there hands with a win. Third straight loss drops them 4 positions from 3rd in week 8 to 7th in week 11 and also means no bye.
8 Nasty Aggravators	19	5-6-0	1237	You play an 11-week schedule and whether you make the playoffs or not comes down to the last NFL game of the 11th week. The same reason the Stoggies lost first is the same reason they get to dance at the ball, a missed field goal on Monday night. They first needed the Snipers to fall and when they did they took advantage and earn the final spot in the Central playoffs with a 126-125 win over the Stoggies.
Bottom Tier
9 Little Johnny's	18	4-7-0	1267	They put forth their best effort with a 4VP win and the Snipers cooperated with a loss, but the last obstacle the Aggravators refused to submit relegating them to the CT. Bironas' missed field goal had a three-pronged effect: First it knocked the Stoggies off the top branch; second it elevated the Aggravators into the playoffs; and third it prevented Little Johnny's from making the playoffs.
10 Smiley's Snipers	17	3-8-0	1309	While the Aggravators and Little Johnny's both rose to the occasion with wins, they submit on the final week with a loss. Two straight wins had put them above the cut line and in control of their destiny but their failure to secure a third straight relegates them to a week 12 CT game rather than a week 12 Wildcard Game.
11 Weekend Warriors	13	2-9-0	1187	What do you say about 7 straight losses to finish the season. Yes they were very unlucky with the second most points scored against them in the entire league but over that 7 week stretch they failed to break 100 three times and averaged just 106. Only an Enigma could overcome both those stats.

Week 12 Schedule

Wildcard Round
#8 Nasty Aggravators vs. #5 Boys of Autumn
#7 JR's Boys vs. #6 Cleantown Consolation Tournament First Round
#11 Weekend Warriors vs. #10 Smiley's Snipers

PFFL WEST FINAL STANDINGS

Top Tier

Team VP W-L-T
Pts

Comments

1 MNE 32 8-3-0 1487 Didn't need all 4VP but made a statement with 170 points, 200 PP, 4VP, and just for good measure Team of the Week Honors in a 170-122 Knockout victory of the former West Champion KO Kings, to win in overwhelming fashion the #1 seed in the West. Have resided in the top tier 8 of the 11 weeks but this is their first visit to the summit and it's now permanent. Finish the regular season with a 6-game win streak; most PP; highest PWR; most VP; and have taken over not only the West lead but the league lead in total points. Geez, these guys are good!

2 Knockout Kings 31 7-3-1 1485 After 6 straight successful defenses, they relinquish the title in the final week of the regular season with a 170-122 beating at the hands of MNE. Would have beaten half the teams out there but no one was beating the Monday Night Express this week. The door was open for Archie's to grab the #2 spot but their loss insures 2 byes for the Kings; not a bad consolation prize.

3 Archie's
28 6-5-0 1479 Fail to break 100 for the first time this year missing their opportunity for 2 byes. Not even their league-leading efficiency rating could have saved them with a potential of just 113 against Brookline's 128 actual points. Have been locked in 3rd for 4 straight weeks now and that's where they will stay.

4 French River 25 7-4-0 1356 The Talbots opened the gate with a loss and the River gushed in with a 165-point week to steal the bye from them. The Talbots earned a VP in their loss forcing the River to earn 4 but with 165 points 4 was no problem. They had been stuck just under the wire in 5th for 4 straight weeks but vault over in their final try to earn a precious bye.

Middle Tier

5 Irish Talbots
25 5-5-1 1338 Were able to hold off their counter-parts for 3 straight weeks but succumb in the final week and lose the bye. Beat themselves in this one as their opponent was the average.

6 J&J
22 6-5-0 1235 Had no chance at a bye but even though the odds were in their favor, there was still a chance they lose the wildcard with a loss. Point moot as they left nothing to chance with a 4VP week.

7 Brookline 20 5-6-0 1217 Were sitting on the fence going into the week and needed a 4VP win to absolutely insure a wildcard, but with both the teams above and below them losing, the 3VP win they got was more than enough.

8 Rounder 17
19 5-6-0 1222 It wasn't pretty but a win is a win and their 98 was more than B&B's 95. Just 2VP were earned but it gives them 2 more VP than the 9th place team. Actually could have backed in with a 0VP week because they have more points than Pretty Kitty.

Bottom Tier

9 Pretty Kitty West 17 4-7-0 1203 This one stings! Don't mean to rub salt in the wound but the truth is one lineup decision cost them a playoff birth. They lost 136-113 but the decision to play Roy Williams (0 points) over Terrell Owens (34 points) is the reason I am writing about them below the words Bottom Tier instead of above them. Their potential points were actually 163. The trading deadline and now this... Marty is now on a double suicide watch!

10 B&B 14 4-7-0 1146 With their opponent Rounder scoring just 98 and Pretty Kitty's lineup decision netting them just 1VP, the wildcard was right there for the taking. They only lost by 3, 98-95 but actually needed 12 more points to win and earn the 3VP they needed for a wildcard. At least they won't be kicking themselves like Pretty Kitty because their potential points say they were only capable of 102.

11 Commish West 12 3-8-0 1101 Lost a tough one 165-107 but had the potential for 127!

Week 12 Schedule

            Wildcard Round
          #8 Rounder 17 vs. #5 Irish Talbots
          #7 Brookline vs. #6 J&J Consolation Tournament First Round
#11 Commish West vs. #10 B&B

PFFL Information		League Leaders
Free Agency	Tue Noon thru Fri 8pm	Total Points	MNE	1487
Roster Limit increases to 20	Starting Tuesday Nov. 24 Noon	Power Rank	MNE	39.59
Next Calendar Event	Free Agent Deadline Friday, Dec. 4 at 8pm	Coaching	Archie's	93.1
Next Calendar Event	Free Agent Deadline Friday, Dec. 4 at 8pm	High Week	Justice - wk 10	204
Weekly Meetings	Every Wed Evening	Weekly Winnings	Archie's

PFFL STUFF

The Score: The scoring has taken a definite upturn the last three weeks. The final regular season week produced the second highest average of the year 125.7. Playing the average the last three weeks has been no picnic with a three-week average of 125.4. This week's 125.7 average raises the yearly average for the third straight week this time almost a full point from 117.6 to 118.4.

Final Acquisitions: This week and next are the final two weeks of Free Agency. There are two major changes in the rules for these final two weeks: 1. Teams may increase their rosters to 20. 2. Teams may now acquire up to five (5) players in each of the last two weeks so there will be a total of five (5) waiver rounds available each week.

Note: A word of caution in regards to the Thursday games and waivers. If you drop a player that already played in your Thursday lineup, you will not be able to change your lineup without having that player removed from your lineup. Any player in your lineup on Thursday must remain on your roster thru the weekend.

                                            Did You Know Stuff

● Just barely, but overall the conferences had a winning season over the Average with a 17-16 record. The Central did best at 7-4 while the West just got by at 6-5. But yet again the No Names had their way with the East. Even with a week 11 victory, the East finished a loser once again at 4-7. It was at least an improvement over last year's 2-8-1.

● The Wild Wild West was wild once again with just 5 games decided by 4 points or less. The East had a modest 9 games decided by 4 or less. Last year the East had the most drama but this year the Central earns the Cardiac tag with 4 games decided by just 1 point, 6 decided by 2 points, 4 decided by 3 and 3 decided by 4 points for a whopping 17 games decided by 4 points or less.

● The job security of the coach of Little Johnny's is probably on shaky ground with a 6 in the Coulda Won column, highest in the league. On the other hand if the head coach for J&J gets a contract extension he can thank the 6 coaches who submitted lineups against them that resulted in a league high 6 in their Woulda Lost column.

● John Lynch is known as one of the hardest hitting safeties in the NFL but before the NFL he was a pitcher in the Florida Marlins organization. He actually threw the first pitch for the entire organization (Minor and Major League) in a 1992 minor league game, but he was released after a brief moment of confusion when he launched himself at a teammate who caught a pop up, breaking his collar bone.

     Good Luck to everyone in the postseason &
      Happy Thanksgiving!

Total Point Rankings
Rk	Franchise	PF
1	1 MNE	1487
2	2 Knockout Kings	1485
3	3 Archie's	1479
4	1 Justice	1463
5	4 Downtowners	1437
6	2 TD's	1428
7	3 TnT	1411
8	3 IC Lightning	1400
9	2 SS Stoggies	1387
10	5 T Bones	1384
11	1 Reno	1379
12	4 French River	1356
13	5 Irish Talbots	1338
14	5 Boys of Autumn	1332
15	7 Syndicate	1329
16	10 Smiley's Snipers	1309
17	4 Pretty Kitty Central	1282
18	6 Cleantown	1274
19	9 Little Johnny's	1267
20	7 JR's Boys	1249
21	8 Darryls	1247
22	8 Nasty Aggravators	1237
23	6 J&J	1235
24	8 Rounder 17	1222
25	10 Legion of Doom	1218
26	7 Brookline	1217
27	11 Twisted Helmets	1214
28	9 Pretty Kitty West	1203
29	9 Aggravators	1199
30	11 Weekend Warriors	1187
31	6 Commish East	1180
32	10 B&B	1146
33	11 Commish West	1101
	Average	1306