Week 8 2009

Pittsburgh Survival Football
Survivor 1: It wasn't the default pick and it wasn't the most heavily played team but Arizona's loss took a nice 21-player bite out of the contest taking the count to under 200. There wasn't much drama with the other five teams that were picked. The season is about half over and more than half of the contestants have perished but there still is a significant amount of survivors remaining; actually the most ever I believe at this point in the season, 185. In fact I don't think there was ever more than 100 left after week 8. The contest did however start out with a record high of 535.
Survivor 2: The second contest also had just the one loss in Arizona and lost about the same proportion as the first contest but this only equated to 9 here. Just five teams were selected and again without any real drama except for Arizona. Unlike the first contest the second is well under its usual mark for this time of year; the reason can be attributed to two points: One it started a week earlier than usual and two it started in a week that had two substantial upsets. An incredible 70 made it to week 17 in the second contest last year but don't look for a repeat as there are 90 remaining with 9 weeks to go this year.

Around the League

PFFL EAST

Top Tier
TD's	VP	W-L-T	Comments
	21	5-3-0	Good News	Big win over the Lightning puts them atop the East for the first time this year; 149-point week earns them not only 4VP and the top spot but a Team of the Week Honor to boot, their second first of the year; are now 2nd in conference points just 4 back of the leader and 6th overall; all this after their worst week of the year of just 75 points last week - John, understand you must know what your doing when you make a deal with the Devil or he will cheat you blind; just look at what he did to Vincent
	Pts	1008	Bad News	Must now play a second straight tough opponent in the Downtowners who have just 14 less points - Can remedy it easy enough but so far anyway are without a defense for the upcoming week
IC Lightning	21	4-4-0	Good News	It took 3 straight losses to knock them out of first and they only drop to 2nd; had their worst week of the year of 112 but if your worst week is 112 that ain't bad; still tied in VP with the leader; have almost 100 more points than their week 9 opponent Twisted Helmets - Retained Justice to file a breach of contract suit in their behalf against the Prince of Darkness in lieu of their loss of first place
IC Lightning	Pts	1012	Bad News	After 5 weeks in first, 3 straight losses not only knock them out of first but put them within 3VP of the middle tier; AP is on a bye this week - Dave of Justice isn't cheap!
T Bones	20	5-3-0	Good News	Held off the Aggravators in a thriller on Monday night for a 123-122 huge 4VP win; bust back into the top tier after a 4 week absence; have no bye problems this week and the early line has them 37-point favorites over the Darrlys - Dean actually smiled!
T Bones	Pts	1005	Bad News	Turns out it wasn't a smile, he just had gas
Commish East	18	5-2-1	Good News	Remain in the upper tier after a 0VP week; in the upper tier despite being 10th in conference points - It may be Enigma Success but unlike others we know made no deals to get it
Commish East	Pts	863	Bad News	Play the average this week which completely nullifies the Enigma edge of playing a team on their off week
Middle Tier
Justice	18	5-3-0	Good News	Nice weekly 2nd-4VP week pushes them up one position and now knocking at the door of the byes; are just 3VP from the leader; double their edge over the bottom tier from 3 to 6VP making no less than a wildcard most likely - Received a substantial retainer from Vincent
Justice	Pts	967	Bad News	Have a few bye issues this week - Heard opposing council in Vincent's lawsuit is a real Demon
Downtowners	16	4-4-0	Good News	Had their worst week of the year of 101 so at least have never been below 100; can attribute injury and bye issues to the off week; points still solid at 4th even after low week; do play the first-place team this week but only 14 points back of them; have no bye issues and Westbrook should be back - Ron, that's a lot of good news for a 6th place team
Downtowners	Pts	994	Bad News	Fall out of grace with a 0VP week from 4th to 6th and now closer to the bottom tier than the leader
Syndicate	16	4-4-0	Good News	Despite key players on a bye win an important game doubling their distance from the bottom to 4VP; have 100 more points than the team they play this week and no bye issues this time
Syndicate	Pts	963	Bad News	Good wide receivers and great QBs making up for it but have some RB issues
Darrlys	13	3-5-0	Good News	Lose their game, earn no VP, but remain on the right side of the tracks; have Brady back and not 1 player on a bye this week
Darrlys	Pts	881	Bad News	Loss has them now just 1VP from the wrong side of the tracks; must play the red-hot T Bones this week - Disappointed Vincent chose Justice to represent him instead of them
Bottom Tier
Aggravators	12	3-4-1	Good News	Lost their game but the 1VP earned holds their position in the standings and they actually close to within 1VP of a wildcard
Aggravators	Pts	815	Bad News	Went into Monday night down 19 with Brees and NO DEF but fall 1 point short to the T Bones and Michael Turner; playing Royal over TO cost them the game and the middle tier; must play their next game without Stephen Jackson, Thomas Jones, and 2 of their WRs all on a bye - Considering talking to Vincent and John about getting hooked up with a deal
Twisted Helmets	12	3-5-0	Good News	Without Cedric Benson post a solid 3VP win lifting them from 4VP to just 1 from the land of opportunity
Twisted Helmets	Pts	918	Bad News	Have no bye problems but must play the Lightning this week - Beat an Enigma and who knows what the consequences of that could be
Legion of Doom	8	1-7-0	Good News	Earned a VP in the loss and actually picked up a VP on the middle tier
Legion of Doom	Pts	868	Bad News	Sixth loss in a row have them bottomed out in the East basement - Must win their last 3 and still no guarantee

PFFL CENTRAL

Top Tier
TnT	VP	W-L-T	Comments
	23	6-2-0	Good News	The longest winning streak in the league (5) has risen them to the top of the Central for the first time this year; have been dynamite over the last four weeks averaging 149 and winning 3 firsts including a Team of the Week; tied for most weekly winnings league wide; stretch their conference point lead to 77; went from 1 back of first to 3VP ahead; favored 30 over their next opponent - Can no longer play Larry Johnson since he's been suspended
	Pts	1055	Bad News	Will be without AP this week - Little Tommy's head has grown so large he's living in his garage
Cleantown	20	6-2-0	Good News	In a very tight division drop just 1 spot with a 0VP week; get Cedric Benson back this week - No matter what I say below Kevin will still be rich and I'm not
Cleantown	Pts	927	Bad News	After 4 weeks in first break their 6-game winning steak with a self imposed 99-96 loss to Little Johnnys: Down 12 going into Monday night they still had a chance with Bush going but Bush put up nine resulting in a 3-point loss. Leaving McNabb (26 points) and Greg Jennings (22 points) on the bench was not only questionable but prevented an easy win and lost them their #1 status. I wanted to know who was to blame for the dubious lineup decisions so I checked the team information page and it seems the only owner listed is Kevin. So guess who gets all the blame? Kevin, maybe you should have taken Harvey back; there's still time for Todd!
JR's Boys	20	6-2-0	Good News	The Boys are back in town riding in on the back of Michael Turner's 21 on Monday night. They entered Monday down 10 but Turner's early touchdown took all the drama out of the comeback - After a 2-week hiatus the 4VP win puts them back in the top tier where they have been 6 of the 8 weeks
JR's Boys	Pts	919	Bad News	Points have been steadily improving but still just middle of the road slightly under the average
SS Stoggies	20	5-3-0	Good News	Thanks to Drew Brees and the NO DEF they overcome a 25-point deficit to maintain their bye status; points are solid at 2nd in the conference 9th overall - Still 3VP from the top but now tied with 2nd in VP
SS Stoggies	Pts	978	Bad News	Even though they are tied with the second-place team in VP they are also tied with the fifth-place team in VP - Well it is the Cardiac Central
Middle Tier
Reno	20	5-3-0	Good News	Get a 4VP win with 2 stud WRs on a bye; move up 1 position in the standings but more important solidify their wildcard position over the bottom tier with a now 9VP gap and are tied in VP with the 2nd thru 4th teams - After some early erratic scoring have been solid the last three weeks with a 137 average to go along with a weekly first and a second
Reno	Pts	966	Bad News	No injuries, no byes of note, no current bad news
Pretty Kitty Central	19	5-3-0	Good News	Taking into account Tom Brady's weekly average, they would have won this game if they had him available; earn 1VP at least in the loss - Get Brady back this week
Pretty Kitty Central	Pts	944	Bad News	Because it's the Cardiac Central, even with the 1VP earned they drop 3 full positions from 3rd to 6th - Play the red-hot first place TnT this week and site has them a 30-point dog
Boys of Autumn	15	4-4-0	Good News	Earned no VP for the second straight week but unlike last week when they dropped 4 positions with the loss, lost no ground in the standings and only lose 1VP to the bottom tier
Boys of Autumn	Pts	914	Bad News	A third straight loss would jeopardize their middle tier status and they have some key players on a bye this week including Stephen Jackson
Nasty Aggravators	12	3-5-0	Good News	Lost three in a row now but haven't budged in the standings or even lost any ground to the bottom tier - Need a win desperately and play the last place team this week
Nasty Aggravators	Pts	852	Bad News	Need a win desperately and will be without their best non-QB player Thomas Jones who is on a bye - Actually a 1 Point underdog to the Snipers according to the early line
Bottom Tier
Little Johnny's	11	2-6-0	Good News	After an atrocious 0-6 dead-last start, the comeback continues (thanks to Kevin) with their second straight win and another position gained in the standings; are 11-point favorites over the Warriors this week and have no real bye or injury issues - Now stand at the gates with the opportunity to get out of the bottom tier for the first time this year
Little Johnny's	Pts	914	Bad News	Had enough bad luck for two full seasons already so we'll give it a break this week
Weekend Warriors	11	2-6-0	Good News	Just 1VP from a wildcard and play Little Johnny's this week so destiny very much still in their own hands
Weekend Warriors	Pts	855	Bad News	Brees & Co. evaporated their 25-point lead on Monday night handing them their fourth-straight loss dropping them to their lowest position of the season, 10th
Smiley's Snipers	9	1-7-0	Good News	In last place you wouldn't think there is much of this here but the fact is they are just 3VP from a playoff birth and the the schedule is fully cooperating as they play the 8th place team this week and the 9th and 10th place teams are playing each other; get Moss back this week - Site actually has them as a 1-point favorite
Smiley's Snipers	Pts	886	Bad News	I'll let you know next week

PFFL WEST

Top Tier
Knockout Kings	VP	W-L-T	Comments
	25	6-1-1	Good News	Roddy White's 20 points Monday night neutralized Brookline's comeback efforts with Turner & Elam's 31 combined for a 126-118 win, their fourth straight; still lead the league in points; have the largest lead of the 3 conferences of 4VP over 2nd; have by far the largest lead over the middle tier of a whopping 10VP over 5th - With 3 trading weeks still remaining in the season, have broken the record for rejected trade offers
	Pts	1092	Bad News	AP off this week - MNE not going away
MNE	21	5-3-0	Good News	Keep in sight of the leader with their third win in a row; have a serious 6VP lead over the middle tier with just 3 weeks to play; continue to lead the league in PP and Power Rank; still have the highest single week of the year 185 in week 6; second in conference points 3rd overall; have a Team of the Week Honor - Just plain having a good year!
MNE	Pts	1039	Bad News	Lost Owen Daniels for the year
Archie's	20	4-4-0	Good News	After a 2-game slide back in the winners circle in a big way with their third, yes third, weekly first of the year; move up from 4th to 3rd and separate themselves from the middle tier by 5VP; continue to lead the league in coaching efficiency as the only team in the 90 percentile - Tennessee looks back which is good news for Chris Johnson
Archie's	Pts	1031	Bad News	Nothing here Archibald
Irish Talbots	18	3-4-1	Good News	Lost but still earned 2VP allowing them to increase their lead over the next tier by 1VP - Play in a league that uses the VP system otherwise even though they came in 3rd for the week in points, would have gotten the same as the last place team for the week, nothing but a loss
Irish Talbots	Pts	977	Bad News	Had the potential to win by 20 but lost by 7 - Points are good but actually have a losing record and win-loss record is the next criteria after VP for the standings
Middle Tier
French River	15	4-4-0	Good News	Lost their game but because of 1VP earned not their position in the standings remaining in 5th
French River	Pts	940	Bad News	First time they lose two in a row this year - Just outside the top tier but closer to the bottom tier in VP (2) than the top (3)
Pretty Kitty West	15	4-4-0	Good News	Lose game but not ground remaining in the dead center of the conference, 6th
Pretty Kitty West	Pts	878	Bad News	Lost 115-100 to the average but had 132 potential - Slaton getting benched with 3 points in perhaps his best match up of the year was the real difference in the game
J&J	14	4-4-0	Good News	Made a major move with a 4VP, 100% coaching-efficiency win taking them from Consolation Tournament territory in 10th to the dominion of the playoffs in 7th - GM getting recognized for recent trade with Pretty Kitty that is being accredited for the win
J&J	Pts	861	Bad News	Marty is saying he had his fingers crossed when he made the trade and wants the trade reversed
B&B	14	4-4-0	Good News	Keep the streak alive making it 3 in a row keeping their heads above water and eligible for a berth; get Brady back this week
B&B	Pts	844	Bad News	Earned just 2VP in the win; have 3RBs and 1WR on a bye this week
Bottom Tier
Rounder 17	13	3-5-0	Good News	Below the cut line but just 1VP from being above it; get Moss and Ocho back this week
Rounder 17	Pts	880	Bad News	Put up just 68 points, the lowest score of the year in the West - The loss drops them from wildcard consideration in 7th to CT candidate in 9th
Brookline	12	3-5-0	Good News	Lost a close one to the KO Kings but managed 1VP at least - Need a win to keep close to the cut line and play the worst team in the league this week, Commish West
Brookline	Pts	831	Bad News	Had a possible win in Vernon Davis on the bench; drop 1 position with the loss and lose 1 precious VP to 8th putting them 2VP back of a wildcard
Commish West	10	3-5-0	Good News	It will all be over soon
Commish West	Pts	794	Bad News	It will all be over soon

PFFL Information		League Leaders
Week 9 Byes	Buf, Cle, Oak, Stl, Min, Jets	Total Points	Knockout Kings	1092
Free Agency	Tue Noon thru Fri 8pm	Power Rank	MNE	35.11
Next Calendar Event	Trading Deadline Sunday, Nov. 22	Coaching	Archie's	92.3
Next Calendar Event	Trading Deadline Sunday, Nov. 22	High Week	MNE - wk 6	185
Weekly Meetings	Every Wed Evening	Weekly Winnings	TnT / Archie's

PFFL STUFF

The Score: The scoring was very similar to last week, just slightly below the average. Week 8 clocked in at 114.7 for the 3 conferences just .3 lower than week 7's 115. The current yearly average is now 115.7 and right on pace where the previous 3 years were at this time.

4th Quarter: The home stretch is upon us as there remain just 3 regular season games. For complete insight on the impact of the final rankings in the postseason you can visit the General Rules and Playoff Formats pages but here is a quick refresher for everyone:

PFFL Postseason Weeks 12 - 16

Top Tier - Playoffs with byes
1st & 2nd	Receive 2 byes weeks 12 & 13
3rd & 4th	Receive 1 bye week 12
Middle Tier - Playoff Wildcards
5th - 8th	Wildcards play in week 12
Bottom Tier - Consolation Tournament
9th	Receive 1 bye week 12
10th & 11th	Compete week 12 first round

Did You Know Stuff

● The average was just average this week but its competition was definitely below average. The No Names rebounded after getting swept last week with a sweep of their own. All three conference teams lost to the average this week evening up the series at 12-12.

● It's a shootout in the Wild Wild West. The West Conference has just 4 games decided by 4 or less points compared to 8 in the East and 15 in the Cardiac Central.

● We know the West is wild and the Central tight but what's the East? Well it used to be the Conservative East but not this year. If anyone is conservative it's the Central. There have been 10 trades of record in the West and 8 in the no longer conservative East but just 2 in the Conservative Central.

● The 1933 Cardinals set a record low of just two PATs for the entire season.

● There are Three (3) regular season games remaining.

Total Point Rankings
Rk	Franchise	PF
1	Knockout Kings	1092
2	TnT	1055
3	MNE	1039
4	Archie's	1031
5	IC Lightning	1012
6	TD's	1008
7	T Bones	1005
8	Downtowners	994
9	SS Stoggies	978
10	Irish Talbots	977
11	Justice	967
12	Reno	966
13	Syndicate	963
14	Pretty Kitty Central	944
15	French River	940
16	Cleantown	927
17	JR's Boys	919
18	Twisted Helmets	918
19	Boys of Autumn	914
20	Little Johnny's	914
21	Smiley's Snipers	886
22	Darryls	881
23	Rounder 17	880
24	Pretty Kitty West	878
25	Legion of Doom	868
26	Commish East	863
27	J&J	861
28	Weekend Warriors	855
29	Nasty Aggravators	852
30	B&B	844
31	Brookline	831
32	Aggravators	815
33	Commish West	794
	Average	929