Week 9 2009

Pittsburgh Survival Football
Survivor 1: The picks this week were fairly diversified spread out over 9 teams. One third or 3 of those 9 lost but Green Bay was the only significant loser responsible for 29 of the 31 fatalities. Green Bay wasn't one of the default picks and I must say although Tampa Bay stinks, it did look like a trap game being played in Tampa. There have been 381 fatalities so far or maybe we should call them suicides because if those 381 would have let the computer pick for them they would still be in the contest. But we're smart enough to pick our own aren't we? Smart or lucky 154 are moving on to week 10.
Survivor 2: Numbers and percentage wise contest 2 took a smaller hit than the first contest losing 11. Green Bay again was the responsible party taking 10 down with them or approximately 12% of the contest. The 31 losers in the first contest equated to about 17% of that week 9 field. Of the 7 teams played 2 lost but the other loser took just 1 soul. The second contest has a lot less competitors but there are also more teams available to pick because of the week 6 start. The week 10 field will consist of 79 contenders.

Around the League

PFFL EAST

Top Tier
z T Bones	VP	W-L-T	Comments
	24	6-3-0	Good News	Stretch their win streak to 4 empathically with a 171 4VP week; back in first for the second time since week 2 when they spent 1 week on the throne; won the week, their first top finish this year to go along with 2 seconds; earn a z designation and have a solid 4VP lead over 5th; lead the conference in points 4th overall; play Commish East this week and that's really all the good news they need - Dean smiled for real this time
	Pts	1176	Bad News	Since they are now in first maybe they can handle it if I actually say something here: Will be without Schaub this week but in light of who they are playing don't think it really matters
z IC Lightning	24	5-4-0	Good News	Put the brakes on a 3-game losing streak with an impressive 131-110 win without their horse AP; tied with the top spot in VP; have a wildcard locked up but at 4VP ahead of 5th with just 2 games remaining looking solid for at least 1 bye if not 2 - Play the 3rd place Justice this week so an opportunity to clinch a bye
z IC Lightning	Pts	1143	Bad News	No big deal but have to say something here, their only defense is on a bye
z Justice	22	6-3-0	Good News	Third straight win reenters them into the top tier where they have been absent for 4 weeks; clinched at least a wildcard; play the second-place Lightning this week so have an opportunity to enter the top 2 - Ever since beating their fellow barristers Darryls haven't lost a game
z Justice	Pts	1125	Bad News	Although playing the Lightning is an opportunity to enter the top 2, a loss could exit them from the top 4
z TD's	22	5-4-0	Good News	Actually had a good week scoring 140 but just got unlucky with the matchup and lost their game; 3rd in conference points 7th overall; clinch at least a wildcard - Play the Aggravators this week and early line has them 39-point favorites
z TD's	Pts	1148	Bad News	Even though they earn a VP in the loss, still drop from the pinnacle of the top tier 3 positions to the bottom of the tier
Middle Tier
Downtowners	20	5-4-0	Good News	Break a two game slide with a key 4VP victory over the top team raising them 1 position in the standings and putting them within striking distance of all 4 top tier positions; have the highest efficiency rating in the East and 1 of just 2 teams in the league in the 90 percentile; 2nd in conference points 6th overall - Still a lot of good news for a team not in the top tier but not for a team second in conference points
Downtowners	Pts	1158	Bad News	Westbrook maybe
Commish East	18	5-3-1	Good News	Have a 6VP lead for a wildcard with just 2 weeks remaining
Commish East	Pts	947	Bad News	Coming off back to back weekly lows of 86 and 84 points; 2 weeks may be too many to hold onto a wildcard and have to play the leading T Bones this week - Oh the humanities!
Syndicate	17	4-5-0	Good News	Mendenhall's big rushing night thwarts their Monday night comeback effort leaving them 116-112 short of a victory, but in a very high scoring week at least earn 1VP - Don't lose any ground in the standings and actually pick up 1VP to the bottom tier so looking good for a least a wildcard at 5VP ahead of 9th
Syndicate	Pts	1075	Bad News	Have to play a tough Downtowners team this week and a loss probably ends their bye hopes
Darryls	14	3-6-0	Good News	Except for the close game because the T Bones ripped them up 171-111, like the Syndicate also lose, earn 1VP, and gain 1VP to the bottom tier
Darryls	Pts	992	Bad News	Unlike the Syndicate though they are just 2VP from oblivion not 5
Bottom Tier
Aggravators	12	3-5-1	Good News	With so many key players on a bye weren't expected to win but at least lose no ground in the standings and are just 2VP out with 2 to play - Get all key players back this week
Aggravators	Pts	921	Bad News	Need a win badly this week and schedule has them playing the third-place TD's and site says they should lose by 39
Twisted Helmets	12	3-6-0	Good News	Comeback stalls with a 0VP week but schedule is on their side with a game this week against the Darryls who are just 2VP ahead and occupying a wildcard position - Also the team directly above them has a very tough matchup so destiny seems to be in their own hands
Twisted Helmets	Pts	1028	Bad News	Just two NFL teams off this week but they actually have some bye issues and at a critical time
Legion of Doom	11	2-7-0	Good News	Won a close one over the Syndicate 116-112 to keep their hopes alive - The arithmetic at least is on their side at 3VP back with 2 games to go
Legion of Doom	Pts	984	Bad News	Play the average so must play fairly well or lose and can not afford a loss at this juncture

x = clinched top 2 y = clinched top 4 z = clinched wildcard

PFFL CENTRAL

Top Tier
z TnT	VP	W-L-T	Comments
	26	7-2-0	Good News	The longest winning streak in the league is now up to 6 as they spend their second straight week atop the Central; win despite being without top gun AP; earn a z-designation but at 6VP ahead of 5th at least 1 bye likely; have led the conference in points for 5 straight weeks; get AP back this week; have the 3rd highest efficiency rating in the league at just under 90% - A win over Reno this week would lock up 2 byes
	Pts	1174	Bad News	Site giving them little respect this week making them 8-point dogs - As feared Little Tommy's head continues to grow with each win and he now resides at the airport in one of the unused hangers
z SS Stoggies	24	6-3-0	Good News	Fourth-straight win has them at their highest position of the year and challenging the top spot just 2VP behind; earn a Z designation and go from 0 to 4VP ahead of the land without byes; solid points 2nd in conference 10th overall - A win this week should lock up at least 1 bye
z SS Stoggies	Pts	1114	Bad News	I really can't think of anything
z Reno	23	6-3-0	Good News	Back to back wins has them back in the top tier and for the first time in third so they have now occupied at one time or another all four top tier spots; 3VP from the top but just 1VP from 2nd and two byes; points are solid at 3rd and so are their winnings pulling down 2 firsts and 2 seconds on the year - Guaranteed at least a wildcard but win this week could vault them to 1st
z Reno	Pts	1098	Bad News	Site has them favored over TnT this week but they are still playing the top team in the standings and points
Cleantown	20	6-3-0	Good News	Didn't earn a z designation but at 7VP ahead with just 2 weeks to go will eventually - Had a 0VP cushion over 5th, earn 0VP, but stay in the top tier
Cleantown	Pts	1039	Bad News	0VP week drops them out of the top 2 and takes them from 3 to 6VP from first
Middle Tier
JR's Boys	20	6-3-0	Good News	Not in the top tier but 7VP ahead of the bottom and tied in VP with 4th
JR's Boys	Pts	1031	Bad News	The Boys were back in town but a 0VP week evicted them - Probably lost their chance at 1st
Boys of Autumn	19	5-4-0	Good News	After a 2 game slide, big 4VP win lifts them 1 position in the standings and gives them a 6VP separation from the bottom; at just 1VP from the top once again competing for the byes; earned a second weekly first - Even with Portis putting up a 0 scored 146 points
Boys of Autumn	Pts	1060	Bad News	Not much here except Portis maybe
Pretty Kitty Central	19	5-4-0	Good News	Earned just 1VP the last two weeks but still 6vp ahead of the have-nots and just 1VP from a bye - Play the 4th place team so have some control over their own destiny
Pretty Kitty Central	Pts	1037	Bad News	Two straight losses have dropped them from 3rd to 7th and taken away any chance for the top spot
Little Johnny's	14	3-6-0	Good News	Third straight win breaks them out of the bottom tier for the first time this year via a dramatic Monday night come-from-behind 132-130 win over the Warriors: Down 21 going into Monday their escape from Alcatraz rested with Hines Ward. Ward's leap over a defender for a touch down late in the game enabled them to escape to freedom for the first time in 2009 - Actually 5th in points so no fluke
Little Johnny's	Pts	1046	Bad News	Could all be behind them but Slaton is a concern
Bottom Tier
Nasty Aggravators	13	3-6-0	Good News	Their Monday night comeback fell just short losing 137-131 but did at least earn a very important VP keeping them within 1VP of a wildcard - Play Little Johnny's this week so destiny completely in their own hands
Nasty Aggravators	Pts	983	Bad News	Fourth straight loss drops them from the right side to the wrong side of the tracks and now in a must win situation to cross back over - With 7th place 6VP away, it's probably 8th place or bust so must win now or destiny will probably be out of their hands in week 11
Smiley's Snipers	13	2-7-0	Good News	Held off a strong charge on Monday night by the Nasty Aggravators to snap a 6-game losing streak and keep their hopes alive; just 1VP from a wildcard - Play the last place team this week as a favorite
Smiley's Snipers	Pts	1023	Bad News	Just 1 VP from a wildcard but as the standings look right now there are 4 teams competing for the 8th spot and yes they are playing the last place team but the 9th and 8th teams play guaranteeing one a win - bottom line have to win their last 2 and still no guarantee because of the schedule
Weekend Warriors	12	2-7-0	Good News	At just 2VP back with 2 to play the arithmetic is still there for a wildcard - They play the team directly above them this week so still have some control over their destiny
Weekend Warriors	Pts	985	Bad News	Ward's leap on Monday night did some serious damage extending their losing streak to 5 and putting them in a very precocious position at the bottom of the conference with just 2 regular season weeks remaining - Have enough problems as it is right now and Westbrook looks like he could be another one

x = clinched top 2 y = clinched top 4 z = clinched wildcard

PFFL WEST

Top Tier
z Knockout Kings	VP	W-L-T	Comments
	26	6-2-1	Good News	Just their first loss in 5 weeks and do get the 1VP; lead was cut but still on top of the standings and still lead the conference in points; mathematically only clinch a wildcard but reality says at least 1 bye for sure; AP coming off his bye - Favored 33 over the sissies Pretty Kitty
	Pts	1218	Bad News	Not a knockdown but definitely took a hard overhand right when Brandon Marshall's 22 couldn't hold off J&J's Ward and Pit DEF Monday night giving the Kings their first setback in 5 weeks a 133-126 loss; in no danger of losing a bye but lead over 2nd cut to 1 and even 3rd is now in range at just 2VP back - May have an easy game on paper but will be without Schaub this week
z MNE	25	6-3-0	Good News	Took advantage of the Kings slip with a big 4VP win pulling them to within 1 of the top spot; lead the league in PP the only team with more than 1400 potential points and just an 83.5 efficiency rating so could easily be leading the league in points, as is are 3rd overall - Schedule has them playing the 9th place B&B this week and the KO Kings in week 11 so destiny totally in their own hands to win the #1 ranking in the West
z MNE	Pts	1183	Bad News	Archibald is right behind them
z Archie's	24	5-4-0	Good News	Brought the average to its knees with a new single week high of 197 for their second straight win and no they couldn't have broken 200 because they had a 100% rating; only team to have 2 Team of the Week Honors; took over the lead in conference points and are now the new #1 overall leader; lead in 4 of the 5 leader board categories including weekly winnings; didn't move up in the standings but pulled within 2 of the leader and 1VP to 2nd; continue to lead the league in coaching efficiency at 93.5%, more than a full point higher than the league record of 92.2 set in 2007 - And they play Commish West this week who is actually considering a forfeit
z Archie's	Pts	1228	Bad News	Have Andre Johnson off this week but considering their opponent it really doesn't matter
Irish Talbots	21	4-4-1	Good News	Don't advance in the standings but solid 3VP win maintains their 3VP lead over the next tier; winnings are solid second to Archie's in the West and 3rd overall in the league - Don't have a z next to their name because arithmetic has tunnel vision but if they win may get a y
Irish Talbots	Pts	1111	Bad News	Lost 1 VP to the top 2 so 2 byes will be harder to come by now and 1 bye still unsecured
Middle Tier
French River	18	5-4-0	Good News	Also don't advance in the standings with a 3VP win so stay 3 back of a bye but double their advantage over the bottom to 4VP so looking real good for at least a wildcard
French River	Pts	1074	Bad News	Dan and Craig have accused Kevin of rooting harder for the Irish Talbots which he is also a part of because they are doing better
J&J	17	5-4-0	Good News	Big come-from-behind upset win over the #1 KO Kings pulls them farther from the brink taking them from 1 to 3vp away; schedule in their favor for a wildcard anyway - Still have a good shot at a bye but must beat French River this week first
J&J	Pts	994	Bad News	No real bad news unless they lose and all the underdogs win
Brookline	16	4-5-0	Good News	Came up big with a second-place 153-point effort to rocket them from the middle of the bottom tier to 7th and playoff eligibility - Another 4VP win next week would even give them a shot at a bye in week 11
Brookline	Pts	984	Bad News	Only if they lose and even then only if the teams below win
Pretty Kitty West	15	4-5-0	Good News	Lost 3 in a row but still above the cut line and all 3 teams below them have tough games - Will have their newly acquired Stephen Jackson available to them this week
Pretty Kitty West	Pts	962	Bad News	Have averaged just 98 points in their 3 game skid putting them on the edge of disaster right at crunch time - And now must play the top team KO Kings
Bottom Tier
B&B	14	4-5-0	Good News	Had a nice 3-game run before this loss and still just 1VP from a birth - Get some key players back from a bye this week so will at least be at full strength the final 2 critical weeks
B&B	Pts	954	Bad News	Loss breaks their momentum and slides them back into the mire where they will have a hard time getting out of against the #2 team MNE this week
Rounder 17	13	3-6-0	Good News	Manning and some great WRs give them a chance at a big week at any time; below the cut line but by just 2VP with 2 weeks to go so plenty of time and opportunity - Play the average this week so looking at the positive side of this will be rewarded for a good week regardless
Rounder 17	Pts	979	Bad News	Five weeks ago were in first but 5 straight losses have landed them in the root cellar - Defending champion has their work cut out for them if they want to repeat
Commish West	11	3-6-0	Good News	Had their best week of the year 127 points
Commish West	Pts	921	Bad News	Still lost

x = clinched top 2 y = clinched top 4 z = clinched wildcard

PFFL Information		League Leaders
Week 10 Byes	NYG, Hou	Total Points	Archie's	1228
Free Agency	Tue Noon thru Fri 8pm	Power Rank	MNE	36.46
Next Calendar Event	Trading Deadline Sunday, Nov. 22	Coaching	Archie's	93.5
Next Calendar Event	Trading Deadline Sunday, Nov. 22	High Week	Archie's - wk 9	197
Weekly Meetings	Every Wed Evening	Weekly Winnings	Archie's

PFFL STUFF

The Score: The action was explosive in week 9 putting out the year's highest and the league's fourth highest weekly average of 128. The Central really blew up with a 135 point average, a score that would win most games by itself. The East was no slouch at 128 and the Wild West was tame comparatively at 121. The highest weekly league average ever recorded was 135 in week 2 of 2007. The Central was just 1 point shy of the highest single conference average of 136. The 136 mark was reached 4 times actually; three times by the now defunct South and once by the West all in 2007. The 2009 yearly average rose nearly a point and a half to 117.1. After a slow start the current average is now up to the previous three-year average of 117.

Point of Rule: This is information for all to take note for future reference: In IC Lightning's attempt to pick up two players in this weeks waivers, they attempted to drop both their kickers. Their intention was to then trade for a kicker but the problem arose in their second request. The system blocked it because it would leave them without a kicker at the time. It is a written rule that has been in place for many years and is programmed into the website software that teams must maintain a starting lineup at all times. The system allows teams to go over the roster limit temporarily as a result of a trade but will not allow it in waivers and will not allow any transaction that will result in a team going under the minimum amount of players at any position. If the trade would have been executed before waivers the maneuver would have been possible.

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 East absolutely stinks against the average. With yet another loss they are once again assured of a losing record against the No Names. Both other conferences have winning records but the East is 3-6 with two games to go.

● Just a quick note about the xyz designations in reference to clinching a playoff birth. Only pure arithmetic is considered in assigning the designations; the schedule, total points and common sense are not, so reading between the lines is recommended.

● The NFL t bye

● The Trading Deadline

● The 1972 Miami Dolphins may have been perfect but their opponents were anything but. Their regular season opponents had an overall winning percentage of .375, one of the lowest percentages in history. They also barely got by their playoff opponents.

● There are Two (2) regular season games remaining.

Total Point Rankings
Rk	Franchise	PF
1	Archie's	1228
2	Knockout Kings	1218
3	MNE	1183
4	T Bones	1176
5	TnT	1174
6	Downtowners	1158
7	TD's	1148
8	IC Lightning	1143
9	Justice	1125
10	SS Stoggies	1114
11	Irish Talbots	1111
12	Reno	1098
13	Syndicate	1075
14	French River	1074
15	Boys of Autumn	1060
16	Little Johnny's	1046
17	Cleantown	1039
18	Pretty Kitty Central	1037
19	JR's Boys	1031
20	Twisted Helmets	1028
21	Smiley's Snipers	1023
22	J&J	994
23	Darryls	992
24	Weekend Warriors	985
25	Legion of Doom	984
26	Brookline	984
27	Nasty Aggravators	983
28	Rounder 17	979
29	Pretty Kitty West	962
30	B&B	954
31	Commish East	947
32	Aggravators	921
33	Commish West	921
	Average	1057