Pittsburgh Franchise Football League 2011 News & Notes

Week 13

 

PFFL 2011 Postseason

WEEK 14 - Second Round Playoffs / Round 3 Consolation Tournament

The #1 and #2 seeds in each conference now play the first round winners. The first round playoff losers compete in the third round of the Consolation Tournament. 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 seeds, byes, and matchups of the postseason can be found in the Playoff Formats page and the postseason brackets Playoff Brackets  CT Brackets

The 12 Remaining Teams of the 2011 PFFL Playoffs Ranked by Total Points

Point Rank Team Rank/Franchise VP W-L-T PF PB Max PF PP PA PWR Eff 1 1 Cleantown 30 6-4-1 1752 0 185 1949 1372 34.98 89.9% 2 1 Bid 66 Bandits 33 8-3-0 1746 0 172 2011 1371 37.66 86.8% 3 2 Schleprock 31 7-4-0 1728 18 166 1941 1356 35.49 89.0% 4 1 Park Valley 33 8-3-0 1719 0 167 1975 1338 36.06 87.0% 5 3 Brookline 29 7-4-0 1697 49 177 1965 1285 34.50 86.4% 6 2 Cousins Mc 29 7-4-0 1684 68 169 1914 1286 33.99 88.0% 7 2 Arnie's Army 32 8-2-1 1650 69 162 1800 1233 34.40 91.7% 8 5 Capital 28 7-4-0 1638 114 158 1848 1330 33.34 88.6% 9 3 Dego's R Us 29 7-4-0 1627 125 143 1790 1313 33.02 90.9% 10 4 Detroit Lions 27 8-3-0 1578 168 151 1808 1149 34.19 87.3% 11 4 H Hammers 24 6-5-0 1547 172 162 1892 1289 32.37 81.8% 12 8 Sharks 20 6-5-0 1514 205 160 1691 1312 28.74 89.5%   Playoff Team Average 1657               League Average 1552

PFFL Second Round Matchups
East
#1 Cleantown vs. #5 Capital
Bye	The first half of the year Cleantown was the clear #1 team in the league. They averaged 155 points a week and pulled in two firsts, one a TOTW and three seconds in the first six weeks. The second half was night to the first day averaging just 117 and that includes their 166 in week 12. They actually averaged 106 the final five regular season weeks but as you well know still won the #1 seed. How the hell did they do that? But I digress as I am inclined to do when discussing this team. With Forte out they may need more of what ever it was that got them the #1 seed with all those loses. Their opponent already had the RB advantage and Brees gives them the clear QB advantage so they will have to rely on what got them here in the first place, their WRs. There they do have a decisive advantage. And they will need to exploit that advantage heavily with a RB core of CJ Spiller and Beanie Wells against SF of all things. But does it really matter with this team? If they can win the #1 seed without a win in their last five games they can certainly win without Forte. They probably lost him on purpose as if to say we can beat you with one hand tied behind our backs. But again I digress... With a 97.9 rating Capital got every ounce of potential out of their squad and at the same time catch an up and down IC Lightning team on one of their downs. The Lightning's superior WRs did their job but just 10 points from the RB position compared to Capital's 50 was the difference. Injuries have ruled this season and McFadden's injury  helped rule out the Lightning. Rice and Brees are the key to Capital's team but Gerhart gave them a 21 point lift this week helping them advance to the second round. Cleantown will be without Forte but their WRs alone are good enough to carry them. They may need Gerhart to come through again so they need to hope AP isn't ready to come back because they don't have AP and they have nothing of note to replace Gerhart. The circumstances of injury and schedule actually favor Capital this week but considering their opponent is maybe the greatest enigma team of all time, no way I predict against them. Previous Meeting Week 10: Capital 133 - Cleantown 109   YTD Starter Points by Position Team QB RB WR/TE K DEF Total #1 Cleantown 282 425 812 125 108 1752 #5 Capital 350 536 521 118 113 1638
5 Capital 143 4 IC Lightning 116
#2 Cousins Mc vs. #3 Degos R Us
Bye	This is a team that has spent the entire season in the top four and a good bit of that in second but because of all the attention that has been going Cleantown's way, they have gone mostly unnoticed. But any team with Aaron Rodgers shouldn't go unnoticed as every one who has him is competing this week in the playoffs. Obviously with him they get the clear advantage at QB as the chart below indicates. The chart also shows a slight WR advantage but if Andre Johnson had been Andre Johnson all year it would be more than slight; but since that's not the case we will sort of wash the position. Where it seems Cuz is vulnerable is RB. The chart shows a clear advantage to the Degos and if it weren't for the injury to McFadden that made Bush a valuable commodity, it would even be worse. But as usual they will be relying on Rodgers and his 30 point average and if the rest can at least modestly contribute, they have an excellent chance of advancing. Not sure why they are carrying four defenses but considering their opponent has Baltimore it really doesn't matter which one they use. An injury can determine who wins or loses at any time and there were two key injuries in the Degos round 1 game of note. Taking a zero at any position is costly but when it's a RB it's especially dangerous. Starks leaving early before he could contribute even one point gave the Syndicate an opening to exploit. But for the second straight week in the middle of what looked to ultimately be another possible monster game, the Syndicate lose Kevin Smith to injury. They got away with it in the wildcard round just barely with a one-point win but the Degos Chris Johnson's second straight big week didn't allow it this time. The way Smith was racking up points you have to believe the Syndicate may have won and probably easily if he plays the entire game. After a slow start the Degos have been red hot the second half of the season corresponding to the surging of Reggie Bush and the resurgence of CJ2K. If they both continue to produce they will have an excellent chance to advance and if they do it just might come down to Romo. If he can off set Rodgers with a big day of his own, advantage goes to the Gumbas. Previous Meeting Week 1: Cousins Mc 159 - Degos R Us 131   YTD Starter Points by Position Team QB RB WR/TE K DEF Total #2 Cousins Mc 377 383 656 144 124 1684 #3 Degos R Us 256 513 579 121 158 1627
6 Syndicate 115 3 Dego's R Us 125
Third Round East CT Matchups #4 IC Lightning vs. #10 Midquippa  -  #6 Syndicate vs. #7 Commish West
Central
#1 Park Valley vs. #8 Sharks
Bye	Lots of factors involved in fantasy success but all of it rolled up into one is simply called things just going your way. The Valley slip into the top spot on the final day because of Arnie losing thereby drawing the worst team in the playoffs (nothing personal here Franklin it's just you have the least points of all the remaining playoff teams). Even recent injuries to other team's players have strengthened their roster with players like Barber now becoming relevant and even Victor Cruz getting more action with Manningham out. A lot of things have to go your way to win a championship. I have never seen a team enduring misfortune win it all. Never. Part of that things going your way is the matchups in a particular week. Good teams have become mediocre when their matchups are bad. The Sharks have Brees and he has been carry them but not only does the Valley have Rodgers, their matchups this week are good and the Sharks' suspect at best. Barring a sudden onslaught of misfortune, the Valley should advance here and easily. The Sharks have certainly been the Cinderella story of the year. We have said it seems they are doing it with mirrors but this week at least they did it with a lot of points. Below the league average in points they still manage a winning record and get into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. Once in the playoffs their below average players like Shonn Greene decide to start playing with 32 point outbursts. The reality of the playoffs or any game for that matter is any given Sunday. Can the Sharks continue beating the odds. Well the stats and even worse the matchups don't favor them this week but they probably didn't favor them the last two weeks either. The odds say no but no way am I counting you totally out Franklin.  Previous Meeting Week 2: Sharks 114 - Park Valley 92   YTD Starter Points by Position Team QB RB WR/TE K DEF Total #1 Park Valley 379 400 669 120 151 1719 #8 Sharks 350 431 500 108 125 1514
8 Sharks 160 3 JR's Boys 116
#2 Arnie's Army vs. #4 H Hammers
Bye	The Army didn't lose a bye in their week 11 loss that cost them the #1 ranking, but it did lose them a game with the lowest ranked team. Instead of playing the Sharks, a team whose total points are not just under the playoff team average but under the league average as well, they get Tom Brady and the Hammers this week. But maybe it's a blessing in disguise. The Hammers have some injury issues and just got by their week 13 opponent by 6 points. Anyone with Brady is always dangerous but if AP remains on the bench and Kevin Smith doesn't play, they may be better off playing them than a red hot #8 ranked Sharks team. But if AP does come back and Smith who has shown the capability of huge games if he stays on the field is able to play, that week 11 loss could come back to haunt them. I'm sure the Hammers were regretting leaving Kevin Smith on the bench even after he got hurt because before he left he had 20 points. But they didn't regret it for long because it actually had no bearing on the outcome of the game as would have any moves the TD's would have made different from what they did. This was just a closely fought game that ended up in their column. They now get the Army and Ray Rice. They counter with Brady but the intangible here is Kevin Smith. In theory if projected out for four full quarters at the rate he was scoring he is the #1 back in the league. Of course it's theory because he hasn't played enough to truly be judged. The WR edge goes to the Army here but it's hard to handicap this game because it's hard to know who is playing or who these two teams will even choose to play. I will say this: If AP is healthy and plays and Smith plays also, I think the Hammers win. And if Smith plays four quarters, they win easy. Previous Meeting Week 5: Arnie's Army 112 -  H Hammers 96   YTD Starter Points by Position Team QB RB WR/TE K DEF Total #2 Arnie's Army 279 574 549 116 132 1650 #4 H Hammers 337 480 473 127 130 1547
7 TD's 121 4 H Hammers 127
Second Round Central CT Matchups #3 JR's Boys vs. #11 Snake & Shake  -  #7 TD's vs. #9 Bartertown
West
#1 Bid 66 Bandits vs. #4 Detroit Lions
Bye	Nobody realizes yet but this is probably the new #1 team in the league. They don't have Rodgers but they have the next best thing in Cam Newton who is just a couple points a week behind. Their shrewd bartering has acquired arguably the best RB corps in the league in Foster, MJD and Helu; yes Helu. If Shanahan stops the shenanigans and continues using him the way he has the past two weeks, he is a guarantee 25 or more points a week. MJD gets the ball more than any other RB in the league and whose better than Foster. Their WR corps is solid enough also especially if they only have to play 3 because they can play 3 RBs. They don't get a pushover this week as the Lions have some players also but it's the Lions that get the bad draw here. The Lions were actually down 18 going into Monday night and although they had 3 players left, 18 points still have to be earned. Considering Ryan Mathews alone covered the 18 we'll move on. We remarked last week they would need a good game from McCoy and of course they got one. When did he have a bad one this year? Well I do have to say they get an unlucky draw because no team has been better than the Bandits  in the second half of the season. The last six weeks they have averaged 146 points, by far the most of any team in any conference. If the Bandits don't go ballistic which their players are capable of, the Lions have enough good players to upset. I do believe they will need a big game from Fitz to stay competitive however. Previous Meeting Week 1: Bid 66 Bandits 150 - Detroit Lions 110   YTD Starter Points by Position Team QB RB WR/TE K DEF Total #1 Bid 66 Bandits 329 597 513 162 145 1746 #4 Detroit Lions 249 519 569 116 125 1578
6 B&B 120 4 Detroit Lions 143
#2 Schleprock vs. #3 Brookline
Bye	About a month ago the things we are now saying about the Bandits we were saying about Schleprock. But since then we found out that McFadden may not be ready, Kevin Smith can't stay on the field that is if he even gets on the field this week, and Miles Austin is unsure to play and even if he does his effectiveness is in question with Robinson added to the mix. They do have Brees but although it's not a huge gap, they still have to concede the position because of Rodgers. The chart shows them at least with the RB advantage but not really with their injuries and Brookline has a great matchup for Lynch against St. Louis so forget what the chart shows unless Kevin Smith plays and plays the whole game anyway. And that brings us to the WR position and as you can see below, that is Brookline's strength. As they say that was then and this is now and now will be determined by who does and doesn't play this week. After three straight sub-100 point games and a drop out of the top two, Brookline once again showed what they are capable of blowing out the Snipers with a 164-point explosion. Shonn Greene finally earned his keep, Rodgers did what he normally does, and Lynch has proven to be a very valuable commodity these days. We don't expect Greene to put up 32 points again but against the Rams Lynch probably will. And Calvin Johnson gets to go up against Minnesota's pass defense rated last in the NFL. Between Schleprock's injury problems and their good matchups, all you need now is a Maclin return to Brookline's lineup to make a clear cut favorite. But I will reiterate: if Kevin Smith plays and plays the whole game, all bets are off - on Brookline anyway. Previous Meeting Week 7: Brookline 146 - Schleprock 123   YTD Starter Points by Position Team QB RB WR/TE K DEF Total #2 Schleprock 325 671 518 88 126 1728 #3 Brookline 387 383 708 128 91 1697
8 Smiley's Snipers 129 3 Brookline 164
Second Round West CT Matchups #5 Irish Talbots vs. #9 Archie's  -  #6 B&B vs. #8 Smiley's Snipers

Sandlot Defending League Champion M4

Welcome to the 2nd season of the PFFL Sandlot League

 

PFFL Stuff

The Score: There was some serious point scoring going on for the first round of the playoffs. The week's 129.3 average was the second highest of this year and high enough to beat the high week in three of the last five years. The surge upped the years average close to a full point. The year will surely end above the previous 5-year average and has a good chance of topping 2007's record high of 120.1. Week 13 Year Beginning East Central West Overall 2011 5-Year Ave 130 130 128 129.3 119.4 116.9 ● Reminder: Thursday games the rest of the year except week 17. ● NOTE: The Free Agency Deadline has passed. All Rosters are locked for the remainder of the year.  ● Cleantown's 6-4-1 record is the lowest win total of a #1 seed ever. More than once 7 wins have earned the #1 seed but never less than 7 until now. ● Aaron Rodgers current weekly scoring average is 30.2. In the current 6 year scoring system no player has ever averaged 30 or above for a season. LT came close in 2006 with 29.8. I can guarantee whoever had him that year made the playoffs because he put up 40 or more points in five of the last six regular season weeks that year. Rodgers has had just one week over 40, a 51 in week 4; but Rodgers has been the epitome of consistency. While LT had four sub 20 point games, Rodgers so far has none and his worst week was 24 in week 2.   ● Of the 12 teams remaining in the PFFL Playoffs, four are new and two of those four are PFFL rookies. There has never been a repeat champion in the PFFL and it seems that will not change this year as no former championship teams remain in the running. And it's not just hard to repeat but also hard to even repeat round 2 appearance. Just two of the 12 remaining playoff teams were in the final 12 last year: Park Valley and Schleprock. ● It's been well established that a high draft position carries no advantage over any other but this year it seems picking high in the order was the way to go. Five of the 6 teams with the first or second picks in this year draft are amongst the remaining 12 playoff teams while none of the 6 teams with the last two picks made it this far.     Good Luck To the Remaining 12!

League Total Point Rankings Rk Franchise PF 1 1 Cleantown 1752 2 1 Bid 66 Bandits 1746 3 2 Schleprock 1728 4 1 Park Valley 1719 5 7 TD's 1710 6 3 Brookline 1697 7 2 Cousins Mc 1684 8 2 Arnie's Army 1650 9 5 Capital 1638 10 4 IC Lightning 1627 11 3 Dego's R Us 1627 12 4 Detroit Lions 1578 13 8 Smiley's Snipers 1574 14 7 Commish East 1564 15 9 Bartertown 1561 16 5 Irish Talbots 1555 17 6 Syndicate 1554 18 3 JR's Boys 1553 19 4 H Hammers 1547 20 9 Archie's 1535 21 12 Twisted Helmets 1532 22 8 T Bones 1526 23 11 Snake & Shake 1521 24 8 Sharks 1514 25 6 TnT 1510 26 10 Midquippa 1487 27 5 Frannie's Train 1452 28 6 B&B 1448 29 7 MNE 1443 30 10 Little Johnny & Will's 1440 31 11 French River 1431 32 10 Endzonerz 1419 33 11 Weekend Warriors 1412 34 12 Commish West 1408 35 12 Nasty Aggravators 1378 36 9 The Jolly Roger 1362   Average 1552

PFFL Defending League Champion Snake & Shake

Welcome to the 20th Season of the PFFL!