Pittsburgh Franchise Football League 2011 News & Notes

Week 2

 

Around the League

PFFL East Standings

Franchise VP W-L-T PF PB Max PF PP PA PWR Eff Strk Commish East 8 2-0-0 292 27 147 334 238 33.87 87.4% W2 Cleantown 7 2-0-0 319 0 185 334 232 37.92 95.5% W2 Cousins Mc 7 2-0-0 297 22 159 313 210 34.80 94.9% W2 Syndicate 7 2-0-0 278 41 148 326 237 32.89 85.3% W2                       IC Lightning 5 1-1-0 303 16 191 334 241 32.98 90.7% W1 T Bones 4 1-1-0 268 51 166 290 318 27.19 92.4% W1 Capital 4 1-1-0 262 57 136 319 274 30.66 82.1% L1 Midquippa 3 1-1-0 243 76 137 283 248 25.80 85.9% L1                       Nasty Aggravators 1 0-2-0 233 86 133 301 272 23.09 77.4% L2 Dego's R Us 1 0-2-0 225 94 131 258 350 23.60 87.2% L2 The Jolly Roger 1 0-2-0 208 111 129 261 274 23.96 79.7% L2 Weekend Warriors 0 0-2-0 230 89 130 282 264 21.93 81.6% L2

PFFL East Week 3
#1 Commish East vs. #11 The Jolly Roger
Commish East 145 Capital 126	Not only was winning the game after losing Jamaal Charles with just 2 points scored fortunate, but winding up in first place at the end of the day was kind of out of the blue. But as they say, I'll take it! I don't think this team can stay on top after losing its first-round pick but add in injuries to Romo, Austin and Manningham, just winning another game looks like a real challenge. Cam Newton was doing nothing but taking down the teams efficiency rating but now it looks like he may be the only hope this team has if Romo is out this week. The Jolly Roger may have lost a close one in week 1 but this past week's 79 should give the injury riddled Commish East at least some hope. But before they get their hopes too high that 79 was put up without their #1 back in the game Stephen Jackson and a surprising zero out of Gates. Now considering Jackson should play this week and they even have Charles' backup McCluster they can play, those hopes start to look more like hopeless for Commish. This early in the year a #11 ranking isn't usually as bad as it sounds but with all that is going wrong with their opponent, their #1 ranking is definitely not as good as it sounds.
Cousins Mc 138 The Jolly Roger 79
#2 Cleantown vs. #9 Nasty Aggravators
Cleantown 134  Weekend Warriors 130	After a 185-point week 1 Cleantown comes back to Earth a bit this week with just a 3VP win. If they could have managed three more points it would have been another 4VP and the #1 ranking. But that would have been asking more than a 94.4 rating for the week from the league leader in efficiency rating so lets not get too greedy, because 5 points less gives them just 1 VP on the week. By contrast this week they play the team with the worst efficiency rating in the East. The Aggravators are 0-2 but the 2 in the Coulda Won column suggests they could be 2-0. I would think the worst efficiency rating in the East 77.4 has something to do with the 0-2 start. They should at least be 1-1 losing a bad one in week 1 106-100 with a 76.3 rating in the game. Two weeks in a row their choice of Roethlisberger over Stafford has contributed to the low rating and in part to a winless start. They now play the best team in the league in coaching. If they want to avoid an 0-3 start they will have to make better choices this week.
T Bones166 Nasty Aggravators 133
#3 Cousins Mc vs. #5 IC Lightning
IC Lightning 191 Degos R Us 94	It seems the beating IC Lightning took from the current #1 team in the East Commish East in the opening game fired them up to the point of a Team of the Week Honor and the current highest week of the year of 191 points this week. In fact the total destruction they endured at the hands of the current #1 team in the East Commish East infuriated them so much it carried over to the Sandlot League where they put up even more points almost hitting the 200 mark with 199. It's a shame they can't get annihilated by Commish East every week to inspire more good play. I guess Cousins Mc are lucky their opponents this week are not coming off the week where the #1 team in the East Commish East totally dismantles them hence inspiring them to do better. And I guess it's a shame that we only play each team once so IC Lightning doesn't get a chance to revenge the drubbing that was handed them in week 1 by the current #1 team in the East Commish East! Why, you ask Vincent? - because I can... The Cousins are off to a fast start in the East thanks in part to back to back mid-90 percentile coaching efforts. After two solid games they are currently third in East scoring and get matched up this week with the team second in East scoring. But which IC Lightning team will show up is the question. The Lightning had basically the same players in week 1's 112 points as week 2's 191. The site has made the Lightning an early favorite but if Vincent posts the above paragraph on his team's bulletin board it could be a long day for the Mc.
Cousins Mc 138 Jolly Roger 79
#4 Syndicate vs. #6 T Bones
Syndicate 148 Midquippa 137	Last year the Syndicate had no problem scoring points but had the misfortune of being the team with the most points scored against. This year so far their opponents' points haven't been a problem resulting in a nice 2-0 start. But just as things finally seem to be going right, there it is: The reason Michael Vick didn't get drafted in the first round was his propensity for getting hurt and it didn't take him long at all. It will be tough to go 3-0 if he doesn't play this week. The Bones made up for a 0VP opening week with a 166-point 4VP rebound. Whatever, who cares. Does anyone know what a 302 petition is? It is an involuntary evaluation and treatment to a psychiatric unit in a community hospital. We have been reading his message board rants for years and we do nothing. Don't you think it's time we act? Here, just read his latest post Phil in the East and you tell me if I'm out of line. If you can understand it then maybe you need a 302 too.
T Bones 166 Nasty Aggravators 133
#7 Capital vs. #10 Degos R Us
Commish East 145 Capital 126	Capital opened their inaugural season in the PFFL with a bang earning all 4VP in week 1 but failed to earn even a single point in the second week. The split has them currently in the middle of the conference. Most likely they stay in the middle tier with a win or loss this week but a win will set up a chance to move into the top tier while a loss will do just the opposite. This is also the Dego's inaugural season in the league but unlike their opponent they are still looking for their first win. It's still early in the year but another loss will put them in an early hole. It had no bearing on the outcome of the game, but not sure why they benched Chris Johnson. You don't see someone's #1 pick, especially one picked with the 2nd pick in the draft, get benched that often.
IC Lightning 191 Dego's R Us 94
#8 Midquippa vs. #12 Weekend Warriors
Syndicate 148 Midquippa 137	Midquippa opens the year 1-1 but their one victory in week 1 earned just 2VP. They now sit on the fence in 8th, the cut off line for the playoffs. Obviously a win is desirable but the standings are such a loss doesn't necessarily put them across the line. The Warriors had a bad week 1 but were kind of unlucky in week 2 losing by just four points. As the only team in the East, and the entire league actually, without a VP point, needless to say they are desperate for a win.
Cleantown 134  Weekend Warriors 130

 

PFFL Central Standings

Franchise VP W-L-T PF PB Max PF PP PA PWR Eff Strk JR's Boys 7 2-0-0 275 24 144 410 245 39.68 67.1% W2 Sharks 5 2-0-0 234 65 120 264 177 24.40 88.6% W2 TnT 5 1-1-0 299 0 179 320 257 28.26 93.4% W1 H Hammers 5 1-1-0 255 44 132 301 270 30.87 84.7% L1                       TD's 4 1-1-0 271 28 149 297 284 28.71 91.2% L1 Arnie's Army 4 1-1-0 270 29 143 296 265 31.40 91.2% L1 Frannie's Train 4 1-1-0 264 35 179 277 242 26.72 95.3% W1 Little Johnny & Will's 4 1-1-0 263 36 158 301 292 26.91 87.4% W1                       Bartertown 4 1-1-0 257 42 150 279 250 26.93 92.1% W1 Park Valley 4 1-1-0 223 76 131 271 239 25.34 82.3% L1 Twisted Helmets 2 0-2-0 248 51 125 290 323 28.43 85.5% L2 Snake & Shake 1 0-2-0 247 52 125 297 262 25.02 83.2% L2

PFFL Central Week 3
#1 JR's Boys vs. #8 Little Johnny & Will's
JR's Boys 131 Snake & Shake 122	After a very successful 2010 campaign winning the PFFL Total Point Championship, the Boys are off to another great start in 2011. But should they be? Usually when a team has the worst Efficiency rating in the entire league (67.1) they are struggling. To the contrary they have the largest VP lead in the league. It has effected their point total however putting them 2nd in the Central and 11th overall. Part of the efficiency problem is Cam Newton which is understood but leaving Steve Smith also on the bench after his first week performance and now you see where the sub 70 rating comes from. So far it hasn't mattered in the win column or the standings as they sit at the top of the Central. After throwing up a zero in week 1 a solid 158 points and 4VP in week 2 lifts them from the bottom tier to 8th. This week's game will determine if they stay in the middle tier or drop back down. They can only hope their opponent this week leaves another pile of points on the bench because their potential points are off the charts.
Little Johnny & Will's 158 Arnie's Army 143
#2 Sharks vs. #5 TD's
Sharks 114 Park Valley 92	Some people call it doing it with mirrors other refer to it as being in the right place at the right time. I call it being lucky enough to have your first two opponents not break 100. Either way the Sharks are 2-0 and in second place with two below average scoring weeks. And they now get a team that will be without their #1 pick Foster and they don't have his backup either. Now I do need to mention that the Sharks also will be without their #1 Charles and I'm sorry to say not just for this week but the season. Now Fanklin, if you can continue this magic trick without Charles, you will impress me immensely. The TD's split their first two games and are positioned nicely in 5th. You could say they are fortunate to split those two considering they didn't have Foster in the first game and he played very little of the second. And it looks like they will be without him for the third. So you could again say they are fortunate to have their next game against a team with far fewer points than themselves. Maybe both these teams are doing it with mirrors but they both can't win this week.
Frannie's Train 179 TD's 122
#3 TnT vs. #9 Bartertown
TnT 179 Twisted Helmets 125	After losing what looked like a sure win going into Monday night in week 1 mainly because of the big night Brady had, they make sure this week throwing 179 at the Helmets. They are third in the standings but first in conference points. They used just three receivers last week but those three put up 95 points. Last year they battled JR's Boys all year for the top spot and unless the Sharks prove to be for real it looks like it may be those two again if they can win this week. Bartertown came over from the Sandlot League last year to now compete with the big boys. Although they split their first two games their points have them in the bottom tier. Like the TD's their first pick is holding them back. At least theirs is playing though but just not well. They will need Chris Johnson to pick it up if they want out of the bottom tier.
Bartertown 150 H Hammers 123
#4 H Hammers vs. #11 Twisted Helmets
Bartertown 150 H Hammers 123	The Hammers open up their 2011 campaign as one of 8 teams at 1-1 but also as two of the 8 in the top four. They sit in fourth, where they finished last year when they were in the East. Fourth isn't bad but I'm sure they would like to improve on that here in the Central. They now play a key game which they probably need to win to stay in the top four. Their opponent is currently ranked 11th but this early that doesn't mean much and the fact that they have just 7 more total points than their opponent exemplifies the point. The Helmets had a horrible year last year - in fact the entire Kevin Cody Consortium had a horrible year - but I digress. Finishing last in the East I guess they hoped a change in scenery may spark a revival but so far the Central hasn't been much kinder. Of course it is early and the standings order is very fluid this early but with just 2VP this game is kind of important.
TnT 179 Twisted Helmets 125
#6 Arnie's Army vs. #12 Snake & Shake
Little Johnny & Will's 158 Arnie's Army 143	How can you not root for this team. Everybody loves Arnie. At 1-1 sitting in the middle of the conference this is kind of a pivotal game for them - I wonder if Arnie knows they played Mark Sanchez two weeks in a row over Tony Romo? So far the defending champs move to the Central hasn't worked out very well. We have the debacle in the waivers along with a 1VP, 0-2, last-place start. But a closer look at their two losses reveals in-game injuries had a lot to do with those defeats. Could there really be a curse, or the fact that there hasn't been a repeat champion is just coincidence. They may have lost their first two games but they haven't lost their swagger as this latest comment on the message board reveals: "ok, me Badddd, week one we loose Keading on the 1st play of the season and loose a very close game. Week 2 we loose Vick in the 3rd, maybe we are snake bit, .. how many Championships you have ???" Well since this was a reply to a Bartertown post and the owner of Bartertown is Mickey I guess he could reply as many as you but the point is the defending champs aren't giving up. And if they win I wouldn't feel bad about beating Arnie's Army either because I don't think Arnie has anything to do with it.
JR's Boys 131 Snake & Shake 122
#7 Frannie's Train vs. #10 Park Valley
Frannie's Train 179 TD's 122	Frannie's Train may have wrecked in week 1 but they more than made up for it in week 2. Starting the week in dead last they made a five position move to 7th. Not only have they bolted out of the cellar but they are now just 1VP from the top tier. They now get a Park Valley team that hasn't shown much juice as yet so we could see a jump from the bottom to the top in just two weeks with another win. A Michael Vick injury may have saved them from going 0-2 but it couldn't save them from the bottom tier. Their team has been a two-man show so far with Rodgers and Calvin providing the muscle but they will need a few more producers if they don't want to dwell down here.
Sharks 114 Park Valley 92

PFFL West Standings

Franchise VP W-L-T PF PB Max PF PP PA PWR Eff Strk Archie's 8 2-0-0 289 0 154 330 226 37.51 87.6% W2 Schleprock 8 2-0-0 288 1 154 354 281 35.15 81.4% W2 Bid 66 Bandits 7 2-0-0 284 5 150 366 232 36.58 77.6% W2 Smiley's Snipers 5 1-1-0 262 27 138 314 252 30.91 83.4% L1                       Brookline 4 1-1-0 286 3 177 304 218 29.29 94.1% W1 Endzonerz 3 1-1-0 245 44 140 280 244 25.46 87.5% W1 MNE 3 1-1-0 231 58 117 291 263 25.33 79.4% L1 B&B 3 1-1-0 223 66 120 258 218 24.09 86.4% L1                       Detroit Lions 2 1-1-0 223 66 113 292 253 23.29 76.4% W1 Irish Talbots 2 0-2-0 262 27 153 320 289 29.11 81.9% L2 Commish West 2 0-2-0 234 55 122 274 272 24.05 85.4% L2 French River 1 0-2-0 232 57 128 264 311 23.64 87.9% L2

PFFL West Week 3
#1 Archie's vs. #9 Detroit Lions
Archie's 154 MNE 117	Archibald is off to maybe his best start ever leading the conference in both the standings and points. A Complete reversal of last year at this time when he was 0-2 with just 1VP and in last place. And he now gets a MNE team that will probably be without Michael Vick. But everything isn't perfect here. One of the main reasons they are where they are has already been ruled out for this week and maybe more. Miles Austin will be hard to replace but I must say they do have some interesting young prospects on their bench that might carry them through. The Lions are off to an inauspicious start at 1-1 and just under the cut line in 9th. Waiting to the 8th round to take your first QB can be a risky strategy but it can also pay off if you get the right QB. Josh Freeman was highly touted but so far he has been less than average ranked 22nd amongst all QBs. They will need Freeman to step it up or could be doomed to mediocrity. Mediocre teams can make the playoffs but they have never won a championship.
Detroit Lions 113 B&B 103
#2 Schleprock vs. #7 MNE
Schleprock 154 Irish Talbots 153	The difference between Schlelprock being 2-0 or 0-2 is 7 points. That's the difference in the scores of their first two games. On the positive side they did have more potential points than both of their first two opponents; and interestingly in their one-point win over the Talbots, both had about the same coaching rating and both had a player put up a zero. OK nobody won a championship without some good fortune. Right now they sit in a great spot at #2 with all 8VP earned and they play a team this week with 50 less points. Maybe more good fortune? Yes MNE was kind of fortunate to win their first game with just 114 points which was basically a 50/50 chance they win that week according to the other scores but that's about all that has gone right so far. Other than injuries the worst thing about this game is picking the wrong starters. Week 1 Blount gets 1 point and Felix Jones gets 15 but of course Jones is on the Bench. So week 2 they switch and of course just about the reverse happens. Don't you hate it when that happens! Well this week they not only play a lucky team but a good one who has outscored them by 25 each week so they better pick right.
Archie's 154 MNE 117
#3 Bid 66 Bandits vs. #6 Endzonerz
Bid 66 Bandits 134 Commish West 122	The Bandits have reversed last year's 0-2 start into an impressive 2-0 start for 2011. They can credit their second win to making the adjustment of actually putting Steve Smith in the starting lineup who gave a near repeat performance of week 1. Not everyone was convinced and made the move. They do have some adversity in the availability of Romo this week but a solid 3VP ahead of the middle tier does give them some breathing room if they lose. After a poor first week, last year's West Champions rebounded with a 3VP win that keeps them out of the bottom tier. Not sure if this was a rivalry game but it was a needed win for sure. The game did come down to Monday night as both players had two going and even though the Endzonerz lost Manningham, their 24-point lead going in was just too much for the Snipers to overcome. Bit of a crossroads game for them I would think as a loss could place them back in the last group.
Endzonerz 140 Smiley's Snipers124
#4 Smiley's Snipers vs. #10 Irish Talbots
Endzonerz 140 Smiley's Snipers124	I'm sure the Snipers were hoping for more than 10 points out of Nicks on Monday night but the comeback fell short leaving them with a split 1-1 record. Actually if they had pulled the game out they would probably still be in 4th place but just with another win. You have to give them credit for choosing Bradford over Manning in the game but they needed Nicks to come through with the big game which he didn't. They now get the #10th ranked Talbots but since their opponent has the same total points I don't think the ranking means anything in this game. This loss has to have the Talbots reeling. Yes if they play Devery Henderson instead of Burress they win easily but they didn't so they now have to dig out of an early hole. The good news is their points are strong and they can use Ben Tate again and this time he'll be in for the whole game as the starter. Now who do you think they play at WR this week?
Schleprock 154 Irish Talbots 153
#5 Brookline vs. #11 Commish West
Brookline 177 French River 104	Brookline could have used a few of those 177 last week. They are 1 win and 4VP behind the leader but they are right there in total points as just 5 points separate the top 4 scoring teams. It didn't matter last week but their one weakness seems to be they have no replacement for Knowshon Moreno. Then again it probably won't matter as they play Commish West this week. That team just can't win in this conference. With just 7 wins the past two years in the West, Commish West is becoming a perennial cellar dweller in this conference. The problem has been either injury or draft selections not panning out, but there are always dead players in their lineup resulting in weak scoring. This team is just too hard to handicap so we just label them the dog and move on.
Bid 66 Bandits 134 Commish West 122
#8 B&B vs. #12 French River
Detroit Lions 113 B&B 103	B&B had the early success last year but it looks like they will have to work a little harder at it this year. They let one get away this week with just 113 scored against them. I'm not blaming management because when you get just 13 points from CJ and DeSean Jackson, your not going to have a big day. The good news is those players are still capable of having a big day. The bad news is even though they play the last place team this week, they actually have less points than them. The good news for French Creek is somehow they were able to draft both Jamaal Charles and Stephen Jackson. The bad news is they drafted Jamaal Charles. But at least Jackson may play this week. Right now they sit in dead last and I don't think they will get many opportunities from here on out to play a team with less points so kind of a must game for them.
Brookline 177 French River 104

Sandlot Defending League Champion M4

Welcome to the 2nd season of the PFFL Sandlot League

 

PFFL Stuff

The Score: If week 1 was an indication of a high scoring year, week 2 is an indication of a record-breaking high scoring year. In the last five years only one week clocked in higher than this week and that was week 2 of 2007; and that week was just a tenth of a point higher (134.8) than this week. I don't know what's in the water this year but right now 2011's average is about 18 points higher than last year and just over 9 points higher than 2007's final record high of 134.8. Week 2 Year Beginning East Central West Overall 2011 5-Year Ave 135 136 133 134.7 129.3 116.9 ● Again the defending champion has changed conferences the year following their victory. That now makes four of the last five that have done this. ● The scary thing about the JR's Boys 67.1 efficiency rating is his potential points of 410. If he starts picking right every week no one will stop him from back to back Total Point Championships. ● The Dego's R Us start to season has been anything but pretty. They are ranked 32nd out of 36 in overall points and have had 350 points scored against them. By far the most in the league. That's a 175-point average they are playing against the first two weeks. The #1 team in the league has scored just 319 points. But to their credit they still have earned 1VP and have avoided the East cellar currently in 10th. ● It seems the byes don't start until week 5 this year and they now also extend to week 11. Last year they started in week 4 and ended in week 10. Another change there are no byes in week 10. The bottom line is last year had 7 weeks with byes, 5 with 4 teams off and 2 with 6 teams off. This year will have one less week of byes but more weeks with 6 teams off: this year will have 6 weeks with byes, 4 with 6 teams off and 2 with 4 teams off. I'm glad there are less weeks with byes but those 4 with 6 teams off will be rough. ● If you get a trade offer from Mickey (Syndicate, Bartertown or Bozo's Circus in the Sandlot League) do not accept the one with the invisible player. I don't think he really exists. ● After two weeks just 9 of the 36 teams have won both of their games. And although there are 8 without a victory, there is just 1 team without any VP.  ● The PFFL technical staff would like to personally thank Uri of the H Hammers for his computer assistance at the draft. I wrote it all down so we won't be bothering you next year. Thanks again! ● Regular Season Games Remaining: | 9 |

League Total Point Rankings Rk Franchise PF 1 Cleantown 319 2 IC Lightning 303 3 TnT 299 4 Cousins Mc 297 5 Commish East 292 6 Archie's 289 7 Schleprock 288 8 Brookline 286 9 Bid 66 Bandits 284 10 Syndicate 278 11 JR's Boys 275 12 TD's 271 13 Arnie's Army 270 14 T Bones 268 15 Frannie's Train 264 16 Little Johnny & Will's 263 17 Smiley's Snipers 262 18 Irish Talbots 262 19 Capital 262 20 Bartertown 257 21 H Hammers 255 22 Twisted Helmets 248 23 Snake & Shake 247 24 Endzonerz 245 25 Midquippa 243 26 Sharks 234 27 Commish West 234 28 Nasty Aggravators 233 29 French River 232 30 MNE 231 31 Weekend Warriors 230 32 Dego's R Us 225 33 Park Valley 223 34 Detroit Lions 223 35 B&B 223 36 The Jolly Roger 208   Average 259

PFFL Defending League Champion Snake & Shake

Welcome to the 20th Season of the PFFL!