Dateline…11/22/2005

Another week, another step in the….

After another week of fantasy football, the playoff picture became a little clearer. Most of the teams in the top 8 were headed in the right direction while some of those who were looking outside wanting to get in fell off the pace. It’s another example of what steps that are being taking to reinforce a team’s vie for PTL history and win the coveted <PTL Champion’s Trophy>.

Let’s take a look at how week 11 affected the playoff picture….

HP Lampshades

The 10-1Lampshades clinched a playoff birth with a 50+-point victory over the Lone Rangers. Once again the Lampshades not only looked the part but also acted the part. Although they still have 3 tough games against other playoff contenders they are now playing for seed and bracket position. It is likely, this team could influence which squads they play in the first round. We will most likely see them deep in the playoffs.

Raleigh Lightening

At 10-1, the Lightening were also able to make the playoffs with a victory over the very tough Onyx team. Like the Lampshades, they must still face its toughest competition and all playoff contenders and we expect to see the Lightning’s win streak end in the coming days. This team will be watching the top eight to see who will be their opponents in the playoffs.

Leviathans

At 9-2, the Leviathans are one win away from clinching a playoff birth. These creatures of the deep have swallowed another victim and are now looking to this week’s game against the INFERNO. The INFERNO has some serious QB issues and it is likely the sea monsters will extinguish the INFERNO flame. As the Leviathans progress, they have one challenge left in Your Daddy. Leviathans should enter the playoffs with at least an 11-3 record and will be a top seeded team.

8-3 Teams Your Daddy, Muddogs
Two of the 7-3 teams this week survived and are now mathematically two games from making the playoffs.

The Carolina Muddogs once again showed why they are one of PT’s finest and struck down the 7-4 Jagermeisters. The Muddogs are now one game ahead of their competition and have begun to separate themselves. With three of their lower scoring opponents on the horizon, the Muddogs should finish the season with a five game winning streak and at 11-3. Most likely they will be seeded third but could be seeded as high as first. They will most likely survive deep into the playoffs.

Your Daddy took a good step towards a playoff birth by knocking off another playoff contender in the Kryptonite. The game was probably closer than Your Daddy would have liked but in the end, Minnesota’s Defense was not good enough to stop Your Daddy. Your Daddy now faces two more playoff contenders in the Jurocks, who is one game behind Your Daddy, and the Leviathans, who is one game ahead of Your Daddy. This will make for a tough challenge but Your Daddy knows how to score points so they should not be scared of the competition. Worst Case scenario is that they reach the playoffs at 9-5 and make it in with point advantage. Should that be the case, their record is not indicative of their ability and their lower seed could help them go very deep into the playoffs.

7-4 Teams Jagermeisters, Jurocks, PT Bruisers, Tempered Onyx
The name of these four teams should strike horror into any PTL team. These teams have proven to be a menace to many of the PTL coaches as they have 26-5 record against lower ranked opponents and have managed to beat each other up and take two games from higher ranked opponents.

The Jagermeisters are coming off a tough loss against the Muddogs with their defense roster forgetting to show up for the game. If you don’t know the Jags own three of the defensive players that week-in and week-out are atop the league in points. The Jags have one more game against a playoff seeking Mtnears. The Mtnears can score a lot of points so the Jags must be on their A-game. It would not be a surprise to see the Jags finish their season with a 9-5 or 10-4 record. In either case, they are likely to enter the playoffs by virtue of record or point total.

The Jurocks are coming off a nice victory over the INFERNO. This has certainly helped their cause and prevented them from falling out of the playoff picture. This is also their third win in a row scoring with near or around 100pts. That being said, this week’s match up against Your Daddy could seal their fate. If they beat Your Daddy and continue to play 100pt ball they could finish 10-4 and cruise to the playoffs. If they lose then they will be 9-5 and be in the mix to make the playoffs by point totals. Jurocks no matter what must continue to score.

PT Bruisers are also coming off a nice win this week against the Go Bills team. They are in a similar position as they were last week with still needing to win to make the playoffs. The Bruisers are expected to win their game this week against the Lone Rangers. This means their record will now be 8-4 with two games remaining. At that point they will then face the two of the top three teams in consecutive weeks. Now more than ever point totals matter for them. Should they split the two games they will be 9-5 and fighting for one of the lower playoff spots. If they lose both games they will be 8-6 and may be outside looking in. This team needs some luck and some assistance to keep their hopes alive. Check back next week to see if their picture clears up.

The Tempered Onyx had a hell of a performance in week 11 except they had no QB. With McNabb out and Gus Ferrotte suffering a finger injury, they were not able to score points from the position. In the end, that factor may have cost them a playoff birth. It us our understanding that they have a trade to solve this issue so teams facing them over the next three weeks – watch out. The Onyx face the number one team in Week 13 and should finish with a 9-5 record. That now means there is a major race at 9-5 and possibly 8-6. Their will be at least one team outside looking in and possibly as many as three. The Onyx does not want to be one of them. It will come down to point totals and they helped themselves by scoring over 100. They must continue to do so.

5-6 Teams – Mtnears, Kryptonite, BarenJagers,

The playoff picture for these teams is grim. Each of them still play at least one playoff contender and two of them play each other. Realistically it will be a stretch for any of them to remain in contention and almost improbable for them to make it considering there is at least one team ahead them that will have a better shot at making the cut. In any case, their team must win out and one of the 7-4 teams must lose at least two games, and/or 8-3 teams to lose all three games. Considering the team’s current records this seems a far grasp.

Let’s start with the Mtnears (I finally spelled it right–sorry Keith). They must beat the Jagermeisters to stay alive. Head to head, the Mtnears would have a slight advantage against the Jags with a 7-4 record. This game is a toss up, however, and early projections show the Mtnears to be one-point favorites. Should they win then they must be the Barenjagers and the Riptides. Odds are, the Mtnears will finish at least .500 at 7-7 but can they pick up that one critical game against either one of the Jag teams (Jagermeisters or Barenjagers). Finally, they need the help of other teams.

The Kryptonite face a similar road and need some help from other teams. The Krypts need to win out and have a good chance of getting two of the three games since they face lower ranked opponents. Then in week 14 they face a playoff bound Lightening. The Krypts need to find a way to win each of their games, score at least 150 points a game and get some help. Krypts you had a great run but in the end you fell just short. We will see you in 2006.

Barenjagers too have a tough road to the playoffs. Missing out on a perfect opportunity to be the only 6-5 team, the Barens squandered a win to the 3-8 Goo Crew. Now they must win against the Carolina Muddogs who would have beat the Barens 9 out of the 11 past weeks. Then should they win, they must face the Mtnears who are also seeking a playoff spot and finally knock off the Mad Maxers. This is no easy schedule. As if that was not enough, then they must score at least 150 points per game to break the tie based on points. Finally, they must hope that a 7-4 team loses two games. Barenjagers, you had a great turn around this season, but in the end it is not enough. See you in 2006.

Lastly, allow us to give honorable mention to last year’s Cinderella Story. Leon Corpening, the coach of the Inferno, tried for a repeat performance, but in the end fell short. With their loss this weekend, they have now been mathematically eliminated. Although they could still finish 7-7 they would be several positions and several hundred points behind the number 8 team. We will see you next year.

Obviously, the playoffs picture has yet to be determined and it could change dramatically based on this weeks outcomes. So stay tuned and will see you at the ballpark.

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Pat Clancy is the General Manager for the Raleigh Lightening and freelance writer. Any questions or comments can be sent to pscpm@yahoo.com. Pat Clancy has been a member of Phi Mu Alpha since the Spring of 1995