I'm a sucker for taking trips down "memory lane", hell it's the main reason I started this blog, to have a year by year overview of the happenings in our crazy league. With the 2016 Wane McGarity Bowl Playoffs about to officially begin, I thought it would be fun to go back and take a look of some of the more memorable moments that have happened the past 6 years in the playoffs. I'll copy and paste the overviews from those games.
Unfortunately I started the blog one year after the league began, so I don't have anything recorded for the 2010 season. I don't remember anything specific about the playoffs that year.
2011
Round 1 Kenny vs Leland
"Bybee's Bad Luck"
The_Twin_Killers (1-0) 107
Take Dat Wit Chu (0-1) 103
Take Dat Wit Chu (0-1) 103
Overview:
Man, easily hands down the most dramatic and craziest matchup of the
1st round. This is also proof that every little thing and decision in
football affects fantasy football big time as I will show in a second.
It all started with Leland roaring out to a huge lead thanks to bad ass
performances by the Lions D and Rob Gronkowski (2 more TD's and the new
all time single season TD record holder) and solid performances by Roddy
White, DeSean Jackson, and Matthew Stafford. After all but 1 of
Leland's guys went, Kenny was down 106-25. Leland still had Ahmad
Bradshaw and Kenny still had 6 players (including both RB's, Larry
Fitzgerald, Miles Austin and Aaron Rodgers). Yeah it looked bad, but
Kenny has a knack of having his players play late games, so this was
nothing new. Fitzgerald was awesome with over 140 yards and a TD, Ryan
Mathews wasn't too shabby with 140 total yards, but the big
disappointment was Aaron Rodgers. It's not that he was bad (281 and two
scores) but he was taken out at the end of the 3rd because they were
blowing out Oakland. Kenny was down 29 points going into Sunday nights
game with Miles Austin, Dan Bailey, and DeMarco Murray still to go.
Tough hill to climb, sure, doable? Yep. The football gods can be cruel
though, as just as Murray was on his way to a solid game (5 carries, 25
yards) the unthinkable happened...he broke his ankle. He was done for
the game. The other crazy thing was that Ahmad Bradshaw was benched the
entire first half for violating curfew rules. He ended up with a
miserable game (only 1 point) so he was a non-factor. Kenny struggled
with the Laurent Robinson/Miles Austin play all week and ended up going
with Miles and it was the wrong move unfortunately. Miles-12 points,
Robinson-19. Miles of course had that easy TD, that he couldn't get to
that could've sealed the deal as well. So before i reveal the obvious
ending let's go through the little things leading up to the dramatic
ending the ended up costing Kenny the victory. Remember it's the little
things here and there that count.
#1-Baltimore allowing a garbage TD to the Colts at the end of the 4th- This was huge cause Kenny lost 3 points because of this meaningless TD.
#2-The Vikings getting sacked, fumbling at the 1 yard line to end the game- Leland had the Lions D, and it was a given that they were going to lose and in turn Leland would lose points for the D giving up even more points. Instead, the D PICKS UP 3 additional points with a sack and fumble recovery. Very crucial.
#3-Incomplete passes in the endzone from Aaron Rodgers- There were a couple times that receivers dropped passes in the end zone, including a critical pass to Finley where the Oakland corner somehow intercepted the pass and took it away from Finley.
#4-Aaron Rodgers taken out of the game- This is always a problem when your team is playing too good, and it was inevitable that this was going to happen.
#5-Ahmad Bradshaw Benching- Kenny gets a break as Bradshaw is benched
#6-DeMarco Murray Injury- And just like that, the break is taken away, as Murray suffers a season-ending broken ankle.
#7-The Romo TD Pass to Miles that wasn't- It was there, to ice the game and Kenny's fantasy comeback, Miles Austin was wide open and no doubt would have had an easy long TD. Romo overthrew him though.
#8-Kenny not playing Laurent Robinson- Could've been for Holmes, could've been for Austin, Kenny decided against playing Robinson who had a monster game. I would've done the same thing, but no doubt another move that cost him a win.
#9-Dan Bailey's 2 49 yard field goals- Really???? They both were a yard away from being another point???
After alllllllllllllll this, after everything with under a minute left, Romo completes a couple of passes to Miles to cut Kenny's deficit to 4. It set up a Dan Bailey 47 yard field goal that would tied both the real and fantasy game and go to overtime where no doubt, Kenny would've picked up 1 point from either Bailey or Austin. Bailey kicks it and......it's goooooooooooooood!! Kenny tied the game!!! But wait.....the Giants had called timeout to ice the kicker and you can read the writing on the wall. 2nd kick is blocked and after overcoming alllllll the mistakes, and unbelievable luck, Kenny couldn't do it one more time and lost a heartbreaker to Leland by 4 points. One more note, Kenny also thought about using Seattle Defense (who he picked up 2 weeks ago) but he decided on Baltimore. Baltimore-10 Seattle-17..it just wasn't in the cards. Leland now goes on to play me in the next round while Kenny plays the loser of the other 1st round matchup for 5th place. Another disappointing and heartbreaking loss for Kenny who continues to have just the absolute worst luck when it comes to fantasy football. As we jokingly tell each other, "unbelievably believable".
#1-Baltimore allowing a garbage TD to the Colts at the end of the 4th- This was huge cause Kenny lost 3 points because of this meaningless TD.
#2-The Vikings getting sacked, fumbling at the 1 yard line to end the game- Leland had the Lions D, and it was a given that they were going to lose and in turn Leland would lose points for the D giving up even more points. Instead, the D PICKS UP 3 additional points with a sack and fumble recovery. Very crucial.
#3-Incomplete passes in the endzone from Aaron Rodgers- There were a couple times that receivers dropped passes in the end zone, including a critical pass to Finley where the Oakland corner somehow intercepted the pass and took it away from Finley.
#4-Aaron Rodgers taken out of the game- This is always a problem when your team is playing too good, and it was inevitable that this was going to happen.
#5-Ahmad Bradshaw Benching- Kenny gets a break as Bradshaw is benched
#6-DeMarco Murray Injury- And just like that, the break is taken away, as Murray suffers a season-ending broken ankle.
#7-The Romo TD Pass to Miles that wasn't- It was there, to ice the game and Kenny's fantasy comeback, Miles Austin was wide open and no doubt would have had an easy long TD. Romo overthrew him though.
#8-Kenny not playing Laurent Robinson- Could've been for Holmes, could've been for Austin, Kenny decided against playing Robinson who had a monster game. I would've done the same thing, but no doubt another move that cost him a win.
#9-Dan Bailey's 2 49 yard field goals- Really???? They both were a yard away from being another point???
After alllllllllllllll this, after everything with under a minute left, Romo completes a couple of passes to Miles to cut Kenny's deficit to 4. It set up a Dan Bailey 47 yard field goal that would tied both the real and fantasy game and go to overtime where no doubt, Kenny would've picked up 1 point from either Bailey or Austin. Bailey kicks it and......it's goooooooooooooood!! Kenny tied the game!!! But wait.....the Giants had called timeout to ice the kicker and you can read the writing on the wall. 2nd kick is blocked and after overcoming alllllll the mistakes, and unbelievable luck, Kenny couldn't do it one more time and lost a heartbreaker to Leland by 4 points. One more note, Kenny also thought about using Seattle Defense (who he picked up 2 weeks ago) but he decided on Baltimore. Baltimore-10 Seattle-17..it just wasn't in the cards. Leland now goes on to play me in the next round while Kenny plays the loser of the other 1st round matchup for 5th place. Another disappointing and heartbreaking loss for Kenny who continues to have just the absolute worst luck when it comes to fantasy football. As we jokingly tell each other, "unbelievably believable".
Round 2 Me Vs Leland
"Close Call To The Championship"
RuggedRaymontHarris (10-4) 100
The_Twin_Killers (9-6) 97
Overview: Hats off to Leland's players in the playoff run because despite the loss of his best running back, his team has been big time competitive and he was verrrrrrrrrrrrry close to advancing to the Championship Finals in this gritty close scoring affair. Leland couldn't ask for a better start when Roddy White busted out with over 130 yards receiving and 2 TD's for 25 points. Tony Romo had 25 points of his own Saturday night, but something that would become huge later but at the time seemed insignificant was Mike Williams being held to zero points against the Cowboys. If Leland plays either Mario Manningham or Torrey Smith instead, I'm cooked but instead he stuck to his guns and at the end of the day it cost him dearly. It was close throughout the day and there was some HUGE disappointments on my side including Hakeem Nicks dropping 2 TD's (one was a 54 yarder) and also having one called back. Nicks would finish with 74 yards and for Leland Ahmad Bradshaw got a meaningless TD (not for him of course) with mere seconds left in the Giants-Redskins game that saved his performance. Leland's Achilles Heal all year has been lack of receiver depth and it did him in here too as besides Mike Willams, Desean Jackson had only 2 points. Matthew Stafford had a HUGE game to keep Leland in the thick of things with nearly 400 yards passing and 4 TD passes. Unfortunately with Matt Forte out, Leland needs all of his other main guys to pick up the slack and Rob Gronkowski just didn't do it this week. He was held to 50 yards receiving. For me, Romo and LeSean McCoy (3 TD's) pulled more than their weight, while everyone else was just average. Only Ray Rice had double digits and even that was way below Rice's standards (50 rushing/receiving). I was down two points going into last night's game with Antonio Brown left, and things looked pretty bleak until the last drive of the 1st half where Brown finally caught a couple passes and got me 5 points to seal the deal. Definitely a hard fought and hard earned win and my hats off to Leland and his team for an unbelievable run. After placing 3rd last year, this will be my first trip to the finals and hopefully I have the weapons to win my first football championship. Definitely the best playoff match of the round.
The_Twin_Killers (9-6) 97
Overview: Hats off to Leland's players in the playoff run because despite the loss of his best running back, his team has been big time competitive and he was verrrrrrrrrrrrry close to advancing to the Championship Finals in this gritty close scoring affair. Leland couldn't ask for a better start when Roddy White busted out with over 130 yards receiving and 2 TD's for 25 points. Tony Romo had 25 points of his own Saturday night, but something that would become huge later but at the time seemed insignificant was Mike Williams being held to zero points against the Cowboys. If Leland plays either Mario Manningham or Torrey Smith instead, I'm cooked but instead he stuck to his guns and at the end of the day it cost him dearly. It was close throughout the day and there was some HUGE disappointments on my side including Hakeem Nicks dropping 2 TD's (one was a 54 yarder) and also having one called back. Nicks would finish with 74 yards and for Leland Ahmad Bradshaw got a meaningless TD (not for him of course) with mere seconds left in the Giants-Redskins game that saved his performance. Leland's Achilles Heal all year has been lack of receiver depth and it did him in here too as besides Mike Willams, Desean Jackson had only 2 points. Matthew Stafford had a HUGE game to keep Leland in the thick of things with nearly 400 yards passing and 4 TD passes. Unfortunately with Matt Forte out, Leland needs all of his other main guys to pick up the slack and Rob Gronkowski just didn't do it this week. He was held to 50 yards receiving. For me, Romo and LeSean McCoy (3 TD's) pulled more than their weight, while everyone else was just average. Only Ray Rice had double digits and even that was way below Rice's standards (50 rushing/receiving). I was down two points going into last night's game with Antonio Brown left, and things looked pretty bleak until the last drive of the 1st half where Brown finally caught a couple passes and got me 5 points to seal the deal. Definitely a hard fought and hard earned win and my hats off to Leland and his team for an unbelievable run. After placing 3rd last year, this will be my first trip to the finals and hopefully I have the weapons to win my first football championship. Definitely the best playoff match of the round.
2012
Round 1 Dad vs Albert
"Defense wins Championships"
Channel 4 News Team (1-0) 138
The Bad Robofies (0-1) 129.5
Here was the more competitive of the two 1st round games, and boy do I
mean competitive. Points were scored galore in this game, and it's a
shame Dad's 129.5 points went to waste, because he would've destroyed
the other two competitors. Instead, he had to take on Albert and yep
it's that time of year again. Albert is almost like the New York Giants.
He's competitive he wins games, loses games, but almost goes unnoticed
in the league until playoff time where his teams have risen to the
occasion and this week was no different. Both teams have relatively slow
Thursday starts, but once Sunday rolled around the points started
flowing. For Dad, Cam Newton continued his hot streak with another 36
point performance. I felt Dad would be dangerous if he peaked around
this time and he was proving me right. Vincent Jackson didn't disappoint
with another 22 point performance and I still shake my head and wonder
why the hell Posey dropped him after week 1 (yet STILL MADE THE DAMN
PLAYOFFS, WHAT A JOKE). DeMarco Murray and Sproles came together and had
great games with 15 and 21 points respectively and it looked like Dad's
team was all coming together at the same time for the ultimate upset
and unseating of the two two time Wane McGarrity Bowl Champion.then the
Cardinals-Seahawks game happened..... Before we go there though, Albert
had gotten yet another awesome Brandon Marshall performance(27 points)
and Trent Richardson got two TD's on his way to a 16 point performance.
Despite that though, it was a horrible game from Lance Moore and Jimmy
Graham who combined for 10 points total. Graham just isn't getting done
this year. Like I said though, things were looking a little bleak until
the Cardinals-Seahawks game. What happened was the single greatest
defensive performance in our league history. It's the main reason Albert
won. His defensive alone ended up with more than half of Mike Posey's
ENTIRE TEAM. A 58-0 shutout with Two TD's, 3 sacks and 8 turnovers. Good
lord. 41 points from a defense. If that ain't a devastating knockout
punch I don't know what is. Dad went into Monday night up 14 after a
good Randall Cobb game and a mediocre Mikel LeShoure game. It was still
doable for Dad, as he had Wes Welker while Albert had Tom Brady and
Shayne Graham. If Brady threw a couple TD's to Welker, Dad could still
pull of the W and advance to the next round. Brady did indeed go off,
unfortunately none of it was to Welker. Welker had a disappointing game
with only 52 yards while Brady threw 4 TD passes for a total of 27
points. Sadly for Dad, that was that. For the 2nd straight year, Albert
knocked Dad out of the playoffs. I'm biased, and I was of course
cheering on Dad for the win(plus who the fuck wants Albert to win this
league AGAIN?!), and it sucks that he put up such a big fight only to
lose because of an unpredictable once in a lifetime defensive
performance. Still, I would like to congratulate Dad on a great 2nd
season. He didn't suffer from a sophomore slump, he was very close to
making it to the final four. Here's hoping next season Dad can get over
that hump (as long as it's not at my expense of course). As for Albert,
ho hum, here we go again, he's back in the final four. Please tell me
that this isn't happening again....
Round 2 Leland vs Ryan
"Close Call Part II With Different Results For Leland"
The Twin Killers (2-0) 95.50
Hoosier Daddy (0-1) 88
Last year Leland was the victim of a close scoring affair in the 2nd round, this time, he pulls out the victory and advances to the championship finals. This was another matchup that was not decided until Sunday night's game. Ryan was actually up 3.5 points despite getting a big zero from Danario Alexander and little from Reggie Wayne. Receiving play has killed Ryan all season and though he finally sat a struggling Larry Fitzgerald, only Antonio Brown showed up for him on the receiver side. Also a very disappointing game from Peyton Manning. He only had 12 points. It was one of those games where he wasn't bad at all, he just didn't have to do anything cause the game was in hand. Jason Witten actually scored a TD, Reggie Bush was serviceable, and we talked about BenJarvus's great Thursday game already. For Leland, The Matt Ryan-Julio Jones combo came through big time. They connected for two TD's and 22 and 23 points respectively. T.Y. Hilton also continues to be a valuable spot starter for Jordy Nelson as he scored a TD and had 14 points. Leland could've made a critical mistake benching Denver's defense for the Rams. It was a 13 point difference but luckily for him it didn't matter at the end. C.J. Spiller was also great, but what kept Ryan in the game in addition to the crappy Rams D was lackluster performances by Marty B. and Doug Martin and also Torrey Smith getting knocked out of the game with a concussion and only scoring 1.5 points. For a little while it was also looking bleak that Leland would get that one point he needed to beat Ryan as Gostkowski got his field goal, but it was 31-3 in the 3rd and all signs were pointing to there being no more field goals attempts because of the huge lead. Luckily he'd not only get 3 more extra points, he'd get a 40 yard field goal to boot. Leland definitely earned this win and now goes on to the finals to face a red hot Albert team. Neither team who had a bye advanced to the Finals this year. As for Ryan, I'm surprised he was able to be this competitive. Him and Mike had the strangest teams, they just didn't look that good but they kept winning. He'll at least try to get his entry fee back against Matt in the 3rd place game. He was able to do it last year, we'll see if he can do again this year.
Hoosier Daddy (0-1) 88
Last year Leland was the victim of a close scoring affair in the 2nd round, this time, he pulls out the victory and advances to the championship finals. This was another matchup that was not decided until Sunday night's game. Ryan was actually up 3.5 points despite getting a big zero from Danario Alexander and little from Reggie Wayne. Receiving play has killed Ryan all season and though he finally sat a struggling Larry Fitzgerald, only Antonio Brown showed up for him on the receiver side. Also a very disappointing game from Peyton Manning. He only had 12 points. It was one of those games where he wasn't bad at all, he just didn't have to do anything cause the game was in hand. Jason Witten actually scored a TD, Reggie Bush was serviceable, and we talked about BenJarvus's great Thursday game already. For Leland, The Matt Ryan-Julio Jones combo came through big time. They connected for two TD's and 22 and 23 points respectively. T.Y. Hilton also continues to be a valuable spot starter for Jordy Nelson as he scored a TD and had 14 points. Leland could've made a critical mistake benching Denver's defense for the Rams. It was a 13 point difference but luckily for him it didn't matter at the end. C.J. Spiller was also great, but what kept Ryan in the game in addition to the crappy Rams D was lackluster performances by Marty B. and Doug Martin and also Torrey Smith getting knocked out of the game with a concussion and only scoring 1.5 points. For a little while it was also looking bleak that Leland would get that one point he needed to beat Ryan as Gostkowski got his field goal, but it was 31-3 in the 3rd and all signs were pointing to there being no more field goals attempts because of the huge lead. Luckily he'd not only get 3 more extra points, he'd get a 40 yard field goal to boot. Leland definitely earned this win and now goes on to the finals to face a red hot Albert team. Neither team who had a bye advanced to the Finals this year. As for Ryan, I'm surprised he was able to be this competitive. Him and Mike had the strangest teams, they just didn't look that good but they kept winning. He'll at least try to get his entry fee back against Matt in the 3rd place game. He was able to do it last year, we'll see if he can do again this year.
2012 Wane McGarity Bowl Finals Leland Vs Albert
"Dethroning The Dynasty"
The Twin Killers 126.50
Channel 4 News Team 118.00
2013
Round 1 Kenny Vs Mayra
"The ALMOST Backfire"
Not Even Lying (1-0) 118
Bigger Balls (0-1) 106.5
The gamble PAID OFF.....BARELY. This was the matchup of the week and was full of so many unbelievable twists and turns. First of all right off the bat Bobby Rainey scored an 80 yard TD for Kenny and minutes later Big Ben found Emmanuel Sanders in the endzone for a TD. It looked like it was the beginning of a blowout for Kenny. The weather though forced Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson to have horrible games. They combined for 7.5 points. It looked like Mayra would take full advantage of this especially after Mayra got the double dip Antonio Brown/Big Ben TD. That game ended very crazy. On the last play of the game, the Steelers did multiple laterals and it ended up in the hands of Antonio Brown, at first glace it looked like he scored a TD, but upon closer look he BARELY stepped out of bounds. That was a huge letdown for Mayra as Roethisberger and Brown would've been credited for the TD's and Mayra could've won off that play. Kenny also made what could've been a season ending decision. He benched Charles Clay, who he's basically played all year, for Jared Cook based on the matchups. Clay ended up with 2 TD's and 24.5 points while Cook had a measly 5.5. How he still overcame that disaster it amazing. Shane Vereen was a PPR MONSTER with 12 catches for 153 yards and a rushing TD. The Broncos/Titans was important as Mayra had Moreno and Kenny had Thomas. Moreno had 19 points while Demaryius had 17.5. Mayra also got a TD from Vernon Davis and all that was left was Drew Brees for Kenny versus a tough Panthers D and Darren Sproles, Dez Bryant and Alshon Jeffrey for Mayra in what was expected to be a shootout. Brees was terrible Monday night against the Seahawks and no one knew what to expect going against an equally tough Panthers Defense. In the first quarter, Brees had passed for 1 yard (to Darren Sproles). He played brilliantly though. 300 passing yards, 4 passing TD's, and Sproles did little so Kenny went up 36 points going into Monday Night's Cowboys/Bears game. Never say never though right? The very first drive, Dez scores a TD and at the end of the half Alshon Jeffrey caught an AMAZING TD PASS and the lead was cut 11.5. Things looked beyond bleak. It was given that Dez and Alshon could combine for 11.5 points in the 2nd half right? WRONG. The game became a blowout, the Cowboys basically quit and the Bears started just killing clock by running the ball. Mayra got 0 POINTS in the 2nd half. NOT ONE. So Kenny survives what was a knock down drag down fight against a very formidable opponent. He gets his wish and will take on Dad for the right to play in the Wane McGarity Bowl. With the win right there, it's a very disappointing loss for Mayra. Every time it looked like she had the advantage Kenny answered. She came so close, and at half time I really thought she had it in the bag. Football is so unpredictable though. She had a great season, and hopefully next year she'll be able to improve and not just make the playoffs but win a game. She'll take on Mark in the super depressing 5th place game.
Bigger Balls (0-1) 106.5
The gamble PAID OFF.....BARELY. This was the matchup of the week and was full of so many unbelievable twists and turns. First of all right off the bat Bobby Rainey scored an 80 yard TD for Kenny and minutes later Big Ben found Emmanuel Sanders in the endzone for a TD. It looked like it was the beginning of a blowout for Kenny. The weather though forced Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson to have horrible games. They combined for 7.5 points. It looked like Mayra would take full advantage of this especially after Mayra got the double dip Antonio Brown/Big Ben TD. That game ended very crazy. On the last play of the game, the Steelers did multiple laterals and it ended up in the hands of Antonio Brown, at first glace it looked like he scored a TD, but upon closer look he BARELY stepped out of bounds. That was a huge letdown for Mayra as Roethisberger and Brown would've been credited for the TD's and Mayra could've won off that play. Kenny also made what could've been a season ending decision. He benched Charles Clay, who he's basically played all year, for Jared Cook based on the matchups. Clay ended up with 2 TD's and 24.5 points while Cook had a measly 5.5. How he still overcame that disaster it amazing. Shane Vereen was a PPR MONSTER with 12 catches for 153 yards and a rushing TD. The Broncos/Titans was important as Mayra had Moreno and Kenny had Thomas. Moreno had 19 points while Demaryius had 17.5. Mayra also got a TD from Vernon Davis and all that was left was Drew Brees for Kenny versus a tough Panthers D and Darren Sproles, Dez Bryant and Alshon Jeffrey for Mayra in what was expected to be a shootout. Brees was terrible Monday night against the Seahawks and no one knew what to expect going against an equally tough Panthers Defense. In the first quarter, Brees had passed for 1 yard (to Darren Sproles). He played brilliantly though. 300 passing yards, 4 passing TD's, and Sproles did little so Kenny went up 36 points going into Monday Night's Cowboys/Bears game. Never say never though right? The very first drive, Dez scores a TD and at the end of the half Alshon Jeffrey caught an AMAZING TD PASS and the lead was cut 11.5. Things looked beyond bleak. It was given that Dez and Alshon could combine for 11.5 points in the 2nd half right? WRONG. The game became a blowout, the Cowboys basically quit and the Bears started just killing clock by running the ball. Mayra got 0 POINTS in the 2nd half. NOT ONE. So Kenny survives what was a knock down drag down fight against a very formidable opponent. He gets his wish and will take on Dad for the right to play in the Wane McGarity Bowl. With the win right there, it's a very disappointing loss for Mayra. Every time it looked like she had the advantage Kenny answered. She came so close, and at half time I really thought she had it in the bag. Football is so unpredictable though. She had a great season, and hopefully next year she'll be able to improve and not just make the playoffs but win a game. She'll take on Mark in the super depressing 5th place game.
Round 2 Me Vs Mike
"Campbell Over Romo"
Danny's Little Giants (1-0) 102.5
Welcome 2 Goodburger (1-1) 100
What...A.....Game.
Just wow. You can't get any more dramatic with a trip to the finals on
the line than this semifinal between me and Mike. Remember, I had
already fucked up and started Montee Ball over Chris Johnson (who
natrually, OF COURSE, scored a TD and ended up with 16.5..just so
PREDICTABLE THAT HAPPENS). Mike made an equally questionable move. I
thought at first it was a mind game. Jason Campbell over Tony Romo. No
way right? I know Romo's been kinda lethargic lately but can you really
bench him in the semifinals for Jason Campbell? Well apparently you can
because Mike did it. It's not as out of this world as you would think,
but it's verrrrrry risky. It is the Bears Defense, which sucks.
Unfortunately Campbell blew (though AGAIN OF COURSE, with the game
basically done, the Bears gave up a 45 yard score to JOSH GORDON, so
Posey double dipped on the play. It was in the last damn minute that
happened. So damn cruel) and finished with only 12 points, while that TD
Gordon caught totally saved his day, as he was held in check all day.
The day actually started big time in Posey's favor, 3 straight TD's,
Tony Gonzalez, Ace Sanders (YEP, SERIOUSLY), and Marshawn. I thought I
was in for a lonnnnng day espcially because LeSean McCoy SUCKED
(remember that snow game where he ran for a franchise record against a
way better defense just last week? Yeah..he didn't come close to that),
but it was my RECEIVERS of all players who started hitting it big.
Garcon, V-Jax, Marshall, all TD's and Garcon and Marshall had huge games
with 129 and 95 yards respectively. Tony Gonzalez and Marshawn had
great games on Mike's side with Marshawn scoring 20 and Tony Gonzalez
15. The only dud was Coby Fleener who had a big 0. Can't have that a
game decided by the slimmest of margins. So basically I was up 2.5
going into the afternoon games. I had Witten, Posey had Zac Stacy and
Jarrett Boykin...and on the first drive for the Rams Zac Stacy
gets....HURT. Yep, doomed right? No way, he came back the next series,
and later scored a 40 yard TD ,and ended up with 20.5 points. Because
the Packers were playing SHITTY COWBOYS DEFENSE, AND EVEN WITH MATT
FLYNN, Jarrett Boykin STILL put up a respectable 6 catches for 83 yards.
Luckily Witten came through pretty huge with a TD of his own and scored
me 15 points. So allllllllllll I need is 14 points from TWO PLAYERS (MY
FUCKING QB BEING OF THEM) on you guessed it....MONDAY NIGHT...and it's
off the title game I go!!! Any other owner would be thrilled!! 14
points?! Realllllly? And of of your players is Matthew Stafford?! He can
do that himself! 14 points?! Torrey Smith? Against the Detroit Lions
Secondary that routinely gets BURNED by big plays? So I'm celebrating
this baby being done by the 1st half at worst right? Then you
remember....Monday Night and Me this season. Jacquizz Rodgers...T.Y.
Hilton, Drew Brees, Pierre Garcon, ZACH MILLER...it's been A NIGHTMARE
for me when my matchup comes down to Monday Night this year. In fact,
all 5 of my losses are due to Monday Night disappointment and it's of
the CRUELEST FORM. The, "we make you watch the WHOLE DAMN GAME until we
completely just SUCK YOUR SOUL OUT sometime in the 4th quarter and leave
you to die". But...not this time right? WRONGGGGGGGGGG. Stafford was
TERRIBLE. He had 2 points at HALF. I was still losing at half by like 7
points. 3.5 per guy no big deal right? Not the way the Lions offense was
playing. I cut the lead to 3.5 and then BOOM Stafford pick...down 6
again. So aggravating...this is REALLY going to go down like this?
Again Torrey Smith catches a ball at the end of the 3rd quarter and the
lead is 2.5. Lead gets to 1.5 and what DOES STAFFORD DO
AGAIN.....PICKKKKKKKKK! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! BACK UP TO 3. This whollllllle
time by the way Torrey Smith is stuck on 69 yards..a catch would be 1.5
points so naturally he NEVER CATCHES ANOTHER BALL AGAIN. Finally on
what looked like the last drive for the Lions, down 3, I needed a
miracle. It was going to be hard to get 75 yards passing, but if he
could somehow get a passing TD and for ONCE let me break this
unbelievable shitty curse all would be forgiven. So they drove...and
drove and all of sudden I'm down 100-99 with Stafford needing just 4
YARDS PASSING to tie (which I win via tiebreaker, I'd take it). 1st and
2nd down come and go....nothing. I got a baddd feeling about this. 3rd
and 9 and......gotta be kidding TOUCHHHHHHHDOWN TO JOSEPH FAURIA!! I'M
UP 104-100!!! THAT'S THE BALL GAME!!!! Stafford actually managed to
remind me he was still a fuck by throwing ANOTHER INTERCEPTION, so my
win turned to a 2.5 point win, but a win nonetheless and with that a 2ND
TRIP TO THE WANE MCGARITY BOWL!!!! Holy crap what a game. I definitely
earned that one. One of the best played fantasy football matchups in our
league's history. So now..it Me Vs Kenny....for the major prize.
Fucking crazy. For Mike, man, I've been there, shitty break. It could've
been me. Instead of Campbell over Romo, Ball over Johnson would've been
the main headline. He took the gamble, it didn't pay off. What could've
been though...I'm definitely OK with the decision as this post would've
been something like you've never seen before had I lost. Mike will take
on Dad in the 3rd place game (I'm guessing with Romo this time) while
Me and Kenny duke it out for WANE MCGARITY BOWL!!! It's gotta go better
for me than in 2011 when Albert beat my ass DOWN.
2013 Wane McGarity Bowl Finals Me Vs Kenny
"My Shining Moment"
Danny's Little Giants (2-0) 104
Not Even Lying (2-1) 76.5
That's right folks, Yours truly is YOUR 2013 WANE MCGARITY BOWL CHAMPION. After the fantasy year from hell last season, where I finished 9th out of 10 teams, I rebounded like no other and claimed the ultimate prize this year against a very worthy opponent. The score doesn't indicate how close this really was. It all started with a 4 vs 4 in the early games. Each of us had a standout receiver, with Demaryius Thomas going off with 8 receptions, 123 yards and a TD, but Pierre Garcon basically matching him with a 11 reception, 144 yard, 1 TD performance of his own. For me though, Vincent Jackson was relative quiet with 98 receiving yards, Jason Witten was non existent with 2 catches for 13 yards, and Chris Johnson was serviceable but underwhelming with only 90 rushing yards. Luckily for me, Drew Brees wasn't that great as he only threw for 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions. Charles Clay did more than Witten, but it wasn't by much but Marvin Jones was actually a good plug n play with 6 for 85 and I found myself down 2.5 at the end of the early games. Next group of games would see a 4-2 and literally right off the bat Shane Vereen and Emmanuel Sanders both scored TD's very quickly for Kenny as that lead jumped to almost 20. Unfortunately for Kenny, that's all they did as both exited with injuries and wouldn't return. This was a huge blow for Kenny. Also, before the game, there was talk about Calvin not being 100% and being a true game time decision. Well, he no more than a glorified decoy as he did nothing of note which also affected Matthew Stafford who was BRUTAL yet again, and did his best to single handedly lose me yet another game. He finished with only 7 points. Pathetic performance. Kenny also had Rashad Jennings, who got screwed out of a TD by Darren McFadden, then couldn't convert a 2 yard goal line opportunity. He finished with only 45 rushing yards. Torrey Smith woke in the 2nd half and had 69 receiving yards but did nothing else of note. I was down 13.5 going into Sunday Night with Brandon Marshall and LeSean McCoy to go. No problem right? For sure Brandon Marshall would play as the Bears were playing for the division. If they beat the Eagles they would win the division and get in the playoffs. The Eagles had nothing to play for thanks to that miracle Cowboys win earlier in the day. Would McCoy play the whole game? Would he play just enough to help me get the win? Or would he Romo me and I'd lose by the narrowest of margins only because my guys were limited for non health related issues. Thankfully none of my worries came to be as LeSean McCoy saved the day with a huge 133 rushing yard, 2 rushing TD, 6 catches for 29 yards, 30 point performance. Hands down the no brainer Wane McGarity Bowl MVP. Brandon Marshall even added a TD for the hell of it. And that folks is your ballgame. I became the 3rd winner of the Wane McGarity Bowl. Validation. That's what it is. Fantasy football is made up of a combination of luck and skill. To win a championship though, validates yourself as a Fantasy Football Player. To beat fellow competitive teams led by Mike and Kenny made it even a sweeter ride. This is the total opposite of my crap the bed performance in my first Wane McGarity Bowl in 2011. And how fitting, that the only two guys I stuck with from Day 1. The only two guys on my team that were untouchable, Pierre Garcon and LeSean McCoy, were the ones that came up the biggest on the biggest stage. What a feeling. No matter what happens from this point on, I am a champion. It's very difficult to get tot this point much less win it. You always hope it's you, but things happen and for some reason or another, opportunities are blown. Not this time though. I've always said I love the cash part, but I love the WINNING part even MORE. For this one season, I am.....THE BEST. For Kenny, it had to be disappointing that he couldn't take advantage the majority of my team underperforming. It's still an amazing accomplishment to get to the finals and $150 in your pocket isn't too shabby at all. To get that close, but not close enough, sucks for Kenny, but I have no doubt he'll always be a major player in our league, and this season can be labeled as nothing short of a success. Another year is in the books, and I'd like to thank everyone in the league, for playing and participating. I hope everyone had fun overall cause that's what it's all about..fun (I know...I know, now that I won a championship I can start using the cliche bullshit). For me, it never ends, me, Albert, Kenny, Drew, and Ryan, now must focus on Basketball and that league but I think I can take a couple of days to let it all sink in and enjoy the moment. I'll be doing the Year-End Awards sometime this week and then it's a several month hiatus until next season! Thanks again to everyone for making this league successful, a league is only as good as the players in it, and we've got a great league of people who play the right way. We'll do this alllllll again next season!!
Not Even Lying (2-1) 76.5
That's right folks, Yours truly is YOUR 2013 WANE MCGARITY BOWL CHAMPION. After the fantasy year from hell last season, where I finished 9th out of 10 teams, I rebounded like no other and claimed the ultimate prize this year against a very worthy opponent. The score doesn't indicate how close this really was. It all started with a 4 vs 4 in the early games. Each of us had a standout receiver, with Demaryius Thomas going off with 8 receptions, 123 yards and a TD, but Pierre Garcon basically matching him with a 11 reception, 144 yard, 1 TD performance of his own. For me though, Vincent Jackson was relative quiet with 98 receiving yards, Jason Witten was non existent with 2 catches for 13 yards, and Chris Johnson was serviceable but underwhelming with only 90 rushing yards. Luckily for me, Drew Brees wasn't that great as he only threw for 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions. Charles Clay did more than Witten, but it wasn't by much but Marvin Jones was actually a good plug n play with 6 for 85 and I found myself down 2.5 at the end of the early games. Next group of games would see a 4-2 and literally right off the bat Shane Vereen and Emmanuel Sanders both scored TD's very quickly for Kenny as that lead jumped to almost 20. Unfortunately for Kenny, that's all they did as both exited with injuries and wouldn't return. This was a huge blow for Kenny. Also, before the game, there was talk about Calvin not being 100% and being a true game time decision. Well, he no more than a glorified decoy as he did nothing of note which also affected Matthew Stafford who was BRUTAL yet again, and did his best to single handedly lose me yet another game. He finished with only 7 points. Pathetic performance. Kenny also had Rashad Jennings, who got screwed out of a TD by Darren McFadden, then couldn't convert a 2 yard goal line opportunity. He finished with only 45 rushing yards. Torrey Smith woke in the 2nd half and had 69 receiving yards but did nothing else of note. I was down 13.5 going into Sunday Night with Brandon Marshall and LeSean McCoy to go. No problem right? For sure Brandon Marshall would play as the Bears were playing for the division. If they beat the Eagles they would win the division and get in the playoffs. The Eagles had nothing to play for thanks to that miracle Cowboys win earlier in the day. Would McCoy play the whole game? Would he play just enough to help me get the win? Or would he Romo me and I'd lose by the narrowest of margins only because my guys were limited for non health related issues. Thankfully none of my worries came to be as LeSean McCoy saved the day with a huge 133 rushing yard, 2 rushing TD, 6 catches for 29 yards, 30 point performance. Hands down the no brainer Wane McGarity Bowl MVP. Brandon Marshall even added a TD for the hell of it. And that folks is your ballgame. I became the 3rd winner of the Wane McGarity Bowl. Validation. That's what it is. Fantasy football is made up of a combination of luck and skill. To win a championship though, validates yourself as a Fantasy Football Player. To beat fellow competitive teams led by Mike and Kenny made it even a sweeter ride. This is the total opposite of my crap the bed performance in my first Wane McGarity Bowl in 2011. And how fitting, that the only two guys I stuck with from Day 1. The only two guys on my team that were untouchable, Pierre Garcon and LeSean McCoy, were the ones that came up the biggest on the biggest stage. What a feeling. No matter what happens from this point on, I am a champion. It's very difficult to get tot this point much less win it. You always hope it's you, but things happen and for some reason or another, opportunities are blown. Not this time though. I've always said I love the cash part, but I love the WINNING part even MORE. For this one season, I am.....THE BEST. For Kenny, it had to be disappointing that he couldn't take advantage the majority of my team underperforming. It's still an amazing accomplishment to get to the finals and $150 in your pocket isn't too shabby at all. To get that close, but not close enough, sucks for Kenny, but I have no doubt he'll always be a major player in our league, and this season can be labeled as nothing short of a success. Another year is in the books, and I'd like to thank everyone in the league, for playing and participating. I hope everyone had fun overall cause that's what it's all about..fun (I know...I know, now that I won a championship I can start using the cliche bullshit). For me, it never ends, me, Albert, Kenny, Drew, and Ryan, now must focus on Basketball and that league but I think I can take a couple of days to let it all sink in and enjoy the moment. I'll be doing the Year-End Awards sometime this week and then it's a several month hiatus until next season! Thanks again to everyone for making this league successful, a league is only as good as the players in it, and we've got a great league of people who play the right way. We'll do this alllllll again next season!!
2014
Round 2 Albert Vs Matt
"The Tie"
Dr. Light's Robots (1-0-1) 78
Channel 4 News Team (0-0-1) 78
You read that right..a tie. This review might go all over the place so bear with me. We're actually going to start at the end...which was Monday Night. Matt entered the night with a 15 point lead. Albert still had Alshon Jeffrey left. The Bears were just ATROCIOUS all night. Beyond Pathetic. It looked like there was no way Albert was getting his points. To makes matters even worse..when the Bears FINALLY scored, Alshon Jeffrey was WIDE OPEN but Cutler went to rookie Marquess Wilson for the TD. He couldn't even get THAT. With the game bascially over and 5 minutes left I decided to say fuck this Matt won..and head to bed. A couple minutes later I get a BARRAGE of texts which at first I thought "I'll read em tomorrow morning". Then my Dad lets me know the news....ALSHON JEFFREY SCORED A TD...ALBERT JUST TIED MATT. I was in shock. I don't know what happened...or how..all I know is I got multiple people in our league texting me asking "WHAT HAPPENS NOW". It's insane that a trip to the championship game is now decided by a TIEBREAKER. That tiebreaker is Head to Head matchups which Matt won becuase he beat Albert by 3 FUCKING POINTS IN WEEK 11! Crazy doesn't even begin to describe what happened. Matt's in the finals (heaven forbid stat corrections happen..that would be super mean) due to a tiebreaker. For Albert..to add salt in the wound..there's one player he'll never forget the name of....DONTE MONCRIEF. Albert benched Anquan Boldin for him. Moncrief-0 points....Boldin-2. That decision cost Albert a guaranteed $150 bucks at the least. Brutal. In all honesty...the matchup was kinda of bad and if this is what's gonna happen next week..Mayra's winning by like 80 points. Neither team was very impressive but for Matt..once again Odell Beckham Jr was a godsend with yet another magnificent performance. Beckham had 12 catches for 143 yards and 3 scores for 36 points. If Matt doesn't keep him (and it's tough with Jordy and Jamaal Charles) Beckham is going to be a super hot commodity in the draft next year. Seriously though outside of that and a 14 point Big Ben game...nothing. Jordy, Emmanuel Sanders and Jamaal Charles combined for a pitiful 19.5 points and the rest of Matt's team did nothing of note. That RB #2 spot continues to kill Matt. Albert's team wasn't any better. Peyton Manning had another bad start and besides Alshon Jeffrey only Greg Olsen had good stats. Just a total letdown from both teams, but at least Matt fights on to see another day. For Albert, it's the first time that he's made the playoffs but not made the finals and the 3rd place game isn't a easy task either. It was a good season, but it has to feel underwhelming considering the expectations and 2nd place regular season finish. He has keeper questions and no 3rd rounder next year (thanks to the Alshon Jeffrey trade) so it'll be interesting to see what happens next year. DONTE MONCRIEF.......never forget....
Channel 4 News Team (0-0-1) 78
You read that right..a tie. This review might go all over the place so bear with me. We're actually going to start at the end...which was Monday Night. Matt entered the night with a 15 point lead. Albert still had Alshon Jeffrey left. The Bears were just ATROCIOUS all night. Beyond Pathetic. It looked like there was no way Albert was getting his points. To makes matters even worse..when the Bears FINALLY scored, Alshon Jeffrey was WIDE OPEN but Cutler went to rookie Marquess Wilson for the TD. He couldn't even get THAT. With the game bascially over and 5 minutes left I decided to say fuck this Matt won..and head to bed. A couple minutes later I get a BARRAGE of texts which at first I thought "I'll read em tomorrow morning". Then my Dad lets me know the news....ALSHON JEFFREY SCORED A TD...ALBERT JUST TIED MATT. I was in shock. I don't know what happened...or how..all I know is I got multiple people in our league texting me asking "WHAT HAPPENS NOW". It's insane that a trip to the championship game is now decided by a TIEBREAKER. That tiebreaker is Head to Head matchups which Matt won becuase he beat Albert by 3 FUCKING POINTS IN WEEK 11! Crazy doesn't even begin to describe what happened. Matt's in the finals (heaven forbid stat corrections happen..that would be super mean) due to a tiebreaker. For Albert..to add salt in the wound..there's one player he'll never forget the name of....DONTE MONCRIEF. Albert benched Anquan Boldin for him. Moncrief-0 points....Boldin-2. That decision cost Albert a guaranteed $150 bucks at the least. Brutal. In all honesty...the matchup was kinda of bad and if this is what's gonna happen next week..Mayra's winning by like 80 points. Neither team was very impressive but for Matt..once again Odell Beckham Jr was a godsend with yet another magnificent performance. Beckham had 12 catches for 143 yards and 3 scores for 36 points. If Matt doesn't keep him (and it's tough with Jordy and Jamaal Charles) Beckham is going to be a super hot commodity in the draft next year. Seriously though outside of that and a 14 point Big Ben game...nothing. Jordy, Emmanuel Sanders and Jamaal Charles combined for a pitiful 19.5 points and the rest of Matt's team did nothing of note. That RB #2 spot continues to kill Matt. Albert's team wasn't any better. Peyton Manning had another bad start and besides Alshon Jeffrey only Greg Olsen had good stats. Just a total letdown from both teams, but at least Matt fights on to see another day. For Albert, it's the first time that he's made the playoffs but not made the finals and the 3rd place game isn't a easy task either. It was a good season, but it has to feel underwhelming considering the expectations and 2nd place regular season finish. He has keeper questions and no 3rd rounder next year (thanks to the Alshon Jeffrey trade) so it'll be interesting to see what happens next year. DONTE MONCRIEF.......never forget....
2014 Wane McGarity Bowl Championship Matt Vs Mayra
"One Time"
Dr. Light's Robots (1-0-1) 119
Bigger Balls (1-1) 113.5
2015
Wane McGarity Bowl 3rd Place Game Me vs Eugene
".74"
I didn't do a recap of this because I don't recap 3rd place games, but honestly 2015 was probably the most boring playoffs ever as every matchup in every round was a blowout. The 3rd place game though went unnoticed and thanks to Jeremy Hill getting JUST enough yards to finish me off, Eugene won 3rd place last year by .74 points.
What memories will be made this season? We'll find out starting tonight!
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