IwillCrushYou (6-6-1) d. Rhode Island Voltaic (10-3)
95-61
In a game of pivotal proportions for IWCY’s playoff hopes, IWCY played as if they were already in the playoffs. While Rhode Island had a good game led by Peyton Manning’s and newly acquired Lofa Tatupu’s double 13’s (and The Bus’s 17 form the bench, GRR!), their offense and defense were only decent. And of course, they were up against the on-a-roll IWCY, who played a great game.
“IwillCrushYou is a very real threat with their trio of backs who could destroy the Voltaic.” Well that’s putting it lightly. Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Domanick Davis combined for 51 (26, 11, & 14, respectively). Hasselbeck added 17, and Detroit (wait, did I just say Detroit???) contributed 13. IWCY is able to all but guarantee themselves a playoff birth.
Coco's Monkeys (4-9) d. Koko's X-Cats (5-6-2)
65-29
With IWCY winning, the X-Cats would need a very impressive win to keep alive. Unfortunately for them, the Monkeys got that very impressive win. A respectable 25 on defense got the ball rolling, and Dillon (12) and Kennison (10) added the bigger numbers they needed. The X-Cats best score was an 8 by Philadelphia (which wouldn’t be so bad if there was some actual support). The Monkeys send the X-Cats home to Rochester for the postseason.
Nor Cal Crushers (11-2) d. Your Ad Here (8-5)
75-64
Now
this is the game I’d expect to see of two teams already in the playoffs. It came down to who had more people with higher scores. YAH’s came from Tennessee’s 17, Graham’s 13, and Wilson’s 11. Nor Cal had the Cadillac’s 17, McGee and his 12, Robinson’s 11, and Peterson’s 10. The rest of the game was pretty even, so with one higher score, Nor Cal takes this one, and the #1 seed.
The Tacoites (8-5) d. Akshar Did It (6-6-1)
63-32
ADI was another team who could help themselves to a playoff spot with a win (and a loss from the Feisty Klowns). But when your QB and DEF both score -3, you know you’re not going to have much of a chance. Houshmandzadeh’s 8 was their only good score. For the Tacoites, both Brady and Feeley rebounded with 15s, and Winfield added a 14. ADI gets knocked out of the playoffs with its performance.
Jc's Evil Empire (6-7) d. Stevies Scapegoats (5-7-1)
66-36
The Empire was another team adversely affected by IWCY’s win. Their only hope was winning, the Klown’s losing, and making up 132 points. So this game was really just for fun. And what a fun one it was if you’re the Empire. 17 from both Washington and Bledsoe, 14 from Vanderjagt, and 10 from Danny Clark gave the Empire a nice lead. The Scapegoats with just Atlanta’s 11 couldn’t keep up. But despite this pretty win, the Empire is still out of the postseason.
Feisty Klowns (7-6) d. QC Elite (2-11)
47-46
It was plain and simple for the Klowns: win and in. So why did they have to make it so complicated against the Elite? The Elite had a pair of 9s on their defense plus 14 from Josh Brown. The Klowns were really only lucky to have their 17 from Minnesota. Their next best score would be a 7 from Edgerrin James. They should have lost, but they didn’t, getting into the playoffs in the process.
Pelan's Bobcats (3-10) d. sigmakittens (5-8)
67-50
For a game with both teams long ago mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, this was a pretty good one. The Pelancats led out with Gate’s 13, followed up by Alexander’s 12, and supported by 10 each from Wilkins and Reed. The Kitties had the high score of the match with Terry Glenn’s 18, and even got some help from Seattle’s 13. But their defense lacked, and their offense was only decent. The Bobcats would take their season closer due to all that.
west coast style (6-7) d. hurricanes (6-6-1)
53-40
With both IWCY and the Klowns winning, WCS was out and the Canes would have to win with 187 points. Neither happened. In fact, the only thing that happened for the Canes was Chris Chambers’s 18, and that was matched by WCS’s Harrison. But what really made WCS’s victory possible was that they had support from the rest of the team. Jurevicius had 9, Andra Davis added 8, and Hanson tallied 7. Sadly, both teams were heading home after this one.
Dunedain (5-8) d. Cooney Quest (6-7)
84-30
The Quest were ended by IWCY and the Klowns already winning, so this game just didn’t matter. Probably better too, because with their best score being Longwell’s 7, they were leaving the door wide open. And Dunedain marched their army through.
“Dunedain has Drew Brees and Tiki Barber, and they could be more than enough to destroy the Quest.” They would’ve been with a combined 29. But let’s not turn away from Jimmy Smith’s 12, Zach Thomas’s 13, and Thomas Jones’s 10; they made Dunedain look good, and the Quest not so good.
Team THRUST (8-5) d. FIRSTforce (10-3)
45-38
I kinda expected a little more oomph from this second game with two teams in the playoffs. The big difference here was the QB spot. The younger Manning gave THRUST a 9 in his win against Philly. Force had Marques Tuiasosopo (apparently, Kerry Collins’s backup) score a less than stellar -3. Lucky for both teams, this game didn’t matter, and I have a feeling they’ll both be scoring higher in the playoffs.
Code:
Rank Team W-L-T Pct. Pts. Streak Change
1.y Nor Cal Crushers 12-2-0 .857 984 W-4 ±0
2.x FIRSTforce 10-4-0 .714 831 L-1 ±0
3.x Rhode Island Voltaic 10-4-0 .714 825 L-1 ±0
4.x Team THRUST 9-5-0 .643 801 W-3 ±0
5.x The Tacoites 9-5-0 .643 711 W-4 ±0
6.x Feisty Klowns 8-6-0 .571 799 W-1 +1
7.x Your Ad Here 8-6-0 .571 699 L-2 -1
8.x IwillCrushYou 7-6-1 .536 757 W-4 ±0
9.z west coast style 7-7-0 .500 744 W-1 +3
10.z Jc's Evil Empire 7-7-0 .500 686 W-1 +3
11.z Akshar Did It 6-7-1 .464 616 L-1 -2
12.z hurricanes 6-7-1 .464 610 L-1 -2
13.z Dunedain 6-8-0 .429 755 W-1 +4
14.z Koko's X-Cats 5-7-2 .429 725 L-4 -3
15.z Cooney Quest 6-8-0 .429 580 L-4 -1
16.z Stevies Scapegoats 5-8-1 .393 679 L-1 -1
17.z sigmakittens 5-9-0 .357 722 L-1 -1
18.z Coco's Monkeys 5-9-0 .357 581 W-1 ±0
19.z Pelan's Bobcats 4-10-0 .286 728 W-1 ±0
20.z QC Elite 2-12-0 .143 578 L-5 ±0
x=Clinched Playoff Birth
y=Clinched #1 Seed
z=Mathematically Eliminated
And there you have it, the final standings going into the playoffs. Both IWCY and the Klowns held on to make it to the postseason. I'll have the second half analysis/awards and the playoff picture up between now and Saturday morning.