ISFL NEWLETTER |
The
Internet Simulation Football League Newsletter
Volume #17 Issue #17 – January 10, 2014
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Current League Officers
Commissioner: Mark McNeil (blades99@rochester.rr.com)
League Statistician: Mark McNeil (blades99@rochester.rr.com)
ISFL
WWW site: http://www.blades99.com/ISFL/ISFL.htm
ISFL
Review Board: Jeff
Barricelli, Dave Stewart, Don Antonelli
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LEAGUE NOTES
I.
Message from the Commissioner
II.
News from Around the League
III.
Standings
IV.
Wild Card Results
V.
Round 2 Schedule
VI.
Transactions
VII.
Other News including Players of the Week
I.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
The
Wild Card Round was all that and more as we have a couple of upsets, a
big comeback, a blow out and a very tight game. Congratulations to all
who won this round and move on and the same to those whose season has
ended as you all did your teams proud and made for a great first round
of playoff games. For those
not in, please hang around as I will have some final things for you to
complete before the season is over. Be
sure if you have trouble hooking up to be sure you get a plan in place
and a sub if needed. Thanks
for the great work guys! I
have updated files on the website for the end of the regular season, go
ahead and get those and start thinking about awards voting.
I will get playoff files out by Thursday and then you can get
started on your game contacts for the wild card games.
I
can’t stress enough that you need to IMMEDIATELY send me your game
export when the game is complete.
Send your write up later on, that’s fine, but I MUST have the
game export as soon as the game ends or I’ll have to sim the game to
keep things.
Don’t
forget, if you lose a player for 2 or more games, you can ask for an
injury replacement, but it must be done the same week as the injury, so
don’t wait, get those requests in right away and take advantage,
especially the teams who are already challenged for the amount of games
they have to work with.
Also, be sure you give me enough names as the more injuries the more
likely someone else already grabbed the guy you want.
Reminder that you MUST send a boxscore and writeup to the league after
each game. The home team is
responsible for this, but either team can do it, as long as it does get
done. Also, you MUST send me
the game export immediately after the game is complete.
It takes about 30 seconds, so I shouldn’t have to chase you down
for that file after a game, just get it in right away so I don’t have to
guess whether a game has happened or not.
***********************************************************************
II.
News from Around the League
This
week in the AFC Denver Broncos get a tight win over the NY Jets in a
great game while the San Diego Chargers mount a huge comeback in the
second half to down the Dallas Cowboys for the third time this season
and move on to round 2.
This
week in the NFC Detroit pulls the upset against the Green Bay Packers
and Arizona wins big over the visiting Seattle Seahawks.
Coming up in the AFC the top seeded New England Patriots host the upset
minded San Diego Chargers.
The Patriots are coming off the bye and a 15 win regular season while
the Chargers have huge momentum on the strength of their upset, come
from behind win in the Wild Card Game.
The Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns meet for the third time
this season with Denver still trying to solve the Browns who beat them
twice already this year, so the Broncos will need to pull the upset to
move to the conference championship.
Coming up in the NFC the Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Detroit
Lions, a matchup of two teams who had very different regular seasons,
but both have won their share of games in this league and this should be
another great matchup.
Division rival Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles meet for a
third time this year with each team winning their home game, so they get
the rubber match to see who will move on to the NFC Championship.
Wildcard Matchup Recaps
BRONCOS EDGE PAST JETS, 18-13
Denver, December 27th, 2013: On a cold, rainy December night in
Denver, with wind gusts to 20 mph, the Broncos overcame the weather, a
minus-two turnover differential, two lost fumbles early, a special-teams
touchdown surrendered on a punt return, and a 10-0 second quarter
deficit to edge the New York Jets 18-13. After falling behind 10-0 in
the second quarter, the Broncos outscored the Jets 18-3 the rest of the
way to win their first post-season contest since winning the Super Bowl
in 2011.
The big plays
were many, despite the low-scoring affair. And some of the biggest plays
came on special teams, and special teams gamesmanship.
Perhaps the
biggest came just past midway in the fourth quarter, with the score tied
at 13-all, and the Jets facing a fourth and one at the Broncos 24. With
the 10-20 mile per hour wind at their back, the field goal to take the
lead was almost a gimme. But the Jets went into a power set, and tried
to run Michael Turner over the top for the first down. The thought there
was obvious, score the touchdown and take time off the clock to leave
less time for a Denver comeback. But although the play gained a yard, it
turned out to be inches short on the spot and the Broncos took over at
their own 23 with 6:40 remaining in the game.
The Broncos
then moved the ball to just past midfield, when fate stepped in and kept
the drive alive. With a first and ten at the Jets 48, Nick Foles was
sacked and stripped by defensive end C.J.Wilson, but the loose ball was
recovered by Austin Howard to retain possession for the Broncos. Two
completions picked up the first down, moving the ball to the Jets 33 at
the two-minute warning. After a penalty moved it back to the 38 and
following an incomplete pass into the wind, the Broncos ran it twice to
get to the Jets 27 with 1:24 left in the contest. Dan Carpenter's field
goal curved just inside the right upright to give the Broncos the 16-13
lead with 1:18 remaining in the game.
The Jets, who
had been held to two field goals on offense (their lone touchdown came
on a special teams punt return), were sacked on second and fourth downs
(with incompletes on first and third). The fourth down sack came on a
fourth and 22 from their own one yard line, with Michael Johnson getting
the sack and the safey with 45 seconds left in the game to forge the
final score of 18-13.
The game
displayed the varying philosophies of the two coaches. Both teams were
starting rookie quarterbacks, but both had very different routes to this
game. Ryan Tannehill was a first-round pick of the Jets, and they
thought enough of him to trade two first rounders to acquire him in the
2013 draft. He started every game this year, and came out throwing in
this one. On the Jets first six plays, Tannehill dropped back to throw
six times. He was one of five for 14 yards, and sacked once for an eight
yard loss on those six plays.
The Broncos
Nick Foles was a fifth round afterthought, but got the opportunity to
play starting in week eleven because Josh Freeman was ineffective
throughout his first ten weeks. Although Foles played decently at times,
he had only a 3-3 record in his six regular season starts, compared to
Tannehill's 10-6 record as a rookie.
By contrast,
the Broncos came out running, and handed off five straight times to
start the contest. It wasn't until the Broncos second possession that
Foles even threw a pass. Afer completing his first three for 18 yards,
Foles was sacked on consecutive plays and lost the ball on the second
one, with linebacker James Harrison getting the strip sack, and veteran
cornerback Sheldon Brown recovering at the Broncos 27 for the first big
play of the game.
But a penalty
on the first play followed by a sack of Tannehill on the second play
left the Jets in a second and 24 that they could not recover from,
eventually settling for a fourth and seven field goal of 42 yards from
the Bronco 24 by Shaun Suisham for the early 3-0 lead.
Another lost
fumble (by the Broncos Jermichael Finley after a short reception),
recovered by the Jets Terence Newman at the Jets 48, was problematic for
the Broncos, especially after the Jets advanced to the Denver 29 in just
three plays. But the Denver defense thwarted any further advance, and in
fact, two holding penalties against the Jets offensive line forced a
Jets punt from the Denver 49, downed at the Denver three-yard line.
Moving the
ball well until a holding penalty against Joe Thomas set them back, the
Broncos had managed to dodge bullet after bullet.
But not this
one. Jon Ryan's punt was taken by Jeremy Kerley at the Jets 16, and
Kerley turned the corner, picked up some nice blocks, and was gone for
the first touchdown in the game and a 10-0 Jets lead. Ryan had an
opportunity for a tack;e at the Denver 40, but a quick fake by Kerley
took Ryan down on his own and Kerley scored unopposed.
The Broncos
came out to start the second half and promptly scored a touchdown to tie
it up at 10-10. Starting from their own 11, the Broncos drove 89 yards
for the score. After a first down by penalty on Charles Woodson for pass
interference, the Broncos went deep and Nick Foles connected with Dwayne
Bowe on a bomb down the right sideline for 56 yards to the Jets 20. It
took three more plays, all completions by Foles, to score the touchdown,
but the game was knotted up at ten-ten when Foles hit Dwayne Bowe for
the score from nine yards out. The 56-yarder was Foles and Bowe's
longest completion and longest reception of the year, respectively.
The teams
exchanged field goals on the next two possessions, with the Jets taking
the lead 13-10 after a nine-minute 14-play drive from their own 22 to
the Denver 15. On fourth and one, the Jets hurried up and lined up
on offense and tried to go for it, but a Denver timeout to think about
it disabused the Jets of that notion and they settled for the 33-yard
Suisham field goal to take the lead with 2:22 remaining in the third
quarter.
The Broncos
came back with a scoring drive of their own, taking five minutes off the
clock on a 13-play drive to the Jets 20-yard line. With a fourth and one
from there, the Broncos lined up to go for it, expecting the Jets to
burn a timeout to think about it, but the veteran Jets didn't need to,
forcing the Broncos to think about calling a timeout of their own. But
Hank Sienzant simply nodded to Nick Foles when Foles looked to the
sideline for confirmation, and Foles took it up the middle to convert
the fourth and one at the 19. But although the Broncos got as close as
the Jets 14, an unsportsmanlike call against backup tackle Austin Howard
cost the Broncos dearly, and they could only get back to the 19 again
before settling for the Carpenter 37-yard field goal to tie it up at 13
with 12:07 remaining in the game.
All that
gamesmanship on fourth down earlier in the contest clearly figured into
the Jets next drive, when the Jets drove from their own 29 to the Denver
24, taking five minutes off the clock in the process, before lining up
on fourth and one and trying to get Michael Turner over the top for the
first down, but falling inches short.
Denver then
drove for the go-ahead field goal (with a key fumble recovery by Austin
Howard to keep the possession alive, removing the goat horns from his
head for his earlier unsportsmanlike call), and got the safety a short
time later to close out the scoring.
Game Notes: Dwayne Bowe got the MVP award for the game with his seven
receptions for 105 yards and one big touchdown (the only one in the game
for the Broncos), but there were numerous Broncos equally deserving.
BenJarvus
Green-Ellis rushed for 108 yards in 25 carries for all the Broncos
rushing yards, and caught four more for another 30 yards.
Dwan Edwards,
a veteran acquired during the draft from the Giants for a sixth round
pick in 2014, was a dominant inside presence for the Broncos in this
game. His five tackles, two sacks of Tannehill and three hurries kept
Ryan Tannehill off-balance in the pocket throughout the contest, leading
to Tannehill's less than stellar 17 of 27 for 158 yards and four sacks,
finishing with only 129 net passing yards on the game. Jeremy Kerley's
trick play option pass on the last play of the first quarter was also
snuffed out by Edwards, chasing Kerley down from behind and tackling him
for a loss as he set to throw back to a wide-open Ryan Tannehill. The
play was scored as another Edwards sack of the game, giving him three
sacks overall. Michael Johnson was credited with another two sacks of
Tannehill, five tackles, one hurry, and one big safety late in the game.
David Harris
was the leading tackler for the Jets, with 11, while Charles Woodson
contributing five tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble
(on Finley's lost fumble).
Dan Carpenter
was 3-3 on field goals, scoring half the Bronco points. Bowe had six,
Michael Johnson two, and Greg Zuerlein one. The Jets leading scorer was
Shaun Suisham with seven points, and Jeremy Kerley added six on the punt
return touchdown.
Jon Ryan had
an ugly 0.5 net punting average, courtesy of the Jets special teams.
Nick Foles
effort in the win should not be lost in the shuffle. The rookie
quarterback, in only his seventh pro start, completed 23 of 31 for 236
yards and one touchdown, with no picks (but one lost fumble), for a
passer rating of 106.4 (Tannehill's was 78.9). Foles 31 attempts. 23
completions, and 236 passing yards were all season highs for him.
The Broncos
held the Jets offense without a touchdown for the second time this
season (they beat the Jets 13-6 in week two) and surrendered only one
offensive touchdown to the Jets all season (in a 19-7 win in week nine).
The Jets only touchdown in this game came on a special teams punt
return. The Jets gained only 193 yards from scrimmage in this contest,
compared to 324 for the Broncos. That differential was part of what
allowed the Broncos to overcome the two-turnover difference in favor of
the Jets.
The Jets
leading rusher was Michael Turner, with 40 yards on 13 carries (3.1),
but Justin Forsett was a more effective five for 26 (5.2). Brian
Hartline caught four for 45 to lead the Jets in that category.
Injuries: The Broncos came in short Golden Tate at wide receiver and
at one point lost two other starting wideouts, Dwayne Bowe and Louis
Murphy, leaving them down to Armon Binns and Rueben Randle, their
little-used fourth and fifth options at wideout, both rookies. Dant'a
Hightower was questionable coming in, but suited up and played, although
he didn't have a big impact on the game (three tackles, no big plays).
A Look Ahead: The Broncos may have played their last
home game of the season. They will face either the 15-1 Patriots in New
England or the 14-2 Browns inCleveland next week, depending on the
outcome of the other AFC wild card game (San Diego at Dallas). Both the
Patriots and Browns have beaten the Broncos at home this year already.
The Jets will
probably need to reload at some point soon - but we've been saying that
for three years. Many of their defense starters are getting up in years
(James Harrison, Charles Woodson, Terence Newman and Sheldon Brown are
all on the wrong side of 32), and several other starters (David Harris,
D'Qwell Jackson, and Matt Giordano) are either 30 or will be 30 next
year. Several other long-time Jet stars may be seeing their last
significant playing time on offense as well (Michael Turner is 30,
ancient for a running back, and Andrew Whitworth is 31). Several others
on offense will be 30 next year (including tight end Vernon Davis).
On the plus
side, they appear to have a long-time solution in place at quarterback
in Ryan Tannehill, the first time in a while they can say that. For the
last several years, they've juggled veterans like Jeff Garcia (38 in
2009), Brett Favre (39 & 40 in 2009-2010), Jon Kitna (38 in 2011), and
Matt Hasselbeck (36 in 2012) as their starters.
Tannehill's
solid rookie year gives them a definite leg up in the rebuilding
process. However, with long-time coach Roberto Tosco suggesting he may
step down at the end of this season, Tosco may have coached his last
game for the Jets, and if so, the new regime may just decide to clean
house and sweep Tannehill out along with all the veterans as part of a
rebuilding process and bring in his own players. On the downside, the
Jets have traded their first rounder away in 2014 as part of the deal to
acquire Tannehill (as well as a sixth) but a new coach would get a
supplemental first round pick (and sixth) back in any case, so the deal
and the loss of the two picks won't hurt the Jets too much.
If Tosco does
decide not to return, his ability as a head coach and general manager
will be missed by the Jets, but his solid character and commitment to
the ISFL will be sorely missed by the league. I'm hoping he decides to
return.
***************************
San Diego travels to Dallas in the wildcard round . It was truly a game
of 2 half's.
Half 1
Dallas opens the scoring after a Eli pick Dallas drives 36 yards in 5
plays . Colin Kaepernick throws to Jimmy Graham 10 yards for a 7-0 lead
. San Diego goes 3 and out .Dallas then drives 39 yards in 12 plays paid
off with a Steven Hauschka 32 yard field goal for a 10-0 lead for Dallas
. Eli drives the Chargers inside the Cowboys 40 but then throws a pick
to Ed Reed who takes inside the Charger 25 . 6 plays and 10 yards later
Mr.Hauschka boots a 33 yard field goal to make it Dallas 13 -0 lead .
San Diego cant move the ball and punt it back to the Cowboys who start
at there own 21 . Drive the 79 yards in 10 plays capped off by a LeSean
McCoy 36 yard run up the middle to make it 20-0 Dallas . San Diego picks
up a couple 1st downs but punts back to Dallas . Cowboys goes 3 and out
. San Diego starts from there own 11 with 2:26 in the half . A Eli pass
to Cobb a couple runs with Richardson add in a face mask against Dallas
get the ball to the Cowboys 43 . On 1st down Eli hits Jordan Shipley on
a slant breaks a tackle and takes it to the house . Dallas 20-San Diego
7 . With 57 seconds to go in the half. San Diego angles the kick with
the Cowboys watching for a onside kick . BUT Mr. Trindon Holliday takes
it 98 yards to the end zone for a Dallas 27 -San Diego 7 lead at half .
Half 2
Dallas starts off at own 20 a Kaepernick pass for 5 yards followed by 2
sacks move it back to the Cowboys 12 . On 4th down the snaps goes over
Podlesh head to the Cowboys 1 . 1 play later Ridley takes it in for a 27
-14 lead for Dallas .Next Dallas drive is a 3 and out . San Diego drives
it 15 plays and 73 yards and one of the key plays was a 4th and 2 from
the Dallas 21 . Eli hits Miles Austin 12 yards . Eli tosses a 6 yard
pass to Randall Cobb . Dallas 27 -San Diego 21 . We have a ballgame .
1st down at there own 13 incomplete pass . 2nd Down Dallas brings in
Matt Cassel and his 1st pass is picked off by Richard Sherman who takes
it 28 yards for a touchdown . San Diego 28 -Dallas 27 .
After this
there was a pint by Dallas , San Diego punts it back .Dallas punts it
back and San Diego punts it right back . Dallas starts driving on 5
Cassel passes to the Chargers 23 . The Kerry Rhodes steps in front of a
pass returns it to the Cowboys 32 . Chargers drive it down to the
Cowboys 13 . Josh Scobee trots out for a field goal . Offside on the
Cowboys ( when it rains it pours ) 1st down and goal at the 8 . Daryl
Richardson takes in for the touchdown to make it San Diego 35 -Dallas 27
. Richard Sherman picked off another Cassell pass late . And Chargers
hold on for the improbable 35-27 win over the Cowboys .
Thanks to Bob for being a class act even though EVERYTHING went against
him in the 2nd half
San Diego travels to New England next week in the divisional round .
************** Old fashioned defensive struggle on the frozen
tundra of Lambeau Field (actually was a pretty decent 26’, clear with
little wind). **************** Seahawks come out playing fast and loose, they
convert 4 third downs and 2 fourth downs on opening drive.
**********************************************************************
III. STANDINGS
http://www.blades99.com/ISFL/Standings13.htm
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IV.
RESULTS – Wild Card Round
San Diego 35 Dallas 27
***********************************************************************
V.
SCHEDULE
Round 2 Games
***********************************************************************
VI.
TRANSACTIONS
AFC
BUF –
CLE –
DEN –
HOU –
IND –
MIN –
NE
-
NYJ –
PIT –
SF
-
TEN –
NFC
ARZ –
ATL -
CAR –
DET –
GB
- Returned Corey Williams to FA pool.
KC
-
MIA –
PHI –
SEA –
STL –
DRAFT
PICKS FORFEITED:
None
***********************************************************************
VII.
OTHER NEWS:
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
WEEK
ONE
OFFENSE: James Jones, SF – 8 catches, 205 yards, 3 TDs
WEEK
TWO
OFFENSE: Carson Palmer, SEA – 20 of 29 for 224 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Craig Dahl, NYG – 2 INTs, 6 tackles, INT return TD
WEEK
THREE:
OFFENSE: Steven Ridley, SD – 20 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD
DEFENSE: Tamba Hali, ATL – 3 sacks, 6 tackles
WEEK
FOUR:
OFFENSE: Adrian Peterson, NE – 23 carries, 163 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Linval Joseph, NYG – 3 sacks, 5 tackles
WEEK
FIVE:
OFFENSE: Tony Romo, ATL – 41 of 54 for 475 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Chris Long, DAL – 5 sacks, 11 Tackles
WEEK
SIX:
OFFENSE: Jamal Charles, NO – 21 carries, 196 yards, 1 TD
DEFENSE: Troy Biermann, CAR – 3 sacks, 3 tackles
WEEK
SEVEN:
OFFENSE: Marques Colston, TEN – 11 catches, 135 yards, 1 TD
DEFENSE: Devin McCourty, TB – 2 INTs, 6 tackles
WEEK
EIGHT:
OFFENSE: Matt Schaub, GB – 29 of 36 for 386 yards, 5 TDs
WEEK
NINE:
OFFENSE: DeMarco Murray, MIN – 32 carries for 198 yards
DEFENSE: Everson Griffen, IND – 3 sacks, 4 tackles
WEEK
TEN:
OFFENSE: Michael Crabtree, SEA – 11 catches, 212 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Aldon Smith, GB – 7 sacks, 11 tackles
WEEK
ELEVEN:
OFFENSE: Jamal Charles, NO – 26 carries for 188 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Chad Greenway, PHI – 16 tackles
WEEK
TWELVE:
OFFENSE: Frank Gore, ATL – 35 carries for 230 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Patrick Peterson, IND – 2 INTs, 6 Tackles
WEEK
THIRTEEN:
OFFENSE: Adrian Peterson, NE – 24 carries for 148 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Aldon Smith, GB – 4 sacks, 5 tackles
WEEK
FIFTEEN
OFFENSE: DeAngelo Williams, GB – 27 carries for 181 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Chris Long, DAL – 4 sacks, 8 tackles
WEEK
SIXTEEN
OFFENSE: Drew Brees, JAX – 38 of 57 for 488 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Eric Weddle, NO – 2 INTs, 2 Tackles
WEEK
SEVENTEEN
OFFENSE: Stevan Ridley, SD – 28 carries for 199 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Paul Posluszny, STL – 2 INTs, 17 tackles
WILDCARD ROUND
OFFENSE: Ahmad Bradshaw, DET – 14 carries, 109 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Richard Sherman, SD – 2 INTs, 5 tackles, TD |