ISFL NEWLETTER
|
The
Internet Simulation Football League Newsletter
Volume #25 Issue #20 – January 21, 2022
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Current League Officers
Commissioner: Mark McNeil (blades99@rochester.rr.com)
League Statistician: Mark McNeil (blades99@rochester.rr.com)
ISFL
Review Board: Hank Sienzant,
Don Antonelli, Ed Minshull
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LEAGUE NOTES
I.
Message from the Commissioner
II.
News from Around the League
III.
Standings
IV.
Divisional Round Results
V.
Championship Round Schedule
VI.
Transactions
VII.
Other News including Players of the Week
I.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
The
Divisional round is in the books and not a lot of surprises as we have
#1 and #2 in the AFC playing (NE vs DEN) and then #1 and #3 in NFC (NO
vs KC). All games were close
in this round and every team had a chance to get a win and move to the
final 4. Round 3 is ready to
go and the teams should all be set to go with the new files so get the
games rolling and good luck to all!
I am
now going to start taking ballot proposal ideas for anyone that has
something they think will fix a problem or make the league better. I
have sent out a separate email to the group, so see that for specific
instructions and let’s set Sunday, January 23rd at 9 pm
eastern as the deadline for any new ideas so I can get the preliminary
ballot out the next day.
Lottery order is set and will be done before the Super Bowl is complete.
As usual I will need some help from a couple of people so we can be sure
to keep it on the up and up since Conner’s team is involved again.
1 NY
Giants 1-15 .469
Please check your teams rosters and let me know if I missed any players
who should be inactive OR if you have any injury subs who should not be
there (especially for the non-playoff teams as all injury subs should be
off your team). If you need a sub, please contact Jeff Shelton asap so
he can try and get your hooked up with someone to get your game in.
Make sure you have the latest action update which is available on
the website. Game files are
up for week 6, so make sure you go download them and start making
contact for week 6 games. If you have any questions, now is the time, so
please ask before we get too far into things.
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 moving along if it is missing at the deadline.
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
In the AFC Denver gets by the Chargers and New England takes down
Indianapolis.
BRONCOS ADVANCE TO ISFL
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!
Denver Downs
Chargers for Second Time in Three Years on Kicking Woes
Denver, January 12th, 2022: Two missed extra points in the
second half proved costly for the Chargers as they lost in the AFC
divisional round by one point, 27-26. Kicker Brandon McManus was the
guilty party again, as he was in the divisional round two years ago.
With the score tied at 17-17 two years ago, Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a
38-yard McManus field goal to keep the score tied, and the Broncos went
on to upset the 15-1 Chargers on the road that year, 20-17.
Today Brandon McManus missed two of
his four extra-point attempts, with both misses coming in the second
half. The first miss kept the score tied at 20. The second prevented the
Chargers from tying the game with just under four minutes in regulation,
leaving the score at 27-26.
>From that point, the Broncos
successfully converted three third downs to retain possession until
there were zeroes on the clock. Two of those conversions came via
completions to 11-year Bronco veteran Golden Tate.
The contest was a back-and-forth
affair, with the two teams exchanging the lead six times in total.
After forcing a Charger
three-and-out, the Broncos drove 47 yards on their first possession to a
34-yard Rodrigo Blankenship first goal. The Chargers answered back on
the ensuing kickoff, with Pollard returning the kick 64 yards to the
Denver 36. He gashed the Broncos for 29 yards on the ground on the
following three plays, moving the ball to the Denver seven. Pollard
mysteriously did not receive another touch in the game. David Johnson
took it over from seven yards out on third down and three to give the
Chargers a 7-3 lead.
The Broncos Devin Duvernay returned
the kick 49 yards to the Denver 46. Twenty yards later, a failed fourth
and one by the Broncos stymied the march at the Charger 34. After
another Charger three-and-out, Denver drove from their own 20 to their
first touchdown to retake the lead at 10-7. Zeke Elliott took a
check-down from Philip Rivers to the endzone from four yards out. The
best plays were two third-down completions to keep the drive alive and a
20-yard connection to Devante Parker to take the ball to the fringe of
the red zone. The possession started late in the first quarter and ended
5:20 into the second quarter, taking over six minutes off the clock.
But Kirk Cousins, who to this point
was just two of seven for 12 yards, took the Chargers on an 11-play,
75-yard drive that never got to third down, with David Johnson running
it in from ten yards out. That put the Chargers on top by 14-10. And the
Chargers outdid the Broncos, even overcoming a nine-yard loss on a Bud
Dupree sack of Cousins. The march took 6:25 off the clock, leaving only
3:15 in the first half.
The Chargers' defense forced a Denver
three-and-out, and the Chargers had visions of another score before
halftime. Cousins was off on his first two passes before throwing a pick
to Jason Pierre-Paul on a check-down. This time the Broncos were able to
capitalize, getting 18 yards on a screen to Elliott to convert a second
and 18. They had to settle for the 46-yard Blankenship field goal with
18 seconds remaining in the first half to cut the Chargers lead to
14-13.
The Broncos started the second half
converting two third downs to move the ball into Charger territory.
However, a holding call against left tackle Kolton Miller negated the
14-yard Parker reception and the second first down, and Denver ended the
possession with a punt.
The Chargers tried to improve on
that, and after picking up two first downs and moving the ball into
Denver territory, disaster struck the Chargers. The Broncos defense
double-covered David Johnson in the flat, and Cousins didn't see the
second defender, safety Marcus Maye, sliding over. Maye jumped the
route, returning the pick nine yards to the Charger 49.
It took only three plays to get the
touchdown following the turnover. Two check-downs, to Elliott for six
and Dillon for four, left the ball in a third-and-inches situation.
Rivers threw long to Curtis Samuel for the touchdown and the 20-14
Denver lead, their largest lead of the contest to date.
Seven plays and 75 yards later, the
Chargers had tied it at 20, with Cousins throwing his only touchdown
pass of the game to Melvin Gordon from 14 yards out on a check-down. A
30-yard completion to Corey Davis was the biggest gain for the Chargers
on the drive and in the game. But the missed extra point by McManus
meant the Chargers failed to take the one-point lead.
After an exchange of punts took the
game late into the third quarter, the Broncos ground game found their
mojo. Having been held to only 64 yards on 19 rushes prior, the Broncos
picked up another sixty on four runs to score the go-ahead and eventual
winning touchdown. A.J.Dillon started the possession with an eight-yard
gain on a draw, and after a holding call against guard Trai Turner
negated a 14-yard catch by Golden Tate, Wilkins got nine of it back on
another draw play, ending the third quarter.
On third and three, Zeke Elliott
picked up 20 on a third draw play to move the ball to the Denver 49.
Then banged right up the middle for 23 more to get the ball to the
Charger 28. A screen to Elliott gained seven before Rivers found Tate in
a tight window, and Tate found running room to take it to paydirt. The
Tate touchdown put the Broncos ahead 27-20 with just 12:23 left.
The Chargers were determined to tie
it up. So much so, Los Angeles went for it on fourth down three times,
converting all three. The Broncos were equally determined to stop them.
With a first and five from the Denver seven-yard line, it took the
Chargers five plays before they scored on Cousins quarterback sneak from
inches out. And the drive was in considerable part pyrrhic, as the march
took 17 plays and 8:30 off the clock. Facing a fourth-and-two from the
Denver 17 with 5:22 left in the contest, the Chargers might have opted
for the field goal at that point since they needed a field goal and
touchdown to win. But as it turned out, McManus failed to make the extra
point for a second time, leaving the Chargers down by one at 27-26 with
under four minutes remaining.
And Denver had enough left in the
tank to pick up three first downs to run out the clock. That left no
chance for the Chargers to get that second score they so desperately
needed.
GAME NOTES: Cousins completed only 16 of 35 on
the day, less than 50 percent. Heavy pressure and consistent tight
coverage accounted for most of that. The Broncos received credit for
eight passes defensed and six hurries. Cousins threw for only 195 yards
and one touchdown with two picks, finishing with a 47.8 passer rating.
By contrast, Philip Rivers, the MVP
of the contest, completed 23 of 32 for 251 yards and three touchdowns,
with no picks. He ended up with a 125.9 passer rating.
Melvin Gordon, who snagged five of
six passes for 40 yards and one score - among those targeted more than
once - caught more than half his targets for the Chargers. Gordon led
the Chargers in receptions while no one else had more than two
receptions. Corey Davis caught two of eight for 47 yards, and the 47
yards was the high water mark for Los Angeles.
David Johnson and Melvin Gordon had
47 yards rushing, with Johnson rushing 11 times for a 4.3-yard average
and scoring twice, while Gordon carried the ball seven times for a
6.7-yard average. Tony Pollard finished with three for 29 yards (9.7)
and two kickoff returns for 82 yards (41.0). He gave every indication of
being the best back on the field today.
Zeke Elliott was the Chargers big gun
today, as he rushed for 79 yards on 16 carries (4.9) and led the team in
receptions and receiving yards with seven for 56 (8.0). Jordan Wilkins
rushed four times for 30 yards with one reception for an additional ten
yards.
Bradley Chubb and Blake Martinez had
eight tackles for the Chargers, with Chubb adding two hurries and
Martinez a tackle for loss. Broncos cornerbacks D.J. Henderson and Byron
Murphy were stellar. Henderson made six tackles and allowed only three
completions with two passes defensed, and Murphy allowed only one
completion with three defensed. Interceptions by Marcus Maye and Jason
Pierre-Paul certainly helped the Denver cause.
KEY STATS: The Broncos converted eight of 15
third-down attempts while the Chargers were only three of 11. Denver had
the ball for 33 minutes to the Chargers 27. The Chargers picked up 22
first downs to the Broncos 19 and were penalized 28 yards to the
Chargers 70. But it comes down again to turnovers and points off
turnovers. The Broncos played turnover-free football, while the Chargers
turned the ball over twice on Cousins' interceptions. Those picks led
directly to ten points by Denver, as Denver started the ensuing drives
in Charger territory.
NEXT MAN UP: The Chargers came in minus the
services of tight end Tyler Kroft. The Broncos are healthy, as clinching
the second seed with a week to go enabled Denver to rest ten players to
get ready for this playoff run.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Chargers can hit the links now
while Denver will either travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to face
the undefeated Patriots or host the fourth seed Indianapolis Colts in
Denver if the Colts manage the upset of New England in the other AFC
divisional game.
A tight game, point to point till the last 2
minutes, when Rodgers made is only mistake of the day, resulting in a
pick 6 that allow to NE to move 27-13. The last TD was too late (13 seconds from the
end) to make the difference. Thanks to Sri for a very exciting game.
In the NFC Jacksonville falls to Kansas City in a mild upset and New
Orleans downs Carolina in an offensive game.
First I have to say Shan is the best. To
start the game I brought up a punt return playoff issue that is not in
the rules. I have been discussing this with Mark. I told
Shan it would be fair to use Cole, with a return TD waiting to happen,
two times but he didn't when the opportunity was there. We always
have a great respect for each other and both realize it is just a game
and want to be a fair as possible. I also have a returner with a
TD that I didn't use when the opportunity was there.
New Orleans deferrers, gets a stop on 4th down that
leads to a Tucker FG. Carolina answers with a TD and takes the
lead. New Orleans answers with a TD. Carolina said no
problem and scores again for a 14-10 lead. We are thinking 100
points in this game. NO gets the next 3 scores to take a 31-14
lead. Carolina gets a FG and I make a major mistake not running
out the half as Russell Wilson throws an INT which leads to a Panthers
TD and it's a 1 score game 31-24 at the half. We are half way to a
100 point game but that is not how it works, EVER.
Carolina gets the first 2 scores in the 2nd half
and have 34-31 lead but New Orleans answers with a 75 yard game winning
TD drive to advance.
Kyler Murray dominates as he leads the Chiefs to a
23-10 win over the Jags. Murray had a TD run and a TD pass to Irv Smith
and made big, clutch plays all game.
Nino calls a great game and really earned the win.
Coming up in the AFC Denver will travel to New England in a matchup of
the top two teams in the conference.
These two did not meet this year, so it is a winner takes all to
see who is the best team in the AFC and gets to play in the Super Bowl.
Coming up in the NFC New Orleans hosts Kansas City in a rematch of a
week 6 game that the Saints won on a field goal in OT, so looks to be a
game of two evenly matched squads with the Chiefs trying to avenge their
early season loss.
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III. STANDINGS
http://www.blades99.com/ISFL/Standings21.htm
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IV. RESULTS – Divisional Round Results
Kansas City 23 Jacksonville 10
V.
SCHEDULE
Championship Round
Denver
Indianapolis at New England
Kansas City at New Orleans
VI.
TRANSACTIONS
AFC
BUF –
CLE –
DEN –
HOU –
IND –
Returned Sam Franklin, Ben Garland and Cedrick Ogbuehi to FA pool.
MIN – NE
-
NYJ –
PIT –
SF
- TEN –
NFC
ARZ –
ATL –
DET –
GB
-
KC
-
MIA –
PHI –
SEA –
LAR –
DRAFT
PICKS FORFEITED:
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VII.
OTHER NEWS:
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
WEEK
ONE
OFFENSE: Amari Cooper, BUF – 13 catches, 216 yards, 4 TDs
WEEK
TWO
OFFENSE: Deshaun Watson, PIT – 20 of 23 for 341 yards, 5 TDs
DEFENSE: Haasan Reddick, LAC – 3 sacks, 4 tackles
WEEK
THREE:
OFFENSE: Aaron Rodgers, IND – 29 of 39 for 434 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Tashaun Gipson Sr, JAX – 2 INTs, 3 tackles
WEEK
FOUR:
OFFENSE: Derek Carr, CAR – 24 of 39 for 426 yards, 5 TDs
DEFENSE: Preston Smith, IND – 15 tackles
WEEK
FIVE:
OFFENSE: Dalvin Cook, CAR – 23 carries, 217 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Bud Dupree, DEN – 1 sack, 12 tackles
WEEK
SIX:
OFFENSE: Gardner Minshew II, DET – 36 of 49 for 401 yards, 5 TDs
DEFENSE: Tyrell Adams, MIA – 19 tackles
WEEK
SEVEN:
OFFENSE: Devante Adams, NO – 8 catches, 141 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Shaq Barrett, MIA – 3 sacks, 10 tackles
WEEK
EIGHT:
OFFENSE: DK Metcalf, DET – 13 catches, 182 yards, 4 TDs
WEEK
NINE:
OFFENSE: Aaron Rodgers, IND – 29 of 46 for 329 yards, 5 TDs
WEEK
TEN:
OFFENSE: Stefon Diggs, CAR – 12 catches, 216 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Trevon Diggs, DET – 2 INTs, 8 tackles
WEEK
ELEVEN:
OFFENSE: Derrick Henry, ARI – 31 carries, 203 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Fred Warner, DET – 16 tackles
WEEK
TWELVE:
OFFENSE: Curtis Samuel, DEN – 12 catches, 182 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Carlton Davis III, LAC – 1 INT, 8 tackles
WEEK
THIRTEEN:
OFFENSE: Chase Claypool, ARZ – 7 catches, 177 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Reggie Ragland, CAR – 3 sacks, 5 tackles
WEEK
FIFTEEN
OFFENSE: Ryan Tannehill, ARZ – 22 of 29 for 400 yards, 6 TDs
DEFENSE: Carl Nassib, PHI – 3 sacks, 6 tackles
WEEK
SIXTEEN
OFFENSE: Aaron Jones, TEN – 24 carries, 202 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Brian Poole, BUF – 12 tackles, 2 INTs
WEEK
SEVENTEEN
OFFENSE: Kirk Cousins, LAC – 28 of 36 for 350 yards, 5 TDs
DEFENSE: Jamal Adams, NO – 4 sacks, 7 tackles
WILDCARD ROUND
OFFENSE: Derek Carr, CAR – 29 of 39 for 414 yards, 5 TDs
DEFENSE: JC Jackson, KC – 2 INTs, 5 tackles
DIVSIONAL ROUND
OFFENSE: Russell Wilson, NO – 19 of 26 for 273 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Xavier Rhodes, NE – 9 tackles, 1 INT, Pick Six |