ISFL NEWLETTER
|
The
Internet Simulation Football League Newsletter
Volume #25 Issue #21 – January 30, 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.
Championship Round Results
V.
Super Bowl XXV Schedule
VI.
Transactions
VII.
Other News including Players of the Week
I.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
A
pair of conference championship games where the better team really shows
why they were better as the Patriots down the Broncos who hang in there
for a half but it gets away after halftime.
While in New Orleans Kyler Murray never really gets it going and
the Saints pull away for an easy win in the second half.
New Orleans is appearing in their third straight Super Bowl and 5th
all time though they are looking for only their second win.
New England continues their undefeated season and is going into
their third Super Bowl with a 1-1 record all time.
This should be a classic match up of two very good teams who are
good on both sides of ball and the result should be one of the best of
all time on the ISFL Super Bowl’s 25th anniversary.
Preliminary ballot will be out tomorrow, so last call for any ballot
proposals today.
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.
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II.
News from Around the League
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
PATRIOTS DOWN
BRONCOS, ADVANCE TO SUPER BOWL
FOXBORO, MASSACHUSETTS: The Broncos kept it close for three
quarters but fell apart in the fourth quarter, allowing the New England
Patriots to remain undefeated and cruise to their second Super Bowl of
the last four and third of the past nine.
It was 9-7 in favor of the Patriots at
the half, and when rookie C.J.Henderson picked off Drew Brees early in
the third quarter and returned it 20 yards to the 43, it looked like
things were starting to go in Denver's direction.
But three plays lost six yards, and the
Broncos punted. Taking over at their own 14, the Patriots drove 86 yards
to open a 16-7 lead, with David Montgomery catching a short pass from
Brees for the six-yard touchdown reception with 2:34 remaining in the
third quarter.
It became 23-7 in a hurry. Denver's
second consecutive three-and-out, both stalled by third-down sacks, gave
New England the ball at their own 40. A 24-yard completion to wideout
Marvin Jones moved it to the Denver 36 and ended the third quarter.
Three consecutive runs by David
Montgomery picked up 28 yards and left the Patriots in a second and
seven from the Denver eight-yard line. A short pass to Gronkowski took
care of that with 12:27 remaining in the contest and boosted the Patriot
lead to 23-7.
It was 30-7 in a heartbeat. After two
runs lost two yards, Simmons again sacked Philip Rivers on third down.
But this time, he fumbled, and cornerback Xavier Rhodes scooped up the
loose ball and returned it 11 yards for another touchdown, putting the
game out of Denver's reach at 30-7 with just 11:03 remaining. In less
than seven minutes, the Patriots scored three touchdowns. The game had
gone from a nail-biter to a blowout.
Denver tried to come back, but the
Patriots Jessie Bates picked off Rivers - his second of the game - and
ended that threat. After Denver's defense stopped Cam Newton on fourth
and one from the Denver 33, the Broncos finally mounted a scoring drive
with 3:49 left in the contest. Throwing on nearly every down, Rivers
closed out his career by hitting Golden Tate on a long pass from 32
yards out to forge the final score of 30-14 with 39 seconds remaining in
the game.
The Patriots dominated the first half
but had only three field goals to show for it due to some big defensive
plays by Denver.
Safety Jessie Bates intercepted Philip
Rivers' first pass of the contest, and the Patriots took over at the
Denver 35. But after driving to the Denver 17, the Bronco defense
stopped the Patriots on third down, and Michael Badgley missed a 35-yard
field goal to keep the game scoreless.
But after a Denver three-and-out, New
England drove from their own 31 to the Denver 10 behind Drew Brees four
of five for 37 yards passing. Denver's defense stiffened there and
yielded only a Badgley 30-yard field goal.
Denver mounted their first sustained
possession, getting one first down on the ground from Zeke Elliott and
another on a long completion from Rivers to Jalen Guyton for 29 yards.
But on the first play of the second quarter, Xavier Rhodes jumped a pass
intended for Curtis Samuel and picked off Rivers for the second time on
the day.
Taking over at their own 41, the
Patriots got two quick completions to Mike Evans for 38 yards to get to
the Bronco 21. They got as close as the Denver three, but Denver stopped
them there, and the Patriots settled for another Badgley field goal,
this one of 21 yards.
Trailing 6-0, Denver put together a
touchdown march to take the lead at 7-6. Runs by Elliott gained 16
yards, and completions to Samuel and DeVante Parker for 15 and 14
respectively moved the ball to the Patriot 25. After four yards on the
ground, Rivers hit Samuel for the 21-yard touchdown down the left
sideline with 5:09 left in the first half. That score gave Denver their
only lead in the contest.
That was more than enough time for the
Patriots to retake the lead. Behind Drew Brees' four of six for 68
yards, with a 42-yard Marvin Jones catch-and-run accounting for the bulk
of that, New England got to the Denver two with a first and goal. But
again, the Denver defense arose when needed and denied the Patriots the
touchdown. Three straight runs by New England failed to punch it over,
and the Patriots once more settled for the Badgley field goal, this one
from 19 yards out on the final play of the half.
Going into halftime, both teams had
positive and negative takeaways. Denver could feel good about being
behind by only two points despite being dominated. The Patriots had the
ball for 20 minutes in the first half, running 37 plays to Denver's 20.
The Broncos had two turnovers to none for the Patriots, and New England
had gained 205 yards to only 124 for the Broncos. New England went into
halftime knowing that they had taken the lead back from Denver and had
stopped the Denver offense except for one possession.
GAME NOTES: The Broncos had 124 yards at halftime and could manage only
another 92 for the second half - and 67 of those came on their final
possession when they scored their second and final touchdown.
New England did not punt. The Patriots'
four first-half possessions ended in field goal attempts, with Badgley
making three. After being intercepted to start the second half, the
Patriots scored touchdowns on their next two drives. They finished up
with a turnover on downs and a final possession running out the clock.
Drew Brees was the MVP of the game with
288 yards passing and two touchdowns. He completed 20 of 29 for a 109.6
rating. Philip Rivers was a paltry 13 of 23 for 186 yards and two
touchdowns and took four sacks. He ended the game with a 72.3 passer
rating.
Zeke Elliott finished the first half
with 37 yards on eight carries, an average of 4.6 per rush. But in the
second half, he had seven rushes for only six yards and finished with
15-43, 2.9. Denver gained only 51 yards on the ground on 17 rushes, a
3.0 average.
David Montgomery, Boston Scott, and
D'Andre Swift combined to make an excellent triumvirate. Montgomery ran
for 68 yards on 16 attempts (4.3) and caught three passes for 14 yards
and one touchdown. Scott finished with 24 yards on three carries (8-0),
and Swift had 22 on seven rushes (3.1). Overall, the Patriots put up 114
yards on 34 attempts (3.4).
Marvin Jones led the Patriots in
receiving yardage with five grabs for 99 yards. But Mike Evans and Keke
Coutee tied in receptions, with Coutee gaining 83 and Evans 77.
DeVante Parker led Denver in receptions
and receiving yards with five receptions for 61 yards. Golden Tate was
only targeted once by Rivers but made it count, making a 32-yard
touchdown reception late in the game.
Jessie Bates and Xavier Rhodes each had
two turnovers. Bates intercepted Rivers in the first and fourth
quarters, and Rhodes had a second-quarter pick and a fourth-quarter
fumble return for a touchdown. Rhodes also had four passes defensed.
Olivier Vernon and Jeffery Simmons each had two sacks for the Patriots.
Cornerback Ron Darby and defensive
tackle D.J.Jones led New England in tackles with five, while cornerbacks
C.J.Henderson and Byron Murphy and linebacker Kenneth Murray had seven
for Denver.
Myles Garrett had the Broncos' only
sack, and Henderson had Denver's only takeaway.
Denver has appeared in the AFC
Championship Game twice in the last three years but has lost both. They
last reached the Super Bowl in 2011.
FOUR MEN DOWN: Philip Rivers and Golden Tate
connected for the Broncos' final touchdown, and for these two veterans,
it will be a fitting last play of their careers. Tate played 11 years in
the ISFL, all with the Broncos, and Rivers played 17 years, Rivers was a
second-round draft choice of the New York Giants in 2005, and Tate was
Denver's fourth-round selection in 2011. Drew Brees and Olivier Vernon
are also retiring after the Super Bowl. Brees will be ending a long and
storied 20-year career. The Green Bay Packers selected Brees in 2002
with the 19th overall selection. Many of the players drafted ahead of
him have been retired for a decade or more. Vernon was a fifth-round
pick of the Bears in 2013.
A LOOK AHEAD: New England will face the winner of
the Kansas City at New Orleans game in the NFC in the ISFL Super Bowl.
Denver goes home to lick their wounds and prepare for the upcoming
draft. NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
New Orleans has a chance to go to their 3rd
consecutive Superbowl. Kansas City is the team in the way with
young star QB Kyler Murray. Both QB's are under 6 foot tall and
mobile.
KC wins the toss but goes 3 and out and punts it to
NO. Russell Wilson hits star receiver Devante Adams on their first
play, he breaks 2 tackles and goes 62 yards for a score. With no
crowd allowed in the stadium it was oddly quite. I think I woke my
wife up though. Kansas City next possession gets a first down but
New Orleans challenges the spot and it's 4th and inches. The
Saints defense gets their first of three 4th down stops on the day.
This leads to a 48 yard Tucker FG attempt that gets blocked. KC
converts this to a 5 play TD drive and we are tied a 7-7. Wilson
was red hot to whole day going 16-20 and gets his 2nd TD pass to Adams
to take back the lead. Both defenses take over for a while until
the Saints have an 8:40 drive and get a Drake TD run with 14 seconds
left and a 21-7 halftime lead.
New Orleans gets the 2nd half kickoff and Wilson
converts on a 3rd and 15, then scramble for another 17 yards on the next
play. KC shows an all out blitz and Wilson audibles to a quick
screen pass to Drake for a 28 yard TD. When Joe Haden intercepts
Murray you could feel the KC hope fading away. Another 4th down
stop at the beginning of the 4th quarter pretty much sealed the Saints
win. Final 28-4.
It was a great season by Nino and his KC squad.
The Superbowl is set with undefeated New England facing New Orleans.
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III. STANDINGS
http://www.blades99.com/ISFL/Standings21.htm
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IV. RESULTS – Divisional Round Results
Kansas City 7 New Orleans 28
V.
SCHEDULE
Super Bowl XXV
VI.
TRANSACTIONS
AFC
BUF –
CLE –
DEN –
HOU –
IND –
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
CONFERENCE FINALS
OFFENSE: Devante Adams, NO – 8 catches, 122 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Jessie Bates II, NE – 2 INTs, 1 tackle, 1 pass defense |