ISFL NEWLETTER
|
The
Internet Simulation Football League Newsletter
Volume #27 Issue #22 – January 22, 2024
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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 XXVII Schedule
VI.
Transactions
VII.
Other News including Players of the Week
I.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
And
after a full season and a great postseason, we end up with the #1 seeds
from both conferences matching up in the big game, Super Bowl XXVII.
Thank you to all who have made this season as good as it has been and
for working so hard to get games in even when it was difficult. Now we
get the matchup if the #1 offense in the Denver Broncos going up against
the #2 defense of the New England Patriots and something is gonna have
to give. Who will come out on top is anyone’s guess, but I think it will
likely come down to the other sides of the ball for each team and will
require the Patriots to score some points to get a win.
If New England can hold Denver to 20 or less, they will wrap this
game up, but if the Broncos get rolling early as they likely will, then
this one could turn ugly. The biggest key of all will be if Tua
Tagovailoa can stay healthy and make it through the game. If he can do
that, I don’t think the Patriots will be able to score enough to keep
him off the field and the Broncos will win this one handily.
Please make sure to get started on game contacts asap and don’t forget
to CC me on all of them so I can make sure games are getting set up
smoothly. Let’s see if we
can hit the first week deadline with all games played head-to-head and
as always if you need help let us know.
If you need a sub, please contact Jeff Shelton asap so he can try
and get you hooked up with someone to get your game in.
Make sure you have the latest action update which is available on
the website. Updated game
files are up, so make sure you go download them and start making contact
for playoff 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
AFC Championship Game
LA Chargers (41) at Denver Broncos (56)
BRONCOS ADVANCE TO SUPER BOWL!
DENVER, CO., January 17th, 2024: The Denver Broncos scored 56 points en
route to a dominating victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The Denver
Broncos came back from a 14-3 deficit to outscore the Chargers 50-13
over the next 49 minutes, building a 26-point lead at 53-27 before their
backups surrendered two late touchdowns sandwiched around a Bronco field
goal to forge the final score.
The Chargers defense had no answers to the
highest-scoring offense in the ISFL this year. The Broncos had 15
possessions and scored on 12, two others ending in missed field goals,
and the final one with the Broncos taking a knee.
Denver piled up 655 yards on offense to 298
for the Chargers, with 124 yards for LA coming against the Bronco scrubs
in the game's final 6:04. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 453 yards while the
Broncos added another 185 on the ground. The Chargers failed to convert
a third down in the game.
THE FIRST HALF
The game started lopsided in the other
direction, with the Chargers taking the 7-0 lead on Velus Jones' 94-yard
kickoff return in the contest's opening seconds.
The Broncos came back with the first of
seven field goals Evan McPherson kicked, this one from 40 yards out,
before the Chargers scored again in only two plays on offense to take a
14-3 lead. After a 46-yard kickoff return by Velus Jones, cornerback
Tyson Campbell got called for pass interference at the Denver 19, and on
the next play, Kirk Cousins connected with Amon-Ra St.Brown for the
19-yard touchdown to make it 14-3. With less than five minutes elapsed
in the contest, the Chargers were up by eleven points, but the next
Charger offensive score would not come until late in the third quarter.
After a missed 55-yard field goal by
McPherson, Denver forced a Charger three-and-out and drove to a 23-yard
touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to Corey Davis to cut the LA lead to
14-10 on the first play of the second quarter. Zeke Elliott provided the
ground game on the possession, rushing four times for 26 yards to keep
the Charger defense off-balance.
The Bronco defense stopped a
fourth-and-three run by Tony Pollard a yard short of the first down at
the Chargers' 45, and Denver added a McPherson field goal from 51 yards
out to make 14-13 in the Chargers' favor.
Another Charger punt backed Denver up to
their three. After surrendering four first downs, the Charger defense
came up big, with defensive end Brandon Graham sacking Tagovailoa for a
nine-yard loss and forcing a fumble, which linebacker Devin Lloyd
scooped up and returned for the 50-yard touchdown and a 21-13 Charger
lead.
On the sideline, the Broncos regrouped.
Denver had already surrendered touchdowns three ways: on special teams,
on defense, and now on offense.
And it could have been worse - a
questionable roughing the passer call on Haasan Reddick nullified an
interception of Tagovailoa immediately after Lloyd's fumble return
touchdown.
Following the roughing call, Tagovailoa hit
veteran wideout DeVante Parker on a bomb for 48 yards, and the Broncos
settled for a 29-yard field goal to get a little closer at 21-16.
With just under two minutes remaining and
the Broncos concerned about the deep pass, the Chargers ran the ball
successfully for the first time in the contest, getting close enough for
Brandon McManus to try - and miss - a 45-yard field goal attempt on the
final play of the first half.
INTERLUDE
By halftime, the Broncos had dominated all
phases of the game except touchdowns on returns and the score. Denver
had 18 first downs to six, 288 yards from scrimmage to 111, and
converted three of seven third downs compared to the Chargers zero for
four (and zero for one on fourth down). The Broncos also had a 22 to
eight-minute time of possession margin. Yet, at one point (4:29 into the
game), the Chargers had run two plays from scrimmage and had a 14-3
lead.
Immediately before the Chargers' last
possession of the first half, the Chargers had rushed for only four
yards on three attempts. On that final possession that ended in the
45-yard McManus miss, the Chargers ran six times for 49 yards, with the
Broncos conceding the run, willing to trade yardage for time. That one
possession accounted for most of the Chargers rushing yardage in the
first half.
THE SECOND HALF
Denver took the lead on their first
possession of the second half. With Alec Pierce catching a 16-yarder on
a comeback route, then getting hit in the head and drawing a roughness
call, the Broncos were quickly at the Chargers' 36. Another completion
to Pierce gained 23, and then Pierce caught a short one across the
middle for the 13-yard score for Denver to take their first lead at
23-21.
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds intercepted
Cousins on the Chargers' first play of the second half, and there was no
more stopping the offensive avalanche that was about to befall Los
Angeles.
McPherson's fourth field goal made it 26-21,
and after three quick incompletes from Cousins and a Charger punt,
Denver put up another touchdown to make it 33-21 when A.J. Dillon banged
over from four yards out to finish a 76-yard, seven-play drive in which
Dillon accounted for 35 yards on four runs.
Remember Velus Jones, he of the 94-kickoff
return touchdown to open the game? He was about to gift the Broncos
another touchdown when he fumbled the ensuing kickoff after a hard hit
by rookie safety Kyle Hamilton, and Denver recovered at the Charger 34.
A 27-yard completion to Corey Davis gained the bulk of the yardage, and
Zeke Elliott finished the short trek with a two-yard reception from
Tagovailoa for the touchdown that made it 40-21.
In 11 minutes of game action, the Broncos
had scored 27 unanswered, and the score had gone from 21-13 in favor of
Los Angeles to 40-21 in favor of Denver.
After another Velus Jones fumble, caused by
another hit by Kyle Hamilton, more brutal than the first, that the
Broncos failed to capitalize on - McPherson missed a 54-yard field goal
attempt - LA came back in a hurry. Taking over at their own 44 following
the miss, Cousin connected with Boyd on a 55-yard catch and run to cut
into Denver's lead at 40-27, but the two-point try to cut the Denver
lead to 11 failed, leaving the Chargers down 13.
Zeke Elliott finished the next Bronco
possession in style, running it in from two yards out on the first play
of the fourth quarter to make it 47-27. Elliott accounted for the final
19 yards on the ground, with Corey Davis catching a 33-yard pass from
Tagovailoa to move it to the Charger 19.
The Denver stopped the Chargers twice more,
once with Los Angeles opting to punt and another time to go for it on
fourth down. Each LA failure to pick up a first down was followed by a
McPherson field goal, giving Denver a 26-point lead at 53-27 with 6:10
remaining.
The remainder of the game was essentially
meaningless, as the Broncos substituted liberally on defense and offense
with the game safely in hand. Over the final six minutes, Denver managed
one more McPherson field goal with Davis Webb at the helm, while the
Chargers sandwiched that field goal with touchdowns, one from Cousins to
Boyd for an eight-yard score and the other to Valdes-Scantling from 29
yards out in the final minute.
GAME NOTES: Hank Sienzant started his press conference
after the game by praising the Chargers interim head coach, Jason
Kearns, for a well-played game. "They kept us on the ropes for a while
there, but thankfully, we ultimately prevailed." He then said he didn't
want the effort of the Bronco starting defense to go unnoticed - an
apparently strange comment considering the Chargers put up 41. But, as
he explained, the starting defense allowed just 13 points and two of the
Chargers' six touchdowns. One of the Chargers touchdowns came against
the offense, another came on special teams, and two came late against
Denver's backups in the final five minutes.
Tua Tagovailoa was the star of the contest
for Denver. He completed 27 of 43 for 453 yards and three touchdowns for
a 121.6 passing rating. He did have that one sack/fumble that turned
into a Charger touchdown. Tagovailoa was aided and abetted on the ground
by Zeke Elliott and A.J. Dillon. Elliott was 16 for 89 yards and a
5.6-yard average, while Dillon rushed for 68 yards on 14 carries and a
4.9 average. Each scored once on the ground, while Elliott added a
second score on a reception. Overall, the Broncos ran for 185 yards on
41 attempts, a 4.5 average.
Rookie wideout Wan'Dale Robinson, who missed
much of the season with injuries, caught six to lead the Broncos in
receptions, while Corey Davis caught four for 130, and DeVante Parker
snatched three for 79.
Kirk Cousins completed 15 of 31 for 226
yards and four scores, with one interception, for a 98.6 passer rating.
But in the first 54 minutes of the game, he was held in check,
completing seven of 20 for 102 yards and two touchdowns, with one pick.
Tony Pollard was the Chargers' leading
rusher, finishing with 60 yards on 12 attempts and a 5.0-yard average.
But his stats also come with an asterisk. In the final drive of the
first half, he rushed six times for 49 yards when the Broncos were
conceding the run, and that possession ended with the McManus 45-yard
miss. Pollard was held in check for the remainder of the game, bottled
up for only 11 yards on six carries, a 1.81-yard average. Outside the
one possession late in the first half, Los Angeles rushed for only 23
yards on eight attempts, a 2.9-yard average.
Tyler Boyd was the Chargers' leading
receiver with five receptions for 103 yards and two scores. Aman-Ra
St.Brown was shut down by Tyson Campbell, grabbing only two of eight
targets for 43 yards. St. Brown did score in the first five minutes,
with his touchdown giving the Chargers their largest lead of the game at
14-3.
Evan McPherson was seven of nine on field
goal attempts and added another five on extra points for 26 points,
nearly half the Broncos total.
Jamin Davis had 12 tackles, one tackle for
loss, and one hurry for the Chargers. Rookie Kyle Hamilton shone for
Denver with two forced fumbles on special teams and playing well on
defense.
Denver's domination appeared in several
stats, notably first downs (38-15), plays (89-45), and time of
possession (45-25). But it was also evident in the Chargers' failure to
convert on nine third and fourth downs, compared to the Broncos' seven
of 16.
NEXT MAN UP: Caden Sterns, just off the injury report
last week, went down again midway through the fourth quarter but should
be available for the Super Bowl.
A LOOK AHEAD - AND BACK: The Broncos reach the Super Bowl for the
second time under Hank Sienzant and the third time overall. They will
face the Giants / Patriots victor in the NFC that matches the
second-seed Giants playing at New England against the first-seed
Patriots. Denver's first win came after the 2005 season with a 29-23
defeat of the Los Angeles Rams, and their first win under Sienzant
followed the 2011 season when the Broncos defeated the New Orleans
Saints 38-21 despite being a wild-card entrant into the post-season with
the fourth seed in the AFC. Josh Freeman was the star of that game, with
17 of 20 passing and a big late run to preserve the victory. There is no
one on Denver from that 2011 team, although Jason Pierre-Paul and Kareem
Jackson are still active, albeit on other teams in the ISFL. Jackson, in
fact, had two tackles playing safety for the Chargers in the
Championship game. Denver is 2-0 in Super Bowls, winning IX and XV, but
hasn't returned since. "Has it been that long -- 12 years? Seems like
yesterday in so many ways," Sienzant commented, "But it seems like
ancient history at the same time. We've been close several times, but
haven't advanced beyond the AFC Championship Game until now. Earning the
first seed and getting that bye week definitely helps."
NFC Championship Game
New York Giants (0) at New England Patriots (30)
NYG come to Foxboro havily favored, at least in my
opinion, thank to their superior roster at every position.
After a first quarter very balanced, the home
difense started to have the edge over the Giants offense and ended with,
maybe, the best defensive effort that i have ever seen.
Some numbers can explain what i mean:
1 - Nick Chubb kept to 0 yards on 9 carries
2 - Daniel Jones closed with 10/18 for 44 yards and
1 pick (rating 37.7)
3 - Brock Purdy was even worst, playing like he did
with the Ravens this year: 9/25 for 92 yards and 2 picks (rating 14.1).
Meanwhile the home offense played a good game, with
Goff that closed it with 18/28 for 230 yards, 2 TDs and 1 pick (rating
98.8), and the running game played a good support.
Now New England is waiting for Denver for what
seams will be a great fight against a stellar offense and a stellar
defense.
Thanks to Dean for an easy schedule and for his
sportmanship in a very frustrating game.
That's all folks.
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III. STANDINGS
http://www.blades99.com/ISFL/Standings23.htm
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IV. RESULTS – Championship Round Results
New York
(N) 0 New England 30
V.
SCHEDULE
Super
Bowl XXVII
VI.
TRANSACTIONS
AFC
BUF –
CLE –
DEN –
GB
-
LAR –
NYJ –
PIT –
SF
- TEN –
NFC
ARZ –
ATL – CAR – DET –
HOU –
JAX –
KC
- MIA –
NO
-
PHI –
SEA –
TB
-
DRAFT
PICKS FORFEITED:
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VII.
OTHER NEWS:
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
WEEK
ONE
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 33 of 42 for 533 yards, 6 TDs
WEEK
TWO
OFFENSE: Cortland Sutton, JAX – 12 catches, 240 yards, TD
DEFENSE: TJ Edwards, ARZ – 1 INT, 1 Sack, 18 tackles
WEEK
THREE:
OFFENSE: Jamar Chase, NYJ – 11 catches, 196 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Minkah Fitzpatrick, LAR – 2 INTs, 1 pass defense, 9 tackles, TD
WEEK
FOUR:
OFFENSE: Dalvin Cook, CAR – 19 carries, 164 yards, 3 TDs, 2 catches, 37
yards
DEFENSE: Julian Love, DEN – 1 INT, 15 tackles
WEEK
FIVE:
OFFENSE: Derek Henry, ARZ – 35 carries, 203 yards, 4 catches, 44 yards,
2 TDs
DEFENSE: Justin Simmons, DET – 2 INTs, 1 Pass Defense, 3 tackles
WEEK
SIX:
OFFENSE: Mike Williams, SEA – 7 catches, 131 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Patrick Peterson, IND - 2 INTs, 7 tackles, 3 pass defensed
WEEK
SEVEN:
OFFENSE: Mac Jones, TEN – 27 of 40 for 280 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Josh Uche, CAR – 3 sacks, 6 tackles, 2 hurries
WEEK
EIGHT:
OFFENSE: Daniel Jones, NYG – 24 of 37 for 349 yards, 4 TDs
WEEK
NINE:
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 26 of 30 for 480 yards, 5 TDs
WEEK
TEN:
OFFENSE: Brandon Aiyuk, GB – 5 catches, 206 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Greg Rousseau, PIT – 3 sacks, 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble
WEEK
ELEVEN:
OFFENSE: Justin Jefferson, DET – 11 catches, 148 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Darrell Taylor, DET – 4 sacks, 5 tackles, 1 hurry
WEEK
TWELVE:
OFFENSE: Jalen Hurts, PHI – 22 of 35 for 300 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Cameron Jordan, NO – 4 sacks, 6 tackles, 1 forced fumble
WEEK
THIRTEEN:
OFFENSE: DJ Moore, KC – 8 catches, 154 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Darius Slay, NYG – 3 INTs, 6 tackles, 2 pass defensed, TD
WEEK
FOURTEEN
OFFENSE: Stefon Diggs, CAR – 11 catches, 212 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Tre’Davious White, LAC – 2 INTs, 3 tackles, 4 passes defensed
WEEK
SIXTEEN
OFFENSE: Joe Flacco, KC – 17 of 25 for 288 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Talanoa Hufanga, CAR – 2 INTs, 3 tackles, TD
WEEK
SEVENTEEN
OFFENSE: Matt Ryan, SF – 22 of 28 for 281 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Jeff Okudah, CAR – 2 INTs, 8 tackles, 1 pass defense, TD
WEEK
EIGHTEEN
OFFENSE: CeeDee Lamb, LAR – 7 catches, 149 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: James Houston IV, CAR – 4 sacks, 5 tackles, 4 hurries
WILDCARD ROUND
OFFENSE: Stefon Diggs, CAR – 11 catches, 206 yards, 2 TDs
DEFENSE: Hassan Reddick, LAC – 4 tackles, 1 pass deflection, 1 forced
fumble, 1 fumble recovery for game winning TD
DIVSIONAL ROUND
OFFENSE: Aaron Rodgers, IND – 22 of 37 for 259 yards, 4 TDs
DEFENSE: Dru Tranquill, CAR – 1 sack, 15 tackles
CONFERENCE FINALS
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 27 of 43 for 453 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: New England Defense – sack, 10 passes defensed, 8 stuffs, 3
INTs, 151 yards against, 0 points |