ISFL NEWLETTER
|
The
Internet Simulation Football League Newsletter
Volume #27 Issue #23 – January 31, 2024
************************************************************************
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
************************************************************************
LEAGUE NOTES
I.
Message from the Commissioner
II.
News from Around the League
III.
Standings
IV.
Super Bowl XXVII Results
V.
Offseason Schedule
VI.
Transactions
VII.
Other News including Players of the Week
I.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
Congratulations to Hank Sienzant and the Denver Broncos on winning Super
Bowl XXVII. Also want to
recognize the great season that Daniele had with his Patriots and the
nice playoff run that ended with a tough loss in the big game. I want to
thank everyone for another great season of games and ask you to hang in
for another week or two so we can finalize this season with awards
voting and ballot props and get ready for the offseason. Also, I know I
asked this already, but if anyone is NOT returning, please let me know
asap so I can get to work on filling out spots sooner than later. I know
the Chargers are open and I have two owners on the fence about
returning, but so far everyone else has said they will be back. With all
games done now, this is the time to let me know if you won’t be back or
are even considering not returning. I want everyone back, that is always
the case, but I also want you guys to enjoy the league and have fun and
if that isn’t happening I would understand if you choose not to
continue. So, let’s finish
this thing up and then move on to season number 28!
Awards voting can be found here - https://shout.com/s/bxMYvjry
Ballot prop discussions will continue until Sunday, then I am going to
put something together as a preliminary for everyone to check over. Last
chance to put anything new out or rehash any arguments for what is
already out there. I would ask that anyone who has a specific idea that
they really feel has a chance, to send me the final draft of what you
would like to see on the ballot over the next few days.
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
Super Bowl XXVII
DENVER WINS THE SUPER BOWL, 40-23!
Denver, CO., January 30th, 2023:
Defense wins championships? Fuggedaboutit! Offense wins in the modern
era. After
falling behind 10-3 in the second quarter, the Broncos scored on every
possession until their final one when they ran out the final 4:09.
Denver outscored the Patriots 37-13 over the final 36 minutes of the
contest. The
Bronco offense picked up 30 first downs and 488 total yards from
scrimmage, balanced between 178 yards on the ground and 310 yards
passing. Tua Tagovailoa got this writer's vote for the Super Bowl MVP,
throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns. The
Broncos opened the contest with a ten-play 63-yard drive for a 31-Evan
McPherson field goal to go ahead 3-0, with the longest play a Wan'Dale
Robinson 17-yard reception from Tua Tagovailoa to get the ball to the
New England 21. The Broncos also got the benefit of a face-mask call
after a four-yard Zeke Elliott run. New
England answered right back with a 78-yard touchdown drive in 16 plays,
with Goff completing a one-yard pass to Zach Ertz for the score. On the
possession, the Patriots converted three third downs, one with the aid
of a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call against safety Marcus Maye. After
picking up two first downs, a sack of Tagovailoa by T.J. Watt stalled
the Denver drive, and they punted for the first and what would
eventually be their only time in the game. The
Patriots then drove from their own 34 to the Broncos' 22. A Jared Goff
to wideout Richie James 33-yard completion on a long pass overcame a
sack of Goff by linebacker Bud Dupree on the march. On third and two,
Kyle Hamilton broke up a pass intended for Mike Evans, and the Patriots
settled for the Michael Badgley 52-yard field goal to up their lead to
10-3.
Starting from their own 19 on their next series, the Broncos tied it up
after a ten-play, five-minute drive, with wideout Curtis Samuel scoring
on a 24-yard pass from Tagovailoa with 5:21 remaining in the half. Key
plays on the march were A.J. Dillon's 15-yard run on third and two and
Wan'Dale Robinson's 17-yard reception to get the ball to the Patriot
29. After
surrendering one first down, the Denver defense forced a punt, taking
possession at their own 13. Mixing the run and pass to keep New
England's defense off-balance, they drove 87 yards to another Tagovailoa
to Curtis Samuel touchdown pass, this time from 14 yards out. That gave
Denver a 17-10 lead with seven seconds remaining in the half. The key
plays were a 17-yard run by Curtis Samuel from the halfback position,
followed by a C.J. Ham recovery of a Samuel fumble forced by Marcus
Peters on the next play. Down
by seven at the half, the Patriots used the extended halftime to review
what was working and marched to a Badgley 48-yard field goal to cut
Denver's lead to 17-13. But
that was as close as they would get. The
Broncos answered with back-to-back long passes, one to Corey Davis for
34 and another to Alec Pierce for 32, to quickly move to the Patriots'
four. Zeke Elliott banged over from four yards out on the next play to
give Denver their largest lead to that point at 24-13. New
England responded with a scoring drive of their own, another Badgley
field goal, this one from 40 yards out to cut Denver's lead to one score
at 24-16. The best play on the possession was Zach Ertz converting a
short hook pass into a 34-yard gain to the Denver 24 on a spin move to
evade a Marcus Maye tackle attempt. A
15-yard pass interference call against cornerback Charvarius Ward
followed Zeke Elliott's 14-yard run on a trap play, moving the ball into
Patriots territory. Samuel caught an 18-yarder to get the ball into
field goal range on the next play at the New England 28. But three plays
gained nothing, and the Broncos settled for McPherson's 51-yard field
goal and the 11-point lead at 27-16 with less than two minutes remaining
in the third quarter. The
Patriots knew they had to keep pace. Goff connected with Richie James on
a long pass for 30 yards, and after picking up another first down on a
Goff pass to Njoku, David Montgomery took a pitch-out around right end
for 29 yards to move the ball to the Denver five. It was still anyone's
ball game when Goff took it over from the one-yard line on second down
to cut the Broncos lead back to four points at 27-23 with just under 14
minutes left in the final game of the ISFL 2023 season. But
the Patriots had to stop or at least slow down the Denver offense to
have a chance, and they could not, although they had an excellent
opportunity to take the ball away and turn the game around. On second
and ten, Tagovailoa hit Alec Pierce for 11, and a crushing hit by Roger
McCreary jarred the ball loose, but Pierce managed to get it back before
any Patriot defender could snatch it. A
27-yard Zeke Elliott run followed, and three completions by Tagovailoa
to three different receivers put another score on the board, with
Wan'Dale Robinson catching the 12-yard touchdown toss to give Denver an
11-point lead once more at 34-23 with just 10:49 left in the game. On
fourth and eight, from their own 27, the Patriots opted to go for it,
but Eli Apple deflected a pass intended for tight end Zach Ertz, and
C.J. Henderson picked it off to end that threat and give the ball back
to Denver with 9:47 left at the Patriots' 40-yard line.
Tagovailoa found Parker running free for a 29-yard gain, and two runs by
Elliott led to yet another Bronco touchdown and closed out the scoring
at 40-23, with McPherson missing the final extra-point try of the game. After
two first downs by the Patriots, Tyson Campbell tipped a Goff pass to
himself and did a toe-tap at the sideline to intercept the pass and get
the ball back for the Broncos. Initially called incomplete, it took a
Denver challenge to credit Tyson with the pick, which came with 4:09
remaining. The Broncos proceeded to pick up three first downs to run out
the clock and emerge with the victory.
GAME NOTES: Denver
finished with a 16-4 record, which consists of their 13-4 regular season
record and 3-0 post-season. That is second to their 2011 squad, which
ended up 13-3, was the fourth seed (losing first place on a
tie-breaker), and then won four post-season games to end up 17-3
overall. This Super Bowl win marks the second with Hank Sienzant as the
coach and the third overall for the Denver franchise. The franchise is
3-0 in Super Bowl games. Tua
Tagovailoa finished with a 139.7 passer rating, completing 20 of 29 for
318 yards and three touchdowns. Jared
Goff's numbers look terrible by comparison, but his two late
interceptions reduced his passing rating to 63.1. He completed 21 of 39
for 271 yards and one touchdown. He also scored once on the ground. David
Montgomery picked up 43 yards on six carries to lead the Patriots in
rushing, but one 29-yard gain inflates his results. Otherwise, he picked
up 14 yards in five attempts, a 2.8 average. New England had a tough
time picking up any yardage on the ground, as they ran 20 times for just
46 yards (2.3 per attempt), excluding the one 29-yarder from
Montgomery. By
contrast, the Broncos ran 32 times and gained 178 yards, picking up 5.6
yards per rush. Zeke Elliott gained 102 yards on 18 carries (5.7),
scoring twice on the ground.
Wan'Dale Robinson was the Broncos leading receiver with five for 70
yards and one touchdown, while Curtis Samuel caught four for 66 and two
scores. Three
different Patriots caught four passes, but Richie James led the team in
yardage with 80 yards on his four receptions in five targets. Denver's
defensive schemes held Mike Evans to two receptions on 11 targets. Eli
Apple had three passes defensed, while Kyle Hamilton, Tyson Campbell,
and C.J. Henderson had two each. Julian Love had another, for ten
overall. Love led the team in tackles with seven, while four Patriots
shared the team lead in that statistic with six apiece. Hank
Sienzant lauded the front seven of Denver, especially Quinnen Williams,
Myles Garrett, and Derrick Brown. "Our forward wall kept their runs to a
minimum, choking off the running lanes and forcing them to the air,"
Sienzant said. "Without those contributions, which often go unnoticed,
our defensive backs wouldn't be anywhere as effective."
Denver's special teams' kickoff coverage unit deserves mention as they
held the Patriots to 51 yards on four returns, an average of 12.8 yards
per return.
Holding the Super Bowl Trophy aloft in the raucous locker room, Sienzant
summed it up to cheers from his players, "We weren't the favorites to
win the Super Bowl, and we still might not be the best team in the
league, but we're the ISFL Champions, and that's all that matters!"
A LOOK AHEAD:
Rumors abound that this might be the last season for Hank Sienzant at
the Broncos' helm. If so, he leaves the team in excellent shape for
whoever follows him. Sienzant has the team stocked with solid young
talent like Tua Tagovailoa, Kyle Hamilton, and Wan'Dale Robinson, and
the Broncos have fourteen draft choices in the upcoming draft, including
eight selections in the first four rounds. Some
players won't return, like veterans Colt McCoy and Corey Davis, who
decided to go out on top and announced their retirement after the game.
Others like running back Damien Williams, wideout DeVante Parker, and
special teams ace George Odum could be on the roster bubble in the
off-season, as Williams and Parker will be 30 next season, and Odum will
be 29.
**********************************************************************
III. STANDINGS
http://www.blades99.com/ISFL/Standings23.htm
***********************************************************************
IV. RESULTS – Championship Round Results
New
England 23 Denver 40
V.
SCHEDULE
Offseason
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:
***********************************************************************
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
SUPERBOWL XXVII
OFFENSE: Tua Tagovailoa, DEN – 20 of 29 for 318 yards, 3 TDs
DEFENSE: Julian Love, DEN – 7 tackles, 1 pass defense |