GridIron Gurus 2009-2010

Last year's Defending Champion
& this year's Repeat Champion:

See the GGFFL main page for a breakdown of available Manager Series Championship Points.

Current Teams:

		Joe Hutchison -- web link --
	Pulpman	David Van De Wiele -- web link --
	MidSouth Africans	Brandon McInturff -- web link --
	TennesseeToeStompers	Robbie Wheeler -- web link --
	ghetto superstars	Rusty Wheeler -- web link --
	Shanghai Cutthroats	Edward Quamman -- web link --
	Shane's Playboys	Shane Blalock -- web link --

The Championship Manager Point Series Scoring Table, and other help, visit the main page by clicking the link below...

GridIron Gurus

https://joehutch.tripod.com/gurus

This Season's Playoff Grid and Scoring is at the bottom of this page

Season Review:
...This season was a tight 5-man race the entire season. The Africans had one incredible week 7 (17491) and never gave it back (read more near bottom of page). But even so Pulpman made a run coming within 39 points of first place at one point in week 12, but hit a bump, more like a brick wall, when his gamble on Cleavland's defense blew up in his face against Detroit 39-33, hurling him backwards. He never really recovered and the Africans weren't challenged again.
...Oudin spent most of the season in second place but fell to third when ghetto popped out a 16547 week in week 14. It wasn't until week 17 that Oudin was able to retake second place with a 4k advantage in the final week.
...The ToeStompers, after a very average start, turned tiger the last 10 plus weeks of the year, but never had that break out week to catch the league leaders. Until the final week when he outscored Pulp by 4k to slip into 4th place and send Pulpman to an unprecedented 5th place finish. From almost first to fifth in the final 5 weeks without a major slide or collapse. Such is the competition here.
...In that final week 3rd and 2nd place switched hands, as did 4th and 5th. But that's nothing new in this league. Positions shifted and playoff spots and championships were won and lost on the final week last year as well. Look up that season to read more.
...It was also an unusual year for me, Oudin, as well. Returning to the playoffs after a rare season in which I lost a championship and 2 separate playoff spots in an even rarer final week collapse, I finished last in the playoffs for the first time ever, breaking a trend of finishing no worse than 2nd in 7 of the league's first 8 seasons. But in the last 4 years I've missed the playoffs twice, and have one lone 2nd place finish during that time. And yet I drafted and played as well as I've ever played since possibly the first season when the competition was admittedly less staunch, and had virtually no "what ifs" to haunt me. I even picked and loaded up on the right team and players for the Super Bowl for the second consecutive time, but never redeemed the rewards that typically come from same. Personally, a rewarding yet terribly frustrating season.
...What does next year hold in store? That's the $64,000 question. Will the Africans do what has never been done before even though three have tried, and win that 3rd consecutive championship? It's even mathematically possible for him to tie for the overall championship points lead, with second place on that list even more conceivable. Will Oudin finally get back to the top of his own heap and reclaim the overall championship points advantage? Will ghetto finally break loose and get over that "almost" hump that he's been riding for 3 seasons straight? Will ToeStompers pick up where he left off and complete his 3 years climb back to the top? And what about Pulpman? Venture to say a 5th place finish has never happened to him before, here or elsewhere. Is he to be a 5th place team again? Or will he come roaring back and keep his overall championship points advantage? It's gonna be a long off season for four of us. And don't forget about our two newcomers who have both shown great promise but have so far wilted from the sausage grinder competition in this league known as the GridIron Gurus Fantasy Football League.

**Playoff Scoring by Round**
	Africans	Oudin	ghetto
Wildcard	1630	798	1209
Divisional	2172	1476	1795
Conference	2340	1068	1288
Super Bowl	917	1451	748
Total Points	7059	4793	5040

New Simplified Playoff Scoring Module

For the playoffs a new simplified scoring module has been implemented. This will make keeping up with your scores and your opponent's scores much easier. These changes were made easy due to the exclusion of the Kicker and Defense roster spots. Managers now have six (6) supplemental playoff picks. All TDs score 25 points be they passes, receptions, rushes, or kick returns. 2-point conversions are worth 5 points. One point per every 2 return yards. Fumbles are 50 points: 50 points lost when it leaves a player's hands regardless of who recovers it and whether or not it is a turnover (per NFL settings), and 50 points gained for the recovering of a fumble. So recovering ones own fumble equates to no penalty. Interceptions and lost kick "muffs" also draw a 50 point penalty. Rushes tally two (2) points each with two (2) points per yard. Receptions tally three (3) points per catch and three (3) points per yard. QBs get one (1) point per passing yard with a 100 pt. bonus at the 300 yrd mark. This scoring module should equate to players who do what they should averaging around 300 points and up, with a potential for 400-500 point weeks, barring putting the ball on the ground or turning it over. The lower totals also make the first round byes still sting but more tolerable - per previous years settings. Simplified and charted, the scoring module looks like this:
Scoring:
Any Touchdown (25 points)
Interceptions (-50 points)
Any Fumble (-50 points) [kick "muffs" that result in a turnover is a 50 point penalty]
Fumble Recovery (50 points)
Passing Yards (1 point per yard; with a 100 pt. bonus at the 300 yrd mark)
Rushing Attempts (2 points per attempt)
Rushing Yards (2 points per yard)
Receptions (3 points per reception)
Reception Yards (3 points per yard)
Return Yards (1 point per 2 yards)
2-Point Conversion (5 points)...Note: Do not tally stats (reception, rushing attempt, yardage, INT, fumble, etc.)

Week # 1 - Wildcard Round

.
Review:
Tom Brady, Desean Jackson, and Anquan Boldin combine for 84 points, and Odin hangs on? And the Packers overcome
a 31-10 deficit as Rogers nets almost 600 points as the only QB in our playoffs to throw for 300 yards in the first two rounds.
Prompting the big question: which was the bigger miracle?

Week # 2 - Divisional Round

Africans - 2172	Oudin - 1476	ghetto - 1795
QB	QB	QB
Peyton Manning - 246	Drew Brees - 319	Phillip Rivers - 262
Brett Favre - 334	Kurt Warner - 157	Tony Romo - 50
WR	WR	WR
Jason Witten - 324	Miles Austin - 132	Reggie Wayne - 238
Larry Fitzgerald - 249	Marques Colsten - 292	Dallas Clark - 248
Vincent Jackson - 354	Robert Meachem - 10	Sidney Rice - 516
RB	RB	RB
Adrian Peterson - 238	Joseph Addai - 119	Pierre Thomas - 196
Thomas Jones - 110	Reggie Bush - 366	Marion Barber - 44
Ray Rice - 317	Ladanian Tomlinson - 81	Felix Jones - 241
2 picks used - 4 picks remaining	5 picks used - 1 pick remaining	2 picks used - 4 picks remaining

.
Review:
Meachem, Tomlinson, Romo, Barber all fail to score 100 points? Africans avoid "holes" in the roster,
scoring-wize, to widen lead, but remain in reach. Depleted rosters will make for interesting draft...

Week # 3 - Conference Championship Round

Africans - 2340	Oudin - 1068	ghetto - 1288
QB	QB	QB
Peyton Manning - 554	Drew Brees - 224	Mark Sanchez - 263
Brett Favre - 287	no player selected	no player selected
WR	WR	WR
Devery Henderson - 154	Marques Colsten - 72	Reggie Wayne - 174
Visanthe Shiancoe - 261	Robert Meachem - 63	Dallas Clark - 142
Pierre Garcon - 511	Austin Collie - 415	Sidney Rice - 166
RB	RB	RB
Adrian Peterson - 367	Reggie Bush - 110	Pierre Thomas - 340
Thomas Jones - 206	Joseph Addai - 184	Shonn Green - 102
no player selected	no player selected	Chester Taylor - 101
3 picks used - 1 pick remaining	1 picks used - 0 picks remaining	3 picks used - 1 pick remaining

.
Review:
...It's over. The Africans will successfully defend their championship.
...For the second consecutive playoff appearance the bloodhounds predicted a super bowl participant and loaded up on that team (taking 6 players into the Super Bowl), but just didn't get the points necessary for success. And with the superstars losing all four players they picked up this week, while only nabbing 600 points out of them collectively, his odds at outscoring the Africans by 2000 points while each has only 4 players in the Super Bowl is all but impossible.
...In short, this was the year of the Africans. That one week gained them a 10K lead they never gave back, and it was the winning margin in the regular season. Using it to maintain his roster for the stretch run was a good move, but the byes he was able to eat due to same, and the lost points those byes were supposed to create, simply didn't materialize. That blessed outcome carried over into the post season. They could simply do no wrong. Every call went their way, every decision worked out to the good, every mistake still led to success. Every fumble, every tip, bounced their way. Every card turned over was a face card. And when it wasn't, it was the 4 they needed for the 21 that beat the dealer's 20. They simply led the charmed life. And it was not "a" factor. It was the factor. Did he draft well? Of course he did. Did he manage well? Of course he did. But he did so no better with the knowledge available at each interval than the other top 5 teams in the league. He just drew better results, and was always dealt the card he needed. But others have been dealt all the trump cards and still managed to lose, while the Africans played the draw flawlessly, and played out and won every hand, never giving back the advantage gained - like winners do. Like a champion, he turned every fifth down into a touchdown, every fourth strike into a home run. He'll no doubt disagree, and why shouldn't he? History is written by the victors. And Bugman wrote the book - this year.
...So congratulations to the Africans for defending, and repeating as the Gridiron Gurus Fantasy Football League Champion.

Africans - 917	Oudin - 1451	ghetto - 748
QB	QB	QB
Peyton Manning - 408	Drew Brees - 343	no player selected
no player selected	no player selected	no player selected
WR	WR	WR
Pierre Garcon - 238	Austin Collie - 216	Reggie Wayne - 153
Devery Henderson - 198	Marques Colsten - 270	Dallas Clark - 279
Jeremy Shockey - 73	Robert Meachem - 24	David Thomas - 30
RB	RB	RB
no player selected	Joseph Addai - 400	Pierre Thomas - 286
no player selected	Reggie Bush - 198	no player selected
no player selected	no player selected	no player selected

.
Review:
Champion declared

MidSouth Africans

	Final Regular Season Standings Top Weeks:
	Manager	Week	Points

010	Mid South Africans (8)	7	17491
020	ghetto superstars (5)	14	16547
030	ghetto superstars	6	15013
040	TennesseeToeStompers (6)	17	15005
050	Mid South Africans	15	14509
060	Shanes Playboys (3)	6	13894
070	Mid South Africans	13	13091
080	Oudin's Bloodhounds (7)	17	13046
090	Pulpman (3)	9	12952
100	ghetto superstars	10	12238
110	ghetto superstars	12	11962
120	Pulpman	2	11858
130	Oudin's Bloodhounds	7	11784
140	Mid South Africans	11	11540
150	TennesseeToeStompers	11	11243
160	Oudin's Bloodhounds	16	11212
170	Oudin's Bloodhounds	5	11124
180	Oudin's Bloodhounds	3	11040
190	Oudin's Bloodhounds	10	10947
200	Oudin's Bloodhounds	11	10809
	Shanes Playboys	5	10687
	Mid South Africans	16	10657
	TennesseeToeStompers	14	10649
	TennesseeToeStompers	13	10648
	Mid South Africans	14	10604
	Mid South Africans	6	10529
	TennesseeToeStompers	15	10584
	Shanghai Polluters (1)	12	10517
	Shanes Playboys	9	10390
	Mid South Africans	3	10126
	Pulpman	8	10080
	TennesseeToeStompers	16	10069
	ghetto superstars	1	10041


Africans - 1630	Oudin - 798	ghetto - 1209
QB	QB	QB
Peyton Manning - bye	Drew Brees - bye	Tony Romo - 306
Aaron Rogers - 579	Tom Brady - 4	Phillip Rivers - bye
WR	WR	WR
Larry Fitzgerald - 264	Miles Austin - 292	Reggie Wayne - bye
Jason Witten - 93	Desean Jackson - 80	Dallas Clark - bye
Randy Moss - 159	Anquan Boldin - 0	Greg Jennings - 439
RB	RB	RB
Adrian Peterson - bye	Joseph Addai - bye	Cedric Benson - 450
Ray Rice - 412	Ryan Grant - 212	Marion Barber - 14
Thomas Jones - 123	Beanie Wells - 210	Pierre Thomas - bye
0 picks used - 6 picks remaining	0 picks used - 6 picks remaining	0 picks used - 6 picks remaining