PFFL 2008

2008 Draft

PFFL Past

PFBL 2008

Pittsburgh Franchise Football League
2008 News & Notes 

Week Four

PFFL EAST

To be one of only two undefeated teams in the entire league you have to be good, but also usually a little lucky as well. Ranked fourth in the conference in points and 14th overall in the league, Green Apple can claim they are good. Having the fewest points scored against and having three games in the "Woulda Lost" column because they would have lost three of their four games had their opponents played different players, they are also lucky. But I've never known a team to win a championship without any luck at all. The question now is will Brian roll with it or try and trade his entire team if he gets any takers. As I speak my email icon is flashing!

The Tommy Guns momentum came to an abrupt halt this week failing to break 100 and failing to earn even a single VP in a loss to the average of all things. After three straight weeks of coming in the money and leading the league in points they looked unstoppable, but if there is one thing that can kill momentum it's the byes. Having to sit two of the best receivers in the league is hard to overcome but add to that your QB getting hurt and you have a recipe for a bad week. But don't feel too bad for a team with double digit VP, a 3-1 record and a second place position.

The Rebels were unable to deliver their best start ever failing to win their fourth-straight, but a 3-1 start ain't bad. Unlike the Tommy Guns they have no real excuse for the loss as they were unaffected by the byes; coaching wasn't the problem either as they had a 100% efficiency rating for the week. No, their problem was the reject vote they cast on their opponents trade giving their adversaries bulletin board material thereby inspiring an 0-3 and down and out team to excel beyond their capabilities hence earning them their first win of the season. Thanks William, I really didn't want to go 0-4!

 Justice breaks into the top tier for the first time this year on the back of their second Team of the Week Honor in just four weeks. They have just two victories in four games but in those two victories they led the entire league in points. Saying they are the best 2-2 team in the league would be an understatement as they currently lead the league in total points and weekly winnings with a .500 record. And you wonder why everyone hates lawyers!
 

PFFL CENTRAL

In week 2 the Knockout Kings scored 89 points in a 107-89 loss. The other three weeks of the young season they have averaged 141 points, won their games, and earned the max VP in each win. Their back-to-back 4VP victories the last two weeks have vaulted them from fourth to first where they are now part of a four-way tie at 3-1 but they do have a 1VP lead over second. Last year the highest they ever made it in the standings was second in week 8 but that lasted for just one week. If they keep posting 4VP weeks they will stick at the top for a while this time!

In the VP system it's not just about winning your game but also about how many points you score in doing so. The Twisted Helmets won their third straight game but still dropped from first to second. You would think 134 points would be enough to finish in the top three in a week but the Knockout Kings 137 was the third-highest score this week in the conference. Those three points are the difference right now of who is currently in first and who is in second.

The

 The Harmony Hornets make an appearance in the top tier for the first time this year. After an opening week loss, they have reeled off three straight wins. This last win was their first 4VP victory of the year making them one of ten teams in double digit VP league wide. The Hornets are the only rookie team to win the PFFL Championship doing so in 2005. After a letdown in their sophomore year in '06 when they finished with the 11th seed, they rebounded with the #1 seed in the Central last year and are now once again hanging around the top tier .
 

PFFL WEST

The Downtowners were evidently listening last week when we reported that after a 3-0 start last year they finished 5-6 and out of the playoffs. They responded with their second 4VP week of the year that has lifted them past MNE and placed them all alone in first. There is no guarantee that a 4-0 start will put you into the playoffs, but after four weeks they have the highest VP total in the league; the largest VP lead over second (2) in the league; are first in conference points and second overall in the league. No, there are no guarantees but

About the only thing you can say positive about MNE's week is they broke 100. But when the average for the week is 122, 101 will usually put you in the bottom third and in the VP dead zone. The good thing about a fast start is it leaves room for error. They might have lost the top spot, but going in their total point and VP cushion allows them to stay in the top two. They might have had a setback this week but with double digit VP, a 3-1 record, a 4VP lead over 5th, and an overall total point rank of five, there is room for even more error.

It's still a little too early in the season to determine who the best team in the league is, but the Rounder 17 can make a case it is them. They don't have the most wins points or VP, but it's what they don't have that sets them apart from the rest: a bad week. The yearly average is 117 and every team in the league has recorded at least one week under that number except the Rounder 17. Their worst week was 126 and their best 152. But another thing they don't have is any weekly winnings. Consistency is a good thing but just not always profitable.

The only good thing Commish West can say about the first two weeks of the season is they at least managed a VP in both losses. I don't know how they even salvaged any VP at all as they averaged under 100 for the opening two weeks. But the last two weeks have been a different story with back-to-back firsts vaulting them from the bottom tier and into the top for the first time this year. This inconsistency won't win you the total point title but the weekly money title is definitely in play.
 

PFFL Information

Trading Deadline
Sunday, November 16 at 3am

High Week

Justice

Around the League with The Good, The Bad and The UGLY!
     
The Good: Green Apple and the Downtowners the only two remaining undefeated teams in the league. . . Justice collecting two Team of the Week Honors through just the first four weeks. . . Rounder 17 the only team without a score under the league average. . . The Syndicate donating their Coach of the Year award winnings to charity if they are lucky enough to win it. . . Surviving the first four weeks of the Survivor contest when 80% of the 452 entries did not. . . Being a current resident of the top tier.

The Bad: Losing out on 2VP because you lost your game by a lousy point or two. . . Voting against a trade simply because you can - no not you William but you know who you are. . . Getting knocked out of Survivor early. . . The byes. . . After a quiet year last year Dean deciding to once again start posting disoriented and rambling message board posts. . . Losing to the average. . . Being misquoted in the Game Recaps. . . Having a "3" in the Coulda Won column - meaning you have at least 3 losses but they could have all been wins.

The Ugly: Drafting Brady and/or Moss in the first or second round. . . Being one of just two teams without a win. . . The economy. . . The St. Louis Rams. . . The Sharks first four weeks of the 2008 season: No wins, last in - points, potential points, power rank and even last in coaching efficiency. Franklin, I feel your pain. . . The two choices we have for president.


PFFL Stuff

● Down-up down-up has been the scoring trend through the first four weeks. The current scoring average is an even 117, just about at the last two-year average of 117.5. Week 1 and 3 were below average of 113 and 110 while 2 and 4 came in above at 124 and 121 respectively. You would think the scoring would be down during the bye weeks but there never seems to be a clear pattern indicating that. This past week six teams were on a bye but the scoring was up 11 points over the previous week when there were no byes. Go figure!

● A reminder in the matter of a tie between VP tier boundaries, both tied teams will receive the higher VP point value. For example if two teams are tied with the third highest scores for the week, both will receive 4VP meaning there would be 4 teams receiving 4VP for that week instead of just three.
 

PFFL Trivia Answer

Miami Dolphins