• Print
• Email

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE TSL UNIVERSE: WE’RE HERE!

 

The final chapter of the journey that has been the TSL Spring season begins at 9:00am this Saturday, June 26^th, in the Year of Our Lord 2021. For only 26 of our 60 teams, the journey that began in April has brought them to today. A season full of thrilling wins, heartbreaking losses, new superstars to the league emerging, and old superstars making what could be their last stand culminates on the fields this weekend for Championship Saturday.

 

Only 7 teams will gain Social Co-Ed Football Immortality. Even if they never win a single game for the rest of their lives, they’ll always be a TSL Champion.

 

But the question remains: Who will those teams be?

 

I decided to go a different route for this week’s article. Since Topper pays the entire QB Power Rankings Committee the same amount as they do me, I think it’s unfair that they get to take the playoffs off while I sit here in my log cabin, sipping coffee, having to do more work for an article the league cares about way more. So, I emailed them exactly that:

 

“Committee, 

 

I know you guys don't like to work during the playoffs, but i was hoping one or two of you would be potentially be interested in going over the games we have left and chatting about your thoughts on the games and story lines we have heading into the final week of the TSL Spring 2021 season? 

 

Let me know if that interests you, 

 

-GF’

 

Without fail, they jumped at the offer. What transpired was a fun conversation for each division, and that pretty much covered all of the fun and storylines that is Championship Saturday.

 

So without further ado, let’s get to it:

 

D1:

 

Last Week’s Games:

#3 Public Enemy 48, #6 Why So Serious 30

#4 Sticky Bandits 30, #5 Sloppy Seconds 18

 

            Absolutely nothing of note happened last week. All of the fun that was “Public Enemy is going to lose to Why So Serious” was stopped pretty quickly, and Sticky had next to no issues with Sloppy. It’s boring, its chalk, but it gives us the best possible matchups this week.

 

This Week’s Games:

#1 Tight Ends In Motion vs #4 Sticky Bandits (+18)

#3 Public Enemy vs #2 Eyes Downtown (+8)

 

The Setup: The top 4 seeds in D1 get ready to battle for supremacy. Interestingly enough, the #3 seed is a decent sized favorite over the #2 seed.

 

The Conversation:

 

PR: “Our own objective models (based only on math and not on "feelings" or "hunches") would suggest that each team has the following chance of winning their division:

TEIM: 52%

Public Enemy: 23%

Eyes Downtown: 20%

Sticky Bandits: 5%

 

Obvious storylines are the Baker Bowl (TEIM has dominated both regular season matchups... but are they looking ahead to Public Enemy?) and PE vs ED, who have played only one game against each other this session, and it was a close one.  How is Katie Salisbury's knee?  Who's showing up for PE?  Who's showing up for ED?? (they have at least SOME player overlap with TopShot who plays at the same time)”

 

 

GF: “It’s amazing that you nailed the fun story lines, but avoided the biggest one:

 

The impending “Last Rodeo” for Chris Cole. If the whispers are true, this could be it for Cole, and spell the end for one the TSL’s greatest franchises. I’m sorry, I just cant imagine a world where they go out against ED.

 

No, this has to be PE vs TEIM, and either there’s an official torch passing, or TEIM lives their lives knowing they never beat Chris Cole when it mattered.

 

My predictions might be different than yours, but here you are:

 

TIGHT ENDS IN MOTION BY 13

PUBLIC ENEMY BY 7”

 

PR: “How could we miss the Chris Cole retirement angle?? We've heard the rumors of course, but on some level we just don't believe it.  Yes, families are a great reason to retire, but FEW retire on top while they're still winning.  Is it known what will happen to Public Enemy, win or lose, if Cole does ride off into the sunset?  Is this setting up Tommy (or the TSL's 39th ranked QB Mike Boccio) to take over, or does Public Enemy just disintegrate (and Bobby tries to poach all their best athletes)?

 

It's hard to predict anything BUT Tight Ends in the finals, but we DON'T think Public Enemy is a lock.  This isn't the P.E. of 2019 or even 2020.  Everyone expects them to just snap into "playoff mode" but hasn't Eyes Downtown been in Playoff mode for months?  They've lost to PE by a score, they were the only team to beat TEIM, and they're a weird Sticky Bandits loss away from running the table against everyone else.  We'll disagree and say it's TEIM vs ED for the title, and the TSL's #1 ranked QB is winning that game.”

 

GF: “The best storyline of the offseason in any division will be what happens to PE if Cole does retire. With Travis essentially announcing he was leaving A&A (to the surprise of nobody) to start a different team, there's no doubt in my mind that he's aggressively pursuing most of the PE roster, which apparently happens most offseasons anyway. There were also whispers that the Joey Batts game in the middle of the season was the beginning of a tryout of sorts. That particular game went horribly, but I didn't hear that it was a dead idea. 

 

We both think TEIM will get to the finals, albeit against different opponents. But we both think Tight Ends will claim their first D1 title. All this really means is that they probably won't.” 

 

 

Well, there you have it. I have Tight Ends vs Public Enemy, the Committee has Tight Ends vs Eyes Downtown. Either way, we’ll get a very fun (and thrilling!) D1 final.

 

 

D2:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

#8 Bullet Club 28, #1 Peachy Platoon 18

#2 Losing Streak 45, #7 Slytherin That End Zone 20

#6 XTC 36, #3 Mountain Dew Me 30 (OT)

#5 When Dove Cries 34, #4 A&A 31

 

            D2 does it again! The most unpredictable division we have gives us a slew of upsets. Scotty Dro works his magic on both sides of the field to lead Bullet Club to an upset of Peachy Platoon. Losing Streak has no issues with SITE as they ran all over them, putting them out of their misery. XTC stunned MDM in overtime, as a late injury to Joey Batts played a role in the victory. Finally, Topper magic reigned supreme as WDC beat A&A in a close contest.

 

This Week’s Games:

 

#2 Losing Streak vs #8 Bullet Club (+11)

#6 XTC vs #5 When Dove Cries (+4)

 

 

The Setup: Another division where a lower seed is favored over a higher seed here with XTC getting the nod over WDC. Losing Streak is a double digit favorite in a division where someone else took out their toughest competition last weekend.

           

 

The Conversation:

 

PR: “

Losing Streak: 51%

When Dove Cries: 26%

XTC: 18%

Bullet Club: 5%

 

Bullet Club took down the longest winning streak in the League last week, which means the new longest winning streak belongs to... Bullet Club's opponent this week.  XTC and WDC both SEEM to be at full strength right now unless Dubey pulls a disappearing act again.  D2 has more parity than each team's record suggests, so not crazy to expect either of these two teams to make a run (no one thought Dilfs vs BC or Sticky vs SITE was going to headline either of the last two D2 finals, but that's what happened)”

 

GF: The biggest story line is still Losing Streak being a “Game On” team but doing much better than anyone thought a Game On team could do in the TSL. They have to be the favorites for sure.

 

WDC is the sleeping giant though. Topper hasn’t had his entire team most of the season, and while Losing Streak may be faster, WDC has the knowledge AND they’re just as tall. Plus, WDC has a gender advantage I’d say. It’s close of course though.

 

Considering my brain didn’t even think to talk about Bullet Club or XTC, that gives me all I need to know about them this week.

 

 

Losing Streak by 17

When Dove Cries by 10”

 

PR: “Is Losing Streak still a "Game On" team?  Yes, that's their past, but can't we call them a TSL team now?  Semantics, we know.  They're the clear cut favorites now thanks to, oh, every other top tier D2 team unexpectedly losing last week.  We thought A&A, Mountain Dew Me and Peachy would all be in the mix this week and they're not, so what do we know?  Upsets happen.  We're going Losing Streak vs XTC in the finals, for a narrow Losing Streak win.”

 

GF: “They're not still a "Game On" team, no. Losing Streak is more than a TSL team nowadays, win or lose this Saturday. I still think you're discounting WDC, but that's okay. 

 

Yet another finals where we have the same champion over different opponents. Welcome to Social Co-Ed football immortality, Losing Streak.”

 

 

While I predicted Losing Streak to beat When Dove Cries, the Committee goes with XTC. They’re wrong, but its okay. Personally, I think there’s a very good chance that WDC can win the title, but what do I know?

 

 

D3:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

#1 Top Shot 50, #8 Vaspian 6

#7 All We Do Is Quinn 36, #2 Frodo Swaggins 28

#3 Grey Hair Don’t Care 32, #6 The Untouchaballs 29

#5 Wolfpack 22, #4 The Angels 18

 

 

            Top Shot did TS things, cool. How about AWDIQ? Even if this isn’t the season they wanted to have, you know they’re happy knocking out a rival like Frodo, and they have their sights set on Top Shot. Wolfpack needed an assist from the referees to take down The Angels, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been playing very well for months now. Finally, Grey Hair overcame a 22 point deficit to win their matchup with Untouchaballs thanks to Connor Von making his dad proud with a 40 yard catch with under a minute left before Dave Eickhoff found Xavier Williams for the winning score.

 

 

This Week’s Games:

#1 Top Shot vs #7 All We Do Is Quinn (+17)

#5 Wolfpack vs #3 Grey Hair Don’t Care (+5)

 

The Setup: Top Shot is far and away the best team, but is Quinn able to reclaim their form from recent seasons and shock the world again? Somehow, the committee’s lines have 3 straight lower seeded teams favored over a higher seed. Wolfpack vs Grey Hair could be one of the best games of the day.

 

The Conversation:

 

PR:

Top Shot: 77%

Grey Hair: 9%

Wolfpack: 8%

Quinn: 6%

 

The only thing that interests us here is whether Top Shot performs the way they're supposed to, or if the pressure of being front runners makes them implode.  Every metric says they should win, and Garrett's no longer around to trip them up (unless he wants to ref, maybe).  Outside of TopShot we see tremendous parity as the other flawed contenders are all fine, but they need to play their best games to win this week.”

 

GF: “Frodo disappointing the entire league by losing too early (and not even being the biggest upset of the day last week) hurts this division. Even 77% feels too low.

 

BUT, you’re right. Top Shot loses some talent thanks to the D1/D3 games being played at the same time (unless, wouldn’t it be fun if Eyes Downtown lost talent to Top Shot?). That could mean upset, and give TS the excuses they’ll need if they don’t win.

 

Quinn reminded us just how good they can be last week. Is that a final curtain call moment?

 

Grey Hair and Wolfpack have been playing some EXCELLENT football lately. I want them to be slept on. It’s a shame they play each other.

 

Top Shot by 11

Wolfpack by 7”

 

PR: “Weren't there rumors of Quinn disbanding after last season?  They probably wish they had given how this season went for them.  We think they're done.  Not "disband as a team" done, but "never getting past Top Shot" done.  TopShot should have been a D2 team this session.  We can applaud them for how well they've done, or we can point out that they were cowards for putting such a talented team in a division too low (both things can be true).  Wolfpack is making the Finals here... where they'll lose to TopShot.”

 

GF: Quinn has been "breaking up" for what feels like 3 seasons now. I'm glad they haven't yet, but i'm not sure there's a lot of magic left there for another upset. We're in the same exact boat here:

 

Top Shot takes it over Wolfpack.”

 

The PR Committee and I see D3 playing out the same exact way this season. Thrilling stuff here.

 

 

D4:

 

Last Week’s Games:

#1 Itches and Ohs 61, #8 TOX 31

#2 Jabronies 39, #7 Cobblestone 20

#6 Freeballers 47, #3 Cunning Stunts 25

#5 Practice Squad 15, #4 Buffalo Vice 12

 

            Itches and Ohs waltz to an easy victory over TOX, and the Jabronies do the same even with a backup QB in for last week as they beat Cobblestone. The Freeballers take advantage of the injured Joey Batts and beat the Stunts. Practice Squad puts on a defensive clinic, holding Buffalo Vice to 12 points in an exciting win.

 

This Week’s Games:

#6 Freeballers vs #1 Itches and Ohs (+5)

#5 Practice Squad vs #2 Jabronies (+3)

 

The Setup: In a very tight division, BOTH lower seeds are favored against the 1 and 2 seeds. D4 is a scrambled mess, and any of these teams can walk away as the champion.

 

The Conversation:

 

PR:

“Practice Squad: 32%

Jabronies: 28%

Itches: 22%

Freeballers: 18%

 

The 1 seed isn't the "favorite" for us here, as we think Practice Squad is the most complete team.  Jabronies might have a higher ceiling, but we never know who's going to show up for them.  Freeballers has the biggest X factor with Sean, and Itches has proven they can win close games as they've been doing it all season.  This should be the best semi-finals left, as we think any team can beat any other team (Jabronies beat Freeballers beat Itches who beat Practice Squad who beat Jabronies in the regular season)”

 

GF: “D4 stole the mantel of “most competitive division from D2” for like half a season there (until the 5, 6, and 8 seeds won in D2), but these 4 teams plus Buffalo Vice were why.

 

I just keep staring at my screen seeing “Buffalo Vice: 12” from last week, and I still remain so impressed with what PS did on defense last week.

 

I wanted to go with Itches here, but I just can’t. They’ve played mostly shorthanded, but it’s so incredibly hard to wipe “51-0 and they quit early” against the Ballers out of my brain. Sometimes teams just have another team’s number. Add into the fact that Steve Moser even said on the podcast that he doesn’t think they can win, or at least he gave that impression, and it’s night night for Itches I think.  

 

Jabronies have been the under the radar team for the entire season, and it’s hard to argue how good they really can be when they’re at a full staff. But to be honest, they’ve been very good even shorthanded all season. They really just need Miano to QB and they should be fine.

 

Jabronies by 6

Freeballers by 13”           

 

PR: “We're fully prepared to be 100% wrong about every D4 prediction.  And why not?  You're right, it WAS the most competitive division this year, barely ahead of D2 (or last Fall's D6, remember how tight that was?)  Itches won a bunch of games we thought they wouldn't, and we believe their luck will run out eventually.  Freeballers looks SO good at times, and that 51-0* win is impossible to ignore.  Jabronies vs Practice Squad is such a coin toss.  People know these are two great teams right?  Practice Squad seems to have better attendance so we favor them slightly.  Heck, we'll pick them to win the whole thing over Freeballers too, why not?”

 

GF: I rolled a bunch of Yahtzee dice to make this prediction and it still didn't help. I'm so intrigued to hear about who actually wins these games. If i had your prediction of Freeballers vs Practice Squad, i'd take the Freeballers. 

 

But, i have Jabronies vs Freeballers, and I've decided that I'm going to go with the Jabronies.”

 

Finally, we have differing opinions on a division, and it’s only natural that it’s the most open division we have left. We both have the Freeballers in the final, and we both have them losing in it. The Committee takes Practice Squad, and I’m taking the Jabronies as your D4 champions.

 

 

D5:

 

Last Week’s Games:

#1 Breast Friends 66, #8 Show Me Dem TDs 46

#2 Zack Attack 27, #7 University Wealth Management 16

#6 Wasted Potential 32, #3 Puckett All-Stars 12

#4 ILF 44, #5 The Bambs 12

 

            Breast Friends finally get to play a game together and they just simply dismantled SMDTDs. Zack Attack properly got revenge on UWM after the big upset win a few weeks ago. Wasted Potential shocked the TSL world with the biggest upset of the day in a 32-12 win over the heavily favored Puckett All-Stars. ILF overcame an early score from the Bambs to walk to an easy win.

 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

#1 Breast Friends vs #6 Wasted Potential (+8)

#2 Zack Attack vs #4 ILF (+14)

 

The Setup:  The final gender team standing looks to take the D5 title. Can Wasted Potential pull another huge upset? Zack Attack gets ILF who will be down Dave Baker at QB, assuming that Tight Ends wins against Sticky Bandits. Looks like a crash course of the top two seeds here.

 

The Conversation:

 

PR: “

Breast Friends: 35%

Zack Attack: 30%

Wasted Potential: 25%

ILF: 10%

 

Wasted Potential beating Puckett All-Stars last week was a big surprise for us.  At this point it FEELS like Breast (last remaining gender team!) vs Zack in the finals (offense vs defense) but Wasted Potential could surprise us again.  We liked ILF during the season, but the schedule says D1 Finals play at the same time as D5 Semis, so ILF is more than likely going to be without Dave Baker at QB.  No word yet on who their sub is, but until we know that we can't give ILF very good odds.”

 

GF: “WP’s big win was clearly the shock of the day, but good for them! You already nailed the biggest story: The last remaining gender team is the favorite for D5.

 

It’s a weird world without the Angels and Stunts battling it out on Championship Saturday, but hopefully the Breast Friends can fill that void.

 

Even if ILF magically (and I mean actual magic must be involved for Sticky to beat TEIM) gets Baker to play QB, then they lose Kicak on defense, where he really excels. Just a run of bad luck for ILF.

 

And it’s funny, because nobody is talking about Zack Attack like they didn’t dominate the entire division all season before they had to forfeit and miss games.

 

I weirdly expect two blow outs in the first set of games.

 

Breast Friends by 16

Zack Attack by 17”

 

PR: “You raise a good point - we DID all collectively forget how good a season Zack Attack had.  They were a little one-dimensional leaning heavily on their defense, but there's nothing wrong with that, it should be good enough to get by a short handed ILF team.  ILF created 75% of their magic on offense by Baker scrambling around and making a ridiculous throw on his third lap around the field.  We don't think whoever starts at QB on Saturday will be able to make the same type of plays.  And you're right about Breast Friends, they seem destined for the Finals right now, especially with Puckett's season surprisingly over.  We'll take Breast Friends over Zack in the Finals.  Zack's defense is great, but a scrambling Travis / talented all-female receiver combo is a different animal, and we're not sure Zack's offense can keep up.”

 

GF: “
We both forsee the same final here, which i enjoy. A gender team in the finals is always a good thing! I'm going back and forth on this one a lot, but in the end, i'm going to go against you here. 

 

I'll take Zack Attack's defense figuring out how to stop the BFs and they'll take D5.”

 

We both foresee a Zack Attack – Breast Friends final but have differing champions. Either way, both teams should move up to D4.

 

D6:

 

Last Week’s Games:

#1 Spinelli’s Plumbing 44, #8 Lenny’s Ladies 0

#2 Tater Tots 36, #7 Blitzkrieg 6

#3 TMA 42, #6 The BiPolar Express 17

#4 Travis Henry’s Kids 44, #5 Graves Brothers 32

 

            The Top 4 seeds in D6 proceeded to move on in the playoffs, giving us one heck of a Final Four for D6. None of them were really in trouble as they all handled their first round matchups pretty easily.

 

This Week’s Games:

#1 Spinelli’s Plumbing vs #4 Travis Henry’s Kids (+9)

#3 TMA vs #2 Tater Tots (+3)

 

The Setup: Spinelli’s ridiculous offense has them poised to make the finals in what is seemingly a three team battle for the title, with Travis Henry’s Kids hanging out. TMA continues the tradition of lower seeds being favored over a higher ranked team. I can’t argue it, these top 3 teams are very close.

 

The Conversation:

 

PR: “
Spinellis: 35%

Tots: 25%

TMA: 24%

THK: 16%

 

The best four D6 teams are all still here as there were no upsets in this division's quarterfinals.  We once thought it had to be Spinelli's vs Tots in the finals, but now we're not so sure.  TMA and THK are solid teams.  Our money is still on Spinelli's but we don't think it'll be easy for them.”

 

GF: “
 

Man D6 is awesome. You know, we keep talking about Tots/Spinelli’s, but more and more I keep thinking and hearing about TMA. If we switch the Woodpeckers debacle for an easy blowout win over Juiced, they sit at 7-2 and they’re the 2 seed. Spinelli’s beat Tots, but TMA beat them both. Why can’t they do it again?

 

I like what THK has done in their first season here in the TSL but losing their last two games still sticks in my mind that they’re not quite ready yet.

 

TMA by 6

Spinelli’s Plumbing by 10”

                                                   

PR: “You nailed it on TMA.  They weren't one of the two 7-1 teams remaining at the end of the season so they flew under the radar a bit, but they really were JUST as good as the other two.  Tots has that absurd defense, Spinelli's has the absurd offense, but TMA seems like a pretty balanced squad.  Good enough to make the finals, maybe not good enough to win it though.  Spinelli's wins and moves up to D5 next session, TMA's day in the sun has to wait another season.”

 

GF: “You have Spinelli's and TMA as do I. Both teams have been very, very good this season. The more I look at it, the more i think everything favors Spinelli's. I'm not certain TMA can run with them. But, i spoke highly enough of them for a few weeks now that I'll just stick to my guns. I've picked TMA for years now, only to be constantly let down. What can I say? I'm a Buffalo sports fan, regardless of living in Des Moines nowadays. Maybe I just like pain, but, I'll take TMA.”

 

Yet another scenario where we end up with the same finals, but differ on who’s going to win the title. Committee takes Spinelli’s, I take TMA. Congrats Tater Tots on your title.

 

Five Questions For Saturday:

 

1. How does a forecast of morning rains affect each team's chances?  Does it favor teams with great defenses like Zack Attack or Tots if receivers can't catch the few opportunities they get?  Or does it not matter?

 

Rain affects both teams. Defenses will slip in the mud, so will the receivers. Honestly, it affects the QB’s the most, and I’ll always favor the teams with the better QBs in those games.

 

2. Is Great White Clarke's capable of losing a game?  We don't see it happening

 

Very much so. They were in danger of losing in the first round of the playoffs against Steph It Up A Notch AND last week against the Keller Whales. Both times GWC had to score late to seal the deal. There’s no guarantee they do that every time. Plus, it’s an odd year, so Topper should shine brighter than ever.

 

3. Will the bar scene still be awesome this week with only half the league's teams still in contention?

 

The bar scene is always awesome, even during Championship Saturday. A lot of teams show up to drink and watch the games even if they don’t play. People don’t like saying goodbye for the offseason, so they get every ounce of fun out of the TSL. Plus, Topper usually gives the winners their champagne and that attracts more bar goers.

 

4. Who will be the lowest seeded champion that shocks us all and makes us say "we can't believe THOSE guys won?"

 

GF - Bullet Club. They have the knowledge, talent and the QB to do so. They’ve done this before as a low seed, and if they beat Losing Streak and then XTC/WDC, we’d be amazed much more than anyone else doing it outside of Sticky Bandits.

 

PR - Our pick for Lowest Seeded Champion to shock us all would be Practice Squad if we were allowed to count them as a "low seed" but, yeah, everyone in D4 is like 1a, 1b, 1c etc so that feels like a cop-out.  Bullet Club is a great choice having just knocked off Peachy Platoon, but we're going to go Wasted Potential as our best chance for an upset champion.  Beating Puckett was HUGE, and the only remaining D5 top seeds ARE flawed teams (Breast Friends have barely played together with their forfeits, Zack Attack doesn't play offense, ILF won't be at full strength).

 

 

 

5. Who is the Godfather's sleeper team that he thinks has the biggest chance for an upset this week?  Who is his most overrated?

 

GF - For biggest upset, I think it’ll be somebody wearing red. That leaves Eyes Downtown, Wasted Potential I think, and Travis Henry’s Kids.

 

For my most overrated? I’m starting to think its Tight Ends In Motion. That doesn’t mean they aren’t good, but are they as good as people are acting? Are they really this slam dunk? Hmm.

 

PR - For a most Overrated team, we'll say Public Enemy?  Again, not because they aren't great (they are) but because people are affording them a God-like status that they haven't earned THIS SEASON.  Yes, they've proven it many times in the past, but every other team we're evaluating based on what they've done lately.  Why does Public Enemy get the benefit of the doubt based on championships they've won in prior years?  They almost lost the title game to TEIM last year, and their last championship win was a year before that.  How long has it been since this team looked dominant?  They're good, they're great, but "overrated" based on their play this season.

 

 

ONE BONUS QUESTION FOR SATURDAY:

 

PR – “We'll throw one more question at you to add to the list here: we at the QB Power Rankings obviously focus a lot on Quarterback play, but who do you think the most critical non-QBs are in the final rounds of each division?  We've got our own ideas, but no one knows better than the Godfather”

 

GF – “I love this bonus question. Let’s get at it.

 

D1 - Adrian Cannon, Eyes Downtown - Adrian has been lights out for Eyes Downtown most of the season. For your prediction of ED to beat PE, he's going to have to have a fantastic game on both sides of the ball. If he's on fire, there's a chance ED could even make the finals a game. 

 

D2 - Drew Colosimo, When Dove Cries - For my world where Topper's team wins D2, Drew has to be EVERYTHING and more for WDC to beat Losing Streak. Just his presence on the field makes everyone else around him better, including Mr. McGovern. 

 

D3 - Blase LaDuca, Top Shot - No, it's not for his stellar play. Blase is a fine player, but historically he's affected his OWN team by freaking out on the field when things go wrong. With Adrian more than likely not playing for TS, they need to rely on others to do the work, and if Blase loses his mind and takes his own team off their game as he has in the past....Uh Oh. 

 

D4 - Kyle Geertman, Practice Squad - He was a big reason (i'm assuming) that Buffalo Vice barely scored. Kenny Lantz emailed me midseason to sing Kyle's praises on the defensive side of things. If he's on his game, well, we saw what happens last week in their win. 

 

D5 - Eric Pochylski, Wasted Potential - I've heard a LOT about this guy this week in the emails sent to me from the WP Captain MaKensey Pietz , on the podcast, and in The Sentinel. So far be it from me to avoid mentioning the stand out player (on both sides of the ball) for this squad who had the biggest upset of the weekend last week. Can he do it again? 

 

D6 - The Ladies of TMA, TMA - If TMA is going to make me right on my prediction, it'll be on Light Val, Diana, and Lauren to make some plays. I think the guys are all the same across the board, but with Spinelli's down Katie Swanson again, I think, they'll be counting on Chelsey Lapore, Audrey Enzien, and Kaely Kwitek to do the damage. But if the TMA girls can step it up on both sides of the ball, it'll make my prediction a lot closer to a reality. I feel like the guys match up evenly, but with Valerie being one of the league’s top rushers, Diana catching nearly everything thrown her way, and Lauren being the perfect compliment to both, TMA can safely claim they have the best group of females left in D6. Now, its just up to them to play like it.

 

PR: “most fun part will be a few days from now realizing we were entirely WRONG, and someone we didn't even consider ended up being the X factor that swung a championship game.  Ah well.  As of right now, these are who we think are the most important "non-QB" players in each division: 

 

D1 - Sean Weisensal, Eyes Downtown - He's always good for an insane play or two.  We expect both Eyes Downtown games to be close, and a game changer like Sean seems like a good choice here.  Runner-up: Dave Baker, for similar but strangely opposite reasons for why you highlighted Blase in D3.  While Blase is the one you think will freak out when things go wrong, Dave is the one we expect to keep CALM when something inevitably goes wrong for Tight Ends and keep that group sane and focused and making sure they don't implode.

 

D2 - Every girl on When Dove Cries.  Drew is phenomenal, it's true.  But Losing Streak is stacked with male talent, so no team is going to have the edge on them there.  Topper's advantage has to be his girls, and that's where he's going to look when he needs an edge.  If Kelly and the Clarkes have a great day collectively, WDC could steal the D2 title from Jordan and Co.

 

D3 - Adrian Cannon, TopShot - this is either the greatest pick we ever made or the dumbest (and have you read our article? we make lots of dumb calls every week).  If he plays for TopShot, they're damn near invincible.  If he doesn't, they're suddenly vulnerable (at least a little).  If that's not an impact player, we don't know what is.  It's not impossible he chooses Blase over Bobby, is it?

 

D4 - Ryan Hogan, Jabronies - When Joe Miano gets in trouble, Ryan's the guy he looks for, and there aren't many athletes in the TSL that can consistently stop this guy.  Every D4 game is going to be settled in the last two minutes, we'd wager a bet on that.  Every team has a player they hope is going to give them the edge in that time, and Ryan might be the most crucial for his team.

 

D5 - Cheryl Julicher, Breast Friends - This team has played like three games this season so we're just guessing Cheryl is their MVP heading into playoffs, but it can't be ALL Travis scrambling around all day for this team to win a championship, someone has to catch it at the end of the day.  We think that the more time Travis buys, the more his smart and experienced receivers will take advantage, and that's got to be Cheryl.

 

D6 - The Ladies of TMA was a great choice and actually the first one we thought of when we posed the question in the first place.  We can't do better than that for the most crucial player(s) in D6.

 

Our hope for this Saturday - 1) no one gets hurt, and 2) close games are not decided by one close call that the losing team blames on the Refs (they're DOING THEIR BEST dammit!)

 

This was an amazing season.  We're ready for some fireworks to close it out.”

 

 

Ten Final Thoughts For Saturday:

 

1. I want to bet on Topper so badly in Breakfast Club, but Great White Clarkes just seem like they’re going to take the title. Hopefully Travis redecorates Topper’s house this time. Clarkes 37, EMIgos 24.

 

2. The Committee touched on this above, but seriously, the refs are doing their best. Freaking out on them isn’t going to help you. Even when they’re horribly wrong.

 

3. The team with the most pressure on them? Top Shot. They’re just the most slam dunk option of the seeds remaining, and its on them to prove it.

 

4. The most forgotten team heading into Saturday? Travis Henry’s Kids. They’re just an afterthought for the “Big 3” in D6. Then again, it doesn’t seem like the Tater Tots are garnering much faith either.

 

5. It really looks like we’ll be having some rain in the early stages of the day tomorrow, which will not only affect some games, but the fields will most likely be softer throughout the day.

 

6. The best games of the day that aren’t championship matchups? Look no further than Grey Hair Don’t Care vs Wolfpack and Jabronies vs Practice Squad.

 

7. I’ve been told that there’s a TSL group trip to Jacksonville for the Bills game in October. There’s about 20 tickets left to sit in the poolside suite for the game (I guess it has a pool and food among other things), so if you’re looking for a fun vacation, perhaps talk to Topper and get a ticket. Some big name TSL celebrities are already confirmed to be going: Topper, Joe K, Matty Ice, and Dave Walter just to name a few.

 

8. Bring white and dark jerseys this week. Nothing is worse than confusion because a team wearing black is playing a team in Dark Blue. Don’t let something silly be the reason you lose a championship.

 

9. Any championship winners are invited to Topper’s house to talk about their win on Sunday for the podcast. Talk to Topper or Joe K for details.

 

10. Have fun. This is what everything we’ve done for the last few months has built up to. Be safe and respectful, and have the best time you possibly can. This weekend is what it’s all about.

 

Good luck on your journey to Social Co-Ed Football Immortality. No matter who wins, it’s going to be earned. Can’t wait to see the results.

 

-GF

 

• Prev
• Next