Spring 2021 Preseason

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Category: TSL QB Power Rankings

Created: Thursday, 22 April 2021 21:11

Published: Thursday, 22 April 2021 21:11

Written by Patrick McGovern

Hits: 11446

 

"Football is like nuclear warfare.  There are no winners, only survivors" - Frank Gifford

 

Welcome back to the TSL Quarterback Power Rankings!  If you've read our article in the past (and there must be at least a few of you) then you’re familiar with the concept – every week we share our rankings for the Top QBs in the League, and discuss who’s trending up and who's trending down.  We on the QB Power Rankings Committee are not what you'd call "great writers" (or even "very good" writers... check out the Godfather and the Sentinel if you want better writing) so we lean heavily on graphs and stats instead.  For our pre-season article each session, we like to make a few predictions and re-print an explanation of how these Power Rankings work, which we've copied and pasted almost verbatim from the last three pre-season reviews  (See? Lazy writing...)  

 

So a little Q&A to refresh your memories:

 

“There are sixty teams in the TSL this season!  Are you going to show rankings for all 60 starting QB’s every week?”

At minimum, the Top Ten will be shown EVERY week.  We always expand as the season goes on, so you'll see a Top 15, Top 20... last season we got to a Top 30, which was more than two thirds of the League.  This season: we vow to do better.

 

“Is this going to be heavily biased towards the higher divisions?”

In a word: yes.  The purpose of a Power Ranking is to highlight the absolute best in the League, and for the most part the best are competing AGAINST the best.  We will absolutely be acknowledging the performances (good and bad) of Quarterbacks in the lower divisions as well, but it's rare that a lower division QB will crack the Top Twenty, and that's the way it should be.  Generally speaking if you don't like your ranking, our advice is to try moving up a division next session.  The better your competition, the more credibility you earn for beating it.

 

"Do you take into account Breakfast Club performance for the Rankings?"

We take Breakfast Club into account, but as that's more of a casual league, we weight it much less than the other divisional play.

 

"Are gender team QBs treated differently in the Rankings?"

Not really.  A team's a team, and although gender team scores tend to be a little higher (every TD = minimum 8 points) we don't see much difference.  It takes skill to win with men; it takes skill to win with women.

 

"How are you ranking backup QBs if they come in and play better than some other team's starter?"

Generally we're only ranking one QB per team, even if you've got a player on your bench that you think could be a successful starter elsewhere.  And for teams with unreliable QBs who don't show up often enough for us to even KNOW who the starter is, we often leave them out of our rankings entirely... as they say, the best "ability" is "availability".  If you want to get ranked, show up and play as often as you can.

 

"I'm new to this League and people don't know me yet!  How do I get ranked when I'm still an unknown?"

For starters, you should play really well.  If you're scoring a lot of points, we WILL notice you.  There are eight more teams this session than the Fall 2020 season, so we probably DON'T know who you all are yet.  Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to introduce yourself, and please, be patient.  If you're the highest scoring team in the League in Week 2, that doesn't mean we're anointing you as the next Chris Cole just yet.  Keep at it, play well, and we promise eventually we will recognize you.

 

“So you’re only ranking QB’s… what about the rest of us?”

Oh, we didn’t forget about the rest of you.  In addition to the QB Rankings, we will do our best to put out other rankings that the rest of you can enjoy – best team offenses, best team defenses, best referees, best at bar …  ranking anything is always fun.  Unless we rank you last, of course.

 

“You keep saying ‘we’.  Who is writing this?  Who determines these rankings?”

Don’t worry about who’s writing this.  Let’s be honest: If you knew who was on our Committee, you would incessantly whine to them about why you or your QB should be ranked higher every week.  Anonymity is key for journalism THIS important.  

 

And that's how the Power Rankings work.  We expect it's going to be an incredible season, with SIXTY teams battling for TSL supremacy.  Our official predictions for this year: 

• AWDIQ legend Vince Taverna drops out of the Top Ten as he has to contend with 16 D1 and D2 QBs playing in divisions above him
• Matty Ice and Dean Thompson will duke it out for the honor of highest ranked D2 QB, with... Matty getting the slight edge by end of the season? we think?
• Dylan Jaloza will crack the Top Twenty by end of the season.  With all those weapons, how can he not?
• A mid-season replacement will come out of nowhere to crack the Top Ten (think Bro Kleckler or Terrell Bolden last year)
• Scotty Drosendahl, now playing in D2, will make the Top Ten early and often
• Topper will continue to be the hardest player to rank, flashing brilliance one week, just to look like a washed up shell of an athlete the next.

 

But what do we know?  These were last year's predictions:  Matty Ice PLUMMETS in the rankings (he did, after taking the session off, so that was an easy one... though allegedly he's back this season); Joey Batts cracks the Top Five once again (we were right, as Joey spent three weeks last season in the #4 spot); Blase LaDuca cracks the Top Ten (we were wrong; 18th was the highest he got); Darryl Carr remains undefeated at #1 on the Quarterback Hair Rankings (obviously we were right); and Lucas Kramer from Vaspian, with a year of experience under his belt, has a break-out season to flirt with Top Ten status (he did not).  Three out of five... could be worse.

 

So there you go.  We don’t have any new “pre-season rankings” for you, because there are new teams and new faces and we don't know all the contenders yet. But here are the final “Top 30” rankings from the end of Fall 2020's regular season (which might have looked different if we had re-ranked them after playoffs…): 

 

For all you TSL history buffs out there that want to know QB Power Rankings data stretching back before the chart shown above, here is the entire history of the Top Ten going back the past three seasons that we've been Power Ranking (season three being shortened by one week due to COVID issues):

 

 

Chris Cole and Joey Batts are the only two QBs to be ranked in the Top Ten every week since the Power Rankings began, and Joey's streak is in jeopardy as we're not sure who's QBing for Mountain Dew Me this session (could be hard to make Top Ten if he's only QBing a D4 gender team).  Mark Dalfonso missed out in the first ever week of Power Rankings (a shameful omission on our part, but we can't correct it now) and then has been in the Top Five ever since... a streak that looks to be coming to an end with Marketing Mayors folding this session. Bobby McConnell missed the beginning of the Spring 2019 season and wasn't ranked for four weeks, though he's been in the Top Four ever since, and Matt Newman missed just one week as well (don't blame us, he should have played better).

 

Among active QBs, the returning Matty Ice has one of the highest average rankings at 3.06 (not counting the season he took off).  Excluding the injury weeks he wasn't ranked, Bobby has never left the Top Four (average rank: 2.32).  Bro Kleckler has only been ranked in the Top Ten once, but he's been almost unbeatable in D1 since taking over for TEIM and is a real threat to take the #1 spot if he continues to play at that level for a full season.  Chris Cole has never left the Top THREE (average rank: 1.52) and has a TSL record 10 consecutive weeks at #1 (he's currently on a four game streak at the top spot dating back to last season).  This is your Top Tier of TSL Quarterbacks ladies and gentlemen, the gold standard you have to beat if you want to be considered the best of the best.  Good luck with that!

 

As always, if you have any thoughts on why you hate this article (your team’s QB should be ranked higher?  not enough attention devoted to the Quarterback Hair Rankings?  our gross abuse of parentheses as a literary crutch for writing thoughts within thoughts?) please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..   

 

What’s YOUR ranking?

Week 8 Rankings

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Category: TSL QB Power Rankings

Created: Friday, 09 October 2020 14:07

Published: Friday, 09 October 2020 14:07

Written by Patrick McGovern

Hits: 2638

 

“I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid” – Terry Bradshaw

 

Welcome back to Week Eight of the TSL Quarterback Power Rankings!  Here's what we've got for you this week:

• QB Power Rankings - Our most comprehensive rankings YET - yes, we've expanded AGAIN to show the Top 30 QBs this week
• League Offenses - All Divisions (Chart)
• Final Observations/Questions

 

QB Power Rankings

 

As much as we love expanding this to include more and more QBs (we're Power Ranking a record setting 30 this week), there's always the danger that the bad outweighs the good and we start offending people.  "What do you MEAN they're showing 30 Quarterbacks now and I STILL didn't make the list?!?!"  Sorry bro.  Send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and plead your case if you think we've short changed you.  Having said that, we feel pretty good about our picks this week.

 

 

 

Note: "Next Week's Games" below are based on current schedule and subject to change; may not include all make-up games

 

#1 Chris Cole - Public Enemy - (Previous Rank #1)

Last Week:  Beat Why So Serious 49-48

Highlights:  Scoring 49 points in a W is a pretty solid day at the office.  Especially when your defense is suddenly terrible, and you need every one of those points to beat a new QB on a team that hadn't won a game all year before Saturday.  A win's a win, on to next week:  PUBLIC ENEMY VS EYES DOWNTOWN - WILL IT FINALLY HAPPEN?? 

Next Week:  Eyes Downtown

 

#2 Bobby McConnell - Eyes Downtown, The Angels - (Previous Rank #2)

Last Week:  DNP

Highlights:  Surviving COVID is a pretty good highlight.  Bobby's been gone so long we almost forgot Eyes Downtown is still undefeated when he plays... ALMOST forgot.  If he beats Public Enemy next week (assuming he's healthy enough to play), he'll reclaim the throne of TSL's Greatest Quarterback.  Unless of course the Angels somehow lose to Freeballers (they won't, but we'd have no idea how to rank Bobby if they did).

Next Week:  Public Enemy (Eyes Downtown), Freeballers (The Angels)

 

#3 Mark Dalfonso - Marketing Mayors - (Previous Rank #3)

Last Week:  Lost to TEIM 29-28

Highlights:  Marketing Mayors are now in fifth place after losing to D1 rookie QB Bro Kleckler and Tight Ends in Motion.  Attendance seems to have been an issue all season with these guys.  When they're all there, they can beat anyone (MM are the "1" in Public Enemy's "6-1") but they don't seem to be fielding their "A Squad" most weeks.  If they can get it together and win out next week, the #3 seed is probably theirs for the taking.

Next Week:  Gryffindor, Tight Ends in Motion

 

#4 Joey Batts - Gryffindor, Cunning Stunts - (Previous Rank #4)

Last Week:  Lost to The Angels 53-35

Highlights:  Another high scoring loss for the Cunning Stunts.  Remember when they beat (Matty's) Angels in the title game a couple sessions ago?  They're 2-5 now with the second worst defense in the TSL.  Not Joey's fault (they're also the third best offense in the TSL) but we miss the days of D4 Girl Power.

Next Week:  Marketing Mayors, Why So Serious? (Gryffindor), Over Compensators (Cunning Stunts)

 

#5 Mike Thomas - Sticky Bandits - (Previous Rank #6)

Last Week:  Beat Slytherin That End Zone 33-30

Highlights:  Do the Sticky Bandits really have the highest ranked QB outside of D1?? They have the second highest scoring offense in the division at 34.9 PPG (Jabronies lead with 35.2).  They have a VERY mediocre point differential (+2.6 PPG, fourth in their division).  But there are only three other teams with winning records in D2 between Slytherin, Jabronies and Dilfs... and Mike Thomas has now beaten them all.

Next Week:  Dilfs

 

#6 Matt Newman - Slytherin That End Zone - (Previous Rank #5)

Last Week:  Lost to Sticky Bandits 33-30, beat Peachy Platoon 48-42

Highlights:  If TSL had an ESPN Top Ten Plays of the Week segment (the Sentinel needs a full camera crew to record these; can we all agree to raise our fees by $6000 per team to make this happen?) half of them would be from Slytherin games this week.  SITE lost to the Sticky Bandits on a failed Hail Mary, then beat a DEAN THOMPSON led Peachy Platoon on a Hail Mary in the NEXT game.  Or maybe it was two Hail Mary's in that Peachy game... there were so many lead changes in the last two minutes it's hard to keep to track.  Huge, quality win for Newman.

Next Week:  Jabronies

 

#7 Brandt Dubey - Dilfs - (Previous Rank #8)

Last Week:  Beat Hofbrauhaus Buffalo 49-34    

Highlights:  After dismantling Hofbrauhaus, the Dilfs are in prime position for the top seed in D2.  5 of their 6 wins so far this year are by double digit leads... and that would jump to 6 out of 6 if we included the 21-0 forfeit win over Marketing Mayors.  These guys aren't just winning, they're dominating.  A win (or even a tie) this week would lock up the #1 seed for the playoffs.

Next Week:  Sticky Bandits

 

#8 Joe Miano - Jabronies - (Previous Rank #9)

Last Week:  Beat Bullet Club 44-18 

Highlights:  The Jabronies were simply the better team this week, demolishing Bullet Club and reclaiming the highest PPG in D2.   Beating the #6 ranked QB next week would push Miano to his highest Power Ranking yet, but Slytherin is as complete a team as Jabronies.  We're expecting a classic.

Next Week:  Slytherin That End Zone

 

#9 Vince Taverna - All We Do is Quinn - (Previous Rank #7)

Last Week:  DNP

Highlights:  No, Vince didn't play this week, so Quinn's 22-20 loss to Vaspian is a LITTLE more understandable (Joe Schwab did his best as the backup, but it's tough to win when half your team gets injured).  We're not punishing Vince because AWDIQ lost, we're "punishing Vince" because two D2 QBs had 40+ point double digit wins this week.  There's no way we can't reward them for that.  We expect Quinn to be dominant again with Vince back next week, but will the loss of one of Kasey open the door for a Frodo playoff push?

Next Week:  Buffalo Solar Solutions (Crossover game)

 

#10 Scott Drosendahl - Frodo Swaggins - (Previous Rank #10)

Last Week:  Beat Grey Hair - Don't Care 16-13

Highlights:  The Moose has led the highest scoring team in the TSL all season, until now.  With a VERY un-Scotty-Ballgame-like 16 point game (albeit a win) Frodo drop behind Uncle Rico's and the D4 gender teams to become the FOURTH highest scoring team in the League.  Still pretty good, we know.  With all the cancellations that have happened recently it's been a few weeks since we've seen a Swaggins offensive explosion.  Expect two of them this week.

Next Week:  En Fuego, The Untouchaballs

 

#11 Tim Zielinski - Uncle Rico's Time Travelers - (Previous Rank #11)

Last Week:  Beat Over Compensators 46-40

Highlights:  Speaking of the highest scoring teams in the League... Uncle.  Rico's.  Time Travelers.  At 42.9 PPG Tim is now your League leading QB in terms of offensive production.  URTT have scored 28 and 32 points in their two losses... and 44, 45, 46, 52 and 53 points in their five wins.  These are insane numbers.  Oh, and next week they play the single worst defense in the TSL.   Bet the "Over" on this one.

Next Week:  Family Feud and Some Dudes

 

#12 Andy Clark - Buffalo Solar Solutions - (Previous Rank #13)

Last Week:  Beat Family Feud and Some Dudes 46-32

Highlights:  Andy still lags behind three other D4 QBs in PPG (all of which are, fairly or unfairly, ahead of him in the Rankings) but Buffalo Solar Solutions might be the most balanced team in the division.  They're the only ones that can play defense, and they're STILL undefeated when Andy plays.  The D4 playoffs are going to be a bloodbath, but BSS have GOT to be the betting favorites right now.  We'll see if the Godfather agrees next week.

Next Week:  All We Do is Quinn (Crossover game)

 

#13 David "Bro" Kleckler - Tight Ends in Motion - (Previous Rank NR)

Last Week:  Beat Marketing Mayors 29-28, Eyes Downtown 47-30

Highlights:  D1 midseason replacement QB Bro Kleckler made his first starts for TEIM, and immediately beat two of the best teams in the top division.  Sure, apply whatever asterisks you want.  Eyes Downtown was missing Bobby and others.  Marketing Mayors didn't have a full squad.  All true (which is why he's not in the Top 10 right now), but who cares?  Winning in D1 is hard, and Bro made it look easy.  Defensive play doesn't factor into our Rankings, but Bro is also the best two-way QB in our Rankings since Dean Thompson's "retirement".

Next Week:  Marketing Mayors, Why So Serious?

 

#14 Ricky Austin - Bullet Club - (Previous Rank #12)

Last Week:  Lost to Jabronies 44-18

Highlights:  Not a great week for Ricky Austin and Bullet Club.  Although they FINALLY got Joe K back after a long recovery period, they've now lost Zach to his own injury, which is the last thing this team needs as it tries to establish some kind of momentum before playoffs. Bullet Club can STILL finish with a .500 record this season, with only Morning Wood standing in the way (twice).

Next Week:  Morning Wood (twice)

 

#15 Terrell Bolden - Why So Serious? - (Previous Rank NR)

Last Week:  Beat Eyes Downtown 31-22, lost to Public Enemy 49-48

Highlights:  Who IS this guy?  Apparently "T-Time" is a former D5 QB who's now throwing for Why So Serious (Pete's services are, understandably, needed at receiver).  The jump from D5 to playing D1's best two teams looked like no problem for Bolden, as he beat the still-Bobby-less Eyes Downtown and then scored 48 in a losing effort against Public Enemy.  People will make excuses and talk about who he DIDN'T face on Saturday, but who he DID face were some impressive athletes, and he looked fantastic.

Next Week:  Tight Ends in Motion, Gryffindor

 

#16 Aaron Ertel - Morning Wood - (Previous Rank #17)

Last Week:  Beat Peachy Platoon 50-29

Highlights:  Morning Wood are a much better team when the unsackable Aaron Ertel is in there, and they proved it by blasting Peachy Platoon for a big win this week.  These guys are flying under the radar a bit in D2 this session, but if they can sweep Bullet Club on Saturday, they'll finish with a winning record and a shot at a high-ish seed, depending on tiebreakers.  

Next Week:  Bullet Club (twice)

 

#17 Cody McGregor - Mountain Dew Me - (Previous Rank #16)

Last Week:  DNP

Highlights:  Cody took the week off to avoid a Practice Squad rematch and keep all their fancy stats and streaks intact.  It worked!  Still undefeated, with a juicy game against Intentional Pounding on the schedule for this week.  Wait til you see the betting line on that one.

Next Week:  Intentional Pounding

 

#18 Patrick "Topper" McGovern - Hofbrauhaus Buffalo / TOX - (Previous Rank #19)

Last Week:  Lost to Dilfs 49-34 (Hofbrauhaus Buffalo), beat Intentional Pounding 36-23 (TOX)

Highlights:  Topper continues to struggle against D2 competition, with his only win this season coming against the short-handed three girl Peachy Platoon squad a couple weeks back.  Remember when Hobrauhaus was in D1 for like five minutes?  Really there's no shame in losing to Dilfs, they're killing everyone lately.  And Topper DID get a win with TOX this week, although the final score would have looked more impressive if he hadn't thrown a pick two to Scott Keller Jr.  Perfect passer rating, defensive highlight machine... is there anything SK2 CAN'T do?

Next Week:  Peachy Platoon (Hofbrauhaus Buffalo), Practice Squad, Cobblestone (TOX)

 

#19 Dylan Day - Scared Hitless - (Previous Rank #21)

Last Week:  Beat En Fuego 44-30

Highlights:  Scared Hitless is one of three D3 teams with a winning record, and they're only three points away from having the best point differential in the division.  We've highlighted before in this article how skewed that last metric is after their 52 point annihilation of D4 Freeballers, and there are other reasons to think they MAY not be as good as their record suggests (debatably their greatest accomplishment this season was somehow avoiding playing both All We Do is Quinn AND Frodo Swaggins... how did that happen??).  But Dylan led Hitless to a big win over En Fuego this week, and that's enough for him to leapfrog Blase in the Power Rankings this week.

Next Week:  Vaspian

 

#20 Blase LaDuca - En Fuego - (Previous Rank #18)

Last Week:  Lost to Scared Hitless 44-30

Highlights:  En Fuego fell behind big this week before clawing their way back into the game against Scared Hitless.  The end result was a lot closer than the score makes it look, as this one came right down to the wire.  Blase still has En Fuego at .500 with one week left in the regular season.  Grey Hair - Don't Care might be spiraling downward right now, but Frodo is still Frodo.  What a statement win that would be if Blase could take down Scotty Ballgame himself.

Next Week:  Frodo Swaggins, Grey Hair - Don't Care

 

#21 David Eickhoff - Grey Hair - Don't Care - (Previous Rank #15)

Last Week: Lost to Frodo Swaggins 16-13 

Highlights:  From September 5th until this past Saturday, Grey Hair - Don't Care have scored 41 points (W), followed by 30 points (W), 24 points (L), 21 points (L), 14 points (L), and 13 points (L).  The way it's trending we're half expecting a Pick-1 on an extra point to be their only score against En Fuego this week.  Losing to Frodo by 3 points is nothing shameful by itself, but what happened to the offense?  Not sure what's wrong with with the former Holy Kielbasans/HK7s/End Gamers this season, they just don't look as sharp as we're used to seeing.  

Next Week:  En Fuego

 

#22 Brandon "B" Ford - Practice Squad - (Previous Rank #22)

Last Week:  Beat Intentional Pounding 26-6

Highlights:  We wonder how Practice Squad gets themselves psyched up for games at this point.  They know they're better than everyone outside of the McGregor family, and B is just going to beat up on whoever crosses their path until the Mountain Dew Me showdown in the finals.  Sucks to be TOX or Zack Attack right now.

Next Week:  TOX, Zack Attack

 

#23 Darrick Castronova - Peachy Platoon - (Previous Rank #20)

Last Week:  DNP

Highlights:  Looked like Sam and Dean saw action for the Platoon this week, so Darrick drops in the Rankings.  That was an easy one.

Next Week:  Hofbrauhaus Buffalo

 

#24 Lucas Kramer - Vaspian - (Previous Rank #27)

Last Week:  Beat All We Do is Quinn 22-20

Highlights:  Vaspian hangs on after running up a big lead and hands a depleted AWDIQ their first loss of their season.  Vaspian is trending up with two wins in a row after an 0-4 start (really 0-3 with a forfeit).  This was a team that many thought would take a big step forward this season, and for whatever reason it hadn't happened.  Maybe we're seeing it now?  Kramer and Co can still finish the regular .500 with a pair of winnable games on the schedule this week.

Next Week:  The Untouchaballs, Scared Hitless

 

#25 Darryl Carr - Cobblestone - (Previous Rank #24)

Last Week:  Beat Zack Attack 28-15

Highlights:  Zack Attack had no answer for the seductive power of Darryl's hair, and the best looking team in purple (sorry Quinn, sorry Family Feud) notches another big win this season.  Cobblestone's combined record against D5 powerhouses Mountain Dew Me and Practice Squad: 0-2, outscored 62-2.  Cobblestone's combined record against every other team in D5: 4-0-1, outscoring their opponents 140-84.  Darryl's playing great... but are Cobblestone really contenders?

Next Week:  TOX, Interdimensional Lightning Falcons

 

#26 Larry Chruscial - Over Compensators - (Previous Rank #25)

Last Week:  Lost to Uncle Rico's Time Travelers 46-40 

Highlights:  The 6 point loss to Rico's can't FEEL good, but a one score game against a top contender in your division?  We've seen worse.  Sometimes when you move up a division you have to take a step backwards before you can take two steps forward, and this season looks like O.C.'s step backwards.  [TSLQBPR Committee Note: although we wrote about Larry in last week's article, we mistakenly included an early draft of the Power Rankings chart at the top with Joe Buscaglia in the 25th spot.  Our bad, Larry.]

Next Week:  Cunning Stunts

 

#27 Steve Moser - Family Feud and some dudes - (Previous Rank #23)

Last Week:  Lost to Buffalo Solar Solutions 46-32

Highlights:  The bad news for Family Feud?  They gave up another 46 points in a losing effort this week.  The good news?  That actually helped their average points per game against, which now sits at a League worst 50.8 PPG.  Steve has looked fine though on offense.  We wonder how this team would be doing if they'd entered D5 instead.  They'd be losing to Mountain Dew Me we're sure, but could they compete with Practice Squad?  Maybe?

Next Week:  Uncle Rico's Time Travelers

 

#28 Joe Buscaglia - Pteratacos - (Previous Rank #26)

Last Week:  Beat Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 43-10, lost to Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 39-26

Highlights:  Pteratacos lost by 13 points, then beat the same team by 33 points a couple hours later.  Football is funny like that.  It should surprise absolutely no one to hear that the Dew Crew and Practice Squad are #1 and #2 in points per game in D5.  #3?  That would be Pteratacos, who have improved tremendously since last year when they won their only game of the season in the final week.  Also, uh, what is the combined age of QBs in D5?  Asking for a friend...

Next Week:  Zack Attack

 

#29 Steve Miller - Graves Bros - (Previous Rank #30)

Last Week:  Beat the Bambs 46-32

Highlights:  Steve Miller makes history as the first ever D6 QB to be featured in our Power Rankings (or at least, the portion we share on the website every week).  And why not?  Graves Bros are in first place, no one can catch them, and they lead the division in offensive points per game (33.0).  This is a TIGHT division but Graves Bros hold a slight edge, due in large part to their quarterbacking.

Next Week:  The BiPolar Express

 

#30 Andrew Kicak - Interdimensional Lightning Falcons - (Previous Rank NR)

Last Week:  Beat Pteratacos 39-26, lost to Pteratacos 43-10

Highlights:  See: Pteratacos description above.  A win and a loss for Andrew Kicak this week as he makes his TSL QB Power Rankings debut.  Andrew has QBed four games this season, and he has beaten every team he's played against so far (he also has a 33 point loss against one of those teams, but we're stressing the positives).  The Interdimensional Lightning Falcons (the greatest name in sports) were 0-4 to start the season, and it seems like a QB change was all they needed to find their mojo.

Next Week:  Cobblestone

 

League Offenses - All Divisions (Chart)

 

Alright, so we're a little lazier than last week.  Below is just ONE chart for all 44 teams in the League, sorted highest to lowest on offensive PPG.  We've colored each division to make it easier to see where you stack up against your peers.  As always, forfeit games have been removed from the math below:

 

 

Immediate thoughts (besides that you hate these graphs)?

 

D4 is unreal.  They have 5 of the top 6 offenses in the League, with one middle of the pack team (Over Compensators) and one offense (Freeballers) we'll say is "struggling", to be charitable.

 

D5 is where offense goes to die.  Mountain Dew Me is, of course, pretty good, 7th in the League.  Practice Squad is decent.  Pteratacos... respectable.  Then they have 5 of the 8 worst offenses in the League.  

 

D1 is more or less what you'd expect, except... how many people would have guessed Tight Ends in Motion were the top offense in the highest division?  Between Bro (2 games) and Alex Buchlis (4 games) they've put together some impressive numbers.  

 

The Bambs seem to have the highest scoring offense (16th in the League) of any team NOT recognized in the QB Power Rankings above.  And you thought YOUR team was unfairly disrespected by our Rankings!

 

What's the WORST offensive team above that we think has an outside shot at winning their division?  Hmmm... if Dean makes a miracle comeback we would say Peachy Platoon, but let's assume that doesn't happen for now.  Probably Practice Squad (low in the rankings but still second in their division) or Marketing Mayors if they bring their best squad (plus they're second in D1 in defense).  For teams below them on the chart?  We're not optimistic.

 

 

Final Observations/Questions:

• Last week we had three remaining undefeated teams, including Eyes Downtown, Mountain Dew Me and All We Do is Quinn, and TWO winless teams, including Freeballers and Why So Serious?  Now we are down to ONE of each going into the final week of the season.  Mountain Dew Me is your last undefeated team.  Freeballers are your last winless team.  Last season there were NO teams that finished without at least one win or one loss.  Will 2020 be different?
• The longest active winning streaks in the League belonged to Mountain Dew Me (7 wins) and Freeballers (5 losses) and neither team played this past week.  There are no other teams that tied either streak this week.
• Excluding two forfeit results, any guesses on how many shutouts there have been this year?  The answer is four.  Mountain Dew Me has two (30-0 over Zack Attack, 53-0 over Intentional Pounding), Scared Hitless has one (52-0 over Freeballers) and Practice Squad has one (30-0 over Cobblestone)
• What would our Top Ten look like if we ranked them based on speed instead of Quarterbacking?  Joey Batts #1 and then maybe Vince Taverna or Mark Dalfonso at #2?  What about if we ranked them on receiving ability?  Would Joey Batts or Mike Thomas be #1?  What about strongest arm?  Best looking?  Most likely to offer to drive you home when you drink too much at the bar?  Rankings are fun.
• Where would Travis be ranked if he consistently started for any one team in the League instead of subbing?  Top Ten, right?  Where would Joe Z rank, with his 0-1 record for Eyes Downtown?  Top Sixty?

 

 

That's it for this week.  As always, if you have any thoughts on why you hate this article (your team’s QB should be ranked higher? we never finished drawing our fourth face on Mount Rushmore? not enough Tater Tots coverage?) please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..   Remember, with the COVID regulations we have in place at the fields this year, it's a lot harder for spectators to watch games... which means it's a lot harder for the people on the QB Committee to watch your games.  If we're not writing about the action in your games, odds are we didn't see it.  Please email us to tell us what you're seeing out there - make our lives that much easier.  

 

What's YOUR ranking?

Final Fall Rankings

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Category: TSL QB Power Rankings

Created: Wednesday, 14 October 2020 18:51

Published: Wednesday, 14 October 2020 18:51

Written by Patrick McGovern

Hits: 2472

 

“Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.” – Don Shula

 

Welcome back to the FINAL edition of the 2020 TSL Quarterback Power Rankings!  Since we don't update Rankings throughout the playoffs, this will be our last article of the year.  Let's go out with a bang!  

 

Here's what we've got for you this week:

• The definitive, end of year QB Power Rankings - Top 30 in the League
• Division by Division Analysis - Regular season stats on ALL teams, plus most overrated and underrated teams for all divisions
• Best and Worst of the TSL
• All-Time QB Power Rankings
• Final Observations on the 2020 Fall Season

 

QB Power Rankings

 

 

 

#1 Chris Cole - Public Enemy - (Previous Rank #1)

Last Week:  Beat Eyes Downtown 28-18

Season Recap:  Undisputed #1 in the TSL QB Power Rankings.  All season the only "knock" on Cole was that he hadn't played and beaten Eyes Downtown yet.  Now he has.  Public Enemy finished with the best record in D1 and the second highest offensive PPG in the division.  Over the course of three seasons, we have Power Ranked QBs for 23 weeks.  Chris has been #1 for 14 of those weeks, and has never been lower than third.  

 

#2 Mark Dalfonso - Marketing Mayors - (Previous Rank #3)

Last Week:  Beat Gryffindor 29-28

Season Recap:  Marketing Mayors are the only team to have beaten Public Enemy this season, which might make them the most dangerous contender in the playoffs.  Mark had been stuck at the #3 Ranking all season, but he finally passes Bobby McConnell in the last week of the season.  With his full team around him Mark is capable of beating any team in the League.  

 

#3 Brandt Dubey - Dilfs - (Previous Rank #7)

Last Week:  Beat Sticky Bandits 39-31

Season Recap:  The Dilfs' seven wins this year came by 8, 12, 13, 13, 15, 21 (forfeit), and 24 points.  They were the clear best team in their division, and although they finished a hair behind Sticky Bandits and Jabronies for the highest scoring offense in D2, we doubt that matters to them as they locked up the #1 seed for playoffs.  Dubey just doesn't seem to make mistakes, and the Dilfs are the early favorites to repeat as D2 champions.

 

#4 Bobby McConnell - Eyes Downtown, The Angels - (Previous Rank #2)

Last Week:  Lost to Public Enemy 28-28, lost to Tight Ends in Motion 47-16 (Eyes Downtown), lost to Freeballers 34-24 (The Angels)

Season Recap:  Eyes Downtown started hot and were undefeated early in the season, but then their QB got COVID and everything went off the rails.  This wasn't the session Bobby had in mind a couple months ago when he was #1 in our Power Rankings.  Oh, and the Angels lost to previously winless Freeballers this week.  The #4 Ranking feels extremely charitable here given his record this year, but he's STILL a great Quarterback... right?

 

#5 David "Bro" Kleckler - Tight Ends in Motion - (Previous Rank #13)

Last Week:  Beat Why So Serious 46-14, beat Eyes Downtown 47-16

Season Recap:  Tight Ends in Motion have the highest PPG in the toughest division and a first round bye in the Playoffs... and they just manhandled the QB above Bro in the Power Rankings.  Unfair?  Probably.  The only reason Bro isn't higher in the Rankings is that he's only QBed four games for Tight Ends this session (half of that "highest PPG in the division" belongs to Alex Buchlis).  This team has as much momentum as anyone right now, and maybe even more important, the #2 seed means they won't have to face Public Enemy until the Finals.

 

#6 Joey Batts - Gryffindor, Cunning Stunts - (Previous Rank #4)

Last Week:  Lost to Marketing Mayors 29-28, lost to Why So Serious? 45-39 (Gryffindor), lost to Over Compensators 54-33 (Cunning Stunts)

Season Recap:  Gryffindor finishes with the third highest PPG in D1, which if we're being honest, VERY few people would have predicted coming into this season.  No QB threw for more total points this year than Joey (548 between Gryffindor and Cunning Stunts).  His Win/Loss record wasn't great (combined 5-10) but that's what happens when your teams have the 2nd and 9th worst defenses in the League.  

 

#7 Mike Thomas - Sticky Bandits - (Previous Rank #5)

Last Week:  Lost to Dilfs 39-31

Season Recap:  The Sticky Bandits finished with the highest PPG in D2 (34.4) despite low expectations from many after moving up this year.  They were competitive in every game this season despite having the second worst defense in the division (33.2 PPG).  Other than an 11 point win against the Jabronies, the Sticky Bandits won or lost every game by 8 points or less, including their D1 Crossover game.  Big season from Thomas to overcome some suspect defense and keep the Bandits in it every game.

 

#8 Joe Miano - Jabronies - (Previous Rank #8)

Last Week:  Beat Slytherin That End Zone 27-26

Season Recap:  The Jabronies elected to move up to D2 this session and Miano looked he belonged all season.  They finished with a 6-3 record and the #2 seed, and Joe fell one point short of tying Sticky Bandits for the highest scoring team in the division (did they even attempt the extra point after their walk-off win over Slytherin last week?  Those two points could have made them #1...)  For any QB out there that's afraid to move up a division, look to Joe Miano as an example of why you should trust yourself.  Although it definitely helps being surrounded by Kleckers and Ben Stack.

 

#9 Matt Newman - Slytherin That End Zone - (Previous Rank #6)

Last Week:  Lost to Jabronies 27-26

Season Recap:  Slytherin will be as battle tested as anyone come playoffs, as they've now had three incredible games in a row come down to the last play.  Newman's squad finished 2-4 after starting the season 3-0, but they're already looking stronger with Taylor Pagano back on the field after missing some time.  Slytherin is capable of winning or losing just about any game in their division... so which team is going to show up for playoffs? 

 

#10 Vince Taverna - All We Do is Quinn - (Previous Rank #9)

Last Week:  Beat Buffalo Solar Solutions 29-14

Season Recap:  AWDIQ are the unanimous 100% favorites to win D3, and they should be.  Quinn has the #1 offense, #2 defense, and #1 point differential in their division.  Vince Taverna is STILL undefeated this season, with Quinn's only loss coming the week he wasn't at the fields.  These guys are going to be in D2 next session... they HAVE to be, right?  Only apathy or the loss of Kasey can really stop them from winning D3 right now.  Bet on Quinn all day.

 

#11 Terrell Bolden - Why So Serious? - (Previous Rank #15)

Last Week:  Beat Gryffindor 45-39, lost to Tight Ends in Motion 46-14

Season Recap:  What could this season have been like for Why So Serious if T-Time had started from Day One?? W.S.S. looked like a free win at the beginning of this session, but they've turned into real contenders just in time for playoffs.  Yes, they got killed by T.E.I.M. this week, but otherwise they've been incredible, beating Eyes Downtown and Gryffindor and falling by only a point to Public Enemy in the last two weeks.  Like Bro, Bolden's small sample size is the only thing keeping him from a higher spot in the Rankings this year.

 

#12 Scott Drosendahl - Frodo Swaggins - (Previous Rank #10)

Last Week:  Beat En Fuego 38-26, lost to The Untouchaballs 15-6

Season Recap:  The D3 scoring title was Scotty's for the taking... and then Frodo Swaggins scored only 6 points in a loss to The Untouchaballs to end the season, and Quinn snuck by and outscored Scotty Ballgame by 2 freakin' points.  Hopefully the sting of being the #2 scoring QB in his division will motivate Mr. Drosendahl in the playoffs, as Swaggins just hasn't looked like themselves lately.  Scotty doesn't play for scoring titles though, he's here for that D3 championship.  Quinn stands in his way.  Would be a shame if these two teams didn't meet in the Finals.

 

#13 Tim Zielinski - Uncle Rico's Time Travelers - (Previous Rank #11)

Last Week:  Lost to Family Feud and Some Dudes 55-36

Season Recap:  There can only be one LEAGUE-wide scoring champion, and it is Tim Zielinski of Uncle Rico's Time Travelers.  At 42.0 PPG, Rico's are officially THE best offense in the TSL.  Is that going to translate into a championship?  Well, they have the fourth worst defense in the entire League, so maybe not.  But this is a Quarterback Power Ranking, and Tim is killing it.  He gives his team a chance to win every week, and URTT games are NEVER boring to watch.

 

#14 Andy Clark - Buffalo Solar Solutions - (Previous Rank #12)

Last Week:  Lost to All We Do is Quinn 29-14

Season Recap:  B.S.S. couldn't care less about Rico's scoring title.  Andy Clark leads the 8th best offense in the TSL, 5th in his own division, but the stat they're more interested in:  Buffalo Solar Solutions is undefeated against their division.  UNDEFEATED against their division.  Throw out their TWO crossover game losses against D3 (how unlucky is that, to not only get two crossover games, but have them both be against D3 superpower AWDIQ???) and Buffalo Solar would be 6-0 while scoring 42.3 PPG (yes, that would make them #1 in the TSL by 0.3 PPG).  They'd also be #1 in their division for point differential per game at +14 PPG.  Oh, they're ALREADY #1 in their division at point differential per game even including the D3 Crossover Games, but their average margin of victory would double if we threw those out.  To recap: these guys are better than you think.

 

#15 Cody McGregor - Mountain Dew Me - (Previous Rank #17)

Last Week:  Beat Intentional Pounding 50-6

Season Recap:  Well, Mountain Dew Me covered the 39 point spread we projected for the Intentional Pounding game this week, and then some.  What else can we say about Mountain Dew Me at this point?  Best offense in their division, 6th best offense in the League.  Best defense in the League by an enormous margin (they allow 6.25 points per game... some teams seem to average more than that per DRIVE).  Best point differential per game by an enormous margin.  These guys win by 32 PPG.  Try to imagine that for a second.  But hey, they didn't go undefeated, as the League seems to have retroactively handed them a forfeit loss for last week's Practice Squad game that didn't happen. Finally, something to motivate these people.  Now they'll win all their playoff games by 50.

 

#16 Ricky Austin - Bullet Club - (Previous Rank #14)

Last Week:  DNP (Bullet Club beat Morning Wood 27-16 and 27-20 with Jeff Easton)

Season Recap:  We wish we knew Ricky Austin's record vs Jeff Easton's record for Bullet Club this season. We keep ranking Ricky as he seems to be the "starter" here but he seems to show up to about half of Bullet Club's games.  Doesn't matter.  Jeff Easton wins two for the Club this week, beating Morning Wood and then Morning Wood again.  Another D2 "they're good enough to beat you, but also inconsistent enough not to" team, which really describes so much of D2 this session.

 

#17 Aaron Ertel - Morning Wood - (Previous Rank #16)

Last Week:  DNP (Morning Wood lost to Bullet Club 27-16 and 27-20, looked like Aaron didn't QB)

Season Recap:  See above.  Team with inconsistent QB attendance, good enough to win or lose any given week.  Morning Wood have all the pieces to be dangerous in the playoffs, but it all has to come together perfectly.  If their double loss to Bullet Club is any indication, this team isn't finding that elusive "playoff momentum" at the right time this season.

 

#18 Dylan Day - Scared Hitless - (Previous Rank #19)

Last Week:  No Game (forfeit win)

Season Recap:  Scared Hitless were barely on our radar at the start of the season, as they were just the "other half of End Game with that girl from All We Do is Quinn".  #3 offense, #1 defense, #2 point differential in D3... They're on our radar now.  Scared Hitless are good enough to be labeled as real contenders in the playoffs, but remember, this is the team that somehow didn't up playing Quinn OR Frodo this session, so we're not really sure what they're capable of against the top talent in their division.  Guess we'll find out.

 

#19 Patrick "Topper" McGovern - Hofbrauhaus Buffalo / TOX - (Previous Rank #18)

Last Week:  Lost to Peachy Platoon 43-29 (Hofbrauhaus Buffalo), lost to Cobblestone 22-10, lost to Practice Squad 67-6 (TOX)

Season Recap:  Topper's teams went a combined 3-14 this session, and were outscored 421-572.  To use a technical analytics term, we call that "bad".  He started the year in the #5 Ranking believe it or not, which probably SEEMS like charity now, but we promise you he was much, much better last year when he had Kelly and Asian Pete to carry him every week.  Oh well.  Will Topper turn back the clock and get an upset win over Dilfs or Mountain Dew Me in the playoffs this week?  Just because we're rooting for it, doesn't mean we're betting on it.

 

#20 Blase LaDuca - En Fuego - (Previous Rank #20)

Last Week:  Lost to Frodo Swaggins 38-26, lost to Grey Hair - Don't Care via forfeit

Season Recap:  En Fuego lost to Frodo Swaggins, lost again by forfeit, and then lost star player Kieta for "disciplinary reasons".  Blase's whole operation seems to be on fire this week ("En Fuego" is Spanish for "on fire").  Although they didn't necessarily look outclassed in D3 this session, En Fuego will likely have to do some re-tooling before next season if they want to remain competitive.  One step back, two steps forward.

 

#21 Brandon "B" Ford - Practice Squad - (Previous Rank #22)

Last Week:  Beat TOX 67-6, beat Zack Attack 38-15

Season Recap:  Practice Squad would look like world beaters right now if they didn't play in the same division as Mountain Dew Me.  Pick a stat, and Practice Squad is second best in their division at it.  Not even necessarily "in their division".  Practice Squad is the #2 defense in the entire League, #2 point differential per game in the entire League... and they trail Mountain Dew Me by a lot in both categories.  This is all building up to a David vs Goliath finals we hope, although B is probably a bit TOO good to just be "David" here. 

 

#22 David Eickhoff - Grey Hair - Don't Care - (Previous Rank #21)

Last Week:  No Game (forfeit win)

Season Recap:  Grey Hair - Don't Care started hot, and then we watched their momentum die a little bit more every week.  A forfeit win was probably the last thing they needed this week, as it robbed them of another chance to right the ship and figure out how to play winning football again.  At this point it's hard to imagine them suddenly heating up and making a playoff run, but crazier things have happened.  Remember, Eickhoff was only a few plays away from reaching the D3 Finals last year.

 

#23 Darryl Carr - Cobblestone - (Previous Rank #25)

Last Week:  Beat TOX 22-10, beat Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 35-31

Season Recap:  The story of the Cobblestone season is best told by updating the stat we gave you last week.  Cobblestone finished the season 0-2 against the top two teams in D5, getting outscored 62-6.  They also went 6-0-1 against the rest of D5, outscoring those opponents 197-125.  They are clearly the "best of the rest" in D5.  Also, Darryl's hair is clearly the envy of the League.  But it would take a miracle to win this division right now.

 

#24 Steve Moser - Family Feud and some dudes - (Previous Rank #27)

Last Week:  Beat Uncle Rico's Time Travelers 55-36

Season Recap:  Family Feud and some dudes ended the season with the third highest scoring offense in the TSL (40 PPG) as well as the single worst defense (48.7 PPG).  The shoot-outs were always entertaining to watch, unless a quarterback yelling at his team for an hour makes you uncomfortable.  Family Feud really was competitive enough to potentially win D4, but not consistent enough that we think it'll actually happen this session.    

 

#25 Mike Hayden - The Untouchaballs - (Previous Rank NR)

Last Week:  Beat Vaspian 19-14, beat Frodo Swaggins 15-6

Season Recap:  We haven't ranked an Untouchaballs QB all season, but it's long overdue.  We're told that Mike Hayden has won every game he's quarterbacked so far this session, and (although it doesn't help him in any sense for the QB Power Rankings) he also had a big INT and sack/safety this week to help the Untouchables topple Frodo Swaggins.  We had, admittedly, written off Untouchaballs based on their early record as a team that couldn't contend for the D3 title this season.  They finish the season with a win over a top contender though, and a positive point differential.  We're not sure what odds the Godfather will give them of taking home the title, but it's got to be better than they were a week ago.

 

#26 Sam Castronova - Peachy Platoon - (Previous Rank NR)

Last Week:  Beat Hofbrauhaus Buffalo 43-29

Season Recap:  The Platoon started the season with Dean Thompson, the #4 ranked QB in the TSL... switched to Darrick Castronova for a few weeks... and now it appears they're going to end the season with Darrick's son Sam as the QB just in time for playoffs.  Sam played well in the windstorm this week, dropping 43 points on Team Topper for the W, and he's made sporadic appearances throughout the season as well.  Sam will be the least experienced TSL QB in the D2 playoff bracket, but when you're surrounded by Thompsons, that makes the job quite a bit easier.  

 

#27 Lucas Kramer - Vaspian - (Previous Rank #24)

Last Week:  Lost to Untouchaballs 19-14, lost to Scared Hitless via forfeit

Season Recap:  Vaspian established some momentum by beating Grey Hair - Don't Care a few weeks back and then the Vince-less AWDIQ, but they followed that up by losing to Untouchaballs and then forfeiting their second game of the season.  Tough to imagine these guys making a dent in the playoffs without more consistency.  And multiple forfeits in a season?  Really?

 

#28 Larry Chruscial - Over Compensators - (Previous Rank #26)

Last Week:  DNP (Over Compensators beat Cunning Stunts 54-33)

Season Recap:  Over Compensators finish their first (regular) season in D4 with a below average offense and a below average defense.  They're still a competitive team that's capable of beating any one opponent on a given week, but are they good enough to string together three playoff wins in a row to take the title?  Not very likely.  This feels like a "maybe next Spring" kind of team right now.

 

#29 Steve Miller - Graves Bros - (Previous Rank #29)

Last Week:  Beat BiPolar Express 36-26

Season Recap:  Graves Bros finish with the second best offense in D6 (33.4 PPG), tied for the third best defense (28.4 PPG) and the second best point differential per game (+5.0 PPG).  But Steve gets the nod as the top D6 QB for finishing with the best record in the division at 7-1.  With so many evenly matched teams in the division, it's not easy to win 7 games (no other team even won 6).

 

#30 Andrew Kicak - Interdimensional Lightning Falcons - (Previous Rank #30)

Last Week:  Lost to Cobblestone 35-31

Season Recap:  The Lightning Falcons were bested by Cobblestone this week, bringing Andrew's record as the starter to 3-2.  31 points on the windiest day of the year is still pretty good, we think.  Lightning Falcons have about zero chance of winning the D5 title, but they do have a decent chance of winning their first round matchup against Cobblestone, if this week's close result is any indication.

 

 

Division by Division Analysis - Regular season stats and playoff predictions

 

When we sent Topper our QB Power Rankings article last week, his exact response was "Not too many graphs, easy for me to upload to the site!"  Sorry Topper, we love you, but we're giving the people a dozen charts and graphs this week.  Figure out a way to make it work.

 

In addition to the actual Standings for each division below, we're going to show you how each team finished in order of offensive rank, defensive rank, and point differential rank (average +/- points per game).  That last category is really the best indicator of team success or failure this season, so much like we did a couple weeks ago, we've reproduced that final column in graph form to give you a better visual of which teams were clearly better than others. Teams highlighted in GREEN averaged wins of more than 6 PPG, teams in AMBER either won or lost by an average of less than 6 PPG, and teams in RED averaged losses of more than 6 PPG.  As always, forfeits have been removed from all of our math below.

 

Division 1

 

The Headline:  Public Enemy is the favorite to repeat, with five capable contenders

 

Underrated:  Are Tight Ends in Motion still considered underrated?  They've won four in a row against Marketing Mayors (by 1 point), Eyes Downtown (17 points), Why So Serious (32 points) and Eyes Downtown again (31 points).  They have the #1 offense (by kind of a lot), the #2 defense, and the #1 point differential in D1.  If you don't know these guys are good at this point, you're not paying attention.  Having said that, we'll take Why So Serious as our most underrated team in the division.  Since Pete made the switch to receiver, W.S.S. has been a different team, going 2-2 and scoring 34.5 PPG (which would make them the 2nd best offense in the division).  They won't be the easy out in the playoffs that everyone once expected them to be.

 

Overrated:  Do we dare call Eyes Downtown overrated?  They have only two wins this season with Bobby at QB.  In the last 30 days, Bobby has skipped a Crossover game that E.D. won without him, got COVID, missed two games that his team lost, and then came back for the final two games... which Eyes Downtown also lost.  They have the athletes and they have the experience, but they don't have any recent success to build off.  Does that matter?  We'll find out.

 

 

Division 2

 

The Headline:  Eight great teams duke it out for D2 Supremacy

 

Underrated:  Bullet Club finished with average +/-  of -6.50 PPG.  If you throw out their 38 point D1 Crossover Game loss to Tight Ends in Motion, that drops to only -2.00 PPG.  If they had rescheduled their game against the worst team in the division (that's the Standings talking, not us Topper) and had beaten them by 15 points (VERY possible) then Bullet Club would have finished with a winning record and a positive point differential within the Division.  We're not picking them to win the division, but if their team shows up for playoffs (always a question mark) they'll be a tough out. 

 

Overrated:  No one is really heaping praise on Hofbrauhaus Buffalo this season so it's a stretch to call them "overrated", but statistically, we STILL think they are.  5th in offense, 6th in defense, 5th in point differential...  How is that possible for an 8th place team?  The scheduling "Powers That Be" (we cry conspiracy here) booked Hofbrauhaus to have three of their eight games this session against Peachy Platoon, the team with the second worst record in the Division (yes, we know how "ladder matches" work Topper, no need to defend yourself).  Although H.B. still found a way to lose two out of three, the third was a 48-8 massacre against a short handed Platoon.  Throw that one out, and Peachy would move to -6.50 PPG on the graph above (tied with Bullet Club) and Hofbrauhaus would drop to -10.14 PPG (about where Peachy Platoon is now).  

 

 

Division 3

 

The Headline:  All We Do is Quinn poised to finally win D3 title; a few contenders looking to steal Quinn's glory

 

Underrated:  The Untouchaballs have played good football in the last month: two wins (including one over 5-2 Frodo Swaggins), a one score loss to the Angels (who HASN'T lost to them?) and a one score loss to Quinn.  And as we noted in the Power Rankings above, they're still undefeated when their starting QB Mike Hayden plays.  They began last Saturday 1-5, and they ended the day 3-5 with a positive point differential on the season.  We don't really believe anyone will beat AWDIQ, who are as solid a team as you'll find, but crazy things happen in the playoffs.  The Untouchaballs are the fifth seed in D3.  Last year's D3 champions?  The sixth seeded Sticky Bandits.  It can be done.

 

Overrated:  We've made these points in this article in prior weeks (hell, we made it in the Power Rankings above), but you can't do a "D3 Overrated" section without mentioning them again: Scared Hitless did not play either Quinn or Frodo Swaggins this season, and their stats are inflated by a 52-0 blowout game in their Crossover week.  Take that away, and their stats are much less impressive.  And that's no slight intended to Scared Hitless by the way - you can only play the teams that line up to face you,; they didn't CHOOSE their schedule.  We're only pointing out that they look like a potential division favorite in that graph above, whereas we think the truth is they should probably be somewhere between Frodo Swaggins and Untouchaballs if they'd played everyone in D3.

 

 

Division 4

 

The Headline:  Three teams have winning records, and these are the only three teams we can imagine winning the championship.

 

Underrated:  Freeballers aren't going to win the championship.  We know that.  But we believe they're better than their record indicates.  The same reason we said Scared Hitless was overrated above is why Freeballers are underrated here.  Throw out that 52-0 stat-breaking Crossover game and Freeballs would move from dead last in their division in point differential to essentially tied with Over Compensators and Cunning Stunts.  Still not GREAT, but not the worst in their division.  Plus they played only six games, and the cancelled games were against Cunning Stunts and Family Feud, the next worst records in the division.  If they play and win those games, the stats and standings look a lot different.  Two of the five D4 games they DID play were against the Angels, to whom they lost by a safety in the first week of the season, and beat by 10 in the last week of the season.  It's not hard for us to imagine them upsetting a team in the Playoffs.  It's just hard for us to imagine it happening four times in a row.

 

Overrated:  None of these teams really jump out for a stats perspective as "overrated" this session.  Look at Point Differential per game, and compare it to the standings.  It's a near perfect match, which suggests teams more or less finished where they were supposed to.  If we had to call any one team "overrated" it would be the Angels.  This isn't because they're not playing well - they just tied for the best record in the division, so they're doing just fine.  They're "overrated" only in the sense that they're not as statistically dominant as they were in previous seasons.  The Angels are still a great team, but without Matty, Emily, Maggie, Katie etc they've lost some of that aura of invincibility they used to have.  Good enough to win a championship this season?  Sure, but it'll be their hardest one yet if they want to get past Buffalo Solar Solutions.

 

 

Division 5

 

The Headline:  Mountain Dew Me has an 85% chance of winning D5; Practice Squad 14%; a COVID outbreak ending the season without a champion 1%; every other D5 team 0%

 

Underrated:  Cobblestone is the most underrated team in this division.  Darryl gets a lot of (due) credit around this League for his flowing locks, but maybe not enough for his on-field work.  We'll repeat the stat from his Power Rankings description above: "Cobblestone finished the season 0-2 against the top two teams in D5, getting outscored 62-6.  They also went 6-0-1 against the rest of D5, outscoring those opponents 197-125".  If Practice Squad were in D4 and Mountain Dew Me were in D3 (where we think both teams would have done just fine) then D5 would have been a more balanced division, and Cobblestone might now be the favorites to win a title instead of getting a 0% chance to win from this article.  But hey, maybe this is all just a set up for the greatest moment in TSL history. Imagine for a second: Cobblestone beats Lightning Falcons, then shocks the world and beats Practice Squad in the Semi-finals.  They fall behind to Mountain Dew Me in the Finals but then Darryl rallies the troops and throws a game winning Hail Mary.  50,000 screaming TSL fans (socially distanced, of course) rush the field and carry Darryl off on their shoulders while chanting his name.  We can dream, can't we?  

 

Oh, and honorable mention to Practice Squad in the "underrated" department.  They finished second in the entire LEAGUE in both defense and overall point differential, and yet they're living in the shadow of Mountain Dew Me.  Such is life in D5 this session.

 

Overrated:  Another division where the final standings more or less mirror what we'd expect to see based on each team's point differential.  No team is really "overrated" here, so we'll give that honor to ALL D5 QB's who finished with a worse passer rating than Scott Keller Jr. (which of course, is all of them).

 

 

Division 6

 

The Headline:  Most balanced division has no clear cut favorites; expect the unexpected for playoffs

 

Underrated:  The Bambs finish with the third best record in the division, but the best overall point differential.  Yes, winning and losing is more important than big point differentials which are often influenced by fluky games here and there, but let's take a look at those three Bambs losses.  Their first was to Tater Tots, by only three points.  Not bad.  Their second was to PC Plumbing, which they avenged last week by winning the rematch between the two teams.  Their third loss was to Graves Bros, but again, this is a team they played twice this year and went 1-1 against (the Bambs finished with a better combined score between the two games, 66-52).  So Tater Tots were the ONLY D6 team that finished the season undefeated against the Bambs... and that win was by only three points.  They may not be #1 in the standings, but no one in D6 wants to play the Bambs right now.

 

Overrated:  They're not REALLY overrated, but if we had to pick one (and we do; the people demand it) we'll take Blitzkrieg.  They finished 3-4-1 this season with a positive point differential, but they recorded only one win against a non gender team along the way, with two of their wins coming against Lenny's Ladies and BiPolar Express.  At some point in the playoffs they'll likely have to beat two or three standard teams to win the Championship, and this season they haven't proven they can consistently do that.

 

 

Best and Worst of the TSL

 

Do you NEED any more charts after all that clutter above?  Probably not, but here's another just to make Topper's life difficult pasting this onto his website.  

 

You've seen the best/worst offenses and defenses within each division in the charts above.  Here are the League-wide best and worst, so you can see if your team made the Top Ten (or Bottom Ten) compared to all other divisions:

 

 

Congrats to Uncle Rico's Time Travelers for winning the League scoring title this season.  Congrats to Mountain Dew Me for winning the title of League's Best Defense.  Congrats to Mountain Dew Me and Practice Squad for being the only two teams to make both "Ten Best" lists this season.

 

All-Time QB Power Rankings

 

Here's a little study on our QB Power Ranking history.  Before you read any further, we should warn you: there's some math involved, so this may not be for everyone (although we suppose that's true of our article every week... who READS this shit anyway?).

 

Below is the All-Time listing of every QB who has ever cracked our Top Ten, for the 23 weeks (three seasons) that we've been doing this:

 

 

We can't imagine most people care to read all that (although some QBs might want to look up their OWN names to see how they've done over time) so we'll summarize a few of the highlights for you:

• Chris Cole and Joey Batts are the only two QBs to make the Top Ten every week for the last three seasons
• Only three QBs have ever been ranked #1 (Cole, Dalfonso, McConnell)
• Only five QBs have ever been ranked as high as #2 (the three above, plus Dubey and Matty Icy)
• Only six QBs have ever been ranked as high as #3 (the five above, plus Chadwick while he was filling in for Bobby on Eyes Downtown)
• Only ten QBs have ever been ranked as high as #4 (the six above, plus Joey, Newman, Dean and Topper)
• The 22 QBs listed above are the only men to ever crack the Top Ten
• Two QBs have made the Top Ten for only a single week (Glowacki and Bro, although to be fair to Bro, he hasn't "fallen out" of the Top Ten yet, he just made it this week for the first time)

Our goal was to use the above chart to create a Cumulative Ranking for each QB above, so we could see not just who the best QB is today (which is what our Power Rankings at the top of this article are meant to represent) but also who has been the best all season?  Who has been the best All-Time?  The math gets tricky though, because you can't just compare average positions since different people go unranked from week to week.  So we tried something a little different:  Let's say we assign 10 points for a 1st place ranking, 9 points for a 2nd place ranking etc, down to 1 point for a 10th place ranking and 0 points for missing the Top Ten entirely.  That way we can see how many "points" each QB earned this season, and rank accordingly.  With that in mind, here is the 2020 Fall Season Cumulative QB Power Rankings (a perfect score would be 10 points x 7 weeks = 70 points):

 

 

Feels about right.  A clear top three, then a clear second tier with Newman, Thomas and Batts.  Vince is next as he was always consistent throughout the year, and then Dubey who missed some early starts but finished strong.

 

Let's take it a step further and see what the ALL-TIME Cumulative Power Rankings would look like.  A perfect score here would be 10 points x 23 weeks = 230 points:

 

 

No surprise at the very top.  

 

We would have guessed that Bobby would be ahead of Mark in the All-Time Rankings, but those four weeks Bobby missed at the start of Spring 2019 are really hurting him here.  

 

Amazing that Matty is still #4 all time despite getting zero points for this entire season.  That guy was really good, we miss writing about him.

 

Joey and Newman are neck and neck; if this season had 8 weeks like originally scheduled, Joey probably would have passed Newman here.  

 

And would you look at that - Patrick "Topper" McGovern cracks the ALL-TIME Top Ten.  Slow and steady wins the race, apparently (we consider 10th place a pretty big "win").

 

 

Final Observations on the 2020 Fall Season:

• For the second season in a row, the TSL finished with zero undefeated or winless teams.  Freeballers got their first W of the season by beating The Angels, and Mountain Dew Me got their first loss via forfeit... they're still undefeated on the field, but somehow they're the #2 seed in their division?  Okay.
• The longest active winning streaks in the League (forfeit losses count as streaks ending, Mountain Dew Me!) belong to Practice Squad and Dilfs, each of whom have won 5 in a row.  However BOTH of those streaks include a forfeit win, so if you strip those out it becomes a four-way tie for longest active winning streak between Practice Squad, Dilfs, Tight Ends in Motion and Graves Bros at 4 in a row. 
• The longest active losing streak in the League belongs to Intentional Pounding, who have dropped 7 in a row since beating TOX on September 5th.  Yikes. 
• Now that Bro is QBing for Tight Ends in Motion can we campaign to rename the team to Hootie and the Bro Fish for the playoffs?  That really was the best team name of all time.
• We generally leave the deep reflection to more thoughtful articles like the Godfather and the Sentinel, but remember back in August when our season was on hold and no one knew if we'd be coming back?  Pretty incredible that we got through all that to finish with a PRETTY normal feeling football season.  Sure, the crowds weren't there and the sidelines were empty, but it basically felt like football again.  Thanks again to Topper and everyone else that helped bring this League back from the brink.  Saturdays truly wouldn't be the same without our Rose Garden family.

 

That's it for this season!  As always, if you have any thoughts on why you hate this article (your team’s QB should be ranked higher? graphs and charts make your head hurt? who the hell is Matt Glowacki?) please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

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Week 7 Rankings

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Category: TSL QB Power Rankings

Created: Wednesday, 30 September 2020 16:38

Published: Wednesday, 30 September 2020 16:38

Written by Patrick McGovern

Hits: 9541

 

 

"I have two secret weapons: my legs, my arms and my brain" - Michael Vick

 

Welcome back to Week Seven of the TSL Quarterback Power Rankings!  Here's what we've got for you this week:

• QB Power Rankings - Our most comprehensive rankings yet
• Division Breakdown - Graphs of all teams in the League and where they stand in their divisions: Favorites, Contenders, and Pretenders
• Final Observations

 

QB Power Rankings

 

Here are the Week Seven Rankings below.  We've shown the Top Ten every week since we started doing Power Rankings (this is our third season) and we've expanded to show the top 15 or 20 from time to time in the past.  This will be the first time showing the Top 25 though, for our most inclusive Power Rankings yet.

 

Due to the League's COVID protocols several games were cancelled this week, and in some cases QB's for games that weren't cancelled were told that they were unable to play in the interests of League safety.  As a result, there are a few top level quarterbacks that didn't get the chance to play this week.  Generally we've adopted a "your Ranking doesn't change if you didn't play" philosophy this week so less movement than usual, although (SPOILER ALERT) inactive Vince Taverna did jump up one spot in the rankings this week as a result of an injury to Alex Buchlis that we're told may put Alex on the shelf for the rest of the season.  Tight Ends in Motion were just getting their momentum back after a rough schedule to start the season, so the timing couldn't be worse.  Best of luck and a speedy recovery to Alex, who is one of the best quarterbacks in the League when healthy.  

 

 

 

 

#1 Chris Cole - Public Enemy - Previous Rank (#1)

Last Week:  Lost to Marketing Mayors 37-26 (Eyes Downtown game cancelled this week)

Summary:  Last week we said Public Enemy and Eyes Downtown "play each other at 9 a.m. this week, so we will have a definite answer on who the undisputed king of the TSL Power Rankings is... unless, of course, that game ends in a tie."  We did not anticipate a COVID incident that would cancel half a dozen games this week.  Interestingly this is the SECOND time this year that the Public Enemy vs. Eyes Downtown showdown has been cancelled, as they were scheduled to go head-to-head back in August during "the Shutdown" as well.  Maybe this is just the Football Gods' way of saying that the regular season is too small a stage for this game, and that they shouldn't meet until the Finals?  THE REMATCH ONE FULL YEAR IN THE MAKING... Topper could charge admission to watch that one.  But we're getting ahead of ourselves.  Public Enemy didn't play Eyes Downtown this week, but they DID play Marketing Mayors, who upset the defending champs, handed them their first loss of the season, and broke the League's longest active winning streak.  Public Enemy still has a better record than Marketing Mayors and even a better record head to head (1-1, outscored them a combined 67-52) so Chris keeps the #1 spot for now, but the whispers about Bobby deserving the top spot grow a little louder this week...

 

#2 Bobby McConnell - Eyes Downtown, The Angels - Previous Rank (#2)

Last Week:  Did Not Play

 

 

#3 Mark Dalfonso - Marketing Mayors - Previous Rank (#3)

Last Week:  Beat Gryffindor 49-15, beat Public Enemy 37-26

Summary:  Dominant performance by Mark this week.  Marketing Mayors crushed a short handed Gryffindor team, then snapped Public Enemy's latest undefeated streak.  There's a reason Cole, McConnell and Dalfonso never seem to fall out of the Top Three in the Power Rankings.  Mark seems stuck in a Rankings rut unfortunately, because he's too good to drop to #4, and he's still stuck behind Cole and Bobby, each of whom he has lost to once this season.  If Marketing Mayors can stay hot for playoffs in October, then Mark can prove us wrong when it matters most.  

 

#4 Joey Batts - Gryffindor, Cunning Stunts - Previous Rank (#4)

Last Week:  Beat Tight Ends in Motion 30-23, lost to Marketing Mayors 49-15 (Gryffindor), lost to Uncle Rico's Time Travelers 53-44 (Cunning Stunts)

Summary:  A loss to a higher ranked QB in the Marketing Mayors game?  Sure.  A win against a Tight Ends in Motion team who were playing without their injured starting QB for much of the game?  Yep.  A high scoring game with Cunning Stunts where they put up a boatload of points and lost because they can't play defense?  Again... no surprises there.  Minus the injury to Buchlis, we could have predicted all of this last week.  Gryffindor and Cunning Stunts are both dark horses for their respective divisions, and both teams need Joey to get hot at just the right time to have any chance in the playoffs.

 

#5 Matt Newman - Slytherin That End Zone - Previous Rank (#5)

Last Week:  Did Not Play

 

 

#6 Mike Thomas - Sticky Bandits - Previous Rank (#6)

Last Week:  Lost to Bullet Club 38-35, beat Jabronies 39-28

Summary:  We predicted that the Sticky Bandits would go 1-1 last week, but we expected Mike to beat Bullet Club and then come up short against Jabronies.  Instead Sticky Nation collapsed on the last defensive play of their first game, letting Bullet Club escape with a walk-off TD, and then took down one of the best teams in D2 a couple hours later.  The Sticky Bandits are now 4-3 and have surpassed Jabronies for the highest scoring offense in D2.  If Newman is available to play next weekend, Sticky Bandits vs SITE (yes, that's the agreed upon acronym, doesn't make any sense to us either) will be a battle for the #5 slot in the Power Rankings as well as a possible D2 Finals preview.

 

#7 Vince Taverna - All We Do is Quinn - Previous Rank (#6)

Last Week:  Did Not Play

 

 

#8 Brandt Dubey - Dilfs - Previous Rank (#11)

Last Week:  Beat Peachy Platoon 43-19, beat Slytherin that End Zone 35-22

Summary:  The D2 defending champs are suddenly leading their division again after two resounding wins this weekend.  Tough to tell how much of this is skill and how much of it is just the easiest schedule of all time.  Their last three games: 1) a Slytherin team missing both its QB and top female.  2) a Peachy team that could only field three guys (none of which are named Dean) and played with three girls all game.  3) a forfeit win over a D1 team.  Even Topper could have gone 3-0 over that stretch (well, at least 1-2... he would have won the forfeit game, we think).  Still, the Dilfs are exactly where they want to be, and control their own destiny as they chase the #1 seed.  Regardless of their opponents, Dubey is killing them, and the Dilfs are probably the favorites in their division right now.

 

#9 Joe Miano - Jabronies - Previous Rank (#9)

Last Week:  Beat Morning Wood 35-24, lost to Sticky Bandits 39-28

Summary:  The Jabronies had a shot at first place, the #1 offense, and the #1 point differential in D2 this weekend.  They finished their double header in fourth place, the #2 offense, and the #2 point differential.  Although they beat Morning Wood as expected (Jabronies had about 57 picks in that game, give or take), they dropped their grudge match vs the Sticky Bandits, making the D2 standings that much more crowded.  Joe had a clear shot at passing Mike Thomas in the Power Rankings this week, but that's tougher to justify now that Mike has the head to head win AND a higher points per game.  

 

#10 Scott Drosendahl - Frodo Swaggins - Previous Rank (#10)

Last Week:  Did Not Play

 

 

#11 Tim Zielinski - Uncle Rico's Time Travelers - Previous Rank (#12)

Last Week:  Beat Cunning Stunts 53-44

Summary:  Another day, another shootout in the "D4 Wild West" of the TSL.  Uncle Rico's are now averaging 42.3 PPG, second in the League behind only Frodo Swaggins.  Dominant, right?  Nope, the Stunts and the Angels are both less than two points behind.  Last year Uncle Rico's didn't find their groove until the second half of the season, and then they were steamrolling opponents every week.  God help the rest of D4 if they find another gear at the end of this season too.

 

#12 Ricky Austin - Bullet Club - Previous Rank (#16)

Last Week:  Beat Cunning Stunts 53-44

Summary:  Ricky jumps up four spots this week by upsetting the Sticky Bandits 38-35.  Just when we're ready to write off Bullet Club, they come back with a statement win like this to remind everyone why they were in the Finals last year.  Ricky has great chemistry with his receivers, but is it enough to beat the top teams in D2?  Well, Bullet Club beat Sticky Bandits, who beat Jabronies, who beat Dilfs, who beat Slytherin, who beat Morning Wood, who beat Hofbrauhaus, who beat Peachy, so anything is possible.  

 

#13 Andy Clark - Buffalo Solar Solutions - Previous Rank (#15)

Last Week:  Beat Over Compensators 42-20

Summary:  Andy remains undefeated this year, and the QB of the #1 team in D4 somehow remains the fourth rated QB in our Power Rankings this week.  There's no justice in the world.  True, Buffalo Solar is fifth in their division in offensive points per game, but they're #1 in point differential per game.  Someone should really make a graph of this to illustrate it better... (we call that "foreshadowing")

 

#14 Pete Nguyen - Why So Serious? - Previous Rank (#14)

Last Week:  Did Not Play

 

 

#15 David Eickhoff - Grey Hair - Don't Care - Previous Rank (#13)

Last Week:  Lost to Vaspian 26-14

Summary:  Grey Hair - Don't Care is in a full on nosedive in the D3 standings.  After starting the season 3-0 and looking like a potential championship contender, they've lost a double header to the top two teams in the division (understandable) and then followed up with a loss this week to previously winless Vaspian (less understandable).  No disrespect intended to Vaspian who have all kinds of talent, but Grey Hair is supposed to be the veteran team that wins games like this.  A 14 point showing in a losing effort is not going to do Eickhoff any favors in the Power Rankings.

 

#16 Cody McGregor - Mountain Dew Me - Previous Rank (#19)

Last Week:  Beat Cobblestone 32-6

Summary:  Whatever line we're providing the Godfather for Mountain Dew Me games never seems to be enough.  Their team stats in D5 are beyond ridiculous, and Cody's showing no signs of losing momentum now.  Not really QB related, but our favorite MDM stat seven games into their season is that they've allowed only 44 points so far for the YEAR.  9 teams allowed at least that many points in a single game on Saturday.  Can they keep it up, or will they go 2007 Patriots on us and crumble under the pressure of being the undefeated favorites in the playoffs?

 

#17 Aaron Ertel - Morning Wood - Previous Rank (#17)

Last Week:  Did Not Play

 

 

#18 Blase LaDuca - En Fuego - Previous Rank (#18)

Last Week:  Did Not Play

 

 

#19 Patrick "Topper" McGovern - Hofbrauhaus Buffalo / TOX - Previous Rank (#22)

Last Week:  Beat Peachy Platoon 48-8 (Hofbrauhaus Buffalo), lost to Practice Squad 45-26 (TOX)

Summary:  Topper gets his FIRST Quarterbacking win of the year this week against a short handed Peachy Platoon team that could only field three men.  Someone give him a trophy, we don't want this achievement to go unrecognized.  Unfortunately his "winning streak" lasted only three hours, as he reverted to form against Practice Squad in the TOX game that afternoon.  Topper claims he was missing two of his "speed guys" for that game, but he wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire when he had them either...

 

#20 Darrick Castronova - Peachy Platoon - Previous Rank (#20)

Last Week:  Lost to Hofbrauhaus Buffalo 48-8, lost to Dilfs 43-19

Summary:  Normally getting outscored 91-27 would be cause for a real beating in the Power Rankings, but we understand Darrick didn't have his usual weapons (or hardly any weapons) at his disposal this week.  Plus we heard that his son Sam  QBed some of the games as well, so not really a week to draw any conclusions about Castronova Senior.  It's weird seeing Peachy Platoon towards the bottom of the standings though isn't it?  They had such a meteoric rise from the lower divisions up to D2, and they were debatably the best team in that division for most of last season.  The Platoon will rise again we have no doubt... but we're not sure it'll be this season.

 

#21 Dylan Day - Scared Hitless - Previous Rank (#21)

Last Week:  Did Not Play... but we only showed 20 spots in our Power Rankings last week when Dylan just missed the cut, so we didn't get to talk about him then.  Scared Hitless is one of only three D3 teams with a positive point differential, and Dylan has been a big part of their success to date.  We're told he's been battling an ankle injury for the past couple months, but in spite of that he's been improving every week and he's quickly picking up the co-ed football game.  Fairly or not, Scared Hitless will naturally be compared to Grey Hair - Don't Care since the teams have a shared history, so it's worth pointing out that Dylan is currently scoring 28.2 PPG while the veteran QB on Grey Hair is scoring only 27.7 PPG.

 

#22 Brandon "B" Ford - Practice Squad - Previous Rank (NR)

Last Week:  Beat TOX 45-26

Summary:  Practice Squad has been riding the QB Carousel all season, starting four different quarterbacks in five games.  Brian Stoldt has only been able to play one game this season due to coaching conflicts with UB football, and the team was looking for stability at the most important position. Enter B.  Not just another pretty face, not JUST your favorite ref, B is a VERY capable QB who had a nice tune-up game beating up on TOX this week.  Practice Squad is a very talented team.  With B taking snaps for the rest of the season, does the Squad have a shot at taking down the Mountain Dew Me juggernaut?  Their odds aren't great... but every other D5 team's odds are effectively zero.  

 

#23 Steve Moser - Family Feud and some dudes - Previous Rank (#23)

Last Week:  Did Not Play... but like Dylan, we haven't gotten a chance to write about Steve yet, so we'll do it now.  Family Feud has been mentioned in this article before mostly to highlight how historically terrible their defense has been (51.8 PPG... do they have ANY defensive stops on the year yet?) but the flip side of that is that the offense is actually playing pretty well.  They're the fifth highest scoring team in the entire League right now, which sounds a lot more impressive than saying they're the fourth highest scoring team in their own division (both statements are, weirdly, true).  Steve's sisters Rylee and Laura are two of the more underappreciated girls in the League, and they've got the Feud putting up big numbers on offense.  Eventually that has to translate into wins, we think?

 

#24 Darryl Carr - Cobblestone - Previous Rank (#24)

Last Week:  Lost to Mountain Dew Me 32-6

Summary:  It's taken us THREE SEASONS of Power Ranking quarterbacks but we're finally here.  Darryl Fuckin' Carr, TSL Legend, Global Shampoo and Conditioner Icon (we assume).  Cobblestone is 3-2-1 and chasing only D5 powerhouses Mountain Dew Me and Practice Squad in the standings.  Sure, Cobblestone got destroyed by the Dew this week.  No shame in that, the Green Bay Packers couldn't beat the Dew Crew right now.  But Cobblestone has a winning record and TSL fans worldwide are rejoicing.  

 

#25 Larry Chruscial - Over Compensators - Previous Rank (#25)

Last Week:  Lost to Buffalo Solar Solutions 42-20

Summary:  Remember last year when Over Compensators were murdering everyone in D5?  They did the right thing by moving up when they won the division, but we're a little bit shocked at how they're struggling right now.  A 2-4 record and the second worst offense in D4 doesn't sound like the team we know and love.  Old rivals En Fuego raised a few eyebrows by skipping D4 entirely and making the jump to D3, but they've somehow managed a winning record.  There's got to be something going on with the O.C.  Do they still have all the same people from last year?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Larry is a former Top 10 QB in our Rankings, and it feels wrong to have him down at #25 right now.

 

Division Breakdown - Favorites, Contenders & Pretenders

 

Has it really been seven weeks without ANY graphs in this article?  We've let our faithful readers down FAR too long, so it's time to fix that.

 

For each division, we've graphed average point differential per game, per team.  This includes all games that teams have played, including Crossover weeks with other divisions (which yes, skews the data a bit, since not all teams have played Crossover games yet).  Forfeit games are NOT included below.

 

Teams highlighted in GREEN are your division favorites, YELLOW are your contenders, and RED are your pretenders.  We did NOT make any subjective decisions as to which team belongs in which category, so don't send us any angry emails - this is strictly math.  If your team is one of the dozen in this league that are winning by an average of more than 6 points per game (one male TD), congrats, you're a favorite in your division.  If your team is one of 11 in this league that are losing by an average of more than 6 points per game, sorry, you're a pretender in your division.  The other 21 teams that are either winning or losing games by less than 6 points on average fall into the contender bucket.

 

Let's get to it!

 

 

The "+/- 6 PPG" cutoff seems to work perfectly in D1.  You have two favorites to win the division, three teams that are clearly underdogs but could still conceivably get hot and make a playoff run, and one team that is going to be one-and-done in the playoffs (sorry WSS).  Can't really argue this division.

 

 

Our "+/- 6 PPG" system isn't nearly as strong in D2.  Truthfully any of these teams can beat any other team in the division, and if you throw out Peachy's two short handed games this week, both Dilfs and Peachy Platoon would fall into the "Contenders" bucket (and Hofbrauhaus Buffalo would fall into the "Pretender" bucket after you strip away their 40 point win over Peachy Lite).  We tend to think of this division as mostly Contenders, but our system says otherwise.

 

 

Quinn and Frodo Swaggins are D3 superpowers.  No surprises there.  Vaspian doesn't look ready to contend this season, but we think of all the other teams as Contenders.  The only real outlier in this graph is Scared Hitless, who are averaging +10 PPG... however this would drop to -0.5 PPG if we threw out their 52-0 Crossover game against the D4 Freeballers, which is BADLY skewing their data here.  So take that "favorite" with a grain of salt.

 

 

D4 is really spot on, isn't it?  Three teams seem to be a notch above the rest, Cunning Stunts is dangerous but flawed with their nonexistent defense, and then the other three teams aren't really expected to compete for the championship.  If you're one of those three pretenders, don't blame us, that's the graph talking.

 

 

There are two contenders in D5, and one of them is much better than the other.  The "eye test" says it's true, and the graph confirms the hell out of it.  A few teams have respectable point differentials and you never know, they could make some noise in the playoffs, but it would be a shock if our finals was anything other than the Dew vs the Squad.

 

 

One of the reasons we love graphs so much is they tell us stories we might not have known otherwise.  D2 somewhat deservedly has a reputation as the most wide open division this year, but take a look at D6.  We did NOT realize there was this much parity.  If the Bambs had scored one fewer touchdown in ANY of their games this season (or allowed one more touchdown on defense), we would be looking at 8 teams ALL within 6 PPG one way or the other.  There would be no favorites, no pretenders, just a division of 8 contenders.  And we think that's pretty awesome.  But hey, good for the Bambs for ruining this graph by being SLIGHTLY better than their peers.

 

 

Final Observations:

• Last week we had four remaining undefeated teams and four remaining winless teams, but this week Public Enemy suffered their first loss while Vaspian and Hofbrauhaus Buffalo won their first games.  There are now THREE remaining undefeated teams, including Eyes Downtown, Mountain Dew Me and All We Do is Quinn, and TWO winless teams, including Freeballers and Why So Serious?
• With Public Enemy's loss this week, there are officially NO division champions remaining from last year that are still undefeated in 2020. 
• The new longest active winning streak in the League belongs to Mountain Dew Me who are currently at 7 games and counting.  The longest active losing streak belongs to Freeballers at 5 games and counting.
• Chris Cole is our highest ranked QB of the season so far, and Garrett Beesing leads the highest scoring offense.  But who has the highest passer rating in the League?  That may belong to Scott Keller Jr. of Intentional Pounding with a 158.3 perfect rating.  This "next generation" Keller QB is 1 for 1 this season for a full field TD.  Unless there's someone out there whose only throw was a full field GENDER TD, we think Scotty's record is safe.

 

 

That's it for this week.  As always, if you have any thoughts on why you hate this article (your team’s QB should be ranked higher? graphs are for nerds? you wish we'd expand to Top 30 next week but you're KIND of nervous you won't make the cut for that either?) please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..   Remember, with the COVID regulations we have in place at the fields this year, it's a lot harder for spectators to watch games... which means it's a lot harder for the people on the QB Committee to watch your games.  If we're not writing about the action in your games, odds are we didn't see it.  Please email us to tell us what you're seeing out there - make our lives that much easier.  

 

What's YOUR ranking?