Power Rankings: Week 4

After what was another bizarre week in the NFL, I'm left sitting here, thinking if it is even worth writing the power rankings, as they will inevitably be different when the NFL turns upside down again next week. But anyway, I'll try and make sense of what teams are actually good and not good...

Power Rankings

1. IKNAN, 2-1 (1): For the third week in a row, this team put up 100+ points with a player putting up a big fat zero. This team has been white hot to start the season, and it's still not at full strength. The team is not completely bullet proof, but until we see a bad week out of this team it deserves to be at number 1 in the power rankings.

2. The Romosexuals, 2-1 (2): Despite losing their starting QB, the re-emergence of Larry Fitzgerald has been a blessing and this team is still humming. Another 100+ point performance and another W. They have a tremendous team, and I think you could make a case for them having a better starting lineup than IKNAN.

3. ADRZ, 3-0 (5): Ok, so who had ADRZ as the only undefeated team entering Week 4? Anyone? I said in the offseason that Coach Wells is not a coach to write off, and for once I was correct. While there were some performances on his team that will not be repeated again, he does have a formidable roster. With a relatively soft division, barring something unforeseen this team seems destined for the playoffs.

4. Bear Necessities, 0-3 (6): Ok, so who had Bear Necessities as the only team without a win entering Week 4? Anyone? Me neither. This team has had a very good start to the season, they've posted over 100 points in every single game. But much like Forge Flyers 2014 season, they've been immensely unfortunate in their early season schedule, and have just been outscored on the day. This team HAS to bounce back, but its fair to wonder if 3 losses will be too much to overcome.

5. The Dream Team, 2-1 (9): Despite essentially losing a starting RB (Williams) they didn't miss a beat last week. They look a good bet to put up around 100 points every week, and whenever you can do that you're in good shape. The Dream Team need to take advantage of the rest of the division being in flux while it lasts.

6. Patistan, 1-2 (4): In very Gridiron Gang-esque fashion, this teams fall from grace in just one week is ridiculous. Let's pause for a minute and note that Roethlisberger got injured, so it looks worse than it was, but outside of a few players on this team they are looking quite thin. I like this team to bounce back, but they're probably going to have to work a bit harder to get wins now.

7. Jeff's Seals, 1-2 (8): The return of Bell will certainly help this team, but he can't do it all. Him and Rodgers are a fantastic combination, but outside of this there are no studs on the team. There are a few other guys who you can count on for some points every week, but no game changers.

8. Burdettinators, 2-1 (3): I'm honestly not sure what's happening to this team. They were without Murray this week, but the replacement performed just as well as he would have. There in a precarious situation - on paper, they look great, but on the field they just look out of sync. When they get it going I have no doubt they'll be a formidable bunch, but until further notice they are only a middle of the pack team.

9. The Tuckfards, 1-2 (10): Credit where credits due, this was one heck of a week. 4 players over 20, one of which over 30. I'll admit, this team is looking stronger than it did the first 2 weeks, but I wouldn't get carried away with this teams prospects. With the holy trinity intact, this Coach is in prime position to reprise his game plan from the last few seasons.

10. Tom's Tyrants, 1-2 (7): These guys are in the same boat as Burdettinators. They've got a tasty lineup, but it's just not happening at the moment. Two 0 point efforts from players who usually get a decent amount of points nailed the coffin in the team this week, but going forward they will definitely improve. But until I see it happen I'm hesitant to endorse this team.

11. Gridiron Gang, 2-1 (11): The Tom's Tyrants twin team (alliteration ftw) got the win last week, but really this game was just a toss up. The GMs plan for this team was clear - Tom Brady carries the team to victories, and everyone else just pitches in. To be fair, it's working. Like Tom's Tyrants and Burdettinators, once they get it together they'll be a good team.

12. Forge Flyers, 1-2 (12): It sort of came out of nowhere, but this team earned the win this week. A mammoth effort from Freeman and Blount gave them the W. Coach Leach will be the first to tell you that it's not happening every week. Week 3 was a step in the right direction, but they still have a few more steps to go before we're talking about them as a contender.

EDOTLOCCA's Corner: Week 2

EDOTLOCCA’s Corner

Welcome, children of fantasy-land! Glad to see you back for the third edition in the illustrious history of EDOTLOCCA’s Corner (that’s ‘Executive Director of the League of Champions Coaches Association’), I hope you are all well and, more importantly, I hope you have some starting players left to put in your rosters for the upcoming week! I just about do thankfully! Right, anyway, that in the pleasantries ticked off, on with the good stuff!

Coaches Award

With Week 2 now locked away in the history books, the fallout from the draft is finally starting to settle and it is becoming clearer who really nailed it. This team wasn’t one of my favourites coming out of the draft, but this award is designed to highlight particular decisions that clearly came from a higher power. Coach Nathwani deserves recognition for his selection of DeAngelo Williams, a budget spot starter who has become the No. 1 overall RB through 2 weeks. Whilst expectations will be tempered with Le’Veon Bell returning from suspension, credit where credit is due, Williams served his purpose and more for The Dream Team, kudos to Coach Nathwani.

Wooden Spoon 

The Wooden Spoon was tough to award (is that the right word? Probably not…) this week, no coach made a decision that glaringly cost their team the game. However, one scoreline really stuck out to me in Week 2, for all the wrong reasons unfortunately. Do you recall last season when a team, devoid of RBs, plummeted to a 2-12 season before being forced to don arguably THE most underrated footballer ever as a team logo? Well, this week 3 RBs combined for 31 rushing yards and 3.3 fantasy points for Forge Flyers. High draft picks used on Jimmy Graham (also underperforming) and Ryan Mathews are suddenly looking less than wise moves by Coach Leach, hopefully he can avoid a repeat of 2014’s disaster.

Bold Predictions

After the high of a 1-5 record in Week 1, my bold predictions plummeted back down to Earth, going 0-6 in Week 2, oh well nice while it lasted! Right, onto the highly scientific and well-researched prophecies for Week 3!

IKNAN vs. The Dream Team: This game is projected to be the closest of the week, with only a 0.36 winning margin in favour of The Dream Team. However, this game will be even closer than that with The Dream Team in fact winning by less than 0.1 (1 rushing/receiving yard), the defeat ultimately burdened by, a still rusty, Foster who can’t break the 3 point fantasy barrier.

ADRZ vs. Burdettinators: It is fair to say that Coach Burdett probably expected more from Murray and Hill last week, will matchups away at the Jets and Ravens help? No. This week, Charles and Gore will outrush Murray and Hill 8-fold. Yep, ADRZ will put up 8 times the number of rushing yards Burdettinators can muster.

Forge Flyers vs. Bear Necessities: In a TE battle for the ages, Graham and Gronk square off, each with nice matchups, who will prevail? Gronk. Why? He is better. The two of them combine for 50 points, but the scoring is lopsided and Gronk carries Bear Necessities to their first victory of the campaign.

The Tuckfards vs. Jeff’s Seals: Le’Veon is back! And with his return, Jeff’s Seals main weakness vanishes! He picks up right where he left off last season with 200 scrimmage yards and more receiving yards than Hilton, Harvin or Miller (but less than Robinson, who stacks up the points on The Tuckfards bench).

The Romosexuals vs. Patistan: What is better than yards in fantasy football? Touchdowns! Could someone please remind everyone not named Roethlisberger who plays for Patistan? Well this week Lynch gets the message as he totals more TDs than the entire (non-QB) opposition. 4 TDs to Lynch, 3 to the Romosexuals (Fitzgerald, Beckham and Kelce).

Tom’s Tyrants vs. Gridiron Gang: These two teams’ starters are dropping like flies. One constant remains however, Tom Brady and Julio Jones are the faces of these franchises, both have monster weeks but when Brady puts up a (current) season high of 40 points, Gridiron Gang create an unassailable lead.

And that is it for another episode ladies and gentlemen! Yes, I know it’s unlikely, but there could be some ladies reading… maybe… and I am a preacher of truth’s to the people, all-encompassing! Good luck once again coaches and may your ecstatic highs outweigh your devastating lows! Turrah!

2015: 2 Down, 14 To Go

Did you survive the bloodbath that was week 2 in the NFL? Ok good, I'm glad. Coach Sherwood joins Commissioner Stubbs to recap the miserable (for most anyway) Week 2 in the LOC, and take a look at what will hopefully be a much happier Week 3.

Power Rankings: Week 3

You see, I wasn't kidding when I said the power shifts would be all over the place after Week 1. While some teams followed up with an equally impressive performance, some looked a shadow of their Week 1 self, and some others raised eyebrows.

Power Rankings

1. IKNAN, 2-0 (6): Are you fricking kidding me? Another great week by this team, and they're still not even close to full strength. With Foster due to come back soon and Mike Evans still not back to full strength, it's mind boggling you look at this team and know they're just going to get better. They are the team to beat right now.

2. The Romosexuals, 1-1 (2): Before you question this, I'd just like to point out their starting QB and RB both got injured mid game. Yeah, score doesn't look so bad now does it? Despite the loss, this team still has a frightening starting lineup. They'll be starting another QB, but there are options out there. As long as this coach focuses on the team, they could have a very nice season.

3. Burdettinators, 2-0 (3): Look, it was a bad week. The QB put up just under a third of their points, and garbage time won them the game. But this team is a lot better than what they did this week, and they are going to bounce back. Once some players in their team get going this team will turn heads.

4. Patistan, 1-1 (7): Congratulations on the first win of the franchises history, and I'm sure they're delighted with who it was against. While a few big performances made up for some low scorers, you can't help but feel this team is going to be around 100 points every week, one way or another. I think it's clear this Coach learnt a lot in his Rookie season for Jeff's Seals.

5. ADRZ, 2-0 (8): Ok ok, this team is quietly having a nice season. After putting up a steady Week 1, they've come back and delivered another steady week. The team is built for consistency, they'll have a few bad players every week but they'll also have some good. This could be a bounce back year for the 5th year coach.

6. Bear Necessities, 0-2 (5): Another good week by this team, but they still left with a loss. You know it's going to be a rough season when you score enough to win a game and end up losing. The team is good though, and if they get going (and face some easier opposition) the wins should start rolling in.

7. Tom's Tyrants, 1-1 (1): This teams fall is only in small part because of their performance, but mainly about what other teams did. It was a bad week, but nothing that can't be corrected with a few waiver moves and some players on the bench. While the injuries are piling up and some players haven't properly got going yet, this team still looks poised for success.

8. Jeff's Seals, 1-1 (9): You could certainly make a case for this team being higher. They got the win, and a nice point total with much of the team struggling. Look, they're not a great team, but they're good enough to make you think they can challenge every week, and at the end of the day that's all you need. Bye weeks will be key for this team.

9. The Dream Team, 1-1 (11): This team did exactly what they needed to do after a disappointing Week 1. They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and went to work. While it isn't a powerhouse, they have the looks of a squad that are going to grind and struggle their way to good performances. Don't sleep on this team.

10. The Tuckfards, 0-2 (12): Ok, I was premature on 'the era is over' thing. This team had a very nice rebound week, which probably shocks no one. They were inches away from a win too. While I'm still not in love with the team, like Bill Belichick, everyone knows this coach will get the best out of his team from the most unlikely of sources.

11. Gridiron Gang, 1-1 (4): I don't think we've ever seen a team fall so far from one week to another. After a wildly promising Week 1 this team now looks like it's on life support. They had a bad week, it happens, but both their starting RBs picked up injuries, and their depth now looks shaky at best. Brady may end up having to carry this team.

12. Forge Flyers, 0-2 (10): Hmm. While I never like to kick a team down, or stick a fork in a team prematurely, Coach Leach has a job on his hands to turn this season around. And he needs to do it quickly. Already 2 games behind, with a roster that has shown very little through two weeks, you have to start worrying about what lays ahead for this team.

EDOTLOCCA's Corner: Week 1

EDOTLOCCA’s Corner

Hello, one and all! Welcome to your second edition of EDOTLOCCA’s Corner (that’s ‘Executive Director of the League of Champions Coaches Association’). Yes, I am going to continue to leave the acronym explanation in for every issue because, frankly, I can’t even remember what it stands for. So onwards and upwards, here are my thoughts on the goings on in Week 1 of the LOC 2015!

Coaches Award

Last week the Coaches Award was given based on the draft and this week the presentation will be based on kicking off that 2015 record with a win. This week, for providing an almighty comeback and arguably one of the most exciting games of the season (yes, already), the Award goes to Coach Nunn. His team powered past the Bear Necessities, who had built a commanding lead, despite having two players score zero points! This really was a showing a strength in the starting roster and an indication of what a commendable (and underrated) draft Coach Nunn choreographed.

Honourable mention: Coach Stubbs Jr. who, after an entire season’s worth of waiver wire movements, settled on Austin Seferian-Jenkins who had himself a monster week! This would have been a closer call if Gridiron Gang didn’t run away with the win to the point where the starting TE played no role at all, it could have even been me…

Wooden Spoon

I feel like this coach has already had a rough week and maybe rubbing salt in the wound is harsh? Oh well. Coach Merritt of the Tuckfards placed all his eggs in one basket in Week 1, starting both Colts WRs and there (less than good) DEF. Whilst this coach has been known for w
acky decisions and tactics in the past, this one really crashed and burned, with the all-time leader in playoff appearances posting the lowest total of the week. Will he have learned? I doubt it. Do I care? Not in the slightest, Coach Merritt’s quirkiness is one of the things that really makes the LOC what it is, good luck to him!

Bold Predictions

So after going 1-5 with my predictions from last week (I know right, one actually came to fruition! I am as surprised as you are), time for some more ambitious premonitions!

Forge Flyers vs. The Dream Team: Lots of underwhelming players on both sides of this match up in Week 1, however after some stern, we will see a revival this week! Tannehill, Brees, Anderson, Forsett, McCoy, Johnson, Graham and the Rams DEF all go for 20+ points! For those of you keeping score that is 80+ points apiece, who will win? I don’t know but, it’s going to be close and the scores are going to be huge.

Gridiron Gang vs. Burdettinators: This game has all the makings of a thriller and it should be close. However, Demarco Murray will spoil the tights competition when he runs all over his former team for 150 yards and 3 TDs, leaving Eddie Lacy to pick up the slack in primetime. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t.

IKNAN vs. Bear Necessities: When Coach Sherwood was told he could only start 3 WRs he wasn’t best pleased, so he decided to only start pass catching RBs as well, seemed like the obvious solution. The result of this is a starting line-up that will total 650 receiving yards this week, leaving Bear Necessities hapless to the aerial bombardment, they won’t know what hit them as IKNAN soar to victory.

The Romosexuals vs. Jeff’s Seals: This week’s Coaches Award winner uses the commendation as kindling to the fire, The Romosexuals will more than double Jeff’s Seals score in Week 2 as the auto-draftees come up against some nightmarish match ups.

The Tuckfards vs. Patistan: In what is (apparently) known as ‘The LH Park Road Derby’, the matchup is highlighted by two powerhouse RBs who underwhelmed in Week 1. This will not be repeated however as Peterson and Lynch combine for 350 yards, however Lynch’s 2 TDs to Peterson’s 1 lead Patistan to their first victory in franchise history.

Tom’s Tyrants vs. ADRZ: A game featuring two bargain TEs who played lights out in Week 1 will be close one. Eifert has another nice game for Tom’s Tyrants, but can’t compete with a 3 TD performance from Jason Witten who gets extra looks from Romo in the absence of Bryant (ironically owned by Tom’s Tyrants).

And there we have it, I guess I should aim for 2-4 this week really, but I am pessimistic at best. Good luck to all of you for the Week 2 games! (Except you Coach Wells, sorry but I am very competitive.) Until next time, Turrah!

2015: LOC Kickoff & Week 2

The fantasy season is back in full swing as the LOC Kickoff happened this weekend. As always we had suspense, excitement and upsets, and you can relive it all here with Commissioner Stubbs and Coach Nathwani. We also update you on LOC and NFL news, and a preview of Week 2.

Power Rankings: Week 2

We saw some amazing and horrifying things this week, but just remember - what happens in Week 1 is not a precursor for the entire season, and there's still a lot of fantasy football to be played.

Power Rankings
1. Tom's Tyrants, 1-0 (5): Mightily impressive Week 1 by the current champ. On a week where there starting QB under performed and their top receiver got injured, they still lead in scoring. While it's unrealistic to expect a boom every week from a few of the players that exploded this week, it's still shaping up as a very strong roster. The injury to Bryant hurts, but I think they can withstand it.

2.The Romosexuals, 1-0 (8): What rust? Did this coach even retire? Their week was entirely made up of 4 players, but it's a great core to have. Especially when you consider their two premier receivers probably had what will be among their worst weeks of the season (not to mention 2 zeros from K and FLEX). This performance should have the rest of the league paying attention.

3. Burdettinators, 1-0 (1): A solid week for a team that was expected to hit the ground running. While their K and Defense pitched in an unsustainable 39 points, you've got to figure other spots on the team will make up for a sub par Week 1. While they have more question marks now than they did after draft day, it's too soon for the issues to be considered a realistic problem for the coach.

4. Gridiron Gang, 1-0 (7): The curse is broken, Coach N. Stubbs has finally won a Week 1 game in his 7th season. Not only that, they put up the 2nd highest score of the week, with a bit fat zero from an injured player. They were helped a lot by some big performances (one in particular that won't happen again), they have the look of a good team.

5. Bear Necessities, 0-1 (2): This team might feel a bit cheated after Week 1, after a great performance from their opponent. It was a solid but unspectacular week for most of the players on this time, but while you would expect some players to regress from their point totals, you would also expect some to increase. They should be a solid team, but it's unclear if they'll develop into a front runner.

6. IKNAN, 1-0 (6): All in all, a nice performance from this team that could have been even better. They were without their 3rd round draft pick, and still managed 100 points. An injury to their starting RB is very unsettling for the coach, but this position was never a strength of the team in the first place. Expect another solid but perhaps not explosive week from them next week.

7. Patistan, 0-1 (12): If you look down the scoresheet for this team, they were extremely consistent. No player had a great week, but only one really had a terrible week. What's most encouraging is that if you look closer, this team put up nearly 100 points with only 2 TDs. That's a very promising sign, as you'd expect the TD total to go up from that. Patistan have quietly assembled a nice team.

8. ADRZ, 1-0, (11): It was a slender week for this team, but they got the W. The teams fairly standard 85 points was on the back of 4 players, with the other 5 really not making much noise. This team has the looks of a low ceiling variety, but if they can consistently get 85-100 points they should have a good season. Week 2 will be an interesting one for this team.

9. Jeff's Seals, 0-1 (4): Not a bad Week 1 from the sophomore coach, and they were only a hair away from securing a victory. There's definitely a lot of potential with this team, and to be honest that didn't really materialise in Week 1, which makes their point total look more impressive. With good management, this is another team you shouldn't sleep on this season.

10. Forge Flyers, 0-1 (9): Not the start to the season that this coach was vying for. If you take out the 31 points from the K and Defense, the other 7 only amassed 57 points. RB could be shaping up as a problem for this team, but you'd expect the QB to have better weeks and the star receiver to bounce back too. Week 2 should be a bounce back for this team.

11. The Dream Team, 0-1 (3): This team came out of the gates rather flat. You can't help but feel this will be among their lowest point totals of the season though. They had tough match ups, an ailing starter and under performers. Don't expect this team to do this badly again next week. An infusion from the waiver wire should give them the kick start they need.

12. The Tuckfards, 0-1 (10): Is The Tuckfards era coming to an end? At the risk of giving this coach bulletin board material, this was a rather concerning Week 1. While they will typically get more points from the Defense, my worries about two receivers from the same team materialised (though they will have better weeks). Their RBs should do better as well. It's not time to hit the panic button yet, but this team is a situation to monitor.

EDOTLOCCA's Corner: Post Draft

EDOTLOCCA’s Corner

Greetings esteemed coaches of the League of Champions! Welcome to the very first edition of what, for lack of a better name, will be known as EDOTLOCCA’s Corner (that’s ‘Executive Director of the League of Champions Coaches Association’). A weekly inkling into the fantasy goings-on from your EDOTLOCCA’s perspective.

Coaches Award

Each week I will start by endowing the coach who I believe deserves recognition for a particular decision that significantly enhanced their team’s chances of winning. This week, the Coaches Award goes to Coach Sherwood for his stellar draft. From the in depth research to the brave strategy, there was a lot to like about this draft. Whilst RB depth may have been an afterthought, the sheer ambition of Coach Sherwood deserves recognition.

Wooden Spoon

For every winner, unfortunately there must also be a loser, and each week the Wooden Spoon will also be awarded for the biggest blunder of the week. This week, that blunder was committed by Coach Fisher who was guilty of the cardinal sin of fantasy football, missing the most important date of the year. His punishment of an auto-drafted team with poor depth will serve as a reminiscent burden for the rest of the season.

Bold Predictions

And now for some prognostication of the extreme variety. Taking over from the admirable Coach Burdett, each week I will offer six bold predictions for the coming set of matches. So, without further ado:

ADRZ vs. The Dream Team: Wilson accumulates more rushing yards than Forsett, Williams or Murray, leaving The Dream Team missing McCoy and ADRZ with the biggest winning margin of the week.

Forge Flyers vs. Burdettinators: We’ve seen Manning throw 7 TDs in week 1 in seasons past, but those were seasons past and this year he kills off Burdettinators chances with 3 INTs after watching Tannehill put up 4 TDs for Forge Flyers.

The Romosexuals vs. Bear Necessities: Gronkowski and Kelce combine for 5 TDs, making them the top two TEs of the week. Combined, they outscore Romo and Luck’s cumulative score.

IKNAN vs. Jeff’s Seals: Without stars Bell and Foster, the 4 starting RBs fail to put up 20 points between them. Despite this both teams still go above 120 points in a thriller.

Gridiron Gang vs. Patistan: Gridiron Gang actually win in the opening week! What? Not bold enough? Okay then, in order to win Gridiron Gang come from behind in the Tuesday morning (GMT) match when the Vikings DST score 3 TDs; one INT return, one fumble return and one punt return by Mr. Cordarrelle Patterson.

Tom’s Tyrants vs. The Tuckfards: The two most winningest teams in LOC history prove to both be too avert to losing, leaving the only possible result, a tie. Because why the hell not, aye?

So there are this week’s bold predictions, when they all inevitably come true, I expect a pint from each of you. Turrah!

2015: Draft Analysis and Week 1

After one of the biggest events on the LOC calendar, Team Ambassador and IKNAN coach Sherwood joined Commissioner Stubbs to take a look back at the LOC Draft, while also taking a look ahead at Week 1. Apologies for any technical issues or poor audio, this was our first attempt at a new way of recording the podcast.

Power Rankings: Week 1

Before I delve into the Power Rankings, please heed my words when I say that whether you're 1st or 12th on this list does not mean I think you're the clear cut best or worst. It was actually very hard for me to make these rankings, as there are things I like and don't like about every team. It's also very hard to gauge what teams will be good and not without a down of football having been played, so please don't take these rankings to heart.

Power Rankings

1. Burdettinators, 48-40: Another strong draft from this coach. The starters don't jump off the team sheet, but it's a very solid bunch. If Peyton Manning can retain his form from last season, this team is in a very good spot. While I'm not in love with their bench options, they'll likely only see the field during bye weeks.

2. Bear Necessities, 50-39: Not your typical Bear Necessities team. Usually this coach opts for a balanced roster, but this time he went for star power at some positions, and a committee approach at others. They'll be riding Andrew Luck and Rob Gronkowski all season, with the receivers pitching in some support work. They'll likely never have a reliable RB corps however.

3. The Dream Team, 30-29: This coach continued his high risk, high reward strategy. With McCoy, Forsett and Murray as their top 3 RBs, they could tear it up. However, they could also easily be starting 3 different RBs by seasons end. Drew Brees will be solid, but they'll be hoping for more consistency than he showed last season. They also may struggle fielding effective WRs.

4. Jeff's Seals, 2-12: Now before you question this, just look at the lineup. Rodgers, Bell, Gordon, Edelman, Jeffery, Cameron and Cooper. That's a pretty tasty starting lineup. Assuming they manage their team, it could surprise this season. However, their depth is the worst in the league, and they could really struggle in bye weeks.

5. Tom's Tyrants, 51-38: It's difficult drafting from the last spot, and it showed. But this coach managed to get a decent team. While Chris Ivory and Doug Martin are not ideal starting RBs, they have a tremendous WR duo, and a solid QB. They've got depth, and if some of them hit they'll be in good shape for the second half of the season.

6. IKNAN, 38-34: I commend this coach on his draft, it was both bold and brilliant. No team will field 3 better WRs all season, I promise you. However, they'll have to stream the starting QB every week, and will have to make it a priority to find some decent RBs at some point.

7. Gridiron Gang, 42-46-1: Another typical GM N. Stubbs draft. They've got a very safe starting lineup, and they should be very consistent. However, their upside is probably lower than most teams in the LOC. But they've got great depth, and this could give them a great advantage over the bye weeks. Plus, they won't have a QB calamity every week...

8. The Romosexuals, 12-16-1: A very nice draft from a coach that is shaking off the rust of retirement still. They've got ups and downs on the starting lineup, but put simply it's probably one of the better starting lineups in the league. Their bench is probably among the worst though. If they can play the waiver well they can correct this, but bye weeks could hurt this team.

9. Forge Flyers, 40-45: There's some things I really like about this team, and some things I'm not too keen on. Tannehill, Anderson, Johnson and Graham are all great starters. But outside of this, they're very hard to gauge. While I like Brown, Colston, Blue, Mathews and Blount, I'm not sure I would want to count on them like Forge a Flyers will have to. If they reach their potential they should have a very nice season.

10. The Tuckfards, 54-37: This team is going for a strategy that has paid dividends for them. A solid trio to build on, with Ryan, Peterson and Ingram. While having two WRs on the same team as your starting WRs isn't necessarily a good idea, with the team they play for it might be ok. Behind this however, their are few bright spots, with Robinson being the only other player I'd want to count on.

11. ADRZ, 24-33: This teams starting lineups not bad, they have some very good starters in Wilson, Charles, Gore and Green. But I would ideally not have the two Smith'  as starters. They have some potential on their bench, but apart from Gurley and Witten I'm not sure any of the guys there will play meaningful snaps outside of the bye weeks.

12. Patistan, 0-0: As I said at the top, don't take these rankings to heart. If I was to start again, it'd probably be an entirely different order. Patistan has a nice corps to build around with Roethlisberger, Lynch, Morris and Cobb. But outside of these players, there isn't much else on the roster that gets me excited (with the exception of Keenan Allen, providing he returns to his rookie year form). 

2015: You're on the clock!

Coach Merritt makes a rare appearance with Commissioner Stubbs to give you the comprehensive run down on what's going to happen on Saturday, with everything from when you should arrive, to how the draft will work and what will happen. A one time only segment "Phil' Five Minutes of Fame" also features in this episode.

Bracketology: Greatest game in LOC history (The Final)

Well here we are. Three months ago I started this journey to find the greatest game in the LOC so far, and today we will finally get the conclusion. While there will no doubt be many more to come, we must not forget where the league came from and where we started.

The Final
(21) Chiquitos Vs. (45) Corona Bowl V
A lot of what makes Chiquitos special surrounds the game rather than focuses on the game itself. Let me paint a picture. It's Week 14 and there are 4 teams vying for one playoff spot. ADRZ. who had a tremendous start to their rookie season, but have lost 4 games straight, but they need just one more win to make playoffs. IKNAN, who face ADRZ, not only need to beat ADRZ to make the playoffs, but also need Gridiron Gang to beat Burdettinators, and to outscore Gridiron Gang by 50 points as well. Burdettinators need to beat Gridiron Gang and need IKNAN to defeat ADRZ. Finally, Gridiron Gang, who need a win against Burdettinators, need IKNAN to beat ADRZ, but without outscoring them by 50 points. Pretty crazy, right? What makes this even better is that a lot of the LOC coaches were in attendance of Coach Stubbs' 18th at Chiquitos while the games were taking place. As it would turn out, IKNAN would destroy ADRZ by 161-103. After taking a lead in the Thursday night game, Gridiron Gang soon fell behind Burdettinators, and were being teased about this all night long. Entering the Monday night game, Gridiron Gang were down 109-100. Not only did Gridiron Gang need to win, they needed at least 112 to outscore IKNAN's final score. They got 115. Probably the most dramatic playoff race in history.

'Corona Bowl V' has already earned the title of best Corona Bowl according to this bracket, but will it claim the title of best game? The Tuckfards had a joint season best record of 11-3 in their 4th consecutive appearance in the playoffs, and 2nd consecutive Corona Bowl appearance. Burdettinators had their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2009, also with a joint season best record of 11-3, also making their 2nd Corona Bowl appearance. Entering this game, Burdettinators had never beaten The Tuckfards. EVER. We all know this is a fierce rivalry, but that fact alone makes it all the sweeter. The game started out with The Tuckfards jumping out to a 20 point lead almost instantly, leading to an early panic on Burdettinators sidelines. Coach Stubbs gave some words of support to Coach Burdett, and before they knew it the game was tied at half time of the 6pm games. The game remained tied until the end of the 6pm games, at which point...well, let's just say it wouldn't be close again. Burdettinators, at the turn of the 6 to 9pm games, jumped from about 60 to 100 points, and never really slowed down. They'd go on to finish with a Corona Bowl record of 161 points, and if you couldn't figure it out, the victory. To this day, the only win Burdettinators have over The Tuckfards - but I have a feeling they wouldn't have it any other way. This game was unique, as I think it's fair to say this is the first the entire league has united behind one coach and one team.

Winner: Corona Bowl V
Reason: Everything around Chiquitos was just bonkers, and the game itself was good...but can you imagine entering the Corona Bowl, a game only a few have been lucky enough to reach, against an opponent, a rival, that you have NEVER beaten, and then to deliver a performance like Burdettinators did? It's truly special, and deserving of being the best game in LOC history.