But for one last time, Commissioner Stubbs and Co Host Chris Leach discuss a hall of fame nomination - Tom's Tyrants to be exact - for their first Corona bowl win, as the first team to ever win it from the Rookie division.
Friday 24 July 2020
2020: "The Merger", Tom's Tyrants HOF nomination
We did it, we made it, congrats. End of the offseason series. More so than ever, if you've survived the span of it you deserve a big well done. In the time we've been doing the series the premier league has returned, Washington have changed their name, and a new NHL team has been awarded to Seattle.
Thursday 23 July 2020
2020 Hall of Fame Nominations: Tom's Tyrants "The Merger"
Team: Tom's Tyrants
Nomination: "The Merger" The first team from the Rookie Division to reach and win the Corona Bowl
Now we've given you a blast from the past on some nominations before - but this one's really taking us back - all the way back to 2011 no less. For some of you, I'm going to have to explain how things were back then as you won't even know.
So, to paint a picture from 2009....The league started as 10 teams, 4 of which were managed by Coach Stubbs and Coach Burdett. There were two divisions of 5 teams (the "Veterans" division and the "Rookies" division), with the two division winners advancing to playoffs and 2 wildcard teams with the next best record. There was also a promotion/relegation aspect between the Veteran and Rookie division. We also had 3 wide receiver spots instead of two, plus an ADDITIONAL WR/TE flex. The formative years of any league are certainly experimental, and the LOC was no different.
But that doesn't take away from the competition - the early days still saw close playoff races and competitive games...but like the early days of the NFL and the AFL, most of the winning and competition came from the Veterans division, with the first two Corona Bowls only featuring Veterans division teams. That was until 2011.
Coach Barnes had a humbling start to his fantasy career (one that you would look back at and not match to the recent achievements of Coach Barnes). But, this was early days - he was learning the ropes of the NFL, let alone NFL fantasy. After going 5-9 and 6-8 in their first two years, Tom's Tyrants were firmly a Rookie Division team. But - as is the case in the minor leagues, there is always opportunity to spring forward (in part because those around you may also not be quite as good as divisions above). Coach Barnes shared a division with three newcomers in 2011, Coach Nathwani, Coach Fugard, and Coach Wells. Coach Burdett was the other in the division, having been a founding team like Tom's Tyrants - except they were coming off a relegation in 2010.
With a few years under his belt, Coach Barnes was ready to step up. A stellar draft that consisted of Chris Johnson, Tom Brady, Jeremy Maclin, Jermichael Finley and Ahmad Bradshaw was further bolstered throughout the year with the additions of DeAngelo Williams, Nate Burleson, and Victor Cruz. This group would propel Coach Barnes to a 9-5 record, his first winning season, division title, and playoff appearance - and a Coach of the Year award.
In the first round of the playoffs Tom's Tyrants faced The Tuckfards - a team that was no stranger to success in their first couple of years, having made playoffs in 2010. Remember this was also a time where the dye was not cast on the chances of The Tuckfards in the playoffs, so there was a lot at stake. But Tom's Tyrants did come out triumphant, having brushed aside the Veteran Division team 106-92. This game marked the first time a Rookie Division team had won in the playoffs. Tom Brady lead the charge (31 points), with a solid supporting cast behind him.
Week 16, Corona Bowl III, marked the first ever appearance in a Corona Bowl for a Rookie Division team. On the face of it, it would not be an easy game, as Tom's Tyrants faced the current champion Gridiron Gang. It was a case of experience versus fresh ideas - and as is usually the case, the new overcame the old. Tom's Tyrants were not daunted by being a Rookie Division team, and thumped Gridiron Gang 141-92, a record amount of points at the time in the Corona Bowl, for not only Coach Barnes first Stubbs trophy, but for the first ever Stubbs trophy to be hoisted by a Rookie Division team. This was on the back of Brady scoring another 32 points, Bradshaw 18, Williams 20, Maclin 13, and perhaps most important of all - Victor Cruz with a 99 yard touchdown and a total of 22 points.
Little did we know at the time - but Coach Barnes would actually be a trend setter. The next 2 Corona Bowls saw Rookie Division teams hoisting the Stubbs trophy. One could say that he blazed the path for those that followed. And indeed, after that the promotion/relegation system was removed from the league as the competition and talent had narrowed. I don't think it's out of the realm to say Tom's Tyrants were a large part of that shift - and it's for you to decide whether this pivotal moment in history should be enshrined in the LOC Hall of Fame.
Nomination: "The Merger" The first team from the Rookie Division to reach and win the Corona Bowl
Now we've given you a blast from the past on some nominations before - but this one's really taking us back - all the way back to 2011 no less. For some of you, I'm going to have to explain how things were back then as you won't even know.
So, to paint a picture from 2009....The league started as 10 teams, 4 of which were managed by Coach Stubbs and Coach Burdett. There were two divisions of 5 teams (the "Veterans" division and the "Rookies" division), with the two division winners advancing to playoffs and 2 wildcard teams with the next best record. There was also a promotion/relegation aspect between the Veteran and Rookie division. We also had 3 wide receiver spots instead of two, plus an ADDITIONAL WR/TE flex. The formative years of any league are certainly experimental, and the LOC was no different.
But that doesn't take away from the competition - the early days still saw close playoff races and competitive games...but like the early days of the NFL and the AFL, most of the winning and competition came from the Veterans division, with the first two Corona Bowls only featuring Veterans division teams. That was until 2011.
Coach Barnes had a humbling start to his fantasy career (one that you would look back at and not match to the recent achievements of Coach Barnes). But, this was early days - he was learning the ropes of the NFL, let alone NFL fantasy. After going 5-9 and 6-8 in their first two years, Tom's Tyrants were firmly a Rookie Division team. But - as is the case in the minor leagues, there is always opportunity to spring forward (in part because those around you may also not be quite as good as divisions above). Coach Barnes shared a division with three newcomers in 2011, Coach Nathwani, Coach Fugard, and Coach Wells. Coach Burdett was the other in the division, having been a founding team like Tom's Tyrants - except they were coming off a relegation in 2010.
With a few years under his belt, Coach Barnes was ready to step up. A stellar draft that consisted of Chris Johnson, Tom Brady, Jeremy Maclin, Jermichael Finley and Ahmad Bradshaw was further bolstered throughout the year with the additions of DeAngelo Williams, Nate Burleson, and Victor Cruz. This group would propel Coach Barnes to a 9-5 record, his first winning season, division title, and playoff appearance - and a Coach of the Year award.
In the first round of the playoffs Tom's Tyrants faced The Tuckfards - a team that was no stranger to success in their first couple of years, having made playoffs in 2010. Remember this was also a time where the dye was not cast on the chances of The Tuckfards in the playoffs, so there was a lot at stake. But Tom's Tyrants did come out triumphant, having brushed aside the Veteran Division team 106-92. This game marked the first time a Rookie Division team had won in the playoffs. Tom Brady lead the charge (31 points), with a solid supporting cast behind him.
Week 16, Corona Bowl III, marked the first ever appearance in a Corona Bowl for a Rookie Division team. On the face of it, it would not be an easy game, as Tom's Tyrants faced the current champion Gridiron Gang. It was a case of experience versus fresh ideas - and as is usually the case, the new overcame the old. Tom's Tyrants were not daunted by being a Rookie Division team, and thumped Gridiron Gang 141-92, a record amount of points at the time in the Corona Bowl, for not only Coach Barnes first Stubbs trophy, but for the first ever Stubbs trophy to be hoisted by a Rookie Division team. This was on the back of Brady scoring another 32 points, Bradshaw 18, Williams 20, Maclin 13, and perhaps most important of all - Victor Cruz with a 99 yard touchdown and a total of 22 points.
Little did we know at the time - but Coach Barnes would actually be a trend setter. The next 2 Corona Bowls saw Rookie Division teams hoisting the Stubbs trophy. One could say that he blazed the path for those that followed. And indeed, after that the promotion/relegation system was removed from the league as the competition and talent had narrowed. I don't think it's out of the realm to say Tom's Tyrants were a large part of that shift - and it's for you to decide whether this pivotal moment in history should be enshrined in the LOC Hall of Fame.
Wednesday 15 July 2020
2020: "RGIII", The Dream Team HOF nomination
We are in the home stretch people, it is the penultimate LOC Hall of Fame nomination! It's been an ersatz Offseason series this year with everything going on, but we hope we've been able to bring you some normality, if only for half an hour a week. Today's nomination discussed by Commissioner Stubbs and Co Host Chris Leach is The Dream Team's, for their draft pick of RGIII in the 2012 draft and season.
https://locreport.blogspot.com/2020/07/2020-hall-of-fame-nominations-dream.html
https://locreport.blogspot.com/2020/07/2020-hall-of-fame-nominations-dream.html
Tuesday 14 July 2020
2020 Hall of Fame Nominations: The Dream Team "RGIII"
Team: The Dream Team
Nomination: "RGIII" Robert Griffin III, 9th round draft pick number 83 overall in 2012
Coach Nathwani joined the league in 2011. It was a tough first season, as is usually the case for newcomers to the LOC, but The Dream Team came through it quite well, going 6-8 in their first year. 2012 would be the sophomore leap for Coach Nathwani though, as he lead The Dream Team to a 10-4 record, a division title and a playoff appearance. A large part of that is their hall of fame nominee.
Robert Griffin III was a rookie in 2012. The dynamic dual threat QB was drafted second overall in the NFL draft behind Andrew Luck. In the LOC, he was a 9th round draft pick, 83rd overall. He didn’t start Week 1 for The Dream Team, as there was another dynamic QB by the name of Mike Vick who was the starter for Coach Nathwani, who scored 20 points. They would lose their first game against Touchdown Syndrome 102-126. Robert Griffin III would not have changed this result, but he did have a great game, netting 29 points.
This was enough to start a QB controversy for The Dream Team, as in Week 2 RGIII got the nod over Mike Vick, and it was the right call. Mike Vick got 24, but RGIII put up a terrific 32. Sadly it was not enough to bring home the W, as The Dream Team fell 140-130 against Bear Necessities, starting the year 0-2. The Dream Team would only lose 2 more games across the rest of the regular season.
In Week 3 RGIII started again, leading Coach Nathwani to their first win of the season over Forge Flyers. He got 27, and they won 120-82. The next week he scored 23 and brought home a close win against ADRZ, 117-116. Week 5 RGIII did not play well, only scoring 4 points, but The Dream Team still won against Burdettinators, 78-71. He would bounce back the next week with 37, helping down IKNAN 125-95.
Entering week 7 Coach Nathwani pulled the team back to 4-2. They’d lose that week 94-90, despite RGIII getting 27. After that week, RGIII headed back to the bench in a coaching decision for none other than Andrew Luck, who was added in Week 6. He helped lead them to a 117-69 victory over Gridiron Gang with 19 points, but RGIII still got 14 on the bench. The next week he would reclaim his starting role, again scoring 14 points and leading The Dream Team to a 121-114 victory over Touchdown Syndrome. The next week he was on a bye, The Dream Team won.
RGIII would not return to the bench for the rest of the regular season. Coming off his bye in Week 11 he posted a terrific 40 points en route to a 129-103 victory over The Tuckfards. He had an equally good outing in Week 12, scoring 37 and helping The Dream Team to a 142-96 victory over ADRZ. in Week 13 he scored 20 and again aided Coach Nathwani in a win over Burdettinators, 121-104, and in the final week of the season scored 19 in a 118-79 loss to Forge Flyers.
An injury sustained in Week 14 would cause him to miss the playoff match up against The Tuckfards, in which Colin Kaepernick started in his stead. He posted 34 points in a 107-90 loss for Coach Nathwani.
Overall, RGIII had an 8-3 record as a starter for The Dream Team, and scored 358 points for The Dream Team that season. Not bad for a 9th round draft pick. Unfortunately for RGIII, not only did an injury keep him out of The Dream Team’s playoff game, but an injury in a playoff game for the Redskins also knocked him out of the game and changed his career forever. He was never the same after that. The Dream Team has also since not been able to win a Corona Bowl, though they have made 3 playoff appearances since, including one Corona Bowl appearance in Corona Bowl VI.
RGIII will likely never have a shot at entering the NFL hall of fame, but he does have a chance of making the LOC Hall of fame. 2012 was a great season for him, in which he lead The Dream Team to the playoffs and a division title.
Nomination: "RGIII" Robert Griffin III, 9th round draft pick number 83 overall in 2012
Coach Nathwani joined the league in 2011. It was a tough first season, as is usually the case for newcomers to the LOC, but The Dream Team came through it quite well, going 6-8 in their first year. 2012 would be the sophomore leap for Coach Nathwani though, as he lead The Dream Team to a 10-4 record, a division title and a playoff appearance. A large part of that is their hall of fame nominee.
Robert Griffin III was a rookie in 2012. The dynamic dual threat QB was drafted second overall in the NFL draft behind Andrew Luck. In the LOC, he was a 9th round draft pick, 83rd overall. He didn’t start Week 1 for The Dream Team, as there was another dynamic QB by the name of Mike Vick who was the starter for Coach Nathwani, who scored 20 points. They would lose their first game against Touchdown Syndrome 102-126. Robert Griffin III would not have changed this result, but he did have a great game, netting 29 points.
This was enough to start a QB controversy for The Dream Team, as in Week 2 RGIII got the nod over Mike Vick, and it was the right call. Mike Vick got 24, but RGIII put up a terrific 32. Sadly it was not enough to bring home the W, as The Dream Team fell 140-130 against Bear Necessities, starting the year 0-2. The Dream Team would only lose 2 more games across the rest of the regular season.
In Week 3 RGIII started again, leading Coach Nathwani to their first win of the season over Forge Flyers. He got 27, and they won 120-82. The next week he scored 23 and brought home a close win against ADRZ, 117-116. Week 5 RGIII did not play well, only scoring 4 points, but The Dream Team still won against Burdettinators, 78-71. He would bounce back the next week with 37, helping down IKNAN 125-95.
Entering week 7 Coach Nathwani pulled the team back to 4-2. They’d lose that week 94-90, despite RGIII getting 27. After that week, RGIII headed back to the bench in a coaching decision for none other than Andrew Luck, who was added in Week 6. He helped lead them to a 117-69 victory over Gridiron Gang with 19 points, but RGIII still got 14 on the bench. The next week he would reclaim his starting role, again scoring 14 points and leading The Dream Team to a 121-114 victory over Touchdown Syndrome. The next week he was on a bye, The Dream Team won.
RGIII would not return to the bench for the rest of the regular season. Coming off his bye in Week 11 he posted a terrific 40 points en route to a 129-103 victory over The Tuckfards. He had an equally good outing in Week 12, scoring 37 and helping The Dream Team to a 142-96 victory over ADRZ. in Week 13 he scored 20 and again aided Coach Nathwani in a win over Burdettinators, 121-104, and in the final week of the season scored 19 in a 118-79 loss to Forge Flyers.
An injury sustained in Week 14 would cause him to miss the playoff match up against The Tuckfards, in which Colin Kaepernick started in his stead. He posted 34 points in a 107-90 loss for Coach Nathwani.
Overall, RGIII had an 8-3 record as a starter for The Dream Team, and scored 358 points for The Dream Team that season. Not bad for a 9th round draft pick. Unfortunately for RGIII, not only did an injury keep him out of The Dream Team’s playoff game, but an injury in a playoff game for the Redskins also knocked him out of the game and changed his career forever. He was never the same after that. The Dream Team has also since not been able to win a Corona Bowl, though they have made 3 playoff appearances since, including one Corona Bowl appearance in Corona Bowl VI.
RGIII will likely never have a shot at entering the NFL hall of fame, but he does have a chance of making the LOC Hall of fame. 2012 was a great season for him, in which he lead The Dream Team to the playoffs and a division title.
Wednesday 8 July 2020
2020: "The Holy Roller", Gridiron Gang HOF nomination
We are approaching the end of the offseason series, only 2 to go after today! But the one we have before you now is the Commissioners own, Gridiron Gang's "holy roller" of 2 straight months scoring 90+ points to open the 2016 season. Commissioner Stubbs and Co-Host Chris Leach discuss it, as well as another riveting coronavirus and sport update.
https://locreport.blogspot.com/2020/07/2020-hall-of-fame-nominations-gridiron.html
https://locreport.blogspot.com/2020/07/2020-hall-of-fame-nominations-gridiron.html
Tuesday 7 July 2020
2020 Hall of Fame Nominations: Gridiron Gang "The Forgotten Ones"
Team: Gridiron Gang
Nomination: "The Forgotten Ones" Highest scoring team in 2016 featuring a bunch of no names, comprising of 8 straight weeks of 90+ points to open the 2016 season
Gridiron Gang has long been a disciple of the consistent scoring teams (outside of the terrible years), as opposed to going for the high point getters. Rarely in the highest amount of points in a week or a season, this stoic approach has paid off with some reward, but also can end in spectacular failure. 2016 was no different, but is arguably the most underrated and arguably one of the best seasons of Coach Stubbs's career.
Coming off back to back 8-6 seasons, Coach Stubbs had a so so draft (as is often the case), yielding good returns from David Johnson, Mike Wallace, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins and Marvin Jones, while flaming out on Doug Martin, Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin, Eric Decker, and Matt Jones (yeah, remember him? Me neither).
But the similarities between many Gridiron Gang seasons ended there, because in Week 1 they actually one. Yes, you read that right, Gridiron Gang actually won a week 1 game. It wasn't flashy, but a 93-85 point victory vs ADRZ was enough to secure an elusive week 1 win for Coach Stubbs. Even rarer, Gridiron Gang would spring out to a 3-0 start, dropping W' on Tom's Tyrants (103-88) and The Dream Team (123-85). Not only is a 3-0 start eye brow raising, but the scores are fairly eye popping by Gridiron Gang's standards also.
But...that's when it started to slide back into a classic Gridiron Gang season. Over the next 5 weeks, Gridiron Gang would only win 1 game, seeing their fast start quickly slide to .500, and eventually finish the season 6-8 without the playoffs.
At this point you might be asking "why did Naithan nominate a season where he went 3-8 in the last 11 weeks of the season"? Well dear fans of the LOC - it's because much of those losses were far from Coach Stubbs's fault.
Across those 5 weeks from weeks 4-8, Gridiron Gang's lowest score would be 92 points, followed by 135, 102, 103 and 103. Aside from the 135, those scores aren't necessarily eye popping, but fellow coaches of the LOC know all to well that on a week to week basis it's easy for mud to slide down hill fast, and stringing consecutive good performances together can be harder than it sounds. In those games, Coach Stubbs's side conceded 104, 106, 113, 127 and 105. All in all, Coach Stubbs Jr achieved 8 straight weeks of 90+ points, a rarity in the LOC.
The pain wouldn't end there - as the injuries for Gridiron Gang started to pile up the second half of the season saw a few blips, while the opposition scores did not let up. After Week 4, Gridiron Gang would only face one team that scored less than 100 points against them, finishing the season with a league high 1482 points conceded.
The opposition conspired to torpedo Gridiron Gang's season, but this nomination is to recognise the impressive achievement of being the highest scoring team with a bunch of no names AND going 2 months in the LOC without scoring less than 90 points (a feat very rarely achieved). It's unlikely we'll ever see such a sorry bunch top the league in scoring again, and they truly are the forgotten highest scoring team.
Nomination: "The Forgotten Ones" Highest scoring team in 2016 featuring a bunch of no names, comprising of 8 straight weeks of 90+ points to open the 2016 season
Gridiron Gang has long been a disciple of the consistent scoring teams (outside of the terrible years), as opposed to going for the high point getters. Rarely in the highest amount of points in a week or a season, this stoic approach has paid off with some reward, but also can end in spectacular failure. 2016 was no different, but is arguably the most underrated and arguably one of the best seasons of Coach Stubbs's career.
Coming off back to back 8-6 seasons, Coach Stubbs had a so so draft (as is often the case), yielding good returns from David Johnson, Mike Wallace, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins and Marvin Jones, while flaming out on Doug Martin, Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin, Eric Decker, and Matt Jones (yeah, remember him? Me neither).
But the similarities between many Gridiron Gang seasons ended there, because in Week 1 they actually one. Yes, you read that right, Gridiron Gang actually won a week 1 game. It wasn't flashy, but a 93-85 point victory vs ADRZ was enough to secure an elusive week 1 win for Coach Stubbs. Even rarer, Gridiron Gang would spring out to a 3-0 start, dropping W' on Tom's Tyrants (103-88) and The Dream Team (123-85). Not only is a 3-0 start eye brow raising, but the scores are fairly eye popping by Gridiron Gang's standards also.
But...that's when it started to slide back into a classic Gridiron Gang season. Over the next 5 weeks, Gridiron Gang would only win 1 game, seeing their fast start quickly slide to .500, and eventually finish the season 6-8 without the playoffs.
At this point you might be asking "why did Naithan nominate a season where he went 3-8 in the last 11 weeks of the season"? Well dear fans of the LOC - it's because much of those losses were far from Coach Stubbs's fault.
Across those 5 weeks from weeks 4-8, Gridiron Gang's lowest score would be 92 points, followed by 135, 102, 103 and 103. Aside from the 135, those scores aren't necessarily eye popping, but fellow coaches of the LOC know all to well that on a week to week basis it's easy for mud to slide down hill fast, and stringing consecutive good performances together can be harder than it sounds. In those games, Coach Stubbs's side conceded 104, 106, 113, 127 and 105. All in all, Coach Stubbs Jr achieved 8 straight weeks of 90+ points, a rarity in the LOC.
The pain wouldn't end there - as the injuries for Gridiron Gang started to pile up the second half of the season saw a few blips, while the opposition scores did not let up. After Week 4, Gridiron Gang would only face one team that scored less than 100 points against them, finishing the season with a league high 1482 points conceded.
But the true crown of this nomination is not that Gridiron Gang went 8 straight weeks with 90+ points, nor was it that they were the highest scoring team that year (and would have made playoffs under the new league rules). It was more about who they did it with. Below is a list of players that featured in Gridiron Gang's highest scoring team that season:
- Derek Carr
- Dontrelle Inman
- Malcolm Mitchell
- C.J. Fiedorowicz
- Ryan Griffin
- Kirk Cousins
- Kapri Bibbs (who?)
- Antone Smith (who?)
- Christine Michael
- Late period Dennis Pitta
- Late period Randall Cobb
- Late period Jeremy Maclin
- Late period Doug Martin
- Late period Eric Decker
While that's the list of those who featured, it's not even counterbalanced by a particularly strong starting line up. David Johnson was the only non-QB player to top 202 points for Gridiron Gang, Jordan Howard was the second highest with 201. The next closest was Mike Wallace with 131. Yet despite that, Coach Stubbs Jr cobbled together a team and extracted the utmost consistency from them - and not only consistency but achieved the highest scoring team.
Sunday 5 July 2020
2020: "The Kicking Carousel", U R Gould HOF nomination
We are quickly approaching the end of the offseason series, and indeed the start of the preseason process in the LOC and NFL. But before we get to all of that, Commissioner Stubbs and Co-host Chris Leach talk about one of the zanier nominations you'll ever see (but also a strong one you might say), U R Gould's "Kicking Carousel" of 2019
https://locreport.blogspot.com/2020/06/2020-hall-of-fame-nominations-u-r-gould.html.
https://locreport.blogspot.com/2020/06/2020-hall-of-fame-nominations-u-r-gould.html.
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