2022 - Thanksgiving Thunderdome

 Hello and welcome to another episode of the LOC Report! No live Thansgiving special this year unfortunately, but you still have HOF Commissioner Stubbs delivering another episode of the HOF LOC Report for you! Solo today, but with all the action going on that's not going to matter, as we recap the riveting Week 11 matchups and preview the crucial Week 12 matchups in a Divisional Week.

2022 Power Rankings: Week 12

Good evening, Coaches! Welcome to the first pre-Sunday edition of the Power Rankings for this season. Of course, due to Thanksgiving, more games than usual have also already happened, so it’s kind of irrelevant. So, in the spirit of the Black Friday I find myself writing on and, more importantly, because the pub beckons for a certain World Cup fixture this evening, here’s some cut-price Rankings for y’all.

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12. Vickers Circle (2-9) – No Change

A tight game, despite anticipated struggles. One of two teams on the final chance this week, they have to win. Speaking of wins, they finally stumped game aficionado, Coach Stubbs Jr., quite the vistory in itself. 

11. Tom’s Tyrants (2-9) – No Change

The second team clinging on to the slimmest of slim hopes, if last week was a warm up, they didn’t make the most of it. Back to full strength after the byes, they’ll need their committee RBs to keep up the efficiency.

10. Napolitans (5-6) – No Change

A narrow win last week, but they need to start upping the box scores to make a push at the playoffs. If this was a, very late, breakout game for Najee Harris, it is well-timed. He needs to keep finding the end zone.

9. U R Gould (4-7) – No Change

Not a bad week for them, but they lose the division lead on points scored. Jamaal Williams has definitely been the best thing about their season, which sounds like more of an insult than it is. If they sneak the playoffs, he’ll be pushing for best waiver add of the year.

8. Patistan (4-7) – No Change

A good win (against a slightly lacking opposition, admittedly), and they’ll be pleased to have put up a good score on an off week for main-man Jefferson. They’ll need to keep it up still under heavy pressure for Winchester’s crown – which has lost some lustre since the days of Saxon Wessex.

7. Forge Flyers (6-5) – Down 1

Yeah, nothing went right this week, epitomised by the -2 from Gano (lmao), definitely one to chalk off. They’re losing ground at a critical time, getting Kyler back will help, but they have other injury concerns.

6. The Dream Team (4-7) – Up 1

A much better week, the bounce-back they needed. Big performances from Pollard and Burrow led the way, they’ll be hoping Chase returns to provide some more juice to the stat-lines. High scoring continues to place them well and will continue to be necessary.

5. Buccing The Trend (8-3) – No Change

In what was definitely the game of the week, they toppled the form team by the slightest of margins, thanks in no small part to the monster contribution from Maher. There’s no doubt they are still contenders and, back to full fitness, they could round into form in perfect timing.

4. Gridiron Gang (7-4) – No Change

They may have lost, but it was still a good week and they were against the top ranked side. They continue to look dangerous and, perhaps more importantly, continue to extend the record for most waiver budget spent in a single season after picking up Perine – a record that could last for some time.

3. Bear Necessities (7-4) – No Change

Back to winning ways, but not in the most convincing of fashions. They’ll be hoping that the Bucs figure out their offense before the business end of the year. The gap between teams 3, 4 and 5 is so close for me that I’ve elected not to move any of them. A better compromise than King Solomon’s somehow justifiable homicide.

2. Burdettinators (7-4) – No Change

Points on the bench could easily have continued the run of wins, but they continued to roll into another strong week either way. Henry continues to remind us never to question him, even though we seem to every year, whilst Olave, Hopkins and Pacheco all showed the points can come from anywhere in this roster. 

1. IKSAN (10-1) – No Change

An emphatic celebration of the rightful claim to the top spot. Solid contributions from across the board, particularly from Amari Cooper this week. They don’t have the deepest of benches, but they’re healthy and ready for the playoffs, which (I believe) they are now guaranteed to be in – although I spent the entire season writing about a playoff picture I didn’t understand last year, so who knows.

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Yep, definitely a Black Friday themed amount of movement in the Rankings, at least 50% off. But not bad blurb length, and some sweet non-topical references from centuries past. Maybe Black Friday is more than just consumerism? Eh, who cares, it’s pub time. Good luck lads! *That’s you Coaches and the Tree Lions…

2022 Power Rankings: Week 11

Hello all, welcome to another LOC Sunday! Of course, this is also the Sunday that marks the start of the World Cup. If the group running that was as well organised and non-corrupt as the LOC, perhaps we wouldn’t be about to undertake the first ever midseason edition, with countless niggling injuries and a host nation that were awarded a ‘suspiciously high’ number of penalties in warm up matches, 5 out of 7 of which were behind closed doors. Basically, we’re great, the world sucks. Rankings time.

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12. Fall Guy (2-8) – Down 2

An appropriate name change for their movements this week. A bad week in general and Kupp going to IR. Andrews is still banged up as well, and the season is starting to look bleak. They were unlucky not to pick up more wins early on, but the battle is looking drastically uphill at the moment.

11. Tom’s Tyrants (2-8) – Up 1

Amazingly, their season continues. With the new playoff rules and the worst division in LOC history, the fork has reached near mythical status this season. Taylor did show up, and they have some options at receiver finally. If this was the start of some steam-building, they can’t pause.

10. Napolitans (4-6) – Down 1

Another lopsided week leading to a middling score, they are victims of their division’s success. Still very much in the race for the high score playoff spot, fuelled by Hurts and Hill, they just need a couple more consistent performers to make the push, Christian Kirk just got hot. The drop reflects their route to the playoffs more than anything else, they’re better than teams above them.

9. U R Gould (4-6) – Up 2

Still the low scorers, now actually leading the division. In fairness, it may have been their best game of the season. Finally getting some points at QB was a big boost, but it was the Cook/Jones combo, that finally lived up to draft status, making the difference.

8. Patistan (3-7) – No Change

Despite losing their division crown last week, they are still the strongest team in the division. Elliott screwed them over last week with a late IA, there is enough talent on this roster to pick them back up though. 

7. The Dream Team (3-7) – No Change

If they are going to cling on to the high scoring playoff spot, their only feasible route to the playoffs, they can’t afford many more weeks like that. The injuries have piled up at just the wrong time, but Edwards and Williams are close. Pollard getting a featured role would be a big bonus.

6. Forge Flyers (6-4) – Down 1

No Kyler last week, and the RB trio of the early season isn’t looking quite so dominant anymore. Juju being out and Toney seeing valuable targets is making him look like a hot start from now on, this could provide the juice to continue the push.

5. Buccing The Trend (7-3) – Up 1

That was a good bounce-back week. Jeff Wilson looks great, and they won the Watson sweepstakes, which appears to be a straight route to TDs (and nothing else) at the moment. Good time of the year to start looking dangerous again.

4. Gridiron Gang (7-3) – No Change

A decent week, and a win. That’s kind of all that happened last week. Of course, Joe Mixon is now fresh off the bye so, who know, his 50-pointer could have just been the start.

3. Bear Necessities (6-4) – Down 2

I’ve been high on this team all year, but they looked decidedly average last week. Without Lamar and with Brown locked up, it was far from their best. It’s been so close up top for a while, but perhaps this fall was a little overdue.

2. Burdettinators (7-3) – Up 1

High scorers again, with Fields remaining the catalyst. But, Lamb and Foreman showed their match winning potential too, and we all know what King Henry is capable of – including passing TDs now! Yeah, this team is hot in all the right places still.

1. IKSAN (9-1) – Up 1

It’s yet another good week from them. Mahomes is in crazy form at the moment, and Conner returned to a newly emptied backfield to great reward. They still have highs and lows, but they have probably been deserving of the top spot for a while. I mean, look at that record. My  bad guys.

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And there we have it, another week in the books! Now get excited people, the LOC playoff race and a World Cup at the same time, what a time to be alive.

2022 - Even We Could Beat The Raiders

 Hello and welcome to another episode of the LOC Report! Co-host Chris Leach returns to deliver another HOF episode of the LOC Report with Commissioner Stubbs. If any NFL teams need us to face off against the Josh McDaniels lead Raiders let us know, if Jeff Saturday can do it, why not us? But in the meantime, we'll stick to recapping week 10 and previewing week 11.

2022 Power Rankings: Week 10

Good afternoon, everyone! We’re back and I’m sure we’ve been sorely missed. Actually, I’d accept just ‘absence noticed’ as a compliment, to be quite honest. But anyway, EDOTLOCCA holiday over, back to the Power Rankings. So, three whole weeks have passed, and what have we missed? The undefeated team are no more, the winless have also scored themselves a 1 in the column, and still no one wants to go to the playoffs in Winch. Plus, 6-3 has become the trendy place to be, so a hot playoff race is on the cards. Obviously I got the memo about 6-3, but I consider myself more of a trend-setter than a sheep… Anyway, where have we all landed?

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12. Tom’s Tyrants (1-8) – No Change

Picking up the win will have course been celebrated, but still a sorry season on the whole. The roster is probably looking better than at any stage in the season so far, but they still lack for consistent starters. Maybe Taylor can return to 2021 form after getting healthy again.

11. U R Gould (3-6) – No Change

The low scorers in the league remain joint level on record on their division. Yeah, Winchester really has become the NFCS of the LOC. They seem to have a fantastic habit of making FAs notably worse after they pick them up, along with the fantastic talent of ending QB careers. Does that make them Indy?

10. Overcooke (2-7) – No Change

Week 9 was their unluckiest yet, which is good timing for this article. They’ve had some players round into form, led by Kupp and the Pats D. Despite going 0-3 since we last touched base, they look the most likely team in the Winch division to actually do something.

9. Napolitans (4-5) – No Change

A decent spot of form but still 2 back in their division and struggling to catch up. Tyreek and Hurts are the stars, Stevenson has also been great, they may just be suffering from too little too late. Of course, this is exactly when they made a mad charge at the playoffs last season, so they could well surprise me.

8. Patistan (3-6) – No Change

They hold onto the division, despite a lack of wins In the past 3 weeks. They never seem to have gotten past the Adams/Jefferson combo, struggling to find valuable contributors and with lower input than expected from Herbert. Getting Patterson back should have been helpful, but his committee has gotten far stronger in his absence.

7. The Dream Team (3-6) – Down 1

The defending champs haven’t had things fall their way this year. They’re the 4^th top scorers at the moment, but languish 3 games away from their division rivals and with playoffs looking like a tough ask. Of course, the top scorers outside of the playoffs do get in with the latest rules.

6. Buccing The Trend (6-3) – Down 2

Perhaps the odd one out of the 6-3ers. With a notably lower points for, they have continued to pick up wins nonetheless. Good health and early season form for the key Lions personnel would help dramatically, the roster is too good to be so low scoring.

5. Forge Flyers (6-3) – No Change

They missed a prime opportunity to distance themselves from the pack last week, which has left them playing catchup in a very competitive division. It didn’t quite all come together, but Kamara and Waddle have proven to be consistent scorers. Heavy on the trade-acquisitions, Toney and Claypool have time to pay dividends, despite a poor first week.

4. Gridiron Gang (6-3) – Down 1

Fresh off the back of a statement win, they return to first place in the division, just. Walker has certainly returned on the heavy waiver investment, but this team still isn’t as star studded as those around them (outside of Allen and Kelce, of course).

3. Burdettinators (6-3) – Up 4

Definitely the team who have had the best run since the Week 7 edition. With a roster that was already on the up and key additions, primarily Fields, they are making a solid push for their division as the most in form team. The biggest movers of the EDOTLOCCA bye weeks, by far.

2. IKSAN (8-1) – No Change

Despite having finally dropped a game (very nearly 2 after last week), they still sit a very nice two games clear of anyone else. They continue to be fairly middling scorers, playing the right players at the right time. It’s a great way to win lots of games, I just can’t help but feel they won’t be the strongest team come the playoffs.

1. Bear Necessities (6-3) – No Change

Continuing to pick up wins, whilst still scoring at a very high rate. This team certainly hasn’t gotten worse in my time away. Brown, Ekeler, Jackson have all been week-winners, whilst Pierce has developed into a reliable starter. The top is all so close, I can’t see a reason to knock them down. 

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Wow, much less movement than I had expected. That is mainly due to everything being so damn close, of course. Let’s see what Week 10 brings and whether the playoff hunt starts to take a clearer shape. And, more importantly, let’s hope we speak again next week, it’s been nice. Until then, time to enjoy some German football before Qatar, when it becomes relentlessly infuriating.

2022 - The weather and the NFL sharing double digits

 Hello and welcome to another episode of the LOC Report! As the title suggests, we are now heading into the double digit weeks in the LOC season (whilst unseasonably warm weather in the UK sees our temperature remain in the same range), but before we go ahead and preview week 10 we'll of course take a look back at what happened in week 9, as commissioner Stubbs delivers the pod solo today.

2022 - He did it, Coach Barnes finally got a win!

 Hello and welcome to another HOF episode of the LOC Report! We're not one to usually spoil things, but Tom's Tyrants are finally on the board with their first win of the 2022 LOC Season! Join Commissioner Stubbs and Co-host Chris Leach to recap that game, as well as the others in week 8, and preview week 9.