2011 Buddy Bowl


			2011 Playoffs



			VS

	90.25		89.03

Ho. Ho. Ho!

Third Time's a Charm for Hos

Jan 2, 2012 - The Hos can call themselves BuddyBowl Champions after their third trip to the big game. Herr Henkin led his team to a wire-to-wire title with an epic last-minute comeback over the FBRs for a 90.25-89.03 win in BB X.

The offense in the game started out looking like Buddy Bowl I (final score 69-58), and the outlook was dimming for the FBRs as only one player had gone into double digits. But with Aaron Rodgers still to play, things looked brighter when Tony Romo (always rising to the occasion in the big game) left the game with 0.0 points. A side effect of him leaving was that the kicker on the Cowboys didn't get many chances -- which meant the FBRs Dan Bailey (who once scored 21 points in a game this year) only managed 1 point. A-Rod would do all he could to once again carry the FBRs this season, but his 38 points left them with only a 9 point lead with Jimmy Graham left to go for the Hos. As fate would have it, he scored 10 points. There was a .5 scoring change that gave the Hos a little more breathing room in the final score.

Herr Henkin thanked the big man upstairs -- John Adams -- for inspiring his team this year. Herr Henkin is known as a consistent participant at the live draft, but this year he had to autodraft. Coincidence? When asked if this was an indictment of his drafting skills, he only said, "You can speak to Siri." His phone then said, "You dummy humans with your Jamaal Charleses and Peyton Mannings, and you're even asking if I can do a better job? Maybe it's because I don't drink tequila shots before making decisions. Kevin, please tell me when to schedule your parade."

Reached for comment after losing his second Buddy Bowl, the Prof would only say "Laces out!" repeatedly.


			Preview

Ten years into the League, and here we are at Buddy Bowl X. The Herr vs. The Prof. The last time the 1st and 2nd seeds met in the Buddy Bowl wasn't too long ago. It was Buddy Bowl VIII, when the FBRs were the 1-seed and lost in the Favresaurus Resurrection to the Birds. Herr Henkin and the Prof have 3 Buddy Bowl appearances (and losses) between them. Now it is time for one of them to get a ring.

(1) Georgetown Hos (11-2) vs. (2) The F*** Buddy Ryans (8-5)

The Hos have arguably won the quietest regular season title (and with an 11-2 record!), and cruised to the Buddy Bowl. And most of that was done with an unproductive Calvin Johnson. And now he's just reminded us that he can score 30+ points. I think I could hear Herr Henkin from across the country: Ho. Ho. Ho. Now I have the Megatron.

The Prof won one of the most thrilling Thrillages in the Village last week to advance to the big game and close out the the JmBs dream season. There is no doubt that the FBRs are the underdog going into this game. And that's how the Prof wants it. He was quoted as saying, "Ain't nobody out there -- none of you media -- thinks we can win this game.We done it all season and nobody gives us credit." He then ran over and wrapped his body around Aaron Rodgers' right leg and whispered something that sounded like "please please throw 5 TDs."

More than anything, this game proves that the Star Fantasy RB is dead. The days of LT and LJ and Edge and Tiki anchoring winning teams are over. Look at these RBs. A maligned Steven Jackson, Beanie Wells, LaGarrette Blount, and Beast Mode. Anybody higher than a third round pick? Maybe. Barely.

The Hos are 10-3 lifetime versus the FBRs, including a Week 11 beating: 113.40-87.23. For what it's worth, Yahoo is projecting almost the same score in this rematch. But somehow, Tony Romo is predicted to get more points than Aaron Rodgers. Much less huffing of Elmer's went into my prediction, but the result is about the same: Hos by 6.


	Final Four Previews

For the third season in a row, the 1, 2, 3, and 5 seeds have made the Final Four. But for the first time since 2003, we have a set of teams that doesn't have a Buddy Bowl champion among them. And for the first time ever, each team advancing to the Final Four scored 100 points in their previous win.

(1) Georgetown Hos (11-2) vs. (5) Metrosexuals (7-6)

History: The Hos won their first regular season title, but have been to the Buddy Bowl before -- actually back-to-back appearances in BB IV and V. But always a bridesmaid to this point. The Metros have never been to the BB. If the Hos are the bridesmaid, the Metros are the organist. The Hos smoked the Metros in week 7.

Keys to Victory: The Metros win and lose based on how Brady and Gronk play. But CJ2K gets to play the Colts, which is a team that is capable of making even Julius Jones look like Chris Johnson. The Hos haven't played a team with a winning record in a month, so you have to wonder if they are prepared. What are the odds of two teams in the Final Four both starting Seahawks RBs? Things really are haywire this year. Hos by 5.

(2) The F*** Buddy Ryans (8-5) vs. (3) JoeMorrisBavaros (8-5)

History: The Thrillage in the Village! In the playoffs?! For being a classic rivalry, the teams couldn't be more different. The Prof has won back-to-back regular season titles, and went to Buddy Bowl VIII. The FBRs are 7-1 in lifetime Thrillages, including an 11-pointn win in week 10. The JmBs are the JmBs.

Keys to Victory: I don't know how much you want to read into patterns, but the FBRs have alternated wins and losses since week 8. Obviously they won last week, so does that mean... nahh, they have Aaron Rodgers playing the Chiefs. The JmBs have scored 245 points over their last two games and are arguably the hottest team in the Final Four. And that's without Andre Johnson! I don't think they can count on 33 points from Pocket Hercules this week, but the way things are shaping up, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Darren Sproles does. JmBs by 2.

Dogs and Cats Living Together

Dec 12, 2011 - Mass hysteria! No disrespect to the Hos and the Metros advancing to the semi-final, but we have a Thrillage in the Village as the other Final Four game. Yes, the JmBs are a game away from the Buddy Bowl.

In an incredible 1st round of games, five teams scored over 100 points, two games wre decided by less than 5 points, and another was within 5 points during the 4th quarter of the Monday night game. The Hos had the only runaway game with a 113-70 win over the 8-seed teen stars. The Metros got nearly half their points from their two Patriots and kept the LOTs 0-for-all-time in the BRAS playoffs. The JmBs went back and forth in a prize fight that is a top 5 scoring (yes, I'm aware it's not updated) playoff game all time. And amidst talk of next week's Thrillage before the Monday night game, the FBRs got a scare out of the NBTUs, as they rallied from down 20 to close the gap to 4 at one point, but ultimately fell short.

The Bums and NBTUs got in the path of Thrillage destiny and got bounced, which means we are assured of a first-time Buddy Bowl champion. The Hos and FBRs have been there before but have no jewelry to show for it. Yet.

Oh, and the Bums became the first BRAS team to score at least 100 points in 50 games.


	Playoff Round 1 Previews

A victory scotch for everyone making the playoffs! And you might look at the playoff brackets and think you had one too many scotches. No Birds. No 1227s (haven't missed the playoffs since 2005). No Cougars (have never missed the playoffs). Instead we have the JmBs (for the first time ever) and the #1 seed Hos, who haven't been to the playoffs since 2008.

(1) Georgetown Hos (11-2) vs. (8) teen stars (6-7) -- The Hos have won their first regular season championship after winning their first seven in a row. The teen stars made the playoffs after losing their first five in a row, which is a BRAS league first. This would be an upset if the teen stars were to win, but not huge because they've been 6-2 in their last 8 games (even though four of those wins were against non-playoff teams). The Hos backfield looks like a who's who of RB afterthoughts, but Herr Henkin has been a genius all season, so I don't expect that to change this week. Hos by 7.

(2) The F*** Buddy Ryans (8-5) vs. (7) NBTU (7-6) -- This is an epic showdown between the two highest-scoring fantasy players -- Rodgers and Brees. The 2 vs 7 used to be the classic upset match-up, but that hasn't been true in recent history. This is the first time in three years that the FBRs haven't been the top seed -- but that hadn't really been working great for them anyway. The NBTUs got schooled by the Prof in week 8 by nearly 50 points, but they've won four in a row and scored over 100 points in their last two games. FBRs by 5.

(3) JoeMorrisBavaros (8-5) vs. (6) Wisey's Bums (7-6) -- The JmBs? Here? So we have the team that has never been in the playoffs versus the team that has never missed the playoffs. The Bums beat the JmBs in week 9 during the JmBs mid-season swoon, but he JmBs have re-established themselves as a top 2011 win -- punctuated by an 83-point beatdown of the 1227s last week (a top 5 biggest blowout). Should the FBRs and JmBs both win, it will be the first playoff edition of the Thrillage in the Village. Dogs and cats living together... complete hysteria. Good thing just by mentioning it that I have jinxed such a possibility. Although, the counter jinx is that Yahoo has the Bums projected to score a laughable 114 points. JmBs by 2.

(4) LOTFW (8-5) vs. (5) Metrosexuals (7-6) -- The good news for these two teams is that one of them has to win. The LOTs are no stranger to the playoffs, but have never won a game. The Metros have won before -- the last time being in the year 2004 (the matts rexers were still in the league and W was still in his first term, if you can't remember back that far). The LOTs have horribly unfavorable match-ups, but the Metros will also need to adjust their line-up, which is unlikely. On paper, this game can't get any closer. The Metros won in week 3 in a 110-94 shootout. Brady vs. Tebow may determine this one. Can Tebow come up with one more miracle win? Metros by 3.