2014 Playoffs

List of Buddy Bowls

We Three Rings!

Dec 22, 2014 - Congrats to the Cougars for being the first BRAS team to win three rings and to win from the 8-seed. The NBTUs Luck ran out in a big way, but had a great finish to the season. The Cougars won 82.88-59.92.

Playoff coverage and previews.

59.92

82.88

NBTUs & Cougs in BBXIII

Dec 19, 2014 - It's a catfight! It's not the Buddy Bowl that anyone had expected until it shockingly happened with 30 seconds left in Monday night's game. The Cougs try to be the first team with three rings and the NBTUs go for their second.

Buddy Bowl XIII Preview

Ever since the draft, this seemed like an unlikely Buddy Bowl match-up. The Season Preview panned both teams, as did the Yahoo draft grades.The Cougs lost their first three games and both teams needed the last week of the regular season to get into the playoffs. Then they capped off improbably playoff runs when the NBTUs held on Monday night against the 2-seeded FBRs and the Cougs became the second 8-seed (after the Bums last year) to make the big game after Alshon Jeffery got a trash-time TD pass from TrashCan Man Jay Cutler with 30 seconds left in the game Monday night. It's the lowest seeded match-up ever, but forgotten is the fact that the first two BBs were won by 7 seeds. Let's say that at this point they are both teams of destiny. Oh and let's not forget, we can also say this is the first Cat Fight Buddy Bowl!

(6) NBTU (7-6) vs. (8) Cougars (6-7)

What's the secret to winning with these clubs? Is it having QBs on teams that can't score rushing TDs? Maybe. Was it attending the live draft? Perhaps. But more likely it has to do with both teams carrying players on IR on the roster. This just causes more questions. Are they team captains? Moral support? Well we got surprisingly similar respoonses from both teams. The Cougs said about Andre Ellington, "I've never heard of a hernia stopping somebody from peeling and cutting avocados." And the NBTUs said of Jerick McKinnon, "Yes, his back hurts, but his guacamole is divine." The secret is a quality dip!

In less interesting developments, it will be interesting to see how Stafford and Megatron compare. The Cougs have Stafford, so basically Megatron can't score without Stafford scoring, but every time they connect on a pass, Megatron scores more thanks to PPR. The Cougs top WR, Jeffery -- fresh off his Final Four heroics -- will be catching passes from somebody far less surly and insolent than Cutler. But it is doubtful that Jimmy Clausen is the magician of trash time that Cutler is.

Essentially, the teams are evenly matched. Also, neither team has lost a Buddy Bowl. The NBTUs won in 2005, and the Cougs won in '08 and '10. If the Cougs win, they'll be the first team to have three championships, which is even more incredible given that the team only entered the league in 2008. On paper, the NBTUs have a slight edge, but that is largely due to Luck's big projection. As we've seen with ARod and Manning in these playoffs, big time QBs going AWOL for a game basically ends your season. So Luck probably holds the key to who will win this game. NBTUs by 3.

Final Four Previews

For the sixth season in a row, the 2 and 5 seeds have made the Final Four. After nine consecutive seasons of the top seed getting to the Final Four, the JmBs have treated us to a second consecutive season when they have taken their one seed and gone home early. Of this group, only the Metros have never reached the Buddy Bowl, so we are guaranteed of getting at least one repeat Buddy Bowl participant.

(6) NBTU (7-6) vs. (2) The F*** Buddy Ryans (9-4)

History: It was only 2012 when last the FBRs and NBTUs met in the Final Four -- the NBTUs were the 2 seed that year and lost to the 3-seeded FBRs. It sounds like it can't be true, but the FBRs have been to six Final Fours in a row. However, the NBTUs still have more Buddy Bowl championships.So both teams know what it's like to be here and to win.

Keys to victory: The LeVeon Diamond needs to keep shining, but I don't know if he's capable of putting up a third 20+ point game in a row. Wait, he's playing the Falcons. Might go for 20 in the first quarter. The FBRs got a gem from ARod last week against the Falcons, although it may be tougher sledding in Buffalo this week. The Prof has done some real alchemy on that WR corp. Who needs Megatron when you can have Julian Edelman -- he FBRs hero last week?! The FBRs are the more consistent team, although after playing the Bums two weeks in a row, they may have forgotten what it's like to have beat a real team. The NBTUs, as we saw last week, have a high ceiling that really depends on Luck. FBRs by 4.

(8) Cougars (6-7) vs. (5) Metrosexuals (7-6)

History: Neither team made the playoffs last year, and it looked like the Cougs wouldn't make it this year either, but they have scratched and clawed their way in by mere points over the 9th place team. So it's only fitting that they would take down the #1 seed, which is only the third such occurence in BRAS history. Nobody can tell you anything about the Metros playoff history without clicking through pages of internets. All you need to know is that sometimes they get to the Final Four, but have never gotten to a Buddy Bowl. So whichever team wins this game will be a surprise inclusion to BBXIII. The Cougs have been there before and may follow the footsteps of 8-seeded Bums last year. The Metros got to expose the New Team for the pretenders they were.

Keys to victory: Matt Stafford vs. Joe Flacco is probably not the match-up many expected to see here, but Stafford was huge for the Cougs last week. Flacco was good too, but when you're playing a team that's in the process of putting up the fewest points in a playoff game in the last decade, you don't need to do much. The key to the game for the Metros is probably Gronk. Matt Forte, much like the Cougs, has prowled very quietly all season and is now pouncing! And watch the defenses -- the Jets and Jaguars could potentially gift both the Metros and Cougs defenses with dozens of points. Metros by 2.

Round 1 Previews

After a wild last weekend of the regular season, here we are. I'd like to thank our sponsor, Hess, for making it possible to bring in one of their fomer employees who just got released from prison to provide our weekly previews. Please give a warm League "welcome back" to Ryan Leaf! Take it away, Ryan.

(1) JoeMorrisBavaros (9-4) vs. (8) Cougars (6-7) -- I'm somebody who's used to a lot of untruths being said about them. A lot of time it's just from jealousy. The slurs and slanders stop here! The Cougars are finally going to get their comeuppance for the endless draft day trash talk they've tossed at the JmBs. It'll be revenge like when I put regular unleaded into Peyton Manning's car but charged him for premium! Although, next year's draft could also be an avalanche of insults from the Cougs if they beat the #1 seed. The JmBs almost had to face the same 8-seed that blew them up last year in the first round -- the Bums. The JmBs look unstoppable when Peyton Manning is hot and very stoppable when he's not. But that was the same story for the 1227s on championship run last year. If I had the talent around me that he has, people would be saying the same things about me. The Cougs made it into the playoffs by 1.25 points. If they're going to be a team of destiny they'll need that luck and whatever magic they used to thrash the JmBs in week 6. JmBs by 7.

(2) The F*** Buddy Ryans (9-4) vs. (7) Wisey's Bums (6-7) -- When I was first conspired against and locked away, we were just entering the FBR dynasty. How many Buddy Bowls did they end up winning during that run? Oh well. There's always more time to turn things around -- that's what I keep telling myself. The FBRs have already beat down the Bums twice this year, including last week when the Bums had every opportunity to win and couldn't get it done. The Bums have only two wins in their last eight games. The Bums have weekly nightmares at the following positions: QB, RB, TE. But outside of those, they're pretty solid. Pffftt! They could use a big strong arm like mine at QB. Given that they don't even have an NFL caliber RB on the team, I could do that to. I once won a sumo match with Christian Okoye! Aaron Rodgers -- who I think may be my son -- is probably going to score 45 points vs the Falcons. FBRs by 8.

(3) Ladybirds (8-5) vs. (6) NBTU (7-6) -- Those drugs I'm not on must be pretty strong because I'm seeing the Birds as a 3-seed. I know these preview pages are usually filled with hyperbole, but this is not: the last time the Birds won a playoff game, Avatar was in theaters. I bet you didn't think I knew "hyberbole." I had time to read the dictionary when I was in the clink. This is a rematch of the "Good night, Cinderella" game when the Birds started planning their trip to Buddy Bowl IV in a win over the NBTUs, but some trash time points in the last minute of the Jets -- playing for the Jets is even beneath me -- game put the NBTUs ahead. And you know the rest. The NBTUs Big Three (Luck, Megatron, LeVeon) are peaking at the right time, but I don't know if they can do it by themselves. After losing their first three of the season, the Birds have only lost twice more. Looking at their roster, I don't understand how, but they are trending up right now, just like the pics of myself I'm sending out on snapchat. Birds by 4.

(4) New Team (8-5) vs. (5) Metrosexuals (7-6) -- New Team? Was there an expansion draft? Where was I taken? It looks like the New Team has had the benefit of playing the weakest schedule all season, and it looks like that continues here. The Metros have lost three of their last four, although they did get a huge win last week vs the Cougs. Who are these players on the Metros? Fred, Alfred, Phil, Julio? Sounds like a who's who of kids I kicked the asses of in high school -- both when I was a student and more recently as an assistant QB coach. One of the great tragedies is that when I pouted after one game, my career was ruined, but Jay Cutler has gotten a pass. He even has a stupider look on his face than I do! I'm guessing the Metros will probably score 70 points, so there's a good chance the New Team will get through this round. But I'm expecting they give me a shot next year, since there are not many bigger jerks than me. New Team by 6.

Road to BB XIII

Dec 7, 2014 - Let's just start out by saying that there is no justice in this world -- how can the LOTs have the 3rd-most points and still miss the playoffs?! The JmBs are back-to-back regular season champions and the odds-on favorite to get to Buddy Bowl XIII.

Playoff coverage and previews.