Week 2

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 30 August 2024 17:54

Published: Friday, 30 August 2024 17:54

Written by Patrick McGovern

Hits: 2609

 

And just like that, we’re off. That’s right Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, the Race for Social Co-Ed Football Immortality is on! Week 1 is in the books, and it gave us everything we wanted and more! There were close games, there were blowouts, there were ambulances, there were suspensions, there was the surprise that neither of the last two things were related to the Wet Uptowns vs Eyes Downtown game in any way, there was Joey Batts not answering B’s Brother’s request for a way to the fields on Facebook, the weather was hot, Field 5 wasn’t that terrible besides a rock here and there, and lots of teams had fun. 

 

There were quite a lot of things going on, and as usual it’s on me to sort out what’s really happening after the first week of TSL action. Don’t forget that the results of Week 1 tend to have next to no effect on the outcomes of Championship Saturday. Teams could’ve just been missing players last week, teams could’ve been getting new players used to their system (most TSL teams don’t have mandatory two-a-day practice sessions like Bobby does for Eyes Downtown), etc. There’s enough proof out there that a bad Week 1 doesn’t mean it’s the end for your season already. But a good Week 1 can be the beginning of your Story of Immortality. Who had a good start? Who had a bad one? 

 

GOOD NOT BAD

 

 

• Select showed up as a new team, got through some uh, challenging times during both of their games, and ended up 2-0 on the day with two 1-point victories over the GirthQuakes and Vaspian.

• Wet Bandits start off 2-0, and score a lot of points in doing so as they continue looking for the championship they haven’t won for over a calendar year now. 

• Vaspian is 1-1, but they were an inch away from starting 2-0 and being on top of D4. 

• Sticky Laces jumped out to a 2-0 record in D6 after a trying first season. 

• Day By Day (Just Joshing) continued their rising trend from last season with a blowout win. 

• Power Puffs lay the smack down on multiple candy asses, unleash new secret weapon on the league, start off 2-0. 

• The Malones easily win their first game in D2, whispers about why they were scared of D1 already beginning. 

• Wanderers do Wanderers things, start off 2-0 and seem poised to finally win that title. Of course if Week 1 decided the champions, they’d have 3 titles already. 

• Can’t Touch This is 1-1, but had a close, 5 point loss against Frodo in a Crossover game. 

• Freeballers show they have guts, move up to D1 without Sean (who is going #1 in TSL fantasy drafts on espn.com) and lose to the defending champs. But only by 8 points, proving they belong. (And they didn’t have Hogan throwing, but that may have helped.)

 

 

NOT GOOD NOT BAD

 

 

• The Jabronies are 1-1, beating TAST but couldn’t hang with the Wanderers. Bad Klecker (not to be confused with Good Klecker, the QB everyone likes) may need to sacrifice a potted plant once again.

• Practice Squad gets a great win to start the year, but also it was against 5 people. 

• Cunning Stunts kill a team. Typical. 

• Two Tuddies change QBs, get a win over fierce rival Not So Sticky, but they’ve played them enough that it isn’t impressive. 

• Spinelli’s Plumbing put up 38 points in their return, but also allowed 50. 

• D1/D2 Crossover Games have D1 at 2-0 so far this season, but results were split in that one game was very close and the other wasn’t. The Malones are coming. 

 

 

BAD NOT GOOD

 

 

• TMA moves back to D6, promptly gets stomped. 

• Bullet Club is the first team to allow 100 points this session, dropping to 0-2 very quickly. 

• PWI makes a grand entrance to D3 with only 5 players, proving what everyone already knows: women just want to avoid being around Colorado Mike at all costs. 

• Cobblestone starts off 0-2, looks to be crumbling from the outside, Darryl Carr QB Superstar wants to knock down the roster and rebuild, people won’t let him. He can only do so much. 

• Jeremy Burr didn’t play last week, which isn’t good for anyone. 

• Eyes Downtown 0-1 again, under .500 for their last 10 games, considering changes at QB and DL. 

• Jeff Krol worries more about moving into his new mansion and parenting over updating the website poll, Topper rumored to return to power. 

 

 

And there you have it, that’s where the TSL stands currently after an exciting first week. What does Week 2 hold? Let’s find out. 

 

D1

 

Last Week’s Games

 

Sticky Bandits 37, Freeballers 29

Wet Bandits 39, Eyes Downtown 34

 

All of the Bandits got wins last week in D1 games, but more importantly they were close games, which bodes well for the future of the division. 

This Week’s Games:

 

Wet Bandits vs Frodo Swaggins (+7) - Frodo got their win back over CTT in a Crossover game last week as a nice tune-up, but it’s time to see if this version of the team is up to the test of the top D1 teams, or if they’re still a step behind. WET BANDITS BY 13

D1/D2 CROSSOVER CORNER!

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Frodo Swaggins 34, Can’t Touch This 29

Wet Bandits 57, Grey Hair Don’t Care 22

 

D1 is leading the season series 2-0. 

Frodo Swaggins lost to CTT last year in the crossover games, but snuck out a win this time around, as Can’t Touch This continues to show they can probably be a pretty good D1 team if they keep it up. The Wet Bandits beat up on a returning Grey Hair Don’t Care, playing their second game of the day, in the heat. Not the best way to start things off for them. 

 

This Week’s Games: 

 

Sticky Bandits vs The Malones (+3) - YES YES YES, ABSOLUTELY YES. Not only do we get The Malones playing a D1 game, they get the DEFENDING CHAMPS RIGHT AWAY. After wondering for so long if The Malones can keep up with the best teams in the TSL, we get to see them go against the reigning champs. What fun! Game of the Day is right here. If you’re not playing at 10, you should be watching this game. THE MALONES BY 2

 

Frodo Swaggins vs The Untouchaballs (+6) - So right after we get a Sticky - Malones matchup, we’re gifted a Garrett vs Jeremy Burr QB Battle? Thank you scheduling gods! I don’t love that UT didn’t play a game yet this season together, but they’re getting Frodo on the back half of a double header too? There’s rumors of this being the end for The Untouchaballs after this season, so expect them to go extra hard all season. THE UNTOUCHABALLS BY 8

 

Freeballers vs Grey Hair Don’t Care (EVEN) - In a matchup that once sounded like a ‘pretty okay’ D2 game that would happen at 3:00 on Field 4, we get a matchup SOAKING in intrigue and drama. The Freeballers won D2 last year with Dave Eickhoff throwing darts around the field and his offense (which was more than just “throw it high to Sean) was the change the FB needed to win it all. And then he left them for Grey Hair to return to the TSL after a season off. A rusty Hogan, Eickhoff knowing how to pick apart the defense of the team he just played for, and Garbacz there to make a crucial bad call that makes a Keita or two flip out? Stick this directly into my veins. FREEBALLERS BY 1

 

Eyes Downtown vs Scared Hitless (+10) - This game doesn’t really have the flair the others do, but don’t let that fool you, it’ll be a good game. Just two months ago these two met in a Crossover game that Eyes Downtown won 34-28, so Scared Hitless can absolutely hang here. I’m just not exactly sure if they’re going to. Eyes Downtown just feels like they NEED this win more than SH does. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 7

D2

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

The Malones 43, Scared Hitless 28

Can’t Touch This 36, Grey Hair Don’t Care 16

 

The Malones start off their D2 campaign the same way they rock every game, scoring over 40 points and winning comfortably. Can’t Touch This continues their winning ways that they ended their season on last year (save for winning the title, sure) with an easy win over GHDC. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Can’t Touch This vs Mavericks (EVEN) - The Mavericks are becoming a little forgotten in the D2 world. Last season, they got off to a hot start, and played a bunch of games early, which may have hurt them come playoff time. Either way, the lack of games later in the season last year, plus missing Week 1, has given them a sort of “under the radar” status to some degree. Let’s remember that this is a VERY good team that has it all - Great Girls, Good-Great Guys, and arguably the best QB in the division. Last year, they had all the good vibes too. This year? I’m not feeling it just yet. A big win here should help with that, but for some reason I don’t feel it just yet. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 8

 

The Malones vs Grey Hair Don’t Care (+12) - I’m not entirely sure Grey Hair Don’t Care will be able to keep up with The Malones. That’s really all it comes down to. THE MALONES BY 17

D3

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Wanderers 28, Jabronies 24

Buffalo Vice 48, Bullet Club 31

Jabronies 34, Topper’s All Stars & Todd 12

Wanderers 53, Bullet Club 29

Practice Squad 44, Passing While Intoxicated 8

 

The Wanderers went 2-0 with wins over the Jabronies and Bullet Club, proving everyone right that they’re the team to beat this session. Speaking of Bullet Club, they fell to 0-2 on the season by also losing to Buffalo Vice. The Jabronies may have lost to the Wanderers but they did go 1-1 on the day with a win over TAST, and PWI got dunked on in their “Welcome to D3” game by B and The Lantzes (which is also the name of their secret underground jazz band). 

This Week’s Games:

 

Jabronies vs Bullet Club (+10) - The Jabronies lost to the Wanderers by 4, and Bullet Club lost to them by 24. That should be all you need to really know going into this game, but last year these two played a very close game that came down to the wire. I expect more of the same here, but BC is staring 0-3 in the face. JABRONIES BY 8

 

Buffalo Vice vs Practice Squad (EVEN) - An early matchup between two teams trying to get to 2-0. Every D3 game has playoff tiebreaker implications, meaning every game is close, and I feel like these two teams will be battling to be above the 7 seed so they get a “bye” of sorts, which means this game is BIG. Vice dropped 48 last week, which shouldn’t be too surprising since they DID drop 66 in a playoff game last season. They’ve figured out the “D3” learning curve after some ups and downs. The Caitlyn Mason vs Renee Lantz battle should be a great one to watch too. I think we’re going to see some B magic this time around. PRACTICE SQUAD BY 7

 

Passing While Intoxicated vs Straw Hats (EVEN) - This game was hard for the oddsmakers to give a line to because they didn’t know what to expect from Straw Hats yet, and PWI just had a brutal debut a week ago. But PWI has Buddy Lee, quietly one of the better QBs in the league, and I’ve seen enough from PWI over the years to know that when they have a bad week, they bounce back better than just about anyone.  PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED BY 12

 

Let’s Get Reccked vs Straw Hats (+6) - LGR continues to be an enigma of sorts because you’re always left thinking “This team should be much better than its record ever shows.” They have the smarts and the talent to be great, although there’s some questions about the depth of the roster at times. Regardless, they’ll be a tough task for a Straw Hats team we know nothing about (but they can email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let me know who they are!). LETS GET RECCKED BY 13

 

D4

 

Last Week’s Games

 

ILF 26, Cobblestone 0

Select 28, GirthQuakes 27

Vaspian 31, Creekers 12

GirthQuakes 21, Cobblestone 0 (Forfeit)

Select 27, Vaspian 26

Cunning Stunts 52, The Herd 24

The Stunts and ILF both won their games pretty easily, as expected, as they move towards a D4 title game battle with each other. Cobblestone dropped to 0-2, but that was due to player issues unfortunately. The GirthQuakes end up 1-1, losing by a point to Select, and getting a forfeit win. Speaking of Select, they’re 2-0 after two victories, and they’ve gotten off to a (mostly) great start! Vaspian lost to Select by a point, but they beat up on the Creekers 31-12, perhaps signaling a Vaspian return to glory? We can only hope. 

This Week’s Games

 

ILF vs Select (+7) - Select has the good feelings from being 2-0, but it’s one thing to beat a brand new team and Vaspian, and another to play ILF, who has been at the top of the division for a little while now and with Buddy Lee at QB for them (giving ILF their first “actual” QB ever) it should be what they need to get over the hump and win it all. If Select is truly going to factor into the D4 title picture, a win (or at least a close loss) is needed here. Not sure they’re going to get it. ILF BY 13

 

Cunning Stunts vs Creekers (+8) - Stop me if you’ve heard this before. The Cunning Stunts easily put up 50+ points after adding another top flight female (this time it’s Maddie Norton) to the squad. It’s still weird that the Stunts haven’t won D4 yet, Matty’s Angels would’ve done it twice by now. It’s still par for the course for the Stunts, but for the Creekers I’m not so sure. A 19 point loss to Vaspian is a bit surprising (I’m going to assume they were missing people), and a game against the Stunts isn’t a way to stop the bleeding. CUNNING STUNTS BY 20

 

ILF vs The Herd (+14) - The schedule makers didn’t do The Herd any favors, giving them the best two teams in the league right out of the gate. On the other hand, they’ll get the hard ones out of the way, learn from these two games, and be able to apply those lessons to the “weaker” teams they have left on the schedule. At least, in theory anyway. ILF BY 17

 

Cunning Stunts vs Vaspian (+10) - Great start for Vaspian, as I’ve said ten times now. I’d like to see them keep it rolling, but the Stunts are just built different….. CUNNING STUNTS BY 14

 

Vaspian vs The Herd (+10) - ….but The Herd is not. Another doubleheader for Vaspian, another 1-1 week. VASPIAN BY 10

D5

 

Last Week’s Games

 

PowerPuff Girls 44, Come From Behind 26

PowerPuff Girls 50, Spinelli’s Plumbing 38

Two Tuddies 23, Not So Sticky 18

 

The PowerPuff Girls have very, very clearly planted their flag and let the world know that they’re coming for that D5 title. They beat perennial contender Come From Behind rather easily, and then they beat former D5 champions Spinelli’s as well. That’s a GREAT start for the Girls. The Two Tuddies started off on the right foot with their new look roster, getting a win over Not So Sticky. 

 

This Week’s Games

 

Stir The Sauce vs Pit Harade (+8) - Stir The Sauce had a really good first season last spring which saw them stay close in most games and then upset GUCCI in the playoffs as well. They fell short of winning the title by 4 points against THK, so they’re well positioned to have a really good season. They get a good start to the season playing Pit Harade, who came up from D6 despite not winning the championship. They were 12-5 the last two seasons though, so it kind of makes sense to move up. QB Dave Walter will have his hands full in PH’s first D5 game. STIR THE SAUCE BY 15

 

Come From Behind vs Spinelli’s Plumbing (+7) - This could be a high scoring affair if everything goes right. Both teams are looking to bounce back after beatings by the PPGs, so it will be quite interesting to see who does a better job of it. It’ll be weird seeing CFB at 0-2. SPINELLI’S PLUMBING BY 8

 

Not So Sticky vs Pit Harade (+8) - Not So Sticky looks to get back to some winning ways after last week, and getting the brand new D5 team on the back end of a double header seems to be the way to do it. This should be a fun game, but look for NSS to exploit PH as they’re learning the D5 game. NOT SO STICKY BY 13

D6

 

Last Week’s Games

 

Day By Day 44, TMA 7

Sticky Laces 19, Dogg Pound 17

Sticky Laces 28, Balls Deep 18

Sausage McMuffins 46, Purple Nurples 29

Day By Day gets a huge win over TMA to start the season off right. Sticky Laces is 2-0 after a 2 point win over Dogg Pound (these teams always play close, good games), and then they beat Balls Deep as well. Lastly, The McMuffins dropped 46 on the Purple Nurples. Not sure if that’s the result of the McMuffin offense being really good again, or the Nurples’ Defense being really not so good again. Time will tell. 

 

This Week’s Games

 

Day By Day vs Dogg Pound (+7) - The DPs were close yet again last week, but couldn’t quite get there. After going through the QB carousel last year, here’s hoping they’ve settled on one and they can continue to improve Week By Week. DBD, on the other side of the field, has really figured it out ever since about Week 5 last spring, and the statement win last week is a sign of things to come. While both of these teams started out at the same time, one of them is a little further along with their development. DAY BY DAY BY 11

 

Sausage McMuffins vs TMA (+10) - SMM finds themselves in an all too familiar position of D6 title contenders who can score, usually, but something always creeps up and ruins the season for them. While this team likes having fun (as it is full of good people), I’m thinking this is the season they need to go for everyone’s throats and have a bit of an edge to them. They get a good candidate to do that in TMA, who didn’t quite get the “Welcome Back to D6!” respect they maybe should’ve gotten. Dorene mentioned on the TSL podcast (Listen on Spotify!) they were short handed, so let’s hope that that was just a blip on the radar. SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS BY 8

 

Fall Blitzkrieg vs Balls Deep (+7) - I don’t know who’s throwing for BK, and as always I’m hoping it's Light Red Hoodie Guy. Unless Alex found a way to play, which would be great for BK. The TSL’s version of “When is it finally going to be their time??” got a gift this offseason when Pit Harade and Back That Pass Up left the division, which means they have the best chance to win they’ve had in a while. Balls Deep is one of the contenders to take them down, and BD DID beat them last season, but I think that was a fluke. FALL BLITZKRIEG BY 14

 

Fall Blitzkrieg vs Purple Nurples (+10) - Same as above for BK, the Nurples COULD represent a D6 challenger, as they’ve been a tough D6 team for a couple of seasons before last spring, where the wheels fell off for some reason, and they couldn’t even cover the “Shady Pines Retirement Home All Stars” in a scrimmage game in July, losing 58-14. (In their defense, Edith Granderson is the greatest 77 year old female football player of all time. She’s slippery.) It’s hard to say if they figured it out yet, but this will be a good test. FALL BLITZKRIEG BY 19

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• Who’s going to win Breakfast Club? Breakfast Club starts this week for the Fall season, and for the most part the sign ups were encouraging! We have 3 new captains this season - Sydney from Two Tuddies, Carly from Jabronies (teaming up with Jenna), and Rylee from Sticky Bandits. They join Dorene, Dri, and Hall of Fame Breakfast Club Captain Steph in battle this year. The rosters all look really, really even this time around, but my “preseason” prediction is that we’ll be seeing All Ryled Up losing in the finals to Dri Girls 1 Cup. 

• WILL JOEY (OR B) GIVE B’S BROTHER A RIDE TO THE FIELDS SO HE CAN BLESS US WITH HIS PRESENCE? I don’t know the answer to this, but I know B reads this article every week, so he better get his brother to the fields. Still not sure Joey Batts can read at all. 

 

 

 

• Why was Field 5 so rough to play on? What’s the deal with it? As stated last week, Field 5 is a brand new field that we’ve never played on before. All of the other fields have had years upon years of TSL history played upon them, which over time has led to everyone unearthing random rocks, etc and clearing them away. The more we play on F5, the better it’ll be. 

 

 

 

• What forms of TSL Media are there? I’m new to the league and there’s a LOT going on! Well, I’ve said it before but I’ll get into it again. Every week you can read The Sentinel, usually on Mondays. On Thursdays the TSL QB Power Rankings Committee puts out their article. I’m The Godfather, and I’ve been bringing you this article on Fridays for well over a decade now. There’s also the TSL podcast that comes out on Tuesday or Wednesday (usually) to listen to. There’s also “The Roost”, which some other members of the league record and it's lighthearted and funny most of the time, it's a bit of a different vibe for sure. I think they come out with an episode near the end of the week. Either way, you can check the website nearly every day for more TSL content. 

 

 

 

• If a D2 team wins all of their D1 crossover games and look to be a legit D1 title contender, can they choose to be in the D1 playoffs instead? I think Jeff Krol’s brain would explode, but how fun would it be if, say, The Malones win all of their crossover games, and challenge whoever ends up in 5th place in D1 to a game that determines who plays for what title? I think this should be an option of some sort. How interesting would that be? 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• Games of the Day: 

• 10:00 - Sticky Bandits vs The Malones

• 11:00 - Buffalo Vice vs Practice Squad

• 12:00 - ILF vs Select

• 1:00 - Come From Behind vs Spinelli’s Plumbing 

• 2:00 - Freeballers vs Grey Hair Don’t Care

• 3:00 - The Herd vs Vaspian

 

 

 

• Breakfast Club Predictions:

• All Ryled Up 37, Carlyac Arrest 24

• Syd On My Face 31, D’z Nuts 30

• Dri Girls 1 Cup 38, Steph Infection 30

 

 

 

• Using my Weather Channel App here in Des Moines, Iowa, it says that the Buffalo weather for Saturday is looking to be 78 degrees, but there may be some rain. That’s a bummer. 

 

 

 

• I know it’s really early to even think about the TSL Banquet and the awards that come with it, but good luck to the committee for trying to pick a D2 QB of the Year. Jordan Lawson vs Andy Strug vs Dave Eickhoff vs Ryan Dougherty vs Jeremy Burr is going to be one of the absolute hardest awards to ever decide. That’s a LOT of talent. 

 

 

 

• I think Select is really going to stick around at the top of the D4 standings. 

 

 

 

• Thanks again to all of you who email me each week about the games and what’s going on with your team. But there’s still a bunch of teams I don’t know about! Email me ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and say hi! You don’t have to be a captain to email me, just do it anyway. I want to get as many people noticed as possible. 

 

 

 

• I’m sure that this week is going to have some weird results because it’s Labor Day weekend. 

 

 

 

• I know Garrett has needed some help finding a ref or two already this year, so if you’re willing to referee to help out (and make $30 a game), reach out to him, or Jeff Krol, ASAP. Every little bit helps. 

 

 

 

• Three teams that already “need a win” just to get some confidence going: Bullet Club, Eyes Downtown, TMA. I know it’s early in the season, but based on how things have been going, it’ll do all of these teams some good. 

 

 

 

• I’m pretty sure the only reason D3 has all 10 teams make the playoffs is because Jeff Krol is being nice to Topper and Joe K to make sure their teams make it. 

 

 

-GF OUT

CHAMPIONSHIP THOUGHTS, PICKS AND STUFF

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 28 June 2024 14:54

Published: Friday, 28 June 2024 14:54

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 3016

Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe we’ve arrived to the final chapter of the TSL Spring 2024 season. The Race For Social Co-Ed is nearing its conclusion, and on Saturday, June 29th in the Year of Our Lord 2024 7 of the 24 surviving TSL teams will be crowned champions, and will forever live on in our hearts and minds. Core memories are going to be made for many people this weekend, but only a few of you will be the ones making good ones. 

 

Playoff Saturday lived up to the hype once again, as we had a little bit of everything. We had expected blowouts (The Malones 49, Bullet Club 8), and unexpected blowouts (Blitzkrieg 44, Sausage McMuffins 6), we had unexpected high scoring affairs (Buffalo Vice 66, Keller Whales 49), we had big comebacks (The Untouchaballs being down 20 points to Puckett before winning 42-36), we had upsets galore (lower seeded teams won 7 of the 21 games last week, with two #2 seeds going down), we even had forfeits if that’s your thing. The only thing we didn’t have was a #1 seed losing, and when you think of the first round struggles of Cunning Stunts and GUCCI, that’s a little more impressive than it sounds. 

 

Playoff Saturday taught us that once again, we know nothing. Anything can happen in the TSL when the greatest in the world of Social Co-Ed Football square off. Which is why I’ve contacted the TSL QB Power Rankings Committee to once again give me their collective insights on the games for Championship Saturday, just to see how wrong they’re going to be. On the plus side, you get two sets of predictions for what should be a crazy day in TSL history. It usually is. 

GF: Hey there TSLQBPRC. I figured I’d bother you guys once again for Championship Saturday since I know you’re not actually doing any work for the league this week over there with your “we take the last week off” nonsense. There should be a playoff QB rankings, by the way. I’ll get that started for you: 

 

1. Playoff B. 
2. Everyone else. 

 

But besides that, yet again TSL Playoff Saturday has once again proved to be one of the most exciting sports days in existence. Just look at the facts: we had 7 lower seeds pull off upsets, and from what I was told we were close to a couple of others as well. What really stood out to you guys last week? 

 

TSLQBPRC: I’m sorry, but did you not see all the charts and graphs in our last article? We NEED the last weeks off after compiling all of that. But you’re right, playoff QB ranking is easy when it’s B and then everyone else. Why can’t he summon that kind of power for the regular season??

 

So besides GUCCI winning a playoff game after a couple seasons of disappointing early exits, the biggest thing that stood out to me was the D3 race, which had three of those seven upsets you mentioned. The four teams left in D3 have point differentials on the season of -50 (practice squad), -37 (Buffalo Vice), -35 (let’s get Reccked), and +165 (the Malones). One of those things is not like the other. Is it a foregone conclusion that the Malones are winning D3?

 

GF: It’s felt that way for about a month now, hasn’t it? But when we dive into it, they WILL have to get through Playoff B, and then go against either a Vice squad that just dropped 66 points against D3’s #1 defense in the Keller Whales, or they get a Let’s Get Reccked squad that, if you recall, was the “Week 1 D3 champion” this season because their roster was “way too good”. LGR struggled all season with attendance and injuries, but they’re getting healthy and peaking at the right time. It isn’t inconceivable that LGR gives The Malones a run. Either way, it’s still fun to see that all of the #1 seeds survived, feels like a rarity these days. You mentioned GUCCI, but let’s not forget the Cunning Stunts getting out of the first round unscathed. The TSL has been waiting for the ladies to get that title, this might be their year. Can you believe that arguably the best regular season D4 team of the last 10 seasons combined has NEVER won a D4 title? Also, with the way the PowerPuff Girls have been playing, how likely do you feel it is that we’ll see TWO gender teams walk out of Championship Saturday with titles? 

 

TSLQBPRC: We could NOT believe that the Stunts have never won the D4 championship before.  In fact, we looked it up, convinced that you were wrong, but it’s confirmed: their last championship was D5 all the way back in Spring 2019.  They’ve been DOMINANT since then, but somehow haven’t sealed the deal in the playoffs.  We feel like their odds of winning this year are incredibly high… but PowerPuff Girls will have a harder road through D5.  Their biggest advantage (every TD is worth 8!) also applies to our quasi-gender team GUCCI, and when they played Travis Henry’s Kids earlier this season, they got destroyed.  Like all gender teams, they’re vulnerable to tall, high jumping male athletes like Pete Walbrandt… and also Dan The Wrestler from Stir the Sauce.  Throw in the fact that Kyle Conniff is (allegedly) out this week, and we’re not sure we love PowerPuff Girls’ chances of joining the Stunts in immortality.  But stranger things have happened.  Which division do we expect to see the biggest shocker of a champion?

 

GF: No Kyle? Who’s the backup QB for the PowerPuff Girls then? Is it just Maddie? In terms of which division would we expect to see the biggest shocker of a champion, I think that answer lies right where we’ve been focused: D5. GUCCI has finished #1 in the division before, they’ve always been one of the top teams, but they’ve always found a way to be thwarted in the playoffs. So GUCCI actually winning can give mild shock vibes, Stir The Sauce is a new team with a middle of the road Offense and Defense, we already mentioned the Powerpuff Girls won’t have their regular QB, and then there’s THK, where “Playoff Langley” might be the scientific explanation for why “Playoff B” exists. “For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction”. I know, this has to deal with motion, but it stands to reason that for Playoff B to have been born, the opposite had to also exist…and its playoff Langley. THK may have also won the award for “most complained about team this season” in terms of division placement, but realistically, they’ve struggled since leaving D6, so even them winning could be considered a shock. The other divisions don’t have that “shocking” winner we’d expect. (We don’t expect The Malones to lose, so that would be a complete and utter UNEXPECTED win for anyone else). D1 has it’s Top 2 remaining, D2 basically had the whole division with the same record to end the season, D4 has had a pretty clear cut Top 3 for a while, and D6 has it’s top three teams from the regular season (Pit Harade, Blitzkrieg, Back That Pass Up) still alive, so we don’t expect a Just Joshing feel good storybook win, qualifies as unexpected. D5 is the only division where whenever you hear who won the title, you can say to yourself “wow, they actually did it” for any team. Did you have someone else in mind? 

 

TSLQBPRC: Cody Stumpf is the backup QB for PowerPuff Girls, and they beat Tuddies earlier this season 44-7 with him playing.  So he’s either pretty decent, or the Tud Buds are just that bad.  But yeah, D5 is the division where someone’s going to overcome some adversity to win a title that usually eludes them.  Just Joshing in D6 is probably the most “shocking” team that could win another division right now outside of D3, and we just don’t see that happening.  Speaking of D3, does Practice Squad move BACK to D2 if they go on a run and win it all again?  The League needs to invent a D2 ½ for these guys.

 

GF: Well, the hottest TSL topic is divisional realignment isn’t it? If there ends up being a 6-8 team “new” D1, I think it’s fair to say Practice Squad could very easily slide up into the “new” D2 with 2-3 other current D3 teams anyway. But all of THAT sort of fun is for the offseason, it’s just fun to fantasize about. We’ll get going on the games this week in a second, is there anything else you’d like to add, touch on, or ask?

 

TSLQBPRC: Playoffs aside, where he was a disappointing no-show… It was cool having Topper back in the League this session.  Podcasts, at the bar, trying to throw a football (and failing), playing defense because he couldn’t QB anymore (and succeeding), it was amazing to have him back again this session.  Now we just need to talk him into doing Breakfast Club next session (if there IS a Breakfast Club in the Fall, which I’m told is still TBD?).  That being said, let’s talk about the games.

 

GF: That’s what everyone is here for anyway, right?

D1

 

Last Week’s Games

 

#1 Eyes Uptown 49, #4 Frodo Swaggins 14

#2 Sticky Bandits 37, #3 Eyes Downtown 26

 

The Story: The Top 2 seeds in D1 move on to the championship. Eyes Uptown look to get their title back, while Sticky looks to finally capture their first D1 title. 

 

#1 Eyes Uptown (6-2) vs #2 Sticky Bandits (5-3)

 

Points For: EU 36.50 (1st), Sticky 29.50 (3rd))

Points Against: EU 24.88 (1st), Sticky 27.13 (2nd)

TSL Rank: EU 5th, Sticky 18th

Past Games: 28-26 SB, 42-37 EU

Line: Eyes Uptown (-3)

GF: A classic D1 matchup between the top two seeds in the regular season. You guys are the special guests, so you can make your prediction first. 

 

TSLQBPRC: It turned into a battle of the top two seeds in the end, but remember just a few months back, we were all predicting an inevitable Eyes Downtown vs Eyes Uptown rematch, and then Eyes Downtown just sort of collapsed.  Maybe they’ll do a 30 for 30 documentary on that some day, but they just did not seem like the team that was so dominant last Fall.  Either way, they’re out and the Sticky Bandits are in.  Do the Bandits have a chance?  Sure.  They’re underdogs, definitely, but they’ve played two close games against Eyes Uptown already this season, splitting the series.  Official prediction?  It should be Eyes Uptown winning their fourth championship in the last five seasons.  But it’ll come down to the last drive.  EYES UPTOWN BY 3.

 

GF: The collapse of Eyes Downtown (if only for a season) wasn’t on my TSL Bingo Board, that’s for sure. Sticky deserves a ton of credit, as they consistently shore up some holes in their roster every season. It’s been said a ton, but getting Maggie to rush is still a big win. Sticky deserves a D1 title, and I know they’ll get one someday, but this doesn’t feel like the time. Eyes Uptown has slightly better talent and have been playing slightly better than anyone else because of it. Plus Joey Batts might be playing some of the best football of his career. It all adds up to one thing: EYES UPTOWN BY 6.

 

 

D2

 

Last Week’s Games

 

#3 The Untouchaballs 42, #6 Puckett All-Stars 36

#5 Scared Hitless 30, #4 Can’t Touch This 28

 

The Story: The Untouchaballs continue to defend their title, Scared Hitless’ playoff magic continues, is there rust from having a bye week? Will it affect the Mavericks and Freeballers?

 

#1 Mavericks (5-2-1) vs #5 Scared Hitless (4-4)

 

Points For: Mavericks 39.63 (1st), SH 33.75 (2nd)

Points Against: Mavericks 32.13 (3rd), SH 35.25 (5th)

TSL Rank: Mavericks 9th, SH 32nd

Past Games: 56-38 Mavericks

Line: Mavericks (-8)

 

GF: Scared Hitless took a close one over a very hot CTT last week, as they continue their own little streak of doing some good things in the playoffs. As long as Dylan Day is on, there isn’t a team they can’t beat. This is a matchup of the top two scoring offenses in D2, and I expect a higher scoring affair. The Mavericks have been good all season, and they’ve helped out their once “not too good” defense this season a lot. Jordan Lawson seems to have found a new groove this time around, and I’m not entirely sure the Scared Hitless defense will get a stop. All the Mavericks will need is one stop to take this one. MAVERICKS BY 9

 

TSLQBPRC: D2 was so incredibly close this session as far as the final team records, and Scared Hitless was much better than what you’d expect from a fifth place team.  Having said that, the Mavericks were the one team that got any separation in the standings this season, they had the best record, they had the best point differential, and they beat a D1 team that we’re talking about potentially winning the Finals.  Dylan is great, and we’d love to pick a different team than you just to be contrary, but the Mavericks have too many pieces for Scared Hitless to solve.  MAVERICKS BY 12.

 

#2 Freeballers (4-3-1) vs #3 The Untouchaballs (4-3-1)

 

Points For: FB 28.88 (5th), UT 28.00 (6th)

Points Against: FB 28.63 (1st), UT 31.25 (2nd)

TSL Rank: FB 20th, UT 21st

Past Games: 30-16 FB

Line: EVEN

GF: We go from the Top 2 offenses in the division, to the Top 2 defenses in D2 (and the worst two offenses, weird). The Freeballers almost feel like the forgotten team in this division. Everyone else has had some sort of storyline, but the Freeballers just kept chugging along, stealing the bye as the #2 seed. Freeballers actually own a win over UT as well. But the other wins? Two against a Puckett team figuring it out and CTT when they were on that losing streak. I’m not sure they’re the 2nd best team in D2. Give me Big Game Burr when he turns it up in the playoffs. THE UNTOUCHABALLS BY 13

 

TSLQBPRC: Dammit.  We’re picking the same winner again.  The Untouchaballs just feel like they have a more solid foundation in our opinion.  They won the D2 title last session so there’s no “we can’t let this one slip away” pressure.  They beat Eyes Downtown a couple weeks ago in a game that Burr is (presumably) still bragging about.  They’re a dangerous team.  Freeballers, as you pointed out, have a less impressive resume, and they haven’t won a championship (D4) in three years.  Now having said that, we’re pretty sure they won that D4 championship with Sean on their team, and he will likely be back on Saturday after missing most of this season, so maybe that’ll be the difference maker for them.  But we don’t think one man will be enough.  THE UNTOUCHABALLS BY 8

 

Finals Predictions

 

TSLQBPRC: We’re both predicting a Mavericks vs Untouchaballs finals, and these two teams actually had an amazing regular season against each other.  Mavericks just DESTROYED them in their first meeting, and then they battled to a tie in the rematch.  Burr tends to play well when people doubt him (“we’re going to beat them by 40!”) and his spiteful willpower alone should be enough to make this a close one.  Will it be enough to beat the team they’ve failed to beat twice already?  You know what… we think it will.  THE UNTOUCHABALLS BY 1

 

GF: This game is hard for me to pick a winner. It may even be the game of the day, which is saying something on Championship Saturday. Burr has been “hotter” in the second half of the season but that’s partially because the Mavs didn’t play as much. When it comes down to it, I look at the girls, and I just feel like the Mavericks have a slight advantage there. I’ve liked the Mavericks’ vibes all year, and I can’t stop imaging people emailing me about Mike Burke’s championship hugs. It’ll just make Burr play even better, but: MAVERICKS BY 6

 

D3

 

Last Week’s Games

 

#8 Bullet Club 21, #9 Topper’s All-Stars & Todd 0 (Forfeit)

#1 The Malones 49, #8 Bullet Club 8

#7 Practice Squad 40, #2 Wanderers 31

#6 Buffalo Vice 66, #3 Keller Whales 49

#5 Let’s Get Reccked 45, #4 Jabronies 30

 

The Story: The Malones continued their torrid pace, and every other top team lost. 

 

#1 The Malones (8-0) vs #7 Practice Squad (3-5)

 

Points For: The Malones 52.13 (1st), PS 28.00 (7th)

Points Against: The Malones 31.50 (4th), PS 34.25 (8th)

TSL Rank: The Malones 1st, PS 38th

Past Games: 60-30 The Malones

Line: The Malones (-17)

GF: I’ve said it all along, The Malones ruined a very good D3 season by existing in it. They’ve just been incredibly dominant, and while the legend of Practice Squad and Playoff B grew stronger this season, this is where that ride ends. No reason to sugar coat this one: THE MALONES BY 14

 

TSLQBPRC: B thrives on people doubting him… so here’s one more group of people to tell him “it’s not happening man”.  The Malones are damn near unbeatable in this division, and although B’s “dialed up to an 11” intensity will definitely make the first half interesting, we expect the Malones to run away with it in the second half.  THE MALONES BY 18

 

#5 Let’s Get Reccked (3-5) vs #6 Buffalo Vice (3-5)

 

Points For: LGR 29.75 (5th), Vice 31.88 (4th)

Points Against: LGR 34.13 (7th), Vice 36.50 (9th)

TSL Rank: LGR 34th, Vice 35th

Past Games: 36-28 LGR

Line: Let’s Get Reccked (-3)

TSLQBPRC: How did Buffalo Vice put up SIXTY SIX points last week?? We knew they were dangerous when they were clicking, but that still feels… unexpected.  That being said, the rumor mill says that Buffalo Vice will be missing Andy Clark this week, and if that’s true, then we HAVE to imagine that a veteran team like Let’s Get Reccked will find a way to get some stops on defense.  We’ll take Team Recckio for a trip to the D3 Finals.  LET’S GET RECCKED BY 6

 

GF: Is this a boring article when we’re so incredibly aligned? Maybe. But that’s just how things are shaking out. LGR was all over the place in terms of health and attendance but everyone knows how good they can be at full power. Vice deserves all the credit in the world for what they did last week, but it seems like it was the cherry on top of a season they knew wasn’t going much further after the win. Not having your QB on Championship Saturday isn’t ideal, and while Vice will fight, it’s not going to be nearly enough. LETS GET RECCKED BY 14. 

 

Finals Predictions

 

GF: The Malones vs LGR. The Malones won 62-29 a few weeks ago, but again that was without some of LGR’s more important players. I want so desperately to choose Let’s Get Reccked to win this game, it feels like the hottest upset of the day. One that we’ll talk about forever. But The Malones are too fast, too furious, and they’re a team of destiny. THE MALONES BY 10

 

TSLQBPRC: If anyone can beat the Malones, it might be Let’s Get Reccked.  Veteran savvy, athleticism, size, speed.  They have a chance, sure. But we can’t pick against the undefeated team that’s smoking everyone.  THE MALONES BY 13

 

D4

 

Last Week’s Games

 

#9 Cobblestone 39, #8 The Roaring 20s 8

#1 Cunning Stunts 43, #9 Cobblestone 24

#2 Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 34, #7 Vaspian 16

#3 Passing While Intoxicated 55, #6 Reset Warriors 26

#4 Tater Tots 52, #5 Not So Sticky 20

 

The Story: The Top 4 teams in the division all advance, it’s the Stunts’ title to lose. 

 

#1 Cunning Stunts (8-0) vs #4 Tater Tots (4-4)

 

Points For: CS 46.50 (1st), TT 34.38 (3rd)

Points Against: CS 26.63 (2nd), TT 27.63 (5th)

TSL Rank: CS 2nd, TT 25th

Past Games: 54-30 CS

Line: Cunning Stunts (-13)

TSLQBPRC: Do we dare to pick against B TWICE in the same playoff day?  It feels like we’re tempting fate here… but… Cunning Stunts is just a MUCH stronger team than Tater Tots.  Better record, better offense, better defense, better QB (not a long list of QBs who are better than B… but Joey Batts is on that list).  The score was 54-30 when they played each other in the regular season.  Let’s say this one will be closer… but not THAT much closer.  CUNNING STUNTS BY 12

 

GF: We’ve been here before. The Stunts are always better than whoever they’re playing and then before you know it, POOF, there’s a lot of sad ladies heading to the bar earlier than expected. This one feels different though, simply because they’re blowing out just about everyone. The defense is better than it’s been in the longest time. The Tots did wonders in D4, and performed much better than expected. I don’t think they should qualify as “just happy to be here”, but they did struggle with the Top 3 teams in D4. There’s a clear line between the contenders and pretenders here, and the Tots are justttt on the outside looking in. CUNNING STUNTS BY 14

 

#2 Interdimensional Lightning Falcons (6-2) vs #3 Passing While Intoxicated (6-2)

 

Points For: ILF 32.13 (4th), PWI 36.63 (2nd)

Points Against: ILF 26.38 (1st), PWI 27.13 (3rd)

TSL Rank: ILF 4th, PWI 6th

Past Games: 48-47 ILF

Line: EVEN

GF: These two teams put on an absolute banger this year, with ILF squeaking by PWI 48-47. While both teams lost to the Stunts, ILF also lost to the Creekers, and barely snuck by Reset Warriors. Vaspian gave them trouble two weeks ago too. PWI, meanwhile, has a better offense led by the newly crowned “TD Tori”, and Alex Lee continues to shine at QB. PWI has been handling business for weeks, and haven’t really played a close one. They’re the hotter team, and they’re firing on all cylinders. ILF has the ability to really lay an egg here. PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED BY 3

 

TSLQBPRC: We couldn’t have said it any better.  It’s odd that it feels like ILF doesn’t have as much momentum going into this game when they’ve won five in a row themselves.  But they almost lost games against Vaspian and Reset Warriors, and they haven’t had a real “signature win” since their game against PWI back in Week Three.  It should be close like last time, but our prediction is it should be lower scoring than last time, with a different result.  PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED BY 2

 

Finals Predictions

 

TSLQBPRC: PWI has had success all season scoring to TD Tori and really flexing their girl muscle.  Cunning Stunts do that better.  Buddy Lee has been spectacular in moving his team down the field week after week.  Joey Batts does that even better.  If we’re going to pick an upset here, we would need some kind of plausible reason to choose PWI, and the only one we can think of is “the Stunts have lost a lot of games like this that they SHOULD have won”.  But we’re not picking PWI just because we expect the Stunts to choke.  They’ve all played in so many big games at this point, the pressure just can’t mean as much to them anymore (we think).  And the Stunts are the better team.  They’re taking home the D4 championship.  CUNNING STUNTS BY 9

 

GF: Stunts. PWI. It all comes down to this. The Stunts took a 43-20 win in the last meeting these two had. It wasn’t very close. But, that was back on May 11th. And it was at 2:00, so the chances that “Buddy Buckets” was on the field are very high. And no, that’s not a basketball name. Anyone who’s seen Alex throw later in the day knows he’s just not as good. His team knows this and will most likely lock him in a cage to keep him from the bar before this one. The Stunts are great, but the one thing you need to beat them are having “girl muscle” to flex. And PWI has been running so well because they lean on their talented ladies. They have the ability to pull the upset, and they’ve pulled off upsets like this before. PWI is a great team, let the buckets flow. PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED BY 2

D5

 

Last Week’s Games

 

#1 GUCCI 32, #8 Two Tuddies 12

#2 Travis Henry’s Kids, #7 TMA 0 (Forfeit)

#6 Stir The Sauce 42, #3 Come From Behind 22

#4 Powerpuff Girls 37, #5 Not So Sticky 20

 

The Story: Stir The Sauce crashes the party unexpectedly, GUCCI gets a win closer to that title, but Travis Henry’s Kids is back on track, and the Powerpuffs could shake things up.

 

#1 GUCCI (7-0-1) vs #6 Stir The Sauce (3-5)

 

Points For: GUCCI 31.00 (3rd), STS 29.75 (5th)

Points Against: GUCCI 15.50 (1st), STS 28.25 (6th)

TSL Rank: GUCCI 3rd, STS 36th

Past Games: 26-24 GUCCI

Line:  GUCCI (-10)

GF: In one corner, we have an undefeated, hyper talented, ready to get the monkey off their back team in GUCCI. In the other, we have a very spry STS that locked Come From Behind down. This all adds up to an interesting contest. GUCCI has played a ton of close games this season, including a 26-24 win over STS in Week 1. Kelly Kane knows how to win, and this team has played so long together that everyone knows their role. But, other than big wins against TMA, the Tuddies, and a shorthanded THK, have they really been that dominant? STS lost to GUCCI by 2, NSS by 1, and THK by 3. They’re better than your average 6 seed. They won a lot of games as underdogs when they were the Woodpeckers, and I think they’re going to give GUCCI a true run for their money here. STIR THE SAUCE BY 3. 

 

TSLQBPRC: Stir the Sauce went 3-5.  GUCCI went 7-0-1.  Stir the Sauce was +12 on the season.  GUCCI was +124.  We give Sauce a lot of credit for playing close games against the top teams in D5, and Come From Behind last week was a huge playoff win.  But we’re not going to over-think this one.  Stir the Sauce lost five games this session.  GUCCI has lost none.  GUCCI BY 4.

 

#2 Travis Henry’s Kids (5-3) vs #4 Powerpuff Girls (5-3)

 

Points For: THK 31.00 (3rd), PPG 35.50 (1st)

Points Against: THK 28.25 (5th), PPG 26.63 (4th)

TSL Rank: THK 11th, PPG 16th

Past Games: 43-16 THK, 33-24 PPG

Line: Travis Henry’s Kids (-3)

TSLQBPRC: When these two teams met in the regular season, THK just mauled the PowerPuff Girls.  It was not a close game.  There are reasons to believe that PowerPuff Girls is a vastly improved team since that initial game.  They’ve really come together and had some dominant performances since then, so we don’t expect the same one-sided affair this go around.  And yet… THK still have Pete, and they haven’t lost a game with him yet all season.  If you’re looking for reasons to bet against Langley, it’s not a HORRIBLE argument to say that he fell apart without Pete this season, and Pete hasn’t played football in like a month.  But Cody Stumpf has barely played QB at ALL for the PowerPuff Girls this session, and it’s harder for a QB to come in cold than it is a wide receiver.  TRAVIS HENRY’S KIDS BY 5.

 

GF: I came into today really telling myself we could have two gender team champions this session, but now I’m sitting here predicting that we’re not going to have any. The committee just spilled it out for everyone, the PPG having a backup QB really stinks (even if he doesn’t have any other games this weekend) just in terms of the continuity the Girls were having with Kyle as they started humming. But then again, Cody can cover Pete, right? While the girls would still have to worry about Aaron, there’s a path to victory there. And what if Cody doesn’t even throw, and Maddie throws to him? That might worry THK and mess up their defense. Hmm. At the end of the day though, that’s a lot of “new things” to be trying out in a big time playoff game. The Power Puff Girls will win a championship. It just won’t be this season. TRAVIS HENRY’S KIDS BY 8

 

Finals Predictions

 

GF: THK vs Stir The Sauce. While I used STS’ 3 point loss as a reason to help them beat GUCCI, I sort of forgot that THK only had 5 people that game. Yikes. THK is back in their villian era, and we all forgot about that after the “Peteless” month that saw them lose a few games. THK was dominant when the season started, and they’ll be dominant again this Saturday at full strength. TRAVIS HENRY’S KIDS BY 10

 

TSLQBPRC:THK vs GUCCI.  The knock on both teams is that they’ve both choked in the playoffs in the past, and none of them have ever won a championship in the TSL.  But that sort of cancels out here if both teams make the Finals (which we’re saying they will) and SOMEONE has to win.  GUCCI absolutely thrilled THK a few weeks ago, but two things will be different this time around.  1) Langley will have Pete to throw to.  2) Langley will play with confidence knowing he has Pete to throw to.  This should be a MUCH better game than their last encounter, and it feels like a coin flip to us.  Our gut says GUCCI BY 1

 

D6 

 

Last Week’s Games

 

#8 Sticky Laces 25, #9 Dogg Pound 20

#1 Pit Harade 34, #8 Sticky Laces 6

#7 Just Joshing 36, #2 Balls Deep 32

#3 Back That Pass Up 56, #6 Mighty Drunks 34

#4 Blitzkrieg 44, #5 Sausage McMuffins 6

 

The Story: Just Joshing gets a huge win, their reward is being in the final 4 with the three best teams in the division, all of whom should be considering going up to D5 regardless of the outcome. 

 

#1 Pit Harade (6-2) vs #7 Just Joshing (3-5)

 

Points For: PH 27.75 (4th), JJ 23.00 (6th)

Points Against: PH 18.63 (1st), JJ 26.75 (7th)

TSL Rank: PH 7th, JJ 37th

Past Games: 15-6 PH

Line: Pit Harade (-8)

TSLQBPRC:  Just Joshing has been a great story this season.  They entered the League as almost completely new players, and they struggled.  And they learned.  And somewhere along the way, they became a team capable of winning games.  Since Week Two, they’ve only lost one game (vs Back That Pass Up) by more than 6 points.  They’re young, they’re competitive, and we think they’re going to win a championship in the TSL.  But to quote the Godfather from earlier, “it just won’t be this season”.  PIT HARADE BY 9

 

GF: Just Joshing made me look brilliant last week, as I picked them to pull off the upset. They’ve played a lot of close games, including a 15-6 loss to Pit Harade. PH has had about 4 QBs start for them this season (Joe K, Dave Walter, MVP Ray, and Other Guy) which shouldn’t be a recipe for success, but it’s worked. Tall Bearded Guy and Sam P do everything for them on their #1 ranked Defense, and they should be able to contain the JJ offense pretty well. PIT HARADE BY 7

 

#3 Back That Pass Up (5-3) vs #4 Blitzkrieg (5-3)

 

Points For: BTPU 28.25 (3rd), BK 30.50 (2nd)

Points Against: BTPU 27.25 (8th), BK 20.75 (2nd)

TSL Rank: BTPU 12th, BK 14th

Past Games: 30-26 BTPU

Line: EVEN

GF: Absolute mayhem. That’s what this game is going to be. BTPU snuck by BK 30-26 a few weeks ago in a hell of a game. D6 playing early is an advantage for BTPU (see: “Buddy Buckets” at QB) and the way that Alex D’s squad has performed all season has to make them feel confident in going home champions. Blitzkrieg had pretty much run D6 all season before a pair of late season losses (to BTPU and PH) dropped them to the 4 seed and much harder path to the title that's eluded them for what feels like 10 years. Alex is throwing well, and when all of the ladies are there, look out. BK is 2nd in offense and 2nd in defense. They’re the most complete team remaining in D6. BLITZKRIEG BY 6

 

TSLQBPRC: With respect to a possible THK vs GUCCI Finals, there is no game we would feel less confident about predicting this week than Blitzkrieg vs Back That Pass Up.  Blitzkrieg is the better team on paper.  They were one of the “favorites” in our playoff preview last week based on their impressive point differentials, whereas Back That Pass Up was a middling contender.  But it’s tough to pick against Buddy Lee, you know?? Look: we’re “numbers” people at the end of the day, we have to follow the math, and the math says Back That Pass Up will fall just short.  BLITZKRIEG BY 2

Finals Predictions

 

TSLQBPRC: Pit Harade vs Blitzkrieg.  These teams are even enough by the numbers, but how will they each be feeling coming out of their semi-finals games?  Pit Harade is playing the #7 seed, and they’re expecting to cruise to a win.  Blitzkrieg will have just survived a bloodbath against Back That Pass Up, and it will be tough for them to play at peak energy levels for two straight hours.  The veteran calmness favors Pit Harade here, so that’s our choice.  PIT HARADE BY 5

GF: Pit Harade vs Blitzkrieg. Arguably the two best teams from the regular season collide here. These two teams are very close to each other. They both have great QB play. They both have stud males. They both have excellent females. They both have experience on their side. At the end of the day, while PH has a 31-18 win against BK this season, it just finally feels like it’s BKs year. They have a slightly deeper roster overall and someone is going to make the play that makes all the difference. BLITZKRIEG BY 2

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• Which team are you most surprised was eliminated last week?

 

TSLQBPRC: Wanderers is the easy answer.  “Playoff B” aside, I think we were all expecting a Malones vs Wanderers Finals in D3.  And it’s not nearly as shocking an upset, because Scared Hitless had almost the same record, but it does feel weird that Can’t Touch This are already done for the year given how hot they were finishing the regular season.

 

GF: Can I say Steph Infection in Breakfast Club? It feels weird that they aren’t batting for the BC title this week. Since that’s probably not what you were going for, I’ll say Come From Behind. They were nothing short of electric to end the season, and all of a sudden the power is out. Also, the Keller Whales. A Championship Saturday without the Kellers just feels weird. 

 

 

• What is your Breakfast Club Prediction? 

 

GF: I think we have two great teams remaining and both deserve to be champions. But there’s just something about Dri’s Company that works for me, so I’m going with Dri’s Company 38, Breakfast Club (Trish’s Version) 34.

 

TSLQBPRC: It’s been years since a Bobby vs Frank Finals, so it’s pretty incredible that in 2024 we’re being treated to another.  Let’s be clear: Bobby is the better QB of the two.  But there’s something about Frank that’s just a perfect fit for the spirit of Breakfast Club.  We’ll say Breakfast Club (Trish’s Version) 38, Dri’s Company 31

 

 

• Which team do you most WANT to win this week, even if you think they won’t?

 

TSLPRC: Practice Squad or Tater Tots.  Either of the “B Teams”.  We just want to see B and his “don’t you feel like an idiot for not believing in us??” glare at the fields on Saturday.

 

GF: Gender teams. Cunning Stunts and the Powerpuff Girls. The league is a better place when the gender teams are winning. Slight nod to The Untouchaballs, just to set up D1 for the Fall.

 

 

• What prediction do you immediately look back at and think you got wrong?

 

GF: D5 is just wild. Even though I have a THK - STS final, I really think we could also see a GUCCI - PPG final as well. That’d be pretty awesome. 

 

TSLQBPRC: All of them except the Malones.  Look, all our picks “make sense” to us, but this is the TSL and anything can happen.  We wouldn’t be shocked to see EVERYTHING go the other way.  But if we have to choose one, we’ll say D2.  Everyone is so good in that division, there isn’t a single champion that we’d look at and say “wow, we can’t believe it was them”.

 

 

• Rank the #1 seeds in terms of most confident to least confident you are in them winning the title. 

 

GF: The Malones, Mavericks, Pit Harade, Eyes Uptown, GUCCI, Cunning Stunts.

 

TSLQBPRC: The Malones (as if it would be anyone else), Cunning Stunts, Eyes Uptown, Mavericks, Pit Harade, GUCCI.

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY

 

 

• Games of the Day: All of them. It’s Championship Saturday! 

 

 

 

• The most important players (QBs aside) for their teams on Saturday: TD Tori (PWI), Ricky Recckio (LGR), Light Red Hoodie Guy (Blitzkrieg), Tall Bearded Guy (Pit Harade), James T. Hearn (Back That Pass Up), George Lombardo (Mavericks), Maggie LaMantia (Sticky Bandits), Ryan “The Guy Who Isn’t Matt Helm” (The Untouchaballs), Renee Lantz (Practice Squad/Cunning Stunts), Wrestler Dan (Stir The Sauce), Thomas Fields (GUCCI), Bs Brother (Whatever Sideline He Decides To Stand On), Pistol Pete (THK), Maddie Norton (Eyes Uptown/Powerpuff Girls). Just to name a few. 

 

 

 

• Even if you’re not playing this weekend, come out and watch the games and celebrate with the rest of the league. 

 

 

 

• Can you believe there were two forfeits last week??  Fortunately I haven’t heard of any expected for this week.  Teams have made it this far, you’d think they’d want to finish what they started!

 

 

 

• It’s going to be wet, very, very wet. I don’t think the games will be postponed, so bring a towel and a change of clothes. Good luck out there. 

 

 

 

• Championship week is the most stressful week of the season.  Not just for you, but also the refs.  There is no TSL without people willing to ref our games, so PLEASE do not scream at them after a bad call.  It happens.  Move on.

 

 

 

• Three ‘most likely’ upsets: Let’s Get Reccked, Blitzkrieg, Powerpuff Girls

 

 

 

• I’ve asked many times what date the Fall Session is scheduled to start up this year, and been told that it’s still up in the air (likely August 17th or August 24th).  Start thinking about your team for next season… especially if this season is already over for you!

 

 

 

• There’s only a couple of spots left for the wine tournament, so get your squad signed up! The first 16 teams that register (and actually make their payment) will get those spots.  Don’t be the team that’s left out because you dragged your feet!

 

 

 

• I hope Breakfast Club comes back in the Fall.  I know, I’m told it’s very difficult to recruit people to wake up that early for Fall session when the weather’s a little colder. But this was such a great session with so many new faces and competitive teams.  Spring 2025 would be a long wait to do all that again.

 

And with that, we’re ready to finish the Race for Social Co-Ed Immortality. Champions will be crowned, and they’ll live forever in TSL history. Are you going to be one of them? 

-GF OUT

WEEK 1 THOUGHTS, PICKS AND STUFF

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 23 August 2024 13:03

Published: Friday, 23 August 2024 13:03

Written by Jeff Krol

Hits: 2480

Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, on Saturday, August 24th at 10 am Eastern Standard Time in the Year of Our Lord 2024, it all begins again. That’s right! After nearly two months, The Race For Social Co-Ed Immortality begins anew! The TSL Spring 2024 session brought us lots of twists and turns before we arrived at our final champions, and the TSL Fall 2024 session looks to do the same! Every single season is its own story, as new teams and new players show up to do battle at the Lenny Alba Fields at The Rose Garden, looking to etch their name into the good side of TSL history. So, while the tenured TSLer knows who I am, let me tell you, the new person to the league, just who I am. I am The Godfather, a displaced TSLer who moved to Des Moines, Iowa many years ago for work, and in an effort to continue to follow the league I love (and at the time that a LOT of my friends played in before most of them got old), I’ve been writing articles for over a decade, correctly guessing game winners, and highlighting what’s going on in the league. You can usually catch my musings every Friday during the season. 

 

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s try to catch everyone up on what’s happened since the Spring Championship Saturday. First things first, after much debate, there was no massive D1-D2 merger, sort of. This year, both divisions have 11 teams total (5 for D1, 6 for D2) and while that ALMOST got us to a 6 team D1 and a 6 team D2 (along with a Not 10-team D3), we’ll still have two separate playoffs for the divisions. However, there are going to be MORE D1/D2 Crossover games than ever, and if there isn’t a clear “D1 is still stomping D2” type of result, I think we’ll inch even closer to the ‘realignment’ in the Spring 2025 season. But for the Fall? D2 gets all of the fun to pull “upsets” left and right with the added bonus of going for their own championship anyway. 

 

Another fun thing is that despite the Rose Garden claiming they were breaking ground on the Topper Dome this year, it appears that plan is shelved for yet another winter? The result for the league, however, is the addition of a 5th field! This is good since it gives us another field to play on, which means games can get done sooner, but it’s bad because that means we need to get two more refs every hour. Week 1’s ref schedule already has some new faces on it, and if you’d like to join in to help, please contact Jeff or Garrett as soon as you can. The 5th field also gives us some wiggle room when it comes to getting in make up games, etc. 

 

Every offseason gives us some team turnover, and no two TSL leagues ever really look the same. So here’s a quick catch up on what’s been happening: 

 

Same Faces, New Places (teams that changed divisions)

 

 

• The Freeballers get all of the credit in the world, as they won D2 and they went straight to D1, no questions asked. 

 

 

 

• The Malones won D3, and kind of blew everyone out of the water in doing so, and they ended up in D2, as they should have. I’m actually surprised they didn’t jump straight to D1. Word is that Rhace is scared of D1. More on this as it develops. 

 

 

 

• Passing While Intoxicated made the leap into D3 after their D4 title win in the Spring. They add to what was already an exciting D3 lineup of teams. 

 

 

 

• Pit Harade jumped up to D5 after a couple of winning seasons that fell short in the championship aspect of things. 

 

 

 

• TMA is back in D6, where it all started for them so many seasons ago. Here’s hoping they find the success they had back then once again. 

 

Same Faces, Same Places (Championship teams that didn’t move up so we can shame them)

 

 

• Sticky Bandits stayed put in D1 after winning the title last season, weak. 

• Back That Pass Up decided not to exist anymore after winning D6. 

• THK also decided not to exist anymore after winning D5, at least for the Fall session.  More on them in a moment.

 

 

Old Faces, Right Places (Teams that have come back to the TSL after not playing last season)

 

 

• Grey Hair Don’t Care comes back and jumps right into the D2 mix, and they get a 10th game because of it! (It was a scheduling thing, but still.)

 

 

 

• Spinelli’s Plumbing returns, and they’re in D5 again. I’m pretty sure the last time that happened, they averaged 47 points a game or something ridiculous. Look out D5!

 

 

New Faces, Right Places (Brand new teams to the TSL who have either finally come to the big leagues, or just started here in the first place.)

 

 

• Straw Hats in D3 appears to be a Cobblestone offshoot, but one has to assume these players will show up more often? 

 

 

 

• GirthQuakes in D4 is a Matt Kieta - Dylan Jaloza - Bobby McConnell side project of sorts, but they’re bringing in a few new people to the TSL in doing so. 

 

 

 

• Select (Not sure if this is their team name, or if they just kept “Select” in the “Team Name” box on the registration form and went with it?) in D4 is a new team that Mark Harzynski of Tater Tots fame formed. Excited to see how they do this season. 

 

 

Same Faces, New Names (Teams that Rebranded) 

 

 

• Wet Bandits in D1 are the newest incarnation of the “if you can’t beat ‘em, change your team name to honor them since they own you” name of whatever the Legends used to be. They were Eyes Uptown last year. 

 

 

 

• Mix’n It Up in D3 is the newest name for the Keller clan, although they never should’ve strayed from 3rd and Schlong and everyone knows it. 

 

 

 

• The Herd in D4 is The Roaring 20s from a season ago. 

 

 

 

• Day by Day is the former Just Joshing in D6.

 

 

 

• Purple Nurple are the former Mighty (Mighity?) Drunks in D6.

 

 

In Memoriam (Teams that we lost this season)

 

 

• Tater Tots always get top billing here in the Fall, mainly because they never play in the fall session, but always come back for the spring. They’ll be missed. 

 

 

 

• Puckett All-Stars showed LOTS of promise last season, and I was looking forward to seeing them improve even more this season. But all is not lost! It just appears at least some of their girls came down with pregnancy, and once the parasite is removed, they’ll look to return in the Spring! (Kidding of course, congrats!)

 

 

 

• Reset Warriors lasted one season before they merged with Two Tuddies, which has led to some interesting changes for the Tud Buds this season. 

 

 

 

• Back That Pass Up won D6, and I’m pretty sure Buddy said that was it for them on the final podcast of last session.  Despite making an attempt to keep the band together, they couldn’t do it, but Jeff tells me a good chunk of them have other homes throughout the league for the Fall. 

 

 

 

• Travis Henry’s Kids were being dragged back to D4 kicking and screaming, knowing they don’t have the QB talent to win the big one in that division. Langley reportedly said he’d go to D4 “if I can have Stoner Dave, Ralph Finney, and Katie Salisbury”, and when Jeff easily said no, John canned the team in protest, robbing us all of a season of Pistol Pete. 

 

Well, that should just about catch everyone up on the comings and goings of the league to get us to where we are now. The Fall session of TSL is always a blast as it coincides with big college football games being on at the bar, everyone wanting off the weekend of Fall Fest in Ellicottville, but it also has the occasional potential snowstorm as well. And maybe a Halloween Bowl. The real question, of course, is which teams are going to rise up and grab the Social Co-Ed Football Immortality? Let’s take a look here. 

 

D1:

 

Odds To Win The Championship: 

 

Wet Bandits (3-1)

Sticky Bandits (5-1)

Eyes Downtown (5-1)

Frodo Swaggins (20-1)

Freeballers (100-1)

 

Preseason Hype: On paper, the Wet Uptowns have the most talented roster, but as the TSL has shown us time and time again, having the best athletes doesn't always mean you’re going to win. After an offseason of “will they break up?”, the Wet Uptowns stuck together to try to win this thing yet again, and after a year without a title, they’re itching to get there. Sticky returns as the reigning, defending, undisputed, TSL heavyweight champions of the world. The entire squad is back, although last year’s difference maker Maggie is apparently injured, so Rylee Moser joins her sister Laura on Sticky this year. No official word yet on if Steve is training in the shadows, ready to step in if something happens to Mike Thomas midseason. I’m assuming yes. Eyes Downtown had their worst season in a long time as a franchise last year, and the whispers that it was because Bobby lost his edge and focused his time elsewhere are only getting louder this season as he’s starting a D4 team and having “other fun”. They return the same squad from last year (slightly surprising, I expected a big free agent pickup) as they try to win back their title. Frodo Swaggins has been the whipping post for D1 for a bit, but last year was the worst of it, as Garrett fell in love for real and his body just didn’t know how to react to those feelings, throwing him off his game (Or he’s just getting older, same thing). After a few seasons where Frodo tried to get fresh, new people to join their squad, they’ve decided to go the complete other way this offseason, acquiring approximately 7,429 games of Social Co-Ed Football experience, adding Kevin Zack from Sticky Bandits, and coaxing Micah Hanford out of semi-retirement. While those are some big names to grab if this was 2010, they’re still pretty good ones for 2024 too. And last but not least, the Freeballers join D1, which is great. And before Scott gets mad at me, this time you’re not 100-1 as a joke, D1 is hard, and there are some GOOD teams in your way. There will be some growing pains, and losing Sean, of course, is hard. But Freeballers are a feel good story regardless, as Hogan returns to the field after some challenging time off. He’s the league’s hero this season no matter what. 

 

Preseason Prediction: Wet Bandits finally get it together after a year of not doing so, wrestling the D1 title away from Sticky on Championship Saturday. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Sticky Bandits vs Freeballers (+10) - In an unsurprising move, Jeff Krol gives his squad the weakest team in D1 to start the season as a tuneup. Hogan has some rust to knock off, Freeballers have to adjust slightly, and it’ll be a promising start, but not a winning start. STICKY BANDITS BY 13

 

Wet Bandits vs Eyes Downtown (+3) - These two teams look to get their suspensions out of the way early again this year, as they meet up for another Week 1 battle. One has to think cooler heads will prevail this time though, as they have a common enemy in the Sticky Bandits. I expect a hard fought game that will come down to the wire. Give me the team with the better QB in that scenario. WET BANDITS BY 3

CROSSOVER CORNER! 

 

With D1/D2 Crossover games happening nearly every single week, this is where I’ll normally post those game predictions in a regular article. However, for today, I’ll do it after I go over the teams in D2. 

D2:

 

Odds To Win The Championship:

 

The Malones (3-1)

Mavericks (4-1)

Can’t Touch This (6-1)

The Untouchaballs (8-1)

Grey Hair Don’t Care (10-1)
Scared Hitless (12-1)

 

Preseason Hype: I’m not betting against The Malones until I can see someone slow them down and stop them. They were a juggernaut last year in D3, and word is that they’ve only gotten better for this year. Like I said before, I wish we saw them in D1, but that will have to wait until Spring. They join a ridiculously even division that almost saw a 5 way tie for first place last season. The Mavericks are right there with them, and while the good vibes team of the Spring fell short of a title, they should definitely be in the mix this season as well, although losing Misty Himes for the season (on the IR with “wedding”) is going to hurt. Can’t Touch This actually got through their wedding stuff last season, so they can focus even more on the on field product this year. After a long losing streak last season, they started winning games, including crossovers, and had a very good shot at the D2 title. Despite offseason rumors that Ben Stack was going to join CTT, he wasn’t allowed to leave Bobby, but CTT apparently signed the good Stack, Kate, to a contract anyway. The Untouchaballs are back yet again, and they’re returning mostly the same team, adding Steph Czaja along the way. I was informed of some Burr leaving the team rumors, but he’s just too damn good of a QB to run to play second fiddle to anyone else, so I won’t believe it until I see it. Grey Hair Don’t Care returns after a season off, and while most of the team is coming back to the TSL, QB Dave isn’t, as he led the Freeballers to the D2 title game and sent them to D1. Can he win two in a row with two different teams? Lastly, Scared Hitless continues to be a very good team, although the Travis experiment is no longer. Losing him hurts of course, but they always seem to find their way along the course of the season. 

 

Preseason Prediction: The Malones beat The Untouchaballs in a ridiculously entertaining game that will have the best, loudest smack talk session between Burr and Rhace that the TSL hasn’t seen in ages. 

This Week’s Games: 

 

Crossover Corner! 

 

Can’t Touch This vs Frodo Swaggins (EVEN) - Our first Crossover game is already an even line. That’s exciting! CTT, if memory serves me correctly, beat Frodo in a Crossover game last season, so here we are with a slight grudge match as Frodo tries to “get one back”. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 3

 

Wet Bandits vs Grey Hair Don’t Care (+10) - I don’t yet know what GHDC is going to look like in their return, so it’s hard to pick them against the D1 favorites. WET BANDITS BY 14

D2 Games!

 

The Malones vs Scared Hitless (+7) - On the one hand, The Malones win games because they’re fast and athletic as heck. But so are Scared Hitless. SH has won D2, they’ve played in D1, and they know what it takes to win in the upper divisions. They have the knowhow, which goes a long way here. But The Malones have something to prove, and I can’t imagine them not being hyped for Week 1. THE MALONES BY 13

 

Can’t Touch This vs Grey Hair Don’t Care (+6) - As I said before, I don’t know what to expect from GHDC, but I know what to expect from CTT. Right now, they’re in a winning phase, and I expect that to continue. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 8

D3:

 

Odds To Win The Championship:

 

Wanderers (3-1)

Let’s Get Reccked (4-1)

Mix’n It Up (6-1)

Jabronies (7-1)

Bullet Club (11-1)

Practice Squad (12-1)

Buffalo Vice (12-1)

Passing While Intoxicated (12-1)

Topper’s All Stars & Todd (15-1)

Straw Hats (20-1)

 

Preseason Hype: D3 has 10 teams, which works because D3 tends to be the division with the closest games and an “anyone can win it” feel to it. Granted, The Malones disrupted that last season, but they’re in D2 now, and they’re replaced by PWI (who should fit in wonderfully here) and Straw Hats (who I don’t know enough about, but sure!). The Wanderers are on top here as they should be. They’re essentially the same team they always are, and stopping Sal and Stoner Dave feels impossible at times. Here comes 9 one score games. Let’s Get Reccked has a LOT of talent but never quite puts it together for one reason or another. They could still use some girl depth, but Molly and Becca more than hold their own. The Kellers are always near the top of the standings, and this could be the breakout season for Damien. The Kellers are due for a championship, aren’t they? The Jabronies return, but they took a significant blow in the offseason, losing Carly to a broken everything in her leg. This is why NFL teams don’t let their players play on Arena League teams during the offseason. Between losing Carly and Lindsey still being hurt from last season, they dusted off Emma and brought her back to the league. She was on her way to being a star in the TSL before life took her elsewhere, let’s see how she does now that she’s back. Bullet Club returns largely the same team from last season, as their inability to close out games last season led to their early exit in the playoffs. Practice Squad is back again, adding new girls to the roster to take some of the pressure off Ashtin and Renee, and B too. Buffalo Vice is the same crew they’ve been for 100 years now, but hopefully a bit more healthy than last season! PWI, like I said, makes the jump up to D3 and added TSL veteran Dorene to the mix, who will be right at home on a team with “Intoxicated” in their name. TAST returns, although defensive stalwart Topper might miss a game or two to start the year, but the bigger news is that they’ve coaxed future TSL Hall of Famer Cheryl Julicher out of semi-retirement. That could pay big dividends. Lastly, we have Straw Hats who I don’t know too much about just yet. 

 

Preseason Prediction: The Wanderers continue their solid brand of football dominance to pull off the championship victory over Mix’n It Up. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Wanderers vs Jabronies (+3) - The Jabronies are going to be players for the D3 title mix for sure, but getting the D3 favorites off the bat when they’re working in new players is just bad luck. WANDERERS BY 3

 

Mix’n It Up vs Straw Hats (+8) - If there’s ever a good litmus test for how well a new team will do in D3, it’s seeing how good they look against the Kellers. I’m sure the Kellers will be mixing things up on the field, which will give us a good look at what the Hats will bring to the table this season. MIX’N IT UP BY 10

 

Bullet Club vs Buffalo Vice (+7) - Two teams in a must win game to start the season? Sign me up. Vice and The Club both are looking to be around the 7th seed in the league projections, so this tiebreaker is going to mean a lot in October. The reason that matters is while everyone makes the playoffs, the first round is 7v10 and 8v9. This should be a good one. BULLET CLUB BY 3

 

Jabronies vs Topper’s All-Stars & Todd (+6) - With potentially no Topper to shutdown Eric Kleckler on deep balls, Jabronies could have a field day here. I’m expecting a lower scoring game in this one that comes down to the wire. JABRONIES BY 4

 

Wanderers vs Bullet Club (+8) - A tradition unlike any other, I’m pretty sure the Wanderers have played Bullet Club in Week 1 multiple times since they’ve joined the TSL, and yet again they get another double header to start the year. Marquee games like this (and for example, Wet Uptowns vs Eyes Downtown) playing in Week 1 is kind of fun to do. However, Bullet Club feels a step behind the Wanderers currently, so I don’t think this game is going to be what we’re used to. WANDERERS BY 10

 

Passing While Intoxicated vs Practice Squad (EVEN) - It’s like looking in a mirror. It’s a bit symbolic that PWI plays Practice Squad in their first game in D3, because they’ve essentially taken the path that Practice Squad forged before them. Winning D5, moving up and winning D4, and now moving up to D3 (Okay, PS blew the D5 title in OT, I know, but we’ll give a pass here). PWI will have slight growing pains, which will give PS the edge they’re going to need. PRACTICE SQUAD BY 1. 

D4

 

Odds To Win The Championship:

 

Cunning Stunts (2-1)

ILF (4-1)

Creekers (6-1)

GirthQuakes (10-1)

Select (15-1)

Vaspian (17-1)

Cobblestone (18-1)

The Herd (20-1)

 

Preseason Hype: There isn’t much to love about D4 this season, because there are a lot of questions after the top teams. The Cunning Stunts look to maybe actually win a championship this time around, and they stole Maddie Norton from the PowerPuff Girls to help them do it. ILF returns everyone, but they added Buddy Lee at QB to solidify the position, which might get them over the hump. The Creekers continue to get better, and Quentin Carbone showed up and showed out at the wine tournament, which can only mean good things for the team. After the Top 3, there’s just a bunch of question marks. The GQs have the familiar names of Bobby, Kieta, and Dylan (clearly using nice guy Dylan to counteract the general “Ugh. Bobby and Kieta?” feeling that refs around the TSL already feel. Select is very Tater Tots-esque, so hopefully they’ll make some noise right away. Vaspian always seems to go through roster issues, so we don’t get a good read on them until Week 7. Cobblestone, same idea. And The Herd might have the worst odds, but they might be the bet to make as one of the best QBs in the league’s history, Mark Dalfonso, dusts himself off to help the new guys get it together. 

 

Preseason Prediction: The Cunning Stunts finally, finally, finally win this thing, outlasting the Creekers in the finals. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

ILF vs Cobblestone (+10) - Despite their absolutely ridiculously long name, ILF is just now going to be ILF no matter what in these articles. It’s exciting to see how they fare with Buddy Lee at QB, and defense was never an issue for them. Cobblestone is still largely an unknown until they show up. ILF BY 18

 

GirthQuakes vs Select (+6) - The oddsmakers apparently are giving Select points simply because of the names we know on the other team. I can’t imagine Bobby is throwing, is he? In D4? If that’s the case perhaps his players are brand new to the league, and I hope he isn’t making them do two-a-days already. Good thing Kieta is there to bring the smiles, fun, and level headedness new teams need. One of these teams is going to have a brand new TSL star on it. But which one? GIRTHQUAKES BY 7

 

Creekers vs Vaspian (+7) - The fun about Vaspian is that you really don’t always know what you’re going to get from them each season. It didn’t used to always be like that, but that’s what happens when people get married and have kids or get a career and forget about how important Social Co-Ed Touch Football is. When they have a consistent team, they can play shutdown D and beat anyone. But right now, the Creekers have been a very good team for a calendar year and show signs of getting better every week. CREEKERS BY 10

 

GirthQuakes vs Cobblestone (+3) - Doubleheader for both squads. Always a fun test for a team in Week 1. GIRTHQUAKES BY 8

 

Select vs Vaspian (EVEN) - This could be quite an entertaining game, another matchup of two teams with doubleheaders. SELECT BY 3

 

Cunning Stunts vs The Herd (+14) - New QB or not, The Herd gets the Cunning Stunts buzzsaw that got even better this offseason. There’s only two ways this game ends: a bloodbath or the biggest upset to start a season ever. CUNNING STUNTS BY 20

D5: 

 

Odds To Win The Championship:

 

GUCCI (3-1)

Come From Behind (4-1)

Not So Sticky (6-1)

Spinelli’s Plumbing (6-1)

Power Puff Girls (10-1)

Stir The Sauce (12-1)

Two Tuddies (18-1)

Pit Harade (20-1)

 

Preseason Hype: Stop me if you heard this before, but GUCCI and CFB are favorites to win the whole thing in D5. Again. GUCCI chose not to move onto D4 (which they easily could have, despite not winning D5 yet), so Kelly Kane and crew are ready to finally win their first TSL championship this Fall. CFB returns the same squad they’ve had for eternity. Not So Sticky loses Christine Krol (she didn’t ref, no exceptions from Jeff!) but they gain Ricky Recckio, so I think things will be okay for them. Spinelli’s returns and the offensive fireworks will hopefully come with it. The Power Puff Girls made strides last season, although the loss of Maddie is going to hurt a little. I’m sure they’ll be okay. Stir The Sauce returns last season’s team that made a little run as Wrestler Dan and the Buscaglias are primed to take another step this fall. The Two Tuddies made big moves in the offseason, moving on from QB Nick Stutzman to acquire Shirtless Chris’ brother, Shirted Wolcott to throw after the Reset Warriors needed a reset. Pit Harade jumps up to D5 after not winning the D6 title last season. They’ve added old Overcompensators QB Larry to the team after just about everyone played QB at some point last season. Not sure how they’re going to do in D5. 

 

Preseason Predictions: Not So Sticky works their way into the D5 title game where they allow 42 points to Spinelli’s, who wins the title. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Come From Behind vs Power Puff Girls (+7) - The PPG get a tough test to see how they’re going to do this season right out of the gate, as they get Come From Behind. CFB still has Paul’s rocket arm (seriously, we may need PED testing here in the TSL), Harlan’s speed, and Molly and Leslie, so they’re going to be fine here. COME FROM BEHIND BY 12

 

Spinelli’s Plumbing vs Power Puff Girls (+7) - Out of the frying pan and into the fire for the PPGs as their doubleheader brings them Spinelli’s buzzsaw of an offense. Granted, they might be rusty and not on the same page, but I’ve seen them score a lot of points over a lot of seasons and I think it’s like riding a bike for them. SPINELLI’S PLUMBING BY 14

 

Not So Sticky vs Two Tuddies (+7) - A classically fun lighthearted “rivalry” between NSS and the Tud Buds has been around about as long as the Tuddies have been. It’s a good test for the new look Tuddies. NOT SO STICKY BY 3

D6:

 

Odds To Win The Championship:

 

Blitzkrieg (3-1)

Sausage McMuffins (5-1)

Balls Deep (7-1)

TMA (8-1)

Purple Nurple (10-1)

Day By Day (10-1)

Sticky Laces (12-1)

Dogg Pound (15-1)

 

Preseason Hype: D6 looks different nowadays with Pit Harade and BTPU moving on. Fall Blitzkrieg is back, and while it felt that maybe they should’ve made a jump up to D5 as well, usually this season is when QB Alex doesn’t play, and they have to reset anyway. BK has the most talent in the division, and they’ve come so close time and time again. This has to be the year, right? The McMuffins return to pick up where they left off last season, and there’s a good chance they’ll be battling for a title. Balls Deep was a bit of a paper tiger last season, but making some improvements on both sides of the ball can make them a contender asap. TMA is back in D6, which is a good thing for them AND the division, as it makes things more competitive for all of D6, and TMA can get their groove back too. After some tough seasons, they should find some more wins here. Purple Nurple (see: Mighty Drunks) look to bring back the same team as before, but they still need to shore up the defensive woes from a season ago. Day By Day (Just Joshing) figured out how football worked during last season, and was easily one of the TSL’s most improved teams as the season ended. They look to build on that this year. Sticky Laces came on at the end of the year as well, and they’ve added some more girls to help get them over the hump. Dogg Pound had a rough first season, but they’re a team that started figuring it out as time went on. 

 

Preseason Prediction: Fall Blitzkrieg continues doing what they do best and blowing it in the playoffs, losing to the McMuffins in the title game. (Maybe I’m trying a reverse jinx, maybe not)

This Week’s Games:

 

Day By Day vs TMA (EVEN) - A good return team for TMA to come back to, Just Josh…Day By Day is a solid opponent for even the oldest of franchises. It’ll be good to see TMA back on the field doing their thing. TMA BY 3

 

Sticky Laces vs Dogg Pound (+3) - These two teams met in the playoffs last season and had quite a good game in the 8v9 battle if I remember correctly. QB Kyle made strides in his first season throwing for the Laces, so look for that to continue. Hopefully the DP found a QB in the offseason, as that was part of their issues last year. STICKY LACES BY 8

 

Balls Deep vs Sticky Laces (+10) - Balls Deep doesn’t always score a ton, but they usually play excellent defense, which should spell trouble for the Laces who are working in new players AND they’ll be on their second game of the day. BALLS DEEP BY 6

 

Sausage McMuffins vs Purple Nurple (+7) - Not sure which version of either team we’ll get here, but if I take the averages of last season, the McMuffins shouldn’t have any issue scoring on the Nurps. SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS BY 19

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY:

 

 

• Can you pick alternate winners for each division? Sure. Sticky Bandits, The Untouchaballs, Jabronies, ILF, Come From Behind, and Day By Day? 

 

 

 

• Who are the three best long shots to bet on odds wise? I’m only picking teams 10-1 or more here. Stir The Sauce, Select, and Passing While Intoxicated. 

 

 

 

• What’s the best storyline to follow for the Fall 2024 season? I think there’s a lot of good storylines to follow, but the one the entire league should be most interested in is the addition of even more D1/D2 crossover games. D2 teams went 4-4 last season against D1, and now there will be even more games between the two divisions. Some big D2 wins this season would be really interesting for sure. 

 

 

 

• How are the fields after the Spring session? Really good actually! Jeff said the grass grew in nicely, and the 5th field is actually a brand new one that we’ll get to “break in” a bit this season. Expect that new field to be a little rough, but the schedule has been rigged so that every team plays exactly one or two games on that field.  Everyone can share the burden of Field 5 together!

 

 

 

• What division is looking to be the most competitive? It’s probably D2, but I’m going to go with D3 since they have more teams that feel pretty close together. 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• You’re looking at a beautiful, 80 degree day tomorrow. Absolutely perfect weather to start the season! 

 

 

 

• Yes, Breakfast Club is back! We have three new captains in Rylee, Carly, and Sydney, and it starts next week! Excited to see what bets they bring to the table. 

 

 

 

• Remember that parking may still be a bit tight, so try not to leave big gaps between your vehicles so we can fit as many cars in the lot as we can. 

 

 

 

• Games of the Day: 

• 10:00 - Scared Hitless vs The Malones

• 11:00 - Jabronies vs Wanderers

• 12:00 - Frodo Swaggins vs Can’t Touch This

• 1:00 - Girthquakes vs Select

• 2:00 - Wet Bandits vs Eyes Downtown

• 3:00 - Cunning Stunts vs The Herd

 

 

 

• If you’re willing to help referee, again, please reach out to Jeff Krol, Garrett, Topper, Joe K, Cookie Monster, B’s Brother, Elmo, or whoever you can and they’ll get you in the right direction. 

 

 

 

• If you’re new here, you should know that every week we’ll have 2-3 articles about the league here on the site and I think the podcast is happening again too! There’s tons of league content!

 

 

 

• If you want to lend a hand in helping the league with anything, social media, taking pictures, writing a weekly article, coming on the podcast to talk about your team, etc, please reach out to the same people I listed above (except for Elmo, he doesn’t like helping with this stuff).

 

 

 

• Please remember not to berate the refs even if they make a questionable call or a mistake. Yelling at the refs won’t be tolerated, you’ll get kicked out, and you’ll just look like a douchebag jerk. 

 

 

 

• I was told that Dog Day is returning on September 14th, where the Buffalo Animal Shelter is going to show up to the fields with adoptable pets to play with. Make sure you’re there to adopt your new best friend!

 

 

 

• Remember, if you want to get your team more pub in the article, let me know who you are and email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that I can get some inside info on your team! 

 

Welcome back TSLers! The Race for Social Co-Ed Immortality is on! Who’s going to win it? 

 

-GF OUT

PLAYOFF THOUGHTS, PICKS AND STUFF

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Category: The Godfather's Picks

Created: Friday, 21 June 2024 17:07

Published: Friday, 21 June 2024 17:07

Written by Jeff Krol

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Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe: We’re here. We’ve made it. On Saturday, June 22nd in the Year of Our Lord 2024 47 of the TSL’s 51 teams will descend upon the Lenny Alba Fields at the Rose Garden (minus the Mavericks and Freeballers, who earned bye weeks, and the two Breakfast Club teams who lost last week) to compete in the most prestigious and grueling battle in history: The Race for Social Co-Ed Football Immortality. This week is the beginning of what you’ve been waiting for for the last two months. When you arrived to the fields on April 27th, after weeks of getting your team together, convincing people to play for your team (be it stealing them from one team or getting new people to play), begging Jeff Krol to put you in a lower division, countless texts about game times, if you’re a captain, you get that special kind of hell that can be collecting money from your team, deciding on team colors, if you should get jerseys, and every other ounce of effort you put into your team for getting them prepared for the season…you had hope. April 27th was a clean slate for everyone. Nobody knew what the next two months would bring. The preseason to the Race for Social Co-Ed Immortality was a good one this year. It was full of drama (a battle royale and a team just disappearing to start the season, for instance), unexpected moments (Topper returning to become D3 Defensive Player of the Year), absolute domination (The Malones setting TSL scoring records), scumbaggery (anything John Langley did), multiple TSL holidays (TWO weeks of successful Lenny and Rameer days), environmental changes (the league getting pretty good at cleaning up garbage), good refereeing (Garbacz), horrible refereeing (Garbacz), and the usual handful of TSL Weddings, Engagements, and Babies being born into the TSL Universe. In short, it was fun. Mostly. 

 

And none of that matters now. All of the things that happened during the Spring 2024 season can be filed away in your memories, because your focus should be squarely on the prize in front of you. A TSL Championship, which is one of the hardest things to win on this planet. Probably other planets too. TSL Playoff Saturday is one of the 3 best weekends in sports, tied with the first two days of March Madness and the fall version of TSL Playoff Saturday. This is the weekend where perfect seasons go to die. The TSL is historically littered with playoff upsets, as #1 seeds that looked dominant going into the playoffs got bounced unexpectedly. There are always amazing games, and they won’t be the ones you expected to be the amazing ones. If you’re playing Saturday, you should show up early/stay after your game just to watch the drama unfold. There will be yelling, there will be tears, there will be raw emotions as teams watch their season slowly slip away while others begin to be overjoyed with happiness as they move on to Championship Saturday next week. The TSL is one of the greatest must see-TV binge watching shows you may not know about. There is no rhyme or reason as to why things happen the way they do here, so don’t try to find ways to figure out who is going to win. Every season is its own entity, and you never know what you’ll get. It’s the best. 

 

You worked hard for this. Your team worked on offensive plays for weeks, learning what works well. You figured out the holes in your defense, or at least tried to. You put in the work, and now it’s time to hydrate, stretch, listen to your favorite hype music, and get focused on the prize at hand: Immortality. 

 

History is going to unfold this Saturday. Which side of it are you going to be on? 

(Disclaimer: As usual, the lines are given to me by the TSL Official Odds Committee in Las Vegas, The “TSL Rank” is based off a league wide overall ranking using very specific qualifications that Topper came up with on a wine bender 15 years ago and can’t remember what they are. Of course we still just go with it. The PF/PA rankings are within the division, not the league. The “Last 3” is a team’s record in the final three weeks of the season (some played only 2 games, others played 4, the rest had 3), to show who’s coming in “hot” and who’s coming in “not”.)

 

D1:

 

The Contenders:

 

Eyes Uptown (3-1)

Eyes Downtown (5-1)

Sticky Bandits (5-1)

 

Frodo Swaggins:

 

Frodo Swaggins (50-1)

The Story: D1 has been a three team race for most of the season. No disrespect to Frodo, they’re just not playing at the level of the other D1 teams (or some D2 teams currently). Eyes Uptown shook off a slow start to be the best team in D1, while the ‘fun’ of Week 1 really derailed Eyes Downtown, who just haven’t seemed right all year, only going 4-4 on the season. Sticky has hung tough in every game they’ve played this year and can’t be counted out. 

#1 Eyes Uptown (6-2) vs #4 Frodo Swaggins (1-7)

 

Points For: EU 36.50 (1st), Frodo 18.25 (4th)

Points Against: EU 24.88 (1st), Frodo 33.75 (4th)

TSL Rank: EU 5th, Frodo 47th

Last 3: EU 3-0, Frodo 0-2

Past Games: 28-15 EU, 49-8 EU

Line: Eyes Uptown (-13)

 

There’s not much to say here. Despite the best efforts from Frodo, it’s been a challenging season for them, and not much has really gone right. These types of seasons happen every now and then. Meanwhile, Eyes Uptown has made it a goal to get back to the top of the mountain after last year’s playoff loss, and they’re rounding into form just as the playoffs start, which is perfect for Joey Batts’ crew. They’re hyper talented, and they still have most of the players from the teams that have gone to the D1 title game the last 4 seasons. EYES UPTOWN BY 15

 

#2 Sticky Bandits (5-3) vs #3 Eyes Downtown (4-4)

Points For: SB 29.50 (3rd), ED 32.50 (2nd)

Points Against: SB 27.13 (2nd), ED 30.13 (3rd)

TSL Rank: SB 18th, ED 27th

Last 3: SB 1-1, ED 1-2

Past Games: 35-32 SB, 35-20 ED

Line: EVEN

 

Sticky Bandits continue to work towards the D1 championship that’s eluded them, and this might be their best team yet. The addition of Maggie to rush (she’s one of the best rushers in TSL history), has been fantastic for them, and gives them a boost where they needed it. Mike Thomas is as steady as they come at QB, and they’re ready to make some noise. Eyes Downtown isn’t very “Eyes Downtown-y” this season. They just feel off, and that was only helped by the recent loss to The Untouchaballs, and barely beating Scared Hitless in the D2 Crossover games. If they won the D1 title, I wouldn’t be surprised. If they lose this game by 20, I wouldn’t be surprised. They’re the most interesting team in D1 for that reason. It’s a shame we won’t see them next week. STICKY BANDITS BY 7

D2:

 

The Contenders:

 

Mavericks (3-1)

Freeballers (4-1)

The Untouchaballs (4-1)

Can’t Touch This (4-1)

Scared Hitless (4-1)

Puckett All-Stars (6-1)

 

The Story: I know what you’re thinking but the truth is, D2 has become the closest division top to bottom that the TSL has to offer. I’ll start at the bottom with Puckett. Even with finishing 1-7, we spoke ALL year about how they’re SO close to winning. Only two of the seven losses were by more than one score. Now you mix in the historical “Playoff Puckett Magic” that has existed in this team’s DNA for years, and an upset wouldn’t be surprising. As for the rest of the division, everyone is beating up on everyone. This division is incredibly close, with the Mavericks getting the slight nod as the favorite. Everyone else has been playing VERY good football, they even went 4-4 in the D1 crossover games as a group, and you could argue that they realistically could’ve been 6-2. It feels impossible to feel confident in whoever you think is going to win the title. 

 

Bye Week: #1 Mavericks, #2 Freeballers

#3 The Untouchaballs (4-3-1) vs #6 Puckett All-Stars (1-7)

 

Points For: UT 28.00 (6th), PAS 30.38 (4th)

Points Against: UT 31.25 (2nd), PAS 35.50 (6th)

TSL Rank: UT 21st, PAS 45th

Last 3: UT 1-1, PAS 1-2

Past Games: 33-20 UT

Line: Untouchaballs (-3)

 

The defending D2 champs come in as the #3 seed as their slow start to the season didn’t help them much in tiebreaker scenarios. What goes unmentioned however is their Strength of Schedule, they got the Mavericks twice, and both Eyes teams, which almost feels unfair, going 1-2-1. Burr has proven that he can turn it on when it matters, and while we spend a lot of time thinking about what females they don’t have, we forget to point out that the ones they do have, Nina and Meg, are awesome. Add in the usual suspects on offense, and we have the makings of a damn good team. Puckett’s 1-7 record is misleading and they probably deserved to be at least 3-5, but it’s still a good start to their D2 career. The Playoff Magic might have to wait another season though, UT is looking to repeat on the way to moving up to D1. THE UNTOUCHABALLS BY 8

#4 Can’t Touch This (4-3-1) vs #5 Scared Hitless (4-4)

 

Points For: CTT 33.50 (3rd), SH 33.75 (2nd)

Points Against: CTT 32.25 (4th), SH 35.25 (5th)

TSL Rank: CTT 22nd, SH 32nd

Last 3: CTT 2-0-1, SH 1-2

Past Games: 38-36 SH

Line: CTT (-2)

 

It wasn’t too long ago that we were talking about CTT’s losing streak and people were thinking about how they’ll fit back in D3 next season. The problem with that was CTT wasn’t concerned about it. The funny thing is when you have a supermodel, rocket-armed QB who can throw the length of the field with the flick of the wrist, and also having the lowkey best group of girls in the division, the wins will come. And they have been. CTT is one of the hottest teams in the TSL right now, and they get a Scared Hitless team that’s had a good season, but it feels a little “average”. Not too good, not too bad. SH can beat anyone, and the addition of Travis has helped for sure. Scared Hitless has a reputation for turning it on in the playoffs, and I expect nothing less from them in this one, as this one has Game of the Day potential. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 2

 

D3

 

The Contenders:

 

The Malones (3-2)

 

The Non-Malones Contenders:

 

Wanderers (4-1)

Jabronies (6-1)

Keller Whales (7-1)

 

The “You Should Be Better Get It Together Longer Range Contenders” Club:

 

Let’s Get Reccked (9-1)

Bullet Club (10-1)

Topper’s All Stars & Todd (10-1)

 

The “I Can’t Call You Pretenders In D3 No Matter How Bad Things Might Ever Look For You” Contenders:

 

Practice Squad (10-1)

 

The Pretenders:

 

Buffalo Vice (15-1)

 

The Story: The Malones came in and ruined what would’ve been a very good, close, and entertaining D3 season top to bottom. They dominated the division, scored a ton of points, and made it look a bit too easy. As for the rest of the division, the Wanderers keep doing what they always do, winning and having fun. The Jabronies tend to only play in the Spring, But they always play very well, and usually have 2 losses that probably should’ve been wins. The Kellers have been riding a hot start, but haven’t been as good as of late. Let’s Get Reccked, Bullet Club, and TAST are a combined 7-16-1, and should arguably be 17-7 instead. Any one of these teams could “pop” off and surprise in the playoffs. Practice Squad sits at 3-5 with the worst PD in the division, but they also could be 6-2 as well. It’s been a season of ups and down for the Squad, but the playoffs are always where they shine. Some teams are just better in the playoffs, and they’re one of ‘em. Lastly, Buffalo Vice had a good, competitive season in D3, although their division worst defense more than likely does them in this season. 

#8 Bullet Club (2-5-1) vs #9 Topper’s All-Stars & Todd (2-6)

 

Points For: BC 29.25 (6th), TAST 25.00 (9th)

Points Against: BC 33.00 (5th), TAST 30.63 (3rd)

TSL Rank: BC 39th, TAST 41st

Last 3: BC 1-1-1, TAST 2-2

Past Games: 32-30 BC

Line: Bullet Club (-2)

 

These two teams don’t feel like they should be in the 8-9 game, but here they are. They just played a close game a couple of weeks ago, and we should expect more of the same. Both teams have very good defenses, and this game feels like it’ll be decided by whoever blinks first. Dylan has settled in at QB for BC, who still boasts 5 fantastic females on their roster led by long time BCer Steph Czaja, who is joined by Ashley, Kelsey, and Lexi. And that’s not to mention they added Amanda Werth, who I’ve been told still looks like she’s “got it” when she’s filled in. George Lombardo has been great for them too. On Topper’s side, he has, well, himself. The probable Defensive Player of the Year has shown he can do more than just throw TDs, as he gave way to Dubey during the season, and the team has clicked since. Nixon and Salvati have played for 4,025 years combined, but it all ties together having Aaron and Drew as the very good tall guys. This one is going to be close, and I was ready to take TAST, but then I heard Topper isn’t going to be playing. That’s a huge advantage for BC. BULLET CLUB BY 6

 

#1 The Malones (8-0) vs #8 Bullet Club (2-5-1)

 

Points For: MA 52.13 (1st), BC 29.25 (5th) 

Points Against: MA 31.50 (4th), BC 33.00 (5th)

TSL Rank: MA 1st, BC 39th

Last 3: MA 4-0, BC 1-1-1

Past Games: 48-39 BC

Line: The Malones (-14)

 

The Malones’ domination of D3 has been well documented at this point, and they’re already tabbed to go up to D2 (or D1 if everything combines at this rate) win or lose. They’ve set scoring records as Andy, Rhace, Nick, and the rest of the guys are paired with some of the best females in the league that you’ve never heard of, and they like it that way. They have attitude, they have swagger, and they’re good. They’ve won FIVE of their eight games by 22 or more points. The three teams they didn’t? They beat the Jabronies by 6 points. But then they only beat Bullet Club AND TAST by 9 points. So, somehow, the 8-9 seed matchup is going to give the Malones an opponent that played them pretty well last time they met. Look for them to fix that this time around. THE MALONES BY 17

 

#2 Wanderers (6-2) vs #7 Practice Squad (3-5)

 

Points For: WN 34.25 (2nd), PS 28.00 (7th)

Points Against: WN 33.38 (6th), PS 34.25 (8th)

TSL Rank: WN 8th, PS 38th

Last 3: WN 2-2, PS 0-2

Past Games: 32-27 WN

Line: Wanderers (-7)

 

The Wanderers continue to do Wanderers things, playing sound football that more than likely comes down to the end of the game. QB Frank has been running this offense for 1000 years, and everyone knows what they’re supposed to do. “Newcomer” Stoner Dave has been very good for them as well, fitting in seamlessly to improve an already great team. Practice Squad continues to also be what they’ve been for years, solid across the board. B continues to throw very well for them, and when he’s in the zone, that’s when PS really gets rolling. All of the guys on this team contribute, and you can’t stop them all on top of having to deal with Renee dicing you up as well. They’ll fight to the end, as always. WANDERERS BY 3

 

#3 Keller Whales (4-3-1) vs #6 Buffalo Vice (3-5)

 

Points For: KW 27.75 (8th), BV 31.88 (4th)

Points Against: KW 27.25 (1st), BV 36.50 (9th)

TSL Rank: KW 23rd, BV 35th

Last 3: KW 1-2-1, BV 1-1

Past Games: 36-24 KW

Line: Keller Whales (-7)

 

The Kellers haven’t had the best season, or the worst season. It’s just been a season for them. It started out fantastically, going to 3-0 and running the division. They hit a few speed bumps, and went 1-3-1 the rest of the way. They’re consistent on offense, as they scored 36 points in Week 1 against BV, and hit 30 points 5 more times. However, that 36 points was their highest total of the season. That #1 defense has been killing it, getting turnovers and stops. Katie Keller might be 47 years old now, but she can still play. Damien continues to grow as a QB, but his growing pains are part of the reason the offense is ranked 8th. The cure for that is the Buffalo Vice defense, worst in D3 by an average of 2.25 points per game. Vice wins games by out scoring you, as you score on them (39-38 W over Jabronies, 44-41 W over Practice Squad, 34-25 W vs TAST, but that was with Topper at QB, which was yucky). Andy can throw with the best of them, and Caitlyn Mason is All-World as always. Shoutout to Amy too, who always seems to get forgotten a bit. If Vice can solve the Keller’s defense, an upset isn’t out of the question. BUFFALO VICE BY 3

 

#4 Jabronies (4-4) vs #5 Let’s Get Reccked (3-5)

 

Points For: Jabronies 32.88 (3rd), LGR 29.75 (5th)

Points Against: Jabronies 30.25 (2nd), LGR 34.13 (7th)

TSL Rank: Jabronies 31st, LGR 34th

Last 3: Jabronies 2-2, LGR 1-2

Past Games: 28-22 Jabronies

Line: Jabronies (-6)

 

Well, if the TSL is scripted like the NFL, Jeff Krol would’ve written it this way, getting these two teams to play each other. Both sides of the ball are littered with former Tight Ends In Motion players, which makes this game a bit more fun. The Jabronies are arguably the most complete team in the division behind The Malones, as Joe Miano has been nothing but great this season, and it’s a shame he doesn’t seem to get the recognition he really deserves. Eric Klecker might have “more grays than good plays nowadays”, but that is misleading because he still makes a ton of good plays, and might lead the division in TD catches. Ricky Recckio’s team had everyone worried about the roster in Week 1, but they’ve struggled this season mostly due to attendance issues, and they’re a little banged up. Allegedly they’re getting healthy as the playoffs approach (Garrett, for example), which can only be considered a good thing. This should be a good one. LETS GET RECCKED BY 6

 

D4

 

The Contenders:

 

Cunning Stunts (3-1)

Passing While Intoxicated (4-1)

Interdimensional Lightning Falcons (7-1)

Tater Tots (9-1)

 

The “Kinda There But Not Really”s:

 

Creekers (12-1)

 

The Pretenders:

 

Reset Warriors (14-1)

Vaspian (20-1)

Cobblestone (35-1)

The Roaring 20s (40-1)

The Story: The Cunning Stunts dominated the regular season, scoring insane amounts of points while also killing it on defense to earn the top seed in the division. Meanwhile, ILF, PWI, and the Tots continued to battle it out for “best team that plays more than one male” in the division, as they try to figure out how they’ll win this championship. The Creekers have had an up and down season themselves, and while they wouldn’t be a surprise to end up playing in the championship game, it feels like next year is their year in D4. The Reset Warriors had a very good first season, while Vaspian was all over the place as they reset the roster a little bit this spring. The Roaring 20’s have been impressive for a first year team, but have work to do on defense, whereas Cobblestone just has work to do on getting enough people to the games.

 

#8 The Roaring 20s (1-7) vs #9 Cobblestone (1-7)

 

Points For: TR20 24.25 (7th), Cobblestone 17.50 (9th)

Points Against: TR20 38.13 (9th), Cobblestone 36.13 (7th)

TSL Rank: TR20 43rd, Cobblestone 48th

Last 3: TR20 0-3, Cobblestone 1-3

Past Games: 32-20 TR20

Line: EVEN

 

The Roaring 20s have been a steadily improving new squad, and they should be excited about their football future. The hardest thing about being a new team is figuring out what offensive plays work consistently for you, and of course, defense. It’s hard to defend against teams that have been playing a lot longer than you, but TR20 did a great job learning on the fly. Cobblestone has been a mess all season. Darryl Carr QB Superstar has done all he can do with putting the team on his back, but he can only do so much when they’re playing with 4-5 players instead of 6. Things happen in life, and you can’t control that so much. Even Darryl himself will tell you he hasn’t played up to the level he knows he’s capable. It’s Darryl so you know it’s in there and I’m sure he’ll have a full team for the playoffs. The last thing TR20 is going to want is Darryl Carr QB Superstar mysteriously getting on fire in a playoff game. COBBLESTONE BY 10

 

#1 Cunning Stunts (8-0) vs #9 Cobblestone (1-7)

 

Points For: CS 46.50 (1st), Cobblestone 17.50 (9th)

Points Against: CS 26.63 (2nd), Cobblestone 36.13 (7th)

TSL Rank: CS 2nd, Cobblestone 48th

Last 3: CS 4-0, Cobblestone 1-3

Past Games: 52-32 Cunning Stunts

Line: Cunning Stunts (-21)

 

A 21 point spread in a playoff game seems insane, but the Stunts have truly brought their game to a new level this season. It’s not so much the offense, in fact, the Stunts have averaged more than the 46.5 points per game they scored this season more than a few times in previous years, but it’s the defense. The knock on the Stunts was always that you could score on them, just that you had to get the 1 and go for the female scores. If you failed, you were in trouble. This year? Everyone is playing lockdown defense for the girls, and what’s ailed them in the past isn’t there. I know that the first round of the playoffs has been scary for the Stunts in the past, but not this time around. CUNNING STUNTS BY 17

 

#2 Interdimensional Lightning Falcons (6-2) vs #7 Vaspian (2-6)

 

Points For: ILF 32.13 (4th), Vaspian 23.63 (8th)

Points Against: ILF 26.38 (1st), Vaspian 36.63 (8th)

TSL Rank: ILF 4th, Vaspian 42nd

Last 3: ILF 3-0, Vaspian 1-3

Past Games: 30-22 ILF

Line: Interdimensional Lightning Falcons (-10)

 

ILF has had another great year as Andrew Kicak’s squad has found themselves ranked 4th overall in the entire league. They do it by playing excellent defense, as they’ve shut down just about everybody, only allowing 47 points twice, to PWI (a 48-47 W) and Creekers (a 47-31 L). Every other game has been 34 points allowed or less. QB Ethan continues to grow into his role, and as a result ILF is scoring a bit better, and looks good on offense. They get to face off against a Vaspian team they just beat 30-22 last week. Vaspian has made some changes to the roster, and some attendance issues hurt the team during the season. Although they’ve been better as of late, as they hung with ILF and THEN hung with the Stunts, only losing 45-40. Vaspian’s offense is starting to bloom, but they’re still 8th in the division. The problem for Vaspian is their once heralded defense is long gone. They’re allowing nearly 37 points a game, which feels like 20 more points than we’re used to seeing. Those defensive woes will be what does them in. INTERDIMENSIONAL LIGHTNING FALCONS BY 13

 

#3 Passing While Intoxicated (6-2) vs #6 Reset Warriors (4-4)

 

Points For: PWI 36.63 (2nd), RW 30.13 (6th)

Points Against: PWI 27.13 (3rd), RW 27.50 (4th)

TSL Rank: PWI 6th, RW 29th

Last 3: PWI 2-0, RW 2-1

Past Games: 32-6 PWI

Line: Passing While Intoxicated (-10)

 

PWI has been cruising along this season, never quite getting close to losing games that maybe they shouldn’t be losing. QB Alex Lee continues to be an underrated player in the league, and he uses his weapons perfectly. The evolution of the PWI females has been the bigger story for the team, as it seems all of them have improved, which is exactly what they need if they want to take down the Stunts. The Reset Warriors’ first season has been a doozy, with their QB getting injured midseason, so Shirtless Chris had to throw a bit along the way. The Wolcott Family should be happy with 4-4, and there’s a little bit of belief on their side that they can pull off this upset now that they’re healthier. It’ll take an interception or two, which Alex has been known to throw occasionally, and let’s remember that RW has beaten the Tots, lost to ILF by a point, and lost to the Stunts by only 8. They’re better than they appear. RESET WARRIORS BY 3

 

#4 Tater Tots (4-4) vs #5 Creekers (4-4)

 

Points For: TT 34.38 (3rd), Creekers 30.38 (5th)

Points Against: TT 27.63 (5th), Creekers 29.38 (6th)

TSL Rank: TT 25th, Creekers 26th

Last 3: TT 0-2, Creekers 1-2

Past Games: 48-22 TT

Line: Tater Tots (-7)

 

The Tater Tots jumped into D4 with B in tow to throw, and they’ve looked like they’ve belonged here the whole time. Dave Marcus has once again assembled a talented, yet very fun team that’s easy to root for. The Tots may be one step behind the “Top 3” in D4, but they have the ability to pull off an upset as well. The Creekers’ also jumped into D4 after a D5 title, and started off hot themselves. They beat ILF early on and established themselves as contenders. The last few weeks have not been kind to them though. They lost to 1-7 Cobblestone, The barely beat 1-7 TR20, and then they got obliterated by the Stunts. It feels like they’ve taken a step back here. TATER TOTS BY 8

 

D5

 

The Contenders:

 

GUCCI (3-1)

Power Puff Girls (4-1)

Travis Henry’s Kids (4-1)

Come From Behind (6-1)

 

One Step Behind:

 

Not So Sticky (8-1)

 

The Pretenders:

 

Stir The Sauce (20-1)

TMA (30-1)

Two Tuddies (32-1)

 

The Story: GUCCI continues their regular season dominance over the division, taking home another division title. However, the contenders for the championship aren’t that far behind as the Red Hot Power Puff Girls are on the warpath, meanwhile Come From Behind continues to be in the title picture as they are every season. Travis Henry’s Kids, the entire season “favorite” figures to get Pistol Pete back for the playoffs. He’s a legitimate threat to take over any game, in any division. Not So Sticky sits at 4-2-2, and always has an outside chance of making noise. They can play with anyone, especially in the playoffs (just ask CFB about that), and might be the best “value bet” with their odds to win the title in the league. Stir The Sauce had quite a few moments this season in their first go, but ultimately couldn’t beat anyone other than the two teams below them in the standings. TMA had quite the rough outing this season, and it seems like a return home to D6 is in the cards for them. The Two Tuddies struggled to find their footing in D5 after winning the D6 title. Despite being the only winless team this season, they were in a lot of games, and they didn’t get blown out too much. 

 

#1 GUCCI (7-0-1) vs #8 Two Tuddies (0-7-1)

 

Points For: GUCCI 31.00 (3rd), TT 19.63 (7th)

Points Against: GUCCI 15.50 (1st), TT 36.63 (7th)

TSL Rank: GUCCI 3rd, TT 50th

Last 3: GUCCI 3-0-1, TT 0-4

Past Games: 42-20 GUCCI

Line: GUCCI (-17)

 

GUCCI had a spectacular season, going 7-0-1, but now they get to play their biggest nemesis. No, not the Tud Buds, but the first round of the playoffs! GUCCI has followed up the last two successful regular seasons with getting upset in the first round (Spring 2023 losing to #8 TMA, Fall 2023 losing to #6 Goatsack!). Kelly Kane has been dealing all year as usual, but more impressive is the GUCCI defense allowing ONLY 15.50 points on average all season! They allowed 24 points in Week 1 of the season, and since then only ONE team was able to score 20 on them. That team? The Two Tuddies. The Tud Buds have struggled on both sides of the ball, but averaging less than 20 points a game against a defense only allowing 15.50? GUCCI BY 14

 

#2 Travis Henry’s Kids (5-3) vs #7 TMA (1-7)

 

Points For: THK 31.00 (3rd), TMA 13.75 (8th)

Points Against: THK 28.25 (5th), TMA 38.63 (8th)

TSL Rank: THK 11th, TMA 49th

Last 3: THK 1-3, TMA 0-3

Past Games: 28-14 THK

Line: Travis Henry’s Kids (-14)

 

Travis Henry’s Kids finished the season in 2nd place despite losing a couple of games they probably shouldn’t have in recent weeks. Regardless, Langley has been throwing well this season, with or without Pistol Pete, and let’s not forget that they have Aaron as well. The rest of THK is filled with good players who go overlooked as well. They get a TMA team that’s still transitioning, and it’s been hard for one of the TSL’s marquee franchises. Lots of player turnover has led to lots of mistakes on both sides of the ball, and the once legendary TMA Defense is long gone. With that said, they did keep THK in check in the last game they played, and if QB Ryan can summon his 2022 form, an upset isn’t out of the question. It just depends on how upbeat and confident TMA is at this point. TRAVIS HENRY’S KIDS BY 8

 

#3 Come From Behind (5-3) vs #6 Stir The Sauce (3-5)

 

Points For: CFB 32.00 (2nd), STS 29.75 (5th)

Points Against: CFB 23.50 (3rd), STS 28.25 (6th)

TSL Rank: CFB 13th, STS 36th

Last 3: CFB 2-1, STS 1-2

Past Games: 52-10 CFB

Line: Come From Behind (-10)

 

As we saw last week in CFB’s 52-10 win over STS, this is a bad matchup for STS. Their main source of offense, the uber talented Wrestler Dan can’t use his height to his advantage as CFB has some taller athletes of their own. Paul LoVullo is a living legend in the TSL, and he STILL slings the rock harder than almost everyone. The ladies are always good, and have the most experience in league history. Harlan continues to blossom as one of the best upcoming players in the league. CFB is good. Very good. STS has talent as well, and were keeping games close in the beginning of the year against good teams. However, they’ve been a little off lately, and next season really feels like the time they’ll pop. COME FROM BEHIND BY 13

 

#4 Power Puff Girls (5-3) vs #5 Not So Sticky (4-2-2)

 

Points For: PPG 35.50 (1st), NSS 27.00 (6th)

Points Against: PPG 26.63 (4th), NSS 22.25 (2nd)

TSL Rank: PPG 16th, NSS 19th

Last 3: PPG 4-0, NSS 2-0-1

Past Games: 42-34 PPG

Line: Power Puff Girls (-3)

 

The Power Puff Girls started the season getting throttled by THK. Since then, other than a big loss to CFB, they’ve won every game OR lost to GUCCI 18-16. They figured it out, and D5 should be terrified. Amber’s team has been gelling together all season, and QB Kyle has figured out how to best use studs like Maddie, Casey, Jessie, and Brit Matthews. That’s just to name a few. The talent was always there, now the ‘knowhow’ is getting there too. Not So Sticky has had a good season for their standards. Sometimes they’re 6-2, other’s they’re 0-8, but this year’s 4-2-2 is crazy given the two ties. Rags has been throwing better than he has in a long time, and Hot Vodka Ashley has had a great season too. We know how talented the rest of them are. This should be a doozy, but the Girls are one of the hottest teams in the TSL right now. POWER PUFF GIRLS BY 8

 

D6

 

The Contenders: 

 

Pit Harade (3-1)

Blitzkrieg (4-1)

Sausage McMuffins (4-1)

Back That Pass Up (6-1)

 

The “Just On The Outside But Could Surprise”:

 

Balls Deep (8-1)

Mighty Ducks (12-1)

 

Just Joshing:

 

Just Joshing (15-1)

 

The Pretenders:

 

Sticky Laces (20-1)

Dogg Pound (25-1)

 

The Story: D6 takes the mantle of this season’s absolutely nuts division. Pit Harade finished 1st overall after beating Blitzkrieg last week. The loss dropped Blitzkrieg into a ridiculous 4-5 matchup against the McMuffins. Back That Pass Up lost to Sticky Laces, which somehow helped Balls Deep jump up to the #2 seed, despite looking less than impressive for a month now, with a negative point differential to boot. The Mighty Drunks still can’t figure out what defense is, but if they do, they could win the whole thing. Just Joshing more than likely isn’t a contender, but they’re spry enough to pull off an upset. Sticky Laces and Dogg Pound ended up in the 8-9 seed game, as they both had a bit of a learning curve this season as new teams. 

#8 Sticky Laces (2-6) vs #9 Dogg Pound (1-7)

 

Points For: SL 18.63 (8th), DP 12.38 (9th)

Points Against: SL 23.38 (5th), DP 25.63 (6th)

TSL Rank: SL 40th, DP 46th

Last 3: SL 1-3, DP 1-3

Past Games: 27-10 DP

Line: Sticky Laces (-6)

 

A little bit of intrigue in the 8-9 matchup here, as Sticky Laces, coming off a 25-0 win over Back That Pass Up last week, should be a bit more favored over Dogg Pound, however, Dogg Pound beat the Laces in their meeting earlier in the year for their only win. Laces QB Kyle has had a bag of mixed results as he’s taken the reins for the team, and the results haven’t been that great, as they’re averaging under 19 points a game. The Sticky Laces defense has been pretty good, and kept them in a lot of games. As for Dogg Pound, they’ve also had a nice defense, and other than allowing 48 to the McMuffins, and 30 last week to BTPU, they’ve kept everyone else to 28 points or less. Not bad for a brand new team. Their issue is their offense as well, as they average a TSL low 12 points a game. This game promises to be a low scoring affair, with whoever’s defense makes more plays taking it. STICKY LACES BY 6

#1 Pit Harade (6-2) vs #8 Sticky Laces (2-6)

 

Points For: PH 27.75 (4th), SL 18.63 (8th)

Points Against: PH 18.63 (1st), SL 23.38 (5th)

TSL Rank: PH 7th, SL 40th

Last 3: PH 2-0, SL 1-3

Past Games: 33-6 PH

Line: Pit Harade (-10)

 

Pit Harade has had another excellent season as Joe K’s squad continues to impress in D6. Reigning D6 Female MVP Ray has shown back up as QB, and the results have been pretty good, other than a loss to the McMuffins. Tall Bearded Guy has had a fantastic season, seemingly scoring 3 TDs a game, and when he’s there with Sam Pezzino, well, there’s a reason they’ve only allowed less than 19 points a game. The other players on the team all have had highlights during the year, as another season has taught them how the game works a bit better. Sticky Laces could more than likely need a little more seasoning before making some noise next session. PIT HARADE BY 13

 

#2 Balls Deep (5-3) vs #7 Just Joshing (3-5)

 

Points For: BD 21.38 (7th), JJ 23.00 (6th)

Points Against: BD 22.25 (3rd), JJ 26.75 (7th)

TSL Rank: BD 10th, JJ 37th

Last 3: BD 2-1, JJ 1-2

Past Games: 40-38 BD

Line: Balls Deep (-3)

Balls Deep feels like the weakest option for the #2 seed, but they’ve earned it. They DO hold wins over Blitzkrieg, Back That Pass Up, and Pit Harade, so they aren’t slouches, but after starting with 3 wins over those teams, they’ve lost to the Mighty Drunks (not great), Sticky Laces (extra not great), they were shut out by the McMuffins (not great) and just barely pulled out a win over their opponent this week, Just Joshing (not good). They’ve seemed to have lost whatever was working for them earlier in the year. Their pretty good defense helps make up for an anemic offense, but if any of the better teams score 28 points (their averages range from 27.75-34.48), I can’t see Balls Deep keeping up. Just Joshing has done the “new team figuring things out quickly” version, and after a slow start they’ve been in games: they beat the McMuffins and just lost to Blitzkrieg so progress is being shown. A week after losing to Balls Deep by two points, they got them again. You know what they say, it’s hard to beat a team twice. JUST JOSHING BY 3

 

#3 Back That Pass Up (5-3) vs #6 Mighty Drunks (4-4)

 

Points For: BTPU 28.25 (3rd), MD 25.88 (5th)

Points Against: BTPU 27.25 (8th), MD 34.25 (9th)

TSL Rank: BTPU 12th, MD 33rd

Last 3: BTPU 3-1, MD 1-2

Past Games: 50-41 BTPU

Line: Back That Pass Up (-6)

 

Back That Pass Up continues to confound me. They lost to Balls Deep (meh), Pit Harade (okay), and Sticky Laces (not great). But they also have close wins over Blitzkrieg and the McMuffins. Alex D’s squad has continued to make strides this season (as is the theme for them since they came into the league), and having Alex Lee at QB is a great thing for them. The problem is that if Lee isn’t on his game, then BTPU is in trouble, as the defense isn’t great. Luckily, that won’t matter this week, as the Mighty Drunks have had an even more ridiculous season, sometimes being able to score 40 points with no issue, or getting shut out. They have the worst defense in the division by a large margin, and with BTPU being 2nd worst, expect to see another 50-41 game. BACK THAT PASS UP BY 9

 

#4 Blitzkrieg (5-3) vs #5 Sausage McMuffins (5-3)

 

Points For: BK 30.50 (2nd), SMM 34.38 (1st)

Points Against: BK 20.75 (2nd), SMM 23.25 (4th)

TSL Rank: BK 14th, SMM 15th

Last 3: BK 1-2, SMM 0-2

Past Games: 37-31 BK

Line: EVEN

 

It’s honestly a shame that these two teams have to play each other in the first round. D6’s two highest scoring teams (and two best Point Differential teams) take on each other in what is sure to be a classic matchup. While both of these teams should be playing on Championship Saturday, only one of them will make it there. Blitzkrieg was in first place for most of the season, as QB Alex has been dealing most of the year, and getting to add Allie back to his stable of really good females has been huge for BK. There’s been a disappointing absence of Light Red Hoodie Guy, but that shouldn’t take away from what’s been a great season for BK. The McMuffins have Alex throwing the ball even when he doesn’t always want to, but when you have a team that has Eric and Ricky out there, things are going to be okay. These two teams are so evenly matched, but I expect BK to slow down the McMuffins offense just enough to move on. BLITZKRIEG BY 3

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY: 

 

 

• What if we wear the same color as who we’re playing? Bring a different color then. Everyone should have their team bring the opposite color if you have the same as your opponent (You both wear black? Bring white.). I don’t think it’s a specific rule, but the higher seed SHOULD have color preference in these scenarios. Try to make it easier on everyone. 

 

 

 

• The field is set, who are the champions going to be? Always fun to predict, but I think we’ll be seeing Eyes Uptown, The Untouchaballs, The Malones, Cunning Stunts, Travis Henry’s Kids, and Blitzkrieg as champions this season. 

 

 

 

• Rank the #1 seeds in terms of how confident you are in them to win from most to least. Let’s see here. The Malones, Eyes Uptown, Cunning Stunts, GUCCI, Mavericks, Pit Harade

 

 

 

• Were there any upsets you were close to picking but chose not to? This season, I really went with a few upsets it seems. The only one I couldn’t pull the trigger on was Puckett beating The Untouchaballs. I know UT seems like they’re on fire with the win over ED, but Puckett is always magic in the playoffs, and UT has the worst offense (by points per game) in the division. Just feels like it COULD happen, but I can’t bet against the champs. 

 

 

 

• Who are your best “long shot” bets in each division? I’m going to try to choose people who aren’t the top contenders here for sure. In each division: Eyes Downtown (D1 is hard to do this for), Can’t Touch This (D2 is too), Let’s Get Reccked, Tater Tots, Not So Sticky, Mighty Drunks. 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• Breakfast Club Playoffs: 

• Steph Infection 31, Breakfast Club (Trish’s Version) 28

• Dri’s Company 36, Mistymeanors 30

 

 

 

• Games of the Day:

• 10:00 - Jabronies vs Let’s Get Reccked

• 11:00 - Sticky Bandits vs Eyes Downtown

• 12:00 - Keller Whales vs Buffalo Vice

• 1:00 - Power Puff Girls vs Not So Sticky

• 2:00 - Blitzkrieg vs Sausage McMuffins

• 3:00 - Back That Pass Up vs Mighty Drunks

 

 

 

• THE WINE TOURNAMENT IS AUGUST 3RD AND SPOTS ARE FILLING UP! GET YOUR TEAM IN TODAY! 

 

 

 

• We all know that emotions are running high and hot when the Race For Social Co-Ed Football Immortality begins, so remind your team to keep themselves in check when it comes to the refs or even the other team. Don’t be jerks. 

 

 

 

• Buffalo has been hot all week, and Saturday is no different. My Super Accurate Weather Channel App says it’ll be 86 degrees, with the wind at 11 mph out of the south west. The point is, wear sunscreen, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

 

 

 

• The three best teams for an upset that I didn’t name earlier: Practice Squad, Vaspian, Whoever ends up playing The Malones. 

 

 

 

• Be EARLY to your games this week. We don’t want playoff games to run late regardless, but if a game has to go to overtime, we don’t want to be running behind by 15 minutes BEFORE the OT game makes it longer. 

 

 

 

• If Sticky beats Eyes Downtown, you have to wonder if Bobby is going to start looking for a new rusher after the last month of disappointment. 

 

 

 

• After going 4-4 against D1, that D1/D2 combo next season is looking pretty competitive. If it happens. 

 

 

 

• That’s it. The Race for Social Co-Ed Immortality begins NOW. You’ve waited all season for this moment, go capture it. Don’t let it slip. Give everything you’ve got. 

 

 

Good luck. 

 

-GF OUT