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Every year our seasons are made up of stories. It is why we play this game every year for 15 of the best weeks. It is the reason we look
forward to it so much. Personal or fantasy, posted on the message board, or spoke about in a bar, it is the stories that bring us together.
This week, two teams with great stories play each other in perhaps the best fantasy on earth (disagreements will obviously pop up –
Angelina and Aniston in a three-way with Brock is one):
New Jersey Jacobins: Last year the then Caracas Cocineros became the first team to take home the Toilet Bowl award (although previous bottom
dwellers were recognized). With a season that saw only two wins, the Cocineros were indeed a sad team indeed. At season’s end, Owner Dave
Allocco moved them to their rightful home: New Jersey and renamed them Jacobins. Deciding to keep his two stud players (Barber and Gonzalez),
Allocco found the team in an interesting position in the 2005 Draft. While considerations on who to take had been thought of from every angle, Brick
Walls and Tree’s surprising move to not keep Randy Moss enabled the Jacobins to get in the first round with the first pick. This was significant
because before any other player was picked, the Jacobins had a top rated RB, WR, and TE.
With a week 1 win over the Bandits, and scoring over 100 points for the first time since Week 9 in 2004 (one of only two times that year), the Jacobins
looked dangerous from the start. Everything looked great for the Jacobins, going 3-1 in the first four weeks. Then a three game losing streak
ensued. Jacobins picked the momentum back up in Week 8 when they became the first (and only) team to beat Brick Walls during the regular
season. Jacobins ended the season 4-2.
In the playoffs, the Jacobins have been scored in the ballpark of 115 in both games. This week, they play the relatively same team that has supported
all year – Drew Brees, Randy Moss, Tiki Barber, Ruben Droughns, Tony Gonzalez and the Giants Defense. It is a team anyone would be proud to
play – one that has suffered little injury this year, and one that has consistency.
And while Dave continues to tell the league that his logo “will fill the toilet bowl award for years to come,” I think he can rest easy. A team in the
Championship gains him respect and vengeance for last years season.
Nomads in the Deep: What’s to say about the team that started off as “Cougs” run by a woman, later became “The Bozboys” and in 2004 saw a
name change to “Nomads in the Deep” become synonymous with winning? Not much.
In 2004 Owner Navid Sadri built a team around Preist Holmes and Micahel Vick. That was a bad year, plagued by injury (Andre Davis, Charlie
Garner), and inconsistency (Vick and Bennett… until the end) - 32 different players started a game for Nomads that season. He became a last minute
entry to the ROFF Bowl Playoffs, going 6-7, just beating out Nick Serrano’s us of exploiterica. In the playoff, Nomads swept the competition with the
help of a renewed Drew Bennett, and (ironically) QB replacement Drew Brees. It was a 116 - 105 victory over Shermtanks in the Championship that
sealed Nomads victory.
This year, Nomads drafted a top caliber team, starting with keepers Holmes and Dunn. Having the last pick in the draft, he took Steve Smith – a WR
who looked promising in pre-season play, but had the season no one could have expected. In addition, he took Larry Johnson (Holmes backup) in
round 6 as a safety precaution in case Johnson got more of the work or Holmes got hurt… both happened.
Nomads opened up with week 1 loss. Many speculated that the end was near, the king was dead, and the Championship was a fluke. He followed the
loss with a three game winning streak, and then lost only twice more during the season. Last year he was an 8 seed in the draft – this year he went in
as a 2 seed. In week 1 of the playoffs, he gave Blade Brown a spanking 142 – 58. In week 2, he posted 125 point (25 points more than his regular
season average) and knocked 3 seed Bandits out.
Like the Jacobins (and you may have noticed many interesting correlation, similarities and polar differences along the way), Nomads has played
relatively the same team all season, with Hasselbeck, Smith, Houshmandzadeh, Dunn and (now) Johnson running the ship. Nomads has a chance this
week to become our first back-to-back Champion. It is a historic moment for our league. And will never again make us assume a team is dead based
on a week 1 loss.
As for who I think will win, well that’s a tough one. Both are great stories and both teams should be commended for their season. Jacobins
move could make them a worst-to-first team (the first OWNER in our league to pull off that stunt). Nomads back-to-back season would be
historic.
Easy way out? I think whoever wins will have a great story to tell…
Good luck to Dave and Navid. You both deserve to be there and should be proud of your amazing seasons.
forward to it so much. Personal or fantasy, posted on the message board, or spoke about in a bar, it is the stories that bring us together.
This week, two teams with great stories play each other in perhaps the best fantasy on earth (disagreements will obviously pop up –
Angelina and Aniston in a three-way with Brock is one):
New Jersey Jacobins: Last year the then Caracas Cocineros became the first team to take home the Toilet Bowl award (although previous bottom
dwellers were recognized). With a season that saw only two wins, the Cocineros were indeed a sad team indeed. At season’s end, Owner Dave
Allocco moved them to their rightful home: New Jersey and renamed them Jacobins. Deciding to keep his two stud players (Barber and Gonzalez),
Allocco found the team in an interesting position in the 2005 Draft. While considerations on who to take had been thought of from every angle, Brick
Walls and Tree’s surprising move to not keep Randy Moss enabled the Jacobins to get in the first round with the first pick. This was significant
because before any other player was picked, the Jacobins had a top rated RB, WR, and TE.
With a week 1 win over the Bandits, and scoring over 100 points for the first time since Week 9 in 2004 (one of only two times that year), the Jacobins
looked dangerous from the start. Everything looked great for the Jacobins, going 3-1 in the first four weeks. Then a three game losing streak
ensued. Jacobins picked the momentum back up in Week 8 when they became the first (and only) team to beat Brick Walls during the regular
season. Jacobins ended the season 4-2.
In the playoffs, the Jacobins have been scored in the ballpark of 115 in both games. This week, they play the relatively same team that has supported
all year – Drew Brees, Randy Moss, Tiki Barber, Ruben Droughns, Tony Gonzalez and the Giants Defense. It is a team anyone would be proud to
play – one that has suffered little injury this year, and one that has consistency.
And while Dave continues to tell the league that his logo “will fill the toilet bowl award for years to come,” I think he can rest easy. A team in the
Championship gains him respect and vengeance for last years season.
Nomads in the Deep: What’s to say about the team that started off as “Cougs” run by a woman, later became “The Bozboys” and in 2004 saw a
name change to “Nomads in the Deep” become synonymous with winning? Not much.
In 2004 Owner Navid Sadri built a team around Preist Holmes and Micahel Vick. That was a bad year, plagued by injury (Andre Davis, Charlie
Garner), and inconsistency (Vick and Bennett… until the end) - 32 different players started a game for Nomads that season. He became a last minute
entry to the ROFF Bowl Playoffs, going 6-7, just beating out Nick Serrano’s us of exploiterica. In the playoff, Nomads swept the competition with the
help of a renewed Drew Bennett, and (ironically) QB replacement Drew Brees. It was a 116 - 105 victory over Shermtanks in the Championship that
sealed Nomads victory.
This year, Nomads drafted a top caliber team, starting with keepers Holmes and Dunn. Having the last pick in the draft, he took Steve Smith – a WR
who looked promising in pre-season play, but had the season no one could have expected. In addition, he took Larry Johnson (Holmes backup) in
round 6 as a safety precaution in case Johnson got more of the work or Holmes got hurt… both happened.
Nomads opened up with week 1 loss. Many speculated that the end was near, the king was dead, and the Championship was a fluke. He followed the
loss with a three game winning streak, and then lost only twice more during the season. Last year he was an 8 seed in the draft – this year he went in
as a 2 seed. In week 1 of the playoffs, he gave Blade Brown a spanking 142 – 58. In week 2, he posted 125 point (25 points more than his regular
season average) and knocked 3 seed Bandits out.
Like the Jacobins (and you may have noticed many interesting correlation, similarities and polar differences along the way), Nomads has played
relatively the same team all season, with Hasselbeck, Smith, Houshmandzadeh, Dunn and (now) Johnson running the ship. Nomads has a chance this
week to become our first back-to-back Champion. It is a historic moment for our league. And will never again make us assume a team is dead based
on a week 1 loss.
As for who I think will win, well that’s a tough one. Both are great stories and both teams should be commended for their season. Jacobins
move could make them a worst-to-first team (the first OWNER in our league to pull off that stunt). Nomads back-to-back season would be
historic.
Easy way out? I think whoever wins will have a great story to tell…
Good luck to Dave and Navid. You both deserve to be there and should be proud of your amazing seasons.
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