Studio711.com – Ben Martens

The Seahawks were on a bye this week. Now they have 13 straight weeks to make their run at back to back Super Bowls. I actually didn’t get to watch any games this weekend, but I did peek in at our league a couple times. The big story in our league is Tim’s continued undefeated domination. Dad is having a pretty strong season and gets the next crack at Tim in Week 5.

I wrote a new app for our league. If it works, it will monitor the league and send emails to people who have players that are Out, Questionable, or on a bye week. (It does not notify for Probable players.) If someone on your team gets flagged by the tool, you’ll get an email on Thursday morning and/or Saturday evening. Don’t rely on this tool! This is the first week and I’m sure there are some bugs that I haven’t found. If you have comments about the tool, please share them. For example, I wasn’t sure if it should email for Questionable players. Also, if you want to opt out of the emails, let me know.

Now on to the weekly awards.

• Highest Team Score
  • This Week:  Dad had 154.98.
  • Season: The previous record was in Week 1, Ben had 137.85
  • All-Time: In 2013, Tim had 195.50
• Lowest Team Score
• This Week: Logan had 69.53.
• Season: In Week 3, Luke had 55.04
• All-Time: In 2011, Luke had 47.01
• Biggest Blowout
• This Week:  Tim beat Austin by 37.95.
• Season: In Week 3, Tim beat Luke by 64.34
• All-Time: In 2010, Luke beat Andy by 113.02
• Closest Win
  • This Week: Dad beat Luke by 17.53.
  • Season: In Week 2, Austin beat Ben by 1.7
  • All-Time: In 2012, Jim beat Ben by 0.12
• Highest Scoring Player
  • This Week:  Eli Manning had 40.10 for Andy.
  • Season: In Week 3, Andrew Luck had 40.30 for Ben
  • All-Time: In 2013, Peyton Manning scored 60.28 for Andy
• Longest Winning Streaks:
  • Active: Tim has a 4 game winning streak
  • Season: Tim has a 4 game winning streak
  • All-Time: In 2011, Micah had an 8 game winning streak
• Longest Losing Streaks:
• Active: Luke and Austin have a 2 game losing streak
• Season: Dad, Logan, Luke, Austin and Andy had 2 game losing streaks
• All-Time: In 2011, Kyle had a 14 game losing streak

The rematch of last year’s Super Bowl proved to be quite a bit more exciting and suspenseful than the Super Bowl itself. Peyton Manning drove the Broncos down the field for a touch down and two point conversion to tie up the game with seconds remaining, but then Russell Wilson matched him and led the Seahawks to a game winning OT TD. Oh and by the way, Peyton Manning is making more than 22 times as much money as Russell Wilson this year.

In our league, all of the games except one ended on Sunday without needing Monday Night Football to finish them off. Logan and Andy broke their losing streaks, and Tim defeated Luke to be the only remaining undefeated team.

Bye weeks start this week! Combined with all the injuries to big names in the league this week, please pay close attention to your roster to avoid 0’s.

Now on to the weekly awards.

• Highest Team Score
  • This Week:   Ben had 129.50
  • Season: In Week 1, Ben had 137.85
  • All-Time: In 2013, Tim had 195.50
• Lowest Team Score
  • This Week:   Luke had 55.04
  • Season: The previous record was in Week 1, Jim had 82.00
  • All-Time: In 2011, Luke had 47.01
• Biggest Blowout
  • This Week:  Tim beat Luke by 64.34
  • Season: The previous record was in Week 2, Jim beat Dad by 49.04
  • All-Time: In 2010, Luke beat Andy by 113.02
• Closest Win
  • This Week:  Andy beat Dad by 7.82.
  • Season: In Week 2, Austin beat Ben by 1.7
  • All-Time: In 2012, Jim beat Ben by 0.12
• Highest Scoring Player
  • This Week:  Andrew Luck had 40.30 for Ben
  • Season: The previous record was in Week 1, Matt Ryan scored 37.42 for Dad
  • All-Time: In 2013, Peyton Manning scored 60.28 for Andy
• Longest Winning Streaks:
  • Active: Tim has a 3 game winning streak
  • Season: Tim has a 3 game winning streak
  • All-Time: In 2011, Micah had an 8 game winning streak
• Longest Losing Streaks:
  • Active: Dad has  2 game losing streak
  • Season: Dad, Logan and Andy had 2 game losing streaks
  • All-Time: In 2011, Kyle had a 14 game losing streak

While Peyton played a pretty good game, he did give us some good “Manning Faces” to choose from. This one was near the end of the game after Kam Chancellor intercepted him and ran it back 52 yards to the Denver 35.

Ouch. Tough game for the Seahawks. It stands to reason that they weren’t going to run through the season undefeated but I wouldn’t have guessed that San Diego would have taken them out. San Diego played a pretty solid game though aside from some poorly timed penalties. Hopefully Pete Carroll can turn this around and use it to encourage the team.

In our league, two of the four undefeated teams lost leaving the Scherschel brothers to fight it out for first place. Luke currently holds the first spot with the tiebreaker of points but Tim is close behind. There are four teams with one win and then Logan and Andy are still looking for their first win.

Guys, we had a LOT of 0’s on the board this week. There were so many that I didn’t even take the time to see which ones should have been preventable. Get your rosters up to date with respect to injuries, and remember that bye weeks start in week 4.

Now on to the weekly awards. This week I added winning and losing streaks to the list. I don’t have prior history for this one so we’ll just keep track from this season forward.

• Highest Team Score
  • This Week:  Jim had 137.41
  • Season: In Week 1, Ben had 137.85
  • All-Time: In 2013, Tim had 195.50
• Lowest Team Score
  • This Week:  Dad had 88.37
  • Season: In Week 1, Jim had 82.00
  • All-Time: In 2011, Jim beat Luke by 83.79
• Biggest Blowout
  • This Week: Jim beat Dad by 49.04
  • Season: Previous record was in Week 1, Luke beat Jim by 41.27
  • All-Time: In 2010, Luke beat Andy by 113.02
• Closest Win
  • This Week:  Austin beat me by 1.7
  • Season: Previous record was in Week 1, Dad beat Austin by 27.16
  • All-Time: In 2012, Jim beat me by 0.12
• Highest Scoring Player
  • This Week:  Aaron Rodgers had 34.64 for Tim.
  • Season: In Week 1, Matt Ryan scored 37.42 for Dad
  • All-Time: In 2013, Peyton Manning scored 60.28 for Andy
• Longest Winning Streaks:
  • Active: Tim and Luke have 2 game winning streaks
  • Season: Tim and Luke have 2 game winning streaks
• Longest Losing Streaks:
  • Active: Logan and Andy have 2 game losing streaks.
  • Season: Logan and Andy have 2 game losing streaks.

There’s no shot of the opposing QB feeling dejected after playing the Seahawks this week. The Seattle D did not live up to their reputation this week.

Welcome back football fans! It felt great to see football on TV again, especially with the Seahawks delivering a solid victory over the cheese heads.

Our league did not continue the way it ended last year. Logan and Andy finished first and second last year with pretty dominating seasons. They started out this year with a loss. It looks like I’m starting out the season on top with Tim, Dad and Luke also winning their games.

Now on to the weekly awards. You’ll notice that I added a new bullet point for our league record to help put this season in perspective.

• Highest Team Score
• This Week: Ben had 137.85
• Season: In Week 1, Ben had 137.85
• All-Time: In 2013, Tim had 195.50
• Lowest Team Score
• This Week: Jim had 82.00
• Season: In Week 1, Jim had 82.00
• All-Time: In 2011, Jim beat Luke by 83.79
• Biggest Blowout
• This Week: Luke beat Jim by 41.27
• Season: In Week 1, Luke beat Jim by 41.27
• All-Time: In 2010, Luke beat Andy by 113.02
• Closest Win
• This Week: Dad beat Austin by 27.16
• Season: In Week 1, Dad beat Austin by 27.16
• All-Time: In 2012, Jim beat me by 0.12
• Highest Scoring Player
• This Week: Matt Ryan scored 37.42 for Dad
• Season: In Week 1, Matt Ryan scored 37.42 for Dad
• All-Time: In 2013, Peyton Manning scored 60.28 for Andy

I’m also adding a new weekly section for Seahawks fans. I need a good name but basically it’s going to be a shot of the opposing QB looking dejected after the Seahawks defense makes a great play. Last year both Manning brothers had great “Mommy!!!” faces that inspired this.

The tournament isn’t even over and already our bracket pool has been decided. Nobody even has a shot at getting the final game correct. I don’t think that has ever happened in our pool before and I also think this is one of the lowest scoring pools. But all that aside, congrats to AndyB who beat out second place Logan by one point and third place Jay by two points!

Jay and Logan have both won in the previous two years. Following up with second and third is a pretty good showing.

Now we can all enjoy the final game without wondering who is going to win the pool. And when I say “we” I mean “you” because most likely I’ll be giving a baby a bath and putting him to bed. I’ve watched approximately 7 minutes of the entire tournament this year.

I haven’t been able to watch much of the tournament, but I’ve seen a few recaps of some very exciting games and I’ve watched my bracket crumble. Seven people filled out brackets in our (ego-only) pool this year. The chart below is sorted by the number of possible points remaining which seems like the best way to compare teams. AndyB is leading the charge with Jay and Logan close behind him. Tim failed to pick a winner of the final game (that game is worth 32 points) but he still has more possible total points than Jim and Andy!

Congrats to Logan! He came from the third seed in the playoffs to win it all. Dad and I posted the two of the lowest scores of the week in the “battle” for third. Dad claimed that spot. Jim lost the last six games of the regular season and then won the two games of the playoffs to land in fifth and Luke won the 7th place game. Here are the final standings:

1. Logan
2. Andy
3. Dad
4. Ben
5. Jim
6. Tim
7. Luke
8. Austin

Thanks to everyone for a great season! It was one of the closest ones I can remember, and there were almost no deadbeat weeks! I hope to see you all back next year.

Now on to the weekly awards for one last time:

• Highest Team Score: Luke had 148.72 (Record, Week 4: Tim had 195.50)
• Lowest Team Score: I had 73.90 (Record, Week 6: Jim had had 72.17)
• Biggest Blowout: Luke beat Austin by 33.41 (Record, Week 3: Dad beat Andy by 63.83)
• Closest Win: Logan beat Andy by 14.84 (Record, Week 1: Logan beat Tim by 0.89)
• Highest Scoring Player: Peyton Manning had 40.00 for Andy. (Record, Week1: Peyton Manning had 60.28 for Andy.)

Stats mostly via TMQ:

• Hosting the New Orleans Saints, the Carolina Panthers gained 157 offensive yards in the first 59 minutes and 65 yards in the final minute.
• The Detroit Lions have lost five of six; in all the losses, the Lions could not hold a fourth-quarter lead.
• The Miami Dolphins’ possession results at the Buffalo Bills: punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, downs, interception.
• The Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots are a combined 32-5 when BenJarvus Green-Ellis scores a touchdown.
• Nick Foles, who started the season as a backup, has 25 touchdown passes and two interceptions. Joe Flacco, who started the season as the defending Super Bowl MVP, has 18 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions.

The top four teams faced off this week and only two survived. Logan put the smack down on me and Andy beat Dad. There were a lot of high scores around the league and consolation bracket was no exception. Tim put up the second most points in the league and beat Austin while Jim beat Luke. Next week is the championship! Logan and Andy will battle for supremacy.

Now on to the weekly awards:

• Highest Team Score: Logan had 169.02 (Record, Week 4: Tim had 195.50)
• Lowest Team Score: Luke had 117.97 (Record, Week 6: Jim had had 72.17)
• Biggest Blowout: Logan beat me by 42.52 (Record, Week 3: Dad beat Andy by 63.83)
• Closest Win: Jim beat Luke by 6.78 (Record, Week 1: Logan beat Tim by 0.89)
• Highest Scoring Player: Jamaal Charles had 55.50 points for Logan. (Record, Week1: Peyton Manning had 60.28 for Andy.)
• Mr. Consistency:  Andy has a five game winning streak.

Stats mostly via TMQ:

• Atlanta, Houston, Minnesota and Washington made the playoffs last season, and since their final game of that season are a combined 13-46-1.
• Josh Gordon has 841 receiving yards in his past five games; Cleveland lost all five.
• The Saints are 7-0 at home, where they average 33 points, and 3-4 on the road, where they average 18.5 points.
• Green Bay possession results in the second half at Dallas: touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown.
• St. Louis has wins by 30, 25 and 21 points and losses by 24, 24,and 20 points.
• Indianapolis went 37 consecutive first-half possessions without a touchdown.
• The Seahawks have allowed 565 fewer punt return yards than the R*dsk*ns. Reader Jason Eisner of Danville, Va., notes that Washington’s average punt return allowed is nearly the same as total punt return yards allowed by Seattle.

And there you have it, the final week of the regular season is in the books. As predicted last week, Logan secured the final spot in the playoffs. Here are the playoff seeds:

1. Andy
2. Ben
3. Logan
4. Dad
5. Luke
6. Tim
7. Austin
8. Jim

Spots 1-4 will play for the championship while 5-8 square off in the consolation bracket. Good luck everyone!

Now on to the weekly awards:

• Highest Team Score: Ben had 151.20 (Record, Week 4: Tim had 195.50)
• Lowest Team Score: Tim had 88.43 (Record, Week 6: Jim had had 72.17)
• Biggest Blowout: I beat Tim by 62.77 (Record, Week 3: Dad beat Andy by 63.83)
• Closest Win: Andy beat Luke by 13.9 (Record, Week 1: Logan beat Tim by 0.89)
• Highest Scoring Player: Josh McCown had 47.52 for Austin. (Record, Week1: Peyton Manning had 60.28 for Andy.)
• Mr. Consistency:  Jim has lost 6 in a row.

Stats mostly via TMQ (but not this week as there doesn’t seem to be an article available):

• Austin and I are the only ones playing the League Pick’em on Yahoo and we both perfectly predicted last week’s four games in our league.
• Logan has beaten his projected points three weeks in a row.
• This was the 5th time this season that Tim had the lowest score.
• Austin snapped a four game losing streak this week.
• 7 of Luke’s 8 losses have been to teams who scored higher than their season average.
• Luke had the 8th highest points of any losing team this season.
• Jim has been on the receiving end of what Yahoo deems a “blowout” 5 times this season.
• With two games left to play, Andy is already tied with Logan’s previous record for most points from the originally drafted team. He has also tied the season record for touchdowns.

I’m sure there were some other good games this week, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Seahawks game on Monday night. They made a big statement about their chances of making it to the big game this year. There’s a lot of work to do, but it would feel great to have home field advantage. The 12th Man regained their title as the loudest NFL crowd. Kansas City briefly took that title from them earlier this season. They can keep yelling a bit longer since the Saints plane broke down last night forcing them to spend an extra night in Seattle.

I had my own personal dilemma as I decided to bench Drew Brees and start Cam Newton instead. That ended up being a good move but I felt like I was turning my back on my Purdue roots and embracing Seattle instead. Maybe I have, at least when they’re facing each other.

What’s your prediction for the Super Bowl? Seahawks vs Broncos?

Our league remained relatively similar as far as the playoff picture goes. Andy is still on top with Dad and I chasing him. Logan dropped a game but remains in fourth place. With only one game remaining until our playoffs start, Andy, Dad and I have clinched playoff spots. The fourth spot is almost certain to go to Logan. Even if he loses and Luke or Tim win, he’ll still have enough points to win a tiebreaker. So this last week will be about setting the playoff seeding. My money would be on Andy to win it this year. He cranks out a lot of points. We’ll need to watch out for Dad though. Josh Gordon has been on FIRE lately, scoring over 100 points in the last three weeks.

Now on to the weekly awards:

• Highest Team Score: Andy had 156.03 (Record, Week 4: Tim had 195.50)
• Lowest Team Score: Jim had 83.11 (Record, Week 6: Jim had had 72.17)
• Biggest Blowout: Tim beat Jim by 42.24 (Record, Week 3: Dad beat Andy by 63.83)
• Closest Win: Andy beat Logan by 24.4 (Record, Week 1: Logan beat Tim by 0.89)
• Highest Scoring Player: Eric Decker had 45.40 for Andy. (Record, Week1: Peyton Manning had 60.28 for Andy.)
• Mr. Consistency:  Luke is on a 4 game winning streak and Jim has lost 4 in a row.
• Crystal Ball: Dad started a perfect roster.

Stats mostly via TMQ:

• Andy has the best record in the league and has only made 4 roster moves, the fewest in the league.
• Jim has made the 6 roster moves, the second fewest in the league, and he’s in last place.
• With their win on Monday night, Seattle is the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff spot.
• Every team in the NFC West has a positive points differential against opponents.
• The Saints and Drew Brees ended their NFL record streak of 43 consecutive games with at least 200 passing yards.
• The Giants and Jets, the New Jersey teams, are first and second for giveaways, combining to turn the ball over 58 times.
• Nick Foles has 19 touchdown passes and no interceptions.
• Kansas City became the first NFL team ever to open 9-0 then go 0-3.
• In opening 9-0, Kansas City’s defense allowed 11 touchdowns while scoring six. In going 0-3, the Chiefs’ defense allowed 13 touchdowns while not scoring.
• Outgaining the Packers by 435 yards, the Lions won at home on Thanksgiving for the first time in a decade.
• Carolina, which has allowed just two touchdowns in the first half, is on a 13-3 run.
• The Seahawks are 14-0 at home when Russell Wilson starts.

A correction to last week’s stats: Logan had the high score with 151.53. I’ve updated that post.