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| The Red Rifle hanging dong on Minnesota in last year's Super Bowl. |
As for Brian, he walked into the semifinal matchup feeling strongly about the game and he was not disappointed as his team was fairly consistent, expect for his running backs. The injury to Julio Jones vaulted Harry Douglas into the starting lineup, who ended up going for 19 points in a spot start. Jones is rumored to return this week but we'll have to see how he progresses at practice until a final decision is made.
So without anymore idle conversation, let's preview this thing...
SLUSHIE BOWL IV: THE REMATCH
EMILIOOO!!!! (9-6) vs. Shooter McGavin (13-2)
It was so good last time, they decided to do it again. After an exciting championship and playoffs last season, fans were clamoring for a rematch. So we gave it to them. Just like Ali-Frazier, Stone Cold-Rock, Giants-Patriots, there is always a rematch when two titans meet. Although history points towards Brian capturing his second title, Nick's high powered lineup stands in his way. These two have been the toast of the Slushie Sundays league over the last two seasons, combining for a regular season record of 37-15 and meeting in the Super Bowl in back to back seasons. Teams tried to prevent a repeat champion and they failed. Each squad has claimed the crown in the first three seasons and it shall continue for another season.
So who's going to win? Ideally, me. Realistically, it's much more complicated. Each team has dealt with their share of injuries this season but their strong starters and bench players have allowed them to get to this point. Nick's 3 running backs he played yesterday weren't the solidified starters coming into the season and Brian has leaned on Lamar Miller, Matt Ryan and rookie Kelvin Benjamin to assist Jamaal Charles, Gronk and Julio Jones. Each team is no stranger to putting up huge point totals. Nick had an off week in round two but was able to survive and hopes to bounce back in a major way in the finals.
Who will he start? Brian has had the luxury of two top-10 QBs all season and has swapped them in and out of different weeks all year. Now, in the biggest game of his career, who will he start? One mistake could prove to be crucial. Choose wisely, Bri. Roethlisberger takes on a Chiefs defense that is prone to give up plenty of yards through the air but will he pass on the opportunity for double points with Matt Ryan?
An update, as of Wednesday, Andy Dalton has been recalled back onto the active roster for the championship game. This, as mentioned in the group chat was simply an intimidation ploy and would only be strategic unless Andrew Luck would sit in Week 16. Coach Chuck Pagano clearly stated that he is against resting starters but you can never tell in the NFL. Dalton was the MVP of Super Bowl III but he'll the bench this year. Shooter McGavin's flex is the one position that has been a toss up for the last few weeks. Last weekend, Latavius Murray has a strong game but most likely won't get the start against a stingy Buffalo D.
Brian, on the other hand has his flex down pat. Kelvin Benjamin continued his phenomenal rookie campaign with over 100 yards in the win over Tampa Bay, without Cam Newton. This week, he'll take on a Browns defense that was gouged by AJ Green last week. On the other side of the coin, Jordy Nelson dropped a potential 94-yard touchdown that could've sealed the game for Nick but alas, it bobbled off his hands as the Packers would fall to the Bills. Also costing Nick a decent amount of money. Besides the fact, now the Packers desperately need to win and I'm sure Aaron Rodgers and company will hold nothing back this week against the Bucs.
Its no secret that whoever wins this weekend will once again etch their names on the trophy and preserve their legacy as two-time league champions. Who will it be? The repeat factor or the revenge factor. Nick and Brian have met three times in the playoffs and regular season and Shooter has won two out of three and more importantly, the playoff game. That was and still is Brian's only playoff loss in his career. Will he suffer another year of defeat or hoist the trophy on Monday night once the legacy is sealed? See you all on Sunday for an intense rivalry that culminates with yet another title on the line.
Who will he start? Brian has had the luxury of two top-10 QBs all season and has swapped them in and out of different weeks all year. Now, in the biggest game of his career, who will he start? One mistake could prove to be crucial. Choose wisely, Bri. Roethlisberger takes on a Chiefs defense that is prone to give up plenty of yards through the air but will he pass on the opportunity for double points with Matt Ryan?
Brian, on the other hand has his flex down pat. Kelvin Benjamin continued his phenomenal rookie campaign with over 100 yards in the win over Tampa Bay, without Cam Newton. This week, he'll take on a Browns defense that was gouged by AJ Green last week. On the other side of the coin, Jordy Nelson dropped a potential 94-yard touchdown that could've sealed the game for Nick but alas, it bobbled off his hands as the Packers would fall to the Bills. Also costing Nick a decent amount of money. Besides the fact, now the Packers desperately need to win and I'm sure Aaron Rodgers and company will hold nothing back this week against the Bucs.
Its no secret that whoever wins this weekend will once again etch their names on the trophy and preserve their legacy as two-time league champions. Who will it be? The repeat factor or the revenge factor. Nick and Brian have met three times in the playoffs and regular season and Shooter has won two out of three and more importantly, the playoff game. That was and still is Brian's only playoff loss in his career. Will he suffer another year of defeat or hoist the trophy on Monday night once the legacy is sealed? See you all on Sunday for an intense rivalry that culminates with yet another title on the line.
I would be remiss if I didn't include the rest of the league in this final blog post of the season. I say that it's the final post because there no way I'm writing one after the Super Bowl. For two scenarios. One, I win, again and take my winnings and lovely trophy on a week's vacation to Vegas to sight see, gamble, drink, relax by the pool, strip clubs, see Britney Spears at MGM Grand (for the pageantry of course) and finally return to Schenectady for my victory parade. Which will happen on Dolan Drive, so clear your schedules. It should start around 9 in the morning on Monday and will finish near downtown Schenectady at 3 PM as the streets will be lined with my adoring fans to congratulate me on yet another successful team.
With that being said, I present to you, the Slushies, the first and only award show for our fantasy league to celebrate another memorable season in Slushie Sundays lore. I will present these random categories and will pick a winner for each while reminiscing on the event and show the other nominees.
2014 SLUSHIE AWARDS
The Ellis Hospital Award - Going to the team that suffered the most injuries throughout the season.
Winner: Dom Caputo
A season that started off so promising was immediately derailed by his teams inability to stay on the damn field. Dom's team spent so much time in the hospital they were able to become recurring characters on this season of Grey's Anatomy. It started with Ryan Mathews, who was dealt in Week 2 and was essentially injured on the plane ride over here. By the time got him back, he was starting LaGarette Blount instead, leading to another painful consolation appearance. Then there was RG3 his huge blockbuster deal that look promising for a week or two until he once again injured his knee and subsequently, Dom's playoff hopes. The list went on and on, whether it was Fred Jackson, Delanie Walker or Ahmad Bradshaw, Dom could bank on his team being a man down by the end of th weekend.
The Daniel Snyder Award - Going to the team with the worst trade(s) this season.
Winner: Josh Correra, Josh Correra's Quick Judgement
Oh Josh, I'm sorry I couldn't have thought of anything more fitting for you but I would just like to revisit a few trades you made this season. It wasn't even that the trades were so terrible it's just the surrounding circumstances after the moves were made. Of course, trading for Vincent Jackson and dealing away TY Hilton and a 5th round pick (which will sting at the next draft) was pretty bad, but I'm talking about the Matt Prater deal. I honestly think Vinnie got like Christine Michael with his draft pick but the fact that Prater was immediately cut right after the draft was laugh out loud funny. Prater actually had a strong season with Detroit, unfortunately, not for your team. However, you did happen to get Dan Bailey and that worked out pretty well. The quick judgement part dates back to the infamous Eddie Lacy trade. If you don't recall, Josh was the most outspoken critic of the deal and even wanted a veto. To his shock, Chris Casey turned three players (Steve Smith, Vernon Davis, Reggie Bush) into Lacy and Anquan Boldin, becoming one of the most lopsided trades in recent years. In fact, Eddie Lacy had better receiving stats than Reggie Bush and Steve Smith combined from Week 7 on. Not including the 523 yards from Anquan Boldin in that span. Which is why you don't judge a book or trade by it's cover.
Winner: Chris Casey
This one could've gone to a few teams but I settled on Chris because he unfortunately had to fill the crater-sized void left by Drew's abomination of a team. Having to wheel and deal players for his keepers, he took Arian Foster with his franchises first overall pick and dealt him away weeks later after a few injuries. He traded for Ridley and Spiller, two players suffering season-ending injuries while Foster thrived the rest of the season, on Joe's roster...by the time he got Eddie Lacy back in 2013 form, it was already too late for the Schmeckles. There's certainly always next year and we expect him to bounce back quite nicely. Oh, did I mention he broke Aaron Pommer's record of total points allowed in a single season? No one suffered worst losses than Chris.
The Little Giants Award - Best upset of the season.
Winner - David Troiano
After draft night, the rift between Josh & Brian against Dave was bigger than the San Andreas fault line (shoutout to Earth Science and Becca Remis). Those two were doing enough trash talking Dave for his pre-draft trade in an attempt to get him out of the league for good. Dave vowed that his main goal for the season was not to make the playoffs, but to beat Josh and Brian to silence his critics haunting him for weeks. In his first attempt to shut their damn mouths, Dave came into the game a massive underdog against Josh's team. Already staring at an 0-2 record and with a good chance of his season being put to rest after it had just started, Dave fought Josh tooth and nail to set up a potential Monday night comeback in the Jets-Bears game on the backs of huge games from Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson. Needing 10 points from Nick Folk and Martellus Bennett didn't seem difficult but Dave knew it wouldn't be easy. The game got off to a slow start but after a pair of Folk field goals, Dave sealed the victory with a Bennett TD grab to shock the entire league and regain his interest in the season.
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| Not the same game but just impressive nonetheless. |
Winner - Joe Bergami, naturally.
It's becoming a recurring theme. Joe assembles dynamic and powerful roster, gets tripped up in the playoffs. If you thought last years team was good, this was one was even better. When your worst starter was LeSean McCoy, you're doing pretty well for yourself. Team "Ahhhh!! Breaded" was able to shake off some of his demons this season by winning his franchise's first playoff game but was trounced in the next round by his roommate this past weekend. One of these seasons, Joe's going to win this whole thing and the rest of the league would not be shocked in the slightest. He does his homework, drafts well, makes strong lineups and picks up great waivers. It's going to click for him eventually, just a matter on when. Based on keepers, he'll be one of the elite teams in 2015. This is not a slight at mine or Brian's team. Clearly, either squad, along with others were championship caliber but we can agree that if Joe's team won it all we would've just accept it is as fact withouth any resistance. Here's to next year, Doe.
The Tom Cruise "Rain Man" Award - Most successful team with Drew as a co-manager.
Winner - Aaron Pommer
When he started the season, things were looking up for Aaron's squad, they were ranked as the best team in the draft grades and everyone thought that they would be a title contender. Week one, Victor Cruz dropped an easy catch on the sidelines that could've sealed his first victory...he didn't. That was what cost him a 3-0 start. In those few short weeks, he also made an extremely interesting move. Hitching his wagon to the skill and expertise of Drew Fahrenz, who was out of the league for a short while after back-to-back under .500 seasons, highlighted by his fire sales towards the trade deadline and his infamous pick of Jason Witten in the second round in 2012. Drew actually made some strong draft picks as Aaron's pick advisor this season but everyone knew it would be a questionable move bringing him along, as he was Dustin Hoffman to Aaron's Tom Cruise if I can use a Rain Man analogy for a second (shoutout to Ben since its his favorite movie, or at least it was). No, Drew wasn't spending his nights memorizing the telephone book or counting cards to win millions, he was simply giving his input on personnel moves (to a certain extent) hoping to recapture the magic of his playoff birth like in 2011. Although he has still yet to pay his $25 entry fee to Aaron, Drew's stigma as a subpar owner did not sink the DrewBree Brothers completely, as they snuck into the playoffs before bowing out to Nick in the first round. Will Drew be back next year? Who knows honestly.
The Washington Redskins Award - Team that had season derailed by the rise/fall of Kirk Cousins.
Winner - Will Gavin
This was an isolated incident but it proved costly. In a week eight matchup against Josh, Will was forced to start Kirk Cousins after his revival as a starting QB but the problem was that he was injured and not going to play. RG3 was also hurt and that left one man for the job, Colt McCoy. Will, desperate for a win, wasn't aware that Cousins wasn't playing and Josh had the maniacal move to pick up McCoy and all other available QBs to freeze out Will and preserve his victory. If Will had snagged McCoy before it was too late, he would have easily won the matchup and would have ultimately made the playoffs due to that one win. Really unfortunate stuff. It was a rough season for Will, had a extremely talented team but quarterback play was shotty at best, especially when they didn't even play in a primetime game. Regardless, classic Josh move though. Win at all costs attitude that only Brian could appreciate. Keep your heads on a swivel guys and always check your lineups frequently.
The Eddie Mordecai Hecker Memorial Award - Best season by a Slushie Sundays rookie.
Winner - Vinnie Crocitto
Vinnie gets this award due to his immediate impact on the league, similar to Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. He inherited a great team, yes, but his frequent trades and transactions like acquiring Aaron Rodgers and Jerick McKinnon put him at an elite status from the get go. His keeper situation has set him up for future success, hopefully he can avoid the sophomore slump. As for Chris, it was a rough season for him but he showed signs of promise and has already committed to next season. The draft will be crucial for both teams and can supplant them as elite teams for years to come. If it was based solely on keepers, Vinnie is already the odds on favorite for next year's championship.
Winner - Benjamin Fontana
Yet another year that the Cookie Man held onto Peyton Manning and it paid dividends for the most part. Starting 0-3 with a slew of bad luck, it looked like Ben was in fear of missing the playoffs for the first time in his Slushie Sundays career. However, Manning and Demaryius Thomas finally broke out and Ben's team was revered for the last few weeks of the season heading into the playoffs. Any week, you worried if Ben would hang 150 points on you. This award spans last year as well, when Ben captured 3rd place after sneaking into a playoff spot. Consistently under the radar but with Manning on his team, he cannot be overlooked. It will be interesting if Cooks holds onto Peyton for one more year or if he will finally decide that it's time to build for the future. Either way, it's been a hell of a run.
Winner - Aaron Pommer
When he started the season, things were looking up for Aaron's squad, they were ranked as the best team in the draft grades and everyone thought that they would be a title contender. Week one, Victor Cruz dropped an easy catch on the sidelines that could've sealed his first victory...he didn't. That was what cost him a 3-0 start. In those few short weeks, he also made an extremely interesting move. Hitching his wagon to the skill and expertise of Drew Fahrenz, who was out of the league for a short while after back-to-back under .500 seasons, highlighted by his fire sales towards the trade deadline and his infamous pick of Jason Witten in the second round in 2012. Drew actually made some strong draft picks as Aaron's pick advisor this season but everyone knew it would be a questionable move bringing him along, as he was Dustin Hoffman to Aaron's Tom Cruise if I can use a Rain Man analogy for a second (shoutout to Ben since its his favorite movie, or at least it was). No, Drew wasn't spending his nights memorizing the telephone book or counting cards to win millions, he was simply giving his input on personnel moves (to a certain extent) hoping to recapture the magic of his playoff birth like in 2011. Although he has still yet to pay his $25 entry fee to Aaron, Drew's stigma as a subpar owner did not sink the DrewBree Brothers completely, as they snuck into the playoffs before bowing out to Nick in the first round. Will Drew be back next year? Who knows honestly.
The Washington Redskins Award - Team that had season derailed by the rise/fall of Kirk Cousins.
Winner - Will Gavin
This was an isolated incident but it proved costly. In a week eight matchup against Josh, Will was forced to start Kirk Cousins after his revival as a starting QB but the problem was that he was injured and not going to play. RG3 was also hurt and that left one man for the job, Colt McCoy. Will, desperate for a win, wasn't aware that Cousins wasn't playing and Josh had the maniacal move to pick up McCoy and all other available QBs to freeze out Will and preserve his victory. If Will had snagged McCoy before it was too late, he would have easily won the matchup and would have ultimately made the playoffs due to that one win. Really unfortunate stuff. It was a rough season for Will, had a extremely talented team but quarterback play was shotty at best, especially when they didn't even play in a primetime game. Regardless, classic Josh move though. Win at all costs attitude that only Brian could appreciate. Keep your heads on a swivel guys and always check your lineups frequently.
Winner - Vinnie Crocitto
Vinnie gets this award due to his immediate impact on the league, similar to Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. He inherited a great team, yes, but his frequent trades and transactions like acquiring Aaron Rodgers and Jerick McKinnon put him at an elite status from the get go. His keeper situation has set him up for future success, hopefully he can avoid the sophomore slump. As for Chris, it was a rough season for him but he showed signs of promise and has already committed to next season. The draft will be crucial for both teams and can supplant them as elite teams for years to come. If it was based solely on keepers, Vinnie is already the odds on favorite for next year's championship.
The LeBron James Award - Best transition from High School to the Pros.
Winner - Christian Caputo
His season looked extremely promising. Swapping Julio Jones for Adrian Peterson? Genius. Knowing he beats his child? Terrible timing. Chris wanted to write off his entire season after week two since Josh Gordon's suspension would run into November. Regardless, he ripped off an impressive winning streak and found himself right behind Nick for the division lead the entire season. Even with a number of players missing, he would consistently put up points and knock some of the elite teams in the league. Chreeyusz got off to a fantastic start in his career by making the playoffs in his rookie season and knocking off his brother in the first round. Last year, he was boxed out of the playoffs in the last week and vowed that he would be back. Unfortunately, he was upset by Vinnie in the first round but this was only the beginning.
The Papa John's Award - Franchise revitalized the most by Peyton Manning
Winner - Benjamin Fontana
Yet another year that the Cookie Man held onto Peyton Manning and it paid dividends for the most part. Starting 0-3 with a slew of bad luck, it looked like Ben was in fear of missing the playoffs for the first time in his Slushie Sundays career. However, Manning and Demaryius Thomas finally broke out and Ben's team was revered for the last few weeks of the season heading into the playoffs. Any week, you worried if Ben would hang 150 points on you. This award spans last year as well, when Ben captured 3rd place after sneaking into a playoff spot. Consistently under the radar but with Manning on his team, he cannot be overlooked. It will be interesting if Cooks holds onto Peyton for one more year or if he will finally decide that it's time to build for the future. Either way, it's been a hell of a run.
Welp, hope you guys enjoyed the annual Slushie awards and this entire season. As usual, it was still a pleasure to be your commissioner. Once the Super Bowl ends, the offseason trek begins and this will be the most important one in our league's history. I challenge you to trade and strategize to mold your teams for the future. Keep in mind that keeper round picks can't be traded and just remember the value of each draft pick. Gems like Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin and Emmanuel Sanders were later picks and could change the entire fortune of your team. See you on Sunday at the banquet.
God bless,
Nick
