GAME
OF THE WEEK
WEST
COAST MAFIA v TTTTAYLOR
 |
| Coach Cullen. Potty Mouthed Pixie. |
All
time series record : Ttttaylor lead 2-1
Last
time out : Dnickman 95 – 170 Ttttaylor
As
tradition dictates the CNFLE Champions kick off the season against
the team with the best available regular season record, however with
Dnickman no more after a franchise reboot we are left with Coach
Cullen’s new project, the West Coast Mafia, opening up against
divisional rival and current CNFLE Champ Ttttaylor in a reprise of
one of the most exciting rivalries of Season III and of course a
chance for the potty mouth pixie to make amends for the humiliating
playoff annihilation in Season III.
Last
year Coach Cullen rode the back of the Rodgers train all the way to
the playoffs. Picking from spot 10, Rodgers was never going to fall
that far, so the Mafia bade their time and a borderline elite QB was
snaffled at the beginning of round 4 in Tony Romo. Although the
Dallas veteran divides opinion on whether he has the cojones to take
Big D to the big one, there can be no questioning his talent and with
the season opener done and dusted Romo has already provided an
outstanding 32 points to the Mafia week one total. Matty Ice has been
tipped by many pundits as being on the cusp of a breakout campaign
and with the suggestion that Atlanta will be moving toward a heavy
passing offense to utilize Jones & White to full effect,
Ttttaylor may have picked up a bargain in round 6. With the Chiefs
premier pass rusher unavailable to harry and chase Ryan across the
field the Falcons field general should have a great day. EDGE
: MAFIA
The
Mafia used their first two picks in the 2012 draft on running backs
and will be hoping to benefit from consistent scores week in week out
from both Chris Johnson and Matt Forte. With the Bears up against
last years basement club Forte should see a heavy workload this week.
The big question in the windy city is whether back up Bush will take
away any carries around the goal line as he did in Oakland. CJ2K will
have a major impact over the course of the season but generally has
had limited impact when facing teams with one of the elite QB’s and
if the Pats get away from the Titans in Tennessee Johnson’s role in
a catch up offence may take a hit. Ttttaylor surprised everyone when
Jamaal Charles was taken with the first pick of the second round,
however it pays to remember that only 12 months ago Charles was a
consensus top 5 pick. This week Charles faces a Falcons defence who
has been fairly decent over the last few years and could easily stuff
Charles early. Bradshaw forms the other component of the one - two
punch and despite struggling to get much joy against the stout
Cowboys D still picked up a score to return 15 points for RB2, a
decent return in anyone’s book. EDGE
: MAFIA
At
wideout the Mafia are led by Jordy Nelson who had a blistering end to
last season. However against a 49er defence he may find it more
difficult to get open even though the game is at Lambeau. Nelson is
accompanied by Vincent Jackson who will be hoping to start afresh in
Tampa and Sidney Rice who is the #1 guy in Seattle , which isn’t
saying much to be fair. Ttttaylor will be hoping that all the pre
season hype about Julio Jones doesn’t come back to haunt him as he
burnt his #1 draft pick on the Crimson Tide alumni. The connection
with Ryan will be key to Ttttaylors success and against KC we like
the big mans chances. Steve Smith takes the two slot and has a
tantalizing matchup against a Bucs defence that has struggled to
master Newton in his fledgling career. With big play guy Torrey Smith
making up the Tttaylor trio this department could be where the Champ
gets back on track. EDGE
: TTTTAYLOR
Coach
Cullen just loves his New England tight ends and what’s not to
love? After missing out on Gronk this year, the vociferous Coach went
for the next best thing and snapped up Hernandez who has a fantastic
match up against the Titans. Brady will spread the ball around and it
is conceivable that Hernandez and the Gronk could be number 1 & 2
in the Pats receiving stats this year. Ttttaylor has taken a late
round flyer on a potential impact sleeper in Jared Cook. Cook seemed
to be developing a rapport with Locker at the end of last year but
the Pats only allowed 3 TD’s to tight ends all year in 2011 so may
find it tough sledding this week. The fact the Locker may be passing
often when the Titans fall behind could work in Cooks favour but not
enough to give him the edge over one of the Leagues top tier Tight
ends. EDGE
: MAFIA
The
Ravens have long been one of the top defenses in recent years and
once again this year they look to have put together an impressive
unit. Their matchup with Cincy is intriguing as it could go either
way if young gun slinger Dalton has made progress. Gould is one of
the best field goal kickers and despite usually unfavourable
conditions in the Windy City will always return a high yield.
Ttttaylor has plumped for the up and coming Bills defensive unit
which has been strengthened by the arrival of Mario Williams from
Houston. Word on the street (y’all) is that the Jets offensive mess
and the improved Bills schemes could see the Bills ‘D’ take this
one home. Henery is a promising young kicker who will get plenty of
place kicking opportunities this year for an Eagles team that is
expected to fly Eagles fly! EDGE
: EVEN
Every
game counts, especially the first few games of the year as they can
set the tone for the early bouts however the Champion is often the
team that finishes the season strongest and we can see a repeat of
last years outcomes for these two top teams as the Mafia will ensure
that Coach Cullen gets off to another flying start whilst Ttttaylor
drops the season opener for the third time in three years. Hmmm, how
did that turn out for them?
VERDICT
: MAFIA BY 13
PAULS
POLARBEARS v AUTOPICK WARRIORS
All
time series record : Coach Conor leads 4-0
Last
time out : Baptists 142 – 149 Royale
The
first week pits together the two teams that had computer aided
assistance during the draft, and whilst Coach Paul has accepted his
fate and will work with the hand he has been dealt, Coach Conor took
the unprecedented steps of rebranding his disgraced franchise to
eliminate any possible connection between this motley crew and his
beloved Royale with TD’s. It also pairs two teams who are sporting
new franchise identities and two teams that have never made the
playoffs in CNFLE history.
The
Polarbears are led by the impressive Arian Foster. Foster is however
still listed as questionable which may impact the number of carries
that the Houston rock toter will accrue in the season opener. Manning
Jnr disappointed in the season opener so Coach Paul’s hopes of
amassing an impressive opening day total to eradicate the memories of
past Baptist campaigns fall onto the shoulders of Percy Harvin who we
feel will take on extra touches until AP is fully fit and Darren
Sproles who has an excellent matchup against the Redskins. Greg
Jennings could hit a home run, but will be shepherded well by a tough
49er secondary.
Despite
not picking any of his first 10 players, Coach Conor managed to wind
up with a pretty strong looking team. Anchored by one of the elite
backs in Rice who is in line for a big game against the Bungles,
DeAngelo Williams is the undisputed RB#1 in Carolina with Stewart
ruled out and can cover until Mathews is fit again and a WR corps of
Fitz, Green & Bowe that are the envy of all. The warriors picked
up Gonzo on the waiver wire as cover for a laboring Witten and that
proved to be a masterstroke as Witten only picked up one lone point.
Both
squads looked to have playoff potential once the dust had settled on
the draft, however Coach Conor’s tweaks and the ‘injury’ to
Foster give the Warriors the edge.
VERDICT
: WARRIORS BY 10
SUPER
SWEDES v TIM RIGGINS BENCH WARMERS
 |
| A despondent Swede. |
All
time series record : Series tied at 2-2
Last
time out : Swedes 135 – 97 Riggins
An
air of despondency seemed to be evident in and around the Swedish
camp after the conclusion of the draft but with the start of the
weeks games and the fact that Riggins have spent their top two
receivers for a below par return of only 14 points means things could
be looking up for Coach Peter. This matchup pits together the past
two winners of the North Division, Coach Richard will be hoping that
his Bench Warmers return to Season II form and recapture that
divisional crown.
Much
of the Swedes scoring will depend on Matt Stafford having the same
sort of season as last year and against an appalling Rams team he
should make waves. Trouble is that the Lions may get ahead and wind
things down early. The Gronk was a revelation last year and look for
another big season this time round which will get started today
against the Titans. The Law Firm will struggle to make headway
against the Ravens as will McGahee, so much will depend of Manning
Snr finding Thomas and whether Amendola can become the new Welker in
the slot.
Despite
the opening day disappointment of Cruz and Bryant, there is still
just enough firepower left for the Benchwarmers to make this an
interesting contest, starting of course with Rodgers who will rack up
a minimum of 30 points on a weekly basis. Turner is a must start
against a depleted KC defence and Bush is the only credible offensive
option for Miami so will see plenty of action although will find it
tough against the Texans.
It
is often the case that when an early draft pick is expended on a star
QB the team can fall into the trap of becoming a one man team. Both
teams spent their first round pick on signal callers and the season
will live or die on their performances. What can make the difference
between success and failure for a team of this kind is how the
supporting cast responds, and with the Benchwarmers behind schedule
with two played, the edge in this contest now lies with the
Scandinavian franchise, but only just.
VERDICT
: SWEDES BY 3
IT’S
A LOTTERY v BONE ROCKS
All
time series record : Rocks lead 3-1
Last
time out : Lottery 112 – 111 Rocks
After
consecutive 4 win seasons, Coach Elliott has taken the unprecedented
steps of bribing the pollsters to give his ailing franchise a much
needed morale boost before the season kicks off in earnest. Coupled
with the bookies insistence that Coach Lars and his Bones are the
rank outsiders this year in the ‘Group of death’ and the fact
that the Lottery beat the Rocks on the final day last year to give
them their first Divisional win for two seasons make this indeed a
tantalising open week encounter.
Lottery
drafted hard and drafted well this year and whilst their picks may
not be immediately table ready, they still have sufficient cover in
week one to put up a good show. McCoy will run riot against the
Browns and is our start of the week. Hillis will get 15 touches per
game and many will be near the goal line so could put up a decent
total without actually running for many yards. Welker is still a
quality option despite the Contract issues and Manning Snr could be a
steal in the fifth round if his revolutionary surgery at the hands of
Doctor Crippen was a success.
The
Rocks are an enigma. Is Coach Lars a genius in a fools hat? Despite
continually being written off at the season start, they have yet to
post a losing record and have only missed out on the playoffs by a
whisker in both previous campaigns. With the Jets passing game in
such a mess, they have opted to return to smash mouth football which
means Greene may finally reach his potential. The 49ers D is an elite
unit but will get battered in the Bay. It will be interesting to see
how Martin goes against the Panthers as the Bucs RB could hold the
key to Bone success over the course of the year. Shaub will light up
an inept Miami. There are points to be had today.
Week
1 is surely too early for a must win game, after all we still have 13
whole weeks to go and it’s not how you start, but how you finish,
but in a group that contains the current Champs and had the team with
the best season record for the past two seasons a win here will
provide hope to the victor that they can be competitive for the
duration. McCoy will be the difference in this game.
VERDICT
: LOTTERY BY 6
FRENCH
LEADER v HAIRY FROG DISCO
 |
| Vick. Handle with care. |
All
time series record : Disco lead 3-1
Last
time out : Leader 133 – 107 Disco
Can
the self proclaimed Jerry Jones of the CNFLE pick up his distraught
Disco franchise after the disappointment of last years final or will
Coach Laurent inspire a French renaissance and lead his improving
‘French’ ise to the playoffs for the first time in CNFLE history.
Pollsters consider this to be a matchup between the top two South
teams, however with all four teams in this division competitive that
call is way to early to make.
Murray
has contributed 17 already to the total as RB2, but Nicks
disappointed with only 4, however 20 points from two is an acceptable
return. Is this the year that D-Mac lasts the pace for a whole
season? He has a positive matchup against a rebuilding Chargers this
week. Vick could explode against the Browns but he may have to do it
with his feet as the Browns secondary is pretty good despite their
woes elsewhere. Look for the Texans defence to destroy Miami led by a
rookie thrust into the arena without a sword, shield, net, tridenty
thing or even any shoes.
French
Leader had a blinding draft, no question and at full strength on an
average day the talent on this team should be enough to beat anybody,
however this week came too early for Peterson to be considered 100%
and whilst he may get 10 or so carries, is it enough to warrant
dropping Brown who will fill in himself for the injured Mathews in a
good matchup against the Raiders? Jackson will see action early but
will end up not being much of a factor against the Lions who will be
out of sight by the half. On the plus side Megatron will score over
twenty this week as the Leagues top receiver and Big Vern has a great
matchup against a Packers D that gave up 9TD’s to TE’s last year.
Big Ben will spray the ball around against a Denver team as the Pitts
running game is a mess.
Some
have suggested that if Coach Laurent had not taken a mid season
sabbatical then the French would have won the South instead of the
Disco. For the Disco the question remains whether last years
heartbreak has taken its toll on the team selection process as the
Disco line up is a who’s who of high risk, high reward players
which is great at the start of the season when all are fit.
VERDICT
: DISCO BY 7
FEAR
FACTORY v SEVENTY NINE FC
 |
| Brown. |
All
time series record : Series tied at 2-2
Last
time out : Factory 71 – 69 Niners
The
challenge for Coach Martin is to recapture his Season II form which
saw the Niners crowned CNFL champs as last years title defence proved
to be too much to handle as his top 4 draft picks all bombed. After
an encouraging start to last season, Coach Botond’s Fear factory
fell agonizingly short of turning the second worst team in season II
to a playoff team in Season III and becoming the CNFLE fairytale
franchise..
With
3 players already in the box, including the kicker and defence the
Factory already have a 25 point advantage. Look for Drew Brees to
torch the Redskins to consign the Saints bounty-gate demons to the
preseason. Fred Jackson could find it tough against a traditionally
strong Jets D, but Brandon Marshall should put up big numbers against
a Colts team in his first competitive reunion with Cutler. Gates will
also score well against the Raiders now that he is fully fit.
Seventy
Nine have mortgaged the season on Terrific Tom who will have a
monster game against the Titans. Coach Kent hopes that with all the
talk about Gronk, Hernandez, and Welks, Bill decides to play a game
of misdirection and get Lloyd and Ridley involved under the radar.
The new face of the Brown franchise, Trent ‘Tank’ Richardson is
still questionable so the Niners have taken Brandon Jackson as cover
should the ‘Bama back not be good to go. Pitts wideout Brown will
hope to benefit from Wallace’s off season inactivity and the fact
that Big Ben will throw a lot, and we mean a lot! Niners will hope
that when Brees connects for the factory it will be to Graham who
could easily become the favourite target in the Big Easy.
Prior
to the Season opener, the forecast for this matchup was for a Factory
victory, however with the Giants poor defensive showing the door of
opportunity has widened for the Niners. Whilst we still think that
the Factory will have just about enough to win this one it could go
either way.
VERDICT
: FACTORY BY 3
Wins
for the Mafia, Warriors, Swedes, Lottery, Disco and factory this week
to get things going, however nothing is won in Week 1 of the season.
Carl and Bob. Back where we belong.
Latest
odds supplied by Vasco De Gama
West
Coast Mafia 4-7
Autopick
warriors 5-6
Ttttaylor evens
Hairy
Frog Disco 2-1
French
Leader 2-1
Fear
factory 5-2
Super
Swedes 3-1
It’s
a Lottery 5-1
Tim
Rigginsg Bench warmers 5-1
Pauls
Polarbears 5-1
Seventy
Nine FC 5-1
Bone
Rocks 6-1
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