Legit Domination – Week 12 Wrap/Week 13 Preview

As is befitting the approach of a season's end, nearly all of the play-off contenders notched a win last week, with the sole exception of division-leader Rage Blackout. Aside from Courtney's loss to a charging NGC's Shamrock Shake squad, each of the top seven teams in the league won, leaving the bottom five squads crushed, heartbroken, and unable to make the play-offs. As a reminder, after this weekend's game we head into the PLAYOFFS, with the top two squads earning a first-round bye. Game on.


Shamrock Shake 160 (7-5) – Rage Blackout 110 (9-3)

With her play-off hopes on the line, the NGC drops a truck on the league leaders, rolling up the second highest score of the week. Shamrock's 160 point explosion came in large part from her two QBs – Eli Manning (21 pts, NYG) and Kyle Orton (31 pts, Den) – along with an impressive 39-point day from who-dat running back, Peyton Hillis (Cle). [BTW, did you know that Peyton Hillis used to be on Denver, before being traded away by Josh “Where's the frat party” McDaniels? Now you do.] Not content to let this game be at all close, another 24 poitns were added by the SD Chargers Defense. Nice. On the other side of the ledger, Rage's two quarterbacks both had underperforming 6-point days (Peyton Manning, Ind and Donovan McNabb, Was). The lone real bright-spot for Bongiolatti's team came from Rashard Mendenhall (RB, Pit), who put up a 21-point performance. Despite this loss, Courtney's team still control's its own destiny heading into the last week of the regular season.

Shamrock Bench: None of note
Rage Blackout Bench: TE Kevin Boss (13 pts, NYG)


Laser Sounds 142 (8-4) – Gin in the Gatorade 80 (3-8-1)

It finally happened. Jen Adams turned into the first fantasy corpse of the season. Her squad, Gin in the Gatorade, left in Tony "my shoulder's been busted for several weeks" Romo in as starting QB, we he exactly achieved his projected zero total points. Though Gin managed to make a decent showing based on 17 points from The Law Firm BenJarvus Green-Ellis (RB, NE) and 13-point days from Maurice Jones-Drew (RB, Jax) and Matt Pratter (K, Den). Zombie Gin's 80-points, while better than the Commish's day, didn't come close to besting Laser Sounds and his cornucopia of quarterbacks. (Note: See bench.) In the end, New Guy Josh posted his big score thanks to 30 points from Aaron Rodgers (QB, GB), a pair of 23-point days from running backs Arian Foster (Hou) and Fred Jackson (Buf), and four other players scoring in double digits. While the performance of his TE Aaron Hernandez (1 pt, TE, NE) remains troublesome, Laser Sounds seems to be peaking at the right time for the play-off push. The question becomes, though, who does Josh trust: Matt Ryan (QB, Atl) and his 11-point game or Sam "Put me in coach" Bradford?

Laser Bench: QB Sam Bradford (31 pts, Stl)
Gin Bench: QB Phillips Rivers (5 pts, SD); TE Brent Celek (11 pts,  Phi)

He's Heating Up. 166 (8-4) – Shananimals 102 (2-9-1)

Patch Eakin's squad heated up all over Shananimals face this week, as her 100+ day went unrewarded thanks to the eight-score day Eakin had. For the winners, the QBs dominated the day, with Tom Brady (NE) brining home 39 points of bacon on Turkey Day, and Matt Cassel (KC) contributing 35 points of his own. With 74 points already in the bank, all He's Heating Up needed to secure victory was a 23-point day from RB Jamaal Charles (KC) and a three other 10+ point days from lesser known players. For the heartbroken Shananimals, Jay Cuter pulled down 30-points (QB, Chi) and Ricky Williams (RB, Mia) bounced back for a 15-point performance. This was not near enough to wrest victory from the jaws of Eakin, however, as zeros were registered by Malcom Floyd (WR, SD) and Rob Bironas (K, Ten), and few other players on her squad came to play.

The Hot Bench: WR Hines Ward (12 pts, Pit)
Shananimals Bench: None of note


My Vick in a Box 112 (8-4) – Jager bombs 67 (2-9-1)

The defending champion of Legit Domination, one E. Matt Lamb, continued his brutal take down of the Commish, embarrassing Miller on the back of a 24-point night from namesake Mike Vick (QB, Phi) and a 19-point game from Michael Turner (RB, Atl). To be fair, the Bombs put up very little fight, with only two players bothering to crack double digits -- Drew Brees (17 pts, QB, NO) and Jacob Tamme (12 pts, TE, Ind). In fact, the Jager side was so bad, that Lamb easily overcame a -3-point performance on Thanksgivign Day by the Detroit defense to power to victory. In total, MViaB had six players in double digits, a great showing as his team get ready to charge headlong into the play-offs.

Whose Vick on the Bench: None of note
Jager bench: None of note

Get-er-Done 113 (7-5) – Shower Beer 86 (5-7)

Shower Beer got rick-rolled right out of playoff contention this week, as Cason overcame a zero-point day from Carson Palmer (QB, Cin) to somehow will his team to victory. Interestingly, it was a workman-like performance by the Get-er-done side, with only Wes Walker (WR, NE) breaking the 20-point barrier (21 pts). Instead of one or two mammoth days, Cason won thanks to having seven players in double-digits, including a 12-point day from Devin Hester (WR, Chi) and a surprise 13-point performance from Todd Heap (TE, Bal). For Shower beer, very little went right this week, as evidenced by Bond's best performance of the week – a 19-point game – came from his Kicker, Dan Carpenter (Mia). Fewer other good pieces of good news rolled in for Bond, though Matt Schaub (QB, Hou) did manage to have a 17-point performance, outdoing his predicted points by 5.

Get-er-Benched: None of note
Shower Bench: None of note

T.O.'s Bacon 117 (7-5) – Righteous Tugboat 64 (4-7-1)

Starting non-starter Colt McCoy (QB, Cle) was just the start of the bad news for Righteous Tugboat this week, and only two players cracked double digits, and both McCoy and Chris Johnson (RB, Ten) notched big old goose eggs. The only bright spot for the Tugger was probably Mike Tolbert (RB, SD), who stacked up 19 points as the Chargers rushed the Colts. For T.O.'s Bacon, the quarterback position was likewise problematic, as Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger combined for a total of nine points. Luckily for Bacon, who-dat running back Dwayne Bowe (KC) dropped a 37-point truck right on Righteous Duck's head. Damn. Only three other players broke the 9-point barrier for Ted, as the Minnesota D (10 pts), Andre Johnson (11 pts, WR, Hou) and Brandon Lloyd (19 pts WR, Den) provided enough stream to push the Canadian to victory. Whether or not a similar formula will work to power Ted into the play-offs this weekend reamins left to be seen.

Canadian Ted's Bench: None of note (though QB Rusty Smith had a -8-point day for Ten)
Righteously Tugging Bench: QB Chad Henne (20 pts, Mia)

End of the Regular Season

And so the end is upon us. The regular season for Legit Domination concludes this week, and six teams will be going home unhappy. So far, only a single play-off spot has been locked up, as half the league is mired at 8-4 or 7-5, and are fighting for the last five spots.

Here are where teams stand heading into the last week of competition, along with who they are playing:

1. Rage Blackout* (9-3)  vs. Gin in the Gatorade
2. Laser Sounds (8-4) vs. Jager Bombs
3. My Vick in a Box (8-4) vs. He's Heating Up.
4. He's Heating Up(.) (8-4) vs. My Vick in a Box
5. Shamrock Shake (7-5) vs. Get-er-Done
6. Get-er-done (7-5) vs. Shamrock Shake
7. T.O.' Bacon (7-5) vs. Shananimals
8. Shower Beet (5-7) vs. Righteous Tugboat
9. Righteous Tugboat (4-7-1) vs. Shower Beer
10. Gin in the Gatorade (3-8-1) vs. Rage Blackout
11. Shananimals (2-9-1) vs. T.O.'s Bacon
12. Jager Bombs (2-9-1) vs. Laser Sounds


And actually, even though Yahoo! claims that only Bongiolatti is assured of a play-off birth, by my count, all of the 8 win teams are in too, as Shamrock and Cason play a blood-duel of 7-5 teams, meaning one must lose (or both tie). Hmmm... Regardless, a fun last week of action as upon us, as those of use going down with the ship hope to take a few play-off hopefuls with us!

MNF -- we came, we saw... we played one-on-one cups

This past monday night, several members of Legit Domination rallied to the Commish's apartment to watch a little prime time football. In attendance were JenAdams (Gin in the Gatorade), Commish Miller (Jager Bombs), Jay Cason (Get-er-Done), the NGC Christine Smith (Shamrock Shake) and defending champ Matt Lamb (My Vick in a Box). Interestingly, this was the first time Lamb had been seen by any member of the division in the previous three months.

The night involved several rounds of Island Cups by the boys, while the girls drank at a more moderate pace, one perhaps more fitting for a Monday Night. The game itself was a bit of a beating, htough one that Cason enjoyed thoroughly, and Miller failed in his quest to upset Lamb (all he needed was a 50+ point night from SF QB Troy Smith). Good times were had and light mocking enjoyed by all. Erick Bond called in drunk to a monday night drinking event, which was weird, and Ms. Bongiolatti turned into Bad Ice Cream by simply not showing up, but overall everyone had a great time. As we head toward the playoffs and the end of a second successful season of Legit Domination, we will try at least one more to get all the members of the division together in one place for a night of revelry, drinking, cursing whoever wins the regular season crown, and pointedly asking New Guy Josh what sounds lasers do actually make.

Week 11 Wrap-up

Note: Sorry this is a week late. I hate it when life gets in the way. Look for up-to-date posts today (Friday) and tomorrow. 

If there's one thing that your dear commish regrets this season, it's not that his team is mired in a tie for last place. It's not that the division is being led by Courtney's team, a team that has a dog nawwing on a football for its mascot. It's not even that I got doubled up by his girlfriend's team in Week 9, by a score of 119 – 61. No, the biggest regret this commissioner has is that I woke up the sleeping giant that was defending champion Matt Lamb. Not content to let sleeping dogs lie, I repeatedly called the champ out in the early weeks of the season, which looked like a good plan when Mr. Lamb was a mere 1-4. Since then, however, the beast of Grammercy has roared back with a vengence, winning six games in a row against all comers, and now sits in third place. Clearly, this resurgence on the back of Mike Vick is not what I intended when I suggested that My Vick in a Box actually should pick up Mike Vick. To add insult to injury, Mr. Lamb has been riding Buffalo Bills offensive leaders Ryan Fitzpatrick and Stevie Johnson to his current second place position. As the playoffs approach, My Vick is looking to add his name to the list of teams getting a first round bye. Currently, only one team is IN for the play-offs – Rage Blackout at 9-2 – with a log jam at second place for those with a 7-4 record. How will it shake out and who will be left watching the playoffs from the outside (aside from Shannon and me)? Only time (and the final two weeks of the season) will tell.

1. Rage Blackout (9-2)

2. Laser Sounds (7-4)

3. My Vick in a Box (7-4)

4. He's Heating Up. (7-4)

5. Shamrock Shake (6-5)

6. Get-er-Done (6-5)

7. T.O.'s Bacon (6-5)

8. Shower Beer (5-6)

9. Righteous Tugboat (4-6-1)

10. Gin in the Gatorade (3-7-1)

11. Jagerbombs (2-8-1)

12. Shananimals (2-8-1)

Rage Blackout 120 – Shower Beer 88

Shower Beer's late season play-off push was interrupted this week by the number one team, as Bongiolatti laid the hurt on poor Mr. Bond thanks in large part to a 30-point weekend from Peyton Manning (QB, Ind). Two other players raked in 20+ points for Good Icecream, with Marques Colston (WR, NO) scoring 25 and LeSeason McCoy (RB, Phi) bringing in 21 points. All told, it was enough for Court to survive 0-point days from Ahmad Bradshaw (RB, NYG) and the Oakland Def. The reason those goose-eggs didn't hurt the division leader, of course, was that Bond's squad had a rough day, starting with 0 points from his kicker (Dan Carpenter, Mia) and a 4-point evening from 2^nd-string QB David Garrard (Jax). In fact, Shower Beer had only four players crack double-digits on the day, with the biggest two scores posted by Matt Schaub (15 pts, QB, Hou) and Danny Amendola (16 pts, WR, Stl).

Rage Bench: Miami D 6pts

Shower Beer Bench: None of note

Laser Sounds 184 – Shamrock Shake 98

With Shamrock Shake exactly meeting her projected point total, it was up to the Laser Sounds squad to meet or exceed expectations. And that they did, posting a massive 184-point week. With six players scoring 20+ points, including an impressive 38 points from Aaron Rodgers (QB, GB), it's no surprise that New Guy Josh's squad was able to survive a -1 point day from the St. Louis Defense. Big performers on the Laser side of the ledger included Matt Ryan (QB, Atl) with 24 points, Arian Foster (23 pts, RB, Hou), Fred Jackson (26 pts, RB, Buf) and Santonio “the Jets got me for a 5^th round pick” Holmes (26 pts, NYJ). In fact, Laser Sound's day was so dominant that he got 22 points from the Cleveland Defense. Yes – Cleveland, OHIO. For Shamrock, meanwhile, the RBs stepped up while the quarterbacks let her down. Big games – though not Laser-big – were had by Peyton “Who Dat” Hillis (RB, Cle) and Knowshon Moreno (RB, Den), who had 19 and 17 pts, respectively. Balancing that out (and not in the god way, Eli Manning (QB, NYG) and Kyle Orton (QB, Den) both had only 5 points. Ouch. Luckily for Shamrock, it looks like she will rebound nicely this week with a strong showing against #1 Rage Blackout.

Laser Bench: A few Qbs b/c Laser sounds has too many; no others of note

Shamrock Bench: None of note

My Vick in a Box 153 – Gin in the Gatorade 82

Domination. Wood shedding. Beatdown. Any of these words can apply, as the defending champ continued crushing dreams and taking names as his team wrecked poor JenAdams2000's squad by a mere 71 points. With his team's namesake putting up only 16 pts, My Vick brought the pain thanks to an improbably 31-point game from Jon Kitna (QB, Dal) and 35 points from who-dat WR Greg Jennings (GB). Throw in a 20-point day from Michael Turner (RB, Atl) and 19 points from the Pit D, and the route was on, despite zeros from WR Anquan Boldin (Bal) and Reggie Bush (RB, NO). The beating was so severe that the 64 Bills-generated points that E. Matt Lamb left on his bench were scarcely missed. For Gin in the Adams, her lack of caring clearly set her back, as Tony Romo and his busted shoulder were in the starting line-up, while popular west coast heart-throb Phillip Rivers was on the bench. Even beyond that, Jen had a rough day, with the only real quality day posted by Maurice Jones-Drew (23 pts, RB, Jax). Only two other players for Adams were in double digits, with the meat of her squad generating only 28 points across eight players. Ouch.

My Vick Bench: Steve Johnson 33pts (WR, Buf) Ryan Fitzpatrick 31 (QB, Buf)

Gin in the Bencherade: Phillip Rivers 28 pts (QB, SD)

Jagerbombs 109 – He's Heating Up(.) 98

Your league Commissioner Miller was able to notch a rare win this week, as the Heating Up Eakin squad left the points on the board. Only seven of 11 starters for Eakin posted 10+ points, with only his QB duo really carrying their weight with an 18-point day (Tom Brady, QB, NE) and 19-point day (Matt Cassel, QB, KC), respectively. For Jager Bombs, a -1-point day from Troy Smith (QB, SF) and a big fat zero from Randy Moss (WR, Ten) were not enough to slow him down. Instead, big days from Drew Brees (34 pts, QB, NO) and his two defenses (20 pts TB & 23 pts Bal) were enough to power him to victory. Miller saviors this 'W,' as it pulls him out of the cellar, at least for one week. Next week, Miller will tackle his nemesis, My Vick in a Box – with both knowing it could get ugly.

Jager Bench: Darren Sproles 17pts (RB, SD); Marc Mariani (WR, Ten)

He's Benching Up(.): Santana Moss 18 pts (WR, Was)

T.O.'s Bacon 125 – Ger-er-Done 108

Cason was a bit of a hard luck loser this week, with his 108 points unable to crack through T.O.'s strong week. For Ted's Canadian Bacon, the biggest day was put up by Ben Roethlisberger (QB, Pit), whose 38 points were one of the biggest days by any player in week 12. Ted also got a 24-point performance from Dwaye Bowe (WR, KC) and 18 from the Chicago D. These combined were enough to overcome a 3-point day from Old Man Favre (QB, Min) and a coach-firing showing by the Minnesota D (2 pts). On the other side of the ledger, Cason was able to crack the century mark despite having no players break through the 20-point plateua. Instead, big games by Cason were put in by Thomas Jones (19 pts, RB, KC) and Matt Bryant (16 pts, K, Atl). Not enough points were generated by the Get-er-Done defenses, however, allowing Ted to win and improve his chances of making the play-offs.

T.O.'s Bench: Cedric Benson 20 pts (RB, Cin); Brandon Lloyd 13 pts (WR, Den)

Get-er-Done Bench: Nate Washington 13 pts (WR, Ten); Steve Breaston 12 pts (WR, Ari)

Righteous Tugboat 124 – Shananimals 104

In our final game of the weekend, Shannon's Shananimals got bested by Duck's Tuggers in part because of crushing one-point days by her starting QB Jay Cutler (Chi) and RB Ricky Williams (Mia). On the plus side, Matt Hasselback (QB, Sea) showed signs of life for Shan, scoring 24 points playing against NO. In addition, Ray Rice (RB, Bal) put up 18 points for the losers. For the Righteous victors, meanwhile, the Sanchize (Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ) has a strong 28-point day and Reggie Wayne (WR, Ind) picked up another 18-points. Thanks in part to 20 points from Mike Wallace (WR, Pit) and 15 from Larry Fitzgerald (WR, Ari), Righteos was able to overcome a -1-point day from the Arizona D and 4 points from Tony Gonzalez (TE, Atl).

Tugboat Bench: Mike Tolbert 23 pts (RB, SD)

Shananima-bench: Cincinnati Def 7pts