The "story", behind "THE STORY".

With 12 games of football in the books, you would assume that each team knows exactly where they stand heading into the playoffs. At this point one could argue that only the Patriots know exactly where they stand (not qualifying for postseason play with 2-10 record). How the season began would be absolutely no indication of how the season would eventually end. Lets begin with the Raiders, who started their season in stride with a 6-2 record before losing 3 of their last 4 games. Or how about a Titans squad who came on strong in the middle of the season, (5-3 after 8 games) before falling into a bottomless pit and ultimately holding the 2nd worse record in the league. And we can’t forget about those mighty Ravens who couldn't keep a stable roster for most of the season and fell twice to a 4th seeded Titans team. I believe this has been a season in which no team has been able to separate themselves from the pack and be a dominant force by any stretch of the imagination. But wait! Maybe there IS hope! A midst all the chaos maybe there IS a Cinderella story? If there is going to be any "feel good" story this season, it would have to be the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. That's right I said it, the Eagles! Despite starting the season 1-4 and having all kinds of roster questions, the Eagles led by superstars "Mando Moss" and "E-man"; never lost hope. Instead, they kept on fighting. After a very disappointing 4th loss in 5 games, Armando like any true team leader would do; was compelled to try and spark his teammates. After a phone conversation with long time friend and team captain "E-man", the two decided to hold a team meeting the very next day. Team sources indicate that a very emotionally driven Armando gave a heck of an inspiring speech that day. That speech seemed to spark a fire that would eventually light up the entire Eagles organization. Since then, the Eagles are 6-1 and no doubt the hottest team in the CFL. Whether it was that amazing speech or simply roster consistency… no one knows, but what IS clear is that the Eagles seem to be the only team storming into the playoffs with a full head of steam. To cap off this remarkable run and add confidence to an already confident team, they beat the 1st seeded Ravens that were talking plenty of trash heading into the season finale. With that said, it seems there’s only one thing left for them to do; continue to play Eagle football. Playing like they have been, who could possibly get in their way? No one....... right? Well the way this season has gone so far, I believe very few fans would be bold enough to actually make any kind of predictions. It seems the safest Super bowl prediction at this point, would be a showdown between the Ravens and Eagles. But then again... you just never know. Ladies and gentlemen that’s why the games MUST be played! Lets all have fun out there.

History In The Making

Its been years in the making, almost five in fact, but the long awaited CFL DVD from 2003 will finally make its video premier next weekend! Initial reactions have been tremendous and includes reviews like "stunning" and "mind-blowing". As it turns out though, it probably wont be the visual masterpiece that the CFL envisioned, but despite devastating setbacks including the damage and destruction of critical computer hardware and the irrevocable loss of valuable footage, the compilation nonetheless is "magnificent" to say the least. Finishing touches are being put on the CFL DVD (including a few bonus segments, time permitting), but ready or not, the CFL DVD will debut at halftime of the NFL Superbowl with videos from the DVD being posted on the website the following week. Furthermore, based on preliminary results and on what producers and directors have seen of the footage, the CFL is definitely planning to have a 2008 CFL DVD next season! And now that the video production capabilities of the CFL have been improved, we fully expect to be able to release quarterly CFL segments or "music video highlights" throughout the 2008 season, and the complete '08 CFL DVD weeks after the end of the season, and not years afterward. So be ready to be shocked and awed!

The Improbable Finish?

What happens in the CFL playoffs if three teams finish with the same record? This question has been frivolously proposed before, but the possibilities of such a finish not only seems probable, but now inevitable. A win this Sunday by the Raiders and Titans over the lowly 1-9 Patriots would give them the same 7-5 record as the Eagles who are presently ranked second in the standings. A three-way finish almost happened last season but the Falcons barely escaped finishing with the same 5-9 record as the Chiefs and Bears. Of course the team with the better series record against the other tie team would be seeded higher, but if a three way tie were to occur by Eagles, Raiders and Titans this season, there is no official tie-breaker rule in the CFL for this scenario since each team has won and lost a series to the opposing two teams. How would the CFL resolve this dilemma? Maybe there should just be a paper-scissors-rock resolution, or maybe team names should just be pulled out of a hat, or maybe the team with the best record should just decide who they want to face in the first round of the playoffs? In preliminary discussions, not many captains and players favor the previous options, but there are one or two other options that the CFL believes are more viable. One option would be to have these three teams play each other once up to 22 points (3-touchdowns and a 2-point conversion) in one day, taking into account the margin of victory should they also split wins and losses among each other that day. The other option would be to settle this dispute by ranking the team with the better record against the first ranked team higher than the other two. In this case, since the Titans beat the Ravens twice, they would be seeded second, leaving the Raiders and Eagles to settle who would be ranked third, and since the Raiders won the season series against the Eagles, they would be seeded third and the Eagles fourth. The latter option sounds a little simpler and may make the most sense, but a single victory by the Patriots this weekend would alleviate the need for any such option.

Ravens And Eagles Waiting In The Wings

Last Saturday, in dangerous and sub-zero temperatures, the Ravens tried to put an exclamation point on their very impressive '07-'08 season against the rapidly rising Eagles but as it turns out the Ravens ended their spectacular season on a very sour note. The Eagles, who have arguably been the hottest team in the league the past few weeks having gone 6-1 in their past seven games, escaped with a somewhat unimpressive victory against the shorthanded Ravens squad 50-43 who were without Hernan who's incidentally the league over a 3-game stretch with 12 (non-quarterback) touchdowns in that span. The Ravens have lost several key players in the past few weeks, most notably Brian, who in all likelihood will win the '07-'08 Defense Player of the Year honors. So its no surprise the Ravens are heavily petitioning the league to find permanent replacements for the post-season. A decision will probably be made regarding the Ravens roster this weekend, though it may be unlikely the Captains will just agree to simply giving the Ravens the best players on the Patriots squad to fill their roster, but who knows. So with all control of who they'll face in the post-season now out out of their hands, all the Ravens and Eagles can simply do is await the results of this Sunday's final two games of the regular season.

Great '07, Even Better '08?

A win this weekend by the Eagles would guarantee them a spot in the playoffs, while a loss would leave them open to the possibility of still finishing with the worst record in the league. But the story of this weekend probably isn't whether the Eagles will be the last team to clinch the final playoff spot or not; the story is how close these playoff contenders are to each other. Two and a half games separate first place from fourth place with 3 games or less to go for these teams. Not since 2004 when the Titans, Raiders and Eagles finished with 8, 7, and 6 wins respectively has a playoff seeding been so close at this point in the season. Things will probably be a lot clearer Sunday night after all these games are in the books, but regardless of how the season winds down, the level of play, and of the players themselves, has probably never been higher thanks in large part to the two expansion teams and the dismantling of the Bears this season. There are high hopes for the '08 season, and even though the end of the '07 season is still a little ways off, many players and captains have been discussing several questions about the '08 season, primarily who will be captains besides Frank, Eman and Nemo and how the draft will be conducted. There have been several reports of the unrelenting and un-aging Papa Bear Chaky Menchaky possibly retaking his role as captain (though some might say that is probably more doubtful than likely), and there has also been talk of several first-rounders possibly making the jump to captain-hood in '08. Mando Moss of the Eagles or Zok of the Titans are definitely good candidates, but a few of the captains have expressed their concerns and doubts about these players' ability to lead a team. In any case, perhaps before deciding who the captains will be or the number of teams next season, the CFL must first decide how the draft will be conducting. In other words, whether two separate drafts will be take place with the two expansion teams in one draft and the original CFL teams in another as some players have suggested, or whether it will be just one entire draft for the whole league regardless of what team they played for previously. Several players and captains have discussed both possibilities, but either scenario just probably depends on who returns to play in '08. The CFL always loses a couple players after every season, but also usually adds a few new ones too. The majority of captains seem to favor having one single draft if the expansion teams/players return for the '08 season, but whether that happens or not will not effect whether there will be a draft or not. Most of these decisions will probably be made in the next few days or weeks after the CFL Superbowl, if not in the days leading up to it, but the two-year deal that essentially freezes rosters over that period will expire once the last touchdown of the Superbowl is scored, so all this uncertainty is going to make for an interesting and intense off-season.

Ugly loss for da Pats as they fall to 1 - 8

Another week and yet another devastating loss for the Patriots who keep playing hard, but continue to get blown out by there opponents. They entered this game with the right attitude; an upset win against arguably the best team in the league could have given them hope, confidence and the momentum needed to make a late season run at the fourth and final playoff spot. Unfortunately for Christian and the rest of the Pats, it didn’t turn out that way. Even with the help of veteran/MVP self proclaimed "Mando Moss" starting at WR, it was clear from the get go that the Pats simply didn't have the fire power needed to keep up with a very good Ravens team. Watching them as they walked off the field after a 50 - 7 smack down on that gloomy Sunday afternoon, one would even suggest that they might have given up on their season. Even if they do physically show up for the rest of their schedule you would have to wonder if their minds and hearts are still in the game. If any positives came from this game it was the obvious need for a complete draft come next season as well as the surprising play of Danny who made a couple of impressive catches that might have caught the eye of some team captains. But if the Pats have any hopes of winning another game this season they must solidify the QB position as they have had 3 different players perform miserably at that position this year. Its clear Christian could be a star player in this league for years to come, but definitely not as a QB! The Ravens on the other hand go into next week with ONLY the QB position secure, not knowing for sure exactly who will still be on their roster for the remainder of the season. Definitely not a good situation for them, considering their hopes of being a 1st seed heading into the playoffs. Edwin made it clear that his team would not take their game against the Pats lightly, or any game for that matter. Knowing that with a depleted roster, wins could be harder to come by as the season progresses. The concern was obvious Sunday after the game when Edwin made a few phone calls, scrambling for players and permission from the league to possibly fill a roster spot or two. The madness starts immediately for the Ravens next week as they take on a Raiders team with plenty of weapons and a chance to prove to everyone that they are in fact the best team in the league right now. My bet is that both teams will show up hungry for this anticipated game 3 match up, as it has the potential to be one of the best games this season. Lets all hope for a good one!

Titans On The Verge Of A Grand Collapse?

Those in attendance during Week Thirteen's Titans-Ravens game witnessed one of the most despicable acts ever to ever occur during a CFL game! On what turned out to be the final play of the game Titan's Captain, Nemo, hiked the ball, dropped back and out of no where handed the ball over to the closest Raven! Stunned spectators and dumbfounded Titans waiting for the pass in the endzone looked on as Nemo walked off the field! Why would anyone, much less a captain, ever commit such a loathsome and disgraceful act? Nemo has yet to comment about the incident, but you don't need to be a genius to see why the game was practically over being down 46-29 on a fourth and two from mid-field. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds against the Titans at that point in the game, every single player who has ever fought or bled to win a game will tell you that nothing could ever justify what Nemo did, no matter how much they were down! At worst they go down blazing, and at best they complete one of the greatest comebacks this season, but sadly they'll never know. Perhaps Nemo couldn't see well anymore since the field had poor lighting conditions and his vision was probably poor from the glass lens he lost earlier in the game, or maybe he was just tired, cold and scared? Whatever the reason, Nemo violated the integrity of the game and will be fined an undisclosed amount for his conduct. The CFL said in a statement, "This was the first time anything like this has ever happened so it is difficult to determine exactly how he should be disciplined, but one thing is certain, any other players who intentionally throw a game in the future will be suspended for a minimum of one game and possibly for the remainder of the season depending on how serious we deem his actions to be." The CFL is also conducting an investigation to see if Nemo profited financially as a result of his actions during his last game or from gambling in any CFL game he's played in. The Titans now stand at 5-4 with three games to go. What effect will Nemo's actions have on the Titans the rest of the season? Is their season over? Have they thrown in the towel? Even though the Patriots are 1-7, the Titans could still finish last in the standings. The mighty, mighty Titans will have their work cut out for them this Sunday against the Raiders, but a win against the number-one ranked team will quickly erase any controversy and doubt from their past game.