WEEK FIFTEEN REPORT
(Playoffs Round Two)
   
Next week it will be Pooh Bott Helmets vs. Karen's Komets for the 2002 FFL championship! Winning their first playoff game ever, Pooh Bott Helmets will now try and take home the title in their first ever Super Bowl appearance. This will be the second Super Bowl appearance for Karen's Komets, as they lost the title game in 1999. So we are guaranteed to have a new first-time champion this year!
     
In the first semifinal matchup of Week Fifteen, Bullseye experienced some Deja Vu. Yes, it was this time last year that we were talking about QB Todd Bouman and how he failed to score. Fast forward exactly one year and Bullseye once again watched QB production (or lack of) cost them a chance to advance. Tom Brady needed to score 32 points for them on Monday night, but came up 21 points short. It goes without saying that their #1 draft pick and former franchise player, Daunte Culpepper, would have given them the win this week. Had they started him, that is. This is the 2nd year in a row, Bullseye has given a franchise their first ever playoff win and first ever Super Bowl appearance. But this game wasn't about Bullseye. It was the Pooh Bott Helmets who earned the win with a solid outing from their wide receivers. Combining for 64 points, their 4 receivers came up big and made up for a disappointing effort from the Helmets' running backs. Final score: Pooh Bott Helmets 120, Bullseye 100.
  
In the other semifinal contest, it came down to the wire on Monday Night. Yes, we had a playoff chisel administered this past week. Heading into the Monday night game down by 11 points, Karen's Komets needed Eddie George to come up big. And his 101 rushing and 16 receiving yards were just enough to give the Komets a narrow one point victory! This game would have been decided on Sunday had the Komets decided to start their best overall player, RB Travis Henry. But for some unexplicable reason, they benched Henry and did not benefit from his 26 point outburst this week. This just goes to show that the "Murph bullshit factor" is stronger than ever this year. As for the Taunters, they came up lame at receiver this week. Their 4 wideouts combined for only 18 points. That just isn't going to win you many playoff games. Final score: Karen's Komets 91, TD Taunters 90.
     
Here is the updated playoff bracket:
    
Playoff Schedule
  
         
 
Let's take a look at the Super Bowl matchup:
  
Pooh Bott Helmets (#1 seed) vs. Karen's Komets (#3 seed)

(Keep in mind that last week I predicted the Komets would win by one point and that the Helmets would win by scoring over 100 points. I also predicted Bullseye would score 100 - one more point than they actually scored.)
  
As with every season, we play 15 weeks and then it all boils down to one game. And this Super Bowl features two teams who have been strong down the stretch. The Komets have won 7 games in a row now. They haven't all been pretty. But they have all been victories. The Helmets on the other hand have been posting large numbers. Very large. In looking at who may win next week's big game, I have to rely on the strength of the Week 16 matchups -- and the edge goes to the Helmets.
 
Vick plays against the Lions, Favre against the Bills. Whoever the Helmets start at QB should post solid numbers. Ricky Williams gets the hapless Vikings, and Jamal Lewis is at home against the crappy Browns. Marvin, Rod, Koren, and Chris all have good matchups. Yes folks, the Helmets are in store for a big day. On the other side, we have the Komets... and although their matchups are not horrible, they aren't great either. So this one looks like it might not be much of a contest.
 
My prediction for the winning team...       Helmets by 22.
          
Enjoy this weekend's games, and check back in for the final report next Monday morning!
  
The Commish