Leaders after Week 12

SF defeats DAL 31-10 to move into 2nd WC slot

Andy and Georges played in under 45 minutes including the IM's they sent to me as the game was going on. Interesting to see how opponents describe similar things:

GEORGES:

AlyahNichol (11:55:14 AM): 17-7 SF leads at half - but got lucky on some calls
AlyahNichol (11:58:27 AM): 17-10
AlyahNichol (11:59:57 AM): 24-10 on TD INT
AlyahNichol (12:02:26 PM): 24-10 still......but he went for it on 4th & Goal at the SF 5 - and did NOT make it
AlyahNichol (12:03:45 PM): YES...finally a D stand
DevilsCap (12:04:36 PM): you guys play fast
AlyahNichol (12:04:45 PM): yes - almost done
AlyahNichol (12:04:49 PM): 12 min left
DevilsCap (12:05:06 PM): some guys take this long to play a qtr
AlyahNichol (12:05:17 PM): lol
AlyahNichol (12:06:13 PM): 9 min left SF still driving at 18
AlyahNichol (12:06:48 PM): 1st & G at the 8
AlyahNichol (12:06:52 PM): 7:36
AlyahNichol (12:07:36 PM): 31-10 !!!
AlyahNichol (12:10:14 PM): another 4th & Goal stand.....3:02 left
AlyahNichol (12:14:03 PM): good game until that INT for a TD.....31-10 final !!!
AlyahNichol (12:14:20 PM): SF had 2 4th & goal stands in this one
AlyahNichol (12:16:43 PM): game file sent !!

ANDY:

Andy85Mets (11:37:16 AM): no score 9:06 left
DevilsCap (11:38:15 AM): in 1st ?
Andy85Mets (11:39:29 AM): yes just lost emmitt smith
DevilsCap (11:39:41 AM): for how long ?
DevilsCap (11:39:45 AM): some plays or game ?
Andy85Mets (11:40:04 AM): 7-0 dallas i think game
Andy85Mets (11:44:59 AM): 8:34 in 2nd 7-0 smith back
Andy85Mets (11:45:29 AM): sf at my 15 1st and 10
Andy85Mets (11:46:05 AM): 7-7
Andy85Mets (11:50:13 AM): i am getting all teh yellow flags
Andy85Mets (11:50:24 AM): 14-7 sf 1:42 2nd
DevilsCap (11:51:03 AM): bad momentum
Andy85Mets (11:51:16 AM): just threw a int
Andy85Mets (11:52:19 AM): sf on my 20 1:00 min left
Andy85Mets (11:54:16 AM): 17-7 half
Andy85Mets (12:00:04 PM): 24-10 5:22 3rd
DevilsCap (12:00:13 PM): Pick 6 ?
Andy85Mets (12:00:14 PM): int returned for td
Andy85Mets (12:03:24 PM): going to 4th
Andy85Mets (12:08:05 PM): 31-10 6:45 4th he had a 15 play 10 min ddrive

Steel Curtain survives da Chiefs 16-13 in ot

Hello to all, this is Jay "fit to be tida" Schneider of the KC Chiefs. Due to sheer willingness and diligence from our commish Marc "ain't he nice" Weiss to cross loop onto my computer and almost want to throw up trying to get the darn thing operational, I got to play last night. I almost broke a 7 game winless streak until a fumble recovery with 3 minutes left and me having a 13-10 lead was challenged by coach Weiss. The game actually had the play reviewed and overturned, I could have ran out the clock !! BUT, instead the Steelers tied the game on the same drive with a field goal. The game went into overtime and a snow flake disrupted my ADD kicker to shank a punt and walla the Chiefs get sent pack'n in OT. I will give myself the break and not fire myself, not like Bill Parcels in 1983 after his first season going 3-8-1, the Mara's had more class than that power monger who put my Gmen into a 10 year tailspin. Screw the other teams that hired him after, it was obvious it was all about HIM. I will win one soon, and when I will look out ;). I am hoping to play spoiler the rest of this season. Adios amigos. --submitted by "Coach" Jay Schneider--

'Skins need OT heroics to defeat Lions and stay perfect

Washington (10-0) looked to extend their winning streak as they visited Detroit (3-7) who were looking to snap their seven game losing streak and avenge their earlier 38-17 loss in Washington. Detroit won the toss and the Lions marched ten plays into Washinton territory to set up a Jason Hanson (1-2 fgs, 2-3 xps) 44 yard feld goal. After Washington went three and out, Detroit began another drive at the Washington 37 following a Mel Gray (2-23 pr, 3-75 kor)15 yard punt return. The Lions didn't stop for a field goal this time, rolling the 37 yards in four plays ending with a Barry Sanders (23-115, 2 tds) 9 yard run. Washington replied wit a 9 play 80 yard drive ending with a 12 yard pass from Mark Rypien (33-45, 350, 4 tds) to Art Monk )8-95, 1 td) closing out the first quarter down 10-7. Detroit opened the second quarter with a 73 yard drive to the Washington 14, but Jason Hanson's field goal sliced wide left. ; After an exchange of punts, Washington drove 41 yards with Rypien hitting Gary Clark (7-98, 2tds) from 5 yards out with 1:05 remaining in the half. Washington went into the locker room with a 14-10 lead. After receiving the second half kick, Rypien moved the Skins into position for a Chip Lohmiller field goal and a 7 point lead. The Lions refused to quit and came right back down the field mixing play action passes with runs to Barry. Dave Krieg finished the drive with a 17 yard pass t Rodney Holman. Hanson mised the extra point and Detroit still trailed by 1. However, three plays later, Rypien was sacked, coughed up the ball and Robert Porcher fell on it for the Lions. Two plays later, Sanders scampered in from 14 yards out and Detroit was ahead 23-17. Washington came back with a 15 play 80 yard drive ending with another 5 yard touchdown pass to Gary Clark. And Washington took a 1 point lead. With 4:27 left on the cloc k Detroit started from their own 20. Mixing passes and runs, Detroit moved down the field until Kreig (16-28, 293, 2 tds, 1 int) found Herman Moore (6-136, 1 td) on a short slant from the 35 that Moore took to the house. A two point conversion toss to Aubrey Mathews (1-8) was good and Detroit held a 31-24 lead with 1:42 left on the clock. Washington then began from its 18. Rypien put on a clinic, completing seven passes in a row, including one tipped ball to lineman Jeff Bostic to give the 'Skins a first and goal at the Detroit 2 on third and goal, Rypien found Rickey Sanders (5-41, 1 td) in the back on the end zone. After briefy debating going for two, the Redskins kicked the extra point and the game went into overtime. Washington won the toss and elected to receive, but could not manage a first down and punted the ball to the Detroit 20. After an incomplete pass to Mathews, Krieg tossed a pass to tight nd Ron Hall. Reserve linebacker Kurt Gouveia broke on the ball, stepped in front of Hall and stopped running 26 yards later as he crossed the goal line for a Washington 37-31 win. after the game, Redskin coach Tom Davis said, "I don't like throwing the ball that much but with Ricky Ervins on the sideline nursing a groin injury, our running game was extremely hampered. Ernie (rb Ernest Byner 21-73) handled the extra carries well and Gerald Riggs (3-8) performed well as a decoy, he didn't fumble."

Cowboys get scalped by Redskins 35-7

Dallas (3-4) was looking to avenge its one point lost earlier in the season at Washington (7-0) when the Redskins came into town. The Cowboys defense came out fired up, not allowing a Redskin first down until the second quarter. However, by that time, the 'Boys found themselves on the short end of a 14-7 score due to the heroics of Brian Mitchell. After the two teams had an exchange of fumbles and punts, Dallas' second punt was taken by Mitchell on the Washington 18 and he returned it all the way for his first punt return touchdown of the season. When the Skins held Dallas on its next possession to a three and out, Mitchell (5 punt returns for 198 yards, 2 tds) duplicated his feat, this time going 52 yards for the touchdown. After another exchange of punts, Emmitt Smith (15-105, 1 td) broke through a blitzing Skins defense and sprinted 41 yards for a touchdown. The rest of the game was all Redskins; Art Monk 5-106, 1 td) caught a 31 yard pass for a touchdown in the second quarter. Ricky Ervins (12-52, 1 td), on a five yard run and Don Warren on (1-8, 1 td) on an 8 yard reception scored in the third quarter. The fourth quarter had no scoring and Washington remained unbeaten, 35-7. The Washington defense sacked Dallas qbs 4 times. Mark Rypien was 15-30 for 329 yards and two tds. Gary Clark caught 4 balls for 138 yards. --submitted by Tom Davis--

Washington scalps Detroit 38-17

Detroit (3-3) came into Washington (6-0) where they had not won since 1934. After an exchange of punts to open the game, the Washington offense got rolling, putting together a 7 play, 69 yard drive culminating in an Ernest Byner (14-65, 1 td) two yard run. Detroit came right back, though, more quickly and more efficiently, going 80 yards in four plays, the last being a Scott Mitchell (13-19, 217, 1td) 8 yard pass to Herman Moore (7-127, 1 td). Washington answered with Mark Rypien (21-30, 381, 4 tds) hitting Rickey Sanders (4-103, 1 td) for a 29 yard scoring strike. Detroit managed a Jason Hanson field goal on their next drive, but the Lion defense could find no answer to the Skins offense. A 6 play 73 yard drive resulted in a Rypien to Terry Orr (2-24, 1 td) 21 yard touchdown pass. After a Chip Lohmiller field goal, Detroit went on a 6 play 74 yard drive taking only 1:04 and ending with a Barry Sanders (28-127, 1 td) 2 yard touchdown run with only 14 ticks remaining in the half. That would be the last of the Lion scoring. Washington added touchdowns in each of the remaining quarters, a 10 yard pass to Art Monk (4-41, 1 td) and a 21 yard pass to Gary Clark (6-171, 1 td) . Barry Sanders added to his league leading rushing total but it wasn't enough as the Redskins prevailed 38-17. --submitted by Tom Davis--

Pittsburgh "Steels" one from Buffalo 24-23

ORCHARD PARK (AP) - Only the weather was mild (70 degrees) today at Rich Stadium. Two teams with great defense set their sites on doing battle on the Poly Turf field in Orchard Park. This game had some unusual surprises from the opening coin flip to the closing moments.

1st Quarter: The Steelers won the flip and elected to receive the ball. Nothing would happen for them on their first 2 series. Buffalo's first series ended in a punt as well. Pinned deep in their own territory the Steelers were forced to punt. Mark Royals hit one off the side of his foot for only 29 yards and the Bills had the ball with great field position on the Steeler 43. 3 plays later Machine Gun (Jim) Kelly hit James lofton for a 30 yard TD strike. What made this play so impressive was the fact that it was done off play action vs a defense that was looking pass. Kelly and Lofton's individual talents made this one happen. On their next possession the Steelers pulled their 3rd straight 3 and out. The Bills took over on their own 34 and in 6 plays drove down to the Steeler 24, where their drive stalled. Scott Norwood came on to hit a 41 yard field goal to put Buffalo up 10-0. With good field position, the Steelers uncharacteristically decided to air it out and get back 7 points real quick. That strategy backfired as Neil O'Donoughue's pass to Eric Green was picked off by Leonard Smith on the Bill 41. Smith got some good blocking and returned the pick 24 yards to the Steeler 35. Steeler fans who traveled to the game began to get nervous. No one wants to go down 17-0 in the first quarter. Thankfully the Steel Curtain defense held Buffalo to -2 yards, which forced them to attempt a 50 yard field goal, which definitely was out of Norwood's range.

2nd Quarter: The Steelers took over on their own 33 and 10 plays later methodically marched down to the Bill 14 yard line where Gary Anderson hit a 31 yard chip shot to make the score 10-3. Buffalo started on their own 15 and went 3 and out, which gave the Steelers an excellent starting point for their next possession. The Steelers anemic offense barely moved the ball and again they had to settle for a Gary Anderson FG attempt. Anderson, who might be the most accurate kicker in NFL history was tasked with attempting a 51 yarder. The kick was dead on straight, but it bounced short of the goal post. While everyone was walking off the field thinking the play had ended Al Edwards of the Bills picked up the ball and began running down the sideline. By the time he reached mid field the Steeler kicking team began too pursue. Unfortunately it was too late and Buffalo now had a commanding 17-3 lead. The half ended with both teams not doing much on offense and Neil O'Donoghue taking a knee.

3rd Quarter: There was no scoring, just good old fashioned hard nosed defense in the 3rd quarter. Pittsburgh vainly attempted to muster some offense, while Buffalo was content to hand it off and throw some very conservative dump passes and milk the clock.

4th Quarter: Down by 2 TD's (17-3) the Steelers took over on their own 19 with about a minute to play in the 3rd. Not wanting to risk the big play the Bills sat back in deep pass coverage, while the Steeler offense was content to run the ball down their throats. Nine and a half minutes and 19 plays later Pittsburgh scored it's first TD of the day to cut the deficit to 7 as Yancy Thigpen caught a 1 yard toss from O'Donoghue. With just under 7 minutes left to go the Bills gained possession on the own 20. Expecting the run the Steelers keyed Thurman Thomas, but Kelley outsmarted them with a quick pass to Andre Reed. 2 plays later Thomas got the ball and somehow found a crack in the run key defense that Pittsburgh was running and rambled 68 yards for a huge TD. With only 6:04 left on the clock the Steelers were again down by two scores, but this time it was a 13 point deficit, not a 14 point one. Scott Norwood hooked the XP attempt, which at the time seemed meaningless. Norwood must have been thinking about his missed XP, because his Kick off attempt was even more damaging to his team's cause. His low line drive knuckleball was picked up by Thigpen on his own 10. The Bill coverage team was slow in reacting and 30 yards later the Steelers were starting up on their own 40. Six plays later Thigpen came up big again catching a 34 yard pass and taking it down to Buffalo's 1 yard line where John L Williams scored on the next play on a quick toss. The score was now 23-17. Buffalo, who seemed in total control, was now barely holding on to a 6 point lead. Starting on their own 24 Kelly and company were tasked with eating up the clock for the next 3:45 and protecting the 6 point lead. Kelly wasn't going to be complacent and he decided to mix it up and go to the air as well as the ground, which surprised the Steelers who were expecting the run. 7 plays later the Bills were sitting 1st and goal with 1:51 left to play. A field goal would just about end it. Running 3 plays would also burn the clock. Even 3 knees and FG attempt would salt it away. Instead the Bills decided to go back to Thurman Thomas to plug it into the end zone. Curiously Kenneth Davis, their short yardage specialist was not on the field in a situation where he excels at. Thomas, who by this point had hit his fatigue level, seemed shocked that he was still on the field as well after touching the ball 5 times on this 7 play drive. The Steeler defense knew that they had to dig in and make something happen or the game would be out of reach. Pittsburgh sold out for the run and aggressively keyed Thomas who put the ball on the Rich Stadium turf. Passing rushing LB Kevin Greene picked up the ball and rambled 99 yard to score the go ahead TD. Just like that the Bills went from being in total control to now being behind by 1. The stunned look on the fans faces was priceless. The hearty contingent of Steeler fans who made the journey were now ecstatic and could smell victory. With 1:15 left Kelly and company took the field. Folks, this is no ordinary offense. The Bills didn't lead the NFL in total offense in 1990 just by accident. Kelly didn't wind up in the HOF because someone lost a bet. Starting on his own 33 Kelly hit Andre Reed for a 39 yard strike right into the teeth of the Steeler Pass Defense that had Reed double teamed. Both Reed and Kelly are special players and sometimes even a double team that features Rod Woodson won't be able to stop them. With 1:18 left Kelly went to the air again from the Steeler 22 and barely missed James Lofton on a crossing pattern. On the sideline Norwood was warming up for a possible 39 yard FG attempt. Buffalo's coaching staff might have lost faith in Norwood, even though he did make a 41 yarder earlier, and decided to keep moving the ball on offense to trim some more time and gain some valuable yardage. On the next play the virtually exhausted "Thurmal one" took the ball and gained 5 yards, but while he was struggling to get an additional foot or two Chad Brown stripped him off the ball and the Steelers recovered. For the second drive in a row the Bills succeeded in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by insisting on giving a beat up back the ball, when he was obviously fatigued beyond belief. The Steelers ran 3 conservative plays and then punted with :05 left on the clock to end the game.

Steeler players and fans alike had larceny in their hearts this afternoon. Buffalo's coaching staff left the game wondering why they chose the curious strategies that did them in late in the game. Kevin Greene was given the game MVP for his outstanding defensive prowess.

Bill Keller stepped in to handle the Eagle coaching duties while Mike is relocating. This game was not much of a contest. Washington scored on its first drive and seemingly moved the ball at will during the game. Philadelphia was hampered by untimely penalties and turnovers. Mark Rypien threw for 3 touchdowns and 271 yards and Ernest Byner rushed for 109 yards. Randall Cunningham threw for 209 yards including an 82 yard td pass to Fred Barnett and rushed for another 94. Washington 31 Philadephia 7

'94-SF wins 20-13 over '90 Miami in a very close one

Steve Young was on fire in 1st half and then fizzled in 2nd half, despite getting a 126 passer rating for the game. He had 12 of 13 passes at one point - and finished with 22 of 29. The Miami D came alive in 2nd half. But, Miami had a late fumble in 4th Qtr (2:38 left on the Miami 20) and allowed SF score the winning TD. A very tough break for Miami there. And, with 1:53 left, Miami started on their own 20 and drove down to the SF 19 - but a penalty backed them up to the SF 24 and then Marino was sacked on last play of game......pins & needles........great game. Hate to win like that - because Paul did fight back and deserved the victory. --contributed by Georges Bseraini--

Why Should I play Pre-Season Games ???

Andy and I played a pre-season classic Monday night. At least that's how the results looked. Truth be known, we both really needed to get the dust off of our games. Since neither of us really touched SAT during the summer months we definitely were off. Besides the usual amount of bad calls and missed opportunities each one of us had a HUGE gaffe.

I had the ball 4th and goal on his 9 and hit the PUNT button by accident and gave away an easy 100% FG. How stupid is that ??? Since we were chatting and not paying attention Andy returned the favor by accepting a penalty on a play where he had a fumble recovery TD by Leon Lett.

My point here is that the preseason time is a chance for you to get used to online play, how your team plays and to brush off the dust from not playing.

Going into the regular season without playing at least 2-3 preseason games online is a recipe for failure, especially if you are new or haven't played in a while.

One thing I know for sure: You'll all enjoy the new "Live Updates" website. It will be very cool watching other games in progress on the web as it updates itself automatically. The screenshot you are looking at is from the live update page. I posted a link to it on our webpage.

CFL Draft

The draft took a little over a day to complete and 14 teams were selected. Most shocking to all was the fact that the team of the 90's aka America's Team, aka the 1992 Dallas Cowboys fell to the #9 slot in the draft. One would have thought the triplets would have been selected in the top 3, if not the top 2.

#	Prev Team	Prev Rc	Coach	Draft Pick
*1	79-CHI	3-11	Mop Barra	1990 NY Giants
*2	76-CIN	4-10	Georges Bseriaini	1994 SF 49ers
*3	77-MIA	5-9	Greg Marcucci	1990 Buffalo Bills
*4	76-WAS	3-11	Tom Davis	1991 Was Redskins
*5	77-BAL	7-7	Mike Faybik	1990 Phi Eagles
*6	75-MIN	8-6	Paul Blocher	1990 Mia Dolphins
*7	76-OAK	6-8	Jay Schneider	1990 KC Chiefs
8	78-PIT	8-6	Andy Weinrib	1992 DAL Cowboys
9	77-DAL	9-5	Eddie Mikhli	1990 LA Raiders
10	77-RAM	11-3	Bill Keller	1994 Cle Browns
11	79-SD	9-5	Stu Geller	1991 Hou Oilers
12	75-STL	10-4	Marc Weiss	1994 Pit Steelers
13	Expansion		Howie Fortel	1994 Det Lions
14	Expansion		Leor Gamzo	1994 GB Packers

I wasn't shocked to see the '90 Giants go 1st, since Mop is a devout Giants fan and he finally got the team he had always hoped to get. At #2 I predicted George would go with the '9ers since they have the most diverse offense of the team's available and a pretty good D. The 90 Phins and 90 Eagles going ahead of Dallas shocked the heck out of me. I'm not sure if it was due to the coaches liking those teams or the anti-Cowboy sentiment. At #4 Tom took Washington after we all thought for sure he'd grab his hometown favorite Lions. Tom has seen well over 35 years of mediocre to bad Lion football and I think he needed a huge change of pace.

Should be one heck of a season.