Author: admin

Here are my picks for Week 1:

Chi, Balt, Cle, Phil, Sea, Dal, NO, Den, LAR, NYJ, TB, Det, NE und, Min, KC, LAC.

After a long 8-month break, it’s time to welcome everyone back to The Football Club.  This season’s club is entitled The Football Club 2019 – Eighteenth Year International Edition.  The club’s tagline of “International Edition” was chosen by Double-Double, and I thought it was very fitting in view of how the lives of club members have changed over the nearly two decades that the club has been in existence.  In the early days of the club, a typewriter (and later a computer) was used to type up the Weekly Picks Sheet and Current Standings Page.  Those pages were then photocopied and personally delivered by myself and Hoosier Daddy to the rest of the club.  I would distribute half of them and Hoosier Daddy would distribute the other half, after I dropped them off at his house a few blocks from where I lived in Novato.  All club members originated from Marin and Sonoma counties back in the 1990s and early 2000s.  But what has happened since then?  While some club members still live within these areas, other club members have relocated and now live far away.  Take, for instance, The Cat.  The Cat moved to Ecuador and has been serving as a regular pioneer there for some time now.  Yet he still is actively involved with and part of the club.  Others have moved to other parts of California or the United States.  Double-Double long ago moved to Omaha (where sadly there are no In-N-Out Burger restaurants) but he maintains his close ties with the club and club members.  In summary, this is no longer a local club where all players live within 30 miles or so of each other.  The club is now international and in recognition of this we are calling this the International Edition.

As we get started with the 2019 NFL season, there are not really any changes to report in regards to the club.  Everything will be pretty much the same as last season.  One thing I will try to do is post a copy of my scoring sheets for all players once each week wraps up with the Monday night game.  This will allow anybody who wishes to recheck the scoring results and see who everybody picked for each of the games during the previous week.  (As a sample, check out the scoring sheets I posted after Week 17 last season.)  The Autopicker will be returning to pick the Thursday night games.  But as always, you are free to go against The Autopicker and change the pick.  Most of the time that did not work out well last season for those who did that, although The Autopicker did miss a couple of games.  As the picks for Week One get started, keep in mind that there is no Triple Jeopardy option, there is no Head to Head play, and there is no Pro Bowl Team play.  All three of those features start up during Week Two.  As you prepare your picks for this week, also take a moment to look back at last season’s Final Standings and end results in Head to Head Weekly, Super Bowl Tournament, Pro Bowl Team Weekly, and Pro Bowl Tournament.  Who can forget the epic battle for 1st Place down the stretch between Stinkerbell (who logged 13 Weeks at #1) and Double-Double?  When the season ended, Double-Double came out on top and won the 2018 Club Championship by a mere 5 Points over Stinkerbell and 6 Points over fast-charging Captain Jack Sparrow.  Captain Jack Sparrow was frustrated during the entire off season, realizing he would have tied for the club title if he had just picked Indianapolis over Tennessee on that final Sunday night game.  As a final note, all club members are encouraged to stop by Club Chat.  Club Chat is how club members can interact with each other, discuss their picks and Head to Head match-ups for the week, and playfully tease one another with good-natured humor.  As a reminder, links to Club Chat and other pages when the site is viewed on a cell phone can be found by clicking the Menu button at the top.  But the site is best viewed on a computer screen.  I wish everyone a great season and we will see you on the field. -Fearless Tuna

Here are the confirmed participants in The Football Club 2019 (updated daily):

• Badwater Nessie
• Bob Swerski
• Captain Insano
• Captain Jack Sparrow
• The Cat
• Double-Double
• Drummer Boy
• Fearless Tuna
• freespirit
• Hoosier Daddy
• MJD Hogg
• Mr. T
• Nighthawk
• Rad Dad
• The Rickster
• Slick Chick
• Stinkerbell

Welcome to the final post for the 2018 season of The Football Club Seventeenth Year Legacy Edition.  Six years after the club closed its doors in 2012, the club was restarted and what a fun season it was for most of us.  It was a very challenging year of picks, as many struggled to regain past form in making great picks.  The rust seemed to wear off for some club members as the season went on, but for many it was hard to shake it off and have high-scoring weeks.  Even so, it was great to reunite for our friendly competition for the 17 weeks of the regular season.  We will not be doing the Playoff Picks this season (and I’m not sure if I will ever run that competition again).  But as announced earlier, the club will be returning for the 2019 season.  So around late August of 2019, expect to see an e-mail with details about the eighteenth season of the club.  One adjustment I already decided to make for next season was to post the weekly scoring sheets upon kickoff of the final game of the week (usually the Monday night game).  This will allow club members to look over the picks of all other club members, but not in a way that would give them an advantage.  You may have noticed that I did that during Week 17 and many club members found the information interesting to check out.  So with that, let’s get to a player-by-player recap of the 2018 season.

(#1) Double Double is our 2018 Club Champion as he finished the season with 359 Points, 3 MVP Awards, and 4 Weeks at #1.  Double-Double started the season in 9th Place but climbed up to #2 in Week 7.  From that point on, he was either in 1st Place or 2nd Place for the rest of the season.  Double-Double is well deserving of being our champion because he spent nearly 1/4 of the season at #1 and also tied for the most MVP Awards in the season with 3.  This is Double-Double’s 2nd Club Championship, as he previously won back in 2005.  Double-Double’s 359 Points is actually the lowest score ever posted to win the Club Championship.  The previous lowest score was 366 Points when Slick Chick won back in 2010.  It just goes to show what a difficult season it was to pick games correctly.  In addition, Double-Double’s team Wild Animals won the Pro Bowl team title.  (#2) Stinkerbell finished as our Club Champion Runner-Up with 354 Points, 2 MVP Awards, and a staggering 13 Weeks at #1.  Her outstanding season also made her the 2018 Rookie of the Year Award winner.  Having spent so many weeks at the top, she is no doubt a little disappointed that she did not win the championship.  But still, all of us were very impressed by her great picking ability and how she took over 1st Place and spent most of the season dominating the club.  All of us spent most of the season chasing after her.  Back in Week 4, she even managed to hold an 18 Point lead over everyone else in club as she sat in 1st Place.  Her Week 1 debut was in 5th Place with 25 Points.  Some may have thought that was a fluke, but she quickly showed all of us that it wasn’t and that she meant business.  When it came to Week 17, she picked too conservatively to challenge Double-Double for the title.  She was 4 Points behind going into the final week, but when her picks came in, they nearly matched Double-Double’s with the exception of one Regular Game.  Thus, she was mathematically eliminated before the week even started, but I was not allowed to let her know that.  If, for instance, she had picked an upset with Chicago over Minnesota, she would have been able to tie Double-Double for the championship.  No matter what, Stinkerbell posted one of the greatest non-winning seasons that the club has ever seen and she can hold her head high.  As part of this, she also picked the most Games of the Week correct with 22 out of 35 on the season.  And Stinkerbell won Division Two in Head to Head play, posting a record of 6 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.  All of us hope she will return next season and compete with us once again.  (#3) Captain Jack Sparrow started the season strongly by debuting in 3rd Place, then fell back into the pack as he struggled for a while.  By Week 10, he was in 10th Place and 29 Points out of 1st Place.  But then, Captain Jack really caught fire and moved quickly up the standings.  In Weeks 11, 12, and 15, he was the MVP Award Runner-Up.  Then, in Week 17, he went all in and picked several key upsets in an effort to steal the club title in the final week.  Most of the upsets paid off and he ended up closing out the season with 34 Points, the Week 17 MVP Award, and the highest score of the year (for one week of picks).  Captain Jack actually would have won the Club Championship if Tennessee had beaten Indianapolis during the final Sunday night game of the season.  Instead, he finished in 3rd Place only 1 Point behind Stinkerbell.  Captain Jack was co-winner of the 2018 Sportsmanship Award for sharing so many encouraging comments on Club Chat throughout the season.  (#4) Fearless Tuna really struggled early in the season, debuting in 15th Place and still being in that spot after Week 3.  By Week 7, I was 33 Points out of 1st Place and the season felt like a lost cause.  But then I managed to start making better picks.  I was really happy to end in the Top Five and also tie a Hall of Fame All-Time Record by picking 14 out of 17 Sunday night / 6 Point games correct.  During the season, I picked several key upsets on the 6 Point games that very few other players got including Baltimore over Pit, LA Chargers over Pit, and Seattle over KC.  I was also happy to be able to win 2 MVP Awards during the season.  (#5) Captain Insano finished in the Top Five after posting a very strong last couple of weeks.  From Weeks 3-6, Captain Insano was in 2nd Place and it looked as if he was going to be a serious contender for the club title.  But then he attempted some upset picks in an effort to keep pace with Stinkerbell, and many of them did not pan out.  It was good to see Captain Insano return to form as the season closed out.  If you look back at the archives, you might be surprised to see that this is the third consecutive season in which Captain Insano has finished in 5th Place.  So he has definitely been a very consistent player.  Captain Insano also won Division Four in Head to Head play, posting a record of 8 wins and 2 losses.

(#6) Rad Dad was a fixture in the Top Five for most of the season, but he missed out on a Top Five finish by a mere 4 Points.  Rad Dad debuted at #4 when the season started with Week 1.  He then managed to stay in the Top Five for the first nine weeks of the season, before dropping down just a little bit.  Rad Dad’s season highlight was making it to the Conference Round of the Super Bowl Tournament where he tied the eventual winner Bob Swerski 13-13 but was eliminated due to being the lower seed.  (#7) Bob Swerski supported the Chicago Bears every week on Club Chat and did the Super Bowl shuffle himself when he became our 2018 Super Bowl Head to Head Champion by defeating The Rickster 22-20.  Bob was also no doubt proud of his wife Stinkerbell’s amazing success in the club.  But that means she has bragging rights in the family for the next 8 months.  (#8) The Rickster reached a peak position of 4th Place during Week 11.  But he is used much higher peaks, being our only three-time Club Champion (2006, 2004, and 2001).  This season, his highlight was winning the Pro Bowl Team title along with his Wild Animals teammates.  Another highlight was reaching the Super Bowl final before losing a close match to Bob Swerski.  The Rickster had that nice tournament run after winning Division Three in Head to Head play, posting a record of 8 wins and 2 losses.  (#9) The Cat played very well for most of the season, logging 1 Week at #1 and winning 3 MVP Awards.  He was actually the only player other than winner Double-Double and runner-up Stinkerbell to spend time at #1 in the standings, which took place during Week 1.  The Cat also led his team Wild Animals to their third lifetime Pro Bowl Team championship.  All in all, The Cat had a great season despite turning in his picks from Ecuador where he now lives.  (#10) Hoosier Daddy started out the season in Last Place with a Week 1 debut of 10 Points.  By Week 10, he had shot all the way up the charts to 4th Place and was in contention for the club title.  Being our defending Club Champion from 2012, Hoosier Daddy gave his picks everything he had, but fell a little bit short during this difficult season of making picks.  Still, finishing in 10th Place is not a bad result.  Hoosier Daddy won Division One in Head to Head play by posting a record of 6 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.

(#11) freespirit ended up picking the most Triple Crowns correct this season with 5 out of 17.  Triple Crowns are the hardest Points to attain on the picks sheet, so that is very impressive.  She also reached the Pro Bowl final with her team Transformers.  (#12) Drummer Boy struggled somewhat but then came on very strong at the end, winning the Week 15 MVP Award.  (#13) Nighthawk returned to the club after a long absence (since 2009) and was named the Comeback Player of the Year Award winner.  His season highlight was making it to the Conference Round of the Super Bowl Tournament before tying The Rickster 17-17 and being eliminated as the lower seed.  Had he advanced, he could have played against his dad Bob Swerski in the title match.  Nighthawk also picked the most Double Stakes correct with 8 out of 17.  (#14) Kip Possible had a really good season, reaching 2nd Place during Week 6.  He also reached the Pro Bowl final with his team Transformers, who were the defending champions.  (#15) Slick Chick was a delight as always to have in the club.  We all enjoyed her frequent posts on Club Chat.  Slick Chick was co-winner of the 2018 Sportsmanship Award, which is one of the most prestigious honors that can be earned in the club.  Slick Chick’s best result was reaching the Pro Bowl final with her team Transformers.   (#16) Badwater Nessie was our best Triple Jeopardy picker in the club, correctly getting 11 out of 15 to gain a stunning 15 bonus Points that he otherwise wouldn’t have had.  He also reached a peak position of #6.  (#17) Rex Kwan Do reached a peak position of #8 and had perhaps the club’s best codename.  And (#18) MJD Hogg reached a peak position of #9 and will likely look to rebound next season with better picks.  He was our Club Champion Runner-Up during the last season we played in 2012, so he usually has a much stronger showing.

Thanks for playing, everyone.  And see you next season!

2018 Club Champion –
Double-Double (359 Points / 4 Weeks at #1 / Avg. 21.1 Points/week)

2018 Football Club winners-
Club Champion-  Double-Double (359 Points)
Club Champion Runner-Up-  Stinkerbell (354 Points)
Super Bowl XVI Champ-  Bob Swerski (def. The Rickster, Rad Dad, Captain Jack Sparrow & Fearless Tuna)
Super Bowl Runner-Up-  The Rickster (def. Nighthawk, Drummer Boy & Slick Chick)
Pro Bowl XV Champs-  Wild Animals (teammates- The Cat, Double-Double & The Rickster)
Pro Bowl Runner-Ups-  Transformers (teammates- freespirit, Kip Possible & Slick Chick)
Playoff Picks Champion-  no playoff picks for 2018
Playoff Picks Champ Runner-Up-  no playoff picks for 2018

Rookie of the Year-  Stinkerbell (for 2 MVP Awards & 13 Weeks at #1)
Sportsmanship Award-  Slick Chick & Captain Jack Sparrow (tied – for great courtesy and consideration to fellow club members on Club Chat)
Comeback Player of the Year-  Nighthawk (returned for first time since 2009 and ended in 13th Place)

Most MVP Awards-  The Cat & Double-Double (3 MVP Awards each)
Best Week-  Captain Jack Sparrow (34 Points – Week 17)
Best Team Score-  Wild Animals (81 Points – Weeks 7 & 8)
Most Games of the Week- Stinkerbell (22 out of 35 – 63% correct)
Most Triple Crowns-  freespirit (5 out of 17 – 29% correct)
Most Double Stakes-  Nighthawk (8 out of 17 – 47% correct)
Most Sunday Night / 6 Point Games-  Fearless Tuna (14 out of 17 – 82% correct)
Best Triple Jeopardy Ratio-  Badwater Nessie (11 out of 15 – 73% correct)