And Then There Were Two

Much to the surprise of everyone --- well, to me, at any rate --- the Orion River Horses simply walloped the league-leading YAC Attack in the first round of the playoffs, a 97-61 thrashing.  Much of that had to do with Drew Brees playing one of his best games of the season, which is saying a lot, versus Aaron Rodgers having --- believe it or not --- only his second worst game.  His worst game was week 14 against the Raiders, which kind of makes you wonder whether the Packers have peaked too soon.

Perhaps more surprisingly, the River Horses' 36-point victory margin wasn't even the biggest margin of the semifinal round.  That honor belongs to Aaron and his Strike Team, who whipped Atomnation by a 37-point spread, 75-48.  Yes, despite having the 4th-highest scoring team in the league this year, Adam's Atoms picked a terrible time to put up a stinker, allowing Aaron to cruise to the championship round.

(Ed. note: Or maybe it was only a 27-point margin for Strike Team.  Apparently I can't snark and subtract at the same time)

It's surprising that the River Horses put up 97 points with such fantasy standouts as C.J. Spiller and Nate Burleson.  But Strike Team can match that firepower and more, with notable names like Donald Brown, Laurent Robinson and especially Kevin Smith.  Sure, players emerge out of nowhere every year to be a fantasy factor, but it seems like there are more such players this year than at any time I can remember.

The River Horses beat Strike Team in their only meeting this season, in a surprisingly low-scoring 52-47 victory.  Nevertheless, I proclaim that Strike Team is a mortal lock to win the title.  My reasoning has less to do with C.J. Spiller and Nate Burleson, or even the fact that Brees and Colston are going up against the Falcons' tough pass D.  It has to do with the fact that Pete simply cannot win the big one.

Pete and I both came into the league in 2007, and the River Horses were pretty much dominant all year long --- before falling to a laughable 7-6-1 team (that would be the Ninjas) in the first round of the playoffs.  Pete hasn't done much since then, except that last year after starting the season 0-5, he threw a scare into everyone that he might pull off a miracle worst-to-first finish, reeling off 5 straight victories to pull to 5-6-1 before fading at the end.  And there's no reason to believe he won't fall short again this year.

So enjoy your time in the limelight while it lasts, Mr. Close-But-No-Cigar.  I'll be polishing up the winner's trophy and getting Aaron's name engraved on it.