2000 Postseason Newsletter

The Palace of Swords gained their 2nd title game appearance in three years with an easy 48-26 victory in Round 1 of the OFFL playoffs.  Jeff Garcia again led the way, with 11 points.  The three-headed running back corps totaled 16 points amongst them and Randy Moss chipped in another TD.  The Revenge got 12 points from Keyshawn Johnson and 8 more from ex-Husker Ahman Green but could not keep pace with the Swords.  Despite the loss, Coach Unger's Revenge capped their finest OFFL season with an 8-7 record and their first ever league playoff berth.  The Swords, 1998 champions, head into next week's title game as the favorite, having knocked off the Natural Mystics during the regular season.

The Mystics scored enough early to cinch the game, then sat back and watched the brilliance of Marshall Faulk on Monday night in preparation of next week's title tilt versus the Palace of Swords.  The win was the 1st ever playoff victory for Coach Wassem.  The King of Dogs gobbled up yardage throughout the game but couldn't translate it into enough points.  It was the second week in a row that the teams met, with the Mystics winning each time.  The Dogs, despite their 1st ever playoff berth, entered the game as the #1 seed by virtue of having the league's top regular season record.  Of course, that meant that it was Coach Rady's turn to fall victim to the curse of the #1 seed.  Sure enough, for the 4th straight year, the wildcard team defeated the #1 seed.  The Mystics now begin preparations for next week's showdown against long time league rival Coach Pedersen and his Palace of Swords.

Despite losing starting QB Brian Griese on the 5th play of the game, despite getting nothing from the Broncos (the D and Rod Smith in addition to the injured Griese) even though the team itself scored 38 points against the Seahawks, and despite getting nothing from Robert Smith and Cris Carter against an average Colts defense (thanks to Bubby Brister's general ineptitude after coming into the game in favor of the injured Daunte Culpepper), the Natural Mystics had two things going for them.  One was the tough match-ups faced by the Swords' strong corps of running backs.  The other was league MVP Marshall Faulk  True to form, the Marshall Plan was approved for 21 points and the Swords' troika of RBs combined for 2 points (a season low) in a narrow and always-in-doubt 31-27 Mystics' championship victory over the Swords.  The game was in question right up until the end of the Monday night game as the Swords' Frank Wycheck was starting for the Titans on MNF.  The Swords came within three yards of pulling out the game before Wycheck was brought down just shy of the goal line.  Meanwhile, TE Jay Riemersma scored the only non-Faulk TD on the day for the Mystics.  It proved to be the difference in the Mystics' first ever league title.