Week Seven Newsletter

In the 3rd highest scoring league game ever, the Palace of Swords defeated All World 67-56 in Week 7 Dewey division action. It's only the 3rd time a team has ever scored over 50 points but went home with a defeat. In 1998, there was also a 56-56 tie between the Norris and G2TheP. Curtis Martin scored the hat trick for the Swords and ran for 100 while Jeff Garcia tossed 4 TD passes and topped the 300 yard mark. Both WRs and the TE scored as did 2 of the 3 RBs. For All World, Rod Smith also had a hat trick plus 100. Gannon, George and Dayne had 8 points each. If All World could have taken even 10 or so of their points and used them on previous weeks, their loss would place them at perhaps 5-2. But the only luck Coach Dourisseau's team has had this season has been bad luck. At 2-5, they are in danger of falling out of the race by Halloween but will try their best next week against the King of Dogs while the 5-2 1st place Swords play the Strange Highways next week.

The NFC Norris, in a tight 16-6 game at halftime, scored 29 second half points to post a 45-35 victory over PMS in Week 7 action. Although the spread remained ten, Norris' 2nd half prevented PMS from making up any ground. PMS was hurt by the Colts' strong running game this week. Because of it, Peyton Manning was limited to a mere TD pass for the game. Antonio Freeman led PMS with 8 points. Kevin Faulk, Ken Dilger and the Rams D all scored TDs. Mike Vanderjagt led the Norris with 13 points. Jamal Anderson's numbers weren't impressive but he tallied 8 points on a TD run and a 2 pt conversion. Mike Anderson also scored 8 points while Tyrone Wheatley's TD gave the Norris 22 points on the ground. With its 2nd straight win, the Norris improve to 3-4 and keep pace with the front running Palace of Swords in the division. PMS drops its 3rd straight to fall to 3-4, 0-3 in the division entering its Week 8 game vs. the Greenback Iguanas. The Norris meet Grandmaster G next week.

After losing it's last three game following a 3-0 season start, Montezuma's Revenge had lost its grip on 1st place and was in desperate need of a victory, especially a division win, to right the ship and stay on the heels of the first place Greenback Iguanas. Who better to face than the Strange Highways? The well-timed schedule proved favorable as the Revenge posted a Week 7 victory over the Highways and in-law Coach Eric Widtfeldt. The Highways were optimistic entering the game after winning two of their last three and cracking 30 points last week for the 1st time. But, they returned to their low scoring losing ways as Joe Nedney was Sunday's Highway highlight with 7 points. Joe Horn and Rob Johnson accounted for 6 points each but Johnson was lost for 2-4 weeks with a shoulder separation that occurred in OT of his game vs. the Chargers. For the Revenge, Ahman Green bogarted a pair of short rushing TDs from Dorsey Levens to Coach Unger's satisfaction. He also got a good bounce when the Bills special teams accounted for a TD thanks to a Jonathon Linton fumble into the endzone that was recovered by an offensive lineman. The Highways had a shot on MNF, but they couldn't take advantage of another poor night by Marc Brunell as Fred Taylor again went scoreless for the week. Actually, Taylor got 2 points for rushing for 100 but it wasn't enough. His backup Anthony Johnson bogarted a late TD that could have been the difference. Now 4-3, the Revenge hope to keep the momentum going next week against the struggling Retreads. Meanwhile, the Highways' work just gets tougher as they'll face a hot Palace of Swords squad in Week 8.

The Greenback Iguanas weren't pretty but they were effective, taking care of business and defeating the Bearded Clams in Cheatem division action. With the win, the suddenly communicative Green Ones improved to 5-2 while the Clams dropped to 2-5. Jake Plummer and Tony Gonzalez led the way with 8 points each for the Iguanas. Emmitt Smith added 6. Jimmy Smith was lost with a knee bruise. His status for next week is uncertain. For the Clams, it was Ricky Williams left and Ricky Williams right, scoring 14 points total. K Todd Peterson had 5 and QB Cade McNown had the other 4. Next week, the Iguanas will play against PMS while the Clams will try ending their two game skid against the Natural Mystics.

Having stumbled a bit of late, the King of Dogs entered their Week 7 showdown against the Retreads staring up in the standings at them. But, by the time the game was over, it was the Retreads who had the stare as they were left shellshocked by a strong Dog offense in a 54-31 drubbing in Howe division action. With the victory, the Dogs took back co-possession of first place while the Retreads fell from 1st to 3rd. The Dogs were overpowering on the ground, a facet of the game usually owned by the Retreads until this season. Edgerrin James led the way with 21 points. Charlie Garner and Tony Richardson each added TDs. WR Terrell Owens caught two more TDs this week as they more than overcame yet another subpar game from starting QB Brad Johnson. The Retreads didn't dent the scoreboard until midway into the 3pm games. Ryan Longwell scored 7 ponits while Travis Prentice and Darnell Autry scored one TD apiece. However, the WRs went scoreless for the week while Terrance Mathis and Darrell Jackson were left on the bench. Both would have scored. Recently released Sean "I never met a pass I couldn't drop" Dawkins caught enough to total 125 receiving yards. While still 4-3 and certainly in the thick of things, this year's Retreads appear to have more cracks in it than any previous Retread squad before it. The King of Dogs will play an up-and-down All World bunch next week while the Retreads play Montezuma's Revenge next week.

The Natural Mystics, leery of the Rams high octane offense entering its Week 7 confrontation with Grandmaster G, had nothing to fret over as it turned out as. They turned an early 14-13 deficit inito a 59-22 blowout of the Gigis, winning their third straight on the 2000 season and taking co-possession of the Howe division along with the King of Dogs. The win, their 4th straight over Forrest G, was led by Brian Griese's 14 points and Marshall Faulk's 13. Faulk got fat at the expense of an injury to Gigi kicker Jeff Wilkins, scoring a pair of 2 pt conversions along with his 200+ yards rushing and late TD run. Asked for a postgame comment, Coach Will said, "Stupid is as stupid does." The Toastmasters were led by Kurt Warner's 15 points. Dorsey Levens scored his 1st TD of the year (the Jammaster's 2nd rushing TD of the season) and Wilkins added 1 point before leaving the game with his injury. There's no truth to the rumor that the Frightmasters, losers of 6 of 8 alltime versus the Mystics, were seen nightriding in the Blazer late Sunday although Coach Will has confirmed that the organization will be conducting open auditions this week in search of any healthy bodies still on the free agent wire. The Mystics have scored 51, 66, 63 and 59 in their last four defeats of the Grandmunsters. The Gigis, 3-4, play the NFC Norris next week while the Mystics, 4-2-1, play the Bearded Clams, the team that defeated them 43-42 late in the 1999 season knocking them out of a potential playoff berth.

League Records:

• Palace of Swords and All World took part in the 3rd highest scoring league game ever, with a combined 123 points scored.