Week Two Newsletter

The Stanley Steamers bounced back from last week's blowout loss with a 29-23 victory in Week 2 over Montezuma's Revenge. This game began slowly with the Steamers leading 4-2 after the 1st quarter behind a Charlie Batch TD pass to Johnny Morton. The Revenge (1-1) took the lead at 8-4 with a Cardinals' defensive score. The Steamers took the lead 12-11 with a Charlie Batch 1 yd TD run and Amani Toomer's 100 yds. Touchdowns by Terrell Davis and the defense put the Steamers up 24-11 before the Revenge edged to within one, 24-23, on an O'Donnell to Thipgen TD pass. Thigpen was a last minute insertion into the lineup by Coach Unger after receiving some insider trading information from Coach Widtfeldt. Five points from K Steve Christie rounded out the Steamers' scoring. Batch led the Steamers with 10 points. The Steamers (1-1) improve to 2-1 lifetime vs the Revenge and now meet PMS in Week 3 while the Revenge will play the 1-1 Palace of Swords.

The Palace of Swords, facing life without starting QB Vinny Testaverde, played above the grief in their first test and posted their first win of the 1999 season 34-29 over the Bearded Clams. The Swords (1-1) took an early 8-3 lead behind Martin Gramatica's 51 yd FG and another of 24 yds before the Clams (0-2) narrowed it to 8-6 on a second Ryan Longwell FG. The Swords made their move in the early 2nd half as the defense scored a safety just before Levens scored a TD and went over 100 yards. This put the score at 18-7. Coates caught a TD pass shortly after that to make it 24-7, Kent Graham threw a TD to make it 28-7 Swords then Coates added a 2nd TD catch to put the Swords up 34-7 and all but end the game. Two Clam Steve Young TD passes made it 34-15. Emmitt Smith made the game respectable for the Clams with 14 MNF points bringing the final score to 34-29. The Swords win their first ever contest against the Clams and will now prepare for their Week 3 tilt against Monetzuma's Revenge (1-1). The 0-2 Clams face the 2-0 Strange Highways and will be attempting to not get run over. To that end, Coach Birkel is currently in Boston conducting some advance scouting for the Clam front office.

The Retreads struggled out of the gate but managed to manufacture enough offense to pull out a low scoring 23-13 win over the NFC Norris in Week 2 action. The Norris (1-1) took a 10-6 lead early with a Tony McGee TD catch and 4 Gary Anderson points. Edgerrin James scored for the Retreads to keep it close and then Michael Westbrook put the Revenge ahead 14-10. The Norris pulled within 14-13 but just didn't have the guns today. Brett Favre got shutout for the week while first time starter Carl Pickens was also shut out. A Doug Flutie 24 yd TD run and a John Hall provided the last of the Retreads' points at 23-13. The Retreads (1-1) stayed one game behind in the Howe division and improved to 3-0 lifetime vs the Norris while the Norris fall a game off the pace in the Dewey division. The Retreads will square off against Grande To The Party next week in a matchup of coaches who threaten to overheat the bulletin board this week. The NFC Norris plays the 2-0 Greenback Iguanas.

The Natural Mystics overcame a fast start by Grande To The Party but withstood the early punch knowing that the Party can't sustain it over 60 minutes and eventually won going away by a 63-48 score in Week 2 action. The Party came out strong in the early going with a 1 yard TD run from Stephen Davis and a Randall Cunningham TD pass to go up 10-0. But the Mystics countered with a 42 yd Manning to Harrison aerial before the Party answered that score almost immediately with a 2nd and 3rd Davis TD. The Mystics took the ball and marched back downfield against the Party D, scoring right away on another Manning to Harrison toss, this one for 10 yards, to pull within 22-20 and Natrone Means got in on the action with a 12 yd. reception to put the Mystics on top for the 1st time at 26-22. Wesley added a TD to put the Mystics up 32-22 early in the 2nd quarter. The scoring continued as Curtis Enis got into the act with a TD run of his own for the Party. The Mystics came back just before halftime with yet a 3rd Manning-Harrison hookup to take a 45-28 lead as Harrison also passed the 100 yard mark for the day. After intermission, Terry Allen scored on an 8 yd catch to pull the Mystics into a 51-28 lead. The Mystics other RB Terry Allen scored a TD while Walls scored his 2nd one for the day. Vinatieri added a FG, making the score 63-36. Six Dell Greco points brought the score to 63-42 and a defensive TD by the Cowboys Monday night finished the scoring at 63-48. The win was the Mystics' 5th in a row for regular season games, dating back to Week 13 of '98. The win was the 5th in seven lifetime contests against the Party and Coach Will. The victory was #43 all-time for Coach Wassem, placing him two wins ahead of Coach Will for the most regular season victories. It was also the 2nd straight time that the Mystics put up over 60 points against the Party, the first time being Week 11 last season in Jamal Anderson's coming out party for the Mystics. The 2-0 Mystics will meet the King of Dogs next week while Grande To The Party (1-1) plays the Retreads.

The Greenback Iguanas improved to 2-0 in the Cheatem division with their 54-19 assault of the King of Dogs. The Iguanas opened the scoring with a pair of Mike Hollis FGs before the Dogs closed within 6-2 behind a pair of PATs. Bledsoe threw a TD pass, making it 10-2 while Brad Johnson countered with his TD pass. James Stewart, starting today due to Fred Taylor's questionable status, extended the Iguanas' lead to 16-6 with a 1 yd run and Bledsoe threw his 2nd TD pass of the game for a 20-6 lead. The two teams traded points with the Dogs getting a Johnson TD pass and a FG while the Iguanas got a Bledsoe TD pass and a Hollis FG. K Brown added 6 more points but Bledsoe threw his 4th TD of the game and James Stewart broke off a 44 yard TD run to make the score 42-19. Eddie George scored two short TDs late in the game, giving the Iguanas a 54-19 cushion. The win may have been costly for the Iguanas. RB Jamal Anderson left his MNF game early in the first half with an undetermined leg injury. At press time, the no diagnosis had been made. The game was the 2nd in a row that the Dogs allowed 50 or more points. With the victory, the Iguanas take a 2-1 lead all time vs. the Mutts. It's also the Iguanas' 4th straight regular season victory dating back to Weeks 14 & 15 of the 1998 season. The Iguanas face the 1-1 NFC Norris next week while the Dogs (0-2) will play the undefeated Natural Mystics.

In one of our more colorful league rivalries, the Strange Highways didn't always play well but played well enough to move their record to 2-0 with a 32-11 victory over PMS (0-2). PMS struck early on a Bert Emanuel TD catch but the Highways responded immediately with a Kordell Stewart TD run then took a 10-6 lead behind 4 straight Vanderjagt PATs. The score remained 10-6 for the next two hours while both teams took a siesta on this sunny afternoon. After the league threatened to pull the game from its televised lineup, Terrell Owens caught a short TD pass from Steve Young, giving the Highways a 16-6 lead and they never looked back. PMS is still waiting for its 1st points from Randy Moss in '99. The Highway wideouts accounted for 14 points late in the game, led by Terrell Owens' 2 TD catches. Those points more than offset Jason Elam's 5 point contribution to the PMS scoring total. The Strangers' running backs both started in the SNF game. Although Curtis Martin went scoreless, Antowain Smith had a TD run and 100 yards. With the win, the Highways improve to 5-2-1 all-time against PMS. Said Coach Eric Widtfeldt in the interview after the game, "A win is a win is a win! I just hope we can get it going next week." The Highways meet the Bearded Clams in Week 3 intent on silencing the caustic wit of Coach France and the Bearded Clams, who chided Coach Widtfeldt on draft day about his draft selections. PMS, losers of 3 straight dating back to Week 15 of the '98 season, travels for a game against the Stanley Steamers.

Week 2 Entries Into the League Record Book:

* The Natural Mystics became the first team in league history to post back-to-back 60 point efforts, following up last week's all time franchise high 68 effort with 63 more in Week 2. In fact, only three times previously has a single team scored more than 60 points in a game twice during the same season: 1993-Resin Balls, 1996-Strange Highways and 1998-Palace of Swords.
* The Natural Mystics' 5th straight regular season win, dating back to 1998, puts it on the list of teams with 5 or more straight wins in league history. In our 7th league season, the number of teams now stands at 14. Incidentally, teams have lost 5 in a row 16 times in league history.
* Needless to say, the two week total of 131 points by the Natural Mystics is the most over a two game period in league history. The unofficial record had been 116 by Two Turntables & A Microphone (Grande To The Party) in Weeks 13 & 14 of the 1996 season.
* The 105 combined points in the Natural Mystics-Grande To The Party is the 12th highest total in history.
* The Greenback Iguanas, with 54 points, made the Half Century Club for their 6th time ever. Their franchise high is 57 points in 1997 vs. the Bone Club and again in 1998 vs. the NFC Norris.

Swami Sez

The Swami went 5-1 in Week 2 to up his season record to 9-3. His only Week 2 miss was the Mystics over the Party. Who could have known? Week 3 is another non-division week with byes from the Cowboys, Dolphins and Saints. The Swami has read the tea leaves and has his thoughts on Week 3:

Montezuma's Revenge (1-1) vs. Palace of Swords (1-1)

There are no major matchups that look to be an advantage for either team this week. The Revenge, if they maintain most of their starters from Weeks 1 & 2, will have much of their fate decided by the Tennessee-Jacksonville game. The Swords managed to win in their 1st game without Vinny Testaverde but how long can they go to the well with Kent Graham? The Revenge running attack has sputtered thus far on the season. To win, O'Donnell to Thigpen would be a welcome sight again in Week 3 for the Revenge. The Revenge is 2-0 lifetime vs the Swords. Lacking any trends or matchups, the Swami must judge the talent and the thought here is that the Swords have marginally better players at this point in the year.

Bearded Clams (0-2) vs. Strange Highways (2-0)

One team is 0-2 and has combined for 61 points while the other team is 2-0 while scoring a total of 67 points. The Swami won't even say what he's thinking at this point. Suffice it to say that Week 3 is another week. The Clams can expect big games from Steve Young and Tim Brown this week but get hit hard with byes (E Smith, Irvin, Cleeland, Dolphins) meaning Kyle Brady will be in the lineup as will a 2nd RB and an unknown utility player. Marshall Faulk should expect only moderate success against the Falcons (unless the Falcons offense looks like Nebraska's recently). Terrell Owens of the Highways could very well negate much of Steve Young's success in Week 3 while look for Antowain Smith to have a big game. In this first ever matchup between these two teams, Coach Widtfeldt wants badly to score a knockout. Given the Clams' personnel situation this week, however it occurs (sloppy or otherwise), the Highways should get what they want---a W.

NFC Norris (1-1) vs. Greenback Iguanas (2-0)

The Norris, despite losing in Week 2, remain tied with Montezuma's Revenge for the Dewey Division lead while the Iguanas appear to be a playoff caliber team after their 1st two weeks. Yet, while the Iguanas have scored 84 points already, the Norris has managed 52 thus far and starting QB Brett Favre went scoreless in Week 2. Against the Vikings this week, he should come back strong. The problem is that the Norris shouldn't expect much production from its running backs. That means we can expect a three wideout attack (Jimmy Smith, Morton and Pickens) and the Norris' chances will depend on how well the WRs do. The Swami likes the Iguanas' Bledsoe facing off vs. the Gi-Ants. However, the Iguana backfield could be in a state of confusion depending upon the news regarding Jamal Anderson. James Stewart played outstanding in Week 2 but won't unseat Fred Taylor although he may earn some carries moving forward (which could actually hurt the value of each). The Jacksonville-Tennessee game will be pivotal for the Iguanas this week. This series is all tied up at 2 apiece. The Swami doesn't foresee a high scoring game but expects the Iguanas to pull through although they might need to shed a little skin to do so.

Natural Mystics (2-0) vs. King of Dogs (0-2)

Let's see here. The Mystics, 2-0, averaging 65.5 points per game play the King of Dogs, 0-2, having scored 39 points. That's 39 points total. As in two games. On paper, it doesn't appear to be much of a matchup. Yet, these are just the sort of games that tend most to sneak up and bit a team. Perhaps that's why Coach Wassem had his troops on the practice field earlier than normal on Monday. Expect to see Brad Johnson at QB for the Dogs, coming off his great game vs. the Giants last week. Only Rickey Watters can be considered a #1 RB for the Dogs so the Swami feels confident in anticipating the Dogs will go with 3 wideouts. With Tony Martin sitting out Week 3 with a bye, the 3rd WR will most likely be Jake Reed. TE Mark Chmura suffered a Week 2 stinger. His status this week was unknown. The Mystics have their thus far potent Manning to Harrison combo going vs. the Chargers meaning Natrone Means will face the Colts. Needless to say, a high scoring game here bodes well for the Mystics. Terry Allen goes vs. the Gi-Ants while Tyrone Wheatley plays Chicago, possibly starting for Cecil Collins who's off this week. Freeman meets the Vikings while Wesley Walls gets the Bengals. While the Dogs lead the series 1-0, barring a letdown, the Mystics could roll.

PMS (0-2) vs. Stanley Steamers (1-1)

PMS is still waiting for its first points from #1 pick Randy Moss. Wait no more. This week against the Packers is the week. But in order to win their 1st game of the year, PMS will need a big game from QB Brunell against the Titans as well as solid efforts from its running game (Murrell, Staley, Rivers). Staley has his work cut out for him against a strong Bills front four. The going also doesn't get any easier for Steamers RB Terrell Davis who must meet Warren Sapp and the Bucs this week. The QB situation is up in the air while #1 WR Joey Galloway is still a holdout. This game has all the makings of a very low scoring affair. As such, it's a toss up. Who comes down with toss ups better than Randy Moss? Look for Moss to be the difference as PMS, 1-0 lifetime vs. the Steamers, gets off the schneid this week.

Grande To The Party (1-1) vs. Retreads (1-1)

Grande To The Party played better than all but two teams last week. Unfortunately for them, they were playing against one of them and dropped their 1st game of the year. The schedule gets no easier in Week 3 as they must face the Retreads who in 1998 beat the Party by scores of 55-33 and 72-35 for a 2-0 lifetime advantage. While it's early in the season, neither team wants to drop to 1-2 and fall possibly two games behind in the standings already. One of them might. The Party has Cunningham and Carter matching up vs the Packers. Stephen Davis will have to work harder this week against the Jets but Charlie Garners gets the Cards' D. Ed McCaffrey has to contend with Tampa's D and Derrick Mayes plays Pittsburgh. RB Errict Rhett could be a surprise starter-he plays Cleveland. For the Retreads, Flutie gets to toy with Philly although the ground game may be so effective that he does little more than hand off. Similar to 1998 when the Retreads got fat picking on James Stewart's injured carcus with Fred Taylor, they now benefit from Kimble Anders' season ending injury in the name of Bam Morris. Morris gets Detroit while Taylor has the Titans and E James gets SD. The flankers Moulds and Westbrook always have the potential to find the endzone. The Swami believes that this game will turn more on matchups than on talent in Week 3. With that in mind, the better team may or may not win. But the crystal ball says Coach Will may be going out for a long drive in the Blazer Sunday night as it will be the Retreads coming out on top.

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