Swami Sez
In honor of D-Day, Week 15, when all the league's games come together like some black hole ingesting debris from space, the Schwam has taken time out from his Christmas shopping to weigh in with his Week 15 thoughts. Several NFL games will prove pivotal to this week's OFFL matchups. Among them are the Vikings-Rams, Seahawks-Broncos, Redskins-Cowboys, Saints-49ers, Jets-Raiders and Bills-Colts. Most of these have all the earmarks of making Week 15, both in the NFL and the OFFL, one that could go down in the books as a fantastic week of football.
Palace of Swords vs. NFC Norris--The Swords clinch with a victory. A loss sets up any number of possible scenarios. Look for Garcia to start for the Swords in light of McNair's questionable status. But the 49ers will be facing an angry Saints defense coming off a bad game last week against Denver. If the Swords are to win, they'll do it this week with the ground game plus Randy Moss. Moss is in line to have a monster game versus the Rams on Sunday. Curtis Martin should get his yards against the Raiders and look for Jamal Lewis to have a good day against SD. The Norris will, no doubt, be paying close attention to the Seattle-Denver game. Mike Anderson played big against the Hawks the first time around. Tyrone Wheatley will be in that Jets-Raiders game along with Curtis Martin. Beuerlein could have a solid day against the Chiefs. Several FGs from Vanderjagt is possible since the Colts will face a stiff Buffalo D. But the key here is the Seahawks defense. If Denver has another big offensive game, and they've had many lately, the Norris could prevail. Sure, why not? They're due. Norris by a rushing yard.
PMS vs. All World--Looking at the matchups, this game has all the makings of a low scoring contest. We all know Coach Dourisseau generally chooses only to score with his wife or when playing the Mystics. But look at PMS' lineup. Manning and Lamar Smith are key cogs and they must meet the Bills and the Buccaneers, respectively. That'll leave it to Tim Brown and Wayne Chrebet to attempt to save the day. And while they might do it, the Swami can't help but glance at that Eddie George vs. Cincinnati meeting and lick his lips. Couple that with a possible Az-Hakim TD against the Vikings and we'll take All World in the upset to deny PMS its 2nd ever divisional crown.
Greenback Iguanas vs. Montezuma's Revenge--the keys for the Iguanas will be Trent Dilfer, Jimmy Smith, Tony Gonzalez and Matt Stover. We can clearly see a Charger spanking at the hands of the Ravens, quote the Swami nevermore. Gonzalez is as close to a fantasy stud as one can find at TE and Jimmy Smith gets the Cardinals defense. Aneaus Williams could lock him down but I can't help thinking he'll still do something big. But as for Emmitt and Tiki, Week 15 could be a week they'd rather forget. The Revenge has enough good matchups that the pressure will be on the Iguanas to keep up. Stephen Davis HAS to licking his chops after seeing what Warrick Dunn did last week against the little D in Big D. Ahman Green's star has been rising of late and he'll carry the rushing load for Green Bay. Expect to see James Allen start this week too. Through the air, Eric Moulds will score against the Colts. The only problem is which TE to start. Either could have a good game but, since SD will fall behind quickly, the money's on Freddie Jones if either TE is to score in Week 15. It says here that OFFL has always been about matchups. The Revenge may or may not be the better team, but they are Week 15. Look for Coach Unger to taste the bubbly and the division title for the 1st time.
Bearded Clams vs. Strange Highways--This is the only game in the league that means nothing this week. Not to knock either team but it's hard to really spend a lot of time with this one. For what it's worth, the Clams have to get big days from Rickey Watters and Isaac Bruce to have a shot. They've been scoring less points than the Washington Generals. Fred Taylor took almost 10 weeks to do it but, once he got healthy, he's been a fantasy stud the past month. And since he's playing the woeful Cardinals, is 200 yards a possibility? Rob Johnson's worth one TD at the least. Don't expect any other production from the backfield other than Taylor's so the WR will have to step up. Horn and Muhammad will do just that. They'll both score this week and don't be surprised if Sharpe collects another of Trent Dilfer's TD passes. Throw in some kicking points for the Highways too. The winner of this game avoids the cellar. Too bad for the Clams that seafood tastes better fresh. The Highways will prevail to end the year on a high note and send the Clams packing with a loss.
Retreads vs. Grandmaster G--The two quarterbacks, Culpepper and Warner, square off against each other. Each could finish with 12-16 points before the dust settles on this one. The Retreads' RB matchups could be better. Dillon has the thankless task of trying to dent the Titans front four while James Stewart meets a Packer defense that has stiffened the past few weeks. Stewart will be vital to the Retreads' hopes as will Derrick Alexander vs. the Panthers. The Heebee Geebees will toss out Torry Holt along with Warner. If they connect, it could spell trouble for the Retreads. Warrick Dunn will not duplicate last week's monster game against the Dolphins but Michael Pittman may be good for a TD. It would help the Glandmasters. The only possible WR choice is Willie Jackson, who was suggested to Coach Will by Coach Wassem a week prior to Jackson's scoring against him in Week 14. Go figure. Therefore, he's shot his load! Bubba Franks-n-beans or Stephen Alexander? The Gigis haven't guessed right all season. Why start now? But Jeff Wilkins should finally be back and if the Vikings-Rams truly does end up being the shootout some of us are hoping, kicking could be the edge. Grandmoisture by a toe.
Natural Mystics vs. King of Dogs--Both of these teams have players who could just 'go off' at any time. Marshall Faulk is a timebomb wating to explode after being injured three weeks and posting zeroes the past two. Robert Smith and Cris Carter are having pleasant dreams of the Rams the night before the game. Gus Frerotte can't help but recall his 5 TD passes the last time Denver played Seattle. Neither can Rod Smith. Edgerrin James and Charlie Garner are fantasy studs this season and James Thrash must be giddy knowing that Jeff George is getting the start for the Skins in Week 15. Never underestimate Terrell Owens either. But here's the rub. James vs. the Bills; Garner and Owens vs. the Saints; George and Thrash have Dallas but why pass when Stephen Davis is capable of rushing for 200 vs. the Cowgirls. The Swami, at the risk of jinxing his beloved Mystics, has to go with the matchups. He always does. Mystics over the Dogs by two paws. Will it get the Rastafarians out of Babylon and into the promised land? That'll be up to the Dewey teams. I and I will just have to watch and wait.
Good luck to everyone on the final regular season day of another OFFL football season. Season #8. Now where's the darned Playstation 2?