And so it came to pass that after 13 weeks of hard-hitting action, one team has secured a playoff berth. The rest of us win this week or go home early.
It’s been an amazing season. This is the last Power Ranking column for this year, so it seems reasonable to go all the way back to the beginning and look at each team’s best draft pick for 2008. You have to remember that these picks were made in early September, before anyone knew that Matt Cassell would emerge as a fantasy over-performer or Marion Barber would be seriously diminished by an injury to Tony Romo.
This week’s rankings…
1. Dangerous Minds – They are having a season for the ages. I do not recall any other team winning 12 games or more in my time in the league, and I’ve been burning my Labor Day gasoline in New Jersey since 1994. (Note to Tom – I went 1-13 my first year, so a tip of the cap to you, my friend.) Mike’s best draft pick this season is a no-brainer: Drew Brees (round 3) has been absolutely spectacular. But the guy that really turned this club into a monster was Thomas Jones (round 5), who is second among running backs in scoring.
2. Northboro – Last week, there was no beating Tony as his Iggles ran roughshod over the sorry Arizona defense. Here’s hoping SJax does the same thing to them this week. Best Draft Pick: Calvin Johnson (round 7) was a terrific upside pick that paid off huge.
3. Georgia Satellites – They go nose-to-nose with Northboro. The winner does not make the playoffs despite the fact that every metric says they these are the #2 and #3 teams in the Nelson this year. Best pick: Roddy White in the tenth round was a spectacular pick. John gambled that the rookie QB wouldn’t stop White from emerging and got an every-week starter out of it.
4. Midwest – They continue to rack up points, and they have a tough matchup against a rallying Spies squad for this week. If they win, they will be a handful in the playoffs. Their best pick was Matt Forte in round 9, who has been terrific all year. Honorable mention goes to Duane Bowe, who they snagged in round 11.
5. Rocky Brook – Tom had a good week but fell short against the suddenly imposing Northern Spies. The Oilers have a good matchup against a swooning Gangster squad this week. The rookie made some nice picks in his first draft, none better than Chris Johnson, who he picked up in round 11.
6. Phight-in Camels – They kicked my butt twice, but their reward is a must-win game against the Commish. Good luck with that. Looking over Tony’s draft, you’ve got to love Anquan Boldin in round 6, but how about Justin Fargas in round 14?
7. Northern Spies – Rich has had a brutal year on a number of levels, but he’s ending this season with a flourish. His win over Rocky Brook last week put a real dent in Tom’s playoff hopes, and he can ruin a miracle comeback by beating Midwest this week. Rich had one draft pick that stands out like a clown on a beach: DeAngello Williams in round 13. Williams is getting some buzz for NFL MVP after last week’s 4 touchdown effort.
8. Garvey’s Gangsters – Rich has had a miserable year, with teams going off on him almost every week. He leading the league in Points Against – teams are scoring 65 points per game against this guy. Back in the golden days of early autumn, Rich had a number of terrific draft picks. The Pick of the Year goes to Mr. Garvey for his selection of Phillip Rivers in round 14 of this year’s draft. He is fifth in the League in scoring at 150, and he’s off to a great start in week 14.
In closing, I hope everyone enjoyed the column. Hopefully, it's been as fun to read as it has been to write. Good luck to everyone in the playoffs.
