CFFL Week 12

Down the home stretch and after this weeks game only two left of divisional play....How did it shake out?  Who is left in the playoff hunt?

Who is likely out?
Well I would unhappily report that the Crew are pretty much dead in the water after making a brief comeback with an offense that finally showed up, but too little to late as the Crew fell to the Mafia 27-23 and almost made the miraculous comeback as Bryce Brown scored 2, but needed 3 TDs on MNF. The loss puts the Crew at 4-8, and chances are very slim for a 6-8 team to make playoffs.

The Crush was another team that gave the Ferrets a scare but fell short 45-42 thanks to two Edelman TDs.  The Ferrets big two of Manning and Foster combining for 20 points and recent pick up Shane "Ben" Vereen put a TD on the board as well as the Ferrets suddenly have the "Midas" touch

Dragons fall to 4-8 after dropping their second in a row this time to the Juggernauts.  This time Aaron Rodgers provided no help throwing only 1 TD.  However if it wasn't for Rodgers the Dragons probably wouldn't have 4 wins.  Juggs still have shot at 6-6 and new QB "Jasper" Kaepernick has provided spark the Juggs needed. 

It appears the ovens are hot and the showers have been turned on.  The Krauts have lost 7 in a row after starting 4-1.  Its ugly in the Kraut camp.  It appeared that the Krauts have ended the losing streak until the Titans made a huge comeback in SNF as Manning and Bradshaw combined for 18 points to give the Titans the 29-25 and send the Krauts to 4-8.



Playoff Hunt
The rest of the league are truly still in the hunt with 2 games left in the regular season.  Really only 2 teams seem like a shoe in for the playoffs and they are the Ferrets and the Twins.  Both teams are the Number 1 and 2 offense in the league, and the Twins are coming off back to back 50+ point weeks.  Dalton and Martin both scored 12 points this week, and their defense (Patriot D) has scored 30 points in the past two weeks.  It would appear that the Twins are peaking just at the right time.

Player of the Week: Tom Brady had a hell of a Turkey Day scoring 18 points in a Mayhem 37-28 win over the Sinistars.  It was the third win in a row for the Mayhem and moved them in a tie for first with the Bees at 7-5 as they battle for the South Division Lead. 

CFFL Week 11 Review

Another wacky week in the CFFL as the entire North goes down....(yeah if you havent' figured out that this blog is tilted toward the North, just like ESPN is tilted to the east coast, Jets, Pats, Giants, oh and Cowboys).

"I only needed one more TD!!!" 
This was the cry for the Chisler owner as he faced off with the Crush and with all but 2 players on the Chiz playing for the Ravens and Chargers, it depended on those games.  The Crush are now riding on some "Luck" and got 8 points from that and then got a coveted defensive TD by the Saints.  SD Chislers came up with only 8 points, while kicker Bryant tallied 11 points.  The Chiz was sill behind 26-19 and both had players in SNF.  Crush didn't get anything form Emmanuel "Webster" Sanders but the Chislers got an early special teams score by the Ravens to make score 26-25.  All they needed was another TD by Torrey Smith or Ray Rice.  Seemed likely right?  WRONG!  Nothing....and Crush get a rare win.

"3 Defensive TD??? Really???"
What more can the Crew do?  I mean really?  They score 44 points but still lose 51-44.  Why you ask?  Well the Twin Patriots D scored 18 points!  Crew again, even with Cutler out, got balance attack with all but 2 players scoring (Givens and Jets D).  But apparently the Twins proved that you only need a few players to score a bunch of points instead of balance.  Dalton - 14, kicker Graham - 13 and their D 18.  The loss for the Crew hurts their playoff chances and will now have to win out to make it. 

"How do I keep Winning?"
This was the Bums true statement.  Because if you look at his lineup you wonder how they are 7-4.  But they got 13 form "Jew-fro" Freeman, and 12 from Lance "Rocket" Moore.  Animals could only manage points from their QB and K (RGIII and Nugent).  The Animals will have to do better than that if they hope to compete in the North and make a run at the Fantasy Bowl.  Bums continue to use the smoke and mirror game plan.

"My Season's over"
Ferrets owner, sitting at 7-4 and leading the North is bound and determined to just fold up and not be worthy of success.  This week they fell short of the Mafia 31-29 as Manning late in the game could get just one more TD pass to go with the 3 he already threw.  It would appear that the Ferrets need some help for Manning.  Arian Foster had some close calls to put the game away but fell short of the endzone.  Tony Romo of the Mafia got his revenge on a team that while he played many years for, always criticized him each and every year...Karma!

"Heat up the ovens"
Its hard to find a bigger collapse then what we have seen with the Krauts, who after starting 4-1 and seemingly controlling the Eastern Bloc, they have now lost 6 in a row to fall to 4-7.  And to make matters worse they scored only 3 points this week in a loss to the Mayhem 20-3.  The Mayhem victory moves them to just one game behind the Bees.  "Showers are on too!"

"Run Coward! I Live!"
The Sinister get back on the winning track as they took down the Bees 31-24.  Even Brees couldn't get the Bees back in it with 3 TD passes. It was a balanced attack as Alexander caught 2 TD passes.   Both teams still lead their divisions by one game. No RBs scored for Sinistars and no WRs scored for the Bees. Neither of these teams seem to be a big threat for a Fantasy Bowl title right now....

"Should have started...."
Both teams could be crying this!  While the Dragons went with "homer" kicker Dan "If I was a" Carpenter "and you were a douche bag" instead of  "Nina" Hartley they would have won 30-25 instead of losing 25-24.  (And the Dragons win the best kicker duo nick names).  Now wait.  The Roulette might say "I should have started Blackmon and Lewis" both would have given them 18 more points. Running attack of the "Law Firm" and Felix "The Cat" saved the day.    Loss hurts the Dragons' chances for playoffs.  Roulette, after giving up with the season, has won 3 in row and technically could compete for playoff spot.

"The Titans are the cure of what ails ya"
After sweeping his Brother the Titans have lost three in a row scoring 10, 13, and 15 each week (they scored only 15 in beating their Brother the Dragons before this 3 game skid).  This week only their kicker and D scored for Titans.  The Jug gs took full advantage of this and tallied 41 points, 12 coming from Gronkowski, but might be all the points see from the Gronk.  The win by Mafia put them at 5-6 and in the hunt for a playoff spot.

CFFL Week 10 Review

Well this week saw two OT games and boy did one of them live up to the hype!

TWINS AT FERRETS
The 6-3 Ferrets played host to the 7-2 Twins, in a battle of division leaders.  This was billed as the game of the week, and it totally delivered!  It was Manning vs. Malachi!  10 point connection of Dalton and Green vs. the sideways 10 point connection of Manning and McGahee.  Ferrets countered with Hawkins of the Bengals. 

Well Dalton and Green didn't disappoint as they combined for 22 points (Malachi had 16), but one of his TD passes went to Hawkins for the Ferrets.  Manning manged only 1 TD pass, but Gostkowski picked up the slack with 13 points.  Ferrets kept Doug Martin (who scored 24 points last week) to 0 points!  After the Sunday Day games the Ferrets had a one point lead 23-22 and was not very confident going into the SNF game, with the Twins having kicker Graham, but the Ferrets had Foster.  Foster got a TD but Graham scored 7 points.  All knotted up at 29 going into MNF.

In the Monday night game, as long as Bowe didn't score, the Ferrets would need at least 3 points from Succop.  Night started out good for Ferrets with 4 quick points by Succop, giving them the win in OT.  Now as long as Bowe doesn't score.  Whoa wait a minute...Bowe catches a short pass in the flat, gets a few blocks...TD!!!!!!!  Twins win!!!  NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!  Flag on the play.  Holding against Kansas City.  TD doesn't count.  Bowe would not see the end zone again, and Succop added 3 more points.  Ferrets win the battle in OT 36-29.

SINISTARS AT DRAGONS
The second game OT game was between the Dragons and Sinistars.  The Dragons were fighting for their playoff life.  The Sinistars were trying to stay in the lead in the East.  While this game didn't quite have the drama as the Ferrets vs Twins game, it was still a great comeback win.  The Sinistars started out hot with Stafford getting 12 points but got no help from the rest of the team.  They left 12 points on the bench with Fred Jackson (Started Vick Ballard...huh?).  Dragons only manged 3 points from the Kicker.  Half time 12-3.

In the second half the Dragons came back with 8 points from Russell Wilson and 6 points from Crabtree (finally started a Crabtree) as the Sinistars got 5 points from Kicker Alex Henery.  Game tied 17-17.  Sinistars left more points on the bench with 6 from Steven Jackson and 6 from Jamaal Charles (They started Vick Ballard...huh?).  This time the Dragons were the beneficiary of bench mistakes as they win in OT as "Nina" Hartley kicked 7 points.

OTHER GAMES AROUND THE LEAGUE:

The Roulette woke up and fired 57 points on the hapless as of late Titans. With 18 big points from the player of the week Joe Flacco.  Kicker Tucker had 13 and the Buccaneers D had 12 points!  The Giants connection for the Titans of Manning and Bradshaw came up empty.

What has happened to the Krauts, now losers of 5 in a row!!  I wouldn't want to be in the Krauts camp...you can just smell the showers and ovens heating up.  This week the Killer Bees took out the Krauts as Brees and Gonzalez hooked up for 24 points.  The win keeps the Bees up 2 games in the South.  The good news for the Krauts is that they are still only 1 game out of first in the East.

Mayhem, trying to keep with in two games of the Bees outlasted the Juggs 36-24 with a solid performance from Brady (8), Gore (6), Maclin (6) and Golden "Taint" Tate's 10 points. Juggs are tied with the Krauts and only one game back as well in the East.

The Crew now have one 2 in a row and the offense has seemed to wake up.  This week they beat the Bums 46-32 with production from every roster spot that you wouldn't think of  and not points from where you would think of.  The Crews best players came up with goose eggs (Marshall and Cutler) and to make matters worse Cutler was knocked out of the game.  Woodhead and Graham saved the day with 12 points each, while old Crew mate from the past Stokely got in the end zone.  In the tough North, they are still 3 game behind, and can only hope for a wildcard slot. The Bums trying to keep pace with the Twins got help from the Ferrets OT defeat of the Twins and are only 1 game back in the West.





Each week it looks like the Chislers might finally slip.  But each week they still manage to win and remain in first place in the North.  This week they put up 57 points on the Mafia, as their multiple 10 point connections finally came alive as they got 24 points from their Chargers (Rivers, Gates, and Floyd) and then 18 points from their Ravens (Smith and Rice).

The Animals manged to win with no Defensive TDs this week beating the pathetic Crush 32-11 and remaining one game back of the North lead.  Animals got 12 points from former Crew TD Olsen and 10 points from kicker Suisham. 

Only 4 more weeks of regular season left, and only two more games left before final divisional play!  Time to make the final playoff push.  Right now the North looks to send 3 teams to the playoffs (Chislers, Ferrets, and Animals) and the Ferrets and Animals looking for first ever title....As of right now the East is looking weak, and it may only send the Division winner (Sinistars currently hold one game lead).  Bees appear to be in the driver seat in the South, Mayhem looking at a wildcard spot.  West will be represented by the Twins and likely the Bums as long as they don't blow it. 

Recap of My Top 40 Led Zeppelin Songs

Since Rolling Stone put out the top 40 Led Zeppelin Songs of all time I thought it only fit to recap MY top 40 Led Zeppelin songs of all time from a true Zep Head!

40. Communication Breakdown - LZ1 - Could be the song that gave Zeppelin the tag of "Heavy Metal". Truly had a rhythmic heavy metal feel with the guitars and the pounding drums. Plant truly light years ahead over others with the way he can scream those notes.

39. Over the Hills and Far Away - Houses of the Holy - A very well put together song...something that LZ has done in several songs with the acoustic feel in the beginning and then rocking out hard! Jimmy leads off with brilliant guitar play, then leads into the Bonzo and Jonsey rocking out and Plant belting out the lyrics.

38. Boogie with Stu - Physical Graffiti - A very unique tune with Ian Stewart on the piano who was the Stones road manager and piano player (thus Stu was Stewart), Jimmy played mandolin while Plant chimed in with some amazing lyrics. Just a fun song.

37. Rock and Roll - LZ4 - Since its release in 1971 Bonzo's opening drums has become one of the most popular openings of any rock song of all time. And since its release tours that followed traditionally opened with this song. Just gets you moving between Bonzo's beat, Jonsey's bass slapping and Pagey's dancing guitar notes. Plant again amazes as well..."Been a long time since I rock and rolled!"

36. Gallows Pole - LZ3 - Along the theme of LZ3, acoustic play around a fire, this one is a entertaining and rather dark song. A song about keeping someone from the gallows pole (where they used to hang people from). Pagey and Jonsey compliment each other great with guitar, mandolin and bass all mixed together. Bonzo kicks in to get it all going....but nothing to keep that man from the gallows pole, no silver, gold, or sisters!

35. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - LZ1 - Zeppelin's musical influences were deep in the roots of the blues. And this song truly was a classic. Just a great song of guitar mixes and just raw folk and blues notes. I can just see Jimmy's fingers flying on that guitar. And Plant singing "Don't you hearing it calling me the way it use to do?"

34. Ramble On - LZ2 - Lots of us can relate to this and it has so many great lyrics in it. If not to just say you have to ramble on with your life, go around the world , gotta find my girl. You can really hear Jones play the bass in this one. And shows the bands influence of the Lord of the Rings books. My favorite line: "And tho' our health we drank a thousand times...It's time to ramble on"

33. Heartbreaker - LZ2 - Great guitar riff on this one by Pagey. Great words written by Plant too. "Heartbreaker you time has come!" Everyone rocks out this tune. Bonzo is crisp and Jones is a master on the bass. Pagey on the solo is amazing as always. Truly one of the heaviest songs they ever put out.

32. Bron-y-aur Stomp - LZ3 - A fun song which is actually about a dog (blue eyed merle, similar to a boarder collie). This song was played a lot live in the bands acoustic sets they did after LZ3 was released. Bron-y-aur was a cottage in the Wales country side where Plant and Page wrote most of LZ3, which would explain the heavy acoustic feel of LZ3.

31. Bring it on Home - LZ2 - What a bluesy beginning to this hit with Plant on the harmonics and Jonesy laying down a mean bass line. Then get out of the way! Pagey kills it on the guitar and Bonzo bashes his way through the song, until it ends like it began.


30. Your Time Is Gonna Come - LZ1 - Jonesy opening this song up with a solo on the organ is chilling. "Lying, cheating, hurting, that's all you seem to do". What a great line by Plant, tell me that doesn't resonate a moment in every man's life? Great acoustic mix by Pagey and then he also gets that slide guitar in there. A classic (hell they are all classics!)

29. I'm Gonna Crawl - In Through the Out Door - Just knowing that this is the last song on the very last album they recorded before John Bonham's death gives me chills every time I hear it. Truly a perfect ending to their career as they get back to the blues on this one. Page nails one more bluesy guitar riff. Plant at the end, screaming out...wow!

28. Custard Pie - Physical Graffiti - What do you think this song is really about?? "your custard pie...so sweet and nice" Some how coming from this band its not about a desert. This song really sets the ton for the first Album of Physical Graffiti, pure rock and roll. Jonesy a unique sound playing the electric clavinet.

27. When The Levee Breaks - LZ4 - Heads up as the beginning of this song features Bonham mashing his drums! Great sound as his drums were recorded in a stairwell with the mics 3 stories up, giving the echoing feeling. This song is just one big crazy mix that comes together masterfully thanks to the wizardry mixing of one Jimmy Page.

26. Trampled Under Foot - Physical Graffiti - Powerful song about comparing making love to the parts of an automobile. Plant in full throat on this one while Jonesy again hits the organ. Bonzo hammering his drums once again for a great foot tapping beat.

25. Dazed And Confused - LZ1 - The unmistakable opening bass notes by Jonesy begins the journey of a dark and demented song with some of the most amazing guitar riffs and solos. Plant has that deep scream going on this one. While only 6:28 long on the album, this song was clearly the marathon live reaching up to 30 minutes long. Pagey bringing out the bow to create some of the most creepy sounds to ever come out of a guitar.

24. In The Light - Physical Graffiti - Amazing intro to this song with John Paul Jones on the synthesizer, very erry. Then Plant comes in almost chanting the words. When the it finally takes off into the song, Bonzo plays hard, methodical and deliberate. "In the light..everyone needs a light" Truly a beautiful song.

23. Down By The Seaside - Physical Graffiti - The second album of Graffiti certainly had a different feel with some acoustic jams. This one is perfect for being on the water with fine libation and cigar. Has somewhat of a country feel with that slide guitar Jimmy plays, but overall just a completely relaxing song. Not surprising this was written at Bron-yr-Aur but never made it to release until 5 years later on Graffiti

22. Going To California - LZ4 - How I have this song so low is beyond me! Truly a theme song of mine for a very long time with many trips west. Just a great piece with Page and Jones on the acoustic guitars and mandolins. Plant is flawless. This song was also showcased in their acoustic sets live. I can't even highlight my favorite line in the song...then entire set of lyrics is amazing.

21. Bron-Yr-Aur - Physical Graffiti - Just a short song of Jimmy's mixed acoustic guitar playing. But there is something about it that touches me. Jimmy Page was a master on the guitar and you can just hear it on this piece. Plus those of you familiar with the movie Song Remains The Same you know this song in the beginning as they are being driven to the the stadium as Plant squints as the sun light hits his face through the limo.

20. The Battle of Evermore - LZ4 - Just an amazing story telling song with Pagey on the Madolin. Great piece. Once again their J.R.R. Tolkien influence shows in this song with the classic lines "The drums will shake the castle walls. The ring wraiths ride black". Sandy Denny was the guest vocalist on this track and was from a british folk band Fairport Convention.

19. Immigrant Song - LZ3 - Funny that one of their hardest songs is on one of their most acoustic albums. This song just rocks and you can almost see and feel the wind blowing the snow off the ice covered peaks of the mountains. "Hammer of the Gods" "We are your overlords" Some of the lyrics in this song completely defined who Zeppelin was to its fans. Plant opening the song with those chanting screams is chilling.

18. What Is And What Should Never Be - LZ2 - A really cool song with the low blues beat with Plant quietly singing and Jonesy on the bass fires into a heavy rock session with Jimmy kicking in and it goes back and forth. Just another example of the talents this band had. Can't beat the Page bluesy guitar and slide. The end of this song just completely rocks.

17. Stairway To Heaven - LZ4 - Okay lets hear it. "What do you mean its only 17 and not number 1?" Yes I know and I completely love this song but because of the overplaying of it, it has diminished it some for me. But with that being said It certainly is one of the greatest songs ever to grace the radio airways. The beauty of this song is that each person can take it and make it mean something to just them and could be different then someone else. Jimmy's guitar playing and versatility is amazing on this song. From acoustic to electric seamlessly. The words do "make me wonder" "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving" Favorite lyric. This was my highest ranked LZ4 song.

16. Whole Lotta Love - LZ2 - Is there a more memorable opening guitar riff then this one? I think not. And wasn't this the staple of every concert encore for them that would turn into medleys and all sorts of crazy jams and Jimmy making some wild sounds with the theremin, the black box he played with on stage moving his hand closer and farther. Chills run down my spine when Plant his that final note "Loooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvveee" and Bonzo hits in on the drums. Powerful song!

15. The Lemon Song - LZ2 - A great rocking blues tune influenced by early blues artist Howlin Wolf and Robert Johnson. The rawness of Jimmy on guitar is great and Jonesy really is slapping that bass. I mean just listen to that guitar solo! Wow. Plant has his deep raspy blues voice on. "I should have quit you babe, such a long time ago." "Squeeze me baby, until the juice runs down my leg" Classic! My topped ranked LZ2 song, beating out Whole Lotta Love.

14. Tangerine - LZ3 - A song about love at its most innocent stage. Jimmy Page is masterful once again on guitar. And the part where he hits in with the whining guitar is truly great. A song that was often played as a semi acoustic set live. A short song but so well put together. These are the songs that give me the chills 1-20.

13. That's The Way - LZ3 - Another great acoustic jam, played live, came right after Tangerine on LZ3. Just love Plants voice and his lyrics on this one. Lots of great songs came from that time on the Wales country side. This one might have been one of the best. Pagey completely kills it on a very mellow but wonderful piece in the Zeppelin catalog.

12. In The Evening - In Through The Out Door - Another unmistakable opening to this song with Bonzo on those drums and Pagey using more drone effects...Then Plant screams out "In the evening!" and the song explodes! Bonham just hammers the drums to kick it off. This was the top ranked ITOD song.

11. You Shook Me - LZ1 - Oh my god Jimmy! The guitar on this one is incredible. Another blues influenced song that was written by Willie Dixon and played before by Muddy Waters. Man if you want some killer rock blues this one does it complete with Jonesy on the organ as well. Plant gets on the harmonics. And the call and response play between Pagey's guitar and Plant is a classic and would be done again with Dazed and Confused.


10. How Many More Times - LZ1 - What a classic bluesy rock song from Zeppelin and one of two anthems from LZ1 (the other being Dazed). This song was over 8 minutes long, but listed on the original album as 3:30. Jimmy did this to try to trick radio stations in playing it on air. Pagey's guitar playing is perfect and he even breaks out the bow on this one as well. Plant kills this song with the lyrics. "Now I got 10 children of my own...I got another child on the way that makes 11! I'm in constant heaven" The rhythm of this song is very ominous. Great track! "They call me the Hunter!"

9. I Can't Quit You Babe - LZ1 - "So I'm gonna put you down for a while" Pure blues riff here. Just totally grove to it. Bonzo is very strong on this one as he pounds the drums. Nothing is better than Jimmy ripping those blues riffs and Plant screeching out the lyrics! This was the top ranked song from LZ1

8. Nobody's Fault But Mine - Presence - Oh boy, hang on to your hats. Bonzo will knock your socks off on this one! When he takes off after Jimmy and Plant's great intro its all over with! BOOM! Again Pagey and Percy team up for some vocal/guitar play off each other. Robert on the harmonica too as it kicks into an absolute rage of a song. You can just see Bonzo just destroying those skins! A purely powerful song, one of the most powerful songs in the Zeppelin arsenal. This is the top ranked Presence song.

7. No Quarter - Houses of The Holy - Let us take a dark trip to the olden days. This song is very dark and devious about not giving or accepting quarter (mercy). Song gives me chills every time. The way Jimmy plays that guitar and the opening key board play by Jonesy. Then Plant's voice deep and mysterious. Truly a John Paul Jones gem as it features him on the keys. If you get a chance to hear the bootleg "Snow Jobs" a concert in Vancouver in 1975 they completely go into some jazzy jam session. Amazing. "Walking side by side with Death" "The dogs of dome are howling more" This is one of three songs in the top 10 for Houses of The Holy.

6. Ten Years Gone - Physical Graffiti - One of three songs in the Top 10 for Physical Graffiti is another chilling song that any person can take and make the meaning of this song their own. Jimmy played so many Guitar tracks on this one (14 I believe). John Bonham is very powerful but deliberate. You can hear so much feeling in this song and Plant's voice. "Changes fill my time, baby, that's alright with me..In the midst I think of you, and how it use to be" All the lines can make the hairs stand up.

5. Kashmir - Physical Graffiti - What a beginning! This is truly one of the biggest anthems Led Zeppelin produced. The feeling of this song is truly one of a kind. Led Zeppelin at their Musical pinnacle. They even brought in session players to play the strings and horns. This song is about the wasted, wasted, wasted lands. "All I see turns to brown, As the sun burns the ground. And my eyes fill with sand" This piece is truly a master piece. Plant completely kills it with his vocals.



4. The Song Remains The Same - Houses of The Holy - A completely groovy song that gets your feet moving from the very beginning as Jimmy takes off. You can just see him gliding across the stage playing this one. Plant on a high octaves in this one... "I had a dream...crazy dream" "Everything that's small has to grow" Now what was Plant talking about here?? Now I will admit that his song is probably higher then you would imagine but it was clearly influenced by the movie The Song Remains the Same as it was paired with the next song in the rankings.

3. Rain Song - Houses of The Holy - Right after they rip into The Song Remains The Same, Rain Song settles everything down. As far as I'm concerned these two songs must always be played together as they did live time and time again. This song is about seasons of love. A nice acoustic jam by Pagey. Jonesy on the Mellotron really gives it a feel of an orchestra. Beautiful song with long musical interludes. "This is the summer of my smile. Flee from me keepers of the gloom." This one completely relaxes you...and then the end...BOOM. Bonzo hits it hard and Plant belts it out! Masterful. The highest ranked song from Houses of The Holy.

2. In My Time Of Dying - Physical Graffiti - Slide guitar please! An almost 11 minute complete jam! My god does Bonzo hammer those drums! A true gem as it starts slow and bluesy and then thunders on as only Zeppelin can do. Jimmy is just masterful in this one. It builds and builds...until it completely explodes into a monstrous rock! One of Bonzo's best songs ever. "Saint Peter at the gates of heaven won't you let me in!" Completely rocks out! Pagey on the guitar is amazing as he mixes and switches them out rocking out! Plant shouting out "Oh my Jesus". A journey and pleading to let them all in the golden gates, even if they..."only wanted to have some fun" Top ranked Physical Graffiti song.

1. Since I've Been Loving You - LZ3 - Well here you go. The number one song. Oh my goodness. This song....what can I say. You really just need to listen to it. This is the soul of Led Zeppelin. When you hear it you can completely hear and feel so much soul and passion in this song. Jimmy Page's best guitar work ever on this one. If you watch the movie Song Remains The Same his fingers fly so fast on the neck of his Fender. "Since I've been loving you, I'm about to lose my worried mind" Jonesy on the organ is perfect. If you listen closely to the studio version you can hear Bonzo's base pedal squeak, which just takes you back to the days of unprocessed pure rock. "Said I've been crying! Oh my tears fell like rain" Chills every time.

Thank you Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones for putting out this and every one of your songs. There will be nothing like them ever again...........

NFL Random Thoughts

What are the best uniforms in the NFL, past or present?  Well here are my top 5 all-time uniforms in the NFL:

1. St. Louis Rams - The Throw Backs - The bright royal blue and yellow uniforms are just the best.  Yellow horn on those deep blue helmets. Should go back to those jerseys! Think Eric Dickerson and Jack Youngblood.

 

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Creamcicles - At the time the Bucs were ridiculed for these orange cream jerseys with the little, lets just say less than masculine swashbuckler.  But now it seems so cool now, with so many teams with similar colors.

3. San Diego Chargers - Baby Blues - The popular vote Baby Blue uniforms of the Chargers are certainly a favorite.  They were ahead of their time in the 1960s. I also loved the 1980s Charger unis of Dan Fouts and Air Coryell.

4. Buffalo Bills - Current unis - The only team with current uniforms amongst the best.  Great use of the primary colors.  Nice blue numbers, red trim on their white jersey with the blue pants.  Very nice.

5. Philadelphia Eagles - The 80s - Not sure why, but I loved those bright green Eagle jerseys of Harold Charmichael, Wilbur Montgomery and Ron Jawaroski. And who remembers when they switched their home green jerseys to the away whites so that the Cowboys had to where their unlucky blue jerseys in the NFC Championship game in 1980?

Worst ever uniform:  The Pittsburgh Steelers bumble bee, prison gear.  My god, what is up with that uniform?  The Players had to hate putting those things on.

Second Worst: Denver Broncos stripped sock throw back.  Wait a tick....Who is who?  Steelers or Broncos.  If they ever played back in the day, it would be hard to tell who was who.

Now for the Best of the Best in the NFC and AFC after 9 weeks:

Best in the AFC:  Patriots, Broncos, Ravens, or Texans?  Well Texans with the best record in the AFC at 7-1 are certainly a team to beat the have a good running game, solid passing game and good defense.  After a road victory in Cincinnati by the Broncos, Denver could be a dangerous team and may be the one that goes to the Super Bowl.  I think you will see the Patriots begin to put things together for a deep run. Ravens are the worse 6-2 team right now. My vote:  Denver Broncos.

Best in the NFC:  Giants, 49ers, Bears, Packers, Falcons?  Atlanta is still undefeated.  The question is can they win in the post season?  This might be their year.  Solid team with a potent passing game with Ryan, Julio Jones, White and Gonzalez.  49ers are still a strong team that plays tough football. Packers have the offense but not the defense.  Bears certainly have the Defense, but their offense is a bit schizophrenic. And the Giants, well are the Giants, like the Patriots of the AFC will be ready for a long run in the playoffs.  My Vote: Chicago Bears.

CFFL Week 9 Review

Time for that playoff push....

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Two of the Titans of the CFFL squared off and didn't disappoint the fans.  The Chislers; 8 Fantasy Bowl appearances, 3 Championships, 11 Division titles, and 19 playoff appearances.  The Twins; 5 Fantasy Bowl appearances, 1 Championship, 9 Division titles, and 17 playoff appearances. 

Chislers started the game with a 14 point lead after the San Diego Chislers played on Thursday night.  Then continued as the Smith, Rice, and Jones all scored to make game 32-13.  It appeared to be well in control by the Chislers.  However, the Twins had Muscle Hamster Doug Martin who was truly a BEEEAASST!!!  He scored 1 TD, no big deal 32-19.  Then a 2nd TD, 32-25, uh oh and the Twins have Roddy White on Sunday night.  Then a third to make it 32-31.  Now just a Roddy White TD wins.  Oh wait a minute!  Martin gets a 4th TD for a total of 24 points to make it 37-32 for the Twins.  SNF had White for the Twins and Bryant for the Chislers.  Chisler luck however would prevail as White was held scoreless and Bryant kicked in 13 points!  Not to worry!  Despite the loss the Twins are 7-2 and still a game ahead of the Bums in the West.

The Crew finally woke from their slumber and put up 67 points on the hated Crush winning 67-22.  The 10 point connection of Cutler and Marshall finally hooked up, 3 TIMES!  Randall Cobb put up 2 TDs as well and is becoming a dangerous weapon.  The Crew even got production form their RB as Stephens-Howling got in the end zone.  "Everyone loves to beat the Crush"

Ferrets finally lose and lost a heart breaker being in the lead late in the game with Manning still playing lights out scoring 12 points and Arian Foster scoring as well.  But with Gould kicking 15 big points for the Bums, Josh "Jew-fro" Freeman threw 2 TDs while Sidney Rice scored a TD to win the game 35-25.  Ferrets are still in first tied with the Chislers.  Bums have moved closer to the Twins, now only a game back.  (Smoke and Mirrors?)

Animals fall a game behind in the North as the Mafia had a well balanced attack with 4 from Romo, 6 from Bush, Turner, Wayne, Jackson, Barth "Half man, half dog...I'm a Mog!", and Broncos D.  In fact every player scored (Boldin had a 2 point conversion).  The Animals' MVP and potential league MVP Bears D scored 12 points and now has scored 48 points, 8 TDs.  This is better than most RB, or WRs!  They may have to keep it up for the Animals to continue to make their playoff run.

What has happened to the Krauts?  After starting 4-1, have now dropped 4 in a row, and this one was bad.  The Dragons hammered the Krauts 30-7 lead by Aaron Rodgers' 16 points (what else is new).  The Krauts only points came from their kicker Nick "The Dick" Novak.  Nothing from Ryan, McCoy or Rudolph.  Krauts could be in trouble.  Line up is looking weak and now are a game behind the Sinistars.  The Dragons, who season seemed to be over, and while still slim at 3-6, playoffs are not completely out of reach.

The Sinistars, now the winner of 3 in a row, are alone in the East after beating the Titans 25-10 lead by Eric Decker's 12 points.  Even though no points from Stafford and Jamaal Charles "in charge" and no points from Julio Jones.  Guess you could say it was a good thing they were playing the Titans who only really get up for playing his brother the Dragons.

The Bees continue to lead the South by 2 games by dispensing the Juggs 26-11.  Brees lead the team again with 8 points.

Next week Game of the Week pit the 7-2 Twins vs the 6-3 Ferrets.  Both will be looking to remain in first place in each of their divisions.  The Twins' 10 point Malachi connection vs. sideway connection of Manning and McGahee.  The Ferrets will need to contain Doug Martin.  Twins will need to contain former teammate Arian Foster.  Should be a good one!

NFL Thoughts after Week 8

Well here we are at the half way point of the NFL season and I am already tired of writing about the Rams.  Lets not look back at last week, but lest look back at the first half of the season and grade the Rams thus far, talk a little bit about the Browns and Dolphins for some of my fans out there ;)

RAMS TALK:

Lets start with the offense, that has been disappointing to say the least as they are the 25th ranked passing offense and the 18th ranked running offense. 

QB: Sam Bradford has shown some signs of promise, but for the most part has been only able to lead the team to the redzone and not the END zone.  When Danny "Queen" Amendola went down, Bradford lost his confidence in the passing game.  He needs to gain that confidence back.  And could the Rams please quit calling roll out passes for him.  He can't hit the broad side of the barn on those roll outs.  The second half will determine if Bradford is truly a franchise QB for the Rams.
GRADE: D+

RB:  Steven "Stiff" Jackson has pretty much been a stiff this year.  He dances too much looking for a hole, he losses his cool and creates phantom groin injuries and has a very average 3.7 YPC.  Its time for Jackson to move on, or the Rams to look for a replacement.  A pleasant surprise has been Daryl Richardson, with a 5.4 YPC average, he is quick and makes quick decisions to hit the holes and take it up field.  His size will limit him to carrying the full load throughout entire game.
GRADE: C-

WR: Man the Rams need some big time talent here.  You look around the league and see other QBs having good years and you look at their WRs and you go Ah HA!  Amendola is a sure handed WR, but more like a Welker.  The others "Debbie" Gibson and "Code Red" Kendricks are average at best.  Chris Givens however has shown he as the speed as advertised and is becoming a deep threat, when the line can give Bradford enough time to hit him.
GRADE: C

OL: The O-line once again has battled through some injury issues and has not given Bradford enough time and has been sacked 23 times this year.  The running game has been up and down and many times the running backs have to make the first guy miss in the back field. This has been one of the main reasons so many trips to the redzone have ended in FGs
GRADE: D

DL: The defensive line has been probably the highlight of the team as Robert Quinn (7 sacks) and Chris Long (4 sacks) anchor that line.  They have punished QBs in the first half of the season and should continue this trend going into the second half.  Give them more rest please offense and they could get even better.
GRADE: B+

LB: Laurinaitis leads this decent core of LBs along with McIntosh and Dunbar.  They all are sure tacklers and have the defense ranked in the upper half of the league in Rush defense. 
GRADE: B

Secondary: Rookie CB Jenkins has shown signs of greatness in some games and is becoming a shut down corner.  Finnegan is just that kind of player that will get under your skin and irritate you all game long.  He has 3 INTs and has created many personal fouls on the opponents, an attitude that Fisher and Finnegan have brought to this Ram team that they haven't experienced in a long time.
GRADE: C

Special Teams: Greg "The Leg" Zuerlein started out on fire, not missing anything and hitting from 50+ and 60 yards.  Then he missed 3 in a row in Miami.  He is still a great kicker and is just a rookie.  He has the leg and could kick from 70 yards for sure, but he needs to stay accurate.  Johnny Hekker has been a great punter thus far and has really flipped the field posistions in many situations. 
GRADE: B+

The schedule gets harder in the second half with games at division rivals 49ers, Seahawks, and Cardinals, plus trips to Buffalo in December, and Tampa Bay.  They only have 3 home games rest of the year.  6-10 if lucky.

As for the Browns, just a few words for you Brownie fans out there.  Trent Richardson is a BEEEAAASSSTTTT! (as Michael Irvin would put it). Richardson has 6 TDs thus far already this season and even though he only has a 3.7 YPC he certainly isn't easy to bring down.  If it wasn't for the O-line porous blocking he might be in the top 10 RBs in the NFL.  Weeden is playing fair even though his TD-INT ratio is 9-10 he seems mature in the pocket.  He should considering he is a 30 year old rookie after an 8 year college career.  2-1 in the last 3 games.  Still have to play Steelers twice, Ravens this week, and a trip to Denver in December. 

The Dolphins are a surprising 4-3 and competing for the East Division Title (although I am sure Patriots will start to pull away in the second half of season).  A 3rd ranked run defense is a main reason for this.  Hell they could be 6-1 had they won those back to back OT losses to the Jets and Cardinals.  Tannehill might be the guy if he can stay healthy and Reggie Bush seems to have found a second life in southern Florida.  Their schedule isn't all that tough to finish the year with home games against Titans, Seahawks, Bills and Jags, all could be wins. 

So there we go, out of the three teams mentioned here only the Dolphins appear to have a shot at the playoffs.  On another note I think the AFC better look out for the Denver Broncos!  Manning is completely hitting his stride and looking really good.  Last Sunday Night they looked absolutely great.  Could it be another Brady vs Manning AFC Championship Game?  Texans might have something to say about that....