Week 12: Don't Forget About Joel

This week:

1. Joel (12-4 + 3 bonus) - 15 points

2. Bob (11-5 + 2 bonus) - 13 points

3. Jonathan (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

3. Patrick (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

3. Jarrett M. (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

3. Roger (10-6 + 0.25 bonus) - 10.25 points

7. Jeremy (9-7) - 9 points

8. Jarrett R. (4-12) - 4 points

8. Nathan (4-12) - 4 points

"Joel ... is so money, he should be printed on money."--Joel McHale

For most of this season, Joel has been stuck in the middle of the Football Pool standings--behind the leaders and ahead of the guys who forget to make their picks. But with a first place finish in week 12, "The Prophet" has positioned himself for a run at the championship. 

Joel started the week impressively with a perfect Thanksgiving and then got some help from Ray Rice on Sunday. Still, Bob could have been the week's winner if the Eagles had defeated the Panthers. But, of course, that didn't happen. 

Joel now sits only 0.08 points behind his little brother. But he's not content to settle for Kuehner bragging rights. He's aiming for the rare commissioner-championship bi-fecta.

Week 12 notes: (1) Joel now leads the pool in points for. (2) Was Ray Rice's 4th and 29 catch and run a case of Rice being awesome or the Chargers being incompetent? (3) The Patriots scored 3 touchdowns in only 52 seconds against the Jets. (See one of the touchdowns in the video below.) (4) The Steelers were the first team with 8 turnovers since the 2001 Rams. (5) Jamaal Charles asked for Peyton Manning's autograph after the Chiefs' loss. (6) What is the Football Pool commissioner going to do to solve the pick-forgetting epidemic? (7) Q-U-I-T. Quit! Quit! Quit! Fireman Ed has hung up his helmet.

So far:

1. Jarrett M. (116-59 + 12.33 bonus) - 128.33 points (no change)

2. Jonathan (114-61 + 10.03 bonus) - 124.03 points (no change)

3. Patrick (112-63 + 10.58 bonus) - 122.58 points (+1)

4. Jeremy (113-62 + 8.45 bonus) - 121.45 points (-1)

5. Joel (112-63 + 9.37 bonus) - 121.37 points (+1)

6. Jarrett R. (104-71 + 9.58 bonus) - 113.58 points (-1)

7. Roger (106-69 + 5.08 bonus) - 111.08 points (no change)

8. Bob (99-76 + 5.53 bonus) - 104.53 points (+1)

9. Nathan (93-82 + 5.53 bonus) - 98.53 points (-1)

Week 11: The Sons of Leod

This week:

1. Jonathan (13-1 + 2.5 bonus) - 15.5 points

1. Jarrett M. (13-1 + 2.5 bonus) - 15.5 points

3. Joel (12-2 + 1 bonus) - 13 points

4. Jeremy (11-3) - 11 points

4. Roger (11-3) - 11 points

6. Jarrett R. (10-4 + 0.5 bonus) - 10.5 points

7. Bob (10-4) - 10 points

7. Patrick (10-4) - 10 points

9. Nathan (5-9) - 5 points

"We are Jonathan and Jarrett McLeod of the clan McLeod. We were born in the city of Fredericton on the shores of the St. John River. And we are leading the Football Pool."--Jonathan and Jarrett McLeod

The Football Pool world witnessed a battle for the ages in week 11 as the sons of Leod (Jonathan and Jarrett M.) battled the sons of Bert (Joel and Jeremy). Victory was decided on the field of Bank of America Stadium as the Buccaneers vanquished the Panthers in dramatic OT fashion. The McLeod brothers' 13-1 record allowed Jarrett M. to increase his first place lead and vaulted Jonathan from fifth to second.

Week 11 notes: (1) There was only one successful loner pick in week 11: Jarrett R.'s pick of the Jets. (2) The Eagles have lost six straight games, their longest losing streak under Andy Reid. (3) Matt Ryan threw a career-high five interceptions in the Falcons' win. His 31-4 career home record is the best home winning percentage for any quarterback who began his career in the Super Bowl record (minimum 25 starts). (4) Chad Henne threw a career-high four touchdowns in the Jaguars' loss. He was the first quarterback to come off the bench and throw four touchdowns without an interception since Steve Young in 1987. (5) Rob Gronkowski now has 36 career touchdown receptions. Only Randy Moss (43) and Jerry Rice (40) had more in their first three NFL seasons. (6) Robert Griffin III's 93.3% completion rate in the Redskin's victory over the Eagles is the best by a rookie in the Super Bowl era (minimum 15 attempts). The previous best: Charlie Batch with 84%. (7) Matt Schaub had 527 passing yards in the Texans' win over the Jaguars--the second-most passing yards in a game in NFL history. Norm Van Brocklin passed for 554 yards in 1951. (8) The Patriots have a pair of games with 50+ points this season. The last team with a pair of 50+-point games in a season was the 2007 Patriots.

So far:

1. Jarrett M. (106-54 + 12.08 bonus) - 117.06 points (no change)

2. Jonathan (104-56 + 9.78 bonus) - 112.78 points (+3)

3. Jeremy (104-56 + 8.45 bonus) - 111.45 points (no change)

4. Patrick (102-57 + 10.33 bonus) - 111.33 points (-2)

5. Jarrett R. (100-59 + 9.58 bonus) - 108.58 points (-1)

6. Joel (100-59 + 6.37 bonus) - 105.37 points (no change)

7. Roger (96-63 + 4.83 bonus) - 99.83 points (no change)

8. Nathan (89-70 + 5.53 bonus) - 93.53 points (no change)

9. Bob (88-71 + 3.53 bonus) - 90.53 points (no change)

Week 10: Jolly Roger

This week:

1. Roger (10-3 + 3 bonus) - 13 points

2. Jarrett R. (9-4 + 1.5 bonus) - 10.5 points

2. Jarrett M. (9-4 + 1.5 bonus) - 10.5 points

4. Jonathan (9-4 + 1 bonus) - 10 points

5. Jeremy (8-5) - 8 points

6. Joel (7-6) - 7 points

7. Bob (6-7) - 6 points

7. Patrick (6-7) - 6 points

9. Nathan (5-8) - 5 points

"Did you roger that?"--some guy on a walkie-talkie

Roger is jolly after finishing first in week 10. His 10-3 record allowed him to leapfrog Nathan in the overall standings, and now his sites are set on Joel.

Speaking of the overall standings, Jarrett M. has taken first place from Patrick. Now can "The Moody One" stay in the lead? Unlike last season (when the now retired John built a huge early lead), no one has been able retain the top spot for more than one or two weeks. 

Week 10 notes: (1) Only 4.3 points separate first place from fifth place. (2) There were two successful loner picks in week 10: Jarrett R.'s pick of the Bengals and Jarrett M.'s pick of the Saints. (3) Once again, Eli Manning had a bad game. Is he really an elite NFL quarterpack? Phil Simms doesn't think so. (4) Is it almost Tebow time? Apparently several Jets players hope not. (5) A few guys in this pool like to bash the Patriots. New England's three losses have given them great joy. Belichick and Brady's current team isn't as good as past editions, right? Bill Parcells disagrees.

A collection of QBs from yesteryear all wearing Zubaz. Can you name them all?

So far:

1. Jarrett M. (93-52 + 9.58 bonus) - 102.58 points (+2)

2. Patrick (92-53 + 10.33 bonus) - 102.33 points (-1)

3. Jeremy (93-52 + 8.45 bonus) - 101.45 points (-1)

4. Jarrett R. (90-54 + 10.5 bonus) - 99.08 points (no change)

5. Jonathan (91-54 + 7.28 bonus) - 98.28 points (no change)

6. Joel (88-57 + 5.37 bonus) - 93.37 points (no change)

7. Roger (85-60 + 4.83 bonus) - 89.83 points (+1)

8. Nathan (84-61 + 5.53 bonus) - 89.53 points (-1)

9. Bob (78-67 + 3.53 bonus) - 81.53 points (no change)

Week 9: Patrick Star

This week:

1. Patrick (13-1 + 3 bonus) - 14 points
2. Jarrett R. (11-3 + 0.75 bonus) - 11.75 points
2. Jonathan (11-3 + 0.75 bonus) - 11.75 points
2. Jarrett M. (11-3 + 0.75 bonus) - 11.75 points
2. Jeremy (11-3 + 0.75 bonus) - 11.75 points
6. Joel (10-4) - 10 points
7. Nathan (9-5) - 9 points
7. Roger (9-5) - 9 points
9. Bob (6-8) - 6 points

"Have I ever not been right?"--Patrick Star

Patrick was the star of week 9, going 13-1 and jumping back into first place. The key victory for the "Sales Wizard" was the Steelers' win over the Giants. (Jarrett R. and Nathan also picked the game correctly.)

Now can Patrick stay in first? So far this season, no one has been able to separate himself from the pack. With a good week 10, either Jeremy or Jarrett M. could take the top spot from Patrick. And if Jarrett R., Jonathan, or Joel put together two solid weeks of picks, it's conceivable one of them could end up in first. Nathan could get there with a run of three outstanding weeks. Roger and Bob? Baby steps.

Week 9 notes: (1) Eli Manning needs to make up his mind about whether he's elite or not. On Sunday he threw for only 125 yards (10 for 24 with 1 interception). (2) Peyton Manning has 2,404 passing yards for the 5-3 Broncos. Andrew Luck has 2,404 passing yards for the 5-3 Colts.  (3) Luck's 433 passing yards on Sunday were the most ever by a rookie QB. (4) Luck is leading the NFL in average pass distance (10.2 yards). Still ready to crown RG3 the offensive ROY?

So far:

1. Patrick (86-46 + 10.33 bonus) - 96.33 points (+1)
2. Jeremy (85-47 + 8.45 bonus) - 93.45 points (-1)
3. Jarrett M. (84-48 + 8.08 bonus) - 92.08 points (-1)
4. Jarrett R. (81-51 + 7.58 bonus) - 88.58 points (no change)
5. Jonathan (82-50 + 6.28 bonus) - 88.28 points (no change)
6. Joel (81-51 + 5.37 bonus) - 86.37 points (no change)
7. Nathan (79-53 + 5.53 bonus) - 84.53 points (no change)
8. Roger (75-57 + 1.83 bonus) - 76.83 points (+1)
9. Bob (72-60 + 3.53 bonus) - 75.53 points (-1)

Week 8: Nathan Is the Man

This week:

1. Nathan (11-3 + 3 bonus) - 14 points

2. Joel (10-4 + 1 bonus) - 11 points

2. Patrick (10-4 + 1 bonus) - 11 points

2. Jarrett (10-4 + 1 bonus) - 11 points

5. Bob (9-5) - 9 points

5. Jeremy (9-5) - 9 points

5. Roger (9-5) - 9 points

8. Jarrett R. (8-6) - 8 points

8. Jonathan (8-6) - 8 points

"Nathan said to David, 'You are the man!'"--2 Samuel 12:7

If King David were a member of this football pool, he might said to Nathan, "You are the man!" Nathan ("He-Man"/"Don't Call Me Pee Wee") Herrmann certainly was the man in week 8, going 11-3 and closing the gap between himself and the leaders. What makes his first place finish even more impressive is that he forgot to submit a pick for the Thursday night game.

Week 8 notes: (1) after 8 weeks, Patrick and Jarrett M. have the exact same records. (2) Positions 4 through 7 are only separated by 1.3 points. (3) After this post was almost completed, it was noticed that there is an error in week 8's spreadsheet. Everyone should have been credited with one more win. Actually, as Patrick points out in the comments section below, the win total in the spreadsheet is correct. The mistake was that San Diego was erroneously highlighted as a winner.

So far:

1. Jeremy (74-44 + 7.7 bonus) - 81.7 points

2. Patrick (73-45 + 7.33 bonus) - 80.33 points

2. Jarrett M. (73-45 + 7.33 bonus) - 80.33 points

4. Jarrett R. (70-48 + 6.83 bonus) - 76.83 points

5. Jonathan (71-47 + 5.53 bonus) - 76.53 points

6. Joel (71-47 + 5.37 bonus) - 76.37 points

7. Nathan (70-48 = 5.53 bonus) - 75.53 points

8. Bob (66-51 + 3.53 bonus) - 69.53 points

9. Roger (66-51 + 1.83 bonus) - 67.83 points

The Rams and Patriots played each other in London on Sunday. It's a great time to revisit Super Bowl XXXVI. (This is probably John Madden's worse moment as an NFL commentator.)