"What's that? Ah--Playoffs? Don't talk about--playoffs?! You kidding me?! Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game! Another game!"--Jim Mora, when asked about the chances of his 4-6 Colts making the playoffs
It all came down to the Packers versus Vikings game. If the Vikings won, Joel would be crowned King of the Pool. If the Packers won, Jarrett M. would be the champion.
With 2:54 remaining, the Packers scored a touchdown to tie game, and a mighty roar was heard from Fredericton, NB. In East Aurora, NY, Joel jumped to his feet in celebration as Adrian Peterson rushed for a 26-yard gain with only 24 seconds left on the clock, setting up a game-winning field goal.
The field goal was good! All hail King Joel!
After years of seeing his brother and even his father hoisting the Pool Championship Trophy, this victory tastes awfully sweet for Joel. And this championship now makes him a solid candidate for the Football Pool Hall of Fame.
How is Jarrett M. taking the heartbreaking loss? Here's what he had to say during his post-week 17 press conference: "JOEL IS WHO I THOUGHT HE WAS! NOW IF YOU WANT TO CROWN HIM, THEN CROWN HIM! BUT HE IS WHO I THOUGHT HE WAS!!! AND I LET HIM OFF THE HOOK!!!"
Week 17 is upon us. Soon eyeballs across North America will be glued to their TV screens looking to see who will be crowned the 2012 Football Pool Champion. Five participants still remain in contention: Jarrett M., Jeremy, Joel, Patrick, and Jonathan.
Jarrett M. sits in first and controls his own fate, but he might need to win week 17 in order to win the championship. (Jonathan already heard some gloating from Jarrett M. Bulletin board material?)
Joel is the closest he's been to the championship in a few years. He's thankful his idea of ending the pool after week 16 didn't gain steam.
Jeremy has catapulted into third place with his clutch picks of Baltimore and Seattle and is hoping to add another Norman Wiens Memorial Trophy to his already-full trophy case.
Patrick will be watching three games at once in his rec room. Shouts of "Get down!" and "This is my house!" will no doubt be heard from Portland Estates.
Jonathan has slipped a bit the past couple of weeks, but he's looking to connect on a Hail Mary.
The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. We'll see how it all turns out in only a few hours.
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmastime? No, silly. It's the final two weeks of the Football Pool!
Jarrett M. is still in the lead, but he's now less than one point (0.96) ahead of Joel. And Jonathan, Patrick and Jeremy aren't too far behind. Who will make the big move in week 16?
Week 15 notes and ramblings: (1) Everybody probably laughed at Jeremy's pick of the Cardinals...until they won. However, that loner pick was cancelled out by his unsuccessful loner pick of the Ravens. (2) Jarrett M. did everyone a big favor by picking the Jets. It's McElroy time! (3) Your 2013 starting QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars: Tim Tebow! (4) Who's your MVP? Adrian Peterson? Peyton Manning? Tom Brady? (5) I'm never going to figure out the Giants. Maybe they aren't who I thought they were. I wouldn't be disappointed to see them slip out of the playoffs. (6) Same goes for the Steelers. Wouldn't it be nice to see the Bengals win that division? (7) Joel is now leading in bonus points, but he's tied for second (with Jonathan) in wins. Joel also still leads in points for. (8) If the 49ers had not won on Sunday night, Patrick may have raised the white flag in his backyard.
So far:
1. Jarrett M. (145-78 + 12.83 bonus) - 157.83 points (no change)
2. Joel (143-80 + 13.87 bonus) - 156.87 points (no change)
3. Jonathan (143-80 + 10.53 bonus) - 153.53 points (no change)
4. Patrick (140-83 + 12.08 bonus) - 152.08 points (no change)
5. Jeremy (141-82 + 9.95 bonus) - 150.95 points (no change)
6. Roger (137-86 + 8.08 bonus) - 145.08 points (no change)
Back in week 12 I said, "Don't forget about Joel." Whether or not you disgregarded Joel's chances at the championship, he doesn't really care. He now sits in second place, only 3.46 points behind Jarrett M.
The winner of the week was actually Bob by virtue of his Eagles loner pick. Both he and Roger have been closing the gap the last couple of weeks.
Week 14 notes: (1) Joel still leads the pool in points for but is third in wins (behind Jarrett M. and Jonathan). (2) The Seahawks forced 8 turnovers on Sunday. The Colts have forced 8 turnovers for the entire year. (3) Monday's game was Tom Brady's 14th career game with 4+ touchdowns and 0 interceptions, the most such games in NFL history.
So far:
1. Jarrett M. (135-72 + 12.83 bonus) - 147.83 points (no change)
2. Joel (132-75 + 12.37 bonus) - 144.37 points (+2)
3. Jonathan (133-74 + 10.53 bonus) - 143.53 points (-1)
4. Patrick (129-78 +10.58 bonus) - 139.58 points (-1)
5. Jeremy (130-77 + 8.45 bonus) - 138.45 points (no change)
6. Roger (127-80 + 8.08 bonus) - 135.08 points (no change)
7. Bob (121-86 + 11.03 bonus) - 132.03 points (no change)
8. Jarrett R. (120-87 + 10.58 bonus) - 130.58 points (no change)
1. Bob (11-5 + 2.5 bonus) - 13.5 points 1. Roger (11-5 + 2.5 bonus) - 13.5 points 3. Jarrett R. (10-6 + 1 bonus) - 11 points 4. Jonathan (10-6 + 0.5 bonus) - 10.5 points 5. Joel (9-7 + 0.5 bonus) - 9.5 points 6. Patrick (9-7) - 9 points 6. Jarrett M. (9-7) - 9 points 8. Jeremy (8-8) - 8 points 9. Nathan (7-9) - 7 points
C-3PO: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid is approximately 3,720 to 1.
Han Salo: Never tell me the odds.
--Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
The good news: Bob and Roger were week 13's winners, going 11-5. The bad news: they still both sit near the bottom of the pool standings, and it will be nearly impossible for either of them to win the championship. But don't tell them the odds.
For the fourth straight week, Jarrett M. sits atop the total standings. But as Darth Vader might say, "The momentum is with you, young McLeod, but you are not a champion yet." In week 13, Jarrett M. saw his lead reduced by 1.5 points by his older brother Jonathan, setting the stage for an epic duel in week 14.
Week 13 notes: (1) Joel's successful loner pick of the Redskins allowed him to jump ahead of his younger brother Jeremy. Joel and Jeremy were the only two who changed positions in the total standings this week. Correction: Roger also moved up one spot into a tie for sixth. (2) Jarrett. R. recovered nicely after forgetting to submit his picks in week 12. He had 3 loner picks, 2 of which were successful (Colts and Seahawks). Should we expect more risky picks from Jarrett R. in the weeks to come? (3) Patrick, Joel, and Jeremy are all tied with 121 wins. (4) Tom Brady became the first starting quarterback in NFL history to win 10 division titles, surpassing Joe Montana's 9.
So far:
1. Jarrett M. (125-66 + 12.33 bonus) - 137.33 points (no change) 2. Jonathan (124-67 + 10.53 bonus) - 134.53 points (no change) 3. Patrick (121-70 + 10.58 bonus) - 131.58 points (no change) 4. Joel (121-70 + 9.87 bonus) - 130.87 points (+1) 5. Jeremy (121-70 + 8.45 bonus) - 129.45 (-1) 6. Jarrett R. (114-77 + 10.58 bonus) - 124.58 points (no change) 6. Roger (117-74 + 7.58 bonus) - 124.58 points (+1) 8. Bob (110-81 + 8.03 bonus) - 118.03 points (no change) 9. Nathan (100-91 + 5.53 bonus) - 105.53 points (no change)
"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)
"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)
