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 7: Almost Perfect

This week:

1. Jonathan (12-1 + 2.5 bonus) - 14.5 points

1. Jeremy (12-1 + 2.5 bonus) - 14.5 points

3. Jarrett R. (11-2 + 0.33 bonus) - 11.33 points

3. Bob (11-2 + 0.33 bonus) - 11.33 points

3. Nathan (11-2 + 0.33 bonus) - 11.33 points

6. Joel (10-3) - 10 points

6. Patrick (10-3) - 10 points

6. Jarrett M. (10-3) - 10 points

6. Roger (10-3) - 10 points

"I'm not perfect."--Brett Favre

Jonathan and Jeremy came close to perfection in week 7, both posting a 12-1 record (with identical picks). After their big weeks, Jeremy is back in first, and Jonathan is now within striking distance.

First place for week 7 wasn't determined until after the Bears' victory over the Lions on Monday night. Jonathan and Jeremy won't mention to Joel that this was definitely the most fun game of the week. (Jarrett R. would have finished first with a Detroit win.)

Each week in Joel's weekly recaps, he give us his (sometimes logic-defying) best pick of the week, worst pick of the week, and most critical game of the week. Here's how were doing so far according to Joel. (Joel has not yet sent out his week 7 recap, so this covers only the first 6 weeks.)

Best pick of the week: Patrick (4), Jarrett R. (2), Jarrett M. (2), Jeremy (1), and everyone else has zero. Worst pick of the week: Nathan (4), Jarrett M. (3), Jarrett R. (2), Bob (2), Joel (2), Jeremy (2), Jonathan (1), Patrick (1), and Roger (1). Most critical game of the week: Jarrett R. (5), Patrick (3), Jarrett M. (3), Jeremy (3), Bob (2), Jonathan (2), Roger (2), Joel (1), and Nathan (1).

Week 7 notes: (1) only 0.8 points separate Patrick, Jarrett M., Jarrett R. and Jonathan. (2) I've got nothing else, sorry.

So far:

1. Jeremy (65-39 + 7.7 bonus) - 72.7 points

2. Patrick (63-41 + 6.33 bonus) - 69.33 points

2. Jarrett M. (63-41 + 6.33 bonus) - 69.33 points

4. Jarrett R. (62-42 + 6.83 bonus) - 68.83 points

5. Jonathan (63-41 + 5.53 bonus) - 68.53 points

6. Joel (61-43 + 4.37 bonus) - 65.37 points

7. Nathan (59-45 + 2.53 bonus) - 61.53 points

8. Bob (57-47 + 3.53 bonus) - 60.53 points

9. Roger (57-47 + 1.83 bonus) - 58.83 points

Week 1 - Beginner's Luck?

This week:

1. Jarrett R. (12-4 + 3 bonus) - 15 points
2. Jonathan (12-4 + 2.5 bonus) - 14.5 points
3. Joel (10-6 + 0.33 bonus) - 10.33 points
3. Patrick (10-6 + 0.33 bonus) - 10.33 points
3. Roger (10-6 + 0.33 bonus) - 10.33 points
6. Jarrett M. (9-7 + 0.5 bonus) - 9.5 points
7. Jeremy (9-7) - 9 points
8. Nathan (8-8) - 8 points
9. Bob (0-1) - 0 points

For the second straight year, Jonathan invited a Jarrett to join the Football Pool. Last year's Jarrett finished last. The new Jarrett is off to a quick start, taking top spot in week 1. Is this a case of beginner's luck, or will Jarrett R. be a Football Pool powerhouse? Time will tell.

Week 1 notes: (1) There were two successful loner picks, both by Jarretts: Jarrett R. picked the Cowboys to beat the Giants, and Jarrett M. picked the 49ers to beat the Packers. (2) There were two unsuccessful loner picks: Patrick picked the Chiefs to beat the Falcons, and Jeremy picked the Browns to beat the Eagles. (3) Bob may have forgotten to send in his picks. If so, Joel might give him credit for all the games we were unanimous on, which would give him a 5-9 record.

Pool Participant Profile: Jonathan McLeod

Jonathan's string of mediocrity continued in 2011

Birthplace: Fredericton, NB.

Current residence: Eastern Passage, NS.

Profession: Pastor.

Wife: Marsha.

Children: Connor (11), Cohen (7), Sophie (1).

Church: Forest Hills Fellowship Baptist Church.

Nickname(s): Minister of Prognostication, Johnny B. Goode, Big Johnny Mac.

Favorite NFL team: Patriots.

Most hated NFL team: Jets. (Dishonorable mentions: Colts, Steelers.)

Favorite quote from week 16: "It's time to shut up, fat boy!"--Brandon Jacobs to Rex Ryan.

Favorite NFL personality: None. (Or does Frank Caliendo count?)

Most annoying NFL personality: Terry Bradshaw.

Favorite sport: Baseball.

Favorite athlete(s): Dustin Pedroia, Tom Brady, Jordan Eberle.

Favorite Christmas gift: Backpack for my laptop.

Which of your parishioners do you want to win the pool: John or Patrick? Next question.

Favorite movie: Citizen Kane.

Favorite TV show(s): Lost, Seinfeld. Currently watching Person of Interest.

What three items would you want if you were stranded on a deserted island? Flint, egg-laying hen, Swiss army knife.

What would you do if you won this year's pool championship? Go to Disney World!

Week 16 - Tebow-Mania? Tweet-Mania!

Week 16 Results

Jonathan - 13-3 (+3.5)
Bob - 11- 5 (+0.6)
Joel - 11-5 (+0.6)
John - 11-5 (+0.6)
Patrick - 11-5 (+0.6)
Roger - 11-5 (+0.6)
Jarrett - 9-7
Jeremy - 9-7

Jonathan, knowing he desperately needed a first place finish in week 16 and being an AFC East expert, decided to go with Buffalo against Denver. He even sent a tweet to Mr. Tim Tebow prior to the game.

@TimTebow Sorry. Need to gain ground in my football pool so I'm picking against you. Prove me wrong.
— Jonathan McLeod (@jonrmcleod) December 24, 2011

Well, as we all know now, the Minister of Prognostication was not proven wrong. And now Patrick not only has to think about catching John, but also has to prevent Jonathan from sneaking into second.

Week 16 notes: (1) John is still first in total points, but Patrick is first in total bonus points. (2) Jonathan is now first in PF-PA, but fourth in total bonus points. (3) Patrick is only two wins ahead of Jonathan. (4) John is already ahead of Bert's 2010 point total (184.75).

--Jonathan

Week 16 was Jonathan's week, hands down. He made his move. Not that he's likely to catch anyone ahead of him, but he certainly lost me and has forced Bob to have a good week 17 in order to catch him. Here are the standings after week 16.

1. John
2. Patrick -2.33
3. Jonathan -8.85
4. Bob -1.82
5. Joel -7.42
6. Jeremy -4.93
7. Roger -4.40
8. Jarrett -13.01 

Races to watch: John vs. Patrick, Jonathan vs. Bob, Joel vs. Jeremy, Jeremy vs. Roger. Actually, depending on how wild Patrick goes trying to catch John and given the volatility of week 17, Jonathan might even have a chance at 2nd. John's been in 1st place since week 4. But what matters is who's in first place after the last game has been played. Right, Patriots? According to Jonathan, we find out this week whether I'm a false prophet.

Best pick of the week: Bills over Broncos.

Worst pick of the week: Bucs over anyone.

Critical game of the week: Eagles at Cowboys.

Hey Pat (and Jarrett), wouldn't it be nice if you'd picked the Eagles once or twice in the past 3 weeks?

--Joel Kuehner

Week 13 - Patrick Strikes Back

Week 13 Results

Patrick - 13-3 (+3)

Jonathan - 12-4 (+2)

John - 12-4 (+1.5)

Jarrett - 9-7

Bob - 9-7

Jeremy - 9-7

Joel - 8-8

Roger - 8-8

Just when everyone thought John was going to run away and hide, the Mighty Morand responds by putting 16 big points up on the board, narrowing the gap between him and Commander Couch. With four weeks to go, everything is setting up for an epic struggle between two of the pool's Forest Hills Boys. As HNIC's Bob Cole might say, "EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING!" The third Forest Hills Boy, Jonathan, presently sits in fourth, 0.92 points behind Bob. Jonathan's goal is now to finish in third, which would give the Forest Hills Boys a clean sweep of the medal podium.

The Forest Hills Boys: Jonathan, Patrick, and John

You may have noticed that two "participants in training," Connor (Jonathan's 11-year-old son) and Gillian (Patrick's 7-year-old daughter), have started making picks. Last Sunday Connor boasted, "You could just make random picks and do better than some people." However, Connor's picks were not completely random in week 13. He has stated that he will always pick the Patriots (not forced by Jonathan). And he was also counselled by his father to consider win-loss records. The result: a 10-6 record--better than Jarrett, Bob, Jeremy, Joel, and Roger. On Monday morning, when Jonathan informed Connor, "You did better than some of the guys in the pool," Jonathan's other son, six-year-old Cohen, asked, "What guys in the pool?" If this football thing involved a swimming pool, Cohen was ready to sign up.

The Football Pool Blog is presently trying to substantiate rumors of a Sunday evening Kuehner family conference call. One source claims that reigning pool champion Bert scolded his two sons, Jeremy and Joel, for their weak 2011 performances. If true, Christmas with the Kuehners could be a bit awkward this year.

Week 13 notes: (1) John is now 7.17 points ahead of Patrick--certainly not an insurmountable lead. (2) John is third in points for/against (behind Patrick and Jonathan) but has 6 more wins than Patrick and 9 more than Jonathan. (3) Jarrett (despite missing 2 weeks of picks) is now closer to Jeremy, Joel, and Roger than those three are to John. (4) Gillian (perhaps foolishly) has more faith in her father's favorite team, picking the Jaguars to win in the Monday night game. (5) Jonathan is now tied with Bob in wins.

Will John enjoy a smooth ride to the championship? Or are there bumps ahead?

--Jonathan

Well, needless to say, week 13 was essential for Patrick. If he wants any hope of catching John, he needed week 13, and he needs at least a couple more of them. Of course, it would be better for him if John had relented a little, allowing his complacency to take over. But the entire Dartmouth trio was strong this week, thanks to Jonathan's after-the-fact "Oh yeah, by the way, I picked Seattle." Dismal week for me; I'm still barely in 4th. Poor week for Bob as well, but he's still holding onto 3rd by a hair over Jonathan.

Best pick of the week: Seahawks over Eagles. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Worst pick of the week: Jaguars over Chargers. Why did I rationalize over my gut?

Critical game of the week: Panthers at Bucs. If you got that right, you got points.

Most suspicious pick of the week: Seahawks over Eagles.

--Joel

Week 10 - Another Insanely Good Week for Patrick

Week 10 Results

This week's winners:

  

Patrick - 10-6 (+3)
Jonathan - 9-5 (+1.5)
Roger - 9-5 (+1.5)
Bob - 8-8
Joel - 8-8
John - 7-9
Jeremy - 6-10
Jarrett - 1-15 (didn't submit picks)

If you've ever watched sports with Patrick, you know he likes to yell at the TV. We assume he knows that the players can't hear him, but that never seems to stop him. If the Jaguars are driving to take the lead at the end of the game, Patrick will often yell, "DON'T SCORE TOO SOON!" And now as Patrick is so close to regaining the lead from John, all of his fans (Tara & Gillian?) are yelling, "DON'T SCORE TOO SOON?" Will Patrick ignore his own advice? Or will he peak too soon?

While we're thinking of questions concerning Patrick, other questions come to mind. Questions like, if Patrick takes the lead, will he start to become complacent (like John?) and not push the keyboard as hard when submitting his picks? Will the seemingly illogical reasoning behind Joel's weekly awards cause Patrick to suffer a nervous breakdown? (Right now, Joel's assessment of the Colts over the Jaguars as the worst pick of the week is probably driving Patrick crazy. I do think, though, that if you don't trust your favorite team to beat the Colts, you have absolutely no faith in them. Where is the loyalty?) Does Patrick have enough money to pay Bert's former advisers (whom Patrick claimed to have hired at the end of last season)? Yelling at the TV, hiring imaginary advisers--maybe he's already gone crazy!

The most satisfying pick of the week was Jonathan's pick of New England. (Roger also picked the Patriots, but he's not a New England fan.) By now it should be clear that you should be very careful about picking against the Patriots when everyone doubts them. The Patriots win allowed Jonathan and Roger to share second place this week.

With the excitement of Patrick's pursuit of John, perhaps no one has noticed that Jeremy has been tumbling down the standings. In week 7, he was less that one point out of second place. He now sits in fifth. The reclusive Jeremy was unavailable for comment.

"Lastly, I would like to say that my decisions as a coach affect not only our football team and our fans, but also the Football Pool. My decision to go for it on fourth down in overtime allowed Patrick to steal first place this week from Jonathan and for that I am deeply sorry."--Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith

--Jonathan

I'm really getting sick of NFL football. It's so tiring making the best picks week in and week out, and not getting the points for it!

There are lots of candidates for all of these, but here's what I'm dishing out this week. I'm sure these could be debated ad nauseum.

Best pick of the week: Giants over Niners. Just kidding. Titans over Panthers.

Worst pick of the week: Colts over Jaguars. And Patrick still won the week.

Critical game of the week: Patriots at Jets.

It's good to see the Bills back. And the Lions. Nice to see the Eagles living up to expectations. Nice for Atlanta to show no faith in their defence, even though they'd just 3-and-outed the Saints the previous possession. How about those Rams? Convincing win #2. Tim Tebow. 2 for 8, 60-some yards, and a 17-10 win.

--Joel

Current Standings

Week 9 - Impossible Is Nothing

Week 9 Results

This week's winners:

  

  

Patrick - 8-6 (+1.5)
Jonathan - 8-6 (+1.5)
Jarrett - 8-6 (+1)
Bob - 8-6 (+1)
Joel - 8-6 (+1)
Roger - 8-6 (+1)
Jeremy - 7-7
John - 7-7

Joel says John can't be caught, but Patrick has been gaining ground the last two weeks. He's now only 6.67 points behind. Has John grown complacent (according to Joel, another impossibility--see last week's comments)? Probably not. But, suddenly, the race for first has became a whole lot more interesting.

Speaking of Joel, our mighty commissioner finally tasted the sweet nectar of victory (albeit it was a six-way tie, and technically Patrick and Jonathan led the weak due to their loner picks--but we won't mention that). To Joel's great satisfaction, his correct pick of Arizona was critical to his first place finish. Had St. Louis won, it would have been only Patrick and Jonathan in first (most critical game of the week?).

Both Patrick and Jonathan made last-minute changes to their picks, each deciding to go with a New York team. Patrick picked the Giants, and Jonathan picked the Jets. Both picks turned out to be successful loner picks, enabling them to gain the most points in week 9.

The only change of position this week was Bob surpassing Jeremy for third. In the past two weeks, Bob has gained 6.5 more points than Jeremy. Now only 0.42 points separate Bob, Jeremy, and Jonathan. Would any of them be content with the bronze medal? Does Joel send out punctual recap emails? In other words, NO! (Sorry, Joel.)

Roger, Joel, and Jarrett are all battling to avoid the basement. Jarrett's strategy seems to have shifted. He's now flinging less hail Marys and throwing more solid short-range passes. Perhaps his goal is no longer to capture the glory of first, but to escape the shame of last.

One reason for hope for those who are trying to catch John: take a look at his points for/against differential. It's fourth best in the pool. This means that a lot of the close games have been going John's way. Perhaps the second half of the season won't be so kind to him.

"In our opinion, Joel Kuehner resembles an old Barry Sanders. Our scouts have their eyes on him. And there's a very real possibility that if Jackson can't go this Sunday, you could see Joel in a Bills uniform. However, the league has advised us that a conflict of interest might exist due to Joel's position as an NFL football pool commissioner."--Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey

Joel is so fast, he makes other guys seem like they're standing still!

--Jonathan

Current Standings

Week 8 - Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Week 8 Results

This weeks winners:

 

Bob - 10-3 (+2.5)
Patrick - 10-3 (+2.5)
Jonathan - 10-3 (+2)
Jeremy - 8-5
Joel - 8-5
John 8-5
Jarrett 7-6
Roger 7-6

I think week 8 was the first time this season when the MNF game was meaningful for our pool. AND WHAT A GAME IT WAS! (However, I'm sure I would have a different perspective if I had been on the losing end of that game.)

In case you missed it, the game was tied 20-20 with less than a minute left and the Chargers on the Chief's 15-yard line. Everyone knew that San Diego would soon kick a game-winning field goal. BUT EVERYONE WAS WRONG!

What happened? Philip Rivers fumbled the snap and the Chiefs recovered. The game went into overtime and the rest is history. (Are the Chargers the least-clutch team in NFL history?)

For Philip Rivers, it was "the worst day ever." For me, checking the score this morning gave me a nice start to my day. (I now wish I had stayed up to see the end of the Chargers/Chiefs game--or at least PVRed it. Unfortunately, I turned the TV off right before this play.)

Was week 8 the start of John's fall back down to earth? Or was it simply a bump in the road? Time will tell.

--Jonathan

It seems some folks are a bit put off that some of the weekly recaps are too much Joel-focused, and not enough them-focused. So I'll attempt to stroke a few egos this week. But first, the objective stuff.

Best pick of the week: Steelers over Patriots. (I would've given this to Pat for his Vikings pick, but his Cowboys pick nullified it.)

Worst pick of the week: Cowboys over Eagles.

Critical game of the week: Chargers at Chiefs. (If this had gone the other way, Bob would have won outright and there would have been a 5-way tie for second).

Kudos to Bob for a stellar week. He didn't even pick the Chargers/Chiefs game, and he still tied for first place. Kudos to Pat for a stellar week. He picked the Cowboys over the Eagles, and he still tied for first place. Kudos to Jonathan for a stellar week. He kind of tied for first, but didn't have a loner pick. He actually gained ground on John. Kudos to Jeremy for doing as well as John. Kudos to John for doing as well as Jeremy. Kudos to Roger for correctly going against his Browns. I know it's hard, but you're getting better at it this year. Kudos to Jarrett for ... um ... picking KC.

We're about half-way done the pool now, and John has broken 100 points. I'm not sure he's catchable, even for you guys who think you're close. He's just statistically too consistent. It's like election night, when the liberals/democrats are winning, and you're thinking, "But wait, only 20% of the polls are reporting! There's still a chance we'll come back! What if every remaining voter votes conservative/republican?", but you know it's just not going to happen. Sorry to burst everyone's bubbles (except for John's). Note: this does not mean we're officially projecting John as the 2011 pool winner.

--Joel

Week 3 - The Forest Hills Boys

Week 3 Results

This week's winners:

  

Well, week 3 went pretty much as the previous weeks for Patrick and John. It also unfortunately went about the same as previous weeks for me. Bob had his first poor week. Jonathan got his first bonus points.
There were 3 players each with two loners, each of whom got one loner right and one loner wrong. A lot of games this week were actually very tight, such that really there were no particularly bad picks. If you look at the PF-PA for the week, it was really tight. Actually, Roger did the best in that category thanks to his Giants pick.

Best pick of the week: Raiders over Jets (maybe Giants over Eagles).

Worst pick of the week: Jaguars over Panthers.

Critical game of the week: Redskins versus Cowboys.

Looks like the Lions/Bills Super Bowl is shaping up.

--Joel Kuehner

Questions from Last Season's Football Quiz

In case you were curious, here are the questions from last season's McLeod NFL Playoff Party Football Quiz. All of the questions involved either the Seahawks or the Bears because the quiz was administered during the halftime of the Seahawks/Bears playoff game. Since the previous post, Patrick has been complaining on Twitter about how I handicapped the quiz to benefit John. (See slide 2 of the presentation.) To read more of Patrick's complaints, go to his Twitter page. Here is my reply and John's comeback.