ANADARKO — Kevin Pyle's Lucky Enuf team obliterated Mike Schmidt and Dead Again during Rivalry Week, clinching a playoff spot. And this was no small feat. Pyle has been so successful in the OIL that it's hard to believe he hasn't made the playoffs since 2010. For a team with two OIL Bowl championships and the word lucky in its name, Lucky Enuf had been decidedly unlucky the past five seasons . . . including 2012, when they scored the most points in the league but missed the playoffs. That all came to an end Sunday night, when Pyle scored 214.70 points against his archrival (raising his overall record against Dead Again to 7-8). Congratulations to Pyle and Lucky Enuf. They now have to face 2008 and 2011 champion SoonerJack in the first round of the playoffs. It will be a rematch of the 2008 OIL Bowl that infamously ended in a tie.
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Congratulations to Thomas Hillier for clinching a spot in the 2014 Thunder Bowl. He defeated Nick Green's Doughboys and will face the winner of Joshua Lynn and Jimmy Venable.
All season, two teams stood head and shoulders above the rest of the NFC: the Dirty Hippies and Hard Targets. They were rewarded with the top two seeds and a first-round bye in the playoffs. After beating the AMMODOGS and Arrogant Americans, respectively, the Hangovers and DARC NARCS took a swing at the Hippies and Targets . . . and missed. Regular Season Result: Week FourBecause the OIL plays a balanced schedule, these teams played each other in the regular season. Finch won that matchup by 14. The teams are largely unchanged since that week four matchup. Since then, Finch lost Stevan Ridley to IR and added Josh Gordon via trade with Duffy. Meanwhile, Trovillo traded away T.Y. Hilton and Devin Hester, promoted Jarvis Landry to WR2, and added Giovani Bernard and Odell Beckham, Jr. Here's how the current Dirty Hippies lineup fared in its week 15 semifinal matchup. Dirty Hippies Semifinal ResultIn one semifinal, the Hangovers' Cinderella season ended when they ran into a buzzsaw otherwise known as the Dirty Hippies. After falling to 2-5, Duffy pulled off some risky trades to shake things up (including trading for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers), and it worked. They won five of their last six regular season games (including a Rivalry Week rout of the Arrogant Americans) and then knocked out the AMMODOGS in the first round of the playoffs. In the week 15 semifinal, Duffy got 24 points from Demariyus Thomas, 18 points from Eddie Lacy, 28 points from late-season pick-up Jeremy Hill, and 23 points from Devin Hester. It should have been enough to seriously challenge the Hippies. But Aaron Rodgers let Duffy down for the first time this season in a shocking loss to the Buffalo Bills (scoring 7.95 points). And Rodgers's and Davante Adams's (1.6 points) disappointing performances doomed the Hangovers in spite of the great outputs by the remainder of the roster. The Hippies, for their part, overcame a disappointing TNF performance from Tre Mason (1.3 points). They got 43 points from Odell Beckham, 20 points from fellow LSU rookie WR Jarvis Landry, 18 points from Roddy White, 28 points from Le'Veon Bell, and 18 points from Rob Gronkowski. The Hippies QB points are not included in their 164-point total, as Jay Cutler plays Monday night. But the Hangovers players are all done. In turn, although they put up a very respectable 147 points, the Hangovers were sent home by a dominant Dirty Hippies team heading to its first OIL Bowl. Hard Targets Semifinal ResultIn the other semifinal, Henderson's even more improbable run ended as his DARC NARCS lost to the number one seed one week after posting his highest score of the season. In the first round of the playoffs, the NARCS upset the Arrogant Americans behind 43 points from Cam Newton, 42 points from Julio Jones, and 30 points from Joique Bell. But that kind of luck is hard to keep going. Two days after leading the NARCS to victory, Cam Newton got into a car accident and was ruled out for the semifinals. Then Julio Jones was ruled out for week 15 after suffering an injury late in the fourth quarter of his game in week 14. And Joique Bell put up a pedestrian 10 points. It wasn't enough.
Henderson also turned to Kendall Wright to pick up the slack for Julio Jones. But Wright, who missed week 14, was again ruled out and Henderson got zero points from a pivotal position. The zero from Wright was matched by Jermaine Gresham, who was an unexpected inactive himself. It wouldn't have mattered though. Not even Henderson's optimal lineup would have won this matchup as Jordan Matthews (who had been hot as of late) scored zero points himself on Sunday Night Football. On top of all that, Henderson replaced Cam Newton with Ryan Fitzpatrick . . . who broke his leg in the first half of Sunday's game. So, all in all, this week was a cavalcade of horrors for the NARCS. With all of their players done with for week 15, they trail the Targets by 40 points with Mark Ingram and Alshon Jeffery yet to play for Finch. A team like Finch's Hard Targets doesn't need any help to beat a team like Henderson's . . . but it got it anyway en route to an easy victory and their first OIL Bowl berth. So, it wasn't how we expected to come to it, but we now have the OIL Bowl we've expected all season. Enjoy. OIL1In the OIL1, three teams have clinched a spot in the 2014 playoffs: Trovillo's Dirty Hippies; Finch's Hard Targets; and Cliburn's Arrogant Americans. Six teams are competing for the other three playoff positions. Two of those teams (AMMODOGS and Hangovers) play each other this week. Two others (DominationStation and Lucky Enuf) play one of the playoff teams this week. DARC NARCS and Whackers play teams out of the playoff hunt and should move up in the rankings with victories in week 12. Duffy's Hangovers have now won four in a row to reach the fifth spot in the standings. Should they go 1-1 over the final two weeks, they should have a good chance at the playoffs. Winning their final two games all but assures a playoff spot. The same is true for other teams in the playoff hunt. This season will come down to week 13's Rivalry Week. OIL2Meanwhile in the OIL2, no one has clinched a playoff spot yet. Ten teams have a realistic shot at making the first OIL2 playoffs. And Musselman's Apes have won three in a row after losing the first eight games of Musselman's fantasy football career. He won't make the playoffs, but Musselman is playing for pride and earning respect along the way.
OIL1A weird week in the OIL1. The top three teams all lost . . . with all of their matchups coming down to the second half of the MNF game. This, while the bottom three teams all won their matchups. The playoff picture after the top three teams is a mess as two 6-4 teams are followed by four 5-5 teams with higher point totals. Anything can happen these last few weeks. And do not forget that Rivalry Week is coming in week 13. OIL2Chaos reigns in the OIL2 as well. For the second consecutive week, Charlie Neely's Hooligans defeated the number one team in the league. Musselman's Apes won their second consecutive matchup to get out of the cellar. Four teams have taken advantage of good roster management and favorable schedules to rise to 7-3. The final two playoff spots are up for grabs with five teams at 5-5 or better. This is the first season of the OIL2, and it has had its growing pains. One team appears to have been abandoned from day one. Another has started players on bye as of late. But 10 teams still have a chance at the playoffs and fantasy-rookie Musselman is still giving it his all. Good luck, everyone.
It is hard to believe that we just finished the eighth season of OklahomIraqis football, but it's true. 2013 was a big year for the OIL in both positive and negative ways. Here is a sampling of the 2013 OIL year in review: In 2013, we updated our web site, road-tripped to an NFL game together, crowned a new champion, helped a league member regroup after losing his house to a tornado, gave up the DBFA trophy earned in 2012, had children, moved out-of-state, toured Lambeau Field, got a new license plate, established our 2014 draft order, saw one of our own get promoted to First Sergeant, and lost two friends and brothers-in-arms: Brandon Landrum and Joseph Killman. Congratulations to Aaron Cobb, whose "Dogs of War" won their first OIL championship. The Harrington Trophy now resides in Fort Smith with Cobb, who was in Baghdad with the original OIL members in 2006 and joined the league in 2007. He defeated Cliburn, who tried and failed to be the first back-to-back champion in the OIL. Unfortunately, Cobb could not win the World War, so the OIL lost the DBFA's Trophy of Versailles. But the team Cobb had in week 17 wasn't the same one that dominated much of the season, though. By that time, Cobb was without Arian Foster, Wes Welker, Jermichael Finley, and Steve Smith. Still, he is happy just winning the OIL. Co-commissioner Adam Duffy claimed the number one seed but fell flat in the semifinals. And then Justin Finch beat him in the third-place game. Tough break. In May, two-time OIL champion Jack Bruesch lost his house in the Moore tornado that gained worldwide attention. Fortunately, he and his family were uninjured. OIL members and more came together to help in any way we could. He now lives in Norman and is grateful that his family is okay. On a lighter note, it is a good thing that Cliburn won the OIL and DBFA trophies back from Bruesch in 2012. Otherwise, those trophies would have been lost in the tornado rubble. The OIL site sold "Oklahoma Original" hats for tornado relief after the storms and raised money for the American Red Cross. The hats were modeled after the original Oklahoma state flag. Some hats are still available for purchase. In November, Yancy Baldwin, Justin Finch, Aaron Cobb, and Justin Cliburn went to the Cowboys-Vikings game together. It was the second straight year for an NFL trip among the guys, and they had a great time. Even sitting in the "nosebleed" section, the experience was fantastic. There really are no bad seats at "JerryWorld." Start thinking now about which game we should attend for our next NFL excursion. The Cowboys play the usual NFC East opponents at home next season, plus Arizona, San Francisco, Houston, Indianapolis, and New Orleans. Perhaps in future seasons we can expand our footprint and go to a different stadium, but Dallas is closest to most of the league. And the OIL family grew when 28.5% of the league had a baby in the last 53 weeks. Three league members' new babies were born in 2013 and one member had a son born just before 2013 began. Colt James Baldwin was born on Dec. 22, 2012. While his birth did not technically happen in 2013, it did occur between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Colt just turned one and lives in Stratford with Yancy and his family. Jessen's daughter (left) was born in Duncan and has been sporting her favorite outfit since day one: her DominationStation onesie (it's unclear if Mrs. Jessen shares the love for fantasy football-themed infant clothing). Cali's quickly becoming Jessen's biggest fan. The other new additions to the OIL family were born far away from Oklahoma [insert your own opinion as to whether that is a good thing or a bad thing here].
2013 was the first season Duffy spent in his new home. After living in Lawton-Fort Sill for 20+ years, Duff moved to his family's hometown in Wisconsin. The Commish and Mrs. Commish visited the Duffies' new home in July. The Commish, Duffy, and Duffy's father and brothers toured Lambeau Field and watched the Packers practice. It was the first time the Commish went to an NFL training camp. It also marked the first time that he had to wear a hoodie in July. Not cool, Wisconsin. On a more somber note, 2013 was also the year that we buried friends and brothers-in-arms. 1LT Brandon Landrum died in May from an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Members of the OIL knew him as SPC Landrum. He was a medic and spent 2008 in Iraq with the 158. He went to the same high school and college as the commissioner and was active duty when he died. He trained with co-commissioner Adam Duffy at a "war fighter" exercise. He made us laugh at Camp Gruber. He'll be missed. Joseph Killman died in December. He was in the 158 with all of us. He was in Jack Bruesch's and Cliburn's squad during the tour that gave birth to the OIL. He was funny, tough, and reliable. His death reminded us all how much we care about and miss each other. Even in death, Killman brought us together. At least 50 members of the 158, both past and present, attended his funeral. It was great seeing everyone that day, but the circumstances were awful. We shared stories about him and laughed and smiled. LT (now CPT) Ponder created a Facebook group for guys on that 1-158 SECFOR mission. Hopefully, we keep that group going and see each other again without someone dying. It's a shame we don't see each other more often. This league is how most of us keep in touch with each other. I hope that going forward we can organize more NFL game trips together and get more managers at our draft parties. We owe it to ourselves and to each other to stay in touch. Let's do that. Just before the new year, OklahomIraqi Jack Bruesch was promoted to First Sergeant. He was Cliburn's squad leader in Iraq in 2006. Congratulations to the two-time OIL champion, good guy, and great NCO. We're proud of him. In the last year, we also added names to our membership's waiting list. Adam Schuster remains at the top of that list. If someone should leave the league, he is next in line for OIL membership. He was in Iraq with the 158 during the 2006 season, and he spent 2008 in Iraq with the 158 as well. Next in line is Stephen Brosh, who was Cliburn's roommate in Baghdad and who was also in Bruesch's squad that year. Nick Reed has thrown his hat in the ring as well. He was also on the 2006 mission with the original 10. They are all deserving candidates, but they'll have to wait their turn. As of right now, they're "on deck." After eight seasons, our league settings are pretty well-settled. But there is always room for improvement. Beginning in 2014, the OIL will re-seed its playoff teams after the first round. Our league has always said that we reward success. In that vein, the number one seed should play the lowest-seeded team in the semifinals no matter what. The number one seed in our league receives a first-round bye and now will also be guaranteed a matchup with the lowest-seeded team in the semifinals, giving that team the easiest road to the championship. Our league is special. I know that every fantasy football player thinks his or her league is the best, but ours really is different. You know why. Our league was born in Baghdad. It represents more than fake football. All 14 members of our league were in the Army. All but one served in the 1st Bn. 158 FA. Twelve of us were in Iraq together in 2006. The two that were not on that mission with us have been valuable members of the OIL. Few realize that Trovillo was responsible for creating the first OIL web site via the Weebly platform. That platform is still in use and has evolved to the site you see today. He was instrumental behind the scenes turning the OIL into a true community, and he has a great team name and logo too. Rogers is always involved, has one of the best team names and logos in the league, and maintains a fierce rivalry with Jessen. We have a website, a Twitter (@okiraqi), a Facebook group, a traveling trophy, a rivalry week, a league store, and a bond bigger than football. I enjoy serving as your commissioner, and I look forward to 2014. Happy new year, guys. Hopefully this year won't be nearly as eventful. Cliburn. Aaron Cobb is officially an OklahomIraqis champion, joining Kevin Pyle, Lyndal Morgan, Jack Bruesch, Josh Hastings, and Justin Cliburn in the elite club. It took him seven years to do it, but he succeeded in his first OIL Bowl appearance. Here is the final tally: The Arrogant Americans have no excuses. No one on the bench would have made a difference. No waiver wire QB would have done better than Brady. Kudos to Cobb for winning the championship while starting Mendenhall, Reece, and Powell.
And here is where Cobb places among the rest of the OIL champions: Congratulations to Aaron Cobb. His Dogs of War defeated the defending the 2012 champions in the OIL Bowl. This is Cobb's first OIL championship. He overcame injuries to, among others, Arian Foster, Jermichael Finley, and Wes Welker on his way to the championship. The Dogs of War finished the regular season with the third-highest point total in the league. They finished the season 10-6. He'll soon receive the Harrington Trophy in the mail, just in time for Christmas. The Arrogant Americans finished 9-7 after going into the playoffs with the most points in the league. They've now been to four OIL Bowls and won two of them. The Dogs of War overcame a first half injury to Steve Smith to win the OIL Bowl. His RB trio of Reshard Mendenhall, Marcel Reece, and Bilal Powell each outscored the number one overall pick, Adrian Peterson. Peyton Manning outscored Tom Brady by 30 points and Steven Hauschka had his worst game of the season for the Arrogant Americans. The Dogs of War will now represent the OIL in World War IV against the winners of the MGL and the Norse. The playoffs are now only six teams. Six teams is really what it should be anyway. It was that way last year until I felt bad for teams that wouldn't have made the playoffs due to our unbalanced scheduling last season. This year, there is a balanced schedule and no one has any reason to complain. There is no way I'm cool with allowing losing teams into the playoffs and everyone I've talked to in the league agrees with me, even those who admit they won't like it because it will kill their playoff chances.
I've looked at the remaining schedules, and our number six, seven and eight seeds (after this week) all have to win both of their remaining games just to finish with winning records. Our five seed has to win at least one to finish above .500. Mediocrity is not to be rewarded. So, there's now a dogfight between Duffy, Bruesch, Schmidt, and Finch for that final playoff spot. You guys better manage the hell out of your squads because this one is coming down to the wire. From now on, the official position of OklahomIraqis fantasy football is that losing teams do not make the playoffs. Six out of 14 teams is more than reasonable. Good luck, gentlemen. I've been really impressed with the competition this year. I can't wait to see how it ends. |
March 2023
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