VINTAGE DIVISION

HISTORIC DIVISION

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New York Jets. New England Patriots. Week 13. The division is on the line. Who wants the #2 seed in the King Kong Conference more? In week 5, the Jets wanted it more winning a thrilling victory in front of the home crowd, 17-14. The Jets who currently sit at 6-2-1 had a huge day FROM rookie RB Curtis Martin. Martin tallied 125 yards FROM scrimmage with 2 scores. He kept the explosive New England offense on the sidelines WHERE they were ineffective. New England which is in a fight for its playoff life comes in at 8-4. Currently at 3rd place, but with a pending Detroit/New York Jet game still waiting to be played, odds are this game is for first place. In recent weeks clam chowder has gone back to basics and what made him a good player. TSBGOD was primarily known "back in the day" as a heavy runner. With RB Marshall Faulk, why not do the same? In the previous outing against their divisional foe, Faulk was held in check. 7 carries for 12 yards will not get it done in week 13. He must improve on these numbers and playing in front of the Foxboro friendlies, I see him being able to achieve this. He will go for 142 yards on 21 carries and find pay dirt twice as New England holds off the surging Jets and possibly sneak back into winning the division and snagged at least one home playoff game.
New England wins 28-20.

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Washington welcomes the Dirty Bird to D.C. Both these teams have failed in many people's eyes. Both teams have pretty good squads when comparing them to the rest of the league, but haven't been able to put the pieces together to complete the puzzle. Washington entering the contest at 1-7 and Atlanta at 1-9. The main reason I believe both have struggled has been the lack of ground game. These teams have two of the most mobile quarterbacks in the CTL(Blake25MS,Brunell31MS) but no true running back threat. Teams will play prevent defense and make the captains beat them on the ground, eventually fumbles are caused and games are lost. Something has to give. Washington QB Jeff Blake will have his breakout game finally and get some momentum towards the off-season and the draft. Blake will throw for 212 yards and 2 TDs, while also picking up 27 yards on the ground. Vogtcd is probably the better player, but The Dirty One is probably better suited for this type of matchup as he has the better team. I consider these two pretty good "online tecmo" friends so I will be rooting for both. Seeing as a tie is very unlikely, I'll flip a coin. Heads = Washington, Tails = Atlanta.
Washington wins 20-17.

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In a possible Superbowl preview, the New York Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles in this epic week 11 showdown. Two of the most talented players in online tecmo go at it. Eifer leads his (7-3) Giants up against mikeyscull's (6-1) Eagles. Looking at the two teams it is a pretty fair breakdown. Offensively Philly is led by the QB/RB combo of Jim Harbaugh and Terry Allen. New York is lead primarily by QB Jim Everett. Everett could possibly break the single season records for touchdowns. Having a studly wide receiver to throw the ball to does help in Jerry Rice. These two squads mirror each other on defense. Both love to use their LB2 to stop the run and shutdown the passing game. Eifer tends to blitz more with LB Bryan Cox than skully would with LB Jessie Tuggle. The difference would have to come FROM the safety spot. Philly rolls with Robert Blackmon and Vencie Glenn, both whom have 63 int. Giants can not match that. So in my prediction, seeing as the Big Apple team throws and throws, one errant pass will be the deciding factor as Blackmon will come away with a big grab while covering Rice downfield. Even matchup, with Philly creating one more turnover than New York.
Philly wins 28-21.

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Houston travels to Joe Robbie Stadium in week 10 to square off against the division rival Dolphins. In week 2, Houston defended their home turf and came away with a victory against the fighting fish, 35-17. Although the score seems a bit of a blowout, the game by no means was anything like that. Deep into the 4th quarter it was a one score game that turned into a lopsided victory when Miami turned it over on downs trying to pick up a key first down. Houston used that game as motivation and have reeled off 7 wins in a row to date to stand at 7-0. The perfect just desserts would be for Miami to beat them and put a straight number in the loss column for the Oilers. Nick Buoniconti and Mercury Morris and the rest of the '72 Dolphins have the champagne on ice, wanting to see Houston fall and remain the only perfect team in history. I believe Miami should focus more on the passing game and get WRs Tim Brown and Yancey Thigpen more involved in the flow of the game. Miami still has an outside chance at getting a share of the division title and a win here would prove vital if they want the crown of division champion. Currently Miami is two games back in the loss column and would still need outside help to overtake Houston. Miami will prove a tough test, but the RB by Committee of Garrison Hearst and Terrell Davis might outlast Miami.
Houston 24 - Miami 17.

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Tampa Bay hosts the New York Football Giants in week 9 that will more than likely set the fate of both teams in stone. If New York wins, they are almost assured the division. Tampa pulls the upset and they are right in the mix and tied for the division lead with the Giants, each splitting the season series between themselves. Why are the Giants favored on the road in this epic match up? Two reasons mainly, Eifer has been around for ages, and the 35-2 thumping New York handed Tampa Bay in Week 1. Tampa was held to -17 yards rushing. No, not a typo, negative 17 yards on the ground pretty much made the Bucs a one dimensional unit. LB Bryan Cox of New York was just sitting pass after that and his troops manned up and got the job done. QB Jim Everett FROM New York also has 4 TD strikes through the air to start the season on the right foot. So that was 8 tecmo weeks ago, and a lot has changed. T.B. has started to gel and click as of late and will definitely not roll over again and get beat down and embarrassed like the previous game. The key to this game is Tampa Bay can get any type of ground game going again, so Cox will stay at bay when he does decide to blitz. RB Rhett FROM Tampa vows to have a good game, but I still don't see him going for much, maybe 47 yards on 11 carries.
Not enough to win, Giants 28-14.

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Wk 8 is the start of the playoff stretch as some like to call it. Some teams are locks for the playoffs:Oilers,Patriots,Giants,Eagles. Some are on the bubble:Jets,Lions,Bucs, Raiders, Bengals. Some should be pushing harder to get in:REDSKINS!!!! I am disappointed in my partner in crime FROM TTR's record this season. Sitting at 1-4, Washington is on the outside looking in, and will need to run the table pretty much to have a shot at the playoffs. His team is talented and led by QB Jeff Blake. Blake was asked this week in practice what his team needs to win this week. "Stop turning the ball over. We have too many turnovers this season. Our D can't and won't be to blame. It's all on us as an offense, me, backs, receivers, line. We all have to gel and get on the same page and we will do that this week." New York on the other hand is doing pretty well this season and have set themselves up nicely to reach the post-season. Taking care of business and winning the key conference and divisional games will all but lock the Jets in as a wild card. Looking at the Jets and Skins on paper, Washington probably is the more talented of the two ballclubs but not by much. Jets and the brutal wintry conditions that are in the forecast for this week's game will be too much for the Redskins to handle. Washington RB Erric Pegram will have to fumbles this week, something that will not sit right with offensive captain Blake.
New York wins 21-7.

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Week 7 matches the battle of the Bays. Green Bay vs Tampa Bay. Green Bay might be one of the bigger disappointments early on this season. The Pack are sitting at 1-3 going into this match up and are a very talented football team. Kaberger has got to get his troops back on the right track and this week the home crowd might be enough to give them a much needed win to keep their playoff chances alive. Enter the visitors. Ahake has got his Bucs in prime position for a late season playoff push. Tampa sits at 3-3, .500 might be good enough to make the playoffs in the Godzilla conference, and with best friend and fellow 513er and defending Super Bowl champ struggling it appears the last playoff spot will be Hake's or Bamatecmo's. The QB combo of Jeff George and John Elway has been very effective and kept the Bucs in every game this season. About as even as two teams will be in the league, I think the recent play of Tampa will help them prevail in the 2nd half. George will come in off the bench and have a pretty solid day: 7-11 for 201 yards and 2 TDs.
Tampa Bay wins 28-17.

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Week 6 puts us with a great game that will be very close. The New York Jets will play host to the Cleveland Browns. As many people thought, these two teams are definitely are going in the right direction. In past seasons these franchises were not the most competitive, but with solid drafts and off-season free agents, these two clubs are looking for a potential playoff birth. This game is huge in terms of the tiebreaking procedure as these are in opposite division, yet same conference. This will be the only time to prove yourself against you opposition. So onto the players and game. RB Curtis Martin of the Jets will have a pretty solid game on the ground going for 87 yards on 14 carries and 1 TD. On the flip side RB Marcus Allen will struggle against a pretty stingy Jet defense. Allen's projected stats look like 13 carries for 44 yards and no scores. The Browns defense is no joke either, led by Superstar S/CB Aeneas Williams. Williams will snatch one interception in the first half to keep this game a one score match up. Down the stretch I see Martin just wearing the Brown defense out and putting the finishing touches on a solid victory at home against a game opponent.
New York wins 21-13.

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Jshaw needs to look in the mirror before he plays Mappy and the Lions. The only owner the Lions ever had was Jshaw, until last season when he had to step aside. Enter Starmap's fun n gun offense. Jshaw was able to get back into the league, but at the price of a lesser talented team. Mappy's high octane offense will prove too much for the less than formidable Denver defense. Will Jshaw make sure his new team is up for the challenge, or will he just lie down to his old team in a cakewalk? I'm sure the Broncos will put up a fight, but QB Troy Aikman of Detroit will go for 297 yards on 13 of 20 passing and 4 Tds. Pretty rich numbers, but with the wide outs Detroit has, and the defensive backs Denver has, why not. This is a key divisional game and Detroit very well could be undefeated at this point as Mappy tells me every time we chat on AIM. Detroit will roll and keep looking good for another shot at the CTL Playoffs.
Detroit wins 28-10.

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9-4. Buffalo and Miami both finished tied atop the Memorable Division last season. Buffalo had the tiebreakers so they were able to win the division and take the #1 seed into the playoffs. That was last season however, no one cares what happened then. That won't benefit either team this season. Morty McFly is led on defense by superstar LB Junior Seau. He might say hello to Mr. Kramer a few times this week. If Miami can not protect Kramer, Thigpen and Brown's abilities mean squat. Going out on a limb here and saying Seau cripples Kramer to force the backup to come in. Buffalo's secondary is so bad though that even the backup will have a nice game. Plus I see Watters getting 18 touches for 97 yards and 2 TDs in this game to neutralize Seau's pass rushing speed. Miami will key on QB Boomer Esiason as the ground game of Buffalo will be non existent. It will be a great game and possibly determine who wins the division and who stays at home come playoff time.
Miami wins 31-17.

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It's almost a forgone conclusion that the division winner will be New England. They are too loaded. It will be a nice dogfight to see who can come away with 2nd place and possibly a wild card FROM the Vintage Division. These 2 teams as well as the Pack will be fighting it out, and these games are ever so important to win due to tiebreaking rules. New York plans to show the Detroit fans who have been lacking a reason to watch games since Barry left town. Insert Rookie RB phenom Curtis Martin. Martin will show flashes of Sanders with his game breaking abilities. Can Starmap stop the bleeding and stop the run? On the same token. Can New York shutdown the heavy hitting QB/WR combo that Detroit unleashes. QB Troy Aikman will play pitch and catch with WR Herman Moore and WR Cris Carter all season. Aikman could possibly set some records with those two. New York does not have the secondary to stay afloat against the Lions, but I see them stealing a pick late in the game and Martin punching in with less than 2 minutes to go in the game to steal a road win in this inter-division game.
New York wins 24-21.

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Last season Houston did something it had never done in CTL History. Didn't make the post season. In their place, Miami stepped up and got a playoff spot FROM the division. The Astrodome will be a rocking as the Fighting fish come to town in this epic week 2 match up. If anyone has the defensive firepower to compete with Miami's explosive passing game, it is the Oilers. Their weak link might be the front 3. No scary guy in the trenches will give Miami QB Erik Kramer all day to find elusive targets such as WR Yancey Thigpen and WR Tim Brown. RB Ricky Watters likes his chances at piling up the yards this season. "I want over 1000. There is no reason I shouldn't, everyone expects us to come out and pass with our arsenal. That opens the field up for me. This offense is great for me and I want a taste of all league honors." Watters is more than capable of getting honors, but probably will fall short because of the great passing game and also in part to new running mate RB Harvey Williams. Williams will be brought in to spell Watters when conditions change. I see a high scoring affair in this one. Both teams have stout defenses, but even crazier offenses. First team to get a stop, gets the Win perhaps.
Houston outlasts Miami 35-28.

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For the past few season the Bengals have won the division, but nipping at their heels has been the Eagles. This season I predicted Mikeyscull to win the division so he's got to start strong out of the gate. Hosting the back to back division rival champs and coming away with a victory would be good. New signal caller QB Jim Harbaugh has stated he's got lofty expectations FROM this GROUP. "Yeah, I see us going far and deep in the playoffs. We have gotten in the past two seasons as a wild card, almost winning it all this year. Now that I'm taking over, we won't come up short." In his way is LordSummer. Lord is a proven vet who probably is overlooked when people thing of the better players. Consistency is what I use to describe his play. Virtually every league he is in, his winning percentage hovers around that 75 % clip and is a shoe in for the playoffs. Nothing is different in CTL, and he's got the talent to win it all. Led by Future CTL Hall of Famer RB Emmitt Smith. Smith knows he is getting up there in age, and this might be his last shot at a real winner. "The Bengals have done me right since the start. I was their franchise guy 5 years ago, and I'm still the man. Yeah we got Iron Head and Adrian in the mix now, but in the crunch time, the 4th quarter; its in my hands." Not bad way to kick start the best season of CTL with these two powerhouses. Since I picked the Eagles to overtake the Bengals for the division, it would look dumb of me not to pick them to win here.
Philly wins 28-21.