Gridiron Gazette: Goal Line Stand (Week 8)

In 3 games with Golden, Andre Johnson had 15 catches for 179 yards and 0 touchdowns. In 3 games with Twin City Tech, he has 30 catches, 450 yards, and 2 scores. Was the gun-slinging Red Raider offense the boost Johnson needed to revive his season, or was the 27 year old receiver dogging it on purpose just to force a trade out of Colorado?







Goal Line Stand (Week 8)
Cam Pannalist, Gridiron Gazette




To all of my faithful readers, I'd like to apologize for my absence over the past few weeks. For those who did not know, my wife and I were blessed with a little bundle of joy on September 28th. I was in Weymouth for the Islanders/Crazy Horses game when I got the news. Luckily, Stardust had the game wrapped up in the first quarter, so I rushed to the hospital and arrived just in time to welcome 6 pound, 8 ounce Poo Pannalist into the world.

My wife has kept me plenty busy while she watches episodes of "Yes, Dear" all day. Between changing the little one's diapers and downing shots of Jager to ease the pain, I haven't had much time to watch football. My bookie has been very angry with me.

Needless to say, when I returned to work my email Inbox was completely full. I've read almost all, responded to most, and laughed at a few. Since I've only slept a combined 20 hours over the past month, I'm not feeling all that creative, so here are a few of the good ones:



"Did Andre Johnson really demand a trade, and when it wasn't granted made himself such a cancer that the Gryphons had no choice but to send him out of town?"
-Manuel Onelcida
-Los Angelas, CA

Listen, Manny, lots of players demand trades in sports, whether its for money, or disagreements with management/staff, or just to go to a contender. Most of these players don't let that carry over onto the field, but from an outsider looking in, this is exactly what Johnson did. The guy is one of the 5 best receivers in the game, and he was dropping passes, not running out routes, and barely blocking DBs on running plays. This trade worked out well for both teams (Golden is 2-1 since the deal, Tech is 3-0) so even if this is all true, everyone has moved on from the situation.



"Does Twin City have the best offense in the conference?"
-Skip Tikkle
-Fitchburg, MA

The acquisition of Johnson was great, but this roster was already the most explosive in the FAC-10. When Plaxico Burress isn't off driving around one of his 14 kids, and Kurt Warner isn't hiding at a bingo hall somewhere, the Red Raiders can throw down 100 points without even trying. And yes they miss their starting quarterback, but when your second-string guy puts up 250 and 2 TDs a game, you can sleep well knowing that nobody can keep up with your offense.



"Will Mexico be the second straight FAC-10 champion to miss the playoffs the following year? Please say yes."
-Cat Sarbad
-Golden, CO

The 2007 Crazy Horses had a complete hangover after their title in '06. They only broke 70 points 3 times, and when the playoffs slowly fell out of sight they traded away top talent (Peyton Manning) for some quality youth (LenDale White, Larry Fitzgerald). Time will tell if Mexico decides to pack it in and build for the future, but knowing the coaching staff over there, it's far from likely. The Wildcats have finished in the top 3 every year since the FAC-10's inception, so not only is a title at stake for this team, but tradition as well. Expect this team to bounce back and sneak into the postseason.



"Now that baseball season is over, there's nothing to do in Weymouth... should I even bother going to an Islanders game? Will this team ever win again?"
-Ian Watski
-Weymouth

I hate to break it to you Ian, but your team is terrible. It's not all their fault, coming into a conference with 11 already-stable programs and slim pickings to draft from. The Athletic Department over there at Wey U did a fantastic job building for the future with guys like Aaron Rogers, Darren McFadden, and Jonathan Stewart, but this team is at LEAST a year away from making any noise in the FAC-10. Your best bet at catching a win this year would be in Week 12 when Rakeville comes to town... tickets should still be available for that one.



"Which injured player is going to bounce back and lead their team to victory?"
-Mike Affurts
-Youngstown, KS

I actually was planning to write an entire article on this (as a follow-up to my Week 3 story) but I'll give a quick rundown here. There are 3 guys that have been limited or no-shows so far that will not only perform, but should bump/keep their teams in the playoff hunt: Brian Westbrook (DUBA) hasn't really been missed during his team's current 3 game winning streak, but should be back to his old self as soon as this weekend. Reggie Brown (BHU) would be a huge boost to a receiving core that has struggled all season. And Marques Colston (UM) is on another team desperate for receiver help and, now that his thumb is better, should be back to his old touchdown-catching ways.

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Week 8 Matchups
(1) Stardust over (7) Rakeville
(3) Twin City Tech over (2) Bud Heavy
(11) Mexico over (4) Arizona-Kickery
(12) Weymouth over (5) Dublin
(6) Gillespie State over (8) Athol A&M
(9) Golden over (10) Busch

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Note: Since there hasn't been any power rankings for over five weeks, the change in parentheses is in relation to Week 8 of 2007. This should give you some insight into the upside-down season it's been this year compared to last.

Power Rankings
1. Stardust (+6)
2. Twin City Tech ( - )
3. Dublin (+6)
4. Bud Heavy (+6)
5. Arizona-Kickery (+6)
6. Athol A&M (-1)
7. Golden (-1)
8. Gillespie State (-7)
9. Rakeville (-1)
10. Busch (-7)
11. Mexico (-7)
12. Weymouth (N/A)

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League Notes
- The recent trade between Busch and Bud Heavy is coming under heavy fire, and not just from other teams. Bud Heavy WR Mark Clayton, afraid that the deal will cost him his job, was seen yelling at a little boy with a tape recorder in the street last week screaming, "The beer is mine, and Dwayne can't have any!"

- 40 year old Brad Johnson made a spot-start for Mexico last week. When reporters attempted to interview him after the game, they found him fake-sleeping in a chair, in full pads, in front of his locker. Teammates later found out he wasn't faking, he's just really old.

- They Gray's win over the Kickers is under investigation due to some questionable home scoring. Apparently, this isn't the first time Rakeville school president David Claffey has been caught tampering with scores.