If you believe it is, this is how the IFL franchises are currently ranked in playoff winning percentage after the first couple of seasons:
Continue reading Is playoff success the best way to measure greatness?
All posts by SaintsGM
A letter to Luke
My dear league mate Luke,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. At least, in better health than Andrew Luck and David Johnson.
New Orleans Saints Preseason Depth Chart and Position Battles – Part II
For those of you that could not wait anymore, here is part 2 of my honest evaluation of the New Orleans Saints as we march towards the 2017 IFL Season! Today, I will go through my defense and special teams units.
Continue reading New Orleans Saints Preseason Depth Chart and Position Battles – Part II
New Orleans Saints Preseason Depth Chart and Position Battles
Since I am not a frequent guest of the league’s radio shows (although I really enjoyed the playoff interviews with Luke last season, it is not my thing I guess), I try to write an article from time to time to let you all know what is going through my mind. Instead of just providing some random thoughts on stuff I am not really that knowledgeable about (like, for example, who has a better team, Josh or Will), I will discuss something I know in depth – my own team. Continue reading New Orleans Saints Preseason Depth Chart and Position Battles
NFC PLAYOFF RACE – WEEK 11
With week 10 in the books, here is how the NFC playoff picture stands:
Carolina Panthers 10-3
Dallas Cowboys 10-3
Green Bay Packers 8-5
Los Angeles Rams 8-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-4
Seattle Seahawks 7-6
Chicago Bears 7-6
New Orleans Saints 7-6
San Francisco 49ers 7-6
Philadelphia Eagles 6-7
New York Giants 6-7
After a huge week 10 with all 8 games with playoff implications, this week we will see a number of playoff hopefuls playing teams that are the the bottom of their divisions. Still, 4 matchups stand above the others.
San Francisco vs Los Angeles
What is at stake: Survival for San Francisco, and control of their own destiny for Los Angeles. The Rams currently own the tie-breaker against the 49ers, so if San Francisco loses here they will be eliminated from the division title chase. They would have to win both games in week 12 and hope for other results in order to get a WC spot. If the 49ers win, though, they still have a shot at the NFC West title. The Rams have their path to the playoffs on their own hands with a win here.
Who wins: San Francisco
I am rooting for…San Francisco, because I want Seattle and their high ppg average to win the Division.
Tampa Bay vs New Orleans
What is at stake: Survival for New Orleans, while Tampa Bay would keep their division hopes alive with a win – or they will be just 1 game ahead of New Orleans and a number of other teams with a loss.
Who wins: New Orleans
I am rooting for…duh!
Seattle vs Arizona
What is at stake: For Seattle, chance of facing Los Angeles for the NFC West title in week 12. Even if LA beats San Francisco, the Seahawks will be just one game behind with a win here, and with a win against the Rams they probably take the division because of the #2 tie-breaker (total points scored).
Who wins: Seattle
I am rooting for…Seattle, already explained why.
Chicago vs Detroit
What is at stake: For Chicago, keeping up with Green Bay in the standings and setting up a huge week 12 matchup where the winner will win the division while the loser would possibly be eliminated from the playoff picture.
Who wins: Chicago
I am rooting for…Chicago, for pretty much the same reason I am rooting for Seattle.
Elsewhere, the NFC East champion Dallas faces the New York Giants, while Carolina faces Atlanta with a chance of wrapping up the NFC South title with a win. I believe both will win this week, keeping their fight for the #1 seed alive until week 12. The Packers are heavy favorites against Minnesota and will keep control of their own destiny with a win this week. Also, keep an eye on the Philadelphia Eagles – they will face the worst team in their division, Washington, and they have the 5th-most points scored in the NFC at this point. Although unlikely, it is still possible that 9-7 will be enough to clinch the second WC spot, so their hopes are still alive.
I will be back next week looking at the top matchups in the exciting week 12 doubleheader. Division titles and WC spots will be on the line.
NFC Playoff Race – Week 10
So, we have reached the final lap in IFL’s inaugural regular season. Here is where we stand in the NFC:
My name is Carlos…Saint Carlos
So, all the preparations, all the research, all the hours spent, led to this moment.
(Isn’t it a great phrase to start an article with?)
Anyway, the season starts in less than a week, and I bet some of you (mostly the ones that are not coming from the other league) are asking: who is this Carlos guy that owns the Saints?
Personality-wise, I guess I am a lot more low-profile than most of the other GMs here. The way I see it, we have a number of Jerry Joneses here – nothing against that, by the way! As a Packers fan, I guess I am more like Ted Thompson. Have you seen how boring his interviews are? He could spend 10 minutes giving you answers where he actually gives you no answers, either because he does not like to be interviewed, but also because he does not want to give anybody a competitive advantage. Also, unfortunately I had some unexpected stuff to deal with this year, which resulted in less time available for my leagues. Given that I enjoy the “competition” side 100x more than the “social” side, you can guess what my choice of where to spend most of my available time was.
Rest assured, though: as ever, I have worked hard this offseason in order to win all my leagues. I don’t know if I will, but it won’t be for lack of preparation, knowledge, or effort. I have a team that is not perfect, but in the end I got what I expected prior to the auctions and the draft (which explains the lack of trades from my side – I am happy with my team, and I also follow a few rules regarding offseason trades). I also have a good amount of cap room available, which I found key going into a new season in a league like this.
So, who am I? I am the guy that is here in Brazil putting the same effort than you, perhaps even more, aiming at the league title. And I have been doing it for 19 years now.
AND I trully expect to be holding the league title 4 months from now.