The Sanderson Gazette - 2020-12-29 - Chalk

It's fitting that in the first season we ever had a tie for regular season first place - and a five-way tie at that - is also the first season the higher seed won every single playoff game. (Credit to Babel for pointing that out.)

Blingabowl XIII Recap

Kevin def. Matt, 145.75-102.32:

"I guess today evil triumphs over good." - Matt

"The evilest thing Matt ever did was calling Kevin the evil one." - Rob

"Thanks everyone, it's not over yet." - Kevin

It wasn't officially over when that exchange took place; Kevin still needed 30 points from Josh Allen (35.50) and Davante Adams (36.93). Of course, each of those players took care of that deficit on their own, so Kevin took home the Sanderson Cup for the second time in five years. And when you add it all to Jamison Crowder's 25.82, Kev also now has two of the three highest scores in Blingabowl history.

Matt got a surprising 27.10 from Jeff Wilson, Jr., but poor games from DeAndre Hopkins (6.40) and Robert Woods (6.50) doomed him to his third straight Blingabowl loss.

Third-Place Game Recap

Babel def. Pulley, 138.86-84.62:

Pulley lost in week 16 for the first time ever thanks to some horrible games from Marvin Jones, Jr. (2.53), Allen Lazard (1.87), and the Houston defense (-7.00). Babel got 31.63 from Myles Gaskin and 21.00 from the Carolina defense to cruise to third place and prize money.

Final Standings

  1. Kevin
  2. Matt
  3. Babel
  4. Pulley
  5. Derrek
  6. Rob
  7. Richie
  8. Scott
  9. Schertz
  10. Rabbit
  11. Mike R.
  12. Pat
  13. Ed
  14. Dave

Final Payouts

(First-second-third pays out $258-$129-$43.)

  • Kevin: $288 (Blingabowl champion plus three Team Blangums awards)
  • Matt: $139 (Blingabowl loser plus one Blangums)
  • Babel: $53 (third-place game winner plus one Blangums)
  • Rob: $30 (three Blangums)
  • Pulley: $10 (one Blangums)
  • Derrek: $10 (one Blangums)
  • Richie: $10 (one Blangums)
  • Schertz: $10 (one Blangums)
  • Rabbit: $10 (one Blangums)

Annual Awards

Team Blangums:

Kevin finished the regular season in first place, had the most expected wins (7.65), and won the Blingabowl.

Slapped Heartbeat:

Dave finished in last place, scored the fewest points ever, and had the fewest expected wins ever.

Annual MVP:

Davante Adams missed two games and still finished less than eight points behind the top scoring WR (Tyreek Hill), averaging more than 21 points per game when did play. He also scored 36.93 in the Blingabowl, putting him over the top for this award.

Dud of the Year:

Dave drafted Mike Thomas at 1.02, and not only did he miss six games, he never scored more than 14.00 in the ones he did play.

Pickup of the Year:

We'll go all the way back to before week 1 for this award, when Rob picked up James Robinson after he went undrafted. The Jacksonville rookie wound up being a top five RB for the year.

Season Postmortems

Matt Harrison, 8-5 (0.615), 1,357.11 points, 2nd (regular season), 2nd (playoffs), 7.23 expected wins

After six weeks, the Gazette labeled Matt a "pretender" (and he didn't bother disputing it). He even lost in week 7 to fall to 3-4 and 11th place. But he rallied to win five of his last six games and make his third straight Blingabowl appearance.

For next year, he could wind up keeping the same two players - Dalvin Cook and Lamar Jackson - once again.

Kevin Pattermann, 8-5 (0.615), 1,432.26 points, 1st (regular season), Blingabowl XIII champion (playoffs), 7.65 expected wins

The Gazette was much better at predicting how Kevin's season would go, calling him a "strong contender" prior to week 1. He moved into playoff position permanently in week 4, and the rest is history.

Josh Allen proved to be a great keeper and could remain a Donut next year. And Davante Adams looks like he'll be well worth the 14th overall pick if Kevin wants to go that route.

Blingapower Rankings

14. Pat Gawne (last year: 14th)

  • 2020: 5-8, 1,158.90 points, 4.52 expected wins, 12th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 13-26, 3,560.28 points, 14.26 expected wins, average place: 11.7
  • All-time: 61-95, 13,849.58 points, 58.87 expected wins, average place: 10.2

Despite a relatively hot start, Pat spent the second half of the year near the cellar. Not even Dave's horrid season can lift Pat from the bottom of the power rankings.

NFL equivalent: Detroit Lions

13. Dave Fultz (last year: 10th)

  • 2020: 3-10, 979.04 points, 2.98 expected wins, 14th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 13-26, 3,421.43 points, 13.07 expected wins, average place: 12.3
  • All-time: 71-98, 16,514.79 points, 84.25 expected wins, average place: 8.8, playoff appearances: 3

The worst season in league history will send you tumbling in the rankings.

NFL equivalent: New York Jets

12. Scott Beitzel (last year: 12th)

  • 2020: 7-6, 1,236.08 points, 5.94 expected wins, 8th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 17-22, 3,983.68 points, 19.59 expected wins, average place: 10.0
  • All-time: 17-22, 3,983.68 points, 19.59 expected wins, average place: 10.0

Scott finally finished above .500 this year, but he lost to and finished below Richie in the standings, so he'll also fall behind his rival here.

NFL equivalent: Dallas Cowboys

11. Richie Armour (last year: 13th)

  • 2020: 7-6, 1,325.02 points, 6.42 expected wins, 7th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 17-22, 3,741.47 points, 16.13 expected wins, average place: 10.0
  • All-time: 48-69, 10,865.37 points, 48.88 expected wins, average place: 9.9, playoff appearances: 1

Richie moves ahead of his rival (see above), but no further.

NFL equivalent: New York Giants

10. Ed Gross (last year: 11th)

  • 2020: 4-9, 1,351.70 points, 7.18 expected wins, 13th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 15-24, 3,998.20 points, 19.64 expected wins, average place: 11.0
  • All-time: 81-88, 16,892.07 points, 87.49 expected wins, average place: 7.4, playoff appearances: 6, Blingabowl appearances: 1

Ed was much better than his record in 2020, but that's not enough to leapfrog anyone except Dave.

NFL equivalent: Atlanta Falcons

9. Nick "Rabbit" Warren (last year: 9th)

  • 2020: 6-7, 1,295.68 points, 6.12 expected wins, 10th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 19-20, 3,974.69 points, 18.77 expected wins, average place: 8.0
  • All-time: 100-69, 17,507.10 points, 94.78 expected wins, average place: 5.5, playoff appearances: 6, Blingabowl appearances: 3, Sanderson Cup wins: 2

Rabs had a rather forgettable season, his fourth straight missing the playoffs.

NFL equivalent: Denver Broncos

8. Mike Romor (last year: 7th)

  • 2020: 6-7, 1,292.62 points, 6.61 expected wins, 11th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 23-16, 4,221.41 points, 21.89 expected wins, average place: 5.7, playoff appearances: 2
  • All-time: 83-86, 16,619.44 points, 83.06 expected wins, average place: 7.7, playoff appearances: 5

Mike missed out on the playoffs after two straight strong seasons, with injures playing a big role.

NFL equivalent: San Francisco 49ers

7. Rob Gross (last year: 8th)

  • 2020: 7-6, 1,437.41 points, 7.39 expected wins, 6th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 20-19, 3,958.82 points, 18.57 expected wins, average place: 8.0, playoff appearances: 2
  • All-time: 92-77, 17,156.36 points, 90.83 expected wins, average place: 5.5, playoff appearances: 10, Blingabowl appearances: 2

Rob led the league in points and returned to the playoffs after a disastrous 2019. But his season wasn't good enough to pass any of the other 2020 playoff teams or the 2019 champ.

NFL equivalent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. Mike Schertz (last year: 5th)

  • 2020: 6-7, 1,376.56 points, 7.60 expected wins, 9th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 21-18, 4,259.05 points, 22.06 expected wins, average place: 6.7, playoff appearances: 1, Sanderson Cup wins: 1
  • All-time: 58-59, 11,660.34 points, 58.32 expected wins, average place: 7.6, playoff appearances: 3, Blingabowl appearances: 1, Sanderson Cup wins: 1

Schertz had some tough schedule luck this year and finished below where he should. But missing the playoffs generally means a dip in the rankings.

NFL equivalent: Minnesota Vikings

5. Mark Babel (last year: 6th)

  • 2020: 8-5, 1,354.46 points, 7.17 expected wins, 3rd place
  • Last 3 seasons: 20-19, 4,019.94 points, 19.72 expected wins, average place: 6.7, playoff appearances: 2
  • All-time: 86-83, 17,226.34 points, 91.38 expected wins, average place: 6.6, playoff appearances: 8, Blingabowl appearances: 2, Sanderson Cup wins: 1

Babel nearly snagged a bye and, more notably, proved Pulley could lose in week 16. He's been a consistent presence in the playoffs recently, if not the Blingabowl.

NFL equivalent: Tennessee Titans

4. Derrek Drenckpohl (last year: 2nd)

  • 2020: 8-5, 1,314.00 points, 7.02 expected wins, 5th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 25-14, 4,248.87 points, 22.39 expected wins, average place: 4.0, playoff appearances: 3, Sanderson Cup wins: 1
  • All-time: 91-78, 16,470.48 points, 81.76 expected wins, average place: 6.3, playoff appearances: 8, Sanderson Cup wins: 2

Derrek started strong, sputtered in the middle, and turned it around to make the playoffs. He didn't do much once there, so he'll fall a couple spots. Like I said last year, it's tough up here at the top.

NFL equivalent: Indianapolis Colts

3. Adam Pulley (last year: 3rd)

  • 2020: 8-5, 1,352.84 points, 7.17 expected wins, 4th place
  • Last 3 seasons: 25-14, 4,300.29 points, 22.72 expected wins, average place: 3.3, playoff appearances: 3
  • All-time: 101-68, 17,444.33 points, 94.29 expected wins, average place: 4.8, playoff appearances: 10, Sanderson Cup wins: 2

Pulley started the season with an impressive undefeated streak, even if he never quite looked like the best team. He then went on a losing skid before righting the ship just before the playoffs. His NFL comparison for 2020 is easy.

NFL equivalent: Pittsburgh Steelers

2. Kevin Pattermann (last year: 4th)

  • 2020: 8-5, 1,432.26 points, 7.65 expected wins, 1st place
  • Last 3 seasons: 21-18, 4,198.11 points, 21.09 expected wins, average place: 5.0, playoff appearances: 2, Sanderson Cup wins: 1
  • All-time: 85-84, 16,850.50 points, 86.72 expected wins, average place: 7.0, playoff appearances: 6, Sanderson Cup wins: 2

Our clear top team of 2020 moves up a couple spots. He wasn't as impressive last year, so he's not the Chiefs, and he has a certain QB on his team...

NFL equivalent: Buffalo Bills

1. Matt Harrison (last year: 1st)

  • 2020: 8-5, 1,357.11 points, 7.23 expected wins, 2nd place
  • Last 3 seasons: 24-15, 4,294.02 points, 23.10 expected wins, average place: 2.7, playoff appearances: 3, Blingabowl appearances: 3
  • All-time: 95-74, 17,461.08 points, 93.63 expected wins, average place: 5.4, playoff appearances: 9, Blingabowl appearances: 4, Sanderson Cup wins: 3

Three straight Blingabowl appearances is impressive. Seven total - i.e. more than half - is doubly so. Matt always has a dangerous team, but he just hasn't put the capstone on any of his seasons lately.

NFL equivalent: New Orleans Saints

Draft Lottery

The odds of getting the top overall pick are:

  • Dave: 25.70%
  • Ed: 18.54%
  • Pat: 15.42%
  • Mike R.: 9.96%
  • Rabbit: 9.94%
  • Schertz: 9.36%
  • Scott: 5.86%
  • Richie: 5.23%

As always, the lottery will be run in late spring or early summer.

Closing Thoughts

Somehow, we made it through the COVID-19 season and all its rescheduling with minimal disruption to the Blingaleague results. Thanks to all for another great year!

(Oh, and for the sake of record-keeping, Alvin Kamara put up 53.77 points this week.)