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"You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your word." -- Psalm 119:114
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SUPER BOWL X
December 23
Arkdale Aardvarks 17
F
Pittsburgh Spears 29
Fawcett Stadium, Canton
MFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF
December 16
New York Lynx 6
at
Arkdale Aardvarks 16
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Last update on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 7:57am
(August 4) Pittsburgh was successful at moving way up in the draft on Monday, but at a big price. The Spears traded QB Philip Rivers, RB Chester Taylor, WR Santana Moss and their first-round pick (#10) in exchange for South Bend's top pick (#4). The move gives the Spears some cap space in addition to a better selection.
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Pittsburgh gave up a lot to move up six spots in the first round.
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This Mafia Megadeal nets WR Chad Johnson, QB Eli Manning, TE Chris Cooley as well.
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(August 2) Remember "The LT Trade"? This might be "The Run DMC Trade". Miami has negotiated with the Dowagiac Chefs to wrest the #1 overall pick in this month's MFL Draft, a pick that could mean that rookie RB Darren McFadden rushes for the Mafia this fall. Dowagiac gets QB Matt Hasselbeck, RB Brian Westbrook and Miami's #16.
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(July 30) Tim Jones just couldn't live without his favorite runningback. Without ever playing a snap in South Florida, RB LaDainian Tomlinson was dealt back to Canton, along with WR Chris Chambers and RB Kevin Jones, in exchange for QB Marc Bulger, RB Earnest Graham, PK Kris Brown and the Cougars' entire 2008 draft.
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The deal that made Mike Ditka proud won't officially take place until August 3.
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(July 29) Hail to the Chief...er...the Spears! In this crazy election year edition of the MFL Draft Previews, Dr. K gets past the pundits and analyzes the field of players and the needs of each team to come up with his formula for success in '08. Who has the best electability? Check the Draft Page each Tuesday for more. New York, Missouri and Canton are featured this week.
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(July 15) The Online 15 has been published and Dr. K has gone through the annual survey with a fine-toothed comb. RB Ryan Grant was the first unanimous choice by the MFL media for top pick since a guy named Priest in 2005. Does K agree? Read up on the Draft Page to find out!
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Would you take Grant first?
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Cress's position in the Chefs organization has yet to be determined.
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(April 23) The Dowagiac Fighting Chefs have hired Fremont lawyer Jonathan Cress to a "high position" within the club. Cress will play a vital role in trying to bring the Chefs back to prominence in the MFL and his experience in other leagues will come into play. Dowagiac finished 4-9-1 in 2007, second worst in the MFL.
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(April 14) The Mishawaka Football League and ESPN8 have released the first nationally-televised games to be played on Kickoff Weekend of the 2008 season. The headliner will be the Super Bowl X Champion Pittsburgh Spears receiving their rings on opening night for the second straight year against their rivals, the Canton Cougars. The remaining schedule will be released next week.
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The top two teams in the West Division face off on Kickoff Weekend when the Arkdale Aardvarks host the Missouri Peregrines.
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MFL Draft Lottery
Dowagiac lands top pick
(January 7) The Dowagiac Chefs have won the first annual MFL Draft Lottery. Commissioner Drew Kuespert pulled out one of Dowagiac's 25 numbers from the box, giving them the rights to the pick. If the Chefs decide to take a rookie with the pick, they will pay that player a standard rate of $4,000,000. However, if they choose a veteran, then the modified auction will take place. Despite an only 6% chance of getting the second pick, the Iowa Hawgs had one of their numbers drawn. Chicago fell to third and South Bend to fourth after the drawing was made. Does this result mean that the Chefs have won the Darren McFadden prize?
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(December 24) The Pittsburgh Spears are repeat champions of the MFL! QB Ben Roetlisberger led his troops to the Super Bowl X title after a close win over the West Division Champion Arkdale Aardvarks, 29-17. The victory gives the franchise its third Super Bowl title in five years. Owner George Meyers and head coach Nate Russo were ecstatic as they presented Roethlisberger with the Playoffs MVP Award for his trio of touchdown passes.
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All three came in the first quarter. Pitt started by taking the ball 81 yards and scoring on a 17-yard touchdown pass on their opening drive. Roethlisberger then capitalized on an Arkdale turnover of the insuing kickoff by throwing his second TD toss less than a minute later to give the Spears a 6-0 lead.Just prior to the end of the first frame, Roelisberger again connected on a 12-yard pass for his third score. Suddenly, finding themselves with their backs against the wall, the Aardvarks ran off a string of scores in the second quarter that knotted the score at 9-9, thanks mostly to two Peyton Manning touchdowns. The offenses of both teams each put points on the board in the final drives of the half. Pittsburgh RB Joseph Addai blasted his way through the line from 2 yards away to put the Spears on top, but Arkdale ended the half with a David Akers field goal that cut into the lead and made the score 15-12 as the clubs headed to their locker rooms. After the crowd was wowwed by the halftime performances of Don "Magic" Juan & John Tesh and sickened by the free samples provided by KittyBeef.com, Arkdale went to work. A pair of scores, one by Manning, marking his third of the game, put the Varks up 17-15 and gave the sea of green on the south end of Fawcett Stadium something to cheer about. Not to be outdone, WR Andre Johnson made good on a fade pattern near the end of the third that caused the side judge to signal for a Spears touchdown, pushing Pitt up by only one point as the teams readied themselves for the final 15 minutes of guts and glory. The Spears pulled away in the fourth, thanks to PK Nate Kaeding's 11 points. He put three field goal tries through the uprights during the barrage, which sealed the fate of the Aardvarks and guaranteed Pitt their dream of becoming repeat champions of the MFL. Arkdale takes solace in the fact that they hung tough with mightly Pittsburgh through most of Super Bowl X after they were never given much of a chance to even make the playoffs. The Aardvarks will build on their successes this season and, with the help of Manning, will compete for the West title again and, hopefully, a return trip to the Big One. The Championship City adds yet another prize to their mantlepiece. It's hard telling when this juggernaut will slow down as most of the current Spears starters will be back in 2008. Is a threepeat in order?
ARK
PIT
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0
9
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12
6
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5
3
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0
11
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- 17
- 29
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1st Quarter
PIT - Roethlisberger 17 pass
PIT - Roethlisberger 33 pass
PIT - Roethlisberger 12 pass
2nd Quarter
ARK - Akers kick
ARK - Manning 6 pass (Akers kick)
ARK - Manning 11 pass (Akers kick)
PIT - Addai 2 run
ARK - Akers 24 FG
3rd Quarter
ARK - Akers kick
ARK - Manning 7 pass (Akers kick)
PIT - Johnson 6 rec
4th Quarter
PIT - Kaeding 40 FG
PIT - Kaeding kick
PIT - Kaeding 23 FG
PIT - Kaeding 29 FG
PIT - Kaeding kick
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Arkdale
(9-5-1)
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Pittsburgh
(12-1-1)
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Gametime forecast at Fawcett Stadium:
46°, Cloudy with rain possible in the second half
All-Time Series:
Pittsburgh leads, 6-1
2007 Meetings:
Week Four: Pittsburgh 37, Arkdale 15
Week Seven: Arkdale 19, Pittsburgh 35
Playoff Series History:
None, first meeting
Line:
Pittsburgh by 6½
THE KITTY BEEF HALFTIME SHOW
DON "MAGIC" JUAN and JOHN TESH
PROJECTED STARTERS
ARKDALE
Peyton Manning
Ron Dayne
Edgerrin James
Marques Colston
Anthony Gonzalez
Tony Gonzalez
Dallas Cowboys
David Akers
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POS
QB
RB
RB
WR
WR
TE
D/ST
PK
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PITTSBURGH
Ben Roethlisberger
Joseph Addai
Chester Taylor
Torry Holt
Andre Johnson
Antonio Gates
Minnesota Vikings
Nate Kaeding
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Bottom Line: It was only two years ago when both of these teams were in dire straits (see the iSuq). Both suffered during their worst seasons ever and each only achieved three wins. Amazingly, QB Peyton Manning did not play much in 2005. However, fast forward to 2007 and Manning is actually credited with helping both qualify for the playoffs. He will be the focal point of the Aardvarks offense on Sunday as he facing his old team.When Manning played against Pittsburgh for the first time in Week Seven, he was shut down by the Spears' defense and held to only one touchdown. On the other side of the ball, Manning's backup leading up to his departure, QB Ben Roethlisberger, did exceptionally well in that game, vaulting Pitt to victory with his four-touchdown performance. Despite this, Manning has the edge. The Spears also have the slightest of edges at runningback as RBs Joseph Addai and Chestor Taylor lead the way. Taylor may not get as many carries as he did a few weeks ago, but he could still be a threat once the Spears get inside the five. For the Varks, RBs Ron Dayne and Edgerrin James aren't the featured guys they once were, but they can certainly still make noise when called upon. The receivers edge goes to Arkdale. Marques Colston, Tony Gonzalez and rookie Tony...err...Anthony Gonzalez have the ability to slice-and-dice the Pitt secondary if the Spears fall asleep. Arkdale isn't stupid: they know that TE Antonio Gates can torch them at any time. WRs Torry Holt and Andre Johnson will see some receptions, but they may not see as many looks in the redzone as Gates. The defense and special teams edge has to go to Pittsburgh. The Spears' defense can read better than Maya Angelou, hence the massive point totals this season. Their return teams also have a big advantage compared to Arkdale. PK Nate Kaeding may be on a par with David Akers with his accurate leg, but Kaeding will stand out more since he'll get more opportunities to connect. As the sun casts a long shadow on Fawcett Stadium late in the day, the crowd in Canton will witness Pittsburgh become the first team in MFL history to repeat as champions. The Aardvarks will be able to hold their heads high for giving the Spears a good run, but the glory and honor of winning the Super Bowl X ring will go to that city across the border.
Dr. K sez:
Pittsburgh Spears 27, Arkdale Aardvarks 22
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