Tuesday, December 30, 2008

ARE BLACK DOGS A DYNASTY?

William "The Refrigerator" Perry, who was the East Nashville coach pre-dynasty, is shown here at the Dog House following a loss in 2004.


ARE BLACK DOGS A DYNASTY?
Opinions vary across the league

By R.E. Porter, Associated Web Press

At the end of the 2004 NFFA season, the founding franchise now located in East Nashville was in shambles. After a poor start, GM-coach Buddy Ryan turned the coaching reigns over to William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Fridge didn’t win many games, but he did run up an enormous tab at various Nashvegas eateries. The Dogs finished 5-9 and missed the league's initial playoff party.

The following season, Ryan brought in Jim McMahon as head coach. Since then, the Black Dogs have compiled an NFFA-best 42-14 regular-season record (26-2 the last two regular seasons), won four straight division titles, made four straight trips to the playoffs, and won two championships. Add to that, a perfect 16-0 record this season, a league record 21-game, regular-season winning streak, and four straight seasons as the league’s highest scoring team, and it looks a lot like a dynasty from here.

“The only Dynasty I remember in Nashville was a Chinese restaurant,” quipped West Nashville owner-coach Boyd X. Biggs when asked if he thought the Black Dogs were a dynasty.

“As Snoop said, they’re like gangstas rolling through kindergarten,” 12th Avenue owner QCurl Sharif offered. “I’d have to rank them up there with the Steelers, the Niners, and the Cowboys — they’re starting to breathe rarified air. The rest of the league is going have to start walking toward the light.”

“What is behind us does not matter,” Midtown owner Mojo D said. “We’re looking to 2009 and dynasty being spelled die-nasty.”

Fidalgo Island owner Tarik Obobber, whose team has the second best, regular-season record (36-20) over the past four seasons, said, “I’m not interested in history. We’re taking it next year. We’re 3-0 with Warren Sapp and I expect the win streak to continue into 2009.”

One owner, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said the Black Dogs reminded him a lot of the New England Patriots. “They’ve got an arrogant coach, a high-flying offense, plus, they’re a bunch of cheaters.” When pressed on the specifics of how the Dogs were cheating, he would only add, “Jorge knows.”

For his part, McMizzle refused to join the dynasty discussion, insisting the Black Dogs take it “one game at a time.” He went on to say, “On Jan. 2, we’re going to get back to work and we're going to keep working right up to the opening kickoff of the 2009 season on Sept. 3 at the Smack Dome in Atlanta. And then, on that night, we will begin a vigorous defense of our title because we have every intention of being the first team to put together back-to-back championship seasons.”