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| Calvin Johnson and his new 12th Avenue Bakers teammates are flexing their muscles on the brink of the 2014 NFFA playoffs. |
By R.E. Porter
Associated Web Press
That sound you heard coming from the 12 South area late Sunday evening was Baker nation letting out a collective sigh of relief as their beloved 12th Avenue squad clinched the final berth in the 2014 NFFA championship playoffs.
The Baker's win over West Nashville ended a four-year playoff drought during which the team posted an overall regular-season record of 15-41. But that's old news according to East Nashville coach Jim McMahon. "The Bakers are scary now," he said at his weekly media circus this morning.
McMahon's 10-3 Black Dogs team was a beneficiary of the Bakers' win — with the Beelzebubbas' loss, the Dogs clinched their ninth division title in the 10 years McMahon has been at the team's helm.
What has made the 7-6 Bakers scary is the blockbuster trade the team pulled off with Fidalgo Island literally minutes before the trading period deadline, a deal that sent running back Justin Forsett and wide receiver Calvin Johnson to the Bakes, much-needed weapons to complement quarterback Peyton He-Hate-Me. In their first game wearing Bakers blue, they not only combined for 38.9 points, their presence seemed to inspire the entire team, as several other players registered season highs, most notably wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins with 35.8 points.
The Bakers will be making the third playoff appearance in the franchise's 13-year history, joining the Black Dogs, the 8-5 Beelzebubbas and the 10-3 Downtown Corsairs, champions of the Linardo division for the second straight season, in the chase for the 2014 NFFA crown. Longtime league observers feel this is the Bakers best chance ever to claim their first NFFA championship and the coveted Dead Lombardi trophy.
Although seeding is not yet final, we do know the Black Dogs and Corsairs will have the top two seeds while the Bakers and Beelzebubbas will have the third and fourth seeds. If the Dogs and Corsairs win this weekend, they both will finish with identical 11-3 records, but the Corsairs will likely grab the No. 1 seed by winning the second tiebreaker, total regular-season points. The Beelzebubbas face the Black Dogs this week, and a win by the 'Bubbas will give them the No. 3 seed, regardless if the Bakers win in their contest against the Cambridge Animals. If the Bakers win and the 'Bubbas lose, both teams will finish with identical 8-6 records, and it will come down to the points tiebreaker, which currently slightly favors West Nashville.
Meanwhile, the results this weekend for the league's four other teams will determine the draft order for the first four picks in the 2015 NFFA draft. Unless the 3-11 Fidalgo Island Sea Hogs can knock off the Corsairs in their finalé, and the 4-10 Village Green lose to the Smack Daddies, the Sea Hogs will finish with the league's worst record and claim the first pick in next year's draft. Even if that happens, the Hogs would have to outpoint the Green by more than 50 points on the final weekend for the Green to get the first pick. The 5-8 Daddies and the 5-8 Animals are vying for the third and fourth picks. If one of those teams wins and the other loses, the loser will have the third pick next year and the winner will have the fourth. If they both win or they both lose, the points tiebreaker will come into play, and that favors the Animals.
The remaining draft picks will be determined by the results of the championship playoffs.
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