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**REGULAR SEASON** **MFLA 2001 PLAYOFFS** AFC Conference Playoffs NFC Conference Playoffs AFC Conference Championship NFC Conference Championship MFLA SUPER BOWL III
MFLA AFC Wild-Card Offensive MFLA AFC Wild-Card Defensive 2 Interceptions MFLA NFC Wild-Card Offensive 3 receptions, 15 Yards Receiving, 3 Touchdowns MFLA NFC Wild-Card Defensive 1 Sack, 1 Interception 3rd Annual L.A. Tourney Of Champions
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MFLA 2001 PLAYOFFS Tennessee 51, Oakland 45
McNair throws for an unofficial playoff record 696 Yards, 6 TDs, to lead Tennessee to victory HB Eddie George has 6 receptions for 220 yards, 1 TD, to help Titans overcome 19-point Halftime deficit |
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April 28, 2001 - Los Angeles So far this season, MFLA Tennessee Titans coach Eric "Skew" Askew has been "The Rematch King." For the third time this season, Skew's MFLA Titans have avenged a loss they suffered earlier in the season. In Week Six of the Regular Season, Fred "King Mur" Castillo's MFLA Denver Broncos defeated the Titans 59-7, only to see Skew's Titans defeat the Broncos 36-34 in Week Thirteen; In Week Seven, Jeremy "Jerm Dog" Gardner's MFLA Jacksonville Jaguars crushed Skew's Titans 46-14, only to have Skew's Titans rebound with a 17-11 victory over the Jaguars in Week Seventeen; And now, Skew's Titans once again gained a measure of payback. The MFLA Oakland Raiders, coached by Oscar Torres, had defeated Skew's Titans 47-28 during Week Three competition. But just like last season, when Skew's 2000 MFLA Atlanta Falcons knocked off the more favored 2000 MFLA Rams in the NFC Wild-Card Elimination Round, 28-25, Skew worked his magic again for a mild upset. It's a shame that The MFLA does not document "official" playoff records, because Skew's Titans sure did break some. His Titans had 739 Yards in Total Offense, with QB Steve McNair throwing for an "unofficial" playoff record 696 yards and six touchdowns, and Free Agent WR Randy Moss catching eleven passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns. Dependable HB Eddie George had six receptions for 220 yards and one touchdown. What a day for the Titans. In the 1st Quarter, there really wasn't that much scoring compared to the later quarters. Torres' Raiders squad drew first blood when his offense, led by QB Rich Gannon, went downfield in a few plays, and Gannon connected with TE Rickey Dudley on a 10-yard strike. After the extra point attempt was successful by Kicker Sebastian Janikowski, the Raiders led 7-0. Skew's Titans answered back, and McNair quickly found Moss on a 42-yard catch-and-run play. Moss' speed was too much for the Oakland defenders, and after a PAT by Kicker Al Del Greco, the score was tied at 7-7. On Oakland's next drive, Gannon found himself in trouble, and was eventually sacked in the endzone by Titans LB Eddie Robinson. The score at the end of one was 9-7 in favor of the Titans. Oakland's offense exploded in the 2nd Quarter, thanks to a few helpful errant passes by McNair. McNair, despite his impressive numbers, was intercepted six times in the game, and at least half of them were in the 2nd Quarter. The Raiders' first scoring drive in the quarter was concluded when Gannon found Dudley open for a 14-yard touchdown reception. Janikowski's PAT made it 14-9 in favor of the Raiders. Next, after an interception by Oakland, the Gannon-to-Dudley connection was back to work. This time, it was a 9-yard |
reception in the endzone by Dudley that extended Oakland's lead. Janikowski's kick made it 21-9. And finally, after the Titans turned the ball over again, Oakland took advantage of it for another successful scoring drive before the Halftime break. HB Napolean Kaufman, who had 87 yards rushing for the game, scored on a 14-yard run into the endzone. After another successful extra point attempt by Janikowski, the Raiders went into Halftime with a commanding 28-9 lead. The theme of the 3rd Quarter could have been aptly called "Remember The Titans." McNair, known all season for both his passing and running, scored early in the quarter on a 24-yard scamper into the endzone. After a Del Greco kick, Oakland's lead was cut to 28-16. Then, after a much needed defensive stop by the Titans defense, the McNair-to-Moss connection decided to give the Gannon-to-Dudley connection a run for their money. First, McNair hit Moss on another 42-yard touchdown pass. Del Greco's kick made it 28-23 in favor of the Raiders; Next, after Oakland turned the ball over, Moss scored again, this time on a 24-yard pass from McNair. The Titans now had the lead at 30-28. Kaufman got loose on the next drive to help the Raiders regain the lead. Another 14-yard run on his behalf, coupled with another Janikowski PAT, made it 35-30 in favor of Oakland. Titans WR Kevin Dyson got in on the McNair touchdown derby by catching a 37-yard pass from McNair before the quarter ended. Del Greco's PAT made it 37-35, giving the Titans the lead back. In the Fourth and final quarter, Oakland reclaimed the lead on a 41-yard field goal by Janikowski. The Raiders now led 38-37. Titans HB Eddie George, who averaged 37 yards per catch in the contest, scored next on an 87-yard catch-and-run touchdown reception from a McNair pass. Del Greco's successful extra point attempt made the score of this back-and-forth battle 44-38 in favor of the Titans. After a crucial stop by Tennessee, the Titans got the ball back, and it was the McNair-to-Moss connnection that provided the decisive, winning points of the game. This time, McNair hit an open Moss on an 18-yard pass play in the endzone. Del Greco's kick made it 51-38 with only a couple of minutes remaining. Oakland was able to get on the scoreboard one more time when Kaufman scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, but the Titans held on to win. Next up for Skew's Titans is Kevin "K-Ham" Ham's MFLA New England Patriots, a team that defeated the Titans 52-6 (Week Ten) and 44-14 (Week Sixteen). Oscar Torres' Raiders end their season with a record of 7-10.
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MFLA 2001 PLAYOFFS Baltimore 57, Tampa Bay 26
QB Manning throws for 480 yards, 6 TDs, to lead the Ravens into the Conference Playoffs WR Jermaine Lewis scores three early touchdowns, and WR Quadry Ismail has 188 yards receiving, 1 TD |
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April 28, 2001 - Los Angeles Given the high scoring numbers that teams like New England, Green Bay, Denver, and St. Louis have put up this season, it's easy to overlook the potency of the MFLA Baltimore Ravens' offense. The Ravens finished #1 in Total Offense, and Passing Offense, and I think Brian Smith's MFLA Tampa Bay Buccaneers realize now just how explosive their offense can be. The Ravens scored a season-high 57 points in their 57-26 victory over Smith's Bucs in the NFC Wild-Card Elimination Round contest. Tim "Bigg Badd Bevv" Beverly is the Coach of the Ravens, and he knows he doesn't have the greatest team in terms of man-for-man talent. "I do the best with what I have." said Beverly prior to the playoffs. This was the NFC South "rubber match," given that Smith's Buccaneers won the first meeting between the two teams, 30-27, during Week Eight competition, and Bevv's Ravens had recently won the Regular Season rematch, 35-10, during Week Seventeen. "The key was, I didn't want to allow Smith's team to 'hang around' until the last few minutes of the 4th Quarter, like they did in Week Eight." said Beverly. "I wanted to put it away early." And put it away early they did. In the opening quarter, Bevv's Ravens got things going when Free Agent QB Peyton Manning led his offensive teammates on a nice, successful scoring drive. The drive was concluded when Manning found ace WR Jermaine Lewis open for a 10-yard touchdown reception in the endzone. A successful extra point attempt by Matt Stover made it 7-0 in favor of the Ravens. Tampa Bay answered back on their next drive. Led by Free Agent QB Donovan McNabb, who threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for another 70 yards in the contest, the Buccaneers went downfield, but the Ravens talented defense forced Smith's team to settle for a Martin Gramatica field goal. Gramatica's 45-yard field goal cut the Ravens' lead to 7-3. Before the quarter ended though, Lewis got loose again for a short touchdown reception, this one a 4-yard pass from Manning. Stover's PAT made it 14-3 in favor of Baltimore at the end of one. In the 2nd Quarter, Tampa Bay outscored Baltimore, but not by much. Another Gramatica field goal, this one a 22-yarder, cut the Ravens' lead to 14-6 early in the quarter. After a defensive stop by the Bucs, McNabb found WR Jacquez Green open for 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Smith decided to go for a two-point conversion, but his attempt |
failed, so the score was now 14-12 in favor of Baltimore. Again, it was ultimately the early chemistry between Manning and Lewis that did the Bucs in. After another successful drive by Baltimore, Lewis put the frosting on the cake before Halftime with another short touchdown reception from Manning. Manning's one-yard strike, and Stover's PAT, put the Ravens up 21-12 going into Halftime. In the 3rd Quarter, Bevv's Ravens simply extended the lead that they built up in the First Half. After another controlled drive by the Baltimore offense, a 2-yard run by HB Jamal Lewis, and another Stover PAT, increased the Ravens' lead to 28-12. McNabb and the Bucs offense tried to come back though, with McNabb hitting WR Keyshawn Johnson on a nice 85-yard touchdown pass play, but again, Smith's desire for a successful two-point conversion was foiled. The score was now 28-18 in favor of the Ravens. The Ravens' #1 ranked offense showed that it can too execute long pass plays for touchdowns. Manning hit Ace Receiver Ed McCaffrey on a beautiful 57-yard touchdown pass play. Stover's kick gave Baltimore a commanding 35-18 lead heading into the 4th Quarter. In the final quarter, Baltimore wasn't finished. The Ravens scored on three consecutive drives in the 4th Quarter. First, Manning hit favorite TE Shannon Sharpe on a 40-yard touchdown pass early in the quarter. Stover's kick made the score 42-18. Then after some key Baltimore defensive stops, Stover ended having a pair of field goals: one, a 33-yarder, and another, a 22-yarder. After Stover's field goals, the score was now a very decisive 48-18 in favor of the Ravens. Smith's Bucs tried to make the game respectable when McNabb hit Johnson on a 46-yard touchdown pass play, and this time, the two-point conversion attempt was good. The score was now 48-26. A 28-yard Stover field goal, and a 41-yard touchdown reception by WR Quadry Ismail from Manning, closed out the scoring. Next up for Bevv's Ravens is Jason Lewis and his Defending Super Bowl Champion MFLA Green Bay Packers, a team they lost to 45-21 (Week Six) and 42-28 (Week Thirteen). Brian Smith and his MFLA Buccaneers retire with a 5-12 record.
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