Futilely Fervent Flaccoists,
Let Commish paint the scene for you...
Late December 2016. It's Week 16 and the hapless Browns are 0-14. They're home, facing a middling AFC squad who's shown some life of late. Some life is far more than the 2016 Browns had showed since September. The other squad has a questionably elite quarterback. The Browns have... the ghost of RGIII? Game over... presumably.
Fast forward a year and the middling-but-showing-life-of-late Ravens are traveling to face the 0-for-forever hapless Browns. With questionably elite Flacco at the helm and Kizer tossing up ducks on the other side, it's game over... presumably.
Five of our final seven BFIGers are on Baltimore. If this game defies last year's Chargers-Browns result, we may well see a Week 17 showdown for the season nine title belt.
If it sticks to the 2016 script, we may well crown a champion today.
WEEK 15 PICKS AND FAST FACTS
Your group pages show you picks for just that group
Your friends' BFIG picks >>
Your friends' Second Chance picks >>
Your friends' BRANDO!!! picks >>
FAST FACTS:
- The two BFIGers who didn't choose Baltimore COULD have chosen the Ravens
- @jenniferham and @teachoutryan both went Panthers-Vikings in what has to be a Packers-fan-still-alive-in-BFIG dream scenario
- We're getting down to "who the hell do I pick?" territory in BFIG, with this week's picks being Nos. 20 and 21 on the year
- The top answer was Denver, with three people riding a team that'd gone 1-8 in its last nine games
- All three who won with Denver on Thursday are also on Baltimore today
- @footballnovice still has the Patriots available, meaning if she survives her Vikings-Ravens picks today, she remains the favorite to be our champ
- BRANDO had (gasp) just 21 picks after two straight weeks of picking all 32 teams
- Two brave, bold, and beautiful souls picked the Packers in BRANDO
- Hi, Aaron. YOU DO YOU, MAN
WEEK 15 AWARDS
"You've Got Moxie, Kid" Award
Slingin' a huge Moxie drumstick at @K_Wyatt for putting his BRANDO life at stake with the Browns, Colts, and Niners. Yes, you read that right. Yes, he did survive to this point. You are my BRANDO hero, @K_Wyatt!
Commish Communication Award
@jenniferham22 (Panthers, Vikings): "Hey Commish, this was suppose to be fun. I was not suppose to be charged a fee on my tab at Buffalo Wild Wings for the staff having to use the defribrillater to get me off the flat line. I swear if I have a Heart Attack without winning its FU to U and the BLL you consume. :) Two overtime games with one in a F'ing blizzard. To my count that was the 5th game in which I picked a team that won in O.T. Its the 4th quarter really doesn't matter who anyone has left so stop trying to figure it out. It was evident with NE going down to the Dolphins. Cleveland almost landed me in the emergency room. They are trying to send a message and I hear them loud and clear (AS MY HUSBAND PUTS MY SHADES ON) since he lost in week 8. They are not going without a win this season. They should of beat the Packers and thank God they did not cause I would be out. Mostly everyone who has the Ravens left are going to take that game against Cleveland cause well its Cleveland and its a big spread. I too have the Ravens and could go that route, but I AM NOT!! Its time to go against the grain and end this once and for all. Its PANTHERS/VIKINGS for the "W" AND after I win by calling it like this. ITS time for you to MAN up and stop drinking BLL or what we call piss beer and get you up with the times with a nice IPA. Special Batch 512 IPA will erase the BLL mind f*ckin that some how took place in your yester-years/Frat House. OK BROSKI that's how its done in H-TOWN...BAM! AUDIBLE AUDIBLE KILL KILL ROGERS playing cant take anymore. Changing to Ravens and hoping Cleveland does not get the win until next week. Double Audible KILL KILL..I could not live with myself for changing my original picks. I had a moment where I let Aaron Rogers scare the skit out of me. After second thought, I need to stick with the plan that got me here. Soo gonna stick with the home team theme and stick with my original picks Panthers/Vikings..."
Commish says: Two OT wins in one week! Five overtime wins overall!! FU to U!!! BROSKI!!!!!!!
"I Could Sell You Bengals Tickets" Award
@RotoJeff (Lions, Vikings - Second Chance): "I could be screwing myself by not "saving" the Vikings, but ... I'm a Bengals fan and I couldn't be any more negative on them than I am now. Plus, the field has been culled enough that saving is a sub-optimal exercise anyhow. I went with DET over BAL for the second pick, mostly to go away from the crowd. 17/21 have BAL available, 4/21 have DET available. Let's go get the Browns their first win!"
Commish says: It's Week 15, and this guy is over here saying "culled enough that saving is a sub-optimal exercise." Can we get Jeff some BLL? MOAR BLL FOR JEFF. (You da man, Jeff.)
MORE PICK COMMENTS
@Swami_Sez (Broncos, Ravens - BFIG): "I think this is typical for when there are only 7 people left and it's week 15. I find myself changing my picks within the last hours of the deadline. I DONT TRUST ANYONE ANYMORE! "
Commish says: "Typical," like you've been here before Swami. Maybe you've buttfumbled before, but not this.
@Rwhoven (Broncos, Ravens - BFIG): "As a die-hard Packers fan, I don’t know what is better. Dominating the Browns (cough,cough) to make it past last week. The Vikings (hopefully getting home field throughout the playoffs, making it to the Super Bowl @ Home, being the away team and somehow getting beat in a ridiculous manner) getting throttled by Carolina. The game that the patriots just played to get me a guaranteed $1,000. Aaron coming back to get everyone to “Relax”. The weather in Minnesota. Lastly, having confidence that I can hold on another 2 weeks with the “red headed step children” of teams I have left. "
Commish says: I was hoping this was the case! If I'd have told you before the season that you'd be one of seven left, and two of your opponents would be picking BOTH the Vikings and the team playing the Packers, you'd... well you'd have died so it's probably best I didn't do that. COMMISH ALWAYS DOES THE RIGHT THING!
@mbuzz93 (Broncos, Ravens - BFIG): "I had my doubts but last week proved that The Browns are The Browns and they will continue to do Brownsy things. The Dolphins beat the Pats but they have Tyrod coming back in Buffalo so I don’t want any part of that game. Which leaves the Broncos to take the Peyton Bowl in Indy. Defense wins championships! "
Commish says: The Peyton Bowl, featuring Trevor Siemian, Jacoby Brissett, and BROCKWEILER!!!
@footballnovice (Ravens, Vikings - BFIG): "Oh Commish... I truly joined this game for the fun of it... WHO KNEW I COULD BE GOOD AT THIS??? (Just kidding, you know.) However, being the "Football Novice", I guess I just have to believe in beginners' luck... or, on second thought, maybe I really am good at this?"
Commish says: Oh, I see how it is. You reach Week 15 and all of a sudden you're like, "OH HEY YOU SEE HOW GOOD I AM?" Easy, @footballnovice. EASY.
@aztec4life (Ravens, Vikings, Saints - BRANDO): "Holy s#!t how am I still in this?"
Commish says: YES
@mwilliams7018 (Jaguars, Vikings, Seahawks - BRANDO): "Here we go!!!!! Going to have multiple beers & none of them will be Bud Light Lime!"
Commish says: NO
@PunchyMcSkeletor (Panthers, Saints, Falcons - BRANDO): "What am I doing here?"
Commish says: YES
@dgsaites (Ravens, Vikings, Saints - BRANDO): "Brando haiku pt2 Commish I'm baffled But Aaron Rodgers is back NFC will pay"
Commish says: YES!!! (That's all for this week, everyone. Good luck!)