Season update — Glenn wins by 2
There is an old saying about streaks that they were meant to be broken. So, too, was Sean's formidable grip on the Surfy trophy, which will be heading back to the Senior Bro's abode for the first time in five years following Sunday's incredible finale to the 2003 Gehlke Bros. Football season.
The Bros. entered Week 17 tied and making plans for a possible postseason playoff if things remained that way at Sunday's end. With an even two splits at stake it was possible that we could have each won a game and invoked our first playoff in over a decade. And for a while Sunday afternoon it looked as if that would be the case.
We staked our fortunes on two games with no NawFuL playoff implications. In the first one, Atlanta jumped out to a 14-point lead on Jacksonville and never relinquished it en route to a 21-14 victory that put one game solidly in Glenn's camp. The other game, between the Jets and the Dolphins, was never that clear cut. Miami squandered a 10-point halftime advantage to fall behind by a point late in the fourth quarter. But then the Dolphins got the ball back and drove down the field for a game-winning field goal as time expired. The 23-21 final sealed Glenn's first season championship since 1998, and only his third in the past 11 years. There was much whooping and leaping about, and it was noted by Ben that his dad still can do a decent somersault. About the only thing missing was the Gatorade shower. It was the first time in the six-year history of this Web site that the Senior Bro has won a majority of the splits in the final week of the season.
Glenn may have won the 17-week "war," but ironically it was Ben who won the final battle, posting a tie-for-season-best 11-5 record while Glenn took second at 10-6. Sean wrapped up third with an 8-8 mark. We all correctly predicted the wins by New England, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Green Bay and Baltimore — all playoff teams, curiously enough. Nobody foresaw winners in Seattle, Cleveland or Detroit.
And in keeping with the statistical theme of this year's competition, here are the year-end stats: For the season (256 games) Glenn finished at 168-88 or 65.6 percent, an improvement from his abysmal 56.6 percent accuracy rating of a year ago. Sean was 166-90 for 64.8 percent, up from last year's 61.9 percent. Ben, despite a valiant effort, could not match his stellar totals from 2002. He was 138-118 for 53.9 percent, off sharply from last year's 61.5 percent accuracy rating. The Bros., Senior and Junior, combined for an incredible 66 splits — 25.8 percent of all games. That is up from 20.3 percent in 2002 and could be close to an all-time high.
Want some more numbers? Of the 17 weeks, Sean compiled the best mark (or tied for it) 10 times. Glenn did so eight times, while Ben was on top just three times. The best week for any of us was 13-3, accomplished by Glenn in Week 12 and again by Sean in Week 15. Ben's best week was 11-5, registered in weeks 14 and 17. He also had the worst week — a 2-12 — in Week 5. Glenn's worst was a 6-8 in Week 7, while Sean was 7-7 in weeks 7 and 10.
SURFY PRESENTATION: Plans are in the works for the trophy exchange sometime in January. Look for a full report sometime around Stupor Bore weekend, Feb. 1. Thanks for a great 2003 and we'll see you in late August.
Total splits: 2
