The Relentless Army

The fantasy football season has come to an end for the 2008 season.  Whether or not you shined to become the victor in your league or if you quit 3 weeks in, you’re probably ready to give it a rest for a while.  But there was a team in this area that came back from almost impossible odds and shocked even the most inspired sports reporters in this city.

This team came from NewsChannel Ocho’s very own fantasy football league, with the managerial expertise of our Assignment Editor Adam Hatfield.  His team, Adam’s Army, started off the season a little rough.  In fact, 6 weeks rough.  With a strong team, lead by Tony Romo, Adam’s Army could not catch a break.  There were a few close games, but the luck was definitely not in his favor as Week 6 ended, showing an 0-6 record for Mr. Hatfield.

Dead last in the league, 14th place, Adam faced season defeat by being one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs.  His Week 7 performance seemed to be a repeat of the first 6 weeks of the season.  However, his opponent suffered an even greater woe that week, scoring only 50 points to Adam’s 57.  At that point, Tony Romo and his crew saw a light leading them to hope of a respectable season.

Week 8 came with more hope from his kicker, Shaun Suisham of Washington, who scored 13 points to help secure his 2nd victory of the season.  From that point on, there was no looking back for Adam’s Army.  His team avatar, relatively coined as Tony Romo failure to place a snap in the 2006 NFC Championship game versus Seattle, described what Adam’s Army once was.  But just like Tony Romo, he does not give up, even when the season is close to over. However in that picture, Romo’s season was over, but for the point of dramatic suspense, let’s say it was for motivation.

The Army marched on, winning match after match, with higher point totals and victory spreads greater than most in the league.  But trouble was in the air.  With one week remaining, Adam’s Army matched up against the #1 team in the league, who had an 11-1 record.  DeAngelo Williams was Adam’s key player, having scored 20 points or more in the previous 3 weeks.  And sure enough, Williams did not let down, tacking on 32 points for the Army and securing a 104-85 victory, just inching him into one of the 6 playoff spots.

The incredible run had happened, an 0-6 team won 7 straight to make the final playoff spot.  However, the Army was just gaining strength.  In the 1st round of the playoffs, Adam rolled to an easy victory to move into the next round.  But standing in his way was that #1 ranked team who played him in the final game of the regular season.  But if Adam was to learn anything from his past, it was not to give up on quarterback Tony Romo.  Towards the end of the Cowboys game versus the Giants that week, Romo threw a pass to add one more point to his fantasy totals.  That one point ended up being the deciding factor as Adam’s Army took his 8 game winning streak and extended it to 9 with an 89-88 victory. This put him in the championship game!

It would almost seem surreal if Adam’s Army would fall short in the championship game, just like Tony Romo in the Army’s avatar.  But all was not to be forgotten, as Adam’s Army scored his second highest point total of the season, in care of DeAngelo Williams’ 4 touchdown runs, to win the league championship 111-90.

Adam’s Army had taken his team from 0-6 to league champion.  Some may call this luck, but I call it The Relentless Army.