2017 Phoenix Uprising

Team: Phoenix Uprising
Owner: Kevin Grimes
2017 Synopsis: Oops, I did it again... for the fourth time in eight years

Final Roster:
QB: Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins
RB: Adrian Peterson, Kenyan Drake, Samaje Perine, Ameer Abdullah, Jamaal Williams, Kerwynn Williams
WR: Brandin Cooks, Dez Bryant, Amari Cooper, Davante Parker, Josh Gordon, Dede Westbrook, Jordan Matthews
TE: Jimmy Graham, Coby Fleener, Ricky Seals-Jones
DL: Khalil Mack, Jason Pierre-Paul, Michael Brockers
LB: Ryan Shazier, Navorro Bowman, Deone Bucannon, Preston Brown, Lawrence Timmons, Derrick Johnson
CB: Jalen Ramsey, Marcus Peters, Xavier Rhodes, Desmond Trufant, Stephon Gilmore
SS: Reshad Jones, Keanu Neal, Kenny Vaccaro, Kam Chancellor
PK: Chris Boswell

Trades:

Season Analysis:
After a pair of bad losses and a heart breaker to Pawnee in week three, the 0-3 Uprising's ambition to extend their streak of medal stand appearances to eight years running seemed imperiled. Instead, Phoenix won eleven of twelve en route to the team's fourth Larkspur Bowl title, their first since 2013. Twice the runner up in the intervening years, the Uprising were dominant through the middle weeks, and despite some November toil were able to clinch the two seed and a bye, never dropping below 182 points. Catching their second wind, the team ousted the surging Savannah Petes and then outlasted a HCM team that was coming off some overwhelming production; Over the course of the season Phoenix's roster saw significant changes, with their 99 moves pacing the league. The team saw an incredible nine different QBs take snaps over the course of fifteen games: Andy Dalton, Alex Smith, Carson Palmer, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers, and Nick Foles all having a turn. You know what? It worked.

TOTW Awards:

• WK1 DL K MACK (13.5)
• WK1 CB T JOHNSON (26.95)
• WK4 DL K MACK (25.5)
• WK4 LB R SHAZIER (33.6)
• WK5 QB D WATSON (37.04)
• WK5 CB J RAMSEY (29.25)
• WK5 S R JONES (28.9)
• WK7 WR A COOPER (46.2)
• WK8 CB M PETERS (27.7)
• WK10 TE J GRAHAM (18.3)
• WK11 TE J GRAHAM (18.8)
• WK12 S R JONES (25.7)
• WK15 CB M PETERS (32.2)
• WK16 S R JONES (26.5)

Playoff Breakdown:

Power Rankings:

All-Larkspur Team:

• S RESHAD JONES (216.85 pts)

2017 HCM City Lead Farmers

Team: HCM City Lead Farmers
Owner: Pete Persampieri
2017 Synopsis: The culmination of several seasons of progress stalls out at silver

Final Roster:
QB: Dak Prescott, Josh McCown
RB: Leveon Bell, Lamar Miller, Buck Allen, Chris Ivory, Peyton Barber
WR: Tyreek Hill, Golden Tate, Desean Jackson, Danny Amendola, Chris Godwin, Malcolm Mitchell
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Jason Witten, Ben Watson
DL: Melvin Ingram, Deforest Buckner, Chris Jones
LB: Alec Ogletree, Wesley Woodyard, Christian Kirksey, Terrell Suggs, Mason Foster
CB: Kyle Fuller, Demarious Randall, Marcus Cooper, Rashard Robinson, Malcolm Butler
SS: Malcolm Jenkins, Sean Davis, Tavon Wilson
PK: Matt Prater

Trades:
NONE

Season Analysis:
For three years in a row, the Lead Farmers have scored well enough to be a playoff team, finishing 6th in overall points each time- but the record has lagged behind. Armed with the top overall pick (Le'Veon Bell) HCM put together a stellar roster through the draft and got off to a 5-1 start. There were a couple of hiccups in the second half of the year, as the team hit a lull (scoring 40 points under their average in back to back game wk 7 & 8) but got it back together down the stretch, dropping 243 in wk 13 and 262 in wk 14 to eliminate NYF, before scoring 'only' 215 (sans Gronk) to drop top seeded Deputy. Favored headed into Larkspur Bowl IX, HCM was let down by QB Dak Prescott who scored a -.16 as well as defensive captain Melvin Ingram who scratched out 2 points. A disappointing end in a game that was within reach- but still an incredibly successful season for the Lead Farmers, who finally cross the threshold and enter the promised land. They'll have to do it next year from a vastly inferior draft slot, but don't bet against them again.

TOTW Awards:

• WK2 TE R GRONKOWSKI (25.1)
• WK3 TE R GRONKOWSKI (27.4)
• WK5 DL M INGRAM (25)
• WK6 TE R GRONKOWSKI (24.5)
• WK7 QB D PRESCOTT (34.18)
• WK7 CB M BUTLER (15)
• WK13 RB L BELL (31.6)
• WK13 WR T HILL (43.3)
• WK13 CB K FULLER (23)
• WK14 RB L BELL (36.7)
• WK14 S S DAVIS (30.75)
• WK15 RB L BELL (29.4)
• WK16 RB L BELL (20.4)

Playoff Breakdown:

Power Rankings:

All-Larkspur Team:

• RB LE'VEON BELL (357.2 pts)
• WR TYREEK HILL (252.6 pts)
• TE ROB GRONKOWSKI (220.5 pts)

2017 Savannah Petes

Team: Savannah Petes
Owner: Steve Grimes
2017 Synopsis: Almost good enough for gold, they'll settle for a franchise best bronze

Final Roster:
QB: Alex Smith, Eli Manning
RB: Christian Mccaffrey, Frank Gore, Joe Mixon, Lagarrette Blount, Shane Vereen
WR: Julio Jones, Alshon Jeffery, Robert Woods, Tyrell Williams, Mike Wallace, Jaron Brown, Breshad Perriman
TE: Eric Ebron, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins
DL: Aaron Donald, Jerry Hughes, Michael Johnson
LB: Luke Kuechly, Von Miller, Bernardrick McKinney, Tahir Whitehead, Clay Matthews
CB: Darius Slay, Casey Hayward, Janoris Jenkins, Aqib Talib
SS: Harrison Smith, Tyrann Mathieu, Jeff Heath
PK: Justin Tucker

Trades:

Season Analysis:
After a failure to launch in week one, the Petes banged out four straight wins despite uneven efforts. They lost the next two, but then rounded into form, steadily building into a formidable force. Their fourth loss of the season was to top seed Deputy by only a three point margin. The next week they put up 262 on LTP, the second best score of the year. With their roster in great shape, they outlasted Binghamton in the first round, winning a low scoring matchup and then heading to Phoenix for the semifinal. There, they came within ten points of their first Larkspur Bowl appearance- but that was it. In the third place game they dropped Deputy with a championship caliber performance, the best of week 16. It was a great season for the Savannah squad, and one they'll have to replicate in 2018 drafting of their own accord from the 11th spot.

TOTW Awards:

• WK2 CB A TALIB (28.65)
• WK3 CB D SLAY (31.1)
• WK3 S H SMITH (19.6)
• WK4 QB E MANNING (29.42)
• WK4 S T MATHIEU (27)
• WK6 CB J JENKINS (28.65)
• WK6 S H SMITH (25.95)
• WK10 WR R WOODS (38.3)
• WK10 CB D SLAY (22.5)
• WK12 WR J JONES (55.5)
• WK13 QB A SMITH (43.54)
• WK13 K J TUCKER (17.5)
• WK14 RB F GORE (20.5)
• WK14 CB D SLAY (23.1)
• WK15 RB C McCAFFREY (26.5)
• WK16 S H SMITH (31.85)

Playoff Breakdown:

Power Rankings:

All-Larkspur Team:

• CB DARIUS SLAY (203.15 pts)

2017 Deputy Van Halens

Team: Deputy Van Halens
Owner: Ajay Patel
2017 Synopsis: Dominant season that ran out of steam approaching the finish line

Final Roster:
QB: Jared Goff, Brett Hundley
RB: Zeke Elliot, Carlos Hyde, Mike Davis, Alfred Morris, Matt Berida, Corey Clement
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Doug Baldwin, Michael Crabtree, Marqise Lee, Deonte Thompson, Albert Wilson, Terrance Williams
TE: Jack Doyle, Marcedes Lewis, Ryan Griffin
DL: Jadeveon Clowney, Jurrell Casey, Alex Okafor
LB: CJ Mosley, KJ Wright, Craig Robertson, Nick Vigil, AJ Klein
CB: Trae Waynes, Quandre Diggs, Ryan Smith, Bash Breeland, Trevor Williams, Tramon Williams
SS: Kevin Byard, TJ McDonald, Bradley McDougals, Eric Reid
PK: Robbie Gould

Trades:

Season Analysis:
The Van Halens went wire to wire as the regular season's best team, winning ten of their first eleven games and scoring in the league's top half in all but two games. The spectre of an Ezekiel Elliot suspension hung over the squad from the moment they traded for him, but ultimately it had almost no impact on their season: After clinching a playoff bye the team lost its final two (meaningless) games, and then there was only one left to toll following the bye. While his presence might have made a difference in their semifinal loss to HCM, it would have taken a 40 point effort from Zeke to change the outcome. Another respectable loss to Savannah in the bronze medal game meant Deputy lost their final four games (despite scoring 194, 189, and 205 in the last three) which fits thematically, wearing down with stalwart Jadeveon Clowney. This was a great team that lacked the wherewithal to take it all the way to the finish line: a thin receiving corps and some stubborn roster moves (or non moves) left the cupboard just a little too bare when they needed to reach deeper in the post season.

TOTW Awards:

• WK2 WR M CRABTREE (30.5)
• WK2 DL J CLOWNEY (16.45)
• WK3 DL J CLOWNEY (38.1)
• WK7 RB E ELLIOT (45.5)
• WK7 S K BYARD (37)
• WK8 TE J DOYLE (26.9)
• WK9 QB J GOFF (33.04)
• WK9 S K BYARD (26.65)
• WK10 DL J CLOWNEY (16.5)
• WK10 LB K WRIGHT (27)
• WK11 DL J CLOWNEY (21)
• WK15 CB Q DIGGS (22.5)
• WK16 WR L FITZGERALD (26.44)

Playoff Breakdown:

Power Rankings:

All-Larkspur Team:

• LB CJ MOSLEY (247.6 pts)
• S KEVIN BYARD (200.7 pts)

2017 Binghamton Snipers

Team: Binghamton Snipers
Owner: Mark Serokosz
2017 Synopsis: Most potent squad makes legendary comeback before anticlimactic end

Final Roster:
QB: Cam Newton, Blake Bortles
RB: Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Jordan Howard, Dion Lewis, Ty Montgomery
WR: AJ Green, Juju Smith-Schuster, Mohammed Sanu, Josh Doctson, Donte Oncrief, Pierre Garcon, Keelan Cole
TE: Kyle Rudolph, Garett Celek
DL: Calais Campbell, Daniele Hunter, Damon Harrison
LB: Joe Schobert, Danny Trevathan, Vince Williams, Anthony Hitchens, Jamie Collins, Paul Posluszny
CB: Jalen Mills, Terrance Mitchell, Dre Kirkpatrick, Buster Skrine, Rashaan Melvin
SS: Tony Jefferson, Budda Baker, Jahleel Addae, Karl Joseph
PK: Jake Elliot

Trades:

Season Analysis:
No team in the Larkspur Bowl's first eight years was able to crawl out of an 0-4 hole to make the playoffs. But the Binghamton Snipers didn't play those years, and in IX they did just that. Despite mostly competent outings, the Snipers waited a month before breaking into the win column, then reeled off six straight. They led the league in scoring via a litany of shrewd moves, maximizing his bench and utilizing the wire to great effect- epitomized by a 299 point demolition in wk 8. Despite just scraping in as the #6 seed, the Snipers were a team no one in the bracket wanted to face. However, in the opening round of the playoffs Binghamton laid their only egg of the year, benching mid season hero Cam Newton and capitulating in the clutch against Savannah. Though they rebounded the next week to score literally a hundred points better and capture fifth place, they remind everyone weekly variance is fickle and any team is only as good as its worst week. Still, they'll be considered a deft contender headed into their sophomore season, drafting from the 9th spot in the order.

TOTW Awards:

• WK3 K M PRATER (19.5)
• WK8 DL C DUNLAP (27.3)
• WK8 LB J SCHOBERT (28.9)
• WK9 RB A KAMARA (30.1)
• WK10 QB C NEWTON (40.76)
• WK10 RB M INGRAM (32.9)
• WK12 RB A KAMARA (39.1)
• WK13 LB P POSLUSZNY (27.5)
• WK15 DL C CAMPBELL (22.5)

Playoff Breakdown:

Power Rankings:

All-Larkspur Team:
None

2017 New York's Finest

Team: New York's Finest
Owner: Tom Grimes
2017 Synopsis: The team peaked at the right time... it just didn't peak high enough

Final Roster:

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton, Carson Palmer
RB: Todd Gurley, Jonathan Stewart, Doug Martin, Rex Burkhead, Jamaal Charles, Jacquizz Rodgers
WR: Odell Beckham, Devin Funchess, Sammy Watkins, Marquise Goodwin, John Brown, Kenny Britt, Brandon Marshall
TE: Evan Engram, Jared Cook
DL: Everson Griffen, Sheldon Richardson, Fletcher Cox, Jabaal Sheard
LB: Zach Brown, Ryan Kerrigan, Christian Jones, Manti Teo, Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan
CB: Darqueze Dennard, Patrick Robinson, Eli Apple, Dom Rodgers-Cromartie
SS: Landon Collins, Jamal Adams, Tre Boston
PK: Ryan Succop

Trades:

Season Analysis:
The Finest were fortunate to start 2-0, then added two more deserved wins. Then came a roller coaster month where they lost three games and looked like the worst team in football, throwing a dominant win over the Grabbers in week 7. Despite losing Odell Beckham and being left with scraps of a receiving corps, the team rallied around Todd Gurley and their 5-3 record, gelling into a consistent force in the season's back end, building momentum into the playoffs and playing well enough to win the bracket. Unfortunately for them, they ran into the Ho Chi Minh meat grinder in round one, and then took a bounce back effort from Binghamton on the chin. They won when they should have lost and lost when they should have won: All that evens out to a respectable sixth place, their 9-4 record setting them even with Hill Valley for the second most wins in Larkspur Bowl history.

TOTW Awards:

• WK2 K C BOSWELL (16.5)
• WK3 RB T GURLEY (38.4)
• WK4 RB T GURLEY (38.4)
• WK7 DL E GRIFFEN (20)
• WK7 LB Z BROWN (36)
• WK9 TE J COOK (20.9)
• WK9 DL J SHEARD (17)
• WK11 S L COLLINS (30.5)
• WK15 RB T GURLEY (49.3)

Playoff Breakdown:

Power Rankings:

All-Larkspur Team:

• RB TODD GURLEY (401.1 pts)

2017 South Park Cows

Team: South Park Cows
Owner: Mike Hart
2017 Synopsis: When life gives you lemons, win the consolation bracket

Final Roster:
QB: Russell Wilson, Jay Cutler
RB: Jerick McKinnon, Isaiah Crowell, Alex Collins, Dalvin Cook, Rob Kelley, Darren Sproles
WR: Mike Evans, Allen Robinson, Ted Ginn, Nelson Agholor, Cameron Kupp, Zay Jones, Ryan Grant
TE: Austin Hooper, Charles Clay, Jesse James
DL: Cameron Jordan, Cameron Heyward, Ashawn Robsinson
LB: Kwon Alexander, Telvin Smith, Jaylon Smith, Lorenzo Alexander, Jerrell Freeman
CB: Marshon Lattimore, Trumaine Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner, Kareem Jackson
SS: Devin McCourty, Tashaun Gipson, Patrick Chung, Eric Berry
PK: Harrison Butker

Trades:

Season Analysis:
Major injuries (Allen Robinson and Eric Berry) in week one, followed by a three game hole were early adversity, and winning in week four cost them Dalvin Cook. But Russell Wilson, Cameron Jordan, and the rest of the Cows never game up, churning their roster and engineering victories. They never again lost two in a row, and got on quite the roll in the season's closing weeks, clinching a winning record on an overnight stat correction over Pawnee in week 13. But for a reversal going against them in week six, South Park would have been a sneaky six seed- instead, they were on the outside looking in, but capitalized by pounding through the consolation bracket. Armed with the #1 overall pick next year, the Cows will have a great opportunity to make a run and aspire to the heights of 2014-15.

TOTW Awards:

• WK1 CB L JOYNER (28.25)
• WK3 QB R WILSON (35.72)
• WK5 LB T SMITH (34.4)
• WK6 DL C JORDAN (40.5)
• WK8 QB R WILSON (41.18)
• WK9 CB T JOHNSON (17)
• WK11 QB R WILSON (32.72)
• WK12 DL C JORDAN (24)
• WK15 CB M LATTIMORE (23.5)
• WK16 CB M LATTIMORE (26)

Playoff Breakdown:

Power Rankings:

All-Larkspur Team:

• QB RUSSELL WILSON (327.48 pts)
• DL CAMERON JORDAN (209 pts)