Phin's Win!

Phin's Win!

CHOWDER BOWL MVP >

Fred Taylor scored 28 points for the Chowder Bowl champion Bangor Dolphins. Taylor rushed for an astounding 194 yards, added another 30 yards receiving and scored a touchdown.

CHOWDER BOWL XIV

The 2003 Chowder Bowl came down to two brothers as the Bangor Dolphins (Lou Davis) and the SHARK (Hugh Davis) squared off. The Dolphins were up for the task at hand scoring a 90 to 55 win over the SHARK. The SHARK just ran out of gas after a nice four week run to the championship game, which started during the final two weeks of the regular season. The Dolphins playoff run started in week one of the playoffs and kept right on going. SHARK team owner Hugh Davis said in a post game interview that fantasy football scoring runs in streaks. You can count on your top players getting hot for two or three weeks. But when teams start keying on them, the ball gets placed in the hands of secondary players. But, all you can do is play the odds and hope for the best. Because you can’t bench your blue chip players even though you know that they will likely get shut down for two to three weeks, he said. That is precisely what happened in week 16 to the strong air attack of the SHARK. QB Trent Green, and WR’s Marvin Harrison, Santana Moss, and Jimmy Smith were all shut down.

The Dolphins on the other hand had a great Chowder Bowl week with MVP Fred Taylor leading the way with 28 points. WR Joe Horn was double teamed all day and completely shut down after his week 15 cell phone outburst. But Hines Ward filled the void nicely with an 18-point day that included 94 yards receiving, 32 rushing, and a touchdown. But, what sticks out in this reporters mind, is the Bangor defense. The New England Patriots have been getting it done all season and to date lead the PSFFL in D/ST scoring. But what stands out is a bit of irony, because the Patriots get by with a group of players that play well as a unit. No one player is greater than the sum of the parts. They survive on will, good chemistry, and the right game plan every week. Just like the Bangor Dolphins have been doing all year. There aren’t any super stars here, though one could argue that McNabb and Fred Taylor meet the criteria. It’s true, that they can put up super star numbers, but not in the likes of a Priest Holmes, Payton Manning, Torry Holt, Jamal Lewis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ahman Green, Marshal Faulk, Randy Moss or Marvin Harrison. Although The Dolphins consistently defeated teams that feature top fantasy players all season. None of the Dolphins players broke into the top 5 in scoring this season at any position. With the exception of the Patriots ST/D, the team that is their mirror image with their hardhat and lunch box style. Bangor owner Lou Davis said that he feels good about sticking with the players that he drafted the entire season. He said that it wasn’t easy at times and that the season looked bleak when the team skidded into a three game losing streak at crunch time. He also stated that he is proud of the fact that his team was able to defeat the leagues top ranked team (Untouchables) twice, split with the defending champion Steelheads, and finish the season with a win over the six time Chowder Bowl champion SHARK for the second time this year, earning himself right to hoist the cup in 2003.

To sum it up, the Dolphins were my pick out of the gate to win it all. They got the job done as a team, rather than with individual efforts. They did not count on super star efforts; it was someone different each week that rose to the occasion. Collectively, they managed to conquer the PSFFL playoff run. Capturing the cup and the right to say, that in 2003, they were the top team overall, finding a way to land a playoff spot, and capitalizing on the opportunity by going 3-0 in the playoffs. All with the players they drafted at the start of the season.

Stay tuned,

Chug Brewski

Reporter at large