2019 Net54 Playoff Contest

[vintagetoppsguy]

Happy New Year to all! It’s that time of year for the 2019 Net54 Playoff Contest, but this year we’re going to do it a little differently. In the past, it was mostly for bragging rights, with a couple of our board members gracious enough to donate a trophy and a t-shirt to the winner. This year, we will have a cash prize and an opportunity to help a great charity at the same time. There will be a one-time $10 entry fee per person (not per round). You may play multiple times, it’s $10 per play. 50% of the pot will go to Safe Haven Furever Rescue, 50% will be divided among the winners (probably 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, but it depends on the number of participants).

50% - Safe Haven Furever Rescue
50% - Winners
100% Worth it!

So for example, if we get 100 participants, that's $1000 prize pool. $500 would go to Safe Haven Furever Rescue and the other $500 to the winners.

Here are the rules. You have until 1 hour before kickoff to post your picks. Please post to the thread, no PMs. Once you've made your picks, you are locked in. There are no changing picks. I'm sorry, but I just won't have time to go back through the thread looking for edits. If you make an honest mistake (say you pick the same team twice or fail to pick one of the games), just make a new post and I will see it. Other than that, no editing your picks.

All Wild Card games are worth 1 point
All Conference Semi-Finals are worth 2 points
Conference Finals are worth 3 points each
The Super Bowl is worth 5 points

In case of a tie, the tie-breaker will be the total combined points of the Super Bowl.

I’ve talked to Leon and have his blessing. I’ve ran the playoff contest before, but it was never for money. I want to make this as transparent as possible. If you have any ideas/suggestions, please share. I ask that the entry fee be paid with PayPal Friends, that way all the money goes to charity and to the winners. If you don’t like using PP Friends, regular PP is fine too, but please add the 3%. Everyone will get to see everyone else’s picks, they will be posted to this thread. Once we know the total number of participants and everyone has paid, the prize pot will be announced, and I’ll immediately make half the funds available to Safe Haven Furever Rescue. The other half will be divided among the winners after the Super Bowl. Please let me know if you have any questions (please post publically, no PMs).

My PayPal is djames623@hotmail.com

When paying, please be sure to add your Net54 username in the notes. I’ll keep the thread updated as to who has paid. Here is the first round lineup:

Saturday, January 5
Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks vs Dallas Cowboys

Sunday, January 6
Los Angeles Chargers vs Baltimore Ravens
Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago Bears

If you've never participated before, here is a link to one of the past contests so you can see how it works...

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=216172&highlight=playoff

CONFIRMED (Paid) PLAYERS
vintagetoppsguy
BeanTown
sb1
Peter Spaeth
TUM301
barrysloate
Cliff Bowman
Buythatcard
AndrewJerome
ibuysportsephemera
Nunzio11

[vintagetoppsguy]

I'll start it off

Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks
LA Chargers
Chicago Bears

[BeanTown]

WildCard games

LAC
SEA
IND
CHI

Will PP you 10.00 tonight.

JC

[sb1]

Just sent $10

Texans
Cowboys
Chargers
Eagles

[Peter_Spaeth]

Texans
Cowboys
Ravens
Bears

[TUM301]

Hello Dave, sounds good count me in. Sent payment and will make my picks later this week, thanx again Murph GO PATS !!!!!!

[barrysloate]

Thanks David for taking the initiative on this. And it's a good cause:

Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks
LA Chargers
Chicago Bears

Usually we have over a hundred people playing. Charge $10 and we have half a dozen and counting.

[frankbmd]

Thanks David for taking the initiative on this. And it's a good cause:

Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks
LA Chargers
Chicago Bears

Usually we have over a hundred people playing. Charge $10 and we have half a dozen and counting.

It's been five long years since I prevailed to win this trophy. If it would promote more participation, I would consider donating this as a rotating award.

339491

The plate reads

Net54baseball.com NFL Playoff Pool 2014

Dead Ass Last

Frank Burkett

If I enter this year, I might not come in last and destroy my reputation.

[barrysloate]

It's been five long years since I prevailed to win this trophy. If it would promote more participation, I would consider donating this as a rotating award.

339491

The plate reads

Net54baseball.com NFL Playoff Pool 2014

Dead Ass Last

Frank Burkett

If I enter this year, I might not come in last and destroy my reputation.

Talk about half-assed.:)

[frankbmd]

Talk about half-assed.:)

Technically ass-half would be more accurate.:D

[vintagetoppsguy]

Technically ass-half would be more accurate.:D

LOL, as opposed to ass-whole :D

[Buythatcard]

Payment Sent

Texans
Cowboys
Chargers
Bears

[vintagetoppsguy]

First game kicks off in just under 24 hours

[TUM301]

Looking forward to all 4 of these games, all interesting matchups.
Texans, Seahawks, Eagles, Chargers. Best of luck to all participants and of course the dogs !

[AndrewJerome]

Here are my picks:

Indianapolis Colts
Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens
Philadelphia Eagles

I just paid by paypal. Thanks to David for organizing this!

[ibuysportsephemera]

Let's see if I can defend my title from 2012.

Paypal sent....Thanks.

Jeff


Bears, Colts, Cowboys, Ravens

[Cliff Bowman]

Houston Seattle Los Angeles (Chargers) Chicago

[Nunzio11]

Thanks for taking charge David. Come guys let’s get the pot moving for a good cause.

Colts
Seahawks
Ravens
Bears

[vintagetoppsguy]

Contest closed.

Usually we have over a hundred people playing. Charge $10 and we have half a dozen and counting.

Wow, I was thinking the same thing.

Only 11 contestants. Pot is $110. That's $55 for Safe Haven and $55 to be split among the winners. However, since it's such a small pot, I'm going to change it up a bit from what I originally posted. I'm going to donate the $55 to Safe haven out of my own pocket and leave the prize pot $110. I'll post the payout amounts in a few minutes. Any objections?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Not that I will ever win a football pool, but if I do I'm good with donating my payout.

[vintagetoppsguy]

How about paying first and second place 65/35? Any objections?

Not that I will ever win a football pool, but if I do I'm good with donating my payout.

That's kind of you, Peter. I'll do the same thing.

[barrysloate]

How about donating the whole pot and we'll play for fun?

By the way, did the Houston coach remember to tell his players that this was a playoff game? What a stinker. That was a pick I will cherish for many years to come.:(

[vintagetoppsguy]

How about donating the whole pot and we'll play for fun?

By the way, did the Houston coach remember to tell his players that this was a playoff game? What a stinker. That was a pick I will cherish for many years to come.:(

I haven't liked our coach from day 1. I think our offensive coordinator should be fired. Oh, wait, our coach is our offensive coordinator :rolleyes:

[frankbmd]

Even with a smaller number of participants, you need to specify a tiebreaker rule in the case of a tie, such as total points in the Super Bowl.

[ibuysportsephemera]

I will donate any of my winnings, if any, to the puppies.

Jeff

[Buythatcard]

If I win anything (never happens), then I will donate my winnings to the charity.

[barrysloate]

Brutal first week, none worse than the Chicago loss. Let's go with all the home teams in week 2:

NE Patriots
KC Chiefs
NO Saints
LA Rams

[JollyElm]

Is there a leader board, showing what each person scored last week? That would be cool to see for us onlookers.

[sb1]

Chiefs
Rams
Chargers
Saints

[vintagetoppsguy]

Is there a leader board, showing what each person scored last week? That would be cool to see for us onlookers.

Yes, but I haven't updated it yet. I've got all the picks on a spreadsheet at work and I've been off these last couple of days. I'll probably return back to work tomorrow, so it should be updated then.

The $55 was donated to Safe Haven on Saturday as promised.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Is there a leader board, showing what each person scored last week? That would be cool to see for us onlookers.

More like a trailer board, I don't think anyone did better than 2-2.

[sb1]

I believe I am the sole person to go 3-1

[Peter_Spaeth]

At 1-3 one has to go against the grain to have any chance. So
Colts
Patriots
Saints
Cowboys

[Buythatcard]

I will be going with the following:

Chiefs
Saints
Rams
Chargers

[vintagetoppsguy]

Leader board. Or as Peter said, more like a trailer board. :D
The good news is, it's still wide open.

sb1 - 3
Beantown - 2
TUM301 - 2
Buythatcard - 2
AndrewJerome - 2
ibuysportsephemera - 2
vintagetoppsguy - 1
Peter_Speath - 1
barrysloate - 1
Cliff_Bowman - 1
Nunzio11 - 1

[BeanTown]

2nd rd picks

Patriots
Chiefs
Saints
Rams

[vintagetoppsguy]

Some of you have already picked, but for those of you that haven't, here is the lineup

Indianapolis Colts vs. KC Chiefs
Dallas Cowboys vs. LA Rams

LA Chargers vs. NE Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles vs. NO Saints

[vintagetoppsguy]

I'm going with:

Chiefs, Rams, Patriots & Saints

[Nunzio11]

No rhyme or reason after last weeks performance.

Chiefs
Rams
Chargers
Saints

[Cliff Bowman]

Kansas City, Los Angeles Rams, New England, New Orleans.

[ibuysportsephemera]

Chiefs
Rams
Chargers
Saints

[TUM301]

Go Big or go home, Colts Cowboys Pats Eagles. Enjoy the games guys !

[AndrewJerome]

Colts
Rams
Patriots
Saints

[vintagetoppsguy]

BeanTown - 10
sb1 - 9
vintagetoppsguy - 9
barrysloate - 9
Cliff_Bowman - 9
Buythatcard - 8
AndrewJerome - 8
ibuysportsephemera - 8
Nunzio11 - 7
Peter_Speath - 5
TUM301 - 4

[vintagetoppsguy]

AFC Championship Game
Patriots vs Chiefs

NFC Championship Game
Rams vs Saints

[vintagetoppsguy]

I'm going Pats and Saints

[Buythatcard]

Chiefs and Saints. :D

[ibuysportsephemera]

Only way to get back in it:


Patriots and Rams

[sb1]

Chiefs
Rams

[barrysloate]

I too will go KC Chiefs and LA Rams.

[AndrewJerome]

Pats
Saints

[TUM301]

Would really like to see a rematch, Kurt Warner we are you ? That said have to go with the Rams and of course my Pats !!!!!! On a side note the Pats are one tackle away, that absolute snitt- show final play in Miami, from playing at home today. K C played great all year and deserve the #1 seed. The feeling around here in Patriots land is "can they win another huge game", especially on the road ? We`ll see boys, enjoy the games !

[Nunzio11]

Defense wins championships...we’ll see if the old saying holds true today.

Pats
Rams

[Cliff Bowman]

New Orleans Kansas City

[BeanTown]

Chiefs
Rams

[sb1]

Ummm...…….you can't change your picks...………..

[BeanTown]

Thought I was picking home teams. But whatever wants to be done is fine with me. I had Rams-Chiefs and changed to Saints-Chiefs.

[sb1]

Now aren't you glad I alerted you to that :) stupid me.

[BeanTown]

Now aren't you glad I alerted you to that :) stupid me.

I owe you a beverage

[barrysloate]

After the first quarter, the Rams looked like dead men walking. What a great finish.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Ummm...…….you can't change your picks...………..

I don't know what he originally picked, I only saw it after the edit...and after kickoff. What I saw and what is recorded in my spreadsheet are Saints and Chiefs. That's who we have to go with since I can only go with what I saw.

[BeanTown]

It was Rams and Chiefs. Ask Scott or someone else who saw. It was also changed back during the game.

[vintagetoppsguy]

It was Rams and Chiefs. Ask Scott or someone else who saw. It was also changed back during the game.

I'm not doubting your original picks. But you need to look at this from my perspective. I didn't see your original picks. I've been busy since early this morning and I didn't get back home until after the first quarter 2as over. I started watching about 3 minutes into the second quarter. That's when I grabbed my laptop and recorded the picks that I hadn't already recorded. I saw the edit, but I allowed it. And I allowed it for 2 reasons (1) because I didn't see your original picks to know what they were and (2) your edit was time stamped before kickoff.

I also have to look at your intention - who you really thought would win. You truly believed the Saints were going to win, right? You made the comment in your edit that you were going to go with both home teams. You can't say after the game you want to go with your original picks because someone pointed out the edit.

I'm trying to be fair to the other players involved. I don't care either way. If I win any $, I've committed to donating it to Safe Haven anyway. But if the other players agree that your Rams pick should count, I'll change it back. I'll let them chime in on that.

[BeanTown]

I told you I had a screen shot through PM. Why post rules David. Guess I can change up till gametime. Saints win I lose, and if Rams win I lose. I made my change back while the game was going on so you know to! I didnt change it AFTER the game.

[Buythatcard]

You can ask Leon if there is a history of edits stored anywhere. If so, you might be able to retrieve the original message.

A rule is a rule. Once you make a pick, you are locked in.

[BeanTown]

You can ask Leon if there is a history of edits stored anywhere. If so, you might be able to retrieve the original message.

A rule is a rule. Once you make a pick, you are locked in.

Yes!!! Aweome idea. My intention for switching 10 minutes before the game was I wanted to go with home teams. I did think the Rams would win though. I never read the rukes as I thought you could change your picks up till kick off or if David says closed for picks. So, my bad in that. Original picks were the Rams and Chiefs. Not that this is a big deal, but come mon man.

[vintagetoppsguy]

I made my change back while the game was going on so you know to! I didnt change it AFTER the game.

Your edit time shows 5:20pm CST. That was either after the game or right as it was about to end. I don't know exactly what time the game ended.

Again, I'll let the players decide. Whatever they think is fair.

Edited to add: or if Leon wants to decide, I'll trust his judgement.

[vintagetoppsguy]

CONTEST CLOSED. Everyone will get their money back. I am really sorry for all of this. It is my fault. I tried to do something nice for the doggies and have a little fun at the same time and I get several PMs questioning my integrity. The last PM even questioned who gets the tax credit for the donation. Seriously? No good deed goes unpunished. Everyone will get a full refund this evening. At least the doggies get the $55 that came out of my OWN POCKET! I guess I should give someone else the tax credit for that too. :rolleyes:

[BeanTown]

Don't want money back, but I do want you to follow the rules. Again, if Leon can see original post it will clearly shows Ram-Chiefs. Why don't you just void my pick because I changed it (before game time) which is against the rules. Problem solved and move on, instead of all your time spending on this.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Don't want money back, but I do want you to follow the rules.

You're the one that didn't follow the rules. The rules say not edits. But I'm the bad guy here? I allowed the edit because the game hadn't kicked off yet and somehow this gets turned around on me. Go figure.

move on, instead of all your time spending on this.

I did move on. I moved on last night when I made my decision, and it was final. You keep sending me PMs and I really don't have time for all this. Easier to close the contest and give everyone their money back.

[Buythatcard]

I am sorry to see the contest end. You can keep my entry fee and donate it to the charity.

[ibuysportsephemera]

I think that I would have been in first place no matter what the picks were for BeanTown.

Please keep my entry fee and donate to the puppies.


Thanks.


Jeff

[Nunzio11]

It was fun while it lasted. No need to return money here either...please donate it to the dogs.

Tony

[sb1]

You can keep mine as well. The coin flip ruined it for me anyways :(

[AndrewJerome]

Please keep my entry fee as well.

Andrew

[barrysloate]

Please keep my entry too and donate the money. Sorry this had to end. Nevertheless, I'm still going with New England to win it all.:))

[Peter_Spaeth]

CONTEST CLOSED. Everyone will get their money back. I am really sorry for all of this. It is my fault. I tried to do something nice for the doggies and have a little fun at the same time and I get several PMs questioning my integrity. The last PM even questioned who gets the tax credit for the donation. Seriously? No good deed goes unpunished. Everyone will get a full refund this evening. At least the doggies get the $55 that came out of my OWN POCKET! I guess I should give someone else the tax credit for that too. :rolleyes:

No refund for me thanks.

[TUM301]

Thanx for the effort and yes it was fun. No need for a refund here, please keep it for the dogs. That Pats/KC game was THE wildest game I`ve ever seen and that`s saying a lot considering the Pats/Falcons Super Bowl. Well, enjoy the game boys. For me feeling Pats 28 Rams 24. On a side note, Rams opened at a -1 and by morning it had moved 3 pts to currently Pats a -2.

[sb1]

I am going to go with the Rams, someday the Pats run has to end and this might as well be the day!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Brady wins and retires on top.

[Buythatcard]

I would go with the Rams. Tired of seeing the Pats in the SB.

[barrysloate]

Brady wins and retires on top.

Exactly my thoughts. Brady wins his sixth Superbowl and calls it a career. Not too bad for a sixth round pick.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Exactly my thoughts. Brady wins his sixth Superbowl and calls it a career. Not too bad for a sixth round pick.

That he is at the top of his game again, it seems, at age 41, is astonishing. He was throwing lasers yesterday.

[barrysloate]

Brady looked tremendous yesterday, and although he certainly can retire, he very well may play again next season, even if he wins the Superbowl. His off season regimen is amazing, and he appears to be ageless.

[egri]

I think he hangs around for a couple more years at least. Right now there is no successor to him, and I don’t see him leaving without someone putting a bit of pressure on him.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Gisele has to be worried about his long-term concussion risk and a while back she gave an interview where she spilled the beans on one or more the team had not disclosed. (Now if every team had KC's pass rush, he'd have nothing to worry about.) He really has been doing this much too long for his own good already. It's time for him to go.

[Buythatcard]

So, has the playoff contest officially been cancelled?

[vintagetoppsguy]

So, has the playoff contest officially been cancelled?

Yes, sir. A donation of $110 has been made to Safe Haven. I think everyone agreed to donate their entry fees, but if I overlooked anyone and they want a refund, just send me a PM and I'll refund your money via PP F&F.