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NFL.com
October 18, 2005
NFL Total Access Hollywood League -- Week 6
by Craig Ellenport
(Oct. 18, 2005) -- Trash talking has been taken to new levels this season on the NFL Total Access Hollywood League message boards. Part of that can be attributed to Jeff Garlin's ribbing of Jaleel White's "Urkel" character. And perhaps the biggest reason for the trash-talking is the sudden rise to power of former league doormat Guy Torry, who has been quite vocal now that his Meet the Faulk-ers are riding a four-game winning streak.
But there's no question that the best use of trash-talking was actually employed by the league's only winless team heading into last week's action.
It's bad enough that Michael Vartan had his character killed off of the hit series Alias earlier this season. To make matters worse, his Wizard Sleeves got off to a miserable 0-5 start. So the rookie owner decided to take a unique approach: By admitting that his team was awful, he put the pressure squarely on the opposition. Which team would suffer the indignity of being the first to lose to the Wizard Sleeves?
In a message titled "Will it be YOU?!" Vartan posted the following message last week:
"My draft sucked, my team sucks, and I suck! Having said that, I will now sit back and delight in the fact that every Sunday, whoever my opponent may be, they will feel the insane pressure of NOT being the first team to lose to the impossiblyÉ inept Wizard Sleeves. My team is so bad, possibly the worst fantasy football team ever fielded in fact, that I honestly believe I will not win a single game this year ... unless of course ... I BEAT YOU!!!!!"
A bold declaration, to be sure. And it paid immediate dividends. Just days after the challenge, Vartan's squad notched its first win of the season against none other than defending champion Josh Charles. Charles' team, Coy's Bacon, had a chance to pull off a come-from-behind victory Monday night with Peyton Manning, but one of his two touchdown passes went to Wizard Sleeves receiver Reggie Wayne, and that sealed the stunning upset, 83-78.
© NFL Enterprises LLC 2005
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