Super Bowl X

It’s hard to tell if there’s been a bigger upset post-season than the one Original Salt just pulled off. This owner hasn’t been around long enough to see other shocking playoff runs, but from what I can tell, after a run of Super Bowl upsets in 2004-2006, it’s been smooth sailing for the Maize and Blue favorites until last year’s 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears victory, and now Original Salt’s title. But Pooh Bears were barely underdogs last season, as they were a 9-4 team facing off against a 10-3 Pogiboys squad.

• Original Salt (6-7) vs * Fockers (10-3), 74 - 50

Reno’s team was 6-7 this year — after posting back-to-back 4-9 seasons — and they snuck into the playoffs and then destroyed the #1 and #2 seeds. Well, maybe “destroy” is too strong a word, but there’s no question that Reno’s team took down the only two teams that hit double digit regular season wins this season. Their first round upset of regular season champ Jedi Knights was a shock. Their second round win versus Cameltoe set the stage for an epic upset. And then during the Super Bowl, the ultimate sign that Original Salt was this year’s team of destiny appeared: Andrew Luck, the number one ranked fantasy player, took a bagel in his Super Bowl appearance. Yes, a big fat zero!

It must have been infuriating for Fockers’ owner Hong to watch Luck get pulled during the Colts’ blowout at the hands of the Cowboys. After a Saturday game that saw TE Antonio Gates leap out to 21 points, it looked like Fockers would waltz to a championship. That’s how the storyline should’ve played out, Goliath wallops David.

Instead, all of the things that we pointed out in last week’s Super Bowl preview didn’t happen. Original Salt’s stand-in tight end Jordan Cameron caught a TD and put up 14 points after scoring 8 points combined in his previous nine games. Kicker Josh Brown punched in 15 nasty points, punching Fockers where it hurt, as their kicker, Billy Cundiff, rode the injury pine.

And then there was the defensive collapse by Fockers’ Rams, who gave up -5 points on the week, further adding insult to injury. Between Luck’s no show, a negative defense, and no kicker, it was uphill all the way for the Super Bowl favorites. When Le’Veon Bell and Demaryius Thomas failed to come up big, Original Salt had their title in hand, powered along by Matt Forte’s 15 points, Jordan Cameron, and Josh Brown. Unexpected heroes, just like Original Salt’s entire season.

Usually in this space, we talk about the wonderful stats that the Super Bowl winner put up. But Original Salt only scored 67.5 ppg for the regular season, outscoring only three other teams. They were 3-5 at home, 1-5 in their division, and entered the post-season on a five game losing streak. In fact, after starting off the season 5-1, they stumbled 1-6 the rest of the way. They had one player ranked in the top five at their position, Matt Forte, and one player, Ben Roethlisberger ranked just outside the top five — but Roethlisberger split much of his time with Jay Cutler. The other top scorers for this team? Roddy White, Terrance Williams, and Doug Baldwin. So this really was a miracle playoffs for them!

Instead of looking at the series of occurrences that had to happen for Reno to win the championship, it's better to see this post-season run as an inspiration tale. A with average keepers, a recent history of losing, and tailspinning at the end of the season rode fairy dust and wishes toward a championship. With a little bit of luck, and no Luck, Original Salt will lord it over Maize and Blue for a full year, knowing that they gave the league one of the most unexpected title runs ever. Congrats Original Salt!

As for Fockers, this was a gut punch of an ending to what could have been. They had the path to a title cleared out for them, but eventually fell to the same team that eliminated all of their main competitors. Fockers still have Luck, Bell, and Thomas to push forward with, but this loss will hang heavy in their hearts as the missed opportunity for a title clouds their off-season. Still, Fockers are too talented to not return to contention, and this was a breakout year for them after a recent transferral of management power. Better Luck next year!