by Gerald Udowiczenko

Well I hope you all survived, Christmas, the New Year and the Y2K bug. As you can tell from this (the newsletter), I survived all three, yes even Christmas with the family. Which wasn't really that bad. The New Year saw me, ten friends, and about three million others. Watching the fireworks along the river Thames. It was spectacular. Same that we all missed the 'River of Flames'? Does anyone know what that was about? Because, I heard we were meant to see a 200 foot wall of flames running along the river. Must have blinked.

Thanks to Pat, Graham and Jon for this weeks stuff. Especially to Jon for the up-to-date coaching records.

BB @ NJ
Pat : Even if complacency sets in. Bills by 14.
Graham : Jets much better last week but Bills are just too good. BB 7.

NE @ MD
Pat : Will help us see how tasty the Fish are. Pats by 1.
Graham : Pats need it more but Dolphins offence should outpace Drew. MD 7

TT @ CI
Pat : Good 'O' vs stingy 'D', but not as tight as all that. Titans by 7.
Graham : Last Chance Saloon already for Peter in the Central? Maybe. TN 3

PS @ CL
Pat : Please God, don't let me lose!
Graham : Steelers up to .500 with a win over the drifting Browns. PS 10

DB @ SS
Pat : AFC Clash of the Week? Hawks hold horses at home! Seahawks by 10.
Graham : Defence vs Offence. Homefield for Hawks might not be enough. DB 1

KC @ OR
Pat : Zzzzzzzzzz! Oh! What happened? Did I miss a safety? Zzzzzz! Chiefs by 2.
Graham : Battle of the Winless Wonders. Chiefs are a better team, though. KC 6

WR @ PE
Pat : NFC Clash of the Week? An eagles feather in the cap! Eagles by 10.
Graham : Jon is in the same boat as Peter in Cincy. Don't expect many yards !! WR 3

DC @ AC
Pat : 'Boys on the road. Cowboys by 7.
Graham : If Cards offence can't improve against the Boys . . . . I remain dubious. DC 3

MV @ CB
Pat : I haven't got a clue (well I always thought that. Ed), but come on the new boys! Bears by 1.
Graham : I still think the Vikes will be back in the Championship Game this year. MV 6

DL @ TB
Pat : Bruce has not returned from Sydney Millennium Fireworks. Buccs by 10.
Graham : Desperate times in Detroit, especially as Buccs are still surprisingly good. TB 6.

SR @ SF
Pat : Tough all-West top clash. Can can can Dan! Rams by 21.
Graham : A chance for us to open up a 2 game lead, and I'm happy with our form. SR 7

NO @ AF
Pat : Baby Nat for the chop? Saints by 6.
Graham : Saints very unlucky last week, and they look a little better than Falcs. NS 3

by Graham Canwell (Week 4)

(From last week)

Graham to Jon : If I could score 50+ points every week I certainly would win the division easily. But that sure as hell isn't going to happen.

Graham to Gerald: The secret of my predictions? To make safe, gutless ones. Sad, but true.

Graham to NFC West : Perfect again, guys. Showing them how it's done. Bit worried I'm going to be the first to lose outside the division this week actually.

Graham to Geoff : I think all you did in week 1 was make the Vikings mad. And now the rest of us are going to pay the price.

(Back to our regular program...)

Graham to Pat : Looks like you put the Kiss of Death on the NFC West this week . . .

Graham to Tim : That was a terrific game - look forward to hopefully meeting again in the playoffs.

Graham to Richard : Actually I'm surprised he didn't respond to Bruce's ad for the Detroit job. I suspect we'll get to find out how good he really is when Chris Miller retires (one day, folks!).

Graham to Gerald : Not sure the Vikes beating the Eagles was a surprise. They did reach the Championship Game last year and they have an awesome squad. And given that I predicted it (though not the margin!) shouldn't I have scored 11/12 in the Week 3 predictions (picky, picky I know, but I'm very competitive!!!) ?.

Graham to Jon : Crunch week for you this week . . .

Graham to Peter S : And for you . .

Graham to Gerald : And you ?

Graham to Stephen : Welcome, and good luck. Just make sure you finish above the Buccs. Please!

Pat to All : Happy New Year to you all, but not too happy to those I still have to play!

Pat to Gerald : Enjoyed the game. Congratulations on a good draw.

Pat to Alan : I know you're good, but I predicated a win by 7, not 77 last week (Oops. Ed)

Pat to the 2 Predictors : You're getting closer, lads. Keep trying!

Pat to Richard : A couple of witty prediction comments last week.

Pat to Richard & Jon : Thanks for the congrats! Long way to go: one win doesn't make a season.

Pat to Stephen : Welcome to the hardest league I've ever played in. best of luck. Remember the golden rule (don't lose? Ed) KISS - Keep it Simple S****d, especially in week 7!

Pat to the Non-contributors : Come on lads. You've got to be more interesting than the current bunch!

Gerald to Pat : A draw. Yes. Humm. Wasn't what either one of us really wanted? The win would have been better. But that know makes us even (including the games we've played in NFLB). Played 3 Won 1, Lost 1 and Tied 1.

Gerald to Stephen : Welcome to the league and all the best. Hopefully you'll make sure the Buccs don't get to Post Season?

Well, I've had to cut this short, as I've little space. I hope you've been able to catch the Play-Offs on TV, especially the Titans Bills game. Was it, or wasn't it a forward pass? Very hard to tell, glad I'm not a referee. Real shame that we don't have any decent terrestrial coverage. As far as I can tell Channel 5 do show something at about mid-night, on Sunday nights. Oh that will get the fans watching. Lucky that I've got cable, otherwise I'd be real pissed.