[New Champions in Paris]

Just wrapped up Season 4 of Le Buzz Parisien here in SE Paris.  

Baguette Bowl 4 was won, surprisingly, by the 4th seeded Pittsburgh Steelers (who came this close in last year's title game).

A little season wrap-up and then some photos...

The Quarterfinals:

Steelers 28, Seahawks 14 ... and... Chargers 35, Eagles 21

Semifinals:

Steelers 15, 49ers 13 (OT)... and... Oilers 21, Chargers 14

Baguette Bowl 4

Steelers 28, Oilers 14

A recap of a memorable Baguette Bowl:

Baguette Bowl 4 saw the underdogs from Pittsburgh pull off a shocking, but convincing, 28-14 upset of the heavily-favored Houston Oilers in Paris last night.

Coming into the playoffs as the 4th seed, the Black-and-Gold got on a roll and even the top-seed 6-1 Oilers couldn't slow them down when it counted most.

Houston struck first on a 22-yard TD catch-and-run by scrappy Rob Carpenter who was ushered into the end zone by a bevy of earnest teammates (see photo). Two plays later Oilers safety Vernon Perry intercepted Bradshaw and things were looking bleaker than a Pittsburgh winter for the Stillers. But the Steel Curtain forced a Houston punt and Team MVP Franco Harris returned it 91 yards for a TD. The momentum had certainly swung. 7-7 at the half.

The Steelers got the ball to start the 2nd stanza and Bradshaw quickly hit Temple alum Randy Grossman for a 75-yard TD. 14-7 Stillers.

On the ensuing kickoff Grossman then forced an unimaginable Earl Campbell fumble (his first this season after 47 touches), and on 1st down Franco ran it in for a 20-yard TD. 21-7 Pittsburgh. Houston was reeling.

On their next possession it took the Houston offense four plays to score (a 63-yard TD pass to Campbell), making it 21-14 and leaving four plays for Pittsburgh to seal the win.

The usually opportunistic Oilers defense could not force a turnover as the Steelers notched two 1st downs and even scored on the last play of the game, a 24-yard jaunt through traffic by Harris, to seal the championship. The latter tally was quite the exclamation point (some would say quite unnecessary as well), but it certainly won't be soon forgotten in SE Texas.

Baguette Bowl 4 MVP Franco Harris finished with 187 total yards and 3 TDs on 5 touches, besting regular season league MVP Earl Campbell, whose 213 yards and 1 TD on 8 touches couldn't overcome his devastating 2nd half fumble.

 

Le Buzz Parisien now heads into the offseason. But plans for Season 5 are already underway, with discussions of potentially a 10-team league and a 5 or 6 game schedule.

 

Teams definitely in for Season 5:

Oilers, Seahawks, Chargers, Eagles, Chiefs, Dolphins, Buccaneers & Broncos.

On the bubble:

Steelers, 49ers, Vikings, Jags, & Bills.

Relegated:

Raiders.

If you made it this far reading, let us know which of the above teams you'd like to see make it into the league for Season 5.

 

Special thanks to the following for helping make this season, and this league, a success:

Chris Stacey, Bryan Nutt, Tudor Games, Kenny King, James Harris and Norbert Revels

#lebuzzparisien

#electricfootball

#tudorgames 

 

 

[Playoff Round-Up in Paris]

PLAYOFF ROUND-UP FROM PARIS

It'll be Steelers vs. Oilers in Baguette Bowl 4.

How'd we get here?

Quarterfinals:

Steelers upset Seahawks 28-14 behind a sack and 3 turnovers from the defense, including a 30-yard pick-six by Mike Wagner. Terry Bradshaw accounted for 3 TDs, 2 passing and one scrambling.

Chargers upset defending champion Eagles 35-27 in a wild one. John Jefferson went nuts with 3 TDs receiving and another on a 98-yard punt return on the last play of the 1st half. Linden King added an INT and a tackle to keep Philly un-special.

Semifinals:

Oilers outlast Chargers 21-14. Earl Campbell led the way with 3 TDs and Greg Bingham sealed the win with a forced fumble on J.J. on penultimate play of the game. Crushing loss for talented San Diego. Top-seeded Houston advances to Baguette Bowl 4.

Steelers shock 49ers 15-13 in OT. San Fran came in as the #2 seed and a heavy favorite against the defending league runner-ups. Steeler defense led the way, with two 1st half INTs by Mel Blount and 5 tackles by Troy Polamalu. Niners couldn't get their vaunted offense fully untracked, despite 2 TDs and 96 total yards from Roger Craig. In OT, Polamalu stopped Craig on an extra point and then, after a Franco Harris TD, Bradshaw hit salty veteran Rocky Bleier for the walk-off 2-pointer.

Baguette Bowl 4: Steelers vs. Oilers

[Electric parisien eye candy]

Hey! Thank you very much, wow, these are really nice.  Gonna post some of these on Fb, if that's OK. Really appreciate it, God bless. 🙂 

[Mid-Season Review - Le Buzz Parisien]

Yes, we have a trophy; a small cheap one from a local sporting goods store. I'll try to put up a pic.

 

[Electric parisien eye candy]

Some action shots from Season 4 of Le Buzz Parisien.

[Mid-Season Review - Le Buzz Parisien]

Checkin in at the mid-point of Season 4 here in Paris.  

We have 8 teams playing a 7-game schedule.  As of this writing, after 4 games, the standings are as follows:

Oilers 4-0 (+31 Point Differential)

Seahawks 3-1 (+19)

49ers 3-1 (+5)

Eagles 2-2 (-2)

Broncos 1-3 (+10)

Chargers 1-3 (-13)

Steelers 1-3 (-14)

Raiders 1-3 (-22)

Top 6 teams make the playoffs, with first 2 seeds getting a bye.  If the season ended today it'd be the Oilers and Seahawks on the Bye, with Chargers vs. 49ers and Broncos vs. Eagles in the Quarterfinals (Wild-Card).

League leaders in individual stats are:

Passing - Dan Fouts, Chargers

Rushing - Billy Campfield, Eagles

Receiving - Steve Largent, Seahawks

Returns - Bo Jackson, Raiders

Tackles/Def Stats - Brian Dawkins, Eagles

Total Yards - Bo Jackson - w/ 635 yds on 18 touches (Rushing, Receiving, & Returns)

Here's some recent action shots:

 

 

[LE BUZZ PARISIEN SEASON 4]

Season 4 of Le Buzz Parisien underway in SE Paris.  

Two games completed in Week 1 action.  Bills upset the Chargers 13-7 in OT, and Oilers stun the Steelers 14-7 in a hard-fought, controversial contest.  Safety Jim Norton's INT on the last play of the game sealed the win for Houston.  Norton had earlier scored on a 50-yard pick-six.  Controversy lingers in the media after this one as the Refs appeared to have missed a Steelers INT in the 1st half, on a drive the Oilers eventually scored on.  Yikes.  Other action forthcoming in Week 1: Eagles vs. 49ers, and Raiders vs. Broncos.

LBP has been revamped for Season 4.  Last season we had 10 teams, and played a 7-game regular season.  This season we're trimmed down to a fit 8 teams, running a 7-game sked again.  Relegated after last season were: Vikings, Chiefs, Browns, Dolphins and Packers.  Added this season: Oilers, Bills, & 49ers.  

So the line-up now is:

Eagles (defending champs), Steelers, Raiders, Broncos, Chargers, Oilers, Bills, & 49ers.

Some history:

Baguette Bowl 1 : Eagles 20-6 over Chiefs (MVP - Steve Van Buren)

Baguette Bowl 2 : Raiders 26-20 over Eagles (MVP - Bo Jackson)

Baguette Bowl 3 : Eagles 28-21 over Steelers (MVP - Wilbert Montgomery)