Cup O' Joe - Week 16/17 News

Here's the news for Week 16/17:

- One week after Kansas City re-signed Marc Hamdan to a big deal, the Philly Shamrocks have done the same with their quarterback. Michael Armstead signed a four-year extension, worth an estimated $28 million. The Shamrocks will wait until the offseason to work out a deal with Dennis Zimmerman, but they decided not to wait with Armstead. "We want to send a message to the team that we have faith in them," said owner John Comey. "Getting Michael to be here for the long term was a big piece to that puzzle. We want him to lead this team, and we want this team to stick together. And hopefully, Dennis will see that soon after the year." Armstead has been one of the top passers all year: fourth in QB rating (101.8), third in passing yards (3,846), third in completion percentage (66.5), and sixth in TD passes (28).

- Boston will be welcoming back FS Curtis Blakely this week. Blakely, who has been out since the first week of the season, will see time at cornerback this week, where Boston has been short-handed with injuries all year. With such a big week for the Minutemen, getting Blakely back is a bit of a double-edged sword; if he's rusty, the coaching staff will be second-guessed if the team loses. But they need him to suit up and play, as he's as talented, if not more so, then anyone else in the secondary. So, it will be Blakely in at cornerback against Denver.

- Just to describe the HFC situation...Miami's actually in a better situation to get home-field than Los Angeles. LA takes it with a win; however, if they lose, it automatically goes to Miami, regardless of how they do. LA controls their own destiny, but the loss to the Shamrocks has muddied the situation up just a bit. Also, New Orleans clinches the top WC spot, and a date with Pittsburgh, with a win OR a Tampa loss.

The situation in the CFC would take up too many words for this piece, however.