Week 10 Recap

Let’s start things off by congratulating Runs N Throses and Hurricanes as they are the first two teams to lock up playoff berths.

Now for the obligatory update on The Team to Be Renamed in 2012. They make trades to improve themselves “for this season and beyond” but yet they are 0-3 since they waved the white flag with trades. The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 shipped out 242 points and received 212, but that is not the real number because they never even rostered a kicker they traded for. Yep, that was a trade for 2011. No giving up at all. I would say The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 are quitters, but they only gave up for this year. I can’t wait for 2012 to watch them fail again. To steal a famous line … of course, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong. I could do an entire 1999 Dennis Milleresque rant on The Team to Be Renamed in 2012, but I digress.

Let’s move on to teams that didn’t quit.

Armed N Dangerous 120, Fudgie Whales 119

Armed N Dangerous (5-5) was trailing by 59 points heading into Monday Night, with a trio that averaged right at 60 points and they scored exactly 60 points for the Come From Behind at Midnight Win over Fudgie Whales (2-8). You really have to appreciate a team that was 2-5 and did not give up and has reeled off three wins in a row. Aaron Rodgers continued his MVP type season and fired off 30 points. MJD scored 22 and the Packers defense contributed 19 in a balanced effort. The 2011 TBFL Gods are just not on Fudgie Whales side. Whales have one of the better performances on the season and find themselves on the losing side of the ledger for the eight time. Despite those losses they are not the worst team in the TBFL in my book. Whales and X-Factor are both winners of the hard luck award this season.

Armed N Dangerous return to division play against the UO Grandmasters while Fudgie Whales fight Money Inc.

Hurricanes 133, Husslers 70

Hurricanes (8-5) joined Runs N Throses in the playoffs as they held off the Husslers (4-6) for a 133-70 win. Arian Foster has firmly entered Beast/HAM mode at this point in the season and after NINE WEEKS, Chris Johnson finally had his first 100-yard rushing performance. Foster and CJ28 combined for 61 points and Jimmy Graham continued his amazing run of game with 21. Husslers must have missed the memo that John Beck wasn’t starting and they got the zero they deserved.

Hurricanes square off against The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 (a.k.a. The Worst Team in the TBFL), while the Husslers travel to face off with the Bubba Army.

Money Inc. 122, X-Factor 83

Money Inc.(3-7) unlike a certain team has shown the heart that a warrior should have and they firmly embraced the role of spoiler and just may have knocked X-Factor (4-6) out of the playoffs with their 122-83 victory. Michael Bush (FROM?! … Louisville) ran over, around and through a porous defense for 32 points and Drew Brees added 24 for the victorious Money Inc squad. X-Factor received 19 points from Ray Rice to lead the team. Over the last three weeks Rice has scored 72 points, just wanted to point that out.

X-Factor host current #1 seed Runs N Throses while Money Inc and Fudgie Whales battle in an elimination battle.

Playground Legends 80, Bubba Army 46

Wow, just wow! Playground Legends (5-5) defeated Bubba Army (7-3) 80-46 and are in the wildcard race. Legends are 11th in scoring besting Fudgie Whales by 0.8 points a game, but Legends are 5-5 and Whales are 2-8, completely unfair. Legends also win despite posting two zeroes from their starting wide receivers, again completely unfair. Legends could be in trouble as rumors and reports are saying that Schaub is done for the year. Thanks to poor GM’ing, $Cam Newton loses his first TBFL game, but also thanks to poor GM’ing, we have a new league worst courtesy of the Buffalo Bills scoring -14. The Cowboys DF scored 23 while sitting on the bench. As per usual, a backup QB outscores Newton but this is the first time that Bubba Army lost as a result.

With slim pickings at QB the Playground Legends travel to Bay Area Thrashers and Bubba Army host Husslers with their second chance to close out the Bandit Division.

Runs N Throses 96, Bay Area Thrashers 88

Perennial TBFL powers battled as Runs N Throses (9-1) defeated Bay Area Thrashers (7-3) 96-88 but both teams maintained their division leads. I will have to admit that for the first time all season I truly have to question Thrashers decision making. Larry Fitzgerald is a MUST START despite his poor quarterback. Fitzie throws down 33 in complete distain for his owners actions and my remedial math tells me that just might have helped. Thanks to the Fitzie benching the fact that The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe had a sub-par game meant nothing in the end. Yes 28 points is nice, but the dreamboat misfired on far too many passes.

The two top teams in points scored face off as Runs N Throses travel to X-Factor. Thrashers can lock up a playoff berth with a win and have a chance to wrap up the division as well as they square off against the QB deprived Playground Legends.

UO Grandmasters 105, The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 74

Finally, in REPUS BOWL 2011, the UO Grandmasters (3-7) shed the mantle of Worst Team in the TBFL as they ended their league high seven game losing streak with a 105-74 victory over The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 (3-7) and they took over the title as The Worst Team in the TBFL. UO’s team manned up this week as the Bears DF tallied 34 points in a majestic effort. Laurent Robinson scored 22 and Deion Branch and Matthew Stafford added 16 apiece to give the Grandmasters their first win since Week Two. Let’s face it, The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 is actually the worst in TBFL history, not just this season. They have the most regular season loses (90), the most overall losses (95) and will quickly cruise to 100 overall losses next season. They have this distinction despite taking a year off. This proves the adage that quitters never win and winners never quit. You give up and karma will bitch slap you. How can a team give up with they are 3-2 and are on track for a 7-6 finish? Anyone think that 7-6 would get into the playoffs this year? I do. Once in the playoffs anything can happen, I never wanted to miss the playoffs, ever, let alone do it on purpose.

UO Grandmasters look to try and keep their playoff hopes alive as they battle Armed N Dangerous. Meanwhile, The Team to Be Renamed in 2012/The Worst Team in TBFL History will lay down for a beating from the Hurricanes on their trek to 100 overall losses.

I need to cleanse my palate from the taste of quitters and let’s talk about winners and teams that want to make the playoffs.

Runs N Throses and Hurricanes have secured playoff wildcard berths at the very least as no current wildcard outsider can get to 8 wins.

Bubba Army and Thrashers are in with a win or losses from X-Factor and Husslers and both could clinch their divisions this week as well.

The final two slots are going to be fun to track. Armed N Dangerous is currently the leader for the final two spots but with three weeks left, every team is truly mathematically alive. Armed and Legends will eventually square off in what could be an elimination battle. Legends are going to have to scramble with no Schuab for the rest of the season. The current outsiders have a lot of work to do.

Armed N Dangerous and Playground Legends can both take the division from Thrashers still.

Husslers are the only team that can take the division from Bubba Army.

Week Nine Recap

After a much needed hiatus, I have returned to provide lackluster commentary on this week’s happenings in the TBFL.


Before I proceed, let’s have some fun with math. In a pair of much maligned trades The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 (who improved the team for this season) shipped out 177 points and received 145 points and the improved roster is now 0-2. Yep, that wasn’t a wave the white flag trade at all. The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 should look pretty decent next season however.

Let’s move on to my simpleton review of the week that was.


Runs N Throses 117, The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 83

Runs N Throses (8-1) continued to pace the Buccaneer Division with a 117-83 victory over the Team to Be Renamed in 2012 (3-6). The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 is officially eliminated from the Buccaneer Division race but somehow is still alive in the wildcard race. Once again Runs N Throses were propelled to the win via the efforts of The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe, Wes Welker and LeSean McCoy. Welker scored 23 while Brady and McCoy scored 22 apiece. The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 may have found their proverbial knight in shining armor as they were led by Roy Helu’s 27 points. Knowing Orange Skeletor as I do Helu will be third string by the time you read this.

Runs N Throses now face Bay Area Thrashers in what could be a pivotal tie-breaker game. The Team to Be Renamed in 2012 will be facing off against UO Grandmasters in a match-up of teams that have combined to lose 11 straight.


Hurricanes 156, X-Factor 103

Hurricanes (7-2) defeated X-Factor (4-5) 156-103 to stay one game behind Runs N Throses. Hurricanes received an outstanding performance from Vincent Jackson. Jackson’s 39 points were a league high this week. Rob Gronkowski scored 24 along with Brandon Marshall and Arian Foster scored 25. X-Factor were led by Ben Roethlisberger’s 20 and Ray Rice’s 19 points.

Hurricanes square off against Husslers, while X-Factor battles Money Inc in what amounts to a playoff elimination battle.



Bay Area Thrashers 113, UO Grandmasters 68

Bay Area Thrashers (7-2) all but locked up the Storm Division with a 113-68 win over UO Grandmasters (2-7) and eliminated UO from division contention. Philip Rivers had a performance that gave me shades of the Gunslinger nightmares but ultimately scored 32 points. UO Grandmasters are trying to earn the mantle of worst team in the TBFL and I think I’ll give it to them.

As stated above Bay Area Thrashers go against Runs N Throses in a crucial game. The Worst Team in the TBFL square off against The Team to Be Renamed in 2012.


Armed N Dangerous 111, Playground Legends 85

Armed N Dangerous (4-5) kept their playoff hopes alive with a 111-85 win over Playground Legends (4-5). Armed is now on a two-game win streak while Legends are now on a two-game slide and both teams are 2-1 in the Storm Division. AnD were once again led by Aaron Rodgers who scored 33 points. At times Rodgers picked apart the defense with pin-point passing. Antonio Gates scored 23 in an offense display between Green Bay and San Diego. Legends were led by DeMarco Murray who backed up last week’s performance with another solid outing.

Armed N Dangerous and Legends are amongst a group of four teams currently tied at 4-5 and it looks like we could possibly see multiple wild-cards that are under .500 at season’s end.

Armed N Dangerous now face Fudgie Whales and Legends square off against Bubba Army.



Bubba Army 99, Fudgie Whales 85

Bubba Army (7-2) defeated Fudgie Whales (2-7) 99-85 to basically wrap up the Bandits Division. Despite having Cam Newton on a bye week, the Army continued to march forward and they were led by two New York Giants. Eli Manning tallied 20 points and a healthy Brandon Jacobs added 19 in a balanced team effort. Fudgie were led by Carson Palmer’s 25 points but appear to have established a new TBFL low but having the Chargers defense score -11 points. Yes, a NEGATIVE score of 11 points. I am completely at a loss.

As stated right above this recap, Fudgie Whales battle Armed n Dangerous and Bubba Army meet Playground Legends.


Husslers 130, Money Inc. 121

Husslers (4-5) defeated Money Inc. (2-7) 130-121 to stay in the TBFL Wild Card race. Julio Jones only had three catches but ended up with 31 points to power the Husslers. Matt Hasselbeck scored a surprising 21 points and Husslers received nice outings from the rest of their roster. Speaking of surprising scoring efforts, who the hell is this Reggie Bush guy? The other Bush scored 23 points while Michael Bush scored 20 points. Drew Brees added 21 points but it was all for naught as Money Inc is basically relegated to playing the role of spoiler for the final four weeks.

Husslers, in a must-win game, take on Hurricanes. Money Inc as I mentioned before are in a playoff elimination match-up against X-Factor.

Week Six Recap

IT'S OVER! IT'S ALL OVER! ... The Fudgie Whales break into the win column and avoid matching the legendary Empire franchise for futility. I have said it before and I will continue to say it, Fudgie Whales are too talented to be where they are and I am hoping this is the jump start the franchise needs.

IT'S OVER! IT'S ALL OVER! PART TWO ... Runs N Throses' perfect season came to a halt courtesy of Hurricanes.

The entire Bandit Division has been outscored and despite that Bubba Army is 4-2. X-Factor is the second highest scoring team behind Runs N Throses (793) but have been outscored 731-752.

Next week will be more of a mid-season review than a weekly recap. I know you will be on the edge of your seats.

Bay Area Thrashers 104, Armed N Dangerous 99

Bay Area Thrashers bested Armed N Dangerous 104-99 to earn their fifth win of the season. The Thrashers (5-1) were led by Josh Freeman's 23 and Frank Gore's 22 points, while modest balance finished out the rest of the roster. Armed N Dangerous (2-4) were once again led by Aaron Rodgers who scored 27 points. Rodgers had three touchdowns in the second quarter and things were looking good for AnD, but no one else stepped up to support Rodgers with only the Packers defense scoring more than 15 points. Both teams are now 1-1 in the Storm division and we can now start using the phrase, the Thrashers control their own destiny en route to the playoffs.

Thrashers now face Money Inc, while Armed N Dangerous whose season looks to have gone tits up square off against Runs N Throses.

Bubba Army 97, Money Inc. 94

The combo of Fred Jackson and Cam Newton led Bubba Army (4-2) to their fourth straight win with a hard fought 97-94 victory over Money Inc (1-5) and padded their lead in the Bandit division. Jackson scored 27 to earn player of the game honors. $Cam Newton continues to use the Al Davis mantra and just wins baby as Newton added 19 points to the Army scoreline. Greg Little notched 13 points as well. Money Inc made a late rally and tied the score at 94 before Shonn Greene sealed the Army win by scoring the last three points of the game. Drew Brees scored 22, Aaron Hernandez scored 19 and Run DMC scored 16 for a valiant Money Inc roster.

Bubba Army now travels to face X-Factor and Money Inc. hosts the Storm Division leading, Bay Area Thrashers.

Fudgie Whales 112 Husslers 59

Michael Turner tallied 26 points as Fudgie Whales (1-5) defeated Husslers (2-4) 112-59. A week after scoring 48 points Turner and Marques Colston combined for 50 points. Joe Flacco added 19 while Steven Jackson scored 15. Husslers received 17 from Matt Forte and 14 from Greg Jennings and not much else.

Husslers now face off against fellow 2-4 UO Grandmasters and Fudgie Whales face Hurricanes.

Hurricanes 104, Runs N Throses 89

Hurricanes (5-1) matched Runs N Throses (5-1) five game winning streak by taking down the previously unbeaten Throses 104-89 and took over the Buccaneer division lead. Once again The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe earned player of the game honors with a game high 21 points and LeSean McCoy matched his quarterback with 21 points as well. Wes Welker scored 16 and Jeremy Maclin added 15 for Runs N Throshes in the losing effort. The Hurricanes defense held Throses to a season low 89 points and received balance scoring across the board Jimmy Graham (19), Mike Vick (19), Brandon Marshall (16), Arian Foster (15), Ron Gronkowski (14) and David Akers (12) powered Hurricanes as they took control of the division race. Hurricanes only trail Thrashers for the best record overall as they fell to them in week one.

Hurricanes now host Fudgie Whales while Runs N Throses face off against Armed N Dangerous.

Playground Legends 86, UO Grandmasters 80

Playground Legends (3-3) handed UO Grandmasters (2-4) their fourth straight loss 86-80 in a game so ugly, the entire Bandit division pointed and laughed at them. The only thing of note is that the Ravens record scoring pace for a defense took a hit as they scored only five points.

It only gets uglier as UO Grandmasters now face Husslers, while Playground Legends host Warriors.

X-Factor 124, Warriors 116

Ahmad Bradshaw had a career high three rushing touchdows in route to 32 points as X-Factor (3-3) defeated Warriors (3-3) 124-116 and sent the Warriors to the Buccaneer basement. Megatron continue his streak of nice outtings with 18 and rookie A.J. Green scored 16. Warriors received 21 from Ray Rice and 19 from Tony Romo.

X-Factor now hosts Bubba Army and Warriors travel to face Playground Legends.

My Team of the Week

QB … Aaron Rodgers … 27 points

RB … Ahmad Bradshaw … 32 points

WR … Jordy Nelson … 18 points

WR … Wes Welker … 16 points

TE … Rob Gronkowski … 14 points

TE … Jason Witten … 14 points

PK … Robbie Gould … 14 points

DF … Green Bay Packers … 17 points

Week Five in Review

In Week Three Wes Welker scored 50 points, by HIMSELF. In Week Four Aaron Rodgers scored 50 points, BY HIMSELF. This week a team's combined score failed to match those individual performances.

I have been staring at my monitor to try and find something fun, witty or interesting to add and I got nothing.

Bay Area Thrashers 132, Fudgie Whales 48

The Bay Area Thrashers (4-1) nailed a 100.0% Efficiency Rating as they defeated the Fudgie Whales (0-5) by 84 points, 132-48. Player of the Game Pierre Garçon tallied 29 points to lead a very balanced Thrashers attack. Philip Rivers (21) and Frank Gore (20) both scored 20+ points. When Larry Fitzgerald scores 10 points and you win comfortably, you are doing something right. I continue to be astounded by the fact that Fudgie Whales are winless on the season. The entire Whales roster continues to conspire against Coach Gasper by simply refusing to show up. Kyle Orton and Josh Brown combined to score 0 points. Three other players score single digits and Santonio Holmes led the team with 16 points. I truly hope this team gets it together and can play the role of spoiler. In the NFC West, with a few wins they can come back and win that division.

Bubba Army 120, UO Grandmasters 90

Bubba Army (3-2) continued their nice run with a 120-90 victory over the sliding UO Grandmasters (2-3). Former LSU Tiger Dwayne Bowe was obviously pumped up off the Tigers win over the Florida Gators and snared 7 catches for 128 and two TDs to scored 31 points. Fred Jackson decided that he liked Bowe's 31 points and put up the same total and $Cam Newton threw down 26 points. Kevin Walter earns his way into this recap just because he's a white WR. The pathetic UO Grandmasters head coach has to be questioning himself. Poor roster decisions led to the beating from the Army. UO's decision to start Stevan Ridley (1 point) over The Law Firm (27 points) leaves this columnist scratching his head. The Grandmaster's coach obviously doesn't pay attention to things in New England. Start the Law Firm every week, pure and simple. The next horrid decision by the Grandmaster's skipper was sitting Deion Branch. I mentioned that The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe called Branch the best WR in the NFL and where was Branch and his 20 points? Sitting in favor of Dallas Clark and his 1 point. Don't start Branch this week though. Let's see if that 45 points would have made a difference. My quick and remidal math tells me it would have. Jahvid Best teased the Grandmaster's fans with a brilliant performance and a team leading 26 points. The Army fans taunted the Grandmasters on their way out of the stadium by yelling, you are who we thought you were.

Hurricanes 115, Playground Legends 59

The Hurricanes (4-1) blew to their fourth straight victory 115-59 over Playground Legends (2-3) who dropped their second straight games. Hurricanes quarterback Mike Vick survived the whole game and scored a team leading 26 points followed closely by Arian Foster's 22. The fact that the Hurricanes are winning despite Chris Johnson lack of production is amazing. Jimmy Graham continued his hot streak with 20 points. One has to wonder if Legends got so used to the Raven defense scoring 20+ points every week that they just assumed the Ravens would easily get 20 points on a bye week too. Former Virginia Cavalier Matt Schaub lead the Legends players who weren't on a bye with 26 points which was nearly half of the Legends total score.

Runs N Throses 117, Money Inc. 101

Runs N Throses (5-0) decided not to be bettered by Bay Area Thrashers and RnT also hit a perfect 100.0% Efficiency Rating in their 117-101 victory over Money Inc. (1-4). Despite a low score of 117, Throses had outstanding balance as every postion player score between 17 and 20 points. The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe scored 19 points. Let's face it, that is all we really care about for this game.

Warriors 79, Husslers 75

In an ugly, ugly game the Warriors (3-2) defeated the Husslers (2-3) 79-75. Dane Sanzenbacher's 12 points on the bench are the highlight for the Warriors to me. The Ohio State Buckeye wideout has shown his gritty toughness. The Husslers highlight to me is Stephen Gostkowski nailing 12 points. The Husslers need to focus on coaching instead of trying to make ridiculously bad trade offers to other teams in the TBFL and their results might get better.

X-Factor 126, Armed N Dangerous 122

X-Factor (2-3) defeated Armed N Dangerous (2-3) 126-122 in the TBFL Game of the Week. Ben Roethlisberger fired five TDs and scored 30 points and Megatron showcased his skills to a national audience and scored 24 points. Once again Chris Wells led all X-Factor running backs in scoring but was on the bench. Armed N Dangerous received solid performances as well. 27 points from Aaron Rodgers and a season-high 30 points from All Day. Victor Cruz scored 29 points which would have easily given AnD the win but he was on the bench making highlight reel TD receptions.

We get back into divisional play this week as Runs N Throses battle Hurricanes and Warriors travel to face X-Factor in the Buccaneers Division.

The Storm Division games are Armed N Dangerous traveling to face Bay Area Thrashers while cellar dwellars Playground Legends and UO Grandmasters square-off.

In the NFC Worst, Fudgie Whales host Husslers and Money Inc. faces off against Bubba Army.

My Team of the Week ...

QB ... Tom Brady ... DONE!

Week Four in Review

Once again, I prove to be a jinx by not only being a huge Red Sox fan and watching them collapse but I point out how well Baylor’s Robert Griffin III has played and he goes out, throws his first interception at a critical point and Baylor drops one into the loss column. Sorry, RB3.

There is a fantastic anomaly with the team’s records at this point that will be covered in this week’s ST4T1ST1C4LLY SP34K1NG column but I am completely enamored by it.

Let’s get to Week Four’s results.

Armed N Dangerous 133, Money Inc. 72

Armed N Dangerous (2-2, W2) rolled to a 133-72 win over Money Inc. (1-3) to retain their division lead. Aaron Rodgers put on a ridiculous performance with over 400 yards passing, four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Rodgers’ 50-point performance is the second best scoring effort by a quarterback in TBFL history behind Michael Vick’s 52-point performance in Week 10 last year. Steve [CAR] Smith tallied an impressive 26 points to secure an easy victory. Money Inc was led by Drew Brees and Darren McFadden as they combined for 35 points. There was little else worth noting for Money Inc.

Armed N Dangerous host X-Factor, while Money Inc travels to face Runs N Throses.

Bay Area Thrashers 129, X-Factor 128

That sound you heard at approximately 12:04 Eastern was Coach Beveridge cheering as LeGarrette Blount’s seven yard run broke the tie and gave the Bay Area Thrashers (3-1) a 129-128 victory over X-Factor (1-3). Things were looking bleak for the Thrashers until Blount rumbled 35 yards to pay-dirt to tie the match-up with little time remaining before Blount then broke the hearts and spirit of X-Factor’s fan base. Thrashers received excellent balance from their roster with all six starting position players scoring 17 or more points with minor man-crush Jason Witten leading the team with 23 points. Reports of desention permeated from the bowels of the X-Factor locker room as Chris “Beanie” Wells from THE Ohio State University was rumored to be questioning his place on the bench. Experts are also left questioning how Wells and his 31 points were left on the bench over nearly everyone in the X-Factor starting line-up. Hakeem Nicks’ 32-point and Megatron’s 29-point performances will largely be ignored due to the heartbreaking loss. Factor now is waiting on medical reports regarding Big Ben and his injured foot.

Bay Area Thrashers now face the winless Fudgie Whales, while X-Factor will try and regroup against Armed N Dangerous.

Bubba Army 116, Warriors 107

Bubba Army (2-2) posted back-to-back wins with a 116-107 victory over the Warriors, who are a two-game losing streak. As much as I root against the guy, Cam Newton continues to mock me and my anger directed towards him. Newton posted 36 points to lead a balanced Army line-up and made up for deficiencies from Brandon Jacobs and Andre Johnson. In fairness, Johnson did go down with an injury early and is now questionable for this week or even longer. The Warriors fell victim to Tony Romo being Tony Romo and Orange Skeletor ignoring Tim Hightower. Ray Rice and Tony Gonzalez posted nice numbers but it was all in vain as the Warriors are left looking for answers and are also waiting to see if Cedric Benson will be available this week.

Streaks will collide as the two-game losing streak of UO Grandmasters travel to face Bubba Army. Warriors host fellow 2-2 Husslers.

Hurricanes 111, UO Grandmasters 106

The Hurricanes (3-1) rolled to their third consecutive win with a 111-106 victory over UO Grandmasters. Michael Vick led the Hurricanes with 34 points. Jimmy Graham posted another nice performance and notched 29 points. Vincent Jackson, Chris Johnson and Brandon Marshall all scored double-digit points for the Hurricanes. UO Grandmasters fell to 2-2 despite nice outings from Matthew Stafford, Felix Jones, DeSean Jackson, Owen Daniels and the Chicago Bears defense. It appears that UO’s complaining about lack of coverage has affected their performance on the field. 0-2 since whining about lack of words, so as I said stop whining, work on winning and maybe you can get some coverage.

Hurricanes travel to Playground Legends while UO Grandmasters travel to Bubba Army.

Husslers 117, Playground Legends 85

In one of the oddest games I can recall, Husslers defeated Playground Legends 117-85 and both teams are now 2-2 on the season. Husslers were led by Matt Forte’s outstanding 32 points and Greg Jennings and Santana Moss each scored 23 points. Peyton Hillis threw down 11 points despite suffering from a 120 degree fever … or least that is what I am saying it was. Legends once again received a major performance from the Ravens defense, but it could not save them this time. I’ve done no research on this but the Ravens have scored 900 points for the Legends this year, while the rest of the team has scored 10 points, COMBINED!

Playground Legends now host Hurricanes while Husslers travel to face Warriors.

Runs N Throses 110, Fudgie Whales 76

In a game where only the final numbers were surprising, Runs N Throses (4-0) defeated Fudgie Whales (0-4) by a score of 110-76. The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe had an off-week but still managed to score an inspirational 19 points and once again, early and often, found Wes Welker as the former Red Raider tallied a sterling 30 points. The rest of Throsers rosters was apparently thrown off by TDQBITU’s new hair style and did little to help as Throsers were never in the running for another Team of the Week award. This reporter has been completely thrown off by the season long performance of Fudgie Whales. Whales should quite honestly be better than 0-4 and truly facing the chance that they could give Empire a run for their money by going winless for the season. Single digit performances once again litter the Whales roster with no possible combination to provide a win.

Fudgie Whales host Bay Area Thrashers while Runs N Throses are a hefty favorite over Money Inc.

My Team of the Week

QB … Aaron Rodgers … 50 points

RB … Peyton Hillis … 11 points

RB … Chris Wells … 31 points

WR … Eric Decker … 22 points

WR … Wes Welker … 30 points

TE … Jimmy Graham … 29 points

TE … Jason Witten … 23 points

DF … Baltimore Ravens … 28 points

Week Three in Review

Before I get started on all things TBFL, I got to give some love to Baylor Bear’s QB Robert Griffin III.

Robert Griffin III has a ridiculous TD-to-INC ratio. Yes, I said incompletions. RG3 currently possesses a TD-INC ratio of 13-12. Again this is his TD-to-incompletions, not TD-to-interceptions rate. RG3 is currently 70 of 82 for 962 yards with 13 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown. In case you are wondering, RG3 currently has ZERO interceptions.

Let’s fire this up with the Buccaneers Division.

Runs N Throses 171, X-Factor 103

WOW! Just wow. Runs N Throses moved to 3-0 with a 171-103 blowout victory over X-Factor. Throses hit a perfect 100% efficiency rating. Once again the combination of The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe and former Texas Tech Red Raider, Wes Welker were dominant. The Brady-Welker combo threw down an amazing 81 points. Roddy White (23), LeSean McCoy (22) and Daniel Thomas (20) also scored 20 or more points in a truly magnificent outing. Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket, Calvin Johnson powered a decent X-Factor performance along with Mike Wallace and Big Ben but the rest of the team wasn’t ready for primetime.

Throses are an astounding 73.2 point favorite as they host Fudgie Whales while X-Factor is a touchdown favorite as they move on to face Bay Area Thrashers. Throses 171-point performance out-scored Fudgie Whales and Husslers COMBINED!!

Hurricanes 106, Warriors 101

Hurricanes won their second consecutive game with a 106-101 victory over a very game Warriors squad. Rob Gronkowski finally got a start and proved what he is capable of with 29 points to led the Hurricanes. In what can only be labeled an anomaly, fellow Tight End Jimmy Graham was second on the team with 20 points. In what will continue to be a familiar theme, The Dog Killer left the game with an injury that may or may not be serious. The Sex Cannon and Tim Hightower made things interesting for the Warriors but their effort fell short. Steve Johnson and Ray Rice combined for 45 points for the Warriors in the losing effort. It is of little solace but the Warriors can take some comfort knowing that no line-up combination could have won the game for them.

Hurricanes now face UO Grandmasters and the Warriors face the Bubba Army and both games are basically pick ‘em contests according the oddsmakers.

The Storm Division is all over the board right now.

Playground Legends 117, Bay Area Thrashers 111

Playground Legends moved into first place with a 117-111 win over Bay Area Thrashers. Both teams are now 2-1 on the season but Legends took a critical division win before the bye weeks commence. The stars once again aligned for Legends as their defense puts up another 20+ point effort without the Ravens brilliant performance this game would have been far different. Matt Schaub scored 29 points and Lance Moore tallied an impressive 27 points. The 23 points from the Ravens were sorely needed as the Legends running backs scored a combined 6 points. Bay Area Thrashers had good performances all-around with the only possible dud being Philip Rivers and his 11 points. Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert combined for 36 points as Thrashers ended up Chargers-heavy with their line-up. Former Charger Darren Sproles found some Kansas State Wildcat magic and tallied 20 points.

Despite both teams being 2-1 and facing 1-2 teams they are underdogs as X-Factor faces Bay Area Thrashers and Playground Legends travel to face Husslers.

Armed N Dangerous 122, UO Grandmasters 71

Armed N Dangerous (1-2) uses T&A to break into the win column with a 122-71 win over UO Grandmasters (2-1). Aaron Rodgers and Jermichael Finley were truly fired up for the night and combined for 58 points as they triggered a true team victory. MJD and All Day combined for 37 points as well. UO Grandmasters were firing blanks and could only manage to score a pathetic 71 points. UO did completely pillage AnD in a mid-week trade that deserves some kind of award. Matthew Stafford was gunned into the starting line-up and learned the UO offense quickly and notched a solid 26 points. The rest of the team was largely useless and the unbeaten Grandmasters tasted defeat. I find it awesome that TDQBITU referred to Deion Branch as the best WR in the NFL and Tom Terrific looked Deion's way a grand total of ZERO times. UO suffered another loss as Kenny Britt wanted off the Grandmasters roster so badly that he tore his ACL and MCL to end his season.

UO Grandmasters now face Hurricanes and Armed N Dangerous is a 14 point favorite over Money Inc.

Let's look at the NFC West.

Bubba Army (1-2) defeated Husslers (1-2) 123-103 and Money Inc. (1-2) defeated Fudgie Whales (0-3) 113-67. I really can't find anything positive here to even write about.

Cam Newton gets his first start and stinks. The Sanchise gets benched and doubles up Newton. Fred Jackson was good. Drew Brees, Darren McFadden and Joe Flacco scored 32 points each.

The winless Fudgie Whales now face Runs N Throses in a battle of teams with three combined wins, all by Throses. Bubba Army travels to Warriors. Money Inc. hosts Armed N Dangerous and Husslers welcome in Playground Legends.

My Team of the Week

QB - Tom Brady 31 points

RB - Peyton Hillis 0 points

WR - Wes Welker 50 points

TE - James Casey 24 points

TE - Rob Gronkowski 29 points

TE - Greg Olsen 20 points

PK - Dan Bailey 18 points

DF - Baltimore Ravens 23 points

Week Two in Review

FOUR WEEKS IN A ROW and my Hall of Fame column is on hiatus until the week of the Fantasy Bowl.

Bay Area Thrashers 119, Husslers 110

The Bay Area Thrashers moved to 2-0 on the season as they earned a scrappy 119-110 win over Husslers (1-1) who suffer their first TBFL defeat. The Thrashers win came with a huge asterisk as the Thrashers lost running back Jamaal Charles for the remainder of the season. However as stated before their running back depth is sufficient enough to recover somewhat from the loss of Charles. Benching LeGarette Blount and Ryan Matthews turned out not to be costly due does merit the question as to when, not if, Thrashers will have to start both Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert. Husslers were led by the outstanding tandem of Peyton Hillis and Matt Forte but their excellent efforts were all in vain.

The Thrashers open division play against Playground Legends, while Husslers welcome the Bubba Army to the Penthouse. Yes, different companies but doesn’t a stadium need to be called The Penthouse? It’s better than The Honeycomb, right?

Hurricanes 131, Bubba Army 105

The Hurricanes bounced back this week and put one in the win column with a 131-105 victory over the struggling Bubba Army. The Hurricanes received an outstanding performance from former Northern California Bear, Vincent “Action” Jackson, who tallied an amazing 39 points. The Steelers added 20 points to the Hurricanes bottom line. The Army had some nice performances from Coe College Kowhawk, Fred Jackson and Andre Johnson from some school near Miami. As predicted by others it appears that Michael Vick could miss at least one game with a concussion. At 0-2, the Army should be starting Cam Newton as their season could slip away as early as week three.

The Hurricanes a 36 point underdog now face the red-hot Warriors and as mentioned above the Bubba Army face the Husslers in a rather pedestrian NFC West match-up.

Runs N Throses 157, Playground Legends 104

The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe put on another clinic and powered Runs N Throses (2-0) to a 157-104 victory over the Playground Legends (1-1). TDQBITU notched 33 points and Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy combined to score 71 which gave Throses a well-earned Team of the Week honor. Throses just missed out on that honor last week and came out with a vengeance this week. Legends received a brilliant 41-point effort from Miles Austin but there was nothing else that Legends could do to overcome the magnificent Runs N Throses roster.

Throses open division play against X-Factor while Legends host Bay Area Thrashers.

UO Grandmasters 113, Money Inc. 93

Woopty doo! The UO Grandmasters moved to 2-0 with a 113-93 victory over Money Inc.

UO Grandmasters now face the 0-2 Armed N Dangerous squad while Money faces off against Fudgie Whales in a match-up of winless teams.

Warriors 132, Armed N Dangerous 104

The Warriors (2-0) continued their hot start with a 132-104 victory over the struggling Armed N Dangerous. Warriors were stunned as quarterback Tony Romo suffered a rib injury but returned and tallied a nice 25 points. Former Kentucky Wildcat, Steve Johnson snared a solid 23 points, Ray Rice threw down 20 while the Jets defense crushed it with 24 points. Armed received some solid performances as well courtesy of former Oklahoma Sooner Adrian Peterson, Cal Golden Bear Aaron Rodgers and Utah Ute Steve [CAR] Smith as they combined for 72 points, but lackadaisical performances from the rest of the team lead to their 0-2 record. Unlike others, I’ll spare you any Tony Roma’s Ribs jokes. Pun unintended.

In week three the Warriors host division foe, Hurricanes while Armed N Dangerous welcome UO Grandmasters to Browning Stadium.

X-Factor 133, Fudgie Whales 74

X-Factor (1-1) dominated from the get-go and grabbed their first win of the season with a 133-74 over the winless Fudgie Whales (0-2). X-Factor was led by Ole Miss Rebel Mike Wallace put up an excellent 26 points which was matched by the Detroit Lions defensive unit. Balance production was the key to X-Factor's victory. Whales look in complete disarry at this point in the season but did receive a nice performance from former Northern Illinois Huskie Michael Turner but little else as 10 of the 18 roster players scored either zeroes or single digits.

X-Factor now travels to division co-leader Runs N Throses while Fudgie Whales take on Money Inc in a battle that can only be labelled to Game of the WEAK as both teams come in 0-2.

My TBFL Team of the Week (can include bench players)

QB - Tom Brady 33 points

RB - Peyton Hillis 26 points

RB - Ben Tate 17 points

WR - Eric Decker 27 points

WR - Wes Welker 15 points

TE - Rob Gronkowski 24 points

PK - Stephen Gostkowski 9 points

DF - Detroit Lions 26 points

The Buccaneer Division is currently pacing the league as each team is .500 or above. The Storm division features the only true shocker as Armed N Dangerous is currently winless. The NFC West is, well, the NFC West. We could come out of week three with two winless teams or we could come out with every team being under .500.

My View of Week One

Bay Area Thrashers 94-80 Hurricanes

In a Week One Preview of the potential Fantasy Bowl, my Pre-Season selection as TBFL Champions, the Bay Area Thrashers defeated the Hurricanes 94-80. Neither team fired on all cylinders as both got zeros from their kickers and Hurricanes lost points courtesy of their defense. Thrashers left more points on the bench as they scored, 111-94 but honestly who would have sat Frank Gore and started Mike Tolbert instead? Hurricanes WR depth took a potential hit as Danny Amendola suffered a dislocated elbow. Amendola looked to be out for a while but he is attempting to come back THIS WEEK. The former Red Raider is showing Wes Welker-like toughness and has quickly vaulted on to my All-Awesome team. Yes, I just broke my own rule of comparing one white guy to another white guy but seriously if this was T.O. with a dislocated elbow he would be done for weeks. Amendola would laugh at a broken leg and would be back two days later to continue dropping passes.

Husslers 128-111 Armed N Dangerous

Husslers are welcomed to the TBFL by a generous AnD squad with a 128-111 win. An outstanding performance from Tulane alum Matt Forte. Forte was a true all-purpose back with 158 total yards and a receiving touchdown. Madden Cover Victim and former Arkansas Razorback Peyton Hillis snagged 14 points. Armed N Dangerous left Steve [CAR] Smith and his 37 points on the bench. Did AnD's Packer homerism cost him what could be a pivotal win? Finley over Smith is highly questionable.

Playground Legends 94-93 Money Inc.

In what must be a TBFL first, a game where both team's defense truly decided a game as the Playground Legends defeated Money Inc 94-93. The Legend's Ravens defense crushed Pittsburgh and notched a rather nice 26 points while Money's Dolphins defense got treated an old hooker by the Patriots and The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe and cost Money four points and a win. I'll get into more details on TDQBITU shortly. Money's starting line-up brings into a few questions if his homerism cost him this game as Aaron Hernandez and the Falcons defense were left sitting while he started Phins players in a much tougher match-up. As for Legends, if your defense out scores any other player on your roster there are going to be problems but Danny gets a gift.

Runs N Throses 149-90 Bubba Army

Runs N Throses flexed their muscle in the season opener with a 59-point victory over a completely outmatched Bubba Army. The Dreamiest Quarterback in the Universe from the school up North was ridiculously good. TDQBITU hit eight different receivers in route to a 517 yard, four touchdown performance with his favorite target this week, conveniently enough, being Texas Tech Red Raider Wes Welker. Welker reeled in 8 of TDQBITU's passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns with the highlight of course being a 99-yarder. The Bubba Army's lone solace was that there was nothing they could do to win this game but may have found a gem in $Cam Newton. I keep waiting (and hoping) for this kid to fail and he keeps succeeding. The Army lost bench player and Bubba Army favorite Kevin Walter for the season due to injury.

UO Grandmasters 140-117 X-Factor

The Grandmasters hit on a league hit 98.6 efficiency rating in route to a 140-117 win over the X-Factor. X-Factor's wide receiver corps as expected were very good this week and former Auburn Tiger Ben Tate despite being on the bench showed the signs that I saw in him last year before he got injured.

Warriors 151-97 Fudgie Whales

The Warriors took TBFL Team of the Week honors with a 151-97 win over the Fudgie Whales. The Warriors tallied a 98.1 efficiency rating and left only three points on the bench for the season opening win. Ray Rice, the former Rutgers Scarlet Knight ran through, over and around Pittsburgh for a very nice 30-point effort and the rest of the roster contributed with very solid efforts in a comfortable victory. Fudgie Whales already have to worry about Oregon State Beaver alum Steven Jackson as SJax went out very early as he injured his quadricep on a 47-yard touchdown run against the Dream Team's defense on his first offensive play of the game. It looked like he would be fine as he came back for a 9-yard run before exiting the game.

My Personal Team of the Week (can included benched players)

QB ... Tom Brady 40 points

RB ... Peyton Hillis 14 points

RB ... Chris "Beanie" Wells 20 points

WR ... Brian Hartline 14 points

WR ... Wes Welker 36 points

TE ... Jason Witten 17 points

PK ... Sebastian Janikowski 12 points

DF ... Baltimore Ravens 26 points

FA Honorable Mention ... Rob Gronkowski 26 points

Post TBFL Draft Roster Review

Before I proceed with what I will be calling a Post Draft Roster Review, I am proud to announce that the TBFL is moving into the social media realm. Follow us on twitter, @TheTBFL. The Czar of Social Media (Me) has also created a private group on Facebook and I am looking for someone to be my co-host on The TBFL Today podcast. You’re damn skippy, you read that right, The TBFL Today podcast bitches. I have no idea what format the podcast will consist of, but we got to make this happen. If people have any ideas what the podcast should consist of throw them at me.

The next announcement is that the inaugural class of the TBFL Hall of Fame will be announced shortly. The TBFL Hall of Fame will not follow any real format or criteria for induction with the only caveat that the player must have been active from the TBFL creation in 1998 until now. No silly waiting period, if you are a TBFL Hall of Famer, you are in immediately. There may be some questionable inductees from time to time, but the aim is to truly make it a Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good. The inaugural class is locked in, but feel free to make your case for any TBFL-era players.

Rather than a true draft review, I am going to look at this as more of a roster review heading into Week One of the 2011 TBFL Season.

Let the mockery begin.

Armed N Dangerous

As I stated in my keeper review, AnD is stacked at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford are joined by Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Dalton, the ginger from TCU, is in for a rough rookie season but to me is the best rookie QB available. AnD added some solid RB backs to their roster via a first round trade for Adrian Peterson. AP is joined by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Toby Gerhart and Marion Barber. Green-Ellis is the only pure starter (for now) but there is solid depth for bye week coverage. AnD took my thoughts that TE should be a mandatory line-up position to heart and just about cornered the market on tight ends. Antonio Gates, Jermichael Finley, Bradon Pettigew and Zach Miller are all starts and in a PPR league are very solid choices. Real intriguing options litter the AnD roster at WR with DeSean Jackson, Steve (CAR) Smith, Lee Evans and Steve Breaston. Evans and Breaston should benefit from new locations. In a move of little surprise, AnD takes the Packers defense but for some reason ignored Mason Crosby and ended up with SeaBass.

Bay Area Thrashers

The Team of the Decade once again looks strong and will battle AnD for the division title yet again and should contend for an amazing 4^th TBFL crown. Philip Rivers and Josh Freeman should be a very nice duo at QB and could potentially provide some touch decisions on a week-to-week basis. A huge assortment of RBs give Kevin plenty of options on a weekly basis. Frank Gore, Ryan Mathews, Jamaal Charles, Mike Tolbert, LeGarrette Blount, Dexter McCluster, Derrick Ward and Darren Sporles. All can and will produce. In something that is either genius or pure luck, Larry Fitzgerald falls into Thrashers' lap. Fitz is coming off a down season, but should have never fell to the second round. Chad Ochocinco, Mike Thomas, Pierre Garcon and Harry Douglas complete a potent WR corp and Jason Witten at TE is another solid veteran that will produce on a consistent basis. Nate Kaeding and the Cowboys complete the special teams and they are what they are.

Bubba Army

It is going to be a long season for the Army. The Army goes New York, New York with their quarterback selections. Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez will give solid points but the marquee QBs eluded the Army during the draft. In a huge head scratcher, $Cam Newton! I can't even comment on this one. Shonn Greene is poised to have a breakout season with a loaded Jets roster. Fred Jackson, Brandon Jacobs, Javon Ringer, Danny Woodhead and Taiwan Jones do not instill a whole lot of faith in yours truly. The bright spot on the Bubba Army roster is definitely the depth at WR. Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Mike Williams, Greg Little, Robert Meachem, Kevin Walter (again) and the Steal of the Draft Brian Hartline will give the Army nice options each week. The special teams of Alex Henery and New England Patriots are decent and should not end up as roster fodder.

Fudgie Whales

Joe Flacco and Kyle Orton provide a better than you think pair of QBs for Fudgie Whales. The Whales grabbed a nice one-two punch at running back with Michael Turner and Steven Jackson. Jonathan Stewart gives them a solid third back in a Rhino formation is needed. Jason Snelling and Montario Hardesty added some very nice sleeper depth. Santonio Holmes and Dez Bryant lead a very nice receiving corps that is stacked with Marques Colston, Nate Burleson, Davone Bess, James Jones, Randall Cobb, Mohamed Massaquoi and TE Greg Olsen. Consistent and reliable can describe the Whales special teams unit with Josh Brown and the San Diego Chargers. The Whales look to the be the lone playoff participant from the NFC West.

Hurricanes

My pre-draft favorites did what they needed to do and strengthen the roster with excellent additions. Sam Bradford and Michael Vick welcome Terrelle Pryor (?!?!?!) into the fold. Former East Carolina Pirate Chris Johnson was a stellar pick-up by the Hurricanes, who only need to worry that CJ28’s holdout could lead to a quick injury. Arian Foster gives the Hurricanes an elite pair of RBs. Joseph Addai, Willis McGahee, Marshawn Lynch and Isaac Redman give the Hurricanes some solid depth and Lynch could deliver a huge season. Quality WRs across the board for the Hurricanes. Brandon Marshall and Vincent Jackson are joined by Danny Amendola, Jacoby Ford, Antonio Brown, Antonio and TEs Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham. Late addition Adam Vinatieri and the Pittsburgh Steelers continued to strengthen an already solid roster.

Husslers

The new kid on the block continues to cause me to scratch my head in disbelief. Despite reports that stated his neck injury was far worse than first indicated the Husslers brought in Peyton Manning and did nothing to cover themselves by selecting Chad Henne. One of the two additions that I really like is Matt Forte. Forte is in a now or never position and I get the feeling that it is now. Forte and Peyton Hillis should give the Husslers little to think about each week as they are must starts no matter what. Kahlil Bell, Roy Helu, Le’Ron McClain, C.J. Spiller and LaDainian Tomlinson are an odd bunch, but give the Husslers plenty of bye week coverage. Addition number two that I liked is Greg Jennings. Jennings is easily a top ten receiver and probably closer to top five, as long as Aaron Rodgers doesn’t screw Husslers over. Puzzled by the early addition of Julio Jones but it could also pay huge dividends. Veterans fill out the roster in the form of Santana Moss, Hines Ward and Jordy Nelson. I am highly intrigued by Dezmon Briscoe. Visanthe Shiancoe is a proven performer who should continue producing solid numbers due to the fact that he doesn’t have Tavaris Jackson as his QB. Epic kicker Stephen Gostkowski and the Philadelphia Eagles give Husslers a nice special teams set-up.

Money Inc.

Money Inc. goes completely homer with their special teams additions with Dan Carpenter and the Miami Dolphins. However, the homerism takes a backseat to the stellar selection of Drew Brees. Last year in the same spot Tom Brady fell into my lap and Money has another elite QB fall in their lap. Matt Cassel is a bye week starter and a bye week starter only. Late addition Blaine Gabbert could see action much sooner than expected. After Darren McFadden, third down backs plague the Money Inc. roster with Reggie Bush, DeAngelo Williams, Ronnie Brown, Michael Bush, Thomas Jones and Donald Brown. Plaxico Burress, Michael Crabtree, Bernand Berrian, Steve (PHI) Smith, Edmond Gates and TE Aaron Hernandez continue to baffle my review of the Money roster.

Playground Legends

The trend of causing me to take a deep breath and say “oh boy, this could get ugly” continues with Legends. Matt Schaub was a great addition to the Legends roster and gives Danny plenty of time to just sit on Colt McCoy and Jake Locker. Rashard Mendenhall and Knowshon Moreno should help Legends stay competitive but if either one goes down with an injury Mark Ingram, Ryan Grant, DeMarco Murray, Shane Vereen and Alex Green are significant drop-offs. I get a familiar feeling of just good enough to stay in games but not win many shows up in the Legends receiving corps with Lance Moore, Johnny Know, Miles Austin, Mario Manningham and TE Kellen Winslow. The lone bright spot is Jordan Shipley. With Matt Bryant and the Baltimore Ravens, the Legends have a better than average special teams unit.

Runs N Throses

Shawn once again drafts fairly well and ensures that he should make the playoffs yet again. A QB combo of The Dreamiest Quarterack in the Universe, Tom Brady and Matt Ryan is simply ridiculous. I can’t see both guys finishing the season on the Throses roster but they have a better chance of doing that than Tim Tebow does. While it did not start this way, Throses ended up with LeSean McCoy. McCoy is a must start each week and he should be joined by Pierre Thomas. Daniel Thomas, Mikel Leshoure, Jacquizz Rodgers and Bernard Scott fill out the running backs on RnT’s roster. Personally, I like the gamble on Leshoure and Rodgers. The wide outs are lead by the best WR on the planet, Wes Welker. Welker, Roddy White, Jeremy Maclin, Earl Bennett, Emmanuel Sanders, Malcom Floyd and Eddie Royal should give RnT plenty of options each week. Judging by RnT’s special teams unit, Shawn is all-in on New Orleans with John Kasay and the Saints defense.

UO Grandmasters

Since I am still bitter about my 1999 Fantasy Bowl defeat I am not even commenting on UO’s roster. Let’s move along. Six points doesn’t sting 12 years later. Nope, not at all.

Warriors

Warriors added an intriguing combo at quarterback with Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb. Again, I am disappointed that The Sex Cannon Rex Grossman wasn’t kept and/or drafted. Despite having six running backs on the Warriors roster, only Ray Rice adds any real value. Tim Hightower and Ryan Torain should give Warriors one viable starting running back each week but your guess is as good as mine as to which one. Cedric Benson, Jerome Harrison and Ryan Williams complete the pedestrian set of tailbacks. As I said before lots of boom or bust potential exists within the Warriors roster, mainly at wide receiver. Can Kerry Collins be good enough to make Reggie Wayne a viable number one? Anquan Boldin and Mike Sims-Walker have good young QBs but are not first options at any point within their given offenses. Steve Johnson, Arrelious Benn, Roy Williams, Andre Roberts and TE Lance Kendricks finish out the assortment of go big or go home targets. A better than most special teams unit featuring Mason Crosby and the Jets defense.

X-Factor

I like X-Factor’s thought that one QB is all that is needed. Granted Ben Roethlisberger should be a top five quarterback this season but dude has a bye week at some point and the free agent wire doesn’t give me a ton of confidence. Based on the lack of running back depth it looks like a lot of run ‘n’ shoot for X-Factor. Chris Wells, from The Ohio State University, and Ahmad Bradshaw should be starters week in, week out but both are always one carry away from a benching. I like that X-Factor has got the Texans’ back-up running back market cornered with Ben Tate and Steve Slaton. It is now or never for the Texans and Tate could benefit from that. Delone Carter, James Starks and Tashard Choice do not instill lots of confidence in anyone. The lack of running back depth is certainly made up by the wide receiver crew. No one can argue with Megatron at all. Calvin Johnson, Hakeem Nicks, Percy Harvin, A.J. Green, Mike Wallace, Sidney Rice, Brian Robiskie and the fine Eric Decker complete an outstanding group. My guy, Jay Feely and a tough Detroit Lions defense should be a formidable special teams unit.

The TBFL is a four team race in this reporter’s eyes. Hurricanes, Bay Area Thrashers, Runs N Throses and Armed N Dangerous look to be the class of the league with X-Factor real close.

Predicted Finish Order:

Buccaneers Division

Hurricanes

Runs N Throses

X-Factor

Warriors

Storm Division

Bay Area Thrashers

Armed N Dangerous

Playground Legends

UO Grandmasters

NFC West

Fudgie Whales

Husslers

Bubba Army

Money Inc.

Bye Week: Hurricanes and Bay Area Thrashers

Wildcards: Fudgie Whales, Armed N Dangerous, Runs N Throses and X-Factor

Championship Game: Thrashers over Hurricanes

Goodbye Playing, Hello Analyzing.

While I have zero desire to actively run a fantasy team, I do have lots of desire to mock or maybe actually give kudos on the weekly happenings within the TBFL.

I will get to my thoughts on team-by-team reviews shortly, but the first person I have to mock is … ME!

While in the final stages of the 2010 TBFL Selection Meeting, I am on Skype with AnD, Thrashers, Bubba Army and I openly talk about the fact I should take LeGarrette Blount in the 17 th and Peyton Hillis in the 18 th round. Do I make those selections? Nope, thus one of the many reasons I have retired for a final time. A 13 th , 14 th and 15 th round that could have consisted of Ben Tate, LeGarrette Blount and Peyton Hillis would have definitely caused me to hang around one more year but other teams benefit from my mistake. At least I got the satisfaction of waving Brett Favre during the course of my season and I was moments away from winning with an All-White Starting Lineup.

Armed N Dangerous

Miller’s last year that he has his man-crush Aaron Rodgers locked into T&A night in an AnD uniform. While Miller was pillaged in the original trade to get Rodgers back onto his roster it has definitely panned out in the long run. In the 8 th , AnD gets to complete a nice QB duo with Matthew Stafford. If Stafford stays healthy this will be a fun season for AnD at QB. AnD goes homer keeper with Jermichael Finley but does have a potentially nice combo with Brandon Pettigrew. Tight Ends should be mandatory and Miller would have a nice combo every week during the season. The Law Firm rounds out AnD’s nice selection of keepers. BenJarvus Green-Ellis should have a good season with the Patriots loaded on offense.

Trading away Marshawn Lynch makes sense on some level, but I am not seeing it.

Bay Area Thrashers

Kevin also joins AnD with a nice set of keepers with a bonus that these are all later round selections. Thrashers benefit greatly from me being a dummy and not taking Blount in the 17 th round last year. Jamaal Charles and Blount should be a good combo for two more seasons at least for Thrashers. Two solid WRs in Mike Thomas and Pierre Garçon along with Mike Tolbert and Josh Freeman are icing on the cake.

I would have tried to figure out some way to keep Montario Hardesty and traded him to Hustlers for Ben Tate and Hustlers get to keep a Hillis/Hardesty combo. It’s a win/win and it would be a beautiful thing.

Bubba Army

Army’s keepers are what they are. Tampa’s Mike Williams and Fred Jackson should produce serviceable numbers.

There really isn’t anyone else worth mentioning so let’s keep going.

Fudgie Whales

Gasper is set with a viable QB in Joe Flacco and a definitive number one WR in Santonio Holmes. Sticking with the Chargers for a 12 isn’t a bad call either, consider six games against a bad AFC West.

Keeping Braylon Edwards and Demaryius Thomas may have been worth it, but can’t knock throwing both back into the waters.

Hurricanes

I cannot believe I am saying this, but I really like Hurricanes keepers. Excellent wheeling and dealing and the Hurricanes are stacked heading into 2011 and beyond. Sam Bradford and The Dog Killer at QB could be a combo that gives AnD a run for his money in that department. Arian Foster, Rashad Jennings and Marshawn Lynch give Hurricanes a solid set of RBs to start the season. Vincent Jackson, Danny Amendola and Jacoby Ford give the ‘Canes lots to smile about. Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham only lend credence to the fact that TEs should be mandatory and the gravy on top in the form on the Steelers defense. Lots to like here, in fact, far too much to like which means this can only end badly. I like this squad a lot. Sorry ‘Canes but I am going to jinx you with the mantle of preseason favorite.

Hurricanes get the luxury of drafting the best available all the way through the draft. No “needs” based drafting at all.

Husslers

A little biased here but I love Peyton Hillis despite the Madden cover jinx. As I said during Thrashers review, getting Montario Hardesty would have fit really well here. I am not sure of the logic in getting rid of Ben Tate and not keeping the face of the franchise in Brian Hartline, but it has to make sense somehow.

I will freely admit I have done zero research on who is available, but Dez Bryant was worthy of being a keeper as well.

Money Inc.

Darren McFadden is good. Let’s admit there is not much to see here, move along.

I might have decided to keep the Sanchise with all the talent that kid has around him.

Playground Legends

Legends start the season with a solid set of WRs. Lance Moore, Johnny Knox, Miles Austin and Mario Manningham should be solid, safe choices all year long. Colt McCoy looks to be legit but four games a year against Pittsburgh and Ray “I’ll Cut You, I Have in the Past.” Lewis’ team are not fun thoughts. I like but have huge concerns regarding Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall saw a lot of work last year, 410 total touches, would give me some panic attacks every time he gets hit. Two physical games a year against The Killer and the rest of the Ravens give Danny plenty to worry about.

Legends threw back nothing worthy of noting.

Runs N Throses

There is a lot to like, just not sure I like it a lot. Matty Ice is obviously a solid #1 QB but the complementary pieces don’t thrill me a bunch. Vince Young will see action this year because the Dog Killer can’t play all 16 games. Tebow is Tebow. Roddy White and Jeremy Maclin give Throses a nice pair of WRs, but the rest just appear to be filler. Pierre Thomas is a legit starting RB while Bernard Scott can cover if Cedric Benson can’t stay out of jail.

As always, Shawn gets to make a few picks and then take an extended nap with all of his keepers.

UO Grandmasters

I said this once already, but I am going to say it again here. Let’s just move along, nothing to see here.

I think Jason Campbell would have been a solid investment late in the draft, but what do I know?

Warriors

Let’s just pencil in Warriors needing to draft Tom Brady or Drew Brees right now, but neither will be available to him or at least shouldn’t be available. Warriors have a unique set of keepers with lots of boom potential and a whole lot of bust potential. Cedric Benson is going to wish he was back in jail instead of the Cincinnati backfield. His homerism in getting Tim Hightower and Ryan Torian will only crush him when Coach Skeletor and his orange face can’t decide from play to play who his preferred running back is. The Warriors do have a nice set of WRs, but no marquee name that makes anyone say Wow! Mike Sims-Walker should benefit from an emerging Sam Bradford. Steve Johnson and Arrelious Benn are solid #2 or #3 options, while Roy Williams is already making lots and lots of friends in Chicago.

I am a bit surprised that Ryan Fitzpatrick or The Sex Cannon wasn’t kept as bye week filler for Brees or Brady. Oh that’s right, Warriors won’t get Brady or Brees.

X-Factor

X-Factor kept a nice balance core of guys that should keep him in contention all season long with a good draft. All signs point to The Rapist (allegedly) having a great season for the Steelers. If Roethlisberger’s offensive line can give him some time to work through his reads Big Ben will put up lots of points. Nice balance within the X-Factor backfield as well. Ahmad Bradshaw should get plenty of touches in the Giants offense and could produce excellent and more importantly consistent numbers. James Starks, Tashard Choice and Ben Tate could all see significant action this year. Hakeem Nicks is poised for a massive year and it wouldn’t surprise me if Mike Wallace joined Nicks as a top 10 WR. Can Sidney Rice succeed despite a bad QB? Lastly Eric Decker, is there any question why I like this kid? If you have to question why just ask yourself why did I have a lineup that featured Wes Welker, Jordan Shipley and Brian Hartline.

I wish X-Factor would have kept Jay Cutler so I could slam something about his keeper list. He did not, so I get no fun.

The Buccaneers Division definitely takes the lead with the best overall keepers, with AnD and Thrashers in the mix.

The NFC West, err, the Bandits division looks like it will once again be the doormat of the TBFL.

The Pre-Draft Power Rankings firmly have the Hurricanes in the number one slot. It will be interesting to see if he can take the ball and bring destruction or does the pressure turn out to be too much and the Hurricanes turn into nothing but a lot of blustery wind.

Yes, I went there.