2010 LFFL Week Four Power Poll

LFFL 2010 Week Four Power Poll

Now that three weeks are in the books, it's time to take a look at the who's who of the LFFL. Position is based on total points scored year to date, not overall record.

1) Prospect Pioneers (3-0, 280.24 pts) This season shows all the signs of being one of those years where the Prospect Pioneers and owner Dan Coulter are the class of the LFFL. While some might lament this fact, there's something to be said for the league's intensity in the years where the Pioneers rule the roost. Every league needs a villain, and perhaps we're all better when Prospect is better. That said, what makes Prospect better is two key positions: Quarterback and Defense. Tom Brady is good, and he plays for a New England team with a terrible defense, meaning he will be constantly throwing, and scoring points for the Pioneers in the process. On the flip side, Prospect has a lights out defense in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers Defense is not only number one, but number one by a wide margin, meaning Prospect is able to squeeze more points out of a position that is traditionally more famine than feast. We've yet to discuss wide receiver or running back, but that's not for a lack of talent. Miles Austin and Anquan Boldin are a dangerous duo, and Maurice Jones-Drew is number one over a crew that Prospect rotates in and out as necessary. Having soundly defeated defending champion Allentown this past week, Prospect is in the driver's seat in both the Landry Division and the league overall.

2) Indiana Ignition (2-1, 249.01 pts) This squad is anchored by Peyton Manning, who like Tom Brady, throws because he has no running game. That is a formula that usually equals success in the realm of fantasy, and here Indiana is the beneficiary. Also, what might be most surprising to the Ignition, is that on a squad with Michael Turner and Ahmad Bradshaw, Darren McFadden is the leading rusher. Also notable is this team's depth. Riding the pine are Chad Ochocinco, Kevin Walter, Beanie Wells, and Michael Vick. This is a solid squad, who if not for their week two loss to first place Prospect, would themselves be in first place.

3) Chewton Champs (3-0, 235.19 pts) Despite the fact that this team has several underachieving blue-chippers, the Chewton Champs are undefeated and in first place in the Stram Division. Those underachievers include Calvin Johnson (19.15 pts), Ray Rice (16.25 pts), and Brent Celek (7.3 pts). However, while those players have stepped down, the Champs have seen others step up, including LeSean McCoy (40.3 pts) and Dustin Keller (33.05 pts). Those talents are lead by quarterback Philip Rivers, who is both a world class dick, and a top flight QB, throwing for 455 yards last week without breaking a sweat.

4) Allentown Iron Men (2-1, 216.47 pts) While it might be a little early to say that the defending champion Allentown Iron Men begrudgingly passed the torch to the Prospect last week in their loss to the Pioneers, it's not too early to say that this team might be in trouble. While the Iron Men have the league leaders in rushing and receiving yards, it is their running back and wide receiver positions that are the biggest areas of concern. Running back Ryan Mathews is currently nursing a high ankle sprain making his return to action is uncertain, Matt Forte is more of receiver than a rusher, Greg Jennings is a spectacular talent but largely absent from the Green Bay receiving corps, and Mike Sims-Walker is suffering from the lack of a talented QB to toss him the football. These problems have dimmed the fact that Arian Foster looks to be a monster back, and Austin Collie is breaking out as Peyton Manning's new favourite target. While Drew Brees has been slow to warm up this season, there's no reason to believe that he won't produce this year, albeit at a slightly lower pace than last year. Having lost to Prospect this past week, the Iron Men will need to either gain a game over the Pioneers at some point this year, or start scoring a ton of points if they wish to win their first Landry Division title, let alone get back to the playoffs to defend their title.

5) Honolulu Muffdivers (1-2, 214.33 pts) This team is a surprising fifth place in the Power Poll considering they are rolling without a starting running back. This week's tentative starters at running back are Michael Bush and Darren Sproles. Hard to believe it, but these two are upgrades over the rapidly declining Clinton Portis and the injured Knowshon Moreno. Of course, the fact that six of the seventeen players signed to contracts with Honolulu are from Oakland tells you right off the bat what this team is about: an Al Davis level of delusional insanity. The one saving grace for the Muffdivers is Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who single-handedly makes up for many of the missteps Honolulu has made. If this team wants to go anywhere though, they'll need to solidify the running back position, and divest themselves of many of the Oakland Raiders on their roster.

6) Laurel Skullets (0-3, 210.5 pts) The Skullets are a stunning 0-3 and have a pedestrian point total that flies in the face of reason, when you consider they own starters such as Matt Schaub, Reggie Wayne, Adrian Peterson, DeAngelo Williams and Jason Witten. However, reasonable or not, this is a winless team. They've been knocking on the door the past two weeks, losing by just over 1 point to Honolulu in Week Two, and under three points to Youngstown last week. One has to figure that the Ws have got to start coming soon for this stacked squad, but until such time they're in a deep hole looking up.

7) Youngstown Zoes (2-1, 209.79 pts) If it weren't for Javid Best, the Zoes would be the worst. This team sports three quarterbacks, and they're all terrible this year- Brett Favre, Jake Delhomme, and Vince Young- each not good enough to start in the LFFL, each holding a precious roster spot. If that wasn't bad enough roster management, the Zoes have two kickers- Mason Crosby and Phil Dawson, and two defenses- Cincinnati and Minnesota. This leaves room for only three skill position backups. Worse yet, the best of the backups is Josh Cribbs, who only looks good because he's compared to Jerome Harrison and Robert Meachem. All that being said, Youngstown does have some talented starters in Andre Johnson and Frank Gore. However, when one considers the length of a football season, the injuries, the bye weeks, it becomes clear that while this team might score some points here and there, they are not a serious contender with their roster in the shape its in now.

8) Ellwood Dishsoaps (2-1, 190.9 pts) As Chris Johnson goes, so go the Ellwood Dishsoaps. Johnson says he's the best back in the league, but he hasn't been playing like it all season. Also, Ellwood was counting on Steve “Giants” Smith to produce, but he has apparently taken a step back this season, much to Ellwood's chagrin. Quarterback Tony Romo is serviceable, but this team's biggest issue is the lack of a solid #2 running back. Amongst Ronnie Brown, Laurence Maroney, and Marshawn Lynch its debatable who would be a number 3 back, let alone a partner to run along side CJ2k. Also, it's worth mentioning that Larry Fitzgerald is on pace to set major disappointment records as he struggles to regain his old form while he suffers from a terrible quarterback, and increased defensive focus due to the decreased quality of his wide receiver teammates. While the sky was the limit for Ellwood this season, if they don't start scoring points they'll spend another season looking up.

9) Weirton Wiggers (0-3, 172.99 pts) In Week One the Wiggers started Kevin Kolb at Quarterback, in Week Two it was David Garrard, in Week Three it was Sam Bradford, and in Week Four it will be Kyle Orton. That should probably tell you everything you need to know about this year's Weirton squad. It's a shame too, because they've got some talent at the skill positions: Randy Moss, Rashard Mendenhall and Jermichael Finley right down the middle is very strong. However, in the LFFL, you need a well rounded team, and that is one thing this bunch of Wiggers is not.

10) Alliance Assault (0-3, 152.34 pts) This team has been undone by its running backs. Shonn Green went from stud running back to timeshare back with the addition of LT to his backfield, thus screwing Alliance. Thomas Jones is in a similar boat as he is a timeshare back, and Buffalo for some reason won't let C.J. Spiller run wild. Combine this with Carson Palmer's gross under performance, and this team is anemic. The worst part is, there doesn't seem to be any hope for Alliance, because not one player on their roster has shown any indication that the remainder of the season won't continue along the same path they're on. The timeshares will continue, the average performances will continue, and that means that the losses will continue for Alliance as well.

That's the Power Poll for this week. We'll check in again in a couple weeks to see how things have changed.

Best of the LFFL Message Board: 2003

In an effort to preserve the history of the LFFL message board, Prospect Pioneers owner Dan Coulter set about to find the gem posts that tell the story of each season's happenings. For more info, see here. The editorializing is Coulter's, and the reader should beware that the language on the message board is not appropriate for all audiences. Frankly, it gets a little blue. Enjoy.

Best of the LFFL Message Board: 2003
By: Dan Coulter

This is the only reference I could find to the 2003 inaugural season of the LFFL. It comes on Dec. 18, 2004 from Iron Men Owner, Todd Leight, whose 2003 championship team did not make the playoffs in 2004. Resentful about his place in the standings, Mr. Leight bitterly turned to nostalgia to make himself feel better.


A Walk Down Memory Lane: Last Season's Game of the Year
by: (Allentown Iron Men) Dec 18 3:17pm

While this week's playoff games have yet to be decided, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at what happened last year in the first round in the playoffs.

In what was already a big playoff game, #1 seeded Prospect hosted #4 Allentown, with the Pioneers having lost only one game all season long. Heavy favourites, Propsect was expected to roll their way to the inaugural LFFL Championship. However, Prospect would have to get past Allentown first.

The following is the post Allentown coach Todd Leight made after the game.

What a day, two evil giants have been knocked down to size, and the world is a safer place.

First, Task Force 121 of the US Army's 4th Infantry Division captured Saddam Hussein and put an end to the terror he inflicted upon the global community by digging his ass out of a hole in the ground, and putting him behind bars.

Then, on the other side of the world, the Allentown Iron Men put an end to the horrific reign of terror of the Prospect Pioneers by upsetting them in the first round of the LFFL playoffs, burying them in a hole of shame and irony.

Today is a good day for democracy and comeuppance. It seemed as if Saddam would taunt the world by evading capture, running on the lamb, keeping the coalition from the one victory they needed so desperately. Similarly, it seemed as if Dan and Prospect would taunt the LFFL by winning week after week, with incredible luck, sometimes squeeking out close wins and stealing the ones they couldn’t earn outright, thus running away with the league championship. However, like I said, today was a good day. Saddam is secured away in an undisclosed location, free of head lice, and Dan and the rest of the Prospect Pioneers have been sent to the friendly confines of the consolation game, to play for 3rd place overall, hopefully free of head lice as well.

Dictionary.com defines comeuppance as, “A punishment or retribution that one deserves; one's just deserts: ‘It's a chance to strike back at the critical brotherhood and give each his comeuppance for evaluative sins of the past’ (Judith Crist).” That said, I can think of no better word to sum up today in a nutshell than comeuppance. Truly, Dan got his comeuppance.

I direct all to posting # 119, which if you’ll recall was by Kurt in response to Dan’s usual prick-like pronouncement of his superiority over every other team in the league. Kurt said in his post, “keep talkin your shit dan... im gonna laugh when you lose first round of the playoffs.” Truly this was the finest act of prognostication in the LFFL all year. I can not help but wonder how hard Kurt is laughing now, and how that Humble Pie tastes to Dan.

The ultimate truth, after the opening round of the playoffs:
Prospect Pioneers (1) 76.81 vs.
Allentown Iron Men (4) 88.09

With an upset victory that will echo through the ages,

Todd Warren Leight
Owner and Chief of Football Operations, Allentown Iron Men

Best of the LFFL Message Board: Intro

In the interest of archiving the history of the LFFL, it's important to include the history of the message board. The LFFL message board has hosted all the trash talk, smack talk, commissioner's rulings, controversies, photoshops and homophobic banter that has made the LFFL fun for the past eight years.

Eariler this year, unemployed historian and Propect Pioneers owner Dan Coulter decided to dig through the archives of the message board to find the gems that really tell the story of each year's happenings in the league and on the board.

The following is the result of Coulter's work, and the editorialzing is his. Reader beware, the language is a little salty. We work blue in the LFFL.

-Commish


Best of the LFFL Message Board: Intro
By: Dan Coulter

Ok, so I have quite a bit of time on my hands because I'm currently unemployed, and I need something to do besides watch cartoons and jerk off (not necessarily at the same time). Therefore, I will be presenting to you a multi-part series that chronicles some of the best exchanges in the history of the LFFL starting in 2004 (the inaugural 2003 season posts are lost forever unless the Commish has copies). The state of smack talk on these boards is unacceptable, and hopefully this will bring back some of the hate and pain that made the message boards such a great read. Enjoy.

2010 LFFL Week One Wrap Up

Allentown Iron Men (1-0) defeat the Weirton Wiggers (0-1) 90.09 to 58.78
The Iron Men laid an early season beatdown on the Wiggers of Weirton thanks to blistering performances from running backs Arian Foster and Matt Forte. Foster rushed for just over 230 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Forte got it done in the air with 151 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns to go with his 50 yards rushing. Weirton had no answer, as the Wiggers were recipients of poor performances from QB Kevin Kolb, who was knocked out of action with a concussion, and wide receivers Randy Moss and Malcom Floyd who combined for only 7.35 points total. Weirton will most likely have to move forward with Kolb or backup Matthew Stafford, who both sustained injuries that may keep them out of action for some time.

Indiana Ignition (1-0) over the Alliance Assualt (0-1) 69.71 to 60.90
The Ignition failed to replace the inactive Beanie Wells in their lineup Sunday afternoon, meaning they were at a disadvantage going into this game. However, Alliance just couldn't get their ground game going, as Shonn Greene proved he wasn't ready for some football Monday night, turning in a negative point performance. Steven Jackson was the leading back, netting a mere 5.35 points, and rookie C.J. Spiller was nowhere to be found gathering only 1.7 points. Meanwhile, Indiana feasted on Peyton Manning's 26.66 point day and Visanthe Shaincoe's Thursday night performance of 10.8 points. Despite the fact that Michael Turner had a rough 2.7 point effort and Ryan Grant suffered an injury, the Ignition used the 8 point showing by the Baltimore Defense to get ahead once and for all Monday night.

Chewton Champs (1-0) beat the Youngstown Zoes (0-1) 65.69 to 48.87
The Zoes lone double digit effort came from their kicker, Mason Crosby and the next top performer was QB Brett Favre with 7.42 points. This was a problem for Youngstown, as they just couldn't score enough points offensively. Chewton meanwhile used a great 18.21 point performance by Philip Rivers to secure the win. Also remarkable was the Jets Defense with 12 points and LeSean McCoy who gathered 11.35 points. Disappointing the Champs were Brent Celek with 2.1 points and Ryan Longwell who lost a point due to a blocked extra point. However, Chewton was able to overcome Youngstown's lowest point total of the week.

Prospect Pioneers (1-0) trounce the Honolulu Muffdivers (0-1) 82.01 to 56.21
The week started inauspiciously with kicker Garrett Hartley missing two field goals indoors Thursday night, but ended on a high note as the Pioneers gained the second most points in the league this week, thanks to big games from QB Tom Brady with 23.16 points and WR Miles Austin's 15.8 points. Meanwhile, opponent Honolulu participated in their first ever LFFL league game, and suffered some growing pains, as second round pick Wes Welker was benched, the Oakland Defense gained zero points, and flexman Darrius Heyward-Bey had trouble cracking the one point barrier, gaining only 0.80 points. While QB Aaron Rodgers scored points (12.21) and will continue to do so week after week, this team's next most valuable player is Dallas Clark who was the Muffdiver's top scorer this week, with 12.75 points. Honolulu will have to wait until Week Two to try for their first ever LFFL win.

Ellwood Dishsoaps (1-0) wash the Laurel Skullets (0-1) 70.39 to 57.74
First overall pick in the LFFL draft Chris Johnson came up big for the Dishsoaps in Week One, gaining 20.50 points as he ran all over the vaulted Oakland rush defense. Also having a nice opening week was Ellwood's other running back, Ronnie Brown, who had his own 10.75 points. While the Dishsoaps may need to be concerned about their wide receiver production, Steve (Giants) Smith and Mike (60 Minutes) Wallace only combined for 7 points, Larry Fitzgerald should come around once he's built up a rapport with his new passer. Laurel meanwhile, only had one double-digit performance, 12.70 points from WR Reggie Wayne. Quarterback Matt Schaub was 9 for 17 in what turned out to be a ground attack game, meaning he only put up 5.99 of his own points, much to the Skullet's chagrin. However, looking at their roster, it's clear that brighter days are most likely ahead for Laurel, and they shouldn't read too much into this loss.

A Stunning Admission

Last night, whilst enjoying a mug of beer slightly smaller than a keg, Prospect Pioneers owner Dan Coulter admitted that his selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers Defense in the 7th round of the draft was a mistake. Coulter came to this realization when he took a look at the draft results and saw the number of wide receivers drafted after his selection of Pittsburgh, and wondered what could have been.

Some wide receivers selected after the Prospect Pioneers took the Steelers Defense with the third pick in the seventh round. Donald Driver, Michael Crabtree, Malcom Floyd, Chad Ochocinco, Mike Sims-Walker, Dwayne Bowe.

Final food for thought: the Steelers Defense netted the Pioneers 8 points this week, while the New York Giants Defense, picked up off the waiver wire by the Alliance Assault, gained 15 points this week.

T Minus 91 Minutes and Counting

While Thursday Night Football was the first game of the season, this Sunday is the real kickoff to the NFL season. If you're like me, you were up early. Real early. I was up today at 8:30. I haven't been up that early voluntarily since Christmas 1993. With the coffee quickly on, it was off to the LFFL league page to make sure none of my players suffered any injuries since last night at 2:00 AM when I had last checked before sleep. Thankfully, Greg Jennings didn't fall out of his bed last night.

NFL GameDay Morning starts at 9:00 AM EDT, that's 6:00 AM pacific- where the show is broadcast from. How Rich Eisen puts up with Warren Sapp and Michael Irvin that early in the morning is beyond me. At 11:00 AM ESPN Countdown begins. This year's commercials for Countdown haven't been as funny as in years past, so I have my concerns. Vegas has the over/under of Tom Jackson saying "mmm" in response to any valid point at 34 occurrences in week one. At noon the network pregame shows begin, but I don't feel they're worth mentioning because they're terrible. Dan Marino is a puppet and Boomer Esiason is dick on CBS, and Jimmy Johnson is high on Extenze and Terry Bradshaw is a incoherent cackling mess on FOX. The one redeeming aspect of CBS's NFL Today is the segment where James Brown chats with former GM Charley Casserly. It's informative, but remains to be seen if it will continue this year.

All the pregame, all the coffee, it's just a panacea until 1:00 PM. From then on, it's a dangerous combination of Steelers football and NFL Redzone. If I could die and come back as a TV Network, it would be the Redzone channel. It's the single greatest invention by man since the atom bomb. Oh, and how about Scott Hanson?! The dude is on camera for at least 6.5 hours straight, talking totally off the cuff and unscripted all day. If that's not impressive enough, consider how many times you use the restroom in that period of time, now think about poor Scott Hanson sitting there in a studio, patiently waiting for just the right moment to run off camera toward the john, and hope that no team tosses up a quick 6 from outside the redzone. Also, congrats to the Redzone production staff for going the entire 09 season without leaving Hanson's mic on while he was in the can.

Only 91 minutes until kickoff... time for more coffee and Countdown

Garrett Hartley, We Get a Kick Out Of You

Since the opening game of the season is a holiday of sorts, 4 out of the 5 members of the Board of Governors met at the Leight Compound to celebrate the commencement of the season by eating copious amounts of grilled meats and consuming some adult beverages. Sure there was a football game to be played, but the real story of the night was meat. Lots and lots of meat. Strip steaks, barbecue pork steaks, pork sirloin chops, grilled peppers and onions and corn on the cob made for a deliciously ridiculous buffet spread prior to the game. The sound of grilled flesh being devoured by four hungry men was much more enjoyable than Taylor Swift anyway.

Then Garrett Hartley started missing field goals.

How do you miss a 46 and a 32 yarder indoors? Seven points were left on the field for the Prospect Pioneers, and the smart money says that Hartley will be left to the waiver wire once GM Dan Coulter is able to make a move. Hartley ended up scoring two extra points, giving Prospect a 2-0 lead over Honolulu very early.

In other opening night LFFL action, Weirton leads defending champ Allentown 11.05-10.44 as the Wiggers had Pierre Thomas going against the Iron Men's Drew Brees. The Skullets are up 10.15 - 0 on Ellwood on performances by Adrian Peterson and Marques Colston. Visanthe Shiancoe has given the Indiana Ignition a 10.8 - 0 early lead, and the Youngstown Zoes scored 11.82 points to the Chewton Champs 3. Youngstown may be in trouble though, as their eleven points came from 3 players, QB Brett Favre, flex Robert Meachem, and the Minnesota defense, while Chewton's three points came from their kicker alone. If Jake Delhomme produces on Sunday, inserting Favre into the lineup last minute may prove to be a mistake.

Real football takes two days off (though the NFL Network does have CFL football on Friday nights) but returns Sunday at 1 PM. Owners have until the next kickoff to reorganize their rosters if they wish, but will be unable to add/drop any players from tonight's action and have those additions available any earlier than week two.

2010 LFFL Preseason Power Poll

Without fail, every year within minutes of the draft's conclusion I'm asked who the computer drafting program thinks had the best draft. Of course, letting a computer program that was written in the spring determine who has the best team in the fall is a little crazy, but it hasn't stopped us from using it as a yardstick for years now.

Without further adieu, based on total team strength (starters and backups), here's the LFFL Preseason Power Poll.

10) Alliance Assault (10^th Pick) The drafting program does not like this year's Alliance squad. I however disagree. This team's strength is running back where the Assault field two first round backs, Steven Jackson and Shonn Greene. Yes, Jackson plays for St. Louis, but look at his stats- he's played on some really bad teams but he always produces. If he played for any other team in the NFL we'd be talking about this guy like people used to talk about Tomlinson. Greene was the top pick in the 2^nd round, but he very easily could have gone in the first round. Where the drafting program really dinged Alliance was at tight end, only drafting one, Chris Cooley, who had only two touchdowns on 29 catches last year. Cooley's numbers should improve this year, as he has an actual QB throwing to him now. QB Carson Palmer will look to bounce back to Pro-Bowl form this year now that he has two divas to throw to, and while they might fight, the result can only be good for the Assault, because who cares who catches the balls, as long as they are touchdowns.

9) Honolulu Muffdivers (5^th Pick) Rookie manager Bobby Wilson showed how green he is with this draft that, from the outside, bordered on lunacy. While first round pick Aaron Rodgers is great, it's hard to justify his going 5^th overall with backs like Turner, Gore, Jackson and Greene still on the board. It's this writer's opinion that the earliest a QB should go is within the last 2-3 picks of the first round once the marquee, game-changing running backs are gone. However, if you allow the forgoing of a running back for Rodgers in round one, what you cannot support is the drafting of anything but a running back in round two, which is just what the Muffdivers did, taking a wide receiver, Wes Welker. Welker is a great possession receiver, and will undoubtedly catch a lot of balls, but how many of those catches will be in the end zone? Why not Larry Fitzgerald, Miles Austin, Reggie Wayne or Greg Jennings? Each of which was still on the board. Trouble was compounded when Knowshon Moreno was drafted in round three, and another running back didn't join Honolulu until Michael Bush in round nine. The Oakland homer love-fest continued, as the Muffdivers drafted Zach Miller, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Sebastian Janikowski (Rd 8), and the Oakland Defense. On the positive side, beyond Rodgers, this team's bright spot is tight end Dallas Clark. Also, having great potential are WRs Michael Crabtree and Percy Harvin, who might just save this team by season's end. In sum, while on paper the draft may look rough, an ok starting line up can be made if you're creative enough.

8) Weirton Wiggers (6^th Pick) This squad is probably better than the draft program thinks. The major knock is having an inexperienced starting quarterback in Kevin Kolb, but if the Eagles are comfortable enough to make him their starter with little audition, why shouldn't Weirton? The real power position in Weirton is running back, with Mendenhall, Pierre Thomas and Jamaal Charles. Each is in a position to better themselves from the year prior, as Mendenhall has a full season to start, Thomas no longer has Mike Bell to steal his carries, and Charles has banished Larry Johnson to the trash heap. Wide receiver Randy Moss is a obvious beast, and tight end Jermichael Finley might go off this year. The Wiggers did show their apparent reliance on an outdated draft magazine as they selected tight end Aaron Hernandez in round 12. Not a fatal mistake by any means, just a surprising miss. Overall though, another strong squad by a veteran manager.

7) Youngstown Zoes (8^th Pick) The defending Stram Division champs have assembled a roster full of gritty players who aren't flashy, but get results. Except for wide receiver Andre Johnson, that is. Johnson is suave, flashy, and doesn't just get results, he makes the difference. Now that Larry Fitzgerald is lacking a premier QB to play catch with, Johnson becomes the undisputed best receiver in the NFL, which obviously translates to big points in the LFFL. Running backs Gore and Benson don't get ESPN face time, but they do get yards and carries in the red zone, which is all you can ask for out of running backs. Tight end Vernon Davis is a force, and anytime Terrell Owens is your “worst” skill position starter, you know you're in good shape. This team's question mark is a QB. Brett Favre was selected in the forth round by the Zoes, but at press time he is currently benched for week one in favor of 13^th round pick Jake Delhomme. If the QB situation can be resolved, this team can count on being there to defend their division title.

6) Allentown Iron Men (9^th Pick) The defending Leight Fantasy Football League champions have assembled a team based on youth and speed designed to capture the Iron Men's fifth league title. Running backs Ryan Mathews, Arian Foster and Matt Forte have a combined three years experience, but are being asked to shoulder the load in Allentown. Mathews is a rookie, but steps into a great situation in San Diego where the sky will be the limit- plenty of carries and goal line work. By draft time, Foster wasn't a secret, and while there's not a lot of film on him, GM Todd Leight is buying on this back with the size, speed and weak competition. The biggest toss up in Forte, who has healed from last year's injuries, and may benefit from a Mike Martz offense. There is much potential in this group, even if there's been few games to substantiate that theory. The obvious star of the Iron Men is quarterback Drew Brees, whom Allentown grabbed in the first round. Brees' resume need not be read to know that he is a rare commodity and will be counted on as a veteran leader. At wide receiver, Greg Jennings is the clear number one, but while his yardage totals are solid, he needs to increase his reception and touchdown numbers from last year. The number two receiver could be either Mike Sims-Walker or Hakeem Nicks, as both have upside and potential to build upon last year's stats. Tight end is up in the air as Owen Daniels tries to return from an ACL injury he sustained last year. Until he is 100 percent, future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is there to hold down the fort. At the end of the day, the Iron Men's squad is anchored by Brees, who will keep them in games, but home runs will have to be hit in the running back and wide receiver positions in order for this team to repeat and bring home another championship to Titletown, PA.

5) Prospect Pioneers (3^rd Pick) By instinct, you want to shoot holes in Dan Coulter's Prospect draft, but it starts off pretty solid, with Jones-Drew, Brady, and Austin. Each of which, you could argue, was the best at their positions on the board at the time of their being drafted. Sure, MJD has had some mystery knee issues which have kept him out of preseason games and practices, and may or may not have required surgery (depending on who you ask) but he's still going to get the ball in the regular season. Joseph Addai isn't flashy, but he was probably the safest running back left in the forth round, and Boldin makes for an good fifth round pick. Antonio Gates is a bargain in the 6^th round, and the roster looks pretty solid at this point. Then the Pioneers take the Pittsburgh Defense in the 7^th round. The draft room falls silent. As the LFFL starts a flex position, you'd think Prospect might want to pick another receiver or running back here, but instead the Pioneers go defense- a full four rounds before any other team (Chewton would select New York Jets in round 11). Trouble is doubled as in the 8^th round Prospect is forced to choose running back Brandon Jacobs as starter Ahmad Bradshaw went to Indiana four picks earlier. So, while the draft started well enough for the Pioneers, they found a way to shoot themselves in the foot in the middle rounds. We may very well wonder what might have been for Prospect had they selected available skill position players like Ochocinco, Crabtree, Jahvid Best, Jonathan Stewart or the aforementioned Bradshaw instead of the Pittsburgh defense.

4) Ellwood Dishsoaps (1^st Pick) You simply cannot go wrong with Chris Johnson. There's not much that can be said about Johnson that hasn't been said before. He's the pick at #1 for both his speed and the fact that he'll run and catch, while #2 pick Peterson typically doesn't catch many balls. A guy who does catch a lot of balls is wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has a slight downgrade because of his lacking a true quarterback to receive passes from, but his talent will make up for most quarterback deficiencies. Fun fact: forth round wide receiver Steve Smith (NYG) actually had more catches than Fitzgerald last year, and makes for a great 1-2 punch at WR. Second round pick Tony Romo was the fifth quarterback to come off the board, and while the bottom of the second round might be early by some estimates, if Ellwood hadn't acted when they did, they surely wouldn't have had a premier QB to choose by the time their next pick rolled around in a serpentine draft. The real weakness here is the #2 running back position. Ronnie Brown is ok, but won't cause anyone to look twice, and the next best thing is Laurence Maroney, who joined the Dishsoaps in the tenth round. Yes, a 9^th round kicker is early, but this is still Fred we're talking about here. Overall though, this is one of the more solid Ellwood squads we've ever seen.

3) Chewton Champs (4^th Pick) Expectations should be tempered a bit because the drafting program loves the Champs pick of Vincent Jackson, but reality tells us that a guy holding out on top of a three game suspension is trouble. Especially when that guy is your fifth round pick. However, Ray Rice is a great first round pick, and Calvin Johnson is a forth round steal (with Roddy White and Miles Austin going before him to other clubs). Sure, you might not like McCoy in the second round at 17^th overall, but I ask you to successfully argue in favor of another running back at that point in the draft, knowing what we knew that night. Yes, maybe Benson, Charles or Williams might have been good picks there, but I suggest it's a toss up depending on your gut. Philip Rivers will anchor the offense, and Brent Celek makes for a nice tight end in the 9^th round. It's true that Jackson and Ben Tate make for some head-scratching picks, but overall this is a very tight team.

2) Indiana Ignition (7^th Pick) This is a nicely balanced team. Not one player is the best at their position, but each is a proven commodity. Go ahead, try and find a question mark or a guy who hasn't shown that they can produce. So, while this team may be vanilla, there's a reason that vanilla is the most popular flavor. The party starts at running back where Michael Turner looks to rebound after a subpar year. This season, he's in better shape and looks to return to his form of two years ago. The same can be said for Ryan Grant, who is in a great position this year, a third round pick there for support, not the only guy toting the rock. You can't argue with Peyton Manning in the second round, and Roddy White and DeSean Jackson are two receivers both capable of being number ones. The third wide receiver position belongs to Chad Ochocinco, and the third running back position could be had by Ahmad Bradshaw or Beanie Wells- either way, the Ignition are safe. Yes, this year's Ignition squad is in great shape to compete all season long, as GM Ryan Alexander looks to win his first Stram Division title, and return to the title game Indiana won two seasons ago.

1) Laurel Skullets (2^nd Pick) This ranking is a tad artificially high thanks to the draft software not knowing that Sidney Rice is out for at least eight weeks, but even considering that, this is still a team that belongs in the top four. The draft started well for the Skullets, who had Adrian Peterson gift-wrapped at two, and Reggie Wayne at the back end of the second around, the forth receiver taken overall. Joining Peterson and Wayne are DeAngelo Williams and Marques Colston, two players who could be number ones in their own right. Jason Witten holds down the tight end position, and Steve Smith (CAR) makes for a great third wideout. The gem though might be quarterback Matt Schaub, who has all the tools to be a top three quarterback this season. Yes, Laurel grabbed their kicker and defense a little sooner than most pros would, but they still had some good value backup picks in the bottom of the draft, with Jerricho Cotchery, Rice and Eddie Royal. At the end of the day, considering it was drafted by an Apple iPhone, this is a pretty good team.

That's it, that's the 2010 LFFL Preseason Power Poll. If you're not happy with your ranking, don't sweat it, it's only the opinion of a computer, and what do they know anyway?

The season kicks off on Thursday September, 9^th, and from that point on, all bets are off. In the end, there can be only one that lifts high the Leight Cup... who will it be?

Welcome to the LFFL Blog!

It's hard to believe, but this Thursday the LFFL kicks off its eighth season. It seems like just yesterday I was trying to get together some friends to start a friendly league. Oh how times have changed!

With eight years and counting of materials, I thought it was time to give the LFFL another home on the web for archival purposes, beyond the Yahoo! league page and the Verizon webpage I pretty much abandoned nearly five years ago.

In addition to the old stuff that has survived, I plan to post new material here as well. So, you'll find new power polls, previews and other writings right along side the original documents that have made the LFFL the powerhouse of a success it is.

Ideally, this blog will be just as interactive as the league homepage on Yahoo! Feel free to use the comment feature that appears below posts and get flaming!