League News

Division Previews: Bill Martin

 

Holman • Hunt • Locke • Reid • Reynolds • Weber

 

1. Twin Cities Metro College Fighting Mondales

by Dan Rosen, Daily Sports Writer

Owner: Josh Holman
Accomplishments: 25-21-1 record, 3 playoff berths
2011 probable starters: QB Landry Jones, RB Marcus Lattimore, RB Montee Ball, WR Mohamed Sanu, WR Kendall Wright, K Jimmy Stevens, D Ohio State
Best draft pick: Montee Ball, Round 1
Worst draft pick: Matt Wile, Round 8

"If you are sure you understand everything that is going on," the great Minnesotan Walter Mondale once opined, "you are hopelessly confused." I myself will readily admit that when Holman announced his second pick in the 2011 FCFL Draft, one Savon Huggins from Rutgers, I was hopelessly confused. Who from where? As Holman said in his division preview, he and I have often been of like mind in past drafts. Yet surely, I thought to myself, more of a sure thing was available. Perhaps he had Lattimore on the brain, having profited royally from his 2010 freshman gamble. But then I channeled the breathtakingly handsome Mondale, Holman's hero. What would he think? WWMD? Of course! It came to me, as clear as the night sky over a Minnesota lake. I leapt from my seat, raced to the nearest internet connection and began typing. There was more going on here than I realized.

Two or three clicks later it was clear. First, this Huggins guy was better than I thought (not surprising, since I'd never heard of him before Holman typed his name). A highly hyped recruit, Holman may have found himself another long-term gem. As a New Yorker, I have a tendency to look down on Rutgers. You know, the whole New Jersey is New York's garbage dump thing, et cetera, et cetera. But the Scarlet Knights are no stranger to top flight RBs, a la Ray Rice. And on opening night, Huggins got his share of run, sniffing paydirt twice in the first half. Second, the man's roster was already teeming with top talent. Between Landry Jones, Lattimore and his first pick, Montee Ball, the lead racer on a Wisconsin team that looked unstoppable on the ground on Thursday, he already had a division contender. He had little need to stockpile roster depth for 2011. So, as the great Mondale was apt to do in his day, Holman, himself a man of the law, was looking toward the horizon.

As such, the future of the Fighting Mondales looks bright. Holman has a strong team for 2011, personally I think a potential division winner, and some serious talent likely to stick around in the future. If there's anything to question about his wheeling and dealing, I would point to his trade with Weber for Mohamed Sanu (though considering the guy went for 12 on opening night, perhaps I should shut my mouth). We all got Weber's Everything must go! emails about Sanu. On the surface, he seemed to be offering a former top pick at a bargain basement price. But as anyone who follows LostLettermen's twitter feed knows, when it comes to college football, Weber ain't no fool. There were some serious concerns about Sanu's ability to stay healthy and how he would be used in the offense. Still, if Thursday night is any indication, Holman may have duped me again, Mondale-style. This team is built to win, now and later. Ole "Fritz" would be proud.

 

2. Chelsea College Crack Slangers

by Eric Ambinder, For the Daily

Owner: James Peloton Weberschteinberg (shortened to Weber in 1873 upon arrival at Ellis Island, NY -- true story)
Accomplishments: 20-27 record, 2 playoff berths, 1 FCFL title
2011 probable starters: QB Case Keenum, RB Ronnie Hillman, RB Marcus Coker, WR Robert Woods, WR Jeff Fuller, K Danny Hrappmann, D Oklahoma
Best draft pick: Carmen Johnson, free agent
Worst draft pick: Danny Hrappmann, Round 6

The Slangers 13-point, week-1 win last year would be their only victory of the season, prompting school boosters and fans to criticize team-owner Weber for spending too much time revamping the Slangers website. But with a successful launch behind him, the 5'11 vegan has turned his beloved Slangers back into playoff contenders with a shrewd draft, 12 picks in all, that filled five open roster spots. "Hamptons" Jim turned the No. 3 and No. 6 overall picks into two stud sophomore RBs that, along with QB Keenum, should keep the Slangers competitive each week. The Michigan business school grad has already seen an early-season ROI in the form of a three-touchdown first-half performance by Robert Woods against Minnesota. With just six upperclassmen on the roster, there's no doubt Weber was drafting young with hopes of building for the future — a strategy that landed his fiancee. The only question marks are depth at WR and the abundance of quarterbacks on the roster, so expect the self-nicknamed "Marc Cuban of the FCFL" to make lopsided trade offers for Braxton Miller. Also, why did Weber draft a kicker with four picks left on the board?

While Kid Jimmy's Slangers should sit near the top of the weaker Bill Martin division all season, a first-round KO in the playoffs is likely.

 

3. University of Essexville Fighting Egrets

by Brian Schick, Daily Summer MSE

Owner: John Locke
Accomplishments: 26-21 record, 3 playoff berths
2011 probable starters: QB Andrew Luck, RB Rex Burkhead, RB Edwin Baker, WR Ryan Broyles, Roy Roundtree, K Caleb Sturgis, D Nebraska
Best draft pick: Edwin Baker, Round 3
Worst draft pick: George Farmer, Round 4

John Locke takes over this year as the new coach at the University of Essexville, after the previous coach's mysterious disappearance. Some say they saw him descend into a hatch and pushing a button every 108 minutes; others say they saw him disappear into a cloud of smoke.

Regardless, the new coach shares his predecessor's unhealthy obsession with drafting and keeping Wolverines on his roster, particularly the mind-boggling decision to keep the pathetic Michigan defense this season. His other returners do make much more sense, starting with Andrew why-not-give-him-the-damn-Heisman-already Luck and Sooner wideout Ryan Broyles, who should put up monster numbers and could arguably be the top fantasy receiver this year. Essexville also features exceptional depth at QB, as Russell Wilson could start at almost any other school in the league Jake Heaps is a nice third option.

Running back was going to be the biggest need heading into the draft, as Montel Harris is a solid option, but injury issues might keep him out for some time. The Egrets selected James White with their first-round pick, and it seems to be a risk. White could be the future stud back that will rack up the yards, but with Montee Ball still around, it seems like there were better options. Rex Burkhead seemed like a much better choice in the second round, as it seems as if the Huskers will run all over the B1G this year.

Locke even managed to step out of his predecessor's shadow by drafting a Spartan in round three, and look for Edwin Baker to be a sleeper this year. Locke's last pick in the draft might be his finest. Dan Buckner could see a ton of balls thrown his way if defenses focus only on Juron Criner.

In order to return to the playoffs this year, Essexville needed to add some much-needed help at running back. It appears that was almost the case, and while Locke did add some contributors, I don't see two workhorses on this roster. Look for the Egrets to make a move later in the season with one of the QBs being on the trading block. If Nebraska's defense has a rough transition year, it could spell trouble in Essexville, with Locke on the outside looking in come playoff time. Oh well, that will give him more time to contemplate the numbers…

 

4. The Animal Institute

by Sharad Mattu and Eric Chan, Daily Wrestling Writers

Owner: Bob Hunt
Accomplishments: 24-22-1 record, 3 playoff berths, 1 FCFL title
2011 probable starters: QB Darron Thomas, RB Doug Martin, RB Stepfan Taylor, WR Patrick Edwards, WR Jermaine Kearse, K Justin Tucker, D Boise State
Best draft pick: Cameron Marshall, Round 4
Worst draft pick: Boise State, Round 3

What is going on with The Animal? Sure, 2004 was a long time ago, but when word spread he was driving from Seattle to Chicago, I know we were all eagerly awaiting the return of "On the Road." So what did we get? A handful of mundane outdoors photos and some check-ins. There were no menacing glares and Heisman poses, no ridiculous Tony Ding-bowler hats and no evidence whatsoever of The Animal wreaking havoc.

While his cross-country journey was a disappointment to all of us, he repaid us at least a little by putting together a team that just isn't as good as it could be. First he held on to two receivers he probably should have cut in Alex Torres and Trovon Reed. Then, in the draft, The Animal followed up a solid first-round pick with some shaky ones. Darron Thomas is a good fantasy QB, but he already had Matt Barkley, who will be roughly the same points-wise. Because the league stupidly voted down my proposal to start two QBs each week*, a better choice would have been a WR like DJ Woods and then a QB in a later round.

Then in the third round he did something similar. Boise State has a great defense, but he already had Virginia Tech. In the third round there were quality RBs and WRs that could have had significant roles this year. His next two picks, Cameron Marshall and Keenan Allen, were probably his best ones.

The Animal has made the playoffs three of four years and won it all just two years ago. A return trip to the playoffs bracket is possible, but unless Stepfan Taylor turns into Toby Gerhart and other similarly improbable things occur, that's as far as he will go.

* Seriously, we have over 90 teams that we can draft from and only start 12 QBs each week. If we all have to start two, then depth at the position matters more and teams that draft better get rewarded. Right now we all have a good QB or two totally diminishing the importance of the position.

 

5. Survivor U

by J. Brady McCollough, Daily Women's Water Polo Writer

Owner: Andy Reid
Accomplishments: 24-23, 2 playoff berths
2011 probable starters: QB Denard Robinson, RB Silas Redd, RB Sam McGuffie, WR Michael Floyd, WR Greg Childs, K Aaron Jones, D Florida State
Best draft pick: Marvin McNutt, Round 8
Worst draft pick: Darrian Miller, Round 5

We don't know much about Andy Reid. We know that he was MSE of the Daily for a year. We know that he is now a writer for The Wolverine magazine. We know that he knows way more about Pahokee, Fla., than anybody should. We know that he probably is not fast enough to catch rabbits in the sugar cane fields himself, and that he looks like a guy more likely to try to pass the rabbits a blunt. We know that he lived in a house with a bunch of semi-attractive Michigan girls one summer, and that he kept a fairly clean room. We know that he did not have a bong sitting out in his room. He must have been hiding it to keep up appearances.

We're starting to learn more about Andy. A quick glance at his Facebook account shows that he likes the outdoors. He is a Michigander, after all. There is great camping on 8-Mile Road. Apparently, like the rest of us, he studied "Dicking Around" at the University of Michigan, which called my degree "Sociology And Stuff." He was born on August 23, and went to Mona Shores High School, which was named after the sassy old broad from "Who's The Boss."

But enough about Andy as a person. This is about his fantasy football team, which he's very close to running into the ground if he's not careful. Somehow, Reid did not have a first or second round pick in this draft. He entered the draft with a clear need to improve his depth at running back. With his first pick, he took senior Asher Clark, who found the end zone just five times last year and isn't going to get any bigger this year to increase his goalline carries. Then he took senior Dan Persa, probably as insurance for Denard Robinson in the "Hoke-A-Mania" offense. But Persa is still recovering from an Achilles injury last season and it's unclear when he'll play. Having accomplished little with the first two picks, Reid took Florida State's defense when he already has a dependable Iowa unit. Next up? A freshman running back from KANSAS. Next up? A kicker. Next up? An Oregon wide receiver (maybe Huff will pan out, but this is a RUN-heavy spread that he's playing in, right?). The cruelest thing? Reid's best pick was Marvin McNutt in the eighth round. Of course, Reid dropped McNutt because he already had too many players.

We are being harsh with Reid because he's the new guy, and he needs to start getting it – and fast. His team could sneak into the playoffs, but it will need lots of things to happen – mostly, Denard Robinson being the 2010 version, and Rich Rodriguez thankfully ain't walkin' through that door.

 

6. Gulf State Thunder Gattis

by J. Brady McCollough, Daily Women's Water Polo Writer

Owner: Brett Reynolds
Accomplishments: 21-26 record, 2 playoff berths, 1 FCFL title
2011 probable starters: QB Kellen Moore, RB Rodney Stewart, RB Zach Line, WR TJ Moe, WR Mark Harrison, K Michael Barbour, D LSU
Best draft pick: Kellen Moore, Round 5
Worst draft pick: We like 'em all just fine, actually

Brett Reynolds should be thankful that Jim Weber doesn't know him. If he did, there is no way that he would have been able to enjoy his long weekend of vacation in Gulf Shores, Ala., in peace. Every hour, Weber would hit refresh on his computer, hoping and praying that Reynolds would pick somebody. And, if God was favoring Weber in this year's fantasy season, Reynolds would most certainly not pick Knile Davis. Weber even had the e-mail written: "Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas, Jr." It sat in his drafted e-mail box for five days, getting lonely and becoming more jaded by the hour at the guy who wasn't going to place him into the lovely hands of Jim Weber.

On that fateful Monday afternoon, the course of two franchises changed. Reynolds made the exact right move, picking Knile Davis. It was a no-brainer. Dude had 13 TDs and played a little more than half a season last year in the SEC. And, that's the key part of it. He is in the SEC, so that meant Reynolds was going to pick him. Weber was totally delusional thinking anything else. A few weeks later, of course, Davis broke his ankle in practice. The Gulf State fans couldn't believe their misfortune, and all Weber could think was that, after all of that gyrating over Reynolds having a great time with his wife and family on the Gulf Coast, Reynolds drafting Knile Davis was the best thing that could have happened to him.

This is a sad-sack tale for Reynolds. He had a really nice draft. He got Kellen Moore in Round 5, which is pretty much an indictment on every other owner in the league. Zach Line in Round 2 was a nice selection, a great compliment to Davis. Once Davis was hurt, Reynolds took J.J. DiLuigi, a nice pick but not much consolation for losing Davis.

Reynolds bungled his receiving corps from the start, unfortunately. After keeping guys like James Rodgers and Russell Shepard, he needed more than what TJ Moe and Mark Harrison will likely give him this season. Kenny Stills is a wild card in that OU offense.

Reynolds simply deserved better, but he probably should have held onto Knile Davis after investing a first-round pick in the guy. Reynolds dropped Davis, and, it's no shock what happened next: Jim Weber was there to pick the guy up on the cheap and then begin bartering him off to the highest bidder.

Davis now resides with division-rival Animal Institute, who gave up Braxton Miller and a fifth-rounder. If Davis returns to form next season, his injury truly will be the moment that set Gulf State back a few years.