Picks Week 5

San Diego (-5.5) at Philadelphia

The chargers keep rolling along, looking like a team destined for the playoffs, while the Eagles look like that girl you thought was kinda cute but then she opens her mouth and you realize what a horrible mistake you have made. In their defense they have probably had the most difficult schedule to start the year and are the only team to have beaten the mighty New York Giants. So are the Eagles an actual good team? It does not get any easier this week as again they have to face a strong, organized opponent in the pass happy Chargers. The QB uncertainty in San Diego and Philly getting Manning back from his bye will be the difference though. Pick: Eagles

Buffalo (+1.5) at NY Giants

The Bills head down state to play the Giants in this week`s marquee matchup. Both teams are 4-1 and firing on all cylinders to start the year. Both teams have a history of starting strong. Both team’s know what it takes to win a title. Both teams are evenly match. I will give the edge to the Giants though, because they are simply stronger at tight end. Either way this looks like it will be a high scoring matchup, that will go down to the last minute. Pick: Giants

Tampa Bay (+8) at Miami

The Bucs are probably the best 1-4 team the UFL has had in quite some time. Their season got off to a shaky start, but with a solid running game in place and two very good quarterback’s, there is still something salvageable and they may have a real gem in Travis Kelce as well. The Dolphins are just a one trick pony in Andrew Luck, but what a pony that has been to start the year. They do not perform well in any category except for QB yardage and TD passes. Middle to bottom of the pack in receiving, rushing, kicking, and defense, the Dolphins only other saving grace this year has been yardage. This team can rack up yards like not many others. Pick: Bucs

Denver (+3.5) at Houston

Them Texans keep on rolling and are off to a hot start. I was going to write something about how they have not faced anyone tough yet, but they have beaten the Bills and Chargers, two of the premier teams in the UFL. So will this be the week where they get roughed up or will they continue to steamroll the opponents? The Broncos, and Coach Teoli have been killing in the media lately, demanding in season rule changes and calling out his divisional rival and frenemy Coach Quintana of the Bills. Will all the rage and passion show up on the fantasy field this weekend for the Broncos? In the end, I think the Texans are just too strong of an opponent for Denver. Pick: Texans

New England (+3) at Dallas

Two teams looking for a bit of momentum face each other in Texas as the Patriots travel down to Dallas to play the struggling Cowboys. This match will be on one of the smaller TVs of the uflguy’s viewing room as quite honestly there is not much to get excited about here. Both teams play a lackluster brand of fantasy football reliant on old world fantasy metrics. The world of advanced forecasting and fantasy radar tools is something each GM will need to brush up in the offseason to get with the times and modernize their decaying franchises… oh wait that is just reserved for the Patriots. The uflguy still does not know what is up with the Cowboys, but I am confident that come draft day 2015, Coach K. will have a solid plan in place to reload and compete. Pick: Cowboys

Washington (-4.5) at Pittsburgh

If last week brought us an early Toilet Bowl preview in TB vs. PIT, this week has the potential for an alternate TB final in the Washington Professional Fantasy Football team vs. the Pitlandotta Steelers. While the Steelers, as most the most recent power rankings made clear have made their tanking intentions clear, the Washington Professional Fantasy Football team has blown up in the most epic of ways. I really don’t see Pitlandotta winning a single contest this year, I sure hope it’s worth it! Pick: Washington Professional Fantasy Football team

Last Week: 4-2

Season: 9-9

Life on the D...allas list

One of the more consistent things about the UFL is this: The Dallas Cowboys are perennial contenders. Every year it seems like their roster is loaded with blue chip players and blue chip prospects, and depth to patch up any injuries. It is never enough to get them a title, but it is enough to make playing them on a weekly basis very difficult.

This year appears to be off to a difficult start for them, and it does not appear like it will get any easier. Going into Week 4 they will be without their best chance to put decent stat lines with AJ Green watching from his lazy-boy on a bye week, in addition to not having the reliable Seattle D to lean on or even Jordan Cameron for a quick TD, week 4 appears to be a write-off for them Cowboys.

It also could be a turning point, where Coach Kavaldjian (the one without a Supreme Bowl) decides to toss in the towel and start moving assets and planning for next season. He is calculated enough to do so, and I think he will realize that this year is scrapped sooner rather than later. Although... if the Cowboys were in the God Awful Western Division things would be different.

Has there ever been a group of teams that you looked at and thought.. yup.. chalk 4 wins up for me this year right there. With a combined 2 wins in 8 games against teams outside their Division, the West appears to be where bad teams go to pretend to be good. How can Buffalo, a team that all but said to us at the draft that this was a rebuilding year for them be tied for 1st place right now? How does a division with the reigning champs, currently winless and looking prime for a TBowl matchup with their divisional counterparts the Steelers, be this awful so soon after being so great?

The Steelers on their own are making an argument for there to be a second league set up called the UCFL where they can play the game with modified fantasy rules tailored to their unique talentless roster. The division is an embarrassment to the dignity and sanctity of the UFL. If I were Buffalo and Denver I would feel very ashamed right now in knowing that the majority of my wins are going to come against UCFL level talent.

But, let's go back to the Cowboys for a second and see what kind of assets they can acquire/deal in a potential fire sale:

The number one asset they have, and assuming he is healthy is Shady McCoy. Signed for 1 year, he would be a great rental to most teams in the league. Unfortunately most teams do not have the cap space to fit him in. The perfect fit would be Houston, owning two 1st rounder’s and lots of cap space I could easily see Coach Biondi buying out Ray Rice and putting together a package. However, is the blood feud between the 2 owners from Texas too deep to permit this? Would the Cowboys be willing to put aside old world rivalries and agree to a deal?

Another team with depth and picks are the Eagles, who have a talent laden roster and are in a tough division. They could pull off a deal to bring in a blue chip back revitalize their season if they wanted to. Basically, if Coach K (the one without a Supreme Bowl)  is looking for roster talent, the Eagles have tons of youth at all positions to deal and draft picks as well.

The Cowboys have other roster players that they could be dealt, but the uflguy always hesitates to trade away young cheap talent for unproven talent and draft picks and I believe Coach K (the one without a Supreme Bowl) has the same mentality.

Therefore, their second best asset is the Seattle D which could fetch a nice return to a team on the cusp of looking to add a bit of depth to their roster. I like the Giants as the fit there, with an injury riddled Panthers D, and atrocious Colts D as their backup, the Giants could use an impact D to help them on their journey back to Supreme Bowl glory. Lacking assets that may entice the Cowboys, Coach Porrovecchio has a full 4 rounds of picks to offer them and he has shown in the past that he is not afraid to deal youth or overpay to improve his team in the now and has a track record of doing so (see the trade he made with Miami last year that sent Cordarelle Patterson off in exchange for a feisty Titans D and a 2nd rounder).

Week 4 matchups:

Miami (-3) at Philadelphia
The 3-1 Dolphins meet the 1-3 Eagles in a game that could have ramifications for the rest of the season. The Eagles need a win to stay alive and start making up ground in their division, and the Dolphins need to prove that they can compete in their own division. An early season trade between the two teams could have a big impact on this matchup as well. Pick: Eagles

NY Giants (-7.5) at New England
The Patriots fast start looks to be cooling down as they were smacked down by the Dolphins last week and appear poised to be smacked down again. Their fate as divisional cellar dwellers is all but a foregone conclusion. The Giants defensive issues have been discussed earlier, and as the season wears on it could be a sore spot in matchups against tougher opponents. Pick: Giants

Washington (+14) at Houston
2 INTs, a fumble recovery and a Defensive TD were not enough to even make it close last week for the Washington Professional Fantasy Football team, and now they have to face the early season juggernaut Texans. It will take career fantasy weeks from Megatron, Gio Bernard (oops on a Bye) and Aaron Rodgers to even keep this close. As coach Teoli accurately noted in his post-game press conference this week after another Washington Professional Fantasy Football team loss "Claudio Biondi (has done) his part for Washington's 1st round pick to be as valuable as possible". We see this as just another step in making that a top 2 pick. Pick: Texans

Dallas (+6.5) at San Diego
The first edition of the Kavaldjian bowl this year comes at a time where both teams are headed in opposite directions. Will Eric show mercy on his brother and keep this close, or is this the week where we will have confirmation of a Supreme Bowl contender and Toilet Bowl candidate? The bye week will not be kind to the Cowboys, and I am still not sold on the Chargers, so in the end I put this game in the big old meaningless column.  Pick: Chargers

Denver (Pick'em) at Buffalo
The matchup of the week, as two teams tied for first place in their division square off. Neither team has any bye week excuses this week either, so we should have a fairly good idea of who is a contender and who is a pretender. I am not sold on Denver, and I like the Bills as a sneaky Supreme Bowl candidate this year as their division looks like whoever wins it will end up with a first round bye come playoff time.  Pick: Bills (when in doubt always go with the team that has a history of winning)

Pittsburgh (-9.5) at Tampa Bay

Gentlemen I present to you the 2014 toilet bowl; 11 weeks ahead of schedule. I don't know what's worse, the fact that the Steelers appear to be marching towards all time worst status in the UFL, or the fact that we have 1 more and potentially 2 more of these matchups to NOT look forward to. The only positive is that there won't be two 0-14 teams this season. Pick: Bucs

Last Week: 2-4
Season: 5-7

What happened to your balls?

Well it's time for the UFL's attempted corporate gimmick "Rivalry Week", where longtime rivals such as Duane Dahl's Eagles take on their nemesis’s from the East, New York Giants. And of course we all remember that time that Duane and Gabe got into a big old flame war over who was going to win that week, in that year where all that rivalry stuff happened, right? Because man... was that a crazy argument. I still tell my kids about it. Anyone ever seen Duane lose his temper like that? Yup, me neither.

If none of the above sounds familiar it's because it never really happened. In fact the only rivalries in this league of any consequence died years ago. Save for the odd flare up on Facebook the state of hatred in the UFL is at levels befit of men in need of several tubes of androgel, because the glaring lack of testosterone is turning a once manly and intolerant league into a league of pussies.

My second year in the league Mel released a video smack down of epic proportions. But after that nothing. Myself, I would tirelessly crap all over the Cowboys, mocking them, making YouTube lineups to shame them and their sad franchise history. Post championship Gabe lost his mind with delusions of a dynasty and went on a yearlong bender drunk on championship glory where his ego created a monster none of us could have anticipated. Smugness entered the digital age when Eric took home his first title, where we were subject to selfies and hashtags, and a season of referring to himself as champ, not "the" champ, simply champ. Substituting his name, for a 3rd person noun. If he repeated would he have referred to himself as two-time champ? or the hipper b2b champ? We will never know because he did not get the chance to defend his title. Instead we got Mel, and Mel I love you like the short bald son I never had, but son... you gotta step up and take pride in this. Stop being so grateful and start being more of a prick god dammit, what's the point of winning if you can't be an ass? I looked up to you bud, your rants, your ravings were masterful, and now... it's a sad state of affairs.

Carlos, well we all know Carlos... he is like the pillar of arrogant stability that a league like ours needs. How can you not simultaneously love the guy and hate him? Thank god for Carlos.

Have children really sucked the hatred out of you all?  Come on men.

Anyway... week 3 predictions:

False Rivalry 1:
Philadelphia (+14) at NY Giants

The Eagles shook things up this week by shipping excess TE Kyle Rudolph and a putrid Packers D off to the Dolphins in exchange for a 2nd rounder and the Cardinals D. None of that will help their inevitable obliteration this week. Pick: Giants

False Rivalry 2:
New England (-3) at Miami

An away team giving 3... smells like a trap to me. Miami is better than the slaughter they experienced last week, and the Pats owe them for the deal that sent them Gates at the draft. But these are 2 teams with no history of a beef. Pick: Dolphins

An Actual Rivalry:
Houston (-5.5) at Dallas

The surprising Texans, flush with cash and draft day dealing are 3-0 and atop the division. While their hated rival Cowboys sit in the cellar with a talent filled roster failing to impress. Will this be the week the stars re-align or will the surprises continue... I am picking re-alignment. Pick: Cowboys

Really, is this a Rivalry?
San Diego (+9) at Washington 

  

This game reeks of blowout. The Washington Professional Fantasy Football team lost a key player last week, yet still put down a wounded Cowboys team, yet is still well stacked. The Chargers on the other hand look like a team on the way down and this game may just make or break their season. Pick: Washington

Is it a rivalry when one team is good and the other is Pittlandotta?
Buffalo (-13.5) at Pittsburgh

Just how bad is Pittsburgh? If this was 2012 we might be talking about the 3-0 Steelers, but the Bergamin baseball standard of Old Guys and Tight Ends does not mesh well in a progressive game that embraces things like computers. Pick: Bills

2013/14 Cross Sport Rivalry Championship Bowl
Tampa Bay (+3) at Denver

UFHL champion Pat takes on UFL Champ Mel. Two teams heading in opposite directions. The Bucs look like they are done, and if Charles goes down, then it will be time to scout the NCAA for some top flight talent. Pick: Broncos

Last Week: 3-3
For the Year: 3-3

Depth Be An Issue

For all the hype surrounding GM John’s blockbuster deal with the, let’s just call him the rattlesnake, to acquire Megatron, All Day, and then furthering it by trading for Rodgers the end result after week 1 was glaring. Depth. Or in the case of the  Washington Professional Football Fantasy Team…a lack of depth. With all the moves made to make the worst team of 2013 into a contender, week 1 showed that you can’t just trade and spend your way to greatness. In fact if anything week 1 proved that acquiring assets and knowing when to let them go (i.e. the NFL Patriot way) will always win out.

We will look back on the 2014 draft in one of two ways.

1) The year the Washington Professional Football Fantasy Team went from worst to first and revolutionized UFL rebuilding or

2) The year the Washington Professional Football Fantasy Team  won back to back toilet bowls without the benefit of getting to pick 1^st, thus ensuring that no mega deals for 1^st overall picks ever get made again… HAHAHAH yeah right.

So what have we learned after 1 week other than the dangers of trading with a snake oil salesman from Buffalo?

- We learned that the Bucs are going to need a shakeup to their roster quickly if they plan on defending their title. There are a lot of running backs on that roster, and if Charles goes down or sees his carries drop this team will be facing a long season.

- The Steelers are a hapless franchise that may need more than a year to recover, and need to start dealing Tight End’s for assets that can help them now and in the future as soon as possible.

- The Chargers dominated in both their matchups and look to be on pace to recover their form from the glory year of 2012. But with instability at QB will it be enough?

- The Patriots, assuming they get the attention they deserve will be a midrange force this year.  While they lack depth at RB, they are a solidly built team assuming everyone produces to their level. Like any team built by GM Viau their prime years are behind them though and in 10 weeks we most likely will be talking about whether or not they will contend for the toilet bowl or the final wild card spot.

- The Bills could pull off the rare, or in this case standard Quintana operating principle™ of “Look at me guys I am rebuilding and I am going to tell everyone about it for the rest of the draft… OMG look at me my team could make the playoffs and I am going to tell everyone I see about it!”

- The Dolphins look like a legitimate threat if everyone can stay healthy. While the rest of the league obsesses over wideouts, the Dolphins have quietly accumulated depth at RB and if their Week 1 showing is any indication, it is a strategy that could pay off with a spot in the playoffs.

- The Cowboys again have another solid depth filled team, but as is always the case with the team from Dallas, will it be enough? Can building a blue chip roster win it all? Or does this team need more personality? They say character only counts in things that are real, that fantasy is no place for character players, but I think in the interests of karma and purification the Cowboys need to add a bit of fun to their roster. Maybe add another Kicker to lighten the mood and be like “hey man, I don’t care about what you think, I am going to hoard kickers because kickers are fun”.

- The Eagles, the greatest team to never win a thing. On paper… juggernaut, so what happens every year? I really don’t know. Much like their GM they disappear for long stretches and when they return it’s like… hey I know you, you’re cool… what happened man? They are kind of the Leo DiCaprio of the league. Great in everything they do, but never win anything.

- What happens when a commissioner, no longer saddled with the burdens of commissionership is given the chance to focus on his team? Hours and hours of waiting for a name to be called when we get to the draft is what happens. On paper the team is solid, and appears poised for another date in the playoffs.  However, lacking a true WR1 could be their undoing. Look for Gabe to deal away picks and prospects to fix those holes sooner rather than later, you can take that to the bank.

- The Broncos proved that they can contend this year, Matt Ryan could very well make this team look a lot better than it deserves. Lacking a true WR1 and borderline WR2s will be this squad’s downfall. GM Teoli better be working those emails soon or scouting the waiver wire because something needs to happen.

- An impressive two victories by the Texans could have us believing in them as a legitimate Supreme Bowl contender and indeed they are. Assuming GM Biondi gets decent production out of Kapernick there could be many more victories in the short and long term, and with almost 9 Million in cap space he has the ability to add some nice pieces (looking at the Washington Professional Fantasy Team here) if he wants to shore up a hole or two.

So where are we headed this year? Was week 1 a good indication of where the UFL centers of power are, or was it just another week of UFL parity.  

Week 2 picks :

Miami (+2.5)  at NY Giants

The Giants get the edge because of the matchup at TE, but look for the Dolphins to keep this matchup close. It looks like the Fins are going to run 4RB-1WR-1TE formation to neutralize the beast here, lacking faith in their receiver corps to get the job done. Pick: Giants.

New England (+7) at Philadelphia

The Eagles get the edge because they win at every positional matchup. The Pats are going to need big games from their entire lineup in order to sneak out a win here.  Pick: Eagles.

Denver (-3.5) at Pittsburgh

It’s the opinion of this writer that the Steelers are a legitimate contender to go winless this year. Even on a bye week.  They are one Tom Brady injury away from oblivion. Pick: Broncos (Lock of the week)

Tampa Bay at Buffalo (Pick’em)

Two teams with very similar rosters who are going to be battling for a wild card spot all season. This matchup could prove to be vital at the end of the season. There may never be as important a week for roster decisions as this for these two teams. Pick: Bills

San Diego (-1.5) at Houston

Ironically the Chargers are favorites here because they own the Houston defense. And we here at the uflguy love, LOVE it when one team loses to that same team’s defense. You could say we are big on Schadenfreude. Pick: Chargers

Washington (+4.5) at Dallas

The Washington Professional Football Fantasy Team are the perfect antithesis  to the Dallas Cowboys. One organization drafts well, makes smart tactical trades, the other gets sucked in by the bright lights of fame and believes in swinging for the fences. Both GMs have been rewarded with precisely 0 titles though, despite always fielding star studded lineups. Unfortunately the depth hole in all positions for the Washington Professional Football Fantasy Team is just too deep to recover from. Pick: Dallas.

uflguy out

  

uflyguy's round 1 playoff preview

What happened to the UFL this year?

Teams that were supposed to be mighty ended up being puny. And team’s that were given very slim odds to accomplish anything have made the playoffs. Mighty teams to fear became teams to pound. And perennial winners remained perennial winners. Where, why, when, and how did this happen.

I don’t have the time or desire now to review but a good old fashioned playoff preview and prediction game seems about right.

Home teams in CAPS.

Eagles (+5.5) over GIANTS

Yes the Vegas Zone for this one.

Coach, GM and Commissioner Gabriel Porrovecchio slaughtered all who challenged him in 2011. That trend continued up until the midpoint of 2012 and then a funny thing happened, the wheels started to rust sooner than expected, and their vaunted depth was challenged. In a bid to shake things up the trigger was pulled on a deal to bring Wes Welker and Reggie Bush in to maintain supremacy, but in the end it could not prevent the skid. The Giants are a team that is limping into the playoffs and has everyone in the UFL wondering what comes next.

Imagine your team consisted of Eli Manning, Ron Gronkowski, MJD, Dez Bryant, a stud kicker and a defense/special teams juggernaut. On fantasy paper you have all the ingredients for domination. And it appeared to be going that way until injuries struck and Eli regressed. Just like the Giants, the Eagles peeked off their perch too soon and stumbled into the playoffs based on their early season success.

This matchup in the end is a tale of redemption. Whoever wins will finally, after weeks of futility have something positive to look forward to… well at least the Giants will, because if the Eagles win they have a week to get their butt holes lubed up for the Bills to mercilessly buck on into.

Cowboys (+2.5) over DOLPHINS

If you would have polled the UFL GM’s at the start of the season and asked them to predict a first round matchup, one of these two teams would have received a majority of the votes and the other, just one vote.

By now we all know the story of how a terrible 2011 Miami Dolphins team trolled the depths of awful with a season to be forgotten. But rewards will often emerge from dark misery and struggle, and in this case that reward came with 1^st overall pick, Andrew Luck (editor’s note, we would like to present our condolences in advance to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the soon to be winner’s of the toilet bowl on their options for who to pick in a very weak draft year). Luck saved a potentially dreadful Dolphins season along with some snazzy free agent pick ups, and trades. If there was a GM of the year award in the UFL, GM Pasquale would have earned that particular piece of hardware this year.

Coach Kavaldjian is a perennial playoff attendee in the UFL. Unfortunately regular season successes have not translated into anything except bitter season ending losses, culminating in last year’s loss to the Giants. Now, back in the playoffs yet again and facing their former rival the Dolphins, the Cowboys are in an unfamiliar role, that of underdog. Cam Newton is heating up, and if Cam is firing on all cylinders than that will change the whole dynamic of the UFL playoffs. On paper the Cowboys are sneaky good, like sneaky upset all the way into league champions good.

I just can’t see the Dolphins being able to match the yardage and TD advantage the Cowboys will most likely have this weekend. The Dolphins have terrible matchups for their D’s while the Cowboys have a D playing against an Eagles team that has basically given up. I would love to see this magical season continue for the scrappy Dolphins, but sadly it will end this weekend.

Toilet Bowl – Bucs (+3) over RAIDERS

How does a team with Tom Brady leading the charge end up in the toilet bowl? How does a team that makes the toilet bowl still have Tom Brady as their QB? Now I don’t want to go off on a rant here… but… look we all saw this demise coming, we all were spectators to this train wreck. God Bless GM Yanicki for pulling the trigger on some deals to shake up his team, but looking back on it, the hole was just too deep to crawl out of. Now, I don’t know if there were any offers made for the Golden Boy, but if there were, and no action was taken then there should definitely be some second guessing going on here.

And what can we say about the Bucs? The Bucs were like a loveable sitcom this year, they made you laugh, they made you cry, they made you pull your hair out and feel deep pain for GM Michaud’s catastrophic fall from grace. In some ways they were reminiscent of another Floridian UFL franchise, the 2011 Dolphins (wait, who am I kidding, that 2011 Dolphins team was beyond pathetic). And in that example they should feel hope…

I just can’t see the Raiders pulling this one off. The Bucs have been a lot better than their record has shown, and the Raiders.. well… it would pretty much be par for the course. After their shocking title in 2010, back to back toilet bowl appearances have flushed whatever significance that bought.

Week 7 Mailbag

Time to dip into the UFL mailbag to see what questions from the fans of the UFL have to ask about the league so far…

“Can you explain to me how the once mighty Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise has fallen so far down the glory pole?”

Trevin, Springfield, NH

Dear Trevin,

I am not too sure if I want to slide down this glory pole you speak of, but I do have some thoughts as to what has happened here. GM Michaud clearly had a draft strategy, and that is all I have because I just can’t seem to locate where he put it. The usually well thought out draftees and free agents signings just did not happen. I think that at the end of the day we can all agree that GM Michaud was not himself that day, is it possible that he has an evil twin that we do not know about it? Is Mel still alive? How can we know.. and I am starting to have my doubts….

“HOW ABOUT THEM COWBOYS!?!?”

Armando, StoneFalls, ON

I had the techs here at UFL mailbag HQ  trace the origin of this email as something did not smell right, it lead us down a dark hole of the internet where communication consisted of elongated syllables by what looked like ordinary white people acting slightly less white. Just look at this conversation and tell me I’m wrong:

1: “heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy whaaaatt uppp”

2: “dammmmmmmm that issss soooooooooooooo phhhat”

1: “yooo mannnnnnnnn I knooooow”

2: “You gonnnnna startttt CAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM nexxxtt weeeek?”

I still have my doubts about the authenticity here, but all I have to say about the cowboys really is… how about them cowboys!

“What will the feeling be like across the living room’s of all the UFL GM’s the day the Giants loose their first game of the season”

John, Cincinnati, OH

I will let the normally reserved people of Iceland’s soccer community respond to that…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--UVoz95oic&feature=youtube_gdata_player

“If you could re-do the 2012 UFL draft, what would it look like, knowing what we know now?”

Jermaine, Topeka, KS

Wow, great question Jermaine. Yes, it is only 6 weeks into the UFL season and these young men have 5 years to develop into the powerhouse talents that UFL GM’s hope they will. But if I go by what I have seen I would certainly like to see perhaps a different order of players selected. My post 6 week UFL 2012 re-draft would like this:

12^th Overall – Blair Walsh – PK

This season has been a real renaissance for young legs. You have Greg Zurlein teeing off ICBMs in St-Louis and Justin Tucker bringing some consistency to the Ravens. But it is Blair Walsh in Minnesota who is the standout here. Through 6 weeks he is 16 for 17 with 7 off those coming from beyond 40 yards. Franchise kickers are rare and when you find one are worth the 1^st round gambit.

11^th Overall - Randall Cobb – WR

I hesitated in putting Cobb on here, but he is on a team with an aging WR corps and he can get open, and make people miss tackles. He is on the right team, and has tons of upside.

10^th Overall – Coby Fleener – TE

Fleener will be a franchise TE for years to come. His established chemistry with Andrew Luck, and god given skill set will work well long term in a young and feisty Colts offence that will put up yardage and points.

9^th Overall – Kendall Wright – WR

Wright’s potential and work ethic has paid off in spades. The Titans coaching staff showed supreme confidence in him from the beginning by naming him a starter for Week 1, and he has not looked back since then. While he may not have the long term potential of an AJ Green or Julio Jones, Wright will establish himself snuggly as a dominant WR for years to come.

8^th Overall – Russell Wilson – QB

Wilson kind of snuck up on everyone in the offseason, but not on the shrewdly talented Mr. Mel. Pete Carroll loves youth, and Wilson fits the bill perfectly for a Pete Carroll coached team. Our only hang up with Wilson is his size and the fact that he has a very pricey backup in Seattle.

7^th Overall – Victor Cruz – WR

Cruz picked up from where he left on in 2011. He is one Eli’s go to receivers in the red zone and the two have great chemistry. His early season drops against the Cowboys had us worried, but he has rebounded solidly since then, putting up both big yardage and TD receptions.

6^th Overall – Torrey Smith - WR

His shocking arrival last year caught many of us off guard. No one had him on their draft board. Well that all changed this year and Smith was a first round pick in the 2012 UFL draft. He continues to progress as legitimate deep threat on virtually every down and is only improving as every game passes. His speed and skill cannot be denied.

5^th Overall – Ryan Tannehill – QB

I had a lot of questions about the converted WR. How would he handle the speed of the NFL? How would he handle professional defenses? How would he cope in a system with terrible receivers? What Tannehill has accomplished (besides landing a hot wife) is pretty remarkable. He manages the offence well, has great poise, and a pretty damn accurate arm. His instant chemistry with Brian Hartline, with whom he had virtually no pre-season reps with, could be a long term threat to the rest of the National Football League.

4^th Overall – Trent Richardson – RB

Richardson has been the man from the start in the Cleveland backfield. He will see the ball a lot in an offence that will rely heavily on his ability to carry the shoulder of the workload. I am worried about all the small injuries that seem to be piling up, and given the Browns shady history recently in keeping their backs healthy I worry that all that work they are placing on him may wear him down sooner rather than later.

3^rd Overall – Alfred Morris – RB

By far the biggest surprise of the year has been Alfred Morris. A crowded Redskins backfield and the confidence of the coaching staff have given Morris a golden opportunity to showcase why he deserves to be discussed in the elite category of NFL running backs. Already in the top 5 for yardage, Morris may be the steal of the UFL draft by the end of the season… he certainly is right now.

2^nd Overall – Andrew Luck – QB

Luck has so far come as advertised. Confident, calm and collected in the pocket. He has a maturity that most NFL quarterbacks need years to learn. His 4^th quarter heroics have already started and I feel like a legend is being born. There is no doubt that he is on the road to a hall of fame like career, and any time you can draft a future hall of famer, you do not hesitate… but…

1^st Overall – Robert Griffin III – QB

I debated long and hard on this one, but in the end I had to go with flash over flat in picking RG3 over Luck. RG3 has proven that he can play in the NFL. He has a coaching staff that understands how he plays the game and has tailored a playbook that works perfectly with his skill sets. I am worried about his size and injury potential, and feel that ultimately Luck is the better long term QB, but if you had a guy for just 5 years like they do in the UFL, RG3 could be that special player that wins you titles by just doing what he does.

Will the Dolphins ever decide to pick a direction and stick with it?

Regis, Toledo, OH

Oh Miami. I wish I had an answer for that one. All I can really say is that Dolphins are mammals, and like most mammals they make irrational decisions. What I do know is that they finally had a decent draft after years of failures. And if they can learn from their past mistakes, then holding a combined 16 picks in the next 2 years means that the Dolphins could be on the cusp on establishing a dynasty, or they could be setting themselves up to be caught in giant tuna nets. Either way, I plan on sitting back and enjoying the irrational chaos.

Who do you think will be the next team to relocate?

Bill, Portland, ME

Stability has never been the UFL’s strong suit. But if you take a look at the UFL map, you will see established franchises with loyal owners. But if you had a gun to my head and I had to pick one team it would be the Chargers. Don’t ask me why, I just can’t see GM Eric Kavagaskasjklian staying there for much longer.

If someone put a gun to your head and asked you to predict the Supreme Bowl teams for this season, the Toilet bowl teams and the scores for each respective game what would you tell them?

Matt, Festering, MI

A gun to my head? Really? Is the UFL that popular? Are there online sports books hinging on this? I actually think this question came from GM Teoli… so I will humor him this one time…

In the Supreme Bow I have the Houston Texans falling to the Philadelphia Eagles, 42 – 36  and the Eagles winning their first ever UFL title. Defense wins championships, and in the end the Eagles have the better defense here.

As for the Toilet Bowl, at this point it looks pretty clear that we will have a Redskins vs Bucs matchup, something that is truly shocking considering where these 2 franchises finished last year. Assuming the Redskins hold on to McCoy, Andre Johsnon and the Jets D, I see them as the eventual TB winners… 28 – 15.

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That's it for the mailbag this week. If you have any questions for the uflguy please send them to me here at uflguy1@gmail.com