UFFL Week 2: "Who Was Serious?"

LIVE ON F-SPIN (a parody of ESPN): Matt Lewis - an American football expert who is following the development of this new league - sits in with us (whenever he can!) to talk about the goings-on of the league, his opinion on the next weeks' games, and more. 
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FS: Our friend, Matt! You've come back to us!

M: Hi there again.

FS: The last time we talked, we were inevitably in the middle of a crazy pre-draft week, trying to get an opinion on who would get drafted high... who would get drafted low... and, crazy enough, the first pick wasn't even someone on your radar!

M: Yeah... so it turns out I'm a bit rusty at picking the draft. I should've seen the connection between Jacqueline and the management.

FS: What are your thoughts on the draft overall?

M: It was thrilling. Extremely thrilling. I was so happy to be there to interview some of the candidates. Most of the draftees have found a home and are happy to be with their teams. A lot of them are starting for their teams too.

FS: Our first impression, Matt, was that the first round draft picks had been determined ahead of time for most of the teams, and the 2nd/3rd/4th rounds were more difficult for managers. However, the time limit for the later rounds was much shorter. Why was that?

M: It's traditionally how the rounds are handled, and the first pick is always the most difficult - in my opinion. You're looking for the best player available. You want nothing but to give your team a chance of winning. What Texas saw in Jacqueline was more than just a family connection - they saw agility, they saw her ability to handle the ball, and to get scores.

FS: Interesting. Now, we have had a week of football. What did you see out there?

M: Some confusion. Mostly brilliant and happy individuals running around the field and making huge plays. The rookies made themselves known. And some of them have earned another start this upcoming weekend. I was especially impressed by the talents of Coby Carson, Artemis Griner, and Darius Smith - especially Smith. He's already got the team-leader attitude.

FS: Smith was going to be the first quarterback picked, but he ultimately went to Chicago.

M: Yep. Chicago should be happy with their newest acquisition after losing Terry Hilliard to retirement.

FS: Week two approaches. What will be different from last week?

M: Management, for one, has a clear-cut idea of how the players perform under pressure. A lot of these guys had only one week to prepare and learn the playbook. That's why you saw a lot of improvisation on the field. This week, though, they don't really have an excuse. The coaches are gonna be on all their tails. They're going to find out who was serious.

FS: Any specific changes, team wise?

M: Fargo lost Christina Carson for a week due to an injury, and will be likely starting their backup quarterback Flip Penguinator when they travel to Easton. Both teams need to win that game, and playing in Easton will make it even harder for Fargo. The defensive rookie Kennith Shrader also took a hard hit on Sunday and will be out a couple weeks. California's got Joe Bowers starting for the sidelined Darnell Paige.

FS: Let's talk about Joe Bowers...

M: Let's not.

FS: Fair enough - the --

M: Just kidding, just kidding. Out of the drama that had to unravel, it's just a silly thing to see this rookie come from the third round and already he's headlining newspapers for his actions. I don't know how California plans to deal with him, but they need him Sunday. He'll either be a rookie John Fletcher or a rookie Joe Lefebvre.

FS: What is your pick for the Game of the Week?

M: I'm going to have my eyes glued on the North Florida / New York matchup. Both teams dominated last week. We're getting our first chance at the #2 pick of the draft, John Cameron. That's Kiedo Masquarde versus John. But North Florida took an injury hit this week on the defensive side of things. They'll need to prove that they have the depth to come up to the colder environment and play a good game.

FS: Our idea of a good game is when the quarterback properly handles the offense. Which team do you think did this best last week?

M: Again, I'd have to choose Darius Smith of the Outlaws. The Offensive Coach, Chas Knight, did well in handling the team, and is experimenting with shuffling the wide receiver lineup this week. We may see some of the new rookie, Olen. I'm personally rooting for a connection between these two rookies on the field. However, they're going into a rough Las Vegas environment.

FS: Rough?

M: Las Vegas is a much better team than how they played last week, that's what I'm getting at.

FS: The Bandits and the Outlaws. Who is "baddest"?

M: (laughs) The Outlaws!

FS: And who wins?

M: Oh, man. This is the one game I just can't decide on. But, as far as injuries are concerned, Vegas has the upper hand this week. Both Kelley Rowe and Coby Carson are hungry for a win.

FS: There's three other matchups we haven't talked about yet, the first of which being the Texas Ramblers visiting the Downriver Waves. What's your opinion here?

M: Yes! Texas surprised everyone this week by releasing Roy Dejesus after a fluke game where he threw an unprecedented five interceptions. They brought in undrafted rookie Andrew Calder, and Calder's going to have to prove he isn't Roy. That being said, Downriver took a massive hit last week in the injury column. This game is going to be the Ramblers'.

FS: How about Grand Rapids and Baltimore?

M: Two teams who won last week. Playing in the Horseshoe. Good luck, Grand Rapids.

FS: And finally, California at Abilene.

M: Again, a really tough choice considering California doesn't play well on the road historically. Abilene wants to get the ball to Nash more this week. Expect Cali to drop their linebackers back to cover the receiving game for Abilene's QB Robert Goady. It should be a close one, but I'm going with Abilene.

FS: Finally... and this is our last question: Who gets the benefit of the doubt this week?

M: If you're talking about players...

FS: We are.

M: I would hope that we see a more solid offensive line out of the teams. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt because they can't improvise as easily and you saw that in the penalty count last week. I'm hoping they play better and allow less sacks in Week Two.

FS: Alright, sir. Thanks for coming by, and thank you all for watching F-SPIN. Stay tuned for more football talk in the coming days, and be sure to join the conversation at uffl.boards.net !
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