UFFL Week 3: A Defining Moment

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: Matt, we have been seeing a troublesome pattern early on this season that, you felt after watching most of the games, required immediate attention. Can you elaborate on this for our audience?

M: Of course, it's the number of injuries on the field. I don't know if it's our own inhibitions, our feisty beings, or what - but the injuries were plentiful, and something had to be done about it. Apparently there have been some new emergency safety regulations put in place that the league has been expected to follow starting this week.

FS: And do you think the teams and players will comply?

M: They have to, or they face huge fines. It's not a joke, these are the lives of real furries and anthros here. They have a life post-football, and it should not be scarred by an unnecessary hit.

FS: Our guest to elaborate more on the extent of this problem is our on-the-field correspondent, Jeanette Milbrey, live in Chicago at Magnificent Mile Stadium. Now Jeanette, we have had a couple season-ending injuries thus far. Is this normal?

J: Yes, but it's the level on which these injuries were had; some are blaming the inadequate helmet design, which seems to work better for some species than others. Other managers are blaming management for not stepping in sooner. But, most of all, the players are blaming other players, and its starting some off-the-field incidents that are not desired by the UFFL.

FS: Have you gotten any feedback from the coaches or the players about the problem?

J: I talked with one of the field coaches here in Chicago, and he said that although they anticipate an injury or two per game, he didn't feel that enough had been done to assure that teams could get the back-up assistance for their teams. As you know, only about five or six players are not in a starting position at any one point during a game, which becomes problematic after two or three weeks of gameplay. The field coach finished off by saying that he hopes something will be done about it soon.

FS: Jeanette Milbrey, live from Chicago. Thanks, Jeanette.

J: Thank you.

FS: Back here in the studio with Matt - and we've been a bit sidetracked by all the controversy surrounding this issue for the past week. So much, in fact, that we've been ignorant about the upcoming week of gameplay. What are your thoughts for this week?

M: Well, this is the week that defines who is likeliest to have a great season, and who will be struggling to catch up. The three teams at 2-0: California, New York, and Baltimore - are all really great teams, but with this injury issue, New York is the only one that has come out alive. With no really huge playmaker on that team, it'll be interesting to see if they can trudge into Chicago and shut out a strong Outlaws team that is coming off a frustrating loss.

FS: Well said.

M: It's my pick for Game of the Week, this week. If there's any one game you tune in for tomorrow, it's NY at CHI.

FS: Who's the runner-up game?

M: Fargo at Baltimore is going to be fun. They're calling the game the "Pumpkin Ice" game because of the cooler temperatures they're seeing in Maryland this week, plus the interesting mix of bright blue and orange jerseys. Fargo's Bernard Randolph is coming off the game of his life, and Christina Carson is back in the lineup for the Axemen. It should be a great game.

FS: Now, with all positive ends, there is a negative end. And we have three teams at 0-2. Talk about each team and what they have to do to improve and get their first win.

M: Well, let me say first that I'm really surprised that Abilene could not hold on against the Dons last week. There is a lot of promise and talent on the Lancers, but something about their offense seems off, and they absolutely need to start throwing more passes to their wide receivers and the tight-end, Nash Pony. Only five passes on the season is an absolute waste of a talent. And they also need to stop turning the ball over, or start creating turnovers.

FS: How about Easton?

M: Easton would have won last week if not for their non-existent Special Teams group. What kind of awfulness those players and fans must've felt when the Axemen won the game solely on the merit of four kickoff touchdown returns. They can win, there's no doubt about that. But not if they don't take the side-missions, in example those kickoff returns, more seriously. Their Special Teams Coordinator is risking losing their job otherwise.

FS: And finally... Texas.

M: Texas is ranked last in the league in offense, but have a star in Jacqueline Knight. So the team has to do some interesting playbook adjustments that are based around utilizing her and the other wide receivers. Andrew Calder's second start at quarterback, he now knows who he has to work with. However, they face a brutal Las Vegas defense. How does this game pan out?

FS: You tell me.

M: Oh, no, well... I was just going to finish off by saying, if I had to pick a third game to watch, it would be that one.

FS: Last week, you had claimed that Darius Smith of the Chicago Outlaws was your player to watch, and you were hoping for some kind of connection with the offense, however that did not happen and the Outlaws ended up losing.

M: Correct.

FS: The Outlaws brought in another D. Smith, mister Damien, and also got rid of a solid kicker to give their rookie, Thalia Perez, a try. What do you think about those moves?

M: They are, indeed, a bit risky. Most of the stuff that I have seen the coach do over in Chicago have been borderline risky. But he's got the people's trust. Most general managers set a game plan at the beginning of the season and follow through it, but he's the only guy I see who is adjusting it as we go, and appropriately.

FS: What do you mean by, appropriately?

M: Just, he's looking at all obstacles. He isn't floundering under pressure. It's a true and spirited team led by a great coach.

FS: Well said. Finally, we will finish up with a clip from the post-game show on Sunday night that has been making the rounds. It's Trent Velazquez walking out of the studio and, there's some kind of debate and confrontation, then --

M: Yeah, well, it seems to have been addressed now. But Velazquez faced his one-week suspension and is back this week to kick for the Renegades. You know he's a big guy. He's a bear, and a heavy guy for a kicker. He's got a lot of punch when he wants it. Just, he's gotta hold down the mood swings. Otherwise, Coach is going to have to debate whether he's worth keeping around.

FS: Alright, well, thanks again for coming in this week and giving us your piece of mind. We will be looking forward to debating Week 4 with you, and always, have fun tomorrow.

M: Thanks.

FS: 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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