We get lots of e-mail here at YFFL.com and while we can't answer everyone, senior writer Bobby Sansone took some time out to answer a few of the league's biggest fans...
You never know when Bob might spring somebody out of jail to play UT for the Thugs
Q: Say it ain't so. Are the Merry Men really "America's Team"?
Randy, Elkhorn, WI
BS: After deliberating over this YFFL poll question for hours, I ended up casting ONE vote for the Merry Men. Dugas is clearly the Jerry Jones of the league. The Merry Men have more natural rivalries than any other team (Thugs, Buddies, and Huskers) and they have the track record (.600 Wining PCT) to back it up. Let's face it, the league wouldn't be half as fun without Steve in the league. More on this later...
So if the Merry Men are the Cowboys, what are some of the other YFFL-NFL comparisons?
Thugs and Raiders – Bad-boy image resemblance is uncanny
Orangutangs and 49ers – Proud history but not much success in recent years
Refugees and Saints – Leagues' feel-good stories; everyone is pulling for them!
Mallards and Lions – Can't seem to win. Ever.
Beans and Cardinals – Sleeper team every year but eventually underachieve
Chickens and Colts – Great teams' year in and year out but always fall short
Brothers and Packers – Small market teams with QBs that are piling up accolades and awards
Huskers and Bears – One unbelievable Super Bowl year (2002/1985) surrounded by years of mediocrity
Q: What did you make of the different internet outlets analyzing the fantasy implications of T.O.'s attempted suicide?
Fred, Boston, MA
BS: A clear sign that the apocalypse is indeed upon us. After seeing that, I was wondering if they would breakdown the fantasy football implications of Byron Nelson's death too. You have to draw the line somewhere don't you? Can we see these people as things other than WR2, UT or RB1? I guess not.
P.S. Owens' is a viable option at WR2 this weekend.
Q: Are you surprised that the AFC East is gridlocked at 1-2 and the NFC West is gridlocked with 3 undefeated teams?
Lefty, Phoenix, AZ
BS: The AFC East is dreadful. Two teams will likely go 2-1 over the next 3 weeks - and be atop the division at 3-3. I can't see any of these teams finishing with more than 6 wins. I just can't. I'm a huge fan of the Refugees this year though. They were left for dead at the start of the season. Now they look like the clear favorite to win the division. If Aceto can get the Refugees to the playoffs and get the White Guys around .500, he's got to be seriously considered for Owner of the Year, doesn't he?
The NFC West is a great division, which sucks for me. Why can't the division I play in ever be as bad as the AFC East? The team in last place right now could easily go 3-0 in division play. This should be a dog fight over the final 10 games. Somehow I think the Beans and Huskers will fade and miss the playoffs.
Dugas got punk'd?!? Awesome, dude!!!
Q: Did Dugas really get punk'd on Sunday? Awesome. How did it go down, dude?
Nick Dyer, Farmington, ME
BS: Yes sir. The Kinsman brothers and I were watching some football on Sunday when Mike went on one of his Mallards rants in the YFFL forum. This time he suggested the team be broke up. We had the idea to punk Steve by having Jon post a serious reply to the forum suggesting it will be added to the Winter Meeting agenda. Since Jon is always serious in his postings as the commissioner, we knew Steve would flip. I had to see this with my own eyes so I went over to Steve's house for the 4:00 games...sure enough Steve was as wired as a goth chick at a Marilyn Manson concert. He was threatening to leave the league entirely if that happened, going through YFFL classic for similar "hard-luck" franchises and getting frustrated when Jon's phone was busy for a solid-hour. Add in me throwing fuel on the fire like, "I'm not sure who's side I'm on actually. I mean the Mallards are really bad" and Steve was a ticking time-bomb. Haha, no one gets under Steve's skin like me.
Later that night I broke the news to Steve that he'd been punk'd. I couldn't stop laughing for hours.
Q: Alright, 3 weeks into the season, who are your playoff teams?
Greg D., Portland, ME
BS: Well, in the AFC I like three of the worst teams in the conference from last year to pull a complete 180 and make the playoffs. In the AFC East I like the Refugees to go 6-7 and win the division via the tie-breaker of overall points. In the AFC West, I think things are just going the Eaters and Thugs way right now. The Buddies just aren't getting consistent play from their WRs or QBs. I think it's another hard-luck season for them and they wind up at 5-8. The Merry Men were due for an "everything goes wrong" season but Steve is a good owner and will get them to a respectable 7-6. I like the Thugs to ride their depth and go 8-5 and I like the Eaters to do the same and win the division on points. The Eaters will wind-up representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.
Over in the NFC I like the Dragons to cruise, and I mean cruise, to a division title at 10-3. The NFC West is going to be interesting. I actually think the Chickens still come out on top of this division going 7-3 the rest of the way to finish at 8-5. I like the Brothers to win the wild card also with an 8-5 record. I think the Dragons fall victim to an inconsistent Brett Favre and fall to the Chickens in the playoffs setting up a great Hasselbeck-Westbrook-Harrison vs. McNabb-Tomlinson-Owens Super Bowl. This would be a great post-season with 6 different owners make the playoffs for the first time ever!