Craigntx owner Craig Lechner has announced his retirement from the Ultimate Fantasy Football league, effective immediately, because he anticipates having limited internet access for the foreseeable future. Tony DelSignore has been appointed as his replacement and has renamed the team Layin the Woodley, in honor of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley. Despite living in Virginia, DelSignore is a Steelers fan because his father was born in Pittsburgh. His old squad's nickname, The Steel Curtain, was adopted by his successor, Angie Williams, and therefore was unavailable to be re-used.

In eight years, Lechner went 58-62-0 (.483), compiling a 50-54-0 record (.481) during the regular season and an 8-8-0 record (.500) during the postseason. His crowning achievement came during UFFL Bowl VIII (2009), when he defeated Jay Klinkhammer's A-Peterson Fan Club squad in a rematch of the 2004 title game. It is uncertain if he will be able to rejoin the league down the road.

DelSignore is returning to the UFFL following a one-year absence. As the owner of The Steel Curtain, he posted a 10-6-0 (.625) overall record during the 2010 season, going 8-5-0 (.615) during the regular season and 2-1-0 (.667) in the playoffs, eventually losing to The Catch in UFFL Bowl IX (2010).

UFFL News Ticker: The annual league questionnaire has already been distributed to owners via e-mail and can be viewed at the Yahoo! Groups message board. Its purpose is to see what updates and improvements need to be made to the league. Less than a week after it was first distributed, feedback has been received quicker than ever before, with nearly two-thirds of the UFFL responding within the first five days.

WINTER 2012

Southern Division wins Pro Bowl again
In the first three years of the UFFL Pro Bowl's existence, bbashers head coach Calvin Brown had dominated the game, representing the Southern Division each year (by virtue of having coached the highest-scoring team in the division during the regular season) and coming out victorious each time.

This year was no different, as the South defeated the North, 178.72-167.00. It was the highest-scoring Pro Bowl ever, but the game might have ended up being more (in)famous for the coaching carousel on the Northern Division side.

Cheeko Chiefs head coach Chad Fuller was the first option to coach the North but he became unavailable. Enter Andrew So (head coach of The Catch), who took over control of the team and submitted a lineup on Fuller's behalf. However, when Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (who was in So's starting lineup) was announced as a last-minute scratch about an hour before kickoff, Deltaman head coach - and Wisconsin resident - Craig Hoffman stepped in and used his "self-appointed" powers to replace Rodgers with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Unfortunately for the North, the switch from Rodgers to Brady wasn't enough to affect the outcome of the game, even though he led all Northern Division starters with 30.70 fantasy points. Interestingly, if Northern Division third-string quarterback Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) had been inserted into the lineup, the North would have won, as Stafford posted 50.70 points (more than any other player on either roster).

The Southern Division was led by a standout performance from Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who won UFFL Player of the Week honors. Rice compiled 33.50 fantasy points on 24 carries for 191 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with eight receiving yards.

Improvements made to Fleaflicker website: In a move that amounts to little more than a formality at this point, commissioner Jared Byrd re-activated the Ultimate Fantasy Football League on Tuesday, March 6. The return of the league, which is about to enter its 11th season, was never in doubt. This marks the fifth year that the UFFL has been hosted by Fleaflicker Fantasy Sports, after having spent its first six years with Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. The preliminary regular-season schedule has already been generated and can be viewed here.

More importantly, however, Fleaflicker site administrators announced that a long-awaited feature has finally been implemented: the option of allowing teams to have co-owners. Teams in all sports can have as many as five owners (one main owner and up to four co-owners). The co-commissioner feature had already been in existence since 2009, allowing commissioners of private fantasy leagues to give this designation to as many as three other owners.

As other improvements are made to the website during the offseason that are pertinent to the UFFL, they will be posted here.

UFFL News Ticker: Congratulations to Calvin Brown for winning the 2011-12 UFFL Postseason Challenge on NFL.com. To view the final standings and starting lineups of each team throughout the NFL playoffs, click here ... Congrats are also in order for CheeseWhiz head coach Jim Douglas, who won the UFFL Pickem Challenge on Yahoo! Fantasy Sports ... For the second time in three seasons, Mark Bender has changed the name of his UFFL franchise. Originally known as the PC (Prairie Creek, Indiana) Best Bets upon joining the league in 2009, they were renamed the TH (Terre Haute, Indiana) Best Bets in 2010. They have now been renamed as the Shelburn OrangeHats.

Pulverizers win UFFL Bowl X

In a nationally-televised game, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage record and posted 35.18 fantasy points to lead the Pulverizers to a victory over the Sisyphean Endeavors in UFFL Bowl X, 113.19-77.36. It was the first championship since 2006 for head coach Jared Byrd and his third in league history.

Unfortunately for the Endeavors, they lost Tony Romo to a right hand injury early in the first quarter, which seriously damaged their chances of winning. For head coach Grace Cloud, the timing couldn't have been worse. "You generally put up numbers that would help any squad," she wrote on the Fleaflicker message board in a post intended for the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. "You also had a reputation for having some strangely disappointing weeks. But seriously, now? Now you 'bruise' your hand? Seriously? And then you sit out the rest of the game. That's just lovely. But you'll be ready to go against the Giants (in Week 17), won't you? Big ... deal. Season's over here. Here's a suggestion. Call Big Ben (Roethlisberger) and learn something about stamina and perseverance. Stay in a game until you take an arrow to the knee."

A South Jersey native, Cloud admitted that she was never a big fan of Romo in real life - primarily because she can't stand the Cowboys - and his zero-point performance in the championship game will probably make her dislike him even more, if that's even possible. Her top-scoring player was Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who scored 20.80 points.

As for the Pulverizers' head coach, the UFFL Bowl victory served as consolation for what had been a terrible year for the hometown NFL team. "It certainly makes me feel better after a disappointing season for the Eagles (where we'll miss the playoffs but get a mediocre at-best draft pick, while likely hanging on to the most overrated head coach in the NFL for at least another year)," Byrd wrote on the Fleaflicker message board. "Of course, I would have preferred beating Grace's team at full strength instead of winning in large part because of Romo's 'injury.'

"Looking back, it's hard to believe that I was trying to trade Brees earlier this season!"

At one point during the regular season - and even before the draft - this was indeed the case. Running back and wide receiver were the club's weakest positions and there appeared to be a surplus of talent at quarterback (between Brees and Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Buffalo Bills). While Byrd would have preferred to move Fitzpatrick - especially after his hot start - it was believed that Brees would have brought back more in return in a trade. However, no deals were able to be pulled off and the running back and wide receiver positions were instead bolstered through a series of waiver wire claims and free agency pickups.

In the end, it appears that standing pat was the best move of all.

Championship Bracket - Third Place Game
(2) CheeseWhiz 141.35, (1) bbashers 136.07 - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady posted 31.86 fantasy points in the third-place game to send CheeseWhiz head coach Jim Douglas off on a winning note this year. Houston Texans running back Arian Foster had 25.60 fantasy points in a losing cause. The bbashers ended the 2011 campaign with a two-game losing streak, marking just the third time since 2008 (when Calvin Brown assumed full control of the franchise) that they've lost consecutive games.

Consolation Bracket
(10) The Catch 112.73, (9) Cheeko Chiefs 111.27 - Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White had 17.35 fantasy points for The Catch, who ended the postseason with a 2-0 record and are 5-0 in the playoffs over the past two years. The Cheeko Chiefs were led by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who racked up 24.72 points.

(12) N2deep 137.09, (14) TH Best Bets 84.61 - Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton earned UFFL Player of the Week honors for Week 16 by posting 37.34 fantasy points for N2deep, as they ended the year with victories in three of their last four contests. Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne led the Best Bets with 19.30 points, as they finished the season with an overall record of 1-15-0. Three players in Mark Bender's starting lineup - Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker, New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard and Colts tight end Dallas Clark - had zero points in the game.

UFFL Pro Bowl update: The fourth-annual UFFL Pro Bowl will take place during Week 17 of the NFL regular season (Sunday, Jan. 1), and the coaches are slated to be Chad Fuller (Cheeko Chiefs) for the Northern Division and Calvin Brown (bbashers) for the Southern Division. The coaches for both sides were chosen because they scored the most fantasy points for their respective divisions during the regular season.

Ballots were distributed to both coaches on Tuesday, Dec. 27, and they have until Friday, Jan. 30 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern to submit their starting lineups. Replacement coaches may be selected if lineups are not received by this time, or extensions may be granted, although lineups can be changed as many times as necessary up until game time. Click here to see what the ballots look like and click here to see the page where starting lineups will eventually be posted.

Live scoring will not be available for this particular contest, but the final outcome should be determined by Monday, Jan. 2. At that point, the box score for the game will be available on the page featured above.

UFFL Postseason Challenge alert: Contestants are still needed for the UFFL Postseason Challenge on NFL.com. If you're interested in playing, here is the registration link (and if prompted, the NEW password is "goodell"):
http://challengegames.nfl.com/playoffchallenge/leagues/6050?icampaign=PC_LM_email_invite

Feel free to send this link to others who are not involved in this league who might be interested. Remember, NFL postseason games begin Saturday, Jan. 7.

UFFL News Ticker: Congratulations to Jim Douglas (CheeseWhiz) and Craig Hoffman (Deltaman) for finishing as co-winners in the UFFL Survival Football contest on Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. The contest ended in Week 15, after neither team correctly picked a winner ... Douglas also appears to have a decent-sized lead in UFFL Pickem Challenge, as the next closest competitor is 75 points away. However, the contest will continue for five more weeks (the last week of the NFL regular season and the four weeks of the postseason) ... 2011 UFFL awards winners have been announced ... The UFFL owners' questionnaire is tentatively scheduled to be distributed via e-mail on Tuesday, Jan. 3. The commissioner is currently accepting rule change ideas to be discussed and voted upon. Send your suggestions to jared259@alumni.upenn.edu.

AUTUMN 2011

Around the UFFL: Week Fifteen Edition

During Week 15, the number of teams competing in the UFFL postseason was narrowed to eight - four in the championship bracket and four in the consolation bracket. Regardless of the outcome, everyone knew they would be back for more cyber gridiron action in Week 16, but the results from this slate of games would determine how high the stakes would be for the following week.

Championship Bracket
(3) Sisyphean Endeavors 124.67, (2) CheeseWhiz 119.32 - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo posted 32.86 fantasy points for the Sisyphean Endeavors, only one season removed from a winless campaign under their previous head coach, as they upset the second-ranked CheeseWhiz. The victory allowed Grace Cloud to reach the UFFL Bowl for the first time since the league's inaugural season (2002). New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady racked up 31.00 points for  CheeseWhiz, who had been vying to compete in the UFFL Bowl for the first time since 2008.

(5) Pulverizers 141.17, (1) bbashers 139.21 - The Pulverizers outscored every other team in the league during Week 14, and they needed every point in a nail-biting victory over the top-ranked bbashers, who had hoped to advance to their first-ever UFFL Bowl despite years of regular-season dominance. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees earned UFFL Player of the Week honors by scoring 46.08 fantasy points but it was San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews' 23.95-point performance that put the Pulverizers over the top. Houston Texans running back Arian Foster had 24.30 points for the bbashers - one of six players to post double-digit points.

Consolation Bracket
(9) Cheeko Chiefs 125.15, (12) N2deep 91.11 - Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson had his best performance of the season (31.70 fantasy points), as the Cheeko Chiefs opened their playoff run with a convincing victory over N2deep. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had 23.46 points in a losing effort.

(10) The Catch 110.50, (14) TH Best Bets 80.45 - Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White scored 28.75 fantasy points for The Catch, as they participated in their first postseason game since winning UFFL Bowl IX. Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis had 17.35 points for the Best Bets, who lost for the 14th time in 15 contests this year.

Around the UFFL: Week Fourteen Edition
The opening week of the 2011 UFFL postseason featured arguably one of the most shocking games of the year: a victory for the TH Best Bets in the consolation bracket against the Steph Infections. Let's take a closer look at this game and each of the other contests that took place during the 14th week of the NFL calendar:

Championship Bracket
(1) bbashers 143.01, (8) Deltaman 129.11 - Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew scored four touchdowns and posted 41.05 fantasy points for the top-seeded bbashers, earning UFFL Player of the Week honors in the process. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers led Deltaman with 22.24 points, in what would be considered a "down" week by his standards.

(2) CheeseWhiz 148.01, (7) The Steel Curtain 135.43 - In Angie Williams' UFFL postseason debut, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan collected 36.80 fantasy points for The Steel Curtain, but his efforts were in vain, as the Detroit Lions defense amassed 40.88 points for the Northern Division champions. Jim Douglas' team led all UFFL franchises in points scored for the week, despite two players in the starting lineup (New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch and Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley) being unable to make a dent in the scoreboard.

(3) Sisyphean Endeavors 123.07, (6) The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes 95.06 - Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo put on a clinic en route to racking up 36.84 fantasy points for the winners, while Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald registered 20.95 points for The North Star Sledgehammers. Their head coach, Jay Klinkhammer, blamed the loss on the poor performances of several running backs who were inserted into the starting lineup after having great games in Week 13, while the players who ended up being benched excelled in Week 14. They were also hindered by an early first-quarter injury to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings.

(5) Pulverizers 140.77, (4) Football Gal 106.62 - This was the only upset in the championship bracket, with a fifth-seeded team  defeating a fourth-seeded team on their home turf. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees  led all scorers with 26.08 fantasy points, while Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice contributed 23.60 points in a losing cause for Football Gal.

Consolation Bracket
(14) TH Best Bets 84.59, (11) Steph Infections 79.10 - The TH Best Bets were attempting to avoid a dubious position in the league record books: making it through the entire fantasy football season without posting a victory. It happened last season with the Henne Given Sunday franchise, who dropped all 13 regular-season games and were quickly eliminated from the consolation bracket with a first-round loss to Deltaman. Even Best Bets head coach Mark Bender seemed doubtful of his team's odds of winning prior to the Monday Night Football contest. "Will I get the golden collar for the season?," he pondered aloud, in a post on the Fleaflicker message board. "Only (Seattle wide receiver Doug) Baldwin from the Seachicks stand between me and fantasy football immortality. Congrats to the winners and like my true Brownsfan self ... wait till next year!" Fortunately for Bender, Baldwin posted 19.13 fantasy points against the St. Louis Rams to push the Best Bets over the top, leading the team. The Steph Infections were led by the New York Jets defense, who combined to post 19.32 points.

(12) N2deep 106.78, (13) Craigntx 105.16 - It was a good week for both of the league's 2009 expansion teams, even if their regular seasons didn't quite go exactly as planned. The "other game" on the consolation bracket was the closest contest of all, with only 1.62 fantasy points separating the two teams. San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers' 26.60-point performance wasn't enough to overcome George Thomas' squad, who received 24.64 points from Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

UFFL News and Notes: December Edition

- According to a post on the Fleaflicker suggestion message board by one of the site administrators (responding to a question from a user), the company is working on making postseason brackets customizable so that teams that lose in the first round of the playoffs can continue competing against each other. Click here to see the post, which claims that Fleaflicker hopes "to have that capability in the near future."

From 2002 to 2007, when the UFFL was based at Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, teams that lost in the first round of the playoffs could continue playing during the remaining weeks of the postseason (though they would obviously be eliminated from competition for the championship). Since relocating to Fleaflicker in 2008, first-round playoff losers have remained idle for the rest of the year, although second-round playoff losers are allowed to continue playing during the following week.

Of course, the postseason setup of the UFFL on Yahoo! only had eight of the league's then-12 franchises competing beyond the end of the regular season, with the four worst teams idle until the following September. The Fleaflicker version of the postseason involves all of the league's teams.

- There is a 100 percent chance that the winner of the UFFL Survival Football contest will come from Wisconsin; only Jim Douglas and Craig Hoffman remain active after Jared Byrd was eliminated in Week 14.

- Registration for the UFFL Postseason Challenge (on NFL.com) is now open. All of last year's participants have been invited back but an unlimited number of people can compete in the league, so if you are interested (or you know someone else who is), feel free to sign up. Click here to access the registration page; if prompted, the password is "singletary." Remember, the first batch of NFL playoff games begins Sunday, Jan. 7, and this contest will last through Super Bowl XLV.

- All of the vacancies in the Fantasy Basketball Challenge head-to-head league on Fleaflicker have been filled, with the live draft scheduled to get underway Monday, Dec. 19, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

2011 UFFL Postseason Roundup

Northern Division:
After what seemed like an eternity, the CheeseWhiz (9-4-0) finally edged out The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes (7-6-0) for the Northern Division title. Like their division-winning counterpart in the South, Jim Douglas' squad is searching for their first-ever UFFL championship, despite having two of the game's most dominant players of the last decade in New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. The CheeseWhiz hold the second seed in the championship bracket.

Meanwhile, Jay Klinkhammer's squad came close to pulling a shocking upset to win the division, thanks in part to the late-season heroics of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. This followed a slow start where multiple players were put on the trading block in preparation for a possible fire sale that never materialized. The Sledgehammers enter the postseason as the sixth seed.

The Steel Curtain (7-6-0), the only other team in the Northern Division that posted a winning regular-season record, enters the postseason as the seventh seed. It is the UFFL postseason debut for Angie Williams, who assumed control of the franchise after Tony DelSignore's sudden retirement during the offseason. The franchise is hoping to duplicate their postseason achievement of one year ago, when they made it to the championship game.

Deltaman (6-7-0) wrapped up the eighth and final seed in the championship bracket by winning their fourth consecutive regular-season game in Week 13. Craig Hoffman is making his first appearance in the bracket since 2008 and held several crucial tiebreakers for playoff seeding to squeeze past the Cheeko Chiefs, The Catch and the Steph Infections - all of whom finished with an identical regular-season record.

Southern Division:
The bbashers won their fourth division title in as many years, after becoming the first UFFL team to qualify for this season's championship bracket. Also for the fourth consecutive season, the bbashers finished the regular season with an 11-2-0 record. However, that hasn't done them much good in the playoffs, as they've only advanced beyond the first round once since Calvin Brown assumed control of the franchise. Still, they should be considered the favorite to win this year's championship.
 
Regardless of what happens in the playoffs, the Sisyphean Endeavors' turnaround this year has to be considered the greatest in UFFL history. They won 10 of 13 regular season games under Grace Cloud after going winless through the entire 2010 season, when the franchise (then known as Henne Given Sunday) was run by Jason Wedgwood. They enter the playoffs as the third seed.

Rounding out the South's list of entrants in the championship bracket are Football Gal and the Pulverizers (both 8-5-0), who are seeded fourth and fifth respectively. Football Gal head coach Mozelle Meyers is making her first appearance in the bracket since 2008, despite having lost her final two regular-season contests. The Pulverizers are headed in the opposite direction, having won three consecutive games entering the postseason.

The bottom of the division featured the UFFL's three worst teams record-wise: the TH Best Bets (0-13-0), Craigntx (2-11-0) and N2deep (5-8-0), who will be playing for pride in the consolation bracket. Barring trades, these teams will hold the top three selections in the 2012 UFFL draft.

UFFL News Ticker: The trading deadline came and went without any additional moves, although discussions between teams went down to the wire. The Steel Curtain unsuccessfully tried to acquire New York Jets running back Shonn Greene from the bbashers, while the Cheeko Chiefs were unable to complete a deal which would have sent New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker and a ninth-round pick in the 2012 draft to the Pulverizers, in exchange for a first-round pick and a third-round pick ... The coaches for the fourth-annual UFFL Pro Bowl will be Chad Fuller (Cheeko Chiefs) for the Northern Division and Calvin Brown (bbashers) for the Southern Division. This will be Fuller's second appearance in the game and Brown's fourth. The game will take place Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, during the 17th (and final) week of the NFL regular season, with coaches being selected based on the top scoring teams in each division during the UFFL's regular season ... 2011 UFFL awards winners will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 27.

Fantasy sports news: Only three contestants (Jared Byrd, Jim Douglas and Craig Hoffman) remain in the UFFL Survival Football contest, after two players were knocked out in Week 13 (Mark Bender and George Thomas). Each active contestant has two strikes and would be eliminated from further competition with their next incorrect pick ... The Fantasy Basketball Challenge head-to-head league on Fleaflicker, which recently expanded from eight to ten teams, currently has one opening. The live draft will be held Monday, Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. Eastern ... The Fantasy Baseball Challenge head-to-head league on Fleaflicker has been re-activated for the 2012 season. Current owners will be able to submit their franchise player lists to the commissioner in February, while outsiders who are interested in being added to the league can send an e-mail at any time to jared259@alumni.upenn.edu ... League members will be notified when registration for the UFFL Postseason Challenge (on the NFL.com website) is open.

UFFL News and Notes: November Edition

Here are several interesting but random tidbits about various league matters ...

- After winning two consecutive games to improve his regular season record to 6-4-0, The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes no longer appear to be considering having a fire sale. Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and San Diego Chargers running back Mike Tolbert have been pulled off of the trading block by owner Jay Klinkhammer, whose team now finds themselves only one game behind CheeseWhiz for first place in the Northern Division.

- Through 10 weeks of the regular season, Deltaman (3-7-0) has been eliminated from the competition to win the Northern Division title. The Pulverizers (5-5-0), N2deep (4-6-0), Craigntx (1-9-0) and the TH Best Bets (0-10-0) have been mathematically eliminated from the Southern Division title race, while the bbashers (9-1-0) have clinched at least a wild card berth in the championship bracket. Both Craigntx and the TH Best Bets have also been eliminated from contention for wild card berths, meaning they will be two of six UFFL teams competing in the consolation bracket during the postseason.

- Besides the 2011 TH Best Bets, only two UFFL teams have ever lost 10 consecutive regular-season games in the same year: Football Gal (2006 - after winning their season opener) and Henne Given Sunday (2010). Of course, Henne Given Sunday finished the season without a victory.

- Bizarre UFFL tidbit #1: New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson has been on the Pulverizers' roster for every year of the league's existence. He was drafted by the club in the second round of the 2002 draft and retained as a franchise player for each season from 2003 to 2009. The Pulverizers decided not to protect him prior to the 2010 draft and he was selected by the Cheeko Chiefs; however, he returned to the team in a trade roughly one month into the regular season. In 2011, The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes selected Tomlinson with a seventh-round pick but released him shortly thereafter. In desperate need of running back help at the time, and with not much else available in free agency, the Pulverizers once again turned to Tomlinson to bolster their roster.

- Bizarre UFFL tidbit #2: Football Gal owner Mozelle Meyers has never had a Dallas Cowboy on her roster in the entire 10-year existence of the league, even managing to avoid such an occurance when a computer had to draft in her absence. This fact is less surprising when you consider that Meyers is a Washington Redskins fan.

- Jared Byrd became the final contestant to make an incorrect selection in the UFFL Survival Football contest in Week 10, when he picked the Philadelphia Eagles to defeat the Arizona Cardinals. All participants in the game have at least one strike, with three strikes leading to elimination.

Something's got to give
UFFL's two remaining winless teams square off in Week 9

When the 2011 UFFL draft was held back in August, all but two of the league's 14 owners were present: Craig Lechner (Craigntx) and Mark Bender (TH Best Bets). While the circumstances regarding their absence were unknown, it is interesting to note that they are the only two remaining winless teams in the UFFL as we head into early November. This fact is probably coincidental, but one thing is certain: they will face each other in Week 9 and barring a tie, one of these teams will have their first victory of the season.

Both teams play in the Southern Division and have already been eliminated from winning the division title. However, they are still mathematically alive for the opportunity to secure a berth in the championship bracket - but they will probably need to win all of their remaining games and get a lot of help from other teams.

Only one team in league history has gone winless through an entire season - the 2010 Henne Given Sunday franchise, run by former owner Jason Wedgwood. That squad went 0-13-0 in the regular season and lost their only postseason game, a first-round appearance in the consolation bracket.

There are no remaining winless teams in the UFFL, following Football Gal's upset of the bbashers in Week 8. No team has ever won more than 11 regular-season games; the bbashers are 7-1-0, with five games remaining.

UFFL News Ticker: Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been placed on the trading block by the Pulverizers, with the team looking for help at running back or wide receiver in return ... The previous week, The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes placed Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and San Diego Chargers running back Mike Tolbert on the trading block, with the team looking for 2012 draft picks in return. However, owner Jay Klinkhammer said that anybody on his roster is available at the right price. "No one off limits," he wrote on the Fleaflicker message board. "If you need help for this year, offer me some deals!" ... In Week 8, Mozelle Meyers became the second contestant eliminated from the UFFL Survival Football contest, after Yahoo! Sports claimed that she did not submit a pick for the second time this season. For the record, Meyers said she participated every week, but claimed the computer (or website) did not properly record her picks. Five of the seven original contestants remain active entering the ninth week of the regular season ... Jim Douglas remains in first place in this year's edition of the UFFL Pickem Challenge, with Calvin Brown in second place.

A Steel of a deal
Mike Wallace, Rashard Mendenhall, DeAngelo Williams involved in trade
N2deep has acquired Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall from The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes, in exchange for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace and Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams. The trade was finalized Friday, Oct. 21.

In order to meet roster requirements, the Sledgehammers waived Chicago Bears wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher and N2deep signed St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danario Alexander.

The 24-year-old Mendenhall has racked up 519 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns through his first five games of the season. He also has five catches for 21 yards in what has been a largely disappointing year for him, due to a combination of underachieving performances, as well as knee and hamstring injuries. However, he rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown in his most recent game, in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Wallace, 25, has 33 receptions for 612 yards and four touchdowns through six games. He has taken over the No. 1 receiving role in the Steelers offense.

Williams, 28, has 302 rushing yards and one touchdown through six games. As a receiver, he has six catches for 48 yards.

Sledgehammers owner Jay Klinkhammer announced earlier in the week in a post on the Fleaflicker message board that he had been looking for more depth at the running back and wide receiver positions, with both Mendenhall and New York Giants Ahmad Bradshaw available via trade.

Schwartz/Harbaugh, UFFL version: For several days after the Detroit Lions-San Francisco 49ers game, the postgame feud between Lions head coach Jim Schwartz and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh made national news. However, that wasn't the only football-related instance of verbal disagreeement this week.

On Sunday, Oct. 16, Klinkhammer posted a message on the Fleaflicker board with the title, "Will Matt Moore singlehandedly destroy Football Gal's team?" He answered his own question with the words "We will see" in all caps. Whether this constitutes trash talk is certainly debatable; the post mentioned his opponent by name but was not as direct as it could have been (as opposed to, say, "Matt Moore will singlehandedly destroy Football Gal's team.")

Sisyphean Endeavors owner Grace Cloud weighed in with a humorous post. "I'm saying 500 yds, 5 TDs passing, 1 TD running backwards, 1 cat rescued from a tree. Then in the second half... ," she wrote. This was followed by a response from Football Gal owner Mozelle Meyers during the closing minutes of the Monday Night Football game. "You mean will Matt Moore singlehandedly destroy the person playing Football Gal's team?," Meyers said.

"The trash talk came after the win," Klinkhammer wrote back on Tuesday morning. "No confidence! But hey, you beat a team with Matt Moore. Brag worthy."

Meyers responded, "No confidence? I only saw your trash talk last night. But hey, a win is a win, isn't it ... 'Moore' or not lol."

The Sledgehammers released Moore Tuesday after a disappointing outing in Week 6, where he only accumulated 6.16 fantasy points. He went 16-for-34 for 204 passing yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions against the New York Jets. The Sledgehammers are expected to use Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow as their starter for the immediate future.

The trash talk died down between the two sides following Meyers' final comment. Schwartz and Harbaugh were not penalized by the NFL for their actions, and Klinkhammer and Meyers will not be punished for their by the UFFL for theirs. Trash talk, for the record, is encouraged by the Ultimate Fantasy Football League - as long as personal attacks aren't involved.

UFFL News Ticker: From now until the end of the regular season, each week will feature six divisional games and one non-divisional game. No divisional games had been played until this point ... The CheeseWhiz proposed a trade to the Sledgehammers about a month ago that would have sent Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Sledgehammers, in exchange for Mendenhall and Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton. The trade didn't go through because Klinkhammer wanted to send New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw to Jim Douglas' squad instead of Mendenhall. Douglas decided not to make the trade, which appears to have been a good move in retrospect. Now Mendenhall is on N2deep's roster and Orton, who was cut by the Sledgehammers recently, lost his job as starter to Tim Tebow.

UFFL Roundup: At the quarter pole
It is the fifth week of the regular season, so now is a good time to analyze what has happened around the UFFL through the first four games on a team-by-team basis (especially now that NFL bye weeks have started).

Not much has gone wrong for the bbashers (who, at 4-0, are the only remaining undefeated team in the UFFL). They have some of the best depth in the league at running back and wide receiver. Running backs Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars) and Darren Sproles (Saints) have picked up the slack during weeks when Arian Foster (Texans) or Shonn Greene (Jets) were unavailable or underachieving, and the contributions of wide receivers Andre Johnson (Texans) and Steve Johnson (Bills) have been huge, even in instances when Hakeem Nicks (Giants) was unavailable. The bbashers have racked up 11 regular-season victories in each of the last three years, so the question isn't if they'll make the playoffs, but rather how far they'll go.

Not surprisingly, the Cheeko Chiefs are also off to a strong start (3-1), as the current leaders of the Northern Division. Owner Chad Fuller made a series of trades last season designed to stockpile as many high selections in the 2011 UFFL draft as possible, and it appears to have paid off. Despite losing franchise player Jamaal Charles (Chiefs) to a season-ending injury in Week 1, this team is still in excellent shape as the playoffs draw closer and their quick turnaround is proof that having a clear vision can lead to success on the virtual gridiron.

The Sisyphean Endeavors are also 3-1, after having gone the entire 2010 season without a victory. The return of Grace Cloud (career record: 47-36-0) has paid dividends for this club, along with having the first pick in the 2011 draft. The top two selections in that draft, running back LeSean McCoy (Eagles) and quarterback Tony Romo (Cowboys), have combined for more than 179 fantasy points. But the highest scoring unit on the team is the Baltimore Ravens defense, who posted 102.52 points through the first four weeks.

The CheeseWhiz (3-1) arguably have the best quarterbacking tandem in the league, with Tom Brady (Patriots) and Matthew Stafford (Lions). Unfortunately, they can only have one of them in the starting lineup at any given time.

Last year's UFFL champion, The Catch (3-1), has shown no signs of slowing down. They have won three consecutive games since losing the season opener, and appear well on their way to a fourth straight victory. Quarterback Eli Manning (Giants), running backs Fred Jackson (Bills) and Darren McFadden (Raiders) and wide receiver Roddy White (Falcons) have carried the workload even when Steven Jackson (Rams) was unavailable.

Football Gal (3-1) is looking for their fourth winning season and first year above .500 since 2008. With running backs Chris Johnson (Titans) and Ray Rice (Ravens), they have a 1-2 punch that is the envy of most other UFFL owners. Matt Schaub (Texans) has given the team a huge boost at the quarterback position, after they went through 2010 with the likes of Chad Henne and Donovan McNabb.

The Pulverizers (2-2) are getting more production from their running back corps than initially expected, thanks to the emergence of Ryan Mathews (Chargers) and LeGarrette Blount (Buccaneers), and less from their wide receivers than anticipated. The contributions of tight ends Tony Gonzalez (Falcons) and Aaron Hernandez (Patriots) have been helpful but the weekly performance of quarterback Drew Brees (Saints) usually determines the fate of this squad.

Jay Klinkhammer, coach of The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes (2-2) promised an appearance in the UFFL championship game after a blockbuster offseason where he pulled off several trades, although to a lesser extent than the Cheeko Chiefs. The team has battled through injuries (Peyton Manning and Rashard Mendenhall) and poor performances from underachieving players (DeSean Jackson), but if this season is similar to previous seasons, the three-time UFFL champions will step it up to the next level once the regular season is over.

The Steel Curtain, coached by Angie Williams, headed into a Week 5 game against the bbashers (coached by her brother, Calvin Brown) with a 2-2 record. Even though quarterback Matt Ryan has had a solid year (78.80 fantasy points), a whopping thirty-two percent of their offensive production has come out of the wide receiver position, with major contributions by Eric Decker (Broncos), Vincent Jackson (Chargers) and Percy Harvin (Vikings).

Aside from drafting quarterback Cam Newton (Panthers), who has the third-most fantasy points of any player in the UFFL, not much has gone right for N2deep (1-3) this year. Sam Bradford (Rams) started the year as the first-string QB, but a pair of lackluster performances relegated him to the bench. George Thomas' squad has suffered from plenty of bad luck - two of their first four games were decided by less than six points and both contests were losses.

Another team with a star quarterback surrounded by a crew of underachievers at other positions is Deltaman (1-3), who have Aaron Rodgers (Packers) but not much else. Running backs Mark Ingram (Saints) and Ryan Grant (Packers) have been disappointments through the first quarter of the regular season.

The other 1-3 team, the Steph Infections, have not gotten much production out of their receivers but have competent players at most of the other positions. Andy Dalton (Bengals) appears to have unseated Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers) as the starter at quarterback and running back Frank Gore (49ers) is starting to show signs of life after a slow start.

Craigntx has started the season 0-4 and appears to be on their way to their fifth consecutive loss, only two years removed from a UFFL championship. The loss of their top three wide receivers - Miles Austin (Cowboys), Kenny Britt (Titans) and Mike Williams (Buccaneers) due to injury has negatively impacted the team.

As the Cleveland Browns go, so go the TH Best Bets (0-4), who have five Browns on their roster. Their highest-scoring player has been quarterback Joe Flacco (Ravens), who only has accumulated 78.52 fantasy points and is third on the depth chart behind Colt McCoy (Browns) and Alex Smith (49ers). Perhaps fortunes for this team would have been different if owner Mark Bender had been able to make it to the draft.