The People's team

There are plenty of downsides to having an autodraft instead of a live one (no trash talking, no ability to react to trends/streaks, etc.), but the best part about having an autodraft is waking up that morning and feeling the way I felt as a kid on Christmas morning. Suddenly, you find yourself the lucky owner of a bunch of presents. Some of them are socks, but some of them are brand-new toys, hopefully of the electronic variety.

Well, the Landshark Maniacs have held there autodraft, so the People's Pigskin now has a lineup. You can study it here. The People's Pigskin picked fifth out of 12 teams. Here's a rundown of our draftees.

1. Matt Forte. Couldn't be happier with this pick, especially after reading Peter King's comment in his must-read Monday Morning Quarterback that Forte could catch 90 passes this season. Yes, the mouth is watering at the thought.

2. Steve Slaton. I can't understand how he's getting into the late second round in these drafts. He's primed for a tremendous season.

3. Greg Jennings. Our first receiver. I had him in a league last year, and I'm excited to have him again, especially if Green Bay's preseason is any indication of how things will go this year. (I know, I know, Detroit went 4-0 in last year's preseason, but still...)

4. Kurt Warner. If memory serves, he was the sixth quarterback taken in our draft. His draft value was probably hurt by his age and his health history, but if he's upright, he has to be a starter.

5. T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He goes from being the sane half of the Bengals receiving threat to being Matt Hasslebeck's primary target. This is a boom-or-bust scenario, and we're hoping Matt's back neither booms nor busts.

6. Derrick Ward. Right now, he's slated for the "flex" spot in the starting lineup, but I'd feel a little better about this if I knew more about Rahim Morris' plans for the Buccaneers.

7. Chad Ochocino. Yes, he and T.J. are reunited in the People's Pigskin roster. I had Chad a couple of years ago in a fantasy league, when he and Carson Palmer were making beautiful music together. So he has value. Plus, we'll easily lead the league in tweets.

8. Jamal Lewis. For what it's worth, the Cleveland Browns rushing offense is resting on his shoulders.

9. Chris "Beanie" Wells. Any rookie is a roll of the dice, but at least he has a clear path to the starting lineup, thanks to Edgerrin James' departure to Seattle.

10. Donald Brown. Another rookie with a strong shot at a starting gig, or at least for a healthy dose of playing time, especially if Joseph Addai's stats continue to drop.

11. Kellen Winslow. The only tight end drafted by the People's Pigskin. He's got a new home in Tampa Bay, where hopefully the facilities can be kept sanitary.

12. Josh Morgan. The first real question mark in the lineup, at least in my mind. Any receiver in the 49ers offense should be suspect until <insert your favorite quarterback candidate here> proves capable of moving the team down the field. He may be the main beneficiary of Michael Crabtree's inane holdout, though.

13. Eagles Defense/Special Teams. Certainly not a glamorous pick, particularly with Jim Johnson sadly gone. But this team is ranked in the top 10 in most fantasy lists. We'll see.

14. Rashard Mendenhall. Yes, he's a backup on his own team (and so would most running backs sharing a roster with Willie Parker), but I have been impressed with his preseason play. If nothing else, he's sure to have trade value if Parker tweaks anything.

15. Trent Edwards. The only quarterback other than Warner in our lineup is the one who gets to help Terrell Owens justify his new contract. (Just checked: The Bills play the Miami Dolphins in week 4, when Kurt Warner has his bye.)

16. Nick Folk. The kicker was taken in the last round (as it should be) and can be replaced at a moment's notice.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section, and vote in our latest poll.

[polldaddy poll=1939406]

Week 3 notes

Here are some random thoughts about the dress rehearsal weekend that is week 3 of the NFL preseason.

At this point, no one expects Bill Belichick & Co. to reveal anything more about his plans and players than the National Football League forces them, but at some point don't you have to play the BS card on this stuff? The "football decision" regarding Tom Brady was "making sure New England's Meal Ticket isn't flattened like a flapjack in a meaningless game by Albert Haynesworth." Frankly, I'm surprised New England admitted that the Tom Brady part that was sore was his shoulder.

(What does this have to do with where and whether to draft Brady? Umm, I'll get back to you.)

I was driving friends home from the airport Sunday evening, so I did not see Kyle Orton's injury. But after what happened with Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall this season, would anyone blame the Broncos for saying, "Um, we're cancelling the rest of our preseason. The reason? Ummm...snow! That's it!"

I'm not concerned at all about the fact that LaDainian Tomlinson, Terrell Owens, Willie Parker and Carson Palmer have been taking time off this preseason. If those folks don't know how to play with their teammates by now, it's time for them to just hang em up, already. Michael Crabtree? That's another story. He's running the very real risk of becoming irrelevant to fantasy players this season. Clearly, his agent is not a fantasy player.

Speaking of fantasy, by the time many of you read this, The People's Pigskin will have drafted its team. Expect a new poll shortly.

(One more thing: We got an award. You like me! You really, really like me! Check it out on the right.)

Preseason Week 3 preview

This week is often called "dress rehearsal" week, because this is when the starters will get their longest looks of the preseason. It's also when fantasy players either have a team drafted or are putting the finishing touches on their drafting plans.

Whatever the case may be, this will be a week of games worth watching. Here's a few of the things that should hold the attention of fantasy players for the next several days.

Microscope time. (Jacksonville @ Philadelphia, Thursday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m. EDT) Yeah, yeah, that Michael something-or-other will be getting a look, but my eyes will be on Donovan McNabb. After all, he is the starter -- at least, officially -- and I wouldn't waste a fantasy draft choice on a backup quarterback who may miss the first third of the regular season. Still, despite the positive words coming out of Donovan's mouth, there's got to be pressure on the dude to perform well right out of the gate.

Anybody want this job? (Miami @ Tampa Bay, Thursday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m. EDT, Fox) What do Josh Freeman, Josh Johnson, Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown have in common? They're all quarterbacks, and they're all on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster. Can Leftwich cement a spot in the starting lineup with a strong performance?

Hit me with your best shot. (New England @ Washington, Friday, Aug. 28, 8 p.m. EDT, CBS) Yes, Tom Brady took a good shot last week against Cincinnati, and yes, he will be taking hits as long as his career continues. But there's no getting around this: Everyone, especially fantasy players, will be studying how many hits Tom takes, and how well he shakes them off, physically and mentally, pretty much from now through January.

Maybe it was a fluke. (New York Giants vs. New York Jets, Saturday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.) OK, Mark Sanchez did not set the world on fire Monday against the Baltimore Ravens. So how did the Jets brass respond? Naming him the opening day starter, of course. And how will he celebrate this early career achievement? By facing the one defense that might make people hesitate before spending that fourth-round pick on the Steelers. Good luck, kid.

You again? (Chicago @ Denver, Sunday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m. EDT, NBC) Here's hoping Kyle Orton resists the urge to throw any left-handed passes. And here's hoping Jay Cutler proves to be worth all those fifth- and sixth-round picks people are going to spend on him in the fantasy world. And speaking of quarterbacks with something to prove...

Uh, oh. (Minnesota @ Houston, Monday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m. EDT, ESPN) Now, no one is going to argue that the Vikings should have stood pat at QB. I wouldn't want to face a season of Tarvaris-or-Sage questions, either. But this Brett Favre experiment has the potential of exploding like the Hindenburg. At least, if the reports of a locker room "schism" are anywhere close to accurate. Of course, wins have a way of healing these wounds. And Brett needs to win quickly, for both his teammates and anyone who drafts him.

We have a league

Per the results of our first poll, the People's Pigskin has set up shop in an ESPN.com fantasy football league. The league's name: Landshark maniacs. It's a 10-team public league, and the players will be selected via Autodraft on Monday, Aug. 31 at 5 a.m. No, I am not planning to be up to watch the results.

In the meantime, you can still vote in this poll to select the player rankings that will be used for this draft. You can also leave a comment about player rankings (or just about anything else) with the link at the bottom of this post.

A Mark Sanchez scouting report

For those of you who couldn't resist the allure of "Dating in the Dark," here's a summary of Mark Sanchez's Monday evening against the Baltimore Ravens. The New York Jets heir apparent had a less-than-stellar night. Here are the stats: 3 for 8, 43 yards, a touchdown, an interception returned for a touchdown, a dropped interception that should have been returned for a touchdown, two delay of game penalties, and a fumbled hand-off attempt.

The good folks at ESPN were singing Mark's praises when he was done, but if I were the Jets, I would not be elated with his performance. If they wanted a quarterback with a tendency to throw the ball up for grabs when the going gets tough, they could have stuck with this guy.

Everyone has an opinion, and here's mine: Draft Sanchez with caution. And if you've already drafted him, pray to the Supreme Being of your choice that he doesn't get obliterated Saturday, when he will face another top-notch defense: the New York Giants.

The people speak...sort of...

For those of you paying attention to things other than whether your favorite free agent can jump out of a pool, the first poll for The People's Pigskin has been closed. And the result?

It's a tie.

Yes, the first component of this experiment in fantasy football democracy has produced a split verdict. 40% of participants want the team set up at ESPN.com, and 40% want it set up at Yahoo.com.

To break this tie, I'm going to follow the time-honored tradition of (drum roll, please) flipping a coin. Don't worry, these refs weren't involved.

The result: Heads. The People's Pigskin team will set up shop in an ESPN.com league. I'm sure the Worldwide Leader in Self-Promotion is proud.

More details to come, but first, there's a Jets-Ravens game to watch.

For the players, it's preseason...

...But for those of us with the fantasy bug, it will soon be time to draft. Most of us won't have the chance to wait for every last preseason game to be played. At this time of year, you're assembling your draft list and praying to the Supreme Being of your choice that your top receiver doesn't get shredded like mozzarella on a misguided crossing pattern.

And if your running an experiment in fantasy football democracy, you're thinking not only about where to host your team (hint, hint: this poll is still open), but you're also thinking about your draft list.

I could run separate polls about who should be drafted in which round and in which slot, and then I would have a viable drafting list... just in time for the 2010 NFL season. In the interest of saving time (and my sanity), I'm going to choose from among several lists of rankings. There's ESPN's list, and there's Yahoo's list, and there's this NFL.com list. If you know of another viable list (i.e. one that won't have me drafting Brett Favre in the first round), leave me a comment. If you think none of these lists work, let me know that, too.

[polldaddy poll=1886013]

Are you for real? It's so hard to tell (from just a magazine)

Like lots of fantasy football fans, I buy a handful of magazines and read many Web sites every year. Each magazine and site has its quirks, but all of them have a surprising number of things in common.

One of many examples: Every single fantasy football source, informed or not, will tell you (in their best Charlton Heston voice)

THOU SHALT NOT PICK A KICKER BEFORE THE LAST ROUND!

They say it as if you're violating the First Commandment if you pick a kicker early.

However, in every single mock draft I see, even those stacked with "experts," there is at least one person who drafts a kicker before the last round. In this particular one, only one person did this, but in others you get as many as half the drafters doing it.

If you can't convince your own colleagues how to draft, how do you expect to convince the rest of us?

A couple of Hall of Fame remarks

(That is, comments about Hall of Fame Weekend. I'm not claiming that my thoughts are worthy of any busts, bronze or otherwise.)

If I ever get enshrined in anything like the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I want Ted Cottrell introducing me. His tribute to Bruce Smith was the perfect combination of roast and tribute and would have been the most memorable speech of the night if Bruce hadn't confessed to hiding Thurman Thomas' helmet.

And if I were in Vince Young's shoes, I would not want my first throw in the Hall of Fame game -- the only throw of his, frankly, that many people saw before switching the channel -- to be a lollipop of an interception. If you're wondering, I'm not going to put Vince Young in any polls asking who I should start. If you're thinking that this team should start Vince Young, may I suggest another hobby? Say, building ships in bottles?

An experiment: Fantasy Football by democracy

Coaches and team owners are fond of telling us that a football team is not a democracy. The coach decides who plays, the general manager decides who gets an extension and who gets traded, and the owner decides where to put the Jumbotron in the new taxpayer-funded stadium. (Well, that's another story for another time.)

This little project is meant to change that. We are going to run a National Football League fantasy football team. And by "we," I mean we the people of the Internet.

I've been playing fantasy football for a while, and I've always done my best to listen to the self-appointed experts when making decisions about my lineup. Sometimes the advice was sound, but just as often the advice persuaded me to bench the star of the week. After this happens to you enough, you start to wonder why buy the magazines, subscribe to the Web sites and tune in to listen to them. Wouldn't your odds of winning be just as good if you asked your neighbor who to start?

This project will find out the answer. Here's how: I will set up a free fantasy football team, and I will make my decisions about running it by running polls on this blog. You, the Internet, will decide who I draft, who I start, what trades I make, and everything else. You, the Internet, will determine this team's fate.

The first step is to pick a Web site for this team. The first poll will ask which site I should use. Thanks for voting. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on over my shoulder.

[polldaddy poll=1855570]