Fearless Predictions - Week 17

As we get ready to say good riddance farewell to 2010, we have one last bit of predicting business left to knock down. That's right; it's time to tell you what's going to happen in the last games of the People's League season. Last week's predictions went 3-2, leaving us with a season record of 54-31.
9th Place Game: cowboys romero vs. t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Any last flicker of hope the Cowboys had of avoiding a last place finish was likely extinguished when Maurice Jones-Drew was scratched from the second straight game the Jacksonville Jaguars absolutely need to win to make the playoffs. The Cuervonaters won last week by 63 points. This week, they'll win again, and the margin may be even bigger.
7th Place Game: Team z vs. NFL2K10 RedZone. This week's game may be closer than it looks on paper (or pixels, unless you're printing these predictions out to read later). The New England Patriots is likely to rest as many starters as possible, so the Zs will have a chance to erase that 26-point deficit. Or at least chip away at it. The Zs should win this week, but not by enough to stop the RedZone from claiming seventh place.
5th Place Game: Chicago VinSethBears vs. Feely Her Up... The VinSethBears won by 24 points last week. And that was before the San Diego Chargers put Mike Tolbert on injured reserve. The Feelys have an otherwise solid lineup, but the VinSethBears have plenty of players with plenty of reasons to play hard, including "We hate the Packers." The Bears should win this week, as well.
3rd Place Game: Hudson Valley Hawks vs. nuckin' futs. The Futs took a six-point lead last week, so the bronze medal is still up for grabs. Arian Foster can get a season rushing title (and perhaps save his coach's job), but Rashad Jennings can be the reason the Jacksonville Jaguars make the postseason. The Hawks will ride Jennings to a week 17 win and the People's League's yellow ribbon.
Championship: People's Pigskin vs. Fighting Amish. The Amish took a 12-point lead last week but likely won't have Michael Vick this week. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team has Michael Turner, who can make sure the Atlanta Falcons' next outdoor game is in August (at the earliest). Look for the Pigskin to win this week and take home the title.
And since you've read this far, you probably already know the drill by now: Vote in the lineup polls on your right. They will close Sunday morning. Until then, happy new year!

Who's Playing for What?

Anyone whose fantasy football team is still alive in week 17 (like the People's Pigskin) has to have done something right. But anyone in that situation also has to handle this week right, too.
That's because, to paraphrase the little boy in "The Ten Commandments," this week is different from all other weeks. Some teams are fighting for their lives. Some teams are fighting to get out the door. And some teams are sitting back and waiting for the postseason to get started. Here's a brief look at which teams are in which situations.
TEAMS WITH EVERYTHING AT STAKE
For the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams, the situation is simple: Win, and you're in. These two teams play each other in the most unlikely Sunday night finale conceivable.
Things are a little more complex for the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they are both eligible for the AFC South title, and both can make life easier for themselves by winning.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants and Green Bay Packers are alive for the wild card spot that won't go to the Falcons or Saints. It's safe to say all three teams will use their starters as much as possible.
TEAMS WITH SOMETHING AT STAKE
There are two subcategories in this category. First, there are the teams that have clinched playoff berths but can still make life easier for themselves with a win. The Chicago Bears have wrapped up a bye week but can still earn homefield advantage in the NFC with a win and some help. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are still fighting for the AFC North title and a bye week. The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans are fighting for the NFC South title (and, in the case of the Falcons, at least, homefield advantage).
The other subcategory is teams whose coaches are in real danger of getting canned. If the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans want to hang on to their coaches, pulling an upset in the season finale would help.
TEAMS WITH NOTHING AT STAKE
These teams truly run the gamut. You have the New England Patriots, who have wrapped up the number 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. And then you have the Carolina Panthers, who have wrapped up a number 1 seed of their own -- in the NFL draft.
You have three teams who have clinched playoff berths but can't really help themselves this Sunday by playing their starters: The New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
For four teams (the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos), the "win one for the coach" factor is moot, because their coaches have already been fired.
And then there are the teams eliminated from the postseason and will be playing only for pride, and perhaps a chance to get a bigger role in next year's lineup: the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals. That doesn't necessarily mean the Chargers will bench Philip Rivers or anything. It's just that these teams may give some backups a longer look than they would otherwise, and the starters' statistics could suffer as a result.
Remember to vote in the polls on the right. We need your helping beating the Fighting Amish and winning the People's League championship. We'll be back.

Halfway There

Week 16 has (finally) come to a close in the National Football League, and the People's Pigskin will walk into the final week of the season and the second half of its People's League championship with a 89-77 deficit against the Fighting Amish. Here's a quick scoring breakdown.
Peyton Manning, QB: 16 of 30 passing for 179 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 3 rushes for 25 yards and 17 fantasy points. Manning also pulled a Bryan Westbrook on fantasy football players by sliding short of the goal line to help run out the clock. How many playoff games turned on that slide?
Michael Turner, RB: 17 rushes, 48 yards, 1 fumble and 2 fantasy points. Turner picked a heck of a time (a week the Falcons could have wrapped up home-field advantage) and a heck of a place (the goal line) to lose his first fumble of the season.
Darren McFadden, RB: 11 rushes for 45 yards, 4 receptions for 31 yards and 7 fantasy points. Most of McFadden's offense came on a single 26-yard run. Not good news. Neither is the injury he suffered in the third quarter.
Calvin Johnson, WR: 4 receptions, 52 yards and 5 fantasy points. Johnson left his game early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. The Detroit Lions say they expect him to play, but his health warrants monitoring.
Dwayne Bowe, WR: 6 receptions, 153 yards, 1 touchdown and 21 points. Now there's the long-touchdown-catching Bowe we know and love.
Kenny Britt, Flex: 4 receptions, 89 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Britt is making Randy Moss a forgotten man in Tennessee.
Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 13 yards and 1 fantasy point. It was a day to forget for everyone in a San Diego uniform.
Washington Redskins, D/ST: 2 interceptions, 4 sacks, 17 points allowed and 9 fantasy points. All the talk these days may be about the quarterback, but the Redskins defense is showing it shouldn't be ignored.
Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 1 on extra points and 1 fantasy point. How do you score a single fantasy point as a kicker when your offense scores a pair of touchdowns? Well, one day is to have your coach go for 2 on the second touchdown. Oh, well. At least Mare's team will have something at stake in their season finale.
Speaking of season finales, it's time for ours. And it's time for you to vote in our polls to see who will take the field this last week. Thanks.
We'll be back with some more fantasy football thoughts.

A People's Pro Bowl? Not Quite

It's now Tuesday, and we're still playing the waiting game here with the People's Pigskin. As we wait for the snow-delayed game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles to kick off, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team sits on a 77-54 lead over the Fighting Amish. The Pigskin side is done for this first week of the two-week final, while the Amish will field Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin.
The National Football League can't be completely happy about the Tuesday night game, in part because the league had set this evening aside for the unveiling of this year's Pro Bowl rosters. Longtime readers of this blog will recall our various attempts to have voters use fantasy football (instead of commercials and autograph lines) to determine who should play in football's all-star game. Did it work? The results are out. Here's how the fans, players and coaches voted.
(Most of the fantasy points are from ESPN.com and reflect the first 15 weeks of the season.)
QUARTERBACKS
Who's in: AFC: Tom Brady (2nd among QBs with 256 fantasy points), Philip Rivers (3rd, 248), Peyton Manning (T-5th, 244), NFC: Michael Vick (1st, 280), Drew Brees (T-5th, 244), Matt Ryan (7th, 210).
Who got snubbed: Aaron Rodgers (4th, 245). At least he didn't lose out to this guy.
RUNNING BACKS
Who's in: AFC: Arian Foster (1st, 263), Maurice Jones-Drew (8th, 186), Jamaal Charles (9th, 185). NFC: Adrian Peterson (3rd, 213), Michael Turner (7th, 193), Steven Jackson (13th, 164).
Who got snubbed: How do Peyton Hillis (2nd, 214), Darren McFadden (4th, 201) and LeSean McCoy (5th, 198) get left out? Obviously, the folks in charge of assembling these rosters didn't play fantasy football this season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Who's in: AFC: Brandon Lloyd (1st, 179), Dwayne Bowe (3rd, 173), Andre Johnson (6th, 164), Reggie Wayne (12th, 146). NFC: Calvin Johnson (2nd, 177), Roddy White (4th, 171), Greg Jennings (5th, 170), DeSean Jackson (9th, 149).
Who got snubbed: Mike Wallace (T-7th, 150) and Hakeem Nicks (T-7th, 150) lost popularity contests.
FULLBACKS
Who's in: AFC: Vonta Leach (T-104th among running backs, 6). NFC: Ovie Mughelli (T-84th, 14).
Who got snubbed: It's hard to say anyone was snubbed here. Leach opens holes for Foster, and Mughelli opens holes for Turner.
TIGHT ENDS
Who's in: AFC: Antonio Gates (1st, 134), Marcedes Lewis (3rd, 110). NFC: Jason Witten (2nd, 126), Tony Gonzalez (T-7th, 82).
Who got snubbed: Anyone who feels Gonzalez deserves a trip to Honolulu more than Vernon Davis (4th, 107) simply isn't paying attention to anything but the names on the back of the jerseys.
OFFENSIVE LINE
(Voters were asked to pick 3 tackles, 3 guards and 2 tackles for each conference.)
Who's in: The only teams with multiple picks on the offensive line are the New York Jets (D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold), the New York Giants (Chris Snee and Shaun O'Hara) and the New Orleans Saints (Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks).
Who got snubbed: If you listened to our friends at Trench Fantasy and consulted their handy matchup documents, you would have picked linemen from the Indianapolis Colts (1st in pass blocking fantasy points, with 74 per game), the New Orleans Saints (2nd in pass blocking, 71), the Dallas Cowboys (3rd in pass blocking, 66.2), the Jacksonville Jaguars (1st in run blocking, 43.2), the Kansas City Chiefs (2nd in run blocking, 33.4) and the Philadelphia Eagles (3rd in run blocking, 28.1).
DEFENSIVE ENDS
Who's in: AFC: Jason Babin (4th in individual defensive player leagues, 170), Robert Mathis (12th, 148), Dwight Freeney (T-20th, 114). NFC: Justin Tuck (1st, 213), Julius Peppers (2nd, 178), John Abraham (T-9th, 151).
Who got snubbed: Tamba Hali (6th, 167) was listed as a both linebacker and a defensive end on IDP fantasy leagues. Trent Cole (3rd, 175) simply got lost in the shuffle.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Who's in: AFC: Haloti Ngata (5th, 142), Vince Wilfork (19th, 95), Richard Seymour (8th, 124). NFC: Ndamukong Suh (2nd, 157), Jay Ratliff (T-26th, 84), Justin Smith (13th, 132).
Who got snubbed: This list is long and distinguished: Kyle Williams (1st, 161), Ahtyba Rubin (4th, 145), Israel Idonije (3rd, 146) and Barry Cofield (9th, 121).
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
Who's in: AFC: James Harrison (6th among LBs, 258), Cameron Wake (T-26th, 198), Terrell Suggs (30th, 190). NFC: Clay Matthews (28th, 196), DeMarcus Ware (31st, 188), Lance Briggs (T-32nd, 186).
Who got snubbed: They batted 1.000 in the AFC but .000 in the NFC, where James Anderson (9th, 253), Chad Greenway (12th, 240) and Jon Beason (19th, 212) were left out.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS
Who's in: AFC: Jerod Mayo (1st among LBs, 288), Ray Lewis (5th, 259). NFC: Brian Urlacher (3rd, 265), Patrick Willis (10th, 249).
Who got snubbed: Stephen Tulloch (2nd, 267) and London Fletcher (8th, 256) need to consider appearing in Old Spice commercials.
CORNERBACKS
Who's in: AFC: Devin McCourty (4th, 206), Nnamdi Asomugha (131st, 42), Darrelle Revis (T-99th, 72). NFC: DeAngelo Hall (2nd, 220), Charles Woodson (3rd, 208), Asante Samuel (79th, 100).
Who got snubbed: Cortland Finnegan (6th, 197), Bryant McFadden (8th, 191) and Terrell Thomas (1st, 245) need to consider holding out of training camp to raise their profile.
STRONG SAFETIES
Who's in: AFC: Troy Polamalu (T-20th, 174). NFC: Adrian Wilson (17th, 183).
Who got snubbed: T.J. Ward (1st, 235) and Roman Harper (T-4th, 221).
FREE SAFETIES
Who's in: AFC: Ed Reed (T-54th, 104), Brandon Meriweather (40th, 132). NFC: Nick Collins (34th, 147), Antrel Rolle (27th, 160).
Who got snubbed: Michael Griffin (3rd, 222) and Kerry Rhodes (6th, 219).
KICKERS
Who's in: AFC: Billy Cundiff (15th, 104). NFC: David Akers (1st, 134).
Who got snubbed: Sebastian Janikowski (T-2nd, 118).
PUNTERS
Who's in: AFC: Shane Lechler (8th in NFL with 3,384 total yards). NFC: Mat McBriar (22nd, 2,758).
Who got snubbed: Dustin Colquitt (6th, 3,682) and Andy Lee (1st, 3,937).
KICK RETURNERS
Who's in: AFC: Marc Mariani (3rd in NFL with 1,411 return yards). NFC: Devin Hester (37th, 427).
Who got snubbed: At least LaRod Stephens-Howling (1st, 1,548) lost out to a record holder. Brad Smith (2nd, 1,432) lost out to the former roommate of Jeff Fisher's son.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS
Who's in: AFC: Montell Owens. NFC: Eric Weems.
Who got snubbed: No one. If you're hoping to make the Pro Bowl on the basis of your special teams play, you'd be better off trying to getting starting spot on your team's offense or defense.
We'll be back with a roundup of the past week's results.

A Pre-Monday Night Update

As we wait for the Monday night game between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons to kick off, it's time to let you know what's happening with the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team currently holds a 75-54 lead over the Fighting Amish. The Pigskin has Michael Turner in tonight's game, while the Amish have nobody.
Normally, this would be good news. Of course, normally the Monday night game would be the final game of the weekend. But very few things about the NFL have been normal this year. This week, Mother Nature, with an assist from the city of Philadelphia, decided to give us a Tuesday night game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings. The Pigskin has no players in that game, but the Amish have three: Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin. That means this contest is far from over.
Of course, even if this week were over, this contest would be far from over. That's because we're in a two-week final. Therefore, we need your help one more time in selecting a lineup. The polls are now open and will close Sunday morning. Please vote now.
We'll be back with some thoughts about the Pro Bowl.

The People's Results - Week 16

Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor gift-returning duties could stop you, the Internet, from selecting the People's Pigskin lineup for this week. Here's who the Web's favorite fantasy football team will start in the first week of its two-week People's League championship matchup against the Fighting Amish.
Quarterback: Peyton Manning. Enough said. (OK, we'll say something else; he's playing the Oakland Raiders in a late afternoon game.)
Running back: Only two players got votes this week in this poll. They are Michael Turner (who faces the New Orleans Saints on Monday night) and Darren McFadden (who faces Manning's Indianapolis Colts in the late afternoon).
Wide receiver: Calvin Johnson won this poll handily. He plays the Miami Dolphins. The other votes were split evenly between Dwayne Bowe, who plays the Tennessee Titans, and Kenny Britt, who plays Bowe's Kansas City Chiefs. Bowe gets a receiver spot, and Britt takes the flex spot.
Tight end: Once again, you, the Internet, went with the Randy McMichael/Antonio Gates combo platter. Gates has already been ruled out, so McMichael gets the start against the Cincinnati Bengals in the late afternoon.
Defense/special teams: We have a change here this week. The winning choice in this poll was "Get a free agent," so we did. We got the Washington Redskins, who face the Jacksonville Jaguars today. To get them, we waived Justin Forsett. Try not to shed too many tears.
Unlike the Sunday night game, we have no change at kicker (Olindo Mare, who gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a late afternoon game).
Thanks again for voting. The results for the football/holiday drink polls appear below, and a college football poll is available now for voting. Enjoy the games, and stay safe out there.

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Fearless Predictions - Week 16

Unlike the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, the people who bring you the People's Pigskin will be taking Saturday off. Before we get too heavily into the egg nog, though, it's time to tell you what will happen in the first half of the final two-week playoff matchups. Last week's predictions, including those for week 15 and overall results, went 5-5, leaving us with a season record of 51-29 and clinching an overall winning record. (Something the Shanahans can't claim, by the way.)
NINTH PLACE GAME: cowboys romero vs. t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Jack and Juan go down to the wire fighting to avoid last place. Rashard Mendenhall is already in double-digit land and should be joined shortly by Miles Austin and Felix Jones. The Cowboys enter this matchup with an unhealthy Mark Sanchez, and the Cuervonaters will enter the new year with a healthy lead.
SEVENTH PLACE GAME: Team z vs. NFL2K10 RedZone. The Zs got 22 points from Ben Roethlisberger Thursday night, but Philip Rivers should match that with ease. Brandon Marshall is a strong option for the Zs, but Randy Moss has all but disappeared. Reggie Wayne and the Patriots defense/special teams are turning it on at the right time, and the RedZone should prevail this week.
FIFTH PLACE GAME: Chicago VinSethBears vs. Feely Her Up... The Feelys got 20 points Thursday night from Jonathan Stewart and the Steelers defense/special teams. Andre Johnson is listed as questionable for the VinSethBears, and predicting Brandon Jacobs' fantasy output is tricky at best. But if this comes down to a quarterback duel, you should bet on Tom Brady over Joe Flacco. The bet here is for the VinSethBears to win this week.
THIRD PLACE GAME: Hudson Valley Hawks vs. nuckin' futs. These are two strong teams that fell in the semifinals. The Futs have a clear advantage in the running game, especially if Adrian Peterson misses another game. But DeSean Jackson's presence alone would give the Hawks the edge in receiving. This one will still be tight enough to be up in the air on Monday night, but the Futs probably will regret parking Mike Wallace and his 16 points on the bench. The Hawks should win a close one.
CHAMPIONSHIP: People's Pigskin vs. Fighting Amish. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team takes on one of the two teams that beat it during the regular season. (The other was last week's opponent, the Hawks.) Michael Vick has proven lethal in fantasy football, but Peyton Manning and Michael Turner have plenty of motivation to have strong games this week. The Pigskin takes an early lead going into the final weekend.
Have a merry one, and be sure to vote in the lineup polls on the right side of this page. And if you see a certain fat man (this one, not this one), encourage him to vote, too. We'll be back with the results.

All in All, It's Just Another Post on the Hall

This post isn't really all that related to fantasy football, but it's something for the people who bring you the People's Pigskin to get off their chest.

Anyone who reads more than one article ever written by Peter King will know that he's one of the people who selects the inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And in this week's Monday Morning Quarterback, King was bemoaning the fact that nonplayers and noncoaches like Ed Sabol, the man who gave us the invaluable NFL Films, has not made the Hall yet. Then he offered a couple of ideas for changing the selection process to help people like Sabol and Ron Wolf get into the Hall.

Here's how it currently works: The selectors get a premilinary list of modern-era candidates in October and are asked to whittle that list down to 25 semifinalists. The semifinalist list goes to the selectors in November to be whittled down to 15. Then on Super Bowl weekend, those 15 candidates are pared down to 10. Then the selectors vote again to pare those 10 candidates down to 5. Then the selectors vote yes or no on each of those 5 candidates. Any candidate who gets 80% "yes" votes in that last round are elected and are inducted the following August.

A separate process can produce up to 2 "senior" inductees each year, so you can have up to 7 people inducted each year.

Here's what Peter King proposes to change this:

1. Take one of "senior" selections either every year or every other year and designate it for a noncoaching "contributor."

2. "Take the two non-modern-era-candidate slots and make them fit for all other candidates -- seniors, scouts, etc."

Those are nice ideas, but they don't go nearly far enough.

In this season of peace on earth, it's time to blow up the Hall of Fame selection process.

The problem is the seven-enshrinee maximum, which makes it feel as if the selectors are filling a quota instead of a hall. The last year more than seven people were enshrined was 1967, when eight people, including Paul Brown and Chuck Bednarik, were inducted. That year, the National Football League had only 16 teams -- half the number it has now. (The NFL-AFL merger was several years away.) That year, the Green Bay Packers had 43 players on its roster, according to ProFootballReference.com; now their roster has 53 players at any given time. And the Packers had 7 coaches that year, including Vince Lombardi; now they have 21.

In short, the Hall of Fame selection process was designed for a league that no longer exists. There are far more players, coaches and contributors in the NFL now, so it makes sense that there would be more people worthy of induction now. If you look at players alone, there is a glut of worthy candidates getting squeezed out by the numbers game, and that glut will only get worse as time marches on. If Tim Brown has a hard time getting attention in this atmosphere, imagine what Ed Sabol must go through.

The Hall of Fame should give football fans everywhere the Christmas gift of a new rule: We'll start inducting the exact number of people we deem worthy of induction, whether it's 1 or 5 or 25. And yes, they should start with Ed Sabol.

We'll be back with some fresh predictions.

Championship Time, Baby!

With the help of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin is ready to compete for the People's League title.

Last week, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost to the Hudson Valley Hawks by a score of 82-73. However, the combined score from the two-week semifinal left us with a winning margin of 184-156. Here's a look at the week 15 results.

Peyton Manning, QB: 29 of 39 passing, 229 yards, 2 touchdowns and 17 fantasy points. Manning and his Indianapolis Colts kept their AFC South title hopes alive by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Michael Turner, RB: 25 rushes, 82 yards and 8 fantasy points. Turner was not his usual fantasy self, but his Atlanta Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks and clinched a playoff spot. Another win will clinch home-field advantage.

Darren McFadden, RB: 20 rushes for 119 yeards, 4 receptions for 39 yards, 1 fumble and 12 fantasy points. McFadden joined the 1,000-Yard Club on Sunday. He failed to do was cross the goal line, but plenty of teammates did that for him.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 10 receptions, 152 yards and 15 fantasy points. Megatron didn't find the end zone, either, but his Detroit Lions broke a 26-game road losing streak. And he's still pretty good.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 2 receptions, 53 yards and 5 fantasy points. At least it wasn't another donut. And his Kansas City Chiefs kept their AFC West title hopes alive.

Knowshon Moreno, Flex: 4 rushes for 5 yards, 1 reception for 1 yard and 0 fantasy points. Moreno left his game in the first quarter with a rib injury. His status for this week is still up in the air.

Randy McMichael, TE: 5 receptions, 55 yards and 5 fantasy points. McMichael, once again filling in for the injured Antonio Gates, helped the San Diego Chargers beat the San Francisco 49ers and keep their own playoff hopes from dying. He might even have helped Justin Smith get an early shower.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 interception, 4 sacks, 17 points allowed and 7 fantasy points. The Titans beat up on the Houston Texans, who were probably still feeling a hangover from their overtime loss in Baltimore the previous week.

Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points and 4 fantasy points. Mare's points were held down by the fact that the Seahawks went for 2 after a touchdown.

Bench: Jon Kitna, who can now stop looking over his shoulder at Tony Romo, scored 21 points, while Chad Henne scored 13. Kenny Britt had 12 points. Chad Ochocinco had 3, and Tony Moeaki had 2.

Now we must prepare for a two-week championship matchup against the formidable Fighting Amish. The lineup polls are now open and will close Sunday (or Saturday, if Jon Kitna can build up a lead in his poll; his Dallas Cowboys play Christmas night). The beverage poll is also still open, so feel free to vote in that one, too.

We'll be back with more football thoughts.

The People's Choice - Week 15

It's Sunday once again, so that must mean a lot of analysts are laughing too loudly at each other's jokes. It also means it's time for the People's Pigskin to set its lineup. And once again, thanks to you, the Internet, we have a lineup for the second half of our two-week People's League semifinal against the Hudson Valley Hawks.

Quarterback: Jon Kitna got some love, but not enough to unseat Peyton Manning. He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars today.

Running back: Darren McFadden was the winner of this poll. He faces the Denver Broncos in a late afternoon game. The other votes were split evenly between Michael Turner (playing the Seattle Seahakws in the late afternoon) and Knowshon Moreno (playing McFadden's Oakland Raiders in the late afternoon). Turner will get the second running back start, while Moreno will stay in the flex spot...

Wide receiver: ...because all the votes in this poll were taken by two players: Calvin Johnson (who gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Dwayne Bowe (who faces the St. Louis Rams).

No changes at kicker (Olindo Mare, facing Turner's Atlanta Falcons) or defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, facing the Houston Texans). And on Thursday, we played Randy McMichael, whose 5 points increased our lead over the Hawks to 116-74.

The poll results appear below, and we've put up a holiday-themed poll, so feel free to vote on it now. (We say "holiday-themed" because it's easier to fit into a poll headline than "Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's/Festivus/fantasy playoff-themed.") Enjoy the games.

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Fearless Predictions - Week 15

We won't know until Sunday night whether your choice of tight end for the People's Pigskin was the best possible one, we can certainly say it was a sound one.

Randy McMichael put up 5 points for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team, leaving us with a 116-74 lead over the Hudson Valley Hawks. Here's hoping the rest of your choices in our lineup polls (hint, hint -- vote now) are just as sound.

In the meantime, it's time to tell you what will happen throughout the People's League this weekend. Last week's picks went 4-1, leaving us with a season record of 46-24.

People's Pigskin vs. Hudson Valley Hawks. Again, the Pigskin has a 42-point lead in this semifinal. And even though the Hawks feature the always-dangerous Adrian Peterson, who may end up playing quarterback himself if things continue to devolve in Minnesota, the Pigskin has the players to win this week's matchup and advance to the championship.

Fighting Amish vs. nuckin' futs. The Amish enjoy a 33-point lead in the other People's League semifinal. Leaving the injured Malcom Floyd in the lineup was definitely a mistake for the Amish, though having Michael Vick in the lineup can cover up a lot of mistakes. The Futs will win on this week's scoreboard, but not by enough to keep the Amish from marching (or buggying or whatever) into the final.

Feely Her Up... vs. NFL2K10 RedZone. The Feelys led by a single point at the end of the first week of this consolation round matchup. The RedZone rode Philip Rivers on Thursday night and currently lead by 3 points overall. Roddy White is a touchdown waiting to happen, but the Feelys used 2 players Thursday, and Reggie Wayne is rounding back into form just in time to play the Jacksonville Jaguars defense. The RedZone wins this week and advances to the 5th place game.

Chicago VinSethBears vs. t-bay cuervonatersXXL. The VinSethBears led by 18 points at the end of the first week of this consolation battle. Thanks to Michael Crabtree's 1-point outing Thursday, that lead is now 19 points. However, the VinSethBears got a San Francisco donut from Vernon Davis and are behind the 8-ball now. The Cuervonaters essentially now have a 2-player advantage, which they'll use to win this week and get to the 5th-place game.

cowboys romero vs. Team z. The Zs currently have a 25-point lead in this game of cellar dwellers. The Cowboys have "Q"s next to Maurice Jones-Drew and Roy Williams, and the Pittsburgh Steelers may not need Troy Polamalu to make Mark Sanchez's day miserable. Look for the Zs to win this week and prevail in the overall score, leaving the Cowboys to struggle over the next two weeks to avoid the title Worst of Them All.

Again, feel free to vote in our lineup polls. They will close Sunday. We'll be back with the results.

A Belated (Sort of) Poll Update

Our thanks to those of you who voted in the poll about which tight end to start for the People's Pigskin in the second half of its two-week People's League semifinal against the Hudson Valley Hawks. The winner -- well, the winners, actually, were Antonio Gates and Randy McMichael of the San Diego Chargers. Gates was scratched for the Thursday night game against the San Francisco 49ers, so McMichael is starting in his stead.

Right now, it's halftime in that game, and McMichael has 2 receptions, 17 yards and 1 fantasy point. As a result, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team leads the Hawks by a score of 112-74.

Now, we need you're help again. It's time to determine the rest of the lineup for the Pigskin. The polls are now open and will close Sunday morning. Please vote now, and please encourage a friend to do the same. Thanks.

A People's Pro Bowl - Updated

Last month, we at the People's Pigskin offered a two-part guide for those who wanted to use fantasy football (instead of Q ratings) to make their selections for this year's Pro Bowl. Since the fan ballots are due Monday, we thought we'd update you on which players are producing the numbers that would make them worthy of the NFL's all-star game.

Quarterback (3 per conference). AFC: Tom Brady (242 points in standard ESPN leagues), Peyton Manning (227), Philip Rivers (226). NFC: Aaron Rodgers (245), Michael Vick (242), Drew Brees (224).

Running back (3). AFC: Arian Foster (258), Peyton Hillis (207), Darren McFadden (189). NFC: Adrian Peterson (213), LeSean McCoy (191), Michael Turner (185).

Wide receiver (4). AFC: Dwayne Bowe (168), Brandon Lloyd (166), Andre Johnson (153), Terrell Owens (147). NFC: Calvin Johnson (162), Greg Jennings (161), Roddy White (159), DeSean Jackson (140).

Fullback (1). AFC: Mike Tolbert (140). NFC: Earnest Graham (30).

Tight end (2). AFC: Antonio Gates (134), Marcedes Lewis (104). NFC: Vernon Davis (107), Jason Witten (106).

Offensive line (3 tackles, 3 guards and 2 centers). Our friends at Trench Fantasy post weekly spreadsheets about the fantasy impact of the folks in the trenches. According to them, the top lines for protecting passers are the Indianapolis Colts, the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys. The top lines for protecting runners are the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Defensive end (3). AFC: Jason Babin (142 points in an ESPN league that uses individual defensive players), Robert Mathis (136), Matt Shaughnessy (118). NFC: Justin Tuck (191), Osi Umenyiora (165), Julius Peppers (162).

Defensive tackle (3). AFC: Kyle Williams (147), Haloti Ngata (135), Ahtyba Rubin (130). NFC: Ndamukong Suh (152), Barry Cofield (119), Darnell Dockett (109).

Outside linebacker (3). AFC: James Harrison (241), Cameron Wake (194), Shaun Phillips (173). NFC: James Anderson (248), Chad Greenway (228), Jon Beason (196).

Inside linebacker (2). AFC: Jerod Mayo (262), Stephen Tulloch (250). NFC: Brian Urlacher (250), London Fletcher (238).

Cornerback (3). AFC: Cortland Finnegan (185), Devin McCourty (181), Bryant McFadden (177). NFC: Terrell Thomas (226), DeAngelo Hall (216), Charles Woodson (196).

Strong safety (1). AFC: Donte Whitner (214). NFC: Roman Harper (210).

Free safety (1). AFC: T.J. Ward (216). NFC: Kerry Rhodes (208).

Kicker (1). AFC: Dan Carpenter (115 in standard ESPN leagues). NFC: David Akers (131).

Punter (1). AFC: Mike Scifres (48.2 yards per punt, according to NFL.com). NFC: Mat McBriar (also 48.2)

Kick returner (1). AFC: Brad Smith (27.9 yards per return, according to NFL.com; yes, Antonio Brown has a higher average, but he's only returned 9 kicks this season). NFC: Stefan Logan (28.8; yes, Devin Hester has a higher average, but he's only returned 10 kicks).

Special teams player (1). You're on your own here.

Now that you're informed, go ahead and vote wisely. Not just for the Pro Bowl, but also on the People's Pigskin poll about whether to start Antonio Gates and/or Randy McMichael on Thursday night. We'll be back with the results.

Consider This a Halftime Report

The People's Pigskin ended the first week of its two-week semifinal with a 111-74 lead over the Hudson Valley Hawks. With a repeat performance this week, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team would have a shot at the People's League championship.

But first things first. It's time to tell you how we compiled that lead.

Peyton Manning, QB: 25 of 35 passing, 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and 20 fantasy points. Most importantly, no interceptions, and his Indianapolis Colts still have plenty to play for.

Michael Turner, RB: 28 rushes for 112 yards, 1 reception for 12 yards, 3 touchdowns and 30 fantasy points. Turner beat the Carolina Panthers all by himself (not that it's a Herculean task or anything).

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 19 rushes for 81 yards, 5 receptions for 32 yards, 1 touchdown and 17 fantasy points. Moreno was one of the few bright spots for the Denver Broncos this week. And you thought interim coaches could turn around any team.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 1 reception for 44 yards, 1 rush for 13 yards and 5 fantasy points. Normally, getting so few points from a player as talented as Megatron would be the low point of the Pigskin's week.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 1 reception, 3 yards and 0 fantasy points. And then there's this week. Bowe was shut out fantasy-wise for the second week in a row. We'll have to pray he doesn't make it three in a row.

Darren McFadden, Flex: 16 rushes for 123 yards, 3 receptions for 86 yards, 3 touchdowns and 38 fantasy points. McFadden was the top-scoring player in fantasy football this week. And he was nearly the hero for the Oakland Raiders -- until they forgot to tackle Maurice Jones-Drew.

Randy McMichael, TE: 2 receptions, 26 yards and 2 fantasy points. McMichael filled in for the injured Antonio Gates, and he was largely forgotten in San Diego's thrashing of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Olindo Mare, K: 0 for 1 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. For fantasy kickers, one miss can be crucial (especially when that miss is your only field goal attempt of the day).

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 sack, 30 points allowed and minus-3 fantasy points. Peyton Manning's rebound came a week too early for the Titans.

Bench: Jon Kitna scored 15 points, while Chad Ochocinco scored 7. No one else got more than 2.

Now, we have to do it all over again this week. The Hawks can easily erase a 27-point lead, so we need your help picking our lineup. It starts with deciding whether to use the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter on Thursday night. That poll will take votes until Thursday, so please vote now.

We'll be back with a thought on football's all-star game.

The People's Choice - Week 14

Fortunately, Old Man Winter didn't wreak havoc on the People's Pigskin roster (or its stadiums), so we can simply thank you, the Internet, for helping us pick this week's lineup. We carry a 17-point lead against the Hudson Valley Hawks into Sunday's games. Remember, though, that this is a two-week matchup, so whoever leads Monday night won't necessarily be the one who advances to the People's League championship game.

Anyway, here are the choices for this week.

Running back: We had some strong choices in this poll, but you gave the starting spots to Michael Turner (who faces the Carolina Panthers) and Knowshon Moreno (who has a late afternoon date with the Arizona Cardinals).

Wide receiver: This one was simple; if you got votes in this poll, you're starting. If you didn't, you're not, no matter how well you can dance. Calvin Johnson plays against the Detroit Lions. Dwayne Bowe, whose appendix is just fine, plays the San Diego Chargers in a late afternoon game.

Flex: Since no third receiver got any votes, this spot goes to the running back who finished third in that poll (again): Darren McFadden. He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tight end: This story should be familiar by now. You, the Internet, voted for the Antonio Gates/Randy McMichael combo platter. Gates is questionable again, so we'll start him if he plays and bench him if he doesn't. Either way, we've got the tight end with a late afternoon game against the Kansas City Chiefs. We'll update this when the Chargers roster is finalized.

UPDATED 3:30 P.M. Gates has been ruled out for this game. McMichael will start in his place.

No change at kicker (Olindo Mare, who visits the San Francisco 49ers in the late afternoon). We already played our quarterback (Peyton Manning, who scored 20 points) and our defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, who scored minus-3).

Now, it's time to start thinking about next week. The Chargers and 49ers meet on Thursday, so we have an early poll about Gates and McMichael. Feel free to vote now. This week's poll results appear below. Enjoy the games, and stay safe.

[polldaddy poll=4224339] [polldaddy poll=4224347] [polldaddy poll=4224357] [polldaddy poll=4224362]

Fearless Predictions - Week 14

If you can read this, it means you have made it to the People's League postseason. Four teams will spend the next four weeks battling for the title of league champion, while six others will try not to finish dead last. With your help, the People's Pigskin has made it into the playoffs, but your help is still needed. Please vote in the lineup polls on the right side of this page. They will close Sunday night.

Right now, it's time to tell you what will happen in the first week of each of the two-week matchups. The last forecasts of the regular season with FIVE-AND-OH, BABY! The regular season record is an impressive 42-23.

People's Pigskin vs. Hudson Valley Hawks. In the first semifinal matchup, the Pigskin has taken a 17-point lead. It's a lead we should retain for the rest of this weekend.

Fighting Amish vs. nuckin' futs. In the other semifinal, neither side has scored yet. The Amish have Michael Vick, and he's leading the Pro Bowl voting primarily on his prowess in fantasy football. The Futs have Arian Foster, who may have a tough time finding room to roam against the Baltimore Ravens. The Amish should have the edge this week.

NFL2K10 RedZone vs. Feely Her Up... Tiebreakers relegated these two 8-5 teams to the consolation round. Chris Johnson and Reggie Wayne have given the RedZone a 33-point head start. But Aaron Rodgers should be able to obliterate the Detroit Lions defense. The Feelys will make up enough ground to have the lead at week's end.

Chicago VinSethBears vs. t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Both of these consolation round teams have 4-9 records. Both have had to deal with significant injuries (Joseph Addai, anyone?), but the Cuervonaters have the advantage of lining up Rashard Mendenhall against the Cincinnati Bengals. This one will be close, but the Cuervonaters will lead at the halfway mark.

cowboys romero vs. Team Z. If these teams were horses, someone would have shot them by now. Both Maurice Jones-Drew and Steven Jackson are finding their form at the right time, but Derrick Mason is finding the Houston Texans on his schedule this week. The Zs will have the lead by this time next week.

Again, remember to vote on my polls. We'll be back with the results.

A Quick Thursday Update

We are less than an hour from kickoff of the Indianapolis Colts-Tennessee Titans game. It is week 14, and the People's Pigskin begins a two-week playoff against the Hudson Valley Hawks.

For this game, we had three polls asking if we should start two players and a team. Here are the results.

Peyton Manning: You, the Internet, are shrugging off his recent woes and showing your faith in Manning. He won his poll overwhelmingly and will start for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team tonight.

Kenny Britt: The Titans receiver has been cleared to play tonight, but you decided to give him some more time to heal. He'll stay on the bench.

Tennessee Titans D/ST: Here's where things get interesting. This poll was split right down the middle. Half of you voted to start the Titans tonight, and half of you voted to get another team. We flipped a coin, and as a result, the Titans will start tonight.

Thanks again for voting. The results appear below, and a new set of polls are now up. We need your help to determine the rest of our lineup, so please vote now, and tell a friend to do the same. These polls will close Sunday. Until then, enjoy the game.

[polldaddy poll=4199954] [polldaddy poll=4199970] [polldaddy poll=4199960]

Playoff, Waiver Updates

First of all, thanks to all of you who voted in our latest poll about which quarterback should take Shaun Hill's spot on the People's Pigskin roster. The vote was split down the middle between Jon Kitna and Donovan McNabb. We used the week 14 projection as the tiebreaker, and Kitna beat McNabb by a single point. The results appear at the bottom of this post.

Kitna's now on our roster and will be available for selection this weekend (if Peyton Manning doesn't win his "Should we start him Thursday?" poll).

Now, it's time to turn our attention to the People's League playoffs. As we said before, the Pigskin earned the top seed with a 10-3 regular season record. This week, we will begin a two-week semifinal against the 9-4 Hudson Valley Hawks.

The Pigskin and the Hawks met twice in the regular season. Back in week 2, the Internet's favorite fantasy football team defeated the Hawks by a score of 101-82. Peyton Manning led the way for the Pigskin with 22 fantasy points, while the Hawks got only 1 point (and 4 turnovers) from Brett Favre. In week 11, the Hawks got their revenge by beating the Pigskin by a score of 123-112. Fred Jackson and Santonio Holmes produced 24 points apiece for the Hawks, and the Pigskin had to absorb a donut from Randy McMichael, filling in for the injured Antonio Gates.

In other words, this matchup could go either way, so we do need your help. The polls for the Thursday night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans are still open. They will close before kickoff, and we'll offer the rest of the lineup polls then. Please vote. I'd hate to have to suspend you because you refused to do so.

[polldaddy poll=4199936]

A Regular-Season Title

Thanks to the helpful input of you, the Internet, the People's Pigskin has made it to the top of the heap.

The Web's favorite fantasy football team defeated the t-bay cuervonatersXXL by a score of 96-75. While other People's League teams sweat out the Monday night game and hope for a playoff berth, the Pigskin has locked up a league-best 10-3 record and the top seed in the upcoming championship battle.

Here is how we got here.

Peyton Manning, QB: 36 of 48 passing, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 1 rush for minus-1 yard and 14 fantasy points. Manning is having the worst season of his career. He even earned one of two "Goats of the Week" awards from Peter King.

Michael Turner, RB: 24 rushes for 88 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Turner and the Atlanta Falcons keep rolling along. For Turner, that meant breaking the 1,000-yard barrier for the second time in his career.

Knowshon Moreno, RB: 23 rushes for 161 yards, 1 reception for 14 yards and 17 fantasy points. His performance was strong enough to be the best for the Pigskin this week, but it wasn't strong enough to beat the Kansas City Chiefs or save Josh McDaniels' job.

Calvin Johnson, WR: 3 receptions, 66 yards, 1 touchdown and 16 fantasy points. It seems as if the Detroit Lions could line up this quarterback under center, and Johnson would be able to get the ball into the end zone.

Dwayne Bowe, WR: 0 receptions, 0 yards and 0 fantasy points. The Pigskin survived this misfire, but we'll need Bowe to reintroduce himself to his quarterback before the playoffs begin.

Darren McFadden, Flex: 19 rushes for 97 yards, 3 receptions for 30 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble and 16 fantasy points. McFadden and the rest of the Oakland Raiders ran over the San Diego Chargers, who are supposed to have a good defense.

Antonio Gates, TE: 6 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown and 13 fantasy points. Now, there's the Gates that fantasy players know and love.

Olindo Mare, K: 1 for 2 on field goals, 4 for 4 on extra points and 6 fantasy points. It's a fact of life for kickers; the better the day is going for your team, the worse it's going to be for your fantasy stats. After all, every time Marshawn Lynch scored a touchdown, Mare is reduced to kicking an extra point.

Tennessee Titans, D/ST: 1 sack, 1 blocked kick, 17 points allowed and 4 fantasy points. These folks had better be able to recover quickly; they do face the Colts on Thursday.

Bench: Maybe all Chad Ochocinco needed was for someone to light a fire under him; he scored 9 fantasy points this week. Justin Forsett scored 6, while Chad Henne and Tony Moeaki scored 5 apiece.

We'll find out tomorrow who we'll be facing in a two-week semifinal. Until then, be sure to vote in the polls on your right. The waiver poll will close Tuesday night, and the others will close Thursday. Enjoy the game.

The People's Choice - Week 13

Thanks to everybody who voted on this week's lineup for the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team can wrap up the top spot in the People's League playoffs with a victory this weekend over the t-bay cuervonatersXXL. Here's who you selected to help us do that.

Quarterback: Once again, Peyton Manning dominated this poll. He starts a late afternoon game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Running back: The two top vote-getters in this poll were Michael Turner (who plays the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late afternoon) and Knowshon Moreno (who plays the Kansas City Chiefs).

Wide receiver: Only two receivers drew votes this week. Calvin Johnson faces the Chicago Bears, while Dwayne Bowe faces the Denver Broncos.

Flex: Since no third receiver got any votes, this spot will go to the running back who finished third in his poll: Darren McFadden. He has a late afternoon date with the San Diego Chargers.

Tight end: Speaking of the Chargers, their tag team won this week's poll. If Antonio Gates is active for the game against the Oakland Raiders, he gets the start. If he's not, Randy McMichael will get the start. We'll update this post when we have a resolution. UPDATED 3:30 P.M. Gates is listed as active for this game, so he'll get the start.

No changes in kicker (Olindo Mare, facing the Carolina Panthers in the late afternoon) or defense/special teams (the Tennessee Titans, who face the Jacksonville Jaguars).

Thanks again for voting. The results appear below, and some new polls are now available for voting. The first one deals with replacing the injured Shaun Hill in our roster and will close Tuesday night. The other three deal with this week's Thursday night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. Those will close before kickoff Thursday. Feel free to vote now, and enjoy the games.

[polldaddy poll=4169308] [polldaddy poll=4169320] [polldaddy poll=4169325] [polldaddy poll=4169333] [polldaddy poll=4169337] [polldaddy poll=4169342]

Fearless Predictions - Week 13

We have reached the final week of the regular season of the People's League. I want to thank those who were willing to participate in this year's fantasy football experiment. You truly made it worth our while.

It's amazing that, at this late point in the schedule, no team in the league has secured a playoff berth. (Four teams, like TCU, have been eliminated from contention for the championship.) Two of the contenders will be relegated to the consolation bracket, while the four others will battle for the title. Which teams will they be? It's time for another round of predictions to reveal the answers. Last week's forecasts went 4-1, improving our season record to 37-23.

People's Pigskin vs. t-bay cuervonatersXXL. The 4-8 Cuervonaters are playing for pride at this point, while the 9-3 Pigskin can secure the top seed with a win. And, in an unexpected blessing for the Pigskin, Peyton Manning and the rest of the Indianapolis Colts are fighting for their playoff lives. He'll bounce back from last week's debacle, and the Pigskin will cruise into the postseason.

cowboys romero vs. Fighting Amish. The 2-10 Cowboys have all but wrapped up the bottom spot in the People's League rankings, while the 8-4 Amish can wrap up a playoff bid with a victory this week. Michael Vick and company have staked the Amish a 64-point lead, which is more than they'll need to extend the Cowboys losing streak to six games.

Chicago VinSethBears vs. Hudson Valley Hawks. The 4-8 VinSethBears are playing out the string, but the 8-4 Hawks are fighting for a postseason berth. The Hawks will be counting on the Monday night game. A big night from either Wes Welker or Santonio Holmes will guarantee a victory for the Hawks.

Team z vs. Feely Her Up... The 3-9 Zs can get ready for the consolation round, but the 7-5 Feelys need a win and some help with the points tiebreaker to get into the championship round. Both sides have question marks in the lineup, but the biggest one may belong to Ben Roethlisberger, who, even if he's healthy enough to suit up, must deal with the Baltimore Ravens. The Feelys win a squeaker.

nuckin' futs vs. NFL2K10 RedZone. Amazingly, this is the only matchup between two teams with postseason dreams. The 8-4 futs have a head start thanks to Arian Foster's 22 points, but the 7-5 RedZone is hoping the Tennessee Titans remember they have Chris Johnson available in the backfield. (He's pretty good, you know.) The Titans certainly can't count on an aerial assault, so Johnson should get enough carries to ensure a win for both Tennessee and the RedZone.

Please remember to vote on the lineup polls. They will close Sunday morning. Enjoy your weekend.