Cue the Intro

Now that it's May 23rd and the Astros are two weeks away from being eliminated in the playoff race and we're going to have a Lakers/Celtics finals, it's officially time to turn full focus toward the 2010 NFL/NCL Season. In my continuing quest to become a real writer I've contributed a few articles/editorials to the NCL Universe, the most recent being the 2009 NCL Mock Draft. Of course the mock itself turned out to be worth less than a bag of Brian Cushing's tumors, but it was fun to try to project how smart (or stupid) NCL owners' moves were during the first rounds of the draft. Going forward, 'Inside the NCL' will be my 'Peter King-ish' contribution to the NCL in a 'News and Notes' type fashion. With that out of the way, "Here....we....go..." (an early tribute the 'Dark Knight' fanboys in the league)


For the second consecutive season the NCL will have lost a founding owner. Last year, "Jesus" Jensen quit to focus on his 9 p.m. bedtime and renovation plans for Frontier Ranch in Colorado. In 2010, the Doosh was given his walking papers after regularly handing victories to other NCL franchises with his inability to fill out a competitive roster. The Doosh, one of the guaranteed, "Jersey Guys", (along with Boobs), became a walking punchline with his affinity for Dallas Cowboys and trading his picks away for cash. You'll be missed, Doosh; but alas, someone has to take your place.

NEW BLOOD

In steps Austin Salonen, Martin's brother-in-law/tenant, steps in to assume a team fraught with bad franchise tags. He'll be on the mend for at least 2010 and potentially 2011 if he proves to be an inept franchise drafter. More on that later...

Trophy Hunter



Jace Baddock finally broke through after consecutive seasons of sporting arguably the best RB stable in the NCL. Baddock, who has been openly critical of the 'Keeper League,' recently confirmed via Facebook that he is indeed engaged. The jury is out on whether or not his pending nuptials will make him an 'angrier' or 'happier' person.

Tomstradamus?


While my penchant for making wild predictions about the NFL (i.e. Chris Simms) is well-known, the NCL may want to listen during the upcoming draft. I accurately predicted the reduced production of a number of 'tier one' fantasy football running backs, including Michael Turner, Matt Forte and Steve Slaton. The attrition for running backs going into their sophomore season after a breakout rookie campaign is staggering. Both Forte and Slaton will move into 2010 with a split backfield. As for Turner, running backs with close to 200 carries from year-to-year are good as Barbaro. (Note: I did miss on Roy Williams, who proved he is a little bitch)


Homer...part deaux

While the Doosh was a walking punchline for his perpetual drafting of Dallas Cowboys, one league source indicates Austin Salonen, Doosh's replacement, could potentially be just as bad.

"The guy drafted the Minnesota Defense in the 4th round last year," commented one NCL owner on the condition of anonymity. The comment refers to Salonen's drafting in another fantasy football league 2009. If Salonen loves Vikings as much as the Doosh loves Cowboys, you can slot Salonen to finish in the bottom fourth.

Tom's 2010 Pick-to-Click

Kevin Kolb QB Philadelphia Eagles




When Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles said goodbye to long-time staple (and Jace's favorite player) Donovan McNabb, they placed their future in the hands of 4th-year QB Kevin Kolb. Though relatively untested, Kolb looked good in two 2009 appearances, showing poise and an ability to make accurate passes under pressure. With the best one-two deep threat combo in the NFL in Maclin/Jackson on the outside, look for 2009 breakout TE Brent Celek to own the middle of the field. 2009 Rookie LeSean McCoy and the addition of Mike Bell, the Eagles backfield shouldn't lose a step in replacing Bryan Westbrook.