Big LFL Keepers

Here is the list of Protected players for the 07 Big LFL Season, draft order and a little analysis on the side.

1st Weekend at Benoit's
RB T. Henry, RB M.J.Drew, WR A. Johnson, LB L. Briggs

• Weekend at Benoit's look to be much stronger after making deals for Henry and MJD. With the first pick they will add another stud to the team. The Cripplers look to the bible as inspiration to move from the outhouse to the penthouse.
  

2nd EZ MONEY Steelers
RB S. Alexander, RB C. Portis, WR R. Moss, LB K. Bulluck

• EZ Money looks good if they can stay healthy. Injuries decimated the Steelers in 2006 and they hope to bounce back. It will be another long year if Portis and Alexander get hurt again. Not protecting rising star Philip Rivers may also come back to haunt EZ MONEY.
  

3rd Fightin' Phins
RB R. Brown, RB R. Johnson, WR J. Walker, DB S. Taylor

• The Phins season rests on Cam Cameron and the Dolphins offense; this keeps owner RRR up all night with his bong. RRR really needs Brown to step up and gain 1400 yards with 10 TDs. This columnist was surprised when the Phins jettisoned Jason Taylor in favor of Sean Taylor.
  

4th Giants
RB J. Norwood, RB R. Droughns, WR M. Colston, DL A. Kampmann

• The Tiki Barber retirement set the Giants franchise back into expansion mode. He also rolled up a number when Warrick Dunn made a miraculous comeback from injury. He may just play out the season with the hopes of landing Darren Mcfadden next year.
  

5th Gerry Datillos
QB P. Manning, RB E. James, WR L. Fitzgerald, LB Z. Thomas

• The Datillios should be back to contending status if the Cardinals are improved. James is the key for a return to the playoffs for Coughlin. Let's hope that Craig makes the draft and doesn't mail in the season like he did in baseball which was very uncharacteristic.
  

6th Burning Balls (chosen by the commish)
QB T. Brady, RB B. Westbrook, WR T. Owens, DB A. Wilson

• Any team with Brady, Westbrook and Owens as the core should be a contender but we are talking about the Balls . Rob is normally at the bottom of Big Ell pools because he fails to participate and appears to be afraid of the waiver wire. Look for more sub-mediocrity from the Balls.
  

7th Insane Clown Posse
RB F. Gore, WR. C. Johnson (cin.), WR S. Smith, DB T. Polamalu

• The ICP look poised to rebound from a disappointing 2006 season. He should be solid with this quartet and will surely blame the schedule makers if things go awry. Brad always comes prepared and should be able to fill out his roster and get into the playoffs.
  

8th Holy Rollers
QB T. Romo, QB M. Hasselbeck, RB L. Johnson, DB R. Barber

• The Rollers will be solid with newly signed LJ but league analysts are puzzled as to why he kept two QBs. But when you look at his roster you realize that pickings were slim. This writer was expecting him to be the first LFL owner to keep a kicker, Neil Rackers. The Rollers roster is uglier than Bishop Carrol cheerleaders.
  

9th Rapid City Rage
QB M. Bulger, RB R. Bush, WR R. Wayne, LB A. Davis

• The Rage burst onto the scene last year and made the playoffs. Pat Harrigan used the luck of the Irish and Big Ell stupidity to steal Bush. Bush should be even better in 2007 and the Rage franchise is on the upswing. This panelist is hoping for more cutting posts by the surprisingly well spoken Harrigan.
  

10th Milhaven Mutiny
QB C. Palmer, RB T. Jones, WR M. Harrison, LB C. June

• The Mutiny should be tough in 2007 but would have been a title contender with Maroney on board. Owner Raven Naumann has been in these leagues long enough to know that 22 year old RBs on title contenders don't grow on trees. Big Ell is happier than Shane Forrer was when Jon Bon Jovi cut his hair.
  

11th Mean Machines
QB D. McNabb, RB C. Benson, TE A. Gates, LB S. Merriman

• The Machines rolled the dice with McNabb this year but should be able to field a playoff contender. Benson is the key and this scribe predicts a big season for the former Longhorn. He also has the best TE and the D player if he can manage to stay off the juice or keep himself cleaner than Rob G.
  

12th Ricky Williams'
QB D. Brees, RB J. Addai, RB W. McGahee, LB D. Edwards

• Stu has assembled the base for what should be another title contender. He has also further vindicated arch enemy Craig Coughlin by keeping Brees. This journalist looks forward to many post-draft comments from Stu proclaiming that his team is garbage.
  

13th Newcastle Guzzlers
RB L. Tomlinson, WR T. Holt, WR D. Driver, LB A. Pierce

• The Guzzlers look to win the title with LDT back. Also look for many PETA hypocrites in the stands supporting his decision to remove Vick from the payroll. Guzzler owner Scotty is the classiest owner in these leagues and this writer thinks he is due a football title.
  

14th Seattle Tsunami
RB S. Jackson, RB W. Parker, RB D. McAllister, LB D. Ryans

• The Tsunami look set to defend the title with their troika of great backs. Grant Canning finally got the respect of his peers with a title in 2006. He has a great chance of doing it again in 2007 if he can avoid bad drafting which normally dooms Canning in Big LFL leagues.