Win a Hughes Mini Helmet!

 

Someone with too much time on their hands had an idea. Put together a Hughes League Trivia Contest and give away an EHFL mini helmet for the top prize. Seems like a fun way to get ready for the season. So here we are!

The details... below you will find 20 Hughes League-related multiple choice questions. Some appear to be easy, others not so much. Below those are three bonus questions. Your challange is as follows:

Answer all the 20 questions correctly and win the helmet shown above and the everlasting respect of your fellow degenerates owners. 

Answer all 20 questions correctly PLUS the bonus questions and win the helmet and a refund of your league fees for 2026 plus the respect blah, balh, blah.

👉If nobody answers all 20 correctly, the person with the most correct answers will win a rather dubious consolation prize, a package of peanut butter-cheese crackers and $10 in waiver cash. 

If nobody f'ing enters the contest, which I suspect is the most likely outcome 😒, I'm taking the waiver cash (and the damn crackers) for myself. 

The answers to all the questions can be found either in the Yearbook or among the websites I built/fixed over the summer which can be reached by clicking the Yearly Bests and Websites link over to the right. 

Please submit your answers via email (commishbob@gmail.com) with the question number and your letter choice for your answer. Let's make the deadline the day prior to the draft, September 6th. In the event of a tie, earliest email wins. 

Good luck and here we go!

A) Which of these was never an actual EHFL franchise:

1. Oakland Bay Queens
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Miami Blizzard
4. Denver Avalanche
5. Chile Connection
6. Newark Bears
7. Manila Folders

B) The first draft pick in EHFL history was:

1. Earl Campbell
2. Dan Fouts
3. David Overstreet
4. Wendell Tyler
5. Tommy Kramer

C) Which frannchise was the first to win two Hughes Bowl games?

1. Giants
2. Heroes
3. Strawmenn
4. Holes
5. Sticks
6. Flyers

D) Which franchise was the first to win three titles?

1. Giants
2. Holes
3. Strawmenn
4. Heroes
5. Flyers
6. Sticks

E) Which owner was not in the league for our first draft (be careful here)?

1. Sam Kelner
2. Jim Nichols
3. Gary Hamman
4. Steve Heinan
5. Mike Andrich

F) Dan Marino won six Hughes Bowls as a starter, who is second with five (be careful here as well)?

1. Mark Duper
2. Mark Clayton
3. Drew Brees
4. Mark Duper AND Mark Clayton (tie)
5. Tony Gonzalez

G) Which of these combinations have TWELVE Hughes Bowls losses between them?

1. Heroes and Nationals
2. Heroes and Blizzard
3. Flyers and Strawmenn
4. Nationals and Flyers
5. Giants and Nationals
6. Flyers and Heroes

H) Two of these players were involved in the first player-for-player EHFL trade. You must get both correctly for credit:

1. Dan Fouts
2. Rich Caster
3. Earl Campbell
4. Earl Cooper
5. Charles White
6. Danny White
7. Bert Jones

I) Which franchise has won four 'Triple Crowns' (Most wins, Best PPG, Hughes Bowl win)?

1. Holes
2. Flyers
3. Nationals
4. Blizzard
5. Bombers

J) Which franchise has never won the 'Triple Crown'?

1. Giants
2. Flyers
3. Heroes
4. Blizzard
5. Holes

K) The Giants won three HBs in a row from 2019 thru 2021. Which two franchises have back-to-back titles?

1. Nats and Blizzard
2. Sticks and Attica
3. Nats and Heroes
4. Nats and Flyers
5. Blizzard and Bombers

L) Which of these players has been in a starting lineup for FIVE Hughes Bowl games:

1. Peyton Manning
2. Stephone Paige
3. Mark Clayton
4. Mark Duper
5. Randall Cunningham

M) Our first season on Myfantasyleague.com was

1. 1999
2. 2001
3. 2003
4. 2005
5. None of the above

N) Our last season of TD/Kicker scoring was:

1. 1999
2. 2001
3. 2003
4. 2005
5. None of the above

O) Whose suggestion was it to draft/claim NFL franchises to use as an EHFL team's waiver pool?

1. McCallum
2. Bobby
3. Kuhlmann
4. The Commish
5. Keith

P) Steve was our first 'long distance' draft participant. We communicated with him during the draft using which of these?

1. A string and two tin cans
2. A speaker phone and Ma Bell long distance
3. A Ouija board
4. A cellphone the size of a shoebox
5. A speaker phone and a WATS line
6. The Amazing Kreskin

Q) Who is the only owner to win the 2nd Season contest in back-to-back years?

1. Dan
2. James
3. Keith
4. Rick
5. Jack

R) Which of these was never a franchise nickname?

1. Doves
2. Rebels
3. Raiders
4. Sling
5. Ironmen
6. Islanders

S) Same question...Which of these was never a franchise nickname?

1. Knights
2. Knightriders
3. Who
4. Twins
5. Organs
6. Knives

T) In the season Keith won his first title, he set a record that held up through the end of the TD/Kicker scoring Era. What was that record?

1. Most trades in one season.
2. Highest season PPG.
3. Highest playoff game score.
4. Fewest regular season wins by a championship team. 
5. Most lunches lost waiting for the Hughes Bowl results. 

Bonus Question #1....

In the year we had our only undefeated team, we also had our only non-winning team (1980 not included). What is the year, who was the non-winning owner and what was unique about that season? 

Bonus Question #2....

Which franchise was among the first two to score 100+ points in a game and was also involved in the first game in which both teams scored 100+ ponts?

Bonus Question #3....

What non-owner was on-hand the year we drafted at Barry's Pizza and immediately took over Pogge's franchise when someone (not me) told Joe's girlfriend to GTFO? (edited for clarity)

Footballguys story and 2026 Payments

A week or so back I saw a story on the Footballguys site written by Clayton Gray. He was relating his 'origin story'... i.e...how he got into fantasy football. He asked for those types of stories from his readers so I sent in the tale of how the Hughes League came to be. He was impressed with how long we've been together. He wants to crash out 50th Draft which I'm already thinking about.

The site published our story (and several others) on August 7th and it's pretty cool. You can check it out using this link. It is not paywalled so anyone can get to it. 

Without you guys being such a good group I wouldn't have been able to sustain this thing for so long. I salute you!

---

In other news....🤣

I'm collecting the 2026 league fee. It's $22 and your prompt attention is appreciated. I sent an email with the details. Thanks to those who have already ponied up for the season. 

Draft info will be emailed and posted every damn place once I have a location secured. Be there or be square!

Week One Timeline

 Here's how we'll roll through the Opening Week of the season:

Monday, September 7: Draft at 6:30 p.m.Central until 9 or 9:30ish. Later that night I will upload the rosters to our site from the Draft Board software. You can demote a rookie to the Taxi Squad once I've done that.

Tuesday, September 8: Open waivers begin at 8 a.m. Central. You can fill any open spots on your roster. We draft 14 so everyone will have an empty slot post-draft. Putting a rookie on the TS will create another one if applicable. Now is also the time to fix a drafting 'mistake'! 😏

Your first two claims are free during Opening Week. I will load up to $10 back into your waiver $$ account. Anything over 2 claims is on you. 

Wednesday, September 9: The NFL kicks off at 7:20 p.m. with the Pats and Seahawks. I considered moving the league's Thursday deadlines up a day to before this game but we'll just roll with it. If someone jumps out at you that night he's not available as an Open waiver claim since his game has kicked off. He'll be available for bidding beginning Thursday night.

👉To be clear.. Once the Pats and Seahawks kick off on Wednesday night their players are 'locked down' and will no longer be available via this first Open waivers window. And, by extention, any rookie from those two teams will NOT be open for claims or eligible to be put on the Taxi Squad once that game starts.👈

Thursday, September 10: The 'Open' waiver period ends at 6 p.m. Central. At that time the window to add a rookie to your Taxi Squad also closes. Blind Bidding on Free Agents opens at 6:00 as well.

Wednesday, September 16th: Blind Bids will process at 9 p.m. And from that point on we will be following our regular waiver schedule with Open claims from Thursday mornings through Sundays at Noon Central followed by Blind Bidding that processes every Wednesday night.  

Time Edition

Hey cabbie!

The Taxi Squad, the Draft etc.

The proposal to add a Taxi Squad spot in 2026 was passed with a 2/3 majority. It's really pretty simple and I'll go over the details below. First I want to explain why I liked the idea and put it up for a vote.

We are dropping one roster spot (to 15) as per our vote last year. I feel that will free up some talent for the waiver wire but also handicaps us a bit as far as lineup options. Adding the Taxi Squad spot doesn't counteract the roster reduction much and it gives us what I think is an interesting strategy as far as roster construction. Quite a few of us like rolling the dice on rookies (I'm looking at you, Hogan) and with this option we can do that without cramping our rosters. Here is how it works in Q&A form:

Q: Why are we doing this? I thought you wanted to keep things simple.

A: This isn't a change from that. Anything is simple compared to calculating keepers values for 12 rosters of 18 players each and doing spreadsheets for every team. Stuff like this, or adding a second flex, or doing the 'pick your draft slot' thing are just little ways to spice the league up a bit. Some work, some don't. If this proves to be a bad idea we can drop it for 2027.

Q: Do I have to deal with this? 

A: Nope, it is entirely optional for everyone. If you don't want to mess with it, you can ignore it. 

Q: Why would I want to jack with this?

A: Here's an example...every season NFL clubs will draft some mid-round QBs with the idea that they might nail down the backup role or even serve as the 'get us through the season' starter at some point. Clayton Tune to the Cardinals a couple of years back is a good example. This year Carson Beck is that same guy. Maybe your starter has a rookie behind him. He'd make a good TS candidate to claim for free after the draft. The Ravens drafted an RB who likely won't see much action but if Henry or Hill go down the kid has the talent to help. If you have Henry he might be an option. Stuff like that.

Q: Who goes on the Taxi Squad?

A: Any rookie you either a) draft, or b) claim in the post-draft open claim period (which begins the morning after the draft as always) is eligible. We will draft 14 rounds on Draft Night leaving a 15th spot open to be filled during Open Waivers beginning Tuesday morning. You can use that period to find a hidden gem rookie or use one you drafted. Side note: You use that Open Waiver period to fill your roster whether you use the TS or not. The cost of your first two claims ($10) will be added back to you. Side Note #2: Rookies are designated with (R) after their names in the MFL system.

Q: Where is the page for doing Taxi Squad business?
A: Look for the Taxi Squad link under Transactions on the top menu.

Q: How many TS slots are there? 

A: One slot, for one-time use. And that slot doesn't count as one of your 15 roster spots. 

Q: Can I put a rookie on the TS at any time?

A: You get one, and only one, period to place your NFL rookie on the Taxi Squad. 

Q: When can I put a guy on the TS?

A: That period begins after the draft is complete and I've had the chance to upload the rosters. You have to add him before the NFL season's first game. Technically 6 pm Central on Thursday September 10.

Q: Can I have more rookies?

A: Sure! You can draft, claim, drop, trade rookies to your hearts content, as always! But only one can be stashed on the TS and not count against your roster.

Q: Can I switch rookies? 

A: Before the TS locks on Thursday the 10th you can swap rookies on or off it but at 6pm on Thursday that option ends. 

Q: How long can I keep my TS rookie on the TS?

A: You can keep him on the TS as long as you want this year. You are under no obligation to do anything with him.

Q: How do I put a rookie on the TS and how do I call my TS rookie up to my roster?

A: MFL calls moving a player onto or off your TS 'promoting' and 'demoting'. Once you choose the guy you want to put on the TS use the 'demote' option. You can 'promote' him any old time during the season as long as you have space on your roster. There is also an option to 'drop' your Taxi Squad rookie on the TS page but I'm not sure why you'd do that other than having changed your mind on owning someone before the list locks in the preseason. 

Q: If  I promote my Taxi Squad rookie can I replace him with a different one on the TS? 

A: Nope, once the preseason window closes the rookie on your Taxi Squad is the only one you can place there in 2026. 

Q: Can I trade my Taxi Squad rookie?

A: Yes. I learned you can trade him directly from the TS without promoting him when I looked at the setup in the (shitty) dynasty league I was roped into. BUT the team receiving that player needs room on their regular roster because he cannot go on to their Taxi Squad.

There you have it. I made that sound more complicated than it actually is. Think of it this way... between the draft and the first 2026 kickoff you get to throw a rookie into your 'closet'. Once you yank him out, you no longer have a closet. 

When: Labor Day, September 7th at 6:30 pm Central, 7:30 Eastern, 5:30 Paz time. 

Where: Beats me. I'll let you know. 

Details: PrimeTime Draft will again be how we pick online. There is another product I'm still looking at but I'm not sure if I want to venture outside our 'comfort zone'. EDIT: I've now paid for the PTD site so we are using that again for sure. We'll have a Zoom room setup again. 

Links for both will be provided via email.

More: We'll draft 14 rounds that night with the usual Open Waivers period beginning Tuesday morning so you can fill gaps.

Specifics will be posted here, on the league site, and via email.

Pick Me a Winner

 Well, that was fun. Sort of. When I decided to use the 'choose your slot' draft position thing I wasn't envisioning what we went through Wednesday afternoon. First of all, I had used the Draftordergenerator.com site in past years (though not last year). And I did read online that there had been reports of delayed results being emailed out, but I gave it a shot anyway. I'm not sure what the issue was, possibly that I 'copy and pasted' the email addresses from my Gmail contacts. 

But, anyway, the league site generator worked fine. And, as a plus, we got through the whole selection process in an afternoon. Based one this league's history, I was figuring it would be late August. So, kudos to you.

The draft order has been entered in the league site. I have no problem with guys trading around. Just let me know before the first of September so I can set up the draft night software. Speaking of which...I found a nicer-looking, more flexible online draft site, and I was gonna adopt it, but I decided that I'd rather just keep the known quantity. I'm not up for doing testing and tutorials. 

The Taxi Squad proposal has six votes at the moment. I won't adopt anything that only gets six votes. Let your voice be heard. passed. More details (many more LOL) are coming this weekend right here on the blog.

Pick Your Poison (plus Taxi Squad proposal)

👉 Note: I added a discussion about a possible Taxi Squad spot below this draft stuff. Check it out.

As I write this, we are six weeks away from the 2026 EHFL Draft! It's scheduled for September 7 at 6:30 Central time. That, once again, is Labor Day, so make your arrangements now.

This year, we will be choosing our own draft slots. We've done this before, and it's a nice addition to the drafting process without getting too crazy or complicated. Here are the basics:

Later this week, I will generate a draft spot selection order using a draft randomizer tool online. The output will likely be labeled as the "draft order," but don't be fooled. The order will indicate the priority for choosing your draft slot.

I will text/email each owner when their opportunity to choose is open. You will have 24 hours from that point to pick your slot from those still available. There will be a running tally in the league message on the home page.

If you fail to respond within 24 hours, your name goes to the bottom of the list.

I hope this goes well, but I guess we will find out. I hesitated to go back to this since responding to these things, reading the news, etc., is, let's face it, problematic here.

Taxi Squad...Yea or Nay?

I've given some thought off and on over the past year to adding a Taxi Squad spot. Here's what it would entail:

• One NFL rookie player would be eligible to be placed on the Taxi Squad. He would NOT count against your 16 player roster until activated.*
• He would have to be placed on the TS between the end of the draft and the start of the season. He can be someone you drafted, or a FA pickup in that first, post-draft waiver claim window. Once the 'window closes an hour before the first NFL kickoff, the ability to add a player to the TS spot is gone.
• Once activated to your regular roster during the season he cannot be demoted again to the Taxi Squad. Obviously you'd need to have an open slot on your roster to activate him to...either via a cut, a trade, placing a guy on IR, etc. 
• Once you activate your Taxi Squad guy you cannot add another player to it. IOW this is a one-and-done thing. This would be accomplished by me throwing a switch once the season kicks off. 

*If you want to place a rookie you drafted in your TS slot it would immediately open a spot for you to add a free agent to fill your roster again.

If you don't draft a rookie, or you don't want a drafted rookie to be your TS guy and want to add a rookie free agent after the draft as your TS guy, I would be able to intervene and make it work.

The more I think about it, the more I like it. It would add a bit of intrique to the draft I think. "Grab this rookie now?" "Wait and add one after the draft?" Lemme know how you feel. I'll put a non-binding poll up on the home page. Happy to hear your thoughts, suggestions, World Cup adventure stories.

New Helmets? Hell, yes!

New helmets! In other words, another thing that nobody cares about but me. LOL 🤣 But that's OK. Jacking with this keeps me off the streets. (click the graphic to enlarge the graphic)

I thought it was time for a refresh. Over the years I've used helmets I've found at The Helmet Depot, and they have been just fine. Along the way I've kept team-specific folders with helmets I've found there as alternatives (think 40th anniversary helmets from 2019) and the occasional random change I've made to a couple of teams.

This spring and summer I pulled some that I thought might work for each team and got to work modifying them. I used MS Paint and my rather rudimentary PS Elements skills to add clip art and/or a wordmark to each and then ran them through Chat GPT to 'smooth out the edges' and make them look more professional. 

I did that for every team except the Blizzard. I never could find anything I liked in the way of clip art, and I think the name cries out for something besides just a wordmark, so I asked for suggestions based on the team nickname and colors and AI came up with that mountain scene. 

The 'stand alone' wordmarks under each of the helmets were done in good ol' MS Paint using one of the 600 (only a slight exaggeration) fonts I've downloaded just for that purpose. EDIT: I used ChatGPT to improve the graphic element on a couple of these wordmarks as I was struggling to get them to look presentable. 

One thing I could never do on my own was successfully create 'mirror images' of wordmark helmets to use for postseason matchup previews. Chat GPT made that easy. Relatively easy, anyway. For some reason the Flyers helmet, with the Baltimore city flag, took about 20 attempts at getting the reverse image done correctly. AI is a useful tool, but it is far, far from perfect. Here is an early attempt at making a reverse image of the Flyers...

Alrighty then.

But I got everything finished, finally. The new hats are on the website and other places like the Team Profiles page linked over on the right. I hope you like them and I'd love getting some feedback, pro or con. 

Other stuff... Not much else to deal with right now. We are still on for a Labor Day draft. I'll get more info out as that draws near.

-commish