How many points did the star of your fantasy football team score last week?
Would your neighbor be impressed?
One of the strangest things about fantasy football is that there is no standard scoring system for it. Every football fan knows that a touchdown is worth six points, whether it's scored by Local High or the Green Bay Packers. Every baseball fan knows a grand slam scored four runs, whether it's hit in Little League or at Busch Stadium. Every blackjack fan knows that a queen is worth 10, whether she's dealt at a church fundraiser or the Bellagio.
But every fantasy football fan learns sooner or later that all points are not created equal.
To illustrate that point, let's look at Tony Romo, one of the quarterbacks for the People's Pigskin. Last week, in a performance that drew its share of attention, he completed 34 of his 47 passes for 331 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. In the People's League, that added up to 19 fantasy points, which ranked sixth among quarterbacks that week.
In a Yahoo fantasy league, Romo's stats would have been worth 24.99 fantasy points, ranking him seventh among quarterbacks. (To be fair, Yahoo also notes that Romo was sacked.)
In a Fox Sports fantasy league -- that's right, the same site that told us Jamaal Charles was the best available running back -- Romo's stats would have been worth 25.2 fantasy points. Again, he ranked seventh among quarterbacks.
And in an NFL.com fantasy league, Romo's stats would have inflated Violet Beauregarde-style to 46.37 fantasy points, ranking him fifth among quarterbacks.
Of course, there are many reasons for discrepancies like this. Some leagues emphasize yardage. Some punish players more than others for turnovers. Some offer extra credit for "big plays." And on and on.
And until we have a fantasy sports commissioner, fantasy players will continue to say things like, "He got 25 points, but..."
Remember to vote on the lineup polls on your right. The NASCAR polls will close tonight, and the football ones will close Saturday night. We'll be back with the NASCAR poll results.
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Another Poll Needs Your Vote
The people who bring you this fine fantasy Web site did not watch the Espys on Tuesday night.
But that's OK; Golden Tate watched enough of it for all of us.
The young Seattle Seahawks receiver was watching the ESPN award show and saw the nominees for Best Male Athlete. In addition to eventual winner Dirk Nowitzki, the nominees included an old friend of ours: Jimmie Johnson.
Tate responded the way lots of people respond to such news these days. He sent out a message on Twitter:
"Jimmy Johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo .. Driving a car does not show athleticism"
Of course, Tate later erased that message from his Twitter page. (That's one of the real drawbacks of Twitter. It's too easy to say something and then pretend later that you didn't say it.) But it drew attention to an age-old question: Are NASCAR drivers really athletes?
The Internet took the story and ran with it. They even set up a poll asking its fans whether Tate was right. As of 8 p.m. Thursday night, we NASCAR fans were losing. That's why we need you, the Internet, to come to the defense of Johnson and all his fellow NASCAR drivers. If it's not too late, visit that poll, and see if we can't turn it around.
As for Mr. Tate and his comparison of athletes, we can offer this from a fantasy perspective. As of Thursday, Jimmie Johnson is sixth in Yahoo fantasy points among Sprint Cup drivers. Last season, Tate ranked 120th in ESPN fantasy points among wide receivers.
So we've got this going for us; Johnson is a better fantasy athlete than Tate.
Oh, and once you're down turning that poll around, don't forget to vote in the polls for the People's Pitstop lineup. We need to set our lineup on Thursday night, so please vote now.
We'll be back with the results.
But that's OK; Golden Tate watched enough of it for all of us.
The young Seattle Seahawks receiver was watching the ESPN award show and saw the nominees for Best Male Athlete. In addition to eventual winner Dirk Nowitzki, the nominees included an old friend of ours: Jimmie Johnson.
Tate responded the way lots of people respond to such news these days. He sent out a message on Twitter:
"Jimmy Johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo .. Driving a car does not show athleticism"
Of course, Tate later erased that message from his Twitter page. (That's one of the real drawbacks of Twitter. It's too easy to say something and then pretend later that you didn't say it.) But it drew attention to an age-old question: Are NASCAR drivers really athletes?
The Internet took the story and ran with it. They even set up a poll asking its fans whether Tate was right. As of 8 p.m. Thursday night, we NASCAR fans were losing. That's why we need you, the Internet, to come to the defense of Johnson and all his fellow NASCAR drivers. If it's not too late, visit that poll, and see if we can't turn it around.
As for Mr. Tate and his comparison of athletes, we can offer this from a fantasy perspective. As of Thursday, Jimmie Johnson is sixth in Yahoo fantasy points among Sprint Cup drivers. Last season, Tate ranked 120th in ESPN fantasy points among wide receivers.
So we've got this going for us; Johnson is a better fantasy athlete than Tate.
Oh, and once you're down turning that poll around, don't forget to vote in the polls for the People's Pitstop lineup. We need to set our lineup on Thursday night, so please vote now.
We'll be back with the results.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The People's Choice - Conference/Super Bowl Rounds
You, the Internet, have stepped up to the plate and helped the People's Playoffs pick its lineup for the final two rounds of the ESPN Gridiron Playoff Challenge. Our roster locks once the NFC Championship game starts, and it will stay locked all the way through the Super Bowl. The Internet's favorite playoff fantasy football team needs to make up a deficit against the Jersey Mob for control of the 9beersfantasysportstavern group. Here are the players who will help us do it.
Quarterback: In the NFC slot, we have a familiar face. Aaron Rodgers will start for the third -- and fourth -- straight week. On the AFC side, we have a newcomer (to our squad, not to the playoffs): Ben Roethlisberger.
Running back: Both our running backs from the previous round were eliminated, so we have two fresh faces here. From the AFC, we have Rashard Mendenhall. From the NFC, we have the Green Bay Packers rookie James Starks. By contrast ...
Wide receiver: Continuity carried the day in these polls. Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace keep their starting spots from last week.
Tight end: We had a nice run with Todd Heap, but the Pittsburgh Steelers stopped it dead in its tracks. It's appropriate, then, that Heath Miller of the Steelers take his place in our lineup.
Defense/special teams: Yes, there are questions about how effective Troy Polamalu will be this week. But that didn't stop you from selecting the Steelers to take over where the Baltimore Ravens left off.
Kicker: An incumbent has been unseated. Nick Folk was available to you, but you decided you didn't trust the New York Jets kicking game at Heinz Field. You went instead with Mason Crosby, who gets the relatively stable conditions at Soldier Field.
If you haven't noticed already, our lineup is filled with Packers and Steelers. If both teams make the Super Bowl, we'll be able to make a real splash. If the Jets and the Chicago Bears prevail ... well, at least we'll have time to discuss what's been going on in NASCAR.
The poll results appear below, and another Super Bowl poll is now available for voting. Enjoy the games!
[polldaddy poll=4427870] [polldaddy poll=4427874] [polldaddy poll=4427878] [polldaddy poll=4427884] [polldaddy poll=4427887] [polldaddy poll=4427895] [polldaddy poll=4427905] [polldaddy poll=4427913] [polldaddy poll=4427916]
Quarterback: In the NFC slot, we have a familiar face. Aaron Rodgers will start for the third -- and fourth -- straight week. On the AFC side, we have a newcomer (to our squad, not to the playoffs): Ben Roethlisberger.
Running back: Both our running backs from the previous round were eliminated, so we have two fresh faces here. From the AFC, we have Rashard Mendenhall. From the NFC, we have the Green Bay Packers rookie James Starks. By contrast ...
Wide receiver: Continuity carried the day in these polls. Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace keep their starting spots from last week.
Tight end: We had a nice run with Todd Heap, but the Pittsburgh Steelers stopped it dead in its tracks. It's appropriate, then, that Heath Miller of the Steelers take his place in our lineup.
Defense/special teams: Yes, there are questions about how effective Troy Polamalu will be this week. But that didn't stop you from selecting the Steelers to take over where the Baltimore Ravens left off.
Kicker: An incumbent has been unseated. Nick Folk was available to you, but you decided you didn't trust the New York Jets kicking game at Heinz Field. You went instead with Mason Crosby, who gets the relatively stable conditions at Soldier Field.
If you haven't noticed already, our lineup is filled with Packers and Steelers. If both teams make the Super Bowl, we'll be able to make a real splash. If the Jets and the Chicago Bears prevail ... well, at least we'll have time to discuss what's been going on in NASCAR.
The poll results appear below, and another Super Bowl poll is now available for voting. Enjoy the games!
[polldaddy poll=4427870] [polldaddy poll=4427874] [polldaddy poll=4427878] [polldaddy poll=4427884] [polldaddy poll=4427887] [polldaddy poll=4427895] [polldaddy poll=4427905] [polldaddy poll=4427913] [polldaddy poll=4427916]
Friday, January 21, 2011
Quick Update, Fresh Polls
Rather than continuing to wait for Rex Ryan to say something provocative about the Pittsburgh Steelers, we'll catch you up on how the People's Playoffs are faring. The Internet's favorite playoff fantasy football team had a rough divisional round, scoring only 108 points and falling to second place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern group standings with a total score of only 221. We now trail the Jersey Mob (hopefully not that one) by 29 points.
Here's a quick statistical breakdown of our divisional round roster.
Tom Brady, QB: 29 of 45 passing for 299 yards, 2 rushes for 2 yards, 2 touchdowns and 19 fantasy points.
Aaron Rodgers, QB: 31 of 36 passing for 366 yards and 3 touchdowns, 2 rushes for 13 yards and 1 touchdown and 33 fantasy points.
Ray Rice, RB: 12 rushes for 32 yards, 7 receptions for 32 yards, 1 touchdown and 12 fantasy points.
Michael Turner, RB: 10 rushes, 39 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points.
Mike Wallace, WR: 3 receptions for 20 yards, 2 rushes for minus-2 yards and 2 fantasy points.
Greg Jennings, WR: 8 receptions, 101 yards and 10 fantasy points.
Todd Heap, TE: 3 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 touchdown.
Nick Folk, K: 4 extra points and 4 fantasy points.
Baltimore Ravens, D/ST: 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 defensive touchdown, 31 points allowed and 9 fantasy points.
Now that you know how we got here, it's time to discuss where we go from here. The conference championship games are Sunday afternoon, and we need to fill a roster. Unfortunately, ESPN rules state that the rosters will freeze after the conference championships. The team we pick this week will also represent the People's Playoffs at the Super Bowl. Therefore, our polls are constructed a little differently this time around. The quarterback, running back and wide receiver polls are divided into NFC and AFC spots, in order to maximize the chances of having players who will still be playing in two weeks.
Feel free to vote now, and feel free to encourage your friends, neighbors and acquaintances to do the same. We'll be back with some predictions.
Here's a quick statistical breakdown of our divisional round roster.
Tom Brady, QB: 29 of 45 passing for 299 yards, 2 rushes for 2 yards, 2 touchdowns and 19 fantasy points.
Aaron Rodgers, QB: 31 of 36 passing for 366 yards and 3 touchdowns, 2 rushes for 13 yards and 1 touchdown and 33 fantasy points.
Ray Rice, RB: 12 rushes for 32 yards, 7 receptions for 32 yards, 1 touchdown and 12 fantasy points.
Michael Turner, RB: 10 rushes, 39 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points.
Mike Wallace, WR: 3 receptions for 20 yards, 2 rushes for minus-2 yards and 2 fantasy points.
Greg Jennings, WR: 8 receptions, 101 yards and 10 fantasy points.
Todd Heap, TE: 3 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 touchdown.
Nick Folk, K: 4 extra points and 4 fantasy points.
Baltimore Ravens, D/ST: 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 defensive touchdown, 31 points allowed and 9 fantasy points.
Now that you know how we got here, it's time to discuss where we go from here. The conference championship games are Sunday afternoon, and we need to fill a roster. Unfortunately, ESPN rules state that the rosters will freeze after the conference championships. The team we pick this week will also represent the People's Playoffs at the Super Bowl. Therefore, our polls are constructed a little differently this time around. The quarterback, running back and wide receiver polls are divided into NFC and AFC spots, in order to maximize the chances of having players who will still be playing in two weeks.
Feel free to vote now, and feel free to encourage your friends, neighbors and acquaintances to do the same. We'll be back with some predictions.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Fearless Wild Card Predictions
There's still time for you to vote on which players the People's Playoffs will field in the wild card round of ESPN's Gridiron Playoff Challenge. Our goal is to dominate the 9beersfantasysportstaven group in this postseason fantasy football game.
Speaking of the postseason, it's time to offer a peek at what will happen on Saturday and Sunday in the wild card games. The Week 17 predictions for the People's League (including picks for that week and overall results) went 5-5, leaving us with a final season record of 59-36.
Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints. When we last saw Matt Hasselbeck, he was straining his hip running into the end zone. And we're supposed to believe he's ready to face a New Orleans Saints team that has to be ticked off they're flying across the country to visit a 7-9 team. And it won't matter if they bring back Archie Manning to play halfback; the Saints should make short work of the Seahawks. And the sooner we all forget that a 7-9 team won its division, the better off we'll all be.
New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts. Let's discuss the recent Jets arrivals. Rex Ryan has spent most of the last two seasons running his mouth. LaDainian Tomlinson has spent the last few postseasons sulking. And Mark Sanchez...well, this pretty much sums it up. No, the Colts won't find this game easy, but it is undoubtedly winnable for Peyton Manning and Company. The Jets' road ends here.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs are not exactly charging full-speed ahead into the playoffs. Matt Cassel has been sacked nine times and thrown three picks in the last three weeks alone. Last week, the Oakland Raiders -- a team that would show its coach the door days later -- tossed the Chiefs around like rag dolls. Ray Lewis can still dominate a team like that, even if he does look ridiculous in his commercials. Look for the Ravens to manhandle the Chiefs.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers. This one is probably the hardest game to call. Is Michael Vick fully healed from that thigh injury? Can Green Bay find enough of a running game to keep the Eagles defenders honest? Did Andy Reid have one of his coaches explain to his quarterbacks how the new overtime rules work? So many questions, but only one answer: fantasy football. And since this game does feature fantasy football's 2010 Most Valuable Player, we have to go with him. The Eagles should find a way to win at Lambeau Field.
Remember to get your votes in before the lineup polls close Saturday. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Fantasy Football: Playoff Edition
Those of you who thought that your fantasy duties with this site expired when the Fighting Amish beat the People's Pigskin for a league title were wrong. So wrong.
That's because one of the newest developments in the fantasy sports world is the rise of fantasy playoff games. Lots of sites have them, including ESPN, which is running a Gridiron Playoff Challenge. The idea is to form a team (2 quarterbacks, 2 running backs, 2 receivers, a tight end, a defense/special team and a kicker) while adhering to a fictional salary cap. The team that compiles the most fantasy points between now and the end of the Super Bowl wins. It's simple, unlike the overtime rules.
The people who bring you this wonderful Web site have set up a Gridiron Playoff Challenge team called the People's Playoffs. We'll compete in the 9beersfantasysportstaven group (and others, if we're invited). And once again, we need you, the Internet, to pick our lineup. The polls are now open in the usual place and will remain open through Saturday morning.
Please note that this week's polls include only players in wild card games. We'll get no points this week from the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers or New England Patriots (not even this guy). And please feel free to vote now.
That's because one of the newest developments in the fantasy sports world is the rise of fantasy playoff games. Lots of sites have them, including ESPN, which is running a Gridiron Playoff Challenge. The idea is to form a team (2 quarterbacks, 2 running backs, 2 receivers, a tight end, a defense/special team and a kicker) while adhering to a fictional salary cap. The team that compiles the most fantasy points between now and the end of the Super Bowl wins. It's simple, unlike the overtime rules.
The people who bring you this wonderful Web site have set up a Gridiron Playoff Challenge team called the People's Playoffs. We'll compete in the 9beersfantasysportstaven group (and others, if we're invited). And once again, we need you, the Internet, to pick our lineup. The polls are now open in the usual place and will remain open through Saturday morning.
Please note that this week's polls include only players in wild card games. We'll get no points this week from the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers or New England Patriots (not even this guy). And please feel free to vote now.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Reviewing the Previews (Again)
By now, every fantasy football player is looking back at the season and wondering how everything went so wrong (or, in cases like the Fighting Amish, so right). One popular question: Did I get my advice from a bad source?
In this post, we look back at the predictions offered by four preseason fantasy preview magazines and consider whether they did any better than you would have fared picking your team this way.
QUARTERBACKS
Top 10 (in standard ESPN leagues): Michael Vick, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Josh Freeman, Matt Schaub, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco.
How the previews fared: There was amazing fidelity among the magazines at this position; nine quarterbacks appeared in all four previews' top 10 lists. ESPN and Fantasy League Football had Flacco in the top 10 and got seven players right. USA Today and the Sporting News substituted Eli Manning for Flacco and got six players right.
What happened: All the magazines thought that Tony Romo would stay healthy and that Mike Martz would at least try to keep Jay Cutler upright all season. And at this point, the less said about Brett Favre, the better.
RUNNING BACKS
Top 10 (actually, 11, because two players tied for 10th): Arian Foster, Adrian Peterson, Peyton Hillis, Darren McFadden, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Chris Johnson, Michael Turner, Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Rashard Mendenhall.
How the previews fared: It's as if they called each other before their printer deadline to exchange notes. The ESPN, Sporting News and Fantasy League Football previews got the same six players right (Johnson, Peterson, Jones-Drew, Rice, Turner and Mendenhall). USA Today missed on Mendenhall but had the other five players.
What happened: All four magazines showed too much faith in the bones and sinew of DeAngelo Williams and Frank Gore, and they all thought the St. Louis Rams would continue to ride on Steven Jackson's shoulders.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Top 10: Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Lloyd, Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson, Roddy White, Mike Wallace, Hakeem Nicks, Andre Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Steve Johnson.
How the previews fared: Not well. USA Today got two players right (White and Andre Johnson). Fantasy League Football got those two plus DeSean Jackson. The other two previews got those three players plus Calvin Johnson.
What happened: Let's see ... Randy Moss was traded AND cut by different teams. Miles Austin and Larry Fitzgerald played on teams that tanked. Sidney Rice had migraines. And Reggie Wayne -- who, to be fair, missed the top 10 by two points -- lost a boatload of teammates to injury.
TIGHT ENDS
Top 10 (again, we go to 11 because of a tie): Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis, Marcedes Lewis, Kellen Winslow, Chris Cooley, Rob Gronkowski, Dustin Keller, Aaron Hernandez, Zach Miller, Brandon Pettigrew.
How the previews fared: More fidelity. The Sporting News and Fantasy League Football got the same four players right (Gates, Davis, Witten and Winslow). USA Today got those four and added Miller. ESPN got those four and added Cooley.
What happened: Everyone in the Western world expected Dallas Clark to be the top tight end again. All four previews also expected stellar performances from Brent Celek and Tony Gonzalez. (Remember: You don't have to be a top-performing tight end to make the Pro Bowl.)
KICKERS
Top 10: Sebastian Janikowski, David Akers, Matt Bryant, Josh Brown, Dan Carpenter, Adam Vinatieri, Neil Rackers, David Buehler, Nick Folk, Jay Feely.
How the previews fared: Each preview got two players right. No preview picked Vinatieri, which is understandable, since it's not like he's ever made a big kick or anything.
What happened: Predicting kickers is always a crapshoot, but all four previews swung and missed on Nate Kaeding, Stephen Gostkowski, Ryan Longwell, Rob Bironas, Mason Crosby and Garrett Hartley.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Top 10: Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns.
How the previews fared: All four previews hit on the Jets, Packers, Ravens and Steelers. Fantasy League Football made it five right with the Patriots. The Sporting News made it six right with the Bears and Titans.
What happened: Too much confidence in teams that either fired the head coach in midseason (Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings) or let the coach's contract expire at the end of the season (Cincinnati Bengals).
We'll be back with some news about postseason fantasy football.
In this post, we look back at the predictions offered by four preseason fantasy preview magazines and consider whether they did any better than you would have fared picking your team this way.
QUARTERBACKS
Top 10 (in standard ESPN leagues): Michael Vick, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Josh Freeman, Matt Schaub, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco.
How the previews fared: There was amazing fidelity among the magazines at this position; nine quarterbacks appeared in all four previews' top 10 lists. ESPN and Fantasy League Football had Flacco in the top 10 and got seven players right. USA Today and the Sporting News substituted Eli Manning for Flacco and got six players right.
What happened: All the magazines thought that Tony Romo would stay healthy and that Mike Martz would at least try to keep Jay Cutler upright all season. And at this point, the less said about Brett Favre, the better.
RUNNING BACKS
Top 10 (actually, 11, because two players tied for 10th): Arian Foster, Adrian Peterson, Peyton Hillis, Darren McFadden, Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Chris Johnson, Michael Turner, Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Rashard Mendenhall.
How the previews fared: It's as if they called each other before their printer deadline to exchange notes. The ESPN, Sporting News and Fantasy League Football previews got the same six players right (Johnson, Peterson, Jones-Drew, Rice, Turner and Mendenhall). USA Today missed on Mendenhall but had the other five players.
What happened: All four magazines showed too much faith in the bones and sinew of DeAngelo Williams and Frank Gore, and they all thought the St. Louis Rams would continue to ride on Steven Jackson's shoulders.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Top 10: Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Lloyd, Greg Jennings, Calvin Johnson, Roddy White, Mike Wallace, Hakeem Nicks, Andre Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Steve Johnson.
How the previews fared: Not well. USA Today got two players right (White and Andre Johnson). Fantasy League Football got those two plus DeSean Jackson. The other two previews got those three players plus Calvin Johnson.
What happened: Let's see ... Randy Moss was traded AND cut by different teams. Miles Austin and Larry Fitzgerald played on teams that tanked. Sidney Rice had migraines. And Reggie Wayne -- who, to be fair, missed the top 10 by two points -- lost a boatload of teammates to injury.
TIGHT ENDS
Top 10 (again, we go to 11 because of a tie): Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis, Marcedes Lewis, Kellen Winslow, Chris Cooley, Rob Gronkowski, Dustin Keller, Aaron Hernandez, Zach Miller, Brandon Pettigrew.
How the previews fared: More fidelity. The Sporting News and Fantasy League Football got the same four players right (Gates, Davis, Witten and Winslow). USA Today got those four and added Miller. ESPN got those four and added Cooley.
What happened: Everyone in the Western world expected Dallas Clark to be the top tight end again. All four previews also expected stellar performances from Brent Celek and Tony Gonzalez. (Remember: You don't have to be a top-performing tight end to make the Pro Bowl.)
KICKERS
Top 10: Sebastian Janikowski, David Akers, Matt Bryant, Josh Brown, Dan Carpenter, Adam Vinatieri, Neil Rackers, David Buehler, Nick Folk, Jay Feely.
How the previews fared: Each preview got two players right. No preview picked Vinatieri, which is understandable, since it's not like he's ever made a big kick or anything.
What happened: Predicting kickers is always a crapshoot, but all four previews swung and missed on Nate Kaeding, Stephen Gostkowski, Ryan Longwell, Rob Bironas, Mason Crosby and Garrett Hartley.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Top 10: Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns.
How the previews fared: All four previews hit on the Jets, Packers, Ravens and Steelers. Fantasy League Football made it five right with the Patriots. The Sporting News made it six right with the Bears and Titans.
What happened: Too much confidence in teams that either fired the head coach in midseason (Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings) or let the coach's contract expire at the end of the season (Cincinnati Bengals).
We'll be back with some news about postseason fantasy football.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The People's Pigskin, Season Two
The fantasy football democracy experiment is back!
Yes, the People's Pigskin will try to improve on last season's fifth-place performance by renewing its effort to rule the gridiron with the help of you, the Internet. This year, we have formed a public league, the People's League, for the People's Pigskin and nine other teams. Here are the details.
Rules: We will use the standard ESPN rules, which you can peruse here.
Draft: A live draft is scheduled for Sunday, September 5, at 9 p.m. Eastern. Yes, you may have to turn your heads away from Jerry Lewis for a little while, but he'll still be there when we're finished.
Democracy: The People's Pigskin will determine its lineup and make other decisions on the basis of regular polls like the ones to the right of this post. (While you're here, feel free to vote on them.) Other teams will make decisions for themselves about their lineups, and they are free to use any method they see fit.
If you'd like to compete against the People's Pigskin and have your matchup featured in the weekly fearless predictions, join the People's League now. We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.
Yes, the People's Pigskin will try to improve on last season's fifth-place performance by renewing its effort to rule the gridiron with the help of you, the Internet. This year, we have formed a public league, the People's League, for the People's Pigskin and nine other teams. Here are the details.
Rules: We will use the standard ESPN rules, which you can peruse here.
Draft: A live draft is scheduled for Sunday, September 5, at 9 p.m. Eastern. Yes, you may have to turn your heads away from Jerry Lewis for a little while, but he'll still be there when we're finished.
Democracy: The People's Pigskin will determine its lineup and make other decisions on the basis of regular polls like the ones to the right of this post. (While you're here, feel free to vote on them.) Other teams will make decisions for themselves about their lineups, and they are free to use any method they see fit.
If you'd like to compete against the People's Pigskin and have your matchup featured in the weekly fearless predictions, join the People's League now. We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Deflecting Bill Simmons' Rocks
The people who put together the People's Pigskin have been fans of Bill Simmons (aka "The Sports Guy") since he was writing over at Digital City. In fact, if you've missed any of his Vegas journals, you owe it to yourself to take a look at them in his archive.
You'll also find plenty of columns about fantasy football. Today, under the headline "Throwing rocks in fantasy football pool," Simmons offered his latest plan for shaking up a game where "We do things pretty much exactly the same way" as we did a decade ago. It's funny how chess is essentially the same game it was when Benjamin Franklin was playing it, but fantasy football needs an update.
Most of Simmons' column is as funny and insightful as anything he's ever published, even if it does come close to violating his own "150-minute rule" (if you're going to spend more than that much time on anything, you better have a rock-solid reason). However, his recommendations for shaking up fantasy football leave something to be desired. Here are the main recommendations, along with some counterpoints.
1. "Everyone agrees on a Universal Fantasy System"
Longtime readers of the People's Pigskin may have already figured out that I enjoy beer. In fact, I prefer beers on the Guinness end of the spectrum. However, I'm not arrogant enough to expect everyone to like Guinness as much as I do. You might think it is too bitter for human consumption. That's fine. I'll sip my Guinness and allow you to drink your Coors Light (which I wouldn't drink if my esophagus were on fire), and we'll both have a good time. That's why any bar worthy of the name has more than one beer tap.
It's the same way with fantasy football. So far this summer, I've signed up for three fantasy leagues, and I plan to sign up for at least one more. (More details on that in a later post.) I like having choices about how teams are set up, how points are distributed and how ties and championships are determined. Making everyone play the same way wouldn't help fantasy football. It would stifle innovation.
2. "Everyone switches to an auction format"
To continue the beer metaphor, liking Guinness doesn't stop me from sampling new beers. Likewise, I've never been part of an auction draft, but I wouldn't mind trying one out. One reason: "Someone like Chris Johnson goes to the highest bidder instead of someone who just lucked out by pulling an ace from a deck of cards."
3. "Keepers"
Simmons recommends a system that would allow fantasy players to keep some of their players for up to four seasons at a time. You have to pay a little more each year -- this recommendation is based on an auction draft -- and after season 2, you have to decide whether to keep the player for the next two seasons. (No dropping the player after season 3.) If only the New York Jets could to this.
4. "Safe words"
Simmons wants us to pick a word to shout out to stop someone from telling a boring fantasy story. Not only do I agree with him on this, but I'm one step ahead of him. I already have a word for such situations. I find that "SHUTTHE****UP" works just fine.
5. "Menage A Trois Week"
No, Simmons has not been sharing ideas with Kim Kardashian again. He's suggesting that several weeks of the fantasy season should feature matchups involving three teams instead of two. You versus two opponents, with one team getting a win and two teams getting a loss.
One problem: Fantasy players don't need yet another way to lose. The Brian Westbrooks of the world are giving us enough opportunities to lose needlessly as it is.
6. "The Backgammon Cube"
I'm not even going to try to explain this idea, except to say that it involves both escalating double-or-nothing bets and the chance to concede the week's matches before they're over. And to say that it's a way to drive any league's commissioner to slit his/her wrists.
The best conclusion to draw from all this: If ESPN.com is featuring something like this on its front page, how long can it be until we're watching games that count?
By the way, the lineup polls will close soon. Please vote now. We'll be back with the results.
You'll also find plenty of columns about fantasy football. Today, under the headline "Throwing rocks in fantasy football pool," Simmons offered his latest plan for shaking up a game where "We do things pretty much exactly the same way" as we did a decade ago. It's funny how chess is essentially the same game it was when Benjamin Franklin was playing it, but fantasy football needs an update.
Most of Simmons' column is as funny and insightful as anything he's ever published, even if it does come close to violating his own "150-minute rule" (if you're going to spend more than that much time on anything, you better have a rock-solid reason). However, his recommendations for shaking up fantasy football leave something to be desired. Here are the main recommendations, along with some counterpoints.
1. "Everyone agrees on a Universal Fantasy System"
Longtime readers of the People's Pigskin may have already figured out that I enjoy beer. In fact, I prefer beers on the Guinness end of the spectrum. However, I'm not arrogant enough to expect everyone to like Guinness as much as I do. You might think it is too bitter for human consumption. That's fine. I'll sip my Guinness and allow you to drink your Coors Light (which I wouldn't drink if my esophagus were on fire), and we'll both have a good time. That's why any bar worthy of the name has more than one beer tap.
It's the same way with fantasy football. So far this summer, I've signed up for three fantasy leagues, and I plan to sign up for at least one more. (More details on that in a later post.) I like having choices about how teams are set up, how points are distributed and how ties and championships are determined. Making everyone play the same way wouldn't help fantasy football. It would stifle innovation.
2. "Everyone switches to an auction format"
To continue the beer metaphor, liking Guinness doesn't stop me from sampling new beers. Likewise, I've never been part of an auction draft, but I wouldn't mind trying one out. One reason: "Someone like Chris Johnson goes to the highest bidder instead of someone who just lucked out by pulling an ace from a deck of cards."
3. "Keepers"
Simmons recommends a system that would allow fantasy players to keep some of their players for up to four seasons at a time. You have to pay a little more each year -- this recommendation is based on an auction draft -- and after season 2, you have to decide whether to keep the player for the next two seasons. (No dropping the player after season 3.) If only the New York Jets could to this.
4. "Safe words"
Simmons wants us to pick a word to shout out to stop someone from telling a boring fantasy story. Not only do I agree with him on this, but I'm one step ahead of him. I already have a word for such situations. I find that "SHUTTHE****UP" works just fine.
5. "Menage A Trois Week"
No, Simmons has not been sharing ideas with Kim Kardashian again. He's suggesting that several weeks of the fantasy season should feature matchups involving three teams instead of two. You versus two opponents, with one team getting a win and two teams getting a loss.
One problem: Fantasy players don't need yet another way to lose. The Brian Westbrooks of the world are giving us enough opportunities to lose needlessly as it is.
6. "The Backgammon Cube"
I'm not even going to try to explain this idea, except to say that it involves both escalating double-or-nothing bets and the chance to concede the week's matches before they're over. And to say that it's a way to drive any league's commissioner to slit his/her wrists.
The best conclusion to draw from all this: If ESPN.com is featuring something like this on its front page, how long can it be until we're watching games that count?
By the way, the lineup polls will close soon. Please vote now. We'll be back with the results.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The People's Facts - Brickyard 400
This week, thanks to a Saturday qualifying session, you have until Friday night to cast your votes for the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the season's first NASCAR Sprint Cup race on ESPN (although the whole Decision affair has taken a little of the shine off that rose). To help you, the Internet, make your decisions, it's time to tell you about this week's site.
Track basics: If you really need us to introduce you to this track...
Recent winners: Jimmie Johnson (2009), Jimmie Johnson again (2008), Tony Stewart (2007)
Who wins here a lot: For this, we're not going to count wins in an open-wheel car, impressive though that might be. In terms of NASCAR Sprint Cup wins at Indianapolis, Jeff Gordon leads the way with four, followed by Johnson with three and Stewart with two.
Yes, we still cover fantasy football, too. That's why it's always nice when football and NASCAR merge smoothly like traffic at an on ramp. When the folks running this week's race needed a grand marshal, they turned to someone who already holds a special place in the hearts of many readers of this blog: Dallas Clark. Yes, the man who has inspired the eternal question "How the @$#%^ can they count him as a tight end?" will drop the green flag. And many of you will be hoping that's the last thing he drops until mid-February.
As always, our good friends at Yahoo Sports, in addition to doing their best to turn NASCAR into soccer, have compiled this handy fantasy racing guide for this week's race. Feel free to peruse it while you make your decision about our polls. You can also feel free to vote now. Either way, we'll be back.
Track basics: If you really need us to introduce you to this track...
Recent winners: Jimmie Johnson (2009), Jimmie Johnson again (2008), Tony Stewart (2007)
Who wins here a lot: For this, we're not going to count wins in an open-wheel car, impressive though that might be. In terms of NASCAR Sprint Cup wins at Indianapolis, Jeff Gordon leads the way with four, followed by Johnson with three and Stewart with two.
Yes, we still cover fantasy football, too. That's why it's always nice when football and NASCAR merge smoothly like traffic at an on ramp. When the folks running this week's race needed a grand marshal, they turned to someone who already holds a special place in the hearts of many readers of this blog: Dallas Clark. Yes, the man who has inspired the eternal question "How the @$#%^ can they count him as a tight end?" will drop the green flag. And many of you will be hoping that's the last thing he drops until mid-February.
As always, our good friends at Yahoo Sports, in addition to doing their best to turn NASCAR into soccer, have compiled this handy fantasy racing guide for this week's race. Feel free to peruse it while you make your decision about our polls. You can also feel free to vote now. Either way, we'll be back.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Now, Where Were We?
Sorry about the delay in posts. I was busy helping Tim McCarver find his airbrush. (Besides, if the Sprint Cup can take a random week off in July, so can the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team, right?)
Anyway, last week the People's Pitstop racked up only 269 points at Chicagoland Speedway. That leaves us with a season total of 5,070, good enough for 53,004th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us another 6 spots, to 63rd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Yes, there are people having a worse time than us. Johnny Jolly, for instance.
Here is a more detailed breakdown.
Jeff Gordon: Started 6th, finished 3rd, 47 laps led and 96 fantasy points, including the 10 bonus points for leading a lap. You just get the feeling it's only a matter of time before he shakes that winless streak.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 25th, finished 23rd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 46 fantasy points. Well, at least he can still make kids' wishes come true. I guess no kid has wished for Dale to win a Sprint Cup race yet.
Jeff Burton: Started 14th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. Again, all that's missing is the ability to take the lead, even in Sporting News polls.
Sam Hornish Jr.: Started 5th, finished 24th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Too bad there aren't any fantasy points for having NASCAR randomly select your car for postrace inspection.
(And for you math majors, the weekly total also includes 5 points for Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second but was benched in favor of Gordon.)
This week, NASCAR heads a place where certain drivers should feel quite comfortable: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It also heads to the Walt Disney family of networks. To celebrate, this week we have the usual lineup polls and a bonus TV poll. Please feel free to vote now. The results from the Chase poll appear below.
Also, this week you'll notice that Jeff Burton's name has a note attached. Mr. Burton may only start one more race for the People's Pitstop. Vote wisely.
[polldaddy poll=3447975]
Anyway, last week the People's Pitstop racked up only 269 points at Chicagoland Speedway. That leaves us with a season total of 5,070, good enough for 53,004th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us another 6 spots, to 63rd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Yes, there are people having a worse time than us. Johnny Jolly, for instance.
Here is a more detailed breakdown.
Jeff Gordon: Started 6th, finished 3rd, 47 laps led and 96 fantasy points, including the 10 bonus points for leading a lap. You just get the feeling it's only a matter of time before he shakes that winless streak.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 25th, finished 23rd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 46 fantasy points. Well, at least he can still make kids' wishes come true. I guess no kid has wished for Dale to win a Sprint Cup race yet.
Jeff Burton: Started 14th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. Again, all that's missing is the ability to take the lead, even in Sporting News polls.
Sam Hornish Jr.: Started 5th, finished 24th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Too bad there aren't any fantasy points for having NASCAR randomly select your car for postrace inspection.
(And for you math majors, the weekly total also includes 5 points for Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second but was benched in favor of Gordon.)
This week, NASCAR heads a place where certain drivers should feel quite comfortable: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It also heads to the Walt Disney family of networks. To celebrate, this week we have the usual lineup polls and a bonus TV poll. Please feel free to vote now. The results from the Chase poll appear below.
Also, this week you'll notice that Jeff Burton's name has a note attached. Mr. Burton may only start one more race for the People's Pitstop. Vote wisely.
[polldaddy poll=3447975]
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The People's Facts - Lenox Industrial Tools 301
Sorry this post didn't get posted sooner. I was waiting for the U.S. to score.
Anyway, you still have time to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Please note that Boris Said is not eligible for your votes this week. (Neither is Danica.) The polls will close Thursday night to allow us to set up a lineup in time for Friday's qualifying session.
In the meantime, here are a few things you need to know about where they're racing this week.
Track basics: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon is just over a mile in length. (The "301" refers to laps, not miles or darts.) It's also one of the flattest tracks in NASCAR; the sharpest banking is 7 degrees. By comparison, next week's track banks as much as 31 degrees.
Recent winners: Joey Logano (2009), Kurt Busch (2008), Denny Hamlin (2007).
Who wins here a lot: Jeff Burton leads active NASCAR drivers with four wins on this track. Just behind him with three apiece: Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon. Yes, that Jeff Gordon.
Why you should vote carefully: A lot can happen between the time you post some fantasy NASCAR polls and the time they actually run the race in question. First, Robby Gordon announced that he would not be driving this week, and that his car, which does not have a sponsor, would start and park at New Hampshire. Then, Bobby Labonte, another driver whose car was in search of a sponsor, announced that he would be leaving TRG Motorsports and would drive Robby's No. 7 car this week.
(Next thing you know, an ESPN analyst will admit to smoking marijuana...)
As always, you can click here to download a handy-dandy guide from the folks at Yahoo Sports. We'll be back.
Anyway, you still have time to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Please note that Boris Said is not eligible for your votes this week. (Neither is Danica.) The polls will close Thursday night to allow us to set up a lineup in time for Friday's qualifying session.
In the meantime, here are a few things you need to know about where they're racing this week.
Track basics: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon is just over a mile in length. (The "301" refers to laps, not miles or darts.) It's also one of the flattest tracks in NASCAR; the sharpest banking is 7 degrees. By comparison, next week's track banks as much as 31 degrees.
Recent winners: Joey Logano (2009), Kurt Busch (2008), Denny Hamlin (2007).
Who wins here a lot: Jeff Burton leads active NASCAR drivers with four wins on this track. Just behind him with three apiece: Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon. Yes, that Jeff Gordon.
Why you should vote carefully: A lot can happen between the time you post some fantasy NASCAR polls and the time they actually run the race in question. First, Robby Gordon announced that he would not be driving this week, and that his car, which does not have a sponsor, would start and park at New Hampshire. Then, Bobby Labonte, another driver whose car was in search of a sponsor, announced that he would be leaving TRG Motorsports and would drive Robby's No. 7 car this week.
(Next thing you know, an ESPN analyst will admit to smoking marijuana...)
As always, you can click here to download a handy-dandy guide from the folks at Yahoo Sports. We'll be back.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Football Preview Review - ESPN
Over the next few weeks, the people who bring you the People's Pigskin will try to get you prepared for fantasy football season by taking a peek at one of the most critical items in your preparation efforts: the fantasy football preview magazines. Today we kick things off with an offering from the "Worldwide Leader."
ESPN Fantasy Football 2010
Vital stats: $7.99 price, 148 pages, 424 offensive and 150 defensive player reviews and one tear-out cheat sheet. (No preview for Domenik Hixon, though. They dodged that bullet.)
Top 10 picks: If you're in a 10-team league, ESPN says the first players that should come off your board are Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, Steven Jackson, Frank Gore, Andre Johnson, Michael Turner, Drew Brees and Randy Moss.
Intriguing nugget: You might have guessed this from the way that top 10 list looks, but the folks in Bristol urge us fantasy players to "bury the Two Stud Running Backs Theory -- the outdated strategy of drafting RBs with your first two picks no matter what." That's because the advent of the two-back system means "fantasy options at that position have grown more plentiful while the scoring output of the middle-tier performers has declined."
Head scratcher: The Connecticut cabal also wants you to exercise caution when drafting a rookie running back. At least, that's what the point seems to be here: "If you're measuring sexy, then rookie running backs rank up there with Jessica Biel and Sofia Vergara. That said, I wouldn't touch Biel or Vergara (or Ryan Mathews) until at least the fifth."
Um...so if you're in a league in which Jessica Biel and Sofia Vergara are legitimate options for your lineup, wouldn't they be gone by, say, the middle of the first round? You're expecting to draft four sexy people before you get around to picking Biel and Vergara? Or are you taking them in the fifth round because you think they could fill in for you at quarterback on your bye week? Um...let's just move on.
Kicker rule obeyed? Every single fantasy football preview issue -- including ESPN's, in two different places -- tells us that kickers should never be drafted until the very last round. And every preview gets its resident "experts" together for a mock draft. Yet in ESPN's 10-team mock draft, the kicker rule is violated by two different "experts." Why? Maybe, like the Situation, the rules don't apply to them.
One more thing: Having over 500 individual players reviewed in your preview magazine seems impressive, until you realize that the stats (like some bras) are padded with items like this in-depth look at Johnnie Lee Higgins of the Oakland Raiders: "Higgins could make waves returning kicks, but with too many wideouts ahead of him, it's a long and winding road to significant offensive touches."
We'll be back with the weekly NASCAR predictions.
ESPN Fantasy Football 2010
Vital stats: $7.99 price, 148 pages, 424 offensive and 150 defensive player reviews and one tear-out cheat sheet. (No preview for Domenik Hixon, though. They dodged that bullet.)
Top 10 picks: If you're in a 10-team league, ESPN says the first players that should come off your board are Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, Steven Jackson, Frank Gore, Andre Johnson, Michael Turner, Drew Brees and Randy Moss.
Intriguing nugget: You might have guessed this from the way that top 10 list looks, but the folks in Bristol urge us fantasy players to "bury the Two Stud Running Backs Theory -- the outdated strategy of drafting RBs with your first two picks no matter what." That's because the advent of the two-back system means "fantasy options at that position have grown more plentiful while the scoring output of the middle-tier performers has declined."
Head scratcher: The Connecticut cabal also wants you to exercise caution when drafting a rookie running back. At least, that's what the point seems to be here: "If you're measuring sexy, then rookie running backs rank up there with Jessica Biel and Sofia Vergara. That said, I wouldn't touch Biel or Vergara (or Ryan Mathews) until at least the fifth."
Um...so if you're in a league in which Jessica Biel and Sofia Vergara are legitimate options for your lineup, wouldn't they be gone by, say, the middle of the first round? You're expecting to draft four sexy people before you get around to picking Biel and Vergara? Or are you taking them in the fifth round because you think they could fill in for you at quarterback on your bye week? Um...let's just move on.
Kicker rule obeyed? Every single fantasy football preview issue -- including ESPN's, in two different places -- tells us that kickers should never be drafted until the very last round. And every preview gets its resident "experts" together for a mock draft. Yet in ESPN's 10-team mock draft, the kicker rule is violated by two different "experts." Why? Maybe, like the Situation, the rules don't apply to them.
One more thing: Having over 500 individual players reviewed in your preview magazine seems impressive, until you realize that the stats (like some bras) are padded with items like this in-depth look at Johnnie Lee Higgins of the Oakland Raiders: "Higgins could make waves returning kicks, but with too many wideouts ahead of him, it's a long and winding road to significant offensive touches."
We'll be back with the weekly NASCAR predictions.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
When Does Football Season Start Again?
If you're a fantasy football fan, the answer is "It's started already! Where have you BEEN?"
Last week the People's Pigskin received an invitation to join a league for the upcoming NFL season. And this week, your local stores have received its first shipment of (drumroll, please) fantasy football preview magazines.
The People's Pigskin will offer some in-depth reviews of the major magazines over the summer. But for now, it's time to ask one major question: Why print your fantasy preview less than a week after Memorial Day? Bear in mind that as I type this:
* Brian Westbrook is still looking for a National Football League team to call home for this season.
* So is Terrell Owens.
* Vincent Jackson has yet to sign his contract tender from the San Diego Chargers and is reportedly making veiled threats about skipping this season altogether.
* And if you have any insight as to what Brett Favre plans to do between now and Christmas, do everyone a favor and let the Minnesota Vikings know, because they don't seem to have the first clue.
Has any of this uncertainty convinced the fantasy "experts" that maybe they should wait to put out their magazines? Here's a snippet from ESPN's fantasy preview, one of the first ones out of the gate, about how their experts compiled their player rankings for the 2010 season:
"A mere two days after the NFL draft, our stable of fantasy experts sequestered themselves in a bright-but-windowless room in Bristol HQ, next door to the 'War Room,' where ESPN's pro analysts gather to watch the games on Sunday."
The NFL draft ended on April 24. That means the ESPN experts were compiling their rankings on April 26 -- a mere four months and two weeks before the start of the regular season.
I'm not saying you should take your brand-spanking-new fantasy previews and use them to mulch your garden. But I am saying that if you take them to your fantasy draft, you should take along a salt shaker, because you may need to take their advice with more than a grain of salt.
We'll be back with a peek at this week's NASCAR venue.
Last week the People's Pigskin received an invitation to join a league for the upcoming NFL season. And this week, your local stores have received its first shipment of (drumroll, please) fantasy football preview magazines.
The People's Pigskin will offer some in-depth reviews of the major magazines over the summer. But for now, it's time to ask one major question: Why print your fantasy preview less than a week after Memorial Day? Bear in mind that as I type this:
* Brian Westbrook is still looking for a National Football League team to call home for this season.
* So is Terrell Owens.
* Vincent Jackson has yet to sign his contract tender from the San Diego Chargers and is reportedly making veiled threats about skipping this season altogether.
* And if you have any insight as to what Brett Favre plans to do between now and Christmas, do everyone a favor and let the Minnesota Vikings know, because they don't seem to have the first clue.
Has any of this uncertainty convinced the fantasy "experts" that maybe they should wait to put out their magazines? Here's a snippet from ESPN's fantasy preview, one of the first ones out of the gate, about how their experts compiled their player rankings for the 2010 season:
"A mere two days after the NFL draft, our stable of fantasy experts sequestered themselves in a bright-but-windowless room in Bristol HQ, next door to the 'War Room,' where ESPN's pro analysts gather to watch the games on Sunday."
The NFL draft ended on April 24. That means the ESPN experts were compiling their rankings on April 26 -- a mere four months and two weeks before the start of the regular season.
I'm not saying you should take your brand-spanking-new fantasy previews and use them to mulch your garden. But I am saying that if you take them to your fantasy draft, you should take along a salt shaker, because you may need to take their advice with more than a grain of salt.
We'll be back with a peek at this week's NASCAR venue.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Saturday Afternoon Reading
There's still time to vote in the polls about our lineup, the waiver wire pickup and your favorite type of fantasy football trophy.
In the meantime, there's a very good football game on the schedule: Army vs. Navy in Philadelphia. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. EST on CBS. There are no Heisman Trophy candidates here, and nobody is going to argue for putting either team in the mix for a national championship. However, there are many reasons to make time in your schedule for this game (other than the "I need a football fix right bleeping now" reason). Here's one: The players on the field and their classmates in the stands take the "going pro in something other than sports" concept to a whole new level.
And while you're waiting for that game to kick off, here are some links to ponder.
Is it too soon for fantasy nostalgia? For those of us who can only fantasize about what it would be like to be a playoff contender right now, the folks at Yahoo's Roto Arcade blog offer some Decembers to Remember: a list of the top "fantasy football playoff runs" from the past decade. Number 1 on the list: Drew Bennett and Billy Volek putting up monster numbers in two December games for the 2004 Tennessee Titans. "They're the patron saints of Scrubs Gone Wild in the fantasy playoffs."
It's a fun list, unless you remember being bumped out of your playoffs by one of these performances. If that's the case, the list may make you want to do this.
That's it -- let the anger out. The People's Pigskin was not the only fantasy football team burned when Steve Slaton was inactivated for the season with a nerve injury. A fellow WordPress blogger, Second String Fullback, offers some not-so-pleasant thoughts on the matter. (And by "not-so-pleasant," I mean "not-so-G-rated.")
I can't believe I picked up Carrie Underwood in the third round. Yes, Virginia, you can set up fantasy leagues for anything. Sony is offering a Fantasy Festival application that lets you set up a league where you and your friends try to assemble the ultimate music festival. The grand prize: "four 'money can't buy' tickets (including VIP accommodation, flights and spending money) to one of Europe's best festivals." (Thanks to Converge Technologies for the assist on this one.)
I guess someone's watching. Remember that TV show "The League" about a group of friends in a fantasy football league? Well, FX must have liked what it saw from this show, because it is getting a second season. And this is in spite of (or perhaps because of) reviews like this one from YourTango that call the show a "moap opera" (short for "men's soap opera") and say it is "a relationship show in macho clothing."
By the way, has anyone out there actually watched the show? If you have, would you mind confirming whether it's about football as opposed to, say, what fantasy owners think of their significant others?
Things that make fans go "Hmmm." Christopher Harris, the top fantasy football expert on ESPN.com, breaks down every NFL game from a fantasy perspective in his essential column "The Breakdown." In this week's version, Harris has something very interesting to say about that Robert Meachem play from last week in which the Washington Redskins intercepted a pass and Meachem stripped the ball from the defender and scored a touchdown.
"Thanks, Mr. Meachem. True, your tying 53-yarder was a thing of beauty (and an unforgivably stupid play by LaRon Landry), but that stripped fumble of a Kareem Moore interception return and subsequent touchdown set off a fantasy firestorm. For the record, Meachem got credited for a fumble-recovery touchdown, and the Saints' defense got credited with a fumble recovery (but not a touchdown). There's no perfect way to score freak plays like that. We felt the way we scored it was the fairest thing we could do."
The most interested word in that passage? "We." Harris probably meant "we" in the "I am part of the ESPN family that made the decision" sense, but it also can be read as if he meant he personally had a hand in scoring that play. (Experts making predictions about games and then deciding how those games are scored? Talk about your conflict of interests.)
Anyway, there's still time to vote on our polls. We'll be back Sunday with a pregame update.
In the meantime, there's a very good football game on the schedule: Army vs. Navy in Philadelphia. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. EST on CBS. There are no Heisman Trophy candidates here, and nobody is going to argue for putting either team in the mix for a national championship. However, there are many reasons to make time in your schedule for this game (other than the "I need a football fix right bleeping now" reason). Here's one: The players on the field and their classmates in the stands take the "going pro in something other than sports" concept to a whole new level.
And while you're waiting for that game to kick off, here are some links to ponder.
Is it too soon for fantasy nostalgia? For those of us who can only fantasize about what it would be like to be a playoff contender right now, the folks at Yahoo's Roto Arcade blog offer some Decembers to Remember: a list of the top "fantasy football playoff runs" from the past decade. Number 1 on the list: Drew Bennett and Billy Volek putting up monster numbers in two December games for the 2004 Tennessee Titans. "They're the patron saints of Scrubs Gone Wild in the fantasy playoffs."
It's a fun list, unless you remember being bumped out of your playoffs by one of these performances. If that's the case, the list may make you want to do this.
That's it -- let the anger out. The People's Pigskin was not the only fantasy football team burned when Steve Slaton was inactivated for the season with a nerve injury. A fellow WordPress blogger, Second String Fullback, offers some not-so-pleasant thoughts on the matter. (And by "not-so-pleasant," I mean "not-so-G-rated.")
I can't believe I picked up Carrie Underwood in the third round. Yes, Virginia, you can set up fantasy leagues for anything. Sony is offering a Fantasy Festival application that lets you set up a league where you and your friends try to assemble the ultimate music festival. The grand prize: "four 'money can't buy' tickets (including VIP accommodation, flights and spending money) to one of Europe's best festivals." (Thanks to Converge Technologies for the assist on this one.)
I guess someone's watching. Remember that TV show "The League" about a group of friends in a fantasy football league? Well, FX must have liked what it saw from this show, because it is getting a second season. And this is in spite of (or perhaps because of) reviews like this one from YourTango that call the show a "moap opera" (short for "men's soap opera") and say it is "a relationship show in macho clothing."
By the way, has anyone out there actually watched the show? If you have, would you mind confirming whether it's about football as opposed to, say, what fantasy owners think of their significant others?
Things that make fans go "Hmmm." Christopher Harris, the top fantasy football expert on ESPN.com, breaks down every NFL game from a fantasy perspective in his essential column "The Breakdown." In this week's version, Harris has something very interesting to say about that Robert Meachem play from last week in which the Washington Redskins intercepted a pass and Meachem stripped the ball from the defender and scored a touchdown.
"Thanks, Mr. Meachem. True, your tying 53-yarder was a thing of beauty (and an unforgivably stupid play by LaRon Landry), but that stripped fumble of a Kareem Moore interception return and subsequent touchdown set off a fantasy firestorm. For the record, Meachem got credited for a fumble-recovery touchdown, and the Saints' defense got credited with a fumble recovery (but not a touchdown). There's no perfect way to score freak plays like that. We felt the way we scored it was the fairest thing we could do."
The most interested word in that passage? "We." Harris probably meant "we" in the "I am part of the ESPN family that made the decision" sense, but it also can be read as if he meant he personally had a hand in scoring that play. (Experts making predictions about games and then deciding how those games are scored? Talk about your conflict of interests.)
Anyway, there's still time to vote on our polls. We'll be back Sunday with a pregame update.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday Afternoon Reading
This would have been posted earlier, but we were unavoidably detained at Sofia Restaurant, the unofficial second home of the People's Pigskin. Anyway, here are some links to peruse while you decide how you will vote in our polls. (Reminder: the lineup poll will close Saturday night.)
Maybe he and the producers should huddle. I wish I could find video to support my point here, but I can't, so you'll just have to trust me on this one.
The NFL Network has a show called Playbook, where several National Football League veterans, including the inimitable Sterling Sharpe, analyze game film and try to use what they see on that film to predict the outcome of the upcoming games. If it sounds familiar, it's because ESPN has been using that format for years for its "NFL Matchup" show with Ron Jaworski and Merrill Hoge. (If you're looking for that show on your TV listings, it's easy to find -- just look in the boxes marked "3:30 a.m. EST Sunday" and "7:30 EST Sunday." You know, the times when every football fan's TV is on.)
Anyway, this week on Playbook, Sterling and company were analyzing this week's titanic matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions. Sterling was telling us that the Lions would prevail, because he likes what he's seeing from the Lions defense. While he was praising the defense, the producers were showing three plays from last week's game between the Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. The plays: a long Sidney Rice touchdown, a long reception by Percy Harvin and a touchdown run by Adrian Peterson. In at least two of the plays, the Vikings player broke at least one Lions tackle.
I still don't know whether the producers were paying tribute to Alanis Morissette's take on irony, or whether they didn't get the memo that all three analysts were picking the Lions to beat the Browns. Or maybe it was just easier to find three plays where the Lions were schooled.
Conflict of interest? By now you know that Maurice Jones-Drew's taking a knee at the 1-yard line last week hurt a lot of fantasy football players last week. Well, the Chicago Tribune learned that one of the players burned by the decision was Robbie Gould of the Chicago Bears. He has a team in the NFL Players Association league, and his team had Jones-Drew in its lineup.
That's right. The NFL Players Association has a fantasy football league. Now, it would be the height of hypocrisy for me to criticize NFL players for playing fantasy football. But it is interesting that a league that sued to keep Delaware from taking bets on football games allows its players to play fantasy football, a game where inside knowledge about who's starting and who's healthy (and who's lying about their injury reports) would be worth a king's ransom.
Your weekly "opposing view" update. A fellow WordPress blogger, Pigskin Is the New Pink, has something to say about fantasy football. In the post "Fantasy or Loyalty," the blog (which, to be fair, is written by a fantasy player) tells us that fantasy football "has shamed the way fans treat their rivals." The thesis: Playing fantasy football encourages you to root for players on your archrival's team, in the hopes that said players will reward you with points and victories.
"I encourage you all to stop playing fantasy football for money and start cheering for what really matters, when your most hated team and/or player has a TERRIBLE GAME and LOSES!"
Ummm...good luck with that.
Now to the important stuff. Remember what's truly important about football: the chance to enjoy whatever your favorite beverage may be, even if you feel the same way as this guy.
We'll be back Sunday morning with an update on our lineup.
Maybe he and the producers should huddle. I wish I could find video to support my point here, but I can't, so you'll just have to trust me on this one.
The NFL Network has a show called Playbook, where several National Football League veterans, including the inimitable Sterling Sharpe, analyze game film and try to use what they see on that film to predict the outcome of the upcoming games. If it sounds familiar, it's because ESPN has been using that format for years for its "NFL Matchup" show with Ron Jaworski and Merrill Hoge. (If you're looking for that show on your TV listings, it's easy to find -- just look in the boxes marked "3:30 a.m. EST Sunday" and "7:30 EST Sunday." You know, the times when every football fan's TV is on.)
Anyway, this week on Playbook, Sterling and company were analyzing this week's titanic matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions. Sterling was telling us that the Lions would prevail, because he likes what he's seeing from the Lions defense. While he was praising the defense, the producers were showing three plays from last week's game between the Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. The plays: a long Sidney Rice touchdown, a long reception by Percy Harvin and a touchdown run by Adrian Peterson. In at least two of the plays, the Vikings player broke at least one Lions tackle.
I still don't know whether the producers were paying tribute to Alanis Morissette's take on irony, or whether they didn't get the memo that all three analysts were picking the Lions to beat the Browns. Or maybe it was just easier to find three plays where the Lions were schooled.
Conflict of interest? By now you know that Maurice Jones-Drew's taking a knee at the 1-yard line last week hurt a lot of fantasy football players last week. Well, the Chicago Tribune learned that one of the players burned by the decision was Robbie Gould of the Chicago Bears. He has a team in the NFL Players Association league, and his team had Jones-Drew in its lineup.
That's right. The NFL Players Association has a fantasy football league. Now, it would be the height of hypocrisy for me to criticize NFL players for playing fantasy football. But it is interesting that a league that sued to keep Delaware from taking bets on football games allows its players to play fantasy football, a game where inside knowledge about who's starting and who's healthy (and who's lying about their injury reports) would be worth a king's ransom.
Your weekly "opposing view" update. A fellow WordPress blogger, Pigskin Is the New Pink, has something to say about fantasy football. In the post "Fantasy or Loyalty," the blog (which, to be fair, is written by a fantasy player) tells us that fantasy football "has shamed the way fans treat their rivals." The thesis: Playing fantasy football encourages you to root for players on your archrival's team, in the hopes that said players will reward you with points and victories.
"I encourage you all to stop playing fantasy football for money and start cheering for what really matters, when your most hated team and/or player has a TERRIBLE GAME and LOSES!"
Ummm...good luck with that.
Now to the important stuff. Remember what's truly important about football: the chance to enjoy whatever your favorite beverage may be, even if you feel the same way as this guy.
We'll be back Sunday morning with an update on our lineup.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
They Predicted WHAT?
Thanks to those of you who voted in our Matt Forte poll. You voted to leave him in the lineup, so he'll start for the People's Pigskin when his Chicago Bears take on the San Francisco 49ers tonight.
If you've read this far, then there's a good chance you invested some money this past summer in a fantasy football magazine or two (or five). All of them are filled with statistics and predictions about how everyone will fare in the upcoming NFL season. Well, the season is halfway over for most of the teams in the National Football League. (And for the Houston Texans and the New York Giants, it's more than halfway over.) Now is as good a time as any to see how those predictions are turning out.
In the first half of the 2009 season, the top-scoring quarterback in fantasy football, at least according to ESPN rules, is (drum roll, please): Aaron Rodgers, with 167 points. By the way, he's also the top-scoring player in fantasy football. In its fantasy preview, Sports Illustrated ranked him 2nd among quarterbacks. ESPN ranked him 5th.
The top-scoring running back is Maurice Jones-Drew. Sports Illustrated ranked him 3rd among running backs. So did ESPN.
So far, not bad, right? The top-scoring wide receiver is Vincent Jackson. Sports Illustrated ranked him 26th among wideouts and said "He's definitely worth a fourth- or fifth-round pick." ESPN ranked him 18th, despite calling him "the primary option in San Diego."
The top-scoring tight end is Vernon Davis. Sports Illustrated ranked him 14th among tight ends and called him "a gamble." That's kind compared with ESPN, which ranked him 22nd and said "We have a creeping sense that the main problem with Davis is the space between his ears."
The top-scoring kicker is Lawrence Tynes, who was ranked 5th by Sports Illustrated and 15th by ESPN. (Yes, he has the advantage of an extra game, so if you want to disqualify him, the No. 2 kicker is David Akers, who was ranked 3rd in both publications.)
The top-scoring defense/special teams is the New Orleans Saints. Sports Illustrated ranked them 22nd. ESPN ranked them 27th and said the Saints free agent acquisitions on defense "smacked of desperation." Oops.
Who did the magazines think would be No. 1? At quarterback, both picked Drew Brees (currently 5th). At running back, both picked Adrian Peterson (currently 3rd). At wide receiver, both picked Larry Fitzgerald (currently 3rd). At tight end, Sports Illustrated picked Tony Gonzalez (currently 6th), while ESPN picked Jason Witten (currently 15th). At kicker, Sports Illustrated picked Jason Elam (currently 24th), while ESPN picked Stephen Gostkowski (currently tied for 3rd). At defense, both picked the Pittsburgh Steelers (currently 6th).
None of this is meant to disparage the fine work of ESPN, Sports Illustrated, or anyone else. It's merely a reminder that these magazines should not be treated like Scripture.
Enjoy tonight's game. We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly Landshark Maniacs predictions. Here are the results of the Forte poll.
[polldaddy poll=2231829]
If you've read this far, then there's a good chance you invested some money this past summer in a fantasy football magazine or two (or five). All of them are filled with statistics and predictions about how everyone will fare in the upcoming NFL season. Well, the season is halfway over for most of the teams in the National Football League. (And for the Houston Texans and the New York Giants, it's more than halfway over.) Now is as good a time as any to see how those predictions are turning out.
In the first half of the 2009 season, the top-scoring quarterback in fantasy football, at least according to ESPN rules, is (drum roll, please): Aaron Rodgers, with 167 points. By the way, he's also the top-scoring player in fantasy football. In its fantasy preview, Sports Illustrated ranked him 2nd among quarterbacks. ESPN ranked him 5th.
The top-scoring running back is Maurice Jones-Drew. Sports Illustrated ranked him 3rd among running backs. So did ESPN.
So far, not bad, right? The top-scoring wide receiver is Vincent Jackson. Sports Illustrated ranked him 26th among wideouts and said "He's definitely worth a fourth- or fifth-round pick." ESPN ranked him 18th, despite calling him "the primary option in San Diego."
The top-scoring tight end is Vernon Davis. Sports Illustrated ranked him 14th among tight ends and called him "a gamble." That's kind compared with ESPN, which ranked him 22nd and said "We have a creeping sense that the main problem with Davis is the space between his ears."
The top-scoring kicker is Lawrence Tynes, who was ranked 5th by Sports Illustrated and 15th by ESPN. (Yes, he has the advantage of an extra game, so if you want to disqualify him, the No. 2 kicker is David Akers, who was ranked 3rd in both publications.)
The top-scoring defense/special teams is the New Orleans Saints. Sports Illustrated ranked them 22nd. ESPN ranked them 27th and said the Saints free agent acquisitions on defense "smacked of desperation." Oops.
Who did the magazines think would be No. 1? At quarterback, both picked Drew Brees (currently 5th). At running back, both picked Adrian Peterson (currently 3rd). At wide receiver, both picked Larry Fitzgerald (currently 3rd). At tight end, Sports Illustrated picked Tony Gonzalez (currently 6th), while ESPN picked Jason Witten (currently 15th). At kicker, Sports Illustrated picked Jason Elam (currently 24th), while ESPN picked Stephen Gostkowski (currently tied for 3rd). At defense, both picked the Pittsburgh Steelers (currently 6th).
None of this is meant to disparage the fine work of ESPN, Sports Illustrated, or anyone else. It's merely a reminder that these magazines should not be treated like Scripture.
Enjoy tonight's game. We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly Landshark Maniacs predictions. Here are the results of the Forte poll.
[polldaddy poll=2231829]
Saturday, October 24, 2009
More Recommended Reading
The lineup and Tom Cable polls will close later tonight. In the meantime, here are some links for fellow fantasy football fans to enjoy.
Innovative, like New Coke? ESPN.com published an excerpt from Chuck Klosterman's new book "Eating the Dinosaur." The excerpt takes a look at the development of the "read option" play (a much better description than Wildcat, if you ask me) and argues that football isn't what you might think it is.
"It feels like a conservative game. It appeals to a conservative mind-set and a reactionary media and it promotes conservative values. But in tangible practicality, football is the most progressive game we have -- it constantly innovates, it immediately embraces every new technology, and almost all the important thinking about the game is liberal."
He also argues that the read option didn't exist 25 years ago, though I can think of at least one coach who would beg to differ. But never mind that. Chuck's piece (as usual) is worth your time.
Circling the wagons...to ensure the prey won't escape. I can't decide if this is a sign of the times or just the latest way for football fans to express their displeasure at their coach, but one of our fellow Wordpress users has a blog called Fire Dick Jauron! But these folks aren't just ranting. They're trying to do something more productive.
If you live in the Buffalo area, you might have noticed a billboard urging the venerable Ralph Wilson to give Jauron his walking papers. The folks at Fire Dick Jauron! are helping raise money for the billboard (and possibly for a second one). Most "fire the coach" sites never get past the name-calling stage. This one makes you hope Mr. Jauron leased his home instead of buying it.
What's a reading list without an Ochocinco item? Here's the latest on the People's Pigskin's most quotable player, Chad Ochocinco. It seems that he plans to form a social news network on Twitter. He's calling it OCNN (Ochocinco News Network). One thing's for sure: This network will get scoops on things like uniform violations.
It's like Cliff's Notes for football. If you watch Sunday's game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, you can expect to hear about the "Heidi Game" at least once. If you're not old enough to remember the incident, here's a video and a quick rundown.
On Nov. 17, 1968, the Raiders were trailing the Jets 32-29 when somebody decided the game was over. With 1:05 left on the clock, NBC affiliates in the eastern U.S. cut away from the game and started showing a made-for-TV remake of the movie "Heidi." In the meantime, the Raiders scored two touchdowns and won the game 43-32. NBC was flooded with angry calls, and football broadcasts have featured the phrase "will be seen in its entirety following today's game" ever since.
By the way, in researching this post, I learned that the "Heidi" in question was a made-for-TV version starring Jennifer Edwards, not the 1937 classic starring Shirley Temple. If the former ambassador is reading this, please accept my apologies for thinking you played a role in this controversy.
And apologies to the rest of you for not getting this post up sooner. There's still some time to vote in our polls. We'll be back Sunday morning with the results.
Innovative, like New Coke? ESPN.com published an excerpt from Chuck Klosterman's new book "Eating the Dinosaur." The excerpt takes a look at the development of the "read option" play (a much better description than Wildcat, if you ask me) and argues that football isn't what you might think it is.
"It feels like a conservative game. It appeals to a conservative mind-set and a reactionary media and it promotes conservative values. But in tangible practicality, football is the most progressive game we have -- it constantly innovates, it immediately embraces every new technology, and almost all the important thinking about the game is liberal."
He also argues that the read option didn't exist 25 years ago, though I can think of at least one coach who would beg to differ. But never mind that. Chuck's piece (as usual) is worth your time.
Circling the wagons...to ensure the prey won't escape. I can't decide if this is a sign of the times or just the latest way for football fans to express their displeasure at their coach, but one of our fellow Wordpress users has a blog called Fire Dick Jauron! But these folks aren't just ranting. They're trying to do something more productive.
If you live in the Buffalo area, you might have noticed a billboard urging the venerable Ralph Wilson to give Jauron his walking papers. The folks at Fire Dick Jauron! are helping raise money for the billboard (and possibly for a second one). Most "fire the coach" sites never get past the name-calling stage. This one makes you hope Mr. Jauron leased his home instead of buying it.
What's a reading list without an Ochocinco item? Here's the latest on the People's Pigskin's most quotable player, Chad Ochocinco. It seems that he plans to form a social news network on Twitter. He's calling it OCNN (Ochocinco News Network). One thing's for sure: This network will get scoops on things like uniform violations.
It's like Cliff's Notes for football. If you watch Sunday's game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, you can expect to hear about the "Heidi Game" at least once. If you're not old enough to remember the incident, here's a video and a quick rundown.
On Nov. 17, 1968, the Raiders were trailing the Jets 32-29 when somebody decided the game was over. With 1:05 left on the clock, NBC affiliates in the eastern U.S. cut away from the game and started showing a made-for-TV remake of the movie "Heidi." In the meantime, the Raiders scored two touchdowns and won the game 43-32. NBC was flooded with angry calls, and football broadcasts have featured the phrase "will be seen in its entirety following today's game" ever since.
By the way, in researching this post, I learned that the "Heidi" in question was a made-for-TV version starring Jennifer Edwards, not the 1937 classic starring Shirley Temple. If the former ambassador is reading this, please accept my apologies for thinking you played a role in this controversy.
And apologies to the rest of you for not getting this post up sooner. There's still some time to vote in our polls. We'll be back Sunday morning with the results.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Happy Hour Reading
In the words of Jimmy Buffett, it's 5 o'clock somewhere as you read this, so while you decide how you'll vote in the lineup poll and the team devotion poll (and please vote), here are some random stories to spice up your day.
I'm a lover, not a receiver. How mad would you be to find out that a player on your fantasy football team was inactivated because he was out late with a female friend and missed a bed check? That's what happened to Mike Sims-Walker of the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. You have to wonder how that would be listed on the injury report. "Out: Mike Sims-Walker (libido)"
Someone's in a world of hurt. It could be worse for Mike. He could have been James Davis of the Cleveland Browns, whose season-ending injury reportedly occurred when he took part in a postgame drill, without pads, against a defender who was wearing pads. No reports on whether head coach Eric Mangini accused him of taking the strawberries.
Fashion statements. The National Football League has some strange ideas about what should be forbidden on its fields. According to the underrated uniformviolation.com, Eric Wright of the Browns (yes, the Browns again) was fined $5,000 last month for wearing pants that exposed his knee. This is on top of Chad Ochocinco's fine, also for $5,000, for wearing an orange chinstrap during a preseason game.
Personally, I'd take the NFL's uniform rules more seriously if the league itself didn't allow sights like these on its fields.
Back on the air. If you live in the Cincinnati area and have a Bengal on your roster (what are the odds, right?), you'll be relieved to know that the game has sold out and will not be blacked out, after all. Now you won't have to rely on fantasy-statistic-updating Web sites for updates on your team. You can watch it the way God intended: on one of these.
No, we don't throw darts (as far as you know). I got an e-mail this week from ESPN trying to explain how the folks in Bristol come up with their fantasy projections each week. Here are some highlights.
"Here's what you need to know about using our projections. It would be very simple for us to take our season-long projections, divide by 16 and simply trot out Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald and Peyton Manning (or Brees) at No. 1 every week. Simple, yes … but informative? No way. ...
"By mathematically analyzing each team's offensive tendencies in terms of play-calling and targeting choices, and then combining those statistics with the defensive strengths and weaknesses of that week's opponent, the numbers we ultimately come up with show which players can be expected to perform better or worse than usual in a given week. But these numbers are not to be taken as gospel; after all, predicting the future is an inexact science."
The e-mail then tells us why Rashard Mendenhall (remember him?) and Jason Campbell are expected to have big games. Then it tells us this:
"Let's face it; predicting touchdowns in the NFL can be like predicting fly outs to center field in baseball. There's no real rhyme or reason to it. Sure, a guy like Dwayne Bowe might be the most likely Chiefs receiver to find paydirt, but if he gets pushed out of bounds at the 1-yard line after a long pass, it's just as likely someone else (a running back, even Mike Vrabel) will go and steal another handful of potential fantasy points out from under him on the next play from scrimmage."
Glad to see that sometimes, they have no clue, either.
We'll be back tomorrow with Landshark Maniacs projections. Until then, vote.
I'm a lover, not a receiver. How mad would you be to find out that a player on your fantasy football team was inactivated because he was out late with a female friend and missed a bed check? That's what happened to Mike Sims-Walker of the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. You have to wonder how that would be listed on the injury report. "Out: Mike Sims-Walker (libido)"
Someone's in a world of hurt. It could be worse for Mike. He could have been James Davis of the Cleveland Browns, whose season-ending injury reportedly occurred when he took part in a postgame drill, without pads, against a defender who was wearing pads. No reports on whether head coach Eric Mangini accused him of taking the strawberries.
Fashion statements. The National Football League has some strange ideas about what should be forbidden on its fields. According to the underrated uniformviolation.com, Eric Wright of the Browns (yes, the Browns again) was fined $5,000 last month for wearing pants that exposed his knee. This is on top of Chad Ochocinco's fine, also for $5,000, for wearing an orange chinstrap during a preseason game.
Personally, I'd take the NFL's uniform rules more seriously if the league itself didn't allow sights like these on its fields.
Back on the air. If you live in the Cincinnati area and have a Bengal on your roster (what are the odds, right?), you'll be relieved to know that the game has sold out and will not be blacked out, after all. Now you won't have to rely on fantasy-statistic-updating Web sites for updates on your team. You can watch it the way God intended: on one of these.
No, we don't throw darts (as far as you know). I got an e-mail this week from ESPN trying to explain how the folks in Bristol come up with their fantasy projections each week. Here are some highlights.
"Here's what you need to know about using our projections. It would be very simple for us to take our season-long projections, divide by 16 and simply trot out Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald and Peyton Manning (or Brees) at No. 1 every week. Simple, yes … but informative? No way. ...
"By mathematically analyzing each team's offensive tendencies in terms of play-calling and targeting choices, and then combining those statistics with the defensive strengths and weaknesses of that week's opponent, the numbers we ultimately come up with show which players can be expected to perform better or worse than usual in a given week. But these numbers are not to be taken as gospel; after all, predicting the future is an inexact science."
The e-mail then tells us why Rashard Mendenhall (remember him?) and Jason Campbell are expected to have big games. Then it tells us this:
"Let's face it; predicting touchdowns in the NFL can be like predicting fly outs to center field in baseball. There's no real rhyme or reason to it. Sure, a guy like Dwayne Bowe might be the most likely Chiefs receiver to find paydirt, but if he gets pushed out of bounds at the 1-yard line after a long pass, it's just as likely someone else (a running back, even Mike Vrabel) will go and steal another handful of potential fantasy points out from under him on the next play from scrimmage."
Glad to see that sometimes, they have no clue, either.
We'll be back tomorrow with Landshark Maniacs projections. Until then, vote.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Weekend Reading (and Thoughts)
Remember, now's the time to vote on our starting lineup for this week's game against the Southern Rebels.
I'll offer my predictions for the Landshark Maniacs league later, but first I wanted to offer some interesting links and thoughts, some of them germane to fantasy football.
Put me in, Coach. If you looked at the bench players for Southern Rebels, you'd notice that she has Larry Fitzgerald, whose Arizona Cardinals have a bye week. (Insert huge sigh of relief here.) You would also notice a symbol next to Larry's name that indicates a promotion. ESPN is giving away footballs autographed by Larry himself. All you have to do to be eligible is put Larry into your starting lineup -- you know, as if you were on the fence about starting him or something. I'd try to persuade the Southern Rebels to start him this week to get another chance at a football, but clearly my opponent is too smart for that. She's starting Cedric Benson against the Browns, after all.
Clearly, this was the problem. What do you do if you're the coach of a team that's an unimpressive 1-2 and is having its home games blacked out? You cancel your quarterback's radio show. At least, that's what you do if you're Jack Del Rio, who shut down David Garrard's weekly show. Del Rio says he didn't like the timing of the show (which aired Friday afternoons and didn't conflict with any scheduled team activities) or the fact that Garrard was talking about things other than the upcoming opponent so close to game time. I'm not going to argue that Garrard couldn't use more film study -- these stats don't lie -- but I'm wondering if Del Rio would be better served worrying about his 25th-ranked defense rather than how his quarterback spends his down time.
(How does the above relate to fantasy football? Umm...don't start Garrard, regardless of when he's on the radio.)
Hot read. In addition to kissing babies and rigging Lambeau Leaps, our good friend Chad Ochocino has written a book, "Ocho Cinco: What Football and Life Have Thrown My Way." The book (written with help from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports) is set for release Oct. 27 and features insights like this: "I got six paintings of myself in the living room of my town house in Cincinnati. Why? Because I love me. I’m great and I know it." I'm sure you'll be keeping that factoid in mind while deciding the People's Pigskin lineup.
Nobody asked, but... I don't get why Terrell Owens is getting sandblasted in some places for his press conference after the Buffalo Bills lost to the New Orleans Saints last week and his 185-game reception streak ended. He was given opportunity after opportunity to throw his coaches and teammates under the bus and then back the bus over them, but this time he didn't take the bait. (And I've got to be honest here -- some of the questions were an attempt to bait him.) He said that his job was to run the plays that were called. In other words, he's there to be a player, not a coach. If he had given that type of answer a few more times in Dallas, he may still be a Dallas Cowboy today. If he had given that type of answer a few more times in Philadelphia, he may still be a Philadelphia Eagle today. If he had given that type of answer a few more times in San Francisco ... well, you get the idea. And if that makes me a contrarian, then I'll have to be a contrarian who would still start Owens in any fantasy matchup.
Speaking of contrarian thoughts. Continuing a theme from last week, I couldn't resist offering this link to a fellow blogger's post, "Why I Dislike Fantasy Football." Even though I disagree with her about liking fantasy sports (and I'm sure many of you feel the same way), I appreciate Jessica Morrey's reasoned approach to fantasy and her love for the sport of football itself. Most articles in the "I don't like fantasy" genre are much less kind to those of us who play fantasy sports.
Stay tuned for predictions later today.
I'll offer my predictions for the Landshark Maniacs league later, but first I wanted to offer some interesting links and thoughts, some of them germane to fantasy football.
Put me in, Coach. If you looked at the bench players for Southern Rebels, you'd notice that she has Larry Fitzgerald, whose Arizona Cardinals have a bye week. (Insert huge sigh of relief here.) You would also notice a symbol next to Larry's name that indicates a promotion. ESPN is giving away footballs autographed by Larry himself. All you have to do to be eligible is put Larry into your starting lineup -- you know, as if you were on the fence about starting him or something. I'd try to persuade the Southern Rebels to start him this week to get another chance at a football, but clearly my opponent is too smart for that. She's starting Cedric Benson against the Browns, after all.
Clearly, this was the problem. What do you do if you're the coach of a team that's an unimpressive 1-2 and is having its home games blacked out? You cancel your quarterback's radio show. At least, that's what you do if you're Jack Del Rio, who shut down David Garrard's weekly show. Del Rio says he didn't like the timing of the show (which aired Friday afternoons and didn't conflict with any scheduled team activities) or the fact that Garrard was talking about things other than the upcoming opponent so close to game time. I'm not going to argue that Garrard couldn't use more film study -- these stats don't lie -- but I'm wondering if Del Rio would be better served worrying about his 25th-ranked defense rather than how his quarterback spends his down time.
(How does the above relate to fantasy football? Umm...don't start Garrard, regardless of when he's on the radio.)
Hot read. In addition to kissing babies and rigging Lambeau Leaps, our good friend Chad Ochocino has written a book, "Ocho Cinco: What Football and Life Have Thrown My Way." The book (written with help from Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports) is set for release Oct. 27 and features insights like this: "I got six paintings of myself in the living room of my town house in Cincinnati. Why? Because I love me. I’m great and I know it." I'm sure you'll be keeping that factoid in mind while deciding the People's Pigskin lineup.
Nobody asked, but... I don't get why Terrell Owens is getting sandblasted in some places for his press conference after the Buffalo Bills lost to the New Orleans Saints last week and his 185-game reception streak ended. He was given opportunity after opportunity to throw his coaches and teammates under the bus and then back the bus over them, but this time he didn't take the bait. (And I've got to be honest here -- some of the questions were an attempt to bait him.) He said that his job was to run the plays that were called. In other words, he's there to be a player, not a coach. If he had given that type of answer a few more times in Dallas, he may still be a Dallas Cowboy today. If he had given that type of answer a few more times in Philadelphia, he may still be a Philadelphia Eagle today. If he had given that type of answer a few more times in San Francisco ... well, you get the idea. And if that makes me a contrarian, then I'll have to be a contrarian who would still start Owens in any fantasy matchup.
Speaking of contrarian thoughts. Continuing a theme from last week, I couldn't resist offering this link to a fellow blogger's post, "Why I Dislike Fantasy Football." Even though I disagree with her about liking fantasy sports (and I'm sure many of you feel the same way), I appreciate Jessica Morrey's reasoned approach to fantasy and her love for the sport of football itself. Most articles in the "I don't like fantasy" genre are much less kind to those of us who play fantasy sports.
Stay tuned for predictions later today.
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