At this time of year, the People's Pigskin is not the only football team seeking your help in choosing its lineup. (Hint: the polls are on the right.) The National Football League is soliciting fans' help in picking the players who will be invited to play in the Pro Bowl. The official ballot is here. The winners will be invited to play in Dolphin Stadium (not Landshark Stadium; the NFL has its own beer sponsor) the week before the Super Bowl.
Of course, the fans won't have the final word on the lineups. At least officially, the fans, players and coaches get an equal say in who goes to the Pro Bowl. But that doesn't mean fans can't put a little thought into their votes.
One of the consistent knocks against pro football's all-star game is that reputations count more than results -- a player who gets more TV interviews and films more commercials (or one who simply has been going to the Pro Bowl since the "Seinfeld" finale) will be chosen over a player who actually made the mistake of having a better season. But you, the Internet, have the power to overcome that, and you don't have to watch 40 hours of game film to do it.
Here's where fantasy football comes in. There are few better ways to compare one player to another heads-up without the bias of team logos or Nielsen ratings. This year, instead of simply voting for your favorite team's players or the first players that pop into your head, I would encourage you to vote for the players who are putting up the best fantasy numbers this year. If you do that, here's how your Pro Bowl ballot might look.
OFFENSE
Quarterback (3 from each conference). If you use ESPN fantasy points as your guide, your NFC passers would be Aaron Rodgers (185), Drew Brees (159) and Brett Favre (147, just 1 point above Tony Romo). Your AFC picks would be Peyton Manning (178), Tom Brady (176) and Matt Schaub (155).
Running back (3). Again, using ESPN points, your NFC backs would be Adrian Peterson (163), Michael Turner (138) and DeAngelo Williams (137). Your AFC picks: Chris Johnson (181), Maurice Jones-Drew (169) and Ray Rice (142).
Wide receiver (4). From the NFC: Larry Fitzgerald (115), Miles Austin (104), DeSean Jackson (103) and Roddy White (99). From the AFC: Reggie Wayne (130), Randy Moss (128), Vincent Jackson (112) and Andre Johnson (102).
Tight end (2). From the NFC: Vernon Davis (89) and Brent Celek (78). Yes, that means saying no to a certain PETA fan. From the AFC: Dallas Clark (90) and Antonio Gates (74 -- he's behind Owen Daniels but isn't on injured reserve).
Fullback (1). Here you can vote for the fullback with the most fantasy points or the fullback who helped his fellow running back get to the top of the fantasy heap. In that case, you would pick Minnesota's Naufahu Tahi for the NFC and Tennessee's Ahmard Hall for the AFC. (And if you haven't heard of either one until now, you're welcome.)
Offensive line (2 centers, 3 tackles, 3 guards). Here's where things get tricky. Most fantasy formats don't have scores for individual linemen. Your options: vote for the lines that got their running backs to the top, vote for the lines that got their quarterbacks to the top, or register for a site like Trench Fantasy that actually tracks blocking stats. For example, in the first half of the season, Trench Fantasy's top-scoring lines were the New England Patriots, the New Orleans Saints, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts.
DEFENSE
If you play in a league that treats defense/special teams as a single entity (as most leagues do), you can simply vote for the players on the top-scoring defense/special teams. In ESPN's case, that would be the Saints, Eagles and Vikings on the NFC side and the Ravens, Broncos and Bengals on the AFC side. However, you can make more precise votes if you have access to IDP (individual defensive player) stats. These numbers come courtesy of FFToday.
Defensive end (3). NFC: Jared Allen (98), Andre Carter (80) and Julius Peppers (76.5). AFC: Robert Mathis (76), Aaron Schobel (65) and Dwight Freeney (59).
Defensive tackle (3). NFC: Kevin Williams (55.5), Jonathan Babineaux (48) and Albert Haynesworth (42). AFC: Marcus Stroud (52), Tommy Kelly (40) and Shaun Rogers (32.5).
Outside linebacker (3). NFC: Lance Briggs (74.5), Chad Greenway (74) and Mike Peterson (74). AFC: James Harrison (97.5), Brian Cushing (94) and Elvis Dumervil (85.5).
Inside linebacker (2). NFC: Patrick Willis (111.5) and Curtis Lofton (86.5). AFC: David Harris (85.5) and D.J. Williams (85.5).
Cornerback (3). NFC: Charles Woodson (92.5), Tracy Porter (75.5) and Terence Newman (74.5). AFC: Leon Hall (80.5), Johnathan Joseph (72) and Chris Johnson (68).
Strong safety (1). NFC: Roman Harper (73.5). AFC: Tyvon Branch (71.5).
Free safety (1). NFC: Darren Sharper (97). AFC: Antoine Bethea (92).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker (1). Going back to ESPN stats, you get David Akers (90) for the NFC and Stephen Gostkowski (84) for the AFC.
Kick returner (1). If you can find a fantasy league that credits receivers with return points, you get votes for Percy Harvin (only 889 yards, but 2 touchdowns to put him past Danny Amendola) for the NFC and Joshua Cribbs (1,236 yards, 2 touchdowns) for the AFC.
Punter (1). Here you can simply go with the NFL leaders: Andy Lee (2,665 yards) for the NFC and Shane Lechler (2,938 yards) for the AFC.
Special team player (1). OK, there are some areas where fantasy football can't help you. Pick your personal favorite.
You'll notice that this list is missing some famous names -- players who have spent so much time in Honolulu that they should probably be registered to vote there. But when you make your Pro Bowl picks according to fantasy stats, you realize something: Reputation is not a fantasy stat.
We'll be back tomorrow with the Landshark Maniacs predictions.
Showing posts with label defense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label defense. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Weekend Batch of Links
Remember that our polls on our fantasy football team's lineup and your fantasy league's prizes will close tonight. While you think about how you will vote, here are some stories to explore.
Don't cram ads down fans' throats. That's our job. The first time I saw Brent Celek strike the "got a little captain in ya" pose, I remember thinking it was the lamest touchdown celebration since this one. In fact, I agreed with Tony Kornheiser when he said the pose "looks like a guy is about to pee on a fire hydrant."
But now we've learned that it wasn't just Brent trying to impress the ladies. He was part of a marketing campaign for Captain Morgan rum. The makers of the rum said they would donate money to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund for every time an NFL player struck the pose on television.
The National Football League quickly put the kibosh on that plan, saying "A company can’t pay a player to somehow promote its product on the field." This means we'll have to settle for the National Football League telling us which beer to drink and which shampoo to use if you have more hair than Bigfoot. And Brent will have to settle for being a start-him-every-week tight end for fantasy players.
Smile, fantasy players. You've got the power. If you've played fantasy sports for any length of time, you've answered questions ranging from "What is that?" to "Do you simply not have a life?" But you can take comfort in this Bloomberg article in which fantasy football gets credit (some of it, at least) for increasing the reach of NFL Network. Neal Pilson, the former president of CBS Sports, said the network's RedZone Channel, which cuts immediately to games where a team is in the red zone, is a popular feature with fantasy players.
Urban Legend, the Gridiron Version. Earlier in the week we discussed the dangers of believing what you read in preseason publications. Now the folks at NFL Soup point out another danger: believing what you see at the start of the season. The blog's point (and a very valid one) is that some early defensive "trends" don't hold water as the season progresses. "The Houston run defense got better. It got much better." That's true. Of course, it's also true that the Browns defense...well, it's not good.
Let's hear it for the big uglies. If you're the type of person who says quarterbacks get too much credit for what happens on the football field, here's a Web site for you to check out: TrenchFantasy.com. This site offers a different type of fantasy football. Instead of drafting running backs, receivers, etc., you draft a team consisting of an offensive line, a defensive line, a secondary, a punting unit, a defensive special team, a field goal unit, and a kickoff squad. One example of the scoring: an offensive line gets 2 points for a first down, with a 5-point bonus if the first down was made on fourth down.
I can't believe I benched Scalia this week. And for a truly different fantasy experience, you can check out a fantasy Supreme Court site, FantasySCOTUS. This site lets you predict the outcome of each case considered by the high court, what the split will be (8-1, 7-2, etc.), and whether each justice will side with the majority or the minority. Credit to fellow WordPress blogger La Flog for the assist on this one.
We'll be back tomorrow with the results of our polls. In the meantime, enjoy the college games.
Don't cram ads down fans' throats. That's our job. The first time I saw Brent Celek strike the "got a little captain in ya" pose, I remember thinking it was the lamest touchdown celebration since this one. In fact, I agreed with Tony Kornheiser when he said the pose "looks like a guy is about to pee on a fire hydrant."
But now we've learned that it wasn't just Brent trying to impress the ladies. He was part of a marketing campaign for Captain Morgan rum. The makers of the rum said they would donate money to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund for every time an NFL player struck the pose on television.
The National Football League quickly put the kibosh on that plan, saying "A company can’t pay a player to somehow promote its product on the field." This means we'll have to settle for the National Football League telling us which beer to drink and which shampoo to use if you have more hair than Bigfoot. And Brent will have to settle for being a start-him-every-week tight end for fantasy players.
Smile, fantasy players. You've got the power. If you've played fantasy sports for any length of time, you've answered questions ranging from "What is that?" to "Do you simply not have a life?" But you can take comfort in this Bloomberg article in which fantasy football gets credit (some of it, at least) for increasing the reach of NFL Network. Neal Pilson, the former president of CBS Sports, said the network's RedZone Channel, which cuts immediately to games where a team is in the red zone, is a popular feature with fantasy players.
Urban Legend, the Gridiron Version. Earlier in the week we discussed the dangers of believing what you read in preseason publications. Now the folks at NFL Soup point out another danger: believing what you see at the start of the season. The blog's point (and a very valid one) is that some early defensive "trends" don't hold water as the season progresses. "The Houston run defense got better. It got much better." That's true. Of course, it's also true that the Browns defense...well, it's not good.
Let's hear it for the big uglies. If you're the type of person who says quarterbacks get too much credit for what happens on the football field, here's a Web site for you to check out: TrenchFantasy.com. This site offers a different type of fantasy football. Instead of drafting running backs, receivers, etc., you draft a team consisting of an offensive line, a defensive line, a secondary, a punting unit, a defensive special team, a field goal unit, and a kickoff squad. One example of the scoring: an offensive line gets 2 points for a first down, with a 5-point bonus if the first down was made on fourth down.
I can't believe I benched Scalia this week. And for a truly different fantasy experience, you can check out a fantasy Supreme Court site, FantasySCOTUS. This site lets you predict the outcome of each case considered by the high court, what the split will be (8-1, 7-2, etc.), and whether each justice will side with the majority or the minority. Credit to fellow WordPress blogger La Flog for the assist on this one.
We'll be back tomorrow with the results of our polls. In the meantime, enjoy the college games.
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