The Dangers of Fantasy Football

I've been playing fantasy football for as long as I can remember. I love it. Its easy to learn but may take longer to really master it. I encourage anyone interested to get a free account with yahoo! , it's the easiest format to learn how to play.

However, there are a lot of detractors who say fantasy football makes fans less loyal. that's all bullshit. No one is more loyal than a True Chicago Bears fan like myself. I've see my bears falter through every season, an lose int he playoffs since '85. last year was an elation that we got to the Superbowl. I'm no bandwagon fan.

The trick to Fantasy football and real football is this: PLAY fantasy football with you're head. Cheer for your football team with your heart. Don't Listen to too much of what all the analysts say. No matter what, always play you're good players. Here's some examples of what i mean.



A good example is this: Last week, San Diego played Chicago in San Diego. I have San Diego's defense and L.T as my running back. I wanted Chicago to destroy San Diego. I'm still pissed about the commercial and will change the channel when it comes on. But I'll be damned if I'm not going to put one of the best running backs in the NFL on the bench just because he's playing my team. As far as San Diego's defense goes: in a league where you get much points for sacks, it'd be silly to not play San Diego defense against Chicago. for several reasons. one is the 3-4 defense. in the 3-4 defense you have three D linemen and 4 linebackers. Chicago usually plays against team that play 4-3. San Diego has a hopped up on steroid linebacker in Shawn Merriman, and Rex Grossman will screw something up. all the more reason to play San Diego's defense. So I played members of my fantasy team hoping they would score some points, but that my Chicago bears would still win.
Last year, all the analysts were saying that Tom Brady was going to have a bad game because he was injured and he had no one to throw to. All the analysts said my backup QB Kurt Warner would have a field day against a weak defensive team. and with two excellent receivers there would be no reason he wouldn't. so i played Warner and sat Brady. rule #1: ALWAYS play you're best players. Kurt Warner got hurt int eh first quarter and Tom Brady threw three TDs and went for 3oo yds that game. I lost the championship game because I listened to analysts.
How do you get away from the whole how do i cheer for my fantasy team, and not my real team? easy. YOU NEVER CHEER AGAINST YOUR REAL TEAM. that's how you know you're a real fan. be pleased that you're fantasy team is picking up points, but at no time should you cheer for ANYONE playing you're team just because they are on you're fantasy team. in real life you should want you're fantasy players fall against you're real life team.
remember, in the NFL, its a long season, and its just as long in fantasy. you can afford one or two losses. Id easily take a loss in fantasy if the bears got int he "W" column. unfortunately, they let me down in week one. but like I said. it's a long season.

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Social Responsibility

Social responsibility for most people is something they associate with social science. When I was in high school I don't think I've even heard of the word much less associate with anything. Wikipedia describe it as.

"Social Responsibility is a doctrine that says that every being whether it is a village, town, state, corporation, organization, government or idividual has responsibility to society."

It's boring, it's textbook, it only exists in school discussion so I can only conclude that I may not have paid attention to it and thus not heard of the word. But the word did worm it's way into my brain along with some casserole. My mother insisted that I come to her friends son's birthday. I know the guy, he's actually my cousins friend and I've hanged out at his place a time or two. Hell his mom makes great spaghetti and I heard they have lecheon, lumpia and a bunch of shit I love. I Just felt like not going out.

Well you really don't win arguments with your mother and that casserole dish was shoved into my chest along with the words social responsibility.

You have a social responsibility to see these people. They are our friends/family/neighbor and you should go out!

Is that what it really means? I could have sworn I heard something like that in class. Well anyway I know that lately I've slacked in that responsibility area. I run in these phases where I go out and socialize, and then I become somewhat 'like' a hermit.

A little example, most of you remember some of the small shindig we've thrown at ViJo (Harold might even remember some that I've thrown back in Omaha) Yeah, I'll be a little social butterfly. Asked to go to someones place to hang out and celebrate? Yeah! Invite a couple of people over to watch anime? Sure! Go and watch that new release? Popcorn baby! Video game and movie night? Absolutely! Those I could be counted on more.

Go to a bar...hmm maybe. A club...I'll think about it. I really don't know why I become reluctant. Ask me to help you out with something, pick you up from the airport, help you move - I'll be there. So I don't exactly go to hermit mode just that I shy away from some social settings that before I hand I would be all about. Did I make any sense? No? Well I better end this before I'm told that I should make a blog over livejournal with the rest of the social degenerate emos :)

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Grading The AFC

Well yesterday we graded the NFC and today we will look at the AFC outlook. So lets not waste time

AFC East

New England Patriots - This team is always good and they have made themselves incredibly stronger this year. Dumping the underachieving receivers and adding not one, not two, but three big time legit WRs for Tom Brady to throw too makes this offense a formidable opponent for even the best of defenses. This team will be very good and make another legit push for a ring. A

Buffalo Bills - I think things are starting to come together for the Bills this year. This is a weak division and I don't see the Bills having to be all that good to finish second. JP Losman seems to finally understand how to play QB and a above average defense will help him out even more. This is a deep sleeper team that could possibly make some noise. Certainly wont make the playoffs but 8-8 even 9-7 is not out of the question. B-

New York Jets - Sorry, but I think this is a let down year for the Jets, one of the big surprises of 2006. The addition of Thomas Jones helps the running game, but the passing attack is anemic at best and the defense wont strike fear in very many. I like Eric Mangini, but I'm looking for a very disappointing year out of this club. C

Miami Dolphins - I guess I was the only one who watched Trent Green look like utter crap in the playoffs last year. Supposedly he is supposed to come in and be the savior for the Dolphins who have not had a decent QB since Dan Marino left. The fact is this team sucks. Chris Chambers was a one year wonder and Ronnie Brown has never lived up to expectations. This has train wreck written all over it. D

AFC South

Jacksonville Jaguars - I'll tell you why I don't think Indy repeats next, but let me get into why I think this is the Jags year. The release of Byron Leftwich is actually a big help to this team that relies a lot on the ground, short yardage game to move its offense. Leftwich was a slow, big armed QB, that just is not what the Jags need. With three top quality RBs splitting time, look for these guys to just pound it out and wear teams down. The Jags defense is possibly one of the Top 5 in the league with the two best set of DTs in John Henderson and Marcus Stroud. This team is the best team that nobody talks about. Watch out. A-

Indianapolis Colts - They will always compete as long as they have Peyton Manning throwing the ball downfield. However they have lost too much on the defensive side of the ball this year that last year struggled mightily with containing the run. They live in a conference that is stacked with top tier running backs who will just pound it down the Colts throats. They will still win a lot of games and make the playoffs, but I don't think they repeat as division champs. B+

Tennessee Titans - Not a bad team, certainly a team on the rise but quite a few years and a few draft picks away from making a serious run. Vince Young will have to avoid the Madden curse as he attempts to lead this mostly nameless, but competent club to a few victories. I don't see them getting many, but they will certainly get more than the...C

Houston Texans - How is Mario Williams working out for you guys? Yeah, this team still sucks. They added Matt Schaub, an unproven QB and stuck him behind that same offensive line that had David Carr on his ass all the time. Not a good recipe for success. Ahman Green is done and behind that very same line he will be getting gobbled up in the backfield a lot. This team doesn't get that football is won and lost in the trenches and as long as they don't work hard at fixing that offensive line, they will continue to be bad. F

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens - These guys look like the best in this black and blue division. The defense is obviously stuff of legends and will shut down pretty much any offense that gets in their way. There is not a single hole or weak spot on this defense. The only x factor for these guys is Steve McNair. If he plays a smart, ball control style offense then this team will win a lot of games. If he goes all air-McNair though, watch out. A

Pittsburgh Steelers - Are they back? Well, sorta. Having shaken the post Super Bowl champion hangover, I think this team is probably hungry enough to compete once again. They still have some glaring question marks in places, but overall they should be able to put up a good fight. Will be a team to watch for. B+

Cincinnati Bengals - The Lions of the AFC. These guys will be fun to watch as they air the ball out all over the place and watch Chad Johnsons TD dances. However, how will they stop people? They have what is possibly the worst defense in the NFL and some claim the worst defense EVER. Look for a lot of shootouts but probably not many victories. C-

Cleveland Browns - Was there a plan for the future in Cleveland before Brady Quinn just fell into their laps? It certainly doesn't feel like it as they really have nothing else to offer on either side of the ball. The only reason to tune into a Browns game this year will be to see how Brady Quinn is doing. I imagine he will be starting about week 4. D-

AFC West

San Diego Chargers - Ok, we all know how stacked this team is. That being said they have Norv Turner as head coach. That would terrify me if I were a bolts fan. He has never shown the ability to motivate a team to win and has underachieved pretty much everywhere he has gone. Still, this team has too much talent not to win this division and probably a first round bye. But I'm feeling another playoff collapse for these guys. A-

Denver Broncos - The Broncos are probably over the last 20 years the most consistent "pretty good" teams out there. They always compete and it is never a surprise on how they will beat you. Run, run, and run. I suspect more of the same this year with a little more freedom given to Jay Cutler to get it to his downfield receivers. I like this team and think they will push the Chargers and compete for a wild card. B+

Oakland Raiders - Moving up in the world. Still wretched beyond belief on the offensive side. As of this writing they still haven't signed the first overall draft pick and instead are looking at Josh McCown to lead them. However they have a decent defense and they may just get lucky in a few games and win 4 or 5. D+

Kansas City Chiefs - This may be the worst team in the NFL. I watched Hard Knocks as they went through training camp and outside of Larry Johnson, this team has nothing, zero. The DBs get beat bad all the time, the QB they went with Huard is washed up and the young guy backing him up (Croyle) is not even close to ready. Their WRs drop balls and run poor routes. This team is a mess and its too bad because I like Herm Edwards but LJ is not going to be able to run this team out of the basement. F

Wild Card Team #1 - Jaguars over Broncos
Wild Card Team #2 - Ravens over Colts

Division Playoff #1 - Jaguars over Chargers
Division Playoff #2 - Patriots over Ravens

AFC Championship Game - Patriots over Jaguars

Super Bowl Prediction - Seahawks over Patriots

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Drive North to get to the Midwest

So I had the distinct pleasure of going to visit Eric (does he have a Pardy name??) in Tennessee. For those of you that don't know my system of US geography there are 4 sections "The Northeast" (MD, DE, PA, NY, NJ, ME, NH, VT); "The South" (GA, AL, SC, LA, MI, WV); "The West" (CA, OR, WA, NM, TX, AZ); and everything else falls under the ubiquitous "Midwest" category. Sorry Harold, no "Pacific Northwest" crap on my map.

Anyway, back to the trip.

We stayed at his family home in Knoxville, TN. I honestly believe you don't know a person until you see the house they grew up in. Sometimes it comes as a surprise, but usually you can immediately understand how that environment produced the person you have thought you knew. We began our trip at one of the homes of E-Rock's childhood friends. No surprises here. A bunch of fun, loud, easy to laughter people. Thankfully, no one resembling those Patent office trouble makers!!
From there we went to visit the "city" of Knoxville. With excitable E-Rock leading the way we hiked up and down this college town. I must say, for being a small city it is very pretty. Nice architecture, good green areas...etc. Of course, in his excitement he forgot he was leading around an injured war vet, and poor Maniac was huffing and puffing and valiantly fighting his way up hills and stairs. The city once held the World's Fair in 1981 or something and is seems to be living a bit in the shadow of those glory days.
We then settled down to watch the most awesome display of fireworks I have ever seen. I can't even begin to explain the magnitude of these balls of light. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Boomsday in Knoxville, don't pass it up my friends.
Eventually we made it back to the childhood home of our good friend. Hoards of blackmail material decorated the walls and the memories of his family. Please E-Rock, bring some of those pictures home and hang them above your fireplace!!
His family is the epitome of Southern (Midwestern?) Hospitality. We ate homemade biscuits and sausage while his parents and grammy regaled us with tales of fishing, guns, neighborhood gossip, and tales of E-Rock's childhood. The picture albums were broken out, family recipes were shared, all from the comfort of a country kitchen (complete with artifacts from old family dairies). When it was time to for Red and Maniac to hit the road, it felt like we were leaving family. With laughter and promises to keep in touch and visit whenever we were craving a good meal and better company we left feeling full and content.

There will be a time where meeting friends parents will not filter into the equation, where we will visit each other's houses and fill them with our own spouses and children and it will feel like home. But until then, I hope to understand all of my friends a little more by entering the world in which they grew up in, even if only for a day.

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Grading the NFC

Well, NFL football starts tomorrow. The sports world shakes off the dust of the sparse summer and starts to really hit its stride as we get into the autumn. Today we will take a look at the NFC this year and assign grades to the teams in each. Tomorrow we will take a look at the AFC.

NFC EAST

Philadelphia Eagles - If McNabb stays healthy this should be your division winner. Though the window is pretty much closed on this team they may be able to squeeze one more year out of this group until they are just too old. I look for them to do well. B+

Dallas Cowboys - Can Tony Romo overcome his nationally spotlighted embarrassment last year in the playoffs? Is Wade Wilson really the man who can lead this team to its first playoff victory in 10 years? Will TO behave this year, or have his standard 2nd year team derailing breakdown? Lots of questions with this team. They will either be really, really good or really, really bad. So I'll split the difference and give em a C

Washington Redskins - The hometown team doesn't look a whole lot different from last years team. A few improvements on the defense with rookie LaRon Landry and a rebuilt defensive line should help these guys out. The offense is still far to anemic to get anything really done. Jason Campbell is still very green. They will be better, but barely. C+

New York Giants - What a mess. Their ex-running back is making the most news by criticizing the coach and quarterback. Eli Manning is not his brother and never will be. Nobody wants to play for Coughlin. Look for a terrible year for big blue. D

NFC South

New Orleans Saints - Easily the most talented team in the division, their offense is mind blowing. Drew Brees has definitely turned into a top 5 QB and with the dual threat of Bush and Deauce McAllister this offense is unstoppable. Some big question marks still at defense though might creep up. A

Atlanta Falcons - I know what your thinking. How can this team possibly be any good without Michael Vick? Well, let me tell you. Bobby Petrino is an offensive coach, he knows QBs and every QB he has ever coached has made it into the NFL. He runs an offensive system that is similar to the system Joey Harrington ran at Oregon. They have some questions on defense, but its not terrible. I think this team will surpise a lot of people and compete for a wild card. B-

Carolina Panthers - I still don't like this team. Every year they are picked to do well, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I think this will be another won't year. Delhomme has lost it and is not the same QB who led them to a Super Bowl. They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but I just don't see them putting it together. C

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Yuck. Just don't see anything really promising with these guys. Jeff Garcia? Cadillac Williams? Joey Galloway? Those aren't really names that strike fear in me and certainly not in NFL defenses. They have a nice, decent defense but it wont save them. Cellar dwellers for sure. D+

NFC North

Chicago Bears - Not saying much that they can win this division, its one of if not the weakest in football. The defense is obviously the best in the NFC and possibly the NFL. Given the wackiness that is the Rex Grossman experience, most Chicago fans would probably rather see their Bears on defense as opposed to offense. Defense will carry this team into the playoffs, what happens after that though is a big question mark. A-

Detroit Lions - Shocker! A second place finish for the historically inept Matt Millen Lions? I think so, but not because they are good, they are just less bad than the other two. The Lions will throw the ball first and then throw it some more, its the Mike Martz shtick. They are entertaining at least to watch and they will put up points. However, they cant stop anyone from posting up big points either. Lots of fun shootouts I see on the horizon with the Lions ending up on the losing end of most, but still a better (by Lions standards) 6-10/7-9 finish. C-

Green Bay Packers - For the third year in a row we get to hear the announcers talk about "Is this Brett Favres last year?". The answer now is who cares? This team has moved on past the Favre era and I think Favre is holding them back from really improving. A.J. Hawk is a helluva linebacker, but that's about it for this team. Everyone else is old or totally unproven. Going to be a long cold winter in Green Bay. D

Minnesota Vikings - Quick, name me a Vikings player. Randy Moss? No sorry. Daunte Culpepper? Nope. Hershel Walker? Uh...Point is this team has nobody. Adrian Peterson might become a great RB some day but he is a rookie. Tavaris Jackson (that's the QB sports fans) is destined to be a 2nd string journeyman QB in this league. This is a boring and talentless team that will lose a lot of games because they will struggle to get even 7 points on the board. D

NFC West

Seattle Seahawks - Obviously I'm biased, but with all of our players healthy and hungry again these guys have the talent to rule the NFC once again. The addition of pass rusher Patrick Kearney is a significant upgrade from the underachieving Grant Wistrom. Two new safeties in Deon Grant and Bryan Russell who are veteran, intelligent safeties are also a big upgrade from the oftentimes out of position and boneheaded Michael Boulware and Ken Hamlin. If they stay healthy, they are back. Don't listen to the nonsense about the Rams and 49ers. These guys are still the top dogs. A

St. Louis Rams - They wont be as good as so many TV analysts are trying to say, but they will be better. They are the exact same team as last year, just a year older which really effects Issac Bruce (Age 34) and Torry Holt (Age 31). Steven Jackson is going to have a breakout year, no doubt about it. That is what will make them better. They will push the Seahawks, but they are still a year or two away. Offensive line is a huge problem for this team and will continue to be this year and that will make all the difference. B+

San Francisco 49ers - Another team getting a lot of hype and who will be improved. Though the Rams are a year or two away, I think the Niners are about 3-4 years away. They have a lot of young, raw talent. Vernon Davis will be the next big TE and maybe even redefine the position. Alex Smith continues to develop and Frank Gore is just a beast. The addition of Darrell Jackson gives these guys a veteran, reliable weapon. However, they are young and will make mistakes. Their defense is still soft up front and in the LB corp. Fun team to watch, but this isn't their year. B-

Arizona Cardinals - Whats new pussycat? You've read this book. Arizona is picked as a team that could surprise and compete and then they still glide gently into that nice 4-12 season. Yep, same thing here. Matt Leinart is way overrated at this young stage in his career and I think he likes partying in Hollywood more than watching game film. I see no reason why this team will be any different than the Cardinals of the last 20 years. Oh well Arizona fans, at least the D-Backs are fighting and the Suns season is only 3 months away! D-

Look for St. Louis and Dallas to be your wildcards. Seahawks and Bears with first round byes.

Saints over Cowboys in wildcard #1
Rams over Eagles in wildcard #2

Bears over Rams in Divisional #1
Seahawks over Saints in Divisional #2

Seahawks over Bears in NFC Championship.

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"in the Group"

"in the Group." It's been a big topic in many conversations as of late. Why shouldn't it be. Who wouldn't want to be a part of this circle of friends? we're fun loving party people that are pretty damn loyal friends. The question is "what do i have to do to get in?" The answer isn't nearly as straightforward.
Many people have tried, but few have really made it in. and it's not like there's actually a list of things that one must preform to get "in". When you're in, you'll know it and won' t have to ask. Recent events have seen many spots open up on the roster: With Red and Maniac moving, it's not they're "out" but they are definitely playing for the married couples team in A-town. Rookie sensation Big Tuna decided that the fast times in Iowa City were for his style so he left in a hurry at the close of our summer season. and its not like he's "out" just yet either. But it seems as of late the group is slowly dwindling, and some of us are open to trying out new talent to the group. So here's a quick heads up and tips for getting "in" and staying "in"

1. Be original. Whilst most of our conversations come straight out of movies and TV, just be yourself rather than fake, and you'll be liked for you on your own terms, not some fake persona that you though was cool. Unless you suck, then you better be a damn good actor.
2. Show up to shit. We hang out a lot as a group. And some of us go out on weekdays. attendance is expected. and not just when its convenient for you. Noobs need to go out of their way to make appearances.
3. get on the mailing list. We send out mass emails often. This is where it starts to get tough. mostly because someone has to add you on their own. so if someone goes out of their way to add you, you've got a head start on the competition.
4. Read our blog. We enjoy writing it, and we love to have other people than just us reading it. Leave a comment, then we know you've been checking it.
5. Just cuz you did good during the summer months doesn't mean its over. Some people have hung out with us tons, but never really saw it through. We've tried out many people that just never really made it. And some were really close, then they just stopped calling, emailing, and showing up. be curious if you stop getting mass emails.
6. Some of us picked our own names. some of us had our names given to us. chances are if you're new, don't get to hung up on getting your name just yet, one will be provided. you can change it later if your around long enough. its up to you

We're a totally loyal group of friends, and all we ask in return is you be just as loyal. If want a friend that's more loyal. get a dog. just remember, you gotta feed it, and pick up ts shit. we're already all house trained. except maybe for Vinny the Pooh. He didn't get that name for nothing.

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