Love and Hate in December
The Joy of a Football Fan and the Anger of a Fantasy Coach

I love those December games. We have everything here. Teams are fighting for playoff spots, a lot of games are played with extra intensity and every touchdown, every first down, missed assignment or flag thrown can change the playoff picture.

I hate those December games. Teams that are out of the picture don’t have anything left to play for. My regular fantasy RB might play only part-time, because the team wants to give other players a look and see how they fare in regular season games.

I love those December games. A lot of games are really interesting to watch, even if they don?t mean anything. Just think about the Carolina ? Cincinnati game on December 8. 52-31, over 700 yards total offense, simply fun to watch. You don?t have to like the Bengals or the Panthers, but sometimes these kinds of teams forget about their defense and just light up the scoreboard.

I hate those December games. Sometimes stats are just unpredictable. If you played against a desperate fantasy owner who had to start Rodney Peete, Steve Smith, John Kitna or Peter Warrick on Dec. 8, you would have been angry, too. Players who are almost worthless in “normal” conditions can be a one-week wonder, and just at the time when the whole fantasy season is at stake.

I love those December games. The only thing left for some teams is to play spoiler for other teams’ playoff hopes. Just look at the Vikings. Oh my, they are simply fun to watch these days. A week ago they damaged New Orleans’ playoff hopes by going for two and the victory on the last play of the game instead of simply putting the game into overtime. As if that weren’t enough, they put Miami away in an even crazier manner. Game tied 17-17 with about 2 minutes to go, 4th and 2 at the Miami 45 ? no team with something at stake would have gone for that first down. The Vikings did, because their fans wanted them to. They succeeded once more and later won the game on a 53 yarder by Gary Anderson. Everyone loves them now, except Dolphins and Saints fans, of course.

I hate those December games. Imagine that your star, who carried you through the season right into your league’s Super Bowl, only plays on a limited basis during the last week(s) because his team has secured a playoff spot and more, so all they want to do is avoid any kind of injury. It’s happened to everyone I guess, and let’s just hope you weren’t counting on Terrell Owens last week, who was rested as the Niners’ playoff fate was already decided.

Bottom line ? regardless if you love December as an overture to the playoff concert or hate it because it marks the end of another fantasy football season, just lean back and enjoy these weeks of great football.

 
Dan “The Man” is the mastermind behind the Cafe’s Start & Sit predictions. Already a legend since recommending to start Matt Hasselbeck in Round 10, his new avatar will add even more to his image as the Nostradamus of fantasy sports.