I used to be against watching the Pro Bowl, but I've been hooked in recent years (including this one), realizing it's the last taste of real NFL action before a long offseason drought. Handling the withdrawal and scratching the seventh-month itch is a difficult process, but someone once said that "absence makes the heart grow fonder of fantasy football." Or something like that.
So here we are, another Valentine's Day upon us, and all I can think of is Fantasy Draft Day in August. That demonstrates two things: 1) that I truly "heart" fantasy football and 2) why I don't have a girlfriend. So while Tom Brady is busy rebounding with Gisele, it's time to plan how my teams will rebound and emerge stronger in the fall.
Here are 10 things I love about you, oh greatest of fantasy games, as you prepare to come back better than ever in 2007:
1. I love . . . the big playmakers. We just were introduced to jumping jitterbugs Reggie Bush and Maurice Jones-Drew this season, and we were just as wowed by the explosive emergences of Frank Gore and Steven Jackson. And wide receiver already is the glamour position in the NFL.
There's a lot more where that came from. The '07 draft just may have the league's next great back in Adrian Peterson, and Calvin Johnson, Ted Ginn Jr. and Dwayne Jarrett will increase the league's pool of big-play wideouts. Considering the proliferation of backfield committees and spread offenses, more offensive skill players are becoming fantasy-relevant than ever before.
2. I love . . . the big plays. There were 807 passing plays that went for 25-plus yards in the 2006 regular season, up 45 from '05. There also were 1,553 running plays that went for 10-plus yards, up 115 from '05. The 25- and 10-yard marks also happen to be the thresholds in most fantasy scoring formats that are equivalent to one point passing and one point rushing, respectively. More yards equals more fantasy fun -- and there's no better feeling than watching your back or receiver explode for huge gains on nighttime highlight reels.
3. I love . . . the live scoring. OK, there might be one better feeling. When you're taking in all the games on Sunday, getting blitzed with NFL action (and possibly with potent potables as well), it's quite a trip to get hit with a barrage of live updates. With enough who-scored-in-which-game, you eventually will have a gaggle of big individual efforts, forcing your friendly opponent to drown his sorrows during the late afternoon games. The weeklong buildup for a weekend slate that ends in a few precious hours is what makes football, real or fantasy, great.
4. I love . . . quarterbacks who can move. Those rushing yards add up fast, and they were responsible for making both Michael Vick and Vince Young top-12 quarterbacks in overall fantasy scoring last season. We also appreciate when a guy like Tony Romo steps in with his mobility to keep plays alive and resuscitates the seasons of our receivers. As for the next great mover and passer, we should be excited by Jay Cutler's potential to break out in his first full season as the Broncos' starter.
5. I love . . . rooting for the game's best. Before Super Bowl 41, the media couldn't stop talking about a certain simian attached to Peyton Manning. It's hard to come up with a real complaint about Manning the fantasy quarterback, however. League MVPs who help their real NFL teams win -- see Manning, Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson -- help their fantasy teams win, too. In addition, in the salary-cap era when NFL teams are no longer in position to load up on superstars, fantasy football allows you to stack up on studs that you love watching for real.
6. I love . . . the creativity of coaching. Every season, there seems to be fewer pure defensive teams in the NFL. Every team wants a piece of a dynamic offense, because, well, contrary to cliches, you can win championships with offense. We all know what an important role quarterback played in Super Bowl 41. The 49ers, Texans, Browns, Bills and Dolphins are among a handful of teams that have struggled offensively of late and gone to work with their coaching staffs to develop units that are more balanced, efficient and (most importantly for fantasy) productive.
7. I love . . . winning with defense. Defense is such an unpredictable fantasy position from season to season, and seemingly an even bigger wild card from week to week. There are few teams that can straight-up shut down opponents consistently. For that reason, some see the fantasy position as a scoring afterthought in the kicker vein, but that's the wrong idea. Instead, if you pass up on, say, the Ravens and the Bears, it's the easiest position to upgrade. In time, you can develop a solid platoon. Choosing correctly on a weekly defense usually means double-digit points, which is a huge bonus in your team's overall score -- consider that the sweetest of all fantasy defensive plays, an interception returned for a touchdown (also known as a "pick six"), is worth eight points alone in most leagues.
8. I love . . . how everyone plays it. In line to board a flight recently, there was a well-dressed business traveler with a cell phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other on an intense call that sounded like, well, urgent pre-board business. He was loud enough, however, to let the world know he wanted to trade with his buddy to get Larry Johnson. He said something like, "The offer's on the table, have your people call my people." Crazy? Nah, that's passion. I consider fantasy football to be a healthy, legal obsession -- not to be confused with gambling. When Billy Bigbucks needs advice from someone like me, it makes me feel my job is pretty important, too.
9. I love . . . the yearly challenge. I'm not a fan of keeper leagues. With all the typical personnel and coaching changes in the average NFL offseason, I'd rather start fresh with a draft every season to dive into a new pool of talent. That way, even if you're coming off a championship season, there's always room for improvement. It also ensures that you will keep up with everything NFL from early February to early September.
10. I love . . . football. Who are we kidding? We play fantasy and Madden to get a piece of the nation's best professional team sport, one that we're either not big, tall, strong, powerful, fast, quick, agile or skilled enough to play for real. The NFL has an exciting game, and fantasy football is a simple way to tap into that excitement. So keep on playing and trying to improve -- with help from the Fantasy Source, of course.
My favorite thing about Fantasy Football is winning. Period.
But, the most exciting thing about Fantasy Football is coming back from a major deficit on Sunday Night or Monday Night Football to win.
That's the best feeling, but to win Championships you cannot always need to come back late like that. Nonetheless, there are few feelings that can rival being down 50 and having Addai & Westbrook go off like they each did on Sunday Night this year to outperform the LT owning opponent in your league!
I'm spent.
Yo Mama is so fat . . .
Axl's Army
Defensive Assistant
Posts: 565
Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Yards this season: 0
Home Cafe: Football
Location: Watching Shonn Greene Make Defenses Look Silly
10. I love . . . football. Who are we kidding? We play fantasy and Madden to get a piece of the nation's best professional team sport, one that we're either not big, tall, strong, powerful, fast, quick, agile or skilled enough to play for real. The NFL has an exciting game, and fantasy football is a simple way to tap into that excitement. So keep on playing and trying to improve -- with help from the Fantasy Football Cafe, of course.
Went ahead and fixed that for Vinnie.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -- Voltaire
I love how difficult it is to win. If losing wasn't so frustrating, winning would not be as enjoyable. Good competition is the best part of any sport, and fantasy football is no different.
I used to be against watching the Pro Bowl, but I've been hooked in recent years (including this one), realizing it's the last taste of real NFL action before a long offseason drought. Handling the withdrawal and scratching the seventh-month itch is a difficult process, but someone once said that "absence makes the heart grow fonder of fantasy football." Or something like that.
So here we are, another Valentine's Day upon us, and all I can think of is Fantasy Draft Day in August. That demonstrates two things: 1) that I truly "heart" fantasy football and 2) why I don't have a girlfriend. So while Tom Brady is busy rebounding with Gisele, it's time to plan how my teams will rebound and emerge stronger in the fall.
Here are 10 things I love about you, oh greatest of fantasy games, as you prepare to come back better than ever in 2007:
1. I love . . . the big playmakers. We just were introduced to jumping jitterbugs Reggie Bush and Maurice Jones-Drew this season, and we were just as wowed by the explosive emergences of Frank Gore and Steven Jackson. And wide receiver already is the glamour position in the NFL.
There's a lot more where that came from. The '07 draft just may have the league's next great back in Adrian Peterson, and Calvin Johnson, Ted Ginn Jr. and Dwayne Jarrett will increase the league's pool of big-play wideouts. Considering the proliferation of backfield committees and spread offenses, more offensive skill players are becoming fantasy-relevant than ever before.
2. I love . . . the big plays. There were 807 passing plays that went for 25-plus yards in the 2006 regular season, up 45 from '05. There also were 1,553 running plays that went for 10-plus yards, up 115 from '05. The 25- and 10-yard marks also happen to be the thresholds in most fantasy scoring formats that are equivalent to one point passing and one point rushing, respectively. More yards equals more fantasy fun -- and there's no better feeling than watching your back or receiver explode for huge gains on nighttime highlight reels.
3. I love . . . the live scoring. OK, there might be one better feeling. When you're taking in all the games on Sunday, getting blitzed with NFL action (and possibly with potent potables as well), it's quite a trip to get hit with a barrage of live updates. With enough who-scored-in-which-game, you eventually will have a gaggle of big individual efforts, forcing your friendly opponent to drown his sorrows during the late afternoon games. The weeklong buildup for a weekend slate that ends in a few precious hours is what makes football, real or fantasy, great.
4. I love . . . quarterbacks who can move. Those rushing yards add up fast, and they were responsible for making both Michael Vick and Vince Young top-12 quarterbacks in overall fantasy scoring last season. We also appreciate when a guy like Tony Romo steps in with his mobility to keep plays alive and resuscitates the seasons of our receivers. As for the next great mover and passer, we should be excited by Jay Cutler's potential to break out in his first full season as the Broncos' starter.
5. I love . . . rooting for the game's best. Before Super Bowl 41, the media couldn't stop talking about a certain simian attached to Peyton Manning. It's hard to come up with a real complaint about Manning the fantasy quarterback, however. League MVPs who help their real NFL teams win -- see Manning, Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson -- help their fantasy teams win, too. In addition, in the salary-cap era when NFL teams are no longer in position to load up on superstars, fantasy football allows you to stack up on studs that you love watching for real.
6. I love . . . the creativity of coaching. Every season, there seems to be fewer pure defensive teams in the NFL. Every team wants a piece of a dynamic offense, because, well, contrary to cliches, you can win championships with offense. We all know what an important role quarterback played in Super Bowl 41. The 49ers, Texans, Browns, Bills and Dolphins are among a handful of teams that have struggled offensively of late and gone to work with their coaching staffs to develop units that are more balanced, efficient and (most importantly for fantasy) productive.
7. I love . . . winning with defense. Defense is such an unpredictable fantasy position from season to season, and seemingly an even bigger wild card from week to week. There are few teams that can straight-up shut down opponents consistently. For that reason, some see the fantasy position as a scoring afterthought in the kicker vein, but that's the wrong idea. Instead, if you pass up on, say, the Ravens and the Bears, it's the easiest position to upgrade. In time, you can develop a solid platoon. Choosing correctly on a weekly defense usually means double-digit points, which is a huge bonus in your team's overall score -- consider that the sweetest of all fantasy defensive plays, an interception returned for a touchdown (also known as a "pick six"), is worth eight points alone in most leagues.
8. I love . . . how everyone plays it. In line to board a flight recently, there was a well-dressed business traveler with a cell phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other on an intense call that sounded like, well, urgent pre-board business. He was loud enough, however, to let the world know he wanted to trade with his buddy to get Larry Johnson. He said something like, "The offer's on the table, have your people call my people." Crazy? Nah, that's passion. I consider fantasy football to be a healthy, legal obsession -- not to be confused with gambling. When Billy Bigbucks needs advice from someone like me, it makes me feel my job is pretty important, too.
9. I love . . . the yearly challenge. I'm not a fan of keeper leagues. With all the typical personnel and coaching changes in the average NFL offseason, I'd rather start fresh with a draft every season to dive into a new pool of talent. That way, even if you're coming off a championship season, there's always room for improvement. It also ensures that you will keep up with everything NFL from early February to early September.
10. I love . . . football. Who are we kidding? We play fantasy and Madden to get a piece of the nation's best professional team sport, one that we're either not big, tall, strong, powerful, fast, quick, agile or skilled enough to play for real. The NFL has an exciting game, and fantasy football is a simple way to tap into that excitement. So keep on playing and trying to improve -- with help from the Fantasy Source, of course.
Cafe Home
Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Hockey
by 
