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The NFL Season began last night. The Cowboys defeated the Giants 24-17. While, I hate to see the Cowboys winning, it is great to have the NFL back. My Cubs are plain awful right now. So, my attention now turns to football. I blogged last week about the silly little game that is fantasy sports. I pontificated about my upcoming fantasy football draft. Since then, I have been invited to join another fantasy football league. Having a slightly obsessive personality, I accepted the invitation. The two leagues I am participating in had two different types of drafts: a snake draft and an auction draft. The snake draft is straightforward – each team gets assigned a draft number (1-10). The draft order goes 1-10 and then 10-1. This is how I played last year, and I have a pretty good system for it.
The auction draft is a whole new ballgame. Each team is assigned $200 (fake), and you bid on players. Superstars can go for upwards of $50-$70. This requires a lot of strategy. It is a more entertaining draft, especially when you try to inflate buying prices of players you don’t really want so that you can get players you want. I tried this strategy to some success, but it also backfired on me (i.e., I got 4 QBs i wasn’t all that excited about and one WR on suspension for a DUI). Overall, I had a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to this season. Here are my two rosters:
Fighting Scots (Snake Draft)
This league starts 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 2 Flex (RB/WR/TE), 1 D/ST, and 1K.
Quarterback: Eli Manning* (NYG) and Andrew Luck (IND)
Running Back: Adrian Peterson* (MIN), Steven Jackson* (STL), DeAngelo Williams* (CAR), David Wilson (NYG), Rashard Mendenhall (PIT), and Ronnie Brown (SD).
Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson* (DET), Percy Harvin* (MIN), Nate Washington* (TEN), Anquan Boldin (BAL), Michael Crabtree (SF)
Tight End: Vernon Davis* (SF) and Jermaine Gresham (CIN)
Defense/Special Teams: San Francisco 49ers*
Kicker: Robbie Gould* (CHI)
Men in Black (Auction Draft)
This league starts 2QBs, 2RBs, 2WRs, 1TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), 1D/ST, and 1K. This is not my original draft roster, but reflects one sweet trade I’ve already made.
Quarterback: Joe Flacco* (BAL), Robert Griffin III* (WSH), Josh Freeman (TB), and Andrew Luck (IND)
Running Back: Steven Jackson* (STL), Chris Johnson* (TEN), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE), and Roy Helu (WSH)
Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson* (DET), Vincent Jackson* (TB), Percy Harvin* (MIN), Kenny Britt (TEN), and Brandon Lloyd (NE)
Tight End: Vernon Davis* (SF)
Defense/Special Teams: Houston Texans*
Kicker: Stephen Gostkowski* (NE)
*Denotes Starters
Overall, I think I have two solid teams. It is going to be a fun season. I would like to have more overlap on my teams so that I won’t have split allegiances as I cheer each weekend, but we’ll see how that goes. Which squad do you think I have a better chance with?
Until later friends…
I am about sick of hearing the name “Payton” (“Peyton”) this week. OK, we get it. Peyton Manning decided to go to the worst of the three options he had WR-wise in signing with Denver . (Seriously you pick Denver over Moss, Crabtree, and Davis at San Francisco and Britt and Washington in Tennessee?)
(Is it just me, or does John Elway look like he’s forcing a smile after he just realized they spent $95 million on a dude with a serious neck injury that will never return to the top of his game?)
Also, Saints coach Sean Payton has been banned from the NFL for 1 year for the Saints bounty program. I support this. It is further proof that Roger Goodell is the toughest guy in the NFL.
So, I suggest we end all this modern Payton/Peyton talk. Lets talk about my favorite Payton….Walter.
Walter Payton was nicknamed “Sweetness.” Kind of a sissy name for an NFL legend, but he wore it well. And his play, put simply, was sweet.
I met Walter Payton when I was in the 5th grade. He was incredibly nice. I have a picture at my parents house of Walter and me – he has me in a headlock…it’s pretty great. So, here’s to you Walter. Way to be nice to kids, and run the ball better than anyone other than Barry Sanders.
Until later friends…
It seems that specialty coffee has gathered some celebrity force in the recent past. Last week, I discovered this video detailing Hugh Jackman‘s interest in supporting coffee farmers in Africa:
I like Hugh Jackman from The Prestige and the X-Men movies – although I’m not yet a fan of this new robot-boxing movie he decided to do. I was unaware that Jackman worked with World Vision, which I like a lot. As a result of forming a relationship with a coffee farmer in Ethiopia, Hugh Jackman has started Laughing Man Coffee. I would like to try this coffee sometime. It looks pretty good. I’m happy to see Wolverine taking a bite out of Starbucks.
In other coffee news…apparently Drew Bledsoe started a coffee roasting company in Oregan in 2008. This New York Times Article about Bledsoe tells about several business ventures Drew Bledsoe has pursued after retiring from the NFL. There is a sweet shot of him roasting with a sweet-looking roaster in the article. From what I can tell from the website (11 Roasters), this roaster seems to put out some good light roasts. I’d also be interested in trying these. Drew Bledsoe was a heck of a player, hate to see him Wally Pipp‘d by Tom Brady, but I’m glad that he has joined the specialty coffee community in his retirement.
Congrats to Hugh Jackman and Drew Bledsoe for their forays into the specialty coffee world. I hope to get a hold of some of their coffees soon and test them out in a Clever and Chemex.
Until later friends…
The NFL lockout is over. The NFL season is coming. That means, Fantasy football is back! Hooray! Are you ready for some football?
Last Thursday my league had our Fantasy Football Draft Night. My friend @leesill and I set up shop for the draft in a vacant classroom at SBTS, and a night of trash-talking, nervous clock-watching, and hilarity ensued. I am happy with the team I was able to put together. The Volunteer State Fighting Scots are going to be a force to be reckoned with. Here is the team photo:
In case you don’t recognize everyone, here is my roster:
Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Offensive Coordiantor/Punter/Long Snapper: For Aslan…and the Volunteer State
QBs: Peyton Manning (Colts) and Colt McCoy (Browns)
RBs: Adrian Peterson (Vikings), James Starks (Packers), Tim Hightower (Redskins), and LaDainian Tomlinson (Jets)
WRs: Calvin Johnson (Lions), Percy Harvin (Vikings), Brandon Marshall (Dolphins), Sidney Rice (Seahawks), Danny Amendola (Rams), and Jacoby Jones (Texans)
TEs: Vernon Davis (49ers) and Kellen Winslow (Bucs)
Defense/ST: Steelers and Lions
K: Billy Cundiff (Ravens)
I think I have a good mix of players from different teams. Peyton Manning will be great once he gets back from neck surgery, and Colt McCoy will do just fine until Peyton’s ready. I am excited about another season of cheering for individual players on completely random teams that I would have no other reason to care about.
Until later friends…
Well, this photo describes yesterday’s game (Notice the flying Viking divebombing this poor quarterback no one has heard of, and the other Viking running up from behind like a Norse Ninja). The Vikings finally won their first game of the season. Of course, it was against Detroit, but I’ll take what I can get.
I love good defense in football. I rode the bench as a cornerback in middle-school, and as a result, I view football through defensive lenses. I have always been a fan of defense, and I do not think that is only because I am offensively challenged in most sports. It’s no surprise then that I have both the Vikings and Ravens defensive squads on my fantasy team. The Ravens have been consistently great in defense for years, mainly because they have a linebacker that is not scared to stab people. The Vikings are – in my opinion – the scariest pass-rushing/rushing defense in the league. Jared Allen is a manbeast, plain and simple. It was good to see the Vikings defense and Adrian Peterson‘s pure awesomeness (160 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards, and 2 TD) compensate for another poor performance from Favre.
Also, it was great to see Joe Flacco finally realize that the preseason is over. Flacco has three solid receivers in Boldin, Houshmandzadeh, and Mason. I think he will put up career numbers this season now that they are starting to gel. Say hello to an offensively lead Baltimore Ravens – sorry Ray Lewis.
I am more excited about the NFL season this year than I have been in a long time. Thanks Lee for introducing me to fantasy football, and inciting in me an interest in every single game, and sorry to all of you that think Fantasy Football is nerdy. Until later friends…
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