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• 2007 Off-Season Report #1

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• How to Play (3 articles from the net)

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• The Biggest Football Fans

• Ode to a Dead Lover

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• My Personal Source For FFB News and Strategy

How to Play Fantasy Football

Article # 1 -

This article is designed specifically for those people who don't know anything about fantasy football, yet are looking to either join a league or form their own.

Fantasy football is one of the greatest games to play during the football season! It is so much fun and so creative that you just can't help but anticipate the start of your league every year! Fantasy Football allows you to be the owner, general manager, and coach of your team!

As owner of your fantasy football team, you are in charge of starting your franchise. You can pay a league fee to establish your team and then you must choose a name, location, and colors for your franchise.

As general manager of your team, it is your duty to draft a group of NFL superstars to your team that you believe will be good enough to lead your team to your league's Super Bowl! It is also your duty to make trades or pick up free agents throughout the year that will help fill in the gaps! As general manager, you can make any transactions you want!

As head coach of your team, it's your responsibility to turn in a starting lineup every week that can outmatch your opponent for the week! Choose wisely, though, because you wouldn't want to have to FIRE yourself for your team's poor play!

Here are some very simple rules and guidelines to follow if you wish to create a fantasy football league!

1. Gather owners - First and foremost, you'll have to gather owners who wish to participate in a very intense fantasy football league. Well, actually, it doesn't have to be intense, but our league gets that way! Gather about 8-12 owners to have a decently sized fantasy football league. It doesn't matter how many teams you have...just as long as you have an EVEN amount of owners. These owners that you get should be responsible people who will show up on time to the draft, pay their money on time, pick a good squad, and then turn in their lineup every week, even if they are out of the playoffs!

2. Elect a commissioner - Sometimes the person who assembles a league already decides to be the commissioner, so if you already know about this step, then skip it. But for those of you who don't, then pay attention. It is important for the owners of your league to vote and elect a commissioner who will be fair, responsible, and someone who knows a lot about the game. It is important that you make the right choice on a commissioner. We had a commissioner in our league that was so dedicated to fantasy football that we thought he would be the perfect choice for a commissioner. But what we figured out is that he liked to screw the league over by finding the "loopholes" in rules and using it to benefit himself. I'm proud to say that the league hired me as the Chief Executive Officer and I've held that title for 2 years now. As the CEO, I pretty much run all the operations like tallying up the scores and updating our league's website. My point is, choose a commissioner wisely!

3. Set rules - This coincides with the above statement. Make sure you set a CLEAR and CONCISE explanation of the league rules. If you don't, you'll have some wise guy who will bend and twist the rules to his advantage. The rules of your league can be pretty basic though. Decide on a scoring system: I like to use the basic scoring system. I don't like leagues that offer points for yardage because then the scores become unrealistic. But you know what? It's your league so be as crafty as you wish!

4. Scoring System - Like I stated above, I like to use a BASIC SCORING SYSTEM because it is the most realistic to the NFL. You award 6 points for every touchdown, 1 point for extra points, 3 points for field goals, 2 points for safeties...etc. In addition, you can also choose to award points when your NFL players rack up yardage and such, but then the scores of your games get TOO OUT OF HAND and it's not very realistic. I WILL say that one advantage of having a COMBINED SCORING SYSTEM is that quarterbacks aren't as powerful and every position matters.

5. Transactions - Decide on transactions! Decide if you will have free agency so owners can pick up players who weren't drafted and drop the players on their team that....well, suck! It can be a complex situation, so you may have to put a lot of thought into it. Also decide on trading. Will you allow owners to trade freely? Or will you make all the owners in the league vote on a trade to see if it is fair or not? When will your league trading deadline be? All sorts of topics you have to cover!

6. Make a schedule - This can be a tough chore! You want to make a schedule where your league is divided into 2 divisions (or conferences) and have everyone play everyone at least once in the season. Luckily, there are websites on the internet that give you CUSTOM schedules! There are also fantasy football magazines like FANTASY FOOTBALL INDEX that give you CUSTOM fantasy schedules!

7. Have a draft - Now that you have all your owners signed up and you have your league rules set, it's time to set a date for CHRISTMAS!! Otherwise known as your fantasy football draft. You can have as many rounds in the draft as you like. I like to have at least 16 rounds so you can draft at least 2 quarterbacks, 4 running backs, 4 wide receivers, 2 tight ends, 2 kickers, and 2 team defenses. You really can have more rounds than that. The way you can determine draft order is by picking names out of a hat. A lot of leagues like to base their draft order on the previous year's results. Such as the Super Bowl winner would have the LAST pick of the draft the next year. The team that came in dead last would have first pick. ETC. But this is the most exciting time of the year! The single most important day of your fantasy football season. Make sure you do a lot of studying.

8. Lineups - After you draft, you need to determine the best day for owner's to turn in their lineups to the commissioner. We like to have our lineups in by Thursday night so that owners have a chance to check the injury report, but at the same time, they get their lineups in before any Thursday night games. But if there aren't any Thursday night games, it's good to get them in by Saturday so the commissioner has enough time to put the scoring sheets together (or update the website for owners to see!)

9. HAVE FUN! - The most important reason to have a fantasy football league is to have fun! This is something for people to do when they're watching football on Sundays. Is there a usual importance for watching a Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans game? NO. But with fantasy football, if you draft someone from EITHER of those poor teams, you'll have a reason for watching the game! It's your league, so be creative!

Article # 2 -

When they devised the term "armchair quarterback" they certainly had the game of fantasy football in mind.

As the general manager, the fantasy football league owner assembles his team of stars and scrubs, making sure he has the right mix of passing, rushing and kicking. In some leagues, the fantasy general manager even has to assemble a defense. Then as the team's coach, the fantasy league owner has to pick the right starting lineup for that week¹s games, making sure that his best players aren't sitting on the bench. For anyone interested in starting a league, all you need are a few basic rules to get going. The beauty of fantasy football is that there really isn't any set guideline you MUST follow. It's your fantasy league, so fantasize any way you want. The main thing is to enjoy NFL games and enjoy them the best way you know how. And that way is through a fantasy football league.
Okay, now let's take it step by step and get you started.

Step 1

Assemble a league of football owners who are willing to wheel and deal throughout the course of the NFL season. There is no set number, mind you, but 12 teams is great and 16 teams is better. You can certainly form leagues that are bigger and smaller than that, but make sure that you have an even-number of teams because each week you go head-to-head with another team.

Step 2

Elect a commissioner. The commissioner should be somebody who every team owner respects ­ you know, someone you'd let date your sister. The commissioner, who most likely also owns a team in the league, is responsible for the league constitution, bylaws and all final decisions.

Step 3

Setting the rules for your league is very important. There are many variations to the game and scoring systems for fantasy football are as different as the NFL and the CFL. Make sure all rules are set in stone before the draft is held. Some leagues give six points to any player who scores a touchdown, whether it be from rushing, passing or receiving. In that scenario, the quarterback and the wide receiver each get six points for a touchdown pass, making it ideal to have both Brett Favre and Antonio Freeman on your fantasy team. Other leagues give six points for a rushing touchdown and just three to the QB and three to the wide receiver on a touchdown pass. Some leagues also give bonus points for individual statistics, like three points for 100-yards rushing, 100-yards receiving or 300-yards passing. Bonus points can also be given for the length of a run, pass, catch or kick. The size of rosters also varies from league to league. Most leagues have rosters of 15 to 17 players: Three quarterbacks, four to five running backs, four to five wide receivers, two tight ends and two kickers. Most leagues start just seven players each week: One QB, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end and one kicker. The accumulative points of one team¹s starters are matched up against the points of another team and the end result is either a victory or a loss. There are no weighted statistics in fantasy football, just head-to-head records. Some leagues also use defense in their scoring system, drafting either one defensive player and starting him each week or drafting an entire defensive team and getting scoring from that team for any defensive touchdown or safety. Head coaches or teams can also be figured in the mix of things, with teams drafting one head coach and getting anywhere from one to three points for each victory that coach attains during the year.

Step 4 -

Have a draft. Players are usually acquired by using a draft, similar to what the NFL does. In the draft, team owners select any player they want and draft for 15-17 rounds to fill out their rosters. However, unlike the NFL, the draft is held in reverse order for the even-number rounds to make the league more balanced. For instance, in a 10-team league the draft order would be 1 through 10, with the 10th team having the first pick of the second round and going back up in reverse order. In that scenario, the first team to pick wouldn't select again until the 20th pick, but would then start the third round with the 21st selection. Some leagues also like to draft their players the same way they do in Rotisserie Baseball. With that in mind, players are acquired by using a bidding system where players are acquired for a dollar amount. Each team would have an imaginary $260 budget (or other fake cash figure) and players would be acquired by using that salary cap. In that scenario, Terrell Davis could go for $80.

Step 5 -

Set the schedule. League schedules are set up so that every team plays every other team at least once, and divisions are set up according to the league size. In leagues of 10 teams, only two divisions are needed and the top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. In leagues of 12 or more, three or four divisions are needed. Either way, the playoffs usually consist of the top four teams, with those teams meeting during Week 16 of the regular season. The Super Bowl is then held on the final week of the regular season ­ Week 17 this year ­ so that all of the NFL players are eligible for the fantasy football teams.

Step 6 -

Compile scores. Fantasy football is the one fantasy game in which you can actually count up your own scores; you wouldn't dare try that in baseball or basketball (or shouldn't, anyway). There are also several free services on the Internet that will run your league in exchange for the traffic your league will provide. Also, there are a number of software products that will help you run your league.

Step 7 -

Transactions. Teams can continue to trade throughout the season and teams can also pick up free agents anytime during the year. Leagues will need to form some type of setup so that the teams with the worst record get first shot at the free agents. Otherwise it's a first-come, first-serve basis. Some leagues have unlimited transactions, while others assign points for transactions, and you bid on free agents. The high bid gets the player, but you have to be careful not to use up your points too early in the season.

Step 8 -

Have fun. That¹s what it's all about.

Article # 3 -

OVERVIEW
The league is comprised of 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 fantasy team owners. Each owner will select a roster of players, choose a starting lineup for each game of a 13-15 week regular season, and perhaps sign replacement players or make trades. At the end of the fantasy season (during the final weeks of the NFL season) a playoff tournament will determine the league champion.

AUCTION
(Those using a draft need only determine a draft order and select players, with the order reversed for even-numbered rounds). Each franchise is given a $100 payroll, to be used to sign exactly 16 players - any combination of quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers and defenses (which include special teams). Defenses consist of entire NFL teams. A nominating order is randomly determined (perhaps the order of finish the previous year), with teams taking turns opening the bidding on players. During the auctioning of each NFL player, the owner opening the bidding also serves as the auctioneer. Bids must be made in even dollar amounts. Trades are permitted during the auction, but teams may not release purchased players until after the auction.

POSITIONS
Owners shall, by majority vote, decide on players' positions prior to the auction. These positions will apply for the entire year, even if the player switches positions during the NFL season (such as Steeler "wide receiver" Kordell Stewart switching to quarterback late in 1996). Positions not agreed upon prior to the auction will be determined by NFL team lists, as represented at www.nfl.com.

LINEUPS
Owners submit a starting lineup of exactly 1 quarterback, 2 running backs, 2 wide receivers, 1 tight end, 1 kicker and 1 defense prior to the kickoff of the first NFL game of each week (even if it's a Thursday game between NFL teams of no fantasy significance). If an owner fails to submit a lineup by the deadline, it remains the same as the previous week. If the unchanged lineup rule doesn't apply (perhaps because of a trade) then the commissioner shall determine the lineup (using the judgment of a reasonably prudent person). The commissioner should make every effort to decide on the lineup (in such rare cases) prior to the games.

SCORING
For each fantasy game, starters generate points in the following way: 6 points for touchdowns (including kick returns), 4 for TD throws, 3 for field goals, 2 for any role in a 2-point conversion, 2 for safeties and 1 for PATs. Special Teams/Defenses score 6 points for any kick or turnover return, including returns of blocked punts and missed field goals. One exception for defenses: No points are awarded when an offensive player returns a teammate's or opponent's fumble for a touchdown (such as a stripping a defensive back after an interception). Touchdowns scored on fumble returns by the kickoff and punt teams count. (Note: We choose here not to allow Special Teams points for points scored on fake field goals and fake punts because they are hard to define).

WAIVERS
(The following rules apply to those using drafts, but teams simply make claims for players, rather than submitting bids). Players not on a 16-man roster are considered unrestricted free agents. Each team may extend sealed bids for players any time prior to the Wednesday 8 p.m. deadline each week. At that time, bids are revealed and players are awarded to the highest bidder. If two teams bid the same amount, the player goes to the lesser team (see tiebreakers). Simple conditional bids are allowed ("I want to sign a kicker for $2, my choices are ..."). Complex bids are not ("I want to bid $1 more than the Boise Noise on ..."). Teams are obligated to honor winning bids, and waiver pickups can't be released or traded until the following week. When an owner wins a bid, he must - by trade or waivers - get his team down to the $100 and 16-man league limits prior to the kickoff of the first game of the NFL week (otherwise, the commissioner makes those cuts). From 8 p.m. Wednesday until the kickoff of the first NFL game of the week, unrestricted free agents are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Released players become restricted free agents, not available to any team until the following week, and then only for at least their existing salary (for the entire week). If a restricted free agent goes unsigned, he becomes an unrestricted free agent when NFL games start the following week.

TRADES
Two or more owners may exchange players any time prior to the kickoff of the first NFL game on week 10. A trade becomes valid only after all parties involved have contacted the commissioner and verified the terms of the deal. Each team involved in a trade must stay under the league maximum of 16 players and $100. Leaving salary behind in trades is acceptable, but that money becomes guaranteed, and isn't removed from a player's original team if he is later released. (Example: Team A trades $13 Corey Dillon to Team B for $10 Drew Bledsoe but agrees to pay $4 of Dillon's salary. Dillon is now listed as a $9 player for Team B, while $4 of Team A's salary cap is now filed under "guaranteed contracts"). Trades including contingencies for following weeks are not allowed, and traded players are not eligible to return to their initial team's roster. During the auction, it is legal to trade a player for a salary cap figure -- including $0 (example: a team buys Steve McNair for $11, then later in the auction doesn't want him when it captures Peyton Manning for $33). During the season, it's legal to trade players for any cap figure other than $0 (since the team could simply cut the player at that point).

TIEBREAKERS
The following is the tiebreaking scheme should two or more teams have identical records at the end of the regular season. Ties inside divisions shall be broken first (with the winner of that tiebreaker advancing to the next tie, if applicable). Tied games count as half wins (7-5-2 is the same as 8-6-0).

1. Most points scored.

2. Winning percentage against all other teams in the tie (applies only if one team beats or losses to all of the other teams).

3. "Mercator" Projection (Winning percentage if team had played every other team every week).

4. Point difference (points scored minus points allowed).

5. Coin flip.

(Note to those preferring official NFL tiebreakers: Break ties within divisions first. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record between all teams in the tie -- applicable only if one team beats or loses to each and every other team in the tie. Following tiebreakers are winning percentage in divisional, conference, then common games (minimum of four). If the tie still remains, then go to net points in divisional, then all games. Strength of schedule is the 7th NFL tiebreaker).

PLAYOFFS
All rules continue to apply, including those regarding waivers. If two teams tie in a playoff game, the team finishing with the better record in the regular season advances.

TOILET BOWL
The league's two worst teams shall play in a "Toilet Bowl" game the first week after the regular season. The Toilet Bowl champion (the team that is outscored in the Toilet Bowl game) shall provide refreshments for all other franchises at the following year's selection meeting.

RULES FOR KEEPER LEAGUES
(This section applies only to leagues preferring to allow teams to keep players for more than one year). All the same salary cap rules apply, but a new variable is added -- length of contract. Players bought at the August auction are under contract for three years (though they can be cut at any time). Contracts of free agents signed during the season are good only though that season. On July 1 each year, owners must make a decision on each of their free agents -- tender the player an offer equal to the previous year's salary (guaranteeing the player will get a raise) or allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent (clearing salary cap space for the auction). Players offered tenders become restricted free agents. At the auction, restricted free agents are auctioned first (with the nominating order the same as the order teams finished the previous year). For restricted free agents, the owner holding that player's rights need not bid; he simply announces, when the top bid is finalized, whether he'll keep the player by matching the highest offer. If a team must renounce a player by rescinding a tender offer following the restricted free agent bidding round, that player is ineligible to join said team until October (example: an owner protects $8 Steve McNair but no other team is interested in McNair at $8, and the original owner loses interest in McNair after signing restricted free agent Brett Favre for $38. That owner then loses the right to even bid on McNair in the unrestricted free agent auction).

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
A majority vote of the league shall apply if any team violates any of the above rules.

APPEALING TO THE GODS
There are some online services as well as some of the sites used to run FFB leagues, or you may consider using a knowledgeable person not in your league to rule on any issue not covered by league rules.

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The Biggest Football Fans

I saw three different interviews last season with NFL players where they were asked their opinion of Fantasy Football.  One of them approved, but you could tell by the look on his face that he thought Fantasy Football was something you played on a yacht or in a hotel with under-aged cheerleaders.  The other two players, though not against it, expressed concern that Fantasy Football takes away from the true football fan by not allowing a fan to cheer for their home team in as much as an individual player performing specific tasks win or lose.  Having been paying more attention to the off-season happenings than ever before, I’ve come to the conclusion that anyone who feels that way is full of HORSE CRAP!  The truth is that the Fantasy Football owners are the biggest football fans on the planet!!!  NFL Team Owners, Coaches, and Players have no loyalty what-so-ever to each other, the towns that they represent, or the fans that cheer them on each week.  A salary cap issue was blamed for Steve McNair showing up to practice only to be told he had to leave!!!  That’s correct; Steve McNair got thrown out of practice.  The team says that they are afraid he’ll hurt himself while they are in the process of straightening out the salary cap issues and then they’d have to pay him (which is what they agreed to do when he signed his current contract in the first place).  Brett Favre, my personal hero, is taking his sweet little time to decide if he’s going to return this year.  From a team perspective, they need to know whether or not to focus on finding a replacement.  From a fan perspective, “C’mon Brett, I got your back all season while your game was in the toilet, don’t leave me hangin’!”  Players, coaches, and owners are only interested in the difference between $10 million and $12 million.  A normal person cannot be an effective fan in this environment!  A normal person can’t love the home team when their favorite player leaves after a season or two, only to find a new favorite player who in turn leaves after a season or two, and so-on.  A normal person doesn’t go to a sports bar and cheer non-stop for hours because the normal person only has one game thus only so many opportunities to be a fan.  A normal person will never show up to a football party wearing a Packers jersey with an Eagles helmet, Raiders jacket, Cowboys foam finger, and Patriots koozie.  No, the real fans track their teams, their players, and their stats daily.  Real fans bite their nails and have sympathy pains when their players get injured.  Real fans, those exceptional few of which we are a part want to win more than any mere mortal (mostly because we want the big screen TV).  Real fans ALWAYS have something to cheer about; because REAL FANS PLAY FANTASY FOOTBALL!

Ode to a Dead Lover

Your horns, how they shone in the morning sun;

How they glistened with the blood of thine enemy in battle.

You were young, but mighty;

Inexperienced but wise beyond your years.

Oh how the roar of your lovers did echo;

How their cheer deafened your enemy.

They colored their flesh with the paint of war;

They danced before your fire.

Alas your time was short;

Your flame snuffed while you were still a youth.

Your strength faded until no more.

Where wisdom thrived, senility now reigns.

If only you’d listened to your brother’s advice,

If only you’d considered those who love you,

You would have selected Reggie Bush with your first pick

And wouldn’t now be lying dead in the hearts of your kin.

You may rise again – yes live great beast!

Though the journey will be long,

The enemy’s spears will pierce,

And the lovers cries will be the only sound you hear;

You may return to grace – but only if you make the playoffs this year!

In the meantime, GO ASTROS!!!!!

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