As if he were describing an incurable disease, Mack Brown referred to a "sense of entitlement" on multiple occasions last fall when explaining away the travails of the disastrous 2010 football campaign. What Coach Brown meant by that is debatable as he didn't go into great detail, but I think we can reasonably infer that he felt the players and coaches lacked the urgency and effort necessary to play championship level football because they probably figured they could beat most teams on talent and reputation alone.
But was a sense of entitlement the key reason the Longhorns experienced their first losing season in over a decade? Well I'd probably argue that overall talent level and immaturity at key leadership positions played bigger roles in the demise, but if the players and coaches (as well as fans and media) were and are convinced Texas could and can still win most games simply by showing up, I'd include that as a pivotal factor as well.
Put another way, if we think the Emperor might have pneumonia, refusing to explore the idea that he might not be wearing warm enough clothing can be just as bad as, if not worse than, telling him all he needs to do to get better is surround himself with better doctors.
That said, the idea that a sense of entitlement can have a deleterious effect on a football program is hardly an assertion anyone would waste much time arguing against anyway. And its literary divulgence is far from novel. In fact, our fearless editor PB wrote an excellent (and somewhat prophetic) article in the 2009 edition of The Eyes of Texas Preview Guide in which he elaborated upon his theory as to how the "We're Texas" mindset has been unhelpful to the development of the football program, most notably UT's tardiness to the integration party.
But I'm not here to put a fresh coat of poly on Peter's bean or remind you that the "must have" gift for Longhorn diehards this Christmas-in-July shopping season is the 2011 edition of The Eyes of Texas Football Preview Guide (shameless plug).
No, I'm here to pose the question: Where does this sense of entitlement, this incurable disease, come from?
(Find out if I actually make a salient point after the jump...that explains why they call it "the jump" anyway.)
Is it simply the product of overconfidence gleaned from being part of a football program that averaged 10 wins a season for the better part of a decade and appeared in two National Titles?
Is it the result of unrealistic expectations created by modern day snake oil salesman masquerading as recruiting experts and a ratings-driven media, both of whom appear to care less about reporting facts and more about cashing in on hype?
Is it because the players are from what demographers have dubbed "Generation Y" or "Millennials," a portion of the population roughly defined as children born after 1980 (and 67% of BON readers). The basic theory is that because this generation benefited from childhoods that that coincided with a time of economic prosperity (the 90's and early OT's) as well as a movement by parents to lesson the competitiveness of childhood activities like sports by awarding trophies just for participating, this group of kids has a greater sense of entitlement and do not respond well to traditional means of motivation such as "breaking a kid down to build them back up" - something the Army and football coaches alike made their livings on for the better part of the 20th Century.
Or could it be that in this brave new post consumerism era we live in where we tend to blame the institution before the individual,Longhorn Nation as a whole and its "We're Texas" zeitgeist are the source for this sense of entitlement? ("I learned it by watching you, dad!")
It's no mystery that we fans of the University of Texas have always walked a fine line between swagger and arrogance. And no where is that dichotomy more prevalent than in our institution of higher learning's handcrafted tagline, "We're Texas."
When we win, "We're Texas" is an affirmation of our confidence. When we lose, it's an albatross of arrogance run amuck.
And whether you love the phrase or think it's just the pipe dream of two doped up ad agency copywriters throwing tag lines against the wall, the reason it ultimately stuck and was able to tap into the Burnt Orange Zeitgeist is because it does reflect the UT bravado as a whole and it is an extremely efficient and addictive catalyst for unleashing the the pride we feel inside.
Problem is, in my eyes anyway, "We're Texas" isn't an imperative. It's a statement of fact. When you think about it, the phrase practically assumes we've already won because well, "we're Texas and you're not." Unfortunately, we're also 5-7. And I don't hear anybody yelling that with pride and I've yet to see a bumper sticker or T-shirt with "We're below .500" on it.
Regardless, I still don't know that I'd argue that our overzealousness is the sole source for this sense of entitlement anymore than I'd argue that we should even try to cure ourselves of it.
But should the Longhorns' marketing machine or even Mack Brown himself be in the market for a new theme for 2011, I'd recommend a catalytic imperative that has gotten the job done before and one that I know will get it done again...
"Hook'em Horns."
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Friday, April 15, 2011
Spring Football
When I worked in mid-town, one of my favorite springtime activities took me to the GT campus to watch football practice. Without a roster with names and numbers, I was never quite sure who was doing what, but it was fun to watch. CPJ has almost all the practices closed this season, so few of us have any idea what is happening. As a result, very little has been written. I believe, with T-Day coming up in just over a week, we should start talking about football.
One of the big questions for this spring is quarterback. The battle seems to be between Synjyn Days and Tevin Washington to see who replaces Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims is listed as a QB, but we are deep into the smelly stuff if he takes a snap this fall. So, the battle clearly between Days and Washington should be raging everyday in spring practice. Days has never played, except to run the opponents' offense in practice, so we can only guess how well he will do if he plays. However, for Washington, we have a pretty good idea.
In the four games he started, Tevin was pretty good. Not great, but OK. The offense tanked the bowl game, as it has done all three of CPJs years at Tech, so I am omitting that game from my data. Tevin led the Jackets to offensive output of 401 yards while losing to Miami, 410 yards against Duke, and put 512 yards on the Dogs. Tech's 2010 per game offense with Tevin at QB are better than Nesbitt's. His failing is turnovers. But, if I remember correctly, Joshua had the same problem in 2008.
That said, I am excited about seeing Vad Lee on campus. He may be the most dynamic Tech player recruited in many years. In high school he was a passing QB who could run. He has a will to win and the ability to focus that is uncommon in teens. It will be interesting to see how the competition plays out at QB.
Primavera di calcio
Quando ho lavorato a metà della città, una delle mie attività preferite primavera mi ha portato al campus GT per guardare la pratica del calcio. Senza un roster con nomi e numeri, non sono mai stato abbastanza sicuro che stava facendo che cosa, ma era divertente da guardare. CPJ ha quasi tutte le pratiche chiuse in questa stagione, così pochi di noi hanno idea di cosa sta accadendo. Di conseguenza, molto poco è stato scritto. Credo che, con T-Day in arrivo in poco più di una settimana, dovremmo iniziare a parlare di calcio.
Una delle grandi questioni per questa primavera è quarterback. La battaglia sembra essere tra i giorni Synjyn e Tevin Washington per vedere chi sostituisce Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims è elencato come un QB, ma siamo in profondità la roba puzzolente, se si prende un attimo questo autunno. Così, la battaglia in modo chiaro tra i giorni e Washington dovrebbero essere tutti i giorni infuria nella pratica primavera. Giorni non ha mai giocato, se non per eseguire il reato avversari ', in pratica, in modo che possiamo solo immaginare quanto bene farà se gioca. Tuttavia, per Washington, abbiamo una buona idea.
In quattro partite ha iniziato, Tevin è stato abbastanza buono. Non grande, ma OK. Il reato tankato le bocce, come ha fatto tutte e tre anni a CPJs Tech, quindi sono omettendo quel gioco da miei dati. Tevin portato le Giacche di produzione offensiva di 401 metri, perdendo a Miami, 410 yards contro Duke, 512 yards e messo sui cani. Tech 2010 per reato di gioco con Tevin al QB sono meglio di Nesbitt. La sua mancanza è fatturati. Ma, se non ricordo male, Joshua aveva lo stesso problema nel 2008.
Detto questo, io sono entusiasta di vedere Vad Lee nel campus. Egli può essere il giocatore più dinamico Tech reclutati in molti anni. Al liceo era un passaggio QB che potrebbe correre. Ha una voglia di vincere e la capacità di messa a fuoco che non è comune in adolescenti. Sarà interessante vedere come si gioca fuori concorso al QB.
Printemps de football
Lorsque je travaillais au centre-ville, une de mes activités préférées printemps m'a pris sur le campus de GT de regarder la pratique du football. Sans une liste avec les noms et numéros, je n'ai jamais très bien qui faisait quoi, mais c'était amusant à regarder. Le CPJ a presque toutes les pratiques fermés cette saison, si peu d'entre nous ont une idée de ce qui se passe. En conséquence, très peu a été écrit. Je crois, avec T-journée à venir dans un peu plus d'une semaine, nous devrions commencer à parler de football.
Une des grandes questions pour ce printemps est le quart-arrière. La bataille semble être entre les jours Synjyn et Tevin Washington pour voir qui remplace Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims est répertorié comme un QB, mais nous sommes profondément dans la substance malodorante s'il prend un clin d'œil à l'automne. Ainsi, la bataille clairement entre les jours et Washington devrait faire rage dans la pratique quotidienne de printemps. Jours n'a jamais joué, sauf à courir infraction de l'adversaire dans la pratique, de sorte que nous ne pouvons que deviner la façon dont il le fera s'il joue. Cependant, pour Washington, nous avons une assez bonne idée.
Au cours des quatre matchs qu'il a commencé, Tevin était très bon. Pas génial, mais OK. L'infraction a plongé le bowl, comme il l'a fait les trois années à CPJs Tech, je suis donc en omettant ce jeu de mes données. Tevin mené les Blue Jackets à la production offensive de 401 verges tout en perdant à Miami, 410 verges contre le duc, et de mettre 512 verges sur les chiens. Tech 2010 par infraction jeu avec Tevin au QB sont mieux que Nesbitt. Son échec est revirements. Mais, si je me souviens bien, Joshua eu le même problème en 2008.
Cela dit, je suis très heureux de voir Vad Lee sur le campus. Il peut être l'acteur le plus dynamique Tech recrutés depuis de nombreuses années. Au lycée, il a été un passage QB qui pouvait courir. Il a une volonté de gagner et la capacité de mettre l'accent qui est rare chez les adolescents. Il sera intéressant de voir comment la compétition se joue à QB.
Printemps de football
Lorsque je travaillais au centre-ville, une de mes activités préférées printemps m'a pris sur le campus de GT de regarder la pratique du football. Sans une liste avec les noms et numéros, je n'ai jamais très bien qui faisait quoi, mais c'était amusant à regarder. Le CPJ a presque toutes les pratiques fermés cette saison, si peu d'entre nous ont une idée de ce qui se passe. En conséquence, très peu a été écrit. Je crois, avec T-journée à venir dans un peu plus d'une semaine, nous devrions commencer à parler de football.
Une des grandes questions pour ce printemps est le quart-arrière. La bataille semble être entre les jours Synjyn et Tevin Washington pour voir qui remplace Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims est répertorié comme un QB, mais nous sommes profondément dans la substance malodorante s'il prend un clin d'œil à l'automne. Ainsi, la bataille clairement entre les jours et Washington devrait faire rage dans la pratique quotidienne de printemps. Jours n'a jamais joué, sauf à courir infraction de l'adversaire dans la pratique, de sorte que nous ne pouvons que deviner la façon dont il le fera s'il joue. Cependant, pour Washington, nous avons une assez bonne idée.
Au cours des quatre matchs qu'il a commencé, Tevin était très bon. Pas génial, mais OK. L'infraction a plongé le bowl, comme il l'a fait les trois années à CPJs Tech, je suis donc en omettant ce jeu de mes données. Tevin mené les Blue Jackets à la production offensive de 401 verges tout en perdant à Miami, 410 verges contre le duc, et de mettre 512 verges sur les chiens. Tech 2010 par infraction jeu avec Tevin au QB sont mieux que Nesbitt. Son échec est revirements. Mais, si je me souviens bien, Joshua eu le même problème en 2008.
Cela dit, je suis très heureux de voir Vad Lee sur le campus. Il peut être l'acteur le plus dynamique Tech recrutés depuis de nombreuses années. Au lycée, il a été un passage QB qui pouvait courir. Il a une volonté de gagner et la capacité de mettre l'accent qui est rare chez les adolescents. Il sera intéressant de voir comment la compétition se joue à QB.
One of the big questions for this spring is quarterback. The battle seems to be between Synjyn Days and Tevin Washington to see who replaces Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims is listed as a QB, but we are deep into the smelly stuff if he takes a snap this fall. So, the battle clearly between Days and Washington should be raging everyday in spring practice. Days has never played, except to run the opponents' offense in practice, so we can only guess how well he will do if he plays. However, for Washington, we have a pretty good idea.
In the four games he started, Tevin was pretty good. Not great, but OK. The offense tanked the bowl game, as it has done all three of CPJs years at Tech, so I am omitting that game from my data. Tevin led the Jackets to offensive output of 401 yards while losing to Miami, 410 yards against Duke, and put 512 yards on the Dogs. Tech's 2010 per game offense with Tevin at QB are better than Nesbitt's. His failing is turnovers. But, if I remember correctly, Joshua had the same problem in 2008.
That said, I am excited about seeing Vad Lee on campus. He may be the most dynamic Tech player recruited in many years. In high school he was a passing QB who could run. He has a will to win and the ability to focus that is uncommon in teens. It will be interesting to see how the competition plays out at QB.
Primavera di calcio
Quando ho lavorato a metà della città, una delle mie attività preferite primavera mi ha portato al campus GT per guardare la pratica del calcio. Senza un roster con nomi e numeri, non sono mai stato abbastanza sicuro che stava facendo che cosa, ma era divertente da guardare. CPJ ha quasi tutte le pratiche chiuse in questa stagione, così pochi di noi hanno idea di cosa sta accadendo. Di conseguenza, molto poco è stato scritto. Credo che, con T-Day in arrivo in poco più di una settimana, dovremmo iniziare a parlare di calcio.
Una delle grandi questioni per questa primavera è quarterback. La battaglia sembra essere tra i giorni Synjyn e Tevin Washington per vedere chi sostituisce Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims è elencato come un QB, ma siamo in profondità la roba puzzolente, se si prende un attimo questo autunno. Così, la battaglia in modo chiaro tra i giorni e Washington dovrebbero essere tutti i giorni infuria nella pratica primavera. Giorni non ha mai giocato, se non per eseguire il reato avversari ', in pratica, in modo che possiamo solo immaginare quanto bene farà se gioca. Tuttavia, per Washington, abbiamo una buona idea.
In quattro partite ha iniziato, Tevin è stato abbastanza buono. Non grande, ma OK. Il reato tankato le bocce, come ha fatto tutte e tre anni a CPJs Tech, quindi sono omettendo quel gioco da miei dati. Tevin portato le Giacche di produzione offensiva di 401 metri, perdendo a Miami, 410 yards contro Duke, 512 yards e messo sui cani. Tech 2010 per reato di gioco con Tevin al QB sono meglio di Nesbitt. La sua mancanza è fatturati. Ma, se non ricordo male, Joshua aveva lo stesso problema nel 2008.
Detto questo, io sono entusiasta di vedere Vad Lee nel campus. Egli può essere il giocatore più dinamico Tech reclutati in molti anni. Al liceo era un passaggio QB che potrebbe correre. Ha una voglia di vincere e la capacità di messa a fuoco che non è comune in adolescenti. Sarà interessante vedere come si gioca fuori concorso al QB.
Printemps de football
Lorsque je travaillais au centre-ville, une de mes activités préférées printemps m'a pris sur le campus de GT de regarder la pratique du football. Sans une liste avec les noms et numéros, je n'ai jamais très bien qui faisait quoi, mais c'était amusant à regarder. Le CPJ a presque toutes les pratiques fermés cette saison, si peu d'entre nous ont une idée de ce qui se passe. En conséquence, très peu a été écrit. Je crois, avec T-journée à venir dans un peu plus d'une semaine, nous devrions commencer à parler de football.
Une des grandes questions pour ce printemps est le quart-arrière. La bataille semble être entre les jours Synjyn et Tevin Washington pour voir qui remplace Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims est répertorié comme un QB, mais nous sommes profondément dans la substance malodorante s'il prend un clin d'œil à l'automne. Ainsi, la bataille clairement entre les jours et Washington devrait faire rage dans la pratique quotidienne de printemps. Jours n'a jamais joué, sauf à courir infraction de l'adversaire dans la pratique, de sorte que nous ne pouvons que deviner la façon dont il le fera s'il joue. Cependant, pour Washington, nous avons une assez bonne idée.
Au cours des quatre matchs qu'il a commencé, Tevin était très bon. Pas génial, mais OK. L'infraction a plongé le bowl, comme il l'a fait les trois années à CPJs Tech, je suis donc en omettant ce jeu de mes données. Tevin mené les Blue Jackets à la production offensive de 401 verges tout en perdant à Miami, 410 verges contre le duc, et de mettre 512 verges sur les chiens. Tech 2010 par infraction jeu avec Tevin au QB sont mieux que Nesbitt. Son échec est revirements. Mais, si je me souviens bien, Joshua eu le même problème en 2008.
Cela dit, je suis très heureux de voir Vad Lee sur le campus. Il peut être l'acteur le plus dynamique Tech recrutés depuis de nombreuses années. Au lycée, il a été un passage QB qui pouvait courir. Il a une volonté de gagner et la capacité de mettre l'accent qui est rare chez les adolescents. Il sera intéressant de voir comment la compétition se joue à QB.
Printemps de football
Lorsque je travaillais au centre-ville, une de mes activités préférées printemps m'a pris sur le campus de GT de regarder la pratique du football. Sans une liste avec les noms et numéros, je n'ai jamais très bien qui faisait quoi, mais c'était amusant à regarder. Le CPJ a presque toutes les pratiques fermés cette saison, si peu d'entre nous ont une idée de ce qui se passe. En conséquence, très peu a été écrit. Je crois, avec T-journée à venir dans un peu plus d'une semaine, nous devrions commencer à parler de football.
Une des grandes questions pour ce printemps est le quart-arrière. La bataille semble être entre les jours Synjyn et Tevin Washington pour voir qui remplace Joshua Nesbitt. David Sims est répertorié comme un QB, mais nous sommes profondément dans la substance malodorante s'il prend un clin d'œil à l'automne. Ainsi, la bataille clairement entre les jours et Washington devrait faire rage dans la pratique quotidienne de printemps. Jours n'a jamais joué, sauf à courir infraction de l'adversaire dans la pratique, de sorte que nous ne pouvons que deviner la façon dont il le fera s'il joue. Cependant, pour Washington, nous avons une assez bonne idée.
Au cours des quatre matchs qu'il a commencé, Tevin était très bon. Pas génial, mais OK. L'infraction a plongé le bowl, comme il l'a fait les trois années à CPJs Tech, je suis donc en omettant ce jeu de mes données. Tevin mené les Blue Jackets à la production offensive de 401 verges tout en perdant à Miami, 410 verges contre le duc, et de mettre 512 verges sur les chiens. Tech 2010 par infraction jeu avec Tevin au QB sont mieux que Nesbitt. Son échec est revirements. Mais, si je me souviens bien, Joshua eu le même problème en 2008.
Cela dit, je suis très heureux de voir Vad Lee sur le campus. Il peut être l'acteur le plus dynamique Tech recrutés depuis de nombreuses années. Au lycée, il a été un passage QB qui pouvait courir. Il a une volonté de gagner et la capacité de mettre l'accent qui est rare chez les adolescents. Il sera intéressant de voir comment la compétition se joue à QB.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Greatest Football Movie Ever Tournament: The Blind Side vs The Longest Yard
Finally, the tournament has moved on to the semi-finals of the "Other" bracket, the last of the three that we need to get to. The finals of the College bracket will be a battle between the two lowest seeds, as The Waterboy managed to take down We Are Marshall in the second semi-final to set up a battle against Necessary Roughness for the College bracket championship.
Our first semi-final match-up in the "Other" bracket gives us a recent classic going up against an older classic.
The Blind Side
The Blind Side is based on the real life story of current Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher, and is taken from the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis.
Young Michael Oher (played in the film by Quinton Aaron) spent much of his childhood bouncing around different foster homes in Memphis, Tennessee, largely because he keeps running away whenever he gets placed in a new home. He eventually winds up enrolling in the Wingate Christian school, where he makes a friend named Sean. Sean's mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) eventually brings him into their home, and he becomes a part of the Tuohy family. Eventually, his academic problems get turned around, which allows him to join the school's football team, which is where young Oher finds his true calling.
Bullock won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in this movie, and the film itself received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
The Longest Yard
Apologies. . .the trailer above is for the 2005 remake. The only thing I could find for the 1974 version was something hyping a DVD release. Then again, since they're essentially the same movie, I guess the difference isn't that great. I just prefer the older version. Your mileage may vary.
The Longest Yard centers around Paul Crewe (played in the original by Burt Reynolds), a former star professional quarterback who was kicked out of the league for point shaving. After getting into a fight with his girlfriend, Crewe gets drunk and drives his girlfriends car off of a pier, winding up with an 18-month prison sentence as a result. After being harassed by both his fellow inmates and the guards at the prison, the warden eventually compels Crewe to put together a team of inmates to take on the prison's guards, who have a semi-pro team of their own, and many of whom are big enough and fast enough to play at the pro level. Most of the prisoners have no football experience, and the African-American players won't even talk to Crewe about joining the squad. . .at first.
Eventually, game day comes around and the prisoners actually have a shot at taking down the guards. At halftime, the prison warden comes to Crewe and tells him that if he doesn't lose this game to the guards, he'll pin a crime on Crewe that they both know he didn't commit. From there. . .well, I don't think I want to spoil the ending, although I'm sure most folks here have seen the film already.
The Longest Yard won the 1975 Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy). The 2005 version is pretty good, too. . .after all, as I said earlier, it's essentially the same movie. . .but I simply prefer the Burt Reynolds version.
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. . .let the battle begin!
Our first semi-final match-up in the "Other" bracket gives us a recent classic going up against an older classic.
The Blind Side
The Blind Side is based on the real life story of current Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher, and is taken from the book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis.
Young Michael Oher (played in the film by Quinton Aaron) spent much of his childhood bouncing around different foster homes in Memphis, Tennessee, largely because he keeps running away whenever he gets placed in a new home. He eventually winds up enrolling in the Wingate Christian school, where he makes a friend named Sean. Sean's mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) eventually brings him into their home, and he becomes a part of the Tuohy family. Eventually, his academic problems get turned around, which allows him to join the school's football team, which is where young Oher finds his true calling.
Bullock won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in this movie, and the film itself received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
The Longest Yard
Apologies. . .the trailer above is for the 2005 remake. The only thing I could find for the 1974 version was something hyping a DVD release. Then again, since they're essentially the same movie, I guess the difference isn't that great. I just prefer the older version. Your mileage may vary.
The Longest Yard centers around Paul Crewe (played in the original by Burt Reynolds), a former star professional quarterback who was kicked out of the league for point shaving. After getting into a fight with his girlfriend, Crewe gets drunk and drives his girlfriends car off of a pier, winding up with an 18-month prison sentence as a result. After being harassed by both his fellow inmates and the guards at the prison, the warden eventually compels Crewe to put together a team of inmates to take on the prison's guards, who have a semi-pro team of their own, and many of whom are big enough and fast enough to play at the pro level. Most of the prisoners have no football experience, and the African-American players won't even talk to Crewe about joining the squad. . .at first.
Eventually, game day comes around and the prisoners actually have a shot at taking down the guards. At halftime, the prison warden comes to Crewe and tells him that if he doesn't lose this game to the guards, he'll pin a crime on Crewe that they both know he didn't commit. From there. . .well, I don't think I want to spoil the ending, although I'm sure most folks here have seen the film already.
The Longest Yard won the 1975 Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy). The 2005 version is pretty good, too. . .after all, as I said earlier, it's essentially the same movie. . .but I simply prefer the Burt Reynolds version.
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. . .let the battle begin!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Lingerie Football League Bounces To Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — As some continue to argue the merits of outdoor football in Minnesota, there must at least a few women who might be glad the sport remains indoors.
That’s because the Lingerie Football League is set to expand into the Twin Cities this fall.
The LFL announced the 11th franchise was granted to Minneapolis, and the full-contact action will soon be coming to the Target Center.
The sport has made a name for itself by showing scantily clad women in pads playing no-holds barred football.
Among the other cities being included in the expansion are Cleveland, Las Vegas and, yes, Green Bay.
The Minnesota team, whatever it ends up being named (the comments section below is open to suggestions), will compete in the league’s Western Conference against the Seattle Mist, Los Angeles Temptation, Green Bay Chill and Chicago Bliss.
There will be an announcement about open tryouts sometime in the near future, so get your shoulder pads ready.
League Lingerie Football kthehet To Minneapolis
Minneapolis (WCCO) - Si disa vazhdojnë të argumentojnë meritat e futbollit në natyrë në Minesota, nuk duhet të paktën disa gra që mund të jetë i gatshëm për sport mbetet në ambiente të mbyllura.
Kjo për shkak se Football Lingerie League është vendosur që të zgjerohet në Qytetet binjake këtë vjeshtë.
LFL njoftoi ekskluzivitet 11 është dhënë në Mineapolis, dhe veprim të plotë kontakti së shpejti do të vijnë në Qendrën e synuar.
sport ka bërë një emër për veten, duke treguar në mënyrë të pamjaftueshme grave të veshur në pads duke luajtur futboll nuk ka-ka ndaluar.
Ndër qytetet e tjera janë të përfshirë në zgjerimin janë Cleveland, Las Vegas dhe, po, Green Bay.
Ekipi Minesota, çfarëdo qoftë ajo përfundon duke u quajtur (seksionin Komentet më poshtë është e hapur për sugjerimet), do të konkurrojnë në Konferencën Perëndimore të ligë kundër mjegull Seattle, Los Angeles Temptation, Green Bay Chill dhe Çikago begatshme.
Nuk do të jetë një njoftimi për tryouts hapur dikur në të ardhmen e afërt, kështu që të marrë shpatullën tuaj pads gati.
Lingerie Football League To Minneapolis erreboteak
Minneapolis (WCCO) - batzuk jarraitu futbol kanpoko merezimenduak argudiatzeko Minnesotan bezala, gutxienez batzuk emakume alaiaren kirol hondarrak etxe barruan egon liteke.
That's Lingerie Football League delako ezarri Twin Hiri sartu zabaltzeko jaitsiera hau.
LFL iragarri 11 frankizia zen Minneapolis ematen, eta full-Ekintza aurki izango dira helburu Center Datozen.
Kirola egin ditu izena berez scantily erakutsiz jantzitako emakume pads-en dauka trangatuta futbol ez erreproduzitzen.
Beste hiri izateaz hedatzeko artean sartzen dira Cleveland, Las Vegas eta, hori bai, Green Bay.
Minnesotako taldea, edozer eman bukatzen ari da named (comments atalean baino txikiagoa izanen da proposamenak ireki), Will Ligako en Seattle Mist, Los Angeles Temptation, Green Bay Chill eta Chicago Bliss aurka Conference Western lehiatuko dira.
Ez tryouts ireki dela iragarki bat egingo da noizbait etorkizun hurbilean, beraz, Lortu zure sorbalda pads prest.
That’s because the Lingerie Football League is set to expand into the Twin Cities this fall.
The LFL announced the 11th franchise was granted to Minneapolis, and the full-contact action will soon be coming to the Target Center.
The sport has made a name for itself by showing scantily clad women in pads playing no-holds barred football.
Among the other cities being included in the expansion are Cleveland, Las Vegas and, yes, Green Bay.
The Minnesota team, whatever it ends up being named (the comments section below is open to suggestions), will compete in the league’s Western Conference against the Seattle Mist, Los Angeles Temptation, Green Bay Chill and Chicago Bliss.
There will be an announcement about open tryouts sometime in the near future, so get your shoulder pads ready.
League Lingerie Football kthehet To Minneapolis
Minneapolis (WCCO) - Si disa vazhdojnë të argumentojnë meritat e futbollit në natyrë në Minesota, nuk duhet të paktën disa gra që mund të jetë i gatshëm për sport mbetet në ambiente të mbyllura.
Kjo për shkak se Football Lingerie League është vendosur që të zgjerohet në Qytetet binjake këtë vjeshtë.
LFL njoftoi ekskluzivitet 11 është dhënë në Mineapolis, dhe veprim të plotë kontakti së shpejti do të vijnë në Qendrën e synuar.
sport ka bërë një emër për veten, duke treguar në mënyrë të pamjaftueshme grave të veshur në pads duke luajtur futboll nuk ka-ka ndaluar.
Ndër qytetet e tjera janë të përfshirë në zgjerimin janë Cleveland, Las Vegas dhe, po, Green Bay.
Ekipi Minesota, çfarëdo qoftë ajo përfundon duke u quajtur (seksionin Komentet më poshtë është e hapur për sugjerimet), do të konkurrojnë në Konferencën Perëndimore të ligë kundër mjegull Seattle, Los Angeles Temptation, Green Bay Chill dhe Çikago begatshme.
Nuk do të jetë një njoftimi për tryouts hapur dikur në të ardhmen e afërt, kështu që të marrë shpatullën tuaj pads gati.
Lingerie Football League To Minneapolis erreboteak
Minneapolis (WCCO) - batzuk jarraitu futbol kanpoko merezimenduak argudiatzeko Minnesotan bezala, gutxienez batzuk emakume alaiaren kirol hondarrak etxe barruan egon liteke.
That's Lingerie Football League delako ezarri Twin Hiri sartu zabaltzeko jaitsiera hau.
LFL iragarri 11 frankizia zen Minneapolis ematen, eta full-Ekintza aurki izango dira helburu Center Datozen.
Kirola egin ditu izena berez scantily erakutsiz jantzitako emakume pads-en dauka trangatuta futbol ez erreproduzitzen.
Beste hiri izateaz hedatzeko artean sartzen dira Cleveland, Las Vegas eta, hori bai, Green Bay.
Minnesotako taldea, edozer eman bukatzen ari da named (comments atalean baino txikiagoa izanen da proposamenak ireki), Will Ligako en Seattle Mist, Los Angeles Temptation, Green Bay Chill eta Chicago Bliss aurka Conference Western lehiatuko dira.
Ez tryouts ireki dela iragarki bat egingo da noizbait etorkizun hurbilean, beraz, Lortu zure sorbalda pads prest.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Football Luncheon Notes
LucKy
Michigan's new football coaching staff met with the media today prior to the start of spring ball. Here are some excerpts of what they said. Video coming tomorrow.
Head Coach Brady Hoke
I spent much less time with Hoke because we've had chances to hear from him before. The assistants have much more new stuff to say.
"We've talked a lot about 'this is a fresh start' and going back to square one."
The facility upgrades are a lot different than last time Hoke was here. "You look aesthetically at how everything looks, and it's beautiful. It's a sign of the times in college football."
Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison
"We have to take who we have, and make them as good as they can be." Can the team make dramatic improvements on D? "It has to. Michigan forever - and you guys know it longer than I do - Michigan has taken great pride in defense, and will take great pride in defense again." It starts with technique, fundamentals, and stopping the run. Not allowing big plays and great red zone defense are huge.
It was tough to come to Michigan, because the Ravens are a great team, and "probably one of the best franchises in the NFL right now." In the end, he couldn't turn down working with Brady again and coming to Michigan again. He likes working with young guys and teaching the game.
On Hoke: "He's number one a great leader, he's a great person, as far as knowing what has to happen. He loves Michigan. He's always loved Michigan. He has a passion to get Michigan back to where it always was." Mattison and Hoke stayed close even though they weren't on the same staff for several years.
Cameron Gordon will play outside linebacker, because they want to get the guys into the best position they can to make plays. "And then what's the most upside." He has great ability to grow, and has that upside at OLB. "As compared to being a safety, I think he can do that too, but we have other guys that can do that."
"How dangerous? I don't know that, because we haven't hit anybody." Don't know how tough the team is until they have contact practices.
Nobody on the staff is selfish or looking out for their owns goals. "Everybody has Michigan first. It's not about any individual on that team."
Mattison hasn't watched any film on the defense from 2010. The only useful thing would be for individual ability, but he'll learn that through conditioning. "The players we have here are who we have here." Improving the defensive rankings doesn't matter. "I want this defense to be the best they can possibly be... It doesn't matter what the numbers were before. If the numbers were 50 a game and it goes down to 40, that isn't good enough." The bar at Michigan is higher than most places.
The coaches have to invest their own effort for the players to buy in. "Through their effort, they can become 'Michigan football players' again. And they're not far off."
"Very very physical, aggressive defense. A defense that, when somebody comes out on that field, they know their in a war." The other point of pride is having excellent technique.
Young kids are excited to play for a coach who's had Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, and Ed Reed play for him. "The good news is, you don't coach these guys any different than you coach them. It's just teaching."
Defensive Line: Jerry Montgomery
"They're going to be a reflection of me. I'm passionate about what I do, they'll feel that passion, and eventually it will rub off." The defensive linemen will play with intensity and "we're going to be the best-coached group on the field." Building a relationship with the players is one of the most important parts of coaching.
There are a lot of different defensive schemes out there, "but at the end of the day, you get to a lot of the same things." Michigan's 4-3 this season won't be worried about confusing the offense or disguising what they're going to get on a given play, unlike some of the other schemes out there. It'll be a lot of "here we are, come at us." Think along the lines of what Iowa does.
"Our goal is to stop the run first. That's priority number one."
The players who are best capable of playing "within the defense" will be the ones who play. If they're All-Americans in another scheme, but can't accept the coaching, they aren't going to play.
Coach Mattison is able to compare linemen to Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, and other great NFL linemen, so they know the bar is set high, and what they're aiming to achieve. "What they're asking is 'how can I be more like him?' Well, I'm going to them them." They'll watch the Ravens film because "we're going to be running that defense. So we've got the luxury of using that film."
"I'd like to rotate a bunch. But we've gotta have the players for us to do that. I won't know until we get deep into spring ball what type of depth we have." They want to keep the linemen fresh as much as possible.
It's exciting to work under Coaches Hoke and Mattison, because they're former D-Line coaches, and it's great to learn under them.
On Mattison: "Regardless of how old he is, he's great with the players, he relates to the players, and he's a great recruiter." He's as energetic as Montgomery, despite the age difference. He has the enthusiasm of a young guy, and cam back to college because he loved recruiting so much.
Offensive Coordinator Al Borges
The installation timeline for the offense isn't set in stone. They'll work on certain things as long as they need for the players to get it.
The important qualities for a quarterback are 1) proper management, and getting the offense into the proper plays, 2) throw accurately, and 3) "when there's breakdowns, particularly in the passing game, can you create?" The third quality separates system QBs from great ones.
There will still be some designed run plays. "He's not gonna rush for 1700 yards, I've already told him that." If he runs for 700 less and makes up for it in passing yards, that's a win. "Denard wants to be a next-level player." He's aware that this coaching staff gives him an opportunity to develop enough to play quarterback at the next level.
Borges has coached guys who can run in the past, but nobody with Denard's running skills. "He definitely has next level skills." As a quarterback? "Possibly." He's about as big as Michael Vick, and a little faster. He just needs to get the passing skills where they need to be.
Devin Gardner has a chance to play. "We have complete respect for what's been accomplished by Denard and anyone else in the lineup. But by the same token, everyone's going to have to prove to us they can play their position." They'll start with the guys that finished last year, but there's no entitlement.
The offense has a zone package, but they're not primarily a zone running team. "We're a combination of zone, gap, and insert schemes." They'll explore more options with what works well in practice. They've gone toward more gap in the past (SDSU) and also more zone (Auburn). All of it is available. The read-option isn't dead, but it's not a priority of this team.
Aaron Wellman, the team's strength coach, is as good as anybody at determining every individual player's maximum efficient weight. If guys can be most efficient a little lighter, so be it.
Michigan's new football coaching staff met with the media today prior to the start of spring ball. Here are some excerpts of what they said. Video coming tomorrow.
Head Coach Brady Hoke
I spent much less time with Hoke because we've had chances to hear from him before. The assistants have much more new stuff to say.
"We've talked a lot about 'this is a fresh start' and going back to square one."
The facility upgrades are a lot different than last time Hoke was here. "You look aesthetically at how everything looks, and it's beautiful. It's a sign of the times in college football."
Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison
"We have to take who we have, and make them as good as they can be." Can the team make dramatic improvements on D? "It has to. Michigan forever - and you guys know it longer than I do - Michigan has taken great pride in defense, and will take great pride in defense again." It starts with technique, fundamentals, and stopping the run. Not allowing big plays and great red zone defense are huge.
It was tough to come to Michigan, because the Ravens are a great team, and "probably one of the best franchises in the NFL right now." In the end, he couldn't turn down working with Brady again and coming to Michigan again. He likes working with young guys and teaching the game.
On Hoke: "He's number one a great leader, he's a great person, as far as knowing what has to happen. He loves Michigan. He's always loved Michigan. He has a passion to get Michigan back to where it always was." Mattison and Hoke stayed close even though they weren't on the same staff for several years.
Cameron Gordon will play outside linebacker, because they want to get the guys into the best position they can to make plays. "And then what's the most upside." He has great ability to grow, and has that upside at OLB. "As compared to being a safety, I think he can do that too, but we have other guys that can do that."
"How dangerous? I don't know that, because we haven't hit anybody." Don't know how tough the team is until they have contact practices.
Nobody on the staff is selfish or looking out for their owns goals. "Everybody has Michigan first. It's not about any individual on that team."
Mattison hasn't watched any film on the defense from 2010. The only useful thing would be for individual ability, but he'll learn that through conditioning. "The players we have here are who we have here." Improving the defensive rankings doesn't matter. "I want this defense to be the best they can possibly be... It doesn't matter what the numbers were before. If the numbers were 50 a game and it goes down to 40, that isn't good enough." The bar at Michigan is higher than most places.
The coaches have to invest their own effort for the players to buy in. "Through their effort, they can become 'Michigan football players' again. And they're not far off."
"Very very physical, aggressive defense. A defense that, when somebody comes out on that field, they know their in a war." The other point of pride is having excellent technique.
Young kids are excited to play for a coach who's had Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, and Ed Reed play for him. "The good news is, you don't coach these guys any different than you coach them. It's just teaching."
Defensive Line: Jerry Montgomery
"They're going to be a reflection of me. I'm passionate about what I do, they'll feel that passion, and eventually it will rub off." The defensive linemen will play with intensity and "we're going to be the best-coached group on the field." Building a relationship with the players is one of the most important parts of coaching.
There are a lot of different defensive schemes out there, "but at the end of the day, you get to a lot of the same things." Michigan's 4-3 this season won't be worried about confusing the offense or disguising what they're going to get on a given play, unlike some of the other schemes out there. It'll be a lot of "here we are, come at us." Think along the lines of what Iowa does.
"Our goal is to stop the run first. That's priority number one."
The players who are best capable of playing "within the defense" will be the ones who play. If they're All-Americans in another scheme, but can't accept the coaching, they aren't going to play.
Coach Mattison is able to compare linemen to Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, and other great NFL linemen, so they know the bar is set high, and what they're aiming to achieve. "What they're asking is 'how can I be more like him?' Well, I'm going to them them." They'll watch the Ravens film because "we're going to be running that defense. So we've got the luxury of using that film."
"I'd like to rotate a bunch. But we've gotta have the players for us to do that. I won't know until we get deep into spring ball what type of depth we have." They want to keep the linemen fresh as much as possible.
It's exciting to work under Coaches Hoke and Mattison, because they're former D-Line coaches, and it's great to learn under them.
On Mattison: "Regardless of how old he is, he's great with the players, he relates to the players, and he's a great recruiter." He's as energetic as Montgomery, despite the age difference. He has the enthusiasm of a young guy, and cam back to college because he loved recruiting so much.
Offensive Coordinator Al Borges
The installation timeline for the offense isn't set in stone. They'll work on certain things as long as they need for the players to get it.
The important qualities for a quarterback are 1) proper management, and getting the offense into the proper plays, 2) throw accurately, and 3) "when there's breakdowns, particularly in the passing game, can you create?" The third quality separates system QBs from great ones.
There will still be some designed run plays. "He's not gonna rush for 1700 yards, I've already told him that." If he runs for 700 less and makes up for it in passing yards, that's a win. "Denard wants to be a next-level player." He's aware that this coaching staff gives him an opportunity to develop enough to play quarterback at the next level.
Borges has coached guys who can run in the past, but nobody with Denard's running skills. "He definitely has next level skills." As a quarterback? "Possibly." He's about as big as Michael Vick, and a little faster. He just needs to get the passing skills where they need to be.
Devin Gardner has a chance to play. "We have complete respect for what's been accomplished by Denard and anyone else in the lineup. But by the same token, everyone's going to have to prove to us they can play their position." They'll start with the guys that finished last year, but there's no entitlement.
The offense has a zone package, but they're not primarily a zone running team. "We're a combination of zone, gap, and insert schemes." They'll explore more options with what works well in practice. They've gone toward more gap in the past (SDSU) and also more zone (Auburn). All of it is available. The read-option isn't dead, but it's not a priority of this team.
Aaron Wellman, the team's strength coach, is as good as anybody at determining every individual player's maximum efficient weight. If guys can be most efficient a little lighter, so be it.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Fantasy Football 101: Expectations and Providers
You have to worry about it with car insurance, medical insurance, customer service, banks, cell phone providers, internet providers...If you are using a service, you will have and should have some expectations. Everyone wants something different, which is why so many different companies exist in the world today, and your Fantasy Football experience is no different. You have an idea of what you want your league to look like and how you want to run it, and you have an idea of who you want in it....But what should the provider do for you? Let's take a look.
First off, I am not going to do a "this is the best provider" article. I had some requests to compare providers to help find the best fantasy sites, but the important thing is to remember everyone has different preferences, and mine might not be yours. Instead I am going to try to identify all of the things I like to see from a provider, that way you know what to look for.
The Must Have Stuff: When you are looking to join or create a fantasy football league, you have some expectations, especially after reading the fine articles that came before this one. You have an idea of what scoring system you want to use, what roster set up you want, whether you want keepers or not, and a multitude of other things...Its important to make sure a provider has them.
Scoring Systems: Some smaller fantasy football sites do not let you manipulate scoring systems, but they are rare. All of the big ones (ESPN, CBS, NFL, FOX, etc.) let you change scoring settings. The question here is, do they let you change them in all the ways you want? Some good questions to ask/research (if you care): Can we use decimal scoring? Can we add Points Per Reception? Can we add milestone bonuses (for 100 yard games, as an example)? Can we use negative scoring? Can we reward return yards/scores?
Rosters: Can we divide special teams and defense into separate units? Can we use Individual Defensive Players? What options do we have for Flex Positions? This last question is big. Some have a RB/WR and a WR/TE option. Some have a WR/RB/TE option, but not all. Some have an Offensive Utility Player option, which may include QBs as well. When it comes to IDP, this can mean the difference between DE & DT or just D-Line player in general. Some let you add silly stuff, like Punters and Head Coaches. Make sure you know what you want and then make sure a provider can do it for you.
Keepers: Does the provider allow keepers? Is the amount unlimited? Can you program rules or do you have to manually make sure no one is in violation (if you have a no-more-than-1 QB keeper rule, but 3 total keepers, for example. Will the provider stop them from keeping 3 QBs, or do you have to review it as the League Manager?)
Drafting: Some providers don't offer Auction Drafts yet. That only matters if you want one, but its good to know. Some have Auction drafts but do NOT have the supplemental salary cap rules for managing the roster. Some won't let you force teams to "pay" for their keepers. A good number of providers don't let you do "Straight line" drafts, which really gets my goat. A snake draft isn't always the answer.
Status Updates: All providers have status updates to let you know when players are Injured, put on IR, suspended, cut, or traded. Some can email you or text you if you want. The big thing here is speed. There are a number of service providers that are hours behind, but some are days behind, and in our modern era of communication, it is unacceptable that I may have to go to a 3rd party site to find out if my player is in or out for a game. If you are a casual player and look and your roster looks good 20 minutes before kickoff, it will kill you to find out later 3 guys were out. Game-time decision players are announced an hour prior, and your provider should be paying attention. On top of this, some providers are good at it, but neglect special roster players - such as IDP updates. Just because they have real time Offensive player updates, doesn't mean they give the same care and attention to IDP.
The Bells & Whistles
Scoring Updates: In this day and age, there is no reason to work with a provider that does not have up to the minute scoring updates. Some even have embedded highlight film or watch it live scoring replays. I don't watch my fantasy game, but I do check it during commercials, so all I care about is up to date scoring.
Analytical Tools: Most sites are catching up here. The ability to do side by side trend and stat comparisons, compare how position groups do against certain teams, get realistic expectations in scoring predictions can be a great help whether you are casual and don't have time to do it yourself or are hardcore and want a good baseline of information to start with. Most have some kind of "draft kit" to help prepare you.
Draft Prep Tools: Being able to pre-rank in case you miss a draft and it auto-drafts on you, being able to prioritize positions or individual players by round, those are nice. What I really like is a chart that shows me what everyone has drafted, more by position than the specific players, so I can predict whether or not the guy in front of me is thinking QB or RB. It makes me feel better anyway.
Trophies: Electronic trophies are a nice touch, and some sites let you set them for anything and everything measurable, both good and bad. Lowest scoring game of the season? Have a trophy added to your profile that advertises how bad you are. Some let you add point values to these so you can do end of year awards based on the team with the highest trophy score...Its a fun side project.
Embedded Financial Trackers: This helps keep money leagues straight. This can help avoid "lost" money and hurt feelings when someone thinks they paid and you think they didn't, only to find the check later.
"Other" stuff: There are millions of bells and whistles. Fantasy articles, fantasy experts, automatic "best lineup" engines that recommend line ups for you, calendars, message boards, alerts, "scout teams", Pick 'em games....You name it, it exists.
The bottom line is this: Make sure your site is going to give you ALL of the things you need to have the league you want (Roster, Scoring System, Draft Style, Keeper set up) and that it is up to date and accurate enough to support you without you having to do a lot of extra work (live scoring updates, live player status updates). Everything after that is icing on the cake and comes down to your preference. If you want to compare features, I recommend looking at ESPN, CBS and NFL.com to get a good feel for some of the built out providers, compare features, and then go looking. Unless I am doing a money league, I like my leagues to first and foremost be free... but sometimes you get what you pay for.
First off, I am not going to do a "this is the best provider" article. I had some requests to compare providers to help find the best fantasy sites, but the important thing is to remember everyone has different preferences, and mine might not be yours. Instead I am going to try to identify all of the things I like to see from a provider, that way you know what to look for.
The Must Have Stuff: When you are looking to join or create a fantasy football league, you have some expectations, especially after reading the fine articles that came before this one. You have an idea of what scoring system you want to use, what roster set up you want, whether you want keepers or not, and a multitude of other things...Its important to make sure a provider has them.
Scoring Systems: Some smaller fantasy football sites do not let you manipulate scoring systems, but they are rare. All of the big ones (ESPN, CBS, NFL, FOX, etc.) let you change scoring settings. The question here is, do they let you change them in all the ways you want? Some good questions to ask/research (if you care): Can we use decimal scoring? Can we add Points Per Reception? Can we add milestone bonuses (for 100 yard games, as an example)? Can we use negative scoring? Can we reward return yards/scores?
Rosters: Can we divide special teams and defense into separate units? Can we use Individual Defensive Players? What options do we have for Flex Positions? This last question is big. Some have a RB/WR and a WR/TE option. Some have a WR/RB/TE option, but not all. Some have an Offensive Utility Player option, which may include QBs as well. When it comes to IDP, this can mean the difference between DE & DT or just D-Line player in general. Some let you add silly stuff, like Punters and Head Coaches. Make sure you know what you want and then make sure a provider can do it for you.
Keepers: Does the provider allow keepers? Is the amount unlimited? Can you program rules or do you have to manually make sure no one is in violation (if you have a no-more-than-1 QB keeper rule, but 3 total keepers, for example. Will the provider stop them from keeping 3 QBs, or do you have to review it as the League Manager?)
Drafting: Some providers don't offer Auction Drafts yet. That only matters if you want one, but its good to know. Some have Auction drafts but do NOT have the supplemental salary cap rules for managing the roster. Some won't let you force teams to "pay" for their keepers. A good number of providers don't let you do "Straight line" drafts, which really gets my goat. A snake draft isn't always the answer.
Status Updates: All providers have status updates to let you know when players are Injured, put on IR, suspended, cut, or traded. Some can email you or text you if you want. The big thing here is speed. There are a number of service providers that are hours behind, but some are days behind, and in our modern era of communication, it is unacceptable that I may have to go to a 3rd party site to find out if my player is in or out for a game. If you are a casual player and look and your roster looks good 20 minutes before kickoff, it will kill you to find out later 3 guys were out. Game-time decision players are announced an hour prior, and your provider should be paying attention. On top of this, some providers are good at it, but neglect special roster players - such as IDP updates. Just because they have real time Offensive player updates, doesn't mean they give the same care and attention to IDP.
The Bells & Whistles
Scoring Updates: In this day and age, there is no reason to work with a provider that does not have up to the minute scoring updates. Some even have embedded highlight film or watch it live scoring replays. I don't watch my fantasy game, but I do check it during commercials, so all I care about is up to date scoring.
Analytical Tools: Most sites are catching up here. The ability to do side by side trend and stat comparisons, compare how position groups do against certain teams, get realistic expectations in scoring predictions can be a great help whether you are casual and don't have time to do it yourself or are hardcore and want a good baseline of information to start with. Most have some kind of "draft kit" to help prepare you.
Draft Prep Tools: Being able to pre-rank in case you miss a draft and it auto-drafts on you, being able to prioritize positions or individual players by round, those are nice. What I really like is a chart that shows me what everyone has drafted, more by position than the specific players, so I can predict whether or not the guy in front of me is thinking QB or RB. It makes me feel better anyway.
Trophies: Electronic trophies are a nice touch, and some sites let you set them for anything and everything measurable, both good and bad. Lowest scoring game of the season? Have a trophy added to your profile that advertises how bad you are. Some let you add point values to these so you can do end of year awards based on the team with the highest trophy score...Its a fun side project.
Embedded Financial Trackers: This helps keep money leagues straight. This can help avoid "lost" money and hurt feelings when someone thinks they paid and you think they didn't, only to find the check later.
"Other" stuff: There are millions of bells and whistles. Fantasy articles, fantasy experts, automatic "best lineup" engines that recommend line ups for you, calendars, message boards, alerts, "scout teams", Pick 'em games....You name it, it exists.
The bottom line is this: Make sure your site is going to give you ALL of the things you need to have the league you want (Roster, Scoring System, Draft Style, Keeper set up) and that it is up to date and accurate enough to support you without you having to do a lot of extra work (live scoring updates, live player status updates). Everything after that is icing on the cake and comes down to your preference. If you want to compare features, I recommend looking at ESPN, CBS and NFL.com to get a good feel for some of the built out providers, compare features, and then go looking. Unless I am doing a money league, I like my leagues to first and foremost be free... but sometimes you get what you pay for.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
TV Nets' Growing NFL Headache As Football Players' Contact Nears Expiration By NELLIE ANDREEVA
While it is monitoring closely the antics of its troubled sitcom star Charlie Sheen in Los Angeles, CBS is also keeping a weary eye on Washington where another major problem is brewing. CBS is not alone on that one. CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and DirecTV are all following the negotiations between NFL owners and players, which are going down to the wire. The two sides met with a mediator in Washington D.C. for 4 hours today, 35 hours before their current agreement expires at midnight on Thursday night.
A failure to reach a new deal will lead to NFL's first players lockout in decades. Thankfully, the new NFL season is six months away. But a disrupted or, worse, canceled football season will have a huge impact on the networks that carry the games, especially NBC, which is relying heavily on Sunday Night Football, its strongest program at the moment, to lead its ratings turnaround. A lockout could disrupt the great momentum NFL football is enjoying on television. It is coming off its biggest TV season ever, breaking a slew of ratings records capped by the record 111 million viewers who tuned in to the Super Bowl on Fox. Getting massive viewer turnout at a time when network viewership is steadily declining explains why the current NFL-associated networks are not complaining about paying steep license fees: CBS ($3.73 billion), NBC ($3.6B), Fox ($4.27B), ESPN ($8.8B).
In other developments, a federal judge today sided with the NFL Players Association in a dispute over TV broadcast revenue the union says was negotiated by the league to help management survive a possible players lockout. NFLPA claimed that NFL's pacts guaranteed lower network fees if the league would be entitled to a $4 billion "lockout payment" in case of a work stoppage. U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled that management did not negotiate in good faith to make deals that benefit both the NFL and its players, and suggested the NFL bullied its broadcast partners into the agreements. A hearing on damages and an injunction on the TV contracts has not been scheduled.
A failure to reach a new deal will lead to NFL's first players lockout in decades. Thankfully, the new NFL season is six months away. But a disrupted or, worse, canceled football season will have a huge impact on the networks that carry the games, especially NBC, which is relying heavily on Sunday Night Football, its strongest program at the moment, to lead its ratings turnaround. A lockout could disrupt the great momentum NFL football is enjoying on television. It is coming off its biggest TV season ever, breaking a slew of ratings records capped by the record 111 million viewers who tuned in to the Super Bowl on Fox. Getting massive viewer turnout at a time when network viewership is steadily declining explains why the current NFL-associated networks are not complaining about paying steep license fees: CBS ($3.73 billion), NBC ($3.6B), Fox ($4.27B), ESPN ($8.8B).
In other developments, a federal judge today sided with the NFL Players Association in a dispute over TV broadcast revenue the union says was negotiated by the league to help management survive a possible players lockout. NFLPA claimed that NFL's pacts guaranteed lower network fees if the league would be entitled to a $4 billion "lockout payment" in case of a work stoppage. U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled that management did not negotiate in good faith to make deals that benefit both the NFL and its players, and suggested the NFL bullied its broadcast partners into the agreements. A hearing on damages and an injunction on the TV contracts has not been scheduled.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
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Date: Saturday,26 February.
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Friday, February 25, 2011
The Wire
Othes sport
LAS VEGAS -- Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones was sentenced on Thursday to probation and 200 hours of community service under a plea deal for his role in a 2007 strip club melee in Las Vegas.
Clark County courts spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said Jones received a suspended sentence and was also ordered to receive anger management counselling. The sentence requires Jones to undergo random drug testing.
Jones told the Las Vegas Sun after the sentencing that he's glad to finally have the case behind him and has been praying for the victims of the shooting.
"This has been a long, long haul and has affected a lot of families," Jones told the newspaper. "It has affected me personally."
JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will require Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow and he will miss the entire 2011 season, the club confirmed Thursday morning.
General manager John Mozeliak made the announcement at about 10 a.m. St. Louis time after a discussion with the pitcher and the team physician. All parties had been waiting on the results of a second opinion requested Wednesday evening from Dr. Lewis Yocum in the Los Angeles area.
A former member of the Manitoba Moose who turned to coaching has been banished from the Central Hockey League for the rest of the season after throwing his clothes -- almost all of them -- onto the ice in protest.
Greg Pankiewicz, a native of Drayton Valley, Alta., now an assistant coach with the Colorado Eagles, received a 14-game suspension for tossing his tie, jacket, shirt and apparently his shoes onto the ice during a game last weekend.
While his team was leading the Mississippi River Kings, Pankiewicz objected to the tactics of a linesman during an on-ice melee.
He was also fined by the league, as was his team.
Pankiewicz played for the Moose from 1996 until 1998.
LAS VEGAS -- Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones was sentenced on Thursday to probation and 200 hours of community service under a plea deal for his role in a 2007 strip club melee in Las Vegas.
Clark County courts spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said Jones received a suspended sentence and was also ordered to receive anger management counselling. The sentence requires Jones to undergo random drug testing.
Jones told the Las Vegas Sun after the sentencing that he's glad to finally have the case behind him and has been praying for the victims of the shooting.
"This has been a long, long haul and has affected a lot of families," Jones told the newspaper. "It has affected me personally."
JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will require Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow and he will miss the entire 2011 season, the club confirmed Thursday morning.
General manager John Mozeliak made the announcement at about 10 a.m. St. Louis time after a discussion with the pitcher and the team physician. All parties had been waiting on the results of a second opinion requested Wednesday evening from Dr. Lewis Yocum in the Los Angeles area.
A former member of the Manitoba Moose who turned to coaching has been banished from the Central Hockey League for the rest of the season after throwing his clothes -- almost all of them -- onto the ice in protest.
Greg Pankiewicz, a native of Drayton Valley, Alta., now an assistant coach with the Colorado Eagles, received a 14-game suspension for tossing his tie, jacket, shirt and apparently his shoes onto the ice during a game last weekend.
While his team was leading the Mississippi River Kings, Pankiewicz objected to the tactics of a linesman during an on-ice melee.
He was also fined by the league, as was his team.
Pankiewicz played for the Moose from 1996 until 1998.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Stanford football: Report from the first spring practice
technic football style..
The core of what you’re about to read was written Monday night, following practice, and appeared in Tuesday’s Merc. I’ve added a few thoughts that didn’t appear in the original.
We’ll start with the main item, followed by some notes …
*** The first Stanford football practice under David Shaw looked a lot like the Stanford football practices under Jim Harbaugh, right down to the head coach’s father roaming the field.
“It felt normal,’’ said Shaw, the former Stanford player and assistant who was named head coach Jan. 13.
“I know the guys. I know the university. I understand the team. I know where we can improve and where we are strong.’’
Shaw led the Cardinal through a 2.5-hour workout Monday afternoon – the first of 15 spring practices that culminate April 9 with the Cardinal and White scrimmage in San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium.
Stanford mixed position drills with some light scrimmaging, which provided an early look — emphasis on early – at the revamped offensive line:
Right tackle Tyler Mabry, right guard David DeCastro, center Khalil Wilkes, left guard Kevin Danser and left tackle Jonathan Martin.
(DeCastro and Martin are the unit’s only returning starters and the only players assured of starting the season opener, injuries not withstanding.)
“They got in and out of their drills, they got a lot done and had a lot of disciple,’’ said Shaw’s father, Willie, the former Stanford and Oakland Raiders assistant who filled the father-watching-practice role previously held by Jack Harbaugh.
“You can tell coach Shaw is trying to put his own stamp on things,’’ defensive back Michael Thomas said.
“It was at a high tempo, and he was really coaching us. But it didn’t feel like it dragged on for three hours. He made his points and got in and out quickly.’’
Shaw’s main point: “It was a good practice, but I told the guys we weren’t out here to be good.’’
*** Tailback Jeremy Stewart has been granted a medical redshirt and will be available for the 2011 season.
Stewart, who rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in the Orange Bowl, played in just four games in 2009, allowing him to qualify for a fifth season.
Add Stewart to a unit that includes 1,100-yard rusher Stepfan Taylor, powerful junior Tyler Gaffney and promising sophomore Anthony Wilkerson, and the Cardinal is deep at tailback — so deep, in fact, that Usua Amanam will get a look at other positions, including cornerback.
*** Several players did not practice, including Gaffney, who was with the baseball team.
Receiver Chris Owusu and safety Delano Howell are recovering from undosclosed injuries and did not participate — Howell did some conditioning drills, Owusu was nowhere to be seen.
Shaw said, in both cases, that Stanford wanted to be cautious … that neither player had anything to prove and there’s no reason to jeopardize their availability in the fall by rushing them back for the spring.
(It’s probably safe to assume that Owusu had offseason knee surgery. I say that because 1) Shaw acknowledged that Owusu had surgery, although he wouldn’t get specific, and 2) Owusu had a knee injury last season.)
*** Tight end Levine Toilolo didn’t practice, which is no surprise considering the seriousness of the knee injury he suffered last season.
I asked Shaw if Toilolo would take part in any contact drills this spring. “Maybe at some point, but we’re going to be cautious,” he said.
*** Shaw said former cornerback Corey Gatewood will play receiver exclusively next fall.
Given that Stanford lost Ryan Whalen and Doug Baldwin .. and that Owusu appears injury prone … and that Drew Terrell and Jamal-Rashad Patterson haven’t produced … Stanford could use whatever contributions Gatewood provides.
*** Quarterback Andrew Luck was not available for comment. He’s scheduled to sit down with local media on Friday.
The core of what you’re about to read was written Monday night, following practice, and appeared in Tuesday’s Merc. I’ve added a few thoughts that didn’t appear in the original.
We’ll start with the main item, followed by some notes …
*** The first Stanford football practice under David Shaw looked a lot like the Stanford football practices under Jim Harbaugh, right down to the head coach’s father roaming the field.
“It felt normal,’’ said Shaw, the former Stanford player and assistant who was named head coach Jan. 13.
“I know the guys. I know the university. I understand the team. I know where we can improve and where we are strong.’’
Shaw led the Cardinal through a 2.5-hour workout Monday afternoon – the first of 15 spring practices that culminate April 9 with the Cardinal and White scrimmage in San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium.
Stanford mixed position drills with some light scrimmaging, which provided an early look — emphasis on early – at the revamped offensive line:
Right tackle Tyler Mabry, right guard David DeCastro, center Khalil Wilkes, left guard Kevin Danser and left tackle Jonathan Martin.
(DeCastro and Martin are the unit’s only returning starters and the only players assured of starting the season opener, injuries not withstanding.)
“They got in and out of their drills, they got a lot done and had a lot of disciple,’’ said Shaw’s father, Willie, the former Stanford and Oakland Raiders assistant who filled the father-watching-practice role previously held by Jack Harbaugh.
“You can tell coach Shaw is trying to put his own stamp on things,’’ defensive back Michael Thomas said.
“It was at a high tempo, and he was really coaching us. But it didn’t feel like it dragged on for three hours. He made his points and got in and out quickly.’’
Shaw’s main point: “It was a good practice, but I told the guys we weren’t out here to be good.’’
*** Tailback Jeremy Stewart has been granted a medical redshirt and will be available for the 2011 season.
Stewart, who rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in the Orange Bowl, played in just four games in 2009, allowing him to qualify for a fifth season.
Add Stewart to a unit that includes 1,100-yard rusher Stepfan Taylor, powerful junior Tyler Gaffney and promising sophomore Anthony Wilkerson, and the Cardinal is deep at tailback — so deep, in fact, that Usua Amanam will get a look at other positions, including cornerback.
*** Several players did not practice, including Gaffney, who was with the baseball team.
Receiver Chris Owusu and safety Delano Howell are recovering from undosclosed injuries and did not participate — Howell did some conditioning drills, Owusu was nowhere to be seen.
Shaw said, in both cases, that Stanford wanted to be cautious … that neither player had anything to prove and there’s no reason to jeopardize their availability in the fall by rushing them back for the spring.
(It’s probably safe to assume that Owusu had offseason knee surgery. I say that because 1) Shaw acknowledged that Owusu had surgery, although he wouldn’t get specific, and 2) Owusu had a knee injury last season.)
*** Tight end Levine Toilolo didn’t practice, which is no surprise considering the seriousness of the knee injury he suffered last season.
I asked Shaw if Toilolo would take part in any contact drills this spring. “Maybe at some point, but we’re going to be cautious,” he said.
*** Shaw said former cornerback Corey Gatewood will play receiver exclusively next fall.
Given that Stanford lost Ryan Whalen and Doug Baldwin .. and that Owusu appears injury prone … and that Drew Terrell and Jamal-Rashad Patterson haven’t produced … Stanford could use whatever contributions Gatewood provides.
*** Quarterback Andrew Luck was not available for comment. He’s scheduled to sit down with local media on Friday.
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