 I made this MySpace Music Player at MyFlashFetish.com.
Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 34
Sign: Leo
City: The ATL
State: Georgia
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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Category: Games
Today, I'm gonna follow in the footsteps of Jaymatic w/ this one....
This weekend, I DIDN'T really have a weekend @ all----my whole world came to a complete halt.
I DIDN'T do any grocery shopping, I DIDN'T go out anywhere, I DIDN'T talk much on the phone,
I DIDN'T reply to any of my Facebook messages [or approve any of the friends requests that I got],
& I damn sure DIDN'T play a lick of Mobsters on Myspace.
Each year, the 3rd weekend in August is just as sacred to me as the 1st Sunday in September.
Now, that its passed----there's a pretty good chance that my blogging will be back ON this week.
[though I still CAN'T make any guarantees or promises about that].
If you've been checkin' out my status updates.... then, ya know why I HAVEN'T blogged lately
[aside from the fact that I've got alotta MORE IMPORTANT things going on in my personal life].
Fantasy football has officially taken over cities & online communities all over America.
My real life friends would tell you that there are few people that know MORE about sports than me.
But, the downside of fantasy football is that [in my life] it DOESN'T mix very well with blogging.
I've ALWAYS wanted to write a blog titled Tony Blogtana's Fantasy Football Guide b-cuz [frankly]
I seriously doubt that there's a mofo out there who could give y'all the scoop BETTER than me!!!!
My track record in fantasy football is all that you'd need to see to know that few can even hang w/ me.
But, since I'm a blogger & an avid football fan....
it'd be impossible for me to write post a fantasy football guide kinda blog
WITHOUT tipping my hand to EVERY one of my friends that participates in FFB with me!!!!
For years, I've had to sit in sadness while ESPN & Yahoo give the general public fucked up info about
who to take in their upcoming fantasy football drafts.
I've wanted soooo badly to help out the FFB players of the world by posting a pre-draft blog....
but, I'm sorta handcuffed on that one (no pun intended----FFB players know what I mean)!!!!
Since my fantasy football drafts are pretty much finished....
I think that I might be able to offer a few tips that'll help y'all out [if yours is coming up].
FFB Rule 1: Avoid Steven Jackson like the plague, this year!!!!
My personal rule is "Never draft a runningback that had a long holdout during training camp"!!!!
Emmitt Smith is the ONLY guy that's ever panned out after missing significant time @ training camp
[everybody else has either gotten hurt or played like shit immediately after signing their new deal
b-cuz they WEREN'T in game shape].
Last year provided a classic example of what I'm talking about----LARRY JOHNSON!!!!
DON'T pay attention to the morons who claim that holding out & missing pre-season = good health.
FFB Rule 2: Most fantasy football experts preach that you should draft a RB with your 1st pick....
but, my belief is that you SHOULDN'T unless LaDainian Tomlinson is on the board @ your spot.
Why????
B-cuz runningbacks are the most susceptible to injury!!!! They tend to get hurt early & en masse.
They're one dirty hit, bad cutback, or tweaked groin away from fucking up your entire FFB season.
So, I try NOT to build my team around the RB position.
Every team runs that ball---so, those yards MUST go to somebody regardless of what their name is.
Trust when I say that you can ALWAYS get quality runners in rounds 3-4!!!!
You'd be amazed @ how successful I've been @
building my backfield AFTER everybody else in the league has drafted theirs!!!!
Last year, in my BET.com league----I waited until the so-called marquee runners were off-the-board....
then, I drafted Adrian Peterson, Marion Barber, & Jamal Lewis outta the leftovers!!!!
In 2002, I did the exact same thing & ended up snagging LaDainian Tomlinson!!!!
Runningback is the ONE position where people are the MOST obsessed w/ name recognition....
& this can often be the kiss of death in FFB!!!!
Whoever beasted out last year is gonnabe stalked by everybody & their grandma the next season
[regardless of whether you're talkin' about defenses keying in on that player or FFB heads in general].
The GOOD thing is that everybody else's tunnel vision makes it easy for people like me
to find draft day steals @ the runningback position every year!!!!
Hence, why I was able to build my killer backfield of Peterson, Barber, & Lewis last year
when NOBODY was expecting ANY of those guys to do much.
Last year, everyone was saying:
(a) "Adrian Peterson WON'T make a huge impact b-cuz he'll be sharing carries w/ Chester Taylor",
(b) "Marion Barber CAN'T repeat his TD production----he's Julius Jones' backup",
& (c) "Jamal Lewis is playing for the sorry ass Browns & he was cut by Baltimore for a reason".
Obviously, I DIDN'T pay attention to what the experts were saying [and it paid HUGE dividends].
If any of you need a sleeper for this year....
then, I advise you to draft Michael Turner of Atlanta!!!!
Trust me, he's gonna put up huge numbers if he stays healthy.
I've drafted him in 3 fantasy leagues already &
have been shopping him around just to see what kinda offers that I'd get in-return....
but, NOBODY has wanted to trade for him so far!!!!
LOL - oh well, it'll be THEIR loss when it's all said n' done.
I betcha NONE of them even realize that I shopped around Tom Brady last year too, got no offers,
& all that Brady did was go onto have the GREATEST season of all-time by an NFL quarterback.
FFB Rule 3: Good quarterbacks are hard to find----so, getting one oughta be your top priority!!!!
This is another reason why my 1st round philosophy is "DON'T draft a RB unless it's LaDainian".
Quarterbacks don't get hurt nearly as often as runningbacks do....
& there are far FEWER Pro Bowl-calibre quarterbacks than there are franchise runners in the NFL.
There ISN'T much QB depth after Peyton, Eli, Brady, Cutler, Big Ben, Palmer, Romo, & Brees.
FFB Rule 4: Do NOT fall in love w/ Adrian Peterson, this season!!!!
Last year, I had no problem taking him b-cuz I knew that EVERYBODY was sleeping on him....
but, this year, I promise you that Adrian's NOT gonna live up to the world's lofty expectations!!!!
If you're thinking about drafting AP....
then, lemmie drop a dime for you to think about 1st before ya do:
(a) last year, Peterson got almost 40% of his TOTAL rushing yards in just 2 games!!!!
(b) last year, he only caught 19 passes & he only had ONE game where he caught MORE than 3
and he had 3 games where he DIDN'T catch ONE @ all----so much for being an all-purpose back
(c) he plays for the Minnesota Vikings----which means that he's gotta GIANT bull's eye on him!!!!
(d) Bryant McKinnie [who's Peterson's best blocker upfront] is gonnabe suspended for 4 games
All this spells disaster for the guy that everyone keeps debating about whether to pick numero uno.
I'm NOT gonna front----on one of my draft boards this year, I had Adrian Peterson ranked 16th!!!!
I know that y'all probably think that I'm crazy for dissing Adrian Peterson like this....
but, you'll remember what I said when he burns the shit outta your FFB team [if you draft him]!!!!
FFB Rule 5: Don't bullshit when it comes to making trades!!!!
For some odd reason, I've found that the MAJORITY of FFB players come in 2 types:
(a) people that're paranoid of any trade that's sent their way &
(b) folks that send out ridiculous trade requests just to see if anybody's dumb enough to accept them
My personal belief is that it's counterproductive to do either or!!!!
It's pointless to be paranoid of making a trade & it's also pointless to send crappy trade requests.
Carly plays FFB with me & she was telling me yesterday,
"One thing that I can say about you is that you DON'T send out trade requests that're bullshit.
You ALWAYS consider what's gonna help the other team that you're trading with.
Yours are NEVER lopsided----you actually evaluate what the other team needs & will work w/ that".
That's the kinda FFB player that I am!!!!
But, most of these other cats out here be fakin' the funk when it comes to FFB trades.
For instance....
there's this one brotha in my Myspace league who NEVER sends around a decent trade offer!!!!
He just sends around bullshit trades in hopes that one of us makes the mistake of accepting.
Well, I DON'T do that shit b-cuz you run the risk of destroying the trust that others have in you.
If you send outta bullshit request to a FFB player that KNOWS what he's doing....
then, you'll only end up making them skeptical of you from that point forward.
This AM, somebody offered me James Jones for Brandon Jackson
b-cuz [I guess] he thought that I DIDN'T know that James Jones is injured & won't play in Week 1.
WTF kinda shit is that???? I'm NOT a dummy & receiving that offer was quite insulting.
BTW - this weekend, I traded Julius Peppers & Lance Briggs to my cousin for Brian Urlacher.
But, guess how I pulled it off??? I told my cousin,
"Hey man, you need defense & I've got too much of it. I REALLY want Brian Urlacher though....
so, I'm willing to give you 2 defensive superstars in exchange for him!!!!
But, if you want DeMeco Ryans----then, we're gonna have to do a 1-for-1 swap instead of 2-for-1".
My cousin jumped @ the opportunity & ended up juicing up his defense in a matter of minutes!!!
He understood that Briggs & Urlacher are pretty much gonna give the same production....
so, the fact that I was willing to send him Julius Peppers too made the deal THAT MUCH sweeter.
That's how you pull off a trade in FFB!!!!
MOST people would've bullshitted on making that trade though [outta fear].
If I'd sent them the offer WITHOUT explaining my reasons why....
then, the average person would've thought, "Uh oh, what's Tony Blogtana up to"?!?!?!
Big mistake!!!! Lemmie give y'all an example of the kinda paranoia that we're talkin' about....
Yesterday, in Boog Energy's league, I sent outta trade request to
somebody that's in desperate need of a starting quarterback!!!!
Well, I happen to have 3 QBs on my roster (Tony Romo, Jon Kitna, & Vince Young)....
so, I sent dude a trade offer!!!!
I offered Vince Young to solve his QB problems & Donald Driver
for Torry Holt & Felix Jones (a backup runningback).
But, for some odd reason, I think that dude DENIED my trade request even though he needs a QB!!!!
I guess that he DIDN'T like the fact that I was asking for Torry Holt.
But, here's the thing....
statistically, there's NOT much of a FFB dropoff between Torry Holt & Donald Driver
[especially when you consider the fact that you're getting a starting QB in exchange for a backup RB].
Yes, Holt's pretty much a lock for 90+ catches & 1100+ yards....
but, he's also on the downside of his playing career & has been playing on a bum knee for 2 years.
Donald Driver [on the other hand] is gonna get alotta passes thrown his way
b-cuz Green Bay will be playing from behind in several games.
Last year, Driver posted 82 catches & cracked 1000 yards for the 5th time in the past 6 seasons
[the only knock on him was the fact that he scored only 2 TDs].
But, damn----getting Vince Young for Felix Jones oughta be enough to offset the difference, right???
It's NOT like Felix Jones is gonna steal redzone TDs away from Marion Barber.
FFB Rule 6: Research the scoring system of your league!!!!
I cannot stress this enough!!!
LOL - I play in a FFB league where quarterbacks generate @ least 6x more points than runningbacks....
but, for some odd reason, 13 of the 16 participants end up drafting a RB in the 1st round each year!!!
Then, those same folks wonder why I end up going undefeated in that league.
Ummm, it helps to do your research folks----use your brain & do some simple math.
FFB Rule 7: NEVER underestimate defense in an individual defensive player (IDP) league!!!!
Carly often says that "Fantasy football leagues that use TEAM defenses are for cupcakes & girls!!!
Anybody can pick The Bears or The Ravens defense b-cuz they're good....
but, REAL fantasy footballers play with individual defensive players----NOT team defenses"!!!!
Now, granted, sometimes the option to play with IDPs isn't available [as is the case with ESPN].
But, on Yahoo, it is & I tell ya----IDP leagues are ahelluvalot MORE fun & MORE interesting
[especially when your commissioner's setup the scoring to give defense a major influence on it].
Unfortunately, there are ALWAYS gonnabe a handfull of GMs who think that they'll be able to
win a title by drafting a juggernaut offense while building a defense full of free agent rejects!!!!
Ummm, those folks always end up getting a rude awakening b-cuz their strategy NEVER works!!!
If you're in an IDP league, then those players are there for a reason!!!!
They're just as important as the offensive stars that're scoring TDs for you.
Many times, your IDPs will make or break the results & carry you to a championship.
One reason why it's bad to build your defense around free agent rejects is b-cuz
ahelluvalotta those guys breakdown @ the end of the year [b-cuz they CAN'T handle the load]!!!!
Barrett Rudd was a fantasy stud for the 1st 1/2 of the season----but, he got tired in the 2nd 1/2.
@ some point, having all of those free agent rejects WILL catchup to you!!!!
So, if you're in an IDP league----then, you really DO need to take defense seriously.
DON'T think for a second that you can ALWAYS find a guy who'll match Nick Barnett's production.
OK, I'm gonna wrap this one up by posting my FFB rosters for this upcoming season.
Don E. Deez QB Sacks (Boog Energy's 10 team ESPN league)
QBs - Tony Romo, Jon Kitna, Vince Young
RBs - LaDainian Tomlinson, DeAngelo Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Brandon Jackson
TEs - Jason Witten, Zach Miller
WRs - Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Donald Driver, Jericho Cotchery
Team Defenses - Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers
PK - Neil Rackers
Smash Mowf All-Stars (6 team family & extended fam Yahoo IDP keeper league)
QBs - Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler, Brett Favre
RBs - Marion Barber, Joseph Addai, Michael Turner, Edgerrin James, Reggie Bush
TE - Jason Witten
WRs - Braylon Edwards, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Santonio Holmes
Front 7 - Brian Urlacher, DeMarcus Ware, Ernie Sims, Nick Barnett, Jon Beason,
Derrick Johnson, Keith Bulluck
DBs - Roy Williams, Adrian Wilson, Kerry Rhodes, Antoine Winfield
PK - Phil Dawson
Pay Dirty Bastards (14 team hand-picked all-star GMs & Myspacers Yahoo IDP league)
QBs - Peyton Manning, Brett Favre
RBs - Michael Turner, Reggie Bush, Ricky Williams
TEs - Zach Miller, Kevin Boss
WRs - Calvin Johnson, Torry Holt, Devin Hester, Antonio Bryant
DL/LBs - DeMeco Ryans, Ernie Sims, Keith Bulluck, Ray Lewis, Antonio Pierce,
Shaun Phillips, Zach Thomas, Keith Brooking, Brian Urlacher
DBs - Kerry Rhodes, Antonio Cromartie, Antoine Winfield, Marlin Jackson
PK - Phil Dawson
Dangerous 3x Champs (8 team BET.com friends Yahoo IDP league)
QBs - Tony Romo, Jon Kitna, Jay Cutler
RBs - Marion Barber, Michael Turner, Edgerrin James, Reggie Bush
TEs - Jason Witten, Jeremy Shockey
WRs - Calvin Johnson, Santonio Holmes, Donald Driver, Lee Evans
Front 7 - DeMeco Ryans, Brian Urlacher, Ray Lewis, Keith Brooking, Derrick Johnson,
James Farrior, Zach Thomas
DBs - Gibril Wilson, Kerry Rhodes, Adrian Wilson
PKs - Mike Nugent, Jason Hanson
America's Dream Team (King magazine model Lizz Robbins' 16 team Yahoo league)
QBs - Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton
RBs - DeAngelo Williams, Chester Taylor, Ray Rice, Tim Hightower, Brandon Jackson
TEs - Dallas Clark, Zach Miller
WRs - Calvin Johnson, Isaac Bruce, Devin Hester, Brandon Lloyd, Derek Hagan
Team Defenses - Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks
PKs - Mike Nugent, Martin Gramatica
12:30 AM
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