Football (american football to those across the pond!)

[Parson]

I'm intrigued by Fantasy Football, but I doubt I have the time to actively manage a team. Is there some sort of pick and hold football?

[Culhwch]

I'm not sure what pick and hold football is...?

I played fantasy football for the first time last year, and I think it can take up as much or as little time as you want, depending how devoted you are. I was in two fairly small leagues, and drafted pretty well, so my team almost went unchanged all year, but for a few bye-week changes, and picking up the odd player from the waiver wire.

Alternately, we could just do a tipping comp (that's what we call it here anyway, where you pick the winners each week, and keep track of your score).

[Parson]

Pick and hold --- not sure if that's a correct term --- you pick your players and there is no trading, no resting on certain weeks, that kind of thing. I could definitely be part of a "tipping comp." [interesting word that, without the definition I would have no clue what it means.]

[Grimward]

The other option is to do a "survival" pool, where you pick just one team each week, but that team has to win or you're out. Kind of a variation on the tipping pool, but with consequences!

We could track this alongside the usual standings that reflect everyone's favorite team's record....

I'm game for any of the above...what say the rest of you?

[Parson]

I would prefer the "tipping comp" --- someone's got to explain that name to me! --- over the win or die. But would be willing to play either of them.

[J-Sun]

I haven't been posting much but, hey, it's not even training camp. We've just done the draft and rookie days and whatnot. Well, that and our franchise QB is playing golf. Woo hoo.

Anyway - I'd go for the "tipping comp", too, I guess.

Fantasy football has never appealed to me. Football is a team sport about wins and losses to me - or it was or should be or whatever. Fantasy football is like pro basketball seems to me - about individual players and individual statistics. If I were playing FF, I'd just pick the Dallas Cowboys except that I'd put Troy Polamalu at safety.

[Culhwch]

Well, it seems Americans call it 'pick 'em'. I can't attest as to the origin of the term 'tipping', but, you know, we tip a team to win. Simple as that. Obviously a bit of an Australianism...

Looks like we could set up a pick 'em on ESPN or similar. Might be the best way to go. If there is more interest in playing a fantasy league, I might run one as well, but we'll see. Oh, and J-Sun, most fantasy leagues play with a team defense rather than individual defensive players, so you wouldn't be able to pick Troy P.! Actually last year in the league I was in, we had a guy who picked only Green Bay players (and Brett Favre for his bench) and he got soundly thrashed week in and week out. Particularly when Green Bay had the bye.

[Grimward]

OK, so Santana Moss is now linked to Good Doctor Steroid. There were rumors that Redskins were attached to him last year, but nothing surfaced at the time. Hope not. Folks are also rumbling about TO coming to Washington; let's just hope common sense continues to prevail.....

[Culhwch]

I know he'd bring a lot of baggage, Grim, but wouldn't TO be an immediate upgrade on what is otherwise a fairly average recieving corps? I tend to think that would be a wiser move than bringing in LJ and Willie Parker at the running back position was.

On the subject of elderly RBs, what are your thoughts on the Westbrook rumours? Neither he nor TO are young (and in Westbrook's case, there's also the big injury concern) but they'd both brong a familiarity with McNabb. Do you think the front office have a win-now mentality? They seem to me to have put themselves in an odd position, getting older at QB and RB, (slightly) younger on the o-line, and revamping the defense. McNabb certainly hasn't proven he'll be a consistent passer over the next stretch of years, so is he a stop-gap solution while the team is developed around him in readiness to hand to a young QB in two or three years time? Will the fans be that patient?

[jojajihisc]

Apparently there is talk of NYC getting the Super Bowl in '14 but the league has a rule about it always being held either in a dome or in a city with an average temperature of 50 F in late January/early February (NYC avg. is 37 F). I'd like to see it somewhere different than the same old warm weather cities but then again I kind of like watching the Super Bowl in nicer weather. I'm going with not changing that policy for now. Any other opinions?

[Culhwch]

Too late, it's done.

I think it should probably stay in domes or warm climes. The conference championship games can be played anywhere in any weather, so I think that's enough. The Superbowl should be about the two teams on the field, not the white stuff covering it...

[Grimward]

Before there was a Super Bowl, there were any number of NFL Championships played on the white stuff. I kind of like the elements to be optimal, too, but the mere fact that there's snow or extreme cold doesn't make the game any less about the two teams (both have to play in the weather, after all.....).

Re the Skin's RB situation, Cul, I think we have enough old and one-step-from-disabled-list players on the roster already. Sure, McNabb knows Westbrook, but I'd rather see the Skins develop a younger back. As per usual, and for Westbrook's sake (assuming his doctors agree that it's not yet time for him to call it quits), I'm happy to be proved wrong here.....

[Culhwch]

Well, I'm biased because I follow a dome team, I guess...

[Grimward]

Quite understandable, and even more so if one lives in a city with a dome and stands to benefit from Super Bowl revenues. Still, I think the occasional outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl might not be a bad thing....

[Culhwch]

In fairness it should rotate through every city that has a team in the NFL. That's never going to happen, of course.

Still, it's better than our local NRL (rugby league). Despite the fact that Brisbane has arguably the best rectangular-field stadium in the country, and the most devoted league fans in the world (I'm not even going to say 'arguably' on that one), the NRL brass have just signed a contract to ensure the Grand Final - our Superbowl, if you will - remains in Sydney for the forseeable future. The game has never been played anywhere else....