Dynasty Fantasy League Part 1 of 2

Right now I am part of a dynasty draft in a 12 person league. Each draft pick is 12 hours long (due to people being in different time zones and such). So far it is going really well. Trades are being made via draft picks and players and with the 12 hours per pick the pressure of choosing someone within the 90 seconds allotted doesn't exist. It is a relaxing and more strategic draft which I am finding to be far more enjoyable than a typical fantasy draft.

I think what separates this draft from others is strategy. Being a dynasty league means that you maintain the same players from year to year with a rookie draft being held before each season. This means that retirement is a major factor in choosing a player which has already led to big time fantasy players falling; Tom Brady and Peyton Manning specifically come to mind. The dynasty league also makes the draft feel like a fantasy draft in Madden (which was one of my favorite parts of the game) but better because the trades are more fluid/exciting and you are playing against other humans and not a CPU. It's really more like an actual NFL draft combined with fantasy football, you choose the team that will be great for years to come.

We are currently in the 5th round after several days of drafting and I will post my team's results once it is finished (in a week or so).

Seahawks leapfrog 49ers

This week at NFL.com it was determined by the fans that the Seahawks are NFL's #1 team, leapfrogging the 49ers. As a niners fan I can honestly say that I am glad. Not to gloat about a pre-season rankings system that has no validity, but to sort of sit back and breathe a sigh of relief. Why? Because now the pressure is off of the 49ers. Instead of being the target everyone is after the attention is now drawn to a new foe, releasing the pre-season hype and expectations of the 49ers winning the Super Bowl. Don't get me wrong, the expectations are still there, but by being #2 instead of #1 a little bit of the pressure is of and in a way they are now underdogs. The niners will carry this underdog mentality into the season like they have the last two years and prove that they are the top dog. Either way, whoever is ranked #1 or #2, we all expect this divisional rivalry to be the top games of the year and maybe the most anticipated of all season.

It doesn't matter who is #1 before the season, it matters who's #1 after the season.

Fantasy Football!

So none of my annual leagues have begun drafting yet but that's okay, I can still talk about it. Now for the first time ever I will be joining a 12 person league. Not only that, but it's a dynasty league which means you keep the players you draft for successive years. This makes the draft process much more challenging as older players may not want to be drafted even if they are good. The idea is to draft well for the future!

I will also be attending my 2nd live draft ever in Oregon with my older brother and the league I grew up with. This league was my introduction to fantasy football some 8 years ago so a lot of trash talking shall be spoketh (mainly how the 49ers are better than the Seahawks since it's Seahawks territory where my brother lives).

The last couple of years I have gone a wee bit crazy by having multiple fantasy leagues, 10 and 8 the last 2 years respectively. This year I think I will tone it down a bit. Given the complexity of the 12 person league and the potential injuries ensued from the live draft, I will be a part of no more than 5 leagues. Nobody really cares but I think it's important for me to say and my girlfriend to hold me accountable for. Anyway, if you have any fantasy football advice or just want to chat send me a message on blogger. Grazie!

-SK

Early Season Jibber Jabber

So OTAs have begun and the preseason is still a ways away, but it's nice to discuss a little bit of football even with the null period that we're in. Basically, the excitement for next season to start is hindered by the lack of anything important going on. With that being said, teams are usually ranked pre- and post-season but I think it's important to also rank the divisions. I haven't looked into a lot of people's division rankings, but I did catch Gregg Rosenthal's from NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000168304/article/division-power-rankings-nfc-west-rises-to-the-top)

1. NFC West 
2. NFC North 
3. AFC North 
4. NFC South 
5. NFC East 
6. AFC South 
7. AFC East 
8. AFC West

For the most part I agree with his assessment. The NFC West is becoming the old AFC North with obvious comparisons on the defensive side of the ball (Steelers Vs. Ravens and 49ers Vs. Seahawks and a close 3rd adversary in the Bengals and Rams). The one main difference between the old AFC North and new NFC West is that the NFC West seems to have more firepower on offense which tends to make games all the more exciting. Mix tough defenses with young athletic quarterbacks, a mean ground game, and two head coaches whose rivalry goes back to college and you have yourself the top two teams in the NFL, and the NFL's best division.

I agree with the NFC North being #2 with three possible playoff teams. I think the NFC South might edge out the AFC North but it is a tough call. Who knows where the Saints will be with Sean Payton back and the Bucs have acquired seemingly every top notch free agent out there along with a young QB and RB. The AFC North isn't what it used to be and the Ravens have lost several key players while the Steelers have not performed well offensively in a couple of years. But there is the Bengals with their emergent defensive.

As far as the other divisions go I think the NFC East should be switched with the AFC South. I say this simply based on playoff caliber teams (AFC South = 2, the NFC East = 1). Although the NFC East is very competitive down the stretch, the last couple of years have barely produced a .500 playoff team. I know I know, the Seahawks made it a few years ago with a 7-9 record, don't remind me =(.

It's also tough for me to say the AFC East isn't last on this list. Sure they have the Patriots, but that's it. The Dolphins may have a good season which would warrant a #7 rating. But I believe that the Chiefs, with their 6 pro bowlers, will be a better team then the Dolphins. I pretty much just nulled out the bottom two teams for each division and the Broncos and Patriots are basically the same (arguably).

So my top divisions are:

1. NFC West
2. NFC North
3. NFC South
4. AFC North
5. AFC South
6. NFC East
7. AFC West
8. AFC East

NFL Season

Preseason has officially begun! Well, for the NFL at least, not for my beloved niners however. I feel like this preseason will be highly interesting based on the competition at almost every position. The runningback and wide receiver depth charts are deeper than the Grand Canyon. There are 3 QBs battling for the backup spot. The defense is pretty solid but the CB position will be interesting with the acquisition of Perish Cox whom is apparently having a great training camp. I, however, will be most interested in seeing how the improve Brandon Jacobs and beast Lamichael James will perform. I also want to see a deep connection from Smith to Moss at least once. But most of all I am simply excited to have football back. Almost, anyway. Til the Season begins.

The Dark Knight Rises

I recently saw the Dark Knight Rises and I have this to say...WOW. It was amazingly written and directed. The acting, in particular Anne Hathaway, did far better than I had thought and Tom Hardy, although hard to understand at times, was a very creepy rendition of Bane. I was also skeptical that the movie would not live up to the epicness of the Dark Knight...and I was wrong. It brought on a new level of the term villain. Bane was a methodical and downright evil character, and his background was very well portrayed...or so you think.

SPOILER ALERT. The twists in the movie were very well done... specifically with Talia Al Gul and with Batman himself. With this being the final act of Nolan's trilogy I thought the ending was the end of Batman, quite literally. But I was pleasantly surprised to see Alfred's dream come true (to an extent). And now the potentially beginning of Robin comes to fruition as JGL (that's right, he's an acronym) may be the next step in the Batman universe. Can we say possible spinoff? I think so. I just have one question regarding the possible Robin movie...when will it be released and is Nolan directing the movie?

Take a deep breath, it's only the beginning

After Kyle Williams' second fumble our hearts sank as the Giants were already well within field goal range. After a handfull of plays they were even closer. We all knew what was going to happen next; the Giants win 20-17. Although last night was a very painful and emotional night, we have to remember one thing; our beloved Niners went 13-3 and were one game away from the Super Bowl. This coming from a shortened pre-season and against all odds. They were consistently the underdogs in almost every big game they played this year, and won most of them.

With a full off season ahead of us our offense finally has time to mesh and become a more efficient unit (especially on 3rd down). And teams will now know that the 49ers are no longer a team they can push around like in previous years. They will finally respect the Niners in every aspect of the game and no longer take them lightly. No, the NFC Championship was not a heart-breaking loss, it was a brief glimpse of things to come from Harbaugh and company.