When Fantasy and Reality Collide

This year is the first year I have participated in a real fantasy football league.  I have had to learn all the nuances of how to draft, when to bench someone, when to trade, etc.  The hardest part to deal with has been putting team loyalties aside and drafting players I either dislike or from teams I don't like.

One such player was Drew Brees.  I have not cared for the Saints since their dirty-playing defeat of the Vikings in 2009 in the NFC Championship game.  I thought of Aaron Rogers, but could not stomach drafting a Cheesehead.  So, I settled on Brees, a player I knew could get me some points.  I also grabbed the Chicago defense and a player off the Packers (Cedric Benson until he got hurt). Selena has continuously told me that I have to put my real life loyalties aside and pick players who will score me points.

While trying to follow my wonderful wife's advice, I still picked up a couple of Vikings who have done quite well for me.  Thankfully, Kyle Rudolph is a favorite target of Christian Ponders, so he is my TE and has done quite well for me.  I also grabbed Chad Greenway, my only true loyalty pick.  He is a South Dakota boy, I have his jersey, and a Viking.   That is a great combination.  Plus, he is doing well and getting me good poihts.

Then comes the first Vikings' game I am able to watch on TV.  Vikings Vs. Redskins.  My fantasy match up for the week is against a co-worker who has Harvin and Walsh on his team.  For this game I have Rudolph, Greenway, and the Minnesota Defense.  So while I am cheering for my real-life team to win, I need Harvin to have a poor statistical day for Fantasy purposes.  My disloyalty to my real-life team was punished by me taking a drubbing with my fantasy team.  The loss I took was the largest point spread in our 6-team league so far this year.

I have learned a lot this year about fantasy football, but I don't think I will ever get used to having players on my team that I don't like in real life.

Work Him Hard Jared!

It sounds like Jared Allen is working our rookie offensive left tackle, Matt Kalil, pretty hard.  If anyone can make this kid the best he can be, it's Allen.  After going against him, everything else should be easy.

It is nice to see that we finally have an offseason that we can watch our teams develop and build our excitement for the year to start.  I know the Vikings are in a "rebuilding" year, but I still hope to see us do well.  It shouldn't be too hard to improve on 3-13.  Even if all we get is better play from the secondary we could win another two or three games.  They were horendous last year.  But then again, we have had many years of bad defensive backs.

Wouldn't it be simply awesome to see Ponder set the NFL on fire and have our new receivers tear up the endzones?  I know, I know...wishful thinking.  But hey, after all, I AM a Vikings fan!!!!

Karma Sucks, Doesn't it Payton?

Ever since the early part of the 2009 NFC Championship Game I was saying that it looked like the Saints were trying to hurt Favre.  The number of late hits and cheap shots was far beyond what could have simply been championship game excitement.  After the shot pictured here, where Favre's ankle was crushed, I had an immediate dislike for Sean Payton.  I had heard that he had commented that they would take out Favre.  Now, it seems he was taken out instead.

When Payton got hit on the sidelines last year and hurt his knee, I felt a small sense of justice being dealt.  Now that he has been suspended for one year for his bounty program, all is good in the NFL world.  I have disliked the Saints ever since that day, now without him as their coach I can at least tolerate them this year.

All this won't get our game back, but it is nice to know that what I had been screaming at my TV that night was actually what was going on.

Enjoy your time off, Payton.  I know I will enjoy not seeing you on the sidelines for a year.

What to do? What to do?

Draft day is coming soon and the Vikings still don't know where they are going to play next year.  Why do our off seasons always have to be so stressful?

To me, the Vikings couldn't have enough draft picks to fix all the holes they have on that team.  On offense, I would keep AP, Ponder, Harvin, Sullivan, and our Tight Ends.  On Defense I would keep Allen, Greenway, and fire everyone else!  Why can't we seem to find a defensive back who can play worth a crap?

I really think Ponder will be a good quarterback, maybe even exceptional, if we can give him the time to make those decisions and throws that he obviously has the talent to make.  When you give a quarterback just enough time to get away from center and then he is getting chased, you can't expect him to do anything for you.  He showed he  has the talent.

In free agency there are a couple of people we definitely need to stay away from.  One is Randy Moss, who plans on coming out of retirement.  I don't think the Vikings are dumb enough for that one again.  We also have no need for another Manning on the team.  Granted, this one is tons more talented than the last one we had, but he is damaged goods that, in my opinion, is a fool if he comes back to play.  I have heard Chester Taylor is available again.  We should have never let him go.  I say go get him back.  We could use that 3rd down threat again.

As always, I hold out hope that we will have a good season.  After last year, we really can't go much further down.  This year we have a full off season, so it should be better.  I will settle for a winning season this year.  I won't hold my breath for any sort of a title...not even a division one.