It’s a shame, but it was by far the easiest birdie of the bunch. Although I was striking the ball so well and hitting a LOT of greens in regulation (12 in total), it was the putter that was HOT. In total I had 27 putts which has gotta be one of my alltime lows. Most of my birdie putts (and par saves) were between 13-20 feet. Sinking several of those will make a big difference.

I saved some really nice pars but in general I didn’t miss the green….which is how I scored low. With my game, my chipping and flops are the weakest part of the game. So if I can avoid them I will score low. Of the 7 holes I missed in reg I managed to bogey only one of them….plus a humbling TRIPLE bogey on the par 3 6th on Goose. At the time I was sitting even par so I can’t chalk the meltdown up to stress. Just lack of focus and also being in an uncomfortable situation: having to do a 30 flop over a bunker to an elevated green. Naturally I placed it into the bunker. A shitty bunker. Mostly because of the sand it took me 3 (yes 3!) to get out of the bunker followed by a 10ft save. I went back afterwards to replay that flop and put it within 3ft. Ouch. That 2 under could have been 4 or even 5 under without that mistake.

But there’s always going to be a blowup hole of sorts unless you shoot 59. Who knows how I would’ve played after that. Since I was now 3-over after 6 it wasn’t looking to be anything special so I loosened up. And that’s when it started to get good. In addition, my partner Rob mentioned a change in his stance that had made him strike the ball cleaner: He opened his back leg slightly which allowed for better rotation and less likelihood of the knee buckling on the downswing. I started to do this with remarkable success (obviously). You can read more about this in the new page I added regarding my swing tips and notes.

The lesson to be learnt in all of this is that in the end it’s about 3 things: Putting, putting and putting. Don’t ever take putting for granted if you want to play well. It’s the least ’sexy’ thing (yet the most exciting part if you start draining them) about golf but it’s the MOST IMPORTANT part of the game.

But the thing I will remember the most about that round is how easy the swing felt and how I felt I was going to drain every putt when I was standing over it. Now the trick will be to find that zone again. It’s only happened to me a handful of times but let’s hope I can find it sooner this time around.

Winning skins is new to me. I’m used to winning some low gross and nets but I never take enough risks to capitalize on winning skins. I’m more of a risk avoidance, score maintanence guy. But this year I’ve increased my risktaking and it has paid off. Now to find that balance so that I can rake but still score well.

This is the 4th championship in 10 years that my franchise has won the trophy. Twice with the former owner, and twice myself. The first time I won was a back-to-back for the franchise where I would say 75% of the team was inherited from the previous owner. This time however, only 3 players remain from the previous owner….and NONE of them were in play on championship Sunday.

Considering that for the past 4 years I have drafted last, 3rd last, and last year I didn’t even draft at all, I can safely say that I have a distinct advantage over others on my scouting and my waiver wire activity:

Year 1
Vince Young
Greg Jennings (subsequently dropped the following year — I regret this everyday)
Santonio Holmes (2008 SuperBowl MVP)

Year 2
Matt Schaub (#1 QB in 2009)
Wes Welker (#2 WR in 2009)

Year 3
Joe Flacco (subsequently dropped due to scheduling issue….big regret)
Packers DST (#1 DST in 2009)

Waiver Pickups (all in their infancy)
Ryan Grant (just before being traded to GB where he flourished)
Tim Hightower
Fred Davis
Shonn Greene

Trades
Rudi Johnson for Tory Holt (both at the end of their careers, but Rudi was the difference when I won in 2006)
Brandon Marshall (traded for #1 in 2007)
Dallas Clark (traded for Kyle Orton, Visanthe Shiancoe and #1 in 2010 — regretting this trade?)

So, I appreciate the start I had by inheriting a top-notch team, but I have been able to re-invent it and stay at the top of the league in the span of 4 years. And if you ask me on a drunken evening, I should have won all 4 years I’ve been in the league.

OK, you can stop reading now. The remainder is being posted for historical reasons.

So, leading up to week 16, the grande finale, the website and the commish had me heavy favourites. Which is never a comfortable feeling for me. Yet, I had to admit that the matchups did favour me. Many of my opponent’s key players were already clinched and potentially resting, and the rest of his team, to be honest, was simply not as good as mine was almost at every position. For me, the *real* superbowl was the week before against my nemesis, which I recapped last week. But they play the games for a reason, and it was never a given.

But before we get to the final, here is a quick recap of the season in picture!

Week 1

I came into the season feeling quite confident….even though I had a team of no-namers…except for the #1 TE Dallas Clark. The kickoff week pitted me against a rival I’ve never beaten and with what appeared to be a stacked team. Well, that ended up not being the case as his team tanked due to various issues. It was nice to start off the season with a rare 100+ week….but oddly enough not the biggest week as the Power (the eventual #2 scoring team and the runner-up) showed how strong a team he had.

This week I played my historically consistent producers. I sat Brandon Marshall due to his holdout and figured he would start slow. It’s interesting to note I sat Hightower which I will end up doing quite a bit. Even though he ended up with more points than Jackson, I just couldn’t trust his consistency. Little did I know this year he was quite consistent. The eye-opener this week was the performance by the Eagles DST – I’ve never seen a total that high ever by a DST. Other noteables were Welker’s consisten 10+ and Holmes emergence as an elite WR.

Week 2

This was the only week where I managed my way out of a win….and against such a weak team (sorry Pat). I don’t know what came over me to start Hill over my stud Schaub, but I’ll never make that mistake again. Certain players are matchup proof and should never be tampered with. That would have made the difference. This loss hurt as it set me at 1-1 with some tough matchups on the horizon. Note Hightowers 10+ again and Dallas Clark’s massive game…I really miss this guy on my team. One interesting point: As happened all season, I consistently played the right DST each week….which was no easy feat considering I had the #1 and #2 DST in 2009. Often this was the toughest decision I had to make each week…and often it was the difference between a win or a loss.

Week 3

2nd loss in a row, and a tight one too. Thankfully, revenge is a dish best served cold. I didn’t make any mistakes this week, but the problem was that I had to play both Ward and Holmes…a problem I’ve been trying to rectify for months now: two WRs on the same team sucks. But, Welker has been out for 2 weeks now and I had no choice. Note Clarks great performance again. In a PPR league, receptions are paramount. Schaub has yet another stud game, quietly becoming a name on par with Manning and Brady in Fantasy world….but can he hold up injurywise? Check out Marshall, man did I steal that guy in a trade.

Week 4

Ouch. 1-3 now. And a loss to a team I respect the least. This was not a question of him beating me. It was a matter of my team seriously underperforming. This was the worst week of the season for me and left me feeling apprehensive. Nothing nice to say about this week. No TDs means no points in this league. I think this is the week where I realized that I should stop playing both Holmes and Ward.

Week 5

Make or break week. Against last years division champ. If I lose I need to start shifting focus and consider trading for draft picks. But I kept thinking…man, my team is too good to go 1-4. And, it did not disappoint. A convincing win that shook the foundations of the division. We’re now in bye-weeks so I had to play Hightower….and he continues to give me his 10+ pts. I’ll never understand why the sites were trashing Hightower so much. True, Beanie Wells is a better runner….but not necessarily a better results guy. I do need to consider whether Hightower has a future but that can be hashed out over the off-season. He was definitely a big help to me this year.

Schaub recovers from his one bad week and now that Welker’s back, life is good. Note Clarks consistent production. Unfortunately(?) at this point in time, I started to take a look at my QB situation and figured I need a backup. The news was that Hill was out the door, and although there were grumblings of V Young maybe starting again, I needed insurance. Also take a look at Marshall’s production. Why wasn’t I playing this guy? I have no idea.

Week 6

Big win at the right time. I consider my opponent’s team to the team to beat over the next few years. He has a lot of young, great talent and should be feared. Fortunately this week, most of his guys were on bye week. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered as I raked just under 100 pts which is tough to beat. Schaub dominates again, and check out Welker’s and Ward’s stats. My WRs were by far the best corps in the league this year. I wasted a lot of points on the bench on DST….perhaps the only time I made an obviously wrong decision at that position. This week also begins the ‘don’t play a TE’ trend. With the team I had, and knowing my opponent was sitting a lot of players that week, I did not opt to fill in for Clark and hold out on Morgan one more week to see if he was going to take off.

Week 7

This week’s win put me above .500 at 4-3 and my second win of the season against last year’s divisional champ. This is the first week without Dallas Clark. I made what appeared to others to be a lopsided trade in my favour. I gave up Dallas “Mr. #1 TE” Clark for a 2nd string fantasy QB, a hit or miss TE and a #1 draft pick in 2010. At this moment in time, unless I do well with that draft pick, I’m thinking I’m the loser in this deal. But I needed a backup QB. Young is still off of the fantasy radar and Schaub hasn’t gone this far in a season without some sort of injury. At any rate, the loss of Clark did not hurt me this week thanks to Schaub, Welker and the Packers DST. Ryan Grant had a great week too. Such an underrated football player. This is also the week where I finally give up on Morgan and pick up a 2nd TE to prepare for Schiancoe’s bye-week coming up.

Week 8

Ouch! Forgot about this week. THIS week is the worst week of the season and drops me back to .500. Yet, as hindsight shows, THIS IS THE LAST TIME I LOSE THIS YEAR. A maddening loss for this reason alone: my opponent owns the 2 players that I should never have let go: Flacco and Jennings. Yet, again, hindsight is the only winner here. At the time, I didn’t really have a choice when I dropped them. Flacco was a victim of scheduling (I needed a QB that week) and I needed to drop either Holmes or Jennings a couple years back. The jury is out on which one is better than the other. This week was also a scheduling issue for me: Holmes, Ward and Welker were all on bye. I filled in with Floyd off the waivers but that wasn’t enough. It is interesting to note that this guy is probably going to be a great dynasty option. I eventually had to drop him, but he will be available for next year’s draft so there’s a good chance we’ll see him again.

Even though this week was a loss, I did pick up an RB that could be THE dynasty RB of the future: Shonn Greene. Not a great start that week, but he is a big piece of my future starting 2010. Note Hightower’s 10+ AGAIN!

Week 9

Queue the domination. An easy win against a weak opponent. Not a stellar week for me, but considering I played (again) a TE that didn’t play it was a nice win. The week I needed Hightower for a bye replacement and he doesn’t do well. Fortunately, Grant is moving into his “dominate late in the season” mode. That and my #1 WR corps coming through.

Week 10

The most anticipated regular season game for me. Against the historical powerhouse. And the guy I traded Dallas Clark to (why did I do that again?). Fortunately Clark doesn’t factor. Although Brady and Moss TEAR IT UP, he played his sentimental Seahawks DST and that was the difference. My team on the other hand played a balanced game and showed that you don’t have to have superstars to win. It also helped that Marshall was really taking off and Welker softened the blow that Brady delivered. This game was pivotal because our division was sooooo close. This helped me separate from the pack a little. It’s important to note that without making that trade earlier, I would have lost this game! Orton’s influence on the game made the difference.

Week 11

A big point total. I didn’t think I needed it but the worst team in the league showed up to play. Balanced attack wins out again. Welker, I can’t say enough about him…..except that he will be sorely missed next year with his torn ACL/MCL. What a blow that is!

Week 12

Always a tough match against the team that beat me 3 weeks in a row last year to oust my run at the championship. Vengeance is mine this year. Thanks to having picked the right defense. With this win I secured a playoff spot, which at the time was in doubt in my mind.

Week 13

The last week, the only implication is who I will play. With a win and an Birdhawks loss I secure a win and play Denniphins, which would be a much better matchup than XYX given the matchups his players have next week.
I held my end of the bargain, but Pat’s team lost a heartbreaker that results in a matchup against XYX. I hope my team didn’t peak on this week. I had great balance with my defense leading the way.

Week 14

The 1st week of the playoffs. The bane of my season. In the past, either I’ve won or I’ve been ousted in the first round.

This time around, pure domination. XYX had a game that would normally top out anybody, but this week the timing couldn’t have been better. Note Marshall’s unbelievable outing. I cannot think of a higher score ever achieved by a WR in this league. In reality as well, Marshall set an NFL record with 21 receptions in a game. In a PPR league such as this, that equates to a monster of a game. Add in the fact that Schaub, Grant and Welker go off too more than offsets the weak outings from the rest of the crew. I needed everything too given that his Raven crew was going against the lowly Lions which amounted to good outings by Flacco, Rice and Mason….but not good enough. Now onto the semis where I have never lost in the past.

Week 15

The rematch of the season. Again, this is the team that won my division and has almost the same point total as me.

Yet, putting all the eggs in one basket approach is the downfall. By Monday morning I had a slim 5 pt lead. The Pats had a bad outing and it reflected in Brady’s and Moss’s poor outings and Maroney’s avg outing. The key error made by Birdhawks was that he went with his heart and played his beloved Seahawks defence instead of the logical Pats defence. That was his undoing. Because I played the best players I logically could and they provided me solid but not stellar outings. Thanks to Schaub’s emergence as a #1 Fantasy option and Marshall’s good followup to his previous monster and the Eagles great outing (thank God I chose them over the Pack this week) I was a slim leader going into Monday night.

Ahhh, Monday night. Birdhawks has his kicker to go, I pull off a surprise roster move and play the unproven Davis over Shiancoe. And going into Monday night I am glad I did. Without the move I’m 7 pts ahead without any counter attack. A kicker is expected to easily get 7 pts.

Read my playoff week #2 blog for how that game unfolded….obviously in my favour as I went onto the finals.

Week 16

Rematch! I can’t believe I’m playing the Power again. 4 years ago I squeaked by him to win my 1st title.
This time around: utter domination. This game was never even close. But beforehand, there was no way of knowing. Due to a last second injury I had to swap out Jackson for Hightower. Without being glued to the Internet, I wouldn’t have caught this and been in serious trouble.

It turned out all the decisions I made (except for TE) were spot on. Within the 1st hr of the games, I had a lead that could never be reeled in by the Power. In the 1st hr of the game, Schaub had already thrown for 2 TDs, Grant had rushed for 2 TDs and Welker was off on his usual tear. On the other side of the fence, Power had fallen to the end of season ’sit the stars’ syndrome. Reggie Wayne played only the 1st quarter before being benched to preserve for the playoffs. Tony Gonzalez gets injured within the 1st hr of the games. His usual Raven’s dominance was being held in check by Big Ben. Drew Brees, the #1 Fantasy scorer was having an extremely mediocre game…..because the Saints are also playing it safe for the playoffs. That amounted to a very low outing by the Power.

A little bit of a let down as I was hoping to be on edge right down to the end of the MNF game as he still had a kicker to go. But it was not to be and I was able to comfortably watch the games from the 4 spot onwards.

So, a championship to me! Can’t wait for the trophy so that Christien can play with it. Olivia was very small too when I won my first title and she loved to put poker chips into the cup. I can’t wait.

Let’s break down the overall finish to put things in perspective on how dominant a season I had. I was at the top of all the numbers except for winning the regular season division:

he has 3 NE players: Brady, Moss nad RB Lynch. In Buffalo. Weather may play a huge factor for yet another team that has the ‘overload on one team and ride them to victory’ approach. Plus, Moss is pouting. I do have Welker that will alleviate some of the damage that Brady might do.
Well, the RB was actually Maroney….anyway, the weather was not a factor. No wind, perfect conditions. Fortunately, Buffalo has a stout secondary and so this triple threat fared ‘good’ but not ‘great’. Brady: 115 Pass Yards and one TD. Poor. Moss: 70Yd, 5 Recpt, 1 TD. Average. Maroney: 81RuYd, 1 RuTD : above average. I was more than happy to sacrifice my Welker to this mediocre outing: 40ReYd and 4Recpt – by far the worst of the season. But a small price to pay. Chalk this factor up to Ruddigers.

he has Dallas Clark, who I traded to him earlier this season. He is having a monster season – but Indy has clinched homefield. So will he play a full game? Or just enough to still do damage?
This player went on Thursday night to open the week. I went to my buddy Ian’s house to check out his newly finished basement and watch the game in HD on his 50″ Panasonic (you had to outdo me!) along with Pat. This game was a worst case scenario for me and was a very poor way to start things off. Poor enough that I was preparing myself for inevitable defeat. Clark came to play for the whole game and it was a close one a high scoring. He was involved to say the least: 95Yd, 2TD, 7Recpt. That is a 15.1 pt monster. And as this is the guy I traded to him earlier this year, you might was well call this a 30pt swing in the scoring. Ouch. Even though I fared well in that trade at the time, it is a clear reminder to me that I should think twice before trading within division. Besides, now that V.Y. is back, I don’t even need the QB he traded to me, I don’t even play the TE he gave me, and the only value I see in his draft pick he sent me is that he is forced to drop 4 players next year to satisfy the agreement. But wait, this might be more value than I initially thought: I’m certain he is going to have a very big problem trying to find 4 players to drop without giving up a great player. He probably doesn’t want to draft next year. I’m thinking I can probably offer him back that draft pick so he can avoid this altogether. Since his pick is going to be 10th, I can either offer to delay the pick for a year hoping he does worse next year and/or trade that pick for a couple of guys I see on his team that could go before I would get a chance at them with his 10th pick (my personal draft pick will be no higher than 11th for reasons to be revealed shortly)

he has Andre Johnson, the primary receiver for my QB Schaub. This may limit the damage I can do to him. But since they’re up against the lowly Rams, I have to ride my QB.
Well, I rode my QB and he played to his average, which is top 3 QB scoring caliber so not complaining. Unfortunately, as expected, everything was offset by the fact that he threw most of his yards and his only TD pass to Johnson. We effectively negated each other. Which in the end was probably a plus for me since my Welker effectively did the same to his Brady. I’m loving the fact that his 2 best players were offset by these two players. The remainder of my team is by far better than his.

I have Grant going against Pitt. Not a great matchup. Could be a bust, but I don’t have viable alternatives because…..
Well, I played Grant, and it was looking like a serious bust with only 5 carries with 6min left in the game. 13 yds rushing = 0.4 pts. The Pack was constantly trying to keep up with Big Ben’s record 500+ passing yds. By the time this was playing out, I had the towel in my hand and was about to throw it in. Then, and truly it is one of those miraculous fantasy moments: even though behind in the game with 6 min to go (i.e. not ever likely to be another running play), they hand off to Grant and he busts through the #1 rushing defence known as ‘The Steel Curtain’ and breaks out a 24 yd Rushing TD. That, my friends, was THE pivot to the game. After being down all day by 20-25 pts (thanks to Dallas Clark), I finally clawed over the top and took a slim 3 pt margin. A couple of late game passes to S.Holmes (same game by the way…next drive in which Pitt took the ball down to the endzone and made a game ending/winning TD) and I was 5.1 points ahead going into Monday night.

Steven Jackson may not go this week. This is the most critical point. Without him going, I’m in serious trouble. Already scrambling for alternatives and deciding if my backups are viable.
I lost the most sleep with this one: I flip-flopped between Hightower and Jackson right up to game time. But when Jackson was listed as starter avoiding both H1N1 and playing through herniated discs, I opted to roll the dice on my stud and let the gods decide. Hightower unpredictably ended up with more points, but S.JAX did not disappoint and finished with a strong 82RuYd and 41ReYd on 4 catches. A very respectable outing that made a difference.

My kicker has a dream outing against DET. Unfortunately, he has a groin issue and will likely be a game time decision. Which means I may need to scramble minutes before the game.
Well, that kicker was actually held out so I had to scramble for an alternative. I ended up picking the right one off the waiver: the one who is kicking in a dome against a poor defence. Tough to say no, even though he is having an awful season. True, he ended up missing a 52 yarder, but he more than made up the miss with 3 FG and 1 XP. A very strong outing for a kicker.

So, in the end, every key factor was a winning choice for me. And then, well, there were key factors that I hadn’t even thought about that played an even bigger role in winning:
1) Even though my Packers defence had a better matchup on paper, I swapped them out last minute for my Eagles defence (both are #1 and #2 fanasy wise BTW, nice problem to have) and avoided certain demise. The Pack were smoked by Big Ben and ended up -0.5 while the Eagles enjoyed a robust 14 point outing agains the surprising 49ers.
2) What will likely be talked about as the luckiest move of the week: at the last minute I sat my TE from the trade and started an unknown Fred Davis from Washington that I grabbed from the waiver. Owned by <40% of leagues and started by few, I made a gut call and sat my proven #1 for this apparent wildcard. This brought about the biggest drama of all…..

So after clawing all Sunday to absorb the Dallas Clark debacle, with the help of a dream last minute TD from Grant, I was finally in a lead. A slim lead of 5.1 points. a very magical number indeed.

With his kicker yet to go, 5.1 points covers even a 50+ fieldgoal (5pts). My last second TE replacement also yet to go. Very uncomfortable security. I was anxious the entire day for this game to go. Thinking about all the hard-luck loss scenarios that I might encounter. It would suck to lose by mere tenths of points.

Pregame: weather ideal for both kicking and passing….narrowly avoiding a blizzard that just came through. Game in WAS gives me some hope that my hometown TE can produce enough to stave off whatever his kicker will produce: 9-10 points is a typical outing.

What proceeds to happen over the 1st half I would consider to be on the verge of WORST-CASE-SCENARIO: By half time, the kicker’s team has accumulated 24 points: 1FG and 3XPs = 6 pts. Enought be .9 ahead of me with 30min to go. My TE MUST produce and improve upon the 0 points thus far. Aside: My other TE that I swapped out had ended up with 2.3 pts…enough to be still on top if I had stayed pat. At the end of the 1st half, to add insult, I was a hare’s breath away from a TD score. I’ll never forget the feeling: a dropped pass that brought me from exultation down to ‘what could have been’. This, of course, is the reason for Fantasy Football. The feeling of winning pitted against the agony of defeat. If you don’t know what I mean, watch ‘The League’.

This game was going poorly. Washington’s offence was ridiculously inept and I was certain I was toast. I had studied this TE and felt he had other wordly catching skills. Useless skills if the QB cannot get the ball out of his own hands, or, at least on target. The only positive thing to take from the 1st half is that he was the primary target for most inept pass attempts.

Then, as it happens after many halftimes, Washington changed strategy and went to a playaction strategy and lo’ they started clicking….and Fred Davis was the focus of the attack. Just as I had planned it! Soon into the 3rd quarter, he received a 5 yd pass on the 5yd line and, what felt like an eternity, he dodged two apparent tackles and dragged 2 defenders into the endzone. One of those moments where you can’t believe what your seeing as it unfolds in your favour. To a limited few in the world, that play was as exciting as any sporting play ever to have happened. To the rest of the world, it was a meaningless TD in a meaningless game where the game was already way out of reach.

This score placed me back up in front with a 4.5 point lead. Enough to cover a 30-49yd FG. With 1.5 quarters to go. Without going into gorey details, the next 1/2 hr was a see-saw of emotions where situation after situation unfolded where there was a great possibility that a FG was likely to happen. And this is when watching football gets weird. You start hoping for certain plays to succeed or fail depending on the situation. Sheer confusion for somebody who watching with me but not vested in the game….sorry Pat, but I’m sure you enjoyed watching the agony. One minute your praying for a reception. The very next play, at the same yardline, you are praying for the exact opposite. You want whatever scenario to unfold that minimizes points.

And, when all is said and done, it unbelievably worked out in my favour. The Giants continued to score TDs instead of FGs which resulted in my team preserving a lead that was never less than 3pts. Everytime an XP was scored, I countered with a reception. It was always tight, but I never relinquished the lead. Fantastic!

Now I’m off to the finals….and, I think I may have my TE for the future. Fred Davis has skills and is only in his 2nd year. Definitely softens the *mistake* I made trading away Clark.

Thankfully the pain was offset by my team coming out strong. Within the 1st 20 seconds of the games, Schaub had already thrown a 64 yd TD and Ryan Grant ran off a 62 yd rushing TD.

The final score was 107.7 – 80.3. I’ve been on the other end of these outings where you score enough to beat EVERYONE ELSE but the guy you went up against. I gather he, along with many other owners, is infuriated by the display put on by Brandon Marshall. I had the pleasure of owning this WR who set an NFL record by catching 21 passes. And then to add 200 yds receiving and 2 receiving scores results in a monster to beat all monsters. He netted 35.3 points. Without that outing, I lose.

My friend Pat was over so I didn’t have the computer on until after halftimes. After seeing Baltimore go crazy on Det, I figured I was a goner. Very nice surprise to boot up and see the huge margin I had. Coming into last nights MNF, I was 38 pts up. He had TE and ARZ DEF/ST to go. So it was not out of reach.

A little anxiety early on in that game as his TE quickly gets a TD and his DEF a couple of picks. By half he narrowed the margin to 18 pts. That’s the closest he got as his DEF crumbled and my kicker made 1 FG.

So now I play the #1 position in the division. I squeaked one out earlier this season. Some keys to deciding this match will be:
- he has 3 NE players: Brady, Moss nad RB Lynch. In Buffalo. Weather may play a huge factor for yet another team that has the ‘overload on one team and ride them to victory’ approach. Plus, Moss is pouting. I do have Welker that will alleviate some of the damage that Brady might do.
- he has Dallas Clark, who I traded to him earlier this season. He is having a monster season – but Indy has clinched homefield. So will he play a full game? Or just enough to still do damage?
- he has Andre Johnson, the primary receiver for my QB Schaub. This may limit the damage I can do to him. But since they’re up against the lowly Rams, I have to ride my QB.
- I have Grant going against Pitt. Not a great matchup. Could be a bust, but I don’t have viable alternatives because…..
- Steven Jackson may not go this week. This is the most critical point. Without him going, I’m in serious trouble. Already scrambling for alternatives and deciding if my backups are viable.
- My kicker has a dream outing against DET. Unfortunately, he has a groin issue and will likely be a game time decision. Which means I may need to scramble minutes before the game.

So, if everybody were healthy, I would be a slight favourite. Because they are not, I’m certain I’ll be going in as an underdog. This is going to be a tough one. But now that I’ve defeated that one team I thought to be undeserving of a playoff berth, everything is pretty much gravy from this point on.

The next two years I continued to strengthen my team depth enough to stave off injuries and again sneak into the playoffs (all 3 past years I’ve managed 7-6 records). But those two years were 1st week eliminations. Due to poor decisions made on my part along with good matchups for my competition.

This year it’s a different story, but I am expecting a heartbreak. I finished 2nd in an extremely strong division this year: 10-3 to the leader, 9-4 for me, 8-5 for 3rd and 6-7 4th. So not much difference between me and my 1st round competitor. I narrowly missed 1st place and a much easier 1st round matchup due to the leader squeaking out a narrow narrow win this week. I

The sad news is that because of this, I’m up against an owner who has 3 players pitted against THE weakest defence. And they are 3 of the more significant players on his team….in fact, they are basically the reason why he is where he is. A team that lives and dies with the matchups. A team therefore that I simply cannot respect as the strategy is very limiting. But, alas, it just so happens that this week bodes well for him if it unfolds as it’s supposed to. A team, also, that ‘doubly’ annoys me because he has snatched up two castaways that I had drafted in previous years but dropped for various reasons.

The good news is that although finishing a strong second as pertaining to record, I have the fortune of owning a very productive team that runs very, very deep. I have a very young roster that is not even entering its prime. And some strong dynasty keepers waiting in the wings. So my future is bright and I can withstand significant injury issues. Which is probably why I finished with the highest power rating: a combination of record (2nd overall), points for (1st overall) and competition breakdown (1st overall)….competition breakdown means toughness of schedule, which I had the pleasure of owning.

I outscore everybody on average which means, that given the likelihood my opponent will likely score better than his average, that number may not even reach my average. Add that to the fact that my projected roster has decent matchups means I should score well.

So, some mixed feelings: on paper this will not be a walkover for me. Which adds a level of anxiety. But, if the alternative were that I were a serious heavy favourite (as opposed to the slight favourite I am currently) – I may be overconfident and set up for the big fall.

Barring any of my players hitting the injury report and missing next week ( my QB and #1 RB are both banged up, my #2 receiver is already listed as doubtful), I expect a tight match. And I usually don’t end up on the winning side of tight matches. If I do lose one of my key players, that may be enough to tip the scales. I do have depth as I mentioned, but that depth introduces a bit of a wildcard in predicting my score.

The playoff format of H2H inheritly produces sudden heartbreak. That’s what makes it exciting. Even though I had a spectacular season that was dominant, it all comes down to who’s hot. The parity in the league is such that I can and have lost to almost every team at some point over the last couple of seasons. So on any given Sunday….

But I’m due for some playoff fortune. Two previous close and tough losses. Can’t have 3 in a row. At any rate, the regular season was much fun. I have 2 1st round draft picks next season due to a wiley trade I made, and I like the looks of my team for many years to come. So losing won’t be the end-all be-all.

Just when the team was looking unbeatable, I took injuries to my top QB and my top RB and there was no way to stop the plummet.

I proceeded to lose the remaining 5 games of the season and backing my way into the playoffs thanks to tie-breaker policy. Most of these games were heartbreakers where I was passed by my opponent on the final game of the week.

The final humiliation came during the last 3 games: the remaining 2 in the season and the 1st playoff game. All three games were against the same opponent due to bizarro scheduling and playoff rules for determining matchups. Each of those games were lost because of the performance of his remaining player on the final game of the week. The most humbling of all being my elimination last week. His no-name of a WR decided to have a career game and a fantasy windfall: 23 points. By a WR that equates to 200Yds receiving, 2 TDs and 11 receptions. That is unheard of! The result was my opponent topping the century mark to my 84.5 pts. 84.5 pts will win games 95% of the time! No other player in the pool last week topped 80 pts….except for my opponent.

H2H is a fickle master. You can put your best guys out there, post a great score and still lose. It leaves me thinking what could I have done? There’s no blame I can place on myself in this instance. Not like last year where playing a different WR would have made the difference.

The good news is that I can let it go. There’s nothing I could have done outside of the bizarre notions. For example, I owned his no-name WR in week 3. Back then he had potential but was not showing it. After dumping him he turns his game around and becomes a WR2 type receiver. If I had kept this guy, it is likely that he would not have defeated me. But that is such a stretch that I can’t even use this as an excuse to place blame on myself.

It’s funny, I was a HUGE fan back in the 80’s and into the early 90’s. Patrick Roy was a god and huge reason why I’ve been able to brag about those years and the 2 cups Montreal brought home during that span. He was truly an exceptional goaltender.

But age and wisdom can tarnish any image. As I’ve matured and entered my middle age, I clearly see that a great athlete does not by default deserve adornment. Patrick’s antics off the ice over the past few years (fights, altercations) and the encouragement he gives his children to win at no cost have exposed him as a less than stellar role-model.

The irony is, back in the day, in order to be a Habs fan required a passionate hatred towards the Leafs. Thus, as much effort was spent ‘dissing’ Wendell Clark as was spent promoting the glorious might of Patrick Roy. As their careers came to a close, I grew to appreciate Clark. He wasn’t a ‘phemonal’ hockey player. Not a superstar like Roy. But he scored more points than most others. What he brought to the table was a presence. An ability to lead his team by example. Nobody played harder than Clark. He would do all the things that needed to be done on the ice. It took their retirements for me to see that.

Oddly, I felt the Roy ceremony a little stiff and forced in my eyes. The Clark ceremony seemed much more passionate and sincere. One of them is Hall of Fame bound. The other one probably won’t make it. Seems a little strange to me.

Oh yes, fantasy – a geek’s closest shot at managing a sport’s franchise. But hey, it’s fun, competitive and rewarding when one is successful.

Anyway, since 2006 I’ve had to retool my team by phasing out or trading off older talent that still has value and in return receiving young talent with upside that still has some current day value. It’s a hard task to not sacrifice too much of today to insure your team will be competitive down the road. I see too many owners in my league constantly tooling for the future at the expense of never having that team that will win in the now. After all, winning today is what really matters. What’s the point of always having that potential team that never achieves victory?

In 2007 I came OH so close to defending my title. A matter of mismanagement more than anything else. But the mismanagement comes from the fact that I had to make so many right decisions to squeak out the tight wins. My team simply wasn’t strong. A question of having too much young talent and not quite enough consistency to win.

This year is different. I have a great balance of youth and experience. And it is paying off. I am 1st overall at the halfway point. I know how precarious that can be, but for a single point in time I can say I’ve gone to places never before. Even though I won in 2006 and was close in 2007, I was never in the top 5 or 6 in the standings throughout the season. An underdog as you will. This year I am top dog and I got there last weekend by achieving something I’ve never done: top the century mark in points. Good thing too considering my opponent posted a healthy 73.5 which would win 95% of the time:

Now, always thinking about the future, I have a subtle weakness that I want to resolve: I have 2 WRs on the same team: Holmes and Ward. It is a weekly agonizing task to figure out which of the 2 to play on any given week. It is virtually impossible to determine who is going to perform better than the other as they are fairly equal.

It makes sense to peddle Ward on the market to a team contending for the championship this year. He is 10 years into his career and won’t really be part of anybody’s rebuilding effort. Therefore I would only get the most value out of somebody who appreciates his worth to help them TODAY. I have found one such candidate who not only is contending this year but is a HUGE Steelers fan. In return he has offered me Anthony Gonzalez (2nd year WR out of INDY) and a 2nd round draft pick. In my dynasty rankings I have Ward and Gonzalez virtually the same in value at this point in time. So on the surface the trade seems pretty good. Gonzo is a #3 reciever right now but if/when Harrisson goes bye-bye that will change since Manning believes in this young talent. This would certainly help my rebuilding at the minor expense of weakening my current WR strength. But the problem is that as a Steelers fan, he should be willing to give up more for the #1 WR and heart and soul of that team. A 2nd round pick is not that lucrative especially if he wins this season and ranks last in the draft order.

What I’m trying to get in addition into the deal is Brady Quinn for Vince Young. I have the volatile Young who just doesn’t project well. Quinn is a prototypical fantasy-type passing QB that is on the verge of coming out once the Derek Anderson experiment is over in Cleveland. I need to get this player from him now before he starts and the owner realizes his potential. I want to take that risk on. Unfortunately the owner is not interested in this part of the deal. But if he gets desperate enough I think I can work it. This weekend he is in tough and will likely lose. I will likely win especially if I can keep Ward for this weekend’s matchup. So my plan is to respond after the weekend and hit him up when is in a somewhat more desperate situation. Quinn is the man that will make this deal slightly more favourable in my direction albeit with some risk attached. But that is what needs to be done to be successful.

Here’s hoping.

Anyway, I’m back! Should start to see more regular blogs coming up. I’ve been busy with spring clean, garden, etc. along with work. Have lots to talk about including my sudden surge in my yearly fantasy pool and the NEW H2H pool that I signed up for. Let’s just say that it’ll be a lot more interesting if I can get the guys to buy into a dynasty H2H or even (alas) Rotisserie format. Keepers add way more interest and even keep the bottom dwellers interested in the season from start to finish.