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9/19/00
Email Commish
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Well another week is in the books and your team is starting to show
it's weaknesses, like a fat chick at the all you can eat buffet.
I used to work at pizza place when I was in high school and it always
cracked me up when these ladies would come in and order their small
"pizza pizza's" then order a large diet coke to wash it down. That
is sort of how my season is going right now. My teams are a load
of crap in some cases and I am trying to wash it down with optimism
that my team(s) are going to come around.
You can view the damage in my "Record Box" above.
I have been in a lot of games and lost them just by a few points
but I take solace in knowing that in each loss I had the best possible
team in the game that I could have. None of the players I have left
on the bench outscored players that I started in their spot. In
fact, last year in my MFFL league I had a 98% coaching efficiency.
You can figure your coaching efficiency by dividing the points you
have scored by the points you could have scored with you optimal
line-up in. Needless to say 98% is pretty damn good. I think that
a good coaching efficiency ranks 2nd in skills a fantasy football
player must have. Here are the skills that you must have to be successful
year in and year out.
- Drafting ability
- Coaching efficiency
- Luck
- Trading ability
- Tracking ability
- Forecasting ability
- Accounting skills
Lets look at each of the skills individually and you can gauge yourself
and how you stand.
Drafting Ability
Obviously, being able to draft is key skill. If you cannot amass
the talent necessary to win the league the other skills become useless.
The great thing about drafting ability is that anyone can learn
it and it is an acquired skill. If you spend time doing it and practicing
it you will not only get the players you want but also you will
be able to choose players that can replace the players you want
when the unforeseen happens. One key component of this skill is
being able to change on the fly. You must be able to change strategy
in mid-stream if things are not happening as you planned.
For instance (wrong sport I know) in my baseball draft this year
I had a great gameplan, the problem was, I was getting better players
than I expected and all of a sudden I had a team of superstars that
didn't look like my pre-draft plan. I made a few bad trades to get
my team to look like I wanted it to look and now I am planted in
fourth place with no hope of moving up in the next two weeks. In
order to count this as your skill you must be able to roll with
the punches.
Coaching Efficiency
Obviously, you can have a high coaching efficiency and still not
win if you didn't draft well. Also, you can have a low coaching
efficiency if you have drafted great and play against some week
competition. But you will never win if your draft is mediocre and
you have a low efficiency. You must have or learn the ability to
choose which player to start in which circumstance. I have owners
in every league that read website after website trying to determine
which player to start. Don't misunderstand… this is a good measure
of what you should do but at some point you have to use your logic.
For instance the guy that beat me last week in the CCL had Mike
Anderson's 43 points on the bench. This week he turns in a line-up
with Anderson in it and then changes it back to Terrell Davis at
the last minute and loses by 22 points. Anderson scored at least
25 this week. That's how coaching efficiency can burn you. That
is the precise reason I think that I can have a mediocre draft because
I for one reason or another (luck may be it) I have a pretty good
ability to choose the right player… except this week when I chose
Tony Banks in all leagues that I have him over Rob Johnson, Mark
Brunell, and Vinny Testaverde.
Luck
More than any other fantasy sport football requires luck. I have
one owner in our dynasty league that has lost Cam Cleeland, Pat
Jeffers and Michael Westbrook to injury. I have another owner in
the same league that has lost three players to the waiver wire (Raymont
Harris, Todd Peterson, Chris Howard). If you don't have any good
luck on your side, hope that you stay even with no luck because
bad luck can wreck a season fast. Unfortunately, luck is random
and you never know when it is going to hit.
Trading Ability
If you have drafted to a strength (lots of quarterbacks for instance)
the ability to get the most for those players is key. If you strategy
before the draft was to stock up to trade later then don't be stuck
with those players at the end of the season. Get the players you
need when you can. Being able to shift your team around when necessary
is a key skill. Being unafraid to make the trade is also key. It's
important to have the nerve to pull the blockbuster if you have
done the homework before proposing or accepting the trade.
Tracking Ability
This too is an important skill. Being able to look for the trends
during the season can be an effective barometer for you when trying
to figure out what player to start. Go to NFL.com and look at the
stats. Who's rushing attempts have increased each week and may be
getting more playing time this week. Who has a bye week coming up
so may rest up a dinged player? Being able to look beyond your roster
and scores can make your life a little easier when trying to figure
out whom to play or add to your team via waivers.
Forecasting Ability
Both before the draft and during the season, being able to figure
out who will get playing time and who will exploit defenses is key.
Being able to accurately gauge what players to draft or add for
your play-off run is key to a Super Bowl season.
Accounting Ability
The ability to add your score to make sure the commissioner is right,
the ability to keep track of your transactions, the ability to make
sure you have enough players in the line-up. Those seem like such
simple things but being in five leagues it would surprise you how
many times I see each of those errors EACH WEEK!
Just a few skills to work on this season and next. Start figuring
your coaching efficiency and grade yourself…. it's a game you can
play against yourself to see how your really doing!
Here is a hamburger recipe that is a little out of the ordinary.
| O P
E N F A C E M U S H R O O M O N I
O N B U R G E R S |
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1-1/4 pounds ground beef |
» |
1 medium onion, sliced |
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1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Kikkoman
Teriyaki Baste & Glaze, divided |
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1 tablespoon vegetable
oil |
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1/2 teaspoon pepper |
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4 slices (1 oz. each) Monterey
Jack cheese |
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6 ounces fresh mushrooms,
sliced |
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4 slices Italian loaf bread,
grilled or toasted |
| Thoroughly
combine ground beef, 1/4 cup teriyaki baste & glaze
and pepper. Shape mixture into 4 oval patties; set aside.
Sauté mushrooms and onion in hot oil in large skillet
over medium heat 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir
in 2 Tbsp. teriyaki baste & glaze; keep warm. Cook patties
on grill 4 to 5 inches from hot coals 5 minutes. Turn
over and top each patty with 1 cheese slice; cook 5
minutes longer (for medium), or to desired doneness.
(OR, broil patties 4 minutes on each side [for medium],
topping with cheese during last 30 seconds of cooking
time.) To serve, divide mushroom and onion mixture equally
on bread slices; top with patties. Makes 4 servings
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| C O M M I S H ' S R
E C O R D |
| LEAGUE |
TYPE |
RECORD |
| CCL |
Dynasty |
1-2 |
| Madison FFL |
Keeper |
1-2 |
| Hoosier FFL |
Re-draft performance |
1-2 |
| CBS Sportsline |
Re-draft yardage |
2-0-1 |
| Grote FFL |
Idiot performance league |
2-1 |
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commish
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