MNF

Sorry I missed ya'll last week, it has been hectic around here. Working a trip to the Quad Cities for Matthew to see his Grandma one last time. Thank Goodness he got there in time! She did end up passing. She was one of the most selfless people I've ever met. Rest in Peace Grandma Marilyn Starofsky. I will take care of your grandson!

Back into the football world, this is the most frustrating fantasy season I have ever played.

At the moment, here in week 5 I am getting burnt out as NFL Football is on 3 days a week, and Saturday we are getting emerged in NCAA Football. We are even rooting for the USF Bulls, Florida Gators, and FSU Seminoles.

At the moment I am in love with many of the NFL commercials, especially the Ray Lewis commercial with the little girl interviewing him! Simply adorable.


My prediction for tonight is that the JETS lose big no matter who is under center (aka playing quarterback)

Leverage

With every passing week the NFL's locked out officials are gaining leverage. The brand is being ruined and Roger Goodell is allowing it to happen, by turning a blind eye. Its as though he doesn't care as long his pockets continue to get lined.

I am less excited about football than I have been in many seasons. It's painful to watch these games.

My other and last gripe of the week... I hate having games every Thursday! It's hard to know what decisions to make for fantasy lineups.

The run down on my 3 fantasy teams...

The MONEY league... Coming into this week I was 2-0, and on top of not just my division but all 80 teams in this league. (5 leagues of 16, that changes into the top 16- 10 division leaders and 6 next highest in points scored) I won again by 20 points. I didn't score as high as I'd have liked with only 82. I left too many points on the bench... the story of my fantasy season!

The Tampa radio league, I was 2-0 and am now 2-1 after a disappointing week, I remain in 3rd place. Philip Rivers scored 4 points... If you can win with a QB scoring 4, please tell me how... :-(

The family league... I was 0-2 and in DEAD LAST! I am now 1-2 after a comeback victory decided by less than half a point. Thank you BEASTMODE! The win catapulted me into 8th place overall.


My other thoughts:

The Buccaneers need to be as aggressive on offense as they are when playing rush defense. I would like to see them throw the dang ball before they are trying to mount a come behind victory!

The Colts have a way to go, but they do look better than last year. I am sorry to Austin Collie got injured, but I think the organization has a responsibility to protect his future if he is unwilling to do so himself.

I cannot believe that the Vikings beat  the Forty Niners, the Raiders beat the Steelers, the Cardinals are 3-0, and that the Seahawks sacked Aaron Rodgers 8 times in the first half putting them in the position to win on a bad call.

The Denver Broncos do not look good. Peyton and the receivers need to put in some extra hours.



The best news of the week Brighthouse finally got NFL network and Redzone channel, after a 9 year standoff!

The upset special...

This weekend saw a lot of craziness in the NFL.

The Colts are 1-1, after winning their home opener against Minnesota.

The Bucs gave away a huge lead, and allowed Eli Manning to throw for 510 yards.

Seattle upset Dallas.

Philadelphia upset Baltimore, and is the first team in history to win week 1 & 2 by a single point each.

The big names in fantasy football aren't the guys getting the points.

I am 2-0 in two leagues, and 0-2 in the other. (hope to expand on this tomorrow)

The referee situation is abominable. While the locked out refs are not perfect, they are professional and not swayed by the players. The crew in the MNF game, could not make a call without double questioning themselves, this lead to an hour long 1st quarter.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

So the regular season is here! (cue the music) 'It's the most wonderful time of the year....'


What did you do to celebrate opening weekend?

What did you take away from opening weekend?

How'd your fantasy team(s) do?

We celebrated opening weekend by tailgating at Raymond James Stadium for the Buccaneers vs. Panthers game. We got there at 1pm, the game was 4:25pm. While tailgating I listened to the Colts vs Bears on the TunedIn app plugged into the auxiliary port on the car stereo. It rained off and on the entire time, after a morning of heavy thunderstorms. So we spent a portion of our time going in and out of our ponchos! On my 'tailgaters grill' (topic of an upcoming blog) we made BBQ ribs and Italian Chicken Sausages. We tossed a football, and enjoyed the people around us! We made our way over to the stadium around 3:30, and received a Ronde Barber cinch sac. The Buccaneers were celebrating his 200th Consecutive start! Amazing!! We then enjoyed the National Anthem, sang by someone that was once on the Voice. (sidebar- Big Mike Lynche from American Idol did a way better job during the preseason game) The most amazing part was the flyover during the anthem! The Bucs then came out and dominated all sides of the ball, just leading me to believe they are way under ranked and will shock some people this year! After the win the home town crowd was HYPED! I mean random people giving high fives, People screaming TAMPA awaiting the reply of BAY from the sea of people in pewter and red! We then gave my husband's best friend his birthday beer cake. What a birthday, when the NFL kicks off the first Sunday of the season. (<-- So jealous... LOL) After that we rushed home, to see the night cap of Steelers at Broncos. We got home just in time for kick off!

Ronde Barber entering the stadium carrying the Bucs Flag!

Beer 'Cake'

Buc's Flag Training Camp 2012

I took several thoughts and opinions away after this weekend. I will bullet point them, to try and keep it clean and readable!

- Jim Irsay and the Colts organization made the worst mistake by cutting Peyton Manning. While I am still a Colts fan, I feel that this a huge error in judgement. How can you just cut ties with the man that has MADE your organization, and is the FACE of the NFL? We got NOTHING, when we could've gotten extra draft picks, or players in trade for him!!! Not that Andrew Luck won't be a superstar, but working a deal to receive someone or something of VALUE to put around Andrew Luck shouldn't have been overlooked. Especially for good Offensive linemen. . . .

- Peyton Manning is probably happy that Denver also got Tracy Porter in the offseason. Now when Porter grabs an interception and takes it back for 6, it is a positive thing... instead of having thrown the pick six... thinking back to the Superbowl against the Saints...

- Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow... did they surprise anyone else by throwing almost 50 points up? Just think I had that guy on my DO NOT DRAFT list... Let's see if Rex Ryan's Gang Green can keep it up!

- Adrian Peterson, Welcome Back Sir! What else can be said... Christian Ponder is probably the happiest person in the world that AP worked so faithfully to get back in playing shape! Tearing both an ACL and MCL just last Christmas, simply amazing.

- Conditioning is KEY. The Giants proved what poor conditioning can do to a team, as the Cowboys ran all over them in the second half. The G-Men looked slow, and tired in the second half. They better be ready when these Young, Fast, & Hungry Buccaneers come to town for week 2. The Bucs are in shape, new coach Greg Schiano has made sure of that.

- They need to end the Referee Lockout. There are too many missed calls, and then make up calls. It's just pitiful and I guess holding is legal now, because they're afraid to call it. On the bright side, Shannon Eastin is officially the first female official to work a regular season game. Congrats!

- The Madden Curse... will Megatron be affected? Calvin Johnson is on the cover, and he should be primed for another amazing season. Although the St. Louis Rams did keep him out of the endzone... We'll keep watching this!

-The blackout rule imposed by the NFL is awful. I hope that something can be done about this because I want to watch Bucs games, and cannot afford season tickets.

-The league is getting younger, with the exception of a few journeymen like Ronde Barber, Peyton Manning, and Ray Lewis, this season saw many familiar faces getting cut in favor of youth... especially for kickers.

-Kevin Ogletree and Andrew Hawkins... Did you know those names before week 1??

The fantasy scoop...

I have teams in 3 leagues. I am 1-0 in both of my 'radio' leagues. In my friends/family league the @VikeChick stomped me through the mud and back! Congrats you're 1-0, if we play again I am coming for ya!!

The Good:

In my Tampa ESPN 98.7 The Fan League, my team QueenoftheMancave is 1-0. I beat a cocky guy who named his team SUCKS TO BE U. But I came from behind and won, would've been a blow out but I made an error in judgement on RB's. I won 95.75 - 87.50. I let the heckling get to me and played Turbin RB Seattle who got .25pt and had Morris RB Washington on my bench who had 21pts. Julio Jones and Denver's Def made my game!! I am sitting in 6th place overall in this yahoo based league, that was live drafted.

In my Decatur, IL ESPN 1050 The Fan League my team Stroke of LUCK is 1-0. I beat a team co-managed by Aric Lee and Tim Bruns. I won 107-85. I did this with more questions than answers at quarterback. I ended up going with Russell Wilson a rookie from Seattle over Jake Locker a 1st time starter in Tennessee. Locker had more points, but also got injured. (I am shopping the waiver wires...) I had 4 players carry me to the win: Arian Foster RB from Houston, Julio Jones WR Atlanta, Pierre Garcon WR Washington, and Baltimore's Def. All were close to or exceeded 20 points. I am in first place overall in this ESPN based auction drafted (thanks to @VikeChick for being my proxy) league at the moment. This is the most important, as you can move on after 8 weeks into a new 'league' with a new auction drafted team, for a chance at $500 cash! So I hope my guys keep it up.

The BAD & UGLY:

In  'Abusement Park' my friends and family league where we have a guys division and a girls division,
I am dead last. My husband is one spot ahead of me in 11th place. In this league I listened to an outside source who shall remain nameless and left Michael Bush and Pierre Garcon on the bench. Had I played those guys it would have been a close game if not a squeaked out win... So now I am going to have to climb one rung at a time up the ladder.

Our Pinteresting Labor Day Weekend

We scored a FREE dresser, bought some new handles and paint and refinished it this weekend!

The Before:

Three colors, missing handles.... NOT PRETTY!!

The After:

What we did:
Took off the old handles.
The DH sanded/roughed up the surfaces.
Painted 2 coats of GREEN to get full coverage, may still add some green as a touch up!
Painted the beveled edges and ridges the same color as the accent wall.
Added the handles.

What we invested:
Dresser: FREE
Handles: $22
1 Gal. Green Paint: Behr Ultra Premium Satin (someone's mis-tinted shade of Split Pea Green??) $16.66
1 Qt. Behr Ultra Premium Egg Shell (UL 260-22 Pencil Point) $15

Without charging the paint to the dresser we spent $22. The dark paint mostly painted the wall, and the green will be used for some additional DIY projects.

Will post additional pictures when we complete Phase 2 and 3: which include building a platform bed and headboard with night stands and also decorating the room.

Football Crafted Accents...

So while my life doesn't revolve around football, and we are a few days out from kickoff I thought I would post some other things showing about me and my life. One of the most important days was December 5th, 2009. That is when I officially became the Queen of his Mancave! Our winter wonderland wedding had some football accents to showcase our love of football without overwhelmingly being a football themed affair. 

The year leading up to the wedding was a long and tedious process of DIY activities. My mom and I did all of the decorations and ideas on our own, before Pinterest existed!!

The Queen taking control of the game!!

This is one of my favorite poses of our bridal party. We also took this with the ushers. 

Head Table

 On the head table, the only small accents of our love for football... Each person in the bridal party had their team's pennant at their seat with an ornament that had their name on it.

Momzilla

 This is how the wedding weekend started on Friday December 4th, 2009 at 8:00 AM. A 24' enclosed trailer and 3 vehicles full of stuff. Not to mention the dead tree that I had cut down and spray painted silver... My mom was in her element making sure everything got done correctly and up to our standards! She was quite the momzilla, and I say that only with LOVE because it was as important to her for my day to be flawless as it was for Matthew and I!!

Tammy making my bouquet.

Finished bouquet

 My gorgeous bouquet. $50 in materials, and my mom's best friend put it together in about 20 minutes. It included 2-3 dozen fresh white roses with babies breath, artificial pine greenery, 2 artificial calla lilies, and ribbon.

Ceremony Location Setup

 The auditorium where our ceremony took place. It took a crew of people to get the trees all put together. I collected them at garage sales for a whole year. We had 8 or so trees.

Paper Designs

The programs, dessert bar menus, and dessert labels that I hand made. Luckily I had help with assembly.

Cheesecake Assembly Line

Sue on Duty

Brideslave 'joke' T-Shirt

Thursday December 3rd was the day of desserts, we spent 14 hours and had three shifts of friends, family, and my bridesmaids helping to make all of the desserts. I cannot even tell you every item we had but here's the short of it: several cheesecake flavors in assorted glassware, several types cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, pumpkin bread pudding, coffee parfaits, etc... the picture directly below was the dessert bar. It was 4 6 foot long rectangular tables, and one 5' round table. The round table was the "corner" and displayed the wedding cake. We also had another setup identical to this that was a beverage area, we had a coffee bar, tea, punch, beer, and some veggie trays for those non-existent people who don't eat sweets :-)

Dessert Bar Setup

Centerpiece (1 of 4)

One of the 4 types of centerpieces. The giant pine cones that we collected and then sprayed with adhesive and covered in silver glitter. A sparkly blue ornament, and a wooden snowflake with smaller pine cones. We also had white feather pine trees, 14" gold fish bowls filled with blue and silver ornaments, and silver "branch" trees with crystals and candles hanging in them. Each centerpiece type varied in size and created depth on the tables.

One Horse Sleigh

 A photo op in the kids play area... Yes we built it. Yes we had a kids area, I am a nanny and my husband's family has multiple sets of multiples! It was a must have, a word of advice- No Cheetos in the kids room. That was the only complaint I heard the whole wedding!! Other things we had in the kids room included toys, coloring books with crayons, stickers, etc...

Lighting the Unity Candle

The backdrop for the ceremony, several artificial trees with white lights.

Finally time to Party!

Bridal Party at Rehearsal Dinner

Entering into the reception, we entered to Faith Hill's Sunday Night Football song, and the bridal party entered the Monday Night Football song. The Philip Rivers jersey was a gift and surprise entrance addition for the hubby! I had one and only one screen printed jersey, I cut it right down the middle to not be outdone by his jersey! We are a house divided... and united by football!!Notice my heels are yellow to accommodate his demand for yellow to have Chargers colors in the wedding.

Mmmm Cake by Cindy Beck

Some of the displayed desserts. Also notice the added blue bodice on the dress, I had this made specifically for the reception to dress up my bargain dress. Enjoy...

Quarterback Drama.... 1 vs 2 ; What is a Quarterback?

First and foremost, What is a quarterback? (pulled from a friends facebook page, in regards to the fact that her son is a peewee QB)

These were some of the answers and jokes about her sister asking this same basic question....

Is he the one that hits the people or runs the ball?

Isn't he the guy that throws the ball?

Isn't he the guy that stands by the ticket counter and gives everyone buying a ticket their quarter back after paying? 

The last one was obviously a joke from a guy! However C'mon Ladies!!! Let's get this together you are at some point going to have a man in your life who watches, or plays football. This may be a boyfriend/husband, brother, son, father, etc... 

So to answer this basic question, yes the Quarterback (QB) is the guy who throws the ball. He also hands the ball to the Running Backs. He occasionally even runs the ball himself, especially in Pop Warner leagues. (Pop Warner is pee wee) If your QB is tackling people it is most likely because he threw the ball to the other teams defensive players.

A few famous retired Quarterbacks you may have heard of: 

Dan Marino- Miami Dolphins

Troy Aikman- Dallas Cowboys

Joe Montana- San Francisco 49ers

John Elway- Denver Broncos

Now into the current season, here is some of the QB drama I am watching....

#1 vs #2

Andrew Luck and the Colts VS. Robert Griffin III and the Redskins

This game is Saturday 8/25/2012. This is a pre season game that puts the first and second overall NFL draft picks against each other as starting QB's for their new teams. So far in 2 games each guy has looked good. This game should see the first significant amount of time for both guys. This is really the last week to get timing down with their teammates. I am looking forward to seeing how both guys handle the pressure, how well they move the ball, and their progress in reading professional NFL defenses. Do I believe that hype that this one game will show who is better? NO! I believe this will not turn into the Peyton Manning vs Ryan Leaf debate of 1998. I fully believe that both guys will be successful, and continue to improve over their first few seasons in the league. 

What will be the deciding factor in this game? 

I fully believe that both of these highly touted Rookie QB's will continue to play well. So on that note, lets see which defense steps up!

May the LUCK be with you...

Today begins the much anticipated NFL career of Andrew Luck. In this time of rebuilding I hope that our new head coach Chuck Pagano, started by getting our horseshoe pointed upward again. While I have read positive things from training camp my expectations are not high for this season. I hope that he can exceed what Peyton Manning did in his first season, which was also a miserable season.

I am looking forward to seeing the offensive line with Jeff Saturday. He has been the staple that held that group together so well. These 5 guys are going to be key to Andrew Luck's success, as they have to give him the time to read the field and make the plays we need to win games.

I am also looking forward to seeing how well Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis switch up to stand up linebacker in the new defensive scheme. For our two amazing defensive ends to take on this new position is a bit scary. I hope that it is an experiment that ends up well for both guys, and doesn't leave us waiting around to hear that one of these guys (Dwight Freeney) has been traded just before the trade deadline. The reason I believe that Freeney will be the one who is traded is because Mathis just signed a nice new contract in the off season.

I hope that our backfield is improved, it is Delone Carter's time to step up and be the man! I hope that our two rookie tight ends are ready for the speed of the professional game.

One position that couldn't get much worse is cornerback. So we should see some type of improvement with coverage there. I'm hoping that the new defensive scheme assists in this.

Then you have your old steady veterans, that we are looking for the same level of play from. Pat McAfee and Adam Vinatieri are both amazing kickers and should help our special teams. You have Reggie Wayne who is now the veteran presence in the offensive huddle, and Austin Collie getting a chance to play out wide instead of the slot. Also picking up where they left off will be Pat Angerer, as he leads our defense into battle.

So here is a cheer to being #ColtStrong and anxiously awaiting the kickoff to a new era in Indy.

As a side note, I'll also be rooting for Brit Miller #49 Fullback for the St. Louis Rams. He is a home town boy for me.

Cheers
-Amanda

History in the Making!

This Thursday evening when the Packers and Chargers kick off history will be made. The first female official will be on the officiating crew. Her name is Shannon Eastin. She is technically a replacement official, from a college conference. The NFL is using replacement refs, because of the labor dispute between the NFL Referee Labor Union and the NFL.

Ms. Eastin has been working for this, and predicted in 1999 that she would make it to the NFL. Way to go GIRL! Dreams do come true.

Here is a link to the Yahoo story: http://shine.yahoo.com/team-mom/shannon-eastin-poised-first-woman-ref-nfl-history-185200396.html

Condolences

Just wanted to take a moment to send out my condolences to Coach Andy Reid , his family, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

What is a Tight End?

Okay ladies... I know you hear TIGHT END, and think don't they all have tight ends? Especially in those form fitting spandex pants!

 I mean really, what is a tight end? What are his responsibilities?

A tight end is the player that lines up on either end of the offensive line. (Sometimes you have a tight end on each side of the offensive line.) 

The picture above illustrates the offensive line, tight end, and quarterback. #5 Josh Freeman (wearing green) is the Quarterback. The player directly in front of him is the Center. Then on each side of the center play an offensive guard, and offensive tackle. Just to the Right of the offensive line is the tight end. (You see the third guy from the center? #44 Dallas Clark)

The players that play this position have two main responsibilities: Blocking and Receiving. A tight end is often responsible for picking up a block on defensive players who are blitzing the line of scrimmage, or to help make a hole for the halfback. 

In this picture you can that the Tight End, Dallas Clark #44 is lined up in front of the halfback just to the left of the offensive line (not visible) so that he can block for the halfback to run the ball. He will try to block anyone coming towards the line of scrimmage, and make a hole for his teammate to run through.

They also run routes similar to a receiver to catch passes and help the offense get down the field to score. Most times the tight end will run a route that consists of 5-10 yards down field and then turn in or out trying to give the quarterback an additional throwing target. Often times when going over the middle of the field they will get tackled hard, also called blown up, knocked out, leveled, etc... this area of the field can be very dangerous with defenders looking to score the big hits. A lot of concussions injuries happen in this area of the field.

In this (off centered) photo, the tight end Dallas Clark is making a catch. Allowing his quarterback to move the ball down the field. As you see he slid to catch the ball protecting himself from the big hit that would surely come. (He also slid faster than I could move/focus the camera)

Notice in this photo his stance is different? He is further outside of the offensive line and will be running a route. This type of stance can be a clear signal that it is a pass play, or trickery used to make the defense think it is a pass play.

I hope that this post has made you more clear on what a Tight End actually is! This specific tight end featured is one of my favorites as he was drafted by Indianapolis out of Iowa. So he's a Big 10 guy, that played many years for my beloved Colts. I am really hoping that he can be back to his pre-injury game in his first season with Tampa Bay. I got to meet him briefly on Wednesday, he signed my jersey where I learned he's also a lefty and a joker. That must be why I've liked him so much!!

Have a great day, the preseason officially kicks off in 2 days!

-Amanda

Past, Present, Future...

This morning as I enjoyed a steamy humid morning at training camp this little girl caught my eye...wearing a Simeon Rice jersey, a pair of sparkly Toms shoes, and an attitude of oblivion to the giant men out on the field getting ready to kick off a new season.

She fully represents why I want to write this blog about football. Although she is no older than two and never saw Simeon Rice play she is representing in the jersey. Simeon Rice was one of the great defensive ends on the Bucs' Super Bowl Team. He represents the past in this post. Those guys who we don't want to forget, because they were so great to watch as they did their job.

Today in the present time, she was more interested in watching the people in the stands and playing with whatever she brought from home than what was happening on the field. In fact I am not sure she knew why she was even there! (I could be wrong, as I didn't stop to talk) Those guys on the field at One Buc Place, and 31 other NFL training camps are working through the hot humid weather wearing full football pads and helmets, so I don't want to hear how hot you are!! (Yes, I have to remind myself this too!) They are anxiously awaiting the kickoff to this season, as are we the fans.

This little fan is our female fan of the future! I'm so happy to see that she (or her mom) decided to let her rock the jersey instead of a cheerleader outfit. So ladies, and any guys out there reading this... don't leave your daughters out! Immersing them in athletics will help them grow into self confident and self assured women. They will be strong, and capable. While she may never choose to play football, there are many options out there for her! Look at the 5 teenage girls from the USA that won a gold medal in team gymnastics last night! Encourage her spirit, dedication, and ability to choose what she wants to do!!

Cheers to a new season of football...

Fantasy Dish...

Fantasy Football, whats the hype you ask?


Fantasy Football is a way of immersing yourself into the game as a fan. You start to follow players on teams other than 'yours' because the team you 'drafted' depends on their individual performances. You want the best of the best on your team at every skill position, but were your preseason guesses correct? Did your star player get injured, who are going to pick up off the waiver wires or trade for to replace him???


Every league has the opportunity to customize the general rules set forth by the website in which you are playing on. I play on www.yahoo.com and www.espn.com. Some leagues do automated drafts that you can set up your pre-selected draft order and the system will take your top rated available player to fill your team. Most leagues do a live snake draft. A snake draft will take you from player 1-10 in round 1, and player 10-1 in round 2, and so on through all rounds. Draft position in both types of draft are randomly decided. Another type of draft is a live in person auction draft. In this type of draft you have a certain amount of cash, your salary cap in which to draft your players. In this type of draft the order is randomly selected, but on your turn you nominate a player and starting value for him. He then goes on the auction block, you may or may not get that guy on your team.


Leagues generally have 10 to 12 teams, the fewer the teams the deeper the rosters go. The more teams the creative you have to be with your drafting and waiver pick ups. There are risks and rewards to most picks. Some are more reward than risk! This is a great way to connect with your guy, if he plays you can start and as you start to follow your team, you'll notice that aspects of the game you haven't understood before are starting to make sense. You might even develop your own favorite team, or your love for your team will grow stronger yet diversified because you have a Top 10 player on your fantasy roster.


Fantasy Scoring is slightly different in most leagues, but common values are:
Touchdown- 6 or 7 points
Rushing/Receiving Yards- 1 point for every 25 yards gained
Passing Yards- 1point for every 25 or 50 yards thrown
Field Goals up to 35 yards long- 3 points
Field Goals 36-49 yards- 4 points
Field Goals 50+ yards- 5 points
Point After Touchdown- 1 point
Interception - 2 points
Sack - 1 point
Fumble Lost by Offense - negative 2 points
Fumble Caused by Defense - 2 points for the defense




So today as I sit here, I am thinking about the upcoming fantasy season....


My Dream Roster (NOTE: I have not compared bye weeks)


QB- Aaron Rodgers/ Green Bay Packers
RB- Ray Rice/Baltimore Ravens
RB- LeSean McCoy/ Philadelphia Eagles
WR- Calvin Johnson/ Detroit Lions
WR- Victor Cruz/ New York Giants
WR- Jeremy Maclin/ Philadelphia Eagles
TE- Rob Gronkowski/New England Patriots
K- Mason Crosby/ Green Bay Packers
DEF- San Francisco 49ers


Bench- RB - Adrian Peterson/ Minnesota Vikings (If he is ready to play from injury)
Bench- WR - Vincent Jackson/ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bench- TE - Jimmy Graham/ New Orleans Saints
Bench- QB - Drew Brees/ New Orleans Saints
Bench-  WR- AJ Green/Cincinatti Bengals


A common question is 'Should I put Rookies on my fantasy team?' 


My theory is if you feel there is a rookie that will make an immediate impact on his team and be a big scorer, by all means draft him. But make sure you solid veterans that play the same position. For example, Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) came in last year and played well from week 1. That generally isn't the case, as it takes time to learn the playbooks and the speed of an NFL game.





So I pose to you....


Will you play fantasy this year?
Would you play in a women only fantasy league?
What questions do you have about football?
What football related topics are you interested in?


Please log in and leave comments!


-Amanda

Football is almost here for 2012

Training camps are under way. This past weekend the hubby and I entertained our football deprived selves by going down to One Buccaneer Place and watching practice. I also got some great photos that I hope to get signed for our future Mancave! One of our good friends is in Minnesota for Vikings training camp, I hope to see pictures soon.

 Ronde Barber #20 The only player left on the roster from the Buc's 2002 Super Bowl Team! A great player, and veteran leader for this team.

 Team huddle before practice gets started.

 Josh Freeman, the QB for the Buc's. He's been looking sharp and has some great new targets to get the ball to this year.

 Connor Barth practicing his accuracy during practice drills, he's the field goal kicker for the Buc's. Holding the ball is Michael Koenen, the punter.

 Dallas Clark newly acquired free agent pick up from the Colts, and one of my favorite players. He's a Big 10 guy, and will provide a great veteran presence in the offensive huddle for this young team. He's looking forward to a fresh start after battling injuries last year.

 Vincent Jackson (VJax) another excellent free agent pickup from San Diego. He already appears to have great timing with his new QB Freeman. The Tampa fans are highly anticipating the long bomb hook ups between these two guys.

This was a play that Coach Schiano will not tolerate. Madu a halfback, was stripped of the ball. I'm showing this one because it is simply a great photo!

 Doug Martin appears to be a shining star, the rookie halfback will challenge Blount for the starting job. He's quick and has a nasty side step. If he stays healthy he could have an amazing rookie campaign.

 Mark Barron is another rookie with high expectations on his shoulders. Looking forward to seeing this guy in action.

What is your favorite team? Who is your favorite player?