What If? 1956 Oklahoma Sooners Football

This is the second of my What If? fantasy college football edition. This is where I look back at college seasons for various schools and years long before the fantasy game became prominent in our society. I'm using the Sporting News point system for this in which you're allowed to pick four offenses and defenses under a $50 million cap each week.

SN Point System:
Total yards(rushing and passing): 1 point per yard
Total points scored: 10 points per point scored
Turnovers: -20 each
Note: No points are awarded against Div-1AA opponents.

Here are the stats and points for the 1956 Oklahoma Sooners football team:
Note: Stats are figured with and without the bowl game.
Oklahoma did not play in a bowl game in 1956.

Total yards: 4817 = 4817 points
Total points scored: 466 = 4660 points
Turnovers: 29 = -580
Total points: 8897 points
Total points per game: 889.7
Note: Oklahoma played 10 games in 1956.

Source: Soonerstats.com

In my opinion, this was Sooners legendary coach Bud Wilkinson's best team, and some have even said it's the school's best ever as they won their 3rd national championship. The powerful Sooners offense was led by running backs Tommy McDonald and Clendan Thomas who combined for 1,670 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on the season. The offensive line was one of the best units of all-time led by center Jerry Tubbs who once finished as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy which is unheard of from anyone at that position. As a team, the Sooners offense averaged 47 points a game, and they topped 60 points in a game twice. Their best performance was against Missouri in which they scored 67 points and had 602 yards of offense. They would have 1252 points that day in SN's version of fantasy college football. This was also during a period of time where the Sooners were in the midst of a record-breaking winning streak that would eventually be halted by Notre Dame the following season at 47 games in a row. They beat the Irish 40-0 during the 1956 season. To show you how dominate they were, Oklahoma outscored their opponents 466-51 on the season. They beat the likes of Notre Dame, Texas, and North Carolina all by shutout. So you could have picked them up on defense that year, and had a productive campaign out of them, too. Wilkinson cemented himself as one of the best coaches ever, and he also became the first person in NCAA history in 1956 to win three national championships as a player(From 1934-36 with Minnesota) and three as a coach with the Sooners(1950 and 1955 were the other years). He's still the only person to accomplish that feat in NCAA history.

You can request a look back on a school in the comments section. I only ask that the year be before 2000. Also, college stats are tougher to find, so any help in locating them for the school and year you select would be helpful.

I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to take a look at the great reads to the left of the page on my Blog Roll!

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What If? 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football

This is my first series of the What If? fantasy college football edition. This is where I look back on past college football seasons for various schools and years long before the fantasy game became prominent in our society. I'm using the Sporting News point system for this in which you're allowed to pick four offenses and defenses under a $50 million cap each week.

SN Point System:
Total yards(passing & rushing): 1 point per yard
Total points scored: 10 points per point scored
Turnovers: -20 points each
Note: No points are awarded against Div-1AA opponents.

Here are the stats and fantasy points for the 1987 Oklahoma Sooners football team:
Note: Stats are figured with and without the bowl game.

With bowl game:
Total yards: 5752(4896 rushing, 856 passing) = 5752 points
Total points scored: 493 = 4930 points
Turnovers: 29 = -580

Without bowl game:
Total yards: 5497(4717 rushing, 780 passing) = 5497 points
Total points scored: 479 = 4790 points
Turnovers: 27 = 540 points

Total points w/bowl game: 10102 points
Total points w/o bowl game: 9747 points
Total points per game w/bowl game: 841.83
Total points per game w/o bowl game: 886.09
Note: Oklahoma played 11 regular season games, and a bowl game.

I picked the 1987 Oklahoma Sooners team as my first look back for a couple of reasons. Obviously the first being that they're my favorite college team. The other was that this was the last full season in which I lived in that state before moving to North Carolina. It was kind of sad because this was when the program spiraled out of control not long after which meant they slipped to an eventual doormat in what became the Big 12 until Bob Stoops came aboard.

Under Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer, the 1987 Sooners team went undefeated, and averaged 41 points a game during the season. Led by quarterback Charles Thompson, the Sooners wishbone offense caused headaches for opposing defenses during the season. The highlight of the season came when they put up 71 points against Kansas on the road while posting 634 total yards of offense(565 on the ground). The Sooners offense would have had 1304 points on that Halloween afternoon if the SN game existed then. The Sooners ranked No. 1 in the polls for the majority of the season, and met the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl for the National Title. The Sooners lost 20-14, and then the program slowly fell into a tailspin after that point. It would take over a decade for the program to reach prestige again under the direction of Bob Stoops.

You can request a look back on a school in the comments section. I only ask that the year be before 2000. Also, college season stats are tougher to find, so any help in locating them for the school and year you select would be helpful.

I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to take a look at the great reads to the left of the page on my Blog Roll!

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What If? Beattie Feathers' 1934 Season

Welcome to another entry of the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1934 season of former Chicago Bears player Beattie Feathers. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):
60 points for every touchdown
2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained
1 point for every kickoff return yard gained
2 points for every reception
1 point for every passing yard
-10 points for every kickoff return attempt
-45 points for lost fumble and interception
-2 points for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):
6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown
4 points for passing touchdown
1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards
1 point for every 25 passing yards
2 points for every two-point conversion
-1 point for every interception
-2 points for every fumble
No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Beattie Feathers in 1934 and fantasy points for the SN games:
Passing yards: 41 = 41 points
Passing touchdowns: 2 = 120 points
Incomplete passes: 8 = -16 points
Interceptions: 2 = -90
Rushing yards: 1004 = 2008 points
Rushing touchdowns: 8 = 480 points
Receptions: 6 = 12 points
Receiving yards: 174 = 348 points
Receiving touchdowns: 1 = 60 points
Fumbles Lost: NA
Total points: 2963 points
Total points per game: 269.36
Note: Feathers played 11 games in 1947.

Here are the stats for Beattie Feathers in 1934 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:
Passing yards: 41 = 1 points
Passing touchdowns: 2 = 8 points
Interceptions: 2 = -2 points
Rushing yards: 1004 = 100 points
Rushing touchdowns: 8 = 48 points
Receiving yards: 174 = 17 points
Receiving touchdowns: 1 = 6 points
Fumbles Lost: NA
Total points: 178 points
Total points per game: 16.18

Statistical source: pro-football reference

Some of you are likely asking, "Who was Beattie Feathers?" And, "Why did you choose him?" Well, he's notable for a few things. First, he's in the College Football Hall of Fame for his play at Tennessee between 1931-33. He later became head coach at such schools as Wake Forest, NC State, and Texas Tech. But most importantly, he became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, doing so in his rookie year of 1934. He still holds the record with an 8.4 average yards per carry during a season for running backs(Michael Vick holds the overall record set in 2006). He was a solid college player, and would have likely went in the first few rounds of a fantasy draft which would have paid off well for all his owners in 1934. Feathers never came close to achieving anything remotely close to his 1934 numbers for the remainder of his career. In fact, he rushed for over half of his yards(1980 total rushing yards) in 1934 and exactly half of his rushing touchdowns(16). He played his first four years with the Chicago Bears followed by two with the Brooklyn Dodgers and one with the Green Bay Packers retiring after the 1940 season. No, he's not a Hall of Famer, but the 1934 season was a statistical achievement in the NFL that would have had fantasy owners feeling grateful for selecting Feathers that year.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, then you can do so in the comments section. The only thing I ask is that the player and year be before 1990 because fantasy football wasn't as prominent then.

Past What If? posts:
Walter Payton's 1977 season
Gale Sayers' 1965 season
Eric Dickerson's 1983 season
Jim Brown's 1963 season
Dan Marino's 1984 season
Jerry Rice's 1987 season
O.J. Simpson's 1975 season
Johnny Unitas' 1959 season
Sid Luckman's 1943 season
Sammy Baugh's 1947 season

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My Second Sporting News Mock Draft

This is the results of the second SN mock draft I did. In this draft, only a two of us were there live and the rest were automated picks. I had the #3 pick in this draft.

1 Brian Westbrook (RB, PHI) 3 4
2 Ryan Grant (RB, GB) 22 23
3 T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR, CIN) 27 27
4 Anquan Boldin (WR, ARI) 46 46
5 Calvin Johnson (WR, DET) 51 51
6 Marc Bulger (QB, STL) 70 70
7 Matt Forte (RB, CHI) 75 80
8 Santana Moss (WR, WAS) 94 102
9 Vernon Davis (TE, SF) 99 120
10 Phil Dawson (K, CLE) 118 198
11 Deuce McAllister (RB, NO) 123 106
12 Matt Schaub (QB, HOU) 142 132
13 Anthony Gonzalez (WR, IND) 147 134
14 Ben Watson (TE, NE) 166 162
15 Jacksonville (D, JAC) 171 185

I knew I was going to go with Westbrook at No. 3. Grant is a good choice for me with the next pick after being the next available back at that spot. Then I went on a run of receivers which is definitely the strength of this team, and it's hard to find a crew that's better overall than that one. Bulger is a great pick if he pans out, and I had to get depth behind him so I went with Schaub later on. My team is deep at every position, but I really like the receiving corps that I drafted for this team.

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Blogger's Paradise

This is another parody song I did on Sporting News a couple of years back that I'm posting here. Enjoy.

Blogger's Paradise
Performed by the Troll Coalition
Parody of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise
Trolls R Us
Trollific

"As I logon to the site and enter the smack room of death,
I take a look at my life and realize there is nothing left,
Cuz I have been thumbing and running for so long,
that even my mama thinks my mind is gone,
but I ain't ever crossed a member who didn't deserve it,
I treat all members like a punk, you know that is unheard of,
You better watch how your talking, or you will be walking,
Or you and your homies may be lined in the chalk,
I really like to hate, and I gotta, loc,
As I grow I see myself in being dead broke, fool,
I am the kind of troll all trolls want to be like,
On my knee every night praying to thumb a blog down in the streetlight,

(Chorus)
I thumb blogs down all the time, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I thumb blogs down all the time, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I keep thumbing down most my life, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I keep thumbing down most my life, living in a Blogger's Paradise.

They got the situation, they got me facin'
I can't live a normal life, I was raised by evil stripes,
So I gotta be down with the Troll team,
Too much blog watching got me chasing dreams,
I'm an uneducated fool with thumbing down on my mind,
Got a 10 in my hand, and a gleam in my eye,
I'm a loc'ed out troll, set trippin' banger,
And my trolls are down, so don't arouse my anger, fool,
Thumbing down ain't but a heartbeat away,
I'm living my life, do or die, what can I say,
I'm immature now, but I will live to see age 4,
The way things are going now, I don't know,

Tell me why are we, too blind to read,
And the ones we hurt, are trolls and me,

(Chorus)
I thumb blogs down all the time, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I thumb blogs down all the time, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I keep thumbing down most my life, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I keep thumbing down most my life, living in a Blogger's Paradise.

Thumbing down and running, running and thumbing down,
Minute after minute, hour after hour,
Everyone of us is running, and none of us are replying,
What's going on in the smack room, and I know what is kickin',
They say I gotta learn, but no one will teach me,
If they can't see me reply, how can they reach me,
I guess they can't, I guess they won't,
I guess they front, that's why I know my life is out of luck.

(Chorus)
I thumb blogs down all the time, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I thumb blogs down all the time, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I keep thumbing down most my life, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
I keep thumbing down most my life, living in a Blogger's Paradise,
Tell me why are we, too blind to read,
And the ones we hurt, are trolls and me,
Tell me why are we, too blind to read,
And the ones we hurt, are trolls and me.

(Fade out)

Blogger's Paradise
Performed by the Troll Coalition
Parody of Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise
Trolls R Us
Trollific

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My First Sporting News Mock Draft Results

Here's the results of my first mock draft on Sporting News:
R-Round
OP-Overall Pick
FR-Fantasy Source Ranking

R OP FR
1 Marshawn Lynch (RB, BUF) 7 7
2 Marion Barber (RB, DAL) 18 19
3 Torry Holt (WR, STL) 31 36
4 Anquan Boldin (WR, ARI) 42 46
5 Marc Bulger (QB, STL) 55 70
6 Chris Chambers (WR, SD) 66 66
7 Matt Forte (RB, CHI) 79 80
8 Reggie Brown (WR, PHI) 90 95
9 Todd Heap (TE, BAL) 103 98
10 Vernon Davis (TE, SF) 114 120
11 Matt Schaub (QB, HOU) 127 132
12 Kenny Watson (RB, CIN) 138 115
13 Justin Gage (WR, TEN) 151 136
14 Robbie Gould (K, CHI) 162 194
15 New York G (D, NYG) 175 184

Overall, I'm pleased with the depth of team in this draft. I did reach a little for a couple of picks, but did stick my strategy of getting two running backs early then focusing on my receivers. Bulger is a good pick if he's healthy for the season which wasn't the case a year ago. I wanted to take a tight end in the 10th round, and I went with Heap. I made sure to provide depth behind him, and Vernon Davis was still on the board in the next round. I normally don't like taking tight ends with back-to-back picks, but I didn't see any better value at that spot because I knew I could could get a good backup QB in the next round. I think Schaub provides a nice option and depth in case Bulger doesn't hold up. I like that a quality kicker and defense was available with my last two picks which is my normal strategy when doing live drafts. There was a run on backup running backs in Round 11 & 12, so I went with Watson at that spot because I was either going with a running back or receiver there. Gage is a guy that caught 52 passes last year, and is a depth pick for me. Overall, I think I could have a little more depth at running back, and there are questions at the quarterback spot. Other than those issues, the team is deep and I stuck with my strategy throughout the draft which is what I recommend doing.

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What If? Sammy Baugh's 1947 season

Welcome to another entry of the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1947 season for Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Sammy Baugh. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):
60 points for every touchdown
2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained
1 point for every kickoff return yard gained
2 points for every reception
1 point for every passing yard
-10 points for every kickoff return attempt
-45 points for lost fumble and interception
-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):
6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown
4 points for passing touchdown
1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards
1 point for every 25 passing yards
2 points for every two-point conversion
-1 point for every interception
-2 points for every fumble
No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Sammy Baugh in 1947 and fantasy points for the SN games:
Passing yards: 2938 = 2938 points
Passing touchdowns: 25 = 1500 points
Incomplete passes: 144 = -144 points
Interceptions: 15 = -675
Rushing yards: 47 = 94 points
Rushing touchdowns: 2 = 120 points
Receptions: NA
Receiving yards: NA
Receiving touchdowns: NA
Fumbles Lost: 8 = -360 points
Total points: 3473 points
Total points per game: 289.42
Note: Teams only played 12 games in 1947.

Here are the stats for Sammy Baugh in 1947 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:
Passing yards: 2938 = 117 points
Passing touchdowns: 25 = 100 points
Interceptions: 15 = -15 points
Rushing yards: 47 = 4 points
Rushing touchdowns: 2 = 12 points
Receiving yards: NA
Receiving touchdowns: NA
Fumbles Lost: 8 = -16 points
Total points: 202 points
Total points per game: 16.83

Statistical source: pro-football reference

You look at the numbers and their not as impressive at first glance until you consider that Baugh was a tremendous all-around talent. He started one game on defense in 1947, and had played that side of the ball extensively during the earlier portion of his career in which he led the league in interceptions on one occasion. He set career highs in passing yards and rushing yards during the 1947 season in which the Redskins finished 4-8. He threw for 364 yards and five touchdowns in the opening game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He threw for 355 yards and six touchdowns against the Chicago Cardinals in Week 9, so he would have had fantasy owners drooling in a couple of games on the season. Also, it should be noted that the Washington Redskins was the only team in the league that year to have more passing touchdowns than interceptions which is why Baugh would have been the first quarterback taken. His accomplishments for his all-around ability landed him in the Hall of Fame in it's inaugural year in 1963.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, then you can do so in the comments section. The only thing I ask is that the player and year be before 1990 because fantasy football wasn't as prominent then.

Past What If? posts:
Walter Payton's 1977 season
Gale Sayers' 1965 season
Eric Dickerson's 1983 season
Jim Brown's 1963 season
Dan Marino's 1984 season
Jerry Rice's 1987 season
O.J. Simpson's 1975 season
Johnny Unitas' 1959 season
Sid Luckman's 1943 season

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National Internet Basketball League

The NIBL is a simulation site for basketball fans to play. One of the owners of the site has given me permission to post about his site because he's always looking for more players. Here's a quote about why you should check this site out if you're a basketball or fantasy fan:

Kris Johnson:
"It is free, there is no limit in a league like this. What makes it stand out is that we're a player sim league, not your regular GM sim league. So you live the life of a superstar rather than the life of a GM. You go through rookie games, drafts, contract signings, player developement, point tasks to improve your player, and off-seasons. The league is quite large right now and will still like to take members."

Games are played 4-5 times a week, and compete in a simulation league. A player is created, then assigned to a team in the league. The TPE(Total Points Earned) system lets you see the progression of your created player, and that can be done weekly. The league keeps track of the games and stats throughout the season. Individual awards are given for performance such as MVP and Rookie of the Year.

Also, there's a forum for players/owners to discuss various things within the simulation game itself. You can also talk other sports on the message boards as well. The most important thing that is noted on the site is that everyone is there to have fun. The site is free to signup for and play, so give it a try if you like basketball and/or fantasy sports by clicking the link below to find out more info:

National Internet Basketball League

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What If? Sid Luckman's 1943 season

Welcome to another entry of the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1943 season for Pro Football Hall of Famer Sid Luckman. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):
60 points for every touchdown
2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained
1 point for every kickoff return yard gained
2 points for every reception
1 point for every passing yard
-10 points for every kickoff return attempt
-45 points for lost fumble and interception
-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):
6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown
4 points for passing touchdown
1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards
1 point for every 25 passing yards
2 points for every two-point conversion
-1 point for every interception
-2 points for every fumble
No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Sid Luckman in 1943 and fantasy points for the SN games:
Passing yards: 2194 = 2194 points
Passing touchdowns: 28 = 1680 points
Incomplete passes: 92 = -92 points
Interceptions: 12 = -540
Rushing yards: -40 = -80 points
Rushing touchdowns: 1 = 60 points
Receptions: NA
Receiving yards: NA
Receiving touchdowns: NA
Fumbles Lost: 0 = 0 points
Total points: 3222 points
Total points per game: 322.20
Note: Luckman only played 10 of 12 games in 1943.

Here are the stats for Sid Luckman in 1943 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:
Passing yards: 2194 = 87 points
Passing touchdowns: 28 = 112 points
Interceptions: 12 = -13 points
Rushing yards: -40 = -4 points
Rushing touchdowns: 1 = 6 points
Receiving yards: NA
Receiving touchdowns: NA
Fumbles Lost: 0 = 0 points
Total points: 188 points
Total points per game: 18.8
Note: Luckman only played 10 of 12 games in 1943.

Statistical source: pro-football reference

Luckman had his best season in 1943 as he quarterbacked the Chicago Bears to their third NFL Championship in four years. Besides Sammy Baugh of Washington, Luckman was the only other player that would have been coveted by fantasy owners during the 1940s. He threw for five touchdowns in the NFL Championship Game as he outdueled Baugh in a 41-21 victory for the Bears, so he would have been money in the fantasy playoffs edition. The highlight of this season came during a game against the New York Giants in which every fantasy owner would have wanted him on November 14, 1943. Have a look at the passing stats and fantasy points for the SN game:

Passing yards: 433 = 433 points
Passing touchdowns: 7 = 420 points
Incomplete passes: 11 = -11 points
Interceptions: 1 = -45 points
Total points: 797 points
Note: I could not locate complete rushing stats for Luckman during that game, but the Bears as a team had 194 yards on the ground that day so it's possible his point total exceeed 800 points. Luckman set a record for touchdown passes in a game on that November day.

During the storied history of the Chicago Bears franchise, Luckman remains the only full-time quarterback from that team to make it into the Hall of Fame(George Blanda played part-time as QB for the Bears and other teams). Luckman also had four interceptions on defense during the season, and actually returned one for a touchdown the year before. Luckman played 12 years in the NFL(all with the Bears), and led the team to four NFL Championships(1940-41, 1943, 1946). His efforts, leadership, and performance earned him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, then you can do so in the comments section. The only thing I ask is that the player and year be before 1990 because fantasy football wasn't as prominent then.

Past What If? posts:
Walter Payton's 1977 season
Gale Sayers' 1965 season
Eric Dickerson's 1983 season
Jim Brown's 1963 season
Dan Marino's 1984 season
Jerry Rice's 1987 season
O.J. Simpson's 1975 season
Johnny Unitas' 1959 season

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Fantasy Wrestling History

In 2004, World Wrestling Entertainment(WWE) began it's own fantasy wrestling game on-line. The game featured superstars throughout the promotion that were selected as part of team in which points were accumulated based how they did in storylines. However, the roots of fantasy wrestling actually date back to wrestling boom of the 1980s.

Also known as E-Wrestling, the game reached popularity in the mid-1980s in the form of play-by-mail. The genre-based and statistical game are set in professional wrestling companies that have several variations of play. Transmission is the most popular way the game is played which is either by face-to-face, postal mail, e-mail, websites, or message boards. The storylines are determined by either roleplay, angles, strategy, and statistical use. Rosters are either made up of "real" wrestlers or original characters created by an owning player or another owner.

In the 1990s, the internet made it easier to play the game because of communicating by e-mail, the message boards, or on another website. The internet allowed websites and other communities to reach a wider audience which saw an enormous increase in game-play.

The term E-Wrestling came to be after the advent of e-mail. Players, also commonly known as handlers, creates characters or used "real" wrestlers in which they manage their entire career in the fictional promotion known as the E-Federation. The handler would send a created wrestling move that often determined the success of the wrestler in which they would mail to an adjudicator who then made the decision of the outcome of the moves sent to him. After the internet evolved, handlers would communicate their moves on-line with the decision coming down to the adjudicator.

After the WWE launched it's own fantasy game in 2004, they started to send out letters to those who used names or close variations to the WWE superstars. The game is no longer available to play on their site.

More information about E-Wrestling can be found here:

E-Wrestling Encyclopedia

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What If? Johnny Unitas' 1959 Season

Welcome to another entry of the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1959 season for Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Johnny Unitas. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):
60 points for every touchdown
2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained
1 point for every kickoff return yard gained
2 points for every reception
1 point for every passing yard
-10 points for every kickoff return attempt
-45 points for lost fumble and interception
-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):
6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown
4 points for passing touchdown
1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards
1 point for every 25 passing yards
2 points for every two-point conversion
-1 point for every interception
-2 points for every fumble
No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Johnny Unitas in 1959 and fantasy points for the SN games:
Passing yards: 2899 = 2899 points
Passing touchdowns: 32 = 1920
Incomplete passes: 174 = -174 points
Interceptions: 14 = -630
Rushing yards: 145 = 290 points
Rushing touchdowns: 2 = 120 points
Receptions: NA
Receiving yards: NA
Receiving touchdowns: NA
Fumbles Lost: 5 = -225 points
Total points: 4200 points
Total points per game: 350
Note: Teams only played 12 games in 1959.

Here are the stats for Johnny Unitas in 1959 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:
Passing yards: 2899 = 115 points
Passing touchdowns: 32 = 128 points
Interceptions: 14 = -14 points
Rushing yards: 145 = 14 points
Rushing touchdowns: 2 = 12 points
Receiving yards: NA
Receiving touchdowns: NA
Fumbles Lost: 5 = -10 points
Total points: 245
Total points per game: 20.42

Statistical source: pro-football reference

Seasons like this from a quarterback didn't get any better than this in this era of pro football which was his fourth in the NFL. Combine that with the fact that the Baltimore Colts won the NFL Title by beating the Giants by the score of 31-16. Even though his team lost to Cleveland in the regular season, Unitas threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns in that game. He also threw three touchdowns and ran for another against the 49ers in Week 11. The fantasy football playoffs edition would have been kind to Unitas as well as he threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another in the Colts win. Unitas averaged almost three touchdowns a game passing in 1959, and would have undoubtedly been the top quarterback chosen in fantasy drafts because he also had weapons like Lenny Moore, Alan Ameche, and Raymond Berry to help him on offense. Unitas is still one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, and he set the standard for play at that position when he came into the league. Unitas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, then you can do so in the comments section. The only thing I ask is that the player and year be before 1990 because fantasy football wasn't as prominent then.

Past What If? posts:
Walter Payton's 1977 season
Gale Sayers' 1965 season
Eric Dickerson's 1983 season
Jim Brown's 1963 season
Dan Marino's 1984 season
Jerry Rice's 1987 season
O.J. Simpson's 1975 season

Read More

Blood Bowl Board Game History

Now for those unaware of it, the National Football League has been parodied by a popular British game called Blood Bowl for over 20 years. The history of the game dates back to 1987 when it was first released, and was designed by Jervis Johnson of Games Workshop.

The term "Blood" is used to describe the violent actions that players can use against one another which is based on American Football and rugby. It's also a parody of violent sporting movies such as the 1975 movie Rollerball starring James Caan.

The game has simularities to another Games Workshop game Warhammer Fantasy in which characters such as warriors, trolls, and dwarfs are part of the fantasy game. It is a two-player game in which they use miniature figure pieces on a playing field. A grid overlay is represented on the board as players use dice, cards, and counters against one another. Scoring occurs when a player with possession of the ball enters the opponent's end zone as both sides attempt to outscore one another.

Players are drawn out based on their characteristics which reflects how they do on the field. Dwarfs and Orcs are physical players that can cause more harm and injury to their opponents. On the other hand, Elves are quick and agile which makes them good scorers. Players are either throwers, catchers, or lineman which is usually determined by their characteristics. Coaches are the players running the team, and pick one race to play as. Human and Orcs are typically used for beginners while Haflings and Orges are used for the more experienced players.

Here are the player characteristics:

MA(Move Allowance) is how fast or slow a player is.

ST(Strength) is how good or bad a player can fight.

AG(Agility) is how good or bad the player avoids opponents and handles the ball.

AV(Armor Value) is how tough it is to injure the player.

Other skills that players use are block(fighting), dodge(avoid fighting), pass, catch, and sure hands.

During a player's turn, they can choose one of the following options:

Move- Move to an unoccupied square on the board, and the opponent can attempt to trip up the player if they're close to him/her.

Block- This is where they fight an opposing player that's adjacent to them.

Blitz- Move and block or block and move who is standing up.

Foul- Move and foul a prone player adjacent to them on the board.

Pass- Move and throw the ball. Or the player can just throw the ball from their current position.

Hand-off- Move and give the ball to an adjacent player.

Special players can be used because some have special skills.

A team turns the ball over if the action they perform fails. Some even use the four-minute turnover rule which means a player has four minutes to complete their turn, and makes the game more fast-paced.

In the more advanced dynasty-type play, players gain additonal points as they gain better skills and abilities. Players face the possibility of a serious injury and even death on the field. Teams can buy cheerleader and coaching staffs, too.

Besides the title of the game being parodied, other references such as McMurty's(McDonalds) and Bloodweiser(Budweiser) are used in the game. Background names in the game include the Darkside Cowboys(Dallas Cowboys) and Orcland Raiders(Oakland Raiders) are used. Famous player names are parodied as well which include Orge player Brick Far'th(Brett Favre).

The game's second release was in 1988, and was geared more towards a sports-oriented play rather than battlefield. The third release in 1994 shortened the game up because of the turnover rule and set number of turns. It was then that the game closely resembled Warhammer Fantasy because of how close the resembling miniature players were to that game. The Third Edition won the an Origins Award for Best Miniatures Rules of 1994 in 1995. In 1995, a video game by the same name was released by MicroLeague.

The fourth edition drastically changed the rules of the game that is still used today in 2001. The 4th Edition Gold were available for download on a pdf file and The Living Book can be found on-line.

Dynasty-type leagues are played by hard-core players, and tournaments with as many as 200 players take place. The "World Cup" is played at Warhammer World in Nottingham, England. The Dungeonbowl is played in Germany while the Spike! Trophy takes place in Canada. The Chaos Cup is played in October in Chicago, IL. In 2007, the "World Cup" was held in Games Workshop headquartersn in Nottingham which saw players from the U.S. and Australia attend as they had 272 people participate which set a record for the Games Workshop-related game in history. A team from France won that tournament, and a player from Germany won an individual coaching award.

The Windows version of the game was announced by Cyanide Studios for 2008. Nintendo DS, Playstation Portable, and Xbox versions are set were announced later on in 2007 as well.

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My Squidoo Pages & Other News

I'm gonna spend this post talking about Squidoo.com. It's a different than anything you've ever seen if you don't have an account with them. It isn't another blog site, but rather, a place to create what they call a lens for anything you want to talk about. What's even better is that you can promote your blog on there, but it's not limited to just that. And best of all, it's free to setup as well as fairly simple to understand, too.

You can create one(or more) lens in which you can sell items from sites like eBay and Amazon. Google ads are automatically included on your page, and can't be removed. You can earn revenue from having items in your lens clicked on as well as earn 50 percent of the sale on the item that was clicked and bought on your page!

If you have a Twitter account, you can add that to your lens which updates automatically on there when you update your Twitter.

Your lens ranking is reflective of several factors including: updating your lens, star rating, page look, topic, page views, etc. Like other sites, the higher your ranking, the more visible it becomes on there which means more traffic for you and/or your site(s). And again, there's no limit how many you can make either.

Here's my lenses you can check to see what they look like if you haven't yet:

Fantasy Sports Depot: This is my lens for this site.
Blog Wrestling Entertainment: This lens is for my BWE site that I just created. I'll likely create more later.

Here's a couple of my friend's lens on Squidoo:
Lester's Legends: This is Lester's lens.
MoonDogSports: MoonDog's lens.
Sports Through a Woman's Eyes: This is soadrules1313 from SN or Encyclopedia Soadica as named for her blogger site.

As you can see, all of us have different-looking lens and ideas that we want to talk about or promote. It's limitless what you can talk about.

I'll be back to talk about another entry on here tomorrow.

If those are interested in creating a Squidoo page, then click here.

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What If? O.J. Simpson's 1975 season

This is my seventh post for the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1975 season for Pro Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Thanks to Lester Legends for the suggestion of O.J. Simpson's 1975 season

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):
60 points for every touchdown
2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained
1 point for every kickoff return yard gained
2 points for every reception
1 point for every passing yard
-10 points for every kickoff return attempt
-45 points for lost fumble and interception
-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):
6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown
4 points for passing touchdown
1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards
1 point for every 25 passing yards
2 points for every two-point conversion
-1 point for every interception
-2 points for every fumble
No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for O.J. Simpson in 1975 and fantasy points for the SN games:
Passing yards: NA
Passing touchdowns: NA
Incomplete passes: NA
Interceptions: NA
Rushing yards: 1817 = 3634 points
Rushing touchdowns: 16 = 960 points
Receptions: 28 = 56 points
Receiving yards: 426 = 852 points
Receiving touchdowns: 7 = 420 points
Fumbles Lost: 6 = -270 points
Total points: 5652 points
Total points per game: 403.71
Note: Teams only played 14 games in 1975.

Here are the stats for O.J. Simpson in 1975 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:
Passing yards: NA
Passing touchdowns: NA
Interceptions: NA
Rushing yards: 1817 = 181 points
Rushing touchdowns: 16 = 96 points
Receiving yards: 426 = 42 points
Receiving touchdowns: 7 = 42 points
Fumbles Lost: 6 = -12 points
Total points: 349
Total points per game: 24.93

Statistical source: pro-football reference

We all know what Simpson is known for these days, but this ended up being a great season for him in 1975. He had more all-purpose yards and touchdowns than his 2,000-yard season in 1973 as well as set a career high in receiving yards and touchdowns, too. He rushed for 227 yards against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, and had four touchdowns against the New England Patriots in Week 10. Simpson had an impressive five year stretch where he rushed for over 1,500 yards in three of those seasons. Though Simpson's reputation is tarnished by most during life after football, he's still a Hall of Fame player that was inducted in 1985.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, then you can do so in the comments section. The only thing I ask is that the player and year be before 1990 because fantasy football wasn't as prominent then.

Past What If? posts:
Walter Payton's 1977 season
Gale Sayers' 1965 season
Eric Dickerson's 1983 season
Jim Brown's 1963 season
Dan Marino's 1984 season
Jerry Rice's 1987 season

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Fantasy College Football Team Rankings: C-USA Offenses

I'm going to continue on with my fantasy college football rankings by previewing the C-USA offenses. I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to finish all the conferences before the season starts, but I'll get to as many as I can. As always, these rankings in no way reflect how I predict teams to finish within their conferences. This is for fantasy college football players for the coming season. Enjoy.

Conference USA Team Offensive Rankings:
1. Tulsa(Starters returning: 9)
This was the No. 1 team in the nation in offense a year ago, and most of them are back. The key person missing is record-setting quarterback Paul Smith who will now be replaced by David Johnson. The offensive line returns four starters led by tackle Rodrick Thomas, but depth is concern with the unit. 1,200 yard rusher Tarrion Adams returns as well. Returning receivers Trae Johnson, Brennan Marion, Jesse Meyer, and Dion Toliver combined for 182 catches a year ago, and two of them had over 1,000 receiving yards(Johnson & Marion).

2. Rice(Starters returning: 9)
The Owls averaged over 43 points per game in their last four contests in 2007, and quarterback Chase Clement returns to lead the offense. The offensive line returns four starters, but struggled in run-blocking a year ago. All-American Jarett Dillard returns at receiver as does Tommy Henderson and Toren Dixon. Versatile tight end James Casey will start over Taylor Wardlow, and provide a reliable target for Clement in the passing game. Justin Hill starts at running back. Overall, the unit ranked 15th in passing and 103rd in rushing in 2007.

3. UTEP(Starters returning: 5)
Trevor Vittatoe returns as starting quarterback for the Miners after ranking second in passing yards as a freshman a year ago. The offensive line is experienced with three starters returning as well as two others who have had playing time. Receiver Jeff Moturi returns coming off a season in which he had 13 touchdowns. Jamar Hunt is a reliable tight end for UTEP. Marcus Thomas is gone at running back, but Terrell Jackson and Donald Buckram got valuable playing time a season ago. They play at Buffalo then home against Texas to start the year.

4. Memphis(Starters returning: 7)
Memphis will be leaning on JC transfer Arkelon Hall as quarterback this year, and Matt Malouf will back him up. The Tigers return four starters on the offensive line led by tackle Brandon Pearce. Running back T.J. Pitts missed the majority of the spring after breaking his ankle during the New Orleans Bowl last year. Curtis Steele provides depth behind him. The receiving corps is loaded and deep with Duke Calhoun, Steven Black, and Earnest Williams seeing the field. Carlos Singleton, a 6'8" receiver, is a mismatch problem especially in the red zone.

5. East Carolina(Starters returning: 7)
The Pirates will have to move on without star running back Chris Johnson, who led the nation in all-purpose yards last season. Jonathan Williams will start in his place coming off a season in which he made the C-USA freshman team. Rob Kass and Patrick Pinkney will both see plenty of time at quarterback. Jamar Bryant returns at wide receiver and Dwayne Harris will start opposite of him. The offensive line returns four starters and will be counted upon to more heavily to help the running game. Their schedule starts out tough with Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

6. UCF(Starters returning: 5)
With running back Kevin Smith and quarterback Kyle Israel gone, there's cause for concern for the Knights. Phillip Smith, who backed up Smith last year, will now start at running back with Ronnie Weaver backing him up. Michael Greco is now the starting quarterback. The offensive line only returns two starters, so they'll have to retool quickly for Greco and the running game. Receivers Rocky Ross and Kamar Allen return as starters as does tight end Corey Rabazinski, and will be looked upon to help Greco out in the passing game.

7. Houston(Starters returning: 4)
The Cougars have a new coach in Kevin Sumlin and new offense being installed for 2008. C-USA Freshman of the Year quarterback Case Keenum will start in this new offensive system that should be pass-happy. The offensive line gets a big boost with SirVincent Rogers returning at tackle after missing the last two years with a knee injury. They return three starters from a year ago, too. Andre Kohn will likely start at running back, and former quarterback L.J. Castile is the best receiver from last year. Their toughest non-conference game is at Oklahoma State in Week 2.

8. SMU(Starters returning: 5)
Both quarterbacks are out for the time being, but new head coach June Jones is expecting last year's starter Justin Willis to be available at season's start with Bo Levi Mitchell backing him up. DeMyron Martin returns at running back and seems to fit well in the run-and-shoot offense Jones is installing. Versatile receiver Emmanuel Sanders returns at receiver and Aldrick Robinson is a speedster that Jones covets in his scheme. The offensive line has been very problematic for the Mustangs in recent years, and they only return two starters from a year ago.

9. Marshall(Starters returning: 8 )
The quarterback position is unsettled for the Thundering Herd, but it will likely go to freshman Mark Cann with Jonathan Garner competing, too. Darius Marshall returns at running back after coming off a solid freshman year. The offensive line returns three starters, and will have to do a better job of protecting their quarterbacks after ranking 108th in most sacks given up a year ago. Tight end Cody Slate is one of the best receivers at the position in the nation. Darius Passmore is the top receiver returning, and Emmanuel Spann and E.J. Wynn are back, too. They play a brutal non-conference schedule that includes road games at West Virginia and Wisconsin.

10. Southern Miss(Starters returning: 6)
Larry Fedora takes over as head coach and is bringing in a new spread offense that will take some getting used to. Damion Fletcher returns at running back, and he should benefit with the new offense because of teams not stacking the line to stop him. Martevious Young will start at quarterback. Receivers Torris Magee and Gerald Baptiste return, and one of the nation's top recruits in DeAndre Brown will see action in the spread offense, too. The offensive line only returns tackles Calvin Wilson and Ryan McKee from a year ago. Their nonconference slate includes games at Auburn and at home against Boise State.

11. Tulane(Starters returning: 5)
The offense for the Green Wave will likely change because of running back Matt Forte's departure to the NFL. Kevin Moore and Joe Kemp will battle for the starting job at quarterback. Andre Anderson and J.T. McDonald should ease some of the concern at the running back position. Receivers Brian King, Jeremy Williams and Casey Robottom return to lead a solid unit. The offensive line returns three starters, and they do have depth. The best of the group is tackle Troy Kropog and guard Michael Parenton. Tulane plays Alabama and LSU in their non-conference schedule.

12. UAB(Starters returning: 4)
UAB ranked 104th in offense a year ago, and experience is an issue. Joe Webb, the team's best receiver a year ago, will now start at quarterback full-time this year. Frantrell Forrest, Mario Wright, Rashaud Slaughter, and Sylvester Mencer lead a talented and deep receiving corps. Running backs are concern with Aaron Johns coming from Alabama, but eligibility is an issue with him. Dexter Barnett will get some carries, too. The offensive line is also a concern with three starters returnin with Jake Seitz moving from center to left guard. The line is inexperienced, but talented. They play road games at Tennessee and South Carolina, too.

Stud offenses: Tulsa
Rising offense: Rice
Falling offense: UCF

Overall analysis: Tulsa led the nation in offense a year ago, but will likely be an expensive option because of that this year. Rice and UTEP will put up points, but both have concerns in the running game. Memphis and ECU are missing key players from last year, but they've found ways to put points up before. UCF will have to move on quickly with a new starting quarterback and running back. Houston, SMU, and Southern Miss all have new offenses, so some pains are expected even though the Cougars and Mustangs were productive on offense last year. All three of those teams could be great options depending on how fast they transition to new offensive systems. Marshall has too many issues on the offensive line and at quarterback though the rest of the unit is very talented. Tulane and UAB are missing too many ingredients to be counted upon to heavily in 2008. If you want sleeper picks, then watch for the teams that have new offenses and how they do early on if you're looking at picking any of them up. But overall, your most reliable choice in this conference is Tulsa and despite a new quarterback, I'm not expecting much of a dropoff if any from them in 2008. All that said, you can expect points to be scored at will in this conference.

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What If? Jerry Rice's 1987 Season

This is my sixth post for the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1987 season for Pro Football legend Jerry Rice. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Thanks to Lester Legends for the suggestion of Jerry Rice's 1987 season

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):
60 points for every touchdown
2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained
1 point for every kickoff return yard gained
2 points for every reception
1 point for every passing yard
-10 points for every kickoff return attempt
-45 points for lost fumble and interception
-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):
6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown
4 points for passing touchdown
1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards
1 point for every 25 passing yards
2 points for every two-point conversion
-1 point for every interception
-2 points for every fumble
No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Jerry Rice in 1987 and fantasy points for the SN games:
Passing yards: NA
Passing touchdowns: NA
Incomplete passes: NA
Interceptions: NA
Rushing yards: 51 = 102 points
Rushing touchdowns: 1 = 60 points
Receptions: 65 = 130 points
Receiving yards: 1078 = 2156 points
Receiving touchdowns: 22 = 1320 points
Fumbles Lost: 1 = -45
Total points: 3723
Total points per game: 310.25
Note: Teams only played 12 games in 1987 due to strike-shortened season.

Here are the stats for Jerry Rice in 1987 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:
Passing yards: NA
Passing touchdowns: NA
Interceptions: NA
Rushing yards: 51 = 5 points
Rushing touchdowns: 1 = 6 points
Receiving yards: 1078 = 107 points
Receiving touchdowns: 22 = 132 points
Fumbles Lost: 1 = -2 points
Total points: 248
Total points per game: 20.67

Statistical source: pro-football reference

In a strike-shortened year, Jerry Rice set the record for receiving touchdowns in a season playing for the San Francisco 49ers. This was Rice's third season in the NFL, and he would go on to redefine the position of wide receiver. Although it's argumentative that he had his best season in 1995(122 catches, 1848 yards, 16 TD), there's no telling how many touchdowns he would have had if they played a full season in 1987. Jerry Rice had over 23,000 total yards in his career, and not only is he the best wide receiver ever but one the game's greatest of all-time.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, then you can do so in the comments section. The only thing I ask is that the player and year be before 1990 because fantasy football wasn't as prominent then.

Past What If? posts:
Walter Payton's 1977 season
Gale Sayers' 1965 season
Eric Dickerson's 1983 season
Jim Brown's 1963 season
Dan Marino's 1984 season

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What If? Dan Marino's 1984 season

This is my fifth post for the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1984 season for Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Dan Marino. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):

60 points for every touchdown

2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained

1 point for every kickoff return yard gained

2 points for every reception

1 point for every passing yard

-10 points for every kickoff return attempt

-45 points for lost fumble and interception

-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):

6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown

4 points for passing touchdown

1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards

1 point for every 25 passing yards

2 points for every two-point conversion

-1 point for every interception

-2 points for every fumble

No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Dan Marino in 1984 and fantasy points for the SN games:

Passing yards: 5084 = 5084 points

Passing touchdowns: 48 = 2880 points

Incomplete passes: 202 = -202 points

Interceptions: 17 = -765 points

Rushing yards: -7 = -14 points

Rushing touchdowns: 0 points

Fumbles Lost: 4 = -180 points

Total points: 6803

Total points per game: 425.19

Here are the stats for Dan Marino in 1984 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:

Passing yards: 5084 = 203 points

Passing touchdowns: 48 = 192 points

Interceptions: 17 = -17 points

Rushing yards: -7 = 0 points

Rushing touchdowns: 0 = 0 points

Fumbles Lost: 4 = -8 points

Total points: 370 points

Total points per game: 23.13

Statistical source: pro-football reference

Dan Marino had one of the greatest years for a quarterback in the history of the NFL with his record-setting season in 1984. Though his record for touchdowns and passing yards in a season has been surpassed, many owners would have been drooling over the thought of having him on their team for that year. Marino led his team to the Super Bowl that year, but the Dolphins lost to San Francisco. He's one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, and this was the year in which he forever became a household name in sports.

If anyone wants to suggest a past player, then you can do so in the comments section. The only thing I ask is that the player and year be before 1990 because fantasy football wasn't as prominent then.

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What If? Jim Brown's 1963 Season

This is my fourth post for the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society as figure how the fantasy numbers would look if the fantasy game existed then. Today, we look back at the 1963 season for Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Jim Brown. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):
60 points for every touchdown
2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained
1 point for every kickoff return yard gained
2 points for every reception1 point for every passing yard
-10 points for every kickoff return attempt
-45 points for lost fumble and interception
-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):
6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown
4 points for passing touchdown
1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards
1 point for every 25 passing yards
2 points for every two-point conversion
-1 point for every interception
-2 points for every fumble
No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Jim Brown in 1963 and fantasy points for the SN game:
Rushing yards: 1863 = 3726 points
Rushing touchdowns: 12 = 720 points
Receptions: 24 = 48 points
Receiving yards: 268 = 536 points
Receiving touchdowns: 3 = 180 points
Fumbles Lost: 7 = -315
Total points: 4895 points
Total points per game: 349.64
Note: Teams played only 14 games in 1963.

Here are the stats for Jim Brown in 1963 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:
Rushing yards: 1863 = 186 points
Rushing touchdowns: 12 = 72 points
Receiving yards: 268 = 26 points
Receiving touchdowns: 3 = 18 points
Fumbles Lost: 7 = -14 points
Total points: 288
Total points per game: 20.57

Statistical source: pro-football reference

Brown rushed for a career high in rushing and total yards in 1963. He had seasons in which he had more touchdowns, but he averaged 6.4 yards per carry during the 1963 season. Brown rushed for 233 yards with two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, and had 228 rushing yards with a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8. Brown played all nine years for the Cleveland Browns and never missed a game while retiring as the all-time leader in rushing yards. Though his total has been surpassed, many still consider him not only the best running/fullback ever, but the best overall. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.

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Three New Must-Read Blogs

I've been a little busy today, but I wanted to draw your attention to couple of sites from Canada as well as one here in the U.S. All of these blogs are written by members I've known on Sporting News for sometime now.

The Unofficial Spot For Everything Sports North Of The Border: For all of you at SN, this is jaysfan67's site. He's a very young kid, but his love and knowledge of sports is very clear on this site. He follows Toronto sports very closely as well as the NHL, too. His first love is obviously hockey, and he can provide you some help in that fantasy game as well as in other sports, too.

Encyclopedia Soadica: This is also a site run by a fellow Canadian blogger on SN by the ID of soadrules1313. What's more? She knows hockey very well and follows other sports as well. A woman writing and knowing about sports should give you more than enough reason to check her out as she also helps you out with fantasy news, too.

Sports Soapbox: This is another new site for all you sports fans out there. He's a very versatile sports fan that knows sports well, and goes by the SN ID of wwefreak on there. He's also one of the more creative people I know, and is helping me run my new site at Blog Wrestling Entertainment, too!

All three of these blogs are new, and offer something a little different all sports fan types out there. Check their stuff out, and I know they'll return the favor for you.

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Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day & Tidbits

Here's the latest fantasy baseball players of the day from Lester's Legends site. Yesterday, it was big day for Aubrey Huff at the plate as well as another strong pitching performance from Jon Lester(no relation to Ryan Lester). To see how they did as well as how others did yesterday, check his latest post.

Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day: 7/3/08

Here's his latest Friday Tidbits for this past week as well.

Friday Tidbits 7/4/08

Be sure to check his site daily for the latest fantasy baseball news and much more!

Happy 4th of July to all my cyber-friends!

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Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day: 7/2/08

Here's the latest fantasy baseball players of the day on Lester's Legends site. It was a big day for Jason Giambi of the Yankees. To see how he did as well as other top performers of yesterday, check it out:

Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day: 7/2/08

Be sure to check his site daily for the latest fantasy baseball news and much more!

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What If? Eric Dickerson's 1983 season

This is my third post for the What If? Fantasy Football edition. This is where I look back at a season long before fantasy football became prominent among us in our society. Today, we look back at the rookie season of 1983 for Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson. I'm using the default scoring systems for Sporting News and Yahoo! to calculate the point totals.

Here's the point scale for SN(default configuration):

60 points for every touchdown

2 points for every rushing, receiving, and punt return yard gained

1 point for every kickoff return yard gained

2 points for every reception1 point for every passing yard

-10 points for every kickoff return attempt

-45 points for lost fumble and interception

-1 point for incomplete pass

Here's the point scale for Yahoo!(default configuration):

6 points for every rushing, receiving, and return touchdown

4 points for passing touchdown

1 point for every 10 rushing and receiving yards

1 point for every 25 passing yards

2 points for every two-point conversion

-1 point for every interception

-2 points for every fumble

No points are given for receptions or return yardage in the default configuration.

Here are the stats for Dickerson in 1983 and fantasy points for the SN game:

Rushing yards: 1808 = 3616 points

Rushing touchdowns: 18 = 1080 points

Receptions: 51 = 102 points

Receiving yards: 404 = 808 points

Receiving touchdowns: 2 = 120 points

Fumbles Lost: 12 = -540

Total points: 5186

Total points per game: 324.13

Here are the stats for Dickerson in 1983 and fantasy points for the Yahoo! game:

Rushing yards: 1808 = 180 points

Rushing touchdowns: 18 = 108 points

Receiving yards: 404 = 40 points

Receiving touchdowns: 2 = 12 points

Fumbles Lost: 12 = -24 points

Total points: 316

Total points per game: 19.75

Statistical source: pro-football reference

Dickerson made a big splash his rookie year in the NFL, and would carry that to his best rushing season the following year in 1984. His easy-going style as well as upright running made him a one of a kind a runner that went to rush for over 13,000 yards and straight into the Hall of Fame. Dickerson arguably had the best seven-year stretch of any runner in history between 1983-89 before wearing down after that. He rushed for over 1,200 yards in each of those seven seasons which included breaking the single-season rushing mark by gaining 2,105 in 1984. I chose this season because of how he stormed onto the scene in the NFL that steamrolled into an eventual Hall of Fame career.

Thanks for viewing and I hope you enjoyed this What If? entry!

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Fantasy College Football: Independent Defenses

First things first. Check the links to the left of my page for some solid reads today. It's worth your time to do so.

Okay, I'm going to provide some info about the Independent team defenses. I'm not going to rank them because they play too different of schedules, and are obviously not affiliated with a conference. What I will do is provide a brief preview for the current three teams that are available to pick from in fantasy games. Western Kentucky's switch to D-1A while moving to the Sun Belt Conference won't be complete until 2009 so they won't be available to pick this year. The Sporting News game doesn't allow owners to pick teams from D-1AA or lower, nor do they allow D-1A schools to gain points against them either. Just something to be aware of. Now onto my fantasy college football Independent team defenses preview....

Army(Starters returning: 3)
Defensive end Victor Ugenyi and tackle Ted Bentler return up front. End Nick Emmons has made 11 starts, too. Middle linebacker Frank Scappaticci returns, and the team is counting on John Plumstead to provide relief on the outside. The secondary is entirely new, and is the team's biggest concern on that side of the ball. The unit ranked 117th in rush defense, and that has to improve for 2008 with the offense still in transition.

Navy(Starters returning: 7 )
The Midshipmen ranked 106th in pass defense a year ago, and three cornerbacks in the secondary with Rashawn King, Ketric Buffin, and Blake Carter have started. Noseguard Nate Frazier is back as is end Michael Walsh. Clint Sovie will start at inside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme. The linebacking corps has Ram Vela and Tony Haberer who have started before which says something about their depth at the position.

Notre Dame(Starters returning: 5)
Nosetackle Ian Williams will start full-time this year after a productive campaign as backup last year. Maurice Crum Jr is back, and the team is high on new starters at outside linebacker in Brian Smith and Kerry Neal. The secondary is returning three starters as free safety David Bruton as well as corners Darrin Walls and Terrail Lambert coming back. The team ranked 39th in defense a year ago, and second overall in pass defense.

Overall analysis: There is alot of inexperience between Army and Notre Dame while Navy returns a veteran unit. Army's biggest concern is in the secondary, and their ineffectiveness in stopping the run a year ago. No matter how much experience they have, Navy has to improve with not letting teams pass at will on them. Notre Dame's strength is on defense, and a new attacking style could prove to be helpful for fantasy owners considering them for the coming season. All three teams have defiencies on each side of the ball, and that could have a lasting effect on their fantasy numbers for the season. Notre Dame is the best option out of this group, and an improving offense should mean that side of the ball won't see a dropoff from a year ago.

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Fantasy College Football: Independent Offenses

First things first. Check the links to the left of my page for some solid reads today. It's worth your time to do so.

Okay, I'm going to provide some info about the Independent team offenses. I'm not going to rank them because they play too different of schedules, and are obviously not affiliated with a conference. What I will do is provide a brief preview for the current three teams that are available to pick from in fantasy games. Western Kentucky's switch to D-1A while moving to the Sun Belt Conference won't be complete until 2009 so they won't be available to pick this year. The Sporting News game doesn't allow owners to pick teams from D-1AA or lower, nor do they allow D-1A schools to gain points against them either. Just something to be aware of. Now onto my fantasy college football Independent team offenses preview....

Army(Starters returning: 4)
The good news for the Black Knights is that quarterback Carson Williams returns, and he's expected to be more consistent this year. The team ranked 111th in rushing a year ago, but Tony Dace and Wesley McMahand have experience. The top two receivers are gone, and the team will have to lean on Mike Wright and Jameson Carter to replace Jeremy Trimble and Corey Anderson. The offensive line was an issue last year, and only two experienced starters return for 2008.

Navy(Starters returning: 4)
Ken Niumatalolo is in his first full year as head coach, and likely won't change the triple-option offense too much. Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is back as starter coming off a year in which he had six 100-yard rushing games. Slot back Shun White is a new starter, but has game experience as does fullback Eric Kettani. The offensive line only returns two starters. The offense has ranked first in the nation in rushing for three straight years.

Notre Dame(Starters returning: 8 )
Anyway you look at it, the Irish were awful on offense after ranking dead last on that side of the ball last season. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen is the returning starter, and he does have talent at the skill positions. James Aldridge, Armando Allen, and Robert Hughes will all see carries as running backs this year. David Grimes and George West have starting experience as receivers, but watchout for big wideout Duval Kamara. The offensive line returns four starters, and they have to do a much better job up front this year.

Overall analysis: The key issue for all three of these teams is the offensive line whether it be because of poor play or inexperience. Notre Dame does have what appears to be a more favorable schedule, but it's hard to imagine a big jump on offense from them after finishing last in that category a year ago. Navy is a good play because of their running game, but they do have a tough early schedule. They do have experience at the skillset to lead the nation in rushing again for a fourth straight year. Army is a team in transition, but there is hope with Carson Williams returning at quarterback. The Black Knights have to run the ball better in order to be even thought about as an option at this point. Your best option out these three teams is Navy because they should give owners strong numbers in the running game if nothing else.

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