It turns out I haven't posted for almost four months...oops. Sorry! Life (and baseball) got in the way. That may be controversial, as I understand that people tend to like football or baseball, however I love both, and I'm quite glad as it means I have entertainment all year round!
Anyway, my fantasy team is drafted and the first NFL game is this evening! The Seahawks take on the Packers. It's going to be a bit late for me to watch, but I can't wait until Sunday night football, when we can watch games from about 6pm UK time. So so excited!
Thursday 4 September 2014
Monday 19 May 2014
Time to check in
Wow, how have over two weeks gone by since I last posted? Time flies when you're having fun... or just generally extremely busy!
So the draft has been and gone! I was really excited to get up the morning after the draft and find out who had been picked. It started too late for me to want to watch it live, although we did record some of it to watch later. I can't really provide much of an opinion on the picks as I don't know enough about the players to do so. However, we did watch the beginning of the draft on tape a few days afterwards, and I found the whole process really interesting to watch. The first round is pretty entertaining, with interviews, a presenting panel, and a few random celebrities thrown in for good measure.
At the same time, I'm reading Next Man Up by John Feinstein. It follows the Baltimore Ravens from about 2004, and as well as providing insight into how that specific team works, and how the specific people there think and what they're like, it's providing me with more general information about the world of NFL and how it functions.
Anyway, I'm off to read some more now, but figured it was about time I checked in!
So the draft has been and gone! I was really excited to get up the morning after the draft and find out who had been picked. It started too late for me to want to watch it live, although we did record some of it to watch later. I can't really provide much of an opinion on the picks as I don't know enough about the players to do so. However, we did watch the beginning of the draft on tape a few days afterwards, and I found the whole process really interesting to watch. The first round is pretty entertaining, with interviews, a presenting panel, and a few random celebrities thrown in for good measure.
At the same time, I'm reading Next Man Up by John Feinstein. It follows the Baltimore Ravens from about 2004, and as well as providing insight into how that specific team works, and how the specific people there think and what they're like, it's providing me with more general information about the world of NFL and how it functions.
Anyway, I'm off to read some more now, but figured it was about time I checked in!
Sunday 4 May 2014
War Room Book Review
I finally finished reading War Room, by Michael Holley, this morning. I know, it took me long enough. The ridiculous amount of time it took is a reflection of my lack of time, rather than the book. I really enjoyed the book - I think it's my favourite of the three I've read so far and mentioned on this blog. It has a lot more detail than Patriot Reign, I think mostly because it focusses on the construction of NFL teams, including the draft process, rather than being a more general overview of the Patriots. It was also a lot less 'bitty' and much easier to read than The Draft. I think this was because it focusses on one team to start with (moving on to three teams, but only because it's following the same people) and it is written sequentially as well. With The Draft was harder to keep track of what was happening when, and where.
The book is an absolutely fascinating insight into how Bill Belichick thinks about building a team, how he sees things in players that other people don't, and how he prioritises differently. For example, many people will look at prospective players and see the obvious things - speed, agility, the clear skills required for their position (throwing, catching, blocking, running) - but not necessarily consider other factors that aren't so obvious. Little things about the way players move can determine their ability as much as their catching skills. Likewise, players need to have the right mentality. I also was really impressed with the way Holley captures Belichick's ability to balance the needs of the team with the players available. So you might be able to get a first round draft pick with all the skills you need, but if you can get one who is almost as good in the third round, whilst paying lots less (and potentially gaining more draft picks if you trade your high ones for more lower ones), you can help yourself deal with the salary cap whilst getting a great player. As I've mentioned before, Tom Brady (picked 199th over, in the sixth round) is proof of this! If you can get several lower round draft picks and get several great players, instead of one potentially amazing player (who could turn out to be a bust anyway), surely that's a no-brainer?!
It's also incredibly interesting to learn how Belichick essentially developed an entire new scouting system (admittedly with help from others) and how this has pretty much spread to other teams, mostly due to his former colleagues now working elsewhere. I know that the book is somewhat biased, and obviously I now have more knowledge about the New England Patriots than other teams, but I do love that their owner has a vested interest in the franchise other than its business and financial aspects - he is, first and foremost, a Patriots fan.
After reading the book, I'm now pretty excited and curious for this year's draft, which starts in four days (NFL.com has a countdown to the start time!). I've never watched a draft before, and whilst it's unlikely I'll watch much in real time (it starts at about midnight our time, and I very much need to be sleeping soon after that, if not before it even starts!), I intend to tape it and watch some. I'm not sure what I expect from it. I kind of expect some of it to be boring, as it does go on a long time. At the same time, I'm really interested to see what it's like, what the atmosphere is like, and which teams pick which players. In the meantime, I'm going to start reading Next Man Up by John Feinstein - the next book on the 'recommended reading list' (as specified by my other half!).
The book is an absolutely fascinating insight into how Bill Belichick thinks about building a team, how he sees things in players that other people don't, and how he prioritises differently. For example, many people will look at prospective players and see the obvious things - speed, agility, the clear skills required for their position (throwing, catching, blocking, running) - but not necessarily consider other factors that aren't so obvious. Little things about the way players move can determine their ability as much as their catching skills. Likewise, players need to have the right mentality. I also was really impressed with the way Holley captures Belichick's ability to balance the needs of the team with the players available. So you might be able to get a first round draft pick with all the skills you need, but if you can get one who is almost as good in the third round, whilst paying lots less (and potentially gaining more draft picks if you trade your high ones for more lower ones), you can help yourself deal with the salary cap whilst getting a great player. As I've mentioned before, Tom Brady (picked 199th over, in the sixth round) is proof of this! If you can get several lower round draft picks and get several great players, instead of one potentially amazing player (who could turn out to be a bust anyway), surely that's a no-brainer?!
It's also incredibly interesting to learn how Belichick essentially developed an entire new scouting system (admittedly with help from others) and how this has pretty much spread to other teams, mostly due to his former colleagues now working elsewhere. I know that the book is somewhat biased, and obviously I now have more knowledge about the New England Patriots than other teams, but I do love that their owner has a vested interest in the franchise other than its business and financial aspects - he is, first and foremost, a Patriots fan.
After reading the book, I'm now pretty excited and curious for this year's draft, which starts in four days (NFL.com has a countdown to the start time!). I've never watched a draft before, and whilst it's unlikely I'll watch much in real time (it starts at about midnight our time, and I very much need to be sleeping soon after that, if not before it even starts!), I intend to tape it and watch some. I'm not sure what I expect from it. I kind of expect some of it to be boring, as it does go on a long time. At the same time, I'm really interested to see what it's like, what the atmosphere is like, and which teams pick which players. In the meantime, I'm going to start reading Next Man Up by John Feinstein - the next book on the 'recommended reading list' (as specified by my other half!).
Wednesday 16 April 2014
Patriot Reign
I didn't realise just quite how long it has been since I last posted - time flies when you're having fun (or when you're just incredibly busy). Anyway, I have been continuing to learn by reading interesting books about NFL. The Draft was really good as I had no real idea of what is involved in the draft process. My other half suggested that I read Patriot Reign by Michael Holley next, as it's a fairly easy but interesting read.
Full disclosure before we go any further: I would consider myself a Patriots fan. This is mostly due to the influence of my other half, and having read Patriot Reign, I can totally understand the reasons for choosing to support this team. I'm sure there's a chance the author is a little biased - he is from Boston, so is probably likely to show more favour towards the Patriots than other teams. However, Holley goes into a lot of detail about Bill Belichick and his staff, their way of thinking and doing, and how that is different from what a lot of teams do, and it is clear that Belichick is extremely intelligent and has the ability to see things in non-conventional ways. It is very interesting to understand how players that might not fit into another NFL team would fit into the Patriots team, and vice versa. I get the impression that the Patriots' management is ruthless but fair, giving players a chance even if they don't fit the traditional or conventional criteria used to determine whether they would be good players. Shorter than they 'should' be? Maybe it doesn't even matter - the player might be stronger, or faster.
What I also find amazing is the time and effort put into studying and learning about other teams and how they play, and how to play to beat them. It shouldn't really be surprising, but the fact is that they work incredibly hard. I also love how he seems to find management/coaching teams that gel, how nice Belichick just seems to be, and how much they all really love the game.
It's interesting to learn about how they had to change tactics in order to bounce back from a terrible season and then won a Super Bowl. One of those things that could bring a tear to your eye!
I am trying to keep up with some current NFL affairs as well, reading news on NFL.com. However, with it being off season and me not really knowing a lot about the current college football players, I'm spending most of my NFL learning time reading material such as Patriot Reign in order to better understand the sport, some teams and their processes as a whole. Next up is War Room, also by Michael Holley and mostly focussing on Bill Belichick again. Onwards!
Full disclosure before we go any further: I would consider myself a Patriots fan. This is mostly due to the influence of my other half, and having read Patriot Reign, I can totally understand the reasons for choosing to support this team. I'm sure there's a chance the author is a little biased - he is from Boston, so is probably likely to show more favour towards the Patriots than other teams. However, Holley goes into a lot of detail about Bill Belichick and his staff, their way of thinking and doing, and how that is different from what a lot of teams do, and it is clear that Belichick is extremely intelligent and has the ability to see things in non-conventional ways. It is very interesting to understand how players that might not fit into another NFL team would fit into the Patriots team, and vice versa. I get the impression that the Patriots' management is ruthless but fair, giving players a chance even if they don't fit the traditional or conventional criteria used to determine whether they would be good players. Shorter than they 'should' be? Maybe it doesn't even matter - the player might be stronger, or faster.
What I also find amazing is the time and effort put into studying and learning about other teams and how they play, and how to play to beat them. It shouldn't really be surprising, but the fact is that they work incredibly hard. I also love how he seems to find management/coaching teams that gel, how nice Belichick just seems to be, and how much they all really love the game.
It's interesting to learn about how they had to change tactics in order to bounce back from a terrible season and then won a Super Bowl. One of those things that could bring a tear to your eye!
I am trying to keep up with some current NFL affairs as well, reading news on NFL.com. However, with it being off season and me not really knowing a lot about the current college football players, I'm spending most of my NFL learning time reading material such as Patriot Reign in order to better understand the sport, some teams and their processes as a whole. Next up is War Room, also by Michael Holley and mostly focussing on Bill Belichick again. Onwards!
Sunday 6 April 2014
Drafts
As mentioned in my previous two posts, I've been reading The Draft by Pete Williams. I'm probably about two thirds of the way through now - work and general life make progress slow!
It finally settled into the 'year inside the NFL's search for talent' that the front cover promised. I suppose some background knowledge is required at first, hence lots of information about other draft years and how it used to work. It follows 2004-5, and now that I'm a good way through the book I can see which players it was actually following as well.
The outcome of the draft that year hasn't yet been fully revealed, and it's something I have no prior knowledge of. I'm interested to find out what happened (yes, I know I could look it up on the internet but it's not the same). Some of the players I'd heard of and I know they are current NFL stars, but there are plenty that I hadn't heard of, and now I'm not sure whether they a) didn't get drafted, b) got drafted and flopped, c) got drafted and are just 'okay' players who don't have a lot of hype surrounding them or d) got drafted, are pretty good players but have never been in any of my fantasy teams, thus drastically reducing the chance of me having heard of them.
I knew that college football is a big thing in the States, and I assumed that scouting for the NFL would therefore involve watching a lot of college games. What I didn't know is just how much work goes into scouting on the NFL teams' part, how much work goes into recruiting on agents' parts, and how much preparation is involved for the players themselves. I guess I'd figured that scouts turn up to college games and then pick the players they like (providing they're still available at the time of the team's draft pick). I never realised how much the players are 'shown off' in the pro bowl, senior bowl, pro days etc and had never heard of the combine or the Wonderlic. It's pretty interesting to gain more understanding on how teams/scouts assess players, and how much difference to the players' ratings certain scores are (for example, how quickly they can run forty yards). It's fascinating how tiny, tiny differences in times (fractions of seconds) have such an impact on a player's appeal. Learning things like that make me understand why the money is such a big deal - agents spend thousands of dollars getting their players trained up enough that they put on a good show, with the aim of getting them drafted as high as possible - higher draft picks mean higher signing on fees, which means more money for the agents. And the differences between the first round and even the second round are huge.
So there's still so much to learn. Luckily it's fascinating!
It finally settled into the 'year inside the NFL's search for talent' that the front cover promised. I suppose some background knowledge is required at first, hence lots of information about other draft years and how it used to work. It follows 2004-5, and now that I'm a good way through the book I can see which players it was actually following as well.
The outcome of the draft that year hasn't yet been fully revealed, and it's something I have no prior knowledge of. I'm interested to find out what happened (yes, I know I could look it up on the internet but it's not the same). Some of the players I'd heard of and I know they are current NFL stars, but there are plenty that I hadn't heard of, and now I'm not sure whether they a) didn't get drafted, b) got drafted and flopped, c) got drafted and are just 'okay' players who don't have a lot of hype surrounding them or d) got drafted, are pretty good players but have never been in any of my fantasy teams, thus drastically reducing the chance of me having heard of them.
I knew that college football is a big thing in the States, and I assumed that scouting for the NFL would therefore involve watching a lot of college games. What I didn't know is just how much work goes into scouting on the NFL teams' part, how much work goes into recruiting on agents' parts, and how much preparation is involved for the players themselves. I guess I'd figured that scouts turn up to college games and then pick the players they like (providing they're still available at the time of the team's draft pick). I never realised how much the players are 'shown off' in the pro bowl, senior bowl, pro days etc and had never heard of the combine or the Wonderlic. It's pretty interesting to gain more understanding on how teams/scouts assess players, and how much difference to the players' ratings certain scores are (for example, how quickly they can run forty yards). It's fascinating how tiny, tiny differences in times (fractions of seconds) have such an impact on a player's appeal. Learning things like that make me understand why the money is such a big deal - agents spend thousands of dollars getting their players trained up enough that they put on a good show, with the aim of getting them drafted as high as possible - higher draft picks mean higher signing on fees, which means more money for the agents. And the differences between the first round and even the second round are huge.
So there's still so much to learn. Luckily it's fascinating!
Tuesday 1 April 2014
More Reading
I'm still working my way through 'The Draft' as mentioned in my last post. It's still a really enjoyable book, although little things about the amount of assumed prior knowledge annoy me. For example, there is no explanation of certain terms (such as 'redshirting' someone - although my other half informed me that it's a term used in numerous sports), yet when talking about certain people they are reintroduced each time they crop up. I'm assuming the chapters were written independently of each other, but I really don't need reminding each time that Al Groh was (during the years the book is describing) the head coach at the University of Virginia. I learned that the first time it was mentioned.
I guess that the book is written for an American audience which would explain the assumed prior knowledge - I would imagine that even if you don't like football or understand the ins and outs of it, you pick up a certain amount of knowledge just from it being so dominant and omnipresent.
On the whole, I'm still finding the book a great read - it continues to be incredibly interesting and I do keep wanting to find out more. So on I go!
I guess that the book is written for an American audience which would explain the assumed prior knowledge - I would imagine that even if you don't like football or understand the ins and outs of it, you pick up a certain amount of knowledge just from it being so dominant and omnipresent.
On the whole, I'm still finding the book a great read - it continues to be incredibly interesting and I do keep wanting to find out more. So on I go!
Thursday 27 March 2014
Background Reading
My other half kindly dug out a book for me to read to help with my quest. It's called 'The Draft - A Year Inside the NFL's Search for Talent' and is by Pete Williams.
I'm probably about quarter of the way through, and so far I'm really enjoying it. It's incredibly interesting, and whilst it may be called 'a year inside the NFL's search for talent', it actually goes back quite a way and covers a large time period, basically explaining how the NFL draft came to be what it is today. It's quite a good time for me to read it and learn about it, given that it's coming up to the draft time of year.
The book is really informative and mentions a lot of former and current players (sometimes I've even heard of them!), as well as a lot of teams, scouts, managers, rules, draft rule changes and so on. So I think I'm going to have to read it a second time once I'm done to make sure I take in as much as I can. I don't think that will be difficult though, as I've found the book to be very well written so far. It does assume some prior knowledge, so I do sometimes have to ask my other half for an extra explanation. However, that doesn't happen that often, and despite it not being a fictional tale that is supposed to suck you in, I do keep wanting to read more - it's incredibly interesting to learn how the draft develops.
I haven't been reading much of the current news at the moment, although I really should! However, time has been short and my 'learning NFL' time has been consumed by the book. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to catch up on some of the goings on.
I'm probably about quarter of the way through, and so far I'm really enjoying it. It's incredibly interesting, and whilst it may be called 'a year inside the NFL's search for talent', it actually goes back quite a way and covers a large time period, basically explaining how the NFL draft came to be what it is today. It's quite a good time for me to read it and learn about it, given that it's coming up to the draft time of year.
The book is really informative and mentions a lot of former and current players (sometimes I've even heard of them!), as well as a lot of teams, scouts, managers, rules, draft rule changes and so on. So I think I'm going to have to read it a second time once I'm done to make sure I take in as much as I can. I don't think that will be difficult though, as I've found the book to be very well written so far. It does assume some prior knowledge, so I do sometimes have to ask my other half for an extra explanation. However, that doesn't happen that often, and despite it not being a fictional tale that is supposed to suck you in, I do keep wanting to read more - it's incredibly interesting to learn how the draft develops.
I haven't been reading much of the current news at the moment, although I really should! However, time has been short and my 'learning NFL' time has been consumed by the book. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to catch up on some of the goings on.
Sunday 23 March 2014
More Formation and Positions
I found this diagram on Wikipedia which I think is quite useful for me at this stage:
All defensive players have to be behind their line of scrimmage. Some players line up opposite the offensive line and, unsurprisingly, are called the defensive linemen. They usually have a defensive end at each end, and one or two tackles in between. The linebackers are behind them (I mentioned their strong, middle and week positions in yesterday's post). Cornerbacks usually line up opposite wide receivers, and safeties are at the back. For some reason (haven't got to why exactly yet) the linemen and linebackers are referred to as 'in the box' and everyone else is 'outside the box'.
(Image from Wikipedia)
At some point I will start using 'proper' American football sources, but for now Wikipedia is pretty useful.
Offense:
In the offense, ends are 'tight ends' if they place close to the offensive linemen - logical really! If they play further out, they are 'split ends' or sometimes wide receivers. Other wide receivers (the backs) are referred to as 'flankers', if they play wide (but still in the backfield) or 'slot receivers' if they play in the slot between the tight end and the rest of the offensive line. There isn't a slot receiver on the above diagram but you can see where they would be positioned, which helps me a lot. Seven players must be on the line of scrimmage at the start of a play, and four must be behind, although their actual positions can vary a lot.
Defense:
All defensive players have to be behind their line of scrimmage. Some players line up opposite the offensive line and, unsurprisingly, are called the defensive linemen. They usually have a defensive end at each end, and one or two tackles in between. The linebackers are behind them (I mentioned their strong, middle and week positions in yesterday's post). Cornerbacks usually line up opposite wide receivers, and safeties are at the back. For some reason (haven't got to why exactly yet) the linemen and linebackers are referred to as 'in the box' and everyone else is 'outside the box'.
Note: My other half has explained that this is to give a quick idea of whether the formation is trying to stop the pass or the run. If there are seven in the box, which is usual, the defense are probably trying to stop a pass. If there are more, they are probably trying to stop the run (for example, if the offense are very close to the defense's end zone).
Saturday 22 March 2014
Rules, Rules and More Rules - Formations
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been trying to get to grips with the rules of the game. I've been attempting to learn about the positions and formations. Remembering it all whilst in the off-season is hard, as I'm not watching it and putting my new knowledge to use! Again, I've been using the Wikipedia pages on American Football and on Formation, which are a very useful resource for starting off.
Here's what I've been learning so far:
Offense:
Quarterback - kind of obvious this one, but he's the one that throws/passes the ball and leads the team. Sometimes they do run and score themselves as well, some are more partial to doing this than others. I'm a big fan of Peyton and Eli Manning, if only for this video. Trust me, you want to watch it.
Center - this is the player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. He also blocks once he has snapped the ball. This second bit of information is the kind of knowledge I have lacked (and still do lack really), so it's good that I'm learning!
Guard - blocks next to the center player.
Tackle - blocks next to the guard player.
Tight end - sometimes blocks, but I know them mostly for receiving the ball, having spent a lot of time watching the Patriots - they are big on throwing to tight ends, such as Rob Gronkowski.
Wide receiver - also receives the ball.
Half back and fullback - primary and secondary ball carrier, also known to me as running backs. The fullback also blocks.
There must be seven players (at least) on the line of scrimmage. Only the players at each end may catch the ball. These bits of knowledge are new to me, and I think it would really help to watch a game so I can properly visualise this.
Here is a picture of a typical formation to help with said visualisation:
Defense:
Defensive lineman - these are made up of defensive tackles and defensive ends. Tackles stop the runners, ends chase the quarterback. At least, I believe that's the idea.
Linebacker - there are strong, middle and weak linebackers (for some reason also referred to as Sam, Mike and Will???!!), depending on where they line up in relation to the offense's tight end (strong on the same side, weak on the other side, middle in the, well, middle).
Defensive back - these consist of cornerbacks, a strong safety and a free safety. Cornerbacks are supposed to defend passes, safeties defend passes and runs. Free safeties can move around where they want to.
Here's a defensive formation:
Here's what I've been learning so far:
Offense:
Quarterback - kind of obvious this one, but he's the one that throws/passes the ball and leads the team. Sometimes they do run and score themselves as well, some are more partial to doing this than others. I'm a big fan of Peyton and Eli Manning, if only for this video. Trust me, you want to watch it.
Center - this is the player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. He also blocks once he has snapped the ball. This second bit of information is the kind of knowledge I have lacked (and still do lack really), so it's good that I'm learning!
Guard - blocks next to the center player.
Tackle - blocks next to the guard player.
Tight end - sometimes blocks, but I know them mostly for receiving the ball, having spent a lot of time watching the Patriots - they are big on throwing to tight ends, such as Rob Gronkowski.
Wide receiver - also receives the ball.
Half back and fullback - primary and secondary ball carrier, also known to me as running backs. The fullback also blocks.
There must be seven players (at least) on the line of scrimmage. Only the players at each end may catch the ball. These bits of knowledge are new to me, and I think it would really help to watch a game so I can properly visualise this.
Here is a picture of a typical formation to help with said visualisation:
(Picture from Wikipedia)
Defense:
Defensive lineman - these are made up of defensive tackles and defensive ends. Tackles stop the runners, ends chase the quarterback. At least, I believe that's the idea.
Linebacker - there are strong, middle and weak linebackers (for some reason also referred to as Sam, Mike and Will???!!), depending on where they line up in relation to the offense's tight end (strong on the same side, weak on the other side, middle in the, well, middle).
Defensive back - these consist of cornerbacks, a strong safety and a free safety. Cornerbacks are supposed to defend passes, safeties defend passes and runs. Free safeties can move around where they want to.
Here's a defensive formation:
(Also from Wikipedia)
That's probably enough for my brain to take in for one evening. Maybe I'll catch up with a bit of current NFL news though!
Wednesday 19 March 2014
Back to Basics
I figured that if I'm going to develop my knowledge of NFL to the point where I can give informed opinions and comments, I should really start with the basics. I had some basic knowledge of the game and how it works, but not enough to say that I fully understood the game rules. I could never remember where the line of scrimmage was, and couldn't have told you whether a formation was legal or not, and was completely clueless about fouls. Luckily, my ever-patient other half is generally happy to explain what's happening to me, so I can learn a bit that way. However, it's not football season at the moment so learning by watching is not an easy option at the moment.
Instead, I referred to the faithful resource that is Wikipedia. I do realise that some of the information on Wikipedia needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, however for basics it is normally quite useful. I have been reading this page for information, and clicking on some of the links for further explanations. I'll almost certainly need to refer back to it, as there's no way I'll be able to remember it all from one read through. However, I feel like I've made a good start. Maybe in the next post I'll share some of the things I've learned.
It would also be nice to figure out a way to incorporate pictures into the blog posts. Posting about what I've learned might help with this.
In addition to re-reading the basic rules, I'm going to try to read some of the current NFL news to make a start in learning about current players, attitudes, teams and opinions. I suspect I'll need to refer back to the basic rules/Google to understand some of the information, but it should be a good learning curve!
Instead, I referred to the faithful resource that is Wikipedia. I do realise that some of the information on Wikipedia needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, however for basics it is normally quite useful. I have been reading this page for information, and clicking on some of the links for further explanations. I'll almost certainly need to refer back to it, as there's no way I'll be able to remember it all from one read through. However, I feel like I've made a good start. Maybe in the next post I'll share some of the things I've learned.
It would also be nice to figure out a way to incorporate pictures into the blog posts. Posting about what I've learned might help with this.
In addition to re-reading the basic rules, I'm going to try to read some of the current NFL news to make a start in learning about current players, attitudes, teams and opinions. I suspect I'll need to refer back to the basic rules/Google to understand some of the information, but it should be a good learning curve!
Sunday 16 March 2014
Start At The Very Beginning
It's a very good place to start...
Welcome to my blog!
I didn't intend to start this blog. I actually decided to do something else entirely. Then I decided that a blog would be a good accompaniment to document my progress in the 'something else'. So what is this 'something else', you might ask?
I'm going to become better than Neil Reynolds at Neil Reynolds' job, then get his job.
Does that mean anything to you?
Neil Reynolds is the British pundit on Sky Sports' Sunday Night Football programme (NFL). And I'm going to take his job. Let me explain...
A few years ago, as a favour to my other half, my lovely fiancé, I had a team in an NFL fantasy league he, his brother and some friends were running. Basically they needed an extra person so that they had an even number in their league. I don't think they ever thought I'd actually be interested in it, but somehow I caught the bug, and have had a team every year since.
Let me make it really clear now: I don't actually know that much about NFL. I understand the basic rules (though get confused as to what exactly has happened when fouls are called), I know who some of the players are (though I can't usually remember their real teams as I just know whether they're in my fantasy team or not), and I've learned that some of the players have the most amazing names. D'Brickashaw, Ladanian, Ndamukong anyone? I'm used to looking at whether my players are doing well for me in our fantasy league, but sometimes have no idea whether they're doing well for their teams in real life.
I have come to love the sport though, and have been to the last few matches held at Wembley. My OH is really interested and is good at keeping up to date with the goings on, and I find it really fascinating. However, my OH does complain about the quality of NFL punditry (is that a word?) in the UK - Neil Reynolds presents with Kevin Cadle, and although he seems to know a lot about NFL to someone like me, my OH reckons that he's good for a Brit, but not really an expert. To be fair, to most Brits, you don't need someone with extensive knowledge, as most people in the UK know very little about American football. However, even I could have made the comment that Peyton Manning makes better throws when he has more time.
So today, I decided that what I really should do with my life is learn a lot about American football, become better than Neil Reynolds at his job, then get his job. And then I had the superb idea to create this blog to document my progress.
Here goes...
Welcome to my blog!
I didn't intend to start this blog. I actually decided to do something else entirely. Then I decided that a blog would be a good accompaniment to document my progress in the 'something else'. So what is this 'something else', you might ask?
I'm going to become better than Neil Reynolds at Neil Reynolds' job, then get his job.
Does that mean anything to you?
Neil Reynolds is the British pundit on Sky Sports' Sunday Night Football programme (NFL). And I'm going to take his job. Let me explain...
A few years ago, as a favour to my other half, my lovely fiancé, I had a team in an NFL fantasy league he, his brother and some friends were running. Basically they needed an extra person so that they had an even number in their league. I don't think they ever thought I'd actually be interested in it, but somehow I caught the bug, and have had a team every year since.
Let me make it really clear now: I don't actually know that much about NFL. I understand the basic rules (though get confused as to what exactly has happened when fouls are called), I know who some of the players are (though I can't usually remember their real teams as I just know whether they're in my fantasy team or not), and I've learned that some of the players have the most amazing names. D'Brickashaw, Ladanian, Ndamukong anyone? I'm used to looking at whether my players are doing well for me in our fantasy league, but sometimes have no idea whether they're doing well for their teams in real life.
I have come to love the sport though, and have been to the last few matches held at Wembley. My OH is really interested and is good at keeping up to date with the goings on, and I find it really fascinating. However, my OH does complain about the quality of NFL punditry (is that a word?) in the UK - Neil Reynolds presents with Kevin Cadle, and although he seems to know a lot about NFL to someone like me, my OH reckons that he's good for a Brit, but not really an expert. To be fair, to most Brits, you don't need someone with extensive knowledge, as most people in the UK know very little about American football. However, even I could have made the comment that Peyton Manning makes better throws when he has more time.
So today, I decided that what I really should do with my life is learn a lot about American football, become better than Neil Reynolds at his job, then get his job. And then I had the superb idea to create this blog to document my progress.
Here goes...
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