Fantasy Football...who knew it was so SERIOUS?!

Over the last couple of years Tyler and I have gotten into Fantasy Football. Let me rephrase this, TYLER has gone nuts over Fantasy Football and I have finally become more familiar with Fantasy Football. This year we are both in a family league and a friends league...which basically means I'll be more confused than normal. 

Let me explain a little bit about this for those of you who aren't familiar with FanFB (fantasy football). You have a bunch of people in a league...these people are called coaches. Each coach drafts real live football players for their team. You can pick any player from any team to make up your personal football team. (For example, I can draft Peyton Manning as my quarterback and Arian Foster for my runningback even though they are on different football teams.) Each week you decide which players you want to play and which ones you want to bench. The players that you decide to play accumulate points based on their performance in games. You win if your team gets the most points. (Duh.) 

Anyway, Tyler LOVES FanFB. He researches players for his team months in advance. He has spread sheets that he makes for each round of the draft. He participates in practice drafts online just for fun. He makes out spreadsheets comparing players and their individual stats to best determine who he needs for his team and in what round he should draft the player. He also runs numbers for hours to determine who the luckiest coach is versus the most skilled coach. He takes this very seriously. It's one of his summer hobbies.

And then, there's me.

I am NOT skilled in any way, shape, or form concerning FanFB...much to the consternation of my husband.  I tend to draft with my heart instead of my head...a big FanFB "no, no" if you believe certain people. For example, last year on our draft night with our friends in the first round I took Antonio Gates. Yes, for those of you who are FanFB buffs, I took a tight end...in the first round...SO SUE ME! Then to make my team even more solid I took Eddie Royal in the second round! :) And to make my team AWESOME I took a second string quarterback in the FIFTH round!! None other than TIM TEBOW!! Booyah! (See what I mean about drafting with my heart and not my head?) 

Well, this year, as I already mentioned, we are in two leagues. One is with our family and then other is with our friends. (My friends FanFB team name is MegaMen, and my family FanFB team name is Megadomination. Yes, my teams are already on their way to GREATNESS!)

Anyway, this summer Tyler has taken it upon himself to teach me "the ways" of FanFB. Really? I thought I had the hang of this. Guess not.
I have been called into the kitchen on numerous occasions to read this or that article on "The How To's of Drafting." (Summary: Don't pick who you want, pick who will win.") I have been subjected to many talks which involve player evaluations and drafting order abnormalities. (Summary: Tight ends should never be taken in the first round.) And then after much coaching by my husband, I was left to try out my new and improved drafting skills. 

Now, to really help you understand how excited Tyler gets about FanFB I need to tell you about Draft Day. We had our friends league draft last night. Tyler hooked up our computer to the TV screen so that everyone can see who they are drafting. And of course, there is food...which for us, required a trip to the grocery store. For those of you who know Tyler well, you know that he isn't keen on making small talk with total strangers. We were in the store and I couldn't believe my ears! Tyler was talking to random people!! One person commented on how cute Everett was, and I was about to jump in and say something so Tyler didn't have to, and lo and behold--Tyler starts yapping away!! I couldn't believe it! He even talked to the cashier for a while! I'm walking out of the store completely dumbfounded! I asked him, "Do you realize you just talked to about 5 complete strangers in there??" Tyler says, "Nothing can get me down on Draft Day!" Hahaha!! I just about died laughing. So yesterday evening everyone came over after church and we began the draft. I felt somewhat nervous and apprehensive...what if I forgot all of my training??  What if I had a relapse and went for a tight end too soon?  Eventually, the draft was well underway and I realized that no one had given me any weird looks...come to think of it, there had been no collective gasps brought on from one of my draft choices from anyone in the room...I MUST HAVE DONE OK!!! Granted, my draft looked nothing like the well thought out and planned draft like that of my husband's, but I resisted the urge to draft with my heart. In essence, my draft was successful!

So, I feel like I should take this moment to give a shout out to a few very special people who have made my drafting experience successful. First, to you, NFL.com. Without you I would have never been able to read about how abysmal my first draft was, and I would have never learned how to overcome my fear of drafting people whose names I can't even pronounce correctly. Second, I would like to thank my husband, for without your support I would have never been able to pass by Tim Tebow for my draft. (Seriously, I actually didn't draft Timmy this year!) And lastly, I would like to thank you, Mom. (Because that's what everyone does after they've done something AWESOME!) :)