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Cheyenne Snakeyes are now on the clock …

It has been a long week, coming on the heels of a few other long weeks. I find myself less than a week before I fly away to another country for the first time, and there are still a few outstanding tasks on my plate to complete before that happens. However, that is for another day. I slept last night for the first time in weeks (no attempts to get up and cram in a couple of kid-free hours of work), and today is all about fantasy football.

My team, the Cheyenne Snakeyes (no explanation forthcoming for that), is part of a league that has been in operation since 1985. This predates many other fantasy leagues and puts us just a few years behind fantasy sports’ grandaddy, the Rotisserie League. All of my fantasy play has suffered in recent years, starting with a hellish final year at TicketsNow and then two years of grad study. I don’t expect things to get much better, but my fantasy football team holds a special place. First, I love watching football more than any other sport. Second, if I am only going to have one fantasy team, it has to be this one.

Current roster (pre-draft):

Quarterbacks:

Peyton Manning, Indianpolis (drafted as rookie)
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh (drafted as rookie)

Runningbacks:

Jamal Lewis, Baltimore (acquired in trade)
Cedric Benson, Chicago (drafted as rookie)

Recievers:

Reggie Wayne, Indianpolis (drafted as rookie)
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona (drafted as rookie)
Antwaan Randle-El, Washington (drafted as rookie)
Hines Ward, Pittsburgh (acquired in trade)
Kellen Winslow, Cleveland (drafted as rookie)

Recievers:

Mike Nugent, New York Jets (drafted as rookie)

We can keep 8 players plus up to two developmental players, guys who have fewer than 5 years experience an have never scored above a minimum amount. For me, Winslow and Benson qualified as the latter. I didn’t get my first-round runningback (Addai would have been great), but so far the draft is going smoothly. We’re using the great CBSSportsline draft tool, which made both scouting and the Draft Day experience much more enjoyable.

Amy cleared the kids out of the house today, too. This is possibly the least stressful, most enjoyable draft I’ve had in a long time. Part of me wishes I had followed through on my big plans for books and software in the early 90s, because we’d be in great financial shape now. But that path wouldn’t have brought me to Indiana University, so I’m probably the better for it.

By Kevin Makice

A Ph.D student in informatics at Indiana University, Kevin is rich in spirit. He wrestles and reads with his kids, does a hilarious Christian Slater imitation and lights up his wife's days. He thinks deeply about many things, including but not limited to basketball, politics, microblogging, parenting, online communities, complex systems and design theory. He didn't, however, think up this profile.

1 reply on “Cheyenne Snakeyes are now on the clock …”

Here\’s the result of my draft day (keeping in mind that 20 x 8-10 players are already off the board before Reggie Bush gets selected as the number one draftee):

  • 1(13) – WR Roddy White, Atlanta – all five rookie RBs of interes were gone in the top 10; White is a potential 3rd year breakout player, receiving Vick\’s TDs
  • 3(53) – K Stephen Gostkowski, New England – any kicker in a NE system is a good kicker
  • 3(59) – WR Reche Caldwell, New England – a guy a really wanted and hoped would keep falling, he should improve as a Patriot where he underachieved as a Charger
  • 4(65) – K Martin Gramatica, New England – this pick virtually guarantees I have a second kicker playing for the Pats, but I fully expect Gramatica (who I have coveted for several years) to bump someone else on another team after he gets released)
  • 4(73) – RB Ladell Betts, Washington – a bonus that starter Clinton Portis is banged up, but Betts has impressed the coaches to the point where he could be a spot starter for me
  • 5(97) – WR Dennis Northcutt, Cleveland – a former draftee described as a poor-man\’s Peter Warrick (who turned out to be a poor receiver); ex-IU wideout Courtney Roby might have been a better choice here
  • 6(113) – RB Shawn Bryson, Detroit – another former player who never caught on in Buffalo, he\’s an injury or two away from doing some damage in a revamped Detroit offense; mostly, he\’s a pretty easy cut in two weeks if Kevin Jones doesn\’t get injured
  • 7(133) – D Ricardo Colclough, Pittsburgh – in our league, we play a token defender and get credit for his NFL team\’s defensive and special teams scoring, plus any scores the individual player gets; Colclough is one of the few defensive players in the league who returns both kicks and punts; plus, the Steelers are a historically great at non-offensive scoring
  • 9(173) – RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis – no, he\’s not likely to regain any of his All-Pro form, but if he\’s going to go out then he\’s going out a Snakeye – I drafted him as a rookie and traded him two seasons ago; nice to have him back
  • 10(193) – WR Jimmy Kleinsasser, Minnesota – we\’re firmly in \”what does it matter?\” territory in the 10th round, but this TE might have some opportunities to score; he\’s a very likely cut, as I might sign and keep a Bear defender (Ogunleye?) over this guy
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