The Almost Completely Comprehensive Kenwood Fantasy Football Year in Review!
What a season it has been! In many ways, the excitement of the inaugural year was ramped up in Year Two of the United Republic of Kenwood League – we had stronger teams, we had more points scored, and we had plenty of competitive games. Of course, we also had the flip side – some very bad performances and blowout games, and a pretty clear separation between the elite and the also-rans this year. But rather than focus on the negative, let’s celebrate the good stuff. And now, despite the inherent danger in letting one lone person control the mythos of the league, I present the Kenwood Fantasy Football postseason awards – God Bless ‘Em!
Team of the Year: The Bad Newz Kennels – Hottest team at the beginning of the year, and more importantly, at the end of the year. They scored the most points, had the most weapons, and were quite simply the best team in the league this year, minus a short stretch in the middle of the season. Finally, a championship!
Coach of the Year: Blind Squirrels – How this team managed to compile the best record in the regular season and end up third overall is a lesson should be studied by all who wish to succeed at fantasy football. Willing to utilize players others would overlook and finding help from the most unlikely sources, the Squirrels wrote the textbook this season on making the most of what one has. It seemed this team would almost always manage to insert the key players who would come through with big games and ensure victory.
General Manager of the Year: The Danimals^2 – This year this award isn’t being awarded on drafting prowess (very mediocre in this case), but based on what happened over the course of the season. The most active team in terms of free agent pickups and drops, this team shaped and tweaked an ugly basement dweller into a serious title contender by the playoffs, and saved a season that seemed destined to be derailed by injuries.
Best Team Name: Brettwurst – Showcasing typical self-deprecating humor and humility, along with subtle echoes of tasty sausages and the mother Deutschland, this name edges out several other creative monikers.
Best Avatar: Brettwurst – The green mohawk grabs the attention; the color coordinated scarf pleases the eyes; the pet penguin seals the deal.
Best Trash Talk – One category that was clearly down this year was the quality of witty banter. Mostly it was a bunch of depressingly bleak, “Oh, I bet my team won’t do too well this week,” stuff – if the talk was even updated at all. We’ll give this award to the Blind Squirrels for going against the grain – unabashed and unflinching statements each week that they were the superior team, and you better pray that you don’t get steamrolled.
Best Free Agent Claim: Two Packer pickups stand out. The Blind Squirrels snatching Ryan Grant addressed their biggest weakness, a sub-par ground attack, and gave this team a balance it was missing early on. But over the course of the season, the pickup of Brett Favre by the Danimals^2 was even more crucial to overcoming the quarterbacking problems that hurt them so severly early on. Despite his falling apart in the championship game, it gets the nod in this book for getting the team that far.
Best Trade: Well, there was only one. In week 4, the Bad Newz Kennels traded Earnest Graham to the Blind Squirrels for Maurice Jones-Drew. At the time, it looked like a clear victory for the Kennels based on past performance from these players, but by the end of the season, Graham had clearly outperformed Jones-Drew. The Squirrels got the better end of this one.
The Overcoming Obstacles Award: Unbelievables – For triumphing over the worst regular season in the history of the league with three wins in their final five games and a fifth place finish overall. It was a finish worthy of their namesake.
The Victim of Bad Circumstances Award: The Schmuckernators – For playing the first half of the season with an underperforming quarterback, for finding a running game only to have both backs injured almost immediately, for having multiple games with no contributions from various key positions, and for general misfortune over the course of a long season.
The George W. Bush Stay-the-Course Award: The Minions displayed a remarkable confidence in their opening day roster, not making a single transaction the entire season. Early on, it looked like it might pay off with a few strong performances, but as the season wore on, the need for an overhaul became apparent and the Minions sadly faded to a last place finish.
The Hindsight is 20/20 Award: By week 5, the wrath of Roth were stuck squarely in the middle of the pack and decided to drop the injured and underperforming Stephen Jackson and Marques Colston to shake things up. These two talents were snapped up by the Danimals and the Kennels, and were huge contributors over the second half of the season. Those teams met in the championship; the Roth slumped to a seventh place finish. Whoops.
Best Game of the Year: The Schmuckernators over the Minions, Round 2 of the playoffs. The Minions held a solid lead heading into the final Monday night game and looked headed toward their first ever playoff victory. But Adrian Peterson, coming off a less-than-one-point effort the previous week, broke through with a very strong effort and led the Schmuckernators to victory in one of the closest margins of the year.
Most Lopsided Game: The Danimals^2 over the Schmuckernators, either matchup (depending on how you want to calculate it). In week 4, the Danimals won 108.71 to 52.60, a victory of over 200 percentage points. Then in week 11, they won by almost 70 points, 147.41 to 77.57. The Schmuckernators were plenty relieved to not meet them again in the playoffs.
Upset of the Year: Unbelievables over the Danimals, week 12. The Unbelievables hadn’t won in 7 weeks and were at the bottom of the league in every conceivable way. The Danimals were in the midst of a season-ending surge ultimately leading to a second place overall finish. Somehow, the Unbelievables found the ability to post their best score of the season and knock off the Danimals, a victory which would give them the momentum to finish the season on a strong note with two consecutive victories in the playoffs.
Single Game High Score: Most weeks, 123 points would be enough to win. In week three, it was enough to get the Minions to within 60 points of the Blind Squirrels who put up an astounding 180.83. Ironically, the Minions had just set the league high score with over 158.77 points the previous week.
Team of the Year: The Bad Newz Kennels – Hottest team at the beginning of the year, and more importantly, at the end of the year. They scored the most points, had the most weapons, and were quite simply the best team in the league this year, minus a short stretch in the middle of the season. Finally, a championship!
Coach of the Year: Blind Squirrels – How this team managed to compile the best record in the regular season and end up third overall is a lesson should be studied by all who wish to succeed at fantasy football. Willing to utilize players others would overlook and finding help from the most unlikely sources, the Squirrels wrote the textbook this season on making the most of what one has. It seemed this team would almost always manage to insert the key players who would come through with big games and ensure victory.
General Manager of the Year: The Danimals^2 – This year this award isn’t being awarded on drafting prowess (very mediocre in this case), but based on what happened over the course of the season. The most active team in terms of free agent pickups and drops, this team shaped and tweaked an ugly basement dweller into a serious title contender by the playoffs, and saved a season that seemed destined to be derailed by injuries.
Best Team Name: Brettwurst – Showcasing typical self-deprecating humor and humility, along with subtle echoes of tasty sausages and the mother Deutschland, this name edges out several other creative monikers.
Best Avatar: Brettwurst – The green mohawk grabs the attention; the color coordinated scarf pleases the eyes; the pet penguin seals the deal.
Best Trash Talk – One category that was clearly down this year was the quality of witty banter. Mostly it was a bunch of depressingly bleak, “Oh, I bet my team won’t do too well this week,” stuff – if the talk was even updated at all. We’ll give this award to the Blind Squirrels for going against the grain – unabashed and unflinching statements each week that they were the superior team, and you better pray that you don’t get steamrolled.
Best Free Agent Claim: Two Packer pickups stand out. The Blind Squirrels snatching Ryan Grant addressed their biggest weakness, a sub-par ground attack, and gave this team a balance it was missing early on. But over the course of the season, the pickup of Brett Favre by the Danimals^2 was even more crucial to overcoming the quarterbacking problems that hurt them so severly early on. Despite his falling apart in the championship game, it gets the nod in this book for getting the team that far.
Best Trade: Well, there was only one. In week 4, the Bad Newz Kennels traded Earnest Graham to the Blind Squirrels for Maurice Jones-Drew. At the time, it looked like a clear victory for the Kennels based on past performance from these players, but by the end of the season, Graham had clearly outperformed Jones-Drew. The Squirrels got the better end of this one.
The Overcoming Obstacles Award: Unbelievables – For triumphing over the worst regular season in the history of the league with three wins in their final five games and a fifth place finish overall. It was a finish worthy of their namesake.
The Victim of Bad Circumstances Award: The Schmuckernators – For playing the first half of the season with an underperforming quarterback, for finding a running game only to have both backs injured almost immediately, for having multiple games with no contributions from various key positions, and for general misfortune over the course of a long season.
The George W. Bush Stay-the-Course Award: The Minions displayed a remarkable confidence in their opening day roster, not making a single transaction the entire season. Early on, it looked like it might pay off with a few strong performances, but as the season wore on, the need for an overhaul became apparent and the Minions sadly faded to a last place finish.
The Hindsight is 20/20 Award: By week 5, the wrath of Roth were stuck squarely in the middle of the pack and decided to drop the injured and underperforming Stephen Jackson and Marques Colston to shake things up. These two talents were snapped up by the Danimals and the Kennels, and were huge contributors over the second half of the season. Those teams met in the championship; the Roth slumped to a seventh place finish. Whoops.
Best Game of the Year: The Schmuckernators over the Minions, Round 2 of the playoffs. The Minions held a solid lead heading into the final Monday night game and looked headed toward their first ever playoff victory. But Adrian Peterson, coming off a less-than-one-point effort the previous week, broke through with a very strong effort and led the Schmuckernators to victory in one of the closest margins of the year.
Most Lopsided Game: The Danimals^2 over the Schmuckernators, either matchup (depending on how you want to calculate it). In week 4, the Danimals won 108.71 to 52.60, a victory of over 200 percentage points. Then in week 11, they won by almost 70 points, 147.41 to 77.57. The Schmuckernators were plenty relieved to not meet them again in the playoffs.
Upset of the Year: Unbelievables over the Danimals, week 12. The Unbelievables hadn’t won in 7 weeks and were at the bottom of the league in every conceivable way. The Danimals were in the midst of a season-ending surge ultimately leading to a second place overall finish. Somehow, the Unbelievables found the ability to post their best score of the season and knock off the Danimals, a victory which would give them the momentum to finish the season on a strong note with two consecutive victories in the playoffs.
Single Game High Score: Most weeks, 123 points would be enough to win. In week three, it was enough to get the Minions to within 60 points of the Blind Squirrels who put up an astounding 180.83. Ironically, the Minions had just set the league high score with over 158.77 points the previous week.
Final Standings
1. The Bad Newz Kennels
Regular Season: 8-5; Average Power Position: 3.54 (Standard Deviation: 1.98)
Regular Season: 8-5; Average Power Position: 3.54 (Standard Deviation: 1.98)
2. The Danimals^2
RS: 7-6; APP: 4.92 (SD: 1.66)
RS: 7-6; APP: 4.92 (SD: 1.66)
3. Blind Squirrels
RS: 10-3; APP: 1.77 (SD: 0.93)
RS: 10-3; APP: 1.77 (SD: 0.93)
4. Brettwurst
RS: 9-4; APP: 1.85 (SD: 0.69)
RS: 9-4; APP: 1.85 (SD: 0.69)
5. Unbelievables
RS: 2-11; APP: 7.31 (SD: 1.03)
RS: 2-11; APP: 7.31 (SD: 1.03)
6. The Schmuckernators
RS: 6-7; APP: 6.15 (SD: 1.07)
RS: 6-7; APP: 6.15 (SD: 1.07)
2 Comments:
Thanks for the awesome reviews every week danny!
I was sneaky this year! muahahah. So close to total victory!
A/w good games this year everyone, made my Sundays much more enjoyable/competitive :)
wow, it's great to see the full picture of everyone's avatar. I totally forgot about my pet penguin and the Stone Henge backdrop. and i actually do have a real life green mohawk...
as for the lack of smack talk this year...During the first season there existed a healthy volume of verbal bashing from week to week, however the comments mostly involved a "your mom" statement. This year we seemed to have finally moved out of the puberty stage of derisive humor, but were confounded when looking for new outlets for creative comments.
I'm sure we'll return next year with highly caustic, clever, and comedic wit.
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