Cincinnati defensive tackle Geno Atkins had 7.5 sacks last season, a rare total coming from an interior defensive lineman. (News.Cincinnati.com)

As I’ve written here once before, I don’t play in a traditional fantasy football league with the traditional fantasy football structure. I see those abbreviations and have no idea what they mean.

I play real fantasy football. My team has 72 players. My offensive linemen contribute to my point total. As does my punter, my free safety, my defensive tackle and everyone else on my starting 26 (the traditional 22 plus a kicker, punter, punt returner and kick returner).

My league has 14 owners, our rosters are keepers without a cap, and we are now in our 27th season.

Andrew Luck went No. 1 in our draft on Sept. 1. Chandler Harnish was No. 196 at the end of the 14th round. In between is where it got interesting and where there are lessons for all of us.

But first, here is a look at the the 27th NLRF Draft First Round results

1. Shoe Laces: Andrew Luck, QB
2. Sledge Halwigs: Robert Griffin III, QB
3. Late Parrots: Trent Richardson, RB
4. Ocelots: Doug Martin, RB
5. Roos: Justin Blackmon, WR
6. Chippewas: Matt Kalil, OT
7. Rumblin’ Rubes (from Shortcuts): David Wilson, RB
8. Pterodactyls: Russell Wilson, QB
9. Derons: Mark Barron, SS
10. U.C. Twits: Melvin Ingram, OLB
11. Zygotes: Geno Atkins, DT
12. Bomags: Colin McCarthy, ILB
13. Shortcuts (from Rubes): Ryan Tannehill, QB
14. Derons (from Bugeaters): Morris Claiborne, CB

DRAFT FOR NEED

As the owner of the Zygotes, I feel compelled to explain the Atkins pick.  Rules require teams to play at least one defensive tackle and one inside linebacker. Most teams play a 3-4 defense to maximize sack and tackle totals. Finding a defensive tackle that can provide those type of stats is rare. I had a chance to draft Ndamukong Suh a couple of years ago. I passed on Suh, instead going with the big-play potential of C.J. Spiller. I have regretted it to this day. » Continue reading “Fantasy Football From A Non-traditional Perspective”

In the past two weeks, four NFL players have been arrested for driving under the influence: David Diehl from the Giants, Justin Blackmon from the Jaguars, Jerome Felton from the Vikings and Nick Failey from the Lions.

I don’t want to get on my high horse and make this a Big Deal, but luckily, I don’t have to – it’s already been done, several times over, because this happens every season. You’d think the players would learn their lesson from the embarrassment/legal trouble/social stigma their teammates face, but some of these guys are repeat offenders. Our Jags writer covered it pretty well in her article about the Blackmon case (read it here). What are our role models doing?!

According to a recent survey, NFL players get arrested for DUIs more often than athletes of other sports (and because they have bigger bodies- can you imagine how much alcohol they’re drinking?). But compared with normal licensed drivers in the United States, NFL players actually get arrested at about the same rate as the rest of us. So who are we to judge, really?

But judge, and demand answers, we do. Skipping the “what is wrong with society” question, let’s go straight for “what is the NFL doing wrong?” In 2009, the NFL turned their free Safe Ride program over to the NFL Players Association because players didn’t trust the service enough to use it. Players worried that teams used the service to gather information about the players’ private lives. But the new service, which is no longer free, is also rarely used (and while $85 per hour may be a little more than calling a cab, it’s not like these players can’t afford it).

While I’d like to suggest all NFL players stay in and watch movies with me instead of getting drunk and possibly driving, this seems the least feasible answer. Perhaps what I can suggest instead is better communication between players and their organizations to create a program that would be better utilized (buddy system anyone?). A bottom-up model, rather than a union or NFL-enforced model might be more receptive to players.

What do you think? Is drunk driving, something completely unrelated to the game of football, something teams should be focusing on more? Or should the NFL respect the privacy of its players and refuse to babysit them? What sort of solution do you propose?

Let me know in the comments below!

Emily Ritter is a contributing writer to Aerys Offsides. For more from Emily, read her super-great bio or follow her on Twitter, @ebritter2. 

After an almost 6 month hiatus, the Aerys NFL writers have revived the Aerys Huddle.

In the latest edition of the Huddle, the writers got together to share their thoughts on free agency and the upcoming draft, and put together our own version of a mock draft.

As we currently don’t have writers for every team, the mock is incomplete. You will also see that some writers have selected the same players – particularly in the top and bottom ten – but in most cases we have offered several alternative options for each selection so that you can see where we think the team is headed on draft day.

1.3 Kim, Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT, USC

1.4 Miranda, Cleveland Browns - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Alternative Options: WR Justin Blackmon » Continue reading “Aerys Huddle – 2012 Draft Edition: Part One, The Mock Draft”