Once again, thanks for submitting your questions for this week’s mailbag. You can submit your questions, life theories, or dating dilemmas for a feature edition of the Mailbag on Twitter or Facebook.

What brand of hot dog was Sanchez eating on the sidelines that one day? @Gerbalaya

That “one day” Jeff is referring to is the day that Mark Sanchez, after leading the Jets to a 38-0 lead over the  Oakland Raiders in the Black Hole, was relieved in the 4th quarter to take a seat on the sideline. Sanchez, who had been feeling ill and and reportedly has not been able to eat much the week prior, was spotted by the CBS cameras putting mustard on a hot dog and…eating it. Like ya do.

I was able to find out that the Oakland Coliseum serves hot dogs from a local brand, Miller’s Hot Dogs, which was founded in 1910 by a German sausage maker in the area. The company boasts “The Best Tasting Hot Dogs in the World.”

I also discovered that the Coliseum is known for these $2 dollar hot dogs (that used to be a dollar), though something tells me Mark Sanchez got his snack for free.

Is a Sparano led offense really any better than a Schottenheimer one? @ScalpEmOfficial

It’s obviously way too early to answer this question, as we can only speculate as to exactly what a Tony Sparano offense will look like in New York.  But I’m inclined to believe that it will be better, primarily because Tony Sparano’s offensive philosophy is more suited to the Jets – and Rex Ryan’s – preferred style of play.

Brian Schottenheimer’s is a disciple of the “Air Coryell” offensive system (also known as the vertical offense) that has been used over the years by coaches such as Norv Turner, Cam Cameron and Mike Martz. For the better part of his time in New York, Schottenheimer ran a mostly run-oriented variation of the offense with moderate success.

At the heart of the system, a strong running game is absolutely essential, as is the execution of deep downfield passes from a pocket quarterback with two vertical threats.  As you can imagine, the Jets were largely unable to execute in this type of system last season, especially after they adopted a more pass-heavy variation, and the offense stumbled. Moreover, the Coryell style offense is generally considered to be fairly complex, using a digital system of calling plays that is vastly dependent on the opposing defense. As it turns out, Rex Ryan, and I would imagine many others including Mark Sanchez, found this system to a little too complex.

Schottenheimer took a lot of heat for his play calling in New York, and frankly, it was often warranted. There were definitely some pretty maddening, head scratching moments, but ultimately, the lack of success in New York may not have been entirely Schotty’s fault. Under Schottenheimer, the Jets offense lacked an identity, and given the personnel (and I include the quarterback, receivers, running backs and lineman in this group) it was simply not a good fit.

In contrast, Tony Sparano is. Sparano is from from the Bill Parcells coaching tree, which boasts a number of very successful defensive-minded, head coaches I shouldn’t need to list.

As the offensive coordinator of the Jets, Sparano has stated that he will put an emphasis on a “physical” style of offense that will feature a commitment to a strong power running game. The run-first ,”Ground and Pound” offense will also incorporate an “explosive” vertical passing attack (because this is 2012 and you have to throw the ball sometime to win), and boast a tough, non-nonsense attitude. This style coincides with Rex’s offensive philosophy and will give the team an identity that they can count on.

Additionally, Sparano has stated a commitment to get back to fundamentals: Ball security, game management, and solid offensive line play. Coincidentally, these are all things the Jets need to improve upon.

There is also a more simplistic approach to Sparano’s play calling, meaning Rex can be involved in some decision making. Make no mistake: Rex will not be calling the plays. But if he can understand the language, he can participate and, in turn, be held accountable for what happens on the field.

Of course, you cannot mention a Tony Sparano offense without also mentioning the Wildcat, which recetly gained popularity in the NFL under Sparano. The Wildcat, in it’s prime, was considered very difficult to defend. As a defensive minded coach, Rex Ryan has a particular fondness for offensive philosophies that challenge opposing defenses, and therefore, some derivative of the Wildcat offense will exist in New York so long as both Sparano and Rex are in town (and the addition of Tim Tebow further insures it will be used).

So let me clarify by saying one style of offense is not necessarily “better” than the other, it is simply a better fit. As you can see, Sparano’s offensive (and defensive, to a degree) approach, on paper, is a better match with this Rex Ryan coached team than Brian Schottenheimer ever was. Moreover, Sparano’s back-to-basics approach and notority as disciplinarian will serve the team well in this transitional period.

» Continue reading “Monday Mailbag: Sparano’s Offense and the Fantasy Value of New York Jets”

Fantasy Football is baaackkk

As it now looks like we are actually going to HAVE a football season, the first thing I will be thinking about is Fantasy Football. Sorry, but it’s true.  Of course I want my favorite  NFL team to make the playoffs but more importantly, I want my Fantasy Team to make the playoffs.

According to investopedia.com, between 20-30 million Americans play Fantasy Football every year making it a $2 billion dollar industry.  That’s a lot of people. Why not join the fun?

Before you begin, there are a few things that you need to know:

• Understand that Fantasy Football is not the same as real football. Players that you might think are “great” on your favorite NFL team may not yield the best fantasy numbers.
• Fantasy Football may, at times “test your loyalties” (as my friend, Aerys Sports Denver Broncos writer Brenda Stidham, puts it) but…
• Playing Fantasy will make you like football even more. It will expand your knowledge of the game, the players and you will find yourself following teams that you wouldn’t otherwise.
• You don’t technically have to know that much about football to actually play Fantasy Football (Although I wont lie to you; it does help a great deal).
• You can spend as much time or as little time on your team as you would like (some people spend up to 9 hours a week managing their team..”some people” .  The average is 50 minutes a week).
• Just because a team is “good” doesn’t mean a player on that team will be valuable to your fantasy team.  Conversely, just because a team is bad does not mean they will not be valuable to your fantasy team.

Alright, I’m interested… but how to I play? Well here are the basics:

1. Join a league:

You can join/create a free league on almost every major sports site online: ESPN, CBSSports, NFL and Yahoo are the most popular.

You will need to decide (or your commissioner will decide) how many people are going to play in your league.  8-10 team leagues are best for beginners, as it leaves more of the top players available to everyone.  Once you get upwards of 12 teams in a league it will become more difficult to grab free agent players throughout the course of the season.  If “difficult” is what you are going for, then thumbs up to you.

You will also need to decide on a format: Roto or Head to-Head. I would recommend head-to-head leagues for beginners (and just in general). Roto Scoring (short for Rotisserie) is the other alternative.  Head-to-head means that you team will face another team each week and your win loss record will count towards league standings.  Not only is this a lot more fun, but it’s easier to do well and turn around your team if you have a bad week or two.  Roto Scoring is based on total points for each position/category.  It can be very intense and often times teams will stop playing halfway through the season if they have no shot at the playoffs.

Lastly, you will need to decide on the scoring: Standard or PPR (points per reception).  For beginners, I recommend standard. It is closest to the scoring in the NFL.  PPR leagues bring their own unique strategy but are gaining in popularity for that reason.  They are called PPR because they award a half point for each reception by a player, not just for scoring drives or yards gained.  We will get more into this later but at least now you know what it is.

2. Do Some Homework:

Do yourself a favor and do some prep work before the draft.

We are all very busy and don’t have a lot of time but you’ve got to do at least a little bit of research.  Most every site fantasy site offers a draft kit to help you prepare.  Find out who is ranked where and why, compare the rankings from several sites/writers/analysts that you like but also trust your gut.  There is a ton of information online and in your local book store.  Make use of it!

Bring your homework with you on draft day.

• Rank the players according to your research and preferences.  Prepare a sheet with your personal rankings for the draft.
• Come up with a draft strategy.  Are you going to go for the depth? Sleepers? Studs?

3. Draft Your team:

Of course draft day is important.  VERY important. But if you mess up your first draft, it’s okay and in a minute, I’ll explain why.

There will inevitably be a lot of things on your mind on draft day: Rankings, cheat sheets, schedules, bench spots, smack talk..it can be difficult to keep everything straight.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are drafting:

• Some people will tell you to draft positions in an order (RB, QB, WR, RB, WR, TE….) my best advice is to pick the best players available and then fill in from there.  Just wait to pick a kicker until the last round. Seriously.
• Pay attention to how other people are picking.  You might have a strategy in mind entering the draft but if everyone is hoarding one position be prepared to make adjustments.
• Be mindful of bye weeks.  (Here is one of first places you will find your loyalty tested).  You obviously want to pick the best players available when it is your turn to pick but you don’t want to pick a bunch of guys who have the same bye week (are on the same team). In the event you do, you are going to have to either pick up a bunch of free agents to play for that bye week (and they may not be good or they may not be available) or punt that week’s match-up.  Some people opt for the latter and figure that the rest of the week’s they are not on bye will get them through.
• As it is now 2011, most people will be drafting online.  That means that the computer will provide you with an auto-draft selection in each round based on the “experts” ranking of players in the pre-season.  Obviously, these rankings are not taking into account team needs, format or strategy but if you are ever in doubt, go with the auto-draft. In my opinion, it takes out all the fun to completely default to auto-draft, but it can be a helpful tool if it’s your first time.

I will be writing a more in-depth post on draft strategy in the next few days.  Stay tuned.

4. Start playing:

See how your team does the first week or two and then evaluate where you will need to make changes.  Inevitably, some players will not live up to draft expectations (this happens EVERY year). Know when to sit tight and when to jump ship.  You will not always make the right call, but… c’est la vie.

5. Keep working on your team:

This is where people really become “owners” and where the winners separate themselves from the losers.

Some people will set their lineup at the start of the season and then won’t change a thing.  Big mistake.  Not only will you NOT win if you do this, you are also doing a disservice to your league.  The whole point of playing Fantasy Football is to play.  There is nothing more frustrating/annoying/insulting than checking the line-up of the guy/girl you are facing in a matchup to find that half of their players are sitting out or on a bye.  It’s lame and it’s rude.  Don’t do it. If you can’t check your line-up that week because you are busy or have a crisis, contact your commish.

Bottom line? You have to look at your line-up every week, even if it’s for 5 minutes.  Don’t forget to double-check the line-up on Sunday morning just in case someone is a last-minute scratch.

The other big part about Fantasy Football is pick-ups.  Every week you will have the opportunity to pick up players out of the free-agent pool.  Not to toot my own horn but this is how I have won every Fantasy Championship-baseball or football.  Some leagues have you put in a waiver claim on a player Monday/Tuesday and then a player will have to clear waivers based on priority.  That priority is determined by the previous week’s standings. The idea behind this is that the players who aren’t doing as well get first dibs on the hot pick-ups.  (More on this later…)  Other leagues do not have waivers and follow the old “early bird gets the worm” idea. Either way, stay on top of the waivers.  Pick up the hot hands and drop them when they are cooling off.

I will get more in-depth about Pick-ups in the coming weeks.

6. Playoffs?

If you make it to the playoffs, congratulations!