Bleacher Report - Articles by Dante Coccia

Fantasy Football: Hobby or Addiction?

Dante Coccia — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:30:30 -0400

It all started for me a long time ago. I was in high school, playing my own football, when a neighbor, who was a lot older, asked me to join a fantasy football league.

After many questions and much confusion, I was ready to do it. Little did I know that many years later, I would be addicted! I was running my own leagues, writing about it, and even losing sleep over it. My wife thinks it is nuts, but she has never tried it.

I was young and didn't know what I was doing. The one rule that confused me the most was that no one was allowed to draft Dan Marino. I drafted my team and as far as I could remember, I stunk, but did figure out the Marino thing. Some would have packed it in, but like a smoker who says “last pack”—every year is my last!

What does it to you? Is it the draft? Well, this is probably the most fun because it is the time when all teams are together and all have the same record. BUT no, it’s not the draft. Is it the trades? Although trades are also a fun part of fantasy football, no it’s not. Well what is it then?

It is the idea that you are in charge of your team. Unlike your favorite NFL team that you can’t control, in fantasy football you are in full control. You start whom you want to start, bench whom you want to bench. All week you spend doing homework, checking the injuries, and working to waiver wire. It’s great!

Another great part of fantasy is the different trading styles. I love all the styles people use to try and make deals—the people who send you three okay players for one stud, or the bye-week-trader who wants you to play a week with no available players. It’s all good, and it’s all fun!

Fantasy football will even change the way you watch football on Sundays. I now look forward to Monday, when just one game is on. The football package was way too much, and I had to shut it down before I overdosed on fantasy. Never watching a full game, just looking for your QB or RB to do something and then change the channel. It is nuts. I even watch the NFL network just for stats. I am addicted!

I started this journey of fantasy way back when. We did it by hand and worked out deals over the phone. Now it’s all on the computer. The rules have changed, and I no longer stink—many years later and much wiser.

I like to think of myself as a knowledgeable fantasy player. It is crazy, and until you try it, you will never understand! I am addicted and LOVE IT! No rehab needed, and the only program I am looking for is one with cheat-sheets in it for next week’s games.

So, to all you addicts, good luck the rest of the year! Unless you are in my league!

Tailgating: It Is an Art Form!

Dante Coccia — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:06:25 -0400

Its six a.m. and I'm on my way to work. I've got a coffee in one hand and one eye on the road. As I approach my office which is two city blocks from the football stadium I see smoke. Is it a fire going out from last night, a car with bad exhaust, or maybe a Christmas Tree salesman with a fire for warmth?

None! It is the sweat smelling smoke of a barbecue. YES at six in the morning they are out there. It's the Die-Hards doing the Keg and Eggs thing and I am amazed and slightly jealous.

As I drive around I come to know the people who do this. They come form all different backgrounds. Lawyers, accountants, even cops. You name it and you can find it. Men, women, old, young, mothers, grandmothers, You get the drift...everything is possible.

And the days of hot dogs and Burgers are also over. I drive through and see anything from dogs to Lobster. Even the vehicles are elaborate now. It used to be a few guys in a pickup with a cooler and a Weber grill. Now its campers and buses with the whole bar and a full menu. I myself never became a tailgater but wish i did.

Fortunately, my job now gets me close enough to the action to test the goods and let me tell you these people are not playing games. They are serious about their food, beverages, decorations, and chants! It is a sight to see.

I must also tell you it is an inherited code of conduct because with all them people packed into one space there is hardly never trouble. Most are even willing to share (if you're rooting for the right team) and will always make you feel welcome.

So if you never saw the tailgating that goes on at a major NFL football game i highly advise you get up early one Sunday morning, bring your hunger, and your thirst for both a beverage and a good time, you will thank me!

Week Five Fantasy Football Fix

Dante Coccia — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:29:00 -0400

QBs RBs WRs

1. Manning @ Hou LT @ Mia TO v. Cin

2. Romo V. Cin Forte @ Det Marshall v. TB

3. Cutler V.TB Petterson @ NO Wayne @ Hou

4. McNabb v. Wash Barber v. Cin Fitzgerald v. Buff

5. Brees v. Minn Gore v. NE S.Smith v. KC

6. Delhomme v. KC Turner @ GB Jennings v. Atl

7. Rivers @Mia Westbrook v. Wash Cal Johnson v. Chi

8. Hasselback @NYG Addai @ Hou Chambers @ MIa

9. Manning v. Sea Graham @ Den R. Moss @ SF

10. Rodgers v. Atl Lynch @ Ari TJ Hous @ Dall

TEs K D/ST

1. Gates @ Mia Gastkowski @ SF Tenn @ Bal

2. Cooley @ Phi Carney v. Sea NE @ SF

3. Whitten v. Cin Folk v. Cin SD @ Mia

4. Gonzo @ Car Graham @ Dal Chi @ Det

5. H. Miller @ Jack Gould @ Det Phil v. Wash

6. D.Clarke @ Hou Vinitieri @ Hou GB v. Atl

7. O.Daniels v. Indi Rackers v. Buff Dallas v. Cin

8. Fasano v. SD Longwell @ NO Sea @ NYG

9. Scheffler v. TB K.Brown v. Indi TB @ Den

10. Olsen @ Det Elam @ GB Indi @ Hou

You Drafted Him for a Reason! Go With Your Stud!

Dante Coccia — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:53:44 -0400

This is the time of year when teams start to panic.

The bye weeks have started, and the dust of the draft has finally settled. This is when teams start to overthink this little thing we call fantasy football. Relax people, it's only Week Four. We don't know that much yet.

I see one huge mistake every year in October: People bench their studs because of the so-called tough matchup. This can be your downfall! You never know when Joseph Addai is going to score three touchdowns; you just know it's going to happen eventually.

Start your stud! You drafted him to carry your team and now you want to bench him for a far less player because he happens to be playing in Minnesota?

Let's just say if L.T. is playing the Vikings, and your backup is Laurence Maroney playing the Lions, you DON'T bench L.T.!

Never bench your stud!

Never!

This will cause you heartbreak when you see L.T. scoring TD after TD against that "bad matchup!"

Stick with your convictions and start your studs...Or they will make you very sorry.