Fantasy Football Team Names: 10 Names Guaranteed to Bring You Bad Luck

So your fantasy football draft is over. You and all of your buddies have stocked up on big names like Michael Vick and Adrian Peterson as well as third-string running backs and Olindo Mare, but your team still doesn't have a name, and the NFL season is just around the corner.

What do you do?

Well, give your team a name, of course, but there are just so many choices out there.

Sure, you could come up with some sort of tie in with your favorite team (i.e. The Eagles' Nest, Go Pack Go), but then you run the risk of both yours and theirs having a bad year together.

Then again, there are some names that you could really go wrong with, names that carry plenty of their own stigma within the world of professional football.

That category is a vast one indeed, but here are 10 monikers to avoid this year. That is, if you're not into jinxing your squad before the 2011 season even starts.

Ohio Football Fans Unite

Perhaps no place in the known sports world is as much of a Ground Zero for football failure these days as the state of Ohio.

If you want to avoid invoking some bad luck from the Buckeye state, you should probably think twice before dotting that all-important "i" for your fantasy team.

The Cleveland Browns are doing everything they can these days to pull themselves out of NFL purgatory, even handing the reigns off to former Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks guru Mike Holmgren, but they just can't seem to pull themselves out of their long-standing rut.

The Cincinnati Bengals, on the other hand, seem to be digging themselves into a deeper and deeper hole with each successive step they take, almost on purpose it would seem.

From the line in the sand drawn between the team and Carson Palmer to the inability of their players to stay out of trouble off the field, the Bengals are poised to bungle away yet another season and perhaps their coach Marvin Lewis as well.

And don't even get me started on Ohio State, a program whose football team is embroiled in an ongoing NCAA investigation that has already cost the Buckeyes their head coach (Jim Tressel) and their star signal-caller (Terrelle Pryor).

We could go further and bring the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Columbus Blue Jackets into the fold, but that might just be too cruel.

Madden Cover Boys

Speaking of football in the state of Ohio, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis had the distinct privilege of posing for the cover of the Madden 2011 video game.

Which is just one of many reasons you should nix any thought of referencing the long-running franchise in your fantasy football league.

The "Madden Curse," as it's been called, has befallen those who so much as show their jersey number on the cover of the game each year, with so many cover boys having suffered through injuries and poor performances in accordance with recent editions.

The list of luminaries who have lost luster after taking on the cover gig includes Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Shaun Alexander and even Brett Favre.

The notion has taken on such a life of its own, in fact, that some stars, like LaDainian Tomlinson, have declined to appear even when given the chance.

And if the players themselves don't want to associate it for fear of bad luck, then why should you? 

2005 NFL Draftniks

If you're thinking about organizing your team by a particular year, you might just want to skip over 2005.

For instance, the 2005 NFL draft happens to be among the most bust-filled draft classes in recent memory.

From Alex Smith at the top down to Braylon Edwards, Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, Mike Williams and right on down the line, the 2005 draft had no shortage of guys who found themselves scrambling for one-year contracts this summer in the midst of their prime football years.

Of course, if you're a fan of Aaron Rodgers, DeMarcus Ware or Roddy White, you'll probably look upon that year's class a bit more favorably. Though, on the whole, it's certainly one to steer clear of.

Playoffs? Playoffs?!?!

Beyond having an encyclopedic knowledge of the best skill position players in the NFL, succeeding in fantasy football requires faith in your draft skills and the players in whom you invest your precious picks.

As such, it would be unwise to doom your own team from the start with even a snippet of a Jim Mora diatribe.

Not that Mora necessarily crushed his team's playoff hopes with his words that year. His Colts finished that 2001 season with a 6-10 record, good enough for fourth place in the AFC East.

So while it's tough to discourage any sort of confidence you have in your team, regardless of how you feel about your own players, you'd certainly be wise not to condemn them before the season has even begun.

I Heart Mike Shanahan

Mike Shanahan is having a hard time winning people over in Washington, thanks to his continued mismanagement of the Redskins' roster. Fans in the Beltway have come to dislike him almost as much as they did Jim Zorn, though at least Zorn didn't fumble away draft picks for a misused quarterback.

Hence, even if you happen to be the one person who actually approves of what Shanahan's done with the 'Skins so far, you may want to keep your approval under wraps, if only for the time being.

And if somehow you end up with John Beck as your starting quarterback, you might want to consult Kyle Shanahan, Washington's offensive coordinator and the man who bears the brunt of the responsibility for things going sour with Donovan McNabb, about why exactly the guy is in the NFL in the first place.

Leave Jay Cutler Alone!

If there's anyone aside from Mike Shanahan who knows about dealing with ridicule and media scrutiny after leaving Denver, it's Jay Cutler.

The current quarterback for the Chicago Bears has taken some serious heat from the Windy City football faithful since he was sent to Illinois in 2009. The heat escalated quite a bit during last season's NFC Championship Game, in which Cutler played poorly before ducking out of the game with a sprained knee.

Many have questioned the reality of that injury while still others have stood up for the gunslinger from Santa Claus, Indiana.

Why they've bothered to keep Cutler's back clean is beyond me, but it would seem fruitless to get your fantasy team mixed up in such controversy.

Unless, of course, it's a ploy to make sure Cutler does well for you. Then again, you just might want to reconsider playing fantasy football at all if you would entrust your team to a quarterback as inconsistent and lacking in guts as Cutler.

Rookie Quarterbacks Are Awesome!

This particular name may seem great, especially with the options for abbreviation (i.e. Rook QBs R Awesome), but, as those who draft quarterbacks in real life might say, don't believe the hype.

The 2011 NFL draft class was surprisingly replete with start-up signal-callers, though some/most of them (i.e. Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Andy Dalton) figure to struggle in their first professional campaigns.

Of course, doing poorly as a rookie at the most difficult and demanding position in all of sports is hardly a new phenomenon. Betting your fantasy football chances on them however, might be a bit more recent, though just as risky as a head coach putting an unproven draftee under center from the get-go.

Second-year quarterbacks, maybe. At least give the guys (and yourself) a chance to get acclimated before condemning your team to almost certain failure.

Achilles' Last Stand

Injuries are a given in NFL training camps, but none have become so prevalent with such devastating results as Achilles tears and ruptures this year.

At last count, there were at least 10 players around the league who'd already lost the 2011 season to this horrible foot injury, including Detroit Lions rookie running back Mikel Leshoure.

It's difficult to say exactly what's causing the flare-up, though it's quite possible that some of the victims struggled with their conditioning during the lockout, only to see the fruits of their inactivity blow up on them once they hit the practice field.

That being the case, you should probably pass on the opportunity to include any reference to Achilles in your fantasy football team name, assuming you'd rather not watch your hopes of a strong season disintegrate before they ever began.

As a result of your own offseason laziness, no less. 

The Holdouts

It's one thing for a player to be physically unable to perform. NFL teams have PUP lists for a reason, given that football is such a violent, injury-inducing sport.

It's another issue entirely for players, especially stars, to willfully hold themselves out of practices and games.

Not that guys like DeSean Jackson, Chris Johnson and Osi Umenyiora aren't justified in their protests for new contracts. In fact, I'd say that D-Jax and Johnson would be foolish to play on contracts that pay them less than $1 million for the 2011 season, especially given the fact that these guys are already perennial Pro Bowlers and franchise superstars.

As for your fantasy team, you'd be well advised to skip over these guys in your fantasy draft until it's certain that they'll actually be on the field with their respective teams when the season kicks off next month.

Ochocinco All-Stars

The Chad Ochocinco All-Stars would actually be a great name for a team...in a fantasy tweeting league, that is.

Ochocinco has suggested that he'll be less active on Twitter now that he's a member of the New England Patriots, under the watchful eye of the no-nonsense Bill Belichik.

Then again, I don't see why you'd want to encourage your players to embroil themselves in virtual controversy, a la LeSean McCoy and Steve Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sure, drafting an over-the-hill Ochocinco might do wonders for your team's media exposure, but it won't do much to add to the points column, especially if the man himself fails to revive his career with Tom Brady throwing him the ball.

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