Alright....I have to ask.... (1 Viewer)

[ffinmyblood]

Maybe I am old school, because when I first started playing FF it was before the internet became a viable option. Back in the day, you had to score games using the USA Today box scores. All TD's were 6 pts (as they should be), and generally the only other points you were given were bonus points for 100 rush/rec/ 300 passing. Even today, the most recent league I played in scored games like this. There is no 1 pt for every 10 yds rush/rec, 25 for every pass etc. Yes, we made changes, the most significant being going from no DT or players at all to IDP's. But, the scoring has pretty much stayed the same throughout the years with only a few minor tweaks here and there.

When we first set up the league, the main premise was to make it as close to the NFL game as possible, especially when it came to scoring. You don't see NFL games end 125-100, so we didn't want ours to either. That just didn't appeal to us. In that league if you scored 35-40 points, you had a pretty good shot at winning the game, and that holds true as well in the NFL. It seems the evolution of the internet has prompted many changes to the great game of Fantasy Football.

Everyone has different things that they like, and different systems that they use. It's unfortunate but it seems to me as times have changed so have Fantasy Football Leagues. Now, there are so many different scoring systems, it makes your head spin. standard lineup requirements have changed, and simply put....the game has changed. It's not the same game it was when I first started. To some degree, I understand some of the changes, everyone prefers different things. I myself have always preferred a game that emulates the real game in as many ways as possible. Not every aspect of real football can be incorporated into FF, I understand that.

I guess the most amazing aspect that has seemingly changed in recent years to me, is the Auction style drafting. Now admittedly, I have never tried it, so maybe I shouldn't be speaking about it, but to me, the ONE thing about FF, that I thought I'd never see change over the years, is the draft. That was and is always the most enjoyable part of FF to me. The bluffing, the outmaneuvering of other owners to get a player in the draft you really want, the trading of draft picks, and just the overall ability to show your wares and football knowledge as you draft a player in the 3rd round, that no one else in the league knows about. The draft is where you can show your true football knowledge IMO.

An auction style draft, every player simply has a dollar value placed on them and you have to decide whether you want to bid on a player or not, and how much. To me, it takes away a lot of the strategy of a a real draft. Yes, you generally have a salary cap that you can't go over, but for the most part if you REALLY want a player, you simply decide to outbid everyone else. There's no trading of draft picks I don't believe, none of the true modern day strategy that goes into draft day. The basic argument I have seen for this is "everyone has a chance at every player". Is that really what you want?? Wouldn't it be more fun, and show your true knowledge and GM skills if you could build a championship team year after year, without the benefit of having access to every player?? To me, it takes more skill and more knowledge to be drafting 8th or lower every year and build a championship team year after year, without the benefit of being in a position to have access to a LJ, an LT or a Peyton Manning, because you simply pick to low every year to get them. In an auction league, you have as much chance as everyone else to get those players, and it's much easier to build a championship team.

My question is....whatever happened to good old Fantasy Football leagues?? The kind that were around when I was younger??

 

[AB in DC]

Everyone has different things that they like, and different systems that they use.

Exactly -- so what's the problem? If you don't like auction leagues, yardage-heavy leagues, etc. etc., then there are plenty of other leagues that use different systems.

 

[Will]

Do you miss the fountain pen and the Edsal too?

FF has evolved dude, climb on board and embrace it!

My guy rushes for 98 yards, your guy rushes for 100, you don't deserve an extra 5 or 6 points for that. Reward players for the stats they put up. Much better IMO.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Yeah those TD only leagues are all about skill.

Also a not so cleverly disguised (passing tds should be 6 pts thread). Even if your reasoning is wrong because QBs only score in the NFL if they run or receive a TD, not pass one.

 

[aposulli]

Maybe I am old school, because when I first started playing FF it was before the internet became a viable option. Back in the day, you had to score games using the USA Today box scores. All TD's were 6 pts (as they should be), and generally the only other points you were given were bonus points for 100 rush/rec/ 300 passing. Even today, the most recent league I played in scored games like this. There is no 1 pt for every 10 yds rush/rec, 25 for every pass etc. Yes, we made changes, the most significant being going from no DT or players at all to IDP's. But, the scoring has pretty much stayed the same throughout the years with only a few minor tweaks here and there.When we first set up the league, the main premise was to make it as close to the NFL game as possible, especially when it came to scoring. You don't see NFL games end 125-100, so we didn't want ours to either. That just didn't appeal to us. In that league if you scored 35-40 points, you had a pretty good shot at winning the game, and that holds true as well in the NFL. It seems the evolution of the internet has prompted many changes to the great game of Fantasy Football.Everyone has different things that they like, and different systems that they use. It's unfortunate but it seems to me as times have changed so have Fantasy Football Leagues. Now, there are so many different scoring systems, it makes your head spin. standard lineup requirements have changed, and simply put....the game has changed. It's not the same game it was when I first started. To some degree, I understand some of the changes, everyone prefers different things. I myself have always preferred a game that emulates the real game in as many ways as possible. Not every aspect of real football can be incorporated into FF, I understand that. I guess the most amazing aspect that has seemingly changed in recent years to me, is the Auction style drafting. Now admittedly, I have never tried it, so maybe I shouldn't be speaking about it, but to me, the ONE thing about FF, that I thought I'd never see change over the years, is the draft. That was and is always the most enjoyable part of FF to me. The bluffing, the outmaneuvering of other owners to get a player in the draft you really want, the trading of draft picks, and just the overall ability to show your wares and football knowledge as you draft a player in the 3rd round, that no one else in the league knows about. The draft is where you can show your true football knowledge IMO.An auction style draft, every player simply has a dollar value placed on them and you have to decide whether you want to bid on a player or not, and how much. To me, it takes away a lot of the strategy of a a real draft. Yes, you generally have a salary cap that you can't go over, but for the most part if you REALLY want a player, you simply decide to outbid everyone else. There's no trading of draft picks I don't believe, none of the true modern day strategy that goes into draft day. The basic argument I have seen for this is "everyone has a chance at every player". Is that really what you want?? Wouldn't it be more fun, and show your true knowledge and GM skills if you could build a championship team year after year, without the benefit of having access to every player?? To me, it takes more skill and more knowledge to be drafting 8th or lower every year and build a championship team year after year, without the benefit of being in a position to have access to a LJ, an LT or a Peyton Manning, because you simply pick to low every year to get them. In an auction league, you have as much chance as everyone else to get those players, and it's much easier to build a championship team.My question is....whatever happened to good old Fantasy Football leagues?? The kind that were around when I was younger??

You are right in that it is harder to "build a championship team" in a redraft.Harder because luck becomes a huge factor when draft position is determined by the draw of a hat. Even if you have some "knowledge" that a player will be great, if you are stuck with an end pick, say last (or first) pick in a 16-team league, then you really don't have much say in targeting potential players you think will breakout. In an auction, at least you can target these players in hoeps that you can get them at a relativly cheap price.Furthermore, having fantasy scores in the 30s (assuming you are using a very basic TD-only league with no decimal scoring), then your league is even more heavily dependent on absolute luck.So, yes, your dream league is more challenging if you look at it that way, but not the type of league most hardcore ffl'ers these days are looking for.

 

[FantasyTrader]

You had me nodding in agreement with everything right up to where you started in on auctions. You can't just simply outbid everyone for all of the studs to build a champion - it doesn't work that way. Auctions (just my opinion) take 10 times the amount of "skill" as regular snake style drafts. I play in both types of leagues. My old school dynasty league still uses 100 yds rushing/receiving and 300 yds passing as benchmarks for a player earning 5 pts. I've won 4 out of the last 5 years in that league and I relish the opportunity year after year to have the last pick in every round and still find a way to out-trade, out-waiver and outhustle my opponents.

I also play in an auction league where RB's score .1 pts every time they cough. I love both leagues for different reasons. That's the great thing about FF. If you can dream it up and find 9 or 11 other guys that think "hey that's pretty cool" then you have yourself a fantasy football league. What I'm saying is there's room for the old WITH the new. So embrace the change. At the masses hovering near 40 million - there's room for whatever kind of league you want to play.

One thing I WILL disagree with you on, I do NOT miss the old days of scoring the week with a pencil and paper during MNF.

 

[ImTheScientist]

Yeah those TD only leagues are all about skill.Also a not so cleverly disguised (passing tds should be 6 pts thread). Even if your reasoning is wrong because QBs only score in the NFL if they run or receive a TD, not pass one.

 

[turnit643]

GOPPPL

The evolution began long before the days of the USA Today.

"Mousalimas changed the scoring system to include yardage in the early ‘70s."

 

[facook]

The bluffing, the outmaneuvering of other owners to get a player in the draft you really want, the trading of draft picks, and just the overall ability to show your wares and football knowledge as you draft a player in the 3rd round, that no one else in the league knows about. The draft is where you can show your true football knowledge IMO.

Poor value.

 

[FantasyTrader]

Do you miss the fountain pen and the Edsal too?FF has evolved dude, climb on board and embrace it!My guy rushes for 98 yards, your guy rushes for 100, you don't deserve an extra 5 or 6 points for that. Reward players for the stats they put up. Much better IMO.

Disagree. Some of the best rushes I've ever had playing this game are 1:34 left on the clock of MNF, I need 3 pts to win the week. My RB has 96 yards rushing on the game, his team is down by 6 and I'm praying to God they find a way to sprinkle in a draw somewhere. Benchmark scoring is so much easier to set up scenarios where the tension gradually builds as you are watching THE GAME and hoping something happens rather than staring at your monitor counting decimal pts. as time is running out.

 

[KellysHeroes]

Maybe I am old school, because when I first started playing FF it was before the internet became a viable option. Back in the day, you had to score games using the USA Today box scores. All TD's were 6 pts (as they should be), and generally the only other points you were given were bonus points for 100 rush/rec/ 300 passing.

That was when I didn't like Fantasy Football

 

[BigRed]

You had me nodding in agreement with everything right up to where you started in on auctions.

Seconded. I didn't agree w/much of the rest of what you said but could appreciate where you were coming from - on auctions, however, you're just plain wrong. Auctions require more strategy and skill, not less (PS I like the "snake" drafts too). It's also much more dynamic.As for scoring systems, there have been a lot of them, but it seems to me that the majority of leagues have actually become more standardized, eg 1/10, 1/20 etc.And while I've had my share of that "good ol days" mentality, the idea of tracking down all that stuff by hand vs having it mostly automated on a nice web page...I'll pass to say the least.

 

[ffinmyblood]

You had me nodding in agreement with everything right up to where you started in on auctions.

Seconded. I didn't agree w/much of the rest of what you said but could appreciate where you were coming from - on auctions, however, you're just plain wrong. Auctions require more strategy and skill, not less (PS I like the "snake" drafts too). It's also much more dynamic.As for scoring systems, there have been a lot of them, but it seems to me that the majority of leagues have actually become more standardized, eg 1/10, 1/20 etc.And while I've had my share of that "good ol days" mentality, the idea of tracking down all that stuff by hand vs having it mostly automated on a nice web page...I'll pass to say the least.

Just to be clear, I am not in anyway saying I miss scoring games by pencil and paper. Not hardly. What I am saying is I miss those days when leagues were much simpler, scoring was basic (because of having to use the paper you pretty much had to score it this way, because alot of other stats weren't available), and winning/losing games by 2 points because your QB had 299 yds passing (missing a 3 pt bonus by 1 yard), or your RB/WR finished w/ 99 yds (again missing a 3 pt bonus by 1 yard). Those are the days I miss. Those days were truly "the thrill of victory(as your guy crosses the 300 yd plateau with under a minute to go), and the agony of defeat ( as your running back had 101 yds and secured the bonus, rushes for a 2 yard loss with :50 seconds to go to knock him down to 99 yds and lose the bonus then lose the game by 1 point).

 

[Will]

Do you miss the fountain pen and the Edsal too?FF has evolved dude, climb on board and embrace it!My guy rushes for 98 yards, your guy rushes for 100, you don't deserve an extra 5 or 6 points for that. Reward players for the stats they put up. Much better IMO.

Disagree. Some of the best rushes I've ever had playing this game are 1:34 left on the clock of MNF, I need 3 pts to win the week. My RB has 96 yards rushing on the game, his team is down by 6 and I'm praying to God they find a way to sprinkle in a draw somewhere. Benchmark scoring is so much easier to set up scenarios where the tension gradually builds as you are watching THE GAME and hoping something happens rather than staring at your monitor counting decimal pts. as time is running out.

With live scoring the way it is today, you know on Monday night how many yards you need from your RB to beat your opponent, so I disagree that the only way to get tension and suspense is by arbitrarily awarding points for anything over a certain threshhold. If I'm 9 points down on Monday night and my RB has 96 yards I am still on the edge of my seat hoping for that draw that'll put my guy over 100 and the extra point I need. I have had plenty of great Monday night moments, and some heartbreakers too. I just think there is too much luck with just awarding for over 100 yards. More skillfull drafting is rewarded by awarding points for yardage. Just my opinion. But I do agree that the Monday night game when you need something to happen, or not happen, is great.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

for me TD only or heavy leagues are a little boring. I still play in one, but you still get 1pt/20yds rush/rec.

I love ppr's myself

 

[Bull Dozier]

It seems the evolution of the internet has prompted many changes to the great game of Fantasy Football.

Not sure when you started, but my first league was back in '90. We scored by hand on paper with box scores, yet we managed to have a league with 1 pt rush/rec, plus TDs. We were aware of TD only leagues, and we were aware of yardage leagues, but we thought then, as we do now, that a combination was the best (I'm not trying to claim we thought of it, just that it was the minority back then). The internet had nothing to do with deciding what the best scoring system was.I remember talking to a guy I worked with about his league which was TD only, and always thinking what a simpleton league that was. Set up a league where Tommy Vardell was a stud? What silliness.

 

[BLOX]

I wouldn't say auctions or serpentine drafts are superior to one another. They both have different ways of applying the strategy you'd need to field the best team you can. If you figure that out (DD, hello!) you'd be ok I suppose.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

TD leagues are where drawing the 1st or 2nd pick guarenteed you LT and LJ's touchdowns last year. Having either of those guys probably single handedly outscored most of the other teams each week. Lots of skill there.

 

[cstu]

You had me nodding in agreement with everything right up to where you started in on auctions.

Seconded. I didn't agree w/much of the rest of what you said but could appreciate where you were coming from - on auctions, however, you're just plain wrong. Auctions require more strategy and skill, not less (PS I like the "snake" drafts too). It's also much more dynamic.As for scoring systems, there have been a lot of them, but it seems to me that the majority of leagues have actually become more standardized, eg 1/10, 1/20 etc.And while I've had my share of that "good ol days" mentality, the idea of tracking down all that stuff by hand vs having it mostly automated on a nice web page...I'll pass to say the least.

Just to be clear, I am not in anyway saying I miss scoring games by pencil and paper. Not hardly. What I am saying is I miss those days when leagues were much simpler, scoring was basic (because of having to use the paper you pretty much had to score it this way, because alot of other stats weren't available), and winning/losing games by 2 points because your QB had 299 yds passing (missing a 3 pt bonus by 1 yard), or your RB/WR finished w/ 99 yds (again missing a 3 pt bonus by 1 yard). Those are the days I miss. Those days were truly "the thrill of victory(as your guy crosses the 300 yd plateau with under a minute to go), and the agony of defeat ( as your running back had 101 yds and secured the bonus, rushes for a 2 yard loss with :50 seconds to go to knock him down to 99 yds and lose the bonus then lose the game by 1 point).

I thought you said the goal was to "make it as close to the NFL game as possible, especially when it came to scoring"? Making arbitrary yardage numbers to get bonus points makes no sense to me.

 

[GregR_2]

I will second the comments already made that you are way off about auctions. Auctions are something you really shouldn't try to cast judgment on until you've tried one. I don't mean to imply that one should always follow the masses, but when 95% of people who have tried auctions prefer it over serpentine drafting, that is probably a good indication that it has some serious advantages.

There is strategy involved in both, but auctions are far more dynamic since you can potentially be involved on every player. You also have so much more ability to affect other team's actions in an auction compared to a draft that you can't even compare the two. On any player I can force any team who wants to take the player or to keep the player from me, to commit a certain amount of resources. And a skilled person can often do this without actually expending any of their own resources, though of course they did have to risk those resources. You can affect others and fake others out much better in an auction than in a draft.

On the trend that leagues are taking, I find that owners in my leagues want more complexity, not simplicity. They want contracts, salary caps, and more positions than just offense. Most of the "advancements" we've made, the owners have gone off to their other leagues and implemented similar changes there because they found the complexity more fun than the standard setups.

The only time that I favor simplicity is that I can't handle being in a lot of leagues now. So I prefer my 2 or 3 main leagues to be detailed and simulate the GM position a lot... and then perhaps play in some other survivor type leagues where you get the fun of drafting/auctioning but don't have to deal with it after that.

 

[BroadwayG]

I'm surprised someone developed a web browser for the OP's Commodore 64.

 

[Captain Hook]

Either join the new century or go back to the "no teeth league"

And that from someone who probably started playing before you did and is older

 

[bjlmonster]

I think FF has simply involved as people saw what could make the game more exciting. Kind of like adding the 3 pt line in basketball, we added high performance scoring to FF.

I actually enjoy playing the "old school" format. My original league back home is still there. TD heavy, bonuses at 100 & 300 yds, etc., they do score on MFL.com, but still meet weekly to talk trades and bid on FA's. When a few of us moved away after college, we copied the league (I now commish it). Over the past few years we have changed slightly to now 1 pt per 35 rush/rec yds and 50 pass yards. Owners keep griping about the scoring rules and want changes. Their biggest argument last year was, how can Brandon Jacobs be more valuable than Tiki Barber? I just argue back and say know the rules and that TD's are more valuable than yards in this league. I love it.

Most people play in 2-3 leagues. It is a lot of fun playing in a TD heavy league along with a performance or even high performance type league.

 

[ukshane]

What about an auction with draft picks? Rather than using auction dollars and a cap you would have a budget of x number of draft picks. For example, one owner in a ten team league could have picks 1, 20, 21, 40, 41 etc... while another owner may have picks 5, 16, 25, 31 etc... The auctioneer would nominate a player and whoever parts with the highest pick wins the player. This would allow each owner to feel involved in every player and eliminate all of the math involved in figuring up the remaining cap/budget space per owner. Is this a dumb idea?

 

[tomarken]

What about an auction with draft picks? Rather than using auction dollars and a cap you would have a budget of x number of draft picks. For example, one owner in a ten team league could have picks 1, 20, 21, 40, 41 etc... while another owner may have picks 5, 16, 25, 31 etc... The auctioneer would nominate a player and whoever parts with the highest pick wins the player. This would allow each owner to feel involved in every player and eliminate all of the math involved in figuring up the remaining cap/budget space per owner. Is this a dumb idea?

Um, yes. This is exactly the same as a regular snake draft, but it would take longer.

 

[msommer]

The good ole day, when men were men and gay meant happy.

 

[Stealthycat]

the good old days of easy scoring was designed as such - to make it easy on Commish to do the scoring

back then, a RB going 99 yard with no TD got zero points - thats not indicative at ALL of the game he had though, is it ?

thus the "new age" of computers and internet scoring, where true performance scoring rules, each yard is counted on offense, a TRUER overall performance rating for your players are all done for you, the Commish

I love it, I want eveyr offensive yard I can get out of my players, and todays world of FF does that, and it makes it all the much better IMO

 

[Couch Potato]

I'm not sure whether I should consider the original poster arrogant or naive to think that his own personal experience with pre-Internet FF was the way it was in general.

My first league was in 1981 (I've posted elsewhere that we are still around and are a direct descendant of the GOPPPL), and we didn't use 6 points for TD passes, we used 3. We were producing our league standings and player fantasy stats in 1983 using VisiCalc, then Lotus 1-2-3 including macros I designed to automate the whole thing once raw stats were entered. In 1985 we went to a performance scoring method. It was weird by today's standards, but it was performance nonetheless.

So, don't assume that just because your own FF experience was the way it was, the Internet ruined it. Things began to evolve way before then.

But you know what? The beauty of the hobby is that you can choose to have things the way you want them for your own league. Just find 9 other guys who want to do a league with you. No problem.

 

[grind]

When I started our league 13 years ago, I couldn't understand at all why people would employ a TD only league. Thirteen years later, I still can't understand them. Outside of this, I understand the joy in most any format. I just never liked it when a great player like Barry Sanders doesn't have much value since he went through a year or two where he would get pulled at the goal line. I understand that Marion Barber is an ok running back, but last year, he would most likely have been a top five player in a TD only league. Great. Outstanding.

 

[talongrey]

I'm not sure whether I should consider the original poster arrogant or naive to think that his own personal experience with pre-Internet FF was the way it was in general.My first league was in 1981 (I've posted elsewhere that we are still around and are a direct descendant of the GOPPPL), and we didn't use 6 points for TD passes, we used 3. We were producing our league standings and player fantasy stats in 1983 using VisiCalc, then Lotus 1-2-3 including macros I designed to automate the whole thing once raw stats were entered. In 1985 we went to a performance scoring method. It was weird by today's standards, but it was performance nonetheless.So, don't assume that just because your own FF experience was the way it was, the Internet ruined it. Things began to evolve way before then.But you know what? The beauty of the hobby is that you can choose to have things the way you want them for your own league. Just find 9 other guys who want to do a league with you. No problem.

 

[grind]

The only thing I really don't like about post internet fantasy league football as compared to pre internet fantasy league football is the ease of access to information. Prior to the internet, I used to go to Barnes and Nobles and read sports pages from around the country. Remember stumbling across a St. Louis newspaper and a pretty interesting article on a player named Isaac Bruce. Needless to say, I drafted him very late in the draft that year and enjoyed his breakout season and many more to follow. Now all the other players in our league have the same info I have.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Odd, when I started in the early-mid 80's, using the USA Today for scoring, we used full Individual Defensive Players and got 1 pt for every 10 yards or 20 yards and had 3 points a TD. My main league is 20 years old and it hasnt changed a whole hell of a lot. Sure there have been upgrades, but not many changes were needed, and we love it.

 

[Couch Potato]

The only thing I really don't like about post internet fantasy league football as compared to pre internet fantasy league football is the ease of access to information. Prior to the internet, I used to go to Barnes and Nobles and read sports pages from around the country. Remember stumbling across a St. Louis newspaper and a pretty interesting article on a player named Isaac Bruce. Needless to say, I drafted him very late in the draft that year and enjoyed his breakout season and many more to follow. Now all the other players in our league have the same info I have.

Ha! You too?! For me, it was Tower Books and Records, scrounging out of state newspapers. Here we old fogeys go, showing our age. I also drafted Bruce that year, in the last round of a 10 team, 16 round draft, because my name is Bruce. I swear that was the only reason, and I told my leaguemates that at the time. We all had a good laugh.I kept laughing all year, but they didn't.

 

[RJ13]

I guess the only thing I miss about the old TD only league was the ability to post a shutout! I do remember having Barry Sanders and then trading him a few years later and that owner getting very upset that Barry would get 99 yards and no points. I was up to change at first with giving bonus points, but I was up to the change for 1 point per 10 yards and etc.

As far as the auction, I love it. We do have a three round Rookie draft in which each pick has a certain value and then we have our auction draft. The Rookie draft allows for trading of picks so if you have the #1 pick and your team sucks you have the opportunity to trade it for value.

RJ

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

I think fantasy football really took off when people understood that it will NEVER be like real football. You don't have a real team and they don't care about your "Super Bowl" in week 16. So instead, just focus on having fun and make up rules you like.

A point per recption? Great! Auction? Sure! Play with eight, 10, 12 or 14 teams? Go for it!

The only thing I don't like about the hobby today is the snobs who think you have to play IDP or at least 12 teams to make it a "real league." You have to play the game you want to play, the way you want to play it. That's it. I've played in no-money, eight team leagues that were way more fun than 12-team high-stakes leagues.

The game is better, although it has changed. There are no more sleepers, and everyone has access to the same information. No matter how up-to-date you are, a league-mate can catch up to you in about an hour. So now there's even more luck involved, and fantasy football does have a fair bit of luck in it already.

But who cares? It's a game, and a fun one at that. It's not going to be what defines you as a person, and people who take it too seriously belong in the sewers wearing chainmail. As long as you can a) enjoy it with your friends, and b) stay true to your favorite team, even if it hurts your fantasy one, you're in good shape.

Yes, the game has changed-- overall, for the better. I do think people sometimes make the mistake of playing in too many casual leagues or making a big deal about the money. I think it ruins the pure fun of playing. But, then again, it's up to them.

 

[KellysHeroes]

the good old days of easy scoring was designed as such - to make it easy on Commish to do the scoringback then, a RB going 99 yard with no TD got zero points - thats not indicative at ALL of the game he had though, is it ?

I'll say it again; Thats when I didn't like FF

 

[Couch Potato]

I'll say one good thing for the good NEW days and the Internet...

Used to be, you'd tell someone you did fantasy football and hold your breath. Or not tell at all. Certainly not women you might want to date. People would look at you like you were some sort of weirdo, even other football fans. You do what? Fantasy football? What the hell is that?

Today, we're no longer geeks. We're mainstream baby! And the Internet has gone a long way in allowing that to happen.

OK, so maybe we're still geeks, but we're COOL geeks.

 

[Ned]

i have a hard time believing this when you have a 4 digit member number.

 

[NoFBinLA]

I'll say one good thing for the good NEW days and the Internet...

Used to be, you'd tell someone you did fantasy football and hold your breath. Or not tell at all. Certainly not women you might want to date. People would look at you like you were some sort of weirdo, even other football fans. You do what? Fantasy football? What the hell is that?

Today, we're no longer geeks. We're mainstream baby! And the Internet has gone a long way in allowing that to happen.

OK, so maybe we're still geeks, but we're COOL geeks.

You nailed it with that last quote - sports fans have finally embraced their inner geekdom.As for the rest - I play in between 6 and 8 leagues - each one a leeeeeetle different and each fun for different reasons.

You say potato, I say poTAHto and all that.

 

[Mystery Achiever]

'blood - did you just have a big birthday or something? . seriously,like abrecher said, the great thing about "today's game" is that you can customize it. so pick the scoring you like that emulates the game, and enjoy thta all of the stats are calculated for you instead of having to manually pick out stats from the newspaper. :embrace change:

 

[benbadman]

Some grown men still ride a bicycle.

Just sayin'.

 

[j3r3m3y]

Should we get off your lawn and is that new fangled "rock and roll" devils music?

Change can be hard to accept, but that does not mean it was better back then.

 

[Couch Potato]

Should we get off your lawn and is that new fangled "rock and roll" devils music?Change can be hard to accept, but that does not mean it was better back then.

Back when a hoe was a hoeCoke was a CokeAnd crack's what you were doingWhen you were cracking jokesBack when a screw was a screwThe wind was all that blewAnd when you said I'm down with thatWell it meant you had the fluI miss back whenI miss back when...

 

[hephner]

I remember the good ol' days of FF, me and my buddies drinkin' moonshine, huddled around an old transistor radio, listening to the games. We had to climb uphill in the snow, both ways, to get the mornin' paper, scanning the pages to see how many TDs Red Grange scored, then jotting it down on parchment paper with my trusty goose feather quill pen and ink. Those were the days...

 

[Holy Schneikes]

Couldn't disgaree more with the OP. I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, and think yardage should be worth more relative to TDs even now. Also love auction format.

That said, some of you guys are a little harsh. Guy didn't totally slam other styles, just said he prefered it the "simple" way and probably wondered if anyone else felt the same way. I'm sure some do, just not too many.

You go geezer man. Find 7 or 9 other geezers and go to town.

 

[jabarony]

Wow, take it easy on the guy. He's just opining on his love for the old method. I'm usually in 4-5 leagues a year and the one I love most is similar to the one this guy mentioned - 6 pt tds, 6 pts 100yds +3pts for 50 after etc. And contrary to popular belief, it does take some skill because it's the one I have to do 90% of my homework on these days. 2 years ago when one of our owners drafted Bettis in the 4th round of the draft it got a lot of laughs from the majority of the league, but a couple of us realized this guy was in business.

Like a couple posters mentioned, any chump these days can buy a magazine and get the lists for the common/"traditional" scoring system and just work down the list and get a decent team. Or even, if they are barely-resourceful, print out a couple cheatsheets from the net. The only advantage you can get these days over Joe Blow is deep sleepers, gut feelings, and post-draft lopsided trades.

Auction ain't bad, though. I kick some butt in that format.

 

[roadkill1292]

I guess the most amazing aspect that has seemingly changed in recent years to me, is the Auction style drafting. Now admittedly, I have never tried it, so maybe I shouldn't be speaking about it, but to me, the ONE thing about FF, that I thought I'd never see change over the years, is the draft. That was and is always the most enjoyable part of FF to me. The bluffing, the outmaneuvering of other owners to get a player in the draft you really want, the trading of draft picks, and just the overall ability to show your wares and football knowledge as you draft a player in the 3rd round, that no one else in the league knows about. The draft is where you can show your true football knowledge IMO.

An auction style draft, every player simply has a dollar value placed on them and you have to decide whether you want to bid on a player or not, and how much. To me, it takes away a lot of the strategy of a a real draft. Yes, you generally have a salary cap that you can't go over, but for the most part if you REALLY want a player, you simply decide to outbid everyone else. There's no trading of draft picks I don't believe, none of the true modern day strategy that goes into draft day. The basic argument I have seen for this is "everyone has a chance at every player". Is that really what you want?? Wouldn't it be more fun, and show your true knowledge and GM skills if you could build a championship team year after year, without the benefit of having access to every player?? To me, it takes more skill and more knowledge to be drafting 8th or lower every year and build a championship team year after year, without the benefit of being in a position to have access to a LJ, an LT or a Peyton Manning, because you simply pick to low every year to get them. In an auction league, you have as much chance as everyone else to get those players, and it's much easier to build a championship team.

I don't agree with your historical perspective. The true roots of fantasy sports games are in the old Rotisserie baseball leagues of the early '80s. The very heart of their game was a salary cap and an auction format. When fantasy football followed a few years later, I was astounded that so many leagues had simplified things by implementing a simple draft instead. I couldn't understand why they were sacrificing the most important aspect of the game -- building the best team you could with the same amount of money as everyone else.And if you're concerned that the internet has leveled the playing field between noobies and competent players, then returning to the auction format, with its unending variety of relational costs as its basis, is the logical step. If your league has enough uninformed players in it that you can procure an "unknown" stud in the third round, then the auction equivalent is to buy a $25 player for $3. But what part of your budget should you spend to get LT? 50%? 45%? It's far more difficult than simply having the 1.1 pick.

Finally, you note the challenge of building a championship team from a low draft position. That is an indictment of drafts, IMO. Having the same chance as your competitors, limited only by your purchasing skills, is the very nature of the game; and auctions are far superior to drafts in this regard.

 

[chris1969]

My first league was an auction draft and was the first year Fantasy Football Index came out if that gives you a time frame. Auction Leagues have been around for a long time.

 

[bigness4life]

Do you miss the fountain pen and the Edsal too?FF has evolved dude, climb on board and embrace it!My guy rushes for 98 yards, your guy rushes for 100, you don't deserve an extra 5 or 6 points for that. Reward players for the stats they put up. Much better IMO.

Disagree. Some of the best rushes I've ever had playing this game are 1:34 left on the clock of MNF, I need 3 pts to win the week. My RB has 96 yards rushing on the game, his team is down by 6 and I'm praying to God they find a way to sprinkle in a draw somewhere. Benchmark scoring is so much easier to set up scenarios where the tension gradually builds as you are watching THE GAME and hoping something happens rather than staring at your monitor counting decimal pts. as time is running out.

I'll never forget a MNF sack at the end of the game by N.D. Kalu that put my team in the championship!

 

[FantasyTrader]

you're seriously griping about an imaginary football league?

This is kind of input that boils my blood. You are in a FANTASY FOOTBALL FORUM right now. Where people are very passionate and dedicated about the hobby.