Here’s a quick public service announcement for this Election Day: When you’re faced with a series of different options, it’s always smart to go for the best one.
Some people have a lot of problems choosing between all the possibilities, and wish they could just go for two. It might feel right at the moment. It may seem like it gives your team more advantage down the road. But that’s just silly.
In all but a few cases, opting for two doesn’t make any long-term sense. If you take the best one, you get the one you need. If you keep reaching for two separate points instead of a single, solid one, you can risk spoiling the whole project and end up with nothing at all. It’s especially foolish to go for two early, potentially risking all of your other options later.
Just look at a hypothetical voter whose candidate has the lead. He might believe that opting for two will help his team win, because two just means more. He might decide to go for two multiple times in one session. But as he makes that same mistake over and over and over again, now the opponent’s standard bearer begins to catch up, endangering the victory.
(Sure, in some contests, you can choose up to three different points. But that just feels crazy to even talk about when some people can’t even figure out the ones and twos.)
So this Election Day, let’s reject the idea of always backing the two-point play, and instead embrace the solid single option. It’s better for democracy. And it’ll keep the screaming public a little quieter, confident that they know the proper decisions are being made when and where it matters the most.
QB: Joe Burrow, 39.14 pts — started by Jeff
WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 28.00 pts — started by Joel
RB: Saquon Barkley, 33.90 pts — started by me
TE: Mike Gesicki, 21.17 pts — on the wire
K: Tyler Bass, 14.00 pts — started by Bob
DEF: LA Rams, 23.00 pts — on the wire
D: (tie) Kamren Kinchens, 12.50 pts — on the wire
D: (tie) Trey Hendrickson, 12.50 pts — on the wire
RB Derrick Henry became the first RB on the season to top 1,000 yards rushing on Sunday, but only because his team hasn’t had a bye yet. Barkley, who rushed for 159 yds against the Jaguars, has 925 so far this year, and is just a hair behind Henry’s pace (115.6 yds per game for Barkley, vs 116.8 for Henry). But Barkley is also averaging 8 more receiving yds a game than Henry, making him the more productive all around back. What I’m saying is that Barkley may have been worth that big contract.
I normally wouldn’t care to name both the top defensive players, but this week it was worth noting. Kinchens scored the bulk of his points via an interception returned for a TD, as you might expect, but Hendrickson did not. The Bengals DE had four sacks, one forced fumble and two pass defenses against the Raiders, which is just a wild stat line. If he’s taking down the QB and batting down passes, maybe move him out to the linebacker post.
Joe Burrow had one TD pass when I had to start him in another league last week and five TD passes when I benched him this week, so I hate him and will not discuss any further.
“Players we own” edition
3rd place: Miami, 0.00 pts — on Jo’s bench
2nd place: Xavier Worthy, -1.00 pts — started by Dad
1st place: Denver, -5.00 pts — started by Ant
Denver got blown out by the Ravens, Worthy had a rush go for -10 yds and had bad luck the rest of his game. Those two make sense.
Miami just didn’t do anything, really. They recorded one sack and one turnover. They allowed 30 pts, which is bad, but not so bad that it’s interesting. They just … were there. Their defense scored as many points as the 49ers this week, and San Fran was on a bye.
Even odder, it’s the fourth time they’ve scored exactly zero points in a contest this year. Their other four games? Seven, seven, seven and … four. Well, the pattern was fun while it lasted.
** Headline on ESPN.com on Monday morning: Should Saquon Barkley be in the conversation for Offensive Player of the Year?
Their answer: Yes!
Great piece, guys. Way to stake out the unpopular position that the player with the most offensive yards per game should be considered for the offensive player of the year award. Next you’ll tell me that the team with the best score at the end of the Super Bowl should be considered as the league champion.
** Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement Monday that head coach Dennis Allen “is highly regarded within the NFL … has been extremely loyal and professional, and most importantly an excellent football coach for us.”
And then she announced he was fired, because the team is 2-7, because he has a 18-25 record with the team over the last three years, and because he has not been an excellent football coach for the team.
It was a very polite sentiment, though.
** Lost in the Patriots overtime loss on Sunday to the Titans (a game that no one should have been watching) was the coin toss at the end of regulation. As the visiting team, the Patriots got the chance to call. When they guessed wrong, the Titans opted to receive the ball first. And then the Patriots got to choose which end zone to defend. They chose to try and play into the wind, a decision that no sane coach would ever make.
After the game, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo blamed the error on varying weather conditions. “The wind had changed from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. So that’s what happened.”
And that’s a perfectly reasonable response, if he had to choose which side to defend three hours earlier. Dude, stick your finger into the air and see which way the wind is blowing. Then pick the right direction.
This isn’t advanced math, like trying to decide whether to go for one or two points when you’ve got a lead. That takes real coaching skill.
Tuesday was the NFL’s trade deadline, and while a few teams swapped picks and players, no one truly filled their biggest needs. According to NFL insiders, here are a few deals that were on the table but fell apart at the last minute:
** Philadelphia trades a 3rd-round pick for Indianapolis Coach Shane Steichen
This would have been great — Steichen, who served as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator during their last Super Bowl run — would have come back to helm a talented team in need of better coaching. The deal was nixed by Colts officials after the Eagles demanded they include $5.75 in bus fare to move Sirianni out of town.
** Maryland trades two 4th-round picks to Arizona for their mascot
The Maryland Cardinals isn’t a great name, but it makes more sense on the East Coast and is far, far better than the Commanders. Arizona owners were ready to go through with the trade until the NFL rejected their proposed new name: the Redskins, a tribute to all the sunburn victims in the desert outside Phoenix. Apparently there are some problems with that moniker...
** Dallas trades $5 million in cash to New England for a single soul
At first glance, it may seem surprising that Cowboys would be looking for a soul at all, given their godless, heathenistic approach to everything. But it’s always good to have one around for occult sacrifices. Sadly, the Patriots could not complete this deal because the entire region already sold their souls to the devil for 20 years of sports success.
** San Francisco trades a 7th-round pick to Carolina for extra hamstrings
The 49ers have been decimated by injuries this year, so a few spare body parts are going to be needed to get them over the finish line. The Panthers’ players aren’t really using any of theirs, so it seemed like a decent swap, but local public health officials stepped in and raised objections.
** Cleveland trades DeSean Watson to hell
This one shouldn’t really be included on the list, because it’s not realistic. Hell has no interest in taking Watson, price or no price.
Since early this year, the NFL Votes campaign has been encouraging players and fans to make their voice heard in this year’s election. All 32 clubs have taken part in the effort, although you can tell some players don’t really care.
Take, for instance, Dallas LB Nick Vigil. The nine-year pro had only two tackles in Sunday’s third-consecutive team loss, but somehow didn’t have any time to take part in the get-out-the-vote program. Why? Well, the answer is pretty obvious when you look at his name:
Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Nick Vigil
** A candid suck — Losers be voting. I lack will. I obey.
It doesn’t surprise me that a member of the Cowboys is against the most fundamental tenets of democracy. It just upsets me that we let people like him flaunt it around impressionable youth every Sunday.
** Dad and I split our picks again this week, so I remain one ahead of him in the yearly standings. This contest is so close, Nick Sirianni is gonna refuse to kick the extra point.
** Philadelphia trades a 3rd-round pick for Indianapolis Coach Shane Steichen
This would have been great — Steichen, who served as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator during their last Super Bowl run — would have come back to helm a talented team in need of better coaching. The deal was nixed by Colts officials after the Eagles demanded they include $5.75 in bus fare to move Sirianni out of town.
** Maryland trades two 4th-round picks to Arizona for their mascot
The Maryland Cardinals isn’t a great name, but it makes more sense on the East Coast and is far, far better than the Commanders. Arizona owners were ready to go through with the trade until the NFL rejected their proposed new name: the Redskins, a tribute to all the sunburn victims in the desert outside Phoenix. Apparently there are some problems with that moniker...
** Dallas trades $5 million in cash to New England for a single soul
At first glance, it may seem surprising that Cowboys would be looking for a soul at all, given their godless, heathenistic approach to everything. But it’s always good to have one around for occult sacrifices. Sadly, the Patriots could not complete this deal because the entire region already sold their souls to the devil for 20 years of sports success.
** San Francisco trades a 7th-round pick to Carolina for extra hamstrings
The 49ers have been decimated by injuries this year, so a few spare body parts are going to be needed to get them over the finish line. The Panthers’ players aren’t really using any of theirs, so it seemed like a decent swap, but local public health officials stepped in and raised objections.
** Cleveland trades DeSean Watson to hell
This one shouldn’t really be included on the list, because it’s not realistic. Hell has no interest in taking Watson, price or no price.
Since early this year, the NFL Votes campaign has been encouraging players and fans to make their voice heard in this year’s election. All 32 clubs have taken part in the effort, although you can tell some players don’t really care.
Take, for instance, Dallas LB Nick Vigil. The nine-year pro had only two tackles in Sunday’s third-consecutive team loss, but somehow didn’t have any time to take part in the get-out-the-vote program. Why? Well, the answer is pretty obvious when you look at his name:
Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Nick Vigil
** A candid suck — Losers be voting. I lack will. I obey.
It doesn’t surprise me that a member of the Cowboys is against the most fundamental tenets of democracy. It just upsets me that we let people like him flaunt it around impressionable youth every Sunday.
** Dad and I split our picks again this week, so I remain one ahead of him in the yearly standings. This contest is so close, Nick Sirianni is gonna refuse to kick the extra point.
** By the way, the Eagles scored in the first quarter, finally. I expect them to make up for the slow start to the first half of the season by scoring in the first quarter of every remaining game now.
** Vegas has the Eagles at 6-to-1 odds to win the NFC, the third best of any team. And boasting a 6-2 record, that makes some sense. They trail the 7-1 Lions (2-to-1 odds) and …the 4-4 49ers (5-to-1 odds), who have the 8th best record in the conference and would not be in the playoffs if the postseason started today. Sure, that makes sense. They’re clearly a bigger threat than the six other teams with a better record.
** I'm not sure I really expressed it well in the column this week, so let me be clear: I don't think Sirianni did a good job with score management this week. I just don't want to be too subtle about that.
Week 9 standings
1 — Still The Best (Jonathan), 1137.02 pts
2 — Chop Block to the Artery (Capt. Awesome), 1099.72 pts
3 — Kodos for President (Jo), 1077.46 pts
4 — Blue Collar Killers (Jeff), 1072.21 pts
5 — Murder Hornets (Mike), 1066.51 pts
6 — No One Likes Us We Don't Care (Bob), 1039.83 pts
7 — DeVonta’s Inferno (Mom D), 1028.48 pts
8 — Beer 'n Chips (Dad), 1017.81 pts
9 — Jabronis (Ant), 1009.61 pts
10 — The Fightin Pickles (Sam), 895.95 pts
11 — Overachievers Anonymous (Paul), 870.77 pts
12 — All Rogers No Sauce (Joel), 778.57 pts
Now we’re talking. Jonathan remains in first place, but his lead is smaller thanks to my 164.83 pts this week, the highest for any team so far this season. Across my four fantasy leagues, my teams are now in second, second, second and … sixth. Well, the pattern was fun while it lasted.
Fort Awesome residents are again perched across all the medal stand spots, with Jeff close behind. Bob’s 142.34 pts would have been good enough for the top spot most other weeks, but instead he’ll just have to settle for climbing back into the mix. Sam and Paul are just barely hanging onto the edge of the precipice. Joel has fallen to his doom.
There’s a big Thursday game this week — Ravens vs. Bengals — and a Sunday morning game in Germany featuring the Giants and the Panthers. We must still really hate Germany. Four teams are on a bye this week, so get your lineups set early.