Do you agree with Farrell or Andy?

Click Here to take a survey on Fantasy Football

http://slideroll.com/show.php?s=4hh27cjf

1. Dan Rooney: The Rooney Rule

2. Art Shell: First African American NFL Head Coach in modern era

3. Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith: First African American Head Coaches to coach in a Super Bowl

4. Mike Tomlin: Youngest Head Coach in the NFL

5. Fritz Pollard: First African American Player to play in the NFL

6. Doug Williams: First African American Quarterback to Start a Super Bowl

7. Warren Moon: First African American Quarterback Enshrined in the Hall of Fame

8. Mike Carey: First African American to Referee the Super Bowl, with NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell

9. Donovan McNabb: Philadelphia Eagles

10: LaDainian Tomlinson: San Diego Chargers

According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, the fantasy sports industry has grown from an estimated three million people playing in 1990 to 27.1 million playing in the past year. Out of the 27.1 million people playing, 93% are white while only 1.6% are African-American. The underlying problem with this statistic is that more than half of the players in the NFL are African American. This problem with African American dominating on the field but it not translating into society is something that has been a controversial issue before and still is. The market for African American NFL coaches was just as limited as the market for fantasy players back in the early 1990s. In 1990, Art Shell became the first African American head coach in the modern era of the NFL. Even with the hiring of Shell the rest of the league did not make a significant change until 2003 when the Rooney Rule was established. The Rooney Rule was named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who was the chairman of the league’s diversity commitment, and it required NFL teams to interview minority candidates for a head coaching opportunity. After the Rooney Rule was established the overall percentage of African American coaches in football rose from 6% to 22%, according to Brian W. Collins, June 2007 NYU Law Review.

The actions taken by the league have been significant for African American in the coaching market. In 2006 Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith became the first African American coaches to coach in the Super Bowl and Dungy became the first African American to win it. “Super Bowl XLI was a great time for African Americans in football and especially in coaching”, said Dan Runcie. “The league stepped in and did a very good job by imposing the Rooney Rule”. Runcie is an African American and avid football fan and fantasy player who has noticed the oddly low percentage of African Americans that play fantasy football. “It is weird to think that there are not more African American football fans out there because I know that there is. I love fantasy football but I think the problem may be the way the league markets their players compared to other professional sports”, said Runcie. The NFL has had a problem appealing to young African Americans. “Most of the people they market are white, like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre. While the NFL does market African American players like Ladainian Tomlinson and Donovan McNabb they do not appeal to the young African American demographic like NBA players Lebron James and Kobe Bryant”, said Runcie. The problem with marketing the NFL players to young African Americans is that most young African Americans do not play football as much as they would play basketball or even baseball.

Another demographic that has not been responsive to the fantasy football trend has been women. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association reports that only 4% of the people who play fantasy football are women. The logical answer to this is that women do not like football, but that is not always the case. Most women who do like football do not like it enough to play fantasy football. “I am a big fantasy football player and huge football fan and my girlfriend also loves football”, said Bill Rennison. “The difference is that even though she enjoys watching her favorite team play just like many other women do, there is much more to fantasy football than that”. Fantasy football players watch an average of 3 more hours of football on Sunday than other football fans, according to the Fantasy Football Trade Association. This is one of the key factors that distance the casual fan away from fantasy football and most women who are football fans are casual fans. Nate Hunt plays on three fantasy football teams and is someone who has competed against a woman in fantasy football. “I played against a girl in one of my leagues and she was actually pretty good. I think it is tough for her to compete though because all the other people in the league take it much more seriously”, said Hunt.

People of all ages compete in fantasy football as well. Although most of the players that compete in fantasy football are between the ages on 18-35 the Fantasy Sports Trade Association reports that 13% of teenagers in the United States play fantasy football, which is much higher than the national average. The one group of football fanatics that do not play fantasy football are men over fifty. The main reason for this is the non-interest of maintaining a team through the internet. For some who do love the game they have found a way around it. “I have been a huge football fan my whole life and now at age 47 I have became a fantasy geek I guess”, said Howie Laux, who has now been playing fantasy sports for the past five years. “At first I had my son help me take care of my team on the internet, but now I am good on my own. Playing fantasy football has me on the computer and the internet more and that has helped me”, sad Laux.

There is no reason to think that the fantasy sports industry will be slowing down anytime soon. With many leagues being offered for free and becoming easier to use, people who have not tried it will begin to play. We know that men between the ages of 18-35 will continue to play and we can only hope that the world of fantasy sports will get more diverse as time goes on.

Click Here to take a survey on Fantasy Football

QB: Brady Quinn, Cleveland Browns, Available in 77% of Yahoo! Leagues

The Brady Quinn Era begins on Thursday night for the Cleveland Browns. I think everyone is excited to see what the QB from Notre Dame can do. This week he gets the Broncos at home and he has weapons, so if you are looking for a shot in the dark then look at Quinn. In the long term Quinn can be the answer for the Brown’s offense and for some fantasy owners looking for a quarterback.

RB: Ryan Torain, Denver Broncos, Available in 79% of Yahoo! Leagues and Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs, Available in 74% of Yahoo! Leagues

Both of these guys will have a major impact on at least one fantasy week down the stretch. Both of these AFC West running backs are now the majority carry getter on their team and both have been impressive. Mike Shanahan says that Torain is the most talented back the Broncos have had since Terrell Davis. If you have seen Charles play for the Chiefs, you know he has major speed. The Broncos have favorable games left against the Browns, Raiders, Jets, Chiefs, and Bills. The Chiefs have favorable games against the Saints, Raiders, Broncos, and Dolphins.

1. It all starts with draft day.I should say draft days because hopefully you are not going into your draft without preparing. Preparation is key for any type of draft. Know what players have changed teams and what rookies will make an impact. Just look at the rookie class this year with Matt Ryan, Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton, Matt Forte, Desean Jackson, and Tim Hightower.

2. Do not worry about your drafting position.Whether you have the first pick of the tenth should not decide where you finish in the standings. Just look at this season, the top three picks on average were Tomlinson, Peterson, and S. Jackson. Compare that with lower first round talents like Portis, Barber, and Gore and the lower end first round guys have been more productive.

3. Week 1 is huge.It is huge not only to start the season off on the right foot, but to see what players that went undrafted will have a big season. Just look at Eddie Royal, he went undrafted in most leagues and caught nine passes for 136 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 and he has not slowed down since.

4. The Waiver Wire is very important. Every week there will be guys who come out of nowhere due to an injury or something else. The fantasy players who keep an eye and add these guys to their teams are constantly making their team better without having to make a trade.

5. Be careful of trades. Trades in any league can be fair and help both teams or at least one in most cases. The thing to watch out for is selling a player on your team too low because they struggled for a few games. You also have to be careful to buy a player too high through trade because eventually most players perform to their reputations.

6. Bye Weeks. The number one cardinal sin of fantasy football is to bench your players who have bye weeks. Of course if your player is on a bye he will not score a point for you, so anyone on your bench or on the waiver wire will perform better. Also be weary of having too many of your players that have the same bye week.

7. Do your research.Every week you are going to have to make a decision on who to start and who to sit and to make these decisions you should look for all the help you can get. All the major sports websites and many other various sites and blogs like this one can help you make the right decision.

8. Look down the road. Fantasy sports is different than real sports on the way where in fantasy you have to think about more than the game this week. When picking up a player, dropping a player, or making a trade you have to look at the big picture. NFL head coaches play one game at a time and fantasy players can’t afford to do so because it is all based on match-ups and all based on the playoff weeks.

9. Watch football. This is obviously an easy step to follow if you love football like I do. Try to watch the players on your team play rather than just read their stats. For example, Brandon Marshall had a 75 yard touchdown called back on a penalty this week. Marshall owners were probably furious when they read he only caught 2 passes for 27 yards but if they watched the game they would have known he almost had that 75 yard touchdown.

10. Luck. People that are fantasy experts would like you to believe that luck does not play a role in fantasy sports but in my mind it is the key. Whether it is luck that the players you draft do not get hurt or luck that your opponent week to week does not have their best game, everyone needs a little luck to win a championship.

Follow these steps and win a fantasy championship.

Lucky for the NFL and fantasy players there has been a new wave of quarterbacks that have stepped up big time. Phillip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, Kyle Orton, and Jason Campbell are all top 10 fantasy quarterbacks to this point and are all under the age of 26. Throw that in with the success of rookie QB’s Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco and the NFL has a great group of young quarterbacks.

With recent injuries to Orton, Matt Schaub, and Roethlisberger and the benching of Anderson, some people may be looking for a QB before the trade deadline. Here is my overall rankings for the quarterback position for the rest of the fantasy season.

1. Drew Brees: He has been outstanding and there is nothing scary about his schedule, especially his match-up with the Lions in championship week, week 16.

2. Jay Cutler: The Broncos pass happy offense just lost its two leading rushers to season ending injuries which means they will be more pass happy and their schedule is very easy.

3. Peyton Manning: The Colts are now 4-4 and Manning will not let this team miss the playoffs, throw that in with home games against Cincinnati and Detroit in weeks 14 and 15 and Manning will be big down the stretch.

4. Phillip Rivers: Rivers leads the NFL with 19 touchdown passes and his running mate LT is looking back to form which means trouble for opposing defenses and the AFC West.

5. Donovan McNabb: The Eagles offense is now at full strength and McNabb has been playing great all season, plus the schedule is easy outside of the division.

6. Kurt Warner: The grandfather of this group but he has not been playing like it. Warner is second in passing yards behind Brees and second in passing touchdowns behind Rivers.

7. Aaron Rodgers: Brett who? Not yet, but the Packers just gave him a contract. Rodgers has three rushing touchdowns to pair up with his 13 passing touchdowns and has only thrown 5 interceptions.

8. Tony Romo: Romo is going to be the wild card that decides some fantasy leagues. With all the weapons in Big D Romo should be great but the reason I rank him this low is the Cowboys brutal schedule, especially playing the Steelers, Giants, and Ravens in the playoff weeks.

9. Eli Manning: Eli has been a very efficient QB going back to the start of the playoffs last season, but that has not reflected on his stats. Eli is only 15th in passing yards and 8th in passing touchdowns.

10. Brett Favre: The old gunslinger has struggled of late but he has the weapons and the schedule down the stretch to help you succeed with games against St. Louis, Denver, San Francisco, Buffalo, and Seattle.

Best of the Rest: Jason Campbell, Kyle Orton (Pending Injury), and Jake Delhomme.

QB: Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Available in 64% of Yahoo! Leagues

Garcia has started the last two games for the Bucs since replacing Brian Griese. In his first game Garcia played well but did not have the best fantasy game, but last Sunday night Garcia broke out. Garcia threw for 310 yards and a score against the Seahawks. This week Garcia and the Bucs play the Dallas Cowboys. Not a bad match-up with the injuries to the Cowboys secondary and QB’s Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, and Kyle Orton are on a bye week so Garcia might be needed. Also, Garica is a great play next week against the Chiefs while Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, and Jake Delhomme are on a bye.

RB: Mewelde Moore, Pittsburgh Steelers, Available in 55% of Yahoo! Leagues

Moore has looked very good over the past few weeks filling in for injured RB WIllie Parker. In both games he has started Moore has gotten over 20 touches and has averaged 125 total yards and has scored two touchdowns. Parker had a setback in practice last week and his status is very much in doubt, that added in with rookie RB Rashard Medenhall being out for the season give Moore value through the rest of the season.

WR: Reggie Brown, Philadelphia Eagles, Available in 58% of Yahoo! Leagues

Brown has only played in two games this season and in both he has been very active. Brown did practice on Monday as did Kevin Curtis, so the two paired with rookie WR Desean Jackson give Donovan McNabb his full WR core for the first time this season. Brown has good chemistry with McNabb and even though he is not as big a deep threat as Jackson and Curtis, Brown is a go to guy on the short and medium routes and could be a factor in the red zone.

Q: You’re from NY and working in a field of covering sports what is your opinion on Brett Favre coming to the Jets and how that has rejuvenated the Jets fan base?

Z. Smart: I think it’s a good fit. The gunslinger still has at least two more solid years left in him, and I think last season was certainly indicative of that. Obviously he didn’t give the most accurate account of himself this week with the loss to lowly Oakland, but I think a high-profile athlete like that is definitely a positive for NY. Of course, the cut-throat NY media is always a handful, but Favre can definitely carry the torch for the Jets and steer them back into winning territory.

Q: Coming off of that upset win last year over the juggernaut Patriots how have the Giants and Eli Manning looked different to you now than they have in year’s past?

Z. Smart: Eli, if you take away the Browns loss, has had almost a self-revelation. He bleeds confidence, doesn’t falter under pressure as he proved in the Super Bowl and takes advantage of a deep nucleus of receivers. The defense has been very strong, showing no residual effects of the Osi Umenyiora loss. I think the Giants have a chance to get back to where they were last year and these ensuing couple of weeks should include some real litmus tests as the stiffer competition looms.

Q: What has been the most surprising thing in your opinion that has happened in the NFL this season?

Z. Smart: I’d say it’s a tie between the Brady injury and the recent events that have unfolded with the Dallas Cowboys.

Q: Like you said the recent events of the Dallas Cowboys have been very interesting from the Terrell Owens comments to Tony Romo’s injured pinkie and the suspension of Adam “Pacman” Jones. Do you think as a member of the media that all of the media craziness going on in Dallas has had an effect on them losing their last two games to lower level teams like the Cardinals and Rams?

Z. Smart: No, I don’t think the media circus–and believe me, it is a zoo–can have that kind of effect on a team. Though the media did seem to permeate the psyche of the 2006 New York Giants (remember Strahan’s wild rant?!) I think Dallas’ losses have been due to their own shortcomings and failure to teams without the services of those top-tier players.

Q: You have covered athletes from all over at the college level and beyond, who have been the most interesting athletes you have covered or the most interesting events?

Z. Smart: It’s tough to say. The most interesting athlete would have to be either former New York Knick legends John Starks or Walt “Clyde” Frazier, only I have never really covered them. Perhaps the most interesting events, for me, have been the UConn hoops games. The Connecticut media and Jim Calhoun seem to have an ever-changing relationship. Calhoun is actually a really interesting and funny guy, he’s definitely done a lot to shape that place into an NBA machine. He’s also not someone you want to mess with following a loss. Nobody who has beefed with him has ever come out on the winning end. He’ll call you out in front of the whole media room and make sure your next phone call is unanswered. Still, I think he’s done a great job. He was able to deal with the terrible illness of cancer while maintaining his military general-like zeal which allows UConn to maintain their perennial power status. You have to tip your cap to a guy like Calhoun.

Q: On the fantasy side of sports, being apart of the industry have you seen a change in the way sports are being covered nationally with the sport fan being too concerned over stats and not the pure joy of watching the game?

Z. Smart: I think fantasy sports have become more of a numbers game than it has a sports game. Too many people get over-competitive about it and therefore yes, I have seen a change. I think nowadays more people are concerned about the success of their fantasy team and are competitive about it amongst their friends. In a way, however, it has allowed more people to watch games they normally would not watch and get more involved. It might take a little bit away from the purity of the game and the way in which people watch a game.

Q: What are your opinions on fantasy sports, do you play? Why or Why not?

Z. Smart: Honestly, I’m not a big fan of fantasy sports. I don’t play. I’d rather chill and watch a game than hawk a couple of players that I have on my team. If you read Phil Jackson’s book, Sacred Hearts, it explains how the best player on a team is the guy who takes the worst player on a team and makes him good. Sports, especially football is very egocentric and I think that fantasy sports glorifies players and takes a little bit away from the team and the cohesive brand of ball they play.

Q: Where can readers who want to know more about you check out your stuff and what can they expect?

Z. Smart: Readers can find my stuff at http://Hoopville.net , http://nyismecca.com , http://w3.nbebasketball.com/ , and http://zsmart.blogspot.com/ . They can expect solid coverage with creative, humorous twists to them. I like to add some humor in it. Sports, just like life itself, aren’t that serious.