Last Place Wisdom: The Gold Standard

When it comes to bands, there are certain songs that are just so closely related with the artist who recorded it that it comes to dominate their discography. It's not to say it's their only hit, but it just seems to stand out as the #1 song whenever you think of the band. You have Ozzy and "Crazy Train", Led Zeppelin with "Stairway to Heave", Nirvana and "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Oasis with "Wonderwall", 50 Cent with "In da Club", Radiohead with "Creep"...by now you should be getting the idea. When it comes to Tom Petty, that song in my opinion is "Free Fallin", so to start us off for the week, I present to you Mr. Ryan Hollweg

To be honest, given that Free Fallin is the gold standard of Tom Petty hits, I was planning on waiting a little longer before making it the focus of the blog. With the title and song lyrics, it really lends itself to being used in some sort of sports setting; my plan had me busting it out late in the season as someone is Free Fallin out of a playoff spot. Given that I am now 0-2 however, that someone could very easily be me. I know it's early, but I remember the year I finished in last place. You get a couple of bad losses, and a couple of unlucky games, and all of a sudden all the confidence you had going in to the season is completely evaporated. And on that note, on to "Well That Surprised Me"


(If I'm being even more honest, part of my motivation in using Free Fallin now is to get it out of the way, and hopefully remove the potential that I have to use it when I'm 2-6 or some number like that. If my season is still in free fall mode at the halfway point, I'm going to look stupid for busting the gold standard out now)

 Well That Surprised Me

• Starting 0-2 really has surprised me. I figured the game with Steve could go either way, but I was feeling very confident going into the game against Travis. Midway through Sunday I was feeling good as well, but then Tyrod Taylor lit it up in junk time and I was down by 20. No big deal I figured, 20 points out of Lacy, Randle and Miller should be easily accomplished; then Miller sprains his ankle and leaves the game early. Ok, 9 points out of Lacy, that should be easy as well; sprained ankle, 1 point...and we're done.
• I think the trades that dominated our league last week surprised everyone who wasn't involved in them. I know there are some mixed feelings about what went down, but I think it's positive. It has shaken things up, which always makes fantasy more exciting. Here are a few thoughts on what has transpired
• I think Dawson is the big winner, obviously. Not just because Dawson got the best players in most of the trades, but because he was able to finagle extra throw-ins that he really should have had no chance at getting above and beyond the core stars. Tevin Coleman... shouldn't have been included, Lance Dunbar...shouldn't have been included, Dorial Green-Beckham...shouldn't have been included. All 3 guys have value, and all 3 trades would have been completely fair without their inclusion. Dawson's the defending champ, people have to learn to play a little hardball with him.
• If Dez Bryant comes back at all this year, I think the trade hurts Dawson slightly. I'd rather have Dez going than Cobb, and Dawson might miss him in the playoffs. He doesn't need Dez to get there, so I would've considered holding on to him in that hope.
• With the thought that maybe trades should've been vetoed...I don't agree with that. People have the right to manage their team however they see fit. Frankly, after week one none of the trades are looking that bad given that Tyrod outplayed Luck, Eifert looks like a stud, and Fitzgerald outplayed Megatron (is Mike a secret genius getting off the Calvin Johnson bandwagon before age and injury really start to take their toll?). Maybe it's just one week, but people need the opportunity to make decisions they think will help their teams.
• Well, Carlos Hyde is not looking like the next big thing after Week 2, so maybe I was a little premature in my love there. He still should be a solid player for the rest of his season and his career, but it's a good reminder not to fall too in love with unestablished players.
• Just how bad the Eagles have been has been a shock. I was on the same page as John in thinking they would tear up the league (#blurredlines) and so seeing the struggle to muster any sort of offense at all has just totally floored me. John is having to put a lot of faith in the Tennessee Titans while the Eagles are struggling, and I don't know how that will work out for him; that's one place we aren't on the same page this year.

That Wouldn't Surprise Me

• It wouldn't necessarily surprise me if I lost again this week. I'm probably favoured against Curt, but my team is seriously hit by the injury bug right now. Brees is out; Miller, Lacy, Hopkins, Adams and Decker are all banged up. They might play, but it's tough to really rely on any of them. Bridgewater hasn't looked amazing, and Brown has been the only guy on my team I have fully been able to trust so far this year. It's a tough situation, and until I get a couple of wins under my belt I don't feel good.
• It wouldn't surprise me at all if Stan hands Steve his first loss this week. After Week One I really wasn't feeling Stan's team, but I think he's going to be able to rely on Carson Palmer as a star this year, and he's made some decent moves to make up for CJ Anderson and LeSean McCoy's struggles. He's a little too all-in on Oakland for me to really love his team, but it's not so bad.

Mr. Manager of the Week Award
 Dawson just got Andrew Luck, Randall Cobb and Calvin Johnson in one week...was there really any other guess for who I was going to give the award of the week to?