Today we look back at those changes that have shaped the league into what it is today. There have been some minor rule changes and some owners that have come and gone, which have all altered the league that we see today.
The first change that jumps out is the Draft date. Let me tell you a little story about a kid that got to pick his favorite player, from his favorite team, with his high first-round pick. Sounds like a fairy tale, right? It would be, if that innocent little boy didn’t have a tuna can and didn’t pick a player who abruptly retired to rip bongs in a tent with Lenny Kravitz. After Gill’s awesome mistake of relying on Dolphins and Ricky Williams, the draft had to be pushed back.
The next rule that had to be amended was the “kick returners score a billion points” rule. The commish threw a little curve ball into the mix when he started giving out points for kick return yards. This would have been cute if anyone read the rules and realized this before John snatched up every receiver who returned kicks. The rule was quickly changed as John started rolling through week 1 with the likes of Dante Hall, Michael Lewis some other receivers you never cared about. While the timing of the rule change is still being challenged, to this day, the rule needed to be changed. (On a side note, the Dolphins thought the NFL gave out points for kick return yards when they drafted Ted Ginn, Jr.)
The Defensive Player. The defensive player was a fixture of the league for years, even having as many as 3 in some seasons. I understand that the defensive players in the NFL wanted to feel cool and get included in Fantasy Football, but nothing is worse than losing a game by a point cause Patrick Willis had more tackles than your linebacker. Gone too are the days when you can find that loophole player like an early Devin Hester, who was listed as a DP and clearly played offense.
A Relegation system of sorts, through the years we have trimmed some of the fat in the league. While we sure miss the “Battle of the Slopes,” rivalry game for the illustrious “Golden Lift Ticket” between Terrono and O’Dwyer, we can all agree that it’s for the best. No longer do we have Kropp drafting Mike Nugent in the second round or Carl and Matty sharing a team. Change is good, and the addition of newcomer Timmy is like Mark Cuban being allowed to buy the Mets or Dodgers.
Possibly the biggest evolution of the league was not through actual rule changes, but more through the owners’ evolution. I’m not about to make a touching commentary on how we have matured and evolved, just that shit has changed because we got older. These two changes have made the league the super-competitive event that it is today. The first is McCanns Sundays. Where else can we all gather, get drunk and talk shit all day. The league has gotten more competitive because there is something extra-satisfying about beating someone and watching part of their soul get crushed right in front of you. The second is having jobs. Jobs suck, but they have given us time to research even more and make a blog. Our anticipation for this season is higher than ever before, and it’s not the lockout. It’s the realization that McCanns Sundays and Fantasy Football make us different than the loser at the desk next to you. We are better than those fools, partly because of our fantasy superiority.
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