Replacement Refs and Fantasy Football

And non-titillating titles.  Not recommended.

The NFL is back, baby!  And this year, the NFL locked out its referees in a dispute over money, or at least, that's the only real piece of information being discussed because we don't know the numbers, etc.  The NFL says that it's going to be paying more money, but the refs did the math and say the get the greasy end of the stick in the long run.  Who is right?  Not sure.  But it's important to remember that the referees are locked out, not on strike.

(The other issue being discussed about the lockout is the hypocrisy of the NFL and its stance on player safety.  How can you lock out the most experienced refs but claim safety is a top priority?  But  you can read about that somewhere else.)

Replacement refs are calling the games; they did in preseason and they continued to do so in Week 1.  How are they faring?  Mario Williams blasted the refs for letting the Jets offensive line hold him on every play.  The Seattle Seahawks got an extra time out in the fourth quarter.  There were some other issues here and there, though it does not appear as if any of the flubs altered the outcome of a game... yet.

But even the presence of inexperienced referees is a signal to NFL teams, particularly coaches: try it, see if it works.  As Jim Rome said, if you're not cheating, you're not trying.

My favorite law professor played basketball with a guy who was great to play pick up with.  He played fairly, would admit when he fouled, etc.  But throw in a referee and the guy was a terror.  When someone else was charged with enforcing the rules, this guy would bend or break the rules in hopes a call went his way to gain the advantage over his opponents.  In other words, the referee became a "player" in the game, because his level of skill now had something to do with the outcome of the play, perhaps the game.

NFL teams--and NFL coaches--know that the referees are replacements, that they don't have the experience and training that the real referees have, and I guarantee you that factors into how they plan for the game.  It's one thing to call an extra time out and hope the referees are dumb enough to give it to you, or worse, not know what's supposed to happen if you call for a time out but don't have one.  It's one thing to tell the linemen to hold on every play.  But what will more creative coaches do to take advantage of the inexperienced refs?  I expect we will be surprised at the strategies we will hear about as the season progresses, unless the lockout ends soon.

While you're figuring out how that will affect your fantasy team and who you put in, I'll go ahead and talk about what I did in fantasy football this week.

I have three teams; on two teams, I had Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning.  Ryan's Falcons were taking on the Chiefs, who I read had a good secondary.  Based solely on that information, I benched Ryan for Manning.  What I neglected to read before making that decision is that two of the best Chiefs defenders were sidelined with injuries... which might explain how Ryan scored four touchdowns and torched them badly.

Thankfully, that didn't matter, because Manning played very well (just not as well as Ryan).  This week, Atlanta plays Denver, and I have no idea who I will start... Except that I am a Denver fan and really should start Manning, though biases like that are what turn one into fantasy football losers.

In my third league, Cam Newton started and was summarily exposed by his opponents.  I freaked and looked at the waiver wire for a new quarterback... Until I saw RG3 sitting on my bench.  Cha-ching.

Anyway, that's it.  Sorry it lasted even this long.