Instead of the normal fantasy strategy, advice, rankings, or sleepers that I love to spit out for football, basketball and hockey,  today’s entry is simply an out take on everything football contest related.  Call it the Thursday blues, when I have a roster ready for the weekend, my beer and chips in hand, but the games still days away (that first week thursday night game is a tease). You gotta turn to something - I have chosen Pick ‘em pools.

I am quickly realizing that all things football, and sports for that matter can begin to take over my life.  For the past number of years, normally it was roster decisions alone that dominated my Sunday mornings.  Well add a new ritual to the mix, Pick ‘em pools.  I have realized that Pick ‘em pools can be as exciting as fantasy sports if you can do well in the first few weeks.  What seemed like an easy choice in the first five weeks starts to becomes a grueling decision when you have a chance to win a pool.  Just like who to start, it becomes is Atlanta really good enough to cover 10.5 points on the road… 

In making my weekly picks I have found eery similarities between fantasy and pools:

Research time:  While your obsession is player stats in fantasy sports and what player matchup is best, you just switch that to what team is the best matchup.  And when you know the players inside out, you get a good feeling for how teams are going to play.

Road Advantage:  While every deep fantasy player knows which players are best or worst on the road, and will start or bench based on where they are playing, in pools the road/ home advantage is everything, especially when playing ATS pick ‘ems.

NFL Sunday - When you were young you just watched your favorite team play, then fantasy had you switching channels to watch your fantasy players, well guess what, pools just gave you an excuse to watch every game.  It is a natural transition through life, don’t fight it, we were meant to watch every Sunday game.

MNF - see NFL Sunday.  Pools are the perfect substitute when you somehow managed to not draft a player in a Monday Night Football matchup.  They go hand in hand, one backs up the other.

In all seriousness, if you are a big fantasy player, you can probably be a successful pools player.  Your time understanding matchups and players leads you to knowing how well teams can play.  At least a small piece of it, enough to allow you to pick 16 games quickly and get in the game…..