This video pretty much sums up my thoughts for my fantasy football kicker Mason Crosby after his dreadful 2-point Week 1 performance to hitting a 54-yard field goal tonight against the Bears:

Well 0-1 is how the 2012 season has started for my fantasy football team.  I took a loss 103-96.  What stings is my bench put up 78 points and had I started Adrian Peterson (20 points) over Chris Johnson (4 points), Jacob Tamme (10 points) over Brent Celek (6 points) and Dallas DST (13 points) over Lions DST (9) points, I would have won handily.  Mason Crosby, my kicker, had a rough week as he only provided me with 2 points.  Marques Colston had a invisible week, only providing me with 5 points while Danny Amendola was sitting on my bench with 7 points.  Nonetheless, it’s time to re-focus and get committed to winning Week #2.  But first…

I will never sit AP again

I will never sit AP again

I will never sit AP again

I will never sit AP again

… Matthew Berry convinced me to draft Michael Vick in the first round last year and everything he says should be taken with a grain of salt.  Claiming AP would be in the Toby Gerhart role this year, Gerhart totaled 18 yards on 6 carries.  AP is going to play for me in Week 2 and will have the role until he proves unworthy.

Another reason I must take this loss in stride is it wasn’t not starting AP that cost me, it was Chris Johnson only putting up 4 points that proved too much for my team to overcome.  Here’s full results for my team for Week #1:

The Enforcers - Week #1

QB T. Romo - 29 points

RB S. Ridley - 20 points

RB C. Johnson - 4 points

WR M. Colston - 5 points

WR M. Wallace - 9 points

TE B. Celek - 6 points

FLEX M. Floyd - 12 points

K M. Crosby - 2 points

DST Lions - 9 points

Total - 96 points

My Opponent (Pain Killers) - Week #1

QB C. Newton - 14 points

RB D. Sproles - 11 points

RB B. Wells - 1 point

WR J. Jones - 22 points

WR C. Johnson - 11 points

TE B. Pettigrew - 7 points

FLEX S. Smith - 10 points

K S. Janikowski - 8 points

DST Broncos - 19 points

Total - 103 points

Week #1 of the 2012 NFL season will be in full force starting at 1:00 PM EDT today.  I believe I have my lineup set for this week.  Here we go:

QB - Tony Romo, already played, 29 points

RB1 - Chris Johnson

RB2 - Stevan Ridley

WR1 - Marques Colston

WR2 - Darrius Heyward-Bey

RB-WR-TE - Malcom Floyd

TE - Brent Celek

DST - Lions

Adrian Peterson is sitting for me with reports indicating he’ll only see 5-10 carries as
the Vikings test his knee.  ESPN’s Matthew Barrie said AP should be viewed in the Toby Gerhart from last year, but I don’t buy that.  Maybe it’s wishful thinking but I feel like AP will be the #1 option for the Vikings offense very soon.

My quandary this morning is what to do about Trent Richardson.  It’s been reported he’ll start against the Eagles and I’ve considered making him my Flex option, moving Floyd to WR1 and sitting Marques Colston due to his foot injury.  I’m going to continue to weight the decision before lineups lock for the afternoon match-ups.

I’m working on my fantasy football lineup for Week #1.  My quarterback, Tony Romo, has already played and I’ve already filled my RB1 (Chris Johnson), WR1 (Marques Colston), TE (Brent Celek), DST (Lions) and K (Mason Crosby) positions.  I’m looking for who to start as my RB2, WR2 and Flex positions.  Below, I list who I have on my bench with the player in bold being who currently holds the slot:

RB Stevan Ridley (vs. Titans), Adrian Peterson (vs Jaguars), Trent Richardson (vs Eagles)

WR Mike Wallace (vs. Broncos), Malcom Floyd (vs. Raiders) Darrius Heyward-Bey (vs Chargers), Kendall Wright (vs. Patriots)

RB-WR-TE Malcom Floyd (vs. Raiders), Darrius Heyward-Bey (vs Chargers), Kendall Wright (vs. Patriots), Stevan Ridley (vs. Titans), Adrian Peterson (vs Jaguars), Trent Richardson (vs Eagles)

I originally had AP as my clear-cut starter for RB2 but with both Ridley and Richardson as options and with AP not back from his knee injury, it seems extremely risky.  My thinking is to put Ridley out against the Titans as the Browns are likely to get down early and abandon the run against the Eagles.

As for WR2 I have Mike Wallace in there but there will be questions surrounding his time off from the contract holdout.  Malcom Floyd is very likely to find the end zone and I feel like if I start Wallace over Floyd in WR2, he’s going to be my Flex.

Take a look and let me know your thoughts.

Things kicked off for the 2012 version of The Enforcers (my fantasy football team) last night.  As I noted in my update last night, I had two players in play with only one in my lineup.  Here’s how my quarterback Tony Romo faired and the “reserve” points that will not be credited:

In lineup:

Tony Romo

307 PaYd, 3 PaTD (10,40,34), PaInt, 12 RuYd

Total fantasy points - 29

Not in lineup:

Cowboys DST

17 PA, 269 YDS, DFR, 3 SACK

Total fantasy points - 13

I am very pleased with Romo’s performance with the only knock being the one interception thrown that nearly resulted in a “pick six” had it not been for Tyron Smith’s horse-collar tackle.  There was another “near pick” off a Romo spin move but that’s to be expected with Tony and I feel the reward outweighs the risk.  

I was impressed with the play of the Cowboys defense and feel it’s going to be a great unit to own.  I don’t regret not playing them because I actually dropped the Cardinals DST and picked up the Lions DST for their Week 1 matchup against the St. Louis Rams.  While 13 points from a defense is great, I’m hoping for more against the rebuilding Rams.

Are you ready for some football?  It’s been a long offseason and I’m ready for the NFL!  I get excited for the NFL opener every year and this year is even better because my team is playing (Cowboys) and it’s a night earlier due to the Democratic National Convention.  The only fantasy player I have in play for tonight’s game is Tony Romo who is my quarterback.  I own the Cowboys DST but will not be playing them this week.

Speaking of the DNC, I watched part of Rahm Emanuel’s speech and all of first lady Michelle Obama’s speech.  Emanuel, speaking matter-of-factly, rattled off the change they promised in the Obama campaign in 2008 and the change they delivered when they were elected to office.  I felt he was well-received but it didn’t resonate with me.  Emanuel doesn’t strike me as a “likable” guy but more of a guy you put on something when you need a “firecracker” that’s going to get things done.  I don’t know how his career is going as the mayor of Chicago but I wish he could do something with my Bulls who spent the offseason finding creative ways to save money rather than creating a title contender.

Michelle Obama was outstanding and drew positive reactions from conservatives and liberals.  I turned from my normal coverage at CNN over to Fox News [which leans right] to see Karl Rove giving her high marks for her speech but of course ending with criticism.  David Gergen, whom I have a lot of respect for, said if the Democrats “have another night like tonight” they have the potential to blow the race wide open.  While I liked the first lady’s speech, I didn’t walk away with a sense of euphoria either.

As I’ve stated before, this election won’t be won at the conventions and if there is a moment where the swing voters are going to swing it will be during the debates when the candidates discuss the economy.  The fact of the matter is Obama promised a lot of things that he either didn’t accomplish or under delivered.  It’s not all his fault either, however, he’s the president and it falls on his shoulders.  If the Obama campaign wants to walk away with a victory they have to convince the swing voters without a shadow of a doubt that Mitt Romney is nothing more than “going back to George Bush.”

Romney can seize control of the race by throughly explaining how his economic plan is not only better than President Obama’s plan but also significantly different from the policies of the Bush administration.

I’d like to write more but it’s time to wrap up the work day and get in front of the television.  Enjoy the game and go Cowboys!