Saturday, August 24, 2019

WRBL 2018 Record Book

Technically, we've been doing this for five years now and have yet to have a repeat champion. What started out as a fledgling idea as friends from school (most of whom without cars at the time) doing an online draft just to see if there was anything sustainable there as far as feeding our gambling addictions through guise of bonding and friendship (Don't worry, we're all buddy-buddy now but once official season #5 starts up? There might be some silent treatments), is now entering it's 5th official season (and god knows how many years before we actually met for drafts and started this series of blog posts that there was some form of a fantasy football league with Nick Zurawski at the helm). Our Wisconsin Rapids Bro League (AKA: The Buffalo Wild Wings League, AKA: Lincoln '13 + Ryan League & AKA: The Source of Nick Zurawski's December anxieties) has a draft scheduled for Saturday, August 24th at 10:00 AM as we are headed back to an online draft format for this year at least. The only league to actually establish parity is still waiting on championships for Tyler Sneen, Nick Zurawski and Darrin Aschebrook. Will this be the magical season? Well, depending on which player they keep and how they build around that player this weekend will sure do a load of help in aiding their process.

With the calendar hitting draft day, here is one last look at the WRBL Record Book from the year 2018 and an update on some of the award winners plus cumulative leaders over the past four official seasons. Good luck to all and may your rosters be satisfactory headed into week one.

Here are some things I found while digging through the WRBL record books...


Ben Roethlisberger had no points last year.

(Since Nick's win in 2014) The only two-time champions are... RBs Todd Gurley & Dalvin Cook and WRs Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Brandin Cooks & Jarvis Landry.

Derrick Henry did not have any points until last year... RBs that did have points from 2015-17 while Henry sat on benches? Matt Jones, Branden Oliver, Kenneth Farrow, Paul Perkins, Bishop Sankey, Shaun Draughn and Antonio Andrews.

3 Quarterbacks, 21 Running Backs, 10 Wide Receivers, 7 Tight Ends and 2 Kickers all made their WRBL debuts in 2018. Should they all be Rookie of the Year eligible for our league from now on, no matter how long they've been in the NFL? (ex: James Conner, Patrick Mahomes, George Kittle and somehow, Robert Woods would all be eligible ROTY candidates)

After one season, George Kittle is the #10 scoring TE in our league's history.

Among active Tight Ends, nobody comes within 385(!!!) points of Travis Kelce besides Delanie Walker.

1,000 point players? (averaging 200+ per season or 12.5+ per week for the past 5 years) Aaron Rodgers, Todd Gurley, Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones.

Cole Walters finished with the same regular-season record (7-7) as the year he won The Shelby trophy.

Despite all the hoopla surrounding Scott and I's trade, Nick Zurawski finished in first place in the Hypothetical Standings last year.

I used 40 different players last season.and despite the Mahomes trade, finished with 38 more points from my quarterbacks than he did.

Cole Walters once erased a 96-point deficit in the 2017 WRBL Championship against Darrin Aschebrook.

Final Standings
1st - Walter Polish Z Slayers (Scott Aschebrook)
2nd - Team Easy Breesy (Ryan Dougherty)
3rd - Tax Evading Vagrant (Nick Zurawski)
4th - Tax Paying Homeowner (Alec Swanson)
5th - Team ChowHounds (Darrin Aschebrook)
6th - Colieveland 96ers (Cole Walters)
7th - Crazy Todd's Driveway Band (Andy Todd)
8th - SNEEN MACHINE (Tyler Sneen)

Things we blamed Cole Walters for in 2018
1. The wifi at Applebee's.
2. Nosy neighbors.
3. Mirages.
4. People chewing with their mouths open.
5. Falling asleep in the middle of completing a project.
6. Every Midwestern townsperson having a bad taste in music.
7. The disappearance of the Lindbergh baby.
8. Not being very cash money.
9. Florida Man's existence.
10. Not everyone using their turn signals.
11. Millennials ruining the Bro League.
12. Jeff Dunham's popularity.
13. My inability to swim.
14. Post Malone.
15. No Championship weekend meeting.
16. Andy not having Venmo.

Team-by-Team Results
Key: Opponent's Name, Result. It's really that simple. 

Team ChowHounds (Darrin Aschebrook) 5th, 6-8
Week 1 - Nick Zurawski W 146-110
Week 2 - Ryan Dougherty L 104-124
Week 3 - Tyler Sneen W 133-86
Week 4 - Scott Aschebrook W 134-124
Week 5 - Cole Walters L 138-146
Week 6 - Alec Swanson L 137-164
Week 7 - Andy Todd L 95-138
Week 8 - Nick Zurawski L 124-132
Week 9 - Ryan Dougherty W 161-148
Week 10 - Tyler Sneen W 115-112
Week 11 - Scott Aschebrook L 96-121
Week 12 - Cole Walters L 111-141
Week 13 - Alec Swanson W 126-105
Week 14 - Andy Todd L 97-121
Week 15 - #7 Andy Todd W 93-81
Week 16 - #5 Cole Walters W 186-128

Walter Polish Z Slayers (Scott Aschebrook) CHAMPION, 11-3
Week 1 - Andy Todd W 153-110
Week 2 - Alec Swanson L 126-172
Week 3 - Cole Walters W 128-123
Week 4 - Darrin Aschebrook L 129-134
Week 5 - Nick Zurawski W 121-116
Week 6 - Ryan Dougherty L 98-158
Week 7 - Tyler Sneen W 133-83
Week 8 - Andy Todd W 162-112
Week 9 - Alec Swanson W 112-87
Week 10 - Cole Walters W 134-104
Week 11 - Darrin Aschebrook W 121-96
Week 12 - Nick Zurawski W 173-147
Week 13 - Ryan Dougherty W 168-116
Week 14 - Tyler Sneen W 144-101
Week 15 - #4 Nick Zurawski W 126-105
Week 16 - #3 Ryan Dougherty W 158-98

Team Easy Breesy (Ryan Dougherty) 2nd, 8-6
Week 1 - Tyler Sneen W 185-98
Week 2 - Darrin Aschebrook W 124-104
Week 3 - Nick Zurawski W 155-117
Week 4 - Alec Swanson L 96-169
Week 5 - Andy Todd W 141-127
Week 6 - Scott Aschebrook W 158-98
Week 7 - Cole Walters L 122-129
Week 8 - Tyler Sneen W 119-94
Week 9 - Darrin Aschebrook L 148-161
Week 10 - Nick Zurawski W 150-147
Week 11 - Alec Swanson L 120-171
Week 12 - Andy Todd W 120-105
Week 13 - Scott Aschebrook L 116-168
Week 14 - Cole Walters L 113-114
Week 15 - #2 Alec Swanson W 120-102
Week 16 - #1 Scott Aschebrook L 98-158

SNEEN MACHINE (Tyler Sneen) 8th, 3-11
Week 1 - Ryan Dougherty L 98-185
Week 2 - Nick Zurawski l 124-149
Week 3 - Darrin Aschebrook L 86-133
Week 4 - Cole Walters L 109-132
Week 5 - Alec Swanson L 115-139
Week 6 - Andy Todd W 138-137
Week 7 - Scott Aschebrook L 83-133
Week 8 - Ryan Dougherty L 94-119
Week 9 - Nick Zurawski L 97-150
Week 10 - Darrin Aschebrook L 112-115
Week 11 - Cole Walters W 101-92
Week 12 - Alec Swanson L 133-141
Week 13 - Andy Todd W 106-83
Week 14 - Scott Aschebrook L 101-144
Week 15 - #5 Cole Walters L 78-99
Week 16 - #7 Andy Todd L 128-131

Tax Paying Homeowner (Alec Swanson) 4th, 9-4
Week 1 - Cole Walters L 131-136
Week 2 - Scott Aschebrook W 172-126
Week 3 - Andy Todd W 129-117
Week 4 - Ryan Dougherty W 169-96
Week 5 - Tyler Sneen W 139-115
Week 6 - Darrin Aschebrook W 164-137
Week 7 - Nick Zurawski L 100-125
Week 8 - Cole Walters L 127-158
Week 9 - Scott Aschebrook L 87-112
Week 10 - Andy Todd W 137-102
Week 11 - Ryan Dougherty W 171-120
Week 12 - Tyler Sneen W 141-133
Week 13 - Darrin Aschebrook L 105-126
Week 14 - Nick Zurawski W 160-139
Week 15 - #3 Ryan Dougherty L 102-120
Week 16 - #4 Nick Zurawski L 113-126

Crazy Todd's Driveway Band (Andy Todd) 7th, 4-10
Week 1 - Scott Aschebrook L 110-153
Week 2 - Cole Walters W 132-123
Week 3 - Alec Swanson L 117-129
Week 4 - Nick Zurawski L 114-181
Week 5 - Ryan Dougherty L 127-141
Week 6 - Tyler Sneen L 137-138
Week 7 - Darrin Aschebrook W 138-95
Week 8 - Scott Aschebrook L 112-162
Week 9 - Cole Walters W 159-137
Week 10 - Alec Swanson L 102-137
Week 11 - Nick Zurawski L 145-165
Week 12 - Ryan Dougherty L 105-120
Week 13 - Tyler Sneen L 83-106
Week 14 - Darrin Aschebrook W 121-97
Week 15 - #6 Darrin Aschebrook L 81-93
Week 16 - #8 Tyler Sneen W 131-128

Colieveland 96ers (Cole Walters) 6th, 7-7
Week 1 - Alec Swanson W 136-131
Week 2 - Andy Todd L 123-132
Week 3 - Scott Aschebrook L 123-138
Week 4 - Tyler Sneen W 132-109
Week 5 - Darrin Aschebrook W 146-138
Week 6 - Nick Zurawski L 120-150
Week 7 - Ryan Dougherty W 129-122
Week 8 - Alec Swanson W 158-127
Week 9 - Andy Todd L 137-159
Week 10 - Scott Aschebrook L 104-134
Week 11 - Tyler Sneen L 92-101
Week 12 - Darrin Aschebrook W 141-111
Week 13 - Nick Zurawski L 86-164
Week 14 - Ryan Dougherty W 114-113
Week 15 - #8 Tyler Sneen W 99-78
Week 16 - #6 Darrin Aschebrook L 128-186

Tax Evading Vagrant (Nick Zurawski) 3rd, 8-6
Week 1 - Darrin Aschebrook L 110-146
Week 2 - Tyler Sneen W 149-124
Week 3 - Ryan Dougherty L 117-155
Week 4 - Andy Todd W 181-114
Week 5 - Scott Aschebrook L 116-121
Week 6 - Cole Walters W 150-120
Week 7 - Alec Swanson W 125-100
Week 8 - Darrin Aschebrook W 132-124
Week 9 - Tyler Sneen W 150-97
Week 10 - Ryan Dougherty L 147-150
Week 11 - Andy Todd W 165-145
Week 12 - Scott Aschebrook L 147-173
Week 13 - Cole Walters W 164-86
Week 14 - Alec Swanson L 139-160
Week 15 - #1 Scott Aschebrook L 105-126
Week 16 - #3 Alec Swanson W 126-113

Player Scoring By Team
Key: * = Scored for another team as well.

Team ChowHounds
QB - Aaron Rodgers 298
QB - Andy Dalton 7
RB - Alvin Kamara 340
RB - James White 248
RB - LeSean McCoy 66
RB - Lamar Miller 63
RB - Jamaal Williams 27*
RB - Latavius Murray 19
RB - Javorius Allen 16
WR - Antonio Brown 317
WR - Demaryius Thomas 91
WR - Tyler Lockett 65
WR - Marvin Jones 20
WR - Chris Godwin 18
TE - Jimmy Graham 87
TE - Jared Cook 60*
TE - C.J. Uzomah 9*
PK - Dan Bailey 54
PK - Robbie Gould 44
PK - Jake Elliott 10
PK - Chris Boswell 2
DF - Minnesota Vikings 70*
DF - Baltimore Ravens 23*
DF - Cleveland Browns 8*
DF - New York Jets -1*

2018 Champions Walter Polish Z Slayers
QB - Patrick Mahomes 231*
QB - Russell Wilson 41*
QB - Philip Rivers 38*
QB - Carson Wentz 11*
RB - Christian McCaffrey 367
RB - Joe Mixon 122*
RB - Nick Chubb 71
RB - David Johnson 56*
RB - Mark Ingram 37
RB - Dalvin Cook 31*
RB - Carlos Hyde 17
WR - Davante Adams 324
WR - Mike Evans 254
WR - Jarvis Landry 91
WR - Odell Beckham Jr. 75*
WR - Kenny Golladay 5
TE - Jordan Reed 65*
TE - Jared Cook 40*
TE - Austin Hooper 36*
TE - Evan Engram 16*
TE - Ian Thomas 3
PK - Justin Tucker 125
PK - Ka'imi Fairbairn 9*
PK - Jason Myers 6*
DF - Los Angeles Rams 100
DF - Baltimore Ravens 10*

Team Easy Breesy
QB - Drew Brees 296
QB - Carson Wentz 24*
RB - Todd Gurley 360
RB - Phillip Lindsay 107
RB - Jordan Howard 64*
RB - Adrian Peterson 30
RB - Dion Lewis 13*
RB - Josh Adams 8
WR - Michael Thomas 300
WR - Julio Jones 289
WR - Alshon Jeffery 69
WR - Golden Tate 54
WR - Nelson Agholor 13
WR - Corey Davis 5*
TE - Eric Ebron 152
TE - Kyle Rudolph 43
TE - Greg Olsen 5*
PK - Greg Zuerlein 96
PK - Matt Prater 26*
PK - Cairo Santos 10
PK - Adam Vinatieri 9*
DF - Houston Texans 45*
DF - Philadelphia Eagles 34
DF - Washington 14
DF - Miami Dolphins 13*

SNEEN Machine
QB - Tom Brady 193
QB - Jameis Winston 43
QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick 7*
RB - Sony Michel 100
RB - Isaiah Crowell 73
RB - Jalen Richard 37
RB - Alex Collins 35
RB - Jamaal Williams 16*
RB - Devonta Freeman 12
WR - JuJu Smith-Schuster 260
WR - Robert Woods 176
WR - Sammy Watkins 52
WR - Doug Baldwin 34
WR - Chris Hogan 27
WR - Will Fuller 17
TE - Zach Ertz 270
TE - Rob Gronkowski 78
PK - Mason Crosby 138
DF - Indianapolis Colts 51*
DF - Green Bay Packers 29*
DF - Miami Dolphins 18*
DF - Houston Texans 13*

Tax Paying Homeowner
QB - Matt Ryan 287
QB - Mitchell Trubisky 29
RB - Saquon Barkley 351
RB - Melvin Gordon 257
RB - Tarik Cohen 102
WR - Tyreek Hill 294
WR - Stefon Diggs 237
WR - Amari Cooper 77
WR - Cooper Kupp 61
WR - D.J. Moore 28
WR - Allen Robinson 19
WR - Taylor Gabriel 9
TE - David Njoku 87
TE - Trey Burton 44
PK - Wil Lutz 147
PK - Graham Gano 3
DF - Jacksonville Jaguars 59
DF - Denver Broncos 17*
DF - Kansas City Chiefs 17
DF - Dallas Cowboys 12*
DF - Pittsburgh Steelers 11

Crazy Todd's Driveway Band
QB - Jared Goff 144
QB - Patrick Mahomes 112*
QB - Russell Wilson 65*
QB - Lamar Jackson 38
RB - Kareem Hunt 223
RB - David Johnson 165*
RB - Matt Breida 64
RB - Joe Mixon 52*
RB - Gus Edwards 30
RB - Dalvin Cook 24*
RB - Duke Johnson Jr. 18
RB - Derrick Henry 15
RB - Jaylen Samuels 15
RB - Jordan Howard 14*
RB - Austin Ekeler 11*
RB - Marcus Murphy 3
WR - T.Y. Hilton 224
WR - Odell Beckham Jr. 105*
WR - Josh Gordon 61
WR - Sterling Shepard 32
WR - Corey Davis 21*
WR - Devin Funchess 14
WR - John Brown 12
WR - Keelan Cole 12
WR - Jamison Crowder 9 
TE - Evan Engram 46*
TE - O.J. Howard 39
TE - Austin Hooper 22*
TE - C.J. Uzomah 17*
TE - Benjamin Watson 10
TE - Cameron Brate 6
PK - Harrison Butker 139
PK - Ka'imi Fairbairn 12*
DF - Chicago Bears 98
DF - Baltimore Ravens 29*
DF - New England Patriots 17*
DF - Indianapolis Colts 16*
DF - New York Jets 5*
DF - Seattle Seahawks 4
DF - New Orleans Saints -4

Colieveland 96ers
QB - DeShaun Watson 133
QB - Andrew Luck 128
QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick 24*
RB - James Conner 256
RB - Tevin Coleman 112
RB - Leonard Fournette 82
RB - Marlon Mack 44
RB - Damien Williams 29
RB - Elijah McGuire 23
RB - Marshawn Lynch 14
RB - T.J. Yeldon 12*
RB - Jeff Wilson Jr. 10
RB - Peyton Barber 3
WR - Adam Thielen 293
WR - A.J. Green 144
WR - Emmanuel Sanders 97
WR - Larry Fitzgerald 71
WR - Tyler Boyd 48
WR - Courtland Sutton 3
WR - DeVante Parker 1
TE - George Kittle 209
TE - Delanie Walker 9
TE - Greg Olsen 8*
PK - Matt Prater 72*
PK - Matt Bryant 52
DF - Carolina Panthers 21
DF - Detroit Lions 19
DF - Minnesota Vikings 16*
DF - Buffalo Bills 13*
DF - Arizona Cardinals 12*
DF - Dallas Cowboys 7*
DF - Cleveland Browns 5*
DF - Green Bay Packers 2*

Tax Evading Vagrant
QB - Derek Carr 66
QB - Matthew Stafford 64* 
QB - Tyrod Taylor 50
QB - Philip Rivers 27*
RB - Ezekiel Elliott 314
RB - Aaron Jones 81
RB - T.J. Yeldon 51*
RB - Giovani Bernard 43
RB - Chris Carson 42
RB - Kenyan Drake 37
RB - Kerryon Johnson 31
RB - Austin Ekeler 25*
RB - Dion Lewis 5*
WR - DeAndre Hopkins 302
WR - Keenan Allen 241
WR - Brandin Cooks 116
WR - Julian Edelman 71
WR - Randall Cobb 8
TE - Travis Kelce 275
TE - Jordan Reed 13*
PK - Stephen Gostkowski 125
PK - Ryan Succop 5
PK - Adam Vinatieri 5*
DF - Houston Texans 44*
DF - Los Angeles Chargers 38
DF - Tennessee Titans 15
DF - Cleveland Browns 11*
DF - Buffalo Bills 9*
DF - New England Patriots 7*
DF - Miami Dolphins 6*
DF - Arizona Cardinals 4*
DF - Denver Broncos -2*

Heroes of the Week
1 - RB Alvin Kamara, WR Tyreek Hill, WR Michael Thomas
2 - QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Stefon Diggs, RB Todd Gurley
3 - QB Matt Ryan, QB Drew Brees, RB Alvin Kamara
4 - RB Alvin Kamara, RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR DeAndre Hopkins
5 - RB James Conner, RB Todd Gurley, TE Eric Ebron
6 - WR Tyreek Hill, RB Saquon Barkley, RB Todd Gurley
7 - RB Kareem Hunt, QB Patrick Mahomes, RB Todd Gurley
8 - RB James Conner, RB Todd Gurley, WR Sammy Watkins
9 - WR Michael Thomas, RB Alvin Kamara, RB Kareem Hunt
10 - TE Zach Ertz, RB Christian McCaffrey, RB David Johnson
11 - WR Tyreek Hill, WR T.Y. Hilton, RB Christian McCaffrey
12 - RB Christian McCaffrey, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, RB Saquon Barkley
13 - TE Travis Kelce, WR Keenan Allen, RB Tarik Cohen
14 - WR Amari Cooper, TE George Kittle, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
15 - WR DeAndre Hopkins, RB Todd Gurley, RB Damien Williams
16 - WR Antonio Brown, QB Aaron Rodgers, TE Zach Ertz

Image result for todd gurley 2018
Scott Varley/Getty Images
Todd Gurley had a four-week stretch of heroic numbers for Team Easy Breesy.


Zeros of the Week
1 - DF New Orleans Saints
2 - DF Baltimore Ravens
3 - NONE
4 - DF Minnesota Vikings
5 - K Mason Crosby, K Robbie Gould, DF Denver Broncos
6 - DF Chicago Bears, RB Alfred Morris, DF Jacksonville Jaguars
7 - Owner Tyler Sneen, Owner Alec Swanson
8 - DF Miami Dolphins, TE David Njoku
9 - Owner Tyler Sneen, DF Los Angeles Rams
10 - DF New York Jets, DF New England Patriots
11 - Owner Scott Aschebrook, TE Eric Ebron, WR Demaryius Thomas
12 - DF Jacksonville Jaguars, TE Evan Engram, DF Washington
13 - DF Minnesota Vikings, K Adam Vinatieri
14 - K Dan Bailey, Owner Tyler Sneen
15 - DF Los Angeles Rams, K Matt Prater, Nick Zurawski's Training Staff
16 - TE Rob Gronkowski, Owner Ryan Dougherty

All-Time Scoring Leaders By Position (2015-18)
Key = Player Name, Point Total (Owner during highest scoring season)

Quarterbacks

  1. Aaron Rodgers 1,006 (Darrin)
  2. Tom Brady 906 (Andy)
  3. Drew Brees 828 (Ryan)
  4. Cam Newton 822 (Josh)
  5. Matt Ryan 671 (Alec)
  6. Russell Wilson 486 (Alex)
  7. Philip Rivers 431 (Moon)
  8. Ben Roethlisberger 410 (Scott)
  9. Andrew Luck 384 (Cole)
  10. Patrick Mahomes 353 (Scott)

Running Backs

  1. Todd Gurley 1,012 (Ryan)
  2. LeSean McCoy 753 (Darrin)
  3. Melvin Gordon 751 (Alec)
  4. Le'Veon Bell 738 (Alec)
  5. David Johnson 726 (Nick)
  6. Devonta Freeman 686 (Darrin)
  7. Ezekiel Elliott 661 (Nick)
  8. Lamar Miller 611 (Scott)
  9. Alvin Kamara 565 (Darrin)
  10. Christian McCaffrey 550 (Scott)
Wide Receivers
  1. Antonio Brown 1,264 (Sneen)
  2. Julio Jones 1,096 (Andy)
  3. DeAndre Hopkins 1,051 (Nick)
  4. Mike Evans 842 (Scott)
  5. Odell Beckham Jr. 833 (Cole)
  6. A.J. Green 787 (Alec)
  7. Demaryius Thomas 701 (Moon)
  8. Jarvis Landy 686 (Nick)
  9. Brandin Cooks 650 (Cole)
  10. Larry Fitzgerald 647 (Darrin)
Tight Ends
  1. Travis Kelce 856 (Nick)
  2. Rob Gronkowski 621 (Nick)
  3. Delanie Walker 499 (Andy)
  4. Zach Ertz 471 (Sneen)
  5. Jimmy Graham 438 (Nick)
  6. Greg Olsen 397 (Darrin)
  7. Jordan Reed 334 (Sneen)
  8. Jason Witten 289 (Josh)
  9. Tyler Eifert 218 (Alec)
  10. George Kittle 209 (Cole)
Kickers
  1. Stephen Gostkowski 571 (Scott)
  2. Justin Tucker 533 (Sneen)
  3. Mason Crosby 376 (Darrin)
  4. Matt Bryant 361 (Cole)
  5. Wil Lutz 355 (Alec)
  6. Matt Prater 307 (Cole)
  7. Dan Bailey 217 (Darrin)
  8. Greg Zuerlein 211 (Ryan)
  9. Brandon McManus 209 (Alec)
  10. Harrison Butker 207 (Andy)
Defenses
  1. Denver Broncos 379
  2. Minnesota Vikings 344
  3. Carolina Panthers 333
  4. Los Angeles Rams 291
  5. Houston Texans 274
  6. Seattle Seahawks 266
  7. Baltimore Ravens 242
  8. Arizona Cardinals 223
  9. New England Patriots 200
  10. Philadelphia Eagles 162


End-of-season Awards


First Team All-Bro
QB - Patrick Mahomes (Andy Todd/Scott Aschebrook)
RB - Christian McCaffrey (Scott Aschebrook)
RB - Todd Gurley (Ryan Dougherty)
WR - Davante Adams (Scott Aschebrook)
WR - Antonio Brown (Darrin Aschebrook)
TE - Travis Kelce (Nick Zurawski)
FLEX - Saquon Barkley* (Alec Swanson)
K - Wil Lutz (Alec Swanson)
D/ST - Houston Texans (Tyler Sneen/Nick Zurawski/Ryan Dougherty)

Second Team All-Bro
QB - Aaron Rodgers (Darrin Aschebrook)
RB - Alvin Kamara (Darrin Aschebrook)
RB - Ezekiel Elliott (Nick Zurawski)
WR - DeAndre Hopkins (Nick Zurawski)
WR - Michael Thomas (Ryan Dougherty)
TE - Zach Ertz (Tyler Sneen)
FLEX - Tyreek Hill (Alec Swanson)
K - Harrison Butker (Andy Todd)
D/ST - Los Angeles Rams (Scott Aschebrook)

* = rookie.

WRBL Rookie of the Year - RB Saquon Barkley (Alec Swanson)

Image result for saquon barkley 2018
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
An incredible rookie season from Saquon Barkley has him in talks to be the #1 pick in 2019 for fantasy football leagues.

WRBL Draft Bust of the Year - #8 overall pick RB Leonard Fournette (Cole Walters)

Image result for leonard fournette 2018
AP
You can't be a bust simply based on injury but, you can win Bust of the Year if you combine that with incredibly disappointing performances when healthy and Fournette had both issues in '18.

The Waiver Wonder of the Year - RB James Conner (Cole Walters)

Image result for james conner 2018
USA TODAY Sports
Once it became clear how serious Le'Veon Bell's holdout was going to be, James Conner should have been on all of our radars as a late-round sleeper but, only Cole was smart enough to grab him immediately following our draft.

WRBL Comeback Player of the Year - QB Andrew Luck (Cole Walters)


Image result for andrew luck 2018
AP/Jeff Roberson
After some bad LUCK concerning his health after a skiing incident, the Colts' QB kept Cole at .500 despite injuries to most of Cole's team.
Zero of the Year - NFL Referee Bill Vinovich & The NFC Championship Umpiring Crew

Image result for nickell robey coleman
AP/Gerald Herbert
The referees for the NFC Championship earned a lifetime of scorn from known Saints fan Ryan Dougherty because of this photo.

MVP (Chosen by the league champion): RB Christian McCaffrey (Scott Aschebrook)

Image result for christian mccaffrey 2018
USA TODAY Sports
Despite many controversial trades and a roster packed with all-stars, only one star shone brightest this year with 367 points for Scott.

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Playing Along With The 61st Annual Grammy Awards

Between the icy conditions outdoors and the busy sports season (NBA Trade Deadline/Upcoming All Star Weekend, Super Bowl, MLB Free Agency stalling) it's about time I hopped back on my blog to break my 2019 silence. Yeah I was dead wrong about that awful Super Bowl but, nobody could have foreseen the lowest-scoring of all 53 Super Bowls coming. Moving on to a more fun topic... Alicia Keys is set to host the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, an award show that has never felt less relevant to the music world than it does now. Years removed from Drake and Justin Beiber skipping out on the event and only one year removed from not giving Lorde a platform when each of her fellow Album of the year nominees were invited on stage, the biggest name in music today has turned down performing at the event due to some pretty stupid production by the lead producer of a show that is supposed to highlight the biggest and best of music today. In other words, I won't feel like I'm missing out on a ton when I have to work instead of doing my annual live tweet-storm during the broadcast on CBS (7 PM CT). I'm rooting for Alicia Keys.

The nominees are a total guessing game this year with one-third of the nominations being predictable, popular choices, another third being actual quality music and then there's total wildcard picks like Brandi Carlile and H.E.R. that keep me up at night wondering, "How the hell do they choose these nominations?!". It's time to pick apart who SHOULD win each of the big awards and who ultimately WILL be crowned as Grammy winners.

Record of the Year



And the nominees are...

- "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- "God's Plan" by Drake
- "I Like It" by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny, & J Balvin
- "Rockstar" by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
- "Shallow" by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
- "The Joke" by Brandi Carlile
- "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey
- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? Childish Gambino
Who will win? Brandi Carlile

The Grammy committee could finally decide that they've snubbed Kendrick for far too long and finally give him a major category win for "All The Stars" (A very deserving song) but, "This Is America" is still a more interesting song, even without the all-timer music video. This could be anyone's award to win but, I don't foresee "Shallow" or "Rockstar" getting many votes when "Shallow" is a song with Bradley Cooper singing (not that he's bad but, he's not GRAMMY AWARD WINNING great) and "Rockstar" is the third or fourth most notable Post Malone song of the past calendar year. Ultimately, they'll give this award to Brandi Carlile because she is the second best songwriter here behind Kendrick and the Grammy's are really good at picking that one obscure (in the majority of viewers' eyes) artist with a guitar over the biggest name in music (right up there with Ariana, Drake and Cardi) time and time again. Just please don't make "The Middle" any more of a thing than it already is.

Album of the Year

And the nominees are...

- Beerbongs & Bentleys by Post Malone
Black Panther: The Album by Various Artists
- By The Way, I Forgive You by Brandi Carlile
- Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae
- Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
- H.E.R. by H.E.R.
- Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B
- Scorpion by Drake

Who should win? Either Janelle Monae or the Black Panther Soundtrack
Who will win? Kacey Musgraves

It's very weird and telling for how little attention Kacey Musgraves gets on country channels across America in 2019 but, she won the CMA for Country Album of the Year so it's sort of the safest pick here as an already established winner. Overall, it's a pleasant yet dull listen for me outside of the singles. The Black Panther soundtrack feels like a damn Now! That's What I Call Music collection with more hip hop as every song could effortlessly slide into a hip hop or pop playlist and be a highlight of that playlist. Janelle Monae's album is the most obviously well thought out conceptual album with androids and sex dominating every song's narrative. Ultimately, I'd ideally choose one of those two for my personal Grammy (My real Album of the Year is still Beach House's 7). H.E.R.'s nomination here covers two bases that the show has had issues with in the past (It's a combination of "Why aren't black artists getting the big awards?" and "The Grammy's are so un-hip that they gave Bon Iver Best New Artist five years into his career") and realistically has no chance at winning. The popular albums nominated are either too overhyped (Invasion Of Privacy) or the most boring, sluggish albums full of filler that produced overrated hit songs (Drake and Post Malone). I'm okay with Cardi B winning but, she's received enough "ALBUM OF THE YEAR!" nods from every publication around that the album itself is severely overrated. Oh! Did I mention Brandi Carlile? I've been a huge fan of hers for over a decade now and despite having yet to release a bad album, I must say that By The Way, I Forgive You is quite possibly my LEAST favorite album of hers (and it's still good) so, I'm 100% fine with them giving her a well-earned, legacy win... I just don't want it to be for an album that was a tad too yeehaw for my tastes (It really pains me to say anything bad about her music when she is just a perfect live act).

Song of the Year

And the nominees are...

- "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai
- "God's Plan" by Drake
- "In My Blood" by Shawn Mendes
- "Shallow" by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
- "The Joke" by Brandi Carlile
- "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey
- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? Childish Gambino
Who will win? Donald Glover (AKA: Childish Gambino)

Despite the controversy surrounding whether or not "This Is America" is an original song, it is still by far, the most sonically interesting entry here.

Best New Artist

And the nominees are...

- Bebe Rexha
- Chloe x Halle
- Dua Lipa
- Greta Van Fleet
- H.E.R.
- Jorja Smith
- Luke Combs
- Margo Price

Who should win? Jorja Smith
Who will win? Dua Lipa

Quite an eclectic mix in the Class of 2018. In country corner, you have Luke Combs and Margo Price... yeehaw. In R&B corner, you have H.E.R. (A heavy favorite considering her Album of the Year nod) and Jorja Smith (Had the best album of anybody listed here and it's not close). In pop corner, Dua Lipa came out with some STRONG smash hits in "New Rules", "IDGAF", "One Kiss" and "Electricity" and Bebe Rexha somehow has the biggest country song of all time with her Florida Georgia Line feature on "Meant To Be". Chloe x Halle remain interesting for future Grammy nominations as their vocals can be absolutely hypnotizing and that Beyonce' co-sign should help them garner even more attention after an outstanding performance of "God Bless America" at Super Bowl 53. Lastly, rock is not dead with Led Zeppelin's zombie reincarnation project Greta Van Fleet being another possible winner with all of the older rockheads still hanging around on the committee.

Now that I've picked apart the major awards, here are how I see some of the lesser (but still interesting!) dominoes falling this Grammy weekend...

Best Pop Solo Performance

And the nominees are...

- "Better Now" by Post Malone
- "Colors" by Beck
- "God Is A Woman" by Ariana Grande
- "Havana (live version?)" by Camila Cabello
- "Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" by Lady Gaga

Who should win? Ariana Grande
Who will win? Post Malone

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

And the nominees are...

- "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Backstreet Boys
- "Fall In Line" by Christina Aguilera featuring Demi Lovato
- "Girls Like You" by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
- "S Wonderful" by Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
- "Say Something" by Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
- "Shallow" by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
- "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Who should win? I have NO strong feelings about this but... Backstreet Boys
Who will win? Maroon 5

Best Pop Vocal Album

And the nominees are...

- Beautiful Trauma by P!nk
- Camila by Camila Cabello
- Meaning Of Life by Kelly Clarkson
- Reputation by Taylor Swift
- Shawn Mendes by Shawn Mendes
- Sweetener by Ariana Grande

Who should win? Camila Cabello
Who will win? Camila Cabello

Best Alternative Music Album

And the nominees are...

- American Utopia by David Byrne
- Colors by Beck
- Masseduction by St. Vincent
- Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by Arctic Monkeys
- Utopia by Bjork

Who should win? You already fucking know.
Who will win? Considering they have her performing with Dua Lipa (WTF?) on television, I'm optimistic about St. Vincent's odds here. Never count out Beck.

Best Rap Performance

And the nominees are...

- "Be Careful" by Cardi B
- "Bubblin" by Anderson .Paak
- "King's Dead" by Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake
- "Nice For What" by Drake
- "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott featuring Drake, Big Hawk & Swae Lee

Who should win? "Nice For What" or "Sicko Mode"
Who will win? Cardi B

Best Rap/Sung Performance

And the nominees are...

- "All The Stars" by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- "Like I Do" by Christina Aguilera featuring Goldlink
- "Pretty Little Fears" by 6lack featuring J. Cole
- "Rockstar" by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? Kendrick or Gambino
Who will win? Kendrick & SZA

Best Rap Song

And the nominees are...

- "God's Plan" by Drake
- "King's Dead" off the Black Panther Soundtrack
- "Lucky You" by Eminem featuring Joyner Lucas
- "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott featuring Drake, Big Hawk & Swae Lee
- "Win" by Jay Rock

Who should win? Travis Scott
Who will win? Just Drake.

Best Rap Album

and the nominees are...

- Astroworld by Travis Scott
- Daytona by Pusha T
- Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B
- Swimming by Mac Miller
- Victory Lap by Nipsey Hussle

Who should win? Pusha T (and I reallllllly like both Astroworld and Swimming)
Who will win? Cardi B

Best Music Video

And the nominees are...

- "Apeshit" by The Carters
- "I'm Not Racist" by Joyner Lucas
- "Mumbo Jumbo" by Tierra Whack
- "Pynk" by Janelle Monae
- "This Is America" by Childish Gambino

Who should win? "This Is America"
Who will win? "This Is America"

I'm not too invested in this year's show but, am fully prepared for the outrage following upsets like every year in the past. Ultimately, I just want some good performance and considering the stacked lineup of guests they'll have on stage this Sunday, they really are letting the music do the talking. Here's a list of performances taking place...

- Camila Cabello with J Balvin, Ricky Martin, Arturo Sandoval and Young Thug
- Cardi B
- Brandi Carlile
- Chloe x Halle
- Miley Cyrus
- Dan + Shay 
- Fantasia, Andra Day and Yolanda Adams
- H.E.R.
- Dua Lipa and St. Vincent
- Little Big Town
- Post Malone and Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Shawn Mendes
- Janelle MonĂ¡e
- Kacey Musgraves
- Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson
- Dolly Parton with Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus 
- Diana Ross
- Travis Scott

There might not be any "Bubble Bowl" cameos but, I get the feeling that Grammy night will destroy Super Bowl night in terms of entertainment value. If it doesn't, then why do people still have cable?

Image result for travis scott super bowl
Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
The only "Sweet Victory" Travis Scott will get this Sunday is the chance to perform in front of music's biggest audience for a second weekend in a row.