The Opening Kickoff
(Posted May 15, 2021)
Welcome to the Pigskin Papers, a football blog that will delve into a variety of topics concerning pro football and on occasion, fantasy football.
Wait...another NFL blog?? Why?? Yes, I can hear you screaming that. Wait, what’s this now? You’re going to talk about the NFL and about fantasy football? Again...why?? I can hear you screaming that too.
The internet, the blogosphere, and the TV, radio and podcasting airwaves are fully saturated with content regarding both topics. Pro football has become the American national pastime and no sport in this country is more closely or extensively covered by all forms of conventional and newer media. NFL football and fantasy football (and of course, NFL wagering) are massive, multi-billion dollar businesses and that kind of economic might results from enormous interest and generates enormous coverage. Is there anything left to say that has not been said?
Well, I think there is. Those who are familiar with Malcolm Gladwell’s outstanding podcast “Revisionist History” have learned how events can be overlooked or misunderstood, and that conventional wisdom isn’t always that wise, complete, or even accurate. That is what I am interested in - the flaws in conventional wisdom, the overlooked and misunderstood, and in the case of football, I will add the oversimplified.
I am not here to barrage readers with outrageous or ridiculous takes, or deliberately unpopular opinions. But as a long time NFL Fan (close to 50 years), an NFL season-ticket holder, and a fantasy football veteran (close to 30 years) who has followed the league intently for a long time and who enjoys some of the more thoughtful and less superficial NFL analysis that has sprouted up in the last decade or so, I think there is room for more.
I am also not here to drown readers in all sorts of advanced and complex statistics and metrics. There are some prominent websites (for example, Pro Football Focus and Football Outsiders) that do an excellent job with this. There is no need for more.
Why am I doing this now? Because I recently retired from a corporate legal career that lasted almost 30 years, and I have always wanted to write about football. And thanks to the internet, anyone can write his or her own copy. Hopefully, someone will read mine.
I hope you, the reader, will enjoy what I have to say. I am an open-minded person and I welcome your feedback, including your disagreement with my views, and suggestions on additional topics, features or stories to cover. And with that, away we go.
David Hartman, May 2021
