Week 8 Re-cap: Tevinth Heaven
The trade deadline came and went like a rainy Fourth of July. We were expecting fireworks and all we got was disappointment. However, the NFL was notably active in trades in the weeks leading up to the deadline, particularly with cornerbacks and wide receivers. The same can’t be said for our leagues where things have been extremely quiet on the trade front. It could have something to do with the five-way tie for first place in Keeper. Make sure you know the trade deadline (11/29)and make your moves before the playoffs. Do it for the asterisk!
Games of the Week
Dictator League
LLGhoulJ v. MCampbell23
- This should have been an explosive match-up between QB phenoms Pat Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Instead, we got Ryan Tannehill and Mason Rudolph. Obviously, it still ended up leading to a lot of points for LLGhoulJ who is surging towards the playoffs with a 6–2 record. I tremble at the thought of a league made up of rules entirely decided by Matt K. An all Bills’ players league? Only players named Bill? Uh oh…
Dynasty League
Big Bold Burly Babies v. Die Nasty
- Let me tell you a story of the most devastating loss I’ve ever had (maybe). On Thursday, October 24th, Matt and I went to a concert. After the concert, we were grabbing drinks and I let him know that his starting kicker was on a bye. He said to me…”Oh I know… I was going to make a change but…I looked at your team and…” Absolutely devastating non-smack talk smack talk. Anyways, he would go on to put up the most points in the league, without a kicker and knocked me out of second place. Also, I have his first-round draft pick. The rare lose-lose-lose-lose. (The fourth “lose” is the loss of our friendship.)
Keeper League
Swandog Millionaires v. You’re in Chubble Now
- I did a thing! And that thing was mostly trading for Aaron Jones who now has two 40 point weeks since that trade. Tevin Coleman + Aaron Jones = No Zeke No Problem. Also, just a shoutout to the New England Defense and Cleveland’s Offensive Line who punched and kicked out two fumbles for Nick Chubb and held my opponent in check.
Trivia
Of all players who lead their team in targets, this player has the fewest number of total targets.
Here’s the Thing
Here’s the thing…teams should be attempting two-point conversions more often.
The two-point conversion was introduced to the game as a rule change in 1994. The first person to ever call one successfully? You guessed it…
Here’s the thing…NFL teams don’t really use them all that often. That’s not really a surprise because two-point plays are risky, and NFL coaches are preternaturally conservative. For reference, teams are attempting an average of 0.21 two-point conversions a game, compared to 2.34 extra-point attempts per game. The success rate in 2019 of each attempt is 48% for two-point conversions and 94% for extra-points. The numbers make sense. It’s safer to kick.
Here’s the thing…getting the extra point is not as automatic as it once was. Since the rule change in 2015, successful extra-point conversions have dropped by 5%. Meanwhile, there’s been almost no change in the amount of two-point attempts. By kicking the extra-point, more teams are leaving points on the field.
Look at what has happened to the NBA in the last five years. The three-point shot has taken over the league because of the simple math that three is more than two. Even the best shooters in the world only average around 45% from the three-point line. And while there are a multitude of differences between the two games, it gets at the same point…and that is…well…points. The same math that applies to the NBA applies to the NFL; two is more than one.
Here’s the thing…it will probably be a long time until NFL coaches are calling a two-point conversion in every game. But it shouldn’t be. You can look at the numbers and say its 50/50 that we convert a two-point play, and almost automatic that we convert an extra point. But dig a little deeper…how many teams around the league really trust their kickers when they line up to kick the extra point? And how many teams are scripting out two-point conversion plays for every single game? Even the Patriots in their 2015 miraculous Superbowl comeback admitted they used the only two plays they had scripted into the gameplan for two-point conversions.
Here’s the thing…eventually some coach will use the two-point conversion in an absurd number of games and we will all say to each other, “Oh yeah, wasn’t it obvious? Two is more than one.”
