Regression is Progression
Image by Nick M. W.
By Nick M. W.
Alison Levine gave the keynote speech at a professional conference I had the pleasure of attending a few years ago. She's a badass, no doubt. Anyone who climbs one of the “Seven Summits” of the world is badass, but she conquered all of them. During that keynote speech, she told the audience about when she was the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition Team. They set out to climb the mountain in May 2002, and they failed, damn near the top of the mountain, within a few hundred feet. They had to turn back. This was after years of preparation and weeks spent climbing up and down Everest to condition their bodies to the altitude change and its effects on them.
Imagine all that work, the pain, stress, and time spent on such a task to get to the top only to fail. That didn’t stop Ms. Levine. She would get back on that mountain eight years later and best it. The sheer will to do that damn thing is impressive, dare I say “inspirational”. She said something during her speech about her journey to the top of Everest that resonated with me. It’s my mantra when shit doesn’t quite go my way, and I experience a setback. She said, “Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards.”
Profound. It stuck with me. I toss it around from time to time to remind myself that the summit is the goal, but the journey is the dream.
Biggest surprise of the week:
Nick: Aaron Rodgers played better than I thought he would, and I’m glad I left him in. He was solid. I left some points on the bench in the form of Chris Olave, Brandon Ayuik, and Tony Pollard. I sat them in favor of Mike Williams, Javonte Williams, and Aaron Jones. Most fantasy football heads would start those same three dudes, but the more savvy, ballsy individuals among the gen pop would have played the more favorable matchups instead of the old “play your studs” rule. I often get killed by it.
Rudy: I’ve allowed the Reno 911 Raiders to plague my life and my franchise. Very surprised I didn’t experience a mental breakdown! My Replacements went with Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs. For a third straight week my quarterback threw bonehead interceptions, failed red zone opportunities, and left so many yards on the field after the game was decided. I’m sorry Nick, but that phone conversation we had after our draft about coming back to the Raiders is a hard autumn wind pill to swallow. I think being a Raider fan can be looked at as a form of self-sabotage. I'm sure of it.
Nick: It’s been a torturous 20 years since Raider Nation experienced good times. Last year seems like a flash in the pan, but, Rudy, I urged them to give Rich a chance, but they didn’t want to fuck with him. It can’t be a coincidence that all the close games they pulled off last year aren’t materializing into wins this season.
What disappointed you the most about your team this week?
Nick: Mike Williams, Javonte Williams, and Aaron Jones. Hell, I’ll throw Eckler in there, too. Not a single touchdown from him all season. When this shit happens with my starters, I start making ill-advised roster moves.
Rudy: Me! I, the owner, left 35 points on the bench from Courtland Sutton and Jamaal Williams. I went with Alvin Kamara coming back from a rib injury and Josh Jacobs dealing with an illness. My roster was prepared for the win, but I fumbled the bag and should have kept Sutton in the lineup and thrown in Williams with that revived Detroit offense as of late.
What was the most extreme reaction you had to losing this week ?
Nick: I’m staying calm as a Hindu cow right now. I’m trying to at least. It’s been three weeks, and I have the same record this year as I had last season. I went on a nice little winning streak from Week 3 on, so maybe I can get one going against the Replacements.
This is some tricky shit, though. Our matchup is close, and I know it’s going to come down to some unexpected hero for one of us. But who will it be? That’s the stuff that keeps me up at night.
Rudy: Hey Nick, I'm not going to lie, but there were two pending trades that I was ready to “green light” after last week’s loss. In past years, those actions would put me in a deeper hole and without rookie contracts. I can’t move like I used to. Yeah, my #1 pick, Alvin Kamara, is underperforming and the other running backs on my roster can't break 15 points; however, I've improved my job handcuffing backups, and I'm hanging in a tough division as well despite my 0-3 start. Bye weeks and going after the field will work in my favor. Unfortunately, the field starts with you Rebel Scum!
Nick: I appreciate your heart, but we had a down week in scoring last week across the board, and we’re ready to blow up this Death Star in Week 4.
Rudy, what do you do if you go 0 - 4? Do you start a fire sale, or do you still try to grind out a playoff spot?
I believe it was my first year in AGS. I once started 0-5 or 0-6, got into the playoffs, and made it to the semifinals. I had a roster of Brett Favre, Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Marshall, etc. I’ve never done a fire sale because the consolation keeper is important! Plus, I always think I can get that waiver savior and make that run into the playoffs. I definitely can’t do a fire sale because I didn’t utilize any of my rookie contracts, so I guess my roster will continue to suffer if I don't make the playoffs. I’m not afraid of doing a fire sale, but I have to be careful to not trade my next year picks away.
Nick: I hear that. I hope I don’t have to make that call this season.
Predictions for your Week 4 matchup?
Nick: This is going to be a classic Rebel Scum bounce back game. I believe that I have a lot of talented players on my roster who had below average weeks, and they’re going to play a lot better in Week 4. From a coaching standpoint, I’m going to dig into matchups and analytics, and I’m going to see where we can make some fine-tune adjustments to maximize our performance. We need this one. We want this one. We’re getting this one.
Rudy: I’m bouncing back this week! Sorry Scum, but my replacements are overdue. I second guessed myself last week, but I didn’t do anything drastic. Believe me, I was ready to throw Derek Carr back to the waiver wire like Jon Snow to the Night’s Watch, but he has scored 20+ in the first three weeks, and matchups matter more and more every week from here on out when you’re 0-3.
Nick: You’re not playing Carr again this week, though, right? Herbert has a juicy matchup if that’s what you’re looking at. Dude has to bounce back and toss a couple TDs to Mike Williams and get Eckler going.
Should be a fun week, brodie!
Image by Nick M. W.
