Bill Belicheck gets no
love from fantasy football
geeks.
David B. Moye
DALLAS (TNA) – The recent spy scandal surrounding the New England Patriots has raised a great deal of suspicion about head coach Bill Belichick – and fantasy football fans couldn’t be happier.
So says David Dorey, author of “Fantasy Football The Next Level: How To Build A Championship Team Every Season” (Warner Books). Dorey claims the Patriots – and Belichick – have long been a thorn in the side of millions of fantasy ballers.
| |
Bill Belicheck gets no |
For fantasy players, the hatred comes more from Belichick’s manipulation of injury reports than from his team’s on-field performance.
“Belichick is notorious for playing around with the injury report,” Dorey said. “You can’t rely on them. [Quarterback] Tom Brady was listed with a sore shoulder for 16 games – and never missed a start.”
Dorey said this provides a strategic advantage for the Patriots in that it prevents opponents from figuring out who is in the lineup and preparing accordingly. It also irritates fantasy football fans because they never know for certain if they should play a Patriot over someone else.
Even worse: Belichick has been known to suit a player up, only to have him ride the bench all game. “Last year, the Patriots would list as many as 20 players on the injury report,” Dorey said. “It got so bad, the NFL had to change the rule because of them.”
To the extent Belichick’s moves can play havoc on a fantasy footballer’s life, Dorey doesn’t believe asking him to take their feelings into account will do much good.
“Coaches don’t like fantasy football,” Dorey said. “They just want the win. The players love it because it focuses on the individual accomplishments. It’s why players like Brady, Peyton Manning and LaDainian Tomlinson have become huge national stars, and not just heroes in their hometown.”
Wireless Flash News Service contributed to this story.