Black and Blue Division? Not Anymore.

Independence Day.  4th of July.  Fireworks.  Cookouts.  And around Fantasy Healthball, the celebration includes the heralding in of Training Camp Month.  July is the month all NFL teams begin Training Camps and officially the countdown begins to Kickoff 2009!  As the time for camps approach, we thought we would take a look around the divisions and see what may be in store this upcoming season.  We will start this week with the NFC North.

The NFC North, formerly the NFC Central.  Long known as the “Black and Blue” division.  Why ‘Black and Blue’?  Because these teams have been known for hard-hitting defense and punishing power running games for years and years.  But what is that we see as we gaze toward 2009?  Big, fast receivers and big-time quarterbacks now populate the division.

The biggest splash this off-season was made by the Chicago Bears acquisition of Jay Cutler.  Cutler is a Pro Bowl quarterback and the Bears will re-tool their offense from “we run getting off the bus” to “we’ve got a quarterback with a cannon arm and we’re not afraid to show it off.”  Expect Devin Hester to catch more than a few deep bombs from Cutler this season.  But we at Fantasy Healthball feel the biggest fantasy impact will come from TE Greg Olsen.  Olsen will catch 8-10 TD’s this year from Cutler.  Mark it down.

The Packers return a Pro Bowl quarterback themselves in Aaron Rodgers.  Brett who?  Rogers helped ease that pain by throwing TD after TD and giving the Packers continued aerial muscle in their attack.  With Greg Jennings healthy and entering his 2nd year full-time with Rodgers, expect this dynamic duo to make many fantasy owners happy all season long.

The Vikings are still pursuing Brett Favre at QB, and that still has possibilities.  If that comes to fruition, expect Bernard Berrian, now in his first full off-season with the Vikings, to show off the deep threat ability that landed him his huge free-agent contract with the Vikings one summer ago.  Another passing game threat will be newly drafted RB/WR Percy Harvin.  Harvin is a sure-handed, versatile player that just may make a major impact on this Vikings offense in ‘09.  All this, and we haven’t even mentioned Adrian Peterson, their All Pro running back.  With Peterson, the Vikings will have no problem keeping opposing defenses focused on stopping the run first, keeping all their receivers available to make plays.  The only question is who will be the trigger man.

Even the Lions can boast at the QB and WR positions this year.  The Lions used the #1 overall draft selection this year to pick Georgia QB Matt Stafford.  Stafford immediately becomes the face of this struggling franchise.  And with a terrific young receiver in Calvin Johnson, Stafford has some tools to work with immediately.  There will be growing pains for sure, but we expect the Lions to roll out their new top investment and let him fill Ford Field with spirals. 

It seems the only thing ‘black and blue’ this year in the NFC North, may be opposing defenses trying to figure out a way to slow down their suddenly potent passing attacks.  When you’re preparing for your fantasy football draft this year, don’t be afraid to load up on the quarterbacks and receivers in the North.  — Jeff Hagen

From Mini-Camp to Training Camp

In cities all over America, NFL teams are conducting Mini-camps this month.  What are Mini-Camps?  They are an official opportunity for NFL teams to start preparing for the upcoming season, prior to the official Training Camp which will begin in July.  The Mini-camp is essentially a long weekend whereby both team veterans and newly drafted players can meet with coaches and begin learning new plays and strategies to be used in the upcoming season.  They take small steps, one-by-one to prepare for the weekly grind that is the NFL season.  They don’t just show up in September without any practice and expect to perform at peak level right away.

This pattern makes good sense for all of us as we prepare to play Fantasy Healthball in the upcoming season.  If you have been taking time away from recording your Health Points, perhaps allowing yourself some slack in your daily health habits, consider conducting a one week Mini-Camp to get back into the swing of it.   Perhaps you’ve been considering a new health challenge?  A mini-camp is just the ticket you need to try it out before we start up for good in September.  

Take next week and the first week of July to run as Mini-Camps for Fantasy Healthball.  Get yourself re-acclimated to scoring yourself every day.  Then during July and August, string together 3 or 4 consecutive weeks as a Training Camp or Pre-Season effort.  By the time Season Kickoff rolls around on Monday, September 7th, you will be ready to roll and you can expect to perform with good consistency right from Week 1! — Jeff Hagen

Mental Health Day

I learned an important lesson in high school the day I skipped school to go with my friends to see “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”  The redundancy of the message was clear enough for even this high schooler to figure out – every once in a while it is important to take a mental health day.  A day unlike the normal routine.  A day where you do things you WANT to do and take time off from the normal world where you do a whole lot of things you HAVE to do. 

If you think of the stereotypical American vacation, you probably think of a station wagon driving through a national park with the next stop “the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth, which is only four short hours away?”  But our post today is to remind you that a vacation can also happen in a day, “a vacation day,” a mental health day.  And with a global pandemic, a severe recession worse than most of us (unless you were around when “Gone with the Wind” was a new release), jets falling into water, almost 10 million people receiving unemployment, nuclear weapon testing, shootings in museums, well, you get the picture, we all could use a little break now and then. 

Yesterday, I took such a break.  I took Friday off.  Here is what I learned:  if you are living with an unusual amount of stress, you should figure out how to do it too.  And don’t just sit on the couch and watch re-runs of the Beverly Hillbillies (okay, go ahead and do that, that “Granny and Jethro” are such a hoot!), but even better than that, we recommend focusing on your health and well being.  A correction back to a new normal if you have gotten off track.  I started with a long mountain bike ride.  Actually, it wasn’t intended to be quite so long but I got lost in the middle of a state park and it added 45 extra minutes to my ride.  The getting lost part was a great diversion from my day to day office job.  While lost, you have to consider what happens if you stay lost – could I catch that jack rabbit for dinner?  Could I start a fire with my stainless steel canteen and some rocks?  But I digress.

Let me cut to the chase.  I biked (exercise), had some great seafood (nutritious), got a massage (relaxed and mental health boost), and hung out with great friends (more mental health).  Those are the body and mental health things I did and today I feel calm, relaxed, happy, and newly prepared to face the world.  At Fantasy Healthball, we know these are tough times and we care about your well being.  So take our advice, take a break from the stress and the vending machine junk food.  Pick up that banana and bowl of blueberries.  Get some good exercise.  See a friend.  It is tough times out there, remember to take care of yourself.  — Jim Ballard

Guest Blog Post – Why Fantasy Healthball Works for me (Part 2 of 2)

And now, part II of Duff Beach’s post: 

The tools are more important than the game.  The great thing about Fantasy Healthball is that the lessons you learn in battle stay with you after the season ends.  I haven’t counted calories in a long time, but daily I think about what I’m eating and how it affects me.  When I eat ice cream (I won’t ever give it up), I think about it and understand its effects.  When I have that third beer while watching the game, I think about it.  When I’m traveling on business, I make sure I take a walk before I go to bed and I eat a salad rather than a cheeseburger.  There’s no rocket science here.  Instead there’s habit and understanding, two things Fantasy Healthball instills.

Fantasy Healthball is only part of the equation; it’s my offense.  A looming health insurance physical became my special teams.  Not because I really wanted the lower rates (I did), but because insurance companies base their rates (their risk) on odds.  It’s not unlike baseball.  Sure, the career minor leaguer, called up for two weeks who’s batting below the Mendoza line could hit the game-winning homerun in the bottom of the ninth.  It could happen.  And a guy my height, weight and cholesterol level could live to be 90.  But it’s not likely.  Just like you want the career .300 hitter who averages 40 home runs stepping into the batters box when it matters, the insurance company wants to insure someone who’s fit.  I looked at the odds (and the rates) and realized they weren’t good.  Caring about being there for my family is my special teams.

Defense wins championships.  Playing Fantasy Healthball by itself won’t make you healthy.  Caring about the outcome will.  I used the good offense to create my best defense; I got the tools I needed from Fantasy Healthball.  My defense is the will power: knowing that I needed to walk past the jar of candy on my co-worker’s desk, make the oatmeal instead of grabbing the donut, have tea at night rather than a brownie with ice cream.  It’s not always easy, but it’s working.

I’m not there yet, but for the first time in 6 years I’m closer to 190 than 200, and still moving in the right direction, marching down the field slowly, steadily, and without any gimmicks.  I’m insurable, I’m a little quicker on my bike and hockey skates, and on top of it all, I feel better about myself.  Thanks Fantasy Healthball: you showed me the way with a good, fundamental offense.  — Duff Beach