Monday, October 29, 2018

"T" as in "team." Also "Todd."

Look, I feel your pain this morning, Mr. Fantasy Dude. I, too, am helplessly a-whirl in the fantasy football vortex. And my team ... boy, does my team stink.

How bad does it stink?

Dude, my team is the Raiders. My team is so bad, in fact, the Raiders are sending sympathy cards. It's so bad I'd fire me if I could, but that's not how this works, so I'm stuck with me. Kind of the way the Raiders are stuck with Jon Gruden.

But enough about me.

Let's talk about you, Mr. Fantasy Dude. Let's talk about what a bummer to have a team player in your lineup -- and worse, a team player who has a brain.

That would be Todd Gurley of the Rams, one of the best running backs in the NASH-unal FOOT-ball League. He's worth his weight in Bud Light and fully loaded nachos to Mr. Fantasy Dude. Why, look, there he goes again here in the last minute or so against the Packers, breaking free at the 21-yard line. He's headed for the end zone! Six more points for Mr. Fantasy Du--

Wait. What is he doing?

He's slowing down, that's what he's doing. He's slowing to a bleeping jog, for God's sake. He's running like a hot-damn old lady, letting the Packers catch him, letting them drag him down four yards shy of those aforementioned six more points.

What is he doing??

Using his brain, it turns out. Taking one for the team.

See, by letting himself get caught, the Rams were able to end the game with a kneel-down. They avoided giving the ball back to Aaron Rodgers with a minute to play in a 29-27 game. And Todd Gurley was smart enough to know giving the ball back to Aaron Rodgers in that situation would be like asking to get kicked in the tender mercies. Hard.

So he gave up the six.

It was the right play. It was the smart play. It was the team play. And it was the kind of play that goes a long way in explaining why the Rams are still unbeaten at the halfway point of the season.

Even if it likely gave Mr. Fantasy Dude a coronary. And maybe made him consider, in a fit of pique, to trade Mr. Todd Smarty-Pants I'm-All-About-Team Gurley.

Which would be just fine, if you ask me.

I mean, I could use a running back.

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