Q
& A With Greg Alan
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Greg Alan |
Burke Griffin, Green Bay Packers expert and Sports
Reporter from WFRV-TV and FFTOC Co-Founder Greg Alan.
Do a Draft or Play Tournament-Style?
Tournament-Style: More Skill. More Strategy. More Fun.
BURKE: Hi
fantasy fans, Burke Griffin with you. I work as a Sports Reporter
at CBS-TV5 here in Green
Bay. I’m also a big fantasy fan. It’s time to talk about the Fantasy
Football Tournament of
Champions™ with Greg Alan.
GREG: It's going to be rocking here again this season.
The FFTOC format is easy to understand, exciting and fun.
I also believe it's good for the hobby.
It creates more decisions, rewards skillful planning and reduces the negative impact of random injuries.
The FFTOC is the fairest way to crown a champion.
----
BURKE: How about some FFTOC basics to kick us
off?
GREG: Certainly.
To enter, no travel is needed. Also, you don’t have to block a special time to
draft players online. The FFTOC actually fits your schedule.
Also, all
you have to do is beat out five team managers in your bracket and you’ll
double your money. And that’s before the Finals get started and you go for the big prizes.
With the FFTOC’s prize structure its not like you have to come in #1 to win big.
Sure, a huge Grand Prize is great. But in the Online Championship you can still
win $500 for beating just five guys in your bracket. And coming in 10th place
overall can put nice bucks in your wallet.
---
BURKE: How about tournament-style? It’s a whole
new way of playing fantasy football.
GREG: Exactly. Why play on an uneven field where random luck
and uncontrollable circumstances take on a big role? With tournament-style,
you can start any NFL player you want – but only once! This levels the playing
field and interjects a tremendous amount of strategy.
Everyone has equal access to all the studs and sleepers, so your skills
drive your success. Unlike other formats, in the
FFTOC your success is solely based on your ability to diligently accumulate
points.
Tournament-style is about how good you are over the entire season, not just
one night drafting before the NFL even starts playing for real. And, unlike
many formats, a few early season breaks won’t seal your fate in the FFTOC.
Actually, tournament-style uses the same fantasy skills that we’ve all developed
over the years. Only now, everyone has equal access to all the NFL players.
This new way of playing really minimizes the element of random chance found
in most high-end games. If you’re going for the big prizes, you want less random
chance and more skill. That’s why we say tournament-style is the way to go for
national contests and in very competitive smaller leagues.
---
BURKE: How does tournament-style and
the FFTOC reduce the element of chance?
GREG: Great question, plenty of reasons.
First, with tournament-style, a fluke injury won’t haunt your team all season
long.
Also, getting an unlucky or undesired draft spot due to a random draw is no
longer an issue. Everyone has equal and full access to all the NFL studs.
Also, your competitor won’t get an unfair head-to-head matchup at the end of
the season due to random scheduling. In other contests, random scheduling alone
can drive who comes out on top. That’s not the case here in the FFTOC. The total
points format removes inherent elements of randomness.
In addition, you won’t lose out on a waiver wire pickup because of some arbitrary
free-agent pickup rule. Everyone has equal access to all the studs and weekly
sleepers. There are no limits in the FFTOC. It’s all about your ability to get
the job done.
On top of that, in the finals, when you’re playing for the big money, one bad
week won’t ruin your season and automatically eliminate you from contention in
the FFTOC.
Burke, when you add all this up, unlike anything else out there, tournament-style
really rewards the best fantasy managers. Don’t forget this game was invented,
designed and published by savvy fantasy football managers. It’s from fantasy
players, for fantasy players.
---
BURKE: Let’s dig
into
this “start
'em
once” concept. Sure
you can use Randy Moss, Peyton Manning, Terrell Owens and L.T. early in the
season. But, if you start them all in the regular season, you won’t have them
in the finals when you’re competing for the big money. By the same token, if you
hold off using the studs and don’t get production out of your weekly sleepers,
you might not make the finals. It’s very interesting and loaded with strategy.
GREG: That’s it, and as an FFTOC team manager, it’s
all up to you. You’ll be making very interesting calls each and every week. It’s
plenty of fun and it really showcases your skills.
The FFTOC is all about your ability to evaluate NFL players and matchups and
then strategically determine when using a player benefits you the most. With
tournament-style, you really have plenty of opportunity to improve your situation
all season long. It’s all about fairness, equal access and skill.
---
BURKE: Can two or more friends manage one team
and split the entry fee? I’m convinced the FFTOC gives serious FFers the
most level playing field in fantasy football.
GREG: Absolutely. In fact we anticipate some teams
will be co-managed. Actually the FFTOC is a perfect forum for multiple managers.
---
BURKE: Talk more about co-managers.
GREG: We expect 2, 3 or even a group of 6 friends
may manage one team. Some have talked about using a dedicated QB coach, RB
coach, etc. to manage their squad. Imagine you and two of your most knowledgeable
fantasy football buddies pooling your talents to manage one team. In this scenario,
one buddy could manage the QBs, another the RBs and so on. It’s you and a few of
your friends all working together to manage one team. With the right group of
guys, it might work well.
However, only one person can officially register to own a given
team in the FFTOC. Prizes are only conveyed to official participants. Co-manager
agreements are made between the official registrant and his co-managers.
---
BURKE: The Top-33% in the regular season advance
to the finals. Why not automatically allow each bracket winner to advance?
GREG: We considered doing that. After examining
it, we felt the Top-33% overall was the ideal way to find the best managers.
By competing in your bracket, we’re measuring who’s best in that "local" league.
This gives the FFTOC a local flavor and more “mano-y-mono” excitement.
That said, by going with the Top-33% we’re finding who’s the best across all
of North America.
Because everyone is competing on the most level playing field in fantasy football,
the Top-33% truly advance to the finals. So, regardless of your
bracket standing, if you’re in the Top-33%, you advance. Another advantage
with the FFTOC is all finalists play for 4 weeks in the Finals – no one
bad week and you’re
out.
---
BURKE: What happens if you land in a bracket
with several of the best FF managers?
GREG: In other formats if you randomly
land in a division with exceptionally good managers you’ll have a much harder
time making the finals. Fortunately, this is not the case in the FFTOC.
Being in a highly competitive bracket DOES NOT make it harder to get into the
playoff finals. The Top-33% of teams, regardless of bracket standings, make the
FFTOC Finals.
Having small regional brackets fosters “local” rivalries, yet you still need
to keep focused on the Tournament’s Top-33%.
We believe the small regional brackets and Top-33% gives contestants
a great balance between local and national, just like the NFL. By setting it
up
this way you get more ways to win – local rivalries and yet everyone has an
equal chance at qualifying for the Finals.
In the NFL, 38% of the teams make the playoffs. In the FFTOC, it’s similar – 33% make it.
---
BURKE: Other fantasy
football contests?
GREG: They exist and are an exciting part of the
new fantasy football landscape. In fact, at one point, new draft contests were popping up every week.
Actually we’re proud of our offering. The FFTOC is the original and only game run tournament-style. It’s unique and as we’ve been talking about,
it has plenty of advantages.
In fantasy football, skill, not luck, should be the main factor.
With FFTOC that's the name of the game. No excuses, no restrictions, no limits,
you have it all. More skill, less luck, more strategy, more interesting decisions,
more interest to the end, a lower entry fee, a higher grand prize and the highest
percentage of contestants coming out ahead are all FFTOC advantages over other
formats.
Being a huge fantasy football enthusiasts myself, I believe
tournament-style provides the passionate contestant with the best way to showcase
their skills and win.
Bottom line, in fantasy football, you now have a choice – do a draft or do tournament-style.
---
BURKE: What’s more fun to play – tournament-style
or an old-fashion draft and ride-em all year format?
GREG: Via survey over 400 actual first-year FFTOC managers told us,
by an amazing ratio of 15-to-1, Tournament-Style was more fun compared to old-fashioned league play.
Any way you cut it, Tournament-Style is here to stay. I break it down as follows.
In a local league with buddies, it’s always
fun beating the guy that sits next to you at work in a head-to-head matchup. The head-to-head win is great
and league play was created to foster that. It's part of the reason we all love
fantasy football.
But, when it comes to larger or highly competitive groups, tournament-style is clearly the way to
go. In the FFTOC, each team manager has the excitement of a draft, each
and
every week as they determine who they start. With that many interesting decisions
on the table, the true odds and the best managers will win out – and that’s exactly
what you want. Tournament-style is more fun because it directly addresses the qualities you want most – more skill,
more strategy and less random luck. For me, that’s the way to
go.
---
BURKE: Can’t argue all those advantages. Still,
some folks have never played tournament-style fantasy football. Should they watch
for a year before entering the FFTOC?
GREG: They could do that. However, right
now could be the best opportunity for the savvy fantasy mind to win.
If you wait a few years, you’ll be less experienced relatively speaking and you
could then be at a competitive disadvantage.
---
BURKE: What skills are needed to win in the
FFTOC?
GREG: It’s the same skills most experienced fantasy
managers have been using for years. Analysis, statistics, news, injury reports,
player and team insights are all part of the FFTOC.
To be successful in the FFTOC you’ll need to spot hot players, identify good
matchups, submit a strong starting lineup, follow the NFL schedule and think
strategically.
If you can evaluate players and matchups and strategically determine when using
a player benefits you the most, you’ll excel.
Another interesting benefit of FFTOC-Style is it actually can take less time to play. First you don’t have to spend hours in
some online draft room or traveling. Second, preseason preparation time is less because you don’t have to make your
most important decisions in the preseason, before the real games even start. Third, the FFTOC is ultra-convenient during
the season. You don’t have to worry about weekly waiver wire deadlines and submitting weekly pickup wish lists. In fact,
all you have to do is submit valid starting lineups before the games. Plus, you don’t even have to worry about game time
decisions and tracking all the late
week practice news on iffy players. If a player is questionable, you can elect to just avoid him that week in the FFTOC.
---
BURKE: Will contestants be able to see other
team manager's weekly lineups?
GREG: Absolutely. From week to week, you’ll be able
to see how everyone is managing his or her team.
Naturally, you won’t be able to see a rival’s starting lineup until the games
start that week. For example, if a Thursday game starts at 11:00AM, you’ll be
able to see who your rivals used in games that kickoff at 11AM, but not who they might use
in the 4PM Thursday game or on Sunday. You’ll have full visibility to their Sunday starters
as soon as that player's game kicks off. In short you’ll have full access to everyone’s team after lockdown
has occurred so you can follow your foes picks, but you’ll never be able to see
your rivals weekly roster before the games start.
---
BURKE: What happens if a team manager loses
interest near the end of the season?
GREG: Right, great question.
In most high-end national games, some coaches lose interest near the end of the season
because they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs and they have “nothing left
to play for.” This causes problems in head-to-head contests and waiver wire pools. The contestant facing
the poorly managed team gains an unfair advantage at the end of the season.
This is NOT the case in FFTOC.
The competitive balance and integrity of the FFTOC is not disrupted if a losing
manager folds it up at the end of the season. In the FFTOC, a poorly managed
team benefits all other teams, not just the one that had a random head-to-head
matchup with the manager that lost interest.
All managers will want to win their bracket and make the top-33%. So, each
team has plenty to play for in the FFTOC. Finally, with each bracket only containing
six teams, interest should remain high all season long.
---
BURKE: Playoff strategies in the FFTOC? How
does this compare to old-fashion drafting in the preseason?
GREG: In most fantasy formats you have little
playoff strategy -- you generally ride your studs and hope for the best. That's not
much fun and certainly does not reward strategic thinking. In the FFTOC you have
more ways to showcase your skills and prove your salt.
Your fate in the FFTOC Finals is a function of your ability to manage your
team in the regular season and in the Finals as well. If you elect to use up
all your
studs early in the regular season you may “run out of gas.” In
other words, if you can save your studs for the Finals, you'll be in the
drivers seat for the big-money.
---
BURKE: Why not roll a team manager’s regular
season score into the Finals, as a form of a homefield advantage?
GREG: We considered doing that. However, with
tournament-style, a strong regular season performance is actually highly rewarded
in the Finals.
And, that’s achieved without having to subjectively roll bonus points over.
Think about it. In the regular season, getting a huge week from a lesser-known
player is a big difference maker in the Finals. It allows you to save your
studs for the Finals. The better you can manage your team in the regular
season, the better you’re going to be in the Finals. Unlike other formats, success
in the FFTOC Finals is really a function of success in the regular season, and we don’t
need to artificially pump up a team’s playoff points.
---
BURKE: What about trades?
GREG: Since everyone has equal access to the same
NFL studs, duds and sleepers, trades are not needed. Interestingly, the core
skills that make FF managers good traders are alive in the FFTOC. You need
to watch the entire NFL, examine the NFL schedule and plan for the future.
---
BURKE: What are some strategies you think we’ll
see in the FFTOC?
GREG: Some may start out gunning for their bracket title since you only have to beat
five others to double your money. These team managers will be aggressive early
in the season. However if you use up all your studs in the process, you'll
need to find big-time performances from 2nd tier players late in the season.
Others may try to optimize their team for the playoffs. These managers will focus
on the overall standings report. They’ll want to make sure they are in the Top-33%
at the end of the regular season, but they’ll try to conserve as many studs as
possible.
The best managers will strategically move through the regular season and outwit
their local bracket rivals. They’ll win their bracket and still bring it strong
in the Finals.
Any way you do it, the exciting elements of skillful planning, football knowledge,
strategic thinking and suspense make the FFTOC the ultimate fantasy football
challenge.
---
BURKE: It sounds like those that really follow
the NFL and know fantasy football will have a great chance to show their stuff.
GREG: You’re exactly right. And that’s by design.
As a team manager you'll leverage all your fantasy football skills to keep your
team competitive. And, you'll have plenty of interesting decisions. This isn't
about drafting a team and then being locked in. You’ll set your lineups, adjust
your strategy, keep an eye out on your overall tournament ranking, and you'll
want to carefully monitor your progress in your local bracket.
---
BURKE: Why do the Finals last four weeks? And,
why do all the playoff teams compete over the entire 4-week period?
GREG: We’re back to the more skill, less random
luck theme.
In other formats, having an exceptionally good Week 12 or 13 suddenly catapults
one to success. That’s not a great way to show who’s best.
Having the Finals last four weeks gives the best regular season team managers
ample time to show what they can do. The FFTOC Champion will have proved their
fantasy skills and the FFTOC Championship won’t be determined by one exceptionally
good or bad week.
---
BURKE: Obviously, the Finals are key to winning
the FFTOC. Tell me more about how the Finals work.
GREG: In the NFL, your first task is getting into
the playoffs. Then, all that matters is getting hot at the end. Same in the
FFTOC.
At the end of week 12, the highest scoring team in each six-team bracket doubles thier money.
The brackets are then disbanded as the top-33% highest scoring teams from
the regular season advance to play for four more weeks during the Finals (week
13-16).
Again, the interesting twist here is that you cannot use players in the Finals
if you have already picked them in the regular season. So, excellent regular
season management enables more success in the finals. In other words, if
you’ve
held off using a stud in the Regular Season, you’ll have them available in the
Finals.
The teams that advance will be ranked weekly until their final rankings
are used to determine the winners. Only the total scores during those four
weeks
will be used to determine the final rankings and the Tournament Champions.
---
BURKE: The FFTOC has a Hall of Fame. Why?
GREG: Having one’s name engraved in the FFTOC’s
All-Time Record Book and placed into the Hall of Fame carries plenty of bragging
rights. It’s a distinct fantasy football achievement.
We plan to keep all the Hall of Fame records online for years to come and for
all to see.
We’ll maintain a number of intriguing categories and records. It’s going to be
fun. The uniqueness and excitement of tournament-style actually lends itself
to rigorous historical and relative comparisons since all contestants have the
same playing conditions.
Who’s best at managing QBs? RBs? Who had the best single season of all time?
With tournament-style, we’ll really be able to tell.
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BURKE: What kind of value added reports are
on the site to help the managers?
GREG: Anyone
that visits the site will have visibility to these reports. Aside from basic
reports (standings, etc.) you'll be able to see how tournament
managers value NFL players. You’ll see who they think the weekly bargains will be. You'll
also have full visibility to any rival’s historical choices and you'll see
if they have any "gas in the tank" at the end. You'll be able to see how many team managers
have already used studs like Randy Moss and Peyton Manning. You'll see exactly
how managers in your bracket and others are using their players and who's getting
the most from their starters.
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BURKE: The idea of trying to pull out a big week
on Monday Night sounds great!
Explain lineup submissions.
GREG: Yes, that’s a pretty unique advantage to the
FFTOC. The idea in tournament-style is to gain the most points using all players
and with so many available to you, it makes sense to allow teams to pick who
they want each day of NFL games. If players you chose for that day play, then
they are “committed” to your weekly roster and cannot be changed. But, for example, if you
are going into the Monday Night game with one lineup spot not committed yet,
it gives you some flexibility. Get a really big game on Sunday from several players,
maybe you would rather hold off on that Monday Night stud.
It’s just a fun, added-element that allows teams more freedom to manage their
lineups.
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BURKE: Do any biases exist if you fall into
a certain bracket? For example, what if I'm in a bracket where one of the
managers is hell-bent on using all the NFL studs early in the regular season?
GREG: Actually no bias exists, only choices, planning
and some interesting decisions. In the end, you have complete control.
If a “hell-bent on winning the bracket” manager uses all the NFL studs early
in the regular season he could jump out to an early lead. However, this hell-bent
manager may not be playing the studs in the best situation. And, he might be
sacrificing success later in the season and in the Finals, assuming he makes
it that far.
From your perspective, as a team manager, you have a choice. Use all the studs
better than your hell-bent rival in the regular season and win the bracket.
Or, put your focus on the big money in the Finals. Strategically submit your lineup each
week with
the intent of making the Finals and getting red hot. If that were your goal,
you’d focus on your overall tournament standings more than your bracket standings.
Keep in mind, getting a big week from a lesser-known player is a great difference
maker. The bottom line here is you are in control to do what you want – target
and win the way you want to win. Again, no bias exists.
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BURKE: Can two friends at work request to be
in the same bracket so they can compete against each other?
GREG: No. The independent and unbiased
FFTOC assignment algorithm must be used.
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BURKE: To start closing this out, how about
an overview on the object of the game?
GREG: In a nutshell, beat out five other team
managers, capture your local bracket and double your money. Next, make sure you earn
a spot in
the playoff finals. The Top-33% make the Finals, regardless of bracket
standings. Then, once your in, get hot and win it all in the last four weeks.
If you craftily managed your roster during the regular season, you’ll be hard
to beat in the final weeks. Again, I think we all would rather have guys like
Moss, Manning and Harrison available in the Finals -- not guys like Finneran and
Pinkston.
If you can make that happen, you’ll have a great chance at winning the FFTOC
Grand Prize. That’s the idea.
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BURKE: Greg, your parting shot?
GREG: Naturally, I’m very excited about the FFTOC.
The same abilities and skills that make you successful in traditional leagues
will be your ticket to winning in tournament-style. The playing field is made
even though - since ALL owners have the exact same access to players. In tournament-style,
everyone starts out with the exact same situation. Anyone can make one great
draft pick - the question is can they make them every week of the season? This
is the ultimate "who do I start" game.
BURKE: Look out gang! Fantasy football
will never be the same.
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