By Lisa Zimmerman | Engagement Insider
Every Sunday during the NFL season, there are exhilarating wins and gut-wrenching losses. Some of those take place in stadiums. Most take place in cyber space. We are talking about fantasy football. But, if you think fantasy is limited just to fans, you would be mistaken. Meet the NFL Legends Fantasy Football League.
The NFL Legends Community was started by the NFL to create awareness among retired players about the various programs and benefits available to them and to engage former players with their teams, the NFL and their former teammates. The NFL Legends Community provides players with all programs and resources including those provided through the NFL Players Association, the Trust and other affinity groups. There are 20 ambassadors, all of whom are former players, located across the country who are the hands-on representatives helping disseminate the information and offering information and support.
Just prior to the 2014 season, the idea of creating a fantasy football league for former players was posed and thus, the NFL Legends Fantasy Football League was born.
As former professional football players, one might think that this would be a tight competition. Again, you would be mistaken. There are cases of both great success and great adversity. And when it comes to rivalry, whether it’s reality or fantasy, in the words of former Carolina Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker (team name: NFL Legends), the trash talking is “like riding a bike.”
Former Jacksonville Jaguar safety Donovin Darius (Team Darius) is one of the more…outspoken members in the league. And his fellow general managers gleefully throw him under the bus for it any chance they get.
“Donovin, he was talking a lot of trash before the season,” said Rucker. “[Then] I demolished him.”
Darius’ rebuttal? “Nobody liked Sea Biscuit. Let history say how the story ends. It’s how you finish the game. We still have more games left.” At midseason, Darius was in fifth place.
Then there are the explanations for poor showings. Former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington (CP’s Gang Green), who co-manages his team with his 10-year-old son, Cole, attributed his losing record (two wins at the midseason point) to a busy schedule that includes coaching several youth football teams.
“I did the auto draft. Unlike some other dudes, we do things around here,” he said, playfully tweaking his opponents. “We don’t sit in front of our computer all day.”
Then he laughed as he admitted, “A couple of weeks we didn’t pay attention and one week I didn’t even start a quarterback. So, there are some reasons for my inadequacy, the auto draft and lack of commitment.” Pennington clearly needs to be reminded of his former Jets head coach, Herman Edwards’ war cry, “You play to win the game.” And don’t forget, Pennington was twice awarded NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Former Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks defensive end Patrick Kerney (Team One) had zero wins as of midseason. Like Pennington, he blamed it on the auto draft and the lack of time in his schedule. He has mostly forgotten to log on. Kerney is currently the NFL’s vice president of player benefits, as well as a husband and father to two young daughters. He has pledged to make a comeback in the second half of the season. He is also planning a team name change.
On the other end of the spectrum is former New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts running back Keith Elias (The Lion) who takes the competition to an unusual level. “My locker room speeches are much better than Donovin’s,” he stated. “Better than [former Bengals, Vikings and Panthers safety] Leonard Wheeler’s (Wheels on the Bus) because he’s so smart no one knows what’s he’s talking about.” And to whom does Elias give these speeches? “I give them to my computer. I get my coffee and think about how I’m going to pump my team up. It’s all about leadership. If you’re a good leader then your team performs. They get excited when I pick them off the waivers.” No doubt. At midseason, Elias was in third place.
Rucker (in second place at midseason) is a fantasy veteran having started playing with some high school friends about six years ago. And like many rookies, he recalled his rocky start.
“Since I was the newcomer I got the first pick. I was trying to do all my research and my homework. We were on the clock. I picked the Chicago Bears defense and I heard all this laughter on the phone. It took me about a year to figure out why everybody was laughing. But, I think I came in in fourth place.”
The NFL Legends league features a total of 18 teams, divided into two sections, with the managers comprised of retired NFL stars who, regardless of their various other commitments, have found a fun way to stay connected. At midseason, the league’s leaders were former Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields (En Vinder) and former Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans running back Ahman Green (Gotham Rouges).
The rest of the teams include: Tyoka Jackson (Sackman), Darnell Stapleton (Big Balls Big Pants), Jay Novacek (Upper 84), Donta Jones (Blackshirts 1994), Jerone Davison (Viking), Jay Foreman (Mad Texans), Damian Gregory (Gridiron Gang), J.B. Brown (JB Squad), Mark Bruener (Steelers Nation), and Warrick Dunn (The Dunndidits).
What sort of recognition the winner will get is being kept tightly under wraps by those who run the program. However, there is a level of combined excitement and anxiety about this unknown reward. And when the conversation is broached, ideas start to grow and intensify.
“We can round this out,” Rucker said. “Diversify it. Get a sponsor for the trophy. We’ve got some room for improvement.”
This is fantasy, after all.