My second season of fantasy football, or 'How a Zebra Struggles to Change his Stripes'

I stuck with Bollinger's Bombers for the name of my fantasy football team this year (a shoutout to my favorite NFL backup), but a better name might have been Sophomore Slumpers.

I ran hot and cold all season, with 2- and 3- game winning then losing streaks. I'd like to blame Rex Grossman (who wouldn't?), but it's really my fault.

In the end I finished 7-7 and out of the playoffs, mainly because I outthought myself and sat my first-round pick (RB Steven Jackson) in the 14th week of the season. It was a classic Bombers misstep: Jackson was facing the tough Chicago defense, so I picked up some RB off the trash heap and started him instead. Had I stuck with Jackson, I would've turned a crushing 3-point loss into an easy 20-point win, moved to 8-6, made the playoffs, and maybe even gone on to a championship, given how my team came alive in weeks 15 and 16.

The season wasn't without highlight, of course. I had a respectable live draft (my first), pushed my all-time record above .500 (17-15), and most importantly beat my long-time nemesis Cap'n Crunch (nee Chad Painington) for the first time in five tries.

That last feat came while I was out of the country for two weeks, though, bringing me to my can't miss fantasy football strategy for next season: Hands off.

Every time I pick a matchup, I pick wrong. So I'm going to go by the numbers in 2007, and ride my laissez faire strategy to my first championship.

If not, I'll just blame Rex Grossman -- just like the whole city of Chicago will be doing after the Bears wash out of the playoffs in just one game.