Evenin’ all…
The twelfth annual Originals Draft Day is only a month away, so it’s time I put together some details for you all about the weekend.
What I need from you is
• An NFL prediction by 6th August, which will determine draft order (SEE POINT 3 BELOW)
• Confirmation by 22nd August at the latest if you want to join the post-draft evening meal (SEE POINT 4 BELOW)
(1)
Based on previous years, at least a few of you will rock up on the Friday evening. I will be out and about for a few beers and a casual catch-up and hope to see some of you. I won’t be booking anything on the Friday, so there’s no need for anyone to make a commitment to be there – just keep in touch if you want to know which pub to meet at!
(2)
The draft will take place at the Mayflower Village pub, Commercial Road Southampton (SO15 1GE) on Saturday August 30th. It’s a 5 minute walk from the Central Railway station. They have a nice basement bar which we have to ourselves till 6:00.
There’s a little bit of on-street parking very close to the pub, but a better bet for drivers is probably the West Park Road multi-storey which is again about a 5 minute walk away.
The pub doesn’t open till 12:00, I’ll be there on the dot. Could I ask managers to try to arrive for 12:15 or earlier please. (I’m looking at you, Adam…). We’ll do all the usual prep and intros, give everyone a chance to order lunch – lots of burgers, pizzas and other pub grub available, and will start the draft absolutely no later than 1:00 but ideally a little before.
(3)
Because we need to make a prompt start, we will be deciding the draft order in advance this year.
There are 16 games in week 1 of the pre-season, from Thursday 7th through to Sunday 10th August. By no later than Wednesday 6th August send me a note with the three teams you think will score most points in pre-season week 1. Whoever’s three teams score most points in total will have first choice of draft spot.
The small print:
- You can message me on Sleeper, or Discord, or the Fan Pub Forum website, or WhatsApp. I don’t mind, just message me.
- In the event of two people getting the same total, the tiebreaker will be who messaged me first – so don’t delay, guess today!
- I will guess last, so I have least benefit from the tiebreaker
- Anyone who hasn’t messaged me by the end of Wednesday 6th will be assigned three random shit teams i.e. the Raiders
The games:
- CLE @ CAR
- DAL @ LAR
- DET @ ATL
- DEN @ SF
- CIN @ PHI
- HOU @ MIN
- IND @ BAL
- KC @ ARI
- LVR @ SEA
- MIA @ CHI
- NO @ LAC
- NYG @ BUF
- NYJ @ GB
- PIT @ JAX
- TEN @ TB
- WAS @ NE
(4)
Assuming we can get the draft done before 5:30, we’ll then be able to chill and either have a draft debrief or watch the Premier League game (Leeds – Newcastle, I think).
I’ll book a meal at a venue a walkable distance from the draft venue at about 7:30 (those of you catching a train – the meal should be done by 9:30 meaning you can catch a 10:00 train no problem.
Let me know no later than Friday 22nd if you are coming to the meal. (…and feel free to let me know if there’s a cuisine you particularly hate, I will do my best to accommodate!)
(5)
After the draft, the league will run like the last few years:
• 14-week regular season
• Week 15 quarter final (the number 1 seed will choose their opponent from the other 7 playoff qualifiers. Then the other six playoff qualifiers will be paired off automatically, highest remaining seed plays lowest remaining seed, second highest plays second lowest etc)
• Week 16 semi-final
• Week 17 final
Prizes are as follows:
• Winner - £1,000
• Runner Up - £400
• Losing Semi-finalists - £125 x two people
• Highest weekly score in weeks 1 to 14 - £173.16, to commemorate the amazing achievement that Simon doesn’t mention often enough
• And a few spot prizes on draft day…
Cheers, Jon
