Today we are sitting here with Bruno Boys Super-fan Brandon Clark, otherwise known on the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Forum as AceBrando. He heard about the Kool-Aid that we were serving during these Bruno Boys Fan Interviews and he wanted to get a glass of his own! We will be discussing what makes him tick as far as being a Fantasy Football enthusiast, his personal fantasy football strategies as well as some questions that pertain to this up-and-coming 2008 season. So, sit back and give Brandon your full-attention during these 15 minutes of fame as I am sure you are going to be learning a few good pieces of information that you will be hoping your competition did not see!
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BRUNO BOYS ZIZA: Brandon, thank you very much for sitting down today and taking your time to answer some questions from us, the Bruno Boys! I will be hitting you up with a variety of questions; questions that I would like to have completely honest answers to. So without further adieu, let’s jump into this! We already know your name Brandon, what else can you tell us as far as your age, location and any other personal information that you would like to share, such as your family and such?
BRANDON CLARK: Thanks for having me. Less than a week on the site and already I am being interviewed for my vast and comprehensive knowledge of all things fantasy football! Wait a minute, this is one of those freshman initiation things isn't it? I KNEW IT! Well to answer your question, I am 33 and live in Indiana. I've been married for eleven years and have the coolest two year old daughter ever. She takes up most of my free time. I work in the IT industry as a computer technician, and I occasionally do radio voice over work and commercial production freelance.
BBZ: I have two daughters, one that is about to turn two, the other is about to turn one. So I know what you mean by taking up a lot of your time! How many years have you played fantasy football and what has brought you to the Bruno Boys? Have we helped you at all, and if yes, how?
BC: I've been playing for 13 years now I believe. I started playing when I was 20 or so. I stumbled on your site before the start of last season in my annual mad search for guides and cheat sheets. In the past, I have paid 50-100 bucks for the type of info you guys provide. So, I was literally stunned when I found your site and the guide you had available was for free. Obviously, I was worried that this was too good to be true. But I was a little low on cash anyways, so I decided I would go with your site exclusively and see how I did. Well, one league championship and a 14-3 record later, I have pledged my fantasy football allegiance to the Bruno Boys! This year I plan on being even more interactive in the forums and checking the site regularly to see if I can repeat in my league. I am already dominating my draft, so things are looking great for the BC Aces!
BBZ: What are some of the things that you really like about the Bruno Boys as well as what are some of the things that you wish the Bruno Boys did or did more of?
BC: Well the site is awesome, but for me there is no question that the best item I get from you guys is the giant 2008 Bruno Boys Cheat Sheet Webazine. I am guessing that anyone reading this has already used it, so I won’t go into a massive description, but I will say this. If you play fantasy football, there is simply nothing that compares to this thing ANYWHERE in terms of value. Great rankings, great analysis, cheat sheets in the back, it's the best there is, and it's FREE!
What do I wish you would do more of? That's tough because you are doing stuff right now I haven't even thought of. As I said in the forums, I believe fantasy football is won over the grueling 17 week season. So, I would love to see weekly articles that cover waivers, start/sit, injury report analysis, etc. Those two models in the draft guide are nice too. I'd like to see more of them on the site. Unless one of them was your sister, in which case I apologize for the model comment.
BBZ: No, I don't have any sisters, but if I did I would hope that those were her friends. Haha. Now you have mentioned to me that you used to interview Professional Wrestlers as part of a radio gig that you used to have. Who do you feel was your best interview that you have ever done? Can you tell us a story from that interview?
BC: Well my favorite guy to talk to in general was Terry Funk. If you aren't a wrestling fan you may remember him from the movie Roadhouse, which was one of the best bad movies ever made. Terry was almost always a heel (bad guy) on TV, but he was one of the nicest and classiest guys to talk to. And he had stories about everything. My personal favorite interview was when I talked to Torrie Wilson right after she did the Playboy cover. She was on an insanely busy schedule and we could only get the interview at 11am on a Wednesday. So, we set it up and recorded it to play on the Sunday evening show. In true wrestling fashion, we wanted to present the illusion that it was a live interview, so we didn't really go into the fact it had been taped. But halfway through during a commercial break, my partner reset the recording by mistake, and when we came back the audience got to listen to the entire first half of the interview again! At the time that sucked, but looking back I can laugh now, sorta....
BBZ: I am not much of a wrestling fan, but I can appreciate the fact that you interviewed some of your favorite wrestlers. If you ever had a chance to do an interview with someone from the NFL, living or dead, who would it be and why?
BC: Living - Mike Ditka, Dead - Vince Lombardi Both because they are great personalities that have a passion for the game we don't really understand. I should also mention here that I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan for life, so to pick a Chicago Bears and a Green Bay Packers coach is saying something about the respect I have for those guys.
BBZ: Now that most of the fantasy football drafts are drawing to a close, it is time to start preparing for the regular season. What are some of the things that you do to finalize your roster after your draft so that you can be in the best shape possible come Week 1?
BC: My post draft strategy is this. I have a spreadsheet that I keep with every teams roster on it. Then right after the draft I take a very objective look at each team and I rank their potential, including mine. If I don't feel like I am number one, then I start looking at moves, trades, or things I can do to get there. I also look for weak spots on other teams. For instance, this year I am going to end up with 4 RB's of strong caliber; Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis, Brandon Jacobs, and Fred Taylor. It’s quite possible in my league someone didn't do so hot there and ended up with Darren McFadden, Jamal Lewis, and a couple backups. But maybe he is very strong at WR. Could I unload Taylor on him and get someone the caliber of Larry Fitzgerald or Reggie Wayne? My trade motto is normally I want to help him out a little and help me out a lot. And I never assume a deal is too sweet to ask for!
BBZ: With your 13 years of fantasy football experience, I am sure you have learned what to do and what not to do during the season in hopes to leading your team to a championship. Can you share with us, the Bruno Boys and Bruno Boys Nation, what is the one biggest thing that is necessary to win that champsionship trophy?
BC: This might sound cliché but it's true. fantasy football is NOT a sprint, it's a marathon. If I had a dime for every good looking team on draft day that fizzled out from poor maintenance, I'd be paying league dues out of that fund for years! If you are serious about winning, you need to know your league rules backward and forward. Then be on top of injury reports, waiver wires, and always look for the trade that may put you over the top. And of course, have some great resources to get you there, such as www.brunoboys.net! ;-)
BBZ: Well, thank you very much for the praise! All of us Bruno Boys bust our hump to bring you the best information possible! With that being said, what about the one thing an owner should absolutely not do to ensure a good run at the championship?
BC: There are plenty of don’ts. The most common thing I see is people drafting and starting players on name recognition instead of talent. As I said I am in Indiana, very close to Indy. Around here guys like Edgerrin James, Dallas Clark, Marvin Harrison, and even Peyton Manning ALWAYS go way too high in the draft. My other rule of thumb is that if you are thinking about drafting the leagues top ranked defense and it is still available, then it's too early for you to draft it. That may sound odd, but it's true. The top three defenses always fly off the board, and they are never worth the cost. Concentrate on beefing up your position players and let someone else put all his/her hope in the San Diego Chargers defense.
BBZ: Brandon, that really is some good advice! Tell us a story about something impressionable that has happened to you in one of your leagues that will stand the test of time as far as your fantasy football play goes. Did you learn a good lesson? As an example, my first year in a money league I drafted back to back kickers in the mid-rounds thinking that I was smart. Lo-and-behold, that is the single worst and best thing that I could have done! Worst because that is a horrible strategy, even if you do end up with the two best kickers. The best because I learned from my mistake and it has sparked something inside me that continuously makes me want to improve my fantasy football game and strategies. What about you? What is your two-kicker story?
BC: Several years ago I drafted Terrell Davis with my first round pick. Three months later I swore I would never ever draft another Denver Broncos running back as long as I lived. So far I have made good on that! Also, I have a draft story very, very similar to yours. I sat at a live draft many years ago and watched the guy picking 12 and 13 take both his Defenses! Needless to say, there are some draft mistakes that you cannot recover from, and he finished the season dead last. To this day when I see him I ask him how the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers defenses are looking this year.
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Burning Question of the Week: With Peyton Manning still hurting leading into the season, how much affect will it have on Reggie Wayne’s numbers if Manning misses a good chunk of time?
BC: I'm getting this because I am from the Indy area right? In my opinion, if Manning misses anytime at all, it will be devastating to the rest of the team from a fantasy football standpoint. Sorgi may be a very nice guy, but he isn't a playmaker. If he is under center, Wayne's numbers will drop tremendously. I wouldn't worry too much though if I drafted Wayne, Manning will be back and ready to play by opening day. (Brandon's bold prediction of the week)
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Bruno Boys “Hot Seat” with Brandon Clark
Q: Who is your favorite Bruno Boy and why?
A: Nice question. If I say Ziza I am instantly labeled a suck-up right? I'll say Ziza since you're from the Midwest originally, and we got to stick together and Cavigs since he was the first guy to respond to my first forum post.
Q: Alright suckup!!! Peyton Manning or Tony Romo?
A: Romo
Q: Do you want your competition to know about the Bruno Boys, or are we your dirty little secret?
A: Bruno Who? Never heard of it....what is it?
Q: You are in your fantasy football league championship, you are down 2 points and your kicker is the last person to be playing on either team. The game is winding down and your kicker’s team is in FG range. Your wife’s water breaks; do you wait to see if the kicker is brought onto the field and if he makes it or not?
A: No, I hit the Tivo and hope I don't hear the result until I get back. But, if my kicker makes it, I name the baby after him Gramatica Clark, got a nice ring to it!
Q: Would you rather be in a competitive league and finish in the middle of the pack or be in a laid back league and win the championship? Would you admit that it was an easy win?
A: I honestly like having one of each going. But, if I got to choose, I go with competition. As much as I love winning money, I play fantasy football because it's fun. When I want to win money I play Hold em’.
BBZ: On that note Brandon, I wish you the very best that this fantasy football season has to offer and good luck in the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Fans League! You did a great job!
BC: Thanks so much for the time. And thanks again for the great site. Hope to see you all in the fans league!
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