Welcome to Super Bowl week. An event so special, I actually encourage drinking (unlike your draft or auction). There's a lot to take in, and everyone has their own rituals in handling the biggest football day of the year.
I suggest starting out by choosing the best fantasy players, forming the strongest team and rooting for your MVP. You definitely want to avoid any athlete who might fall asleep at the water bowl.
Yes, the water bowl. I'm talking about Puppy Bowl, now in its 12th year on Animal Planet. If you haven't seen it, you're missing the best thing on Super Bowl Sunday prior to kickoff.
If it sounds like the Puppy Bowl is just a bunch of puppies running around, well, that's exactly what it is. The "game" is played on a tiny field, and the dogs basically just play with each other and tug at various toys. If a puppy brings one over the goal line, it counts as a touchdown. There are different teams of puppies (they get tired), in-game water breaks, penalties for biting, a kitten halftime show and other activities. And it runs about three hours, bringing you right up to the Super Bowl.
And yes, you can field a fantasy team by signing up and choosing three pups. But we don't want you to go into this on your own. You expect more from Fantasy Index, right? So consider this your free Puppy Bowl fantasy preview:
You'd think the largest puppies would just use muscle to dominate the toys. But that's not how it tends to play out. It's usually the mid-size pups who play tug and chase each other. And when they eventually win the toy, it's other same-sized dogs who will usually chase them over the goal line. Smaller dogs might have a bit more energy, but they can't always get a good grip on the toy, which leads to turnovers. And bigger dogs don't play a lot of keep-away with their fellow puppies. They often just wrestle with other big dogs.
The breed seems to matter as well. Last year, two pups scored four times each, and they were both Spaniels (or a Spaniel Mix). Interestingly, neither won the Most Valuable Puppy award. That went to Cara, a Shih Tzu, who scored twice. She won the voting, but it might have had less to do with her touchdowns and more to do with her cute, fuzzy face.
Keep an eye on the terriers as well. In the past 11 Puppy Bowls, the MVP has been a Terrier or Terrier mix four times. They're agile, like to run, and can score from anywhere on the field.
This information makes choosing your pups easier, especially considering only 18 are available in the game. While that's fewer than half of puppies who will actually participate in the Puppy Bowl, you can only worry about what's in front of you. If you can load up your team with terriers and spaniels, you'll be going with a popular trend in Puppy Bowls.
My team consists of Darby, a Jack Russell Terrier; Miss Sassy, a Boston Terrier; and Ranger, a Springer Spaniel. I think that gives me a good range of ages (Miss Sassy is just 12 weeks old, but Ranger is a wily vet at 16 weeks) while collecting a crew of energetic, spry puppies. I left off Timon the Terrier because, well, he just doesn't look like he can carry himself on the field. Just a hunch, but it could cost me. I also left off Timber the Lab, though I would have added him if we could have picked four. He's got a good look.
Anyway, I'll definitely be watching the Puppy Bowl instead of the seven hours of pablum that CBS will be serving up in its pre-game shows. Everything you didn't want to know about the Broncos and Panthers will be hashed, rehashed and dumped in your lap for nearly the equivalent of a work shift. Except that you won't get paid, of course.
Instead, I suggest you spend that time getting the food ready, picking out the best seat on the couch, putting your squares together and watching your puppies tangle with the competition. Then enjoy the culmination of another great season with friends and family. Enjoy the games.
Do you watch the Puppy Bowl? What's your favorite Super Bowl tradition? Share your thoughts below.
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