Twitter has long been an excellent source of instantaneous news and wide-ranging opinions. We ran a series of interviews two years ago to help users new and old get to know some of our favorite tweeters.
Our series is back for 2014. Today we interview Eric Edholm, NFL writer for Yahoo and fantasy contributor for The MMQB and SI.com. Get to know him below.
"Flatliners" holds up. If you've been drinking.
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) May 14, 2014
Who Am I?
Name: Eric Edholm
Twitter handle: @Eric_Edholm
Tweeting since: 7-30-2009 (I looked it up.)
Number of tweets: 39K. Crazytown.
Follower count: Just short of 10K.
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois (grew up in Andover, Mass.)
Day job: NFL writer, Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner
Family life: Married since 2012, no children.
Quick bio (who you are, site(s) you represent, etc.): I represent the Everyman. I used to refer to myself as Mr. Irreverent. I write about football for Yahoo (as well as a little this past season for MMQB/SI.com), do lots of radio, some video.
What is something unique about you that few would know about? There’s a small part of me that wishes I could be a chef.
What you do for fun during the football offseason: Crossfit — I am 38 but pretend like I am far younger during the workouts and pretend I don’t know what a herniated disc is.
Favorite NFL team(s): None. All 32, baby! But the real answer is that I grew up a Bears and Patriots fan — family in both places — and grew out of that after the Patriots won their first Super Bowl. Hard not to root for them that day.
Favorite NFL player(s): Favorite to watch as a kid: Walter Payton, Stanley Morgan, Mosi Tatupu, Jim McMahon (when he, you know, played), Wilbur Marshall, Andre Tippett. Favorite as a professional: Troy Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, Junior Seau, Kurt Warner, Derrick Brooks, Darrelle Revis, Adrian Peterson.
Give us your “must follows” on Twitter: Man, too many to list. He doesn’t tweet a ton, but Greg Cosell always writes something interesting.
What do you like most about Twitter? It’s always on. (Same reason I hate it, too.)
Years playing fantasy football: My first year I played was, I believe, 1990, when I co-managed a team with a high-school friend named Peter Mooney, who knew a ton about the NFL and helped get me more into it. We drafted Joe Montana with our first pick, and he missed the entire season. Lesson learned.
How many leagues, typically? No more than 3. Often 1.
Michael Sam might be a little rough around the edges in his delivery, but he's a worker and a grinder — hard not to root for. #Rams
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) May 13, 2014
Inside the Guru’s Studio
What is your favorite fantasy word? Whenever I read or write “handcuff,” I let out a tiny giggle.
What is your least favorite fantasy word? Sleeper. I get a text from a friend every August asking for running back sleepers an hour before his draft. I usually feed him names of prog-rock musicians or Michelin-star chefs.
DC Comics or Marvel? Pick one for me.
What is your favorite film? All time? Changes all the time. But “This Is Spinal Tap” would rank high.
What is your favorite book? Another impossible question. I did connect with Faulkner in college, and I was a big J.M. Coetzee and Delillo fan, too. But I can’t pick White Noise No. 1. It wasn’t that amazing. Maybe Sound And The Fury, or Brothers Karamazov.
Cake or ice cream? Ice cream. I’d like to open a store one day, no joke.
Star Wars or Star Trek? Wars. The first three. (You know what I mean.)
What sound do you hate? Vomiting, my knee cracking in the morning and The B-52s.
What sound do you love? Bacon frying. Seagulls and the wind.
Film or Stats? Both! But really, situational stats can tell you a lot. And the combination of the two tell the whole story.
There could be a #30for30 on this draft one day. Even if it's not the most talented group ever, so many storylines ...
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) May 12, 2014
Predictions and Advice
Favorite fantasy style or combination of styles of play (Dynasty, Redraft, Auction, Best Ball, Daily, Survivor, etc.): I really think auction leagues are a blast. I had never done one prior to working at Pro Football Weekly in 2002, and the strategy is really fascinating. There are so many approaches to building a team, and then there’s the added thrill of dropping a player on a fellow owner. What can I say? I am one of those guys who watches those storage auction shows for fun. Auction leagues are the best. If you want the two best running backs (or receivers or whatever) in the league, you can have them, which is pretty incredible.
Studs ‘n Duds or Value Based Drafting? I make a do-not draft list that consists of anywhere from 8-15 players, I’d guess, every year. I don’t veer from that, and part of the reason I won’t touch them is that I know they’ll go so much higher than they are worth. After that, I have a list of about 40-50 players that I have stars or checks next to on my list, as a subset of a bigger master list. If one goes off the board, move on. Don’t base your team on you getting 2-3 players; be flexible.
What's the biggest mistake you see fantasy players make? Read the last line above. You have to have a Plan B and a Plan C. Also, a subtle thing: recognizing the “drop” points at each position and getting in before the talent falls off.
How much of fantasy football is skill? How much is luck? Definitely luck is involved, but I have never had a truly awful fantasy football team, and I win a title every 2-3 years. (For how few teams I typically have, that’s not too bad.)
Go out on a limb—give a wild prediction about the 2014 season that would shock the world if it happened: Khiry Robinson is a top-10 fantasy back.
Super Bowl XLIX Teams and Score: The draft hasn’t even happened! Ok, fine … 49ers 31, Patriots 24
2014 Fantasy MVP: Oh boy. I am tempted to say LeSean McCoy. But I am still an Aaron Rodgers guy and think he’s due for a transcendent season soon.
2014 Fantasy Most Improved: Well, Robinson would be one. Another: Cordarrelle Patterson.
2014 Fantasy Bust of the Year: DeMarco Murray. I fear he never stays healthy.