As part of an ongoing effort to get readers more involved in this blog, I am introducing a contest of sorts. It's going to be a fun little challenge that anybody can participate in -- for free -- that (if the name didn't tip you off) involves making predictions about the upcoming game. Basically, before each game, you will have three categories about which you can make a prediction*.
I will keep a tally of whose predictions come true, one that will be posted on the sidebar, and at the end of the season the winner will receive a fabulous prize pagkage that will include a framed picture of Tom Benson. Not bad, huh?
So let's talk categories:
- The first category is something objective. I'm leaning towards total number of points scored by the Saints (i.e. 37), with the winners calculated Price is Right style, that is, closest to the actual total without exceeding it. But part of the reason why I'm outlining this contest now is to get your feedback beforehand.
- The second category is something subjective, player of the game. Because this is subjective, points will be awarded for three players. So if Drew throws for 300 yards, Deuce rumbles for 100 yards and Will Smith has 3 sacks, points will be awarded for all three players, since it would be difficult to definitively say who had the greatest impact on the team's performance. Because this is a Saints blog, points will only be awarded for predictions about the Saints, though predictions from fans of other teams are certainly welcome.
- The third category is the wildcard. Basically, the wildcard is whatever you want it to be and is a good way to rack up multiple points at once. For instance, if you predict that Reggie will score the first touchdown of the game on a run in the 1st quarter, and it comes true, you would score four points, one or predicting that the Saints would score the first touchdown of the game, one for predicting that it would be Reggie, one for it being on a run and one for it happening in the 1st quarter. The wildcard is a gamble: it's going to be useful if you need to make a late-season run toward first place, but safer predictions will consistently net you points. And it could be anything -- if you want to predict that Drew Brees will lead the team in passing yardage for that game, you can. Again, this being a Saints blog, points will only be awarded for predictions about the Saints.
So that's the basic layout of the challenge. The day before the game, I will post a Soothsayer Challenge thread, where predictions will be accepted until kickoff. If you have any suggestions for other categories, or for changing one of the categories, please make a comment on this thread.
Oh, and if you have any predictions for tomorrow's Saints-Bengals game, feel free to post those also.
Good luck.
*For an example of this game, see Ichthyomancy at Fish Stripes, SBN's Florida Marlins blog.