Your involvement in fantasy football competitions tends to change how you watch a game. Some critics of the concept argue that you remove the importance of winning and losing, strip it down, and care only about the final stats accumulated by each player. There's some degree of truth to that argument, as you'll sometimes strike fantasy gold with QBs leading a failed comeback from 20 points down. But ultimately, owners are as concerned about wins and losses as everyone else. Their inner fan warrants that they have a decided opinion of who will win and who will lose, and ultimately, who will end up playing on the grandest stage of them all.

The difference is merely that the fantasy football participant spend more time trying to dissect schemes, game plans, and trends to determine how a team will get to its win or loss. They want to know how frequently a QB looks to a specific target in the red zone, how often a running back's number gets called inside the 10, and the number and severity of injuries on the opposing defense. Fantasy owners takes those facts, evaluate matchups and determine which player has the greater chance of performing well in a given week.

And participation increases the fan's knowledge of the players across the league. It forces them to look outside of the home team and its divisional foes and get to know the players and personalities all over the league. A perfect example are two players that got their chance on the international stage in last night's game: Seattle's Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck. Throughout the NFC Playoffs, and into the two weeks of build-up for the Super Bowl, there were countless articles and features on these players toiling anonymously in the Pacific Northwest. Don't tell that to fantasy participants, who have not only given Alexander and Hasselbeck their just due in drafts for years, but can point to the abilities of backups Maurice Morris and Seneca Wallace.

They're tapped in. They're knowledgeable. And they were sad to see the final gun sound last night (Pittsburgh Steelers fans excepted).

As I sat down to watch the game, I was curious about which player would use this platform as a springboard to fantasy greatness in '06. I wondered who would make the big play to win ... or lose the game for their team. And, I wondered aloud whether uber-vulture Jerome Bettis would get his TD glory in the game fittingly titled Super Bowl XL.

As we know, Bettis would join Walter Payton in the "legends that got a ring but didn't get to dance in the end zone" category. He finished with 14 carries for 43 yards, and his biggest contribution of the evening was a block thrown on the Ben Roethlisberger "did he or didn't he?" TD run. It didn't matter. The points went on the board and Pittsburgh snagged the lead. I am truly happy for The Bus. He was every bit the gentleman when I scored a quick interview upon a visit to Steelers camp this past fall, reminiscing over his days at ND, his career to date, and why he returned. He even boldly predicted big things for Willie Parker in '05.

Take it from a future Hall of Famer. He called that one right. Parker had a tremendous '05 campaign, and though he ran a bit tentatively in the AFC Playoffs, he used a 75-yard TD scamper to move himself up draft boards for 2006. Parker's play, combined with Bettis's retirement speech on the podium, solidified his place in the lineup.

Another player basking in the glory of the 21-10 win is Antwaan Randle El. He didn't do much in the receiving category, and Tom Rouen failed to try and pin the Steelers back with four touchbacks, but Randle El showed why is such a threat. His 43-yard TD toss to Hines Ward was perhaps the best looking ball thrown all day. Randle El will be a highly sought after free agent for his game-changing abilities, with Chicago already rumored to an aggressive bidder for his services. Randle El goes from an undrafted receiver to a sleeper candidate in '06 based on his combination of skills.

Though he dropped several balls, Jerramy Stevens did provide the lone Seattle TD on a nice toss from Matt Hasselbeck. Despite his struggles for much of the day, Stevens definitely upped his stock heading into drafts '06. Ryan Hannam's appearance on the field will not mitigate Stevens' production going forward.

Matt Hasselbeck looked great in spots, but the clock management at the end of both halves and the pick thrown in the red zone had his detractors puffing out their chests. He completed 26-of-49 attempts, and did have an early TD wiped out by an offensive pass interference call on first-half hero Darrell Jackson. Did he or didn't he? The replay shows a fully extended arm on the Pittsburgh D-back, so by the letter of the law, it was a penalty. The bigger question is what happened to Jackson's involvement in the offense in the second half?

His counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger, looked nothing like the QB we'd seen in the last three road playoff wins. He threw a number of wobbly passes, make a bad read on the red zone pick that was returned a record 76 yards (Cedrick Wilson would have been standing all alone for a score with a little touch), and the pass to Hines Ward when he toed the line of scrimmage was a wounded duck that found its way. All in all, he increased his draft stock based on the tremendous playoff run, and the Super Bowl struggles will be chalked up to nerves and the fact that the Seattle defense played tremendous ball. It will also be interesting to see whether coordinator Ken Whisenhunt bolts for the Oakland head coaching position, and if he does, who will slide into his role.

Both defenses accounted for themselves pretty well, as evidenced by the final score. Pittsburgh was able to get into a bend but don't break mode, aided by two Josh Brown missed field goal attempts, and Seattle held Roethlisberger and company in check, save for three huge plays. They'll both be among the first defenses off the board on draft day '06.

It wasn't the "super" game that everyone expected it to be, between the penalties, turnovers, and spotty officiating. But, even those components couldn't take away from the excitement of the game, and the great excuse it offers to throw one last football-related bash.

The Texans are on the clock, and the ranking process for a new season has begun.

For players, coaches, and fantasy owners alike, there is no off-season.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll finish the official tally off the fantasy contest proposed on Friday, in which commercials, commentators, and on-field action combined to make for a sure-fire party hit and get that post to you on Tuesday.  

I only have one question. Does the offspring of the robot and lizard ... the Hummer 3 ... count in the animal category?