Today (January 1, 2020), Pro Football Network turns one. And what a wild ride it has been. Anyone who has ever built and run a website knows how hard it is. Anyone who’s worked to maintain a website for days, weeks, months, and years knows the sacrifices that need to be made so it can be successful. Early mornings. Long days. Long nights. Weekends are no longer weekends.
It seems as if everything else takes a backseat. But here at PFN, we have built a culture where we all strive to be the best that we can possibly be without leaving any stone unturned. For that, I have to thank the PFN ownership group, both former and current – Josh Houtz, Ryan Rosko, Aaron Sutton, Matt Infante, and Brett Yarris. Their work ethic and their vision is incredible.
If it weren’t for them, this site would not be where it is today. While I’m working my full-time job during the day, they take the reins and make sure the site and social media is up to date with the latest posts and information. At night, I take the reins (along with the likes of Sutton and Infante), and we continue to build the site while making sure everything is ready for the morning.
And then, my staff – both former and current. They are some of the scrappiest and hungriest group of men and women you’ll ever come across. Their desire to do better and better each time they post or edit an article, along with their passion for football, is off the charts.
But most importantly, we’ve created a family. Our Slack channel has many channels, but one of the best ones is the #pfn-random-general channel. There, we talk about all sorts of topics and will jump from one thing to the next in a matter of minutes. But, as Brett said last evening to our staff, we never expected how our culture would create a community of people who pray for one another, send advice and personal guidance for each other, connect to meet up for drinks, meals, and trips. A community of people from all over the world who encourage each other, push each other and outwardly prop each other up.
It takes a strong culture and foundation to go through the highs and lows of a building a company. Without these dozens of football fanatics striving to make a name for themselves, it cannot be done. And all of them have helped contribute to the wild success we’ve had in the last 12 months. This includes millions of page views, millions of unique visitors, and mentions in major outlets across the nation such as the New York Post, the Miami Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, NBC Sports, RotoWorld, and so many more.
But, we know that success can be fleeting and the work must continue if we want to sustain what we have all worked so hard to build in our first year. So, what’s next for Pro Football Network in year two? We have a lot of great things planned. Take a look below for what our plans are for each of our featured sections.
NFL Betting
In the summer, we launched a premium subscription that included our bets for the upcoming NFL games that week. I’m excited to say that our group had a successful inaugural regular season. We finished with a record of 307-293-10 (51%). This includes 156 bets made with +100 odds or higher.
Now, we’re thrilled to announce that effective immediately, all of our NFL betting content will be free. That’s right – there will be no more paywall on Pro Football Network for anything. Every piece of content that comes out of our door will be absolutely free.
We know there are many companies competing for your money and while we had several hundred subscribers in our first season, we don’t want to have you make you choose between what to pay and what not to pay for throughout the year. Our team is ready to bring you the same hard-hitting analysis and we’re going to win you money in the NFL playoffs, the 2020 NFL season, and beyond.
Fantasy Football
Our fantasy football section was quite successful in our first year. Our staff was able to provide quality analysis, help people win money in their fantasy football leagues, and through PFN OSM, offer out-of-the-box thinking when it came time to picking up free agents and setting your lineup.
Additionally, Tommy Garrett, one of our draft analysts, was just a few plays away from winning the Scott Fish Bowl. Unfortunately, a long run by Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones at the end of the MNF game vs. the Vikings caused him to lose by just a few points.
But now in year two, we’re ready to kick it up a notch. And just like the NFL betting section, all of our fantasy content will be free (previously, select content was behind a paywall for our All-Access subscribers).
Starting today, our fantasy section will be making a full-tilt towards dynasty leagues. While we will still occasionally cover re-draft, best ball, and daily fantasy, our primary focus (and the vast majority of our content), will be solely focused on dynasty.
While there are hundreds – if not thousands – of sites that cover your typical re-draft leagues and daily fantasy plays, there aren’t many that cover dynasty. That’s why we’re jumping in headfirst into this market.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @PFNDynasty and come back here daily for all of the latest updates so you can build your dynasty and get an edge over your opponents throughout the year.
NFL Draft
I have to express my deepest gratitude to Tony Pauline for taking the chance on us when were just a few months old and not yet known. Pauline gave us an instant shot of credibility and he’s been helping us build it ever since.
Pauline, one of the most respected analysts and insiders in the draft industry, has provided our readers with information that you are hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Pauline has also done a great job setting an example and being a mentor for our draft staff, all who are scrappy and doing whatever it takes to get the job done.
Throughout the year, we have provided analysis on players, shared our inside information with you, let you know who to keep an eye on this college season, and of course, our game day blog.
We look forward to continuing all of this – providing analysis and inside information – as we move forward in 2020. In fact, over the next few months, we’ll be releasing scouting reports for hundreds of players in this year’s NFL Draft. We’ll also be on scene at the Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, and NFL Combine.
We know there are dozens of NFL Draft sites out there, and we thank you for choosing PFN to be one of the sites you come to for your draft fix.
Offensive Share Metric/NFL News and Analysis
Prior to the season, we launched a proprietary formula called the Offensive Share Metric, which measures how much of a player’s statistical production they were actually responsible for. For example, a wide receiver that doesn’t drop passes and breaks a lot of tackles will have a higher grade than one who did the opposite. So, a player with a higher grade was more responsible for their own production than a player with a lower one.
We created this model because it can often be difficult to tell how well a player is performing during an NFL game. Conventional statistics are helpful, but they almost never tell the full story. Fans often claim that a certain player is only good because of their teammates, or that they are being held back by the players around them. PFN OSM is a way to see if those claims are actually true.
Throughout this season, we graded players using hard data based on Next Gen Stats. Heading into the 2020 season, we’re working to enhance that and provide you with even more data and splits. For example, what is a player’s OSM based on the coverage they are seeing? Are they more productive in man or press coverage? How does quarterback rushing factor into their OSM?
We’ve only scratched the surface of this, and it’s going to be an analytics model that our readers will cite when talking about production and how much value a player has to their team.
All of this, and more, is what we are looking to expand with OSM heading into the future. Beyond PFN OSM, we’re also excited to continue our general columns and feature stories from our staff.
Podcasts
Our podcast network has undergone many changes in our first year, and I’m thankful that our podcast hosts have been able to adjust on the fly. Through the changes, they have continued to produce quality content, and we’re pleased with the hundreds of thousands of downloads we saw in year one.
As we enter 2020, we’re planning more changes to our podcasts as we strive to figure out what works best and what doesn’t. We want to make sure we are unique as possible in everything that we do, and that extends to our pods.
Whether it be one related to the NFL (Nosebleed Seats and Any Given Friday), the NFL Draft (Draft Insiders), NFL betting (Against the Spread), fantasy football (The Fantasy Fixers), or the business side (Handle Your Business), our goal is to give the listeners useful and applicable information that will make them a smarter football fan.
Stay tuned for more information – we are finalizing a few details and hope to launch our new podcast plan within the next few weeks.
College Football/NFL News and Rumors
Two weeks ago, we brought Ben Allbright on as an insider for our CFB/NFL News and Rumors section. Working alongside Tony Pauline, the two have combined for a powerful duo in breaking stories before the mainstream media. For example, in just two weeks, here’s what the two have worked together on to break:
• Internal fighting within the Jaguars organization could lead to dismissals
• Dysfunction within the Browns organization
• The ouster of Freddie Kitchens and John Dorsey
• The potential rise of Paul DePodesta in the Browns organization
• Bruce Allen being fired from the Redskins
• Several Alabama underclassmen returning to school
• Matt Rhule being a favorite for the Giants job
• Lincoln Riley, Matt Rhule, and Urban Meyer being top candidates for the Cowboys job
Pauline, who has been with us since the summer, has also had his hand in breaking stories on PFN before the mainstream media. This includes:
• Dysfunction within the Jets organization
• Laremy Tunsil being traded
• The top targets for Jadeveon Clowney
• TCU OT Lucas Niang having season-ending surgery
• Dozens of underclassmen draft declarations
All of this has been done in just a few short months and weeks, and it’s only the beginning of what’s to come. PFN will continue to provide our readers with inside information as soon as we hear it.
With organizations looking to hire coaches, free agency, the NFL Draft, training camp battles, and season drama, we will have it all covered throughout the year. We’re excited about the potential and we can’t wait to continue to get you the news you deserve before anyone else.
Thought year one was good? Wait until year two.
If you thought year one for Pro Football Network was a good one, just wait for year two. Our staff is hungry to make their presence known and PFN is ready to springboard itself on the national radar.
Think of a rookie player in their first year. They show plenty of promise, but it’s not until year two where they break out and show everyone who they really are.
That’s us. That’s PFN. And we’re ready to make some noise.