Now here’s a piece that ties very unlikely things together, one that I bet you didn’t expect to see in The Fordham Ram. 

The ever-expanding concept of fantasy football has become one of the most addictive pieces of my life. I am not a gambler, but I am a competitor and I love football. The excitement of drafting your fantasy team, managing waivers and generating trades only adds fuel to the fire of my NFL addiction. 

It also gives me a reason to turn on the greatest television invention known to mankind: NFL Redzone. I can watch every game with no commercials for seven straight hours on Sundays. Not only do you get the opportunity to keep up with all the scores, but you get all the story lines, live stats and the fantasy numbers all in one place. 

Why is it so addictive? I couldn’t tell you why, but it is a regular ritual on Sunday.

Perhaps it is the fact that host Scott Hanson is really good at keeping pace with all the madness of the games, or maybe it is the fact there are no commercials, allowing you to see every scoring play or key defensive stop. 

My parents are not enthusiastic about Redzone, and it isn’t anything against Scott Hanson, but they prefer watching one game rather than switching between eight of the 4 p.m. games. 

And yes, I do sit down and watch all the Thursday night, Sunday night and Monday night games. But from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday it is Redzone or bust. 

I have three fantasy teams this year: two regular teams and one dynasty team on the app Sleeper. On top of managing injuries and waivers in dynasty, I also have to worry about my draft picks for the rookie draft next year. I need to know what is happening in all the games. Everything, good and bad.

If you watch Sunday Night Football regularly, you are familiar with Chris Collinsworth doing color commentary for years alongside Al Michaels and now Mike Tirico. And if you are alert enough, you would understand I started this piece with a play on the famous Collinsworth phrase, “Now here’s a guy…” when he’s about to break down a player or a play. Here is where the memes come in…

Redzone also shows us the lowest of the lows in the NFL. It may be rock bottom for some teams, but it produces timeless memes that will last forever. 

Does anyone remember the butt fumble? Or Dan Orlovsky running backwards out of his own endzone? Those are two of the most iconic memes on NFL twitter known to date and ones that may last forever. 

But if you know anything about memes and history, things tend to repeat themselves in really weird ways. 

During week three, the butt fumble was recreated into the butt punt. The Miami Dolphins were punting out of their own endzone when Thomas Morstead kicked the ball off his own player’s backside and out of bounds for a safety. The freeze frame of the moment became an instant hit online, with even the NFL’s account posting about it.

The ensuing play gave us a moment where the Buffalo Bills failed to run a potential game-winning play in the final seconds. As the clock hit zero, viewers got a look inside the coordinator’s box. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was so mad the Bills couldn’t get a play off that the camera caught him smashing his papers and tablet on live television.

That’s the beauty of Redzone, you get everything in the league in a matter of minutes. I can watch all the scoring plays, keep up with my fantasy teams and see all the great moments in a single place without having to change the channel.

Though it wasn’t originally intended to be the replacement for watching live standalone games on cable, Redzone has become a way of life for many football fanatics like myself. 

All hail Scott Hanson and NFL Redzone.