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 Jake Ciely, senior editor over at football.com. Get to know him below.
There’s a King Hua Chinese restaurant near my house. Every time I pass it I hear Al Pacino saying the name in my head… King HUUUAAAH!
— Jake Ciely (@allinkid) May 16, 2014
Who Am I?
Name: Jake Ciely
Twitter handle: @allinkid
Tweeting since: March, 2011
Number of tweets: 47.1k+
Follower count: 7.2k+
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Day job: Deli Owner
Family life: Parents, sister, niece/nephew, single (pickiness will get you)
Quick bio (who you are, site(s) you represent, etc.): Jake Ciely, the All In Kid. The nickname comes from poker. When I first started playing nearly 15 years ago, I thought going "all in" was the best move, whether I was bluffing or holding the best hand. Hence, someone said, "Dang, always gotta be 'all in, kid.'" Since my first day of fantasy writing, I have connected poker and fantasy, and it's a large part of what has led to my success. Currently, I am a Senior Editor at Football.com and Senior Writer at RotoExperts.com. You can also find me on FantasySportsNetwork.com. I'm everywhere… spooky, huh?
What is something unique about you that few would know about? Besides being a deli owner and poker pro? I am still single! Sigh… More interesting though, my first ever interview was with Joe Montana. Let's just say my knees were shaking more than a cornerback trying to cover the Montana to Jerry Rice connection.
What you do for fun during the football offseason: Try to manage my 20-plus leagues! The most fun I recently had was commishing the FLEX league I created last year (with some help from David Gonos and Jamey Eisenberg). It's basically your Tout Wars (fantasy baseball folks) for football. I also enjoy watching the games on my three big screens in my living room every Sunday.
Favorite NFL team(s): Giants (get rid of that "s"… despite what Lays says, you can't have more than one)
Favorite NFL player(s): I'm in limbo. As a Giants fan, it used to be Mark Bavaro, then Amani Toomer, followed by Michael Strahan and Hakeem Nicks. But Nicks was pre-injuries and mopey contract year. Eli Manning would be the easy pick as the QB… even though people love to hate him. I could say JPP (Jason Pierre-Paul) but he needs to prove he wasn't a one-year flash. I guess I'm a free agent, and players should be vying for my fanmanship.
Give us your “must follows” on Twitter: Me? Sort of conceited huh? Okay… David Gonos (@davidgonos): entertainment added to fantasy sports; Tristan Cockroft (@SultanofStat): bigger name, but better guy - one of the first in the industry to acknowledge me and help when I first started; Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL): if you cut him open, stats would pour out instead of blood; you (maybe sucking up, but still truth to it); me (oh, I already said me…) and now I leave a ton out! I follow less than 250, and if they made my cut, they more than deserve to be followed!
What do you like most about Twitter? Being able to interact with the readers. I respond to every.single.tweet. I may be the weird one, but I treat it as a conversation in the real world. If you asked me a question, or even just said "good point," I'm going to reply.
Years playing fantasy football: 15-plus years. Started in college, commishing my dorm's league. I dominated the league, and NFL Blitz, of course.
How many leagues, typically? Every year, I tell myself I'll keep in under double-digits. Then, once Week 1 rolls around, somehow I'm in more than a dozen (last year was 23).
I'd probably prefer Lyerla over any rookie TE if he signs with GB, has his head on straight and wins the starting gig
— Jake Ciely (@allinkid) May 16, 2014
Inside the Guru’s Studio
What is your favorite fantasy word? Auction. Why? Because everyone should be playing in auction leagues instead of the antiquated snake draft leagues. Forget missing on Jamaal Charles or getting stuck from a position run. You go after whoever you want!
What is your least favorite fantasy word? Sleeper! They are "underrated" players! "Sleeper" went out of style with Reebok Pumps, Beanie Babies and "Wazzzzzzup!"
DC Comics or Marvel? Batman has always been on a tier of his own for super heroes with me, so it's DC. Although, I thoroughly enjoy both (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is on my DVR list) and am not one of those who says it has to be one or the other.
What is your favorite film? Dumb and Dumber. Yes, I can quote the entire movie and own it, but I still leave it on when I stumble across it on TV. Christmas Vacation, Tommy Boy and Jay and Silent Bob are solid "just misses." I like my comedies.
What is your favorite book? Do fantasy articles and rankings count? I haven't read many books in my years, and certainly not many over the past few. The one that comes to mind though is Timeline by Michael Crichton. I enjoyed many of his books. I flew through Phantoms by Dean Koontz too. Of course, both were infinitely better than the movie versions.
Cake or ice cream? Cake! Although, Edy's Samoas makes it a close call. But give me some Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Golden cake with chocolate icing any day.
Star Wars or Star Trek? Wars. But I'm not one of those crazies who says if you like one, you can't like the other. "Crazies?" I probably just alienated half of my readers.
What sound do you hate? Birds at 5 am! Seriously... find your mates at more reasonable hours!
What sound do you love? The doorbell. It lets me know when our Sunday football eats are here.
Film or Stats? Both. I truly don't get why all of a sudden it had to be "this or that." I recently accidentally started a Twitter war because I joked about Jerry Rice's 40 time. Good grief people. You can't get full analysis by using just one or the other.
Louis Nix to #Texans? Stop it. Just stop! DEAR LORD AFC South QBs you are in trouble!
— Jake Ciely (@allinkid) May 10, 2014
Predictions and Advice
Favorite fantasy style or combination of styles of play (Dynasty, Redraft, Auction, Best Ball, Daily, Survivor, etc.): Auction (you should have seen this one coming) redraft.
Studs ‘n Duds or Value Based Drafting? Value. Set your projections and values (whether rounds or dollars) and stick to them. Finish the draft with more value than cost, and more often than not, you win!
What's the biggest mistake you see fantasy players make? Overdrafting rookies. You'll see me talk about it yearly and constantly. Rookies fail to live up to owners' hopes more often than not.
How much of fantasy football is skill? How much is luck? It's 50/50, and I say that because I think poker involves a bit more skill. You can be dealt a poor hand in poker and bluff your way out. You can't be dealt a poor hand (two early injuries to top picks, such as Jamaal Charles and Kenny Britt in 2011) and bluff. Often, as much as you can try to overcome, the odds are just too great.
Go out on a limb—give a wild prediction about the 2014 season that would shock the world if it happened: Well, I would have said Montee Ball would finish as a Top 10 player, but everyone is jumping on my bandwagon that I started driving in January. Seriously, there's no more room people! So, I'll say Isaiah Crowell is the backup to Ben Tate that you want and will finish as a Top 40 RB.
Super Bowl XLIX Teams and Score: Broncos 27 - 49ers 20
2014 Fantasy MVP: Going with the MVP meaning best return value, so I'll go back to Montee Ball as of now. He's currently the 13th RB off the board, and he's my No. 6 RB and No. 7 player overall for 2014. Once his ADP climbs, I could see Matthew Stafford too, as he's a fifth round pick and could come close to those 2011 numbers.
2014 Fantasy Most Improved: Ball? Ha. He's obvious at this point, so we'll go Andre Ellington. He was looking real good late last year, gets Jonathan Cooper back and the Cardinals signed Jared Veldheer. That left side of the line is going to be nasty.
2014 Fantasy Bust of the Year: Andy Dalton, Chris Johnson, Eric Decker. Take your pick. Dalton will not repeat those touchdown numbers by just tossing it up again in 2014. Owners will give CJK one more chance as the lead option with the Jets and be disappointed. And Decker… well, Peyton Manning to Geno Smith? You do the math.