Got my Phil Steele magazine in the mail today

I think it‘s dumb because he doesn‘t need to gloat. He already puts out a solid product. People would actually think more highly of him if they were allowed to come on their own to a positive conclusion of him rather than to be subjected constantly to how boasting
 
I have soured on Steele the last few years. I'll still likely buy it because it's such a handy, quick resource, but so much of it is him telling us how right he is, and most of the rest of it is depth chart info from 3 seasons ago.
 
Stuff on paper is better than stuff on a lighted screen, and he provides a lot of good stuff in a small space. He's a ridiculous self-promoter, but whatever. I paid my money again this year, and I don't regret it.
 
I don't see a negative to the self promotion. It's just the promoter side of his personality, and he's a showman as well as a businessman. He's an independent businessman who was unknown a few years back and now makes an excellent living selling his expertise. I don't even notice the ads, but I know he always puts a blurb on the cover.

Until he came along, the chance of getting the depth of football information and gambling information he provides--especially for a few bucks--was zero. Then he came out of nowhere and provided it on every team.

So promote all you want Phil, just keep the magazine coming.
 
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I enjoy some aspects of the magazine like the all conference selections and the positional rankings on each team.

However, I find the the team breakdowns to be completely useless. I'm curious as to how people factor any of that info into their handicapping research.
 
I pay no attention to it.

I go straight to the team information. I glance at his conference predictions, but pay no attention to individual rankings and so far haven't bothered to look at his national title rankings. I don't even bother to look at things like OL rankings or any unit rankings.

The team writeups and gambling history are the only part I use
 
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I bought Phil for years. It has a plethora of information. My aging brain cells were not able to process information like name of the back-up LG for Arkansas as an example. I don’t retain names - period - so what is important to me is ‘ does this team have an experienced QB or not. Returning OLmen and DLmen . But I can get this info elsewhere, and as far as picking winners is concerned, I prefer Retro Vk, Crimson K, and Tahoe Legend.
Summing up, I once valued Steele but now find him Information Overload.
I buy one mag, the one that has FCS info, skimpy as it is. Street & Smith.
S & S gives me the info I find most valuable to me. Coaching changes, returning QBs and linemen, Schedules, including FCS.
To each his own I guess. Best of luck in 2019.
 
bull said:
I bought Phil for years. It has a plethora of information. My aging brain cells were not able to process information like name of the back-up LG for Arkansas as an example. I don’t retain names - period - so what is important to me is ‘ does this team have an experienced QB or not. Returning OLmen and DLmen . But I can get this info elsewhere, and as far as picking winners is concerned, I prefer Retro Vk, Crimson K, and Tahoe Legend.
Summing up, I once valued Steele but now find him Information Overload.
I buy one mag, the one that has FCS info, skimpy as it is. Street & Smith.
S & S gives me the info I find most valuable to me. Coaching changes, returning QBs and linemen, Schedules, including FCS.
To each his own I guess. Best of luck in 2019.
Click to expand...
That @RetroVK guy is a wealth of information ;)
 
Phil's book is always really important to me because when football season is over in January, for me it is really over. I don't read or watch anything stick and ball sports related the rest of the year and I literally forget just about everything I spent months living and breathing. I don't know about any transfers, I don't know who left early for the draft, I am just now realizing some of the coaching changes. So I really check out and I need something thorough to bring me back up to speed.

What Phil's book does for me is give me something I can carry around, highlight, circle and make small notes in the margins to get ready for the upcoming season. I don't read any of the rankings, bowl projections or articles. I do reference some unit rankings and returning starts, tackles, yards % data. The conference and individual team writeups are essential for me to get tuned up and have all the data in one place.

Once the season starts I still reference it, but with each month it becomes less and less important. But these June-August months, for me it is an essential starting point. From there I can go more in depth online to learn more.

Hopefully it is a profitable venture for him to print and distribute the magazine because it he ever does an online tablet version only I will be lost.
 
gps_3 said:
I have soured on Steele the last few years. I'll still likely buy it because it's such a handy, quick resource, but so much of it is him telling us how right he is, and most of the rest of it is depth chart info from 3 seasons ago.
Click to expand...

But I like some of that 3 year old data in the depth chart, such as.... UCF SS Jordan Hayes Sr. 13 starts, 97 tkl, 8 pbu at Duke L3Y. Or the 3 projected new OL starters were originally at ND and Texas A&M. I like knowing that they had some talent which had P5 type schools interested in them. That is valuable info to have, because some other magazine might have them plugged into a starting lineup as a newcomer non-returning starter, but showing a little more about the player is helpful.

My only complaint would be that he doesn't have more data in the depth chart. Instead of giving the 3rd or 4th stringers name, he could give more data on the 1st and 2nd teamer. Some might remember when he used to publish conference specific magazines in addition to the main magazine in 2008 and 2009? He had one page that showed an actual formation layout of the O and D with players names under the positions and gave more info on the players. In his 2009 Big Ten preview of then Sophomore JJ Watt Phil said "Awarded scholarship after a strong spring '09. Scout tm Defenseive Player of the Year after transfering from C Michigan in '08. Moved from TE. `14 gm, 2 st at TE, 8 rec 77y (9.6) as true. 430 bench". I highlighted some of that and probably thought at the time, "huh, this former TE might be pretty good at starting DE". He He can't fit all that stuff into the depth chart in the national magazine, but when he puts something like Scout team MVP, I take note. Yeah, it is out there, anyone could find it online, but to have it in a magazine depth chart is very convenient.
 
bull said:
I buy one mag, the one that has FCS info, skimpy as it is. Street & Smith.
Click to expand...
I buy Street & Smith for that reason, too. I want to know something about these teams the big boys are playing the first couple of weeks. What does a 45-10 win mean? Is that a good result or bad? And sometimes you find easy winners like Villanova over Temple last year. Wow -- was that a bad line!

As for Steele, the thing I like the most is the depth chart with the recruiting recruiting rankings and starts for each player. Who is this "next man up"? The defensive stats chart with sacks and TFL is also useful. And the position group writeups are also more helpful than what you get elsewhere.
 
I use virtually everything on the team pages in my handicapping, but one of the most enjoyable uses for me is to have it handy on Saturday when I sit down for 12 hours or so of watching football.

It makes the games a lot more interesting to me to have so much information about young players or players on teams I don't see very often right at my fingertips. Somehow that makes me remember teams and players and coaching schemes better as the season wears on. A lot of times I see a great player making plays who may be unknown to me--and the world--at the time, but who helps me win bets as the season progresses.

Just one example is former FSU RB Dalvin Cook. I didn't know him, but saw right away he was a game breaker, even though he wasn't famous. I won four bets on FSU that year because I knew he would make two or three big plays every game that would change the ATS outcome. He never failed and it helped a lot the first time I saw him to see his size, recruiting grade, stats, etc.

In addition, it just makes games more enjoyable to me to have all that info, no matter who is playing
 
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TahoeLegend said:
I use virtually everything on the team pages in my handicapping, but one of the most enjoyable uses for me is to have it handy on Saturday when I sit down for 12 hours or so of watching football.

It makes the games a lot more interesting to me to have so much information about young players or players on teams I don't see very often right at my fingertips. Somehow that makes me remember teams and players and coaching schemes better as the season wears on. A lot of times I see a great player making plays who may be unknown to me--and the world--at the time, but who helps me win bets as the season progresses.

Just one example is former FSU RB Dalvin Cook. I didn't know him, but saw right away he was a game breaker, even though he wasn't famous. I won four bets on FSU that year because I knew he would make two or three big plays every game that would change the ATS outcome. He never failed and it helped a lot the first time I saw him to see his size, recruiting grade, stats, etc.

In addition, it just makes games more enjoyable to me to have all that info, no matter who is playing
Click to expand...
Loved Dalvin.
Still upset he coughed up the football Vs Org in the Champ gm.
 
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