Litchfield's Dennis is Goal Post season champ
Expert picking leads to recliner from Rhonda's
Todd Dennis (seated), of Litchfield, kicks back in his new Owens Catnapper powered recliner, courtesy of Rhonda's Furniture & Mattress in Dalton, he won by playing The Post's Goal Post Pro Football Challenge this season. Mark Jones, of Rhonda's, helps Dennis settle in. Photo by KEVIN MCMANUS
Just like the Super Bowl champ New England Patriots, Todd Dennis hung around the top of the leader board early in the season – and then he never looked back.
The Litchfield resident and three-time Goal Post Pro Football Challenge competitor will be sitting comfortably, literally, after taking home the overall 2016-17 Goal Post season championship, successfully picking the Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons to secure the title.
Dennis won an Owens Catnapper powered recliner, courtesy of Rhonda's Furniture & Mattress in Dalton, after correctly picking the winners of each pro football game this season more often than the rest.
Dennis' weekly selections in the 21-week season spanning from Week 1 all the way to Super Bowl Sunday landed him first out of 1,503 competitors playing in The Post's local challenge, as well an impressive 13th of 123,954 playing nationwide.
His strategy? Consuming as much pro football knowledge as possible, but not getting in too deep.
"Oh yeah, I watch as much football as my wife will let me," Dennis laughed. "I also play fantasy football. Coming down to the end, I saw I was doing pretty good. I definitely paid a lot more attention to all the games, almost over-thinking it."
Dennis said it can be easy to put too much thought into a simple pick between two teams during any given week. The longer he continued to see his name on the leader board, though, the more pragmatic he became.
"I'm no football aficionado, but I start with looking at the defenses ... There are certain match-ups that stick out, but for the most part, it's pretty cut and dry," he said. "Even with the Super Bowl, with a guy like (Coach Bill) Belichick, you have to look at the coaching, but a lot of is just shooting from the hip."
The other method to his victory? Reluctantly picking against the beloved home team.
"I never picked them to win this season. I shouldn't say that," Dennis said of the dismal 1-15 Cleveland Browns. "I've always been a Browns fan, but they were pretty easy to pick against."
Dennis joked about Goal Post survivor challenge winner and fellow longtime Browns fan David O'Dear, of Brunswick, who was adamant in the same strategy earlier this season.
"I was reading in the paper about the guy who won the survivor pool," Dennis said of O'Dear. "That seemed to be a pretty sure pick."
Dennis said he plans to play again next season – and watch plenty of football from his new recliner, complete with a power headrest and lay-flat reclining.
Rhonda Jones, Rhonda's owner, congratulated Dennis when he picked up the recliner Feb. 6.
Her husband, Mark Jones, a Goal Post participant, joked that Dennis "better send us his football picks next season."
The Litchfield resident and three-time Goal Post Pro Football Challenge competitor will be sitting comfortably, literally, after taking home the overall 2016-17 Goal Post season championship, successfully picking the Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons to secure the title.
Dennis won an Owens Catnapper powered recliner, courtesy of Rhonda's Furniture & Mattress in Dalton, after correctly picking the winners of each pro football game this season more often than the rest.
Dennis' weekly selections in the 21-week season spanning from Week 1 all the way to Super Bowl Sunday landed him first out of 1,503 competitors playing in The Post's local challenge, as well an impressive 13th of 123,954 playing nationwide.
His strategy? Consuming as much pro football knowledge as possible, but not getting in too deep.
"Oh yeah, I watch as much football as my wife will let me," Dennis laughed. "I also play fantasy football. Coming down to the end, I saw I was doing pretty good. I definitely paid a lot more attention to all the games, almost over-thinking it."
Dennis said it can be easy to put too much thought into a simple pick between two teams during any given week. The longer he continued to see his name on the leader board, though, the more pragmatic he became.
"I'm no football aficionado, but I start with looking at the defenses ... There are certain match-ups that stick out, but for the most part, it's pretty cut and dry," he said. "Even with the Super Bowl, with a guy like (Coach Bill) Belichick, you have to look at the coaching, but a lot of is just shooting from the hip."
The other method to his victory? Reluctantly picking against the beloved home team.
"I never picked them to win this season. I shouldn't say that," Dennis said of the dismal 1-15 Cleveland Browns. "I've always been a Browns fan, but they were pretty easy to pick against."
Dennis joked about Goal Post survivor challenge winner and fellow longtime Browns fan David O'Dear, of Brunswick, who was adamant in the same strategy earlier this season.
"I was reading in the paper about the guy who won the survivor pool," Dennis said of O'Dear. "That seemed to be a pretty sure pick."
Dennis said he plans to play again next season – and watch plenty of football from his new recliner, complete with a power headrest and lay-flat reclining.
Rhonda Jones, Rhonda's owner, congratulated Dennis when he picked up the recliner Feb. 6.
Her husband, Mark Jones, a Goal Post participant, joked that Dennis "better send us his football picks next season."