Best Apps & Sites for the Football Season

There is nothing in the world that can make the transition from summer into fall smoother than the NFL. Waking up early, purchasing school supplies and suffering colder weather all seem much more palatable now that I have the NFL to ease me back into the school season.  To think the NFL was on the road to staying locked out is a scary thought. And with the NFL also comes Fantasy Football, my 18-week obsession (from my fantasy draft through all but one game of the regular season - game 16 isn't included in a fantasy season). So for the mild to hard-core football fans and for the fantasy nuts, here are the apps and sites you absolutely need bookmarked and downloaded to get you through.

1. ESPN ScoreCenter (mobile app - free)
Similar to baseball, I drain my batteries every Sunday and Monday nights on my iPhone checking scores on the ESPN ScoreCenter app. Not only do the scores keep updating, but with fantasy football always on the brain, I can click on any game and see the score, the scoring summary and the yardage leaders on each team. And, I can dig deeper and find out stats on everyone real-time. This is helpful especially since I usually have 2-3 fantasy teams going at once not to mention my favorite team, the 49ers. And, if you can't watch it live, it will send you a text once the 49ers game is over so you know right away how they did (even if sometimes you are afraid to find out).

2. CBS Sports (website - free)
My main money league for fantasy is on CBS Sports, so I spend a ton of time on this site. Of course, even if I wasn't using it for fantasy, I still really like this site for a few reasons. First, they've got a ton of headlines - more than most other sites - most of which are to the minute. Second, it's very easy to navigate, and third it's not quite as busy as some of the other sites so it's easier to find what you are looking for.

3. NFL Livesports24 (mobile app - free)
I downloaded this not too long ago but so far I really like it. Interface is nice and at any time on the bottom, you can scroll between news, scores of the games, standings and other features like fan forums. This app is good if you want to go deeper than just the score of a game. Very handy to have.

4. Pro Sports Daily (website - free)
While keeping up with news is great, I am a sucker for rumors. Of course any blogger can speculate or make things up but what I like about Pro Sports Daily is that they compile rumors from newspapers and magazines in addition to having fan forums so it's a combination. I've found things on this site before I saw them posted anywhere else. Definitely bookmarked!

5. Fantasy Football Cheatsheet (iPad/iPhone - $2.99)
Last year, for the first time ever, I recycled my fantasy football paper cheat sheets and decided to try it out on the iPad. Even though my fantasy team did not make the playoffs for the first time in over 10 years, I did find the iPad app a must-have forever moving forward. It started with the list but instead of crossing out names with a red pen, once someone drafted a player and I clicked the red 'x', that player's name was removed from the list, leaving only those left to draft. It keeps track of bye weeks, lets you flag players, keeps a running list of your team and lets you search by season, bye week, and even includes the latest news and injury report. While I am still waiting for the 2011 version to be released, this app for me is a must. Fantasy football drafting will never be the same again!

Whether you are a die-hard football fan, fantasy football junkie or just follow your favorite team, these websites and apps will keep you connected to all of the action. Which is your favorite?

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Clever Girls Collective is a social media marketing agency founded by women who wanted to use their deep marketing experience and broad social network relationships for good. We know that women who engage in social media are some of the most authentic, connected, trusted, and vocal influencers -- not only online, but "in real life". Joshua Russell works for a nonprofit leadership network during the day and during all other times eats, breathes and lives sports. He blogs about the Oakland A's on rantsports.com, and the Warriors on WarriorsCourt.com (Bloguin). Josh has been a regular guest on the DSD Podcast talking all Bay Area sports and has guest blogged for FoxSports.com.