The 2008 draft is in the books. For those of us present at the draft, there can be no question it will live as the most memorable draft yet, what with the plush leather chairs, plasma TV mounted over the fireplace, and the pitchers of free beer. For the rest of you slackers - get your priorities in order.
As last year, I am sending a series of questions to each of the teams to gather their thoughts on the draft - their team, as well as best & worst of the draft. The Drafts page on 4thand20.com has been updated with the draft results for your reference.
Without further ado...
Jeremy
Team-Specific Questions
Q: Okay, you knew this one was coming. You took Darren McFadden #1 overall. While there can be no doubt that Run DMC is an intriguing prospect, the pick seemed a bit like a reach. Was this a matter of lining up a potential keeper for 2009 (and beyond)? Are you concerned about McFadden getting enough touches to warrant the early selection?
Haha, I did know this one was coming. First of all, the RB pool was VERY thin this year, which made me realize that if I didn't take a RB at # 1, I wouldn't be getting someone that I felt comfortable starting at the flex spot. On top of that, I AM losing Portis & Barber next year, so lining up a nice RB keeper prospect was a small consideration with this pick. But, the main reason that I took McFadden there is because I thought there were going to be a few guys in the top 2 tiers of WRs still there for my 2nd & 3rd picks... which I was right about. I thought the difference between what Moss & Owens will finish the year with and what Boldin & CJ will finish with was marginal enough to warrant taking McFadden at # 1. Oh yea, I think McFadden will be a stud RB too!
Q: What is it with the young guys? Calvin Johnson with your 2nd pick? Megatron is a beast, and while Roy Williams may have made the same selection, you took CJ when there were bonafide, proven, WR studs - guys like Brandon Marshall, Plaxico Burress, and
As anyone who watched the Lions first 2 preseason games can attest to, Megatron has looked like a man amongst boys so far this year. I really liked CJ this year and had him as a top 15 WR before seeing him play, and the preseason games vaulted him into my top 10 available WRs. It was tough to pass on Ocho and Marshall, but knowing that Chad had a shoulder injury (that turned out worse than previously reported) and Marshall will miss 2-3 games because of a suspension, you really can't consider any of those guys non-risk picks (Plax was not available, C Walk selected him 2 picks earlier). I just picked the guy I liked the most (and the one I will be able to watch every week.... yes, I am drinking the Lions koolaid!)
I am not too concerned with CJ splitting looks with
Q: Your overall strategy seemed predicated on bust or boom. Guys like McFadden, Calvin, and your two-headed QB monster of Culter & Garrard. Any concerns that you went all-in on a roster of young, unproven, guys?
Yea, I was talking to Craig about this strategy after (and kind of regretting it), but he mentioned that its a typical draft for me, which I have to agree with. My style is always to swing for the fences, hopefully this is finally the year I knock one out of the park (yes, that was a pretty lame analogy)
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
I'd like to call out the dude that took a kicker in the 7th round, but Rudi Johnson in the 2nd round was worse IMO. This is Liefers # 2 RB, and was a pick he couldn't afford to whiff on
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Devin Hester by Craig in the 12th round. He is their # 1 WR, and even if their passing game sucks, he is guaranteed to get some looks. Add to that the 3-4 return TDs he is likely to get, and Hester could provide a nice return for Craig, especially for a 12th round pick
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Dustin - it's hard to call out the defending champ, but he took a kicker in the 7th ROUND (could have drafted him in the 15th)!!! That alone makes it the worst draft
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Eric - Hands down the best 2 keepers, coupled with a stud QB & WR, along with some great value picks in Selvin Young & DeAngelo Williams. Waited too long on TE and I dont like the # 2 WR, but if either Young or DeAngelo blow up, he could trade one and get a solid TE and the WR2.
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Wes
Team-Specific Questions
Q: Outside of Steve Smith, you elected to go with a relatively young, unproven bunch at WR - guys like Dwayne Bowe, Ted Ginn Jr., and James Hardy. In general, even the best WRs take until their 3rd year to get to a point where they really produce (Braylon in 2007, for example). Do you expect these guys to beat that trend, or was this a case of drafting based on pure potential?
Bowe established himself as at least a dependable #2 (995 yds, 5 TDs), and I expect him to improve on those numbers somewhat. Ginn has the potential to break out in his second year; Hardy was just a flier.
Q: Sticking with the WRs - you took Ginn in the 6th round. Though he seems to have a lock on the #1 WR position down in
You know, I am a fan of Berrian. I like Ginn's potential in his second year, though, especially considering his QB situation improved (even though Pennington doesn't have a strong arm, as you mentioned) and they also use him as a return man.
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
I'm torn between Forte in the 4th and Slaton in the 7th. Or Devin Thomas in the 8th (sorry Jerad).
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Cotchery in the 15th. How did that happen? Too much free draft beer.
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
I like the Meins. Let's see who he trades away this year!
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
The defending champs look a little rough. That's two years in a row I picked them. Repeat? God I hope not.
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Gotta go with the Meins.
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Liefer
Team-Specific Questions
Q: You were the only team to start without at least one RB as a keeper. You started the draft RB-RB, but surprisingly didn't go back there until the 6th, getting Rashard Mendenhall. Adding more fuel to the fire, your 2nd rounder was Rudi Johnson, who isn't projected to be the starter in Cincy, and even worse, may fall to 3rd on the depth chart. Any regrets with not focusing more on RBs in the early going?
Taking Thomas Jones was a no brainer with my first pick but after that I made if not the worst draft decision ever – taking Rudi Johnson. I was contemplating between him, Kevin Smith and Jonathan Stewart. After the first two rounds, there were literally no starters left but a plethora of wide receivers which helped me to a third place finish last season.
Q: Lots of rumbling coming out of Indy regarding the health of Peyton Manning's knee. Reports from camp talk about him limping around, and the possibility of missing Week 1 (at least) is very real. Considering this, are you concerned that you didn't move to back him up earlier in the draft? Or that when you did get a backup, you got a guy coming off a season-ending injury in Jake Delhomme?
Having Manning as my keeper, my draft plan was to take a backup very late which has a lot of upside. Delhomme, who I took last year, is in my eyes a real sleeper. Yes, he’s coming off a season-ending injury but if he stays healthy could easily be a top 10 QB. I had him slotted higher on my draft board compared to where I took him.
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Rudi Johnson (if I could pick my own) but I’ll go with Ronnie Brown
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Chris Perry (6th round)
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Jeremy Pierce
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Badics
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Jeremy Pierce
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Eric
Team-Specific Questions
Q: You strayed from your normal draft strategy by drafting Romo in the 2nd round... which resulted in you not locking up your # 2 WR until the 5th and left you with a rotating trio of Chambers/Galloway/A. Gonzalez for your WR2 . Are you regretting waiting so long for your # 2 and having to choose between the matchups every week? You know this will lead to some self-ass-kicking & queasiness when you start the wrong guy... better stock up on the Tums!
This is indeed my biggest regret. My normal strategy is to wait on QB. I had even known that Romo would be there for me, and had elected to pass for someone like Cutler or Garrard later. My plan had actually been to matchup Fitz & Colston with S Jax & AP, giving me the best RB & WR duos in the league. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, I went for the guy who was rated best. Part of that was I thought I could get good WR later on.
I did have a shot at some nice #2 WR in rounds 3-4, but again elected to go for best value, adding DeAngelo & Selvin. Part of it was not being able to pass on the value at the time, part was locking up my #3 RB spot. And part of it was that I thought a solid #2 WR would still fall. I thought I might get a shot at someone like Dwayne Bowe or Hines Ward. Unfortunately, Ward went literally right before my 5th round pick.
Nervous? You bet. But, I feel like someone will emerge from my platoon of #3 WRs to be a solid #2. Early money is on
Q: You waited even longer for your TE (10th round, when you locked up Owen Daniels). You then picked McMichael to end the draft, which was a nice pick, but do you have any regrets not drafting TE sooner? Kellen Winslow was available with your 4th pick, but you elected to take a guy that will sit your bench instead (Selvin Young, your 4th RB), why?
Not really. TE was really deep this year, and at the end of the draft, there were still some TEs I liked - Kevin Boss, Zach Miller, Dustin Keller. I really liked McMichael going into the draft and wanted to target him late - Al Saunders has a history of producing top 5 TE numbers - 6 years running (Gonzo, then Cooley). And now Saunders is in
For one, Bulger is a better QB than
Owens was an insurance pick, someone that should be a top 10-12 TE. But I'm really hoping McMichael comes through.
No regret on the Selvin pick - he was best value by far at that pick. Plus, I would have gone with another WR before addressing TE anyway.
Q: Last year you drafted
It's a whole new year. Last season, I had to insure the expensive rookie (my 2nd round pick), as he was still unproven at the NFL level. But this year, we know what AP is all about. Sure, there are injury concerns. But I decided that, rather than go the handcuff route, I would take guys that are going to get looks regardless. Once I got both DeAngelo & Selvin, I wasn't concerned about
That said, if he would have been there in the 7th/8th round, I would have taken him for sure. But 5th/6th? Nah - especially when I still needed WR help.
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Liefer's selection of Rudi Johnson in the 2nd. It was circulating before the draft that Rudi was essentially out of the rotation for starting RB. And since then, he was actually cut (ouch). Now he's in
Dustin had a couple of real stinkers too - Eli in the 6th (he already had Brees) and his kicker in the 7th. Both picks were taken before he locked up his #2 WR.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Liked the Devin Hester pick for the potential. Chris Perry in the 6th - a starting RB going that late in this league? Unheard of. Sticking to the Cincy backfield, I also liked Kenny Watson in the 8th - I think he'll figure into the equation and is a nice #3 RB option. I'll toss Dustin a bone too – liked where he got Ricky Williams (last pick of 5th).
Overall though, I would say Twig getting Bryant Johnson in the 11th. Johnson is the #1 WR in San Fran, and is now playing in the Martz offense. He is talented for sure, was just buried behind Boldin & Fitz in
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Jeremy. He's got 3 top 20 RBs, 3 (likely) top 20 WR, a top 5 TE, and a pair of nice break-out QB candidates. Also got nice value late with RB depth and his DEF. Walker is right there too, and definitely has some big names on his team. But there are enough question marks already (Ocho's shoulder, Hasselbeck's back) to bump him down below Jeremy.
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Dustin (I also said this last year, and he went on to win..)
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Provided he can keep them healthy, I'd say Jeremy.
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Badics
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Jeremy with McFadden #1
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Felix Jones to Craig in the 6th round
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Craig
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Dustin
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Jerome
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Team-Specific Questions
Q: You really flipped the script, going WR-WR-WR the first 3 rounds, amassing the best WR group in the league (TO, Plax, Ocho). However, after the 3rd round, you never drafted another WR. Considering that Ocho is hurt and Plax is an injury concern, how concerned are you about your lack of depth at WR?
First, Plax always has small injuries, but never misses games. 2nd, Ocho is a man, will wear an arm sling and play, and is worth the risk at that draft position. I plan on picking up another receiver if needed, as receivers are deep with a bunch still available via free agency.
Q: You were the last team to select a TE and ended up with Alge Crumpler. Alge has a history of producing with scrambling quarterbacks, so should rebound from a rough 2007. Was it your intent to wait so long on TE, or did the draft get away from you?
I definitely wanted to wait, but it was surprise to see the tight end position go so early in our draft. After missing out on the top 5, I figured there was not much difference from the rest of the group.
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Twig with McNabb in the 3rd round. What is the old saying, "risk and reward"!!!!! When healthy for a full season, he could be a top 5 quarter back, but at the same time, he has some weak receivers and could be a bust.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Tie!! Bud taking Chris Perry in the 6th. Could be the starter for the Bengals. Twig taking Bryant Johnson in the 11th round. Could be the number receiver for a team that could throw a ton. Remember, he is a former first round pick that was stuck behind two studs in
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
JPierce. Dang, I can't pick my own team.
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Dustin! This was not even close.
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
JPierce
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Bud
Team-Specific Questions
Q: You started the draft with two solid RBs - Larry Johnson and Brandon Jacobs (your keepers). Both are considered injury risks. Despite that, and your long-storied tradition of drafting RBs, you did not address the position until the 5th-6th round, when you selected Steve Slaton & Chris Perry. Both have looked good in the preseason, but are you considered at all about passing on RBs for so long?
This league is very predicated on running backs. I felt going in that I wasn't going to draft a running back until later in the draft and grab a couple guys with upside.
Q: Your WR are solid (R Moss,
I think Bulger can carry this team as long as he stays healthy. Plays in a dome in a weak conference. Also, Vince Young I had a little bit higher on the board for this league with the chance he could put together some valuable running stats in a spot start. These are two guys that would have been gone by the 4th and 6th rounds last year.
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
I really can't say that any running back is a reach because really they all are. And the people that weren't there can be ruled out because they went off a list. So, I'll go Devin Thomas in round 6. I think he is 4th on the depth chart.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Best value was Brady. Experts had him 2 or 3 and our league he went 31.
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
I'll give Eric a pretty good draft actually. Getting two starting running backs after Fitzgerald and Romo is good. I could say Torey but this list thing weakens it a little.
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Sorry twig - worst draft. I think this was self caused with "no love" for anyone after Ted Ginn jr.
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Love where Charles or Pierce started here. They each could have had bad drafts and still let their keepers lead them into the playoffs.
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Twig
Team-Specific Questions
Q: You went TE early in the draft (round 5), nabbing Tony Scheffler at the end of a run on TEs. The next TE taken was Heath Miller in the 8th. In retrospect, do you feel you could have waited on Scheffler given he is not a top-tier TE? Or do you expect him to produce top 5 numbers at his position?
Scheffler was the guy I wanted going in and I prolly went a little high for him.
Q: You selected Devin Thomas in the 6th. The rookie is banged up and expected to miss a few weeks, and once he's back, he'll need to push Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El for playing time. Are you expecting big things from the MSU rookie or was this a reach?
After Wes took Ginn I was off my game and I have no real answer for this pick, I expect him to be a good NFL receiver but...?
Draft Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Jerome's Kevin Curtis Pick (but that's hard since he was not there, but it was his ranked board).
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Buds Chris Perry in the 6th
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Buds
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Liefer
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Charles
Craig
Team-Specific Questions
Q: After addressing your RB in the 1st round with Reggie Bush, you didn't go back there again until round 5, nabbing Ray Rice. Considering that Rice is essentially your must-have handcuff for McGahee, that leaves your top 3 RB as McGahee/Rice, Bush, and Felix Jones. How concerned are you with your RB depth, and any regrets on not addressing that position earlier in the draft?
I am not overly concerned with my depth. I really didn't want Reggie Bush but I felt there was a drop off between him and the next RB available so thought I had to take him. The way I look at it I will have Baltimores starter (unless Mcgahee and Rice get hurt). I also feel between Deuce and Bush I will have a starter and maybe a flex player. Felix Jones also has potential.
Q: How concerned are you with your depth at WR? Andre Johnson has yet to play all 16 games in a season. Backing up your dynamic duo of Welker & Johnson is a motley bunch - Vincent Jackson (physical beast, but unproven), Donte' Stallworth (perennial disappointment), Devin Hester (expecting big things, but Chi-town QB situation is flaky,) and Justin Gage (#1 receiver on a run-first and dink-and-dunk team). Of them all, Hester seems the best bet, but could just as easily be a whiff. Your thoughts?
WR I am a little more worried about and is the reason I couldnt make the Westbrook trade. Going into the draft I saw my keeper (Welker) as a #2 receiver so I was happy to get Andre Johnson (a #1). Later in the draft I went for a lot of WR hoping one pans out. I also decided to go with a better TE then in the past hoping to offset the WR position.
League Questions
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Rudi Johnson
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Chester Taylor Rd 8
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Bud
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Dustin (kicker and Forter in 1st)
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Bud
Labels: Draft
¶ 8:27 AM 0 Comments
If it works for them…
Dustin, I hope you're sitting down. And not just because Walker is sneaking up behind you with the Vaseline and that pink-stained towel.
Dustin's 2007 season reminds me of a romantic comedy. You know the kind – a frumpy girl whose beauty is hidden behind big glasses, a dude finally sees the true beauty in her. They hook up. Dude discovers she's, also, a dude.
Yep. Dustin's season reminds me of The Crying Game.
If you look at the record (8-5), pts scored (2nd overall) the championship – sure, it all looks great. I'd want to tap that too. But Dustin has a dark and dirty secret. His team sucks.
Take a look at his final, "Championship-winning", roster.
| Player Name | NFL Team | Position |
| Adam Vinatieri | | K |
| Ahman Green | HOU | RB |
| Antonio Gates | SD | TE |
| Braylon Edwards | CLE | WR |
| Brian Westbrook | PHI | RB |
| Devin Hester | CHI | WR |
| Donte' Stallworth | NE | WR |
| Drew Brees | NO | QB |
| Greg Jennings | GB | WR |
| Julius Jones | DAL | RB |
| Leon Washington | NYJ | RB |
| | NO | DEF |
| Santonio Holmes | PIT | WR |
| Vince Young | TEN | QB |
| | WAS | DEF |
He's got two guys on IR (Green & Fargas). His #2 running back is Leon Washington. And he somehow missed the memo that the Bears had given up on the Devin Hester experiment.
How did this yahoo win the championship? And more importantly, how can we prevent this travesty from happening again? Let's explore, by going back to the beginning.
Coming into the 2007 season, no one gave Dustin's Old No.7 a chance. If I had to bet, I would have put money on Jerome's squad over Dustin's, and Jerome team was drafted by a bunch of half-drunk dudes who wanted him to end up with a shitty team (which he did).
After all, Dustin didn't exactly have a history of fantasy football dominance. He had the worst winning percentage in the history of the 4th and 20 league (.300) after going 4-9 in 2006 and 2-11 in the inaugural season.
The cards were stacked against Dustin. Craig had even printed out 'Fire Dustin' shirts for everyone to wear at the 2008 draft.
This is the guy that drafted his kicker four rounds too soon. (By the way, if you're keeping score at home, Vinatieri finished as the 11th best Kicker in 2007).
I'm not saying his drafting skills are Millen-esque (hate him, but Millen would never pick a fantasy Kicker before the 14th round), although he did like drafting WRs in 2007. Seriously, take a look at Dustin's post-draft roster.
| Player Name | NFL Team | Position |
| Adam Vinatieri | | K |
| Ahman Green | HOU | RB |
| Antonio Gates | SD | TE |
| Braylon Edwards | CLE | WR |
| Brian Westbrook | PHI | RB |
| Devery Henderson | NO | WR |
| Donte' Stallworth | NE | WR |
| Drew Brees | NO | QB |
| Hank Baskett | PHI | WR |
| Julius Jones | DAL | RB |
| Matt Leinart | ARI | QB |
| Najeh Davenport | PIT | RB |
| Randy McMichael | STL | TE |
| Santonio Holmes | PIT | WR |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | MIA | WR |
Can someone tell me how this asshole won the Championship? Seriously - he's got 4 great players (Gates, Braylon, Westbrook, Brees) and a pile junk. Ted Ginn Jr? Really??
He was active on the waiver wire, I'll give him that, getting lucky with two pickups in particular – Greg Jennings (nice job, Jeremy) and Justin Fargas (my bad). So, basically, Dustin was just one lucky fucker.
(disclaimer – I would be remiss not to mention my own strike of luck last year. The Losman/R Wayne/A Peterson (the old, slow one) for Romo/Burress/Curry trade was an absolute gift. Turns out Jeremy drafted the best team and then traded and waived all his best players. Good looking out B.)
So, in closing, I'll say this to our new champion. We're onto your little formula for success. We're aware of how you lulled us into a false sense of comfort by drafting a really shitty team and then playing the waiver wire game. And we won't let it happen again.
Oh, and one other thing – I've seen The Crying Game, and I know where your mouth has been. Wash the trophy when you are done with it.
Labels: Roast
¶ 7:24 AM 0 Comments
Final Score: Big Brown Sharks 95, Old No. 7 80.47
New quarterback Tony Romo led the Sharks to another win, scoring 19.8 points and leaving the Sharks one of only 2 teams undefeated on the young season. LaMont Jordan also continued his resurgence, rushing for 159 yards on the day (15.9 pts). It was enough to overcome another off-day for stud running back Steven Jackson, who on the season has managed a meager 12.2 points.
"Yeah, I'm frustrated," Jackson said after the game. "But we're winning games, that's all that counts. I'll keep plugging away and will get over this hump."
The players in the Old No. 7 locker room were not noticeably upset after the loss, despite moving the franchise record to 6-22. "That's what we're good at," Julius Jones said. "Losing." Jones then called his travel agent to make vacation plans for early December.
At least one player hasn't given up yet on Old No. 7 owner Dustin, as Brian Westbrook led the team in tangibles (16.2 pts) and intangibles – heart, guts, and creaky knees.
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Champs Rebound
Final Score: Tiorted Snoil 101.67, Meins 82.07
Jamal Lewis put his teammates on his back and carried them to victory, to the tune of 216 yards and a touchdown (27.6 pts), overcoming the Meins and putting the defending champs in the winning column.
"I just put myself back in jail," Lewis said about how he prepared mentally for the game. "I imagined I was in the shower, holding the soap, and all those sweaty men were chasing me again."
Meanwhile, the Meins lost what was a winnable game. Quarterback David Garrard, signed earlier in the week to backup the injured Eli Manning, had a great first game for the Meins, adding 16.07 points. And Clinton Portis had another solid game, proving that last week was no fluke by adding 13.6 points.
But for the second week in a row, Deuce McAllister was a no-show, tallying 3.6 points. And the Meins other 2 free-agent adds for the week, Mason Crosby and Eric Johnson, were unspectacular, combining for 6.8 points.
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Pitbulls Devoured
Final Score: Midland Maulers 108.6, Vick's Pitbulls 63.83
The Midland Maulers came out hungry and went after Vick's Pitbulls like a Mississippi leg-hound to a bare leg, humping the Pitbulls into submission with a 45 point victory. QB Tom Brady and RB Marion Barber both tallied 21.5 points in the effort, leading all scorers in the game and powering the Maulers to their first victory of the season. The Maulers scored well on the day, despite a second consecutive sub-par performance by the team's primary RBs – Lawrence Maroney (7.7 pts) and Ronnie Brown (6.9 pts).
Meanwhile, LaDainian Tomlinson must be tiring of carrying the Pitbulls on his own, as he phoned in his performance, scoring a meager 5.8 points. QB Vince Young tried to make up the difference, having a solid game (16.43 points), but it was not enough to fill the vacuum.
The mood in the losing locker room was mutinous, and grumbling could be heard about Jerome's drafting skills, his taste in golf attire, and his preference for junk-holding, former Notre Dame quarterbacks.
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Necrophiliacs Surprise Again
Final Score: BarbaroNecrophiliacs 105.77, hokay hoslap 78.4
(ghost-written by Badics)
The BarbaroNecrophiliacs had their way with the lifeless corpse of Hokay Hoslap. Hokay’s corpse was lying dead on the examining table in the morgue, and the Necrophiliacs did unspeakable things to the lifeless bag of bonez and blood.
Randy Moss continued his outstanding play noting, “I play hard when I want, which just so happens to be now.” Jonny Kitna turned in another solid performance, pinballing through the secondary on numerous plays and getting his bell rung numerous times. New addition Dallas Clark contributed a solid performance with 12.9 points. And the cornerstone of the team, Mr. Frank Gore, continued his solid play with 20.5 points. Gore had a tough week as his mother passed away; you’d be happy to know that the Necrophiliacs did not attempt any funny business with her.
Hokay had a tough week but were lead by Kellen Winslow (16 pts). The other standout was Neil Rackers who hoslapped the netting behind the field goal to the tune of 13 big points. LJ had his second tough week turning in only 8.7 points.
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Chubby Squeaks Out Win
Final Score: Chubby's In 116.97, Craigulators 115.17
The game was going to end in a tie, but in true heart-breaking fashion, the Craigulators lose in the close-fought shoot-out.
"I accept full responsibility for the loss," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. Hasselbeck was sacked on the game's final play, resulting in a loss of 18 yards and breaking the tie. The loss overshadowed the stellar play of certain Craigulator's players, namely Chad Johnson (32.9 pts), Terrell Owens (16.2 pts), and Willis McGahee (16.3 pts).
Meanwhile, Chubby's In got 74% of their production from three players – Carson Palmer (401 yds, 6 TDs, 2 INTs – 38.37 pts), Steve Smith (153 yds, 3 TDs – 33.3 pts), and Joseph Addai (81 yds, 1 TD – 14.7 pts). Addai looked stellar for the second consecutive week, and Palmer had a career day as Chubby's In remained undefeated.
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Nuts Swing into Action
Final Score: Dez Nuts 110.77, Bad Ideaz Kennels 108.1
Edgerrin James continued his resurgence, rushing for 128 yds and a TD (21 pts), and Willie Parker had his first big game of the year (126 yds, TD – 19.3 pts) to carry Dez Nuts to their first win on the season. Rookie WR Calvin "Megatron" Johnson had another solid game (12.8 pts), leading the team's WR in production. Is there more than meets the eye to Johnson? DNA tests are inconclusive.
Despite spectacular play by his WR – Andre Johnson (24 pts) and TJ Houshmandzadeh (18.9 pts) and an all-around solid effort by the team, Bad Ideaz lost their first game, dropping to 1-1.
"You gotta take it for what it is, a loss," Ideaz's QB Peyton Manning philosophized. "We played a good game, have some things to work on in practice this week, but the Nuts were a little bit better this week. Tip the hat to them."
Labels: Headlines
¶ 10:37 AM 0 Comments
Final Score: Big Brown Sharks 141.7, Dez Nuts 67.47
Much-hyped coming into the season, the Sharks' Steven Jackson decided to take the opening game off. Turns out, it didn't matter.
The Sharks put the lumber to Dez Nuts, coming out firing on (almost) all cylinders and pouring on the offensive fireworks. By themselves, the Sharks two leading scorers - QB Tony Romo (35.6 pts) and WR Plaxico Burress (32.4) - scored enough pts to overcome the Nuts. But there is no mercy rule in the cold and cruel world of fantasy football, and the Sharks didn't let up until the final buzzer. For at least one week, LaMont Jordan had a resurgence, looking like the Jordan of 2005 while adding 21.9 pts. And rookie Adrian Peterson, who some had questioned the wisdom of drafted so early, made a splash in his debut, leading all RBs with 22.3 fantasy pts.
Despite the utter brutality of the loss, Dez Nuts had a few bright spots, which they hope to build upon in their week 2 matchup with Liefer's Bad Ideas Kennels. QB Marc Bulger was solid, if not spectacular (12.37 pts), and Edgerrin James looked 3 years younger, running hard for 17.2 pts. WRs Larry Fitzgerald (2 pts) and Deion Branch (0 pts) were literal no-shows, and while they likely will produce in week 2, All-World rookie WR Calvin Johnson is waiting in the wings should GM Twig decide to make the switch.
Though he didn't produce anything on the field in the matchup, Steven Jackson had this to say afterwards. "This is a notice. A memo to the league. The Big Brown Sharks are back mutha-fuckers. Everyone is saying in the papers and to their mommas that we're not going to do anything this year, that after losing the '06 Championship, we are doomed to have a slump. Fuck that. We're taking this shit man."
***
Maulers Mauled, Meins Prevail
Final Score: Meins 110.5, Maulers 88.7
Coming into the 2007 season, the Meins squad had more questions then they did answers. Would main-stay Clinton Portis produce like the stud of old, or would he had another injury-riddled season? Did all the trades improve the team? And why did owner Jeremy drop the 'Main' from the Meins' team name?
For one week at least, the Meins put all but the latter question to rest, winning in impressive fashion against Torey's Maulers. Eli Manning had a spectacular game 27.6 pts, and was well on-pace to leading all scorers for the week before leaving in the 4th with a shoulder injury. Newcomer WR Reggie Wayne (21.5 pts) also had a career day, and Portis indeed looked like the stud of old, gaining 98 yds and adding a TD (15.8 pts) against a tough D.
The injury to Manning cast a shadow over the win, however. He is considered day-to-day with what officials are calling a partial separation of his throwing shoulder, but Eli himself fully expects to play in week 2. "I've been fully active with my right arm and have shown no discomfort. Brushed my teeth, unlocked my door, even had a vigorious mank-session. No pain or discomfort."
In the other locker room, the disappointment was tangible. QB Tom Brady had a stellar game, throwing for 297 yds and 3 TDs (25.3) , and rewarding owner Torey for the faith he had shown in keeping Brady over the much-hyped Brandon Jacobs. But aside from Marion Barber III (15.4 pts), no one really stepped up for the Maulers, and as a result, they start the season down 0-1.
Of particular concern for the Maulers is their running game, or lack thereof. Starting RBs Laurence Maroney and Ronnie Brown combined for a meager 104 yds on the ground, and both were kept out of the end zone. If the Maulers expect any chance of winning their week 2 matchup with Jerome's Vick's Pitbulls, Brown and Maroney need to produce.
***
Rough Start for Champs
Final Score: BarbaroNecrophiliacs 101.73, Tiorted Snoil 80.23
The honeymoon is over.In their first action since they completed their Cinderella run in 2006, winning the Championship as the #6 seed, Walker's Tiorted Snoil played an unispired and sloppy game. It was enough to make one wonder if their gatorade bottles were filled with the remnnants of last year's champaign.
Last year's surprise sensation, Maurice Jones-Drew, was virtually non-existant (4 pts), joining mainstay Rudi Johnson (7.6 pts) and new back Jamal Lewis (2.6 pts) for an underwhelming backfield peformance. Laveranues Coles played a strong game (59 yds, 2 TDs for 17.9 pts), and the Defense was phenomenal (29 pts), but nobody else came to play.
Meanwhile, Badic's squad opened the '07 campaign strong, taking advantage of the reeling champs with a decisive victory. The frequently malcontent Randy Moss seemed content for this week at least, playing his strongest game in two years (24.3 pts). And despite Reggie Bush's absense (4.5 pts), the young backfield looks very strong - Frank Gore posted 13.6 pts, and rookie Marshawn Lynch added 15.9.
Walker's team will certainly improve, but one thing is certain - the BarbaroNecrophiliacs look to be strong contenders this year.
***
The Dynasty Begins?
Final Score: Craigulators 77.8, Hokay Hoslap 48.33
Craigulator's Owner Craig talked a lot about how this was going to be the year of the Craigulators. They made a lot of offseason moves and were going to turn things around. He even showed up on draft day wearing a shirt that proclaimed "The dynasty begins". And although they got the win this first week, it was evocative of the kinds of games the Craigulators have played the last 2 years: gouge-your-eyes-out ugly.
"We got the W, that is all that matters," Terrell Owens had to say afterwards. Part of a big off-season trade that sent additional picks to Jeremy's Meins, TO was spectacular in his Craigulators debute, hauling in 87 yards and 2 scores (20.7 pts). Asked about his feelings on the trade, TO was rather gracious about moving to a team that had perennially under-achieved. "Look, I told Jeremy, I said, 'look - nigga get me off this fuckin team before I blow a knee or some shit'. I mean, I love that cat, but he is like kryptonite to brothas."
The hokay squad was rather glum after the loss. In addition to starting the year 0-1, they also suffered injuries to 2 of their young up-and-coming RBs - Brandon Jacobs and Cadillac Williams. Of the two, Jacobs injury was the more concerning, and he could miss a month or more of playing time. Add in the merely mortal performance of Larry Johnson (8.7 pts) after a lengthy hold-out, and it could be a very long season for Bud's team.
***
New name, same results
Final Score: Chubby's In 94.37, Old No. 7 70.9
Despite high hopes heading into the season, Dustin's newly-christened Old No. 7 lose the opener. Worse than the loss is the sense of optimism that is already leaking out of the locker room like air from a punctured balloon. If the team doesn't get this ship turned around quickly, owner Dustin will have a mutinious team and fan base calling for blood.
"We're better than this," signal-caller Drew Brees said. "I'm better than this. We just need to put it all together and play a solid team game." Much of the blame for this loss can be laid at Captain Brees' feet, as he actually posted a negative score for the day (-1 pts).
Meanwhile, Wes' Chubby's In picked up where they left off last year, winning in convincing fashion and looking like a playoff team. Carson Palmer (16.47 pts) and Steve Smith (18 pts) were their usually productive selves, and super soph Joseph Addai looked like a top 3 RB, slashing and cutting his way to a team-high 20.3 pts on the day.
"They've been there, they've done it," Brees had to say about Chubby's team. "And it shows."
***
Bad Ideaz Great, Vick's Pitbulls Crushed
Final Score: Bad Ideaz Kennels 143.5, Vick's Pitbulls 93.47
The prognosticators might be right - Bad Ideaz Kennel, the preseason favorite, looks ready for another run at the title.
In convincing fashion, Liefer's Bad Ideaz opened the season with a 50-point win. There was no evidence of the maliase that brought down the '05 champ last year. RB Shaun Alexander appears to be back to full health, as he tallied 17.7 pts. Peyton Manning (24.6 pts), Andre Johnson (18.2 pts), Travis Henry (18.3 pts), and Jason Witten (17.6 pts) also contributed with impressive games.
On the other hand, Jerome's squad continued to rely primarily on All-World LaDanian Tomlinson, who scored 19.17 pts in the losing effort. Torry Holt (13.3 pts) and Tatum Bell (15.3 pts) also produced, but in this game at least, LT could not do it on his own.
Labels: Headlines
¶ 8:44 PM 1 Comments
The 2007 draft is in the books. As a way of harnessing the excitement from the draft (and to pass the time until the 2007 NFL season kicks-off), I sent a series of questions to each of the franchise owners to gather their thoughts on the draft - their team, as well as best & worst of the draft. Results are below.
Also - the Drafts page has been updated with the full 2007 draft results; hit the link above to review/refresh yourself on the carnage.
Lastly - hit the forums and talk trash about the draft while the wounds are still fresh.
Post-Draft Survey: Overall Results
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)? Adam Vinatieri, with 3 votes. All other selections received 1 vote.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)? A tie, between Greg Jennings (2 votes) and Warrick Dunn (2 votes). Both were drafted by Badics, however, he didn't not win the best draft award....
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)? Another tie, between Bud (3 votes) and Jeremy (3 votes).
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)? It's a tie, between Jerome and Dustin (3 votes each).
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
With 4 votes, the preseason favorite to win the 2007 4th and 20 League is..... Liefer. In addition to his 2 stud RB keepers (Shaun Alexander and Travis Henry), in the draft he added the best QB (Peyton Manning), a solid stable of receivers (Andre Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Joey Galloway) and a top TE (Witten). He also has a solid bench - DeShaun Foster, Mark Clayton, Joe Horn, etc.
Runners-up: Bud: 2, Jeremy: 1, Craig: 1, Walker: 1
Team-Specific Results Badics:
Q: During the course of the draft, you traded Deuce and Greg Jennings (an absolute steal in the 11th) for Marshawn Lynch and a 13th round pick, which you used to draft JJ Arrington. Considering that Arrington has little value playing behind Edge and Shipp, this trade was essentially Deuce and Jennings for Lynch. Do you expect Lynch to produce that well, or are you expecting down years for Deuce and Jennings ?
Deuce is not eligible to be a keeper so I'm trading 1 year of Deuce for Lynch. I needed to diversify my team (with 3 Saints) and to get a quality running back and a potential keeper was a great deal for me.
Q: Overall, you had some of the best value picks in the draft (Dunn, Kitna, Jennings), but you seemed to lose focus at the end, wrapping up with Antwaan Randle El, JJ Arrington, and Priest Holmes, and you didn't make your last pick at all. What happened? Fatigue, alcohol, etc?
I didn't make my last pick basically because Jeremy said I already had 16 players as a result of the trade. Looking back I probably should have picked another player…whatever. Yes I took some huge reaches. My draft strategy has always been the same: go for the home run. Take a little bit of a reach hoping for huge rewards (Arrington being a first round draft pick, Deuce being a fantasy HOF and….ok Randel El was a bad pick).
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)? Dwayne Bowe to Wes in the 9th
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)? Vincent Jackson in the 6th to Jeremy
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)? Walker
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)? Wes
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)? Walker
Team-Specific Results Twig:
Q: You took Norwood in the 2nd round, but passed on the opportunity to take Dunn in the 4th and secure the Atlanta backfield. Reports indicate that Dunn is the week 1 starter. Any regrets or do you expect Norwood to overtake Dunn and end up starting quickly?
2 points here…. 1 is I’m a dumbass and after Charles took Dunn I thought wow he was still there I sure should have taken him. The other side of the fence is I needed a starting #2 WR and that’s all I was thinking about and now I’m not real high on Branch even though he was one of the highest rated when I picked. All that negativity aside I truly feel Norwood will emerge this year, quickly take the carries and is a good keeper candidate if that happens. He did score a receiving TD last night and looked good, but ATL run O looked horrible as
Dunn rushed 6 times for like 8 yards. Plus who doesn’t want Joey ballgame leading
an offence that affects your fantasy fortunes.
Q: Your #2 WR is either Deion Branch or Calvin Johnson. Are you concerned considering
that Branch has never gone over 1000 yds, and Johnson is a rookie?
I’m not to down on Branch, Hasselbeck will get people the ball and Branch was a semi stud with NE when Brady threw to 7 people every game. Just wish I could have gotten someone better. Here is to hoping Calvin is a stud by mid season.
Q: You ended up with the most home-town Lions players, three in total - Calvin Johnson,
Kevin Jones, Dan Campbell. Was this deliberate, or were you just taking best value at the time? Or are you just trying to make Craig jealous?
I feel Jones was a pretty good value where I got him as my #4 RB and had no intentions of drafting him before hand. Calvin also fell into my lap as the best WR I had rated when I picked there. I’m pretty sure Charles drafted Dan Campbell for me and I put him on the board before anyone else even picked in the round. At that point I was real sick of the draft; he will be the first I drop.
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)? Bud
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)? Jerome for sure
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)? Bud
Team-Specific Results Dustin:
Q: Your stable of WRs (Braylon Edwards, Devery Henderson, Donte Stallworth, Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr) are young, relatively unproven guys. Any concerns headed into the season without a bonafide #1 WR?
Going into the draft I knew I needed to get a couple starting RBs. I barely got Ahman Green and at that time, top tier WRs were gone, so I waited another round. I also really wanted Gates (WRish numbers a TE) and took him a round earlier than TonyG left the board. I have some talented young WRs and also 3rd year guys. a couple of these guys will break out and fill my WR slots..... and I have the best TE in the game.
Q: You took the first kicker off the board, Adam Vinatieri, in top of the 9th round. The next kicker taken was Shayne Graham 4 rounds later. Any regrets picking a kicker so early?
Vinatieri puts up freakishly good numbers.... K is a starting position.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)? Devin Hester in the last round
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)? Charles
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)? You (eric) hahahahhaah!!!!
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)? Liefer
Team-Specific Results Liefer:
Q: You selected Andre Johnson in the 3rd round, ahead of Colston and T.J. Houshmandzadeh
(who you ended up getting in the 4th anyway). Schaub is still relatively unproven, and Johnson's value ultimately depends on how well Schaub does. Are you convinced that Schaub can be a solid quarterback, or did you feel that if Johnson can put up numbers with Carr behind center, he will be fine with Schaub?
Q: Despite their consistency and lack of injuries, you elected to spend two picks backing up Peyton Manning and Jason Witten. Its hard to envision Jake Delhomme or Desmond Clark ever starting over Manning or Witten, so was this strictly a move to nab some solid backups for bye weeks and in the event of injury? You could have used the picks instead on young unproven talent - guys like Brandon Marshall, Craig Davis, Brandon Jones, Michael Bush, etc, and potentially hit the jackpot (case in point, Maurice Jones Drew in 2006). Any regrets?
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Team-Specific Results Craig:
Q: In the 3rd round, you drafted Reggie Brown, a WR, when you already had Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson. Seeing that your # 3 RB right now is Leon Washington/Chris Brown do you regret taking Brown over RBs like DeAngelo Williams, C. Taylor, T. Bell, L. Jordan (who were available in the 3rd)? Do you plan to start 3 WR?
I am happy with the Reggie Brown pick. I felt with not having a 4th round pick I needed someone with less question marks then the running backs mentioned (splitting time). My hope is that Chris Brown will be a starting running back, thus giving me the option of either him or Reggie as my flex position.
Q: Before the draft you took a huge gamble and traded multiple picks away for Terrell Owens. In retrospect, how did the trade work out for you and would you do it again?
I think the trade worked out good for both parties. I ended up getting Ocho, TO, and Matt Hasselbeck with the picks I traded. I won't complain with those players. At least I won't complain for a few weeks. I felt more confident with TO then I did with possibly drafting a rookie RB in the 2nd.
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)? Tatum Bell, Round 3. But Jerome wasnt there.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)? Tony Romo, round 7 (jeremy)
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)? Jeremy
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)? Jerome
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)? Jeremy
Team-Specific Results Torey:
Q: Your draft seemed to consist of extremes - you had several guys that seem to fall to you and were great values (Driver, Chambers, Chris Henry), but you also seemed to reach in a number of spots (Gonzo, Matt Jones). Any regrets?
The Tony Gonzalez pick - there were a few good WRs out there. However, they had the same BYE weeks as my other WRs. Gonzo was ranked a few spots down on my board, so I figured I would go for him, and get a WR the next round. I feel fine about it. No regrets. Matt Jones is also another sleeper. He fits in with his bye week as well, and I think he has a lot of potential. This is his 3rd year, and he could emerge as something nice... or really suck. Since he is a backup, I am willing to take that chance. Besides, I am sure that I could find a decent WR replacement if he does bust.
Q: You elected to keep Tom Brady over Brandon Jacobs, despite the fact that Brady was a projected 2nd or 3rd round selection. Were you not sold on Jacobs as a starter, or are you expecting big things from Brady and were afraid you wouldn't get a shot at him in the 2nd?
I went back and forth on this quite a bit. I think I changed my mind 2-3 different times. I went through a ton of mock drafts, and pre-season predictions and rankings. All of them that I saw had them virtually the same or very similar. I mainly used ESPN. (Maybe that is 1/2 the problem... lol)
So I looked at it a few ways. Brady is very consistent and has been for years. The addition of a full year of Staalworth, and Moss (who many people forget used to be a 1-2 rounder when he was with the Vikings) can only increase his production. This made me upgrade Brady a little more then maybe others may have.
Now, with Jacobs, I was very excited after Barber announced his retirement last year. However, the Giants didn't seem that sold on him. That is the biggest reason they went out and got Droughns. He used to be good before he went to Cleveland . He has the potential to be good again. This makes me think of Dunn/Ducket from Atlanta . I feel that the Giants may turn to this type of 2-back system to keep them both healthy since Jacobs takes a beating, and Droughns is a health risk.
I have been burned in past years with running backs being "good" and then get burned and miss the playoffs. (D. Davis, L. Jordan, C. Williams, R Droughns - all of which was last year!) I felt I would take the consistency over the risk/reward. It may turn out to be an amazing keeper choice, or my biggest mistake of the 2007 season. We will know come the 13th week of the season!
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
I think the earliest mistake was done by Eric's team. I think taking Adrian Peterson (R) really forced his hand in some later rounds. He then needed to take Taylor and even another RB before they were all gone. This definitely caused the rest of his draft to be a little chaotic trying to get the best player available while still not falling behind other teams.
The biggest reach of the draft was definitely hands down Adam Vinatieri going in the 9th round. There isn't much difference between the 1st and 12th kickers in the league. Also, you never know who will be the best kicker regardless. None of the top 3 kickers the last few years have been the best so you might as well wait until the end to get a kicker.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Definitely Greg Jennings in the 11th round! Wow... Farve is not going out handing the ball off. He is going to be throwing it into the sunset. If I didn't have Driver already, I would have been all over him... but I didn't want ANOTHER person with the same bye week.
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
I think there are a few that did well. The one that stands out to me is Bud. Any time you have Larry Johnson Cadillac Williams Brandon Jacobs Lee Evans Donovan McNabb Santana Moss as your starting 6, that is good. Especially when one of them is LJ. However, I think Craig and Jeremy did well as well. Those trades ended up working for both of them.
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
I think it was Dustin. I think he s very weak in the WR department, yet still doesn't have a true stud at RB either. (I don't count Westbrook since he always gets injured it seems) Unless one of his WRs come up big... it could be a LONG year.
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
I will probably pick Bud since I can't pick my own team. But, rarely does the best draft turn out to be the winner of the league.
Team-Specific Results Bud:
Q: You took Lee Evans as your first WR in the 2nd, over Javon Walker, Andre Johnson,
and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Any regrets?
Lee Evans has every opportunity to double the others production. Fantasy Football is a crapshoot so you might as well just pick the guy that you want on your team.
Q: You started the draft by going with Brandon Jacobs, adding to LJ and Cadillac. But you didn't go back to RB again until the 7th round, when you got Reuben Droughns, a key handcuff. In retrospect, do you regret not adding another quality RB in rounds 2-6, considering the question marks surrounding your starting 3?
Almost every running back went above projected. I went best available and found a star QB and backup WR.
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)? Devery Henderson or keeping Fred Taylor
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)? Jay Cutler or Chris Brown
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)? Twig or Pierce, but he had more picks.
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)? Jerome
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)? Liefer
Team-Specific Results Wes:
Q: Despite the fact that Fragile Fred Taylor is your #2, you didn't take a RB until the 3rd round, when you grabbed DeAngelo Williams. Your first 2 picks (Steve Smith & Palmer) were solid, but any regret in passing on some of the RBs taken before DeAngelo (Lewis, Peterson, Lynch, Green, Barber, Norwood )?
I wasn't exactly pleased with the way the draft went, in terms of running backs available when I picked. My strategy this year centered around one main idea: take the best available player, that fills a need. I didn't want to "reach" for some of those RBs you listed, as I had them rated lower on my board. But I think that with any luck, my RB situation shouldn't be too bad at all. Time will tell.
Q: You took Dwayne Bowe in the 9th. Are you expecting big things, or do you feel you reached a bit?
The 9th round may have been a bit early, but there weren't many other players that really caught my eye as potential sleepers. I like Bowe as a possible contributor this year, based on his team's situation and some things I read about him.
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Jerious Norwood in the 2nd round jumps out at me as a bit of a stretch (sorry Jerad), but the award for the biggest reach has to go to Dustin for grabbing Vinatieri in the 9th.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
I like Matt Hasselbeck in the 10th as the best value pick. A potential top five QB falling that far is a bit surprising. Vincent Jackson (who was high on my sleeper list, but I completely forgot about) would also get a nod as a good value.
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
It's a tough call on the best draft, but I'm leaning toward either Dez Nuts or the hoslap. There are quite a few good looking teams this year.
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Aside from the obvious pick (Jerome), I'd say that bloodteethnhair had a rough go of it on draft day.
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
My early favorite to win has to be the Craigulators. That team looks pretty solid from top to bottom. I guess that trade didn't work out too badly after all (on paper).
Team-Specific Results Jeremy:
Q: You started the draft with only one keeper (Portis), but had 7 picks in the first 4 rounds. Now that the draft is over, how do you feel about your team?
With the question marks surround Portis, my goal was to come out of the first 4 rounds (in which I had 7 picks) with a proven RB, Ladell Betts, and 2 others with high upside. I was not able to do this through the draft (Benson - unproven, Betts, Lynch (?), B Jackson (?), Portis (?)), but I was able to land Deuce McAllister for M. Lynch. I feel great about my RBs, got some very good value picks with my starting WR (Walker - late 2nd, Burress - late 3rd) and
also got a steal at QB in the 7th round with Romo. From there, I think I did a pretty
good job filling out my bench, but should have taken a flier or two on RBs late.
Q: You waited a long time on TE before finally pulling the trigger on Watson in the 12. Do you regret not taking a TE before the run?
I don't regret waiting so long on a TE only because I got Greg Olsen in the 12th round (Watson was the 10th). I reached for Watson and really could have used the pick better, but I panicked as I thought Twig would grab Watson.
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Torey - Matt Jones, 7th round (I think he could have been had as a free agent)
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Charles - Warrick Dunn, end of 4th round (Drafted 25 picks after Norwood and Dunn is the starter, huge steal)
Craig - Chris Brown, 7th round (Getting a starting RB this late, especially in this league, is a big surprise)
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Since we are talking draft, I will exclude the keepers from this decision. I think Liefer had the best draft, especially when you look at some of his value picks. Peyton Manning fell into his lap at # 4 and he had the RB keepers to take him. Reached on Andre Johnson big time, but then took the guy I thought he should have grabbed there in the next round, TJ Housh (lock it up).
I don't feel great about his RB depth having only DeShaun Foster & Tony Hunt as backups. Great value picks later to round out his roster though (Mark Clayton - 7th, Joe Horn - 11th)
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Torey, overdrafted a lot of guys. Marion Barber in the 2nd was too high, Tony G in the 4th when there were a ton of good tight ends out there 3 rounds later, Matt Jones in the 7th. Had some good picks later (Chris Henry in 11th, Anthony Gonzalez in the 12th), but just too many reaches early when you want to take best available.
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
I'd say Liefer, his 3 headed monster (Peyton, Alexander, Henry) would be tough to beat, then he went out and got a lot of really good value picks. Will be tough to beat if his team stays injury free
Team-Specific Results Jerome:
Q: Now that the smoke has cleared and you have seen your roster, what are your thoughts?
Can LT carry your team to the playoffs again?
Q: Your RB aren't very deep - LT is the only bonafide starter in the group. However, you have an excellent group of receivers. Will you run the 3 WR set and put Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt, and Bernard Berrian on the field at the same time?
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Team-Specific Results Eric:
Q: How do you feel after waiting 13 rounds and settling with JP Losman as your starting QB?
My strategy going in this year was to get a good values at the one-off positions - QB, TE, DEF, and K. I feel I was successful in all regards BUT QB, and I waited way too long to pick one.
Initially, I was hoping Bulger (long shot) or McNabb would fall to the end of the 3rd. When that didn't pan out, I set my sights on Romo and knew I could wait a few more picks. But then Jeremy sniped me on Romo in the 7th, and again on Eli Manning in the 9th. After both times, I elected to wait longer, thinking the QBs would still be there, as by that point, everyone had their starters. But then a run on backup QBs went, and I wasn't expecting that.
Part of my decision process was also based on my selection of Peterson in the 2nd - I essentially had to go with the handcuff early on, and then spent most of the draft either looking for RB values, or filling other holes. I felt like I was always playing catch-up.
The key to my season will be whether or not I can get consistent performance out of my QBs. I have the firepower at other spots so I won't need Losman to win games for me. The key is that he doesn't lose any for me.
Q: And how confident are you with relying heavily on two teams Indy (Harrison & Wayne) and Minnesota (AD & Chester)?
I am definitely nervous. In the case of Indy, if Peyton Manning goes down, my season is over. Does anyone even know who Manning's backup is? Does he even have one?
Not overly concerned about the reliance on Indy, as they have been solid and consistent offensively since Peyton was drafted. Minnesota is a bigger question, however.
Couple of things here - I needed to draft a RB in the 1st or 2nd round for two reasons: I was only keeping one RB (Steven Jackson) and our league is RB-crazy, so I knew the pickings would be slim by the time I picked.
Going into the draft, I was hoping that an RB would slip in the 1st round, but as expected, that didn't happen. My strategy then was to draft best available WR (Harrison) and then take best RB on the way back. The debate really became between Peterson and Lynch. I like Peterson's upside more, and part of that decision was forward-looking to next year as a possible keeper.
Plus Lynch has looked like crap in the preseason.
Once I took Peterson, I felt like I had to lock-up Chester too. I don't ever plan on starting both of these guys at the same time, but will play the hot hand. Chester looks to be the starter heading into the season, which puts me in an awkward position.
Q: Who had the biggest reach of the draft (can't pick your own)? I would say a tie between Matt Jones in the 7th and Adam Vinatieri in the 9th.
Q: What was the best value pick of the draft (can't pick your own)?
I liked Warrick Dunn in the 4th (Badics), Vincent Jackson in the 6th (Jeremy), and Chris Brown in the 7th (Craig). But I think best value was Greg Jennings in the 11th (Badics)
Q: What team had the best draft (can't pick your own)?
Based purely on where he started from, I think Jeremy's team improved the most. Think a lot of other teams did really well - Badics, Craig, Walker , Liefer. But considering all the picks he gathered and then what he was able to turn them into, his team really came a long way.
Q: What team had the worst draft (can't pick your own)?
The obvious answer is Jerome, but seeing how he wasn't even there, that's to be expected. Of the people actually there, I would say Dustin and Torey. While they both had good picks, both had a number of early reaches that could hurt (Donte Stallworth, Adam Vinatieri, Tony Gonzalez, Matt Jones).
Q: Favorite to win the championship (can't pick your own)?
Tough call. I think the early contenders (on paper) are Jeremy, Liefer, Walker , Badics, Craig, and Bud. Of that group, I like Walker 's starting unit the best, but think his lack of depth could be a problem if someone goes down. Ditto for Badics - great starting unit, questionable backups. Bud has a solid backfield but his WR are not the best. Craig has the opposite situation - great WR, but not a lot of RB depth. I like Liefer to reclaim the championship
trophy, beating Jeremy's squad in the finals.
Team-Specific Results Walker:
Q: You took Rivers in the 4th, which seemed a little early. Was that a result of the other top QBs (McNabb, Bulger, Palmer) going off the board so quickly, or did you have Rivers rated that high?
Drafted Rivers a round or two too early, but would have been gone at my draft position. I had him rated behind Manning, Palmer, Bulger, and McNabb.
Q: Your starters are solid, but with the exception of Kev