Somewhere along the line,
I lost the edge. I have had success in fantasy football. Won titles,
earned respect of like-minded geeks, became the object of servile
fear, etc. But, a new business, more kids, a move, some health concerns
and the ordinary grind of life have transformed me into just another
guy not ready to draft a fantasy football team.
It's kind of embarrassing really. I was burned out. I surrendered
commissioner-ship of the two leagues to which I still belong and
decided to devote my life to Texas Hold 'em Poker. I figured I
could catch up a couple of weeks before the draft and go ape again.
However, reality will intrude and kick you in the sensitive parts
just to remind you that it pays to be cynical.
So, in front of the FFToday crowd, I am living a season on the
brink, so to speak. My entire preparation before draft day last
week was to print out the FFToday cheat sheets. That sound you
hear is Mike wincing as I bank success or failure this season
on his projections and rankings. My intent is to give you regular
updates on the exploits of my re-draft league team drafted without
deviation from the list on this site. The Pepsi challenge, if
you will.
Why do this? Why admit to all (two or three) readers of my column
that I have no knowledge of the 2003 fantasy football scene? To
prove a point, dear friend(s). I have long been an advocate for
the notion that a poor draft is not a huge problem in building
a winning team-- that post-draft is a bigger factor. If I have
drafted well, it is partly by accident and partly from expertise
not my own. Whatever the case, I will endeavor to win, and will
report success or failure as the case may be.
The basics: I play in a 14-team league. Each roster must contain
2 qb, 3 rb, 3 wr, 2 te, 2 k and 2 def/spec. Each week you must
start 1 qb, 2 rb, 2 wr, 1 te, 1 k, and 1 def/spec. team. The scoring
system gives 6 points for tds, whether thrown, run or received;
3 points for fgs under 40 yards and 4 points for those 40 yards
or longer; 2 or 1 points for conversions, as the case may be.
Defense only counts for actual points scored. Furthermore, 1 point
for every 10 yards rushed, received and 1 point for every 25 yards
passed.
We just concluded our draft on Sunday, August 24, 2003. I drew
5th pick in a serpentine draft. Here's what I did:
| ROUND |
PLAYER |
| 1 |
RB
Clinton Portis |
| 2 |
RB Curtis Martin |
| 3 |
TE Tony Gonzalez (via
trade) |
| 4 |
WR Donald Driver (via
trade) |
| 5 |
QB Steve McNair |
| 6 |
WR Muhsin Muhammad |
| 7 |
WR Chris Chambers |
| 8 |
QB Kelly Holcomb |
| 9 |
D/ST Tampa Bay |
| 10 |
K Jeff Wilkins |
| 11 |
TE Mikhael Ricks |
| 12 |
K Morten Anderson |
| 13 |
D/ST Dallas |
| 15 |
RB Kenny Watson |
|
I had originally drafted Trent Green with the fifth pick of the
third round, but even as I uttered the name aloud I had this nauseated
feeling I couldn't explain. By the time I came to grips with it
I worked a trade with the owner picking 13th in the third round.
I traded Green and my 4th round pick (10th pick that round) for
his third round (13th pick) and fourth round (2nd pick) slots. With
those I drafted Gonzalez and Driver, respectively, and ended up
with McNair as my starting qb.
Now, I want to remind all of you in 12 or fewer team leagues
who think the above looks really weak that in 14 team leagues
the talent is very stretched, especially at rb. So, without any
further apology, that was my draft.
You, the reader, will follow my trades, free agent moves, lineup
decisions and pitiful attempts to fleece my fellow owners as the
season progresses. You will feel good about yourself as you see
how a total moron runs his team. If I can win, it may be the best
argument yet for not bothering to prepare for your draft ever
again.
:: comments to tim
wichmer
|
