In the Eyes of . . . Part IV
Sep 04 2008, 03:56 PM
16 teams begin their pursuit of the coveted FFPIL Championship tonight.
Compiled by: Tommy “StackMonkey” Lotz
Now that all of those drafts are complete, I have asked each team to present a self-accounting of their own teams and the strategy used to assemble their rosters. They were asked to grade each starting position along with the team depth and then summarize the player acquisition approach.
This is the fourth and final installments. Each team clearly feels that they out smarted all the others, so read for yourself and see how they did. Obviously all teams used the rose-colored glasses.
American League – SOUTH
In the Eyes of the Cincinnati Convicts
QB - Aaron Rodgers (Jason Campbell, John Beck) B+
RB - Larry Johnson (LenDale White, DeShawn Wynn) B+
WR1 - Lee Evans B+
WR2 -Ronald Curry (Anthony Gonzalez, Brandon Jones, Limas Sweed, Donnie Avery, Dexter Jackson) C+
FLEX - Jonathan Stewart B+
TE – Tony Scheffler (Jermichael Finley) C
PK - Phil Dawson B+
DE1 – Kenyon Coleman B-
DE2 – Aaron Schobel (Jamaal Anderson) B-
LB1 – Nick Barnett (Keith Brooking) B+
LB2 – Johnathan Vilma (Stephen Cooper, Matt Roth) B+
LB2 – Johnathan Vilma (Stephen Cooper, Matt Roth) B+
DB1 – Donte Whitner B-
DB2 – Champ Bailey (Michael Huff) B-
FLEX – Jerod Mayo (Justin Durant) C
Summary:
We came into the draft with a need at WR and met those needs with the drafting of Limas Sweed, who could be just the target Big Ben has been missing since Plaxico left. We feel Donnie Avery will develop into the speed guy in St. Louis making him a fine number three WR and bye week fill in. We picked up Dexter Jackson knowing someone has to produce in Tampa. Galloway ain't getting any younger, Clayton is no good, and Hilliard is nearly ready for social security checks. Our other big need was a young RB who we can groom for the future. That running back is Jonathan Stewart. He is big and strong and has good vision. He’s looked great in goal line drills and he could be the starter in Carolina by November. With Favre now in New York, our QB situation is one of the best in the league. Rodgers has plenty of weapons to throw to in Green Bay and Campbell should do well in Zorn's offense once he learns it over in Washington. I'm not crazy about our TEs with as many good ones out there as there are, but no complaints about our kicker who should score a ton of points in the potent Browns offense.
Defensive Line:
The Convicts went into this season needing someone to pair with the ever consistent Aaron Schobel. During the UFA auction, we were able to land Kenyon Coleman. Coleman is coming off a very good first season with the Jets where he recorded 83 tackles (55 solo). That was good enough for him to have the 23rd best weekly scoring average at DL. With the talent the Jets have around him on D, I see his numbers going up this season, especially his meager 1.5 sacks. The other DLs on the roster should improve as well. If Abraham can stay healthy and on the field, Anderson should see a bump from his rookie stats. At 6'6”, 280 lbs, he has all the physical tools, he just needs to continue to develop his NFL pass rushing technique. Matt Roth stands to see a bump with the trade of Jason Taylor to the Redskins and the Miami D should be on the field a lot, so that will give him plenty of opportunity. The switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 is the biggest question mark though.
Linebackers:
This is the strongest position for us. Nick Barnett is a beast and showed that even with AJ Hawk on the field, he will get his tackles. The addition of Curtis Lofton allows Keith Brooking to move back to the WILL. This is the position he thrives in and he should return to the form that made him an impact fantasy LB. Durant is going to continue to develop and should see the field even more this season. The best thing that happened to this group was the move of Vilma to the Saints. He can return to the position that made him a fantasy monster in his rookie season, in the middle. Lastly, we were thrilled to be able to land Mayo in the rookie draft. Mayo is very gifted physically and the Pats had to have seen something they really liked to spend such an early pick on him. He is winning a ton of praise so far in camp and is looking to quickly unseat one of the vets in the starting lineup. He could be a very high reward player.
Defensive Back:
With so much money tied in to Huff and Whitner, we could not do much at this position, but landing Bailey for so little money in the UFA auction was perfect. Whitner has already shown he can play in this league and we look for him to elevate himself to a premier DB. The addition of Wilson in Oakland does hurt Huff's value, but it should allow him to play the run more aggressively so I see his tackle numbers increase this season but the big plays will probably go to Wilson. This position is not our strongest, but it could be much worse.
In the Eyes of the Louisiana Swamp Dragons
Summary:
We came into the draft with a need at WR and met those needs with the drafting of Limas Sweed, who could be just the target Big Ben has been missing since Plaxico left. We feel Donnie Avery will develop into the speed guy in St. Louis making him a fine number three WR and bye week fill in. We picked up Dexter Jackson knowing someone has to produce in Tampa. Galloway ain't getting any younger, Clayton is no good, and Hilliard is nearly ready for social security checks. Our other big need was a young RB who we can groom for the future. That running back is Jonathan Stewart. He is big and strong and has good vision. He’s looked great in goal line drills and he could be the starter in Carolina by November. With Favre now in New York, our QB situation is one of the best in the league. Rodgers has plenty of weapons to throw to in Green Bay and Campbell should do well in Zorn's offense once he learns it over in Washington. I'm not crazy about our TEs with as many good ones out there as there are, but no complaints about our kicker who should score a ton of points in the potent Browns offense.
Defensive Line:
The Convicts went into this season needing someone to pair with the ever consistent Aaron Schobel. During the UFA auction, we were able to land Kenyon Coleman. Coleman is coming off a very good first season with the Jets where he recorded 83 tackles (55 solo). That was good enough for him to have the 23rd best weekly scoring average at DL. With the talent the Jets have around him on D, I see his numbers going up this season, especially his meager 1.5 sacks. The other DLs on the roster should improve as well. If Abraham can stay healthy and on the field, Anderson should see a bump from his rookie stats. At 6'6”, 280 lbs, he has all the physical tools, he just needs to continue to develop his NFL pass rushing technique. Matt Roth stands to see a bump with the trade of Jason Taylor to the Redskins and the Miami D should be on the field a lot, so that will give him plenty of opportunity. The switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 is the biggest question mark though.
Linebackers:
This is the strongest position for us. Nick Barnett is a beast and showed that even with AJ Hawk on the field, he will get his tackles. The addition of Curtis Lofton allows Keith Brooking to move back to the WILL. This is the position he thrives in and he should return to the form that made him an impact fantasy LB. Durant is going to continue to develop and should see the field even more this season. The best thing that happened to this group was the move of Vilma to the Saints. He can return to the position that made him a fantasy monster in his rookie season, in the middle. Lastly, we were thrilled to be able to land Mayo in the rookie draft. Mayo is very gifted physically and the Pats had to have seen something they really liked to spend such an early pick on him. He is winning a ton of praise so far in camp and is looking to quickly unseat one of the vets in the starting lineup. He could be a very high reward player.
Defensive Back:
With so much money tied in to Huff and Whitner, we could not do much at this position, but landing Bailey for so little money in the UFA auction was perfect. Whitner has already shown he can play in this league and we look for him to elevate himself to a premier DB. The addition of Wilson in Oakland does hurt Huff's value, but it should allow him to play the run more aggressively so I see his tackle numbers increase this season but the big plays will probably go to Wilson. This position is not our strongest, but it could be much worse.
In the Eyes of the Louisiana Swamp Dragons
QB: Drew Brees (Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, JP Losman, *Steve McNair-ret.) A
RB1: Ronnie Brown (Tatum Bell, Justin Fargas, Jerome Harrison). B
WR1: Marvin Harrison-(Mark Clayton, Jerry Porter, Maurice Stovall) B
WR2: Derrick Mason- (Derek Hagan, Nate Washington) C
WR2: Derrick Mason- (Derek Hagan, Nate Washington) C
FLEX: Ahman Green – B
TE: Jason Witten -A+
K: Matt Bryant - B
DL1- Charles Grant - B
DL2 -Marques Douglass (UFA) – C
DL1- Charles Grant - B
DL2 -Marques Douglass (UFA) – C
LB1 – Keith Bullock - B
LB2 – Thomas Howard (Pisa Tinoisamoa (Rookie), Akinola Ayodele (Rookie), Stephen Nicholas) – B
LB2 – Thomas Howard (Pisa Tinoisamoa (Rookie), Akinola Ayodele (Rookie), Stephen Nicholas) – B
DB1- CC Brown (RFA) - C
DB2 – Terrence McGee (Rookie draft) (Marlin Jackson (Rookie draft), Sabby. Piscitelli) – B
DB2 – Terrence McGee (Rookie draft) (Marlin Jackson (Rookie draft), Sabby. Piscitelli) – B
FLEX- Bart Scott – B
Summary:
Summary:
Championships come with a price. We had to make moves in 2007 and it cost us our early round rookie picks. The UFA auction was the key to our strategy for our ‘08 roster. The pickings were slim in the areas we needed. We went for RB depth, with what we knew at the time. Fargas and Tatum Bell were going to be on their respective teams and had a good chance to start the season as the RB1. We grabbed a solid DL in Marques Douglas. We had several DLs on our radar during the rookie draft, but other value considerations won out. Our picks of T. McGee and Marlin Jackson in the rookie draft were well timed and we are pleased with two potential top-20 DBs. Picking up Pisa and Akin Ayodele were good depth picks. We may be the only team that did not take a rookie in the "rookie" draft. Not that we didn't consider some, but the needs outweighed the urges. Relative to other rosters in FFPIL, the Swamp Dragons only appears as average. But the season is long. Moves can be made. And the fantasy gods are sometimes fickle.
In the Eyes of the Grim Reapers
In the Eyes of the Grim Reapers
QB Carson Palmer (Jake Delhomme) A
RB Marion Barber III (Julius Jones, Tim Hightower) A
WR1 Roddy White (Amani Toomer, Mario Manningham, Dennis Northcutt) C
WR2 Joey Galloway (Antwaan Randle El, Justin Gage) C
WR2 Joey Galloway (Antwaan Randle El, Justin Gage) C
FLEX Willis McGahee A
TE LJ Smith B
PK Shawn Suisham C
DE1 Andre Carter (Lawrence Jackson) B
DE2 Elvis Dumervil B-
DE2 Elvis Dumervil B-
LB1 Paul Posluszny (Jarret Johnson, Bryan Thomas) A-
LB2 Julian Peterson (Leon Williams, Xavier Adibi, Phillip Wheeler) B-
LB2 Julian Peterson (Leon Williams, Xavier Adibi, Phillip Wheeler) B-
DB1 Richard Marshall (Anthony Smith) B-
DB2 Eric Wright (Daniel Bullocks) C
DB2 Eric Wright (Daniel Bullocks) C
FLEX Manny Lawson (Cato June) B
Summary:
The Reapers tried a new approach to their team development by having the three senior members of the staff each host a stage of player acquisition. Rebel kicked it off by hosting the RFA auction at his place and for the majority of the staff. It was the first time they were meeting the Boss face to face. I don't know how to describe just how old he is, but perhaps the biggest reason for the Reapers’ quiet approach to the RFA Auction was that no one wanted to open their mouths for fear of dust farts and what effect any loud noises may have on their boss. After it was over, they simply kept all of their RFAs, including WR Joey Galloway, which makes sense since he is old and this is the Reapers.
For the UFA Auction, the team packed up and headed over to Billybob's. Strange sight indeed with his Nerdery of laptops and three large color charts resembling dart boards; one with the alphabet, one with dollar amounts, and one with FF positions. Their strategy didn't seem to be much more than braking up rounds of drinking by throwing very warm Gummi Bears at the charts and then placing bids. After a great deal of Jagermeister, Billybob started spouting about the “scientificity” of his approach to anyone who would listen. Then, while he had PhiDelt cornered with his “red vs. green” Gummi Bear theory, the rest of the staff managed to sneak off to a local Sports Bar. Somehow through this, a good pair of DLs were picked up in Andre Carter and Elvis Dumervil and some more WRs were added, which not surprisingly included Amani Toomer (who is old and this is the Reapers after all). The big dollars were spent on WR Roddy White, the 15th ranked WR last year, who at $7 Mil, may be the catalyst to either a return to success or another disappointing year for the Reapers.
They finished off their cross country adventure by traveling to Lass's place for the rookie draft. By now, everyone most likely knows about the 2nd round SNAFU, but for the first time, you are all about to learn the truth. I was traveling with Reb for this leg of the trip and we wound up flight delayed (connection was in Chicago, go figure) and we didn't arrive until long after the others. Not having a 1st round pick, and without adult supervision, the Reapers apparently got off to a quick start. When we arrived, I noticed six empty bottles of Jose Cuervo, woman's clothing strewn about but no Lass. The rest of the Reapers staff was sitting in a half circle of chairs around a pole, eyes glazed over, Perma-Grin etched on their faces, and all of them badly needed a change of pants and underwear. Rebel then crankily forfeited the 2nd round pick as punishment to the team. However, it is my observation that he was much more upset about what he had missed out on (and we ain't talking about no rookie draft). In the end, forfeiting the pick seemed to save them the money to pull of a series of trades and wind up with a promising RB (Hightower) and some intriguing LB talent (Adibi, Wheeler) for small change as well as a few other projects (Manningham, Lawrence Jackson).
In the Eyes of the Oklahoma Red Swarm
QB: Peyton Manning (Chad Pennington, Damon Huard) A-
Summary:
The Reapers tried a new approach to their team development by having the three senior members of the staff each host a stage of player acquisition. Rebel kicked it off by hosting the RFA auction at his place and for the majority of the staff. It was the first time they were meeting the Boss face to face. I don't know how to describe just how old he is, but perhaps the biggest reason for the Reapers’ quiet approach to the RFA Auction was that no one wanted to open their mouths for fear of dust farts and what effect any loud noises may have on their boss. After it was over, they simply kept all of their RFAs, including WR Joey Galloway, which makes sense since he is old and this is the Reapers.
For the UFA Auction, the team packed up and headed over to Billybob's. Strange sight indeed with his Nerdery of laptops and three large color charts resembling dart boards; one with the alphabet, one with dollar amounts, and one with FF positions. Their strategy didn't seem to be much more than braking up rounds of drinking by throwing very warm Gummi Bears at the charts and then placing bids. After a great deal of Jagermeister, Billybob started spouting about the “scientificity” of his approach to anyone who would listen. Then, while he had PhiDelt cornered with his “red vs. green” Gummi Bear theory, the rest of the staff managed to sneak off to a local Sports Bar. Somehow through this, a good pair of DLs were picked up in Andre Carter and Elvis Dumervil and some more WRs were added, which not surprisingly included Amani Toomer (who is old and this is the Reapers after all). The big dollars were spent on WR Roddy White, the 15th ranked WR last year, who at $7 Mil, may be the catalyst to either a return to success or another disappointing year for the Reapers.
They finished off their cross country adventure by traveling to Lass's place for the rookie draft. By now, everyone most likely knows about the 2nd round SNAFU, but for the first time, you are all about to learn the truth. I was traveling with Reb for this leg of the trip and we wound up flight delayed (connection was in Chicago, go figure) and we didn't arrive until long after the others. Not having a 1st round pick, and without adult supervision, the Reapers apparently got off to a quick start. When we arrived, I noticed six empty bottles of Jose Cuervo, woman's clothing strewn about but no Lass. The rest of the Reapers staff was sitting in a half circle of chairs around a pole, eyes glazed over, Perma-Grin etched on their faces, and all of them badly needed a change of pants and underwear. Rebel then crankily forfeited the 2nd round pick as punishment to the team. However, it is my observation that he was much more upset about what he had missed out on (and we ain't talking about no rookie draft). In the end, forfeiting the pick seemed to save them the money to pull of a series of trades and wind up with a promising RB (Hightower) and some intriguing LB talent (Adibi, Wheeler) for small change as well as a few other projects (Manningham, Lawrence Jackson).
In the Eyes of the Oklahoma Red Swarm
QB: Peyton Manning (Chad Pennington, Damon Huard) A-
RB1: Thomas Jones (Maurice Morris, Ryan Torain, Chris Brown, Chris Henry, Chris Taylor, Jalen Parmele). C
WR1: Wes Welker B
WR2: Donte Stallworth- (Deion Branch, Drew Bennett, Craig Davis, Devery Henderson, Jordy Nelson) C
WR2: Donte Stallworth- (Deion Branch, Drew Bennett, Craig Davis, Devery Henderson, Jordy Nelson) C
FLEX: Brandon Stokley – B
TE: Owen Daniels -B+
K: Nick Folk - A
DL1- Kyle Vanden Bosch - B
DL2 - Daryl Tapp (Robert Mathis) – B
DL1- Kyle Vanden Bosch - B
DL2 - Daryl Tapp (Robert Mathis) – B
LB1 – Lofa Tatupu - B
LB2 – Channing Crowder (Napoleon Harris, Clint Session, James Anderson) – B
LB2 – Channing Crowder (Napoleon Harris, Clint Session, James Anderson) – B
DB1- Adrian Wilson - C
DB2 – Kenny Phillips (Ken Hamlin) – B-
DB2 – Kenny Phillips (Ken Hamlin) – B-
FLEX- Gerald Hayes – C+
Summary:
In the free agent auction, the Red Swarm went after help at linebacker and defensive line. Since our budget was extremely tight after cutting Shaun Alexander, we could only target a few players for depth (Thanks Shaun). We landed Gerald Hayes at linebacker, who will man our defensive flex position and also added Robert Mathis for depth. Drew Bennett was acquired in the restricted free agent auction and we really feel good about him helping our WR corps while Deion Branch is out with injury.
The Oklahoma staff had running back & linebacker targeted in the 1st round of the rookie draft and Ryan Torain ended up being the 13th pick. Besides being a huge Broncos' homer, the GM of the Red Swarm is confident Ryan Torain is the future of the Broncos' running game. Our 2nd round pick, Kenny Phillips, should prove to be a main-stay in our DB unit for the next few years. 3rd round pick Jordy Nelson was a target all along. The entire coaching staff was in unison with this pick. It's to be hoped that he can start to contribute sooner rather than later.
We feel confident in our team's current direction and solid future. See you all in the playoffs!!!
Summary:
In the free agent auction, the Red Swarm went after help at linebacker and defensive line. Since our budget was extremely tight after cutting Shaun Alexander, we could only target a few players for depth (Thanks Shaun). We landed Gerald Hayes at linebacker, who will man our defensive flex position and also added Robert Mathis for depth. Drew Bennett was acquired in the restricted free agent auction and we really feel good about him helping our WR corps while Deion Branch is out with injury.
The Oklahoma staff had running back & linebacker targeted in the 1st round of the rookie draft and Ryan Torain ended up being the 13th pick. Besides being a huge Broncos' homer, the GM of the Red Swarm is confident Ryan Torain is the future of the Broncos' running game. Our 2nd round pick, Kenny Phillips, should prove to be a main-stay in our DB unit for the next few years. 3rd round pick Jordy Nelson was a target all along. The entire coaching staff was in unison with this pick. It's to be hoped that he can start to contribute sooner rather than later.
We feel confident in our team's current direction and solid future. See you all in the playoffs!!!
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Sep 04 2008, 03:00 PM
Good work Stack...
Craig Davis
President -- Fantasy Planet L.P. e: craig@fantasyplanet.com http://www.fantasyplanet.com |
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Sep 04 2008, 08:58 PM
Thanks for your hard work Stack
 PFL 2007-2008 Champ
Asylum Inmate number 565 Starting requirements: 1 qb, 1 rb, 1wr, 3 flex(rb, wr,te), 1 te, 1 d, 1 k Scoriing: All offensive tds= 6 pts, ints are -3 half pt per rec 1 pt/10 yds rush or rec 1pt/25 yds passing Defense: 10 for td, 10 for shutout, 3 for sacks and ints, 2 for fumble recoveries QBs- Brees, Cutler RBs- Barber, Portis, Ronnie Brown, McAllister, C Benson, Hillis, Fargas, Betts, A Pittman Wrs- Colston, Randy Moss, Bowe, B Berrian, Ginn Te- Cooley, Heap D- Tampa Bay, Jets K -Longwell, Prater |
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