Regular Season Recap

Wow, what a great season it’s been. The most turbulent and exciting fantasy league I’ve played in. Who would guessed it? Four teams with winning streaks of at least 4 games? A first round bye won by a mere 8 points? The playoff race was neck to neck. Everyone was mathematically into the playoffs heading into the last two weeks. Injuries have hit everyone but those who drafted wisely and made key pickups have won out in the end. There were very few trades during the season except for one blockbuster 4 team deal at midseason. Some new superstars have emerged and we can only look to the playoffs to see who will emerge as Super Bowl champion!

ANTE UP (7-6)- It’s been a crazy up and down season for Ante Up. World beater and league dominator for five weeks. Everyone around the league hoped for injuries to hit Ante Up to bring them back to earth. Somebody must have been listening because Ante Up promptly fell to .500 with five straight losses. Duce Staley went down, as did Jimmy Smith. And then the loss of team MVP Kurt Warner for five weeks. But with some great free agent pickups (Jerome Bettis, Tim Biakabutka, Jamal Anderson) and some QB juggling (Mark Brunell, Brett Favre) they won two of their last three and recovered enough momentum to challenge for a playoff bye. Ante Up still finished the season as the 2nd highest scoring team, only 129 points behind the Green Team.

Team MVP- It’s tough not to give this award to Kurt Warner but he hasn’t played in 5 games so he can’t really be considered MVP. The team MVP for Ante Up then goes to the Buccaneers Defense! They have been there for this team week in and week out. Scoring in double digits every single game (except for two) they have steadied this roster through thick and thin. The Bucs vaunted defense put up 201 points over the course of the season, without them, Ante Up could have sunk to even greater depths.

Keys to Victory- One of the few teams to utilize the run-and-shoot (often to great success) over the coarse of the season, Ante Up had one of the best WR rotations in the the league. Torry Holt emerged as the top receiver because Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell both slipped a bit. Even Peter Warrick and Johnnie Morton were solid backups for awhile. The real reason for Ante Ups resurgence though has been the recovery of Fred Taylor from early season injury. He has steadied the backfield with his outstanding running and receiving. Century Games- 7 (123, 151, 112, 123, 118, 143, 105) High- 151 (vs Green Team WK2) Low- 61 (vs Green Team WK9)

ATHENA NIKE (4-9)- Athena Nike just never was able to put themselves together all season. They would constantly be on the brink of success only to fall back and start over again. Athena certainly had a great looking roster on paper. Marvin Harriosn, Terrell Davis, Cris Carter, James Stewart. The mid season pickup of Jeff Garcia provided Nike with one of the hottest QBs of the season. So what happened? A big problem was the lack of consistency from the Terrell Davis- Mike Anderson combo. Besides splitting the backfield, the injury to Davis often left him sidelined while his fantasy value stayed at zero. That alone cost Athena Nike a game or two. Also, Cris Carter didn’t come around until WK7 with his first touchdown. And Albert Connell was a bust as a third receiver. All in all, Athena suffered through a disappointing and injury ravaged season.

Team MVP- No question here. Even though Jeff Garcia didn’t start the season as the team’s QB, as soon as he replaced Tony Banks, Athena Nike had a consistent leader. Garcia finishes the regular season with 268 points on the year and is near the top of the fantasy standings. A case could easily be made for Garcia as league MVP, as well as MVP for Athena Nike.

Keys to Victory- In the few victories that Athena Nike amassed, everything clicked. Mike Anderson and James Stewart ran the ball while Jeff Garcia aired it out to Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter. A rivalry is in the making as Athena Nike stole a one point victory away from Escaflowne in WK7 only to be denied by 5 pts in WK13. Century Games- 4 (106, 130, 147, 100) High- 147 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK8) Low- 57 (vs Ante Up WK5)

BATTLE ANGELS (5-8)- The Battle Angels didn’t have a great season, as their 5-8 record will attest. They barely snuck into the playoffs in front of Escaflowne (by 36 pts). The Angels suffered through numerous injuries and close losses all season long. Playing the toughest schedule in the league certainly didn’t help either (PA 1362). The Angels did put together a nice 3 game winning streak to pull back to .500 but then promptly lost three to fall behind again. Much of the inconsistency can be attributed to instability caused at the QB position. Brad Johnson was not the stud he was last season. Rob Johnson hardly picked up the slack either. Only Elvis Grbac provided solid QB play but by the time he was inserted into the lineup, it was too late for the Angels.

Team MVP- The clear cut choice for MVP here is wide receiver Isaac Bruce. He wasn’t as great as he was last season but he steadied the team and occassionally exploded. With the Rams high powered offense, Bruce didn’t get as many balls as he would of liked but he still managed 209 points on the season.

Keys to Victory- The Angels had WR problems as well as QB instability. Whenever a 2nd or 3rd WR could step up, the Angels had a fighting chance. Terry Glenn was overall a disappointment but sometimes he or Donald Hayes would produce and push the Angels to victory. More often however, the Angels won on the old legs of Ricky Watters (who had an oustanding season) and Emmitt Smith. Century Games- 6 (102, 106, 106, 113, 104, 111) High- 113 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK5) Low- 59 (vs Ante Up WK1)

BUFFY (8-5)- Buffy had a great early half of season, stringing together a 4 win streak (by margins of 42, 27, 52 and 51 pts) and emerged atop the league at 5-2 after a quick start. But then suddenly a two game slide made them mere mortals again. A squeaker over Ante Up (by 2 pts) in WK10 got them on track and another squeaker (this time by 1 pt) over DIRTeByRDeeZ in WK13 got them into fine position for the playoffs. A huge injury to Marshall Faulk WK10 hobbled Buffy but with a talented receiving core (Tim Brown, Marcus Robinson, Az-Zahir Hakim) and a precise QB,Rich Gannon, Buffy was hard to take down.

Team MVP- This is a tough call. Marshall Faulk put up insane numbers until he went down (274 pts). Rich Gannon got better as the season progressed (230 pts) and proved to be a clutch performer. But I think I’m gonna go out on a limb here and give the award to Charlie Garner. Charlie who? While he may not have put up more points than Marshall (Charlie had 227 pts) or even Gannon, without him, Buffy would not be at 8-5. True, His emergence occurred last year but nobody else picked him up. He is the top back not named Edgerrin or Marshall and he pulled Buffy to victory despite Marshall’s injury and Gannon’s early season inconsistency. So here it is. Team MVP: Charlie Garner.

Keys to Victory- It’s not too hard to figure out how Buffy won. With two of the top three backs this year, Buffy had a running game nobody could equal. Add Rich Gannon and Tim Brown to that and you got a winning formula. Marcus Robinson was never the stud he was supposed to be and Az-Zahir was often hit or miss but they oly had to contribue once in awhile for Buffy to win. Strong defense and a good kicking game rounded out the winning equation. Century Games- 5 (107, 110, 134, 143, 110) High- 143 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK7) Low- 76 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK13)

CHUNKY MONKEYS (8-5)- Oh those deceiving Chunky Monkeys. A early 1-3 record inspired this scribe to predict a tough season ahead for this team. Ten weeks later, the Monkeys can rest on their laurels and enjoy a bye week. How did a team that began the season with these awe-inspiring scores, 88, 88, 66, 52 end the season with five wins and totals of 124, 115, 156, 128, 131 and 105? The Monkeys hold the record for highest scoring game (156) and the longest Century streak (6 in a row). What happened?

Well, an early season trade netted Robert Smith and Muhsin Muhammad for Daunte Culpepper and Eddie George. But that isn’t it b/c Culpepper and George exploded while Muhammad has been disappointing. Robert Smith has held his own, emerging as a top 5 back, but the reasons for success has been players who slowly got better and better. Lamar Smith, Randy Moss and Ed McCaffrey all started to catch fire at once. Free agent QB Trent Green proved to be a huge upgrade over struggling Mark Brunell. And that simply led to five wins and a playoff bye. Crazy.

Team MVP- Once again, a MVP vote that is hard to decipher. It’s easy to point to the consistent play of Robert Smith (226 pts) who has performed better and better as the season progressed. It’s hard to pass over Randy Moss and his string of six games in double digits to end the season. But the real reason for this team’s turnaround has been Trent Green. A part time player who didn’t even get off the bench until WK8, he has propelled the Monkeys through their winning streak. His weekly exploits read like this, 17, 20, 29, 34, 23, 14. He gave the talented roster a leader and a winner. So this year, the Monkeys MVP is a part time player who’s reward heading into the playoffs is a seat on the pine as Kurt Warner returns. Whoo-eee.

Keys to Victory- Not to overlook Trent Green’s contributions but he was helped along by great receivers down the stretch. Randy Moss and Ed McCaffrey were amazingly this season (Moss #3 McCaffrey #8 WRs). Lamar Smith picked it up for a successful season to plug the hole next to Robert Smith. Even Muhsin Muhammad returned to top form after a few injury plagued games. Overall, this team loaded itself up with no-name players and drove itself to victory. A huge disappointment was Antonion Freeman, who just never got it going all year long. Century Games- 7 (101, 124, 115, 156, 128, 131, 105) High- 156 (vs DIRTeByRDeeZ WK10) Low- 52 (vs Buffy WK4)

DIRTeeByRDeeZ (6-7)- The DIRTeeByRDeeZ have a great roster. The best QB in the game, Daunte Culpepper. Two backs (Eddie George and Steven Davis) in the top eight. Three receivers in the top twenty (Terrell Owens, Joe Horn, Tony Gonzalez). Great defensive (Philly and Denver) and kicking games all year long. But they end up one game under .500. Sad but true. The Birds are in the playoffs but it was in jeopardy for awhile. Injuries have been the story this season. First round pick Jamal Anderson was never himself and eventually released. Michael Westbrook, the projected #1 receiver ended his season WK1. Jason Elam hurt and dropped. Brian Griese hurt and dropped. Eddie George banged up. Steven Davis banged up. Terrell Owens, turf toe and suspension. The trainer has been busy. Also, look at the schedule Notice how four of seven teams had their highest offensive outputs vs the DIRTeeByRDeeZ? They may have fallen 2 points short of the toughest schedule in the league but there is no doubt that the Birds faced an uphill battle all season. A disappointing regular season could be rectified by a long appearance in the post season. Time will tell if this team can rebound for a successful season.

Team MVP- Daunte Culpepper is the story of the year and so he is the MVP of the Birds. Even though he was only acquired WK3, he could not have been more consistent or instrumental in the DIRTeByRDeeZ success. A league leading 275 points on the season and big games played against tough defenses for big victories. When the Birds were in danger of being pushed out of the playoff picture, Daunte had 29 and 25 points. A mark of a true leader is clutch play and a cool head. How much better for it to come from a 250 pound quarterback.

Keys to Victory- The DIRTeeByRDeeZ were very consistent (except for one blip WK2) all year and they hardly ever dipped below 90 points, even on a bad week. With numerous injuries, the Birds had to scramble to find free agent replacements and was successful in discovering Terrell Owens and Joe Horn off the waiver wire. The trade for Daunte and Eddie George solidified the roster and allowed the Birds to sit back and let the horses run. Sometimes though, injuries threw the roster into flux and a scramble for a 2nd back or a 3rd wide receiver provided a constant headache. Century Games- 7 (130, 110, 125, 150, 120, 101, 104) High- 150 (vs Ante Up WK6) Low- 41 (vs Escaflowne WK2)

ESCAFLOWNE (5-8)- What a weird and wonderful ride for Escaflowne this season. While victories came few and far between, they still had a chance to sneak into the playoffs. Indeed, only 36 points held them out of a playoff spot. Now the coach of Escaflowne should be called to task for his decisions over the season. Tim Biakabutuka, no points, WK12 and WK13. Dorsey Levens, no points, WK 10, 11, 12, 13. One would think that certainly, 36 points would have been accumulated if they had not been put in the roster despite injury. And so, Escaflowne ends the season with a big question mark. A roster with some talent, eventually left out to dry due to injury and inactivity.

Team MVP- The answer here would have been Ricky Williams if the question had been posed two weeks before. Ricky had 217 pts and established himself as a franchise worthy back, running and catching for some huge games. But then an injury down the home stretch, right when he was needed most eliminated him from contention. And so, the MVP for Escaflowne is handed to Peyton Manning. His quiet and spectacular play wasn’t noticed much this season but his 268 pts should be. While he lacked consistency throughout the season, the only reason he wasn’t noticed was because Peyton’s standards were set so high early on. A player who puts up 268 points and never fails to notch at least 13 pts is a stud on any team.

Keys to Victory- Escaflowne had a stretch where it put together some great games. 129, 129 and 112. While they never won more than two games in a row, those numbers are still impressive and indicative of an explosive team. But if you look hard at the numbers, those weeks coincided with the weeks when David Boston and Eric Moulds tore it up. As soon as they wilted, so did Escaflowne. With only two consistent performers (Manning and Williams) it was hard to establish any sort of consistency and winning rhythm. Having said that, it’s almost amazing that Escaflowne won 5 games with essentially no second RB and inconsistent WRs. Century Games- 4 (107, 129, 129, 112) High- 129 (vs Athena Nike WK7 and vs Chunky Monkeys WK8) Low- 56 (vs Ante Up WK11)

GREEN TEAM (9-4)- Saving the best for last. The Green Team wasn’t an early season favorite but they never fell out of contention and with a 5 game winning streak, they jumped to the head of the class and stayed there. Assuring themselves of a playoff appearance and a playoff bye the Green Team was able to pull away from the pack and stay there. The only favorites for the Super Bowl, the Green Team pack a loaded and consistent roster. Free agent pickups have been huge for the Green Gang. First there was early season stud Tiki Barber and then explosive Derrick Alexander. Another waiver wire pickup solidified the shaky QB situation (Brian Griese). Overall, a combination of great players and great pickups enabled the Green Team to emerge on top.

Team MVP- A second year player with dreadlocks. Thinking Ricky Williams? No way. Edgerrin James was drafted higher and has proved to be more durable and also more productive. The top point scorer in the league at 280 points, Edgerrin was never hurt and rarely slowed down. An honorable mention has to made here for Rod Smith, who is comfortably the top WR this year ahead of bigger names like Isaac Bruce, Randy Moss and Marvin Harrison. A late draft pick, nobody could have predicted Rod to pace WRs with 224 pts.

Keys to Victory- Having placed Edgerrin as the highest scoring player in the league and also Rod Smith as the best WR, it doesn’t take much more to figure out the Green Team’s winning ways. But depth is the key to any consistent and winning team. Edgerrin was joined in the backfield by Curtis Martin, a top 10 back in his own right. With two RBs like that and super consistent Brian Griese at the helm, Green Team didn’t have too many holes. At times however, there was a struggle to find receivers to complement Rod. Amani Toomer, Qadry Ismail, Donald Hayes and a host of other names came and went. Only when Derrick Alexander emerged was there even a true number two receiver on this team. Heading into the playoffs, there is still a lack of a solid three receiver, even though Shannon Sharpe may fill that hole. Most of all, the Green Team was able to use it’s reserves to full effectiveness, getting single great games out of Tiki Barber, Donald Hayes and Jamal Lewis. Century Games- 9 (110, 121, 103, 155, 120, 119, 133, 117, 132) High- 155 (vs Battle Angels WK7) Low- 77 (vs Escaflowne WK6)

The regular season, right there, presented to you on a platter. Great teams and great games. We had a huge number of victories by 1 or 2 points. Everyone had devasting injuries to stars that forced us to scramble to stay afloat. Enthusiasm was high and really, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. One interesting note, strength of schedule. Four of the top three teams had the easiest schedules. Buffy (PA 1213), Ante Up (1218) and Green Team (1234) all faced opponents who stumbled playing them. Perhaps a great defense or an intimidating home crowd helped to shut down opposing offenses. Either way, strength of schedule and defensive strengh was a big factor in nearly everybody’s season.

Go check out the awards and vote for MVP and stuff!