Super Bowl II

The DIRTeByRDeeZ have finally captured their first fantasy championship of the modern era. After years of perseverance, hard work and ingenius roster moves, the Birds finally had a dream season and took the championship trophy home. With a dominating regular season (10 wins, 9 consecutive), the Birds were heavily favored to take the crown. Faced with a tough divisional final game versus the Jammers, the Birds pulled out a 112-97 victory, based largely on the strength of WRs Marvin Harrison and Plaxico Burress. The Jammers were hobbled by a season ending injury to Priest Holmes and a weak performance from their other superstar Ricky Williams.

As if the planets were not aligned perfectly yet, the next week the Birds faced a Flaming Shrapnel squad missing superstar Terrell Owens. Despite some curious lineup changes, the Birds cruised to a 96-75 victory in one of the uglier Super Bowls to be played. Still, in the end, the Birds started out 1-3, and finished the season out 12-3. How you like them apples?

The Birds this year put together a monster team and a monster season. QB Michael Vick emerged as the name of the future while RBs Ahman Green and Corey Dillon had solid seasons. The WR corps was too deep to sleep, with a record breaking season by Marvin Harrison and stellar numbers by Plaxico Burress and Jerry Rice. Emerging threats Koren Robinson and Chad Johnson barely cracked the starting lineup, despite supernova-like second halves.

Disgruntled Dirty Bird stars, Corey Dillon and Plaxico Burress were wondering why they were left sitting on the bench in the most important game of the year, and played "what if" on the sidelines. As in, "what if the Birds had lost because Coach Yang sat down two of his premiere players?" Luckily, we will never know the answer to that question. For now, the Birds are planning a celebratory RV trailer park cruise around Iraq and Iran as a reward for their successful season and championship status.

Setup for the Super Bowl

For nearly an hour after yesterday's SMG Divisional Championship game, Shrapnel's General Manger, Eric-L, patiently answered questions as hordes of reporters and media analysts swarmed around his podium during the post game media conference. At times, Liao just nodded and smiled ... amazingly serene for a GM that just won his divisional championship game. Regardless, his team is now one step away from completing one of the most astonishing franchise turnarounds in CTDB history.

After suffering through a horrible 2001 season with a 3-10 record, the Shrapnel team has seemingly come back from the dead and has been the hottest thing since Mike Vick. Led by supplemental first round pick, Aaron Brooks, GM Liao's high octane passing offense eventually proved too much for the Philadelphia Phreaks in the championship game. "That was a rough one," admitted Ping Shen, GM of the Philadelphia Phreaks. "[Clinton] Portis was a rockstar for us but you have to hand out props where its due. Eric has done a hell of a job. Their team has so many offensive options, it was just a bit too much. As good as the DIRTeByRDeeZ have been this year, I think this will be one hell of a matchup. I expect to see plenty of fireworks. It's gonna be a good game."

Down the 101, the Birds lived up to their billing once again, steamrolling yet another team. With a ten game win streak on the line, the Birds have momentum if anything. According to Birds' GM, Jon Yang, "We've been pretty hard to stop once we get rolling. Our guys are just playing so well, I wish we had additional starting positions because its been hard to sit guys like Chad (Johnson) and Koren (Robinson). Eric has put together a damn good team over there and this will be a great SuperBowl. Its good for our league, its good for the game, and a win would be damn good for our franchise."

CTDB Guru, Evan, analyzed the matchup in yesterday's conference call. "Sources familiar with the Shrapnel franchise indicate that their leading receiver, Owens, will likely be held out of this weeks game with a sore gluteus maximus muscle. Surgery has been discussed as a possible option. This is huge for the Birdeez as Owens has been one of the elite receivers this year. Regardless, this game will feature two of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league with Michael Vick and Aaron Brooks. We're going to see a lot of 8 man fronts and a lot of frantic linebackers. In terms of the running game, you'll see a lot of hard physical running.

My guess is that we'll see a standard 3 wide 2 back set out of the Birds this game. Green, despite the injuries, will be back in the starting lineup with Corey Dillon. These two have been relatively quiet this year but are as explosive as ever. On the other side of the field, Tiki Barber and Eddie George have been the anchor of the Shrapnel team, providing stability and putting up consistent points week in week out. With the lightning quick Tiki and the bruising Eddie George in the backfield, the Shrapnel has one of the best change of pace running games in the league. The key to this game, however, will be the passing game. With only 3 active receivers on the roster, an injured Terrell Owens will leave a huge gap in the Shrapnel passing game. Liao will be scouring the free agent wire but with the quality of the remaining talent so low, it will be very difficult for him to fill TO's shoes.

On the otherhand, the Birds are stacked in their passing attack. With Rice and Plastico playing so well, the talented duo of Chad Johnson and Koren Robinson have had a tough time finding playing time. Hitting a gold mine with the strong armed Mike Vick and the fact that the Birds have receivers coming out of their ears, I expect to see a lot deep bombs and deep crossing patterns out of this offense. But if I had to put my money on one team, the best play of the week would have to be them dirty dirty Birds. Their offense has been huge and I see no reason that that will change this week."

McNabb Fractures Ankle, Tosses 4 TDs

Today Donovan McNabb added another legendary tale to his long list of personal exploits. Tackled by two Cardinals, McNabb fractured his fibula just above the ankle joint. He came out of the game briefly, did not miss a play, then returned to lead the Phreaks to victory with 4 first half TDs.

After the game it was revealed that McNabb had actually fractured his ankle, and could miss up to 8 weeks. ESPN's Chris Berman commented that, "That game is the grittiest performance that I've seen--it's on a par with Emmitt's playing a half with a dislocated shoulder against the Giants. Can you imagine a guy playing an entire football game on essentially a broken leg, and going out and just having the second best passing game of his career? Four first-half touchdowns? Are you kidding me? Can anyone ever question this guy's heart, ever? Any other QB in the league would have packed it in right away. Donovan didn't miss a single play. That's inspirational."

Phreak GM Ping Shen, speaking after the game outside the Phreak locker room said, "I talked with Donovan; he is in good spirits. If there's any way he can play next week, he will. I think that today we all saw what kind of character that man has, and why the Phreaks organization has so much respect for him. You tell me--who else do you know that threw four touchdowns in one half on a broken leg? It's simply amazing what this guy brings to the field every Sunday. If he does miss time, other guys will just have to find a way to step up and produce. We'll know more tomorrow."

Power Rankings!

10 teams in the league, 9 are still in the hot hunt for the remaining 6 playoff spots. Amazing. With talent flowing deep through all teams, no two teams (unless you're a fan rooting for the unlucky Battle Angels) are separated by more than 2 games. Heading into Week 11, this has been one of the fiercest playoff races in CTDB history. Here's a look at who's hot and who's not.

1. DIRTeByRDeeZ - Rising from the slums of yesteryear, the Birds have become the league's powerhouse team of 2002. Running almost exclusively on the monster quads of Michael Vick, the Birds have quickly risen to the top. With a league leading 7-3 record heading into Week 11, GM Yang has watched his team win 6 in a row. Along with Vick the Sick, the Birds are powered by a talented running duo of Ahman Green and Corey Dillon. The passing attack has been jaw dropping -- led by veteran superstar Starvin' Marvin Harrison, Plaxico Burress (253 yards and 2 touches last week!?) and Jerry Rice have been simply amazing. NFL Team: Packers Superbowl Odds: 3-1

2. Chunky Monkeys - The Monkeys are solid once again. Leading the league in points scored, the Monkeys have quietly put together a 4 game win streak of their own. Despite a down year from stud back Shaun Alexander, the Monkeys have still been an offensive juggernaut this year. The lowest score the Monkeys have put up all year has been an astounding 97 points in Week 6. (Think of it this way, in 10 weeks of play, the Angels have only surpassed that figure twice) In fact, the Monkeys are the only team in the league that have never scored below 90 in any given week. With MVP candidate LaDainian Tomlinson leading the charge, the Monkeys have been pushing their opponents more than any other team. Expect much of the same in the coming weeks leading up to the playoffs. NFL Team: Chargers Odds: 4-1

3. Buffy - A team that plays with fire to say the least. Last year's defending champion has had its share of lumps this year with star receiver, David Boston, quickly becoming the league's leading candidate for Bust of the Year. In the games that Buffy scores over 100 points, the team has averaged 124 pts/game. However, in the games where the team failed to reach the century mark, Buffy has averaged only 84 pts ... pathetic. So which Buffy will show up next week? With a huge matchup against divisional leader, the DIRTeByRDeeZ, in Week 11, we believe that Buffy will be fired up. Old man Gannon along with the Marshall are still the best in the business. Look for additional confidence and fireworks in the weeks ahead. NFL Team: Raiders Odds: 8-1

4. Philadelphia Phreaks - Probably should be renamed Donovan's Phreaks but whatever. No question who the leader is on this team -- McNabb has been the best quarterback outside of Gannon, averaging a steamy 27 pts a game. The Phreak runners ain't half bad either. What started as a young, inexperienced bunch has become the anchor of this team. Clinton Portis is the second best player on this team and Jamal Lewis has been a surprise after coming off last year's devastating ACL injury. The receivers are talented but underperforming. Despite a few monster games, the receivers have been a disappointment thus far. An unreliable receiving core is what knocks the Phreaks down a notch below Buffy. However, what the Phreaks do have is momentum -- they enter Week 11 as one of the hottest teams in the league, averaging 109 pts/contest in the last 3 games (3rd best in the league behind the Monkeys and Birds). History shows that once the Phreaks franchise starts rolling, its damn near impossible to stop them. NFL Team: Team Donovan (Eagles by default) Odds: 9-1

5. Flaming Shrapnel -- Last year's CTDB Chumps of the Year candidate are revamped, retooled and currently sitting pretty at second in the mercurial SMG division. With newly drafted quarterback, Aaron Brooks, at the helm, the Shrapnel offense has been solid this year, averaging exactly 100 points/contest. Not too shabby for last year's doormat team. TO and Moulds now actually have someone who can get them the ball. Shrapnel ball carriers have been disappointing however -- E. George and A. Thomas have all been subpar at best. George has 620 yards and 4 TDs while Anthony Thomas has been worse, having yet to surpass the 600 yard mark. When the running game improves, the Shrapnel team will be a difficult team to play against. Thats a big WHEN. NFL Team: Buccaneers Odds: 10-1

6. Green Team -- This year's dark horse has gotten a lot darker. After starting out strong with a 3-1 record while averaging a whopping 115 pts per game, the Green Team has slipped considerably in recent weeks. The Green Team is currently mired in a 4 game skid where it has averaged under 90 points a game. What's going on? Favre has been great. Henry has been surprisingly good. Duce has been spectacular. Ward has been a rock. Brown has been ok. Booker has been inconsistent. Patten has been worse that Booker. Jackson is not even predicted to play. Without additional receivers to support Ward, the Green Team passing game has been grounded pretty much the last 5 weeks. Until the team finds its passing attack, its gonna be a hard road ahead. NFL Team: Panthers Odds: 15-1

7. Ante Up -- A team that features Jeff Garcia, Fred Taylor, and Edgerrin James...rewind this baby back to 1999 and you have yourself a champion team in the making. Alas, Edge is now hurt, Fred Taylor is about to get hurt, and Garcia, well, has been damn good this year despite a slow start. The receivers are inconsistent at best. Pathon, Coles, and Wayne have struggled mightily to find open pockets. When Derrick Mason is injured, Garcia has virtually no targets ... as a result, opposing defenses have been stacking the line, limiting the running lanes available to Freddy and Edge. This week's matchup against a strong Phreak team will be a good indicator of Ante Up's ability to face tough teams. With the presence of the Monkeys, Birds, Buffy, and the Jammers in the IDK division, Ante Up will need to put it all together in order to have any shot of securing one of the 3 slots in their division. NFL Team: Vikings Odds: 20-1

8. Tiiite End Jammers - Last year's expansion juggernaut team has fallen mightily this year without gun-slinger Kurt Warner in the lineup. While carrying a respectable 5-5 record into Week 11, the weaknesses of this team have been exposed and teams are taking advantage of it. The Jammers are averaging less than 99 pts a game (good for third worst in the league) and is currently on a rough 3 game slid. More telling however, is that the Jammers have not been able to break the century mark in its last 5 games, averaging a pathetic 89 pts a game during that stretch. Priest Holmes and Ricky Williams are still rock solid and remain one of the top 3 duos in the league but with opposing defenses stacking the line against the run, production from the run game has declined. This week's matchup against the rolling Monkeys will probably result in another loss. NFL Team: Bengals Odds: 20-1

9. Skool - Despite the exploding emergence of Deuce McAllister and Peerless Price, Skool has little else. Fiedler is injured, Daunte has been benched and everyone else is either hurt or just sucks. Who would've thought that Stephen Davis, Kevin Johnson, Michael Bennett and Tony Gonzalez could suck so much collectively. Injuries and benchings have devastated this team. Maybe next year. NFL Team: Lions Odds: 50-1

10. Battle Angels - What the hell happened? Last year's wonder boy, Tom Brady along with Curtis Martin and Randy Moss have been leading this team no where. Martin and Moss are right up there in the top 5 busts of the year. At least Shaun has 11 TDs in 9 games. Where was the veteran leadership that we expected? Man, what a messed up year. We know that GM Dinh is better than this and we expect a strong resurgence next year with replenished talent. NFL Team: Texans Odds: 100-1

Inscrutable Drama Kings

In a super competitive division, where the last place team, if moved to the other division , would be in first place. With one game separating all comers, standing flip flop weekly. Ante Up and the Dirty Birds sit surprisingly at one and two in the division but that hold could be very tenous. Here's a look at the Inscrutable Drama Kings.

Ante Up
Last year's bottom dwelling team is now back on top. The reason? Once again, it's the Buccaneers. When your defense is outscoring everybody but your quarterbacks, that means you're getting free production week in and week out. The Bucs have put up 134 points, which is more than all the top receivers in the land. Behind this awesome defense is a steady running attack of Fred Taylor, Edgerrin James and Warrick Dunn. Taylor might be due for an injury but if he can stay healthy, he has produced, if somewhat erratically. The Edge is no longer the player he once was but he is more than serviceable as the second back.

The WRs look weak on paper but have done very well. Derrick Mason, Laveranues Coles, Jerome Pathon and Ike Hilliard (now injured) have done just enough to give Ante Up a boost when they needed it. Combine all this with explosive Jeff Garcia and it's no wonder how Ante Up is winning games. Can it continue? We'll just have to wait and see. Note that Ante Up has actually been outscored by opponents and isn't facing a wimpy schedule. Ante Up has been winning against the third hardest schedule in the league.

DIRTeByRDeeZ
The Birds are sitting pretty at second place in the division and have gotten off to a surprising 5-3 start, with a league high four game win streak. A weak WR corps has suddenly blossomed into one of the strongest in the league. Marvin Harrison is still Marvin Harrison and the venerable Jerry Rice has emerged as the number one target in Raiderland. The big surprise here is that Plaxico Burress has suddenly become the hottest receiver in the league. After a terrible start to the season, Plax is on fire and is helping the Birds to unprecedented success.

The strong running of Ahman Green and Corey Dillon is still a constant and neither show signs of slowing down. The biggest story of the year is the emergence of the scintillating Michael Vick, who is injury prone but also a terror on the scoreboard when healthy. At it's current pace, the Birds have quality players at every position and could very well challenge for the division title. The big worry however is that the Birds aren't a very consistently high scoring team. With a 1-3 division record, it remains to be seen if the Birds can continue it's success when facing tougher divisional foes.

Tiiite End Jammers
The super running duo of Priest holmes and Ricky Williams is still doing it. Chugging out big numbers game after game, the Jammers are killing people on the ground. However, the Jammers are having some problems in the air. With Kurt Warner out for another few weeks, the backup quarterback, Griese, has been pretty good but inconsistent. However, Griese plays for an explosive offense and is a top quarterback in his own right. The WRs are where the problem is at for the Jammers. Ed McCaffrey, Jerry Porter, Amani Toomer, Terry Glenn, Brian Finneran.....which of these names scare you? None of them. And that's the problem

With no clear number one receiver, the Jammers have had to make do with a number of number two and number three receivers. If new addition Cris Carter can become a consistent threat, that would alleviate the Jammers air problems. The stiff running game will still allow this team to remain on top however. And when Warner returns, watch out. The Jammers are also undefeated (4-0) in the division, an awesome feat that could bear watching.

Buffy
How the mighty have fallen. After a dominating year in which losses were few and far between Buffy is a mere .500 team. This has been a hard season (second hardest schedule in the league) for Buffy, as the star receiving triumverate (David Boston, T Holt, R Smith) has been less than super. Third back Lamar Smith has put up more points than all the WRs this year. Does this mean Buffy is a team on the decline? Hardly. Rich Gannon is still a premier fantasy player and with Marshall Faulk on board, Buffy can still explode at any time. Witness Marshall's 50-point explosion carried over because of the bye. Second back Charlie Garner has been the steal of the draft, never failing to put up less than 11 points in eight weeks.

The run-and-gun offense of last year seems like a distant memory as Buffy struggles to align it's receivers. Quincy Morgan, Az-Zahir Hakim and Keenan McCardell are all on this roster but cracking the roster against the top WRs will be difficult. On paper, Buffy is as strong as ever but until those superstar WRs produce, Buffy may have some consistency issues.

Chunky Monkeys
Another pre-season favorite tripped up by expectations. With a roster of P Manning, L Tomlinson, S Alexander, J Horn and J Smith, this team was destined for greatness. However, they have hit upon some rough times. Peyton is not his normal dominant self. Although still a top player, he has taken a step back. Shaun Alexander was benched once this season (on his 54 point explosion no less) and that shouldn't happen to a top back. Jimmy Smith has been less than stellar, being outscored by Donald Driver and the Chargers D. But there are many bright lights on this talented team.

LaDainian Tomlison is no less than the best young back in football. He has caried this team on his shoulders and continues to pound away at defenses. Joe Horn and Curtis Conway are having great seasons. Actually, if you include Donald Driver with those two, the Monkeys have three top ten WRs, not a bad group. Even as the beginning of the season has been rocky, huge things lie in wait for the Monkeys. Shaun Alexander is showing signs of picking up his game and if that happens, the Monkeys are solid all the way across the board. Look for them to make their move to the top of the division in coming weeks.

Green Team Supreme

Trent Green. Duce Staley. Mike Anderson. Those immortal names may never ring in the halls of Canton but they will go down in history. In it's inaguaral season, Green Team GM Greg Ng took those three players as it's first three picks in last year's draft. All three came out and imploded on the field. Not exploded. Imploded. With a core of hapless "super" stars, the Green Team was in a jam. The season looked like a wash and the reputation of the Jolly Green's were on the line.

Fast forward to this season. With a 3-2 record and a high scoring offense, Green Team has silenced the critics by sitting pretty atop it's division almost half way through the regular season. Who could of predicted this? While the Green Team isn't quite a dominant force yet, it is still a minor medical miracle to see it sitting atop the standings. Admist the rubble of a ruined season, Green Team mananged to pluck quite a few quality gems last year to set the stage for this season's resurgence.

A trade for top QB Brett Favre set things in motion, solidifying the leadership role on the team. Then the great WR core of Troy Brown, Marty Booker and Darrell Jackson was assembled. All three are no-namers but have big games. Add in Hines Ward this year and the Greenies have one of the strongest receiving corps in the league. Of course, the backfield is still a bit of a mess but there is hope there. Young Jamel White and Kevan Barlow have the look of stars. Current starters Duce Staley and Travis Henry are just treading water but that may be enough for the Green's to keep on winning, all the way to the playoffs and beyond.

In a recent close circuit interview, GM Ng was caught sniffing a cigar and had a pin on that declared him as the "Waiver Wire Wizard." This was followed by some small print reading "Nobody Beats the Wiz!!!" If the Greenies can win this division, this will go down as one of the greatest team turnarounds in league history. (A seemingly hollow statement since we're only in Season 2....but hey.....)

Double Down

Two weeks baby. And what a wild ride it's been. What's up is down and what's down is up. The Deuce is loose and the Rams are 0-2. Last year's cellar dwellers are making their case for contention and some old stars seem to be fading fast. The moment of truth is arriving and everyone still has a chance. This is gonna be one crazy season, i can smell it already. So here we go, a two week roundup:

Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses Division

Flaming Shrapnel Whipping out to a fiery start, Flaming is ready to be a legit contender. With a leader like QB Aaron Brooks (42 pts in two weeks), the Shrapnel are deep at every position. RBs Eddie George and Anthony Thomas have not disappointed yet and with Tiki Barber and Garrison Heart on deck, this team can make it through any injuries. Terrell Owens has been unexplosive so far but Eric Moulds and Rod Gardner are showing signs that they will be superstars this year. The Shrapenl eeked out a four point victory this week and won a huge game over Skool in Week1 so the season is off to a rip roaring beginning.

Skool Out to prove that last season was no fluke, Skool has come back with a vengeance this year. With a fresh new look, Skool is no longer the Miracle Team of yesteryear. Deuce McAllister is a superstar (37pts) and Peerless Price and Donte Stallworth both look like they will become solid contributors. Even the pre-season worries about Stephen Davis have evaporated, as he had a huge WK1 showing. The QB situation is incredibly good, with backup Jay Fiedler actually outperforming starter Daunte Culpepper (who had 34 last week). All of this and the return of receivers Kevin Johnson and Tony Gonzalez from contract squabbles means that Skool is ready to play this year. Their only loss so far was a 11-pointer to a surging Shrapnel. They hung 145 this week, setting a high for the young season. In two games, Skool has already doubled the number of century games they had all of last year.

Green Team The Green Dream is off to a decent start this year. Two century games in as many weeks and a big one point victory over Chunky in WK1. Last week was a huge blowout, but that had more to do with Skool's explosiveness, as opposed to Green's ineffectiveness. In fact, the Green Team is looking okay. QB Brett Favre is his usual 20+ point self and his WRs (Hines Ward, Marty Booker, Darrell Jackson, Troy Brown) are deep and talented. There are some big holes at the RB position however. Travis Henry had a huge WK1 followed by a tiny WK2. Duce Staley has been okay (13 per week) but he isn't really the long term answer. William Green has totaled four points so far. Kevan Barlow doesn't get on the field yet. If T Henry or Duce fails, the Green Team could conceivably run-and-shoot until a RB emerges. The Green Team is looking much better than last year however and there is some depth at all the positions. How good that backfield is however, is still up in the air.

Battle Angels The Angels are looking lost and confused. Even with a veteran laden roster, this team is starting the season off on a bad foot. Leading the league so far in least points scored, the Angels still managed to pull out a five point victory in WK1 against the Phreaks. The only keeper holding up his end is QB Steve McNair. Randy Moss has been good but not yet spectacular. The Randy Ratio isn't producing any great numbers so far. However, the re-emergence of Joey Galloway (13avg) is a boon to the WR corps. Tim Brown and Muhsin Muhammed have yet to find their step but the WRs are in general, very good. It's the backfield where the potential problems are. Curtis Martin and the Bus have been doing for so long that maybe they are grinding down. How else to explain a total of 12 points from the two of them combined, for the season. Backup James Stewart hasn't helped much, with his six points hiding on the stat sheet. The kicker, Jeff Wilkins has 13 points on the season. It's not good when your starting backfield is scoring less than you scrawny footie guy. But things can turn around for this team awfully quick. Four good WRs, two usually dependable backs and a good QB will take a team far. The defending divisional champs are slow to come out the gate but it's how you finish that matters.

Philadelphia Phreaks This was supposed to be the year the Phreaks make a huge run at respectability. They were re-loaded, re-vamped and re-tooled. The early season trade for a top flight WR (Isaac Bruce) has so far not panned out. WRs Keyshawn Johnson and Chris Chambers haven't lived up to their hype yet. Michael Pittman and Jamal Lewis are both having trouble establishing their potential. The only good things so far about this team are all the Philly players. But oh, what a great bunch they are. James Thrash (29 in two), the Eagles D (21), David Akers (18) and of course, super Donovan (58). Without these four, the Phreaks would be downright downtrodden. McNabb gave Ante Up a big scare on Monday Night but just fell a bit short. The trade for hometown hero Thrash has proven to be quite exceptional, even if the other half of that trade (C Portis) is still incubating on the sidelines. The Phreaks are a pretty good team on paper, but their two best players are far and away, the two QBs (Bledsoe has 56 in two), and only one of them can play. It's time for I Bruce, M Pittman, K Johnnson, C Chambers and J Lewis to step it up. If they continue their lackadaisical ways, the Phreaks could be in for another long season.

Inscrutable Drama Kings Division

Tiiite End Jammers The Jammers aren't playing around. They began the season by blowing out the Birds by 45. Then they squeaked by rival Chunky by a mere three points last week. And now they stand alone at the top. The Jammers have been doing it all without the superior statistics of QB Kurt Warner too. The Rams are off to a weird start but the Jammers have cruised right through it. When Warner is only the fifth highest scorer on your team (after Amani Toomer!!!), that probably means he's hurt or your team is doing fabolous. In this case, the Jammers are fabolous. Priest Holmes had a breakout WK1 (40 pts). Ricky Williams is putting up 25 per. The aforementioned A Toomer is acting like a star receiver, 15 per. Right now, the only problems aside from Warner finding his groove is Terry Glenn and the other starting WR spot. Glenn is showing good signs of being a very solid WR but easy Ed McCaffrey has been beat out by part timer A Randle El the past two weeks. This isn't really a bad thing i suppose. The Jammers are powered by their dominant RBs and until someone can stop the run game, the Jammers will run right through people and then bomb away with Warner when he gets back on track.

Ante Up Ante is dropping chips and daring other teams to raise the pot. Even with a first week blowout by Buffy in WK1, this team looks nothing like the cellar dweller of a year ago. Edgerrin James is back. As is Fred Taylor. That alone makes Ante Up twice as good. QB Jeff Garcia isn't quite his usual fine self yet but it'll come. Even backup RB Warrick Dunn has been posting impressive numbers. And if Thomas Jones is for real, Ante has four quality RBs. The picture on the receiving end of the ball is less clear however. With a stable of number two WRs (D Mason, Q Ismail, D Alexander, Q Morgan), the only NFL prime target is L Coles, who has been awful so far. Ismail and Mason look like they will be solid receivers but that it will be hard to juggle the lineup week in and week out, without a premier pass catcher. However, Ante Up is already doing much better than last year, this year, they have a backfield and until Fred Taylor inevitably goes down, that will be enough to keep them in every game.

Buffy That's why they play the game! Buffy, looking like the strongest team in the universe, is at 0.500. They haven't been there in a long long time. After a piss poor showing against the Birds, Buffy is rip roaring mad. How does David Boston, Torry Holt, Rod Smith and Keenan McCardell combine for only 25 points? The greatest fantasy show on Earth came off a huge WK1 only to crash in WK2. Even the effervescent Marshall Faulk has been subpar, putting up only 20s and not 30s. His backup, Charlie Garner has gone 32 and 18 in a non-recorded cause. Rich Gannon is still a solid 20+ a week QB but these WRs are too good to be throwing up single digits. The Rams attack is off and that prevents Faulk and Holt from hitting their stride. It also seems like Rod Smith is losing some catches to a more well-rounded Denver offense. Could it be? Buffy is weak? No, we doubt it. Next week, Buffy will crush someone again and one loss doesn't make a season.

Dirty Birdeez Oh the lows and oh the highs. After a huge blowout loss in WK1, the Birdies dished a little pain of their own in WK2 by pushing defending world champion Buffy all around the field and wrecking their good chances at an undefeated season. But it's not all fun and games at the Bird nest. The supposedly deep WR corp is in shambles. Johnnie Morton has been pathetic. Plaxico Burress had 1 and -1 the first two weeks out. It took Jerry Rice a billion and one receptions to get 14 for the past week. Only Marvin Harrison is holding it down at 17 per. The stunning backfield has been slow to come around, as Ahman has been banged up and Corey is without air support once again. The one huge bright spot? It looks like Michael Vick is a player. Even as WK1 starter Kordell slides down the charts, Vicks stock rises with each dazzling dash from the pocket. Now, if Ahman can avoid injury and Morton and Plaxico can do something, the Birds have a chance at pulling more upsets in a tightly contested division.

Chunky Monkeys E*** Shiue. Meet Jerry Jones. How do you do? If anyone can understand early season disappointment, it's the owners of the Cowboys and the Chunkies. The Monkeys haven't been bad, they've just been unlucky. One point loss in WK1? Hard to believe. Three point loss in WK2? Oh and two baby. The best individual score for the Monkeys? The Charger D in WK2 with 28. That means young studs L Tomlinson and S Alexander haven't exploded yet. Both have been more than serviceable but the Monkeys counted on so much more. Luckily the Monkeys are looking awful deep at WR. Curtis Conway is the surprise WR star early in the season (13, 25) and Jimmy Smith and Joe Horn have both gone over double digits every game out. Good backups are there in RB A Smith, WRs A Smith and K Dyson. Consistent QB Peyton Manning leads the troops and this team looks like a world beater. But they are sitting at the cellar. Very strange. Who's bad side did the Monkeys get on? Who knows. Either way, the Monkeys are out for blood next week and need a big win to erase doubts from two close losses.

Phreaks Deal Again

Evidently not content to sit still and wait for the start of the 2002 season, GM Ping Shen of the Philadelphia Phreaks has followed up his draft day blockbuster (Stephen Davis and Isaac Bruce) with a smaller deal, sending keeper WR Plaxico Burress and the newly acquired Emmitt Smith to the DirtyBirdeez in exchange for highly-touted rookie RB Clinton Portis and the stable yet unspectacular James Thrash.

With Portis in the Phreak stable, Philly now has, arguably, the two most coveted rookie runners in football--DeShaun Foster and the aforementioned Portis. According to NFL Insider Peter King, there were numerous GMs throughout the league who were interested in Foster and Portis both on draft day and in the weeks that followed. Will Foster and Portis turn into this year's version of LaDanian Tomlinson and Shaun Alexander? Or will they be carbon copies of last year's Michael Bennett? Only time will tell, but for now, both rookies are spending time on the Phreaks bench--foster with a knee injury (he is a Phreak, after all), and Portis biding his time until the veterans before him give way to the talented young runner.

With the departure of Plaxico and Emmitt, the Phreaks' starting lineup picture becomes clearer, with Bruce, Keyshawn Johnson, and Chris Chambers locks to start at WR, and Michael Pittman and Jamal Lewis virtual certainties to start at RB--at least for the time being. The general consensus around the league is that Pittman and Lewis must play well in order to keep their jobs, because by the end of September they will have two very talented and very hungry rookies breathing down their necks.

With a budding superstar in Donovan McNabb at QB, a receiving core that, four-deep, is arguably one of the best in the league, it is clear that the Phreaks' season will hinge upon the play of their running backs--should Pittman and Lewis start the season slowly, it could be yet another tough first half of the season for the Philly Phreaks and GM Shen. The bet here is that Pittman and Lewis will at least be serviceable and keep the Phreaks close in enough games to give Donovan and his receivers a chance to win each week--until late September when Foster and Portis should be ready to roll.

2002 Draft Analysis

The war room lights are dark. The pens are scattered, resting on the table and floor. Empty coffee cups speak to late night negotiations. The phones are finally quiet. The GMs are sleeping, and silence reigns. Such is the nature of things immediately following the whirlwind three weeks otherwise known as the Catch the Damn Ball 2nd Year Keeper Draft. A time of celebration and agony, of patience and perseverance, of analysis and research, but most importantly, a time of hope and rejuvenation for the ten general managers and their respective teams.

Now that the 2002-2003 draft has concluded, the collective brain-trust of Chunky Monkeys GM Evan Shiue and Philadelphia Phreaks GM Ping Shen has combined to offer their analysis of each team and how they fared in the draft. What follows below is the fruit of many hard days and long nights of labor—of time spent traveling to training camps, interviewing players, old coaches, and parents. So, let’s get on with it. Here it is, happy reading…

Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses

Battle Angels –
In a draft filled with endless young talent, GM Vu Dinh and the Battle Angels franchise opted to fill the Angels’ roster with solid veterans. Led by the talented Muhsin Muhammad who led the NFC in receptions in 1999 and 2000, the Angels will enter the 2002 season featuring one of the most seasoned starting lineups in the league. Superstar Curtis Martin and the bruising Jerome Bettis will again anchor Dinh’s backfield while newly drafted Muhammad and veteran speedster Joey Galloway will team up with Randy Moss and the ageless wonder, Tim Brown. While Muhammad and Galloway certainly have the potential to light up the field, both are no strangers to a long history of injuries and inconsistency.

James Stewart will provide solid backup in case either Martin or Bettis falters. With no competition in the backfield and a good nose for the endzone, we look to Stewart to have a solid year, similar to his 2000 campaign where he had 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jake Plummer and JJ Stokes will be toting the clipboard this year but insiders tell us that management is high on Stokes and expects to see a breakthrough season from the four-year vet. Jeff Wilkins and the Cowboys will provide for solid defense and special teams play, a trademark of Angels’ football. Overall Grade: (B) Sleeper Pick: Muhsin Muhammad. Muhammad is no stranger to being in the spotlight. With 200 receptions, over 2,400 yards receiving, and 14 touchdowns between 1999-2000, a strong 2002 campaign by Muhammad will easily give the Angels one of the premier receiving cores in the league.

Skool –
Entering the draft with a roster full of young talent, Skool’s management team decided to continue its own mantra trading seasoned veterans Emmitt Smith and Isaac Bruce to the Phreaks for star running back Stephen Davis and the Phreak’s 7th round pick. Using its early picks on the talented Michael Bennett and Peerless Price. While Bennett is projected to be Deuce McAllister’s running mate in the backfield, Skool quietly picked up veteran star, Emmitt Smith, in the second round to provide both insurance and veteran leadership. With a receiving core that already included Isaac Bruce, Kevin Johnson, and Pro-Bowler Tony Gonzalez, Skool drafted Peerless Price to provide much needed depth at the wide receiver position. GM Chen then decided to anchor his team with a much-improved Browns defense and the always-reliable Jason Elam. With the signing of Jay Fiedler, Skool is hoping that the team will be replenished with both youth and talent while providing veteran leadership to help the younger guys with the steep NFL learning curve.

With its extra pick, Skool picked up young wide receivers David Terrell and Donte Stallworth. While both are rated highly around the league, we predict that both young receivers will be riding the pine most of this year. Overall Grade: (C+) Sleeper Pick: Peerless Price. With Culpepper in the backfield, Price is sure to get a lot more looks. We, along with GM Chen, predict that this will be Price’s breakout season. If that doesn’t happen, look for another long season for team Skool.

Green Team –
Green Team GM Greg Ng doesn’t casually sip from the cup of life, he chugs it. After getting slammed last season with draft day gambles-turned-busts including the early acquisitions of Trent Green, Mike Anderson and Duce Staley, GM Ng shrugged off all criticism and continued to live life on the edge. Ng, with the second overall pick, decided to pass on the more proven Fred Taylor and instead opted to draft the extremely green William Green. Tabbed as an immediate starter, the talented Green is expected to start at the beginning of the season alongside the fragile Duce Staley. With their second pick, the Green Team decided to add to their backfield with the signing of Travis Henry. With a revamped offense and a new offensive line to run behind, the Henry signing could turn out to be a boon for Ng and his team. Don’t be surprised if Henry turns out to be the Green Team’s Week One starter. Ng rounded out his draft by taking the Steel Curtain (Steelers D), the always-solid Mike Vanderjagt, the multi-faceted Kevan Barlow and Hines Ward, an undersized but effective wide receiver to back up an already talented wide receiving unit of Marty Booker, Darrell Jackson, and Troy Brown.

7th round selection, Kerry Collins, will be providing Favre moral support from the bench. Overall Grade : (B-) Sleeper Pick: Travis Henry. With Duce one bad step away from the injury reserve roster, Green one bad camp away from the pine, and Barlow stuck behind Garrison Hearst, it our belief that Henry represents Green Team’s best chance at any kind of stability in their running attack. With some flashes of talent last season with a couple of 100 yard games, a strong season this year will certainly help Green Team’s cause.

Flaming Shrapnel –
GM Eric Liao immediately propelled his Flaming Shrapnel franchise into playoff contention with the selection of Aaron Brooks. One of the most talented QBs in the league, Brooks represents a new breed of mobile quarterbacks along with Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb who can pass, throw and make defenses look stupid. With an already solid backfield that includes Eddie George, Anthony Thomas, and Garrison Hearst and a strong passing attack that features Terrell Owens and Eric Moulds, Brooks could very well be the final missing piece that team Shrapnel needs to be playoff bound.

Throughout the draft, GM Liao continued to accumulate talent with selections that included Rod Gardner, Peter Warrick, Tiki Barber, Trent Green, Packers Defense and Olindo Mare. Gardner is projected to be the starting flanker in this explosive offense. Green and Barber will provide solid depth in the backfield. Overall Grade: (A-) Sleeper Pick: Aaron Brooks. Despite all the talent in the world, Brooks is still largely unproven and inexperienced. With 13 interceptions in his last 4 games last season, Brooks will need to continue to mature before Shrapnel becomes a playoff factor. We believe that Brooks will have little problem maturing into Shrapnel’s newest keeper of the franchise.

Philadelphia Phreaks –
The Phreaks entered the 2002 draft needing running backs and that’s what GM Shen did – he got running backs. With the selection of Jamal Lewis in the first round, the Phreaks immediately got viable talent in the backfield to run with the ageless Emmitt Smith who was acquired from team Skool. With over 1,600 yards in his rookie season, Lewis is easily one of most talented players in the league. However, GM Shen continued to stockpile his backfield by selecting a rejuvenated Michael Pittman and the mouth-dropping DeShaun Foster. Even if Lewis is unable to regain his legs for the first few weeks, Shen has successfully built a solid running core that is vastly upgraded from the unit of last year.

Shen’s passing attack will be significantly upgraded with the acquisition of Isaac Bruce. The pass attack will once again feature the elite Donovan McNabb and a prolific and much underrated receiving unit of Bruce, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Chambers and Plaxico Burress. With an emerging Eagles defense, a strong-legged David Akers handling the kicking duties, and a re-emerging Bledsoe in the wings, we see a much-improved Phreaks team which will likely contend for the top spot in their division. Overall Grade: (A-) Sleeper Pick: DeShaun Foster. Currently having a terrific camp, Foster is turning heads and forcing Phreak management to consider him as a starting running back candidate. We believe the man-beast has a reasonable chance of forcing his way into the starting rotation before we can say “Phoster the Phreak!”

Inscrutable Drama Kings

Buffy –
Entering the draft with the league’s premier running back and a stable of stud wide receivers, Buffy surprised nearly everyone and waited until round 5 before grabbing a second running back—and then only grabbed Faulk’s backup, Trung Canidate. Charlie Garner came one round after Canidate, but only after a slew of wide receivers, the Rams defense, and as always, Sebastian Janikowski. Keenan McCardell was the first WR chosen, and he will be expected to provide solid and consistent play from the number 4 receiver position in Buffy’s run n gun offense. Second round pick Bill Schroeder changed teams in the off-season and it remains to be seen if he can maintain his numbers with Joey Harrington replacing Brett Farve. While Marshall Faulk is more than enough running back for any team, it remains to be seen whether Buffy’s gamble of ignoring the second RB slot will come back to haunt them—all it takes is one injury to Faulk (who is not the most durable of running backs), and this team’s offense would have serious issues. Overall Grade: (B) Sleeper Pick: Keenan McCardell. It’s hard to tab a first-rounder as a sleeper, but moving to Jon Gruden’s offensive system alongside Keyshawn Johnson in Tampa Bay could pay huge dividends for McCardell.

Tiite End Jammers –
Perhaps the most balanced team entering the draft with a star QB in Kurt Warner and a solid stable of both RBs and WRs, Jammers had the luxury of not having any pressing need to fill, and being able to select the best available talent at any position. To that end, Jammers’ draft results were less than desirable. First rounder Amani Toomer will be expected to start immediately, and from the looks of his early performances, we question if he will be up to the task. Second rounder Terrell Davis, perennially among the most oft-injured players in the league, has announced his retirement from football. While some will argue that Davis was penciled in as the Denver starter and an injury-forced retirement should not be counted against the Jammers franchise who selected him, we say that any player with a history like Davis, who hasn’t been healthy in three years, should be viewed as positively radioactive by teams, and should remain undrafted until the very last rounds in any fantasy draft.

Third rounder Brian Griese is another large question mark; coming off a dismal 2001 showing, Griese must rebound and have a career year, but with a questionable running game and two aged wide receivers, that is anything but a sure thing. Marcus Robinson represents another huge gamble, coming off of a terribly destructive knee injury last year, he is not yet at full speed, has not been cleared for contact drills, and is not even assured of a starting role. Playing on a poor offense will help his chances of landing a starting role, but hurt his eventual numbers down the road. Overall, Jammers entered the draft with the singular goal of hoping to land one reliable #3 receiver, but at this point, it is difficult to discern if they accomplished their goal. Overall Grade: (C) Sleeper Pick: Willie Jackson. A talented receiver, it is anyone’s guess how well he will mesh with first year starter Michael Vick. If the two develop some chemistry, the tandem could be explosive.

DirtyBirdeez –
Outside of the Monkeys, the “Birdeez” entered this year’s draft with the best young running back combo in the league today of Corey Dillon and Ahman Green. An inexperienced QB in Michael Vick and a question mark in #2 WR Johnnie Morton were the gaps the Birdeez were looking to fill entering the draft. To that end, we suspect that GM Jon Yang went a bit overboard, loading up with wide receivers with four of the Birdeez’s first five picks. Veteran Jerry Rice was added with the first pick, and James Thrash, Koren Robinson, and Jacquez Green soon followed. Out of this group, the Birdeez should be able to find two dependable receivers in Rice and Thrash. As with any team we really question the wisdom of entering the season with no depth at RB—if one of the starters were to go down with an injury, given the depleted state of FA RBs, the Birdeez would be a ship without sails—at the mercy of their opponents. Kordell Stewart should provide adequate veteran mentorship to Vick, and is a solid backup.

Clinton Portis was the DirtyBirdeez’s final selection, and provides depth for a thin running back core. Should Portis overtake Olandis Gary for the starting position in Denver, he could have a very respectable rookie season. Despite the selection of Portis, we still question the overall draft strategy of selecting 4 WRs with the team’s first 5 picks. Granted, the team’s running back core is fantastic, but one thing fantasy owners must know is that you can never be too deep at RB. Overall Grade: (B) Sleeper Pick: Jacquez Green. Reunited with the college coach who made him a star, Green could conceivably put up big numbers in Spurrier’s fun n gun Washington offense—if the quarterback position can provide consistent play.

Ante Up –
Ante Up rolled the dice in this draft, selecting “Fragile” Fred Taylor with the number two overall pick. While we always question selecting players with injury-prone histories, the risk reward involved with Taylor is so great, that we cannot criticize this pick. Taylor’s upside was by far the greatest of any player in this year’s draft. However, with a big question mark at the second receiver slot with Derrick Alexander not even guaranteed of a starting spot in Minnesota, we felt that Ante Up should have done more to address this need. WR selections Quadry Ismail and Laverneus Coles have potential, but neither has done anything recently to garner any level of confidence in their play, and in their ability to produce consistently from the #2 or 3 receiver role. In selecting Ryan Longwell, Ante Up is hoping that Longwell’s well-documented struggles from the 2001 campaign are well behind him and that he can return to the fantasy level he found in 2000.

Ante Up’s final selection was Denver running back Olandis Gary. Gary now assumes the Denver starting RB role following Terrell Davis’ retirement, and could post a very solid fantasy season—if he can beat out impressive rookie Clinton Portis. Overall Grade: (B+) Sleeper Pick: Thomas Jones. While Jones was beaten in two consecutive years by Michael Pittman for the starting role, now that Pittman has departed, Jones will be given every opportunity to be the feature back in Arizona’s offense. This is Jones’ last chance to show people why he was the seventh overall pick three years ago.

Chunky Monkeys –
With a young running back core that is the envy of GMs throughout the league, GM Evan Shiue entered this draft looking to add depth across all positions—and from the looks of things, he accomplished just that. Dependable Antowain Smith was the Monkey’s first pick, and should provide consistent play should LT continue to battle injuries. Wide receiver Curtis Conway will be counted upon to put up big numbers in a struggling San Diego offense—but if he falters, look for Kevin Dyson to step up and produce. The big question the Monkey’s face is the status of Jimmy Smith. Smith, an aging, pro-bowl receiver, is still holding out and has yet to be seen at training camp. We continue to believe that Smith will be fine and will post his usual solid numbers this year, but Shiue has got to be looking for Smith’s eventual replacement. Our bet is that Shiue has pegged fifth round selection Travis Taylor as a possible successor to Jimmy Smith. Look for Taylor to be limited to the pine for most of the season, but to be groomed as an eventual started in the Monkey offense.

With this draft, the Monkeys have added depth across all fronts, and may have found a successor for the soon to be ancient Jimmy Smith. Overall Grade: (A-) Sleeper Pick: Travis Taylor. Taylor showed flashes of brilliance last year, but suffered from inconsistent quarterback play. We suspect this will continue to hinder his development this year as Chris Redman learns the ropes, but Taylor has the talent to put up some very nice numbers.

First Trade of 2002

As the 2002 draft progressed and the Philadelphia Phreaks continued to select running back after running back, speculation mounted as to when GM Ping Shen would seek to bolster his wide receiver core of Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Chambers and Plaxico Burress. The speculation ended early Wednesday morning as the Phreaks announced a four player trade with Skool, sending last year's second round pick Stephen Davis, along with this year's 7th rounder to Skool in exchange for Isaac Bruce and former Phreak, Emmitt Smith.

"This is a good trade for us--we were looking to not only add depth at the receiver position, but we especially wanted to bring in a proven veteran who could help us get to that next level. We felt good enough with our draft that we had adequate depth at running back to be able to deal away Stephen Davis. We'll miss Stephen--his veteran savvy and lockerroom leadership are tough to replace, but with the young talent that we picked up in this year's draft, Stephen became expendable," said Shen in a statement issued Wednesday.

ESPN's Chris Berman, in response to the trade, said, "This is a big gamble for the Phreaks--they're staking a whole lot on the production that they will get from Michael Pittman, DeShaun Foster, and Jamal Lewis. If any two of those back step up and produce, this is a great trade for the Phreaks as nobody can question the scoring ability that Isaac Bruce brings to the table."

It appears that Emmitt Smith will open the season alongside Michael Pittman as the starting running backs for the Phreaks. However, Smith is most likely just keeping the seat warm for Phreak rookie DeShaun Foster, who is expected to start by mid-season. On the receiving end, Plaxico Burress now appears to be on the short end of the stick, finding himself relagated to the bench behind the formidable core of Isaac Bruce, Keyshawn Johnson, and Chris Chambers.

Buffy Optimistic for 2002

As the 2002 draft is underway, the defending Catch the Damn Ball Champions, team Buffy has a lot of work to do. As the favorites to win it all once again, the team must remain focused and take it one week at a time. Team Buffy cannot get caught up in the media hype and the team is glad to see that each current player is under contract and have all reported to camp.

In a news conference after their practice yesterday, GM Roger Cheng said, "We're in great shape, our team is stable, I'm glad Rich (Gannon) decided to opt and stay with the team for the long haul, and we agreed to pay him handsomely." When asked about what other teams might think about team Buffy, the GM answered, "we have THE best running back in the league, the second highest rated quarterback in the league, and three top 5 wide receivers, I'd be scared. Honestly, I would be scared, I tell my team not to take things for granted, but on paper, we're pretty damn good."

When asked who they would draft in the first round, GM Roger Cheng gave a little chuckle and said, "wouldn't you like to know ? We were successful last year with Marshall as the focus in the backfield, but I think we might go ahead and take a running back in the first round. Don't be surprised if we draft a wide receiver though. Gannon has a great arm and he loves to throw the ball. He can run himself so we're okay in that area." ESPN's Chris Mortensen asked, "Wil you be drafting a kicker in the earlier rounds as you did last season?" The whole room erupted in laughter and the GM's response was, "if Janikowski is still available in the second round, he's my man."

Each year, team Buffy seems to hold on to the same players, Gannon and Faulk have been together for three straight seasons. The chemistry that this team has and the willingness to work hard are keys to success. Team Buffy has put itself in a great position to win again, stand out wide receiver "Big Game" Torry Holt was quoted as saying, "come on baby, its another season and I got 10 fingers, HOLLA! We got this, its "Big Game" Torry Holt time." And with that, the highly anticipated season will be underway not soon enough.

Projected Keepers

(note this is my opinion on who is keeping who. obviously i have no idea who people are really keeping yet. i'm using my forces of divination to figure out who i like best. then again, i didnt make the playoffs last year so what do i know right?)

Buffy
With Torry Holt, Rod Smith and David Boston, one could make a case for Buffy possessing three of the top five WRs in all of football. Add this in with the best running back in the game, Marshall Faulk, and Buffy has a dominant lineup. And not to overlook Rich Gannon, who is a top ten QB year in and year out. This team could sleep walk through a season and still end up with the best regular season record. Here's praying for major career threatening injuries. Buffy will be coming off a disappointing basketball season, looking to repay some debts and gather another championship. PROJECTED KEEPERS: R Gannon, M Faulk, T Holt, R Smith, D Boston [grade:A+]

Chunky Monkeys
The Monkeys are poised for dominance. Young RBs Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson are the bright young talents from last year. Combine super cool QB Peyton Manning and two good #1 WRs (Jimmy Smith and Joe Horn) and this team is looking great for years. PROJECTED KEEPERS: P Manning, S Alexander, L Tomlinson, J Smith, J Horn [grade:A]

Tiiite End Jammers
The expansion team from last year is now a second year behemoth. With super QB Kurt Warner and a whole stable of RBs (Ricky Williams, Priest Holmes, James Stewart, Terrell Davis), managment will have to decide which route to. Priest Holmes had a spectacular year to say the least, but he could be a one year wonder. And Ricky Williams is typically fragile. The WRs are a good, but question marked bunch. Underachieving Muhsin Muhammed, old and freshly injured Ed McCaffrey and maybe even mercurial Terry Glenn. Some tough choices will have to be made this offseason for the Jammers. PROJECTED KEEPERS: K Warner, R Williams, P Holmes, M Muhammed, E McCaffrey [grade:B+]

Battle Angels
Despite being a little long in the tooth, this team is well balanced. RBs Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis keep on chugging along and old hand Tim Brown combines with Randy Moss to form a dynamic duo on the receiving end. If QB Brian Griese can return to his previous consistent form, this team is a world beater. PROJECTED KEEPERS: B Griese, C Martin, J Bettis, R Moss, T Brown [grade:B+]

Flaming Shrapnel
The only team heading into the season without a QB, the Shrapnel are chock full of questions. RB Eddie George and Jamal Lewis are both coming off injuries, but the addition of rookie sensation Anthony Thomas means only of them has to return to pre-injury form. Look for Eddie George to become a top five back again. (Garrison Hearst could also replace Jamal Lewis' place on the roster) Dominant receiver Terrell Owens will pair with underachieving Eric Moulds to form what could potentially be the best young WR corps this side of Buffy. The Shrapnel could be ready to make a huge leap this season from the cellar to contender. PROJECTED KEEPERS: E George, A Thomas, J Lewis, T Owens, E Moulds [grade:B]

Skool
After a miraculous season, Skool will be hoping that young RB Deuce McAllister can step up and produce on the ground after the departure of Ricky Williams. The other RB position could be manned by versatile Tiki Barber, unless he is cut for a wide receiver. The WRs are a decent bunch (Isaac Bruce, Tony Gonzalez, Kevin Johnson) and quite solid. QB Daunte Culpepper might be in for a down year but then again, with his rushing-passing repertoire, he is still a top QB. PROJECTED KEEPERS: D Culpepper, D McAllister, T Barber, I Bruce, T Gonzalez [grade:B-]

TAGHeuer
TAG had a disappointing season last year. To say the least. Stephen Davis, Emmitt Smith and Keyshawn Johnson combined for less than five TDs the whole season. Emmitt will probably be cut do to age, providing room for Michael Bennett. QB Donovan McNabb is a world killer but he'll have to work hard to get his talented WRs (Keyshawn, Chris Chambers, Plaxico Burress) to produce. RB Stephen Davis is the rock in the backfield, but he had a horrid first half last season before re-establishing his numbers in the second half. PROJECTED KEEPERS: D McNabb, S Davis, M Bennett, Key Johnson, C Chambers [grade:B-]

DIRTeByRDeeZ
A young and proven RB core powers this team. Both Ahman Green and Corey Dillon are coming off career years and they hope to continue to pile up the numbers. Marvin Harrison is still a top WR and with any luck Johnnie Morton can become a top WR in Kansas City. QB Michael Vick has the starting job but nobody is sold on him as a #1 option. The Birds will look to ground it out this year, unless Morton and Vick can both emerge. PROJECTED KEEPERS: M Vick, A Green, C Dillon, M Harrison, J Morton [grade:C+]

Green Team
In a season when all of Green's early round prospects went bust (Trent Green, Duce Staley, Mike Anderson), the roster has been gutted and re-patched. A mid-season trade for QB Brett Favre was a life saver and he will serve as the franchise player. Troy Brown, Marty Booker and Darrell Jackson all had great years and could form a solid WR core. The backfield is in disarray however. Michael Pittman looks to be the likely lead back, unless Duce Staley is given another chance. Both backs could be kept if one of the young WRs are moved. The Green Team managed to recover from a horrid 2001 Draft by mining FAs. In fact, the whole team is composed of FA pickups, aside from Mr Favre. PROJECTED KEEPERS: B Favre, M Pittman, D Jackson, M Booker, Tr Brown [grade:C+]

Ante Up
Ante Up is a team full of holes and potential. Jeff Garcia has proven that he belongs as one of the top fantasy QBs, but everyone else is in doubt. RB Edgerrin James is coming off a torn ACL. Lamar Smith is in Carolina. Warrick Dunn is in Atlanta, Ante Up will have a hard time picking a second feature back to keep. The reciever corps is all a roll of the dice. Derrick Alexander is playing second fiddle to Randy Moss in Minnessota after a disappointing year. But he might be the standout from a pack consisting of P Price, D Mason and A Freeman. This team needs to unearth some quality prospects and hope for the Edge's healthy return. PROJECTED KEEPERS: J Garcia, E James, W Dunn, D Alexander, P Price [grade:C]

Buffy Leads the Way

Weeks after the actual victory over the Battle Angels in the SuperBowl I, analysts are still shaking their heads in disbelief as they look back at team Buffy's accomplishments this past year.

Winning its last 10 games to clinch the championship trophy, GM Roger Cheng took over the league while showcasing the most dominant, explosive, and consistent lineup the league will probably see in quite a long time. Averaging over 115 points/game in the regular season (the Chunky Monkeys were the only other team to average over 100 points/game during the regular season), Buffy was truly unstoppable in the latter half of the season.

Anchored by the best passing game in the league, Buffy relied on an explosive offensive scheme similar to the St. Louis Rams. With veteran QB Rich Gannon at the helm, standout receivers David Boston, Rod Smith, Torry Holt and Quadry Ismail all had banner years. Accompanied by the incomparable Marshall Faulk, there was no apparent weakness to this juggernaut.

Monkey's GM Evan Shiue commented after the season, "Roger did a spectacular job over there. While most teams had a few holes somewhere in their lineup, Buffy had none." Commissioner Jon Yang was one of the first into the locker room to congratulate the team after their championship victory. "This game was just an example of what Buffy had been doing all season -- dominating. I certainly don't look forward to playing them next year."

With a strong nucleus going into next season, Buffy will certainly be a leading contender once again. Owners around the league will have their hands full as they go back to the drawing board for next year.

In other news, TSN analyst Dan Pompei released his end of year Catch-the-Damn-Ball league awards.

GM of the Year: Roger Cheng
MVP: Marshall Faulk
Rookie of the Year: LaDainian Tomlinson
Bust of the Year: Eddie George