Battle at Buffy

With Week 4 being wrought with divisional drama and rivalries, here at CTDB we've chosen to focus on the downtrodden. Battle Angels against Buffy. A game featuring two teams with a combined record of 1-5 and a combined point total this year only 30 points higher than the Jammers. A game where CBS is sending its intern announcers and where where media coverage is limited to JVC home video recordings. However, of all the matchups this week including the highly anticipated matchup between the Jammers and the Monkeys or the undefeated Shrapnel team against the rumbling Green Team, the Angels versus Buffy game is perhaps the most interesting, the most fabled.

While regarded as this year's doormat, many forget the glory days of yesteryear. Let's refresh our memories shall we? It's November of 2001. CTDB is a fresh young league. Young fans are going nuts as the playoffs loom. Atop the standings are two juggernauts, two offensive giants that simply could not be stopped - two teams that were simply larger than life. Team Buffy led by rookie GM Roger and the Battle Angels and their D&D-Master GM, Vu. The two were roommates in college. Good friends in life and arch-rivals on the field. This was child's play for the two.

Buffy was led by Rich Gannon, Marshall Faulk, Rod Smith, David Boston, and Torry Holt while the Angels were equally equipped with veteran talent with the likes of Steve McNair, Curtis Martin, Jerome Bettis, Randy Moss, and Amani Toomer. The two teams led the league in scoring with a 118 ppg and 97 ppg average respectively. The CTDB Championship Game was epic. Battle lines were drawn, blood was spilled and an era was to be established. It was the match up that every kid dreamed of. The dominant passing game of Buffy against the unstoppable running attack of the Angels. Even dreams didn't get better than this.

Eventually, the Angels defense succumbed to the fabled Air-Buffy offense but that didn't really matter. What mattered was the glory, the fanatic Angels fans with cheesy neon halos on their heads (this is all before the stupid rally monkeys and the fake angels fans down south last year) and the rowdy Buffy legions storming the field after their beloved team's final victory. What mattered was the legends that were being written. The generations of fans that were being born. A year of glory that will never be forgotten.

So as the two teams take the field this Sunday, despite their poor records and their nano-miniscule odds of making the playoffs, there will be a few of the older fans mixed in the booing crowds who know better. These two teams are part of the league's legends. These two teams help make CTDB what it is today and let's not forget that. Play ball!

Run Ricky Run!

The stars have moved across the sky and with the passing of Mars, new planets are emerging into sight. Lei Pan, apparently unhappy with what was under Ricky William's armour, traded the stud running back for a trio of stars. How do Michael Vick, Marvin Harrison and Ahman Green stack up as a holy triumverate? Pretty well thank you very much. But their moving papers were signed today and a blockbuster was consummated. Negotiations were hot and heavy for many minutes but in the end the chips fell like this: The Birds moved Michael Vick, Marvin Harrison and Ahman Green for Ricky Williams, Joe Horn, Charles Rogers and Drew Bledsoe.

Hours after an astonishing low scoring win over Buffy, the Dirty Birds felt it was time for a reshuffle. Ick. "We thought that we could no longer defend our championship with our veterans. And with Michael Vick out we had to do something. We are sorry to part with the next Michael Jordan of sport but it was something we had to do. While we are named the "Dirty Birds" for a reason, sometimes you just gotta pull the trigger." Michael Vick, unconsolable after hearing the news, was heard mumbling "fuck management, i wanted to be a Dirty Bird for life, i had been practicing a new version of the dance for unveiling in a few weeks and now i have to train to clench my butt as well as rehab my leg. fuck the Birds, fuck biggie, fuck everyone. my four four make sure all your kids don't grow!"

The Jammers had alot to say in the wake of Ricky's passing. "Quite honestly, we loved Ricky's production but that nappy hair was just too much for us. Our initial foray into the Jamaican market was a failure when they figured out that Ricky was not Jamaican. And quite frankly, his large muscles intimidated our kicker. We wanted to move some guys in here who could juice us up a bit, add a little speed and style and panache. Turqooise and orange are so out. With Vick, Marvin and Ahman i feel like we got a little more GQ, a little more svelt and little better. We were sorry to part with Joey, Charles and Drew but quite frankly they were no good to us either. Our 3-0 record may indicate otherwise but the truth is, Priest is our bedrock and he will remain so. But with this influx of big names, we are hoping to do ala the Lakers and go all star all the way. After we gave Ricky forty two carries last week we decided he was done. Little do the Birds know that he's lost 40 pounds and is now only a third down change of pace back. The last laugh will come when Ricky goes down in the divisional championship game and the Birds lose because of it." *insert evil maniacal laugh*

With this trade, the last of the original Birds have flown the nest. Marvin and Vick were original draft choices and they were finally let go. Ricky Williams was also the Jammers original franchise pick and now he's gone and the only player left on the Jammers with first season ties is the indomitable Priest. Does this imply that movement will create winners? This could be true. What could be also true is that more deals are in the works as the league reacts to this seismic trade among two top tier teams.

note that because of Ricky's bye week, the Birds will have one more go with Ahman before he switches teams with Ricky.

Power Rankings!

1. Tiiite End Jammers (2-0): Oh my, Priest is back. What else needs to be said? The offseason dumping of Boston and acquisition of Horn has been genius while Toomer has outplayed his unathletic self. Once Jerry Rice understands the playbook, this team will be down right scary. Oh yeah, they also have some dude in dreadlocks who calls himself Ricky. NBA Team: Lakers. They got them oldies but goodies. This is the year that the Jammers are looking to take it all.

2. Ante Up (1-1): If it weren't for a random benching of Koren Robinson, Ante would've had a chance to take over the top dawg spot. A passing game of Coles, K-Rob, and Mason is deep and talented. Edgerrin looks like his 2000 self while Fraud Taylor has been solid - averaging 12 fpts a game this year. Until either Garcia or Taylor gets wrecked (we think another week or so), Ante has no weakness. A young and unassuming bench coupled with a couple injury-prone veterans might be the team's biggest concern. NBA Team: Kings.

3. Philadelphia Phreaks (1-1): What the heck is goin on with Donovan? What the heck is goin on with Jamal Lewis?! Right behind the Jammer backfield, the Phreaks stable of young backs in Portis and Lewis is currently ranked #2 in our book. 295 yards and 2 tds is beyond ridiculous. This ridiculousness of course is only rivaled by Donovan's 7 pt average between week 1 through 3. But Donovan is Donovan, the man will pick himself up -- and when he does -- watch out. Chambers and Ike have been decent. Shockey has been lucky to say the least and the team definitely misses the talented Jerry Porter. The team will need to find its passing game before it'll have a real shot at upsetting one of the IDK teams. NBA Team: Nets

4. Skool (1-1): Another by-product of CTDB's "Master P-arity Plan". When Skool management realized that Chad Johnson was still on the table during this season's supplemental draft, there was no question who they wanted. Backed by a fast rising running game in Loose Deuce and Stevie Davis, the Skool passing game is quickly becoming one of the best in the league. With the recent decline of McNabb and Manning, coupled with Vick's injury, Culpepper is the league's best QB at this point. The receiving core, led by Johnson, Stallworth and Price is the youngest and most talented in the league. When these young guys figure out the opposing defenses, there will be little this offensive juggernaut cannot do. NBA Team: Pistons.

5. Flaming Shrapnel (2-0): The record looks good but here at the CTDB fantasy league office, we think a lot of it is luck. Maddox has been ridiculous but the smorgasboard backfield of William Green, Eddie George, Tiki Barber, Warrick Dunn, Onterrio Smith hasn't been exactly turned the league upside down. The Shrapnel's victories were against the floundering Monkeys and the Battle "Bye Week" Angels. However, Jimmy Smith will be returning in 2 weeks and will make the Shrapnel receiving core extremely formidable. If GM Liao can find two solid backs out of his five, this can turn out to be a pretty solid team. NBA Team: Pacers

6. Dirty Birds (1-1): Oh how the champion stumbles. Its CTDB Law. While no one has missed Buffy's fantastic crash, the current defending champion, DirteByrdeez, are quietly sloshing their way through the season as well. The Vick-less team has suffered through some early struggles in the passing game. Despite losing 2 of their best young receivers in the offseason, Marvin, Plax, and MeShawn have posted respectable numbers -- however, most of it due to Plax. But not enough. Collins is steady but not flashy. Ahman and Dillon have shown glimpses of their former selves. Consistency will be key. If the Birds can hold their place in the standings until the great Mike Vick returns, they will have a good shot at making their second straight run at the trophy. NBA Team: Celtics

7. Chunky Monkeys (1-1): Thanks to Buffy aka "Bye Week II", the Monkeys finally tacked on their first win despite injuries to their top two receivers, Boston and Driver. LT2 and SA have been a solid tandem while DJax and Andre the Rookie have been pleasant surprises. Travis remains talented but incredibly inconsistent. It will be impossible to gauge this team until the team gets healthy but until then, we can't see the Monkey's winning more than half of its schedule. At least the Monkey fans still chant "Duce! Duce! Duce!" Its currently the best chant in the league that we can think of. NBA Team: Mavericks

8. Green Team (1-1): So Hearst is old, Booker is only as good as Kordell, and Gardner is hurt by Coles but the Green Team is still averaging 95 pts per week. How the? Thats our question. I guess Travis along with his 1.05 ypc average last week and Hines Ward are still great if not spectacular. Favre is Favre. Our guess is that Booker will only get better while Hearst will only get worse. Thats a wash in our book. The G Team will need to pick it up in terms of scoring if it wants to move past the other high scoring teams of the SMG division. NBA Team: Suns

9. Buffy (0-2): The parity of the league runs rampant. The once dominant team of the west has since been rendered the divisional doormat below the division's powerhouses. Averaging 72 pts per week, Buffy will have no chance to make the playoffs if it cannot revitalize its once feared passing attack. While Holt has improved noticeably, Gannon has started slowly, Rod Smith has done nothing, and Tim Brown has done even less. Coach Cheng loathes the pro set formation and often opts to go with the run and shoot but the lack of production and depth at receivers has forced management to go back to the more traditional 2-back set. While Garner and Faulk are respectable, there is little doubt that their age is catching up. Faulk doesn't get nearly enough touches and Garner is well ... Garner ... the ultimate scatback...thats it. With Gannon, Rod, Tim, Garner, and Faulk, Buffy is clearly the oldest team in the league. Social Security hates this team. While Brooks, Troy Brown, and Quincy Morgan represents a younger and more talented bench than most in the league, it probably won't be enough. The IDK division is just too ridiculous. NBA Team: Grizzlies.

10. Angels (0-2): Despite winning the first overall pick in this year's supplemental draft, the Battle Angels have lost to their worst foe - the injury bug. James Stewart and Chad Pennington were lost to injuries even before the season began. Curtis Martin isn't even a shadow of his former self. Galloway is flash gordon that flashes every 3 weeks. Tai Streets is serviceable at best. Leaving Randy Moss, the leader, the speaker, the healer. However, it ain't nearly enough. Trung just sucks. Moe, in 2 weeks, should not be on a fantasy roster. The Angels average under 60 points a game (Compare and Contrast: The Jammers backfield usually score more than that each week). There will be a lot of personnel changes this year. Trainers will be fired. Heads will roll. What will GM Dinh do? NBA Team: (CBA) Rockford Lightning.

Draft Review 2003

Battle Angels: Devoted their draft to solidify their starting lineup. With an aging starting lineup, the Angels drafted Trung Canidate, Curtis Conway, Tai Streets, JJ Stokes, and Chad Pennington with an expectation that 3 of the 5 could make it into the starting lineup. Unfortunately, Pennington suffered a season-ending injury and Conway was simultaneously rendered ineffective. The word on the street is that Canidate was also extremely over-valued as the first pick overall. However, we are high on Tai Streets and view that as a solid pick in the 4th round.
Draft Grade: C (due largely to bad luck)

Skool: Skool already fields a deep starting lineup so management went for depth and talent searching. Chad Johnson and Josh Reed are both extremely talented pass receivers and will have excellent opportunities to start alongside Peerless Price and Donte Stallworth. This could be one of the youngest and most talented receiving corps in the league with an opportunity to explode this year. Anthony Thomas and Stacey Mack are merely depth and bench fodder behind veteran stars Deuce McAllister and Stephen Davis. Baltimore should be a solid defense too. Draft Grade: A-

Flaming Shrapnel: Already loaded in the backfield with 3 running backs, Shrapnel GM continued stockpiling its backfield talent by adding rookie Onterrio Smith and veteran back, Warrick Dunn. It will be interesting to see how the team will divide its playing time among 5 backs. Jimmy Smith was supposed to be the team’s third receiver until he was slammed with a 4-game suspension by CTDB for drug violation. Break-out-player-of-the-year candidate, Reggie Wayne, will be thrown into the fire. Veteran QB, Tommy Maddox, will have to prove that he was not a one year wonder. We’re open to taking bets though.
Draft Grade: B

Green Team: Entering the draft with question marks in their backfield, the team did little to upgrade that position as the team spent its second pick on perennial slug, Antowain Smith (who was unimaginably drafted by the Monkeys in Round 1 last year). Young RB, Kevan Barlow, has a world of talent but will be hard pressed to find enough carries this year to contribute significantly. The team did pick up Rod Gardner, Marc Boerigter and Kelly Holcomb to solidify its passing attack. Rod Gardner should be a solid contributer while MB is becoming a solid sleeper this year. The Bucs D should also be back to their old ways – more likely to find the endzone than Keyshawn. Draft Grade: B

Philadelphia Phreaks: Management agonized over its receiving team this summer and finally decided to release veteran motor-mouth Keyshawn Johnson in the offseason. Led by the sure-handed Ike Bruce and a talented but yet to capitalize Chris Chambers, the Phreaks wanted to add additional receivers through this years draft. The team managed to land a coveted pass receiver in Jerry Porter who is a physical beast in his own right. The team also drafted Jeremy Shockey, the league’s best tight end, to replace both Keyshawn’s receptions and his mouth. DeWayne Bates was also added for additional depth on the roster. The teams starting backfield will be backed up by TJ Duckett.
Draft Grade: B+

Ante Up: After a disappointing 5-8 season, Ante Up is looking to rebound in a big way. Already concerns are on the horizon for Ante Up. QB Jeff Garcia is dinged up and while he is one of the toughest Latino players in the league, there is only so much one little man can take. If Garcia goes down, Ante Up may lose it's most consistent player. The drafting of explosive Trent Green as backup will help if Garcia has a subpar season. RB Fred Taylor is also injured and while he looks to be starting the season, doubts remain about his overall durability. The other keeper back, Edgerrin James, should be lined up to have a great year, two years removed from an ACL injury. If Edge can return to elite status, Ante Up could have quite a year.

The receiving corps looks very solid, especially with first round draft pick Koren Robinson joining Laveranues Coles and Derrick Mason. All three should be primary receivers for their respective teams and that could give Ante Up a powerful aerial attack. With promising backup RBs in Troy Hambrick and Amos Zereoue, Ante Up should be ok if Fred Taylor has an injury plagued year but potential doesn't always pay the bills. This will mark the first time in league history that Ante Up hasn't had the dominating Buccaneer defense and time will tell if that could be the difference for this team. Maybe by switching to another superior defense, Miami, Ante Up can find some more chemistry between offense and defense. Ante Up has tasted success in the past and with a reloaded roster they are looking to return to glory this season.
Draft Grade: A-/B+

Buffy: It was a tough year last season for Buffy. Coming off a high and a championship season, Buffy slipped down the gutter and ended up in the division cellar with a 5-8 record. From first to last and back again? It's possible. There is still a lot of talent on Buffy's roster but now much of it is plagued with question marks. That's the way the ball bounces isn't it? It helps that Rich Gannon and Charlie Garner are still a dynamic and underappreciated duo. Both are pushing their age limit but are still durable and productive. Torry Holt had a "down" year but that was not an indication of his personal failure. The Rams' poor season and QB problems led to a bit of a slip for Holt, but look for him to return to elite status this season. Rod Smith however, is clearly slowing down. Age or injuries have caught up with him and while he is still a great player, he is no longer a dominant performer.

The draft provided Buffy with some good pieces to put around his keeper core. Aaron Brooks is the young QB that Buffy needs next year, as Gannon's career winds down. Quincy Morgan, Troy Brown and Todd Pinkston should be good backups and possible replacements. Tony Gonzalez was a semi steal if he can become a dominant TE again. The question on this team though is, where are the running backs? Marshall Faulk is still an explosive player but he's got some injury issues. If he goes down for half the season again, Buffy could find itself with a gaping hole in the running game. If Marshall can stay healthy however, look for Buffy to return to respectability and possibly dominance. Buffy has been a run and shoot explosive team from day one and it looks like they're looking to recreate the magic again this season. And let's not forget Janikowski, the biggest leg on the planet. If Janikowski gets his act together and starts bombing, watch out!
Draft Grade: B

Chunky Monkeys: The Monkeys have always been a strong team and things should be no different this year. Boasting a young stud backfield of LaDainian Tomlinson and Shaun Alexander, Chunky can run through people. While LT has emerged as a dominant back, Shaun Alexander's inconsistency last year really hurt the Monkeys. The young back had great overall numbers but there were many games where he simply disappeared. With the drafting of Matt Hasselbeck and Darrell Jackson, Chunky is pinning his hopes on a great offensive season from the Seahawks. Chunky has the old school QB consistency of Peyton Manning to make up for many mistakes but his WR core is slightly suspect this year. Donald Driver should be the number one receiver and he should have another fine season but questions remain with the rest of the wideouts. David Boston has been traded and injured and is one strike away from a league suspension. Marty Schottenheimer has never had a 1,000 yard receiver and while Boston certainly has the talent, he may not have the coach or the opportunity to duplicate his breakout season two years ago.

Andre Johnson and Travis Taylor are both young WRs but Taylor has never exhibited the dominance expected of him while Johnson, a talented player no doubt, may be on too weak of a team to shine. The trading away of last year's premier receiver, Joe Horn, could really hurt this team if Boston cannot step and produce. A sneaky fourth round gamble on Duce Staley has panned out as he has rejoined the Eagles and will serve as capable backup RB. The Monkeys have Peyton, LT and Alexander but if the receivers can't come through, the Monkeys could wind up short once again.
Draft Grade: B-

DirTeByrDeeZ: The dominant performance by last year's Dirty squad may soon be a fast fading memory. Even before the season starts, superstar QB Michael Vick has already been injured and sidelined for at least six weeks. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the rest of the team. Running backs Corey Dillon and Ahman Green help to shoulder the load but Corey is inconsistent and Ahman is slightly injury prone. They are top backs but hardly franchise backs. The franchise on this team is clearly WR Marvin Harrison, who simply had one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history. If he can come anywhere close to those numbers again, he will lead a group of distinguished and capable wides.

Plaxico Burress emerged as a potential stud late last season and the first round draft pick of Keyshawn Johnson adds a stable (if not overly explosive) third option. Young WR Ashley Lelie has a chance to break out this year if given a bigger role in the Broncos offense but he could also be a year away. The backup RB situation isn't bad with Correll Buckhalter but if he doesn't pan out or if Duce starts taking his carries away, Correll could be a wasted pick. Much of the depth of this championship team has been stripped and if more players start to succumb to injury, the Birds could do a first to last flip in a blinding instant. New starting QB Kerry Collins is a steady veteran and has the ability to put up big numbers but he is hardly Michael Vick. The Birds may have to just get by until Vick returns, when they hope to be able to make a push for a repeat championship.
Draft Grade: B-

Tiiite End Jammers: The Jammers could easily have won a championship last year. Ricky Williams had a career year, Priest Holmes was the best player in all the fantasy land. But an unfortunate hip injury took Holmes out of some crucial playoff games and the Jammers ended up a little short. But this season the Jammers are reloaded and ready to wreck some havoc. With Williams and Holmes looking good, the Jammers have little to worry about in the backfield (outside of some backup depth). Kurt Warner seems poised to return to his super marksman status and he could easily carry this team to win after win based on the strength of his arm and accuracy.

The WRs that the Jammers have on roster all have proven track records and while they may be a bit on the older side, production is what counts. With Amani Toomer, Muhsin Muhammed, Ed McCaffrey and the venerable Jerry Rice, the Jammers have a strong corps to work with. Add in lead receiver Joe Horn (an off season trade addition) and promising rookie Charles Rogers and the Jammers have the look of championship contenders. Even if Warner doesn't return to elite status, backup QB Drew Bledsoe will put up good numbers and let the running backs dominate and lead the Jammers to what will hopefully be a first championship. Unless the aging receivers completely collapse or a long injury prevents Williams/Holmes from playing, the Jammers could have the most explosive and deepest team to start off this third fantasy season.
Draft Grade: B+