Mid-Season Awards

From all over the world, fans, players, owners and media packed themselves into the Moscone Center for the Annual CTDB Mid-Season Awards Ceremony. In what is becoming a yearly tradition for the league, mid-season awards were handed out to top players and GMs for their performances thus far in the season.




I. MVP
1a. Peyton Manning
1b. Tiki Barber

A two way tie this year between Peyton Manning and Tiki Barber. Peyton Manning is leading the Monkeys at a torrid pace. The Monkeys are averaging over 120 points per game (to put that in perspective, the rest of the league is just over 98) and have absolutely dominated their opponents. A win this week against the hated Jammers will potentially be doubly sweet as the Monkeys not only will lock up top seed in the IDK division but will have an opportunity to knock the Jammers down a couple more rungs.

On the other hand, Mr. Barber has been absolutely ridiculous this year. Tiki leads all backs this year in points scored, total yards and most importantly -- NO FUMBLES. His only blemish, being released by Dirty Birds GM, Jon Yang. Rumor is that Yang has a strong dislike for twins.

II. Most Improved Player at the Half
1. Drew Brees
2. Tiki Barber

This one wasn't close. Brees, once a forgotten free agent chillin at the local SD watering hole, is now ranked up their with the elites. Now the starting quarterback for the Angels, Brees seems to have found a home.

III. Bust of the Half
1. Travis Henry
2. Chad Johnson

Travis Henry - the dude flat out sucks now. We understand that McGahee is the future but how can one go from such a first round stud to free agent wire dud so quickly? The important thing is that despite all of Henry's struggles, Green Team has been able to maintain an incredible 8-3 record this year.

The only wrap on CJ is that he talks way too much. Come'on son, back up some of that trash and show me the money!

Free Agent Pick-up at the Half:
1. Ruben Droughns
2. Drew Brees

This seems to happen every year. Some 4th string fullback all of a sudden becomes a horse and a legit first round fantasy pick. We have to admit, never heard of Ruben before this year and had no idea that he was even in the league. But the boy is solid, runs like a horse, looks like an ogre and smells like a fantasy rose to us.

Drew Brees, its hard to be most improved player and not win some votes in this category as well.

General Manager at the Half:
1. Jon
2. Greg

Our Mich boys. JYang has been ridiculous. His ability to bounce back from that Ricky trade will undoubtedly be passed on for CTDB generations. Our sons will tell their sons of GM Yang's ability to reach back into his ass and pull out a bunch of no-name rookies and turn them into a playoff contending team. The Birds are a lock to make the playoffs and will look to make some noise this year.

G**** Ng. Despite the crash of Travis Henry, GM Ng has been crafty on the wire. His free agent signings have been ridiculous (Droughns, Gates, Roethlisberger) and his team sits at 8-3 ... tied for tops in the entire league. This is with Barlow and Henry on his bench (in Henry's case, the unemployment line). Nice job Ng.

Thanks Jamal!

Shanghai, China -

Once billed as a cornerstone of the Phreak franchise, Jamal Lewis now finds himself heading out of town, thanks to a blockbuster deal consummated in the wee hours of the morning between the Phreaks and the DiRTeByRDeeZ. The deal finds the Phreaks sending Jamal Lewis, Tony Gonzalez, and a conditional 2005 3rd round pick to the DIRTeByRDeeZ in exchange for Roy Williams, Lee Suggs, and the DIRTeByRDeeZ's 2005 2nd round pick.

"I want to first thank Jamal for giving his all to this franchise. He embodied the true spirit of what it means to be a Philadelphia Phreak. Coming back from injury the way he has, battling through all of the adversity, I have nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for Jamal. I wish him all the best in his efforts for the DB's. However today is also an incredibly exciting day for us here in Phreakland as we are welcoming a guy who we think will be a top-flight wide receiver for years to come in Roy Williams. Roy is a high-character guy with boundless energy who we see as a great fit for our rebuilding franchise," said Phreaks GM Ping Shen in what could be perceived as a concession speech for the 2004 season.

DIRTeByRDeeZ GM Jon spoke briefly after emerging from the negotiation room just before sunrise Wednesday, "I just want to say that I'm tremendously excited to be able to bring in a guy like Jamal Lewis. He reminds me a lot of the true DIRTeByRD, Jamal Anderson. Jamal is incredibly excited to come in here and lead our young and explosive team. With a proven guy like Jamal in the fold, the sky is the limit for this organization."

While a true analysis of this trade probably won't be possible for at least another year, one league GM weighed in, saying, "You gotta believe the Phreaks are giving up a lot here - a stud running back for an unproven rookie receiver, with, admittedly, loads of potential. Going into next season, the Phreaks will have only one proven back in Portis, and a bunch of "potential" guys. The ByRDeeZ, now, with Jamal leading the way for McGahee, have an incredibly explosive RB core. For a team left for dead earlier in the year, Yang has really done a great job remaking his club - if not a contender this year, they certainly will be in the near future."

Getting Spunky

As the season marches forward, surprises have been plenty and often. What the heck are the Birds doing up in the standings, tied for best record in the league? The Jammers under .500 but the Angels over .500? Say what? So here are we go, a run down of the SMG division and who's hot and who's not.

Green Team (6-3)
Green Team GM, Greg Ng, must be one of the top candidates for GM of the year at this point. Shrewd pickups including Antonio Gates, David Givens, Ruben Droughns, and Ben Roethlisberger have catapulted Green to the top of the division. The team as a whole is gelling well and scoring at a solid clip. A top 3 offense (until the Jammers overtook them last week), Green Team has plenty of young talent on its starting roster and has a deep bench to boot. Thomas Jones and Ruben Droughns have been a solid duo out of the backfield while Hines Ward again leads his receiver pack with 109 pts on the season (good for 5th best WR). The SMG division has traditionally been an easy one to win and if the Green Team can hold on to its production consistency, we see no reason for the team to enter the playoffs as the top rated team in the division.

Battle Angels (5-4)
Outside of the Birds, this is another surprise team that has taken the league by surprise. C-Mart has been lights out while Drew Brees is a solid MVP candidate this year. The receiving core is suspect at best with Moss out but the bottom line, the Angels are 5-4. GM Dinh has done a good job of plugging holes as necessary but a major concern is Moss' leg injury. That is one hole that management will be unable to plug if the injury lingers. In the meantime, Drew and C-Mart are expected to hold down the fort for the team

Flaming Shrapnels (5-4)
While its not surprising that the Shrapnels are once again a solid playoff contender, it is surprising that the team is scoring as such a high rate. 935 total points is good for second overall behind the Monkeys and is proving once again that the passing game should not be taken for granted. While DD and Chris Brown are no slouches, they aren't exactly LT and Shaun Alexander either. However, its the Shrapnel passing game led by Marc Bulger and TO that have taken the Shrapnel offense to new heights. With the return of Anquan Boldin, things only look better for the Shrapnel.

Skool (4-5)
I'm not sure how a team with Daunte Culpepper can be below .500. I know Moss is hurt but when Daunte easily accounts for half of most weekly scores on regular basis, you should be winning on a regular basis as well. However, Skool has been roped with constant injury and disappointing performances. Chad Johnson has not lived up to his motormouth, Deuce has been struggling again with that bad ankle, and Koren just can't seem to overtake DJax out in Seattle. If any of these three decides to step it up and play even up to half of their capabilities on a weekly basis, this would be a team to be reckoned with. Until then, GM Chen and his team might be following the playoffs from the team's clubhouse TV.

Phreaks (3-6)
A 3-1 start followed by a 5 game losing streak. Next week against Bree's 36 point performance carryover isn't gonna help either. What can we say? Curse. The Phreaks, no matter how they try, are simply cursed. The Red Sox took 86 years. Current projections indicate that GM Shen will be 109 before the streak is going to be broken. Joke. But despite the presence of two consensus pre-draft top 5 backs, the Phreaks have managed to turn the season into another debaucherous result. Jamal gets suspended, Clinton, despite being in a run oriented offense, decides to show up every 4th game, and the passing game outside of Donovan and Javon simply doesn't exist on a consistent basis. Rumors are circulating that GM Shen will be looking to completely rebuild this offseason so it'll be interesting to see what the team does in the coming months.

The Drama Kings

CHUNKY MONKEYS (6-3)
Being at the top of the regular season standings is nothing new for the Monkeys. They are constantly a team on in the mix, but like their NFL counterparts, the Eagles, they are always choking in the playoffs. Could this finally be the Monkeys year? With the most points scored in the league (by almost 10pts per game) and the best record, the Monkeys are hoping they can finally reach the promised land. With 6 century games and a week low of 90 pts, this team comes to play.

Armed with the tremendous trio of Peyton Manning (league leading 269 pts), Shaun Alexander (161) and LT (145), the Monkeys feature the best QB and two of the top five RBs. Did we mention Andre Johnson? An emerging stud and the fourth best WR in the game? It's a wonder that the Monkeys ever lose. If Darrell Jackson (89 pts) can keep on improving on his recent hot surge, the Monkeys might finally have the WRs to go with a traditionally strong ground game. Of course, any contender still has holes and it's at the third WR spot that the Monkeys fail to find consistency out of Chris Chambers or Amani Toomer.

DIRTY BIRDS (6-3)
The only team in this division to beat the Monkeys? That's right, the Dirty Birds, who squeaked out a 6pt win against them in WK2. In what has to be the surprise of the year, the Birds are right up there, neck and neck, with the league leaders. Despite being the 2nd lowest scoring team in the league, the Birds have managed to claw and scratch their way to six wins. Maybe it's the league leading PA schedule? Just maybe. But still, this team can be dangerous when it needs to be (two century games, two 99 pt games)and it never lays a goose egg (scoring only under 90pts twice). One of the Bird's losses was a forfeit and one was a loss by one point, so it could be argued that the Birds could be the best team in the league right now, but we won't argue that.

The question is, can these guys keep it up? This team has been devoid of stars, and solid producers (especially since Tiki was cut), but somehow the team manages to keep churning. Aaron Brooks has been top ten QB and he's anchored a rotating backfield of young guns like Rudi Johnson, DeShaun Foster (2 big games before being injured), Lee Suggs and now, mid-season revelation, Willis McGahee. With an up and coming WR corps (Roy Williams, Larry Fitzgerald, Ashely Lelie, Keary Colbert), the Birds can do some high flying too.

From a rebuilding season to a contending season, have the Birds run out of magic or can they keep a flapping?

TIIIIITE END JAMMERS (4-5)
Last year's champion seems destined for a trip to the playoffs, which is more than the previous two champions have been able to accomplish. What started out as a 1-5 record for the Jammers has nicely turned into a 4-5 record with three straight wins. The Jammers are back everybody and they're mad as hell. As evidenced by their back to back 141 and 151 points (season record) in WK7 and WK8.

Sporting the top two RBs in the league (Priest and Tiki, along with Ahman at 7th), the Jammers are primed for a true defense of their title. While QB Michael Vick has been more than sporadic, he remains the piece that could make the Jammers unbeatable. And it's not like Tom Brady or Steve McNair aren't serviceable backups.

Last year's weak (in relation to the QB and RBs) receiving corps is now bursting with weapons. Marvin Harrison (top 3 WR), Jimmy Smith (top 10 WR) and the newly invigorated Plaxico Burress (top 25 and moving up) are looking like the strongest WR duo in the league. Combine the best WR trio with the best RB duo along with Vick and what do you get? The entire Dirty Bird championship roster from two years ago? No. You get a scary looking championship team ready to avenge early season losses.

The Jammers could go undefeated the rest of the way and pull out home field advantage through the playoffs (again) if the players play up to even 75% of their potential.

BUFFY (4-5)
The Jammers have won three, the Buffyians have lost three. Elevator action as the two teams pass each other in the standings. Buffy has been wildly inconsistent, bursting out of the gates with some huge games and then playing down to the level of their competition; as evidenced by their weekly scores: 98-114-131-97-80-110-73-65-108. Why the wild swings of success? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Buffy's fate is directly tied into the fate of the St Louis Rams.

Stalwarts like Marshall Faulk (108 pts), Torry Holt (107) and Isaac Bruce (100) have had their explosive games this year but they've also been erratic, just like the Rams. Even with another top ten WR in Joe Horn (104 pts) -- giving Buffy three of the top dozen receivers -- Buffy has been hard pressed for consistency. Some of this blame has to be spread to Travis Henry, who was a colossal bust. QB Matt Hasselbeck was looking like a bust until recently and even though he leads this team with 145 pts, he will have to really up his game to match his pre-season expectations.

Intriguing Patriot Corey Dillon has had his hot flashes but he's dinged up and hurt so now the onus is on Michael Pittman to match his stellar past few week's of performances. Can he do it? Can the ground game of Faulk, Dillon and Pittman give the Buffy aerial attack some legs? They'll have to otherwise the losing streak will just keep on going.

Strangely, Buffy is 3-1 within their division, with their only loss coming against the Chunky Monkeys in WK1. That means Buffy has been able to dominate the Drama Kings but has been the stomp pad for those Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses.

ANTE UP (2-7)
Ante Up has traditionally been a first half team, but they started off with a 56 point effort in WK1 and it's been only slightly uphill from there. This is one first half of the season that Ante Up fans would certainly rather forget. Four century games and nine weeks into the season, Ante Up only has two wins to show for all of their hard work. In fact, Ante Up hasn't been a true contender since season one, when they started off undefeated in five games but somehow managed to slip to a final record of 5-8. After back to back 5-8 records in 2001 and 2002, last year's 8-7 mark was a spark of hope, but now Ante Up is looking like it'll set a new franchise low for wins.

Can Ante Up ownership turn this franchise around and finally get on track? The roster on hand certainly looks like its got some weapons, but can you really live forever on potential?

RBs Edgerrin James (139 pts, 6th best RB) has become a dependable feature back and looks fully recovered from his ACL tear of two years ago, but the rest of this team has been disappointing. Greater things were expected out of QB Trent Green than 164 pts and only ranking as the eighth best signal caller in the game. The Chiefs have not been the offensive juggernauts they were supposed to be and Green's numbers have suffered.

WRs Derrick Mason, Donte' Stallworth and Laveranous Coles have been unable to duplicate the success they had last year and only the emergence of Reggie Wayne has kept this aerial unit passable. Even the balls busting defense of the Buccanneers have taken a quick slide to mediocrity this year (ranked 16th) and without that bone crushing defensive prescence, it looks like Ante Up is having difficulty winning games.

On the bright side, Ante Up is only two games out of a playoff berth but they're going to really need Trent Green to step up, a weaker schedule (Ante has faced the hardest opponents this year by far), or for old war horse Jerome Bettis to get a whole more carries and TDs. Otherwise it'll be "Ante Suck" for another year.