All In with Ante Up

Recap 2006:
Ante Up started off this season very strong with three straight wins. They had a 5-pt win over Buffy in WK1, a 55-pt drubbing of Fobsters in WK2, and then a 27-pt blow out over Dirty Birds in WK3.

Of course, this fast start was negated by a four game losing streak, which was only stopped by acquiring another win against Buffy in WK8. Sitting at 0.500, Ante Up needed to step up it up. But an up-and-down next five games (three wins and two losses) put the pressure on them in WK13.

In that last game of the season, Ante Up won a close one against the [Donovan-less] Phreaks, 83-81. Corey Dillon had a season high 20 points but indicative of the season, starting QB Rex Grossman ended up with -5 points, while Trent Green sat on the bench with 34 pts.

The Jammers also won a close last game however, 99-93 versus the Green Team, to advance over Ante Up to the playoffs. Despite similar records, the Jammers had a Points Scored advantage on the season (after 1-1 head-to-head record) and sent Ante Up packing for the winter.

Roster 2006:
So, Ante Up finished with a winning 7-6 record but got locked out of the playoffs. The big reason for their wild season? Let's point the finger at QB Trent Green, who was injured early and didn't return in time to help the team out. Replacement QB Rex Grossman was on fire during the first half of the season, but by the time he got into Ante Up's lineup, he had cooled off (understatement) and finished accruing only 40 points for the team -- including two weeks with negative scores. The other backup QB, Daunte Culpepper, was a worthy pre-season gamble, but has fallen far from his glory days.

Another player that doomed Ante Up's playoff chances? The rock of the franchise, running back Edgerrin James. The move to Arizona cost James his fantasy stud status. He could barely push over 9 points per game and was sitting on the bench by the end of the season.

To replace him, Ante Up had to use old workhorse Corey Dillon, who wasn't too much better overall. The bright spot here was Brian Westbrook, this season's Ante Up MVP. Westbrook averaged 18 points a contest (221 total), was the fourth best running back in the league, the tenth best player overall and had multiple explosive games this year (two 30+ games, four 20+ games).

The three main WRs were pretty damn good actually. Reggie Wayne finished as the second best WR around (14.75 avg) and Donald Driver was ranked tenth (13 avg). Chris Chambers didn't exactly break out as planned, but he was fine as a third receiver.

Worth mentioning is that the Ravens D was the second best defense around and averaged almost as many points as Reggie Wayne (14.3 avg).

So really, not a bad team overall. A top RB, two great WRs, and an amazing D. But that hole at QB really hurt the team, as did the total collapse by Edgerrin James. But the future is bright for Ante Up as the potential keeper core looks pretty solid.

Historical Record
Ante Up has had three 5-8 seasons, with two of those coming in our first two years of existence. After that however, Ante Up has reached the divisional finals twice, despite never quite making it into the Super Bowl. They were the best team in the league in 2005 and not every team has that on their resume.

This team -- when they're not 5-8 -- is just gunning for that ring, coming tantalizingly close a few times but never quite reaching it. They, along with the Monkeys, are the only two teams left in their division without a championship (ironically, they are the two teams who met in Super Bowl 0).

Core Roster
When I think of Ante Up, I think of a strong running game and a great defense. The defining player from this team is actually the Buccaneers Defense. Although they were only technically on the team for three years (2001, 2002, 2004), they were always crazy dominant and often led Ante Up to victory after victory. Even during the years when the Buc D ended up on other teams, Ante Up took strong defenses like Miami (2003), Pittsburgh (2005), and Baltimore (2006) to support their offense. Defense wins championships, well, almost.

Their first ever pick, RB Edgerrin James, has served solidly through thick and thin. Nobody can doubt Edge's skills and he's the only original player left from 2001. The other player that I always associate with Ante Up is Fred Taylor. I thought he was an original Ante Upper, but he actually came on board the next year, in 2002. Aside from that feared combination, backs like Jerome Bettis, Warrick Dunn (2001), and most recently, Brian Westbrook (drafted in 2005) have displayed their skills with this team.

For a long time, Derrick Mason (original draft pick, 2001) was the leader in the WR department. He was joined by Laveranues Coles and Reggie Wayne the following year and since then, Wayne has clearly emerged as a worthy number-one wide receiver. Ante Up has always lacked a traditional superstar receiver however, since Wayne is still the second banana on the Colts.

Jeff Garcia and Trent Green have been the only two men to qualify as franchise quarterbacks on this team. Garcia in his heyday was a monster. And Trent Green has been an underrated fantasy player his whole career. Journeymen like Jake Plummer and Jake Delhomme -- yes, The Two Jakes -- have stepped into the breach at times, but mostly it's been the Trent Green show since he took over the full time reins from Garcia in 2003.

A pounding running game, a dominant defense, and one stud receiver. Sounds like a Steelers team doesn't it? Maybe Ante Up need some magical rookie mojo, like the one Big Ben gave to Pittsburgh in 2005, to push them toward that elusive championship.

Season Breakdowns
2006: 7-6; Edged out of the playoffs despite a winning record.
2005: 10-3; Best record in the league and had a seven game win streak to close out the season. Upset by the Monkeys (103-89) in the divisional finals.
2004: 5-8; Finished in last place, but was only one win away from a playoff spot.
2003: 8-7; Upset the Monkeys (124-108) in the first round, but then lost to eventual champion Jammers (92-122) in the the divisional finals.
2002: 5-8; After starting out 5-3, they lost the last five games of the season to sink to second-to-last place in the division.
2001: 5-8; Finished in last place after losing the final two games of the season.

Stats
Highest Avg Game Score, Season: 102.23 (2005)
Most Points Scored, Game: 140 (2004)
Least Points Scored, Game: 51 (2003)
Best Margin of Victory, Game: 71 (2003)
Worst Margin of Defeat, Game: -63 (2002)
Longest Winning Streak, Season: 7 (2005)
Longest Losing Streak, Season: 5 (2002)