Jammed Up

Switching divisions again, here's another look at a franchise, the venerable Tiiite End Jammers!

Historical Record
For most of the early years of CTDB, the Tiiight End Jammers were one of the scariest teams on the planet. In fact, the Jammers are like the Bears of the NFL, glorious champions that once dominated the landscape with fantasy MVP's like Kurt Warner and Priest Holmes but are now looking for answers. In 2001, as the newest owner on the block, Lei showed everyone how to play this game by leading off with three straight playoff appearances that culminated in a sterling 11-2 Super Bowl winning campaign in 2003. Even before that they were a force to be reckoned with and responsible for knocking out the high powered Chunky Monkeys two consecutive times -- creating quite the rivalry in the process.

Since that glory year however, the Jammers have been hobbled by slow starts and despite one more playoff appearance in 2006, they've been only mediocre. The worst season for them turned out be 2005 when they had to rebuild wholesale and try to get over the ineffectiveness of their once legendary running game. Even still, the Jammers have to be considered one of the premier franchises around. Four playoff seasons, one championship, and only finishing more than one game out of the post-season race once. That's a high standard for success.

The Jammers have proven to be resilient and with GM Pan at the controls, they're already showing their ability to fight back. Now that all their veterans have left the team -- one sits in jail -- new stars like Tony Romo and Joseph Addai are ready to step up and lead the Jammers back to glory.

Core Roster
Any discussion of the Jammers has to begin with their running attack. While other teams have had stellar running back duos, it's arguable that none have had greater success than the pairings of Priest Holmes and Ricky Williams (2001/2002) and Priest Holmes and Ahman Green / Tiki Barber (2003/2004). Lei got all four players while they had their best statistical seasons and used them to bludgeon opponents. In Year One, QB Kurt Warner and RB Priest Holmes shared Co-MVP honors as they both tore the roof off the fantasy world. Keep in mind, Priest was the very last pick in the draft that year. THE VERY LAST PICK. James Stewart was supposed to be the Jammer's number two back. Not so much.

For the first few two years, it was the Kurt, Priest, and Ricky show as the best receivers on staff were Easy Ed McCaffrey, Jerry Rice, Keenan McCardell, and a whole succession of flameouts. The primetime trio was enough to keep things very competitive but when Warner's game slid, the passing attack fell too and the Jammers needed help, something QB replacements like Brian Griese and Drew Bledsoe couldn't quite provide. Luckily, things wouldn't stay static for long.


The identifying trait of Lei's team has always been his willingness to wheel and deal. In fact, he was part of the first trade ever in CTDB history, acquiring RB Terrell Davis for WRs Johnnie Morton and Keenan McCardell. His biggest coup came in 2003 as he moved Ricky Williams, Joe Horn, Charles Rogers, and Drew Bledsoe for Michael Vick, Marvin Harrison, and Ahman Green. Vick and Green had stellar seasons (as Ricky began his slide into a weed haze) and the Jammers had a championship. Much forgotten in that tale is how sixth months before, GM Pan had the foresight to move David Boston for Joe Horn, also creating a hugely favorable trade for himself.

After that dream season, the Jammers suffered the traditional CTDB Champion's Curse despite getting a Top Five back for free through the draft (Tiki Barber, waived by the Dirty Birds) and finding Jimmy Smith and Plaxico Burress to pair with Marvin Harrison for a stellar passing attack. As the Jammers struggled with Priest, Ahman, and Vick all slowing down the next season, their fortunes turned. By 2005, they had fully tanked to a 3-10 record. But champions don't stay down for long.

The drafting of RB Joseph Addai in 2006 was a sign of hope and the new WR receiver trio of Marvin Harrison, Darrell Jackson, and Javon Walker looked very promising. Even without another stud back to pair with the young Addai, the Jammers were on their way back up. The traditional running attack was changing into something more orientated to the forward pass as Tony Romo came on to finally give the Jammers some stability after some difficult years with the run-first Vick. The addition of the still effective Clinton Portis in 2007 was also a step forward.

It's sometimes overlooked in a division of champions how dominant the Jammers were in CTDB's early history. They continue to be defined by the success of their earlier teams even as they've quickly retooled for a bright future and another championship run. The Jammers have been a proud franchise for many years and continue to excel with their intelligence and passion for the game.

Season Breakdowns
2007: 5-8; Started 1-7 but finished one game out of the playoffs while facing the toughest schedule in the league.
2006: 7-6; Beat out Ante Up for a playoff spot but got beat down in round one by Buffy (140-71).
2005: 3-10; Second to worst record in the league, worst offensive team of the year. Seven straight losses.
2004: 5-8; Went 1-5 to start off title defense and then fell one game short of scratching their way into the playoffs.
2003: 11-2; Super Bowl winner and dominant for the entire season with a ten game winning streak, setting multiple franchise records.
2002: 7-6; Playoff team upset the Chunky Monkeys before eventually losing in the divisional championships.
2001: 8-5; Started off 5-0. A strong playoff campaign and also GM of the Year Runner Up as a rookie owner.

Stats
Highest Avg Game Score, Season: 113.20 (2003)
Most Points Scored, Game: 151 (2002)
Least Points Scored, Game: 47 (2007)
Best Margin of Victory, Game: 68 (2001)
Worst Margin of Defeat, Game: -90 (2004)
Longest Winning Streak, Season: 10 (2003)
Longest Losing Streak, Season: 7 (2005)

Battle Stars

After last year's franchise recap of Ante Up, I've decided to move on to a few other teams. First up, Vu's Battle Nuggets (formerly the Battle Angels). In contrast to recapping the most recent season, I'm just going to vault straight into the past.

Historical Record
The Battle Angels story hasn't always been a happy one. In fact, they've hardly achieved any long lasting success past their inaugural year. Only two winning seasons out of seven, three total playoff appearances, and a tendency to wear down near the end of campaigns. With a veteran laden roster and stars that have often been hit or miss, the Angels have had a tough time staying consistently competitive. They also have had the bad luck of often facing tough schedules. They've found themselves just outside the playoff door many times (2007, 2005) but that's more often had to do with a weak division than anything else.

The good news is that Vu has proven to be a savvy owner and unearthed a few gems along the way -- even if he does have a predilection for big names and old faces. In addition, the Nuggets have at least made a Super Bowl, a claim that half the franchises in CTDB can't make. In fact, the future looks bright for the Battle Nuggets as they've finally found steady franchise players in Drew Brees, Laurence Maroney, Willis McGahee, Steve Smith and Andre Johnson. With a bit of tinkering and foresight, this team could finally do some damage.

It also must dig at Vu that his college roommate, Roger, is a two time champion while he has yet to get his own ring. Here's a matchup between them from 2003.

Core Roster
The Battle Angels have a tendency to skew toward the veterans. Their rosters are always big on name recognition but as their historical record shows, that hasn't always translated to wins. The Angels' philosophy was always more ground based than their name suggested. A tough inside running game with speedster receivers on the outside to relieve the pressure has always the preference of management. The team has always featured strong defenses too (often the Steelers) to control their opponents.

Looking at their first, and most successful, season, we see the prototypical Battle Angels team. Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin attacking the defense while Randy Moss and Tim Brown played deep threat and possession receiver. Since this was 2001, all these players were feared and respected and perennial All-Pros. However, Brown and Bettis were slipping while Moss was as mercurial as ever. Curtis Martin had some amazing seasons and he represented what the Angels were all about. Often counted down and out but as scrappy as ever.

The first franchise QB for this team was Steve McNair, who had started his career with the Angels behind Brian Griese. Vu also was the first to tap into Tom Brady's mojo, but probably a few years too early fantasy wise. As McNair suffered through some injury riddled campaigns, the QB question wasn't sufficiently answered until the rise of Drew Brees in 2004, who led the Angels to their second playoff appearance.

After a few hard hitting seasons by the Bus and C-Mart, the Angels suffered looking for franchise backs. James Stewart looked like the answer for awhile. Trung Canidate never was. Neither was Julius Jones or an over the hill Eddie George. Oftentimes the Angels would go four wide to cover up their lack of running back production. It wasn't until 2006 and the emergence of rookie Laurence Maroney that the Angels got another Top 10 back on their roster. Even the 2005 trade of Randy Moss for Willis McGahee (and Ashley Lelie) only provided dividends for half a season as McGahee's career cooled down until he got to Baltimore last season.

Over the years, as the Angels have lost their ability to run, they have drafted some stellar wide receivers. Aside from the early seasons with Randy Moss, the Angels have featured Tim Brown, Amani Toomer, the immortal Bill Schroeder, JJ Stokes, Muhsin Muhammad, Curtis Conway, Reggie Brown, and blazer Joey Galloway (2002) who has been the real face of the franchise from a receiving standpoint. While Steve Smith has always been the team's best receiver after Randy Moss was moved, he's been injured often and Galloway has been his stand-in for many years. Last year's drafting of Andre Johnson adds another top playmaker and the Battle Nuggets can look to get down and dirty with a balanced running and passing game and the strongest keeper group they've ever had.

Season Breakdowns
2007: 5-8; Ended the season on a four game losing streak to take them out of playoff contention.
2006: 6-7; A playoff season, although it might have more to do with the poor play of his division mates.
2005: 5-8; Once again settled into second to last place after losing five in a row at one point of the season. Tied with Phreaks for playoff spot but was edged out by head-to-head matchups.
2004: 8-5; Finished second in the division and won a first round playoff game.
2003: 5-9; Second to last finish and a three game losing streak to finish the season.
2002: 3-10; The worst team in the entire league after a high flying first season. A putrid offense doomed them.
2001: 8-6; Despite facing the toughest schedule in the league, they were the division champs and advanced to the Super Bowl.

Stats
Highest Avg Game Score, Season: 103.13 (2004)
Most Points Scored, Game: 143 (2004)
Least Points Scored, Game: 49 (2007)
Best Margin of Victory, Game: 77 (2001)
Worst Margin of Defeat, Game: -69 (2001)
Longest Winning Streak, Season: 3 (2005)
Longest Losing Streak, Season: 6 (2002)