Commish’s Corner

                                                               

                                                                                

 

With the nineteenth season of Smitty Fantasy Football over, plans for having the Golden 20^th Anniversary Draft in Atlantic City are under way. Since the Commish has never been there, input from all owners would be extremely helpful.

          Cutting the season down to 16 weeks instead of 17 weeks like most other fantasy leagues definitely eliminated the chance of a team’s star player to be benched that final week. Despite the elimination of one game, the scoring has still been solid. There has been no least points scored or least points allowed yet for the record book. And even more impressive, the Warriors crushed the record for most points scored by the Running backs.

     As a league, total team scoring (4438 pts) was 99 points lower than last year. But after last season’s crazy rise in QB and WR scoring, things shifted back to the Running backs scoring more. Quarterback scoring was down (11%) lower than last year, as was Receiver scoring (16%). Running back scoring sky rocketed up 39%.  Kicker scoring went up a little (4%), but Defense/Special teams dropped 8%.

      Something to keep in mind for next season: There has been a lot of discussion about raising the League Fee. Let me hear your view points and why we should or shouldn’t raise the Fee. Hope you enjoyed this season and see you next fall.

 

 

 

Quarterbacks (A): First in QB scoring. Despite being injured (if a hurt pinkie qualifies) for part of the season, Tony Romo (104 pts, ranked 7^th) did a commend-able job. He still fell way short of the 156 points he scored last year, but averaged 8 points/game. One of the biggest surprises that helped the Donuts win the Super Bowl was the play of Phil Rivers (136 pts, tied 1^st). He finished the season scoring 44 points in the last four games of the season, and far surpassed last year’s total of 90 points.

Running Backs (B): After being 7^th in scoring at the halfway point, the Donuts improved to 4^th in RB scoring. Despite missing a few games at the end of the season, SFFL Super Bowl MVP Brandon Jacobs (1089 yds, 90 pts) was a big factor in the Donuts success this season. He had five multiple TD games and blew away last year’s total of 36 points. Acquiring free agents Leon McClain (907 yards, 66 pts) and rookie Chris Johnson (1228 yds, 60 pts) helped solidify the Blaze’s running game. And it was a good thing because rotating between Willie Parker (789 yds, 30 pts) and Mewelde Moore (588 yds, 36 pts) like owned a two-headed ogre. Moore scored all his points between Week 7 and 10 (when the Hutchies owned him) and after scoring 3 Tad’s in Week 1, Parker only managed two more in the final 16 weeks.

Receivers (A): First in WR scoring The Donuts had three receivers in the top 10 in scoring for receivers. Sophomore Calvin Johnson (1331 yds, 72 pts) was a great draft pick who scored at least a TD in 10 of the 16 games. Until he got injured, Anquan Boldin (1038 yds, 66 pts) was the leading scorer for receivers, with 11 TD’s in 11 games. Though he did not start much for the Glazed, Lance Moore (928 yds, 60 pts) was Drew Brees main target until Marques Colston came back from injury. Speaking of healthy, Dallas Clark (848 yds, 36 pts) came back from injury and scored 6 times in 10 games. On the flip side, Chris Chambers (462 yds, 30 pts) never fully recovered and did not score any after Week 5. Nate Washington (631 yds, 18 pts) was just a placeholder in this roster. This group improved from scoring 37 TD’s in 2007 to 47 TD’s in 2008.

 Kickers (C-): Eighth in Kicking scoring. It would have been scary to see how much more dominant the Glazed Donuts would have been if they had a top ten kicker on their roster. Jeff Reed (117 pts, ranked 17^th) started off slow, but finished tied for 6^th in kicker scoring in the 2^nd half. He had 10 games with 7 points or more. Josh Scobee (90 pts, ranked 28th) was the worst starting kicker in the 2^nd half with a miserable 32 points. After three double-digit scores in the first four games, Scobee had just one game with more than 7 points scored.

Defense/Special Teams (A): First in scoring. After scoring a disappointing 18 points in 2007 for the Commish, the Baltimore Ravens (48 pts, ranked 3rd) were resurrected back to their normal top five defense/special teams status. The Buffalo Bills (32 pts, ranked 11^th) did a solid job as a backup team.

Overall (A+): Won the Super Bowl, just like the Commish predicted in the midseason report. Probably one of the most solid and consistent teams ever in Smitty Fantasy Football. The Glazed were first in points scored (Money Cup winner for 1^st time ever), total points scored (90 pts. ahead of next guy), QB scoring, WR scoring, and ST scoring. This team was 6-2 in the 2^nd half, and only scored under 33 points twice this season. He started the season at 3-4, but finished with a strong 8-1 record (including playoffs). Congratulations Murphy!!

 

 

Quarterbacks (B): Finished 4^th in QB scoring, after being 7^th in scoring at the mid season. Donovan McNabb (104 pts, ranked 7^th) managed to stay healthy all year for a change and scored 64 points in the 2^nd Half (ranked 6^th), which was a big improvement from the 76 points he scored in 2007. Tyler Thigpen (90 pts, ranked 11^th) was a steal on the waiver wire as he ranked 3^rd among QB’s in the 2^nd Half with 70 points and had five games of double-digit scores.

Running Backs (A): 2^nd in RB scoring. After scoring only 6 pts last year, Thomas Jones (1312 yds, 90 pts) won the SFFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award.  He had score in 10 games, including an eight game scoring streak between Weeks 7-14. 1^st Round pick Adrian Peterson (1757 yds, 60 pts) won the NFL’s Rushing Title, but had a slight sophomore slump in TD’s after scoring 78 points last season. There was no sophomore slump for Marshawn Lynch (1047 yds, 54 pts), as he improved on his 46 total points in 2007. The Marshall Coach picked up Dominic Rhodes (538 yds, 54 pts) twice off the waiver wire, and Mr. Rhodes thanked him by scoring 4 TD’s in the last four games.

Receivers (C): 7th in WR scoring. Larry Fitzgerald (1434 yds, 72 pts) was the Hell’s lone stud. With the injury to Anquan Boldin, Fitz scored 6 times in the last five games. Old timer Isaac Bruce (833 yds, 42 pts) managed to find some new life in San Francisco after scoring only 4 TD’s last season with the Rams. Virginia Tech rookie Eddie Royal (980 yds, 30 pts) was the best rookie WR this year. Wes Welker (112 catches, 1165 yds, 18 pts) caught every pass his way, but his scoring plunged greatly from the 48 points he scored last year.  Donnie Avery (684 yds, 24 pts) lost his connection with Marc Bulger and managed only 1 TD in the 2^nd half. Javon Walker (196 yds, 6 pts) obviously paid J.T. money to be on his fantasy team.

Kickers (B-): Fifth in Kicking scoring. Aging Jason Elam (129 pts, ranked 6th) proved Denver wrong by scoring greater than six points in 14 games. Though Mason Crosby (127 pts, tied 7^th) did not match his 141 points from 2007, he still had seven games with double-digit scoring.

Defense/Special Teams (C): 6th in scoring. The Indianapolis Colts (40 pts, ranked 6^th) came on strong at the end, finishing 2^nd in scoring in the 2^nd half. And it is a good thing too, because the Jacksonville Jaguars defense (20 pts, ranked 20^th) managed a measly 2 points in the 2^nd half.

Overall (A): After missing the playoffs the last two years, The Hell came on with a vengeance and finished in 1^st place for the first time ever in their 16 years in the SFFL. He had a nice career high seven game winning streak starting in Week 5. The Angelas finished 3^rd in points scored and fourth in total points. He made his third Super Bowl appearance in five years, but then succumb to the SFFL first place jinx: a curse that has allowed only two first place teams in 19 years to win the Super Bowl.

 

 

Quarterbacks (B+): After landing 8^th in scoring at the halfway point, the QB duo improved greatly to finish 3^rd in QB scoring. The NFL’s MVP Peyton Manning (114 pts, ranked 5^th) recovered from a poor 1^st half and scored 66 points (ranked 5^th) in the 2^nd Half with 4 double-digit games. Warrior reject off-the-waiver wire Matt Cassel (96 pts, ranked 9^th) improved his free agent marketability for next year by scoring 68 points (ranked 3^rd) in the 2^nd half. Worth mentioning is that the Commish could have made the Super Bowl had he started Cassel (16 pts. vs. Oakland) over Manning (4 pts. vs Detroit) in Week 15 against the Donuts. Just a tiny bit bitter there…

 Running Backs (C+): Finished 7^th in RB scoring, after being 9^th at midseason. Until he got injured, 1^st round pick Marion Barber (885 yds, 54 pts) was on a decent pace to possibly match last year’s total of 72 points. The Commish traded for the SFFL Rookie of the Year Award winner rookie Matt Forte (1231 yds, 72 pts) and he responded nicely by scoring 30 points in six games. Picking up unknown rookie Peyton Hillis (343 yds, 36 pts) was a blessing as he scored all of his points in the six short weeks he started before a season ending injury. Except for one game, Tim Hightower (399 yards, 60 pts) never rushed for many yards, but this Episcopal HS kid found the end zone in spurts, scoring in 8 games.

Receivers (B): Tied for 2nd in WR scoring. Brandon Marshall (104 catches, 1265 yds, 36 pts) did a superb job of catching the pigskin, but did not score enough to justify being the 30^th pick in the SFFL draft. But Vincent Jackson (1098 yds, 42 pts) turned out to be a wonderful 11^th round acquisition. Marques Colston (760 yds, 30 pts) was an added bonus in the trade with the Warriors, as he scored all of his points for the Commish. On the other hand, traded Tony Scheffler (645 yds, 18 pts) did not score. The Commish took a gamble that the elderly Marvin Harrison (636 yds, 30 pts) and Torry Holt (796 pts, 18 pts) both had one more good season left in them. The Commish lost.

Kickers (C): Tied for 6^th in Kickers scoring. Last round pick in the SFFL draft Neil Rackers (119 pts, ranked 15^th) eventually started more games for the Benchwarmers. He had 8 games in double-digits, but also had 3 of the last 5 games with 2 points or less. Sophomore Nick “Egg Yolk” Folk (102 pts, ranked 25^th) slumped big time from his 131 points last season. He had only 3 games in double-digits, but 5 games with 5 points or less.

Defense/Special Teams (F): Last in scoring. The Commish kept waiting for the Pittsburgh Steelers (26 pts, ranked 15^th) and the New England Patriots (16 pts, ranked 26^th) to heat up and match last year’s combined total of 84 points. And they did heat up by combining for 18 points…in Week 17 (whoops).

Overall (B): For the second year in a row, the Benchwarmers started the season at 2-5 and got hot in the 2^nd half to make the playoffs. The Commish did manage to improve his total points from last to 2^nd best and finish off the regular season 7-2. But the Bench had a little help, as five teams he played scored under 18 points.

 

 

Quarterbacks (B): 5^th in QB scoring. Not bad for two quarterbacks on teams that are heavy on the running game. After scoring at least 4 points every week for the first 14 weeks, Eli Manning (90 pts, ranked 11th) managed to score only 4 points in the last three games. Coming back from two years of an assortment of injuries, Jake Delhomme (72 pts, ranked 16^th) managed to stay healthy all year, though his days of being a top ten QB appear to be over.

Running Backs (C): Finished 9^th in the SFFL in running backs scoring. Brian Westbrook (936 yds, 84 pts) was the lone bright spot in this Motley Crew. But he was very streaky and always a “game-time decision.” All his scoring came in just 6 games. In five of the six games he scored at least 12 points, including a huge 24 point performance in Week 13. But after Westbrook, the water gets murky. After scoring 54 points in 2006 and 66 points in 2007, Jamal Lewis (1002 yds, 24 pts) contracted the Cleveland Brown syndrome: allergies to the end zone. The Commish is pretty sure that the Headbutts are the only fantasy team in the U.S. that employed the services of scrubs Rudi Johnson (237 yds, 12 pts) and B.J. Askew (14 yds, 12 pts). Baby brother tried to help his running game by picking up  Leon Washington  (448 yds, 42 pts) late in the season, be he only managed to score 12 points in the last five games.

Receivers (B-): Fifth in WR scoring, but finished 2^nd in the second half. Terrell Owens (1052 yds, 60 pts) and Greg Jennings (1292 yds, 54 pts) were solid all season long. Kevin Walter (899 yds, 48 pts) was a stunner free agent pick and the three of them finished in the top 11 in WR scoring. Another nice picked for the Headbutts was Kevin Boss (384 yds, 36 pts), who made the Giants forget all about Jeremy Shockey. Though Jason Witten (952 pts, 24 pts) got plenty of touches, last year’s total of 42 points was probably just an anomaly. After his sports hernia, Kevin Curtis (390 yds, 12 pts) and Donovan McNabb just could not connect like the 7 times they did last year. This unit’s scoring dipped down some from 48 TD’s in 2007 to 39 TD’s in 2008.

Kickers (B): 4^th in Kickers scoring. Though he slipped a bit in the 2^nd half, Rob Bironas (127 pts, ranked 7th) had a nice season with 6 games in double-digits and 12 games with at least 6 points. Josh Brown (112 pts, ranked 19th) did his job as a backup (13 points) and then was forgotten.

Defense/Special Teams (A): 2^nd in scoring. Jeff’s 16^th pick in the SFFL draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (44 pts, ranked 3^rd) played like they did a few years back when they won the Super Bowl. A top five defense/special teams last season, the San Diego Chargers (30 pts, ranked 13th) were useless until too late. It makes you wonder just how valuable Shawn Merriman is to their defense.

Overall (B): Started the season with a 4-1 record, finished 4-5 down the stretch, and squeezed into the playoffs for his second straight year. Despite having a pathetic running game, the Headbutts still managed to finish 4^th in points scored and 5^th in total points (starters+bench points). Give the man an “A+” for trash talking; he keeps the owners and league on their toes.

 

 

Quarterbacks (B): 6^th in QB scoring. Just missing Dan Marino’s passing yardage record by just 15 yards, Drew Brees (136 pts, tied 1st) had an enormous fantasy season. He scored double-digits in 6 games, scored 76 points in the 2^nd half (ranked 2^nd), and scored at least 8 points in the last six games. Not that it mattered with Brees as a starter, but the Commish is curious what the Warriors were thinking when they dropped Matt Cassel for Jason Campbell (58 pts, ranked 23^rd). Only Kerry Collins had fewer points than Campbell in QB’s that started all 16 games.

Running Backs (A+): For the second straight year, first in RB scoring AND set the season high of 312 total points in just 15 games (Commish started tracking position scoring in 2003). Led by SFFL Most Valuable Player DeAngelo Williams (1518 yds, 120 pts), who had an incredible 15 TD’s in the last 8 games. He had five games in double-digit scoring, including 2 games in which he scored 24 points. Seems remarkable now, but he did not score in the first month. Maurice Jones-Drew (824 yds, 84 pts) added to the scoring assault by finishing the season scoring 8 TD’s in the last 8 games. Trade top rookie Matt Forte? No problem. The Warriors just pick up Pierre Thomas (625 yds, 72 pts), who thanks him by scoring 9 TD’s in the last 7 games. Though he was back on the bench at the end of the season, BenJarvis Ellis (275 yds, 30 pts) helped the Woglom’s win some games at midseason.

Receivers (F): Last in WR scoring, the Achilles Heel of this team. Coach Woglom tried everything humanly possible to bring this grade up. He used a trade and almost all 10 of his free transactions to improve this scum. Antonio Bryant (1248 yds, 42 pts) finally paid off when he scored 7 times in the last ten games. Anthony Fasano (454 yds, 42 pts) came on strong really late and scored 4 TD’s in the last 4 games. Roddy White (1382 yds, 42 pts) and  Bernard Berrian (964 yds, 42 pts) came from the Benchwarmers in Week 11 and managed just 5 TD’s (two in Week 17). Antwaan Randle-El (593 yds, 24 pts) was the Skins leading receiver in the 2^nd half with a putrid 18 points, but Devery Henderson (793 yds, 18 pts) never found the end zone after Week 8.

Kickers (B+): 2^nd in Kicker scoring. Nate Kaeding (127 pts, ranked 7^th) and Rian Lindell (124 pts, ranked 11th) both improved from last year (Kaeding-118, Lindell-96). Kaeding finished with 7 games in double-digits, while Lindell had 6 games.

Defense/Special Teams (B-): Dropped from being ranked 1^st in the first 8 games to finish the season 5^th in scoring. The first defense drafted in the SFFL draft, the Chicago Bears defense (46 pts, ranked 2^nd) had a huge first half (ranked 1^st), but then could only manage a miserable six points in the last eight games. Where have you gone Devin Hester? The Carolina Panthers (20 points, ranked 20th) were thankful to even be on a fantasy roster.

Overall (B-): Started the season with a 1-4 record and then finished 6-3. The two losses in the Battle of Boyett Court to the (4-10) Geeks on Call cost the Woglom’s a Super Bowl title. Had they made the playoffs, they would have breezed through by winning the weekly pot in both Week 15 and 16. Finished 2^nd in total points, but only fifth in points scored (starters). It still was a nice sophomore season for the newest member in the league. In the meantime, he has nine months to figure out who he will select with the 1^st pick in the 2009 SFFL draft.

 

 

 

 

 

Quarterbacks (A): 2^nd in QB scoring. Gambled on two young inexperienced QB’s and it paid off. The biggest dividend was from 12^th round pick Aaron Rodgers (136 pts, tied 1st). He had 7 games in double-digits, scored at least 4 points in 16 of the 17 games, and led all QB’s in the 2^nd half with 84 points. After scoring only 82 points last year in his rookie debut, Jay Cutler (112 pts, ranked 6^th) matured quicker than expected. Though he only had 3 weeks with greater than 10 points, he also scored at least 4 points in 16 of the 17 games. Chunky wisely took zero points in Week 8 (both with the same bye week) to keep from losing one of these young guns.

Running Backs (B+): Dropped from 1^st at midseason to finish3^rd in RB scoring. Lendale White (773 yds, 90 pts) was the leader of RB scoring after eight weeks, but dipped slightly in the 2^nd half to finish tied for 3^rd. He still more than doubled last year’s output of 42 points. After scoring 5 TD’s in the first 6 games, Frank Gore (1036 yds, 48 pts) managed only 3 TD’s in the last 10 games. Also fading in points was Clinton Portis (1487 yds, 84 pts), who scored a mere 2 TD’s in the last 9 games. Forgotten Ricky Williams (659 yard, 30 pts) was the only back for the Fish to improve in the 2^nd half. Still, this quartet improved from 148 points in 2007 to 252 points in 2008.

Receivers (D): Tied for 8^th in WR scoring. First round pick Randy Moss (1008 yds, 66 pts) was the lone bright spot on this squad, though he was way off his 138 points he scored last year. The rest of Chunky’s receivers couldn’t score with a 25 cent hooker.  Muhsin Muhammad (923 yds, 30 pts), Anthony Gonzalez (664 yds, 24 pts), and Chris Cooley (849 yds, 6 pts) improved slightly in the 2^nd half, but could not match the 84 points they scored in 2007. Moving to Dallas did not help Roy Williams (430 yds, 12 pts) or his stats at all. And yes Virginia, there is a James Hardy (87 yds, 12 pts), and he did get a TD for Chunky in Week 10.

Kickers (D): 9th in the SFFL in scoring. John Kasay (130 pts, ranked 5th) improved his scoring by 31 points from last season. He had 10 games with at least 8 points scored. Olinde Mare (102 pts, ranked 26^th) scored a wimpy one point on Kasay’s bye week.

Defense/Special Teams (B): Tied for 3^rd in D/ST scoring. The Fish had the best fantasy defense/special teams with the Green Bay Packers defense (58 pts, ranked 1st)  and still started the worst fantasy defense/special teams  Washington Redskins defense (6 pts, ranked last) in eight games.

Overall (C+): After nine weeks, the Flounders were 4-5, but then won three out of the last four games (all against teams lower in the standings) to finish with a respectable 7-7 record. Despite having good QB’s and RB’s, the Flounders could not compensate for the poor scoring from the WR's and kickers. Chunky finished third in total points, but only 6^th in points scored; thus leaving most of his points on the bench (finished 2^nd).

 

 

 

Quarterbacks (C): After ranking 9^th at the halfway point, the Hooters QB’s improved to 5^th in the 2^nd half and finished 7^th in QB scoring. Kurt Warner (120 pts, ranked 4^th) did an inspired job of replacing injured 1^st round pick Tom Brady. He scored at least 4 points in 16 of the 17 games and had 4 games in double-digit scoring. Though he did a nice job of leading the Falcons into the playoffs, rookie Matt Ryan (70 pts, ranked 19^th) reminded the Commish a lot of last year’s Jay Cutler. He had some very hot and very cold streaks. He had six games with at least 8 points, but he also had five games where he did not score any.

Running Backs (C-): 8^th in RB scoring. This squad spent more time on the DL than on the playing field.  Reggie Bush (404 yds, 36 points) was having a wonderful season until he got injured. He came back, but wasn’t the same player. After a horrible 1^st half,  Ryan Grant (1203 yds, 30 pts) stepped it up in the 2^nd half, but could not catch up to his 48 points last season. Earnest Graham (563 yds, 24 pts) was not having a stellar season, but he too went down with an injury. Rookie Kevin Smith (978 yds, 48 pts) was a nice pickup on waivers, though it was scary to play any Detroit Lion this season. Chester Taylor (399 yds, 36 pts) actually led this RB squad in scoring in the 2^nd half. So a group that had scored 186 points in 2007 fell shy with 146 points in 2008.

Receivers (D): Tied for 8^th in WR scoring. They were last in scoring in the 2^nd half. None of his receivers scored more than 2 TD’s in the 2^nd half. Santana Moss (1044 yds, 36 pts) was the Hooters leading scorer and he ranked 22^nd in the league. Jerricho Cotchery (858 yds, 30 pts), Amani Toomer (584 yds, 24 pts) , Patrick Crayton (550 yds, 24 pts) were all second-rate receivers at best. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (904 yds, 24 pts) was a huge letdown after scoring 72 points last year. Reggie Brown (252 yds, 6 pts) was Lost in Space. This group managed just 144 points this year after scoring 186 points last season.

Kickers (A): First in kicking scoring. Easy to do when you have the top two kickers in the league. Their 271 points was the 2^nd highest point total in 7 years (first was Headbutts with 277 in 2003). Stephen Gostkowski (148 pts, ranked 1st) surpassed last year’s total of 137 points to win the kicking crown. He had only three games with fewer than 7 points. For the first time recalled, the first kicker drafted in the SFFL actually was the leading kicker. David Akers (144 pts, ranked 2nd) blew away last year’s total of 108 points in scoring, and could have been used as trade bait.

Defense/Special Teams (B): Tied for 3^rd in D/ST scoring. Both the Philadelphia Eagles (44 pts, tied 4^th) and the New York Jets (40 pts, ranked 6^th) had sturdy seasons and easily surpassed their combined total of 44 points scored in 2007.

Overall (C): A tale of two seasons. Despite losing #1 pick Tom Brady, the Hooters endured and were in 1^st place at the halfway point with a 6-1 record. Then the bottom dropped out. The Hooters lost Reggie Bush and Earnest Graham and lose their last six games. They finished 3^rd in bench points, but only 8^th in points scored. Adding salt to the wound, they finished 1^st in points allowed (474).

 

 

Quarterbacks (C): After starting off tied for 3^rd in the 1^st half, this QB duo finished a meager 8^th in QB scoring. Mr. “Future Hall of Fame”,  Brett Favre (94 pts, ranked 10th) wasn’t so wonderful after all. Reports from Jets camp after the season saying he was a loner and not a team player. In the 2^nd half, He led all QB’s in interceptions (10) and scored a pathetic 34 points, including only 14 points in the last five games.  Kyle Orton  (90 pts, ranked 11^th) eventually took over as starting QB for the Hoochies. But don’t let his numbers fool you: he had 14 points in Week 17 when the SFFL is already over.

Running Backs (B): Tied for 3^rd in the 1^st half, but finished tied for 5^th in RB scoring. The Momma’s top two picks in this year’s draft, Joseph Addai (544 yards, 42 pts) and Larry Johnson (874 yards, 30 pts) fell flat on their faces in the 2^nd half. They combined for only 5 TD’s. But the Hoochies got good gas mileage from the rookies Steve Slaton (1282 yds, 60 pts) and Jonathan Stewart (835 yds, 60 pts) to help make their running game respectable.

Receivers (C+): After being 9^th in WR scoring in the 1^st half, improved to 3^rd in the 2^nd half to finish tied for 5^th. The Hoochies reaped the benefits of the emergence of Chiefs new hot shot QB Tyler Thigpen, as both Tony Gonzalez (1058 yds, 60 pts) and free agent Dwayne Bowe (1022 yds, 42 pts) combined for 11 TD’s in the 2^nd half. was a nice surprise in the 2^nd half. Santonio Holmes (821 yds, 30 pts) was average at best after last year’s promising 48 points. Not every owner has the “honor” to own a player that shoots himself in the leg like loser Plaxico Burress (454 yds, 24 pts). Jabar Gaffney (468 yds, 12 pts) and Jerry Porter (181 yds, 6 pts) were two receivers that should have stayed on the waiver wire.

Kickers (C): After finishing last in the 1^st half, moved up to 2^nd place in the last half and finished tied for 6^th in Kickers scoring. Both Matt Stover (122 pts, ranked 13^th) and Adam Vinatiera (103 pts, ranked 22nd) recovered from their horrible first halves. Stover had 67 points in the 2^nd half (tied 3^rd), while Vinatiera had 66 points (ranked 5^th). Together, they matched their 225 combined points from a year ago.

Defense/Special Teams (C+):  6^th in D/ST scoring. The two number one seeds in the NFL Playoffs did not have the top scoring defense/special teams. The New York Giants (26 points, ranked 15th) were not the defense that helped the Commish win last year’s Super Bowl. The Tennessee Titans (26 pts, ranked 15^th) did manage to improve on last year’s dismal 12 points.

Overall (C-): Despite these mediocre grades, the Hoochies were 6-5 after Week 11 and had a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. But then they lost their last three games by a 59 points scored to 144 points allowed margin. As usual, the Hoochies always seem to struggle with the uncontrollable points allowed, which they finished with the 3^rd highest this season. Still, this team could not compete with the top four playoff teams, finishing 1-5 against them. It might take some better magazines next year.

 

 

 

Quarterbacks (F): Last in QB scoring. NFL Comeback Player of the Year Chad Pennington (82 pts, ranked 14th) started off slow, but came on strong by scoring 50 points in the last 6 games, including 18 points in Week 12. Injuries continue to plague Trent Edwards (62 pts, ranked 22nd), though he does occasionally show flashes of impressiveness, like scoring 30 points combined in Weeks 11 and 12.

Running Backs (F): Last in RB scoring. The most frustrating player had to be LaDanian Tomlinson (1110 yds, 72 pts). He was the consensus No. 1 pick, but had a career low in rushing yards and scored the fewest TD’s since his rookie year.  Sammy Morris (727 yds, 36 pts) did manage to score 18 points in the 2^nd half, but lost points to Lamont Jordan and Kevin Faulk. Despite sharing the backfield with Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, Deuce McAlister (418 yds, 36 pts) quietly had an adequate fantasy season. Unless another NFL team takes a chance on him, Edgerrin James (514 yds, 18 pts) fantasy scoring days may be over.

Receivers (B): Tied for 2nd in WR scoring. Though most of their numbers dropped slightly from last year, this was a solid group of receivers. Donald Driver (1012 yds, 30 pts) was the only receiver in this group that exceeded last year’s total of 2 TD’s. Steve Smith (1417 yds, 36 pts), Antonio Gates (704 yds, 48 pts), and Lavernues Coles (850 pts, 42 pts) all saw their fantasy points dip slightly in the 2^nd half. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was Reggie Wayne (1145 yds, 36 pts), who started off strong by scoring in 4 of the first 5 games, but then could not match the 60 points he scored last season. Rookie DeShaun Jackson (912 yds, 18 pts) led the Eagles in receiving, but was drafted a year too early to get the scoring benefits. For the Geeks, it must have been tough to choose who to start each week.

Kickers (B): 3^rd in Kicking scoring. The Nerds dropped from 1^st in scoring at the halfway point to 8^th in the 2^nd half. Brother Jeff’s guy, the ancient  Ryan Longwell (127 pts, ranked 7^th) passed his total of 99 points scored a year ago in Week 13. Unfortunately, backup Robbie Gould (119 pts, ranked 15^th) could not help the Geeks much because he had the same bye week as Longwell. This duo easily surpassed last year’s combined total of 225 points.

Defense/Special Teams (C): 8th in the SFFL in defense/ST scoring. The Dallas Cowboys (14 pts, ranked 28^th) had a bunch of sacks (59), but not much else. The Geeks dropped the Seattle Seahawks (24 pts, ranked 18^th) in Week 10 for the Arizona Cardinals (38 pts, ranked 8th)  and managed to gain just six points, as the Cardinals outscored the Seahawks 18-12.

Overall (D): Without a decent cheat sheet in the draft, the Geeks suffered through a career high seven game losing streak starting in Week 5. After having two winning seasons the past two years, the Nerds finished ninth in both points scored and total points. Their pathetic offense scored under 24 points in nine games. Yet they got the season high 63 points and beat the Warriors twice.

 

 

 

Quarterbacks (D):  After starting off tied for 3^rd in the 1^st half, this QB pair bottomed out to last in the 2^nd half and finish 9^th in QB scoring. The biggest disappointment was the play of Ben Roethlisberger (80 pts, ranked 15th), who dropped 60 points from last years total of 140 points. When healthy, Matt Schaub (72 pts, ranked 16^th) plays like a top tier QB, scoring at least 8 points in seven games. But he is as fragile as a Taco Shell, and has yet to play a full 16 game schedule in his career.

Running Backs (B): Tied for 5^th in RB scoring, after ranking 2^nd at midseason.

Michael Turner (1699 yds, 102 pts) had a tremendous season and was runner up to the SFFL MVP Award. He finished the season by scoring 11 TD’s in the last 8 games. But that was the only Dog that Pete had in the race.  Ronnie Brown (916 yds, 64 pts) was 2^nd in RB scoring at midseason, but then could only muster 12 points in the 2^nd half.  Steven Jackson (1043 yds, 42 pts) scored 24 points in the 2^nd half, but half of those were lost in Week 17. A change of scenery for Julius Jones (698 yds, 12 pts) but the same results: he sucked for Dallas and the Commish last year; and he sucked for Seattle and Pete this year.

Receivers (C+): Tied for 5^th in scoring after ranking 2^nd in 1^st half. NFL’s leading receiver Andre Johnson (115 catches, 1575 yds, 48 pts), Derrick Mason (1037 yds, 30 pts), and Hines Ward (1047 yds, 42 pts) all matched last year’s fantasy output. But then things go downhill from here. . Lee Evans (1017 yds, 18 pts) always seems close to four digits in yardage, but can’t cross the yellow pylons. Chad Johnson (540 yds, 24 pts) has seen his fantasy points total drop steadily every year; this time down from 48 points in 2007. Mr. Ocho Cinco is now more like Nacho Stinko in fantasy. But the biggest disappointment by far was Braylon Edwards (877 yds, 18 pts), who contracted goal line phobia, and his fantasy points dropped dramatically from 96 points a year ago. To sum up, these WR’s scored 288 points in 2007, but only 168 points this year.

Kickers (F): Last in the SFFL in scoring. Twenty-six kickers scored at least 100 points this season (nine were free agents), and Ned keeps the kickers on two of the worst offenses in the NFL. Jason Hanson (88 pts, ranked 29th) and Shayne Graham (78 pts, ranked 30th) did not even come close to reaching their outputs from last season; Hanson had 122, Graham had 130.

Defense/Special Teams (C-): 9th in scoring. The Minnesota Vikings defense (30 pts, ranked 13th) could not repeat last season’s performance as the best scoring defense with 62 points last year. The winless Detroit Lions (12 pts, ranked 30th) defense was similar to the offense-both could not score very much.

Overall (F): Second time in his career to go from First place to Worst place. Except for paying on time, this effort was very Blair-like. Lineups called in with players on bye weeks and lineups not called in after midseason. Perhaps Ned has still not recovered from the Tom Brady meltdown and 1^st round playoff loss a year ago. After being 3^rd in total points scored in the 1^st half, the Dogs finished last.