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2004 Prez Picks [09.07.04] -- Puck's World Fantasy Football League became the hot ticket this pre-season as several PWFSI members were jammed at the doors when a vacancy was announced. Only our newest member Angela was able to win the Tenured Owners' hearts and will try to pilot the Benton Harbor Hoodlems to the Promised Land. Last year, we saw a major shift in the playoff teams, as perennial favorites Rhode Island and Wisconsin fell short of expectations. Who will step up to the plate this year? President Puck dishes out "The Prez Picks", a look at how the teams in PWFFL match up with each other and to get everyone hyped up for the new season. Kalamazoo No one could have foreseen the great season that the 2003 Vikings accomplished. The Prez was close last year when they predicted a 13-1 finish for the Vikings. With major depth at the key positions this year, Kalamazoo is just an injury or two from missing the playoffs. The top four running backs on this team is the best collection of talent that any fantasy football team could dream of without having Holmes or Tomlinson on the roster. Their wide receivers are young, but talented. The field generals are the best one-two punch outside of Rhode Island. This team could run the table again, but unlikely. The last two Bribin Cup Champions failed to make the playoffs the next year, the Vikings plan to stop that trend.
QB: 2, WR: 2, RB: 1, Spec: 3, Overall: 1 Rhode Island One season removed from their championship season, the Ridicule look to bounce back in the middle of one of the toughest divisions in the league. Rhode Island will be airing it out all season, off the arms of Manning and Pennington who look to be stuck in a quarterback by committee system. The players catching the ball are proven game breakers who should carry the load most weeks. The backfield is filled with undervalued players such as Barber, who thrive under the system Coach Libzie has installed here. Special Teams, which has been a strength for many years, return strong again sporting the top players at their position, but their backups drag down the overall score slightly. This division is going to give the Ridicule headaches, but they should be able to pull through it and earn a well-deserved playoff spot.
QB: 1, WR: 4, RB: 6, Spec: 4, Overall: 2 Seattle One would assume since Kalamazoo just won the Bribin Cup, that the Cup would soon be returning to Seattle. The Slugs have the goods to fulfill those expectations. Trading for David Carr during the off season, in order to build a stable quarterback situation for the future, and letting Brad Johnson leave to free agency, the Slugs took a bit of a hit at the position. If Carr breaks out, this will be the trade of the year for the Slugs and will be enough to propel them to their third Puck Bowl victory.
QB: 11, WR: 1, RB: 2, Spec: 11, Overall: 3 Rocko The Bengals proved the Prez wrong last year, exceeding their 7-7 prediction and earning their 2nd straight trip to the post-season. This year, that will be a tough road to get back to with all the improvements to the other teams. Rocko still has one of the best wide receiver cores in the league, but their running game has a lot to be desired. However, this clever child always seems to be holding an ace in the hole and manages to patch together an aging backfield to win week in and week out. They should finish respectable, but the playoffs will be just out of their reach due to such a tough schedule.
QB: 5, WR: 3, RB: 9, Spec: 5, Overall: 4 Detroit Always the sleeper that never wakes up. That is the fate of the darling underdogs that are the Detroit Drive. Bob greatly increased his skill position over the off-season bringing in two-time Puck Bowl champions Joe Horn and Jamal Lewis for veteran leadership. The Drive has been burned the last two seasons by the promise of an amazing Mike Vick, but injuries have slowed this team down. If the Drive can stay healthy, they should contend for a playoff spot this year and possibly a Puck Bowl match up.
QB: 7, WR: 5, RB: 4, Spec: 7, Overall: 5 England How this team made the playoffs last year amazes not only half the league, but also their owner. England uses the heavy fog that rolls in during their home games to confuse the opponent into scoring in the wrong end zone. "Smoke and Mirrors" returns for another season with a horrendous schedule. Playing veteran teams such as Kalamazoo and Seattle twice a year does not compute into a playoff berth, but the should put up a respectable team in order to possibly play spoiler down the stretch.
QB: 6, WR: 9, RB: 7, Spec: 2, Overall: 6 Northern Michigan The Yoopers were too busy celebrating their inaugural season to pay attention to the draft board in their rookie year, letting stud running back Jamal Lewis slip through their fingers. This year after a sobering 4-10 season, the Yoopers were on top of their game, plucking not only chickens, but also the best available running backs off the board early. This should be the most improved team of 2004 and with a few key NFL injuries should finish the season one of the strongest teams in PWFFL. They may be another year away from the Cup, but they could contend this year and earn themselves a playoff spot.
QB: 8, WR: 7, RB: 3, Spec: 9, Overall: 7 Wisconsin Having the MVP of the league on your team generally gives you a spot in the post-season. Such was not the case for the 2003 Wannabes. Holmes returns, but the rest of the backfield has questions and injuries throughout. The wide receiver core is undervalued and should still finish the season in the top 5 in scoring. The big problem with the Wannabes stems from the lack of leadership lost from the Favre trade just over a year ago. Maddox wasn't the answer and was let go to allow Harrington to fill into the leadership roll. If the WR's and QB can produce up to their potential a return to the playoffs is possible, but the Prez is banking on another rocky season in cheese land.
QB: 12, WR: 8, RB: 5, Spec: 8, Overall: 8 Green Bay The newly renamed Slackers of Green Bay are a one trick pony and tied to the fate of one NFL team. It hasn't worked in the past and will most likely continue. Sporting one of the best running backs in the game, Dave S has given him little help to work with. This is one of the thinnest RB cores in the league to start the season, as only Green has been named the starter for their respective NFL teams. O. Smith has potential, if he can stop puffing the magic dragon, and Bettis is well past his prime. The Prez would like to predict a lower number of wins for the former Fudgepackers, but history indicates another 4-10 finish.
QB: 3, WR: 12, RB: 12, Spec: 1, Overall: 9 W. Palm Beach This is one of the toughest teams to predict for as within two weeks, the Chads will look like a totally different team. Owner Dwayne moves his players in and out of the roster faster than you can cook a bag of popcorn. W. Palm Beach nearly made the playoffs last year, but questions regarding their running back depth and their anemic special teams make their tough schedule harder to bear. They can possibly win more than three games, but the consistent movement of players will eventually wear down the team chemistry to the point of collapse. A disappointing finish for one of the hardest working owners in the league.
QB: 4, WR: 6, RB: 8, Spec: 12, Overall: 10 Timbuktu Team Viagra. Enough said, right? The Bucs are probably the oldest team in the league in regards to player ages. Younger faster players, thus destroying the hard work owner Jock put into his geriatric draft, will most likely replace most of his players mid-season. If Timbuktu makes the playoffs, the Prez will officially retire making predictions.
QB: 10, WR: 11, RB: 11, Spec: 6, Overall: 11 Benton Harbor New owner Angela was left with a tough team to rebuild. Although they sport one of the top QB's in the game, the rest of their team outside of their defense will not give them enough to win with this year. This is definitely a rebuilding project for her, but she should be able to scrap together a couple wins on the season to avoid another 0-14 season for this franchise.
QB: 9, WR: 10, RB: 10, Spec: 10, Overall: 12 |
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Last Updated: September 7, 2004