Surviving the Drafting of Tom Brady
In 2007 Tom Brady outscored the rest of the Fantasy Football players by 100 points or more in most scoring formats. You remember that right? He had more than 100 over LT even in leagues that gave .5 points per reception. Going into the 2008 fantasy football draft he was coming in at an average of the sixth pick in the first round at Fantasy Football Calculator. Tom Brady had become the new Peyton Manning, going in drafts in the mid first round if not earlier. Then Week One came…
I had never owned Tom Brady before 2008. It was rare that I ever took a QB in the first two rounds. Technical difficulties (me not knowing my way around the new ESPN Draft Room) and drafting best available led me to it in two Re-Draft leagues this season. Although all hope looked to be lost in Week One for those Brady drafters, we learned 15 weeks later to show us that it was possible to survive the drafting of Tom Brady.
Case Study #1
In the Football Jabber Re-Draft League Brady joined the Quohog Evil Monkey’s after the GM (me) could not find the submit button. Seriously. It was pretty comical I must admit. I had Marion Barber III all set to go and spent the entire time of my pick on the clock trying to find the submit, which turned out to be up away from everything in the upper right corner of the screen. So…I timed out and was given Tom Brady. At the time I thought it could have been worse although I was going to struggle at RB.
When Brady went down I was in the same boat as many others, thinking their season was done. Essentially without a first round pick now, I grasped at Matt Cassel off the waiver wire. Might as well see what I can do as a spoiler, right? Cassel did little for my hopes at the start of the season but who knew he would finish so strong? With Cassel at QB and the surprise RB duo of Matt Forte and Pierre Thomas (Mewelde Moore helped in those Willie Parkerless weeks), The Evil Monkey’s pulled out a Wild Card spot and eventual Championship. I had survived the drafting of Tom Brady.
Case Study #2
This season I was invited to play in the Bum Phillips Texas Barbeque Fantasy Experts Challenge hosted by JunkYard Jake’s Fantasy Football Network. I was seriously looking forward to this being pitted against reps from Junkyard Jakes, Roto World, Fantasy Football Whiz, FF Report, Fantasy Sports Central, Walter Football, FF Jungle, FF Toolbox, Fantasy Index, Monster Draft, and Fantasy Football Xtreme. In 2007 I had won an experts league and thought it would be fun to take these guys on.
The draft took place in late July, using the 24 hour pick method. After painfully missing out on Marion Barber once again, I was left with the choice of Tom Brady or Frank Gore at the number seven position. I was not going to go Randy Moss, wasn’t going to happen even though he had been going early in some drafts. I had just got done doing multiple mock drafts testing the Triplets vs. Stud RB theory and threw Best Available in the mix to determine the best ways to draft at each draft spot. The Best Available Theory won out at the #7 spot and with that all signs pointed to Tom Brady. Again, we know how that worked out.
Halfway through the first game of the season I was ticked off that my season was over. There was no way I could compete when I essentially had no first round pick. Taking a QB that early really throws off your team if it does not pan out. You are looking at the middle of the second round before you get to pick again. I’m here to tell you kids…that 2nd round pick of Willis McGahee didn’t pan out so well either! Season lost?
Remember way back there when I said the draft took place in July? Remember what was going on then? Brett Favre had just returned to the Packers, maybe. Nobody knew what was going to happen in Green Bay. I decided to take Aaron Rodgers in the 13th round, figuring I would only need him for a week and if he didn’t get the job in Green Bay I could just pick someone up for Brady’s week four bye. I also took DeAngelo Williams in the 9th round that turned out to soften the blow of the McGahee fiasco of a second round pick.
So how did that work out? Rodgers finished as the 3rd QB in the league, Williams, who I also drafted to fill week 4 bye weeks figuring he may hold off Jonathan Stewart at least that long, finished as the #1 RB in the league.
Football Jabber finished the regular season as the Total Points Champs and lost in the title game by eight points to FF Toolbox. Basically without my first two picks in the draft. That is another case of Surviving the Drafting of Tom Brady.
Your Case Study?
Did you survive the Drafting of Tom Brady? Do you want to sulk about drafting Tom Brady and the season not turning out so well? Let’s hear it!
It wasn’t in our blogger league (I was Curveballs for Jesus), but another league that I drafted Tom Brady. Three of my first four picks were Brady, Derek Anderson, and Reggie Bush in a league where we started two QBs every week. I waiver wired the crap out of my team all season long, made some trades, but I never recovered. I finished in dead last and scored the least amount of points. Talk about the shortest fantasy season ever.
I don’t remember who it was but I think in the blogger league someone that didn’t show up got both Brady and Manning in the first two rounds…and then traded Manning away.