NEWS

Fact or Fiction: Post-Draft Edition

Bobby & Kevin Sansone, Senior Argumentative Analysts


September 09, 2004


1. Fact or Fiction, the Cuban Refugees were the big winners in the 2004 YFFL Draft.

Kevin: Fiction. I'm not one for self-glorification, but the Huskers may have had the most solid first three rounds of any team in the league. In his YFFL.com preview, Senior YFFL writer/analyst/janitor Bobby Sansone pointed out the biggest question marks for this team were Quentin Griffin, and the tight end and kicker positions. With this in mind, I went out and grabbed Tatum Bell, Boo Williams, and John Kasay. Bell is great insurance for the undersized Griffin and could potentially replace him as starter around midseason. Williams is ranked anywhere from fifth to ninth among all tight ends. The Huskers have never had a tight end ranked this high in their existence. Finally, the addition of John Kasay, a top 10 kicker, gives them a consistency at the position that former team captain Olindo Mare lost last season.

Bobby: Fact. The 'fugees got the best available starting RB and QB in Kevin Jones and Josh McNown. They will step right in and provide instant offense. You can't overlook the Refugees later picks too. Rashaun Woods was high on everyone's boards and mixes in nicely with the Refugees young WRs. Lady luck was on Aceto's side when he drafted unemployed Morton Anderson, who has since been picked up by Minnesota.

2. Fact or Fiction, Kellen Winslow Jr. was drafted too high by the Eaters.

Kevin: Fact. The Eaters should have taken Eli Manning at #3, regardless of whether they have Matt Hasselbeck as their starter right now. He could have been potential trade bait to get Winslow and a draft pick later on.

Bobby: Fact. No TE warrants a top 5 pick. Unless your name is Tony Gonzalez, no TE is scoring more than 50 points in a single season. The Eaters could have bolstered their depleted RB situation with a number of young RBs. Or, they could have traded down a few spots and nabbed Winslow in the middle of the first round. The elder Davidson has never been known to be a draft guru though.

3. Fact or Fiction, the Mallards wasted picks on Matt Schaub and Luke McCown.

Kevin: Fiction. I'd agree that Luke McCown may have been a waste, but Matt Schaub was definitely a smart pickup. Schaub looked very good this preseason and could be a solid replacement for Michael Vick should he get injured. The biggest waste of a pick was Aaron Elling, who got drafted twice by Chris Davidson before he realized that he was cut by the Vikings. Davidson seemed to remedy the situation by drafting he new Vikings kicker, Brett Conway. Sadly, Conway was cut by the Vikings on Tuesday.

Bobby: Fact. There is no point in stockpiling backup QBs. Roster spots are better used on skilled positions such as RB, WR and TE. The Mallards are carrying 5 QBs, 4 of which probably won't play this season. Dugas rarely drafts veterans and usually opts for rookie darkhorses. Aside from Testaverde, Stokely and Elam, there is no player on his roster with more than 3 years experience.

4. Fact or Fiction, the 12 player maximum should be lowered.

Kevin: Fiction. Lowering the 12 player maximum will simply mean that more kickers and tight ends will get cut. If it were lowered to 10, teams would basically be keeping a starting lineup and two backups. This almost seems like punishment to teams that have worked hard to build depth on their rosters (e.g. Chickens).

Bobby: Fiction. Building franchises is what makes the YFFL so special. You can take a chance on drafting a loud-mouth TE third overall because you know you have Billy Miller on your roster as insurance. There are probably some owners who would increase the keeper total to 16 but that would make the draft virtually obsolete.

5. Fact or Fiction, more owners should draft intoxicated (like Anthony).

Kevin: Fiction. Though, I have to give credit to Aceto for making it through the entire draft.

Bobby: Fact. Fantasy football is all for fun. Whether you're on your cell phone at a bar in Atlanta asking Sam Cassell who you should pick, or sitting in your dorm room on a Saturday night, skowering the NFL depth charts, we're all here to have fun. Aceto broke the ice on an otherwise quiet chat room by heckling Dugas for the majority of the first three rounds. Not to mention he probably had the best draft of any single team with the Refugees.