1. Dottsville Toasters
2009 Record: 12-4
2009 Division Finish: 1st
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: T-Money. Clearly, the Toast has a problem against his buddy in Pittsfield, Mass. These to division rivals have battled eight times, and the Money Man has cashed in for five big ones. But in 2010, Toast is looking to consolidate his debt.
2010 Outlook: You better believe it. The Toasters showed the world what it was all about in 2009 and in 2010, respect follows.
Three first-place votes helped the Toasters edge the Chinese Organ Thieves for the top spot in the preseason poll by two points.
It's a margin of victory that the Toasters are not used to, especially after last season.
Dottsville, which set record after record in points, had point differential of plus-19.8 points per game. It's easily second all-time in league history to the Jammers' ridiculous plus-34.8 point differential in 2006 when he went 14-1 en route to the Super Bowl I victory.
The Toasters 12-4 record was the best record since, too.
Simply put, the Toasters were amazing last season. And it may not be hard for him to keep it going.
Keeping QB Matt Schaub and RB Chris Johnson brings back the core of the 2009 team. Schaub had a great year last season, and I am a strong believer that he will be even better in 2010.
Johnson also should have a great year; however, I do not feel it will be as ridiculous as last year. That's right, C.J. I think tattooing CJ2K on your arm was a bad idea. Johnson thinks he's going for 2,500 yards this year. I'm going to say 1,700. Even still, that's mega points for the Toasters.
Like many others, the Toasters would have loved to been able to keep many other key players from his championships squad, but he had to use the draft to surround his two franchise players.
He did just that.
He picked up Matt Forte, who had a tough season last year and should bounce back this year, and Darren Sproles to try and match the magic Ray Rice had for him in 2009. Willis McGahee is another good pickup due to his tendency to vulture touchdowns away from Rice — he did it 12 times last season.
At receiver the Toasters seem to be set again. Last year, he had Vincent Jackson who broke out, and this year, I think he has the 2010 breakout wideout in Calvin Johnson.
With the emergence of young Matt Stafford, I'm certain that these two are going to hook up more than Snookie does. (I don't even watch Jersey Shore — hell, I don't even know if I spelled her name right — but I do hear that this girl Snookie fails to use a goal line defense, if you catch my drift.)
He also has Johnny Knox (everyone's favorite 2009 waiver pickup) and Dez Bryant to bolster the WR crew. Josh Morgan and Mohamed Massaquoi could provide a surprise, too.
But none of those wideouts will play in the WR/TE spot. Not with Vernon Davis playing like he did last year. Alex Smith knows that when he is in trouble, look for his big TE. That will continue again.
Altogether, this squad is well put together and it's not one to sleep on this year.
Also worth noting, the backup quarterback Carson Palmer is a great upgrade. Last year it was Trent Edwards, and before that it was Rex Grossman. Actually, Grossman was a starter a year or two there. Grossman and his 2009 kicker Jay Feely, who is on his roster again this season, have given the Toasters a dubious record.
Of the five worst individual performances, the Toasters has started three of them — Grossman, who had negative-7 and negative-5 points in two games in 2006; and Feely, who had a negative-3 performance in the playoffs last season.
The Toast surely hope to not add to this and instead, add to his digital trophy case.
2. Chinese Organ Thieves
2009 Record: 4-9
2009 Division Finish: 3rd
Arch Rival: Channel 4 News Team. Five losses to the once bottom-feeding franchise has the Thieves wondering what is going on. How much longer will he let this division rival control this series?
Bugaboo: Houserville. They're 0-2 against the Villains. Looking at the preseason polls, it surely will be interesting when these two teams match up.
2010 Outlook: Hey, so maybe it was because he didn't show up to the draft until Round 15?
Maybe showing up on time this year will be the difference. Just think. The last time the Thieves didn't sleep through an alarm clock to draft a team was 2007 and he won the Super Bowl.
As a result of his presence, he added some good backs and receivers to go with his keeper duo of Phillip Rivers and Adrian Peterson.
I like the pick-ups of LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Stewart and Reggie Wayne; and Thomas Jones and Jeremy Maclin have the potential to put up the points, but everyone in this lineup, including the keepers have some questions.
Let's start with Rivers. L.T is gone and Vincent Jackson is as good as gone. So there are some questions out there as to how he will handle this change. I am, however, high on the replacements like RB Ryan Matthews and WR Malcolm Floyd. The key for Rivers, though, will be Antonio Gates, who was healthy and back to his normal self last season. If that continues, I think the rest will fall into place.
Peterson has the fumble issue to go with the inconsistency issue. Last season, he was much better with the latter, having just four "dud" weeks where he was held to 10.6 points or fewer. With Favre back in the sack for another year, I'm sure Peterson will show the doubters wrong.
And he could be just a third of one of the best backfields in the JFL. McCoy will be relied on a lot with Kevin Kolb taking over; and Jonathan Stewart, as long as he can avoid the injury bug that has followed him all over, should easily outgain and outscore DeAngelo Williams. He did last year. He will again this year. The Daily Show is on.
Certainly, the Thieves will start three backs on most weekends.
It's that trio that will be the key to the Thieves success, and it's that trio that will help them win more than four games this season.
3. Channel 4 News Team
2009 Record: 9-6
2009 Division Finish: 1st
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: Dottsville Toasters. Just two wins in seven tries has the News Team frustrated. Why do the Toasters seem to beat him all the time? The answer is elementary: It's gotta be force. OK, so maybe it's not elementary. It's more high school science.
2010 Outlook: Remember when the News Team went 4-9 in back-to-back years?
No?
Neither do I. It's the back-to-back 9-6 seasons that I remember more. It's those two seasons that have rejuvenated this once porous franchise.
Now, the News Team is three wins under .500 as a franchise at 26-29. By the time the playoffs start, the News Team should be a winning franchise.
How's that sound, Nikish?
It's gotta be nice.
So where did it all go right?
It's actually, "When did it all go right?" And the answer is Week 6 of the 2008 season.
In preparation for his Week 6 matchup, the then-winless News Team (0-5) dealt for his now franchise QB Aaron Rodgers. He won nine straight games afterward and 18 of his next 24 games before losing in the conference championships for the second straight year.
It's quite a run and one that should not cease this season.
Aaron Rodgers may be the best quarterback in the NFL. In my personal opinion, he is and I relive hitting the ACCEPT button on that 2008 trade every night before I go to bed.
News Team, on the other hand, goes to be on Sunday's feeling peachy. DeSean Jackson, his other keeper, will do the same.
But the two players I like on this team are Arian Foster and Reggie Bush (I'm not really high on Knowshon Moreno, but News has him, too).
I really like Foster because I'm in love with the Texans offense. I'm expecting Drew Brees-Saints-like numbers from them this season. And I think Foster, if healthy, gives the Texans a dynamic they haven't had in a while.
Speaking of the Saints, I just have always had this feeling that Reggie Bush was going to come around. We've seen it a bit in preseason, and saw it at some points last season, but we haven't seen it on a week-to-week basis.
News Team is hoping for that to come around this year. I am too, because I'm tired of being wrong.
The other thing the News Team is hoping for is some help at wide receiver. Outside of Jackson, there is Miles Austin, who needs to show he can back up what he did last season. He burst onto the scene with some ridiculous numbers, including his 250-yard, three-TD performance, but he came back to Earth quickly. Back in orbit is where the News Team wants him.
4. T-Money
2009 Record: 8-6
2009 Division Finish: 2nd
Arch Rival: It's the Toasters for the reasons listed above.
Bugaboo: T-Money still hates the Jammers. He is 1-5 against them including two playoff losses that kept him out of the Super Bowl. Thanks to the conference alignment, the only way he could meet the Jammers in the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 would have been in the Super Bowl. The same applies for 2010.
2010 Outlook: T-Money has an interesting squad going into 2010. Tony Romo and Frank Gore are back again for the Cash Pirates, but a Romo has a shaky O-line and a spotty run game behind him, and Gore has to be looking over his shoulders if even the smallest injury allows Anthony Dixon to get the rock.
If they can remain productive for another year, I do like what the rest of T-Money has to offer. Shonn Greene was one of my targets at RB, and I never thought he'd go mid-first round.
I also was targeting Anquan Boldin. He's the man in Baltimore and I absolutely love Flacco (wait for my man crush rant in a few paragraphs).
Dwayne Bowe could be interesting if the Chiefs with Matt Cassell at QB come around with Charlie Weis at offensive coordinator, and Antonio Gates is going to keep Phillip Rivers sane in San Diego.
If you do the math, that leaves one position open for T-Money to fill (either RB or WR).
This is where problems may arise and where the waiver wire will be key for the Money because this last position could be a carousel all season.
T.J. Houshmanzadeh is in that spot now, but he may not be a Seahawk much longer, so that could change his status with T-Money. Seattle is looking to dump his $7M salary and use its younger group of WRs instead, and a trade has been rumored.
Michael Bush broke his thumb and Fred Jackson is looking like he’s going to be sitting behind C.J. Spiller very soon. And Ahmad Bradshaw is spotty. He’ll have a few good weeks, but he hasn’t shown that he can be consistent.
He does have Chiefs rookie wideout Dexter McCluster who may have an impact on Charlie Weis’ new offensive system in Kansas City.
5. Team Boyer
2009 Record: 6-8
2009 Division Finish: 3rd
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: The Toasters. Without a doubt Boyer will be out to avenge last season's 0-3 performance against the Toast, including a 179-93.3 ass-whooping in the first round of the playoffs. It really sucks to give up the new JFL record for points in a week. Boyer will remember this.
2010 Outlook: Boyer, like the Thieves, could have the trio at RB that others will fear. With keeper Michael Turner lining up with hyped rookie Ryan Matthews and 2009's TD machine Joseph Addai.
It's a great backfield if all works out. But who knows what Matthews will do when the regular season starts? And what about Addai? He suffered a concussion during the preseason and is an injury away from losing his job to Donald Brown.
Still, with all of that in mind, it is still a nice trio to look at on paper right now.
Wideout is a different story.
Everything fell apart when second-round pick Sidney Rice needed hip surgery a week after the draft.
This leaves a void at No. 1 receiver that for now will be held by Hines Ward, Devery Henderson, Santana Moss or Nate Burleson.
Not the ideal situation.
In fact, the best receiver may be TE Jason Witten. He'll inherit the WR/TE slot for sure.
The good news is that Tom Brady returns at QB for Team Boyer for a fifth straight year. Here's some great JFL trivia for you in case you're on JFL Jeopardy someday. Boyer is the only franchise to have had the same QB (Brady) every year. Yes, Brady went down in Game 1 in 2008 and he used Matt Cassell the rest of the way, but Brady was still his No. 1 going in and his keeper going into 2009.
This faithfulness to one QB will pay dividends again in 2010.
6. Graybill’s Generals
2009 Record: 5-8
2009 Division Finish: 2nd
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: Team Boyer dropped 156 points on the Generals last season to take a 4-1 series lead. It’s by far one toughest opponents the Generals have had to deal with over the last four seasons. He certainly tired of going up against Tom Brady.
2010 Outlook: It was the post-Super Bowl slump for the Generals. A 1-5 start put a damper on the Super Bowl celebrations, and after winning four of the next five, it looked like the Generals were back in it, but losses in Weeks 12 and 13 dashed his 2009 playoff hopes.
Thus, the Generals enter the 2010 season in stealth mode. Picked to finish last in the conference, the expectations are low, but it may be undeservedly so.
I didn’t pick this division, but I can say I wouldn’t have pitted the Generals last. I would have aimed more middle of the pack with a chance to compete for a division title. Let’s take a look at why.
Quarterback: Joe Flacco was an obvious pick at No. 3. Graybill is a Ravens fan; he needed a quarterback; and Flacco is going to have a great year.
The poise that he shows is uncanny and with added weapons like Anquan Boldin and a healthier Todd Heap, mixed in with Ray Rice and Derick Mason, this offense is going to explode this season.
Flacco without a doubt would have been a sure-fire start each week had Graybill not gone ahead and picked up my favorite sleeper back-up QB in 2010, Matthew Stafford.
Stafford looks like a star in the making, and he’s going to be passing a lot this season because the Lions are going to be trailing and needing points for a good chunk of 2010.
Running back: C.J. Spiller will be a Rookie of the Year candidate for sure. He also may be a future keeper for the Generals. Added with DeAngelo Williams, who will still get his carries even with Jonathan Stewart emerging as a No. 1. I like the Chester Taylor pick because if Forte stumbles in Chicago, it could pave the way for a back who often filled in for Adrian Peterson and had success.
Wideout: This is the possible trouble spot. The Generals kept Percy Harvin, who has been suffering from headaches, and he drafted Braylon Edwards and Terrell Owens, who often cause headaches. Michael Crabtree also was picked up in the draft and his holdout last season was a headache for the 49ers.
Nonetheless, all four have tremendous upside and I foresee good years for Crabtree, Owens (who has already been a favorite target of Palmer’s) and Edwards.
That leaves an opening at WR/TE for one of two tight ends: Owen Daniels and Chris Cooley. Both a great picks because as I have predicted, the Texans are going to be awesome on offense and for Cooley, McNabb loves checking down to the tight end.
So the Graybill’s Generals have a legitimate beef with the preseason poll.
And he surely knows the best way to deal with it is prove everyone wrong. I’m a believer that he will do so.
2009 Record: 12-4
2009 Division Finish: 1st
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: T-Money. Clearly, the Toast has a problem against his buddy in Pittsfield, Mass. These to division rivals have battled eight times, and the Money Man has cashed in for five big ones. But in 2010, Toast is looking to consolidate his debt.
2010 Outlook: You better believe it. The Toasters showed the world what it was all about in 2009 and in 2010, respect follows.
Three first-place votes helped the Toasters edge the Chinese Organ Thieves for the top spot in the preseason poll by two points.
It's a margin of victory that the Toasters are not used to, especially after last season.
Dottsville, which set record after record in points, had point differential of plus-19.8 points per game. It's easily second all-time in league history to the Jammers' ridiculous plus-34.8 point differential in 2006 when he went 14-1 en route to the Super Bowl I victory.
The Toasters 12-4 record was the best record since, too.
Simply put, the Toasters were amazing last season. And it may not be hard for him to keep it going.
Keeping QB Matt Schaub and RB Chris Johnson brings back the core of the 2009 team. Schaub had a great year last season, and I am a strong believer that he will be even better in 2010.
Johnson also should have a great year; however, I do not feel it will be as ridiculous as last year. That's right, C.J. I think tattooing CJ2K on your arm was a bad idea. Johnson thinks he's going for 2,500 yards this year. I'm going to say 1,700. Even still, that's mega points for the Toasters.
Like many others, the Toasters would have loved to been able to keep many other key players from his championships squad, but he had to use the draft to surround his two franchise players.
He did just that.
He picked up Matt Forte, who had a tough season last year and should bounce back this year, and Darren Sproles to try and match the magic Ray Rice had for him in 2009. Willis McGahee is another good pickup due to his tendency to vulture touchdowns away from Rice — he did it 12 times last season.
At receiver the Toasters seem to be set again. Last year, he had Vincent Jackson who broke out, and this year, I think he has the 2010 breakout wideout in Calvin Johnson.
With the emergence of young Matt Stafford, I'm certain that these two are going to hook up more than Snookie does. (I don't even watch Jersey Shore — hell, I don't even know if I spelled her name right — but I do hear that this girl Snookie fails to use a goal line defense, if you catch my drift.)
He also has Johnny Knox (everyone's favorite 2009 waiver pickup) and Dez Bryant to bolster the WR crew. Josh Morgan and Mohamed Massaquoi could provide a surprise, too.
But none of those wideouts will play in the WR/TE spot. Not with Vernon Davis playing like he did last year. Alex Smith knows that when he is in trouble, look for his big TE. That will continue again.
Altogether, this squad is well put together and it's not one to sleep on this year.
Also worth noting, the backup quarterback Carson Palmer is a great upgrade. Last year it was Trent Edwards, and before that it was Rex Grossman. Actually, Grossman was a starter a year or two there. Grossman and his 2009 kicker Jay Feely, who is on his roster again this season, have given the Toasters a dubious record.
Of the five worst individual performances, the Toasters has started three of them — Grossman, who had negative-7 and negative-5 points in two games in 2006; and Feely, who had a negative-3 performance in the playoffs last season.
The Toast surely hope to not add to this and instead, add to his digital trophy case.
2. Chinese Organ Thieves
2009 Record: 4-9
2009 Division Finish: 3rd
Arch Rival: Channel 4 News Team. Five losses to the once bottom-feeding franchise has the Thieves wondering what is going on. How much longer will he let this division rival control this series?
Bugaboo: Houserville. They're 0-2 against the Villains. Looking at the preseason polls, it surely will be interesting when these two teams match up.
2010 Outlook: Hey, so maybe it was because he didn't show up to the draft until Round 15?
Maybe showing up on time this year will be the difference. Just think. The last time the Thieves didn't sleep through an alarm clock to draft a team was 2007 and he won the Super Bowl.
As a result of his presence, he added some good backs and receivers to go with his keeper duo of Phillip Rivers and Adrian Peterson.
I like the pick-ups of LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Stewart and Reggie Wayne; and Thomas Jones and Jeremy Maclin have the potential to put up the points, but everyone in this lineup, including the keepers have some questions.
Let's start with Rivers. L.T is gone and Vincent Jackson is as good as gone. So there are some questions out there as to how he will handle this change. I am, however, high on the replacements like RB Ryan Matthews and WR Malcolm Floyd. The key for Rivers, though, will be Antonio Gates, who was healthy and back to his normal self last season. If that continues, I think the rest will fall into place.
Peterson has the fumble issue to go with the inconsistency issue. Last season, he was much better with the latter, having just four "dud" weeks where he was held to 10.6 points or fewer. With Favre back in the sack for another year, I'm sure Peterson will show the doubters wrong.
And he could be just a third of one of the best backfields in the JFL. McCoy will be relied on a lot with Kevin Kolb taking over; and Jonathan Stewart, as long as he can avoid the injury bug that has followed him all over, should easily outgain and outscore DeAngelo Williams. He did last year. He will again this year. The Daily Show is on.
Certainly, the Thieves will start three backs on most weekends.
It's that trio that will be the key to the Thieves success, and it's that trio that will help them win more than four games this season.
3. Channel 4 News Team
2009 Record: 9-6
2009 Division Finish: 1st
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: Dottsville Toasters. Just two wins in seven tries has the News Team frustrated. Why do the Toasters seem to beat him all the time? The answer is elementary: It's gotta be force. OK, so maybe it's not elementary. It's more high school science.
2010 Outlook: Remember when the News Team went 4-9 in back-to-back years?
No?
Neither do I. It's the back-to-back 9-6 seasons that I remember more. It's those two seasons that have rejuvenated this once porous franchise.
Now, the News Team is three wins under .500 as a franchise at 26-29. By the time the playoffs start, the News Team should be a winning franchise.
How's that sound, Nikish?
It's gotta be nice.
So where did it all go right?
It's actually, "When did it all go right?" And the answer is Week 6 of the 2008 season.
In preparation for his Week 6 matchup, the then-winless News Team (0-5) dealt for his now franchise QB Aaron Rodgers. He won nine straight games afterward and 18 of his next 24 games before losing in the conference championships for the second straight year.
It's quite a run and one that should not cease this season.
Aaron Rodgers may be the best quarterback in the NFL. In my personal opinion, he is and I relive hitting the ACCEPT button on that 2008 trade every night before I go to bed.
News Team, on the other hand, goes to be on Sunday's feeling peachy. DeSean Jackson, his other keeper, will do the same.
But the two players I like on this team are Arian Foster and Reggie Bush (I'm not really high on Knowshon Moreno, but News has him, too).
I really like Foster because I'm in love with the Texans offense. I'm expecting Drew Brees-Saints-like numbers from them this season. And I think Foster, if healthy, gives the Texans a dynamic they haven't had in a while.
Speaking of the Saints, I just have always had this feeling that Reggie Bush was going to come around. We've seen it a bit in preseason, and saw it at some points last season, but we haven't seen it on a week-to-week basis.
News Team is hoping for that to come around this year. I am too, because I'm tired of being wrong.
The other thing the News Team is hoping for is some help at wide receiver. Outside of Jackson, there is Miles Austin, who needs to show he can back up what he did last season. He burst onto the scene with some ridiculous numbers, including his 250-yard, three-TD performance, but he came back to Earth quickly. Back in orbit is where the News Team wants him.
4. T-Money
2009 Record: 8-6
2009 Division Finish: 2nd
Arch Rival: It's the Toasters for the reasons listed above.
Bugaboo: T-Money still hates the Jammers. He is 1-5 against them including two playoff losses that kept him out of the Super Bowl. Thanks to the conference alignment, the only way he could meet the Jammers in the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 would have been in the Super Bowl. The same applies for 2010.
2010 Outlook: T-Money has an interesting squad going into 2010. Tony Romo and Frank Gore are back again for the Cash Pirates, but a Romo has a shaky O-line and a spotty run game behind him, and Gore has to be looking over his shoulders if even the smallest injury allows Anthony Dixon to get the rock.
If they can remain productive for another year, I do like what the rest of T-Money has to offer. Shonn Greene was one of my targets at RB, and I never thought he'd go mid-first round.
I also was targeting Anquan Boldin. He's the man in Baltimore and I absolutely love Flacco (wait for my man crush rant in a few paragraphs).
Dwayne Bowe could be interesting if the Chiefs with Matt Cassell at QB come around with Charlie Weis at offensive coordinator, and Antonio Gates is going to keep Phillip Rivers sane in San Diego.
If you do the math, that leaves one position open for T-Money to fill (either RB or WR).
This is where problems may arise and where the waiver wire will be key for the Money because this last position could be a carousel all season.
T.J. Houshmanzadeh is in that spot now, but he may not be a Seahawk much longer, so that could change his status with T-Money. Seattle is looking to dump his $7M salary and use its younger group of WRs instead, and a trade has been rumored.
Michael Bush broke his thumb and Fred Jackson is looking like he’s going to be sitting behind C.J. Spiller very soon. And Ahmad Bradshaw is spotty. He’ll have a few good weeks, but he hasn’t shown that he can be consistent.
He does have Chiefs rookie wideout Dexter McCluster who may have an impact on Charlie Weis’ new offensive system in Kansas City.
5. Team Boyer
2009 Record: 6-8
2009 Division Finish: 3rd
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: The Toasters. Without a doubt Boyer will be out to avenge last season's 0-3 performance against the Toast, including a 179-93.3 ass-whooping in the first round of the playoffs. It really sucks to give up the new JFL record for points in a week. Boyer will remember this.
2010 Outlook: Boyer, like the Thieves, could have the trio at RB that others will fear. With keeper Michael Turner lining up with hyped rookie Ryan Matthews and 2009's TD machine Joseph Addai.
It's a great backfield if all works out. But who knows what Matthews will do when the regular season starts? And what about Addai? He suffered a concussion during the preseason and is an injury away from losing his job to Donald Brown.
Still, with all of that in mind, it is still a nice trio to look at on paper right now.
Wideout is a different story.
Everything fell apart when second-round pick Sidney Rice needed hip surgery a week after the draft.
This leaves a void at No. 1 receiver that for now will be held by Hines Ward, Devery Henderson, Santana Moss or Nate Burleson.
Not the ideal situation.
In fact, the best receiver may be TE Jason Witten. He'll inherit the WR/TE slot for sure.
The good news is that Tom Brady returns at QB for Team Boyer for a fifth straight year. Here's some great JFL trivia for you in case you're on JFL Jeopardy someday. Boyer is the only franchise to have had the same QB (Brady) every year. Yes, Brady went down in Game 1 in 2008 and he used Matt Cassell the rest of the way, but Brady was still his No. 1 going in and his keeper going into 2009.
This faithfulness to one QB will pay dividends again in 2010.
6. Graybill’s Generals
2009 Record: 5-8
2009 Division Finish: 2nd
Arch Rival/Bugaboo: Team Boyer dropped 156 points on the Generals last season to take a 4-1 series lead. It’s by far one toughest opponents the Generals have had to deal with over the last four seasons. He certainly tired of going up against Tom Brady.
2010 Outlook: It was the post-Super Bowl slump for the Generals. A 1-5 start put a damper on the Super Bowl celebrations, and after winning four of the next five, it looked like the Generals were back in it, but losses in Weeks 12 and 13 dashed his 2009 playoff hopes.
Thus, the Generals enter the 2010 season in stealth mode. Picked to finish last in the conference, the expectations are low, but it may be undeservedly so.
I didn’t pick this division, but I can say I wouldn’t have pitted the Generals last. I would have aimed more middle of the pack with a chance to compete for a division title. Let’s take a look at why.
Quarterback: Joe Flacco was an obvious pick at No. 3. Graybill is a Ravens fan; he needed a quarterback; and Flacco is going to have a great year.
The poise that he shows is uncanny and with added weapons like Anquan Boldin and a healthier Todd Heap, mixed in with Ray Rice and Derick Mason, this offense is going to explode this season.
Flacco without a doubt would have been a sure-fire start each week had Graybill not gone ahead and picked up my favorite sleeper back-up QB in 2010, Matthew Stafford.
Stafford looks like a star in the making, and he’s going to be passing a lot this season because the Lions are going to be trailing and needing points for a good chunk of 2010.
Running back: C.J. Spiller will be a Rookie of the Year candidate for sure. He also may be a future keeper for the Generals. Added with DeAngelo Williams, who will still get his carries even with Jonathan Stewart emerging as a No. 1. I like the Chester Taylor pick because if Forte stumbles in Chicago, it could pave the way for a back who often filled in for Adrian Peterson and had success.
Wideout: This is the possible trouble spot. The Generals kept Percy Harvin, who has been suffering from headaches, and he drafted Braylon Edwards and Terrell Owens, who often cause headaches. Michael Crabtree also was picked up in the draft and his holdout last season was a headache for the 49ers.
Nonetheless, all four have tremendous upside and I foresee good years for Crabtree, Owens (who has already been a favorite target of Palmer’s) and Edwards.
That leaves an opening at WR/TE for one of two tight ends: Owen Daniels and Chris Cooley. Both a great picks because as I have predicted, the Texans are going to be awesome on offense and for Cooley, McNabb loves checking down to the tight end.
So the Graybill’s Generals have a legitimate beef with the preseason poll.
And he surely knows the best way to deal with it is prove everyone wrong. I’m a believer that he will do so.
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