Wait... When was Kobe the best player in the NBA?

I was looking back at an NBA poster made in 2004 and I noticed a certain player missing; Mr. Kobe Bean Byant.

This poster had Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, and Paul Peirce. But no Kobe.

Soon after, I found another old poster: It was the '04 Lakers. Shaquille O’Neal was in the front of a “V formation.” Behind him was Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. Derek Fisher and Gary Payton were behind them. Devean George and Rick Fox in the back.

Then I remembered: Shaq was always the best player on the Lakers. Kobe was great no doubt. But Shaq was the "Batman." And if you're not the best player on your own team, you're surely not the best player in the NBA.

So I started to do some more remembering. "When... if ever... was Kobe the best player in the league?"

I as able to break it down into 6 sections of his career:

1996-2004

Up until 2004 Kobe was not the best player on his own team. During his seasons playing with Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe never once came close to winning an MVP award. Shaq won the only MVP between them during these years and received plenty of votes for other MVP awards. Shaq also won all three finals MVPs during their three championships.

And besides Shaq, there were also other players on other teams better than Kobe. Just looking at the people who won MVP’s between 2000-2004; Shaq, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan (twice), and Kevin Garnett. Also a look at who won the scoring title those years: Shaq, Iverson (twice), and Tracy McGrady (twice).

Kobe surely was not the best player in the NBA during these years.

2005

This was Kobe’s first year without Shaquille O’Neal, and he missed the playoffs completely. I’m not saying you have to win the finals with a bad team if you’re the best player in the league… but can’t you at least carry a team to a 7^th or 8^th seed playoff berth if you're the best? Meanwhile in 2005, Shaq was tearing it up in Miami, Iverson won his 4^th scoring title, and Tim Duncan was winning another championships and another finals MVP. 

Kobe had still not taken over as the “best player in the NBA” in this year.

2006-2007

These are the two years Kobe won his two scoring titles. These are also the two years Kobe’s Lakers got knocked out of the first round by Mike D’Antoni’s Phoenix Suns. 

Shaq, still in Miami, won himself another championship in 2006. The young phenom LeBron James (drafted in 2003) was getting better every year. Steve Nash won the MVP. In 2007, young LeBron James carried a bad Cavs team all the way to the NBA finals. Also in 2007, Tim Duncan won another championship. Dirk Nowitzki won the MVP.

These two years could go either way as to who was the best player in the NBA. Had Kobe past players like Shaq and Duncan? Had LeBron already passed Kobe?

2008

Kobe wins his first and only MVP award. LeBron wins the scoring title. The Lakers trade for Pau Gasol and make their first playoff run since trading Shaq to Miami. 

Unfortunately for both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce's Celtics to form "The Big 3" in Boston. The Celtics beat LeBron James’ Cavs in the playoffs in an epic 7 game series. LeBron James, in the game 7 losing effort, had 45 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Then Boston went on to beat Kobe’s Lakers in the finals and it only took them 6 games. Kobe, in the game 6 losing effort, had 22 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.

It's starting to look like LeBron James has become the best basketball player in the NBA.

2009-2010

Kobe goes on to win his 2 “Shaq-less” rings and both Final's MVP awards. But LeBron wins both (his first two of four) of the season MVP awards while having some very impressive stats, including averaging 29.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 8.1 APG over those two years.

Again, it could go either way to who was the best player in the NBA. Was it Kobe? Or was it LeBron and was Kobe simply the best player on the best team ?

2011-retirement 

Steadily declining and with injuries from time to time, Kobe never made it back to the finals. In fact, he never made it back to the Western Conference finals. Never won another scoring title or another MVP. He retired 2016.

LeBron got better and better, won two more MVPs, did some incredible things and broke a lot of records. He played all 6 finals since and won two (maybe three on Sunday) championships.

LeBron was undoubtedly the better player in the NBA from 2011 on.

Conclusion

Kobe Bryant was, at very best, the best basketball player in the NBA from 2006-2010. And at worse, he was never the best player in the NBA for even a season. Players like Shaq and Duncan were quite possibly the best players in the NBA until about 2006/2007 and then LeBron became the best basketball playing in the NBA at that time.

And perhaps, and usually is the case, its somewhere in between the best and worse case scenario. Either way, most of us remember Kobe Bryant being a lot better than he really was. Why? Who knows? Perhaps it’s because he played for the LA Lakers (the "Yankees of the NBA") his entire career. Perhaps it’s because some of his moves reminded us of our favorite player Michael Jordan. 

Whatever it is, as we look back, we can see not only was Kobe not the best player of all time, but he was perhaps never the best player in the NBA for any particular season.

*Edit: My sports friend Andy (who is quite knowledgeable about sports himself) made a few comments when I first started digging into this. I feel his comments bring a lot to the table so here they are:

*Update*
3 days after I wrote this blog, The Herd came out with this video (LINK)
Colin Cowherd: "You could make an argument that Kobe was never the best player in the league."
Nick Wright: (paraphrase) Shaq was the best player in the leauge until at least '04. LeBron has been the best player in the league since '07. So, at best, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant split 05 and 06 as best players in the league.

(click the link for the exact quotes. 1 min 19 sec video)

Update on Mock Draft

Just FYI - the mock drafted I did at the beginning of the year... yeah i totally won that league. I was criticized for not taking a quarter back until the very end, but everyone else was reaching for quarterbacks so I didn't both. I ended up snatching Carson Palmer and Derrick Carr of waivers early in the season and was able to win that way.

See the original mock draft, every pick, and the break down HERE

Screen Shots:

Peyton Manning And His Defenses

Observation:

The Bronco's defense that "carried Tim Tebow" seemed to get much worse when Peyton Manning took over at QB, even though not much changed on the defensive side of the ball for the Broncos. Also, last years Bronco's "not #1 defense" somehow became the "#1 defense in the league" this year going into the Super Bowl without making hardly any changes from last year.


Hypothesis:

When a QB throws the ball as much as Peyton Manning used to, the statistics of that team's defense will suffer. When an offense uses a lot of clock, the statistics of the same defense will appear better.


Prior knowledge:

There is a strategy in the NFL that goes something like "keep (the other team's quarterback) off the field."


Common sense:

If a defense only has to try to stop a Tom Brady, or an Aaron Rodgers, or a Peyton Manning led offense ten times, stats like "total yards allowed" and "total points allowed" will look a lot better then if they have to try to stop them twenty times.


"Ideal" experiment:

Let's have Tim Tebow and the Broncos play a game of football game against my 'Utah Ideals' (just because I wish there was a team in Utah ;) ). Let's also have Peyton Manning play a football game against the same team. Now, the Utah Ideals always score 7 points and take exactly 3 minutes of game block starting from their own 20 yard line when playing against this particular Bronco defense. Lets say Tim Tebow scores on every drive and his average drive time takes 7 minutes of game clock. Peyton also scores on every drive and his average drive takes only 2 minutes of game clock.

So everyone scores every time, and we'll assume a touchback on every kick off. Also, for this experiment, the game will end at the end of regulation (no overtime).


After doing the math, both games end in a tie.
Game 1 - 42 to 42
Game 2 - 84 to 84


Team 1's defense (Tebow's) allowed 10.5 points per quarter and half the yards.
Team 2's defense (Peyton's) allowed 21 points per quarter and double the yards.


Q - Which defense is better?

A - Both defenses are the exact same defense. Team 2 only appears worse


Conclusion:

High volume passing QB's, especially whose that prefer to go fast, do in fact make their defense seem worse than they actually are. 

PS - This experiment doesn't even factor in rate-of-interceptions nor a fatigue factor, which would have hurt Team 2's defensive statistics even more. 

Final Statement: 

Largely because of having to be on the field more, Peyton Manning's style of play both with the Colts and with the Broncos (until this year) has made his teams' defenses seem worse than they actually were.

Clarifying statements:

• I am not proposing whether Peyton Manning's style of play is good or bad.
• I am more so directing this article to those who believe one defense is better than the other because of "total yards allowed" or because of "total points allowed."
• I am concluding that you cannot compare defenses by yards allowed or points allowed. If one defense has to try to make more stops than another, they will tire as the amount of plays stack up,. If one defense has to try to make more stops per game than another, their yards and points allowed will clearly be higher. Simple math shows that the more opportunities an opposing offense has, the better chance of them gaining more yards and scoring more points.
• Thus, defenses that have a quarterback that uses small amount of time per possession will have "worse" stats than defenses who have a quarterback that uses large amounts of time. Stats like yards allowed and points allowed is not a good way to determine if one defense is more competent or efficient than the other.
• I'm not saying the Colts would have been better off without Peyton Manning. I'm just trying to point out that comparing defenses by looking at stats like "yards allowed" and "points allowed" isn't a very good system, due to the fact some defenses have to play a lot more drives than others.

LeBron James: Earned, not Given

QUICK OVERVIEW

LeBron James has established himself as one of the greats. Four mvp awards put him in elite company with just Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Bill Russell (5), Michael Jordan (5), and Wilt Chamberlain (4). His 27.3 career PPG puts him in elite company behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. At 25,500+ NBA all time points (youngest player to reach 25,500 all time points), he is passing players like Vince Carter and Ray Allen before they even retired, and is gaining on Paul Pierce (25,900), Kevin Garnett (25,900) and Tim Duncan (26,200). He's not just a scorer, either. Lebron James is also known for being good at many things. He is often the best defensive player on his teams and many times he leads his team in rebounds and assists per game.


THESIS

Compared to other greats, LeBron James has had a difficult road to greatness.

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

Here are five of the most talked about players with LeBron James when we talk about "the best of the best" and their 'given situations' (what they walked into).

PS - At the end of each one, I've added (what I believe to be) the grade. For example, If your head coach was Phil Jackson, you would get an "A+". If your head coach was Doc Rivers, perhaps a "B." And so on. Remember, this is evaluating the players 'given situations', so things like Jordan's Wizards and LeBron's Heat are obviously not factored here.

1. Earvin 'Magic' Johnson.
• Drafted by: The Lakers (A+)
• Best teammate: Kareem Abdul Jabbar (A+)
• Supporting Cast: 80's Lakers (A)
• Head Coach: (mostly) Pat Riley (A+)
• Owner: Jerry Buss (A+)
2. Larry Bird
• Drafted by: The Celtics (A)
• Best teammate: Kevin McHale (A)
• Supporting Cast: 80's Celtics (A+)
• Head Coach: (mostly) Bill Fitch (A) and KC Jones (B+)
• Team President and General Manager: Red Auerbach (A+)
3. Michael Jordan
• Drafted by: The Bulls (B+)
• Best teammate: Scottie Pippen (A)
• Supporting Cast: 90's Bulls (A+)
• Head Coach: Phil Jackson (A+)
• General Manager: Jerry Krause (A)
• Owner: Jerry Reinsdorf (A)
4. Kobe Bryant
• Drafted by: The Lakers (A+)
• Best teammate: Shaquille O'Neal (A+)
• Supporting Cast: "Shaq Lakers" (A) then "Pau Gasol Lakers" (A)
• Head Coach: (mostly) Phil Jackson (A+)
• Owner: Jerry Buss (A+)
5. Tim Duncan
• Drafted by: The Spurs (B+)
• Best teammate: David Robinson (A)
• Supporting Cast: 00's Spurs (B+)
• Head Coach and Team President: Gregg Popovich (A+)
• General Manager: R.C. Buford (B+)
• Owner: Peter Holt (A)
6. LeBron James
• Drafted by: The Cleveland Cavaliers (F-)
• Best teammate: Zydrunas Ilgauskas* (B-)
• *Ilgauskas best season was the 04-05 season averaging 16.9 points and 8.6 rebounds. 
• Supporting Cast: 00's Cavaliers (F)
• Head Coach: (mostly) Mike Brown (D-)
• General Manager: Jim Paxson (D) and Danny Ferry (D)
• Owner: Dan Gilbert (F)

THOUGHTS

Looking at these six superstars and their 'given situations', I think it's obvious LeBron James drew the short straw in terms of ideal given situations. These other super stars had some of the most capable franchises, owners, teammates, coaches, and management in NBA history to guide them as they entered their NBA career. Young LeBron, on the other hand, was drafted by perhaps the least capable franchise of all time, and guided by some unimpressive (to say the least) coaches, teammates and management.

What if LeBron James was drafted into an environment similar to these other all time greats? What if he was drafted by a top-end franchise, with top of the class management, coaches, and teammates? First of all, he surely would have had more success. His stats would have been that much better. And he probably could have been an even better player, considering he could have been coached and guided in a much better way with better management around him. He could have focused more on being a basketball player instead of trying to be a head coach and a general manager (to make up for the lack-there-of in Cleveland). 

What if one of these other superstars had been given a situation like LeBron's? Drafted by a horrible franchise with bad management and below average teammates? More than likely they would have had less success. They would have worse stats.  Perhaps they wouldn't have received the advice and the guidance that helped them become they player they were and never would have reached what they became.

CONCLUSION - Although we can't know for sure what these hypothetical scenarios might have brought, one thing is certain: LeBron James was given the short straw in terms of given situations among his colleagues of which we compare. His road to greatness was difficult when compared to many other of the greatest NBA super stars.

Links to other websights

I searched "best NBA teams of all time" and here are the first two links that show up:

Cheatsheet: "7 greatest NBA teams of alltime." - Four of the seven are different Bulls teams for Michael Jordan. One of them was the 85/86 Celtics (Larry Bird). Another was the 08/09 Lakers (Kobe Bryant).
Bleacher Report: "Top 10 NBA teams of all time" - including three of Jordan's Bulls, Kobe's 01/02 Lakers, Magic's 86/87 Lakers, and Bird's 85/86 Celtics.

Why TCU and Baylor got exactly what they deserved...

... or even more!!

In the 2014 NCAA football season (last year), we experienced the first ever College Football Playoffs. Instead on only two teams competing for a national championship at the end of the year, four teams got selected to have a playoff. The four selected teams were Oregon (Pac 12 Champions) Alabama (SEC Champions) FSU (ACC Champions) and Ohio State (Big 10 Champions). On the outside looking in were Baylor and TCU (Both from the Big 12).

 If Baylor, TCU, or the Big 12 in general feels "snubbed" or feels as if they deserved more... they are wrong!

There are two reasons why this is true. But first let's remember the situation: Alabama and Oregon were getting into the playoffs for sure. Their resumes were the best. FSU was also getting in for sure - they were the undefeated defending champions. So that left one spot open and three teams that wanted it. Baylor, TCU, and Ohio State.

Reason 1: Why TCU did not deserve the final spot.

"One True Champion" is literally the slogan of the Big 12. The Big 12 teams play each all other once each, and whoever wins the most is crowned "Big 12 Champion". And (apparently a completely unrelated topic.....) a "tie-breaker" is awarded to the team that wins the head-to-head match-up against the other team.

When TCU and Baylor tied last season, however, the Big 12 refused to name "one true champion". They awarded the teams as follows:

Big 12 Conference - One True Champion

Baylor: "Big 12 co-Champion with tiebreaker over TCU"

TCU: "Big 12 co-Champion"

WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THAT?! That's ridiculous! That's so absurd that the Big 12 only defended it for a few months and then, before the next season even started, self corrected and redefined their interpretation of tiebreaker into an unmistakable "Big 12 Conference tie-breaker: To be used to determine the Conference champion..." Which in layman's terms means: "We were idiots and Baylor should have been named Champions last year. Sorry we screwed up. We will never do that again."

Thus, not only did TCU deserve nothing more than they got last year, but they even deserved less! They did not deserve to be co-Champions in the Big 12. And since they so very much didn't deserved it, the Big 12 had to redefine the rules of "tie-breaker" the following off season.

I don't feel bad for the Big 12 not getting into the Playoffs. They should have had the guts and common sense to name Baylor the Big 12 Champions.

And I don't feel bad for TCU not getting into the Playoffs because they didn't deserve it over Baylor. Baylor beat them head to head and should have been crowned the "Big 12 (Only True) Champion."

Reason 2: Why Baylor did not deserve the final spot.

Because of Reason 1, the final playoff spot came down to Baylor or Ohio State.

When the selection committee chose Ohio State over Baylor, it wasn't obvious if they had made the right choice or not. Only in hindsight was the selection committee proven right.

After placing Ohio State into the playoffs, Baylor got selected to play #8 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl. Michigan State comes from the same division as Ohio State, so Ohio State had to go through Michigan State to win the Big 10 conference. Therefore, Baylor was playing a team the better of whom Ohio State had already got.

When Baylor went on to lose their bowl game to Michigan State (in their home state of Texas too!), this killed the argument that Baylor should have been put in the playoffs instead of Ohio State.

Ohio State then went on to beat both Alabama and Oregon to become National Champions; proving they were a good choice to take a spot in the college playoffs.

Fantasy Football 2015: Mock Draft - with Scott Savage

Scott and I love to play fantasy football and we have been doing it for quite a few years now. Scott and I usually do well in our leagues.

To get started early this year, on July 13th, We decided to join a standard, 10-team ESPN league with 8 random other guys. As we drafted, we kept a live chat going on between us discussing our strategies and what-not. I then compiled our live chat, and edited up a bit, and, well - here is who we picked and why:

PRE-DRAFT

Me – I had 3 overall ideas of strategy I wanted to follow going into the draft:

1. Get some good running backs early. I think there a lot of depth at all the other positions, but running back seems very shallow to me this year.
2. Stay away from "trends" (reaching for a position just because other guys are taking those positions). I wanted to get the best available talent, and not worry about what positions other owners were picking.
3. Draft guys with high potential, particularly after round 6 or 7. I don't want someone like Golden Tate or Chris Ivory that we know will be "ok". I want guys that will either really suck so I can drop them, or be really good and actually contribute to my team. “High risk high reward.” Standard 10-team leagues are too shallow to waste time with the "ok" players IMO.

Scott - As an Oakland Raiders fan, I used to just draft the fastest players and hope for the best since they say that football is more of a sprint than other sports like baseball which are marathons. But with the Death of Al Davis, a new regime has taken hold, and I’m beginning to really like it. I like to consider a few different things when prepping my Fantasy Draft Board. 

First, is the rule changes. It used to be that Running Backs were so valued because all of your yards and touchdowns came from them. In short yardage situations, it was a no-brainer to punch it in and give your RB six fantasy points, you know, unless you’re Pete Carroll. But the league has moved towards passing first, and that’s why I look to fill out my WRs and QBs with value before my RB positions. 

The second point is closely linked to the first. I always want to use my picks on someone who is vastly ahead of the next tier of players. You’ll see with my first round pick that I go for someone who I think is going to probably not slip to my second pick and who is also probably going to post substantially more points at his position than, say, the guy who is in fifth or tenth place at the position. I want the guy who is a tier above everyone else left at his position. 

The third is that I want to pick guys that are under the Radar. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of perennial losers like Oakland and Sacramento. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen my San Jose Sharks be loaded and still choke at the end. Whatever it is, I want to pick someone who people are forgetting about. I’ll take a lower profile, younger, healthier, hungrier player before I take someone who gives me pause based on injury history, contract situation or other surrounding factors but whose name pops off the screen.

THE DRAFT

Rounds 1&2:

Me- I think there are 10 great options at running back this year then a big fall off. They are  Lacy, Bell, Peterson,  Charles,  Lynch,  Foster,  Murray, Anderson, McCoy, and Forte. Because I'm at the end of the draft, I can probably get two of my top 10 RBs. Which is great. I had no doubt in my mind I was going to take two RBs if 2 of my top 10 fell to me. 

3 of my top 10 RBs fell to me, so I got to pick which two. I opted to go with CJ Anderson and LeSean McCoy over Matt Forte. Sticking to my “High risk, high reward” strategy, Matt Forte seems to have nowhere to go but down. His new coach is talking about a “two back system” and honestly I think we have seen the best of Forte. CJ Anderson is primed for a break out year, and McCoy is on a new team and should be doing a lot of work.

Scott - My first pick was Andrew Luck, rated on ESPN’s board as the 20th best prospect. Some may consider that a huge reach, but consider this. The difference in projected points the highest RB or WR and the 10th rated RB/WR is just 38 and 42 points respectively. The difference between Luck (whose projection I feel is low) and the QB 10 spots below him is 63 points. Everyone hopes they’re going to hit the homerun like DeMarco Murray did last year where there’s nearly a 100 point gap, but you’re banking on picking a player to have a career year over reliaing on standard deviation. I almost always want a top flight QB with one of my first two picks. 

My second pick was probably my riskiest proposition given everything you’ve read about me to this point. I picked WR Julio Jones (causing an avalanche of WRs) over more proven names like D. Thomas, Jordy Nelson, Calvin Johnson and AJ green as well as high upside guys Alshon Jeffrey, Mike Evans and OBJ who were all gone by my next pick. I picked Jones because last year was an incredible down year for him, he seems to be back at full strength and his combination of potential and a better system and QB than most of those other guys really made me want to take the leap. Granted, I also thought I’d get one more of those guys that were drafted between, so I may end up being a complete idiot.

Rounds 3&4


Me - I wish a better receiver like Jeffrey or Cobb had fallen to me, or the tight end Jimmy Graham. 

Of who was available, Justin Forsett was an easy choice for me. He could have a big year this year with the Ravens, and with RB position being so thin (in my eyes), picking up a RB as solid as Forsett here was great.

For my other pick, I went back and forth between WRs Brandin Cooks and Kelvin Benjamin. Both young, promising receivers from last years draft class. I think both will be great this year.

Scott - I again went for the big differential with my 3rd pick, Jimmy Graham. Jimmy is leagues better than the other TEs available and should only be better on a team with a running game, (you know, supposing they use it) and with a solid defense that will give him more time on the field. Plus, he’s not the injury risk a guy like Gronk is. 

My fourth pick is a guy I felt was sneaky good in Melvin Gordon. I really did need a RB at some point, and Gordon has the potential to bust loose in a team with a good passing offense. Rookie RBs tend to do  surprisingly well, due to their young legs, and their hunger to prove themselves. While Gordon isn’t going to be a top 5 RB he’s certainly someone I’m happy with at this spot.

Rounds 5&6

Me - I like Andre Johnson this year. A great receiver who has put up good numbers with sub-par QB's, now pairing up with Andrew Luck in Indiana. Johnson could have a great year. 

I don't love my Brandon Marshall pick here, but everyone I would have taken over him was gone. Sammy Watkins, Latavius Murray, Andre Ellington, and Drew Brees are players I would have gladly taken over Marshall had they made it to the end of the round. But since they didn't. Marshall was who I elected to choose. He was thought of as a top 5 receiver last year. Coming off a disappointing season and switching over to the Jets, he has fallen from a top WR choice to a high-risk, high-reward type player.

Scott - If I had a time machine that would do nothing to alter the course of human history, I would go back in time and change this pick due to two players I really like going in between. I was banking that one or both of Amari Cooper and Latavius Murray would be available in round six and possibly one slipping to round seven. No such luck. I still like D-Jax as a high potential guy, particularly if RGIII can get his crap together, or if he goes down and Kirk Cousins gets to take another crack at the job. 

My sixth round Pick was Todd gurley, who this late is a steal. Yes, Tre Mason is on the team so he’s not a true number 1, but Todd Gurley got snubbed as the first RB taken in the NFL draft this year, and I think he’s going to have a big year. Especially when you look at who fell between my sixth and seventh round picks, there was no one else I had as highly valued.

Rounds 7&8


Me – All the really good guys are gone, and I am now looking for big-rewards. Also, I am keeping in mind I have 3 RBs and 3 WRs and nothing else. Julius Thomas (TE) was really great the last few years, but that might have had something to do with Peyton Manning being his QB. Thomas has switched teams and now plays in Jacksonville. #HighRiskHighReward

Jeremy Maclin also went from being great in Philly with that high-flying offense to a boring Kansas City team and a boring QB Alex Smith. Who knows if Maclin can still be great after the switch. #HighRiskHighReward

Scott - There’s always that guy that takes a defense a little too soon. That was me this year. I wanted the safest Defense pick, and I went with the team that should have beaten the Colts in the Super Bowl #deflategate. These guys are one of the only groups I’ve seen in a while who may lose a super bowl and come back with enough punch and hunger to try and do it again. I actually think the Rams and Bills may have better defenses, but those picks are more boom or bust to me, and the Texans can’t possibly put up 6 TDs on defense again. 

Round 8 was another where I anticipated a couple guys might fall (Both of Spencer’s picks actually) and they didn’t. With Marshall gone, Someone’s gotta fill those WR2 shoes behind Jeffrey, and White has really high potential this year. His erratic route running may actually be a plus for Cutler’s erratic passing.

Rounds 9&10


Me - There are so many guys left that I want and too little bench space, I decided to take the Texans defense here. With JJ Watt leading the way, and (maybe) #1 pick Jadeveon Clooney coming back, this team can score a lot of fantasy points (PS - they also have an easy schedule including playing the Jaguars and Titans twice each).

Doug Martin is a high potential guy. He was amazing a few years ago, and hasn't been very good since. They say he looks in better shape this year. Maybe he remembers how to be great again. Martin, his competition Carles Sims, and Devonta Freeman are the only RBs left that I think have a chance to be really good, and I think Martin has the best chance out of the three.

Scott - Can someone say Injury Insurance? Remember the time the Cowboys knew they wouldn’t be resigning their star RB so they ran him into the ground? Remember the time their division rivals who thought signing Tim Tebow was a good idea also gave a massive contract to that guy because they lost out on Frank Gore? Ryan Matthews, an injury prone man himself, is someone who is either going to play a major role from injury, or a still significant one for fear of injury. 

I knew I needed another WR at this point only having 3 and so I went with who I figured may be the best of Old Timers that were still on the board. Marques Colston is going to be getting a lot of attention from Drew Brees. Stills is gone. Graham is gone. That’s over 200 targets to be divided amongst Colston, Cooks and Nick Toon? Maybe Josh Hill? Maybe? Even if he gets just ¼ of those, he’s going to be looking at 150 targets which could mean almost 90 receptions. That’s a lot of potential TDs in the New Orleans dumpster fire.

Rounds 11&12
Me - Because my TE Julius Thomas is "high risk high reward," I took another high potential TE in Zach Ertz. He's got great skills and could break out this season as the #1 guy in that high-flying Eagles offense.

There are only a few spot left on my team, and there are still a lot of guys I like left. So I figured I would take the best kicker since he's still here. Stephen Gostowski has consistently been the best kicker in fantasy football for years.

Scott - Need a reliable backup TE? Jason Witten. Just like dinner left overs, he’s always better than you think he’s going to be when you’ve got nothing else. Pick #12 has Spencer Keele written all over it, so I nabbed him. Victor Cruz #highriskhighreward That’s a man looking to get more money.

Rounds 13&14

Me – All the really good quarterbacks are gone now. There is no use of me taking a quarterback now. Any QB I want now will still be there for my last pick. So I took Josh Hill (Jimmy Graham's replacement on the Saints). He's got all the raw talent to perhaps become a great TE this year, and a good QB in Brees looking to throw the ball to him. Between Hill, Julius Thomas, and Zach Ertz, I think I have a really good chance of having one or more of them being an elite tight end for me this year. FYI - If Hill had been gone, I would have taken Owen Daniels.

The Rams defense should be a good 2nd defense to use when the Texans have a bad match up like the Colts or the Patriots or are on their bye week. 

(PS – I would have taken the Dolphins defense instead had they been here.) 

(PPS - I knew everyone was going to start picking defenses these last three rounds, so I stayed ahead of the trend and got first dibs.)

Scott - I can honestly tell you before today I’d never even heard of Devante Adams, but he’s a Packer. Packers are like Spurs. You just want them on your team. No particular reason, but if he has a monster year, you heard it here first. Possibly because you haven’t heard it anywhere else. 

I think the Eagles are going to be good. All the crap I said about Murray going down? If that doesn’t happen, the Eagles could really be in business (or, you know, not given Sam Bradford’s knees). Either way, to have a prayer they’re going to need to score a lot of points, and that kicker was pretty solid last year. It also pains me to not have Sebastian Janokowski as an automatic Kicker pick for me any more.

Final Rounds (15&16)



Scott - In retrospect I should have just grabbed a second defense. Prove me wrong Eddie Royal. Here’s hoping that the bears stay crazy and trade Alshon Jeffries. At least I’ve got someone to drop week 1 when someone much better comes out of the rubble. 

And given everything you’ve read about me is it a shock that Derek Carr is my last pick? Potential to be better an many second QBs (Huge upgrades at all his skill positions this year, plus a top flight center to keep him safe), he’s a younger guy so I think I’m safe not losing sleep over taking Kaep, a rookie, a Raiders Washout with worse knees than Bradford, and only maybe Flacco or Dalton are better. I also think that Spencer is going to see quickly how much of a QBs league this is. Oh, and I’m a giant Raiders homer so not having one on my team would be a travesty. I think that is the same reason Spencer picked Gostkowski. Brady was too rich for his blood as a round 8 pick, he never had a shot at Gronk without massively over spending, so he goes for Gostkowski. Never forget, sports is about fandom and not about winning. It’s just a nice coincidence when those things combine.

Me – You CAN win fantasy football leagues by "streaming quarterbacks" (pick up and start one of the best QBs on waivers that has a good match-up that week). Or maybe I'll find a QB that breaks out and has a great year. There are actually a lot of good choices at QB left.

Sam Bradford will get the first crack at being my starting QB. The Eagles traded their starting QB (Foles) PLUS better draft picks to get Bradford. So there must be something to like about him.... right? Plus the Eagles play so fast. More plays = more quarterback points. 

If Bradford isn't good, Look at all the potential QBs I could pick up on waivers: Kaepernick, Mariota, Winston, Bridgewater, Flacco, Palmer, Cutler, Dalton, Foles, Bortles, and Johnny Manziel. 

Last pick matters very little. I like Robert Griffin and I hope he has a good year. Honestly, I'll probably drop him quickly. Maybe before the season even starts. There will be some good players to pick up on waivers as we get closer to opening day.

Final Teams

Me – Looking at my team, I like it. I have 3 really solid running backs and 2 maybe 3 solid receivers. My fourth RB and my fourth WR have high potential. I have 3 high-risk TEs that could all be really good. Texans and Rams are great defenses and I have the best kicker. I just need to figure out the quarterback situation as the season goes on. This could be a championship team.

Scott - Drafting is always funny because you think you've done so well getting steals in alter rounds always to go, "Why don't I have amazing players at every position? I got steals! Steals I tell you!"
I am content with what I have because barring a serious injury to Andrew Luck there's no one on my team who I'm so tied to that I think I'm unable to replace them. A couple last thoughts are these: Just because you value someone doesn't mean everyone does. If you're undecided on a player, consider drafting whoever may have more value in a trade, or who could light it up the first few weeks. Victor Cruz and Kevin White are those guys for me. I'd also add that you need to have a strategy for picking early, for picking mid and picking late. Spencer did a great job finding serviceable players back to back without reaching very often (I'm looking at you Sam Bradford). I had to consider who may still be available at my next pick. With my 3 and 6th picks I got burned. Rounds 2 4 and 10 were just what I was hoping would happen.

The Ten Commandments of the New England Patriots

The Patriots have been perhaps the most successful NFL franchise over the last two decades. They often seem to make plenty of strange moves, but more often than not those moves work out for the better. From watching their actions and transactions over the years, and from researching the Patriots success, I have noted and now compiled a list of what I call their "ten commandments" that have allowed them succeed ever since Robert Kraft bought the franchise in 1994.

The 10 Commandments

New England Patriots edition

1. Think long term. (Look for sustained success, not just attain it one year.)

2. Be bold and take risks.

3. Build around the talent you have.

4. Everyone's replaceable! (....well except for Tom Brady of course.)

5. Do your job!

6. See things that other people can't see.

7. Individuals play the game, but teams win championships.

8. Running Backs are a dime a dozen.

9. Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late.

10. Win. (The bottom line.)

Links:

(#1, 2, 3, 6 and 10)

(#4) 

(#5)

(#7)

(#9)

(#9 actual quote)