Ray_T

I'm in the same type of league. I guess it depends on what's available. picking late in the second round, some of the players I'd look for would be RB's Ronnie Brown Cadillac Williams Reggie Bush QB's Eli Manning Donovan McNabb (basically any of the top 3 QB's on the board other than these two) WR's TO Chad Johnson Steve Smith (basically the top 3 or 4 receivers on the board) Now many of you will say 'most of these guys wont be available' and you will be right. but I'd bet at least one or two of them will be available because every team has their own preferences and some people make stupid picks. I'd expect the top 10-12 RB's to be taken off the board by the time you draft again. if the top 3 QB's are available or Ronnie brown or Cadillac is available I'd go with one of them with my #2 pick. or Chad Johnson. hes a major stud WR for years to come. but if you pick a WR or QB, you Should take a RB with your next pick. bottom line, in a keeper draft, the young players hold more value in the first couple (keeper) picks. keep this in mind when picking your team. bearing that in mind, I'd take LT over SA in the first round(due to age) however, you also gotta take what the draft gives you. good luck

I agree. NO VETO. I'd say green is the better talent at QB, but Bulger is younger, has better receivers and is in a more pass oriented offense. so I'd say that's more or less a wash. As far as the RB's go, Brown is not quite as good(I expect less yards this season, but not a lot less) but Brown has more upside and could possibly have a big breakout year. I'd say its pretty close too. while the trade isnt 100% even, not many trades are. I've seen a lot worse trades go through. and if this is a keeper league then I'd say the guy getting Ronnie brown will make out like a bandit 1 or 2 years from now. I think it's more likely that whoever wants to veto has sour grapes cuz they wanted one of the players involved and they're pissed they couldnt get him. ----------------- I also agree that vetos should ONLY be used if it looks like collusion. (thus, you look at the situation and determine if the trade makes sense) Example: a team in rebuilding mode(finished last this year) has Shaun Alexander and no other good players. He drafts Reggie bush with his #1 pick and maybe he trades Alexander to a contender for Ronnie brown. Collusion? No The trade makes sense because hes trading today's stud for tomorrow's stud and building for the future. while I wouldnt be keen on it because he could have done better... I wouldnt veto the deal. Why? Alexander has a couple more good years left and Brown is on the rise. (possibly one of the big 3 RB's 2 years from now) and the tandem of brown and reggie bush would keep his team competitive for years to come. in that case, I would not vote to veto either because the trade at least makes some sense to both teams. and to me, that is where I draw the line. if you can see the logic, then you should not veto. Even if the trade is a little lopsided. so what if one team is playing to win this year, and the other team plays for next year? this stuff happens in real life, and should be allowed in the league as well.

well, I drafted both jones and wilford in the hope that one of them grows into the #1 role in Jax. I expect the season will start with receiving by committee with all 3 of their WR's getting roughly equal play. then I expect a pecking order will develop (hopefully by the end of game 3) at that point, we'll know who can play. My expectation is that wilford has the inside line on the #1 job but jones will overtake him. but that's just speculation on my part.

Are you certain that Rod Smith is the #1 guy still? given his age, and dropping production I think this is a legitimate question.

10 team league. starting 2 QB 2 RB 3 WR 1 TE 1 Defense 1 kicker RB Tomlinson Julius Jones Reggie Bush QB Donovan McNabb Kurt Warner John Kitna Alex Smith WR Reggie Wayne Andre Johnson Ernest Willford Matt Jones Michael Clayton TE Gonzalez Kicker Reed Defense Tampa Bay Of note: I have received various offers for Reggie Bush, and wouldnt mind an opinion of what I should be asking (although I am considering making no trade at all) 3 keepers allowed at the end of every season.

Mcnabb will be fine. the two years prior to acquiring TO he put up awesome numbers with lower quality receivers than they have today. this will not be an issue. the only reason I'd not protect him is if you have better players such as SA or LT that you can keep, OR if you for some reason think he isnt healthy.

well my team is in rebuilding mode. I used to have LT, Priest, and Mcnabb as my keepers. this year I kept LT Warner, and McNabb with the thought I'd get bush or brown. Brown was unavailable, so I took bush. He will be my keeper for years to come (I hope)

I guess it depends how big a draft you are in. in a 12 team league I'd say its worth having turner. Not so sure on a 10 team league. if you can get him with a late round pick I'd say its not a bad plan. but I wouldnt waste a top end pick on him. I figure if LT went down, hes got a good enough O-Line that he may be able to put up 1000 rushing yards behind them.(best case scenario) however, I wouldnt count on more than that.

I was just offered Jamal Lewis and Lendale White for Bush. I'll be declining this deal, but I'm still waiting to see what this guy is actually worth.

that's a good call. if you pick him up as a handcuff to Dillon, you may be able to somehow get the performance of one solid RB between the two players combined. Maroney looked really good in the first preseason game... bouncing off tackles and such. he is the RB of the future in New England and you may still be able to get him for cheap. He's the guy I'd target.

well, he sure looked good in the first preseason game. My thought is that you dont pay a guy that kinda cash and let him sit on the bench. they will find a way to work him into the lineup. I have no doubt of that. I figure they'll do a lot of 2 back sets and run the ball inside with Deuce, outside with Bush, and throw the ball to bush on checkdown plays (which I might add is a strength of QB Brees... hes good at finding his checkdown receiver). I'm guessing 8-12 runs per game, and 6-8 catches per game for Bush. and anywhere from 15-20 runs per game for deuce and a couple of catches per game. this offense will be deadly because they cant key on one RB, and the two RB's are so quick and so skilled it will create mismatches for linebackers who need to cover them in passing plays. so it's tough to blitz the QB. Bush's addition adds so much to this offense it scares me. I will add: I'm not a New Orleans fan at all. But I think this team's offense will have a dynamic that no other team has, and Defenses will not have an easy time figuring it out.

yep. I'd trade for Maroney too. he looked awesome in the opening game. bouncing off tackles etc. agreed, we are probably looking at a 2nd or third string defense, but he looked pretty good overall.

you know, some people say avoid the bottle when going to a draft and you have a better chance to win. Well dont listen to these morons!!!! Assuming that you are in the draft to have a good time. There is NO substitute for doing your research ahead of time, and provided this part was done in an adequate manner, you shouldnt need to worry about how much you drink because you have your lists to go with. I go to these things to have a good time, to brag about my team, to cut down other guys teams, and in the end enjoy the evening. By refraining when others are partaking, you are essentially being the party pooper. Also: if you are better prepared in advance, your drinking will encourage others to do the same... so if you are better prepared than they are, this actually works to your advantage. Relax, have a few beers and enjoy your time with your buddy's. If you have one or two too many dont sweat it... just make sure you arent drunk if you have to drive home. (or plan to take a cab or get your girlfriend/wife to pick you up at the end of the draft) have a good time, and be safe. end of story.

I know he had a rough year last season, but I'm wondering.... with the Edge gone, I dont think the running game will be as good with Addai. (I figure it will take a good portion of this year for him to round into form) Based on this, the passing game may be used more than last year and I'm wondering what you guys think about his chances of having a rebound season. he is a free agent in my league.

Hmmm. that's really interesting. Bruce went in the 8th round in my draft and curtis went undrafted. I'm wondering if I shouldnt think about picking him up.

well, its true. the run on QB's comes a lot earlier. for me, the bottom line is getting the solid third QB. I'm a little more paranoid so I have a 4th QB also. My QB's are: McNabb Warner Kitna Alex Smith The bonus of having 4 QB's is that if someone else has QB injuries, they will have to pay a lot to get a QB and you have one to spare. if you have the injuries, you're covered. if you start 2 RB's and 2 QB's. you can get by with two RB's in the first two rounds, then you should take a QB. My league is a bit unique that we also start 3 WR's so lots of guys go with a top 5 WR in the third round such as Harrison, Chad Johnson, or smith in the third round, but those guys more or less NEED a QB in round 4 and/or 5. top end TE's typically go in round 5, 6, & 7 (except Gates who goes near the end or round 4). if you dont get one of the top 5 TE's you might as well wait until the late part of the draft to take one. while this plan is all fine & good, you can stray from this plan depending on what other people take. In my draft I was actually able to get Julius Jones at the end of the 5th round so I took him as My #3 RB at that time even though I needed a WR more at that point in the draft. the only rule I would suggest you stick to, is you want to be one of the first to grab your third string QB. with 2 QB starters, your #3 QB gets 2 starts guaranteed (more if you have injuries) so hes more important than your average backup for another position. and if you have an injury, you wont regret it.

I play in a 2 QB league. actually we start 2 QB 2RB 3 WR 1 TE 1 kicker and one defense. in this situation QB's are moderately more important. with 32 teams in the NFL and 10 players in our league, there is enough for every team to have 2 QB's and 1 backup. the key here is to watch your tiers in terms of production dropoffs. your first QB is taken with your second or third pick (usually unless you're picking manning who goes in round 1) where it gets dicey is when you pick your second and third QB. you dont wanna pick too late or you end up with a borderline starter (think joey harrington from last season) and the downside is.... if any of your QB's get hurt, getting a quality player who can start for you is difficult. Its not like RB's where there are enough RB by committee guys who can give you some points. if your QB doesnt start, he gets no points. so pick your second and third stringers 1 round (maybe 2 depending how quick QB's are going) earlier than you would normally and leave the rest as it is. although it is worth noting that in my league some players have had some success taking two QB's out of the first 4 picks. While I think this is a bit extreme, I'd certainly agree that a top end qb in your first 3 rounds is fair and reasonable in this type of league.

well, my receivers are (3 to start) Andrei Johnson (houston) Reggie Wayne and Michael Clayton and the two Jaxonville Receivers Matt Jones and Ernest Wilford My hope is that one of the Jaxonville receivers will emerge as a top receiver or that Clayton will regain the form of his rookie season. however If I took Stokely I'd need to drop one of my current receivers. I'm not sure how good a choice this would be given that I have another Indy receiver on the roster already.

I'd try to acquire ronnie brown. I think hes gonna be a huge stud RB this year (and moreso in future years) if in the process you open up cap room I think you help yourself in more ways than one.

I agree if you draft fairly early. If you draft late, your chances of getting a top end RB are slim to nil so JJ may not be bad to keep. When leaving someone unprotected you should ask yourself... can I get a player that is comparable to this guy with my first round draft pick. If the answer is 'Yes' then you're okay not protecting him. That is the bottom line. I got lucky and picked JJ in my draft at the end of round 2 (10 team league, 3 protections per team) so this would make the equivalent of the end of round 5 in a redraft league. Personally I felt he shoulda went around the end of the previous round. hope this helps you.

if this is a keeper league, I like Ronnie Brown hands down. otherwise, It's a tossup between him and Rudi Johnson. Rudi is like money in the bank, but Ronnie brown has the looks of a player who will explode. all the potential is in that offense. 1) a good enough QB so that teams cant stack the box like they did last year. 2) more playing time. Remember Brown wasnt even the starter for a fair portion of last season and still got close to 1000 yards rushing. This number has to go up. 3) an improved team overall means more goal line carries (and more TD's) I think hes a cant miss pick who may have more upside that Rudi.... but I would say go with your gut.

My keepers are LT, Donovan McNabb, and Kurt Warner. (we are allowed to keep only 3 from 1 year to the next) we start 2 RB's 2 QB's 3 WR's 1 TE, 1 Kicker, and 1 Defense. with first overall pick, my best options appear to be: for RBs: Julius Jones Joseph Addai Willis McGahee Reggie Bush Kevin Jones For QB's Bulger Eli Manning Culpepper For WR's Moss Driver Boldin I'm leaning toward taking a RB because I wont get another good shot at a RB later but I'm not too keen on Julius Jones (due to his risk of injury) and there are risks with all the others. Reggie Bush and Addai are tempting and if they turn into top notch RB's I'd have a duo of RB's (along with LT) who will make my team very tough for years to come. Advice would certainly be welcome. PS. its a 10 team league.

guys, just as an FYI: in the end my team ended up okay. a little weak at receiver... but there is potential. feel free to rate it if you like RB LT(keeper) Reggie Bush (#1 overall) Julius Jones (2nd round) QB Donovan McNabb(keeper) Kurt Warner(keeper) John Kitna (7th round) Alex Smith WR Reggie Wayne(3rd round) Andre Johnson (4th round) E Wilford Matt Jones (6th round) Michael Clayton TE Gonzalez (5th round steal) Defense: Tampa Bay Kicker: Reed

I agree. Ronnie Brown is gonna have a huge year.

well, what is the scouting report. Is McAllister having a decent camp? I heard he had some swelling in the knee. so depending on how bad it is... bush may get more playing time than initially thought.