10. Keith: Keith did not have a spectacular draft and it showed with his 3-11 record which was only overshadowed by Dave's 2-12 from the year before. By having the worst record each week Keith was able to capitalize on picking the best available player from the pool. Although he was able to significantly improve his team (Trung Candidate, Dominic Rhodes) with pickups, Keith always seemed to play the best team each week and never got the all important "w". Keith pulled the first of the 3 trade blunders. He was able to pick up Aaron Brooks for dirt. Roger had a good strategy of picking up Brooks in the 5th round as his second qb, but quickly traded him to Keith for Terry Allen and Keenan McCardell. This is like saying on draft day -- "I'll trade you my 5th round pick for your 11th and 13th". Great strategy. Roger dropped both players before the end of the year.

9. Noel: While having the number one pick, I looked to be in control of the league. I had a pick -- James or Faulk. Even taking a poll on draft day, the room seems split on who they would take, but with injuries the safer pick seemed James. With wanting Favre to fall to me with my 4th round pick, Dave was able to snag him the pick before me and it seemed my fate was sealed at that move. I decided to take a chance on Trent Green instead of the safer Rich Gannon. I think by my record we all know who I chose. If I had chosen Gannon I may have even contended for the title as this was my weakest postition losing 5 games by less than 10 points and my gb getting less than 15 in those games. I also had a trade blunder, but this time it was one which wasn't made. After watching week one, and James tearing it up, I goofed around with John D. about trading James and Kennison for Ahman Green and Rod Smith. John got excited, but I couldn't pull the trigger. Although I am usually the one pulling off the big trades, I hesitated and lost out. That won't happen again.

8. Mike: The most important part of Mike's story was his draft strategy. Mike picked Moss in the first round then in the first time since John's sad friend Mark picked back to back TE's in 1st and 2nd round, Mike picked Owens. I think we all looked up bewildered. Even Mike took a big gulp when he said it. I thought he already had a trade set up with someone and this was the strategy. Mike left the draft wondering what he had done as he was left with two running back by committee players and no sure fire starter. It is easy to look at the year after it is done and see the starters because Mike's two part time players were Priest Holmes and Antowain Smith. Holy Shit! Looking at Mike's team now, he may have had the best rb, wr combo in the past 5 years after the draft -- Holmes, Smith, Moss and Owens. Only problem is that when you lose your first three games you have to make changes. Unfortunately for Mike those changes happened before Holmes became the full time starter. In trade blunder #1, Mike got ansy and traded a struggling Moss and Holmes for Tomlinson and Chrebet. Good lord! Dave was grinning ear to ear as Holmes went on to win the rushing title and Moss turned it back on late in the year. Tomlinson fizzled and Chrebet, well he is Chrebet. I can't wait to see Mike's draft strategy this year. Mike is on the clock ....

7. Chris: Whoever Chris selects in the first round I am immediately picking their backup. It has to be third or fourth year in a row that Chris has lost his number one pick due to injury -- this year it was Freddie Taylor. Also with the loss of McCafferey, Chris was immediately in the hole. Although he used Roger's draft strategy in picking a second qb in the 5th round for trade bait (Rich Gannon), he like Roger got dirt for him. Trade blunder # 2 saw Chris trade Rich Gannon for Marcus Robinson and Mushin Muhammed. If Muhammed hadn't had a big game the week before I would have voided it. John made out like a bandit and won the league and Chris never moved. All in all Chris had a decent team on draft day yet injuries once again dismantled any title hopes.

6. Bryan: Either Bryan is the cheapest sob on the planet or he just didn't care. Looking at the roster from the draft and then his final roster 14 weeks later, only two players are different and this includes Pathon and Richardson who were both injured. This will be looked at this year. Bryan did have moderate success in the draft and had a decent team to finish 7-7. Eddie George and Duce Staley were injured most of the year and D Alexander was not the same man as the year before. Not many people would be content with 8-8, but Bryan he looks to be concerned with improving on his lifetime win percentage.

5. Roger: The talk after the draft was that this was Roger's down year. The draft was not a stellar one on top of which Jamal Anderson went down again and Culpepper had an off year. Roger finsihed only a tad away from the playoffs and rode a late round steal in the draft -- Shaun Alexander. Maybe it does say something about not dropping a player too quickly and riding them out the year as Alexander took over in like week 3 or 4 and became a featured back. As mentioned above, Roger had one fatal blunder in trading Brooks for dirt. He could have gotten better players than Terry Allen and McCardell.

4. Tota: Through the first half of the year, Tota had one of the strongest teams at 6-1. Manning and Ricky Williams carried Tota through most games. They both played fair the rest of the year as Tota went 2-5 in the second half but had enough to limp into the playoffs. He did not fair too well as he lost both games decidedly to win no cash. Tota had two excellent te's last year in Gonzalez and Franks, but failed to trade either one which hurt his team down the stretch. Is it just my imagination, or does Tota have the 10th pick in the draft every year? Not that it is a bad pick.

3. Gary: Fuckin' Gary! One thing he has shown over the last few years is that if you have Warner you will win. For two years in a row Gary has done well after drafting Warner. At least two years ago he had good production out of his other players, but Gary did not get that much out of his other starters last year. Some weeks Warner would get 40 points, the rest of his team 32 and he would win 72-68 (usually against me). Leaving the draft I thought Gary would be basement dwelling this year with Watters and Bennett as his starters. David "guns" Boston did well for him last year as well as his ace in the hole Steve Smith as kr. I can count 3 times Gary was beat and an awesome performance by Smith carried Gary to victory. Rumor also has it that Boston was supposed to lose 10 pounds to go from 238 to 228, but went up 10 pounds to 248 and is supposedly faster. Holy shit! Should be exciting to watch this year. Side note: I hear Gary gained 20 pounds also, but mostly in the stomach and ass area. Anna's been calling me again.

2. Dave: After spending the year on "double secret probabtion" Dave told me before the draft that he had been studying. I laughed as I recalled the same quote the year he drafted his "sleeper" in the first round about 6 yrs ago -- Johnnie Johnson. He retired 3 weeks later. Dave had the #2 pick in the draft and really, how can you screw that one up. He picked Faulk then Lamar Smith and then LaDainian Tomlinson. I guarantee that all over the country, Tomlinson did not as high as Dave picked him. He was slated to be OK, yet Dave made the pick and consequently heard the chuckles from the gallery. Jets fans booed him. Best draft move of the day. Tomlinson started out like a bat out of hell and Dave immediately traded him to upgrade his receiver. He got Moss out of Mike and a scrub rb (at the time) in committee running back Priest Holmes. By far the best trade in BFFFL history. For most of the year Daves lineup was Favre, Faulk, Holmes, Moss and Horn. Good lord is that a good lineup. Dave got a wopping 8 points from Favre and 2 from Moss in the finals even though getting 39 from Faulk. This cost Dave the championship. I still wonder if Dave had say the 8th pick how bad he would have screwed his team up. Maybe we will see this year.

1. John: As a lifetime BFFFL member, it is nice to see John win his first championship. It is also sweet for me as I don't have to chase down John to get the dues! Almost like I won! John team was going nowhere fast on draft day after he picked up his first 4 players. John's first 4 picks were solid (A Green, C Mart, Holt, and R Smith) and I remember sitting accross from him as everyone started picking their second qb's before he had his first and seeing his face drop. John does not swear too often and I think I saw him mouth the words "what the fudge" which is very uncharacteristic of John as he is most of the time reserved and mellow. Yeah right. I think it took all John had not to flip Gary's new table. John was stuck with drafting Matt Hasselbeck and Vinny Testes on draft day. He was not pleased as I think I heard a now famouse John quote "this is bullshit". Then John made a great trade and got Gannon for crap. Made John an instant contender to Dave's all powerful team. I still didn't think John had a chance, but riding Kordell Stewart, yes Kordell Stewart (30 points) and Holt's 32 points, John won the championship in convincing form. I only regret one thing about John winning it all last year, and that is I forgot to hold back this years dues from his prize money. Doh! The chase is on -- it's in the mail.