Team Kneivel

The selection of Favre was mandatory. After winning two consecutive NFL MVP awards Favre heads into this season looking better than ever. While I often find it tempting to go out on a limb, a quick glance at Favre's recent stats eliminated any chance of that.

Over the last three seasons Favre has thrown 110 touchdown passes and amassed 12,194 passing yards. He has started all 16 games in each of those three years.

He has a solid track record when it comes to playing through minor injuries and avoiding major injuries. Last season he seemed to have no problems while relying on the use of non-narcotic pain killers alleviating any concerns relating to substance abuse or his ability deal with his past dependency on Vicodin.

Favre's success has come regardless of playing surface or weather conditions. He's made the best of whatever receivers he's had available even after injuries eliminated his favorite threats.

The bottom line is: Brett Favre has been the ideal Fantasy QB for three seasons. There are no signs that will change any time soon...

With Brett Favre securely in the fold and what I consider to be the cream of the crop among running backs fairly well depleted, I felt that top wide receiver, preferably one that might complement my selection of Favre was in order.

While stud running backs seem to carry great weight in this league, the fact that at least 36 wide outs will grace the starting lineups here make them a hot commodity in my book. Which led to my first real "quandary" of the draft… After convincing myself that I'd be insane not to cash in on the obvious Packer combo that the previous selection of Favre dictated, I had to decide which Packer wide out to pair him up with. Antonio Freeman or Robert Brooks?

My "quandary" being that I have no doubt that Brooks possesses incredible talent but comes off one of the worst knee injuries on record in recent history. According to those who should know, Brooks' injury takes a back seat only to Napoleon McCallum's career ending compound dislocation and William Floyd's devastating triple-tendon-tear, an injury that he's yet to fully recover from, in terms of total damage done.

And while all reports have Brooks well ahead of schedule on his rehab, I still find myself running down the litany of damage he must overcome, specifically a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a torn patellar tendon and a torn medial collateral ligament, which leave me with some degree of doubt.

So… Obviously I've decided that Freeman will wind up as the Packers most productive man on the outside. I find his toughness especially appealing since the Green Bay offense was not designed with receiver safety or longevity as a priority. In spite of the games missed last season due to a fractured forearm, I'm still of the opinion that Freeman is the team's most physical receiver.

So I'll hope for the best, which might include playing all 16 games and improving on last year's totals in all categories. I'm convinced that if he does manage to stay healthy Freeman should easily surpass last season's nine touchdowns and 933 yards from scrimmage.

And I even hope Brooks has it in him to return to form. Any attention he might attract can only make Freeman that much more productive.

A little early for a tight end you say? I might agree, to a point. That point currently lies somewhere just below Walls, Shannon Sharpe and Ben Coates.

From where I sit, at least in leagues where you start an actual tight end each week, getting one of the top producers at this position leaves you with a decided advantage at that spot most every week. An advantage you're not likely to get at any other position as a general rule.

A glance at last year's final stats might shed a little light on my theory. There is a pretty clear line of demarcation, if you will, between the top four tight ends and the rest of the pack.

In fact Sharpe, the top tight end last year, posted final numbers leaving him just outside of the top ten wide receivers. The number two tight end, Walls' would rank just the top 20 (this will vary depending on your scoring system -- I'm basing my theory on a basic scoring system with 6 points for each TD and 1 point for each 10 yards gained from scrimmage).

Now, I'm of the opinion that Walls is going to wind up top dog among tight ends this years for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is a belief that Kerry Collins wants another trip to Hawaii. The kid knows which side his bread is buttered on and he's going to be looking for Walls on a regular basis.

In an ideal world I could probably wait a round or two before making this pick. But many picks will come before my next turn and I'll be irritated all year if I don't get the tight end I want. Hence… Team Kneivel picks Wesley Walls, tight end for the Carolina Panthers with the first pick of the third round.

Without a doubt, Reed in my mind is a perennial top twenty receiver. He's been a personal favorite of mine since 1993, when he first started getting significant playing time after recovering from a broken leg.

Reed became a serious threat the following year and has remained one since in part due to the physical nature of his game. He packs an extremely muscular 217 pounds on a 6-foot-3-inch frame and he knows how to use it. He's a punishing runner after the catch making him a difficult man for a single defensive back to bring down.

Now, I've heard plenty of people expressing their concerns regarding the possibility that Brad Johnson will falter to some degree. A possible drop off by Brad Johnson would hurt both Reed and Cris Carter's final output this year. I'm obviously not counting on any drop off by Johnson. In fact, the poise and confidence he displayed last season leaves me feeling quite comfortable.

In the last three seasons, Reed's season total for receiving yardage has not dipped below 1167. In fact, last season he managed to post 1320 yards, including an 82 yard TD catch and run last season that showed he's more than capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.

This decision was one of the easier I've made so far. Jimmy Smith was tempting, but he's just not "Big Jake..."

Larry blocks... Larry runs... Larry catches... Larry Centers!

I was somewhat surprised to find the Cardinals fullback still available at this point. Based on TD/yardage totals from last season alone (he finished as the number 13 back in the TFL Player Performance Rankings) I would not have suspected he'd be available here.

There are additional factors to consider when looking at Centers, not the least of which is the new contract the Cardinals gave him during the offseason making him one of the top five paid backs in the league. My hunch is that the Cards will make good on their promises to get the ball in his hands more often this season. Coaches have installed a new series of plays that feature Centers in a one-back set. It will be interesting to see him get more carries after he's earned his reputation as a receiver coming out of the backfield.

I'm also reminded of the time I was interviewing Tim McDonald who called Centers the hardest man to tackle in the league.

Once again, I'm pleased. I come away with a player I not only feel will be a productive addition to my roster, but I think I got him at a favorable value. And like some of my previous picks, I just like him. Makes for a little more fun come game day each week...

I personally thought that Hill was ready to make his move into the starting lineup last season. The fact that he didn't get that opportunity didn't keep him from being extremely productive when he hit the field.

In spite of the fact he started only one game last season he was still able to finish the year with five TDs while averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

As the Chiefs starter at halfback this season Hill will certainly get the kind of opportunities that will allow him to easily exceed previous totals. The Team Team Kneivel brain trust found him to be an exceptional value at point in the draft.

Yes, Westbrook may have been a bit of a reach based on past performance. His injury history is also a worry. But... Westbrook does have a tremendous upside. If he's able to remain healthy there's little doubt the Skins would like to see him become the team's top producer on the outside.

The fact that he's entering the final year of an $18 million contract may help him find some inner strength that will allow him to remain upright for more plays than he has over his first two seasons. Since he is a Ferrari kind of guy, meaning he enjoys having the kind of money that comes from an $18 million contract, I'm looking for more this year.

I've never been a big Westbrook fan, but I certainly won't argue against his physical skills and potential.

In all honesty, Del Greco was what I consider to be an "emergency pick." Let me set the scenario for you.... I was in a bind for time, waking up in the wee hours of the morning just moments before my deadline expired. I was extremely tired but had a full slate of work that was overdue. In other words, I simply wasn't able to sit down and spend the time necessary to make an incredibly intelligent pick.

However, going into a draft that's structured and operates like the FanEx draft, I'm well aware that there will be at least one instance during the course of the proceedings when I find myself in this position.

When such situations arise I institute an "emergency protocol." This protocol states that my first emergency pick is spent on a kicker.

Without an opportunity to get a feel for how anybody is performing (this pick comes a full month before training camp) I looked towards Del Greco, an extremely reliable, very consistent Fantasy scorer. In addition to his overall reliability he is very accurate from outside 50 yards.

That said, please be advised the next phase of my "emergency protocol" calls for me to pick a team defense. So when you see Team Team Kneivel going after the Seahawks defense early you'll know what's happened... [Editor note: FanEx doesn't have DTs]

Team Team Kneivel is beginning to look like a unit that will rely heavily on fullbacks to get the job done for them at running back. Why? I'd like to believe it's because we're shrewd and astute judges of NFL talent. But I may be fooling myself.

Due to our position in this draft we simply weren't able to obtain any of the top halfbacks so we're left with a simple exercise in rankings and projections.

At the time we selected Larry Centers, he was simply the highest rated back we had on our board. The same goes for Alstott who proved to be very productive in his rookie year.

By gaining 931 total yards and scoring six TDs in 1996 the youngster earned the confidence of Tampa Bay's coaching staff and his quarterback. As a result we're projecting an increase in overall production this season. But the fact is Alstott only needs to match last season's totals to justify his selection at this point in the draft.

Maybe a reach... Maybe not... Byner has proven to be a capable, productive running back over the years. Currently his major drawback is that he is playing behind Bam Morris.

At this point of the draft, however, it's time to start taking some chances. With recent reports out of Baltimore hinting that Morris may not have worked as hard as the coaching staff would have liked on rehabbing the knee he had surgically repaired following last season, Byner becomes slightly more attractive. Then we add in the latest intel coming out of Baltimore. It seems that there was a minor mutiny among Raven's players when coach Ted Marchibroda asked the team for another day of workouts during Baltimore's last mini-camp.

The team tried to downplay the situation by discounting the importance of that final day of practice. The company line is that all the players voted on whether or not they wanted to hold that final day of workouts. Apparently only two players sided with the coach; Vinny Testaverde and Byner.

I'm not saying that sucking up to the coach will help Byner get more turns but it certainly won't hurt.

Emanuel is an excellent deep threat with outstanding speed. He compliments fellow Falcon wide out and starter Terrance Mathis extremely well.

The former Rice quarterback has improved steadily since entering the league and making the switch to wide receiver. His touchdown total has increased annually and he can be reasonably counted on to reach the 1,000 yard neighborhood in total yardage.

When discussing this selection with Team Team Kneivel partner Joe Bryant the prime worry seemed to be how Atlanta's passing attack will fare overall under Dan Reeves. It's obviously our hope that the Giants problems were attributable more to poor execution than Reeves scheme.

The sooner the Carruth gets his John Hancock on a contract the better off I'll be after selecting the rookie with the final pick of the 12th round.

If all goes well, Carruth will wind up the starter before too long and provide the Panthers with the deep threat that will compliment Muhsin Muhammad so nicely. Of course, Carruth will have to overcome Rocket Ismail and free agent acquisition Ernie Mills. That might not be as easy as I hope. Recent reports indicate that Rocket has looked very good in preseason workouts catching a bomb a day dazzling coaches and impressing teammates. Fortunately Mills hasn't looked so good.

Carruth has 4.4 speed that travels on a sturdy 5-foot-10-inch 195 pound frame. He's considered to be a strong runner after making the catch, very capable of creating the big play. His main negative coming into the league is a tendency to drop balls, but many of his drops have been attributed to carelessness. That's something the coaching staff in Carolina will change.

Bottom line is I believe the Panthers have every intention of working him into the lineup as soon as possible. Once in the starting lineup I expect one big play after another out of Carruth.

4.19

I don't care if it was on a track with gale force winds blowing at his back. Anybody who runs a sub-4.2 40 is going to see some serious action and Jerris McPhail has that kind of speed. He ran the 4.19 last month to regain the title of the fastest Dolphin for the second season running. That speed makes the second-year man out of Eastern Carolina a legitimate scoring threat every time the gets his hands on the ball.

And I expect the Dolphins to make every effort at getting him the ball often. I also expect that they'll try to do so in such a way that he'll have some open field to work with too...

Another factor I feel is encouraging is the fact that McPhail has some size to go along with his speed. At 5-feet-11-inches and 201 pounds he's a full inch taller and about five pounds heavier than starting tailback Karim Abdul-Jabbar.

That's a factor when you take into account recent reports indicating the Dolphins desire to indoctrinate McPhail as a backup for Abdul-Jabbar during camp this year. Running back coach Kippy Brown said last week that, "Our intent is to see if Jerris McPhail can be an every-down back."

With Irving Spikes coming off knee surgery (performed 7/7) it shouldn't be hard to get him those turns in camp. And given Jabbar's history of ankle sprains McPhail could be in line for some extra turns when the regular season rolls around.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised when I realized McPhail was still available and I'm extremely optimistic that he'll make up for my "panic" selection of Earnest Byner back in round 10.

Since the pickin's were getting mighty slim at quarterback, I was sweating more heavily with each passing selection leading up to this one.

I knew that by waiting this long to pick up a backup quarterback I was taking my chances. But with starter Brett Favre on a roll with 89 consecutive games played, I'm hoping I won't pay a price for waiting his long.

After narrowing down the remaining candidates by throwing out the players I felt were in danger of losing their starting jobs before the Packers bye week (Oct. 19) I was left with only Atlanta's Chris Chandler on my list.

On the plus side, Chandler has a great arm and a solid rotation of wide outs that he'll be targeting as the Falcons starter. According to Atlanta head coach Dan Reeves earlier this week that Chandler, "has done very well so far. He's very comfortable in our system because it's very similar to what he ran with the Oilers. He worked extremely hard in the off-season learning the terminology."

Downside... Chandler will be playing in front of an offensive line that has struggled to protect the quarterback in the past. He'll also be running Reeves' conservative offense that will rely heavily on ball control and minimizing mistakes, not conducive to big plays. But what I liked the least is that the Falcons host the Niners on Favre's bye week.

Analysis

The deal with Mason is he's one of my famous "gut instinct" guys. I'm no strategist and Bryant told me to go "wacky" with the last pick... My primary reasoning is my understanding of coach Jeff Fisher. He's a discipline guy. And he loves the way Mason runs routes. Almost as much as he doesn't like the way Joey Kent can't learn the offense or catch the ball... I always listen carefully to what the coaches say because I believe they're the most predictable aspect of any team. Once you have a feel for their style, beliefs, etc. I think you can tell a lot by what they say about players... In other words, I made a phenomenal reach that probably won't pan out.