Andy Richardson
We've all got players we won't draft. I've got at least one for each team. Part 1 last week took us through Kansas City; here are the rest.
Miami: Chris Chambers. Not enough has been made about just how bad he was last year. It's simply unfathomable that Chambers, as a No. 1 receiver, could average just 42 yards per game and not score in his final 8 contests. Yes, the quarterbacking was horrible, but Marty Booker somehow managed his best numbers since 2002 and posted superior yardage and scoring numbers, even while missing almost three entire games and catching passes from the same dismal trio as Chambers.
Minnesota: Tarvaris Jackson. I saw it written somewhere that Jackson is "raw." When I watched him last year, he didn't look raw; he simply looked "bad." The Vikings might implement a wishbone offense this year, by necessity.
New England: Ben Watson. One theory holds that all of New England's talented new wide receivers will really open things up for Watson. So, last year everyone figured he'd be great because the Patriots had no wide receivers; this year he'll be great because they have a bunch of them? OK.
New Orleans: Deuce McAllister. I've got nothing against McAllister, but he'll be drafted based on last year -- and I can't see him putting up those numbers again. Reggie Bush will get all the catches, half the rushing yards, and is a more dangerous player around the goal line, too.
New York, New York: If you could combine Plaxico Burress (10 TDs) and Laveranues Coles (91 receptions) into one fantasy player, you'd really have something. Instead you've got one guy who scores regularly but disappears just as often and another guy who finds the end zone every 3.5 games. Neither will be on any of my teams.
Oakland: Wow, where to start. Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends. If any component of this offense makes more than a cameo appearance on the fantasy radar this season, Lane Kiffin should be coach of the year.
Philadelphia: L.J. Smith. Last year I couldn't figure out why nobody wanted him in any of my drafts. Now I understand; the guy's a tease. One week he scores and goes for 60-70 yards, and the next three weeks he totals 5 receptions for 40 yards. Plus he just had surgery for a sports hernia.
Pittsburgh: Willie Parker's backup. Najeh Davenport can't play, and if he starts to show flashes that he can, he'll get hurt a week later. Kevan Barlow has gotten more mileage out of a 1,000-yard season four years ago than he ever should have. Since then he's averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Ignore.
St. Louis: Steven Jackson. Ha! Just kidding, wanted to make sure you were paying attention. I'd give up my top two picks to draft Jackson, and still probably come out ahead on total points. I probably wouldn't draft Isaac Bruce, seeing as his 6 total TDs the last two years make Coles look like a prolific scorer.
San Diego: Antonio Gates. I've been in two drafts this year and he's gone in the second round twice. I don't need to "exclude" him from my draft list; clearly he'll never make it anywhere near where I'd reasonably take him.
San Francisco: Vernon Davis. Loads of talent. But as Chris Elliot said in Groundhog Day, "Prima donnas." How else to explain his postgame quotes just six games into his NFL career, regarding an Alex Smith incomplete pass: "I did what I'm supposed to do," said Davis. "I was open. Did you see that? He should have thrown it quicker and a little over the top." Maybe Davis was right. That doesn't mean he shouldn't shut up about it. At least T.O. had done something in the league before he started ripping his quarterbacks.
Seattle: Shaun Alexander. I carry grudges. David Boston, Steve McNair, Kurt Warner, Chris Chambers. And after last year, you, Alexander. Sorry.
Tampa Bay: Cadillac Williams. Doesn't catch the ball or score. He and Bucs wideout Michael Clayton should start a club.
Tennessee: Running backs. Interesting couple of years for the Titans. A poorly structured contract forces them to cut their most productive runner in that timeframe, Travis Henry, and then they're so enamored of the players they've drafted in the second round the last two years, LenDale White and Chris Henry, that they go crawling back to Chris Brown, whom no other team tried particularly hard to sign. Vince Young might lead this team in both passing and rushing -- assuming he stays in one piece, that is.
Washington: Antwaan Randle El. Remember when Al Davis used to sign up the previous year's Super Bowl stars (Larry Brown, Desmond Howard)? Maybe that approach was what Daniel Snyder was aiming for when he signed Randle El, who'd thrown the game-clinching touchdown in Super Bowl XL. In any case, his upside in terms of punt returns and gadget plays won't get him a spot on my roster.
Are there circumstances where one of these guys might find his way onto my team? Sure. Vernon Davis, for example, might be too good to let fall too far, even if I do think he's embarking on a similar Ego Trip to former Niner Terrell Owens. But there's no point having a draft board if it's not influenced somewhat by guys you like, and guys you don't. Sorry Vernon; you're one of the latter right now.
Somebody once said to me, "The future is a big place." So's the NFL; big enough that I have to believe I can edit out 32 or so players based entirely on past grudges, character concerns, and petty nitpicking, and still put together a championship team.
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Posted by Eugene Hitt | Jun. 27 at 10:10 AM
Impressive list, but what about Lamont Jordan? He single handedly torpedoed a few seasons,{ i drafted him..}Then there's Domanick Davis/Williams, Keenan Mcardell, Heath Miller, Eddie Kennison. I'd never draft any of these guys either.