2005 Draft By Pick      2005 Draft by Owner

Saturday, September 3, 2005, the annual Beltway Fantasy Football League draft was held at our "usual" place, XM Radio Headquarters in Washington, DC. The plan was to get the draft started at 11:00 and then we would probably finish up around 2 PM. We have expanded to 10 teams this year, thank God, and we were expecting the draft to last a little longer with 34 more picks then normal. We were going to have 2 owners, Seminole Nation and the Spoilers calling in or logging on to the internet during the draft to make their selections.

We had some techie problems getting Bill and Chuck on the web site, and the speaker phones did not seem to work very well, and then we couldn't find anyone to deliver the Pizza that we were going to have. After all these distractions, we finally got the draft started at 11:40 when the Komodo Dragons selected Ladainian Tomlinson, with the first pick. Surprise, Surprise! My team the Bowl Huggers had the second pick and while I thought very hard about taking Priest Holmes, I passed on him and took Sean Alexander instead. The other "New Guy", Brian and his team Deep Purple, put some Smoke on the Water and picked Edgerin James with the 3rd pick. This was a mild surprise to me, but not as much a surprise as the next pick when Seminole Nation took Corey Dillon with the 4th pick. This left Priest Holms to be picked by Big Blue. Wow, Holmes falling to 5th, that was a shocker and I was pissed that Ed ended up with him. When it was the Spoilers pick at #8, Bill exclaimed over the phone, "Is Corey Croom available". It didn't take long for his name to come up!

Bill was having troubles picking a player from the web site and Dale chimed in, "Can we have a pre-season training session next year?" With the 10th pick in the first round ole Colombo, aka Jeff and the Flying Beavers took Randy Moss, then followed this up with Marvin Harrison to start the 2nd round. Bill was amused, "He went with 2 wide receivers, that crazy SOB!" In the pre-draft emails there was the usual mention of porn being brought to the draft, but since Greg and Jeff both work at XM now, we decided that it might not be a great career move for either of them to have some at the draft. Jeff was thinking of next year, "Maybe we will have a screen projector, that would show the draft picks, then we could have a half-time show!" Soon there after Greg got his first dig in, "Jeff, you picked 2 wide receivers first, now you need to take 2 kickers next".

In the second round, everyone was passing on Duece McAllister because people were afraid of the Saints players after hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans. I was not afraid and I saw him on the board at the beginning of the 2nd round and I thought there was NO WAY he fall to me at the 19th pick. Another surprise, he was sitting there at 19 and I couldn't get to the board fast enough to select him. Sean Alexander and Duece McAllister on the same team? You guys are in serious trouble this year!

At the end of the 4th round the Dragons selected Steve Smith. Jeff was looking at his cheat sheet and said, "Steve Smith, I have him under desperation!" A few minutes later, Bill finally found the live draft link and typed in the chat room, " YO, I found it, I am a big fat hairy dufas!

The draft proceeded on and we did get our pizza and chowed down on it. In the 9th round Columbo was waiting to pick and exclaimed, "I need to pick soon, because I am about to fart!" Maybe he had a brain fart as he picked RB Ricky Williams at 9.10. Williams will be out at least the first 4 games because of his BONG HIT suspension and Miami Drafted Ronnie Brown in the first round this year. Bill chatted, "Don't Bogart that joint!"

We had a break in the action as a few guys left the room, including Greg who was manning the laptop and putting the picks on the web site as they were selected. Ed got on Greg's computer and started to chat with Chuck. Julian said, "Ask him what he is wearing, is it sexy? He probably has on his Speedo and a wife beater t-shirt!" Jeff then had to tell a little too much information, "I have underwear that has no elastic, I pull them up, but they keep falling down!"

It was the end of the 11th round and I was looking at the Flying Beaver roster, "The Beavers have no Defense and no kicker". Ed looked over at Jeff and said, "You have NO Offense". In the 14th round one of the New Guys, Brian tried to take Dallas Clark, TE for Indy. The only problem was that I had already drafted him in the 10th. It happens every year!!

On the draft board, I didn't have a lot of space for the team names, so I had put up "F Beavers". In the middle of the 16th round Julian was looking over the Beavers roster, "Actually the F Beavers SUCK!"

Almost 4 hours after the draft started, it was over. It took a lot longer than usual, but what else can I say about the draft, it was excellent as usual!!!!

Here is Al Falcons' 2005 Draft recap of each team.

Flying Beavers' Best Pick: Jeff's picks went WR, WR, RB, RB, QB, QB a very interesting strategy to say the least. I think his best 2 picks were Kevin Jones at 3.10 and Lamont Jordan at 4.01. Getting 2 decent starting RB's after getting Moss and Harrison, have the top of his team in good shape.
Flying Beavers' Worst Pick: The Beavers got pretty good value at each pick, but Jeff loves Bret Favre and picking him at 5.10 was a stretch. I checked back to previous BFFL drafts and Jeff has drafted Favre 5 years in a row!!! Give it up, Jeff, this is the last call for Bret this year.
Al Falcons' Projections: Columbo has done it again, I think he will make the playoffs and make a run at the trophy, 3rd place.

Spoilers' Best Pick: It wasn't the same without Bill at the draft this year, we hope his dad is going well after having surgery just before the draft and Bill drafted from Cleveland. He picked some good picks but Curtis Martin at 3.09 is a steal. Martin was the #4 RB last year and #8 player overall in this league.
Spoilers' Worst Pick: Not picking a WR until the 5th round and ending up with Ashley Lelie as your #1 WR is going to hurt.
Al Falcons' Projections: The Spoilers finished with the Toilet Bowl Trophy last year, but I see an improvement this year. I think Culpepper pulls this team into the playoffs. 5th place

Deep Purple's Best Pick: Thomas Jones with pick 17.03. He is going to start for Chicago while the rookie RB Cedric Benson learns the system. Jones has the greatest biceps in the NFL and should have been picked 5-8 rounds sooner by someone, not to mention that he is fast as "SH**".
Deep Purple's Worst Pick: Edgerrin James at 1.03. Indy is pass, pass, pass and James was only the 7th ranked RB last year in this league. We shall have to see about this one.
Al Falcons' Projections: Brian has some over the hill players in my opinion, like Marshal Faulk, Eric Moulds and maybe Issac Bruce. He didn't draft with much upside on a lot of his picks. Since he is one of the new guy's, I have to put him out of the playoffs and in 9th place.

Lombardi Mania's Best Pick: 10.04 Tatum Bell or 6.04 J.J. Arrington are both great value picks. Again it seems like there was some good value at RB to be had in this draft.
Lombardi Mania's Worst Pick: 5.07 Anquan Boldin, I believe Dale had him during his blow up year a few years ago, but Boldin had a big 38 Fantasy Points and 1 TD last year and isn't even the #1 WR on his team.
Al Falcons' Projections: The Mania came through last year with their first BFFL title, but I don't see them repeating again this year. I think they are going to make the playoffs and finish in 4th place.

WhoseYourDaddies' Best Pick: Terrell Owens at 2.05 may turn out to be a great pick. After he whined and got suspended in the pre-season, he came back to make big plays in the only game he played in. TO could be a force to recon with this year. Also 12.05 Kevan Barlow, someone has got to run the ball for San Fran this year.
WhoseYourDaddies' Worst Pick: 4.05 Chris Brown, I think he is going to be banged up all season and Travis Henry will cut into his production. Brown is pretty weak for your #2 RB. 17.06 Drew Bledsoe? I bet he doesn't last 4 weeks on the WYD roster, a wasted pick.
Al Falcons' Projections: The Daddies have a nack of making the playoffs in they league, this year I see a down year for them, out of the playoffs and 8th place.

Seminole Nation Best Pick: 3.04 Jamal Lewis. I was amazed how some of the RB's dropped down the board in this draft. If Jamal can stay healthy, he is a real powerhouse and a steal in the 3rd round. Mike Nugent K NYJets, 16.07 two picks ahead of where I was going to pick him. I was pissed!!!
Worst Pick: Tie between 5.04 Michael Vick and 1.04 Corey Dillon. Both were a reach in my opinion, but the Nation has Jake Delhomme as their "real" #1 QB.
Al Falcons' Projections: The Nation will battle with the Bowl Huggers and Flying Beavers for the top of the Corey Croom Division, but will fade at the end. 6th place

Snoozers' Best Pick: Tiki Barber at 4.03 is a great pick, even Julian was happy with it when he said, "I hate the Giants, but I love touchdowns!" Tiki was a surprise last year as the #2 RB in the league. Can he repeat it?
Snoozers' Worst Pick: The Snoozers picked 3 RB's and 6 WR's?? What kind of strategy is that? Julian is one twisted ankle and a bye week away from not having enough RB's to start. Braylon Edwards a rookie WR for Cleveland at 9.08, that is what I call "desperation"!!!
Al Falcons' Projections: Since he got Peyton Manning in the 1st round, you can't count the Snoozers out of it, but their shaky RB's scare the hell out of me. 7th place.

Komodo Dragons' Best Pick: 1.01 LT or 2.10 Steven Jackson. It was a no-brainer at the #1 pick, and I was eyeing Jackson for my 3rd round pick, he is a HORSE!
Komodo Dragons' Worst Pick: 11.01 Steve McNair as your #1 QB? I believe in waiting for QB's at times, but McNair is often injured and David Carr as your only other QB, bad move by the Dragons.
Al Falcons' Projections: Another of the new guys, I foresee a new name on the Toilet Bowl for this season, Pete Roberts

Big Blue's Best Pick: 1.05 Priest Holmes and 2.06 Brian Westbrook. If these 2 guys can stay healthy, Big Blue is going to have a chance to win every week.
Big Blue's Worst Pick: 3.05 Javon Walker. I am not drinking the Green Bay cool-aid this year. I think Walker will be a bust this season. Carson Palmer at 6.06 is a little of a reach, and I wouldn't want him as my #1 QB in this league.
Al Falcons' Projections: Big Blue has made the Super Bowl game 2 years in a row in this league. I think he will start strong, and need some timely free-agents to take him to the top game again. Somehow the Bastard does it again, only to lose to me in the title game. 2nd place

Bowl Huggers' Best Pick: 2.09 Duece McAllister. You guys were nuts to let me get Alexander and Duece on the same team. Enjoy the view from behind me all season! I think my first 5 picks with Bulger, Chad Johnson and Darrell Jackson make up a great core of my team.
Bowl Huggers' Worst Pick: 17.02 John Kasay. I really wanted Nugent as my kicker late in the draft, I am sure I will be dropping this guy like I did after drafting him in the 17th round last year. Other than that, I think I picked great value at each pick.
Al Falcons' Projections: 1st place of course, back where I belong! I think I crushed you all at the draft and I look forward to getting the trophy back on the wall in my office next year!!! If I win, I will no longer be the Bowl Huggers but a 4 time BFFL Champion.