The Good The Bad and The Ugly

 

Incredible journeys have been traveled. Numerous bad beats taken. Lots of suffering endured. Fortunes have been both lost and found. Battles have been conqured. Alliances formed and broken. 

It's week 8. 

There is still much to be determined as we continue to navigate the hellacious path of minefields week to week that is Fantasy Football. Nothing easy is worth having and what is worth more than a PWS title ? There have been winners and losers thus far, but everything can change in just 1 single week in the NFL. Let's take a gander at the landscape of PWS.

The Good

KHH 

Is there anything better than KHH right now ? Short answer no. Lamar - Good. CMC - Good. Jordan Addison - Good. Kamara with broke arm checkdown McGee Derek Carr  - Good. Mark Andrews - Good. Waiver priority  - hella-good. So much good begs the question... how could it go bad? George seems destined to overcome his titanic woes and cruise to his first title in 15 years. 

What if though.... what if Lamar reverts back from his MVP form to his past years of sitting on the sidelines is December? If so can George overcome ? What if Zay Flowers over takes Mark Andrews as Lamars top target and Andrews becomes more bust than boom? What if CMC breaks down much like he has not once but twice in his career? Could George overcome ? There are doomsday scenarios that keep G-baby up at night. Will the fear of those nightmares sway George to mismanage the hoes further establishing him as the Dallas Cowboys of the league? Only time will tell.

DraftJoshAllen.com

Has their been a more quiet contender than everyone's favorite Muddog Tyler Branch ? He's been in the top 3 all season. Josh Allen bust weeks and uneven play can't phase him. Losing not just James Conner, but Fantasy World shattering De'Von Achane. Who cares ? Broken shoulder Derek Carr has capped Olave's upside for the shorterm. Doesn't matter. Josh Jacobs has been severely underwhelming. Yawn. Branch just stays winning. His trajectory could put him on a collision course with none other than George Bradley in the post season. Who doesn't want to see that come to fruition ? Tyler is a legit contender despite all the tribulation my Muddog Bretheren has endured. Just imagine if his players get healthy/start achieving their upside? 

The Cream Team

At first they were getting creamed but now they hot and their opponents are getting Reamed. Brotherly shoves, Swifties loves, Hockensens sticky gloves and Pachecos TD lugs have Sam saying "I'm the tower of power too sweet to be sour" 

Sam has overcome early losses and RB mediocrity to sit at 5-2. With the current state of the standings he appears to be a near lock for the playoffs. Where could it go bad ? It appears as though the Cream Team although too hot to handle and too cold to hold right now lacks the elite upside it takes to capture eternal PWS glory. I fear not even 2 boss ass TEs can overcome the capped upside of Sam's RB stable. Will he make a legendary league winning trade to change the course of his legacy ? Only time will tell.

The Dirty Birds

But Joe.... they don't have any RBs. I know. It's true their RBs could be labeled bad if not down right ugly. They don't currently have the backs needed to carry them to a championship. I still think there's a good chance the Dirty Birds fly into the playoffs. Their "Big 3" are nothing short of special. So what if.... just what if Soliz gets his hands on a boss ass RB? What if najee goes down, Matt Canada gets fired or assassinated by a crazed Steelers fan ? Warren could have a nuclear eruption. What if Soliz is able to find a RB benefactor via trade ? Impossible? I think it's definitely possible from the looks of many "punt" PWS trades over the last couple of years. 

WelkersemohaM

What is it about Mike that has people sending him their best players every year ? Is it that Payroll Cowboy Charm ? Has he secretly mastered the art of hypnotism ? Is he taking out Branch loans and bribing people under the table ? Whatever the case Mike has assembled yet another Super team. What could go wrong with the roster stacked with clearly the most talent ? Could JT breakdown yet again ? Could Burrow single handedly nose dive Chases value ? Could Kupp get Puka-ed ? Could Kelce elope with Taylor Swift leaving Mahomes more lost on the field than the puppy who lost his way ? Possible, or perhaps this is the year Mike's Super team finally goes the distance.

The People's Champ

Brett has done a more than admirable job navigating the early pitfalls of the season as he sits 6th in the standings and 5th in points. Brett is also ever prepared for doomsday Sundays picking up seemingly every available handcuff and at times couch potatoes. Never know when a couch potato like Darrell Henderson might just become an RB2. Brett has an elite stack and an elite RB. So what if Fields comes back and picks up the DJ Moore DB roast tour ? What if Gibbs lives up to the hype ? What if Mishew mania unlocks Pittman ? Could Brett capture that ever elusive green jacket? It is firmly within the range of outcomes for The People's Hero.

The Bad

The Papa Burgundys

Their uneven, underwhelming start is largely due to unfortunate injuries particularly in the RB department. Tua has been unable to carry the team thus far. The burgundys replacements have been ugly and one might even dare to say toilet store esk after 6 straight weeks under 100. So how could the Burgundys possibly rise back to number one in the news team ratings ? Enter Jaylen Waddle. Now equipped with a stack with elite upside they might just have the volatility to go as Soliz would say... BOOM 💥. What if that's not enough ? What else might it take? Perhaps the Return of the King Fantasy Football edition could level the playing field? Haters will speak of the usage of spears. Especially in negative game scripts, but what if Vrabel decides to just run every last bit of Henry to stay relevant in the AFC south ? Not convinced? Well what if the Titans venture to the opposite end of the spectrum and have a fire sale ? Henry goes to a contender and becomes a CMC like 2nd half as he enjoys one last ride of RB1 glory. Oh yeah and that would vault Spears into RB2 territory for good measure.

PS Josh Palmer might actually be good now and JSN might take over as Seattle's numero uno.

Miller Gold Agency

It has definitely been bad if not borderline ugly for the Agency thus far. Burrow and JT tanked their early season prospects. Then Chase was shipped off just before his return to glory. How do you live with that kind of failure? The answer is simple. You fight. You need some things to break right in the 2nd half sure, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. What if Burrow bounces back ? What if Ridley actually is utilized appropriately? What if Rashee Rice becomes a high end WR 2 ? Hell what if Javontae and Rhamondre don't suck ? Every week brings new changes to the landscape. Find a way to survive till they do.

The Cake Eaters

A Roster as talented as the cake eaters has had very little cake to eat, yet been stuck with the massive dinner bill not even Rich pretty boy Banksy can afford. Phillip has been left washing dishes in the back kitchen wondering where it all went wrong. Perhaps, things haven't gone as wrong as they seem. Perhaps Phillip has everything needed to rise up in epic fashion. Ekeler, Saquon and Breece lightning all hold league winning upside. What if they all go on a run ? What if Devonta Smith cries and Hurts starts utilizing his skill set to perfection ? What if Kyler Murray returns and gets off to a hot start ? Who's to say Phillips phone wouldn't be blown up with texts from George pleading for him ? What if Phillip lands Lamar? So much potential for a 2-5 team. I wouldn't bet against a playoff run. 

Sunday Scaries

Drew has been on arguably the best run in PWS history since his 2nd year in the league. It's hard to fathom how things have fallen so far off course. The cherry on top this past week was Bijans "headaches". What the heck was that ? Drew might be in dead last, but his resume makes it hard to count him out. Imagine a world where Bijan doesn't have headaches. Imagine a world where Bijan gets goaline carries. Imagine Trevor Lawrence living up to the hype. Imagine Higgins being healthy. Imagine Dameon Pierce scoring TDs. The road back might be long and riddled with obstacles, but one that can be Navigated by a true Champion like Drew.

The Ugly

AggSwaggg

Nothing was uglier than the injury suffered by Nicholas Chubb. Heartbreaking. Devastating. Was the Jefferson injury the "coup de grace" ? Can the swaggies survive till the Receiving king returns ? Will a return even save their season ? Will Watson ever decide to play and play well? Magic 8 ball says outlook bleak.

Week 1 After math

 

Every new Football season induces so many great feelings. Everyone has high hopes for their fantasy team. Everyone has aspirations of claiming their main leagues title. For glory. For bragging rights and yes even for some cold hard cash. The anticipation for week 1 of the NFL season is indescribable as the insatiable desire to see your players are as good or even better than you thought. When that magical week finally arrives it never fails to bring chaos. Half of us feel our fantasy prowess and summer preparation vindicated while the other half feels like Kevin Malone after losing to Phyllis in poker.  Allow me to examine what that looks like in PWS specifically.

THE HAVES

The Dirty Birds

Who is feeling better than the guy to execute the first true Zero RB strategy in league history and escape week 1 with a victory despite his QB getting ZERO points? Soliz avoided RBs in the draft like a plague. For the outsiders reading this you may be thinking zero RB has been a common strategy for years and we are behind the times. you could not be more wrong. This league is still standard scoring and although there have been many strategies investing very little in RBs there has never been someone to walk away from a draft without a starting RB. After receiving much criticism  Soliz was content to ride into week 1 without making any moves. He refuted every bit of criticism with boasts of "BOOM" weeks by his WRs. Tyreek Hill fulfilled the prophecy week 1. The only question that remains is will Soliz look to double down on his squad or will he be looking to spend some early FAAB on the likes of Kelly, Kyren, or even Justice Hill ?

KHH

Speaking of BOOM weeks, how about Aaron Jones and CMC ? Stepping up in a big BIG way for Lamar and the rest of the hoes roster. Did the win come at the cost of Aaron Jones for multiple weeks or will Jones fight through it for his most loyal of managers, George Bradley? Does George trust Lamar ROS ? Will George jump back aboard the Titanic? In the midst of all these burning questions will George simply stop at a gas station on his way to work and pick up the latest fantasy magazine for answers ? Only time will tell.

The Papa Burgundys

He may have lost dobbins, but that didn't stop him from leading the league in scoring. In a week that begged the question "are QBs dead" Tua stood tall amongst his peers with a statement game. Is this the beginning of the next great QB, or just another flash in the pan like last year ? Will Holeman look to break the bank for one of the available RBs on waivers ? We will know shortly. Either way the outlook is great for the 4 time Champ.

Sunday Scaries

What more can you say that hasn't already been said about the man quickly becoming "Mr. Consistent" aka The defense whisperer aka All I do is win Drew Jones ? He took a goose egg from Higgins on the chin and still finished 2nd in scoring thanks to the tyrannical  and utterly terrifying Dallas Defense and Aiyuk. The lack of goaline carries for Bijan are concerning, but he looked better than advertised in his NFL debut. With no holes on his roster Drew might be the early betting favorite to capture the 2023 Championship.

DraftJoshAllen.com

The winner of a surprisingly dramatic match up must have a lot of mixed feelings. On the one hand Branch escaped with a victory. On the other Josh Allen might have ran his patience thin. Pollard is a stud and should be in tons of positive game scripts thanks to the dominant Dallas Defense. Carr wants to take shots and it should just be a matter of time before he starts connecting with Olave. Puka might be the darling of September. Possibly even the season if Kupp can't get healthy. All in all I'd say Branch is in good shape.

Agg Swaggg

The Swagggies somehow come out of week 1 with a victory despite starting multiple players that would have even a 16 man league manager scratching their heads. Right now it might not matter as long as Watson is putting up 20+ paired with Jefferson and Chubb, but when bye weeks and injuries start to take place it's hard to imagine being able to fall back on Adam Thielen, Allen Lazard, Courtland Sutton and Hollywood. With 8 players on the roster worthy of immediately dropping will the Swagggies look to utilize their FAAB, or will they be drunk off a week 1 win ? I can't wait to find out.

THE HAVE NOTS

Miller Gold Agency

If there was anyone more depressed than myself after week 1 it would be Dylan. Watching his golden stack of Burrow to Chase get completely neutralized by rust and bad weather must have been miserable. Jonathan Taylor can't come back soon enough. The silver lining for the Agency is without question Calvin Ridley. He looked ungaurdable in the first half of week 1. Should prove to be a common thing rest of season. Dylan will need to find a way to topgrade Tyler Boyd and Swift. Perhaps we will see Dylan active in the early waiver bidding. I'm excited to see.

The Peoples Champ

That says it all. After all the hype we won't get to see a potential meteoric year 2 rise from baby Jefferson. The Chargers "aggressive" "downfiled throwing" "pass heavy" offense we heard about all summer long left a lot to be desired. The Hawks face planted week 1 against an opponent many of us thought to be a bottom dweller this year and on top of that lost 2 lineman. Not an ideal start, but if the Chargers offense can start to resemble the one they claimed to be this summer many of these deficiencies can be masked.

WelkersemoahM

Kupp on IR. Bad. Mahomes without Kelce, not ideal. After week 1 Mike needed to make a move and he nailed it. Perfectly selling high on Pittman after what could prove to be a fools gold performance week 1. Also getting value in return for an injured player on an offense with an already decimated O-line is probably a smart move as well. Still there's much to be desired and more moves needed without the good health of Kupp and a full complement of weapons for Mahomes in order for the squad to make a special run. 

The Cream Team

The Cream Team was true to their name week one and got creamed thanks to duds by their studs. Sam had the misery of witnessing Pacheco in a 3 way committee. Cam Akers do his best Dionte Johnson efficiency impersonation while also getting wally pipped by Kyren Williams twice at the goaline. Scary Terry is not at full strength and Travis Kelce is hurt. All that being said the silver linings to week 1 for the cream team come in the form of Gainwells usage and the Gus bus. With new RB blood in the mix for week 2 will it HURT SO GOOD again ?

Little Giants 

The highest scorer of the losers saw the Hawks and Steelers both implode. Both squads had good outlooks coming into the season so we should see brighter days for Geno and Najee, but week 1 was definitely concerning. What wasn't concerning was Breece Hall. He looks better than ever and could be a top 5 back in just a couple weeks if Zach Wilson can prove to have any competency at all running the offense.

The Straight haired Pimps

I must admit this was one of my most embarrassing losses. At least in recent memory. When I saw my opponent was starting not only Allen Lazard but Adam Thielen as well I thought it was a joke. The joke turned out to be my week 1 performance. So many dark and negative thoughts building. Threatening to consume my very soul, but I've looked at my team countless times since Sunday. Reviewing the stats. Looking back at the film. Looking ahead to see how it all projects for week 2. We will be making changes and we will be spending FAAB. I cannot live with my own failure. We will be aggressive in making changes to better position ourselves.

See you boys in week 2!

Dear Fantasy

 

It doesn't seem that long ago I was using the dial up internet in my dads office to log into NFL.com to play pick 3 fantasy. Tommy Maddox Plaxico and Hines Ward were my go to guys. Even though I was dipping my toes into the realm of fantasy football I was still a football purest. I'd watch the Sunday Ticket  every week absorbing all the football knowledge and just enjoying the greatest game on earth. Of course nothing trumpt my love for the black and yellow. Hence my homer picks in the early days of fantasy football. As the years went on I started playing in numerous yahoo public leagues. Dominating against guys you didn't know was an unrivaled thrill when you're 12-13 years old. I fell in Love with the game of Fantasy Football. Eventually I would find myself back in Houston and attending the great school of ole Klein High. It's there where I made friends that invited me to join my first ever competitive league with people I knew. Ebers league. Yes, the one he tried to rig for himself to win by giving himself Peyton Manning and making the scoring as QB heavy as you've ever seen (you scoundrel). And yes, it was also a 2 QB league before those were a thing. Maybe Ebers was just ahead of his time. Even though Ebers structured things largely in his favor I found a way to win thanks to my first muddog move. Starting Marques Colston at TE. Man that felt cool and I felt so smart. After that I was ready for the big leagues. I was ready... for PWS.

Although I continued to compete in many other leagues over the next 17 years no league had my attention like PWS. PWS would always be the only league that had my heart. It was a love so deep that I gave PWS my mind body and soul. Everything I had. My absolute all. The goal every season wasn't to win money or to win X amount of titles. There was only one goal each year. Win a PWS title. Year 1 my hopes died with Ronnie Brown tearing his ACL at the time being the number 1 back in fantasy. I went into year 2 so focused. So hungry. So ready to win. As fate would have it I would share those feelings with the man that would become my Muddog Brother. Tyler Branch. He selflessly shared his team with me so we could make room for Clark Kendall and Ebers. It's hard to put into words the bond formed by sharing a team with someone in your main league. Going through a full seasons trials and tribulations together. Making countless trades in our favor together. Talking line up decisions and negotiating deals at practice or even the sidelines during the Friday Night Lights. All we cared about was winning it all. Then all our hardwork went down the drain as the menace to society known as Antonio Bryant robbed us of our destiny. A loss like that you never get over. That pain sticks with you. You can either let it tear you down or motivate you. Year 3 I had to face the grind of the season alone as Branch and I had our own teams again. I made a pre draft trade and had my whole draft mapped out based on that deal. I couldn't wait to unleash that blueprint for a championship. It wasn't until draft day that I would learn my trade partner wasn't holding up his end of the deal. This burned a rage in me so deep that my first Fuck you draft was born and from those ashes came the Golden Arms. Brees Palmer Schaub McNabb Bulger and yes even Trent Green would all be drafted by yours truly. Even though I devoted my draft at that point to screwing over members of the league the way I had been screwed I was still able to put together a contender. Lead by Jamaal Charles and Drew Brees. The 2 guys who were my franchise players. They carried me into the semis where I would be taught a very valuable lesson. Don't Trust Beat Writers. Those guys are scum. I had stashed Jerome Harrison for 3 weeks for that week 15 match up against the worst run defense in football only to have beat writers sway me based on their Sunday morning reports that Harrison wasn't going go start. All he did was rush for 286 yards and 3 scores that day. I would lose by 7 points which meant I would leave my Muddog Brother alone in the finals. It was our goal to give the middle finger to league by having a Muddog Final that year. I let him down. I let myself down. Yet another haunting loss that stays with me even today. That failure however, would take my game to another level. Year 4 I drafted 5 RBs in the first 6 rounds. I used them to form one of the greatest teams the league has ever seen. Once again with Brees and Charles but this time much much more. McFadden, TD leader Dwayne Bowe, Mike Wallace, Mike twinkie Town Tolbert and the legend Joe Webb would prove to be the sidekicks needed to hoist my first ever PWS Championship despite being locked out of my Yahoo account for the final few weeks of the season. It seems like just yesterday I was in my room watching Charles and Bowe shread the Titans defense on that fateful day. What a feeling. Watching Jamaal Charles run in the open field was the remedy to my soul and watching Drew Brees drop back in a clean pocket warmed my heart even on the coldest of days. That Championship was so sweet. The only thing sweater .... a championship Repeater. 

I brought back Brees and Charles for my title defense crew but also drafted a young gun QB in Matthew Stafford as trade bait. In preseason we would have one of the biggest hold out scares we've seen with Chris CJ2K Johnson threatening to sit the season out. The thought of having Charles and CJ2K on the same team never seemed possible. It was beyond my wildest dreams. So I did the unthinkable. I traded away my Franchise Drew Brees in a deal for Chris Johnson and I pushed all my chips in on Stafford. My roster was absolutely loaded. Charles Johnson Felix Jones and Joseph Addai at RB. Brandon Marshall Kenny Britt Jermichael Finely and Dallas Clark as pass catchers . Well, my repeat dreams seemed all but dashed just a few short weeks later as Charles Britt Addai Jones and Clark were all out for the year. Johnson was a bust through the first half and Stafford was banged up. Sitting at 2-4 my season seemed all but over. That's when I put my faith in a man named Tim Tebow. After picking him up I would proceed to have the greatest management season I have ever had to this day. I flipped Marshall for the unknown Victor Cruz. I flipped Finely for Roy Helu and Jordan Reed. I picked up CJ Spiller and Denarius Moore. I wouldn't lose another game. Running the table to go back to back. 

I've told the behind the scenes story of the 2012 season. The chase for the unthinkable. A 3 peat. Many mistakes were made that year that I still think about from time to time. I carry every failure with me. I would go on a downward spiral in the coming years. Largely in part to enduring the streak of most points against in league history that still stands true today, but no excuses. Fight like a champion. That mantra was never more true than 2014 when I turned an 0-6 squad into one of the best teams to never win a title by assembling a cast of Rodgers Dez Julio DJax McCoy and rookie year Hyde and Hill. Rallying to make the post season but coming up short in painful fashion. 

Years past and I suffered many painful losses. The Mahomes Gurley season. The Muddog reunion season where we lit $96 on fire and still won the regular season despite facing 9 seperate player suspensions that year. A team truly worthy of the Muddog title. Last but not least The Josh Allen Tyreek Hill Justin Jefferson Aiyuk CMC Ekeler Conner and cameo Kittle Squad. The redeem team. Cruising to the finals only to have the worst week of the season due to covid and injuries. Nothing is worse than 2nd place. Those haunting losses kept me going. Kept pushing my obsession to win further and further.

PWS has been my main obsession. For all 17 years. It started from the beginning. In year 1 I was with my girlfriend watching the Jags Texans game. A mostly meaningless game for me aside from my back up QB David Garrard. Did I start him? No, I had Drew Brees, but did I want to see how he looked for future reference? Absolutely! Unfortunately, my girlfriend wanted to have sex so she turned the game off and made her move. I'm sure most guys would have gladly accepted the advance and gone with it. I am not most guys. I positioned her away from the TV where only I could see. Then I snuck my hand over to the remote to put the game back on and muted it. I just had to know if Garrard was good enough to start during Brees' bye week. That's how obsessed I was with PWS. As the years went on and I got into sports betting and it became obvious to me that my fantasy team took presidence over sports bets regardless of the amount on the line. One MNF game I had KC to cover and KC ml to close out 2 parlays both paying out 1k+. Late 4th Q Marlon Mack rushed for a game sealing TD. Something that would have felt like a punch in the stomach if not for Marlon Mack being in my starting line up. Did it effect my match up outcome? Not in the slightest, but did it add more points to my team and make it look more boss ass ? Hell yeah it did. That's all that really mattered to me.

 

Year 17 just like every other year was championship or bust for me. Of course I was particularly hungry to go back to back again. On draft day two individuals not so subtly tried to throw a wrench in my perceived draft plans not once, but twice. I've outgrown bias. I've outgrown "man crushes". Players are just numbers to me. By the time we draft I've already done hundreds of drafts and experimented with countless player combinations. Something these two know little of. I was the last guy to get a player, but that player was the Sun God. Him and Etienne were my Favorites despite Lamb being the higher scorer. They lead me to another repeat. So all sun shine and rainbows right ?

2 years ago we had blatant collusion and despite many texting me individually about it they didn't speak up in the league chat and ultimately nothing was done about it. It really bothered me. Last year when it seemed history was repeating itself I was extremely vocal about it and a league member essentially quit because of it. Whether it's instances like those or when the majority of the league banded together to change the league settings in effort to take away what they thought was my competitive advantage despite it being open opportunity for everyone the joy the league once gave me has been gone and gone for some time now. I've tried to give back to the league over the years and make it more fun and exciting with my PWS dundies my in season blog posts and IG live interviews. This year I decided to pick what I thought was an amazing destination where we'd make memories that we'd never forget. Instead of there being excitement for the draft and the location I was made out to be a villain that doesn't care about the league. I've given the league all I have to give. I can't do it anymore. 

PWS you have been my greatest passion for 17 years, but I can't be obsessed with you anymore.

Brett I'll never forget when you picked up Seyi Ajirotutu and started him the week he exploded against Kareem Jackson. I'll never forget us making the first ever draft trade year 1 when you moved up for Shaun Alexander. I'll never forget you making the best ball mania Finals.

Dylan I'll never forget the week you broke the scoring record. I'll never forget you getting Cam Newton for nothing his rookie year. I'll never forget all your players dieing and I'll never forget you rallying from a seemingly dead season to be just a Bengals Cheifs OT away from the ship last year.

Sam I'll never forget you dressing up as the nature boy before the draft started. I'll never forget you picking up Odell Beckhem. I'll never forget you trading half your team for Deshaun Watson hours before he suffered a season ending injury in practice. I'll never forget your desire for trades. I'll never forget watching games with you at Kirbys icehouse.

Drew I'll never forget you taking over THE BOSS ASSES. Having atrocious luck, but bouncing back to have one of the greatest runs I've ever seen from someone in fantasy. I'll never forget our Sky house Monday night games or watching butker steal the ship from you only for you to rally and win it all the very next year. I'll also never forget you showing up late to the draft room last year. Vegas am I right ?

George I'll never forget you ruining the muddogs championship season. I'll never forget you bringing the trophy back in shambles. I'll never forget all your savy trades for big names. I'll never forget your "joke" bid. I'll never forget you still owe me and Branch dinner from our chase for 3 bet. 

Ebers I'll never forget the look on your face when you drafted Michael Jenkins. I'll never forget you finding out you traded Darren McFadden to the muddogs in the film room. I'll never forget Blake Bortles carrying you to a championship. 

Phillip I'll never forget you stealing a kicker from me at 4am. I'll never forget Robbies Redemption. I'll never forget you making the greatest trade that never was because it was Vetoed. I'll never forget giving you a Joel Kloppenstein card at the first ever PWS dundies.

Soliz I'll never forget you grilling outside holemans house on draft day. I'll never forget you on laubachs shoulders as freak the mighty and bumping your head on the door frame. I'll never forget you making homemade tortillas with me. I'll never forget the draft we were both so drunk we traded mahomes back and forth mid draft 3 times.

Mike I'll never forget the draft you had to call drew for picks and you saying "I'm out" as soon as you heard a players name before even knowing what the bid was. I'll never forget our legendary bidding war on zeke for the first ever player over $100 @ #103. I'll never forget the curse of the jalapeño cake. I'll never forget you trying to form a super team every year instead of a championship team.

Holeman I'll never forget meeting you and talking about the Panthers freshman year. I'll forget you inviting me to be a part of PWS. I'll never forget our mutual love for the greatest back in PWS history Jamaal Charles. I'll never forget you flipping Hopkins for a massive haul that won you a ship. I'll never forget you drafting Rams WR Allen Robinson. 

Thanks for the memories PWS. I'll always love you. I just can't be in love with you anymore.

Lastly, to Branch. My Muddog Brother, my biggest regret is not winning one together. In all my years playing fantasy I've never had fun like I did when we were the Muddogs. You're the best comanager anyone could ever ask for. Never stop believing. Your ship is sailing soon. Give em hell!

BOSS ASSES Out

2023 NFL Draft Preview: QB Prospects & ChatGPT

 

The year is 2004 & Alex Proyas’ blockbuster “I, Robot” is hitting theaters. Detective Del

Spooner (Will Smith) is charged with investigating the death of a US Robotics scientist who

happened to be developing a “humanoid” robot. Fast forward to 2023, and Artificial Intelligence

is sweeping the planet. From fake Drake songs (banger, by the way) to full on business plans and

sitcom scripts, ChatGPT, and its potential, has the internet in a frenzy.

With the NFL draft only a few days away, I thought it would be interesting to preview the next

crop of football’s superstars while integrating this new AI technology. I asked ChatGPT to rank a

few of the 2023 quarterback prospects to get a feel for how a bunch of code that I don’t really

understand views talent versus my highly un-qualified, untrained eye. 

Below is the prompt I fed ChatGPT.

“Rank the following quarterback prospects: Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis, Anthony

Richardson, & Hendon Hooker ”

Below is what the robot spit back at me, with my analysis in red.

“As an AI language model, I do not have access to the most recent data and scouting reports to

make an accurate assessment of the current crop of quarterback prospects. However, based on

general ranking factors, here is the ranking of these quarterbacks:”

(This big, bad computer program doesn’t even have access to current data and statistics?

Advantage, humans.)

1. Bryce Young

     - He has impressive physical attributes, mental processing skills, and potential to

    develop into a successful NFL quarterback.

    - Impressive physical attributes, huh? Nothing screams “NFL QB” like a 5’10” QB

    that drank enough water before the NFL Combine to make the good people of

    Flint, Michigan blush, just to weigh in at over 200 pounds. All that aside, I think

    ChatGPT is correct in its ranking of Young. Despite his small frame, he is the

    most polished quarterback in this class. 

2. CJ Stroud

    - He has shown great potential and impressive production in his college career so

    far, with good physical attributes and mental processing skills.

    - Sensing a theme with the language ChatGPT uses. In this case, it’s correct in that

    Stroud has good physical attributes. However, there are concerns with his mental

    processing skills under pressure and with a collapsing pocket. Stroud had the

    luxury of playing with NFL-caliber guys along the offensive line and skill

    positions.(You mean to tell me there’s ANOTHER Marvin Harrison?) 

    I do agree with ranking Stroud in the second spot, though.

3. Anthony Richardson

    - He has shown impressive physical attributes, but may need to develop his mental

    processing skills and consistency.

    - The computer nailed this one. Anthony Richardson might be the most physically

    gifted quarterback the NFL has ever seen. (Think Cam Newton, but MORE

    athletic). However, his accuracy leaves much to be desired. He hasn’t shown the

    ability to cycle through his progressions and deliver an accurate ball. Even though

    his ceiling is sky-high, I don’t feel comfortable ranking him at number three,

    though he’s not much further down my board at number four.

4. Hendon Hooker

    - He has shown good production in college and has solid physical attributes, but

    may need to improve his mental processing and decision making skills.

    - This one is fun. Hooker is interesting considering he had a very successful college

    career, though it was cut short by a torn ACL. He’ll also be 25 years old when

    drafted. Anytime a quarterback 25 or older is drafted, my mind immediately races

    to Brandon Weeden. Quarterbacks typically need a couple years to adjust to the 

    NFL game and I’d have a hard time giving the keys to Hooker, who I have as my

    fifth ranked QB.

5. Will Levis

    - He has shown potential in his college career so far, but needs more consistent

    production and improvement in his mental processing skills.

    - Levis is currently the odds-on favorite to be drafted with the second pick. While I

    don’t agree with Levis as the second QB taken, I like him more than the computer

    does. He had a stellar 2021 season behind a good offensive line but struggled with

    consistency in 2022 behind an offensive line that was weaker than Johnny

    Manziel’s liver in 2014. Levis has a rocket arm, quick release, & the athleticism to 

    escape a collapsing pocket. I have him ranked as my number three QB in this class.

Overall, ChatGPT did a decent job in evaluating the incoming rookie quarterback class, though it

lacks the nuance to truly evaluate human attributes. That being said, the following quote from

2004’s I, Robot rings surprisingly relevant in 2023.

“Human beings have dreams. Even dogs have dreams, but not you, you are just a machine. An

imitation of life. Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot turn a... canvas into a beautiful

masterpiece?” That answer is an emphatic yes.