Getting Tagged

Last weekend was the annual draft lotto, and to this day no one can give a straight account of what exactly happen. From what I pieced together from various sources, Wall was holding a beer bottle on his crotch while others tried to smash it with washers. In a stunning move that NOBODY could have seen coming, a fight ensued between Wall and Mendo over God knows what. Wall is quickly becoming the NCL's Vince Young: Drinking heavily and starting fights.

The main event, however, was the announcement of 2010 NCL franchise tags. As expected, the tides have turned toward the passing game and the quarterback position, and we've seen the inaugural set of tags fall away on a few fantasy stalwarts hit the open market. Eight of the top nine fantasy quarterbacks (based on NFL.com FF rankings) are under team control going into the draft, many with multi-year tags extending beyond the 2010 season. The RB position is in a similar boat. Many of the bonafide number one backs are tagged, with a few aging vets and players with extremely thin tread left on the tires.

With that in mind, below are grades by team for franchise tags; which serve no real purpose other than to give us a diversion from Comeaux's incessant whining about how the SEC is the best conference in college football (while he fails to realize that nobody here gives a fuck).

BADDOCK

Grade: A-


The three-year tags for both Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson fell off for Baddock, and in a no-brainer move Baddock slapped the one-year on AP. Ryan Grant, who is in the final year of his three-year tag, stays on the roster as a solid number 2 fantasy back. Baddock made the smart choice by retaining Aaron Rodgers for the next three seasons. Among the young quarterbacks, he's the most comfortable in his system and is poised to post big numbers for years to come. Baddock somes into the 2010 NCL Season with 2 of the top 20 players tagged and is the pre-season favorite to repeat. Is Jace still bitching about the keeper concept? Probably. Jace bitches about everything.




BILLE

GRADE: B-

When Bille assumed control of Jensen's franchise, it was worth less than a basket of unleavened bread. Tasked with a rebuilding project, the league's second most annoying Cajun took consensus best player available in the 2009 Michael Turner, hoping to get back on the road to respectability. Bille carries top-8 back Michael Turner into 2010 and tagged WR Marques Colston with a 3-year. While Colston isn't worth the tag (number 12 overall WR on NFL.com), Bille had to carry something into 2010.

SALONEN

GRADE: B+



Salonen takes over the Lil' Doosh's team, inheriting Tony Romo and Braylon Edwards who are both in the final years of the their tags. In his first act as a league owner, he tags Rashard Mendenhall and hopes to grab a franchise player with his first pick in the 2010 draft. There wasn't a lot else he could do here. When Edwards and Romo are off the books, the parade of Vikings will commence in 2011.

Boobs

Grade: C

The NCL's Dan Snider has set the NCL league precedent with 87 trades in the span of three seasons. En route he's dismantled a team with a lot of promise and ended-up with a bag of John Elway's Oats and Apples. Boobs' squad in 2010 will be anchored by The Soldier and Captain Diabetes. The Soldier is an absolutely horrific tag under any circumstance, and after the 2009 NFL season, I'm inclined to say the same thing about Jay Cutler. However, with Mike Martz's Air-Attack Carnival commanding Cutler to put the ball in the air 50 times per game (which could admittedly lead to 5 picks per game), Cutler shows some long term upside. Boobs holds two picks in the top four this year, and the king of taking a rookie running back way too early will absolutely select Ryan Matthews.

Cathey

Grade: C

Tom had a great draft in 2009, which left him with a bevy of young talent. He keeps Tom Brady with the one-year tag, thus passing on Larry Fitzgerald (Matt Leinart or Derek Anderson? No F#*$ing thanks) and placing him back into the draft. Tom's saddled with the steadily declining LT who's no better than a number 3 back, and slaps the three-year tag on Jamaal Charles. Charles is a top 12 player heading into 2010, but with Thomas Jones in the mix (and the Blob, Charlie Weiss), who knows what to expect out of the KC backfield.

Efurd

Grade: B+

The Phillip Rivers tag should pay dividends for years to come as long as Vincent Jackson gets his ass on the field at some point. Efurd took Calvin Johnson early in 2009, hoping to land a franchise qb. Johnson's 2009 campaign took a hit when Matt Stafford went down, but CJ stands to have a breakout 2010. Efurd gets MJD for another season, one of the NFL's only feature backs. A strong team of franchised players make Efurd a title contender in 2010.

Mendo

Grade: B+

Does anyone else have a hard time believing the Mendo has won a keeper title? I still can't. Mendo burns his first round pick on Brees, which is good value, and places a three-year tag on Ray Rice. Mendo will finally escape the horrid 'Possession Receiver Extraordinaire' T.J. Houshmandzadeh after 2010. I don't know what the hell is going on here. Mendo making smart NCL decisions?

Metz

Grade: C



The Lil' Hunter places the one-year tag on Peyton Manning and will run out of aging RB Clinton Portis after this season. Brandon Jacobs will need to rebound from a disappointing 2009 if he's to prove he's worth his tag. Metz's shocker move? Dallas Freaking Clark for three years. Now I know he's the number one overall TE in 2010, but a three-year tag?

Roy

Grade: B+

I struggled grading Martin's franchise tags more than any other team, but when taking into account the fact that he didn't have a first round pick it made more sense Martin pays to drop Bryan Westbrook, and takes Matt Schaub and Roddy White for two new three-year deals. Matt Schaub led the NFL in passing in 2009 and finally stayed healthy for the entire season. Although it's only one season, it was a hell of a season, and with another year in Gary Kubiak's offense Schaub should put up big numbers again if his health remains intact. There're two sides to Roddy White. One side: He's not worth a three-year tag. Currently ranked as the number 8 WR on NFL.com, better receivers (Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald, Miles Austin, Desean Jackson) are all going to be available in the first two rounds of this year's draft. The other side: White is about to go f($%ing crazy in a young offense with a blooming set of Triplets (Matt Ryan, Michael Turner) and set the world on fire. I'm going with the latter, as I'm drinking the Matt Ryan Kool-Aid in 2010.


TIBS

Grade: B-

I know he had to do it. I feel kind of bad for him, but he had to do it. Tibs tags 'The Bong' (Ced Benson) for three years, which is a move that's a stone-cold lock to be a bad tag by 2012. But he's a feature back with not a lot of tread on the tires who doesn't have a major threat pushing him for playing time (Bernard Scott). On the bright side, Tibs will get the last year of Stephen Jackson, who's due for the glue factory any season now. He should still get number 2 RB numbers, however, in 2010. Andre Johnson? Baller.

WALL

Grade: C

After 2009's Wall-Gate, Matt Forte sucked a bag of dicks just as I foretold. Wall loads-up on potential at the RB position. He's counting on Forte not to suck, Darren McFadden to not split too much time with Michael Bush and for LeSean McCoy to continue to emerge. Prognosis? NEGATIVE.

Comeaux

Grade: C



S-E-C! S-E-C! Comeaux's been pounding college football message boards at an above average pace, lashing out at the University of Texas for being afraid of playing SEC teams. He somehow found the time to tag Chris Wells who shares a backfield with TD hog Timmy Hightower. Comeaux also gets the last year of Randy Moss's contract in NE. Could be a big year for Moss, and it could be really annoying listening to Comeaux talk about 2013 recruiting classes.

It's FLOPPIN' Crazy in HERE

We’re only days away from the annual draft lottery in Dallas, which also coincides with the World Cup in South Africa where thousands and thousands of Americans (this number obviously does not include our illegal immigrant population) will gather round, sipping Capri Suns and sucking down orange slices to watch grown men fall on the ground repeatedly. Rivoting.


The NCL Draft Lottery, where NCL owners will make crucial franchise selections, is a bit of an inexact science. Before even mini and training camps, owners are forced to predict what’s going to happen in 2010 based off of results from 2009. Needless to say, a lot can happen in the offseason that can affect what a team will do in 2010. Let’s take the Texans for example. One has to assume that Steve ‘Fumbles’ Slaton (Comeaux franchisee) is damaged goods going forward. However, what happens if already-injured 2010 2nd Round Draft Pick Ben Tate is unavailable, and the cadre of Ryan Moats, Ariahn Foster and about 36 other guys can’t answer the call? Will Slaton find success again behind an older, craftier offensive line (which is now without the service of Alex Gibbs who followed Pete Carroll to Seattle)? Will the Texans passing attack struggle under new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison after Chrissy Simms’ best buddy Kyle followed his dad to Washington? It’s easy to see where lots of questions need lots of answers, and when marrying yourself to a tag for three years is a lot of guesswork.

NCL NOTES

Receiver League?

With the NFL babying the quarterback and disallowing as much as a finger to be laid on a wide receiver and the advent of the universal two-back system, are we seeing the transition to QB/WR dominated fantasy football landscape? Looking at early preseason FF Rankings, the early favorites are still runners. Maurice Jones-Drew, AP, Michael Turner, Adrian Peterson and others occupy the first few spots. We’re starting to see more QBs and WRs (Brady, Manning, Fitz, Andre Johnson, etc.) sneak further up the charts. Does this affect Franchise decisions?



Favre Factor



By the Vikings inaction on the QB position (unless you include TARvaris’ one-year extension, which I don’t; black quarterbacks never win anything), it’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that everyone’s favorite Wranglers pitchman will be under center in 2010. The indestructible Favre underwent ankle surgery in the offseason and is another year older. Will he be a top fantasy QB again? If you want him…well, don’t even think about it. I’ve got Salonen taking him in the first round…and tagging him for three years.

Dash on the Short Term?

It’s a well-known fact that most running backs that go over 300 carries early in their career are as good as garbage by year four. So will Chris Johnson suffer the same fate? I say no. Though he had over 25 carries routinely, Johnson didn’t take the pounding that someone like, say Adrian Peterson does. Johnson is an outside the tackles runner who routinely bounces outside when the end stays at home due to VY’s speed, so he’s not constantly grinding out two yards and a cloud of dust.



Tom’s Pick to Not Click

Ryan Matthews-RB San Diego Chargers



Many were shocked when San Diego traded picks to move up and get Matthews out of Fresno State to man their backfield. With LT moving on to greener pastures (pun intended-LT is going to turn some heads this seasons behind the Jets’ offensive line), Matthews is the guy in San Diego. Looking for an immediate return in 2010? Not likely. The Chargers offensive line has more holes than Nancy Wall, and with the continued growth of the Charger’s pass-happy offense, Matthews won’t have much of an impact this season. He’ll likely go in the first two rounds in August’s NCL draft, but he’s more a franchise pick to payoff in 2012 and potentially beyond.