What was your auction strategy? Did you achieve your goals?
Using the results of the 2005 Index Auction as my main
guide, I made a budget for each position and each slot on my roster.
For example, I planned to spend roughly $60 dollars on six or seven wide
receivers, bidding no more than $25 on my No. 1 receiver, no more than
$15 on my No. 2 WR, and so on. I did this so that I wouldn’t overspend
and end up with a team that wasn’t well rounded and lacked depth. I
knew that using this type of strategy would likely exclude me from
getting the very best at each position, such as LaDainian Tomlinson
and Larry Johnson, but I planned to be somewhat flexible when it
came to bidding on those elite players (see Peyton Manning). For
the most part, I was able to stick to my budgets at each position, and I
feel that I came away with a very deep and balanced team. My only
regret is not buying a seventh receiver or a third tight end instead of
T.J. Duckett (7th RB), but overall, I was very pleased with the
results.
PS – I didn’t participate in the 2006 auction, which
is why I looked at the 2005 data. In 2005, the team budget was $100,
but I just multiplied all salaries by two for my pre-auction analysis.
What were the biggest steals? How about the worst buys? (Any
team)
I thought that Edgerrin James was a steal at
$29. Most of the other backs of his caliber went for 40-plus dollars.
I also thought that RB LaMont Jordan ($9), WR Laveranues Coles
($10) and QB Tony Romo ($13) were sweet bargains. On the other
hand, I felt that injured RB Kevin Jones ($14) and young wideouts
Calvin Johnson ($13) and Greg Jennings ($10) were all
overvalued. However, I thought that the worst buy was RB Travis
Henry at $36. I don’t have as much faith in the Denver “system” as
most do, and I think Henry should have sold in the $20-25 range.
Other than your own team, who is the team to beat, and why?
I like the Index and Doc Stats teams. Stats appears
to have the better starters, but I’ll give the “edge” to the Index squad
because of their superior depth. I’m especially concerned about Doc’s
lack depth at running back. The Index consistently found great bargains
(Romo, Jordan, Joey Galloway, Jerricho Cotchery, and
Bernard Berrian) and came away with a well-balanced team. See ya in
the Super Bowl, Ian.
You took the 2 top running backs from two different teams
(Buffalo and Houston). Was this a format-driven decision, or do you
generally try to protect yourself in this way?
It is always wise to have insurance behind your top
running backs. That is especially true if your rosters are locked all
season, as they are in this league. The larger roster size in this
league made buying Anthony Thomas and Ron Dayne a
no-brainer.
Discuss your rationale for investing top dollar in Peyton
Manning.
We all know
that Manning consistently produces big numbers, and since he never
misses a game, you need not worry about having a quality backup when
he’s on your roster. Simply put, you can’t get a better QB. I planned
to spend roughly $30 on my three quarterbacks, and since I thought that
Manning would go between $40 and $50, I really didn’t think that he
would end up on my team. I was going to back out of the bidding at $35,
but I got him at $33. Compared his 2005 price, I got quite a bargain.
In hindsight, however, I may have been better off buying Carson
Palmer, Tom Brady, or Marc Bulger in the range of
$18-24. Unfortunately, Manning was up for bidding way before those
other guys.
