3
rookie no more!
The Champ is Here proved prophetic in just his second year in the QFFL and playing in one of the most challenging formats, the Auction Ranked Keepers platform. After an inauspicious debut in 2011, CIH became a quick study in learning the nuances of the Q game. Every championship starts at the draft and his really started there, as he took advantage of worries over not one, but two stud RBs knee injuries. While the CIH scouting department was pushing for McCoy as the man to build the team around, in true Jerry Jones fashion, Jamal was outbid and settled for APete and Jamal Charles. When interviewed about those two selections after the season, he made it clear that these were their guys all along.
"McCoy was a nice player but sometimes you have to stand up and be counted and be a man at the auction. I told my staff that I knew what I was doing at the lofty heights of $260 rarified air when I drove up Team RIP and made them pay. APete then was in my sights and our research told us that he was going to have a near miraculous recovery from surgery. As for Charles? Well he was just bonus and that one was easy since I never met a Jamal that I didn't like."
During the season, things took shape early as Green continued to dominate and pick up from his Rookie season. This franchise likes rookies and has had amazing success with rookies in their first two years finding Green and then Griffin in 2012. Griffin ran into some injury issues when he was blown up in the middle of the year but CIH doubled down on their prized QB and had Cousins, also another rookie QB, who proved to be more than capable as a solid NFL and fantasy option at QB.
CIH acquired additional talent at the deadline in Calvin Johnson and obtained the bye week in the playoffs. From there, they rolled into and over the Magic Bus on their way to the QBOWL XVII Title in only their second year in existence. So what do they do for an encore? Well, for starters, they return their big 3 which is often not the case for defending champions. Secondly, they are all young and still hungry so they should continue to get excellent production from these players. They have also show an ability to find value at the draft with an eye towards the future. As they enter this year, they have enough net dollars to team up a capable WR next to Green and partner AP with a solid compliment at RB. They may not get another record season out of Peterson but this team is as solid as any coming off of a QBowl championship and will contend all year until someone is able to dethrone them. That is IF someone is able to dethrown them!