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Flying under the radar -- revisited
Posted: Thursday September 12, 2002 6:03 PM
Travis Henry finally had his breakout game last week by scoring three TDs agains the Jets. |
By Bob Harris, Special to CNNSI.com
Last year at this time, I offered readers a handful of lesser known and overlooked players that I expected to emerge as legitimate Fantasy threats during the course of the 2001 season. The piece was titled "Flying under the radar." It came to mind as I was sitting around trying to come up with a semi-interesting topic for this week's submission.
And it suddenly hit me. I should do another "Flying under the radar" thing. Great idea!
But it's going to have to wait until next week.
Why?
Because this week we're going to review last year's predictions to see if it's really worth coming back for more next week. If I'm going to ask you to buy into my opinions, I ought to darned well be willing to prove they're worth something.
That being the case, I'll review each and every player included in last year's column and categorize them as either a hit or a miss. So what are we waiting for? Let's see how I did.
Michael Pittman, RB, Buccaneers: A year ago, Pittman was a Cardinal and heading into the 2001 season facing a one-game suspension that essentially cleared the way for former first-round draft pick Thomas Jones to make Arizona's No. 1 halfback job all his own.
But -- as I predicted -- Jones had a very hard time keeping Pittman off the field.
That prediction was based on my firm belief that Jones simply didn't have the tools to keep up with Pittman, one of only two NFL running backs -- Green Bay's Ahman Green being the other -- to lead their team in both rushing and receiving during the 2000 season.
And in the end, even though he didn't put up the kind of totals I was looking for, Pittman's visibility level heading into the 2002 season is pretty darned high thanks to the good folks in Tampa Bay's front office, who signed the former Fresno State star to a five-year. $8.75 million contract back in March. It's hard to be invisible when somebody hands you that kind of coin.
Outcome: Hit!
Jamal Anderson, RB, Falcons: As I noted at the time, Anderson looked extremely sharp in limited action last summer and some observers believe the veteran is even quicker than he was in 1998 when he racked up a team-record 1,846 rushing yards during Atlanta's run to the Super Bowl.
Asked how his surgically reconstructed right knee is holding up this summer, Anderson told Joseph Person of the Macon Telegraph, "No problems. No tendinitis, no swelling, no inflammation. ... It's unbelievable because it feels like I'm back."
And you know what? Two games into the regular season, Anderson was racking up yardage like there was no tomorrow and it looked like I nailed this one dead to rights.
Unfortunately, there was a tomorrow. It came in Week 3 when Anderson suffered his second torn ACL in three years. Harsh.
Outcome: Miss!
Travis Henry, RB, Bills: I've been all over Henry from day one. What's that? Prove it? Sure. ... Look no further than the running back preview published in this spot on July 17 last year, when I wrote:
"As of today, I'm looking for the 5-9, 220-pound Henry -- the only true halfback on a roster loaded to the gills with glorified fullbacks -- to emerge as just that this summer.
"Why Henry?
"For starters, I like his running style. Henry hits the hole quickly and runs close to the ground. That low center of gravity, his powerful lower body and remarkable sense of balance often allow him to turn a 2-yard run into a 5-yard gain and 5-yarders into eight.
"I was also impressed with the way he overcame a perceived lack of speed by posting a blistering 4.35-second 40 in front of God and everybody in Indianapolis while many of his 'faster' contemporaries chose not to run for time at the scouting combine.
"In fact, it's hard not to like a guy who ran with determination and consistency that ultimately allowed Henry to leave Tennessee as the school's all-time leading rusher."
And by golly, Henry came through. Not in a big way. At least not last year. But he did come through.
He didn't come though in a big way until last Sunday, when he ran for 149 yards and scored three touchdowns against the Jets.
Outcome: Hit!
Ben Gay, RB, Browns: Ben who? My man Gay is still flying well under the radar after taking shots with both the Browns and -- earlier this year -- the Colts. The fact he's no longer in Indianapolis, especially considering the overall lack of depth they currently have at running back, is probably a pretty good indication that Ben lacks the maturity, discipline and "wanna" to succeed at this level.
For the record, I predicted the following: "I'm looking for Gay to start getting significant playing time in November before claiming the starting job in December."
Of course, the first half of that prediction came to pass -- Gay's lone NFL start came late in November. Unfortunately, he used that start to prove the last half of my prediction couldn't possibly happen.
Outcome: Miss!
Mike Sellers, H-back, Browns: This one was based on repeated statements by head coach Butch Davis, who at one point last summer told reporters the big fella could catch 70 passes.
And he might have done just that had he not been so busy smokin' weed and snortin' coke. Way to go, Mike.
Outcome: Miss!
Chris Chambers and James McKnight, WR, Dolphins: My prediction last August was this: If speed kills, the Dolphins were going to start leaving some bodies in their wake during the 2001 season.
And that prediction was based on the fact that McKnight (who was recently timed at 4.3-second over 40 yards) and Chambers (who reportedly ran a 4.31 on a fast track at Wisconsin) both brought the kind of blazing speed that scares coaches to death to the table.
So, how come one guy -- Chambers -- lived up to my expectations while the other one -- McKnight -- failed miserably?
Maybe it had something to with the fact that one guy -- Chambers -- is a honest-to-gosh football player who happens to have blazing speed while the other one -- McKnight -- seems to be a really fast guy who got lost on his way to the track.
Outcome: A hit and a miss!
Byron Chamberlain, TE, Vikings: Last year's 57-catch, 666-yard, three-TD effort pretty much put the kibosh on your chances of picking Chamberlain up at bargain basement prices again this year.
Outcome: Hit!
Cam Cleeland, TE, Patriots: Here's what I wrote about Cleeland in last year's piece:
"A Pro Bowl-caliber player when healthy, 6-4, 272-pound Cam Cleeland is an above-average receiver who pulled in 54 passes for 684 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie in 1998. However, the former Washington star has missed 24 of the last 32 regular season games due to a variety of injuries, including a ruptured Achilles' tendon that sidelined him all last year."
And if I were to change that 24 missed games out of 32 possible to 31 of 48 possible, that paragraph would hold up just as well today as it did a year ago.
Outcome: Miss!
Laveranues Coles, WR, Jets: At this time last year Coles was coming on strong after a rookie season in which he never really met the expectations brought about by his sub-4.4 speed. Coaches and teammates felt he lacked the intensity necessary to get the job done every time the ball was snapped in 2000.
That wasn't the case last year. In fact, Coles went on to catch 58 passes for 858 yards and seven touchdowns -- good enough to head into the 2002 season as a fairly solid top-30 Fantasy receiver.
Outcome: Hit!
Ernie Conwell, TE, Rams: As I advised you last year: "Hey gang, we're talking about a new component in the league's most prolific scoring offense. A guy who hasn't played for two years after suffering devastating knee injuries. Conwell could easily become one of this year's top value picks if you have the nerve to wait long enough before calling his name on draft day."
And with 31 catches for 431 yards -- not to mention seven carries for another 28 -- with five touchdowns, Conwell immediately moved well into the top half of the league's tight end class.
Outcome: Hit!
Kevin Dyson, WR, Titans: Coming off reconstructive knee surgery performed in September of 2000, the word out of camp last summer indicated that Dyson looked every bit as fast as he was before he tore his ACL.
Based on the 4.4-second 40 he ran during camp last summer -- along with glowing reports from a number of highly respected sources, I predicted the former first-round pick would not only be ready to open the season as the starter opposite Derrick Mason, but that he'd also make us quickly forget about head coach Jeff Fisher's plan to limit him to fewer than 25 plays per game last year.
Dyson finished the year with 58 catches and set new career-highs with 825 yards and seven TDs.
Outcome: Hit!
And the final tally is: 12 players; seven hits; five misses.
If you feel like I've acquitted myself well, come on back next week when I'll point out a whole new crop of guys flying under the radar. See you then.
Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications.
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