Yes, I Drafted Brady

Faced with the choice at #5 of drafting Tom Brady or Steven Jackson, I chose Brady. The Rams showed in Week 1 why every Jackson owner should be nervous. They're not good and the o-line still has issues.

So when Brady went down my first reaction was "There goes the season!". I instantly regretted not having taken a running back with that first pick. But looking at the RBs who were available at the time I took Brady, my reasoning and decision were sound. It's just bad luck, right? I knew the football gods were peeved at the Patriots, but I didn't know they were THIS mad!!

Brady was the right choice and now that I've had time to think about it, this is not the end. This is a serious challenge, but we've all faced those before. I drafted Terrell Davis the year he blew out his knee, and Fred Taylor, and others. It's part of the game.

If you're in my position, don't panic!! And don't fall for the "Matt Cassell is a respectable replacement, he still has Moss" crap. There are other, better QBs to be found. In our league I drafted Jake Delhomme as my backup QB. That's looking pretty good right now. We also had Chad Pennington available, and he looked decent against the Jets. So Brady goes on IR and Pennington becomes the backup.

And don't take one of those asinine trade offers from someone trying to take advantage of your situation. Do not give up another top draft choice reaching for a middle of the road QB.

The problem I have is, Brady to Delhomme is a loss of about 12-15 points per game in our league. So I have to find a way to replace those points. Time to throw out the handcuffs I accumulated and start looking for players at other positions where I can make up those points. So, my goal is to replace those 12-15 points by getting 4-5 points better at other positions.

Champions are not built in the draft, but from the waiver wire and through trades. My challenge is to build properly without panicking and to have patience. I won't be able to get back on track in one week.

So here's what to look for: If your second running back or flex player is not looking quite so good, pick up Sammy Morris from the Patriots. He looked better than Maloney and should be available in a lot of leagues. New England will be more balanced now and Morris looks better in short-yardage. Don't be surprised if he becomes the primary back real soon.

The other option I'm looking at is the Bills' TE, Robert Royal and Carolina's TE Dante Rosario. Rosario had a huge game against the Chargers.

So I get a little better this week, and hopefully a little better next week. Losing Brady hurts! A lot!! But it's not catastrophic. Get 2-4 points better each week and by week 10 you're looking like a champ again.