WMFFL Season Review, Draft Recap, and Season Predictions

(2024 Edition)

By Tom Marsh (aka MeggaMen)

 

Way back in the heady days of 2001, I had a need for a new coach and took a chance on a guy whose team was playing well but was historically a laughingstock in the NFL. Fast-forward over 20 years and Bill Belichick is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and would be a WMFFL Hall of Famer, if we had one. I don't know how many points he generated for my team over the years but I'm sure he won me more than a few games and, in a world of constant change, he was a constant.  

 

No matter how many players came and went through up and down seasons, I could always look at my team's roster and see Bill's name at the top, so it will be strange not to see him up there this year. 

 

Will Dan Campbell have as much success? If we measured success by how much ass a coach could kick, the answer would definitely be yes.

Realignment! Finally, realignment happened!  The results were less exciting.  A couple of teams moved, but it was far more underwhelming than expected. 

 

My only wish is that Byron could have moved to the Gold division instead of Chris. If he had, we could rename it the "OG Division" since it would contain all the owners who were more or less involved with this league since the start. We could then rename the Burgundy Division "Derek's Division" since it would basically be his for the taking.

For a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity for the past 20 years, 2023 looked like the year the British Bulldogs would finally break through. This franchise hasn't truly been dominant since Jim Bishop piloted the War Eagles to an 11-1-2 record and a league championship way back in 2003 but the Bulldogs put forth one of the strongest starts to a season ever, by putting together 11 straight wins and seriously threatening to run the table. This 11-0 run including a 113-63 pounding of the MeggaMen in week 3 and 10 point victory over the always-tough Norsemen in week 8. The Bulldogs cruised into the playoffs as the #1 seed but ran into a MeggaMen team that was on their way to their third consecutive championship game and chomping at the bit to break through. Always tough in the playoffs, the third time was indeed the charm for the MeggaMen and they went on to win their 6th league title.

I must be getting better (or luckier). Nailing the prediction for 5 teams is a new high for me!  Blowing 5 may also be a new record, though.

 

Nailed it - 5 teams

Missed by 1 game - 1 team

Missed by 2 games - 1 team

Blew it (missed by 3 or more) - 5 teams

 

 

A new player has entered the division so victory may not be so easy for Byron this year. Who am I kidding? He'll still take the division but Derek's 55% winning percentage from the past 3 years is a step up from Josh's pathetic 35%.

 

2023 Predicted Finish: 10-4

2023 Actual Finish: 7-7

2023 Results:  Byron stumbled a bit this past season. The Norsemen were 5-2 at the mid-point of the season so it looked like yet another year of Byron's domination of the Burgandy but he turned in a rare stumble over the second half. The Norsemen went 2-5 the rest of the way to finish the season at 7-7 and barely miss out on a third division title.

 

Best Pick: Terry McLaurin

Worst Pick: Will Levis

Draft Grade: A

2024 Predicted Finish: 10-4

Summary: Byron came out with a very strong draft and is poised to re-take the Burgandy division. Isiah Pacheco is a great first round pick and Malik Nabers could be a steal, if he can get consistency from his QB. Byron will mainly be in contention to take the division (and league title) on the backs of his RBs (Christian McCaffrey and Breece Hall) and WR (Amon-Ra St. Brown). In a bold off-season move, Byron traded Mahomes to the Crusaders and is going to field CJ Stroud at QB. It may pay off, Stroud averaged 15.7 points per game after Houston's bye week last year, which would put him in the top 5 for QB scoring. At RB, the Norsemen have by far the best tandem in the league with the aforementioned duo. At WR, it gets bleak behind St. Brown so he'll need Nabers or Terry McLaurin to step up and fill the void. Kincaid at TE is just ok so TE won't be a bright spot. On D, Byron will field an all-around mediocre bunch with no top talent in any position. Byron needs his QB and RBs to stay healthy and his defense to outperform to have a strong year. In the end, he'll probably take a few hits but his offense is strong enough to carry him back into the playoffs.

2023 Predicted Finish: 5-9

2023 Actual Finish: 7-7

2023 Results: Richard started the season 1-5 and it looked like it was going to be another long year but all was not lost. The Lionhearts found their heart and dug deep to go 6-3 the rest of the way. Sometimes lucky is better than good and they sure were the former. The Lionhearts pulled off a 3-point win against the horrible Amish and a key 1-point win against the division rival Norsemen to just sneak into the playoffs in the final week, and a late-season Norsemen collapse helped them substantially as well. Even though they were just at .500 and were fourth-worst in total points, it was enough in a terrible Burgandy division to secure their first playoff berth. It was all downhill from there, though, as they faced off against the #1 seed British Bulldogs and went down in flames in the first round.

 

Best Pick: Minkah Fitzpatrick

Worst Pick: Josh Jacobs

Draft Grade: D-

2024 Predicted Finish: 4-10

Summary: Richard turned in a stinker of a draft and won't be anywhere near a playoff spot in a tougher Burgandy division this year. His draft picks abound with guys in timeshares, second fiddle receivers, and guys I've never heard of (I'm a Washington fan and I don't know who Dorance Armstrong is). Ideally, Richard will field Kyler Murray at QB (if he can stay upright), a steller De'Von Achane at RB who is, by far, his best player, and probably the plodding Josh Jacobs behind him. At WR, Michael Pittman is good but he'll need Christian Kirk or Calvin Ridley to take a step forward. On D, he's got top guys at every position with Danielle Hunter on the DL, Bobby Okereke at LB, and Minkah Fitzpatrick at the DB spot. The rest of his defensive guys are just ok, but he's got enough to be pretty strong on D (I see some low-scoring games in Richard's future). He'll need a full season from Kyler Murray and a record season from De'Von Achane to take this division and be any sort of a threat.

2023 Predicted Finish: 3-11

2023 Actual Finish: 3-11 (Can I spot disaster or what?!?)

2023 Results: While it is not uncommon for new owners to go through an adjustment period, Steve had a tough first season. He started off by going 0-6 before finally picking up a win against the equally lousy Gallic Warriors. From there, he only picked up two more victories, both 1-0 against terrible teams (the ANJT and Amish). 

 

Best Pick: Mike Evans

Worst Pick: David Montgomery

Draft Grade: B

2024 Predicted Finish: 4-10

Summary: At first thought, I thought Steve had a great second draft before remembering Mike drafted for him, and suddenly it all made sense. It was, by far, a better draft than Steve had last year, and although I can dispute a few picks here and there, it was solid overall. Steve will field a mediocre QB in Trevor Lawrence and may see Geno Smith surpass him at some point in the year. At RB, Steve had better hope that Aaron Jones finds new life in Minnesota and that Zamir White can also have a strong year. At WR, Mike Evans was a great pick and should lead the unit, with poor options behind him. at TE, Hockenson is coming back from injury, and he'll need Dallas Goedert to have a stronger year. Overall, his offensive prospects are bleak. On defense, Zaire Franklin and Fred Warner are two of the best LBs in the league and Steve could have the best tandem with these two. At DB, Jesse Bates is top-notch, and Jalen Pitre is a strong up-and-coming second option. Steve's defense will keep him in some games but his terrible offense means he will probably end up in more 1-0 games this season.

2023 Predicted Finish: 9-5

2023 Actual Finish: 8-6

2023 Results: When Derek took over this franchise in 2016, their only claim to fame was going to 3 straight toilet bowls and having a 29% winning percentage. Derek turned this team around by winning a title in his first year, going to the playoffs 3 times with 2 title games, and posting a 57% winning percentage. That's a higher winning percentage than most of the teams in this league over that same time period. The only difference is that the TR has always played in the competitive White division so moving to Burgandy opens a world of opportunity for the TR. Last year was more of the same. Derek posted an 8-6 record in a strong division that featured a 12-2 team and the eventual league champ. Derek looked like a shoo-in for the wildcard spot by week 9, with a 7-2 record, but stumbled badly and lost his last 4 straight to finish 8-6. If Derek can at least split his 2 games against the Norsemen this year, he'll have a chance at the title. Either way, Derek has proven himself to be a dangerous opponent, and he'll usually be in the mix for the playoffs. As someone who's had to play against him for the past 8 years, I'm happy not to have him in my division anymore.

 

Best Pick: James Conner

Worst Pick: George Karlaftis

Draft Grade: A

2024 Predicted Finish: 8-6

Summary: Derek turned in the best draft of the year and it setup to challenge Byron for the division title. I couldn't question any of his picks until the late rounds, and those are the crapshoot rounds anyway. The problem Derek has is not enough core players that produce top points so he'll need one of his guys to take a big step forward to really be in contention for the title. He'll field a solid Joe Burrow at QB but there's a strong chance Jayden Daniels surpasses him at some point this year. At RB, he'll need Jahmyr Gibbs to get more playing time, stop losing carries (especially TDs) to David Montgomery, and James Conner to stay healthy or Nick Chubb to come back strong from injury. At WR, Ja'Marr Chase is top 3 but he'll need one of either Drake London, Jaylen Waddle, or Rome Odunze to get to the next level. On D, he's got top DLs in Aidan Hutchinson and Myles Garrett, a top LB in T.J. Edwards, and 2 top DBs in Kyle Hamilton and Xavier McKinney. If the stars align, Derek will be in contention for the title but if Byron's QB, RBs, and WR stay healthly and produce, it will be tough for the TR to get past the Norsemen.

 

Josh moves into the Gold Division and will cause a few headaches for Hall and Warren, but not too many this year.

 

2023 Predicted Finish: 6-8

2023 Actual Finish: 3-11

2023 Results: A tremendous dud of a season for Josh. This team was 1-10 by week 11 and on their way to a horrific ending, but Josh pulled out 2 wins in his last 3 to salvage a slightly less horrible year. He played the part of Norsemen killer though by winning a key late-season game against Byron to help doom his playoff hopes and then losing the finale to Richard's Lionhearts to give them the division.

 

Best Pick: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Worst Pick: Keon Coleman (a stretch in round 3)

Draft Grade: C-

2024 Predicted Finish: 5-9

Summary:  Josh usually bounces back pretty well after down seasons and he'll make some progress this year, but probably not enough to move the needle. He'll field a just ok QB in Jared Goff, a potentially strong RB pair in Kyren Williams and Raheem Mostert but both guys face timeshare threats. At WR, he'll need Marvin Harrison Jr to really step into his role as a top WR fast, otherwise it will be a long season with #2 guys or questionable young players behind him. On D, he'll have some struggles. Josh's DL are just ok an he'll have to wait a bit for Chubb to come off the PUP. At LB, he's got better than average options but he'll have to hope that Nick Bolton can play to his form from 2 years ago. At DB, the unfortunate loss of DaRon Bland for most of the season means he'll probably struggle a bit here as well. Overall, the Amish should be better than last year but probably not by much.

2023 Predicted Finish: 8-6

2023 Actual Finish: 8-6

2023 Results: Hall It was an up-and-down year for Hall overall. Things got off to a great start and the Crusaders were 3-0 out of the gate, but they stumbled mid-season and followed that up with 4 straight losses. They recovered in the later part of the year and went 5-2 to end it but the damage was done and 8-6 was not a good enough record to win the Gold division or secure a wildcard spot. 

 

Best Pick: Deebo Samuel

Worst Pick: Khalil Mack

Draft Grade: A

2024 Predicted Finish: 9-5

Summary: I went back and looked at the last 10 years of draft scores I gave Hall and he averages a solid B+, and this year was yet another gem. The guy just flat-out knows how to draft. He seems to always know the right person to pick at the right time, the right mix of vets and rookies, and the guys who are well-suited to improve. Hall's biggest move may have been his pre-draft trade for Mahomes but was it worth it for a guy who was the #10 scoring QB? Hall will end up fielding Mahomes at QB, a top RB in Bijan Robinson and a top WR in Puka Nacua. Deebo Samuel was a great first round pick Hall may play 3 WR sets with whichever of his WRs emerges as the top option between Diontae Johnson, DK Metcalf, or Jameson Williams. He also has Javonte Williams and Joe Mixon on the bench, so it's a deep pool of backup talent. He just needs a couple of these guys to make a step forward into top scoring territory. On D, he's got an up-and-coming DL in Derrick Brown, LB with Alex Singleton, and DB with Camryn Bynum. The other guys behind them are good overal so Hall will have a strong defense. Hall hasn't made the playoffs in 3 seasons, his longest drought in 20 years but this will be the year he returns to the playoffs.

2023 Predicted Finish: 8-6

2023 Actual Finish: 4-10

2023 Results: I really misread Chris' team last year and a number of things didn't go his way. Namely, Josh Jacobs lost his magic from the prior year, and Dameon Pierce was a total miss. As a result, Chris won his opening game (against the awful Sigourney's Weaver's) but didn't win again until Week 9. He went 3-3 to end the season but it was way too late by that point to have an impact. It was another tough year for a team that hasn't made the playoffs in eight years.

 

Best Pick: Courtland Sutton

Worst Pick: Gus Edwards or Dak Prescott (tie)

Draft Grade: D-

2024 Predicted Finish: 5-9

Summary: Chris had a curious draft. He protected a QB (Herbert), then took another QB in the first round (Lamar Jackson), and then Dak Prescott in the fifth round. In a single QB league, this is curious. Yes, Lamar has trouble staying healthy but using this much draft capital at one position just takes away from other positions that require attention. Chris will end up fielding at top QB in Lamar, and questionable RBs like Rachaad White and Gus Edwards, but may have a strong WR tandem with top WR CeeDee Lamb and either Courtland Sutton or Keenan Allen if one of them can have a good year. Trey McBride is a top TE, so this will be a position of strength for Chris. On defense, Chris has poor options at DL and DB but he's got a strong LB pairing in Roquan Smith and Jordyn Brooks. Overall, Chris will probably be a tiny bit better this year but not much.

2023 Predicted Finish: 7-7

2023 Actual Finish: 10-4

2023 Results: Warren started with a bang, going 6-2 through the first 8 weeks, and still went on to go 4-2 the rest of the way. The TMC finished 3rd in total points and was a force to be reckoned with all season long. Warren went into the playoffs as a strong contender, but a defense of his league title was not in the cards, and he got blown out by the surging MeggaMen in the first round. That's now 3 straight playoff appearances by the TMC but the addition of the Amish to the Gold Division will make it a tougher road ahead.

 

Best Pick: Devin Singletary

Worst Pick: Tee Higgins

Draft Grade: B-

2024 Predicted Finish: 7-7

Summary: Warren had a better than average draft and he'll still be in contention for his division's title, mainly due to Josh Allen and Foyesade Oluokun. He'll field Allen at QB, Saquon Barkley and D'Andre Swift at RB, and Chris Olave and Cooper Kupp at WR. Potentially, he could have tremendous success with this pairing but he'll need the stars to align. Both Barkley and Swift will have to stay healthy and have good usage on their new teams, Cooper Kupp will have to get back to a strong role but will be in competition with teammate Puka Nacua but Chris Olave should be strong. Amari Cooper could emerge to be one of the best of the bunch and is a strong option. On defense, he's got an all-world LB in Oluokun and he'll be paired with a good Azeez Al-Shaair. Warren also will field a good DL pair and better than average DBs. His defense will be powered by the LBs and will put up great defensive points if they can stay healthy. In all, Warren will be in a battle against Hall all year long so their head-to-head matchups will be critical for the division title. In the end, Hall may have enough to put him over the edge but Warren will be nipping at his heels.

 

A slightly reshaped White Division will be a bit less competitive this year, but it still contains 3 of the t