Fantasy Football Challenge - Football Fanatics Articles Archive

Enclosed in this archive is every bit of the action and updates that occurred in October 2003 within the world of fantasy football. You may want to read these articles for research on players in the coming year, or just check to see if we were way off base with our reporting. Whatever the reason, it's all here for your enjoyment.

Fantasy Football Challenge - October 2003 Fantasy Football Articles

Fantasy Football Challenge - October 2003 Articles Archives

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gasps for breath along the sideline?

Obviously, it isn''t for lack of condition. The Packers say Green and Donald Driver are in the best shape of anybody on the roster. Green adheres to an intense, regimented routine that includes warm-up drills, stretching, rehabilitation and maintenance.

Exhaustion might come quicker for Green than other backs because of his punishing running style and the extreme effort he routinely expends.

"His standards are much higher than any other guy," said Bennett, who ranks ninth on the club''s all-time rushing list. "To the deepest gut he''s going to give you everything. So if he comes off then obviously there''s nothing there at the time."

Green''s recovery time seems to be a minute or two. When he''s ready, he takes the field again.

The concept of giving one back virtually all the carries goes back only a decade or so. Walter Payton, whose toughness and demeanor are emulated by Green, never got more than 63.1 percent of the carries in a season because he played in a legitimate two-back system.

Last year, three backs had a much higher ratio of their team''s rushes than anyone else in the NFL. New Orleans'' Deuce McAllister had 95 percent in the 15 games that he played, Buffalo''s Travis Henry had 90 percent and Tomlinson had 87.1 percent. All of them are 24 and now in their third seasons.

The Packers won a Super Bowl with Bennett and Dorsey Levens switching off but won a lot of games with a one-man gang, too. Bennett carried 86.3 percent in 1995 and Levens got 83.3 percent in ''97 and 79.3 percent in ''99.

Croom, the offensive coordinator during Barry Sanders'' final two seasons in Detroit, let Sanders carry it 82.5 percent in 1997 and 88.6 percent in ''98. The upside was incredible but there was a downside, too.

"He''d rest when he was running routes," Croom said. "Everywhere I''ve been, if the first guy plays every snap, he will rest in the game somewhere. Go back and look at some of Ahman''s patterns last year when

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