To say Griff Coomer has a problem, might surprise some of you. He’s one of the original members of the league. His 160 career wins is the most ever. He’s missed the playoffs just four times in 19 years, producing 14 winning seasons. He’s reached the semifinals 10 times and the title game a record eight times (winning it all twice, 2005 & 2015).
Yet, Griff has accomplished all this, despite having a knack of losing superstar running backs, like I lose money in brothels. I don’t mean just some projected starter, I’m talking about losing guys, often early in the season, who were projected All-Robio caliber studs. Here are the top-five most heartbreaking star running backs Griff has lost in a season. But first…
HONORABLE MENTION
Clinton Portis (2002) Actually, this is a bit of a cheat. Griff didn’t have Clinton Portis in 2002, but it needs to be mentioned somewhere and this seems like the perfect venue. That season in the fifth-round, Griff snagged the the projected Broncos’ starter, Olandis Gary. This was during the era when Denver could run out Jeff’s mom and she’d produce 1,500 total yards.
Unfortunately for Griff, Jeff’s mom wasn’t available, but you know who was…Portis. In fact, on the very next pick, former league member Rick Mullin drafted Clinton Portis. The rookie back proved to be the real starter in Denver, as he finished the season as a second-team All-Robio hack. Meanwhile, Griff cut Gary. Luckily, he would pick up a up-and-comer in Shaun Alexander, who helped Coomer shake off a 3-6 record (including a 6-game losing streak). He won his final five and reached the semifinals (where he lost to me).
William Green (2003) Back in 2002, Priest Holmes ruled the universe and help lead me back to the playoffs. However, Holmes got hurt and I was able to plug in his backup, William Green. The rookie running back put together a studly three games, leading me to a third title. The following season, Holmes was sent to Kansas City, while Green got penciled in as the starter in Cleveland. While Griff snagged Shaun Alexander in round one, he took William Green in round two and it appeared he had a stacked backfield.
Unfortunately for Griff, Green got off to a slow start and by the time he actually put together a couple good games (two 100-yard efforts), he was knocked out for the season in week seven. Griff never found a replacement, but survived by going three-wide. Despite dropping five of his last six games without Green, Griff managed to reach the finals for a third time in his career, losing to Burrier in the end.
Cedric Benson (2007) Back in 2007, after backing up Thomas Jones his first two seasons in the league, the former Texas Longhorn was given the keys to the Bears backfield. Great things were expected from Benson, especially after scoring six touchdowns as a reserve in 2006, so Griff made him his first pick in the ’07 draft.
However, there proved to be a bigger difference between expectations and reality. Benson never found his groove, played in only 11 games, before getting hurt. He crossed the 100-yard mark just once (in week two), scoring just four touchdowns.
Another top back would also fail Griff in 2007 (see below) and with a backfield led by free agent pickups, Ryan Grant and Jerious Norwood, Coomer won just four games, scoring the second lowest point total of his career.
Thomas Jones and Ryan Grant (2008) This actually involves no injuries. Griff drafted the Jets’ Thomas Jones in round three of the 2008 draft. He kept Ryan Grant in round six (he also drafted Steven Jackson with the second overall pick). Well, both Jones and Grant struggled to provide greatness, as did his quarterback (Matt Schaub), so when I came knocking in week five with and offer of Brett Favre, Griff was all ears. I asked for Grant, but was rejected, but Griff offered Jones instead. I took it. Jones finished the year as a second-team All-Robio back. Grant finished barely as a RB2 (#23 best back).
Led by Thomas, I would reach the title game, while Griff would win just four games for the second straight year. His 15,159 total points scored that season remains a career low.
Donald Brown (2012) In round four of the 2012 draft, Griff drafted his second running back, the Colts Donald Brown. He was the new starting back in Indianapolis, after Joseph Addai departed. Yet, by week four he was hurt and by the time he returned six games later, the starting job was no longer his, as he finished as the 45th best back.
Despite the drama from Donald, Griff found some gems later in the draft, with C.J. Spiller and Arian Foster. Those two led Coomer to 10 wins, although he was upset by Burrier in the quarterfinals as a 1-seed.
Joseph Randle (2015) Until Griff picked up David Johnson late in the 2015 season, he had a huge hole at RB2 and this is the reason why. Randle was handed what was believed the golden goose, running behind the league’s best offensive line in Dallas. Yet, outside of a 390-point effort in week three against Atlanta, he did nothing with it. By week seven he lost his starting job and a few days later he was cut.
Luckily, there was that David Johnson guy (drafted by me in round 10). He, along with Adrian Peterson, a player Griff was able to draft when I traded him the first overall pick, Griff dominated the second half of the season and earned his second career title. My point? I never got properly thanked for providing Griff his entire star-studded backfield that year.
TOP-FIVE BIGGEST INJURED SUPERSTAR BACKS
5. Jamaal Charles (2011) In 2010, with the second-to-last pick in the 15th round, Griff drafted Jamaal Charles, the same year he snagged Arian Foster in round ten. The latter finished as the best back in football, while Charles finished as the third-best back. Think about that. With his final five picks, he landed two of the top three backs in fantasy. That team would go to win nine games, before getting upset in the quarterfinals by Colby.
Heading into 2011, both were keeper eligible. With these two studs in his back pocket, Griff didn’t bother to draft another running back until round six. He drafted only three more total backs and two of those were handcuffs to Charles and Foster.
Sadly, Charles wouldn’t even last two games, as he tore up his ACL. Worse yet, Thomas Jones proved to be a bad handcuff and failed to help Griff at all. Eventually, Coomer would replace Charles with Roy Helu, which isn’t say much. Led primarily by Foster, Griff would win another nine games, but again would get taken down in the quarterfinals. Of course, everything was made worse when Griff did not keep Charles around, thus did not keep him. He should have, as he could have had the 9th best back in 2012 in round 15 again.
4. Larry Johnson (2007) In 2005, Griff pulled off The Pick, stealing Priest Holmes’ handcuff out from under Masterson. By midseason, Johnson would become the starter in Kansas City and would dominate unlike any others. Alongside Shaun Alexander, Griff finally got over the hump and earned his first championship in the league. Things were looking good. The following season, Alexander struggled (more on that in a bit), but Johnson was again a stud. A year after a third-team All-Robio award, he brought home a first-team award.
In 2007, most saw Johnson as the league’s best back and if he was available, he would have easily been the league’s top pick. However, Griff got to keep him again, this time in the 5th round (this was when keepers use to move up each year). Anyhow, despite some off-the-field issue in the offseason, plus a hold out, Johnson was solid through seven weeks, on pace for around 1,500 total yards and double-digit scores. However, in week eight, he was knocked out for the year. Griff would go on to lost five of his last six and missed the playoffs for just the second time in his career.
3. Shaun Alexander (2006) While 2007 was bad, things proved to be much worse the year before. Coming off a 2005 championship, where he would be able to keep what was easily the best backfield in history at that time, Griff was penciled in as a easy preseason champ. Fact was, Alexander was in his prime, coming off back-to-back All-Robio seasons.
Yet, while Johnson lived up to his hype (earning a first-team All-Robio), Alexander only lasted three games before getting knocked out for nearly two months. Once he returned in week 11, he was a shell of himself, finishing the fantasy regular season as the 40th best back. Griff went just 3-4 without Alexander and barely made the playoffs with seven wins. However, it all came to an end too early, when he fell to me in the quarterfinals.
2. David Johnson (2017) It’s amazing how things repeat themselves after you’ve done this long enough. In 2005, Griff won it all behind one of the best backfields in football. Those same backs came back, but while the player kept early (Alexander) faltered, the late keeper (Johnson) flourished, only to get hurt in season three. Well, in 2015, Griff won it all with one of the greatest backfields ever (Adrian Peterson and David Johnson). The following season (see below), the higher kept player (A.P.) got hurt and failed, while the lower kept pick (Johnson) dominated, only to get hurt in season three.
With David Johnson being kept one more season in round ten, Griff was as good as gold. However, Johnson failed to make it out of of week one, becoming the fourth player on this list to not survive a month of football, three of which never came back. Griff still managed to overcome a 0-3 start to the season, win four of his last five and sneak into the playoffs with six wins. He did all that, despite starting just one running back down the stretch. However, his season ended in the quarterfinals to the eventual champ (Matt).
Adrian Peterson (2016) In 2015, Griff swapped first and second round picks with me, landing himself the top overall pick. He selected Adrian Peterson, who was coming off an ACL injury. The move paid off, as Peterson earned a first-team All-Robio award. Along with David Johnson, Griff dominated the latter half of the year and easily earned his second title. Best yet, both Peterson and Johnson were eligible to come back and do it all over again.
Yet, just as it was in 2006, when Griff returned with Shaun Alexander and Larry Johnson, things didn’t quite work out the way they were suppose to. Peterson wouldn’t survive three games, ending the year with 31 carries and 50 yards. That’s it. While David Johnson, like Larry Johnson ten years earlier, dominated (earning a first-team All-Robio), Griff was never able to fill Peterson’s shoes (settling on Jonathan Stewart). However, while that 2006 team at least made it back to the postseason, this team won just four games and missed the show.
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