Father Abraham

I confess I was drawn in by the recent “smack talk” of owner Lincoln Souzek in which he stated, “Father Abraham, the only team getting less respect than Baron.” Despite this Patriots-esque gripe, the statement is really quite true. No one respects Big Fat Guys. But that wouldn’t make for much of an article. So, I decided to instead examine the best of the four either former or current WVUR GM’s teams. The third place squad has quietly played its way to the top of the conference without much hype. In a league where the Peyton Manning, Daunte Culpepper led teams are regularly talked about as being the best, the Donovan McNabb captained squad just may be the better of them all.

McNabb’s numbers are second to none with 1,333 yards, 11 TDs, and only 3 INTs through four games. By comparison Manning is 868-6-2, and Culpepper is 1019-4-10. Currently, McNabb is the second highest rated player in all of fantasy land (Tomlinson being #1). The injury question lingers with McNabb as recent admissions to future surgery are never good. Should McNabb go down or even be rested, Father Abraham’s backup is the much less spectacular Jake Plummer who has posted just over half the points that McNabb has thus far. However, Jake has a cool nickname albeit not original, and I wonder how former WWF superstar Jake the Snake Roberts feels about Plummer using his name.

FA’s receivers are a hodgepodge of players that have been putting up numbers just good enough to get by. Keeper Joe Horn was supposed to lead the team but has posted just one catch the last two weeks in Souzek’s lineup. With injuries slowing down Horn, Souzek started fellow Saints wideout Donte Stallworth who played quite well grabbing 8 balls for 129 yards. Anquan Boldin has played like a first round pick catching a team high 26 catches for 385 yards. Mushin Muhammad’s numbers are down from last year in large part due to the offense he is in, but again, it’s been good enough to get by for now. Charles Rogers is spending too much time with Ricky Williams to be a factor.

The running back contingent has been the real head scratcher. Jamal Lewis was supposed to be the best running back in the bunch, and Stephen Davis the question mark. Now the roles are reversed with Lewis playing in a Baltimore offense that is mentally challenged and Davis in a well balanced Panthers offense that gives opportunity and running room. Priest Holmes is his solid self, but with Larry Johnson continuing to play well, Holmes’ touches could be in question. Ricky Williams still smokes, er, sits on Father Abraham’s bench and as his suspension ends, he could be a critical component of Souzek’s future. Should Ronnie Brown falter, become injured, or be forced to prove himself against one of the NFL’s previously elite backs, FA’s running game could get a real boost. At the very least, some trade bait may be circulating the league.

So with a serviceable team, why then does Father Abraham lack the respect that he craves? Well for starters he lost to JR and everyone just hates that. But after that gaffe, FA has gone on to win three in a row -- the first being a sound beating of an up and coming ChamPeons squad by 45. Since then, the victories have been much tighter. An eleven point win over an expansion franchise and a tough fought four point win the past week hasn’t wowed the league. His cumulative point totals is just sixth in the league, and his opponent’s win loss record is 6-10. Yet a victory is a victory (thanks Jon Kruk for that one), and Souzek sits in the upper half of the standings.

So what lies ahead for Father Abraham? McNabb’s surgery, Horn’s health, and Williams’ pot will go a long way in telling just how far this Father Abraham team can go.

Two stern tests will tell where this team sits. In consecutive weeks FA takes on the top two teams in the league in Madd Skillz and Cellar Dwellers. A sweep of the two would put FA as the best team in the league, a split would win some doubters, and a double loss would put the team where the haters think they should be. Damn haters.