A few players that should be on your draft radar for 2005 season should be Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams, Cedric Benson, J.J Arrington, Eric Shelton and maybe even Maurice Clarett.

Brown may be most solid fantasy prospect for this season since he really faces no significant competition for starting job. Even if Ricky Williams can come back and play this season, don’t expect head coach Nick Saban or his teammates to accept him with open arms. Williams has burned too many bridges and cast too much doubt in minds of his coaches and fellow players to be handed back feature running back job. Brown should not have much trouble beating out Sammy Morris, Travis Minor or Lamar Gordon for starting job. None of those player possess combination of size and speed that Brown possesses.

About only question mark with Brown is if he will have enough players around him to make him successful. The offensive line is mostly a collection of journeymen and backups and A.J. Feeley did nothing last year to make defenses fear Dolphins arial attack. Even if defenses stack line and try to stop run, Brown should get enough attempts to make a fantasy impact.

Rookie running backs other than Brown face some sort of competition heading into training camp. Carnell Williams will have to beat out incumbent starter Michael Pittman in Tampa Bay. Cedric Benson will have to battle with last year’s starter, Thomas Jones for top spot in Chicago. J.J. Arrington may have to split time with Marcel Shipp who is returning from injury in Arizona and Maurice Clarett faces an uphill battle for playing time with Tatum Bell, Mike Anderson and newly acquired Ron Dayne on roster.

If we had to rank top five rookie running backs in terms of fantasy value right now, it would look a little something like this:

1. Ronnie Brown, Mia 2. Cedric Benson, Chi 3. J.J. Arrington, Ariz 4. Carnell Williams, TB 5. Eric Shelton, Car

So when this years draft rolls around, don’t make mistake of simply dismissing a talent just because he a rookie. You might find out that you could get some outstanding production and value out of a wide-eyed rookie running back that has a bright future ahead of him.

But tide turned. Third string quarterback Tom Brady took place of an injured Bledsoe, and brought championship home to Bostonians. The 2002 NFL playoffs were absolutely awesome to watch if you were a Boston sports fan. Watching Vinatieri blast it though uprights in a blizzard to beat Oakland Raiders, and again to win Super Bowl beating St. Louis Rams was monumental. Thank God for Pats. They brought respect back to Boston. They showed what true grit is, what word “team” actually means, in a day when everything in sports seems to be centered on individual feats. I loved it when they ran out on field together as a team instead of being introduced one at a time at beginning of Super Bowl.

Pathetically enough, most people thought Pats would not win it all again. They thought it was a fluke. The Pats had lost for so long that few had faith in them. But they won it again two years later and people started to pay attention. The word “dynasty” crept up in New England vernacular. When Pats won their third Super Bowl in four years, they were finally accepted as a dynasty. These wins will carry me for many years. Again, thank God for Pats.

But no good article about being a Boston sports fan can be complete without discussing Boston Red Sox. What can be said about Sox? They were epitome of frustration. They were Bad News Bears for so long. Of all Boston teams, they were most painful to watch. They often had talent, they often played well, but they didn’t win a World Series for 86 years! Between ball rolling between knees of Bill Buckner, and Grady keeping Pedro in against Yankees during 2003 playoffs, every Sox fan was pushed to limit of what they could endure. Of course there were many other less notable, but just as frustrating moments in Red Sox history. Any Red Sox fan who remained a fan throughout should be given a gift.

And what a sweet gift it was when Sox won 2004 World Series. Being down 3-0 in ALCS against Yankees, and then coming back to beat them and sweep Cardinals in World Series was one of greatest professional sports stories in history. In fact, it’s been called one of greatest comebacks ever. All those long years of no championships in Boston finally came to end with Pats winning in 2002. But after 86 years of no World Series rings, Red Sox win was sweetest of all. 2004 was one of greatest years in Boston sports ever. A World Series and Super Bowl win by Boston teams in same year, almost unbelievable.

So I guess being a Boston sports fan is not so much like battered-wife syndrome. It’s more like being in a difficult marriage that has lots of ups and downs only, but is worth working at to keep. Being a Boston sports fan is as frustrating as it is rewarding. Patience, loyalty, persistence, and faith will get you through. And in end, it all works out. Just keep faith.