It’s getting more and more difficult for me to justify my infatuation with Willis McGahee this preseason, thanks in no small part to the supernatural powers of Jonathan Ogden.

Is JO upset that I waited until he was retired to order my purple 75 jersey? That it didn’t take its place upon my wall of reverence (right next to Willie Roaf and Tony Boselli) until his career was apparently over?

Okay, I’ll concede that maybe this all has nothing to do with me personally. But every time I fight off the latest McGahee nick or cut or skipped practice, every time I rationalize that Ray Rice is less Maurice Jones-Drew and more Michael Turner in Cam Cameron’s new Baltimore offense… every time I bump McGahee into the back end of the first round, another Raven left tackle goes down.

Maybe I’m a glass half full kind of guy, but despite Ogden’s departure I still had (have?) the Ravens pegged for a decent offensive line. The unit is young but quite solid along the interior, and I had hoped supplemental draft find Jared Gaither could learn on the job while filling Ogden’s shoes while Adam Terry would take over on the right side.

Then Gaither suffered an ankle injury early in camp and the Ravens were forced to move Terry across to the left side. What happens? Tuesday morning he gets carted off with a injury, apparently to the same ankle he just had surgically repaired. Subsequent news on both fronts is good, as neither should be lost for a significant amount of time. However, their absence leaves Baltimore with two-year practice squad veteran Mike Kracalik on the left side and 2008 third-round pick Oneil Cousins on the right. Combined NFL game experience: nada.

All of which explains why Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome is spending so much time on the phone, looking for veteran tackle depth. And why McGahee continues to yo-yo up and down my cheat sheet. With a solid offensive line, or at least one that’s had the opportunity to play together in camp, I have Willis on the fringe of the first round. With Kracalik and Cousins manning the tackles, I’m not as eager to take that risk.

Unless, of course, Newsome’s next call is to the Ogden residence and involves copious amounts of begging and pleading.

If you have been reading this blog you may remember I talked about my tragic mistake of trying to slip Ryan Grant through waivers during Green Bay’s bye week last year. Unfortunately it was that exact time that the Packers finally decided to give Grant a shot at the starting job, and a leaguemate of mine snapped him up. Grant did indeed take over the starting job and the rest is history.

That was probably the most devastating mistake I have made in fantasy football in as long as I can remember. We are talking about a dynasty league. And I let a potential stud running back slip right through my fingers. I did not get over it during the off-season. If anything my self loathing grew as the calendar turned, and a new season drew near.

I set out to get him back this preseason whatever it took. This was a mistake I just could not live with.

As it turns out, the guy that grabbed Grant off waivers last season traded Grant just a few weeks later. He got a #1, #2 and #3 draft pick from another owner. All three picks for this year’s rookie draft was the price.

That owner used Grant’s 100 yd. 1 TD game to kick my ass in week 16 for third place in the league. Oh the pain.

So, like I said, I set out to get Grant back on my roster. Starting in March I began shooting offers to Grant’s new owner. I’m not sure if my offers were just weak or what, but I was getting nowhere fast. Several offers. Several rejections. No counter-offers. It seemed Grant wasn’t available. At least not for anything I had to offer.

So eventually, by about mid July I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to get Grant back.

Sadness. Depression.

Then a glimmer of light. Grant’s owner traded him to yet another league member in a multi-player deal. A replacement owner had managed to wrest Grant away from the guy that wouldn’t give me the time of day.

I had a trade offer sent to Grant’s new owner in a matter of minutes after I read the league email announcing the deal.

My offer? Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, Chris Chambers, and a round 2 draft pick for ‘09.

Quantity for quality. One of my favorite kinds of trades.

Time passed. One day. Two days. Three days. Nothing.

Sadness. Depression.

Finally on the 4th day an email from Grant’s owner. He told me that if I would replace Chambers with Burleson he would do the deal.

I re-submitted my offer with Burleson in place of Chambers, and when I woke up the next morning Ryan Grant was on my roster.

Happiness. Exuberation.

At long last my mistake had been erased. Well, sort of.

Would I have got that deal done if the Packers weren’t going with a first year starter at quarterback? Or if the team wasn’t suffering through the distractions of the spectre of Brett Favre? Or if Grant had a new contract and wasn’t threatening a holdout? Maybe. Maybe not. But I have to think all those factors weighed in my favor. Right place. Right time.

I have heard people comparing Grant to a one year wonder named Samkon Gado that had a good last half season with the Packers several years ago, then was never heard from again. And Grant has been slipping down draft boards over the last month. But I never let any of those things deter me. I am sold on Ryan Grant, and I am sold on the Packers despite the controversy and the inexperienced quarterback. I think Grant has a good chance to be an elite running back in this league for the next 3-4 years. Getting him back, despite the cost of some team depth was a huge relief.

I must say I am very surprised that Grant was passed around the league like a drunk ho’ at a frat party. Apparently nobody in my league is quite as high on him as I am. And that’s a good thing.

What a long strange trip it’s been. Welcome home Ryan Grant. No more frat parties for you my friend.

While normally I will write about something football related – it is about all I know – this week I have to ask a perplexing question. Whatever happened to “wing windows”? I would suppose many of you have no idea what I am talking about but for those of us who have driven or at least recall being front seat passengers in cars made prior to maybe the mid-70’s, cars had wing windows. They were small triangular shaped windows at the front of either side of the front seat. Basically, front car windows were largely rectangular and then the wing window fitted in the angled part of the door that would meet up with windshield frame.

Here is an example.

In this day of $4 per gallon gasoline, not running the air conditioner makes sense as long as there is a way to cool down the car. Wing windows were great, you just popped it out to catch the wind and voila - you had a nice breeze rushing through the car. It cooled down the car nicely with fresh air. It was useful too if one of your occupants had been eating Mexican food and suddenly came down with a case of the butt burps.

I remember people who smoked would pop it open and it would automatically suck out the smoke. Of course it also made it really easy to throw said cigarette butt out the window as well, but you take the good with the bad. Only now they are gone. Where?

Thinking back, I know I had wing windows on my first boat… I mean car … a very used 1968 Impala SS. I had a 1974 Gran Torino Sport that had them I think. I had a 1968 Montego I bought from my grandmother that had them too. Not sure about the Vega that still makes me wince. I sort of went through cars quickly as a youth but then again my first four cars combined probably only totaled about $3000 at most.

I am guessing that wing windows never made it out of the 70’s along with full-sized spare tires and eight track tapes. And yes, we once had real extra tires in our trunks. Then again, we were buying used cars back then before only “pre-owned” cars came around.

I do not wax nostalgic about much. I fully embrace computers, the internet, cell phones, microwaves and pretty much any technology that allows me to more comfortably and effectively work and play. But you know, I miss those wing windows. I wonder what cheapskate automaker was the first to get rid of them?

I wonder why we never said anything at the time?

With this mock recap I’m caught up, except for the Tri-Draft the Huddle is conducting with the same owners drafting in the same spots in three separate drafts in June, July, and August. I’ll discuss that more when we launch into the August draft in a couple weeks, but it’s a nifty way to track who’s moving up or down in the collective fantasy football consciousness—and also correct errors you may have made in the earlier draft or drafts.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is a mock conducted for my good friend and radio co-host Bo Mitchell at Fantasy Football Champs. It’s a 10-teamer, which after all those 12-team drafts leaves me with a team that feels pretty doggone good.

Shockingly, I did not get the first overall pick in this mock; in fact, I’m back to picking seventh, which means more practice for my actual pick in the 2VFFL this August. A quick note: Huddle forum member Savage Beatings posed a good question about my three-mock run with the first overall pick, wondering if I did anything different—especially in the later rounds—on purpose. Unfortunately, I’m not that smart. Each team I constructed was independent of what happened in previous drafts as I tried to build the best team possible. If there was one philosophy I noticed coming out of the situation, it’s that having LT freed me up to take chances with the rest of my running backs.

Again, I digress. Back to this mock, which took place last week.

01.07 – Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins
Portis was on the board not because somebody jumped on Brady or Moss or Manning, but because someone took Frank Gore sixth. It’s a PPR league, but let’s just say I couldn’t click on my pick fast enough once Portis slid to my draft spot.

02.04 – Willis McGahee, RB, Ravens
I’m a big fan of Willis this year, though the more I follow the situation the more I think I’d better get Ray Rice just in case. In a Cam Cameron offense there will be PPR help in the Baltimore backfield, and to play it safe and CYA Rice is fast becoming a must-cuff. Worthy of note: Rice went undrafted in this 18-rounder, maybe because the way the rosters were set up required three quarterbacks. I know given the choice between Rice and Chris Redman in round 17 I’d roll with the rook.

03.07 – Torry Holt, WR, Rams
Nine receivers went off the board in rounds two and three, so by the time my pick comes up it’s picked pretty clean. This being a PPR I contemplated Wes Welker here but thought he might still be around next round. Plus, while I don’t believe Holt is an elite fantasy wideout any more, I like the value he brings at this point in the draft.

04.04 – Wes Welker, WR, Patriots
Plax was the only wideout to go in the six picks since my Holt selection, so this was a no-brainer.

05.07 – Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals
It’s a 10-teamer, remember? How can you not be thrilled with a core of Portis, McGahee, Holt, Welker, and Palmer?

06.04 – Roddy White, WR, Falcons
I thought Jonathan Stewart might slide around to me, but I didn’t get so lucky. A few of my other faves at this point in a draft—Santonio Holmes, Thomas Jones, Edgerrin James—also went in the six picks since I grabbed Palmer, leaving me scrambling a bit. This league starts three wideouts and a flex, and White was the one I had ranked highest so I’m trying to follow my own advice of not being afraid to take guys I like a round or two earlier than their ADP.

07.07 – Chris Cooley, TE, Redskins
This is the earliest I’ve taken a tight end in any of my mocks this year, and I have to believe if Cooley is still on the board in round six or seven in future mocks I’ll stray from my strategy of waiting until late and grabbing L.J. Smith and/or Zach Miller.

08.04 – LenDale White, RB, Titans
It’s a mock so the fact that Portis and McGahee share a bye week isn’t devastating, but to make this play out as real as possible I figured I’d better look for some Week 10 help here. The plan is to get Chris Johnson in round nine and hope Brian Urlacher gets hurt before the Titans travel to Chicago November 9.

09.07 – Chris Johnson, RB, Titans
I love it when a plan comes together! Now about that Urlacher injury…

10.04 – Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers
This pick was a mistake. Seriously. I was clicking on Donovan McNabb, who was still on the board and would have provided fantastic Palmer insurance/trade bait… and the draft room we were using crashed on me. When it reopened the system had selected Jackson for me. Of course, if Jackson has a breakout, 10-touchdown season I’ll claim this pick as if it were my very own brainchild.

11.07 – Jake Delhomme, QB, Panthers
I’d still rather have McNabb, but nonetheless Delhomme in round 11 is a solid value—especially since I don’t have to put all my eggs in the “hope he stays healthy” basket.

12.04 – Ryan Torain, RB, Broncos
The answer to the question, “At what point would you feel comfortable taking a Broncos back?” is for me, apparently, “In Round 12 as my fifth back.”

13.07 – Robert Meachem, WR, Saints
This draft was conducted prior to New Orleans adding Jeremy Shockey to the mix, but I still think that passing game has enough to offer that I won’t back down from tabbing Meachem as one of my favorite sleepers this year.

14.04 – Zach Miller, TE, Raiders
Did I mention the quirky rosters require two tight ends? I’m still confident I can get a kicker and defense I like.

15.07 – Nate Kaeding, K, Chargers
I’m okay starting the kicker run if a) it’s not too early and b) I’m throwing darts at guys who will probably be the first to go when I make my week one waiver wire moves.

16.04 – Seattle Seahawks D/ST
Only one team still needs a defense, but why risk losing out on one of my favorite fantasy defenses this year? So I can take Alex Smith over Chris Redman as my third quarterback? Not worth it.

17.07 – Chris Redman, QB, Falcons
One of my fellow drafters noted that this may be Redman’s first-ever appearance in a fantasy draft. Another added that it’s probably his last. Like I said, odds are he’s in the free agent pool before kickoff of week two but the roster requires three QBs.

18.04 – David Patten, WR, Saints
How often can you place a hedge bet on the sleeper wideout you took in Round 13? Hopefully not too often, but when that luxury presents itself…

Continuing to catch up on the mocks I’ve been participating in. This mock will appear in an upcoming issue of USA Today’s Sports Weekly, so keep an eye out for that tome.

And here’s hoping I haven’t burned up all my karma during the mock portion of the program, as this is my third consecutive draft with the first overall pick.

01.01 – LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers
Trying to figure out what might change my mind at the top of the draft. Maybe a key injury to the Chargers’ O-line or something happening to Chester Taylor and ADP leaps to the fore. Outside of that, however, I’m sticking with LT.

02.12 – Andre Johnson, WR, Texans
Three quarterbacks were off the board already, and with Lynch and McGahee gone I toyed with taking Brandon Jacobs here. But the opportunity to score a pair of elite receivers was just too tempting. I seriously considered Steve Smith over Andre Johnson, and to be honest I don’t have a legitimate reason for why I didn’t go that direction. In fact, if I were to do this draft again I’d probably make this Smith and Colston.

03.01 – Marques Colston, WR, Saints
At this point anyone who’s been tracking my mocks must think I have a deal with Colston’s agent or maybe posters of him on my bedroom wall. I assure you, neither is true; that said, I’m frothy about his prospects this season.

04.12 – Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers
Turner and James failed to fall to me, and with LT at RB1 I felt the liberty to take some chances with the rest of my running back corps. As you’ll notice over the next few picks, my backfield is, in a word, young.

05.01 – Kevin Smith, RB, Lions
Rookie back No. 2 for this squad. I shouldn’t need to remind you that running back is the one position where rookies consistently come in and make an immediate impact—though you may hear it anyway as I keep repeating it to myself.

06.12 – Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks
Eleven quarterbacks were already off the board as this draft skewed early at that position, so I didn’t think I could wait much longer to snare a tandem I was comfortable with.

07.01 – Chris Johnson, RB, Titans
Another rookie back. When you think about it, I only need to go one-for-three on my rookie backs to have a stud backfield. Two for three and I’m absolutely loaded. Oh-for-three and I’ll need to get loaded to forget this draft.

08.12 – Nate Burleson, WR, Seahawks
The hook-up! Actually, I don’t go out of the way to pair a quarterback with a wideout but if it happens organically I’m okay with it. The alternatives were Anthony Gonzalez, who has upside but still may be behind Marvin Harrison in the pecking order, and Bernard Berrian, who has plenty of quarterback questions.

09.01 – Matt Schaub, QB, Texans
Antoher hook-up! Funny how I was the next-to-last team to take a quarterback but the second to take a backup; in fact, no quarterbacks went off the board between Hass and Schaub. This is my philosophy of choice in 2008: waiting on a quarterback, but pairing him up with a solid backup so that I can play the better matchup between the two.

10.12 – DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers
I had hoped Berrian might slide this far, but he didn’t. And since every other team except one has a tight end I can afford to wait on the position. Williams is Stewart insurance, and CYA is never a bad policy.

11.01 – Reggie Williams, WR, Jaguars
Not a big fan, but he was the best wideout on the board and I needed some depth at the position. Plus, he completed the Williams trifecta on the heels of DeAngelo and Ricky, who went immediately prior to my pair of picks.

12.12 – L.J. Smith, TE, Eagles
So three tight ends went off the board since my last pick; guess depth at the position is important to my colleagues in this draft. Fortunately my two favorite sleepers were both available, so I paired them at the 12/13 turn.

13.01 – Zach Miller, TE, Raiders
I’ll be mildly surprised if Smith or Miller—or both—aren’t on every team I assemble this season. It’s just too easy to wait until the double-digit rounds when I know I’ll land at least one of my sleeper tight ends.

14.12 – Nate Kaeding, K, Chargers
Four kickers already off the board and I still snag Kaeding? No complaints here. And here’s another theory I’m developing: it’s easier to predict which offenses will remain productive (and thus have good kickers) than it is to predict which team defenses will score—and to some extent even which tight ends will produce, after the elite are off the board. That’s why I feel comfortable taking kickers a little earlier than defenses and occasionally even tight ends.

15.01 – Baltimore Ravens D/ST
Eight rounds after the first defense went off the board, five rounds after all but one other team had their defense, two rounds after everyone else picked up their D/ST… I get the Ravens. How can you complain about that?

16.12 – Darren Sproles, RB, Chargers
Here’s hoping Mr. Irrelevant stays that way.