If you are in a keeper league and own Tom Brady, you are rooting for the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Otherwise your Fantasy season in 2008 could be in trouble.

Losing in the Super Bowl has meant bad things for NFL teams the following season. Usually it's because the superstars have struggled or suffered a serious injury. And it's been going on for years.

Just looking at the Super Bowl runner-up for every year since 2000, only the Seahawks made the playoffs after losing the Super Bowl in 2005. All the other teams failed to make the postseason for one reason or another.

Donovan McNabb had a subpar season after his Eagles lost to the Pats. (US Presswire)

You can make the argument about tougher schedule, longer season with wear and tear on players or even luck running out, but injuries have been the biggest reason why the Super Bowl loser has suffered a season-long hangover.

In 2002, the Rams missed the playoffs after losing to the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2001, with quarterback Kurt Warner (broken finger) missing most of the season. In 2003, the Raiders missed the playoffs after losing to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl in 2002, with quarterback Rich Gannon (neck) missing most of the year.

The Panthers lost wide receiver Steve Smith (broken leg) for all but one game in 2004 after losing in the Super Bowl to New England in 2003. And the Eagles were without quarterback Donovan McNabb (hernia) and wide receiver Terrell Owens (suspended by the team) for the majority of the 2005 season after losing to the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2004.

The Seahawks, even though they made the playoffs, still had to deal with injuries to running back Shaun Alexander (foot) and Matt Hasselbeck (knee) in 2006 after losing in the Super Bowl to Pittsburgh. And this past season, the Bears had season-ending injuries to quarterback Rex Grossman (knee) and running back Cedric Benson (knee) after losing in the Super Bowl to Indianapolis in 2006.

The Super Bowl winner has also been affected, with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger having the motorcycle accident and appendectomy, which led to a poor season in 2006, the year after winning the title. But the losers have suffered the worst fate.

So what does this mean for your Fantasy leagues in 2008 when it comes to the Giants and Patriots? If, by chance, the Patriots lose, you're still going to draft Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Laurence Maroney with high picks. The same goes for the Giants and their star players of Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Plaxico Burress.

But just be careful when it comes to the Super Bowl runner-up. They have not been good the following season, and you don't want your Fantasy team to suffer because of a fluke injury or bad luck.

Below is a look at key Fantasy contributors from the Super Bowl runner-ups since the year 2000. Listed is the year they made the Super Bowl and their stats the following season.

2006

Bears (lost to the Colts 29-17 in XLI)
QB: Rex Grossman
2006: 3,193 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 20 interceptions
2007: 1,411 passing yards, four touchdowns, seven interceptions

RB: Thomas Jones
2006: 1,210 rushing yards, six touchdowns; 36 catches, 154 receiving yards
2007*: 1,119 rushing yards, one touchdown; 28 catches, 217 receiving yards, one touchdown

RB: Cedric Benson
2006: 647 rushing yards, six touchdowns; eight catches, 54 receiving yards
2007: 674 rushing yards, four touchdowns; 17 catches, 123 receiving yards

WR: Bernard Berrian
2006: 51 catches, 775 receiving yards, six touchdowns
2007: 70 catches, 948 receiving yards, five touchdowns

WR: Muhsin Muhammad
2006: 60 catches, 863 receiving yards, five touchdowns
2007: 40 catches, 570 receiving yards, three touchdowns

TE: Desmond Clark
2006: 45 catches, 626 receiving yards, six touchdowns
2007: 44 catches, 545 receiving yards, four touchdowns

*spent 2007 with the New York Jets

2005

Seahawks (lost to the Steelers 21-10 in XL)
QB: Matt Hasselbeck
2005: 3,459 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, nine interceptions
2006: 2,442 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 15 interceptions

RB: Shaun Alexander
2005: 1,880 rushing yards, 27 touchdowns; 15 catches, 78 receiving yards, one touchdown
2006: 896 rushing yards, seven touchdowns; no catches

WR: Darrell Jackson
2005: 38 catches, 482 receiving yards, three touchdowns
2006: 63 catches, 956 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns

WR: Joe Jurevicius
2005: 55 catches, 694 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns
2006*: 40 catches, 495 receiving yards, three touchdowns

WR: Bobby Engram
2005: 67 catches, 778 receiving yards, three touchdowns
2006: 24 catches, 290 receiving yards, one touchdown

TE: Jerramy Stevens
2005: 45 catches, 554 receiving yards, five touchdowns
2006: 22 catches, 231 receiving yards, four touchdowns

*spent 2006 with the Browns

2004

Eagles (lost to the Patriots 24-21 in XXXIX)
QB: Donovan McNabb
2004: 3,875 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, eight interceptions
2005: 2,507 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, nine interceptions

RB: Brian Westbrook
2004: 812 rushing yards, three touchdowns; 73 catches, 703 receiving yards, six touchdowns
2005: 617 rushing yards, three touchdowns; 61 catches, 616 receiving yards, four touchdowns

WR: Terrell Owens
2004: 77 catches, 1,200 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns
2005: 47 catches, 763 receiving yards, six touchdowns

WR: Todd Pinkston
2004: 36 catches, 676 receiving yards, one touchdown
2005: Did Not Play

TE: L.J. Smith
2004: 34 catches, 377 receiving yards, five touchdowns
2005: 61 catches, 682 receiving yards, three touchdowns

2003

Panthers (lost to the Patriots 32-29 in XXXVIII)
QB: Jake Delhomme
2003: 3,219 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 16 interceptions
2004: 3,886 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 15 interceptions

RB: Stephen Davis
2003: 1,444 rushing yards, eight touchdowns; 14 catches, 159 receiving yards
2004: 92 rushing yards; two catches, 32 receiving yards

RB: DeShaun Foster
2003: 429 rushing yards; 26 catches, 207 receiving yards, two touchdowns
2004: 255 rushing yards, two touchdowns; nine catches, 76 receiving yards

WR: Steve Smith
2003: 88 catches, 1,110 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
2004: six catches, 60 receiving yards

WR: Muhsin Muhammad
2003: 54 catches, 837 receiving yards, three touchdowns
2004: 93 catches, 1,405 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns

2002

Raiders (lost to the Buccaneers 48-21 in XXXVII)
QB: Rich Gannon
2002: 4,689 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions
2003: 1,274 passing yards, six touchdowns, four interceptions

RB: Charlie Garner
2002: 962 rushing yards, seven touchdowns; 91 catches, 941 receiving yards, four touchdowns
2003: 553 rushing yards, three touchdowns; 48 catches, 386 receiving yards, one touchdown

RB: Zack Crockett
2002: 118 rushing yards, eight touchdowns
2003: 145 rushing yards, seven touchdowns

WR: Jerry Rice
2002: 92 catches, 1,211 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
2003: 63 catches, 869 receiving yards, two touchdowns

WR: Tim Brown
2002: 81 catches, 930 receiving yards, two touchdowns
2003: 52 catches, 567 receiving yards, two touchdowns

WR: Jerry Porter
2002: 51 catches, 688 receiving yards, nine touchdowns
2003: 28 catches, 361 receiving yards, one touchdown

2001

RB: Marshall Faulk
2001: 1,382 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns; 83 catches, 765 receiving yards, nine touchdowns
2002: 953 rushing yards, eight touchdowns; 80 catches, 537 receiving yards, two touchdowns

WR: Torry Holt
2001: 81 catches, 1,363 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
2002: 91 catches, 1,302 receiving yards, four touchdowns

WR: Isaac Bruce
2001: 64 catches, 1,106 receiving yards, six touchdowns
2002: 79 catches, 1,075 receiving yards, seven touchdowns

WR: Ricky Proehl
2001: 40 catches, 563 receiving yards, five touchdowns
2002: 43 catches, 466 receiving yards, four touchdowns

2000

RB: Tiki Barber
2000: 1,006, eight touchdowns; 70 catches, 719 receiving yards, one touchdown
2001: 865 rushing yards, four touchdowns; 72 catches, 577 receiving yards

RB: Ron Dayne
2000: 770 rushing yards, five touchdowns
2001: 690 rushing yards, seven touchdowns

WR: Ike Hilliard
2000: 55 catches, 787 receiving yards, eight touchdowns
2001: 52 catches, 659 receiving yards, six touchdowns

WR: Amani Toomer
2000: 78 catches, 1,094 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
2001: 72 catches, 1,054 receiving yards, five touchdowns

Do you agree with Jamey? Send your thoughts to DMFantasyFootball@cbs.com and we'll post the best responses. Be sure to put Attn: Offseason in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.