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Can Marc Bulger Handle the Load?
Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com Earlier this year the Cardinals decided to pass on two possible franchise quarterbakcs in the draft in order to sign Marc Bulger to be their starting quarterback. Marc appeared to lose a step last season, and never played as well as he did two years ago. If he can regain that form, then Marc will have been worth it, but can he? In St. Louis Marc had a pari of stellar wide receivers who both had gone to Pro Bowls. Torry Holt was entering his prime and Isaac Bruce was leaving it. Yet both contributed mightily to the passing game. In Arizona, Marc has two older wide receivers who, despite their age, both had 1000+ seasons last yera. That was with a patchwork team with the quintessential journeyman quarterback as the starter. If Antonio Freeman and Qadry Ismail can keep gas in the tank, then both could really help Marc, but there is very little help after that. The other wide receivers are a makeshift, ragged group. The Rams had depth, at tight end, and at receiver. Marc has no depth here, and their new tight end Cam Cleeland, may not even be that great. Marc had a pretty poor offensive line two years ago as the Rams suffered a rash of injuries. He promises to have a slightly better line here. Old age and verile youth both will start on the offensive line, and it will be rather poor in the NFL, but better than what Marc suffered. However, Marc Bulger had an X Factor in St. Louis that he does not have now. Marshall Faulk. No matter the hype, rookie halfback Shawn Johnson is not Marshall Faulk - no one is. Although the Cardinals rededicate themselves to running the ball, the simple fact is that they will never have a Marshall Faulk to bail them out of situations. On the playcalling side, we have no idea what Monte Kiffin and Abe Sargent will cook up, but it can't be as bad as Mike Martz's indefensible playcalling. Marc in Arizona or Marc in St. Louis. How do they Stack up? Code:
St. Louis ArizonaOverall....... St. Louis. Marc Bulger, therefore, should not expect to have the kind of year that he had two years ago. |
Great stuff so far!:D
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Thanks a bunch! I'll keep trying to push the envelope and not get bogged down in Typical Dynasty Droll. -Anxiety |
From the FootballRatings.com Website:
Your 2004 Arizona Cardinals: QB Marc Bulger, 78 Ovr Jamie Martin, 72 Ovr Danny Wuerffel, 65 Ovr RB Shawn Johnson, 79 Ovr * Terrell Davis, 67 Ovr Doug Chapman, 59 Ovr FB James Hodgins, 80 Ovr WR Antonio Freeman, 77 Overall Qadry Ismail, 74 Ovr Michael Lewis, 63 Ovr Dedric Ward, 58 Ovr Andre King, 56 Ovr TE Cam Cleeland, 71 Ovr Herman Miller, 62 Ovr * Damon Jones, 55 Ovr LT Richmond Webb, 78 Ovr Jeremy McKinney, 60 Ovr LG Wally Williams, 79 Ovr Floyd Wedderburn, 58 Ovr C Dedric Arrington, 71 Ovr * Cris Forrest, 52 Ovr * RG Leon Searcy, 77 Ovr Victor Allotey, 59 Ovr RT Jon Johnson, 74 Ovr * John St. Clair, 59 Ovr LE Chidi Ahanotu, 75 Ovr Joey Williams, 53 Ovr * RE Kendrick Office, 73 Ovr Dre Fisk, 57 Ovr * DT Steve Martin, 81 Ovr Monsanto Pope, 76 Ovr Reggie Fryar, 66 Ovr * Sean Nelson, 63 Ovr * LOLB Canute Curtis, 75 Ovr Eddie Shakur, 61 Ovr * MLB Bryan Cox, 79 Ovr Colby Solomon, 65 Ovr * ROLB John Thierry, 75 Ovr Darnay Hill, 61 Ovr * CB Doug Bronson, 77 Ovr, * Ike Charlton, 68 Ovr Tyrone Carter, 66 Ovr Terry Fair, 65 Ovr Chuck Carter, 59 Ovr * FS Marcus Robertson, 83 Ovr Drew Copeland, 62 Ovr * SS Blaine Bishop, 81 Ovr William Kinney, 64 Ovr K Delvin Krause, 65 Ovr * P Matt Turk, 86 Ovr * = Rookies |
Scouting Memo from Training Camp:
MEMO The following players were focused on during camp in certain drills. The results follow: Pocket Passing - QB Jamie Martin +1% Throwing Accuracy Chase and Tackle - LOLB Canute Curtis - No Change Swat Ball - CB Doug Bronson +1% Catching Trench Fighting - RT Jon Johnson - No Change Clutch Kicking - K Delvin Karuse +3% Kick Accuracy Corner Punting - P Matt Turk +2% Kick Accuracy Precision Passing - QB Marc Bulger +2% Throwing Accuracy, +1% Throwing Power Ground Attack - HB Shawn Johnson +4% Break Tackle Catching - TE Herman Miller +2% Acceleration -Mike Ackerly |
Cardinals Mull Over Name Change
Elizabeth Satterly Flagstaff Daily Mail Earlier today the Arizona Cardinals released a list of new mascot names they are considering. Owner Abe Sargent, entering his sophomore year at the helm, has asked for feedback. "We want to know what the public likes," Mr. Sargent was quoted as saying at a press conference earlier today. In an ever growing attempt to sever all ties to the past, Abe Sargent has purged the roster, the staff, and now, the team mascot itself. "No longer will we be known as those bumbling Cardinals. The name is stained. We need a new identity." Fans are invited to share their responses by e-mailing their opinions to [email protected]. A list of the proposed names is below. Bandits Comets Copperheads Cyclones Dynamos Enforcers Generals Highlanders Legends Marauders Marshalls Monarchs Railsplitters Rattlers Ravagers Sandcrabs Sandstorm Scorpions SkyChiefs Starfire Timber Rattlers Timberwolves Thunderwolves Trailblazers Warhawks Zephyrs |
Sandcrabs :)
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Copperheads
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I posted this in the other thread, but thought I would post it here as well.
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The Following is an Interview between Abe Sargent and Total Pro Football
Randy Gallegos, Total Pro Football: Alright, Abe Sargent, thanks for agreeing to this interview. Abe: Thanks for asking. I am always available for you guys. Randy: Alright let's start. How does rookie halfback Shawn Johnson look in training camp? Abe: Amazing. Our scouts have informed us that, you're going to love this, that Shawn Johnson appears to be the second best rookie at his position in the NFL. Only fullback Tiki Mann appears to know his position better. We were working on some ground attack drills with Johnson and he exploded past all of our defenders from the first run into the endzone. He is simply incredible. Randy: What about other rookies? Abe: Doug Bronson, Jon Johnson and Dedric Arrington are our starting players at their positions. As you know, we have a lot of rookies on our team this year, but most are for depth. Randy: Undrafted rookie kicker Delvin Krause was supposed to be very inaccurate. Have you seen that yet in camp? Abe: He's rough, that's for sure. But we hope he'll come along rather nicely. Randy: The big question, of course, is Marc Bulger. Can he be the starting quarterback in the league? Abe: Absolutely. He was a significant upgrade over Jamie Martin from last year. Randy: Jamie will continue to be your backup? Abe: Possibly. Randy: We have heard rumors that he is on the trading block for a receiver or a corner. Abe: One of the basic facts about general managers is that they have to always be in constant contact with over personnel managers. You have to talk about what you want, what you have, price, draft picks, and the like. It's how you keep current as a GM. Randy: Some sources say Marc Bulger lost a step last year, yet you still paid him the big bucks in free agency. Abe: We never had any doubts about Marc's ability to play. During my six years at WVU, I only saw two quarterbacks from play in person that I thought would be good in the NFL. Donovan McNabb and Marc Bulger. I have no doubts about either. Randy: Now, about the renaming of the team logo, I hear that you have an update for us? Abe: Sure do. We have eliminated 16 names off the list, but have added two more, to bring us to an even dozen. Here are the remaining names: Bandits Comets Copperheads Legends Marshalls Ravagers Sandcrabs Sandstorm Sandtwisters Scorpions Thunderbirds Warhawks Randy: Interesting stuff there. Any clue on which direction you'll go? Abe: None. Randy: We've heard that you've bene posting on various Internet message boards asking for people's opinions? Abe: We sure have. In fact, Thunderbirds was added as a suggestion. I also typed Sandtwisters without thinking then went back and realized that it was a pretty good name. Randy: Wow, so it sounds like there is a lot going on. Will the team have the new colors, uniforms, and helmets ready? Abe: We have all of the uniforms and helmets ready in a shop next door. All of the numbers, names, and everything is on. All we need to do is add the colors and logo. We are preparing logos for the 12 choices as we speak. So, we'll be ready to roll no matter what. Randy: Sounds like you are prepared then. And busy. We thank you again for your interview. Abe: Sure thing! |
ARIZONA CARDINALS PRESS RELEASE
Arizona Reduces List of Mascot Hopefuls to Five. After weeks of deliberation and correspondance with a variety of Internet forums and fans, the Arizona Cardinals have narrowed the selection down to five choices. After starting with 26 mascots possibilities, the team narrowed the selections down to 12, and now to 5. "We want to bring a brand new look to the franchise," owner Abe Sargent was quoted as saying. The Finalists are: Copperheads Legends Marshalls Sandtwisters Thunderbirds Public comments, although always welcome, will no longer have any bearing on the final results. The final selection will be announced tomorrow. |
Go Copperheads!
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The sandcrabs of Arizona are sad about this decision... :(
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Arizona Changes Name
John Clayton ESPN.com Earlier today, Arizona confirmed that they had changed their name to the Arizona Copperheads with a press release. Later today there will be a press conference to that effect. Arizona had been considering many new names after the decision was made to change the name and team colors in a further effort to distance the new team under new ownership from the woeful history of the past team. The Cardinals sported one of the league oldest logos and mascots. Indeed, many thought that both had become antiquated by today's game. And today they are gone. Some may not know that one of the finalist names back when Bud Adams was renaming the Oilers was the "Copperheads." New Arizona owner remembers, "I was very disappointed when the name 'Copperheads' wasn't chosen. I think I always remembered that ever since." A press conference will be held later today to present the new helmets, uniforms, and logo. It should be an exciting year for the Copperheads. |
Bill Bidwell Attacks New Arizona Owner
Molly Tristendale AP Sports Early this afternoon, Minnesota Vikings owner Bill Bidwell was witnessed leaving the facility for lunch. Several reporters approached Mr. Bidwell for questions and he decided to stop and answer them. Even earlier in the day, it was reported that the Arizona Cardinals, Bidwell's old family team, had changed their name to the Arizona Copperheads. The media wanted to get his reaction, and it was quite emotiional. With anger blazing beneath his eyes, Bidwell claimed that he and his family were lied to. "He was intentionally deceptive," Bidwell said of new owner Abe Sargent. "If he had told us that he was going to spoil everything my father worked for by changing the team's name, then we would never have sold him the team, no matter the price," Bill Bidwell continued. His comments also included personal attacks on Abe Sargent. "He's a con artist of the highest degree. A flim flam man. A shady character. And he screwed us and me in the process." Later today, owner Abe Sargent has promised a new conference. It should be interesting to see what his retorts are. |
Announcing the new Theme Song of the Arizona Copperheads: :D
Well my name's John Lee Pettimore Same as my daddy and his daddy before You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here He only came to town about twice a year He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line Everybody knew that he made moonshine Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad He headed up the holler with everything he had It's before my time but I've been told He never came back from Copperhead Road Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside Well him and my uncle tore that engine down I still remember that rumblin' sound Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road I volunteered for the Army on my birthday They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway I done two tours of duty in Vietnam And I came home with a brand new plan I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air I wake up screaming like I'm back over there I learned a thing or two from ol' Charlie don't you know You better stay away from Copperhead Road |
Press Conference from Sun Devil Stadium, 6:17 pm
Abe Sargent: Good evening folks. You are all here to witness the unveiling of the new mascot, logo, helmets, color schemes, and uniforms. Behind me, I'm sure that you've seen the new logo - a Copperhead Snake. Really, only the head of the snake is seen, in copper and outlined in turquoise. These are our new colors - copper and turquoise. The logo can be found on helmets, uniforms, and on the field. Here is a helmet. We are using the same helmet in home and away games. As you can see, the helmet has a black facemask, copper sheen, and a turquoise triple stripe up the middle, plus, of course, the logo. We seriously toyed with leaving the helmet completely logo-free since we are the Copperheads, and that would be classic. However, we ultimately went withthe snake logo. Here is recent draft pick Shawn Johnson modelling the new home uniform. Obviously the jersey is turquoise with copper accents. The number and name are both in copper and outlined in black. Our jersey has a horizontal copper stripe across the shoulders where the logo can be found on both of the sleeves. The pants are a sleek copper with a black belt and aqua trim, both with the sock and the stripe down the side. We look forward to playing in these. Here is recent draft choice Doug Benson in the new away outfit. The jersey is white with the horizontal shoulder stripe being turquoise. The numbers and names are still in copper, outlined in black. This jersey features the logo prominantly on the sleeves as well. The pants are turquoise with a black belt, copper accents like stripes down the sides, and copper socks. Both uniforms feature black shoes. The new mascot is Coppie, the Cuddly Snake. Coppie will be seen at ballgames and make appearances at schools and such. As part of our community investment program, Coppie will educate children about snakes. And with that, the floor is open to questions. Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: Where did you get the idea for the color scheme? Abe: From an internet post on a forum by a gentleman named RendeR. Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: Have you heard of Bill Bidwell's comments from earlier today regarding your name change? Abe: I sure have. Nesmit McCall, 1080 AM Sports Talk Radio: Is he right? Did you deceive him? Abe: I did not tell him specifically that we would change names, but I did mention to him that my plans were to change everything in order to distance the new team from the old. Sandy Alderman, Channel 7 News: How do you feel changing the name of such a classic organization? Abe: When Bill Bidwell took over this team from his father, it was not the Arizona Cardinals. It was the St. Louis Cardinals. Bill didn't seem to have a problem changing daddy dearest's team name then, did he? I think we have a far nobler purpose in mind with this name change than he did when he moved out of St. Louis. Sy Rosenberg, The Sporting News: What's your opinion of Bill? Abe: What was the Cardinals record under him? That's my opinion. Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: Are you saying that Bill is a loser? Abe: Wasn't that obvious? He's a loser. So am I, by the way. Our cumulative record is 4-12, and ergo, I am a loser. But I haven't had the time Bidwell had. He had decades and just spun the team in circles. Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: But Bill Bidwell said that.... Abe: Alright, here is the final word on Bill from me. If Bill Bidwell is so upset at me changing the mascot and name of my own freakin' team, then he can change the name of his team to the Minnesota Cardinals. Or the Minnesota Crybabies. Whichever you think is more fitting. You folks have a good night. |
Preseason Schedule:
Week 1 - JAGUARS Week 2 - at Raiders Week 3 - at Ravens Week 4 - COWBOYS Monte Kiffin will call the preseason games |
Interior Scouting Memo
Preseason Progression of Players after going 1-3. No QBs changed HB Shawn Johnson +1% overall No FB or WR progression TE Herman Miller, +2% No LT or LG progression C Dedric Arrington, +1% Cris Forrest, +2% No RG change RT Jon Johnson, +2% No LE progression RE Dre Fisk, +1% DT Monsanto Pope, +1% LOLB Eddie Shakur, +1% MLB Colby Solomon, +2% - Also injured for 8 weeks ROLB Darnay Hill, +2% CB Doug Bronson, +2% FS Drew Copeland, +2% SS William Kinney, +1% K Dexter Krause, +2% -Mike Ackerly |
Bidwell Sues Copperheads Owner
Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com Earlier today, papers were filed with the Arizona Secretary of State's office giving notice of suit against the Arizona Copperheads. The complainant? Bill Bidwell, former owner of the Arizona franchise and current owner of the Minnesota Vikings. After the Arizona franchise announced a name change, Bidwell was quoted as saying that new owner, Abe Sargent, was "intentionally deceptive" and "a con artist." The papers allege that Abe Sargent misled the Bidwells by not stating that he was considering changing the team name. Sargent's press conference defense was that he told Bidwell he was going to change everything. "Bill never asked about the team name," he explained. The plaintiffs are asking for an expedited hearing as the season opening date arrives. A notice to cease and desist has been requested for the Copperheads, which would force them to remain Cardinals until the suit is settled one way or the other. Bill Bidwell has normally been one of the more quiet owners. But even Al Davis doesn't go around suing his peers. Suing the NFL, suing cities, or states, and rival leagues are one thing. Suing a fellow owner outright is just something that is not done. Many owners we talked to were very surprised at this turn of events. "For it to be done alone is shocking. But to come from Bill? That's crazy," one owner was quoted as saying earlier today. The court's initial hearing is set for one week. |
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So...how is the mascot going to get around? Is he going to be Coppie, the Cuddly, Legged Snake? :D |
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That sure worked well, now didn't it? |
This thread is great. Can't wait to see what happens to the Copperheads
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On the behalf of Mr Bidwell, I would like to make the following statement.
Since Mr. Bidwell chooses to ruffle the feathers of few, I tend to believe Mr. Bidwell. Though Mr. Sargeant's actions seem noble, he is really nothing more than a snake-oil salesman. Mr. Sargeant will be showing his true colors,and I'm not talking about copper or blue either. Public Relations Director- Frank Rizzo |
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I wouldn't listen to anybody who can't even spell the defendant's simple last name correctly.... :) -Anxiety |
Conversation with Monte Kiffin after Week One's Loss to the Bucs:
Abe Sargent: I picked up a backup middle linebacker for the season named Kalen Miller. He's a rookie. Monte Kiffin: We'll beat 'em next time. Abe: Hey, your old team is good, right? And a lot of that is you. We lost, we move on. Monte: Yeah. Abe: I'm calling the game this week, we'll see how I do at it. Monte: Good luck. Abe: I'm sure that it'll be worse than you. Much worse. 27-3 may look bad, but I think that my record will be nasty bad. Monte: I doubt it. Abe: Your faith, although welcome, is obviously misplaced. Monte: (chuckles) |
great stuff as always!:D
That bastard Bidwell is going down! |
Journal Entry, Abe Sargent, After Week 2
"Seahawks on opening drive get four first downs before being sacked and forced to kick a field goal. 3-0. I run five consecutive plays up the middle by Shawn Johnson. 2 first downs and its 2nd and inches. Johnson is out with cramps for a few plays. Bulger steps back and tosses a pick. The read was decent but the coverage linebacker made a very agile move for the ball. Seahawks drive. Charlton is beat on bump and run coverage and its 10-0 Seahawks. I spread the field and call Johnson up the middle with four wides.. Defense is caught unawares and he busts it for 16 yards. Two more carries by Shawn and its 3rd and 4 End of quarter. I call a FBGo play out of the Pro Form 3WR set. 10 yard completion for a first down! 2nd and 9 after a Johnson run gets only a yard after the hole closes. I call a TE Streak out of the Singleback formation but Cleeland is covered tight. Bulger rolls and sees single coverage on Freeman down field. Tosses it up in the air. Freeman makes the adjustment and catches, tackled at the 2. I call a run up the gut but there are too many defenders. I call a QB sneak off a 4 WR set and motion Johnson as a receiver. Bulger dives in and scores a rushing TD. 10-7 Seahawks. The Seahawks drive the length of the field again and pound it in. 17-7 Seahawks and our defense isn't stopping anything. They are really passing heavily to the man Charlton is covering. Johnson pounds it for two. Bulger's pass hit sthe back of the receiver to bring up 3rd and 8. I call a Singleback Big ACE Streaks play. They pass rush and 2nd TE Herman Miller is wide open. Bulger just gets off the pass and Miller catches it 8 yards downfield, rumbling for 4 more yards before a safety brings him down. 3 runs later, two by Johnson and one by Hodgins and we have another first down. I call a 4 wide HB dive on 2nd and 9 but the defense is still looking run. I audible to a pass play, send Freeman on a wheel hot route and 17 yards later Bulger has another completion. Two minute warning. Freeman drops 2nd and 12 for about 10 yards on a curl after Johnson was stopped behind the line on a blitz. 3rd and 12, but we are in FG position. Bulger has Cleeland open and passes the ball - Cleeland tips it up instead of catching it and its Intercepted!!!! Oh no! We force Seattle to punt though - first time today we've done that. Michael Lewis calls for a Fair catch at the 34. 66 yards and 51 seconds. Time to open this pass playbook. Freeman is jacked as he grabs the ball and can't hold on. Would have been a 35 yard play. Two more incompletes and we punt. Seattle grabs the ball and...breaks it free! Tackled at the 30 with :06 to go. They try a FG and.......just inside the uprights. 20-7. We start on the 26. I call Johnson up the middle - 8 yards. I call another Johnson run up the gut, nothing so so he bounces outside and let's his speed carry him 16 yards upfield. 3rd and 6 and Cleeland just absolutely drops a pass in his hands. Cleeland is losing me this game. 3rd and 3 and Seattle tosses a ball to a fairly open TE Mili. Mili breaks tackles from both safeties and scores. 27-7 Seattle. 3rd and 6 and Dedric Ward is told to hot route to a wheel from the 3rd spot on a Pro From 3 wr pass. Bulger his Ward who is running behind Freeman who takes the Zone coverage and its 8 yards and a first. 3rd and 5 and I call a PA pass. My backs are covered and the heat is on. Bulger lobs it deep to Ismail in signle coverage. The D-Back picks it off, but it was essentially a punt anyways. And if he had gotten it..... Seattle's ball on the 12. They drive and.... Bah, I'm bored reporting this game. Final score 41-10. Seattle scores on a Punt Ret. Johnson has 106 yards." |
Copperheads Win in New England
Sarah O'Brien Phoenix Sun In the upset of the week, the Copperheads travel to Gilette Stadium and defeat the New England Patriots to go to 1-2 on the season. The Copperheads defense held the Patriots to only 14 points despite not appearing able to stop the Seahawks all game the previous week. Their 20 points on offense was enough to win the game. Shawn Johnson continued to survive on the ground as Bulger still hasn't scored an aerial touchdown. Defensive tackle Steve Martin has three sacks on the seaon, two recorded in theis last game. Arizona's next game is on the road against the winless Jets. The Copperheads may very well be favorites next week for the first time this season. |
To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent Re: Game at Jets Obviously we are happy with our win this week in New York. It was a rather poor game however. Although Shawn Johnson ran for 203 yards on the day, over 100 of those yards came in the fourth quarter as we grounded down the clock and 63 of those yards were on one play. During the first three quarters we managed only 30 yards per quarter on the ground. We turned the ball over 4 times. The only thing that saved us was that the Jets turned it over 6 times, including two fumbles off sacks in when they were in the red zone and an interception in the end zone by Blaine Bishop. We were lucky. Still, we were also unlucky. Dedric Ward dropped a crucial TD pass in the endzone on 3rd and goal from the 2. Bulger hit Ward for a TD later in the game. I'll take it. My first win coaching and we are .500 after two wins on the road. Our defense allowed a total of 16 points on the road against two tough AFC East teams. That's not shabby. Let's see what happen next week when we host the Lions. -Anxiety |
Copperheads Owner Settles With Former Owner
Ralph Eaton AP Wire Earlier today papers were filed with the Arizona Secretary of State's office informing that the suit between Bill Bidwell and Abe Sargent has been settled. Abe Sargent purchased the then Arizona Cardinals from Bill Bidwell last July and recently changed the name of the team to the Copperheads. Bill Bidwell, the new owner of the Minnesota Vikings, sued Abe Sargent for fraud by changing the team's name. The two agreed to arbitration with the NFL regarding this issue. The papers filed today certify the rulings. Bill Bidwell is changing the name of the Minnesota Vikings to the Minnesota Cardinals after this year. Additionally, the old Arizona Cardinals stats will move to the new Minnesota Cardinals stats. It will be like the team moved, and as if the Copperheads were a brand new team in their first year. The Minnesota Vikings records will no longer carry with any team. In fact, rumor has it that Bidwell is interested in moving the Vikings/Cardinals to another market, which would open up the possibility of an expansion team in Minnesota named the Vikings that could take the identity and stats of the previous incarnation much like the Browns did. No money will exchange hands, just the name change and statistics moving to the Minnesota franchise. |
From a Copperhead Chatroom:
"Came close to being 3-2." "Can't believe we lost to the Lions. At home." "28-25 is not a bad loss" "Who's the worse coach - Kiffin or Sargent?" "Sargent" "Sargent" "Whoever's coaching that week" "Heh, yeah." "Left Guard Wally Williams is out for 8 weeks." "Damn!" "Weren't we 2-3 last year before collapsing?" "Can't have high expectations too soon, now." "Sure we can. Jax and Carolina were in the Championship games in year 2. It's our year two and where are we?" "It's really our year one. Last year was a bunch of free agent scraps, this year was actual building." "I think we should be winning by season 4 or it's the same old same old." "Fourth year of Abe Sargent as owner or fourth year as Copperheads?" "4th with Abe" "In Abe We Trust" "They've already signed Scott Rehberg to start or backup for now." "What will that do to Shawn's game?" "Maybe less running up the gut." "They do that a lot" "Abe calls that a lot. Kiffin runs less." "He's number 3 in the NFL in rushing after 5 games. I'd run him a lot too." "He has 50 more rrushing attempts than the other backs at the top. He just gets less per carry" "Bad line" "And it got worse" "True" "I'm off to bed" "Dreams of Shawn Johnson running over defenses will be in my head" "Dreams of a winng season will be in mine" "We may be close" "Or we may be farther than we've ever been befpre" "Heh." "LOL" "Funny boy, eh?" "Night all" "TTYL" |
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Yeah, I know. I hope you did not mind me doing that. I guess I was hoping you were going to attack the spelling AND the massive use of puns. :) Not that you needed the material. . . :D E |
Copperheads Reach 3-3 After Come From Behind Victory
Steve Winter Pro Football Weekly After a dismal season last year, the Cardinals/Copperheads were not expected to do much better this season. Yet, with last Sunday's victory against the 49ers, they have beaten three quality opponents. All on the road. Earlier this season the Copperheads dropped all three of their home games. However, they have won every away game - at New England, at New York, and now at San Francisco. And this game was as dramatic as it was unpredictable. Down 20-0 at the half, most teams would scrap their gameplan and pass a lot. In fact, Bulger only passed for 125 yards on the day. Instead, owner Abe Sargent called the game the exact opposite. He ran more. By the end of the day, halfback Shawn Johnson had rushed for 217 yards on 29 carries for 3 TDs. Twice he broke long yards by running up the gut. A 61 yard scamper saw Shawn outrun the secondary last in the third. And then on Arizona's first possession of the fourth quarter a 44 yard bust through the middle gave Shawn his second score. On Arizona's final drive, started on the 20 with 4:39 in the game, Johnson ran 5 times for 49 yards and an 11 yard TD. The Copperheads won 24-20, shutting out the amazing 49ers passing game in the second half. Arizona kick returner Michael Lewis fumbled the ball on a kickoff return late in the second half which was recovered and returned for a TD. Special Teams errors continue to plague the Copperheads, who also missed two field goal attempts. However, at the end of the day, Shawn Johnson was enough to defeat the 49ers. Shawn and a Arizona defense that bent all day but never broke, yielding only 13 points defensively. |
Interview with Quarterbacks Weekly, 1090 AM
Dave Attel: Our next guest is the owner of the Arizona Copperheads, Abe Sargent. Abe was on the program last year and we talked about Jamie Martin and possibly benching him for Wuerffel. Now, the questions are about Marc Bulger and benching him for Martin. Abe Sargent: Interesting, eh? Dave: Very. Halfback Shawn Johnson has exploded and is near the top of the NFL. Has he saved your team from Bulger? Abe: Of course not. Like last year, we have a new team with practically no returners, including a new QB. You have to expect growing pains. But I have no reason to expect that Bulger won't be a great QB in this league. Dave: And that's true. Qadry Ismail has been missing in this offense after getting 1000+ yards last year. Abe: Just the aberration of statistics, but we'll probably look for a new receiver next offseason. Ismail is a great receiver, but he is also a bit long in the tooth. Dave: Why have you put the passing game in the back seat this year? Abe: We are running behind Shawn Johnson this year. That's our strength right now. Dave: And Bulger turns the ball over a lot. Abe: Right now he does. But when we have a better TE, a better receiver across from Freeman, and thus move Ismail to the 3rd spot, Bulger will shine, mark my words about that. Dave: You lost last week at home against the Saints 38-10. That makes you 3-4 on the season, 3-0 on the road and 0-4 at home. To what do you attribute that? Abe: Happenstance. If we continue that trend, we'll be 8-8 on the season, and that'd be a 4 game improvement. Dave: Heh, true. Alright, heading into week 9 of the NFL, the Arizona Copperheads, one of the more intriguing teams in the league. Thanks for your time. I like the new name, by the way. Abe: Thanks. Dave: Coming up after the break is.... |
Two weeks:
Arizona at home against Dolphins. Lose 31-6 Arizona at Dallas. Lose 28-3 |
Shawn Johnson Obliterates Single Game Rushing Record
John Clayton ESPN.com Earlier today the Arizona Copperheads took on the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The day was a wet, rainy affair with both teams slogging through the muck. Owner Abe Sargent was the playcaller today. This was his first rainy game. After last week, preliminary Pro Bowl standings did not even have rookie sensation Shawn Johnson in the running for an NFC spot despite being tied with Michael Bennett for the most yards in the league. Maybe today will add a few votes. In the first quarter, Shawn Johnson knocked off a 61 yard scamper for a TD. Overall, Shawn Johnson had over 100 yards rushing in the first quarter alone. In the second quarter, Johnson broke another yard 47 yards for a touchdown. By halftime, Johnson had almost 200 yards. In the third quarter, Johnson only had around 50 yards. Good stats for normal backs on a normal day, but this was no normal day. Then, in the fourth, Seattle tied the game at 24-24 with 3:30 left. Arizona went with four consecutive runs. Johnson scored on a 33 yard dash around the left end after his holes closed up in the middle. Seattle went four and out after going for it on fourth down. And Arizona had to keep running to grind out the clock. Johnson added three runs for double digits and broke Corey Dillon's old record of 287 yards inside of the Two Minute Warning. For the day, Shawn Johnson registered 324 rushing yards - the first back to ever record over 300 yards in one game. The Seattle defense was stymied, often slipping and Johnson easily broke many tackles and evaded others. Maybe a few more Pro Bowl votes will go his way now. |
From ESPNNews
....so the Cardinals can't stop the Rams today losing another home game. This time, the Rams are simply too much for the Cardinals, winning 24-13. Rookie back Free Safety Drew Copeland will be out for several weeks with an abdominal strain during the game. Johnson followed up his record setting performance last week by recording another 100 yard game. The Bills took on the Jets..... |
To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent Re: Loss at Carolina We lost this week. And Johnson's running game was absent. I called the game, so I can;t but help feel that we let it slip away, 24-17. However, we had a lot of luck. Stephen Davis's fumble into the endzone and out of bounds was a touchback for us. Another red zone fumlbe we recovered. The score could have been much worse. Still, most of their damage was done in the second quarter when Bulger was out for the half with a jammed wrist. Jamie tossed two picks. Bulger tossed no picks and 2 TDs. People who were calling for Bulger's pink slip are quiet this week. Heh. Anyways, we are out of playoff contention. So, I'll turn over playcalling duties to Monte for the remainder of the season. -Abe Sargent |
Poster Hung on a Dorm Room Door
Arizona Copperheads Schedule: ..... Week 14 - 49ERS - L (31-9) Week 15 - at Falcons L (7-23) Week 16 - BILLS L (37-6) Week 17 - at Rams W (27-22) Final Standings - 5-11. |
Playoffs:
Wild Card Round: Patriots at Broncos - Pats 45-7 Vikings at Cowboys - Boys 22-17 Bills at Texans - Texans - 37-13 Saints at 49ers - 49ers 24-10 Divisional Round: Texans at Dolphins - Phins 24-17 49ers at Buccaneers - Bucs 30-10 Patriots at Bengals - Bengals 23-15 Cowboys at Packers - Pack 35-14 Conference Championships - Bengals at Dolphins Packers at Buccaneers Bengals 27, Dolphins 0 Packers 28, Buccaneers 13 Super Bowl - Cincinnati Bengals vs. Green Bay Packers Bengals 41 Green Bay 20 So, apparently, Marvin Lewis created a revolution. |
Stats from this year:
QB Marc Bulger - 2212 yards, 8 TDs, 20 Ints, 1 Rush TD RB Shawn Johnson - 1761 yards on 378 carries for 10 TDs, 48 catches for 252 yards and 2 TDs WR Qadry Ismail - 54 catches for 706 yards, 2 TDs WR Antonio Freeman - 41 catches for 574 yards and 2 TD RG Leon Searcy, 69 Pancakes, 9 Sacks Allowed LT Richmond Webb, 65 Panackes, 1 Sack Allowed ROLB John Thierry - 92 tackles, 9 sacks, 3 FF, 2 FumRec DT Steve Martin - 46 Tackles, 8 sacks, 1 FumRec LE Chidi Ahanotu - 54 Tackles, 8 sacks, 2 FF CB Doug Bronson - 61 Tacks, 5 Ints, 3 FF, 3 FumRec KR Michael Lewis, 1 KR TD, 1 PR TD K Dexter Krause, 23 of 29 |
Awards:
HB Shawn Johnson - NFL Offensive Player of Week 6, Week 11 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year NFC Best RB (4th Place) CB Doug Bronson - NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Pro Bowl - LT Richmond Webb (highest votes of any tackle in the NFC) RG Leon Searcy |
Copperheads Have Several Pro Bowl Snubs
Steve Satterfield Copperheads.com Although Arizona received two Pro Bowl berths for offensive linemen Richmond Webb and Leon Searcy, otherwise, the Shawn Johnson express did not stop at the Pro Bowl. Honestly, what does a running back have to do to get in the Pro Bowl? Lead the NFL in rushing? Shawn led by 150 yards over #2 back Deuce McAllister. Get a lot of rushing TDs? Johnson registered 10, more than Ahman Green and Deuce McAllister did, when Green and the Deuce made it to the Pro Bowl for the NFC. How about set an all time game record for rushing yards that beats the previous record by almost 50 yards?!? Surely, that should warrant conclusion. But no. No Pro Bowl berth for the Rookie out of Florida State. The biggest knack against Johnson is that his team went 5-11. But that should not matter, and it obviously didn't in the case of Richmond Webb, Left Tackle for the Copperheads who was the top vote getter in the NFC of all tackles. Some people have said that often a palyers needs a one year apprenticeship before getting voted into the Pro Bowl. But should that apply here? Certainly not. No back was more vital to his team, no runner better this year than Shawn Johnson. And instead of Copperhead fans celebrating that fact watching him celebrate in Hawaii, we are disappointed with the whole system. Copperhead fans have something to cheer about, and the league robs us of that. Yeah, we still got both NFL awards for best offensive and defensive rookies. That was nice. Switching gears, where was John Thierry this Saturday when the Pro Bowl was played? Watching. Fishing. Definatily not in Hawaii despite notching 9 sacks and leading the team in tackles. Doug Bronson, as a corner, led the team in both picks and forced fumbles. When does a corner do that? But instead of the league celebrating a new corner with strength too, he wins a rookie award, and watches the Pro Bowl from a TV set. We had a lot to celebrate this year. And we have a lot more to look forward to next year. Too bad the NFL missed it. |
2004 Balance Sheet:
Income - Ticket Sales - 27.1 Mill Concessions - 3.2 Mill Parking - 1.3 Mill Merchandising - 2.6 Mill Shared Revenue - 67.6 Mill Total Income - 101.75 Mill Expenses - Player Salaries - 93.3 Mill Staff Salaries - 5.6 Mill Stadium Maintenance - 16.1 Mill Total Expenses - 115.00 Mill Yearly Total - -13.2 Million Total Assets - -3.05 Million -Franklinnoble VP of Administration |
Scouting Memo
Progression of Players This Year: QB Marc Bulger, -1% Danny Wuerffel, -7% HB Shawn Johnson, +4% Doug Chapman, -4% FB James Hodgins, +1% WR Antonio Freeman, -2% Andre King, -4% LT Richmond Webb, +2% Jeremy McKinney, -9% LG Wally Williams, -6% Scott Rehberg, +1% Floyd Wedderburn, -7% C Dedric Arrington, +5% RE Leon Searcy, +1% RT Jon Johnson, +3% John St. Clair, -1% LE Chidi Ahanotu, +3% Joey Williams, +2% RE Kendrick Office, +1% Dre Fisk, +3% DT Monsanto Pope, +3% Sean Nelson, -1% LOLB Canute Curtis, +2% Eddie Shakur, +3% MLB Bryan Cox, +2% Colby Solomon, +3% Kalen Miller, +5% ROLB John Thierry, +3% Darnay Hill, +4% CB Doug Bronson, +4% Ike Charlton, +3% Terry Fair, +2% Tyrone Carter, +2% FS Marcus Robertson, +2% Drew Copeland, +4% SS William Kinney, +3% K Dexter Krause, +4% P Matt Turk, +2% -Mike Ackerly |
Copperheads Again Lead League in Retirements
Sonny Blackshear Arizona Daily News For the second straight year, the Arizona Cardinals/Copperheads have led the league in retirements. Two years ago, new owner Abe Sargent cut the current players and hired all new players from the free agent market. As a result, many older, aging players were selected for the team. Therefore, over the past two years, the Arizona franchise has led the league in the number of retirements it has. This year, the Copperheads has six players retire. The next highest number was Miami with five, and no other team had more than three players retire. The six Arizona players to retire are: WR Qadry Ismail - After getting over 1000 receiving yards two years ago, Qadry again led the team in receptions and yards despite registering 300 less yards. SS Blaine Bishop - A former Pro Bowl safety, Blaine has had a strong career with a number of high profile franchises such as Tennessee and Philadelphia. QB Jamie Martin - A vertern jouneyman, Jamie hadn't started more than 6 games before being tagged as the starting quarterback for the Cardinals in Abe Sargent's inaugural season as owner. In his only season as a starter, in 15 games, Jamie threw almost 3000 yards, thus proving he was a good quarterback. WR/KR Michael Lewis - Michael registered two touchdowns on returns this year for the Copperheads, his only year with the franchise. HB Terrell Davis - The primary backup for Shawn Johnson, any hopes for a comeback were defeated by Johnson's running game. TE Damon Jones - Buried on the depth chart at the age of 30, Jones was brought in as a #2 option with good receiving skills, but he couldn't even crack the lineup despite problems at the tight end position. |
Scouting Memo:
The following players are holding out: CB Ike Charlton FB James Hodgins Position by Position Analysis of Roster: Quarterback - Marc Bulger is under contract for three more years and is our starting quarterback for good or ill. Danny Wuerffel has lost any edge he had and is not under contract as of right now. Recommendation - Find two new quarterbacks, preferably at least on young one who can be groomed for the future. Running Back - Shawn Johnson is amazing but no other tailbacks are under contract. At fullback, James Hodgins is a horse of a player with 2 years left on his contract. But he's not that special and he's holding out for more money. Recommendation - Find more backups for Shawn, make a decision on James. Wide Receiver - Only Antonio Freeman is currently under contract. This team's passing game was anemic last year. Bringing in a top receiver is vital. Recommendation - Find several backups, a starter, and preferably a project. Tight End - Despite Cameron's supposed skills, the Tight End position was horrible last year. 6th round draft pick and rookie Herman Miller is no solution. Recommendation - Find a starting Tight End of higher quality. Offensive Tackle - Rookie Jon Johnson has progressed very well and should start long term. Left Tackle Richmond Webb, although 38, had an amazing Pro Bowl season last year. We need a player at the LT position, and until someone better comes along, Webb is our best option. John St. Clair is still under contract and a decent enough backup. Recommendation - Resign Webb to a short contract, find a backup. Offensive Guard - LG Wally Williams' injury caused significant decline in his ability last year. Now, Williams is nothing more than a spot starter, although we have him under contract for the upcoming year. Leon Searcy, with two years left, was our other overachiever on the offensive line last year. He is aging quickly, however. Recommendation - Find two backups, one who can eventually start. Center - Rookies Dedric Arrington and Cris Forrest have no problems and should be on our team for two more years together as a center tandem. Defensive End - Chidi Ahanotu and Kendrick Office are both without a contract. They both have 32 starts under their wings with us. Chidi is the better player, and Kendrick is easily replaceable. We have backups for both end positions. Recommendation - Resign Ahanotu, find a new RE. Defensive Tackle - Our two starters are both under contract as are two backups. Recommendation - If possible, find a new young backup for depth. Outside Linebacker - Starters Canute Curtis and John Thierry are both free agents. And both are older. Neither really has great skills, but both have something important to offer. Thierry is more important than Curtis. We have backups at both positions. Recommendation - Resign Thierry. Choose to either keep or replace Curtis. Either way, find a new player to groom for the starting position. Middle Linebacker - Bryan Cox has grown into our best linebacker despite his age. We have a backup at middle linebacker. Recommendation - Resign Cox to a short term contract. Cornerback - Doug Bronson had a great rookie year. We still need a shutdown corner. We currently have five corners under contract, although Ike is holding out after starting last year. He is not a starter in this league, however. Recommendation - Find a new starter, cut Ike lose if he is too much of a problem. Safeties - We have backups in place. Marcus Robertson is solidfied at the starting position - he's a lot better than most of our starters. But Blaine's retirement creates a hole at strong safety. Recommendation - Find a new starting strong safety. Kickers - K Delvin Krause is coming along nicely for an undrafted kicker. P Matt Turk is still the best player on our team at thier position. No recommendations here since both are under contract. -Mike Ackerly |
ARIZONA COPPERHEADS PRESS RELEASE
Copperheads resign five After a week of long deliberations with five veteran free agents, all starters from last year, the Arizona Copperheads have announced the resigning of each. A small ceremony was held earlier today with each of the five veterans - all players who started both years of the Arizona rebuilding phase, signing their new contracts simultaneously. The five veterans are: Left Tackle Richmond Webb, 1 year deal for 2.8 million including a 440 thousand signing bonus. Middle Linebacker Bryan Cox, 1 year deal for 2.35 million and a 370k bonus. Outside Linebackers John Thierry and Canute Curtis. Canute for 1 year, 1.85 million and Thierry for 2 years and 4 million Left Defensive End Chidi Ahanotu, 2 year deal for 3.5 million with a 570k bonus. The Copperheads hopes that each player will continue to bring excellence to the team both on and off the field. |
Administration Note:
Before Resigning Players: Money Tied in Contracts: 34.66 Mill Available Cap Money: 56.09 Mill After Resigning Five Players: Money in Contracts: 45.08 Mill Available: 45.67 Mill -Franklinnoble VP of Administration |
To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent Re: Holdouts Hello - We had two holdouts to deal with this year: CB Ike Charlton is in the final year of his contract, started all last season, and is 27 - around the time a player really wants to settle down. Ike is demanding a five year deal, but not worth a lot. He's developed into a solid Nickel or Dime option, and I like signing him to a longer deal, but a five year deal is out of the question. Ultimately, we decide on a three year deal worth 3.8 million with 600k of it in a signing bonus. I honestly have no idea why FB James Hodgins is holding out. He just finished his first year of a three year contract/ He is just wanting one extra year added. James is 28 years old and likely in his prime. He does start for us, but is isn't excellent. I decide to honor his request for a new contract despite his poor reasoning for wanting a new contract. We strike a deal for 3 years, 2.9 million with a bonus of 390k. This is an extension of one year over the current contract. Neither move hurts us financially, and both moves satisfy players. Cap Room after dealing with the holdouts - 45.4 million. -Abe Sargent |
Pre Combine Strategy Meeting
Abe Sargent: Alright, let's begin. Mike? Mike Ackerly: We have six starting positions in flux. We want to find six starters, either in the draft or through free agency. The positions are Left Guard, Wide Receiver, Right End, Tight End, Cornerback and Strong Safety. Vic Ketchman: Obviously, some of those positions are more important than others. Mike: Sure thing. Our priority is as follows. Wide Receiver is our most important hole. Follow that with Right Defensive End then Storng Safety. Cornerback, Tight End, and Left Guard round them out. We can start Wally Williams at Left Guard if we have to, for example. Monte Kiffin: We pick fourth, so if we have four top choices, we're guaranteed one of them. Abe: Correct. 16 players this year have definite first round grades. Six of them are in our needed positions. I suggest that we go into the combine studying all six. Vic: Who are they? Mike: Receivers Greg George and Craig Campbell will be at the top of our list. Tught End Neil Rasby. Left Guards Gary Thomas and Dontae Renick. And Right End Michael Roberts. Vic: So we want to scout all six? Eliminate two from contention? Abe: Exactly. Vic: Fair enough. Monte: We need some depth too. Mike: We need two quarterbacks, two or three half backs, maybe a fullback, and a slew of receivers. Abe: Let's start with a returner. Who do we have on queue with a great return game? Mike: I like receiver Phil Barton from Wisconsin. He's not a high body on many people's lists, getting a late round grade. But he is tall enough at 6'1" to show potential. Monte: I like size on my return men. Abe: Great, let's scout him. Backup halfbacks? Mike: Only 14 halfbacks in this class, which puts a premium on them. They may go early as a result. The best runner in the latter groups is Tre Conner, from Air Force. He has a 3rd or 4th round grade, 6'1" frame and amazing power. Poor hands though. Another possibility might be Derek Rogers from Notre Dame. Also a 3rd-th round grade with great power and abavoe average hands. Appears, right now, to be the better deal. Abe: Let's scout them both. Vic: Quarterback? That guy from Pittsburgh impressed me more than others. Mike: He is ranked the last of the draftable quarterbacks. Good body with 6'3" height. Late round grade but has good pass tsrenth and great accuracy. Definite possibility as a project. Monte: I like his size and accuracy. Abe: Agreed. What about 2nd round selections for our starting spots? Mike: There are several options that I like. Receiver Chris Valentine from Ole Miss has great hands and is 6'3". Our scouts say he is a speed receiver, and we'll see. Vic: Sounds really good. Mike: Right End Al Shields from USC is big. At 6'7' he is the biggest defensive end in the draft. Has good tackling and a late first-early second grade. For corners, the best of the top three is probably Marvin Lincoln from little NC Central. He's 5'11" and from a small school, so some are down on him, but I like his upside. Above Average tackler. Monte: By my count that's 13 players. How about later round guards or ends? Vic: That guy we saw from Arizona State at the football game. Remember Monte, we went out to the game last October cause we were looking for something to do? What was his name.... He could tackle anything. Mike: Anthony Edwards, Right End from ASU. Late round grade. 6'3", great tackling. Monte: Oh yeah, that's the guy. He was amazing. Abe: Let's scout him then. Mike: And for guard, may I suggest Ed Perry from Texas A&M? 6'7" and good blocking skills with a late round grade. Abe: That make us fifteen? Vic: Sure does. Abe: Alright then, let's reconvene at the combine. |
First Combine Meeting
Vic:...and that guy is a house! Receivers should not be that stong! Abe: What's going on now? Vic: I was at the receiver workout for a while. Three receivers benched 17 or 18 reps, including our boy Craig. All three recorded really fast 40 times too. There are three guys with great speed and great strength. Nasty combination! Monte: I want one. Mike: Calm down boys. Here's the rundown on today's players. Of the 15 we scouted, what positon would you like to begin with? Abe: Let's head straight down the roster positions. Mike: Alright then, we'll start with quarterback. We looked at Jeff Fulcher from Pitt. Many of our late round players we looked at has serious flaws. Not Jeff. He had a quick release and has acceptable physical stats. I suggest we take a closer look at him tomorrow. Monte: I like having three good quarterbacks. Danny scared me last year. Vic: Heheh. Mike: Next up is the halfback corps we looked at. Tre Conner had more red flags than a Six Flags Amusement Park. Fumbling problems, poor interview, slow speed. No sense spending more time with him. Derek Rogers was pretty good physically but he had a below avergae interview. Want me to keep scouting him? Abe: Let's finish the reports then take a closer look. Mike: Sure thing boss. Vic: How about that Tight End? Mike: Neil was slower with a 4.93 40 time. Smart kid though. Had a good interview. Proved he has great hands, but we need to see more. Monte: What about that receiver we heard about? Mike: Our two first round grades were Greg and Craig. Sounds like a fraternity ski trip, I know. Craig had 4.37 speed, a good interview, and 18 bench reps - the best of any receiver. He seems like a very physical receiver who can break tackles. Monte: I like him! Vic: Physical receivers can often end up being good run blockers too. Abe: Next up is Greg? Mike: Greg looked good too. Seems to have the best hands of any receiver in the draft. 38" vertical was a pleasant surprise and a 4.40 40 time, which is just where we want our receivers. Vic: Interview? Mike: Oh, nothing to write home about, but above average. Craig seems the better option currently, but we should keep scouting. Abe: Agreed. The other two? Mike: I don't even want to talk about Phil Barton. Players that bad shouldn't even be allowed on the field and I'd be insulted if we invited him to a workout as an undrafted free agent. Vic: Damn! Mike: Now Chris Valentine is decent enough. A Good interview, 4.41 40 time, needs to work on head-eye coordination but made good catches nevertheless. Abe: Let's see other players before deciding to scout him again. Mike: Sure. Left Guard is next. Gary Thomas and Dontae Renick both have first round grades. Gary has an above average interview, Dontae was pretty good. Dontae has long arms and used them well in blocking. Gary sets up well in pass protection. Dontae had 32 reps, Gary had 35 reps. Right now, they are neck and neck for the guard spots and need more scouting. Vic: Sounds good. Mike: That may sound good but wait. Ed Perry had really bad workouts. And a pretty lousy interview as well. Abe: Alright, we'll look elsewhere for a guard. Defensive End? Mike: For a first round pick, I was disappointed. Michael Roberts should have been better. He was fast at 4.53 40 time. Only had a so-so interview, and showed pretty average tackling skills. That's the bad news. Monte: The good news? Mike: DE Al Shields, who we were looking for the 2nd round looks great. 4.50 40 time beats Robert's only strength. 29 reps is good for an end and an above average interview. He was also an explosive tackler today on the field. I really like him so far, and I'd like to see more. Abe: Scout him out. Didn't we have a third on the list? Mike: Sure did. Anthony Edwards. Slow, slow time at 5.12. Average interview, looks like nothing special. But, the guy proved he has great tackling skills. I think he may be a diamond in the rough and I'd like to look closer. Abe: You got it. Our corner? Mike: Marvin Lincoln is another player we are looking at in the 2nd. I honestly do not believe that he will be on the list. 4.23 40. Vic: *whistles* Mike: Yup, and teams crave that kind of speed at the corner position. 35" vertical and an average interview. Like to scout him more in case he falls, however. Abe: How many have we listed for more scouting thus far? Mike: Nine. Abe: Who do you recommend for the other 6 scout times we have tomorrow? Mike: Let's start with Strong Safety. No SS had a ranking of higher than late 2nd-early 3rd round but there was a gridlock there, so we waited until we saw the results fromt he first day. And there are two safeties I like for that area of the draft. Carl Sanders from UNC and Lester Johnson from South Carolina. Both are 6'1". Carl has a 4.47 40 time and Lester a 4.40. Carl had 19 reps, Lester a 37" vertical - the best of any strong safety. Carl had a good interview and Lester an above average one. Carl appears to be an amazing tackler and Lester a pretty good one. I'd like to scout them both. Abe: Excellent. Do it. Mike: Receiver Wayne Beck was another of the three receivers that Vic was impressed by. He has a second round grade, above average hands, a 4.37 40 time, 17 reps and a good interview. Vic: I was impressed by him. Monte: What about that halfback you were telling me about? Mike: Renaldo? Great back. From Florida, has a grade of 3rd-4th rounds. Good interview, great power, above average hands, 4.31 speed and 17 reps. Really showed something yesterday. Abe: Wow. Scout them both. We have two slots left. Who else? Mike: Right Guard Bobby Jackson from Tulsa. He's a little short at 6"2 although he weighs 313 pounds. Great run blocking skills, above average pass blocking skill. 33 reps, par for the course for guards. Good interview, which is important for guards. Grade of 2-3 rounds. Vic: Sounds like a good deal for that area of the draft, despite the fact that sounds like a super ball. Abe: Haha. Short and round. But isn't he a Right guard? We need left guards. Mike: True, but we could use an additional backup, plus Searcy is aging quickly. Abe: Fair enough. Mike: Last up is coner Vernon Marsh. Now, I want you all to listen to this carefully. 2nd-3rd round grade. Above average tackling. 4.44 40 time. Great interview, this guy really knows hus stuff. 40" vertical, tied for best of any corners. 16 reps, second strongest corner. Monte: Sounds like a catch! Mike: Yes, but this "catch" has a "catch." Vic: What's up? Mike: Not much. He's 5'8" Vic: Ick. Mike: But if a 5'8" corner can make it in the NFL, this guy might be it. Abe: Alright, scout him out. That's our 15. We meet here again tomorrow to make our final decisions. |
Second Combine Meeting
Abe: Mike, what do you have for us? Mike: Some surprises in here. Starting with the safeties, Carl looked okay a Lester not so much. I'd like one last chance to look at them. At corner Vernon looks okay and Marvin looks amazing. Again, more info on both is necesswary. Especially vernon. Anthony Edwards did not look good at end. Al Shields, who I did like, looks less than sterling now. I'd like to see more of Al. At guard, Bobby is a fierce competetior, and I like that. Dontae appeared better than Gary for the first round players. I'd like another look at all three. Neil at TE was decent and I want a little more. Criag and Greg acontinue to vie for our top receiver spot. Beck fumbles and I want more info on him as well. At halfback Renaldo Conway looks good. Le't see more. And at quarterback I am continually impressed with Jeff Fulcher. Let's see more. Abe: So you want to see more of 14 of the 15 players we just scouted? Mike: Correct Monte: Pretty good. Abe: Who do you want as your other player? Mike: You'll be surprised... Vic: Who? Mike: QB Tra Ilko from San Diego State. Goo dinterview, amazing arm strength, above average accuracy and 17 reps. Let's see what this guy can offer. Abe: Sounds like a deal. We need two backup QBs anyway. Let' us know what you find out in your final report. Gentleman, thanks for coming. See you back in Arizona! |
Chris Berman: ...so the Copperheads have to be happy that both of the top wide receivers are still on the board at pick 4. They get their choice of receiver here.
Mel Kiper, Jr: Absolutely Chris. Last year we witnessed a whole slew of receivers fall off the board in the first round, and this year, it's just too hard to call what will happen at the position. But Arizona get's their choice, and you've got to figure that they'll go with a wideout here. They only have Antonio Freeman under contract right now. Jimmy Johnson: I like Greg a lot. Mel: I think Greg has the bigger upside, but Craig is the more polished reciever right now, which is odd, I know, since he comes from James Madison University. The Copperheads need an immediate contributor, so I'd go with Craig Campbell. Chris: And the commissioner is making his way to the podium now. Paul Tags: With the fourth overall selection in the 2005 draft, the Arizona Copperheads select the wide receiver from James Madison, Craig Campbell. Chris: Looks like you were right, Mel. Mel: The first picks are the easiest to call. And Craig is among the most physical receivers that we've seen in a while. He was the strongest receiver in the draft with the same number of bench reps that safeties and some linebackers get. You've heard of running backs that act like receivers? This guy is a receiver who can act like a running back. Let's take a look at the tape... |
Jimmy Johnson: 10 Wide Receivers in the first round the year after 14 receivers went in the first just baffles me. Where are these teams putting all of these guys? I think some are reaching just to get a receiver.
Mel: I think you're right. Arizona has got to be happy that they started this little run of receivers. Arizona started a run of four receivres going in a row. They got their pick of the crop, and considering their significant need for wideouts, it was certainly a good thing that they picked fourth, right at the beginning of the rush. Chris: Who do the Copperheads go for here? Mel: Arizona has to be real upset that tight end Neil Basby went off the board at pick 34. They were really high on this kid and he was number 5 or 6 on their draft board overall. I think they would have done cartwheels to get the guy in the second round. Let's take a look at some of the players who've dropped, according to my board: LOLB Gerard Davis was a real player. Good speed, good strength, good tackling and great acceleration. He dropped because he had an average interview. He's my best available. DT Terrence McGrath is my next player. Great tackling, size and strength, but again, an average interview hurt him. RE Michael Roberts is also on the board and the Copperheads have got to be upset that they didn't look at him closer because he fell to them. He is the only player where the best available meets their need for a starter at the end position. He was one of the fastest and strongest ends out there but an average tackler and interview has knocked him down. C Jeff Woodson is still available but centers have a tendancy to drop because there is not as muhc of a need for them. He'll get pciked up sooner or later and start quickly. Last of my top five biggest drops is right tackle Jerome Kaltenschnee. He has amazing blocking skills and a good interview. I'm surprised he hasn't gone yet, and I don't expect to see him here much longer. Chris: So, of the five, you think Arizona will go with Roberts? Mel: I think so. Jimmy: You got to have good ends. I think they should take him. Chris: Here comes the commissioner. Tags: With the 36th selection of the draft, the Arizona Copperheads select RE Michael Roberts. Chris: Two for two Mel. Mel: Yep. Let's take a look at some of Michael's gamefilm. |
Chris: With the draft quickly achieving conclusion, Mel Kiper and Mike Golic have been giving us their opinion on the drafts. They've been taking turns and it's Mike's turn. Mike, you have the Copperheads.
Mike Golic: I like their first round selection of Craig Campbell because they got the recevier they wanted before the furor began over wideouts. They needed some more, but they had the discipline to never reach and I like that. The second round choice of Michael Roberts was questionable only because Al Shields, another end who they really liked, stayed around until the mid-fourth. I really think they would have gotten a quality end two rounds later. In the third round, they went with Carl Sanders, the strong safety from North Carolina. He was the first strong safety taken in what was admittedly a weak year for them. Still, Arizona needed a starter, and they found the best one in the draft in the 3rd - pretty good value there. In the fourth they picked up corner Vernon Marsh from Vanderbilt. Although I think Vernon was a bit of a reach, any corner in the fourth round who makes a roster with 5 corners already on it has to be pretty good. Owner Abe Sargent admitted to us that some players they really wanted were taken off the baord, so they drafted a best available player approach for the last three rounds. Each of the players taken had fallen somewhat, and was a good selection. Right Guard Brad Green was snatched up in the fifth, outside linebacker Kendall Ortiz in the sixth and left tackle Brady Allen in the seventh. If even one of these players pans out as a starter in the future, the Copperheads had a good deal. And the starters at each of these positions are pushing retirement, whih may mean one or more of these players will have an opportunity to shine. Overall, I think the Copperheads missed on the second round selection, and predicted the draft poorly, but made up for it with some quality late. I give them a B. |
ARIZONA COPPERHEADS PRESS RELEASE
New Copperheads Signed Earlier today, the Arizona Copperheads announced that deals had been reached with all seven draftees. From the first round pick through the seventh, all plaayers have placed their name to paper and signed contracts. The Arizona franchise welcomes their new members and looks forward to their contribution both on and off the field. The players are listed below, in draft order. 1. WR Craig Campbell, James Madison University. 4 years, 14.25 million with a signing bonus of 2.08 million. 2. RE Michael Roberts, Oklahoma State, 5 years, 6 million with a bonus of 850,000. 3. SS Carl Sanders, North Carolina, 3 years, 2 million with a 300,000 bonus. 4. CB Vernon Marsh, Venderbilt, 4 years, 1.7 million with a bonus of 280,000. 5. RG Brad Green, Henderson State, 3 years, 1 million with a 180,000 bonus. 6. ROLB Kendall Ortiz, Southern University, 3 years, 1 million with a 180,000 bonus. 7. LT Brady Allen, Notre Dame, 3 years, 1 million with a bonus of 80,000. Make sure to welcome these new players to our community! |
Needs:
2 backup QBs 2-3 backup RBs 3 WRs 1 Starting caliber TE 1 Starting Caliber LG 1 Starting Caliber CB We have 40.19 Mill available to spend this year. -Mike Ackerly |
Free Agency Log:
We have three main target in the free agency period. Our top priority is to get the only true shutdown corner out there. Troy Vincent. He's old, but he's better than any otehr we have. We'll still need to find a long term solution, but for now, he'll definately do. Our next priority is LG Bibla, a fourth year man who looks decently good. He's a little better than Wally Williams but he's young enough that he can still improve which makes him more valuable to me. Out third target is Tight End Anthony Becht. Becht is better than Cam Cleeland, but not by too much. Still, I'll take any improvement at that critical position that I can, and I can always substitute in Becht for blocking downs if I cen get a better reeiver. A better TE later on will allow me to more effectively use our Big Formations, which I am really fond of. Day 1 - We make bids to Becht, Vincent and Bibla. Day 2 - We hear that our bids for Vincent and Becht have been exceeded by other teams. We bid up on both players. Day 3 - Vincent and Becht sign. We make a bid on WR Jason McAddley. Day 4 - Bibla signs. McAddley's bid is upped by Denver and I don't want to pay the extra money. We remove ourselves from any further free agent action. Post Auction - We got all three of our targets: CB Troy Vincent, 3 years, 16.39 million with 4.92 bonus TE Anthony Becht, 4 years, 3 million with 600k bonus LG Martin Bibla, 4 years, 4.5 million with 760k bonus We also signed the following free agents post draft for depth: QB Jason Gesser, 2 years, 1.5 million, 200k bonus QB Seth Burford, 1 year, 570k, 80k bonus HB Derrick Blaylock, 2 years, 1.3 million, 120k bonus HB Olandis Gary. 1 year, 850k with 120k bonus WR Eric Parker, 3 years for 2.75 mill with 510k bonus WR Jimmy Redmond, 1 year, 590k, 80k bonus WR Troy Edwards, 2 years, 1.89 million, 300k bonus Our team now has the proper and needed depth. |
From the FootballRatings.com Website:
Your 2005 Copperheads: QB Marc Bulger, 78 Ovr Jason Gesser, 59 Ovr Seth Burford, 53 Ovr RB Shawn Johnson, 86 Ovr Olandis Gary, 66 Ovr Derrick Blaylock, 57 Ovr FB James Hodgins, 81 Ovr WR Craig Campbell, 79 Ovr * Antonio Freeman, 75 Ovr Eric Parker, 68 Ovr Troy Edwards, 67 Ovr Jimmy Redmond, 53 Ovr TE Anthony Becht, 75 Ovr Cam Cleeland, 71 Ovr Herman Miller, 64 Ovr LT Richmond Webb, 78 Ovr Brady Allen, 57 Ovr * LG Martin Bibla, 76 Ovr Wally Williams, 73 Ovr C Dedric Arrington, 77 Ovr Cris Forrest, 54 Ovr RG Leon Searcy, 78 Ovr Brad Green, 65 Ovr * RT Jon Johnson, 79 Ovr John St. Clair, 58 Ovr LE Chidi Ahanotu, 78 Ovr Joey Williams, 55 Ovr RE Michael Roberts, 76 Ovr * Dre Fisk, 61 Ovr DT Steve Martin, 81 Ovr Monsanto Pope, 80 Ovr Reggie Fryar, 66 Ovr Sean Nelson, 62 Ovr LOLB Canute Curtis, 77 Ovr Eddie Shakur, 65 Ovr MLB Bryan Cox, 81 Ovr Colby Solomon, 70 Ovr ROLB John Thierry, 78 Ovr Darnay Hill, 67 Ovr Kendall Ortiz, 65 Ovr * CB Troy Vincent, 94 Ovr Doug Bronson, 83 Ovr Ike Charlton, 71 Ovr Tyrone Carter, 67 Ovr Terry Fair, 67 Ovr Vernon Marsh, 64 Ovr * Chuck Carter, 59 Ovr FS Marcus Robertson, 85 Ovr Drew Copeland, 68 Ovr SS Carl Sanders, 72 Ovr * William Kinney, 68 Ovr K Delvin Krause, 75 Ovr P Matt Turk, 90 Ovr |
Football.com:
Next up is the Arizona Copperheads. How did they fare in the draft? For the second year in Abe Sargent's tenure they ha da high draft pick and again they seemed to have used it well in selecting Craig Campbell. After reviewing each rookie in mini-camp, Craig has looked the best. It was a serious need and they filled it very well. In the second round they picked up Michael Roberts who is penciled in as their starter at the end spot that was vacated by Kendrick Office. Roberts appears to be better as a rookie than Kendrick, so it was a definite upgrade. In the third round they picked up strong safety Carl Sanders. He is starting this year for Blaine Bishop who retired. But, after their first three rounds, again Arizona seems to find mostly backups. The best promise is guard Brad Green who is playing behind Leon Searcy. Searcy is close to retirement and Green could be called upon to start either by injury or retirement. He's just good enough to start right now, but starting time would skyrocket his ability. Other than that, it doesn't look good for the rookies. Corner Vernon Marsh is sixth on the depth chart, LB Ortiz is 3rd, and tackle Allen isn't that good. They found three starters in the first three rounds, and that's good. But, other than that, they didn't do anything special. B- |
Training Camp Report:
The following players were focused on in Training Camp: Pocket Presence - QB Gesser - +2% Throwing Accuracy Precision Passing - QB Bulger - +3% Throwing Accuracy Chase and Tackle - SS Sanders - +2% Awareness Swat Ball - CB Brosnon - +1% Acceleration Trench Fight - RE Michael Roberts - +2% Strength Clutch Kick - K Krause - +3% Kicking Accuracy Corner Punt - P Turk - +3% Kicking Accuracy Ground Attack - RB Shawn Johnson - +5% Break Tackle Catching - WR Craig Campbell - +2 Catching Shawn Johnson worked especially hard. -Mike Ackerly |
Bulger-Becht Connection Lives Again in Arizona
Tony Sampezi Mountaineer Sports Network You can tell that fellow West Virginia University Alum Abe Sargent loves his school. After Abe acquired the Arizona Cardinals, he signed Canute Curtis to be his starting outside linebacker. The same Canute Curtis who set school records for sacks. Same Canute who was a Butkis Award finalist. Canute hadn't started any where for more than a game or two in his entire profssional career, but he came in as the starter for the Cardinals. Two years later, after 32 consecutive starts, Curtis is again at the top of the depth chart. Then last year Abe went out and signed Marc Bulger. He ignored two highly rated rookies and found his starting quarterback from a fellow WVU alum. The same Marc Bulger who set school records for passing. Abe designated Marc his starter last year and he is entrenched again this year. And this year, Abe's team, the Copperheads, picked up Anthony Becht, the former tight end for the Mountaineers. The connection? All Mountaineers and all players Abe saw on the field. He told us, "I didn't go to as many home games as I would have liked, but I saw all of these guys live." So now Marc Bulger can again throw to Becht, his safety net. Who's next? Solomon Page? Amos Zereoue? Jerry Porter? Aaron Beasley? Mountaineer fans have something to watch this fall. |
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Where did these guys end up getting drafted? Good stuff - sorry I missed my cue for the lawsuit. Was a little clueless for a week there. :rolleyes: Kevin |
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No prob. Tra went early in the 2nd and Fulcher went middle of the third. I would have taken Fulcher in the 4th but he wasn't there. Heck, I would have taken Fulcher in the 3rd but I needed a possible starter at SS more than a backup at QB. Ended up that Sanders was starter quality so it was a good move on my part. -Anxiety |
Fans Protest New Cardinals
Steve Atwater Minnesota Tribute When Bill Bidwell, the new owner of the Minnesota Vikings announced that the team would be changing its mascot, the fans were in uproar. However, the protests have continued to grow in intensity the closer the Minnesota franchise has come to opening this season. The closer the team comes to having the Cardinals debut. Fans have organized protests, but nothing like what was seen today at the first scrimmage between the offense and defense. The Minnesota Cardinals have an open practice to the public. And the scrimmages are open and free to any who wish to view. So, the public has used this first scrimmage as the vehicle to voice their disdain. The entire stadium was full to capacity. In a sea of purple and gold. Practically every person wore yellow and purple, and contineud to cheer for the "Vikings." It was almost like the team had never changed logos, despite the uniforms worn. One fan said, "It's not like they changed the name from the Vikings to the Cowboys or some halfway decent name. But the Cardinals? Comparing the Cardinals to the Vikings is like comparing a junior college to University of Wisconsin." Another fan was quoted as saying that, "I'll never go a game as long as the team wears the Cardinals colors." Bill Bidwell was unavailable for comment after the scrimmage. |
Preseason Status:
Progression of Players (All numbers are overall) : QB Jason Gesser, +1% LT Brady Allen, +2% C Cris Forrest, +2% RT Jon Johnson, +1% RE Michael Roberts, +2% Dre Fisk, +1% MLB Colby Solomon, +3% ROLB Darnay Hill, +1% CB Doug Bronson, +1% FS Drew Copeland, +2% SS Carl Sanders, +1% William Kinney, +1% K Dexter Krause, +2% -Mike Ackerly |
Minnesota Continues to have Record Low Attendance
Steve Atwater Minnesota Tribune For the third game out of the four preseaon games, the Minnesota Cardinals had record lows for attendance. The first game had a little over 10,000 attend, the second 11,000, and the third 8,971. 8,971 stood as the lowest attendance for a Minnestoa game ever until yesterday, the fourth preseason game. With an attendance of 6,291 yesterday, owner Bill Bidwell called an emergency press conference earlier today. He made a plea to the people of Minnesota to attend the games in the regular season. However, record lows that are quickly approaching the level of an Arena team are of a great concern to Bidwell, the fans, and the league. Fans angered by the team changing mascots have stayed away from the games in record numbers. Those fans who have attended remain adorned with purple and gold. Old Vikings jerseys from Randy Moss to Daunte Culpepper to older jerseys like Sean Salisbury and Robert Griffith and Lindsay Everett are all across the stands on the backs of the few fans who choose to nreak the boyott and attand anyway. "The players are still our players, and we have to support them. But we know that they bleed purple and gold," one local said. Unfortunately for owner Bill Bidwell and the league, few other fans agree. |
To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent Re: Preseason Went 3-1 during the preseason. That was nice. Winning in Minnesota against the Cardinals was nice. It was even nicer to have the crowd chanting and supporting us in an away stadium. I realized that they were cheering for us because we were not Bidwell. Because I had the good sense to shed the Cardinals moniker for a new one, it was so tainted. I am the anti-Bidwell. I have to accept that. I will embrace my role, starting this week. -Abe Sargent |
I think Billy Bidwell's been getting some ideas from the owner in Major League....
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....the Copperheads lost this week 23-10 as the Rams proved too much for them. Arizona's unique home game losing streak continues....
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Conversation Spoken Into a Microrecorder
This week, the staff and I agreed that we needed to toss in some trick plays. I'll have to call 5 trick plays during the game in ordre to fake out the defense. TE Cam Cleeland is innured for several weeks. I sign TE Tracey Wistrom for one year, 530k. We host the 49ers this week. We're already one game behind with our loss to the Rams at home last week, so this week is a very important game. Since it's an even numbered week, I all the plays for this game. On the first play from scrimmage, I call a run up the gut by Shawn Johnson. He gets five yards, but Jon Johnson was clipping so its 1st and 20. I call a curl to Craig our rookie receeiver, to see what he can do. He breaks two tackles and goes 43 yards! Wow! What a debut catch for the NFL!!! Bulger tosses a pick on a bad read over the middle and the 49ers get the ball. They are forced to go four and out after their first play resulted in a first down. Terry Fair fumbles the punt return and the 49ers run it in for a score. 7-0 On our ensuing possession, I run Johnson up the middle twice. 11 yards the fist time, 26 the second. I call a HB pass. Johnson is hit as he throws and the ball is picked off and run in for a score. 14-0 49ers. We have five possession changes before the 49ers kick a FG. Bulger is picked off again and another run for a TD. 24-0. After halftime we force teh 49ers to punt. On 2nd and 8 I call another HB toss. This time Freeman gets to the ball but can't catch it. Receviers have been dropping balls all day. It's 3rd and 8. 13 yard completion to Parker moves the chains. His first catch today, and considering that he dropped two balls, he need to start catching them. After SF hits another FG I call a WR Reverse to the left. Freeman gets 2 yards. We punt again. Ahanotu gets his third sack of the day to knock SF out of FG range as the third quarter expires. Early in the fourth Johnson breaks a 41 yard run for a TD. 27-7. The 49ers return the ensuing kick for a TD. 34-7. On our second play from scrimmage, the line opens a wide hole and Johnson gets to the secondary without being touched. He breaks the tackles of both safeties and is gone! 73 yard scamper. 34-14. Doug Bronson forces a fumble and Troy Vincent recovers! But wait, SF Challenges......and it'sovertruned. 49er Ball! We run and pass it down in burst. Bulger hits bakup TE Herman Miller on a Singleback Big ACE Streaks play fro,m the 4 to score! 34-21. 3:06 left in the game. Time for an onside kick.. The ball bounces, we fail to recover. On 3rd and five, they get the first. Two minute warning, we have one timeout remaining, and that's pretty much the game. We hold the 49ers who kick a FG. Then on the kickoff....... TERRY FAIR RETURNS THE BALL FOR A TD!!!!! 37-27 and I go for 2. If we get the 2 point conversion, recover an onside kick, we'll have about 40 seconds left and down by 8. I run Shawn up the middle. 2 point conversion! We fail to recover the onside kick. And that's game. Johnson finished the day with 251 rushing yards, 2 TDs and a 2 point conversion. Ahanotu finished with 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 3 Sacks So close.... |
....Monte Kiffin coached the Copperheads first win of the season as Bulger throws three touchdowns to defeat the Texans in Houston, 27-17....
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To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent Re: Week 4 So, to start off with, our dumb Quarterbacks burnt all of our timeouts early and I couldn't call any myself. We start with the ball in Washington DC as we take n the Redskins. I call two run plays and its 3rd and 5. Herman Miller catches a first down ball. Four runs later it's 1st and 10 and I order a TE Streak to Becht. Complete. We get four first downs all told before the Redskins force us to kick a FG. 3-0 Us. The Redskins fumble on 3rd and 2 at the 50 and we recover!!! I call a Flats pass to Johnson, 9 yards. A Play Action QB Rollout to Craig in the endzone is a bit off target. Johnson up the gut for 5 and a conversion. Anotehr conversion to Craig on a curl pattern. Bulger is sacked on 3rd and 4 and Krause has to kick another FG. 6-0 Copperheads. Krause kicks a second touchback. Marcus Robertson picks off Patrick Ramsey on the second play of the Redskins drive and we have the ball at the 28. Bulger leans back and tosss the ball to Hodgins on a curl. But Jesse Armstead intercepts the ball! He runs it all the way back for a TD. 7-6 Redskins. End of first quarter. Becht drops a 2nd and 9 for the first down and Bulger has to throw it away on 3rd down due to pressure. First punt of the game. The Redskins passing game begins to click. Two first downs and a Touchdown to Gardner makes it 14-6 Washington. Next possession, I call a Pro Formation Curls play. Bulger is hit as he throws - a wild duck of a ball goes up and the safety comes down with the ball. Redskins ball at the 18. Their first play, pass to Trung Candidate, Doug Bronson hits him and knocks the ball loose. Fumble! We recover! Whew, we are saved. I call Johnson up the middle - 12 yards - his longest play from scrimmage today. 3rd and 3 and Bulger hits Craig in double coverage when his hitch pattern gets both the defenders off for a second. Two more runs and 11 yards later - conversion #3. I call the perfect play on 1st and 10. Singleback, with the 3rd receiver in the slot going straight out. Lately, the defense has not been covering the receiver by a corner but a safety. This should result in the receiver catching the ball two yards deep and near the sideline with nobody near him. The play looks perfect but our third receiver drops the ball. I remember the play for later. I may substitute another receiver in the spot. Two incompletions and we punt the ball to the 10. 5:01 left in the half. We hold the Redksins and they punt as the Two Minute warning goes off. Again, I have no timeouts to use. I run up the gut and take off 3 yards and 40 seconds. Play number two is a Play Action Pass Streaks off the Singleback Big formation. The corner bites, Bulger hits Craig Campbell, and he is gone. 77 yards for a TD!!! 14-13 Skins. The Skins complete 5 consecutive passes and get into FG range. The kick it up and it's good. 17-13 Skins and that's your halftime score. The Skins start the second half with the ball. The kick is off and the ball is fumbled. Bryan Cox picks it up and rumbles into the endzone. 20-17 Copperheads. Did my Special Teams just come through again? Wow. We exchnage possessions then the Skins drive. Down in the redzone, Ramsey tosses to his right and INTERCEPTION by Troy Vincent. Our ensuing drive, which starts from the 5, includes several first downs by Johnson, a 1st down catch by Herman Miller, a 37 yard pass downfield to Craig, and a dropped pass in the endzone by Hodgins. A FG makes it 23-17 Cops. I call a Robber coverage on Nickelback on 3rd and 6 and John Thierry makes a pick. We have the ball on the 24. A 15 yard run by Johnson and a 8 yard reception by the same gives us another TD and a score of 30-17 with 8:18 left in the game. We grind off 6:47 off the clock and use two of Washington's time outs. Eventually, Shawn Johnson rushes for a TD but it was all on teh ground except for one 3rd and 5 when Becht caught a 6 yard pass for the conversion. Final Score - 37-17 Arizona, with 24 straight points. Shawn finished the day with 152 yards, Craig with 141 yards. -Abe Sargent |
Great win! Go Copperheads!
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Copperheads Wins Against Rams in Home Game
Aria Cybele Phoenix Times The Copperheads today proved too much for the Rams as they defeated St. Louis 17-7 in a game coached by Monte Kiffin. Thie win puts the Copperheads at 3-2 on the season and their first three game winning streak sine Abe Sargent took over the franchise two and a half years ago. The hero on the day was Outside Linebacker Canute Curtis. Canute is one of the few original starters for the Abe Sargent era still starting for the team today. Curtis had 4 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and rushed it for a TD. He was named the NFL Player of the Week for Week 5 of the season. This week's game was a struggle for defenses. Marc Bulger was stymied through the air and Shawn Johnson was stymied on the ground. The Rams, however, were held to only 7 points after Curtis's performance was joined by Defensive Tackle Steve Martin's two sacks. Many other players registered impressive defensive stats today as well. Next week the Jaguars come into Sun Devil Stadium as the Copperheads try to make it four in a row. |
Winless Cardinals Finally Win Against Panthers
Steve Atwater Minnesota Tribune Despite record low attendances, the Minnesota Cardinals finnaly notched thier first win of the season against the equally winless Panthers. In the battle of beatens, 0-4 Minnesota hosted 0-5 Carolina. At the end of the day, 21-11 won the game for the Minnesota Cardinals. The attendance was just under 10,000 in the stands. "We've had a hard first couple of games, but today marks the runing point in our frachise. Today, the Cardinals soar," owner Bill Bidwell was quoted as saying. "I won't attend a game until the Vikings return," said Pete Jabeski, one of hundreds of displaced Vikings fans who mill around and tailgate outside of the stadium on gameday. Another was quoted as saying, "I'm not putting a dollar in the pocket of Bidwell, but I'm not changing my lifestyle either. I've been here every homegame for the past 31 years and I have no intention of stopping." As the number of fans that wear purple and gold outside the stadium grows, so have the losses for the Cardinals. Until today. |
QB Bulger to GM Abe Sargent After the Loss to the Jags, 26-13
Bulger: Yeah, I know, we were doing well. Abe: Gotta stop tossing picks. That was ok for the Rams, who would score 75 points per game if it weren't for turnovers. But it's not okay for us. Bulger: I know Abe: Have more faith in the defense. A few weeks ago we allowed only 9 points on defense, and 3 of those were a field goal after an onsides kick. If you had tossed less picks, hen we'd have won the game. Bulger: Look, I get it. I've been a quarterback for a long time. I know to minimize picks. Abe: More game film for next week? Bulger: Right |
To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent Re: Our Game vs. SF - Week 8 We play this week at San Francisco. I have to use my computer designated 3rd Down back this week, and that's Shawn Johnson, so no problems. I open with the ball. Four straight runs gives us two completions. They stop us, however, and we kick. The punt is fielding by SF and returned up the right sideline for a TD. 7-0 SF. We get the ball back. I order Johnson up the middle and on the first play from scrimmage, Johnson breaks three tackles and is gone. 77 Yards and he is over 100 yards with 7:58 still in the first quarter. 7-7 tied. We force the 49ers to punt after Curtis sacks Garcia. We punt ourselves. SF has the ball on 3rd and 1 on their 34 and they decide to play action pass but our defense is too quick and they hit Garcia. He fumbles! Steve Martin recovers and we have the ball at the 28. I call a Strong PA QB Rollout play and Bulger hits Freeman for 12 yards over the middle. The rest of the plays are all run and Johnson pounds it in for 7 more. 14-7 with 1:24 still in teh first quarter. The 49ers begin the second quarter with an impressive drive capped off by a Garcia completion to our cornerback Troy Vincent in the endzone which gives us the ball at the 20. We drive by running, running, and more running. From our own 20 to our opponent's 32 we just run. Fullback, Halfback, Off Tackle, Sweep, Up The Gut. Then we start mixing it up. Eventually, with just 3:34 left on the half clock, Bulger hits Becht on 3rd and 5 from the 6 for a TD on a TE Out play from the Singleback formation. 21-7 Cops. The 49ers make a late drive and kick a FG just before the half. 21-10 at the half. The 49ers start with the ball in the second half. After a first down, Steve Martin sacks Garcia and puts SF in a certain passing situation. We force them to punt and we get the ball on our 46. I call a pass that falls incomplete. Two runs later we have a first down. I call a pass again, but the defense is loaded to the left side of the field heavily. I audible to a run, then change the direction of the run to the left. Bulger snaps, hands the ball off the Johnson, who breaks one tackle and scores! 42 yard run by Johnson, his third rushing TD and he's over 200 yards rushing. 28-10. San Francisco drives. Barlow gets great yards after catch as he gets two first downs by plowing through Copperheads. A Pope sack ends the drive and they score 3. 28-13. We are forced to punt but Doug Bronson picks off Garcia and runs it into the endzone. 35-13. The 49ers drive but are stimed by two Canute Curtis sacks. They go for it on fourth and turn it over on downs. We drive mainly on the ground using QB Sneaks, FB Blasts, and the like. We are stopped, but within Krause's range. 38-13. I take a kneel on the 3rd yard line when we could have scored another TD as a sign of sportsmanship. 38-13 is the final score. Some stats: Bulger passed for 28 yards Johnson ran for 253 Curtis had 4 sacks, Pope 3 - The team had 9 sacks on the day. -Abe Sargent |
Copperhead Forum Postings
"Monte Kiffin couldn't coach a dog to sit." "Lost 17-12 in St. Louis" "At least Johnson had another big day. 171 yards under Kiffin." "Man, we coulda been 5-3." "Might have had a shot at the playoffs." "Still could fellas, there's still hope." "Yep, need ta go 6-2 in the second half." "Better team than last year." "Possibly." "They finish 8-8 it'd be a big improvement." "No receiver has more'n 315 yards. That's funny." "It's because Shawn J has 1220 yards in 8 games." "Shawn is the Copperheads. Simple as that." "No it's not. Good defense too. |
Defensive Tackle Martin Injured
Sammy Rogers Arizona Sun Earlier this week, Defensive Tackle Steve Martin of the Arizona Copperheads was reported as "Doubtful" for next week's game against the Giant here at Sun Devil Stadium. After all, Martin was not injured in last week's game. Nor was he injured in practice, the Arizona Sun learned after investigating. No, instead, Steve martin was injured off the football field at home. Tripping over his dog. Which brings up several questions. What could Steve have been doing that was physical enough that tripping over his dog resulted in a moderate injury? Hmmm? Playing football with the dog again, eh Steve? On a more serious note, Martin will miss the game, but Reggie Fryar will get the first start of his career. He better be ready because the Giants have a good offensive line. Martin will be missed this week. But, when the dog's away, the cat will play. |
Some Stats from the Copperheads Last Minute Victory over New York:
CB/KR Terry Fair's PR TD was ultimately a deciding score in the contest QB Marc Bulger had his highest rating all year - 81.3. No picks. RB Shawn Johnson only had 130 yards on 30 carries. He also fumbled and scored the only offensive TD. WR Eric Parker showed up in this game, grabbing 4 balls for 48 yards and the team's largest ply from scrimmage in teh game. DT Monsanto Pope registered the only sack of the day for teh Copperheads. K Dexter Krause's 53 yard field goal is his career longest. The Final Score was 19-14, Arizona. |
NFC WEST STANDINGS (After Week 11)
6-4 49ers 6-4 Seahawks 5-5 Rams 5-5 Copperheads This is after Arizona's loss last week at the 1-8 Panthers 27-3. |
Copperheads Owner Sick
AP Wire Arizona Copperheads owner Abe Sargent came down sick earlier today and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors are uncertain as to the cause, and extensive tests have been ordered. Sargent is reported as stable. Abe Sargent was on the rotation for the playcalling this week. Monte Kiffin will call the plays in his absence. |
Vic Ketchman's Notes
Results of the two more weeks of Monte Kiffin: Loss Hosting Bears 24-31 Loss Hosting Colts 6-10 WR Eric Parker suffered a career ending injury when his vertebrae broke. He was placed on IR. Abe Sargent is released from the hospital but he is not allowed to coach for a while. Since the team is likely out of playoff contention anyway, he relents. Monte calls the plays for the next two games: Defeat Eagles 17-10 Defeat Cowboys 10-0 7-7. Two games left. If all three NFC West teams lose and the Copperheads win this week, then there is an outside chance the Cops could win it in week 17. Johnson is 153 yards away from a 2000 yard season. Monte Calls the Plays: At Tennessee.... Cops lose. 10-20 Final Game is 20-10 victory over the Seahawks. -Vic |
Playoffs:
Wild Card Weekend: Steelers at Broncos Giants at Eagles Dolphins at Bengals Saints at Seahawks Winners are Steelers, 46-27 Eagles, 21-14 Bengals, 25-20 Seahawks, 49-27 Division Championship Round: Steelers at Colts Seahawks at Falcons Bengals at Patriots Eagles at Packers Winners: Colts, 20-0 Seahawks, 23-14 Bengals 31-24 Packers, 19-7 Championships: AFC Championship - Bengals at Colts NFC Championship - Seahawks at Packers Colts 23, Bengals, 20 Packers 52, Seahawks 16 Super Bowl - Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers Packers 21 Colts 24 Your Super Bowl Champions are the Colts!!! |
Awards:
RB Shawn Johnson - NFL MVP (#5 Vote Getter) NFC Offensive Player of the Year NFL Off Play of Year (#2 Vote Getter) NFC Best Running Back NFL Best Running Back (#2 Vote Getter) WR Craig Campbell - NFC Off Rookie of the Year (#2 Vote Getter) NFL Off Rook of Year (#3 Vote Getter) SS Carl Sanders NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year (#5 Vote Getter) RT Jon Johnson NFC Best Offensive Lineman (#3 Vote Getter) Pro Bowl: HB Shawn Johnson (#1) RT Jon Johnson (#1) Top Vote Getter of any O-Lineman, 3rd Most of any player LT Richmond Webb (#1) RG Leon Searcy (#1) C Dedric Arrington (#1) CB Doug Bronson (#4) |
Stats:
QB Marc Bulger, 2521 yards, 13 TDs, 21 Ints RB Shawn Johnson, 2022 rushing yards, 12 TDs, 61 receptions, 502 yards, 4 TDs WR Craig Campbell, 56 catches, 759 yards, 4 TDs WR Antonio Freeman, 52 snatches, 639 yards, 1 TD RT Jon Johnson, 86 Pancakes, 8 Sacks Allowed C Dedric Arrington, 73 Pancakes, 7 Sks Allow RG Leon Searcy, 72 Pans, 8 SkA ROLB John Thierry, 89 Tacks, 15 TFL, 7 Sacks, 1 Int, 1 FF, 4 FumRec DT Steve Martin, 40 Tacks, 8 TFL, 8 Sacks, 3 FF, 3 FumRec LOLB Canute Curtis, 62 Tacks, 2 TFL, 7 Sacks, 3 FF, 2 FumRec, 1 Def TD DT Monsanto Pope, 34 Tacks, 2 TFL, 6 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 FumRec CB Troy Vincent, 54 Tacks, 1 TFL, 5 Ints, 1 FF, 1 FumRec, 1 Def TD CB Doug Bronson, 69 Tacks, 2 TFL, 3 Ints, 3 FF, 3 FumRec, 1 Def TD DEs Michael Roberts, Chidi Ahanotu and Dre Fisk accounted for 14 sacks. CB/KR Terry Fair had 1 KR TD and 1 PR TD |
Copperheads Balance Sheet:
Income - Ticket Sales - 30.5 Mill Concessions - 3.55 Mill Parking - 1.55 Mill Merchandise - 3.1 Mill Shared Revenue - 73.45 Mill Total Income - 112.15 Mill Expenses - Player Salaries - 62 Mill Coach Salaries - 5.4 Mill Stadium Maintenance - 16.1 Mill Total Expenses - 83.5 Mill 2005 Net Income - 28.65 Mill Total Assets - 18.65 Mill |
Shawn Johnson Again Snubbed by NFL
Last year, Shawn Johnson was left off the NFC Pro Bowl list despite notching a 1700+ yard season as a running back, which led the NFL. So, this year, there is a lot of respect for Shawn J., right? After all, the man who many refer to as "Shawn Jay" registered a 2000+ running season. A feat that is extremely rare, Shawn led the NFC Running Backs for the Pro Bowl this year. And the credit is not solely Shawn's. Last year, offensive lineman Richmond Webb and Leon Searcy were in the Pro Bowl. This year, they return, joined by sophomore offensive linemen Jon Johnson and Dedric Arrington. In fact, these four lineman all led their positions for the NFC. Sunday, when the NFC takes the field against the AFC, four of the five starting linemen will be Copperheads, as well as the running back. And yet, Shawn Jay was snubbed. Not by the Pro Bowl voters, but by the NFL Awards committee. Now, Brett Favre most likely deserved a fourth NFL MVP award. But, maybe Shawn Jay, who has led the league in rushing the past two years, also deserved to win. No matter. But when the league came time to hand out the Best Running Back Trophy, they chose Ricky Williams. Admittedly, Ricky had a great season, and he was the AFC winner of the title. But to beat out Shawn? Ricky ran for almost 400 less yards. He did catch a little over 150 yards more and scored 4 additional touchdowns aerially and on the ground. But, if the job of a running back is to run, then Shawn should be rewarded for registereing one of the best rushing seasons ever. Mind you, this is the year after Shawn rushed for 325 yards, smashing all previous single game rushing records. This year, Shawn was a game by himself when the quarterback passed for a grand total of 28 yards after sacks. He was the offense. No running back has performed a similar feat in normal weather. The Copperheads won 8 games this year. How man wins did Johnson account for? Six? Seven? Is it safe to say that all eight games would have been lost if a pedestrian running back were in the position? And yet a Ricky Williams on a team loaded with talent wins despite significantly inferior rushing yardage and yards from scrimmage. Shawn Johnson was snubbed by the league this year. In a year when his greatness should be celebrated and embraced, when new fans are looking for new stars, the league turns elsewhere. The league ran elsewhere, which may be the only running feat more inexplicable than Shawn's. |
Rumors of Copperheads Relocation Abound
John Clayton ESPN.com Rumors of a possible relocation by the Copperheads have leaked from the franchise. For the past three years, the team has been owned by new owner Abe Sargent, who has turned over the staff, the players, and the mascot, and now, maybe the location. The Arizona Copperheads do not have their own stadium, instead sharing 30 year old Sun Devil Stadium with the University. Since recent plans to build a new stadium have failed, the idea of moving the franchise is nothing new. The voters again refused a new stadium plan. So, where are the Copperheads bound? There are several options: Los Angelos: The largest current market without a franchise is long overdue. The LA market is ideal for relocation. However, stadium issues continue and the votoers are hostile to building a new stadium. Although these issues are surmountable, they are significant. Las Vegas: The City of Sin has doubled in size over the last decade. The people here are conservative type people who tend to go to football games and there are enough high income fans to fill the boxes. The NFL has rejected expansion offers from Nevada in the past. Has the league and society changed in the past few years and do they have a new view towards Nevada football? If so, the Vegas market is the second best choice in America. Mexico City: The largest TV market in North America is Mexico City. With such a large number of potential fans to draw upon, relocation to Mexico City is very attractive. However, the fan base is more concerned with soccer and baseball. Additionally, the economy in the region is not stable, adn the dollar-peso conversion will cause problems indefinitely for the franchise. Toronto: The largest TV market in Canada also offers a very attractive option. Of the international options, Toronto has the most stable economy and an established football fan base. Toronto has proven a successful home to both the Blue Jays and the Raptors. The CFL team is one of the better attended in the league. There are still currency issues, but the other professional teams seem to survive. Portland: Another American option, Portland is one of several areas that have established professional sports franchises but lack a football team. Other possibilities include Salt Lake City, San Jose, Columbus and San Antonio. Ultimately, if the Copperheads stay or leave, a long-term commitment needs to be made. |
Minnesota Changes Name Back to Vikings
Steve Atwater Minnesota Tribune Under tremendous pressure from both fans and comunity officials, owner Bill Bidwell has announced that he will rename the Minnesota Cardinals the Vikings. Suffering the lowest attendance ever recorded for a football team in the modern era, Bill Bidwell was under a massive spotlight as the boycott continued. No home game sported more that 15,000 people. Those fans who chose to show up wore purple and gold virtually exclusively. The Vikings will return to the old uniform, colors, mascot and logo. After one miserable season, the Cardinal Experiment in Minnesota is offically over. And every Minnesota fan breathes a sigh of relief. |
Press Conference from Sun Devil Stadium, 3:57 pm
Abe Sargent: Hello and thank you for coming today. As we have done in the past, we are using this conference to announce some major news, and then we will take questions. This may take a bit, so bear with us. As of tomorrow, a proposal will be submitted to the people of Las Vegas to build a stadium there. That stadium is the proposed home of the Copperheads. This, in and of itself, should not be that shocking. A stadium deal here in Arizona fell through as it has for the past ten years. The stadium is unnamed at this time. The stadium will cost 353.85 million dollars to construct. The proposal is for the people of Las Vegas to pay for sixty percent of the cost. We will outlay 90 million of our own dollars, and the remaining monies will comes from seat licenses and such. Last night, the NFL owners met and the proposed move to Las Vegas was approved. Vegas is the fastest growing area in the states. It has the economic structure necessary to support a major sports franchise. The team name will remain the Copperheads, although our uniforms have been tweaked a bit. The home uniforms look better, to be honest. Local officials in the city believe that our proposal will pass considerably, and that the move to Las Vegas is as close to guaranteed as anything can be in politics. We will continue to play here in Sun Devil Stadium for the next two years as construction takes place in Vegas. The stadium features a scoreboard on either side of the stadium, a lot of extended seating, and a maximum amount of boxes. We believe that casinos and other high priced tourist businesses will pounce on skyboxes for a local NFL team. We understand that this will not be a popular decision with the fans in Arizona, but the fans in Arizona also need to recognize that they had several chances to keep us here, and we are only leaving because it is economically viable for us to do so. Now, I'll take questions. Harvey Weistein, Channel 4 Sports: Will Coppie, the Cuddly Snake make the trip to Las Vegas. Abe: I have no plans to change our mascot. Coppie will join us, yes. Shalonda Harlest, Sports Illustrated: According to your financial report, the Copperheads made almost 30 million last year. How is staying in Arizona at this stadium not feasible? Abe: Shalonda, remember that we were almost 25 million under the cap. Yes, we made 28 million, but only because we made a conscious decision between being competetive and being healthy. No NFL team should have to make that decision. Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: Will the colors and logo remain the same? Abe: Yes, just the uniform will change, and very slightly. The home uniform, for example, will feature white pants with copper and aqua trim. Jamar Jenkins, Freelance Sportswriter: What do you tell fans who purchased Copperheads merchandise? Abe: They can still be Copperhead fans. Plus I have every intention of delivering Arizona a winner this year. In our last year here, I think we owe them that. Sy Rosenberg, The Sporting News: Why Vegas over another place, like LA? Abe: Vegas had everything that I was looking for. A strong business base, good football fans for a core base, high growth, wealthy patrons, what's not to like? Nesmit McCall, 1080 AM Sports Talk Radio: Doesn't the gambling issue scare you? Abe: I know that the gambling thing has turned off people around the league in the past, I get that. What I don't get is why people think that the house will bet more, or more heavily, or exert undue influence on a player from a local team. That is so nineteenth century. With modern journalism, casino ethics, and transportation, there in no reason that a local team should worry. If gambling is a problem , then it's a problem for every team not just one a few miles from casinos. Besides, Ford Field, in Detroit, is blocks from the heavy Detroit casinos. Are there any problems there? The whole Las Vegas-Casino was blown way out of proportion. Astra Horvaling, ESPN Correspondant: How many people will the new stadium hold? Abe: 75,011 people. Sam Somerville, Arizona Sun: Will it be open or closed? Abe: Open air, 8 lights. Sandy Alderman, Channel 7 News: Isn't Sun Devil Stadium actually 48 years old, not thirty? Abe: That sounds right. I have a bad head for numbers. I remembered "More than thirty." Look, you guys have been great. I know that some of you are assigned the Copperheads beat, and will follow us north. Others will remain here. But I have a tremendous amount of respect for each of you. Thanks for making it fun! |
Scouting Memo:
The following player's abilities changed during the course of the season (all numbers are the player's overall ratings and are out of 100): QB Marc Bulger, -1 Jason Gesser, +1 Seth Burford, -5 HB Shawn Johnson, +3 Olandis Gary, -5 Derrick Blaylock, -4 WR Craig Campbell, +2 Troy Edwards, -4 Jimmy Redmond, -3 TE Cam Cleeland, -8 Tracey Wistrom, -5 LG Martin Bibla, +1 Wally Williams, -6 C Dedric Arrington, +3 RG Leon Searcy, +2 RT Jon Johnson, +4 John St. Clair, -7 LE Joey Williams, -1 RE Michael Roberts, +2 Dre Fisk, +4 DT Monsanto Pope, +2 Steve Martin, +1 LOLB Canute Curtis, +3 Eddie Shakur, -1 MLB Bryan Cox, +2 Colby Solomon, +4 ROLB John Thierry, +3 Darnay Hill, +3 Kendall Ortiz, +1 CB Doug Bronson, +3 Ike Charlton, +2 Tyrone Carter, +1 Terry Fair, -9 FS Drew Copeland, +4 SS Carl Canders, +5 William Kinney, +3 K Dexter Krause, +2 -Mike Ackerly |
Administration Memo:
For the third year, the our team has led the league in the number of players retiring. This year, five players called it quits. Four other franchises also had five players retire. Our retirees are: CB Troy Vincent - Our shutdown corner didn't last very long. FS Marcus Robertson - Has decided to call it quits after a pretty good season. RT Richmond Webb - Two Pro Bowl Years to finish his career. Add in a 2000 yard rusher and this man may be Canton bound. WR Antonio Freeman - After putting up poor stats and continuing to see declining numbers, Freeman has seen the writing on the wall and called it quits. WR Eddie Parker - Suffered career ending injury to backbone. We have 54.30 million available in cap space. No players are holding out. -Frankinnoble VP of Admin |
Scouting Assessment of Players
Here is the Director of Scouting's opinion on the positions: Quarterback - Marc Bulger is not the answer at quarterback. Although under contract for another two years, a new QB needs to be found. The passing game was anemic at times last year, and new blood is necessary. We have two QBs under contract, a new starter would be our third. We could then either trade Bulger or keep him and pay his salary. Running Back - We have Shawn Johnson under contract for two more years. Blaylock is under contract for this year. We need to find a long term backup with youth to spell Johnson. FB Hodgins has been acceptable, but nothing to write home about. If Fullback were a higher profile position, we'd be under pressure to replace him. Receiver - Craig Campbell looked good. The only other receiver we have under contract is Troy Edwards who lost a step. We need a starting receiver and and least one young long-term backup. Tight End - With three tight ends under contract some may say we have enough, but we don't. Cleeland's continuing deterioration is a major item of concern. I recommend we cut him and find another end. Offensive Tackle - Pro-bowl Jon Johnson is currently our best O-Lineman and under contract. Richmond Webb retired leaving only Brady Allen at Left Tackle. A new starting tackle must be found. We'll also need a backup at RT. Offensive Guard - Loen Searcy and Martin Bibla are both under contract. A backup at LG would be necessary. Center - We have both centers under contract this year. Defensive End - All four of our defensive ends are under contract. Defensive Tackle - Steve Martin is a solid inside presence. backups are under contracts. Monsanto Pope is continuing to grow. He is currently a free agent. We recommended resigning Pope. Outside Linebacker - Three right side backers are under contract. On the left side, backup Shakur is also under contract. However, Canute Curtis is not. Canute has grown and developed into a pretty good linebacker, and should be resigned. Middle Linebacker - Although Bryan Cox is still a good linebacker, he is 38. MLB Colby Solomon has developed to the point where is now a capable starter. We recommend not resigning Cox and instead starting Solomon. A backup will be necessary in that case. Cornerback - Although we have six corners under contract, Troy Vincent's retirement leaves vacant the hole at corner. Ike Charlton has grown as a nickelback, but we feel that he will never be a good starting corner in this league. We recommend finding a starting cornerback. Safeties - SS Carl Sanders grew remarkably last year. Backup William Kinney looks very strong. FS Drew Copeland may be able to slide into the starting role at FS if another cannot be found. Kickers - Dexter Krause has developed into a major kicker. We recommend that he be resigned. Turk is a solid choice at punter, and he is under contract. -Mike Ackerly |
Pre-Combine Conversation
Mike Ackerly: So I think that we need to look at Free Safety, Wide Receiver, Left Tackle, Cornerback and Quarterback. Monte Kiffin: I think that Marc Bulger has a starting quarterback in him. Abe Sargent: What about RG? Leon isn't going to be around much longer now. Mike: True. Vic: When you draft in the 15 spot, it becomes harder to predict who will be around. Mike: That's true. Our staff has rated 17 rookies with definite first round grade this year. We can get one in the first round. Vic: Where does our need meet first round grades? Mike: Two tackles, three corners and a receiver. Abe: Let's scout all six then. Monte: What about free safety? Mike: This year's free safety class seems very weak - literally. They have tackling and strength issues. The best two tacklers come from Miami and West Virginia. Abe: WVU? Mike: Yes. Abe: Sylvester Kent? Mike: Yes. Abe: Scout them both then. Vic: What about late round quarterbacks? Mike: Sam McClain out of Rice and Donald Jefferson from Auburn both have late round grades but appear to have great ball skills. Monte: I'd like a closer look. Mike: Certainly. Abe: Receiver depth? Mike: Three receivers have late first, early second round grades. There is also a 3rd-4th rounder I like. Abe: Scout 'em up for us. How many is that? Vic: Fourteen. Any other corners? Mike: Carlton Campbell from Hawaii has a 2nd to 3rd round grade and is one of the few corners this year physical enough to handle tackling assignments. Abe: That makes 15 then. We've gotten pretty good at this, eh fellas? |
Combine Meeting #1
Mike Ackerly: Alright, here are some reports. Let's start with the QB one. As you can see, both McClain and Jefferson did passably well, but nothing amazing. Neither is particularly bright, and McClain is rather poor. At tackle, Kwame George from Notre Dame did very well. He is smart and strong - good qualities. Brad is less strong and less smart, but we need to keep scouting, because at pick 15, we may not get a chance on George. At recevier several interesting develoments occured. Richard Sindle, of Notre Dame, simply doesn't have the speed to compete. Tito Simpson, a late first early second guy was very fast and very strong. He's from Bucknell, so his competetion was never great, but we did well picking up Craig from JMU last year, so you never know. Number one receiver Ryan Heyward didn't really distinguish himself from the pack. First round grade corners were in three this year. CB Riddick Wilkins, from Princeton, the fastest at 4.23 speed, is also short and a bad tackler. CB Aaron Mosling, of Michigan State, has 4.44 speed but injury problems continue. And CB Bill Grant from Hawaii is a little on the slower side of life with a 4.46 speed. Last, free safety. WVU player Sylvester Kent was, honestly, miscast as a free safety. He's a good tackler, and strong, but he is 4.53 40 time slow. Richard Harper is faster at 4.44 and had a better interview. However, we discovered some injury problems with him as well. Abe Sargent: Who do you suggest we continue to look at? Mike: This was not a good starting crop of players, to be honest. I like kepping both the tackles. CB Grant and Wilkins from the first round grade trio. WR Heyward is someone I'd like to give a chance to. Tito Simpson definitely. And QB Jefferson. So, seven players. Vic: I like the top overall QB. You can't be too sure when a QB will drop. Monte: Jerry Rich? Ole Miss? Vic: Yeah. Mike: Alright. There's also some good players who may have fallen through the cracks. CB Andrew Ross from Miami looks tempting although he has 5'9" height, he is quite intelligent and lightning fast. FS Patrick Stevens of Kansas State is very quick too with a strong interview. Come to think of it, I'd like to look more at Sylvester from WVU at the FS position. Abe: Sounds good. Mike: HB Shaun Davis is one of several mid round graded backs with a good interview and quick feet. He appears to be the bes tof the bunch. WR Erik Olsen was fast and intelligent, always a good sign. And TE Ryan Stabler had a poor interview, but he has the best hands and fastest feet of any TE in the draft. last LT Montae Johnson who seems to have the skills and strength in place. Vic: That's fifteen Abe: Let's do it then. |
Last Combine Meeting
Abe Sargent: As I said yesterday, I gave Mike the go ahead to finish scouting the players. Some players look much better than others. Look for a report soon. Are there questions? Vic: I was hearing something about QB Rich. Mike: He is scouted as having great arm strength, but we didn't see it today. In fact, we saw a pretty weak arm overall. Monte: Wow. What about corner? Mike: Riddick Wilkins, from Princton, is our leading corner on the board. Vic: Receiver? Mike: Although Ryan Heyward has a 1st round grade, Tito Simpson has looked good. We have them both at the top, jockeying for position. Abe: Tackle? Mike: Kwame, Kwame, and Kwame. Brad is good, but we found out he has a learning disability. That may impair his ability to read the playbook and learn the plays. Montae looks good as well and we are comfortable drafting any of them at this point. Abe: Free Safety? Mike: Patrick Stevens is decent, although at this time, we may look for a late round pickup and let whoever it is challenge for the position in camp. There are no studs here this year. Monte: Those backups we looked at? Mike: We spent the third day reviewing several backup halfback options, so we have several ideas for mid round pickups there. Other than that, we'll have to pick up players where we can. Abe: Alright, thank you very much Mike. |
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