Wow surprised to see you use the franchise tag. I guess I sorta assumed that was off the table. Glad to hear that Stewart will be back though.

I don't even recall whether I house-ruled the tag away originally... I've just played the last couple of seasons whenever I haev had a little time to do so, and I haven't had enough "flow" to mess around a lot with rules. I'm mostly just playing by sensible limits, and not taking advantage of things... it's been interesting enough, if not all that challenging overall.

2019 Rookie Draft


We take what we can get – Patterson looks like he could become a starting-caliber linebacker, but my sneaking suspicion is that he won’t really develop that way. Several project players elsewhere – though I have a sneaking suspicion that we won’t end up getting a whole lot from this rookie draft.


Late Free Agency

QB Deion Brock is receptive to my offer now, and I come up with a solid deal – 4 years, $10 million. He listens – I’m willing to bump if needed, but that ought to get us locked up for a while with this solid performer. He accepts right away.

I lose out on CB Jermaine Cothran, though – he takes a multi-year offer from Buffalo instead of the one year deal I had on the table. I saw him as a starter for us – now I’m a bit more worried about our secondary for the season ahead.

At CB, we sign veteran Bucky Cottle, a man coverage specialist who fits fairly well with our scheme, but has a middling track record. We’ll see how he works out – he may get a shot to start for us.

QB Tyrell Goodwin is a late-bloomer, but played very well last season for Chiacgo, and I’m very surprised to see him sitting idle. We ink him to a three year deal to be our #2 – and our confidence should be high with him.


My last moves are re-signing C Monty Nunley and K Mo Crain to one year deals – we had the cap space to do it, and they kept their demands high enough that nobody else bit. Works out okay for this year, at least – both are potential all-pro players.

But at the end of the line, I simply cannot work out a deal with WR Austin Haass, who I am convinced will continue to get better. He’s looking for $6 million a year, and he wouldn’t come down appreciably from that figure – so I just couldn’t do it.



Training Camp


No huge surprises in training camp this year – LB Patterson dropped in his future ratings, suggesting to me that he will be a bit or a disappointment. RB Daryl Sims looks like he was a nice value pickup for us, and ought to make the team. WR Artie Coliaanne looks like he can help, but our top OL rookies are both centers and lack the size to move elsewhere – so those picks look rather wasted now.

Cutting down to 53 requires some tough decisions, including releasing LB Ricky DiGiacomo – but we make it to the target number.


Season Analysis

We have a roster rating of 87 – behind Cincinnati (!) and tied with Kansas City and the Giants. Our cohesion ratings are 94-100(99)-83-100(85) – we lost some ground with the DL over the last two seasons, but are generally in fine shape.

After getting to the Superbowl last year, we were able to bring back both our star RB and QB – and therefore, we’ll be expected to be major contenders this year. I think that’s fair – but I don’t know if we have the depth, especially defensively, enough to make it very far. I’m worried about our entire defensive rotation – we’ll have to get some good years out of borderline guys, no doubt about it.

2019 Regular Season

Week 1: Cleveland at Baltimore

Deion Brock and Baltimore’s QB Brent Shimada gunsling back and forth, but it’s Shimada’s 4th TD of the day that puts them up to win it, 30-27. Not a terrible start, but we are in the hole.

Week 2: Cleveland (0-1) at San Francisco

We play a lot tighter this week, and get a 12-9 OT win at the Niners. No turnovers, but our offense was suddenly pathetic.

Week 3: Kansas City (2-0) at Cleveland (1-1)

I fully expect KC to be a major player this year. We put a hurt on them, though, with a solid 26-9 win. Gus Stewart is very solid with 128 yards rushing, and we get things back on the right foot, I think.

Week 4: Cleveland (2-1) at Buffalo (3-0)

We suffer another 30-27 loss on the road, this time to a late field goal. We didn’t really get torched this week (like Baltimore) but jut outplayed in a pretty even game. Deion Brock is playing through a minor injury – but h ought to be okay.

Week 5: Pittsburgh (0-4) at Cleveland (2-2)

Just what we needed – a good rag doll to tear up. Turns out, we need overtime to get the 30-27 win (familiar?) over the seemingly outgunned Steelers. Not a good sign.

DE Seth Hartman is finished for this year – he turned out to be just what we feared, a quality player who just cannot stay healthy. This year ends his contract, and I can’t imagine we will bring him back for a few games each season. Ah, what could have been.

Week 6: Miami (1-4) at Cleveland (3-2)

Ought to be easy, but after last week, nothing is certain. Our offense is downright shaky, and we get one of our two TDs off an interception by CB Adam Caston – and Miami gets the win, 19-17 after a late field goal. We slide to 3-3 on the year, and are looking like a pretty mediocre club, after all.

Week 7: New York Jets (3-3) at Cleveland (3-3)

It’s 14-13 Jets at the half, and then a scoreless second half keeps it that way. AT least at 3-4, we are still in our division race, as nobody has a winning record at all.

Week 8: Cleveland (3-4) at New England (5-2)

We eke out a 16-14 win over the Patriots (led by former Browns QB James Houston), to get to 4-4 at the halfway point for our season. Disappointing, but we’re not lost quite yet.

Here are the midseason stats:


We are playing fairly efficiently on offense (not the staggering running game that I’d prefer, but not bad) and on defense we are in the top ten against the run and pass in yards per play. I think this team is better than its 4-4 record, and we will aim for a strong second half and a playoff showing once again.

by th way - I'm sorry that the training camp results are difficult to read - they looked fine to me before the new VB upgrade, but now are awfully tough to follow. I will keep posting them (it's helpful to me) but don't kno how to improve on the formatting.

For me, they were like that eveb before the VB upgrade.

Hope you can improve on the distinctly mediocre start and any idea's on what you are going to do with Stewart after his franchise contract expires?

Stewart signed a multi-year extension ($10m per season - or 13% of the salary cap), so he and Brock both are locked up for the next four seasons. We ought to have stability there, but that might cause instability elsewhere.

Week 9: Baltimore (4-3) at Cleveland (4-4)

Our chance to get back atop the division standings, and to exact a little revenge. We get our big game, with a 137 yards from Stewart and 3 TDs from Brock, and take the 34-21 victory. Much needed.

Week 11: Cleveland (5-4) at Cincinnati (3-6)

Cinti was expected to be a solid team this season, but have disappointed. But they rise up this week, and nip us, 34-31. Another OT field goal, and we come back to .500 on the year.

Week 12: Cleveland (5-5) at St. Louis (5-5)

The “good” Cleveland team shows up this week, and we rout the Rams 40-9 behind two TDs from safety Kenneth Eskridge. God showing, and now we need to keep it up.

Week 13: Cleveland (6-5) at Indianapolis (3-8)

A late TD wins this one for us, 24-20 – without much margin for error. With 88 yards and a TD catch, TE Karl Sellers is back atop our receiving stats for the year, just ahead of sophomore split end Don Pritchett. It looks pretty unlikely, though, that either one will break the seemingly impenetrable 1,000-yard barrier this year.

Week 14: Seattle (4-8) at Cleveland (7-5)

With this win, a solid 24-0 pounding, we keep our one-game lead in the division over both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. It looks like we’re mainly shooting for the division win, as a bye week is almost out of the question.

Week 15: Cincinnati (7-6) at Cleveland (8-5)

Big divisional game, and again the Bengals – who are now red-hot – manage to get the better of us, this time 37-31. Now we will really have to fight – as the division is a three-way tie.

Week 16: Arizona (8-6) at Cleveland (8-6)

The “good” Browns team shows up again, and we roll the Cards 40-3. TDs by safety Kenneth Eskridge and corner Ty Enochs make it a blowout, but we played well across the board. TE Karl Sellers, with another big game, gets to 913 yards, with one game yet to play. It’s possible, but not too likely, that he could break the 1,000-yard mark.

Week 17: Cleveland (9-6) at Pittsburgh (9-6)

I cannot untangle the playoff race, other than to feel confident that the loser of this game is out. The winner may not make it in either, but at least has a shot at either the division title or the last wild card. So, we treat this like a playoff game, and have to win or go home. Baltimore upsets Cinti in the other division game, so the winner here will take the division title.

Fortunately, it’s the “good” team who shows up this week, and we secure a 44-20 win to get into the postseason for the eighth straight season. Kenneth Eskridge continues his monster season with yet another interception return for a score. We end up as the #4 seed in the AFC, which is fine – we’ll take the home playoff game in our opener, and be happy with that.


Interestingly, Pittsburgh sneaked in, despite the loss in the finale against us. We will host San Diego in the opening round, and at least get home field. I don’t think we have the look of a champion this year, but at least we do have a shot.


In the second half, our running game lost a bit of its effectiveness, despite the nice showing from rookie Daryl Sims (rapidly becoming a favorite of mine). The passing game, though, clicked nicely, and kept our offense on track. WR Don Pritchett had a really big final game against Pitt, and nearly got the 1,000-yard mark—but came up just shy like so many before him. We’ve now seen 12 seasons over 800 (by nine different players!), but not a single one over 1,000.

Defensively, our run defense was again near the top in the league. Ranking 10th in pass defense is a surprise to me, I would have guessed we did more poorly than that. S Kenneth Eskridge pt up numbers that will surely get him to his first All-pro game, and perhaps even get him Defensive POY consideration. Great year, just as he’s about to make a ton of money under his current contract.

2019 Postseason

AFC Wild Card Game: San Diego (10-6) at Cleveland (10-6)

The Chargers are new to this whole “playoff” thing, but their QB Kelly Bryson is not. He lead the Titans to the title in 2017, just two seasons ago, after a long and distinguished career with the Bills. WR Brett Chapman is their best offensive weapon, behind a solid OL. Defensively, they don’t impress me much at all – I don’t see a lot outside a couple solid player up front. I really can’t see how this team won ten games. (They admittedly have two solid defenders on the injured list and out for this game, which helps to explain things a bit)


On our first drive, we are stalled, but punt down to their 3 yard line. Brock hits Sellers later in the fist quarter for our 7-0 lead, but we can’t really pull away. We get on the board again close to halftime, and lead 14-3 at the break. We score again in the third quarter, and while we aren’t piling it on, our defense has surely come to play. We notch a solid 34-6 win, and comfortably move into the divisional round, where we’ll have to go on the road.


AFC Divisional Playoff: Cleveland (11-6) at Kansas City (11-5)

KC has a solid young QB in Otis Parker, and an excellent RB in Eddie Carr. Those two, taken in rounds 2 and 1, respectively, of the 2016 draft, are their offensive leaders and the main reasons why they are looking so tough. They have an outstanding secondary, and are tough on defense overall. They might be vulnerable to the run, and we’ll send them a heavy dose of Gus Stewart early and often.


In the first quarter, we convert following a Kirk Weed interception, and take the 7-0 lead. LB Andrew Wallace causes a fumble on a sack of Otis Parker, and DT Tommy Allen falls on the ball at the KC 9 yard line. Stewart gashes right in for the 14-0 lead. Van Harmon gets a 67-yard punt return to set up a short drive, where he catches the TD pass himself. We are suddenly up 21-0 with only ten minutes down.

We cool off a bit, and KC gets momentum – making it 21-10 at the halftime break. The opening drive of the second half gets them another FG, and it’s a one-possession game. Big interception by Cottle in the lat third quarter ends another threat, but we seem to be playing on our heels. We finally et something going, and with 11 minutes to go, we top off another drive with a TD to Harmon again, and take a solid 28-13 lead.

We add a FG after forcing them three and out, but the Chiefs then march for a TD, getting the score to 31-19 (they miss the two-pointer). From there, we wind things up, and get a nice playoff road win to move on to the conference championship.


AFC Championship: Cleveland (12-6) at Buffalo (12-5)

Martin Tate is the Bills QB, and their featured player, of course. They have lots of offensive role players behind a sturdy run-blocking offensive line. A strong defense against the run is their key up front, and they have a solid zone scheme in the secondary, including an old player of ours, S Deron Ellery. They are solid, don’t really on any one player too much, and are installed as two point favorites here at home.


Brock goes to the air on our first drive, hitting Pritchett for a big first down, then getting Gus Stewart loose on a swing pass for the 37-yard TD play. Looks great. Buffalo grinds out field position to get a field goal after two possessions, and the first quarter ends with us leading 7-3. We jump on a fumble in the second quarter, and Pritchett makes them pay with the 21-yard home run on the very next play.

We get the ball back, but return the favor – Stewart fumbles, and they drive afterward for a TD to get it to 14-10. That’s where it lies at the halftime break – not a terribly well-played game so far, with lots of penalties and critical mistakes on both sides.

The field position battle rages through the whole third quarter – punt after punt. We finally get something going in the fourth quarter, and a clutch pass to Stewart sets up a TD pass to Harmon, and we take a nice 21-10 lead. Buffalo keeps alive with a time-consuming drive that gets them a FG, and they trail 21-13 with just below four minutes left.

We surprisingly go to the air, and collect two first downs on passes from Deion Brock to TE Karl Sellers. Safe passing gets us another first down, and we have all but eaten the clock away. We wrap it up with a FG, and Kenneth Eskridge seals it with a late pick, to secure the 24-13 win and our berth into our fifth Superbowl.


Superbowl: Cleveland (13-6) vs. Philadelphia (14-4)

The two teams with the best historic records – both of us have won over 60% of our regular season games, and each has won two Superbowls. Here we clash for the championship.

When we were 9-6, and needed one last win to sneak into the playoffs, it wasn’t clear that we could do this. But now, we have done what we could not do in the regular season – win four in a row. We’re at the big game again, for our record fifth appearance.


For Philly, they really lack an offensive star – with QB Billy Redmon filling in for injured Herb Parker, their regular starter. But, they have rallied around their team-oriented philosophy, and have made a nice run through this season and playoffs. They are made a 3 point favorite in this game.


QB Deion Brock is dinged up, but he will play. I expect we will tone down the passing a bit, and try to pound the ball against them – their outside run defense might be the place to attack.


Philly gets the ball first, and they promptly convert on two 3rd-and-7 chances. On their next play, though, Redmon goes into the flat, and Kenneth Eskridge picks it off, taking it all the way back for the opening score. What a cap to a phenomenal season! The angry Eagles drove, but miss a FG and we get our first chance to take the ball.

Stewart runs, and we give rookie Sims a shot outside – but the youngster fumbles, and the Eagles get it right back. They convert two more third downs, and set up for a FG to get within 7-3. On our next possession, the tables turn – Brock scrambles from the pocket, but is stripped of the ball, and Philly’s LB Roberts takes it all the way back for the TD. Two defensive touchdowns, and it’s 10-7 as the first quarter winds down.

After trading punts, we engineer a nice drive, and get Pritchett into the end zone on a short pass, to take the 14-10 lead. LB Kurt Dodge makes a nice interception in the flat, which halts their progress and gives us one last shot to score before the half. A 39-yard pass to Pritchett sets up a field goal, and it’s 17-10 at the break.


On our opening possession, looking to push even farther ahead, Brock gets sacked and they recover yet another fumble. They miss on a FG attempt, though, and we dodge the bullet. We rive and miss our own FG, and the field position struggle continues. Pritchett comes up with a huge third down conversion, and we manage to drive in for the score – rookie RB Daryl Sims redeems himself with a great TD catch from Brock. It’s 24-10 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Philadelphia needs a response, and they move to midfield, but our star safety Kenneth Eskridge comes up with a great interception, and stalls their progress. Another monster play by Don Pritchett sets us up for a potential “dagger” score, and Daryl Sims again hauls in the tally.

Philadelphis drives again to near midfield, but again we get a pick – this time it’s Kirk Weed with the ballhawk. Leading 31-10, things are looking very, very good right now. We keep them in check down the stretch, and then CB Ty Enochs picks off another Philly pass, and takes this one back for the score as well. That all but seals the deal – but the excellent defensive performances all around obfuscate the great game by S Kenneth Eskridge, and the powers that be see fit to award the game MVP to our QB, Deion Brock. Hooray, Cleveland has now won its third Superbowl!


Season Wrap-up


I’m a little disappointed with the awards list – both QB Brock and RB Stewart had slightly lesser years than last season, but I thought they might get in anyway. S Eskridge made it, but lost out DPOY to a 134-tackle LB from Dallas. Alas.

Regardless, we cannot look at this season as anything but a smashing success—after a shaky regular season, we got hot at he right time, and went all the way to our third title! Woo hoo!

...what's that I hear? That FedEx box in my house, with CM 03/04 inside... calling me...calling...

Congrats on the win. Maybe your best job of coaching to get this team over the hump and winning the superbowl. A couple of tidbits:
What kind of numbers did he put up. Sellers put up incredible number for a TE and I just can't imagine what Jennings must have done:

Also in the divisional game against KC they went for 2 down by 12(31-19) which I think is still a bug in the endgame logic.

Lastly, I really enjoyed your last CM dynasty and you really have done all you can do as a coach/GM with this team. I vote move to CM.

I would not be sorry to see you start up with Lincoln as I enjoy your dynasty with CM far more then I enjoy playing the game myself, where as I enjoy FOF on its own.

Thanks very much for the kind words... knowing that others find this stuff enjoyable adds a lot to this for me.

As for my dilemma, I don't know. My busiest season at work is starting, and I just don't knwo when I'll have big spots of free time to spare with playing any game. So, I don't know whether it woudl make more sense to stick with this career (where I already know the players, and can just play a bit when I get a window of time), or whether to switch to CM (which admittedly is a little better suited for a short stint - I can play a couple of weeks of game play in a half hour of real time, and feel like I did something.

Tough call.

Good point, very observant.

Jennings is a three-time all-pro, who posted numbers slightly better than those of Sellers this season: 1,002 yards and 7 TDs. He caught 86 of 115 passes thrown his way, for an 11.6 ypc average. Very solid season, needless to say.

Both of them, incidentally, are up for grabs next season - which shoudl be interesting to watch. I don't know if i can pay $5m a year for Sellers, which is what I expect him to demand. But it would certainly be tough to let him walk away.

It might be time for a "one more time" season, where I load up on backloaded contracts in an effort to squeeze one more top-tier season out of my existing bunch. That might add a new twist, as I have been so very conservative in the spending department, for the most part.

Quik, I challenge you to complete a perfect 19-0 season! Just backload the hell out of contracts, sign a crap load of free agents, trade away future picks to move up in the draft. You can do it!

Quik.

Go with your gut... I can tell you seem to be hedging on continuing and jones'n to turn back to Lincoln... I'm with you whichever... just continue to write!

Chas

Wow that is amazing. Those are numbers that only Gonzalez and Sharpe have matched in the last few seasons. I am not sure how well this is theory works in FOF but in real life I am a big supporter of evaluating players against some sort of replacement value(if I lost this player and had to replace him with a backup or "street" free agent how much would I lose). It's kind of a nice method and I would imagine that both these guys score very high on this test. Getting almost 1000 yards out of a position that most teams get 400-500 is huge. Plus look at how sure handed he was 77 of 100 complete. I think $5 mil is probably well worth the huge production you got out of Sellers this year.

I kind of like the idea of going out in a blaze of glory and have done that several times I have played before. With the cap out feature you can really clear lots of space and go after some big free agents you normal don't have a shot at. Trade some or all of your draft picks and you can build a one year juggernaught. Of course it all would fall apart quickly afterwards ;)

Hmm, that gives me an idea.... ;)

I'll be reading any dynasty you decide to pursue...I really enjoy them. This is a dumb question, but where did you order CM from? I had considered buying the game, but didn't see where I could get it from...maybe I didn't look hard enough. ;)

gkb-

I can recommend getting CM at gogamer.com. Very good, fast service.

Dola-

The idea of doing a final go-for-broke hurrah with the Browns sounds like a lot of fun. It would have the added bonus of providing you with an enormous salary cap challenge if you ever decided to return to it later. Actually, that might be an interesting type of house rule - every 10 years or so require yourself to backload every negotiable contract and sign all possible top-tier FAs. This would have the effect of being a giant "cap/roster purge" that many NFL teams experience.

And I'll add my voice to the throngs of readers eagerly awaiting a QS CM dynasty.

I honestly cannot recall... I might have orderd it through gogamer.com - but I found someone to sell it to me for dollars.

2020 preseason

It’s good to be the king.

We won it all last year, to everyone’s surprise, and now sit atop the league, once again. This year, we will make a hard push toward keeping the team fairly intact, and we will make every effort to push for a repeat championship. The salary cap will prove to be our greatest nemesis in this regard, I am certain.


Transitions and League Observations

I’m used to seeing the “one-and-out” phenomenon with this game – players who get their first title and call it quits. This year, we have nobody – not a single retirement on the team. Interesting.

Safety Thurman Jacobs, got played his first four seasons with us, has retired after 15 years in the league. He might be a borderline HOF guy – 44 interceptions, 7 touchdowns, and 1,079 tackles over those many years, plus one league championship. He was an undrafted free agent I picked up in my first season, who developed into a very solid player, needless to say.


Front Office Decisions

My Offensive Coordinator, Earnest Carlisle, is up for a contract. I want to keep him, despite his advancing age of 65. We also have a renewal offer in for Scout Kim Donaldson. After winning it all, we have little choice but to return our triumphant staff.

Both return under our initial terms – it seems nobody out there really is interested in champions like these guys. Okay, then.


Roster Review

[/code]Players Under Contract: 35
Salary Cap: $75,000,000
Cap Room: $17,200,000
Maximum for New Player: $13,980,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $540,000
[/code]

Not a whole lot of room to spare here, it seems. $14 million? Ouch.



Deion Brock does not have stellar ratings. In fact, 4 out of 6 of his ratings for pass types are below 35. However, he has a strong set of ratings including a 95 in avoiding interceptions, and good numbers in accuracy, timing, sensing the rush, and reading defenses. That seems to be what makes him tick – and he has been outstanding. His career passer rating is 100.5 – making him perhaps the most efficient QB in this league’s history, overall. A 108/27 TD-to-Int ration is the foundation there – he is effective in the red zone, and doesn’t make a whole lot of mistakes. Great player, despite the mixed bag of red bars.

I’m fine with Goodwin as our #2, but do ignore the fact that my scout rate him ahead of Brock – he is clearly the #2 here.


We are set here – maybe even too heavy. Knock wood, Gus Stewart seems to be an iron man, and hasn’t missed a start in five seasons. We’ll hope that trend continues.

Daryl Sims is working his way into a solid utility role – he might be our #2 this season, and he’ll probably be in to return kickoffs as well. He has good receiving skills, and might get some work as a reserve receiver if we need him there. Barker and Baker are fine, but not that exciting. We’re well-stocked here – might even cut someone (Baker?) if I need the cap space.


We’re solid here, but mostly because I decided to put the franchise tag onto TE Karl Sellers, which pins him at $3.2 million for this year. I can afford that, and we will at least try to work out a long term deal that makes sense for us.


Don Pritchett is clearly the main man, though he’s not quite the topped-out superstar that some teams try to force feed. He is very solid, and I expect him to keep developing – this ought to be the year we finally break the 1,000-yard mark. Tilton and Harmon are solid offsetting receivers – Harmon actually posted about 700 yards last season. I’ll expect to use both guys this season.

What I’d really like to do is re-sign WR Austin Haass, who played with Dallas last season, but I’m convinced he can be very productive. I’ll keep an eye out for him on the open free agent market this season.


Okay, we have some issues here – we need to decide what to do at center. All three of my current guys are looking for pretty big paydays, so this might be the year to land a new guy and ride him. I’d like to return Lincoln Gruber, but if he demands $1.5 million and not a cent less, he may walk after 16 years with us.


My usual struggle with K Mo Crain – he is excellent, and demands to be paid commensurately. I’d rather lock him up long term, but I end up just re-signing him for a one year deal each year. Doubtful that I can afford $2.5m+ for a kicker this season, I fear.


Okay – lots of work to do here, lots. Who can start this year from what we have now? Quinn is solid against the run, Clements is injury prone but okay. DT Allen and NT Rogers are both sold – so we have a theoretical starting four. DE Jimmy Fox has been with us forever, and I’d like to bring him back for continuity. But we need to add a quality player or three in here, I think.


Okay, Wallace and Dodge can start for us again. We’ll watch Jonathan Upshaw – I’d like to brig him back, but he might be too pricey. Allen Upshaw might end up starting on the weak side. Curtis Sinclair has been underused, but could end up getting a real role this season, - he’s a decent run stopper, which I value.

Ideally, we’d add one solid, affordable veteran to step into our starting lineup – and keep the role players in their roles.


CB Ty Enochs had a nice season last year for us, and is locked in as a starter. CB Adam Caston was okay, and the other job is his to lose. Kenneth Eskridge had a monster year last season, and now occupies a monster salary cap number of $9.6 million. Kirk Weed is an 11-year starter, and a guy I’d really like to return. Ideally, we could keep Weed and maybe add one more playable guy at CB – but money is the issue there.


My initial free agent offers are:
S Kirk Weed (3yrs, $3.6m)
LB Curtis Sinclair (2yrs, $1.6m)
DE Blake Lane (3yrs, $2.2m)

Not all that much money, really. So, we ought to be able to make a move elsewhere.

Free Agency

My first target is LB Gino Michl – looks pretty solid, and isn’t asking for much in salary. I think we will be able to get one or two fill-in caliber defensive linemen later, but Michl is a potential starter for peanuts, I think. Perfect fit.


In week one, interestingly enough, DE Seth Hartman gets a monster contract from Jacksonville. I didn’t even consider re-signing him because of all his injury problems, but they ponied up $35m over three years – unbelievable. The Jags made three impact signings for their defensive front seven – very interesting, I think.

We look good for our target guys – and only LB Jonathan Upshaw looks like he’s heading elsewhere. After we lock up LB Michl, I go after a young defensive tackle Donovan Capstraw, who should give us a pretty passable three-man rotation inside. While I wait for him to ink, we see K Mo Crain finally get his long term deal, as he signs with Dallas. C Monty Nunley is also gone – he signed with Atlanta for big money. Now, only Jeff Rowell is still around from our trio of centers, as Ellis Pond signs with San Diego.

C Colin Munn is our next target, and our likely starter at center for this year. Cheap, young, and pretty decent – good value pickup.


So, with 41 players signed, and a full draft ahead, we still have $9 million in cap space. I think I’d like to work out a new deal with TE Sellers, but I think we can do more than that. So, I enter the fray – a big bidding war for DT Drew Worsham. He’s fairly young, and has been very steady for Tennessee – starting in 64 straight games. That’s a great mark for this two-time all-pro. I put in a heavy offer, trying to get this guy to come aboard and give us a dominating presence on our interior defensive line. It only takes one week – and he is delivered. It’s a somewhat backloaded deal, which would cost us over $11 million in its latest years – but for now, I think we’ve made a huge free agent signing, right where we needed it.


I engineer a huge trade deal (outside my original house rules, admittedly) to move up to a prime spot in the draft. San Francisco has made an offer for QB Tyrell Goodwin, and wanted him badly. What I wanted was their #2 overall draft pick. Eventually I negotiated a deal – they get this year #3, next year’s #1, and the following year’s #2, plus Goodwin and my young LB Emmanuel Patterson, in exchange for the #2 pick in this year’s draft. As long as we get what we want there, I will be quite happy with this swap – plus we keep our current year’s pick in the first round.


Back to the free agent grind – we sign CB Monty Diaz, who is only one year removed from a four year stint with us. He had his career best season last year with New Orleans, and I’d love to see him step up to that level for us.

In the late stages, I pick up T Irv Wilson, a cheap reserve who ought to be better than a mid-round draft pick there. I still need another center, but I feel that might be a spot to draft a player (it’s often deep in the draft).

Incidentally, I have my eye on QB James Houston, who has gone unclaimed thus far. He did well for us years ago, and I’d be pleased to bring him back as a #2 behind Deion Brock (who once backed him up). His demands are not that high, and I think it could work out – probably after the draft.

Things still don’t look too optimistic for a long term deal with TE Karl Sellers – he’s thinking about $5 million a year, and I have him franchised for only $3 million. I guess he gets pissed of and leaves if I don’t extend with him, so this might be his final season. We’ll see if we get the chance to work something out.


2020 Rookie Draft

I moved up in the draft to land DE Zack Finch, a stud out of The Citadel who looks like the complete package. I need to boost our DE presence, and I think he’d be absolutely ideal. I just need him to slip to the #2 pick – he won’t make it much further than that.

My worry is that Green bay has DE listed second on their list of team needs – and that’s a real worry. Te is listed first, but they aren’t going to take a TE with the overall #1 pick – and Zach Finch is the real standout in this draft, I think. I now think that I need to move up to the #1 pick in this draft to get the guy I want. I don’t know how much that will set me back, though.

I end up making a deal – sending them next year’s 3rd round pick and my current reserve QB Mo Treadwell in exchange for the #1/#2 swap. Pretty steep price, but this opens the door to me signing James Houston at QB, which would have rendered Treadwell pretty redundant anyway. So, for the first time, we will have the #1 pick in the draft.


I love Finch, and have great hopes for him. Beyer fits a need, and ought to mesh with our pass-blocking line concept. Coltharp is a converted safety who has the skill set I target for this team.

QB Glenn Dixon was the fastest man in the whole draft – a 4.31 40 time was pretty intriguing, especially after he slid to the later rounds. I don’t know what we might make of him, but I recall being intrigued by fleet-footed Bobby Silvers – we’ll see if this guy has any of the same impact.


Late Free Agency

My first move here is to offer a deal to QB James Houston, who signs for three years. After dealing away my depth at QB, he is a needed improvement, and we welcome his return.

We also pick up LB Brandon Gunn, who should be a solid #4 LB, good against the run, possible starter if need be. Another good value acquisition.

I lock up G Lincoln Gruber and E Jimmy Fox – just keeping around a couple of veterans for leadership, I won’t be counting on them much on the field.


Training Camp


I am very pleased with the looks of DE Zach Finch, who barely eroded at all during training camp. We still have very, very high hopes for him. We, of course, would like to get him signed… but that should come soon.

Also, QB Glenn Dixon looks like he might have some real promise, after all. He’s lightning quick – we’ll see if he can actually play football, too. I’ll get him lots of snaps in preseason.

DE Zach Finch sits atop the Green Page, and QB Glenn Dixon is listed 8th. We got an A- for our draft. Not bad.


Season Analysis

We are obviously gearing up for a title defense. We have won three out of five – and another good season here makes this dynasty look even more stunning. We’ll try to get things going out there, and pull together the squad for a good effort. I don’t know if we have the depth to be a serious top power, but our offensive weaponry ought to be enough to keep us pretty formidable.

As we get out of the preseason, our only major loss is WR Van Harmon, who is on IR. That puts WR Cornelius Tilton into a starting role, and probably frees up a few more balls for Don Pritchett. He and TE Karl Sellers will again make their run at the elusive 1,000-yard season. This could be the year.

QB Glenn Dixon played very, very well in preseason, and sews up the third QB slot. He might end up being our “QB of the future” – I like what he brings to the table an awful lot.

Cohesion is at 100(85)-92-84-100(80). Very solid. Our roster rating is an 84, behind Tennessee and tied with Tampa Bay and Atlanta. We look primed and ready, and ought to be a top contender this season, assuming things go well.

2020 Regular Season


Week 1: Cincinnati at Cleveland

We open with a solid offensive showing, winning 35-23 behind three TDs from Gus Stewart and a solid day from the whole attack. Deion Brock comes out with a broken finger – he will again be playing hurt, which has become the norm for him.

Week 2: Cleveland (1-0) at Washington (0-1)

We win 27-13 over the Skins, allowing a TD only on an interception return in the first quarter. We recover and play very well to secure a solid win – Stewart has 154 yards in another big day for him.

Week 3: Kansas City (2-0) at Cleveland (2-0)

No problem at all, as Deion Brock hits for 4 TDs and we cruise to a 42-17 victory. Through three games, Brock has 860 yards passing – but Don Pritchett has only 132 yards and none of our 8 TD catches. He ought to get on track, but we were expecting more from him out of the gate.

Week 4: Tennessee (1-2) at Cleveland (3-0)

Tennessee’s QB Broderick Poplawski lights up our secondary, striking for 5 TDs and leading them to a 38-26 win. We didn’t turn the ball over, but our offense just ran flat. So much for running the table, eh?

Week 5: Cleveland (3-1) at Jacksonville (1-3)

Another shaky game – we get beat by a late TD drive, and lose 34-27. Deion Brock hurts his Achilles, and we expect to see Houston in for a game or two. We need to rebound, and quickly.

Week 6: Cleveland (3-2) at Houston (2-2)

An important game for us, and we come through with a big 20-1 win, keyed by an early TD return by Kenneth Eskridge. Good win, and we will hopefully take come momentum out of this.

Week 7: Baltimore (2-4) at Cleveland (4-2)

Nice home effort, getting a 21-0 shutout. Gus Stewart gets all three scores, and is off to a very promising start for the season. QB Deion Brock starts the game, but has to leave in the second quarter – a broken ankle will sideline him for several weeks. James Houston will be at the helm for us, for the next part of this season.

Week 8: Indianapolis (5-2) at Cleveland (5-2)

Big game against a tough conference foe. We get a very god game from Gus Stewart, and manage a solid 31-14 win. James Houston gets hurt in the third quarter, and rookie Glenn Dixon comes in – he throws his first NFL touchdown, and goes 10-for-12 on the day. We’ll see how the M*A*S*H report looks – young Glenn Dixon may have to start for us next week.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here is the quick summary at the halfway point for our season:


It’s our offense that has us rolling along pretty well, but with both Brock and Houston sidelined for at least a month, we’re going to need to do something here. We ink veteran Justin Lyons, and expect that he and rookie Glenn Dixon will battle for playing time in the next few weeks.

Week 9: Cleveland (6-2) at Pittsburgh (7-1)

A tough spot for young Glenn Dixon to get his first start, on the road at our fiercest division rival. But I don’t see Justin Lyons being ready, or much of an improvement. We get beat here, 28-20, but we didn’t get embarrassed – Dixon threw one pick, but two TDs, including Don Pritchett’s first of the year. Pittsburgh just moved the ball too well against our defense for us to keep up.

Now we get a much-needed week off, and will get Lyons up to speed with the team.


Week 11: Cleveland (6-3) at Cincinnati (1-7-1)

This ought to be a slightly softer spot, as we keep Glenn Dixon in as our starter. Again, Glenn Dixon avoids making the big mistake (one pick in 35 attempts) but we just aren’t clicking on offense – we gain 425 yards on offense (plenty more than Cinti), but cannot convert in the red zone, and lose here 21-13. Tough loss.

Week 12: Cleveland (6-4) at Philadelphia (3-6-1)

We remain on the road, and give Dixon one more shot – James Houston ought to be ready to play next week. We power to a solid lead behind a good day from Gus Stewart, but this time it is a big mistake by Dixon that costs us – Philly returns a pick for a TD to get the go-ahead TD and win it 27-24. Ouch.

Week 13: Cleveland (6-5) at Buffalo (8-3)

Last game in our long road trip, and we are reeling. James Houston is back, and we are hopeful that we’ll see Deion Brock next week. Houston starts, but gets dinged early, and Glenn Dixon has to play most of the game again. Dixon goes 11 for 17, but we take another loss under his watch, 23-20. This has been a brutally tough start for the promising youngster – we have fallen apart, due in part (but certainly not in entirety) due to the QB carousel. Brock has a QB rating of 80 for his 5 games – that’s not awful at all. But the 0-4 run since he’s been our main QB stings, for sure.

Week 14: New York Giants (3-9) at Cleveland Browns (6-6)

Back home, finally, and we are desperate. We’ve all but blown the division with Pittsburgh ahead by 3 games now, and our main hope is to win at least 3 out of 4 to sneak in as a wild card. We may well need to run the table to get in – there are four teams ahead of us already.

Deion Brock starts the game, but on the very first play his ankle is re-injured. It’s broken this time, and now he is listed as out for six more weeks. Awful news.

Glenn Dixon is once again on call, and he rallies us to a solid 27-6 win, coupled with a great defensive effort. Dixon will get the start again next week, while James Houston awaits a full recovery clearance.

Week 15: Pittsburgh (10-3) at Cleveland (7-6)

Perhaps a must-win game for us, we need to exact revenge against the Steelers, who look to take our division title away from us after these many years. This time, we get what we need – Glenn Dixon has 4 TD passes, and gets the game ball in a 41-14 win over the division leaders. We keep hope alive.

Week 16: Dallas (10-4) at Cleveland (8-6)

As of right now, our 8-6 record would gets us in as the #6 seed (from a three-way tiebreaker) so we cannot let up. James Houston gets the start this week, with Glenn Dixon waiting in the wings once again. We get the win as Don Pritchett takes a bomb from Houston, making up for Houston’s errant pass that gave the Cowboys the lead to begin with. We win 24-21, and stay alive in the playoff chase.

Week 17: Cleveland (9-6) at Baltimore (8-7)

There are four teams in the AFC, including Baltimore, just one game behind us for the last WC spot. A loss here and we end up crossing our fingers with tiebreakers. A win here and we are in. Simple.

Regrettably, Baltimore shows up for this one, and punishes us, 24-10. That drops us to 9-7 for the season, and the end-of-season number crunching delays the news to me… are we in or are we out?

The answer – out. Baltimore gains the edge on us in the tiebreaker courtesy of this win, and we will be on the sidelines for this year’s playoffs. We wanted to repeat as champions, but instead we’ll be watching the playoffs on TV – like so many previous champions before us. Sigh.



From the data, we see several things. Deion Brock is just a huge “difference-maker” for this team – in the first half of the season, we were solid on offense, but our passing game fell apart in the second half without him. Gus Stewart ended up picking up a lot of the slack, and had his most productive season by the numbers. This is his first time topping 2,000 yards from scrimmage, after a number of years in the 1800-1900 range.

Defensively, another brilliant year for Kenneth Eskridge, but our LB problems (attrition and injury each playing their part) hurt our group a bit. We still were #1 against the run (in yards per carry) and solid against the pass – we can’t hang any of the decline on that side of the ball, I don’t think.

Only 31 QB sacks is a low for us – we actually had a number of pretty good guys out there, but just didn’t generate the big pressure. I think the lack of a dominant blitzing LB added to the problem, and perhaps the greenness of rookie DE Finch, who posted a respectable PRPct of 4.7, but should be improving.

2020 Postseason

My last “move” of the season is to work out a new, long term deal with TE Karl Sellers. He’s been very solid and productive, and even though it’s a ton of money to pay for a tight end, I think he’s a guy we build around. Plus, had we not worked out a new deal, he’d be furious with our tagging him and probably wouldn’t have returned at all. So, this is better, overall, I think.

On the field, it’s Tampa Bay and Buffalo in the Superbowl. Buffalo wins their first, keeping Tampa from becoming a two-time champion.

I just don’t have as much to write here as usual. Sorry.


Season Wrap-up


So, Gus Stewart ends up being the triple award winner, for another brilliant season. Too bad it was while the team was declining, it seems. T Conrad Craig and S Kenneth Eskridge gained all-pro tickets as well, but most of our team remains role-players. On the defense especially, we regularly get no awards, but are among the top units overall.


And so it goes… a tough season, our first out of the playoffs since 2007 – a 12-year run comes to an end. Now, we’ll have to see just how cap-strapped we are going into next year, and how much of this team can come back for a rebound season.

Sorry for the tough year losing your QB can really hurt in FOF. What a year for Stewart though. If you are going to have to cut some players I think you should just make sure you keep Gus and make sure you have a capable backup QB. Sellers dropped off a bit but still preformed well.

I am curious though if he is taking some passes away for the WRs. I know you had mentioned that you like your FB to block and get out of the way and maybe that should be the strategy for TE's as well(in general). The more passes thrown Pritchett's way the better but Sellers was far and away the leading tageted reciever. 11 YPC isn't bad, especially for a TE, but I wonder if this is actually hurting the offense?

I generaly agree - I think having the TE be a major target in FOF is usually counterproductive. You just don't get the chances to exploit matchup advantages like you can in real Xs and Os football. However, I'm enjoying this particular player enough (and I am oddly resplendent in my team's persistent inability to post a 1,000-yard receover) that I'm locking him up for the long haul - we're married now.

I am glad that you locked him up as I am watching him closely as well. I would love to see him break the 1000 yards mark but I get a laugh every year seeing that no reciever got over 1000 yards. Any thoughts on your offseason plans now that sellers is locked up? How bad is the cap?

Your questions will be answered with the next update - I have finished the offseason, and am ready to roll into the 2021 campaign. Toughest cap problems yet, by far.

2021 preseason


It’s tempting to look at this, and wonder—is “the run” over? After 12 straight years in the playoffs, our Browns have dropped out of the postseason. Are we poised for a big rebound? Or ready to drop into mediocrity? In recent years, we have committed to a handful of top-dollar players – that formula is a turnabout from our formative years (when we got onto this roll to begin with) and has yielded a 2019 title – but are we now paying the price with an un-maintainable roster?

Time will tell.


Transitions and League Observations

Three retirements from our team this year – we knew they were coming.

RG Lincoln Gruber started every game but one over twelve years for us, and retires with a remarkable 0.6% sacks allowed ratio – part of the solid pass protection we demand from our line. He’s been a great player and leader for us.

DE Jimmy Fox was up and down for us, since we drafted him in 2007. After 13 seasons with the Browns, he started 93 games, posted 45.5 sacks, and became our on-field leader and mentor to young defensive ends. A solid player, who filled in when we needed him and posted one all-pro worthy season in 2009.

We also lose CB Adam Caston, a “system guy” for us who played five seasons. I’ve gotten comfortable using guys who can drop into man coverage, and have little else to bring to the table. Caston had a solid 41 passes defensed in his 51 starts for us – solid numbers for a bargain-basement guy.

We’ll survive without these guys, but this is the first season’s worth of retirements that has me starting to feel sentimental. With Gruber joining Bennie Heinlein on the retired list, I feel like our old offensive line has officially been broken up.


Front Office Decisions

Head Coach K.C. Hansen is up for a new deal, which could be very costly. 3 titles with us, and very strong ratings – I’d expect him to be probably the top open market candidate. Oddly enough, his demand is for $1,850,000 – which is surpassed by no fewer than 67 guys – a variety of coordinators, head coaches, and grate-hugging vagrants. What gives? Hansen is 58, has a fabulous record, and great ratings – why wouldn’t he be landing a deal for $8 million?

I put in an offer of $2 million a year Fortunately for Hansen, Houston is interested, and offers $3.45 million. That’s a bit more like it. I move to outbid them, and lock him up for $3.6 million a season going forward.


Roster Review

We’ll have a look at the roster, and get a sense of what work needs to be done in this offseason.


So, we are practically capped out as we stand. This will very likely be the first year where we are forced to actually make significant roster cuts, just to get a full roster. Also, keep in mind that we lack picks in rounds one and three of this year’s draft – so we won’t have a major youth infusion coming, either. Ah, trade-offs.


We’re actually in great shape here. Deion Brock, when healthy, is a superstar-caliber performer, set aside what the scouts say. Year in, year out, he’s over 100 in passer rating. We have to try to keep him healthy. James Houston is a veteran backup, but doesn’t have the ability Brock clearly does. Glenn Dixon continues to improve, and we think he’ll eventually be our main guy. Brock’s contract runs for this year and next – Dixon is being sized up to be the 2023 starter.


If you, gentle reader, have not been following closely let me catch you up to speed. Gus Stewart has been unbelievable for us. After setting the bar very, very high with six straight seasons rushing for over 1,300 yards each year, he posts a monster career year in 2020, with 1,767 yards on 6.0 yards per carry – unheard-of numbers. Awesome.

Berker is a solid veteran reserve, and Sims is a nice change-of-pace back with some receiving skills. This is just what we like in our backfield – we’re set.


We tied up big money in Karl Sellers, and hope that he can continue as a super-solid receiving threat. Veteran McConnell is my kind of starter at FB, and we expect to fill in the reserve spots with youngsters this year.


Don Pritchett had a down year last season, posting only 49 catches. We need much more from him, no matter who is passing the ball. Cornelius Tilton is a decent contributor and the group leader, but not really a starting-caliber player. Hopefully, either Van Harmon (back from injury) or Ted Pendleton (still developing nicely) will step into the starting role aside Pritchett, and help boost the passing game overall.


Big issues here. Conrad Craig and Arnold Banks are the core to my recently-rebuilt offensive line, and both are going to want BIG money this year. I don’t have it to give them, obviously. I suspect our only option will be to pursue a free agent or two, and hope we can assemble a passable starting squad without those two.


Burnette has been fine for us, and we’ll try to re-sign him. Richard Meyer is nothing special – we might look for an upgrade. We miss K Mo Crain, a topped-out stud who just locked up the position for years.


Always injury-ravaged, our defensive front continues to be tough against the run. That will remain a focus. Signing either DT Allen or Rodgers would b great, but looks unlikely. That probably means we end up a little thin at DT once again, but grateful for the signing of Drew Worsham last season (49+25 tackles last season).


This whole unit is locked up for the season – but might not be good enough. Michl was the leading tackler last year, after Wallace got hurt and yielded the MLB spot. Gunn had to fill in after Dodge went on IR, and we patched through. We should be okay overall, but it would be nice to land another value player here.



Ty Enochs has been the latest “system” guy to do well for us at CB. I think he might be back, if we can work out a nominal deal for him. His asking price is modest, so I’m optimistic. We love our safeties, and count on Kenneth Eskridge to be our defensive powerhouse overall.


This is a very solid team, already. No reason to panic. The OL is the biggest concern- so our priorities for this offseason will be:

Secure starting-caliber LT
Secure starting-caliber RG
Pursue solid DT
Add depth at WR
Add quality at LB
Improve at K

Free Agency

I plan to start the FA process without any bids in on my own free agents. CB Enochs is the only guy I expect to return, and I plan to wait him out as best I can.

I’ll make roster cuts if I have to, but we don’t plan to make any earth-shattering moves anyway.


Our first approach is to SLB Steven May, a solid, well-rounded backer who can contribute on special teams and at any LB position. We lock him up immediately.

However, Buffalo – the defending champions – move to grab our left tackle Conrad Craig. 6yrs, $64 million later, he is delivered to the Bills. Big signing – big loss for us, of course. San Diego is moving in on DT Tommy Allen, and we expect to see him go as well.

RG Moe Somerville is our next target – a potential impact player for the OL, and we might be able to run right in behind him very effectively. As we wait for Somerville to respond, though, I see that Denver is after CB Ty Enochs. At the moment, I cannot afford both contracts. I decide to release LB Curtis Sinclair, who has essentially been replaced by Steven May. I get in an offer to Enochs, and both he and Somerville accept in week four.

I love FB Preston Beers, and he’s very affordable too. He takes a couple of weeks to think on it, but we lock him up next. I now have no money to spend on free agents at all – I need to look around a bit and see where we might be able to prune some costs down.

I release WR Van Harmon – not quite as sharp after last year’s injury. I also let go of QB Kerry Donaldson, who had slid to 4th on the depth chart. I also do a “cap out” renegotiation with WR Don Pritchett, which clears out a little space for this year. That gets us up to the point where we can offer a $2 million contract – or more likely, a couple cheaper ones.

DT Leo Alston is a pure run stopper, and might be fine as a reserve for us. He accepts a pretty marginal deal, and I like what he can do for us off the bench. CB Randy Furr has great man coverage skills, and rings a bell with my system – he takes a two year offer.

I go after C Earl O’Donnell, in large part because I have a trade offer outstanding for my current backup center, Colin Munn. We trade Munn (getting only a 7th rounder) and sign O’Donnell, whom I believe is better.

It looks like we’re done with free agency for now, at least – and we still have a gaping hole at left tackle. We will probably try to bring in a rookie, but our backup plan is probably to use Irv Wilson there, who filled in at RT last season. Not a strong option.


2021 Rookie Draft


At the end of round two, there doesn’t seem to be a solid tackle to draft and plug right in – so I look for the best player available. I’ve had lousy luck with cornerbacks in the draft, but spend our top pick on Anthony Mascorella, who seems to be a great fit. Man coverage is his strong suit, good with getting interceptions, good punt returner, and a special teams standout. Sounds great.

I like getting local standouts, and K Peter Bass ought to be great for us, and is a Buckeye to boot. Solid.

I don’t know what we might get from T Lonnie Hammond – he’s strong, so is G Bart Anleigh, and we will just watch to see if they can develop pro skills.


Late Free Agency

I have to make a cut just to get our tam up to a full 53 players and under the salary cap. I decide to let go of CB Amos Coltharp – our most recent CB draft flop. That clears the way for Stanley Mascorella, probably our next.

I’m not thrilled about it, but I have to release QB James Houston as well. He couldn’t stay healthy last year, and with young Glenn Dixon coming on, Houston couldn’t justify over $2m in cap space.

We fill in with undrafted rookies, and head on into the season. I think we’re going to need a miracle at left tackle – hopefully Lonnie Hammond or one of the rookie URFAs can show signs of life, but I don’t have another plan right now.


Training Camp


Well, CB Stanley Mascorella looks like he’ll be solid on special teams – jury’s till out on whether he can play any defense. No really “big news” among our rookie crop – WR Gino Foug might make the team, but nobody really blew our doors off.


Season Analysis

Settling in for the season, we have a look at our usual indeces. We are again a leader in teamwide cohesion – with ratings 97-90-91-100(77). Our overall roster rating has slipped to a 73 – ranked 8th overall, with Buffalo and Tennessee atop the list. Indication are that this team is slipping a bit, and I can’t really disagree with that assessment.

We have most of our major players back, and ought to be solid. I don’t know whether we have the tools to make a title run, but I expect that we’ll get another solid effort – especially if Deion brock can stay in the saddle. Tightest season capwise we have had yet – and it might show in the final analysis. We go into the season with a major roster void (left tackle) and I don’t recall having a problem of this magnitude in many years.

We’ll shoot to regain the division title – anything past that would be gravy.

2021 Regular Season

In our final preseason game, QB Deion Brock injured his calf muscle, and he will be sidelined for a few weeks. We’re off to a shaky start, I fear. I have to cut a couple of players, but make room for Justin Lyons to rejoin our squad, on a one year modest deal. He will back up Glenn Dixon for now, and will be our opening ay starter. We have pretty good faith in him after a strong preseason, but he just isn’t all that seasoned.

Week 1: Cleveland at Pittsburgh

What a way to open up. On the road at the team who finally broke our division title streak. Tough opener, without our starting QB.

Pittsburgh’s star QB Mercury Shoemaker manages to get 4 TD passes against us, but Glenn Dixon holds his own (18 of 29, 213 yds, 2 TD, 2 Int, plus 49 yards and a TD rushing) and we get a few big plays – including a TD interception return from (who else?) Kenneth Eskridge to seal up a big 38-31 opening day win on the road. Huge effort.


Week 2: Minnesota (1-0) at Cleveland (1-0)

Another tight win for us, but it’s a win, 25-21. Dixon has another good day on the ground, with 55 yards rushing – he’s adding another weapon to our offensive arsenal. He’s also taking a bit of a shine to WR Ted Pendelton, who has moved into the starting WR spot across from Don Pritchett, and currently has outgained his counterpart and has two TDs in two games.


Week 3: Cleveland (2-0) at Houston (2-0)

Glenn Dixon earns the gameball as he leads our offense to its best game of the season, as we drub the Texans 40-14. Glenn Dixon is 15 of 22 for 178 yards and 4 TDs, plus he gains another 55 yards and a TD on the ground. He’s starting to look like a serious draft day steal, and a potentially game-changing player for us.


Week 5: Denver (2-1) at Carolina (3-0)

With Deion Brock still hobbled a bit (listed as probable) I decide to stick with Glenn Dixon’s hot hand. We roll, 41-7, behind 3 more TD passes from Dixon and a sharp effort from the defense and special teams (including a kickoff return for a TD).


Week 6: Oakland (3-2) at Cleveland (4-0)

Deion Brock has gotten his full clearance, and is ready to go this week. Glenn Dixon will sit down with a 4-0 record and a passer rating over 100 – that has to feel great.

The engine roars with Deion Brock as well – Gus Stewart has a great game, with 143 yards rushing on the day. Brock has not missed a beat, connecting for 21 of 28 passes to lead the effort, and we secure a 28-6 win. Our defense has also been playing very well.


Week 7: Cleveland (5-0) at San Diego (2-3)

Looks like a donut game – on the road against a non-division foe. We survive a tight game, salting away the 21-10 win with a TD by safety Kirk Weed. SD stuffed our running game pretty well, and we were forced to the air all day.


Week 8: Cleveland (6-0) at Kansas City (4-2)

The road foes get even tougher here. And this time we get in too deep, losing 21-13. We fall behind on a long TD bomb by the Chiefs, and they follow up with a nice sustained drive to put us down 14-3. So, our perfect season is dust – we’ll focus on keeping the ship on course now.


Week 9: Baltimore (5-3) at Cleveland (6-1)

Deion Brock came out of last game with a strain in his abdomen, and is listed as doubtful for this week. We’ll go with Glenn Dixon again, in an important divisional showdown. Baltimore gets two TD passes from an old friend of ours, Howie Gordon, and their tough red zone defense keeps us in check, so the Ravens get the win 24-16.


At the team’s halfway point – we’ll have an abbreviated look at the numbers:


The offense has been good overall – Glenn Dixon’s rushing contributions have boosted our overall efficiency there, and our passing game has been solid. On defense – holding opponents to 3.01 yards per carry is edging toward a dream stat of mine (under 3) and I can’t believe we have been so strong and healthy there… knock wood. Good effort thus far.

The annual chase toward 1,000 receiving yards sees Ted Pendleton with 474 after 8 games, and Don Pritchett with 422. TE Karl Sellers has only 227, as he has battled some injuries this season (and is currently out). Someone needs a big second half to crack the barrier.

Week 10: Pittsburgh (7-1) at Cleveland (6-2)

HUGE GAME. Deion Brock remains doubtful, so Glenn Dixon is in again. We need to snap out of our funk, and this is the time and place to do it – no doubt about that. Regrettably, the Pitt defense has our number, and the only TD we post is on an interception by LB Andrew Wallace – we get beaten 23-14, and now are openly in free fall.


Week 11: Cincinnati (1-8) at Cleveland (6-3)

It’s tough to be too upset about being 6-3, unless you started 6-0. Hopefully, a visit from Cinti will cure what ails us. We need overtime, but eke out a 20-17 win at home here, and at least break the streak. Stewart has 107 yards rushing, and Glenn Dixon adds 60 of his own. Solid win, though I’d much rather have seen a 40-10 thrashing.


Week 12: Cleveland (7-3) at Chicago (3-6-1)

We show up and look very sharp again, especially on defense. DE Zach Finch gets 3 sacks and the game ball, as we roll to a 20—3 win. Strong showing on the road.

Regrettably, we have lost TE Karl Sellers again – he suffers his third injury of the season, and I can’t help but have some long-term worries about him now (right after we sink huge money into his future with a monster contract).


Week 13: Miami (9-2) at Cleveland (8-3)

Very tight game, as would be expected – we get into overtime, and we prevail on a TD run by reserve RB Daryl Sims. Deion Brock, back off his second injury this year, is solid and keeps us on course with 26 of 36 completions.

WR Don Pritchett stands at 710 yards through 12 games – he’s 40 yards behind a 1,000-yard pace, but one big game could get him right back into the picture. He has 9 TDs, and is probably on his way to his best season.


Week 14: Cleveland (9-3) at Detroit (4-7-1)

We get a nice, powerful win here 30-6. Two TD passes from Deion Brock, and two TDs off defense and special teams make it a good showing overall. A good showing, and our team is looking like a factor again. We’re a game behind Pittsburgh, but still have hope for the division title.


Week 15: Cleveland (10-3) at Baltimore (7-6)

We get another solid win, 24-13, to probably put Baltimore away for the year. Our 11-3 record is definitely going to be good enough to get us into the playoffs – the only real issue remaining is whether we can catch Pittsburgh. The winner of our division will almost certainly be the AFC’s #1 seed, too.


Week 16: Green bay (4-10) at Cleveland (11-3)

We get a very solid win at home, 30-9, and keep pace with Pittsburgh, though our hopes of catching them dwindle each week they win. Deion Brock, though not feeling 100%, has a nice game, and goes to WR Don Pritchett a lot. Pritchett has his “big game” this week, with 155 yards and a TD, and his season total stands at 961 yards… with one game left, he basically only needs to show up and he’ll finally crack the mythical barrier we’ve chased for so long.


Week 17: Cleveland (12-3) at Cincinnati (2-13)

Cinti gave us trouble last time, but here we have extra incentive – Pittsburgh lost their final game, meaning we could pull even with a win here. We’d be tied in all the tiebreaker stats, so I don’t know who would win the division – but that would mean a lot to do so.

Somehow, some way, we manage to lose to Cincinnati. It’s 21-20, the same margin by which Pittsburgh lost their final game, so it hurts just as much. Anyway – we will be the top wild card team – the #5 seed, and will have to play on the road while the Steelers take the week off and wait for whoever gets lucky this week. Ouch.



Our allowing only 242 points all season is pretty good, but invites comparisons to Arizona, who outdid us on both sides of the point scale. Alas.

Tough to complain about 12-4 – the ones who ought to be complaining are the 10-6 Jets, who watch 7-9 Houston make the playoffs.


We got some of the results we really wanted - #1 against the run in yards per carry allowed (3.36 is great – might be the best we’ve done). We fit the profile, despite our game plan, of a team that runs and stops the run, and isn’t awful anywhere else. We regained a plus in turnover margin, and the final outcome isn’t so bad.

On offense, the two-headed QB monster was successful (necessitated by injuries, I’d add) as both guys were very effective. We were not a big play pass attack, but 60% complete and better than 2-1 on the TD/Int ration is a good recipe.

RB Gus Stewart posted yet another steady, excellent seasons – another 1,900 yards from scrimmage as if it were nothing. He also stays healthy – not even a minor injury in his eight seasons, which is unbelievable.

As for WR Don Pritchett. Does it get any better than this? In the final game of the year, he can’t complain that he didn’t have chances – he had 10 balls thrown his way on the day. The result? 3 catches, 32 yards, a season low, and a three-digit total yet again. It’s gotten to be downright uncanny. He breaks the team record, and posts the team’s 13th single season of 800+ yards (Pritchett’s third), without a single soul ever topping the magic millennium mark.

Defensively, our front managed to stay healthy pretty well through the first half of the season, but we then lost LB May and later LB Wallace, which really hurt. DE Zach Finch stepped up and became the impact pass rusher we hoped for, and his 9 sacks in the second half of the season might be a good tiding.

I’m happy with CB Randy Furr, and in our system I expect he can be solid for us. He also helped out on special teams, with the best punt return average on the team.

2021 Postseason

AFC Wild Card Game: Cleveland (12-4) at Houston (7-9)

We are made 10-point favorites on the road here – which is a tall order. Houston has a solid group of offensive skill players, but a pretty spotty defensive front. We’ll try to spot Gus Stewart in for a heavy load this week – he might be our key to winning this game.

Houston outplays us through the scoreless first quarter, but we strike first with our first real drive and a 7-0 lead early in the second. After a 14-7 halftime edge, we rip it opening the third quarter, and pull out to a 31-10 margin. We roll to a 37-10 win, and escape the first round – on to our next road game, against Miami.

Deion Brock threw three interceptions in the first half, and then dropped with an Achilles injury. Our team’s long history of playoff QB injuries is alive and well – it looks like young Glenn Dixon will get the call for the rest of the way, as Brock is definitely OUT.


AFC Divisional Playoff: Cleveland (13-4) at Miami (12-4)

Miami came lie this year after grabbing impact rookie RB Corwin Hutton – they haven’t looked back after adding some flair to their running game. Last year’s rookie pickup was WR Frank Flowers, who posted 1500 yards this year and will go to Hawai’i. They are solid on defense, and adding these key offensive weapons was the right formula, it seems – they are a formidable opponent.

We get the ball first, and with the aid of a couple penalties, drive in for a short FG and the early lead. Miami doesn’t need as much time as we did, and they punch it in for the TD on a 13-yard run by Hutton to take the 7-3 lead. First quarter is gone after just two possessions.

We get the ball, and convert on a gutsy (stupid?) 4th and 2 from our own 45. We keep the drive alive, and Glenn Dixon scrambles in for an 11 yard TD to get us back on top. Now would be a great time for our defense to show up and stone them in. Instead, we are tough on first and second downs, but they convert third-and-long twice, then hit the big hitter for the long TD score. We march right back, and put in Stewart for a TD, and it’s 17-14 with 51 seconds before the half. Halftime comes with no punts and no turnovers – both teams scored on every possession save the one as the half closed out.

The first turnover comes on the first play of the second half, as we get a strip-sack and recover the fumble at the Miami 11. Stewart gets an 11-yard run for the score, and a 24-14 margin looks better. We then force the game’s first punt – the second half might look a lot unlike the first, it seems.

Late in the third quarter, Miami breaks out of the field position battle, and scores another TD run – they are within 3 points, and have some real momentum. However, on their punt with 13 minutes left, we get a block, and take over at the Miami 31. We end up with another FG, and a 27-21 edge with 12 minutes to play.

Miami has a time-consuming drive, hampered by penalties on both sides, which gets them to our 22 yard line – with 5 minutes left. At 3:45 they settle for a FG, and we stay ahead 27-24 – a big stop by our defense.

We get the ball back, looking to eat clock. Gus Stewart takes a nice swing pass foe 23 yards to get a first down and out of our hole. Two more passes to Stewart gets us another first down, and exhaust two Miami time outs. Pritchett makes a big catch to get to their 35, and a new set of downs with 1:13 on the clock. From there, we are able to take the knee, and get away with a hard-fought win, 27-24.


AFC Championship: Buffalo (13-5) at Cleveland (14-4)

I’m very surprised that Pittsburgh lost, but here we are – at home for the Championship game in the most unlikely scenario (the only way we could have possibly played a home game in the postseason was right here, just like this).

Buffalo is a deceiving team, though – they managed to sign last year’s first team QB Bubba Avila to a free agent contract (the ever-present one year, minsal deal) – only to watch him sit behind their starter Martin Tate. Now, Tate is hurt, and Avila is getting the call – and has been great in the postseason. This team is tougher than they seem on paper, especially on offense. No easy opponent here.


On our opening drive, Glenn Dixon is a gambler – but it pays off, and we get in for an 11-yard TD pass to Cornelius Tilton to go ahead, 7-0. Bubba Avila is sharp, too, but they settle for a field goal. After a trade of punts, the first quarter is over, fairly uneventfully.

In the second quarter, we knock Bubba Avila out of the game, and they have to go to their second (third) stringer. We don’t know much about Jason Conti, but he plays pretty well. Avila gets back in after a few plays, and all is back to normal. Avila hits for a 17-yard TD pass, and the Bills go ahead, 10-7. We get in place for a 52-yard FG, and tie the game with the long kick with 1:46 left in the half. Buffalo gets into place, but their long kick fails, and it’s tied at the break.


In the third quarter, we miss a field goal (boo) and the field position battle continues. Dixon connects on back-to-back plays to Pendleton and then Pritchett, and we set up at their 21 yard line – eager to re-take the lead. It’s the other target – TE Sellers – who hauls in the 8-yard TD pass, and we assume a nice 17-10 margin. Buffalo gets to midfield before punting, and overall, we’re pleased with the flow as the third quarter wraps up.

In the early fourth quarter, we cap off another solid drive with a 3-yard rush from Glenn Dixon, and have the game in pretty good shape, up 24-10. But Buffalo, converting on four straight third down opportunities, manages a comeback drive and a TD to get right back within one score. The Bills’ defense is inspired, they step up and stuff our attack, and they have a great chance to get right back even.

With 2:35 remaining, Buffalo takes over at our 48 yard line after a 33 yard punt. A key QB sack by Finch pushes them back, and they face 3rd and 12. They get only six, but this is probably four-down territory for them. LB Andrew Wallace gets through on the fourth down play and comes up with a huge sack, and we take over on downs near midfield!

Run for 9 and 10 yards exhaust their fist two timeouts, and give us a first down. We now can safely assume the victory position, and we run out the clock and get out of town with our 24-17 win, and our bags packed for the Superbowl, yet again!

Glenn Dixon is turning into a cult figure around town – this week, with the season on the line, he goes 20/28 for 2TDs and (again) no picks, plus he runs 10 times for 66 yards and a score. Unbelievable poise by the youngster.


Superbowl: Arizona (16-2) vs. Cleveland (15-4)

We have a real conundrum – Deion Brock has been elevated to “probable” on the injury list, and he wants to play. With Glenn Dixon handling things so well for us, it’s awfully difficult to take the ball out of his hands. I honestly don’t know what to do…

-pausing-

I think you have to go with Dixon. He adds the threat of running, has a higher YPA, and has played great getting you into the superbowl. Just my 2 cents though.

AHHH... you can't pause there... JEEZ

It has to be Dixon, he's pulled you through the playoffs. And Brock is still dinged up. The future of your team is now.

I'd also probably stick with Dixon, who has done a wonderful job so far.

I have to agree with the rest of the crowd. Dixon carried you through the playoffs, and is your starter of the future. The only thing Brock has going for him is the fact that he doesn't turn it over as much, but he threw 3 INTs against Houston... I'd definitely be going with Dixon here.

Hmmm. My inclination was to go back to the wily veteran, especially since he's already got two Superbowl MVP awards under his belt. But we may ride the hot hand here, especially after listening to the pulse of the people.

Hoping to get to the game itself today. (I honestly haven't played it yet - for those who don't know my m.o., I generally post updates in more or less real time)

Quick,

One of the reasons I was supporting Dixon is that it looks like the 'Zona defense is very strong. Because Dixon scrambles well I think he gives you a chance to make some plays when things break down. That said it looks like Dixon is more prone to the INT which would be play right into their hands.

One of the reasons I wish FOF had some media/fan stuff programmed in is because of situations like this. Remember when Brady got hurt in the AFL title game and Bledsoe came in and won it for them? Lots of media converage over who would start the superbowl!

Any update on this? What a place to leave us hanging :)

Sorry. Really, it's just that I have been super-busy lately... ordinarily I get pockets of time to sit down and play, but lately it's been tough. Possibly tomorrow. (I know, I know)

Okay, here's the big game...


We decide to ride the hot hand, and stick with young Glenn Dixon for the Superbowl. Deion Brock, two-time Superbowl MVP but not quite 100% for this game, will be the backup.

Arizona is a decent team, but not too flashy in the skill positions. They will be tough for us to run against, and their secondary is pretty tough, also. I like our personnel here, especially as they are without QB Myron Cutler.

On the first play of the game, Glenn Dixon hits TE Sellers on a deep crossing pattern, and he rumbles for 59 yards, deep into Arizona territory. The crowd goes wild! What a start! Glenn Dixon hits Pritchett for a first down, and then scrambles his way in for the opening score. What an opening possession – electric!

Arizona comes back with a good possession, but they miss a long FG and we get it back. After a stunted possession on each side, we get a blocked punt by DE Finch, and take over at the Arizona 34. Pritchett catches a setup pass, and then the TD, as we take the 14-0 lead. As the first quarter wraps up, we’re pretty even in total yards, but we lead by two TDs.

Late in the second quarter, Arizona capitalizes on our mistake, and they score on a short drive, getting within 14-7. But Pritchett hauls in a 41-yard TD to get us back in commend with under 2 minutes left. Arizona gets a great 57-yard kickoff return, and they cap on a FG before halftime.

Late in the third quarter, Arizona edges in after winning a punt battle, and they punch in for a short TD run to get back within 21-17. Just after the third quarter ends, we are driving, but Dixon gets picked off near midfield, and Arizona has momentum again. The Cards drive down to our 40, but veteran safety Kirk Weed gets an interception of his own, and we dodge that particular bullet.

With 7:51 on the clock, the Cards get it back at their 27, after a short punt. They are still down 4, and our defense needs to step up, after yielding 370 yards of offense already today. We force them into a fourth and two, and they punt it back to us – big stop. However, their defense is tough, also, and they get yet another chance – starting out at their 18, with 3:45 on the clock. We force them into a fourth and 10, and this time the Cards feel they have to go for it. We get pressure on the QB, and the pass falls to the turf—we take over at the Arizona 30. We can’t take a lot of time off the clock, but we do tack on a FG to our lead, making it 24-17.

Arizona’s last shot (we presume) starts on their 26, with 1:14 left in the game. Down seven, they have to go 74 yards. They get a lot of it on a big pass hookup, and it’s first down at our 37. We force them to third and ten, but they get another pass down to our 22, with the clock ticking down to 22 seconds. They connect one more time, and get out of bounds with exactly one second left, from our 12 yard line. It’s do or die for the Cardinals.

Arizona’s QB Ward drops back to pass, needing the TD on this play… he looks quickly and gets pressured, and it’s Defensive Ends Zach Finch and Kim Quinn who collapse right onto him, grabbing the huge sack and securing the Superbowl win for our Browns!


QB Glenn Dixon, of course, is named the game’s MVP. WR Don Pritchett, with 135 yards and 2 TDs, could certainly have had a claim as well. DE Finch had 7 tackles and a sack even before getting in on half of the biggest single play of the game, the game-clinching QB sack as the clock was on zeroes. Lots of heroes in this one.


Season Wrap-up


Curiously, we are shut out from the awards this year, other than Dixon’s getting the SB award. Lots of injuries, and lots of role players – that’s our hallmark, as usual. RB Gus Stewart was certainly in the mix, but came up behind the two RB award winners, it seems.

Well, we couldn’t win the division, but we managed to win it all in the end. Tough to complain about those results.

My time for this has been hit or miss (as evidenced by the week-long pause before the last Superbowl). I'm hoping to get back to this... but I'll be candid... once I lose momentum with a career, I typically find it hard to regain. (I don't think that really sets me apart, I'm just calling it as I see it)

Just glad to see you back on top of the league winning the superbowl. Although I am not sure how much you have left to prove with this dynasty it would be interesting to see what happens with Dixon and Brock next year. Both are under contract so both probably would remain. Actually with your track record one will just get hurt so there probably won't be much of a decision :) It's been a very fun read though.

I've enjoyed this dynasty, but if it's time has come then at least you ended with a Superbowl win. After finally receiving my copy of CM 03/04 and playing it for the first time, I'd love to see you do a dynasty with that game. And even though I don't know crap about soccer, I've probably enjoyed it more than any other text sim I've ever played. I even went back and read through your Lincoln CM dynasty seasons. :) Good stuff...

2022 preseason

Well, after a little while away, I have decided (unexpectedly) to crank things up here again, and we’ll see where our Browns can go with yet another title defense.

One note – this is after applying patch 5.0d, and this is the first time I have ever seen my Superbowl-winning team earn anything but a “100” for performance – we got only a 66. Interesting – wonder if that evaluation has fundamentally changed somehow?


Transitions and League Observations

Our only retirement was LB Darrin Regalado – who was with us for nearly all of his 13 years. 398 career tackles places him seventh on our team’s list, and his 26 sacks put him tenth. Solid player, never a superstar, but pretty good.

A couple of former Browns, RT Donnie Thornton and TE Jonathan Holmes, have also decided they’re done.


Front Office Decisions

Our defensive coordinator, Ted Keith, is up for a new contract. He remains very solid, and we will pursue him aggressively. At 67, though, he is in his final stages, we suspect. He accepts a modest three year deal – we will actually cut costs by re-signing him.

I decide to use the franchise tag on S Kenneth Eskridge – partially because the cap number for a franchised safety will be under $4 million. I expect to work out a new long term deal with the 11th year star – but that number is a good starting point for us, and I do not want to lose him, under any circumstances.


Roster Review

Here’s our financial situation heading into the FA process – with S Eskridge already counting in the figures.


Not a great deal of room to move, but we may not have a lot of pressing needs.


Well, we have our co-starters from last year returning for this season, with both seeking a new deal starting next year. We’re in great shape for right now, and we’ll see how it plays out as the season goes on – Glenn Dixon certainly seems capable of heading a top-tier team, so I’m not worried either way.


Gus Stewart has been eclipsed a bit by the QB situation, but let’s not forget what he has brought to this team: eight seasons, 128 starts, and 12,000+ yards rushing. He’s got 13 lines on his personal awards list but perhaps most telling of all is this fact:

Supewerbowls won with Gus Stewart: 4
Superbowls won without Gus Stewart: 0

Barker and Sims will have a shot at getting the backup role, but I’d also be comfortable looking for a rookie to step in as the #2 guy. Might be a function of contract demands.


Preston Beers is practically my ideal fullback. We love Karl Sellers and his contributions to the offense, but I’m worried about his health, which is showing signs of weakening. We may need to pursue a solid backup TE this season.


This WR group has been pretty solid, and we’ll try to bring group leader Tilton back on another cheap contract. Will this be the year for Don Pritchett? 1,000 yards isn’t really all that lofty a goal, but regular readers here know how much of an issue it has become. 993 last season left a sting… if he stays healthy, I think he’ll pass the mark this season, finally.


We could really use a boost at left tackle – Irv Wilson played there last season, but if we cannot re-sign Nathan Glaspie, we’ll have a new hole. Ideally, landing a solid true left tackle will be possible in this off season, either by the draft or through free agency. Inside, we look good – Moe Somerville is excellent, and Jackie Beyer is starting to dominate from the middle. We look good, but could use one more productive starter.


Okay.


We always are looking for decent depth on the line. Kim Quinn has been an excellent run stopper on the end for us, but he’ll ask for too much to come back. This is the last year we will be able to afford DT Drew Worsham – he rockets to over $10 million next year. Adding a quality defensive end this year would be a great plus – young DT Zach Finch has been very good, but getting a second true contributor from the outside is a top priority.


Here is our biggest issue right now. Michl is a quality starter, but our other two starters are unsigned. We need to come up with guys to step into starting roles here. My guess is that we will be able to sign one guy – maybe Wallace. Stephen May isn’t exactly the right guy for a starting job, but he is solid all around, and we will be okay if he has to take a starting role – he actually filled in for half of last season. So, re-signing Wallace would probably be fine – but he’s looking for pretty big money, so this is an unknown.



We have our starting four returning, and should be fine here. My long-run strategy of spending only modest money at CB has worked out well here, and our long-standing safety tandem of Weed and Eskridge have been great for us overall.