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QuikSand 12-06-2003 09:33 AM

FOF 2004 - Taking The Lake Erie Challenge
 
The Lake Erie Challenge

Ahhh… the good old days. Taking the Cleveland Browns, the NFL’s expansion club, from the ground up and building a dynasty the old fashioned way, brick by brick. I remember it like it was yesterday, back at the old Sideline…

Anyway – I’m finally cracking open FOF 2004, and am going to give this game a whirl. My plan is to use TCY-generated draft files, and try to follow this career fairly closely. I’ll be using the game files generated from my Akron Zips career, which has been a semi-amusing sidelight of this project already.

The quickest way to effect the “empty cupboard” scenario in this game (unfortunately) seems to be to start a new career, QuikSim through a full but pointless season, cut your whole team, and start from the ground up. (When using HR’s game files, you have to be careful – if you cut absolutely everyone in year one, you may eat up your entire salary cap for year two by accident, and run into impossible number problems) You’ll see lots of your pissed-off former players in the free agent pool, but if you follow my original standards for the true “Empty Cupboard,” that won’t be a factor. In my case, I won’t be considering any players who were in the league prior to the 2004 rookie draft.

For my initial settings, I’m going to try to run this career without any inflation – so I set that to zero/zero. This might cause some disruption in the initial player market – but it won’t affect my team, since I’ll only be signing new players starting next season anyway. And, I’m using a fictional player pool, generated by HeavyReign’s snappy utility. I hope that will work out fine, but it should be pretty transparent to me – I’m not going to be using those players, just competing against them. (But I loathe the presence of real-world players so much, that I welcome such a tool – it’s a great addition, I think)

QuikSand 12-06-2003 09:33 AM

House Rules

I expect this will evolve a bit as I go forward, but I’ll keep them simple for now, at least.

Empty Cupboard Framework

-Start 2004 with empty roster, and never use players from before the 2004 rookie draft

Team Finances

-Keep ticket cost index below average of two nearest geographic rivals

Player Contracts

-Only contract renegotiation allowed is to “cap out” offer to a player

-All offers to free agent players requesting a bonus must include a bonus as large as the largest annual salary we offer

Trades

-Only may offer trades during the draft, and involving current year draft picks

-May only accept trade offers that pass the “fairness test” (alter offer then accept it)

Positional Usage

-No player may start out of his primary position group (LG may start at RG, but not at LT)

TCY Tie-In

-Reserved for future use


With that, I think I’m pretty well ready to get started. I think at some point, I want to have some kind of rule about players from my TCY college (Akron, currently) but until I get a flavor for what quantity and quality I’m talking about there, I’m not ready to commit to a rule. In the formative years of any “Empty Cupboard” team, there are plenty of roster spots for stiffs… so I expect to have a few old friends around, and we’ll see where it goes from there.

QuikSand 12-06-2003 09:34 AM

2004 preseason

Transitions and League Observations

Ordinarily, I plan to start my write up with a discussion about retirements and other transitions – but with this young league and my special circumstance, that seems unnecessary.

Front Office Decisions

I haven’t placed any limitations on myself in terms of acquiring talent – so I will try to bring aboard a solid staff, if possible.

I end up keeping on most of our staff from the initial season, largely because they are cheap (for now). We re-up with Head Coach Earnest Carlyle, as he seemed better than nearly anyone out there – even though he was pretty expensive to retain.

Here’s where we land with our staff, in brief:

Scout: Zack Bates, 67
EX: Young Talent
VG: QB,DL,LB
GD: PK
AV: WR,OL,DB
FR: RB

Head Coach: Earnest Carlyle, 53
EX: Injury Avoidance
VG: Discipline, Off PC
AV: Motivation, Def PC

Off Coord: Levon Moss, 44
VG: OL
GD: QB,RB,WR,PK,YT

Def Coord: Bucky Burbage, 62
EX: YT
GD: DB
AV: PK,DL,LB


Roster Review

I have no roster yet, so there’s nothing to review here. In the future, I’ll use this as a spot to discuss who’s up for a new contract and where we stand with the salary cap – that sort of thing.


Free Agency Planning

Not this year, but in future years I’ll lay out a strategy here. This year, we skip right through the whole 20 stage process.


Rookie Draft

Here’s where we start working. We have pick #26 in the rookie draft this year, due to a pretty solid 10-6 campaign last year under a rudderless ship. (Hats off to the coaching staff)

There’s not a single soul from Akron in the draft – which is fine, since none would be players I actually coached, anyway.

When pick #26 comes up, I have to take a while to look at college standout Ralph Harman from Oklahoma, who is atop the list of prospects at this point. He looks very good, but I see other draftable QBs available, and decide to go elsewhere. In fact, I decide to trade down from my first round perch, and see what I can get later in this draft. (I have some salary cap problems, due to overaggressive cutting in season one, also) I get Carolina’s 2nd and 4th round picks for our top selection, and slide down a few slots. Atlanta takes Ralph Harman with pick #28, incidentally.

I show my hometown bias with our very first selection, taking Ohio State safety standout Nicky Gonzalez in round two (using Carolina’s pick). he looks solid all around, and we’ll need some help in the secondary behind a presumably porous defensive front. With our later round two pick, I am lured in my the flashy, super-fast QB Bobby Silvers out of Oregon State. He runs a 4.43 40-yard dash – and that makes him faster than nearly all the receivers in the entire draft, and easily the fastest guy on our team. I don’t yet know what we’ll do this year – but Silvers is going to have to run around to stay alive anyway, considering the kind of line he’ll be behind.

Here’s how we round it out:

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 2 - Nicky Gonzalez, S, Ohio State
Rnd 2 - Bobby Silvers, QB, Oregon State
Rnd 3 - Richard Walker, OLB, Clemson
Rnd 4 - Paul Richmond, S, Nebraska
Rnd 4 - Steve Cash, ILB, Nebraska
Rnd 5 - T.J. Sims, CB, Iowa
Rnd 6 - Nathan O'Rourke, WR, Pittsburgh
Rnd 7 - Barry Westbrook, ILB, Clemson



Late Free Agency

I make the predictable moves to fill in the roster with undrafted rookie free agents, signing tons of guys to two-year deals for minimum salary. Nobody all that exciting – we’re going to be just awful on both the L and DL this year, that much is sure. (I didn’t do a great job targeting my draft picks at positions that would be tough to fill after the draft, like DE and OT)

So, lots of things happening – but not a lot to report. You’ll see the roster soon enough, and you’ll see all the genius acquisitions we managed to snag.


Training Camp

Here are the results from a vanilla training camp:

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        CEst          FEst        CEst        FEst        CChg        FChg
Silvers, Bobby        16        QB        1        23        63        23        62        0        -1
Janes, Harold        2        QB        1        20        45        22        41        2        -4
Simmons, Arnold        14        QB        1        19        42        21        38        2        -4
Branch, Jonathan        15        QB        1        13        36        16        38        3        2
Hoffman, Dixon        25        RB        1        35        47        37        47        2        0
Shea, Ian        44        RB        1        35        41        36        40        1        -1
Stewart, Harvey        26        RB        1        32        44        33        44        1        0
Cash, Van        30        RB        1        29        36        31        38        2        2
Newman, Daniel        40        RB        1        29        47        30        48        1        1
Rebensdorf, Kerry        43        RB        1        30        37        30        35        0        -2
Okeafor, Ted        32        FB        1        24        33        24        31        0        -2
McCarthy, Dana        38        FB        1        20        34        22        35        2        1
Gaylord, Albert        84        TE        1        18        37        20        38        2        1
Roebuck, Will        18        TE        1        18        37        19        33        1        -4
O'Rourke, Nathan        88        FL        1        30        39        33        42        3        3
Horner, Jerome        80        FL        1        19        37        22        37        3        0
Ivory, Nick        81        FL        1        18        34        20        37        2        3
McConnell, Oliver        86        FL        1        15        37        16        33        1        -4
Clewell, Skip        89        FL        1        15        36        15        32        0        -4
Ferguson, Cary        83        SE        1        19        34        20        30        1        -4
Garcia, Zack        58        C        1        14        34        16        31        2        -3
Hodges, Korey        53        C        1        11        34        13        31        2        -3
Fisher, Donny        67        RG        1        11        19        12        20        1        1
Spruce, Frankie        65        LG        1        8        11        9        12        1        1
Maloney, Rodney        77        RG        1        10        16        11        18        1        2
Zaiser, Julio        69        LT        1        10        22        11        23        1        1
Wampler, Preston        74        RT        1        12        22        14        23        2        1
Daniels, Victor        75        RT        1        11        27        13        27        2        0
Cochrane, Paul        9        P        1        31        38        33        36        2        -2
Sirmon, Arnie        12        K        1        23        48        26        48        3        0
Caldwell, Ricardo        91        LDE        1        14        20        16        22        2        2
Floyd, Dustin        76        LDE        1        13        16        14        17        1        1
Snook, Lincoln        79        RDE        1        12        18        12        18        0        0
Ogden, Gary        73        LDT        1        15        21        16        21        1        0
Rutter, Rob        72        NT        1        14        21        14        21        0        0
McConnell, Greg        94        NT        1        13        23        14        23        1        0
Goodwin, Cedric        92        SILB        1        28        46        31        51        3        5
Westbrook, Barry        97        SILB        1        13        41        15        36        2        -5
Cash, Steve        95        WILB        1        12        44        14        38        2        -6
Clanton, Cole        98        SLB        1        21        38        23        38        2        0
Davidson, William        57        SLB        1        18        28        19        27        1        -1
Bruton, Harry        54        SLB        1        16        32        17        28        1        -4
Styles, Geoff        56        SLB        1        16        36        17        32        1        -4
Walker, Richard        96        WLB        1        22        45        23        42        1        -3
Jepson, Ken        90        WLB        1        17        38        19        36        2        -2
Sims, T.J.        35        LCB        1        21        38        22        35        1        -3
Lofton, Allen        22        RCB        1        16        34        17        34        1        0
Terrell, Jorge        42        RCB        1        14        26        14        26        0        0
Richmond, Paul        34        SS        1        30        47        32        45        2        -2
Dawson, Julio        28        SS        1        22        39        25        40        3        1
Gonzalez, Nicky        33        FS        1        37        64        37        64        0        0
Dotson, Johnny        37        FS        1        21        40        26        45        5        5
Craig, Patrick        23        FS        1        20        31        21        31        1        0


Pretty good news with Bobby Silvers, whose tiny drop in future potential suggests a smooth future. I get him signed after his holdout, and see that he looks like a typical “athletical” QB type – he will run a lot, try to make plays, and he will definitely make a lot of mistakes. We’ll see on him long term.

Safety Nicky Gonzalez looks good, but perhaps not quite as stellar as we had hoped. I wanted an anchor for the defense with him, and instead we got a solid starter, it looks like. He still ought to have a great season ahead – he’ll probably get 100 tackles without much problem.

I tinker a bit with my secondary – we will slide S Johnny Dotson over to play corner, where he will be a starter for us, I fear. I tinker a bit more, but we’re basically ready to go into our first (lost) season.


Season Analysis

Down the road, I am going to try to keep track of things like cohesion, team chemistry, and so forth here. For now, suffice it to say that most of this team is very temporary, and I don’t want to overanalyze the dozens of players who won’t be here in two seasons.

QuikSand 12-06-2003 09:34 AM

2004 Regular Season

Not going to profile this season week by week -- as I know what’s ahead. We ought to fall badly this first season, and anything but the first draft pick next year will come as a surprise to me.

I am stunned when we open the season with a 10-0 shutout of Baltimore. My offense was pathetic – but how did we manage to stop anyone? We get an equally improbable fourth-quarter rally to beat Washington in week two, and are now an undefeated titan! Whoa!

However, order is soon restored, and we crash to earth and end up with a 4-12 record, about what I would have expected (maybe a game or two better, really). Regrettably, safety Nicky Gonzalez was hurt for most of the year – so we lost a good season of development from him, and his shot at perhaps getting a rookie award.

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2004 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 4-12
Winning Pct.: .250
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  433      16         
Rushing Yards          1812      21         
Yards Per Carry        4.18      24         
Pass Attempts          533      18         
Completions            319      15         
Passing Yards          2808      31         
Yards Per Attempt      5.26      32         
3rd Down Conversions    33.8      31         
Points Per Game        12.5      32         
Turnovers              35        28 (T)     
Turnover Margin        -11      28         
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  478      28         
Rushing Yards          2290      29         
Yards Per Carry        4.79      28 (T)     
Pass Attempts          476      2 (T)     
Completions            268      1         
Passing Yards          2896      1         
Yards Per Attempt      6.08      3         
3rd Down Conversions    37.5      5 (T)     
Points Per Game        25.1      32         
Turnovers              24        24 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    10    BAL          0     
2    23    WAS          20     
3    7    at KCY        35     
4    16    at BUF        14     
5    16    PIT          24     
6    10    MIA          24     
7    17    NYJ          27     
8    3    at NED        28     
9    6    at BAL        30     
11    6    at CIN        41     
12    16    PHI          21     
13    10    HOU          9     
14    20    at NYG        34     
15    17    CIN          24     
16    13    at DAL        48     
17    10    at PIT        24     
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
16 Silvers          QB    493  294  2659  5.39  9    25     
**Team              ---  533  319  2808  5.26  9    27     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
44 Shea            RB    139  525  3.77  1     
25 Hoffman          RB    132  375  2.84  2     
40 Newman          RB    62    319  5.14  1     
16 Silvers          QB    59    432  7.32  3     
**Team              ---  433  1812  4.18  7     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
81 Ivory            WR    90    58    687  11.8  66    2     
88 O'Rourke        WR    93    53    598  11.2  46    2     
80 Horner          WR    96    52    528  10.1  61    2     
84 Gaylord          TE    54    38    346  9.1  98    2     
86 McConnell        WR    75    33    265  8.0  19    1     
38 McCarthy        FB    43    31    119  3.8  39    0     
32 Okeafor          FB    23    17    71    4.1  22    0     
**Team              ---  531  319  2808  8.8  462  9     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
92 Goodwin          ILB  121  41    1.0  4    3    3     
34 Richmond        S    57    26    0.0  1    1    5     
35 Sims            CB    56    17    0.0  0    0    7     
37 Dotson          CB    54    15    0.0  1    3    5     
23 Craig            S    52    23    1.0  1    2    5     
96 Walker          OLB  51    23    2.0  6    0    5     
28 Dawson          S    50    12    2.5  0    1    6     
73 Ogden            DT    48    18    2.5  10    0    0     
72 Rutter          DT    47    17    4.0  12    0    1     
98 Clanton          OLB  45    22    2.0  6    1    7     
57 Davidson        OLB  38    12    0.0  1    0    2     
76 Floyd            DE    27    12    4.5  10    0    0     
91 Caldwell        DE    26    13    5.0  5    0    1     
22 Lofton          CB    16    4    0.0  0    0    1     
**Team              ---  815  282  28.0  66    13    52     


Well, MLB Cedric Goodwin, an undrafted rookie, grabbed the MLB job and ended up being probably our most effective player in this season. I would have expected to see a LB rack up huge tackle numbers, and he filled the job nicely – he’s pretty solid against the run, actually. Our pass defense, overall, was pretty good – and I can’t figure out why. In total, I understand that teams would just easily run against us, but why did we hold teams to only 6.08 yards per pass attempt? That’s pretty impressive, but I have to consider it a fluke.


Season Wrap-up

Code:

2004 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Don Daniel                  DEN   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Brenton Reece              DAL   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Don Daniel                  DEN   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Brent Helwig                BUF   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Roderick Arsenault          HOU   
**Defensive Rookie of the Year                Cedric Goodwin              CLE   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Mark Holm                  SEA   
All-League First-String Running Back          Don Daniel                  DEN   
All-League First-String Fullback              Barry Johnson              DAL   
All-League First-String Tight End            Clark Hardy                NOS   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Robert Berndt              TEN   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Clifford Larocca            DAL   
All-League First-String Center                Bennett Beverly            DAL   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Larry Coronado              MIA   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Chris Benford              NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Dennis Rameriz              BAL   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Joseph Clack                IND   
All-League First-String Punter                Leif Schnell                BUF   
All-League First-String Kicker                Aaron Justice              PIT   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Tony Case                  NYG   
All-League First-String Defensive End        George Kellum              ATL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      John McManus                DET   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Byron Franck                NOS   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Brent Helwig                BUF   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Nelson Borders              WAS   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Jermaine Mack              PHI   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Ronald Shell                TEN   
All-League First-String Cornerback            George Weldon              CHI   
All-League First-String Safety                Rashad Taliaferro          CHI   
All-League First-String Safety                Tyrell Boone                SFO   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Brenton Reece              DAL   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Jeffrey Willingham          NED   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Myron Peterson              TBY   
All-League Second-String Tight End            James Kearney              KCY   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Clarence Theodore          JAX   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  BUF   
All-League Second-String Center              Kenny Calvo                CHI   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Abram Crawford              IND   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Arlen Martin                ARI   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    James Lawlor                NYG   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Ned Ford                    NED   
All-League Second-String Punter              Vicente Hodgson            KCY   
All-League Second-String Kicker              David Tobias                NYJ   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Reggie Hewlett              HOU   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Herschel Waldon            MIA   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Ron Elliott                TEN   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    William Koontz              ATL   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Ronald Rabb                JAX   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Andrew Colston              BUF   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Gerald Payne                SFO   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          James Burnell              NYJ   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Brad Teter                  SFO   
All-League Second-String Safety              Mark Meyer                  TBY   
All-League Second-String Safety              Major Hargett              MIA   
League's Fastest Man                          William Ramer              OAK   
League's Strongest Man                        Desmond Shirk              ATL   


The list of players above are strangers to me, for the most part – but some will become familiar in time. QB Mark Holm was Cleveland’s starter last season, before he was cut along with everyone else to make way for the new brass.

LB Cedric Goodwin gets the DROY award – which I thought might be heading our way somehow.


Regardless – a season to tuck away as a building and learning experience, as predicted.

Nothing much more to add. We’ll look forward to next year, and will hope to keep up the building process.

QuikSand 12-07-2003 09:14 AM

2005 preseason

Transitions and League Observations

Well, we have no retirements, but there is one “transition” note. My very first draft pick, safety Nicky Gonzalez, has been unable to recover from his injuries. He’s been cleared to play, but he’s no longer the solid player that we initially drafted. Shame. He’s also the highest-paid player on the team, which is also a shame.


Front Office Decisions

I re-up with OC Levon Moss, after missing out on a real star who opts to re-sign with Dallas.

We cleared $109 million in our second season – in large part due to a very low payroll. We’ll have to wait out a year or two longer before we get a real sense of the money issues here.


Roster Review

I have 50 players already signed to contracts – since nearly everyone from last year inked a two-year deal to begin with. So, additions this year will not be based on roster vacancies – but rather on talent vacancies, of which we have plenty.

No need to detail things here quite yet.


Free Agency

I plan to pursue any and all capable free agent players – but don’t expect to see very many. I have lots of places we can improve, but generally the 2nd year players out there are just the URFAs who weren’t worth being drafted last year. We‘ve already passed on them once.

For what it’s worth, our top listed needs are WR, G, and T. I don’t know how these get ranked ahead of DE and DT, for example, but they are all certainly need positions.

Not surprisingly, the very top-rated 2nd year player available when sorted by future potential is my 4th string QB. Swell. Looks like we’ll sit out another year here.


Rookie Draft

Once again, not a single Akron player in the rookie draft. I’m not surprised – the cadre of players I inherited there was awfully weak. We ought to see some Zip prospects, though, starting next season.

The excitement builds, as our Zips hold the #3 draft pick overall, and will have a chance to bring aboard a true impact player. Initially, I take a look, and find a number of defensive ends who look like they would fill the bill quite nicely. It’s certainly a need position for us, and that seems to be the best spot at the top of this draft. There is also one very good left tackle – another tempting position to address.

DE Rodney Huffman looks like exactly whet we need. A college standout at DE, he plays against the run and the pass, has great strength and agility, and low volatility. I love him. Lock him up.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Rodney Huffman, DE, Utah
Rnd 2 - Bennie Heinlein, T, Tennessee
Rnd 3 - Frankie Richard, CB, Florida State
Rnd 4 - Graham Durham, T, Rice
Rnd 5 - Fred Magnuson, RB, Ohio State
Rnd 6 - Desmond Parrish, G, Boston College
Rnd 7 - Mark Kramer, ILB, Washington


I’m pretty optimistic about this draft – we landed a can’t-miss defensive star, and I feel like we have added bookend offensive tackles who might be good enough to be long term starters. Of course, that’s what we always say on draft day – we’ll have to put these guys through the paces to see what we really have here.

RB Fred Magnuson, another local product, has a load of potential – but I don’t know whether I need him more as a runner or a receiver, where I think he could also be excellent.


Late Free Agency

Oakland offers us a 6th round draft pick next year for QB Harold Janes – and we accept. Janes isn’t much of a long-term prospect, so this isn’t a real loss I don’t think.

Things go very smoothly with our rookie class, though – everyone is signed in advance of training camp, unlike last year’s troubles.

I pursue a number of decent fill-in players with high volatility, and sign nearly all to two year deals. I’d love to get a couple of legitimate contributors this way, but for now, we’ll take guys who at least fill up a uniform.


Training Camp

We’re bursting at the seams – bringing 70 players into training camp. Here’s the result:

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        CEst        FEst        CEst        FEst        Chg C        Chg F
Silvers, Bobby        16        QB        2        29        61        33        61        4        0
Simmons, Arnold        14        QB        2        21        31        23        31        2        0
Branch, Jonathan        15        QB        2        18        39        19        39        1        0
Hutcherson, Jesse        5        QB        1        14        26        16        26        2        0
Hoffman, Dixon        25        RB        2        38        47        39        47        1        0
Shea, Ian        44        RB        2        37        40        38        40        1        0
Cash, Van        30        RB        2        34        40        35        40        1        0
Newman, Daniel        40        RB        2        33        49        34        49        1        0
Stewart, Harvey        26        RB        2        32        44        33        44        1        0
Rebensdorf, Kerry        43        RB        2        29        32        30        32        1        0
Tatum, Shane        45        RB        1        24        37        24        34        0        -3
McCarthy, Dana        38        FB        2        25        35        26        35        1        0
Okeafor, Ted        32        FB        2        25        30        26        30        1        0
Giefeke, Walter        49        FB        1        23        39        23        37        0        -2
Rowland, Brandon        46        FB        1        21        40        22        37        1        -3
Gaylord, Albert        84        TE        2        25        37        27        37        2        0
Roebuck, Will        18        TE        2        19        30        20        30        1        0
Booker, Frank        82        TE        1        18        37        18        30        0        -7
Carter, Sedrick        89        TE        1        16        37        18        33        2        -4
O'Rourke, Nathan        88        FL        2        36        43        37        43        1        0
Ivory, Nick        81        FL        2        24        39        25        39        1        0
McConnell, Oliver        86        FL        2        16        30        17        30        1        0
Magnuson, Fred        21        FL        1        13        36        14        32        1        -4
Horner, Jerome        80        SE        2        22        36        25        36        3        0
Cov'ton, Brandon        24        SE        1        19        40        21        38        2        -2
Garcia, Zack        58        C        2        19        30        22        30        3        0
Hodges, Korey        53        C        2        13        27        14        27        1        0
Morgan, Jim        63        LG        1        19        31        22        34        3        3
Parrish, Desmond        61        LG        1        18        28        19        30        1        2
Starks, Duane        62        RG        1        14        26        16        26        2        0
Moss, Corey        76        RG        1        12        31        14        31        2        0
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        1        28        55        31        54        3        -1
Daniels, Victor        75        RT        2        17        27        17        27        0        0
Durham, Graham        60        RT        1        6        44        9        38        3        -6
Cochrane, Paul        9        P        2        39        39        42        42        3        3
Sirmon, Arnie        12        K        2        31        47        34        47        3        0
Ellard, Hugh        2        K        1        27        59        28        52        1        -7
Schulz, Deion        70        LDE        1        20        33        22        36        2        3
Caldwell, Ricardo        91        LDE        2        18        23        19        23        1        0
Huffman, Rodney        78        RDE        1        46        77        49        77        3        0
Joseph, Riddick        93        RDE        1        19        30        20        29        1        -1
Snook, Lincoln        79        RDE        2        13        18        14        18        1        0
Ogden, Gary        73        LDT        2        18        22        19        22        1        0
Rutter, Rob        72        RDT        2        17        20        17        20        0        0
McConnell, Greg        94        RDT        2        14        23        14        23        0        0
Allen, Grant        77        RDT        1        13        22        14        18        1        -4
Goodwin, Cedric        92        MLB        2        40        54        43        54        3        0
Tyler, Howie        99        MLB        1        26        45        30        49        4        4
Kramer, Mark        50        MLB        1        21        44        22        39        1        -5
Westbrook, Barry        97        MLB        2        15        29        18        29        3        0
Cash, Steve        95        MLB        2        13        33        14        33        1        0
Clanton, Cole        98        SLB        2        26        37        28        37        2        0
Davidson, William        57        SLB        2        20        27        22        27        2        0
Huffman, Kenny        55        SLB        1        17        37        19        37        2        0
Styles, Geoff        56        SLB        2        16        28        18        28        2        0
Walker, Richard        96        WLB        2        26        31        28        31        2        0
Jepson, Ken        90        WLB        2        18        31        20        31        2        0
Sims, T.J.        35        LCB        2        25        28        27        28        2        0
Gomez, Craig        27        LCB        1        12        39        15        45        3        6
Jacobs, Thurman        41        LCB        1        12        40        15        44        3        4
Dotson, Johnny        37        RCB        2        25        40        27        40        2        0
Richard, Frankie        20        RCB        1        23        48        24        43        1        -5
Lofton, Allen        22        RCB        2        18        33        20        33        2        0
Richmond, Paul        34        SS        2        36        41        37        41        1        0
Dawson, Julio        28        SS        2        28        40        30        40        2        0
Grayvil, Max        48        SS        1        21        41        24        43        3        2
Talbott, J.J.        29        SS        1        21        33        23        33        2        0
Gonzalez, Nicky        33        FS        2        24        38        27        38        3        0
Craig, Patrick        23        FS        2        24        31        25        31        1        0
Joon, Oliver        47        FS        1        14        28        16        28        2        0


Good news with DE Huffman – he’s everything we wanted. Not quite topped-out in potential, but certainly good enough to be a serious impact player for us.

Bad news on T Graham Durham, who simply won’t be the stellar starter that I thought might have been stealing in the fourth round of the draft. Heinlein looks good on the left side – about right for a second round pick, really.

LB Howie Tyler looks like a good URFA pickup, and might start right away at LB – I move him to the strong side. Fred Magnusson, switched to play receiver, has really disappointed – I might give him a switch back, but we’re not optimistic.

Overall, this is a team of very marginal talent – we’ll see how well we build from here.


Season Analysis

In a weird curiosity, QB Bobby Silvers rates #10th on the “League’s Fastest Man” list – running a 4.31 this season. Another rookie QB is also on the list – maybe there’s some weird bug involved here. Silvers did rush for over 400 yards last season – so maybe it’s not ridiculous – maybe he really is Vick-like (uh, without the other QB skills, I guess).

Our roster rating is currently 1 out of 100 – by far the lowest in the league. Exactly what it should be at this point, with a well-stocked league up against my mostly cast-off rookie types. We’ll get there in time, I suspect, but it will require some good drafting (better than I have been doing thus far).

I really don’t expect that we’ll be appreciably better than last season, but it would be nice to determine whether Silvers is really worth keeping around at QB, whether we have anything salvageable from our crop at the skill positions, and who on this defense is really worth keeping. Most of this team will be up for contract next year – and so they are mostly playing for their jobs, such as it is.

QuikSand 12-07-2003 09:14 AM

2005 Regular Season

No crazy up-and-down story this time around, we start out flat, manage to eke out a few close wins, but are basically a bottom-tier type of team the whole way through.

No surprises – we end up 5-11, but probably aren’t even that good. Looks like we will have pick 6 or 7 in the draft next year, which should help.

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2005 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 5-11
Winning Pct.: .312
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  512      2         
Rushing Yards          2196      3         
Yards Per Carry        4.28      14         
Pass Attempts          437      31         
Completions            264      31         
Passing Yards          2214      32         
Yards Per Attempt      5.06      32         
3rd Down Conversions    35.4      32         
Points Per Game        14.6      32         
Turnovers              24        16 (T)     
Turnover Margin        +3        12 (T)     
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  464      21 (T)     
Rushing Yards          1881      20         
Yards Per Carry        4.05      12         
Pass Attempts          488      2         
Completions            278      2         
Passing Yards          3345      5         
Yards Per Attempt      6.85      18         
3rd Down Conversions    35.6      1         
Points Per Game        19.3      10 (T)     
Turnovers              27        10         
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    16    CIN          30     
2    3    at MIN        6     
3    13    BUF          17     
4    7    TEN          17     
5    14    at JAX        13     
6    10    at HOU        22     
7    17    at BAL        24     
8    27    IND          17     
9    17    PIT          30     
11    13    at CIN        33     
12    14    CHI          24     
13    24    at OAK        21     
14    6    DET          7     
15    14    at PIT        12     
16    14    at GBY        17     
17    26    BAL          20     
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
16 Silvers          QB    436  263  2201  5.04  18    17     
**Team              ---  437  264  2214  5.06  18    17     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
25 Hoffman          RB    189  852  4.50  1     
40 Newman          RB    171  650  3.80  1     
38 McCarthy        FB    63    224  3.55  3     
16 Silvers          QB    55    327  5.94  0     
**Team              ---  512  2196  4.28  6     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
88 O'Rourke        WR    88    47    496  10.5  95    4     
80 Horner          WR    80    47    469  9.9  49    3     
84 Gaylord          TE    55    37    290  7.8  95    2     
81 Ivory            WR    61    35    316  9.0  35    6     
38 McCarthy        FB    38    29    135  4.6  57    0     
49 Giefeke          FB    38    28    208  7.4  50    1     
**Team              ---  435  264  2214  8.3  467  18     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
92 Goodwin          ILB  140  48    0.0  2    7    11     
28 Dawson          S    70    27    0.0  0    2    6     
99 Tyler            OLB  67    14    4.5  5    2    8     
33 Gonzalez        S    53    18    1.0  1    0    6     
35 Sims            CB    47    11    1.0  0    2    10     
73 Ogden            DT    43    24    4.0  5    0    0     
72 Rutter          DT    42    12    4.0  5    0    1     
78 Huffman          DE    38    17    6.0  12    0    0     
96 Walker          OLB  37    19    1.0  1    0    4     
37 Dotson          CB    33    11    0.0  0    2    6     
20 Richard          CB    33    14    2.0  0    1    3     
98 Clanton          OLB  31    7    1.0  0    0    4     
70 Schulz          DE    28    11    6.0  14    0    0     
27 Gomez            CB    21    3    0.0  0    1    2     
41 Jacobs          S    21    2    1.0  0    1    1     
**Team              ---  818  258  35.0  49    19    67     


Well, MLB Cedric Goodwin continues to impress – those are some downright staggering numbers he put up, albeit playing for a lousy defense. Hell, he even led the team in passes defensed! His ratings, in the eyes of my scout, continue to develop – I think he’s still getting better and better. Definite re-signing.

Not a huge year for DE Huffman, but not that bad, either. He played in all 16 games, but did have a couple minor injuries (hamstrong at season’s end) that might have slowed him a bit. He still looks very good, certainly another anchor to this developing defense.

And the defense, once again, is very tough on the pass, but this year it’s easier to see what happened. We are tough in total passing yards, but teams don’t pass on us much – we’re up to average in yards per attempt, much more like what I’d expect. We were #1 in stopping 3rd down conversions – go figure that one out.

Is RB Dixon Hoffman our future? Up to 4.5 ypc this season is an improvement for him, but I don’t see him as really anything special. I suspect I’ll keep foraging around, since RB is a position that seems very easy to fill with decent players, at least.


Season Wrap-up

Code:

2005 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Lacy Pereyra                CHI   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Brian Kavanagh              MIA   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Lacy Pereyra                CHI   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Daniel Curcio              STL   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Quentin McDaniel            DET   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Howie Lynch                BAL   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Lacy Pereyra                CHI   
All-League First-String Running Back          Don Daniel                  DEN   
All-League First-String Fullback              Marshall Bellinger          MIN   
All-League First-String Tight End            James Marble                BAL   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Clifford Larocca            DAL   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Richard Desmond            DET   
All-League First-String Center                Kenny Calvo                CHI   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Orval Bender                DAL   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              STL   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Andrew Getz                DAL   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Dennis Rameriz              BAL   
All-League First-String Punter                Lloyd Robertson            PHI   
All-League First-String Kicker                Toby Moore                  HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Tony Case                  NYG   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Christopher Pender          SFO   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      John McManus                DET   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Luke Blackburn              SEA   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Brent Helwig                BUF   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Jermaine Mack              PHI   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Antony Stephens            MIN   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Jason Aponte                DET   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Brad Teter                  SFO   
All-League First-String Safety                Daniel Curcio              STL   
All-League First-String Safety                Marc Peay                  KCY   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Nicholas Barnes            JAX   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Roderick Arsenault          HOU   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Kendall Moore              PHI   
All-League Second-String Tight End            Elden Mullins              JAX   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Barry Moxley                ARI   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Silas Purser                NED   
All-League Second-String Center              Bennett Beverly            DAL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Abram Crawford              IND   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Gerald Cordoba              CIN   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Ned Ford                    NED   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    James Lawlor                NYG   
All-League Second-String Punter              Doug Vandermause            OAK   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Mickey Shenk                CHI   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Jack McCreary              SFO   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Charlie Newton              NOS   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Gary Pierce                SEA   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Desmond Shirk              ATL   
**All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker  Cedric Goodwin              CLE   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Andrew Colston              BUF   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Nelson Borders              WAS   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          James Burnell              NYJ   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Nathanial Stiles            TBY   
All-League Second-String Safety              Walker Gunther              IND   
All-League Second-String Safety              Michael Heredia            OAK   
League's Fastest Man                          Josh Andruzzi              NYJ   
League's Strongest Man                        James Faulkner              SFO   


About what we expected. No catastrophic losses, I don’t think. (Starting safety Paul Hammond might be disrupted after a season-long knew injury – we’ll see about that)

Hopefully we will have some chance to build on this season, and start to see some results coming together. Another offseason awaits!

Godzilla Blitz 12-07-2003 02:02 PM

Great job, QS! Looking forward to this. I'm on board!

Are you thinking long-term on Silvers? His yds/att. went down, but his td/int. ratio got much better.

QuikSand 12-07-2003 08:00 PM

Yes, at this point I'm thinking that Bobby Silvers is an intriguing enough project that I'm not really looking for another QB. I'd love to find some way to gameplan more runs for the QB - but at the moment, I don't see how. Might experiment a bit with the "finesse" setting with a short backfield... but I'm guessing that just calls for more reverses and traps and so forth (as opposed to QB options to run).

QuikSand 12-07-2003 08:04 PM

2006 preseason

Transitions and League Observations

TE Will Roebuck has retired. Oh, we’ll each live long to sing songs and tell tales about ... wait, who was he again?


Front Office Decisions

We bring in a new defensive coordinator – landing the guy I think was the best available, though he costs an awful lot:

Def Coord: Vincent Compton, 60
Salary: $3,300,000
EX: PK, LB, YT
GD: DB
AV: DL


We again raked in the cash this season – no surprise there.


Roster Review

Maybe after this season we’ll go through this piece by piece. This season is just weird, with tons of players without a contract. Only 26 players currently are signed.


Free Agency

We finally have at least a few players worth bringing in as free agents. Looking at guys up to third year, we will find at least a few castoffs who are worth an approach.

CB Wes Mace – decent-enough corner, solid kick returner, good pursuit for us. Might even get a job as a “gunner” for us on special teams.

FB Mickey Woodson – just what I like in a fullback – great run blocker, and can’t run patterns worth a damn.

WR Randall Sanders – another big-hitter type receiver, more of what we already have, but decent enough to merit a bid.

C Kurt Nichols – decent-enough, but not really the answer here

LB Kim Jervey – pass-rushing specialist, might be useful in limited DE role

We have all five pursuits wrapped up by week eight. I make a later offer to LB Julio Wiggs, who is a better run-stopper than my current crop, and might even battle for a starting job as the WLB.

I also get TE Rich Metzger, who would be a nice upgrade for us at TE, where we have basically been voided out. He’s had over 300 yards receiving in each of his two seasons – not too bad at all.


We ink a new four year deal with MLB Cedric Goodwin, and it’s clear that he is creeping upward in his skills. He’s always been good against the run, but his coverage skills are improving gradually, and he’s getting better overall – certainly better than his original projections indicated was possible for him. Even though the LBs I have drafted have yet to pan out for much, this guy (a URFA pickup) has been outstanding – our first breakout player.

I also work out a new deal with RBs Dixon Hoffman and Daniel Newman, who will be the two to escape from our initial flood of backs. I’ll still dabble with rookies, but these guys didn’t demand huge raises, so I kept them on.


Rookie Draft

I just need to add another star player – it almost doesn’t matter where. DT would be ideal, but CB would be great, WR would be fine, I can be very flexible. I’d rather not fill an “easy” position (like C) but we’ll take what comes our way, I suspect.

Three defensive tackles go in the six picks ahead of us, which basically wipes out that notion. Here is the short list for our consideration:

WR Ed McDonald from Clemson is the fastest player in the draft, and looks excellent. Not a big physical receiver, but he should be a major flyaway talent, who comes in very ready to play (highly developed already). Intriguing.

G Casey Palmer looks to be a prototypical topped-out lineman. Guard isn’t usually that tough to fill, but I’ve got nothing there at all right now – so it is a real need. Very high volatility is a concern.

CB Deon Richmond looks like the best cover man out there, and has great upside. Solid tackler, even at his size – also very quick, running 4.40 and 7.03 drills.


My thinking is that I will be able to land either a starting receiver or a top-grade offensive lineman (probably not quite like Palmer, but still very good) at the top of round two, so I decide to grab the cornerback Richmond here. We’ll see how that pans out.

McDonald and Palmer go at #9 and #11, by the way – a nice indication that my rivals are evaluating talent in a fashion very similar to the way that I am.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Deon Richmond, CB, Arizona State
Rnd 2 - Kris Gibson, DT, Washington
Rnd 3 - Bill Baker, WR, Wake Forest
Rnd 4 - Dale Blum, DE, Arizona State
Rnd 5 - Herman Stewart, G, Arkansas
Rnd 6 - Dan Sneller, T, Utah
Rnd 6 - Tim Ligeski, G, Nebraska
Rnd 7 - Kendrick Ramsey, RB, Louisiana State


DT Gibson was a bit of a reach, but if he stays in the “blue band” for run defense, he could be a real improvement for us, despite being pretty one-dimensional. DT has been a gaping hole on our defense – any improvement is needed.

WR Baker might be a steal – he could be very solid, if he can reach my scout’s indication of his potential. We bulked up with a few OL picks, and got a versatile back in the late rounds, with a good college performance pedigree.

I’ve been disappointed before – but I will again hold out hope that this draft turns into a really good one.


Late Free Agency

I make a few more moves, picking up rookie I passed over late in the draft (as it should be) and grabbing a few more “profile” type guys (fairly high current ratings, fairly high volatility – seems like it ought to generate something, though no dice thus far).


Training Camp

Here’s how things panned out after yet another training camp – only 61 players signed this year, though:

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        CEst        FEst        CEst        FEst        Chg C        Chg F
Silvers, Bobby        16        QB        3        43        56        46        56        3        0
Branch, Jonathan        15        QB        3        22        41        24        41        2        0
Bunting, Tyrell        3        QB        1        12        40        14        28        2        -12
Hoffman, Dixon        25        RB        3        41        47        43        47        2        0
Shea, Ian        44        RB        3        38        41        39        41        1        0
Newman, Daniel        40        RB        3        37        50        38        50        1        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        32        RB        1        30        39        31        41        1        2
McKnight, Timothy        42        RB        1        28        35        28        34        0        -1
Woodson, Mickey        36        FB        3        35        51        37        51        2        0
Giefeke, Walter        49        FB        2        24        35        25        35        1        0
Metzger, Rich        82        TE        3        35        43        38        43        3        0
Gaylord, Albert        84        TE        3        34        37        36        37        2        0
O'Rourke, Nathan        88        FL        3        41        44        43        44        2        0
Ivory, Nick        81        FL        3        29        40        30        40        1        0
Magnuson, Fred        21        FL        2        13        29        14        29        1        0
Sanders, Randall        83        SE        3        34        48        36        48        2        0
Horner, Jerome        80        SE        3        29        37        30        37        1        0
Johns, Pat        85        SE        1        23        43        26        43        3        0
Covington, Brandon        24        SE        2        22        37        24        37        2        0
Baker, Bill        86        SE        1        21        51        21        43        0        -8
Nichols, Kurt        56        C        3        24        46        26        46        2        0
Garcia, Zack        58        C        3        24        28        25        28        1        0
Burnett, Horace        57        C        1        16        34        18        28        2        -6
Morgan, Jim        63        LG        2        25        34        26        34        1        0
Ligeski, Tim        66        LG        1        16        34        17        33        1        -1
Stewart, Herman        65        RG        1        23        41        25        41        2        0
Parrish, Desmond        61        RG        2        22        30        24        30        2        0
Moss, Corey        76        RG        2        15        31        15        31        0        0
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        2        38        54        40        54        2        0
Sneller, Dan        67        LT        1        15        39        17        34        2        -5
Daniels, Victor        75        RT        3        20        27        21        27        1        0
Durham, Graham        60        RT        2        9        34        11        34        2        0
Cochrane, Paul        9        P        3        42        42        42        42        0        0
Haldar, Lance        18        P        1        35        35        35        35        0        0
Wingard, Dennis        5        K        1        52        78        54        76        2        -2
Ellard, Hugh        2        K        2        31        47        32        47        1        0
Schulz, Deion        70        LDE        2        25        31        27        38        2        7
Schwirzke, Lee        59        LDE        1        23        31        24        34        1        3
Gunn, Mickey        64        LDE        1        16        38        17        33        1        -5
Huffman, Rodney        78        RDE        2        60        76        65        76        5        0
Blum, Dale        94        RDE        1        28        41        30        42        2        1
Joseph, Riddick        93        RDE        2        19        28        20        28        1        0
Lang, Kelly        79        RDE        1        16        23        17        23        1        0
Walker, Ben        62        RDE        1        13        27        15        27        2        0
Gibson, Kris        95        LDT        1        24        56        27        56        3        0
Dawson, Marvin        69        LDT        1        16        23        17        24        1        1
Carr, Preston        77        RDT        1        12        15        12        17        0        2
Goodwin, Cedric        92        MLB        3        53        56        57        57        4        1
Westbrook, Barry        97        MLB        3        22        37        25        37        3        0
Kramer, Mark        50        MLB        2        21        35        22        35        1        0
Jervey, Kim        51        SLB        3        39        46        41        46        2        0
Tyler, Howie        99        SLB        2        34        56        36        56        2        0
Huffman, Kenny        55        SLB        2        20        38        22        38        2        0
Wiggs, Julio        52        WLB        3        38        38        39        39        1        1
Walker, Richard        96        WLB        3        29        31        31        31        2        0
Mace, Wes        23        LCB        3        30        50        32        50        2        0
Sims, T.J.        35        LCB        3        31        31        31        31        0        0
Richmond, Deon        43        LCB        1        27        72        26        68        -1        -4
Gomez, Craig        27        LCB        2        20        48        22        48        2        0
Dole, Sam        29        LCB        1        14        31        15        29        1        -2
Dotson, Johnny        37        RCB        3        31        42        32        42        1        0
Richard, Frankie        20        RCB        2        28        40        30        40        2        0
Bolyn, B.J.        39        RCB        1        15        30        16        32        1        2
Richmond, Paul        34        SS        3        30        36        32        36        2        0
Grayvil, Max        48        SS        2        26        43        29        43        3        0
Gonzalez, Nicky        33        FS        3        31        39        34        39        3        0
Jacobs, Thurman        41        FS        2        19        59        21        59        2        0


We have to take seriously any player who shows a positive movement in his potential ratings – and this year we have two of them.

Rookie RB Kendrick Ramsey (7th round pick) had a little jump – he looks like a typical mixed-bag guy (the FOF dime-a-dozen type), but if he develops, he might have potential to contribute in the running game. If he can develop beyond his current apparent potential, then we might really have something here.

Second year DE Deion Schultz started 15 games last season (logging nearly 700 plays), and posted 6 sacks for us. Now, he seems to be on the improve – his potential now looks pretty respectable, and he might hold off our efforts to replace him (with rookie Dale Blum, who looks pretty decent, but had a bad camp) after all.


Bad news, though, for top pick CB Deon Richmond. He’s still holding out – but the –4 beside his potential might bode poorly for that top pick. We really need him to excel, but that’s not a great start. Since he’s unsigned, we don’t have a great read on him quite yet.

DT Kris Gibson is all potential at stopping the run (15/79) but if he can put it together and approach that lofty total, he’ll be exactly the kind of guy I like on the inside (great run stopper, great endurance). So – he is basically the kind of guy we were hoping for, but it still looks like a reach pick.

WR Bill Baker is all kinds of bust – nothing like my scout’s initial impression. Third round pick will be lucky to make the team.

(I keep forgetting about this) My draft grades out at a C-, which is the lowest grade on the board. I know that I took mostly players who were not at the top of the consensus list, so I’m not that worried – at least not quite yet.


Season Analysis

I accept a trade offer from Philadephia for CB Dotson, who was probably going to be released anyway – jut a 7th rounder. I had to turn down an offer for WR Nathan O’Rourke – he is our most dependable wideout at the moment.

And we bring the total down to 53 – not a terribly easy task. I end up cutting both of my sixth round draft picks (offensive linemen, neither one worth a damn) in the process. For record-keeping purposes – here’s what we’ve got on hand as we head into the season:

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start HT  WT  Exp  Birthdate  College 
Silvers, Bobby          16  QB          6-1  200  3    01/19/1980  Oregon State     
Branch, Jonathan        15  QB          5-10 198  3    10/18/1981  Oklahoma         
Bunting, Tyrell        3  QB          6-3  206  1    09/16/1981  Oklahoma State   
Newman, Daniel          40  RB          5-11 217  3    08/31/1981  Miami, Florida   
Hoffman, Dixon          25  RB          5-11 216  3    09/29/1981  Virginia         
Shea, Ian              44  RB          6-0  207  3    11/14/1981  Iowa             
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          6-0  206  1    04/18/1982  Louisiana State   
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          5-10 220  3    11/14/1981  North Carolina Stat
Giefeke, Walter        49  FB          5-11 214  2    08/28/1981  Ohio State       
Metzger, Rich          82  TE          6-4  262  3    12/15/1981  Miami, Florida   
Gaylord, Albert        84  TE          6-5  267  3    01/24/1981  Texas Tech       
O'Rourke, Nathan        88  FL          5-11 187  3    05/30/1981  Pittsburgh       
Ivory, Nick            81  FL          6-1  202  3    01/19/1979  Florida State     
Horner, Jerome          80  SE          6-0  196  3    06/05/1980  Purdue           
Sanders, Randall        83  SE          5-8  179  3    02/17/1981  Notre Dame       
Johns, Pat              85  SE          6-2  203  1    05/01/1981  Florida           
##Baker, Bill          86  SE          6-1  199  1    05/04/1982  Wake Forest       
Nichols, Kurt          56  C          6-1  285  3    08/29/1980  Oregon           
Garcia, Zack            58  C          6-3  276  3    12/05/1981  Louisville       
Morgan, Jim            63  LG          6-3  276  2    09/28/1981  Miami, Florida   
Parrish, Desmond        61  RG          6-4  299  2    09/13/1981  Boston College   
Stewart, Herman        65  RG          6-4  290  1    02/17/1980  Arkansas         
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          6-5  297  2    08/30/1980  Tennessee         
Daniels, Victor        75  RT          6-4  289  3    03/24/1981  Oklahoma State   
Durham, Graham          60  RT          6-4  309  2    09/20/1982  Rice             
Cochrane, Paul          9  P          5-10 181  3    01/03/1980  Purdue           
Wingard, Dennis        5  K          6-1  189  1    03/02/1982  Florida State     
Schulz, Deion          70  LDE        6-3  257  2    06/14/1980  Texas A&M         
Schwirzke, Lee          59  LDE        6-5  272  1    02/13/1982  Nebraska         
Huffman, Rodney        78  RDE        6-4  257  2    12/07/1981  Utah             
Blum, Dale              94  RDE        6-3  253  1    06/15/1982  Arizona State     
##Walker, Ben          62  RDE        6-0  245  1    05/04/1983  Auburn           
Gibson, Kris            95  LDT        6-4  295  1    04/11/1982  Washington       
Dawson, Marvin          69  LDT        6-3  265  1    12/30/1981  Wake Forest       
Carr, Preston          77  RDT        6-1  261  1    12/04/1981  Auburn           
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        6-0  226  3    06/26/1980  Miami, Florida   
Westbrook, Barry        97  MLB        6-1  239  3    06/05/1981  Clemson           
##Kramer, Mark          50  MLB        6-0  224  2    12/04/1980  Washington       
Jervey, Kim            51  SLB        6-1  215  3    09/23/1981  Arkansas         
Tyler, Howie            99  SLB        6-4  244  2    01/16/1981  Michigan         
##Huffman, Kenny        55  SLB        6-1  233  2    05/17/1981  Auburn           
Wiggs, Julio            52  WLB        6-2  232  3    09/01/1980  Syracuse         
Walker, Richard        96  WLB        6-0  212  3    09/27/1981  Clemson           
Mace, Wes              23  LCB        6-1  195  3    01/04/1981  Wake Forest       
Sims, T.J.              35  LCB        5-11 189  3    04/03/1978  Iowa             
##Gomez, Craig          27  LCB        5-11 178  2    02/23/1986  Texas A&M         
Richard, Frankie        20  RCB        5-10 193  2    10/03/1981  Florida State     
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        5-9  175  1    01/23/1982  Arizona State     
##Bolyn, B.J.          39  RCB        5-11 170  1    01/01/1982  Clemson           
Richmond, Paul          34  SS          5-11 198  3    08/06/1981  Nebraska         
Grayvil, Max            48  SS          6-0  202  2    09/27/1982  Michigan         
##Gonzalez, Nicky      33  FS          6-4  210  3    11/03/1981  Ohio State       
Jacobs, Thurman        41  FS          5-11 185  2    10/30/1982  Nebraska         


I can’t help but notice that probably 2/3 of my defensive roster is under-sized for their position. I have plenty of guys who are unable to switch within their position groups—DE who are too light to switch to another DE position, LB who are too light to be a LB, that sort of thing. It isn’t a real problem – but it does seem to be somewhat troubling, especially if you do like to move guys around (or if you let the scout do it for you during training camp – which I HATE).

Still rated 1 in our roster rating (next lowest is a 28) so we clearly have a long way to keep building. I think we’ll be okay with our group on hand – I’m just trying to build as much talent as possible, and am not even focusing on chemistry issues at all yet. (Maybe that’s unwise, considering the level of talent I have even when paying attention to that)

We’re set to go… but what kind of season do we have ahead? I won’t just hand things over to the staff, but I still don’t expect much. We might be good enough to improve another game or two, but a .500 season would really surprise me.

QuikSand 12-07-2003 08:04 PM

2006 Regular Season

In the pre-season, we lose RB Dixon Hoffman for the season – so we have to reshuffle a bit, and it looks like rookie Kendrick Ramsey will get some chances after all, in the #2 spot. This also makes Daniel Newman much more of a “feature back” than we have used so far – so we’ll see how well he can do with that kind of role.

We play a solid, mistake-free game at home to beat Pittsburgh in our opener, and we get to our early bye week at 2-1. I still have little doubt that we will be a second-rate team, but it’s nice to carry this early glimmer on a while.

Soon enough, we are 2-9 and out of glimmer. Toward the end of the season, our entire defensive front is ripped to shreds by injuries – we are in chaos. Huffman is seriously hurt – we’ll have to see how well he can rebound from that, but his season is over for certain.

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2006 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 3-13
Winning Pct.: .187
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  499      4         
Rushing Yards          1982      10         
Yards Per Carry        3.97      21         
Pass Attempts          447      32         
Completions            274      32         
Passing Yards          2692      32         
Yards Per Attempt      6.02      28         
3rd Down Conversions    35.0      30         
Points Per Game        14.5      32         
Turnovers              25        19 (T)     
Turnover Margin        -1        16 (T)     
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  473      26 (T)     
Rushing Yards          1810      20         
Yards Per Carry        3.82      6         
Pass Attempts          510      3 (T)     
Completions            311      12         
Passing Yards          3506      9         
Yards Per Attempt      6.87      15 (T)     
3rd Down Conversions    40.2      11         
Points Per Game        20.0      9 (T)     
Turnovers              24        13 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    17    at PIT        14     
2    3    ATL          20     
3    20    IND          10     
5    10    DEN          24     
6    16    OAK          22     
7    9    at SDO        13     
8    14    at KCY        24     
9    24    at BAL        27     
10    20    PIT          23     
11    7    CIN          13     
12    17    at NOS        23     
13    23    at NED        20     
14    13    CAR          16     
15    9    BAL          17     
16    12    at TBY        27     
17    19    at CIN        27     
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
16 Silvers          QB    394  241  2391  6.06  11    14     
15 Branch          QB    53    33    301  5.67  1    1     
**Team              ---  447  274  2692  6.02  12    15     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
40 Newman          RB    258  1005  3.89  4     
44 Shea            RB    106  360  3.39  2     
32 Ramsey          RB    60    203  3.38  0     
16 Silvers          QB    41    310  7.56  1     
**Team              ---  499  1982  3.97  8     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
83 Sanders          WR    71    43    496  11.5  80    5     
81 Ivory            WR    79    43    536  12.4  68    2     
88 O'Rourke        WR    76    41    498  12.1  112  3     
82 Metzger          TE    58    40    350  8.7  98    0     
40 Newman          RB    38    26    225  8.6  149  1     
80 Horner          WR    34    23    185  8.0  23    0     
36 Woodson          FB    20    17    84    4.9  64    0     
85 Johns            WR    27    16    170  10.6  20    0     
**Team              ---  447  274  2692  9.8  654  12     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
92 Goodwin          ILB  123  32    1.0  0    0    11     
52 Wiggs            OLB  78    30    4.0  1    1    4     
95 Gibson          DT    71    32    6.0  4    0    0     
41 Jacobs          S    67    34    1.0  0    3    4     
51 Jervey          OLB  58    18    7.0  11    3    2     
43 Richmond        CB    52    22    0.0  0    3    8     
34 Richmond        S    49    17    0.0  0    4    6     
23 Mace            CB    44    17    0.0  0    1    11     
99 Tyler            OLB  43    13    5.0  1    0    6     
48 Grayvil          S    42    14    2.0  0    0    4     
27 Gomez            CB    39    11    1.0  1    0    0     
94 Blum            DE    32    14    7.5  2    0    0     
20 Richard          CB    24    9    1.0  2    0    3     
77 Carr            DT    20    8    4.0  4    0    0     
78 Huffman          DE    17    11    4.0  6    0    0     
97 Westbrook        ILB  16    7    0.0  1    0    0     
**Team              ---  892  316  49.0  48    15    60     



Season Wrap-up

Code:

2006 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Nicholas Barnes            JAX   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Keith McCoy                TBY   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Nicholas Barnes            JAX   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Bucky Glover                PHI   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Billy Joe Bingham          WAS   
**Defensive Rookie of the Year                Kris Gibson                CLE   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Nicholas Barnes            JAX   
All-League First-String Running Back          Brian Grant                STL   
All-League First-String Fullback              Jerome Simpson              CHI   
All-League First-String Tight End            Clark Hardy                NOS   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Steven Vega                GBY   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  BUF   
All-League First-String Center                Kenny Calvo                CHI   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Aaron Jacobs                NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Darell Poynter              ARI   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Dennis Rameriz              GBY   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Eli Williams                TBY   
All-League First-String Punter                Doug Vandermause            OAK   
All-League First-String Kicker                Jessie Fletcher            DAL   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Herschel Waldon            MIA   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Tony Case                  NYG   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Ervin Hope                  DEN   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Collin Turner              MIN   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Bucky Glover                PHI   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Nelson Borders              CAR   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    David Williamson            STL   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Carl Armes                  DEN   
All-League First-String Cornerback            David Munn                  DET   
All-League First-String Safety                Tyrell Boone                SFO   
All-League First-String Safety                Elvis Daniel                BAL   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Jacques Cheatham            PIT   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Stuart Kindle              MIA   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Richard Cummins            TBY   
All-League Second-String Tight End            Arnie Whiting              CAR   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Barry Moxley                ARI   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Daniel Ledezma              MIA   
All-League Second-String Center              Bennett Beverly            DAL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Henry Sitton                CHI   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Gary Elson                  WAS   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Wade Catlett                KCY   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    James Lawlor                NYG   
All-League Second-String Punter              Leif Schnell                BUF   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Irv Cash                    BAL   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Willie Chenoweth            KCY   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Arthur Johnson              DET   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    John McManus                DET   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Jonathan Linkous            BAL   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Ronald Rabb                JAX   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Brian Rioux                SDO   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Andrew Colston              BUF   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Simon Casteel              HOU   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Brad Teter                  SFO   
All-League Second-String Safety              Anthony Bates              HOU   
All-League Second-String Safety              Elwood Hewitt              MIN   
League's Fastest Man                          Jamison Battle              NED   
League's Strongest Man                        John Champagne              DET   


Nice to see good things from DT Kris Gibson, who had a very nice opening season – in part because he is clearly head and shoulders above anyone we have on hand at DT.

Okay, I feel like this team is dying on the vine. I’m doing poorly in the draft so far, and we’re just not building up the talent level that we need. Without true open free agency as a vehicle, we‘ve still got plenty of wide open spaces on this roster – where we are starting and using players who probably shouldn’t even be employed.

gkb 12-08-2003 01:49 AM

I'm enjoying this and your Zips dynasty...keep it up. :)

QuikSand 12-08-2003 02:35 PM

2007 preseason

Transitions and League Observations

No retirements from our young team – we are back intact. A quick look at DE Huffman verifies that he is okay and past his last injury without dropping off the map. Good news there, though I’m worried about him becoming injury prone.


Front Office Decisions

My lead scout is 70, and declining – but I’ll stick with him for one more season. He’s still pretty good.

My OC Levon Moss is up for a new deal – I want to bring him back. He accepts my first offer, and is locked up again. Here’s a refresh on his skills:

Off Coord: Levon Moss, 47
EX: OL
VG: QB,PK
GD: RB,WR,YT

He is improving pretty rapidly – if I give him some players to develop, he ought to be very solid.


Roster Review

Why not go through the whole lot of them – might give me a better sense of what I really need to do here.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Silvers, Bobby          16  QB          4    56                56                --- 
Branch, Jonathan        15  QB          4    25                41                --- 
Simmons, Arnold        2  QB          4    22                31                --- 
Bunting, Tyrell        3  QB          2    14                28                1 yr.


Silvers seems to have arrived – he didn’t lose much from his original projections. I think it might be time for us to open things up a bit, and let him make some plays. It might be time to make an investment in a backup or another seasoned player, since nobody behind him is worth a damn. (Needless to say, we will re-sign Silvers)

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Newman, Daniel          40  RB          4    41                50                2 yrs
Shea, Ian              44  RB          4    39                41                2 yrs
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          2    31                41                2 yrs
Hoffman, Dixon          25  RB          4    15                18                2 yrs
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          4    44                50                2 yrs
Giefeke, Walter        49  FB          3    27                36                --- 


Who’s the man? Newman? Ramsey on his slight potential bump? I don’t know – they are all marginal, and unless I see another bump up in his potential this year (doubtful). Woe is me. I like FB Woodson, though – he stays out of the way of the ball, and just does all the dirty work for us. (60 run blocking, 77 blocking strength, and 23 route running – he’s just wonderful)

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Metzger, Rich          82  TE          4    42                43                2 yrs
Gaylord, Albert        84  TE          4    36                37                2 yrs


Metzger was on his way to a big season when he got hurt last year – but he could go for 500 yards this year if we start throwing a bit more. TE might not be a terrible spot to target a solid rookie with a 2nd or 3rd rounder, if someone is there.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
O'Rourke, Nathan        88  FL          4    44                44                --- 
Ivory, Nick            81  FL          4    33                40                1 yr.
Sanders, Randall        83  SE          4    38                48                2 yrs
Horner, Jerome          80  SE          4    31                37                1 yr.
Johns, Pat              85  SE          2    27                43                1 yr.
Baker, Bill            86  SE          2    21                43                2 yrs


Probably need to re-sign O’Rourke, and I actually like Sanders fine as my other starter. Not a star in the lot here, but they are adequate. Adding a flashy star would be exciting – and they are always available, even in the early second round.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Nichols, Kurt          56  C          4    30                46                1 yr.
Garcia, Zack            58  C          4    25                28                1 yr.
Morgan, Jim            63  LG          3    31                33                --- 
Parrish, Desmond        61  RG          3    24                30                1 yr.
Stewart, Herman        65  RG          2    13                19                2 yrs
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          3    47                54                2 yrs
Daniels, Victor        75  RT          4    24                27                1 yr.
Durham, Graham          60  RT          3    12                36                2 yrs


Bennie Heinlein is turning into a prototypical lead pass-blocking LT – further reinforcing my theory that we need to throw the ball more here. Overall, this group is okay – but that’s probably a function of my low standards. Heinlein is really a B-, and he’s the best of the lot by some margin.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Cochrane, Paul          9  P          4    42                42                2 yrs
Wingard, Dennis        5  K          2    66                76                1 yr.


We’re okay here.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Schulz, Deion          70  LDE        3    29                38                --- 
Schwirzke, Lee          59  LDE        2    26                34                1 yr.
Huffman, Rodney        78  RDE        3    71                76                4 yrs
Blum, Dale              94  RDE        2    33                42                3 yrs
Walker, Ben            62  RDE        2    15                27                1 yr.
Gibson, Kris            95  LDT        2    35                56                2 yrs
Dawson, Marvin          69  LDT        2    18                24                1 yr.
Carr, Preston          77  RDT        2    13                17                1 yr.


We have to re-sign Deion Schultz, though it’s not clear whether he will continue to improve. Huffman’s future is very important, as is the continued development of Kris Gibson, of course. We remain pitifully thin here, and I’d love to add another monster to the line – maybe a giant DT with the top draft pick.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        4    57                57                3 yrs
Westbrook, Barry        97  MLB        4    25                37                --- 
Kramer, Mark            50  MLB        3    22                35                1 yr.
Jervey, Kim            51  SLB        4    44                46                1 yr.
Tyler, Howie            99  SLB        3    40                56                --- 
Wiggs, Julio            52  WLB        4    40                40                2 yrs
Walker, Richard        96  WLB        4    31                31                --- 


Cedric Goodwin remains our standout here – he missed a few games last year, keeping him from another titanic stat season (he had 123+32 tackles in 13 games).

Howie Tyler is turning into a solid player for us, and must be re-signed. With my current starting trio (including run stopper Wiggs), I think we are adequately covered, and Jervey is a pass-rusher who filled in pretty well at the DE spot, as I had hoped he could.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Mace, Wes              23  LCB        4    38                50                2 yrs
Sims, T.J.              35  LCB        4    31                32                --- 
Gomez, Craig            27  LCB        3    24                47                --- 
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        2    37                68                4 yrs
Richard, Frankie        20  RCB        3    33                41                1 yr.
Bolyn, B.J.            39  RCB        2    17                32                1 yr.
Richmond, Paul          34  SS          4    39                39                --- 
Grayvil, Max            48  SS          3    31                42                --- 
Gonzalez, Nicky        33  FS          4    34                39                --- 
Jacobs, Thurman        41  FS          3    29                58                --- 


Our big money is on Deon Richmond, and he looks like he will be pretty good. Solid first season, and he can play man-up defense, which is what I want. I also like Wes Mace a good bit – that was a good free agent signing for us, and he’s got the starting job locked down for now.

At safety, I don’t know what we’ll do. I like Thurman Jacobs from this group, and I could re-sign any of them if I needed to, but nobody really inspires me that much. I like having a great safety – but it’s a position easily filled with adequate players, and with a team like this with so many holes – it’s tough to pursue safeties too aggressively.


The plan from here? Check for ways to improve via free agency, and I’ll weigh my trade-down options from the #2 pick (which are often fruitful). I’d like to get one more receiving weapon, and a big addition for our DL coming into the year, at a minimum.


Free Agency

We can look at up to 4th year players, so I might get something to work with.

RT Deon Hiatt looks like a great improvement for us, but his stats have been very underwhelming. I will pursue him, and he probably will become our starter – we don’t have a lot on that end right now with Victor Daniels.

CB Scott Dunn will probably come in and compete for a starting job – he’s pretty well-developed as a man-up coverage specialist. Good pickup for us, giving us a nickel back, and depth for an injury at the very worst. Might push Mace for a starting job.

DT Willie Oliveira is a pretty exciting pickup for us – he’s a 3rd year DT with little experience, but he could be pretty good.

DE Lincoln Limon looks like a prototypical injury-prone DE, but he is pretty good. We’ll put in a bid, for certain. Not a game breaker, but a possible starter, or rotation guy.

QB Shawn Matthews isn’t a star, but he’s got some experience and makes a decent enough backup, I think. He’s actually got a career TD>Int stat, a test which Silvers fails by 18.

There are a number of playable cornerbacks out there – I’ll bid on Dunn, but I might go and pick up one more guy, too – we have options, which is nice.


In later stages, I pick up LB Daryl Gaines and RT Frank Bass. I’m worried about picking up RT Hiatt (which I have) since he has become our position leader – and we have numerous conflicts there. It might behoove me to grab another player who might be a more stable position leader there – Hiatt has questionable results, anyway. In that vein, I sign G Billy Rodriguez, but he doesn’t edge out Hiatt (though he does have an affinity with him, oddly enough). I then bring in C Antoine Hambrick, who adds another conflict with Hiatt. (This is tougher than I realized)


Rookie Draft

My initial inclination is that I want to trade down – I don’t see a monster DT or superstar anywhere I can’t live without, and indeed there are plenty of solid DTs later in the first round, I think. I might be able to pick up a pick or two to slide about ten slots, and still get an impact player.

We pull a nice deal – getting St. Louis’s top pick at #7, their second pick this year, and next year’s #1 – all to get our selection at #1. (Echoes of Ryan Leaf, eh?) I wasn’t in love with anyone with that pick – so this is just great for us, I think. The Rams take the best DE on the board – not a shabby pick, really.

At #7, I like a few different defensive tackles. I like one run-stopper in particular, but there are plenty of guys I could be happy with. I deal down to #11, moving from round five to round two, courtesy of the Saints.

Starting with pick #11, I still get the DT that I covet, and manage to use three second rounders to pick up two more players for our defensive front – which should really help us with depth there. I also grab a solid receiver, filling my other target need area.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Gary Cascadden, DT, Notre Dame
Rnd 2 - Jimmy Fox, DT, Florida
Rnd 2 - Stanley Fisk, ILB, Oregon State
Rnd 2 - Mickey Rose, WR, Michigan
Rnd 3 - Todd Hampton, T, Tennessee
Rnd 4 - Marlon Politte, S, Iowa
Rnd 6 - Michael Hudson, RB, Nebraska
Rnd 7 - Omar Mayes, DE, Louisiana Tech
Rnd 7 - Luke Fuller, OLB, Mississippi


If things pan out, then we could end up with an impressive array of young players here. DT Fox looked good enough to make me take him, despite already grabbing Cascadden in the first round, and having the defending DROY at DT already. Other players looked intriguing.

We are graded a B- for our drafting this year – a bit better than last season, which seems fair. Last year didn’t work out too well, all told.


Late Free Agency

Incidentally, there was one Akron player in the draft pool this year – finally. I mention this as an incidental comment because he is/was a pretty incidental player, as it turns out. QB Pat Branch comes in as a 2.8-rated QB, a very marginal prospect. In college, he was just a backup – and here, if he gets any chance at all, he won’t be any more than that. I sign him, with hopes that perhaps he can gain the kick holding job – which might see him throw a pass once every couple seasons or so.

I make a sizable number of rookie pursuits – once again hoping to land that elusive young breakout player – guys like Cedric Goodwin, who has evolved into our defensive standout player. I stick with the theory of high current skills and high volatility, and also decide to try to grab players who had fairly productive college seasons – as a backup for the expected volatility (my theory: college star has better chance to break out than bust –not that complicated).


Training Camp

We carry a somewhat untoward 75 players into training camp – so we will have a lot of guys here who simply won’t be around soon. Lots of invitees who will be driving trucks in a few weeks.

Among my pre-camp position switches is moving DT Jimmy Fox to play on the outside – he didn’t have the weight to plat DT for us, so we’ll try him as an end. If he pans out – we could have really made a great stride with our defensive line this year, between Cascadden (run-stopping DT) and Fox (pass-rushing DE).

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        Cest        F Est        C Est        F Est        Chg C        Chg F
Silvers, Bobby        16        QB        4        56        56        59        59        3        3
Mathews, Shawn        18        QB        4        46        48        46        48        0        0
Bunting, Tyrell        3        QB        2        13        28        16        28        3        0
Davis, Steven        14        QB        1        11        50        15        49        4        -1
Branch, Pat        6        QB        1        7        33        8        33        1        0
Newman, Daniel        40        RB        4        41        50        42        50        1        0
Shea, Ian        44        RB        4        39        41        40        41        1        0
Adams, Donovan        28        RB        1        37        48        38        46        1        -2
Hudson, Michael        21        RB        1        38        48        37        48        -1        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        32        RB        2        32        42        33        42        1        0
Woodson, Mickey        36        FB        4        44        51        46        51        2        0
May, Pat        29        FB        1        23        38        26        41        3        3
Metzger, Rich        82        TE        4        42        43        43        43        1        0
Gaylord, Albert        84        TE        4        36        38        36        38        0        0
Simmons, Norm        87        TE        1        20        44        22        45        2        1
O'Rourke, Nathan        88        FL        4        46        46        46        46        0        0
Ivory, Nick        81        FL        4        33        40        35        40        2        0
Gough, Reuben        25        FL        1        14        52        15        45        1        -7
Sanders, Randall        83        SE        4        39        48        40        48        1        0
Horner, Jerome        80        SE        4        31        37        33        37        2        0
Rose, Mickey        89        SE        1        31        60        32        55        1        -5
Johns, Pat        85        SE        2        27        43        29        43        2        0
Baker, Bill        86        SE        2        20        37        21        37        1        0
Nichols, Kurt        56        C        4        30        46        32        46        2        0
Hambrick, Antoine        54        C        3        29        47        31        47        2        0
George, Zach        57        C        1        25        41        27        41        2        0
Garcia, Zack        58        C        4        26        26        26        26        0        0
Parrish, Desmond        61        RG        3        24        29        25        29        1        0
Clark, James        66        RG        1        14        38        16        36        2        -2
Rodriguez, Billy        74        RG        3        14        29        15        29        1        0
Stewart, Herman        65        RG        2        13        18        14        18        1        0
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        3        47        54        50        54        3        0
Hiatt, Deon        68        RT        4        43        56        47        56        4        0
Bass, Frank        73        RT        3        28        40        31        40        3        0
Daniels, Victor        75        RT        4        24        27        25        27        1        0
Hampton, Todd        67        RT        1        21        50        23        46        2        -4
Durham, Graham        60        RT        3        11        31        12        31        1        0
Cochrane, Paul        9        P        4        38        38        38        38        0        0
Wingard, Dennis        5        K        2        62        68        65        68        3        0
Limon, Lincoln        79        LDE        4        46        49        48        49        2        0
Fox, Jimmy        93        LDE        1        32        47        34        47        2        0
Schulz, Deion        70        LDE        3        30        38        33        38        3        0
Schwirzke, Lee        59        LDE        2        28        36        29        36        1        0
Goetz, Leo        18        LDE        1        18        25        19        26        1        1
Huffman, Rodney        78        RDE        3        66        72        70        72        4        0
Blum, Dale        94        RDE        2        32        40        33        40        1        0
Mayes, Omar        90        RDE        1        16        34        17        33        1        -1
Walker, Ben        62        RDE        2        14        26        15        26        1        0
Gibson, Kris        95        LDT        2        36        57        38        57        2        0
Cascadden, Gary        72        LDT        1        31        65        34        66        3        1
Oliveira, Willie        76        LDT        3        27        47        28        47        1        0
Dawson, Marvin        69        LDT        2        18        25        18        25        0        0
Carr, Preston        77        RDT        2        14        18        14        18        0        0
Goodwin, Cedric        92        MLB        4        59        59        59        59        0        0
Gaines, Daryl        55        MLB        3        30        41        31        41        1        0
Castaneda, Ronald        64        MLB        1        23        47        25        48        2        1
Kramer, Mark        50        MLB        3        22        25        23        25        1        0
Falvey, John        26        MLB        1        18        42        20        36        2        -6
Jervey, Kim        51        SLB        4        44        46        46        46        2        0
Tyler, Howie        99        SLB        3        43        58        45        58        2        0
Scott, Howard        91        SLB        1        18        41        19        38        1        -3
Wiggs, Julio        52        WLB        4        40        40        40        40        0        0
Fisk, Stanley        98        WLB        1        34        61        36        56        2        -5
Fuller, Luke        53        WLB        1        22        44        23        39        1        -5
Lucas, Irving        30        LCB        4        47        47        47        47        0        0
Mace, Wes        23        LCB        4        39        51        41        51        2        0
Gomez, Craig        27        LCB        3        26        50        29        50        3        0
Frederick, Perry        31        LCB        1        10        40        11        33        1        -7
Dunn, Scott        37        RCB        4        50        54        53        54        3        0
Richmond, Deon        43        RCB        2        34        65        37        65        3        0
Richard, Frankie        20        RCB        3        31        38        33        38        2        0
Bolyn, B.J.        39        RCB        2        17        33        19        33        2        0
Richmond, Paul        34        SS        4        37        37        37        37        0        0
Jacobs, Thurman        41        FS        3        31        62        35        62        4        0
Politte, Marlon        38        FS        1        16        47        18        44        2        -3


So, in camp this year – here are our potential developers:

QB Bobby Silvers – very nice to see, even a small bump up
FB Pat May – solidifies the backup FB job
TE Norm Simmons – might make the team after modest jump up
DE Leo Goetz – marginal jump for a college sack star
DT Gary Cascadden – oh, yeah – HUGE run stuffing potential here
LB Ronald Castaneda – might end up being best of the rookie LB lot


WR Mickey Rose looks okay, but he (like Bill Baker before him) is WAY toward the low end of our expectations. I expect Rose will stick around and perhaps even start – but he’s clearly not the gamebreaker that we had hoped to be getting here. He didn’t fade in camp – he just wasn’t that good to begin with.


Season Analysis

So, where do we go from here? It’s Bobby Silvers’ team, and it’s time to open things up a bit – we have an OL suited for more passing, and we will go with many more multi-WR sets than last season, trying to get something more out of our anemic offense than we have been thus far.

The only place on this team where we have chemistry problems is with RT Deon Hiatt, who has become our OL leader, and is hated by four other players. There’s a simple solution there, but I have felt that I need Hiatt to cover the right side – we just don’t have anyone else who can do it. I knuckle down, and decide to let Hiatt go (eating his signing bonus to do so) – we will play with somewhat lesser players, but the chemistry should be tons better. With that – we have zero chemistry conflicts on the team – that might help, no?

Our roster rating has leaped – all the way to 2 out of 100. Good sign?

This should be a step forward – I think we’ll be better than the measly 3-13 from last season. If our DL can stay reasonably healthy, we should be much improved there – and I think the defense is starting to look pretty respectable overall. Offensively, we still need OL help and would like to have a real “playmaker” emerge – but overall, we have guys who can play a little bit, at least. I’m hoping for six wins, and a nice ray of hope.

QuikSand 12-08-2003 02:35 PM

2007 Regular Season

If our preseason is any indication, the big winner from our offensive realignment might be WR Nathan O’Rourke, who had a huge preseason, and looks like our prime target for a much more pass-intensive attack. He has yet to top 600 yards in a season – but he had close to 400 in our four preseason games. Look out!

After four weeks, we are 2-2, and looking okay. However, Bobby Silvers has blown out his ankle - he’s gone for the year, and we have a sudden shift with the team. Shawn Mathews, untested journeyman, is our #2 option, and we have a passable rookie as our #3. We need to sign someone, and hope we can get by without Silvers. Very tough break.

In our first game after Silvers is gone, we rise up and beat Pittsburgh – Mathews is steady, but the defense won the game. We follow up with another smothering defensive win over Miami – and at 4-2 this team is looking the best it ever has. We’re still getting more rushes then most teams, but adding a bit more vertical passing has certainly made a difference, I think.

And in the early going, it has been WR Randall Sanders, and not O’Rourke, making the biggest splash in our passing game – Sanders might be on his way to the big season that I had forecasted for O’Rourke. Sanders gets game MVP in our next win, as he posts 152 yards and 2 TDs (both in the fourth quarter, inn our comeback) to help seal it.

We drop a game at New England, but reach our halfway point at 5-3, only a half game behind Pittsburgh. Wow. We rank #2 in yards allowed per carry – so our defense against the run is right where I want it to be, finally.

After slipping to 6-4, we lose RB Newman for a few weeks – and will place the running chores into the hands of rookies Donovan Adams and Michael Hudson. Adams is a pure runner with terrible hands for receiving, but seems to be okay as an offset to our passing game. Hudson is more complete, and will be in for passing downs mostly. Both were 1,000-yard rushers in college – so they understand where to go with the ball, at least.

Down the stretch, we cannot maintain our early success – but we get to the finale with a shot to finish .500 on the season. A one-point loss seals our season at 7-9, but there’s a lot more to be excited about with this team than to date – so that’s pretty good overall.

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2007 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 7-9
Winning Pct.: .437
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  421      18         
Rushing Yards          1550      26         
Yards Per Carry        3.68      26 (T)     
Pass Attempts          557      16         
Completions            335      8         
Passing Yards          3929      6         
Yards Per Attempt      7.05      14         
3rd Down Conversions    39.4      22 (T)     
Points Per Game        21.5      12         
Turnovers              30        22 (T)     
Turnover Margin        -1        18 (T)     
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  469      26         
Rushing Yards          1858      23         
Yards Per Carry        3.96      14         
Pass Attempts          513      5 (T)     
Completions            286      3         
Passing Yards          3365      2         
Yards Per Attempt      6.55      9         
3rd Down Conversions    44.6      27         
Points Per Game        20.7      16         
Turnovers              29        10 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    19    at BAL        28     
2    19    at SFO        16     
3    21    at IND        16     
4    14    at BUF        16     
5    23    PIT          3     
6    31    MIA          3     
7    33    NYJ          27     
8    27    at NED        31     
9    21    BAL          31     
11    28    at CIN        21     
12    6    at STL        24     
13    14    KCY          17     
14    14    SEA          23     
15    21    CIN          31     
16    34    ARI          24     
17    20    at PIT        21     
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
18 Mathews          QB    426  248  2892  6.78  17    19     
16 Silvers          QB    125  84    959  7.67  7    3     
**Team              ---  557  335  3929  7.05  25    22     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
40 Newman          RB    188  731  3.88  3     
28 Adams            RB    120  394  3.28  4     
21 Hudson          RB    68    229  3.36  2     
**Team              ---  421  1550  3.68  9     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
83 Sanders          WR    121  62    827  13.3  144  6     
82 Metzger          TE    85    58    500  8.6  105  3     
88 O'Rourke        WR    92    52    736  14.1  116  6     
81 Ivory            WR    85    45    620  13.7  130  3     
40 Newman          RB    49    37    374  10.1  180  2     
89 Rose            WR    53    32    436  13.6  91    1     
36 Woodson          FB    28    19    135  7.1  86    1     
**Team              ---  556  335  3929  11.7  948  25     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
92 Goodwin          ILB  137  43    0.0  2    3    7     
52 Wiggs            OLB  68    15    2.0  2    2    4     
78 Huffman          DE    63    14    11.0  23    0    0     
99 Tyler            OLB  60    19    6.5  8    1    4     
43 Richmond        CB    56    10    0.0  0    2    6     
30 Lucas            CB    54    23    1.0  1    3    9     
37 Dunn            CB    49    21    0.0  0    3    10     
41 Jacobs          S    46    25    0.5  0    3    3     
95 Gibson          DT    41    13    2.0  5    0    1     
23 Mace            CB    40    8    0.0  2    0    5     
72 Cascadden        DT    37    23    4.0  4    0    3     
51 Jervey          OLB  34    10    1.0  2    1    3     
93 Fox              DE    27    14    2.5  8    0    0     
79 Limon            DE    24    5    4.5  14    0    0     
45 Pryor            S    22    3    0.0  1    0    1     
34 Richmond        S    18    6    0.0  0    2    1     
98 Fisk            OLB  17    7    1.0  1    0    3     
**Team              ---  853  261  36.0  76    20    60     



Season Wrap-up

I’m pretty pleased with the way the defense is taking shape, and with the potential we are showing there. When we can stop the run, we can play a good game overall. I think we have players who can come together and play well for us.

It seems that what we really need is a gamebreaker on offense – and my inclination is that it might be time to bring in a serious running threat. I don’t mind that being an established player if we can get one, but drafting a stud RB might be a good plan for us. Alternatively, maybe a serious top-grade wideout might do the trick – we’d love to have a go-to threat for our fledgling air attack. Either way, we need a focus for the offense.

Getting a healthy Silvers back at QB is an essential part of moving forward – so we will watch his ankle closely. I expect that his “fastest man on the team” days are over – we now need him to be able to step into the role as our overall offensive leader.

Code:

2007 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Don Daniel                  DEN   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Leo Ayer                    DEN   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Roderick Arsenault          HOU   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Desmond Shirk              ATL   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Willie Droughns            IND   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Cole Harrison              STL   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
All-League First-String Running Back          Roderick Arsenault          HOU   
All-League First-String Fullback              Jacinto Brock              PIT   
All-League First-String Tight End            James Marble                BAL   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  PHI   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        John Herb                  TEN   
All-League First-String Center                Rocco Lavergne              PIT   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Randall Ayotte              SEA   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Aaron Jacobs                NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Joseph Clack                IND   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Ned Ford                    NED   
All-League First-String Punter                Leif Schnell                BUF   
All-League First-String Kicker                Brice Bove                  NOS   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Willie Chenoweth            KCY   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Desmond Shirk              ATL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Jamie Curtis                WAS   
**All-League First-String Inside Linebacker  Cedric Goodwin              CLE   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Nelson Borders              CAR   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Robert Juan                GBY   
All-League First-String Cornerback            James Burnell              NYJ   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Carl Armes                  DEN   
All-League First-String Safety                Edward Johnson              PHI   
All-League First-String Safety                Scott Jacobs                BAL   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Kim Roux                    HOU   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Brian Grant                STL   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Wallace Goble              SDO   
All-League Second-String Tight End            Clark Hardy                NOS   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Silas Purser                NED   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Gregory Broadway            SFO   
All-League Second-String Center              William Huie                SFO   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              STL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Jerrell Randolph            DET   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Ellsworth Williams          SEA   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Zachariah Ly                OAK   
All-League Second-String Punter              Matt Hughes                WAS   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Landon Testa                TEN   
**All-League Second-String Defensive End      Rodney Huffman              CLE   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Doug Garcia                TEN   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Ervin Hope                  DEN   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Charles Trainor            JAX   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Hayden Brown                TEN   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  David Williamson            STL   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Jerry Padron                NOS   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Dylan Behr                  NYG   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Brad Teter                  KCY   
All-League Second-String Safety              Tyrell Boone                DAL   
All-League Second-String Safety              Henry Menefee              OAK   
League's Fastest Man                          Ed McDonald                KCY   
League's Strongest Man                        Daniel Sumner              DAL   


Of course, we are thrilled to have two all-star honorees, the foundation players for our improving defensive front.

In a move that makes perfect sense, RT Deon Hiatt, my late chemistry-induced roster casualty, ended up re-signing with his old team, Cincinnati. He played in a few games, and might get another look for the coming year. (That sounds just like what I might expect to see happen in real life)

Work to be done… but coming up will be our first free agency period where there will be bona fide unrestricted free agents – only the 5th year guys, but still an opportunity to possibly bring aboard a real star or two!

JAG 12-08-2003 02:51 PM

Good stuff Quik, tough break (no pun intended) with Silver's ankle, but the team did amazingly well without him.

Who's been winning the Front Office Bowls?

EDIT: Nevermind, looked at who won the FOB MVP's...instead, who would you say have been the dominant teams and who have been the doormats?

Sublime 12-08-2003 03:45 PM

Awesome read!

3ric 12-08-2003 03:45 PM

Just caught up with reading this from the beginning. As always, a good read! As for trading that #1 pick, do you feel (as have been mentioned in other threads) that the computer overvalues the high picks in the first round? It seems like a very good strategy to trade away a risky pick for such wealth in FOF2k4.

QuikSand 12-08-2003 03:45 PM

In the first few years, there was little pattern in top/bottom teams. I think there was a lot of contract turmoil, partially caused by using zero inflation.

Tampa bay went to consecutive Superbowls, one win and one loss - that's about as dominant as anyone has been thus far. I can include the full standings in future reports.... I like that for background flavor anyway.

Celeval 12-08-2003 04:01 PM

Re: FOF 2004 - Taking The Lake Erie Challenge
 
Quote:

Originally posted by QuikSand
The Lake Erie Challenge
The quickest way to effect the “empty cupboard” scenario in this game (unfortunately) seems to be to start a new career, QuikSim through a full but pointless season, cut your whole team, and start from the ground up... And, I’m using a fictional player pool, generated by HeavyReign’s snappy utility.



Hm.

Would it be possible (either through the utility, or before the import of fictional players) to pre-do the empty cupboard? i.e. not generate any players for a particular team (possibly forcing some extra scrub-level players into the FA pool to compensate)?

BTW, QS, I've been grinning since the moment I saw you were doing a dynasty. Seriously looking forward to this.

Kevin

QuikSand 12-08-2003 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 3ric
Just caught up with reading this from the beginning. As always, a good read! As for trading that #1 pick, do you feel (as have been mentioned in other threads) that the computer overvalues the high picks in the first round? It seems like a very good strategy to trade away a risky pick for such wealth in FOF2k4.


I'm not so sure. The old mentality of FOF drafting was that you coudl get value most anywhere - you just needed to be high to get great players at certain positions (like DE, OT, maybe CB and WR). I'm now thinking that with the revamped drafting system, there's more value with the higher picks -- you don't end up getting guys who settle at the bottom of their "blue bands" and have a chance to land players with future ratings of 80 or better.

My current thinking is that the value of very high draft picks has probably jumped up, maybe to match the way the game seems to value them (or to at least get closer).

QuikSand 12-08-2003 07:57 PM

2008 preseason

Transitions and League Observations

Pretty disappointing news with QB Bobby Silvers. He is healthy again, and will be ready for the season – but his injury from last year has taken a serious toll. He is now a fair QB, with some decent skills – but he’s definitely not the old Bobby “Quik” Silvers we were building around. Tough loss – and a tough decision ahead for us. Suddenly, QB is moving up our list of priorities.

We don’t have any retirements – as would be expected with such a young team. It will probably be a few years until we start worrying about that, without major injuries causing them.

DT Gary Cascadden is on “The Green Page” for top league prospects, and it looks like he will continue to develop toward being a titanic run stopper on our defensive front, exactly what I wanted. His run defense rating of 29/92 is very encouraging. DE Cole Harrison, the DE taken with the #2 pick I dealt away, was the DROY and looks like a future star for St. Louis.


Front Office Decisions

Zack Bates, our scout, is out of contract, 71, and declining. Time to look elsewhere. I put in a big $750,000/yr bid for Myron Hampton – who is 69, but looks really good.

Earnest Carlyle, our head coach, is 57 and out of contract. I want to re-sign him, despite our lousy record – can’t blame that on him.

After two weeks, both Hampton and Carlyle are aboard:

Scout: Myron Hampton, 69
EX: QB,Young Talent
VG: OL,PK,DL,DB
AV: RB,LB
FR: WR

Head Coach: Earnest Carlyle, 57
EX: Injury Avoidance, Off PC
VG: Discipline
AV: Motivation, Def PC

Even if we only get a few years out of Hampton, he seems worth it.


Roster Review

With a new scout aboard, we get a new look at our players – and we’ll walk through the position groups here, once again. This time, I will show each player’s contract – you’ll see my scout impression during camp.

[/code]


Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Silvers, Bobby          16  QB          2004  2009  5    $2,630,000      $1,890,000
Mathews, Shawn          18  QB          2007  2008  5    $2,240,000      $1,700,000
Davis, Steven          14  QB          2007  2008  2    $300,000        $300,000 
Abueva, Jesse          12  QB          2007  ----  2    $0              $0       


Silvers, as I noted, is depleted badly. He may still be our starter, but now we cannot consider the position settled. Too bad. Mathews played okay last season, but is not a long term answer, I don’t think, at all. Davis is a nice #3.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Newman, Daniel          40  RB          2004  2008  5    $1,160,000      $1,110,000
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          2006  2008  3    $470,000        $470,000 
Hudson, Michael        21  RB          2007  2009  2    $380,000        $360,000 
Adams, Donovan          28  RB          2007  2008  2    $300,000        $300,000 


Newman remains our most proven quantity, and comes into the season as the projected “chairman” of a running back committee. The others are spot players, but nobody has really stood out with his performance to suggest he merits extra attention. Position is also unsettled, but not desperate.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          2006  2008  5    $550,000        $550,000 
May, Pat                29  FB          2007  2008  2    $300,000        $300,000 


I continue to like Woodson here, and he might have a job for a long time.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Metzger, Rich          82  TE          2006  2008  5    $890,000        $880,000 
Simmons, Norm          87  TE          2007  2008  2    $300,000        $300,000 
McConnell, Neal        86  TE          2007  ----  3    $0              $0       


Metzger cannot stay healthy, but is productive. We could really use a second contributor here, as I’m fond of the single back TE pairs set – and need a solid second TE for that, of course. (We can use Woodson, if need be)

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
O'Rourke, Nathan        88  FL          2004  2009  5    $990,000        $920,000 
Ivory, Nick            81  FL          2004  UFA    5    $0              $0       
Sanders, Randall        83  SE          2006  2008  5    $1,180,000      $1,150,000
Rose, Mickey            89  SE          2007  2009  2    $1,050,000      $630,000 
Horner, Jerome          80  SE          2004  UFA    5    $0              $0       


Sanders and O’Rourke are acceptable, but our offense could really benefit from a serious game breaker at receiver. We have picks #11 and #18 in the upcoming rookie draft, and I’d love to land an impact player here with one of them.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Hambrick, Antoine      54  C          2007  2009  4    $830,000        $770,000 
George, Zach            57  C          2007  2008  2    $300,000        $300,000 
Nichols, Kurt          56  C          2006  UFA    5    $0              $0       
Hampton, Todd          67  RG          2007  2010  2    $540,000        $360,000 
Clark, James            66  RG          2007  2008  2    $300,000        $300,000 
Parrish, Desmond        61  RG          2005  ----  4    $0              $0       
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          2005  2008  4    $1,510,000      $1,030,000
Sneller, Dan            69  LT          2007  ----  3    $0              $0       
Bass, Frank            73  RT          2007  2008  4    $450,000        $450,000 


The scouting staff rates the OL (both G and T) as our top need position, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. Thing is, we got pretty decent performance out of our group last year – probably in part because of the carefully-managed chemistry that works well for them. But re-signing C Nichols and perhaps acquiring a solid guard would really help out. I’d love to pull down a veteran through free agency.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Cochrane, Paul          9  P          2004  2008  5    $780,000        $780,000 
Wingard, Dennis        5  K          2006  ----  3    $0              $0       


I intend to re-sign Wingard, but it won’t be a top priority – he’s not too good on kickoffs, and quality kickers are just abundant.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Limon, Lincoln          79  LDE        2007  2008  5    $1,280,000      $1,160,000
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        2007  2010  2    $980,000        $550,000 
Schulz, Deion          70  LDE        2005  2009  4    $500,000        $500,000 
Schwirzke, Lee          59  LDE        2006  ----  3    $0              $0       
Huffman, Rodney        78  RDE        2005  2010  4    $4,590,000      $1,840,000
Blum, Dale              94  RDE        2006  2009  3    $600,000        $480,000 
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        2007  2011  2    $2,110,000      $880,000 
Gibson, Kris            95  LDT        2006  2008  3    $1,450,000      $980,000 
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        2007  2009  4    $600,000        $600,000 


Our starting foursome of DEs Huffman and Fox, with DTs Cascadden and Gibson held up pretty well last season. We have depth here now, but I’m contemplating a trade offer for DE Limon – a 3rd round pick might be worth dealing him, I think. I’m feeling good about this group, but Jimmy Fox might end up being the weak link.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        2004  2009  5    $2,000,000      $1,600,000
Gaines, Daryl          55  MLB        2007  2008  4    $450,000        $450,000 
Castaneda, Ronald      64  MLB        2007  2008  2    $300,000        $300,000 
Tyler, Howie            99  SLB        2005  2009  4    $730,000        $690,000 
Jervey, Kim            51  SLB        2006  UFA    5    $0              $0       
Fisk, Stanley          98  WLB        2007  2009  2    $1,050,000      $630,000 
Wiggs, Julio            52  WLB        2006  2008  5    $800,000        $600,000 
Fuller, Luke            53  WLB        2007  2009  2    $360,000        $360,000 


Cedric Goodwin continues to improve – he’s getting better in coverage now, too, gradually. A real star for us right up the middle, with crazy tackle numbers. Howie Tyle is turning into a pretty complete “sam” for us, and is helping with the QB pressure as our main blitz option. Julio Wiggs is a pure run-stopper, and I’m reluctant to sit him for the more well-rounded Stanley Fisk – so Fisk will probably remain our top backup for another season. Jervey is a pass-rusher, worth re-signing if he’ll come cheaply.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Mace, Wes              23  LCB        2006  2008  5    $1,060,000      $800,000 
Gomez, Craig            27  LCB        2005  2008  4    $540,000        $540,000 
Lucas, Irving          30  LCB        2007  UFA    5    $0              $0       
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        2006  2010  3    $2,910,000      $1,390,000
Dunn, Scott            37  RCB        2007  2009  5    $960,000        $930,000 
Richmond, Paul          34  SS          2004  2008  5    $580,000        $530,000 
Jacobs, Thurman        41  FS          2005  2009  4    $1,080,000      $780,000 
Politte, Marlon        38  FS          2007  2010  2    $440,000        $360,000 
Pryor, Jerry            45  FS          2007  ----  4    $0              $0       


Deon Richmond is eroding gradually, and doesn’t really look like a star cover man after all. He’s still worth playing, but doesn’t look like a guy who will be with us for his whole career, after all. Irving Lucas, on a one year deal, started at free safety last year – and might get another shot if he’s willing. Jacobs is pretty good (though not a great man-up cover guy) and will stick around. No stars back here, but we’re okay.

Code:

Players Under Contract: 43
Salary Cap: $75,000,000
Cap Room: $31,310,000
Maximum for New Player: $26,020,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $870,000


That’s our status – we have plenty of cap space, and after we do the deal for DE Limon, we grab another roster spot and draft pick in the exchange. We have almost as much cap space as anyone – and probably fewer actual roster vacancies. Looks promising.


Free Agency

We look around, and quickly find that there are a number of players who would help us.

The first guy to strike my fancy in a big way is RB Roderick Arsenault – the defending Player of the Year, with 5585 yards rushing in his first four years in the league – ouch! Predictably, he is looking for really big chunk of cash – nearly $10m a year. I could do that, but it would take a good share of our resources. I think I’ll put in a bid, though – he’d be the type of impact player that we really covet (even though his ratings aren’t truly extraordinary, he’s a proven commodity). Simple offer – 4yrs, $40, split up evenly.

WR Jermaine Aceves is a mixed bag receiver, but has really good skills (but not great production thus far). He only wants a modest deal – we put in a three year offer, and expect that he’d become our new receivers leader.

At QB, the best guy available seems to be Tyrone Glover, a crisp underneath passer who has been pretty solid for the Giants. I’m not sure he’d be a great fit for a pass-happy attack, but he’d be a good complement to a more run-intensive plan, which we might seek out if we land RB Arsenault. I decide to put in a bid, but not a staggering one – just two years, $15m.

TE Arnie Whiting is another great fit – a dynamite receiving TE from Carolina, who topped 800 yards receiving two seasons ago, and made the all-pro team. Good fit, though not a great pass blocker. My offer is 3yrs, $12m.

RT Bert Schroeder is an excellent pass blocker, though his on-field results have been poor thus far. Regardless, we’ll bring him in, and will slot him on the vulnerable right side of our line.

I make a move for a few more decent players at DT, LB, and CB – but that’s the end of my big money pursuits.


We end up with no competition for any players we pursue – but after several weeks, I have locked up the cheap guys, and still have RB Arsenault, QB Tyrone Glover, and TE Arnie Whiting all sitting pending.

Week six – and we land our first major impact free agent, as RB Roderick Arsenault signs to play in Cleveland. He’s posted two 1,500-yard seasons, and has yet to post a season with under 4.0 yards per carry. Assuming he can deliver anything close to that with us now, he should make a huge impact right away.

I fall back a bit with QB Tyrone Glover, dropping my offer to one year, $6 million. If he comes, fine, if not, fine.

TE Arnie Whiting signs up after a couple more weeks, giving us one more potent weapon on the offense, and QB Glover comes with him. We have landed all three of our major targets – and now have a pretty significantly new look for our offense.

I zip through the remaining FA stages, as we are nearly out of cap space, and I get ready for the rookie draft.

QuikSand 12-08-2003 07:57 PM

Rookie Draft

We finally have some Akron players to see here – a few familiar faces. There are about ten guys in the draft in total, probably two or three have a shot to actually play some pro ball.

QB Marvin Fox (4.0) was Akron’s best player, and comes in as probably the top prospect. Might be a late round pick, with potential in several areas. Good at avoiding interceptions and at holding kicks - he might be able to make my roster.

CB Riddick Leslie (4.0) looks solid, but a bit slight. Decent but very even potentials at the coverage areas make me think he may not pan out – his 93 volatility also supports that theory. Bust in waiting?

The rest all seem to be very marginal prospects at best. I’ll watch to see if any get taken, and I might invite some to camp – but for now, I don’t want to upend my whole team to bring in a fleet of stiffs. DT Ricardo Terrell might have some small chance of grabbing a roster spot with us, I suspect. Others would be charity cases.


Looking at the top prospects, I would like to grab a receiver, and perhaps an offensive lineman. It looks like a pretty poor draft for both positions – of course. My scout rates the top two receivers as 69 and 68 down the road. And I’m no lock to get either one of them. Alas.

When #11 comes around, I decide that WR doesn’t fit – so I go with the best player available, in my opinion. LB Ricky DiGiacomo is a potential star, I think, and I expect that we can move him into the weak-side spot to make our LB corps that much better.

At #18, I end up taking standout safety Deron Ellery, who was a total monster at USC and looks like a pretty complete player for this level. He seems like the best player available – and fits a team need also.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Ricky DiGiacomo, ILB, UCLA
Rnd 1 - Deron Ellery, S, Southern California
Rnd 2 - Terrell Marion, G, Baylor
Rnd 3 - Colin Pieri, DT, Washington
Rnd 6 - Marvin Fox, QB, Akron
Rnd 7 - Ricardo Terrell, DT, Akron


I hope the top two picks work out well – both would really help out this defense. If G Mason is as good as my scouts think he can be, then we’ll have something there, too. Others may or may not amount to anything.

I make a mid-draft deal, since we are already at full capacity, to deal picks in rounds 3,4, and 5 this year to get Chicago’s #2 next season. Not a robbery – not even a good deal, really, but this works for us.

CB Leslie Riddick manages to get snagged in round three – I still predict a bust there, but he’s the first product from my Akron program to actually get selected.


Late Free Agency

We land a trade offer from Minnesota, and are thrilled to get a 2nd round pick for RB Daniel Newman, our new backup. We also get an offer for MLB Cedric Goodwin, but he’s going nowhere.

And right upon starting the late free agency period, I get another trade offer – this time for RB Michael Hudson. Again – I’m not planning to use him a whole lot anyway, so this doesn’t seem too bad. Done deal – second rounder from Denver.

In late free agency, I bring aboard another college standout running back – George Wilson had over 1,700 yards rushing for Notre Dame last year. We’ll hope to give him a look, and perhaps a chance to contend for a good spot. I bring in a couple more RBs also – trying to find decent reserves either at RB or WR.

We head into camp overloaded once again – with 66 players signed to contracts.


Training Camp

We have all our rookies signed before camp – I’m hoping that we get some good news with this year’s crop.

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        Cest        Fest        Cest        Fest        ChgC        CHgF
Glover, Tyrone        2        QB        5        61        61        61        61        0        0
Mathews, Shawn        18        QB        5        47        49        47        49        0        0
Silvers, Bobby        16        QB        5        35        35        36        36        1        1
Fox, Marvin        11        QB        1        17        45        19        44        2        -1
Davis, Steven        14        QB        2        15        48        17        48        2        0
Arsenault, Roderick        33        RB        5        61        62        61        62        0        0
Adams, Donovan        28        RB        2        37        42        38        42        1        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        32        RB        3        34        43        35        43        1        0
Van Pelt, Donnell        21        RB        1        28        38        29        38        1        0
Wilson, George        26        RB        1        28        37        29        37        1        0
Barnes, Jimmie        44        RB        1        23        32        24        31        1        -1
Woodson, Mickey        36        FB        5        52        53        52        53        0        0
Salisbury, Adam        35        FB        5        44        59        47        59        3        0
Badalyan, Brent        47        FB        2        30        48        32        48        2        0
May, Pat        29        FB        2        28        44        29        44        1        0
Whiting, Arnie        84        TE        5        67        67        67        67        0        0
Metzger, Rich        82        TE        5        43        43        43        43        0        0
Simmons, Norm        87        TE        2        24        45        26        45        2        0
O'Rourke, Nathan        88        FL        5        45        45        45        45        0        0
Pritchett, Glen        6        FL        1        18        30        18        28        0        -2
Pritchett, R.J.        31        FL        1        11        33        12        30        1        -3
Aceves, Jermaine        85        SE        5        46        60        48        60        2        0
Sanders, Randall        83        SE        5        46        49        47        49        1        0
Rose, Mickey        89        SE        2        35        51        36        51        1        0
Nichols, Kurt        56        C        5        40        46        43        46        3        0
Hambrick, Antoine        54        C        4        38        46        38        46        0        0
George, Zach        57        C        2        25        41        27        41        2        0
Marion, Terrell        65        LG        1        20        58        22        58        2        0
Hampton, Todd        67        RG        2        21        38        23        38        2        0
Clark, James        66        RG        2        15        37        17        37        2        0
Loera, Herman        62        RG        1        11        24        12        27        1        3
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        4        52        54        52        54        0        0
Schroeder, Bert        74        RT        5        48        53        51        53        3        0
Bass, Frank        73        RT        4        36        38        38        38        2        0
Barber, Erik        60        RT        1        16        34        17        34        1        0
Cochrane, Paul        9        P        5        38        38        38        38        0        0
Stewart, Jay        7        K        4        49        49        50        50        1        1
Fox, Jimmy        93        LDE        2        38        48        41        48        3        0
Schulz, Deion        70        LDE        4        32        38        34        38        2        0
Huffman, Rodney        78        RDE        4        75        75        79        79        4        4
Blum, Dale        94        RDE        3        34        41        35        41        1        0
Cascadden, Gary        72        LDT        2        41        67        43        67        2        0
Gibson, Kris        95        LDT        3        38        51        40        51        2        0
Oliveira, Willie        76        LDT        4        29        46        31        46        2        0
Pieri, Colin        75        RDT        1        17        41        19        40        2        -1
Terrell, Ricardo        97        RDT        1        9        16        10        14        1        -2
Wayne, Harry        79        NT        5        38        50        40        50        2        0
Goodwin, Cedric        92        MLB        5        58        58        58        58        0        0
Casey, Rick        90        MLB        5        51        57        53        57        2        0
Gaines, Daryl        55        MLB        4        33        45        35        45        2        0
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91        MLB        1        31        73        34        72        3        -1
Castaneda, Ronald        64        MLB        2        26        49        29        49        3        0
Tyler, Howie        99        SLB        4        53        59        55        59        2        0
Wiggs, Julio        52        WLB        5        42        42        42        42        0        0
Fisk, Stanley        98        WLB        2        37        53        39        53        2        0
Fuller, Luke        53        WLB        2        22        36        24        36        2        0
Wickliff, Calvin        42        LCB        4        53        53        56        56        3        3
Mace, Wes        23        LCB        5        45        51        49        51        4        0
Gomez, Craig        27        LCB        4        30        52        34        52        4        0
Dunn, Scott        37        RCB        5        51        51        51        51        0        0
Richmond, Deon        43        RCB        3        42        55        47        55        5        0
Richmond, Paul        34        SS        5        33        33        33        33        0        0
Jacobs, Thurman        41        FS        4        43        65        48        65        5        0
Ellery, Deron        46        FS        1        22        66        26        64        4        -2
Politte, Marlon        38        FS        2        17        35        19        35        2        0
Hardee, Herman        48        FS        1        12        27        12        26        0        -1


DE Rodney Huffman was among a few veteran players who had a little “bump” from this year’s training camp – not a major breakout, but a nice little nudge, at least.


Season Analysis

My thinking is that we need to temper these changes going on. With Arsenault arriving, we will go with a pure “featured back” system, rather than the committee of runners we are used to. While we didn’t land a star receiver this year, I think TE Arnie Whiting can become our go-to guy in the underneath routes as well.

Quarterback? I don’t know what to do. I think we’ll take a look in preseason, trying to see what Silvers can still do. But we have Tyrone Glover in place already, and he could be ready to take the reins if needed.

And as we contemplate the QB position, we accept Miami’s trade offer for QB Shawn Mathews – last year’s starter. We get a second rounder, and they may have gotten their starter for this season.

We are out of the basement in the roster ratings – up to a 50 rating, with four teams rated below us.

QuikSand 12-08-2003 07:58 PM

2008 Regular Season

In our first preseason game, Arsenault runs for 99 yards in limited duty, and Bobby Silver stays in most of the way – and looks pretty good. Glover looks sharp in clean-up duty – we’ll get a better look later in the preseason. Silvers goes 7 of 8 in his second game – with one pick. Glover is looking pretty solid, too, but I’m getting the feeling that Silvers can still play. We mop up Minnesota, and both QBs look extremely sharp – this is very tough. But – Tyrone Glover comes down with an elbow injury, which settles the opening day starter “controversy.” We’ll go into the season once again with Bobby Silvers listed as our #1 signal caller.

Steven Davis and Marvin Fox battle for the backup job for now – I decide that Davis is probably better suited for it right away, and he will be our reserve for the first few weeks while Glover recovers.

We also start the season with new TE Arnie Whiting on the sideline with a broken collar bone. So, two of our “big three” new faces are taking a seat as we get things started. Arsenault, though, is ready to go.

Game one – we’re in upheaval again. QB Bobby Silvers blows out his knee, sidelining him for the season, and probably ending his football career. My “insurance policy” was certainly a good move – but even he is on the sideline now. We’ll start Glover even though he is hurt – and he’ll have to be our trigger man through the season.

In game two, Glover goes out, and we have Steven Davis in there for most of the game, until even he gets hurt. Glover finished up, but both are on the injured list for the coming week. MLB Cedric Goodwin, our defensive anchor, is also out for a while. This is starting to look like a M*A*S*H unit.

Behind Glover and Arsenault, and a staunch defense, we get our first win of the season, at home over Oakland. The next week, Arsenault tops 100 for the first time with us, despite a close loss to Tennessee. We’re settling down, at least.

Roderick Arsenault, after posting his second straight 100-yard game, is injured – and will miss three weeks. Our injury-related adjustments continue, it seems. He misses the chance to play against his old Houston team, who are undefeated this year without him, oddly enough. They shut us down, winning only 7-0, but our offense is awful.

We get a surprise dominating win over Baltimore in week 7, winning 41-16. Glover was good, and is starting to build some buzz with now-healthy TE Whiting (6-95 and a TD). Rookie LB Ricky DiGiacomo has 9 tackles to lead the team – and is playing pretty well after being thrown right into the fire. (Everybody around him has been hurt, so we really needed him anyway) And when we eke out a 10-7 win over Jacksonville, we make it too or halfway point at a remarkable 4-4.

Glover has a QB rating of 68.6 – not exactly the kind of efficiency we were looking for from him. Arsenault, who should return for our next game, has 430 yards rushing in 5 games – not too bad. And WR Randall Sanders may be on his way to a 1,000-yard season, which would be a first for this franchise.


Down the stretch, we are 7-6, and in a three-way tie for the division lead. For the first time, we are talking about a possible playoff run. Hosting Pittsburgh, also 7-6, is a huge game at this point. We get DE Huffman back after his second injury this season, and hope that the DL can get more pressure. We clobber the Steelers 27-6, behind more than 200 yards on the ground – 132 from Asrsenault. Suddenly, we are in a serious position.

Bobby Silvers is rehabbing, but still a few weeks away from getting back. He simply won’t be a factor this year, I’m pretty sure, and we’ll have to test him out after his recovery – he may lose another couple of notches, which would render him pretty useless, I fear.

A big win over Dallas, behind 4 TD passes from Glover and again over 200 yards rushing, puts us to 9-6, and in command in the division. We are now a lock to take the division title, and will make our first postseason appearance.

Roderick Arsenault is over 1,000 yards now, despite only playing in 11 games – he is averaging 4.4 yards per carry, which is better than anyone else has been able to do on this team. WR Randall Sanders needs 87 yards to top 1,000 on the season. We drop the last game, and Sanders falls just short of the mark – but it’s a pretty good season nonetheless.

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2008 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 9-7
Winning Pct.: .562
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  409      22         
Rushing Yards          1768      14         
Yards Per Carry        4.32      7         
Pass Attempts          601      2 (T)     
Completions            342      6         
Passing Yards          3609      18         
Yards Per Attempt      6.00      26 (T)     
3rd Down Conversions    38.6      26         
Points Per Game        21.3      9 (T)     
Turnovers              24        14 (T)     
Turnover Margin        +8        6 (T)     
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  442      15         
Rushing Yards          1574      7         
Yards Per Carry        3.56      1 (T)     
Pass Attempts          578      30         
Completions            316      18         
Passing Yards          3661      21         
Yards Per Attempt      6.33      7         
3rd Down Conversions    41.2      15         
Points Per Game        15.6      4         
Turnovers              32        5 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    10    CIN          19     
2    13    at WAS        20     
3    23    OAK          9     
4    20    TEN          23     
5    27    at JAX        20     
6    0    at HOU        7     
7    41    BAL          16     
8    10    IND          7     
9    13    at PIT        30     
11    21    at CIN        14     
12    13    at PHI        24     
13    28    at NED        7     
14    36    NYG          14     
15    27    PIT          6     
16    35    DAL          7     
17    24    at BAL        27     
$$WC        TEN                 
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
2 Glover            QB    534  307  3323  6.22  21    14     
14 Davis            QB    36    19    167  4.63  0    1     
**Team              ---  601  342  3609  6.00  21    17     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
33 Arsenault        RB    246  1068  4.34  5     
28 Adams            RB    78    346  4.43  3     
2 Glover            QB    36    181  5.02  2     
32 Ramsey          RB    32    117  3.65  0     
**Team              ---  409  1768  4.32  12     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
83 Sanders          WR    147  77    983  12.7  128  5     
84 Whiting          TE    98    66    724  10.9  226  4     
85 Aceves          WR    105  57    590  10.3  75    4     
82 Metzger          TE    56    34    298  8.7  62    1     
89 Rose            WR    62    29    295  10.1  17    3     
88 O'Rourke        WR    49    25    289  11.5  39    0     
36 Woodson          FB    23    16    91    5.6  37    1     
**Team              ---  600  342  3609  10.5  718  21     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
90 Casey            ILB  83    18    0.0  0    2    14     
41 Jacobs          S    81    22    2.0  0    5    8     
99 Tyler            OLB  66    27    5.5  11    3    10     
23 Mace            CB    64    7    2.0  1    4    11     
91 DiGiacomo        OLB  58    24    2.0  3    0    10     
72 Cascadden        DT    53    25    4.0  13    0    0     
92 Goodwin          ILB  51    27    1.0  0    1    3     
37 Dunn            CB    49    14    2.0  0    3    11     
27 Gomez            CB    43    7    1.0  0    2    4     
46 Ellery          S    42    27    0.0  0    0    3     
98 Fisk            OLB  37    14    1.0  3    1    1     
95 Gibson          DT    32    15    1.5  2    0    0     
78 Huffman          DE    29    7    0.5  18    0    0     
79 Wayne            DT    28    18    1.5  4    0    1     
42 Wickliff        CB    25    7    1.0  0    1    6     
93 Fox              DE    21    10    6.5  5    0    1     
**Team              ---  844  292  35.0  70    24    89     


Overall, this is the sort of defense I love to see. We were #1 in yards allowed per carry, #7 in yards allowed per pass, and #4 in scoring allowed. Great results.


Looking over the stats – note that TE Arnie Whiting posted some pretty staggering numbers for a tight end, and that was only starting 10 games (playing in 13). If he ends up averaging 6 catches a game next season, he can be a very powerful weapon in our offense.

We also got our money’s worth out of LB Rick Casey, who we grabbed as a cheap free agent because he’s of the same general mold as our starting MLB, Cedric Goodwin. When Goodwin went down for most of this season, Casey Started at MLB, and we didn’t lose too much when our best defensive player went down – Casey stepped in very well for us.

Incidentally, Bobby Silvers is probably done as a professional football player. Two serious leg injuries have rendered him a shell of his former self, and our biggest decision is whether to retain him for next year with his significant salary.

QuikSand 12-08-2003 07:58 PM

2008 Post-season

Our first postseason game is at home, against 10-6 wild card Tennessee. They are a run-first, play-action type of offense, and they focus very aggressively on stopping the run on defense. It’s a pretty similar style to what we play – so I don’t expect either team to try to get cute here – it ought to just be head-to-head football.

The game opens with two long drives, that each end in a turnover. We manage to slowly build on field position in the first half, capitalize twice for field goals, and take a 6-0 lead into the half.

In the third quarter, Tennessee makes a great drive down the field, and punches in for the tying score, but misses the PAT so it remains tied at 6-6. Later down the road, though, Tennessee manages to run down to put up a field goal… and that’s all it takes. They keep Arsenault in check (79 yards) and that’s really all it takes to cinch up the win. Pretty good effort, but we just couldn’t put it away.


Season Wrap-up

Code:

2008 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Kim Roux                    HOU   
Offensive Player of the Year                  Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Bertram Pye                ATL   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Adam Madison                TBY   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Gilbert Mesa                PHI   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
All-League First-String Running Back          Brian Grant                STL   
All-League First-String Fullback              David Richardson            ATL   
All-League First-String Tight End            Chris Paz                  JAX   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  PHI   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Steven Vega                GBY   
All-League First-String Center                Kenny Calvo                MIA   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Jerrell Randolph            HOU   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Aaron Jacobs                NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Ned Ford                    NED   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Leon Culver                KCY   
All-League First-String Punter                Ross Hanks                  MIN   
All-League First-String Kicker                Landon Testa                TEN   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Tony Case                  BAL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Ervin Hope                  DEN   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Jamie Curtis                WAS   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Bernard Manzo              DET   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Bertram Pye                ATL   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    David Williamson            STL   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Nathanial Stiles            TBY   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Nestor Vickery              JAX   
All-League First-String Safety                Elwood Hewitt              MIN   
All-League First-String Safety                William Logan              SDO   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Lacy Pereyra                PIT   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Levon Farrell              NYG   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Richard Cummins            TBY   
All-League Second-String Tight End            Elden Mullins              MIA   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Floyd Robinson              DEN   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Eldridge Zapata            STL   
All-League Second-String Center              Damien Kester              DAL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              STL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Randall Ayotte              SEA   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Chance Davis                ARI   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Ellsworth Williams          HOU   
All-League Second-String Punter              Justin Shannon              NYJ   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Herb Collins                JAX   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Ricky Graham                NYG   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Doug Garcia                TEN   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Chris Johnson              OAK   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Desmond Shirk              ATL   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    William Dubois              ARI   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Nelson Borders              CAR   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Andrew Colston              DET   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          August Marron              NOS   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Willard Starr              TEN   
All-League Second-String Safety              Michael Heredia            OAK   
All-League Second-String Safety              Dewayne Rhinehart          SEA   
League's Fastest Man                          Paul Lavery                BAL   
League's Strongest Man                        Aaron Jacobs                NYJ   


Our best season so far, and we’re completely left out of the all-pro listings. No surprise – though RB Arsenault might have gotten there had he remained healthy all year.

We’ll have questions to resolve – starting at QB. We signed Tyrone Glover for just one year – so we’ll have to decide about him. He improved in the second half – but he’s clearly just a “don’t lose the game” kind of guy – but perhaps that’s what we need on this team, with a developing defense, and an improving running back. Prior to the end of this season, we released QB Bobby Silvers – purely a cap management decision, but not one that I wanted to get to like this.

Finally a taste of the playoffs – but this certainly still seems like an incomplete team, overall. And now, we will finally have to face financial constraints – we might not be able to re-sign the players we would like to for next season.

QuikSand 12-09-2003 10:54 AM

2009 preseason

Transitions and League Observations

We don’t have any retirements, and QB Bobby Silvers (let go late last season) remains in the free agent pool, hoping to get one more chance from somebody.


Front Office Decisions

Our defensive coordinator is out of contract – and I’ll look for a possible (younger) replacement. I pursue the DC from Minnesota, and we wrap him up with a pretty fat offer.

Def Coord: Ted Keith, 54
EX: DL
VG: LB,DB
GD: PK
AV: YT


Roster Review

Here’s the salary summery – sorted by current salary number, so we can easily see where our priorities have to lie (as we are losing a lot of players).

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Arsenault, Roderick    33  RB          2008  2011  6    $8,750,000      $7,000,000
Huffman, Rodney        78  RDE        2005  2010  5    $5,140,000      $2,390,000
Whiting, Arnie          84  TE          2008  2010  6    $3,700,000      $2,700,000
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        2006  2010  4    $3,300,000      $1,780,000
Van Pelt, Donnell      21  RB          2008  2009  2    $3,000,000      $3,000,000
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        2007  2011  3    $2,380,000      $1,150,000
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91  WLB        2008  2012  2    $2,110,000      $880,000 
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        2004  2009  6    $2,000,000      $1,600,000
Ellery, Deron          46  FS          2008  2012  2    $1,840,000      $900,000 
Schroeder, Bert        74  RT          2008  2010  6    $1,600,000      $1,200,000
Rose, Mickey            89  SE          2007  2009  3    $1,240,000      $820,000 
Fisk, Stanley          98  WLB        2007  2009  3    $1,240,000      $820,000 
O'Rourke, Nathan        88  FL          2004  2009  6    $1,210,000      $1,140,000
Jacobs, Thurman        41  FS          2005  2009  5    $1,200,000      $900,000 
Dunn, Scott            37  RCB        2007  2009  6    $1,180,000      $1,150,000
Nichols, Kurt          56  C          2006  2010  6    $1,140,000      $900,000 
Hambrick, Antoine      54  C          2007  2009  5    $1,140,000      $1,080,000
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        2007  2010  3    $1,140,000      $710,000 
Casey, Rick            90  MLB        2008  2009  6    $1,070,000      $1,000,000
Marion, Terrell        65  LG          2008  2010  2    $1,050,000      $630,000 
Tyler, Howie            99  SLB        2005  2009  5    $1,030,000      $990,000 
Wayne, Harry            79  NT          2008  2010  6    $910,000        $890,000 
Wickliff, Calvin        42  LCB        2008  2010  5    $910,000        $890,000 
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        2007  2009  5    $900,000        $900,000 
Aceves, Jermaine        85  SE          2008  2009  6    $840,000        $780,000 
Blum, Dale              94  RDE        2006  2009  4    $720,000        $600,000 
Salisbury, Adam        35  FB          2008  2010  6    $700,000        $700,000 
Schulz, Deion          70  LDE        2005  2009  5    $650,000        $650,000 
Hampton, Todd          67  RG          2007  2010  3    $650,000        $470,000 
Stewart, Jay            7  K          2008  2009  5    $620,000        $620,000 
Pieri, Colin            75  RDT        2008  2010  2    $560,000        $380,000 
Badalyan, Brent        47  FB          2008  2009  3    $500,000        $500,000 
Fox, Marvin            11  QB          2008  2010  2    $380,000        $360,000 
Glover, Tyrone          2  QB          2008  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          2006  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Metzger, Rich          82  TE          2006  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Sanders, Randall        83  SE          2006  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Cochrane, Paul          9  P          2004  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Wiggs, Julio            52  WLB        2006  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Mace, Wes              23  LCB        2006  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          2005  UFA    5    $0              $0       
Bass, Frank            73  RT          2007  UFA    5    $0              $0       
Gomez, Craig            27  LCB        2005  UFA    5    $0              $0       
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          2006  ----  4    $0              $0       
Gibson, Kris            95  LDT        2006  ----  4    $0              $0       
Davis, Steven          14  QB          2007  ----  3    $0              $0       
Adams, Donovan          28  RB          2007  ----  3    $0              $0       
George, Zach            57  C          2007  ----  3    $0              $0       
Clark, James            66  RG          2007  ----  3    $0              $0       
Castaneda, Ronald      64  MLB        2007  ----  3    $0              $0       
Loera, Herman          62  RG          2008  ----  2    $0              $0       
Hardee, Herman          48  FS          2008  ----  2    $0              $0       


One quick adjustment will be to release RB Van Pelt – his $3,000,000 salary is a typo from last year’s offer (extra zero) and that will help. But we still will only have $22m in cap space, with 21 roster spaces to fill. Including, of course, starting quartercack.

At the moment, our only QB on the roster is Akron’s own Marvin Fox. I’m not so sure that we’re ready to hand things over to him.


Free Agency

My first move is to try to work out a long term offer for LT Bennie Heinlein, who has been very effective for us in his four years. He’s not all that highly regarded, so we offer 3yrs, $3.6m flat – and might have a shot to work it out with him.

We also get in a reasonable offer to FB Mickey Woodson, despite the fact that we have two other competent fullbacks – this is the guy I like to use.

WR Randall Sanders seems to be a good fit in our system, but is also not holding out for giant cash – so my 3yr offer is very affordable, also. Good news again.

We’ve got to decide what to do at cornerback. Deon Richmond missed nearly all of last year, and Scott Dunn returns. Calvin Wickliff is a nice utility reserve, but I don’t think he’s a starter. So – we’re okay for now, but might pursue a new deal with either Wes Mace or Scott Gomez before we settle everything here.

So – we have some cap space to work with, and the free agency market is open to us more than ever. I’d like, in particular, to wrap up improvements at QB and guard.

QB Quentin McDaniel has been a four-year starter for Detroit, with solid seasons, but not a superstar. Four years, and an 89/81 ratio – decent, but not outstanding. Right now, he seems like the best option at QB – and seeks about $7m a year. I’ll consider making an offer… I’d be more confident if he had put up at least one very good year, rather than being “pretty good” every year so far.

DE Butch Holbert was relegated to the bench in Chicago last year, but seems to be solid – would make a very nice addition to our depth chart up front. We make a standard three year offer.

G Lincoln Gruber would start for us at right guard, providing additional pass protection on the right side. He looks pretty effective – and would probably become our offensive line leader, too. I put in an offer, thinking he’d be a good fit.

CB Zack Callens is a perfect fit for our defense – a man coverage specialist who can make interceptions. Seems ideal, and we won’t have to pay for other skills, so he is affordable to us. Might be the answer for our secondary. I also decide to put in an offer for Chris Gomez, our own guy.

WR Josh Andruzzi is an exciting talent, very fast, but has yet to put it all together with the Jets. I will lay off – I can’t afford $7m for an unproven commodity, I don’t think.


So, including our own players – we have seven pursuits identified, all pretty cheap (under $2m.yr). That leaves enough space for a QB – but if we go after an expensive QB, we won’t be able to make any more moves. I’m not so sold on Quentin McDaniel that I want to leave the whole team with huge gaps – so my plan will be to search for value at the QB position, and to possibly look for a rookie there as well.

In the first week of free agency, we are pleased to see everything going fine with our several pursuits. QB Quentin McDaniel wouldn’t have come to us anyway, it seems – he received a fat offer from Buffalo, and will probably go there.

After seven weeks, all our guys are signed, and so is QB McDaniel to Buffalo (with a $10m signing bonus). We have $8 million or so to spend on three more roster spots – so the resolution of the QB position is obviously the biggest thing left to do.

Our options include re-signing QB Tyrone Glover, which would make a certain degree of sense. He wants $8m a year – so that’s a challenge financially, but it’s certainly a viable option. Shawn Mathews, another injury fill-in for us, is also available. Plus, there are other familiar faces – including Bobby Silvers and Steven Davis. I cannot find other guys who stand out from the crowd of available free agents – but we might consider a new addition, especially if we don’t draft a rookie.

The QB position goes untouched through the entire 20-stage process, and I’m content to wait until after the rookie draft to see where we can go there. I have lots of leverage in this draft (with a staggering five second round picks) so we might be able to make a move, if we like someone in the early part of the draft. Absent such a big move, we might be able to come up with a one or two year deal for someone like Glover or Mathews, both of whom are familiar with our team.


Rookie Draft

There are a few guys from Akron in this draft – again, I don’t think there will be an earth-shattering effect, but I do think we will get one impact player.

LB Don Montgomery (4.1) – Was a great ‘backer at Akron before having academic problems – missed his last two seasons, so he looks like a college guy who came from absolutely nowhere (zero stats his last season show up in FOF 2004). He projects to be a decent all-around player, but it will mostly be potential (he’s 24/49 by my scout).

S Alex Bunch (3.8) – looks like a solid prospect, maybe a late round pickup. High volatility (98) makes him suspect.

CB Wally Maloney and DE Johnny Rock were both great college players, but neither one looks to be worth much at the next level. Punter B.J. Wolf looks like he’s got a shot to catch on somewhere – maybe here in Cleveland, even.


Now, I’d love to land a top-grade quarterback in this draft – but as luck would have it, there’s nobody who seems to fill the bill, as nearly as I can tell.

The most fascinating player in the draft is LB Zach Reich, who is graded as an 8.0, and looks to have a very complete skill set. What’s so weird about him? He ran a 4.36 40-yard time, which makes him the third-fastest player in the entire draft. Wow.

Cincinnati takes LB Reich at #6 – so he will be in our division – wonderful.


I’m eyeing a couple of wideouts who slip out of the top ten spots. A.J. Ralston from Georgie Tech looks very good, and Zach Blair from Syracuse would be my next choice. Interestingly, Blair’s college QB Vincent Turnbull is probably the next QB to go in the draft as well. I see both guys as somewhat risky projects, but both have real upside, too.

QB Turnbull goes at pick #17 to Detroit, leaving my options at #22 even more limited. I decide that I want to get a wideout here – and I’ll wait until one of the two goes off the board, and then move up if need be to grab the other one. WR Ralston is #18 to San Francisco, so my hand is somewhat forced here.

With my plethora of extra draft picks, I decide to dip in and approach Denver. Two late seconds and a fourth pick later, and we have selection #19 in this draft, with which we take wide receiver Zach Blair from the ‘Cuse.

At #25, we could go with another wideout, as there are a few available, but instead I want to go with a defensive player. I’m also keeping a loose eye on G Lawrence Davidson from Clemson, who would make a great second round pick, I think.

There are two really good defensive players sitting here at #25 – LB Rickey Morrow and S Kirk Weed. I feel that our secondary is in greater need than our LB corps, so I grab Weed. Last year’s selection of Deron Ellery doesn’t look like it got us a true impact player – so we hope this one will do so. Either way, it ought to give us another legitimate option there.

Lawrence Davidson, my target left guard, gets taken at pick #32, to my chagrin. So, our two picks in the early second round will have to go elsewhere. I don’t have a real plan – I’ll just be looking for BPA. I end up grabbing another speedy wideout, and a pass-rushing OLB.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Kirk Weed, S, Auburn
Rnd 1 - Zach Blair, WR, Syracuse
Rnd 2 - Darrin Regalado, OLB, Georgia Tech
Rnd 2 - Oscar Goodwin, WR, Illinois
Rnd 2 - Johnny Burns, DE, Oregon
Rnd 3 - Marco Clancy, QB, Michigan
Rnd 5 - Nolan Newell, ILB, Marshall
Rnd 6 - Lionel Gunther, TE, Boston College
Rnd 7 - Jason Mulkey, G, Southern California


In round three, I finally select a quarterback, Michigan’s Marco Clancy. Super-high volatility might be a good or a bad sign, but he has enough going for him to merit interest. He ranked atop the “adjusted ratings” list since the early second round – so I feel we’re getting some value here, also.

Cincinnati took LB Don Montgomery in round six – so we’ll be able to keep tabs on him from with in the division. We’ll check in to see how he looks after training camp.

We receive a trade offer – a 4th round pick for FB Adam Salisbury – and quickly accept. He’s solid, but decent fullbacks are pretty easy to locate, and we have three. Done.


Late Free Agency

With all but our two first round draft picks signed, we have about $12m total to spend – with 47 roster spots spoken for. That leaves room to bring in rookies, and to spend some money on a player, or a few. We would like very much to resolve our immediate quarterback picture, with one or maybe two veterans.

Tyrone Glover has substantially adjusted his demands since before the draft, and is now seeking something along the lines of $3 million per season – half of where he was a few weeks ago. That is an awful lot closer to what I can afford than the $7m he sought before.

We also like what we see in RB Archie Ramsey, who did pretty well for Carolina playing for three seasons. Good, quick back who should be helpful for us as we need some depth there.


So, we settle on an offer to QB Tyrone Glover, and prepare to move onward. However, a twist in our plans arises – we now have competition. Detroit has put in a four year offer – comparable to ours, I think. Might make this a bit tougher. Through six weeks, he cannot decide between our offers – meanwhile, all our other players are signed.

As an insurance policy, we re-sign QB Stephen Davis – I really am not wild about the prospect of him taking over as our starter, but he could grow into the #2 job, I suppose.

In week seven of eight, Tyrone Glover decides – and accepts our offer. We are offering him to return as the starting QB for a playoff team – that has to be worth something, even if he’s upset that we didn’t pay him big, big money.

I give one last look at the free agent market, and I’m a little but concerned about the QB position. If rookie Clancy isn’t ready to contribute this year (pretty likely), then we’ll have Steven Davis as our #2 – and each of the last two years, our #2 ended up being the main starter. That’s a bit too much pressure, I fear. I check out the field – nobody really strikes me, but we have some options if we need them. That should be fine, rather than laying out yet another signing bonus.


Training Camp

We bring 62 players into camp this season – here’s the layout:

Code:

Player        #        Pos        Exp        Cest        Fest        Cest        Fest        ChgC        ChgF
Glover, Tyrone        2        QB        6        60        60        60        60        0        0
Fox, Marvin        11        QB        2        19        43        21        43        2        0
Clancy, Marco        8        QB        1        15        65        20        63        5        -2
Davis, Steven        14        QB        3        16        47        19        47        3        0
Arsenault, Roderick        33        RB        6        61        61        61        61        0        0
Ramsey, Archie        29        RB        4        49        49        51        51        2        2
Adams, Donovan        28        RB        3        40        41        41        41        1        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        32        RB        4        37        43        38        43        1        0
Tiller, Myron        45        RB        1        29        37        31        40        2        3
Cambini, Brad        20        RB        1        29        33        30        33        1        0
Woodson, Mickey        36        FB        6        52        53        52        53        0        0
Badalyan, Brent        47        FB        3        28        42        30        42        2        0
Goodwin, Ian        23        FB        1        28        45        29        45        1        0
Whiting, Arnie        84        TE        6        67        67        67        67        0        0
Schroeder, Lamar        87        TE        1        18        40        22        43        4        3
Gunther, Lionel        86        TE        1        14        44        15        39        1        -5
O'Rourke, Nathan        88        FL        6        45        45        45        45        0        0
Blair, Zach        81        FL        1        36        69        34        64        -2        -5
Aceves, Jermaine        85        SE        6        60        61        62        62        2        1
Sanders, Randall        83        SE        6        48        49        48        49        0        0
Rose, Mickey        89        SE        3        39        48        41        48        2        0
Goodwin, Oscar        80        SE        1        36        54        39        51        3        -3
Nichols, Kurt        56        C        6        46        46        46        46        0        0
Hambrick, Antoine        54        C        5        40        47        40        47        0        0
Marion, Terrell        65        LG        2        32        59        34        59        2        0
Mulkey, Jason        55        LG        1        20        34        24        38        4        4
Gruber, Lincoln        63        RG        5        53        53        53        53        0        0
Hampton, Todd        67        RG        3        27        37        29        37        2        0
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        5        52        54        52        54        0        0
Cox, Hugh        60        LT        1        20        43        23        48        3        5
Schroeder, Bert        74        RT        6        64        64        64        64        0        0
Wolf, B.J.        1        P        1        7        19        8        19        1        0
Stewart, Jay        7        K        5        45        45        45        45        0        0
Vallejo, Jeremy        19        K        1        29        50        34        57        5        7
Holton, Butch        97        LDE        6        57        57        57        57        0        0
Fox, Jimmy        93        LDE        3        45        46        47        47        2        1
Schulz, Deion        70        LDE        5        35        39        37        39        2        0
Huffman, Rodney        78        RDE        5        79        79        79        79        0        0
Blum, Dale        94        RDE        4        37        41        38        41        1        0
Burns, Johnny        96        RDE        1        16        47        17        42        1        -5
Rock, Johnny        77        RDE        1        14        22        15        24        1        2
Cascadden, Gary        72        LDT        3        52        68        54        68        2        0
Gibson, Kris        95        LDT        4        45        52        47        52        2        0
Oliveira, Willie        76        LDT        5        31        46        33        46        2        0
Pieri, Colin        75        RDT        2        19        40        21        40        2        0
Wayne, Harry        79        NT        6        44        51        46        51        2        0
Daveria, Greg        59        SILB        1        22        50        26        53        4        3
Goodwin, Cedric        92        MLB        6        59        59        59        59        0        0
Casey, Rick        90        MLB        6        55        57        55        57        0        0
Castaneda, Ronald        64        MLB        3        29        50        32        50        3        0
Tyler, Howie        99        SLB        5        58        60        58        60        0        0
Newell, Nolan        53        SLB        1        14        51        16        45        2        -6
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91        WLB        2        37        73        43        73        6        0
Fisk, Stanley        98        WLB        3        38        51        41        51        3        0
Regalado, Darrin        52        WLB        1        35        60        37        57        2        -3
Wickliff, Calvin        42        LCB        5        55        55        55        55        0        0
Gomez, Craig        27        LCB        5        41        53        43        53        2        0
Callens, Zack        39        RCB        6        57        57        57        57        0        0
Dunn, Scott        37        RCB        6        52        52        52        52        0        0
Richmond, Deon        43        RCB        4        48        54        52        54        4        0
Cowley, Kelly        31        RCB        3        32        53        36        53        4        0
Weed, Kirk        24        SS        1        44        62        43        60        -1        -2
Jacobs, Thurman        41        FS        5        55        66        60        66        5        0
Ellery, Deron        46        FS        2        36        57        41        57        5        0


I don’t even have my top two picks signed, but the early returns are not too encouraging. Both lost some ground in their future ratings – which just isn’t a great sign.

We get WR Zach Blair signed, and it looks like he won’t be quite what we had hoped for – he has pretty good hands, but may not have the crisp skills needed to get open a lot. Oscar Goodwin, drafted later in the second round, might turn out to be more prolific – though each has his own set of skills.

QB Marco Clancy, however, looks like he might be pretty solid. Mixed skill set, but he has some real upside. LB Darrin Regalado looks like he can be a very effective pass-rusher, whether it’s from an OLB or even DE position.

In the draft review, we are awarded a B-plus, our best rating yet. We have two players on “The Green Page” – QB Clancy ranked 8th, and WR Zach Blair down the list a ways.


Season Analysis

Tough to say where we will go this year. I don’t think we made any major impact additions – perhaps save DE Butch Holton, who certainly helps us with depth, and might even become a starter for us. But the rookie receivers will be rotation players at most, and I don’t think we’ll see a breakout there. Overall, we’re largely the same team as how we ended up last season – hoping that a year to gel will help us to improve a shade further.

Our roster rating is up to 61… still in the bottom third, but rising.

I haven’t been watching cohesion closely – but now it stands at 89-98-99-87, pretty highly regarded in every area. The passing game took a dent by adding two promising rookies, and we have rookie Zach Blair currently slated to start for us at flanker. But overall, we have been pretty stable.


This year, we will try to put it together again, and make another run at the postseason. Our WR corps has never been better, and we ought to have pretty good offensive balance. On defense, we just want more of the same from last year – maybe add in a few more sacks. Tough to argue on that side. A division win will again be the main goal I don’t know if we have enough pieces in place to be thinking much bigger than that.

QuikSand 12-09-2003 10:54 AM

2009 Regular Season

In our opener against Pittsburgh, our defense comes out swinging – getting 8 QB sacks en route to a great shutout, 26-0. QB Glover gets dinged up, and will be listed as questionable for next week, but what an opening game!

After we roar to a 3-0 start, Tyrone Glover’s abdominal injury just gets worse, and we simply have to sit him down. Tough call on who should start – but I decide to go with the rookie, Marco Clancy. Glover ought to be okay in a couple of weeks, so we’ll do our best without him.

We lose in Clancy’s debut, but we had a 19-3 lead and choked it away – only one pick, so it’s tough to lay this on him. Tyrone Glover declares himself ready to go – and we reinstate him as the starter. We run our record to 5-2 with a good rushing attack and solid defense, but then we have our next roster crisis.

RB Roderick Arsenault blows out his knee – it will require surgery, and he’s done. Definitely for the year – who knows about after that. Another big ouch, as our best player has washed ashore yet again. Veteran Archie Ramsey will step in and start, but Arsenault’s production (640 yards rushing in 7 games) will be sorely missed. We’re back to our committee system again, it seems.

At 6-2 halfway home, our division looks pretty weak and we are looking good, but a bit unknown with the loss of Arsenault. We’re also going to be without LB Cedric Goodwin for a while – but at least I have confidence in my backups there. Pittsburgh gets their revenge on us, and pulls within one game of us in the division race.

The next knee blowout is that of QB Tyrone Glover. Now we face a real challenge. We’ll have little choice but to toss rookie Mario Clancy in for the rest of the way, and it will be his lead to lose. I don’t feel like we have time to bring a brand new QB up to speed. That is, unless. . .

We re-sign Bobby Silvers for the league minimum for this year, and place him at #2 on the depth chart. He’s not the speedy, flashy track star we once built around – but we know him and he’s ready to go.

We also have to sub in at RB, giving Kendrick Ramsey a chance to start in place of injured Archie Ramsey (tough to keep straight). TE Whiting is out again, too – and I don’t think we’ll ever get 16 games from this guy.

We reel off two wins behind Clancy, and even get Silvers into the win over Chicago for one pass. Another win behind the youngster, and we can see him improving week by week – I’m rapidly getting sold on his future, even while he has our present right in his hands.

We get to 10-3, a remarkably lofty record, when we suffer our next setback. Any guesses? Of course! QB Marco Clancy’s elbow is twisted around, and he will need a few weeks off. This leaves us with hardly an option at all. With second and third choices installed all over the backfield, we will try to finish out this injury-marred season with Bobby Silvers behind center.

In his re-debut, Bobby Silvers has three picks and we lose to Baltimore. He shows some signs of his old self – but that player is long gone. The next week, though, Silvers is our MVP completing 27 or 37 in a wonderful game.

11-4 is only one game better than Pittsburgh, so we have to win our finale at Cinti. If we win, we will get a much-needed bye week, and probably the #2 seed in the AFC. A clutch 27-24 win seals it, and we are headed into the postseason again, as repeat champs of the AFC North division.

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2009 Regular Season Standings
 
  AC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Cleveland              12  4  0  .750  384  246  8-4    4-2     
Pittsburgh              10  6  0  .625  337  321  7-5    3-3     
Baltimore              8  8  0  .500  366  359  6-6    4-2     
Cincinnati              6  10  0  .375  347  317  5-7    1-5     
 
  AC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Jacksonville            13  3  0  .813  437  336  10-2    4-2     
Tennessee              10  6  0  .625  372  295  8-4    5-1     
Indianapolis            7  9  0  .438  337  419  5-7    1-5     
Houston                5  11  0  .313  319  396  4-8    2-4     
 
  AC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Buffalo                8  8  0  .500  315  334  7-5    4-2     
Miami                  8  8  0  .500  340  335  6-6    3-3     
New York J              8  8  0  .500  306  290  4-8    3-3     
New England            6  10  0  .375  306  312  4-8    2-4     
 
  AC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Denver                  8  8  0  .500  288  302  5-7    2-4     
Kansas City            7  9  0  .438  365  312  6-6    4-2     
Oakland                7  9  0  .438  364  348  6-6    3-3     
San Diego              6  10  0  .375  310  381  5-7    3-3     
 
  NC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Chicago                11  5  0  .688  361  349  9-3    6-0     
Green Bay              7  9  0  .438  347  375  6-6    3-3     
Detroit                5  11  0  .313  280  371  3-9    2-4     
Minnesota              4  12  0  .250  272  391  3-9    1-5     
 
  NC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
New Orleans            10  6  0  .625  375  296  7-5    5-1     
Atlanta                9  7  0  .563  338  321  6-6    3-3     
Tampa Bay              6  10  0  .375  239  321  5-7    3-3     
Carolina                4  12  0  .250  182  328  4-8    1-5     
 
  NC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Dallas                  15  1  0  .938  376  236  12-0    6-0     
Philadelphia            13  3  0  .813  431  364  10-2    4-2     
Washington              7  9  0  .438  301  313  5-7    2-4     
New York G              2  14  0  .125  294  402  0-12    0-6     
 
  NC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
St. Louis              10  6  0  .625  413  343  8-4    3-3     
Arizona                10  6  0  .625  404  372  7-5    4-2     
San Francisco          8  8  0  .500  324  295  6-6    3-3     
Seattle                6  10  0  .375  271  321  5-7    2-4     


There is a lot of mediocrity in this league – lots in the AFC. We will take our week off, and await a contender from the wild card round.

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2009 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 12-4
Winning Pct.: .750
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  429      17         
Rushing Yards          2057      8         
Yards Per Carry        4.79      3         
Pass Attempts          539      18         
Completions            332      10         
Passing Yards          3316      25         
Yards Per Attempt      6.15      24 (T)     
3rd Down Conversions    40.1      23         
Points Per Game        24.0      5         
Turnovers              30        25 (T)     
Turnover Margin        -2        19 (T)     
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  395      6         
Rushing Yards          1406      2         
Yards Per Carry        3.55      4         
Pass Attempts          543      17         
Completions            291      5         
Passing Yards          3341      8         
Yards Per Attempt      6.15      6         
3rd Down Conversions    36.4      3 (T)     
Points Per Game        15.3      2         
Turnovers              28        6 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    22    at PIT        0     
2    27    MIN          16     
3    30    at HOU        6     
5    19    DEN          21     
6    10    OAK          35     
7    38    at SDO        17     
8    10    at KCY        9     
9    27    BAL          3     
10    16    PIT          28     
11    19    CIN          14     
12    37    at CHI        7     
13    31    MIA          25     
14    34    at DET        7     
15    10    at BAL        24     
16    27    GBY          10     
17    27    at CIN        24     
$$CS        TEN                 
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
2 Glover            QB    219  142  1632  7.45  13    6     
8 Clancy            QB    216  125  1119  5.18  5    7     
16 Silvers          QB    100  64    554  5.54  3    6     
**Team              ---  539  332  3316  6.15  21    19     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
33 Arsenault        RB    150  640  4.26  0     
32 Ramsey          RB    104  602  5.78  5     
28 Adams            RB    73    335  4.58  3     
29 Ramsey          RB    52    263  5.05  0     
**Team              ---  429  2057  4.79  10     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
83 Sanders          WR    111  68    788  11.5  187  4     
85 Aceves          WR    100  63    695  11.0  97    5     
81 Blair            WR    69    40    470  11.7  48    3     
84 Whiting          TE    53    34    292  8.5  103  3     
88 O'Rourke        WR    49    23    267  11.6  41    2     
36 Woodson          FB    30    20    80    4.0  46    0     
33 Arsenault        RB    22    17    98    5.7  40    1     
**Team              ---  539  332  3316  9.9  706  21     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
41 Jacobs          S    82    21    1.0  2    3    8     
92 Goodwin          ILB  56    25    0.0  0    3    1     
43 Richmond        CB    55    14    0.5  0    1    16     
24 Weed            S    55    29    0.0  0    0    9     
37 Dunn            CB    50    12    0.0  0    2    11     
78 Huffman          DE    50    16    13.5  21    0    0     
52 Regalado        OLB  50    12    2.5  5    0    5     
91 DiGiacomo        OLB  49    18    1.0  0    0    2     
90 Casey            ILB  45    22    0.5  1    1    4     
99 Tyler            OLB  43    18    6.0  8    4    9     
95 Gibson          DT    43    21    4.0  8    0    0     
72 Cascadden        DT    39    23    3.0  10    0    0     
42 Wickliff        CB    36    10    1.0  1    3    9     
97 Holton          DE    35    17    13.0  21    0    0     
46 Ellery          S    21    8    0.0  0    2    1     
31 Cowley          CB    18    0    0.0  1    1    4     
**Team              ---  796  277  51.0  81    20    80     


Again, the defense comes first. In the top six against the run, pass, and scoring. Amazing. We added a pass rush to the mix this year, with newcomer DE Holton adding quite a lot to our attack. Plus, we got something of a breakout year from CB Deon Richmond, whose 16 passes defensed is a huge improvement over his best to date. We didn’t grab a lot of interceptions, but the pass defense was solid overall, regardless. Top marks to the D!

Offensively, our line held together, and everything else was patched up just to get by. We were the #3 team in yards per carry, without any back over 700 yards. We went through quarterbacks like water – what a weird season! Regardless, we have a fabulous record, and a home playoff game ahead – for whoever can actually go out and play.


2009 Postseason

AFC Divisional Playoff: Tennessee (11-6) at Cleveland (12-4)

We know Tennessee – this is where our playoffs ended last season, on a late field goal as our helpless offense stood by and couldn’t do a thing about it. Many think we’ll be in for much the same this year, with our “spare parts” offensive weapons.

The first quarter is spent trading punts and working field position. We drive as the quarter runs down, and Bobby Silvers finds Jermaine Aceves for a key third down conversion, and then again for the first TD of the game. Through the first half, Aceves comes up with one big catch after another, and we remain in control most of the way. The Titans drive at the end of the half, and get within 7-3 at the break.

In the third quarter, Tennessee gets a big break, as Kendrick Ramsey fumbles, and they return the fumble for a 29 yard TD. They lead 10-3, and have gotten the edge, even though our defense has played over their heads all day. Later in the quarter, a 43-yard pass from Silvers to, of course, Aceves, puts us right into scoring position. A serious of inexcusable penalties push us back to the 25, and we have to try a pretty long kick. Vallejo delivers, and we tie it up at 10 apiece.

After our defense holds again, we get a fair catch interference penalty after perhaps some baiting by WR Rose, and get the ball at our 37. We fail to capitalize, though, and we drop back into the punting and position battle.

Down just under 6 minutes to play, we get to the Tennessee 27, facing fourth down and one yard to go. Tough kick from here, but it’s tied up and our defense is playing well – three points might well win this thing. Vallejo sends it up, but it sails wide right… and we turn it back over to Tennessee. They get to midfield, but we force a punt, and take over again – albeit at our own 5 yard line.

With two minutes left, Silvers gets us a first down, and another, and we are out of immediate danger. But on second down from our 29, he gets sacked, and loses the ball. Tennessee comes away with the football, and a precious opportunity to go ahead – on our 22 with 1:05 to go. With 3 seconds on the clock, they connect on a 28 yard field goal, and go up 13-10. Once again, our season ends by a Titans field goal, and we head home, beaten on our home turf.

Code:

  Box Score: Tennessee at Cleveland
  Cleveland, OH.
  Conference Semifinals, 2009
  Attendance: 61,900 (73,200).
  Weather: 37 degrees, fair.
 
  1Q: 01:20 CLE - Jermaine Aceves 1 pass from Bobby Silvers.
  1Q: 01:20 CLE - Jeremy Vallejo extra point.
  2Q: 00:14 TEN - Emery Trussell 22 field goal.
  3Q: 09:06 TEN - Cristopher Howze 29 fumble return.
  3Q: 09:06 TEN - Emery Trussell extra point.
  3Q: 04:18 CLE - Jeremy Vallejo 42 field goal.
  4Q: 00:03 TEN - Emery Trussell 28 field goal.
 
  Game MVP: TEN 16 Bo Watkins
 
  Tennessee        0        3        7        3        -        13
  Cleveland        7        0        3        0        -        10
 
  Team Statistics                TEN                CLE
 
  First Downs                11                21
 
  Total Rushes                27                30
  Rushing Yards                97                120
  Yards Per Carry                3.5                4.0
  Pass Attempts                28                38
  Completions                15                23
  Passing Yards                114                216
  Yards Per Attempt                4.0                5.6
  Sacked                2                2
  Yards Lost                12                13
  Interceptions                0                0
  Fumbles/Lost                1/0                3/2
 
  Total Plays                55                68
  Total Yards                211                336
  Yards Per Play                3.8                4.9
 
  3rd Down Plays                4/15                5/15
  Avg. YTG on 3rd                6.4                8.6
  4th Down Plays                0/0                0/0
 
  Penalties                11                8
  Penalty Yards                79                82
 
  Avg. Drive Start                OWN 35                OWN 19
  Time Of Possession                27:10                32:50
 
  Cleveland Individual Statistics
 
  Rushing                Att        Yards        Avg        Long        TD
  32 Ramsey                22        105        4.7        20        0
  28 Adams                4        3        0.7        7        0
  16 Silvers                3        7        2.3        6        0
  85 Aceves                1        5        5.0        5        0
 
  Passing                Att        Comp        Yards        Yd/Att        Long        TD        Int        Sckd
  16 Silvers                38        23        216        5.6        43        1        0        2
 
  Receiving                Catch        Yards        Avg        YAC        Long        TD
  85 Aceves                12        127        10.5        3        43        1
  80 Goodwin                3        34        11.3        1        15        0
  87 Schroeder                2        10        5.0        1        6        0
  23 Goodwin                2        7        3.5        4        5        0
  81 Blair                2        13        6.5        2        7        0
  88 O'Rourke                1        10        10.0        0        10        0
  32 Ramsey                1        15        15.0        3        15        0
 
  Punt Returns                Att        Yards        Avg        TD
  89 Rose                2        5        2.5        0
 
  Kick Returns                Att        Yards        Avg        TD
  81 Blair                2        47        23.5        0
  37 Dunn                1        22        22.0        0
 
  Punting                Punts        Yards        Avg        Long        In20
  1 Wolf                7        256        36.5        46        1
 
  Kicking                FG        FGA        Long        PAT        Att
  19 Vallejo                1        3        42        1        1
 
  Defense                Tackle        Assist        Sack        Int        IntYds        IntTD
  92 Goodwin                12        2        0.0        0        0        0
  52 Regalado                7        2        0.5        0        0        0
  43 Richmond                4        3        0.0        0        0        0
  78 Huffman                3        0        1.5        0        0        0
  95 Gibson                3        2        0.0        0        0        0
  24 Weed                3        1        0.0        0        0        0
  72 Cascadden                3        0        0.0        0        0        0
  41 Jacobs                2        2        0.0        0        0        0
  91 DiGiacomo                2        2        0.0        0        0        0
  37 Dunn                2        1        0.0        0        0        0
  31 Cowley                2        0        0.0        0        0        0
  97 Holton                1        1        0.0        0        0        0
  84 Whiting                1        0        0.0        0        0        0
  90 Casey                1        0        0.0        0        0        0
  89 Rose                1        0        0.0        0        0        0
  42 Wickliff                0        1        0.0        0        0        0
 
  Miscellaneous                Fumb        FForc        Recov        MiscTD        KeyRBlk        SckAlwd
  63 Gruber                0        0        0        0        3        1
  71 Heinlein                0        0        0        0        1        1
  74 Schroeder                0        0        0        0        2        0
  23 Goodwin                0        0        0        0        2        0
  84 Whiting                0        1        0        0        0        0
  56 Nichols                0        0        0        0        1        0
  16 Silvers                1        0        0        0        0        0
  42 Wickliff                0        0        1        0        0        0
  32 Ramsey                1        0        0        0        0        0
  65 Marion                0        0        0        0        1        0
  81 Blair                1        0        0        0        0        0


Two turnovers, both immeasurably costly. Tough to say what we could have done without those mishaps, but allowing them to score on defense and setting up their other easy score makes it pretty clear. A tough offseason awaits for our weary warriors.


Season Wrap-up

It’s hard to fault anyone, or to be disappointed. With this spate of injuries, it was pretty obvious we’d have trouble on offense. The defense rose to the challenge, and we did all we could with the offense. We were right in the big game, but just didn’t have the tools to close the door.

Injuries have become my top concern with this team, and I wish there were something I could do… our coach has the best possible rating, so there’s no obvious solution form here.


Dallas beats Jacksonville in the Superbowl, becoming the first team to win two (first was in 2004).

Code:

2009 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Johnathan Fishman          DAL   
Coach of the Year                            Jerald Abe                  DAL   
Legend of the Game                            Trenton Ocampo              DEN   
Offensive Player of the Year                  Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Andrew Partridge            CIN   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Wayne Walsh                NYJ   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Robbie Wilkinson            MIA   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
All-League First-String Running Back          Brian Grant                STL   
All-League First-String Fullback              Michael Potts              SFO   
All-League First-String Tight End            Carson Dittman              IND   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  PHI   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Gene Money                  OAK   
All-League First-String Center                Damien Kester              DAL   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Aaron Jacobs                NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              STL   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Zachariah Ly                OAK   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Luigi Voelker              PIT   
All-League First-String Punter                Peter Battle                TBY   
All-League First-String Kicker                Herb Collins                JAX   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Vance Plott                DAL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Ervin Hope                  DEN   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Desmond Shirk              ATL   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Bernard Manzo              DET   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Andrew Partridge            CIN   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Daniel Damiano              STL   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Dillon Arnett              WAS   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Brad Teter                  KCY   
All-League First-String Safety                Major Hargett              MIA   
All-League First-String Safety                Edward Johnson              PHI   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Stephen Posner              ARI   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Dustin Weaver              TEN   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Myron Peterson              SEA   
All-League Second-String Tight End            James Marble                NED   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Josh Andruzzi              JAX   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Herb Conti                  BAL   
All-League Second-String Center              Jonathan Gore              NOS   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Jerrell Randolph            HOU   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Joe Foster                  WAS   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Dennis Rameriz              BUF   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Curtis Powell              SEA   
All-League Second-String Punter              Scottie Hines              SEA   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Jessie Fletcher            DAL   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Reggie Hewlett              CAR   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Herschel Waldon            MIA   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Collin Turner              MIN   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Weldon Maggard              DAL   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Chris Colquitt              NYJ   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Andrew Colston              DET   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Nelson Borders              CAR   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Douglas Downing            NYG   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Nathanial Stiles            TBY   
All-League Second-String Safety              Michael Heredia            OAK   
All-League Second-String Safety              Kirk Stevens                GBY   
League's Fastest Man                          Palmer Truman              GBY   
League's Strongest Man                        Ned Ford                    NED   


We’re shut out of the awards list once again – disappointing, but not surprising.

Fonzie 12-10-2003 12:19 AM

Excellent read as usual, QuikSand.

One question for you, with regard to your training camp results sections: did you do that by hand? Or is there a way to print the changes in current and future ratings directly to a file?

RPI-Fan 12-10-2003 01:03 AM

Fonzie: I'm not sure, but I think he put it into Excel, and has a handy-dandy forumla pre-made to automatically track the changes.

Quik: Tell Bobby that his fans (at least this one) still love him.

Fonzie 12-10-2003 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by RPI-Fan
Fonzie: I'm not sure, but I think he put it into Excel, and has a handy-dandy forumla pre-made to automatically track the changes.


Thanks RPI-Fan. That was going to be my guess, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on some wonderfully handy new feature that was obvious to everyone but me. Alas!

JAG 12-10-2003 05:17 AM

Good read Quik. Incredible story with Bobby Silver coming back to win 2 of 3 games to finish off the regular season...how much would the media have hyped that up? Shame he lost that fumble in the end of the Tennessee game.

QuikSand 12-10-2003 07:20 AM

I do indeed use excel to make the camp analysis. Now that I do that, I almost can't imagine playing the game without doing so... watching closely to see what players see their future potential go way down or slightly up seems very important to me.

As of yet, I haven't even automated the process -- I just paste it in from a text file, and quickly add the "comparison" columns I need. The whole thing takes maybe five minutes to assemble.

Might be a nice utility, though... and I have to imagine it would be fairly easy to create, using the two text files as the inputs.

QuikSand 12-10-2003 07:22 AM

FYI - I'll be away for a couple of days - probably won't have another update until Friday afternoon or evening, at the earliest. But not to fear- I'm sufficiently hooked on this career to keep playing.

QuikSand 12-10-2003 07:58 AM

Actually, I lied - I can post one more update to get up to date before I go...

QuikSand 12-10-2003 08:01 AM

2010 preseason

We have established ourselves as a playoff-caliber team, with two running division titles. Now, we need to get over that hump, and try to become consistent enough to play with the big boys. That means getting past these injuries, and putting together a strong season – and hopefully getting past our first round playoff game.

Here is our synopsis to date:

Code:

GM Performance for QuikSand of the Cleveland Browns
 
Year  Team  Eval  Perf  Diff  Proft FrVal Record    Playoffs 
2009  CLE  83    83    79    99    31    12-5-0    Division Final       
2008  CLE  73    69    79    90    22    9-8-0    Wild Card Round       
2007  CLE  66    28    79    100  17    7-9-0    None                 
2006  CLE  58    2    77    100  20    3-13-0    None                 
2005  CLE  57    17    74    86    28    5-11-0    None                 
2004  CLE  61    5    71    100  33    4-12-0    None                 


The slope has been properly upward, and now we should have fairly free reign to improve where we need to. Some of our biggest decisions, though, will be where we decide to stick with our existing players – many of whom will be looking to really get paid this year.

Transitions and League Observations

We again escape retirements, and bring back our roster intact.

“Intact” is a relative term, since we left two of our important players with serious injuries last season. Fortunately, it seems that we have good news. RB Roderick Arsenault and QB Tyron Glover both look healthy and none the worse for wear. So, there’s at least some chance that we can get back to normal with these two – both of whom have been critical cogs in our offense.


Front Office Decisions

I hired an aging scout a couple of years ago, knowing he was on the decline. The decline is well underway – I can take him for one more year, perhaps. But I do look for a suitable replacement. There’s nobody as good as our 71 year old coot – so we stick with him for now.

OC Levon moss has been pretty solid for us – I’m not itching to replace him. He accepts a new five year deal – solid. Here’s an update on his ratings:

Off Coord: Levon Moss, 50
EX: OL
VG: QB,RB,PK
GD: WR,YT

He keeps improving – and so do we. Five year deal, good stuff.


Roster Review

Interestingly, I check out “The Green Page” again here – and see that Mario Clancy remains on the list of hot young players – listed #9 overall. That’s pretty exciting for us, now we just need to keep him healthy. I now think he looks like the best QB form that draft – and we got him in round three.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Glover, Tyrone          2  QB          7    59                59                2 yrs
Clancy, Marco          8  QB          2    24                59                3 yrs
Silvers, Bobby          16  QB          7    22                22                --- 
Davis, Steven          14  QB          4    20                47                1 yr.
Fox, Marvin            11  QB          3    20                43                1 yr.


Well, if Glover is really back, we are in pretty solid shape here. Bobby Silvers was a desperation move for last season, but in all practicality can’t have a future with us. We’ve got our squad of four players set for this year.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Arsenault, Roderick    33  RB          7    61                61                2 yrs
Ramsey, Archie          29  RB          5    51                51                2 yrs
Adams, Donovan          28  RB          4    41                41                1 yr.
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          5    40                44                2 yrs
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          7    52                53                2 yrs
Goodwin, Ian            23  FB          2    35                51                --- 


Much like QB – if Arsenault is really all the way back, then we are in nice shape. Kendrick Ramsey had a nice season last year as our #1 back down the stretch, and I think he’s actually getting a bit better as we go. We’ve got four players signed – and should be all set here. At FB, I like Ian Goodwin’s potential – and would like to re-sign him cheaply to be our reserve.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Whiting, Arnie          84  TE          7    69                69                1 yr.
Schroeder, Lamar        87  TE          2    26                46                --- 


I’m frustrated with Arnie Whiting, who just gets hurt about every other game. He is a brilliant talent, but if he can’t play, what good is he? Schroeder has potential, but has little to offer right now. This might be a target position for an acquisition, regrettably (I’m spending a lot of money on Whiting).

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
O'Rourke, Nathan        88  FL          7    45                45                --- 
Blair, Zach            81  FL          2    39                60                3 yrs
Aceves, Jermaine        85  SE          7    63                63                --- 
**Sanders, Randall      83  SE          7    48                50                2 yrs
Rose, Mickey            89  SE          4    41                47                --- 
Goodwin, Oscar          80  SE          2    38                50                2 yrs


Somme decisions to make here – especially since Sanders is probably out for most of this year, and probably won’t be worth a damn when he’s back. Jermaine Aceves stepped up and played really well last year when called on – if he’s affordable, he could become our starter at split end. O’Rourke might be cheap after an injury-plagued season spent mostly on the bench. Two youngsters have good futures, but we need some more around them.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Nichols, Kurt          56  C          7    46                46                1 yr.
Hambrick, Antoine      54  C          6    40                47                --- 
Marion, Terrell        65  LG          3    43                58                1 yr.
Gruber, Lincoln        63  RG          6    53                53                2 yrs
Hampton, Todd          67  RG          4    32                37                1 yr.
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          6    53                55                2 yrs
Cox, Hugh              60  LT          2    25                52                1 yr.
Schroeder, Bert        74  RT          7    63                63                1 yr.


Lincoln Gruber is our positional leader, and while he doesn’t provide a chemistry boost, he gave us a solid season in his debut. LG Terrell Marion had a very nice year last season, developing into a quality starter after all (we were worried). RT Bert Schroeder was supposed to be our pass-blocking giant on the right side, but his performance has been a bit disappointing in his two years with us. Overall, though, I am pleased with the performance we’re getting up front – and we’ll only look to add if we get a great prospect.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Wolf, B.J.              1  P          2    11                19                --- 
Vallejo, Jeremy        19  K          2    44                62                --- 


I could re-sign both of these local products – Wolf is from Akron, and Vallejo from Ohio State. I think Vallejo has great potential – he was a great pickup after the draft last year, and we’ll try to keep him around.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Holton, Butch          97  LDE        7    57                57                2 yrs
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        4    46                46                1 yr.
Huffman, Rodney        78  RDE        6    79                79                1 yr.
Blum, Dale              94  RDE        5    39                41                --- 
Burns, Johnny          96  RDE        2    17                38                2 yrs
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        4    60                68                2 yrs
Gibson, Kris            95  LDT        5    52                52                2 yrs
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        6    33                46                --- 
Wayne, Harry            79  NT          7    48                51                1 yr.


Rodney Huffman has been an anchor for us for years, but adding Butch Holton seemed to make everything work last year. Cascadden continues to develop into a top-grade run stopper inside, while Harry Wayne keeps pushing Kris Gibson for playing time – both are pretty solid. This group has been getting the job done – but depth is key, as injuries continue to loom.

One factor for consideration – DT Willie Oliveira is our positional leader, and we have a crazy five affinities with him. This might be a case of a player earning his keep by just stirring the pot – we don’t use him a lot, but he’s certainly decent enough to keep around.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        7    59                59                --- 
Casey, Rick            90  MLB        7    55                57                --- 
Castaneda, Ronald      64  MLB        4    32                50                2 yrs
Tyler, Howie            99  SLB        6    59                60                --- 
Daveria, Greg          59  SLB        2    24                58                1 yr.
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91  WLB        3    51                72                3 yrs
Fisk, Stanley          98  WLB        4    41                50                --- 
Regalado, Darrin        52  WLB        2    40                54                2 yrs


We have contract issues here, as both Goodwin and Casey are out of contract at MLB. We’ve been spoiled to have two good run-stoppers here, and the last two years, we have needed them both. If Goodwin is going to be injury prone from now on, we will need to back him up well.

Goodwin is asking for over $3m per season, which is pretty significant. If I knew he could be healthy, it would be very worth it. But coming off two injury-plagued seasons, I have to be worried a bit here. Rick Casey, similarly, wants almost $4m per season – so neither guy here is going to be cheap.

Ricky DiGiacomo would be able to step in and play MLB if needed, as he has the right mix of skills. I’m reluctant to actually move him there, though – we’ll play it by ear.

Sam-backer Howie Taylor was on his way to his best season when he got hurt last year – he wants nearly $5m per season, which looks unlikely.

We have a serious issue here. DiGiacomo and Regalado are good enough to start, and we couoldd build a lineup around them – but bringing back one or more of the familiar faces from this top-rated defense would certainly be nice to do, if we could.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Wickliff, Calvin        42  LCB        6    55                55                1 yr.
Gomez, Craig            27  LCB        6    45                54                2 yrs
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        5    59                59                1 yr.
Callens, Zack          39  RCB        7    55                55                2 yrs
Dunn, Scott            37  RCB        7    51                51                --- 
Cowley, Kelly          31  RCB        4    40                53                2 yrs
Weed, Kirk              24  SS          2    44                53                3 yrs
Jacobs, Thurman        41  FS          6    66                67                --- 
Ellery, Deron          46  FS          3    41                56                3 yrs


Deon Richmond had a nice season last year, and his ratings boosted as a result. His rating in man coverage is up to 89 – that’s where he has been gaining rapidly, which fits well with my secondary system.

Does Scott Dunn get a new contract? He’s been a three-year starter for us, has gives us pretty solid seasons, but just isn’t flashy. My inclination is to go with the guys that we have on hand – with five corners already signed, we should be okay. Losing him will mean a new secondary leader – probably Deon Richmond. We’ll see how everyone gets along with him – at the moment, we have two pluses to one minus there.

Undrafted Thurman Jacobs remains better than either of the first-rounders he’s lined up with at safety, and re-signing him would make a tone of sense.


It’s good to have no place on the roster where we are absolutely desperate. We’ve got 38 players signed to contracts, and about $9.4 million free after accounting for the draft ahead. $9 million won’t replace our LB corps, unless we can make room elsewhere (presumably by releasing players).

As I contemplate players who might be cut, I take a fleeting glimpse at RB Arsenault. There’s something that really unnerves me here. I check his contract, and see that to renegotiate, he’s only asking for a modest signing bonus and three years at minimum salary. That seems like a bad sign to me – yes, he comes off an injury, but he looks like he’s healthy and ready to go. Why the pathetic demands? Is this guy a time bomb, waiting to implode? ::drumming fingers::


Free Agency

There is great news on the free agent market – Tennessee’s QB Bo Watkins is available, hopefully meaning he won’t be back with Tennessee to kill us again.

The only player of ours I have an initial bid in for is DT Willie Oliveira, the capstone to our great defensive chemistry up front. Everyone else will be a wait-and-see decision, especially since we are so cap-strapped.

WR Marlon Sasser has been steady for the Jets – I like his potential for our system, and we put in a modest offer for him. We need someone at WR, and Jermaine Aceves is looking for pretty big money. Sasser would give us a startable option, for much less money.

DT Harvey Gustafson looks pretty good, a solid pass rusher, and very affordable here. The Giants got three good seasons from him – we hope to lock him up and make a serious improvement to our defensive front. What a value pickup.

And that’s all I’m going to do right away. I plan to spend most of our money on re-signing our own players, so I don’t pursue any of the top-dollar free agents. Rather, I’ll sit back and see who among our own guys goes for big money (and we will let them go) and who might return at an affordable rate.


After week one, we have a partial answer. CB Scott Dunn and S Thurman Jacobs both get fat deals and head elsewhere. WR Jermaine Aceves has one waiting, and I don’t expect to match that. So, there are three guys we won’t have back.

I have to up my offer a shade to try to content with Seattle’s bud for DT Gustafson, but we hope and expect to land him. The others are currently uncontested.

Week two sees us wrap up all three of the guys we are pursuing, and no additions to the departing list – so that’s a good turn of events. Including those signings, we have 42 players signed plus eight draft picks – leaving only three genuinely “open” roster spots, and about $7m to spend on them.

I also note that DT Harvey Gustafson adds the first personality conflict to an otherwise happy bunch of defensive linemen. He’s pretty darned good, but that might be more than I want to add to the mix there.

I have the opportunity to sign some guys to cap-friendly deals for this season – like MLB Goodwin, whose starting offer only hits us for $1.8m this year, but grows to $3.5 then $4.1 in the following seasons. I hate to get into that pattern, but with a team this close to success, it’s very tempting.

I go ahead and re-sign P Wolf for minsal, but that’s a move basically without consequence. The real decisions are with the bigger money players, especially at linebacker.

Howie Tyler is next to go, inking a fat deal with Denver. With his departure (for over $4m per season) I think my decision is clear – I have to re-sign MLB Goodwin, and keep the LB group fairly close to intact. Since he has no offers, I decide to wait him out a while. I sit all the way through 20 stages, and both Goodwin and Casey are untouched. We can sort this out after the rookie draft, it seems – maybe they will have an adjustment in their demands at that time.


Rookie Draft

Overall, my top priority positions to fill via the draft would probably be TE, S, and LB. Linebackers seem to be pretty plentiful (though I haven’t been selecting them that well) so we might look for an impact player early, then settle on our need spots later. A new guard for our OL might be a good addition, as our two starters are both out of contract soon.


The Akron contingent is fair this year:

C Brian Wolfe (4.5, 33/51) looks like a solid interior lineman, good middle pick
TE J.T. Stoyanovich (3.8, 15/45) could be solid if his blocking skills develop
G Thurman Davidson (3.3, 14/38) extremely high volatility, looks risky
DT Kent McKnight, QB Bobby McGregor, and CB Jim Marshall look like they will go undrafted


In this draft, I love safety Louis Shipway out of Clemson, and would love to grab him. He’s easily the top safety, and it’s a need position (despite the fact that we are carrying two first-rounders already). There are other players we like, but he’d be a great fit. If he falls out of the top 10 or 15, I may try to move up to grab him.

S Shipway goes at #6 – too high to attempt to move up. So, we will settle for whoever falls down a bit farther. At picks #18, and #21, I fail to move up to get the players I want – and see them drop off the board. Sitting at #30, now I fear we’ll get stuck with a player we don’t really need – or a big fat bust.

I decide to deal out of the first round this year, and swing a deal with Minnesota – picking up their first rounder next year for this pick and my extra fourth rounder. I didn’t see first-round value at this spot, and I’d rather wait until I do before signing a player for big money. This will free up cap space for this season, as well.


At our top pick (round two), there are two linebackers and one offensive tackle I like. I offer Jacksonville our picks in round 4,5, and 6 to get the very next selection at the end of round two – and our draft has suddenly consolidated an awful lot. We grab two Ohio products with these picks, and hopefully bolster our line and backer corps.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 2 - Clarence Frederick, ILB, Bowling Green
Rnd 2 - Danny Norton, T, Ohio State
Rnd 3 - Wade Pariso, TE, Louisiana State
Rnd 7 - Marvin Causey, WR, Kent


TE Pariso looks like a solid prospect, and we expect to start him when Arnie can’t play for ten games this year. WR Causey might have potential to make the team and contribute as a fourth or fifth receiver, we think.


Late Free Agency

So, we hit the late FA stages with 47 players signed (including all our drafted rookies), and $7.9 million to spend. I decide that rookie LB Clarence Frederick is a better fit on the strong side, where he may have a chance to become our starter.

I put in a 1yr, $3m offer for MLB Cedric Goodwin. With his injury history I just don’t want to commit long-term money and bonus to him, just to see him sit another half-year our. It’s risky, but I think it’s the right thing to do here.

Fortunately, Rick Casey has had a change of heart, and has reduced his demands a lot. I put in a 3yr, $3.8m offer to him, and feel like grabbing both of these guys would be a great way to maintain the group up front.

I re-up with LB Stanley Fisk, also. He has been a solid reserve, and is only asking for minsal plus a trifle. K Jeremy Vallejo is also an easy re0signing, now that his demands have fallen to reason.

Buffalo has released TE Jonathan Holmes, who looks like he might be a very solid player, despite having gotten almost no playing time for them. I put in a three year offer, in hopes of landing a potential big fish very cheaply.

I add a number of undrafted rookies to our list of pursuits, and we are ready to roll.

We land our rookie pursuits, and toward the end of the FA period, both MLBs Goodwin and Casey re-sign as well. Very successful ploy on our part, I reckon.


Training Camp

Before we even get to training camp, there is big news. WR Marvin Causey, an afterthought draft pick, suddenly looks like a monster. This could be our first major breakout player form the late rounds of the draft. My scout now rates him a 30/67… much better than he appeared when we first grabbed him.

Here’s how training camp unfolds, through our scout’s eyes:

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        Cet        Fest        Cest        Fest        ChgC        ChgF
Glover, Tyrone        2        QB        7        59        59        59        59        0        0
Clancy, Marco        8        QB        2        24        59        29        59        5        0
Davis, Steven        14        QB        4        20        48        24        48        4        0
Fox, Marvin        11        QB        3        20        43        22        43        2        0
Arsenault, Roderick        33        RB        7        53        53        53        53        0        0
Ramsey, Archie        29        RB        5        51        51        51        51        0        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        32        RB        5        40        44        41        44        1        0
Adams, Donovan        28        RB        4        41        41        41        41        0        0
Demeester, Kris        49        RB        1        29        39        30        37        1        -2
Stephens, Jumbo        40        RB        1        28        45        28        41        0        -4
Blackburn, Eric        21        RB        1        28        40        28        36        0        -4
Odumuyiwa, Terrance        48        RB        1        24        46        24        40        0        -6
Woodson, Mickey        36        FB        7        50        51        50        51        0        0
Goodwin, Ian        23        FB        2        35        52        36        52        1        0
Holmes, Jonathan        18        TE        5        68        72        74        74        6        2
Whiting, Arnie        84        TE        7        70        70        70        70        0        0
Pariso, Wade        82        TE        1        27        58        30        55        3        -3
Blair, Zach        81        FL        2        39        61        41        61        2        0
Sasser, Marlon        85        SE        5        52        52        52        52        0        0
**Sanders, Randall        83        SE        7        49        50        49        50        0        0
Rose, Mickey        89        SE        4        41        47        43        47        2        0
Goodwin, Oscar        80        SE        2        38        51        42        51        4        0
Causey, Marvin        86        FL        1        30        67        32        64        2        -3
Nichols, Kurt        56        C        7        47        47        47        47        0        0
Allman, Omar        55        C        1        17        48        19        45        2        -3
Moschetti, Bernie        57        C        1        15        39        18        39        3        0
Wallentine, Travis        50        C        1        11        44        14        38        3        -6
Marion, Terrell        65        LG        3        43        58        46        58        3        0
Gruber, Lincoln        63        RG        6        54        54        54        54        0        0
Hampton, Todd        67        RG        4        31        37        34        37        3        0
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        6        52        54        52        54        0        0
Cox, Hugh        60        LT        2        26        53        28        53        2        0
Norton, Danny        68        LT        1        8        45        10        37        2        -8
Schroeder, Bert        74        RT        7        64        64        64        64        0        0
Wolf, B.J.        1        P        2        11        19        12        19        1        0
Vallejo, Jeremy        19        K        2        44        61        46        61        2        0
Holton, Butch        97        LDE        7        57        57        57        57        0        0
Fox, Jimmy        93        LDE        4        47        48        49        49        2        1
Huffman, Rodney        78        RDE        6        79        79        79        79        0        0
Burns, Johnny        96        RDE        2        17        38        18        38        1        0
Cascadden, Gary        72        LDT        4        61        68        65        68        4        0
Gibson, Kris        95        LDT        5        52        53        52        53        0        0
Oliveira, Willie        76        LDT        6        34        47        36        47        2        0
Gustafson, Harvey        75        RDT        4        52        52        52        52        0        0
Wayne, Harry        79        NT        7        49        51        51        51        2        0
Randle, Cris        51        WILB        1        18        43        19        39        1        -4
Goodwin, Cedric        92        MLB        7        59        59        59        59        0        0
Casey, Rick        90        MLB        7        55        58        55        58        0        0
Castaneda, Ronald        64        MLB        4        29        45        30        45        1        0
Daveria, Greg        59        SLB        2        24        58        26        58        2        0
Frederick, Clarence        58        SLB        1        23        63        25        60        2        -3
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91        WLB        3        51        71        56        71        5        0
Fisk, Stanley        98        WLB        4        41        49        44        49        3        0
Regalado, Darrin        52        WLB        2        40        54        42        54        2        0
Wickliff, Calvin        42        LCB        6        54        54        54        54        0        0
Gomez, Craig        27        LCB        6        38        46        41        46        3        0
Richmond, Deon        43        RCB        5        55        55        58        58        3        3
Callens, Zack        39        RCB        7        46        46        46        46        0        0
Cowley, Kelly        31        RCB        4        40        53        42        53        2        0
Hoard, Dean        41        RCB        1        14        26        16        26        2        0
Weed, Kirk        24        SS        2        44        53        47        53        3        0
Flowers, Dusty        26        SS        1        13        27        15        27        2        0
Ellery, Deron        46        FS        3        41        56        44        56        3        0
Lang, Daryl        44        FS        1        14        27        15        27        1        0


Most of the big losers among the rookies were guys we just brought in to see if we could fish something out of the water at C, RB, and S. No great losses there.

Regrettably, T Danny Norton (for whom we moved way up in the draft) doesn’t look all that promising – yet another busted OL pick in these drafts, which has been a rather disturbing pattern.

CB Deon Richmond had another nice camp, and continues his mid-career growth process. TE Jonathan Holmes looks like a monster signing – he may even get the start over the frail Arnie Whiting.

Both QB Marco Clancy (#6) and WR Marvin Causey (#13) reside on The Green Page. That’s interesting…


Season Analysis

Cohesion stand at 92-95-100(85)-92. Very solid, though we lost some in the secondary.

On the franchise value screen, we rate a 60 in roster rating – putting us finally into the top half of the league.

I have adjusted our defensive scheme a bit – I want to keep WLB DiGiacomo on the field more, so we will use even less nickel than before. I also slant our coverage even more toward man-to-man, as that’s where our guys are best suited.

We’ve managed to do well in wins and losses each of the last two seasons despite suffering awful injury setbacks. Can we stay healthy this year? I’m very worried about Arsenault, but I’m feeling good about the backups at RB, especially the cousins Ramsey and Ramsey. On defense, we have largely the same crew, and good replacements for those who are gone – I think we should be solid once again.

Is this team cut from championship cloth? I don’t know. We will run the ball, try to avoid turnovers, and play solid defense. That’s pretty much all we can do – we’ll see how it plays this year.

QuikSand 12-10-2003 08:02 AM

2004 Regular Season

As we start of the regular season, rookie LB Clarence Frederick is already hurt, and won’t be able to start the season in the lineup. I shuffle the deck a bit, and start Derrick Regalado instead. He may not give up the job – he’s bee effective as a substitute, now we’ll give him a real shot.

We roar to a 2-0 start, looking good with Arsenault and Glover seemingly 100%. DT Harvey Gustafson, pushed into a starting role due to injuries, is named MVP of our next game, with 7 tackles and 2 sacks to help us beat Denver 16-6. We need overtime to beat Buffalo, by stay undefeated and get to 4-0. Good start – we are rolling right along.

The stage is set for a division showdown – we host Pittsburgh, who are also unbeaten through four games. Lots on the line – we’ve edged them out for the last two division titles, but they are the big threat, of course. A big fourth quarter propels us to a 20-12 win over the Steelers, and puts us ahead in the division race.

Miami (of course) ends our thoughts of a perfect season, but we make it to our halfway point at 6-2, and still in the division lead. Glover has been solid at QB (16/6 ratio is god, but a 6.36 ypa is only marginal, I think). Arsenault has 696 yards carrying the bulk of the load for us. Cedric Goodiwn is having a very nice year, with 61 tackles at the halfway point, and we have notched 27 QB sacks so far. Our defense remains tough – we are #1 in yards per carry allowed. Signs point to “yes” here in Cleveland.

Later in the season, we lose two in a row, and slide to 7-4. That’s cause for some concern. Of course, we are crippled with injuries, but that’s nothing unusual. I reshuffle again (mostly on the front seven, where we have now lost two more starters), and try to come up with the magic formula.

We get a big win on the rebound, but lose Tyrone Glover again – out for 7 weeks. That projects right into the playoffs, so he may be done. We’ll fall back to young Marco Clancy – he’ll become our #1 the rest of the way, it seems. I’m sure Bobby Silvers is sitting by his phone, waiting for the call. Who knows?

We reel off two wins behind Clancy (and a rejuvenated running game), and practically lock up the division at 10-4. Baltimore is 8-6, and still has slight hopes – but we should be okay.

The injuries on our defensive front are becoming comical. It’s as if every guy plays for one or two games, gets hurt, and gets replaced by the other guy coming off the injured list – who then himself gets hurt in a game or two, and it never ends. We’re going to again have 15 guys with 40 tackles on the season – everybody is playing a half season, it’s crazy.

Regardless, we win out for the regular season, and get our postseason berth in fairly good order behind young Marco Clancy.

Code:

2010 Regular Season Standings
 
  AC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Cleveland              12  4  0  .750  355  240  9-3    5-1     
Cincinnati              9  7  0  .563  329  301  5-7    3-3     
Baltimore              8  8  0  .500  291  295  5-7    3-3     
Pittsburgh              5  11  0  .313  239  282  3-9    1-5     
 
  AC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Indianapolis            14  2  0  .875  407  247  11-1    6-0     
Jacksonville            7  9  0  .438  309  390  5-7    3-3     
Houston                7  9  0  .438  337  385  6-6    2-4     
Tennessee              3  13  0  .188  213  404  2-10    1-5     
 
  AC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
New York J              11  4  1  .719  344  255  8-3-1  4-1-1   
Miami                  10  6  0  .625  361  285  6-6    0-6     
Buffalo                8  6  2  .563  339  345  7-3-2  4-0-2   
New England            8  7  1  .531  367  364  5-6-1  2-3-1   
 
  AC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Kansas City            12  4  0  .750  276  215  9-3    5-1     
Oakland                8  7  1  .531  341  268  7-5    3-3     
Denver                  5  11  0  .313  272  318  4-8    3-3     
San Diego              2  14  0  .125  226  422  2-10    1-5     
 
  NC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Green Bay              8  8  0  .500  335  336  6-6    4-2     
Chicago                8  8  0  .500  350  388  6-6    3-3     
Detroit                7  9  0  .438  323  309  7-5    5-1     
Minnesota              1  15  0  .063  240  437  0-12    0-6     
 
  NC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Tampa Bay              6  8  2  .438  277  336  5-5-2  4-2     
Carolina                7  9  0  .438  212  278  6-6    4-2     
Atlanta                6  10  0  .375  250  297  5-7    3-3     
New Orleans            5  11  0  .313  268  360  4-8    1-5     
 
  NC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Philadelphia            14  2  0  .875  446  199  10-2    6-0     
New York G              10  6  0  .625  341  307  8-4    2-4     
Washington              8  7  1  .531  350  319  7-4-1  4-2     
Dallas                  6  10  0  .375  309  353  4-8    0-6     
 
  NC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Seattle                12  4  0  .750  326  239  9-3    4-2     
San Francisco          10  5  1  .656  327  216  8-3-1  4-2     
Arizona                10  6  0  .625  321  270  6-6    3-3     
St. Louis              4  11  1  .281  309  330  3-9    1-5     


There’s obviously been tumult in the league – last year’s Superbowl combatants are both going to miss the playoffs. Must be a bug – that could never happen in real life.

Regardless, here is the summary of our season:

Code:


Front Office Football 2004
2010 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 12-4
Winning Pct.: .750
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  442      15         
Rushing Yards          1709      18         
Yards Per Carry        3.86      21         
Pass Attempts          592      9         
Completions            351      5         
Passing Yards          3842      9         
Yards Per Attempt      6.48      17         
3rd Down Conversions    39.8      16         
Points Per Game        22.1      5         
Turnovers              19        6 (T)     
Turnover Margin        +6        8         
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  408      9         
Rushing Yards          1452      6         
Yards Per Carry        3.55      4         
Pass Attempts          559      20 (T)     
Completions            299      9         
Passing Yards          3611      16         
Yards Per Attempt      6.45      16         
3rd Down Conversions    35.1      5         
Points Per Game        15.0      5         
Turnovers              25        14 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    28    BAL          21     
2    39    at ATL        10     
3    16    at DEN        6     
4    23    at BUF        17     
5    20    PIT          12     
6    17    MIA          26     
7    23    NYJ          21     
8    27    at NED        30     
9    22    at BAL        16     
11    17    CIN          20     
12    10    NOS          16     
13    41    JAX          10     
14    17    at CAR        3     
15    14    at CIN        9     
16    27    TBY          13     
17    14    at PIT        10     
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
2 Glover            QB    434  257  2817  6.49  20    9     
8 Clancy            QB    158  94    1025  6.48  4    4     
**Team              ---  592  351  3842  6.48  24    13     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
33 Arsenault        RB    351  1370  3.90  7     
32 Ramsey          RB    48    160  3.33  2     
**Team              ---  442  1709  3.86  10     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
85 Sasser          WR    112  59    767  13.0  148  5     
81 Blair            WR    86    54    772  14.2  80    4     
84 Whiting          TE    60    38    410  10.7  144  0     
18 Holmes          TE    63    37    356  9.6  85    4     
89 Rose            WR    75    37    428  11.5  78    4     
86 Causey          WR    75    37    450  12.1  44    3     
33 Arsenault        RB    40    28    180  6.4  103  1     
36 Woodson          FB    29    25    157  6.2  91    1     
**Team              ---  589  351  3842  10.9  837  24     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
92 Goodwin          ILB  102  30    2.0  0    2    6     
52 Regalado        OLB  87    24    8.0  12    1    3     
24 Weed            S    65    25    0.0  1    1    9     
72 Cascadden        DT    57    32    11.5  8    0    1     
46 Ellery          S    55    24    1.0  0    1    4     
91 DiGiacomo        OLB  52    20    5.0  2    0    2     
43 Richmond        CB    50    14    1.5  0    2    11     
97 Holton          DE    47    16    16.0  23    0    0     
39 Callens          CB    45    13    0.0  0    2    8     
42 Wickliff        CB    43    9    0.0  0    2    5     
90 Casey            ILB  38    13    2.0  0    1    5     
95 Gibson          DT    20    5    1.0  3    0    0     
75 Gustafson        DT    20    16    7.0  12    0    0     
31 Cowley          S    17    6    0.0  0    0    1     
98 Fisk            OLB  17    10    1.0  1    0    1     
78 Huffman          DE    16    6    0.5  8    0    1     
**Team              ---  834  280  65.0  87    13    59     



We slipped a good deal in the second half – on both offense and defense. Roderick Arsenault led the league in rushing for most of the season, but faded and finished second by about 80 yards. Newcomer Marlon Sasser had a nice season for us as our starting split end, and he fended off rookie Marvin Causey pretty well to post a good season. If we could get the QB position stabilized, we might be able to post some bigger receiving numbers.

Amidst the DL injury problems we had, two guys stayed healthy all year – DT Gary Cascadden had a wonderful year on the inside, and DE Butch Holton was great on the outside. Both ought to get some all-pro recognition – they were both spectacular. Both are signed through next season – then they might get pretty pricey.

As we head into the postseason, I’m a little skittish about our QB situation – Clancy is playing well, but he’s got a dinged-up knee and behind him we have two untested unknowns. It seems like it’s time for an insurance policy – and we re-sign QB Bobby Silvers to another short-term deal, to the delight of the Browns’ faithful. Hopefully, he can just help with morale and form – but if he has to play, we’ll slot him at #2.

Fortunately, we have a bye week to recover from out many wounds, and hopefully get into place.


2010 Postseason

Here is our injury report, heading into the playoff game against the Jets.

Code:

Willie Oliveira, LDT - Strained Triceps Muscle, Probable, full strength in about 1 week.
Harvey Gustafson, RDT - Broken Finger, Probable, full strength in about 1 week.
Marco Clancy, QB - Sprained Knee, Probable, full strength in about 1 week.
Tyrone Glover, QB - Dislocated Elbow, Questionable, full strength in about 2 weeks.
Stanley Fisk, WLB - Strained Triceps Muscle, Probable, full strength in about 2 weeks.
Rodney Huffman, RDE - Strained Elbow Tendon, Out, full strength in 2011.
Ricky DiGiacomo, WLB - Torn Rotator Cuff, Out, full strength in 2011.
Kris Gibson, LDT - Degenerative Hip Condition, Out, full strength in late 2011.
Ian Goodwin, FB - Impaired Vision, Out, return to full strength unknown.


Glover, Huffman, DiGiacomo and Gibson are all on IR. We have a number of second-stringers in key positions, yet again.

New York Jets (12-4-1) at Cleveland Browns (12-4)

The spread is Cleveland by 3, assessing the game as a basic draw on talent. They have a great QB in Harrison Stanford, behind a superior offensive line. They have a tough defensive front, but I think their secondary can be picked on – they picked up S Thurman Jacobs from us this offseason in an attempt to strengthen back there, but we might be able to work on their corners. We will still try to pound the ball, but will keep the air game at the ready, of course.

We get the kid of first quarter that we like – a field position battle, lots of punts. We get a break when safety Kirk Weed gets through to block a Jets punt, and we take over at their 26 yard line. We connect on a 36 yard FG to take the lead late in the first quarter.

Big turn of events in the second quarter, as we drive deep but give up an interception in the Jets’ end zone. They respond with a long drive, get to our four yard line, but we hold on fourth and one yard to go – so we take over on downs. No scoring on the exchange, but a lot of drama in a close, low-scoring game thus far. The Jets take advantage of the field position, though, and tie it up before the half.

In the middle of the third quarter, Arsenault breaks a 22-yard run to get to the Jets 20, our deepest attack yet. He runs again to their 12, and we are in excellent position. WR Causey drops a sure TD pass, and we have to settle for another kick, and go ahead 6-3. The Jets respond with a solid drive, and on the first play of the fourth quarter, they tie it up again at 6-6.

The Jets capitalize on their momentum, stop us cold, take over near midfield after a short punt, and drive the short field to post the game’s first TD, and take the lead 13-6 with half a quarter yet to play. We’re not a great come-from-behind team, but suddenly we will need to open things up. Clancy hits Sasser and Causey for first downs, and gets us out to midfield. Time is not a pressure quite yet, but we are down to five minutes and change. Sasser for 14, then Whiting for 10, and we move to the Jets’ 13 yard line. Sasser jets into the end zone on a timing pattern, and we pull even with the Jets on the score, 13-13.

With three minutes to go, the Jets get going quickly, and hit a strike downfield to get to our 43 as the two minute warning sounds. We yield a painful third down conversion (a 13 yard completion on 3rd and 10), and they get into position for another late FG – going ahead 16-13. We bumble the return, getting only to the 13 yard line – and with 25 seconds remaining things look very bleak. Our final two plays are in vain, and we end up losing in our playoff opener yet again, and yet again by a mere field goal.


It’s Indianapolis and Philadelphia in the Superbowl, and the Eagles get a 13-0 shutout win.

Code:

2010 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Leon Coughlin              GBY   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Danny Duran                CHI   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Leon Coughlin              GBY   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
All-League First-String Running Back          Douglas Cleary              WAS   
All-League First-String Fullback              Myron Peterson              SEA   
All-League First-String Tight End            Carson Dittman              IND   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Josh Andruzzi              HOU   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Dan Doyle                  KCY   
All-League First-String Center                Victor Surdyk              NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Kirk Copeland              CIN   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              STL   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Ned Ford                    NED   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Kenneth Craft              CHI   
All-League First-String Punter                Lionel Connell              KCY   
All-League First-String Kicker                Scott Schultz              NOS   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Willie Chenoweth            DEN   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Bryant Magana              TBY   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Tod Greco                  NOS   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Angel Montoya              CIN   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Leon Coughlin              GBY   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Edward Crandell            SFO   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Douglas Downing            NYG   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Nathanial Stiles            TBY   
All-League First-String Safety                Tony Dancy                  CHI   
All-League First-String Safety                Thomas Huth                TBY   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Jarod Russell              MIA   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Jeremy Coble                BUF   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Michael Potts              SFO   
All-League Second-String Tight End            Tory Hammock                TEN   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Shannon Gadsden            NED   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Harold Skeen                JAX   
All-League Second-String Center              Lawrence Niles              WAS   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Randall Ayotte              SEA   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Nicolas Rosenfeld          SFO   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Dennis Rameriz              BUF   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Andres Sullins              PHI   
All-League Second-String Punter              Corwin Hughes              DEN   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Clifton Randle              SEA   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Cole Harrison              STL   
**All-League Second-String Defensive End      Butch Holton                CLE   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Weldon Maggard              DAL   
**All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle  Gary Cascadden              CLE   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Hayden Brown                CAR   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Micheal Stone              PIT   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Jerry Padron                TEN   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Vincent Seals              SEA   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Jose Moffatt                IND   
All-League Second-String Safety              Major Hargett              MIA   
All-League Second-String Safety              Scott Jacobs                BAL   
League's Fastest Man                          A.J. Ralston                SFO   
League's Strongest Man                        Kermit Simmons              CIN   


Philly’s QB Jacques Cheatham has become the uber-player, bringing down the league MVP award three years running, and now leading his team to the title.

I’m glad to see my two stalwart defensive linemen making the all-pro team, much deservedly, I think. With so many injuries, having two guys make it the whole way and do so well was a key ingredient in our relative success.


Season Wrap-up

Another season basically at the same level. We play good enough defense, no matter who’s actually slotted in the lineup, that we win a good number of games. But I don’t know that we really have all the answers on offense. Marco Clancy was adequate, and will push to start next year – but does he have enough weapons?

We’ll have tough free agent decisions in the coming offseason, and I don’t really know whether we ought to pursue retaining players (especially ones who have had injury problems) or re-stocking with new faces.

Regardless, it’s a good dilemma to be in – standing at 12-4 and trying to decide how to get better.

Vegas Vic 12-10-2003 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by QuikSand
I tinker a bit with my secondary – we will slide S Johnny Dotson over to play corner, where he will be a starter for us, I fear.

Quik,

I noticed in your house rules that you wouldn't start a lineman out of position, but you seem to make the exception for defensive backs. Just curious, as it is fairly common in the NFL to shift linemen around due to injuries.

primelord 12-10-2003 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vegas Vic
Quik,

I noticed in your house rules that you wouldn't start a lineman out of position, but you seem to make the exception for defensive backs. Just curious, as it is fairly common in the NFL to shift linemen around due to injuries.



I suspect he didn't just move Dotson to corner, but rather changed his position to CB.

Fonzie 12-10-2003 12:12 PM

Tampa Bay won their division with a 6-8-2 record? Wow.

Too bad about the early playoff exit - but given your team's trajectory next year will be different, I'm sure.

QuikSand 12-12-2003 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by primelord
I suspect he didn't just move Dotson to corner, but rather changed his position to CB.


I don't even remember this case, but in general I have felt fairly free to move players to new positions permanently. I try it fairly regularly with URFA running backs (moving to receiver) and shuffle around linemen as well. DBs are another case.

I may have slipped a time or two and started a player out of position, but in general I think this is a good rule to follow, and I'm trying to remember to stick with it.

QuikSand 12-12-2003 08:41 PM

2011 preseason

Transitions and League Observations

It’s become routine, but we again escape any retirements.

I don’t notice any lingering injury issues – se we will head into the meat of the preseason, with a lot of work to do.


Front Office Decisions

Scout Myron Hampton is 72, and rapidly declining. He’d accept a new contract, but I don’t think it would make a lot of sense to give him one.

We sign Kim Donaldson, 39, whose main attractive feature is his lack of grave weaknesses. Nothing too special about him – but perhaps he can develop over time. He is pretty cheap, though.

Scout: Kim Donaldson, 39
VG: WR
GD: QB,PK,DL,LB,DB,Young Talent
AV: RB,OL


Roster Review

So, through the eyes of our new middling scout, here is a walk through the roster – with a eye on free agency coming up ahead.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Glover, Tyrone          2  QB          8    64                64                1 yr.
Clancy, Marco          8  QB          3    37                63                2 yrs
Davis, Steven          14  QB          5    27                50                --- 
Silvers, Bobby          10  QB          8    24                24                --- 
Fox, Marvin            11  QB          4    24                45                --- 


What to do at quarterback? Glover has been decent, but Clancy is coming along – and might be ready to take over this year. It might be an open competition in preseason, but Clancy has a legitimate shot to be our #1 this season, I think. I’m a little tired of Glover’s late-season disappearing act.

Steven Davis might be worth re-signing, though I never seem willing to actually let him start. What of Bobby Silvers? He’s immensely popular – I don’t mind keeping him around, perhaps even as our #3. Marvin Fox is probably gone – tough to keep justifying his role and paycheck (see Steven Davis).

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Arsenault, Roderick    33  RB          8    53                53                1 yr.
Ramsey, Archie          29  RB          6    51                51                1 yr.
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          6    41                44                1 yr.
Adams, Donovan          28  RB          5    41                41                --- 


I like this group, but we lack any long term stability – with everyone in a contract year. Arsenault is solid and productive, and extremely expensive. I sort of suspect we could get similar results giving the ball to either of the Ramsey cousins, but I’m not sure if we want to backtrack on our commitment to the run, which has borne fruit thus far. Re-signing Donovan Adams is not a high priority, but he may come cheaply.


Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          8    50                51                1 yr.
Goodwin, Ian            23  FB          3    37                52                1 yr.
Holmes, Jonathan        18  TE          6    75                75                2 yrs
Whiting, Arnie          84  TE          8    64                64                --- 
Pariso, Wade            82  TE          2    31                54                3 yrs


Both fullbacks are nice players – Woodson has the balance of skills I like at FB, while Goodwin is versatile enough to do most anything.

Holmes is good enough to be our starter at TE, and I don’t expect to pursue the brittle (but brilliant) Whiting. Pariso is a decent backup, nothing more.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Blair, Zach            81  FL          3    48                60                2 yrs
Sasser, Marlon          85  SE          6    49                49                2 yrs
Rose, Mickey            89  SE          5    41                41                2 yrs
Goodwin, Oscar          80  SE          3    40                50                1 yr.
Causey, Marvin          86  SE          2    40                63                2 yrs
Sanders, Randall        83  SE          8    26                28                1 yr.


Zach Blair has established himself as out starter at the flanker spot, while Sasser and Causey may battle again for time at split end. Sasser is super-fast, and had a really nice season last year – but Causey shows such promise. After missing all of last year, Randall Sanders is a dead man walking – he can’t stick around, after he lost so much to injuries.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Nichols, Kurt          56  C          8    48                48                --- 
Allman, Omar            55  C          2    20                46                1 yr.
Marion, Terrell        65  LG          4    50                58                --- 
Gruber, Lincoln        63  RG          7    55                57                1 yr.
Hampton, Todd          67  RG          5    37                39                --- 
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          7    52                54                1 yr.
Cox, Hugh              60  LT          3    28                48                --- 
Norton, Danny          68  LT          2    10                41                2 yrs
Schroeder, Bert        74  RT          8    65                65                --- 


Five-year starter Kurt Nichols had a lousy season, but it was his first one after several really good years. G Terrell Marion deserves a new deal, but his demands are steep, and might require us to look elsewhere. We have to do something at RT, as Bert Schrader is looking for pretty big money, and I don’t know. We’ve thrived behind this line, but free agency may be about to render it asunder.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Wolf, B.J.              1  P          3    15                19                2 yrs
Vallejo, Jeremy        19  K          3    53                61                2 yrs


If our plan is to play the ball control, field position style of football that has been our hallmark, we probably need to improve at punting. Wolf’s average dropped to 35.5 last year – and that’s just not good enough. I may make landing a top-grade punter a priority for the coming year.

We’re very pleased with Vallejo, despite a dip in his performance this year also.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Holton, Butch          97  LDE        8    57                57                1 yr.
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        5    50                50                --- 
Huffman, Rodney        78  RDE        7    79                79                --- 
Blum, Dale              77  RDE        6    39                40                --- 
Burns, Johnny          96  RDE        3    18                39                1 yr.
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        5    66                68                1 yr.
**Gibson, Kris          95  LDT        6    52                52                1 yr.
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        7    38                47                2 yrs
Gustafson, Harvey      75  RDT        5    52                52                2 yrs
Wayne, Harry            79  NT          8    26                26                --- 


Work to be done here. Holton is signed, but he’s the only DE we have on board. Rodney Hurrman wants $12 million per year – and considering that he has only given us 16 starts twice in his six seasons with us, that is a very hard amount to swallow. I could see us working something out if he goes unpursued through the first stage – but for now, I’m planning to be without him. Fox and Blum are fairly cheap, and either or both could return – but we will have to make a move here this year, whether by getting a veteran or a rookie, or both.

At DT, Cascadden is signed through this season, but Gibson; might not even play this year. That makes Gustafson our key player – he’s been solid, but not reliably healthy (we may need him for the DE mix as well). Oliveira and Wayne give us good depth – especially if Wayne will sign a long term deal to stick around (though my new scout doesn’t like Wayne nearly as much as my old scout did).

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        8    60                60                --- 
Casey, Rick            90  MLB        8    55                58                2 yrs
Castaneda, Ronald      64  MLB        5    31                45                1 yr.
Daveria, Greg          59  SLB        3    29                59                --- 
Frederick, Clarence    58  SLB        2    26                60                2 yrs
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91  WLB        4    58                71                2 yrs
Regalado, Darrin        52  WLB        3    47                54                1 yr.
Fisk, Stanley          98  WLB        5    45                45                1 yr.


Playing on a one year deal, MLB Goodwin gave us a solid season – getting over 20% of the team tackles while on the field – a high number, even for him. He was only able to start 12 games, though, adding to my injury concerns. We have Casey signed (and I think he’d be a solid starter) but we will try to work out a suitable deal for Goodwin, who has been with us since the very beginning.

Outside, we have solid potential – need to develop Frederick into a player, after he missed his entire first season on the IR. DiGiacomo fits well into the weak side role, and Regalado played well last season wherever he was slotted.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Wickliff, Calvin        42  LCB        7    56                56                --- 
Gomez, Craig            27  LCB        7    41                46                1 yr.
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        6    59                59                --- 
Callens, Zack          39  RCB        8    49                49                1 yr.
Weed, Kirk              24  SS          3    55                59                2 yrs
Ellery, Deron          46  FS          4    52                57                2 yrs
Cowley, Kelly          31  FS          5    17                43                1 yr.


Deon Richmond is out of contract, but has been improving in recent years. I want to lock him up, and keep him aboard – and I think we will be able to do just that. Zack Callens is a similar player – I started him opposite Richmond last season, with decent results. Calvin Wickliff has been a nice substitute, but isn’t a great fit for us – his top skills are inn zone defenses, which we have mostly abandoned.

Kirk Weed and Deron Ellery continue to pull down big money to play (reasonably well) in our back secondary, and converted corner Cowley has work to do, but can be okay. I’m a little gun shy about drafting here, but an improvement would be welcome.


Top target positions: DE, T, G, CB, OLB, P


Free Agency

We have 38 players signed, and $16.8m in usable cap space. That’s tight, but not quite as bad as last season. So, we will have some room to move.

I have DE Jimmy Fox and CB Dean Richmond on my initial re-signing list, with more expected to follow if they remain reasonable.


C O.J. Owens looks like a very solid lineman, and a possible starter for us if we aren’t able to re-up with Nichols. Solid player, pretty good in the running game.

DE Tim Hendrix doesn’t seem to be stable enough to start regularly, but he seems decent enough – a good guy for our rotation, I think.

LB Warren Holmes looks like a contributor, and comes cheaply. Great value.

DE Cris Moseley has been underutilized by Dallas, and I think he could be a solid addition. Better against the run than pass, he might make a good platoon guy for us.

WR Jimmy Ellard is a great kick returner and would make a solid reserve wideout – he even had a 1,000-yard season with Houston a couple years back. Nice short-term pickup.


So, with seven pursuits, none for really big money, we go ahead into free agency. Even if we land everyone, we’ll still have some cash left over for re-signings of our own players. But this could help fill some need areas, if we get the guys we are after.

Things look good right away – we get two of our seven, and are along in bidding for the rest. We should land them all.

DE Huffman and TE Whiting both have big money suitors, so I expect them both to be gone. I’ll miss Huffman, but he simply hasn’t been reliable – and at over $11 million a year, I can’t see a new deal making sense – we’d have to make such great sacrifices.


Jimmy Ellard signs to play receiver, and this looks like a boom for us. He’s become our receivers leader, and we suddenly have three affinities – this could help the whole unit, even if Ellard is strictly a reserve.

Dallas signs RT Bert Schroeder, and we definitely need to something about that position. I check out the possibilities, and former first rounder Donnie Thornton is the obvious target. I put in a two year offer, and after a few weeks, we land him.

I’m surprised when C Kurt Nichols receives and accepts a contract from Arizona. I really didn’t think he’d depart – I had expected to wait him out and get him back a little more cheaply. Tough break – but new signee Owens will probably step in and become our starter. I don’t think we’ll have a chemistry problem, but we will have a cohesion loss for certain, with at least two new starters, and the LG spot still unsettled.

I’m playing the same game with MLB Cedric Goodwin – I want and expect to re-sign him, but I’m balking at the price he’s asking for. My plan is to wait until after the 20 weeks and rookie draft, and then move in with a more reasonable offer. I want to bring him back – but I have a backup plan, which is essential.

We get to the end of the first 20 weeks, and Goodwin remains unsigned. My late move here is to pick up 5th year MLB K.C. Perez, who seems to be a nice underused player from the Pats, and who would be a possible starter if we needed him to be. We have the safety net all ready in case Goodwin is unwilling to re-sign.

QuikSand 12-12-2003 08:41 PM

2011 Rookie Draft

The Akron class here is pretty weak – S Marcus Stephens and DE Trent Guthrie might get drafted, but I don’t see either one making much of a splash.

After making a deal last season, we surprisingly hold the #1 draft pick overall in this draft. We dealt with Minnesota last year, and they fell apart last season – all to our benefit. That’s a wonderful spot to be in – and a chance to land an impact player.

Thing is – I am completely unimpressed with the top of this draft. Chicago deals us two firsts and a second to move up from #14 to #1 overall – pretty good deal for us, I think. I decide to address our interior line issues with OL Mickey Thornton, whom we will slot at left guard.

Tough decision at #30 – I like a safety (again) but also see a LB who I think might become a fantastic pass rusher. Tough decision – must think on it a while. (My luck drafting these two positions has been spotty, at best, thus far) There’s also a cornerback out of VaTech who would make a nice addition – and that’s a need position also.

I end up going with CB Jamie Freeman, whom I think can be a good cover man for the long haul. When my coveted safety is still there midway through round two, we get him, too. Two potentially big additions to our secondary in one quick swoop.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Mickey Thornton, G, Washington
Rnd 1 - Jamie Freeman, CB, Virginia Tech
Rnd 2 - Ellis Pond, C, Eastern Michigan
Rnd 2 - Rex Specter, S, Notre Dame
Rnd 3 - James Houston, QB, Notre Dame
Rnd 4 - Lamont Creighton, P, Central Florida
Rnd 5 - Ben Hicks, DT, Arizona State
Rnd 6 - Sherman Benjdya, ILB, Washington
Rnd 7 - Tyrone Kramer, RB, UCLA


As usual, I like the guys from our draft a lot. We may revise that soon, after we get a closer look – but I’m thrilled so far. Big help to the interior line, big help to the secondary – both places where we needed it.


Late Free Agency

As I had hoped, MLB Cedric Goodwin has adjusted his demands, and I put in a three year offer. I want him around – and hopefully this will keep that hope alive.

G Terrell Marion is still asking for a small fortune, and I don’t think that will work, especially since we just drafted a LG high. Unless he dramatically revises his demands, we will let him walk, and go younger there.

I put in for a few undrafted rookies and we purge ahead into the late stages.

In week five, MLB Cedric Goodwin accepts our offer – and we have locked it all up.

Weird side story – WR Josh Andruzzi has asked for huge money in each of the last two years’ free agent markets, but hasn’t gotten a big contract. This will be the third year he will go into training camp without a job. He made the all-pro team for his last two employers (on one year minsal deals) – can this guy ever get paid?


Training Camp

Code:

Player        Pos        CE        FE        CE        FE        ChgC        ChgF
Glover, Tyrone        QB        61        61        61        61        0        0
Clancy, Marco        QB        35        60        39        60        4        0
Houston, James        QB        32        61        36        60        4        -1
Gordon, Howie        QB        28        58        30        56        2        -2
Fox, Marvin        QB        23        46        27        46        4        0
Lee, Sammy        QB        16        51        18        45        2        -6
Arsenault, Roderick        RB        53        53        53        53        0        0
Ramsey, Archie        RB        51        51        51        51        0        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        RB        36        38        37        38        1        0
Kramer, Tyrone        RB        31        41        31        38        0        -3
Aguilera, Danny        RB        28        37        29        36        1        -1
Quinn, Vince        RB        23        44        23        39        0        -5
Woodson, Mickey        FB        48        48        48        48        0        0
Goodwin, Ian        FB        37        52        39        52        2        0
Carey, Marshall        FB        20        37        23        42        3        5
Holmes, Jonathan        TE        75        75        75        75        0        0
Pariso, Wade        TE        29        45        33        45        4        0
Ellard, Jimmy        FL        48        48        48        48        0        0
Blair, Zach        FL        45        48        47        48        2        0
Bensen, Vernon        FL        15        33        18        39        3        6
Sasser, Marlon        SE        50        50        50        50        0        0
Goodwin, Oscar        SE        38        50        41        50        3        0
Causey, Marvin        SE        39        61        41        61        2        0
Rose, Mickey        SE        39        39        39        39        0        0
Bates, Ellis        SE        18        28        18        28        0        0
Owens, O.J.        C        46        66        49        66        3        0
McElroy, Ken        C        38        46        41        46        3        0
Pond, Ellis        C        20        57        24        58        4        1
Allman, Omar        C        20        44        23        44        3        0
Thornton, Mickey        LG        31        74        34        68        3        -6
Gruber, Lincoln        RG        55        57        55        57        0        0
Hampton, Todd        RG        37        39        39        39        2        0
Heinlein, Bennie        LT        53        55        53        55        0        0
Norton, Danny        LT        12        42        14        42        2        0
Thornton, Donnie        RT        49        59        52        59        3        0
Creighton, Lamont        P        66        76        65        72        -1        -4
Sneller, Mickey        P        46        61        48        61        2        0
Wolf, B.J.        P        15        19        16        19        1        0
Vallejo, Jeremy        K        58        65        58        65        0        0
Moseley, Cris        LDE        53        56        55        56        2        0
Holton, Butch        LDE        52        52        52        52        0        0
Fox, Jimmy        LDE        50        50        51        51        1        1
Irish, J.C.        LDE        20        27        22        27        2        0
Hendrix, Tim        RDE        50        65        53        65        3        0
Burns, Johnny        RDE        18        36        20        36        2        0
Cascadden, Gary        LDT        67        69        67        69        0        0
**Gibson, Kris        LDT        52        52        52        52        0        0
Oliveira, Willie        LDT        38        47        40        47        2        0
Gustafson, Harvey        RDT        51        51        51        51        0        0
Hicks, Ben        RDT        25        35        26        36        1        1
Carlson, Kirk        WILB        26        42        28        42        2        0
Casey, Rick        MLB        56        58        56        58        0        0
Goodwin, Cedric        MLB        55        55        55        55        0        0
Perez, K.C.        MLB        41        62        45        62        4        0
Castaneda, Ronald        MLB        31        45        34        45        3        0
Frederick, Clarence        SLB        25        58        28        58        3        0
Benjdya, Sherman        SLB        22        47        23        44        1        -3
DiGiacomo, Ricky        WLB        59        69        63        69        4        0
Holmes, Warren        WLB        55        55        55        55        0        0
Regalado, Darrin        WLB        46        46        48        48        2        2
Fisk, Stanley        WLB        45        45        46        46        1        1
Gomez, Craig        LCB        42        46        43        46        1        0
Freeman, Jamie        LCB        27        66        30        63        3        -3
Richmond, Deon        RCB        58        58        58        58        0        0
Callens, Zack        RCB        49        49        49        49        0        0
Weed, Kirk        SS        53        54        57        57        4        3
Ellery, Deron        FS        51        57        54        57        3        0
Specter, Rex        FS        30        58        31        54        1        -4
Cowley, Kelly        FS        16        43        19        43        3        0


Well, the big news is that my super-draft turns out to be… well… less than super. Once again, nearly all my players turn out to have their upside somewhere at or near the bottom end of the “bands” that my scout forecasted. So, my top four picks all look like role players, rather than star players. Disappointing – especially CB Freeman, who I though was going to be a very solid starting CB. Instead, he’s the same caliber guy we’re used to seeing in free agency for modest money. ::sigh::

Anyway, we get some good news – S Kirk Weed had a really good camp, and now seems to be developing beyond his previous forecasts. That’s good to see. We also have an interesting prospect at QB in James Houston, who could make our “future” at that position a little more cloudy. More on the relative merits of Houston and Clancy in due course.

I’m disappointed, again.


Season Analysis

As we approach the season, here’s a snapshot of our team chemistry situation – you’ll see that we have worked pretty hard to build up good chemistry (some of this has been happenstance, some deliberate).

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Playing Time    Chemistry 
Ramsey, Archie          29  RB          Content        Backfield Leader   
Ellard, Jimmy          87  FL          Content        Receivers Leader   
Gruber, Lincoln        63  RG          Content        Offensive Line Lead 
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        Content        Defensive Front Lea 
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        Content        Secondary Leader   
Glover, Tyrone          2  QB          Content        1 Affinity with lea 
Clancy, Marco          8  QB          Content        1 Affinity with lea 
Houston, James          7  QB          Content        1 Affinity with lea 
Gustafson, Harvey      75  RDT        Content        Conflict           
Hicks, Ben              74  RDT        Content        Conflict           
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          Content        Strong Affinity     
Rose, Mickey            89  SE          Content        Strong Affinity     
Holton, Butch          97  LDE        Content        Strong Affinity     
**Gibson, Kris          95  LDT        Content        Strong Affinity     
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        Content        Strong Affinity     
Goodwin, Oscar          80  SE          Content        Affinity           
Moseley, Cris          94  LDE        Content        Affinity           
Freeman, Jamie          44  LCB        Content        Affinity           
Aguilera, Danny        30  RB          Content        Mild Affinity       
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          Content        Mild Affinity       
Owens, O.J.            51  C          Content        Mild Affinity       
Hampton, Todd          67  RG          Content        Mild Affinity       


Pretty good group of affinities there, especially with four (three strong) among the defensive front. I’ve allowed two conflicts to build there – but Gustafson in particular is just too good to let go due to chemistry issues.

G Lincoln Gruber and RB Roderick Arsenault have become mentors to their positions for us, which is a good thing to see emerge. My balance at RB in particular is building good chemistry – leader Archie Ramsey prevents Arsenault from clashing with QB Tyrone Glover, plus he has a strong bond with his cousin Kendrick Ramsey. Even though I have mostly relegated Archie to #3 status, he still serves a valuable role for us here.


We have certainly had our biggest year of turnover this season – and after being a playoff team three years running, I would have rather stayed the course. But most of the moves we have made have been pretty good on the surface – we lose DE Huffman, but he hadn’t been a consistent presence for us anyway. It’s the OL where I have my gravest concerns – as we will be starting three new players there, and will lose nearly all of our continuity. I think this might spell trouble for us – but hopefully our defense will play well and carry us again.

We are obliged to say that this year’s goals are to go even deeper into the playoffs… but really, I just hope that some of these moves end up working out. If we end up on top of our division again this year, that will be great.

QuikSand 12-12-2003 09:09 PM

One quick note - for the first time, my team is over-represented on the league's "Green Page." We have four of the twenty players listed: QB James Houston (#6), undrafted QB Howie Gordon (#9), CB Jamie Freeman (#12) and G Mickey Thornton (#16). Wow.

We were graded a B+ for this draft, incidentally. I'm not so sure I agree - but nominally, there it is.

Honolulu Blue 12-13-2003 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by QuikSand
Weird side story – WR Josh Andruzzi has asked for huge money in each of the last two years’ free agent markets, but hasn’t gotten a big contract. This will be the third year he will go into training camp without a job. He made the all-pro team for his last two employers (on one year minsal deals) – can this guy ever get paid?


I think Andruzzi needs a new agent.

QuikSand 12-13-2003 10:26 AM

2011 Regular Season

We get through the preseason with the usual scrapes and dings, but no huge losses. After a pretty nice preseason QB battle, I decide to at least start this season with my veteran QB Tyrone Glover at the helm. I have Clancy as my #2, and promising youngster Houston as #3 – we’ll be okay down the road, but for right now, I like the hope for stability that we get from a veteran like Glover (who nominally ought to make fewer mistakes).

We look super sharp on both sides of the ball beating Cinti 27-11 in our opener. However, Glover suffers yet another injury (he’s just cursed) and my QB plans are right in the dumper. We install Clancy as our top guy, with rookie Houston slotted #2. Right away, we have a backup plan in place.

Marco Clancy comes through, carrying the load for the offense in a nice 31-7 win in week two. Four scoring passes help the stat line look good – and Clancy is trying to stake his claim to the spot, it seems.

We get dropped 21-16 at Kansas City, but we right the sip and get rolling again – out to a 5-1 start for the year. QB Tyrone Glover is healthy again, but I am comfortable enough with Marco Clancy that I decide to stick with him, and his 89 passer rating (and 12/5 ratio, higher than any season by Glover). Arsenault is on a 100/game clip, and we are running along pretty smoothly.

A mid-season loss to Pittsburgh drops us to 6-3, and into a tie with the Steelers. Cincinnati, though, is the big surprise team – up by two games for the division lead.

Off our bye week, we look around and assess. RB Archie Ramsey’s early season injury seems to have converted him into a clipboard holder – not even worthy of being #3 on our depth chart, I fear.

In week 11, we get thrashed by mighty Cinti, and our season looks to be in some trouble. The division title is all but gone – now we must try just to return to the playoffs. However, we win three in row, get to 8-4, and are within one game of the Bengals again – even with Pittsburgh.

A tough loss at Seattle drops us to 8-5, and even after two more wins, we need a final victory and probably a loss by Kansas City to get into the postseason, I assess. Now it’s Baltimore at 11-4 who lead our division, and they come to town for the final game. We get the 34-24 win at home in the last game of the regular season, and that fortunately places us where we wanted to be: back in the playoffs, albeit as the #5 seed this season.

Code:

2011 Regular Season Standings
 
  AC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Baltimore              11  5  0  .688  395  285  8-4    4-2     
Cleveland              11  5  0  .688  373  252  8-4    3-3     
Cincinnati              10  6  0  .625  334  249  8-4    3-3     
Pittsburgh              8  8  0  .500  277  316  7-5    2-4     
 
  AC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Indianapolis            7  9  0  .438  268  390  6-6    5-1     
Houston                7  9  0  .438  313  369  6-6    4-2     
Jacksonville            5  11  0  .313  360  383  5-7    3-3     
Tennessee              4  12  0  .250  285  416  2-10    0-6     
 
  AC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Miami                  9  7  0  .563  344  316  8-4    5-1     
Buffalo                8  8  0  .500  379  364  6-6    3-3     
New York J              6  10  0  .375  250  298  5-7    2-4     
New England            4  12  0  .250  268  382  3-9    2-4     
 
  AC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Oakland                11  5  0  .688  349  250  8-4    5-1     
Kansas City            10  6  0  .625  327  327  7-5    2-4     
San Diego              9  7  0  .563  356  306  6-6    2-4     
Denver                  5  11  0  .313  291  335  3-9    3-3     
 
  NC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Green Bay              10  6  0  .625  330  269  7-5    5-1     
Detroit                5  11  0  .313  268  368  5-7    4-2     
Chicago                4  12  0  .250  315  401  3-9    3-3     
Minnesota              2  14  0  .125  266  390  1-11    0-6     
 
  NC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Atlanta                13  3  0  .813  297  247  10-2    5-1     
Carolina                11  5  0  .688  369  282  7-5    3-3     
New Orleans            10  6  0  .625  341  287  8-4    3-3     
Tampa Bay              7  9  0  .438  269  321  4-8    1-5     
 
  NC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Philadelphia            13  3  0  .813  392  283  9-3    5-1     
Dallas                  10  6  0  .625  355  310  6-6    2-4     
New York G              7  9  0  .438  322  331  6-6    3-3     
Washington              6  10  0  .375  325  366  4-8    2-4     
 
  NC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Seattle                10  6  0  .625  361  317  8-4    3-3     
Arizona                9  7  0  .563  356  269  7-5    4-2     
San Francisco          8  8  0  .500  286  300  6-6    3-3     
St. Louis              6  10  0  .375  301  343  5-7    2-4     


Our division suddenly got very, very tough. And Indy gets in at 7-9, while Cinti sits out at 10-6. Shame, really. Heh.

Code:

2011 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 11-5
Winning Pct.: .687
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  398      24         
Rushing Yards          1643      22         
Yards Per Carry        4.12      10 (T)     
Pass Attempts          618      3         
Completions            370      2         
Passing Yards          3843      7 (T)     
Yards Per Attempt      6.21      28         
3rd Down Conversions    41.7      12         
Points Per Game        23.3      4         
Turnovers              27        20 (T)     
Turnover Margin        +4        10         
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  415      10         
Rushing Yards          1509      7         
Yards Per Carry        3.63      2         
Pass Attempts          538      16         
Completions            285      1 (T)     
Passing Yards          3234      1         
Yards Per Attempt      6.01      3 (T)     
3rd Down Conversions    34.6      3         
Points Per Game        15.7      4         
Turnovers              31        2 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    27    CIN          11     
2    31    SFO          7     
3    16    at KCY        21     
4    36    TEN          10     
5    19    at JAX        7     
6    33    at HOU        10     
7    13    at BAL        21     
8    35    IND          18     
9    16    PIT          21     
11    3    at CIN        27     
12    27    STL          24     
13    17    NYJ          0     
14    9    at SEA        17     
15    22    at PIT        10     
16    35    at ARI        24     
17    34    BAL          24     
$$WC        at IND               
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
8 Clancy            QB    521  319  3233  6.20  28    19     
2 Glover            QB    96    50    602  6.27  4    3     
**Team              ---  618  370  3843  6.21  32    22     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
33 Arsenault        RB    291  1257  4.31  3     
32 Ramsey          RB    70    253  3.61  3     
**Team              ---  398  1643  4.12  6     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
18 Holmes          TE    124  81    706  8.7  182  6     
81 Blair            WR    125  65    746  11.4  102  8     
86 Causey          WR    101  61    808  13.2  96    7     
85 Sasser          WR    89    56    637  11.3  89    2     
87 Ellard          WR    56    28    359  12.8  59    2     
33 Arsenault        RB    32    25    196  7.8  98    0     
30 Aguilera        RB    32    19    91    4.7  48    2     
**Team              ---  617  370  3843  10.3  777  32     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
92 Goodwin          ILB  82    23    0.0  0    2    4     
24 Weed            S    77    25    4.0  0    0    10     
46 Ellery          S    69    21    1.5  0    5    6     
91 DiGiacomo        OLB  65    27    6.0  4    1    6     
39 Callens          CB    63    11    0.0  0    8    12     
58 Frederick        OLB  47    11    6.0  4    0    4     
90 Casey            ILB  44    22    3.0  1    0    5     
72 Cascadden        DT    44    23    3.5  4    0    0     
43 Richmond        CB    38    16    0.0  1    1    18     
27 Gomez            CB    37    3    0.0  1    0    9     
97 Holton          DE    33    12    5.0  21    0    0     
94 Moseley          DE    26    11    5.0  5    0    0     
52 Regalado        OLB  22    3    4.5  5    0    1     
75 Gustafson        DT    20    8    2.5  8    0    0     
93 Fox              DE    18    8    4.0  16    0    0     
**Team              ---  802  256  49.0  81    17    79     


On offense, Arsenault had another solid season – again carrying most of the load for our running game. We did throw a pretty fair amount, and Clancy was effective, though his interception rate was a bit high down the stretch. TE Jonathan Holmes led the team in catches, despite missing a couple of games – he is very solid.

Defensively, we kept up our end of the deal, with dominating performances against the run and pass, despite once again facing major injury problems. Butch Holton was solid again, but we spread around our sacks and pressures among many players – and as a team we did fine: #2 in yards per carry allowed, #3 in yards per pass allowed, and #4 in points per game allowed. Strong.


2011 Postseason

As we prepare for the postseason, here is our injury picture – a little grim:

Code:

Injury Report:
Cedric Goodwin, MLB - Strained Deltoid Muscle, Probable, full strength in about 1 week.
Bennie Heinlein, LT - Broken Nose, Probable, full strength in about 2 weeks.
Jimmy Ellard, FL - Shoulder Tendinitis, Probable, full strength in about 2 weeks.
Jonathan Holmes, TE - Hyperextended Knee, Questionable, full strength in about 2 weeks.
Tim Hendrix, RDE - Broken Clavicle, Out, full strength in 2012.
Marco Clancy, QB - Pulled Groin, Doubtful, full strength in 2012.
Cris Moseley, LDE - Back Surgery, Out, full strength in 2012.
Harvey Gustafson, RDT - ACL Knee Surgery, Out, full strength in 2013.
Oscar Goodwin, SE - Turf Toe, Probable, return to full strength unknown.


So, with Marco Clancy this banged up, we will (for what seems like the fourth straight season) head into the postseason with a different QB than our main regular season starter. We will fall back to Tyrone Glover, and hope that his veteran hand can help us in the playoffs.

Only two starters from the DL are out for the year – so this is a light year for injuries, I guess. How pleasant. We have bodies to throw out there, and should be okay.


Our opener is against Indianapolis, the 7-9 division winners. They feature a great QB and an outstanding offensive line, but not a lot else on offense – this team could really use a playmaker or two at the skill positions. Their defense is mostly slanted to stop the run, but their LB corps is just awful. I think we should be able to move the ball on them, especially passing underneath their secondary – to guys like TE Holmes and WR Blair. We are made 9 point favorites, despite playing on the road at the division champions.

AFC Wild Card Round: Cleveland (10-6) at Indianapolis (9-7)

We get the ball first, and drive pretty smoothly to get an opening FG. We stop them quickly, get the punt in good field position, and drive for another FG. The first quarter ends with us ahead 6-0, and an 80-yard edge in offense. Good so far, but touchdowns would be a lot better.

Indy senses that, too, and their defense comes up big with a series of plays (and penalties against us) pinning us deep, and forcing a punt to our own 40. The Colts move downfield, and strike to take the 7-6 lead. The Colts gain field position again, and ad a field goal just before the half to lead 10-7 at the break.

On our first possession in the third quarter, Glover hits Causey on a third-and-long to keep our drive alive, getting to the IND 33. We take our third kick, and get back within one point. We get an injury announcement on Tyrone Glover, and have to wait and see if he can still play.

Our next possession, it’s James Houston on the field, leading the offense. He hasn’t had to play any meaningful snaps for us – now he’s in charge for the playoffs. Arsenault and Blair make plays to get us into position to try another FG, and Vallejo hits the 36-yard kick to put us ahead again, 12-10. Our defense has been perfect in the third quarter, and they stuff the Colts again – we take over near midfield as the third quarter wraps up.

From the Indy 34, I think I probably would call for a punt, but my coach lets Vallejo try again – and he nails the 51-yard kick to give us a five point lead. Indy strikes immediately with a big pass play, though, getting 43 yards and striking into our territory for the first time in this second half. Three plays later, though, they face fourth and 16 from their 48 – our defense again rises to the occasion.

Houston keeps it under wraps, throwing plenty of safe underneath passes (which was our game plan anyway) and avoiding a big mistake. Indy takes over with 6 minutes to play, near midfield. This might be their best chance to get it back. QB Droughns decides to go for it all from our 45, and the hail mary pass is picked off by Ellery, which give sus the ball back with 4:28 on the clock.

A key completion to Causey gives us a first down, then we have to punt it back – Indy takes over with 2:11 remaining, at their own 11 yard line after a brilliant 53-yard punt by our rookie Creighton. Three incomplete passes, one of them batted down by LB Regalado, and we have them up against fourth and 10. We give them the first down, though, on a penalty – bad timing for that. Droughns makes us pay – competing a 48 yard pass on second down, and they are at our 36 with 1:13 left. A sack and a penalty push them back to face 2nd and 19, and two incomplete passes make it fourth down. Unbelievably, they manage a 25-yard completion, and have a last shot at the win, with a first down at our 20. They spike the ball to stop the clock with 22 seconds.

Code:

Offense: Strong Formation, Normal, Strength = Left.
Defense: 43 Alignment, Nickel Personnel, Man-to-Man (Loose), Pass - Aggressive.  Blitzing: 56 Perez, 24 Weed.
IND 8 Droughns pass fell incomplete, intended for 88 Durham.
CLE 39 Callens simply beat the receiver to the ball.

Offense: Pro Formation, Normal, Strength = Right.
Defense: 43 Alignment, Nickel Personnel, Man-to-Man (Loose), Pass - Aggressive.  Blitzing: 56 Perez.
IND 8 Droughns pass fell incomplete, intended for 83 Flake.
CLE 90 Casey defended the pass.

Offense: Pro Formation, Normal, Strength = Right.
Defense: 43 Alignment, Nickel Personnel, Man-to-Man (Bump & Run), Pass - Aggressive.
IND 8 Droughns sacked by CLE 72 Cascadden for a loss of 6 yards.
Sack allowed by IND 62 Frazer.
The defense looked very well prepared for that play.
The ball goes over on downs.


That’s the defense that got us this far – good individual plays (by less-than-star players) and good preparations overall. They stand up, and seal this one for us.


So, we have our first playoff victory – and get back to the divisional playoffs for the fourth straight season. QB Glover is listed as questionable, Clancy remains doubtful. I don’t have a great feel for what we should do here – Houston is just so green, that seems like begging for a problem. My plan will be to start Glover, and hope that he can get through this one for us.

QuikSand 12-13-2003 10:27 AM

AFC Divisional Playoff: Cleveland (12-5) at Oakland (11-5)

Oakland has a straight-ahead offense with a great interior offensive line, and a tough defense – tops in the league against the pass. Should be a tough matchup – probably another one of ball control and field position.

On the very first offensive play, Arsenault gets five yards up the middle, and the Raiders’ safety practically tears his head off after the play. After the scrum, it’s a penalty and an ejection. Raider football! Arsenault is okay, but the message is sent and received. We grind our field position, and get into a scoring chance. After a penalty sets us back, Glover hits streaking speedster Sasser, and the pass goes for a 24 yard touchdown. Touchdowns are better than field goals.

Safety Kirk Weed steps in front of a pass in the early second quarter, and has nothing but real estate ahead of him – hauling the pick back for a 59 yard touchdown. We keep them in check through the second quarter, but they get on the board just before the half, after converting on a fourth down and two third downs, to set up the kick.

Midway through the third quarter, we are driving again – but Glover gets hit hard, and seems to be hurt again. It was an outside running play to Arsenault – no reason for anyone to be after the QB in the first place. Raider football! Glover has to come off the field, and we’ll again be in the hands of a rookie quarterback. We have two penalties that push us back, but end up getting another kick to lead 17-3. As the third quarter winds down, we get another long kick from Vallejo, and lead the game 20-3.

While things look gook, the Raiders go vertical, and hit a 50-yard pass to get their first TD. It’s 20-10, and doesn’t look as comfy as it just did a while ago. With about ten minutes left, near midfield, Houston gets picked off – and it looks bad. The defender takes the ball into the open field, and only a TD-saving tackle by Bennie Heinlein saves the score. They Raiders gets it at our 21 – looking to get within a score of taking the lead. Two completions, and it’s 20-17 – our lead has dwindled to only one kick’s worth.

Needing at least a few first downs, we get only two yards – and have to punt it right back to them. They again go vertical, and again come up with a big play – down to our 24 on the very first play of the possession. From the 17, they kick a tying FG, and we get it back with the score tied, and under four minutes to play.

Arsenault powers for 8 yards, then Houston finds Blair for another 11 – a good opening sequence. Arsenault pounds twice for a couple of yards, and we face 3rd and 6 when the two minute warning sounds. Houston’s pass falls incomplete – but a Raider penalty gives us the first down. Raider football! Arsenault gets a bit 11-yard carry up the middle, and we land at their 29 yard line. Vallejo can hit from here, but we want ot keep moving forward, of course. We call a time out with the clock at 0:03, and the ball at the Oakland 11 yard line. This kick would send us into our first AFC Championship game. Vallejo is true, and we get the 23-20 lead as the clock ticks to zero.

Roderick Arsenault gets the game ball, for 153 yards rushing to power the offense, including some clutch runs on that all-important deciding drive.


Now, our QB puzzle gets even more complicated. Marco Clancy has been upgraded to questionable, but Tyrone Glover’s blown0our MLC will sideline him for certain. Injured Clancy? Or healthy rookie Houston (who has been okay so far, but a big mistake nearly killed us). I decide to put Clancy back in as the starter, with Houston as our #2.

Bobby Silvers, our old friend and QB safety net, gives an obligatory phone call. I give it a little thought, but I just don’t think we can go to him here – we’ll make do with our youth contingent.


AFC Championship: Cleveland (13-5) at Baltimore (12-5)

We know Baltimore – they will come at us with veteran QB Mark Holm (who started out in Cleveland, the year before my true assumption of power) and a nice fleet of skill players to bring a multi-faceted attack. Adding steady veteran Holm to the mix this year was the key catalyst to bring them out of the doldrums of the league. Defensively, they stop the run, and have a great playmaking safety in Scott Jacobs, a first-team all pro last season who has 7 more picks this year.

We are now down to only four healthy (as in “anything less than out”) defensive linemen. We’ll be using LB Derrick Regalado in heavy rotation at DE, and will do our best to cover up our extreme lack of depth there. You already know about our precarious QB situation.

Philadelphia, behind football god Jacques Cheatham, awaits the winner in the Superbowl.


On the first possession, our defense steps up and looks great. Clancy gets his first pass complete for 12 yards to Sasser. Clancy is hit hard, but “he’s toughing it out.” Clancy does get picked off at their 15, spoiling our opening drive.

Baltimore goes to the ground game, and picks up enough yardage to get a go-ahead FG. Clancy gets picked off again – the second by CB Brian Long – and the Ravens take over. We get the ball back, and Clancy is undeterred – throwing to get us into scoring position, but we miss the long FG. The first quarter ends, and despite two turnovers, we trail only 3-0.

Midway through the second, Holm goes deep for a 49-yard TD pass, putting the Ravens ahead by a mark of 10-0. We’re not a particularly good come-from-behind team, but I don’t think we’ll get too rattled quite yet. A couple passes to Ellard set up a nice drive, and Blair catches a TD pass from Clancy to get us right back into the game, down 10-7. The Ravens drive for a F to end the half, and have a nice lead of 13-7 at the break.

Clancy gets dinged again in the third quarter – he’s woozy, but will stay in the game. We get a good possession, escaping our own goalpost’s shadow and out to midfield, to reverse the field position advantage. The third quarter ends with it still 13-7 Ravens, and a classic field position battle underway. This is our kind of game, other than the scoreboard.

We get a first down, and then another on passes to Blair and FB Woodson – and we have the ball at our own 45, with 7 minutes left. This may not be our last chance, but it may well be our best chance. However, a third down pass is blocked at the line, and we have to punt it deep – giving the Ravens a chance to eat clock. They do a bit – and probably our last chance starts at our own 30, with 2:10 remaining.

Arsenault for 10 gets us a quick first down. Blair catches a huge pass, escaping from his usual underneath routes, and grabs 26 yards, down to the Baltimore 32. Clancy goes for the gusto, trying to find Sasser in the end zone. However, Ravens CB Brian Long comes up with his third interception, and that probably seals the deal for the Ravens.

We get the ball back with all of 18 seconds left. Oddly enough, the final play of the game sees Blair make an internediate catch underneath the hail mary coverage, but he is unable to squirt in from there, being tackled at the 11 yard line, where our Superbowl dreams come to an end.


Baltimore goes on to lose 14-10 in the big one to Philly, and the Eagles become the first team to repeat as champions in this league’s history.


Season Wrap-up

Code:

2011 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Von Markowitz              SFO   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Dexter Carr                NYJ   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Jamie Stevenson            JAX   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
All-League First-String Running Back          Douglas Cleary              WAS   
All-League First-String Fullback              Richard Cummins            DEN   
All-League First-String Tight End            Thomas Smith                PHI   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  PHI   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Dan Doyle                  KCY   
All-League First-String Center                Victor Surdyk              NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              OAK   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Joe Foster                  WAS   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Orlando Perreault          GBY   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Artie Gerhardt              WAS   
All-League First-String Punter                Rod Hardy                  GBY   
All-League First-String Kicker                Al Fields                  ARI   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Cole Harrison              STL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Desmond Shirk              ATL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Ervin Hope                  DEN   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Von Markowitz              SFO   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Leon Coughlin              GBY   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Andrew Colston              DET   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Nathanial Stiles            TBY   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Dillon Arnett              WAS   
All-League First-String Safety                Anthony Bates              NED   
All-League First-String Safety                Elwood Hewitt              MIN   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Bo Watkins                  CAR   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Jeremy Coble                BUF   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Michael Potts              SFO   
All-League Second-String Tight End            Clark Hardy                GBY   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Shannon Gadsden            NED   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Harold Elizondo            BUF   
All-League Second-String Center              Damien Kester              NED   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Nicolas Rosenfeld          SFO   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Randall Ayotte              SEA   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Chester Mendoza            SFO   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Royce Black                MIA   
All-League Second-String Punter              Matt Hughes                TBY   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Rico Boynton                ATL   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Vance Plott                NYJ   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Willie Chenoweth            DEN   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Tod Greco                  NOS   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Cary Drake                  CHI   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Bernard Manzo              KCY   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Donovan Rodas              SEA   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Nelson Borders              CAR   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Bryan Long                  BAL   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Glenn Delgado              OAK   
All-League Second-String Safety              Wiley Towe                  NOS   
All-League Second-String Safety              William Logan              ARI   
League's Fastest Man                          Glenn Kim                  CHI   
League's Strongest Man                        August Dempsey              OAK   


Philadelphia’s Jacques Cheatham gets the coveted superfecta of individual awards – four awards in the same season. Not too frequently that we see that.

Our “team focus” means that we don’t end up with really gaudy numbers for any one star – and we are shut out from the awards list this season. Nobody with 120 tackles, 1500 yards, or 20 sacks – and you don’t get the bling bling.


Good season for us, all told. Tough division, and we still managed to go 11-5. We will have yet another tough offseason with contributors looking for starring roles and corresponding salaries. We will have to resolve our QB situation – we would like to land someone who can come in and start 16 games for us, which so far has been a faraway dream.

QuikSand 12-14-2003 03:56 PM

2012 preseason

Okay, the team has reached a pretty consistently high level – but we haven’t yet been able to break through. Some decisions lie ahead this season, that might help us do just that. Here’s the team’s history under my watch:

Code:

GM Performance for QuikSand of the Cleveland Browns
 
Year  Team  Eval  Perf  Diff  Proft FrVal Record    Playoffs 
2011  CLE  79    66    77    97    44    13-6-0    Conference Final     
2010  CLE  80    83    78    91    37    12-5-0    Division Final       
2009  CLE  83    83    79    99    31    12-5-0    Division Final       
2008  CLE  73    69    79    90    22    9-8-0    Wild Card Round       
2007  CLE  66    28    79    100  17    7-9-0    None                 
2006  CLE  58    2    77    100  20    3-13-0    None                 
2005  CLE  57    17    74    86    28    5-11-0    None                 
2004  CLE  61    5    71    100  33    4-12-0    None                 



Transitions and League Observations

We again avoid any retirements – so our personnel decisions will all be based on contracts, rather than departures.

Bobby Silvers has retired. After last season, when we had yet another QB crisis in the postseason and felt like we couldn’t use him, I suspect he realized that his number was up. He doesn’t even make the transactions list, but he is out of the free agent pool.

DT Harvey Gustafson is seriously injured – he will miss this entire season, and probably won’t be worth a damn after his recovery. Shame – he has been pretty solid for us, when he could play. (I’m sensing a trend here… many of these players I’m getting as bargains in free agency seem to have innate injury tendencies – it’s like the other teams know this and I don’t)


Front Office Decisions

We re-up with DC Ted Keith for three more years – very little to argue with there:

Def Coord: Ted Keith, 57
EX: DL
VG: LB,DB
GD: PK
AV: Young Talent


Roster Review

This season, I will do the position-by-position analysis again, but we’ll show the salary information – since that will be driving us in part this season.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Clancy, Marco          8  QB          2009  2012  4    $750,000        $580,000 
Houston, James          7  QB          2011  2013  2    $550,000        $380,000 
Gordon, Howie          3  QB          2011  2012  2    $300,000        $300,000 
Glover, Tyrone          2  QB          2008  UFA    9    $0              $0       


Tyrone Glover is back from his knee injury, but is no longer a candidate to lead this team or any other – he’s lost a lot in the injury transition.

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  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Aguilera, Danny        30  RB          2011  2012  2    $300,000        $300,000 
Arsenault, Roderick    33  RB          2008  UFA    9    $0              $0       
Ramsey, Archie          29  RB          2009  UFA    7    $0              $0       
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          2006  UFA    7    $0              $0       


Only our third-string rookie from last season is signed – and we have decisions to make. Archie Ramsey is a shell after his own serious leg injury, so we will have layers of decisions to make. Retaining Arsenault won’t cost us nearly as much as we had been paying him, I’m pretty certain. And Kendrick Ramsey still has potential, I think.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          2006  UFA    9    $0              $0       
Goodwin, Ian            23  FB          2009  ----  4    $0              $0       
Holmes, Jonathan        18  TE          2010  2012  7    $880,000        $660,000 
Pariso, Wade            82  TE          2010  2013  3    $640,000        $470,000 


I’ve made my support for Mickey Woodson very clear, and it’s not likely to change any time soon. Goodwin is solid and versatile, but not that essential. Holmes emerged as our top receiving target last season, and will again be a main part of our attack.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Blair, Zach            81  FL          2009  2012  4    $2,070,000      $1,290,000
Ellard, Jimmy          87  FL          2011  UFA    7    $0              $0       
Sasser, Marlon          85  SE          2010  2012  7    $950,000        $850,000 
Rose, Mickey            89  SE          2007  2012  6    $730,000        $670,000 
Causey, Marvin          86  SE          2010  2012  3    $470,000        $470,000 
Goodwin, Oscar          80  SE          2009  ----  4    $0              $0       


Zach Blair had his best season with us, and Marvin Causey stepped into a starting role well. We’re deep here, with speedy Marlon Sasser and Mickey Rose both capable players in reserve. Jimmy Ellard is also pretty decent, and played a big role with team chemistry – we’ll try to get him to return for another go-round. Oscar Goodwin is not essential, but if he’ll return cheaply, that would be fine.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Owens, O.J.            51  C          2011  2013  6    $1,200,000      $900,000 
Pond, Ellis            57  C          2011  2013  2    $840,000        $490,000 
Thornton, Mickey        53  LG          2011  2015  2    $2,180,000      $980,000 
Hampton, Todd          67  RG          2007  2012  6    $660,000        $660,000 
Gruber, Lincoln        63  RG          2009  UFA    8    $0              $0       
Norton, Danny          68  LT          2010  2012  3    $990,000        $640,000 
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          2005  UFA    8    $0              $0       
Thornton, Donnie        73  RT          2011  2012  6    $1,630,000      $1,220,000


Owens was fine as our starter last season, but Pond is developing toward taking the role. LG Mickey Thornton will start again, and his pass blocking skills developed a lot last year – now we need him to develop his power for the up front job. Re-signing Lincoln Gruber is important – he’s pretty solid, and is our OL leader – building chemistry boosts all start with him. T Bennie Heinlein has been solid for us for seven years as a starter, and we’ll try to bring him back as well. RT Donnie Thornton is mostly a pass blocker, but has put up solid numbers and is a welcome returning starter.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Creighton, Lamont      9  P          2011  2013  2    $460,000        $380,000 
Vallejo, Jeremy        19  K          2009  2012  4    $640,000        $600,000 


I’m pleased with both guys’ performances here. Creighton is solid, and Vallejo is over 75% with FGs on his career, including a clutch 5 for 5 in the playoff game last year.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Moseley, Cris          94  LDE        2011  2012  7    $1,500,000      $1,130,000
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        2007  2013  6    $1,200,000      $900,000 
Holton, Butch          97  LDE        2009  UFA    9    $0              $0       
Hendrix, Tim            99  RDE        2011  2013  6    $1,250,000      $900,000 
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        2007  2012  8    $700,000        $700,000 
Gibson, Kris            95  LDT        2006  UFA    7    $0              $0       
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        2007  UFA    6    $0              $0       
**Gustafson, Harvey    75  RDT        2010  2012  6    $1,200,000      $900,000 
Hicks, Ben              74  RDT        2011  2013  2    $400,000        $360,000 


Depth is obviously key here, as we have just cycled through players at the DL positions with impunity. Fox is a mentor and decent player, while Moseley and Hendrix are solid, but unstable. Retaining Holton would be great – he has been a rock of stability for us.

Inside, Cascadden has been exceptional, the centerpiece of our solid run defense for years. His return is a top priority, period. Kris Gibson comes off an injury, but looks like he might be okay – and probably will be cheap to sign. Oliveira has been a spot-starter, but has always been pretty productive and pretty flexible. We’ll keep him around, as our positional leader and anchor for team unity here, too.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Carlson, Kirk          77  WILB        2011  2012  2    $300,000        $300,000 
Casey, Rick            90  MLB        2008  2012  9    $1,300,000      $1,000,000
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        2004  2013  9    $1,020,000      $790,000 
Perez, K.C.            56  MLB        2011  2012  6    $810,000        $760,000 
Frederick, Clarence    58  SLB        2010  2012  3    $990,000        $640,000 
Benjdya, Sherman        62  SLB        2011  2013  2    $380,000        $360,000 
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91  WLB        2008  2012  5    $3,100,000      $1,870,000
Holmes, Warren          50  WLB        2011  2012  6    $880,000        $850,000 
Fisk, Stanley          98  WLB        2007  UFA    6    $0              $0       
Regalado, Darrin        52  WLB        2009  ----  4    $0              $0       


Cedric Goodwin is our long-time middle man, but is clearly an injury-prone problem for us. Rick Casey is solid and cheap, while K.C. Perez can play anywhere and has balanced skills. These three keep us stable both at MLB and elsewhere.

Ricky DiGiacomo plays thee weak side well – we have tried to boost his playing time, but he just fills the spot that takes the most time off, it seems. Clarence Frederick had a solid season last year in the strong side, and projects to return for another year there. Regalado backs up both OLB spots, and can even step in to fill in at DE if needed – I’d like to re-sign him, if it’s affordable to do so.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start OnTm  EndCnt Exp  Cap Cost        Save if Rls
Freeman, Jamie          44  LCB        2011  2015  2    $1,470,000      $830,000 
Gomez, Craig            27  LCB        2005  UFA    8    $0              $0       
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        2006  2013  7    $1,170,000      $1,100,000
Callens, Zack          39  RCB        2009  UFA    9    $0              $0       
Weed, Kirk              24  SS          2009  2012  4    $2,100,000      $1,430,000
Ellery, Deron          46  FS          2008  2012  5    $2,800,000      $1,860,000
Specter, Rex            41  FS          2011  2013  2    $1,050,000      $630,000 


Deon Richmond has developed into a solid man-coverage specialist, and after two years beside him, Zack Callens has done much the same. If we can re-sign Callens, I won’t have a problem starting those two again and for some time. Jamie Freeman might have to wait his turn – as he currently is a ways behind in terms of pure skills.

SS Kirk Weed continues to improve, and looks like a pretty solid starter. Ellery is holding on to his job, while Specter looks like a bit of a disappointment. None are true stars – we might look for another complementary player for back here, though.


Code:

 
Players Under Contract: 37
On Active Roster: 37

Salary Cap: $75,000,000
Cap Room: $35,050,000
Maximum for New Player: $30,220,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $90,000


There’s our main status – we have more money to spend than in previous years, but we do have many spots that need to be filled.


Free Agency

My top re-signing target is DT Gary Cascadden, and I decided to use the franchise tag for the first time. I plan to work out a long term deal with him, but I don’t want to run the risk of losing him – so we put the $5 million offer out there as a placeholder.

That leaves us with $25 million or so to spend on free agents in the open market.

RB Roderick Arsenault is seeking over $5 million per season – I didn’t think his demands would be so high, honestly. DE Butch Holton, also, is seeking over $5 million a year – which is just a lot to pay for a pretty good complementary player, I think.

So, my first round of re-signing offers go to FB Woodson, WR Ellard, G Gruber, T Heinlein, and CB Callens – all three year offers, all pretty cheap. I’d like to bring that whole group back – and it would cost us about $8 million this year to do so – which seems quite reasonable.

Looking through the FA market, I really don’t see any particular standouts that I’d pay top dollar to come join our team. The closest I can find is CB Brett Maxwell, who as played for Washington and Seattle – two typically poor teams. I think he could flourish in our system, and I put in an offer for a one year deal (I don’t want to be locked up long term).

DE Skip Bromley is a cheap addition – not very durable, but seemingly pretty effective when he does play. But bodies on the D-line are just too important to pass up a solid fill-in, especially as cheap as he is.

As I contemplate the defensive line, I also need to think about a trade offer we have received – a 2nd round pick for DE Tim Hendrix. Hendrix only was able to play in four games last season, and I suspect he’s an injury problem. So, a second rounder sounds pretty good. However, he is very strong – and effective when he plays. Tough call – having a good rotation guy cheaply for two years might be better than what we can get in round two of a rookie draft.


Right away, DE Butch Holton accepts an offer from Chicago, and signs there for $5 million per season. I might have been able to match that, but instead wanted to wait him out – and we end up losing a steady producer.

There are multiple suitors for CB Brett Maxwell, so if we’re going to get him, we probably need to make a bona fide multi-year offer. It looks like Callens will re-sign, so maybe we don’t need to expend huge money there, after all. I leave my one-year offer up for Maxwell, but also put in another offer – a three year deal for Calvin Wickliff, who played a few years for us but last year for Seattle.

I am shocked in week five, when not only does CB Wickliff sign with us, but so does CB Brett Maxwell. Maxwell immediately projects to be a starter, and that pushes Callens into an unknown zone. We’ll be much deeper there, though – that much is certain.


We sign DE Lincoln Limon, who played a season for us a long time ago, and will now return to our DE rotation. My hope is to field five playable defensive ends this year, and try to mix up playing time so nobody gets too work out. Limon would land near the bottom of that list (I hope).

We get to the end of the 20-stage period, and I still don’t have a starting running backs signed. Roderick Arsenault has priced himself out of his market, so he’ll have to rethink that strategy – and I hope he lands at a place where we can make a move to re-up with him for another year or two. I don’t know how long he has left, but if he could continue at his current clip he’d be solid.

QuikSand 12-14-2003 03:56 PM

2012 Rookie Draft

There are only three players from Akron in this draft. T Curtis Sherman will be a fairly high draft pick, and looks like a future NFL starter for somebody, rated by the scouting board at 4.8, and by my scout as 25/57. DT Christian Lincoln and FB Ronnie Graul probably will both be passed over.


For us, we hold an extra pick at #11, and hold our own picks at #24 down the line. We’ll try to grab an impact player with the early pick, and then target needs afterwards. Our top need areas are probably DT, RB, TE, S, and perhaps DE. I’d take a real impact player at almost any position, though.

I see th guy I want right away – but I don’t know what it will take to go and get him. I’ve pursued safeties in the past and have been disappointed, but Kenneth Eskridge is a can’t miss superstar prospect. After five picks, he is on top of the consensus board – and I must have him. I offer my second an fifth round picks to move up to #6, and they accept. I don’t know how much longer he would have lasted, but it’s good to land the guy I really wanted (I have waited out a lot of rookies in this career, only to see them taken just ahead of me).

At pick #20, the DT I want is atop the board, and I decide to move up slightly to get him. It takes a sixth round pick, which is no problem, and I get my guy there, too.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Kenneth Eskridge, S, South Florida
Rnd 1 - Zach Bailey, DT, Florida
Rnd 3 - Eric Pritchett, FB, Southern California
Rnd 4 - Oscar Covington, TE, Iowa
Rnd 7 - Allen Upshaw, OLB, Iowa State


T Curtis Sherman from Akron went at #29 to Oakland – the first player from the Zips to go in the first round under my watch.

I’m very optimistic about Eskridge, and also about Bailey. Two need positions hopefully filled for the long run here. FB Pritchett looks like a very solid fullback/utility player, and the others are projects.


Late Free Agency

QB Marco Clancy wants a new contract, and has instigated a holdout. Since we didn’t pursue a veteran, he realizes he’s out top dog for now – and wants to be paid accordingly. This is the first time I’ve been in this situation – I intend to work something out with him, and get him happy again. Thing is, he’s looking for a multi year deal, with salaries upwards of $3-4 million a season after this year. We’d be pretty well locked into Clancy as our long term guy, even though I’m not 100 sure he’s beaten out James Houston right now. Tough position.


RB Roderick Arsenault has not really adjusted his demands much, but we really need a RB – so I put in an offer: 2yrs, $9 million. It’s good enough to get his attention, and hopefully we can land him without major incident.

I also put in bids for about a dozen undrafted rookies – we’ll try to land someone to help out, perhaps at TE, LB or on the OL.

After one week, I adjust my bid to Arsenault down to one year, $4.4 million. Nobody else is after him, and I feel I have some power now. He sees the shift, and decides to take the deal – so he will be back, at least for this season.

DT Gary Cascadden turns out to be very tough to deal with – we eventually work out a deal, but it’s at $6.75 million a season. A high price to pay to avoid bitterness – but he has been excellent for us, and we want him to return.


I get through the late free agency process, and we have 64 player signed – and about $7 million in available cap space. With the cap space available, I work out a two-year deal with QB Marco Clancy, who will now make about $3.5m for each of the next two seasons. I felt it was a necessary step, and now we have that major position issue settled.


Heading into trainig camp, we got a B+ for our draft, and have only last year’s two players on the Green page again: QB James Houston (#7), QB Howie Gordon (#10). I’m worried because I expected safety Kenneth Eskridge to be there for certain. Hhis absence is very puzzling. (Crossing fingers)


Training Camp

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        Cur        Fut        Cur        Fut        ChgC        ChgF
Clancy, Marco        8        QB        4        50        60        53        60        3        0
Houston, James        7        QB        2        35        60        39        60        4        0
Gordon, Howie        3        QB        2        29        57        34        57        5        0
Arsenault, Roderick        33        RB        9        49        49        49        49        0        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        32        RB        7        37        38        38        38        1        0
Aguilera, Danny        30        RB        2        32        33        33        33        1        0
Hawkins, Todd        21        RB        1        24        45        25        41        1        -4
Devine, Howie        40        RB        1        24        39        24        35        0        -4
Pritchett, Eric        45        FB        1        51        71        53        67        2        -4
Woodson, Mickey        36        FB        9        43        43        43        43        0        0
Goodwin, Ian        23        FB        4        40        52        42        52        2        0
Holmes, Jonathan        18        TE        7        70        70        70        70        0        0
Pariso, Wade        82        TE        3        31        43        35        43        4        0
Thomason, Tony        88        TE        1        22        37        25        41        3        4
Covington, Oscar        83        TE        1        16        54        17        47        1        -7
Leeper, Alex        13        TE        1        11        41        14        46        3        5
Temple, Johnnie        84        TE        1        11        46        12        39        1        -7
Blair, Zach        81        FL        4        52        52        53        53        1        1
Ellard, Jimmy        87        FL        7        48        48        48        48        0        0
Sasser, Marlon        85        SE        7        50        50        50        50        0        0
Causey, Marvin        86        SE        3        47        51        50        51        3        0
Rose, Mickey        89        SE        6        40        40        40        40        0        0
Owens, O.J.        51        C        6        59        66        64        66        5        0
Pond, Ellis        57        C        2        26        58        28        58        2        0
Nevers, Walter        59        C        1        10        44        12        37        2        -7
Thornton, Mickey        53        LG        2        41        64        45        64        4        0
Gruber, Lincoln        63        RG        8        55        55        55        55        0        0
Hampton, Todd        67        RG        6        39        39        40        40        1        1
Mueller, Derrick        60        RG        1        13        35        15        40        2        5
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        8        54        56        54        56        0        0
Norton, Danny        68        LT        3        13        38        16        38        3        0
Johnston, Heath        64        LT        1        3        38        5        33        2        -5
Thornton, Donnie        73        RT        6        60        60        62        62        2        2
Creighton, Lamont        9        P        2        68        68        68        68        0        0
Vallejo, Jeremy        19        K        4        60        66        60        66        0        0
Spencer, Blake        16        K        1        40        72        44        72        4        0
Moseley, Cris        94        LDE        7        59        59        59        59        0        0
Fox, Jimmy        93        LDE        6        52        52        52        52        0        0
Bromley, Skip        78        LDE        4        45        51        49        51        4        0
Limon, Lincoln        95        LDE        9        42        42        42        42        0        0
Hendrix, Tim        99        RDE        6        57        66        60        66        3        0
Cascadden, Gary        72        LDT        6        69        70        69        70        0        0
Oliveira, Willie        76        LDT        8        44        47        45        47        1        0
Bailey, Zach        96        LDT        1        32        65        32        66        0        1
**Gustafson, Harvey        75        RDT        6        52        52        52        52        0        0
Hicks, Ben        74        RDT        2        28        38        29        38        1        0
Carlson, Kirk        77        WILB        2        28        42        29        42        1        0
Davis, Curtis        55        MLB        7        56        65        58        65        2        0
Casey, Rick        90        MLB        9        57        59        57        59        0        0
Goodwin, Cedric        92        MLB        9        55        55        55        55        0        0
Perez, K.C.        56        MLB        6        50        63        54        63        4        0
Phillips, Myron        70        MLB        1        23        45        24        41        1        -4
Hamilton, Wendell        98        MLB        1        19        45        21        45        2        0
Frederick, Clarence        58        SLB        3        33        50        35        50        2        0
Sanderson, Reuben        97        SLB        1        24        33        27        38        3        5
Benjdya, Sherman        62        SLB        2        23        42        25        42        2        0
Upshaw, Allen        54        SLB        1        16        47        19        47        3        0
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91        WLB        5        70        70        73        73        3        3
Holmes, Warren        50        WLB        6        56        56        56        56        0        0
Regalado, Darrin        52        WLB        4        49        49        52        52        3        3
Wickliff, Calvin        28        LCB        8        53        53        53        53        0        0
Freeman, Jamie        44        LCB        2        30        59        33        59        3        0
Maxwell, Brett        25        RCB        5        63        65        63        65        0        0
Richmond, Deon        43        RCB        7        57        57        57        57        0        0
Callens, Zack        39        RCB        9        44        44        44        44        0        0
Weed, Kirk        24        SS        4        61        61        61        61        0        0
Ellery, Deron        46        FS        5        60        60        62        62        2        2
Eskridge, Kenneth        20        FS        1        61        77        59        75        -2        -2
Specter, Rex        41        FS        2        34        52        37        52        3        0


Well, my top two rookies are still unsigned, so there’s still mystery there – but neither got crushed during training camp. DT Zach Bailey even jumped up a point in his future evaluation, and that usually means good things.

We grabbed a couple of fairly promising prospects after the draft, and we might make room for a couple of them. RG Derrick Meuller is certainly among those who are worth a serious look.

Setting the defensive lineup, I decide that free agent pickup LB Curtis Davis will get to play in the strong-side spot (the pass-rusher position) ahead of developing Clarence Frederick. We expect to get Frederick playing time, but Davis just has more complete skills right now, and I think he can be a solid addition there.

We need to get our top rookies signed – I still hope to get each into prominent if not starting roles.


Season Analysis

Our roster rating is only a 72 – but that might bump up when we sign our top two rookies (I have no idea how they get counted). Our cohesion ratings remain high: 92-94-100(98)-95. We’re near the top in every category, including the OL where we turned over a lot in the last couple of seasons.

I’m fairly optimistic about the season ahead. I think we should be better in the passing game, and if Clancy can stay with it, our offense should be better overall than last season. On defense, we have more turnover, but I like adding a very solid corner to the mix, and hope that our DL rotation is deep enough to withstand the inevitable rash of injuries we’ll face. This is the first year I’ll set the “official” team goal at winning it all.

QuikSand 12-14-2003 03:57 PM

2012 Regular Season

In the preseason, we lose FB Mickey Woodson for the year – so rookie Eric Pritchett will get celled right into service. He’s more versatile than Woodson, and I suspect he will end up working into the passing game more than we would have expected Woodson to have.


In our opener, it’s a pretty predictable outcome – we get a nice big day out of Marco Clancy, a big play for a TD from our defense, and a comfortable victory. Clancy gets the game ball with 4 TD passes, and we look pretty comfortable in our more pass-inclined offense.

After our second win, both Clancy and Arsenault are dinged up. Arsenault will take the second chair in the running game behind Ramsey, but I’ll keep Clancy in. Ramsey delivers with just over 100 yards, and we get 6 for 6 from K Jeremy Vallejo, and an 18-0 win.

We get to 4-0, and have barely been challenged. Clancy is 10/5, and if e can keep up the 2:1 ratio, we will be in good shape. We get two more pretty easy wins, and at 6-0, look very good. Marco Clancy’s 14 TDs are tied for the league lead, and his 95.8 passer rating is better than anything we have ever seen from our team.

We have injuries at wide receiver – with both Rose and Rose out for the season. I hit the free agent pool, and grab an old friend – WR Nathan O’Rourke. He played for Oakland then New Orleans the last two seasons – we welcome him back, and will use his versatile skills in the passing and return game.

We lose at Kansas City, ending our winning streak at six games to open the season. We get back on track with two more wins, but then we have a shift in our season. At 8-1, we have a prolific passing attack, but now we’ve lost QB Marco Clancy for six weeks, and even backup James Houston is dinged up. This will be a challenge.

And just in time for us to travel to 7-2 Cincinnati – our closest rivals in the division. James Houston, though, delivers under the gun – with 3 TDs to lead us to a 24-6 win. The following week, we beat Pittsburgh 13-10 with a last second field goal from Vallejo. That sets up a matchup with 10-1 Houston – a showdown for the conference top seed. In the big showdown, we manage to get a 17-14 win in overtime, moving to 11-1 on the season.

We are facing a serious problem at WR, with so many injured players that we are filling holes with whatever we can find. I grab a rookie RB to try to fill in at both RB and WR, and we now have our rookie starting FB also slotted as the #2 running back. Everyone who can play is being called into service. Of course, in one game, the new face at RB is immediately dropped onto the IR list – this is downright tragic.

Not even through the season – here’s our injury report:

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Health      Injury          Full Strn. 
**Rodgers, Clifton      31  RB          Out          Pulled Quadriceps8 Weeks   
**Woodson, Mickey      36  FB          Out          ACL Damage to the7 Weeks   
**Ellard, Jimmy        87  FL          Out          Ruptured Elbow Te27 Weeks 
**Rose, Mickey          89  SE          Out          MCL Damage to the7 Weeks   
**Causey, Marvin        86  SE          Out          Separated Shoulde3 Weeks   
**Gustafson, Harvey    75  RDT        Out          ACL Knee Surgery 21 Weeks 
##Aguilera, Danny      30  RB          Doubtful    Hyperextended Kne2 Weeks   
O'Rourke, Nathan        80  FL          Doubtful    Pulled Groin    4 Weeks   
Clancy, Marco          8  QB          Questionable Broken Ribs      2 Weeks   
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          Questionable Pulled Calf Muscl2 Weeks   
Hendrix, Tim            99  RDE  RDE  Questionable Sprained Knee    3 Weeks   
Houston, James          7  QB    QB    Probable    Strained Triceps 2 Weeks   
Arsenault, Roderick    33  RB    RB    Probable    Knee Tendinitis  2 Weeks   
Holmes, Jonathan        18  TE    TE    Probable    Bruised Heel    2 Weeks   
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        Probable    Deep Thigh Bruise2 Weeks   
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT  RDT  Probable    Knee Tendinitis  2 Weeks   
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB  MLB  Probable    Sprained Thumb  3 Weeks   


We win another in OT, over Baltimore, and we have the division all wrapped up. TE Jonathan Holmes has regained the lead in receptions and receiving yards, despite only making seven starts this year. He has had a few pretty big games along the way.

In our finale, we get Marco Clancy back into the starting lineup – back and healthy, and ready for a playoff run. We trash Cincinnati, and manage to put together a 15-1 season, easily earning the conference’s top seed.

Code:

2012 Regular Season Standings
 
  AC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Cleveland              15  1  0  .938  413  201  11-1    6-0     
Baltimore              9  7  0  .563  322  249  7-5    3-3     
Pittsburgh              9  7  0  .563  257  297  6-6    2-4     
Cincinnati              9  7  0  .563  295  343  6-6    1-5     
 
  AC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Houston                12  4  0  .750  351  273  8-4    3-3     
Tennessee              8  8  0  .500  296  268  6-6    3-3     
Jacksonville            7  9  0  .438  378  338  6-6    3-3     
Indianapolis            5  11  0  .313  311  348  4-8    3-3     
 
  AC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Miami                  10  6  0  .625  281  257  8-4    4-2     
Buffalo                7  9  0  .438  348  313  5-7    3-3     
New England            7  9  0  .438  272  319  5-7    3-3     
New York J              6  10  0  .375  291  353  4-8    2-4     
 
  AC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Kansas City            9  7  0  .563  317  314  7-5    5-1     
San Diego              7  9  0  .438  271  330  6-6    3-3     
Oakland                5  10  1  .344  269  301  4-8    3-3     
Denver                  4  12  0  .250  297  410  3-9    1-5     
 
  NC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Minnesota              10  6  0  .625  356  290  8-4    5-1     
Chicago                7  7  2  .500  355  354  5-5-2  3-2-1   
Detroit                7  8  1  .469  286  295  5-6-1  1-4-1   
Green Bay              7  9  0  .438  356  391  5-7    2-4     
 
  NC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Carolina                13  3  0  .813  393  251  10-2    5-1     
New Orleans            11  5  0  .688  426  308  7-5    4-2     
Atlanta                8  7  1  .531  342  347  5-7    3-3     
Tampa Bay              2  14  0  .125  211  370  2-10    0-6     
 
  NC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Washington              10  6  0  .625  358  307  7-5    4-2     
New York G              7  9  0  .438  291  337  6-6    3-3     
Philadelphia            6  10  0  .375  279  325  6-6    3-3     
Dallas                  3  13  0  .188  299  422  3-9    2-4     
 
  NC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
San Francisco          16  0  0  1.000 409  196  12-0    6-0     
Seattle                7  8  1  .469  270  283  5-6-1  2-4     
Arizona                7  9  0  .438  258  287  5-7    3-3     
St. Louis              3  13  0  .188  194  375  3-9    1-5     


Odd – after winning two titles, the Eagles fall apart and drop out of the playoff picture altogether. But the real story across the way is the 49ers, who rolled to a 16-0 perfect regular season, and have their sights set on the league’s first flawless finish. We, among other teams, aim to prevent that.

Curiously, the 49ers got key contributions from a couple of ex-Browns. RB Daniel Newman is their main ball carrier (over 1,000 yards this season) and they picked up QB Tyrone Glover to be their backup this year (he started and won three games).

Code:

2012 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 15-1
Winning Pct.: .937
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  459      9         
Rushing Yards          1810      12         
Yards Per Carry        3.94      19 (T)     
Pass Attempts          626      2         
Completions            391      1         
Passing Yards          3745      10         
Yards Per Attempt      5.98      27         
3rd Down Conversions    44.3      10 (T)     
Points Per Game        25.8      2         
Turnovers              25        15 (T)     
Turnover Margin        +6        7         
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  362      4         
Rushing Yards          1168      1         
Yards Per Carry        3.22      1         
Pass Attempts          563      20         
Completions            276      1 (T)     
Passing Yards          3137      2         
Yards Per Attempt      5.57      1         
3rd Down Conversions    29.3      1         
Points Per Game        12.5      2         
Turnovers              31        4         
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    37    at PIT        14     
2    26    WAS          15     
3    18    at BUF        0     
5    41    DEN          16     
6    28    OAK          5     
7    30    at SDO        13     
8    21    at KCY        24     
9    29    at BAL        25     
10    20    PIT          7     
11    24    at CIN        6     
12    13    PHI          10     
13    17    HOU          14     
14    23    at NYG        21     
15    20    BAL          17     
16    28    at DAL        7     
17    38    CIN          7     
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
8 Clancy            QB    311  186  2012  6.46  18    8     
7 Houston          QB    297  194  1654  5.56  13    9     
**Team              ---  626  391  3745  5.98  31    17     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
33 Arsenault        RB    260  1066  4.10  6     
32 Ramsey          RB    100  416  4.16  1     
45 Pritchett        FB    49    181  3.69  1     
**Team              ---  459  1810  3.94  9     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
18 Holmes          TE    132  90    864  9.6  165  6     
85 Sasser          WR    122  69    818  11.8  181  6     
81 Blair            WR    120  68    760  11.1  108  9     
45 Pritchett        FB    70    44    278  6.3  88    1     
86 Causey          WR    47    32    337  10.5  36    5     
80 O'Rourke        WR    32    16    229  14.3  35    0     
**Team              ---  626  391  3745  9.5  767  31     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
55 Davis            ILB  87    32    13.0  11    1    7     
91 DiGiacomo        OLB  70    26    6.5  0    0    4     
24 Weed            S    67    26    1.0  0    2    10     
92 Goodwin          ILB  61    15    1.5  0    5    6     
72 Cascadden        DT    55    22    8.5  12    0    0     
20 Eskridge        S    52    25    1.5  1    2    10     
43 Richmond        CB    50    13    2.0  0    2    11     
25 Maxwell          CB    46    9    0.0  1    5    23     
76 Oliveira        DT    36    16    5.5  8    0    1     
99 Hendrix          DE    34    11    10.0  25    0    1     
39 Callens          CB    29    4    1.5  0    1    13     
90 Casey            ILB  28    8    0.0  1    2    2     
94 Moseley          DE    27    12    5.5  5    0    0     
52 Regalado        OLB  16    1    1.5  4    0    1     
**Team              ---  786  239  68.0  87    20    92     



A solid season from both of our young quarterbacks – put their stats together, and you’d have an all-star candidate, I think. Arsenault is declining, but still productive – and we got good effort out of Ramsey when he played as well. TE Jonathan Holmes played very well when healthy – he will be a tough decision for next season.

Defensively, a great season from free agent LB Curtis Davis, who delivered a star-caliber season playing at strong side linebacker. DT Gary Cascadden helped anchor a great defensive front, and we put up the double: #1 in yards per rush and pass. Only SF allowed fewer points on the season – the defense was just superior.


Well, with two teams towering over their respective conferences like this, it would be a shame to see anything but a giant showdown in the Superbowl. We will try our level best to deliver on that.

QuikSand 12-14-2003 03:57 PM

2012 Postseason

In our opener, we get to play host to the team who ended our season last year – hopefully we can exact a measure of revenge here.

AFC Divisional Playoff: Baltimore (10-7) at Cleveland (15-1)

Baltimore has a new QB since last season (they let Mark Holm go to the Saints) and they have slipped a bit – now they have 4th year man Carlos Wynn (their backup) at the helm. Still a talented offense, and a good defense led by a tough secondary. We’ll try to work underneath again, and might have some luck running against their right side defenders.

We’ve got most of the advantages, and are favored by 10 points.


Bad things happen quickly for us – we fumble their first punt, and they get the ball at our 7 yard line – a one play TD drive ensues. We respond with a nice drive, two big runs by Arsenault, two big catches by Blair, and Arsenault tops is off with a 13-yard score. Tie game.

Marco Clancy gets smacked in the late first quarter, and we see James Houston back on the field. We should be okay, though Clancy does inspire a little more confidence. The field position battle rages into the second quarter – we miss a FG, but they make theirs to lead 10-7. AT the two minute warning, Baltimore rushed Houston and forces a big fumble – they come up with the ball at our 6 yard line. They again cap off the short drive with a TD, and it’s 17-7 at the half. Not the start we were looking for.

We open the third quarter with a solid drive, running Arsenault hard, then capping it off with a 19-yard TD to Blair. Good score, and good for momentum, we hope. Baltimore, though, connects on a long pass to set up another kick, and stretches their edge to 20-14. We get to the fourth quarter after two short possessions, and it’s still a six point game.

A 38-yard pass to Causey on the first play of the fourth quarter gives us great position, at their 42 yard line. However, Houston is intercepted on third down, and we turn it over at a clutch moment. Fears are elevating. On our next possession, Houston goes deep, but the Baltimore safety playing center field grabs the lofted ball, and they take over again. We get thee ball back, but Houston throws yet another interception near midfield. Down six points, the last thing you can do is turn the ball over three times in the fourth quarter and expect to win.

We take over at our 1 yard line after a brilliant punt – and we are in trouble now. We have to punt from our 20, and are now approaching the two minute warning. The defense holds, and we get one last shot – from our 27 with 2:17 remaining, and no time outs.

We face third and 9, and Houston decides to air it out. He overthrows the pass, but Causey is manhandled downfield, and we get the flag. With 1:33 left, we take over at the Baltimore 24 yard line, trailing by six points. Houston zips a pass to Zach Blair, who gets inside the ten, to the 7 yard line. First and goal.

A pass to Causey is incomplete, but we go right back to the same play – and Causey gets separation this time, and brings it in! We nail the PAT, and it’s Cleveland 21, Baltimore 20 with a minute to play. Unbelievable.

The defense, as it has the whole second half, plays over its head and are practically impenetrable. We force fourth and ten from the 20, and then get a sack to turn it over. That cinches the one point win – what a way to advance.


Meanwhile, across the nation, San Francisco dismantled Atlanta to get to the NFC Championship. They are looking like a juggernaut.


AFC Championship: Houston (13-4) at Cleveland (16-1)

We played Houston before, and they pushed us to overtime. Since then they have been a bit wobbly – but looked good last week in the playoffs. Their offense is mostly QB Kim Roux, who led them to a title four seasons ago. They have excellent pass rushers on defense, and force a lot of mistakes.

Marco Clancy is out for this game, so it’s on James Houston to get it done again. We have to reshuffle the defensive line yet again, too – injuries take DE Hendrix out of the playoffs, after a very nice year from him.


The D looks very sharp on the opening series, forcing a quick three and out. We get a short drive mixing up the weapons, and topping off with a flip to Pritchett for the TD. After another defensive stonewall, we get to midfield and then Houston goes deep to Causey for a 49-yard TD and a 14-0 lead. At this point, we have 1010 yards in total offense, and Houston has negative 5.

Houston wakes up, puts things together, and drives for a TD to get back into the game in the early second quarter. Houston hits Sasser to finish off a drive later in the quarter, but Houston converts after getting an interception to get back within a TD by halftime.

In the third quarter, we open with a FG to extend to 24-14. We get our own turnover, and score after a short drive to get ahead by 17. Down the stretch, there is very little drama – we have the game firmly in control, and cruise to a 38-17 win – earning our first Superbowl berth with relative ease.


Superbowl: San Francisco (18-0) vs. Cleveland (17-1)

No real surprise, but here it is. About as titanic as it can be. San Francisco has been outstanding all season, and Cleveland has overcome great adversity to keep at the top of its game. Both teams come in after impressive wins in the playoff chase, and the oddsmakers make this game a push. Fantastic.

San Francisco’s QB Donald Schultz has been battling a nagging injury – he sat out last week, yielding to Tyrone Glover (a former Brown). We’ll see what happens this week, but we expect to see Schultz. We will also prepare for RB Daniel Newman, who still resides pretty highly on the Cleveland career rushing leaders. WR A.J. Ralston is annually among the league’s fastest men – and he is a serious threat outside. Defensively, they are banged up in the secondary, but good overall. They allowed fewer points than we did.

Marco Clancy is listed as probable, and he will get the call for the big game. Houston will be ready to go, but he is clearly prone to the big mistake – and I don’t think we can afford that against this team. We’ll try to go with Clancy, and will hope for fairly error-free football – the best ticket to a win here.


Bettors everywhere rejoice as Cleveland wins the toss, and opt to receive. On our first play, we pass to Blair – but he gets absolutely drilled and misses the ball. About the last people I can afford to lose are the receivers – we basically only have three healthy guys to play wideout. We are forced to punt, and SF gets their first possession.

SF, behind Tyrone Glover, moves to about midfield, and then on a third down they hit a long pass to get down inside our 10 yard line. Big series, as they get to our one yard line. A penalty pushes them back, but they decide to go for a fake field goal from the six:

Code:

Offense: Field Goal Formation.
They fake the field goal.
SFO 30 Potts ran around left end for 5 yards.
Tackled by CLE 20 Eskridge, assisted by CLE 91 DiGiacomo.
The ball goes over on downs.


Huge play by the rookie safety and the veteran linebacker, and they save the big play. We take over from the one yard line – we’ll take it, of course. We have to punt from our five, but at least it’s still scoreless. San Fran takes advantage of the good field position, and gets in place for a real field goal – and they take the 3-0 lead.

Into the second quarter, we face a third and long, and go for a quick hitter – which gets picked off by SF corner Hamilton, who hauls it all the way back with a 47 yard return for the score. San Fran takes advantage of another short field – and punt us down to our one yard line – where we start a drive for the second time in this game. They get a punt, and in three plays are in for a score – Ralston streaks by our secondary to get the 17-yard scoring pass. 17-0 San Francisco, and they can taste the perfect season already.

We are just unable to do much of anything against their defense. It doesn’t look to promising – we simply need a big play to get things going.

San Francisco has it in their territory, facing a third down. Glover hits a short pass, and Ricky DiGiacomo makes a huge hit on the crossing receiver, who coughs up the ball. CB Maxwell picks up the free ball, and find open field for a 31 yard score. The defense comes up big, and we are on the board!

San Fran drives for a kick attempt, but after a bad snap, they botch it – and we make it to the half down 10 points. We’re not playing well, but we aren’t out of this one yet.


Every SF possession puts pressure on us, and we are lucky to get away with a midfield stopper and a turnover in the first two of the second half. We eventually push them back to their own 1 yard line – and our defense pins its ears back, smelling opportunity to make something happen again. We can’t get a turnover or big sack, but do force the punt – and our offense takes over near midfield, early in the fourth quarter.

We face 4th and 1 at their 45 – tough call. We punt, and hope to keep the field position in our advantage – but we do need two scores, at least. A nice 77 yard drive, culminating in a FG, pushes them up 20-7. It’s very tough to see us getting back in this one - with under 6 minutes to play, we have yet to mount a bona fide drive thus far in the game at all.

Jump back! The Browns suddenly push right down the field, with short passes and quick outs, and set up a quick plunge from Kendrick Ramsey to get on the board with 2:58 remaining, and three time outs. I think we can even execute a regular kickoff, and still have a shot here.

The defense holds after one quick first down, and we get the punt at our 30 with 2:05 remaining. This is quite a lot like the Baltimore game – we trail 20-14, with two minutes to get a final score to go ahead. However, the San Francisco defense has bee the toughest to score on in the entire league – so this is a pretty tall order.

Clancy is undeterred, and hits Blair right away for 15 yards on the first play of the possession. However, three incomplete passes put us in a tough fourth and 10 position at our ofn 45 – this is the game right here, if we don’t convert it. Clancy’s pass falls harmlessly to the ground, but the 49er defender just lays out Causey on the play – and draws the flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. A huge penalty, and we are kept alive. Controversy is bound to ensue everywhere.

Clancy decides to try to grab for it all, and throws deep for Sasser. But at the 6 yard line, it’s the 49er defender who comes down with it, and it seems the threat is ended. Tyrong Glover assumes the victory position, and they run out the clock to secure the win, and top off their undefeated season. All hail San Francisco, the champions!


Season Wrap-up

Code:

2012 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Kim Roux                    HOU   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Tyrone Glover              SFO   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Kim Roux                    HOU   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Leon Coughlin              GBY   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Lamar Donnelly              MIN   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Jim Heinrich                DAL   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Kim Roux                    HOU   
All-League First-String Running Back          Louie Robbins              CAR   
All-League First-String Fullback              Eric Leverson              PIT   
**All-League First-String Tight End          Jonathan Holmes            CLE   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Toby Flake                  JAX   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  PHI   
All-League First-String Center                Rob McCardell              JAX   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              SFO   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Joe Foster                  WAS   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Kenneth Rankins            NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Dave Gaylor                BAL   
All-League First-String Punter                Duane Stokes                OAK   
All-League First-String Kicker                Shannon Morton              SFO   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Vance Plott                NYJ   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Cary Drake                  CHI   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Desmond Shirk              MIA   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Bernard Manzo              KCY   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Leon Coughlin              GBY   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Randall Halbert            ATL   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Nathanial Stiles            TBY   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Vincent Seals              SEA   
All-League First-String Safety                Tony Dancy                  CHI   
All-League First-String Safety                Tyrell Boone                DAL   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Jarod Russell              NOS   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Dexter Carr                NYJ   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Michael Potts              SFO   
All-League Second-String Tight End            Marco McCleon              WAS   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Dan Doyle                  KCY   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Steven Vega                GBY   
All-League Second-String Center              Bo Kirkpatrick              NOS   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Randall Ayotte              SEA   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Rich Fisk                  PIT   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Luigi Voelker              ATL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Kenneth Craft              CHI   
All-League Second-String Punter              Doug Vandermause            ATL   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Herb Collins                CIN   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Roosevelt Giles            IND   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Casey Reynolds              BAL   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Weldon Maggard              DAL   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Corwin Cunningham          NYJ   
**All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker  Curtis Davis                CLE   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Donovan Rodas              SEA   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Robbie Wilkinson            BAL   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Bryan Long                  CAR   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Chris Latham                OAK   
All-League Second-String Safety              Thomas Huth                DAL   
All-League Second-String Safety              Henry Menefee              DET   
League's Fastest Man                          Ed McDonald                DAL   
League's Strongest Man                        Stan Jones                  CHI   


TE Jonathan Holmes is a major part of this offense – he only started 10 games, and still earned first team honors. If he could stay healthy, he’d be a holy terror. What a pleasant surprise we got from LB Curtis Davis – now we have to decide how to fit together our LB situation going forward, especially as MLB Cedric Goodwin continues to break down.

QuikSand 12-14-2003 04:02 PM

And so - we've seemingly reached the "top" with this team. Yes, we lost in the big game, but it's pretty clear that this is a major power team, and probably will remain so for years to come. This is where I usually start getting bored.

I think it might be time to start kicking in some more serious house rules. I don't have a clear sense of what - but maybe some tougher financial restrictions (which might cut back on my coaching or front office staff) or else a rule regarding players from Akron (or other local schools, perhaps?). I may need to institute some rule restricting my participation in the free agent market, too -- I just get frustrated when I go and cherry-pick the six or eight players who seem like great bargains to me, and I end up getting all of them almost every single year. Why doesn't some other team see the same bargains that I do?

Point is... if anyone is reading this - any thoughts? Add some tougher rules that might drop us out of the top tier? Add some rules on using Akron players? Anything else along those lines make for good reading?

I'd welcome well-intentioned suggestions...

Barkeep49 12-14-2003 10:58 PM

I think this version offers many more opportunities with the finances than before. It seems to me that you have way overpaid your coordinators and this must be translating to money losing seasons. If this is true, I think rules regarding mandatory profit plus more stringent ticket price rules would give you some nice handicaps to go with.

The_herd 12-14-2003 11:09 PM

I think a combination of a rule regarding the Akron players and a way to restrict yourself in free agency will make it a bit tougher. I've found that the best way to maintain incredible depth in 2k4 is to simply go out and get the bargains you're talking about, especially along the defensive line. I don't even bother with resigning my stud defensive linemen any more because I know there is going to be, at least, an affordable one that can start for me on the free agent market.

It's kind of funny that we have complained about free agents insane asking prices in previous versions and now that they are closer to being in line with the NFL now. It makes free agency a lot easier for human controlled teams, because as you stated, the computer doesn't seem to recognize that there is a player out there whose asking price is a 1/3rd of the player that they are currently bidding on.

QuikSand 12-14-2003 11:19 PM

Actually, my team continues to make money - though very little, overall. I think our profits were around $10 million last year- se we are close to just breaking even. Yes, I am paying my coordinators a lot - maybe a good system that reined that in would be wise. Will give it some thought.

Chas in Cinti 12-15-2003 09:12 AM

I always liked the local "flavor" you had for your past teams.... I like that rule (and I find you tend to do that even without the rule)... But maybe restrict it even more (MAC players from Ohio schools)?

Also, perhaps limiting your veteran non-team FA pursuits to 3 total during the 2 FA periods (this is what I do). It allows you to really acquire any player you TRULY want, while not going over the top with tons of value... All injury filler has to be unsigned rookies or players with 12+ seasons experience...

Just my 2 cents...

Chas

QuikSand 12-15-2003 12:43 PM

Interesting rule idea... I do think that I need to do something with the free agency process. I generally don't like the idea of artificial limits on pursuits, but that might be as good as it gets.

I was thinking that I'd only allow myself to pursue one player at any time -- but I think that would have me getting the players I want, just later in the FA process and presumably cheaper as a result. Might be counterproductive.

Barkeep49 12-15-2003 09:30 PM

How about something along the lines of: You may go after your own free agents, persue at any time 1 otherwise unpersued FA, and persue any other persued FA? This would seem to get at your idea that the computer doesn't seem the say bargains as you.

Godzilla Blitz 12-16-2003 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barkeep49
I think this version offers many more opportunities with the finances than before. It seems to me that you have way overpaid your coordinators and this must be translating to money losing seasons. If this is true, I think rules regarding mandatory profit plus more stringent ticket price rules would give you some nice handicaps to go with.

Way back when I was messing with a Vikings game, I added a house rule that said the team must run at an aggregate profit over the years. If the team fell into the red, I was planning to punish myself by only signing my draft choices and min-sal free agents until I got the team back in the black.

I was moving along at a slow pace, so I don't know the long term ramifications of things like new stadiums, etc., but I had to run a few years at 60% of the cap to make sure I didn't end up in the red, and I never had enough money for good coaches or scouts.

For the short time I ran the dynasty, I liked the rule a lot though. I started with an empty cupboard, so I had the luxury of running big profits up the first two or three years, and they held me over while I started building a new stadium. But I constantly had to keep an eye out for the bottom line because I was afraid that if I ever fell into the red, it could create a nasty spiral (can't sign good players, lose more games, fan interest drops, lose more money, etc.) that would take a few years to climb out of.

Maybe some twist of this rule could make things more difficult and interesting for you?

3ric 12-16-2003 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barkeep49
How about something along the lines of: You may go after your own free agents, persue at any time 1 otherwise unpersued FA, and persue any other persued FA? This would seem to get at your idea that the computer doesn't seem the say bargains as you.


I had this idea too, you should consider yourself free to try to bid on any player the computer's trying to sign, while maybe steering completely away from the guys without offers, or limit the number in some way.

QuikSand 12-16-2003 10:28 AM

House Rule Revisions

As the team has reached a very high level of performance, I have decided to revisit my house rules, and toughen things up a bit. I would like to face more of a challenge overall than I have been, so I am going to introduce a few new house rules.



House Rules
(Revisions in italics)

Empty Cupboard Framework

-Start 2004 with empty roster, and never use players from before the 2004 rookie draft

Team Finances

-Keep ticket cost index below average of two nearest geographic rivals

-After any two consecutive seasons with financial losses, must remain 10% under salary cap, with escalation of 10% for each succeeding loss year

Player Contracts

-Only may pursue one free agent (not including current players without contracts) during any time of the FA period

-Only contract renegotiation allowed is to “cap out” offer to a player, unless player demands renegotiation

-All offers to free agent players requesting a bonus must include a bonus as large as the largest annual salary we offer

Trades

-May only offer trades during the draft

-May only accept trade offers that pass the “fairness test” (alter offer then accept it)

Positional Usage

-No player may start out of his primary position group (LG may start at RG, but not at LT)

TCY Tie-In

-Beginning with 2015 roster, team must have at least one player from my TCY program (currently Akron) at each major position group (QB, RB/FB, WR/TE, OL, DL, LB, DB, P/K)

QuikSand 12-16-2003 11:42 AM

2013 preseason

With a few new rules to follow, we head into our next offseason. (I had finished the 2012 season in TCY, but just had not yet generated the draft file – so I’m re-starting with FOF, and will get to TCY after this season ends) Our Browns were bridesmaids this year – we’ll try to follow the goings-on with San Francisco a little bit, also – just to see what a dominant champion does to follow up.


Transitions and League Observations

We have no retirements, yet again. Eventually, that bug will strike – but we remain a pretty young team – our oldest players are just hitting their 10th year.


Front Office Decisions

My 62 yeard old Head Coach, Earnest Carlyle, is up for a new deal. He’s obviously presided over our rise to becoming a power team, and it would make sense to keep him on.

However, I feel like we have stagnated a bit, despite the incremental moves forward. And to the surprise of many, I bring aboard a new head coach – going a bit younger, cheaper, and getting a guy who might have a better focus on keeping our players fit and ready to play. I’ve been awfully frustrated by our annual parade of injuries.

Head Coach: K.C. Hansen, 50
Career Record: 70-94-1
EX: Injury Avoidance
VG: Off PC, Def PC
Good: Mot, Disc

Earnest Carlyle manages to latch on in Philadelphia, so he will get the chance to content for a championship there, as they have a powerful team coming back, with star QB Jacques Cheatham still there. Cheatham’s injury last year killed the Eagles’ chances to three-peat as champions, but if he can get back on track, they should be very tough again.


We have to reduce ticket prices a bit, to accommodate the lousy economy locally. (Cincinnati dropped theirs, and we are pinned to them, in part)


Roster Review

Do you make massive changes to a team that went 15-1 the previous season? The book says no – but we’ll have some tough decisions ahead. We have about $26m in cap space, and 31 players signed. Add it up, and see the players who are up for new deals, and it will become pretty obvious – we have a tight offseason ahead, and won’t be able to bring nearly everyone back.


Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Clancy, Marco          8  QB          5    61                61                1 yr.
Houston, James          7  QB          3    50                60                1 yr.
Gordon, Howie          3  QB          3    34                56                --- 
Galbraith, Marc        4  QB          8    25                48                --- 


Marco Clancy demanded and got a contract extension last season, but promptly reinforced our impression that he’s too fragile to depend on. James Houston is developing nicely, and is a solid #1A to Clancy for us – we’re fine if he has to play. Gordon will re-sign cheaply, and we’d love to bring him back he will be the #3 for the coming year, almost certainly.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Arsenault, Roderick    33  RB          10  49                49                --- 
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          8    38                38                2 yrs
Aguilera, Danny        30  RB          3    36                36                --- 
Rodgers, Clifton        31  RB          3    20                31                --- 


Problem contract #1 – Roderick Arsenault. He wants a deal for about $4 million per season – how can we justify that? The 49/49 is pretty far – that’s about what he rate at this point. It’s tough to say how much we would lose if we had to go with Ramsey, or some cheap free agent as our main back for the year.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Pritchett, Eric        45  FB          2    60                67                2 yrs
Goodwin, Ian            23  FB          5    43                52                2 yrs
Woodson, Mickey        36  FB          10  42                43                2 yrs


Eric Pritchett is a pretty complete player, and is clearly a better overall player than Mickey Woodson, who has taken an injury blow and is a lesser player than before. I still like the “get out of the way” model at FB, and Pritchett (who had 70 passes thrown his way last season) isn’t really that kind of guy. Tough to say what to do here. They are all cheap – all three can stay.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Holmes, Jonathan        18  TE          8    70                70                --- 
Pariso, Wade            82  TE          4    35                43                1 yr.
Thomason, Tony          88  TE          2    26                41                1 yr.


Jonathan Holmes was a machine for us – only 9 starts, only on the field for 390 pass plays, but he got 132 passes thrown his way (fully 1/3 of the total) and racked up all-pro numbers in that time. Extremely productive when healthy – how much is this guy worth paying for? He wants over $6 million a season, which probably rules him right out for us – unless he slides until after the draft and rethinks. My guess is he gets paid – elsewhere.

Tony Thomason is a guy who would improve with playing time, I suspect – but I doubt he’ll ever really get the chance to show it. A last resort for us there.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Blair, Zach            81  FL          5    54                54                --- 
Ellard, Jimmy          87  FL          8    48                48                2 yrs
O'Rourke, Nathan        80  FL          10  40                40                --- 
Causey, Marvin          86  SE          4    57                57                --- 
Sasser, Marlon          85  SE          8    50                50                --- 
Rose, Mickey            89  SE          7    27                27                --- 


Zach Blair has proven to be steady and reliable – two straight nearly identical seasons, with 44 straight healthy starts. That really helped last year. He’s only looking for $1.1 million to sign for this year – I’ll try to extend that into a longer term deal, and lock him up as our starter for the next couple of seasons.

That leaves us with a dilemma elsewhere – particularly at split end. I like the tandem of guys we used primarily last season, with Causey as the fairly stable guy and Sasser the big hitter. Problem is, Sasser now wants to be a star somewhere, and to be paid like one. If we go into this season with Blair and Causey as our starters, we lack that guy to “stretch the field” a bit. I think we probably need to spend either some money or a draft pick to add some flash to this group.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Owens, O.J.            51  C          7    66                66                1 yr.
Pond, Ellis            57  C          3    30                58                1 yr.
Thornton, Mickey        53  LG          3    56                65                3 yrs
Gruber, Lincoln        63  RG          9    55                55                2 yrs
Hampton, Todd          67  RG          7    41                41                --- 
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          9    54                56                2 yrs
Norton, Danny          68  LT          4    16                38                --- 
Thornton, Donnie        73  RT          7    64                64                --- 


This unit has worked very well, and we ought to be okay coming into the year. RT Donnie Thornton had a very good season for us last year – a huge improvement over his first. I’d like to lock him up long term, but it will take at least $1.5m per year to do so. We may be in wait-and-se mode with this one – it won’t be an immediate offer.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Creighton, Lamont      9  P          3    69                69                1 yr.
Vallejo, Jeremy        19  K          5    60                66                --- 


I will need to look at the Akron options here in the draft, but I like the twosome we have on hand right now, if we can keep them.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Moseley, Cris          94  LDE        8    59                59                --- 
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        7    52                52                1 yr.
Bromley, Skip          78  LDE        5    50                51                1 yr.
Limon, Lincoln          95  LDE        10  42                42                2 yrs
Hendrix, Tim            99  RDE        7    64                66                1 yr.
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        7    69                70                1 yr.
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        9    45                46                --- 
Bailey, Zach            96  LDT        2    33                66                3 yrs
Gustafson, Harvey      75  RDT        7    29                29                --- 


We have a solid returning corps of players here, but will not be able to re-sign DE Moseley (wants big bucks) or DT Gustafson (lost most skill after injury). DT Oliveira is the positional leader and the lynchpin for multiple affinities – so he should return. We probably need one more DE in the mix, especially since DT Bailey is no sure thing.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Davis, Curtis          55  MLB        8    67                67                2 yrs
Casey, Rick            90  MLB        10  57                59                --- 
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        10  55                55                1 yr.
Perez, K.C.            56  MLB        7    53                62                --- 
Frederick, Clarence    58  SLB        4    35                50                --- 
Hamilton, Wendell      98  SLB        2    20                49                1 yr.
DiGiacomo, Ricky        91  WLB        6    76                76                --- 
Holmes, Warren          50  WLB        7    56                56                --- 
Regalado, Darrin        52  WLB        5    53                53                1 yr.


Curtis Davis came from nowhere to become a star for us, and will return as our strong-side starter. Cedric Goodwin, though, is the tougher call. Can he still start for us in the middle? If, so we need to have a Plan B – Casey? Both Casey and Perez are looking for handsome payouts, so they might both be off the list.

Then there’s Ricky DiGacomo, who has worked out to be very solid – but he wants $8 million a year – well beyond anything we can afford for one player. Warren Holmes looks like a fairly affordable re-signing, and he may have to start at WLB this year if we lose DiG, as expected. Regalado is really a pass-rushing specialist, and has been helpful in reserve on the DL and at LB, but I don’t see him as a starting alternative.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Wickliff, Calvin        28  LCB        9    55                55                2 yrs
Freeman, Jamie          44  LCB        3    33                59                3 yrs
Maxwell, Brett          25  RCB        6    64                65                --- 
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        8    58                58                1 yr.
Callens, Zack          39  RCB        10  45                45                2 yrs
Weed, Kirk              24  SS          5    61                61                --- 
Eskridge, Kenneth      20  FS          2    70                75                4 yrs
Ellery, Deron          46  FS          6    62                62                --- 
Specter, Rex            41  FS          3    37                52                1 yr.


We have Deon Richmond locked up, and it’s clear that he’ll start again. He doesn’t make a lot of big plays, but he has become a pretty reliable cover man in our man-up schemes. Zack Callens has been a starter, and is suited to our system. Calvin Wickliff is a decent player, but he’s not that great in man coverage, and that’s really what we want to do on defense. So, he ends up as a nice reserve player, but not a starting option, I don’t think. Jamie Freeman is never going to be a solid player – decent #3 or #4, that’s all.

Brett Maxwell’s contract demands all but rule him out – he’s thinking $6 million a year – no chance there.

Eskridge will be our starter and star at safety. I’d like to re-sign Kirk Weed, and assuming he comes back we’ll be okay here.

So – we have 3 offers in as the FA period starts: WR Blair, DT Oliveira, and S Weed. I have other players we will watch and hope to pursue, but for now, these are the top of our list.

dixieflatline 12-16-2003 01:45 PM

Quote:

My 62 yeard old Head Coach, Earnest Carlyle, is up for a new deal. He’s obviously presided over our rise to becoming a power team, and it would make sense to keep him on.

However, I feel like we have stagnated a bit, despite the incremental moves forward. And to the surprise of many, I bring aboard a new head coach – going a bit younger, cheaper, and getting a guy who might have a better focus on keeping our players fit and ready to play. I’ve been awfully frustrated by our annual parade of injuries.

I wonder how this is playing with the talk radio shows in Cleveland? Sort of like the Dungy situation in Tampa maybe. Either that or you are a very hated man in Cleveland. I wonder how many GM's in the league would have the balls to make a move like this? Of course if you win it all this year the fans will be like Carlyle who.

Peregrine 12-16-2003 01:54 PM

Great read so far! I did wonder about this though:

Quote:

Only may offer trades during the draft, and involving current year draft picks



Seems like you have gotten future year draft picks several times when trading down in the 1st round. Was this rule changed?

QuikSand 12-16-2003 02:06 PM

Free Agency

Looking elsewhere at available free agents, I find a LB who looks promising – Ed Lake ha played for Chicago the lat two seasons, and seems to be developing into the type of player who would fit us well at MLB. He might be cheap, too – he will be my fist outside target player.

Safety Robbie Wilkins looks like a potentially very good addition, and pretty affordable, too. CB Darrell Douglas was cut by Dallas, and could be a good value pickup as well. I don’t however, see any free agents that I’ like t spend a ton of money on – so if we do layout big bucks, it will probably be on one of our own, like LB DiGiacomo.


We kick off the FA process – and there is a lot to report right away. Our players are being bid on all over the place. DE Cris Moseley is signed by Miami right away, and they are talking to S Deron Ellery too. LB Rick Casey, our solid reserve middle linebacker, has a fat offer from Jacksonville. And WR Tampa Bay is courting speedy WR Marlon Sasser.

It’s Oakland, though who is making the biggest push. They have offers in to both LB Ricky DiGiacomo and CB Brett Maxwell. Both are very fat, long term offers – and both are probably out of my reach to try to match. Oakland’s alleged top needs are on offense, but this duo would really bolster their defense this year, I think.


We have landed LB Ed Lake, and have successfully re-signed S Kirk Weed, who will return to the starting lineup for us. Neither WR Blair nor DT Oliveira has another offer, so I expect they will be aboard soon, too.

DE Henry Garner has only missed one game in five seasons. He’s no star, but we could use that kind of stability around, and we put in a fair offer for him. He quickly accepts.

A new offer to S Robbie Wilkins follows, and he quickly accepts – and will become our third safety and all-around utility player there.

I have shied away from any big-money contracts – but now that seems to have been a little too tight. We still have $22 million in cap space, and I don’t know what to do with it. Should we have spent $8 million on a weak-side linebacker? I guess I will keep my eye on the best-looking prospect still out there in the market – three-time all-pro receiver Dan Doyle. Over 4,000 yards in the last three seasons makes him an elite target – and he’d be the type of playmaker that we’d love to have in our offense, to be sure. He’s seeking $11 million a year – huge money, of course, but it’s not inconceivable that we could squeak together a one year tender in that neighborhood.


We get to week 12 of the process – and WR Zach Blair finally re-signs with us. That leaves RB Arsenault, TE Holmes, and RT Thornton still priced out of the market. I get an offer in to R Donnie Thornton, trying to lock him up for three seasons. It takes him a few weeks, but he accepts the deal. Meanwhile, Miami sneaks in and makes a move to sign WR Dan Doyle – and their team really is taking a very interesting new shape for the coming season.

I go ahead and wrap up the first 20 stages – we’ll have another look at some of these guys when we get into the post-draft phase.


2013 Rookie Draft

This draft includes a number of familiar faces from our Akron days:

P Rodney Clearly (4.9, 41/51) Looks like a decent punter, good distance, decent complementary skills make him a possible flyer – for our team, fairly likely

QB Deion Brock (4.1, 23/49) Looks like a typical project QB – has mixed skills. Coule evolve into a usable roll-out type QB, got a great 46 on the test. Probably a mid to late round pick. Good target for us, if possible.

CB Bert Schneider (4.0, 23/48) Brilliant college player looks like a zone specialist for the pros, very high volatility makes him a wild card.

K Edward Oskia (3.7, 19/45) Could be passable pro project – probably not an excellent option, though.

QB Dustin Poole (2.7, 16/30) Early dropout from college, very high volatility, probably a hit-or-miss kind of guy. Has some good skills – might be a flier.

T Joseph Barber (2.6, 13/29) Looks like a decent run blocker, probably undrafted.

MLB Louis Sherman (2.5, 15/28) never quite developed in college, and looks like a longshot here.

If we can grab QB Brock in the 4th round or so, and maybe have a look at a couple more guys after the draft, we might get 3-4 Zips to stick this season.



Sitting at pick #31, it’s a long time to wait. Ideally, we’d like to see a quality running back available for us in this draft – I think that’s the right direction for us to go there (young). But we’ll probably play the hand we’re dealt, and will be looking BPA.

Looking realistically, the player I’d like to see fall to us is T Claude Mueller, from Middletowo, Ohio by way of Ohio State. Looks like a powerful, solid O-lineman, with a fabulous college season in his wake – a great pickup for us.

Alas – Mueller is selected at #21 overall (Cincinnati, the other local angle team grabs him), and we’ll have to look elsewhere.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Neal Lynn, DE, Virginia Tech
Rnd 2 - Blaine Duesenberg, CB, Washington
Rnd 3 - Cornelius Tilton, WR, Boise State
Rnd 4 - Deion Brock, QB, Akron
Rnd 5 - Herb Meyer, OLB, Virginia
Rnd 6 - Jeremy Battle, RB, East Carolina
Rnd 7 - Dwight Lofton, DE, Texas Christian


In Neal Lynn, we land a pretty promising pass rusher, settling for a solid player at a “tough-to-fill” spot. DE Dwight Lofton, from the 7th round, might end up being a real steal – if he pans out, he might be pretty darned good.

CB Deusenberg is a man coverage specialist, and might end up being a good “system” selection for us. WR Tilton is the fly-pattern specialist I wanted, and should help us with the offensive speed that I want to have on hand. QB Deion Brock, as expected, was an easy mid-round grab.


Late Free Agency

First order of business – RB Roderick Arsenault has seen the light, and is now seeking a very modest deal. I put in an offer to keep him around – his leadership will be valuable, even if his skills continue to decline.


We also talk to veteran wide receiver Harold Elizondo. He is not a true burner, but even though he’s in his 10th season he has been a pretty effective playmaker. He’s not looking for that much in salary, and we try to entice him to come our way with a two year offer.

After Elizondo signs, I realize that we have not found a solution at tight end, and Jonathan Holmes remains stubborn in his demands for huge money. Devin Norton has been little used by New England, but we like his promise – and make a three year offer. I also have in mind a scheme for FB Eric Pritchett to see time at FB, where he might even better use his receiving skills.


I make a quick check of our chemistry situation – and am disappointed to see that newly-signed safety Robbie Wilkins doesn’t seem to like CB Deon Richmond, our secondary leader. I think it over, and decide to instead approach Deron Ellery for an extension, which I know won’t ruffle any feathers. We get Ellery aboard again, and let go Wilkins before trouble brews.


Among our URFA pickups is fascinating RB prospect Lincoln Zimmerman, who simply doesn’t look like much. However, he had over 1,800 yards running for Southern Cal, and my scouts rate his volatility at 90 – we would love for him to have a big breakout and become a contributor.

Heading into camp, I make one last signing – MLB K.C. Perez. He’s solid, fairly cheap, and with some uncertainty about the durability of our starter at MLB, a wise investment. We pass on even a one-year deal with TE Holmes – and expect that someone else will land him on a one year cheap deal for this season.

QuikSand 12-16-2003 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peregrine
Seems like you have gotten future year draft picks several times when trading down in the 1st round. Was this rule changed?


Yes, I decided to change the rule. On one or two occasions, Imade trades that i felt were balanced, but had to involve future picks to be so. Moving down from #1 overall to the middle of the first round realistically would involve a first rounder - and when I couldn't find any team with two firsts in the current year's draft, I went with my next best option - dealing for this year's first and next year's first instead.

I still will not make trades that take advantage of what I perceive to be the real AI weakness there -- that the game doesn't properly recognize that all future draft picks are not equal. It's too easy for your team, as a perennial power and late-picker to swap top picks with a perennial doormat and early-picker. So, I won'tmake any trades that have elements of that - and I suspect now that we're a pretty good club, we won't be trading down much anyway (the only time this has come into play).

JAG 12-16-2003 02:18 PM

BTW QS, not sure if you noticed, but the past two years, no team in your division has had a losing record (heck, last year no team finished worse than 9-7). Two years back, the third place team would've won two of the other 7 divisions outright and tied for the division lead in two other divisions.

Peregrine 12-16-2003 02:19 PM

Sounds about right, Quik. I know you're very aware of the AI's weaknesses and how to avoid taking advantage of them, I just thought I might have missed a change. Will be interesting to see how this goes forward with the new restrictions. I'm going to start doing the before/after camp thing in my own dynasties, that seems pretty useful!

QuikSand 12-16-2003 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JAG
BTW QS, not sure if you noticed, but the past two years, no team in your division has had a losing record (heck, last year no team finished worse than 9-7). Two years back, the third place team would've won two of the other 7 divisions outright and tied for the division lead in two other divisions.


Yes, our division suddenly got brutal, didn't it? Don't know how long that will last, but it's tough playing so many games against (at least) decent teams. We're holding our own, though...

QuikSand 12-16-2003 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peregrine
Will be interesting to see how this goes forward with the new restrictions.


I don't know - in the first year, I don't think the FA rule had a material effect on anything. I think I still got all the same players I would have had I not used any restriction at all. And I'm already sensing that the TCY connection might not be that big a deal either. Dunno...

QuikSand 12-16-2003 04:46 PM

Training Camp

We have 61 players in camp this year – a bit fewer than usual. Regardless, we ought to be in good shape at nearly every position. WR won’t be terribly deep, but we should be okay there. We’d like to get a young RB to pan out and help – but that’s not even essential.

Code:

Player        Pos  Start        Exp        CE        FE        CE        FE        ChgC        ChgF
Clancy, Marco        QB        5        64        64        69        69        5        5
Houston, James        QB        3        47        59        51        59        4        0
Gordon, Howie        QB        3        32        53        35        53        3        0
Brock, Deion        QB        1        24        50        28        51        4        1
Poole, Dustin        QB        1        16        29        17        28        1        -1
Arsenault, Roderick        RB        10        42        42        42        42        0        0
Aguilera, Danny        RB        3        35        35        35        35        0        0
Ramsey, Kendrick        RB        8        32        32        32        32        0        0
Zimmerman, Lincoln        RB        1        28        35        29        35        1        0
Poore, Martin        RB        1        26        41        27        38        1        -3
Battle, Jeremy        RB        1        24        38        24        34        0        -4
Pritchett, Eric        FB        2        57        64        59        64        2        0
Goodwin, Ian        FB        5        43        52        45        52        2        0
Woodson, Mickey        FB        10        35        35        35        35        0        0
Norton, Devin        TE        5        56        76        62        76        6        0
Pariso, Wade        TE        4        34        43        37        43        3        0
Thomason, Tony        TE        2        28        45        30        45        2        0
Blair, Zach        FL        5        50        50        50        50        0        0
Ellard, Jimmy        FL        8        46        46        46        46        0        0
Tilton, Cornelius        FL        1        32        39        33        38        1        -1
Causey, Marvin        SE        4        55        55        56        56        1        1
Elizondo, Harold        SE        10        54        54        54        54        0        0
Owens, O.J.        C        7        66        66        66        66        0        0
Pond, Ellis        C        3        32        59        34        59        2        0
Meyer, Louie        C        1        20        41        22        36        2        -5
Thornton, Mickey        LG        3        53        61        56        61        3        0
Booker, Johnnie        LG        1        12        37        14        38        2        1
Gruber, Lincoln        RG        9        55        55        55        55        0        0
Heinlein, Bennie        LT        9        55        56        55        56        0        0
Thornton, Donnie        RT        7        63        63        63        63        0        0
Barber, Joseph        RT        1        14        28        15        30        1        2
Creighton, Lamont        P        3        68        68        68        68        0        0
Oskia, Edward        K        1        19        43        21        25        2        -18
Fox, Jimmy        LDE        7        52        52        52        52        0        0
Garner, Henry        LDE        6        52        52        52        52        0        0
Bromley, Skip        LDE        5        49        50        50        50        1        0
Limon, Lincoln        LDE        10        43        43        43        43        0        0
Lynn, Neal        LDE        1        28        51        28        52        0        1
Glendenning, Ricardo        LDE        1        4        29        5        24        1        -5
Hendrix, Tim        RDE        7        65        67        65        67        0        0
Lofton, Dwight        RDE        1        23        46        25        42        2        -4
Cascadden, Gary        LDT        7        70        71        70        71        0        0
Oliveira, Willie        LDT        9        46        47        46        47        0        0
Bailey, Zach        LDT        2        34        66        36        66        2        0
Lake, Ed        SILB        6        44        73        48        73        4        0
Davis, Curtis        MLB        8        68        68        68        68        0        0
Perez, K.C.        MLB        7        54        62        58        62        4        0
Goodwin, Cedric        MLB        10        56        56        56        56        0        0
Thomas, Joel        MLB        1        22        44        25        49        3        5
Meyer, Herb        SLB        1        21        49        24        49        3        0
Hamilton, Wendell        SLB        2        20        50        23        50        3        0
Regalado, Darrin        WLB        5        51        51        51        51        0        0
Wickliff, Calvin        LCB        9        51        51        51        51        0        0
Freeman, Jamie        LCB        3        30        57        34        57        4        0
Duesenberg, Blaine        LCB        1        11        50        13        45        2        -5
Richmond, Deon        RCB        8        55        55        55        55        0        0
Douglas, Darrell        RCB        3        43        55        46        55        3        0
Callens, Zack        RCB        10        44        44        44        44        0        0
Weed, Kirk        SS        5        58        58        58        58        0        0
Eskridge, Kenneth        FS        2        67        74        72        74        5        0
Ellery, Deron        FS        6        62        62        62        62        0        0
Specter, Rex        FS        3        35        50        39        50        4        0


It’s nice to see a really good camp from your QB – and Marco Clancy delivered there. he jumped up in both current and future ratings – not a monster leap forward, but noticeable for sure. Good sign.

Rookie Deion Brock jumped a little bit, too – and that might secure his spot on the roster for us. I admittedly had hoped for a jump from RB Lincoln Zimmerman – but instead we see that he’s just the only one of the lot who didn’t fall apart. Jeremy Battle is probably the most usable of the three rookies, but none look like great prospects.

TE Devin Norton was a great find, and I think he will be a suitable heir to the “dominating tight end” position on the offense. He could be every bit as good as his two predecessors, and the offense seems to lend itself to good production over the middle.

I’m encouraged by what we see so far of DE Neil Lynn – now we need to get him signed and ready to play. DE Dwight Lofton won’t end up being the superior DE I had hoped he could be – rather, he’ll probably end up being a passable pass rusher from time to time. About what I should be getting with a seventh round pick.

I realize that I inadvertently left us short at the OLB positions – and I do so only after releasing Wendell Hamilton. (D’Oh!) So, I slide DE Lofton back to SLB, and we pick up one free agent – another blast from the Browns’ distant past, Kim Jervey.

Bit of a shame – 2nd round pick CB Blaine Duesenberg is just not what I had hoped for at all – and I ultimately decide that we’ll just eat his cap hit now rather than waiting it out. He doesn’t even make the team. El Bust-o.


Season Analysis

Our cohesion is still very high: 85-100(94)-91-90, which puts us in the to five in every category. Our team chemistry remains strong – only two conflicts on the whole team (rookie WR Tilton and T Barber). We don’t have quite as many affinities as in the recent past, but we are still much to the positive in that regard.

Our roster rating is a 66 – second best in the league, far behind Jacksonville (new home to WR Marlon Sasser, incidentally) SF has a 61, for what that’s worth.

We come in as conference champions, and should be a favorite to get back to a top playoff spot again. New coach – might make a difference, of course. We have had to make some personnel changes, too – but this is largely the same team as last year’s offering. What to expect? We have to shoot for the top, once again.

QuikSand 12-16-2003 04:46 PM

2013 Regular Season

As we get out of the preseason, we have a few new roles established. RB Danny Aguilera is going to take on the third-down back duties, and will be in for a lot of our passing downs. This job might eventually end up with FB Eric Pritchett, but for now Aguilera gets a crack at it. But Roderick Arsenault again comes into the season as our #1 back for first down duty – and we expect he’ll still get more than half the carries.

On defense free agent signee Ed Lake will start at the weak LB slot, taking over for the departed Ricky DiGiacomo. Lake is a solid run defender, and will help out I think – a very good replacement, for a value price.

And I end up with Darrell Douglas starting at CB alongside Deon Richmond, to my surprise. I just couldn’t justify keeping Zach Callens there, as other guys have far better overall skills. Douglas gets the first look, with Calvin Wickliff ready to play if needed.


In our opener, Clancy throws for 356 yards, and we need them all to beat Baltimore 26-20. We roll again over Minnesota, but we lose Arsenault for a few weeks with a broken foot. Time to reshuffle the RB crew, I think. Kendrick Ramsey, who did well in week two in relief, will be our starter.

Week three is Kansas City – who beat us last season. Marco Clancy is also hurt – he’ll have to miss this game as well. We get thrashed by the Chiefs, 27-3. No contest.

We limp to a win over Buffalo, but we simply are not the same team without Clancy and Arsenault. 450 yards in two games – our production has been cut in half. We get back on track, though, posting almost 400 yards of offense as we pound Pittsburgh.

We stand at 4-1, which is fine. San Francisco is 2-3 so far, with their first-string QB (new signee John Powers) out with an injury. They have a rookie QB at the helm, and it’s not working out well. Tyrone Glover got away from the 49ers, and is now starting for the Giants, basking in the glow of his Superbowl MVP award and the ensuing cash bonanza.

Marco Clancy returns, and is right back in form – throwing for 280 and 2 TDs against 4-1 Miami. TE Devin Norton, as predicted, has already become a top target for the offense, and leads the team in receptions with 32 in six games. Kendrick Ramsey keys our next win, with 124 yards and the game-winning TD in overtime to beat the Jets.

Roderick Arsenaut is working his way back into the offense, but it’s Marco Clancy (playing with a sprained thumb even) who now is our centerpiece. He has become an attacking QB, and our offense is pretty highly powered when he is playing.


After getting to 7-1 at our halfway point, we now must face Baltimore again – who has won all their games since we beat them, and are 6-1. At least Cincinnati is falling apart, meaning one patsy in the division. Behind Clancy’s 4 YD passes, we eke out a 31-28 win, and give ourselves a bit of breathing room in the division race. Just a bit. (Clancy might have had one of those “perfect” QB days: 27/35 for 317 yards, 4TD/0Int – if not, then pretty close, y/a is the only weak point, I’d guess)

We roll onward, winning a few close ones, until finally dropping another one against Detroit, of all teams. We’ve clearly become a pass-first team, which is fine – but we need to be ready to play a controlled game when they really count. We lose our second straight when we allow the division patsy Cincinnati to run for 232 yards against us – not good for our awe-inspiring run defense, there. At 11-3, we by no means are all set – we still have three teams within one game of us for the bye weeks, so we need to get things right.

And we’ll have to do it, again, without Arsenault. He’ll miss a few weeks with a bum shoulder. We need to rally.

Kendrick Ramsey give us yet another solid game, and we beat Green Bay, 31-17. But a loss to Pittsburgh in our finale leaves things up in the air a bit – we’re in the playoffs, but the seeding is up to the other games.

Code:

2013 Regular Season Standings
 
  AC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Cleveland              12  4  0  .750  364  288  9-3    4-2     
Pittsburgh              8  7  1  .531  286  320  6-5-1  3-3     
Baltimore              8  8  0  .500  304  316  6-6    2-4     
Cincinnati              6  10  0  .375  272  317  4-8    3-3     
 
  AC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Jacksonville            12  3  1  .781  380  279  9-2-1  6-0     
Tennessee              7  9  0  .438  337  336  5-7    3-3     
Indianapolis            7  9  0  .438  368  403  4-8    2-4     
Houston                4  12  0  .250  372  381  3-9    1-5     
 
  AC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
New York J              11  5  0  .688  336  307  9-3    6-0     
New England            7  9  0  .438  300  329  5-7    3-3     
Miami                  7  9  0  .438  270  343  5-7    1-5     
Buffalo                6  10  0  .375  356  397  3-9    2-4     
 
  AC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Kansas City            12  4  0  .750  357  286  9-3    4-2     
Denver                  10  6  0  .625  355  304  7-5    2-4     
Oakland                8  8  0  .500  355  369  6-6    4-2     
San Diego              6  10  0  .375  326  350  5-7    2-4     
 
  NC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Green Bay              10  6  0  .625  346  338  8-4    4-2     
Minnesota              8  7  1  .531  390  317  5-6-1  2-3-1   
Chicago                7  9  0  .438  344  298  7-5    3-3     
Detroit                6  9  1  .406  251  286  4-7-1  2-3-1   
 
  NC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Carolina                10  6  0  .625  361  300  8-4    5-1     
New Orleans            8  8  0  .500  340  313  6-6    3-3     
Atlanta                8  8  0  .500  356  290  6-6    2-4     
Tampa Bay              5  11  0  .313  272  370  4-8    2-4     
 
  NC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Philadelphia            12  4  0  .750  342  290  9-3    5-1     
New York G              8  8  0  .500  352  354  6-6    4-2     
Dallas                  5  11  0  .313  344  383  4-8    2-4     
Washington              5  11  0  .313  293  390  4-8    1-5     
 
  NC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Arizona                12  4  0  .750  441  355  10-2    6-0     
Seattle                9  7  0  .563  328  280  6-6    3-3     
St. Louis              7  9  0  .438  343  353  5-7    2-4     
San Francisco          3  13  0  .188  214  413  3-9    1-5     


A 12-4 record is pretty good – but not good enough for a bye week. Kansas City beat us head to head, and they get the #2 seed behind the Jaguars. We have to host Pittsburgh for a rematch of our regular season finale, where they beat us to earn their way into the playoffs.

Code:

2013 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 12-4
Winning Pct.: .750
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  403      24         
Rushing Yards          1652      21         
Yards Per Carry        4.09      15         
Pass Attempts          568      10         
Completions            360      4         
Passing Yards          4051      8         
Yards Per Attempt      7.13      10         
3rd Down Conversions    41.1      15 (T)     
Points Per Game        22.7      6         
Turnovers              29        25 (T)     
Turnover Margin        -10      31         
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  429      15         
Rushing Yards          1656      14         
Yards Per Carry        3.86      11 (T)     
Pass Attempts          555      18         
Completions            331      21         
Passing Yards          3980      26         
Yards Per Attempt      7.17      24         
3rd Down Conversions    37.7      6         
Points Per Game        18.0      5         
Turnovers              19        27 (T)     
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    26    at BAL        20     
2    28    at MIN        17     
3    3    KCY          27     
4    19    at BUF        16     
5    27    PIT          3     
6    26    MIA          7     
7    26    at NYJ        20     
8    28    NED          17     
9    31    BAL          28     
11    21    at CIN        19     
12    31    CHI          26     
13    27    at HOU        22     
14    13    DET          16     
15    10    CIN          13     
16    31    at GBY        17     
17    17    at PIT        20     
$$WC        PIT                 
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
8 Clancy            QB    463  300  3449  7.44  30    15     
7 Houston          QB    104  59    599  5.75  3    3     
**Team              ---  568  360  4051  7.13  33    18     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
32 Ramsey          RB    195  787  4.03  5     
33 Arsenault        RB    111  470  4.23  1     
45 Pritchett        FB    56    234  4.17  0     
**Team              ---  403  1652  4.09  7     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
6 Norton            TE    114  77    886  11.5  215  10     
81 Blair            WR    109  65    896  13.7  107  6     
45 Pritchett        FB    62    41    290  7.0  72    3     
83 Tilton          WR    60    39    492  12.6  104  3     
84 Elizondo        WR    69    38    525  13.8  107  4     
86 Causey          WR    46    27    351  13.0  66    4     
30 Aguilera        RB    23    18    130  7.2  64    1     
87 Ellard          WR    34    17    196  11.5  20    0     
23 Goodwin          FB    22    17    101  5.9  46    0     
**Team              ---  566  360  4051  11.2  872  33     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
20 Eskridge        S    93    28    1.0  0    3    11     
24 Weed            S    84    31    0.0  1    0    9     
55 Davis            ILB  82    32    11.5  10    0    0     
91 Lake            ILB  68    20    2.0  1    1    11     
56 Perez            ILB  66    36    2.0  4    2    5     
26 Douglas          CB    65    17    1.0  0    2    13     
43 Richmond        CB    60    22    0.0  1    1    16     
72 Cascadden        DT    54    22    2.5  6    0    1     
28 Wickliff        CB    36    4    0.0  0    2    2     
99 Hendrix          DE    36    15    8.5  27    0    0     
92 Goodwin          ILB  28    5    0.0  0    0    2     
96 Bailey          DT    28    7    2.5  3    0    0     
76 Oliveira        DT    25    10    4.0  4    0    0     
93 Fox              DE    18    7    4.5  7    0    2     
77 Garner          DE    18    7    0.5  3    0    1     
**Team              ---  879  276  44.0  79    11    75     


We are down in every meaningful category. Our running game is anemic, and our passing game – while prolific overall – isn’t terribly efficient. On defense, we are used to being in the top handful against both the run and pass – this year we settle for middle-of-the-pack.

The Cleveland fans may, indeed, have my head. Philadephia, under my former coach, is back on top and enjoying their well-deserved bye this weekend. Ouch.

JAG 12-16-2003 05:54 PM

Hey, that's some spoiled fans if they want to run you out of town after another AFC North division win and a 12-4 record. Boy did San Fran have a fall for the ages though, from undefeated to a league-worst 3-13 record?! From a top-3 scoring offense and overall best scoring defense to dead last in scoring and scoring defense? Whew, now that would be something for fans to complain about.

Peregrine 12-16-2003 07:36 PM

QS, your dynasty has prompted me to try the same thing on my own. I'm confused as to when the best time to cut the players is for the empty cupboard, though. When I tried it, using a HeavyReign file, I ran it through one season, ended the season, then cut everyone and got new players at the start of the new season. The first year was fine, but now it's telling me I have 65 million in lost cap room and can barely afford to field a full team, even with the miniscule salaries my guys make.

Should I be cutting the players before I end the first season, or will this matter?

gkb 12-16-2003 08:03 PM

I know you've already implemented new house rules in an effort to make this more difficult, but I had another idea I thought I'd throw out there anyway. You could carry the empty cupboard concept throughout your career. For instance you could say that every 5 years or so you had to start over again....perhaps keeping 5 players that you had grown attached too and then releasing everyone else and starting over. At that time you could also restrict your FA pursuits like you did in the beginning, where you could only go after first year players in the first, first and second year players in the second, and so on.

Just a thought...

QuikSand 12-17-2003 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peregrine
QS, your dynasty has prompted me to try the same thing on my own. I'm confused as to when the best time to cut the players is for the empty cupboard, though. When I tried it, using a HeavyReign file, I ran it through one season, ended the season, then cut everyone and got new players at the start of the new season. The first year was fine, but now it's telling me I have 65 million in lost cap room and can barely afford to field a full team, even with the miniscule salaries my guys make.

Should I be cutting the players before I end the first season, or will this matter?



I nearly ran into this, also. I think the best way t do it is to cut about half of your team in year one, and then the other half at the very beginning of year two. You'll have big dead cap space in both years two and three, but with a roster of only youngsters, it won't matter. Good luck.

POTGP 12-17-2003 08:39 AM


M E M O R A N D U M

TO: QuikSand, General Manager
FR: President of the General Partner
RE: Season success


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At the outset of this offseason, we had words about the front office direction of this club. I emphasizd the importance of winning the league championship for our fiancial stakeholders. You argued that a new on-field leadership would advance those goals, and convinced me and others than releasing Coach Earnest Carlyle would serve our interests.

I see that Mr Carlyle has successfully restored the championship stature of the Philadelphia club. Meanwhile, under new leadership, our club has regressed, and is not among the top contenders. This outcome is not acceptable.

If Mr Carlyle and his Eagles advance further into the postseason than do our Browns, the ownership group will be required to make changes to team management. At that point, we will call upon you to discover a family concern, which will require you to direct your attentions away from your responsibilities to this club. I hope this is not misunderstood.

Good luck on the remainder of the season.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Godzilla Blitz 12-17-2003 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by POTGP

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: QuikSand, General Manager
FR: President of the General Partner
RE: Season success


Meanwhile, under new leadership, our club has regressed, and is not among the top contenders.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



???

QuikSand 12-17-2003 03:19 PM

Apparently, playing in the wild card round is not what the boss has in mind.

QuikSand 12-17-2003 03:19 PM

2013 Postseason

AFC Wild Card Round: Pittsburgh (8-7-1) at Cleveland (12-4)

We host Pittsburgh, a team we know pretty well. Their QB Pereyra has had a good season, but we think pressuring him will be a key to success here. We will probably throw it around a good bit, also.

In the first quarter, we look sharp, and get ahead 10-0 with two scores on our first two possessions. We knock Steelers’ QB Pereyra out of the game on a sack, and they have to go to their backup. Clancy throws four interceptions in the first half, but our defense holds things in check, and we lead 10-3 at the break, fortunately.

It’s not a great day for us, but we do have them under control the whole time, and tack on a couple more scores in the third quarter. A 20-3 win is fine – and we head into the divisional playoffs – but as a road team, unfortunately.


FC Divisional Playoff: Cleveland (13-4) at Kansas City (12-4)

KC has been our nemesis – beating us the last two regular seasons. Should be another tough matchup – KC has a solid team top to bottom. We’ll go with our vanilla attack, and try to turn the tables on them. RB ROderick Arsenault is dinged up, but he will start.

We trade punts through the first quarter, and KC finally gets on the board with a long FG in the early second. KC penetrates deep on us next possession, but DT Gary Cascadden comes up with a huge sack to stop them inside our five – and they again settle for three. But the Chiefs drive again and get in this time on a 16-yard reverse run. We get a late drive to their 15 yard line, but lose a fumble and fail to score yet again. 13-0 at the half.

Midway through the third quarter, we’re finally on the board, with a pass to Elizondo. But a costly interception by Clancy on our next possession gives the Chiefs position for another kick, and it’s 16-7.

We start the fourth quarter pinning the Chiefs at their 2 yard line with a mighty punt. Our defense holds, and we get a golden opportunity – we take over at their 48. Big runs by Aguilera and Ramsey finish the drive, and we pull within two points, down 16-14.

With under 6 minutes left, down two, we face a fourth down at the Chiefs 37 – very tough call. Oskia, our kicker, isn’t the most reliable guy. This would be a 54-yarder. I think I’d be inclined to give it a try, if I were calling the shots. Especially since my job is in the balance, potentially.

We line up for the FG… but there’s a false start on the play. And an injury! WR Blair is hurt, apparently seriously. How this happened on a false start… well, I understand. Regardless, after the penalty and injury, we have little choice but to punt it to them.

Our defense holds, and we get it back at our 28. We get a first down, but also a penalty, and eventually face 4th and 5 from our 30. A quick hitch to TE Norton and we’re back in the saddle. However, Clancy throws an interception, and that ought to seal the deal. Kansas City wins, 16-14, and our Browns are eliminated from the postseason, once again.


Arizona beats Jacksonville to win the Superbowl – they won the first one in 2003, and now have two trophies on the mantle, along with Dallas and Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, incidentally, also lost a close game in the divisional round. I’m not sure how that will ultimately reflect on my career path.


Season Wrap-up

Well, the team certainly took a step backward. We dropped from the elite defensive teams, and our offense shifted toward more risk – and we ended up losing at the hands of taking those risks, I think. The team definitely needs work… but I can’t believe that we’re due for a true makeover – just a few tweaks here and there. Marco Clancy, though, is a mystery. If he wants huge money next season, does it make sense for us to pony up? So far, we’ve been a franchise gaining success by never overpaying – we have done well with whoever we could afford, for the most part.

Tough to say what’s around the corner, now.

Code:

2013 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
Player of the Year                            Nicholas Barnes            JAX   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Mercury Shoemaker          ARI   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  Nicholas Barnes            JAX   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Heath McIntyre              NOS   
Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Winston Martinez            NYJ   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Marcus Chryplewicz          HOU   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Nicholas Barnes            JAX   
All-League First-String Running Back          Winfred Elliott            ATL   
All-League First-String Fullback              Adam Salisbury              BUF   
All-League First-String Tight End            Mo Rogers                  STL   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Rick Smith                  NYG   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        King Brame                  PHI   
All-League First-String Center                Lawrence Niles              CIN   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              ATL   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Randall Ayotte              SEA   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Kenneth Rankins            NYJ   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Moe Yost                    ARI   
All-League First-String Punter                Ronald Tyler                BAL   
All-League First-String Kicker                Toney Beebe                PIT   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              HOU   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Cole Harrison              STL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Cary Drake                  CHI   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Daniel Flynn                CIN   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Brian Flores                NYG   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Heath McIntyre              NOS   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Leon Coughlin              GBY   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Roosevelt Voigt            BAL   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Burton Walton              HOU   
All-League First-String Safety                William Logan              ARI   
All-League First-String Safety                Allen McDonough            WAS   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Kim Roux                    HOU   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Irv Osgood                  CIN   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Richard Cummins            SEA   
**All-League Second-String Tight End          Devin Norton                CLE   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Blake Moss                  JAX   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Charles Williams            CIN   
All-League Second-String Center              Monty Nunley                CHI   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Stephen Campbell            STL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Kirk Copeland              CIN   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Eugene Therrien            DEN   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Gene Skrepenak              DAL   
All-League Second-String Punter              Sean Romans                MIA   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Irv Cash                    KCY   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Willie Chenoweth            DEN   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Ricky Graham                NYG   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Wayne Reed                  PIT   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Luke Blackburn              ARI   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Christopher Sanchez        TEN   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Clay Moody                  CAR   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Randall Halbert            ATL   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          David Munn                  BAL   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Preston Masterson          MIN   
All-League Second-String Safety              Anthony Bates              NED   
All-League Second-String Safety              Armando Melgar              SDO   
League's Fastest Man                          Mercury Hanley              CHI   
League's Strongest Man                        Rich Fisk                  NYG   


TE Devin Norton, not surprisingly, is our only honoree this year. Not a major surprise – we had platoons and role-shifting all season long.

We’ll head toward the 2014 season with more than our usual degree of uncertainty. About the QB situation, about the drop from the defense, and about my job stability as well.

QuikSand 12-17-2003 03:22 PM

Crossroads time... I'm not much for polls, but I'm interested in input. For continuity purposes, I think it would be reasonable for me to be fired from Cleveland... translating me to taking over a new "empty cupboard" franchise in the same league. That might allow me to start over, with a new and tighter set of rules.

Any readers care one way or the other?

JAG 12-17-2003 03:29 PM

It sounds like what you'd like to do (taking over a new team in the same league). That makes me all for it.

dixieflatline 12-17-2003 03:31 PM

I vote for take over a new team with tighter rules(read salary restrictions) on yourself. Even though you didn't win it at cleveland I think you showed this set of rules jsut isn't tight enough.

Godzilla Blitz 12-17-2003 03:45 PM

Be happy. Get fired. Build a new one.

gkb 12-17-2003 04:26 PM

I like the idea of you taking over a new team...but you should do whatever it is that'll keep you enjoying this dynasty.

finkenst 12-17-2003 05:47 PM

Quik,

I don't think you should be fired, but you'd rather seek new challenges in a warmer climate...Like Cincinnati.

--tim

Vaj 12-17-2003 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by QuikSand
Crossroads time... I'm not much for polls, but I'm interested in input. For continuity purposes, I think it would be reasonable for me to be fired from Cleveland... translating me to taking over a new "empty cupboard" franchise in the same league. That might allow me to start over, with a new and tighter set of rules.

Any readers care one way or the other?


I'll follow this dynasty either way, Quik.

FWIW, I think having an owner-imposed salary cap at X% (75%?) of the league cap is probably the only house rule you'll really need.

3ric 12-18-2003 06:29 AM

I don't think you should be "fired", a 12-4 season is good enough. I'd be interested to follow Clancy, Arsenault and the others for another season to see if you can get the team back on track.

BTW, the readers could act as a "board of directors" to make decisions. 4-2 in favor of firing the Cleveland GM. Sort of an RPG element to induce events outside your control.

Alf 12-18-2003 08:04 AM

Fire the GM ! Start with a new team !

QuikSand 12-18-2003 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 3ric
BTW, the readers could act as a "board of directors" to make decisions. 4-2 in favor of firing the Cleveland GM. Sort of an RPG element to induce events outside your control.


I like that idea, actually.

I think I am going to play another season of TCY (perhaps with a switch to a new college, even) and let this continue, but I'll abide by the will of the readership.

I plan to continue the FOF 2004 career, in any event -- I'm just unsettled about what form and fashion that should take. I' on the fence about really continuing with TCY, though - I'm going to play one more season as a "test" to see how much I really like/dislike playing that game...

More to come.

Fonzie 12-18-2003 11:47 AM

QS -

I suggest that you take a page from the career path book of many other NFL players/coaches. Specifically, you should "retire" so that you can spend more time with your family.

Then unretire the very next season when, as has happened with all of those who came before you, you realize that your family would rather that you not be around so much.

Tasan 12-18-2003 02:47 PM

I think you should give Cleveland one more go around, to see if this season was an aberration. If you have another declining season, then maybe a "firing" would be in order.

Barkeep49 12-20-2003 09:37 AM

Well I'd like to continue with this dynasty too, but would think you would have the good will in Cleveland for one more season before they run you out of town.

QuikSand 12-22-2003 01:52 PM

After a couple days away, I have regained access to FOF games.

I checked the TCY and FOF 2004 status -- and there are two opportunities that would allow some continued synergy between the collegiate and professional sides of this dynasty. In TCY, I have been offered the had Coaching jobs at both the University of Cincinnati, and at the University of Tennessee. Both of the counterpart NFL teams are listed as "amenable" to my taking over there, as well.

If I am going to continue with both halves of this career (TCY and FOF), then my pretty strong inclination will be to pursue one of those two situations.

I'll confess, though, that I am about 50/50 whether I want to continu with TCY at all. I'm reallynot getting a lot out of my time spent there, and as my workload tightens in the coming weeks, it might make sense to focus where I am enjoying myself more... with FOF.

More to come... just catching up on this for now.

finkenst 12-22-2003 11:32 PM

UC
UC
UC

how can you not want to "stick it to Cleveland" twice a year for shepherding you out the door?

--tim

QuikSand 12-26-2003 02:53 PM

Over the holiday time, I went ahead and played another season of FOF 2004, without bothering with TCY. So, it seems I have made my decision.

A new season with Cleveland (yes, I stayed) will be posted here fairly soon.

QuikSand 12-27-2003 07:25 AM

2014 preseason

After some contemplation, I have returned to the fold for another round with the Cleveland Browns. After a slightly disappointing season, the expectations remain pretty high – and we will have to deliver this year, or else it will mean my job, no doubt.

Transitions and League Observations

We have no retirements. Our only lingering issue is RB Jeremy Battle, who has yet to play a down for us, and may never be able to. He is still hurt, and will very possibly be on IR again this year.


Front Office Decisions

Scout Kim Donaldson is still young, and still developing in his role. I make an offer to bring him back, and he comes back, fairly cheaply. Here is his snapshot:

Scout Kim Donaldson, 42 ($350,000)
VG: WR
GD: QB,PK,DL,LB,DB,Young Talent
AV: RB,OL


Roster Review

Code:

Players Under Contract: 36
Salary Cap: $75,000,000
Cap Room: $33,240,000
Maximum for New Player: $30,020,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $1,140,000


We have quite a lot of cap room this season – so we’ll have chances to perhaps bring in a player or two to try to make a big push for the title this season. That should be our goal, I think.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Clancy, Marco          8  QB          6    70                70                --- 
Houston, James          7  QB          4    54                59                --- 
Gordon, Howie          3  QB          4    35                53                1 yr.
Brock, Deion            2  QB          2    29                51                2 yrs


Re-signing QB Marco Clancy is a big decision – I’m reluctant to sign him, since he has been so unreliable with his health. His production leapt last season, but I am gun-shy. James Houston also needs a deal – he has proven to be a very solid #2, and at least a consideration for the top job if he’s more reasonable than Clancy is. Gordon and Brock are both usable backups – but probably not starting material.

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  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Arsenault, Roderick    33  RB          11  41                41                2 yrs
Aguilera, Danny        30  RB          4    35                35                1 yr.
Ramsey, Kendrick        32  RB          9    32                32                1 yr.
Zimmerman, Lincoln      38  RB          2    30                35                1 yr.
**Battle, Jeremy        25  RB          2    24                34                2 yrs


RB Roderick Arsenault is sitting on a career total of 11,456 yards rushing – he’s already accomplished nearly everything, including winning a title. He’s just a supporting-caliber player at this point, but we will try to get some more out of the old guy this year, which will probably be his swansong season.

We really need a more serious workhorse running back, either by the draft or by free agency. A pretty high priority for our club there. Nobody on the roster is ready to be a true #1 option.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Pritchett, Eric        45  FB          3    66                66                1 yr.
Goodwin, Ian            23  FB          6    46                52                1 yr.
Norton, Devin          6  TE          6    76                76                2 yrs
Thomason, Tony          88  TE          3    32                46                --- 


Eric Pritchett has assumed the top spot here, and is the sort of versatile player that helps out in lots of ways. Solid. TE Devin Norton stepped immediately into the featured TE role in our offense, and could be primed for a career season ahead.

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  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Blair, Zach            81  FL          6    50                50                2 yrs
Ellard, Jimmy          87  FL          9    45                45                1 yr.
Tilton, Cornelius      83  FL          2    39                39                2 yrs
Causey, Marvin          86  SE          5    56                56                2 yrs
Elizondo, Harold        84  SE          11  53                53                1 yr.


Another solid season from the steady WR Zach Blair – he’s not that flashy, but is dependable and productive. Elizondo and Causey split time at the split end position due to injuries, but both were pretty effective. Rookie Tilton was surprisingly active (492 yards) and will continue to offer a playmaker off the bench for us. Ellard is the group leader, and has been decent as well. I’m pretty content with this returning group – probably as much as any on the team.

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  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Owens, O.J.            51  C          8    66                66                --- 
Pond, Ellis            57  C          4    36                59                --- 
Thornton, Mickey        53  LG          4    60                61                2 yrs
Booker, Johnnie        74  LG          2    18                38                1 yr.
Gruber, Lincoln        63  RG          10  55                55                1 yr.
Heinlein, Bennie        71  LT          10  55                56                1 yr.
Thornton, Donnie        73  RT          8    63                63                2 yrs
Barber, Joseph          62  RT          2    15                30                --- 


O.J. Owens has been a solid starter for us, but he now seeks monster money and will walk. That leaves Ellis Pond, if we re-up with him, as the presumed starter. He should be okay, but not a dominating run blocker. Guards Thornton and Gruber are both pass-inclined, as are starting tackles Heinlein and Thornton. We could use some more beef up front – we’ll see if there is a quality free agent we might add at either C or even LT.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Creighton, Lamont      9  P          4    68                68                --- 
Oskia, Edward          11  K          2    25                25                --- 


I’ll weigh my options here. Creighton has been good, but Oskia’s main attraction was the fact he is from Akron. If we drop that part of the career, he probably fades away.

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  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Fox, Jimmy              93  LDE        8    52                52                --- 
Bromley, Skip          78  LDE        6    52                52                --- 
Garner, Henry          77  LDE        7    51                51                1 yr.
Limon, Lincoln          95  LDE        11  42                42                1 yr.
Lynn, Neal              90  LDE        2    33                52                3 yrs
Hendrix, Tim            99  RDE        8    65                67                --- 
Cascadden, Gary        72  LDT        8    70                71                --- 
Oliveira, Willie        76  LDT        10  45                46                2 yrs
Bailey, Zach            96  LDT        3    40                66                2 yrs


DE Jimmie Fox’s demands aren’t ridiculous, and he is a mentor to the younger DE – so we will try to keep him around. DE Tim Hendrix is looking for superstar cash, and he won’t get it from us. We have talent, but not great talent here. Inside, I like Cascadden a lot, and will try to re-sign him, even though the asking price is some $7 million a year. Zach Bailey is on his way to becoming a very productive player – he’ll get time alongside Oliveira, our positional leader. Another group I’m generally happy with, though a bit more depth would be welcome, as usual.

Code:

  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Lake, Ed                91  SILB        7    57                73                2 yrs
Davis, Curtis          55  MLB        9    68                68                1 yr.
Perez, K.C.            56  MLB        8    61                62                2 yrs
Goodwin, Cedric        92  MLB        11  55                55                --- 
Jervey, Kim            98  SLB        11  40                40                --- 
Meyer, Herb            50  SLB        2    25                49                2 yrs
Lofton, Dwight          54  SLB        2    22                34                2 yrs
Regalado, Darrin        52  WLB        6    51                51                --- 


Curtis Davis has become the undisputed leader of the LB corps, with another great season from the strong side “blitzbacker” position. K.C. Perez was very effective at MLB last season, and that might spell the end of Cedric Goodwin’s time as our nominal starter – he just cannot stay healthy for more than a game or two at this point. We do need to add at the OLB spots – just to fill out the roster a bit more. Ed Lake will probably retain the weak-side starter position.

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  Player                #  Pos  Start Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct
Wickliff, Calvin        28  LCB        10  51                51                1 yr.
Freeman, Jamie          44  LCB        4    36                57                2 yrs
Richmond, Deon          43  RCB        9    55                55                --- 
Douglas, Darrell        26  RCB        4    55                55                2 yrs
Weed, Kirk              24  SS          6    58                58                2 yrs
Eskridge, Kenneth      20  FS          3    81                81                3 yrs
Ellery, Deron          46  FS          7    62                62                2 yrs
Specter, Rex            41  FS          4    40                50                --- 



Darrell Douglas was passable as a starter for us last season, but I’m not too excited by the prospect of his return to that role. Our defense slipped last season, and I think adding a solid second corner to play next to Deon Richmond (if we get him back) would help a lot. I love our safeties – Weed has evolved into a brutally punishing tackler, and Eskridge is just a complete player.


My top re-signing priority is DT Cascadden, plus we’d like to re-up with DE Fox, CB Richmond, and one of our establish QBs. Past that, we will see where things fall – we have places to make additions, and places to stand still.

Target positions for free agency: RB, CB, C, T, K

QuikSand 12-27-2003 07:26 AM

Free Agency

We turn down an initial trade offer for G Mickey Thornton. It’s a second rounder, but he’s a solid player with two years left on his contract, and is just rounding into his top form. I’d prefer to keep him around.

I start putting in offers for my players, and am very disappointed to see CB Deon Richmond’s demands – he wants star-type money, nearly $5m per season. That will be tough – I can afford it, but the reason I can is because I don’t overpay my players, and paying Richmond $4-5 million would be doing so. We’ll have to make a plan at CB – because I don’t see that working out, unless he revises downward a good deal.

So, as we start the FA period, the only players of my own I have a bid in for are DT Gary Cascadden (4yrs, $30m), DE Jimmy Fox, and LB Darrin Regalado (situational pass rusher, cheap).


We are looking for a new RB to add to the roster, and I’m having trouble finding anyone who really fits. The best name was come up with in the free agent market is, believe it or not, 11th year veteran Daniel Newman – who played his first four seasons with us. We put in a modest offer to Newman, but will be looking for RB talent in the upcoming rookie draft as well. I decide to pass on RB Jeremy Coble, who wants $4 million a season, and doesn’t seem to have a whole lot more to offer. And we know that Newman at least can be a major threat out of the backfield in the passing game, which can help us. Daniel Newman’s 7,200 career rushing yards rank 13th – just two spaces behind Jeremy Coble’s 7,393, but well behind Roderick Arsenault, the career leader.


After week one, we have some issues to resolve. First is that CB Deon Richmond has immediately accepted a huge offer from San Diego – to my surprise. He gets $13, over 3 yrs in a heartbeat, and is smart to take it. I wanted to pay him half that. Now we are suddenly in trouble at CB, I think.

QB Marco Clancy is also hearing from San Diego, and I have to decide now whether I want to have him aboard again. We have the money – it’s hard to suggest that we should just let him walk without a backup plan already rolling ahead. It will have to be a good deal, but I think we’ll try to lure him back. I come up with 1yr, $12 million – that’s $6 million guaranteed up front, and a chance to land another signing bonus in a year. I hope that will compete with the big money boys who are courting him for six year deals.

DT Gary Cascadden has accepted our offer – so he is delivered. We also pick up LB Clarence Frederick, who spent one season in Indy, but will return to our weak side rotation, I expect. We are the only team pursuing RB Newman, so we expect to land him also.

In week 3, QB Marco Clancy accepts our offer, and will play for us for the $12 million. That drops our available cap space to under $10 million, and limits our ability to pursue any more big players. We do pick up CB Zack Callens, after a pretty good year with Detroit he’s a free agent again, and has the man coverage skills that we like to see.

We eventually land both DE Fox and RB Newman, and bring them back aboard. At this point, with the offseason moves we have made, it looks like we’ll be in “one more shot” mode, rather than “go for it” mode – as we will be featuring mostly the same players as last season. I ad fancied the notion of picking up one or two big-time players for short-term contracts in an effort to make a big “push” – but Marco Clancy’s $12 million deal occupied the cap space that we probably needed to do that.

QuikSand 12-27-2003 07:26 AM

2014 Rookie Draft

Into the rookie draft, we have a pretty complete team. I think we could use additions at RB and CB, and depth almost anywhere, but I don’t feel desperate at any position. Picking at #29, it’s probably a good thing that we can be flexible.

I have never made a blockbuster trade to move up to take a player – but this year, I am tempted. I really feel like a star RB would add a lot to this team, and there’s a rookie who seems to be perfectly suited. Gus Stewart from LSU looks like the real deal – and I’m convinced he’d be a difference-maker for us. But, he seems likely to go with a very early pick… so I would have to give up an awful lot to take him, I suspect.

When RB Stewart is still there at pick #3, I make an offer: My #1 this year and next, my #3 this year, and WR Elizondo to Tampa Bay for their #1 pick (#3 overall). They spit in my eye – not even close. I keep trying, and eventually it works out—we send them our first round picks this year and next year, along with this year’s second rounder and next year’s third rounder. Harold Elizondo stays put with us. This is the biggest trade that we have ever engineered, but I like the “go for it” attitude that it represents, as I’m totally willing to hitch our fortunes to RB Gus Stewart.

Code:

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Gus Stewart, RB, Louisiana State
Rnd 3 - Blake Stuff, ILB, Alabama
Rnd 4 - Deion Ford, T, Washington State
Rnd 5 - Mo Crain, K, Cincinnati
Rnd 6 - Curtis Sinclair, ILB, Presbyterian
Rnd 7 - Jesse Weber, C, Towson


We love Gus Stewart, and are pleased with the rest of the draft. LB Stuff (great name) should be a good run-stopper inside, and we’ll plan to move Sinclair outside. T Ford should be a solid reserve, as will C Weber. K Mo Crain should be a major upgrade.


Late Free Agency

As we are readying to round out the roster, we get word that WR Zach Blair plans to hold out for a new contract. We have cap space if we need it, but I’d really rather not commit big money to him. I’ll confess he is underpaid, but I’d rather have him here for cheap – I think we may not yield here.

On second thought – we may not have the cap space we thought, after all. Moving up for RB Stewart upended the cost of our draft – and he’s going to be expensive. With 49 players signed, we have $7.5 million remaining – but Stewart is going to cost at least $4 million for this year.

MLB Cedric Goodwin receives an offer from Detroit – and our longtime defensive leader might finally be departing. He clearly can’t start any longer – he simply breaks down. I don’t see how we can match the $1.3m/yr offer they are making, so it looks like he will be out of here.

As we approach training camp, I talk again to Zach Blair – but he’s fixated on a multi-year deal for about $3 million a season. I simply cannot afford it. So, I have signed a number of rookie receivers, and am working on a backup plan for the WR position. Tentatively, I might move Marvin Causey to start as our flanker, and use Jimmy Ellard as the backup there. We’d then have to rely on Cornelius Tilton and at least one rookie as reserve players. Not that bad – though I admittedly do prefer having the familiar face of Blair in the flanker role.


Training Camp

We spend a bit more time in the weight room this season – another attempt to cut down on the ridiculous injuries that have befallen us in past years. We’re not as deep on the DL as in the recent past, too – so staying healthy would be a great blessing.

Code:

Player        #        Pos  Start        Exp        CE        FE        CE        FE        ChgC        ChgF
Clancy, Marco        8        QB        6        70        70        70        70        0        0
Houston, James        7        QB        4        54        59        57        59        3        0
Gordon, Howie        3        QB        4        35        53        40        53        5        0
Brock, Deion        2        QB        2        28        50        32        50        4        0
Stewart, Gus        39        RB        1        65        81        64        81        -1        0
Newman, Daniel        27        RB        11        38        39        38        39        0        0
Arsenault, Roderick        33        RB        11        36        37        36        37        0        0
Aguilera, Danny        30        RB        4        33        33        33        33        0        0
**Battle, Jeremy        25        RB        2        23        30        23        30        0        0
Pritchett, Eric        45        FB        3        62        62        64        64        2        2
Goodwin, Ian        23        FB        6        46        52        48        52        2        0
Norton, Devin        6        TE        6        76        76        77        77        1        1
Chambliss, Todd        85        TE        1        20        42        22        45        2        3
Lynch, Brad        89        TE        1        14        35        16        35        2        0
Blair, Zach        81        FL        6        50        50        50        50        0        0
Ellard, Jimmy        87        FL        9        40        40        40        40        0        0
Tilton, Cornelius        83        FL        2        36        37        37        37        1        0
Barton, Ben        32        FL        1        17        48        19        42        2        -6
Witcher, Frankie        37        FL        1        13        37        14        34        1        -3
Abrams, Vince        43        FL        1        8        35        8        29        0        -6
Causey, Marvin        86        SE        5        53        53        53        53        0        0
Elizondo, Harold        84        SE        11        49        49        49        49        0        0
Pond, Ellis        57        C        4        37        60        39        60        2        0
Weber, Jesse        59        C        1        17        48        18        43        1        -5
Handy, Nate        65        C        1        9        47        12        43        3        -4
Thornton, Mickey        53        LG        4        59        61        59        61        0        0
Booker, Johnnie        74        LG        2        21        38        23        38        2        0
Lyon, Edwin        64        LG        1        18        47        22        46        4        -1
Poole, Dominic        66        LG        1        12        47        15        39        3        -8
Gruber, Lincoln        63        RG        10        54        54        54        54        0        0
Heinlein, Bennie        71        LT        10        55        57        55        57        0        0
Ford, Deion        69        LT        1        16        40        18        33        2        -7
Thornton, Donnie        73        RT        8        62        62        62        62        0        0
Creighton, Lamont        9        P        4        66        66        66        66        0        0
Crain, Mo        15        K        1        78        97        83        97        5        0
Fox, Jimmy        93        LDE        8        52        52        52        52        0        0
Garner, Henry        77        LDE        7        50        50        50        50        0        0
Limon, Lincoln        95        LDE        11        36        36        36        36        0        0
Lynn, Neal        90        LDE        2        34        52        36        52        2        0
Cascadden, Gary        72        LDT        8        70        71        70        71        0        0
Oliveira, Willie        76        LDT        10        45        46        45        46        0        0
Bailey, Zach        96        LDT        3        41        68        44        68        3        0
Downs, Johnny        79        LDT        1        18        31        19        32        1        1
Lake, Ed        91        SILB        7        57        73        62        73        5        0
Davis, Curtis        55        MLB        9        69        69        69        69        0        0
Perez, K.C.        56        MLB        8        61        63        61        63        0        0
Bates, Brenden        92        MLB        1        22        35        25        39        3        4
Frederick, Clarence        58        SLB        5        39        50        41        50        2        0
Meyer, Herb        50        SLB        2        24        48        27        48        3        0
Lofton, Dwight        54        SLB        2        22        34        24        34        2        0
Sinclair, Curtis        94        SLB        1        21        56        24        55        3        -1
Regalado, Darrin        52        WLB        6        51        51        51        51        0        0
Stuff, Blake        49        WLB        1        30        64        33        62        3        -2
Wickliff, Calvin        28        LCB        10        43        43        43        43        0        0
Freeman, Jamie        44        LCB        4        35        48        39        48        4        0
Douglas, Darrell        26        RCB        4        56        56        58        58        2        2
Callens, Zack        34        RCB        11        40        40        40        40        0        0
Blades, K.C.        47        RCB        1        9        27        11        27        2        0
Weed, Kirk        24        SS        6        59        59        59        59        0        0
Eskridge, Kenneth        20        FS        3        78        78        79        79        1        1
Ellery, Deron        46        FS        7        62        62        62        62        0        0
Haven, Danny        31        FS        1        10        30        12        28        2        -2


I’m pleased to see RB Stewart retain all his forecasted ratings – now we just need to get him signed. He gets along great with Roderick Arsenault, who has also become a RB mentor. Couldn’t be a better situation for a promising young back.

I don’t think we got a whole lot with our other draft picks, all told.

Season Analysis

We finally get Gus Stewart signed, by dropping to five years. He looks as good advertised, with near-top potential in nearly every category. He will immediately step into our featured role, casting our two older vets into supporting roles. Gus Stewart sits atop the Green Page, with K Mo Crain and 2nd year QB Deion Brock also on the list. Not bad.

We have cohesion rated at 85-100(85)-93-96, pretty darned good. And after a couple of preseason games, WR Zach Blair has returned to our lineup (ending his holdout) – so we have a chance to improve on the passing game. (Indeed – our rating there jumps to 89 upon his return) Our roster rating is 96 – second only to Arizona.

This year should be a chance to get back into the think of the championship hunt. We have a potentially big impact rookie on offense, and have most of our faces returning from last season on defense. An improvement defensively overall, and perhaps more stability at QB, and we ought to be right there. A title here is the goal, and is not out of the question. Falling far short will be cause for heads to roll, possibly mine.

QuikSand 12-27-2003 07:27 AM

2014 Regular Season

As we ready to start the season, one thing I said we couldn’t afford has already struck. We are already decimated on the DL with injuries:

Code:

Henry Garner, LDE - Strained Foot Ligament, Out, full strength in about 2 weeks.
Lincoln Limon, LDE - Severe Wrist Sprain, Out, full strength in about 4 weeks.
Jimmy Fox, LDE - Separated Shoulder, Out, full strength in about 4 weeks.
Willie Oliveira, LDT - Torn Rotator Cuff, Out, full strength in about 19 weeks.


This is pretty tough to handle, as we haven’t even played a regular season game yet. We sign one placeholder guy in Skip Coleman, but will have to depend on our LB corps, I think, to get any pressure.

Preseason Week 5: Philadelphia at Cleveland

Actually, a pretty big matchup – as we face our old coach Earnest Carlyle, who has the Eagles back in top form. We use a split rotation at RB, with Arsenault getting 14 carries, Stewart 13, and Newman 13, as our ground game is pretty strong all day. Clancy goes 17 for 20 on the day, but is felled with a minor injury, and James Houston has to finish up the 29-21 victory.

We’re ready for the season, I figure – everyone is primed and prepared for the real thing.

Week 1: Cleveland at Cincinnati

We edge the Bengals in a mostly FG battle, with rookie Mo Crain going 5 for 5, including the game winner in OT. Not exactly a superior start, but a win. We got carries for all three backs, also – with Newman leading the way with 13-54 on the day. Marco Clancy’s 4 interceptions probably held us back from having a big afternoon here.

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

We really get rolling here, notching a 52-17 win. Clancy throws 4 TD passes (including two to the ever-surprising Cornelius Tilton) and rookie Gus Stewart gets three short TD runs (though only 32 yards on the day). TE Devin Norton has over 100 yards, and is off to another good start for the season.

We have lost veteran RB Daniel Newman for an injury – but clearly he’s not the focus of the offense that he might have hoped to be.

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

Our high-flying offense has to eke out 13 points to get this win, but we extend to 3-0 with a narrow 13-10 victory. Roderick Arsenault outgains Gus Stewart as each have 12 carries – Stewart isn’t hitting the ground running quite as quickly as we might have hoped, but we’re winning games.

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

We settle for another low-scoring, uninspiring win – but the defense plays pretty well as we prevail, 10-0. We are +7 in turnover margin, which may be the single best reason why we are 4-0 and not 2-2 at this point. The team is not really dominating at all.

Week 5: Cleveland (4-0) at Jacksonville (1-3)

Jacksonville is looking pretty bad this year, and we are installed at 18-point favorites here. We make it a push with a 35-17 win. This, it seems, is Gus Stewart’s breakout game – he runs 17 times for 182 yards as we pulverize the Jags. TE Devin Norton is again a force, with 11 catches for 146 yards – dominating the underneath coverage schemes of the Jags’ overmatched defense.

Week 6: Cleveland (5-0) at Houston (2-2)

We get another point spread push here, with a 17-7 win. TE Devin Norton has 5 more catches to push his season total to 38 through 6 games (second highest of anyone in the league) – he’s on a path to break any TE record in the league, but our offense has generated these numbers before, so it’s no major surprise.

Week 7: Baltimore (6-0) at Cleveland (6-0)

If you were wondering who was our nearest division rival – now you know. Baltimore has kept pace with us, and even has looked better in my book. We have a great first half, and build a solid 21-0 lead. Baltimore storms back, but we hold on for the 27-21 win. Stewart and Clancy are both sharp, and we win with ball control, basically.

We got 7 sacks on them (including 3.5 by young DT Bailey, who is getting lots of playing time this season due to injuries), and that made a big difference – our impaired OL kept Clancy protected, and we avoided the big, bad play. A big win in the division.

Week 8: Indianapolis (4-3) at Cleveland (7-0)

Another pretty solid effort offensively, as Stewart is very solid and Clancy is effective (but makes his share of mistakes, too). Another TD for WR Tilton, who remains very productive even though he has shifted roles nearly every week for us. (I’m starting to love this guy – 36 passes thrown his way, 26 catches for 342 yards and 4 TD)


At the halfway point through our season, here’s our stat snapshot:

Code:

2014 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 8-0
Winning Pct.: 1.000
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  239      4         
Rushing Yards          1039      2         
Yards Per Carry        4.34      8         
Pass Attempts          298      3         
Completions            173      4 (T)     
Passing Yards          1969      4         
Yards Per Attempt      6.60      17         
3rd Down Conversions    45.0      11         
Points Per Game        26.6      2         
Turnovers              14        23 (T)     
Turnover Margin        +8        2 (T)     
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  184      7         
Rushing Yards          808      15 (T)     
Yards Per Carry        4.39      25         
Pass Attempts          286      27         
Completions            140      11 (T)     
Passing Yards          1920      28         
Yards Per Attempt      6.71      17         
3rd Down Conversions    35.0      3         
Points Per Game        14.0      1         
Turnovers              22        1         


It’s our offense that is carrying the team, generally, while our defense gives up yards but not points (we’re #1 in causing turnovers). Not a totally dominant effort, but we’re doing well with it, obviously. You don’t complain at 8-0.


Week 9: Cleveland (8-0) at Pittsburgh (2-6)

On paper, the Steelers don’t pose much of a threat. But we need to take very game seriously – especially with Baltimore just behind us at 6-2. Thos one is not an easy win, but we get the 27-20 victory to stay unbeaten. Another big game for rookie back Gus Stewart, who tallies 153 yards on the ground along with a TD reception.

QB Marco Clancy pulls up with a hamstring pull, and is listed as questionable. I decide to let him sit for a couple of weeks, rather than invite another more serious problem. Plus, with Cinti falling twice in a row, we are almost assured of a bye week, which is the real prize we’re after right now.

Week 11: Cincinnati (5-4) at Cleveland (9-0)

We play a pretty close to error-free game behind James Houston, and beat the Bengals 13-3. Not a bad effort, but again not very dominating.

Week 12: Cleveland (10-0) at New Orleans (6-4)

Marco Clancy returns, and we end up in something of a shootout with the Saints – it goes down the final play, and Clancy hits Zach Blair for a 38-yard TD strike as time expires to give us the 27-24 win, to keep unbeaten. Clancy is still a bit dinged up, and I think Houston will be ready to go again.

Week 13: Cleveland (11-0) at New York Jets (3-8)

James Houston is super-sharp, and we pound the hapless Jets 37-7, looking again like a power team. We get RB Daniel Newman back into action, but he re-injures his ankle, and is now done for the year.

We lose DT Gary Cascadden to another injury – this time an elbow, but it’s just one more in a series that has plagued him all season. Of course, we just locked him up to a big money, long-term deal – so now he can become a slagging shell of his former self.

Week 14: Carolina (2-10) at Cleveland (12-0)

We’ve got James Houston in again, as Clancy probably needs the rest. With Houston in the fold, we play okay – but barely escape with a win here. Carolina scores with a minute left, but cannot convert the two-point conversion, and we hold on 22-20.

Week 15: Pittsburgh (5-8) at Cleveland (13-0)

TE Devin Norton has fallen off his 100-catch pace, and now will be sidelined with an injury for the rest of the way. Indeed, he suffered a serious injury to his ankle, and his recover is not at all assured.

Week 16: Cleveland (14-0) at Tampa Bay (4-10)

Well, it was bound to happen. Tampa Bay gets two late field goals, and manages to tie, and then pass us, to win this one, 23-20. James Houston is disappointed, after trying to step into Earl Morrall’s shoes – but we can’t hang this one on him. I’m much more worried about our defense—we’ve suffered injuries all along the front seven, and are struggling to field even a passable team up there.

Week 17: Cleveland (14-1) at Baltimore (8-7)

When these two teams were at 6-0, this season-ender was looking like it might be a huge one. Alas, the teams have gone in different directions since we beat them in week seven.

We put a 24-7 hurting on them to wrap up the season, and will head into the playoffs as the top seed in the AFC, as the path to the Superbowl once again runs right through Cleveland.

Big issue, though—QB Marco Clancy, back after a few weeks off, came down with a bum wrist, and now is doubtful for the next few weeks. My guess is that he will be back, but it’s no lock. We’ve had peculiarly bad luck getting our starting QB to be ready for the playoffs, and this year may be yet another chapter in that saga.

Code:

2014 Regular Season Standings
 
  AC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Cleveland              15  1  0  .938  407  230  12-0    6-0     
Cincinnati              9  7  0  .563  356  333  7-5    3-3     
Baltimore              8  8  0  .500  329  346  5-7    2-4     
Pittsburgh              5  11  0  .313  269  289  4-8    1-5     
 
  AC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Indianapolis            9  7  0  .563  334  339  7-5    4-2     
Houston                9  7  0  .563  340  325  7-5    3-3     
Tennessee              6  10  0  .375  232  292  4-8    3-3     
Jacksonville            6  10  0  .375  316  338  4-8    2-4     
 
  AC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Miami                  9  7  0  .563  300  359  8-4    4-2     
Buffalo                7  9  0  .438  348  352  6-6    3-3     
New England            6  9  1  .406  315  319  6-6    3-3     
New York J              5  11  0  .313  302  393  4-8    2-4     
 
  AC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Kansas City            10  6  0  .625  284  270  9-3    5-1     
Denver                  8  8  0  .500  346  364  5-7    3-3     
San Diego              6  10  0  .375  314  307  6-6    2-4     
Oakland                3  13  0  .188  237  367  2-10    2-4     
 
  NC North              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Minnesota              12  4  0  .750  382  274  8-4    3-3     
Chicago                11  5  0  .688  385  287  7-5    3-3     
Green Bay              9  7  0  .563  359  324  7-5    5-1     
Detroit                7  8  1  .469  296  335  5-7    1-5     
 
  NC South              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
New Orleans            8  8  0  .500  345  323  6-6    5-1     
Tampa Bay              6  10  0  .375  303  366  4-8    4-2     
Atlanta                6  10  0  .375  323  402  5-7    2-4     
Carolina                4  12  0  .250  251  349  2-10    1-5     
 
  NC East              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Dallas                  11  5  0  .688  324  295  7-5    3-3     
New York G              8  8  0  .500  339  350  7-5    4-2     
Philadelphia            8  8  0  .500  351  363  7-5    3-3     
Washington              7  9  0  .438  285  312  5-7    2-4     
 
  NC West              W  L  T  Pct  PF    PA    Conf    Div 
Arizona                13  3  0  .813  456  234  10-2    6-0     
Seattle                10  6  0  .625  350  285  8-4    3-3     
St. Louis              9  7  0  .563  355  327  5-7    2-4     
San Francisco          5  11  0  .313  281  365  3-9    1-5     


Well, this year, the comparisons with Philadelphia have abated – the Eagles dropped back to mediocrity, and we have soared to new heights. Arizona (remember them from the roster ratings?) looks tough from the NFC.

Code:

2014 Summary for Cleveland Browns
 
Record: 15-1
Winning Pct.: .937
 
Cleveland Browns        Team      Rank 
Rushes                  451      12         
Rushing Yards          2075      3         
Yards Per Carry        4.60      6 (T)     
Pass Attempts          598      3 (T)     
Completions            350      3 (T)     
Passing Yards          3771      10         
Yards Per Attempt      6.30      20 (T)     
3rd Down Conversions    42.3      14 (T)     
Points Per Game        25.4      2         
Turnovers              26        16 (T)     
Turnover Margin        +15      2         
 
Opponents              Team      Rank 
Rushes                  388      5         
Rushing Yards          1616      6         
Yards Per Carry        4.16      17         
Pass Attempts          579      28         
Completions            293      1 (T)     
Passing Yards          3837      28         
Yards Per Attempt      6.62      17 (T)     
3rd Down Conversions    38.0      8 (T)     
Points Per Game        14.3      1         
Turnovers              41        1         
 
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt 
1    22    at CIN        19     
2    52    ATL          17     
3    13    KCY          10     
4    10    TEN          0     
5    35    at JAX        17     
6    17    at HOU        7     
7    27    BAL          21     
8    37    IND          21     
9    27    at PIT        20     
11    13    CIN          3     
12    27    at NOS        24     
13    37    at NYJ        7     
14    22    CAR          20     
15    24    PIT          14     
16    20    at TBY        23     
17    24    at BAL        7     
 
Passing            Pos  Att  Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int 
8 Clancy            QB    407  235  2698  6.62  20    16     
7 Houston          QB    191  115  1073  5.61  9    1     
**Team              ---  598  350  3771  6.30  29    17     
 
Rushing            Pos  Att  Yards Y/Att TD 
39 Stewart          RB    282  1456  5.16  12     
33 Arsenault        RB    88    323  3.67  2     
45 Pritchett        FB    45    136  3.02  1     
**Team              ---  451  2075  4.60  15     
 
Receiving          Pos  Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC  TD 
6 Norton            TE    116  69    729  10.5  175  6     
45 Pritchett        FB    84    58    390  6.7  210  4     
81 Blair            WR    101  55    798  14.5  113  6     
86 Causey          WR    89    44    580  13.1  92    4     
83 Tilton          WR    61    39    494  12.6  116  5     
39 Stewart          RB    41    26    184  7.0  82    2     
23 Goodwin          FB    32    19    189  9.9  80    1     
**Team              ---  596  350  3771  10.7  952  29     
 
Defense            Pos  Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn 
56 Perez            ILB  91    33    0.0  2    5    5     
20 Eskridge        S    85    21    1.0  0    7    16     
55 Davis            ILB  83    29    14.5  10    1    6     
24 Weed            S    74    32    0.0  1    4    5     
26 Douglas          CB    62    20    1.0  1    2    11     
96 Bailey          DT    47    11    14.0  15    0    0     
34 Callens          CB    43    14    0.0  0    4    11     
52 Regalado        OLB  42    12    4.0  10    2    1     
49 Stuff            OLB  31    5    2.0  1    1    3     
44 Freeman          CB    29    5    1.0  0    1    4     
77 Garner          DE    28    14    2.0  11    1    0     
90 Lynn            DE    28    6    7.0  19    0    0     
72 Cascadden        DT    25    12    5.5  4    0    0     
46 Ellery          S    25    3    1.0  0    0    1     
93 Fox              DE    22    7    6.0  14    0    1     
**Team              ---  801  231  63.0  98    28    65     


The efficiency of our running game received a major boost by the addition of a star back in Stewart. Our passing game remained fairly prolific, though not all that efficient. Marco Clancy – making $12 million this season – simply was not all that much of an improvement over our second stringer James Houston. Even though our one loss came under Houuston’s watch, we will think long and hard about Clancy’s contract for next year—we could afford to add three solid players for that kind of cash.

Our offensive line did okay, despite losing star left tackle Bennie Heinlein to a serious injury. We shuffled guys around – and our lack of quality depth was exposed. But the group performed pretty well together, and we came away with reasonable stats. LG Mickey Thornton, pressed into service at LT, had perhaps his best season.

Defensively, a season-long injury to DT Oliveira and nagging problems with DT Gary Cascadden pushed DT Zach Bailey into a featured role – and did he ever deliver! 47+11 tackles and 14 sacks made him an unbelievably productive force inside on our D-line. LB Curtis Davis had another superior season from the strong-side position as our main blitzing threat, and our secondary held together fairly well (considering the paltry investment in our CB position). We caused 41 turnovers – tops in the league – and that stat along played a major role in the season success. A little extra depth would have been really useful in the front seven, but all told, we can’t complain.


We head into the playoffs with this injury report:

Code:

Cleveland Browns Roster, Injury Report
 
  Player                #  Pos  Start Health      Injury          Full Strn. 
**Heinlein, Bennie      71  LT          Out          ACL Knee Surgery 31 Weeks 
**Ellard, Jimmy        87  FL          Out          ACL Knee Surgery 19 Weeks 
**Norton, Devin        6  TE          Out          Torn Ankle Ligame17 Weeks 
**Newman, Daniel        27  RB          Out          High Ankle Sprain14 Weeks 
##Lake, Ed              91  SILB        Out          Ankle Surgery    12 Weeks 
**Clancy, Marco        8  QB    QB    Out          Severe Wrist Spra3 Weeks   
**Blair, Zach          81  FL    FL    Out          Strained Back    3 Weeks   
**Thornton, Mickey      53  LG    LT    Out          Strained Calf Mus2 Weeks   
Regalado, Darrin        52  WLB        Questionable Strained Adductor3 Weeks   
Garner, Henry          77  LDE        Probable    Strained HamstrinUnknown   


It’s hard to tell from that list, but our defensive front has been really wracked by injury this year. DE Jimmie Fox is off the list for the first time I can remember, and having only one DL there is a blessing. LB Ed Lake missed most of the season, and Darrin Regalado played hurt more often than not. QB Clancy’s injury is troubling – but we have pretty high confidence in James Houston’s ability to lead the offense, as need be.

QuikSand 12-27-2003 07:28 AM

2014 Postseason

We get to host a familiar foe, as Cincinnati beats Indy to advance to the divisional playoff round.

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Cincinnati (10-7) at Cleveland (15-1)

We are made 7 point favorites here – seems a little low to me, but we hope to deliver on that promise. The Bengals will be led by undrafted rookie QB Kenny Capstick, as their starter Mo Treadwell suffered an arm injury late in the season. Capstick, though, has them on a four-game winning streak, and has energized the team a bit.

On our first possession, Stewart rips off a 46 yard run, but we miss our FG and stay empty. We each miss a FG en route to a scoreless tie midway through the second quarter, until Cinti finally breaks through with a TD pass from Capstick to give them the lead. We respond with a quick drive for a FG, and it’s 7-3 at the halftime break.

In the third quarter, we get a TD pass from Houston to Tilton, and take the 10-7 lead. Our defense keeps the Bengals in check, and we add on a FG with 2:25 left, to take a seemingly secure 13-7 lead. Capstick goes for it all from midfield, and CB Douglas picks off the pass – emblematic of our season, there. The Bengals get it back with well under a minute, and have one last chance. From our 22, with 22 seconds left, they get three tries, and lose five yards. On fourth down, LB Perez makes it through and nails Capstick, and seals the deal for our 13-7 win.


AFC Championship: Houston (11-7) at Cleveland (16-1)

We are made a paltry 3-point favorite at home in this game, as Houston comes in on a little roll of their own. With Marco Clancy still ailing a bit, we will go with James Houston at QB, and try to avoid beating ourselves. The winner will take on defending champions Arizona in the Superbowl.

Houston is led by future hall-of-famer QB Kim Roux, and a pretty solid supporting cast. They seem to have decent players everywhere – a team built an awful lot like ours has been, I’d say.

We have lost OL Mickey Thornton to an injury, requiring us to move Bennie Thornton (no relation) over from RT to start at LT. Our OL has suffered three serious injuries this season – more than we have ever had before.

We get the ball first, but both defenses are sharp, and we trade punts. We get a couple of first downs, but James Houston throws a rare interception, and we end up with a turnover deep in Houston’s territory. Kim Roux leads them on a nice drive, and they go up 7-0, with the aid of a few penalties on our defense. In the early second quarter, they get another TD from Roux, and take a 14-0 lead. Our 15-1 regular season record looks pretty far in the rear-view mirror right now.

We get on the board with a long FG, but 14-3 is shallow relief. Our defense gets us the ball back, but we turn it over again – Houston’s second pick of the game. That’s the halftime score.

In the middle third quarter, we get a big play – finally. Houston’s return man bobbles a punt, and we get the fumble. Rookie LB Stuff grabs the ball and he takes the free ball in for the score. It’s now 14-10, and we have hope again. In the early fourth quarter, we get another FG, and pull within one – setting the stage for a dramatic final stanza.

Houston drives deep into our territory, but Roux’s pass into the end zone is picked off by Zach Callens, and we avoid a real problem. But with 2:18 left, they add a FG to their lead, and take a 17-13 margin – requiring us to score a TD to get it back.

We quickly get into a threatening position, with a big run by Stewart and a big pass to FB/TE Goodwin. But Houston is picked off again, and this one nails the door shut. Houston moves on to the Superbowl, and we get to console ourselves with a fine regular season.

Season Wrap-up

Arizona pounds Houston 35-7 to wrap up their second straight championship. (Sounds weird, doesn’t it?)

Code:

2014 Awards List
 
  Award                                      Player                      Team 
**Player of the Year                          Gus Stewart                CLE   
Front Office Bowl MVP                        Mercury Shoemaker          ARI   
Coach of the Year                            Not Yet Awarded             
Legend of the Game                            Not Yet Awarded             
Offensive Player of the Year                  James George                WAS   
Defensive Player of the Year                  Clifton Gomez              DET   
**Offensive Rookie of the Year                Gus Stewart                CLE   
Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Jim Foley                  JAX   
All-League First-String Quarterback          Brent Shimada              ATL   
All-League First-String Running Back          James George                WAS   
All-League First-String Fullback              Thomas Bachechi            DEN   
All-League First-String Tight End            C.J. Dunn                  JAX   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Ken Johnson                SEA   
All-League First-String Wide Receiver        Freddie Craddock            STL   
All-League First-String Center                Monty Nunley                CHI   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Joe Foster                  WAS   
All-League First-String Offensive Guard      Kirk Copeland              CIN   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Martin West                NED   
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Eddie Welch                ARI   
All-League First-String Punter                Greg Mahoney                NED   
All-League First-String Kicker                Nicky Rhodes                OAK   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Brian Kavanagh              BAL   
All-League First-String Defensive End        Cole Harrison              STL   
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Bryant Magana              TBY   
**All-League First-String Defensive Tackle    Zach Bailey                CLE   
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker    Clifton Gomez              DET   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Greg Daveria                SEA   
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Heath McIntyre              NOS   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Roosevelt Voigt            BAL   
All-League First-String Cornerback            Bryan Long                  CAR   
All-League First-String Safety                Louie Shipway              SDO   
All-League First-String Safety                Major Hargett              STL   
All-League Second-String Quarterback          Jacques Cheatham            PHI   
All-League Second-String Running Back        Steve McConkey              HOU   
All-League Second-String Fullback            Mickey Bernstein            NYG   
**All-League Second-String Tight End          Devin Norton                CLE   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Hugh Haley                  ATL   
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Lamar Donnelly              MIN   
All-League Second-String Center              O.J. Owens                  SEA   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      August Dempsey              ATL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Aaron Jacobs                DAL   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Lionel Battle              NYG   
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle    Conrad Kingsblood          SFO   
All-League Second-String Punter              Robert Duffy                CAR   
All-League Second-String Kicker              Herb Collins                CIN   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Tim Hendrix                OAK   
All-League Second-String Defensive End        Julio Landolt              WAS   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Emile McCoy                BUF   
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle    Dennis Allen                ATL   
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Thurman Shelton            NED   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Zack Reich                  CIN   
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker  Leon Coughlin              ARI   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Harris Jacobs              NOS   
All-League Second-String Cornerback          Will Wolf                  JAX   
All-League Second-String Safety              Vernon Strong              DET   
All-League Second-String Safety              Tony Dancy                  CHI   
League's Fastest Man                          A.J. Ralston                MIA   
League's Strongest Man                        Rich Fisk                  NYG   


I’m not at all surprised to see RB Gus Stewart getting OROY, but to see him wrap up the
Player of the Year honors is a huge surprise to us – he didn’t even make the all-pro team. Good also to see DT Zach Bailey get laurels for his spectacular season, and also for TE Devin Norton – who again missed hitting the big 1,000 yardd marker by a couple of missed games.

A few former Browns made the list as well. Seattle’s LB Greg Daveria started with us, and C O.J. Owens played for use before signing with them as well. Oakland got a great season out of DE Tim Hendrix – whose injury struggles caused him to leave Cleveland.


Alas – no title this season, but what do we make of it? 15-1 is nothing to sneeze at, but I am honestly disturbed by many underlying stats – I don’t think we were nearly that dominant. Where is our top-rated defense? This year we got by with lots of turnovers – can we count on that again?

Much to be concerned about, I think…

Barkeep49 12-27-2003 09:41 AM

I'm sitting here wondering what kind of numbers Stewart could put up with an OL more geared towards the run then it sounds like yours is... Love the dynasty and hope to see you guys get back to the Super Bowl again soon.

QuikSand 12-27-2003 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barkeep49
I'm sitting here wondering what kind of numbers Stewart could put up with an OL more geared towards the run then it sounds like yours is... Love the dynasty and hope to see you guys get back to the Super Bowl again soon.


Very fair point. My line and game plan both definitely favor the pass -- but having Stewart could affect that. Though, I do think that a pass-heavy offense offers a good back many opportunitites to get draws and other plays that can go for highly efficient results. It's fairly common, I think, for a RB in FOF to have 5.0 ypc when he plays in a pass-heavy offense. Much touugher to maintain that kind of average when the defense knows he's coming.


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