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stkelly52 · 11-13-2004, 12:44 AM

As I look at the draft preview I see one of the best players that I have ever seen available. A tackle named Jerry Blanchard. One of my strategies in FOF is never draft a lineman in the first round. They generally take too long to develop. By the time they are the kind of players that you drafted them to be, they are free agents. But this guy is already developed to the point where his score is 60. We project that he could be a starter that makes and immediate impact. But if I am going to be able to draft Jerry, I will need the first pick. There is no way that he would last to pick #2. I hold the 21st pick. It would take a lot to make that kid of a jump.
Fortunately, the team with the #1 pick is Chicago. Chicago's biggest need is a QB, and when I put feelers out to see who was interested in my QB, Chicago was the team that seamed most interested. It took some wheeling and dealing, but the deal was made. My star QB, this years #21 pick and 2nd round picks from the next two years are traded for this years #1 pick, which I will use on Jerry Blanchard. I wanted a great tackle and that is exactly what I hope I got. I go ahead and select him before the end of the first week of free agency. I quickly sign him to a 6 year deal.

I am not able to sign the center that I wanted. So I make myself content with Geis. During free agency, I am able to sign several decent OL backups for reasonable prices. This should shore our line through any injuries that we face.

Choices at LB and CB were very slim, so I was not able to make the kind of improvements that I would have liked. I did find some passable bodies to fill the holes, but I am not optimistic about an improvement in our pass coverage.

I fill out the rest of my roster with solid backups. At most of my positions if a player goes down with injury, I have a replacement for him that is only a minimal decline in ability. I feel very confident about my team. My biggest hole is at QB, but I am hoping that with the improvements on my offensive line my running game will negate the effects. The media however is not so convinced. We are given a power rating of just 35, ten points lower than any other team in the NFL.

My goals for this season are for Leland Nixon to run for 1500 yards and to win 9 games and make the playoffs. While that may seem like a step backwards from last year, there is no question that we were not a playoff quality team last season. We benefited from a cushy schedule and I don't think we will be that lucky again. If we make the playoffs this year we will have to earn it.

As for Leland's off season progress, there was little to speak of. He improved only minimally, going from a 25 overall to a 27. His future potential actually declined a few points to 29. It looks like Nixon is just about as good as he is ever going to get. His ability as a receiver was where his increases came, along with a small improvement in avoiding fumbles (but it is still only 8). I was a little surprised last season that Nixon wasn't more involved in the passing game. Perhaps this year he will catch a few more passes out of the backfield.

11-13-2004, 12:44 AM	#19
stkelly52 College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Seattle WA	As I look at the draft preview I see one of the best players that I have ever seen available. A tackle named Jerry Blanchard. One of my strategies in FOF is never draft a lineman in the first round. They generally take too long to develop. By the time they are the kind of players that you drafted them to be, they are free agents. But this guy is already developed to the point where his score is 60. We project that he could be a starter that makes and immediate impact. But if I am going to be able to draft Jerry, I will need the first pick. There is no way that he would last to pick #2. I hold the 21st pick. It would take a lot to make that kid of a jump. Fortunately, the team with the #1 pick is Chicago. Chicago's biggest need is a QB, and when I put feelers out to see who was interested in my QB, Chicago was the team that seamed most interested. It took some wheeling and dealing, but the deal was made. My star QB, this years #21 pick and 2nd round picks from the next two years are traded for this years #1 pick, which I will use on Jerry Blanchard. I wanted a great tackle and that is exactly what I hope I got. I go ahead and select him before the end of the first week of free agency. I quickly sign him to a 6 year deal. I am not able to sign the center that I wanted. So I make myself content with Geis. During free agency, I am able to sign several decent OL backups for reasonable prices. This should shore our line through any injuries that we face. Choices at LB and CB were very slim, so I was not able to make the kind of improvements that I would have liked. I did find some passable bodies to fill the holes, but I am not optimistic about an improvement in our pass coverage. I fill out the rest of my roster with solid backups. At most of my positions if a player goes down with injury, I have a replacement for him that is only a minimal decline in ability. I feel very confident about my team. My biggest hole is at QB, but I am hoping that with the improvements on my offensive line my running game will negate the effects. The media however is not so convinced. We are given a power rating of just 35, ten points lower than any other team in the NFL. My goals for this season are for Leland Nixon to run for 1500 yards and to win 9 games and make the playoffs. While that may seem like a step backwards from last year, there is no question that we were not a playoff quality team last season. We benefited from a cushy schedule and I don't think we will be that lucky again. If we make the playoffs this year we will have to earn it. As for Leland's off season progress, there was little to speak of. He improved only minimally, going from a 25 overall to a 27. His future potential actually declined a few points to 29. It looks like Nixon is just about as good as he is ever going to get. His ability as a receiver was where his increases came, along with a small improvement in avoiding fumbles (but it is still only 8). I was a little surprised last season that Nixon wasn't more involved in the passing game. Perhaps this year he will catch a few more passes out of the backfield.