2006 Season Review
Although the 2006 season ended sooner than I hoped, it was a great year for the Oregon Ice. The team won its third divisional title in three years, and posted an 11-5 regular season record. We also had the sixth-ranked offense in the league, scoring an average of 23.1 points per game.
A nice year for a team that was picked to finish no better than 5-11 at the start of the season!
I think the most impressive thing about this year was that we did it despite the departure of our starting quarterback and running back from last season.
Before the season began, I set three goals for the team. While we didn’t meet all of them, we came pretty darn close.
My first goal was to simply make the playoffs. We did that by winning the third division title in franchise history. Enough said about that.
The second goal was for the defense to finish the year in the top 10 in fewest points allowed. Although we didn’t finish in the top 10, the defense was quite good. Overall, the team finished 14th overall with just 17.4 points allowed per game. In the red zone, the defense gave up just 4.3 points per visit, which ranked third-best in the league. The Ice also ranked 9th in takeaways, recording 10 fumble recoveries and 16 interceptions.
Most importantly, the defense performed its best work in the thick of the playoff race. In the final three games of the regular season, the defense allowed an average of just 14 points per game, with the most being 16 by the Memphis Express in Week 16.
The third goal was for opening day starting quarterback
Maurice Brown to return to the form he had in 2003, when he threw for 3,522 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because Brown suffered a broken clavicle in Week 7. Brown’s replacement, however, put up numbers that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Thomas Kuhn, who led Boise to a Ring of Ice Division title in 2005, did the same for Oregon this year. Kuhn finished the year with a 5-2 record, throwing for 2,132 yards, 20 touchdowns and 9 interceptions with a 98.8 rating. Without him, the team would not have won the division. Not bad for a guy who was unemployed through the first nine weeks of the season.
Although the Ice won the CFL Bowl in 2003, I think this year was more fun. While the 2003 team was loaded with talent when I took over the franchise, the 2006 squad was filled with average and below-average players who rose to the occasion. Consequently, I have a much greater sense of personal satisfaction this year than I did in our championship season.
Now, as I turn my attention to 2007, several big questions come to mind. Can we re-sign Thomas Kuhn? Will we be able avenge this year’s wild card loss at home to our new divisional arch-rival, the Boise Stampede? What will I do with my two first, second and third round draft picks?
Only time will tell what the answers will be, so stay tuned!
Awards
Only one Oregon Ice player received an award for 2006. Not surprisingly, it was wide receiver
Matt Brunner, who took home All-League First Team honors!
Final Standings
Below are the final standings for the Ring of Ice Division:
Team W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Oregon 11 5 0 .688 370 279 8-4 5-1
Boise 11 5 0 .688 395 278 9-3 3-3
Seattle 10 6 0 .625 359 334 9-3 4-2
Anchorage 5 11 0 .313 244 323 1-11 0-6
Schedule & Results
Week Opponent Result Attend Weather
Week 1 at Boise Stampede W, 34-28 61,000 Sunny, 68
Week 2 SHREVEPORT PRIDE W, 23-10 69,700 Rain, 85
Week 3 at Huntington Beach Capitalists L, 20-23 57,900 Sunny, 68
Week 4 EL PASO ROCKETS L, 18-19 69,700 Stormy, 73
Week 5 at Tulsa Talons W, 16-3 64,900 Rain, 61
Week 6 FARGO (ND) BOXCARS W, 30-28 69,700 Rain, 57
Week 7 BOISE STAMPEDE W, 20-10 69,700 Sunny, 52
Week 8 at Denver Dynomite L, 10-23 79,000 Stormy, 70
Week 9 ANCHORAGE WOLFPACK W, 19-3 69,700 Sunny, 39
Week 10 OPEN
Week 11 at Seattle Thunderbirds L, 24-31 59,100 Sunny, 59
Week 12 NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS W, 23-20 69,700 Sunny, 38
Week 13 ARIZONA OUTLAWS W, 14-7 69,700 Sunny, 50
Week 14 at San Antonio Stingers L, 27-32 69,700 Rain, 70
Week 15 at Anchorage Wolfpack W, 38-13 46,700 Sunny, 68
Week 16 at Memphis Express W, 35-16 64,200 Rain, 39
Week 17 SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS W, 19-13 69,700 Sunny, 31
W. Card BOISE STAMPEDE L, 18-17 69,700 Sunny, 53
Home Games in ALL CAPS
Season Tickets Sold: 69,700
Stadium Capacity: 73,300
Team Statistics
Here is a summary of how the team performed:
Oregon Ice Team Rank
Rushes 392 30
Rushing Yards 1434 28
Yards Per Carry 3.65 24
Pass Attempts 563 5
Completions 332 4
Passing Yards 4168 3
Yards Per Attempt 7.40 5 (T)
3rd Down Conversions 39.7 24
Points Per Game 23.1 6
Turnovers 30 26 (T)
Turnover Margin -4 20 (T)
Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 506 25
Rushing Yards 1979 22
Yards Per Carry 3.91 14 (T)
Pass Attempts 539 24
Completions 298 19 (T)
Passing Yards 3558 22
Yards Per Attempt 6.60 15
3rd Down Conversions 39.9 8
Points Per Game 17.4 14
Turnovers 26 9
Statistical Leaders
Below are the Ice statistical leaders:
Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
11 Kuhn QB 258 158 2132 8.26 20 9
4 Brown QB 239 138 1696 7.09 7 7
6 Grady QB 60 32 259 4.31 0 5
Team --- 563 332 4168 7.40 28 21
Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD
45 Hill RB 98 327 3.33 0
39 Woodard RB 97 299 3.08 3
29 Woolery RB 82 284 3.46 2
22 Saunders RB 75 396 5.28 2
Team --- 392 1434 3.65 10
Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
87 Brunner WR 169 107 1659 15.5 342 12
86 Roy WR 119 61 927 15.1 130 3
89 Begin TE 89 57 607 10.6 112 6
83 Dillon WR 46 24 362 15.0 55 5
29 Woolery RB 45 24 174 7.2 83 1
42 Savoy FB 30 20 108 5.4 65 0
Team --- 560 332 4168 12.5 868 28
Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn
50 Pinard OLB 99 41 5.0 5 1 4
53 Macaluso ILB 98 29 2.0 3 1 11
35 Twombly S 90 31 1.0 2 3 13
95 Molloy ILB 82 43 1.5 2 1 1
51 Beane OLB 78 15 2.0 1 0 6
33 Pilcher CB 59 23 0.0 0 3 10
76 Vanegas DE 48 17 6.5 19 0 1
30 Reagan CB 48 7 0.0 0 4 12
26 Lerma S 44 16 0.0 0 1 12
23 Huth S 41 10 0.0 0 1 1
93 Jimerson DT 38 14 5.0 19 0 1
31 Eaddy CB 33 9 0.0 2 1 8
Team --- 911 272 29.0 67 16 86
Finances
Here is a look at how Oregon did financially:
Category 2006 2005 Trend
Television Contract $ 35,280,000 $ 33,520,000 + 5%
Ticket Revenue $ 68,550,000 $ 54,750,000 + 25%
Suite Revenue $ 54,230,000 $ 41,800,000 + 29%
Concessions $ 12,540,000 $ 11,120,000 + 12%
Parking $ 3,650,000 $ 3,190,000 + 14%
Advertising $ 24,700,000 $ 22,920,000 + 7%
Total Revenues $198,950,000 $167,300,000 + 18%
Player Salaries ($ 47,050,000) ($ 62,270,000) - 24%
Player Bonuses ($ 67,330,000) ($ 6,150,000) +994%
Training ($ 10,080,000) ($ 9,540,000) + 5%
Coaching ($ 22,960,000) ($ 22,960,000) + 0%
Scouting ($ 4,800,000) ($ 3,450,000) + 39%
Maintenance ($ 3,530,000) ($ 3,230,000) + 9%
Stadium Payments $ 0 $ 0 + 0%
Total Expenses ($155,750,000) ($107,600,000) + 44%
Profit $ 43,200,000 $ 59,700,000 - 27%