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.
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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).
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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.