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04-21-2003, 04:34 PM
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#1 | ||
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Arizona Desert Rats - a FOF4 dynasty
Background
I've done a couple of dynasty reports in the past for FOF 2001, but haven't posted anything for a while - thought I'd start up another dynasty to make things a bit more interesting for me... My current career started off as a one-player universe in the 2002 season - I played up to 2007 with Atlanta (haven't changed the nicknames back to the real-life ones), winning one Super Bowl, and coming close on quite a few other occasions. Things were a bit easy, though - the worst record in the six seasons was 10-5-1 in the first season (when I had last choice of the no-talent filler players created at the start of the game) - so I felt like I needed a bit more challenge... A fresh start was needed, and came with a move to the desert to take over the Arizona team (renamed the Desert Rats, for want of something better/more original...), who have had some success, but have struggled for the last few years. They do have some decent talent on the roster, though, which will give me something to build on. House rules In order to make things a bit more challenging, I'm going to put in a few house rules: - Can only use up to 75% of the salary cap (2008 cap is $96.9m, so must have at least $24.2m cap room free at all times this season) - Can't initiate a trade involving a Desert Rats player in the last year of his contract - Can only renegotiate contracts with players in the last year of their current deal - The only (non-rookie) free agents who can be offered a contract after week 1 of the free agency period are current Arizona players (i.e. appear on the Arizona roster) I'll probably add a few more as I go... The big rule here is the limit on the salary cap - this will limit either the number of superstar players I can have on the team or the depth of the squad, which should make it a lot harder to build a dominating team. 2008 season One good thing about FOF 4 is that you can look at changing the coach and scout as soon as you take over a team instead of having to wait a year. The Rats have a solid (if old and somewhat expensive) scout under contract, but the coach is out of contract. I decide to go for youth (taking the cheap option - both guys work out a lot cheaper than last year's staff), hiring scout Dana Bjorlin (no worse than average in any area) and coach Brian Walker (solid gameday coach). Given that the team made a fairly serious loss last year ($77m on revenues of $85m), I bump up the ticket prices a little - they were definitely on the cheap side to start with (certainly compared to the prices I was charging in Atlanta, and they didn't seem to be out of line with the league), and a couple of dollars onto all of the prices doesn't seem to be that big a deal (IMHO). Looking at the squad, there's quite a bit of work to be done - only 33 players signed and $34.6m under the cap, with very few starter-quality players to work with. There are some useful building blocks, though - a young QB with solid potential and a couple of solid defensive players - but not much depth in the squad. To make things worse, the Rats have traded away their second and fourth round draft picks... 2008 free agency A difficult choice straight away - Miami offer their second-round pick for QB Ronnie Payne. Payne is a 4th-year player who's hardly taken a snap in anger in his career so far, but is pegged to be the team's starting QB this year. It is possible to win without a quality QB, but having to work with lesser QBs makes things a lot more difficult, so I decide not to make the trade. Given that the team is a little tight to the cap - 20 players to sign with about $10m cap room to play with (rookie minimum is about $350,000 at the moment in this league) - it's probably a good idea to go through the roster to see if there's any dead wood. This leaves the roster at 21 players: Code:
Obviously, this leaves quite a few holes to have to fill - the obvious ones are RB and WR, with DT, LB and CB also being a bit of a concern. LB Brooks is coming off a long-term injury, so is likely to be cut as soon as he recovers. Given the limits on signing players in free agency, I need to look at making offers to solid but inexpensive players - the following offers are made: QB Steven Lyon: Untried QB with good potential (even in his 6th year) - worth the risk of a 1 year, $730k contract offer FL Bucky Mitchell: Good kick returner (and we're going to need a good one this year - he's probably going to get plenty of work looking at this defence!) - 1 year, $520k SE Craig Cochrane: Useful depth at receiver - 1 year, $420k RT Tim Bannan: Decent run blocker - 2 years, $1.79m LDT Ben Scarlett: Not a starting-quality player, but would be a useful addition - 1 year, $730k WLB Kim Horste: Ex-Atlanta backup, will have a good chance of starting in Arizona - 1 year, $520k LCB Tito Fredrickson: Can't play zone, but solid DB other than that - 2 years, $1.46m All seven sign - mostly early on, but OLB Horste mulled the offer over for a while before accepting in week 9. There's the usual rash of restricted free agent signings and contract renegotiations late in the free agency period: Resignings FL Vinny Dragonajtys - 1 year, $520k C J.R. Christiansen - 3 years, $2.51m RDT Grant Harts - 3 years, $4.83m Renegotiated contracts QB Ronnie Payne - 3 years, $7.5m LG Ron Dodge - 2 years, $940k LDE Jake Wright - 4 years, $17.3m RDE Ricardo Swanger - 5 years, $20.9m These moves leave the following squad: Code:
Definitely no problems with the cap this year, but more than a few problems in the squad... 2008 draft Lots of needs this year, and not many picks available - the Desert Rats pick 13th in each round, but have no pick in rounds 2 and 4. It does look to be a very good draft this year - certainly there seems to be a lot of quality players at the top end... Needs: QB probably is the only position we don't need to draft for! Depth pretty well everywhere is a big need, but probably won't be filled this year with only 5 picks to play with. The biggest priorities are probably the skill positions on offence and the back seven on defence. Unfortunately the top receivers and defensive backs are off the board by the time the 13th pick comes round (I had thought about trading up, but simply didn't have enough picks to consider it without having to use picks from next year). The choice at this point comes down to MLB Jeff Johnson (35/72 - an immediate starter with the potential to be more) and RB Bernard Comia (51/67 - explosive breakaway threat, but not really an all-round back), with the RB winning out - simply a bigger need at this point. (LB Johnson was picked 17th by Carolina) After a long wait through two rounds, the Rats are on the clock again in the middle of the third round - not much talent left, although a few players catch the eye. The pick is WR Lee Wertz, a solid player who's likely to start immediately. The need in the defensive backfield is partially filled by FS Henry Poole in the fifth round - hopefully, he'll be able to play CB. The sixth round pick is LB Tony Fisher, who should fit into how I see the team playing defence well, with RB Kent Quinonez simply too good to pass up in the seventh round (rated 39/39 with good breakaway speed). A derisory trade offer for QB Payne is turned down without needing much thought (a 7th round pick plus a RB not as good as the guy I picked up in the 7th round of the draft just gone - not really good value for a guy I see as my starting QB...), and the team heads into camp after filling the roster with rookie free agents. A few trade offers after training camp - another poor offer for QB Payne (rejected), Atlanta offering a 3rd round pick for RT Bannan (accepted), and Cincinnati offering a 7th round pick for rookie free agent C Barnette (accepted). Roster after camp Code:
The big story of camp was the drop in RB Comia's ratings - he's now rated behind Quinonez, although both will see a good bit of playing time. Gameplan Given that this is the first season of this dynasty, it's probably useful to go into a bit of detail about the gameplan I'll be using: Offence Given that our starting QB isn't the most experienced, the offensive line is likely to be porous at best and our best receiver is a rookie, I'm being fairly conservative here - 70-60-90 is the 'core' of the rush percentages (1st and 8-10, 2nd and 3-7, 3rd and 1-2). Rush direction and pass distance are fairly balanced, although QB Payne's talents with throwing the long ball mean that we'll be throwing long more than might be expected (something I tried a bit with Atlanta - usually resulted in quite a few big plays, but I had more talent at reciever there...) Defence The Rats ran a 4-3 last year, and I see no reason to change this (although I tend to run a 3-4 if given the choice). Given the players available, we'll be using very little zone coverage - most of the LBs and DBs are better at man coverage. The amount of blitzing will depend on how much pressure the front four can provide - I'll start this off fairly low, and increase if needed. I don't like to use too much double coverage so will start this fairly low as well (but will increase if the starting CBs are getting burned too much). 2008 season Preseason was a good chance to see how the team stands - 1-3 is probably a fair reflection, even though the one win was by a wide margin and the three defeats fairly narrow. Given the lack of talent available, winning 5 or 6 games is likely to be the limit of our ambitions this year... Week 1 - San Francisco 24-27 Arizona RB Quinonez 25-139, QB Payne 14-26-233-3-1, DE Wright 6-2-4.0 sacks Week 2 - (1-0) Arizona 17-30 Buffalo (0-1) Payne 18-26-160-0-1 Week 3 - (1-1) Arizona 13-14 Green Bay (0-2) Payne 16-29-161-1-2, Wright 5-1-4.0 sacks, DE Swanger 2-0-2.0 sacks Week 4 - New York (1-2) 20-28 Arizona (1-2) Payne 12-18-164-0-0, KR Mitchell 4-243-2TD (boggle), Wright 6-0-2.0 Doing OK up to this point - Payne is playing reasonably well given the lack of support, while Wright is having a career season already - 10 sacks through 4 games is good for any player on a good team, but on this defence?! Week 5 - (2-2) Arizona 21-16 Dallas (1-2) Quinonez 19-92, Payne 17-21-163-2-0, LB Fisher 9-3 Injuries: TE T.J. Scott - ACL Surgery - out for the year (and then some) Week 6 - (3-2) Arizona 10-27 Philadelphia (1-3) Injuries: LT Cornell Wertlieb - Separated shoulder - out 5 weeks (not a great player, but was starting at LT on merit) Week 7 - (1-4) Seattle 23-7 Arizona (3-3) Week 8 - (4-3) Washington 12-26 Arizona (3-4) RB Comia 20-86, Payne 14-25-248-1-1, WR Wertz 7-201-1, LB Fisher 12-2, DT Harts 5-1-2.5 sacks Injuries: CB Henry Poole - torn calf muscle - out 6 weeks (rookie was starting at CB) Definitely better than expected so far - only half a game out of a wild card spot (although St. Louis might be too far ahead to have realistic hopes of being caught at 5-2). Mid-season stats: QB Payne 121-199-1397-8-6 (qbr 82.8) RB Quinonez 136-435-1 (avg 3.1) WR Wertz 21-472-1 (avg 22.4) WR Dragonajtys 17-225-2 (avg 13.2) DE Wright 34 tackles, 13 assists, 13.5 sacks LB Fisher 56 tackles, 22 assists, 1.0 sacks Payne is solid rather than spectacular, with Wertz developing into a reliable target with big play potential. The defensive star is Jake Wright, who's having a career year, simple as it gets. Week 9 - Bye Week 10 - (4-4) Arizona 21-10 St. Louis (6-2) WTF!!!!! No real stars, just a solid team performance against a much better team. Payne 15-30-141-2-0 Week 11 - (5-4) Arizona 17-19 San Francisco (3-6) SF kicked the go-ahead field goal with 1 second left on the clock... Payne 20-34-337-2-1, Wertz 6-115, Dragonajtys 5-138-1 Injuries: TE Ben Monds - torn knee cartilage - out 6 weeks (leaves us starting a rookie FA at TE...) Week 12 - (5-5) Arizona 14-21 Miami (5-5) Comia 24-82, Payne 20-31-252-1-1, Wertz 7-110 Injuries: QB Ronnie Payne, Strained Achilles tendon - out 3 weeks (QB Steven Lyon steps in...) Week 13 - (4-7) New Orleans 41-28 Arizona (5-6) QB Lyon 20-29-238-1-1, LB Lyons 13-4 A couple of close losses, and injuries starting to mount up - doesn't look too good for the Rats (mind you, I'd have taken this at the start of the year!) Week 14 - (7-5) New England 10-29 Arizona (5-7) Comia 30-110-2, S Neal 2 interceptions (2 TDs), DE Swanger 4-1-2.5 Week 15 - (6-7) Arizona 14-21 Seattle (7-6) Tough game to lose with the Rats only one game back in the NFC West before kickoff. DE Wright 1 sack, 1 fumble return for TD Injuries: FL Vinny Dragonajtys - Dislocated elbow, out for season Week 16 - (8-6) New Jersey 20-10 Arizona (6-8) Lyon 20-33-179-1-0 Several players received season-ending injuries in this game. Week 17 - St. Louis (7-8) 15-17 Arizona (6-9) Comia 20-91-1, Payne 19-29-204-1-2 The Desert Rats' 7-9 record was two games out of the division lead, with only division champions Seattle going to the playoffs from the NWest. 2008 Statistics Quarterback Ronnie Payne: 12 starts, 199-330-2377-14-10 (qbr 83.8) Steven Lyon: 4 starts, 68-118-698-3-4 (qbr 69.1) Payne showed that he's the leader of this team, while Lyon did a reasonable job filling in (not bad for a guy who hadn't taken a snap in 5 previous seasons in the league). Rushing Bernard Comia: 9 starts, 229-826-7 (avg 3.6) Kent Quinonez: 7 starts, 157-549-2 (avg 3.4) Not great numbers, but solid performances given the offensive line. Receiving Lee Wertz: 56-939-3 (16.7 avg) Vinny Dragonajtys: 30-463-3 (15.4 avg) Bucky Mitchell: 27-460-2 (17.0 avg) Wertz emerged as a solid starter in his rookie year, with the Dragon giving solid support on the other side. Mitchell was signed as a kick returner (and did a good job, averaging 26.8 yards per return with 2 TDs), but managed to make a lot of plays in the receiving game as well. Pass rushing DE Jake Wright: 17.0 sacks, 23 hurries DE Ricardo Swanger: 10.0 sacks, 31 hurries Not a lot of pressure from the middle (although the starting DTs managed 5.5 and 6.0 sacks), but the guys on the outside more than made up for it - Wright cooled off after a fast start, but Swanger picked up the slack. Tackling LB Tony Fisher: 108 tackles, 31 assists S Wally Burks: 91 tackles, 36 assists LB Ronald Lyons: 89 tackles, 37 assists LB Kim Horste: 81 tackles, 28 assists Given that the MLB usually leads the team in tackles, Lyons had a relatively poor year. Fisher made up for this, though, with a solid season. Pass coverage S Marvin Neal: 3 interceptions (2 TDs), 5 passes defenced The lack of talent at corner showed up badly here, with the Rats making only 12 interceptions all year. Awards Given that the Rats gave all of their draft picks a lot of playing time, it was no surprise that Arizona picked up both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards (with RB Bernard Comia and LB Tony Fisher being rewarded). DE Jake Wright made the All-League 2nd team. Final word on 2008 A solid start to this career - 7 wins was more than I could really have expected given the lack of talent available (although having a solid starting QB available helped a lot). I have a feeling that the team will improve with a solid offseason (and a good draft) next year... |
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04-28-2003, 04:36 PM
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#2 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Arizona Desert Rats - 2009 season
Scores for 2008: Performance 28 Franchise value 20 Profit/loss 79 Roster strength 89 Overall 45 Not sure how we managed to rate a 79 for profit/loss, as the team lost $11.4m last year (on revenues of $91.6m) - must be hard times for the league... The salary cap for 2009 is $101.2m, so I must keep at least $25.3m of cap room free at all times. No retirements (the oldest players in the league are only going into their 8th year, so still a bit unlikely). No changes at coach or scout, as the guys I hired last year did a good job and are still under contract for another 4 years. No changes to ticket prices - I can't really justify any increase, as I put prices up last year, and the team didn't have a winning season. Free agency Arizona go into free agency with only 20 players signed (as many of last year's team were signed only on 1-year contracts). Among the more important unrestricted free agents are: QB Steven Lyon RG Timothy Whiting LDT Ben Scarlett MLB Ronald Lyons LCB Lee Newsome (All of the above players started games for the Desert Rats last year) There are also a large number of restricted free agent players on the roster - the most important are: WR Vinny Dragonajtys WR Bucky Mitchell LT Cornell Wertlieb LG Max Hartman WLB Kim Horste The restricted free agents will be dealt with at the end of the free agency period. Given the cap limits, the team has about $35m cap room free at this point (including cap room for drafted players), which limits my ability to go out and pick up free agents - with about $7m set aside for draft picks and 24 other players to sign, I can probably afford to sign a few players, but the cap impact further down the line needs to be considered - a bad move this year could lead to big problems in two or three years' time. Several players from my former team in Atlanta are available in free agency - the most interesting are LT Fred Woods and FL Lorenzo Horton, both very good players, but there are also a few less expensive possibilities. Given how poor the offensive line was last year, I make offers to LT Woods (4 years, $35m) and C Harvey Schulz (4 years, $16.1m). After a trawl through the cheaper end of the market, further offers are made to LCB Earl Opitz (2 years, $2.13m) and RCB Bennie Bradley (3 years, $4.02m) - neither contract contains any signing bonus, so there is little risk in offering these contracts. LT Fred Woods laughs in the face of our puny contract offer, going for a 5-year, $54.5m offer from Kansas City instead. C Schulz does sign for us, though, which will improve our offensive line. CBs Opitz and Bradley both sign in week 2 - neither is really starter-quality, but both would have started for the Rats last year. With no other offers to non-Arizona players possible, I sit back and wait for the asking price of some of our free agents to drop. In week 15, QB Steven Lyon receives an offer of $6.6m over 3 years, and RG Timothy Whiting an offer of $3.52m over 3 years - both sign in a hurry. At the end of free agency, there's the usual round of restricted free agent resignings and contract renegotiations: QB Will Horoszowski - $440k, 1 year FB Dan Turner - $980k, 2 years TE Dwayne Ogden - $2.88m, 3 years FL Bucky Mitchell - $7.2m, 3 years FL Vinny Dragonajtys - $8.4m, 3 years LT Cornell Wertlieb - $3.36m, 3 years LG Max Hartman - $2.88m, 3 years P Philip Hall - $980k, 2 years LDT Ben Scarlett - $4.2m, 3 years WLB Kim Horste - $4.2m, 3 years SS Leonard Brann - $1.04m, 2 years RT Tommie Humphries - $18.3m, 5 years This leaves the team with 36 players signed and $37.8m free under the cap (against the self-imposed limit of $25.3m). Draft The roster going into the draft looks like: Code:
This leaves the priorities for the draft as: - pick up some bodies to play linebacker - beef up the offensive line to open holes for the running game and keep Payne upright - improve the talent at receiver to take the pressure of Payne and Wertz The Desert Rats pick 11th this year, and have extra picks at the bottom of the third and seventh rounds. Again, the best players go just ahead of my pick (happened last year in a very top-heavy draft), but there's a few useful players still available - a solid RB is there (but I'm not going back there after being burned last year!) and decent players at WR, CB and S are available, but I decide to take RT Devin Voigt (33/69). The need for a receiver to play opposite Wertz is filled in the second round with SE Jeremy Mizukami (33/59), with the third round picks going on one of the bodies at LB (D.J. Mickelson - 24/48) and a big body on the defensive line (DT Howard Ford - 24/42). A deep draft at safety allows me to pick up SS Herman McElroy (33/74) in the top half of the fourth round. The quality of player available fell away a bit after this, although I think I may have unearthed a couple of potential starters in LB Cedeno (a pass-rushing specialist, which may mean I rethink my defensive gameplan a little) and TE Ivy (a blocker more than a pass-catcher, but a good one). The two seventh-rounders (both right tackles) may look a bit unusual, but were a case of taking best player available, even though I have two starter-quality guys already at RT. To make room for the influx of offensive linemen, I release LT Ted Dole, a former first-round pick who simply hasn't panned out as well as the previous management had hoped - this does involve a sizable cap hit for next year, but he's simply not worth keeping. T Johnny Wenger is moved across to the left side to cover - he's the only one of the three RTs drafted who won't take a hit from the move. Given Voigt's inability to play at left tackle, and the solid play of Tommie Humphries last year, I decide to move Voigt to a position he'll get some playing time at - unfortunately, this is left guard (not a priority position to use a first-round pick on), but this does mean that I'll be putting out a much better offensive line this year. At this point in the offseason, the cap position doesn't look too bad - 43 players signed, and almost $8m cap room over the self-imposed limit of $25.3m free. I decide that we can afford to resign backup DE Wally Wright (to a 3-year contract worth $5.64m), and load up with rookie free agents before heading to camp. Post-camp roster Code:
Some useful minor breakouts - LT Wenger is the most useful, as he goes from being the inactive backup at the start of the season to being the starting left tackle. D.J. Mickelson is now our best linebacker (although Cedeno is pretty close behind, and Turner is pushing Fisher for his place to make it an all-rookie linebacking trio). A thought strikes me on looking through the roster - RB Staple has very good receiving skills, so how good a wide receiver would he make? He's a decent size to play WR (6-2, 210), and I could do with another good young receiver. I decide to make the switch, and I'm glad I did - he's raw, but has a lot of potential as a receiver (and developed some return skills into the bargain), which allows me to cut SE Samuels so I can go with Staple backing up Wertz at split end. 2009 season Preseason: 2-2, although this was with a very experimental lineup (trying to give some of the fringe players in the squad some useful experience). Unfortunately, WR Mizumaki picked up a big injury in the first game of preseason, and will miss most (if not all) of the regular season. Week 1: Arizona 16-27 Seattle RB Comia 12-111, QB Payne 13-24-108-0-1 Week 2: (1-0) Indianapolis 16-13 Arizona (0-1) Payne 18-29-159-1-1 Week 3: (0-2) Arizona 17-27 Dallas (0-2) RB Quinonez 12-63, Payne 3-9-24-0-1, QB Lyon 16-25-219-1-2 After a slow start offensively, I decided to switch QB fairly early in this game - Lyon did give the offence a spark, but made a few too many mistakes. Week 4: (0-3) Arizona 12-17 Green Bay (2-1) Quinonez 21-86, Payne 13-26-109-0-0 Week 5: (0-4) Arizona 17-20 Chicago (0-4) Week 6: (3-1) Minnesota 23-21 Arizona (0-5) Quinonez 20-136-1, Lyon 17-30-167-0-0 Week 7: (4-1) Seattle 13-24 Arizona (0-6) Quinonez 20-168, Lyon 13-26-84-1-1 Week 8: (1-6) Arizona 23-24 St. Louis (4-3) Payne 23-36-286-3-0 Obviously not a good first half of the season - the Rats kept it close in most of the games, but just couldn't come up with the big plays when they were needed. The defence has been a bit disappointing - very few big plays (as the lack of defensive players in the 'big game' stats above shows...) Week 9: Bye Week 10: (5-3) Detroit 25-17 Arizona (1-7) Payne 16-29-205-2-0 Week 11: (6-3) San Francisco 20-23 Arizona (1-8) Payne 23-38-267-2-1 Week 12: (2-8) Jacksonville 13-21 Arizona (2-8) Payne 21-32-144-3-1, DE J. Wright 8-1-3.0 sacks Week 13: (5-5-1) Carolina 20-27 Arizona (3-8) Payne 15-29-258-2-0, Wertz 5-112-2, LB Mickelson 10-3-1.0 sacks Week 14: (4-8) Arizona 10-30 Tennessee (4-8) J. Wright 5-2-2.5 sacks Week 15: (6-7) St. Louis 14-28 Arizona (4-9) Quinonez 23-115-1, Payne 8-17-154-2-0, LB Cedeno 10-1-3.0 sacks, LT Wenger 7 KRB Week 16: (5-9) Arizona 10-24 Houston (10-4) Payne 16-29-192-1-2, Mickelson 11-0 Week 17: (5-10) Arizona 30-34 San Francisco (7-8) Payne 27-44-363-2-0, FL Mizumaki 6-137-1 The 5-11 record was good only to finish last in the NFC West (although St. Louis finished only a game ahead), but the Rats could have been a good bit better given that several losses were by one TD or less. Season stats Quarterback Ronnie Payne (14 starts): 217-376-2481-18-9 (qbr 83.5) Steven Lyon (2 starts, plus 4 other appearances): 65-114-664-3-5 (qbr 64.3) Rushing Kent Quinonez: 242-986-3 Bernard Comia: 149-620-2 Receiving Lee Wertz: 61-744-4 (avg 14.5) Kent Quinonez: 39-333-2 (avg 8.5) Bucky Mitchell: 22-334-4 (avg 15.1) Tackles S Wally Burks: 91 tackles, 37 assists LB Tony Fisher: 72 tackles, 28 assists Sacks DE Jake Wright: 12.5 sacks, 14 hurries DT Ben Scarlett: 8.0 sacks, 6 hurries DE Ricardo Swanger: 7.5 sacks, 19 hurries Pass defence S Marvin Neal: 2 interceptions (1 TD), 7 passes defenced The big problem offensively was the lack of a complementary receiver opposite Wertz, but this pales into insignificance when compared to the problems defensively - the line was solid, but the LBs were posted missing all too often, and the defensive backs simply didn't make enough big plays. One Arizona player made the All-League teams - C Harvey Schulz was included in the second team. Season summary A disappointing season, but the Rats did show signs of improvement, especially in the trenches - the defensive line was solid and the offensive line is coming together nicely. The big problem lies in the defensive backfield, but I should be able to work on that next offseason... |
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05-04-2003, 02:18 PM
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#3 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2011 season
The owner of the Desert Rats certainly isn't a happy bunny - he's not happy about the franchise value now (after complaining about the performance of the team last year...) Unfortunately, the team is playing in a relatively new stadium (so I can't do much about that), so there isn't all that much I can do apart from try to win more games. The salary cap this year is $111.1m, which means I have to leave $27.8m cap space free at all times. No retirements again this year - given that we're the youngest team in the league, this really isn't a surprise... No changes at coach or scout - both are still under contract, and I'm happy with the performance of both. I bump up the ticket prices a little - the team is still making a loss, so we could really do with the money... Free agency Our cap situation going into the free agency period is not ideal - we've got $40.1m free (compared to the limit of $27.8m) and 36 players signed. Our only unrestricted free agent is DT Grant Harts - he's been a solid starter for the last few years, but it would be nice to upgrade at defensive tackle if we can. I might look to resign him if he's willing to accept a reasonable contract (although I somehow doubt it!) I make only one offer at the start of free agency - QB Philip Habich has been a backup in New York for the last couple of years, and is looking for a relatively low-priced contract given his talent level, so I put in an offer of $12.00m over 4 years. He takes a bit of time to think it over, but eventually signs in week 8. At the end of the free agency period, I resign the following unrestricted free agents: QB Jesse Branch: $4.00m over 2 years FB Dan Turner: $1.55m over 2 years K Ronnie Schneider: $480k over 1 year MLB C.J. Wells: $480k over 1 year FS Courtney Weaver: $10.6m over 4 years Contracts renegotiated at this point: TE Sam Newman: $8.50m over 4 years WR Bucky Mitchell: $1.68m over 2 years LG Max Hartman: $1.55m over 2 years C Rob Buckley: $2.15m over 3 years I also do some trading: OLB Gerald Coles to Atlanta for their 2nd round pick next year RB Bernard Comia to New England for their 2nd round pick next year These two trades clear out about $8m of cap room, which should leave me with a bit of wiggle room after the draft. Draft Signing QB Habich fills the most gaping hole on the roster, but there are plenty more to have to deal with - at the moment, we don't have any RBs on the roster, and linebacker is a bit thin as well. The defensive line is a concern, as only two players are signed past this year at the moment (coming on top of the lack of talent in the middle of the line). After the trades last year, though, the Rats do at least have a lot of picks to play with - we pick 13th in each round, and have extra picks in the first round (9th) and second round (two consecutive picks near the end of the round). The first thing I see when looking at the draft is the top-quality prospect at defensive tackle at the top of the board - obviously, he's not going to fall past the first couple of picks, but I do have the ammunition to be able to move up. There are several other quality players available as well, so I should be able to get a couple of good players if I stay at 9 and 13. Unfortunately, the great DT is taken with the second pick (I didn't want to move too far up because of the money side of things - a pick that high would cause serious cap problems in the not too distant future). Most of the other top players go by the time Arizona are on the clock - seeing no-one I really want to take now, I trade down, taking the 15th pick plus a fourth-rounder for the 9th pick from Philadelphia. This gives me two picks close together at 13 and 15 - the first goes on an immediate starter on the defensive line in DT Darren Palmer, the second on one of the many decent LBs in this year's draft, Lorenzo Ruth. These selections (and the quality of the LBs available) make me think that it might be worth drafting some more LBs and try to play a 3-4 defence this year... The next pick follows this plan, with LB Jumbo Lake taken in the top part of the second round. For the second year running, I take the best fullback on the board - this will allow me to use my 'jumbo' offensive sets (where two FBs are on the field at the same time). With the second of the picks at the bottom of the second, I strengthen the defensive line further with DT Courtney Tubbs - similar to Palmer, but not quite as much potential. The defensive tone of this draft continues into the third round with DE Jerome May, who'll probably end up being the guy who gives Jake Wright a breather. The rest of this draft was aimed at adding depth - running back and the offensive front received some attention, with two further LBs also added to give me some depth when using the 3-4 defence. After the draft, Baltimore offer a trade for QB Habich, but I refuse, mainly for cap reasons (he signed a 4-year deal, so I'd end up with 3 years of bonus counting against next year's cap - not a good thing when you're tight against the cap to start with...) A trawl through the undrafted free agents to fill up the roster later, and we head to camp. Post-camp roster Code:
This is definitely a stronger roster than any I've had with Arizona up to now - this draft alone has netted three starter-quality players for the defensive front seven, and quite a few backups who'll be able to step in if needed. Being able to pick up a QB of the quality of Habich (on a pretty reasonable contract) is big as well, as I'll be able to run a much more balanced offence this year - this should be a playoff-quality team (given a little bit of luck, it will be!) 2011 season Preseason: 4-0, with few injuries - doesn't get much better than that... Week 1: Arizona 16-13 San Francisco Good win over a divisional rival to start the season (them having former Desert Rat Ronnie Payne at QB makes it feel just that little bit nicer...) FB Pearson 13-43, QB Habich 22-39-294-1-1, WR Mizumaki 7-119-1 Week 2: (1-0) Arizona 31-0 Baltimore (0-0-1) This team isn't supposed to be able to play this well... (not that I'm complaining!) Habich 19-28-221-3-0, RB Gore 4-75-2 Week 3: (1-1) Detroit 10-13 Arizona (2-0) Almost dropped our home opener, but 13 points in the fourth quarter was enough to turn it around. Habich 17-33-200-0-2, Mizumaki 6-89 Week 4: (2-1) New York 14-31 Arizona (3-0) New York managed to keep up for a little while, but the Rats wore them down as the game went on. Pearson 16-96-1 (plus 8-113-1 receiving), Habich 25-35-310-3-0, WR Dolliver 5-94-2, LB Turner 5-1-3.0 After this game, the Rats signed kicker Charlie Kruk to replace C.J. McCarthy, who had only made 7 of 15 kicks through the first four games. Week 5: (4-0) Arizona 10-15 Dallas (2-1) Not a good performance offensively - the running game struggled, and the passing game suffered as a result. Habich 20-36-223-1-1 Week 6: (4-1) Arizona 13-16 Philadelphia (2-2) Yet another road game in a tough start to the year, and the Rats come up just short again. Habich 16-33-199-1-0, Dolliver 5-110 Week 7: (4-2) Arizona 9-6 Seattle (2-3) Must stay awake, must stay awake, must stay ... zzzzzzzz ... FB Becnel 13-82, Habich 19-29-127-0-0, K Kruk 3/3 (long 50) Week 8: (4-3) Washington 21-35 Arizona (5-2) Comfortable game mostly, only made interesting when Habich threw a couple of TDs to the guys in the wrong coloured jerseys midway through the second. Pearson 11-62-1, Habich 21-34-312-2-2, Dragonajtys 5-111-1, PR Nuston 6-120-1 At the halfway point, it's one-way traffic in the NFC West, as Arizona hold a 3.5 game lead over the rest of the division (Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis are all 2-5 at this point). Week 9: Bye Week 10: (3-5) St. Louis 12-10 Arizona (6-2) A bit of a letdown at home after the bye - guys, we're not in the playoffs yet... Gore 7-63, Habich 19-36-196-0-0 Week 11: (3-6) San Francisco 14-10 Arizona (6-3) This is starting to get a bit worrying - the offence just doesn't seem to be clicking. Habich 21-34-177-1-1 Week 12: (6-4) Arizona 11-21 Cincinnati (7-3) Tough game on the road against a good team - just what we needed, I don't think! Week 13: (6-5) Arizona 13-24 New Orleans (6-5) The slump continues - I'll need to make a few changes to freshen it up. Habich 14-25-172-0-3, TE Newman 7-84, S Neal 2 interceptions Habich had to leave the game injured, and will miss a couple of weeks - Jesse Branch will get the start next week. Week 14: (6-5-1) Pittsburgh 3-33 Arizona (6-6) The enforced change at QB seems to have done the team good... Pearson 11-53-1, Branch 20-29-223-1-0, LB Carlson 6-1-1.0, interception for TD Week 15: (3-10) Seattle 14-21 Arizona (7-6) Not pretty, but effective - and it sees the Rats back at the top of the NFC West Pearson 17-86-1, Branch 16-23-145-2-1, DE Swanger 5-1-2.5 Week 16: (5-9) Cleveland 3-27 Arizona (8-6) A winning return for Habich, although the offence didn't have to do too much here. Habich 14-22-117-1-0, Carlson 6-2-3.0 Week 17: (9-6) Arizona 17-23 St. Louis (8-7) As simple as the winner takes the division, and we came up short. Pearson 12-57, Habich 15-38-142-1-0 This was a strange year in the NFC - a win for the Desert Rats against St. Louis would have given us home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, with no NFC team managing more than 9 wins. The only team making the playoffs without a 9-7 record is Minnesota (who sneaked the second wild card as one of four 8-8 teams). Not pretty, but we're in the playoffs! Stay tuned for a playoff update - coming to a post near you soon! |
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05-04-2003, 09:48 PM
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#4 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Connecticut
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I've been following along. I just have one question. What happened to the 2010 season? You jumped from 2009 to 2011. Keep up the good work, I'm reading.
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GM of the Milwaukee Muscle Men of the ZFL. The 1st team in ZFL history to have a perfect losing season. I am on a quest to show that the Dolphins can win the Super Bowl. Or should I say Front Office Bowl, with FOF2K7. The revival of an old favorite, FOFC Wrestling Dynasty |
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05-05-2003, 05:54 PM
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#5 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Quote:
Thanks for the post - good to see that someone out there is reading!  2010 season missing - that'll be because I forgot to post it... Martin (The 2010 season report, which was not shown at its scheduled time, will follow at the end of this post...) Last edited by MartinD : 05-05-2003 at 05:58 PM. |
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05-05-2003, 05:57 PM
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#6 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Arizona Desert Rats - 2010 season
A nice way to start the year - a warning from the team owner that he's not happy about the performance of the team... Admittedly, 7-9 and 5-11 aren't particularly good seasons, but I'm only starting to get the team the way I want it now... On a brighter note, this year's salary cap is $105.5m, which means I must leave at least $26.4m cap room free at all times. No retirements from the Desert Rats - again, this is not unexpected, as it's a very young team (as my teams tend to be). I've been having some thoughts about the team's coaching situation - coach Walker is young and a solid gameday coach, but he's not the best at developing young players. Given the limitations I've put on myself for this career (notably the additional limit on the salary cap), I really need a guy who can bring on young talent better - to this end, I make an offer to Bernie Owens, a solid all-round coach. Admittedly, he's a good bit older, and isn't as good on the playcalling side, but he'll be much better at developing players, especially on the defensive side of the ball. (No change at scout - the guy I have is solid and still under contract). Even though the team lost more than $36m last year, I don't want to push up ticket prices - this is mainly because the product on the field isn't good enough to justify it at the moment. Free agency The team's only unrestricted free agent is FB Louis Schneider - a solid player, but FB Dan Turner is more than capable of picking up the starting role, and it's normally pretty easy to pick up a good FB at decent money, so I won't be looking to resign him. I receive a trade offer from Carolina at the start of the free agency period - a reasonable TE and their 1st round pick (9th overall) for DE Jake Wright. Wright is the best defensive lineman on the team, and I wouldn't be able to use the pick to get a replacement of equal quality through the draft, so I decline the trade. The Rats start the free agency period with $40.8m cap room free and 36 players signed. $7m is set aside to sign 7 draft picks, so I have $7.4m to sign 10 players. My big problem is at QB - starter Ronnie Payne is in the last year of his current deal, and I simply can't afford to renegotiate his contract this year (he's looking for $60m over 4 years, with this year's cap hit being over $12m...) He's probably good enough to justify franchising next year, but this would mean I really have to watch my step with how I'm leaving my cap situation for next year right now. If I don't franchise him next year, I need to start looking for a solid QB to develop this year. Whatever happens with the QB situation, the team has other needs to look at: - improve the defensive line (quality in the middle, depth at the ends) - pick up another starting-quality CB - depth at LB, RB, FB and WR Obviously, I'm not going to be able to do all of this in free agency, but I can at least have a look at picking up one or two solid veterans. I make offers to the following players: RT Jimmie Barnette - 2 years, $1.67m RCB Jermaine Boselli - 2 years, $1.69m Both sign for Arizona - Boselli in week 3, Barnette in week 6. At the end of free agency, I resign some restricted free agents: QB Will Horoszowski - 1 year, $570k C Rob Buckley - 2 years, $1.02m P Tracy Creighton - 4 years, $4.17m K Justin Ward - 2 years, $1.02m LB Kevin Turner - 4 years, $10.9m LB Jake Bernard - 1 year, $450k FS Jay Reichard - 1 year, $450k This does leave us a little bit tight to the cap - $34.35m free with a draft cost of $7m, but the team has 45 players signed, and there are a couple of potential cuts available if required. Draft Arizona have the 5th pick in each round this year - the talent at the top end isn't quite as good as it has been in the last couple of years though, so I may consider trading down a wee bit if I don't like what's available when I pick. The big needs from this draft are to pick up depth all over the place (QB, RB, WR, DL, LB) and to get a couple of starting-quality players, preferably at DT and RG if possible. The only player I like at the 5th pick is LB Marco Likens, but LB is not really a need position this year (as I have three solid starters), and 5th is a bit high to take a LB (IMHO), especially given our cap situation. A trade down is attractive at this point, and I drop to the 10th pick, picking up an additonal 3rd round pick on the way, in a trade with Indianapolis. (LB Likens went to Oakland with the 6th pick, for what it's worth). The talent available at 10 isn't all that good either, so I decide to look into trading further down - unfortunately, there aren't many good deals going, so I have to pick here. The best fit for the team here is WR Clay Dolliver, a big target with a knack for making the big play - this pick is likely to mean the end for Lee Wertz after this season, though, as I doubt I'll be able to afford to give him a new contract. FB isn't really that big a need, but I feel I can't pass up FB Teddy Pearson at the top of the second round - a guy who's going to be a threat rushing and receiving, and is a great blocker and special teamer to boot. The talent level available has really thinned out by the third round, but I manage to pick up a useful backup CB (who may be more given a bit of time) and a good return man/backup WR with my two picks. The remaining picks go on improving depth, mainly on both lines. After the draft, Tennessee offer a trade for QB Ronnie Payne - they're willing to give up their first-rounder next year and a very solid LB (as in 'immediately steps into the starting lineup, and is expected to be a dominating player'-type solid). Accepting will leave me a bit light at QB, and will make things a bit tighter under the cap, but I can't ignore a trade this good for a player I wasn't looking to keep after this year anyway. A few roster moves are required to get back under my cap limit after the trade - the main ones are to release CB Opitz (saves $1.2m on a guy who was likely to be the 5th or 6th CB) and RG Christiansen (who I was going to cut anyway), and renegotiate FS Wally Burks' contract (4 years, $17.6m). After loading up with rookie free agents (including a number of quarterbacks - we're a bit light in this department now...), we head to camp. Post-camp roster Quite a few trade offers come in after camp: - Miami offer a second-rounder and a scrub FB for QB Steven Lyon - Atlanta offer a sixth-rounder and a useful LB for T Tommie Humphries - St. Louis offer a second-rounder and a RB for LB D.J Mickelson - Denver offer a 2nd-rounder and a S for RB Kent Quinonez The trade offer from Atlanta is rejected - easy decision, as Humphries is a starter with a relatively cheap long-term deal. Mickelson is going to be a great player if he gets the chance to develop, so I also reject St. Louis's offer. I decide to accept the other two trade offers, though - Lyon is the best QB I have by a long way, but has played poorly in the last couple of years (I think I may have picked up a couple of usable QBs out of the undrafted rookie pool as well), and Quinonez is in the last year of his current deal, and will want silly money to resign. The players included as part of the deal are both cut - neither is worth keeping, to be totally honest. This (plus a couple of cuts) leaves the roster as: Code:
QB is obviously a trouble spot, but I'm hoping that one of the young guys will step up - I expect to be using FB Pearson quite a lot to make up for the likely problems in the passing game. The defence is pretty settled - the only new starter is likely to be newly acquired LB Coles (although rookie CB Sims will see some playing time, as I see CB Boselli as no more than a nickel back, despite his rating). 2010 season Preseason: The Rats went 3-1, despite fielding a very experimental lineup in the first three games. Rookie FB Pearson impressed, rushing for over 100 yards twice in preseason. The QB position is still up in the air, with Horoszowski doing enough to get the job to start the season - Preston Clements will be the backup after a couple of solid outings. Week 1 - Arizona 17-13 St. Louis Only 8 first downs for the Rats, but the defence did a solid job. RB Comia 12-53, QB Horoszowski 13-23-139-1-0, DE J. Wright 2-1-2.0 sacks (fumble return for TD) Week 2 - (1-0) Arizona 29-24 Denver (1-0) This team isn't built to come from behind, but they did it in this game. Comia 12-72, Horoszowski 20-32-220-3-1, J. Wright 3-1-2.5 Week 3 - (2-0) Arizona 7-24 Washington (0-2) This is more like how I thought the team would play if they got behind early - we don't have the firepower to consistently come from behind. FB Pearson 9-84, LB Mickelson 10-2 Week 4 - (2-1) Arizona 0-13 Tampa Bay (2-1) Four straight road games to start the year is tough, and it showed here. Pearson 22-96, QB Clements 8-19-85-0-0, WR Mizumaki 5-66, DT Scarlett 5-0-2.0 Week 5 - (3-1) Seattle 10-17 Arizona (2-2) Our home opener was worth the wait! Pearson 14-67-1, Horoszowski 13-18-134-1-0 Week 6 - (4-0) Atlanta 24-17 Arizona (3-2) A tough game against the defending champions, but the Rats almost pulled off a comeback. Comia 13-70, Clements 14-27-192-1-1, WR Wertz 4-87-1 Week 7 - Bye Week 8 - (2-5) St. Louis 7-13 Arizona (3-3) A game we needed to win against a divisional rival, and the team came through. Comia 20-80, Pearson 17-77, Horoszowski 18-24-198-1-0, Mizumaki 4-94-1, LB Turner 4-7-2.5 Week 9 - (4-3) Arizona 10-24 Carolina (0-8) Always seems to happen - the team just doesn't have the same intensity against the patsies... Comia 17-62, Horoszowski 14-19-163-1-2, Wertz 3-94-1 Week 10 - (6-2) New Orleans 27-10 Arizona (4-4) Managed to keep up with a good team for three quarters, then New Orleans took over. Comia 18-78, Clements 10-18-93-0-2, LB Coles 9-2-1.0 Week 11 - (4-5) Arizona 20-17 San Francisco (5-4) A big win over a close division rival - puts us only one game out of the division lead. Horoszowski 13-19-219-1-0 Week 12 - (5-5) Arizona 7-13 Kansas City (6-4) Close, but not quite enough. Pearson 20-66-1, Horoszowski 15-25-137-0-1 Week 13 - (6-5) Chicago 27-19 Arizona (5-6) Great defensive performance, but mistakes killed us in this one. Pearson 18-88-2, Horoszowski 21-42-194-0-3, Mizumaki 5-74 Week 14 - (4-8) Oakland 10-26 Arizona (5-7) Another solid game from the defence, just they had some offensive support this time. (In an effort to change things up a little, QB Jesse Branch started this game.) Comia 22-88, Pearson 20-94, Branch 15-20-164-2-1, DE Swanger 3-2-2.5, LB Coles 2 interceptions Week 15 - (7-6) San Francisco 28-30 Arizona (6-7) Another solid performance, with the offence carrying the load for a change. Comia 20-45-2, Branch 16-20-187-1-0, Mizumaki 5-103, CB Boselli 3 interceptions Week 16 - (6-8) San Diego 13-21 Arizona (7-7) Horoszowski came off the bench to good effect in this game. Pearson 18-97-1, Horoszowski 7-9-55-2-0, Swanger 3-2-3.0 Week 17 - (8-7) Arizona 17-20 Seattle (8-7) A big game which would decide the division title - unfortunately, the Rats went for the win at the end, got picked off, and missed out on the FG which would have taken it into overtime. Pearson 22-91-1, Branch 19-24-225-0-1, C Schulz 8 KRBs 2010 season stats Passing Will Horoszowski (12 starts): 149-239-1544-10-8 (qbr 80.9) Jesse Branch (4 starts): 54-75-607-3-2 (qbr 98.0) Preston Clements: 38-78-415-2-4 (qbr 52.0) Surprisingly good performance from the no-name QBs I was left with after trading away Payne and Lyon - obviously, the run-heavy offence helped a lot, but I wasn't expecting to be able to rely on any of the QBs on the roster. Rushing FB Teddy Pearson: 231-964-6 (4.1 avg) RB Bernard Comia: 256-937-6 (3.6 avg) Pearson showed his worth this season - a FB who can be relied on for rushing yardage is a great thing to have when cap space is limited. Comia is decent, but probably not worth what he's earning - it wouldn't be a big surprise to not see him on the roster next year (especially when his 10 fumbles are taken into account...) Receiving WR Jeremy Mizumaki: 45-731-3 (16.2 avg) FB Teddy Pearson: 38-196-1 (5.1 avg) WR Lee Wertz: 37-657-4 (17.7 avg) TE Sam Newman: 35-273-1 (7.8 avg) Not great numbers, which is no surprise given the QBs throwing the ball and the conservative offensive system. It's a pity that Wertz isn't going to be back next year (he's out of contract, and I won't be able to afford to offer him a new contract). Kicking K Ronnie Schneider: 10-11 FG, 14-15 XP (signed in mid-season to replace Justin Ward, who'd gone 10 of 19 on field goals - too many misses for my liking) P Tracy Creighton: 41.0 average, 40 inside the 20 Run defence OLB Kevin Turner: 92 tackles, 30 assists ILB D.J. Mickelson: 84 tackles, 24 assists OLB Gerald Coles: 83 tackles, 40 assists DT Ben Scarlett: 63 tackles, 22 assists Solid play from the linebacking corps which just about made up for the makeshift defensive front. Pass rushing DE Jake Wright: 13.0 sacks, 23 hurries DE Ricardo Swanger (11 games): 9.0 sacks, 19 hurries Solid rushing from the outside, but not too much support (LB Turner and DT Scarlett were the next on the list, both with 4.5 sacks) Pass defence CB Jermaine Boselli: 4 interceptions CB Winfred Sims: 4 interceptions Blocking C Harvey Schulz: 42/137 KRB (30.6%), 7 sacks allowed G Jerome Nugent: 31/100 KRB (31.0%), 12 sacks allowed G Devin Voigt: 25/94 KRB (26.5%), 7 sacks allowed The line probably allowed too many sacks given the run-heavy offensive strategy used, but the run blocking was pretty solid. Nugent was solid as a rookie starter - he should be a better player next year for the playing time he got this year. Awards Unsurprisingly, FB Teddy Pearson made the 1st team - he was also the Offensive Rookie of the Year. The only other Desert Rat to get a mention was Harvey Schulz (1st Team center). Review of the year I rolled the dice on trading the two solid QBs on the roster, and it didn't backfire totally - the team put in a lot of solid performances despite the lack of leadership behind center (although it does make me wonder how good the team would have been with a decent QB...) The tradeoff for going with the scrub QBs should come next year, though - the Rats are going to have a lot of high picks in the draft. The problem I have is trying to keep the team together, as cap limitations will mean that I'm going to have to let a number of players leave in the offseason - just have to make sure I can pick up quality replacements... |
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05-08-2003, 06:35 PM
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#7 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Wild Card Game - Arizona at Dallas
The Cowboys are slight favourites in this game, but it's expected to be close. Dallas start fast, with a TD on their first possession, but Sam Newman ties the game up on a TD pass from Habich before the end of the first. An exchange of field goals in the second leaves it tied at 10 at the half. A Kruk field goal gives Arizona their first lead of the game midway through the third, then Clay Dolliver takes over the game - he comes up with TD passes of 18 and 80 yards to put the Rats firmly in control. Dallas QB Shell then forces a pass and misfires into the hands of Winfred Sims, who returns the gift 79 yards for the TD to put the game away. A late Dallas TD makes the final score 34-20 - the Rats win! Habich 18-36-256-3-1, Dolliver 6-144-2, Neal 2 interceptions, Sims 2 interceptions (1 TD) Divisional round - Arizona at Chicago Surprisingly, the Rats are favoured to come out on top here - difficult to see how when Chicago are coming off their bye week. The Arizona defence again needs time to get started, giving up a score on the first possession for the second straight week - they wake up in time to limit Chicago to a field goal, though. The parallels to the Wild Card game become greater on the Rats' first drive - Habich to Newman to get Arizona on the board. The lead is short-lived, though, with Chicago going 10-7 up on their next drive. Three drives, three scores - unfortunately, the next drive ended up as a three and out. A Chicago fumble gave the Rats good field position early in the second, and Habich struck again, this time finding Teddy Nuston to make it 14-10. A field goal apiece rounded out the first-half scoring at 17-13. The game got a bit tight in the second half, with neither team really looking like scoring - the best chance fell to Arizona after a good punt return gave them the ball in Chicago territory, but Habich let the chance slip away by throwing a pick. With defences firmly on top, Chicago ended up having to go for it deep in their own end late in the fourth. The Rats' defence held, and Pearson rumbled into the endzone to clinch it just after the two minute warning. Final score 24-13 - the Rats are one game away from the Super Bowl! Conference Championship - Arizona at St. Louis A chance to take revenge on St. Louis for nicking the NFC West from under our noses in week 17... Not sure what the oddsmakers are on, but it looks like the Rats are slight favourites, despite not having beaten St. Louis yet. The Rams get the better start of the two teams, gaining a couple of first downs early - they can't get the ball into scoring range, but their punter has his eye in, forcing the Rats to start from inside their own 5 on their first two drives. This eventually pays off for St. Louis, with their third drive yielding a field goal. Kruk has a chance to hit straight back on the Rats' next drive, but misses from 51 to leave the Rats 3-0 down. The kicker redeems himself before half-time, though, making kicks from 35 and 40 to give Arizona a 6-3 lead at the half. The break does Arizona's offence some good, as we move the ball well on our first two drives of the second half - unfortunately, both end in turnovers (a Habich pick followed by a Becnel fumble), and the Rams take advantage of the good field position to even it up early in the fourth. With the defences on top, it looks like we may be headed to overtime, but Arizona manage to put together a good drive late in the fourth quarter - 12 plays, 59 yards, ending in a Teddy Pearson TD plunge from 3 yards out - Rats lead 13-6 with less than 3 minutes to play! The Rams come back, though, moving the ball past midfield with plenty of time left. Just as they're getting into scoring range, though, LB Kevin Turner steps in front of a pass and makes the pick to snuff out the last St. Louis threat. Tight, defensive, but a 13-6 Rats win - we're going to the Super Bowl! Pearson 16-54-1, Habich 14-25-166-0-1, Dolliver 4-74, Ragan 8-5-1.0, Turner 7-0-1.0, 1 interception The win was not without cost for the Desert Rats - starting defensive ends Jake Wright and Ricardo Swanger will both be out for a very long time with injuries picked up during the game. Both go on injured reserve, and rookie free agent DE Drew Glover gets a very welcome phone call: "Hello? "Is that Drew Glover?" "Yes." "Hi, I'm Bernie Owens, head coach of the Arizona Desert Rats. How would you like to come play in the Super Bowl with us?" 2011 Super Bowl - Arizona vs Indianapolis The classic Super Bowl matchup - the best team in the league against the plucky underdogs. The Colts finished the regular season with the league's best record at 14-2, and have brushed aside their playoff opponents with ease, winning each game by over 20 points. On the other side of the ball you have the Arizona Desert Rats, who stumbled into the playoffs by losing five of their last eight games, but managed to turn it around to scrape three narrow wins. On paper, it should be no contest, but the big game isn't played on paper... The Colts get the ball first, and move confidently to midfield before Rats LB Darrell Ragan gets in the way of an errant pass, picks it off, and returns it deep into Indy territory. Two plays later, Phillip Habich finds Bucky Mitchell in the back of the endzone, and the Rats lead 7-0, less than 5 minutes in! You don't win 14 games in the regular season without being able to cope with adversity, though, and Indianapolis came back with a TD of their own late in the first quarter to close out a 70-yard drive and tie it at 7. The Colts defence couldn't match the effort of their offence, though, with the Rats putting together an 8-play, 69-yard drive to retake the lead - the scoring play a Habich pass to Clay Dolliver from 4 yards out. This was the last score of the first half, so the surprise half-time score was Colts 7, Rats 14. Neither team could get much going in the third quarter, with the Colts coming closest to scoring - a 43-yard field goal attempt missing late in the period. The Rats responded to this narrow escape by mounting a solid drive, but they stalled deep in Indy territory - Kruk connected on the chip-shot field goal to make it 14-7 early in the fourth. Habich then had a jittery spell which almost changed the course of the game - he was picked off on consecutive attempts, with Indianapolis taking full advantage of the first gift, punching the ball in from 9 yards out to close to 17-14. The Rats defence stepped it up after the second pick, though, getting the ball back via a Johnny Cedeno interception, which he returned 50 yards to the Indy 15 - the play that turned the game. Instead of getting the go-ahead TD (or the tying field goal, at worst), the Colts were now pinned back deep in their own end. Arizona took full advantage on the next play, with Habich finding slot receiver Teddy Nuston in the endzone from 15 yards out to pad the lead to 24-14 with a little over 6 minutes to play. The Rats on the edge of winning the Super Bowl against all odds, but the Colts still had plenty of time to score twice... After a penalty on the kickoff, the Colts moved the ball up near midfield with little trouble, but Cedeno and Ragan again made the big play, forcing and covering up a fumble to give the Rats the ball once more. The ensuing drive stalled, but Kruk split the uprights to push the lead out to 13. With only a little over 2 minutes to play, Indianapolis were desperate for the big play, and got one to move the ball into Arizona territory. The Desert Rats got a big play of their own soon after, though, with S Marvin Neal forcing and recovering a fumble to snuff out the Colts' hopes once and for all. All that remained was a few safe plays to run down the clock - solid running got the job done, and the Rats had won it all!! Final score: Indianapolis 14, Arizona 27 Game MVP: Indy QB Ricky Wallace (21-35-283-2-2) Top performers for Arizona: QB Phillip Habich: 19-26-250-3-2 FB Teddy Pearson: 13-53 rushing, 5-41 receving WR Bucky Mitchell: 5-78-1 WR Clay Dolliver: 3-60-1 LB Darrell Ragan: 10 tackles, 2 assists, 1.0 sacks, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries LB Johnny Cedeno: 7 tackles, 2 assists, 0.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble forced S Marvin Neal: 9 tackles, 1 assist, 2 fumbles forced, 1 fumble recovered How the h*** did we manage to do that? Four playoff games, all away from home, and we won them all! |
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05-09-2003, 04:57 PM
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#8 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Season stats
Passing Phillip Habich (14 starts): 258-462-2859-14-12 (qbr 73.6) Jesse Branch (2 starts): 51-92-531-4-1 (qbr 82.2) Nothing special, but Habich got the job done - hopefully, he'll improve a bit next year now that he's had a season to get to know the offensive scheme and his teammates... Rushing FB Teddy Pearson: 189-704-7 (3.7 avg) FB Harris Becnel: 116-451-0 (3.8 avg) RB Desmond Gore: 105-405-1 (3.8 avg) Definitely not a great running game, but that's what you get when you use RB by committee... Receiving SE Clay Dolliver: 46-791-6 (avg 17.1) FB Teddy Pearson: 69-479-1 (avg 6.9) FL Jeremy Mizumaki: 38-540-2 (avg 14.2) (12 games) TE Sam Newman: 42-412-2 (avg 9.8) Decent numbers given the new QB and the lack of a potent running game - the somewhat conservative offensive strategy doesn't help the receiving numbers either. Run defence S Marvin Neal: 80 tackles, 23 assists LB Lorenzo Ruth: 76 tackles, 31 assists S Wally Burks: 72 tackles, 17 assists DE Jake Wright: 56 tackles, 22 assists Injuries didn't help here (the only starting LB to start all 16 games was Ruth), and the 3-4 defence tends to spread the tackles around, but I don't like seeing both starting safeties among the leading tacklers like this... Pass rush DE Jake Wright: 12.5 sacks, 24 hurries DE Ricardo Swanger: 10.0 sacks, 16 hurries LB Jessie Carlson: 7.5 sacks, 3 hurries DT Darren Palmer: 5.5 sacks, 7 hurries Wright and Swanger have been the pass rush for the Rats in recent years, and that didn't change this year - things will be different next year, though, with both players getting major injuries in the playoff run (definitely a worry, as there isn't much talent backing them up...) Pass defence S Marvin Neal: 7 interceptions, 12 pass defences CB Winfred Sims: 3 interceptions, 15 pass defences CB Herman McElroy: 2 interceptions (1 TD), 15 pass defences Solid play from the secondary, especially given the lack of stars back there. The young LBs are also pretty useful in pass coverage, with 4 linebackers getting interceptions in the regular season (they also made a few big plays in the postseason...) Special teams K Charlie Kruk (12 games): 18/24 FG (long 51), 21/21 XP P Tracy Creighton: 41.6 average, 37 inside the 20 KR/PR Teddy Nuston: 26.1 average kick return, 11.7 average punt return, 1 fumble The kicking game was solid rather than spectacular, while Nuston did a good job as the main return man - he's a better punt returner, but anything over 25 on kick returns is solid. Season awards: Unsurprisingly, Teddy Pearson was the 1st team FB, with DE Jake Wright also making the first team. P Tracy Creighton was a surprise selection as the 2nd team punter (a solid year, but not really deserving of this level of praise, IMHO). Looking at these numbers really makes me wonder how the Rats managed to win it all this year - 'average' is a pretty decent description of the stats, but the NFC was very average this year, with no team managing to win 10 games in the regular season. The defence came good at the right time as well (which is maybe not surprising, given the makeup of the defence - four rookies made at least 8 starts in the defensive front seven...), which always gives you a chance in playoff football. Was this season a fluke? Probably, but all we can do now is move on to 2012 and see how things go... |
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05-13-2003, 02:58 PM
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#9 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2012 season
Herb rated last season as a 62 - 100 team performance and 89 roster strength were the high points, but a franchise value of 30 dragged things down significantly. No retirements again this year - it's still a very young team (and is likely to continue to be a young team - the main effect of the salary cap limit seems to be that very few players stay with the team for more than their rookie contract). This year's salary cap is $116.7m, which means I must leave at least $29.2m cap room free at all times - the team starts the year with 36 players signed and $45.4m cap room free, which doesn't look too bad on the surface, but the players we draft are expected to have salaries of close to $8m, which doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room for free agent acquisitions. No changes at coach and scout this year - both are still under contract, and both have the solid all-round skills that I like to have (and both come at a very reasonable price tag Free agency The team has several players who are now unrestricted free agents: WR Vinny Dragonajtys LT Jimmy Barnette DE Jake Wright DE Wally Wright CB Bennie Bradley SS Leonard Brann Most of these guys are backup material, with one obvious exception - DE Jake Wright would be a great guy to bring back given his production, but he's asking for silly money (as you would expect for a quality defensive end), and he's going to miss most, if not all, of the season through injury. Given the cap limits I'm working under, I simply can't afford to pay a player to sit on injured reserve all year in the hope that he'll still be a good player next year. The restricted free agents are: QB Greg DeMarco QB Sammy Sauter RB Norman Burton TE Deron Allen FL Mo Baxter SE Dana Barlow LT Johnny Wenger C Wayne Rivers K Charlie Kruk LDE Jake Glover SLB Jessie Carlson LCB Harvey Ramirez RCB Herman McElroy Two solid starters are included in this list - LT Johnny Wenger and RCB Herman McElroy. I'd like to bring both back, but somehow doubt I'll be able to fit both in under the cap (both are looking for 'starter money', although McElroy's asking price does appear to be a bit more reasonable (which comes as a surprise for a starting cornerback). Wenger is a great story, though - originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 draft as a right tackle, he was asked to make the shift to the left side of the line in camp, ended up starting for most of his rookie season, and simply hasn't looked back. He started out as almost an afterthought in a draft in which I chose three right tackles, now he's the mainstay of the offensive line. Given that the Rats don't have a left tackle signed at the moment, I don't think I can afford not to try to bring Wenger back... Of course, I'll be waiting until near the end of the free agency period to make Wenger and McElroy offers, which should save me a bit of money - definitely a good thing, as I can see this year being very tight against the cap... Needs out of free agency: Help at defensive end is a big need - at the moment, I only have two DEs signed, and one (Ricardo Swanger) is very much at risk of being a cap casualty - his big injury in the playoffs last year has left him looking very one-dimensional, and a cap cost of $6.7m is simply too much for a role player. Some veteran help on the offensive line would be no bad thing as well. Other than that, there aren't too many major needs, although picking up a solid player or two for depth would be no bad thing in most positions. A couple of trade offers at the start of free agency: Cincinnati offer a reasonable RB plus a second round pick for FB Teddy Pearson - rejected, as Pearson is a key part of my offence (and the cap hit would be too much to handle). Chicago offer a scrub TE plus their second-round pick for FL Jeremy Mizumaki. Mizumaki is the starting flanker, but is in the last year of his contract, and won't be back with the team next year (as I simply can't afford the contract he'll want). Taking the trade does leave me more than a little light at WR (Dolliver is a certain starter, but there's little talent behind him), but it's a good trade for me to take given the situation. With the problems at defensive end, this position is the priority at the start of free agency. DE Wally Wright compares favourably to the DEs available on the market, so I make him a veteran-minimum offer for 1 year - the lesser Wright isn't really a starter, but is a useful stop-gap if I'm unable to find someone better. I also make an offer to LDE D.J. Muse, a pass-rushing specialist who's spent his whole career in Baltimore - not really an every-down guy, but a useful addition at a reasonable price (the contract offered is $7.5m spread fairly evenly over 3 years. I also make an offer to LT Bucky Scialabba in an effort to fill the void on the offensive line - he's purely a backup, but it's a bonus-free contract, and it's useful to have veteran backups as long as they're affordable. Surprisingly, someone is interested in DE Jake Wright - OK, so he's a very solid defensive end, but he's a 9-year veteran who's recently had major knee surgery (not what I'd call a good use of cap money...) The offer is withdrawn not long after, though - they must have some sense after all! My three targets all sign for the Desert Rats - Scialabba in week 3 and the two defensive ends in week 6. I do the usual run on restricted free agents and renegotiated contracts in the late stages of the free agency period: Restricted free agents signed: TE Deron Allen: 3 years, $4.95m SE Dana Barlow: 1 year, $500k LT Johnny Wenger: 5 years, $44.4m C Wayne Rivers: 1 year, $500k K Charlie Kruk: 3 years, $1.88m LCB Harvey Ramirez: 2 years, $1.13m Renegotiated contracts QB Jesse Branch: 2 years, $1.82m LG Max Hartman: 2 years, $1.76m RG Derrick Andrews: 2 years, $1.13m SLB Jessie Carlson: 4 years, $12.25m Players waived DE Ricardo Swanger (saves $6.0m) DT Conrad Cobb (saves $700k) FS Wally Burks (saves $2.8m) These roster moves leave the team with 42 players signed and $40.6m cap room free - the expected cap cost of our draft picks is a little over $9m (we have 10 picks - one in each round, with 4 in the second round), so the cap situation should be workable unless something unforseen crops up... 2012 draft The Desert Rats pick 32nd in each round, with three additional second round picks (8, 18 and 27). A good draft would see the team come out with starting-quality players at DE and WR, a CB who can either start straight away or play as the first change this year and step in next year, a decent RB to move the team away from the 'RB by committee' approach, and solid players for depth in most other positions. The first thing I notice on looking at the draft list is that this is a relatively weak draft class - the top-end players are not as good as the guys coming out of college in past years. There is a bit of depth there, though, so I'd hope to get guys who'll be able to contribute with the high picks. It's a long wait for our first pick, but very few WRs and DEs are taken in the first round - a bit of a surprise in a low-talent draft like this, but I'm not going to complain! The Rats' first-rounder goes on WR James Roberts, a genuine big-play threat - his hands aren't all that great, but he does pretty well everything else well. Several defensive ends are taken at the top of the second round, so I get in quick and pick up the DE I was targeting at pick 40 of this year's draft - DE Gino Leech has all the physical tools to be a great player, but needs some time to develop. CB Leonard Parrish is the next second-rounder - potentially a shutdown cover corner, and he should help out on returns as well. Wide receiver isn't as big a need after picking Roberts in the first round, but Wes Clayton is too good a player to pass up at this point - a bit on the short side, but a very solid player apart from that. RB Lonnie Meyer is the last of the second round picks: the best RB left on the board, he's solid rather than spectacular. The remaining picks in this draft go towards improving depth in the squad (and trying to find a couple of diamonds in the rough to use as starters in a year or two...) After stocking the roster with rookie free agents, we head to camp... Post-training camp roster Code:
[Note: The post-camp cuts gave me a bit of spare cap room - this was used to give LB D.J. Mickelson a renegotiated contract - $13.3m over 4 years] Good news from the draft - DE Gino Leech looks like he's going to be the real deal (I drafted him at 36/48, so there's been significant improvement already...) The rest of the rookie class looks pretty solid, although FL Roberts isn't quite as good as he looked when he was drafted. This is probably at least as good a team as I had last year - although I'm not going to predict that the performance will be at the same level! - so I'd be disappointed to miss out on the playoffs this year. |
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05-17-2003, 12:11 PM
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#10 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2012 season
Preseason: 1-3, but the three losses came with most of the starters inactive. No major injuries, although a couple of players will miss a wee bit of time (probably the first two or three weeks). Week 1: Seattle 28-35 Arizona Much favoured, but we scraped this one - the secondary did a pretty good sieve impersonation. The offence did a pretty useful job in picking up the slack... FB Pearson 22-108-1 rush, 7-52-2 rec, QB Habich 17-22-264-3-0, FL Clayton 3-70-1 Week 2: (0-1) Buffalo 7-19 Arizona (1-0) A better performance defensively, and the offence was good until it hit the red zone... Pearson 23-123-1 rush, 7-36 rec, Habich 15-26-168-0-1, SE Dolliver 4-93, CB Sims 2 interceptions Week 3: (2-0) Arizona 16-24 Tampa Bay (1-1) We always seem to struggle on the road, and this was no exception. Pearson 17-64, Habich 18-33-303-1-4, Dolliver 6-103-1, Clayton 3-85, LB Mickelson 12-2 QB Habich picked up a relatively minor injury in this game - he could play, but I decide to start Jesse Branch in week 4. Week 4: (2-1) Arizona 20-17 Green Bay (2-1) Good win on the road under our backup QB - no real stars, but a solid team performance. QB Branch 18-28-255-0-0 Week 5: (3-1) Arizona 10-3 Chicago (1-3) Not pretty, but a win is always welcome. Pearson 22-83, Branch 13-25-117-0-1, LB Cedeno 1 interception (1 TD) Week 6: (0-4) Minnesota 20-26 Arizona (4-1) OT The inevitable 'down' game when playing the worst team in the league - at least we got out of this one with a win... RB Gore 16-114, Branch 17-24-228-2-2, Clayton 4-106-2 Injury news - NT Darren Palmer will miss the rest of the season (and most of next) after suffering a majory knee ligament injury during the game - he's been put on injured reserve, and NT Phillip Porter was signed to fill the roster spot. Week 7: (5-1) Arizona 16-10 Seattle (1-4) OT Two straight overtime wins - riding our luck a little bit, especially as our only TD came from the defence... RB Meyer 11-77, Habich 21-27-207-0-0 After going 1 of 5 on field goals in this game, K Artie Kelley was released. K Brady Carl was signed to replace him. I really need to draft a decent kicker one of these days... Week 8: (5-2) St. Louis 13-38 Arizona (6-1) After struggling to beat some poor teams over the last few weeks, the Rats came out and blew a good team away - there's just no consistency to the performances at the moment! Meyer 18-81-3, Habich 12-22-131-2-2, CB Sims 2 interceptions (1 TD) Week 9: Bye Week 10: (7-1) Detroit 24-27 Arizona (7-1) A slow start in this one, but the Rats came back well to sneak the win. Habich 17-28-218-2-0, Dolliver 5-84-1 Week 11: (8-1) Arizona 22-0 San Francisco (7-2) A great defensive performance, holding the 49ers to 223 yards and 8 first downs - the win gives Arizona a 2-game lead over the 49ers in the division. Habich 17-33-252-1-1, Dolliver 3-121-1 Week 12: (4-6) Miami 16-41 Arizona (9-1) This is the sort of game we usually have a big let-down in - not this time! Pearson 10-50 rush, 2-10-2 rec, Habich 17-27-234-3-0, Dolliver 4-105, S Neal 3 interceptions Week 13: (5-6) Washington 7-38 Arizona (10-1) How comfortable was this game? Jesse Branch came into the game early in the third with the Rats 31-0 up... RB Meyer 12-57-3, Pearson 10-68, Habich 10-13-163-2-0 Week 14: (11-1) Arizona 27-21 New England (10-2) Good win over a quality team - not pretty, but definitely effective. Habich 16-37-193-2-0, LB Turner 9-2-3.0, S Weaver 6-3-1 interception (1 TD) This game left the team with a bit of a problem at left defensive end - both Jerome May and D.J. Muse are out for the next month, leaving us with no fit players at LDE. To get around this, I cut S Rick Sinclair (who hadn't been active in any game this season), and sign rookie free agent LDE Daryl Tan. Week 15: (12-1) Arizona 28-18 St. Louis (5-8) Grinding out another win - the little matter of 300 yards on the ground is always a good sign... Pearson 34-246-3, Habich 14-20-122-1-1, Sims 2 interceptions, G Nugent, C Buckley both 6 KRB (out of a team total of 23!) Week 16: (13-1) Arizona 34-3 New Jersey (1-13) Another potential letdown game, but another solid performance keeps us ticking along. Pearson 19-88-2, Habich 23-34-285-2-1, LT Wenger 5 KRB At this point, FOF crashed on me - unfortunately, I hadn't saved the game since week 8, so I have to lose this nice little winning streak... |
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05-17-2003, 06:18 PM
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#11 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2012 season (take 2...)
A summary of the position I'm restarting at: Arizona are going into their bye week (week 9) with a 7-1 record, having just beaten St. Louis 38-13. The team is reasonably healthy, with only NT Darren Palmer out for the year (there are a few relatively minor injuries in the squad, but not many). The 7-1 record is maybe a bit flattering, with 5 of the wins being by a touchdown or less, but how much you win by doesn't really matter if you're winning games... Week 9: Bye Week 10: (6-2) Detroit 6-31 Arizona (7-1) A very solid win over a decent team - the score maybe flatters the Rats a bit though. Becnel 21-73-1, Habich 13-20-132-1-0 RB Lonnie Meyer is out for the year after this game - he's put on injured reserve, with the spare roster spot filled by signing rookie free agent Andrew Matias. Week 11: (8-1) Arizona 16-20 San Francisco (7-2) A big divisional matchup, and the Rats come up just short - we'll have a chance of revenge in week 17. Pearson 20-95, Habich 19-39-239-1-1, Clayton 4-67 Week 12: (3-7) Miami 3-24 Arizona (8-2) Nothing spectacular, but a good solid performance to beat a lesser team. Pearson 25-104-1, Habich 17-20-188-2-0, Newman 5-67, LB Carlson 6-1-2.0, LT Wenger 5 KRBs Week 13: (5-6) Washington 3-31 Arizona (9-2) The team continues to get the job done in the games we're expected to win comfortably - unusual for my teams, as we always seem to drop at least one 'easy' game each year... Pearson 23-104, Habich 15-22-181-3-3, Dolliver 4-86-1, DE Muse 1-0-1.0 sacks, 1 interception (!) Week 14: (10-2) Arizona 26-10 New England (9-3) A very complete performance - moved the ball well offensively, and the defence didn't allow the Patriots to do much. Pearson 28-165-1, Habich 24-31-222-2-1, Wenger 6 KRBs Week 15: (11-2) Arizona 27-24 St. Louis (5-8) I never like being the overwhelming favourite, and it almost cost us here - the Rats were favoured by 14, but struggled to keep up with the Rams early on. Teddy 'One Man Offence' Pearson 23-174-2 rush, 4-30-1 rec, Habich 16-20-236-1-1 Week 16: (12-2) Arizona 30-24 New Jersey (2-12) OT Big favourites once again, and we're lucky to sneak a win - had to drive for a late field goal at the end of regulation, and scored with less than a minute to play in overtime... Pearson 23-71, Habich 29-42-414-3-0, Dolliver 6-184-1, Becnel 10-77-1 rec This win guarantees the Rats homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Week 17: (10-5) San Francisco 6-20 Arizona (13-2) Told you we'd get revenge for the defeat earlier in the year... Pearson 28-91-1 rush, 5-30 rec, Habich 16-22-138-0-0, DE Leech 5-0-3.0 Not quite as good as the game I lost, but almost as impressive - homefield advantage is always a good thing, but we need to be able to make the most of it (and hope that there isn't a team sneaking into the Super Bowl like we did last year...) |
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05-17-2003, 09:05 PM
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#12 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Connecticut
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Quote:
I feel for you man. I can't tell you how many times I've had a dominating team performance lost because of the game crashing on me. Fortunately, I save after every game so I only have to restart the one game.
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GM of the Milwaukee Muscle Men of the ZFL. The 1st team in ZFL history to have a perfect losing season. I am on a quest to show that the Dolphins can win the Super Bowl. Or should I say Front Office Bowl, with FOF2K7. The revival of an old favorite, FOFC Wrestling Dynasty |
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05-18-2003, 11:45 AM
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#13 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Quote:
It happens Didn't lose out on too much this time (think I ended up a little better off on the injury front, which was a bit of a bonus), but it doesn't always happen that way - got a bit lucky this time! Martin Last edited by MartinD : 05-18-2003 at 11:49 AM. |
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05-18-2003, 11:55 AM
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#14 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2012 playoffs
Divisonal Round - San Francisco at Arizona The 49ers got into the playoffs as the second wild card, and made it past Dallas in the Wild Card round - it's familiar foes for the Divisional Round this year! One win each between the two teams this year, with our week 17 win not really having any significance for either team by that time. The Rats are favourites by a touchdown for this game, but you should know how little this means to me by now... San Francisco start the better of the two teams, and the Rats defence has to work hard to keep them in check. On the other side of the ball, Phillip Habich is having a nightmare - the QB throws 5 first-half interceptions out of six possessions. It's a difficult position at the half - the offence just hasn't done anything right, but we're only 6-0 down thanks to some great defensive play. The coaching staff did a great job with their half-time team talk, as the offence comes out rolling in the third quarter - 5 plays, 66 yards, ending in a Becnel rumble from 8 yards out for the touchdown. A 49ers interception gives the Rats good field position later in the quarter, and we take advantage of the gift, with little-used RB Desmond Gore having his 15 minutes of fame, scoring from 3 yards out. The defence forces San Francisco into a 3 and out, and the offence puts the game away with another solid drive, the score coming when Habich managed to find a guy on our team for a change, Becnel taking the ball into the endzone to put Arizona 21-6 up. The 49ers managed a late TD to make the last few minutes interesting, but we managed to hold on for a 21-13 win. RB Gore 25-81-1, Habich 19-33-180-1-6 (a game he'd rather forget...), Clayton 3-64, LB Turner 2 interceptions, DE Leech 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble Unfortunately, FB Teddy 'One Man Offence' Pearson suffered a fractured leg bone in this game, and will miss the rest of the season. NFC Championship Game - Atlanta at Arizona The press try to make a big thing of this game (given that I was the GM of a reasonably successful Atlanta team before I moved out to run the Desert Rats), but I refuse to bite - it's been a long time since I was running the Falcons, and I don't want to rake through ancient history. On the field, the Rats got a decent start, chewing up almost half of the first quarter on the opening possession - only a field goal, but in the lead nevertheless. The Falcons put together a solid drive of their own late in the first, but they managed to finish the deal to lead 7-3 after 1. Another decent drive from Atlanta set up a field goal, but the Rats came back with another long drive, ending on Habich to Nuston from 7 yards to tie it at 10 going in at halftime. Atlanta got the ball first in the second half, though, and rolled down the field once more - only three plays, but they covered 79 yards, and put the Falcons ahead by 7 once more. After an exchange of punts, the Rats managed to find the big play, with Harris Becnel breaking a 60-yard run to tie the game once more. Atlanta's response was to put together yet another long drive, this time 80 yards in 15 plays, to go ahead by 7 once more - this proved too much for the Arizona defence, as they couldn't stop the Falcons on their next drive either. Habich forced too many passes in the last couple of minutes in an effort to turn it around, and paid by being intercepted twice. Final score 31-17 Atlanta, and we're done for the year. Becnel 23-170-1 rush, 6-22 rec, Habich 15-24-102-1-2, Cedeno 5-0-2.0 sacks Atlanta got blown out in the Super Bowl, with Cincinatti winning a one-sided game 42-17. Season stats Passing Phillip Habich (14 starts): 239-363-2917-20-14 (qbr 92.6) Jesse Branch (2 starts): 48-78-600-2-3 (qbr 77.9) Habich was solid once again, but he's maybe throwing too many picks for the style of offence we run. Rushing FB Teddy Pearson: 297-1311-7 (avg 4.4) RB Lonnie Meyer: 77-340-3 (avg 4.4) Pearson showed that he can be the feature back this year - I'm hoping that his leg fracture isn't too serious... Receiving WR Clay Dolliver (12 games): 36-715-5 (avg 19.8) WR Wes Clayton: 34-678-7 (avg 19.9) TE Sam Newman: 52-663-2 (avg 12.7) FB Teddy Pearson: 52-301-3 (avg 5.7) FB Harris Becnel: 48-308-2 (avg 6.4) Plenty of targets for Habich to aim at - we don't have a real 'go-to' guy, but plenty of solid receivers make it difficult for opponents to key on any one guy. Run defence S Marvin Neal: 84 tackles, 41 assists LB D.J. Mickelson: 79 tackles, 28 assists LB Lorenzo Ruth: 77 tackles, 29 assists LB Johnny Cedeno: 75 tackles, 18 assists LB Kevin Turner: 71 tackles, 25 assists The 3-4 defence tends to mean that no one player ends up with huge numbers of tackles, and it showed this year - the LBs were relatively healthy this year, but no-one really stood out with lots of tackles. Pass rush DE Gino Leech: 8.0 sacks, 11 hurries DE D.J. Muse: 8.0 sacks, 16 hurries DT Courtney Tubbs: 7.5 sacks, 11 hurries LB Johnny Cedeno: 7.0 sacks, 6 hurries Not really what you'd expect from a 3-4 - the linebackers are meant to make the big plays. Good performances from the line, especially Tubbs, who was forced into the lineup with the injury to Darren Palmer in preseason. Pass coverage CB Winfred Sims: 9 interceptions (2 TDs), 8 passes defenced LB Johnny Cedeno: 4 interceptions (1 TD), 4 passes defenced S Marvin Neal: 2 interceptions (1 TD), 19 passes defenced Sims is a great cover guy - unfortunately, he's a restricted free agent after this year, and this performance means he's going to want silly money... The rest of the secondary performed solidly, and it's always a bonus to have the linebackers chipping in on pass defence as well. Blocking RG Jerome Nugent: 44/101 KRB (43.5%), 8 sacks allowed LT Johnny Wenger: 33/94 KRB (35.1%), 6 sacks allowed LG Devin Voigt: 31/126 KRB (24.6%), 3 sacks allowed Decent play from the line this year - the only weak spot was at RT, where Fernando Kramer struggled a bit. Special teams K Brady Carl: 14/16 FG (long 53), 27/27 XP P Tracy Creighton: 43.1 average, 29 inside the 20 PR Teddy Nuston: 9.1 average punt return KR Blaine Burroughs: 25.6 average kick return Solid special teams for the Rats this year - Carl was a bit of a surprise, as we didn't really expect much from a mid-season signing. Season awards Unsurprisingly, FB Teddy Pearson was the 1st team fullback - he was joined on the 1st team by LT Johnny Wenger. RG Jerome Nugent was the only Desert Rat to make the 2nd team. 2012 wrapup This is probably a better team than the Rats team which won it all in 2011, but we couldn't get the job done when it mattered this year - difficult to say why (although losing Pearson in the first playoff game was certainly a factor). This might have been our best chance, though, as this team won't be staying together for much longer due to the salary cap - I simply won't be able to afford to keep everyone. This was a good season, though - I'm looking to build on this next year. |
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05-22-2003, 01:41 PM
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#15 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 season
Herb rated last season as 62 - again, it's the franchise value that's dragging us down (and there isn't much I can do about that...) The salary cap this year is $122.3m, which means I must leave at least $30.6m cap room free at all times. A bit of work to do on the staff front this year - scout Dana Bjorlin is out of contract, and coach Bernie Owens seems to be slipping a little. I make an offer to coach Irv Shields (solid young coach, whose only weakness is in motivating players) and scout Darren Wicher (good reputation for the offensive skill positions and for young players). Both accept, and we have a new staff in Arizona. No franchise tag this year - there's no-one worth using it on. Free agency We go into free agency with 41 players signed and $38.1 cap room free - a little bit tight, but should be workable. Only one unrestricted free agent this year - WR Bucky Mitchell - and we don't really need to resign him after drafting Roberts and Clayton last year. The restricted free agent list is a bit more extensive, and includes a couple of starters from last year: QB Greg DeMarco RB Desmond Gore RB Warren Farley RB Andrew Matias C Chad Sato RG Jerome Nugent RT Billy Joe Reid NT Phillip Porter DE Noel Harris CB Winfred Sims SS Rick Sinclair I would like to resign Sims, but he will be wanting silly money (although he's as good as there is when it comes to cover cornerbacks). Nugent is probably easier to replace, so is unlikely to be resigned. New Jersey make a trade offer at the start of the free agency period - QB Phillip Habich for a veteran offensive lineman and the first pick in this year's draft. Habich is a solid QB, but I know I won't be able to keep him around for longer than his current contract (which expires after next season). There are a few decent veteran QBs on the free agency list, though, so it's not like I'll be going back to signing lots of rookie free agents to find a guy who can get us through the year without too many disasters. The first pick in the draft is a bit of a poisoned chalice - the cap hit will be difficult to cope with, but I would be able to pick up a star (or add some extra draft choices in a trade down). Looking at the draft, there is a good-looking QB available (i.e. star-quality if he lives up to his potential), and that sort of guy is worth the silly money that the top pick in the draft commands (even if it means that we end up with less talent in other places). Given this, I accept the trade offer. Given that cap space is now likely to be at a premium, I decide not to sign any free agents this year. Near the end of the free agency period, I do the usual round of signing restricted free agents and renegotiating contracts: Restricted free agents resigned: RT Billy Joe Reid: $1.29m over 2 years K Brady Carl: $1.19m over 2 years Renegotiated contracts QB Jesse Branch: $1.76m over 2 years QB Perry Boddy: $1.19m over 2 years LG Byron Norton: $1.19m over 2 years Released: RT Fernando Kremer - saves $1.7m CB Jermaine Boselli - saves $2.2m This leaves the team with $43.0m cap room (with 40 players signed) heading into the draft (although the expected cap cost of our draft picks is over $11m). Draft The Desert Rats pick 29th in each round this year, and also have the first pick overall in the draft. This gives us a difficult decision - what do we do with the first pick? The cap cost will be very high with no chance of redemption if we make a bad pick, but it will be worth it if we get a star player... The only player worthy of the top pick is QB Ken Bradford, who is potentially a guy to build a franchise around - we have enough talent at the skill positions on offence to give him a shot at being productive straight away, but we simply can't afford for him to be a failure. In the end, I decide that the risk is worthwhile - there's a very good chance that we'll get a great QB out of it. (Bradford's rookie contract ends up being fairly reasonable as well - maximum cap hit of around $9m in the last year, which is less than I expected (although it's still a very significant amount of cap room, given that the Rats have an effective cap of around $90m this year...)). Our other first round pick isn't quite as vital for the future of the franchise, but it's still pretty important - we should be able to get a starter out of this pick. The big needs for the team now we have a QB to build around are the right side of the offensive line, defensive line and cornerback. The best player (Luther Hancock) available doesn't directly fill any of these needs, as he's a left tackle, but he should be able to switch to the right side fairly well. At the bottom of the second round, I don't see anyone that stands out as a good pick, so I work a trade with New York to drop down a few spots - I don't get much in return (their 7th round pick this year for our 7th next year), but it will mean we get the player we would have picked at the bottom of the second just a little bit cheaper. The big need to fill here is at cornerback, where whoever we pick has a very good chance of starting straight away - CB David Best looks to be the most solid player available, so we select him. Our other third-round pick goes on undersized DT Freddie Powell, with the intention of shifting him outside. Picking Powell allows me to work a trade with Buffalo - DE Jerome May and our 5th round pick next year for Buffalo's 2nd round pick next year. This gives Powell a chance to play this year, and gives us an extra high pick next year. Our remaining picks go towards depth (and trying to pick up a diamond in the rough as well). Our 5th-round pick looks promising - RG Mike Stiggers is raw, but a powerful blocker, and may well end up starting some games this season. After loading up with rookie free agents, we head to camp. Post-camp roster Code:
Ken Bradford looks like he's for real, and will be our starter from day 1. This draft was also productive further down, with RT Hancock, RG Stiggers and LDE Powell all likely to be starting for the Rats in our opener. Is this as good a team as last year's? Difficult to say - obviously, the offence isn't likely to be as good with the change to a rookie QB, but the defence should be solid if we can find a way of covering up our weakness at cornerback (Parrish will take one side, with Best and Ramirez the leading contenders for the position of 'the guy the other team will be picking on'). |
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05-31-2003, 03:44 PM
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#16 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 season
Preseason: 2-2, with only one injury - DE Freddie Powell will miss the first half-dozen games as he recovers from a broken leg. Week 1: St. Louis 24-22 Arizona QB Bradford almost pulled off the fourth-quarter comeback, but the Rams kicked a late field goal to pinch the win. QB Bradford 19-36-278-2-2, FL Roberts 8-183-2 Week 2: (0-1) Arizona 10-6 Indianapolis (0-1) Scrappy, ugly, but it's a win... FB Pearson 11-52-1 rush, 7-27 rec, Braford 24-44-234-0-1, SE Dolliver 7-100 Week 3: (1-1) Arizona 6-16 Detroit (0-2) The offence simply couldn't get on track in this one, and the defence wasn't able to bail us out this week. Pearson 10-65, Bradford 16-27-130-0-2 Week 4: (1-2) Arizona 17-20 Tampa Bay (1-2) A little better from the offence, but the improvement kicked in too late to be able to come back. Bradford 15-27-132-0-2 plus 5-60-1 rush Injuries are piling up a bit on the defensive line, with three players out for the next game - things are so bad that LB Carlson is starting at RDE... Week 5: (1-3) Seattle 15-26 Arizona (1-3) A big divisional game, and the offence came through... on the ground. Pearson 19-174-1, Bradford 13-18-98-0-2, DT Tubbs 2 sacks, DE Muse 2 sacks With Bradford struggling to come to terms with the pro game, I decide to start veteran Jesse Branch in week 6. Week 6: (2-2) Atlanta 28-31 Arizona (2-3) Trailing 28-14 midway through the fourth, backup QB Ken Bradford entered the game, and pulled off the big comeback. QB Branch 17-27-266-2-2, Bradford 7-10-112-1-0, Dolliver 6-116-1 Week 7: Bye Week 8: (3-3) Arizona 40-10 St. Louis (2-5) Revenge for the close loss in week 1 - we made sure that it wasn't close this time! Pearson 14-94, Branch 15-24-204-3-0, Dolliver 6-94-3, Tubbs 6-1-2.5 sacks Despite Branch's good showing in this game, his stint as the starter was only ever going to be temporary - Ken Bradford is the future of the franchise and needs to play to develop, so he's starting in week 9. Week 9: (4-3) Arizona 44-21 Carolina (5-3) Good win against a decent team on the road - always good... Bradford 19-28-242-3-0, Dolliver 6-121-1, Tubbs 2 sacks Week 10: (3-4-1) New Orleans 24-14 Arizona (5-3) A bad start put us in a 21-0 hole early - we pulled it back to 21-14, but couldn't get any closer. Pearson 8-48, Bradford 20-47-248-2-3, Dolliver 8-128 For the third year running, our kicker is missing too many field goals - Georgopulos gets waived, and is replaced by Matthew Malek (not a great leg, but shows good accuracy). Week 11: (4-5) San Francisco 3-21 Arizona (5-4) Another good divisional win gives us a 2-game lead in a weak NFC West. Bradford 12-22-193-1-0, Dolliver 5-138-1, LB Turner 5-1-2.0 sacks, 1 interception (1 TD) Week 12: (6-4) Arizona 15-13 Jacksonville (3-7) The Rats led for most of the game, but fell behind to a late Jaguars score - there was just enough time left to give new kicker Malek a chance, and he didn't disappoint. Bradford 19-26-194-1-0, TE Allen 6-60, DE Leech 2 sacks Week 13: (3-8) Dallas 20-24 Arizona (7-4) We're struggling to put away the poor teams - the Cowboys drove to the Arizona 1 inside the final minute, but couldn't get in. Bradford 25-35-181-0-0, LB Cedeno 8-1-1.0 sack, 1 interception (1 TD) Week 14: (5-7) Tennessee 26-31 Arizona (8-4) A better offensive performance, but only just enough - the team seems to be a little inconsistent at the moment... FB Becnel 20-82-1, Bradford 23-43-273-0-2 (plus 8-39-2 rushing), Clayton 4-83 Week 15: (9-4) Arizona 19-13 San Francisco (6-7) OT Another scrappy win, but enough to clinch the NFC West - admittedly, there wasn't really a lot of competition, but you can only beat the teams you're put up against. Bradford 17-35-204-1-1 (including game-winning TD), S Neal 1 interception (1 TD) Week 16: (9-5) Houston 16-23 Arizona (10-4) The Rats got 23 by the half, and managed to hold on from there. Pearson 10-67, Bradford 18-29-181-2-0, Dolliver 6-96-2 A couple of injuries from this game - FL Wes Clayton and SILB D.J. Mickelson are both out for the year (no players signed at the moment, as we've got reasonable cover in those positions). Week 17: (11-4) Arizona 20-13 Seattle (7-8) Solid win in a pretty meaningless game. Bradford 18-28-218-1-0, Dolliver 6-110, S Neal 2 interceptions The 12-4 record is good for a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs and home playoff games all the way - not bad for a 'rebuilding' year with a new QB... |
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05-31-2003, 05:28 PM
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#17 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Connecticut
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Glad to see this dynasty is still going. I'm still reading. Keep up the good work.
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GM of the Milwaukee Muscle Men of the ZFL. The 1st team in ZFL history to have a perfect losing season. I am on a quest to show that the Dolphins can win the Super Bowl. Or should I say Front Office Bowl, with FOF2K7. The revival of an old favorite, FOFC Wrestling Dynasty |
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05-31-2003, 06:20 PM
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#18 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Real-life stuff is getting in the way a bit (it's really the wrong time of year for me to be on the PC, as summer is for golf, not sitting inside in front of a monitor...), but I'll post updates when I get the chance to play.
Martin |
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05-31-2003, 10:21 PM
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#19 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Connecticut
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Quote:
I know what you mean. We just found out last week that my wife is pregnant. To say I've been a little over protective of her since then is an understatement. I've been a little excited. Anyway, keep up the good work when you have time. 
__________________
GM of the Milwaukee Muscle Men of the ZFL. The 1st team in ZFL history to have a perfect losing season. I am on a quest to show that the Dolphins can win the Super Bowl. Or should I say Front Office Bowl, with FOF2K7. The revival of an old favorite, FOFC Wrestling Dynasty |
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06-06-2003, 05:18 PM
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#20 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 playoffs
Divisional round - New York at Arizona The first round bye gives us a chance to rest up - FB Pearson is now fully fit, and several other players are healthy enough to suit up for the divisional round. Our opponents are New York, who were unfortunate to get only a wild card with an 11-5 record (Philadelphia won the NEast on the tiebreak). The Rats start the game as 3-point underdogs despite playing at home. Neither team's offence is really in rhythm at the start of the game, and the first possessions end up with punts. The Giants' punter gets off a good kick, though, and forces the Rats to start from their own 2 - we get out of the hole with a useful drive to get back into decent field position. This pays off in a hurry, as a defensive stop is followed by a short Giants punt and a long pass from Bradford - Dolliver comes down with the ball, 54 yards and a touchdown - 7-0 Rats. Rattled by the quick score, the Giants give the ball away on their next two possessions, and Arizona take advantage on a Malek field goal and Bradford to Newman to lead 17-0. New York recover their composure on their next drive, though, and get back to 17-7 on a Fontaine TD pass. Malek adds a field goal late in the half, and the Rats go in 20-7 up. As so often happens, the break in play changes the momentum - New York come out firing and catch Arizona just a little off. Fontaine fires another TD pass to close the gap to 6, and the Rats' offence can't reply. The Giants press home their advantage early in the fourth, with Fontaine throwing his third TD of the game to put New York ahead by a point at 21-20, but the Rats claw the lead back with a long drive (15 plays, 72 yards, just over 7 minutes) for a field goal - not a TD, but enough to cause a big shift in momentum. The defence then comes up with another big play, intercepting Fontaine for the third time in the game late on to seal the win. Top performers: FB Pearson: 26-116 rushing, 3-17 receiving QB Bradford 21-26-217-2-0 SE Dolliver 3-70-1 LB Cedeno, LB Turner and S Neal had the interceptions. Not our best performance, especially in the second half, but we did enough to win and advance to the NFC Championship game, where we'll be playing Philadelphia. NFC Championship Game - Philadelphia at Arizona The Eagles are a very solid team, led by star QB Andy Clough - our secondary will have to play a very solid game here (something we've struggled with all year - we have three starter-quality DBs...) The Rats win the toss and get the ball first, but can't mount a sustained drive - the Eagles show us how it's done on their first two possessions, driving 59 yards for a field goal to open the scoring, then 85 yards on 15 plays, ending with a Clough TD pass to put Philadelphia up 10-0. The Arizona offence finally wakes up at this point, with Bradford finding Dolliver for a 47-yard TD pass. The defence then do their job for the first time in the game, but the punt is a good one which pins the Rats back inside their own 5, and the pressure proves too much - three and out, and Philadelphia take advantage of the short field, with Clough throwing his second TD pass of the game to put his team up by 17-7. Matthew Malek has a chance to pull us within a score before the half, but misses from 47 to leave us in a 10-point hole going into the half. Malek makes up for his miss early in the third, nailing a 39-yard kick to make the score 17-10. After a solid defensive series, Bradford tries to force a deep pass and is picked off - the Eagles can't take advantage though, missing a field goal try from 37. Taking advantage of the break, the offence puts together a long drive - 73 yards in 11 plays, ending in Bradford to Pearson from 2 yards out for the tying touchdown. Not to be outdone, Philadelphia go on a long drive of their own - the Arizona defence tightens up just in time to hold them to a field goal, but the Eagles now lead 20-17 with less than 9 minutes to play. The Rats' offence again go on a long drive, but are stopped inside the red zone. Malek comes on the field to tie it up, but misses from 25 yards, and the Rats are in trouble with only three minutes left. The Eagles try to run down the clock, but the Rats' defence steps up to get the ball back for Bradford and the offence - 59 yards from the endzone with 1:59 left. Five plays later, and it's fourth down at the Philadelphia 23 - time for Malek to redeem himself? The kick sails between the posts, and it's tied at 20. Philadelphia can't move the ball, and we're headed to overtime... Arizona win the all-important coin toss and get the ball first. The offence has been doing a good job of ball-control late in the game, and keep it going on this drive - 15 plays, 61 yards later, and Malek is called into action once again, this time to win it. The misses now long forgotten, the kicker drills it through from 36 yards, and the Desert Rats are going to the Super Bowl again! Top performers: Bradford 25-42-380-2-1 (plus 7-31 rushing) Dolliver 7-180-1 TE Sam Newman had to leave the game early with an injured shoulder - he'll miss the Super Bowl. TE Ralph Giannino is signed to fill the roster spot. 2013 Super Bowl - Arizona vs Pittsburgh The Steelers are true to their roots - not a flashy team, but very solid throughout. One problem they'll have to deal with is at QB - their starter, Donald McKenna, was injured in the AFC Championship game, and will miss the Super Bowl, leaving 2nd-year QB Kenny Huffman as their likely starter. Despite this, the Steelers are slight favourites to win. Huffman does start the game at QB for Pittsburgh, and shows no sign of nerves on the first drive - 9 plays, 70 yards, finding Lincoln from 13 yards out for the opening TD of the game. The Rats also move the ball well on their first drive, but stall in scoring range - Malek is good from 40 to make the score 7-3. A short punt and decent return from Teddy Nuston gives the Rats great field position, but we're forced to settle for another Malek field goal. The defence forces Pittsburgh into another three and out, though, and this time the offence takes advantage, driving 37 yards in 3 plays, with the Bradford to Dolliver combination creating yet another TD for the Rats. The momentum seems to be with Arizona, but the Steelers drag it back, a quick drive for a TD levelling it at 14. Not to be outdone, the Rats' offence puts together a rapid scoring drive of their own, going 79 yards in 4 plays, with backup RB Pierce-Lackey breaking a 55-yard run for the go-ahead score. This was the last score of the first half, although Pittsburgh missed a 45-yard field goal - Rats lead 21-14 at the half. The Arizona offence started the game hot, but cooled down as the Steelers' defence got into the game. The coaching staff did a great job on half-time adjustments, though, with two long scoring drives to set the tone for the rest of the game - 70 yards in 12 plays after a penalty on the kickoff return to start the second half set up a field goal, then 79 yards in 12 plays ending in Bradford to Roberts from 12 yards put the Rats up 31-14. Pittsburgh got back within 2 scores on a field goal with about 9 minutes to play, but still needed some big plays to get back into the game. A Dolliver fumble gave the Steelers that big play, with DT Ty Duffy picking up the loose ball and rumbling 60 yards for the TD with 4 minutes to play. The Rats then tried to kill the clock, but a Bradford interception gave Pittsburgh one last chance, but the Arizona defence came up with the big play that sealed the game - a fumble forced by Weaver, recovered by Carlson to snuff out any hope of a comeback. Top performances: Pearson 15-63 rushing, 6-30 receiving Bradford 27-31-250-2-1 (plus 3-25 rushing) Dolliver 5-69-1 QB Ken Bradford was voted the Super Bowl MVP. Definitely a surprise to win it all this year - starting a rookie QB is normally a good way to have a losing record, but Bradford looks like he's the real deal - slow start, but he came on strong at the end of the year. The defence was solid all year, especially the secondary, where we managed to hide our weakness at cornerback relatively successfully. Season stats Passing Ken Bradford (14 starts): 265-458-2918-14-15 (qbr 73.3) Jesse Branch (2 starts): 42-71-613-6-3 (qbr 97.9) Understandably, Bradford struggled a bit at the start of the season, but he improved markedly as the year went on. Branch showed that he is a very capable understudy who can step in if required. Rushing FB Teddy Pearson: 193-892-5 FB Harris Becnel: 90-450-3 QB Ken Bradford: 71-336-3 The 'dual FB' backfield got the job done again this year - Pearson missed a few games with injury, which explains why his numbers are slightly down, but Becnel was solid in relief. We don't want to see Bradford run as much, but his mobility gives defences something else to think about. Receiving SE Clay Dolliver: 59-1063-8 FL James Roberts: 37-634-6 FL Wes Clayton: 27-464-1 FB Harris Becnel: 48-302-1 FB Teddy Pearson: 47-264-1 TE Deron Allen: 32-274-0 Dolliver is our best receiver, and showed it this year, even with missing three games through injury. Clayton and Roberts split time on the other side, with Roberts just coming out slightly the better. Becnel, Pearson and Allen provided solid outlets for the QBs (with TE Sam Newman also contributing when healthy). Run defence OLB Kevin Turner: 93 tackles, 34 assists ILB Lorenzo Ruth: 86 tackles, 30 assists S Courtney Weaver: 82 tackles, 31 assists OLB Johnny Cedeno: 73 tackles, 26 assists The front seven did a good job against the run this year - they made more plays, allowing the secondary to concentrate more on pass defence. DT Courtney Tubbs has to take a lot of credit as well - he doesn't show up in the leading tacklers list (he ended the year with 54 tackles), but his play made things much easier for the linebackers. Pass rush DT Courtney Tubbs: 10.5 sacks, 24 hurries DE D.J. Muse: 9.0 sacks, 13 hurries DE Gino Leech: 5.5 sacks, 17 hurries A good year from the starting defensive line - the change in defensive scheme to cover up for the weakness in the secondary meant that the linebackers would be asked to blitz less and help out the secondary more, so the pass rush would have to come from the guys up front. Pass defence S Marvin Neal: 8 interceptions (2 TDs), 13 passes defenced CB Leonard Parrish: 4 interceptions (2 TDs), 16 passes defenced LB Kevin Turner: 3 interceptions (1 TD), 14 passes defenced LB Johnny Cedeno: 2 interceptions (1 TD), 11 passes defenced CB David Best: 2 interceptions, 8 passes defenced A surprisingly good year, given my concerns about our weakness at CB after Parrish - the production from the linebackers came as a pleasant surprise. Blocking G Devin Voigt: 38/96 KRB (39.5%), 5 sacks allowed C Rob Buckley: 35/95 KRB (36.8%), 4 sacks allowed G Mike Stiggers: 19/51 KRB (37.2%), 9 sacks allowed T Luther Hancock: 17/65 KRB (26.1%), 11 sacks allowed T Johnny Wenger: 13/36 KRB (36.1%), 4 sacks allowed Not a bad year from the offensive line given the enforced changed - rookies Stiggers and Hancock made mistakes, but did enough good things to overcome the mistakes. Special teams K Matthew Malek: 10/14 FG (long 53), 15/16 XP P Tracy Creighton: 41.3 average, 46 inside the 20 KR/PR Teddy Nuston: 8.8 average punt return, 25.3 average kick return (1 TD) We struggled a bit with our kickers - Malek was no better than decent, and is unlikely to return next year. Creighton was solid if unspectacular, while Nuston continues to do a good job on returns (as well as filling in as the 4th receiver). Not really the numbers of a Super Bowl team, maybe, but the team had no real weaknesses - the perceived problems in the secondary were covered over well with a solid defensive scheme and great performances from the players who needed to step up to make it work, while the offence managed to cope with breaking in three new starters without too many problems. The problem now is managing to keep the key parts of the team together - it's almost certain that we're going to end up losing several important players in the coming offseason for salary cap reasons, so it should be a good challenge to keep the Desert Rats in the upper level of the league. |
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06-09-2003, 04:08 PM
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#21 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2014 season
Herb gave us a 66 for last year - the franchise value is still dragging us down, but there isn't really much I can do about that (we're still in the initial 15 year lease for the stadium, so no chance of renovations or improvements). No retirements this year - again, this does not come as a shock, given that we had the youngest team in the league last year. The salary cap this year is $127.9m, which means I have to leave at least $32.0m cap room free at all times - the team starts the year with 37 players signed and $45.4m cap room free, so there may be a bit more room for manoeuvre than I thought. No change of coach or scout - can't really fire the guys I hired last year given how the team performed, can I? No change in ticket prices, as I've bumped prices up a couple of times recently - we're still making a loss each year, but it's not a good idea to rip the fans off too badly when you're not selling out the stadium. With several free agents this year, I decide to use the franchise tag for the first time - C Rob Buckley is tagged, as the cap cost is only a little over $5m. Free agency As I've just said, we have several free agents this year - this is the reason that the cap situation looks a bit healthier than I thought it might be. SE Teddy Nuston LG Devin Voigt C Rob Buckley (franchised) P Tracy Creighton OLB Kevin Turner OLB Johnny Cedeno Four starters as free agents at the same time - not good management... (slaps wrist) I also have a number of starters in the last year of their current contracts, so I'll not be able to do much shopping in free agency this year. Team needs: The big need is at outside linebacker, with the two starters from last year likely to be wanting silly money to come back (and I can't afford to pay them, simple as it gets). The interior of the offensive line needs some help, and we could do with a decent RB if there's one going. Special teams is not a high priority, but we need to pick up a return man, as well as a solid kicker and punter. A couple of trade offers at the start of free agency - Washington offer a 2nd round pick and a reasonable TE for LT Johnny Wenger (rejected, mainly because of the cap hit - Wenger still has three years left on his current contract), and New Jersey offer their 2nd round pick and a decent young RB for DT Courtney Tubbs. This is an offer I have to consider, as Tubbs is in the last year of his contract (and will want too much money to be worth offering an extension) - I don't like to lose a young player of this quality, but I don't really have any choice - picking up a high draft pick and a RB who's likely to be a big contributor (on a low salary) is well worth it for a guy who's gone at the end of the year anyways. I decide to make offers to a couple of low-priced young veterans to fill some holes in the roster: SLB Lewis Wilkins: $690k over 1 year WLB Clyde Hilliard: $2.34m over 2 years Both sign early on - Wilkins in week 1, Hilliard in week 2. The Rats' free agents attract some attention - Devin Voigt goes to Buffalo for almost $70m over 6 years, while Johnny Cedeno signs for New England for $57m over 4 years, both in week 2. Kevin Turner goes to New York in week 3 (again for over $10m per year). After the initial flurry of activity, nothing happens until the usual rash of resignings and renegotiations at the end of the free agency period: Free agent offer: SE Teddy Nuston: $5.10m over 3 years (accepted in week 20) Restricted free agents resigned: QB Preston Matthews: $550k over 1 year FB Danny Whitted: $2.12m over 3 years C Zack Steed: $550k over 1 year Renegotiated contracts: QB Jesse Branch: $2.08m over 2 years FB Teddy Pearson: $18.5m over 5 years TE Sam Newman: $18.4m over 5 years LG Byron Norton: $1.51m over 2 years RT Billy Joe Reid: $1.51m over 2 years SILB Darrell Ragan: $7.00m over 3 years SS Marvin Neal: $13.20m over 4 years FS Carlos Makredkakis: $1.51m over 2 years Released: LT Bucky Scialabba (saves $1.41m) QB Perry Boddy (saves $690k) NT Wendell Hartmann (saves $660k) C Rob Buckley (saves $5.14m) Trades RB Lonnie Meyer and next year's 7th round pick for Tampa Bay's 4th round pick next year I decided that the cap room which was being used for Rob Buckley's franchise player contract could be better used elsewhere (and that a decent center is reasonably easy to find), so he was released. Not a bad free agency period, with several starters, solid backups and role players resigned to long-term deals. At the end of the free agency period, we have 39 players signed and $42.8m cap room free - expected draft cost is a little under $8m (for 8 players), which should be enough to pay for a full roster. 2014 draft This draft is a little bit different to usual - a heavy trading year sees the Rats without picks in the 5th and 7th rounds, but additional picks at 9th and 30th in the second round. As Super Bowl winners, we pick 32nd in the rounds where the pick hasn't been traded. OK, so we're not going to get a superstar at 32, but the four picks between 32 and 64 should produce at least three solid starters. The big needs this year are offensive line (where we currently have two starting tackles and precious little else), outside linebacker (last year's starters both left through free agency) and cornerback (one starting-quality player, and he's gone after this season...) Depth in virtually every position is also something which needs to be addressed - most of our starters are signed past this season, but I need to think further ahead than this year if I want to keep the team competitive. Given our wide-ranging needs (and the cap position) there's really no point in trading up, even though I have enough picks to move up if needed - never say never, though (if a really good player drops far enough... The first thing I notice at this point is how thin the talent level at linebacker is this year - I may well end up being better off going with the guys I already have! Offensive line isn't all that much better, with a few guys I'd consider taking late in the second, but there looks to be a first-round quality prospect at corner still available - Thomas Van Lanen - who's got the skill set I like to see (decent in man coverage and reading the play are the key areas), which makes it an easy decision. The lack of talent in my other need positions makes me wary of reaching with the first of the second-round picks - I should be able to get similar-quality players further down - so take the player that offers best value. Surprisingly, this is another CB (the best ones are usually off the board by now) - Leroy Schroder isn't as good in coverage as Van Lanen, but is a big hitter who will make plays. Two picks down, and I now have two guys who have a good chance of being half of my starting secondary for the next few years. Back to filling needs at the bottom of the second - there's not much quality left at center, but one guy does stand out from the pack. Marco Richard is a better run blocker than pass protector, but I can work with that - nothing says that Ken Bradford has to carry the offence by himself! The other pick at the bottom of the second goes on a lesser need - defensive end isn't our weakest position, but it's never a bad thing to have quality backups at DE to give your starters a bit of rest during games. J.J. Boone is a bit undersized, but should be a good enough player to make up for it. A bit of a problem with our third-rounder - there's a really good FB on the board (by 'really good', I mean potentially better than either Pearson or Becnel), but should I be improving on a strength when there's weaknesses still to be filled? In the end, the shortage of talent on the offensive line makes my mind up for me - I can't afford not to take the best available lineman right now, simple as it gets. LG Wesley Eriksen is good enough to be our starter from the first day of training camp, which is good going at the bottom of the third round. Our remaining picks go on improving depth - neither pick was used on a linebacker, as there was no-one worth the pick remaining on the board... After the draft, San Francisco offer a trade - their first round pick next year plus a DT who's too expensive to keep for DE Gino Leech. We're a bit long on defensive ends after the draft (as I drafted two guys who look like they might be useful players), so I decide to take the trade - leaves us a bit light on the defensive line, but we should be OK. Signing our draft picks left us with 46 players signed and $35.2m cap room free - with rookie free agents signing for $420,000, that should be enough room to give us a full roster. After loading up with the aforementioned rookie free agents, we head to camp... Post-camp roster Code:
No real changes at the offensive skill positions - RB Griffith is our nominal starting RB, but Pearson will see most time at RB. The offensive line is a different matter, though - we're going to have two rookies starting on the OL again this year (LG Eriksen and C Richard). With the development of QB Bradford, we should have a better offensive team this year. I'd be shocked if the defence was anything like as good - the front seven has been ravaged, and I'm looking at four new starters (NT, RDE, SLB and WLB), with two being rookies. The secondary has improved (it'd be a shock if it hadn't given that I've used my top two draft picks there...), which should allow me to work out a scheme to cover up our weaknesses up front. |
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06-14-2003, 05:54 PM
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#22 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2014 season
A few changes to the gameplan for this year - we're a bit stronger (and deeper) at corner, but the outside linebackers are a lot weaker (especially in coverage), so we're going to blitz the OLBs more (as this fits their strengths better) and play less double coverage - this will put a lot of pressure on first round pick Van Lanen, but I think he's up to the task. On offence, the line is in a state of transition, with two rookies starting in the middle - the guys coming in are better at run blocking than pass protection, so it only makes sense to make use of their talents (which will hopefully keep QB Bradford upright for the whole season... Preseason: 2-2, with two close losses - not that I'm worried, as I never play the full team in preaseason (usually give a few young guys a chance to impress...) One big injury in the exhibition games - RG Mike Stiggers is out for most (if not all) of the season with a knee ligament injury (MCL rather than ACL, but still pretty serious nevertheless). Week 1: San Francisco 7-17 Arizona Not our best game, but good enough to open the season with a win. QB Bradford 21-36-252-1-3, TE Newman 7-76, LB Cote 7 tackles, 2.0 sacks, NT Cosgrove 2.5 sacks Week 2: (0-1) Denver 13-10 Arizona (1-0) Again the Rats didn't look very sharp - the offence should be producing more than this. FB Pearson 14-73, Bradford 24-30-224-0-0, SE Dolliver 6-71, OLB Carlson 7 tackles, 2.0 sacks Week 3: (1-1) Arizona 0-16 Chicago (1-1) What's up with the offence? The defence is playing well enough for us to win games, but the offence can't move the ball or score points. Pearson 11-71, Bradford 12-25-134-0-0, ILB Ruth 12 tackles Week 4: (3-0) New York 23-13 Arizona (1-2) Another frustrating game - good offensive production, but too many turnovers. Pearson 12-52 rush, 5-32 rec, Bradford 28-45-310-1-2, Dolliver 6-119, Carlson 7 tackles, 2.0 sacks Week 5: (1-3) Arizona 7-17 Dallas (1-2) Another week of offensive ineptitude - the only Rats TD came on a blocked punt return... Bradford 13-30-109-0-1, Ruth 12 tackles, ILB Mickelson 10 tackles With the offence struggling, I decide to start QB Jesse Branch in our next game, to see if he provides a spark. Week 6: (1-4) Arizona 41-12 Philadelphia (2-2) The offence got it going, but not quite as I thought it would - a Ramirez interception return for a TD got things started. Pearson 13-115 rush, 5-25 rec, Branch 16-29-160-4-0, S Weaver 9 tackles Week 7: (4-1) Seattle 0-30 Arizona (2-4) Big win over the division leader - still a long way back, but this gets us a little bit closer. Branch 15-28-168-1-2, Bradford (played 4th quarter) 6-7-52-1-0, Dolliver 9-123-1 I put Bradford back into the starting lineup for our next game, hoping that the break has done him good. Week 8: (6-1) Washington 16-13 Arizona (3-4) Another 'not quite' game - missed a field goal to tie late on. Bradford 21-31-269-1-3, FL Roberts 4-78-1 Week 9: Bye At this point in the season, the Rats are three games back in the NFC West, and two games out of a wild card spot - need to finish strong to make the playoffs this year. Week 10: (3-5) Arizona 30-22 St. Louis (3-5) A game we controlled throughout - the Rams got a couple of garbage time TDs to make it look close. Pearson 18-72 rush, 6-41 rec, Bradford 26-37-243-3-0, Dolliver 5-109-1 Week 11: (4-5) Arizona 21-14 San Francisco (5-4) Another solid performance against a division rival. Bradford 23-36-338-2-0, Dolliver 7-168-1 Week 12: (5-5) Kansas City 17-38 Arizona (5-5) A very useful offensive performance - almost 500 yards of total offence is rarely a bad thing. Pearson 18-129-1, Bradford 18-27-282-3-3, Newman 5-77-2 Week 13: (3-7-1) New Orleans 10-16 Arizona (6-5) Not our best, but good enough to beat a poor Saints team. Pearson 18-59-1 rush 6-32 rec, Bradford 17-31-135-0-1 With four games to play (the next three on the road), the Rats are two games behind division leaders Seattle, and one game out in the wild card race. Week 14: (7-5) Arizona 24-17 Oakland (8-4) Big win against a good team on the road. Pearson 15-55-2 rush, 5-34 rec, Bradford 29-42-330-1-2, Newman 7-79, Roberts 7-92, Carlson 2.0 sacks Week 15: (8-5) Arizona 19-17 Seattle (10-3) A must-win game if the Rats are to win the division, and we just about scraped through - a Diaz field goal with 11 seconds left wins the game. Pearson 12-66-1 rush, 5-23 rec, Bradford 17-26-141-0-0, Doliver 5-71, ILB Ragan 9 tackles The Rats are now one game behind Seattle in the division, and miss out on the second wild card only on a tiebreaker... Week 16: (9-5) Arizona 27-16 San Diego (5-9) After pulling out big wins in the last two weeks, there were definite possibilities of a flat performance this week - it wasn't pretty, but the team ground out a win. Bradford 22-34-203-3-0, Dolliver 7-103-2, Carlson 10 tackles, 1.0 sacks The win leaves us still a game behind the Seahawks, but we now hold the second wild card position. Week 17: (5-10) St. Louis 34-31 Arizona (10-5) Win to get into the playoffs, and we come up short. The defence came up with two interception returns for TDs, but also gave up 3 passing TDs in the second half as the Rams came from behind to end their season on a high note. Bradford 23-36-237-2-2, Clayton 7-116-1, Carlson 6 tackles, 2.0 sacks The performance was a bit patchy this season, but we put together a good run in the second half of the season to give ourselves a chance of making the playoffs - a 10-6 record was a very remote possibility at mid-season. There are definitely areas which need to be improved... |
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06-15-2003, 05:14 PM
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#23 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Season stats
Passing Ken Bradford (14 starts): 300-473-3259-18-17 (qbr 81.3) Jesse Branch (2 starts): 31-66-328-5-3 (qbr 68.2) Bradford did show an improvement this year, but started the year very slowly and still tends to throw too many picks - he's our QB for the next few years, but he's going to have to show a major improvement if he wants to stay long-term. Rushing FB Teddy Pearson: 216-969-6 (4.4 avg) RB Brent Griffith: 93-363-2 (3.9 avg) FB Harris Becnel: 76-286-0 (3.7 avg) QB Ken Bradford: 60-256-0 (4.2 avg) The team wasn't quite as run-oriented as I intended at the start of the season, and it shows in the rushing yards. Pearson continues to be a solid starter, wiht no real standouts behind him. Receiving WR Clay Dolliver: 58-1018-6 (17.5 avg) WR James Roberts: 35-524-3 (14.9 avg) WR Wes Clayton: 27-402-1 (14.8 avg) TE Sam Newman: 40-447-5 (11.1 avg) FB Teddy Pearson: 61-379-0 (6.2 avg) Injuries caused us problems at receiver this year - Dolliver, Clayton and Newman all missed several games, and it hurt our passing game. This could be a weak area next year, as Clayton and Dolliver are both free agents (and it'll take silly money to resign either...) Run defence ILB Lorenzo Ruth: 95 tackles, 37 assists OLB Jessie Carlson: 72 tackles, 22 assists ILB D.J. Mickelson: 70 tackles, 22 assists A decent year from a run defence point of view - gave up 92 yards per game (at 3.7 yards per carry). Pass rush OLB Jessie Carlson: 14.0 sacks, 12 hurries DT B.J. Cosgrove: 7.5 sacks, 13 hurries CB Leroy Schroder: 5.0 sacks, 4 hurries Carlson did a good job rushing from the edge, with Cosgrove providing solid push up the middle. None of the defensive ends put up big numbers (although the rotation system used and some injury trouble were partly to blame for that). Schroder was a pleasant surprise in the pass rush - the system we used this year gave him a chance to show off his rush skills as well as his talents in coverage. Pass defence S Marvin Neal: 7 interceptions (2 TDs), 16 pass defences, 33 passes caught S Courtney Weaver: 2 interceptions, 19 pass defences, 28 passes caught CB Leonard Parrish: 2 interceptions (1 TD), 26 pass defences, 46 passes caught A solid year for the secondary - rookie CB Van Lanen struggled a bit (allowing 48 catches), but the other three starters more than made up for that. Blocking RT Luther Hancock: 29/80 KRB (36.2%), 6 sacks allowed LT Johnny Wenger: 23/62 KRB (37.0%), 6 sacks allowed LG Wesley Eriksen: 20/67 KRB (29.8%), 15 sacks allowed C Marco Richard: 19/66 KRB (28.7%), 10 sacks allowed RG Byron Norton: 14/71 KRB (19.7%), 6 sacks allowed A bit of a makeshift line inside (two rookies and Norton playing on the wrong side), and it showed - both tackles had good years, though. Special teams K Bennie Diaz: 26/43 FG, 35/36 XP P Roger Jennings: 39.9 average punt, 26 inside the 20 KR/PR Teddy Nuston: 9.6 average punt return, 22.0 average kick return KR Harvey Ramirez: 23.4 average kick return Once again, the lack of a quality kicker hurt the team - we lost several close games where Diaz missed a field goal. Jennings was nothing special, but the return game was solid. Two Desert Rats made the All-League teams - CB Leonard Parrish was voted to the second team, while FB Teddy Pearson took up his usual place as the first team fullback. Final word In hindsight, the team wasn't as bad as the slow start would suggest, but neither was it as good as the fast finish - a 10-6 record is probably about right, and shows that last year's Bowl win was a bit of a fluke. Losing both starting outside linebackers made a difference, but not as much as it might have - Carlson in particular stepped up to fill the hole. The big problems came on the offensive side of the ball - just goes to show that you can't shuffle linemen in and out of the team and still expect the offence to work as well. There are problems on the horizon - the main one being that we have two receivers who'll be testing free agency next year - but there is reason for hope, with most of the other starters returning for another season next year. |
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