QuikSand Browns, 2015-

[QuikSand]

QuikSand Browns, 2015-

This thread continues the story of my Cleveland Browns. The franchise was begun using FOF 2001, and employing one of several "empty cupboard" strategies. I released all the team's players received through the league distribution draft, and started with a clean slate, without ever using any real NFL players. From that point, the building process was slow, but we eventually built up to contender status, and then won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Since then, the team has remained a contender, but a neutral observer may well argue that the team is "past its peak."

I have been playing with really only one significant house rule: all contracts signed outside the 20-stage process are for the duration requested by the player (no 7yr deals with rookie free agents, no multi-year deals with post-camp free agents). Past that, only the usual stuff: my ticket prices aren't the league highest, and I am not backloading contracts unreasonably.

Here is the GM Performance detail through the 2014 season:

GM Performance for Michael Sanderson of the Cleveland Browns

Year__Team__Eval__Perf__Diff__Proft_FrVal_Record____Playoffs
2000__CLE___48____0_____72____93____37____0-16-0____None
2001__CLE___49____2_____72____90____41____0-16-0____None
2002__CLE___38____0_____74____75____24____1-15-0____None
2003__CLE___48____40____75____75____27____7-9-0_____None
2004__CLE___42____0_____75____67____41____4-12-0____None
2005__CLE___50____54____75____56____38____9-7-0_____None
2006__CLE___48____8_____74____57____60____6-10-0____None
2007__CLE___60____72____75____60____51____11-6-1____Division Final
2008__CLE___56____70____74____57____44____10-7-0____Wild Card Round
2009__CLE___79____100___73____89____61____16-3-0____Bowl Winner
2010__CLE___75____100___71____66____69____17-2-0____Bowl Winner
2011__CLE___76____95____70____70____71____13-6-0____Conference Champion
2012__CLE___71____70____70____65____79____10-7-0____Wild Card Round
2013__CLE___73____90____69____60____76____14-3-0____Division Final
2014__CLE___64____70____71____52____69____11-6-1____Division Final

At this point, the team still has a superstar-grade QB in Jesse Morse, and we have moved increasingly toward 3-WR sets to boost our rather prolific passing game. The defense has been very strong against the run (with a pretty highly cohesive and talented front seven) and has improved against the pass. We have a total superstar at safety in Billy Joe Franklin, and recently made a free agent acquisition to improve at cornerback.

The full details of this career can be viewed at this site: http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb/...ML/000043.html

At this point, we begin the 2015 season and are hoping to make a step forward. We do so without RB Aaron Valentino, the franchise-caliber RB who led us through our best seasons, but left as a free agent for 2014. Our running game suffered a bit, but a few youngsters led by Adrian Montes filled in fairly admirably. This year, we'll attempt to build around our star QB, an hope for another strong playoff run.

[QuikSand]

2015 preseason

Our front office is fine, just having been signed last season. Team profits sank last year from $42m to $9m, largely due to a significant ($25m) increase in coaching costs. We also paid a lot in bonuses, as we extended deals to get under the salary cap for 2014. I bump ticket prices a bit, staying with the market.

I finally can offer a stadium proposal. I don't intend to wait around for the VR boxes, assuming they are still present. We're putting in an offer right now. We put in for a totally public-funded state-of-the-art stadium, with capacity for nearly 100,000. Hey, what the heck-the worst is they say "no."

This year, we have 39 players already signed for contracts this year, which will reduce the difficulties expected. This number reflects the retirements of LB Marlon Sweeney-a longtime contributor for us, who had been admittedly marginalized in recent years-and CB Trevor Richard, a reserve CB who had hung around for several seasons. Both players suffered ghastly injuries last season. With only 7-14 slots to fill, we have $16.8m in room under the cap of $142m-probably enough to sign one expensive free agent, plus our rookie class.

Among our players up for free agency, WR Lorenzo Hawthorne and DE Cedric Corsarie are the most critical. Since I drafted a solid WR in last year's first round, I feel better equipped to replace Hawthorne. Corsarie is an interesting case-he was a 3rd round pick (by me) in 2011. After three years as a backup, his contract expired, and I let him walk. Following camp, he had emerged as a vastly-improved player, and after I sent away my presumptive starter in a trade, I picked him up on a one-year deal. He played well last season, despite injuries that limited him to only a half-season of work. I think he's ready to become a major contributor to this team-I designate him my franchise player. DT Andre Billmaier, my next best free agent, is almost certain to go elsewhere.

I am offered 3rd round picks for top veteran players, but refuse all the offers.

In free agency, my scout rates WR Hawthorne as the very best player available. I'd love to bring him back, but his demands are in the $10m range-and I just don't think that will be possible. My cap room had bumped to $19.6m, but I'll need $10m for my rookie class, and probably $8m to sign DE Corsarie. I don't see any amount of simple movement that would get us another $10m in room.

I start the FA process without a single bid on any player. WR Hawthorne immediately gets a big for over $12m. In week 6, he signs with Washington for nearly $13m a year. In week 10, I make an offer to secure a decent TE Marcus Maryland. I sign DE Corsarie, and it costs just a little more than the $8m I had forecasted. This, however, invalidates my offer to the TE. I restructure a few deals, and then wait ti re-approach TE Maryland. Unfortunately, San Diego sneaks in and grabs him before I do.

I come out of the FA period empty handed, save for my own franchise player.

In the draft, I hold two first round selections (both from trades last season) and they are #15 and #24. I have a variety of needs-I'd like to add a star-caliber RB, and my team is getting thin at WR and TE. My OL and DL are both pretty solid right now, so my other needs would likely be at LB and CB.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - O.J. Jordan, LB, Colorado State
Rnd 1 - Dale Strong, CB, Southern Methodist
Rnd 2 - Chester Welch, WR, San Diego
Rnd 3 - Gino Stanton, RB, Notre Dame
Rnd 3 - Toby Boettcher, DT, St. Francis, Pa.
Rnd 4 - Johnny Hansen, RB, Dayton
Rnd 5 - J.R. Gaiter, QB, Rutgers
Rnd 5 - Everett Henderson, TE, Washington State
Rnd 6 - Matt Giles, LB, Elon College
Rnd 7 - Mike Gray, CB, San Diego State

I'm pleased with the first round LB, but the CB is pretty light on endurance for a first round pick. He does, however, project to be a great cover man, so I'll take the risk. I'll follow my 6th round pick closely-I deliberately took a player there who had no apparent potential for development-his bars were all red, and practically no green. He'll either be a decent #5-6 LB for a couple of years, or perhaps he'll turn into something more.

My stadium proposal fails 51-49. This give us some options, at least.

I make a trade with Tennessee, which I think will be good for both teams. They get two young offensive players in RB Hugh Monroe and QB Allen Conway. We get their #1 pick next year. This deal also clears out the necessary cap room to sign all my rookies. I use my remaining cap room to lock up TE Claude Burgos to a three-year deal. I pick up one undrafted rookie before going into camp-just to see what happens to him. I select another "all red" guy, TE B.J. Eichlotz.

After camp, I make the stroll through my young players. Very bad news-LB O.J. Jordan is a rookie camp bust. His actuals fell from in the 40s to in the single digits. His potentials fell from the 70-90 range to the 40-60 range. He now projects to be a #4 or 5 LB at best, assuming he develops. Ouch.

Everybody else looks okay. An interesting story is LB Matt Giles-my 6th round pick (also at LB). He originally had ratings that were all red, practically no green-and all around 20-30 with endurance around 50.. Now, his ratings have jumped up a bit: 40/62, 30/57, 38/56, 34/50, and 82. This further supports the fledgling theory that these odd-looking rookies who seem to have no growth potential might have a shot to be "sleepers." This guy looks to me like a 2nd or 3rd rounder, rather than the 6th round reach he seemed at the time. Incidentally, the TE I grabbed late did not develop at all.

My biggest concern is that I only have 6 LBs on the roster, and rookie Jordan and 3rd year man Geoff Rains have not developed into the roles I had envisioned for them. I trade Rains to Chicago for their 5th round pick next year-his contract was up after this year anyway. This brings my cap room up to $1,260,000-almost enough to sign a decent free agent LB. I release the rookie TE "experiment" Eicholtz, and I have some cash to spend. I bring back my old friend, Martin Pelletier-who has never played for another team, but has spent a lot of time waiting for his phone to ring. He'll slot in as my #4 or #5 linebacker-hopefully not to get too much time on the field.

Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Jesse Morse 16 16 9 2016
QB Rico Meadows 5 10 3 2020
QB J.R. Gaiter 3 10 1 2016
RB Gino Stanton 6 13 1 2018
RB Johnny Hansen 5 13 1 2017
RB Adrian Montes 8 11 3 2015
FB Al Dodge 8 10 2 2016
FB Christian Terry 8 10 2 2015
TE Claude Burgos 10 14 4 2017
TE Everett Henderson 3 11 1 2017
WR Horace Warren 14 14 10 2016
WR Cary Harvey 10 14 2 2017
WR Archie Jarman 11 13 7 2016
WR Chester Welch 3 11 1 2017
WR Warren Rasmussen 8 11 2 2017
C Preston Valencia 11 15 4 2015
C Donnie Alcott 6 9 3 2020
G Tim Ephraim 9 13 4 2015
G Lawrence Everett 7 13 2 2015
G Derek Schneider 10 10 6 2017
G Nick O'Donnell 7 10 3 2015
T Nicky Heusel 12 13 3 2016
T Rusty Lyon 11 11 13 2016
T Warren Warren 6 9 3 2020
T Damon Cortez 9 9 3 2020
K Dwayne Davison 8 8 4 2015
DE Cedric Corsarie 13 16 5 2018
DE Kris Battle 5 10 2 2017
DE Marcus VandenBelt 10 10 15 2016
DE Monty Peters 5 9 2 2016
DT Toby Boettcher 6 13 1 2017
DT Malcolm Reynolds 12 12 7 2016
DT Mike Gwynn 5 9 2 2015
DT Leon Bonfigli 6 9 6 2016
LB Matt Giles 8 14 1 2016
LB Antoine Buhl 14 14 11 2016
LB Bernie Winslett 13 13 6 2016
LB Larry Quinonez 13 13 11 2017
LB O.J. Jordan 2 11 1 2019
LB Martin Pelletier 8 9 10 2015
CB Dale Strong 3 13 1 2018
CB Irv Crownhart 12 13 8 2016
CB Kerry de Marco 6 12 2 2017
CB Brian Spencer 9 10 5 2015
CB Mike Gray 5 6 1 2017
S Billy Joe Franklin 18 19 9 2017
S Lionel McGraw 14 14 5 2017
S Kenneth Cassidy 5 7 5 2018

I am pleased with the progress of DE Cedric Corsarie, my latest big investment. His ratings are up to 64/74, 72/90, and 77. I think he has the potential to be an impact player for us, and we're hoping that it starts this season. My longtime anchor DE Marcus VandenBelt only has so many years left in him.

If you noticed that my team lacks a punter-score a point for you. I trade G Lawrence Everett to Bakersfield for their #3 pick next year, and free up the cap room necessary to sign rookie P Blake Carlson.

After setting my lineup, my cohesion stands at: Passing 68 (18th), O Line 77 (16th), Front Seven 86 (11th), and Secondary 81 (7th). This is about as good as it has been for this team-I have had the circumstance of constantly churning through draft picks at over half the position on this team. On the franchise value screen, my roster rating is 100, tied with Cincinnati and only barely ahead of Denver's 97.

For this season, we hope to give Cincinnati a tangle for the division title. I hope that Adrian Montes can have another solid season at RB, and that our young WR Cary Harvey is up to the task of being our #3 wideout. On defense, we want Cedric Corsarie to justify my investment, and help boost our total QB rush effort. If we get things to go well, I think we should be a 12-win team.

[QuikSand]

2015 season

In the preseason, Gino Stanton earns the backup RB role, and probably will see a fair number of carries for us this season. I set playing time for RB Montes to 5 (average) but I may knock that don a bit later. Rookie CB Dale Strong is injured during preseason ,and will miss half the season.

We start out the regular season with two division wins over Baltimore and Tennessee. We win at home over Jacksonville, and things look pretty good. RB Adrian Montes has a broken hand, and so the rookies will get their chance earlier then expected. RBs Stanton and Hansen each score in week 4, as we win Philadelhipa, 23-6. Jesse Morse outduels QB Rodney Harden in their first head-to-head matchup in several seasons-Philly is in some trouble this year, and falls to 1-3 with this loss.

In our much-awaited matchup with Cincinnati, the Bengals beat us at home 24-17, and pull even at 4-1. Pittsburgh remains one half game behind with a 3-1 record. The AFC Central division race promises to be the league's toughest.

After a bye, we get crushed by the lowly Giants-a bad loss. With RB Montes back in, we rebound with a big win over the Steelers. The Bengals are next. We earn a split with the big cats, as we take one on the road, 20-10. Montes rushed for over 10 yards, and Morse threw two TDs to lead us to the big win. At our halfway point, we're up in the division with a 6-2 record. Cinti is 6-3, and Pittsburgh is 5-3. Tennessee is 2-7, which is very good news for my first round pick of theirs.

CB Irv Crownhart- my main cover man-has a hurt shoulder. I give him a few weeks off to rest it- I cannot afford for him to go out for the year. Wins over Washington, Denver, and in Pittsburgh follow-our team is rolling. We reel off three more wins, and move to 12-2 on the year.

At this point, we have locked up home field. I don't want to follow the lead of the Broncos from 1997(?) and rest everyone and come into the playoffs flat-but I also don't want anyone to get hurt here. RB Montes and Stanton have been splitting the workload almost equally-I decide to move Stanton into the starting role fo rhte final two games (he has a shot at a 1,000-yard season). I bench Morse and put in Rico Meadows for the final two as well. CB Crownhart will come back and play in the final two games, to get back into rhythm.

We lose to Buffalo, but then pound Tennessee to close out the season, and we send them to a 3-13 record-which should capture an excellent draft pick for us.

Entering the playoffs, we have a rash of injuries to skill position players (3 of our 5 WRs hurt) and a hodge podge elsewhere. We should be okay, but signing an extra wideout would be advantageous, if we could afford it. I cannot afford to sign anyone, so I instead switch my rookie CB Mike Gray over to WR, to allow him to fill in as the #5 guy as needed.

Stat leaders:

QB Jesse Morse: 3,800 yards, 62.8%, 7.75 ypa, 26/18, 89.1 - a efw too many picks, but a good season again
RB Gino Stanton: 190-872, 8 TD (4.5 ypc) - top ground gainer with only 5 starts, great short-yardage guy
RB Adrian Montes: 159-634, 5 TD (3.9 ypc) - solid season, contributor to the team's success
WR Horace Warren: 82-1,421, 11 TD (55.0%, 5 drops) - best season ever for this franchise at WR
WR Cary Harvey: 76-866, 9 TD (60.8%, 5 drops) - solid effort, will have to step up as playoff starter
CB/KR Kerry deMarco: 23 KR, 795 yards (34.5 avg), 2 TD - also decent at CB, with 3 ints and 33.6 PDQ
LB Antoine Buhl: 80 tackles, 3 sacks - another solid season, moving to the middle for our defense
DEs VandenBelt and Corsarie: 8 sacks each, leading team but somewhat underwhelming
S Billy Joe Franklin: 91 tackles, 8 int, 1 TD, 39.7 PDQ - when are defenses going to stop throwing his way?

Overall stats (off/def/avg):
Rushing: 3.9/3.3/3.8
Passing: 7.5/5.8/6.6

Once again, every component is better than the league average. Our run defense was again very strong, despite my misgivings about my LB corps depth (fortunately, the starters remained pretty healthy). I think our team is fundamentally sound as we head into the playoffs, I just hope that we can find a few guys to carry and catch the ball.

[QuikSand]

2015 postseason

Our opener is against the Raiders. They have a QB who looks like the second coming of Darryle Lamonica-loves to throw deep. I'm not so confident with my secondary to think that he won't have any success-depite having a healthy Irv Crownhart, I still feel that our pass coverage is a team weakness, and that this is the type fo team that matches up well against us.

The first quarter against Oakland goes fairly well-we get a FG on our opening drive, and they cannot move the ball on us. The 3-0 margin holds into the second period. In the second quarter, my backup QB Meadows is in the game. I did not notice an injury to Morse, but he must be ailing. Meadows and the backs lead a drive for another FG, and we lead 6-0 at the half. Our defense has held Oakland to 53 yards of offense-38 of which came on one pass.

In the third, my rookie RB Stanton breaks one around the end for 35 yards, which sets up another FG. I'd like to put them away more firmly, but I'll take the incremental approach, especially now that one play doesn't turn the tables. Late in the third quarter, we get a fumble near midfield, and we travel the short field for our first TD. The 16-0 margin now looks very solid, especially with the way our defense is playing. Oakland fumbles the kickoff, and we recover. Meadows strike immediately to make it 23-0, and all doubt is now removed.

In the fourth quarter, Oakland gets a score on a big defensive play, but it's too little too late, and we go on to win it 26-6. We get to host Denver in the AFC title game, after they dispatched the AFC East champion Jets. QB Jesse Morse is over whatever sidelined him in the Oakland game, and he's ready to go. Meadows filled in nicely, though, with 16-24, 2 TDs and no picks.

Against Denver, we expect a tough game. They stop the run well, and they run well. The air should eb full of footballs.

Early on, we do not disappoint-but we do it on the ground with a 66-yard run by Montes. This harkens back to our best seasons, when we put playoff games away in the first 20 minutes. We do not crush the Broncos early, but we do get another TD before the 20-minute mark, as Morse sneaks one in from one yard out. It's 14-0 at this point, and one more big series could put them away.

Instead, Denver gets something going, and drives for a FG. However, on the kickoff, my CB Kerry deMarco returns it all the way to their 12 yard line. It takes us six plays, but we get in for the TD. A good punt return sets us up in good position, and we strike again, through the air to Warren. Warren hauls in another from 52 before the half, and the rout is on. We coast to a 59-13 win, with Horace Warren nabbing the game ball for a great day: 10-208 yards, 4 TD.

We head into the Superbowl against Chicago, who also went 14-2 on the year. They are a pass-favoring team, led by venerable QB Ernest Montemayor, the defending NFL MVP (and the guy who beat out Morse for first team QB last season). He's three years older than Morse, but he languished in Cincinnati for two whole seasons before blossoming as the Bears' starter. This game looks like a fabulous matchup of two top quarterbacks-but Montemayor's supporting cast has a nearly perfect bill of health, and our group is still patchwork. However, WR Horace Warren is on fire, and looks to help carry the load for our depleted WR corps.

In the early going, it's the defenses that have control. The offenses play conservatively, and both go nowehere on their first try. On our second possession, we are aided by defensive penalties, and get moving-Morse drives us down for a TD pass to Jarman, and we're ahead 7-0. Montemayor answers at the very start of the second quarter, and it's tied 7-7.

Jarman makes another big catch to set up a FG attempt, but it missed wide left. On their next possession, Montemayor takes them down for another TD pass to WR Kalter, and they lead 14-7. A half-ending hail mary by Morse is picked off, and the 14-7 tally holds into the break.

Chicago seems to have momentum-we come out flat on offense, and they move into our territory again. We hold them to a long FG attempt, which misses, but we are not confident at this point-we may need a big play to break things back open. We punt it o the Chicago 3, putting them in a deep hole. Our defense licks their chops, and pin their ears back. We stuff the first run for -2 yards, pushing them to the 1 yard line. The run again, getting just back to the 1. On third and 12, they run again, getting two yards, but forcing a punt.

We take over from their 41 yard line. I have a serious sense of urgency-we have to get points out of this advantageous situation. A dropped pass, a QB sack, and a short dump-off yield us -1 yards of offense, and we punt it back. The rookie punter coffins them once again at their 3 yard line.

The sequence is eerily identical: run for -2, run for 0, run for 2. They punt again, and WR Cary Harvey returns it all the way to their 26 yard line. A holding penalty sets up back, but Morse then gets it to Harvey again-this time in the end zone! It's 14-14, a brand new game with 2:03 left in the third quarter.

We intercept Montemayor on the first pay of the fourth quarter, and take over at the Chicago 49. We cannot move, but our punter earns his wings again, pinning them at their own 6. Regrettably, Montemayor gets them out of the hole and with there completions, into our territory. With 7:08 on the clock, he completes the 94-yard drive, and they advance to 21-14.

Morse and Harvey hook up again to get us to midfield. However, while throwing downfield, Morse gets picked off and returned all the way to our 26, ending the threat and giving Chicago a chance to put us away. They have to settle for a 39-yard FG attempt… which is good. It's a 10-point lead with 3:39 remaining. Jarman is the man, making two acrobatic catches, the second of which is at the Chicago 1 yard line. Morse hits Rasmussen for the score, and we are within 3 points, still with 2:21 left.

We kick a normal kickoff, and put it in our defense's hands. They come through, and force a punt. We take over down 3 points, 1:27 on the clock, no time outs, and we're on our own 39 yard line. This is what it's all about.

We get called for a penalty, and put ourselves in a nasty hole right away, first and 20. After an incomplete pass, we get called for illegal motion, and the hole gets deeper. Second and 25. Morse forces an ill-advised pass, and the Chicago defender grabs it away. Game, set, match. Final score: Chicago 24, Cleveland 21.

QB Jesse Morse, WR Horace Warren, and S Billy Joe Franklin all make the league's first team. Billy Joe grabs his third award as defensive player of the year.

On balance - a better year than we had a right to expect. However, to get that close and come up short is always a bitter pill.

[petrochile]

QS,

Once again great post, I feel your loss to Chicago. These posts make me excited to come into work. Your posts are very engaging. Thanx once again. Like I said before it is always interesting to see how others play.



[This message has been edited by petrochile (edited 11-14-2000).]

[Marmel]

Q-

Just wondering if you could post Morse's career stats up to this point.

Very good season. That last game really sucked. You were every bit as good as them, but there always has to be a winner AND a loser.

Go get 'em in 2016!

Just like your old Hooves threads, you really bring things to life. You should get into play by play or become a writer of some sorts, your style simply forces readers to continue on.

If you are going to post Morse's stats, please post Franklin's. He truly is the leader of your team, glad to see he's getting his dues in the awards finally and he even has one of your SB MVP awards

[QuikSand]

Regrettably, FOF doesn't allow you to do a printout of a player's career stats. I compound that shortcoming by being technically bereft of the skills required to post a screen shot here. I'm left with the read-and-type method.

Here is the lowdown on my best offensive and defensive players:

QB Jesse Morse, 9 seasons, 128 starts
2461/4077 - 60.3% completions
32,529 passing yards - 7.97 ypa
233 TD, 134 Int, Career rating = 90.9
1st team all-pro: 2010, 2015
2nd team all-pro: 2009, 2013, 2014

Very solid numbers, a foundation player at obviously the most important position.

WR Horace Warren, 10 seasons, 146 starts
(first six seasons with San Diego)
760 receptions, 11,701 yards, 87 TD
59.4% reception of passes targeting him
77 dropped passes - only about 6% of targeted
1st tean all-pro: 2009, 2015
2nd team all-pro: 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014

He's lifted my team's passing game to new heights, and put up great numbers even while surrounded by other good options.

T Rusty Lyon, 13 seasons, 208 starts (perfect)
293/850 KRB (34.4%), 94 sacks allowed
Avg season: 23/65 KRB, 7 SA
1st team all-pro: 2011

He's been a stalwart for me, and though he has not achieved the great accolades or posted gaudy numbers, he is rock-solid, plays every game, and never gives up. I have a very clear mental picture of this guy, and he's staying aboard until he decided he's ready.

...and the cream of the crop:

S Billy Joe Franklin, 9 seasons, 144 starts (perfect)
752 tackles (84 per season)
75 interceptions (already the record holder)
7 interception returns for TD
Career PDQ: 47.3
Defensive player of the year: 2011, 2014, 2015
1st team all-pro: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
2nd team all-pro: 2007, 2008
Super Bowl MVP: 2010

This guys is, without a doubt, the most productive defensive back I have ever seen in this game, either FOF2 or FOF 2001. His ratings are nearly flawless (91/91/90/93...94) and he plays that way. He has an interception for TD in six straight seasons, and has intercepted at least seven passes each year of his career. Heaven sent.


[This message has been edited by QuikSand (edited 11-14-2000).]

[Marmel]

Thanks QS!

[RPI-Fan]

Everybody else looks okay. An interesting story is LB Matt Giles-my 6th round pick (also at LB). He originally had ratings that were all red, practically no green-and all around 20-30 with endurance around 50.. Now, his ratings have jumped up a bit: 40/62, 30/57, 38/56, 34/50, and 82. This further supports the fledgling theory that these odd-looking rookies who seem to have no growth potential might have a shot to be "sleepers." This guy looks to me like a 2nd or 3rd rounder, rather than the 6th round reach he seemed at the time. Incidentally, the TE I grabbed late did not develop at all.

After reading this, I tried the same thing in my San Diego career. I picked up CB Adam Kruetz who had ratings something like this:

37/40
38/41
35/37
73
x
x
50

I picked him up in the 4th round as even if he didn't go through the ratings boost that Giles had I'd still have a solid 3rd corner.

After camp, his ratings are:

50/86
58/100
45/80
100
x
x
58

You're a genius, QuikSand!

Great thread, BTW.

------------------
Secant, Tangent, Cosin, Sin, 3.14159!

[This message has been edited by RPI-Fan (edited 11-14-2000).]

[This message has been edited by RPI-Fan (edited 11-14-2000).]

[QuikSand]

2016 preseason

I have two retirements, one was expected and one definitely was not. DE Marcus VandenBelt retires after a very solid career leading our front seven. He never registered the gaudy sack numbers that some players do in a stilted system, but his 138 sacks in 15 seasons still puts him among the all-time leaders. OT Nicky Huesel laves us after only three years-he was developing into an anchor tackle, but he suffered a very serious back injury last season, and he was not able to return to the game.

We hold on to our front office staff. The franchise made $34m last season-once again, we're doing pretty well. Winning seems to do that.

Following the retirements of two expensive players, we have 36 players signed for this year. Under the overall salary cap of $145m, we have $13.3m in room. Since we hold an extra, early first round draft pick this year, we have very little room to move. (The Titans' lousy season last year gives us the #2 overall draft pick)

Our biggest area of concern on the roster will be the offensive line. With Nicky Huesel leaving, we lose a star on the outside. On the inside, we are poised to lose two of our best players whose contracts are expiring-C Preston Valencia and G Tim Ephraim. With an assortment of solid younger players also heading out, this will be another challenging roster management season.

I use the franchise tag on C Valencia, who is very, very good. I'm uncertain whether I'll be able to afford his contract, but I'll reserve my shot by using the tag.

I have a strange idea, and I put the plan into action. We propose a move to one of the cities who most desperately wants a franchise-Columbus, Ohio. It's so rich-I love it. I demand a huge publicly-funded stadium from the erstwhile citizens of Columbus.

In free agency, I realize that my budget is severely limited. My cap room bumps to $15.9, but the expected cost of this draft is listed as $14.3 - so I have precious little room to spare. I do a few contract extensions, which again free up some money, but I still am precluded from pursuing any serious free agents. I do re-sign QB Jesse Morse, which costs a bit more this season, but keeps me from having to seriously bump him on the open market next year. He's now locked up through 2019. I lock up WR Horace Warren for the same period, ensuring that my all-pro tandem stays in place.

My one free agent move: I put in a modest bid for a reserve-grade fullback, and get him after the first week.

I notice, as an interesting aside, that Buffalo ponies up $10m a year for another to years of Hunter Pettus. He's their long-time starter-and was the original starting QB of this franchise in 2001. He wasn't very good back then, but ended up developing into a fairly decent signal caller.

In week 11, it looks like my old friend LB Martin Pelletier may finally get a job with another team. New England is offering him a little over $4m to play for them, and he shouldn't even hesitate-he's been playing year-by-year for me, just getting $1.5 or so each go-round. He pauses, and the Pats go over the cap in week 12. His window of opportunity may have closed just that quickly… he sits idly by as nobody bids again.

Incidentally, Adrian Montes is suffering from the self-aggrandizing effect that is rampant through FOF 2001, and he is demanding $6m a year in a contract extension. Sorry, pal-you're not getting that from this club. He did well for us, but we're handing the reins over to the new blood, namely Gino Stanton.

Similarly, Brian Spencer was a 5-yr starter for me at CB, despite his fairly modest talents. Now, he demands $7m to stick around. Can't do it, as much as I'd like the cohesion factor. Of course, nobody else bites either, but he is stubborn, insisting that his $7m figure is dead-on. The result? He'll almost certainly be dumped into the post-camp pool, and he'll either sit the year out or he'll play for close to minimum salary. Same with Montes, in all likelihood.

Heading into the draft, I really don't know what position I would seek with my #2 overall draft pick if I had the choice. A lock-down CB would be very nice, as would a stud RB.

When I preview the draft, I see who the top prizes are-this is a draft with (in my judgment) a "cliff" effect after its first three players. There is a perfect-looking center, an outstanding QB, and an excellent DT. I figure to get one of the three-I will probably not take the QB in any case.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Claude Archuleta, DT, Kansas
Rnd 2 - Barry Jacobson, FB, West Virginia
Rnd 3 - Bob Dernbach, DT, James Madison
Rnd 3 - Jared Hoffman, LB, Baylor
Rnd 4 - Hardy Gilpin, QB, Rutgers
Rnd 5 - Kurt Whiteford, RB, Washington
Rnd 5 - Ethan Gardiner, CB, Arizona
Rnd 6 - Percy Wallace, K, Michigan
Rnd 7 - Junior Levine, WR, Rice

The early draft is barren at RB-nothing worth drafting anywhere in the top two rounds or so. I trade my first round pick this year and next year to get Tennessee's pick for next year. I figure they will have to be well ahead of me, and I can't locate anyone at #33 in this draft worth a 5-year bonus-heavy contract. I get a DT in round 3 who is, on the surface, almost as good as my top pick appears to be. Between them, they could be a great pair of studs up the middle for years to come. I do a lot of filling in during later rounds, and this year's red-line experiment is WR Junior Levine (he has low skills, but no apparent room for growth- we'll see if he develops any in camp).

Columbus accepts my offer by a 52-48 vote, and we are slated to move there for the 2021 season. I'm a little bit surprised by this, but we'll settle in nicely in the center of the Buckeye State. My tentative team name will be The Ohio Players.

Even without the second of my first round picks, I still do not have sufficient cap room to sign my rookie class. DT Archuleta's starting price is $8.5m for this year, and I only have about half that after signing the rest of the rookies. I clear the way by trading DT Malcolm Reynonds, a long time anchor up the middle for us. I get Detroit's second draft pick next year, but that isn't the main issue-the main thing is that Archuleta MUST come through camp okay. There is no room for a bust here.

I shortly afterwards realize why my alary cap suddenly got so compressed-I haven't worked out a deal with my franchise player, C Preston Valencia. He currently is sitting on $4.3m as the one-year tender. I have just enough room for one extra rookie to go into camp. I snag another return-skilled CB in Cary Plunkett.

We get through camp, and my heart is practically in my mouth. Archuleta looks fine. His potentials stand at 89/100/89… a little bit adjusted from the draft, but still superstar stuff. I have no camp surprises, including WR Junior Levine, who comes out just about as he looked going in-lousy.

WR Archie Jarman is a concern. He is noted as "demanding trade" despite being a 16-game starter last season. I'd like to deal him away, but he is still probable with a broken arm. I decide to get into the season and see if anyone will take him once healthy.

In order to get C Valencia signed to a long-term deal, I need to clear some room. I end up in a trade negotiation with Philly, and things escalate. I eventually acquire their #1 pick, but it is costly-I give up QB J.R. Gaiter, RB Johnny Hansen, and DT Leon Bonfigli. My DT squad will be exceedingly young this season.

I still cannot get C Valencia to take a long term deal, even if I offer him upwards of $9m/yr over three years. I have no idea what his threshold might be, but I cannot find it. I eventually swing a deal with him, which also makes me younger down the middle-I trade Valencia and the #1 pick from Philadelphia, and in exchange I get C Ronnie Blair from the Anaheim Shillers. Blair should turn out to be very good, and he'll be aboard for a good while.

My team now only has one OG signed, 5-yr starter Derek Schneider. I have built of some cap room, and so I make an effort to fill the gaps. I pick up Nick O'Donnell, who's been on my team for three years, on a one-yer deal. I also grab a rookie, J.B. Blades.

At this point, I am one player short, and I am short at RB. Perfect. I see that Adrian Montes is available, and he would be a solid addition. However, Hugh Monroe is also available-he's the other RB I drafted along with Montes. Monroe doesn't have good endurance, but his ball-carrying skills look even better than Montes's. I decide to go with Monroe (I had this debate back in 2014, didn't I?).

I stil have $2.9m in cap room, and I'll use it to sign fill-ins as needed for injuries. For now, we'll go with a 46-man roster, and head into the season.

Here is how the money is distributed:

Roster for the Cleveland Browns

Name # Pos OnTm Ctrc Exp Stat Cap Cost
Morse, Jesse * 9 QB 2007 2019 10 ----- $14,400,000
Crownhart, Irv 38 CB 2013 2018 9 ----- $8,370,000
Archuleta, Claude 99 DT 2016 2020 R ----- $8,270,000
Warren, Horace 84 WR 2012 2019 11 ----- $8,260,000
Jarman, Archie + 85 WR 2012 2016 8 ----- $8,000,000
Corsarie, Cedric 97 DE 2014 2018 6 ----- $7,800,000
Franklin, Billy Joe * 35 S 2007 2017 10 ----- $7,480,000
Lyon, Rusty 79 T 2003 2016 14 ----- $5,060,000
McGraw, Lionel 47 S 2011 2017 6 ----- $4,900,000
Winslett, Bernie 53 LB 2013 2016 7 ----- $4,500,000
Jordan, O.J. 57 LB 2015 2019 2 ----- $4,280,000
Quinonez, Larry 59 LB 2011 2017 12 ----- $4,070,000
Harvey, Cary 83 WR 2014 2017 3 ----- $3,650,000
Buhl, Antoine 56 LB 2014 2018 12 ----- $3,600,000
Strong, Dale 37 CB 2015 2018 2 ----- $2,970,000
Burgos, Claude 82 TE 2012 2017 5 ----- $2,900,000
Meadows, Rico 15 QB 2014 2020 4 ----- $2,700,000
Monroe, Hugh 31 RB 2016 2016 4 ----- $2,400,000
Battle, Kris 95 DE 2014 2017 3 ----- $2,250,000
Welch, Chester 87 WR 2015 2017 2 ----- $2,070,000
Jacobson, Barry 21 FB 2016 2018 R ----- $1,950,000
de Marco, Kerry 30 CB 2014 2017 3 ----- $1,940,000
Cortez, Damon 67 T 2014 2020 4 ----- $1,600,000
Cassidy, Kenneth + 20 S 2012 2018 6 ----- $1,500,000
Rasmussen, Warren 89 WR 2014 2017 3 ----- $1,470,000
Schneider, Derek 66 G 2011 2017 7 ----- $1,400,000
Boettcher, Toby 96 DT 2015 2017 2 ----- $1,280,000
Dodge, Al 34 FB 2014 2016 3 ----- $1,250,000
Warren, Warren 76 T 2014 2020 4 ----- $1,230,000
Dernbach, Bob 90 DT 2016 2019 R ----- $1,130,000
Stanton, Gino 39 RB 2015 2018 2 ----- $1,080,000
Alcott, Donnie 52 C 2014 2020 4 ----- $1,080,000
O'Donnell, Nick 65 G 2016 2016 4 ----- $1,080,000
Blair, Ronnie 54 C 2016 2021 R ----- $940,000
Hoffman, Jared 51 LB 2016 2018 R ----- $920,000
Peters, Monty 98 DE 2014 2016 3 ----- $860,000
Coyne, Carlos 32 FB 2016 2022 2 ----- $780,000
Henderson, Everett + 86 TE 2015 2017 2 ----- $680,000
Carlson, Blake 1 P 2015 2018 2 ----- $680,000
Giles, Matt 50 LB 2015 2016 2 ----- $680,000
Gilpin, Hardy 2 QB 2016 2018 R ----- $510,000
Whiteford, Kurt 22 RB 2016 2017 R ----- $510,000
Levine, Junior 80 WR 2016 2017 R ----- $510,000
Wallace, Percy 3 K 2016 2018 R ----- $510,000
Gardiner, Ethan 23 CB 2016 2017 R ----- $510,000
Blades, J.B. 68 G 2016 2016 1 ----- $490,000

Salary Cap: $145.1 million
Room Under Cap: $2,940,000


And here is the scout overview:

Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Jesse Morse 16 17 10 2019
QB Hardy Gilpin 4 13 1 2018
QB Rico Meadows 7 10 4 2020
RB Hugh Monroe 10 12 4 2016
RB Gino Stanton 10 12 2 2018
RB Kurt Whiteford 5 11 1 2017
FB Barry Jacobson 11 12 1 2018
FB Al Dodge 8 9 3 2016
FB Carlos Coyne 6 9 2 2022
TE Claude Burgos 11 14 5 2017
TE Everett Henderson 6 10 2 2017
WR Horace Warren 13 14 11 2019
WR Cary Harvey 11 13 3 2017
WR Archie Jarman 10 12 8 2016
WR Warren Rasmussen 9 11 3 2017
WR Chester Welch 6 10 2 2017
WR Junior Levine 6 6 1 2017
C Ronnie Blair 5 19 1 2021
C Donnie Alcott 6 8 4 2020
G Derek Schneider 10 10 7 2017
G Nick O'Donnell 7 10 4 2016
G J.B. Blades 3 3 1 2016
T Rusty Lyon 10 10 14 2016
T Damon Cortez 8 9 4 2020
T Warren Warren 6 8 4 2020
P Blake Carlson 7 9 2 2018
K Percy Wallace 8 12 1 2018
DE Cedric Corsarie 12 16 6 2018
DE Kris Battle 6 10 3 2017
DE Monty Peters 6 9 3 2016
DT Claude Archuleta 6 19 1 2020
DT Bob Dernbach 2 11 1 2019
DT Toby Boettcher 5 9 2 2017
LB Antoine Buhl 13 13 12 2018
LB Bernie Winslett 13 13 7 2016
LB Larry Quinonez 13 13 12 2017
LB Matt Giles 8 12 2 2016
LB O.J. Jordan 4 10 2 2019
LB Jared Hoffman 5 8 1 2018
CB Irv Crownhart 12 13 9 2018
CB Dale Strong 7 12 2 2018
CB Kerry de Marco 7 10 3 2017
CB Ethan Gardiner 5 7 1 2017
S Billy Joe Franklin 18 19 10 2017
S Lionel McGraw 14 14 6 2017
S Kenneth Cassidy 5 7 6 2018

Overall, I think we've changed a good deal. The new faces up the middle (C and DT) will be a big test for this year, but I'm optimistic that both of the anchor players will work out. LB Matt Giles progressed nicely again in camp, and will be my #3 or #4 LB. We'll hope that Cedric Corsarie can pick up the leadership mantle left by the retirement of VandenBelt.

But most importantly, we need the offense to keep clicking. OL turnover and RB uncertainty could cause troubles, but we're hoping for a solid effort from Morse and co. This team ought to be a "contender" once again.

[Marmel]

QS-

Big surprise moving the team to Columbus! You may be more hated that Art Modell in Cleveland now. Jeez, the Browns came back to the NFL and are only staying for about 20 years?

Also, I really love how you keep giving us updates on ex-players of yours, and of other players in the league (like the TB QB), it really adds something to your thread.

Keep up the good GM'ing!

[QuikSand]

2016 season

As we get all the pieces into place, our cohesion has moved a bit. We stand at 78-72-70-76, which sounds pretty even across, but actually puts us in the top third in passing and secondary, but in the bottom third with the offensive line and front seven.

My plan is to use Stanton as my main RB, and his "workload" rating is set at 4. I have Monroe set as the #2 guy, and he should be effective in limited use (low endurance, but pretty high running skills). Warren will start at split end, and Cary Harvey will be the flanker and sometime punt returner. This puts the already angry Archie Jarman into the #3 receiver role, which should piss him off even more-I may still try to deal him when he gets fully healed, in a week or two.

Jarman almost sense my interest in trading him-his broken arm heals, but he suddenly comes up with a broken finger. He can play, but it would diminish his trade value, I'm convinced.

We split our first two games, losing in Baltimore with a flat effort.

I shop WR Jarman around, but his $8m price tag is prohibitive, and the best I can get is a 5th round pick from Philadelphia. I decide to suck it up, ride out his bad feelings, and move on after he leaves this year. He'll just have to grouse and grumble from the 3rd WR slot.

Our next game is in Jacksonville, and we lose another tough one 24-20. WR Jarman, of course, now goes out and gets really injured-he's out 2-3 months with a bum knee. Tough break. I pick up a rookie to fill in as the #5 receiver, and move up the others on the depth chart. $8m sitting on the bench hurts pretty badly, especially when you're 1-2. We then lose to the undefeated Jets- a team seemingly on the rise-and fall to 1-3. The walls seem to be caving in on us. We rebound with a win over Tampa Bay, but I am seriously concerned.

We regroup over our bye week, and we come out and beat two powerhouse teams-Cinti and Chicago-who are both having down years as well. We then edge Pittsburgh 22-20, to pull even with them for the division lead at 5-3. We are on a bit of a roll, an ddespite a loss to Cincinnati in week 11, we extend to 8-4, which places us right in the playoff hunt. We're a game up on Pitt for the division, and a game behind Oakland for the #2 seed and bye week. Curiously, New England has emerged as the AFC powerhouse this season, at 11-1. They just missed the playoffs last year at 8-8, but have obviously stepped forward behind a 2nd year QB Kyle Alexander.

Winning at home over Pittsburgh almost seals the division for us. Then, in a big head-to-head matchup, we pound Oakland, and wrest control for the remaining bye week seeding. We win out to go 12-4, and to take the #2 seed in the AFC. Oakland tumbles late in the season, and loses the division to the 11-5 Seahawks. In the NFC, the top three records are all 11-5, and all in the West-Atlanta, St. Louis, and Carolina. Chicago's rally to defend comes up short, as they finish 8-8 but lose the division on a tiebreaker to Minnesota. I have to think that the AFC will prevail this year.

After a very bumpy start, we manage to get engaged and roll through the latter part of the season. We are relatively healthy, with our biggest worries coming on the offensive line. I pick up a spare body in G Ethan Legins, who will help fill in for Schneider, who will miss the playoffs.

Stat leaders:

QB Jesse Morse: 3,930 yards, 59.9%, 7.67 ypa, 23/18, 84.3 - not his beat season, WR quality dipped
RB Gino Stanton: 271-933, 6 TD (3.4 ypc) - disappointing also, had hoped for a step forward
WR Horace Warren: 81-1,261, 11 TD (63.2%, 5 drops) - continues to outperform his solid ratings
WR Cary Harvey: 83-1,059, 3 TD (64.8%, 6 drops) - makes mine among the best 1-2 WR punches
C Ronnie Blair: 34/97 KRBs (35.0%), 5 sacks allowed - my dealing down the middle didn't hurt there
LB Larry Quinonez: 74 tackles, 1 sack - LB corps rotated due to injury, LQ was my most consistent
DE Cedric Corsarie: 29 tackles, 18.5 sacks, 2 blocks, 14 hurries - finally, delivering the goods big time
DT Claude Archuleta: 33 tackles, 10 sacks, 4 hurries - stepped in very well under pressure, DROY candidate
S Billy Joe Franklin: 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5 int, 35.7 PDQ - a down year, but still my best secondary player

Overall stats (Off/def/avg):
Rushing: 3.5/3.2/3.8
Passing: 7.6/6.2.6.6

Overall, we were a better-than-average team, but I honestly don't think we're as good as 12-4 inidcates. We have not had a strong running game, our passing game is off from previous years, and our defense failed to make as many big plays as before. The defensive line put more QB pressure-that's the only area where we are improved, hard to believe.

If I were a betting man, I don't think I'd have money on us in this year's playoffs. Of course, we've been there before, and that counts for something.

[TheDawgsAreOut]

Quiksand, keep up the good work. I only wish that someday my own franchise could reach or even near your status. One question. Not having had FOF2, was it as hard there to achieve popular status? It seems odd to me that Franklin and Morse didn't achieve it for so long.

------------------
Nothing witty - just sending out some love for C-Dub. Let's do it for him again this week - and maybe a little less drama or people are gonna be keeling over in the stands soon!

[QuikSand]

I think the popularity works just about the same in FOF 2001 as it did in FOF2. Some players seem to have intrinsic popularity, and are "fan favorites" or "idolized" almost immediately. Others have to earn it on the field, and doing so is generally a very long-term process.

I don't tyhink about this game aspect very often, but I think the model is pretty good.

Thanks for the kind words.

[lcjjdnh]

Great job you're doing here quick. Good luck, with future seasons. I was just wondering that after a while if you would switch teams seem all the players are fictional anyway. Just to see if you could build them up

[Marmel]

Quik-

I can't wait to see the results of this year's playoffs! You going to get to them today?

I have to tell you I am totally addicted to your empty cupboard thread. I find myself rooting for your Browns like they were my real life favorite football team.

Go Browns!

[QuikSand]

2016 postseason

Seattle wins to face us in our opener. They were an 11-5 division winner, and seemingly did it with smoke and mirrors-no superstar QB, no 1,000-yd rusher, no 1,000-yd receiver, nobody with even 10 sacks, nothing. Their points ration, however, is better than mine: 429 to 274, while mine is 381 to 278. If I had a great team, I'd say that we could just blind them with our "star power" and win here. As it is, I think we may have to work for it-they must have other things going for them. (Including extremely high defensive cohesion, it turns out)

The game starts out on a fine note for the home team. We hold them to one first down, they punt, we cash in a long bomb for a TD, and it's 7-0 after three minutes. However, they grind out a nice drive next, and tie it up midway through the first quarter. After they return a Morse pass for a TD, it's 14-7 Seattle, and oru fans are suspiciously quiet.

They add a late second quarter FG, and then a Monroe fumble gives them a setup for another, and it's 20-7 at the half. Not looking good.

The third quarter is a field position battle, and a draw at that. One minute into the fourth, it's still 20-7, and my punter coffins them at their 1 yard line. It's our best chance for a big play in the second half-and we need one soon. We stuff two straight runs, but can't push them back, and its 3rd and 10 from the 1. Unfortunately, they dig out of the hole, and get to their 30 before they punt.

But fear not, as Cary Harvey takes the punt all the way to the house, and it's 20-14, with 9:52 remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, their receive fumbles the ball, and my reserve WR Rasmussen jumps on it at their 8 yard line. One play-and Harvey is back in the end zone with the go-ahead score. 21-20 and 9:35 still on the clock!

(You know, if you project out this scoring pace, we'll win this thing 252-20)

We stuff them again on their next possession, and we get it back with 7:23 left. Morse is not exactly the "tuck it in and grind out a first down or two" kind of guy-he smells blood. He gets a key first down to Warren, then another on a big draw play, and then guns it to Warren for a 22-yard TD. In a game where we looked dead in the water, now those waters are shark-infested.

Down 8, Seattle gets a quick out, an then connects for a 46-yard pass play to our 14 with 2:29 left. The next play is a 14-yard strike for a TD, and they convert the 2-pointer (of course) to tie it up. We take over at our 36, with 2:22 on the clock.

With 1:15 left, Morse hits Harvey on a 3rd and 9 play, going all the way down to the Seattle 22 yard line. A lousy run and a penalty set up second and 18, but Stanton breaks a nice run for 22 yards, down to the 8, with 27 seconds left. Two runs and a FG later, and we lead by 3 points… with 2 second on the clock. The Seahawks apparently didn't practice their "music city miracle" play as they end up running into one another, and cannot advance the ball past the 25 yard line. Final score: Cleveland 31, Seattle 28.

Needless to say, we have to head into hostile waters now, and go take on New England. They crushed San Diego to advance. They have a good 2nd year QB in Kyle Alexander-he's been pretty solid despite having very ordinary apparent ratings. They are, however, a running team behind a strong offensive line. I think I match up pretty well against this team, and I hope to be able to bottle up their running game.

[I accidentally quick-simmed this game, so you get the Cliff Notes version here]

The Pats start out strong, with two FGs to lead 6-0 through the middle of the second quarter. However, Jesse Morse gets the engines cranked up and leads a 78-yard TD drive to go ahead 7-6 on a TD pass to FB/TE/man-about-town Al Dodge. Morse then leads a textbook two-minute drill to put up another TD pass to RB Hugh Monroe (who is rarely a receiving target) and we lead it 14-6 at the half.

The Pats earn another FG in the third quarter, but they are unable to mount the main part of their game-the power run. Our interior defense just seems too tough for them. Morse fumbles as we approach the NE endzone in the late third, but comes back and gets it in to Cary Harvey on the next possession, and it's 21-9 Browns. That's the final tally, as these Browns make it to their fifth Superbowl in the last 8 years.

In the big one, we will face Atlanta, a rather new face in the top-tier milieu. Their offensive line has been ravaged with injuries, and I'm surprised that they eve made it this far. On the season, they were 11-5, and won the NFC West. On paper, they look like a bit of a longshot to even be here, much less succeed through the playoffs. Their QB threw 13 TD to 19 ints, a ratio I wouldn't be too thrilled with. This is their first trip to the big game… there are a lot of signs here that this could be an easy win for the veteran team with the experience.

On my side, RB Gino Stanton suffered a concussion in the Patriots game, leaving Monroe as our main back, but Stanton will be the #2 guy. All our other starters are in place and ready to go. This may be as healthy a team as I have brought through the playoffs, or at least for a long while.

On our first possession, we move to their 40, then stall out. They respond by driving deep into our territory, but settling for a 20-yard FG. Powered by Morse-to-Warren three times, we drive back and go ahead 7-3. We've played 11 minutes of football, and the audience realizes they are going to be in for a ride.

Atlanta moves into our territory again, but S Lionel McGraw-maybe the best "second safety" in the game-picks off a pass and gets it back for us. We cannot move, but punt it to the 3 to start off the second quarter.

From the 15 yard line, they drop back on third down, and the monster rookie Claude Archuleta bears down on the helpless Atlanta QB, and smothers him, freeing the ball in the process. CB Kerry deMarco (one of my favorite players, for some reason) grabs the ball and marches it 8 yards for the TD. A huge play, and we go up 14-3. The pithy comment from FOF never seemed more obvious: The defense looked very well prepared for that play.

This Atlanta team has an annoying way of converting on third down, to keep things going when it looked like I had their number. Regardless, we exchange mini-drives and punts, and we put them back to their 6-again in the shadow of their own goal line. We don't force the big play, but we do get great field position after a quick three and out. Everyone gets into the act on the first half's final drive, as we get production from FB Jacobson and WR Jarman (we hardly knew ye) on our way to a 19-yard FG. 17-3 at the half.

In the third, Atlanta again converts on third downs twice to keep a drive alive, but they have to punt from our 41. They have actually had success running on us (for 102 yards) but have yet to break a big play, and only have 44 net passing yards. After a little back and forth, the third quarter ends with the Falcons lining up to punt again from their 36.

Another pair of defensive holds, and they punt again with 10:35 remaining. Of course, we are the beneficiaries of a stalemate, sitting on a 14-point lead. We just need to keep holding them, and the offense doesn't need to win it for us. On this drive, we even get RB Whiteford into the mix, and he gets two key carries for first downs. He may gain more yards in the Superbowl than he did in the entire regular season. On third and goal from the 8, Stanton takes it in, and punctuates an excellent day for our whole team to go ahead 24-3. In the final stages,
Kerry deMarco makes a drive-stopping fourth down tackle, and we grind out more clock… and take the big one home by the 24-3 margin.

With the defense dominating the game as much as it did, it's always hard to give out the game ball. Archuleta and deMarco teamed up on the game's most spectacular play, but the MVP honors go to our defensive MVP for this season, DE Cedric Corsarie-whose two sacks both came at big moments, and both killed threats from the Falcons' offense. Cedric passes the trophy around to his teammates Archuleta and LB Larry Quinonez, who himself had 9 tackles.

We are denied any members of the NFL first team all-pro squad, but WR Horace Warren, T Rusty Lyon, and DE Cedric Corsarie are all named to the second team. Interestingly, WR Lorenzo Hawthorne-two years gone from our club-had a career year with 1,400 yards and was named to the first team as its top wideout.

We celebrate our return to the pinnacle of the FOF world. I don't believe that this was the best team we've had (last year's was likely a good deal better) but they stayed healthy, and got it done in the clutch. QB Morse is now a real veteran, and though he didn't have a huge statistical season, he guided the ship as well as we could have asked. Down the stretch, the whole team played better with each game, and they defied my own predictions with a very solid playoff run to their third title. Hats off!

[QuikSand]

Gee, Marmel-- with a lead-in like that, how could I not deliver? I shudder to imagine the day when I actually have to *work* from 9-5 and do not get to do a season of FOF...

[lcjjdnh]

Congrats on the SUper Bowl Win

[Marmel]

Hey Q, congrats on yet another fine season.

I read these boards at work more than I do at home, god forbid I lose my job, then I won't have enough time to be HERE.

[DukeRulesMAB]

Stupid Question Time:

When you (and most other people on the board) type out your "Scout Overview" before a season, it appears that your ratings, both Current and Future, are on a 1-20 scale. Every FOF version I've seen has them on a 1-100 scale. Is there something like a patch or button that I'm missing, or do you all just cut it down to 20 manually?

Thanks, from an avid reader of your reports.

Michael

[QuikSand]

Michael, the scout overview is one of the enigmatic little quirks of the FOF games. Pu it on screen, and it's on a 1-100 scale. Print it out (as I am doing to a text file) and it magically converts to a 20-point scale. Nobody seems to know why this is, but that's the answer to your question.

[QuikSand]

2017 preseason

We posted a $15m profit last season-solid, but down from last season. Doesn't much matter-the good citizens of the growth-by-annexation city of Columbus are already socking away their shekels to pony up for their mighty champions-to-be.

I have no gripes with my current front office staff, so I skip past the hiring periods.

CB Irv Crownhart has retired, which suddenly puts my CB position into pretty serious disarray. Kerry deMarco was a decent #2 guy (his main talents are in returns, but I love this guy for some reason- might be the lower case "d") and young Dale Strong has come along more slowly than hoped. I need to add a player here-hopefully an impact player.

I have 36 players signed for contracts this year. This leaves me with a robust $33.9m to spend under the cap of $155.5m- and I expect the usual "bump" after I get into free agency. I ought to be able to pay out some money this year.

One reason for the cap room is the departure of several quality expensive players, who are now free agents. T Rusty Lyon was promised a job for life, and now he stands as a 15th year player in the free agent pool. For shame. WR Archie Jarman hates me and my family, so he's outta here regardless. LB Bernie Winslett has been productive, but is being pushed by younger players and his particular talents (great run-defender, not much else) are probably not what we need most right now. RB Hugh Monroe did his one year stint, and will seek big money elsewhere now. Same goes for the two guards I signed last year, Ethan Legins and Nick O'Donnell.

Among my restricted FAs, I really like FB Al Dodge-a great receiver, who I have been using as a fill-in TE on top of his backup FB duties. He would be an ideal player to hold on to for something like 1.5x the veteran minimum-but he will no doubt demand much more than that. I'm hopeful that he is available in the post-camp FA market for at least one more year on board with us. LB Matt Giles was my first bona fide training camp breakout, but he only had a 2-year deal, and it is up. He is a guy I should make every effort to keep-he's very solid anyway, but it is also very interesting to me to watch to see if he has more development ahead. I'd rather pay him than the older, less balanced Winslett.

I use the franchise tag on T Rusty Lyon, which should ensure that he returns at a fair price. Among my own players, I'm mentally setting aside about $6m to re-sign Lyon, $5m to re-sign young LB Giles, and perhaps $2m to re-sign FB Dodge. If that's all-even considering that I again have an early draft pick (#4 overall) this certainly leaves me with the cap room to go after an impact free agent, especially a replacement at CB for the departed Crownhart (if one is available). WR and DE are also positions that could use some attention, if the FA market dictates that we go elsewhere.

However, before we reach free agency, we must endure the expansion draft. The two new teams (the Boise City Beefaloes, and the Milwaukee Vouchers) will likely pick away a few marginal contributors. I take a gamble and expose my former first round pick LB O.J. Jordan, whose salary I believe is sufficiently high to dissuade any potential suitors. I'll take a nasty cap whack next year ($4m plus) if he gets grabbed, though.

As it turns out, OJ Jordan and my backup FB Carlos Coyne are both selected. This does free up some cap room for me, at least-I'm now up to $45m in space. I survey my own players, and quickly realize that I have seriously underestimated the money it will take to re-sign LB Giles, my 3rd year RFA. He is seeking almost $17m over only two years-this is going to get expensive in a real hurry, and 45 million bucks doesn't buy what it used to.

The obvious target for my FA attentions is corner back Brandon Lindsay. He's got a lot of upside: he's got excellent pass defense ratings, and has a career PDQ of 37, which is solid. He also is only demanding a $7m deal, meaning that I should be able to get him for under $10m in the worst case. The downside? He was born in 1981, making him 36 years old, and he probably only has a couple good seasons left in the tank. He is far and away the most talented guy available, and I decide to go after him. I start with 4 years, $39m - which I expect will get his attention.

At WR and DE, I survey the available crop, but decide that I simply cannot plunge in with a $10m or higher bid necessary to secure a top player. I resolve instead to fish around the edges, and perhaps try to pick up a cheap fill-in or two.

To my surprise, CB Brandon Lindsay signs with us immediately. I suppose he didn't expect to receive a 4yr deal from anyone, much less the defending champs who have a tart job just for him. I expect that he'll be a good fit for our secondary.

Hugh Monroe gets his big offer- about $12m a year from Philly. However, he waits it out and end up in St. Louis for a little less. My LB Bernie Winslett is mulling a $7.5/yr offer from Green Bay, and eventually takes that deal. I later notice that my old LB O.J. Jordan is in the FA pool, apparently having been released after the expansion draft. (Maybe Milwaukee is playing "empty cupboard" style?) While his current demands are too high, I rather like the irony of him returning to me for this season and perhaps beyond-he was a huge draft-day bust.

I idly notice that my old friend LB Martin Pelletier has come out of his involuntary mini-retirement to sign a deal with the expansion Beefaloes. That sounds about right to me.

I pick up a roster-filler in G Jeff Heath. He's got good skills, but lousy endurance. Hopefully he'll be okay as a #3 guy there, where I project to be thin again this year.

I do work out deals with young LB Giles (for 4 years, hitting me for $4.75 this year) and with venerable T Rusty Lyon (4 years, $6.5m this year). With Lyon, I will take a cap hit after he retires, but I should survive-the deal only had $6m in total bonus. I work out a few extensions, including one with S Billy Joe Franklin-to keep him around a few more seasons, and the same with DE Cedric Corsarie.

I exit the FA period with 38 players on board, and $27m in cap room. I get a trade offer of a 3rd round pick for TE Cedric Burgos, and I happily take it. I only wish I could go back in time to the FA market, and pick up a solid starter for about the same $3m he was slated to make this year. Instead, I re-sign FB Dodge, who has the receiving skills to even step in as my starting TE if need be (I visualize a vintage 1990 Keith Byars here).

I'm excited but also wary of this high draft pick. Last year, picking at #2, I ended up making my rookie one of the most highly paid players on the team, laden with huge bonus money. Had he turned out to be any measure of disappointment, I could have been in very serious trouble. I may face the same thing this season, holding pick #4. I "preview" the draft, and my strong suspicion is that I'd use the early pick on one of two very good CBs available in this draft-which is a need position, admittedly. If the rookie panned out, he'd answer a long-term need for this team that has been lingering for years. My luck with first round CBs has been awful - 2 picks, 2 BIG busts. Without a stud RB looking me in the eye at #4, I think the pick would end up being an overpaid risk. I look to deal down…

I end up engineering a huge trade. We send to Bakersfield a package sculpted to meet their needs: My first round pick (#4) and second round pick (#14) plus three players-QB Rico Meadows, WR Chester Welch, and CB Dale Strong. In return we receive their #1 pick (#12) and an excellent CB in John Donaldson, who has three years left on his 6-yr rookie contract. I also take their seriously overpaid QB Desmond Fleming, who will either be traded or released.

The key to the deal is CB John Donaldson-no risk here (unlike the plan to draft early at CB). This guy will give me the best pair of corners that I've had on this team yet, when coupled with the new addition Brandon Lindsay. I even contemplate releasing Lindsay, to let Donaldson take the # slot across from my incumbent #2 corner, Kerry deMarco. If I recall correctly, there was a baseball player in the early 20th century named John Donaldson who actually toured from town to town with his "John Donaldson All-Stars" and played against a bunch of semi-pro clubs across the South. I have the same vision for my JD-he is actually John Donaldson V, a direct descendant of the legendary athlete and showman of days gone by. (Gee, now if I can just get a guy named Paul Robeson…)

This trade does thin me out even further at WR-now Rasmussen will be my #3 wideout, and my #4 hob is up for grabs. I expect that I'll go after a fill-in free agent here anyway, but I now believe that my middle-round pick may go at the receiver position. I release QB Fleming, whose $9m salary was totally unjustifiable. This season, however, I may have the cap room to sign a veteran fill-in at QB to back up Morse, especially now that my security blanket (Rico Meadows) has landed elsewhere.

QBs dominate the early draft, which is fine by me. When my pick at #16 comes up, I don't know what to do with my good fortune. One of the top corners that I had coveted is still available, as is a great-looking LB and an incredible safety. The WR selection is okay, but not spectacular. There seem to be a lot of "pretty good" WRs, and I gamble that I can still get one in round 2.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Billy Joe Philips, LB, Utah
Rnd 2 - Cary Gant, RB, Texas - El Paso
Rnd 3 - Corey Harper, RB, Murray State
Rnd 3 - Edwin Stoffel, FB, UNLV
Rnd 4 - J.B. Gaskins, G, Washington
Rnd 5 - Bernie Reynolds, C, Oregon State
Rnd 6 - Brock Hopkins, LB, Virginia
Rnd 7 - Ernest Hunter, TE, Pittsburgh

Had a weird bug in this draft. I had the very last pick, and after I took it, the screen said it was still my turn. I made another pick, and then the system would not allow me to continue, but said it was now the 8th round. I exited, and got the usual post-draft treatment, with no mention of the player I selected with the "phantom extra pick. However, on my roster sits QB Vernon Bell, "mister irrelevant plus one." Odd.

LB Billy Joe Phillips not only doubles my complement of Billy Joes (or is that Billys Joe?) but he should add nicely to my LB stable. He has solid current ratings, and should develop into a fine all-around LB with very good run stopping skills. I considered his teammate from Utah Sherman Cochrane very seriously with this pick-with those two guys playing together, the Utes must have put the hurt on a few teams last year.

As for the rest of the draft-how can you not like a RB named Cary Gant? He's good-looking, runs his plays, and he doesn't run into the furniture. The RB in round three was too intriguing to pass up-Corey Harper has 98+ ratings in breakaway speed, 3rd down catching, and endurance. The guy sounds like Warrick Dunn to me-I only wish I could designate him as a full-time 3rd down back. Incidentally, my 8th round pick Vernon Bell only took a one-year deal, so I did not benefit from the glitch.

I get all my rookies signed pretty easily. I then decide to troll through the undrafted rookies, and see if there are any redliner candidates who might be worth a walk through my training camp. With all this cap room available, I take on ten undrafted rookies-mostly guys who should be okay one-year reserves, but a few who resemble the redliner profile.

Again, I am anxious as I head into camp-if LB Philips busts, I'll have quite a lot of bonus money to eat. After camp, I take a look-Philips is just fine, a great relief. RB Cary Gant seems to have dipped a bit-not an all-out bust, but maybe not a guy I would have taken in round 2. RB Corey Harper has improved through camp-he now looks like he may be more than a 3rd down back. He may be the main man in my running game. Nobody else surprises-none of the rookie free agents had a breakout camp, and half of them get cut immediately.

Right on cue, Green Bay shows up with a trade offer for our RB Corey Harper. They are offering a very old LB plus their #1 pick next year for Harper, who was a middle-third rounder this season. I consider it, but Harper is just too intriguing. I get a more intriguing offer from Tennessee- they also want one of my rookies. They're offering a solid tackle and their first rounder next year for LB Philips. I'd do it, except that the salary hit next year would be added to some other stuff I've piled up and could make next season a total catastrophe. Finally, I get a 2nd rounder offered for C Ronnie Blair. It's only tempting because the rookie C I just drafted is awfully good for a 5th rounder… but I pass. Blair ought to anchor my line for years to come, and he is a rare find.

We make a deal with G A.J. Bell, who should help us round out that position for this year quite nicely, as my rookie isn't truly ready to play. T Troy Stone is another pickup, and he may play on the right side along with Bell. I trade TE Henderson away for a 7th round pick, and pick up Darrell Kalter to play TE. Kalter was a draft pick of mine a few years ago, but couldn't break through. Now, he comes aboard for another one-year tour of duty.

I had hoped to acquire decent players at QB and DE in the post-camp free agency, but I'm disappointed that there really aren't any standouts at either position. I end up re-signing DE Monty Peters for $2.5m this year, and he will likely step in and start again for me opposite Corsarie. There doesn't seem to be QB available who I feel would make a better backup than my 2nd year man Hardy Gilpin, so I hold off there.

I release C Donnie Alcott, on speculation that my two youngsters will be just fine there, and I don't need four canters. This clears up another million in cap room. With as much cap room as I have, I decide that I can afford to give a generous extension to someone who deserves it-and WR Cary Harvey is that guy. I lock him up through 2020. WR is a thin position, but he'll be around for a while. I decide to spend a few more bucks, and Jesse Morse talks the front office into signing one of his old buddies, WR Jumbo Jefferies. Jefferies was on our team back in 2007-9, and caught 158 passes from Morse during those three years. He's now in his 14th season, but he ought to be a decent contributor as a #4 wideout or so. (Despite modest apparent ratings, he does have nearly 9,000 yards receiving on his career, including two 1,000-yard seasons - he's doing something right)

This finally brings us to our final roster: 53 slots filled (first time in a while) and $7m under the cap. I feel like the team is better on paper than last year, but we certainly have some new faces-our cohesion may not be so hot. WR is the one position where we definitely drop off, but I'm hoping that the rookies can help the running game and that we'll at least stay even on offense overall.

Here is the scout overview:

Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Jesse Morse 15 16 11 2019
QB Hardy Gilpin 7 13 2 2018
QB Vernon Bell 2 9 1 2017
RB Gino Stanton 10 12 3 2018
RB Corey Harper 10 12 1 2019
RB Cary Gant 10 11 1 2020
RB Kurt Whiteford 7 9 2 2017
FB Barry Jacobson 13 13 2 2018
FB Edwin Stoffel 7 12 1 2019
FB Al Dodge 7 9 4 2019
TE Darrell Kalter 10 12 4 2017
TE Ernest Hunter 7 10 1 2019
TE Daryl Walling 7 8 1 2017
WR Cary Harvey 11 14 4 2020
WR Horace Warren 13 13 12 2019
WR Warren Rasmussen 9 11 4 2017
WR R.J. Hughes 7 9 1 2017
WR Jumbo Jeffries 6 6 14 2017
WR Junior Levine 6 6 2 2017
C Ronnie Blair 15 18 2 2021
C Bernie Reynolds 5 14 1 2019
C Calvin Santoki 4 10 1 2017
G J.B. Gaskins 5 11 1 2019
G A.J. Bell 9 10 4 2017
G Jeff Heath 4 9 2 2023
G Derek Schneider 8 8 8 2017
T Troy Stone 14 14 4 2017
T Rusty Lyon 10 10 15 2020
T Warren Warren 6 9 5 2020
T Damon Cortez 7 7 5 2020
P Blake Carlson 6 8 3 2018
K Percy Wallace 13 13 2 2018
DE Cedric Corsarie 15 16 7 2020
DE Monty Peters 7 9 4 2017
DE Kris Battle 6 9 4 2017
DE Wade Stinemetz 3 3 1 2017
DT Claude Archuleta 14 19 2 2020
DT Bob Dernbach 6 13 2 2019
DT Toby Boettcher 7 10 3 2017
LB Matt Giles 11 14 3 2020
LB Billy Joe Philips 6 14 1 2020
LB Antoine Buhl 12 12 13 2018
LB Larry Quinonez 11 11 13 2017
LB Jared Hoffman 6 10 2 2018
LB Brock Hopkins 5 8 1 2018
CB John Donaldson 14 15 4 2019
CB Brandon Lindsay 14 14 13 2020
CB Kerry de Marco 10 12 4 2017
CB Ethan Gardiner 5 6 2 2017
S Billy Joe Franklin 18 19 11 2019
S Lionel McGraw 14 14 7 2019
S Kenneth Cassidy 5 7 7 2018
S O.J. Ackerman 4 4 1 2017

I still have the money left to either pick up a fill-in player or two down the road if need be, or else to try to stretch out another current player's deal (while increasing pay for this season). Both are luxuries I rarely have.

This season, we're hoping that the passing game stays on track, and that we can keep rolling. I think we recovered well from the retirement of our best corner, and that on paper our secondary is the best it has ever been. If the two corners can play well together, we should be tougher than ever to throw on.

We will, of course, set our sights on a title defense.

[QuikSand]

More on rookie RB Corey Harper

I thought it might be worthwhile to post some details about this very intriguing rookie player. Harper bumped up a bit in camp-not a true "breakout," but he moved forward in some of the areas where he had appeared to be pretty soft. Here is the scout's report on him right now:

RB Corey Harper
3rd round draft pick from Murray State
6' 1" - 199 lbs
Nickname: "the Racer"
Breakaway speed - 100 (this was among his original assets)
Short yardage - 32/69 (moved forward in camp by maybe 10-20 points)
3rd down running - 64
Yards per carry - 36/85 (potential jumped in camp by 20 or so)
Catching - 61
Catch frequency - 32/60
3rd down catching - 100
Carrying - 60
Endurance - 100

As a mid third-rounder, he looks like a major steal right now. I figure that he will work heavily into my mix at RB this year-I will probably use a committee approach again, but this guy will likely start out on the heavily-used #2 RB role. Stay tuned.

[FishFan]

Quik-

Some advice(not that you need it). Hang on to that rookie, Corey Harper. I have noticed in my career with the Carolina Panthers that RB Tim Biakabutuka always put up good, if not great, numbers. Depending on the year, he was always rated between 65-95 in breakaway speed(must have had weight issues!). His other ratings were, to put it bluntly, crap. Nothing above 30, other than endurance. He was always rated as the #2 or #3 RB on the roster by my scout, but I always gave him the nod and he preoduced.

I have noticed this trend with other RBs as well. In FOF2, my Rams RB Adam Sadowski was one of those fully maxed out studs - 100s in every category. His first six seasons, he ran wild. In his seventh season, a foot injury decreased his breakaway speed rating below 50. All of his other ratings were still 95 plus. He still put up good numbers, but not great numbers.

Since Biakabutuka's emergence with his less than stellar ratings, I have always favored RBs with high breakaway ratings. With this strategy, I have never had a problem running the ball. If I can only get the passing game figured out now....

[Marmel]

Quik, not to turn your dynasty thread into a discussion but, the breakaway speed issue is very interesing. I beleive that in FOF2 a RB's breakaway speed really didn't relate to his performance on the field.

I hope you end up holding onto that RB. I am very intersted to see how he performs, especially if he ever gets a season as the starter.

[henry296]

I know this is a career thread but I felt appropriate to comment on a similar back that I have, Reggie Okobi. He was a late 1st rounder with 95 breakaway speed and 50s everywhere else. I notice that he is a very streaky runner. He can go for 150 yards just as easily as 25. While watching the game, he seems more prone to the large negative gains. Sounds like Barry Sanders to me

Keep up the great work. At some point I will write one of these dynasty threads.

Todd

[QuikSand]

2017 season

I manage to get through the exhibition season without any major injury losses, though my secondary is banged up a bit. As we start the season, our cohesion ratings are 82-71-69-74.

Our running game was very effective during preseason, and I decide to leave things as they are-Stanton as the starter, and Harper #2, with Stanton's use level set to 2.

In the first two games, we put up 76 points and get two wins, so things are going okay. I have three DBs hurt, all questionable-CB Lindsay, CB deMarco, and S McGraw. I decide to let them play through it, and hopefully get past this. QB Morse also has a broken finger, but should be okay to go. In week 3, Morse plays very poorly, and he's the main reason we lose to the Titans. QB Hardy Gilpin is pretty poor in the next game, throwing 3 interceptions, and we lose to Pittsburgh 30-13. It's time to pull the trigger on something here.

I put Morse back in at QB, and insert Harper in at RB. In limited duty, he has 11-81 on the year. I'll give him a chance to prove that he's worthy of being the go-to guy for us. Harper makes a huge impact with 23-152 in his first start, and we beat Jacksonville 27-20. I think Harper will get the job for now.

We win out through the midpoint of the season, stretching to 6-2 on the year. Harper now has 560 yards on 5.8 ypc… he looks like the real deal. Unfortunately, he got hurt in our week 9 game against Pittsburgh, and he'll miss a month or so. After one more win, S Billy Joe Franklin goes down with an injury-a sprained back that will sideline him until the playoffs. It's good that I have some depth this year, as I can de-activate him to heal.

We chug along to two more wins, but then RB Stanton goes down with his own injury. I plug in Gant as the starter, but it's a tough game at St. Louis and we lose 31-20. Gant did pretty well, with 76 yards and a TD, but we failed to take advantage of our best chances in that game.

Our next game is home for Cincinnati, and it's basically our chance to wrap the division. We get Harper back, and he goes back in atop the RB depth chart. I'll keep his load light for now. Cinti beats us 19-17 to stay alive (one game back) for the division race. We jumble our lineup a little more-finally letting WR Cary Harvey rest for a few weeks. I decide to plug in my good-hands backup RB Cary Gant into the WR rotation, to help out there.

Week 15 is a tough win over Seattle, but a big one. WR Horace Warren breaks his hand, and our M*A*S*H unit is starting to fill up. We're now playing without our top two wideouts, and we have RBs and other assorted castoffs filling in. We beat new England behind this ragtag bunch, with RB Harper leading the way with 129 and a score. The last game of the regular season is huge-we are at Cincinnati, they are one game back, and it's winner-takes-the-division.

We welcome back WR Cary Harvey to his role as our starting flanker. We will let CB deMarco handle returns, rather than risk injury to Harvey any further. The secondary is getting incrementally better-Billy Joe Franklin has been upgraded to questionable, and says he probably could play if we absolutely needed him to.

The game with Cinti is a barnburner. We led 17-10 with 6 minutes to go, but they scored a FG, and then got a 69-yard TD bomb with 1:32 left to go up 20-17. Morse drove us for a tying FG, and we went into overtime. The OT battle drags on, and Cinti ends up winning it after recovering a fumble and punching it in for the TD on a short pass. The Bengals win the division by virtue of their sweep of us.

We are 11-5, and will get to host the 10-5 Jets in our playoff opener. We definitely have revenge on our minds- we want the Bengals!

Stat leaders:

QB Jesse Morse: 4,109 yards, 62.0%, 7.72 ypa, 26/13, 92.0 - great for playing with a frankenstein WR corps
RB Corey Harper: 163-861, 5 TD (5.2 ypc) - did very well with the starting job, a playmaker
RB Cary Gant: 75-350, 5 TD (4.6 ypc); 11 rec-117, 1 TD - Mister fill-in, did it at RB and WR as needed
WR Horace Warren: 82-1,253, 6 TD - on his way to a career year before his injury cost him 3 games
WR Horace Rasmussen: 69-922, 5 TD (63.3%, 7 drops) - solid production from career backup
LB Matt Giles: 100 tackles, 2 sacks - emerging into a better-than-solid linebacker, might be our best
LB Antoine Buhl: 93 tackles, 3 sacks - another solid year from the strong veteran
LB Larry Quinonez: 92 tackles, 4 sacks - rounding out a long solid career with more production
S Billy Joe Franklin: 59 tackles, 5 int, 49.1 PDQ - before injury, was headed for another banner year

Overall stats (off/def/avg):
Rushing: 4.3/3.6/3.9
Passing: 7.6/6.2/6.6

Once again, we are 4-for-4 being better then average. The passing game was not as dominating as in some years past, but that really isn't a huge surprise with the depletion of our WR corps. The running game picked up, and I attribute much of that to Harper's explosiveness. The defense played well, and hopefully gets Franklin back for the playoffs.

This isn't where I wanted to be at this point, but we'll play our opener at home and hope to move on.

[QuikSand]

2017 postseason

I make the calls on my injured players. RB Stanton will play in a reserve role. WR Horace Warren will not play. S Franklin will also sit out the playoff opener. I decide to play CB Kerry deMarco in the vacant safety slot-I like his skills better than my third safety Cassidy.

The Jets are led by a very good QB in Bert Primeau, and they get a lot of QB pressure. I think we stack up pretty well.

The first score isn't until the end of the first quarter, as Cary Harvey keys a drive that only nets us a 22-yard FG. We intercept Primeau on the next possession, and Morse hits his main man Jeffries on third-and-goal for the TD. With 3:52 left in the second quarter, Harper pounds one in from two yards out, and we take the lead by 17-0. Things are looking good. deMarco gets a good punt return, and we convert again-this time to Rasmussen. Morse is distributing the ball brilliantly, and we lead it 24-0 at the half. We lead in total yardage by 297-25. This game is out of hand.

The second half is just playing out the string, as we roll to a 38-8 victory. The Jets were totally unable to run all day, and we kept them on their heels the whole game. WR Jumbo Jeffries, pushed into heavy duty with injuries, came through for his buddy Morse and delivered 7 catches for 114 yards and a TD.

For our next game we will head in to Cincinnati, and we get our chance to exact revenge against the Bengals. We get a great lift as star safety and on-field leader Billy Joe Franklin refuses to miss the game, and rejoins the active roster. Cinti relies on their QB Geoff Copeland to lead them, and he has a good track record against us (5 TD, 1 pick in 2 games this year).

The game starts out as a battle of field position, and Cinti is winning it. They punt and pin us at our 2 yard line. I was afraid that Harper's running style was vulnerable here, and they get the safety, grabbing him for a 2 yard loss. On our next possession, Harper is injured- and the game of attrition takes another victim. Copeland finds his main target WR Whitfield three times on their drive for a TD, and they lead 9-0. We cannot get anything going, and Copeland drives them for another TD in short order. It's 16-0, and we are on the edge of the cliff. They drive again, and with 12 seconds left in the first half, their FB Sanderson punched it in for a 23-0 lead at halftime.

On the Cinti opening possession, we get our first big play. DE Cedric Corsarie barrels down on Copeland, and sacks him, causing a fumble-reminiscent of his big play in last year's Superbowl. LB antoine Buhl falls on this one, and we take over from their 5 yard line. Cary Harvey gets the TD catch, and we cash the two-pointer with a power run from Stanton-doing what he does best. It's 23-8, and our hopes are at least glimmering.

We are not able to mount real movement until late in the third quarter, when we get inside their 45. Morse throws downfield looking for Harvey, but their safety grabs it, and he scoots 71 yards for the TD. 30-8 and that took a lot out of us. We add a FG, but don't even threaten to get close in this one, and the 30-11 final tally stands. Cincinnati beat the champs three times in one year, and they look tough as they point toward a titel of their own.

The Bengals make it to the Superbowl against Tampa Bay, who was 13-3 in the regular season. Cincinnati is largely outplayed, but they get a defensive TD from young LB Cedric Bennett in the fourth quarter, and they go on to win it 20-17. Bennett gets the Superbowl MVP award.

We have three mentions on the all-pro list, and they all surprise me. QB Jesse Morse manages to get the second team award. LB Larry Quinonez is also named to the league's second team. And RB Corey Harper grabs the offensive rookie of the year award, despite the missed time and resulting total production.

WR Lorenzo Hawthorne's renaissance continues- his three seasons since he l;eft6 u have been his best, and he repeats as first team WR. Of familiar names at QB-here's a blast from the past. One-time Browns backup Corwin Orta ha risen from the ashes (or more specifically the Redskins' bench) to have a solid 21-TD season. My old rival Rodney harden is still playing for Philadelphia, but he had a tough year-a 67 rating. He has topped the 40,000 yard mark in career passing, though, and remains a few hundred yards ahead of Morse. Those two and Cincinnati's Copeland are all just over 40,000, and are gunning for the record which stands at 49,019.

We bundle things up, and focus on next season. I'm not sure where we're headed, but I feel like there is an emerging young core of this team that will be tough to deal with down the road. For now, we're a blend of old and new, and bringing it all together could keep us in the title hunt.

If I've paid as much attention as I think I have, this season would mark the first time that Franklin has missed a start. Glad to see him heal up, I don't want to think of the Browns without BJ. I picture him as a guy that scares recievers SO much that when they feel him about ready to hit him, which he does alot too, they fall down and he gets the easy pick.

[QuikSand]

You're right, TRO - Franklin had not missed a start until this season. He's in hi 11th year, and he's showing some premature aging signs-- his ratings formerly in the 95 range have dropped to the 80-85 range (this year was the first time I saw that).

He's still excellent across the board, but I fear he's going to have to step up his "veteran wiles" to keep up the i-n-t totals as he used to in his heyday.

I like the picture you paint of him-- a serious big hitter over the middle, but clearly fast enough to keep up with the slot receivers. The total package.

[ShagVT]

What are you doing to us here QuikSand?? It's afternoon and we haven't had an update yet? You're making me actually do WORK.

[petrochile]

Maybe in QS's game there is a strike or lockout.

Speaking of which, imagine if FOF had that, and you had to take scrubs midway and try to win, or appease players who are disgruntled after the strike is over. Now that would be an interesting challenge. Just a thought.

[QuikSand]

2018 preseason

We closed the books last season with nearly $23m in profits, a bit of a boost from the previous season. My coach and scout are both securely tied up, so we move past that phase quickly.

T Rusty Lyon retired this offseason. He was promised a job as long as he wanted it, but his Schlereth-like surgery statistics started to bog him down, and he refused to eat salary while not playing every game. He was a great warrior for us, and his departure leaves us aching for a big left tackle. I did not prepare well for this eventuality.

We have 32 players signed for this year, and a pretty healthy $40.5m in room under the cap. However, we do have some talent who will be testing the waters. LB Larry Quinonez is a free agent, and in his 14th year he may not be worth the money to retain. This transition, however, I prepared for. Past him, we have a pretty long list of solid contributors who will be demanding big pay raises to stick around: G Derek Schneider (7 year starter), WR Warren Rasmussen, DEs Monty Peters and Kris Battle, CB Kerry deMarco, DT Toby Boettcher, and T Derek Kalter are among the likely departures.

The $40 million will almost certainly buy us a quality free agent or two. This year's draft will not be as costly as the last two (no early pick) and I can spend fairly freely this time around. My likely targets will be OT, DE, and WR-possibly in exactly that order or priority.

I really don't have any real superstar caliber players who are obvious franchise tag recipients.

T Troy Stone is the toughest case here. He's a talented OT, who we signed to a one-year deal. His endurance is the biggest question, but he played in about 800 out of 900 offensive plays last year- which isn't all bad. I contemplate using the franchise tag to hold on to him, but eventually decide against it.

My next possible franchisee is CB Kerry deMarco. He was drafted as a return specialist, but has played pretty well in a supporting role as a second or third corner. His coverage abilities have developed a bit with playing time-he now is rated 42/58, 26/33, 61/78, 39, 92, 96, 86. Obviously, he is a quality return man with great endurance, and his 4 years with the team are a cohesion boost. His career PDQ is 30.9, which is decent, but not spectacular. His return numbers are more impressive: 10.5 avg on PR, 27.9 avg on KR with 3 TDs. I decide that deMarco will be my franchise player for this pre-season, and I'll try to hold on to him if that's reasonable.

I will bid for T Troy Stone, but if he commands truly big bucks, I'll drop out. I'll watch LB Quinonez, and if he's too old for the CPU teams' tastes, I'll grab him for a value.

As we start the FA period, I receive trade offers. A late 3rd round pick plus an insanely overpaid QB for 2nd year FB Edwin Stoeffel, whom I barely use. Seems pretty good to me. My starter at FB, Barry Jacobson, is a total monster, and I just signed Al Dodge to a multi-year deal to backup at FB and TE… Stoeffel is going to fight for any real PT for his next two years here anyway. The other offer, however, is an early 3rd round pick for FB Jacobson. The plot thickens. Jacobson is only signed through this year, and he will be pretty expensive next season if I opt to try to re-sign him. It's a tough call, but I decide to take the deal for Stoeffel, and hold on to the fully developed incumbent Jacobson.

In free agency, I quickly realize that all my own players' demands are totally outside my own standards of reasonableness. I start to review the open pool of available players. The defending defensive player fo the year, LB Vinnie Franklin from KC, is demanding slightly less than my own guy Quinonez-and he is only in his 7th season. I sit back, but think a bit about making an offer there-Franklin would become the centerpiece of a very expensive LB corps.

T Troy Stone appears to be the very best offensive tackle who is available this year. With ratings of 71/74/42, I am simply not sure if he is worth this huge open-market contract, but I nonetheless lay out an offer for him: 4 years, $45 million. I am also very interested in CB Randal Terrell, who is a very solid corner who played well last season for the expansion Milwaukee Vouchers. He's a man-to-man specialist, and he might actually be better suited to my secondary schemes than my old-timer Brandon Lindsay. I decide to bid on Terrell, with an eye toward dealing Lindsay if I secure Terrell. I offer CB Terrell 4 years, $42 million. It should be in the hunt, but probably won't blow everyone away.

The WR market has a few good-looking entries. Warren Rasmussen comes up as the #5 ranked guy here by my scout. Alfred Thornton (from Seattle) and A.J. Quinn (from Tampa Bay) are the top two, and both are young (6th and 5th years) emerging top-tier talents. Of course, despite the fact that he has only started 3 gams in his 4-year career, Rasmussen is actually demanding more than either established 1,000-yard receiver. As fond as I am of my guy, I have to follow common sense here. I put in 4yr offer for Quinn, worth $35m.

I'm very surprised when after week one, the bid I considered least likely to succeed has already landed me WR A.J. Quinn. I have the top offer for T Stone, and I'm in the ballpark (in $/yr) with CB Terrell. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has re-upped with their star QB Geoff Copeland, who guided them to the title last season. My old, old friend QB Hunter Pettus has been re-signed for two more years with the Milwaukee expansion club-presumably as a tutor for a young up-and-comer.

After week 4, I no longer have the top bid for either of the two remaining "big" free agents. I bump both my bids, getting to the top of the list in dollars, if that's really what matters. I truly feel I am overpaying for T Stone, and I've made a pretty forceful position to not really overpay anyone… but this just seems to much a longshot. If I don't overpay Stone, I'll overpay someone to play LT, since I simply must have a quality guy there. We sit pending with our two new offers… and in week 6, both players sign with us. The lure of a title-worthy team must play a role here.

I now have $17m in cap room, and three major new additions at two of the positions I indicated as priorities. The DE position was horribly thin in this market, and I'm committed to a trade or fill-in as need be.

I make a deal with Milwaukee-sending them QB Hardy Gilpin and, of course, CB Brandon Lindsay plus an extra 7th round pick for their second rounder-which is the first pick of that round. This leaves me perilously thin at QB, with nobody signed behind Morse, so I tread back into the FA waters to see what's there. It's not pretty. I can either spend $10m a year to bring in a very old so-so veteran backup, or I can fend for myself in the rookie class and pay someone rookie minimum. You know what pier I'll be fishing from.

I come to a deal with CB Kerry deMarco, whose return is made more urgent by the trading of CB Brandon Lindsay. He gets a fairly rich deal, but it's fairly light in bonus-giving me flexibility if needed later. A I've mentioned, I have an odd fondness for this player, so I'm happy to have him around.

As of week 11 of the FA period, WR Rasmussen still has not signed. He has lowered his demands, but I really cannot spend too much. In the late FA stages, I pick up a decent G who should be a depth provider at worst, and could possibly start for a while. That wraps one of the busiest FA seasons we've had.

In the coming draft, my dream would be to land a quality DE with my first pick-a player I could slot in as a starter for this year and into the future. Since that position is rarely available in any quality very deep in the draft, I'm prepared to go BPA as needed. I need to find a QB in this draft, particularly one who could play as soon as this season if called upon. I also will need some WR, DL and DB depth.

As could be expected, the ideal players in the draft for my team-two great-looking OTs and a strong DE, went with the picks just ahead of mine. I end up sorting among a fabulous-looking C (I already have one, thanks) and an assortment of good-looking players at positions where I'm already strong and secure. There are two very good QBs available here, but I don't want to tie up that much cap room while Morse is still solid-I think I'm still 3-4 years away from drafting my next "QB of the future."

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Maurice Speed, S, Iowa State
Rnd 2 - Frank Willis, WR, La Salle
Rnd 2 - Cole Unsbee, C, Missouri
Rnd 3 - Kenny Parker, QB, Texas Tech
Rnd 3 - J.C. Reid, G, Kent
Rnd 4 - Lester Stokes, LB, Georgia Tech
Rnd 5 - R.J. Jenkins, RB, Lakeland
Rnd 6 - Al Hayden, TE, Illinois
Rnd 7 - Carlos Robertson, DT, Virginia

Though I am very pleased with my current talent at S, I could not resist Maurice Speed, a 5' 8" thunderbolt playing safety. (I'm ordering the stadium staff to queue up some Steve Miller snippets as we speak) C Cole Unsbee was the nearly-perfect C, and I broke down and took him with Milwaukee's #2 pick-I expect that I can play him at G if he works out to be anywhere near as good as he looks. QB Parker was a great value in round three, and may be a guy I hold on to-he also has pretty good current ratings, as well as very solid future potential. 5th round RB R.J. Jenkins is a possible "redliner" player with pretty decent current ratings, and only 11 points of apparent improvement available. We'll see. I'm pretty happy with this draft, with one exception-I kept waiting and waiting at DE, and finally ended up with nothing. I may need to make a trade, or else fish around in the FA pile after camp-that position is getting desperate.

I decide to sign DE Kenny Zonnefeld, a decent young DE who will hopefully step in and develop this year. He's more run stopper than pass rusher, but I'm hopeful that he can be productive as a #3 defensive end for us. I trade G Jeff Heath for Washington for a 7th rounder-he's been made expendable by the good draft for the interior line. I shop S Kenneth Cassidy, but he's not marketable, it would appear.

I pick up a half dozen rookie fill-ins, and I head into training camp, holding my breath, of course.

S Maurice Speed, as I had somehow feared, is a complete and total bust. He even lost his fairly impressive return abilities (more on that later), but will be practically worth less as a defensive back. The rest of the draft pans out pretty well, with no other bad news. RB R.J. Jenkins does not have the breakout that I had hoped for, but I realized it was a longshot.

I have a new theory about rookie busts. I have had three DBs bust during this career, and in all three cases the player had some visible return skills when I evaluated him in the draft. I am thinking that possibly the "bust" player (who is going to crumble after training camp) may have some across-the-board boost in his apparent ratings that is seen before camp. This makes an ordinary player look like he's very good (turns real potentials of 40-50 into visible green bars of 80-90, say)… but perhaps it also makes a player with no skill in a certain area (like WRs or DBs and return ability, which is frequently nonexistent) look like he has some after all (turns 0-5 into 30-35). With two of my DBs who busted, this was the case-they seemed to have some decent return skills, but were unveiled to have none at all. (It looks as though every single rating, current and future, for Speed dropped by a faily even 40-45 points during this "bust") If this is true, then it may say "beware the rookie DB with decent, but bot great, return ability." Just a thought, again based on a terribly small sample. Bad luck is a very plausible explanation as well.

I bring in another QB, Cedric Helton, as a reserve for this year. I'm still optimistic about my rookie Kenny Parker, but Helton is a fairly proven commodity who probably won't fall apart if he's called upon. I make a minor trade-TE Hunter to TEN for a 6th round pick-to clear out more cap room. I'm still thin with the cap, and releasing Maurice Speed is looking pretty tempting, but the $7.6m cap hit next year is positively brutal. Ultimately, I simply have to do it-I must fill in the rest of my roster somehow, and saving $1.5m by releasing him is too tempting. We re-sign DE Monty Peters to a one-year deal, and then grab a rookie fill-in at CB.

Here is the 47-man roster for this season-we have a little cap room in tow ready for injury-driven pick-ups, but not much.

Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Jesse Morse 16 16 12 2019
QB Kenny Parker 7 15 1 2020
QB Cedric Helton 9 12 8 2018
RB Corey Harper 14 14 2 2019
RB Cary Gant 13 13 2 2020
RB Gino Stanton 11 12 4 2018
RB R.J. Jenkins 9 9 1 2020
FB Barry Jacobson 14 14 3 2018
FB Al Dodge 9 9 5 2019
TE Darrell Kalter 11 12 5 2018
TE Al Hayden 7 9 1 2019
WR Cary Harvey 12 13 5 2020
WR A.J. Quinn 11 13 5 2021
WR Horace Warren 12 12 13 2019
WR Frank Willis 11 11 1 2020
WR Luke Nieves 4 5 1 2018
C Cole Unsbee 7 19 1 2021
C Ronnie Blair 18 18 3 2021
C Bernie Reynolds 9 13 2 2019
G J.C. Reid 6 14 1 2021
G J.B. Gaskins 8 11 2 2019
G Lonnie Fletcher 7 10 2 2024
T Troy Stone 14 14 5 2021
T Warren Warren 6 8 6 2020
T Damon Cortez 6 7 6 2020
P Steve Fiedler 9 12 1 2018
K Cory Nelson 16 16 4 2018
DE Cedric Corsarie 16 16 8 2020
DE Kenny Zonnefeld 5 10 2 2024
DE Monty Peters 8 9 5 2018
DT Claude Archuleta 15 19 3 2020
DT Bob Dernbach 8 12 3 2019
DT Jackie Craig 5 8 1 2018
DT Carlos Robertson 1 7 1 2020
LB Matt Giles 13 14 4 2020
LB Billy Joe Philips 7 14 2 2020
LB Lester Stokes 3 13 1 2019
LB Brock Hopkins 7 11 2 2018
LB Antoine Buhl 11 11 14 2018
LB Jared Hoffman 7 8 3 2018
CB John Donaldson 13 15 5 2019
CB Randal Terrell 12 13 5 2021
CB Kerry de Marco 10 11 5 2021
CB Shannon Ramczyk 4 5 1 2018
S Billy Joe Franklin 16 17 12 2019
S Lionel McGraw 14 14 8 2019
S Kenneth Cassidy 5 7 8 2018

We took steps forward this year, but the draft bust certainly still stings. I'm hopeful that we can hold things together on the defensive side, and that the running game steps forward. RB Corey Harper will get his chance to start for us this season-he's developed even more to about 60 in every category other than his three near-perfects (Brk Spd, 3d Rec, and End). RB Cary Gant has also developed into a fairly complete back, and will be a major contributor as well.

This season, we'll try to give chase to Cincinnati, and win the division race. From there, we hope to get a good slot in the playoffs, get there healthy, and draw on our experience to do well there. A ring is a longshot, I think, but somebody has to win it…

[QuikSand]

2018 season

I get through pre-season without any major injuries, but we don't play all that well. I decide to bring in another WR, and though Rasmussen is available (as are a number of former Browns wideouts, curiously) I decide that the veteran leadership from WR Jumbo Jefferies will be an asset for this season, and we bring him aboard for minsal.

In our opener, our defense pitches a shutout against Tennessee, but Harper runs 17 times for a total of negative one yard. Ouch- that's got to get better. This guy might be Warrick Dunn after all. We shut out Boise City in week two, then finally yield some points in week three, though we beat Jacksonville handily. The injuries are mounting, and I'm a little bit concerned that we do not have the depth necessary to cover for the number of wounded that are racking up.

Washington comes in and beats us in week four, and we take it out on division rival Cincinnati, as we go in and kick their butts in their house, 30-13. We're tied with Pittsburgh at 4-1 at this point, and we head into Pitt for a big early season game. Pitt wins it in overtime 26-20 on a breakaway running play halfway through the extended period, and we fall back in the division at 4-2.

We rebound again, winning another tough road game at Philadelphia. After a bye, we drum Cincinnati to get to the midpoint in our season. I feel like we got through the toughest parts, and should be in better shape for the rest. Cincinnati has totally collapsed, falling to 3-5-this helps make the division a bit easier.

In a midseason 28-0 win over Oakland, every single point is scored by a guy named Carey, Cory, or Corey. Odd.

We stretch out to 11-2, and look like a cinch not only for the division (2 up on Pitt) but for a bye (1 up on NYJ, 2 games ahead of a 3-way mess in the West). We manage to win out, and finish the season a healthy and strong 14-2. Looking good.

Stat leaders:

QB Jesse Morse: 4,186 yds, 61.9%, 8.30 ypa, 32/23, 90.3 - picks kept this from being his best year ever
RB Corey Harper: 286-1,372, 17 TD (4.7 ypc) - very solid effort from an explosive back, lots of TDs
FB Barry Jacobson: 108-454, 3 TD (4.2 ypc) - solid production from high quality FB
WR A.J. Quinn: 65-1,090, 8 TD (61.3%, 5 drops) - played in the #3 WR slot all year, but very good
WR Horace Warren: 61-887, 8 TD (60.3%, 8 drops) - another solid year, but he's declining
WR Cary Harvey: 55-703, 7 TD (55.5%, 9 drops), 1 PR TD - solid year, PT reduced by quality reserves
C Ronnie Blair: 30/74 KRBs, 2 sacks allowed - monster up the middle, looking like a great pickup
LB Matt Giles: 90 tackles, 4 sacks - played with minor injuries about half the year
DE Cedric Corsarie: 17 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 5 blocks, 7 hurries - assuming role of dominant pass rusher
S Billy Joe Franklin: 77 tackles, 8 int, 47.3 PDQ - rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated, good year
S Lionel McGraw: 70 tackles, 9 int, 1 TD, 42.2 PDQ - no room for that rookie safety anyway

Overall stats (off/def/avg):
Rushing: 4.2/3.6/4.0
Passing: 8.2/6.0/6.7

Morse definitely appreciates having a series of quality options to throw to, as his production soared this year with four good wideouts around. Harper did his job, and he's a real weapon, and the TD production was a bonus. Defensively, we got good pressure and made a lot of interceptions-both good signs. We should be tough for this year's playoff run, as we are healthy and looking strong.

[Carligula]

Good to see you got past the patented "no tested backup QB = starter gets injured" bit of bad luck.

Congratulations on your cap management as well - my team is in a similar position as yours, albeit not quite as successful, with a bunch of aging, well-paid stars, and I'm well into Cowboys/49ers mode of trying to squeeze one more championship run out of them before the hammer comes down. Well done!

[QuikSand]

2018 postseason

In the opening week, Seattle wins 65-0 over Pittsburgh to advance into the divisional playoffs, and they get a trip to Cleveland. 65 to nothing! They appear to be, er, in good form. Seattle was a solid 10-6 team, and they have played pretty good defense this year. They have a solid QB in Eddie Spencer, who I’ve never noticed before—he’s a 14th year vet, and is pretty unspectacular overall, but is good with short stuff. That seems to be their game.

We open up just as we’d have liked- we stop them, get a good punt return, and drive the short field for a TD. However, on their next possession, Seattle matches us with a similar drive and we’re tied. Late in the first quarter, we get an interception, which sets up Morse’s second TD pass to FB/TE Al Dodge. We move ahead 14-7. When Morse next hits Cary Harvey for a 47-yard run-and-catch, this one looks like it might be over.

Our defense simply bottles up the Seattle game all day, and we just plug away on offense. We push it to 47-7 by the final gun, with Jesse Morse having a great day: 20-for-26, 4 TDs, no ints.

We host the Jets in the conference finals. In week 16, we handled them at home to sew up the top seed. Here, our main worry is their QB Burt Primeau, who can strike downfield pretty effectively.

In the middle of the first quarter, we quickly convert a Primeau pickoff into 7 points with a 3-play drive, and we take the lead. Morse hits Harvey for a 9-yard TD to cap an 80-yard drive on our next possession, and the Jets don’t seem to have an answer for our offensive firepower. When they fumble the ensuing kickoff, we kick a FG and it’s 17-0 after 16 minutes of football. Jets fans are not pleased. I am.

In the middle second quarter, Morse gets hit hard by a blitz, and he stays down. Helton comes off the bench to take the reins, and to try to hold this lead. We take a 20-0 lead into the half, as the Jets have at least slowed us down after our one-two first quarter punch—now that we are without Morse. In the third quarter, the Jets mount two nice drives, and come away with 10 points, cutting my lead in half. I’m more than a little bot concerned, as our offense has been very flat.

An early 4th quarter blocked punt sets us up at the Jets’ 27 yard line. Helton finally finds a receiver he is in synch with—A.J. Quinn, and they hook up twice including the TD. A quick turnover after the kickoff, followed by a Harper TD run, and we have this one socked away at 34-10. That’s how it ends—we get 173 yards rushing to dominate the game, despite a few weak spells.

Back in 2015, we had a 14-2 record, and made it tot he Superbowl, only to face another 14-2 team who had advanced impressively as well. That year, the Chicago Bears prevailed in a very tight contest. This year, we will again face the Bears, who again come off a 14-2 season as the NFC’s top seed. Chicago QB Ernest Montemayor will probably be the first team QB if not the MVP this season, with a great 30/8 ratio and a 95 QB rating. (MVP will probably go to Denver’s rookie RB phenom Freddie Bishop, who with 1,903 yards should make the 3-way sweep) Our big fear with Montemayor is that he is a great downfield passer, and can strike deep. I feel that our secondary is better prepared for him- we simply have better personnel across the board than we did three years ago—and even then, we kept him largely bottled up.

The real concern is on our own roster. Morse is still a bit woozy from the concussion he received last week, and he’s not completely himself. Despite being listed as questionable, though, he will definitely start. My FB Jacobson is also dinged, but he will play as well.

On our opening possession, we march down for a FG, and get the first points. They peter out at our 38, and try unsuccessfully to pin us back. But after we punt, Montemayor hauls back and finds his man Galloway for an 80-yard bomb, to go ahead 7-3. This is what we feared the most.

FB Al Dodge scores our next TD, this time actually running the ball (unusual for him). He’s had a huge postseason, with 9 catches in the first 2 games, including 3 TDs. Now, he has contributed on the ground as well. With 5 minutes left in the first half, Chicago passes a barrier—they finally get into positive rushing yards on the day. It doesn’t much matter—their game is all on Montemayor’s arm, and he drives them for a tying FG. Morse gets me to their 38, but we miss a 55-yard FG with 30 seconds left.

Now somehow, some way, we have to stop Montemayor from throwing bomb here. 30 second left in the half, their ball at their 45. Throwing deep is what this guy does. Hello!

After Montemayor (obviously) connects for a long gain, they set up at our 7 yard line, where he fires the quick TD on a crossing pattern. A seemingly harmless FG attempt backfires, and gives their man a chance to do what he does best. It’s 17-10 Chicago at the half. That smarts.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Chicago’s WR Nelson takes it 89 yards for the score, and a deadlocked game has suddenly gotten out of hand. AT least we don’t lie down—we drive to their 32, and kick a 49-yard FG to put up points. The rest of the 3rd quarter is an exchange of punts and missed FGs—24-13 holds up through the beginning of the 4th. With 11:25 left, we kick another FG—which is good, though we looked like we were rolling for a TD until we sputtered in the red zone.

Down 8 points, we hold them and get the ball back. Morse gets us all the way down to the Chicago 5 yard line with three straight passes to my trio of wideouts. But, we cannot get it in, and we take the FG to pull within 5 points, with 5:40 left. We have momentum, but we need to hold on defense.

The defense comes through with a sack and a run stop for –1, and the Bears are punting. We have 4:05 left, and 68 yards to go. It looks like it will be set up as a great test. However, Morse’s very first pass is picked off by a Bears safety, who gets 40 yards of open field to cover for the TD.

That, as they say, does it. Chicago takes a 31-19 lead, and they won’t budge after that. The game ball goes to the undrafted rookie safety Carlton Maxwell, who made the game-clinching TD play, but also had 10 tackles to lead the defense.

On the awards board, FB Barry Jacobson gets first team honors for his season, as do C Ronnie Blair and S Lionel McGraw. K Cory Nelson makes second team.

It was another tough loss in the Superbowl, but we lost to a quality team who did what they do best—throw deep. We couldn’t stop them, and it put us on our heels the whole day. Morse wasn’t at his best, but we cannot lay this one at his doorstep—we needed to get more done to earn this title, and we didn’t do it.

Another good season, but coming that close seems to be worse than just being pretty good.

[QuikSand]

2019 preseason

Our team cleared $31m last season, which is pretty solid. We are about 12th in franchise value, which should boost in a few years in our new digs.

My scout and coach are both out of their contracts. The scout, Brad Mason, is an easy call—I’ll pay whatever it takes. I offer him $1.4m for 5yrs, which would make him the highest-paid scout in the league, by about 10%. At coach, I have more thinking to do. My current guy has gotten us to four Superbowls, but I’m not entirely sold on him. However, after poring through the available cast, I end up retaining Reggie Killens. Both guys are brought back for another run at the ring.

In the pre-season announcements, I see the first game-generated player who gets admitted into the Hall of Fame. RB Aaron Valentino gets in with 16,434 yards rushing and 151 TDs in his 12 seasons—the yards stand as second best in league history, while the TD mark holds it top spot. As loyal readers will know, he spent some of that career with our own Cleveland Browns, helping us to our first two titles. He is, however, admitted as a New York Giant—as he started his career there and played more years for them than anyone.

We have 33 players already signed for this year, meaning we’ll have some holes to fill. This year, we do not have a lot of cap room to work with, though—only $21.4m at this point (though we’ll get that mysterious bump). We have lost two players to retirement—LB Antione Buhl just wore down after several productive seasons, and WR Jumbo Jeffries was glad to get another go-round with his buddy Morse before hanging them up. Both losses are replaceable. We may extand an offer to Jeffries to come aboard as receivers coach.

The players we have who are free agents are a solid lot, but really nobody essential. RB Gino Stanton once looked like the go-to guy for this franchise, but his rising star was largely eclipsed by Corey Harper, and he now sits on the pile about to be sent forth into the free agent marketplace. S Kenneth Cassidy is alongtime backup, but never evolved much past that role and can be replaced. The other mature free agents are all fill-in players we signed last year, knowing they would only stay for one season. Among younger players, FB Barry Jacobson is the standout—he’s a nearly-flawless player who can run, block, and do it all. I’ll try to hold on to him, if possible. My two young LBs Brock Hopkins and Jared Hoffman are both up—both would e nice to keep, but their demands will likely preclude that. The rest of the youngsters will be allowed to depart fairly quietly.

I really do not have an obvious franchise target. I opt to tag QB Cedric Helton, a decent backup QB who filled in last season. He might be worth paying the one-year tender this year, or else dealing after the draft. In either case, he has some modest value.

I get an intriguing trade offer—a first round pick for CB John Donaldson. While I like Donaldson, it is a position of strength, and he’ll be due to ask for a huge salary increase next season. I decide to take the deal, and hopefully use the #25 overall pick to grab a quality youngster—possibly even at CB. I also accept a deal for G J.B. Gaskins, getting a 3rd round pick for him. I have exceptional quality at C, and I intend to start one of my C reserves at G, making my decent-quality G (who would leave next year anyway) expendable—I’ll fill the 3rd G slot with a rookie FA.

I let the FA period get started, and I have no part in it early. Superbowl winning QB Ernest Montemayor is in the FA pool, but Chicago seems to be willing to pay to keep him. Though he is fading fast. My RB Gino Stanton gets a $13m/yr offer from Miami—and he has to think about it. He eventually signs, as does TE Darrel Kalter, who heads to Pittsburgh.

I sew up FB Jacobson, who is a RFA but is critical to keep. I have a long look at the contract of QB Jesse Morse—who is making $14m this year and will be up for free agency next season. To renegotiate him means bumping him to around $20, for this season—and I think I’d rather use that money to make an improvement this year. RB Corey Harper is also up for free agency next year—but he’ll be restricted, so I won’t need to franchise him.

We pick up a couple fill-in players at S and T. Neither will be a major contributor, but they are both solid depth providers. In the late stages, I see that a few solid CBs have not received offers. I put up $27m over 4 years to a pretty solid CB Percy Reddick. I put in a comparable offer for WR Calvin Kummerfeldt, who has also dropped his demands a good deal since the FA period has left him in the cold. Both players sign my offer sheets, and come aboard as solid improvements to our staff. CB Reddick is not quite as telented as John Donaldson, but he should fit well into a 3-man rotation with Randall Terrell and Kerry deMarco.

With picks at 25 and 35, I am hoping to address some need areas. DE is a high priority for this team—the FA pool was again devoid of major talent there. I probably need a youth infusion at safety, and could use an additional contributor at LB as well. If a strong OT shows up, that is another area where I need quality, but not necessarily quantity.

This looks like a generally pretty thin draft, a real disappointment. I settle on a pretty good tackle as my first pick, but I am pretty disappointed with the quality of my picks early.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Jamal Hughey, T, Florida
Rnd 1 - Kelvin McNamee, S, Washington
Rnd 2 - Lester Forbes, LB, Rutgers
Rnd 3 - Jimmie Dowell, G, Monmouth, NJ
Rnd 3 - Quinn Woody, S, UNLV
Rnd 4 - Ricky Hancock, DT, Boston College
Rnd 5 - Ricardo Douglas, LB, South Carolina
Rnd 6 - Bubba Phenix, RB, Michigan
Rnd 6 - Jake Hardy, TE, Iowa
Rnd 7 - Kyle Kirby, QB, North Carolina
Rnd 7 - Kenyon Reed, WR, Arizona

I hadn’t planned to draft two safeties, but I was honestly torn between McNamee and Woody in late round one… then saw Woody drop and drop. Nobody else here is a real standout—a solid draft, I suppose, but nothing too exciting.

I make a deal with Detroit, sending my franchise QB to them in order to move from round three to round one in next year’s draft. I couldn’t afford Helton’s $12m salary, anyway.

I prepare for training camp, and I make a special note of a few players who I believe (by my current theory) will be busts in this draft. I see one CB, one WR, and a S—all of whom I am fairly certain will bust. I see a couple more similar players, who I will also watch for.

My first round pick, T Jamal Hughey, is a modest bust. He dropped about 15 points across the board. He’ll still contribute, but won’t be worth the early pick. To my surprise, my other first round pick S Kelvin McNamee is a nearly total bust. He retains some return skills, but his coverage ability is practically nil now. I’m glad I doubled up at safety in this draft, because my other guy is very solid. RB Bubba Phenix is also a total bust—he’s practically worthless, as he appears after camp. This was a very tough training camp.

Busted safety McNamee is a puzzle for me. He had excellent return ability before the draft, which shaded down a bit, but largely stayed with him. He lost practically everything in his main ratings—current ratings dropping from the 32-34 range to the 2-5 range; and potentials dropping from 65-75 to 15-25. Tough to figure.

I release McNamee after training camp, clearing some cap room in the process. We have $4m to spend, and need to pick up a defensive end, a cornerback, and probably a linebacker. I am disappointed with the selection at DE—which is becoming the thinnest position in this career. DE Earl Rice is the best I can do, and he isn’t particularly good. I also sign LB Jerome DeLorraine, who will probably be my #2 linebacker for this season. I pick up a fill-in cornerback in Matthew King, who was a good-looking free agent this year who nobody took.

After picking up King, I release CB Percy Riddick, who has become expendable. I have had a tumultuous off-season, and I’m moving willy-nilly all over the place. Riddick’s cap room allows me to go and retain LB Jared Hoffman, who will return to us and probably fit into our mix at LB, possibly as our 4th man.

Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Jesse Morse 16 16 13 2019
QB Kenny Parker 8 14 2 2020
QB Kyle Kirby 4 10 1 2020
RB Corey Harper 14 14 3 2019
RB Cary Gant 13 13 3 2020
RB R.J. Jenkins 8 8 2 2020
FB Barry Jacobson 14 14 4 2021
FB Al Dodge 9 9 6 2019
FB Gus Caldwell 4 8 1 2019
TE Al Hayden 9 10 2 2019
TE Jake Hardy 7 9 1 2020
WR Frank Willis 13 15 2 2020
WR Cary Harvey 12 14 6 2020
WR A.J. Quinn 12 12 6 2021
WR Horace Warren 11 12 14 2019
WR Calvin Kummerfeldt 9 10 5 2022
WR Kenyon Reed 6 6 1 2021
C Cole Unsbee 14 19 2 2021
C Ronnie Blair 16 18 4 2021
C Bernie Reynolds 8 11 3 2019
G J.C. Reid 8 12 2 2021
G Jimmie Dowell 7 11 1 2021
G Lonnie Fletcher 7 9 3 2024
T Troy Stone 14 14 6 2022
T Jamal Hughey 3 11 1 2023
T Herb Edmond 7 8 2 2025
P Blake Brady 8 8 1 2019
K Gary Jennings 7 7 1 2019
DE Cedric Corsarie 16 16 9 2020
DE Kenny Zonnefeld 7 10 3 2024
DE Earl Rice 6 6 9 2019
DT Claude Archuleta 17 19 4 2020
DT Ricky Hancock 3 14 1 2021
DT Bob Dernbach 9 12 4 2019
DT Carlos Robertson 3 9 2 2020
LB Matt Giles 15 16 5 2020
LB Billy Joe Philips 8 14 3 2020
LB Lester Forbes 4 13 1 2022
LB Jerome DeLorraine 11 12 6 2019
LB Lester Stokes 6 12 2 2019
LB Ricardo Douglas 4 12 1 2020
LB Jared Hoffman 8 11 4 2019
LB Brett Amos 6 8 1 2019
CB Randal Terrell 13 14 6 2022
CB Matthew King 12 13 5 2019
CB Kerry de Marco 9 11 6 2021
CB Kelly Griffith 3 4 1 2019
S Billy Joe Franklin 15 15 13 2019
S Lionel McGraw 14 14 9 2019
S Quinn Woody 6 14 1 2021
S Stanley Crutchfield 5 9 2 2025

It’s a team in a slightly different shape than I came into this year, and I’m not sure that’s for the better. With a close Superbowl loss, then a double-bust in the first round this year, we can’t help but feel snakebitten.

I’ll hope that we move past a bad offseason, and focus on the tasks at hand. The good news is that we have more talent at WR than ever before, and Morse should be jumping for joy with 5 legit wideouts to work with. On defense, our LB corps is a little weakened, but we hope that LB DeLorraine helps to cover those weaknesses until Philips develops more fully. (LB is a weakness of my coach—this is worth remembering)

We should be a player this year—maybe 12 wins or so, and a bye week seems reasonable. If things break well for us, I think a big run is not out of the question. I do not have the same confidence that I did during our best seasons, though, and I feel like the bottom could fall out. Pivotal year, seemingly.

[QuikSand]

2019 season

As we set up the rosters, I decide to commit to Harper as a true “feature” back, getting the bulk of the team’s running load. FB Jacobson and RB Gant will have supporting roles, but I’ll start off with Harper as the workhorse. I decide to start FB Dodge at TE, but he’ll be in a mix with Hayden also. I use backup C Unsbee at RT, as he is my second best lineman.

With these changes, we check cohesion: it’s at 81-61-66-88. I think we’ll be okay, though the front seven has gone from my most tight-knit unit (a few years ago) to my most disparate.

In preseason, we suffer a serious loss—DT Claude Archuleta will miss half the season with a broken arm. We have racked up a sizable number of minor injuries, but Claude is the most critical.

Our opener is a big one-- a Superbowl rematch against Chicago. Ernest Montemayor again outduels Jesse Morse, and Chicago gets the 24-18 victory. We rebound, though, and tear off four straight wins. We drop one in Jacksonville (inexcusable), but get to 6-2 at the midpoint. Harper has 612 yards in the first 8 games, and is among the league leaders. The WR corps is spreading things out this year—everyone is contributing. We extend to 9-2, and DT Archuleta returns to help boost an ailing defensive front.

At 11-2, we face the 11-2 Chiefs, in a game that will likely decide home field advantage. We send a message with a blowout win in Kansas City, and we take the driver’s seat. We run the table the rest of the way, and finish out at 14-2 with the AFC’s top spot. Kansas City is at 13-3, and the NFC is populated with a bunch of 10-6 clubs—no clear dominant team there. We look easily as good as anyone this season.

Stat leaders:
QB Jesse Morse: 3,892 yds, 63.6%, 8.78 ypa, 30/9, 105.8 – perhaps his best stat season ever
RB Corey Harper: 316-1,409, 12 TD (4.4 ypc) – stepped into full-time role very nicely
WR Frank Willis: 54-994, 6 TD (66.6%, 3 drops) – great numbers from most productive wideout
WR Cary Harvey: 68-930, 6 TD (69.3%, 5 drops) – another very strong season
T Troy Stone: 40/115 KRBs (34.7%), 12 sacks allowed - like the run numbers, but too many sacks
LB Jerome DeLorraine: 95 tackles, 3 sacks – very productive addition to the team
DE Earl Rice: 18 tackles, 7 sacks – so many injuries at DL, nobody had good season stats
CB Randal Terrell: 39 tackles, 1 sack, 6 int, 1 TD, 40.0 PDQ – very productive season
S Billy Joe Franklin: 66 tackles, 1 sack, 5 ints, 2 TDs, 37.4 PDQ – another great year for the great vet

Overall stats (Off/def/avg):
Rushing: 3.7/3.5/3.7
Passing: 8.6/6.0/6.7

We were a very solid team, and though our overall rushing numbers weren’t dramatic, our ground game is an asset. I think that we look sharp for the postseason, though our DL continues to limp—we’ll be without DE Corsarie and DT Dernbach. Playing at home, sitting on a big win over Kansas City already, and getting a week to rest—I like our chances here, to be honest.

[QuikSand]

2019 postseason

We get the Anaheim Shillers as our first opponent. Anaheim was 11-5 during the season, and advanced with a 26-20 victory over the division champion Patriots. Their points ratio of 338/281 suggests that their strength is defense, though their QB Allen Simien is very good, according to my scout. Simien is a 7th year player but has only been their starter for two seasons. He has a career QB rating of 83.6, and did just a touch better this season. Their top rusher had only 609 yards on the season.

On the opening possession, Anaheim gets a great KR to out 40, and Simien quickly takes them in. Morse sees the urgency, and we drive down for a FG to get on the board ourselves. Early in the second quarter, we punch it in ourselves, as Morse finds Quinn for the go-ahead score. When Harper scores later in the second quarter, we move ahead by 17-7, and things look good again. We get to 20-7 at the half, and while we have not yet "won" the game, we are pretty well in control.

In the middle of the third quarter, things break loose. Anaheim drives for a TD to get within 6, and then we fumble the kickoff. They get in on two plays, and take the lead 21-20. In a game we seemed to have in hand, the momentum has surely shifted to the underdog Shillers. The Anaheim defense steps up and stops us, but we stop them, anf get the ball back around midfield. Mores wastes no time-he goes up top to Quinn again, this time for a 45-yard TD to regain the lead at 26-20, then Harper pounds in the surprising 2-pointer to get it to 28-21.

After we are pinned at our 1 yard line, Anaheim gets a short drive-but they are held to a FG. It's 28-24, and the 2-pt conversion is now looming large, with 4:38 remaining. With 2:40 left, from the Anaheim 41, Morse decides to go for the jugular, and Cary Harvey catches the deep cross for the score. The 35-24 score holds up, and we escape a modest scare against a decent team.

We take on Kansas City in the AFC Championship. The Chiefs look like the best team in the league, other than us-they went 13-3 during the regular season, and outscored their rivals by 461-240. (Our ratio was 494-212) They are led by a veteran WR Keith Goodrich, and a brilliant young QG Howard Huffman, the #1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. This is his 4th year in the league, and he's already the defending first team all-pro (though Morse should get that this year).

Folks are calling this game "the real Superbowl" as either of these teams looks far better on paper than either Tampa Bay or Philadelphia. For me, the real call here is to beat Kansas City and hope for Phily to win, so I can finally get the Superbowl QB showdown that I wanted about five seasons ago: Jesse Mores versus Rodney Harden. Harden has remained as the Eagles' starter, but has been a little inconsistent-but still very solid.

In the early going, both defenses stop the run and keep things quiet. Morse goes to the air, and leads a 77-yard drive for a TD with nearly every yard gained through the air. Kerry deMarco gets a big interception with about 4 minutes left in the half to preserve our 7-0 lead, and Morse turns up the heat with a two-minute drill drive for another TD. It's 14-0 with 2:22, and we pin them at their 14. deMarco comes through again with another interception, and nearly scores-- we have the ball down on their 2 yard line. Harper punches it in, and the fragile 7-0 score has now blown up a bit into a 21-pint halftime advantage.

The second half, fortunately, holds few surprises. The lone KC touchdown comes on a kickoff return, and we go on to win it 42-10. Tampa Bay pounds Rodney Harden and Philadelphia in the NFC championship game, and they will be our Superbowl opponents.

Tampa Bay was a 10-6 team this season, and they took the wildcard behind 10-6 Chicago. Their starting QB Mel McCorkle missed a few games due to injury, but is a notoriously efficient passer who is called upon to do fairly little. This is a running team, led by RB Ken Buckner, who approached 1,000 yards this year as the head of an extensive RB-by-committee system.

Tampa takes the opening kickoff, and they return it for a TD. The tone is set pretty well. They are not going to go quietly.

It takes us 11 minutes into the game, but on our second possession, we tie it up with Harper pounding it in from 4 yards out. Early in the second, Tampa kicks a FG to regain the lead. They are getting all their yards through the air, which is unlike them. On our next drive, Harper again finished things off with a run up the gut, and we're ahead 14-10. Tampa gets a blocked punt, which sets up a short field drive for a TD for them, and they go up 17-14 with 2:50 left in the half. Quinn hauls in a 33-yard TD to cap off our two-minute drill, and we're back ahead 21-17. The half closes out in a close game-but on the stat board, we are dominating: Tampa has -10 yards rushing so far.

On our second possession of the second half, Harper starts to take the game over. He takes three runs for 21, 27, and then 21 yards-capping a 4 play,69 yard drive with the burst up the middle. Our offensive line is simply blowing the Bucs defense off the ball, and Harper is explosive enough to turn 3-5 yard gainers into 20 or more. Our lead is 28-17, and the Bucs have yet to mount a real offensive threat. McCorkle changes all that, by moving them down the field through the air, and connecting with WR Claiborne for a 21-yard TD pass. If they can keep throwing on us, this is anyone's game.

On our next possession, FB/TE Al Dodge takes a quick screen and breaks it for 25 yards, getting down to the TB 32. The next play, they've been softened up sufficiently, and Harper blows through the middle for his fourth rushing TD on the day.

We stop Tampa on their next possession, and now we appropriately shift into "protect" offense mode, right? Wrong. Morse throws on eight straight plays, and a holding penalty is the only thing that causes us to miss the FG attempt. McCorkle leads a brisk drive down the field, and the Bucs score again-making it 35-32 Browns with 5:45 remaining. On our next possession, Morse is picked off in the flat, and Tampa takes over at our 14 yard line with 5:02 left.

Ahead by 3, opponents deep in our territory-this is what football legends are made of. We bat away McCorkle's first pass. In the next play, DE Cedric Corsarie (playing through a dislocated shoulder) tips the pass at the line, and it falls incomplete. Third and ten. On their next play, McCorkle overthrows Claiborne due to deMarco's blanket coverage. It's fourth down, and they line up for the tying FG-it's good.

We take over with 4:23 left, after the valiant save by the defense. On a critical 3rd-and-9 play, Morse finds the seldom-used fill-in receiver Reed for a 22-yard gain, and we're in business. Harper and FB Jacobson alternate carries, to take us down to the TB 9 yard line, where we set up for a FG with 21 seconds on the clock. Jennings puts it through, and the Browns take the lead 38-35 with 13 seconds on the clock.

With 6 seconds, McCorkle gets a play down to our 47, but the Bucs cannot get the time out called to attempt a record-setting FG. Amidst a tiny controversy, the game is ruled over, and the Browns have their fourth championship.

The easy MVP is Corey Harper, whose 22-148, 4 TD day will go down in history. However, the most incredible stat of the day is that the Brows defense held Tampa Bay-a running team who averaged a solid 118.8 yards per game-to a game total of minus 12 yards on the ground. When you subtract the three scrambles by the QB McCorkle, you see that TB backs carried the ball 20 times for negative 22 yards. That was the single most impressive defensive stat I think I've ever seen in a Superbowl.

Our champion Browns are rewarded with a variety of individual honors. RB Borey Harper is named the first team all-pro RB, in addition to his Superbowl MVP award. FB Al Dodge joins him on the first team, though his contributions were essentially as an H-back. CB Randl Terrell is also named to the first team, with a 40.0 PDQ. T Troy Stone, LB Jerome DeLorraine, and S Billy Joe Franklin are all named to the all-pro second team.

QB Jesse Morse is a curious case. He was edged out by KC's Howard Huffman for the first team honors, and is named to the second team all-pro squad. Huffman also wins the Offensive Player of the Year award. Morse does, however, gather the MFL MVP award for his overall leadership as well as his stats-this is his first.

I had a sinking feeling entering this season, mostly because of a lousy offseason and draft. However, our previous successes came together this year, and we were one of the best teams I've put on the field. This season we outclassed the league as much as any team I've had since the 2010 club that successfully defended the title.

[QuikSand]

I'm starting to tire of this little cycle... I simply don't see this team falling out of playoff contention, and the outcomes from year to year seem more a product of the flukes of injuries and luck than my management.

I'm thinking of either (a) kicking in a new set of tougher house rules starting with my tenure in Columbus... or (b) starting a new career under some tougher rules. (I also have CM 00-01 unopened and calling me, as I promised myself I'd wait until after Tranksgiving to get into that)

Just FYI... it's possible that these Browns will go on hold, or be put to pasture.

[ShagVT]

Well, it's been a great run Quik. As a suggestion, I would point out that the team probably has a pretty difficult time coming up.

With Morse a free agent next season as defending league MVP and Harper as defending first team RB and three year starter, I think you'll find just keeping this team together for another season pretty tough. Billy Joe Franklin in a FA too.

I guess I do have one question - do you find it unrealistic that you were able to field such a dominating performance with such a young team? With a couple of notable exceptions, everybody on the team is in the 6th year or less.

[QuikSand]

2020 preseason

I've decided to continue this team onward, but the hammer is going to come down when we move in 2021. I'll be adopting a much harsher set of house rules, and I'll try to "restrict" myself into a corner, if you get the drift… something along the lines of a "straitjacket" challenge in FOF2. Details to follow.

As for the team, here's the deal. Our title season netted a decent $24m profit, with an outmoded stadium. We're okay with that-we remain in the black through the final years in Cleveland. Mt front office, just re-signed, stays intact following the victory.

DE Earl Rice is my only retirement, rather out of the blue. He had not suffered a major injury, and was only a 9th year player, but he was unlikely to return to the team anyway. This will probably leave us pretty tight with the salary cap this season.

On the contrary. We have a lot of players testing free agency this year, including WR Horace Warren, QB Jesse Morse, and safeties Billy Joe Franklin and Lionel McGraw-all of whom have been keys. The result? I have 32 players signed, and nearly $53m in cap room available under the $$185m total. Should take some serious number-crunching to try to get most of them back, along with RB Corey Harper, who is a RFA.

I franchise QB Jesse Morse, as he must stay. I set a high priority to re-sign S Franklin, S McGraw, and RB Harper in that order. I'm hoping that WR Warren slides to the end of the FA period, where I might be able to afford him as well. I will inevitably lose a variety of solid players scheduled to depart as well.

I get a great trade offer for RB Cary Gant, who would be my backup plan if I were unable to sign Corey Harper. Minnesota offers the #10 pick in this draft plus a hideously overpriced LB for RB Gant. This is a tough call-the early draft pick is tempting, and I eventually decide to take the deal. This will likely mean that (a) I must make re-signing Harper a main priority, and (b) FB Jacobson will probably be my #2 rushing weapon.

I put in opening offers to S Franklin (4yrs, $47.5m) and S McGraw (3yrs, $29m). I do this with the knowledge that if something goes wrong, I at least have my rookie pick from this year who ought to step in and play well. If I get those two, they'll cost me about $20m this year. I set aside another $15m for Morse and $10m for Harper, and my $50-odd million in cap room spends pretty damned quickly. It's looking very unlikely that I have cap room for WR Warren this year.

After week 1, I still have the top offers to both safeties. In week 2, they both re-sign with us. WR Horace Warren looks to be heading out-he's mulling an $11m offer from Chicago-I can't believe it! In week 6, Horace takes the deal from the Bears, joining the team that beat us twice in the Superbowl. Their QB Ernest Montemayor will still be there this year-perhaps they can make something happen. My DT Bob Dernbach is looking at a 5yr, $77m offer from Green Bay. Wow. He takes the deal. (duh)

FB Al Dodge has signed with New Orleans. I'm disappointed-I really liked him as an H-back type, but he was very angry with his playing time, despite starting almost every game at TE. New Orleans will presumably use him as a FB, and will make him happier, I suppose. LB Jerome DeLorraine is about to take a multi-year deal with Atlanta, and I'll soon lose another valuable contributor.

At this point, I have $36, in cap room, and I still need to sign RB Harper, QB Morse, and my rookies (who have increased in expense with the addition of the #10 pick). I talk to Harper, and we agree on a deal for 4yrs, $41m. The cost this year is $8m. This is a little less than I had expected, but that will help with Morse, who doesn't look like he'll come any cheaper than $21m this season.

Sizing up my roster-in-progress, I should be okay at WR. Harvey and Willis are home-grown stars, and Quinn and Kummerfeldt are solid as well. Kummerfeldt actually might be a cut victim if I get in serious cap troubles-that's how deep my WR corps is this year.

LB is a problem area. I have Matt Giles sewn up, and he's an anchor. Past him, my two best guys are heading elsewhere. DeLorraine is receiving big bids, and Jared Hoffman is probably leaving as well. My home-grown guys don't grow, as LB is my coach's biggest weakness. My best hope is to grab a veteran or two either at the end of the FA period, or else after camp.

CB has thinned out, too, with the loss of our fill-in starter from last season. Kerry deMarco will probably have to start this year, which is fine, but makes us thinner than in years past. deMarco has a knack for the big play, and is (as I have previously confessed) a personal favorite of mine.

To my surprise, LB Jerome DeLorraine waited out the big money offers from Atlanta, and he sits at the end of the FA period awaiting an offer. I put in an offer for him-but than I retract it as unaffordable. I do sign a LB in the FA period-5th year man Claude Haag takes a 4yr deal for about 2x veteran minimum, and should help provide a modest safety net at a position about to go into serious flux.

I'm offered a 2nd round pick for C Ronnie Blair, but I pass-Blair is too essential to this offensive line, and I have him locked up for two more years, and he's staying put.

In the draft, I have a chance to go after a top-tier player sitting at #10. (I also hold picks #18 and 36) My fondest wish is for a star-caliber DE. Otherwise, I'd be pleased to see a quality CB, T, or WR - more or less in that priority order. Looking things over the first time, I see a great-looking DE and a star-caliber tackle. I also, in my quest to sniff out busts, project a few of the top guys to go belly up after their first camp (a QB with suspiciously solid but even current ratings, a LB with same, and the best bet- a CB with 37/37 return skills an every current rating just over 37). The draft actually looks pretty heavy in DEs, and I figure my chance of getting one of the good-looking ones looks strong to me.

The first 9 picks go almost as badly as I could have imagined. The two great tackles are gone, and 3 out of 4 of the good DEs are as well. The final top-tier DE is all potential, with pretty lousy current ratings. He's my pick, though, as that position has proven very hard to fill from the bottom of the draft.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Bernie Mears, DE, Mississippi State
Rnd 1 - Damon Peters, LB, Virginia
Rnd 1 - Edward Martinez, CB, Tulane
Rnd 2 - Roger Humphrey, WR, Illinois
Rnd 4 - Marvin Blackburn, RB, Marist
Rnd 5 - Henry McDonald, TE, Purdue
Rnd 6 - Jimmy Marshall, K, Southern Methodist
Rnd 7 - Jake Walter, FB, Michigan State

I realize that taking a LB early is a seeming waste of time with my coach's awful development of young backers, but I'm possibly desperate there, and Peters looks ready to play (if he doesn't bust). CB Martinez is not star, but should be a solid #2 or #3 corner in time. The rest of the draft went fine-I waited too long on a very nice TE and had to settle later.

I get everyone except CB Martinez under the cap without incident. I have some trouble here, as Morse is only showing a "tender" offer of $14m-which may have to stand, but I'd much rather get him on a real contract, which will cost several million more. I cannot afford my last rookie, and even with him, I'd only have 44 players. Trouble.

I decide to try and trade WR Calvin Kummerfeldt, but I quickly realize that his salary of $7m is prohibitive-there is no market for him. The guy who teams want is A.J. Quinn. I end up making a deal with Washington, sending them WR Quinn and reserve safety Crutchfield for a decent young tackle named (honestly) Dwayne Lucas. (If you know me, you'll understand my interest)

This moves my cap room up to $10.3m - enough to get my final rookie signed, and to go talk to QB Morse about a real contract. CB Martinez may have to start next year, as my veteran CB deMarco is demanding a trade, and he's only signed through next season. I'll likely deal deMarco after this season, if my new rules permit it.

I finally get things settled with QB Morse. His requested 3yr deal pays him just short of $20m each season, and I can live with that. We ink the deal, and Morse will likely end his career under this contract.

I have a pending trade offer for T Troy Stone. He's my starting LT, but he gave up 12 sacks last season. I drafted Jamal Hughey last year (a modest bust, but still okay) and just acquired Dwayne Lucas, who could be a starter as well. I decide to take the second round pick next year for Stone. In the deal, I get veteran QB Roosevelt Kirk, who goes to Carolina for a 6th round pick.

I now have $8m in cap room, and 42 players aboard. I decide to bring on a series of rookies to 1-year deals to fill out the roster a bit further. I grab a group of decent fill-ins.

I struggle with whether to offer a long term deal to LB Jerome DeLorraine. He'll take a 3yr deal, and he was pretty solid for us last season. However, he's asking for over $5m this season, and he's not so much better than the existing group I have to demand that much investment. I decide to pass, and I go into training camp.

DE Bernie Mears comes through looking great. His ratings after camp hold-27/95, 20/78, 38. Dubious endurance, but should be an on-field force. LB Damon Peters… is also all right. If he ever reaches his potential, he'll be a superstar. CB Edward Martinez lost a little bit of his potentials-in RD and ZC he dropped from the 90 range to the 75-80 range, but he'll still be quite good. Everyone else looks okay- no surprises up or down.

I use my remaining cap room to sign LB Chad Keenan. He has been a productive starting LB for the 49ers, but they released him for cap reasons. I grab him as a one-year fill in, and he will start for me this season. DT Jeff Campana should be a usable run-stopper at DT, and he signs a 1-yr deal as well. I'll take a cohesion hit for the two new faces, but both should be productive. My final acquisition is a rookie CB, drafted in round 4 but released. He takes a 1yr deal, and may factor into my return game.

Here's the roster shown in contract view:

Roster for the Cleveland Browns

__Name__________________#__Pos OnTm__Ctrc__Exp Stat__Cap Cost
Morse, Jesse *__________9__QB__2007__2022__14__----- $18,940,000
Parker, Kenny__________ 8__QB__2018__2020__3__ ----- $1,760,000
Kirby, Kyle____________ 3__QB__2019__2020__2__ ----- $870,000
Harper, Corey__________ 24 RB__2017__2023__4__ ----- $8,000,000
Jenkins, R.J.__________ 31 RB__2018__2020__3__ ----- $1,110,000
Shepherd, Artie________ 22 RB__2020__2020__1__ ----- $650,000
Blackburn, Marvin______ 49 RB__2020__2021__R__ ----- $650,000
Jacobson, Barry________ 21 FB__2016__2021__5__ ----- $3,500,000
Walter, Jake____________46 FB__2020__2021__R__ ----- $650,000
Hardy, Jake____________ 80 TE__2019__2020__2__ ----- $870,000
McDonald, Henry________ 86 TE__2020__2021__R__ ----- $650,000
Kummerfeldt, Calvin____ 89 WR__2019__2022__6__ ----- $7,000,000
Harvey, Cary____________83 WR__2014__2020__7__ ----- $6,500,000
Willis, Frank__________ 12 WR__2018__2020__3__ ----- $2,990,000
Humphrey, Roger________ 88 WR__2020__2023__R__ ----- $2,240,000
Reed, Kenyon____________81 WR__2019__2021__2__ ----- $870,000
Heath, Andy____________ 82 WR__2020__2020__1__ ----- $650,000
Blair, Ronnie__________ 54 C__ 2016__2021__5__ ----- $3,130,000
Unsbee, Cole____________52 C__ 2018__2021__3__ ----- $2,710,000
Reid, J.C.______________68 G__ 2018__2021__3__ ----- $1,760,000
Fletcher, Lonnie +______75 G__ 2018__2024__4__ ----- $1,590,000
Dowell, Jimmie__________61 G__ 2019__2021__2__ ----- $1,370,000
Hughey, Jamal__________ 60 T__ 2019__2023__2__ ----- $4,250,000
Lucas, Dwayne__________ 70 T__ 2020__2023__3__ ----- $2,120,000
Edmond, Herb____________63 T__ 2019__2025__3__ ----- $1,730,000
Claycomb, Mario________ 2__P__ 2020__2020__1__ ----- $650,000
Marshall, Jimmy________ 19 K__ 2020__2022__R__ ----- $650,000
Mears, Bernie__________ 95 DE__2020__2024__R__ ----- $6,090,000
Corsarie, Cedric________97 DE__2014__2020__10__----- $5,500,000
Zonnefeld, Kenny________98 DE__2018__2024__4__ ----- $2,900,000
Archuleta, Claude______ 99 DT__2016__2020__5__ ----- $11,510,000
Campana, Jeff__________ 92 DT__2020__2020__4__ ----- $1,770,000_
Robertson, Carlos______ 94 DT__2018__2020__3__ ----- $1,110,000
Hancock, Ricky__________91 DT__2019__2021__2__ ----- $870,000
Giles, Matt____________ 50 LB__2015__2020__6__ ----- $6,750,000
Philips, Billy Joe______58 LB__2017__2020__4__ ----- $6,180,000
Peters, Damon__________ 90 LB__2020__2024__R__ ----- $5,230,000
Haag, Claude____________96 LB__2020__2022__5__ ----- $2,500,000
Keenan, Chad____________53 LB__2020__2020__7__ ----- $2,210,000
Forbes, Lester__________56 LB__2019__2022__2__ ----- $2,170,000
Douglas, Ricardo________57 LB__2019__2020__2__ ----- $870,000
Vanderclute, Jared______93 LB__2020__2020__1__ ----- $650,000
de Marco, Kerry +______ 30 CB__2014__2021__7__ ----- $11,250,000
Terrell, Randal________ 40 CB__2018__2022__7__ ----- $8,800,000
Martinez, Edward________48 CB__2020__2024__R__ ----- $3,830,000
Cochrane, Malcolm______ 29 CB__2020__2020__R__ ----- $620,000
Franklin, Billy Joe *__ 35 S__ 2007__2023__14__----- $9,000,000
McGraw, Lionel__________47 S__ 2011__2022__10__----- $8,000,000
Woody, Quinn +__________26 S__ 2019__2021__2__ ----- $1,590,000
Wilkerson, Carlton______23 S__ 2020__2020__1__ ----- $650,000


Salary Cap: $185.1 million
Room Under Cap: $110,000

And here is the roster in the eyes of my scout:

Position/Player__________ Current Est__Future Est____ Exp__ Sgnd
QB__Jesse Morse__________________16__________16______14__ 2022
QB__Kenny Parker__________________9__________15______ 3__ 2020
QB__Kyle Kirby____________________5__________11______ 2__ 2020
RB__Corey Harper________________ 15__________15______ 4__ 2023
RB__Marvin Blackburn______________6__________11______ 1__ 2021
RB__R.J. Jenkins__________________8__________ 9______ 3__ 2020
RB__Artie Shepherd________________7__________ 8______ 1__ 2020
FB__Barry Jacobson______________ 14__________14______ 5__ 2021
FB__Jake Walter__________________ 5__________ 9______ 1__ 2021
TE__Jake Hardy__________________ 10__________11______ 2__ 2020
TE__Henry McDonald________________4__________11______ 1__ 2021
WR__Frank Willis________________ 14__________14______ 3__ 2020
WR__Cary Harvey__________________13__________13______ 7__ 2020
WR__Roger Humphrey________________6__________13______ 1__ 2023
WR__Calvin Kummerfeldt____________9__________10______ 6__ 2022
WR__Kenyon Reed__________________ 7__________ 8______ 2__ 2021
WR__Andy Heath____________________6__________ 6______ 1__ 2020
_C__Cole Unsbee__________________16__________19______ 3__ 2021
_C__Ronnie Blair________________ 16__________16______ 5__ 2021
_G__Jimmie Dowell________________11__________14______ 2__ 2021
_G__J.C. Reid____________________10__________13______ 3__ 2021
_G__Lonnie Fletcher______________ 7__________ 9______ 4__ 2024
_T__Dwayne Lucas__________________8__________11______ 3__ 2023
_T__Jamal Hughey__________________6__________10______ 2__ 2023
_T__Herb Edmond__________________ 8__________ 8______ 3__ 2025
_P__Mario Claycomb________________7__________ 7______ 1__ 2020
_K__Jimmy Marshall________________9__________12______ 1__ 2022
DE__Cedric Corsarie______________15__________16______10__ 2020
DE__Bernie Mears__________________5__________16______ 1__ 2024
DE__Kenny Zonnefeld______________ 8__________11______ 4__ 2024
DT__Claude Archuleta____________ 17__________18______ 5__ 2020
DT__Ricky Hancock________________ 9__________14______ 2__ 2021
DT__Jeff Campana__________________8__________11______ 4__ 2020
DT__Carlos Robertson______________3__________ 6______ 3__ 2020
LB__Damon Peters__________________5__________18______ 1__ 2024
LB__Chad Keenan__________________16__________16______ 7__ 2020
LB__Matt Giles__________________ 15__________16______ 6__ 2020
LB__Lester Forbes________________ 7__________15______ 2__ 2022
LB__Billy Joe Philips____________10__________14______ 4__ 2020
LB__Ricardo Douglas______________ 5__________12______ 2__ 2020
LB__Claude Haag__________________ 7__________ 9______ 5__ 2022
LB__Jared Vanderclute____________ 6__________ 6______ 1__ 2020
CB__Randal Terrell______________ 12__________14______ 7__ 2022
CB__Edward Martinez______________ 4__________13______ 1__ 2024
CB__Kerry de Marco______________ 10__________11______ 7__ 2021
CB__Malcolm Cochrane______________3__________ 9______ 1__ 2020
_S__Billy Joe Franklin__________ 15__________15______14__ 2023
_S__Lionel McGraw________________14__________14______10__ 2022
_S__Quinn Woody__________________ 9__________14______ 2__ 2021
_S__Carlton Wilkerson____________ 7__________ 8______ 1__ 2020

(honestly don't know if that formatting makes things better or worse)

The thing that jumps out on the contract view is that CB Kerry deMarco ismy second most highly paid player, and he honestly isn't really very good as a cornerback (career PDQ of 30.9 is okay, but not great, and his defensive skills are 43/26/61/44 - again okay, but not great).

This team should be a player this season. I honestly don't know what made us as good as we were last year, but we should bring a lot to the table. We have lost depth on offense and defense, but our starting players are probably as good as last season's. We'll see how things pan out after a pretty good off-season.

We cannot set our goals any lower than another title.

[RPI-Fan]

QS: If anything, the formatting looks worse to me--especially on the scout overview. Just my opinion.

------------------
Secant, Tangent, Cosin, Sin, 3.14159!

[FishFan]

Quik-

I think Dwayne Lucas will be a real horse on the offensive line. When he retires, you might think about bringing him on as a trainer.

[QuikSand]

2020 season

We get through preseason with only one injury-WR Cary Harvey has turf toe. Our cohesion at the outset of the season is 93-67-69-94-you can see the strengths and weaknesses.

We surprisingly lose our opener to the Rams. They get two defensive TDs, and win soundly 31-20. Ouch.

We rebound with two big wins, but lose two players to injury. Rookie CB Martinez will be out for half the season, as will stud center Ronnie Blair. In week 4, we edge Pittsburgh, and move even for the division lead with the surprising Ravens. In our week 5 win over once-great Cincinnati, Harper is injured but my rookie Blackburn fills in nicely with 119 yards and a TD run. Harper is okay to go the next week, as we pound the also-once-mighty Titans. Pittsburgh is the main division rival, and in week 8 we beat them easily at home.

We lose in week 9 to Cincinnati, and fall to 6-2 at the midpoint. Curiously, despite being #3 on my depth chart, rookie Melvin Blackburn has received nearly half as many carries as my starter Harper. He has done well, gaining 5.7 yards per carry, but I find it odd. I move Blackburn to #2, but Harper is still my main man there.

Our next game is a loss to Anaheim, and I'm not pleased. This team should not be losing two games in a row, period. We were unable to run, and we turned it over four times-of course we lost.

We get back on track with three wins, and we get C Blair back into the lineup. This allows Unsbee to move back out to left tackle, where he has been a fabulous out-of-place stalwart. We get to 10-3, and have the Steelers by two games-our last "big game" is once again versus the Chiefs, who are 9-4. If we beat them, we're very likely to get a bye week, and will have to battle the 11-3 Bills for the top seed. if we lose in KC, we'll struggle for the week off. The Chiefs win it 33-19, with a game-sealing interception return for a TD in the late stages and a big game from rising star QB Howard Huffman. Fortunately, the Chiefs lose a late season game and we win out, so we do get the week off, but we are the #2 seed behind Buffalo.

Stat leaders:

QB Jesse Morse: 3,688 yds, 61.8%, 7.33 ypa, 36/15, 95.5 - the 36 TDs is his second-highest total
RB Corey Harper: 256-1,220, 9 TD (4.7 ypc) - rebounded from early season injuries, carried load late
RB Marvin Blackburn: 85-432, 4 TD (5.0 ypc) - filled in nicely at HB and FB
WR Frank Willis: 60-994, 9 TD (63/1%, 5 drops) - nice production from flanker role
WR Cary Harvey: 83-958, 10 TD (64.3%, 10 drops) - first year as split end starter a success
C/T Cole Unsbee: 25/66 KRBs (37.8%), 0 sacks allowed - played half year at LT, with no sacks - wow
LB Matt Giles: 84 tackles, 1 sack - monster in the middle for us, our best breakout player ever
DE Cedric Corsarie: 27 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 3 blocks, 7 hurries: another year as an anchor pass rusher
S Lionel McGraw: 61 tackles, 9 int, 1 TD, 48.8 PDQ - a fabulous season from our "other" safety
S Quinn Woody: 45 tackles, 6 int, 1 TD, 50.3 PDQ - great job filling in for oft-injured Billy Joe Franklin

Overall stats (off.def.avg):
Rushing: 4.4/3.8/3.8
Passing: 7.2/6.2/6.6

Not bad production-our passing was down a bit overall, probably due to the scaling back of our resources committed there. In retrospect, I see that the "helpful" computer manager had my "willingness to use injured players" set to something like 21, which explains why players like Harper and Franklin missed a lot of time with very minor boo-boos. Anyway, it got some PT to my subs, and we might need them down the road.

We do not look like a "favorite" for this year, but we do look pretty healthy and solid. Buffalo and KC are the main threats in the AFC, while St. Louis might be the cream of a top-heavy NFC with 5 teams with 11 or more wins.

[QuikSand]

2020 postseason

Kansas City earns their way to Cleveland by way of an impressive 34-3 shellacking of the Jets. They will come after our injury-depleted secondary behind Huffman's arm.

However, it's Morse who goes to the skies first, hitting Harvey for 47 yards on our first play. He then hits Willis for a short TD pass, and we're ahead 7-0. At the end of the first quarter, KC drives deep, but yields only a 20-yard FG. They add another midway through the second quarter, as our offense continues to sputter after the impressive first drive. In the second quarter, we lay QB Huffman out with a ferocious sack by Corsarie, and their reserve QB has to come into the game. We go to halftime up 7-6, but the injury may be a turning point.

On our first second-half possession, we have new life, and Morse drives us down for a TD pass to Harvey. The Chiefs' backup QB Will engineers a nice drive, and looks firmly in control as they respond, but fail on the 2-pointer-it's 14-12 Browns. We're into the fourth quarter at that score, and Chiefs QB Will has a great 3rd down knack. With 6:54 to play, Will completes a pass down to our 1 yard line. They punch it in on 3rd down, to go ahead 19-14. We get past midfield, but have to punt it back. After a first down things look bleak, but on first down, Will throws into coverage and Billy Joe Franklin comes up with a clutch interception, which he gets down to their 20 yard line. With 2:52 on the clock, Morse goes to work, and strikes down to the 4 yard lien on the second play to Willis. After a handoff, he finds Willis again for the score, and we take the lead 22-19.

1:27 on the clock, the Chiefs are down 3 points, and have it on their own 22. Three plays, minus five yards, the Browns defense comes up big, and it's all down to this play. Will throws again, but the pressure forces an underthrow, and we take over on downs. Goodness and light prevail, and even opt to salt the wound with an add-on FG (ill-advised).

Buffalo has beaten Pittsburgh in the other divisional playoff, and we will have to travel to Pittsburgh en route to our hoped-for title defense. The Bills were 13-3 on the year, led by QB David Korzuk, who has really just now emerged onto the scene as a nearly top-grade QB. They play tough defense, and for what it’s worth, their “power rating” is well ahead of ours—87 to 72.

We are still healthy, for the most part, with S Billy Joe Franklin starting despite his “questionable” status. DE Cedric Corsarie is playing through a minor injury, but our other star-caliber players are ready to go.

Buffalo gets the ball first, and looks pretty good moving into our territory and kicking a FG. Harper leads our opening drive, but inside Buffalo territory, Morse is picked off, which sets up good field position for the Bills. After a couple failed drives, Buffalo gets a lucky penalty (holding when they were punting) that give them another FG. Through the second quarter, we exchange mini-drives, each team getting inside the other’s 40, but then fizzling and attempting coffin-corner punts. Finally, the Bills intercept Morse again, and get a good setup at our 23. Korzuk drives them in, and connects for the TD, and they convert for two to make it 14-0. That score stands through halftime, and we have not yet shown our explosive offense.

On the opening drive of the second half, we finally get in gear. Harper does most of the work, and he catches a 23-yard TD from Morse to get on the board (finally). Unfortunately, things open up for the Bills, too, and they match our TD. On a third and one, Morse gets sacked and fumbles, and the Bills complete the 21-yards drive for the TD. Going into the fourth quarter, things look very bleak at 28-7. The fourth quarter holds no real surprises, and the Buffalo offense works things down very well, and they come away with the 34-10 victory.

Our reign in Cleveland comes to a close with another quality team, but we were unable to defend our title. St. Louis buries Buffalo in the title game, breaking a 6-yr streak of AFC Superbowl winners.

RB Corey Harper, despite being only #3 in rushing yards, again gains the first team RB honors. QB Jesse Morse is named second team (behind MVP Rodney Harden – surprise!) and is joined by C Cole Unsbee and rookie K Jimmy Marshall.

Next season begins a new location, a new team, and a new set of more draconian house rules. And a new thread- overdue, I know…

[QuikSand]

ShagVT: I guess I do have one question - do you find it unrealistic that you were able to field such a dominating performance with such a young team? With a couple of notable exceptions, everybody on the team is in the 6th year or less.

I think that's the nature of the beast in FOF 2001. Since players who conclude their erookie contracts immediately demand horrific salary increases, it is simply unthinkable to pay to keep them except for the truly "anchor" players. Therefore, it becomes clear that the main element of this game is having about 20-25 solid, usable, and affordable players on your team at all times. The best way to get these guys is in the later rounds of the draft (especially at the easy positions), but there are also usually a handful of decent young (esp. 2nd year) players in the FA market whose demands are inexplicably lower than similar players'. I think that having a young roster will be an absolute norm in FOF 2001 for these systemic reasons.

Is it unrealistic? Probably, to a point. Is it inevitable? Unless one is exploiting every end run around the game's various weaknesses, I think it is.