The Portland Cascades

[TheDawgsAreOut]

The results of a state-wide naming search are in, and, despite the thousands of votes for Ducks and Beavers, the new Portland franchise shall be named the Portland Cascades (in honor of the Mountain range extending from British Columbia to California). This thread continues the exploits of the previous Oakland Raiders in the Keith Jackson Challenge, which allows only players from the Pacific-10 Conference (motto: screw Notre Dame) and Idaho (at least our turf isn't blue like Boise State's). The previous thread, which can be found in "What You've All Been Waiting For - The Keith Jackson Challenge" details the years 2000-2006, in which we won three AFC West titles and were well below .500 three years. The move seemed like an ideal time to create a new thread. I'll also briefly mention my thoughts on any "house rules". I think that, becuase of the nature of this challenge, no house rules are really needed. There are very few franchise players released from Pac-10 schools, making this much harder to exploit than with a normal team. The same holds true for most free agents. I've traded very little, and my ticket prices have been low, so I don't think anything is needed. We now return you to your regularly scheduled off-season.

2007 Pre-Season
Herb's Ratings:
Performance - 10
Team Value - 28
Profit/Loss - 43
Difficulty - 77
Overall - 32

I really believe that the team value and profit/loss should benefit greatly from the move. My stadium is rated a 67, 4th in the League. My fan support remains 0. No retirements. Coach Ricky Jasso is on the outs with management after the rash of injuries in past years, and finishing with the most penalty yards in the league last year. His replacement is Joel Heath, a 55 year old with VG in Avoid Injury, my new top priority. He also has an EXC in Young Talent, another requirement. We head to free agency with 29 players signed and about 30 million in cap room. Nobody is worth franchising, as our key talent has long ago been re-signed.

In free agency, offers are made to c Frank Garcia and our own g Louis Strong, and p Josh Miller. The free agent and draft classes are both light on Pac-10 talent, so we attempt to fill our biggest hole on d with a trade for cb Blake Sailer of Arizona, a 63 current and future at 27 years of age. We get him, a 2nd rounder this year, and a 7th next year, but pay a steep price: our 1st, 3rd, and 5th rounders this year. At #5, the only guy I could see myself taking was a qb, and I believe that Leo Branch fills that spot for years to come, so no big loss.

In week one, g Mark Schlereth is Going Back to Cali, signing with the Chargers for 2 years and 8 million. I couldn't see spending that much on a 39 year old, even if it kills cohesion. Strong signs for 2 years and 3 million in week 5. In week 6, Garcia goes back to Carolina for a million a year less than I'm offering him. He'll rue the day ... . Miller re-signs with Green Bay for less money. Imagine that. Of course my own punter took the first flight out of town last year. I have 30 million in cap room, and nothing to spend it own. Who made these Dranconian rules [looks in mirror] Oh. [/looks in mirror]. te Joel Hitchcock sets out for Washington in week 11. His loss will long be mourned. I then decide to go after Akili Smith because he's the best qb on the market and has no offers because Cincy went over the cap. Lo and behold, two weeks, two years, and 12.25 million later, I have myself one heckuva backup qb.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 2 - Rufus McKnight, G, Oregon State
Rnd 2 - Harold Guajardo, DT, Oregon
Rnd 4 - Brock Carlisle, TE, Arizona State
Rnd 6 - Harold Palmer, P, Stanford
Rnd 7 - Robert Jacobsen, RB, Washington

McKnight is talented and also a serious need pick. Guajardo looks like a possible steal, perhaps surpassing Parrish for the #2 defensive tackle job. Carlisle is a guy I hope will break out, Palmer a true need pick, and I honestly picked Jacobson because he's a Dawg. Following the draft, I bring back a couple more free agents, including long-time mlb Aleaga and wr Herndon. After camp, I fill out the rosters with a few good pickups. cb Joey Copeland, a 2nd round draft pick 4 years back, returns on a 3 year deal after being traded and subsequently released. t Rick Delarouch signs a 2 year deal and moves into the starting lineup. wr Sean Dawkins returns after he just wouldn't lower his contract demands before camp. Cohesion isn't worth that much. qb Leo Branch signs a 12.50 million dollar, 3 year deal as we tear up the one that would have left him a free agent following the season.

A quick look around FOF NFL Records:
- qb Leo Branch has moved into 14th place in career passing yards (17,998) and 13th in tds (110)
- hb Napoleon Kaufman is 2nd in career rushing yards (9,167) and 3rd in rushing tds (66)
- wr Sean Dawkins is 12th in career receptions (471), 4th in recieving yards (7,606), and 4th in tds (44)
- wr Pat Johnson is 9th in career recieving tds (40)
- de Morris Lattimore [Erik Flowers] is 12th in career sacks (74.5)
- lb Ink Aleaga holds the NFL's single season record for tackles (140)
- wr Ronnie Harris (way back) holds the record for most receptions in a playoff game (13)

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split national championship, split national championship, keep repeating it to yourself

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2007 Regular Season
We go 3-1 in pre-season, winning the first game in Keith Jackson Stadium by a score of 35-7 over the Titans. Branch and Smith are both solid, with Branch completing about 2/3 of his passes, and Smith leading the team to flurries of points. The major injury is to linebacker Tito Hopper, but we have depth there, so we should manage.

Game One: at Portland 40, Miami 7 (1-0)
KJ Stadium is growing on these guys, with their second straight blowout. Kaufman has 89 yards on 19 carries. Branch leads the NFL in passing with 335 yards and 4 tds. The defense holds Miami to 202 yards. Wideout Pat Johnson goes down til the playoffs.

Game Two: at Tennessee 13, Portland 10 (ot) (1-1)
The Titans get a 46 yard field goal with 2:08 left in ot to win it. We blow a great oppurtunity when we get the ball at the Titans' 47 with 6 minutes to go, but we punt it away on third and short. Kaufman gets 94 yards on the ground, and the d is again strong. t Rick Deloach goes down long term.

Game Three: at Portland 22, Denver 15 (2-1)
Branch leads the league in passing for the second time in three weeks, with 335 yards. Kaufman struggles, getting just 44 yards on the ground. The d holds Denver to just 1 offensive td, with 8 Bronco points coming on a blocked punt recovery in the end zone and a subsequent 2 point conversion. Austin records a NFL record tieing 5 and a half sacks, leading the team to a total of 9. Frohbrieter, Aleaga, Sawyer, and Mills go down, leaving us minimal depth at linebacker and safety.

Game Four: Portland 37, at Kansas City 17 (3-1)
Kaufman gets the job done, with 22 carries for 90 yards and 3 tds. Branch is alright. We take the first of a five game road trip. Wideout Victor Everett joins many others on the list of injuries. Boy, this new coach is much better at keeping our players healthy.

Game Five: Portland 20, at Philadelphia 9 (4-1)
Branch goes down early, and he and Smith both fail to rack up the yards, completing 2/3 of their passes for only 124 yards. Kaufman picks up the slack with 144 yards and a td. Mahnken picks up a defensive td on a 60 yard int return.

Game Six: at Seattle 29, Portland 6 (4-2) [Ed. Note: this game was originally a 17-6 Portland victory but had to be replayed due to computer trouble]
In the city he played collegiate ball, Kaufman is alright, with 82 yards on 19 carries. Branch is miserable, completing 12 of 30 for 124 and 2 ints. Smith gets the start against co-Division Leader (with us) San Diego so Branch can get fully healthy.

Game Seven: at San Diego 23, Portland 10 (4-3)
Ryan Leaf wins the Backup (qb) Bowl with 321 yards and the numbers above. Smith is awful, completing just 12 of 27 passes for 154 yards. Kaufman gets 60 yards on 11 carries. Branch will return for next week's game at Denver as we look to the inviting warmth of the bye week afterwards.

Game Eight: Portland 34, at Denver 28 (5-3) (OT)
A glorious week indeed! We win to go 3-2 on the 5 game road trip, San Diego loses, we're tied for first, we earn a bye week, and look forward to having 6 of our final 8 in the friendly confines of KJ stadium. We tie last year's win total as well. On the negatve side are the mounting injuries. Flowers goes down, and Russell, Mills, and Sawyer all aggrevate past injuries. VG Avoid Injury? Hard to believe. Branch throws for 296 yards and 2 tds. Kaufman has 137 yards and 2 tds on just 15 carries. Mahnken intercepts 2 passes. Denver gets 479 yards, but we force 5 turnovers. Dawkins catches a 14 yarder from Branch with a minute and a half on the clock for the much needed W.

Game Nine: Kansas City 49, at Portland 17 (5-4)
We lose at KJ stadium for the first time ever, a real 'heartbreaker'. The loss creates a 4-way tie for the division lead amongst us, San Diego, Kansas City, and Los Angeles. A bright spot is Sean Dawkins, who catches 11 balls for 115 yards and a td. Kaufman is also solid with 11 carries for 56 yards, and his backup, Jacobsen, has 52 yards on 5 carries. Branch and Smith are both injured, throwing third-stringer Weber to the dawgs. The qbs are a combined 21 of 47 for 183 yards, a td, and an int. Weber may have been the most effective. This team needs to circle the proverbial wagons.

Game Ten: at Portland 35, New York Giants 6 (6-4)
Off the proverbial schneid in a big way, we drop two teams and are in a two-way tie with LA, with whom we have two meetings remaining. Guess who we have next week? The archrival Ruff Ryders themselves. Branch is amazing, with 31 of 38 for 275 yards and 5 tds! Kaufman chips in himself with 167 yards on 22 carries. Branch is named Offensive Player of the Week. The G-Men, behind backup qb Scott Covington, get just 95 yards passing and throw 2 picks, including Sailer's first as a Cascade.

Game Eleven: at Portland 33, Los Angeles 9 (7-4)
Kaufman has another day, and his 139 yards on 27 carries lead us to the division lead. Milloy leads a fine defensive attempt with 13 tackles and a pick. LA is held to 218 yards total offense, with 3 picks and a lost fumble. Copeland has the other 2 picks.

Game Twelve: at Portland 20, San Diego 0 (8-4)
A nice win, but LA lurks a game back with a big matchup looming in LA next week. Kaufman shoulders the load again, with 153 yards and 2 tds on 29 carries. The Chargers are held to 225 yards. de Austin does go out with an injury.

Game Thirteen: at Los Angeles 20, Portland 17 (8-5)
And then we were tied. We pretty much gotta win out. Kaufman gets only 10 carries, though they go for 57 yards. Defensively, Whiting and Hopper lead the way with 13 tackles apiece.

Game Fourteen: Washington 34, at Portland 24 (8-6)
There's no shame in losing to the now 11-3 Skins, the NFL leaders, but we needed a win. Now we need two of them, at Jacksonville, and in Portland versus perennial enemy Seattle. The Ruff Ryders pull out a 9-6 squeaker over San Diego to take a one game lead. Kaufman is again strong, with 90 yards on 15 carries. Dawkins goes out for the year, and with Everett and Johnson also injured, I'm searching all corners for healthy recievers. Dawkins goes on IR and Keith Poole is brought in as a replacement.

Game Fifteen: at Jacksonville 17, Portland 10 (8-7)
The team meltdown continues. The Jags get the winner with 14 seconds left, a backbreaker, as we blow a 10-3 lead in the 4th quarter. Poor play from all skill position types.

Game Sixteen: at Portland 14, Seattle 6 (9-7)
Sawyer wins defensive Player of the Week on the strength of 2 ints in the first game he was fully healthy all year. Looking back over just missing the last playoff spot, many what ifs pop up. The game that I failed to save, and then subsequently lost. An ot loss in Tennesee. Giving up a td with 14 ticks left in Jacksonville. Losing by three in LA. Losing at home twice. Change any of these things, and perhaps things would be different. 9-7 is not a bad year, but it leaves me with a bad taste like in 2003, when we missed the playoffs based on a missed Ryan Longwell fg that would have broken a tie game with Seattle. The good news is that we followed up the disappointment of 03 with back-to-back Division Championships in 04 and 05. The first year in Portland brought increased fan support, attendence, and a 4 game improvement in the most important column, that of wins. With that in mind, we look to re-sign Napoleon Kaufman and add more young Pac-10 talent and reload in hopes to at last become one of the AFC elite.

Final individual statistics:
qb Leo Branch - 289 of 473 (61%, t6th) for 3272 yards (10th), 18 tds (t10th), and 9 tds (t4th low). Rating of 86.5 (5th)
hb Napoleon Kaufman - 303 carries for 1578 yards (1st), 5.2 ypc (2nd), 15 tds (3rd)
wr Sean Dawkins - 79 catches for 975 yards and 7 tds (7th), 3 drops
s Lawyer Milloy - 134 tackles (6th), 101 solo (7th), 15.4 tck%
de Jamal Austin - 48 tackles, 13.5 sacks (4th), 7.2 pr% (1st)
s Ernie Sawyer (7 starts) - 4 ints, 8 def, 55.6 pdq (3rd)

The Cincinatti Bengals defeat the Green Bay Packers to become the first 2-time Super Bowl winners in FOF history. When the end of season awards are handed out, they are surprising - or perhaps not. hb Napoleon Kaufman is again gipped out of a spot on either of the teams at halfback despite leading the league in yards, being second in ypc, and third in tds. What more do they want? That a man who ranks second all time in career rushing yards could still have a blank 'honors' section is, quite simply, beyond me. He has 4 of the top 12 single season rushing yardages in history - a full third. His total career yardage (when factoring in real life stats other than this year) is 15,038 yards. That would be 2nd all time behind Barry Sanders and Walter Payton. That's pretty good company. He looks like a sure-fire HOFer, but why no awards? The First Team halfback this year went to Brant Austin of the Chargers. I can't attribute it to his success - his team was well below mine in the standings. Whatever. Also omitted was de Jamal Austin. However, one surprise was pleasant. Justin Mahnken, whose season was not even good enough to be mentioned above by me (6 ints, 1 td, 39.6 pdq), made 1st Team at corner, continuing a promising career.

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2007 Regular Season
We go 3-1 in pre-season, winning the first game in Keith Jackson Stadium by a score of 35-7 over the Titans. Branch and Smith are both solid, with Branch completing about 2/3 of his passes, and Smith leading the team to flurries of points. The major injury is to linebacker Tito Hopper, but we have depth there, so we should manage.

Game One: at Portland 40, Miami 7 (1-0)
KJ Stadium is growing on these guys, with their second straight blowout. Kaufman has 89 yards on 19 carries. Branch leads the NFL in passing with 335 yards and 4 tds. The defense holds Miami to 202 yards. Wideout Pat Johnson goes down til the playoffs.

Game Two: at Tennessee 13, Portland 10 (ot) (1-1)
The Titans get a 46 yard field goal with 2:08 left in ot to win it. We blow a great oppurtunity when we get the ball at the Titans' 47 with 6 minutes to go, but we punt it away on third and short. Kaufman gets 94 yards on the ground, and the d is again strong. t Rick Deloach goes down long term.

Game Three: at Portland 22, Denver 15 (2-1)
Branch leads the league in passing for the second time in three weeks, with 335 yards. Kaufman struggles, getting just 44 yards on the ground. The d holds Denver to just 1 offensive td, with 8 Bronco points coming on a blocked punt recovery in the end zone and a subsequent 2 point conversion. Austin records a NFL record tieing 5 and a half sacks, leading the team to a total of 9. Frohbrieter, Aleaga, Sawyer, and Mills go down, leaving us minimal depth at linebacker and safety.

Game Four: Portland 37, at Kansas City 17 (3-1)
Kaufman gets the job done, with 22 carries for 90 yards and 3 tds. Branch is alright. We take the first of a five game road trip. Wideout Victor Everett joins many others on the list of injuries. Boy, this new coach is much better at keeping our players healthy.

Game Five: Portland 20, at Philadelphia 9 (4-1)
Branch goes down early, and he and Smith both fail to rack up the yards, completing 2/3 of their passes for only 124 yards. Kaufman picks up the slack with 144 yards and a td. Mahnken picks up a defensive td on a 60 yard int return.

Game Six: at Seattle 29, Portland 6 (4-2) [Ed. Note: this game was originally a 17-6 Portland victory but had to be replayed due to computer trouble]
In the city he played collegiate ball, Kaufman is alright, with 82 yards on 19 carries. Branch is miserable, completing 12 of 30 for 124 and 2 ints. Smith gets the start against co-Division Leader (with us) San Diego so Branch can get fully healthy.

Game Seven: at San Diego 23, Portland 10 (4-3)
Ryan Leaf wins the Backup (qb) Bowl with 321 yards and the numbers above. Smith is awful, completing just 12 of 27 passes for 154 yards. Kaufman gets 60 yards on 11 carries. Branch will return for next week's game at Denver as we look to the inviting warmth of the bye week afterwards.

Game Eight: Portland 34, at Denver 28 (5-3) (OT)
A glorious week indeed! We win to go 3-2 on the 5 game road trip, San Diego loses, we're tied for first, we earn a bye week, and look forward to having 6 of our final 8 in the friendly confines of KJ stadium. We tie last year's win total as well. On the negatve side are the mounting injuries. Flowers goes down, and Russell, Mills, and Sawyer all aggrevate past injuries. VG Avoid Injury? Hard to believe. Branch throws for 296 yards and 2 tds. Kaufman has 137 yards and 2 tds on just 15 carries. Mahnken intercepts 2 passes. Denver gets 479 yards, but we force 5 turnovers. Dawkins catches a 14 yarder from Branch with a minute and a half on the clock for the much needed W.

Game Nine: Kansas City 49, at Portland 17 (5-4)
We lose at KJ stadium for the first time ever, a real 'heartbreaker'. The loss creates a 4-way tie for the division lead amongst us, San Diego, Kansas City, and Los Angeles. A bright spot is Sean Dawkins, who catches 11 balls for 115 yards and a td. Kaufman is also solid with 11 carries for 56 yards, and his backup, Jacobsen, has 52 yards on 5 carries. Branch and Smith are both injured, throwing third-stringer Weber to the dawgs. The qbs are a combined 21 of 47 for 183 yards, a td, and an int. Weber may have been the most effective. This team needs to circle the proverbial wagons.

Game Ten: at Portland 35, New York Giants 6 (6-4)
Off the proverbial schneid in a big way, we drop two teams and are in a two-way tie with LA, with whom we have two meetings remaining. Guess who we have next week? The archrival Ruff Ryders themselves. Branch is amazing, with 31 of 38 for 275 yards and 5 tds! Kaufman chips in himself with 167 yards on 22 carries. Branch is named Offensive Player of the Week. The G-Men, behind backup qb Scott Covington, get just 95 yards passing and throw 2 picks, including Sailer's first as a Cascade.

Game Eleven: at Portland 33, Los Angeles 9 (7-4)
Kaufman has another day, and his 139 yards on 27 carries lead us to the division lead. Milloy leads a fine defensive attempt with 13 tackles and a pick. LA is held to 218 yards total offense, with 3 picks and a lost fumble. Copeland has the other 2 picks.

Game Twelve: at Portland 20, San Diego 0 (8-4)
A nice win, but LA lurks a game back with a big matchup looming in LA next week. Kaufman shoulders the load again, with 153 yards and 2 tds on 29 carries. The Chargers are held to 225 yards. de Austin does go out with an injury.

Game Thirteen: at Los Angeles 20, Portland 17 (8-5)
And then we were tied. We pretty much gotta win out. Kaufman gets only 10 carries, though they go for 57 yards. Defensively, Whiting and Hopper lead the way with 13 tackles apiece.

Game Fourteen: Washington 34, at Portland 24 (8-6)
There's no shame in losing to the now 11-3 Skins, the NFL leaders, but we needed a win. Now we need two of them, at Jacksonville, and in Portland versus perennial enemy Seattle. The Ruff Ryders pull out a 9-6 squeaker over San Diego to take a one game lead. Kaufman is again strong, with 90 yards on 15 carries. Dawkins goes out for the year, and with Everett and Johnson also injured, I'm searching all corners for healthy recievers. Dawkins goes on IR and Keith Poole is brought in as a replacement.

Game Fifteen: at Jacksonville 17, Portland 10 (8-7)
The team meltdown continues. The Jags get the winner with 14 seconds left, a backbreaker, as we blow a 10-3 lead in the 4th quarter. Poor play from all skill position types.

Game Sixteen: at Portland 14, Seattle 6 (9-7)
Sawyer wins defensive Player of the Week on the strength of 2 ints in the first game he was fully healthy all year. Looking back over just missing the last playoff spot, many what ifs pop up. The game that I failed to save, and then subsequently lost. An ot loss in Tennesee. Giving up a td with 14 ticks left in Jacksonville. Losing by three in LA. Losing at home twice. Change any of these things, and perhaps things would be different. 9-7 is not a bad year, but it leaves me with a bad taste like in 2003, when we missed the playoffs based on a missed Ryan Longwell fg that would have broken a tie game with Seattle. The good news is that we followed up the disappointment of 03 with back-to-back Division Championships in 04 and 05. The first year in Portland brought increased fan support, attendence, and a 4 game improvement in the most important column, that of wins. With that in mind, we look to re-sign Napoleon Kaufman and add more young Pac-10 talent and reload in hopes to at last become one of the AFC elite.

Final individual statistics:
qb Leo Branch - 289 of 473 (61%, t6th) for 3272 yards (10th), 18 tds (t10th), and 9 tds (t4th low). Rating of 86.5 (5th)
hb Napoleon Kaufman - 303 carries for 1578 yards (1st), 5.2 ypc (2nd), 15 tds (3rd)
wr Sean Dawkins - 79 catches for 975 yards and 7 tds (7th), 3 drops
s Lawyer Milloy - 134 tackles (6th), 101 solo (7th), 15.4 tck%
de Jamal Austin - 48 tackles, 13.5 sacks (4th), 7.2 pr% (1st)
s Ernie Sawyer (7 starts) - 4 ints, 8 def, 55.6 pdq (3rd)

The Cincinatti Bengals defeat the Green Bay Packers to become the first 2-time Super Bowl winners in FOF history. When the end of season awards are handed out, they are surprising - or perhaps not. hb Napoleon Kaufman is again gipped out of a spot on either of the teams at halfback despite leading the league in yards, being second in ypc, and third in tds. What more do they want? That a man who ranks second all time in career rushing yards could still have a blank 'honors' section is, quite simply, beyond me. He has 4 of the top 12 single season rushing yardages in history - a full third. His total career yardage (when factoring in real life stats other than this year) is 15,038 yards. That would be 2nd all time behind Barry Sanders and Walter Payton. That's pretty good company. He looks like a sure-fire HOFer, but why no awards? The First Team halfback this year went to Brant Austin of the Chargers. I can't attribute it to his success - his team was well below mine in the standings. Whatever. Also omitted was de Jamal Austin. However, one surprise was pleasant. Justin Mahnken, whose season was not even good enough to be mentioned above by me (6 ints, 1 td, 39.6 pdq), made 1st Team at corner, continuing a promising career.

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2008 Pre-Season
Performance - 60
Team Value - 62
Profit/Loss - 61
Difficulty - 75
Overall - 62

No retirements or staff changes. Free agency shall hit us hard, with Kaufman, Dawkins, Cleeland, Lattimore, Austin, and Aleaga as the key free agents. We start out with offers to Cleeland, Lattimore, and Austin (Kaufman is the franchise player). Lattimore and Austin sign in week two, for 12 and 15 million respectively over 2 years. Cleeland signs in week 3 for 5.5 million over the same two years. Looking around after a few weeks, we make offers to c Olin Kreutz and former Raider p Eddie Herndon. Kreutz spurns us again to return to Chicago, but Herndon comes back to give us a credible punter.

Noting that Napoleon Kaufman won't be around forever, we look to the draft for a replacement hb. We trade Smith and our second rounder to Denver for the 6 pick. Our eye is on Floyd Kelso, a 5-8 'Zona grad with 100 breakaway speed. Sadly, he goes to Dallas with the first pick. We end up with the collegiate Ron Dayne to his Tiki Barber at Arizona, Gerald Becker, who projects to 98 short yardage, and 100 yards per carry. He's not as polished as Kelso, but we can give him at least one year. The thought of two halfbacks from the same squad going in the first six picks is just incomprehensible.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Gerald Becker, RB, Arizona
Rnd 1 - Winfred Riddick, QB, Stanford
Rnd 3 - Winfred Carlson, FB, Oregon
Rnd 4 - Harry Gaines, TE, Washington
Rnd 5 - Darren Armijo, C, Arizona State
Rnd 6 - Freddie Raymond, WR, Arizona
Rnd 7 - Donald Adler, RB, Stanford
Rnd 7 - Dominic Hammond, WR, Arizona State

With the second first rounder, Riddick is too tempting to pass up. It seems like it was just yesterday that Branch was drafted, but he's already 30. We get some decent looking filler in later rounds, and now its on to re-signing the guys who didn't get signed in 20-stage. If you notice, after using most of our draft picks in past years on defense, we looked offense this year. Kaufman agrees to a 3-year, 17.25 million dollar offer. Herndon and Everett also return, along with aging warrior Ink Aleaga.

Pre-season goes well, with a 2-2 record and no significant injuries. Becker and Riddick, our future, show flashes of brilliance.


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split national championship, split national championship, keep repeating it to yourself

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2008 Regular Season

Game One: at Portland 28, Los Angeles 14 (1-0)
Kaufman tries to convince everyone he's not quite done yet with 133 yards on 30 carries. This allows him to pass Barry Sanders for 2nd all-time in NFL rushing yardage (adding his FOF stats to his real-life ones). The game features an odd 2 kickoff returns for tds. After LA scores first, Raymond goes 100 yards for the 1st ever kickoff return for a td in Portland's history and in that of Keith Jackson stadium. The Ruff Ryders take one to the house later on. Becker has an impressive debut with 50 yards on 7 carries. Branch is knocked out early, and Riddick does a fine job in relief, throwing for just 109 yards, but completing 13 of 20 passes and one td. Defensively, Lattimore records two sacks.

Game Two: at Portland 34, Seattle 8 (2-0)
We easily take the first game of the I-5 rivalry. Kaufman leads the league in rushing with 177 yards and 3 tds on 21 carries and takes Offensive Player of the Week. Everett has 143 yards on 9 catches.

Game Three: Portland 23, at Indianapolis 17 (3-0) (OT)
Whoa. Perhpas this team is pretty good - you can't argue with taking out the 2-0 Colts in Indy. Branch gets untracked with 278 yards on 23 of 39, with a td. Kaufman struggles, with just 50 yards, but Becker picks up the slack on his one carry. In ot, after holding the Colts to 3 and out, Becker takes the handoff on our first play and jaunts 63 yards to the house for a 3-0 start. Sawyer has a fine day, with 8 tackles and an assist.

Game Four: at Portland 26, Green Bay 20 (OT) (4-0)
With our second ot win in as many weeks, we remain the only undefeated AFC team. Kaufman has 152 yards and a td on 27 carries. That one td is the winner with less than 3 minutes separating us and our second ever tie. Branch is knocked out after completing 11 of 17 passes for 155 yards and a touch, and Riddick is awesome. He completes 21 of 36 passes for 200 yards, although he is intercepted once. In what has to be a Portland record, 8 different recievers catch balls. The injury bug hits in a big way, with Lattimore, Frohbreiter, Milloy, and Everett going down long-term.

Game Five: at Denver 38, Portland 16 (4-1)
We tumble along with all the other unbeatens. At least no ot this week. Branch has one of the oddest Jekyll and Hyde games you'll ever see. He could've been great or awful, depending upon what stat you look at. He completes just 18 of 51 passes in a frantic attempt to come back, but does throw for 359 yards. He throws 2 tds - but the real killer is 4 ints. Kaufman has only 9 carries, but gets 44 yards. Johnson and Raymond each catch 6 balls, Johnson for 147 and a td, Raymond for 127 and a td. Copeland, moved to safety after the loss of Milloy, has 8 tackles and 2 picks.

Game Six: at San Diego 31, Portland 10 (4-2)

Game Seven: at Kansas City 23, Portland 10 (4-3)
We finish a three game road swing 0-3, outscored 92-38. Great. You know it really is easier to list injuries by those who aren't injured. I just can't understand why all these defensive injuries have caused Branch to lose all his ability.

Game Eight: at Portland 28, Buffalo 20 (5-3)
Branch redeems himself by throwing for all 4 tds. Johnson catches 2 of the tds and 6 other passes for 132 yards. Kaufman gets 97 yards on 20 carries, and Becker chips in 43 yards on 6 carries.

Game Nine: at Portland 34, Minnesota 17 (6-3)
We go into the bye week with a huge win over the previously 5-2 Vikes. The offense struggles, but the defense forces 5 turnovers, including recovering 3 fumbles.

Game Ten: Denver 21, at Portland 20 (6-4)
Denver scores the game and perhaps division-winning points with under two minutes to go.

Game Eleven: Portland 13, at Seattle 7 (7-4)
It's a defensive battle in the slop that is fall Seattle, and we come out on top. Rookie Groh, making his first career start, returns an int for our only td, and also has 8 tackles. Fellow safety Sawyer has an identical 8 tackle, 1 int line. The Hawks are killed in the red zone, where they miss a field goal and allow Saywer his int to come away with just 7 points in 3 trips.

Game Twelve: at Portland 31, Kansas City 17 (8-4)
Kaufman gets only 10 carries before being injured, but gets 62 yards. His status for next week is up in the air. Branch hits on 13 of 16 before giving way himself. The safety tandem of Sawyer and Groh is awesome again, with an int apiece, and 10 tackles for Sawyer and 9 for Groh. Austin has 3 sacks.

Game Thirteen: at Chicago 24, Portland 19 (8-5)
Becker has a decent starting debut, with 95 yards on 26 carries, and 1 td. Groh has his third pick in as many weeks to go along with a team-leading 7 tackles, but will lose his starting job with Milloy's return.

Game Fourteen: Portland 20, at Los Angeles 17 (9-5)
Milloy continues the safety int streak with 1 to go along with 11 tackles in his triumphant return from injury. Inexplicably, the lead runner spot goes to Jacobson, who nets 99 yards on 22 carries (though he gets injured himself). Branch throws 17 for 27 for 215 and a touch. Lattimore has 3 sacks.

Game Fifteen: at Portland 21, San Diego 9 (10-5)
Branch is solid, with 21 of 35 for 270 and 2 tds. Becker struggles with the load, getting just 75 yards on 22 carries. Milloy has another int.

Game Sixteen: at Detroit 29, Portland 7 (10-6)
With the top wild card slot sewn up, we rest the injured guys and get slaughtered. Groh does pick up, unbelievably, another int which he returns for a td. Becker ends his rookie year with a 12 yards on 9 carries performance. Great.

Wild Card Round: at Portland 30, Kansas City 6 (11-6)
The first ever playoff game in Portland is a complete success. Kaufman has a valiant effort, with 134 yards and a td on 38 carries. Branch is 21 for 31 for 208 and 2 touchs. Everett catches 9 balls for 105 yards and both tds. The Chiefs turn the ball over 4 times, with both Milloy and Sawyer coming up with picks.

Division Round: at New York Jets 35, Portland 6 (11-7)
We get thumped by a much better team, well rested and playing at home. Kaufman picks up just 16 yards on 16 carries. Branch has only a 3.8 avg./throw, and throws a pick. Groh does not intercept a pass. To next year!

Minnesota beats Cincinatti, 35-13, to win their first Super Bowl. You know what that means - we beat the Super Bowl Champs!
Darrell Russell makes First Team All-Pro at defensive tackle, and on the Second Team are te Cam Cleeland, and s Ernie Sawyer.

Statistical Leaders:
qb Leo Branch - 280 of 520 (53.8%), 3479 yards (4th NFL), 17 td, 14 int, 74.4 rating
hb Napoleon Kaufman - 194 carries for 925 yards (4.7 avg), 8 tds
wr Pat Johnson - 76 catches for 1001 yards (13.1 avg), 3 td, 10 drop
wr Victor Everett - 55 catches for 900 yards (16.3 avg, 2nd NFL), 7 td, 6 drops
de Jamal Austin - 46 tackles, 31 solo, 13 sacks, 7.8 pr% (2nd NFL), 7.5 tck%
de Morris Lattimore - 34 tackles, 28 solo, 12.5 sacks, 4.1 pr%, 6.5 tck%
dt Darrell Russell - 79 tackles, 61 solo, 11 sacks, 2.8 pr%, 10.1 tck%
s Ernie Sawyer - 7 ints (t1st NFL), 38.0 pdq
s/cb Joey Copeland - 3 ints, 43.6 pdq (6th NFL)

Rookies:
qb Winifred Riddick - 43 of 70 (61.4%), 403 yards, 1 td, 1 int, 76.0 rating
hb Gerald Becker - 117 carries for 459 yards (3.9 avg), 4 tds
wr Freddie Raymond - 27 catches for 348 yards (12.8 avg), 2 tds, 5 drops
s Gino Groh - 4 int, 2 td, 39.0 pdq,


------------------
split national championship, split national championship, keep repeating it to yourself

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2009 Pre-Season
Performance - 72
Team Value - 66
Profit/Loss - 72
Difficulty - 74
Overall - 69

In early February, just as the Cascades had begun preparation for the upcoming season, a shocking development occurred. Star qb Leo Branch called a press conference to announce his sudden retirement. "I want to leave this game healthy," said Branch. "I saw what happened to my good friend and idol Troy Aikman with concussions ... and I didn't want that to be me." Branch had struggled with minor concussions during the season. "Also," Branch continued, "I could tell my performance was slipping last year." Team President Keith Jackson responded to the retirement with sadness. "I was shocked when Leo first came to me and told me he was considering retirement," said Jackson. "He and Nap [Kaufman] are synonymous with Cascade football. When I first came to the team, my first priority was drafting a qb and we identified him as the man. When we couldn't get him, I was sad. Then he almost fell into our laps, and I was ecstatic. It's been a great 8 years with Leo." In that span, the Raiders/Cascades won 2 division championships and advanced to the playoffs another time as a Wild Card team.

Branch's Career Statistics:
114 Games, 113 Starts
1997 completions (8th FOF) in 3554 attempts (56.2 %)
24,749 yards (8th FOF)
145 TDs (8th FOF), 89 ints

As you can see, 8 was Leo's jersey number and one that recurred. No other qb who was drafted in '01 (when he was) or after is ahead of him in the three categories in which records are kept. Branch also holds the 8th best single season passing yardage (4141), from 2006, and the 8th best single season qb rating (93.9) from 2005.

Two other people were lost to retirement - lb Tito Hopper, a long-time Cascade starter, and scout Tom Liwienski. The NFL expanded to 34 teams, adding the Montana (Billings) Unabombers and the San Jose Silicon. As a new scout, we hire Kenneth Durham, a 42 year old with a fine reputation for finding young talent. Mahnken is our franchise player. We lose dt Parrish and a fb to the expansion draft. Mahnken agrees to a 3 year, 20 million contract. Kennedy, Bruschi, and Milloy return during the 20 stage, but we can't lure Tony Boselli here or persuade Akili Smith to make a return trip.

The huge hole at qb is finally filled during the draft, with our first rounder going to Seattle for ex-Husky Brock Huard. There was nobody worth a first round salary anyway, so it's no big deal to me.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 2 - Clarence Tasker, DT, Oregon State
Rnd 3 - Allen Cole, T, UCLA
Rnd 4 - Harris Baker, LB, Stanford
Rnd 5 - Curtis Hoover, QB, Washington State
Rnd 6 - Peter Prosser, C, Arizona
Rnd 7 - Leslie Anthony, S, Idaho

Pre-season finds us 2-2 without major injuries - about exactly what I'd like.

[BishopMVP]

What's wrong with just using Winifred Riddick at QB instead of trading a first rounder for Akili Smith?

[TheDawgsAreOut]

Originally posted by BishopMVP:
What's wrong with just using Winifred Riddick at QB instead of trading a first rounder for Akili Smith?

I'm not sure - Riddick has just kinda bugged me. He was already disgruntled (or unhappy, whatever the second stage is) about playing time, so I know he's just playing out the string, and he hasn't played that well when he's been in there. Plus, like I said, I didn't want to pay any Pac-10 guys out there a 1st round salary. By the way, it was Brock Huard who I traded for. Smith was a backup here previously, before being dealt to Denver, where he lead the Broncos to the AFC West title.

[TheDawgsAreOut]

b]2009 Regular Season

Week One: at Denver 34, Portland 8 (0-1)[/b]
Suddenly, it seems like Denver has replaced Seattle as the team that is my on-field nemesis. The running back platoon system fails miserably. Kaufman gets 21 yards on 6 carries, Becker 8 on 3. Huard completes just 21 of 47 in his Cascade debut. Linebackers are depleted, with 3 of the 6 injured seriously. Every other AFC West team is victorious on opening day. What a way to start off the year!

Week Two: at Los Angeles 27, Portland 24 (0-2)
A possible culprit: 14 penalties for 90 yards. Becker does have a career high 128 yards on 6 carries. wr Everett Wilkins has 6 catches for 142 yards and all 3 tds. Aleaga has 15 tackles and a sack to win Defensive Player of the Week. Huard is knocked out after 2 passes. Riddick has an all-or-nothing day, completing just 14 of 33, but for 233 yards and 3 tds.

Week Three: at Portland 31, San Diego 9 (1-2)
Huard has easily his best day as a Cascade, completing 19 of 24 for 219 yards and 2 tds. Kaufman also has his best day of the year, with 72 yards and 2 tds on the ground.

Week Four: Kansas City 33, at Portland 3 (1-3)
I'm still not sure what hit us. We got the fg first, and then watched helplessly as they rung up 33 unanswered. Sawyer had 13 tackles and a pick, on the good side. Huard is awful, completing just 10 of 26 for a microscopic 85 yards. Kaufman and Becker combine for 25 yards on 17 carries. The platoon is officially over. One at a time from here on out, starting with Kaufman, I guess. Aleaga also chips in 12 tackles.

Week Five: Portland 14, at St. Louis 7 (2-3)
Ah, it is good to get out of this killer division. Kaufman's 72 yards don't look great - but they don't take into account an 85 yard fumble (Huard) return for a td. Brock is effective, with 17 of 26 for 191 and a td.

Week Six: at Kansas City 37, Portland 10 (2-4)
Huard throws 3 ints. Kaufman gets just 38 yards. 'Nuff said.

Week Seven: Portland 17, at Seattle 16 (3-4)
Pat Johnson's gone for the season. It's the second time in three years he's suffered a major injury. Frankly, I'm not sure how I won this game. Kaufman and Huard were awful, and my d didn't force any turnovers. The player of the game was Aleaga, on the strength of 9 tackles. Wow! It's a win. We'll take it. The one explanation for victory is that the Hawks get just 6 points in 3 trips to the red zone, as opposed to our 17 in 3 trips.

Week Nine: Carolina 21, at Portland 19 (3-5)
This one hurts. Losing at home to a team as mediocre as Carolina is simply inexcusable. This one is largely on our coach. With less than 3 minutes left, facing 4th and goal at the 4, trailing 21-16, we kick a meaningless field goal. To give him some credit, we got the ball back on an int, but Huard returned the favor with a pick of his own, and that was that. Kaufman runs for 99 yards, and Huard's solid before the pick, but it's still not enough.

Week Ten: at Portland 30, Cincinatti 5 (4-5)
A solid effort all around as we pound the perennial power Bengals. Kaufman breaks the 100 yard mark for the first time all year with 112 on 21 carries. Raymond has a fine day with 128 yards on 3 catches, one of them a td. He also returns a punt for a td. Lattimore records 3.5 sacks.

Week Eleven: Portland 24, at Jacksonville 20 (5-5)
A huge win gets us to .500 for the first time all year. Huard is his typically quiet effective self - 15 of 25 for 183 yards. Kaufman struggles. Lawyer Milloy has what proves to be the game winner on a 91 yard int return to the house, though the Jags get two meaningless scores late. Raymond has another great day with 7 catches for 107 yards. Groh sees time in place of the injured Sawyer and records 8 tackles and a sack.

Week Twelve: at Portland 30, Denver 10 (6-5)
Kaufman has a monster day. 281 yards and 3 tds on 28 carries. He wins Offensive Player of the Week (gee, really?) Defensively, Frohbieter leads the way with 11 tackles and a sack. Everett has 8 catches for 98 yards. Groh, still playing, has 12 tackles. It's getting harder and harder to get him out of there all the time.

Week Thirteen: at San Diego 27, Portland 0 (6-6)
See, what happened, was ... . What the hell happened? Our team manages a whopping 119 yards of total offense. Wow. Kaufman has 15 yards on 10 carries. Huard is knocked out after 15 passes, and Riddick goes just 3 of 12.

Week Fourteen: at Portland 24, Indianapolis 19 (7-6)
A huge win over the previously 10-2 Colts. Kaufman has a nice day, with 73 yards on 14 carries. Brock, well, he doesn't turn the ball over. The defense holds the true heros. Frohbieter, who's coming into his own, has 14 tackles. Groh has 8 and an int. Milloy has 9 tackles and runs a fumble back for a td. Aleaga does a little bit of everything, with 5 tackles, a sack, and a pick.

Week Fifteen: at Portland 27, Seattle 10 (8-6)
We do a fine job of not overlooking a team that's not going anywhere. Kaufman has his second 200+ game of the year, with 256 yards and a td on 28 carry. It's enough for his second Offensive Player of the Week. Austin has 2.5 sacks. Defensively, we have 3 picks, one apiece from Sawyer, Groh, and Mahnken.

Week Sixteen: at Portland 21, Los Angeles 13 (9-6)
Kaufman gets exactly 100 on 24 carries. Huard completes 18 of 26 for 222 and a td. Next week shall determine whether we achieve the playoffs yet again. We must defeat the 7-8 Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta. A true must-win.

Week Seventeen: Portland 8, at Atlanta 3 (10-6)
A true defensive game. The decisive score is a safety made by safety Groh. We also get two field goals, though one comes with 10 seconds left and is virtually useless. Kaufman does get 86 yards, albeit on 26 carries. Huard completes 18 of 26, though for a paltry 127 yards. Wilkins has 8 catches. Defensively, Sailer and Mahnken get a pick apiece. On to hosting the Cincinatti Bengals.

Wild Card Round: Cincinatti 14, at Portland 10 (10-7)
A sad end to a wonderful second half run. Everett does have 11 catches for 157 yards. We score the game's first 10 points, then the Bengals get 14 in a row. Huard is knocked out after one pass (a 22-yard completion), and Riddick completes just 16 of 34 for 178 yards. Defensively, Austin has 2 sacks.

Green Bay defeats Cleveland, 34-17, for their 2nd Super Bowl win. Mahnken is first team all-Pro, Jamal Austin second team. Kaufman is screwed another time.

Individual Statistics
qb Brock Huard - 241 of 403 (59.8%), 2594 yards, 13 tds, 11 ints, 78.1 rating
hb Napoleon Kaufman - 298 carries for 1331 yards (2nd), 4.8 ypc, 9 tds (7th)
wr Everett Wilkins - 61 catches for 707 yards (11.5 avg), 8 tds, 8 drops
de Jamal Austin - 54 tackles, 40 solo, 11.5 sacks (10th), 5.3 pr% (t9th), 7.1 tckl%
lb Horace Frohbieter - 66 tackles, 48 solo, 1 sack, 1.0 pr%, 19.6 tckl% (3rd)
cb Justin Mahnken - 7 int (t2nd), 45.1 pdq (2nd)

Team Statistics: (off/def/avg)
Rush: 3.9/3.6/3.7
Pass: 6.4/6.5/6.4
Turnovers: +9
R-Z: 5.5/5.0/4.8
3rd: .353/.306/.330


------------------
Marques Tuiasosopo - winner of the less prestigious West Coast Heisman Trophy!

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2010 Pre-Season
Performance - 72
Team Value - 65
Profit/Loss - 71
Difficulty - 72
Overall - 69

Last year it was Leo Branch. This year, the final two remaining 'original' Raiders, on the team prior to Al Davis' death, are gone. Both were Washington Huskies during their collegiate days, winning a share of the national championship in 1991. Then, they were just boys. They leave this grand old game as men. At their joint press conference, the two were emotional. "I couldn't ask for a better career," said Kaufman. "This organization has been great to me, and I'd like to think I was great to them on the field." Kennedy said, "I never expected to play this long, but when you get with an organization like this, how could you leave?" GM Keith Jackson announced that both Kaufman and Kennedy would be staying on with the team as position coaches. Kaufman is now faced with the task of training his successor, Gerald Becker, to break his own records. It won't be an easy task. In the FOF recordbook, Kaufman is second all-time (to Thomas Jones) in rushing yards, with 13,001, and third in touchdowns with 98. Including NFL statistics, his career numbers are:

15 years played
232 Games, 193 starts
3580 carries
17,294 yards (2nd all-time behind Emmitt Smith, who finished his career with about 17,700 yards)
110 tds

Not easily replaced. Nor is Kennedy's imposing presence on the o-line. Nor is the huge cohesion hit we're gonna take. Coach Joel Heath, whose contract has expired, decides the grass is greener on the other side and jumps at a 6.5 million offer from the Niners without even giving us a chance to match. His replacement is Earnest Reed, who brings a Very Good reputation in the two areas I'm concerned with - avoid injury and young talent. He also comes cheap.

Free agency is heavy with a position that's long been a trouble spot for us - o-line. With Kennedy lost, we go after two tackles, aging Jon Ogden, and Gabe Sellars of Dallas, a 1st Team all-Pro in 2006. At G, our object is Will Berlioz. We also make a 3 year, 36.5 million offer to Brock. Berlioz signs elsewhere week one, but Sellars comes aboard. D.J. Edmondson [Terrelle Smith], longtime fullback, is recieving offers, so we jump into the fray with 3 years, 7.75 million. His 100 loyalty should be enough. We offer a 3 year, 12 million dollar contract to Indy linebacker Dwayne Sikkenga, who's useful with Bruschi and Aleaga aging. In week 2, Edmondson signs up, as does Ogden at 3 years, 17.25 million. Our bookend tackles are now in place. In week 3, Huard signs on for a contract that's down to 32.5 mil over 3 years. In week 4, Sikkegna returns to Indy on their first offer, but it is 14 mil over 3 years. In week 6, k Skip Brooks and cb Joey Copeland take off. I wasn't about to pay the 9 million a year Minnesota gave Copeland to have him play nickel, and there's a good k in the draft, so no big loss. In week 8, bids by others force me to finally give offers to lb Horace Frohbieter and wr Victor Everett. Frohbieter returns, but Everett is outta town, as is starting c Shaun Allen. Some loyalty they have.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Irving Spinks, LB, Oregon State
Rnd 2 - Roosevelt McKnight, CB, Stanford
Rnd 3 - Byron Pearce, K, Washington
Rnd 4 - Rickey Jackson, QB, Washington
Rnd 5 - Adam Cochrane, G, California
Rnd 6 - Sammy Mahoney, WR, Oregon
Rnd 7 - Orlando Money, LB, Washington

The most exciting guy out of this draft might be the kicker. Otherwise, it's the qb, who could be a steal as a fourth rounder. Other than that, some average guys. Adding more teams really does thin out the talent!

The kicker is a minor bust, a huge disappointment. With 5 qbs on the roster, I decide to finally unload Riddick, who's always bothered me. He and a 6th rounder go to Miami for a second rounder next year. We add several guys, most notably Robert Jacobson in a return engagement. After a couple of years backing up Kaufman, he bolted to Green Bay and got 954 yards and 8 tds on only 178 carries (5.3 ypc). He makes a nice safety net for Becker.

Pre-season is fairly disasterous, with an 0-4 record and a couple of long term injuries, though only to backups.


------------------
Marques Tuiasosopo - winner of the less prestigious West Coast Heisman Trophy!

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2010 Regular Season

Game One: Portland 22, at Seattle 10 (1-0)
An excellent road win to start the season off right. The offense struggles, but the defense is dominant, holding the Hawks to 161 yards of net offense. Becker struggles, with just 40 yards on 19 carries. Jacobson is solid at fullback in place of injured Edmondson, getting 32 yards on 8 carries. Huard is a mediocre 19 of 29 for 156, 1, 1, in his return to his hometown. Sawyer and Sailer pick off a ball apiece, with Sawyer taking his to the house. A shout out to kicker Byron Pearce, also in a return home. He was impressive in pre-season, and nailed 2 of 2 today, including one from 51. Ratings be damned! We also force a safety.

Game Two: Denver 31, at Portland 3 (1-1)
As impressive was last week's win, so pathetic was today's performence. The defense is again impressive, allowing just 201 yards, but the guys wearing dark jereseys get just 151 of their own, and turn the ball over 4 times (3 fumbles lost). Huard is a pitiful 11 of 26 for 101 and an int.

Game Three: at Los Angles 22, Portland 11 (1-2)
The running game gets somewhat untracked, mostly thanks to Jacobson's 37 yards on 6 carries. He'll likely get the start next Sunday. Huard is again miserable, and hasn't had a good game yet. He goes 14 of 34 for 178, 1, and 2 picks. Give Brock some credit - he does make a tackle following one of his picks. Sawyer has a fine day, with 9 tackles and 2 picks.

Game Four: at Portland 20, Philadelphia 14 (2-2)
The mighty 3-0 Eagle juggernaut runs square into the Cascade d, who refuses to yield. At last Becker gets it going, with 76 yards on 16 carries. Huard throws for 2 tds and no picks, though he completes just 10 of 22 for 115 yards. Frohbieter records 16 tackles, and a half a sack. Darrell Russell records his first career interception.

Game Five: at Kansas City 21, Portland 7 (2-3)
We hold KC to 43 yards rushing, but Batch exploits a pass defense missing its best pass rusher (de Austin) and cover corner (Mahnken) to tune of 334 yards and 3 tds. Becker is mediocre, with 71 yards on 19 carries. Huard throws for 246 yards on 14 of 33, but also 2 picks. Sawyer has his 4th pick in 5 games.

Game Six: New York Giants 24, at Portland 13 (2-4)
Becker has his best day of the year, with 91 yards on 20 carries, and we outgain the G-Men by nearly 90 yards, but it's still not enough. Huard completes just 10 of 25 passes. I'm thinking more and more about some sort of a change at qb.

Game Seven: at San Diego 32, Portland 3 (2-5)
I'd say we've hit rock bottom, but I fear it really could get worse. Becker is awful, with 14 yards on 12 carries. Huard is even worse - 7 of 20 for 74! yards, no tds, and a pick. He also fumbles twice, and plays himself onto the bench. Rookie Rickey Jackson will take over, because he has the biggest upside of any of our qbs. Why did Leo Branch retire at age 30? A shout out to Frohbieter, who has another 15 tackles. He's leading the league in solo tackles, assists, and thus total tackles as well. He's second in tackle percentage.

Game Eight: Kansas City 34, at Portland 21 (2-6)
Batch gets 300+ against our d again, though this time we're healthy. Jackson is decent in his first start. He completes 19 of 41 for 285 yards (the most we've thrown for all year), 2 tds, and 2 picks. Raymond is revitalized by the change. He catches 7 balls for 159 yards and a td, and also takes a punt 83 yards for a score.

Game Nine: at Arizona 38, Portland 6 (2-7)
2 Pearce field goals bookend a 38-0 Arizona run that leads us to a new rock bottom. Jackson has some, uh, growing pains, going 6 of 19 for 60 yards and 3 picks before being replaced by Huard and subsequently Hoover.

Game Ten: at New York Jets 14, Portland 13 (2-8)
The Jets become the second team from the Big Apple to take us out, but why not? Everyone else does, as we run our losing streak to 6. Jackson is 13 of 31 for 151 yards, 1 td, and 1 pick. Becker has 71 yards on 13 carries.

Game Eleven: San Diego 20, at Portland 17 (OT) (2-9)
Becker finally has a breakout game, with a career high 209 yards and 2 tds on 26 carries. It's good enough for Offensive Player of the Week, but not a W. In an odd coincidence, also appearing on the weekly leaders for the first time is Floyd Kelso, Becker's collegiate teammate at 'Zona, and 1st pick of the Cowboys who I wanted desparately. He gets 113 yards and 2 tds on 25 carries. It's a true heartbreaker, as Pearce misses a 35 yard field goal 10 minutes into ot after a long drive, and they win it with a field goal as time expires. Jackson also throws a pick at their 7 after we recover a fumble in ot. This raises the question of why we're throwing there instead of lining up for a kick, but we'll leave answering that up to the coach. Jackson is 28 of 47 for 277 yards and the one pick. He does earn respect by making his own tackle.

Game Twelve: at Portland 17, Seattle 10 (3-9)
The streak finally ends. How bad must Seattle feel, losing twice to a 3-9 team? Becker has another nice day, with 99 yards on 21 carries, and Jacobson gets 60 yards on 8 carries. Jackson is 17 of 34 for 183 yards and a pick. Defensively, Austin has 3 and a half sacks, and Sawyer finally records his 40th career pick.

Game Thirteen: at Portland 13, Los Angeles 10 (4-9)
Lo and behold, the Portland Cascades finally have a qb on the passing leaders. Jackson throws 20 of 36 for 251 and a td. Becker is pretty awful. Defensively, Groh finally has his first pick of the year.

Game Fourteen: at Cleveland 20, Portland 3 (4-10)
The now 3-11 Browns beat up on us, and I am displeased. Becker tops 100 yards again, with 108 on 16 carries. Jackson is decent, completing 16 of 28 for 156. His one pick comes on a desperation heave with about a minute left. Getting only three points on two trips to the red zone hurts us.

Game Fifteen: Cincinatti 27, at Portland 3 (4-11)
In what has to be the strangest occurence in Cascade, if not NFL, history, a game has 30 points scored, all via field goals. Bengal kicker Graham Hawkins is 9 of 10 to single-handedly outsocre my team's outpu the last three week's combined (19 points). 15 of the points come in the fourth quarter. Jackson has "one of those days," completing just 12 of 26 for 110 yards, though he isn't intercepted at all. Becker has 52 yards on 7 carries.

Game Sixteen: at Denver 38, Portland 17 (4-12)
Just "a second one of those days". Jackson is 15 of 38 for just 138 yards. He does throw a td without being intercepted, however. Groh picks up another interception. Now, off to a long, cold, off-season.

Pittsburgh defeats Philadelphia in the all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. Just one name appears on the post-season awards list. Horace Frohbieter is the second team all-Pro linebacker.

Statistical Leaders:
qb Rickey Jackson - 147 of 300 (49%), 1620 yards, 5 tds, 9 int, 58.4 rating
hb Gerald Becker - 248 carries for 1090 yards (7th), 4.3 avg, 3 tds overall, a solid first season
wr Freddie Raymond - 62 catches for 869 yards (14.0 avg), 3 tds, 11 drops not bad for a returner turned starting wideout
k Byron Pearce - 22 of 33 fg, 51 long, 15 of 15 pat not many attempts, but better than I expected
lb Horace Frohbieter - 143 tackles (8th), 103 solo, 4.0 sacks, 19.2 tkl % (4th)
de Jamal Austin - 32 tackles, 22 solo, 13.5 sacks (10th), 9.0 pr % (1st)
s Ernie Sawyer - 5 int, 10 dfns, 40.4 pdq

Team Stats: off/def/NFL
Rush: 3.8/3.1/3.8
Pass: 5.4/6.3/6.3
Turn: 26/20/-6
3rd: .226/.341/.322
Red: 3.3/4.8/4.5


------------------
Marques Tuiasosopo - winner of the less prestigious West Coast Heisman Trophy!

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2011 Pre-Season

Performance - 0
Team Value - 63
Profit/Loss - 63
Difficulty - 75
Overall - 49

We are again hit hard by retirements. Riding off into the sunset this year are t Jonathan Ogden and two long-time Cascades, lb Tedy Bruschi and dt Darrell Russell. The career numbers for Bruschi and Russell:

dt Darrell Russell (1st team all-Pro 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008)
211 games, 204 starts
838 total tackles, 581 solo
99 sacks (23rd FOF)

lb Tedy Bruschi (2nd team all-Pro 2002)
208 games, 157 starts
1148 tackles, 844 solo (33rd FOF solo tackles)
34 sacks

The coach and scout stay around. We hold the first pick in the draft, but nobody from the Pac-10 is first - pickworthy, so we decide to try to make a deal. Looking around for wideouts, we find the top Pac-10 reciever is none other than ex-Cascade Victor Everett, now playing in LA. The first pick, backup qb Curtis Hoover, and a fifth rounder go to LA for Everett and the 24 pick. In free agency, we look to the best. Our first week offers are to Jacksonville t Tony Boselli, Giant g Alan Ward, and Jacksonville lb Benjamin Bennett. Bennett signs in week one with Green Bay, for 17 million over 3 years. Ward signs here in week two for 25 million over 4 years. In week three, Boselli comes to Portland for 15.5 mil over 3 years. In week 6, de Lattimore signs elsewhere for 17 million over 3 years, leaving another hole to fill. g Oxley re-signs in week 11 for 10.5 mil over 2 years. In week 12, we sign former Tampa Bay reciever Keyshawn Johnson to a one year, 4 million deal.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Gerald Clayton, LB, Arizona
Rnd 2 - Dan Crawford, WR, Oregon
Rnd 2 - Bryant Snyder, DT, Arizona State
Rnd 3 - Kyle Bidwell, DE, Oregon State
Rnd 4 - Edward Anderson, C, Arizona
Rnd 4 - Dave Dayoc, P, Washington State
Rnd 7 - Jumbo Lehmkuhl, TE, Washington

This draft provides some good need filling, as all our picks except Anderson and Lehmkuhl are in places we have huge needs. Clayton and Crawford in particular look ready to play now. Clayton is a complete and total bust, although we make up for it with Crawford's jump. He looks like a future star. Also good, the guy I was taking first if I didn't trade the pick, qb Britt Shin of UW went #2 and was a total bust as well.

Pre-season brings a tragic loss. Second round pick dt Snyder is lost for at least this year and part of next with repetitive concussion syndrome. We finish up 1-3, losing 3 home games badly because of our terrible reserve qbs. Our dts are banged up, but that's about it.


------------------
Marques Tuiasosopo - winner of the less prestigious West Coast Heisman Trophy!

[TheDawgsAreOut]

2011 Season

Game One: at Denver 30, Portland 27 (0-1)
A 3 point loss on the road to open the season does not particularly concern me. Becker continues his strong finish to last year with 22 carries for 140 yards and 2 tds. Everett marks his return with 6 catches for 110 yards and a td. Jackson is 18 for 35, 1 td, 2 picks. 2nd year corner McKnight has 2 picks. Pearce is a goat with a missed 28 yard field goal that could've provided a later tie.

Game Two: at Portland 27, Seattle 10 (1-1)
Becker wins Offensive Player of the Week on the strength of 170 yards and a td on 30 carries. McKnight makes it a clean sweep of the awards with Defensive Player of the Week on the strength of 4! interceptions, giving him 6 through 2 weeks. I decide he should be moved into the starting lineup. What a great coach I am! Fellow 2nd year man Spinks has a nice day with 9 tackles and 2 sacks - with his pass rush ability he can be our best pass rushing linebacker ever. Jackson is 10 of 21 for 129 yards, a td, and no picks.

Game Three: at Kansas City 30, Portland 10 (1-2)
Our first lousy game of the year. Becker is still strong, with 89 yards on 12 carries. Jackson struggles, with 15 of 32 for 195 yards and 2 picks. Our defense struggles a bit as well, and McKnight doesn't pick off a ball.

Game Four: at Tampa Bay 38, Portland 10 (1-3)
Jackson struggles again, completing just 17 of 39 for 224 yards and 3 picks. Becker also struggles, with 49 yards on 17 carries. The defense allows their hb to get 230 yards on 26 carries.

Game Five: at Portland 21, Baltimore 3 (2-3)
The safety tandem of Milloy and Sawyer lead us to victory with identical lines of 7 tackles (4 solo) and 2 interceptions. Both also return one pick to the house, giving us 14 defensive points. Becker is decent, with 86 yards on 23 carries. Jackson is much improved, with 21 of 38 for 238, 1, 1. Becker also contributes 7 catches for 83 yards and a touch out of the backfield.

Game Six: Cleveland 31, at Portland 14 (2-4)
Becker rushes for just 45 yards. Jackson is 16 of 34 for 252 yards, 1 td, but 2 picks.

Game Seven: at San Diego 45, Portland 14 (2-5)
We start to head down the same old path. Jackson is just awful. He completes 16 of 37, 180 yards, 1 td, 3 picks. Frohbieter does have a fine day, with 10 tackles, and an interception return for a touchdown.

Game Eight: Portland 19, at Seattle 14 (3-5)
Our irrational domination of the Hawks continues, and beating the co-division leaders is a fine way to head into a bye week. Becker has 135 yards on 28 carries. Pearce gets a mention on Top Performers by virtue of a 4 for 4 performance in his return home. Jackson is knocked out halfway through. He completes 8 of 14, Huard 8 of 12, each for 75 yards. Neither has a td or a pick.

Game Nine: San Diego 31, at Portland 23 (3-6)
Frohbieter wins Defensive Player of the Week with 14 tackles and an interception. The running game is awful - Becker gets just 20 yards on 8 carries. Jackson completes 17 of 32 for 272 and 3 tds, but also 3 picks. McKnight ends a 6 game pickless drought with his 7th of the year.

Game Ten: Portland 37, at Los Angeles 20 (4-6)
Our second straight fine road performance. Becker is back on track with 144 carries and 2 tds on 18 carries. Jackson is pretty good, with 22 of 33 for 192, 1 td and a pick. Sawyer, Sailer, Mahnken, and Frohbieter each have an interception. Spinks has 2 sacks, as does Tasker.

Game Eleven: Denver 28, at Portland 24 (4-7)
We continue the odd trend of winning on the road over good opponents, and losing at home to worse ones. Becker is solid again, with 127 yards and 2 tds on 22 carries.

Game Twelve: Kansas City 28, at Portland 21 (4-8)
It's now a 4-game home losing streak. Becker is solid again with 145 yards and a td on 23 carries. Frohbieter has 18 tackles, 13 solo. Jackson is just 16 of 36, but for 255 yards, 2 tds, and only 1 pick.

Game Thirteen: Portland 24, at New England 20 (5-8)
It may be a 4 game losing streak at home, but it's a 3 game winning streak on the road. Jackson has perhaps the best day of his career, with 261 yards on 17 of 28, and a td. Becker has another 108 yards and a td on 23 carries. Sawyer and Milloy have a pick apiece, and Austin and Spinks each have 2 sacks.

Game Fourteen: at Detroit 23, Portland 10 (5-9)
The road winning streak finally ends. Becker is solid, with 115 yards on 19 carries. Frohbieter has another 15 tackles (12 solo), as he nears teammate Ink Aleaga's single-season solo tackle record. Jackson is mediocre, with 17 of 34 for 137, 1, 1.

Game Fifteen: Chicago 20, at Portland 16 (5-10)
I thought the end of our road winning streak would help our home losing streak, but, alas, it's extended to 5. Becker has a solid 74 yards on 16 carries. Jackson is knocked out after 8 of 18, and Huard plays well. He completes 9 of 16 for 147 and a td. Frohbieter has another 14 tackles, 12 of them solo.

Game Sixteen: Los Angles 31, at Portland 7 (5-11)
An awful end to what was a terrible season (at home). We finish up 2-6 at home. Go even .500 in the friendly confines, and we're a respectable 7-9. We have to hope now for a huge jump from Rickey Jackson. Becker is pretty bad in the end to a good year, with 83 yards on 24 carries. Jackson is 20 of 36 for just 159 yards, 1 td, and 2 picks. Frohbieter has just 8 solo tackles and finishes the year 2 short of Aleaga's record. Milloy, Sailer, and Mahnken have picks.

The New York Jets defeat the Arizona Cardinals, 31-3, to win the NFL Championship. Horace Frohbieter is again the only Cascade honored, winning both 1st Team all-Pro linebacker, and the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. Becker already suffers from Napoleon Kaufman diasese, being overlooked despite being seond in the NFL in yards.

Statistical Leaders:
qb Rickey Jackson - 254 of 489 (51.9%), 14 tds, 22 int, 62.2 rating
hb Gerald Becker - 316 carries for 1593 yards (2nd), 5.0 avg (t6th), 11 tds (4th)
wr Victor Everett - 51 catches for 942 yards (18.4 avg, 1st), 3 td, 4 drops
lb Horace Frohbieter - 176 tackles (1st), 138 solo (1st), 19.6 tackle % (6th)
lb Irving Spinks - 104 tackles, 69 solo, 12.0 sacks (t8th, 1st amongst lb)
cb Roosevelt McKnight - 7 int (t6th), 50.1 pdq (1st)
s Ernie Sawyer - 6 int (t12th), 40.5 pdq

Team Stats: off/def/NFL
Rush: 4.2/4.0/3.8
Pass: 6.3/6.7/6.2
Turn: 30/39/+9
3rd: .273/.371/.319
Red: 4.3/5.1/4.6


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Marques Tuiasosopo - winner of the less prestigious West Coast Heisman Trophy!