FOF4 Fictional Mature Universe (with Kentucky TCY Draft Files)

[Ben E Lou]

FOF4.0B ATLANTA FALCONS

Situation
With no announcement yet regarding any further FOF4 patches, I figure it is time to give a dynasty a whirl. I started with an OPU in 1975, and quick-simmed my way forward to 2002. (I turned GM firing off to make sure I made it all the way through.) The league now has a nice 27-year history. I’ll give some of that history as we go along.

House Rules
With fond remembrance of the Hartford Nor’easters, I decide to use a modified version of those house rules. My desire for this career is that I’ll be able to use as many of the options that the game offers (trading, free agency, renegotiation, etc) while not abusing the AI. Therefore the principle governing my house rules is this: If the AI is allowed to do it, then I am too, but with restrictions to help keep it fair. So, here are the rules governing the various aspects of the game:

General/Miscellaneous
1. Sim all games.
2. I am allowed to move the franchise.
3. Must take between 53 and 60 players to training camp each season.
4. Must keep at least 53 players on the roster all season long.

Ticket Prices/Financials
Because I had to turn off the GM firing to quick-sim so many years, financials will be pretty much ignored. (Not that they matter really anyway….)

Trading
In version 4.0b, as in the past, the AI offers trades of draft pick(s) and/or players for a player. It never offers a player for a pick. It does trade up/down during the draft. Therefore, I’ll have these trading house rules:
1. I can initiate trades, but they must be either player(s) and draft pick(s)-for-player(s) or draft-pick-for-draft-pick.
2. Draft-pick-for-draft-pick deals can only be initiated during the draft.
3. I can accept any AI-initiated trade that I’d like, if it fits the exception in rule four.
4. ONLY PLAYERS WHO STARTED AT LEAST SIX GAMES LAST YEAR CAN BE TRADED AWAY. THIS RULE SUPERCEDES ALL OTHER TRADE RULES. The last rule helps insure I'm not trading off my junk for other teams' treasure.

Free Agents
1. All offers to free agents who are new to my team must come prior to week 1.
Going with Quik’s new rule here.
2. I may tender an offer to re-sign any of MY free agents at any time.
3. Franchise tag can be used as often as I like, but the Franchise Player must be signed at the very beginning of the 20-step process.
This rule will insure that the Franchise player gets what he is worth.
4. FA's signed outside of the 20-Step Process having 4 years or more of experience can only be signed to a one-year deal.
There still are a few worthy players sitting out there. This rule will insure that they are either signed after training camp, or if signed before training camp, it will cost a LOT to get a good one to sign a one-year deal.

Renegotiation
1. Renegotiation allowed only in last year of contract EXCEPT in the case of "Classy Veterans," who I can renegotiate with at any time.
I believe this to be a good compromise for renegotiation, and have enjoyed using it. A "Classy Veteran" is defined by me as a player who meets ALL of the following criteria:

1. In the 10th year or later of his career.
2. Has played 5 full seasons on my team.
3. Has a Loyalty rating >75.

It is my opinion that such a player should be free to renegotiate to relieve cap pressure. He has made his $$$ and loves to play for my team. He'll make personal sacrifices to help the franchise win.

2. No player whose Play For Winner Rating is 60 or above can be renegotiated with following a season when the team didn't make the playoffs. He can only be re-signed via the 20-Step Process.

I’m very much looking forward to starting this career. An additional fun/immersion factor is that I've decided to use the draft files from my Kentucky Wildcats Dynasty, and when I get up to 2013, I'll resume that Kentucky career and make this a joint college/pro venture.

[Ben E Lou]

ATLANTA FALCONS 2002 PRELIMINARIES

The Falcons record in the previous three seasons is 21-27, and we enter the season with only 16 players under contract. I’ll definitely have the opportunity to build my own team with this bunch.

HALL OF FAME
No former Falcons go in this year.

RETIREES
One, but you don’t care about him anyway since this is the first year of reporting.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
Well, getting here makes me realize that I need another house rule, since hiring/firing is off and financials now mean next to nothing. I will not be allowed to offer more $$$ than the highest-paid coach/scout in the league is currently making. With that said, here’s the story for this season:

HEAD COACH

Lawrence Hurt

Age: 58

Record: 119-90

Playoffs: 7

Bowl Wins: 0



REPUTATION

QB: VG       YOUNG TALENT: Avg

RB: G        MOTIVATION: Avg

WR: F        DISCIPLINE: F

OL: Avg      OFFENSE PLAYCALL: Exc

PK: VG 	  DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DL: VG       AVOID INJURY: Avg

LB: G        

DB: G

SCOUT

Frankie Jordon

Age: 59

Record: 231-220-3

Playoffs: 12

Bowl Wins: 1



REPUTATION

QB: G     DL: G

RB: G     LB: F

WR: E     DB: Avg

OL: VG    YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  E

Our 27-year-old stadium is in a bad way:

Condition: Fair
Turf: Poor
Parking: Poor

Not that it matters financially, but I try to build a new stadium. Who knows, maybe I can move the Birds to the Promised Land of Columbus, GA???

[Ben E Lou]

INITIAL ROSTER

  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  

Montenegro, Bennie      1   QB   8    42                42                ---     

Marroquin, Vincent      9   QB   3    32                61                1 yr.   

Bergsman, Randy         2   QB   4    18                30                ---     

Scout: Good Coach: Very Good
Montenegro was a first-round draft pick by the Patriots back in ’95. He never played a down with them though. He has bounced around the league. 2001 was his first year as a Falcon, and first full year as a starter. He had a nice season last year, throwing for 3,413 yards with a 88.3 QB rating. He primarily throws the short passes. As many holes as I have to fill to get this team up to snuff, I’ll probably stick with him rather than going with a higher-priced option. Marroquin, an undrafted free agent, has some nice potential, but hasn’t shown much. In 250 career attempts, he has 3 TD’s and 14 INT’s, good for a dismal 49.0 QB Rating. I won’t pursue Bergsman.

Warrick, Willie         38  RB   7    37                37                ---     

Sugarman, Wesley        23  RB   5    26                27                2 yrs.  

Jarvis, Max             37  RB   3    22                29                1 yr.   

Stewart, Drew           48  RB   4    19                20                ---     

Caro, Don               49  FB   7    78                78                1 yr.   

McGee, Eugene           39  FB   7    32                32                ---     

Scout: Good Coach: Good
Warrick has been a journeyman with modest success, mostly as a backup prior to 2001. He has 540 carries in his career with 4.2ypc. No one else shows much promise at RB. I’d like to get a decent RB. I should be able to find something in the draft. Caro should do nicely at FB. He has spent his entire career in Atlanta since being drafted in the 4th round in 1996. Caro is an excellent blocker and third-down runner, and has some strong pass-catching skills. He caught 70 passes for 478 yards in 2000, and 44 for 442 last season.

Bradley, Nolan          84  TE   6    34                34                ---     

Sampson, Will           88  TE   5    28                33                ---     

Robertson, Emmitt       86  TE   4    20                33                ---     

Becker, Eddie           85  FL   8    40                40                ---     

Gustafson, Paul         83  FL   9    39                39                ---     

Patton, Dana            87  FL   7    37                37                ---     

Willis, Harry           80  SE   8    41                41                ---     

Poston, Kenyon          89  SE   6    39                39                ---     

Scout: Excellent Coach: Fair
The only one of these guys worth mentioning is Harry Wilis. He is rated 74 in Route Running, and has caught 50+ passes in each of the last five seasons, three with SF, 1 with Houston, and the last in Atlanta. He looks to be worth pursuing.

Powell, Rod             61  LT   2    23                41                2 yrs.  

Donaldson, Ike          66  LT   2    18                36                1 yr.   

Wells, Broderick        69  LG   9    50                50                ---     

Fiefia, Zack            54  C    7    46                46                ---     

Newhart, Cedric         56  C    2    25                51                3 yrs.  

Roberts, Tyrus          73  RG   4    29                35                2 yrs.  

Bush, Marlon            78  RG   2    29                54                3 yrs.  

Robinson, Marcus        63  RG   4    21                29                1 yr.   

Epperson, Randal        77  RT   8    51                54                ---     

Roderick, Xavier        71  RT   7    50                50                ---     

Scout: Very Good Coach: Average
Wells had a 43.0 BPct last year. He may be worth re-signing. Newhart has modest potential at center. Bush is much better at pass blocking than run blocking (25/81 vs. 8/22), and therefore may get to play some tackle. Epperson only allowed four sacks last year. If I can re-sign Wells and Epperson, and get a quality center or guard via free agency, this bunch could end up being pretty solid.

Carney, Brad            14  P    12   52                52                ---     

Garrett, Neil           13  K    4    64                64                3 yrs.  

Scout: Excellent Coach: Very Good
Carney (46,73,40/41) averages 40.8 yards for his career, and on average pins ‘em inside the 20 about 30 times per season. Garrett has strange ratings. 71, 74, 0, 47/50. Yup, kicking power is 74, but kickoff distance is zero. I’ll look elsewhere for a kicker.

Guyon, Jake             93  LDE  9    63                63                ---     

Askin, Drew             72  LDE  10   59                59                ---     

Leber, Irv              95  LDE  9    54                54                ---     

Rocha, Wesley           76  LDE  6    36                45                ---     

Mara, Terrance          79  LDE  9    31                31                ---     

Matney, Corey           74  LDT  7    80                80                ---     

Hormel, Louis           75  LDT  10   42                42                ---     

Roberson, Duane         98  RDT  6    41                47                1 yr.   

Grant, Stephen          91  RDT  3    37                60                3 yrs.  

Thornton, Darrell       90  RDE  8    21                21                ---     

Scout: Good Coach: Good
There’s some nice potential here if I can re-sign some guys. Guyon, a 6th-round pick by the Patriots in ’94, has solid ratings across the board, but apparently has been injury prone. Since 1996, all but one game that he has actually played in has been as a starter, but he’s missed 38 games in the past 6 seasons, and has yet to play 16 games. In 2000, he racked up 10.5 sacks in only 7 games. Askin is a 3-time All-Pro (’97, ’99, ’00) who appears to still be in his prime. Leber was an All-Pro in 2000 and has a much better injury history than Guyon. Interesting choice here, as Guyon has better ratings. Matney, a first-rounder by the Birds in ’96, looks like the real deal, although ’01 was his first year as a starter. His first four ratings are all 80 and above. He missed 7 games due to injury last year, but when he played, he was brilliant, racking up 4.5 sacks, 31 tackles and a 11.4 tackle pct. He has a career 5.1 pr pct and 8/7 tkpct. I make him our franchise player and sign him to a 6-year deal. He could become a Legend Of The Game with this contract. Grant looks like he’s got some solid potential. I’ll give him a shot at the other DT.

de la Rosa, Roderick    94  SLB  12   37                37                ---     

Place, Edwin            97  SLB  9    34                37                ---     

Heitz, Norm             58  SILB 7    33                41                ---     

Thompson, Dusty         57  MLB  8    36                36                ---     

Roberts, Brant          96  WILB 11   34                34                ---     

Delhomme, Chris         92  WLB  8    36                38                ---     

Pretko, Shannon         99  WLB  4    29                40                1 yr.   

Scout: Fair Coach: Good
Ugh. Not much here, neither according to my scout, nor looking at any of their careers. Roberts is the only one with a flicker of hope, as he had 188 tackles over the last 2 years, but he’s getting older. I’d like to get three new starting LB’s.

Bruce, Freddie          41  LCB  10   43                44                ---     

Blanchard, J.J.         22  LCB  9    43                43                ---     

Passmore, Eugene        24  RCB  9    42                42                ---     

Hughes, Julio           25  RCB  8    42                43                ---     

Curtin, Ed              32  SS   14   40                40                ---     

Parrish, Eugene         36  SS   2    23                37                2 yrs.  

Buckner, Tito           21  FS   2    58                79                5 yrs.  

Fordyce, Bruce          45  FS   3    21                40                ---     

Scout: Average Coach: Good
Tito Buckner, our first-round pick last year, appears to be the only one of this crew worth holding on to. No one in our secondary had a PDPct as high as 20.0 last year. Buckner was the best at 19.1. I’ll look to completely re-tool this unit.

Roster Thoughts Overall:
I have a lot of work to do, but with only 17 guys under contract, I have a lot of money to work with. The first priorities for me in building a team are getting the overall defense and the offensive line solid. I’ll be attempting to do that this year via free agency and the draft.

[Ben E Lou]

2002 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Room Under Cap: $129.17M
Initial Max For New Players: $115.17M

Franchise Player Contract: DT Matney’s deal is costing us $12M this year in salary, and $4.16M in pro-rated bonus. The average salary for the top 5 DT’s is $18.54M, and the top 20 avg. is $11.18M. He may be a bargain at that price.

Renegotiations To Save Cap Room
FB Don Caro has a 75 play for winner rating, so I can’t renegotiate with him.
DT Duane Robertson could be a useful backup. He gets a 3-yr, $11.7M deal, saving us over $3M in cap room this year.
QB Marroquin has a 77 play for winner rating.

Cuts To Save Cap Room
K Neil Garrett—That 0 rating in kickoff distance just doesn’t make him worth $3M. I save $2.25M by cutting him.
RB Max Jarvis—He’s done nothing in 2 years, and is in the last year of his contract. I’d rather have a rookie with some hope.

Adjusted Room Under Cap: $136.28M
Adjusted Max For New Players: $122.28M

With so many holes to fill this year, I need to be strategic and make a budget. I’ll lean on the average salaries a lot here….

Positions of Need, and Cap Budget Amount
Top 20 Average SALARY (doesn’t include bonus) in parenthesis after the position
QB: ($12.65M) $5M (That’s all Montenegro wants to re-sign.) (+1 minisal rookie)
RB: ($7.07M) Draft (+3 minisal rookies)
FB: ($2.82M) Caro is solid here. (+1 minisal rookie)
TE: ($4.14M) $4M (+2 minisal rookies)
WR: ($10.12M) $10M. I’ll look to draft a WR3. (+2 minisal rookies)
C: ($3.55M) $5M.
G: (5.71M) $8M. (+1 minisal rookie)
T: ($8.01M) $12M.
P: ($2.38M) $3M.
K: ($2.17M) $3M.
DE: ($10.74M) $15M. I’ll try to draft another starter (+2 minisal rookies)
DT: ($11.12M). I’ll stand pat, starting Matney and Grant. (+1 minisal rookie)
ILB: ($3.79M) $5M (+2 minisal rookies)
OLB: ($6.62M) $12M (+3 minisal rookies)
CB: ($12.06M) $20M (+3 minisal rookies)
S: ($6.34M) $5M (+1 minisal rookies)

Free Agency Budget: $107M
Potential Total Minisal Rookies Needed: 22
Amount to Save for Minisal Players: $15.62M

New Player Budget Expenses: $122.62M
New Player Amount Available: $122.28M

That’s close enough. Obviously not everyone I make offers to will sign with me, so I’d imagine I’ll be cheaper at several positions.

New UFA’s Signed During 20-Step Process
QB Darrin Wooden—3yrs, $13M—He is a little younger and cheaper than Montenegro. Wooden was a 1st round draft choice by the Bucs in ’98. He’s yet to have a full season as a starter, but had a 95.4 QB rating in 5 starts in 2001. He also has better scout ratings that Montenegro. I’m taking a bit of a chance on him. He looks to be an accurate thrower (56/81) who reads defenses fairly well (42/60) and can throw the deep ball (52/78).
WR Barry Wiggins—5yrs, $47.5M—With a QB like Wooden who likes to throw the deep ball, it is good to sign a deep thread like Wiggins. He has a 99 rating in big-play receiving! This 7th-year man is a stud. He’s caught 69-76 passes in each of the last four seasons, going over 1,000 years in each as well. He also is rated 76 in route running. A nice find.
C Roderick Burroughs—3 yrs, $8.4M—This 7th-year man hasn’t shown much so far in his career (26.0 BPct), but he’s only started 3 seasons, and for 3 different teams. His 52,41,48,50 ratings give me hope that he can be solid.
G Richard Hayes—2yrs, $6.8M—Hayes has been a durable 11-year starter, all for the Chargers. He has only missed 3 starts in all those years. Last year he had a 46.1 BPct. He’s been an All-Pro once. He’s currently rated 41,64,41/42,38.
G Les Reid—3yrs, $18.3M—Reid has spent his entire 8-year career as a New York Giant, starting for the past 5 seasons. He’s turned in a 32.0 Bpct for his career. He’s rated 46,40,66,78.
T Josh Sullivan—3yrs, $9M—A low-budget signee to be sure. He’s a fifth year man, who had 2 pretty decent years as a starter in Seattle in ’00 and ’01. he only allowed 4 sacks last year, and that went along with a 35.4 BPct. His ratings aren’t too impressive (48,34,43,59), but so far his performance has been ok.
P Leroy George—3 yrs, $10.8M—He’s one of the best, a one-time All-Pro (’94). He’s average 45.1 yards per punt durng his 11-year career, and he pins ‘em inside the 20 around 30 times per year. I ALWAYS like to have a good punter, and I’ve signed one in Leroy George.
K Bucky Poteet—3yrs,$12.24M—Has never earned all-pro honors, but appears to be one of the best. He has hit several from over 55 in his career, and has strong ratings all around (96,85,69,84). Nice.
DE Dusty Replogle—3yrs, $25.24M—He’s in his 7th year. The last four he’s been a starter, and he’s had 26 sacks in the last 3 seasons. He has a case of turf toe and is listed and probable, with unknown time to return to full strength.
ILB Butch Heath—2yrs, $12.2M—He’s had a 12-year career with 6 different teams, and 2001 was clearly his best year ever. He had 96 tackles and 8.5 sacks. He diagnoses where the ball is going well (74), and is good at getting to the QB (64 technique, 74 strength). Hopefully he can play for us like he did for the Cowboys last year.
OLB Jim Newman—3yrs,$27M—Newman was SD’s first-round pick in ’97. in his first year as a starter, 2000, he was Defensive POY with 105 tackles and 9 sacks. He regressed last year to 50 tackles and 0 sacks. His ratings still look pretty solid, so I’m hoping that he can prove that 2001 was an anomaly. He’s best at rushing the passer (62/77 technique, 70/74 strength)
OLB Marty Long]—1yr, $2.8M—There weren’t many affordable options at OLB, so finding this guy for one year seemed like my best option. He’s never been a full-time starter, but actually has some decent-looking numbers. The amount of time he’s played (1,038 plays) basically amounts to a full season as a starter, and in that time he’s had 93 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He’s rated 54/67 in pass rush technique, and 41/52 in run defense. If we don’t draft a stud OLB, he’ll have this year to prove himself.
CB Corwin Holmes—4yrs, $45.5M—Holmes has been a pretty solid CB during his 7-year career. He has a career 19.9 PDPct, and is rated 50 in M2M and 91 in bump and run. His 6 rating in run defense doesn’t concern me much, as I don’t rely on my DB’s to help with the run much.
CB Jeff Baker—3yrs, $28.74M—A quite strong corner here. He was All-Pro in 1999 with 13 INT’s, and was still very solid last year with 6 Int’s and a 19.8 Pdpct. This 11-year veteran has an 88 in M2M defense, which Ol’ SkyDog’s teams play exclusively.
S Ron Crockett—3yrs, $17.73M—This guy has had a pretty solid 8-year career up to now. He’s started the past 3 seasons, and put up a 19.7 PDpct in 2001, along with 83 tackles.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
T Randall Epperson—6yrs, $70.96M—As mentioned above, he only allowed 4 sacks in 16 starts last year. In his 4 seasons as a starter (3 in Tennessee, 1 in Atlanta), he’s allowed a total of 25 sacks. Not bad.
WR Harry Willis—3yrs, $13.5M—Based on his last 5 seasons, he looks like he’ll be a good value at that price.
TE Emmitt Robertson—2 yrs, $3.16M—I couldn’t sign the TE I wanted, so I offer the cheapest of my returning TE’s a no-bonus 2-yr deal at barely above the veteran minimum. He accepts. He has a little potential, (26/50 run blocking, 23/46 route running) but I’ll be looking in the draft for a starter.

FA Analysis
Well, I filled nearly all of the holes, but all-in-all this looks to be a fairly vanilla team that could possibly contend for a wild-card playoff berth this year. At the end of free agency, we have a 72 roster ratings, which is tied for the 11th-best in the NFL.

[Ben E Lou]

2002 AMATEUR DRAFT

My needs consist of the following:

RB: starter for this season
TE: starter/potential starter
WR: WR3
DE: I may be ok here, as it looks like I’ll be able to afford to re-sign Irv Leber, who was not signed during free agency by anyone.

Here’s how the draft plays out for me:

1(5): I trade this pick to GB for the 1(15) and 2(15) picks, as I don’t see anyone I want to draft this high.
1(15): WR Steven Hitchcock—This kid outta UT looks like he could be the real deal. He’s rated 24/89 at avoiding drops, 24/92 in route running, 74 in 3rd-down catching, and 74 in big play receiving. He was an All-SEC selection his senior year, as he caught 60 passes for 1064 yards for the Vols.
2(5): TE Eric Warren—Warren was an All Big 12 TE at K-State, catching 27 balls for 473 yards and 4 TD’s. He comes to the NFL highly touted as both a blocker and receiver. He’s rated 42/100 in run blocking, 42/100 at avoiding drops, 12/64 at route running, 93/94 in 3rd-down catching. We hope for big things from this kid, who should start this year.
2(15): DE Winfred Pollard—Pollard’s a bit of a project, but looks like he could pay off for us. He’s rated 20/75 in run defense, 78/82 in pass rush strength and 16/57 in play diagnosis. He had 29 tackles and 4.5 sacks at Ole Miss his senior year.
3(5): RB Reuben Seal—Seal looks like a very solid runner, rated 55/60 in breakaway speed, 90/100 on 3rd-down, 84/97 in hole recognition. He isn’t much of a threat catching the ball out of the backfield. He didn’t play much his senior year at Oklahoma, as the Sooners had a stud Junior who started.
4(5): OLB Butch Combs—This kid was All Big 10 as an ILB, racking up 56 tackles and 2 sacks for the Badgers. His highest potential appears to be as a pass rusher (28/94 technique, 83/85 strength).
5(5): RB Sammy Carlson—He’s got very strong pass catching ratings. He rushed for 1,024 yards for the Fightin’ Illini, and caught 57 passes for 541 yards.
6(5): WR Bernie Paz—He has some pretty solid potential, and was a stud at Alabama, catching 60 passes for 1298 yards, good enough for 1st Team All SEC, and 2nd-Team All American honors.
7(5): TE Norbert Geiger—Not much around in the draft at this point. Geiger has solid potential in two key categories: 24/74 run blocking and 30/96 route running. Thought I’d take a shot. He caught 31 passes for 513 yards for Ohio State last year, and was named All Big 10.

After the draft, no one appears to be major bust or major break-out. With the cap room I saved trading away the 1(5) pick, I’m actually able to re-sign BOTH DE Lever and QB Montenegro. Lever gets a one-year deal, and Montenegro signs for two. I fill the rest of the roster with youngsters.

[Ben E Lou]

2002 PRE-TRAINING CAMP

Kentucky Players Drafted in 2002
CB Mercury Lyle—5th Round—St. Louis

From: The County Government

Your proposal for new stadium construction was submitted to the voters of your county for a decision.

The issue failed. We hope that you do not view this as a referendum on the viability of football in Atlanta, but we understand
that you are now free to seek a new stadium elsewhere. Please try again next year, however. You may find the voters more amenable.

Here's the final vote tally:

Rejected: 622,985 - 67.0%
In Favor: 305,513 - 32.9%

Well, we may wind up elsewhere next year. Here’s the 60-man roster, pre-training camp:

  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  

Wooden, Darrin          19  QB   5    42                55                3 yrs.  

Montenegro, Bennie      1   QB   8    42                42                2 yrs.  

Marroquin, Vincent      9   QB   3    34                64                1 yr.   

Bergsman, Randy         2   QB   4    17                30                1 yr.   

Rasmussen, Brad         28  RB   1    46                55                2 yrs.  

Seal, Reuben            27  RB   1    44                52                3 yrs.  

Sugarman, Wesley        23  RB   5    25                26                2 yrs.  

Carlson, Sammy          46  RB   1    18                41                2 yrs.  

Stewart, Drew           48  RB   4    18                19                ---     

Caro, Don               49  FB   7    74                74                1 yr.   

Jaster, Kenny           37  FB   1    38                61                2 yrs.  

Berry, Preston          47  FB   1    27                48                1 yr.   

Warren, Erik            8   TE   1    40                76                5 yrs.  

Bradley, Nolan          84  TE   6    33                33                ---     

Sampson, Will           88  TE   5    28                33                ---     

Geiger, Norbert         17  TE   1    25                52                3 yrs.  

Robertson, Emmitt       86  TE   4    19                33                2 yrs.  

Hitchcock, Steven       82  FL   1    41                72                6 yrs.  

Becker, Eddie           85  FL   8    40                40                ---     

Gustafson, Paul         83  FL   9    36                36                ---     

Patton, Dana            87  FL   7    33                33                ---     

Wiggins, Barry          81  SE   7    48                48                5 yrs.  

Poston, Kenyon          89  SE   6    38                38                ---     

Paz, Bernie             5   SE   1    27                56                2 yrs.  

Dennis, Omar            3   SE   1    25                56                2 yrs.  

Van Pelt, Tito          14  SE   1    24                44                1 yr.   

Willis, Harry           80  SE   8    21                21                3 yrs.  

Henderson, R.J.         6   SE   1    13                17                2 yrs.  

Sullivan, Josh          67  LT   5    42                42                3 yrs.  

Powell, Rod             61  LT   2    21                39                2 yrs.  

Donaldson, Ike          66  LT   2    18                33                1 yr.   

Wells, Broderick        69  LG   9    50                50                ---     

Reid, Les               60  LG   9    49                49                3 yrs.  

Burroughs, Roderick     57  C    7    47                47                3 yrs.  

Newhart, Cedric         56  C    2    24                49                3 yrs.  

Russell, Moe            51  C    1    20                45                1 yr.   

Hayes, Richard          65  RG   12   45                45                2 yrs.  

Bush, Marlon            78  RG   2    28                54                3 yrs.  

Roberts, Tyrus          73  RG   4    28                34                2 yrs.  

Robinson, Marcus        63  RG   4    20                29                1 yr.   

Epperson, Randal        77  RT   8    51                54                6 yrs.  

George, Leroy           4   P    12   71                71                3 yrs.  

Poteet, Bucky           16  K    10   88                88                3 yrs.  

Leber, Irv              95  LDE  9    54                54                1 yr.   

Replogle, Dusty         70  LDE  7    47                47                3 yrs.  

Rocha, Wesley           76  LDE  6    37                46                ---     

Mara, Terrance          79  LDE  9    24                24                ---     

Chavis, Shannon         50  LDE  3    22                32                2 yrs.  

Bradbury, Dave          71  LDE  1    16                34                1 yr.   

Matney, Corey           74  LDT  7    57                57                6 yrs.  

Hormel, Louis           75  LDT  10   39                39                ---     

Roberson, Duane         98  RDT  6    41                47                3 yrs.  

Grant, Stephen          91  RDT  3    39                62                3 yrs.  

Hammons, Brandon        55  RDT  3    19                40                2 yrs.  

Thornton, Darrell       90  RDE  8    34                34                ---     

Pollard, Winfred        72  RDE  1    31                53                3 yrs.  

Place, Edwin            97  SLB  9    33                36                ---     

de la Rosa, Roderick    94  SLB  12   32                32                ---     

Combs, Butch            54  SLB  1    30                59                3 yrs.  

Heath, Butch            59  SILB 13   44                44                2 yrs.  

Heitz, Norm             58  SILB 7    33                39                ---     

Brandon, Dwayne         62  SILB 1    20                53                2 yrs.  

Beyer, Ricky            53  MLB  1    25                46                2 yrs.  

Roberts, Brant          96  WILB 11   33                33                ---     

Newman, Jim             52  WLB  6    43                55                3 yrs.  

Long, Marty             93  WLB  6    30                40                1 yr.   

Pretko, Shannon         99  WLB  4    29                39                1 yr.   

Delhomme, Chris         92  WLB  8    10                13                ---     

Bruce, Freddie          41  LCB  10   44                44                ---     

Blanchard, J.J.         22  LCB  9    40                40                ---     

Roundtree, O.J.         20  LCB  1    14                44                2 yrs.  

Baker, Jeff             33  RCB  11   53                53                3 yrs.  

Holmes, Corwin          31  RCB  8    49                49                4 yrs.  

Hughes, Julio           25  RCB  8    42                42                ---     

Passmore, Eugene        24  RCB  9    38                38                ---     

Sanderson, Les          44  RCB  1    19                40                2 yrs.  

Huntley, Burt           43  RCB  1    19                53                2 yrs.  

Crockett, Ron           40  SS   9    45                45                3 yrs.  

Curtin, Ed              32  SS   14   35                35                ---     

Parrish, Eugene         36  SS   2    22                35                2 yrs.  

Buckner, Tito           21  FS   2    55                78                5 yrs.  

Fordyce, Bruce          45  FS   3    21                40                ---     

Springer, Rod           42  FS   1    19                35                2 yrs.  

   

$$ - player is in starting lineup, ## - player is inactive.  

   

Players Under Contract: 60

On Active Roster: 60

   

Salary Cap: $212,300,000

Cap Room: $5,780,000

Maximum for New Player: $6,480,000

Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $4,940,000

   

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $1,500,000

Cap Room Required Next Year: $194,840,000

[Ben E Lou]

2002 POST TRAINING CAMP REPORT

SETTINGS
Training Room: 2 hours
Pass Plays: 3 hours
Special Teams: 1 hour
Defense: 3 ½ hours
Run Plays: 3 hours
Films: 3 hours
Touchy-Feely Stuff: 1 hour

POST TRAINING CAMP
Significant Breakouts: None.
Significant Busts: None.
Trades: None.
Season Ticket Sales: 38,800 out of 71,100

[Ben E Lou]

2002 60-MAN ROSTER REPORT

  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  

Wooden, Darrin          19  QB   5    45                55                3 yrs.  

Montenegro, Bennie      1   QB   8    44                44                2 yrs.  

Marroquin, Vincent      9   QB   3    37                64                1 yr.   

Bergsman, Randy         2   QB   4    19                30                1 yr.   

Well, in my very first season I’m going to have a QB controversy. Both Wooden and Montenegro showed promise last season. I’ll give each of them 2 starts in preseason. May the best man start!

Rasmussen, Brad         28  RB   1    49                57                2 yrs.  

Seal, Reuben            27  RB   1    45                48                3 yrs.  

Sugarman, Wesley        23  RB   5    26                26                2 yrs.  

Carlson, Sammy          46  RB   1    18                34                2 yrs.  

Caro, Don               49  FB   7    74                74                1 yr.   

Jaster, Kenny           37  FB   1    40                62                2 yrs.  

Berry, Preston          47  FB   1    29                41                1 yr.   

Rasmussen, an undrafted FA, looks very similar to Seal ratings-wise. My guess is I’ll go with one as starter, with a “1” playing time. Each will start twice in pre-season. Caro is set at FB, and Jaster has nice potential.

Warren, Erik            8   TE   1    44                73                5 yrs.  

Geiger, Norbert         17  TE   1    27                52                3 yrs.  

Robertson, Emmitt       86  TE   4    21                33                2 yrs.  

Hitchcock, Steven       82  FL   1    45                72                6 yrs.  

Wiggins, Barry          81  SE   7    48                48                5 yrs.  

Paz, Bernie             5   SE   1    30                57                2 yrs.  

Dennis, Omar            3   SE   1    29                59                2 yrs.  

Van Pelt, Tito          14  SE   1    25                35                1 yr.   

Willis, Harry           80  SE   8    21                21                3 yrs.  

Henderson, R.J.         6   SE   1    14                19                2 yrs.  

Warren’s looking like he’ll be pretty solid at TE, and Geiger looks like a nice backup-to-be. At WR, Willis’ numbers are cut almost in half. Grrrrrr. The good news is that 1st-round pick Hitchcock looks like a future star, and FA acquisition Wiggins looks solid. Dennis, Paz, Geiger and Willis look like they will fight it out for the 3rd WR slot. We look solid, with lots of hope for the future, at receivers.

 Sullivan, Josh          67  LT   5    44                44                3 yrs.  

Powell, Rod             61  LT   2    24                39                2 yrs.  

Donaldson, Ike          66  LT   2    20                33                1 yr.   

Reid, Les               60  LG   9    49                49                3 yrs.  

Burroughs, Roderick     57  C    7    47                47                3 yrs.  

Newhart, Cedric         56  C    2    28                49                3 yrs.  

Russell, Moe            51  C    1    24                54                1 yr.   

Hayes, Richard          65  RG   12   45                45                2 yrs.  

Bush, Marlon            78  RG   2    30                54                3 yrs.  

Roberts, Tyrus          73  RG   4    30                34                2 yrs.  

Robinson, Marcus        63  RG   4    22                29                1 yr.   

Epperson, Randal        77  RT   8    51                54                6 yrs.  

Undrafted rookie Russell has a chance of beating out Burroughs and Newhart at C. I like Russell’s 20/78 run blocking skills a lot. At the starting guards, Reid and Hayes both have run-blocking skills under 50. I’m concerned about the running game. Epperson and Sullivan at the tackles round out this mediocre unit.

 George, Leroy           4   P    12   71                71                3 yrs.  

Poteet, Bucky           16  K    10   88                88                3 yrs.  

Our kicking game looks to be among the best in the NFL.

 Leber, Irv              95  LDE  9    54                54                1 yr.   

Replogle, Dusty         70  LDE  7    49                49                3 yrs.  

Chavis, Shannon         50  LDE  3    25                32                2 yrs.  

Bradbury, Dave          71  LDE  1    18                35                1 yr.   

Matney, Corey           74  LDT  7    57                57                6 yrs.  

Roberson, Duane         98  RDT  6    44                47                3 yrs.  

Grant, Stephen          91  RDT  3    42                62                3 yrs.  

Hammons, Brandon        55  RDT  3    20                40                2 yrs.  

Pollard, Winfred        72  RDE  1    33                52                3 yrs.  

The starting front four of Replogle, Leber, Roberson and Matney looks very solid, and Grant and Chavis look to be capable backups.

 Combs, Butch            54  SLB  1    33                57                3 yrs.  

Heath, Butch            59  SILB 13   44                44                2 yrs.  

Brandon, Dwayne         62  SILB 1    23                50                2 yrs.  

Beyer, Ricky            53  MLB  1    27                49                2 yrs.  

Newman, Jim             52  WLB  6    45                55                3 yrs.  

Long, Marty             93  WLB  6    32                40                1 yr.   

Pretko, Shannon         99  WLB  4    30                39                1 yr.  

Long, Newman and Heath will be adequate starters. Combs looks like a nice pass-rusher and will get some work as 3rd-down DE. No one looks like they’re going to be much special.

 Roundtree, O.J.         20  LCB  1    15                37                2 yrs.  

Baker, Jeff             33  RCB  11   53                53                3 yrs.  

Holmes, Corwin          31  RCB  8    49                49                4 yrs.  

Huntley, Burt           43  RCB  1    24                58                2 yrs.  

Sanderson, Les          44  RCB  1    22                45                2 yrs.  

Crockett, Ron           40  SS   9    45                45                3 yrs.  

Parrish, Eugene         36  SS   2    23                35                2 yrs.  

Buckner, Tito           21  FS   2    59                78                5 yrs.  

Springer, Rod           42  FS   1    21                34                2 yrs.  

Baker and Holmes could be strong at the corners. Crockett and Buckner are both better run-stoppers than they are pass defenders.

Stadium: 10
Roster Strength: 40
Support: 62
Economy: 27
Cohesion: 62,63,69,46

Outlook: There’s not much to indicate that this team will be anything special, but we should be competitive at least.

[Ben E Lou]

2002 PRESEASON RECAP

We win the preseason opener 42-37 against Cleveland as Bennie Montenegro goes 19 for 32 for 293 yards with 5 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Wooden comes in late and goes 5 for 7 for 62 yards with 0 TD’s and 1 INT. RB Rasmussen gives us 12 caries for 88 yards. Sugarman has a rough day: 12 carries for 32 yards, with a long of 5 yards. Barry Wiggins is the big receiving target of the day: 9 catches for 222 yards and 4 TD’s. At 3rd WR, Paz catches 2 passes for 21 yards. DT Roberson has a nice day with 6 tackles, an assist and 2 sacks. Given the start at center, rookie Moe Russell goes 0 for 3 in KRB. Burroughs backs up and is 3 for 6. The offensive line allowed nary a sack. SE Omar Dennis sprained a foot ligament and is Out, but will be full strength in about 2 weeks.

In game 2, we take a 17-13 victory. I let Montenegro start again. I still don’t fully understand AI preseason QB usage. This time Wooden came in to start the 2nd quarter, with the settings the same as they were last game. At any rate, Montenegro was 7 for 9 for 46 yards with 0 TD’s or INT’s, then Wooden was 16 for 21 for 217 yards with 2 TD’s and one INT. Seal started at RB, and had 12 carries for only 37 yards. Harry “my low ratings be damned” Willis had 6 catches for 70 yards from the WR3 slot. DT Roberson again was tough, this time leading the team with 7 tackles to go along with 2 assists and a half sack. I give C Moe Russell another shot to show me something, and he goes 0 for 4 in KRB. Looks like Burroughs will start there.

Game 3 is a 21-14 win over Cincy. Montenegro goes 15 for 23 for 130 yards with a TD and 0 INT’s. Wooden is 5 for 8 for 39 yards with 0 and 0. Montenegro hasn’t thrown an INT yet. He’s named the starter. RB Rasmussen has a slight injury, so I start Seal again, and he only manages 13 carries for 40 yards. Rasmussen will begin the season as starter. Willis has 3 catches for 29 yards as WR3, and pretty much insures that he’ll start the season there. Starting FB Caro separates his shoulder and is Out, full strength 3 weeks.

We fall 30-3 in Tennessee in the preseason finale, despite amassing 400 total yards to the Titans’ 366. Eight turnovers, including 6 INT’s, prove to be our undoing. We only had to punt twice all day long. The good news is that Rasmussen is looking capable of being a feature back. He rushed 16 times for 103 yards on the day to solidfy his #1 depth chart position. Montenegro was 10 for 17 for 107 yards with 4 INT’s, and Wooden was 10 for 18 for 110 yards with 2 INT’s. DE Replogle strains his deltoid muscle, and is Out (FS in 3 wks).

CUTS
QB Bergsman
TE Robertson
SE Van Pelt
SE Henderson
T Donaldson
DE Bradbury
CB Roundtree

[Ben E Lou]

2002 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 4-4
Standing: 2nd . The Saints lead the division at 7-1.
Significant Injuries: Starting OLB Marty Long went down for the season in Game 3 with ACL surgery. QB Montenegro strained his triceps in game three and Wooden did quite well in his absence. Montenegro had struggled in the first two games, so Wooden remains as the starter.
QB Stats: Wooden—95 for 172, 1148 yards, 11TD’s, 8 INT’s, 77.8 Rtg. Montenegro—46 for 86, 422 yards, 2 TD’s, 4 INT’s, 55.4 Rtg.
Leading Rushers: Brad Rasmussen—158 att, 840 yards*, 5.3ypc, 1 TD.
Leading Receivers: Wiggins—32 catches for 500 yards, 4 TD’s. Hitchcok—28 catches for 395 yards, 3 TD’s.
Leading Tackler: S Buckner: 48 tkls, 10 assists

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2022 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Record: 8-8
Standing: 2nd. The Aints won the division with a 12-4 record. Seattle got in the playoffs at 9-7. We were one of three 8-8 teams in the NFC.
QB Stats: Darrin Wooden—270 for 444, 3176 yards, 21TD’s, 17 INT’s, 82.3 Rtg.
Leading Rushers: Darrin Rasmussen—191 carries, 914 yards, 4.7ypc, 2 TD’s—He went out for the season with ACL damage in game 10. His ratings didn’t drop though, and hopefully they won’t next year when he returns. Reuben Seal—109 carries, 416yds, 3.8ypc, 8TD’s
Leading Receivers: Barry Wiggins—53 catches, 809 yards, 4TD’s. Steven Hitchcock—45 catches, 726 yards, 7 TD’s. Don Caro—47 catches, 313 yards, 0 TD.
Leading Tackler: S Ron Crockett—88 tackles, 37 assists
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Irv Leber—6.5 sacks, 3 blocked, 13 hurried
Leading PDPct DB: S Tito Buckner—38 catches, 6 INT, 13 defensed, 570 pass plays, 19.8PDPct

Points Scored: 330
Points Against: 369

Rushing Yards: 1760 n(18th)
Rushing Average: 4.2 (League Average 34.0)
Passing Yards: 3596 (17th)
Passing Average: 6.7 (League Average 6.7)
Rushing Defense: 1838 (18th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 4.1 (League Avg 4.0)
Passing Defense: 4024 (28th)
Passing Average Allowed: 7.0 (League Avg. 6.7)

Team/League Records Set/Approached This Season
Brad Rasmussen tied a team record set back in 1975 with his 4.7 ypc.

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2002 POSTSEASON REPORT

CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
FB Caro got an extension through 2006.

PLAYOFF RESULTS
Philly beats Baltimore 30-27 to win the Super Bowl

AWARDS
P Leroy George—1st Team All Pro (45.9 avg. 46 of his 98 punts inside the 20.)

Well, mediocrity all around, and most of these guys are still under contract. If RB Rasmussen can come back to his form from this season, and the passing game picks it up a little due to experience, we could move beyond mediocrity next year.

[Ben E Lou]

ATLANTA FALCONS 2003 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
No former Falcons go in this year.

RETIREES
ILB Butch Heath hangs ‘em up after 13 seasons, and it appears that it was time. He only had 45 tackles last year as a starting LB, and struggled with several minor nagging injuries.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD

HEAD COACH

Lawrence Hurt

Age: 59

Record: 127-98

Playoffs: 7

Bowl Wins: 0



REPUTATION

QB: VG       YOUNG TALENT: Avg

RB: G        MOTIVATION: Avg

WR: F        DISCIPLINE: F

OL: G        OFFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

PK: VG 	     DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DL: VG       AVOID INJURY: Avg

LB: G        

DB: G

SCOUT

Frankie Jordon

Age: 60

Record: 239-228-3

Playoffs: 12

Bowl Wins: 1



REPUTATION

QB: G     DL: Avg

RB: G     LB: F

WR: E     DB: G

OL: VG    YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  E

I make a proposal to move the Birds to God’s Country—Columbus, GA.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 INITIAL ROSTER

  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  

Wooden, Darrin          19  QB   6    51                55                2 yrs.  

Montenegro, Bennie      1   QB   9    45                45                1 yr.   

Marroquin, Vincent      9   QB   4    37                64                ---     

Wooden showed himself to be solid, if unspectacular, as an NFL starter. Marroquin looks like a better potential long-term option, but he’s wanting Top 20 QB bucks to re-sign.

 Seal, Reuben            27  RB   2    46                48                2 yrs.  

Sugarman, Wesley        23  RB   6    26                26                1 yr.   

Rasmussen, Brad         28  RB   2    24                29                1 yr.   

Carlson, Sammy          46  RB   2    18                34                1 yr.   

Caro, Don               49  FB   8    73                73                4 yrs.  

Jaster, Kenny           37  FB   2    43                62                1 yr.   

Berry, Preston          47  FB   2    29                41                ---     

Well, Rasmussen’s knee injury really hit his ratings hard. Seal looks pretty solid, and is up to 84/88 in hole recognition. Hopefully he’ll be able to shoulder the bulk of the load at RB. Sugarman gets cut.

Warren, Erik            8   TE   2    53                73                4 yrs.  

Geiger, Norbert         17  TE   2    30                52                2 yrs.  

Hitchcock, Steven       82  FL   2    52                72                5 yrs.  

Wiggins, Barry          81  SE   8    48                48                4 yrs.  

Paz, Bernie             5   SE   2    34                57                1 yr.   

Dennis, Omar            3   SE   2    32                59                1 yr.   

Willis, Harry           80  SE   9    21                21                2 yrs.  

Geiger was only in on 130 passing plays, but caught 17 passes, while Warren caught 23 in 361 plays. Geiger will likely get a long look. At WR, with Hitchcock and Wiggins signed to multi-year deals, we look to be set for a while there.

Sullivan, Josh          67  LT   6    44                44                2 yrs.  

Powell, Rod             61  LT   3    24                39                1 yr.   

Reid, Les               60  LG   10   49                49                2 yrs.  

Burroughs, Roderick     57  C    8    47                47                2 yrs.  

Newhart, Cedric         56  C    3    28                49                2 yrs.  

Russell, Moe            51  C    2    26                54                ---     

Hayes, Richard          65  RG   13   45                45                1 yr.   

Bush, Marlon            78  RG   3    31                54                2 yrs.  

Roberts, Tyrus          73  RG   5    30                34                1 yr.   

Robinson, Marcus        63  RG   5    22                29                ---     

Epperson, Randal        77  RT   9    51                54                5 yrs.  

This bunch was mediocre at best for the most part last year, with the exception of Reid who had a very solid season (48.9 KRBPct). I could use some strong draftees on the O-Line.

George, Leroy           4   P    13   71                71                2 yrs.  

Poteet, Bucky           16  K    11   88                88                2 yrs.  

The kicking game remains set.

Leber, Irv              95  LDE  10   54                54                ---     

**Replogle, Dusty       70  LDE  8    52                52                2 yrs.  

Chavis, Shannon         50  LDE  4    27                32                1 yr.   

Matney, Corey           74  LDT  8    23                23                5 yrs.  

Roberson, Duane         98  RDT  7    49                49                2 yrs.  

Grant, Stephen          91  RDT  4    47                62                2 yrs.  

Hammons, Brandon        55  RDT  4    21                40                1 yr.   

Pollard, Winfred        72  RDE  2    36                52                2 yrs.  

Matney took a BIG hit ratings-wise after his injury, and he’s signed through 2007 to a BIG contract. Ouch!!! Replogle is going to miss about half the season still recovering from his ACL surgery. Leber is looking for big money. The DL—a strength going into last season, is looking rather suspect right now.

 Combs, Butch            54  SLB  2    38                58                2 yrs.  

Brandon, Dwayne         62  SILB 2    25                50                1 yr.   

Beyer, Ricky            53  MLB  2    28                49                1 yr.   

Newman, Jim             52  WLB  7    50                55                2 yrs.  

Long, Marty             93  WLB  7    33                40                ---     

Pretko, Shannon         99  WLB  5    31                39                ---     

Newman had a nice year with 79 tackles and 7.5 sacks, and Combs looks like he may be ready to step up and start this year. Neither Beyer nor Brandon look like the kind of guy I’d like to hold down MLB, but I may have to go with one of them.

 Baker, Jeff             33  RCB  12   53                53                2 yrs.  

Holmes, Corwin          31  RCB  9    49                49                3 yrs.  

Huntley, Burt           43  RCB  2    26                59                1 yr.   

Sanderson, Les          44  RCB  2    24                46                1 yr.   

Crockett, Ron           40  SS   10   45                45                2 yrs.  

Parrish, Eugene         36  SS   3    23                35                1 yr.   

Buckner, Tito           21  FS   3    68                78                4 yrs.  

Springer, Rod           42  FS   2    21                34                1 yr.   

Baker, Holmes, Crockett and Buckner give us a pretty solid secondary.

Roster Thoughts Overall:
Well, we signed enough guys last year to make us competitive, but now a lack of cap room to take us to the next levell via free agency is going to force me to build through the draft for the next couple of seasons.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Room Under Cap: $31.67M
Initial Max For New Players: $20.87M

Franchise Player Contract: None. No franchise player.

Renegotiations To Save Cap Room
G Tyrus Roberts, a backup, sings for an extra year at minimum veteran salary, saving us over $3M this year.
A small handful of other backups sign 1-year extensions that save us very small amounts of cash.

Cuts To Save Cap Room
None.

Adjusted Room Under Cap: $35.35M
Adjusted Max For New Players: $24.55M

Positions of Need
DE: With Leber becoming a UFA, and Replogle hurt, I feel the need to sign a FA starter, and draft the other.
MLB: This position is too much of a key in my defensive scheme to go with a rookie. I’ll look to free agency.

New UFA’s Signed During 20-Step Process
MLB Irv Johnstone: There was very little talent available at MLB. Johnstone is mediocre at best, but was at least relatively cheap (less than $4M in cap room). He is a 13-year journeyman vet. His last 3 years were spent in Houston, and he was a starter in 2001, garnering 75 tackles and 23 assist. He’s a bit of an insurance policy if I can’t draft a good one.

I went after a DE, but Houston outbid me for him and he signed there. Grrrrrr.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
After I lost the other DE, I went after Leber, but he flew the coop as well. Uh oh. Once Leber went elsewhere, I had money left over, so I decided to re-sign OLB Marty Long to a one-year, no bonus $4M deal. He’ll help with depth and cohesion if nothing else.

FA Analysis
Definitely this was a disappointing. However, at the end of free agency we have the 6th-best roster rating in the NFL, so maybe we’re better than I thought.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 AMATEUR DRAFT

My needs consist of the following:

DE: I need at least one solid starter.
OL: I could use future starters pretty much across the board.
MLB: I could use a starter here, but I’m probably in passable shape if I can’t find one.
QB: If someone who looks to have above average potential comes along, he’d probably be worth drafting.

Here’s how the draft plays out for me:

1(18): MLB Frank Lester, Miami (FL)—This kid has some wonderful potential, according to my scout. He’s 36/100 in run defense, 32/90 in pass rush technique, 82/86 in pass rush strength and 27/80 in play diagnosis. He was a 2-time 1st Team All Big East selection in college.
2(18): DE Aaron Culjat, Arizona State—He’s got a chance to start this year. He’s rated 26/74 in run defense, 16/48 in pass rush technique, 91 in pass rush strength, and 16/52 in play diagnosis. He was 2nd Team All Pac 10 in 2002, and 1st team in 2003, racking up 117 tackles and 17 sacks in those two seasons.
3(18): G Scott McDaniel, Florida—McDaniel could become a starter. He’s rated 15/57, 15/62, 81, 46/59. He was a 2-year starter for the Gators.
4(18): C Wade Goodson, USC—Rated 16/69, 20/72, 60, 62/78, Goodson could be a very nice find in the 4th round. He was first-team All SEC for the Gamecocks.
5(18): QB Orlando Pogue, Iowa State—Worth taking on a flier on this guy in the fifth round. He’s rated 100 in timing, and has potential ratings all ranging from 56 to 76. he was a pretty solid 2-year starter at Iowa State, throwing for 37 TD’s in 2 seasons.
6(18): T Omar Doser, Texas—Doser looks somewhat promising (18/71, 6/26, 56, 47/62). He was the third tackle at Texas.
7(18): RB Randall Hanson, Georgia Tech—Has some potential to provide depth at RB. He was a two-year backup at Tech, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

Kentucky Players Drafted
DE Derek Feeney was drafted with the 2(32) pick by Philly.

Post-Draft Thoughts
At first looks, only QB Pogue looks like he’s going to drop significantly. The others appear to be a little better than I first thought. This could prove to be a very good draft for us! I only make one key post-draft re-signing—QB Vincent Marroquin. His salary demand dropped considerably. I sign him to a very reasonable 3-year deal, with the third year voidable if he throws for 3,000 yards. QB Montenegro will likely be cut after training camp, but we’ll see.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 PRE-TRAINING CAMP

Veteran One-Year Signees
I sign DE Spencer Becker for $4M to be my pass-rush specialist. He’s 77 in pass rush technique, and 56 in strength. His 3 rating in run defense assures that he’ll never be considered for a full-time starting position by Ol’ SkyDog.

[quote] From: Columbus (GA) Government

Your proposal to move to Columbus (GA) was
submitted to the voters of its county for
a decision.

The issue failed.

Here's the final vote tally:

Rejected: 86,168 - 61.4%
In Favor: 54,891 - 38.5%/quote]

Oh well. We stay in the A-T-L a little longer. At any rate, here’s the 60-man roster, pre-training camp:

  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  

Wooden, Darrin          19  QB   6    52                56                2 yrs.  

Montenegro, Bennie      1   QB   9    44                44                1 yr.   

Marroquin, Vincent      9   QB   4    38                66                3 yrs.  

Pogue, Orlando          15  QB   1    11                55                3 yrs.  

Seal, Reuben            27  RB   2    45                47                2 yrs.  

Hanson, Randall         41  RB   1    35                55                3 yrs.  

Burgess, Brady          34  RB   1    30                54                2 yrs.  

Rasmussen, Brad         28  RB   2    24                30                1 yr.   

Carlson, Sammy          46  RB   2    18                30                1 yr.   

Caro, Don               49  FB   8    70                70                4 yrs.  

Jaster, Kenny           37  FB   2    44                63                1 yr.   

Berry, Preston          47  FB   2    28                40                ---     

Warren, Erik            8   TE   2    49                70                4 yrs.  

Geiger, Norbert         17  TE   2    29                52                2 yrs.  

Hitchcock, Steven       82  FL   2    52                72                5 yrs.  

Wiggins, Barry          81  SE   8    48                48                4 yrs.  

Paz, Bernie             5   SE   2    34                58                1 yr.   

Dennis, Omar            3   SE   2    33                60                1 yr.   

Willis, Harry           80  SE   9    20                20                2 yrs.  

Sullivan, Josh          67  LT   6    43                43                2 yrs.  

Powell, Rod             61  LT   3    23                33                2 yrs.  

Reid, Les               60  LG   10   47                47                2 yrs.  

Burroughs, Roderick     57  C    8    44                44                2 yrs.  

Goodson, Wade           58  C    1    29                71                3 yrs.  

Russell, Moe            51  C    2    28                61                3 yrs.  

Newhart, Cedric         56  C    3    24                47                2 yrs.  

Hayes, Richard          65  RG   13   44                44                1 yr.   

Bush, Marlon            78  RG   3    31                54                2 yrs.  

McDaniel, Scott         64  RG   1    30                61                4 yrs.  

Roberts, Tyrus          73  RG   5    29                34                2 yrs.  

Robinson, Marcus        63  RG   5    21                28                ---     

Epperson, Randal        77  RT   9    52                55                5 yrs.  

Doser, Omar             71  RT   1    22                49                2 yrs.  

George, Leroy           4   P    13   71                71                2 yrs.  

Poteet, Bucky           16  K    11   89                89                2 yrs.  

**Replogle, Dusty       70  LDE  8    47                47                2 yrs.  

Chavis, Shannon         50  LDE  4    27                31                1 yr.   

Matney, Corey           74  LDT  8    23                23                5 yrs.  

Roberson, Duane         98  RDT  7    48                48                2 yrs.  

Grant, Stephen          91  RDT  4    47                62                2 yrs.  

Hammons, Brandon        55  RDT  4    21                41                1 yr.   

Becker, Spencer         90  RDE  5    36                36                1 yr.   

Pollard, Winfred        72  RDE  2    35                52                2 yrs.  

Culjat, Aaron           95  RDE  1    35                58                4 yrs.  

Combs, Butch            54  SLB  2    37                57                2 yrs.  

Tatum, Edgar            92  SLB  1    19                38                2 yrs.  

Johnstone, Irv          59  SILB 13   32                32                2 yrs.  

Brandon, Dwayne         62  SILB 2    24                48                1 yr.   

Lester, Frank           94  MLB  1    43                80                6 yrs.  

Beyer, Ricky            53  MLB  2    29                51                1 yr.   

Osborne, Earache        97  WILB 1    21                54                2 yrs.  

Newman, Jim             52  WLB  7    50                54                2 yrs.  

Long, Marty             93  WLB  7    33                39                1 yr.   

Pretko, Shannon         99  WLB  5    32                39                ---     

Moreno, Mitch           35  LCB  1    12                38                2 yrs.  

Baker, Jeff             33  RCB  12   48                48                2 yrs.  

Holmes, Corwin          31  RCB  9    45                45                3 yrs.  

Huntley, Burt           43  RCB  2    29                63                1 yr.   

Sanderson, Les          44  RCB  2    26                50                1 yr.   

Crockett, Ron           40  SS   10   45                45                2 yrs.  

Parrish, Eugene         36  SS   3    21                32                2 yrs.  

Buckner, Tito           21  FS   3    64                75                4 yrs.  

Springer, Rod           42  FS   2    21                34                2 yrs.  

   

$$ - player is in starting lineup, ## - player is inactive.  

   

Players Under Contract: 60

On Active Roster: 60

   

Salary Cap: $218,900,000

Cap Room: $9,910,000

Maximum for New Player: $10,860,000

Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $4,750,000

Cap Room Lost Next Year (to old contracts): $0

Cap Room Required Next Year: $205,410,000

[Ben E Lou]

2003 POST TRAINING CAMP REPORT

SETTINGS
Training Room: 2 hours
Pass Plays: 3 hours
Special Teams: 1 hour
Defense: 3 ½ hours
Run Plays: 3 hours
Films: 3 hours
Touchy-Feely Stuff: 1 hour

POST TRAINING CAMP
Significant Breakouts: 4th-round draft choice C Wade Goodson’s ratings have now risen to 24/81, 28/78, 60, 67/86, and 3rd-round pick G Scott McDaniel is up to 22/70, 23/78, 81, 55/73. They both now look like very solid starters-to-be.
Significant Busts: 5th-round draft choice QB Orlando Pogue’s stock is dropping fast. His potentials are now mostly in the 30’s and 40’s.
Trades: None.
Season Ticket Sales: 31,500 out of 71,100

[Ben E Lou]

2003 60-MAN ROSTER REPORT

  Player                #   Pos  Exp  Current Estimate  Future Estimate Cntrct  

Wooden, Darrin          19  QB   6    56                56                2 yrs.  

Montenegro, Bennie      1   QB   9    45                45                1 yr.   

Marroquin, Vincent      9   QB   4    41                66                3 yrs.  

Pogue, Orlando          15  QB   1    13                44                3 yrs.  

Wooden earned himself the starting job last year, but Marroquin will get at least a passing look in the preseason. Unless Pogue shows some promise in the pre-season, I’ll just cut him and eat the small bonus he got as a 5th-rounder.

Seal, Reuben            27  RB   2    46                47                2 yrs.  

Hanson, Randall         41  RB   1    35                49                3 yrs.  

Burgess, Brady          34  RB   1    31                48                2 yrs.  

Rasmussen, Brad         28  RB   2    25                30                1 yr.   

Carlson, Sammy          46  RB   2    19                30                1 yr.   

Caro, Don               49  FB   8    70                70                4 yrs.  

Jaster, Kenny           37  FB   2    46                63                1 yr.   

Seal looks to be noticeably better than any of my other options at running the football. Carlson has some solid catching ratings and will be used some in that role. FB Caro remains very useful.

Warren, Erik            8   TE   2    53                70                4 yrs.  

Geiger, Norbert         17  TE   2    32                52                2 yrs.  

Hitchcock, Steven       82  FL   2    54                72                5 yrs.  

Wiggins, Barry          81  SE   8    48                48                4 yrs.  

Paz, Bernie             5   SE   2    36                58                1 yr.   

Dennis, Omar            3   SE   2    35                60                1 yr.   

Willis, Harry           80  SE   9    20                20                2 yrs.  

As mentioned earlier, Geiger out-performed Warren last year, despite Warren’s stronger ratings. They’ll get two starts each in the preseason. Hitchcock, Wiggins, Paz and Dennis give us a very nice receiver corps on paper.

Sullivan, Josh          67  LT   6    43                43                2 yrs.  

Powell, Rod             61  LT   3    25                33                2 yrs.  

Reid, Les               60  LG   10   47                47                2 yrs.  

Burroughs, Roderick     57  C    8    44                44                2 yrs.  

Goodson, Wade           58  C    1    35                75                3 yrs.  

Russell, Moe            51  C    2    32                61                3 yrs.  

Newhart, Cedric         56  C    3    28                47                2 yrs.  

Hayes, Richard          65  RG   13   44                44                1 yr.   

McDaniel, Scott         64  RG   1    36                69                4 yrs.  

Bush, Marlon            78  RG   3    33                54                2 yrs.  

Roberts, Tyrus          73  RG   5    31                34                2 yrs.  

Epperson, Randal        77  RT   9    52                55                5 yrs.  

Doser, Omar             71  RT   1    24                49                2 yrs.  

Rookies C Goodson and G McDaniel look to breathe some life into this unit. Both have the potential to earn starting spots as early as this season.

George, Leroy           4   P    13   71                71                2 yrs.  

Poteet, Bucky           16  K    11   89                89                2 yrs.  

Still among the best.

**Replogle, Dusty       70  LDE  8    47                47                2 yrs.  

Chavis, Shannon         50  LDE  4    29                31                1 yr.   

Matney, Corey           74  LDT  8    23                23                5 yrs.  

Roberson, Duane         98  RDT  7    51                51                2 yrs.  

Grant, Stephen          91  RDT  4    50                62                2 yrs.  

Hammons, Brandon        55  RDT  4    23                41                1 yr.   

Culjat, Aaron           95  RDE  1    39                62                4 yrs.  

Pollard, Winfred        72  RDE  2    38                52                2 yrs.  

Becker, Spencer         90  RDE  5    36                36                1 yr.   

Pollard, Culjat and Chavis will fight for the two starting DE slots, while Roberson and Grant will hold down the tackles. With Replogle unavailable probably for over half of the season (His return is listed as 14 weeks from now), and franchise player Matney having dropped off significantly, this unit has gone from being the strength of the team in 2K2, to the biggest question mark this year.

Combs, Butch            54  SLB  2    40                57                2 yrs.  

Tatum, Edgar            92  SLB  1    20                38                2 yrs.  

Johnstone, Irv          59  SILB 13   32                32                2 yrs.  

Brandon, Dwayne         62  SILB 2    26                48                1 yr.   

Lester, Frank           94  MLB  1    47                80                6 yrs.  

Beyer, Ricky            53  MLB  2    32                51                1 yr.   

Osborne, Earache        97  WILB 1    24                49                2 yrs.  

Newman, Jim             52  WLB  7    53                54                2 yrs.  

Long, Marty             93  WLB  7    36                39                1 yr.   

Rookie Lester takes over at MLB, with Newman and Long on the outside. Combs will be the other pass-rushing specialist at DE. We could be pretty solid here.

Moreno, Mitch           35  LCB  1    13                33                2 yrs.  

Baker, Jeff             33  RCB  12   48                48                2 yrs.  

Holmes, Corwin          31  RCB  9    45                45                3 yrs.  

Huntley, Burt           43  RCB  2    32                63                1 yr.   

Sanderson, Les          44  RCB  2    29                50                1 yr.   

Crockett, Ron           40  SS   10   45                45                2 yrs.  

Parrish, Eugene         36  SS   3    23                32                2 yrs.  

Buckner, Tito           21  FS   3    69                75                4 yrs.  

Springer, Rod           42  FS   2    22                34                2 yrs.  

Baker, Holmes, Crockett and Buckner give us an adequate secondary.

Stadium: 11
Roster Strength: 66
Support: 46
Economy: 26
Cohesion: 63,59,75,49

Outlook: I hope to be a little better than last year, and be in the hunt for the playoffs.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 PRESEASON RECAP

Game 1
Marroquin starts at QB, and goes 23 for 42 for 247 yards with 0 TD’s and 2 INT’s. RB Seal sat this one out, and the running game was anemic. Geiger started at TE, and caught 2 passes for 30 yards. Rookie linemen Goodson and McDaniel both struggled, going a combined 1 for 6 in KRB’s, and giving up a sack each. At DE, Pollard and Culjat started, earning 1 and 3 tackles respectively. Culjat also had a sack. He made a strong case for a starting spot.

Game 2
I gave 5th-round choice QB Pogue a chance to prove himself, and all he did was go 11 for 12 for 121 yards with a TD and an INT. In relief, Marroquin was 16 for 26 for 174 yards with 2 TD’s and an INT. The running game struggled once again with the youngsters starting on the OL. Seal only had 12 carries for 32 yards. Geiger got another start at TE, and caught 3 passes for 34 yards this time. The rookies on the line this time were a combined 1 for 10 in KRB. Looks like neither of them will start this year. This week Culjat and Chavis were the starting DE’s. Chavis had 3 tackles and an assist, and Culjat had 2 tackles, 1 assist and 1 blocked pass. The two of them look like they’ll be my starters.

Game 3
I go with Wooden as the starting QB to get him ready for the season. He has a solid day. Of note, rookie Pogue comes off the bench and is 3 for 3 for 52 yards. Looks like he’s earned himself a roster spot. I started RB Brad Rasmussen, who had a very strong season going before his injury last year and had a big ratings drop. He carried 10 times for 82 yards! I’ve got to at least give him another look next week. DE’s Chavis and Culjat solidified their positions as starters. Incidentally, rookie MLB Frank Lester has been among the team leader in tackles in all three games thus far. He’s looking like the real deal. WR5 Harry Willis’ career is likely over. He is Out for 50 weeks due to ACL surgery. I put him on IR and sign 9-year man Wayne Groce to a 1-year deal.

Game 4
A lot of things looked nice in the final tuneup. QB Wooden was 20 for 28 for 299 yards with 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s. RB Rasmussen again had a nice day, carrying 10 times for 59 yards with a TD. TE Warren started and caught 2 passes in 22 pass plays. Geiger caught 2 in only 4 plays. Gieger has beat out the higher-rated Warren for the TE job! The DL is hurting, as DE Chavis hypextends his elbow and is out (full strength in 3 weeks) and DT Stepehn Grant has an appendectomy (out—5 wks fs).

CUTS
RB Burgess
T Powell
G Roberts
C Newhart
OLB Tatum
ILB Earache Osborne—hated to do it with that name, but oh well…
CB Moreno

I decide to keep all 4 QB’s on the roster.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 FIRST HALF REPORT

Week 1: Atlanta (0-0) at Carolina (0-0)
The defense plays well in this one, and the offense gets us just enough to win 23-17. Carolina runs back an INT for a TD, and therefore only scores 10 offensive points on the day. Wooden garners game MVP honors with a 16 for 34 for 202 yard performance. He had 2 TD’s and the aforementioned one critical interception. Rasmussen carries 21 times for 77 yards on the day. Seal has a solid day as a backup, carrying 7 times for 42 yards. I’ll likely start Seal next week. Defensively, OLB Marty Long led the team with 8 tackles, and DT Duane Roberson chipped in 6 and a sack. Rookie MLB Lester had 4 tackles, 3 assists and a sack on the day. Steven Hitchcock led all receivers with 5 catches for 90 yards and a TD.

Week 2: Houston (1-0) at Atlanta (1-0) (-3)
This one is a Tale Of Two Halves. The Texans jump out to a 14-0 halftime lead, on the strength of another interception returned for a TD. Ouch. The second half is all Falcons though, as we outscore them 17-0 when it counts and walk out with a 17-14 victory. OLB Jim Newman is game MVP, due to his 10 tackles, 3 assists and half a sack. The three starting LB’s rack up a total of 23 tackles, 6 assists, 1.5 sacks and an interception on the day. They are quickly emerging as the strength of this defense. QB Wooden struggles a bit, going 20 for 38 for 202 yards with 2 TD’s, but FOUR interceptions. He’s going to have to cut down on those. SE Barry Wiggins strains his deltoid, and is Out, but should be full strength in a couple of weeks.

Week 3: Atlanta (2-0) at Seattle (1-1) (-1)
Despite being slight underdogs, we pick up a key early-season win on the road as Wooden avoids the interception bug, going 18 for 36 for 200 yards with 2 TD’s and 0 Int’s to win game MVP honors. Seal carries 19 times for 84 yards with a TD. Omar Dennis picks up the load at WR, catching 5 balls for 74 yards and a TD. The defense gave up 408 total yards, but stopped them when it counted, shutting the Seahawks out in the decisive fourth quarter. OLB Marty Long breaks his ribs and is Out. He should be full strength in about 6 weeks.

Week 4: Atlanta (3-0) at Philadelphia (3-0) (E)
We flex our muscles in this early-season matchup of unbeatens, to the tune of a 41-10 romp in Philly! The only negative about our performance is that Wooden gets ANOTHER interception returned for a TD. That’s three in four games. Everything else clicked on all cylinders. We held onto the football for a phenomenal forty minutes and thirty-three seconds en route to piling up 456 yards of total offense, while holding the Eagles to less than 100 yards in both rushing and passing. (Their QB was an utterly pathetic 10 for 34 for 97 yards with 3 Int’s.) Wooden was game MVP with a 22 for 33 performance. He had 218 yards, 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Seal chipped in 24 carries for 126 yards, and Rasmussen had 17 for 91 yards. The passes were spread around. Seven different guys caught 2 or more passes on the day, with Dennis leading the way with 5 for 61 yards and a TD. With Philly only have the ball for 19:27, we didn’t have a chance to pile up any big defensive individual numbers, but the team allowed only 170 yards total offense and forced 5 turnovers. Tito Buckner had a 62-yard Int return for a TD. We had an injury of note: TE Norbert Geiger has a high ankle sprain, and isn’t expected be full strength for 8 weeks.

Week 5: Washington (1-3) at Atlanta (4-0) (-10)
The ‘Skins give us a much tougher game than was expected on paper, but we prevail 27-24 on a Bucky Poteet 27-yard field goal with 12 ticks left on the clock. Their third-year RB, Donald Hartley, is a workhorse. This guy was offensive ROY in ’01, with 382 carries for 1604 yards. He racked up another 1204 yards last year, and after today he’s got 519 for this season. Today he had 35 carries for 163 yards, with a long of only 18 yards. What a bruiser! He also caught 7 passes for 61 yards and a TD. Seal countered for us with 21 carries for 133 ayrds, and Wooden was a very efficient 22 for 30 for 242 yards with 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. WR Barry Wiggins returns from his injury to lead the team with 4 catches for 61 yards and 2 TD’s. Rookie MLB Lester leads the team with 9 tackles. Pass rush DE Becker comes down with tonsillitis and is Out. I may press Replogle into duty a little early from his ACL surgery. He’s listed as Probable, but full strength is another 5 weeks.

Week 6: Atlanta (5-0) (-6) at Tampa Bay (3-2)
We continue to pile up the W’s, and to do so in a variety of ways. This time we win a rough-and-tumble defensive battle, by a 6-0 score. We hit two first-half field goals, and they stand up. We hold the Bucs to 219 total yards, and we can only muster 274 ourselves. Wooden is 18 for 30 for 156 yards with an INT. Seal is both our leading rusher and receiver, although his stats were nothing to write home about in either category: 19 carries for 55 yards, 7 catches for 35 yards. The defense had four sacks and 2 Int’s. DT Roberson and MLB Lester were the key performers, with 11 tackles, 4 assists and 2 sacks between the two of them. They kept the middle bottled up all day long. It was ugly, but a win is a win, particularly when on paper this isn’t that talented of a team. Incidentally, I decided to let DE Repogle continue to sit. I want to do all I can to insure that I have him around for the playoff run.

Week 7: Carolina (2-4) at Atlanta (6-0) (-11)
Well, I knew all along this team wasn’t that good, and it showed this weak against the lowly Panthers. We fall 17-14 to end our unbeaten year. Wooden moved us up and down the field all day, going 27 for 43 for 317 yards with a TD and 0 INT’s, but we only found the end zone once. Six different receivers had 3 or more catches, with Dennis leading the way with 7 catches for 69 yards. The defense played more than well enough to win, holding the Panthers to only 183 total yards, while our offense racked up 400. Time and again we were unable to convert. We missed three long field goals, and had no turnovers. We should have won this ball game. An inability to run the football (Seal had 30 carries for only 54 yards) just killed us.

Week 8: OFF

Week 9: Atlanta (6-1) (-5) at Dallas (5-3)
We started out strong in this one, but faded fast. We jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but the Cowboys led 13-10 by halftime. They added a FG in the third quarter as well. Wooden had yet ANOTHER pass returned for a TD, this time a 92-yarder with 1:24 to play that killed us. We were down 16-10, but driving for the possible win. They took it back all the way and closed the scoring. Wooden has a horrid day overall in the rain: 13 for 35 for 164 yards with 0 TD’s and 3 INT’s. Seal carries 20 times for 73 yards and a TD. Rasmussen has 9 for 49. Rasmussen has a higher ypc than Seal. I’m going to give him the start next week. Newman led the defense with 10 tackles, 3 assists and a sack. At the beginning of the year, I would have been happy with 5-3 at the midpoint, so I really shouldn’t complain about 6-2, but it is hard not to think “what might have been” when clearly we could be 8-0 right now.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 6-2
Standing: 2nd. The Saints lead the division at 7-1.
QB Stats: Darrin Wooden—156 for 279, 1701 yards, 14TD’s, 11 INT’s, 74.3 Rtg.
Leading Rushers: Reuben Seal—159 attempts, 620 yards, 3.89ypc, 2 TD’s. Brad Rasmussen—66 carries, 273 yards, 4.13ypc, 0 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: Hitchcock—25 catches for 393 yards, 1 TD’s. Caro, 25 catches for 210 yards, 1 TD.
Leading Tackler: OLB Newman—45 tackles, 17 assists.

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2003 SECOND HALF REPORT

Week 10—New York (2-6) at Atlanta (6-2) (-12)
We right the ship in a big way this week. The “D” holds the Giants to under 100 yards passing and rushing, while the offense piles up 481 yards as we roll 35-6. Seal carries 24 times for 92 yards and a TD, and Rasmussen chips in 6 carries for 64 yards. I definitely need to get Rasmussen a start. Wooden is game MVP. All he does is go 21 for 26 for 307 yards with 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Nice!! Wiggins is his favorite target today: 5 catches, 124 yards, 2 TD’s. On the defensive side of the ball, Newman gets 8 tackles and a sack, and the defense on the whole racks up 5 sacks and gives up only 191 total yards. The only negative of the day is that WR Omar Dennis hyperextends his elbow and is Out. He’ll be back soon enough though (full strength in 3 weeks).

New Orleans (8-1) (-1) at Atlanta (7-2)
For the big matchup, DE Replogle is fully healed finally, but takes a ratings drop down to 34/34. (He was 47/47 at the beginning of the year). He’ll still start for Chavis. Also, OLB Marty Long is back. Given RB Rasmussen’s performances the last couple of weeks, I give him the start there as well. Turnovers KILL us in this one, as we outgain the ‘Aints 569 to 238, but still lost 37-31. Wooden throws FOUR interceptions on the day, the Saints running back one for a TD. They score 37 points despite only 12 first downs and 24:48 time of possession. Their average possession started at the 42. Wooden earns game MVP honors (and game goat honors) by going 29 for 49 for 405 yards with 4 TD’s and 4 INT’s. Rasmussen looks to be back. He carries 17 times for 134 yards. Hitchcock is the leading receiver, with 6 catches for 144 yards and 2 TD’s, but a whole bunch of guys got in on the act, with 7 different people having 2 or more catches. Lester led the defense with 8 tackles and an assist.

Week 12—Tennessee (3-7) at Atlanta (7-3) (-8)
Determined to redeem himself, Wooden unleashes fury on the Ttians to the tune of 22 for 28 for 294 yards with 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. We roll 38-3. Hitchcock catches 6 passes for 105 yards and a TD.

Week 13—Minnesota (7-4) at Atlanta (8-3) (-6)
We continue our roll, this time 34-10. Rasmussen has 23 carries for 92 yards and a TD, and Wooden is 20 for 32 for 259 yards with 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. MLB Frank Lester wins game MVP honors with 5 tackls, an assist, 2 sacks and an INT. Good news and bad news: GOOD—The Saints have lost their last two games, dropping them into a tie with us at 9-3. We get to play ‘em once more, likely with the Division Title as the prize. BAD—FB Don Caro tears his rotator cuff and is done for the year. MORE BAD—I used TE Norbert Geiger as a backup while he was still probable from his high ankle sprain. He re-injures it, and is also done for the year. Also, MLB Lester pulls his groin and is doubtful. He’ll definitely sit out next week. Ditto for WR Hitchcock, who is questionable with a sprained knee. I will need those guys in the postseason.

Week 14: Atlanta (9-3) (-5) at Jacksonville (8-4)
With several key components missing, we turn in a GUTSY performance in Jacksonville to come away with a 20-13 win. Down 13-0 at the half, they could have packed it in. Instead, Wooden hit Wiggins for 2 third-quarter TD passes, and #3 RB Hanson carries it over from a yard out with 26 seconds to play to give us a 20-13 win. Wooden is 17 for 26 for 222 yards with 2 Td’s and 0 Int’s. Veteran MLB Johnstone gets 6 tackles and an assist in a clutch performance in Lester’s absence. The Saints lose their third in a row this week, and we are alone atop the NFC South.

Week 15—Tampa Bay (3-10) at Atlanta (10-3) (-12)
I let the injured guys rest another week, and it pays off. They get another week of rest, and we still get the “W,” 24-17. Seal carries 30 times for 114 yards (Rasmussen had a minor injury so I sat him). Wooden was 15 for 23 for 186 yards with 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Irv Johnstone showed that he’s still got a big game or two left in those old bones. He had 10 tackles on the day, and insures that he’ll start until Lester is full strength.

Week 16—Atlanta (11-3) (-5) at Indianapolis (9-5)
We drop a close one at Indy, 37-34, on a field goal as time expires. The offense looked great, racking up 457 total yards, but 2 interceptions (one returned for a TD) and a kickoff return for a TD proved to be our undoing. Wooden was 32 for 41 for 335 yards with 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s.

Week 17—Atlanta (11-4) at New Orleans (11-4) (-1)
We close out the regular season in New Orleans with a battle for the Division Title and a much-needed week off to heal wounds. We bring back all the partially-injured horses for this one, and we roll to a 29-13 win to give us the NFC South Division Title! K Bucky Poteet leads the way with 5 FG’s, including a 57-yarder and a 58-yarder! Rasmussen carries 18 times for 86 yards and a TD. Wooden is 21 for 35 for 240 yards with 0 TD’s and 2 INT’s. MLB Lester, apparently threatened by veteran Johnstone’s performance while he was out, comes up with 5 tackles, 4 assists, a sack and a hurry. We end up the #2 seed in the NFC. (Detroit is #1.)

[Ben E Lou]

2003 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Record: 12-4
Standing: 1st. 2nd seed in the NFC.
QB Stats: Darrin Wooden—333 for 539, 3949 yards, 35TD’s, 21 INT’s, 89.4 Rtg.
Leading Rushers: Reuben Seal—265 carries, 1074yds, 4.0ypc, 5TD’s. Darrin Rasmussen—163 carries, 764 yards, 4.6ypc, 4 TD’s
Leading Receivers: Barry Wiggins—52 catches, 758 yards, 4TD’s. Steven Hitchcock—48 catches, 884 yards, 6 TD’s.
Leading Tackler: OLB Jim Newman—82 tackles, 28 assists.
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Aaron Culjat—4 sacks, 1 block, 2 hurries (4.7prpct). Lester led the team in sacks with 7. We were 7th in the league with 45 sacks as a team. They were spread all around with our blitzing.
Leading PDPct DB: CB Corwin Holmes—39 catches, 5 INT, 17 defensed, 495 pass plays, 20.8PDPct

Points Scored: 410
Points Against: 263

Rushing Yards: 2203(4th)
Rushing Average: 4.2 (League Average 4.0)
Passing Yards: 3958 (10th)
Passing Average: 7.3 (League Average 6.7)
Rushing Defense: 1595 (7th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 4.0 (League Avg 4.0)
Passing Defense: 3197 (3rd)
Passing Average Allowed: 6.3 (League Avg. 6.7)

TEAM SUMMARY

Record: 12-4

Winning Pct.: .750

   

Atlanta Falcons         Team      Rank  

Rushes                  518       3           

Rushing Yards           2203      4           

Yards Per Carry         4.25      9           

Pass Attempts           541       16 (T)      

Completions             334       11 (T)      

Passing Yards           3958      10          

Yards Per Attempt       7.31      8           

3rd Down Conversions    44.4      6           

Points Per Game         25.6      4           

Turnovers               24        16 (T)      

Turnover Margin         +3        13 (T)      

   

Opponents               Team      Rank  

Rushes                  390       1           

Rushing Yards           1595      7           

Yards Per Carry         4.08      16          

Pass Attempts           507       3           

Completions             288       1 (T)       

Passing Yards           3197      3           

Yards Per Attempt       6.30      5           

3rd Down Conversions    35.7      5           

Points Per Game         16.4      2           

Turnovers               27        8 (T)       

   

Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  

1     23    at CAR        17      

2     17    HOU           14      

3     27    at SEA        23      

4     41    at PHI        10      

5     27    WAS           24      

6     6     at TBY        0       

7     14    CAR           17      

9     10    at DAL        22      

10    35    NYK           6       

11    31    NOS           37      

12    38    TEN           3       

13    34    MIN           10      

14    20    at JAX        13      

15    24    TBY           17      

16    34    at IND        37      

17    29    at NOS        13      

   

Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  

19 Wooden           QB    539   333   3949  7.32  35    21      

**Team              ---   541   334   3958  7.31  35    21      

   

Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  

27 Seal             RB    265   1074  4.05  5       

28 Rasmussen        RB    163   764   4.68  4       

41 Hanson           RB    33    113   3.42  1       

**Team              ---   518   2203  4.25  10      

   

Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  

81 Wiggins          WR    108   52    758   14.5  231   8       

82 Hitchcock        WR    84    48    884   18.4  209   6       

49 Caro             FB    52    35    278   7.9   177   2       

27 Seal             RB    45    35    249   7.1   190   3       

3 Dennis            WR    40    33    413   12.5  67    5       

37 Jaster           FB    38    26    256   9.8   172   1       

28 Rasmussen        RB    37    28    288   10.2  102   2       

83 Groce            WR    36    20    251   12.5  77    2       

8 Warren            TE    36    22    228   10.3  110   3       

5 Paz               WR    31    17    240   14.1  54    1       

17 Geiger           TE    16    8     58    7.2   11    2       

**Team              ---   538   334   3958  11.8  1444  35      

   

Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  

52 Newman           OLB   82    28    5.0   2     0     14      

21 Buckner          S     80    23    0.0   0     1     16      

40 Crockett         S     71    14    0.0   0     1     10      

94 Lester           ILB   71    25    7.0   1     4     3        



Front Office Football: The Fourth Edition

98 Roberson         DT    57    13    4.0   11    0     2       

31 Holmes           CB    55    14    0.0   0     5     17      

33 Baker            CB    41    15    0.0   0     2     6       

93 Long             OLB   41    9     3.0   1     1     1       

43 Huntley          CB    30    2     2.0   3     5     5       

54 Combs            OLB   30    16    4.0   6     0     1       

91 Grant            DT    23    20    3.5   2     1     0       

59 Johnstone        ILB   20    3     0.0   0     0     3       

44 Sanderson        CB    20    4     0.0   1     0     0       

50 Chavis           DE    18    11    2.0   7     0     0       

**Team              ---   801   226   45.0  44    21    80

Team/League Records Set/Approached This Season
Darren Wooden’s 35 TD passes set a single-season Atlanta record, surpassing the record of 30 set by Jonathan Seabury in 1984.

The 569 yards of total offense against the Saints was a team record, besting the 551 we put up in ’97 against the Cowboys.

Around the league….

The great Travis Meadows of Minnesota set a league record with 4,860 passing yards this year. Meadows is in his 14th season, and is still the NFL’s brightest star. He has amassed 53,726 passing yards, 407 TD’s, a 96.8 rating and a 144-80-2 record in his career. He is the career record holder in pass completions, passing yards and passing TD’s. The next-nearest competitor has 306 TD passes in his career.
Brett Hanson, a 9th-year man in Denver, set a league record with 40 TD passes this year.

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2003 POSTSEASON REPORT

CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
FB Jaster gets an extension through 2005.

PLAYOFF RESULTS
Divisional Playoffs vs. New Orleans
We play the Saints for the 3rd time this year, and this time its not really close. The defense has learned their tricks, and we win 27-6. Wooden is 26 for 31 for 291 yards with 3 TD’s and an INT. Rasmussen carries 21 times for 77 yards, and Seal 8 for 52. Wiggins does some SERIOUS damage, catching 11 passes for 149 yards. His 11 catches establishes a new Falcon playoff record, besting Ricky Van Pelt’s record of 9 against Dallas way back in 1980.

NFC Championship vs. Chicago
Da Wildcard Bears went to Detroit and beat the Lions, giving us home field advantage for the NFC Championship. Unfortunately, Chicago continues its winning ways on the road, ousting us 28-24 despite a stellar performance by Wooden (20 for 32 for 337 yards, 2 TD’s, 0 INT’s.) Well, we went MUCH farther than I expected this year. I am very pleased with the performance of this bunch.

The Bears go on to win the Super Bowl 26-24 over Pittsburgh.

AWARDS

   Award                                      Player                      Team  

Player of the Year                            Donald Hartley              WAS    

Front Office Bowl MVP                         Shane Gonzalez              CHI    

Coach of the Year                             Chad Ballard                CHI    

Legend of the Game                            Wade Edwards                WAS    

Offensive Player of the Year                  Donald Hartley              WAS    

Defensive Player of the Year                  Donnell Whitfield           PIT    

Offensive Rookie of the Year                  Andrew Becerra              DEN    

Defensive Rookie of the Year                  Mack Stuart                 IND    

All-League First-String Quarterback           Brett Hanson                DEN    

All-League First-String Running Back          Donald Hartley              WAS    

All-League First-String Fullback              Vince Booker                CHI    

All-League First-String Tight End             Joel Battle                 SEA    

All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Brad Clements               ARI    

All-League First-String Wide Receiver         Edgar Heise                 NED    

All-League First-String Center                Will Ensign                 DEN    

All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Karl Sanford                DAL    

All-League First-String Offensive Guard       Van Lowe                    BUF    

**All-League First-String Offensive Tackle    Randal Epperson             ATL    

All-League First-String Offensive Tackle      Jonathan Starks             KCY    

All-League First-String Punter                Brian Lundberg              STL    

All-League First-String Kicker                Hunter Markovich            SDO    

All-League First-String Defensive End         Marshall Mills              CIN    

All-League First-String Defensive End         Les Clark                   DAL    

All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Morris Silas                KCY    

All-League First-String Defensive Tackle      Adrian McWilliams           MIA    

All-League First-String Inside Linebacker     Donnell Whitfield           PIT    

All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Brock Burton                ARI    

All-League First-String Outside Linebacker    Mike LeGrande               BUF    

All-League First-String Cornerback            Levon Cordon                DEN    

All-League First-String Cornerback            Cedric Fazande              NED    

All-League First-String Safety                Byron Ficken                BAL    

All-League First-String Safety                John Gunn                   DET    

All-League Second-String Quarterback          Leslie Burke                SEA    

All-League Second-String Running Back         Freddie Gaines              OAK    

All-League Second-String Fullback             Donnie Carlson              HOU    

All-League Second-String Tight End            Marshall Goetz              TEN    

All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Carl Beckley                STL    

All-League Second-String Wide Receiver        Kenneth Irish               DEN    

All-League Second-String Center               Jose Tabor                  CLE    

All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Broderick Wells             PIT    

All-League Second-String Offensive Guard      Darrin Inoue                PHI    

All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     Kenny DeVault               KCY    

All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle     John Peterson               PIT    

All-League Second-String Punter               Donnell King                ARI    

All-League Second-String Kicker               Gene McKenzie               NED    

All-League Second-String Defensive End        Drew Askin                  BAL    

All-League Second-String Defensive End        Morris Connelly             MIN    

All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Ty Burroughs                NYK    

All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle     Alfred Harper               SEA    

All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker    Ron Gregory                 NED    

All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Rickey Rubio                JAX    

All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker   Otis Tefft                  TEN    

All-League Second-String Cornerback           Edwin Greene                NOS    

All-League Second-String Cornerback           Clyde Cortez                NOS    

All-League Second-String Safety               Byron Naquin                STL    

All-League Second-String Safety               Thomas Burton               DAL   

Epperson had a very nice year, with 39 KRB’s in 101 chances, and allowed only 2 sacks in 514 pass plays. That was good for a 21.5 Opct.

As far as my performance overall, I was stunned. Our roster rating had us above average at best, but clearly we were among the league’s elite in performance. I’ll go into 2004 with the core parts of this team still intact.

[wade moore]

Just wanted to let you know I've begun following this, very entertaining so far.. You were the one who got me to buy FOF 2k1 by reading your dynasties, and if you go read old ones of mine you can see that I totally modeled them after you... and now you have convinced me to load up FOF4 finally sometime this week and start doing a dynasty again.. thanks man!