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02-26-2001, 10:48 PM
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#1 | ||
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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Kentucky Racehorses
I am starting a new FOFL franchise with a new expansion team, the Kentucky Racehorses in the year 2017. The game will be played at Wall Street level with GM firing option on.
The house rules are as follows: 1. Limit of one UFA signing during first 10 weeks, 3 in final 10 weeks. The exception is the inaugural year, 2017, where I may sign an unlimited number. 2. No signing of any FA with more than 3 years of experience after the 20 step process. However, I may resign any of my unsigned free agents after the 20 step process and before training camp. 3. No restructuring contracts. Renegotiating of contracts allowed only in the final year of the contract. 4. Ticket prices no higher than nearest FOFL franchise (Cincinnati Bengals, 96 miles) 5. UFRA’s can only be signed to one-year deals, with one exception who may be signed to a 7 year deal, with x= rookie minimum, 2x, 3x, 3x, 3x, 3x, 3x 6. Franchise tag may only be used once in player’s career with my team. 7. Must maintain a full roster of 53 players each season. 8. Automatic signing of draft choices. 9. I may only accept CPU offered trades. 10. All games are to be simmed. 11. No signing of FA's allowed after training camp, unless replacing injured players during the season. Secretariat Stadium is an outdoor natural grass facility with a seating capacity of 77,600. It is only rated “fair” in comparision with the other stadiums. I set my ticket prices for the inaugural season to 68/73/76/99/4000/250000. Fan loyalty is a 71, not bad I guess for a team that hasn’t even taken the field yet. We will be playing in the NFC East. Washington and Dallas appear to be the teams to beat, as they have dominated the division for the past several years. Our coach is 52 year old Deion Scully, who has no prior head coaching experience. He has a good reputation in most phases of the game, especially with young talent, discipline, linebackers and running backs. Our scout is 51 year old Marty Blue, who has been a scout on 6 playoff teams in the past. He is outstanding on the offensive side and evaluating young talent; however, he appears to be weak in his defensive assessments. Right now, our roster is rated “0”, which is appropriate for a team with no players. [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-01-2001).] [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-04-2001).] |
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02-28-2001, 10:57 PM
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#2 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2017 SEASON
EXPANSION DRAFT We enter the 2017 expansion draft along with the other new team this year, the Toronto Argonauts from the defunct CFL. Much to our surprise we are able to pick up some quality players, most notably Carolina Panther’s All-Pro tackle Daryl Ramsey, who was not protected due to salary cap problems. This 6-8, 312 lb. monster will be one of the anchors of our offensive line. He is a 7 year veteran from UCLA, and was the sixth overall pick in the draft. Other potential starters include kicker Bobby Hawkins (51/51), punter Dale Forrest (50/50), fullback Stephen Royal (47/47), center Eric Blanchard (46/46), and safety Brendon Briggs ( 40/66). The rest of the 25 players appear to be backup caliber, as most are rated “fair”. Depending on how we do in free agency and the draft, some of them might start, but our goal was not to expend too much salary cap money in the expansion draft. We also took a chance with last year’s #1 overall pick, DE Vince Foley, who was a bust with Kansas City last year. My scout still has him with a 55 potential, so we risk $2,100,000 (which is only about 1.5% of our cap) on him. We enter free agency with 25 players signed, and $110,000,000 under the cap. FREE AGENCY We sign nine players during free agency, most notably perennial All Pro running back Rob Lyon from the Carolina Panthers (76/76), who signs a 4 yr/42.89 million deal. Other signees are DT Jesse Ham (70/80) 3 yr/27.89, LB Roy McDaniel (66/66) 3 yr/19.87, DE Perry Bennett (67/67) 3 yr/21.38, WR Arnold Haller (50/66) 3 yr/38.45, G Ritch Southard (58/63) 4 yr/24.72, LB Alvin Battle (48/48) 3 yr/11.41, CB Leroy Borg (45/45) 3 yr/18.5. After the free agent period, Denver offers me their #5 pick for TE Jimmy Stamm. I decline the offer. I am still without a starting QB. It appears that we might take QB Drew Hanson with the #1 pick in the draft, but I’m debating whether or not to draft tackle J.R. Stone (64/100, 63/100). With Lyon at RB, and a good OL, I can probably afford to get by with a decent QB. AMATEUR DRAFT 1. J. R. Stone, T, San Jose St. (63/98) Looks like a future Hall of Famer 2. Alex Gonzalez, QB, East Carolina (42/42) Probable starter 3. Blake Whalen, QB, Iona, (27/74) Could be QB of the future 4. Timothy Driver, WR, Iowa (41/41) Will probably start along with Haller 5. Mack Herron, RB, Syracuse (30/60) Looks like a quality backup for Lyon 6. Kerry Reid, G, Alabama (27/40) Much needed depth on OL 7. Jamie Frederick, WR, Florida (26/34) rated 100 on punt returns, 62 on kickoff returns The CPU teams make 2 trade offers. I decline the first one, and the second one does not pass the “reality check”. We fill out the roster with URFA’s and head to training camp with 70 players. After camp, we cut down to 53, and our payroll is $35,700,000 under the cap. Our roster is as follows:
I’m a little bit disappointed with the drop in Stone’s current rating, but his potential remains high. On a positive note, most of my other draft choices made modest gains after training camp. We are offered 3 trades after camp, but we do not accept any of them. Heading into pre-season, we sell 63,800 season tickets. PRESEASON Detroit 34 Kentucky 31 We put on a good offensive show in front of the home folks. Backup QB Blake Whalen has an incredible game, completing 8 out of 8 passes for 174 yards and 3 TD’s! Rob Lyon gains 96 yards rushing and hauls in 5 catches for 94 yards and 3 TD’s. Lyon’s backup, rookie Mack Herron, gains 59 yards on only 4 carries. DT Jesse Ham strains a knee ligament and his status for the season opener is in doubt. Tampa Bay 10 Kentucky 9 No fireworks for either team in this defensive struggle. We are kept out of the endzone and limited to three Bobby Hawkins field goals. Tennessee 17 Kentucky 6 Another defensive struggle. No serious injuries, which is the main goal at this point. Jacksonville 21 at Kentucky 27 We win our finale in our dress rehearsal for the opener. Lyon leads the ground attack with 111 yards, and our defense returns 2 interceptions for touchdowns. On a sour note, backup RB Ed England suffers a season ending knee injury. REGULAR SEASON We place backup RB Ed England on injured reserve, and sign 4 year veteran Kendrick White (49/56) to a 1 year, $2.5 million contract. White is a Kentucky Wildcat grad who was released by Seattle. He will be an excellent backup to Lyon. Tampa Bay 32 at Kentucky 38 We win a thriller in our season opener in front of 70,000 screaming fans. Lyon romps for 110 yards on 20 carries, and Gonzalez completes 18 out of 30 for 218 yards, 3 TD’s and no INT’s. Starting OLB Reuben Badalyan suffers a concussion, and our team doctor advises us to hold him out of next week’s game. New York Jets 13 at Kentucky 17 Lyon carries the Racehorses once again, with 97 rushing yards and a TD, and 69 receiving yards and a TD. Gonzales is 16 out of 32 for 185 yards and 1 TD, and most importantly, no interceptions yet this season. We lose our #1 receiver, Arnold Haller, with a pulled groin. He is likely to miss several games. Hopefully, Lyon can pick up the slack on the ground. Washington 21 at Kentucky 27 Rob Lyon breaks a 60 yard TD run in OT, as the Racehorses move to 3-0 on the season. Lyon finishes with an incredible 264 yards and 2 TD’s on 28 carries. Gonzalez is 18 out of 34 for 202 yds. 1 TD 1 INT. Defensive end Perry Bennett leads the defensive effort with 2.5 sacks. We lose starting center Eric Blanchard for the season. Backup Johnnie Dercher has been complaining about playing time, so now it’s time for him to put up or shut up. LB Badalyan gets his bell rung again, and he is doubtful for next week’s game. Kentucky 25 at Dallas 17 Lyon is a one man show once again, with 134 yards and 3 TD’s on 20 carries, along with 57 yards on 4 receptions. Gonzalez is a conservative 14 out of 19 for 146 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT. Perry Bennett leads the defense once again with 3 sacks. Our training room is beginning to resemble a M.A.S.H. unit, with four starters out for next week’s game. Philadelphia 17 at Kentucky 6 The Eagles move to 4-0 and sole possession of first place in the division. In a battle of two of the best RB’s in the game, it’s no contest as Philly’s Todd Branch shreds the Racehorse defense for 218 yards and 2 TD’s on 25 carries. Lyon is held to a modest 90 yards on 24 carries, and Gonzalez is pathetic, going 7 for 18, 48 yards and 1 INT. We really need to get starting WR Arnold Haller back in the lineup. Atlanta 9 at Kentucky 29 Lyon rushes for 145 yards and 1 TD, as the Racehorses crush the winless Falcons. Gonzalez is an efficient 13 for 23, 150 yds., 1 TD, 0 INT. CB Leroy Borg ends up with 3 picks to lead the defensive effort. Backup DT Blake Wilcox is out for the season with a broken arm. We place him on injured reserve, and sign 4th year Nathan Jacobs (42/44) to a 1 yr. $1.6 million contract. Dallas 20 at Kentucky 17 Dallas does a good job jumping out to a 20-0 lead, and taking us out of our game plan. Lyon only carries 10 times for 83 yards. Gonzalez completes 16 out of 29 for 263 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT, but it’s too little, too late. Arnold Haller pulls his groin muscle AGAIN and is doubtful for next week’s game. Kentucky 27 at Montreal 20 Rob Lyon scores on an 11 yard run late in the 4th quarter to lead us to victory over the Alouettes. Gonzalez throws 3 TD passes. We lose backup center Johnnie Dercher with a sprained neck. Starter Eric Blanchard now appears to be out for the season, so we place him on injured reserve and sign 4th year veteran Danny Ellard (60/66) to a 1 yr. $1.12 million contract. We’ve been fortunate being able to use the injured reserve and sign some FA’s with less than 5 years experience, but that is only because we are way under the cap in our inaugural season. Arizona 3 at Kentucky 30 In a complete team effort, Lyon rushes for 105 yards, Bobby Hawkins boots 4 field goals, including a 51 yarder, safety Brendon Briggs runs back an INT for a touchdown, and Gonzalez tosses a TD pass to FB Ed Grant. Even punter Dale Forrest got into the act, nailing five punts inside the 20. We get a bye next week, so hopefully we can heal some of those nagging injuries. Kentucky 12 at Washington 42 We walk into D.C. arrogant and overconfident, and the Redskins hand us our heads on a platter, avenging their early season loss. Gonzalez throws 3 costly interceptions and the rout is on. Redskin QB Melvin Mayer has a nice game, completing 16 out of 21 passes for 194 yards and 2 TD’s. If the loss wasn’t bad enough, we lose our #1 DT Jesse Ham with broken ribs and backup RB Kendrick White with a broken foot. Kentucky 17 at New York Giants 24 The Giants win a big one, moving to 7-4 and putting themselves in a 3-way tie for the division lead with Philadelphia and us. Lyon is held to a season low 75 yards. TE Jimmy Stram and FB Ed Graham join the voluminous injury list, which now resembles “War and Peace”. Kentucky 9 at Arizona 23 Gonzalez stinks up the joint, going 9 for 24 for 80 yards. Lyon is held to 85 yards. The injuries are starting to take their toll, and our great start is rapidly becoming a fading memory. Kentucky 21 at Toronto 11 Rob Lyon gains 148 yards on 28 carries, and Gonzalez has a good performance, completing 17 out of 25 for 201 yards and 2 TD’s. The game was not as close as the score indicated, as the Argonauts scored a TD and 2-point conversion late in the 4th quarter. We lose rookie WR Timothy Driver with a broken foot. The much needed win moves us into a tie for first place with the N.Y. Giants at 8-5. Guess who we host next week? N.Y. Giants 23 Kentucky 24 Alex Gonzalez hits Rob Lyon on a 5 yard TD pass with 40 seconds left in the game, as the Racehorses drive 87 yards in 9 plays for the game winning touchdown. For the game, Lyon carries 23 times for 167 yards, and hauls in 8 receptions for 85 yards. Alex Gonzalez completes 20 out of 25 for 216 yards and 2 TD’s. The Giants’ Emmanuel Bush rushes for 114 yards in a losing effort. With the victory, the Racehorses gain sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Kentucky 20 at Indianapolis 21 A capacity crowd of 95,800 watched this battle of first place teams. The first half ended with the Colts leading 21-20, and that was the final score. Rob Lyon had 231 yards on 32 carries in a losing effort. We lose DT Jesse Ham once again with broken ribs. We stand at 9-6, and control our own destiny. If we beat Philadelphia next week, we’re in the playoffs. Kentucky 21 at Philadelphia 24 We lose, but somehow manage to back into the playoffs as a wild card team. Lyon gains 125 yards on 26 carries in a losing effort. KEY STATS RB Rob Lyon RUSH 366/2062/5.7/14TD REC 54/667/12.3/7TD QB Alex Gonzalez 232/438/2777/52.9%/18TD/11INT/75.8 RAT DE Perry Bennett 14.5 SACKS S Fernando Lake 5 INT
PLAYOFFS Kentucky 7 at Washington 24 Washington’s defense stuffs us, holding us to a paltry 132 total yards. Lyon only gains 68 yards on 20 carries, and Gonzalez is horrible, completing just 6 out of 22 passes for 32 yards! The Chicago Bears trounce the Jacksonville Jaguars 45-17 in the Superbowl. PLAYER AWARDS Rob Lyon, NFL MVP, Offensive POY, All-Pro 1st team running back Perry Bennett, All-Pro 1st team defensive end J.R. Stone, All-Pro 2nd team tackle [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 02-28-2001).] [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 02-28-2001).] |
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03-01-2001, 10:50 PM
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#3 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2018 SEASON
The first order of business is to shore up our dismal financial situation. We lost an astronomical $111 million last year, largely due to our overpaid coaching and scouting staff (the highest in the league). We say farewell to Coach Scully and scout Marty Blue. We sign new head coach Ross Franklin to a 3yr/4 million deal (the second lowest salary in the league, and about 40% of what we were paying Scully). Franklin has no prior head coaching experience. His ratings are V/V/V/F/G/F/E/E/F/G/E/G/G/V. We sign 48 year old scout Jackie Ralston to a 3yr/900K deal (the 8th highest salary in the league and roughly 60% of what we were paying Blue). He has an impressive resume, with 7 playoff appearances and one bowl under his belt. His ratings are V/F/G/F/V/E/V/V/V. With these two moves, we immediately save $58.1 million from last year’s costs. Next, we raise ticket prices 5% across the board to 72/77/80/104/4200/262000. Fan loyalty remains at 71.
FREE AGENCY Starting tackle Darryl Ramsey is in the last year of his contract, and we renegotiate him to a 3 yr., 17.32 million deal. I have 8 UFA’s, but the only one I’m going to make an effort to resign is C Danny Ellard. We make an initial offer of 3 yr., 20.37 million. We make an offer to Green Bay G Derek Talbott (76/80,56/57,38) for 3 yr., 18.12 million. Ellard immediately takes our offer in Week 2, but we lose Talbott to Green Bay. We look next to Carolina’s Allen Rogers (69,80,42) and offer 3 yr., 14.02 million. We bump it up to 14.58 million, and he signs in Week 5. In week 12, we sign LB Courtney Forbes (26/53,30/62) to a 3 year, 15.2 million deal. In week 13, we sign a new punter, Erik Meggett (85/58/42) to a 2 yr., 2.9 million deal. After the free agent signing period, Atlanta offers me the #1 overall pick in the draft for QB Blake Whalen. With moves like this, it’s small wonder that the Falcons finished with the worst record last year. I gladly accept. The Toronto Argonauts offer me their #1(15) for QB Gonzalez, but I decline. We release C Eric Blanchard. DRAFT Rnd 1 - Clarence Whitfield, DT, Louisiana State (42/84) Rnd 1 - Steve McGee, CB, Texas Tech (53/68) Rnd 2 - Billy Joe Geiger, QB, Missouri (16/53) Rnd 3 - Andrew Blaise, FB, Northwestern (28/65) Rnd 4 - Ian Clancy, LB, Davidson (18/60) Rnd 5 - Dwayne Scrafford, G, Southern California (35/45) Rnd 6 - Tim Rodgers, S, Dayton (23/23) Rnd 7 - Alfred Joyner, S, Oregon (23/26) Whitfield looks like a potential dominant player and an immediate starter. McGee will start at CB. I probably screwed up by taking Geiger so early, but this draft was very thin at QB, and I need a backup since I traded Whalen. Blaise looks like a great run blocker and receiver. Clancy will be a backup this year, but if he progresses, he will eventually start someday. Scrafford was a great pick for a 5th rounder; he will add depth to the OL. Rodgers is a return specialist, and Joyner was just a body to add depth in the defensive backfield. The Giants offer their 5th round pick next year for Jimmy Stramm. I decline the offer. We fill out the roster with URFA’s and head to camp. Our season ticket sales are 62,400.
[This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-02-2001).] |
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03-02-2001, 04:52 AM
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#4 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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PRESEASON
Starting QB Gonzalez and starting LB McDaniel are injured in the first preseason game, and they miss the remaining preseason games. For the opening regular season game, they are listed as questionable, but they will play if they are able. REGULAR SEASON Arizona 17 at Kentucky 13 Our defense holds the Cardinals to 29 yards rushing on 27 carries, but they win the game anyway. Rob Lyon rushes for 108 yards in a losing effort. Gonzalez has one of his patented horrific games, going 8 out of 21 for 114 yards and an interception. Tackle Daryl Ramsey hyperextends his knee, and he will be out next week. Kentucky 15 at Chicago 37 The Bears roll up 22 first downs and 460 yards in a rout. Gonzalez is horrible once again, going 13 out of 32 with 2 INT’s. Lyon rushes for 103 yards. Dallas 14 at Kentucky 19 We find a way to win in spite of Gonzalez’ 4 interceptions. Kentucky 21 at Philadelphia 27 Gonzalez keeps his streak alive with 4 more interceptions. Lyon rushes for 105 yards, but the star of the day is the Eagles’ John Baca, who rambles for 216 yards on 31 carries. N.Y. Giants 10 at Kentucky 20 Lyon rushes for 149 yards, and Gonzalez finally has a decent game, completing 15 out of 21 for 148 yards and 2 TD’s. Green Bay 10 at Kentucky 19 Fernando Lake returned an interception for a TD on the final play of the game to preserve the victory. The defense all got game balls, as they held the Packers to 45 rushing yards on 32 carries. The win gets us to .500 with a 3-3 record. Cincinnati 10 at Kentucky 13 We move to 4-3 as the defense saves the day once again with 3 interceptions. They hold the Bengals to 64 yards rushing. Kentucky 24 at N.Y. Giants 14 Lyon goes out early with turf toe, and his replacement, Mack Herron gains 196 yards on 17 carries. The victory moves us to 5-3 on the season. Kentucky 10 at Washington 39 The Redskins walk all over us and hold us to 61 yards rushing. Kentucky 17 at Los Angeles 20 We lose a heartbreaker to the Earthquakes and drop to 5-5, severly hampering our post season hopes. Pittsburgh 3 at Kentucky 9 Rob Lyon rushes for 121 yards and the defense holds the Steelers to 142 total yards. We move to 6-5 and keep our faint playoff hopes alive. Kentucky 10 at Jacksonville 28 Our offense is pathetic as we drop to 6-6. Washington 27 Kentucky 30 In a must win game, our offense finally shows up against the first place Redskins. Lyon rushes for 128 yards and a TD, and he hauls in 6 catches for 98 yards and a TD. Gonzalez finally has an impressive outing, completing 21 out of 30 for 239 yards, 2 TD’s, and most importantly, no interceptions. Kentucky 17 at Arizona 13 We get a huge road win and move to 8-6, still with a shot at a wild-card. Kentucky 20 at Dallas 27 The loss all but eliminates us from playoff contention. Cowboy QB Joey Watson has a career day, completing 18 out of 20 for 311 yards and 3 TD’s. Philadelphia 12 at Kentucky 20 By some miracle, we win, and Green Bay and Tampa Bay both lose, so we back into the playoffs once again. KEY STATS RB Rob Lyon RUSH 308/1290/4.1/7 TD REC 55/628/11.4/4 TD QB Alex Gonzalez 234/428/2411/54.6%/15 TD/23 INT/60.3 RAT DE Vince Foley 9 SACKS S Fernando Lake 7 INT, 3 TD
PLAYOFFS Kentucky 36 at Detroit 32 Rob Lyon scores on a 64 yard run late in the 4th quarter to win the game for us. He rushes for 236 yards and 4 TD’s on 29 carries, and Gonzalez completes 19 out of 23 for 189 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Rookie CB Steve McGee seals the victory with an interception in the last minute. Kentucky 28 at Carolina 41 Panther QB Bobby Hastings completes 21 out of 32 for 322 yds. and 2 TD’s. Lyon is held to 57 yards against his former team. Gonzalez is 22 out of 40 for 318 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT. We fell behind early, and the Panthers took us out of our game plan. The Panthers go on to win the Superbowl, defeating the San Diego Chargers 31-0. PLAYER AWARDS Danny Ellard, All-Pro 1st team center J.R. Stone, All-Pro 1st team tackle Allen Rogers, All-Pro 2nd team guard [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-02-2001).] |
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03-03-2001, 03:12 AM
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#5 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2019 SEASON
We lost $41,700,000 last year, a vast improvement from year 1, but if I don’t turn it around soon I might not be around very long. Fan loyalty increases slightly to 72. We raise ticket prices 5% across the board (still way below Cincinnati’s prices). We have 32 players signed to contracts this season, with about $32 million in cap money to spend.
We begin by releasing LB Alvin Battle and DE Vince Foley. Foley was the #1 draft pick by Kansas City from 3 seasons ago who busted and was released by them. We picked him up for a relatively modest salary, but there was no justification in paying the yearly increases, as he never did develop past average ability. We renegotiate contracts for three players in their final year: WR Arnold Haller 3/22.09, DE Perry Bennett 2/10.79, and CB Leroy Borg 2/14.72. We pick up a fine safety for our Week 1-10 acquisition, All-Pro Steve Weller (68,68), formerly with the Arizona Cardinals who signs with us for 3 yr., 16.89 million. In Week 11-20, we sign Carolina CB Duane Ford (44/46) for a 3/20.61 deal. We also resign our own S Brendon Briggs for 3/17.93 and K Bobby Hawkins 3/5.95. I really didn’t want to spend that much on Briggs, but he was getting many offers, and there weren’t any quality replacements for less. We lose TE Jimmy Stamm to Washington (3/13.97), CB Craig Armstrong to Calgary (3/15.02), DT Preston Jarman to Kansas City (4/43.3), and C Johnnie Dercher to Buffalo (3/3.78). DRAFT
We fill out our roster with URFA’a and head to camp. We sell 63,800 season tickets, and improvement of 1,400 from last season. Here is our roster of 53 entering the preseason:
PREASON
We lose two key starters in preseason, CB Leroy Borg with a torn biceps muscle and DE Derrik Zuniga with a broken hand. We place Borg on IR and sign 2nd year Darryl Sutton to a 1/920K contract. SEASON Arizona (0-0) 28 at Kentucky (0-0) 31 Lyon rushes for 103 yards, and Gonzalez turns in a solid performance, 13 for 20 for 184 yards, 2 TD’s and no INT’s. We lose S Steve Weller for at least next week with a neck injury. Philadelphia (1-0) 34 at Kentucky (1-0) 18 Eagles’ RB Branch shreds our defense for 217 yards on 28 carries. Lyon is stuffed, gaining only 59 yards on 20 carries. Chicago (2-0) 20 at Kentucky (1-1) 26 Lyon romps for 105 yards, and our defense picks off Bears’ All-Pro QB Gary Healy 3 times. We have a bye next week. N.Y. Giants 10 at Kentucky 13 Lyon rushes for 101 yards, and Gonzalez is 20 out of 29 for 230 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT. Kentucky 16 at San Diego 21 We lose a heartbreaker to the defending AFC champs, as Charger RB Ballard scores on a 5 yard TD run with 11 seconds left in the game. Gonzalez throws 3 costly interceptions. Kentucky 27 at Philadelphia 17 In a duel of superstar running backs, Kentucky’s Rob Lyon outgains Philly’s Branch 215 to 105. Kentucky 8 at Kansas City 26 Gonzalez is 8 out of 28 for 105 yards. It has become painfully apparent that this man is not a starting caliber NFL QB. He is in the last year of his contract, and he will not be resigned. Seattle 0 at Kentucky 30 Gonzalez is benched in favor of Geiger, who goes 17 for 31, 172 yards, 1 TD and no INT’s. Lyon rushes for 142 yards and 2 TD’s, and our defense plays an outstanding game, holding the Seahawks to 27 rushing yards, and only 16 out of 46 passing attempts for 171 yards. At 5-3, We find ourselves in an odd 4-way tie for first place in the division. Kentucky 34 at Dallas 21 Geiger is the game MVP with 18 completions in 28 attempts for 237 yards, 2 TD’s and no INT’s. Lyon rushes for 99 yards, and our defense holds the Cowboys to 37 rushing yards. The win moves us to 6-3 and a first place tie with the Eagles. Kentucky 6 at N.Y. Giants 3 Bobby Hawkins boots a 57 yard FG in OT to win the game. The Giants hold Rob Lyon to a career low 28 yards on 22 carries. Geiger does what we need him to do, namely don’t turn the ball over. Our defense plays an outstanding game, picking off Giant QB Manke twice. The win moves us to 7-3 and a one game lead over Philadelphia for the division lead. Both of our starting defensive ends are doubtful for next week’s game. Dallas 10 at Kentucky 17 Lyon only rushes for 77 yards, but he hauls in 2 TD passes from Geiger. The wins puts us at 8-3, still up one game over Philadelphia. Our backup DE gets injured in this game, so now we only have one healthy DE. Washington 30 at Kentucky 10 The Redskins embarrass us on our home field, as QB Melvin Meyer completes 22 out of 30 for 322 yards and 3 TD’s. Lyon is held to 36 yards rushing. Kentucky 10 at Tampa Bay 16 In a battle of first place teams, the Racehorses lose a heartbreaker in OT when Buccaneer QB Nicky Hanks hits Corey Burnside with a 75 yard TD pass. Lyon is held to 33 yards, and Geiger is only 10 out of 26. We will give Gonzalez the start at QB next week. WR Timothy Driver is out with a broken foot. Kentucky 23 at Arizona 13 Lyon is stuffed once again, but we find a way to win. All four of our defensive ends are now injured. We place DE Zuniga on injured reserve, joining both of our starting CB’s. We sign 3rd year DE Leonard Weddle (13/30) to a 1/920K contract, and we sign 3rd year CB Randall Badson to a 1/1 million contract. Atlanta 13 at Kentucky 41 Backup RB Herron gains 105 yards after Rob Lyon goes out with a concussion. S Alfred Joyner is this week’s obligatory season ending injury. We place him on IR and sign Stephen Conrad to a 1/1 million contract. Rob Lyon will sit out next week’s game due to the concussion. We are 10-5, and A win next week will clinch the #2 seed in the NFC. Kentucky 10 at Washington 20 Herron fills in admirably for the injured Lyon, gaining 98 yards, but our lack of a passing threat is too much to overcome. We luck out and still get the #2 seed in the NFC, even with the loss. KEY STATS RB Rob Lyon 262/1189/4.5/9 TD REC 31/379/3 TD QB Billy Joe Geiger 92/161/977/57.1%/6 TD/4 INT/77.0 RAT QB Alex Gonzalez 140/253/1721/55.3%/10 TD/11 INT/71.6 RAT WR Arnold Haller 54/814/15.0/3 TD DE Perry Bennett 17 SACKS CB Steve McGee 7 INT/1 TD
PLAYOFFS We have a first round bye, which is a good chance for some of our injured players to rest and recover. Our opponent is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who defeated the Green Bay Packers 16-12 in the opening round. This shapes up to be a tough defensive struggle, as evidenced by our earlier meeting in Tampa, which we lost 16-10. Tampa Bay 6 at Kentucky 23 In one of our finest performances in franchise history, the defense totally smothers the Buccs, limiting them to 193 total yards. Lyon grinds out a tough 67 yards, and Gonzalez plays a decent game, not making any critical turnovers. UFRA LB Malcolm Chance is the game’s MVP, with 8 tackles and 2 sacks. Kentucky 23 at Chicago 28 We put up one hell of a fight against the Bears, but we come up a bit short. Tim Rogers runs back the opening kickoff 84 yards to put us up 7-0. For the most part, we hold Bears’ All-Pro QB Gary Healy in check, limiting him to 231 yards, far below his average. The Bears’ defense shuts down Lyon, which is bad news because Gonzalez is forced into 42 attempts. All in all, not a bad season considering all of the injuries. We have some big decisions to make about the direction of this team going into next season. There are likely to be some big changes, starting with the quarterback situation. Chicago beats Tennessee 23-14 to win their fourth Superbowl in 10 years. PLAYER AWARDS J.R. Stone, All-Pro 1st team tackle Perry Bennett, All-Pro 1st team defensive end Steve McGee, All-Pro 2nd team cornerback [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-03-2001).] |
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03-04-2001, 12:27 AM
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#6 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2020 SEASON
We go into the offseason with the good news that the huge deficits of the first two seasons have been turned into a $22 million profit. Not great, but it’s a start. We raise ticket prices 5% across the board, still far below Cincinnati’s ticket prices. We begin the offseason by saying farewell to Coach Ross Franklin. His ratings are really starting to deteriorate as he approaches his mid 60’s. We sign 56 year old Anthony Burkhart to a 5/4.60 contract. His ratings are E/F/F/G/E/F/F/G/F/G/G/E. We also say farewell to scout Jackie Ralston and hire 50 year old Teddy Palomacki to a 5/600K contract. His ratings are F/V/G/V/V/F/V/E /V, comparable to Ralston, and the change will save us approximately 13.5 million dollars. Coach Burkhart signs with New England for 2/5.72 and Ralston signs with Seattle for 1/900K. We now turn our attention to roster matters. Veteran guard Rich Southard announces his retirement, which is O.K. because we have two quality starting guards in Allen Rogers and Dwayne Scrafford. The Vikings offer us LB Sammy Chilton ( 51/52) for CB Leroy Borg, and we gladly accept the deal. This trade is a winner in three different aspects; it will really boost the strength of our linebacking corps, we save about 3.5 million in cap room, and we get rid of a player who has been complaining incessantly about his playing time. We have two capable starters at CB in Duane Ford and Steve McGee, so all we need to do is add some depth. We release DE Chris Gallagher and QB Clay Foreman. We renegotiate the following deals with players in the final year of their contract: DT Jesse Ham 3/24.57, T Daryl Ramsey 4/28.74, LB Roy McDaniel 3/16.09, C Danny Ellard 3/15.55, and DE Perry Bennett 3/17.33. We designate P Erik Meggett as our franchise player. We take a look at the upcoming draft, and see that it is extremely thin at QB. Much as we hate to do it, we are going to have to put up some big money to get a decent QB. As we enter the first 10 week phase of the UFA signings, we have our sights firmly set on Baltimore Raven QB Donny Dillon (50/75), a 7 year veteran and former 1st round draft pick. We offer him a 3/47.57 deal and he signs in week 3. In the second phase of the UFA process, we sign Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Karl Robertson (54/54) to a 1/6.0 deal. He has been a perennial All-Pro in the past, although after 15 years his ratings are going downhill. Still, I believe that he is worth this one-year deal. For added depth on the OL, we sign T Alvin Alley (24/32) to a 3/4.6 deal (with no bonus). This concludes the 20 step process, and we head into the draft with 34 players signed and $24 million in cap room. We have all of our starting positions filled, so we hope to be drafting for depth at CB, TE, RB, WR, QB and DE. DRAFT REPORT
Our #1 draft choice, TE Harvey Barrett, turns out to be a lemon. All of the other draft picks seemed to come out OK. We head into preseason with high hopes. We sell 64,100 season tickets, an increase of 300 from last season. PRESEASON
We make it through with a few nicks and bruises, but nobody is seriously injured. We prepare to take on divisional rival Washington in the season opener. REGULAR SEASON Kentucky 12 at Washington 31 Our season is basically over before it even starts! We lose All-Pro running back Rob Lyon and LB Courtney Forbes with season ending injuries. To add insult to injury, backup RB Herman George is banged up and is questionable for next weei’s game. Our defense actually plays fairly well, as two of the Redskin TD’s came via a punt return and an interception return. We place Lyon and Forbes on IR, and sign URFA RB Fernando Hamilton and LB Joey Hopper to 1/700K deals. Carolina 38 at Kentucky 0 We walk off the field to a chorus of boos, and deservedly so. Our offense is totally impotent, with QB Dillon completing 6 out of 18 for 99 yards and 3 ints. For the game, we gain 175 total yards. N.Y. Giants 34 at Kentucky 26 All I can say is this team is snakebitten. You had to see it to believe it. We go into the 4th quarter leading 26-7, and give up 27 unanswered points, including the game winning TD pass with 34 seconds left in the game. Dallas 6 at Kentucky 31 We circle the wagons at home, and our running back by committee gains 158 yards, along with a solid performance by QB Dillon, who completes 16 out of 21 for 188 yards and a TD. Our defense picks off Dallas QB McDonald 3 times. We’ve still got a large mountain to climb to get back into the hunt. Kentucky 30 at Arizona 20 Our running back by committee gets the job done again with 167 yards. QB Dillon is 22 out of 31 for 249 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Washington 20 at Kentucky 27 Not as close as the final score indicates, as Washington scored a TD with just seconds remaining in the game. Our RB by committee gets the job done again, rushing for 207 yards. QB Dillon is 10 for 19, 134 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT. Kentucky 17 at Philadelphia 48 The Eagles completely shut down our running game, and force us to pass. Dillon throws 4 INT’s, and this one is over early. Montreal 31 at Kentucky 20 We come up short in a “must win” situation. Alouette QB Nicky Greene has a great day and is named the game's MVP. Kentucky 20 at Dallas 10 Racehorse DE Zuniga wreaks havoc on the Cowboys, sacking QB McDonald 4 times. Dillon has a good game for us, completing 16 out of 24 for 200 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Kentucky 14 at N.Y. Giants 24 When will this chamber of horrors end? We lose starting QB Dillon early in the 1st quarter with a neck injury. He could be out for up to five weeks. We also lose WR Artie Johnson for several weeks with a sprained back. Backup QB Geiger just couldn’t get the job done, as he was flustered into throwing 3 INT’s. Kentucky 7 at Buffalo 14 We run for 162 yards, but Geiger, substituting for the injured Dillon, throws 2 costly INT’s, one of which is returned 92 yards for a TD. At 4-7, our season is basically over at this point. Kentucky 0 at St. Louis 27 The first place Rams bury us, with RB Leonard Barbee rushing for 144 yards, and QB Walton throwing 2 TD’s. Our second string QB Geiger struggles again, but Dillon is injured too severely to play. Philadelphia 10 at Kentucky 24 We have a first in franchise history, with 2 backs going over 100 yards in the same game. Herman George gains 106 yards on 16 carries, and Korey Webster gains 103 yards on 12 carries. Arizona 17 at Kentucky 32 Dillon runs for one and passes for one, and Bobby Hawkins boots 4 field goals to propel the Racehorses to victory. Chicago 41 at Kentucky 10 A real butt whipping administered by the perennial powerhouse Bears. QB Healy performs surgery on our secondary, completing 23 out of 30 for 302 yards and 4 TD’s. Kentucky 15 at Miami 30 Thankfully, this nightmare of a season comes to an end, with the Dolphins kicking us up and down the field just like everyone else. KEY STATS QB Donny Dillon, 182/344/2448/52.9/12 TD/19 INT/64.3 RAT RB Korey Webster 162/640/3.9/4 TD RB Herman George 174/607/3.4/3 TD WR Arnold Haller 68/974/14.3/6 TD WR Karl Robertson 70/869/12.4/3 TD
The Chicago Bears defeat the San Diego Chargers 30-7 in the Superbowl. AWARDS Allen Rogers, All-Pro 2nd team guard J.R. Stone, All-Pro 2nd team tackle [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-04-2001).] |
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03-04-2001, 11:00 PM
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#7 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2021 SEASON
We begin the offseason with some bad financial news. We lost $16 million last season, primarily due to a 18% reduction in ticket revenue and a 31% loss in suite revenue. After such a dismal season, we decide to hold ticket prices at the same rate. Our fan loyalty increases slightly to 74. I hate to keep making these constant coaching and scouting changes, but unfortunately Coach Burkhart’s ratings took a dive, going down to “poor” in young talent. We hire 48 year old Will Winters to a 4/5.0 millon contract. Winters has the following ratings: V/G/P/F/V/F/G/F/G/V/G/G/F/E. We sign scout Jackie Ralson to a 5/1.0 million contract. His team’s have 9 playoff appearances and 1 bowl win. His ratings are V/G/G/F/V/E/V/V/V. We have 33 players signed, with $40 million in cap space under the current cap of $184 million.
It appears as if we may forego any effort to resign UFA Rob Lyon. He will be requesting around $13 million per year, and although he is still an above average back, his ratings have decreased after his season ending injury. He only has a 20 in short yardage and a 26 in endurance. His breakaway speed dropped from the 90’s down to 59. Calgary offers us their 3rd round pick in this year’s draft for CB Steve McGee. Even though McGee was an All-Pro two years ago, his ratings have flattened out in the 30’s and 40’s, with no potential left. We accept the trade. We release 1st round bust TE Harvey Barrett and take a big cap hit. We also release CB Dixon Allen and T Alvin Alley. We renegotiate the contracts of the following players in the last year of their current contract: S Steve Weller 3/17.28 million, WR Arnold Haller 3/18.51 million, S Brenden Briggs 3/15.32 million. FREE AGENCY We make a big play to sign Kris Arnold (63/73) from the Chicago Bears. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards the past two seasons, even though they are in a pass oriented offense. In week 4, Arnold signs with us for 4/53.16 million. In Week 5, FB Ed Grant signs with the Rams for 3/14.99 million. In Week 8, the Redskins sign Lyon for 3/41.31 million. We hate to see the future Hall of Famer go, but Arnold is 6 years younger, healthier, and has higher ratings across the board. Plus we got him for slightly less money than Lyon. In Week 8, we resign WR Karl Roberston to a 1/7.68 million deal. In Week 20, we sign 15 year Cowboy veteran CB J.J. Clinton (53/53) to a 1/5.66 million deal. Our own G, 15 year veteran Allen Rogers, does not get any interest during the 20 step process, and he happily resigns a 2/7.26 million deal with us. We resign 4th year guard Dwayne Scrafford to a 3/17.23 million deal. Our critical needs going into the draft are TE, FB, and CB. DRAFT
We have our best training camp ever, with no busts and a couple of breakouts. We breathe a sigh of relief as rookie TE Dan Collier’s ratings hold (61/74). We are delighted to see 2nd year C Jared Witt’s ratings jump (64/64), and a 94 in endurance! He will push 8 year veteran Danny Ellard for the starting job. We sell 64,600 season tickets, and are grateful to our loyal fans to the slight increase after our dismal season. Here is our roster heading into preseason: PRESEASON
No serious injuries, except backup CB Ronald Walker, who breaks his arm in the 1st preseason game. We place him on IR, and sign 2nd year FA Bernie Bryson (18/34). REGULAR SEASON Kentucky 21 at Baltimore 29 We play a decent game, but come up short. Raven’s QB Donnie Turnbow has a fine game, completing 25 out of 38 for 235 yards and 2 TD’s. Washington 16 at Kentucky 20 Our fans were somewhat unhappy when we didn’t resign the legendary Rob Lyon during free agency, but that decision was vindicated in our home opener. Lyon was held to a career low 7 yards rushing, while our free agent acquisition, Kris Arnold, rumbled for 123 yards and 1 TD on 19 carries. Arnold was named the game’s MVP. Backup RB Corey Webster added 64 yards and 1 TD on just 5 carries. Philadelphia 20 at Kentucky 14 A very disappointing loss. We give up all 20 points in the 4th quarter. Arnold is injured early in the game, and our rushing attack never gets going. He will miss at least one week, possibly more, with a sprained neck. On the bright side, we hold All-Pro RB Todd Branch to just 28 yards on 13 carries. N.Y. Giants 31 at Kentucky 37 Donnie Dillon hits Karl Robertson with a 21 yard pass in OT for the win. We nearly blew another game by giving up 21 points in the 4th quarter. Giants’ QB Lionel Manke torches our secondary for 381 yards and 3 TD’s. Our backup RB Korey Webster carries 26 times for 132 yards and 2 TD’s. Lyon will sit out again next week, and we have 3 linebackers that are questionable. Ouch. Cincinnati 17 at Kentucky 37 A sold out Secretariat Stadium crowd watches us dismantle neighboring Cincinnati. Backup RB Webster rushes for 100 yards, Dillon tosses a couple of TD passes, and Steve Weller intercepts two passes. Dallas 27 at Kentucky 6 Cowboys’ RB Blaine Slaton rushes for 132 yards and 2 TD’s as the Cowboys whip us in every phase of the game. We are held to 82 yards rushing, and Dillon is only 10 out of 24 for 121 yards. Kentucky 7 at N.Y. Giants 34 A chamber of horrors as starting QB Dillon goes out with a sprained neck and backup Geiger throws 3 INT’s. Next week, we get starting RB Arnold back into the lineup, which is good, because Dillon will be out. Kentucky 13 at Arizona 21 Kris Arnold returns to the lineup and rushes for 104 yards, but backup QB Geiger is ineffective through the air as we lose our third straight game and drop out of playoff contention. Kentucky 14 at Philadelphia 21 We make a valiant effort, but backup QB Geiger is ineffective again, and Philly shuts down our rushing attack. Todd Branch pays us back for shutting him down in the first meeting, rushing for 164 yards and 2 TD’s. Kentucky 28 at Washington 41 Redskins’ QB Melvin Meyer torches us for 358 yards and 3 TD’s. Offensively, we play well enough, with QB Dillon returning to the lineup and completing 15 out of 22 for 224 yards and 2 TD’s. We hold our old friend Rob Lyon to 57 yards rushing, but with Meyer passing at will, it doesn’t really matter. Kentucky 21 at Detroit 36 The Lions shut down our ground attack, and Dillon is only 19 out of 43 for 264 yards, 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Our losing streak increases to 6 games. Looks like we will have a high draft choice next year. Cleveland 10 at Kentucky 30 We break our 6 game losing streak as Arnold rushes for 94 yards and URFA Darren Wilcox runs back an interception, and Kenny Belton returns a punt for a TD. Kentucky 17 at Dallas 20 We hold Blaine Slayton to 41 yards on 23 carries, but it’s a case of “pick your poison” because Cowboys’ QB Darrell McDonald completes 21 out of 33 passes for 214 yards and 2 TD’s. Dillon does a decent job for us, 17 out of 28 for 287, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. Arizona 14 at Kentucky 31 Reduced to the role of spoiler, we take much delight in jeopardizing the Cardinals’ playoff hopes. Donny Dillon has a fine day, completing 26 out of 37 for 312 yards and a touchdown. Arnold adds 69 yards on the ground and 1 TD. The defense comes up with 3 big interceptions. Kentucky 17 at Atlanta 10 Arnold rushes for 106 yards, and Dillon tosses 2 TD passes as we play spoiler again. Los Angeles 14 at Kentucky 17 Donny Dillon completes 23 out of 36 for 332 yards and 2 TD’s. Our defense picks off Earthquakes’ QB Whitfield 3 times. KEY STATS QB Donny Dillon 210/397/2848/52.7%/19 TD/11 INT/80.4 RAT RB Kris Arnold 230/779/3.3 YPC/5 TD RB Kory Webster 142/587/4.1 YPC/6 TD WR Arnold Haller 65/1101/16.9 YPC/7 TD DT Clarence Whitfield 4 SACKS S Steve Weller 5 INTS
The Tennessee Titans defeat the Chicago Bears in the Superbowl. AWARDS Steve Weller, All-Pro 2nd team safety [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-05-2001).] [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-05-2001).] |
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03-05-2001, 12:32 PM
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#8 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2022 SEASON
We lost $73 million last year. Ouch. However, we will not raise ticket prices again until we have a good season. We lose center Danny Ellard and WR Karl Robertson to retirement. This was expected, and 3rd year veteran Jared Witt took over the starting center position about midway last season. Robertson had been signed to two 1-year contracts, and I was expecting him to retire. We decide to hire a new coach and scout this season. We sign 57 year old Desmond Winslett to a 3/ 4.0 million contract. His ratings are F/G/V/G/G/V/V/V/G/F/F/G/V/E. We sign 45 year old head scout Andre Vila to a 5/400K contract. His ratings are G/G/V/G/V/F/V/G/G. We’re going to give a shot with a younger scout and a long term contract, hoping that his ratings will increase with time. Also, at 400K per year, he’s a real bargain. We release FB Clarence Gaines, and we renegotiate the contracts of the following players in the last year of their contract: LB Roy McDaniel, 3/14.61 million; T J.R. Stone, 4/35.63 (making him the highest paid tackle in the game, but he’s the best); QB Donny Dillon, 4/65.10 million; DT Jesse Ham, 3/20.13. Here is our roster heading into free agency:
FREE AGENCY We make a strong big for Carolina FB Darrin Pipkin. This guy has been All-Pro for 5 consecutive seasons, and his ratings are in the 80’s and 90’s in virtually every category. He signs with us in Week 5 for 3/10.3 million. It’s a lot of money to pay a fullback, but he will add to our offense immensely. In Week 14, our punter signs a 3/6.08 million contract with Minnesota. He’s good, but not that good. The best punters in the league are making around 2 million per year. Not to worry, we sign Charger Punter Jerald Ellison (All-Pro the past two seasons) for 2/3.32 million. In week 20, we sign Charger LB Donnie Sherman (58/65) to a 3/16.61 million deal. DRAFT
Our #1 draft pick, CB Harold Tornton, turns out to be THE BUST OF THE CENTURY. PRESEASON
We go 4-0 during preseason, but we lose S Sammy Swinger for 2 to 3 months with arthoscopic knee surgery. Our two starting tackles are dinged up, but not seriously injured.[b]REGULAR SEASON[/b} Dallas 24 at Kentucky 30 Get ready for a season of high scoring games. Danny Dillon completes 16 out of 28 passes for 352 yards and 3 TD’s. WR Arnold Haller hauls in 8 receptions for 188 yards and 2 TD’s. Arnold rushes for 93 yards on 23 carries. Washington 20 at Kentucky 16 We outgain the Redskins 383 to 212, yet lose the game. Arnold rushes for 113 yards on 27 carries. Our rookie kicker misses three critical field goals. Arizona 21 at Kentucky 27 Donny Dillon hits Arnold Haller with a 66 yard TD pass in OT for the win. For the game, Dillon completes 16 out of 28 for 291 yards and 3 TD’s. Arnold churns out 86 yards in 14 carries. The Cardinals new multimillion dollar QB, former Bears QB Gary Healy, completes a modest 19 out of 33 for just 180 yards. Our rookie kicker misses both of his field goal attempts, leaving him a horrible 4 out of 10 for the season. Kentucky 44 at Minnesota 0 Our finest performance in franchise history! QB Donnie Dillon goes nuts, completing 25 out of 35 passes for 358 yards, 5 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Our defense holds the Vikings to 27 yards rushing. Oakland 21 at Kentucky 24 Dillon completes 20 out of 29 for 271 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. The Raiders shut us down on the ground, holding Arnold to 26 yards on 17 carries. Arnold Haller leaves the game with a hip pointer and is questionable for next week. New Orleans 15 at Kentucky 48 Donnie Dillon completes 20 out of 31 for 304 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT. Arnold gets back in the grove, rushing for 102 yards and 2 TD’s on 18 carries. Barry Lemond leads our special teams with a 90 yard KO return. Our defense holds the Saints to 20 rushing yards. Safety Steve Weller picks off 2 passes. Kentucky 13 at San Francisco 3 Our defense comes up big in a huge road victory over the first place 49ers. Arnold grinds out 60 yards on 16 carries, and Dillon has a subpar day, but doesn’t throw any interceptions, completing 14 out of 24 for 136 yards. Rookie kicker Perdue boots a 51 yard field goal, but leaves the game later with bruised ribs. Punter Jerald Ellison saves the day by kicking a 46 yard field goal and an extra point. Our defense holds the Niners to 230 total yards. At 6-1, we have a two game lead in our division and a bye week to recover from some injuries. Kentucky 16 at Arizona 7 We only gain 259 total yards, but it’s enough to squeak out the win. QB Dillon leaves the game with bruised ribs after completing 8 out of 12 for 101 yards and a TD. Backup Guerra does a decent job in relief, hitting of 11 of 19 for 89 yards and 1 INT. The Cardinals totally shut down our rushing attack, holding Arnold to 5 yards on 20 carries! Cardinals’ All-Pro QB Healy completes 17 out of 36 for 321 yards and a TD, but throws 2 costly INT’s. Rookie kicker Troy Perdue comes through in the clutch, hitting all 3 of his attempts. Kentucky 27 at Philadelphia 45 In a game straight out of the Twilight Zone, the Eagles score 35 unanswered points in the last 10 minutes of the 4th quarter, including 2 interception returns for touchdowns. Dillon threw for 321 yards, but his two interceptions that were returned for TD’s turned out to be the difference in the game. Seattle 13 at Kentucky 10 Another late collapse as Seattle scores 10 points in the 4th quarter. We outgain the Seahawks 425 to 221, but find a way to lose. Perdue misses 3 out of 4 field goal attempts to contribute to the loss. We had better get our act together, or not only will we blow a high seed, we might not even get a playoff spot. Kentucky 38 at Washington 21 In a reversal of roles, we score 28 points in the 4th quarter and win going away. Donnie Dillon has a career day, completing 31 out of 47 for 371 yards, 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Arnold adds 95 yards and a TD on 18 carries. We catch a break in this one, as Redskins’ starting QB Melvin Meyer did not play. His backup, Lamar Horning, sure didn’t conjure up any memories of Paul Horning, completing a paltry 17 out of 40 with 3 INT’s. N.Y. Giants 27 at Kentucky 21 Once again, we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, as the Giants score 11 unanswered points in the 4th quarter. We are hardly demonstrating that we are a playoff caliber team, losing at home to an inferior team. Arnold is stuffed, held to only 36 yards rushing, and Dillon is held to 174 passing yards. Our lead in the NFC East drops to a perilous one game over Arizona, leaving no margin for error. Next up is a revenge game at home against the Eagles. Philadelphia 19 at Kentucky 22 This one turns into a defensive struggle, as we hold All-Pro running back Todd Branch to 10 yards on 18 carries. We don’t fare much better, as Arnold only gains 30 yards on 11 carries. Dillon throws 3 interceptions in his worst outing of the season, but our defense and special teams wins this one. Kentucky 8 at Dallas 38 Unquestionably our worst outing of the year. Arnold carries 7 times for 7 yards, and Dillon is 13 out of 33 for 193 yards, 1 TD and 3 INT., conjuring up memories of Alex Gonzalez. We come out of the game fairly banged up. Kentucky 15 at N.Y. Giants 22 We lose our 5th out of the past seven games, putting our playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. We are fairly banged up, but some injured players are going to have to step up next week. We have an uphill battle, playing at Denver, who also needs a win to get into the playoffs. Kentucky 6 at Denver 35 Our second half of the season collapse culminates with a blowout in the finale. Somehow, we back our way into the playoffs at 9-7. We certainly don’t deserve it. KEY STATISTICS QB Donnie Dillon 271/486/3867/55.7%/27 TD/19 INT/83.9 RAT RB Kris Arnold 249/926/3.7/8 TD WR Cory Borders 59/997/16.8/10 TD WR Arnold Haller 55/950/17.2/6 TD TE Dan Collier 36/638/17.7/4 TD DT Clarence Whitfield 9.5 SACKS S Steve Weller 7 INT EA.com Front Office Football 2001 PLAYOFFS Atlanta 26 at Kentucky 42 We manage to turn it around with Dillon completing 21 out of 31 for 295 yards, 2 TD's and 2 INT's. Our backs combine for 141 yards on 34 carries, which leads to a good, balanced attack. Next up, a road game at New Orleans, whom we buried earlier this year, but that was then, this is now. Kentucky 35 at New Orleans 24 Donnie Dillon passes for 2 TD's, and we run a punt and a kickoff back for touchdowns in the victory. The win is costly, as we lose safety Steve Weller for the remainder of the playoffs. We place him on IR and sign UFRA Kelly Starks to a 1/750K contract. CB Kim Lyons is questionable with a hyperextended elbow, and LB Donnie Sherman is out with a hip pointer. We place Sherman on IR, and sign 2nd year FA Matt Morton to a 1/880K contract. We get to host Tampa Bay next week, and it's going to be an enormous uphill battle with these injuries. Tampa Bay 13 at Kentucky 20 Dillon completes 19 out of 37 for 297 yards, 2 TD's and 0 INT's. Arnold adds 91 yards on 20 carries. We feel very fortunate to make it to the Superbowl after our collapse at the end of the season. Kentucky 26 at Indianapolis 40 Dillon completes 21 out of 43 for 348 yards and 3 TD's, but also 2 costly INT's. Arnold only gains 24 yards in 14 carries. Indianapolis' kicker, Terrell Roberts, is the MVP, kicking 6 out of 6 field goals. We need to re-examine our rushing offense in the offseason. There is no excuse for struggling to run the ball with the offensive line that we have assembled. AWARDS Dan Collier, 1st team All-Pro tight end Jared Witt, 2nd team All-Pro center Clarence Whitfield, 2nd team All-Pro defensive tackle Steve Weller, 2nd team All-Pro safety [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-05-2001).] |
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03-06-2001, 10:33 PM
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#9 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2023 SEASON
LB Sammy Chilton retires. We sign one of our previous scouts, Jackie Ralston to a 4/400K contract, which is 500K per year less than we paid him before. He retained all of his previous ratings, except his rating in secondary, which increased from VG to E. His previous price tag was the only reason that we let him go before, so we are delighted to get him back at the same salary that we were paying Vila. We keep head coach Winslett for another season, although I’m beginning to wonder if his “fair” rating in motivation was partially responsible for some of our 4th quarter collapses last season. If it happens again this season, Coach Winslett will be looking for another job. We Release CB Ike Terrell, C Desmond Becker, DT Jared Haag. Renogations in final year of contract: DT Clarence Whitfield, T 5/55.11 , S Steve Weller, 3/16.03, T Daryl Ramsey, 2/11.84, G Dwayne Scrafford, 3/18.69, P Jerald Ellison, 2/3.10 My biggest needs at this point are another cover CB, another LB, and another DE. I peruse the upcoming draft, and with the exception of a couple of LB’s, there aren’t any impact players at these positions in the draft. Since we’ll be drafting next to last, I decide to use the free agency route to fill the LB and CB positons. There aren’t any quality DE’s in free agency either, mostly average at best, and all of them asking for too much money. I’ll see what happens with my 15 year veteran, Bennett. I doubt if anyone will make him an offer, as his overall rating has deteriorated to a 40. If he makes it through the 20 step process, we’ll see what he’s asking for after the draft. FREE AGENCY We decide to make an aggressive move for Rams’ CB Moe Buckley (75,78), one of the top cover corners in the league. He attracts a lot of attention, but we land him in Week 9 to a whopping 3/39.6 million deal. It’s a lot of money, but Buckley and my 3rd year up and comer Lyons will give me the best CB pair in the NFL. In Week 8, my G Allen Rogers signs a 2/11.25 deal with the Giants. I don’t feel too bad, because my 4th year man Terrell Montgomery can step right in for roughly half of what Rogers is making. I sit back and go into hysterics watching the bidding go up on my backup TE Erik Burley. In week 11, he signs a 2/6.66 million deal with the Bengals, which is more than my All-Pro starter Dan Collier is making. In the Week 11-20 phase, I set my sights on TB linebacker Dixon Bishop (59/61). TB offers him a 3/27.0 million deal, which I believe is way too high, so I decide to go after DET LB Heath Cherney (56/57) instead. In Week 13, I land Cherney for 3/17.34 million. I keep an eye on things through Week 19, then I see that TB has busted their cap, and Bishop is still available. In Week 20, I offer him a 3/17.69 deal, which he accepts. I now have probably the best LB corps in the league. I release LB Rueben Bushkin. DRAFT
This was probably the weakest draft I’ve ever seen. We decide to start one of our LB’s at DE this year. UFA Bennett is still holding out for too much money (he wants about $6.0 million per year, which is ludicrous for a guy with a 39 composite rating). We hope Bennett enjoys sitting his ass in the free agent pool this year. Before camp, we resign some of our own unsigned FA’s (allowed under the house rules): TE Cole Clanton 3/7.15, LB Luthor Strong 3/18.19. We fill out the roster to 53 with URFA’s and head to camp.
We are in huge, huge trouble at QB if Dillon gets hurt this year. We sell 68,100 season tickets this year.
We are delighted to go 3-1 during the preseason, considering our 7 best starters did not play a single down. [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 03-06-2001).] |
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