FOF2k4 - A vast wasteland (misfit toys)

[JonInMiddleGA]

2021 Late Free Agency

We make offers to the following undrafted rookies
QB Ray Schultz - 12/48 vol 63
QB Lincoln Wheeler - 18/43 vol 79
QB Rob Hallman - 16/46 vol 73
QB Gary Robinson - 2/45 vol 85
RB Kerry Adams - 23/40 vol 21
RB Riddick Horner - 21/38 vol 76
RB Jack Mock - 27/37 vol 43
FB Bennie Meusey - 19/41 vol 55
FB Marshall Alexander - 13/34 vol 94
TE Kenneth Dixon - 24/41 vol 89
WR Ryan Lomond - 22/33 vol 38
WR Albert Emanuel - 13/36 vol 14
WR Nick Schwartz - 20/34 vol 86
WR Kurt Boynton - 18/35 vol 25
WR Tom Kennedy - 11/37 vol 62
OG Quentin Heilman - 14/33 vol 83
OT Bill Chong - 20/40 vol 7
OT Lionel Kurre - 12/39 vol 9
OT Courtney Lake - 15/38 vol 26
OT Eric Hipp - 15/38 vol 56
DE Danny McIntyre - 23/33 vol 85
DE Wesley Gilbreath - 17/38 vol 80
DE Peter Stapleton - 18/36 vol 88
DE Rondell Estep - 11/35 vol 89
DT Bennie Sanford - 13/37 vol 93
DT Albert Duff - 16/35 vol 9
DT Kendall Mosher - 20/33 vol 66
LB Brenden Chance - 9/38 vol 57
LB Troy de Marco - 10/35 vol 19
LB Sammie Blackburn - 9/37 vol 29
LB Cory Benton - 14/37 vol 64
LB Max Squires - 10/36 vol 49
LB Steve Voss - 15/35 vol 76
CB Henry Wheeler - 14/39 vol 47
CB Billy Joe Meadows - 13/38 vol 6
CB Bob Reeves - 15/34 vol 26
S Brandon Schmid - 18/40 vol 42
S Floyd Randel El - 9/41 vol 64
S Edward Grant - 18/38 vol 74
S Ernie Kolodziejski - 19/24 vol 54
S Hugh Baxter - 13/28 vol 59

We head off to training camp with an incredible 96 players under contract

[JonInMiddleGA]

Highest current estimates before training camp
P Kenny Broadway 70/70
TE Emmitt Thamilarasan 62/64
K R.J.Linquist 61/61
CB Jake Rodman 57/57
C Allen Bandy 53/57

Highest future estimates before training camp
Same as above, also
S Daryl Lynn 45/55

We sold 19,700 of 63,000 season tickets

[JonInMiddleGA]

Highest current estimates after training camp
P Kenny Broadway 70/70
TE Emmitt Thamilarasan 62/64
K R.J.Linquist 61/61
CB Jake Rodman 57/57
C Allen Bandy 53/57

Highest future estimates after training camp
Same as above

Other notable development changes include:
We make offers to the following undrafted rookies
QB Ray Schultz - 14/40 (+2/-8) vol 63
QB Lincoln Wheeler - 20/35 (+2/-8) vol 79
QB Rob Hallman - 18/40 (+2/-6) vol 73
QB Gary Robinson - 5/39 (+4/-6) vol 85
RB Kerry Adams - 23/35 (0/-5) vol 21
RB Riddick Horner - 21/29 (0/-9) vol 76
FB Bennie Meusey - 20/34 (+1/-7) vol 55
TE Kenneth Dixon - 25/35 (+1/-6) vol 89
WR Ryan Lomond - 21/27 (-1/-6) vol 38
WR Kurt Boynton - 19/29 (+1/-6) vol 25
WR Tom Kennedy - 14/31 (+3/-6) vol 62
OG Quentin Heilman - 17/35 (+3/+2) vol 80
DE Wesley Gilbreath - 16/33 (-1/-5) vol 80
DT Bennie Sanford - 14/29 (+1/-8) vol 93
LB Cory Benton - 15/31 (+1/-6) vol 64
LB Steve Voss - 18/36 (+3/+1) vol 76
CB Henry Wheeler - 14/32 (0/-7) vol 47
S Brandon Schmid - 19/37 (+1/-3) vol 42
S Edward Grant - 20/41 (+2/+3) vol 74
S Hugh Baxter - 15/20 (+2/-8) vol 59

[JonInMiddleGA]

We have to cut the roster down to 60 now

-- Traded QB Peter Treat & a 2nd rd pick next year to Chicago for rookie QB C.J.Ward (21/47) & a 3rd rd pick next year
-- Traded CB Pat Preston & a 3rd rd pick next to Carolina for rookies RB Justin Jefferson(28/34), CB Brady Middleton(17/28) & a 4th rd pick in 2023

Veterans released include:
DE Willie Griffith (10 yrs, 160 games/93 starts,204 tkls, 27 sacks career)
S Floyd Flickinger (12 yrs, 146 games/59 starts, 11 Int's, 347 tkls career)
RB Omar Browning (8 yrs, 117 games/28 starts, 2512 rush yds, 161catch/1460 yds recv., 17 total TD's career)
CB Ross Vega (2 yrs, 31 games/1 start, 0 Int's, 5 passes def. career)
LB Marlon Morris (2 yrs, 28 games/0 starts, 19 tkls, 1 sack career)
S Andy Bouchard (1 yr, 7 games career)
WR Skip Gore (1 yr, 0 games played)

Rookies released include:
QB Gary Robinson, FB Bennie Meusey, RB Kerry Adams, TE Kenneth Dixon,
WR Kurt Boynton, WR Ryan Lomond, G/T Courtney Lake, T Lionel Kurre,
DE Pete Stapleton, DT Bennie Sanford, LB Brenden Chance, S Ernie Kolodziejski,
S Hugh Baxter, CB Bob Reeves, QB Lincoln Wheeler, QB Ray Schultz, CB Henry Wheeler, FB Marshall Alexander, T Eric Hipp, RB/FB Jack Mock, DE/LB Wesley Gilbreath, LB Cory Benton, QB Rob Hallman, CB Brady Middleton, T/G Bill Chong,
RB Riddick Horner, WR Albert Emanuel, DE Danny McIntyre, WR Nick Schwartz,
DT Albert Duff .

[JonInMiddleGA]

2021 Exhibition Season

Exh. 1
Lost to Kansas City 28-26
3 turnovers & only 77 yds rushing spelled defeat, even though we threw for 367 yds. QB Justin Kinney went 30/42 with 2 TD's & 1 int. TE Thamilarasan caught 12 passes for 106 & a score, SE Carlton Jamison caught 7 for 117, & Snyder had 3/80 with a TD. A lot of reserves played the majority of snaps in this one as starters were sat to protect against injury.

Exh. 2
Lost to Miami 29-6
We managed only 9 1st downs, the Dolphins kicked 5 FG's. Not much to talk about here, neither the rookie QB Ward nor the veteran Billings could manage much. Most importantly, no injuries.

Exh. 3
Lost to Denver 30-7
RB Emmons had 70 yds & seemed to pick up where he left off last season. Other than that ... pfft. Justin Kinney was just 8/24 with 2 picks, Billings was 10/15 with 1 TD & 1 Int. LB Gaines had 12 stops (6t/6a). LT Quinn had 5 key run blocks.

Exh. 4
Lost to New England 33-0
Little defense and no offense, 3 turnovers. Can we just pretend this didn't happen?

[JonInMiddleGA]

We've got to get the roster down to 53 players.

-- Traded C Jared Saathoff to Kansas City for DT Nicky Rizzo & LB Scottie Murillo.
(Murillo was included for salary cap reasons & was released following the trade)
-- Traded S Norbert Beyer & a 5th rd pick in 2023 to Cleveland for 4th & 7th round picks in 2023

Veterans released include:
WR Thurman McDaniel (8 yrs, 400 rcpts, 6685 yds, 45 TD's)
LB Bob Albright (1 yr, 14 games/0 starts, 2tkls/2ast's career)
DT Levon Furr (1 yr, 0 games played)

Rookies released include:
CB Floyd Randle El, DE Tommie Bahn, G Quentin Heilman

[JonInMiddleGA]

2021 Regular Season

Week 1
Lost to Seattle 23-10
Seahawks shred our defense for 469 yds total offense. Justin Kinney started at QB, went 6/16 for 56 yds & 1 int. Bryce Rivera made a surprise appearance & made it count, 2/3 for 123 yds & 1 TD, a 73 yd pass to WR Roberts on the first play of the 2nd half. Of course, he's also injured, listed as probable with a bruised sternum.

Week 2
Lost to Indianapolis 17-14
Bryce Rivera came off the bench & drove us to the Colts 23 but with no timeouts left, time expired before we could get the FG unit on to try for the tie. Kinney started again, went just 10/22 for 77 yds & a TD, Rivera was 6/8 for 162 yds & a TD. RB Emmons was held under 50 yds for the 2nd straight week.

Week 3
Lost to Washington 28-21
And the losses continue to mount. QB Oscar Billings threw for 1 TD & ran for another before giving way to Bryce Rivera. This week the veteran was just 3/10
for 75 yds & a TD. Emmons continues to struggle, just 46 yds again this week.
LB Burbage had another standout week, 13 tkls & 3 assists

Week 4
Lost to Green Bay 44-13
Jake Rodman's 65 yd punt return was our only TD, as the Packers just steamrolled us all day. We were outgained 449-196, they held the ball for 38:23 to our 21:37, the QB trio combined for 3 interceptions & just 96 yds on 9/39 passing. It was as ugly as it sounds. DE Roosevelt Davidson is out for the year with Plantar Fascitis.

2021 Record after 4 games: 0-4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 5
Beat Chicago 22-8
Rookie QB C.J. Ward wins his first career start & helps break the losing streak. Ward was just 7/15 for 110 yds & a TD, with TE Thamilarasan catching 4 for 51 & a score. FB Meynardie had 77 yds on 15 carries, RB Emmons gained 67 on 18 tries. CB Jake Rodman intercepted 2 passes, including one returned 22 yds for a TD with just 1:43 to play.

Week 6
Lost to Minnesota 33-14
Oscar Billings came on in relief of the rookie QB Ward & threw 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, one of them was to WR Jamison & the other was to a Viking safety. Burbage had 14 stops from the MLB spot.

Week 7
Lost to Seattle 30-23
We're getting better, we're still not there. The defense forced a punt with less than 3 mins remaining, giving the offense a chance down just 23-16. Emmons fumbled it away, each team scored in the final 2 mins to produce the final. Rookie QB Ward was 8/17 for 86, Billings was 10/17 for 171 & a score.

Week 8
Lost to St.Louis 24-10
We outgained the Rams 396-263 but managed to lose anyway, largely because we were just 5/17 on 3rd down conversions.

2021 Record after 8 games: 1-7

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 9
Bye week

Week 10
Lost to Detroit 23-6
Not sure what happened, pretty much everything was even except the scoreboard. RB Goldsmith had 75 yds rushing, Rivera threw for 119 in relief of Billings, SLB Gaines had 15 stops, & the o-line only gave up one sack. But we weren't close anyway really.

Week 11
Lost to San Fran 27-24
49ers get 10 pts in the final 6:48 to hand us yet another loss. We lose in spite of rushing for 233 yds on 23 attempts, 149 from Goldsmith who has taken over as the starting RB. LB's Gaines & Burbage combined for 15 tackles & 6 assists.

Week 12
Lost to Jacksonville 42-19
The Jaguars were getting TD's while we were getting FG's (4 of them). Oscar Billings relieved rookie QB Ward very early, finished 21/46 for 268 yds, 143 of those to WR Jamison. LB Burbage had 11 tkls & 4 assists. WR Bell, TE Thamilarasan, backup G Linquist, are all questionable or worse for next week.

Week 13
Beat Tampa Bay 28-20
FB Alex Meynardie ran for 2 TD's & Jake Rodman returned an interception 62 yds for a score with just 3:22 remaining as we finally get our 2nd win of the year. RB Goldsmith had 70 yds on 11 carries, QB Ward went 12/28 for 1 TD & 3 Int's but we still managed to get the job done.

2021 Record after 12 games: 2-10

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 14
Beat Tennessee 14-6
Karl Goldsmith had 101 yds & 1 TD on 27 carries, C.J. Ward was 11/16 passing for 134 yds & C Allen Bandy had 7 key run blocks to trigger our 2nd straight win.

Week 15
Lost to St.Louis 19-17
3 interceptions created too much of a hill to climb. Billings, Ward, & Rivera each threw a pick, although Billings also had 2 TD's on 14/19 for 160 yds. Rivera's season is over after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery.

Week 16
Lost to Houston 34-20
27 unanswered points from early in the 3rd to early in the 4th gave the Texans an insurmountable lead. Both WR's Jamison & Roberts had more than 100 yds rcvg, Ward & Billings combined for 22/44, 296 yds & 2 scores.

Week 17
Lost to San Fran 24-16
A 40 yd Int return late in the 3rd qtr gave the 49ers a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Just another loss in a long season.

2021 Record after 16 games: 3-13

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oakland, Jacksonville, New England (all 11-5) & Cincinnati (10-6) win AFC divisions.
Indianapolis (11-5) & Baltimore (9-7) earn wildcards.

St.Louis, Chicago (both 12-4), Philadelphia & Tampa Bay (both 11-5) win NFC divisions. New York & Dallas (both 10-6) earn wildcards.

Jacksonville won the FOB 19-14 over St.Louis

St.Louis RB Benjamin Herndon was the League MVP (1364 yds, 12 rush TD, 59 rcpts/593 yds, 3 rcv TD's)

[JonInMiddleGA]

A very disappointing year. QB Justin Kinney was a disaster, leaving the QB job split between untested rookie C.J.Ward & Oscar Billings, who was never expected to do much beyond hold for kicks.

-- RB Karl Goldsmith was quite good at times, good enough to win the starting job away from veteran Jerome Emmons at mid-season. The pair combined for 1321 yds on 301 carries.
-- FB Alex Meynardie had his most productive year since 2015, finishing with 296 yds on 71 tries.
-- Veteran G Mel Tokunaga allowed just 1 sack in 14 games.
-- TE Emmitt Thamilarasan saw his production fall sharply, from 70/710yds/7td last year to 34/331yds/1td this year.
-- LB Isaac Burbage was incredible, finishing with a franchise record 126 tkls & a Tk% of 21.4
-- CB Jake Rodman added 5 more Int's to his record, giving him 46 in 10 seasons.

2021 Evaluation
Performance - 5
Value - 0
Profit - 51
Roster - 83 (2 on other screen)
Year-end - 32

Attendance was down 14% to 28,500 (0 Support will do that I guess)

[JonInMiddleGA]

2021 Off-season
In the wake of last year's rejection by Arizona voters, we made a stadium proposal to the city of Los Angeles.

We stand pat on the coaching staff

[JonInMiddleGA]

2022 Free Agency
We go into the FA period with 50 players under contract & 3 URFA's.

-- QB Justin Kinney (36/45) - 4 yrs, 23 games/7 starts, just 48.7% Comp% & a 50.7 rtg. Wants over $4m in bonus money on a 2 yr deal. After we stop laughing, we wish him well in his future endeavors.
-- OT Ted Nastasi (32/33) - 13 yrs, 174 games/105 starts. A good guy & a veteran who has been here since 2009. But he's faded to a shell of his former self & only appeared in 5 games last season. Probably should have retired, but if he continues his career it won't be here.
-- FB Donny Nastasi (19/30) - 2 yrs, 21 games/1 start. Never learned to block well after switching from RB in his rookie year. Not worth his $2.742m/2 yr request.

We make an offer to former Cardinal MLB Clarence Bryant, 2yrs/$4.33m with just $50k bonus. Not sure if he can help us or not, but it seemed worth $50k to find out. He accepts the offer in round 6.

In round 20, we sign 2nd yr pro (0 NFL exp.) RB Malcolm Bresnahan. He's a 24/36 with 98 volatility.

We've currently got the #1 & #3 overall picks in this year's draft. The 4th rated player on the board is an OT from Arizona State. Leo George is a 46/94 prospect, graded 8.3 & 9.2 adjusted grade.

-- We trade the #3 overall pick this year, along with a 2nd rd this year, a 1st round next year, a 3rd round in 2004 & 2nd yr WR Tom Kennedy to Tennessee for the #2 overall pick this year, a 4th rd pick this year, & a 2nd rd pick in 2024. We'll have 2 chances to nab the big lineman. I felt we had to make this move to have any chance at him, the #1 prospect is a DE (our #1 need) & the Titans listed OT as their top need.

The largest FA contract went to WR Bennie Coles, an URFA who stays with the Bengals for $115.09m/6 yrs. Biggest contract that moved was QB Harvey O'Donnell who goes from Dallas to Carolina for $113.15m/4 yrs.

[Barkeep49]

I hadn't followed this lately but am curious about your overall success. Would it be possible for you to post your team's history?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

I hadn't followed this lately but am curious about your overall success. Would it be possible for you to post your team's history?

Happy to do it. Heck I'm just glad to get a comment from someone

2003 8-8-0 (Tied 3rd NFC West) (before I took over)
2004 1-15-0 (last place)
2005 1-15-0 (last)
2006 3-13-0 (last)
2007 1-15-0 (last)
2008 7-8-1 (3rd)
2009 7-9 (last)
2010 8-7-1 (2nd)
2011 9-7 (Tied 2nd)
2012 9-6-1 (2nd)
2013 5-11 (last)
2014 6-10 (3rd)
2015 8-8 (3rd)
2016 6-10 (Tied 3rd)
2017 8-8 (3rd)
2018 8-8 (3rd)
2019 4-11-1 (last)
2020 6-10 (3rd)
2021 3-13 (last)

Zero playoff appearances in my 18 seasons.
8 lasts, 7 3rds, 3 2nds.

Pretty brutal stuff.

FYI, I'm a little behind in posting, I'm currently getting ready to start the 2027 season. I hope to post at least a couple more before leaving for vacation this weekend.

Thanks for the interest,
Jon

[JonInMiddleGA]

2022 Amateur Draft
It took 20 years but our scout finally got something right.

With the #1 selection in the 2023 draft, the Arizona Cardinals select OT Leo George, of Arizona State University.

With our remaining picks, we took an incredible WR (49/82) that we can't sign, along with an OG, FB, DT, and CB.

--We trade a 2nd rd this year, a 4th rd this year & a 2nd rd in 2024 to Kansas City for their 1st rd pick in 2024

--We trade 5 picks over 3 years to Tennessee for 4 picks over 3 years, none of the picks higher than 3rd round.

Our unsigned 1st round pick from last season, OT Ike McGregor, was taken 26th overall by New England.

The voters of Los Angeles convincingly rejected our proposal for a 68,000 seat stadium. Final tally was 56.4% against, 43.5% for, with over 9.2 million votes cast.

[JonInMiddleGA]

2022 Late Free Agency
Let's see if we can get the big guy some help.

QB Maurice Preston - 20/42 71 vol
QB Dustin Marsh - 6/48 10 vol
QB Deon Hicks - 15/45 56 vol
QB Gino Ivory - 8/44 55 vol
QB Darryl Mikeska 9/47 78 vol
RB Ricky Dotson - 31/36 30 vol
RB Morris Harrison - 26/40 25 vol
FB Mark Fisk - 18/34 32 vol
FB Bernie Belyeu - 17/34 78 vol
TE Dean Coker - 15/40 59 vol
WR Bobby Donovan - 14/32 60 vol
WR Tyrell Keating - 19/31 20 vol (4.39 40 yd dash)
C Rick Rodriguez - 12/50 16 vol
C Omar Boyer - 12/46 15 vol
T Richie Cote - 7/42 22 vol
T Nate Shields - 9/41 12 vol
T Jeffrey Barraza - 17/38 15 vol
K Harvey White - 26/57 79 vol
DE Jason Farmer - 23/36 82 vol
LB Bucky Holmes - 14/33 98 vol
CB Louis Glover - 19/32 98 vol
S Jesse Glaze - 12/32 76 vol

We head into camp with 73 players, but not Leo George, who remains a holdout.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Highest current estimates before training camp
P Kenny Broadway 67/67
TE Emmitt Thamilarasan 63/64
K R.J.Linquist 61/61
FS Daryl Lynn 60/60
CB Jake Rodman 56/56
TE Pat Tessen 50/50

Highest future estimates before training camp
T Leo George 45/93
P Broadway
TE Thamilarasan
K Linquist
S Lynn
CB Rodman
K Harvey White 25/54

We sold 15,400 of 63,000 season tickets

[JonInMiddleGA]

Highest current estimates after training camp
Same as before camp

Highest future estimates after training camp
Same as before camp except for
K Harvey White 27/51 (+2/-3)

Other changes of note include
QB Dustin Marsh - 8/42 (+2/-6) 10 vol
QB Gino Ivory - 10/36 (+2/-8) 55 vol
RB Ricky Dotson - 32/38 (+1/+2) 30 vol
RB Morris Harrison - 27/32 (+1/-8) 25 vol
TE Dean Coker - 16/34 (+1/-6) 59 vol
WR Bobby Donovan - 15/25 (+1/-7) 60 vol
WR Tyrell Keating - 21/34 (+2/+3) 20 vol (4.39 40 yd dash)
C Rick Rodriguez - 14/41 (+2/-9) 16 vol
C Omar Boyer - 13/36 (+1/-10) 15 vol
T Richie Cote - 10/31 (+3/-11) 22 vol
T Nate Shields - 11/41 (+2/-0) 12 vol
T Jeffrey Barraza - 18/32 (+1/-6) 15 vol
DE Jason Farmer - 25/39 (+2/+3) 82 vol
LB Bucky Holmes - 15/27 (+1/-6) 98 vol

[JonInMiddleGA]

Now we have to get down to the 60 player pre-season limit from our current 73
Placed QB Bryce Rivera on IR (still out 16 weeks after reconstructive knee surgery)

Veterans released include:
RB/FB Brock Dennis (6 yrs, 59 games/15 starts, 1393 yds, 8 TD's career)

Rookies released include: QB Gino Ivory, LB Bucky Holmes, RB Morris Harrison,
FB Mark Fisk, QB Maurice Preston, WR Bobby Donovan, C Omar Boyer, T Richie Cote,
S Jesse Glaze, C Rick Rodriguez, T JEffrey Barraza, QB Dustin Marsh

Top draft pick Leo George signed a 5 yr/$58.24m contract.

[JonInMiddleGA]

2022 Exhibition Season

Exh.1
Lost to San Diego 24-14
C.J. Ward was 10/17 for 89 yds, 1 TD & 2 Int's, rookie Mikeska was 6/10 for 78 yds, 1 TD & 1 Int, and rookie Hicks was just 2/8 for 42 yds. FA signee Clarence Bryant had 8 stops from the MLB spot, DT J.T.Horton had 4 tkls/4 assists. Draft pick
T Leo George was 0/7 on key run block attempts. Rookie K White was 0/1 on PAT's.

Exh. 2
Beat New Jersey 13-10 in OT
Rookie K White made good on his 2nd try of OT, a 54 yd FG, to win this one.
QB C.J. Ward was 11/15 for 122 yds in the 2nd half & OT, rookie Mikeska started
and went 10/14 for 71 yds. RB's Goldsmith & Bresnahan combined for 116 yds &
a TD on 24 carries. DE Roosevelt Davidson had 7 stops & 2 sacks.

Exh. 3
Lost to Kansas City 23-16
Oscar Billings went 16/30 for 198 & a TD in his first action of the pre-season, RB's Emmons & Bresnahan combined for 81 yds on 20 carries and WR Roberts caught 8 passes for 105 yds, but 5 sacks spelled defeat. DE Ross Patterson is expected to miss the regular season opener due to a strained abductor muscle suffered in the 3rd qtr.

Exh. 4
Beat Buffalo 17-14
Justin Jefferson sprinted 28 yds for a TD early in the 4th qtr & the defense held up to give us a .500 record in pre-season. Jefferson & Emmons combined for 102 yds & the TD on 23 carries as it appears almost certain that we'll start the season with some sort of RB-by-committee. Oscar Billings was 15/24 for 161 yds, 1 TD & 2 Int's, while the rookie Mikeska went 4/5 for 41 yds. We gave up 4 sacks (2 by George) but tallied 5 of our own, including 2.5 for young DE Rizzo.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Time to get the roster down to 53 players for the regular season:

We placed LB Troy de Marco (bruised sternum) on IR.
We placed OG Bobby Allen (knee tendonitis) on IR. He's a mentor to young Guard's.

Veterans released included:
DE Rondell Estep (1 yr, 14 games/12 starts, 14 tkls, 9 assists, 2.5 sacks career)

Rookies released included: TE Dean Coker, FB Bernie Belyeu, QB Deon Hicks, K Harvey White

[JonInMiddleGA]

After about six weeks of downtime on this dynasty, there's actually another update.
And it's a pretty big one.

Not only is the 2022 regular season uploaded & ready for your enjoyment, but so are the 2023 & 2024 seasons.

I plan to continue to bump this thread when additional seasons are available, but the updates themselves are going to be posted to my new website. Nothing wrong with here at all, I'm just trying to get all of my dynasty stuff in one place, so that people from might try some of my others while folks who have followed some of my new tabletop campaigns (with Classic Golf & soon-to-be-posted UltraQuick Boxing) might discover FOF.

So, to get the latest on those bumbling-but-lovable Arizona Cardinals
http://middlegaonline.com/games/misfit/misfitindex.html

To check out some of the other content I've got up (right now it's just the golf)
http://middlegaonline.com/games/gamesindex.html

[JonInMiddleGA]

The 2025 season summary is now uploaded.

For the latest on those bumbling-but-lovable Arizona Cardinals
http://middlegaonline.com/games/misfit/misfitindex.html

To check out some of the other content I've got up (right now that's only Classic Golf 1980 replay)
http://middlegaonline.com/games/gamesindex.html

[dixieflatline]

Jon,

Nice update. I really like the website. I am glad that you are sticking with this even though it's been tough going. Glad to see that you crept above .500 this year maybe this will start to turn things around. A couple of questions about how things are going. Have you refined your "post" draft free agent selections since starting or do you feel this is still a crap shoot? I noticed you signing a couple more UFAs in the last couple of years from other teams. How effective has this been and are these mostly players that "boomed" after playing about 5 year like we have seen in the past? How does the team cohesion look? Are you taking advantage of affities with the postion leaders? With the large roster turnover I am guessing that you don't have a lot of mentors on the roster. Have you thought about keeping some scrubs around that are a bit older that might have high leadership in hopes they will become leaders?

With your tight restrictions maybe trying to maximize some of these "intangibles"(though obviously they are tangible in the FOF world) might help oush you over the hump.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dixieflatline -- sorry for the delayed reply, I've been away from the computer more than at it for the past couple of days, which is kinda unusual for me.

Have you refined your "post" draft free agent selections since starting or do you feel this is still a crap shoot?

Hmm ... Honestly, I think it's still a crap shoot more than not, but maybe one with occasionally loaded dice. I admit that Skydog's theories/observations about possible keys to breakout players influence my selections at times & so that alone could skew my impressions
(i.e. I sign more guys with high Sol. test scores, high volatility, high-for-their-positions key abilities, etc ... I then have more breakout players who fit those criteria since they had more opportunities than before ... it's easy to believe that they're really more likely to breakout).

Still, my overall impressions from this dynasty is that most players are what they are within a certain range, that far more bust than boom (maybe they aren't busting, maybe they're just misjudged prior to training camp by my scout?), and that big booms are pretty few & far between.

I noticed you signing a couple more UFAs in the last couple of years from other teams. How effective has this been and are these mostly players that "boomed" after playing about 5 year like we have seen in the past?

Interesting question, because it made me think about something that I really hadn't pondered one way or another. My answer to the first part is that it's been a pretty effective tactic overall. It's not something I do often but it usually at least serves the purpose I intended at the time (usually to plug a gap without having to suffer through a learning curve).

The 2nd part of the question is what I hadn't considered -- am I signing players that have improved dramatically since they left my roster the first time around? The answer is an emphatic no, at least not consciously. I'd have to dig up some old numbers if possible to be sure, but I can't think of a single player that I've re-signed after they played elsewhere that was noticeably better than expected when he left.

I'd kinda brain tired at the moment, so I'm not sure about this but ...
I wonder if my house rule for possible veteran UFA signings is influencing
my results (and answer) quite a bit. My rule (not sure if I spelled this out along the way or not) is that I may only sign a veteran UFA from another team if:
A) Their first NFL experience was with me; AND
B) At least 50% of their total NFL games played has been with me.

[quote] How does the team cohesion look? [quote]

It's over the moon. Typically 85%-90%+, not infrequently pushing 100% in one or more position groups.

Are you taking advantage of affities with the postion leaders?

About the only time I give this a 2nd thought is when I'm trimming the roster after training camp or after pre-season. If two guys are pretty equal in my mind but one has to go, I'll usually cut the guy who has a conflict. Other than that, I barely look at this aspect at all.

With the large roster turnover I am guessing that you don't have a lot of mentors on the roster. Have you thought about keeping some scrubs around that are a bit older that might have high leadership in hopes they will become leaders?

Actually, I've been surprised by the number of guys who seem to stick around. Basically, on the unlikely occasion I manage to get a pretty decent player (say, anything 45+ to 50+ in current estimate), they stick around for quite a while because I'm not likely to replace them with anything better.

Loosely, "mentor" status is enough to keep a player on the roster one year longer than their talents would otherwise dictate. Once in a while, it buys a player two years, especially if I expect to be able to use them sparingly.

Another thing worth noting in my answers here, which may be skewing my responses somewhat (although very little skew IMO) -- I know what has happened in several seasons that haven't been posted to the web yet.
For example, I know which guys that are 6th yr vets in the online seasons are still playing their 11th or 12th year with me.

Even so, and I really gave this some thought while answering your questions, my answers would pretty much be the same with or without knowing those results. There's only one specific difference that I believe has made a real impact but it isn't something that's even mentioned anywhere in this thread, nor can I really talk about it without pretty much handing out a spoiler for the seasons I'll be posting in the next week or so.
And even that is something that a "difference" that is almost certainly all in my head & doesn't really matter one iota !

To be very candid, especially during the unposted seasons, I feel I've fallen pretty much right back into the lather-rinse-repeat cycle that initially prompted this effort in the first place. That's probably my fault moreso than the game's fault, but it's the truth.

The big difference is that, instead of l-r-r cycle producing multiple consecutive F.O. Bowl wins, it's producing one heck of a fight just to be respectable. And that's still proving to be a pretty interesting situation for me (I've played through nearly 3 seasons in the past week, after not really touching the game for nearly two months).

Thanks again for your interest. I was kind of afraid that switching to the website would turn my few readers off, it's encouraging to know that at least some folks are sticking with me & those more-bumbling-than-rumbling Cardinals.

Jon

[JonInMiddleGA]

The 2026 season summary is now uploaded.

Can the Cards capitalize on the momentum of their first winning season in 13 years? Find out now at:
http://www.middlegaonline.com/games/...ttoys2026.html
For the history of those bumbling-but-lovable Arizona Cardinals
http://middlegaonline.com/games/misfit/misfitindex.html

To check out some of the other game content I've got up (right now that's only Classic Golf 1980 replay)
http://middlegaonline.com/games/gamesindex.html

[dixieflatline]

Thanks for the detailed response. The new website is fine but please keep the direct link to the new year as to not spoil the season results. On the cusp again but the teams value and roster seem to be improving so that seems like a good sign. You won a lot of close games last year so even though you dipped back to 8-8 this year the team might have been improved.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by dixieflatline

The new website is fine but please keep the direct link to the new year as to not spoil the season results.

Thanks for reinforcing that decision to me.

It's funny, but I hadn't thought even about that until posting 2026 yesterday & figured it was a good idea to make that small change in how I posted 'em here. I'll do my best to keep the same format (a direct-to-season link & a different go-to-the-summary link) from now on.

FWIW, I don't know if everybody likes the whole "go-to-the-website" style but for me, I've been pretty happy with the change (I was very uncertain about whether I'd like it). It's actually a good bit easier to paste my stuff into one web page instead of splitting into multiple posts here (I never was comfortable with hanging onelongassallinone post). And when it comes to me & dynasties/campaigns/etc, easier usually = more consistent & persistent.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The 2027 season summary is now uploaded.

In 2026, the Cardinals tied for the NFC West title but were denied the postseason by tiebreakers. Will this be the year? Or was it all a cruel mirage? Find out now at:
http://www.middlegaonline.com/games/...ttoys2027.html

For the history of those bumbling-but-lovable Arizona Cardinals
http://middlegaonline.com/games/misfit/misfitindex.html


To go directly to one of my other campaigns/dynasties
UltraQuick Boxing Heavyweight Campaign
Classic Golf 1980 PGA Tour Campaign

[JonInMiddleGA]

The 2028 season summary is now uploaded.

Read the 2028 season summary here

For the history of those bumbling-but-lovable Arizona Cardinals
http://middlegaonline.com/games/misfit/misfitindex.html


To go directly to one of my other campaigns/dynasties
UltraQuick Boxing Heavyweight Campaign
Classic Golf 1980 PGA Tour Campaign

[JonInMiddleGA]

A new city, a new stadium, a new outlook?

The 2029 season summary is now uploaded.
Go directly to the 2029 season summary (and avoid front page spoiler)

For the complete history of those bumbling-but-lovable Arizona Cardinals
http://middlegaonline.com/games/misfit/misfitindex.html


To go directly to one of my other campaigns/dynasties
UltraQuick Boxing Heavyweight Campaign
Classic Golf 1980 PGA Tour Campaign

[JonInMiddleGA]

Coming off our 3rd straight post-season appearance, is 2030 the year we finally break through with some post-season success?

The 2030 season summary is now uploaded.
Go directly to the 2030 season summary (and avoid front page spoiler)
http://www.middlegaonline.com/games/...ttoys2030.html

For the complete history of those bumbling-but-lovable Arizona Cardinals
http://middlegaonline.com/games/misfit/misfitindex.html


To go directly to one of my other campaigns/dynasties
http://www.middlegaonline.com/games/...aignindex.html
http://www.middlegaonline.com/games/CG1980index.html

Still to come in the fairly near future:
The 2031 season of the Quake
The beginning of the 1982 PGA Tour
Another batch update of the HW Boxing campaign

As always, thanks for reading.

[QuikSand]

The link didn't work for me... but I'm interested in the results of your IMT career. Sounds like you have battled for respectability, but might have pulled things together recently. Not bad.

I've always felt that while the IMT concept was pretty interesting, for me it pretty much comes down to dumb luck -- if a good breakout player or two come along at the right time in key positions, then suddenly I can put together a pretty darned good team. If not, and I have to suffer with inadequate players at places like QB, DE, and CB - then I tend to get frustrated watching the team get pounded. But I don't feel like it's very much a product of my skills, but rather the luck involved in what players happen to fall through the cracks.

Good luck, in any event.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Quik -- Seems my host was having all sorts of issues yesterday.
At one point, links would only work if you put the "www" in front of them. Now, intermittently (and apparently again at this very moment), they aren't working at all. Not sure WTH is going on with them, I've gotta check on that later today I guess.

But thanks for looking in (well, at least trying to look in )