GroupThink 3 - Kitty Hawk, 2022

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by albionmoonlight
I did see the Emerson thing and I did cut him. I did not even think of IR. That would have saved us a roster spot.

Originally posted by albionmoonlight
I picked up C.J. Johnstone off the street to give us 3 atcive DEs. I don't know if that is a technical violation of our rules or not, but he sucks, so I did not do it for any competitive advantage.

Tough combination of events there. We do have enough DTs and LBs to cover the open spot at DE, though...

[Fritz]

I wish I had paid attention enough to get in on the cuts. oh well.

[Buzzbee]

Injured reserve wouldn't have helped us. I tried. It still lists them as being on your roster, so we would have still had 54 on our roster.

[Buzzbee]

SCOUTING REPORT: Memphis Kings

Offense
They are fairly balanced on offense with talented players all over the field. Their QB is very good and has two good receivers to throw to. However the top receiver, FL Sedrick Mitchell is questionable for this game with a hyperextended elbow. Double teaming the top receiver should limit their effectiveness through the air. The starting RB is out, but his backup appears to be just as good. They like to mix up the offense and are fairly balanced (152 rush att, 128 pass att). They are rated 1st in the leage in rushing yards and 8th in passing, 1st in points per game.

The O Line is pretty good with no real weaknesses. The Tackles are very good while our pass rush might prove effective up the middle.

Defense
Injuries on the D Line have weakened it significantly. They are 31 in the league in YPC. There is no strong position on the D Line so we should be able to pick our holes. The LB's are average, with former Flyer MLB Desmond Shon leading the charge. Unlike most teams, they are stronger at WLB than they are at SLB. The secondary is pretty good, but hampered by injury. However, they do still have some talent available at CB. The SS is good, the FS is not.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Buzzbee
Injured reserve wouldn't have helped us. I tried. It still lists them as being on your roster, so we would have still had 54 on our roster.

It lists them on your roster, but they don't count when determining how many players you have.

Actually, I see that albion has put him on IR. If we're not keeping him around for next season, we can cut him and save $420k. If we don't mind the money, we can keep him around and see if he'll compete next year.

Interestingly, I see WR Nolan Irwin has caught on with Key West, and is listed as their starter (their receivers are banged up). He's played one game and caught 6 balls for 99 yards and a TD.

[Buzzbee]

SCOUTING REPORT: Puget Sound Puddlejumpers

Offense
They have a great receiver in Eugene Dodge. The problem is that they have no one to get the ball to him. Their QB's SUCK! They also do not have much of a running game to use to open up the pass. Dodge is also coming off ACL surgery and hasn't played this season, but is currently Probable.

The O Line is good enough to open some holes for the mediocre backs and to give the shitty QB some time to throw. RT is a weakness. We SHOULD have a good day.

Defense
Injuries to LDE C. J. Benton and LDT Leslie Brooks leave the defensive line in poor shape. Brooks may be back in time for us though. They have a LOT of talent and depth at SLB and MLB. MLB Darnell Wesson is a big time player in the middle.

The corners are good at helping stop the run, and are good in man to man coverage, but can be picked on. The safeties are talented and could give us problems deep.

[Fritz]

not a big deal I guess, but I feel like we moved a bit fast last night.

[Fritz]

Kitty Hawk 24 at Memphis 19.

A good outcome considering Memphis was a 10 point fav.

On O we just beat on them with 40 rushes. Francis came into game early and managed the game well.

On D Middleton was the star with 11 Tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Our injury list is growing:

Injury Report:

Rondell Kowalski, FB - Knee Tendinitis, Probable, full strength in about 2 weeks.

Bryan Manning, LDE - Hyperextended Knee, Out, full strength in about 3 weeks.

Ellis Peters, LDT - Torn Calf Muscle, Out, full strength in about 7 weeks.

Heath Sparks, QB - Hyperextended Knee, Doubtful, full strength in about 2 weeks.

Bart Guthrie, RDT - Strained Deltoid Muscle, Probable, full strength in about 1 week.

Robert Sanderson, FL - Bruised Ribcage, Probable, full strength in about 2 weeks.

Larry Wylie, TE - Strained Patellar Tendon, Questionable, full strength in about 3 weeks.

[Fritz]

I am resting Sparks for a week or two.

I have moved Guthrie into Peters slot.

We are short a reserve DE now, so I have WLB Mitchell sitting in there.

[Fritz]

Box Score: Kitty Hawk 27 at Puget Sound 24

We don;t cover the 6 point spread, but a W is a W.

Finley Led the rushing game with 105 yards on 15 carries (7.3 YPC for those of you who are not manufactured by IBM). Rubble carried the ball for our only rushing TD

Francis had a fair game.

Daniels was our true star of the game, gettin 2 Ints for 59 yards and a TD.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Fritz
Finley Led the rushing game with 105 yards on 15 carries (7.3 YPC for those of you who are not manufactured by IBM).

ERROR ERROR 7.00.... 7.00... 7.00 ERROR ERROR

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Fritz
I wish I had paid attention enough to get in on the cuts. oh well.

For future reference... what would you have done differently?

[Fritz]

Originally posted by QuikSand
For future reference... what would you have done differently?

My plan was to keep 1 of the Gs cut, RB Rivers, and to only keep 5 WR.

That said, I don't honestly expect to hold up the progress of the project.

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by albionmoonlight
I did see the Emerson thing and I did cut him.

I did not even think of IR. That would have saved us a roster spot.

Kitty Hawk Herald (sports section) - MANAGEMENT GAFF COSTS FLYERS ROSTER SPOT

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
Kitty Hawk Herald (sports section) - MANAGEMENT GAFF COSTS FLYERS ROSTER SPOT

Well, not in the long run...our spin would be that we expected Satterlee to make the team and didn't realize the true extent of his injury. When he was reevaluated, we decided to place him on IR. It was just unfortunate that one of our cuts was DE Geoff Emerson, which left us thin at the position when Mr. Free Agent bigshot got injured.

[Fritz]

Athens 10 at Kitty Hawk 52

We covered the spread.

Rushing was a group effort. Finley was stuffed for a 2.2 avg, but Harden (2Tds) and Rubble were ripping them up.

Francis hada nice game, but went out.

Song had 5 catches for a 104 yards. I love to see WR with a per catch avg over 20.


Henderson pulled a nice one out of the sky and returned it for a 76 yard TD.

[Fritz]

We don't have any healthy DEs, so I have slotted Manning (probable) and LB Mitchell as the starters and Sinclair (Questionable) as the reserve.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Fritz
We don't have any healthy DEs, so I have slotted Manning (probable) and LB Mitchell as the starters and Sinclair (Questionable) as the reserve.

::shivers::

I think this is the right thing to do... but I sure hope we don't lose either one for a long spell.

[Fritz]

Kitty Hawk 22 at Mazatlan 18

Another game where we do not cover (6), but get the W.

KYH 98 Buddy Middleton was picked as player of the game.

Another nice team rushing effort. Rubble was strong today.

Francis was 8 of 13 for 85 yards. But he had 2 TDs (both to Song) and 0 ints.

Middleton had 4 sacks.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by QuikSand
::shivers::

I think this is the right thing to do... but I sure hope we don't lose either one for a long spell.

nope, worked out well.

[Fritz]

Before I send the file:

Sparks is healthy, but I want to keep francis in. He has played mutch better ball, and we are on a 4 game win streak with him under center.

[Fritz]

file 1

[Fritz]

file 2

[QuikSand]

Front Office Football: The Fourth Edition
2022 Summary for Kitty Hawk Flyers
   
Record: 5-3
Winning Pct.: .625
   
Kitty Hawk Flyers       Team      Rank  
Rushes                  272       1           
Rushing Yards           1135      2           
Yards Per Carry         4.17      2           
Pass Attempts           209       30          
Completions             119       31          
Passing Yards           1536      26          
Yards Per Attempt       7.34      6           
3rd Down Conversions    45.3      3           
Points Per Game         26.7      1           
Turnovers               10        6 (T)       
Turnover Margin         +5        6           
   
Opponents               Team      Rank  
Rushes                  193       14          
Rushing Yards           688       10          
Yards Per Carry         3.56      14          
Pass Attempts           315       32          
Completions             191       32          
Passing Yards           2239      32          
Yards Per Attempt       7.10      26          
3rd Down Conversions    41.8      25          
Points Per Game         20.0      16 (T)      
Turnovers               15        7 (T)       
   
Week  Team  Versus        Oppnt  
1     34    MAZ           19      
2     17    at LVL        24      
3     17    HWK           19      
4     21    SAC           27      
5     24    at MEM        19      
6     27    at  PS        24      
7     52    ATH           10      
8     22    at MAZ        18      
9           DVY                   
11          BER                   
12          at OCY                
13          at SSM                
14          LKE                   
15          at BER                
16          WHE                   
17          at ATH                
   
Passing             Pos   Att   Comp  Yards Y/Att TD    Int  
18 Sparks           QB    112   61    781   6.97  7     6       
8 Francis           QB    88    53    704   8.00  7     2       
**Team              ---   209   119   1536  7.34  15    8       
   
Rushing             Pos   Att   Yards Y/Att TD  
20 Finley           RB    146   592   4.05  4       
47 Harden           RB    70    313   4.47  3       
39 Rubble           FB    36    195   5.41  1       
**Team              ---   272   1135  4.17  8       
   
Receiving           Pos   Targ  Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC   TD  
84 Song             WR    60    25    447   17.8  64    4       
81 Carr             WR    36    20    280   14.0  33    4       
39 Rubble           FB    26    19    155   8.1   51    3       
20 Finley           RB    21    16    184   11.5  39    1       
83 Sanderson        WR    18    10    142   14.2  13    0       
80 Diana            TE    12    6     86    14.3  6     0       
47 Harden           RB    11    7     101   14.4  46    0       
87 Jefferson        WR    8     3     16    5.3   0     2       
**Team              ---   209   119   1536  12.9  273   15      
   
Defense             Pos   Tack  Asst  Sack  Hurr  Ints  Defn  
33 Hawkins          S     55    8     1.0   2     0     5       
96 Daniels          ILB   52    21    5.0   2     3     7       
30 Reynolds         S     44    9     1.0   0     2     4       
98 Middleton        OLB   42    10    8.5   10    0     3       
45 McNair           S     30    3     1.0   0     0     4       
29 Bordano          CB    29    8     0.0   0     1     13       
Front Office Football: The Fourth Edition
77 Littlejohn       DT    27    9     2.5   5     0     1       
42 Henderson        CB    24    6     0.0   1     2     7       
90 Sinclair         DE    23    6     5.5   3     0     0       
97 Rapp             OLB   15    6     0.0   0     0     2       
50 Mills            OLB   14    7     0.0   1     0     3       
70 Peters           DT    9     10    0.0   4     0     0       
**Team              ---   438   121   29.0  35    8     52       

[QuikSand]

Tough to argue against QB Francis - he has been very sharp.

Does the current backfield depth chart represent what we have been playing with? Or have you opted to give WR Sanderson more work in lieu of WR Carr?

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by cuervo72
Well, not in the long run...our spin would be that we expected Satterlee to make the team and didn't realize the true extent of his injury. When he was reevaluated, we decided to place him on IR. It was just unfortunate that one of our cuts was DE Geoff Emerson, which left us thin at the position when Mr. Free Agent bigshot got injured.

Good to see you have a P.R. man on staff.

[QuikSand]

We're getting pretty good numbers from LB Middleton from the blitzing spot, but I'm disappointed with his coverage stats, despite having great ratings for all the relevant things.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally posted by QuikSand
We're getting pretty good numbers from LB Middleton from the blitzing spot, but I'm disappointed with his coverage stats, despite having great ratings for all the relevant things.

I don't see how it would affect things, but perhaps his high blitz percentage is hurting his coverage skills. IRL, I imagine when you have a LB who blitzes 70% of the time, he is a bit rusty when he actually has to drop back and cover someone. I don't think that FOF would model that, though.

Sorry about the fast pace, Fritz. I felt that people wanted to get moving, so I went and did the first four games. I'll make sure to err on the side of paitence in the future.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by QuikSand
Tough to argue against QB Francis - he has been very sharp.

Does the current backfield depth chart represent what we have been playing with? Or have you opted to give WR Sanderson more work in lieu of WR Carr?

Both have seen starting time. Carr had the last few, but I want to give Sanderson another go.

Nice line above

3rd Down Conversions 45.3% (Ranked 3rd)

[albionmoonlight]

So we are in last place on D in terms of giving up passing attempts, passing completions, and passing yards. Any suggestions?

[cuervo72]

Any chance we can work any of the disgruntled gentlemen (SLB Howie Boyd, RG Jerry Johnson, RT Frank Grolsko) more into the mix? Boyd isn't on the depth chart at all at LB. Was there a reason Johnson was beaten out by Rufus Peterson for the RG job (if I recall, Johnson was a FA acquisition, and Peterson was a last-minute resignee). I suppose Peterson being in there is good for cohesion though, and the two are near equal overall, with Johnson having more power. Grolsko shouldn't be complaining about anything.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by albionmoonlight
Sorry about the fast pace, Fritz. I felt that people wanted to get moving, so I went and did the first four games. I'll make sure to err on the side of paitence in the future.

I don't know about that... not to single out Fritz needlessly, but...

The game sat still the entire day yesterday, with the preseason completed (after an entire weekend of sitting idly, with our roster pretty much known at that point). The obvious next step was the final cut-downs so we could play our first real game. We had some discussion early in the day, and then resolved that the games would be played that night.

This doesn't seem like a whirlwind turnaround to me. We had an entire day and evening, where every one of our active participants was on the forum and even participating in the thread, to discuss the next step.

We got two different people to offer up their suggested list of roster cuts (several hours apart, even), and even then an extra invitation for the OC to offer comments.

At any point in the process, from about 9am until 9pm, if any participant had simply said "I'm not going to be able to look a cuts until later tonight, can we slow down?" - I have no doubt that we would have done so. We have always acceded to any such request.

Everybody was discussing the team, everybody was involved, everybody hadplenty of chance to either opine or ask for time. I don't think you did anything too hastily at all, albion, and I don't think we need to walk on eggshells forever because of this non-incident. I want to be respectful of everyone's interest and availability, but in this case we (and you especially) did everything the right way.

[Fritz]

IMHO, this is a non issue. lets move on before it becomes one.

edit: The best thing about the "G" is that more than one brain is at play. A fantastic thing because it offers nuances that an AI will never be able to replicate.

I was just expressing some disapointment when I should have been saying thank you for keeping the beast in motion.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by QuikSand
I don't know about that... not to single out Fritz needlessly, but...

The game sat still the entire day yesterday (while Fritz dicked around), with the preseason completed (after an entire weekend of sitting idly because of Fritz, with our roster pretty much known at that point). The obvious next step was the final cut-downs so we could play our first real game, but nooooo, Fritz was too busy. We had some discussion early in the day, except for Fritz, and then resolved that the games would be played that night.

This doesn't seem like a whirlwind turnaround to me. We had an entire day and evening, where every one of our active participants, including Fritz, was on the forum and even participating in the thread, to discuss the next step.

We got two different people (neither of them Fritz) to offer up their suggested list of roster cuts (several hours apart, even), and even then an extra invitation for the OC (Fritz as I recall) to offer comments.

At any point in the process, from about 9am until 9pm, if any participant (read Fritz)had simply said "I'm not going to be able to look a cuts until later tonight, can we slow down?" - I have no doubt that we would have done so. We have always acceded to any such request from Fritz.

Everybody was discussing the team, everybody was involved, everybody hadplenty of chance to either opine or ask for time. Ok, Fritz thinks opine is a type of tree, but you get my point. I don't think you did anything too hastily at all, albion, and I don't think we need to walk on eggshells forever because of Fritz. I want to be respectful of everyone's interest and availability, but in this case we (and you especially) did everything the right way. Fritz should just shut his pie hole

Why should I feel singled out?

[cuervo72]

Here, have some of this.....will make you feel better.

[cuervo72]

I know we haven't gotten the official scouting report on the Death Valley Saguaros yet, but here are some observations:

They are starting a first year UFA at RG (19/32). Their LT is also weak (28/40, looks like a 1st round bust). Their QB Colin Johann is a 3rd year guy with no game experience prior to this year.

They have a MONSTER of a LDE in Jerald Terry (77/80). Of course their backup is rated 10/10! Their starting LDT is out. Their secondary looks pretty good.

[Fritz]

Daniels is certainly trying to earn his paycheck this season.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Fritz
Nice line above

3rd Down Conversions 45.3% (Ranked 3rd)

Yes, but we are allowing opponents to convert at neary as high a clip - over 41%. That's too high.

Should we resume the multi-player blitzing? My recollection was that we really soared late last season when we ratcheted this up.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally posted by QuikSand
Should we resume the multi-player blitzing? My recollection was that we really soared late last season when we ratcheted this up.

I jacked that back up before I sent the file back to Fritz. We are 4-0 since then. I think that the QB change has more to do with it than anything, but I am certainly not changing back.

I think that I am just going to play a bit more nickel and dime and a bit more expect extreme pass and don't expect extreme run.

[Fritz]

The key thing is
Points per game (US) 26.7
Points per game (THEM) 20

Can we spread that apart a little more? Can the D deny them just 4/10ths of a point more? I bet they can.

[Fritz]

look at Jefferson. 3 catches, 2 TDs.

[albionmoonlight]

What is the average ppg?

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Fritz
look at Jefferson. 3 catches, 2 TDs.

Those TD's are from 1 and 3 yards.

Congratulations, we've drafted Cris Carter!

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Fritz
The key thing is
Points per game (US) 26.7
Points per game (THEM) 20

Can we spread that apart a little more? Can the D deny them just 4/10ths of a point more? I bet they can.

Does this account for the 3 TD's the defense has scored?

[Fritz]

Originally posted by cuervo72
Does this account for the 3 TD's the defense has scored?

Good question. I would guess yes.

[cuervo72]

Just checked, and it does. 26.75 ppg. Which I believe is technically 26.8 and not 26.7 (round up if preceeding digit odd, down if even). Better tell Jim.

[Fritz]

I hate buggy software

[Buzzbee]

SCOUTING REPORT: Death Valley Saguaros

Expect a low scoring game.

Offense
As stated above by my esteemed colleague, dey ain't got shit at QB. They are last in the league in passing yards and 26th in attempts. Their running game is pretty good ranking 7th in yardage and 9th in YPC. The receivers arent' very good, but would probably be better if they had a decent QB. The Saguaros have caught a mere 128 of 226 passes, but have only dropped 13.

The offensive line has a pretty good player at RT, but the rest of the line is below average. As Cuervo pointed out, they do need some Right Guard because at that spot they stink.

We should have a pretty good day defensively, even if we are focused on the pass.

Defense

Jerald Terry - 7 games, 27 tackles, 9 assists, 9.5 sacks, 1 block, 15 hurries.

Ratings: Run - 87, Pass Tech - 73, Pass Str. - 70, Play Diagnosis - 88, Punish Hitter - 85, Endurance - 56.

Assistant Scout Cuervo was correct in his assessment of LDE Jerald Terry, the fifth year man out of Georgia Tech. He was named All-League 2nd Team Defensive End and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. In 2021 his performance earned him 1st Team All-League distinction. He's averaging over a sack and two hurries per game. The rest of the D Line is average, with some weakness at RDE. RDT Gino Jarvis is a proven run stopper.

SLB is a very big weakness for the Saguaros, but with Jerald Terry at LDE, it doesn't matter much. MLB's and WLB's are average to a little above average. They don't blitz much and don't get many sacks.

The cornerbacks for the Cacti are one reason Jerald Terry is so effective. The QB holds the ball a long time because the corners don't let the recievers get open. LCB Alex Helming is one of the leagues best. He grades out at 94 for Run Defense, 91 at Man 2 Man, 88 in play diagnosis, and 75 in interceptions. On the other side of the field Teddy Sims isn't as good at stopping the run, but plays a similar style to Helming.

The Safeties are fairly solid. SS Troy Spence and FS Leland Bingenheimer are 1st and 3rd on the team in tackles, respectively. They won't get many picks, but they make the tackles after the catch.

{EDIT: There were some names on this roster that I just couldn't pass up pointing out:

TE - Pork Chop Welshans

TE - Pete Parker (Guess he wanted to be a little incognito after the movie Spiderman was such a huge success)

LT - Ronald Concerto (Odd name for an offensive lineman. They usually aren't that cultured)

K - Norbert Wojciechowicz (Had to look back three times to get the spelling right. Woulda hated being him as a kid. A scrawny kicker with THAT name?!?!?)

LDT - Bernie McWilliams (Combination of comedian Bernie Mac and Yankees star Bernie Williams)

LDT - Mo Coles (sounds like a BBQ - yeah, I know, that was BAD)

And my personal favorite:

C - Otis Came (Well, GOOD for him!!!)}

[albionmoonlight]

Perhaps the multiple blitz does make a difference. I was just crunching #s and see that for the first four games, we were giving up 22.25 ppg, but for the last four, we only gave up 17.75 ppg.

We are still giving up way too much yardage through the air (in that, no one has given up more). I am going to work on that before simming tonight. A game against Death Valley should help.

[Buzzbee]

I should have the other scouting reports in the next few hours or so. Will hopefully have them done by 9 or 10.