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04-07-2001, 09:20 PM
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#51 | ||
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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FREE AGENCY
Not including our franchise player, Robert Lange, we have three UFA’s this season: LB Lenny Tarpley, TE Christian Harding, and T Glenn Cooley. We won’t make an effort to resign any of them. With the emergence of Leon Phenex, our 3rd round pick from last season, Tarpley would be a backup this year, and not worth the big money that he’s after. Harding is a 14 year veteran that we signed to a 1 year contract last season for added depth as our #2 TE, but he’s not worth paying the $5 million that he’s asking for this season. Cooley had already lost his starting job to Wes Carswell last season, and that isn’t going to change, so there’s no reason to shell out the money that Cooley is seeking. We have a very limited amount of cap money available for free agency this season, but we really don’t have many needs. We have good quality at all of our 24 starting positions, and decent depth at many of them. We’ll take a look at the end of the 20 step process to see if there is any value left, and we’ll look to the draft for added depth and future starters for some of our aging players. In week 5, Harding signs a 2/9.31 contract with Tampa Bay. In week 7, Cooley signs with Seattle for 2/16.58. In week 9, Tarpley signs a 3/16.80 contract with Cleveland. In week 20, we decide to spend some of our limited available money to shore up our depth at a couple of key positions, tackle and cornerback. We sign tackle Brian Apple (11/48) to a bonus-free 3/4.53 contract, and we sign cornerback Derrick Banks (20/50) to a 2/7.05 contract. |
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04-07-2001, 10:53 PM
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#52 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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DRAFT
We set at all of our starting positions, so we’ll be looking for depth at tight end, wide receiver, guard, defensive end and linebacker.
After the draft, we sign our franchise player Robert Lange to a 4/37.99 contract. For our special URFA, we sign C Jeff Peterson (14/71) to a 7/9.72 contract. This leaves us with 47 signed players, so we sign 6 UFRA’s and head to camp. Here is our post camp roster:
The voters approved our new stadium by an overwhelming margin, 63% to 37%. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2030. We go 3-1 in preseason, playing our backups and resting our key players. We lose defensive end Alan Fredrickson and wide receiver Harvey Chapman for 2 to 3 months with injuries. [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 04-07-2001).] |
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04-08-2001, 02:15 AM
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#53 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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REGULAR SEASON
San Francisco 19 at Maine 35 We open up with a fine performance from Daryl Erickson, who hits 20 out of 35 for 324 yards, 4 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Wayne Littleton rushes for 98 yards and 1 TD on just 13 carries. Victor Marx hauls in 6 receptions for 176 yards and 1 TD. We lose DT Lionel Riley for the season with a knee injury. Maine (1-0) 17 at Chicago (1-0) 14 Littleton rushes for 102 yards on 14 carries, and Erickson hits 19 out of 27 for 152 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Our defense holds the Bears to 35 yards rushing. Maine (2-0) 7 at Carolina (2-0) 10 The Panthers take over first place in the division after this brutal defensive struggle. Erickson throws 2 costly interceptions in the loss. Maine (2-1) 17 at Atlanta (2-1) 27 The injuries start to mount. For the second season in a row, we lose Daryl Erickson for several games, this time with a sprained neck. Hegamin did a decent job in relief, hitting 23 out of 45 for 347 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. New Orleans (1-3-1) 14 at Maine (2-2) 44 Backup running back Everett Willis rushes for 123 yards and 2 TD’s on 15 carries. Hegamin fills in for Erickson, hitting 19 out of 30 for 322 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. We outgain the Saints 513 to 254. Maine (3-2) 14 at San Francisco (2-4) 10 The Niners completely stuff our running game, holding us to just 48 yards. We return the favor by holding them to 22 rushing yards. Hegamin has a decent game, hitting 13 out of 20 for 205 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. St. Louis (2-4) 7 at Maine (4-2) 45 Hegamin has a flawless game, hitting 23 out of 30 for 288 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Our backs combine for 157 yards on 36 carries. Our defense holds the Rams to 82 total yards. Tackle Brett Sullivan joins the injured list with a broken foot. Maine (5-2) 34 at Buffalo (4-3) 24 In a rematch of last year’s Superbowl, we prevail again. Littleton rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown. J.B. Tate runs back an interception 66 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory. Atlanta (4-4) 12 at Maine (6-2) 26 We grind out 150 yards rushing in this defensive struggle. Carolina (9-0) 20 at Maine (7-2) 14 The Panthers continue their demolition of the NFL, winning their 10th consecutive game. We put up a decent fight, as our 3rd string QB Roderick Houston is forced into action after Hegamin gets knocked out of the game. The win all but assures the Panthers of the division title, and we are relegated to fighting for a wildcard berth. Indianapolis (3-7) 8 at Maine (7-3) 34 Erickson returns to the starting lineup, and he hits 15 out of 24 for 225 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Littleton grinds out 129 yards and 2 TD’s on 23 carries. Our defense holds the Colts to 153 total yards. Minnesota (6-5) 14 at Maine (8-3) 23 The Vikings manage to keep it close, even though we outgain them 423 to 222. Maine (9-3) 17 at St. Louis (5-7) 29 An absolute pathetic effort by the Moose, losing to an inferior team. Carolina moves to 13-0 and clinches home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Maine (9-4) 20 at New Orleans (2-10-1) 0 Littleton rushes for 104 yards and 1 TD. Our defense holds the Saints to 143 total yards. Maine (10-4) 20 at Philadelphia (7-7)14 We have the second best record in the NFC, and unfortunately, we will be the #4 seed, as the juggernaut Panthers move to 15-0. We will rest as many key players as we can next week. New England (9-6) 20 at Maine (11-4) 23 The game is meaningless to us; however, the Patriots are eliminated from the playoffs after their loss. We try to hold out as many players as we can, but we still sustain some key injuries. The big news around the league is the Carolina Panthers’ undefeated 16-0 season. Can anyone beat them this year?
STATS QB Daryl Erickson 137/228/1642/60.0%/13 TD/7 INT/88.3 RAT QB Rex Hegamin 146/236/1948/61.8%/11 TD/9 INT/87.6 RAT RB Wayne Littleton 250/1040/4.1/6 TD WR Victor Marx 76/1103/14.5/8 TD WR Wayne Engleberger 64/955/14.9/5 TD TE O.J. Filar 41/515/12.5/3 TD G Claude Rebensdorf 31 KRB/43.0 BPct. DT J.R. Rayborn 9.5 SACKS DE Tyrell Stone 8.5 SACKS CB K.C.Caldwell 6 INT/1 TD/41.3 PDQ S J.B.Tate 4 INT/1 TD/43.7 PDQ Team YPG/Rank: Rush Offense: 130.9 / 4th Pass Offense: 234.7 / 7th Rush Defense: 85.0 / 3rd Pass Defense: 181.5/ 1st |
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04-08-2001, 02:33 AM
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#54 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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PLAYOFFS
Chicago 23 at Maine 35 The injury prone Erickson goes out again, and Hegamin comes in and completes 14 out of 18 for 172 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Littleton rushes for 128 yards on 17 carries. The bad news is that we have to travel to Carolina and play the undefeated Panthers. It appears as if Hegamin will get the start next week for the injured Erickson. Maine 19 at Carolina 22 Lionel Love kicks a 30 yard field goal on the last play of the game to send the undefeated Panthers to the NFC Championship game. We put up a valiant fight, but three interceptions by Hegamin are too much to overcome. Littleton rushes for 111 yards in a losing effort. The Arizona Cardinals upset the Panthers, ending their hopes for an undefeated season. The ten surviving members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins team are greatful for keeping their legacy intact. Arizona goes on to defeat San Diego 9-6 in the most boring Super Bowl of all time. AWARDS G George Boston, 1st team All-Pro |
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04-08-2001, 02:21 PM
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#55 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2026 SEASON
Herb’s score from 2025: 73/76/44/98 Overall: 73 Last year was a strange one, indeed. 12-4 during the regular season (4 games behind undefeated Carolina), good for second place in the division and the #4 seed in the NFC. Including the playoffs, we played the Panthers three times, losing by 3, 6, and 3. We have no retirees this season. Our profit last year was $18 million, down 79% from the previous season. This was due to the stadium payment of $134 million that we made (the first of five such payments). The fact that we still operated in the black is a tribute to the entire organization. Once our $2 billion state of the art stadium opens in 2030, our profits will go through the roof. Even though it is four years away, the entire state is excited. We induct our second player into the Moose “ring of honor”. Fullback Benjamin Schreiner played 13 seasons with the Moose, including eight spots on the All-Pro team. Schreiner, our fourth round draft choice out of Michigan State in 2010, consistently lead the league in receptions and key run blocks by a fullback. He will go down as one of the all time great fullbacks. Coach Klingler and lead scout Corley are performing well, and we are happy to welcome them back for another season. Our fan loyalty remains at 100, so we raise our ticket prices up to 5% (except in the areas where that would exceed New England’s prices). We designate WR Victor Marx as our franchise player. Here is our roster before making any cuts/renegotiations:
We have a player that is demanding to be traded, saftey Martin Sinclair. Under the house rules, this is the only circumstance under which we can initiate a trade. Unfortunately, we don’t get very much in return, but we end up trading Sinclair and our 7th pick for Denver’s 6th pick. We do save about $6 million in cap space with the trade. We renegotiate the contract of the following players in the final year of their current contracts: C Marcus Benavides 3/14.82, S J.B.Tate 2/8.61, G George Boston 2/11.33. We release TE Randy Walton. |
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04-08-2001, 03:53 PM
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#56 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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FREE AGENCY
This will be one of those years that goes down in history as a major rebuilding year. We have five UFA’s: QB Daryl Erickson, TE O.J. Filar, G Claude Rebensdorf, DE Alan Fredrickson, and DE Donald Corbett. In the toughest decision that we’ve ever had to make, we decide that we will not resign Erickson. He is asking for about $21 million per season, and there’s no way we can afford to pay him. We anticipated this last year, and if it hadn’t been for the emergence of our 3rd year QB, Rex Hegamin, we would have renegotiated Erickson’s contract last season. We feel that Hegamin’s time is now, and he is ready to lead the team. We’d like to resign Filar, as he is a quality tight end, but his initial salary request of about $6 million per season is too high. We will evaluate it further. He is about the sixth best tight end in free agency, and he’s asking for about $1.5 million more per season than the five that are ahead of him. We will wait him out until his demands come down. Rebensdorf, a 17 year veteran, is asking for about $6 million per season. We’ve locked up our other veteran guard, Boston, for two more seasons, and our two young guards have potentials in the 60’s, so we decide not to resign Rebensdorf. Fredrickson and Corbett are no-brainers; they are both average players, and not worth free agent money. We will look to weeks 11-20 to see if any quality DE’s are available, and if not, we might use our 1st round draft choice on a DE. We’re going to make an aggressive move to sign All-Pro running back Melvin Sides, a 5th year UFA from the Montreal Alouettes. He has great all around skills including receiving, and he was named the league’s Offensive MVP last season. His initial salary request is for about $8.5 million per season, and we will pursue him aggressively. We lose out on Sides when he signs a 4/47.92 contract with the Steelers. We regroup, and decide to make a 3/30.99 offer to T Edwin Osborne (70/70)in week 3. He was a 1st team All-Pro last season, with a 98 rating in run blocking, and a 78 endurance. In week 4, Rebensdorf signs a 2/12.13 contract with the Colts. In week 5, Osborne signs with us. In week 8, Filar signs with Atlanta for 3/19.59. In week 10, Fredrickson signs a 1/3.86 contract with Buffalo. Corbett signs with the Redskins for a ludicrous 4/45.42. In week 11, we make an offer to TE Butch Boege, but Detroit outbids us and he signs with them in week 12. In week 20, we sign 3rd year DE Brock Stensrud (21/52) to a 2/6.61 contract. Not exactly what we wanted, but we can’t afford to be stuck with only one decent DE after the draft. Erickson does not get any offers, and he remains in the free agent pool. He has dropped his request down to about $14 million per season. |
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04-08-2001, 05:32 PM
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#57 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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DRAFT
Our biggest needs are a starting TE, and backups at DE, DT, and LB. We had our eye on TE Terry Reid, but the Jets took him as the 16th overall pick.
For our special URFA, we sign TE Lamar Page (17/60) to a 7/9.84 contract. We resign safety #3 and return specialist Ian Findley to a 1/1.5 contract. We resign our franchise player, Victor Marx, to a 2/13.27 contract. We sign six more URFA’s to bring our roster to 53. We do not resign RFA running back Wayne Littleton. He has fine overall skills, but his endurance is a 26, and he is incapable of playing more than a few plays without coming out of the game. We will turn over the running back duties to untested Everett Willis, our 3rd year man from Texas-El Paso. He has averaged 4.2 YPC during the past two seasons, so we hope he can get the job done behind our offensive line. Willis has good rushing skills, but he is a bit weak as a receiver. We take our 53 to training camp. Here is our post camp roster:
We go 1-3 during preseason, and we lose backup running back Glen Cornejo for the season. We place him on IR and sign URFA RB Norman Daniels (33/33) to a 1/580K contract. Our injured DT from last season, Lionel Riley, has not recovered from reconstructive knee surgery, so we place him on IR and sign URFA Bernie Branch to a 1/580K contract. |
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04-08-2001, 07:28 PM
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#58 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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REGULAR SEASON
San Francisco 13 at Maine 13 A weird beginning to an already strange season. We lose Wayne Engleberger right off the bat with his obligatory long term injury, this time for 2 to 3 months. Hegamin has an atrocious performance, throwing 4 interceptions. Our defense plays well, holding the Niners to 207 total yards. Maine (0-0-1) 6 at Arizona (0-1) 14 We lose our other starting wide receiver, Victor Marx, for the rest of the season, so after 2 weeks we’re down to our #3 and #4 wide receivers. The Cardinals hold us to 62 yards rushing. New Orleans (1-1) 33 at Maine (0-1-1) 38 We get our first win of the season, but we barely have enough bodies to take the field:
Our offense finally comes to life in this one. Willis rushes for 146 yards on 16 carries, and Hegamin hits 16 out of 28 for 227 yards, 3 TD’s and 2 INT’s. We’ll try to field enough bodies to play next week. Maine (1-1-1) 21 at Atlanta (2-1) 31 We have a chance to tie, but Hegamin throws an interception that is returned 72 yards for a touchdown late in the game. His QB rating stands at a putrid 63.6, but it’s not entirely his fault, throwing to a URFA receiving corps. St. Louis (3-0) 24 at Maine (1-2-1) 17 For the third consecutive week, Hegamin throws an interception that is run back for a touchdown. Montreal (2-2) 26 at Maine (1-3-1) 10 Former Moose QB Shane Dobbs comes in and rubs salt in our wounds, hitting 20 out of 28 for 233 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT. Baltimore (3-3) 3 at Maine (1-4-1) 26 Hegamin only throws 1 interception, and URFA running back Norman Daniels rushes for 179 yards on 27 carries. Our defense comes up with 5 big interceptions. We’re now down to our 4th and 5th string wide receivers. Maine (2-4-1) 31 at St. Louis (6-0) 17 Relegated to playing the role of “spoiler”, we delight in sending the Rams to their first defeat of the season. Willis rushes for 80 yards, and Hegamin throws 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Our defense runs back an interception and a fumble for touchdowns. Maine (3-4-1) 20 at Carolina (6-1) 34 Hegamin throws his obligatory interception returned for a touchdown, and Carolina stuff our rushing attack. Maine (3-5-1) 27 at Chicago (5-4) 21 (OT) Hegamin ties the game with a 29 yard pass to Harvey Chapman with 59 seconds left in the game. In OT< Hegamin hits Ricardo Wynn with a 14 yard TD pass for the win. Willis rushes for 150 yards on 30 carries, and Hegamin hits 25 out of 40 for 212 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Cleveland (5-5) 9 at Maine (4-5-1) 17 We pull to .500 for the first time this season. Hegamin throws 2 TD’s against 1 INT, and our defense holds the Browns to 168 total yards. Maine (5-5-1) 10 at Pittsburgh 17 (5-6) We have a brief stay at .500. The Steelers score 10 points in the last 1:55 of the game, including a 7 yard TD run with 6 seconds left in the game. Willis rushes for 104 yards in a losing effort. Carolina (10-2) 17 at Maine (5-6-1) 24 Reduced to playing for pride, we hand the first place Panthers their 3rd loss of the season. Our defense holds the Panthers to 211 total yards. Maine (6-6-1) 14 at San Francisco (2-10-1) 17 The loss fittingly mathematically eliminates us from the playoffs. Maine (6-7-1) 16 at New Orleans (6-8) 13 We play a bunch of disgruntled players. Atlanta (9-6) 17 at Maine (7-7-1) 31 After being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, we worsen our draft situation by winning our last two games.
STATS QB Rex Hegamin 283/486/2843/58.2%/20 TD/22 INT/69.8 RAT RB Everett Willis 292/1215/4.1/4 TD WR Ricardo Wynn 43/402/9.3/5 TD TE Oliver Homer 42/458/10.9/1 TD DE Tyrell Stone 8 SACKS DT J.R. Rayborn 6 SACKS LB Leslie Romeo 5 SACKS/92 TACK S Troy Cash 10 INT/52.7 PDQ CB K.C.Caldwell 5 INT/38.3 PDQ K Derrick Kaplan 25/30 FG Team YPG/Rank: Rush Offense: 130.5 / 3rd Pass Offense: 191.8 / 29th Rush Defense: 94.1 / 10th Pass Defense: 194.0 / 6th PLAYOFFS We did not qualify. The Buffalo Bills get the 36 year monkey off of their back, defeating the Green Bay Packers 14-3 in the Super Bowl, their first win in seven tries. AWARDS FB Billy Walton, 1st team All-Pro C Marcus Benavides, 2nd team All-Pro LB Leslie Romeo, 2nd team All-Pro S Troy Cash, 2nd team All-Pro |
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04-09-2001, 01:48 PM
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#59 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2027 SEASON
Herb’s score from 2026: 48/76/24/95 Overall: 60 Defensive tackle J. R. Rayborn announces his retirement. We lost $18 million last season, including a $134 million stadium payment. We keep Coach Klingler for another season. Denver steals our scout, Mel Corley away from us, so we bring in 39 year old T.J. Anthony. He signs a 5/300k contract. His ratings are F/E/V/G/G/G/G/V/G. Here is our off-season roster:
Clearly, we were dead wrong about our commitment to Hegamin at quarterback. In spite of having the raw ability, it is apparent that he is not a championship caliber quarterback. If we had gotten even average play from him in several games, we would have won three or four more games and made the playoffs. His 20/22 touchdown to interception ratio and 69.8 rating were the weak link in an otherwise strong team. Our original plan was to resign him as a UFA, but there is no way that we are going to do that now. He is asking for $15 million per season. If he had played well last year, we might have made him our franchise player, and negotiated his salary. This will leave us in a predicament, with untested 3rd year QB Courtney Swank as our only signed quarterback going into free agency. We designate CB Leo Fitzgerald as our franchise player. We release DT Lionel Riley, who never fully recovered from his devastating knee injury. We also release LB Dwight Ackerman, T Brian Apple, LB Jerry Firebaugh, TE Lamar Page, DT Lionel Riley, LB Donald Schultz. We renegotiate the contracts of the following players in the final year of their current contract’s: CB K.C. Caldwell 3/22.8, K Derrick Kaplan 3/6.37, P Charlie Terry 2/3.76. |
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04-09-2001, 02:19 PM
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#60 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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FREE AGENCY
We have five UFA’s entering free agency: T Brett Sullivan, FB Gerald Woody, QB Rex Hegamin, T Wes Carswell and DE Tyrell Stone. We need to keep either Sullivan or Carswell, as we are set at the other tackle spot with All-Pro Edwin Osborne. Carswell is much younger than Sullivan, but he has been complaining about playing time, and he is unhappy. Sullivan still has what it takes, even after 11 seasons, as evidenced by his 44.4 BPct. Last season. He is asking for about $1.5 million less per season than Carswell, so we decide to make Sullivan our keeper (we’ll see if we can sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal). Woody is not worth resigning, as he would now be a backup to All-Pro Billy Walton. We’ve already detailed the decision to let Hegamin go. Stone is a good player, but he is asking for far too much to resign (about $11 million per season). We’ll either get a replacement in the draft, or we’ll let the current backup, less talented DE Brock Stensrud, take over for about $8 million less per season. With our quarterback situation being so shaky, we take a look at the free agent pool. Last year’s NFL player of the year, Eagles’ QB Johnny Kaye, is asking for about $24 million per season, way out of our price range. The only other available decent QB is former Moose QB Daryl Erickson, who has been sitting in the free agent pool for over a year now. He is still asking for upwards of $18 million per season, more than we’re willing to pay the 38 year old. With it looking more and more like we’re going to have a mediocre QB this season, we decide to make an all-out effort to boost our running game, which we’ll be forced to rely on. We decide to go after Montreal Alouette All-Pro RB Melvin Sides, a speedster with great rushing and receiving skills. Unfortunately, the Steelers outbid us, and Sides signs with them in week 2. In week 5, Stone signs with New Orleans for 3/35.52. We resign T Brett Sullivan for 2/14.79. In Week 8, Woodie signs with Los Angeles for 3/13.69. Then, the unbelievable happens. Several teams, including the Eagles, bust their caps in the bidding war for quarterback Johnny Kaye (80/83). In week 20, we sign him to a 5/67.77 contract, which is a drop in the bucket compared to his initial demands. In the blink of an eye, we re-establish ourselves as the dominant franchise in the league. We also sign Green Bay linebacker Bennie Lentz (43/48) to a 3/13.90 contract. RFA Leon Phenix never quite got over the hump, and maxed out as an “average” linebacker, so the signing of Lentz should shore up that group. Hegamin and Carswell remain unclaimed after free agency. We have one RFA that we'll definitely resign before camp, fullback Billy Walton. Depending on what we do in the draft, we may also resign RFA running back Everett Willis, but he is asking for a lot of money. [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 04-09-2001).] |
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04-09-2001, 04:49 PM
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#61 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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DRAFT
Our biggest needs are a starting running back (if we don’t resign FA Willis), and backups at safety, wide receiver, guard and tight end.
After the draft, we resign RFA FB Billy Walton to a 3/9.94 contract, UFA T Wes Carswell to a 3/23.29 contract, RFA LB Leon Phenix to a 2/5.56 contract, and RFA QB Bo Perrault to a 3/10.48 contract. This may seem a bit high for a backup QB, but we need the insurance. Perrault looks like a capable backup, based on his limited stats with us last year (20 out of 27, 226 yds., 1 TD, 0 INT., 111.0 RAT). For our special URFA, we sign FB Leslie Noisy (32/61) to a 7/9.90 contract. We fill out the roster to 53 and head to camp. *Note: We were happy to see our all-time great quarterback Daryl Erickson sign just down the road with the New England Patriots. We wish him the very best as he closes out his NFL career. Here is our post-camp roster:
We have a fairly productive camp; however, our #2 draft choice, RB Amos Reilley busts. This means that the rushing chores will fall into the hands of Oregon URFA Brett Gilley (38/52), who we signed for the league minimum $550K before training camp. The rest of the camp news is good. Our #1 pick, TE Reuben Floyd, looks like the real deal and should develop into one of the most dominant TE’s in the game. Our #3 pick, WR Jose Sirmon beats out veteran Victor Marx for the second WR slot. Our other draft choices come out fine. The post camp buzz around the league is the breakout of 2nd year Moose DT Harvey Richmond, who is already being compared favorably to the man he’s replacing, the recently retired future Hall of Famer J.R. Rayborn. Second year center Luke Oxendine is pushing the great Marcus Benavides for playing time. |
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04-09-2001, 09:06 PM
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#62 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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REGULAR SEASON
Maine 42 at Tampa Bay 23 We get off to a horrible beginning, with Tampa Bay running a fumble and interception back for touchdowns to take an early 14-0 lead. Once we settle down, things are fine. The Johnny Kaye era begins with a bang, as he hits 20 out of 31 for 311 yards, 3 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Kaye also rushes for 64 yards and 1 TD on 13 carries. Rookie wide receiver Jose Sirmon hauls in 6 catches for 111 yards and 2 TD’s. Rookie tight end Rueben Floyd has a nice debut, catching 3 passes for 75 yards and 1 TD. St. Louis (1-0) 6 at Maine (1-0) 27 Johnny Kaye electrifies the capacity Thunderdome crowd in his home debut, hitting 21 out of 34 for 280 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT. Rookie tight end Rueben Floyd hauls in 6 catches for 98 yards and 1 TD. Oakland (1-1) 15 at Maine (2-0) 55 URFA running back Brett Gilley rushes for 134 yards and 1 TD on 19 carries, and Kaye tosses 4 TD passes to lead the Moose rout. Gilley’s backup, URFA Leslie Minahan, rushes for 129 yards and 1 TD on 14 carries. Rookie wide receiver Sirmon hauls in 2 TD passes. We suffer our first serious injury to a starter, as DT Robert Lange will miss 2 to 3 months with a sprained neck. Maine (3-0) 34 at San Francisco (1-2) 9 Kaye hits 21 out of 35 passes for 207 yards, 3 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Gilley rushes for 72 yards on 18 carries. Our defense holds the Niners to 49 yards rushing. An outstanding road win has the celebration somewhat muted with several key injuries. All-Pro fullback Billy Walton is lost for the season with a torn thumb ligament. Both of our starting defensive tackles are out 3 to 5 weeks. Starting cornerback Leo Fitzgerald, out 3 to 5 weeks with a stretched knee ligament. His backup, Winston Bastianelli, out 3 to 5 weeks with a bruised sternum. Maine (4-0) 11 at Carolina (2-2) 14 We limp into Charlotte and can’t do anything against the Panthers. Kaye throws 3 costly interceptions, one of which is returned for a touchdown. The defense plays an outstanding game, holding the Panthers to 75 total yards, but our mistakes are too much to overcome. San Francisco (3-3) 17 at Maine (4-1) 34 We get back in the win column, rolling up 529 total yards, with Kaye hitting 22 out of 35 for 332 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Gilley rushes for 86 yards and 2 TD’s on 22 carries. Rookie WR Jose Sirmon catches 10 passes for 194 yards. Carolina (3-3) 23 at Maine (5-1) 38 This one wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Carolina scores two touchdowns in the final minute of the game. Johnny Kaye lights it up once again, hitting 22 out of 35 for 359 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. He also rushes for 43 yards and 1 TD on 7 carries. Wayne Engleberger catches 5 passes for 142 yards and 1 TD before leaving the game with a broken hand, which will keep him out of action for 3 to 5 weeks. Rookie Sirmon catches 9 balls for 145 yards. Gilley has a workmanlike performance at RB, rushing for 60 yards and 1 TD on just 10 carries. With the exception of Engleberger, we get some good news on the injury front. Our two starting defensive tackles, Lange and Richmond, are upgraded to “probable”, along with cornerback Leo Fitzgerald. All three will start next week against St. Louis. The game has taken on a playoff atmosphere, as it is for first place in the division. Maine (6-1) 33 at St. Louis (5-2) 27 (OT) In a wild overtime finish, St. Louis drives to the Moose 25 yard line, where Moose defensive end Brock Stensrud crushes Rams’ quarterback Pitts, resulting in a fumble that is scooped up and returned for a touchdown by defensive tackle Harvey Richmond. The Moose tied the game on some fourth quarter heroics from quarterback Johnny Kaye, who hit Jose Sirmon on a 49 yard TD pass with 5 minutes left in the game. Kaye later marched the Moose down to the Rams’ 14 yard line, where Derrick Kaplan booted a 31 yard field goal with 7 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Leo Fitzgerald and Robert Lange reinjure themselves, and will be out again for several weeks after making their first starts since early in the season. Starting linebacker Leslie Romeo will join them on the inactive list, out with bruised ribs. Atlanta (5-3) 3 at Maine (7-1) 38 Linebacker Leon Phenix, substituting for the injured Leslie Romeo, runs back in interception 58 yards for a touchdown, as the defense dominates the Falcons, holding them to 155 total yards. Johnny Kaye has an efficient day, hitting 15 out of 23 for 184 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. We get more bad news on the injury front, as our already depleted secondary loses saftey J.B. Tate for the season with a torn calf muscle. He might return in time for the playoffs. Wayne Engleberger is upgraded to “probable” and will start next week. Toronto (3-6) 7 at Maine (8-1) 45 Wayne Engleberger makes a triumphant return from the inactive roster, hauling in 6 receptions for 133 yards and 3 TD’s. Kaye only attempts 20 passes, hitting 13 for 232 yards, 4 TD’s and 1 INT. We ram the ball down the Argonauts’ throat, rushing for 216 yards on 38 carries. Gilley leads the way with 149 yards and 2 TD’s on 15 carries. Maine (9-1) 0 at Atlanta (5-5) 34 Wow, what can you say about this one? The Falcons humiliate us in every phase of the game. Kaye has his worst day ever, hitting just 9 out of 31 for 79 yards and 2 INT’s. Five out of our nine cornerbacks and safeties are out with injuries, and the Falcons feast against their URFA replacements. New Orleans (7-4) at Maine (9-2) In a hard fought game, Johnny Kaye comes through for us, hitting 19 out of 24 for 266 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. Gilley adds 97 rushing yards and 1 TD on 17 carries. Engleberger has 8 receptions for 143 yards. Kansas City (7-5) 17 at Maine (10-2) 21 Brett Gilley rushes for 110 yards on 24 carries, and Kaye throws 2 TD passes to lead us to victory over the game Chiefs, who are fighting for a playoff spot. Maine (11-2) 44 at Los Angeles (1-12) 11 With both of our starting fullbacks out with injuries, we move rookie tight end Rueben Floyd to fullback and start Oliver Homer at tight end. The Moose don’t miss a beat, as they destroy the hapless Earthquakes, who keep their hopes alive for next year’s number one pick in the draft. Johnny Kaye has his finest day ever in a Moose uniform, hitting 25 out of 33 for 328 yards, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Gilley rushes for 87 yards and 1 TD on 27 carries. Engleberger hauls in 10 receptions for 187 yards and 2 TD’s. Maine (12-2) 27 at New Orleans (8-6) 17 The Saints battle us to the end, as they are fighting for their playoff lives. Kaye hits 20 out of 30 for 271 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. Engleberger hauls in 5 catches for 119 yards and 1 TD. Our defense holds the Saints to just 33 rushing yards. Unfortunately, we lose our #1 and #3 safeties for the season. We place them on IR, and sign 3rd year FA Jerome Stautner (26/32) to a 1/1.03 contract. The loss of these two safeties is devastating to our pass defense. Maine (13-2) 31 at N.Y. Giants (10-5) 15 We win, but only get the #2 seed in the NFC, because the Bears finish with a 14-2 record and go 12-1 in the conference to our 11-2. The Giants get the #3 seed, winning the NFC East. Kaye has another masterful performance, hitting 21 out of 37 for 211 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. URFA cornerback Terrence Mitchell and linebacker Billy Griffith each have interception returns for TD’s to lead the defense. Our entire starting secondary is now out, with the final healthy member, K.C. Caldwell, succumbing to a sprained knee. Luckily, we get a first round bye, but I don’t think it will do too much for the severe injuries.
STATS QB Johnny Kaye 299/504/3919/59.3%/36 TD/16 INT/94.4 RAT RB Brett Gilley 265/1151/4.3/12 TD WR Wayne Engleberger 76/1269/16.6/11 TD WR Jose Sirmon 74/1141/15.4 10 TD TE Reuben Floyd 62/766/12.3/7 TD, 38.8 BPct. DE Brock Stensrud 10.5 SACKS LB Leslie Romeo 95 TACK/7 SACKS/1 INT/1 TD LB Billy Griffith 78 TACK/4.5 SACKS/1 INT/1 TD S Troy Cash 3 INT/31.4 PDQ K Derrick Kaplan 21/25 FG (long of 55) Team YPG/Rank: Rush Offense: 144.5 / 2nd Pass Offense: 248.0 / 4th Rush Defense: 85.0 / 4th Pass Defense: 210.8 / 13th |
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04-09-2001, 10:05 PM
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#63 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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PLAYOFFS
N.Y. Giants 13 at Maine 30 Kaye hits 26 out of 37 for 380 yards and 2 TD’s. We lose two more players, both cornerbacks. Out of the nine defensive backs that we began the season with, three of them are healthy enough to take the field in next week’s NFC Championship. Maine 23 at Chicago 3 Kaye hits 30 out of 38 for 277 yards, 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Our patchwork secondary somehow gets the job done, as we hold the Bears to just 181 total yards. We get to host the Cincinnati Bengals for the Superbowl. The Bengals destroyed the Chargers 48 to 14 in the AFC Championship. Cincinnati 6 at Maine 29 Donny Kaye is knocked out of the game in the first quarter, and Moose backup QB Bo Perrault does a decent job in relief. The biggest play of the game is an 80 yard strike from Perrault to Jose Sirmon in the second quarter, giving the Moose a 14-0 lead. The Bengals moved the ball effectively, but were only able to get the ball in the red zone once for the entire game. The Moose didn’t fare much better in the red zone, coming away with one TD and 5 field goals in 6 appearances. For his 5 out of 5 performance, Moose field goal kicker Derrick Kaplan was named the game’s MVP. Bengals’ quarterback Ted Sockanathan played well in a losing effort, completing 25 out of 37 for 334 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. With the victory, the Moose capture their fourth Vince Lombardi trophy in seven appearances. AWARDS LB Leslie Romeo, Defensive Player of the Year, 1st team All-Pro K Derrick Kaplan, Super Bowl MVP TE Reuben Floyd, 1st team All-Pro C Marcus Benavides, 1st team All-Pro QB Johnny Kaye, 2nd team All-Pro G Sedrick Patton, 2nd team All-Pro [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 04-13-2001).] |
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04-11-2001, 12:23 AM
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#64 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2028 SEASON
Herb’s score from 2027: 100/76/31/100 Overall: 76 Tackle Brett Sullivan announces his retirement. We lost $15.5 million last season, including a $134 million stadium payment (our third of five total payments). Two more years until we move into our $2 billion state of the art 99,900 seat stadium. We have our first ever player inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, fullback Benjamin Schreiner. His accomplishments are listed in the 2026 season post, the year that he was inducted into the Moose “ring of honor”. Coach Klingler returns for another season. The 45 year-old has amassed a 101-44-1 record and two Super Bowl titles in his eight seasons as the Moose head coach. His .695 winning percentage is second among active coaches. We also welcome back lead scout T.J. Anthony for another season. Our fan support remains at 100, and per the house rules, we raise ticket prices by 10% across the board (and this time we are able to raise them all and still be below New England’s prices). Here is our offseason roster before making any changes:
We decide not to use the franchise tag this season. We release RB Cornell Doyle and RB Amos Reilly, last year’s first round bust. We renegotiate the contracts of the following players in the final year of their current contract: WR Wayne Engleberger 3/18.89, C Marcus Benavides 3/11.51, LB Leslie Romeo 3/17.95, S Troy Cash 4/24.32, T Edwin Osborne 4/32.61. |
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04-11-2001, 02:30 AM
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#65 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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FREE AGENCY
We have six UFA’s this season: S J.B. Tate, LB Billy Griffith, G George Boston, G Broderick Mincey, WR Victor Marx, and DE Brock Stensrud. Tate is asking for more money than Steeler UFA safety Vinny Hoover (74/74), who is better across the board than Tate. We decide to pursue Hoover as our one allowed non-Moose UFA signing during the first 10 weeks. Tate is reaching the twilight of his career, and we feel that Hoover can give us around 6 or 7 years of quality service. As for the two guards, both are asking for big money. All-Pro Sedrick Patton has one of the guard spots locked up, and our 2nd year man, Earnest Darchi, appears to be an eventual starter in a year or so. In the meantime, we have one of the best centers in the league, Luke Oxendine, sitting on the bench behind the best center in the league, Marcus Benavides. We decide to make Oxendine our starter at the other guard position this season while Darchi develops for another year or two. When Benavides retires in three or four years, Oxendine will be able to take over the starting job at center. Marx is now our #3 receiver, and there’s no way to justify paying him big money, so we’ll let him go. Stensrud is an average defensive end, not worth free agent money, so we’ll let him go, also. We would like to resign LB Griffith, but he is asking for the highest contract of any UFA LB, in spite of being the fifth or sixth best LB on the market. We’ll wait him out until he lowers his asking price. In week 5, Stensrud signs a 4/52.58 contract with the Redskins. In week 7, we land a big prize, Vinny Hoover, who signs a 3/20.49 contract with us. In week 9, Boston signs a 4/24.31 contract with Miami, and Tate signs a 2/10.88 contract with the Steelers. In week 14, we resign Billy Griffith to a 3/15.27 contract. In week 16, Mincey signs a 2/11.62 contract with Cleveland. In week 20, we sign LB Adam Simpson (59/68) to a 3/14.41 contract, and WR Antonio Garrison (50/55) to a 4/26.34 contract. |
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04-11-2001, 03:48 AM
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#66 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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DRAFT
We must come up with a starting running back. Also, we need a defensive end, backup guard, and backup tackle.
We sign DE Louie Porcher (17/56) to a 7/9.95 contract as our special URFA. We sign a handful of URFA’s to get our roster up to 53, and head to camp. Here is our post camp roster:
All of our draft choices hold up, and guard Miller has a nice breakout in camp. We’re going to throw the ball more this season than the Moose teams of the past, taking advantage our our four good receivers, tight end and fullback, who all have good receiving skills. Looks like we’ll have a running back by committee unless one of the rookie running backs establishes themselves. We sell out our season tickets, and go 2-2 during preseason with no significant injuries. [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 04-13-2001).] |
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04-13-2001, 02:29 PM
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#67 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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REGULAR SEASON
Maine 27 at New Orleans 17 Johnny Kaye gets out of the gates quickly, hitting 17 out of 33 for 215 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT. Kaye is also the leading rusher for the Moose, gaining 74 yards on 15 carries. Minnesota (1-0) at Maine (1-0) Johnny Kaye lights it up in the home opener, hitting 25 out of 35 for 288 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. He adds 52 rushing yards and 1 TD on 10 carries. Jermaine Rico leads the Moose ground attack, rushing for 126 yards and 1 TD on 23 carries. Wide receiver Jose Sirmon will be out for several weeks with a broken hand. Carolina (2-0) 28 at Maine (2-0) 14 The Panthers win the early battle for division supremacy, as they rush for 207 yards on 44 carries. The Panthers’ defense stuffs our rushing attack, and Kaye has a subpar day, throwing 2 interceptions. San Francisco (2-1) 24 at Maine (2-1) 26 Derrick Kaplan boots a 55 yard field goal with 56 seconds left in the game to propel the Moose to victory. We were fortunate to win this one, as we gained only 222 total yards. Maine (3-1) 16 at St Louis (1-4) 10 We win against an inferior Rams team, but we are not yet playing good football this season. New Orleans (4-2) 21 at Maine (4-1) 29 Rico rushes for 136 yards on 20 carries, and Kaye hits 20 out of 35 for 237 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. [b[Maine (5-1) 34 at Atlanta (4-2) 17[/b] Johnny Kaye has his best game of the season so far, hitting 26 out of 39 for 326 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Engleberger has 111 yards and 1 TD on only 5 receptions. New England (1-6) 20 at Maine (6-1) 24 We play like crap against the pathetic Patriots, yet manage to scrape out a victory. We lose our other starting cornerback, K C. Caldwell, with a pulled groin. Maine (7-1) 33 at San Francisco (2-6) 3 We finally put together a good performance, as Johnny Kaye hits 18 out of 30 for 260 yards, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Safety Troy Cash will be out several weeks with a hyperextended knee, as he joins our two starting cornerbacks on the injury list. Maine (8-1) 14 at Carolina (6-3) 17 The Panthers sweep us for the season, as our offense is pretty much shut down in this one. We only rush for 42 yards. Maine (8-2) 16 at N. Y. Jets (3-7) 20 We lose our second straight game, this time to the pathetic Jets. We are held to a pitiful 60 yards rushing. We also lose quarterback Johnny Kaye with a bruised shoulder. Maine (8-3) 10 at Chicago (6-5) 20 Consecutive loss #3, as we fall from the ranks of the elite and back into the pack. Kaye has an absolutely horrid outing, hitting just 17 out of 44 with 2 interceptions. Atlanta (7-5) 14 at Maine (8-4) 30 We get a much needed win with an overall team effort. Johnny Kaye hits 16 out of 23 for 224 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Jermaine Rico rushes for 124 yards and 1 TD on 26 carries. Five out of our nine defensive backs remain injured. St. Louis (7-6) 7 at Maine (9-4) 28 Jermaine Rico grinds out 112 yards on 27 carries, as we remain in a first place tie with the Panthers for the division lead. N.Y. Giants 14 (6-8) at Maine (10-4) 20 (OT) Troy Cash returns an interception for a touchdown in overtime, as we barely beat the mediocre Giants. Maine (11-4) 58 at Buffalo (11-4) 9 We destroy the Bills, who are playing for the #1 seed in the AFC. The victory gives us the #1 seed in the NFC. Johnny Kaye saves his best performance of the season for this one, hitting 17 out of 23 for 329 yards, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s.
STATS QB Johnny Kaye (pass) 292/500/3716/58.4%/28 TD/10 INT/92.0 RAT (rush) 89/443/4.9/6 TD RB Jermaine Rico 260/971/3.7/6 TD WR Wayne Engleberger 75/1108/14.7/13 TD WR Antonio Garrison 61/733/12.0/7 TD WR Jose Sirmon 29/540/18.6/1 TD TE Reuben Floyd 49/557/11.3/4 TD G Earnest Darchi 37.0 BPct. LB Leslie Romeo 70 TACK/8 SACKS DE Bruce Prewitt 8 SACKS S Troy Cash 5 INT/41.2 PDQ S Vinny Hoover 4 INT/44.7 PDQ Team YPG/Rank: Rush Offense: 116.9 / 12th Pass Offense: 236.9 / 7th Rush Defense: 104.0 / 13th Pass Defense: 201.3 / 9th |
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04-13-2001, 02:57 PM
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#68 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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PLAYOFFS
Carolina 28 at Maine 31 The Panthers nearly make it 3 out of 3 this year, but we come from behind to advance to the NFC Championship game. Johnny Kaye hits Jose Sirmon on a game winning 28 yard TD pass with 1:46 left in the fourth quarter. For the game, Kaye hits 18 out of 27 for 351 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT. Jose Sirmon hauls in 6 receptions for 152 yards and 2 TD’s. Rico leads the Moose rushing attack, with 106 yards on 22 carries. Philadelphia 12 at Maine 35 Great players step up in big games, and Johnny Kaye certainly fits the bill. Kaye rushes for 2 TD’s and passes for 2 more, hitting 17 out of 24 for 261 yards. Rico adds 87 rushing yards on 21 carries. Jose Sirmon continues to demonstrate his ability as one of the best young receivers in the league, with 7 catches for 114 yards and 1 TD. Our defense plays a whale of a game, keeping the Eagles out of the endzone until the final play of the game. Our Superbowl opponent is none other than the Buffalo Bills, whom we humiliated in the final game of the regular season. Buffalo 10 at Maine 48 We blow out the Bills once again. Jermaine Rico is named the MVP with a 145 yard, two touchdown rushing effort on 21 carries. A case could also be made for QB Donny Kaye, who had a flawless performance hitting 20 out of 31 passes for 271 yards, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s. We outgain the Bills 489 to 203. Our defense absolutely punished Bills’ quarterback Antione Morris, sacking him 7 times before knocking him out of the game in the 4th quarter. The win gives the Moose back to back titles, and their 5th Superbowl title in 8 attempts. [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 04-13-2001).] |
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04-13-2001, 03:04 PM
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#69 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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AWARDS
QB Johnny Kaye, NFL MVP, Offensive POY, 1st team All-Pro RB Jermaine Rico, Superbowl MVP TE Reuben Floyd, 2nd team All-Pro WR Wayne Engleberger, 2nd team All-Pro |
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04-14-2001, 02:27 AM
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#70 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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2029 SEASON
Herb’s score from 2028: 100/75/46/100 Overall: 81 We have no retirees this season. Our profit last season was $41.8 million. We finished in the black, even though the expenses included our fourth stadium payment of $134 million for our new 99,900 seat stadium, which will open next season. Coach Klingler and lead scout Corley return for another year of service. The 46 year old Klingler ranks second among active coaches with a .706 career winning percentage. His three Super Bowl wins are tops among active coaches. Our fan loyalty remains at 100, and since we won the Superbowl, we are entitled to raise ticket prices 10%. We raise them slightly in a couple of areas, as New England’s prices keep us from raising them to the full 10%. We designate DE Bruce Prewett as our franchise player. Here is our offseason roster before any cuts/renegotiations:
We renegotiate the contracts of the following players in the final year of their current contract: K Derrick Kaplan 3/7.0, FB Billy Walton 3/9.19. |
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04-14-2001, 05:44 AM
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#71 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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FREE AGENCY
In addition to our franchise player (DE Prewett), we have four UFA’s this season: P Charlie Terry, DT Robert Lange, G Sedrick Patton and LB Leon Phenix. I would like to resign all of them, except Phenix. We already have four quality linebackers ahead of Phenix, so he is expendable. That leaves Terry, Lange and Patton. Terry is a fine punter, and his initial demand would cost about $2.2 against the cap this season. Lange is a good DT, but his initial demand is about $11 million against the cap. Likewise for Patton, about $7.5 against the cap. Our franchise player, Prewett, is seeking about $10.8 this season, but we’ll wait for him to drop it before we renegotiate. In week 1, we resign P Charlie Terry for 3/7.73. We offer Lange a 3/38.75 contract, but after week 1 he is considering the Packers’ 4/59.17 offer. In week 2, we bump up our offer to 3/40.19. In week 8, Tampa Bay catches us off guard and signs Patton to a 3/23.33 contract. After free agency, we accept two trade offers. Miami gives us their #5 pick for FB Billy Walton. This frees up $1.7 million and cap space, and our other FB, Noisy has just about identical ratings. We get Montreal’s 1st round pick for RB Ted Delgado (after checking the fairness test, surprisingly it passes). Delgado would be fighting it out with Rico for the starting job at RB this season, so it looks like the job now belongs to Rico. Before the draft, we resign our UFA, Prewett, to a 4/29.92 contract. DRAFT Our biggest needs are a starting guard, and backups at running back, tackle, defensive tackle, and cornerback.
For our special URFA, we sign RB Frank Vance to a 7/10.44 contract. We release LB Bennie Lentz and sign our 2nd year FA linebacker Larry Donnelly to a 3/10.22 contract. We sign 10 URFA’s to bring our roster up to 53 and head to camp. Here is our post camp roster:
We have one of our best drafts and training camps in years. The only minor disappointment is our 3rd round pick, Justin Brady, who doesn’t live up to expectations (although not a total bust). On the positive side, 2nd year RB Jermaine Rico shows some more improvement, and he clearly establishes himself as our #1 running back. Our second year guard, Dwight Miller, wins the starting job for this season, although he will be pressed by rookies Wagner and Clemmons in the future. Here is our offensive gameplan for this season: Run %: 25-25-55-45 25-55-50-35 55-33-25-20 70-25-15-10 Pass distance: 18-50-20-7-5 Run: I-30, Pro-20, Strong-30, Single-20 Pass: I-20, Pro-30, Strong-15, Single-35 Formation tendencies: 0-30-80-70-40-0 Goal line: 25 Fullback as primary runner: 20 Defensive gameplan: Run percentages are left at default. 4-3: 100 3-4: 0 Nickel: 60 Blitz: 65 Blitz Multiple: 65 (All others at 50) Blitz % by position: 24-24-0-24-7-7-7-7 Pass coverage: Man: 25 Bump and run: 25 2-deep: 20 3-deep: 20 4-deep: 10 We rest our best players during preseason and go 2-2. Second year QB Vince Darkins looks impressive during preseason, hitting 39 out of 57 passes for 575 yards, 3 TD's and 2 INT's for a QB rating of 104.1. Hopefully, we won't need him, but he appears to be developing into a capable backup. [This message has been edited by Vegas Vic (edited 04-14-2001).] |
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04-15-2001, 01:47 AM
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#72 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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REGULAR SEASON
Maine 35 at New Orleans 3 The NFL schedule maker won’t be on our Christmas list this year, after he has us playing seven out of the first nine games on the road. We get off to a great start, as Rico rushes for 106 yards and 1 TD on 17 carries. Johnny Kaye has a quiet game, hitting 19 out of 35 for 185 yards, 0 TD’s, 0 INT’s. Our defense dominates, holding the Browns to just 177 total yards. K.C. Caldwell scores on an interception return. Maine (1-0) 14 at St. Louis (0-1) 23 Bad luck strikes early, as Johnny Kaye leaves the game with a bruised shoulder. A fine effort by Rico is wasted, 119 yards on 19 carries. Maine (1-1) 20 at Atlanta (2-0) 17 Rico does it again, rushing for 123 yards and 2 TD’s on 23 carries. Kaye still hasn’t gotten in the groove, hitting just 17 out of 34 for 159 yards, 0 INT’s and 0 TD’s. His QB rating is a terrible 62.2. We are concerned, and hope that he snaps out of it. Baltimore (3-0) 13 at Maine (2-1) 40 We finally get to our home opener, and a capacity Thunderdome crowd revels in the Moose demolition of the Ravens. Kaye makes short work of the Baltimore secondary, hitting 12 of just 18 attempts for 200 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Rico has his fourth consecutive game over the century mark, rushing for 114 yards and 1 TD on 22 carries. Derrick Kaplan connects on all four of his FG attempts, and is now 11 out of 12 on the season. San Francisco (0-4) 23 at Maine (3-1) 52 Johnny Kaye has the finest day of his career, hitting 20 out of 23 for 326 yards, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Rico makes it five in a row over 100, rushing for 101 yards on 17 carries. We suffer our first serious injury, as safety Troy Cash will be out for 2 to 3 months with a torn thumb ligament. Maine (4-1) 34 at New Orleans (1-3) 14 The Saints make the mistake of keying on Rico, and they pay for it. True, they hold him to a season low 66 yards on 21 carries, but this just opens the door for our passing game. Johnny Kaye hits 22 out of 32 for 233 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Vinny Hoover leads the defensive effort with a 91 yard interception return for a touchdown. Unfortunately, we lose a couple of more starters with injuries. Linebacker Leslie Romeo and wide receiver Jose Sirmon will miss a couple of games. We have a bye week coming up, followed by a brutal three game road stretch. Maine (5-1) 3 at San Francisco (0-7) 17 An absolutely pathetic performance. The winless 49ers hold us to 220 total yards. Starters Reuben Floyd (TE) and Ernest Darchi (G) join the injury list. Maine (5-2) 14 at Carolina (2-6) 20(OT) For the second week in a row, we have a pathetic performance against an inferior team, and fall back into the pack of mediocrity at 5-3. The game was tied in regulation, and the Panthers scored a TD to end it. Maine (5-3) 16 at Chicago (6-2) 10 We come up with a gutsy performance in our fourth consecutive road game. The game wasn’t quite as close as the final score indicates, as the Bears scored a TD with 47 seconds left in the game. Jermaine Rico rushes for 95 yards on 21 carries in this bruising defensive struggle. Kaye plays a mistake free game, hitting 11 out of 18 for 131 yards, 0 TD’s, 0 INT’s. Derrick Kaplan hits 3 out of 4 field goal attempts, and now stands at 18 out of 20 on the season. Overall, we aren’t too disappointed with our 6-3 record, seeing as we’ve only had two home games so far. The good news is that 7 out of our last 8 games are at home. St. Louis (6-3) 19 at Maine (6-3) 20 Great players step up in big games, and Johnny Kaye proves that he’s one of the all time greats, hitting 25 out of 37 for 328 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 INT. The Moose have a chance to put the game away late in the fourth quarter, but disaster strikes. Up 14-13 and facing a third and goal at the Rams’ one yard line, Kaye is drilled by Deion Vanderjagt, and the ball comes loose. Rams’ defensive end Clyde Sawyer scoops up the loose ball and lumbers 97 yards for the touchdown, putting the Rams up 19-14 (they miss the two point conversion attempt). Johnny Kaye then demonstrates why he’s one of the best of all time. With less than two minutes left in the game, and facing a second and seven from his own 30, Kaye launches a 53 yard strike to Johnnie Orosco. On the next play, Kaye hits Wayne Engleberger with the game winning 17 yard TD pass. Atlanta (8-2) 20 at Maine (7-3) 17 A loss of huge magnitude, as the Falcons move out to a two game lead in the division. We lose two starting linebackers and our starting defensive tackle, and it shows, as the Falcons rush for 206 yards on 34 carries. Maine (7-4) 34 at Philadelphia (8-3) 17 We come up with a big win in our final road game of the season. Jermaine Rico rushes for 109 yards and 2 TD’s on 18 carries. Kaye gets a rude welcome home from the Eagles fans, but he has a decent performance, hitting 21 out of 29 for 225 yards and 1 INT. Carolina (4-8) 7 at Maine (8-4) 16 We struggle offensively against the mediocre Panthers. Kaye has a decent game, throwing for 209 yards and rushing for 39 yards and the only Moose touchdown. The Moose defense pitches a shutout, with the only Panthers’ score coming on a 71 yard fumble return. Minnesota (6-6-1) 27 Maine (9-4) 7 There is absolutely no excuse for this horrid performance at home. At best, we will be a wildcard team, as we no longer control our own destiny. Kaye has his worst performance of the season, hitting a dismal 15 out of 40 for 169 yards and 2 INT’s. But that’s not the worst of it; we lose starting running back Jermaine Rico for the rest of the season with shoulder tendonitis. Cincinnati (6-8) 22 at Maine (9-5) 29 We have to come from behind to win, with backup running back Bert Burke scoring on a 33 yard TD run with 1:45 left in the game. Burke rushes for 109 yards on just 9 carries. Kaye hits 16 out of 26 for 225 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Bengals’ future Hall of Famer Ted Sockanathan plays a fine game in a losing effort, hitting 24 out of 40 for 377 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. Win, lose or draw next week, we will be the #4 seed in the NFC and host a wild card game in the first round. With that in mind, we will hold out as many key players as possible in the meaningless game against New Orleans next week. New Orleans (3-12) 16 at Maine (10-5) 28 Backup quarterback Vince Darkins takes the helm in this one, as we hold Kaye out in this meaningless game. Darkins makes the most of his opportunity, hitting 19 out of 32 for 199 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. Our backup running backs churn out 165 yards on 40 carries. Unfortunately, in a game like this it’s impossible to rest every key player, and we lose guard Earnest Darchi with a broken hand.
STATS QB Johnny Kaye (pass) 257/425/3166/60.4%/18 TD/8 INT/89.7 RAT (rush) 79/401/5.0/4 TD RB Jermaine Rico 243/1084/4.4/5 TD (14 games) WR Wayne Engleberger 75/1013/13.5/7 TD WR Johnnie Orosco 60/890/14.8/5 TD TE Reuben Floyd 41/428/10.4/5 TD C Marcus Benavides 33 KRB/35.8 BPct. LB Adam Sampson 10.5 SACKS/97 TACK DE Bruce Prewett 8.5 SACKS CB K.C. Caldwell 5 INT/1 TD/34.2 PDQ S Vincy Hoover 4 INT/2 TD/38.3 PDQ K Derrick Kaplan 24 FG/29 ATT Team YPG/Rank: Rush Offense: 138.4 / 2nd Pass Offense: 211.2 / 22nd Rush Defense: 103.8 / 17th Pass Defense: 219.5 / 19th |
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04-15-2001, 02:26 AM
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#73 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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PLAYOFFS
Arizona 28 at Maine 31 We have what appears to be a comfortable lead, 31-14 midway through the fourth quarter, but in this season of underachievement anything is possible. True to form, the Cardinals score two late TD’s to make the game too close for comfort. Next up, the Falcons, who we split with in identical 20-17 scores. This one figures to be a real nail biter. Maine 33 at Atlanta 29 We welcome Jermaine Rico back to the lineup, and he answers the call, rushing for 112 yards and 1 TD on 17 carries. Kaye has a solid game, hitting 14 out of 25 for 176 yards and 1 TD. Atlanta scored late in the fourth quarter to make the game interesting. Maine 14 at Dallas 0 Our defense bends, but it doesn’t break. We give up some yards, but keep the Cowboys out of the end zone. We do just enough offensively to win, with Rico rushing for 115 yards on 15 carries. Kaye hits a conservative 13 out of 21 for 117 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Maine 23 at Baltimore 10 We get a good overall team performance and become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls. The win also gives the Moose six Super Bowl titles in nine appearances. This one was the most satisfying because it appeared that we had played ourselves out of contention. For the game, Jermaine Rico rushes for 105 yards on 26 carries. Johnny Kaye hits 16 out of 26 for 219 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. AWARDS S Vinny Hooper, Super Bowl MVP, 2nd team All-Pro T Edwin Osborne, 1st team All-Pro LB Adam Sampson, 1st team All-Pro CB K. C. Caldwekk, 1st team All-Pro TE Reuben Floyd, 2nd team All-Pro |
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