SkyDog's House Arrest Austin Plainsmen

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2008 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $29.75M
Amount Needed For Draft: $4.34M


Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or acquire someone to replace as starters)

RB Cary Rioux—RFA—former undrafted rookie rushed for 1628 yards and 15 TD’s and 4.0 ypc over 3 seasons. Not going to give him the big bucks though.
FB Brant Wyman—former undrafted rookie has started for all six years of his career and was quite solid for me, with a 33.5 KRB Pct for his career. However, David Bonk, last years 1(29) pick, looks like a star in the making. See ya Brant. Thanks for the memories. Glad you got to win a Super Bowl here.
*C Spencer Hardy—Has been solid, but not great. Has started all 96 Austin Plainsman games at center. There’s only one Empty-Cupboard-eligible center who my scout ranks higher, but he is ranked significantly higher. I’ll watch C Bo Maloney to see if he looks like he’s going to be around come Week 11. If not, I’ll re-sign Hardy, as the draft isn’t very deep at C either.
*G Brett McIntyre—RFA—I have a solid option available in 3rd-year man Bennie Coleman. However, I’d really like to keep this all-around very good lineman if I can afford him.
*T Brandon Child—Has been my LT. I’ll do whatever I can to keep him.
*K Jamie Haines—has been an All-Pro. I’ll try to keep him.
*LB Tracy Preston—Another one who has been solid. I’ll try to keep him
LB Jim Robertson—1(30) pick from 2 years ago, LB Alonzo Ramey, looks like he’s ready to step in and start in his 3rd year. Robertson is shown the door.
*CB Johnny Mayberry—My lock-down cover corner. The #1 overall pick in the draft and the franchise’s 1st pick ever. He stays at all costs.

Biggest Priorities: CB Mayberry and T Child
Secondary Priorities: LB Preston and a starting center
Lowest Priorities: K Haines and G McIntyre

Cuts to Save Cap Room
CB Melvin Joseph—Would have been only 4th CB once I re-sign Mayberry.

That one cut gives me the room I need. I’m sure there will be many more in future seasons.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
None.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
CB Mayberry—5yrs, $36.5M
T Child—5yrs,$32.75M (these big bonuses I’m forced to pay are getting me more 5-year deals.)
C Hardy—3yrs,$11.5M
LB Preston—3yrs,$13.98M
K Haines—3yrs,$4M
G McIntyre—4yrs,$13M

FA Analysis
Once again, I was able to hang on to the key guys. This team should be among the Super Bowl contenders again.

[Ben E Lou]

2008 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: RB
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: None
Depth Needed: FB,DE,WR (All four starters at DE and WR will be UFA’s at the end of this season.)

1(32): DT Burt Earley:33/19,18/50,62. Will provide depth at DT for now. Should become a starter in a year or two.
2(32): DE Morris Stuart: 22/58,9/23,70. I’ll groom him to step in and be ready to start next year at DE.
3(32): G Moe Warren: 26/66,21/54,50. Should be a very solid starter in a year or two, plus he’s from Texas Tech.
4(32): WR Junior Deyo: Near redliner. Figure I’d take a chance on him at this point. 18/29,66,14/18,32,7,62,62,68
5(32): RB Lawrence Peters: Near redliner. 39,6,9,24/27,25,7/8,46,44
6(32): G Lorenzo Kirkaldie: Pure redliner, best current value player available—21,28,46
7(32): FB Bruce Lyons: Depth at FB. 21/79 in run blocking, 79 in endurance. ‘nuff said.

Seven Year Signee: LB August Farr—potentially decent backup from SMU—9/29,14/42,18/66,15/50,26

I make a couple of cuts of weak backups to have money to get my needed players from Texas.

The Bills submitted a request to move their team from
Buffalo to Albany (NY) for the 2013 season.

The measure passed.

I then sign a handful of URFA’s and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2008 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: Around the 4th dot.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
I’m going to add the shotgun to my repertoire this season, so I will still keep the FB and TE on the field all the time. I max out I, Pro, Shotgun and Strong I and zero out Weak I, Single Back. Goal Line is set around the middle.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are a bit above the middle.

Post Training Camp

Significant Breakouts: G Lorenzo Kirkaldie breaks out from 21,28,46 to 33/48,45/62,72.

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 49,200 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2008 ROSTER

  Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                    13          13       6   2010   

  QB  Melvin Schneider              6           9       3   2008   

  QB  Phil Spencer                  3           6       1   2010   

  RB  Ed Farr                       7           7       1   2008   

  RB  Danny Thomas                  6           6       2   2013   

  RB  Lawrence Peters               5           5       1   2010   

  RB  Mark Duran                    5           5       2   2008   

  FB  David Bonk                   12          15       2   2011   

  FB  Bruce Lyons                   5           7       1   2010   

  TE  Peter Prescott               14          14       3   2009   

  TE  Trent Shafer                 10          10       2   2010   

  TE  Jackie Hartman                5           5       1   2008   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               16          16       7   2008   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 14          15       7   2008   

  WR  Mario Barron                 11          11       3   2008   

  WR  Junior Deyo                   7           7       1   2010   

  WR  Bernard Joyner                6           6       3   2012   

   C  Spencer Hardy                 9          10       7   2010   

   C  Gilbert Isaacson              7           7       2   2009   

   C  Howard Goad                   6          10       3   2008   

   G  Paul Blackburn               13          13       3   2008   

   G  Brett McIntyre               13          13       4   2011   

   G  Lorenzo Kirkaldie             9           9       1   2009   

   G  Bennie Coleman                7          10       3   2009   

   G  Moe Warren                    5           9       1   2010   

   T  Brandon Child                14          14       6   2012   

   T  Heath Hammers                10          13       4   2008   

   T  Luke Joseph                   5           9       2   2008   

   T  Jesse Meyer                   2           5       1   2010   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          11       8   2009   

   K  Jamie Haines                 11          11       8   2010   

  DE  Otis Mobley                  11          11       8   2008   

  DE  Deion Crockett                7           9       4   2008   

  DE  Seth Monroe                   3           7       2   2008   

  DE  Morris Stuart                 3          11       1   2012   

  DT  Dana Franz                   15          15       6   2009   

  DT  Roman Reiswig                10          14       5   2010   

  DT  Burt Earley                   6          14       1   2013   

  DT  Mario Robertson               4           8       3   2009   

  LB  Alonzo Ramey                 10          13       3   2010   

  LB  Tracy Preston                10          11       7   2010   

  LB  Alonzo Stokes                10          10       4   2009   

  LB  Wes Burhart                   5           6       5   2010   

  LB  Matt Buckner                  3           3       2   2009   

  LB  August Farr                   2          10       1   2014   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              13          13       7   2012   

  CB  Marco Prescott                8          11       3   2010   

  CB  Fernando Rogers               8          10       8   2008   

  CB  Cris Chisholm                 6           6       1   2010   

  CB  Burt Banerjee                 3           3       3   2008   

   S  Victor Whipple               17          18       5   2009   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              13          13       6   2010   

   S  Cary Howard                  11          12       2   2009   

Stadium: 70
Roster Strength: 91 (Oakland and Tennessee both are at 100, and Baltimore at 95)
Support: 63
Economy: 55
Cohesion: 74,57,73,75

Outlook: Things still look peachy. Adding the shotgun to my repetoire should help establish FB David Bonk as a multi-talented offensive weapon. No reason to think I don’t have a chance to repeat.

[Ben E Lou]

2008 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,55,35
2nd Down: 50,55,35,25
3rd Down: 55,20,10,20
4th Down: 55,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 16,43,32,6,3
Running: I-35, Pro-25, Strong-20, Shotgun-20
Very Likely Running: I-45, Pro-20, Strong-25, Shotgun-10
Passing: I-15, Pro-30, Strong—15, Shotgun-40
Very Likely Passing: I-5, Pro-30, Strong-5 Shotugn-60
FB As Runner: 99

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 60
4WR: 20
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

Offensively, now that I have 3 solid WR’s, a good pass-catching TE and a good all-around fullback, we’re going to put it up quite a bit more to start with and see what happens. This could be a fun year offensively.

[Ben E Lou]

2008 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 7-1
Standing: First place. KC and Oakland are both 5-3 and tied for 2nd.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 178 for 293* (60.7%), 2640* yards, 22TD’s*, 13INT, 96.7 Rating.
Leading Rusher: David Bonk, 96 for 482, 5.0ypc, 6 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 48 catches for 802 yards, 10 TD’s*. WR Dennis Wayne, 44 catches for 707 yards, 7TD’s. WR Mario Barron, 30 catches for 487 yards, 2TD’s.
Leading Tackler:LB Stokes--41

*-denotes NFL leader

Injuries of Note: DE Otis Mobley broke his jaw in the next-to-last preseason game and was out until Game 7.TE Peter Prescott had arthroscopic knee surgery after game 2 and is still listed as doubtful. DT Reiswig underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after game 7 and it is hoped that he’ll return late in the regular season.

Wow! WE’re leading the league with 29 points. I raised the run percentages for 1st and Long and 2nd and Long to help cut back on Croft’s INT’s. Hope that helps a bit.

[Ben E Lou]

2008 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 11-5
Standing: Won division for the 4th consecutive season. SD was 9-7 in 2nd place.
QB Stats: Croft, 312 for 530 (58.8%), 4717 yards*, 36TD’s*, 25INT’s*, 91.2 Rating*.
Leading Rusher: David Bonk, 209 for 795, 3.8ypc, 9 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 79 catches for 1378 yards, 12 TD’s. WR Dennis Wayne, 82 catches for 1349 yards, 14TD’s*, WR Mario Barron, 58 catches for 1063 yards, 3 TD’s
Leading Tackler: S Whipple, 75 tackles
Leading Pass Rusher: DT Dana Franz—5.5 sacks, 0 blocks, 7 huries
Leading PDQ DB: CB Johnny Mayberrg—29 catches,6 INT, 6 defensed, 40.9PDQ

Points Scored: 457
Points Against: 305

Rushing Yards: 1529 (19th) (had the 5th most attempts in the NFL though)
Rushing Average: 3.1 (League Average 3.7) (FB David Bonk was the only one who was decent.)
Passing Yards: 4899* (1st)
Passing Average: 8.7* (League Average 6.9)
Rushing Defense: 1171(2nd)
Rushing Average Allowed: 3.1 (League Avg 3.7)
Passing Defense: 3860 (24th)
Passing Average Allowed: 7.3 (League Avg. 6.9)

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2008 POSTSEASON REPORT

Wild Card Round vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Pre-Game Injuries of Note—QB Croft is questionable but will start with a broken finger. WR Chrylser is doubtful with a hip pointer and is inactive. T Brandon Child is questionable but will start with a hyperextended knee. LB Tracy Preston is questionable/starting with a pulled groin. LB Stoke is doubtful/inactive with a broken arm.

The defense goes into shut ‘em down mode, holding Cincinnati to 191 yards and 9 first downs. Tracy Preston comes up with 3 sacks on his pulled groin. Wayne catches 10 passes for 136 yards, Croft throws 2 TD’ s and 0 Int’s and we walk away with a 33-17 victory.


Division Playoffs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pre-Game Injury Changes from Last Week—.WR Chrylser is now questionable and will start. T Brandon Child is upgraded to probable and continues to start. DT Dana Franz is questionable/starting with a hyperextended knee. LB Tracy Preston is questionable/starting with a pulled groin. LB Stoke is doubtful/inactive with a broken arm. S’s Whipple and Oskolkoff are both doubtful with a hip pointer and a pulled groin respectively. Whipple will start as I only have 3 safeties on the roster.

The hobbled secondary struggles all day. Croft plays well enough to win despite his injury, going 21 for 34 for 314 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, but we go down 21-19 in Three Rivers Stadium. {Sigh}

We just had a few too many key injuries late in the season. We’ll get ‘em next year!

St. Louis beat Indianapolis 26-20 to win the Super Bowl.

Awards
FB David Bonk—1st Team All Pro—stats above
WR Dennis Wayne—1st Team All Pro—stats above
CB Johnny Mayberry—1st Team All Pro—stats above
TE Trent Shafer—2nd Team All Pro—42 catches, 486 yards, 4TD’s. Filled in for injured TE Prescott in 10 starts.
WR Nolan Chrysler—2nd Team All Pro—stats above

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 78
Frnc. Value: 85
Profit/Loss: 51
Difficulty: 70
YrEnd Score: 71

2008 Profit: ($25.09M)

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2009 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
I’m quite happy with coach and scout, both in reputation and in recent performance. My scout’s contract ran out this year, and I attempt to re-sign him. He signs with me. Here’s the update:

HEAD COACH

Roger LaCroix

Age: 62

REPUTATION

QB: F         KICKER: VG

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: E

WR: E         MOTIVATION: G

OL: G         DISCIPLINE: E

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: F

DB: E         AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

 Dwight Pritchett

Age: 58

REPUTATION

QB: VG      DL: G

RB: F       LB: E

WR: E       DB: VG

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 65
Support For New Stadium: 91

Dallas’ ticket prices rise slightly, and mine do too.

Upper Deck: 52
End Zone: 57
Mezzanine: 70
Sidelines: 115
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500
Luxury Boxes: 129,000

[Ben E Lou]

Salt Lake City joins the AFC East.
Albany (NY) joins the NFC West.
I lose no one in the expansion draft.

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2009 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $22.32M
Amount Needed For Draft: $4.48M


Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or acquire someone to replace as starters)

*WR Nolan Chrysler—gotta do all I can to keep him
*WR Dennis Wayne—same here
*WR Mario Barron—RFA--he’ s the 3rd WR. Probably can’t afford to give him the big contract for WR3. However, if I have trouble affording all the parts I want, I can sign Barron a little cheaper than Chrysler or Wayne as my 2nd WR and let either Chrysler or Wayne go.
G Paul Blackburn—RFA—I’ve got four other serviceable guards. Unless I have leftover cap room, Blackburn will go
*T Heath Hammers—no decent backups—need to re-sign him
DE’s Otis Mobley & Deion Crocket—I’ve got two pretty solid backups (one Is an RFA this year) who have 50+ potential at run stopping and very low pass rushing skills, which is ok in my system. However, I’d like to keep one of these two for cohesion’s sake.
*DE Seth Monroe—RFA--I’d like to keep him around for cohesion even if he doesn’t end up starting this year.
CB Fernando Rogers—youngster Marco Prescott surpassed Rogers last year anyway and took his starting job.

Biggest Priorities: Signing 2 starting WR’s and T Heath Hammers
Secondary Priorities: Getting the defensive end situation sorted out.
Lowest Priorities: retaining G Blackburn, a 3rd WR and CB Rogers

Cuts to Save Cap Room
DT Mario Robertson—4th DT was making $1.7M

Trade accepted
I get offered a trade from Indianapolis of T Frankie Trudeau, an 8th-year man with ratings of 40/48,47/56,56 and a 3rd-round draft choice for LB Alonzo Ramey. I think a hole a LB will be easier and cheaper to fill than the hole at T. Heath Hammers wants a deal that would cost $5.6M in cap room. This deal will only cost me $2.4M in cap room and a pick up a fairly high draft pick in the process. I add a 7th-round pick and the AI accepts. Trudeau will start at tackle for me.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
None.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
WR Wayne—4yrs,$26.25M
WR Chrysler—5yrs,$38.08M
DE Seth Monroe—3yrs,$7.0M

Trade Accepted
At the end of the 20-step process, I get offered a T and a first-round pick by Arizona for DT Franz. I’ve got a star waiting in the wings at DT in Burt Earley, and Franz is in the last year of his contract. It’d be great to get something for Franz, so I add a 7th-rounder, pull the trigger and cut the tackle I got in the deal. This gives me a better shot to pick up some starting talent in the draft this year.

FA Analysis
Well, for the first time I had to let some guys go that I didn’t want to let go. Cool! I like house rules that require me to make some decisions about the direction of the team. With the extra first-round pick, I might be able to grab better quality at DE and LB. If so, I’ll be pretty much good to go for another playoff run.

[Ben E Lou]

2009 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: RB, LB
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: DE, C
Depth Needed: WR3, DT, DE

1(30): LB Heath Williams: 32/62,22/50,41/92,43/89,57. He’ll start from day 1.
1(32): DE Graham Billig: 12/39,26/79,79. Pass-rush specialist since my starting DE’s are terrible at rushing the passer.
2(30): C Mike Wheeler: 28/70,29/75, 50. Symmetrical, but if he doesn’t bust what a help he could be!
3(30): RB Richie Tatum: 40/78 in yards per carry, 28/58 in catch frequency and 69 endurance. He’ll start.
3(33): DT Barry Guthrie: 21/41,17/29, 44—Much-needed depth at DT.
4(30): WR Howie Eason: 10/16,70,13/25,70,26…52 endurance. From Texas A&M. High 3rd-down rating makes him candidate for WR3. near redliner makes him candidate for breakout.
5(30): S Scottie Roth: 19/30,30/52,24/38,61…71 endurance. Solid backup safety.
6(30): RB Paul Parliman: Near redliner. 47,9/10,77,22/27,48,17/24,47,38,64.


Seven Year Signee: WR Lionel Judkins—17/58,51,19/64,25,49…..35 endurance. Could be long-term WR3.

I have enough cap room to re-sign G Blackburn and T Joseph at this point.

I then sign a handful of URFA’s and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2009 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: In the center.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
I’m going to keep the shotgun to my repertoire this season to continue to highlight FB David Bonk. I set high I, Pro, Shotgun and Strong I and zero out Weak I, Single Back. Goal Line is set around the middle.

Defense
I set very high 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are a bit above the middle.

Post Training Camp

Significant Breakouts: None.

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 50,100 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2009 ROSTER

  Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                    13          13       7   2010   

  QB  Phil Spencer                  4           5       2   2010   

  QB  T.J. Schultz                  3           8       1   2009   

  RB  Richie Tatum                  9          15       1   2012   

  RB  Paul Parliman                 7           7       1   2011   

  RB  Danny Thomas                  5           5       3   2013   

  FB  David Bonk                   13          14       3   2011   

  FB  Bruce Lyons                   8           8       2   2010   

  TE  Peter Prescott               14          14       4   2009   

  TE  Trent Shafer                 11          11       3   2010   

  TE  Joseph Vance                  4           4       1   2009   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               17          17       8   2013   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 15          15       8   2012   

  WR  Junior Deyo                   8           8       2   2010   

  WR  Bernard Joyner                7           7       4   2012   

  WR  Howie Eason                   7           7       1   2010   

  WR  Lionel Judkins                5          11       1   2015   

   C  Spencer Hardy                 8          10       8   2010   

   C  Gilbert Isaacson              8           8       3   2009   

   C  Mike Wheeler                  8           9       1   2013   

   G  Paul Blackburn               13          13       4   2012   

   G  Brett McIntyre               13          13       5   2011   

   G  Lorenzo Kirkaldie            11          11       2   2009   

   G  Moe Warren                   10          11       2   2010   

   T  Brandon Child                14          14       7   2012   

   T  Frankie Trudeau               8          11       8   2010   

   T  Jesse Meyer                   5           5       2   2010   

   T  Lamar Barry                   2           2       1   2009   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          11       9   2009   

   K  Jamie Haines                 11          11       9   2010   

  DE  Graham Billig                 6          11       1   2013   

  DE  Walter Crisp                  6           7       1   2009   

  DE  Seth Monroe                   5           8       3   2011   

  DE  Morris Stuart                 5           9       2   2012   

  DT  Roman Reiswig                11          13       6   2010   

  DT  Burt Earley                   9          14       2   2013   

  DT  Barry Guthrie                 6           6       1   2011   

  DT  Rufus Peacock                 2           2       1   2009   

  LB  Tracy Preston                10          11       8   2010   

  LB  Alonzo Stokes                 9           9       5   2009   

  LB  Heath Williams                6          13       1   2014   

  LB  Wes Burhart                   5           6       6   2010   

  LB  August Farr                   5           8       2   2014   

  LB  Matt Buckner                  3           4       3   2009   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              13          13       8   2012   

  CB  Marco Prescott                8          11       4   2010   

  CB  Cris Chisholm                 7           7       2   2010   

  CB  Willie Schneider              3           7       1   2011   

  CB  Barry Richard                 2           3       1   2009   

   S  Victor Whipple               17          18       6   2009   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              13          13       7   2010   

   S  Cary Howard                  11          11       3   2009   

   S  Scottie Roth                  8           9       1   2011 

Stadium: 73
Roster Strength: 100 (Oakland is 91, Buffalo 80)
Support: 65
Economy: 49
Cohesion: 74,75,67,84

Outlook: I feel great about my team everywhere but DE. If my DT’s and LB’s can compensate, we should make a championship run.

[Ben E Lou]

2009 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,70,40
2nd Down: 50,70,45,35
3rd Down: 60,20,10,20
4th Down: 60,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 16,43,32,6,3
Running: I-35, Pro-25, Strong-20, Shotgun-20
Very Likely Running: I-45, Pro-20, Strong-25, Shotgun-10
Passing: I-15, Pro-30, Strong—15, Shotgun-40
Very Likely Passing: I-5, Pro-30, Strong-5 Shotugn-60
FB As Runner: 99

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 40
4WR: 20
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2009 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 6-2
Standing: Second place. Oakland is 6-1. KC is 5-3.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 139 for 235 (59.1%), 1938 yards, 17TD’s*, 1INT, 108.0 Rating*.
Leading Rusher: Richie Tatum, 86 for 432, 5.0ypc, 2 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 49 catches for 778 yards, 6 TD’s. WR Dennis Wayne, 31 catches for 476 yards, 4TD’s.
Leading Tackler:S Whipple—48 tackles

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2009 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 13-3
Standing: Won division for the 5th consecutive season. SD was 11-5 in 2nd place.
QB Stats: Croft, 284 for 467 (60.8%), 3852 yards, 30TD’s*, 10INT’s, 99.5 Rating*.
Leading Rusher: Richie Tatam, 207 for 923, 4.4ypc, 10 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 86 catches for 1288 yards, 10 TD’s. WR Dennis Wayne, 66 catches for 1016 yards, 9TD’s.
Leading Tackler: S Whipple, 83 tackles
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Walter Crisp—8.5 sacks, 0 blocks, 2 hurries
Leading PDQ DB: CB Johnny Mayberry—20 catches,7 INT, 12 defensed, 52.8PDQ

Points Scored: 479
Points Against: 266

Rushing Yards: 2089 (2nd)
Rushing Average: 3.7 (League Average 3.7)
Passing Yards: 3975 (8th)
Passing Average: 8.0* (League Average 6.8)
Rushing Defense: 1350(2nd)
Rushing Average Allowed: 3.8 (League Avg 3.7)
Passing Defense: 3311 (7th)
Passing Average Allowed: 6.5 (League Avg. 6.8)

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2009 POSTSEASON REPORT

Division Playoffs vs Buffalo Bills
Pre-Game Injuries of Note—TE Prescott is doubtful/inactive with shoulder tendoniitis.

The offense doesn’t have a great game, but the defense comes up with 5 interceptions! Tatum has 13 carries fo 68 yards, and Croft throws for 206 yards and 2 Td’s. We win 37-27.

NFC Championship at Baltimore Ravens
Pre-Game Injury Changes from Last Week—.None.
We head up to Baltimore, and the Ravens hold us to seven first downs as we lose 27-10.

Baltimore beats Carolina 24-10 to win the Super Bowl.

Awards
RB Richie Tatum—Offensive Rookie of the Year—stats above
FB David Bonk—1st Team All Pro—121 carries, 408 yards, 4TD’s, 20 catches, 141 yards and 3 TD’s.
DT Roman Reiswig—1st Team All Pro—30 tackles, 24 assists, 11.5 sacks
CB Johnny Mayberry—1st Team All Pro—stats above


Herb's Ratings
Performance: 86
Frnc. Value: 88
Profit/Loss: 53
Difficulty: 71
YrEnd Score: 75

2009 Profit: ($32.99M)


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-11-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2010 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
There are no better alternatives than my current coach and scout, so I keep ‘em both onboard. The update:

HEAD COACH

Roger LaCroix

Age: 63

REPUTATION

QB: F         KICKER: VG

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: E

WR: E         MOTIVATION: G

OL: G         DISCIPLINE: VG

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: F

DB: E         AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

 Dwight Pritchett

Age: 59

REPUTATION

QB: VG      DL: G

RB: F       LB: E

WR: E       DB: VG

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 70
Support For New Stadium: 90

Dallas’ ticket prices jump with their new stadium. I bump mine up significantly as well. (Dallas’ prices in parenthesis.)

Upper Deck: 65 (73)
End Zone: 70 (76)
Mezzanine: 78 (86)
Sidelines: 125 (140)
License: 1,000 (5,300)
Club Seats: 3,500 (4,100)
Luxury Boxes: 160,000 (229,000)

[Ben E Lou]

2010 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $10.29M
Amount Needed For Draft: $4.29M


Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or acquire someone to replace as starters)

TE Peter Prescott—His backup, Trent Shafer, won All Pro honors when Prescott was injured two years ago. I’ll go with Shafer.
G Lorenzo Kirkaldie—He’s been a solid backup, but I don’t pay solid backups stupid money.
*P Nathan Spencer—He’s from Baylor and has been solid. We’ll see here. If a big-time punter is available come week 11, I can always sign a 3rd QB from Texas to meet that requirement.
*DE Walter Crisp—Undrafted FA won a starting spot and got 8.5 sacks last year as a rookie. I’ll try to figure out a way to keep him around.
*LB Alonzo Stokes—He’s in his 6th year, and injuries have kept him from fulfilling his potential. He played 15 games in his rookie year, and hasn’t played more than 10 games since. I doubt I’ll re-sign him.
*S’s Victor Whipple and Cary Howard—Howard is an RFA. Whipple is #1 safety, Howard is #3, but good enough to be a passable starter. Whipple is a star. This one will come down to finances, but I will keep one of them for certain.

Biggest Priorities: starting safety, starting LB
Secondary Priorities: getting a punter and re-signing DE Crisp
Lowest Priorities:

Cuts to Save Cap Room
DE Seth Monroe—can’t afford to pay a guy who is now just a backup over $2M per year.
WR Howie Eason—WR5
C Spencer Hardy—He has been a solid, but unspectacular starter. Last year’s 2nd-rounder, Mike Wheeler, looks like he’s ready to take over.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
LB Junior Crosland—3yrs,$10M, 5th year man--72/82,29/35,52/58,31/34,52—very good run stopper and solid on m2m pass coverage. Will play MLB for us next year.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
S Whipple—4yrs,$17.25M.
P Spencer—1yrs, $1.1M
DE Crisp—3yrs,$7M

FA Analysis
I hung on to most of the keys, although making a change at center is always a big deal. I feel like I’ve improved the defense by signing Crosland.

[Ben E Lou]

2010 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: None
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: None
Depth Needed: TE,C, T, DT, LB, CB, S

1(32): DT Jessie Madison:22/80,10/39, 69. Another run-stopping DT.
2(32): T Mark Bauer: 21/76,12/45, 35. Nice RT type.
3(32): LB Perry Parrish: 34/43,21/26,36/43,34/43,61. Solid backup with nice red lines.
4(32): S Rick Lynn: 15/42,16/44, 16/51, 26,15,15,58. He’s from the University of Texas and has nice future potentials.
5(32): C Richard Rayburn:28/52,31/61, 42. Pretty solid center.
6(32): QB Pete Blanchard: 28/41,16/24,24/41,30/52,39/64,57,38/58,19/29,44,72. Pretty good current numbers could make him a decent backup QB.

Seven Year Signee: WR Max Patton—I know I’ve got 2 studs, and this guy isn’t from Texas, but he looks like he has good breakout potential, and even if not he’s a solid guy. Ratings are 17/25,41,21/31,55,63,100,35,69

I re-sign RFA C Gilbert Isaacson to a 2-year minisal deal, then sign a bunch of undrafted rookies and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2010 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: Around the 4th dot.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
With studs at FB and TE. I’ll stick with the I, Pro, Strong I and Shotgun. I zero out Weak I and Single Back.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are a bit above the middle.

Post Training Camp

Significant Breakouts: Oh yeah!!! 3(32) pick LB Perry Parrish breaks out BIG-TIME from 34/43,21/26,36/43,34/43,61 to 50/100, 29/59, 50/100, 50/100, 89.

Significant Busts: 4(32) pick S Rick Lynn drops from 15/42,16/44, 16/51, 26,15,15,58 to next to nothing. Fortunately the CPU only gave him a $330,000 bonus, so when I cut him before next season it won’t be a big cap hit.

Season Ticket Sales: 51,400 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2010 ROSTER

  Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                    13          13       8   2010   

  QB  Pete Blanchard                7           8       1   2012   

  QB  Phil Spencer                  5           5       3   2010   

  RB  Richie Tatum                 10          14       2   2012   

  RB  Paul Parliman                 8           8       2   2011   

  RB  Bernard Fredericks            5           5       1   2010   

  RB  Danny Thomas                  4           4       4   2013   

  FB  David Bonk                   12          13       4   2011   

  FB  Bruce Lyons                   9           9       3   2010   

  TE  Trent Shafer                 11          11       4   2010   

  TE  Sedrick Carr                  6           7       1   2010   

  TE  Emmanuel Owens                5           5       1   2010   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               17          17       9   2013   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 15          15       9   2012   

  WR  Lionel Judkins                8          11       2   2015   

  WR  Max Patton                    8           8       1   2016   

  WR  Bernard Joyner                7           7       5   2012   

   C  Mike Wheeler                 12          12       2   2013   

   C  Gilbert Isaacson              8           8       4   2011   

   C  Richard Rayburn               3          12       1   2011   

   G  Paul Blackburn               15          15       5   2012   

   G  Brett McIntyre               13          13       6   2011   

   G  Moe Warren                   10          11       3   2010   

   G  Carl Murphy                   3           3       1   2010   

   T  Brandon Child                14          14       8   2012   

   T  Frankie Trudeau               9          11       9   2010   

   T  Jesse Meyer                   5           5       3   2010   

   T  Mark Bauer                    3          12       1   2014   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          11      10   2010   

   K  Jamie Haines                 11          11      10   2010   

  DE  Graham Billig                12          12       2   2013   

  DE  Walter Crisp                  8          10       2   2012   

  DE  Morris Stuart                 5           8       3   2012   

  DE  Kenny Walker                  1           4       1   2010   

  DT  Roman Reiswig                11          13       7   2010   

  DT  Burt Earley                  11          14       3   2013   

  DT  Barry Guthrie                 6           6       2   2011   

  DT  Jessie Madison                3          11       1   2014   

  LB  Junior Crosland              11          11       5   2012   

  LB  Tracy Preston                10          11       9   2010   

  LB  Heath Williams                9          13       2   2014   

  LB  Perry Parrish                 7          18       1   2013   

  LB  Wes Burhart                   6           6       7   2010   

  LB  August Farr                   5          10       3   2014   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              13          13       9   2012   

  CB  Marco Prescott                8          10       5   2010   

  CB  Cris Chisholm                 8           8       3   2010   

  CB  Willie Schneider              5           7       2   2011   

  CB  Casey Meske                   1          10       1   2010   

   S  Victor Whipple               16          18       7   2013   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              13          13       8   2010   

   S  Scottie Roth                  7           8       2   2011   

   S  Rick Lynn                     1           6       1   2012

Stadium: 75
Roster Strength: 100 (Tennessee is 88, Oakland 83, Philadelphia and Baltimore 80)
Support: 69
Economy: 50
Cohesion: 76,58,71,82

Outlook: I feel that this is a very strong all-around team with nice depth. If I can stay away from too many injuries, I can bring another Super Bowl Championship to Austin.

[Ben E Lou]

2010 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,65,40
2nd Down: 25,65,50,35
3rd Down: 65,20,10,20
4th Down: 65,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 15,50,20,10,5
Running: I-35, Pro-30, Strong-20, Shotgun-15
Very Likely Running: I-45, Pro-25, Strong-20, Shotgun-10
Passing: I-15, Pro-35, Strong—15, Shotgun-35
Very Likely Passing: I-5, Pro-40, Strong-5 Shotugn-50
FB As Runner: 85

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 40
4WR: 20
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2010 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 5-3
Standing: Third place. Oakland is 6-1. SD is 5-2
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 49 for 87 (56.3%), 562 yards, 4TD’s, 5INT, 67.2 Rating. Has played hurt most of the time he’s played. Pete Blanchard 124 for 219 (56.6%), 1443 yards, 11Td’s, 10 INT’s, 74.4 Rating. Pretty decent numbers for an unheralded rookie.
Leading Rusher: David Bonk, 70 carries for 273 yards, 1TD.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 48 catches for 648 yards, 1 TD. TE Trent Shafer 45 catches for 485 yards, 5TD’s.
Leading Tackler:LB Crosland—51 tackles.

Key Injuries:
Breakout LB Percy Parrish sprained his back in the 3rd exhibition game and returned in regular season game 4 due to other injuries on the squad. He also saw his potential ratings drop a slight bit from 100,50,100,100 to 97,46,97,86.
LB Heath Williams dislocated his elbow in regular season game one. He is up to questionable now.
RB Richie Tatum sprained his neck in game 2 and will return in game 9. I changed the game plan to pass more during his absence.
C Mike Wheeler broke his arm in Game 2 and is up to doubtful now.
QB Ike Croft got a concussion in game 2 and I sat him out for 3 starts, then he returned when probable but got re-injured and was downgraded back to doubtful again. I sat him until he was fully healed, as backup Blanchard was doing a solid job.
CB Johnny Mayberry broke his ribs in Game 7, and is still listed as out at the midpoint.
DE Walter Crisp sprained his neck in game 3 and is upgraded to doubtful now.

Geez! What was that comment I said about limiting injuries????

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2010 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 10-6
Standing: Tied for 2nd. Wild Card playoff birth. Hold broken on 5 straight division titles, but earned our 6th straight playoff birth. Croft came back strong in Game 12 and led us to four straight wins.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 146 for 231 (63.2%), 1711 yards, 11TD’s, 9INT’s, 85.2 Rating. Pete Blanchard 197 for 337 (58.4%), 2271 yards, 16Td’s, 18 INT’s, 72.3 Rating.
Leading Rusher: Richie Tatam, 132 for 622, 4.7ypc, 4 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 77 catches for 1085 yards, 3 TD’s. WR Dennis Wayne, 61 catches for 888 yards, 8TD’s, TE Trent Shafer, 68 catches for 687 yards, 6TD’s.
Leading Tackler: LB Crosland 95 tackles, 32 assists
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Graham Billig—14.5 sacks, 5 blocks, 5 hurries.
Leading PDQ DB: CB Victor Whipple—42 catches,8 INT, 14 defensed, 49.6PDQ

Points Scored: 393
Points Against: 296

Rushing Yards: 1726 (11th)
Rushing Average: 3.5 (League Average 3.8)
Passing Yards: 4023 (6th)
Passing Average: 6.9 (League Average 6.6)
Rushing Defense: 1233* (1st)
Rushing Average Allowed: 3.2* (League Avg 3.8)
Passing Defense: 3613 (19th)
Passing Average Allowed: 6.4 (League Avg. 6.6)

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2010 POSTSEASON REPORT

Wild Card Playoff at Seattle
Pre-Game Injuries of Note—None.
We had trouble getting fully in synch against Seattle. We kept it close, but Croft’s going 22 for 47 and the running game getting less than 100 yards ultimately led to our demise. The AFC West Champion Seahawks send us to an early playoff exit.

St. Louis beats Baltimore 26-7 to win the Super Bowl.

Awards
FB David Bonk—1st Team All Pro—103 carries, 405 yards, 3TD’s, 22 catches, 99 yards and 0 TD’s.
TE Trent Shafer—2nd Team All Pro—68 catches for 687 yards and 6 TD’s
S Victor Whipple—2nd Team All Pro—coverage stats above, 81 tackles, 31 assists

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 64
Frnc. Value: 86
Profit/Loss: 52
Difficulty: 71
YrEnd Score: 69

2010 Profit: ($23.45M)

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2011 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
Coach Roger LaCroix retires. He was hired in 2005, and under his leadership for six years, we had six playoff appearances, five division titles and a Super Bowl win. We went 70-25-1 in the regular season under him, and 7-5 in the postseason. He will be missed.

I stick with the same scout, and hire a new coach. Here’s the update:

HEAD COACH

Perry Herndon

Age: 46

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: F

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: F

WR: G         MOTIVATION: F

OL: G         DISCIPLINE: E

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: F         AVOID INJURY: E

SCOUT

 Dwight Pritchett

Age: 59

REPUTATION

QB: VG      DL: G

RB: F       LB: E

WR: E       DB: VG

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 69
Support For New Stadium: 86

Fan loyalty dropped, so I keep ticket prices right where they were last year.

Upper Deck: 65
End Zone: 70
Mezzanine: 78
Sidelines: 125
License: 1,000
Club Seats: 3,500
Luxury Boxes: 160,000

[Ben E Lou]

2011 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $30.6M
Amount Needed For Draft: $4.76M


Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or acquire someone to replace as starters)

*QB Ike Croft—I must do all I can to keep him.
*TE Trent Shafer—Neither of my URFA TE’s from last year look like NFL starters.
G Moe Warren—RFA--Backup guard. Has been solid, but wants big bucks. He’s from Texas Tech, so if there’s money around after other signings, I’d like to keep him around.
T Frankie Trudeau—2nd-year man Mark Bauer is close to ready. I’ll likely go with him.
*P Nathan Spencer—We’ll see what options are out there.
*K Jamie Haines—ditto.
DT Roman Reiswig—Interesting dilemma here. 2nd-year man Jesse Madison didn’t play much last year, so I’m not sure how ready he’ll be. Reiswig has been a very solid player for me over the past seven seasons. We’ll see.
LB Tracy Preston—I’ve got 3 solid starters in Crosland, Parrish and Williams.
CB Marco Prescott—Backup Chris Chisolm, who is an RFA, has nearly identical ratings. Since Chisolm is an RFA, he’ll be cheaper, so I’ll sign him.
*CB Chris Chisolm—see above
*S Andre Oskolkoff—He’s been solid throughout his career.

Biggest Priorities: QB Croft, S Oskolkoff
Secondary Priorities: TE and CB
Lowest Priorities: P and K, DT Reiswig

Cuts to Save Cap Room
S Rick Lynn—bust from last year.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
T Gabe Oglesby—3yrs, $2.8M—21/71,18/58, 26. Good help on the offensive line for cheap dollars.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
QB Croft—4yrs, $48.48M
S Oskolkoff—4yrs, $17.48M
TE Shafer—4yrs, $15M
P Spencer—3yrs,$3.63M
K Haines –3yrs,$4.18M

FA Analysis
I couldn’t afford to re-sign either one of my CB’s. I’ll spend my first-round pick on a CB who will be expected to step in and start. Overall, I’m happy

[Ben E Lou]

2011 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: CB
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: None
Depth Needed: G, TE, LB

1(25): CB Gerald McNeil: 23/42, 34/60, 27/51, 80….57 endurance….Not as good as I’d hoped for, but I need to go ahead and grab him.
2(25): LB Leland Watkins:29/88,20/66, 23/76, 12/40, 66. Could be a starter one day.
3(25): T Artie McDonald: 10/30,22/67, 28. Good pass blocker. From Texas A&M.
4(25): TE Kurt Romero: 24/49,26/57,78,19/39,48,73,67. Solid backup.
5(25): FB Clay Gruber: Good future potentials and from University of Texas
6(25): CB Sam Hurd: 15/18, 37, 22/28, 10…..30 endurance…near redliner
7(25): LB Jackie McKenney: 12/18,21/32,18/23,35/45, 67. From Baylor….near redliner

Seven Year Signee: TE Edwin Acosta—20/34,22/36, 48,33/47, 62,58,57

I then sign a few rookies to fill out the roster and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2011 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: In the middle
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
With studs at FB and TE. I’ll stick with the I, Pro, Strong I and Shotgun. I zero out Weak I and Single Back.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are a bit above the middle.

Post Training Camp

Significant Breakouts: None.

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 52,700 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2011 ROSTER

  Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                    13          13       9   2014   

  QB  Pete Blanchard                5           7       2   2012   

  QB  Kendrick Graham               4           5       1   2013   

  RB  Richie Tatum                 11          14       3   2012   

  RB  Paul Parliman                 8           8       3   2011   

  RB  Grant Ford                    7           7       1   2011   

  RB  Danny Thomas                  4           4       5   2013   

  FB  David Bonk                   11          13       5   2011   

  FB  Clay Gruber                   4          11       1   2012   

  TE  Trent Shafer                 12          12       5   2014   

  TE  Kurt Romero                   7          13       1   2013   

  TE  Edwin Acosta                  5           5       1   2017   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               17          17      10   2013   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 14          15      10   2012   

  WR  Lionel Judkins                8          10       3   2015   

  WR  Bernard Joyner                7           7       6   2012   

  WR  Max Patton                    6           6       2   2016   

   C  Mike Wheeler                 10          10       3   2013   

   C  Gilbert Isaacson              7           8       5   2011   

   C  Richard Rayburn               6          11       2   2011   

   G  Paul Blackburn               15          15       6   2012   

   G  Brett McIntyre               13          13       7   2011   

   G  Kenneth Fleming               5           8       1   2011   

   G  Joel Castillo                 1           8       1   2013   

   T  Brandon Child                14          14       9   2012   

   T  Gabe Oglesby                  8          11       2   2013   

   T  Mark Bauer                    7          11       2   2014   

   T  Artie McDonald                4          13       1   2014   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          11      11   2013   

   K  Jamie Haines                 11          11      11   2013   

  DE  Graham Billig                12          12       3   2013   

  DE  Walter Crisp                 10          10       3   2012   

  DE  Morris Stuart                 6           9       4   2012   

  DE  Jackie Bernard                2           2       1   2011   

  DT  Burt Earley                  13          14       4   2013   

  DT  Barry Guthrie                 6           6       3   2011   

  DT  Jessie Madison                6          11       2   2014   

  DT  Rondell Cowart                5           5       1   2013   

  LB  Perry Parrish                12          18       2   2013   

  LB  Junior Crosland              11          11       6   2012   

  LB  Heath Williams                9          12       3   2014   

  LB  August Farr                   6           9       4   2014   

  LB  Jackie McKenney               5           5       1   2013   

  LB  Leland Watkins                4          16       1   2014   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              11          11      10   2012   

  CB  Gerald McNeil                 8          10       1   2016   

  CB  Willie Schneider              5           7       3   2011   

  CB  Sam Hurd                      5           5       1   2012   

  CB  Quinn Connell                 2           6       1   2013   

   S  Victor Whipple               17          18       8   2013   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              13          13       9   2014   

   S  Scottie Roth                  8           8       3   2011   

   S  Matt Andrews                  3          11       1   2013   

Stadium: 78
Roster Strength: 100 (Baltimore is 86, Oakland 77, SF 72)
Support: 71
Economy: 52
Cohesion: 73,70,63,76

Outlook: If CB2 McNeil can do a decent job and we remain relatively injury-free, I think we’re still capable of making a championship run.

[Ben E Lou]

2011 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,70,40
2nd Down: 25,70,50,35
3rd Down: 70,20,10,20
4th Down: 70,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 15,50,25,7,3
Running: I-35, Pro-35, Strong-20, Shotgun-10
Very Likely Running: I-45, Pro-30, Strong-20, Shotgun-5
Passing: I-15, Pro-35, Strong—15, Shotgun-35
Very Likely Passing: I-5, Pro-40, Strong-5 Shotugn-50
FB As Runner: 90

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 60
4WR: 30
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2011 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 7-1
Standing: First place. SD is 5-3. Oakland is 5-4.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 62 for 103 (60.1%), 773 yards, 5TD’s, 1INT, 95.6 Rating. Pete Blanchard 74 for 122 (60.6%), 681 yards, 6Td’s, 4 INT’s, 78.6 Rating. Blanchard has filled in adequately once again.
Leading Rusher: Richie Tatum, 145 carries for 733 yards (5.0ypc), 7 Td’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 43 catches for 662 yards, 3 TD’s. WR Dennis Wayne 29 catches for 296 yards, 5TD’s.
Leading Tackler:S Oskolkoff—38 tackles

Key Injuries:
QB Ike Croft broke his hand in Game 4 and Pete Blanchard took over. Croft is now probable, but with the record at 7-1, I’ll wait until Croft is fully healed to bring him back.

Microscope Update
Rookie CB Gerald McNeil has been OUT OF THIS WORLD to date. In 247 pass plays in 8 starts, he has only given up 4 catches, while intercepting 5 passes and breaking up another. He’s a big reason why we’ve only given up 65 points to date.

*-denotes NFL leader


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-16-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2011 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 15-1
Standing: First place by four games over SD.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 158 for 272 (58.0%), 1896 yards, 9TD’s, 4INT’s, 84.3 Rating. Pete Blanchard 114 for 181 (62.9%), 1110 yards, 10Td’s, 6 INT’s, 84.7 Rating.
Leading Rusher: Richie Tatam, 240 for 1050, 4.3ypc, 12 TD’s.
Leading Receiver: WR Nolan Chrysler, 85 catches for 1217 yards, 6 TD’s.
Leading Tackler: S Victor Whipple and LB Perry Parrish—75 each
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Graham Billig—11.5 sacks, 5 blocks, 4 hurries.
Leading PDQ DB: CB Gerald McNeil—6 catches (in 11 starts),6 INT, 3 defensed, 51.3PDQ

Points Scored: 433
Points Against: 145

You gotta be kidding me!!! Only 145 points in 16 games. We held the opposing team to 10 points or less 11 times. We recorded a league-high 35 interceptions and had a league-high +24 turnover ratio. Amazing.

Key Injuries
S Andre Oskolkoff broke his ribs in game 13 and is still listed as out going into the playoffs.
LB Junior Crosland broke his jaw in game 15 and is also listed as out going into the playoffs.

Rushing Yards: 2100 (5th)
Rushing Average: 3.6 (League Average 3.7)
Passing Yards: 3006 (28th)
Passing Average: 6.6 (League Average 6.6)
Rushing Defense: 1462 (6th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 3.8 (League Avg 3.7)
Passing Defense: 2939 (2nd)
Passing Average Allowed: 5.1* (League Avg. 6.6)

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2011 POSTSEASON REPORT

Division Playoffs vs. SD
[i]Pre-Game Injuries of Note—S Oskolkoff and LB Crosland sit because of injuries mentioned earlier. Also, CB Mayberry sits with a hyperextended elbow that has him questionableI/i]
Without CB Mayberry, the pass defense didn’t come up with an interception, and was a bit vulnerable by comparison to the regular season. However, the offense more than picked up the slack. Tatum carries for 76 yards, and Croft went 20 for 32 for 218 yds with 2 TD’s and 1 Int. Nolan Chrysler had 8 catches for 110 yards and a TD, and we win 31-20.

AFC Championship vs. Tennessee Titans
Pre-Game Injuries of Note—LB Crosland is still listed as out. He’s done. CB Mayberry upgrades to probable and starts. S Oskolkoff is still doubtful and sits again.
Mayberry returns and the secondary gets busy again with 2 interceptions and 6 passes broken up. Titan QB Glenn Godrey, who had 3531 yards passing and a 90.1 rating on the season, goes 17 for 35 for 220 yards with 2 INT’s. Offensively, we rushed for 247 yards, with Tatum leading the way with 25 carries for 145 yards and a TD. Croft was 16 for 23 for 199 yards with 3 TD’s and 1 INT, and we blow the Titans out 41-16 to win the AFC Championship.

Super Bowl vs. Detroit Lions[]
Pre-Game Injuries of Note—Oskolkoff upgrades to questionable and is back starting. No other changes.
With everyone back, the Lions experienced what the rest of the league experienced all year from the Plainsmen: total domination, especially by the secondary. Detroit was 8 for 25 for 121 yards with 2 INT’s against the Plainsmen, and only 1 for 13 on third down. All in all, the Lions had 7 first downs and 194 total yards. The Plainsman offense also flexed its muscles today. Tatum had 14 carries for 100 yards and a TD, and Croft was 20 for 29 for 247 yards and 3 TD’s and 0 Int’s to win his 2nd Super Bowl MVP. Wayne caught 8 passes for 137 yards and a TD. Neither Mayberry nor McNeil gave up a catch, and Mayberry picked off a pass. Plainsmen demolish the Lions 47-6 to win our 2nd Super Bowl under House Arrest Rules! YEAH BABY!!!

Awards
QB Ike Croft—Super Bowl MVP (stats above)
FB David Bonk—1st Team All Pro—123 carries, 380 yards, 3TD’s, 24 catches, 138 yards and 0 TD’s. 13 for 29 KRB. 4th straight 1st Team All Pro for him.
G Paul Blackburn—1st Team All Pro—40 for 110 KRB, 7 sacks allowed, 20.9 OPCT
LB Perry Parrish—1st Team All Pro—75 tackles, 30 assists, 8.5 sacks, 1 blocked, 1 hurry, 2 Int’s, 6 passes defensed.
S Victor Whipple—1st Team All Pro—35 catches allowed in 16 starts, 7 INT’s, 10 passes defensed, 44.9 PDQ, 75 tackles,27 assists

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 100
Frnc. Value: 97
Profit/Loss: 67
Difficulty: 70
YrEnd Score: 86

2011 Profit: $25.7M

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2012 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
OH NOOOOO!!! QB Ike Croft decides to hang ‘em up after only 9 seasons! Croft was drafted 5(1) from Bethune Cookman in 2003. He started 10 games in his rookie season, and was the #1 guy from his 2nd year on. By his 3rd season, he led the House Arrest Empty Cupboard Plainsmen all the way to the AFC Championship game. His best overall regular season performance came in 2009, when he was 284 for 467 for 3852 yards with 30 TD’s and 10 Int’s. He led the Plainsmen to seven straight playoff appearances, six division titles (5 in a row), and 2 Super Bowl wins. He was named MVP in both of his Super Bowl appearances. In his first Super Bowl in 2007, he was 29 for 35 for 403 yards, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s, and in his 2nd in 2011, Croft was 16 for 23 for 199 yards with 3 TD’s and 1 INT. He set NFL records in 2008 for passing yards (4,717) and TD passes (36). For his career, Croft was 1978 for 3391(58.3%) for 25,530 yards with 170 TD’s and 125 INT’s with an 83.3 QB Rating. He will be sorely missed.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
My scout’s contract runs out, and he’s getting old and declining. I sign a new one. I stick with the same coach. Here’s the update:

HEAD COACH

Perry Herndon

Age: 47

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: F

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: F

WR: G         MOTIVATION: F

OL: G         DISCIPLINE: E

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: F         AVOID INJURY: E

SCOUT

 Dexter Atkins

Age: 43

REPUTATION

QB: G      DL: F

RB: G       LB: G

WR: G       DB: F

OL: VG      YOUNG TALENT: VG

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 80
Support For New Stadium: 94

I bump ticket prices up a bit. They are still below those of Dallas

Upper Deck: 70
End Zone: 75
Mezzanine: 85
Sidelines: 135
License: 2,000
Club Seats: 4,000
Luxury Boxes: 200,000


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-15-2001).]

[Madmax]

Originally posted by SkyDog:

2011 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Points Scored: 433
Points Against: 145

145 points against is very impressive. I use same/similar gameplan as the Plainsmen for my current career with Houston Texans (2002-2029present) and have found it very effective. I notice that you change the gameplan every year but I stick with pretty much the same offense every season.
Eventhough I don't use any rules(except fair trades), the best defense I had was when my team only allowed 189 points. I usually use man-to-man 75 and bump-run at 25 along with 4-3 or 3-4 depending on the strength at LB.

On offense, the most the Texans has scored is 534 points.

[Ben E Lou]

2012 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $9.72M
Amount Needed For Draft: $4.76M

Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or acquire someone to replace as starters)

*FB David Bonk—Gotta figure out a way to keep the 4-time First Team All Pro.
*G Brett McIntyre—Been solid as a starter for seven years. I’d like to keep him.

Biggest Priorities: FB Bonk
Secondary Priorities: G McIntyre
Lowest Priorities: None

Cuts to Save Cap Room
WR Patton—He didn’t break out and he’s not needed at his salary.
TE Acosta—Ditto.
LB August Farr—Gotta another LB from Texas who’s cheaper.
DE Walter Crisp—He was no longer starting by the end of last season.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
None.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
FB Bonk—3yrs,$9M
G McIntyre—4yrs,$17.48M

FA Analysis
Well, I had no money for a QB, but all my other starters return from last year, and I can’t help but be happy about that. My backup QB from last year, Pete Blanchard, could potentially be a decent option.


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-15-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2012 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: QB
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: DE
Depth Needed: RB, CB

1(34): QB Gary Sherman: Pretty good QB. Potentials good enough to perhaps plug him into the lineup this year. 22/90,27/78,18/76,12/5422/72,70,13/47,16/56,48,46. From tiny Luther College in Decorah, IA, a Division III school.
2(34): RB Andrew May: VERY good RB. Could be a Tyrus Dunn-style back (read the Hartford Nor’easter thread for more on the great Dunn). 67/100 in ypc, 81 in breakaway speed, 75 in catching, 52/88 in catch frequency, 80 in 3rd-down catching. With a few years of building up QB Sherman, I could potentially build the offense around May.
3(34): DE Jesse Nickel: Pretty solid DE from SW Texas St. 24/66,8/20, 85.
4(34): G Eugene Morrison: Very nice ratings for this point in the draft. 22/66,18/56,78. Could become a starter one day.
5(34): C Roman Hall: Good backup. 34/76,19/44, 23.
6(34): DE Van Wollmuth: 12/33,14/40,44. From Texas Tech.
7(34): DT Grady James: 18/51, 13/37, 62

Seven Year Signee: WR Glenn Cash 26/30, 23, 13/15, 25, 58…..31 endurance (near redliner)

I then sign a few rookies to fill out the roster and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2012 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: In the middle
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
With studs at FB and TE. I’ll stick with the I, Pro, Strong I and Shotgun. I zero out Weak I and Single Back.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are a bit above the middle.

Post Training Camp

Significant Breakouts: Undrafted FA CB Rich Dominequez jumps to 24/72, 30/87, 16/47, 67 with 69 endurance. He was a roster filler who I only signed for one year, so I imagine he’ll get big bucks after this year.

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 58,600 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2012 ROSTER

Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Pete Blanchard                6           9       3   2012   

  QB  Kendrick Graham               5           8       2   2013   

  QB  Gary Sherman                  5          14       1   2017   

  RB  Richie Tatum                 12          12       4   2012   

  RB  Andrew May                   10          14       1   2015   

  RB  Andre Vazquez                 6           6       1   2012   

  RB  Danny Thomas                  4           4       6   2013   

  FB  David Bonk                   13          13       6   2014   

  FB  Clay Gruber                   8           9       2   2012   

  TE  Trent Shafer                 11          12       6   2014   

  TE  Kurt Romero                   9          12       2   2013   

  TE  Tim Reynolds                  5           6       1   2012   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               16          17      11   2013   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 15          15      11   2012   

  WR  Lionel Judkins                9          11       4   2015   

  WR  Bernard Joyner                6           6       7   2012   

  WR  Glenn Gash                    4           5       1   2018   

   C  Mike Wheeler                 10          10       4   2013   

   C  Roman Hall                    5          12       1   2014   

   C  Irv Stevens                   4           8       1   2014   

   G  Paul Blackburn               14          14       7   2012   

   G  Brett McIntyre               12          13       8   2015   

   G  Joel Castillo                 5           8       2   2013   

   G  Eugene Morrison               5          11       1   2014   

   T  Brandon Child                13          13      10   2012   

   T  Gabe Oglesby                 10          11       3   2013   

   T  Mark Bauer                    8          11       3   2014   

   T  Artie McDonald                8          10       2   2014   

   P  Nathan Spencer               10          10      12   2013   

   K  Jamie Haines                 10          10      12   2013   

  DE  Graham Billig                10          10       4   2013   

  DE  Morris Stuart                 7           7       5   2012   

  DE  Van Wollmuth                  5           6       1   2014   

  DE  Jesse Nickel                  4          13       1   2014   

  DT  Burt Earley                  14          14       5   2013   

  DT  Jessie Madison                8          11       3   2014   

  DT  Rondell Cowart                4           7       2   2013   

  DT  Grady James                   3           9       1   2014   

  LB  Perry Parrish                14          18       3   2013   

  LB  Heath Williams               12          12       4   2014   

  LB  Junior Crosland              11          13       7   2012   

  LB  Leland Watkins                7          16       2   2014   

  LB  Jackie McKenney               4           6       2   2013   

  LB  Chester Gross                 2           3       1   2012   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              11          11      11   2012   

  CB  Rich Dominquez                9          13       1   2012   

  CB  Gerald McNeil                 7           9       2   2016   

  CB  Quinn Connell                 3           7       2   2013   

  CB  Sam Hurd                      3           4       2   2012   

   S  Victor Whipple               17          18       9   2013   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              10          10      10   2014   

   S  Matt Andrews                  6          10       2   2013   

   S  Harold Layman                 4           4       1   2012

Stadium: 77
Roster Strength: 88 (Baltimore is 100, and Tennessee 98)
Support: 79
Economy: 55
Cohesion: 83,68,56,98

Outlook: Well, 21 starters return from a dominant team that won the Super Bowl in the blowout. However, the one non-returning guy will be hard to replace. The big decision for me will be do I go with QB Pete Blanchard who has performed decently in 11 career starts but doesn’t appear to be the future or do I go with rookie Gary Sherman who looks to be the future. With NINE starters becoming FA’s after this season, my first thought is to go with Blanchard this year, then begin to rebuild under Sherman next year. However, I’ll see how Sherman looks in exhibition play before making this decision.

[Ben E Lou]

2012 GAME PLANS

Offensive Philosophy
With 2 good running backs and a good fullback. My philosophy will be a simple “three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust” complemented with short passing. I’ll rely on my running game to move the ball, and my defense to help me win field position battles.

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 85,80,75,50
2nd Down: 85,80,55,40
3rd Down: 80,25,15,25
4th Down: 80,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 15,50,25,5,5
Running: I-35, Pro-35, Strong-20, Shotgun-10
Very Likely Running: I-45, Pro-30, Strong-20, Shotgun-5
Passing: I-15, Pro-35, Strong—15, Shotgun-35
Very Likely Passing: I-5, Pro-40, Strong-5 Shotugn-50
FB As Runner: 75

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 50
4WR: 30
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-17-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2012 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 5-3
Standing: Second place. SD is 6-1. Oakland is 3-4.
QB Stats: Gary Sherman (6 starts) 74 for 118 (62.7%), 831 yards, 2TD’s, 2INT, 82.2 Rating. Pete Blanchard (2 starts) 34 for 78 (43.5%), 353 yards, 2Td’s, 5 INT’s, 39.0 Rating. We are 5-1 when rookie Sherman starts, 0-2 when Blanchard starts. Sherman has shown he’s ready to start in the NFL.
Leading Rusher: Richie Tatum, 168 carries for 663 yards (3.9ypc), 5 Td’s.
Leading Receiver: TE Trent Shafer—23 catches for 235 yards, 0 TD’s
Leading Tackler:LB Heath Williams—47 tackles

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2012 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 11-5
Standing: First place. SD also went 11-5, but we beat ‘em twice.
QB Stats: Gary Sherman, 190 for 329 (57.7%), 2097 yards, 13TD’s, 12INT’s, 74.7 Rating.
Leading Rusher: Richie Tatam, 276 for 1253, 4.5ypc, 6 TD’s.
Leading Receiver: TE Trent Shafer, 40 catches for 387 yards, 2 TD’s
Leading Tackler: S Oskolkoff—87 tackles
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Graham Billig—11.5 sacks, 1 block, 13 hurries*.
Leading PDQ DB: S Victor Whipple—23 catches, 5 INT, 8 defensed, 51.1PDQ*

Points Scored: 353
Points Against: 230

Key Injuries
DT Burt Earley tore a calf muscle in game 12 and is still out going into the playoffs.
WR Nolan Chrysler played hurt quite a few games with a bruised sternum. He’s doubtful going into the playoffs.

Rushing Yards: 2389 (1st)
Rushing Average: 3.9 (League Average 3.8)
Passing Yards: 2509 (34th)
Passing Average: 6.0 (League Average 6.6)
Rushing Defense: 1569 (9th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 4.0 (League Avg 3.8)
Passing Defense: 3593 (23rd)
Passing Average Allowed: 6.9 (League Avg. 6.6)

*-denotes NFL leader


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-17-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2012 POSTSEASON REPORT

Division Playoffs vs. Pittsburgh
Pre-Game Injuries of Note—RB Tatum is probable and will start with a bruised shoulder. WR Chysler is doubtful but remains active as the 4th WR with his bruised sternum. DT Earley is doubful/inactive with that torn calf muscle.
Pittsburgh returned a fumble and an interception for TD’s early, putting us behind and forcing us to throw. Sherman did fairly well, but threw two more INT’s for a total of three. He finished the day 21 for 39 for 309 yards with 2 TD’s and 3 INT’s, and RB May carried 22 times for 147 yards and a TD. However, being down 2 TD’s was too much to come back from, and the Steelers take a 28-25 win despite us outgaining them 443-190. ARRGGGH!

Baltimore beats Carolina 27-22 to win the Super Bowl. This rubs salt further in the wound since we MANHANDLED Carolina late in the regular season.

Awards

FB David Bonk—1st Team All Pro—131 carries, 466 yards, 4TD’s, 22 catches, 104 yards and 1 TD. 13 for 40 KRB. 5th straight 1st Team All Pro for him.
C Mike Wheeler—1st Team All Pro—51* for 139* KRB, 2 sacks allowed, 24.4 OPCT. That’s a new single season NFL record for KRB.
G Paul Blackburn—1st Team All Pro—36 for 97 KRB, 4 sacks allowed, 17.5 OPCT
G Brett McIntyre—1st Team All Pro—30 for 91 KRB, 3 sacks allowed, 15.8 OPCT
T Brandon Child—1st Team All Pro—29 for 80 KRB, 4 sacks allowed, 14.9 OPCT

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 81
Frnc. Value: 100
Profit/Loss: 82
Difficulty: 68
YrEnd Score: 87

2012 Profit: $76.96M


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-16-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2013 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

Team Moved
Buffalo moved to Albany (NY) this year.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
With a young QB, I desire a coach with a better young talent rating. There is such a coach available this year who is also quite strong at play calling. I keep my scout and hire a new coach. Here’s the update:

HEAD COACH

Donald Boyd

Age: 58

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: G

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: E

WR: G         MOTIVATION: F

OL: F         DISCIPLINE: G

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: E

LB: G         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

DB: VG        AVOID INJURY: E

SCOUT

 Dexter Atkins

Age: 44

REPUTATION

QB: G      DL: F

RB: G       LB: G

WR: G       DB: F

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: VG

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 84
Support For New Stadium: 100

I bump ticket prices to match those of the Cowboys.

Upper Deck: 79
End Zone: 80
Mezzanine: 92
Sidelines: 144
License: 5,800
Club Seats: 4,400
Luxury Boxes: 242,000

[Ben E Lou]

<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P ALIGN="CENTER"><u>2013 20-STEP PROCESS</u>

Initial Cap Room: $37.25M
Amount Needed For Draft: $4.76M

Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or acquire someone to replace as starters)

QB Pete Blanchard—RFA—I’m committed to Gary Sherman to lead this team. Blanchard will go.
RB Richie Tatum—He’s given me four solid seasons with 3848 yards, 32 TD’s and a 4.5 ypc average, but Andrew May looks like he’ll be just as good or better and is signed through 2015.
*WR Dennis Wayne—One of the bedrocks of the franchise. I’ll try my best to keep him.
*G Paul Blackburn—2 straight 1st Team All Pro awards and my best guard. I’ll keep him.
*T Brandon Child—Tough call here. I’ve got three other pretty solid tackles, but he’s the best. I’ll keep him if I can afford him.
DE Morris Stuart—DE Jesse Nickel has very similar ratings and performance and looks ready to start in his 2nd year.
LB Junior Crosland—Leland Watkins looks very much ready to step in and start. Crosland becomes and extra wheel.
CB Johnny Mayberry-He’s in his 12th year and declining. Still has 62 in M2M defense though. Cohesion helper. Interesting choice here.
CB Rich Dominquez—RFA--Breakout rookie last year. Should come relatively cheaply since he’s an RFA.

Biggest Priorities: WR Wayne, G Blackburn, CB Dominquez
Secondary Priorities: T Child
Lowest Priorities: CB Mayberrry, then others

Cuts to Save Cap Room
None.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
S Malcolm Rivero—4yrs, $16M—5th-year man. Pretty much a stud. Signed him since he was still around and could affford. 82, 78/91, 76/84, 44….33 endurance. Former Defensive ROY. With Whipple and Oskolkoff aging, this is a good move for us.
DT Clyde Rose—3yrs, $4.8M—2nd-year man…5/27,18/87, 44
T Patrick Everett—3yrs, $3.47M—2nd-year man…16/56,14/54,36. Could be solid backup.
DE Walter O’Donnel—3yrs,$8M—3rd-year man…34/47,30/54, 50.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
G Blackburn—4yrs,$24.5M
T Child—3yrs, $17.98M
WR Wayne—2yrs,$11.99M
LB Crosland—1yr,$4.37M

FA Analysis
Now that I’m a second year removed from Ike Croft’s early retirement, I’m past the cap hit. That allowed me to sign all those quality young backups, some of whom will develop into starters. This added depth is ALWAYS nice to have. I’m taking a bit of a risk at CB in letting Mayberry go, but I chose to get the depth rather than sign Mayberry.

[Ben E Lou]

<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2>
<P ALIGN="CENTER"> <u>2013 AMATEUR DRAFT</u>

Starters Needed: None.
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: C
Depth Needed: WR, DE, CB

1(31): WR Al Lluellyn, Wake Forest: 15/54,65,33/91,81,68….60 endurance. With Chrysler and Wayne both in their 12th seasons, its time to start preparing for the future at WR. Lluellyn looks like he’ll be great preparation.
2(31): CB Bubba Pender, Washington St.: 13/56,12/62,14/65, 60….69 endurance…could be a solid all-around CB.
3(31): C Preston Wells, Syracuse: 28/52,50/100, 96. Solid run-blocker, terrific pass blocker. Future (if not this year) starter.
4(31): RB Leonard Vance, South Carolina: 43/81 in ypc and 38/78 in catch frequency. Very good 2nd RB.
5(31): DE Travis McCain, Delta State: 22/57,16/42,45. Could develop into a starter even.
6(31): QB O.J. Scrafford, Florida State: Best current-value QB
7(31): FB Rob Pettis, Alabama: 21/68 in run blocking, 28/79 in ypc, 24/66 in catch frequency. Nice.

After the draft I re-sign CB Dominquez to a 3-year, $9M deal. I also cut C Irv Stephens, who is demoted to #4 on the depth chart with the drafting of Preston Wells. I also cut DE Van Wollmuth and DT Rondell Cowart.

Seven Year Signee: LB Zack Anthony, Georgia: 8/59, 8/65, 4/30, 3/26, 51. Could develop into a starter.

I then sign a few rookies to fill out the roster and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2>
<P ALIGN="CENTER"> <u>2013 TRAINING CAMP</u>

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: In the middle
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
With strength at RB, FB and 3 strong WR’s and a solid but not great TE, I’m going to run 2-back sets with a lot of usage of 3WR’s. I set I, Pro, Strong I and Weak I high, and zero out single back and shotgun. Goal line is set in the middle.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are near the middle.

Post Training Camp

Significant Breakouts: None.

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 62,100 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P ALIGN="CENTER"> <u>2013 ROSTER</u>

<pre><FONT FACE="courier">
Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Gary Sherman 8 11 2 2017
QB Kendrick Graham 5 8 3 2013
QB O.J. Scrafford 5 6 1 2015
RB Andrew May 11 13 2 2015
RB Leonard Vance 9 10 1 2015
RB Trent Long 7 8 1 2015
RB Danny Thomas 4 4 7 2013
FB David Bonk 13 13 7 2014
FB Rob Pettis 5 11 1 2014
TE Trent Shafer 12 12 7 2014
TE Kurt Romero 10 12 3 2013
TE Jorge Barham 4 9 1 2013
WR Nolan Chrysler 15 15 12 2013
WR Dennis Wayne 15 15 12 2014
WR Al Lluellyn 10 12 1 2016
WR Lionel Judkins 9 10 5 2015
WR Luke Schweitzer 5 10 1 2015
C Mike Wheeler 11 12 5 2013
C Preston Wells 9 15 1 2016
C Roman Hall 7 9 2 2014
G Paul Blackburn 15 15 8 2016
G Brett McIntyre 12 12 9 2015
G Eugene Morrison 8 10 2 2014
G Joel Castillo 5 6 3 2013
T Brandon Child 14 14 11 2015
T Gabe Oglesby 9 10 4 2013
T Mark Bauer 8 12 4 2014
T Artie McDonald 8 11 3 2014
T Patrick Everett 6 9 2 2015
P Nathan Spencer 10 10 13 2013
K Jamie Haines 10 10 13 2013
DE Graham Billig 11 12 5 2013
DE Walter O'Donnell 9 9 3 2015
DE Travis McCain 6 12 1 2014
DE Jesse Nickel 5 7 2 2014
DT Burt Earley 13 13 6 2013
DT Jessie Madison 9 11 4 2014
DT Grady James 5 10 2 2014
DT Clyde Rose 5 8 2 2015
LB Perry Parrish 15 18 4 2013
LB Heath Williams 11 12 5 2014
LB Junior Crosland 11 11 8 2013
LB Leland Watkins 10 16 3 2014
LB Jackie McKenney 4 5 3 2013
LB Zack Anthony 2 10 1 2019
CB Rich Dominquez 9 13 2 2015
CB Gerald McNeil 9 10 3 2016
CB Bubba Pender 5 10 1 2015
CB Quinn Connell 3 3 3 2013
S Victor Whipple 17 17 10 2013
S Malcolm Rivero 13 15 5 2016
S Andre Oskolkoff 10 10 11 2014
S Matt Andrews 8 10 3 2013</FONT></pre>

Stadium: 75
Roster Strength: 100 (Pittsburgh is 88, Tennessee is 83)
Support: 83
Economy: 56
Cohesion: 76,94,68,87

Outlook: If the secondary can handle the loss of CB Mayberry, (and of course we can avoid key injuries), there’s no reason to believe we won’t go deep into the postseason with this squad.