Village Challenge II (2010 and beyond...)

[Darkiller]

Village Challenge II

Season 2010

For 2009 :
Team Performance : 100/100
Franchise Value : 100/100
Profit Loss : 62/100
Difficulty : 70/100

YEAR END SCORE : 86

Troy Aikman and Ben Coates are inducted in the Hall of Fame.

FB Edwin Bednarik and DE Jason Taylor retired. Both have been valuable contributors and Bednarik (drafted in the 2nd round in 2000) has been a starter for us for 9 years before being replaced last season in the starting lineup by Chester Tindale.
LB Freddie Kobeski (injured last season with a broken angle) is still out for 3-5 weeks.

40 players are already signed for 2010 and 3 starters are FAs.
We place the franchise tag on TE Ronald Stark, a starter for us for the past 10 years and still a great blocker/receiver.

Trades proposals :
The Cowboys propose T Leland Bonham + 2nd round pick for S Lincoln Wright.
The Broncos propose LB Ernest Strong + 1st round pick (22th) for DT B.J Mudgett.
The 49ers propode TE Jake Montgomery + 1st round pick (10th) for RB Donnie Sheen.
All are rejected.

I renegociated 3/4 year extension deals to many players including our stars Davies, Sheen, Mudgett.
Guys on the team were very willing to renegociate -probably since we just won a SuperBowl last year and they feel they have the oportunity to flourish within the NFL's best team- and that was a great surprise to me.
Also, we have been able to resign backup QB Bucky Chapman until 2012 (he was UFA this year and unhappy not to play). His current estimation is 58 (good) with a potential at 86 (excellent).
It's certainly good to have him with us in case something happens to Davies.

We enter Free-Agency with $26,010,000 under the cap.
We badly need some help at DE.
Once again we can't find what we want at that position and we lose both Centers Jeff Smith and his backup Connell to Free-Agency. Smith was a 10 year starter at center and Connel didn't want to sign with us, he wanted to be traded.
Also, former 1st rounder LB Leon Rooser (10th overall in 2001) left for archrival Jacksonville and a lucrative contract.
His loss is not that much of a shame since he his now a 10 year veteran and we have a lot of very good young LB on the team.
Else from that, the good news is that we've been able to resign all of our other FAs so cohesion shouldn't be hurt too much.


Trade offers for Raleig Roundtree and B.J mudgett are both rejected.


The 2009 NFL Draft :

during the draft we trade our two 3rd round picks + next year's 1st rounder + CB Chuck Coleman for promising DE Timothy Burnim (86/81/90 - 2nd overall pick in 2005 draft) from KC Chiefs.
We were already set at CB with Carr, Ferderer, Dawson and McElroy. We'll try to regain next year's 1st rounder later on...

We now trade with the New York Giants (who held the n°1 pick this year as they had at 2-14 the worst record in the NFL last year) giving them our two 2nd rounders + our 4th rounder in exchange of their 2011 1st round pick.
(Royal, you're safe )
Hopefully the Giants won't improve that much right away so we could end up with a very early selection in the draft next year...

2010 Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Mel Chin, FB, Michigan State (46/100 37/78 84 39/96 22/58 46/98 92 79 100)
Rnd 5 - Xavier Bauer, CB, North Carolina (22/56 28/62 60)
Rnd 7 - Renaldo Finch, C, Ohio State (8/19 30/55 25)

We then trade with the Lions our 6th G Oscar Barlow (15/22 22/33 24) for their 2nd string Center Deion Parrish (23/55 25/61 65), a rookie picked in the 2nd round this year.
Parrish is fine for being a backup Center. We still don't have a a starter at the position.

MEGA TRADE !
Desperate to find a great Center since long time starter Jeff Smith left during Free Agency, we look for trading. Without a proven Center, no way, Blaine Davies will be well protected and no way Donnie Sheen will run at will.
We go see the Washington Redskins and enquire about C Dexter Galyon (99/100/100), considered by the scouts as, simply, the best Center in all of Pro Football.
We propose our backup QB Bucky Chapman.
the Redskins agree since their were themselves desperate for a good QB.

We then release Rookie Center Renaldo Finch (7th rounder).

Huge trade as we come back with the best Center of all but we let go a promising young backup QB.
We look in the Free-agent pool and surprisingly see QB Bart LaChapelle (2007 All-League 2nd team QB) and a 3 year starter for the Redskins there.
LaChapelle has very good ratings but was let go since he missed 18 games over the last 2 years.
Obviously his durability is a factor but as a backup he should be perfect.
With his ratings, he can probably be considered the best backup QB in the NFL right now.
We are lucky to have him since he's a grade upgrade to Chapman.

LaChapelle (79/89 71/82 81/96 85/92 90/99 87 69/80 69/82 91 100)
7 year veteran, one time All-League QB.
Our scouting department rate him currently at 78 (very good) with a potential at 86 (excellent)

in comparisons, Davies' current ratings : (94 93 92 85 91 100 85 81 88 84)
Current estimation : 92 (excellent), future estimation : 96 (excellent)

Trades :
The Seahawks offer a 2nd rounder for starting FB Tindale.
Rams offer a 4th rounder + G Leon Flowers for newly acquired C Dexter Galyon,
The Raiders propose a 1st rounder + FB Kyle Pathon for Browns sack leader Matt Champion.
All trades are rejected.

We are just $5,890,000 under the cap at the start of the pre-season

We sell 70,300 tickets out of 70,300. (!)

The Browns are "worth" $851,810,000 (1st NFL)
Stadium (44)
Roster (100)
Support (99)
Economy (54)

Pre-season :

We finish the preseason 3-1
Actually 3rd string QB Donovan Hemphill had a very fine Pre-season and outplayed backup Bart LaChapelle. Still LaChapelle is clearly a more talented QB and has much more experience so he definitely remains the n°2 QB.
Unfortunately we have a major injury as N°1 receiver Harvey Wallace has broken ribs and is out for 2/3 months. Bad luck, he was already hampered by injuries throughout last season and here we're not even sure of being able to bringing him back late in the season.
Last year, Wallace caught 52 passes for 799 yards and 8 TDs.
We will now rely on B.J Bushon and SuperBowl MVP Willie Woodson as our two starting WRs.

Last year's SuperBowl title in still in the memories but are clearly looking to bring home a 2nd world championship in a row.
This will be difficult though because we start the season with 5 staight road games !


Roster Cohesion :

passing (84)
Off Line (93)
Deff front (83)
secondary (72)

regular season 2010 starts :

Week 1 Browns @ Bucanneers (Bucs were 10-6 last year) - 1pt fav : W 35-20
A very good season opener for the Browns against a tough and physical Bucs team. The offense looks as good as ever with a trio of QB/RB/WR where each posted great stats and the defense also looked much better than at anytime during last season. We led this game from A to Z and that was a real satisfaction to see a chemistry like that early in the season.
Davies 20/32 295 yards 3 TDs 1 INT
Sheen 28 for 138 yards 1 TD
Carlson 8 catches for 138 yards 2 TDs
Quinn and Ferderer each had an interception, Champion had 2 sacks and Burnim 1.5 sacks.

Gus McElroy, CB - Bruised Sternum, full strength in 3-5 Weeks
but good news for WR Harvey Wallace whose injury heals faster than expected. He's now been upgraded from Out (2-3 months) to doubtful (3-5 weeks).

Week 2 Browns (1-0) @ Bears (1-0) - 3pt fav : W 29-23 OT
A strange game has we blow a big lead to finally win the game in overtime. Davies threw a lot of passes in the first half but few were completed. Sheen, as well had a sub-par game. Still we start off the season 2-0.
Davies 25/49 280 yards 1 TD 2 INTs
Sheen 14 for 40 yards 1 TD
Woodson 7 catches for 71 yards 1 TD
Duke and Mudgett both had 1 sack and Champion had 2.

3rd string RB Tom Battle has a broken Tibia, he's out long term and placed on IR. We then sign FA RB R.J Hogendoorn (4year Vet who played the last two years at Charlottesville).

Week 3 Browns (2-0) @ Jaguars (2-0) - 1pt fav : W 14-13
a defensive struggle.
We lead 14-0 before seeing the Jaguars coming back behing QB Stamm. With less than 3 minutes to play in the 4th quarter, Jacksonville is stopped on our 23 yard line and has to settle for a FG. They made it and come back 14-13 with just over 2 minutes to go. The Browns go 3 and out and the Jags have the ball back on their own 38 with 2 minutes to play, they just need to advance to FG range to win the game...but Stamm is intercepted for the 2nd time in the afternoon and we can hold on to the win.
Davies 12/28 165 yards 2 TDs 1 INT
Sheen 15 for 122 yards
Woodson 3 catches for 53 yards 2 TDs
Quinn had 2 interceptions ! and Champion added another 1.5 sacks to his season total. Carr also had 1 sack.

At 3-0 after three (road) games, we currently own sole first place in the AFC Central are just one of three NFL teams still undefeated (Jets and Cowboys being the others). The Power Ranking system ranks us first in the NFL at 95.

Week 4 Browns (3-0) @ Titans (1-2) - 7pt fav : W 27-14
Just another game where it took us a little more than a quarter to feel good before steamrolling peacefully to yet another important road victory against a division foe.
The defense seems to carry us more than the offense so far. Clearly, right now, we can see an improvement on defense compared to last year.
Davies 16/35 191 yards 2 TDs 1 INT
Sheen 25 for 71 yards
Woodson 4 catches for 53 yards 1 TD
Quinn and Dawson each had an interception and Mudgett had 1 sack.

LB All O'Donnel has a turf toe and is questionnable (3-5 weeks)

Week 5 Browns (4-0) @ Steelers (0-4) - 13pt fav : W 17-13
ugly win. Once again the offense can't move and doesn't really produce. I'm a bit concerned there even though we're still undefeated at 5-0. In this game, it is not until with 6 minutes left to play in the game that QB Blaine Davies runs for a score to give us the win.
Davies 16/23 159 yards 1 INT
sheen 15 for 86 yards 1 TD
Bushon 4 catches for 42 yards
Carr and Swift both had 1 interception; Burnim had 2 sacks and Champion & West each had 1 sack.

S Lincoln Wright has stretched Knee Ligament and is listed as doubtful for sunday's game. We decide to keep him out so that he doesn't re-aggravate his injury. The season is long and he's our best safety.
The good news is, after 5 games on the road, we are 5-0 !

Week 6 Browns (5-0) Vs Titans (2-3) - 10pt fav : L 9-26
Awful loss and for yet another week, Davies and the offensive squad have gone nowhere. Down 0-14 early in the game, we were never in position to come back to the score or anything. Our "season-opener" is a disaster as we lost a lot of credibility today.
I must say i'm very worried about Davies' play so far : the 12 year vet is playing his worst football ever (statistically speaking because else, he still led the team to a 5-1 record). His current Rating of 69,3 is so far the worst of his career.
Davies 13/35 213 yards 1 TD 2 INTs
Sheen 18 for 74 yards
Stark 2 catches for 54 yards
quinn had an interception; Mudgett, Champion and Burnim each had a sack.

Dustin Maloney, DT - Broken Foot, full strength in 2-3 Months

Week 7 Browns (5-1) Vs Dolphins (1-4) - 14pt fav : W 42-3 !
Just when it seemed some people were ready to write Davies off, he responds whith his best statistical game in 2 years and is named NFL offensive player of the week !
The Dolphins scored a field goal on the last play of the game, else it would have been a total shut-out. Instead we have a crushing pancake win. Our most convincing game of the year. For once, the offense rolled, thanks to Blaine's great game.
Davies 18/22 225 yards 4 TDs 0 INT
sheen 13 for 42 yards
Wallace 6 catches for 56 yards 2 TDs (his first full game since being injured in pre-season)
Carr and Swift both have had an interception, Pieper had 1 sack

Blaine Davies is now the NFL's All-Time leader in TD passes (267) !!!
B.J Carr is now the Browns' all-time leader in interceptions (29)

Week 8 Browns (6-1) Vs Jaguars (6-1) - 4pt fav : W 23-17
We take an early 14-0 lead but the Jags come back. After leading 17-14, they -again- tie the score with a FG and the battle is tough in the middle of the field as no team seem to be able to get past the opponent's 40 yard line.
Finally, Sheen breaks free for a 35 yard run that sets up the all important win (we sweep the series) that gives us the edge in the Division.
Davies 13/26 192 yards 1 INT
Sheen 18 for 145 yards 1 TD
Bushon 4 catches for 44 yards
quinn 2 interceptions
West had 2 sacks; Mudgett, Champion and Burnim each had 1 sack.

Mid-Season Report :

Injuries :
Lincoln Wright, S - Stretched Knee Ligament, full strength in 0-2 Weeks
Tom Battle, RB - Broken Tibia, full strength in 2-3 Months
R.J. Hogendoorn, RB - Concussion, full strength in 0-2 Weeks
Dustin Maloney, DT - Broken Foot, full strength in 3-5 Weeks

No really devasting injuries so far, we have been lucky and -with the play of our defense- this is certainly a reason why we have won 7 games out of 8.

Davies : 53.2% comp 1720 yards (5th) 13 TDs (2nd) 9 INTs Rating : 77,4 (16th)
Sheen : 146 attempts for 718 yards (2nd) 4.9yards/c 4 TDs
Woodson : 27 catches for 360 yards 13,3yards/c 7 TDs
West : 40 tackles
Champion : 8.5 sacks (3rd NFL) -already tied last season's total that led the team-
J.R Quinn : 7 interceptions ! (1st NFL) -along with 34 tackles-

It's a lot of pressure of being the defending champion but at 7-1 at mid-season, I couldn't have hoped for much more so i'm glad of where we are.
The defense has really step up and Champion and Quinn are fabulous so far.
Offensively speaking, Davies has highs and lows for the moment but he is still an remarkable team leader as his record speaks for itself : the guy makes the right plays at the right time.
Sheen is quietly the n°2 ranked rusher...same old business for him

Week 9 Browns (7-1) @ Bengals (4-4) - 6pt fav : W 31-6
Awesome fantasy show..for the 2nd time in 3 weeks, QB Blaine Davies goes wild, firing 4 TD passes.
At the half, Davies already had 230 yards and 3 TDs...the game was already said and done.
Last year, we were battling to death with the Bengals for the AFC Central Title, this year though there will be no match with them.
Davies 29/46 354 yards 4 TDS 1 INT
Sheen 18 for 37 yards (it was clearly a passing day)
Wallace 9 catches for 125 yards 2 TDs
Quinn, Wright, Dawson and Swift EACH had an interception !
Pieper had 2 sacks and Champion had 1.5.

Week 10 : OPEN

Week 11 Browns (8-1) Vs Bengals (4-5) - 9pt fav : W 38-17
Not as easy as the score says : we are down 17-9 midway through the 3rd quarter and it takes a Davies-to-Wallace 9 yard TD pass and a two point conversion to tie the game at 17.
Then, we hold on to the win after we scored another TD to make it 24-17 but with 4 minutes left to play in the game, the Bengals have the ball...fumble, we recover. On the very next play Sheen breaks for a magnificient 54 yard TD run.
Then, in the dying seconds, Lincoln Wright intercepts the QB and returns it 90 yard for a TD !
Davies 24/46 271 yards 2 TDs 2 INTs
Sheen 16 for 86 yards 1 TD
Wallace 5 catches for 67 yards 2 TDs
Wright had 2 interceptions including 1 returned 90 yards for a TD

Week 12 Browns (9-1) Vs Ravens (1-9) - 14pt fav : W 31-24
We didn't look too good in the first half but things became much better after the halftime break.
Then we came back much more concentrated on our football and Davies found his receivers more often than not. The game was sealed at the end of the 3rd quarter and tough former Brown QB Sieh threw 2 TD passes in the 4th quarter, it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit.
This is a tenth win for us and at 10-1 we, for now, have the best record in the NFL !
Davies 24/36 284 yards 2 TDs 0 INT
Sheen 20 for 66 yards 1 TD
Wallace 5 catches for 86 yards 1 TD
McElroy and Dawson each had an interception and McElroy's returned it 33 yards for a TD !
Champion had 1 sack.

B.J. Carr, CB - Sprained Neck, (questionnable 3-5 Weeks) is ruled out of next week's interconference game.

Week 13 Browns (10-1) Vs Lions (3-8) - 12pt fav : L 24-38
Too many errors, too many penalties. We can't win a football game like that, even against a losing team. Davies was sacked 6 times and fumbled twice in our own 20. Those plays resulted in 14 Lions points. Also, Davies was sacked in the endzone for a safety.
Else than that, penalties killed : way too many "offensive holdings", "false starts"...
Davies 18/34 284 yards 3 TDs 1 INT
Sheen 17 for 60 yards also 6 catches for 90 yards and 1 TD
Bushon 4 catches for 52 yards
Ferderer had an interception, Champion had 2 sacks and Burnim had one.

DT B.J. Mudgett has a sprained back : he is out (full strength in 2011). We'll see if he can play a bit during the playoffs. Right now he is placed on the inactive list.

Week 14 Browns (10-2) Vs Packers (6-6) - 8pt fav : W 33-27 OT
A WILD game, we take a 7-0 lead after a Sheen TD after our first drive of the game but the Packers seem to benefit from B.J Carr's absence in the lineup and QB Vince throws completed passes one after another. The Packers take a 17-7 lead and Vince had thrown for 215 yards at the half. The 3rd quarter is more defensive as we start stopping the Packers offense, only to score points in a great 4th quarter of football when both their offense/defense are tired. We tie the game at 27 apiece with a 57 yard field goal at the LAST SECOND ! we go in overtime.
then, the big play : Vince is intercepted on his own 34 and a couple of great Davies passes later, we have a 1 and goal at the 4. Davies fires his 3rd TD pass of the day to win the game.
Davies 20/33 284 yards 3 TDs 0 INT (3rd week in a row that he trows for exactly 284 yards !)
Sheen 11 for 98 yards 1 TD
Bushon 7 catches for 132 yards 1 TD
McElroy had an interception, Wright had 10 tackles.

Week 15 Browns (11-2) @ Ravens (2-11) - 7pt fav : L 13-38
as a matter of fact, we are killed by poor teams each time we play them...
the first half was a joke of football as Sieh fired 3 TDs and we were down 6-31 at the break.
Davies 12/35 119 yards (!) 2 TDs 1 INT
Sheen 14 for 86 yards
Carlson 3 catches for 34 yards
Quinn had 1 interception; Kobeski and Duke has 1 sack each.

terrible day indeed as we learn that our outstanding pass rusher Matt Champion broke his fibula and is out long term...in 14 games he had already tied his career best with 14 sacks (6th NFL).
Champion is placed on IR.
Over the last two games we lost Champion and Mudgett (probably) for the season. tough.

Also, our n°1 rated LB Phil West is doubtful with a dislocated shoulder.

Week 16 Browns (11-3) @ Patriots (7-7) - 3pt fav : L 17-37
for the first time this year we lose two in a row (3rd loss in 4 weeks.) The offense is terrible for the 2nd straigh week and the defense, so brilliant earlier this year, can't stop anyone now : we miss our defensive leaders (Champion, Mudgett etc.) very much.
Davies 12/26 159 yards 0 TD 2 INTs
Sheen 13 for 36 yards 1 TD
Woodson 6 catches for 80 yards
Dawson had 1 interception and Hixson had 1.5 sacks.

G Raleigh Rountree is out (full strength in 2011). yet another blow.

At 11-4 we still own the best record in the NFL. but nothing is secured with 1 game remaining in the regular season.

Week 17 Browns (11-4) Vs Steelers (3-12) - 8pt fav : W 34-20
We finish the regular season with a 12th win, one that makes us feel a lot better. The offense rolled this time and Davies,Sheen and Wallace all three had a great regular season finale.
Again, we were much better in the 2nd half.
Davies 22/36 292 yards 4 TDs 0 INT
Sheen 23 for 143 yards
Wallace 7 catches for 125 yards 1 TD
Ferderer and Dawson both had 1 interception

Another AFC Central title (1st time we the division two years in a row !)
We finish the regular season 12-4 (best record in the NFL) and so we have Homefield advantage during the playoffs.
Despite our somehow chaotic month of december, the defending champions are still there in the hunt...and unless someone beats us in the playoffs, we're still the favourites.

S J.R Quinn (3rd in the NFL with 9 interceptions) is out with a hip pointer...
It seems all our best players will be missing the post-season.

To be noted :
QB Blaine Davies had a much better 2nd half. He threw 33 TD passes this season (led the NFL and only QB with 30+ TDs) just one short of his career best of 34 TDs set in 2003.
Also with 3767 yards he is 3rd in the league.
So a very productive year indeed for him.

RB Donnie Sheen has 1330 yards (4.7yards/c his best average ever) and 8 TDs

Playoff teams :

AFC
Browns (12-4) -defending SuperBowl Champions-
Jets (11-5)
Raiders (9-7)
Titans (11-5)
Jaguars (10-6)
Spangles (9-7)

NFC
Bucanneers (10-6)
Cardinals (10-6)
Saints (9-7)
Vikings (10-6)
Bears (10-6)
Panthers (9-7) -defending NFC Champions-

Wild Card Week-end :
Panthers @ Saints 21-24
Bears @ Vikings 17-27
Jaguars @ Titans 29-0 (!)
Spangles @ Raiders 25-36

Divisional Playoffs :
Saints @ Cardinals 35-9
Vikings @ Bucanneers 3-35
Raiders @ Jets 14-27

Cleveland Browns (12-4) Vs Jacksonville Jaguars (11-6) -E : W 17-6
The game goes on fine. We control the score and the ball. but early in the 2nd quarter Davies is injured and backup QB LaChapelle comes in. LaChapelle has playoff experience and doesn't make a lot of mistakes keeping the score and bolting us to another AFC Championship game (5th in 6 years).
Davies 6/8 147 yards 1 TD 1 INT before Breaking his arm ! OUT FOR THE REST OF THE POSTSEASON !
Sheen 24 for 63 yards
Stark 6 catches for 57 yards 1 TD
Dawson and Hicks each had one interception
Hixson and Burnim each had 1 sack.


Championship Games

NFC Championship game : Saints (11-7) @ Bucanneers (11-6) : 30-17

AFC Championship game : Cleveland Browns (13-4) Vs Jets (12-5) - 1pt fav : W 38-21
Davies is out but Bart LaChapelle has a wonderful game and is the NFL offensive player of the week.
With Hall of Fame boud QB Blaine Davies out with a broken arm, LaChapelle stepped in and proved he could be a great QB in this league. Despite being down 10-14 at the half, the team played very solid and LaChapelle's passes put the game out of reach for the Jets.
For the 2nd straight year, the Browns will play on the SuperBowl : a repeat is still possible though we have tons of injured players at key positions.
Our leader Davies will be missed for the big game but if LaChapelle can play in the SuperBowl much as he did in the AFC title game, then we have a very good chance of winning.

SuperBowl 2010 AFC Champions Cleveland Browns Vs NFC Champions New Orleans Saints -2pts fav :
We take an early 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. LaChapelle seems to be as concentrated as last week but with just 3 minutes gone in the 2nd quarter, star RB Donnie Sheen is injured and has to leave the game; he will not return.
We found ourselves in a very strange situation leading 14-0 in a SuperBowl without Blaine Davies nor Donnie Sheen playing.
Clinton takes Sheen's role as the featured back and with LaChapelle they keep the score going. We now lead 17-14 after some "3-and-outs" let the Saints comeback in the game. But LaChapelle is not done and throws 2 more TD passes that, along with a couple of FG in the 4th quarter give us the win 37-20 !
Backup Safety Joseph Swift is the SuperBowl MVP.
What a strange game, a superbowl played with backups on offense and all of our best defensive players out as well. This proves that we can win with anybody because we have such a great team.
Bart LaChapelle 16/27 213 yards 3 TDs 1 INT
Clinton 22 for 67 yards
Wallace 5 catches for 44 yards
Bushon 3 catches for 101 yards 1 TD
Swift 1 interception returned 33 yards for a TD, Ferderer also had 1 interception
Burnim had 2 sacks and Hixson had 1.5.

WE REPEAT AS SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS !!!!!

also this marks our 3rd title in 4 years and 4th in 6 years !
this is a clearly a wonderful dynastie.

I'm glad to bring two SuperBowls in a row to our franchise.
Trading for LaChapelle was good, because we may have lost in the AFC title game if we still had had Chapman instead.
too bad that Davies and Sheen missed the SuperBowl but there is no question that THEY led US there thanks to great plays over the entire season.

Season Awards :

RB Donnie Sheen is NFL Most Valuable Player !
S Joseph Swift is SuperBowl MVP.
QB Blaine Davies is All-League 2nd team QB. (only Brown to be All-League this year...)

As incredible as it seems, S J.R Quinn and his 9 interceptions don't make him an All-League player !!! this is steal and we will complain to the NFL !
in place of Quinn, the four All-League Safeties have 10, 8, 4 and 4 interceptions !

Stats :
QB Blaine Davies 16/16 54,2% comp 3767 yards (3rd NFL) 33 TDs (1st NFL) 16 INTs Rating 84,2 (5th NFL)
RB Donnie Sheen 16/16 278 attempts for 1330 yards (7th NFL) 4,7yards/c 8 TDs (tied 13th NFL)
WR Willie Woodson 16/5 52 catches for 741 yards 13 TDs (1st NFL)
WR B.J Bushon 16/16 50 catches for 728 yards 3 TDs
WR Harvey Wallace 16/11 46 catches for 716 yards 9 TDs (tied 2nd NFL)

LB Rufus Duke 85 tackles
DE Matt Champion 14 sacks (9th NFL)
S J.R Quinn 9 interceptions (3rd NFL and NO PRO BOWL !)


Team Stats

Rushing offense : 130,8 yards/g (8th NFL)
Passing offense : 244,8 yards/g (4th NFL)

Rushing defense : 102,7 yards/g (3rd NFL) !!! great improvement from last season's 31st place.
Passing defense : 241 yards (31st NFL) ...one year it is the run, the other the pass.

Extra Notes :

With this 4th title, we are now the team that has won the more superbowls in NFL history.
Only team also to have appeared in 4 superbowls.
All-time regular season record of 125-67-0 (.651) is NFL's best.
19 post-season win is an NFL best as well.

This is over for me. I send the Universe folder to Royal for season 2011 !


BROWNS ARE BACK TO BACK WORLD CHAMPIONS 2009 & 2010 !!!!

GOOOO BROWNS in 2011 !!!! let's make it an unprecedented 3-peat

[Subby]

holy crap!

nice season! we got everything we needed and then some - how lucky we were to snag lachapelle!

Very very nice trading...

Wow.

[WebEwbank]

Darkiller: you are the Carmen Policy of VC II. Nice work. A true dynasty is being born.

LaChapelle's game against the Jets got him into the Playoff Record book, something that not even Davies has done!

My preseason report will be up shortly.

2010 Herb Report
Performance 100
Franchise Value 81
Profit/Loss 65
Difficulty 70

Overall 79

2011

Retiring this year are G Rueben Brown and S Arnie Hicks. Neither are momumental losses as we are deep in both positions.

The NFL is expanding by two teams this year, welcome to:
Houston Texans of the NFC West and
Milwaukee Mission of the AFC East

Due to the expansion draft we must set our protection list. The five players that are left off are:
S Dusty Parrish-Houston
CB Xavier Bauer
C Deion Parrish-Milwaukee
RB Wade Clinton
DT Bernard Lincoln-Milwaukee

We head into F.A. with 42 players signed and 18,070,000 under the cap and the realization that I forgot to name a Franchise player before the expansion draft! I would have used it on T Willie Guy as he is demanding a trade and won't listen to us but now he'll sign elsewhere for sure. Our other big FAs are DT Dwayne James and LB Al O'Donnell. My main emphasis is on O'Donnell. As for other FAs I'm looking for young depth but there isn't anything impressing me. I put in bids on C Ike Joyner as a backup and DE Peter Ferderer, the younger and bigger brother of our CB Christian Ferderer.

Oakland signs Ferderer in the first week but we end up with O'Donnell and Joyner, not a great haul from FA but we're the defending champs and really have no glaring holes.

Draft

We have the #6 pick in the draft but there isn't anyone that impresses me at the key spots I'm looking at, namely a good backup RB, good young T or DT, so I trade the #6 overall and the 34 pick of round 2 to Houston for the first pick in round 2 and their 1st and 2nd picks next year. After that I just take the best I can find and that's not much in a pretty weak draft.

Rd 2: T Donovan Hanson
Rd 3: WR Tom Broady-Kick Returner
Rd 4: QB Rob Miller
Rd 5: DT Donell Taylor
Rd 6: DE Ronnie McNeil
Rd 7: TE Kim Early

The final three picks will not make the team but the rest fill needs, a backup tackle with some talent, a 3rd string QB to save us from signing our 4th year backup with visions of granduer and a big play kick returner.

After training camp we fill a couple of our other needs by picking up T Tim Murphy who is a serious improvement for a backup, DT Vince Amey, a solid backup again, LB Howard Maloney who will be our primary backup and RB Reuben Hammond who has two All League selections and an Offensive POY award to his credit with over 10,000 career rushing yards.

Preseason

We sit some our stars to prevent injury and go 3-1 with a convincing 26-0 win in the first game to announce our authority!
Backup WR Willie Woodson break his ribs and is out 2-3 months and our 2 starting Guards have naggings 3-5 week injuries.

Week 1 vs Tennessee 7pt fav 23-9
Sheen starts slowly 17/43 but
Davies 17/27 228 2 TD starts strong.
This win though is because of S Lincoln Wright grabbing 3 Interceptions, he's now on pace for 48 on the year, LOL

Week 2 @ Baltimore(1-0) 3pt fav 17-20
Former Brown QB Jesse Sieh throws a TD Pass with 9 seconds left to upset his former employer.
The running game was on as Sheen got 95 yards on 16 carries and backup Hammond was 5/50 and a TD.
Davies though was very subpar as he goes 7/18 and 80 yards!

Week 3 @ Pittsburgh(1-1) 1pt fav 24-30 OT
Teams are gunning for us this year it seems as an average offensive day again isn't enough. LB Kobeski breaks his jaw and is out 2-3 months.

Week 4 vs Oakland(2-1) 6pt fav 28-25
Wins aren't coming easy so far as this one is won by a Gardner 56 yard FG as time expires. Sheen gains 111 and Hammond gains 67 more and the ground game is thus far outshing Davies in the air who only gets 147.

Week 5 vs Pittsburg(2-2) 2pt fav 23-30
Two losses to division rival Pittsburgh isn't good and again the offense is to blame. Sheen is hurt, Hammond only gets 56 on 23 carries and Davies goes 15/31 and 219.
CB Carr grabs 2 INTs in the losing effort.

Week 6 @ Cincinatti(3-2) 1pt dog 30-3
Davies wakes up, 18/27 292 and 2 TD, still looking for his first 300 yd day though. Sheen only 40yds again.

Week 7 @ NY Jets(5-1) 10pt dog 17-24
We beat the large spread but not the early SB favorite. LB West gets 15 Tackles which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Sheen 55 yards and Davies 189 yards are again disappointing.

Week 8 @ Charlottesville(4-3) 4pt dog 6-34
Sheen 12/39, Davies 10/26 115 2 INTs, We need to wake up FAST

It looks like I might have been the one to wreck the Porsche, we're 3-5 midway through the season but only 2 games out of the division. We'll need to win some games if we're to have a chance and our studs seem to be showing their age.

Davies 104/207 50.2% 1480 76.9(22nd in league)
Sheen 120/443 3.6 1 TD
Hammond 57/277 4.8 4 TD
Wallace 20rec 406yd
Bushon 20rec 364yd 3 TD
LB West 62 Tackles(1st in league)
S Wright 51 Tackles 4 INT
Carr 3 INT
Burnim 5 Sacks
Mudgett 4 Sacks

Week 9 vs New Orleans(5-2) 2pt dog 47-24
Hammond gets the start due to combination of Sheen ineffectiveness and a nagging finger injury and gains 174 yards on 24 carries and 3TD, Davies is 18/28 232 and 2TD as the offense shows some life.

Week 10 vs Baltimore(3-5) 5pt fav 30-17
Hammond gets 59 yards, Sheen 60 and Davies explodes going 26/41 359 but no TD. Bushon was responsible for 175 of those yards.

Week 11 is a BYE which is good as we're losing people left and right. Injuries are healing VERY slowly this year and we're still broken down at Guard, so we sign G Wayn Bronson to help out. At 5-5, we're 1 game out and need to keep the streak going.

Week 12 @ Tennessee(2-8) 1pt fav 7-23
TE Stark hurts his back and is out for the year, Davies is horrible and we are looking at must wins the rest of the way.

Week 13 vs Cincinnati(5-6) 4pt fav 20-24
No rushing, Davies throws 2 picks and at 5-7, it will take a miracle to make the playoffs.

Week 14 @ Carolina(8-4) 8pt dog 15-22
Hammond is good gaining 127 on the ground but Davies is unable to get it in the endzone and we're now at 5-8 and looking towards next year.

Week 15 @ Jacksonville(6-7) 3pt dog 50-17!
Davies has been hearing rumors that he's lost the fire, and is washed up, so he throws up 4 TD passes and 303 yards to gain player of the week honors. Sheen returned to the starting lineup and provided a great spark.
The scoring line looked like this:
0 13 16 21 50
14 3 0 0 17

Week 16 vs St Louis(10-4) 7pt dog 27-13
Davies is lighting it up 20/31 291 2 TD as the Browns don't go down without a fight.

We actually have a "shot" at the playoffs sitting at 7-8 as our division is as close as it could ever be:

Cincy 7-8
Pitt 7-8
Clev 7-8
Tenn 7-8
Balt 6-9
Jax 6-9

We host Jacksonville and after the other games are played the standings are now:

Cincy 7-9
Pitt 7-9
Clev 7-8
Tenn 7-9
Balt 7-9
Jax 6-9

The division comes down to our game. If we win, we win the division at 8-8, if we lose there is a 6 way tie for the division, but we'll have a 4-6 mark in the division, Jax will be 6-4 and everyone else 5-5 and so Jax would vault from 6th to 1st in ONE GAME!!!

Week 17 vs Jacksonville(6-9) 8pt fav
Sheen is hurt early in the game but we vault to an early 10-0 lead.
Jax then storms back to tie it at 10-10 with 1 min left in the half, but Davies is determined to go into the half with the momentum and drives down the field to set up a Ray Gardner 38yd FG with 2 sec left in the half

Halftime 13-10

It takes 10 mins before Cleveland opens the 2nd half scoring with another Gardner FG, making the game 16-10.
Jax QB Stamm then motivates his team and they grind the clock to 10min in the 4th quarter at our 30 when he tries a quick slant to the wideout but CB BJ Carr steps in front and goes 72 yards for the score, pushing our lead to 22-10(missed 2pt conversion.
From there the game is ours,
Final score 28-16, onto the playoffs!

Wild Card Round:
New Orleans(10-6) 10
Philadelphia(8-8) 27

Tampa Bay(10-6) 17
Green Bay(10-6) 3

Denver(10-6) 26
Miami(11-5) 44

WC Round vs Buffalo(10-6) 3pt fav 23-20 OT
Buffalo kicks a 51 yd FG at the end of regulation to put it into OT, but the playoff experience of the Browns shows and Davies throws for 288 and Hammond marches for 2 TD

Round 2

Tampa Bay(11-6) 20
Atlanta (11-5) 14

Philadelphia(9-8) 0
Chicago(10-6) 29

Miami(12-5) 17
NY Jets(13-3) 31

RD 2 @ Seattle(11-5) 4pt dog 40-6
Complete domination as we push for our potential 3peat, Sheen goes for 75 and Davies is avg with 208 and a TD but the complete team effort pays off and we're going back to the AFC Championship game.

Conference Finals
Tampa Bay(12-6) 10
Chicago(11-6) 16

Conf Final @ NY Jets(14-3) 6pt dog 16-34
No drama, the best team won, Sheen got 83 yards and a TD and Davies 231 but the Jets are the team this year hands down.

FOF Bowl
Chicago (12-6) 14
NY Jets (15-3) 20

Season Stats:
Davies 242/467 51.8% 3487(6th) 17TD 13INT 76.9(21st)
Hammond 6 starts, 191/850 4.4 9TD
Sheen 10 starts, 159/620 3.8 2TD
Bushon 49/878 7TD(4th)
Wallace 44/871 1TD 19.7/catch(1st)
Carlson 48/756 2TD
K Gardner 41 FG/51 Att Tied Season Record
West 94 Tackles
Wright 80 Tackles, 6 INT(6th)
Carr 5 INT 2 TD
Burnim 11.5 Sacks
Champion 7.5 Sacks
Mudgett 7 Sacks

CB BJ Carr was named to the 1st Team, K Gardner also 1st Team

T Jamie Nails is now the Career NFL leader in Games Started with 208

A disappointing year after our FOF Bowl repeat but the way we stepped up and won the division was something to make us proud of.

2011 Herb Report
Team Perf 75
Franchise 93
Profit/Loss 59
Difficulty 69

Score 76

2012

The Hall of Fame welcomes:
RB Marshall Faulk 83%
QB Brett Favre 100%

The Browns have two huge retirees this year:
LB JR Farmer and LB Rufus Duke, our first retired keeper. Here are their career totals:

53 JR Farmer 2000-2011, drafted by Darkiller in round 7, a fan favorite from Arizona State
77 career starts and 175 games played, 386 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 TD
His career year came in 2007, the only year that he started all 16 games he played for the Browns. He collected 82 tackles and 2 sacks. He will always be remembered for being an overachiever.

57 Rufus Duke 1999-2011(Dallas 99-02, Cleveland 03-11), recieved in trade by WebEwbank. 22nd overall pick by the Cowboys in 1999, he retired due to complications from a Hyperextended Elbow suffered late in the year.
182 starts in 187 career games, 1,158 career tackles, 15.5 career sacks, 5 Interceptions, 3 TD and 2 Fumble recoveries for TD.
His career year was in 2002 for the Cowboys where he amassed 135 tackles.
He was named 1st Team LB in 2002 and 2009 as well as to the 2nd Team in 2000, 2004 and 2006.
4th all time in career tackles and holds the career Browns tackle record with 734.
We shall long remember the Defensive Duke.

2012 FA
Key FA include RB Hammond, TE Lofton, G Corbet, DE Champion, DT Pieper, LB West, and S Wright. Obviously, Champion being a keeper gets the franchise tag despite having a rating of 100 in loyalty.

We have 37 players signed and $35,820,000 in cap room so we should do well.

As FA begins though, I find that I am being outbid left and right. DT Pieper leaves, Tampa snags LB West(Our 3rd HUGE LB loss already with the 2 retirees) and Cincy grabs Wright. We end up keeping Lofton, Corbett and Champion but are really shocked at our horrible luck.

Going into the draft with the #9 overall pick, I decide that I need to be mroe aggressive and seing a DEEP draft class I begin to wheel and deal. A flury of moves headlined by DT Maloney to NYG for 2013 #1 and 2012 #2 and QB LaChapelle and 2012 3rd rounder to NE for #1 overall and 9th pick in round 2. Overall we ended up with 4 1st rounders this year, a move to get some youth back in our team.

Draft Report:
Round 1:

#1: 6-3 311 Maryland, DT Phillip Hamilton
Potentials of 100,94,100, this guy should be a defensive stud for years to come.
#8: 6-0 212 Duke, S Trevor Foster
97,100,100,x,x,96 make him a prize young safety.
#16: 6-4 227 Carson-Newman, LB Alvin Wheeler
100,100,96,100 potentials and already actuals in the 60s make him a great pickup due to the recent departures in our LB corp.
#23: 6-8 311 Stanford, T Frankie Green
89,98,92 With our Tackles aging, their stats are going down and this guy should help replinish our line soon.

Round 2
#9: 6-5 333 Texas, DT Cornelius Eddings
The main reason I traded Maloney was this guy will be better and we get a #1 next year on top of it all. 86,73,94 potential D-linemen don't usually fall this far, so I had to snag him.

#16 6-6 222 Arizona State, QB Pat Gibson
Not a LaChapelle but good enough to backup the great Davies until we need another franchise QB, but even then, this guy isn't bad.

Round 3: 6-1 225 Tulsa, RB Don Casey
The departure of Hammond left us again without a decent backup for Sheen, and Casey is just that a decent backup.

Overall a GREAT draft with 4 future stars acquire along with a great nuclues of defensive gems.

2012 Preseason
we go 4-0 with wins of 47-3, 19-16, 43-10, and 38-15. The Browns aren't poised this year to regain thier form of old and make it through preseason without any major injuries.

Week 1 @ Philly(9-8 last year, NFC East champs) 1pt fav 36-30
The team starts strong as Sheen gains 153 yards, and although Davies gets hurt, rookie backup Gibson is 20/33 275 and 2TD to lead the offense. Rookie S Foster has an INT in his first career start.

Week 2 @ Washington(0-1) 3pt fav 20-26 OT
Offense is again strong but couldn't hold on, Sheen runs for 122, Davies returns with 248 and 2 TD.

Week 3 @ Jax(1-1) 1pt fav 16-23
Davies plays well, 20/37 287, but Sheen is horrible with only 33 yards.

Week 4 vs Baltimore(2-1) 1pt fav 33-19
O'Donnell has 11 Tackles, Carr and Foster have 1 INT a piece, and Davies throws for 296.

Week 5 vs Tennessee(2-2) 1pt dog 30-24 OT
Rookie LB Wheeler with his first 10 tackle game, Davies another solid 22/38 264 game.

Week 6 vs Cincy(3-2) 1pt fav 27-17
Sheen breaks through with 130 yards to thrwart the solid effort of former Brown S Lincoln Wright who had 8 tackles and and 83 yards INT ret for a TD.

Week 7 @ Seattle(5-1) 3pt dog 31-20
Sheen is getting it in gear with 2TD and 120 yards. Champion explodes with 3 sacks.

Week 8 @ Baltimore(5-2) 5pt dog 26-31
Foster has 2 INT, including a 94 yard TD return but Baltimore passes us in the standings with this game.

Midseason, 5-3, 1 game back of Baltimore
Davies 145/271 1893 yards 12TD 6INT, 81.2
Sheen 151/747 4.9 4TD 31rec 319 3TD
Wallace 26/414 3TD
Rookie T Frankie Green 16 KRB, 44.4%
O'Donnell 49 Tackles
Rookie S Foster 35 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 4 INT, 1 TD
Burnim 5 Sacks
Champion 8 Sacks

Sheen quietly had 1000 yards of total offense in the first half, he's on pace for another MVP at this rate.

Week 9 @ Tenn(4-3) 3pt dog 34-7
Defensive dominance, Ferderer 2 INT, Mudgett 2.5 sacks, Champion 2 sacks.

Week 10 vs Denver(5-3) 6pt fav 36-0
The team is coming together. Sheen 91 yards, Davies 240, Gardner 5/6 FG

Week 11 Bye

Week 12 vs Jax(6-4) 6pt fav 31-34 OT
Davies plays huge, 22/36 339 2TD and Champion again with 2 sacks but the Jags were ready for us.

Week 13 vs Dallas(5-6) 12pt fav 34-0
Davies is 17/27 153 3TD, but the game belonged to a team defensive effort. Our second shutout in 3 games puts us at 8-4 and leading our division as Baltimore is falling.

Week 14 vs Pitt(5-7) 7pt fav 26-7
Davies 21/30 324 2TD, Wallace 8rec 201 TD

Week 15 @ Cincy(4-9) 4pt fav 17-19
Champion 2 Sacks, Wheeler 11 Tackles aren't enough as we make too many offensive mistakes.

Week 16 vs NY Jets(9-5) 11pt fav 23-13
Wheeler stops the defending champs cold with 10 tackles, Davies is 9/9 before leaving with a slight hamstring pull.

Week 17 @ Pitt(7-8) 3pt fav 28-6
The offense stunk, but with 6 team INT(Ferderer 2, Swift 2, Foster 1, Carr 1) and 2.5 sacks by Burnim, the Steelers couldn't do anything.

We finish 11-5, win the AFC Central and get home field advantage.

WC Round
Atl 10-6 17
Det 10-6 7

Balt 10-6 27
NYJ 10-6 35

Chi 10-6 14
Wash 10-6 17

Den 9-7 10
CHV 10-6 14

Round 2

Wash 11-6 24
Arz 11-5 30

Atl 11-6 9
Stl 13-3 35

Chv 11-6 6
Indy 11-5 24

vs NY Jets(11-6) 10pt fav 28-24
The defending champs don't go down easy, but Sheen gains 164 yards and 3 TD to lead the way. Wheeler continues playing well with 10 Tackles and a Sack. Foster has his first career playoff INT.

Conf Finals

Arz 12-5 17
Stl 14-3 38

vs Indy(12-5) 9pt fav 43-20
Davies outplays the only man that can compete with him for the title of "Best QB ever" in Peyton Manning as he is 15/27 295 4TD
The defense also wanted to help Davies cause as they pound Manning to the turf 8 times.

FOF Bowl @ ST Louis(15-3) 4pt dog

St Louis gets out quick with a long TD drive to start the game capped by a Rod McCarthy 9yd run.

0-7

On our first drive we too drive the field, but must settle for a 29yd Gardner FG

3-7

2nd Quarter again, settle for a 38yd Gardner FG

6-7

With 32 seconds left before half Gardner drills a 40yd FG to give us our first lead.

9-7

BUT, with 4 seconds left, STL K Cochrane hits a 29yd FG to put the Rams back in front

9-10 Halftime

We begin with the ball, but trade punts and interceptions for a while. Midway throught the 4th Quarter Sheen is finally rolling, knocking off some clock, but STL defensive back Otis Smith picks off a Blaine Davies pass at their 28 and runs it in 72 yards for the score

9-17

With under 7 minutes to play, Davies begins the hurry up style offense and 2 minutes later finds Rufus Carlson for a 14 yard TD. And with the Wade Clinton 2pt conversion, we're all knotted up

17-17

But Jim Druckenmiller drives his team, eating up clock and as time expires, Cochrane hits from 38.

17-20 FINAL

Sheen 11/86
Davies 21/37 258 TD, 2 INT
Foster INT
Burnim 2 Sacks
Champion 2 Sacks

Season stats:

Davies 273/475 57.4% 3616 yards 23TD 10INT 89.0(2nd)
Sheen 280/1199 4.2 7TD, 48rec 433 1TD
RB Casey 90/466 5.1 6 TD
Wallace 64rec 1085yds 5TD
Bushon 57 rec 865yds 5TD
Rookie LB Wheeler 90 Tackles
Rookie S Foster 58 Tackles 2 Sacks 7 INT 2 TD
Ferderer 10 INT
Champion 17 Sacks

Ferderer named 1st team CB
Foster 2nd team S, Def Rookie of the Year.

Cleveland loses their first ever title game, but I finally made it past the stinking AFC title game. We have a great young defensive squad to build around though. Next year will be another tough FA year though, I tried my best to lock some guys up but their are some big names due for FA, including Sheen.

Keepers:
QB Davies
RB Sheen
DT Mudgett
DE Champion
Empty(WebEwbank)

Go Browns in 2013!!!

[Darkiller]

That was a great year Royal !

coming back from an 8-8 season with aging players to return to the Superbowl with young studs is strong.
I think you drafted very very well.
Hopefully, all these players will soon become stars on our team.

Rookie Safety Travor Foster seems to be a great acquisiton with the #8th pick.
I love to see one of our draftees earning Rookie of the Year honors.

Davies bounced back a disapointing 2011 season to lead the team back to the big game with the 2nd highest rating in the NFL. good.
Hopefully he'll have 1 or 2 more good years before retiring.
I'd love to see him earn a 5th ring before that.
Anyways, I think we should start planning for drafting a future star QB in the near future, what do you guys think and sit him 1 or 2 years behind Davies ?

Great season and (it looks like) a great draft as well Royal.

GO BROWNS

[Darkiller]

J.R Farmer and Rufus Duke retired.

the first players of our SB era to let go.


...

[Subby]

Congrats on getting back to the Bowl! 4 Bowls in the careers of Sheen and Davies and Mudgett...those three are locks for the HOF.

How come so many of our guys are slipping to FA? Are they just not negotiating? I was bummed to see a couple guys I took (DT Jameson, LB West) go to FA. You did an outstanding job of replacing them, however.

I thought we were limited to a total of 3 first round draft picks in any one year - can someone refresh my memory on that? It doesnt matter either way, of course...

Someone put Sheen and Davies on life support! I want to play them one...last...time. (sniff)

And I would like to take a moment to recognize three recent retirees: G Ruben Brown, LB JR Farmer, and LB Rufus Duke. All three played admirably for the Browns and will be truly missed. If I am not mistaken, they each leave with three rings...

GO BROWNS!

[This message has been edited by Subby (edited 11-06-2000).]

If I flubbed the first round pick thing, I forgot . I was quite shocked at some our defections as well. I made a HUGE offer to West considering he was our best LB and we had just lost two long time starters but he still signed with Tampa, of course if I could have backloaded him, he would have stayed

As for HOF, Davies and Sheen are definate locks but I don't think Mudgett has had a HOF career. Solid to be sure but he hasn't put up great numbers and his ratings are slipping, one of the reasons I drafted two young DT studs. Our S Foster is still mostly potential but I put him in early for playing time and he kept playing so well I left him in despite have Quinn on the bench who is better right now.

I agree with the need to find a Davies backup. LaChapelle wasn't the answer anyway as he was in the last year of his current deal and a 9th year vet.

WR Wallace is one more good season from being the tops in Yards and TD all time.

Davies is second in most QB categories but does hold the career TD record.

Sheen should end near the top in rushing records but his true skill is one stat we don't see-All Purpose Yards from Scrimage

[Darkiller]

I'm stunned about WR Wallace.
i can't believe he's near the top in All-Time receiving since he never had -as far as I remember- any "outstanding" seasons...

Talking about LaChapelle : he has starter's abilities I think he proved that but he couldn't however be anything more than a (great) backup QB on the Browns.
You don't replace a future Hall of Famer like that...plus he's not that young and that was not worth the price for him to wait for Blaine to retire.

What about backup QB Pat Gibson that you drafted in the 2nd round ?
how did he fare this year and what are his ratings ...

Sub, when is your time to play ?
hope you'll have Blaine & Donnie i'm optimistic though.

[Syrinx]

I'll resend the rules, but Subby is right, we are supposed to max out at 3 First rounders.

Great pair of seasons!

WebEwbank is next, and needs to pick a new keeper when he's ready. Probably at the end of 2014 or 2015 when he's draftees have seen some time.

Looks like you'll have to franchise Sheen as he is a FA this offseason.

so does this mean that we should cut the 4th 1st round pick? He's the big Tackle who played really well this year. It's not unprecedented in the real NFL to have 4 #1's (NYJ) but a rule is a rule, and I'm sorry

QB Pat Gibson's ratings are in the 50-60 range currently with 70 potential I believe(I'm at work) His rating as a backup was quite high, I want to say 95 or so but I don't remember. He did very well everytime Davies got rattled.

I think Subby is last in the rotation so Davies would have to be in his 19th year and Sheen in his 16th. 19 years is ALOT and Sheen's ratings are really falling lately, one of our needs according to the scout is a starting RB, but I wasn't about to replace the legend.

[Darkiller]

yeah that's gonna be tough to do...

ever since we started playing the VCII, we have had Blaine and Donnies with us.
it's gonna be difficult to see them ride off into the sunset...
but it is bound to happen one year or another.

[Syrinx]

I'm torn on this.

Part of me wants us to trade him for a future pick. You traded fairly to get the first round pick, so I don't feel we should get rid of the talent completely, I just think it should be available for another GM. (this part of me feels the spirit of the rule was to allow all the GM's an equal chance to shape the team)

Another part of me thinks we should just cut him. We are stacking the team with too much talent, taking advantage of the power of first round picks in the game, and the AI's lack of respect for first rounders. (this part of me feels the spirit of the rule was to somewhat limit the creation of an unfair advantage over the other teams)

How do the rest of you feel?

PS if this were FOF2K1 we probably wouldn't need this rule with the combination of draft busts and the harder AI

[Darkiller]

Well, the rule says three 1st rounders max and as Syrinx said, we don't want to fool the AI with too much (4) 1st round picks.

I definitely think 3 1st rounders is enough.
So my vote is to release him.

Actually this is too bad that he played so well in his rookie season because it makes the decision even harder but i believe this is what we should do for the integrity/spirit of VCII.


[This message has been edited by Darkiller (edited 11-07-2000).]

[Subby]

Virtual Paul Tagliabue says cut him as a salary cap violation penalty )

We should try and trade Sheen - ala Herschel Walker - Im not sentimental )

I don't think cutting him would be best as it would cause bad feelings between him and us and prevent us from picking him up 3-4 years down the road in FA if possible.

I think we should trade him to the team with the biggest need for a starting Tackle for a 7th round pick. By trading him we are still giving ourselves a cap hit but we're also allowing a good young tackle a chance to play.

But I'm the bad guy anyway, so it doesn't matter

[Subby]

Maybe we could get back what we traded for the pick...

And you arent the bad guy! This just makes it more interesting )

[Darkiller]

yeah definetely
nothing's better than an good 'ol Tackle controversry lol

Royal, I like you idea of trading him for a 7th rounder to the team who needs him the most.

[Syrinx]

2 Things.
Trading the Tackle for a 7th rounder sounds good to me.

We can't trade Sheen, he's a "Keeper." The whole goal was that you had to try to keep them until they retired, even after they had passed their prime.

Oh one last thing, you aren't a bad guy, it was a simple honest mistake.

[This message has been edited by Syrinx (edited 11-07-2000).]

Sheen must stay, even as a backup. When we had Hammond in 2011, the scout wanted to start him, but I felt that Sheen who was still rated about the same, deserved the starting nod.

Another keeper, Mudgett, could be relegated to backup duty if Edding matures quickly. Hamilton is already ready to start.

[WebEwbank]

I missed this whole dialogue, and played my first regular season with the OT in question. After the playoffs or at the start of next season, what is the consensus action ? I would probably just hold onto him and try to follow the rules next time. I think I may have misread the backloading clause slightly first time around, but will just adhere to it now that i understand it better.

[WebEwbank]

Problem: I have my first regular season, but in a Word file, and the new board software does not seem to allow cut-and-paste. Ideas, gentlemen ? I suppoise I could email my updates to everyone, but then we lose our running history...

[Syrinx]

At least 3 out of 5 (Royal, Me and Darkiller) say trade him to a team that most needs a tackle, for a 7th round pick.

I have no problem with cut and paste on this site... Not sure why you are having problems.

E-mail us if you want, I can try to cut and paste it to the site.

[Subby]

Oops! I forgot that we can't trade Sheen

Web: Try copying into Notepad, then the BBoard.

As far as the Tackle is concerned - why dont we just chalk it up to a simple mistake and move on? Its not like we got him for free

[WebEwbank]

I would prefer to keep the tackle. But is it 3-2 to ditch him for a 7th rounder ? Whatever the majority says...or should we demand a recount ?

[Syrinx]

Poster for WebEwbank

-2013-

Well, 17 people are unsigned for 2013, and another 16 are in their walk year. It will be interesting, and I'll surely have a chance to shape the next decade.

Herb's Score
95 team performance
74 franchise value
54 profit/loss
69 difficulty

Franchise value is $996,460,000, about as close to a billion as you can get...

Stadium 40
Roster 92
Support 99
Economy 57

HOF
Drew Bledsoe
Terrell Davis

Retirees
TE Ronald Stark
WR Rufus Carlson

Decide to retain Martin Force and Erik Johann, although some interesting younger scouts are available. I like Erik's EXC in Young Talent, especially as we have some prospecting to do.

Attendance was 100%, so we raise ticket prices slightly for some of the cheap seats.

Highly tempted to try for a new facility, but with the new technologies approaching, we hold off.

We have to use the franchise tag on Donnie Sheen, our keeper. NOTE: Mudgett and Davies are in their walk year, so we need to reup at least one of them.

I want to hold onto TE Lofton if possible, letting the two aging OTs depart. I'd like to keep CB Dawson, and at least one of the very respectable backup LBs. Royal did an outstanding job of holding onto the core; the number of defections scares me much less when I see they're mainly role players. We have $44,180,000 in cap room, so we should be able to do some damage...
We also are turning over our K and P, which can be painful.

Refuse a pathetic offer for Philip Hamilton, our 1(1) DE, the leading contender to be my keeper, as the Duke retired to take up cocaine smuggling in the Cayman Islands. We'll wait until the end of my two years to decide, though.

In FA, immediate bids include:

K Gardner (Cleveland)
K Milne
CB Dawson (Cleveland)
CB Coleman
LB Bailey (Cleveland)
TE Rutkowski (better and younger than Lofton)

The OT's are pretty thin, either very old or very poor. We'll wait a few weeks and see what happens here.

Week 1 : Dawson and Coleman cost way too much to compete ! Bailey and Rutkowski sign elsewhere.
Week 4 : bid on Lofton, and took off bid on Gardner.
Week 5 : raise bid to Milne: we get him.
Week 9 : bid on backup TE Singleton. Got Lofton.
End of Auction: Sign another backup TE, Cronk, and QB Peterson, backup or next year trade bait.

Deals
Milne $2.90, 2 years
Lofton $4.33, 2 years
Cronk $4.21, 3 years
Peterson $3.65, 2 years

I hate 20 Stage and hardly ever use it when playing alone. But with the house rules here, we can't defer everything until post-camp. We're still ok at CB, but OT is an issue.

Get an offer for G Page, manage to substitute aging Roundtree and this year's 4,5, and 6 picks, for a very nice backup C and this year's overall #8 pick. Reject an offer for S Swift.

Davies, under contract for $15.5MM this year, accepts renegotiation for about $25MM for 3 years. Mudgett, at $4.22 this year, signs for about $14MM over three, a worse deal for the team, but now we don't have keeper issues.

We're $44.9MM under cap entering the draft. We sign 100% of our walk-year guys, mostly for their numbers or close, and get to $55.39MM in cap space.

We have three #1's (8, 13, 33, and our 2nd, 3rd, and 7th (all 33)).

The draft comes roses. I see Lee Clark, a 6-6, 210 pound Badger, a for-real franchise QB, 2.6/74, but top-rated by our scout, with only one potential under 96. Milwaukee has the top pick.

We trade Rob Miller, our #4 QB, the first rounders from 2014 and 2015, and the 5th from 2015 for the Number One Pick and a 2nd in 2015. Temporarily we are in violation of the 3 first-round rule, but we quickly adjust.

We trade the 2nd and 5th rounders from 2015, plus our backup QB Gibson, and this years 1st (33) and 3rd round picks for Stanley Hamilton, a very nice OT, and a 1st rounder in 2015. So...

We take Lee Clark 1(1).

1st (1) QB Lee Clark, Wisconsin
1st (8) OT Mitch Banks 6-3, 335 Ohio State, 30/84, 39/85, 100
1st (13) S Gerald (don't call me Gerry) Dunkelberger, 6-0, 217, Alabma A&M, 48/100, 42/96, 97.
3rd (33) CB Roy Matthews, 5-9, 203, Auburn, 44/100, 41/98, 96
7th (scout pick) LB Vinny Ray, 6-5, 253, Stephen F. Austin, 31/41, 34,46, 23/32, 45

Clark is something else.
Banks can be a decent starter and we need to reload at OT. This gives us three fine young tackles to develop in parallel with Clark.
Dunkelberger buttresses an already strong S unit. He could become a star.
Matthews is a development project, but could start someday.
Ray is a prototypical special teams behemoth who may not make the team.

We have significant cap room: $43.7MM, with 40 players all signed for at least two years. We could use the money on deep depth, or possibly on a star veteran WR, if one is out there post camp...

In camp we strengthen our strengths. Reject offers for TE Lofton and OT Green.

We sign Harris Kindred, a good punter, Marshall Vrabel, a decent LB, and Darren Garcia, a good WR, all for what they ask for. This gives us 44 players and $34.9 MM in space.

We sign the best available RB, G, WR, DE and CB. Fillers. Finally we add a good S, Eaves, and Charley Batch, an outstanding #2 QB, for short money.

We have $16.4MM left for emergency signings.

Preseason 3-1. Rest the stars. S Swift out 2-3 months with sprained back.

Week 1 Cinn 0-0 @Cleve 0-0
Not a good game.
Davies 8/28 4 Ints
Batch in relief 3/5
Sheen 11/51
Monroe 9 tackles
Milne 2/2 FGs
Ferderer out 3-5 weeks
Cinn 27 Cleve 6

Week 2 Jax 1-0 @Cleve 0-1 -7
A different story. Blaine and Donnie shine.
Davies 18/29/291 4 TDs 3 INTs
Sheen 19/138
Garcia 6/154 2 TDS
O'Donnell & Kubeski 8 tackles each
Bushon out 2-3 months: ribs
Cleve 28 Jax 25

Week 3 @Cleve 1-1 -5 Pitt 0-2
A rout.
Davies 12/23/189 2 TDs 1 INT
Sheen 16/92 1 TD
Casey fumble rtn TD
McElroy INT return TD
Matthews 2 INTs
Quayle 7 tackles
Champion 1 sack
Mudgett 1.5 sacks
Cleve 41 Pitt 7

At this point I need to note that our scout prefers Batch to Davies, 84 to 80 in current value, and has since Week One, but I am ignoring him.

Week 4 Cleve 2-1 -5 AIndianapolis 3-0 -2
Another rout.
Davies 11/21/174 2 TDs 1 INT
Lee Clark 4/5 1 INT and his first game action
Sheen 11/30 1 TD
Garcia 4/86 1 TD
Foster INT return for TD
Foster 2 INTs Quayle Dunkelberger 1 INT each
Cleve 34 Indy 3

At the quarter pole...

We're 3-1, have had some serious injuries, and netted Lee Clark. Our depth is good, or even excellant.


Week 5 @Cleve 3-1 -3 Green Bay 3-1
We lead until the last two minutes, when the Pack pushes over a 1-yard run and a FG to edge us.
GB has 26 first downs, almost 400 yards in the air and punts one time: 9/13 on third downs.
Davies 13/26/227 2 TD
Sheen 14/43
Garcia 4/72
Wallace 4/59
O'Donnell, Monroe 9 tackles
Dunkelberger another INT
Green Bay 27 Cleve 20

Week 6 The Bye
and some of our wounded continue to heal. Federer returns to the lineup.

Week 7 Cleve 3-2 @Baltimore 4-2 -6
Key divisional matchup, and one heck of a game. We break on top, and lead 10-9 at the half. Milne hits a long FG to make it 13-9. The Figures breaks free for a 32-yard TD run. 13-16. Sheen answers with a 71-yard TD run. 20-13. The Figures, a 68-yard TD run. What ever happened to tackling and holding on ? 20-23. Fourth quarter. Batch comes in and marches down the field, hitting Lofton for the score. 27-23. We exchange punts. Two minutes left. Milne hits a 52-yarder to make the margin 7 as the gun sounds. Truly a playoff quality matchup.
Cleve 30 Balt 23
Fredrickson and Monroe are our for 3-5 weeks each
Davies 13/20/222 1 TD
Batch 9/17/121 1 TD
Sheen 14/92 1 TD
Wallace 6/91
Lofton 5/69 1 TD
Dougherty 4/43
Garcia 3/97 1 TD
Quayle 7 stops
Hamilton, Champion a sack each

Week 8 @Cleve 4-2 -14 Detroit 0-7
We destroy an inferior team.
Davies 19/30/229 2 TD
Sheen 16/88
Casey 4/70 1 TD
Garcia 8/111 1 TD
Hamilton, Champion, Mudgett a sack apiece
Cleve 33 Detroit 7
We take the division lead
Swift returns to the lineup - Champion out 3-5 weeks with broken hand

Week 9 @Clev 5-2 -10 Tennessee 4-3
The visitors jump out on top, but Federer runs one back to tie it. Then Tenn runs back the kickoff, which irks us, and we pour it on. We hold them to 35 yards on the ground.
Cleve 31 Tenn 17
Davies 15/31/165 2 TDs
Sheen 18/99 1 TD
Dougherty 6/70 2 TD
O'Donnell 8 tackles
Mudgett 2 sacks, Burnim 1 sack
Federer the pick and runback


At the halfway mark
Cleveland 6-2
Jax 5-3
Cinn 4-4
Tenn 4-4
Balt 4-5
Pitt 3-6

We're plus-7 in turnovers. Third in the league in rushing defense; sixth in both rushing and passing offense.

Looking at our two losses, in the first week, we threw 4 picks and were 3/13 on third down. In Week Five, we gave up 347 air yards and 26 first downs.

Davies has 15 scores, and 9 picks, Sheen 633 yards and 5.3 average, but only 4 scores, Garcia 5 and Dougherty 4 scores. O'Donnell has 43 tackles. Mudgett 5.5, Champion and Burnim 4 sacks. Among the starters, Galyon, Page and Green have 40% or better blocking. The best thing has been the way we've weathered injuries. The bench has risen to the challenge and gotten valuable playing time.

We activate Bushon, not fully ready, to disable Frederickson, who's worse.

I plan to give the unhappy Batch a start, and maybe Clark as well, if we get the right opportunity.

I want to get Dunkelberger and Matthews some time if possible; our DB unit needs upgrading. We could use some more pressure from the rush, as well.

Week 10 - Cleve 6-2 -10 @Chicago 3-5
Can we trash these dudes like we trashed Detroit ? No.
Chicago 23 Cleve 10
Davies 3/3/58
Batch 10/27/95 3 INTs (and back to the bench !)
Sheen 12/33
O'Donnell 14 tackles


Week 11 - @Cleve 6-3 -8 Baltimore 4-5
Davies 22/28/321 2 TDs - a signature Blaine Game
Sheen 15/34 1 TD
Bushon scores in his first game back
Burnim a sack, McElroy a pick
and no one really breaks a sweat
Cleve 35 Balt 7
and Monroe is ready again.

Week 12 - Cleve 7-3 -7 @Cinn 5-5
A World War I type of game. Only one TD was scored. We won the time-of-possession battle 35:26 to 24:24. The Tigers were 4/4 on field goals, Milne was 2/3, but his extra point was the margin of victory.
Batch 15/27/157 1 TD 1 INT
Davies 3/4/19 and a dislocated shoulder, 3-5 weeks
Sheen 23/89 and a lot of clock time
O'Donnell 6 stops, Hamilton a sack
Cleve 13 Cinn 12

Week 13 - Cleveland 8-3 -3 @Pitt 5-6
A woeful effort. Batch was...less than ready. Where is LaChapelle when you need him ?
Batch 12/35/206 3 picks, including one run back for a TD
Sheen 16/65
O'Donnell 9 stops
Pitt 19 Cleveland 7

Cleve 8-4
Tenn 8-4
Jax 7-5
Pitt 6-6
Balt 5-7
Cinn 5-7
Pete Rozelle's parity embodied.


Week 14 - Cleveland 8-4 @Tenn 8-4 -3
For the division lead. Page runs a fumble recovery for a TD, Milne hits 3 FGs, and Tenn gets eight (8) first downs.
Batch 12/25/155 1 TD 1 INT
Sheen 23/11
Casey (mercifully) 8/74
O'Donnell 10 stops, six total sacks including 2 by Stewart and 1.5 by Mudgett.
Ferderer out until the playoffs. Champion finally healthy.
Cleve 23 Tenn 0


Week 15 - Cleve 9-3 -3 @Denver 5-8
Mathews and Dunkelberger get starts.
Batch 15/32/187 1 INT
Sheen 18/81
Milne 3/3 on FGs
and the score is....23-0 again. Five sacks total, 1.5 for Stewart. Matthews get three picks, and runs back two for TDs.
Cleve 23 Denver 0

Week 16 - @Cleveland 10-4 -11 Charlottesville 5-9
We leave Matt and Dunk in there.
Tough game.
Charlottesville 31 Cleve 28
Batch 16/34/238 4 TDs 1 INT (the loss may be worth it if Batch gets into a groove....)
Sheen 9/7
Casey 4/93
Wallace 5/69 2 TDs
Kobeski 12 tackles
After giving up two passing TDs, we'll hand the DB rotation back to the scout.
Cleveland 10-5
Tennessee 10-5
We have the playoffs clinched.

Week 17 - Cleve 10-5 @Jax 7-8 Even
Undistinguished. Poor effort across the board by the O.
Batch 13/30/205 1 TD 1 INT
Sheen 13/0 really
Kobeski 6 tackles, Carr 2 INTs
Jax 16 Cleve 15


Playoffs
Wild Card Round

21 San Diego 9-7
14 Kansas City 9-7

19 Philadelphia 9-7
20 NY Giants 10-6

10 Tampa Bay 9-7
22 St Louis 9-7


Cleveland 10-6 Indianapolis 10-5 -3
Davies is almost healthy, and is backing up Batch.
Indy threatens, but McElroy intercepts on our 20. First quarter ends scoreless, and we have the ball on our own 6 yard line. 94 yards later Sheen plows over from the 3: 7-0 Cleveland. We get the ball back after a punt, but fumble. We hold, and another good punt puts us at our 4. An exchange of punts and it's halftime. Monroe scoops up a Hammond fumble. FG: 10-0. Then Halela breaks loose for an 82-yard TD scamper: 10-7. Batch to Bushon: 17-7. They punt, then snag a pick and run it back 46 yards; we hold them to a FG and it's 17-10. We drive, but another pick stops us at the Indy 12. Fourth quarter. We've outgained them 247 to 52 in the air, but are only up by 7 points. The Batch hits Frederickson and it's 24-10. They answer with a FG: 24-13. We get a FG, and then a garbage-time Sheen TD.

Cleveland 34 Indy 13 - but much closer than it looked...
Batch 18/34/301 2 TDs and 2 worrisome INTs
Sheen 32/139 2 TDs
Bushon 6/106 1 TD
Burnim 2 sacks
Worst news is the injuries: WRs Wallace, Bushon and Garcia are all Questionable, as is Hamilton, our young stud DT bulwark, and Burnim, our good DE. They'll all suit up, though, because it's that time of year.

[Syrinx]

Sure - Lets call for a simple revote on the 1st round Tackle issue. No comments aside from your vote.

My vote is trade him to a needy team for a 7th round pick.

[WebEwbank]

My vote is to forget it and keep him.

[Subby]

My vote is to trade him to a bad team for a 5th round pick.

[Syrinx]

Posted for WebEwbank:

DIVISION STANDINGS
Tenn 11-5
Cleveland 10-6
Pitt 8-8
Jax 8-8
Balt 8-8
Cinn 5-11

QUARTERFINAL ROUND

19 St Louis 10-7
13 Dallas 10-6


3 New York 11-6
41 Green Bay 15-1 483-188 point differential in the regular season - a possible juggernaut

17 San Diego 10-7
27 Jets 11-5

Cleveland 11-6
Tennessee 10-5

Batch hits TE Cronk for a TD on our second possession: 7-0. Then Tenn runs back a punt back 89 yards: 7-7. Shoddy tackling, guys ! Bear down. Davies, in headphones, is on the sidelines with his Questionable Shoulder. Martin Force looks concerned. The crowd is rabid. Outside the stadium they are burning dogs in effigy.
2nd quarter. Batch hits Bushon for 65: 14-7. We hold and Milne misses a long FG attempt. Carr picks off an errant Tenn pass. The canny veteran spent several games inactive to get playing time for Matthews, but in the playoffs he shows up. We can't capitalize.
3rd quarter. A face mask penalty extends a Tenn drive. They drive but we stiffen in the red zone, and they kick a short one to make it 14-10. Our three plays and out and then Matthews, playing nickel, picks one off at our own 10; seems like we're playing the whole game inside our own blue line. Force swallows his chewing tobacco. Matthews high-fives his way down the sideline. This young man has a nose for the ball. Batch passes the ball up the field, hitting five different receivers, but we stall and take the three: 17-10.
4th quarter. Tenn drives and scores: tie game. Our defensive coordinator is screaming obscenities at his men. We have to punt after two first downs. Three and out and we get the ball back at our 47 with our fate in our own hands. Batch checks his wristband. Three and out. A fair catch at the Tenn 14. Field position is ours. Third-down pass to Garcia - they are reviewing the play - good. A run, the delay-of-game pushes us back to the 37 - long green. Batch to Wallace for 21 ! Sheen for 9, and a FG wins it ! We beat Tenn in Tenn : the 3rd time we beat them this year.
Cleve 20 Tenn 17
Batch 19/33/288 2 TDs
Sheen 18/48
Kobeski 7 tackles and an INT, Carr and Matthews an INT each

28 St Louis 12-7
22 Green Bay 6-2 a tremendous upset

Cleveland 12-6 @ Jets 12-5 -2
Sheen fumbles at our 6. Jets recover. Bernstein runs it in: 0-7. Marais to Lyons: 0-14. FG makes it 0-17. We need a turnover...something. Sheen drives us up the field and gets the score; he's a man possessed now, blood streaming down his chin. 7-17. Halftime.
We get the ball, stall. They drive, but Delgado makes a dream-saving INT in our end-zone. They come right back to make it 7-24. FG: 7-27. We have a total of 9 first downs and can't get anything going. And it ends 7-40.
Given that we had 10 injured players active, including seven starters, we probably went as far as could be expected. But it's an ugly way to go.
Batch 6/20/88 1 INT - 4 of our 5 wide receivers were Questionable
Sheen 16/47 1 TD

The Bowl

13 St Louis 12-8
27 Jets 14-5

Awards

We are shut out. Nada.

Leaders

We finished 377-244 PF/PA, versus last year's 448-276, so clearly the dropoff was on the O side.

Davies started 10 games, finished 137/243, 2055 yards, 17 TDs, 9 picks, and rating of 92.1.
Batch was 105/233, 1401, 8 TDs and 11 picks, rated 56.4, and that was pretty much it. He looked great in free agency, but...
Lee Clark hit 6/7 for 1 score and 1 pick, and a first year rating of 95.2.

Sheen was 248/953, 3.8, and 5 scores. Casey, who doesn't look like much on paper, was 86/454, 5.2, but only one score.

Garcia 49/839/5
Wallace 44/686/4
Dougherty 31/489/5
Bushon 31/474/3
Lofton 34/405/6

Our two main punt returners, Delgado and Federer, averaged a pathetic 1.8 and 1.6 respectively.

Milne hit 26/34, and Kindred averaged 41.0.

Tackle leaders were:
O'Donnell 100
Kobeski 65
Monroe 56

Sacks:
Mudgett 10
Burnim 8.5
Hamilton 6.5
Champion 5.5

Picks:
Matthews 5 (2 TDs)
Carr 3

T Hamilton and C Galyon led our blocking.

Next year's goals include ditching Batch, grooming Clark, replenishing our WR corps, where we have no one rated Excellent present or future, and starting to look for a young tailback: Donnie is rated 52 present and 51 future, and 7th from the bottom of league as Starter. His low average this year did not help Batch.

It would be nice to think that a healthy Blaine and few healthy wideouts would have made a difference.

I'll wait to get the consensus on our illegal OT before proceding...

[Darkiller]

My vote is to trade him to a team that needs him badly for a low pick.

Web, Did we finish 1st place in the AFC Central ?

[Darkiller]

sorry, obviously we were posting at the same time...now I go back to read lol

[Darkiller]

OK...too bad Web.
Sure Batch was a major disapointement.
I'm concerned as well with Donnie's sub-1000yard performance : he didn't happen to him often in his career.

As for Blaine, after starting slow I feel he was better and better as the season progressed, his final stats are very good so yes, it might have changed something if he had stayed healthy all year long.

I have a question though :
Was he still too much injured in the Playoffs since you played Batch ?

Good luck for the next season !
GO Brown !

[WebEwbank]

Blaine was questionable, but I followed the scout's depth chart advice and slotted him as the #2 QB. Probably an error.

[WebEwbank]

Herb's Score
67/100 team
77/100 franchise
68/100 profit
69/100 difficulty
overall 71

HOF
Joey Galloway

Stadium Good 41
Roster Exc 100
Support Exc 99
Good 52
Value $1062,270,000

Profit up from $43MM to $71MM

Retirees
Batch (darn - can't fire him)
Wallace
Mudgett (keeper)
Sheen (keeper)
Quinn

So, we certainly need a back...and more...

We have 46 players under contract, with $8.6MM left under the cap. No free agents at all, so no franchise tag.

Following the vote, I immediately trade Green, our illegal T, to Detroit, which trailed the league last year with 2 wins, for a 7th round pick. It hurts, but we still have two good young tackles.

I reject trades for Lofton, Tinsdale, Burnim, and Casey.

We have no 1st or 2nd rounder this year, so I jettison some over-priced players.

We send G Ostroski and CB Delgado, plus next year's 2nd and this year's 3rd, to Buffalo for the #2 ovverall pick this year.

We send LB Vrabbel to Miami, with this year's 6th and two 7ths, for the #6 overall.
This frees cap space and positions us for two impact players.

This gives us $30.5MM under the cap, and we go to free agency.

We make a serious play for DT Long, a former #1 overall 9-year vet, and milder offers for LBs Alcott and Middleton.

Nada. At the end of the auction we pick up G Franklin ($9.3mm over 3) at his asking price.

Hopefully the draft will yield an RB and a DT. We refuse offers for Galyon and Wheeler.

First, at #2, we pick up Louis "Captain" Kirk, a smallish 6-2, 274 DT out of Rice. He is rated 48/89, 43/100, 95.

Then, at #6, we grab Rico Rodriguez, a 5-9 198 RB out of Clemson. No Sheen, but the highest-rated RB by our scout this year.

In Round 4, We grab Darryl Butler, a 5-10 237 LB South Carolina Gamecock, to replace Vrabel at backup LB.

That's it, but we did get two frontliners.

[WebEwbank]

We reup everyone but McElroy, Stewart and Casey. Had to go sky-high for Champion, but we need him beyond this year.

Training camp complete, we reject an offer for Burnim. We have over $11MM left, and 46 players signed. We pull DE Clinton off the scrap heap, and save the rest for emergency signings.

We trade RB Delgado to the Giants, along with our 5th and 6th pick in 2017, for their 2nd rounder in 2017, and replace him off the scrap heap. Renegotiate a few contracts, and pick up an excellant C on a one-year deal for depth, leaving us $16.5MM under the cap.

3-1 through the exhibitions, with two serious injuries: Burnim out 2-3 months with a thumb, and Bushon 3-5 weeks with a groin pull.

The regular season, I hope, tomorrow.

[Darkiller]

what an offseason !!!
pfff maybe the busiest ever for the Browns so far.

Donnie Sheen and B.J Mudgett retired.
2 keepers the same year.
that has to be a special moment for us VCII guys.

Donnie Sheen will be (because of the timing) the 1st Brown player to go to the Hall of Fame.
I don't know about you guys but i'd like to retire his jersey or maybe for that we should wait for his induction in the Browns HOF in 3 years.
What do you think.

Blaine Davies and Donnie Sheen are the two greatest players in franchise history and Sheen is now gone and Davies should follow soon so i'm thinking about doing something special for them. Tell me what u think.

Web tell us more please about new rookie RB Rodriguez (ratings etc...)



[This message has been edited by Darkiller (edited 11-10-2000).]

[WebEwbank]

Rodriguez, as I said, is no Sheen.
Breakaway 60
Short Ydge 46/66
3rd Down 72
Yds/Carry 55/84
Catching 44/72
Catch Frequency 63/90
3rd Down Catching 89
Carrying 78
Endrce 89
I regret that I didn't note his draft ratings, but as I recall he had a mid-to low-7ish potential value.

[WebEwbank]

We sign LB Sammy Fujimoto and WR Terry Ellis for depth.

Looking around the roster, our O-line is very strong, T rated 85/100, G 99/100, and C 100/100. Our starters have years of experience: 3,2 (T), 7,6, (G), 11 (C).

In cohesion we are:
88 Exc Passing
74 VG O Line
80 Exc Def Front
88 Exc Secondary

Week 1 - Tennessee 0-0 @Cleveland 0-0 -4
We jump out to a 20-0 lead and coast in.
Davies 16/28/297 2 TDs
Rodriguez 26/131 1 TD
Garcia 7/152
Milne 4/5 FGs
Monroe 9 stops 2 assists
Hamilton and Clinton 2 sacks each
Cleveland 33 Tennessee 25
Casualties include McElroy and Corbett each out 3-5 weeks

Week 2 - Jax 1-0 @Cleveland 1-0 -7
Mirror image of last week - we fall behind 0-17, including an INT runback for a TD, then don't quite catch up.
Davies 17/38/187 1 TD 1 INT plus 6/38 1 TD on the ground
Rodriguez 16/43
Ellis 6/54
Monroe 9 stops 2 assists again
Champion and Clinto a sack each
Swift and Carr an INT each
Jax 24 Cleveland 19
Dougherty and Wheeler out 3-5 weeks each

Week 3 Cleveland 1-1 @Baltimore 1-1 -2
Uninspired. We actually led in total yards 335-321, but settled for field goals and punts too often. The press is not happy.
Davies 13/25/178 1 TD 1 INT
Rodriguez 18/85
Garcia 6/73
Foster 8 tackles, Kobeski 7
Baltimore 31 Cleveland 13

Week 4 - Pittsburgh 2-1 -2 @Cleveland 1-2
Huge road win where we jump out 27-0 in the first half.
Davies 23/35/339 4 TDs 1 INT
Rodriguez 22/70 1 TD
Garcia 9/152 1 TD
Foster 8 stops
Champion a sack, CLINTON, making the most of his starting opportunity with Burnim hurt: 3 SACKS
The wounded are healing nicely.
Cleveland 41 Pittsburgh 21

Break time with:
Jax 3-1
Cinn 3-1
Cleve 2-2
Tenn 2-2
Pitt 2-2
Balt 2-2
tight or what ?

[Syrinx]

Glad to see he's an all purpose threat like Donnie was.

I'd say wait until League HOF honors to retire his number (although I think we should try to ensure no one gets it until then) Anyone remember what it was?

I'll make my keeper selection to replace him durring/after my turn. (which is next)

I'm currious on people's opinions about Mudgett making the hall.

[WebEwbank]

My keeper will be Lee Clark.

Donnie wore number 35; no one has it yet.

I have my doubts about Mudgett: roughly 500 tables and 85ish sacks.

[Darkiller]

Yeah I don't think Mudgett will make the NFL's Hall of Fame.
But he has a real chance of making the Browns' Hall of Fame though, which would be nice.

Regarding Donnie, yeah let's make sure no player on the team wears #35 until HOF enshrinements.
We'll do something after that.

2-2 after 4 games is not bad regarding the fact that we have a lot of new players. Rodriguez is doing very fine so far and maybe his ratings are not Sheen's yet they remain very interesting.
He's a receiving threat also which is something I particularly like for a RB to be.

Keep up the good work Web !

[Darkiller]

Somethings i liked about Rookie RB Rodriguez so far :

- His first career game is a 131 yard 1 TD performance.

-after 4 games :
329 yards on 82 carries (4.0yards/c) 2 TDs.
On pace to rush for 1316 yards on the year.
(Browns rookie record ?)

anyway, that's pretty good to start with !

[Subby]

Sheen, Wallace and Mudgett played in 4 Super Bowls, correct? I am going to miss them.

What were Sheen's career stats? What a hoss he was.

Nice trades before the draft - definitely garnered some quality!

[Syrinx]

Posted for Web...

Messed up and lost my game writeups, was able to recreate everything from game box scores except the spreads...from here on it's Word, not direct input onto the site. The game itself was saved, of course.

Week 5 - @Cleveland 41 St Louis 10
Davies 10/22/241 1 TD 1 INT
Rico 22/98 2 TD
Bushon 4/169 1 TD
Ferderer 6 stops
Clinto 2.5 sacks, Eddings 2, Hamilton 1
Matthews a pick runback for a TD - his specialite de la masion
A very solid overall game.

Week 6 - @Cleveland 33 Pitt 11
We hold then to 2/13 on third downs.
Davies 13/23/169 1 TD
Rico 29/129 1 TD
Ellis 5/89
Swift 7 stops
Foster an INT

Week 7 Cinn 17 @Cleveland 13
This time, we were 3/13 on third downs.
Davies 22/37/350 1 INT
Rico 21/68 1 TD
Garcia 6/101
Monroe 12 stops and a sack
Matthews a pick

Week 8 - the bye

Week 9 - @New Orleans 31 Cleveland 14
Fell behind 17-0 and couldn't close the gap.
Davies 6/21/95 1 INT
Miller 7/14/108 2 TDs
Rico 9/46
Bushon 4/84
Kobeski 10 tackles
Hamilton 2, Ferderer and Eddings 1 sack

Back to normal...

Week 10 - Cleveland 4-4 -2 @Jets 5-4
26-8 in first downs.
Davies 18/22/297 2 TDs
Rico 17/130 3 TDs
Dougherty 6/128 1 TD
Clinton, Champion and Hamilton a sack each
Clinton holds his starting spot even though Burnim is activated
Cleveland 38 Jets 10

Week 11 - Indy 4-5 @ Cleveland 5-4 -8
This has been a strange streaky season.
Indy 20 Cleveland 17
Turnovers killed us.
Davies 17/32 230 1 TD 3 INTs
Monroe 10 tackles
Sacks: Stewart 2, Hamilton 1.5, Burnim 1, Eddings .5
Ints: Foster 1
Rico 1 TD
Clinton, with broken jaw, out til playoffs

Still, there are four teams ahead of us in the division, but every one is only 6-4. We're alive.

Week 12 - Cleveland 5-5 @Tenn 6-4 -6
Cleveland 22 Tenn 10
A good defensive effort - Tenn gets only 11 first downs. Total yards 571-235.
Davies 25/36 414 1 TD 2 INTs the old horse has a few good kicks left
Rico 22/118 steady
Garcia 10/177 and moving into the elite class
Monroe 7 stops a very consistent year so far
Champion and Burnim a sack each

Week 13 Baltimore 7-4 @Cleveland 6-5 -2
Super key game. For once we were able to come back from trailing (twice).
Davies16/31/270 2 TDs 1 INT
Rico 14/72
Casey 3/22 and a super-clutch TD
Bushon 8/107 1 TD
Garcia 4/115 1 TD
Monroe and Wheeler 7 stops
Champion 1.5, Stewart, O'Donnell .5 sacks
Swift and Ferderer a pick each, Ferderer's run back for a TD
Cleveland 31 Baltimore 22

Four teams, including us, are tied at 7-5 for the division. Cinn and Tenn are 6-6.

Week 14 @San Diego 6-6 Cleveland 7-5 EVEN
A nail-biter. Game ball to backup HB Casey, for sure.
Davies 21/33/262 2 TD 1 INT
Casey 18/68 1 TD
Rico 1/25
Garcia 8/95 1 TD
Monroe, Foster 7 tackles
Burnim 3.5 sacks, Hamilton 1, Champion .5
Cleveland 30 SD 27

Week 15 @Cinn 7-6 -2 Cleveland 8-5
Another divisional slugfest. Tied until a late 44-yard TD pass from Druckenmiller.
Davies 13/26/128 1 TD 1 INT
Rico 25/220 2 TDs making a play for OROY
Monroe 10 tackles
Champion, Eddings, Burnim a sack each
Swift a pick
Cinn 34 Cleveland 27

It's tight:
Pitt 9-5
Balt 8-6
Cinn 8-6
Cleve 8-6
Jax 7-7
Tenn 6-8


Week 16 @Jax 7-7 Cleveland 8-6 EVEN
This game we roar back with the final 13 points to win.
Davies 16/30/207 1 TD 2 INTs and 5/20 1 TD on the ground
Rico 27/97 1 TD
Bushon 7/110
McElroy 6 stops
Champion and Burnim a sack each
Cleveland 34 Jax 28

Pitt 9-6
Balt 9-6
Cleve 9-6
Cinn 8-7
Jax 7-8
Tenn 7-8

Week 17 Atlanta 7-8 @Cleveland 9-6 -6
Davies 14/22/235 1 TD
Casey 16/137 2 TD
Rico 16/52 2 TD
Bushon 5/94 1 TD
Wheeler 7 stops
Swift a pick
Cleveland 44 Atlanta 13

Rodriguez is questionable with a broken finger, but I decide to bring to the playoffs anyway. I was conservative with Davies last year, and Batch imploded. We will start Casey in the first game, though. Carr and Foster, also questionable, suit up as well. Clinton is out until next year.

Final Standings:

Cleve 10-6 and the division
Pitt 10-6
Balt 9-7
Cinn 9-7
Jax 7-9
Tenn 7-9

Incredibly, we have a bye for the first round.

Wild Card Round

24 San Francisco 10-6 -4
25 Arizona 10-6

20 Houston 9-7
31 New Orleans 11-5 -8

12 Jets 9-7
18 Pitt 10-6 -7

10 San Diego 9-7 -3
14 Charlottesville 9-7

QuarterFinal Round

Arizona 11-6
Tampa Bay 14-2 -10

New Orleans 12-5 -1
Dallas 11-5 -4

Char. 10-7
Miami 9-7 -5

Pitt 11-6 @ Cleveland 10-6 -5
We beat Pitt, by 20 and by 22, early in the season.
Our PF/PA was 450-334, Pitt's was 377-299.
At the last minute, I decide to start Rodriguez over Casey. My thinking is that Casey has been so good at #2 that we could weaken both slots by starting him.
Pitt scores on the first possession: 0-7. Easily.
After two first downs and a short punt, they do it again: 0-14. Still Q1.
Milne shanks a FG Try.
So does Pitt, on the snowy field. We need a defensive stop here.
We get one, but can't capitalize.
Damn - a 77-yard TD and we trail 0-21.
And it ends ingloriously 3-28.

Rest of the Playoffs

27 Dallas 14-5
21 Tampa Bay 15-3

3 Pitt 12-7
34 Miami 11-8

Bowl
9 Miami 11-8
17 Dallas 14-5


SUMMARY

Awards
Stanley Hamilton made 1st team OT
Burt Milne made 2nd team K

Leaders

Blaine was 260/461 56.3 % 3899 yards 21-16 TD-INTs
He was 74/373 on the ground, for a 5.0 average and 2 TDs

Rico finished 301/1447 4.8 average and 15 TDs, a likely runner up for OROY
Casey was 73/441 6 TDs and a gaudy 6.0 average - he played above his ratings, as he's done every year

Garcia 75/1207/4
Bushon 59/940/6
Ellis 36/614/3
Dougherty 22/424/2
Lofton 27/342/4

Our punt returners were awful again, averaging 4.7 and 3.2; kickoffs were better, and Federer scored a TD here.

Milne was 35/44 on FGs and hit all 47 EPs.
Kindred averaged 42.7.

Tackles:
Monroe 107
Swift 78
Foster 69
Kobeski 63

Sacks:
Clinton 9.5
Champion 9
Hamilton 9
Burnim 7.5
Eddings 5.5

INTs:
Swift 4
Foster 2
Matthews 2

Stanley Hamilton, our only first-team All-Pro, had a BPct of 46.8. Right now he rates out at 85/100/100.

We ended up with all cohesion ratings in the Exc zone: 90/82/85/83.

Our C, P, DE, and DT starters are rated best in the league.

Summary

The high point of my two years was drafting Lee Clark and Rico Rodriguez; they could be our iron going forward, although they have a lot of development ahead of them. Adding Stanley Hamilton was also a step in the right direction.

Lee Clark will be my Keeper.

I hope my successor does better than I did with this talented crew. I fear I may be the Bobby Beathard (or even the Dick Steinberg) of our VC...

Sorry for being away, had a business trip in St Louis, then my furnace went out this weekend. Uggh.

Add to all this I find our Sheen and Mudgett retired, my first two #1 draft picks nonetheless, so very depressing. Though it does look like Rico is starting strong. Also nice to see my draftee Casey doing his job admirably as a backup still. I will wait until my turn comes again for my next keeper selection.

What was the resolution of the 4th #1 draft pick fiasco?

How has S Foster been playing since his rookie year? Has he gotten much playing time?

Go Browns in 2015!!!