Five Great Men 2017

[stkelly52]

The story of five incredible high school athletes continues. We have followed them from high school, through college and into the NFL. Each of the men have experienced incredible glory. Some have struggled with severely disappointing seasons. We have now selections of some interviews that have been conducted since last year’s upset Super Bowl victory by Al Coble’s Bengals.

Rather than bringing all of my previouse posts over from the other board I have included them in the Five Great Men web page. If you would like to read about the ealier years of the 5 Great men, click on this link: http://www.geocities.com/stkelly52/index.htm

Al Coble RB Cincinnati Bengals
“Al, you have just come away with a huge Super Bowl victory. It is said that you are the one who elevated the Bengals from being a middle of the road team to being one of the elite teams in the league. You have brought the Bengals two appearances in the championship game in just four years. How dig of a role did you play in elevating the team’s performance to this level?”
“Well it would be wrong to totally credit me with elevating this franchise. I am just a piece of the puzzle. What I do think that I brought was experience and a winning attitude. I believe that I was instrumental in helping Jefferson take over as QB last season and I have helped him develop his leadership skills. I also helped the whole offensive unit be able to focus on the goal and not get distracted by side issues.”
“You are already considered the best player in the league, so what do you see in your future? What else do you hope to accomplish?”
“Well I just signed a contract extension with the Bengals that should keep me in town for three more seasons. As for personal goals, I would like to reach 200 rushing TDs, as well as 250 total TDs within the next year, though it will not be easy. I also would love to finish my career with 20,000 rushing yards.http://www.geocities.com/stkelly52/index.htm

[stkelly52]

Marty Gage RB Hartford Muskrats
“Marty, everywhere you have gone you have been a winner. 5 years with that great Indianapolis team led by Peyton Manning. Then 4 years when you were the catalyst for a spectacular run by the Cardinals. Then last year you were the central figure in bringing Harford to the playoffs after a couple of poor seasons. How did you like the change of moving to Hartford last year?
“I love being here in Hartford. This is a great football town and the fans are just terrific. I am looking forward to many more exciting seasons here. It is a great city and a great community.
“You have been to and won the Super Bowl with 2 different teams; do you think that you can make it with 3?
“I do believe that you will see a title here in the next season or two. This team is just now learning how work together last season, and the key players will all still be here this year. We are destined to get even better.”
“There are rumors that owner Brian Walters is concerned about finances, with his company recently declaring bankruptcy. They are saying that the team is going to have to cut payroll this year. How would that affect the team? “
“The success last season brought in big money for this team. It went from losing 5 million a year to a $50,000,000 profit. This team will continue to put money in Mr. Walters’s wallet and I don’t think he will do anything to change that.”

[stkelly52]

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas
“Antoine, when you entered the league, you were considered a quarterback’s worst nightmare, shattering a few sack records in the process. But since joining Las Vegas, you have not been quite the threat that you were with the Redskins. Can you still be the threat that you once were?
“There is no doubt that my role has changed from my days in Washington. But I am still a valuable part of the defense here in Las Vegas. I have proved myself to be an excellent run stopper and I will continue to shut down those who try to run my way. In addition, I can still make my way to the QB from time to time. You haven't seen my last sack yet. I am looking forward to breaking the all-time record for most career sacks sometime this year. Eventually I would like to reach 200 eventually, and if decide to play three more seasons I can almost guarantee that I will reach that mark.

[stkelly52]

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford
“We are here with Carlton Gomez, who has had the rockiest career of the Five Great Men. Carlton has weathered the adversity to become a two time Pro Bowler. What was it like to go from a backup in Carolina to being a star in Oakland?”
“Truly it was satisfying. I was given a chance to stay in Carolina, but honestly I never really felt appreciated there, and I really felt like Oakland wanted me and I was thrilled to go play there. I just felt like I meshed with the team. Even though we couldn’t manage to have a winning season, those were the best couple years of my life.”
“Since you loved playing for Oakland so much, how did you feel when you discovered that you were being traded to Hartford?”
“Honestly it was hard for me, but Hartford gave up quite a lot for me. It was clear that I was valuable to Hartford and they really felt like they needed me. This is another team that I have fit in well with the coaching staff. It was great to make the playoffs last season, and I am thrilled to see how far this team will go this year.”
“There are stories around that the owner of the Muskrats is looking to dump some salary. If they dump salary how do you think that would affect the team.”
“I don’t know were these kind of ideas come from. We made this team really profitable last year, and I don’t see any major subtractions, and I think that Hartford will wind up being very active in the free agent market as well. Nothing brings in more money than winning, as we are just a piece or two from the Super Bowl.

[stkelly52]

Percy Buchanan
“You have the highest career QB rating of any player in the league. Since joining the Redskins in 2010 there has only been one season where you had a rating below 95.0. To what do you attribute your success?
“There have been three keys to the success that I have had. First, I have had a great corps of receives to throw the ball to. When you have players like this to catch your passes, you know that you will do well. Secondly, I have this incredible offensive line who has kept pressure off of me. And finally I don’t allow myself to force the ball into difficult places. This has hurt my career in some ways in that I haven’t been able to pick up some of the big yards that other QBs have made. But it means that I haven’t given up many interceptions, which has been the key to my success.”
“Washington went from winning two incredible seasons in which you only lost one game, to losing 5 games last season. Do you feel that last year was a disappointment?
“We lost some key players for last year’s season, and because of that we had more difficulty pulling off the close wins last year. But and 11-5 season and reaching the NFC championship is nothing to be disappointed with. I am hopeful that we will be active in free agency and pick up some key draft choices to make this team a champion again.”

[stkelly52]

Note:
The league is expanding by two teams, the Los Angeles Blackwings and the Houston Texans.

[stkelly52]

Hartford Connecticut
“Sorry, I am not able to answer the phone right now. Please leave your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as possible”
“Marty, Coach Foilette here. I need to see you today. Call me as soon as you get this message.”

[Senator]

uh, oh!

[Grid Iron]

Holy s*@%!!!!!!!!

At least the coach has the guts to tell Marty to his face that he's been traded, rather than on ESPN.

[stkelly52]

“Marty, I need to thank you for all the hard work that you put into the team last season. You are the reason that we were able to make the playoffs last year. It was a huge year for you and I think that you will continue to light up the NFL. But Marty, our budget for this year has been drastically cut. You are set to make $7,000,000. That is by far the highest salary on the team. We were wondering if you would be willing to restructure your contract a bit.”

“A bit? What, are you talking about spreading the payments out over several years?”

“Well actually, management thinks that Tim Peal may be ready to step in at RB, and he only costs us 1,000,000. If you would just be willing to drop 5 million off of your salary I think we can work something out.

“WHAT!!!! I JUST SET AN NFL RECORD FOR MOST RUSHING YARDS IN A SEASON, I HELP THIS TEAM MAKE $50,000,000. AND YOU INSULT ME BY ASKING ME TO TAKE A 70% PAY CUT? ARE YOU INSANE! I MADE THIS TEAM IF YOU LET ME GO, YOU WILL BE LUCKY TO WIN 4 GAMES! PEAL MAY BE A FINE RUNNING BACK, BUT HE WILL NEVER BE HALF THE BACK THAT I HAVE BEEN!”

“I am sorry that you feel that way Marty. You have to understand that this comes from above us. Walters has instructed us that we need to cut salary, and yours is the best way for us to do so. Please reconsider. Heck you make far more than that from endorsements anyway.”

“I am out of here!”

And with that Marty Gage’s name is added to the expansion draft. He will likely be one of the early picks in the draft by someone who is looking for a quality running back with plenty of experiance, though it will cost a pretty penny to get him.

[Grid Iron]

Yoinks! That's a heck of alot worse than getting traded. . .

He could be a first-round pick twice in his career!

[Alf]

He could even be drafted by the newly formed Houston Texans !

[stkelly52]

Expansion draft:
With the #6 pick of the draft the Las Angeles Blackwings choose Marty Gage of the Hartford Muskrats.

Once training camp ended we were able to take a look at each of the men and project their teams’ performances.

Al Coble RB Cincinnati

Al sees minor declines in his abilities from last year, but he will easily be the top RB for the Bengals. Al signed a new contract that will pay him $8 million this season and will keep Al in Cincinnati for 3 more seasons.
Al has a solid group of linemen that should help him pick up quite a lot of yards this season. I would guess that he is able to run for 1200-1500 yards this season and 10-12 TDs. Will the Bengals be able to repeat as champions this year? They have a solid defense, that should rank among the best in the league. But the passing game looks very weak and that will hurt the Bengals’ chances. I predict that they will win 9-10 games this year.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles

Coming of one of the greatest seasons in NFL history, Marty looks just as good as he did last year. However, it is important to note that Marty vastly out-played his ratings, so he may be in for a down season. Along with that, he has joined an expansion team. Las Angeles’s strategy in the expansion draft seamed to be to pick up veterans from teams who were trying to dump salary. This means that Las Angeles has quite a few experience veterans who may just be able to surprise quite a few teams. They don’t really have many players that I would call “great” but there are a lot of solid starters. They did pick up a huge free agent in T Billy Joe Klingensmit, a 7 year veteran and perhaps the best tackle in football. The rest of the offensive line are poor pass blocker, but great at run blocking, so Marty may have another great season in him. I would guess that this team stuns everyone and wins 7-8 games, while Marty runs for 1500+ yards. If they are smart they will give Marty in the neighbor hood of 400 carries agin.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas

Preston’s ratings actually look slightly better than they did last year. I think we will see another solid season out of Antoine picking up over 40 tackles and 10-12 sacks. Las Vegas looks to have declined even lower from last year. They drafted a new QB who could wind up becoming a super star, but he is far from there yet and much of the rest of the team looks to be falling off. The two best players on the team are their RB and Preston. I would guess that they will be able to pull out around 4-6 games this year.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford

The fans in Hartford are still irate about the loss of Marty Gage, but players like Carlton Gomez are going to have to continue and carry the Muskrats. Of all of the great men, Carlton has the largest decline in his ratings, dropping 10 points in pass rush and 8 in his already low run defense. There is already talk about this being the last season for Carlton. The Muskrats’ have breakout training camps by both their QB and RB, and look to be poised for a great season. I would guess that this team would get about 10-11 wins, except for the curse. Before Marty left Hartford, he vowed that Hartford would not reach the playoffs in his lifetime and that they would never win a championship.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington

Percy still has the highest career QB rating of any QB in the NFL, and he looks as good as he ever has. The problem is that Washington has been decimated at receiver. Percy has one fair WR to throw to, but the second best receiver is rated just an 8 at catching. So much of this team’s success has relied on Percy being able to complete passes, I am not sure how well they will do without quality receivers. Washington does have a great running game and that may just be enough to keep them in the hunt for 4 consecutive division titles. The difficulty there is that while their RB is a quality back, this will be his first year as a starter. I predict 9-10 wins and another playoff run.

[Grid Iron]

Prediction #1: Al Coble leads the league in rushing and wins league MVP en route to another Super Bowl victory.

Prediction #2: Marty Gage goes down with a severe (potentially career-ending) injury.

BTW, I hope Prediction #2 does not occur, but I just have a bad feeling about this season.

[3ric]

How old are the guys now? If this is their 10th year in the NFL, they should be about 31-32...

[stkelly52]

Originally posted by 3ric
How old are the guys now? If this is their 10th year in the NFL, they should be about 31-32...

They are all 34 or 33. THey are definitly getting a bit old to keep this up.

[stkelly52]

Week 1
Al Coble RB Cincinnati @ Baltimore
The Bengals open the season with a game on the road in Baltimore. Cincinnati starts the season out on a poor note as a last minute TD gives the Ravens a come from behind victory. Al was held to just 85 yards rushing, though he did score once from 1 yard out. Final 23-17. A slow start, but it is early

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles vs. Chicago
In their first game in team history, the Blackings were hoping to get the franchise off to a good start. They were pleased with what they saw. Marty had 27 carries for 126 yards and a TD as LA scored 24 third quarter points in route to a 34-7 upset victory over the Bears. LA’s LB Brock Brock was named MVP. I wouldn’t normally mention a player other than the 5 men, but with a name like Brock Brock you just have to bring him up. His parents must have had a sick since of humor. The big down side to LA was that they lost 2 QBs in the first quarter of the game.


Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas @ Huntsville
This was a game that was all about defense. In the first Huntsville opened the scoring with an INT return for a TD. No one scored again until, on consecutive drives Las Vegas scored a TD and then the go ahead field goal. But the mighty Packers were able to line up for a 53 yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the game. The kick was good and the game went into OT. Once there little happened until Huntsville picked off another pass with just 3:06 left. This set up a 45 yard field goal to win the game. The Bombers played well, but they just could not put together enough to top one of the best clubs in the country.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford @ St. Louis
Many are saying that this game marks the beginning of The Curse. Three times the Muskrats made it inside the 10. Three times they had to settle for 3. Perhaps if they had a decent running back, they might have been able to pick up a TD. As it is they lose 13-9. Carlton recorded half a sack and a tackle.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington vs. NY Giants
It is a rough day for Percy. He was able to complete 24 of 41 passes for 341 yards and 3 TDs, while throwing 1 pick. But there were 10 dropped passes For all intents and purposes, that was the difference between winning and losing. Washington falls 28-22 in OT.


Week 2
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 0-1 @ St. Louis 1-0
Al is once again held under 100 yards rushing, but he only had 16 carries which he used to run for 92 yards an a TD. By the second half things were well in hand for the Bengals and Al rested the rest of the game. The Bengals step past the Rams 30-10.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 1-0 vs. Buffalo 0-1
Marty is held under 100 yards as well, but he scored 2 TDs as the Blackwings waltz past the Bills 34-9. On 18 carries Marty had 91 yards rushing. When was the last time an expansion team made the playoffs? Of course when was the last time Marty was held out of the playoffs?

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas0-1 vs. Kansas City 1-0
Another great Defensive game. The Bombers held KC to just 10 points in regulation. With time running out in the fourth and the scored tied Las Vegas was able to put together one last scoring drive to win the game. They kicked a 37 yard field goal with no time left on the clock to keep the game out of OT. 13-10 Las Vegas.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-1 @ Percy Buchanan QB Washington 0-1
With 32 seconds remaining Hartford takes a 3 point lead on a 12 yard TD pass. It looked like it was all over for Washington. But the kickoff was returned all the way to the Hartford 28. One pass later the ball was at the 15. It was a chip shop to sent the game into OT. Washington got the ball second and promptly moved into field goal range to win the game, 26-23. Carlton had a solid outing with 2 tackles, 2 assists and he was able to sack Percy once. But Percy was the star of the game. Even with pathetic receivers he was able to complete 23 of 30 for 286 yards and 3 TDs. Percy Buchanan is named MVP and offensive player of the week.

[stkelly52]

Week 3
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 1-1 @ Cleveland 1-1
The Bengals face their cross state rivals feeling like they need to win to keep themselves considered one of the top teams in the league.
The Browns seemed to have an answer for Coble, holding him to a meager 24 yards rushing on 10 carries, but they weren’t able to slow Al down inside the 10. Al scored twice one runs of 5 and 9 yards. The Browns also couldn’t find an answer for Cincinnati’s passing game which threw the ball at will. The Bengals use a great passing game and a solid defense to stomp the Browns 38-10.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles @ Percy Buchanan QB Washington
One of the NFL’s all-time leading Running backs faces one of the best QBs in the league. There is no doubt who played a better game. Marty was practically shut down all game long. He ran for just 44 yards on 26 carries, a paltry 1.6 yards a carry. Meanwhile Percy completed 17 of 28 for 225 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs. But while Percy played better than Marty, there are 46 players on a team, and your whole 46 need to out play all of the other 46. The rest of Washington didn’t play up to Percy’s level, and they allowed the Blackwings to score 26 against Washington’s 21. Three games into LA’s first season, and the Blackwings are 3-0. Expansion teams are supposed to be bad.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 1-1 vs. New England 1-1
Preston puts together a solid game. He tacks on 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles and an assist. As a team the Bombers harassed NE’s QB all day, sacking him 6 times. But when he wasn’t getting knocked on his backside, he was throwing TDs. Las Vegas keeps it close all game long, but they can’t stop the Patriots, final 27-24 NE.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-2 @ Atlanta 2-0
If you looked just at the stats, you would think that Hartford dominated this game. But you don’t score points by just picking up a lot of yards. 7 trips to the red zone, and Harford was only able to come away with 10 points. Atlanta, on the other had scores 22. Marty loved watching this game. Carlton had only a small impact in the game, causing just 2 tackles and an assist.


Week 4
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 2-1 @ New Orleans 3-0
Last week Al had a hard time running the ball. No such problems against the Saints. Al ran for 135 yards and 2 TDs as the Bengals breeze past New Orleans 31-14.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 3-0 @ Dallas 1-2
Who is the expansion team and who is the team with experience and unity? Marty runs for 151 yards and 2 TDs on 24 carries as LA demolishes the Cowboys 26-7. Marty sits out the fourth quarter as there is no reason to risk injury.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 1-2 vs. Denver 1-2
Preston and company do and excellent job of containing the Broncos, holding Denver to just a field goal. Antoine tacked on another sack in this game, moving him just 1.5 sacks away from the all time record for most sacks in a career. The bombers climb to .500 with a 21-3 triumph.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-3 vs. San Francisco 0-3
Well somebody has to win, right? This was a defensive fight the whole way through the game. With 2 minutes left, the Muskrats appeared to be sending the game to OT by scoring a field goal to tie the game at 13. But the 49ers were able to put together one last drive that ended with a 56 yard kick as time expired to win 16-13. The Curse is alive and well. While his team lost, Carlton was able to pick up a big sack late in the game. It turned out to be meaningless though when San Fran was able to convert a 3rd and 21.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington
BYE


1/4 Season review.
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 3-1
The Bengals are off to a solid beginning to the season, but the power rating do not see them staying that way long. They are listed as just a 37. But if Al keeps putting up solid numbers like he has been, then that is going to change. He may not be on the same level that he once was, by Al still knows how to score. 69 carries for 336 yards (3rd) and 6 TDs (1st) are his numbers this year. The down side is that Al is conspicuously missing from the passing game. Just 8 receptions for 54 yards.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles
Is there team that is more of a surprise than the Las Angeles Blackwings? In just their first season of existence they are 4-0. They have the leading rusher in the NFL with 412 yards, and he is second in TDs (5). But this is not just about Marty. This is a team full of experienced veterans as well an unproven rookies. The vets have taken in the young guys and taught them how to play excellent football. LA currently has the highest power rating in the league. Can they keep this up? The question for Marty though is that, even though he is the league’s leading rusher, Marty has never finished a season with under a 5.2 yard average. His current average is almost 1 full yard shorter. Definite signs that Marty is getting old. Of course there are many who would love to be averaging 4.3 yards a carry, but it is frustrating for Marty.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 2-2
The Bombers have had their share up ups and downs, but Preston is playing solidly. He again leads all DEs with 12 tackles. He also has recorded 4.0 sacks and 3 assists. Preston has also moved to third among active DEs and 4th among active linemen in career tackles. But the mark he is most looking forward to it the title of sack champion which could come any day now.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-4
Marty vowed that Hartford would never make the playoffs, and if they keep losing it won’t happen. They have been losing close games and in embarrassing fashion. Things need to turn around for the Muskrats. Carlton had played fair, though not great. 6 tackles, 4 assists and 2.5 tackles. Nothing to write home about, but not bad numbers either.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 1-2
Washington is off to a slow start, but it is early and the Redskins know that they can overcome their early season woes. They spent the bye week figuring out what has gone wrong and they are confident that the problems are fixed. As a QB without a solid corps of receivers to throw to, Percy is playing fabulous. Percy is still spreading the ball around and picking up great numbers. 64/99 for 852 yards and 9 TD (2nd) while giving up 2 INT. His QB rating of 113.6 is second in the league.

[stkelly52]

Week 5
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 3-1 vs. Jacksonville 2-2
Al closed out the first drive of the game with a 7 yard TD run. That is all that the Bengals would need to stop the Jags. But Cincinnati continued to pour on the points anyway. When the dust cleared, the Bengals had a dominating 45-6 win. Al added another late TD as well, but he only amassed 63 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 4-0 vs. Arizona 2-1
Marty and the surprising Blackwings host Marty’s former team, the Arizona Cardinals.
Last season after 4 games people were talking about the decline in Marty’s stats. But from week 5 on, Marty dominated. This year looks like he may be following a similar pattern. He earns the MVP with 148 yards and 1 rushing TD on 25 carries. This helped propel LA past the Cards 24-12

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 2-2 BYE


Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-4 @ Carolina 0-3
For the second week in a row Hartford plays a winless team, and for the second week in a row they can’t come up with their first victory. I(t was a solid defensive game, but Carlton played little part in the 10-6 loss.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 1-2 @ Philadelphia 2-1
Percy had a solid outing, completing 21 of 30 for 297 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, but the star of this game way the Redskins RB who ran for over 200 yards an 2 TDs. This helped Washington get past the Eagles 30-22.


Week 6
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 4-1 vs. Tennessee 1-4
This game should have been a blowout, but it took a field goal in the closing moments of the game to finally seal the victory for the Bengals, 16-13. Al earned MVP honors by running for 116 yards and 1 TD on 20 carries. It’s another solid day for Al, except he isn’t catching many passes. It looks like one of his greatest weapons may have fallen by the wayside.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 5-0 vs. Atlanta 4-1
We knew that the dream would have to end eventually, but did it have to end so abruptly? Atlanta wins 44-16. Marty did a decent job, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, but once the Blackwings fell behind, he was rarely used, and finished with just 77 yards on 14 carries, and no TD. Gage also coughed up a costly fumble, his first of the year. But it is just their first loss, and many didn’t expect them to win 5 all season long.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 2-2 @ San Diego 4-1
This was a thrilling game that was won with a 27 yard TD pass in the final minute of regulation by Las Vegas. The Bombers’ defense was able to hold the rest of the way. Preston chipped in with 1 tackle and 2 assists, but no sacks. Las Vegas wins the thrillers 29-28.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-5 @ Arizona 2-2
Hartford has kept every game close, but something has kept them just a step behind in each and every game. Perhaps it has been the lack of a reliable RB?
Carlton 3 times reaches the QB and shares a sack with one of his teammates (for 1.5 sacks), though he only recorded 1 tackle and 1 assist. This time there would be no close game for Hartford to lose. They lost by a bundle, 24-6 Arizona. Things are not going well for the Muskrats.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 2-2 vs. Dallas 1-4
In recent years the 2 best QBs in the league has always been Percy Buchanan and Jimmy Azer. Percy has always had a slight edge on Jimmy though and that has always given Jimmy an extra incentive to play well when these two teams meet. Azer has a decent day, but Percy played like the champion that he has shown himself to be. He went 22 of 29 for 279 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs, earning the MVP award for his effort. Washington was easily triumphant, 37-14.

[stkelly52]

Week 6 Part Deux
After I posted yesterday’s results my computer crashed. I forgot to save the game before posting the results, fortunately I save after each result so I only lost the last game that I simmed, which was Las Vegas @ San Diego. So lets try that game again.
This game is even closer than the last one. With 32 second remaining in regulation the Bombers kicked a 37 yard field goal to send the game into OT. Las Vegas was able to take the first possession of the extra period and move the ball 90 yards in 90 plays to win on a 1 yard TD dive. Final 27-20 Las Vegas. Preston makes himself felt a bit more with 2 tackles, an assist, a sack and a blocked pass.

[stkelly52]

Weak 7
Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-6 @ Al Coble RB Cincinnati 5-1
Can things get any worse for the Muskrats? Attendance has been quickly dropping and they face one of the better teams in the AFC. Will anyone continue to Hartford’s games if they keep losing money?
Well Hartford is able to keep Coble from picking up many yards. He is held to just 38 yards on 17 carries. However he is able to score on a 1 yard plunge. While Hartford was able to slow down Al Coble, they didn’t slow down anyone else on the team. 2 receivers had over 100 yards receiving, and two others had 2 TDs each. Cincinnati embarrassed Hartford 38-3. Gomez chipped in with 3 tackles and an assist, but once again his efforts mean nothing.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 5-1 vs. Dallas 1-5
LA is coming off of their first loss in franchise history. They are hoping to get back to their winning ways with a big game against the Cowboys.
Marty comes up with another big day, running for 137 yards on 26 carries. While he didn’t score any TDs, he had the ky runs in 3 of LA’s scoring drives. But the LA defense gave up too much to this Dallas team. With just 45 second remaining the Cowboys Scored a TD and ran it in for two to take a 17-14 lead. But 45 seconds was enough to give LA a shot at a 54 yard field goal. It was their 5 year veteran’s longest kick of his career, and it sailed through to tie the game as time ran off of the clock. In OT There were several 3 and outs until Marty broke free for a 20 yard gain that set up a 42 yard field goal to win the game, 20-17.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas3-2 @ Oakland 3-2
Antoine has now moved to second on the all time sack list, and he needs just .5 sacks to tie Benjamin Herndon for most sacks in a career. Any game could find that mark. This is a big division match up in the hotly contested AFC West, and Preston would love to set the mark against the Raiders.
Oakland dominated the game for 3 quarters and went into the fourth with a comfortable 20-3 lead. But that all eroded as the Bombers scored 24 unanswered points, the last coming on a 65 yard punt return with under 3 minutes left in the game. Oakland could never regain their momentum and fell to Preston’s Bombers 20-27. Preston was not able to pick up any sack, and had just one tackle in the game.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 3-2 @ NY Giants 1-5
Percy continues to shine for the Redskins. He earned the MVP with 23 of 26 passing, for 253 yards and 3 TDs This was easily enough to top the struggling Giants 38-7.


Week 8
Al Coble RB Cincinnati BYE


Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 6-1 @ Indianapolis 4-2
LA has the highest power rating in the NFC, but there are some that are questioning if they can win against the leagues’ better teams. The Colts are highly rated and this could be a good test of the Blackwings’ metal.
Marty is held down for most of the game. He runs for just under 100 yards, but 52 of them all came on one play. This play was crucial though as it set up LA’s go ahead TD. In the fourth they tacked on an insurance field goal and eventually won the game 17-7. Gage finished with 97 yards on 23 carries.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 4-2 @ Denver 2-4
Preston has another good outing, but he is yet again kept away for the QB. He did record 4 tackles on the day though. Unfortunately, the Broncos were able to control the game from the beginning, and Las Vegas was just never able to get into a position to take it back. Denver wins 20-10.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 0-7 vs. Carolina 3-3
The Muskrats are confident that their losing days are over. They are ready and they believe that an overconfident Carolina defense is going to fall today.
Finally, the Muskrats were able to click on all cylinders and put forth an impressive showing, ripping up the Panthers by a score of 13-38. With Gomez was able to pick up another sack and 2 tackles in the win.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 4-2 vs. Arizona 4-2
The winner of this game will establish themselves in a position to be just one game behind LA in the NFC East. Surly the Blackwings will fall and one of these two teams can take over that role.
Percy had a decent outing. Throwing for 230 yards and 2 TDs on 25 of 36 passing. But he did let one get away from him and that one was returned for 6 (failed conversion) But the stars of this game was the defense. Three time the Cardinals were able to make their way into first and goal, and they only gave up 6 points on those 3 drives (2 field goals and one fumble recovery.). This helped give the ‘skins the 20-12 win.


Week 9
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 6-2 @ Jacksonville 3-4
Al had two huge plays, a 79 yard TD run and a 54 yard TD run. It would have been a huge day for Coble, except that the Bengal’s defense just allowed Jacksonville to move the ball at will. Jacksonville scored the game winner with just over 3 and a half minutes left in the game. The Bengals fell 31-28. Coble finished the game with 14 carries for 155 yards and 2 TDs.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 7-1 vs. Philadelphia 3-4
Marty is truly shut down for most of the game, only picking up 73 yards on 20 carries with 0 TDs. The Eagles were able to stay in control of the whole second half to win the game 28-10. LA loses for the second time in history.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas4-3 @ Minnesota 4-3
Vegas is fighting hard to make it back to the play offs after a year in mediocrity.
Early in the second quarter Antoine Preston became the NFL’s all time leading sack champion when he came around the end and sacked Miller on 3rd and 6. Unfortunately I think the Bombers began celebrating then and were to drunk to keep playing well the rest of the game. The Vikings win 28-10.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 1-7 vs. New Orleans 5-2
After last week’s win, attendance jumped sharply, but perhaps they all should have just stayed home. There was little to cheer for except Carlton Gomez’s one sack Final 45-6 New Orleans.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 5-3 @ Riverside 3-5
It looked like Washington had this wrapped up. Just over 2 minutes left in the game and a 14 point lead. But in that brief span Riverside managed to score 2 TDs, the second coming on a 43 yard TD pass as time expired to send the game into OT. Washington missed 2 field goals in OT, while Riverside three times turned the ball over. The last interception was most costly as Washington’s safety was able to return the pick all the way back for the game winning TD. Final 37-31. Percy was 27 of 45 for 329 yards and 1 TD in the victory.


Mid season report.
Al Coble RB Cincinnati
Overall RBs are having down years, but Al is having a solid season, with 137 carries for 708 yards. But the two key stats are: 5.1 yards per carry (2nd) and 12 TD (1st and twice as many as anyone else in the league. Al is just 3 TDs shy of 200 career TDs. Meanwhile Cincinnati has a one game lead on Cleveland in the AFC Central, and they are tied for the best record in the AFC.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 7-2
There is really no explaining the great success story that Las Angeles has been this year. Just a great expansion draft that has formed the nucleus of a great running team. Marty lead the NFL with 944 yards (through 9 games) and 6 TDs (2nd). The down side of this season for Marty is that for the first time in his career Marty has under a 5.0 average yards per carry. This year it is just 4.6.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 4-4
Antoine has just set the all-time NFL record for most sacks in a season. All in all it is a solid season for Antoine. 22 tackles, 4 assists, and 6 sacks. Theses aren’t Probowl numbers but they marks of a solid season. Las Vegas has had a season of ups and downs, but they still have time to turn things around

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 1-7
The curse has greatly affected the Muskrats, and Hartford is now just trying to salvage some respect for this team. Carlton is doing a god job of that, as he already had 7 sacks in addition to 15 tackles and 7 assists. Hartford brought Gomez in to pick up a sacks and he has done a good job of doing that this year.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 6-2
Percy is 182 of 275 for 2240. he has a league leading 18 TDs, compared to just 4 INTs. He also has the league’s highest completion % and the highest QB rating in the NFL. Things are looking well for the Redskins who are just half a game back in the NFC East. Percy has been playing like the best QB in the league over the past few seasons, and he has carried Washington with him.

[stkelly52]

Vote now on who is your favorite member of the Five Great Men
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/for...&threadid=5086

[stkelly52]

Week 10
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 6-2 @ Pittsburgh 3-5
Al scored the first points of the game with a 4 yard TD run in the first, and helped the Bengals to a 13-3 lead. But in the final 4:37, the Stealers were able to put up 10 more points to send the game into OT. The Bengals second possession of OT took 10 plays to move the ball 58 yards to set up the game winning 24 yard field goal. Final 16-13. Al Coble was named MVP in spite of only have 57 yards rushing on 23 carries. It was, though, the first game all season where he was able to put up half way respectable numbers receiving, with 57 yards.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles BYE


Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 4-4 @ Cleveland 5-3
Antoine had a decent performance against the Browns. But things fell apart for Las Vegas in the fourth quarter. After playing close football for three quarters the Browns took over in the fourth and scored 13 unanswered points to win 27-17. Preston had 4 tackles, an assist and .5 sacks in the loss.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford BYE
Hartford can use the time off to lick their wounds after the embarrassing loss to the Saints last week.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 6-2 vs. Philadelphia 4-4
This is a key game for the Redskins. A win against the Eagles and Washington will be tied for the division title against the inactive Blackwings.
Washington win this won 24-17 in a game that was not as close as the score makes it appear. They key to this victory was the MVP performance by Percy Buchanan, who completed 23 of 37 for 280 yards and 2 TDs with 0 INT, and a great performance by Washington’s DBs, with each of the four starters picking up one INT.


Week 11
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 7-2 vs. Denver 5-4
Al is again held under 100 yards, but he is still the star of the game. In the closing moments of the first half, he ran for a 2 yard TD to send the Bengals into the locker room with a 17-14 lead. In the second half, Coble caught his first TD reception of the season, a 5 yard pass, to retake the lead, 24-21. After the Bengal’s defense again forfeited the lead, Al sealed the victory with a 9 yard TD run with just over two minutes left in the game. The Bengals were able to hold on for the 31-28 win. Al was naturally name MVP, and the last TD was his 200th rushing TD of his career. In addition to the 3 TDs, Al finished with 22 carries for 93 yards, and 4 receptions for 30 yards.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 7-2 @ Percy Buchanan QB Washington 7-2
Washington was expected to have a good season. But LA was supposed to be in the bottom half of the division standings. But here they are facing each other in a crucial battle that could determine the division championship. In a very short time LA has become a cohesive unit and a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. In an earlier meeting between these two, the Blackwings came out on top. But this game will be held in the nation’s capital, and Washington is determined to win.
Percy wanted to win this game, and he made sure that he did. In the first he threw two TDs, then added a third in the second quarter and then had his fourth TD pass early in the third quarter. With the game well in hand he even too the last few drives off. With LA trailing for most of the game, they chose not to go to the air often giving Marty just 9 carries, with which he was only able to amass 12 yards rushing, easily his worst performance of the season. Final score: 34-14. Percy’s final stats were 27 of 38 for 279 yards 4 TD and 1 INT.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 4-5 vs. Oakland 4-5
Las Vegas and Oakland are both just 1 game back in the wild card chase, and the winner here will put themselves in a much better situation for earning that place.
Antoine added another sack to his collection as the Bombers blew past the Raiders, 35-7. Oakland couldn’t even get a first down until the second half of the game, as both the defense and the Las Vegas offense came out with all cylinders firing.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 1-8 vs. Detroit 6-3
Coming off of the Bye week, Hartford feels like that have figured out what the team has been doing wrong, and they believe that they will now be a team that will upset many teams in the final 7 games of the season.
After this game was over, the Lions could only look around in shock at what had happened. With 2:00 left in the game the Lions were sitting comfortable with a 36-16 lead and Harford had the ball at their own 7. One 97 yard pass later and Harford had 24, but that is still nothing to worry about. But on Detroit’s ensuing possession, the ball was fumbled, and returned for a TD. It was now a 6 point game with just over 1 minute to play. Detroit couldn’t move the ball on their next drive and were forced to punt after forcing Hartford to use all of their time outs. With 38 seconds left, Hartford was able to move the ball 62 yards for the game winning TD with just :03 left. Detroit was stunned as they went down to defeat 36-37. Gomez made just two tackles and an assist in the game.

[Alf]

Percy is having another terrific season !

[stkelly52]

Originally posted by Alf
Percy is having another terrific season !

Percy has had an amazing career. He hasn't usually picked up huge numbers of yards, but he just make so few mistakes. I would love to have a guy like this for my team. And to think the Colts gave him up for Galloping Gene Driggers.

[stkelly52]

Week 12
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 8-2 vs. Pittsburgh 4-6
Al has really struggled trying to pick up yards this season. But he has had no difficulty finding the end zone. Once again he is able to score a TD, this time on a 7 yard pass. Running the ball Al was only able to pick up 48 yards on 22 carries. For the first time in recent memory, Al does not lead the team in rushing. The #2 RB was able to outgain Al with 50 yards on just 9 carries. But the most important thing to Al is winning, and the Bengals are able to do just that, 24-3.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 7-3 @ New York Giants 4-6
Having lost consecutive games for the first time in franchise history, the Blackwings are eager to change their fortunes. But they will have to attempt to do so without their #1 CB and #1 FB who were both injured last week and may be out until the playoffs.
Just over one minute into the game Marty was able to break a beautiful 58 yard TD run to give LA the early lead. But from there on the Giants took control of the game, scoring 21 consecutive points. LA was able to cut the lead to just 7 with a little more than 3 minutes left, but the Giants controlled the ball for the rest of the game. Final 21-14 NY. Marty finished with 94 yards and 1 TD on 17 carries.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 5-5 vs. San Diego 7-3
This is an important game against the division leader.
Las Vegas was able to pull off the big upset against the Chargers. Las Vegas was able to take a 14 point lead in the first thanks in large part to a defense that gave up just 1 yard in the whole quarter. San Diego was able to get things moving after that, but they were never able to narrow that gap enough. 31-20 Las Vegas. Preston again added another notch to his sack tally in addition to 2 tackles.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 2-8 @ Baltimore 5-5
Last week the Muskrats pulled off a stunning comeback. They would love to hurt another team’s playoff hopes.
Carlton did his part. With 1 tackle, 1 assist, 3 hurries and 3 sacks, Carlton was a quarterback’s nightmare all game long. Unfortunately, the rest of the Muskrats didn’t help out, and the Muskrats fell again, 24-14. Carlton’s 3 sacks gives him 10 sacks on the season, the 4th time in his career that he has reached double figures.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 8-2 vs. New England 5-5
Percy Buchanan wins another MVP, this time with a 19 of 29 performance for 218 yards and 2 TDs with 0 INT. The second of those TD passes came with just 5 minutes left to give the ‘skins a 24-17 victory.


Week 13
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 9-2 vs. Baltimore 6-5
The Ravens keep the game close through the first half, but the Bengals proved to be too strong to stop, 22-10. Once again though, Al Coble is not able to accomplish much on the ground. Just 58 yards on 16 carries, and for the first time this season, he scored no TDs. He did catch 3 passes for 38 yards though, to get his total yards up near 100.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 7-4 @ Philadelphia 6-5
LA is in the midst of a 3 game losing streak, and if they want to hang on to their post season spot, they will need to break out of this funk soon.
This game was totally dominated by LA from the first drive through the 4th quarter, then LA’s woes continued. With a 22-7 lead, it looked like the Blackhawks would be finished with there losing ways, everything fell apart. Three quick fourth quarter TDs turned the game around and gave the Eagles a 27-22 comeback victory. Marty was able to put up 85 yards and 1 TD on 27 carries. While he didn’t pick up 100 yards or the win, Marty did become the first player in history to run for 20,000 yards during this game.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 6-5 @ Kansas City 5-6
There are 7 teams tied for the final wild card spot, and three more who are just one game back. But amongst them all, Vegas has the tiebreaker right now.
Las Vegas was able to put up 16 points in the first half whilst shutting out the Chiefs. The second half was uneventful until the final minutes of the game. The chiefs scored a TD and 2 point conversion with 3 minutes left. On the ensuing drive the Bombers were only able to pick up a yard, before returning the ball to the Chiefs with just over 2 minutes remaining. KC was able to move the ball85 yards on 10 plays taking all of the clock but 12 seconds. The drive culminated in a 6 yard TD pass. But they were still 2 points back. They would have to go for 2. The pass was knocked away, and Las Vegas is the winner. The star of the game was Preston, however, it wasn’t Antoine, but rather Carl who had an INTs and knocked away the 2 point attempt. Antoine didn’t play poorly though. He was able to tack on 5 more tackles to his total.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 2-9 vs. Jacksonville 6-5
Carlton again had a spectacular game, earning a rare MVP for himself by collecting 3.5 sacks against the Jags. With Carlton constantly pursuing the QB the Jags just couldn’t get anything going as they are upset by the Muskrats 20-3.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 9-2 vs. New Orleans 9-2
The top two teams in the NFC duke it out, with the winner having the inside track on home field advantage in the playoffs.
Percy throws for 348 yards and 2 TDs as Washington comes back form a 13-0 half time deficit to win the game 24-13. This game was won with great defense and a solid passing game. Percy did give up one INT in the game, but overall it was a great performance.


3/4 season review
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 9-2
Cincinnati is playing better than any team in the AFC lately. They currently hold a 2 game lead over any other team in the conference and a 4 game lead in the hunt for the division title. Al has had an up and down season. He hasn’t been able to break 100 yards rushing anytime recently, and his yards per carry is just 4.3, the lowest of his career. Al has always been a threat as a receiver, but this year he has only been used sporadically. On the other hand, Al is third in the league in rushing, and he is the leading scorer in the NFL, and he may wind up with more rushing TDs than he has had since joining the Bengals in 2013. Al’s stats for the season to date: 220 carries for 964 yards and 15 TDs. 23 receptions for 214 yards and 2 TDs.

Marty Gage RB Las Angeles 7-5
Things have been unraveling fast for the Blackwings after an amazing start. They have now lost 4 consecutive games and if the season were to end today, they would not be in the playoffs. They need to find a way to break this trend and salvage their amazing season. While things have been going poorly for the Blackwings, Marty Gage is still having a solid season. In a down year for running backs, Marty leads the league with 1135 yards rushing, and 8 TDs on 256 carries The downside for Marty is that this will likely be the first time in his career that he has averaged less than 5 yards per carry. He is currently sitting at 4.4. Things could be looking up for LA though. Of the 4 games remaining, only one is against a team with a winning record, and one of those games is against their fellow expansion team.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 7-5
Has climbed right back into the playoff hunt after one down season. In fact the win puts them in a 4 way tie atop the AFC west. Because Vegas has only lost 1 game in the west, they are currently the division leader, but they still have two games against division rival Seattle. Antoine Preston has a very specific role with the Bombers. To make 45 tackles and 10 sacks. He is well on his way to both of those. He is not going to be the dominating pass rusher that he once way, but he has shown that he can still threaten QBs. So far he has 8.5 sacks. His 36 tackles are, once again, the most among all DEs in the NFL. He is showing that he is not only a great pass rusher, but he is a force against the run as well. Preston’s 5 assists are a bit low this year, and if he doesn’t pick it up a bit, it will be the lowest total of his career.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 3-9
Hartford has had a rough go of things lately. With the season that Marty has given to LA, people are saying he would have been just the piece that Hartford needed to again reach the playoffs. But now they are all but eliminated from the post season. Technically they can still make the playoffs. They just need to go unbeaten from here on out and have Atlanta, LA and Philadelphia all go winless. And even that doesn’t guarantee anything. While the team hasn’t been playing well Carlton Gomez has been on a tear. 6.5 sacks in two games. He now has13.5 sacks (3rd), 19 tackles, 9 assists and 6 hurries. He may even reach another Pro Bowl this year.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 9-2
Of the Five Great Men, Percy Buchanan is having the best season. He has completed a league best 64.3% of his passes for a league leading 3365 yards and easily a league best 28 TDs, while giving up just 6 INT. His QB rating for the season is 105.2, again, tops in the NFL. Thanks in large part to Percy’s leadership, Washington is by far the highest ranked team in the power ratings. They are projected my many of the experts to return to the Super Bowl, and many feel that Percy Buchanan will be named league MVP for the first time in his career.

[Senator]

yes

[Swaggs]

This is a great dynasty.

[stkelly52]

Week 14
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 10-2 vs. Cleveland 6-6
In the second battle of Ohio of the year Cincinnati is looking to practically kill Cleveland’s playoff hopes.
Al may not be picking up big yards, but he does a great job of scoring TDs. Al scored on runs of 65 and 12 yards, but he finished the game with just 80 yards on 15 carries, (just 3 more yards other than the 2 TD runs). Every time that Cincinnati scored, the Browns immediately matched with a score of their own. However, the deadlock was broken when the Bengals kicked a 35 yard field goal with just 0:06 seconds remaining. There was nothing that the Browns could do to match that final score and Coble’s team came out on top 23-20.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 7-5 @ Houston 4-8
The two expansion teams duke it out this week. Four weeks ago it looked like we could possibly have both expansion teams in the playoffs, with both teams in the midst of 4 game losing streaks, both stand a reasonable chance of going home after week 17.
Marty is able to break 100 yards again, grinding out 136 yards, but it took him 38 carries to do so. That is the 5th most carries ever in a game, and his second most in his career. But it was enough to break the losing for LA, as they won 30-22.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 7-5 vs. Seattle 7-5
With a four way tie atop the AFC West every game between AFC West opponents is crucial.
Late in the fourth quarter Seattle held a 12-7 lead, and the ball at the 13 yard line. A TD would put the game away for Seattle. On third and 7 Seattle tried to pass for the first down, only to have the ball picked off at the 1 yard line. The ball was returned all the way to the end zone to give Las Vegas the improbable comeback win, 13-12. Preston only had 2 tackles, but he was able to add another sack.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 3-9 @ New Orleans 9-3
Gomez is able to pick up 1.5 sacks against the Saints, but like much of the season, the rest of the team doesn’t comply. New Orleans wins 24-12. With this loss, Hartford is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 10-2 @ Arizona 5-7
Percy had a bit of a down day, tossing 2 INTs, but he made up for his mistakes by throwing 3 TD passes. For the most part, Percy kept his passes short, completing 31 of 51 of just 291 yards (a 5.8 yard average), but it was enough to ensure the victory. The score was close though the first 3 quarters, with Arizona leading the whole way. But the fourth quarter saw 2 of Percy’s TD passes and nothing from the Cardinals. Final: 35-21.


Week 15
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 11-2 vs. Riverside 3-10
Al Coble has finally broken the 100 yard mark. On 21 carries he runs for 114 yards and a TD. This game was never in question as the Bengals shut out Riverside 35-0. The win clinches the division for the Bengals, and it clinches home field advantage though the AFC portion of the playoffs.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 8-5 vs. New York Giants 5-8
having broken their losing streak, LA needs just one more win to secure a winning season in just their first season of existence, a practically unheard of accomplishment. They currently hold the final playoff spot and are looking to make it in.
Marty Gage was able to break free for a 87 yard TD run late in the third quarter that put the Blackwings up for good. Each team scored another TD, but is was LA who finished ahead, 22-17. Interestingly, with time running out, the Giants went on a great drive that was killed on the LA 18 when the QB was sack and fumbled the ball. The significance of this is that the player who made the sack was none other than Jim Gindon.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 8-5 vs. Chicago 3-10
Las Vegas uses 7 sacks to crush the Bears 28-12. However, even with all those sacks, Antoine couldn’t pick up any of them. He did though lead the team in tackles with 5 and he had 2 assists. Now that they are 9-5 they stand a very good chance of making the playoffs.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford
Carlton Gomez picks up 1 sack, 1 assist and 4 tackles as he again plays a great game. But 3 INTs are returned for TDs setting up the 21-18 loss.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 11-2 @ Dallas 6-7
Percy has a fabulous game, earning the MVP by completing 21 of 27 for 243 yards and 3 TDs with 0 INT as the Redskins dispatched the Cowboys 31-14. The win locks up the NFC east for the Redskins. This also guarantees home field advantage for Washington in the NFC playoffs. Could we be looking at a Coble/Buchanan Super Bowl?

[JeeberD]

Bah, why's Percy always gotta pick on the Cowboys?

[stkelly52]

Because Percy is a true American and despises the Cowboys with every fiber of his being

[stkelly52]

Week 16
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 12-2 @ Miami 8-6
Al Coble may have gotten the hang of 100 yard games, as he was able to have back to back 100 yard games for the first time this year. 24 carries for 172 yards and 2 TDs. The game is not even close as Miami’s hopes of making the playoffs grow dim. Final 38-14.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 9-5 @ New York Jets 9-5
Tow teams that are both fighting to hold on to their respective spots in the post season. But one must fall.
Marty only runs for 69 yards on 29 carries, but his is able to score from 16 yards out late in the second quarter. All of the game’s scoring took place in the second quarter, with LA putting up 14 and New York just 7, and that was the final score. The victory seals a playoff spot for the Blackwings, one of the most amazing stories of the year. “I have never had a season where we didn’t reach the playoffs, and from the first day of camp I was determined to continue this trend. The pundits all said that it couldn’t be done but we proved them all wrong. On to the Super Bowl!.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 9-5 vs. Baltimore 9-5
Las Vegas’s lead in the AFC west has grown to 2 games with just 2 games remaining. One more win will seal the title for the Bombers.
Antoine is able to pick up 7 tackles and 2 assists, but they are not able to put up more than 7 point offensively. Final score is 10-7 Baltimore. Las Vegas will still need one more win to seal up the division.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 3-11 vs. Atlanta 7-7
Atlanta is just one game back in the wild card race and they feel like it will be theirs. Hartford looks beaten down and totally demoralized. They are ready to be finished with the season and try to right the ship for next year. But can they ever recover from The Curse?
Hartford played but their hearts obviously weren’t in the game. Gomez refused to give up though and was able to pick up 1.5 sacks as well as 5 tackles. But the final score will only show an embarrassing loss, 28-0.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 12-2 @ Huntsville 7-7
Huntsville is also a game back in the wildcard race and with Atlanta’s win, a win this week becomes even more critical.
Percy had still another solid game with 17 of 26 passing for 243 yards and 2 TDs, but Huntsville lit up the fourth quarter to score 21 points in the final 10 minutes of the game. Percy and company just weren’t able to keep up and they lose for the first time since week 3, 31-21.


Week 17
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 13-2 @ Tennessee 4-11
A win against the Titans will give the Bengals home field through the Super Bowl. Tennessee is just hoping to salvage some pride.
The game was much more difficult than the Bengals thought it would be. Apparently they were thinking about there next opponent more than the Titans. With just 2 second remaining in the game, the Bengals hit a 21 yard pass to go up 21-20. They could now go home knowing that all roads to the championship come through Cincinnati. However, they forgot that there was :02 left in the game. The kick was returned 98 yards for a game winning TD. What a way to lose! Coble finished the game with 21 carries for 116 yards and 0 TDs.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 10-5 @ Arizona 7-8
IT was a hard fought game, but a the Blackwings came up just short with an INT on their final drive of the game. It didn’t help that LA lost their starting quarterback early in the fourth. This could hurt any playoff hopes that may have. Marty Gage had a solid game, with 130 yards and a TD. But as I said, it wasn’t enough to stop the Cardinals. Final 24-20. This loss may well cost LA a home game in the post season.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 9-6 @ Seattle 8-7
The chances of Las Vegas not reaching the playoffs are slim at best, but a win would lock it up.
Preston records 3 tackles, an assist and the .5 sacks that he needed to reach 10 for the season. Seattle keeps the game close. With just over 2 minutes left in the game the Seahawks were able to tie the game with a 35 yards TD. But it only took Las Vegas 77 seconds to deal the victory with a 55 yard field goal to win it, 27-24.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 3-12 @ Las Vegas 3-12
The battle of the two worst teams in the NFL. Both teams may prefer to lose to get the rights to the first overall draft pick.
Gomez adds one more sack as well as 3 tackles, but the Muskrats overall play a terrible game. The 49ers dominate the game and give Hartford the #1 pick of next year’s draft. Final: 27-7.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 12-3 vs. Miami 8-7
Miami still has a hope of reaching the playoffs, but they have to win this game in order to do so.
Miami jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but from there on out it was all Washington. Buchanan tossed 3 TDs, while completing 18 of 30 for 170 yards with 0 INTs. The final score was 33-10.


Post season review.
Four of our men make the playoffs this year.
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 13-3
Al Coble finished the year with 1146 yards (2nd), 20 TDs (1st) on 301 carries (3rd). As a receiver he has the worst season of his career, 236 yards on 26 receptions and 2 INTs. His 4.8 yards per carry is a respectable 5th in the league.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 10-6
Marty finished by being part of what may have been the most amazing seasons in NFL history. The expansion Blackwings reach the wild card round of the playoffs, an amazing feat for an expansion team. Marty finishes with a league leading 1609 yards and 11 TDs (5th) on 365 carries.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 10-6
Preston had another solid season this year. He once again led all DEs in tackles with 52. He also totaled 10.0 sacks, blocked 2 passes, and he had 6 hurries. His assist total is quite a bit lower as he only managed 8 for the year, making that one of the disappointing notes to his season. He helped Vegas recover from a 1 year decline back to a place atop the AFC West.

Carlton Gomez DE Hartford 3-13
No team had a worse season than did the Hartford Muskrats. After the great year that they had the previous season, people expected them to fair even better than they had before. But with the cold hearted dismissal of Marty Gage, the team just fell apart. The year before attendance climbed to 80%, this past season it fell to a mere 66%. The team went from making $50,000,000 to losing $28,000,000. The fans are irate at the owner and so are many of the players. There are rumors of more cost cutbacks to make up for the big losses the previous years.
In spite of all the trouble that Hartford had this year, Carlton had a good season. 30 tackles, 17 sacks, 2 blocked passes and 7 hurries. These are the kind of numbers that Hartford was expecting when they gave up so much to acquire his services. There is some question about Carlton’s future with the club though. He is under contract for one more season, but he is

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 13-3
Percy had a fabulous season. Thanks largely to his efforts; the Redskins are poised to make another playoff run. Percy’s 39 TDs are just 1 shy of the league’s single season record. Percy led the league in completions (358), completion percentage (64.5%), TDs (39), fewest INTs (8) and rating (105.6). His 4319 yards was second in the league, and he had a respectable 7.78 yards per attempt average. And remember this was with a very weak crew of WRs. Most of the pundits feel like this year’s Super Bowl will come down to a match-up between Percy and Al.

[WussGawd]

[quote]Originally posted by stkelly52
Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 10-6

Marty finished by being part of what may have been the most amazing seasons in NFL history. The expansion Blackwings reach the wild card round of the playoffs, an amazing feat for an expansion team. Marty finishes with a league leading 1609 yards and 11 TDs (5th) on 365 carries.

It's Marty Gage's world. The rest of us are just borrowing it.

Marty is da man.

Greaty dynasty...keep it up.

[stkelly52]

Wild Card Round
Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 10-6 vs. Baltimore 9-7
With the Division title under their belt, the Bombers are looking to dismantle to Colts.
Las Vegas stops the Colt’s running game. They eliminate the Colt’s passing game. In the end Baltimore finishes with just 139 yards of total offence. Preston helped the assault with 5 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 hurries. Las Vegas’s offence struggled as well, but little was needed of them. Final 10-0 Las Vegas.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 10-6 @ Philadelphia 10-6
Gage has a solid performance, running for 140 yards on 32 carries, but late in the game Marty went down with a broken finger. LA controlled the ball much better than did Philly, but they were just not able to ever get the ball into the end zone. The Blackwings defense held strong though, only allowing 3 points, while LA was able to pick up 3. Gage is listed as questionable for next week’s game. Could this be Marty’s last game of his career?

[Grid Iron]

Originally posted by Grid Iron
Prediction #2: Marty Gage goes down with a severe (potentially career-ending) injury.

Man, I was hoping so much that my prediction would be wrong.

I have, however, consulted the tarot cards once again, and they indicate that Marty will make a full recovery for next season and come back stronger than ever!

[stkelly52]

Divisional Playoffs
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 13-3 vs. Buffalo 11-6
Buffalo was in the AFC East division title race right up to the final 3 weeks of the season, but they lost 2 of the last 3 games, killing any hope that they had of winning the division. Regardless, they did make the playoffs as a wild card and, easily topped the Jets before making their way to Cincinnati.
The Bills were able to shut down Coble’s rushing game. He was only able to run for 44 yards on 20 carries. But the Cincinnati’s passing game couldn’t be stopped. 3 TD passes combined with a solid defensive effort give the Bengals a 21-11 triumph.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 13-3 vs. St. Louis 10-7
The Rams started off slowly, they lost 3 of their first 4 games, and at one point were 4-7. But St. Louis won their final 5 games of the regular season to take the final wild card position. They then traveled to Detroit where they were able to handle the Lions. While their record says that this is a weaker team, they are not a team that should be underestimated.
The Redskins did not take the Rams lightly, and they all worked well together to dispatch the Rams. 150 yards rushing and 4 INTs complemented Percy’s 286 yards and 2 TD passes. Percy was named game MVP of the 40-16 blowout.

Antoine Preston DE Las Vegas 11-6 @ Indianapolis 12-4
Indianapolis won their final 8 game of the season to earn the division crown. They will not be an easy team for the Bombers to beat.
This is a game that Las Vegas will want to forget all about. There were no highlights to mention in the 40-0 shutout.

Marty Gage RB Los Angeles 11-6 @ New Orleans 11-5
Well Grid Iron's prediction wasn't completly accurate. The injury to Marty will not keep him out of the game, but he will be on the sidelines for much of this game. This may spell doom for the Blackhawks as they do not have another decent RB to fill in.
Marty had just 13 carries, the fewest that he had all year long. And his 44 yards just wasn’t enough to get past the Saints. The final score is 20-3, the Saints are triumphant.

Conference Championships
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 13-3 vs. Indianapolis 13-4
Al Coble struggle fro the second consecutive week. With 18 carries, Al had just 13 yards and 0 TDs. But the 19th carry was the only one that mattered. Trailing 17-14 with just over 2 minutes left in the game, Al broke free for a 65 yard game winning TD run, making him the star of the game. It wasn’t over until two minutes later when the Colts fell 12 yards short of the goal line on their final drive of the game. While it may have been a bad game for Coble, he will go away from this game the hero on his way to another Super Bowl.

Percy Buchanan QB Washington 13-3 vs. New Orleans 12-5
Percy also has a below average game. He goes 18 of 30 for 164 yards, but he still gave up no INTs. The key for Washington was their defense, which picked off 4 passes. Even so, New Orleans held a 17-14 lead at the 2 minute warning. But Percy led the Redskins to one last 71 yard drive that culminated in a 2 yard TD pass by Percy to give Washington the 21-17 lead. New Orleans final hopes were dashed when their next drive ended with a INT on the first play. Final 21-17.

[Alf]

Marty vs Percy in the SuperBowl : that's a matchup !

[stkelly52]

Originally posted by Alf
Marty vs Percy in the SuperBowl : that's a matchup !

It would be quite a match up. Too bad you have to settle for Al vs. Percy

[Alf]

Hmm, note to self : Learn to read properly

[stkelly52]

The Super Bowl
Al Coble RB Cincinnati 14-3 vs. Percy Buchanan QB Washington 14-3

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the 2017 Super Bowl festivities. Were are here at a sold out FedExField where the Redskins will host the Cincinnati Bengals in the greatest sporting event in the world. 78,000 people have crammed their way into the stadium and are looking forward to seeing one of the most exciting showdowns in years. The talk all week has been about how Al Coble, perhaps the greatest player in league history, will be facing off against Percy Buchanan. These two guys were in the same recruiting class way back in 2001. They were two of the most sought after players in the nation. Since that time, Al Coble rocketed to superstar status, and has now begun the certain decline that comes with age. Percy on the other hand has just continued to get better each year, and he is just reaching his peak. Percy still has 3 or 4 great years ahead of him.

The Bengals are here as the NFL’s defending Champions, having won it all last year. Washington returns to the big game having won 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls. So both these teams have recent experience and there is no clear favorite. With this being his 7th Super Bowl appearance, no one has been the game as many times as Al Coble. But if Percy wins today, he will equal the number of championships that Al Coble has won.

We were able to catch up with the two stars before the game.

Brian Weidemann: “Percy, Brian Weidemann, FOX/ABC/MSN Sports, Washington has built quite a dynasty for themselves, losing just 9 games (including post season games) in the past 4 seasons. How important has your role been in that process?

Percy: Well I would say that I have been very instrumental in the process, but I believe that that is a tribute to the coaching and management more than it is to my abilities. They saw my strengths and weaknesses and they build a team around me to highlight my strengths while minimalizing my weaknesses.

Brian: What would you say is your biggest weakness, and how has the team overcome that?

Percy: It is definitely trying to convert on third down, but we have such a great team of people around me who are so good at getting that third down yardage, that it has negated my weakness entirely.

Brian: Last year Washington had a moderate decline. They dropped 5 games, and yet they fell just shy of the Super Bowl. Many blamed the decline on Glenn Hutchens. This year Hutchens was benched and Louis Mount had a fabulous season. Do you think that benching Hutchens was the right thing to do?

Percy: That is a tough question. Hutchens is a great guy and we get along very well. But he did struggle last year. And it is hard to question the decision to start Mount considering what a great season he had. I just wonder if it could have been handled a bit better. The whole situation left some bitter feelings on many different sides. I would love to see Glenn play again, and I really think that he can continue to succeed, but I don’t think that he will be given the chance to here. Management and he are just way too far off.

Brian: This year everyone is saying that you are the odds on favorite to win the MVP. What is your take on that?

Percy: Well I would be lying if I said that I didn’t care. I have had some simply amazing seasons that have been overshadowed by even more amazing seasons by Al Coble and Marty Gage. I do think though that it is time for someone else to win the award besides those two. I don’t think anyone else has won it in over 10 years. I feel like this will elevate my career and give me a real shot at the Hall of Fame.

Brian: Well thanks for your time Percy, I wish you all the best in today’s game. Now back to you Scott

Scott: We have Willie Westergrin now down on the Cincinnati sideline with Al Coble. Let’s go down to Willie

Al: …s all comes down to playing the best ball you can play, every down for 60 minutes. Whoever does that best will be the winner.

Willie: So what is it, do you think that Cincinnati has that will get them past the Redskins.

Al: I see this as a rather unique game. Most game, I go in with one of two mentalities, We are the better team, so we should win, or this team is better than us, so here what we need to do to upset them. But this week, I just see two great teams squaring off and no one knows who is going to win. This is what the Super Bowl is all about.

Willie: Any hints about your future?

Al: I really haven’t thought much about it. I spent the last couple of off seasons in East Kalimantan and then in Coté I’vore, and I could see myself heading overseas as a missionary. I will be completing the ordination process sometime next month, so perhaps I will become just a pastor in a little country church. Who knows.

Willie: Well we wish you all the best on your endeavors and in this game. Back to you Scott

Scott: So there you have it. We are just moments away from the next Super Bowl.

[stkelly52]

Attendance 78,000 (78000)
Weather 31 degrees

There is just a light dusting of snow as the players walk out onto the cold FedExField to challenge for the greatest game on Earth.

The Bengals win the toss and choose to receive.

In an ominous sign for the Bengals, they chose to run the ball out of the end zone, despite receiving the ball 6 yards deep. They only get out as far as the 13 yard line. In the drive the Bengals can’t seem to move the ball well on first or second downs, but they quite successful on third. On their first 4 sets of downs, they faced 3rd and long 3 times and on each of them they converted. They were able to move the ball as far down as the 24 yard line where they faced a 3rd and 10. They managed to scoop up 8 yards, but not enough for the first down. 4th and 2 from the 16 yard line. Conventional wisdom says kick the ball and take the points, But with Al coble on your side, you know that you can pick up 2 measly yards, right? Wrong! On fourth down Coble is stuffed fir a 2 yard loss and the ball goes over on downs.

The teams traded punts a few times, with the Bengals slowly gaining more field position. But Washington took control of the lead with a beautiful big play drive. Only one play in the whole 7 play, 80 yard drive was for less than 10 yards (there was a 10 yard penalty in there). Washington never even faced a third down situation as they took the lead on a 23 yard TD run by Mount. 7-0 Washinton

The Bengals responded with a big drive of their own. 7 plays with a big third down conversion that saw little involvement of Al Coble. But just as the Bengals looked poised to strike, the Redskins picked off a pass and returned it all the way to the Cincinnati 26. Percy earned one first down, before an onslaught of penalties moved that ball back to the 30 yard line, negating two 10 yard passes. The Redskins were willing to settle for the 3 though, and when the kick split the uprights, Washington was up 10-0

After a couple of punts, the Bengals new that they needed to get moving if they were going to have any hope of staying in the game. With the ball at their own 41 Al was able to break free for a 33 yard run that brought the ball down to the 26. But they could get no closer. This time the Bengals were willing to settle for the 3 points.

Washington began to move the ball again just prior to the 2 minute warning, but several consecutive penalties killed the drive. On 3rd down Percy was able to complete a pass for 19 yards and still it wasn’t close to a first down, and they were force to punt.

With 1:50 left in the half, Cincinnati was 89 yards away from a tie game. But three incomplete passes wouldn’t help the cause any. It not only got them nowhere, but it gave Washington the time it needed for one more drive. With 1:17 left, Washington used several big Percy Buchanan passes to get the ball into field goal range. With time running out and no time outs left, Washington chose to kick on 3rd down to expand their lead to 13-3.

Half time
After a 2 day festival of all of the latest pop music stars, followed by a one day concert of the all-time greats of country music (including the clone of Hank Williams Sr.) the game is back under way.

Washington receive the ball in the second half, but facing third and one from the 33 Washington’s receiver picked up the first down and 12 more yards, but fumbled the ball. Challenged the ruling on the field, but to no avail.

The first big break of the day for the Bengals and they were looking to capitalize. Several passes and a couple of key Al coble runs moved the ball down to the 8 yard line, where the Bengals promptly threw their second INT in the Red Zone, and to the same safety no less.

Washington then proceeded to thoroughly demoralize the Bengals by marching the ball right down the field, mostly on beautiful Percy Buchanan passes, as well as a big run by the former starting RB, Hutchens for 36 yards down to the 4 yard line. On the very next play Percy tosses a four yard lob to his TE to further expand the lead, 20-3 Washington

The Bengals were not ready to throw in the towel just yet though. For the second consecutive drive the Bengals moved the ball almost at will, but this time they didn’t turn it over in the redzone. Instead they handed the ball to Al Coble from the 10 yard line and let him plow his way into the end zone to cut the lead to just 10. 20-10 Washington.

Washington could do nothing on the next drive and were forced to punt after 3 plays.

The Redskins then helped the Bengals quite a bit with 4 penalties in 3 plays, making a great punt practically meaningless and breathing new life into the Bengals. The drive did stall before field goal range though…or was it. The redskins lined up for a 58 yard kick, but the kick was short and Washington’s two score lead was preserved.

With the missed field goal, Washington was given the ball in great field position, and they used a big run followed by a 24 yard TD strike from Percy to again pad their lead, 27-10. Time was running out for the Bengals.

Cincinnati’s next drive started on a good note. A 45 yard pass moved the ball all the way to the Washington 27. But after 3 strait incompletes, the Bengals again go for the first down rather than the field goal. Facing 3rd and 10, Cincinnati was able to trow a pass for 9 yards…and they turned it over on downs.

Now with time running out, Washington turned to their crew of RBs to eat up the clock. There crew was not only able to use 12 plays to eat up 5:29, but they were also able to get the ball into position for another field goal. 30-10 Washington.

With just over 3 minutes left in the game, Cincinnati made a statement that they were not going to go down without a fight. They used 4 plays and just over a minute to cover the distance of the field and cut the lead by 7. 30-17. Cincinnati’s only hope was to recover the onside kick. But alas it was not to be. Washington recovered the kick. After two runs, Percy threw a 12 yard pass fir a first down that sealed the game as the Bengals had no more timeouts. Final 30-17. The MVP was the safety Branch who had 2 redzone INTs.


Al Coble had 14 carries for 96 yards and 1 TD. Not a bad performance at all. Had the game been a bit closer they may have used him more.

Percy finished another great game, 20 of 31 for 249 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INT

[stkelly52]

Season Awards:

1st Team All Pro RB: Al Coble

1st Team All Pro QB: Percy Buchanan

Offensive Player of the Year: Percy Buchanan

NFL MVP: Percy Buchanan

[3ric]

Go Percy! That 24-yd TD pass was the killing blow that finished Cincinnati's chances for good.

Now with his first MVP award secured, how's Percy doing statistically compared to other career-leading passers?

[stkelly52]

Percy's career numbers are quite a ways down the list. He is around 15th or so in passing yards (i am going from memory, I don't have the program installed on my work computer, I will check when I get home). Percy has never really picked up big passing yards, the key to his career has been his ability to avoid interceptions. Over the past 3 years this has been the secret to Washington's success. Now Percy's career QB rating is higher than any other QB in history (unofficially of course, I wish FOF tracked this record)

[stkelly52]

After checking, Percy has 37,782 passing yards (18th in history, 7th active), League record:60,468
Passing TDs: 285 (8th in history, 4th active), League record: 400
Completions 3268 (18th in history, 7th active) League record: 4717

[stkelly52]

This concludes the 2017 edition of Five Great Men. Check back next time to read
Four Great Men

[scooper]

Originally posted by stkelly52
This concludes the 2017 edition of Five Great Men. Check back next time to read
Four Great Men

*gasp* Talk about leaving us on the edge of our seats.

[WussGawd]

Originally posted by stkelly52
This concludes the 2017 edition of Five Great Men. Check back next time to read
Four Great Men

Four great men??? Oh, man you're going to leave us hanging like that? Ouch.

Anybody else got any speculation on who retired.

My personal guess is Al Coble...he seemed to have slipped a notch this year, and I suspect he might want to go out at least near the top.

Or Marty Gage, sigh.

[3ric]

This calls for another poll - who of the "Five Great Men" will retire first?

[stkelly52]

Originally posted by scooper
*gasp* Talk about leaving us on the edge of our seats.

Bwahahahahah!

Originally posted by 3ric
This calls for another poll - who of the "Five Great Men" will retire first?

Done