FOF2k4 - A vast wasteland (misfit toys)

[JonInMiddleGA]

The starting point ... 2003 - Wall Street Level

Started as Arizona
Trimmed roster of worst spare parts
(figured I at least deserved to save a few bucks)

Will sim through this season with scout recommendations handling everything except any signings needed to meet roster limits.

Arizona finished 8-8, tied for 3rd in the NFC West

Indy (14-2), Cincy (11-5), Miami (10-6), Denver (9-7) win divisions
Cleveland (10-6) & New Jersey (9-7) are the AFC wildcards

Green Bay (14-2), San Fran (12-4), Carolina (10-5-1), Philly (10-6) win divisions
Tampa (10-6) & Seattle (10-6) are the NFC wildcards

Seattle wins Solecismic Bowl 24-19 over New Jersey

Ind QB Coleman Silk is the PotY (4468 yds passing, 36 TD's, 111.5 rtg)

Arizona ratings 43/63/40/89 = 47 year-end score

And that's where I come in ...

[JonInMiddleGA]

2004 Arizona Cardinals

Here's where we start from
2003 - Net loss of ($230,000) on revenues of $57,600,000
Season begins with franchise values of:
Stadium = 45 (good)
Roster = 43 (good)
Support = 44 (good) 32nd of 32 teams
Economy = 48 (good)
Value = $379,520,000 26th of 32

Let's see, now what ... ah, staff hiring ...
If I can't spend it on players, I can at least try to hire decent staff

My existing scout ain't bad but ain't great either, so let's see who I can find
I pick the best "Young Talent" guy available & make an offer

Checking the coaching staff, I decide it's time to put my people in place across the board if possible.

A 5-year, $5m offer to Pittsburgh's OC
A 5-year, $5m offer to Pittsburgh's HC
A 2-year, $1.44m offer to an employed 65 y/o as DC

We get the mediocre DC, Steelers re-hire their head coach, the OC is still deciding. The scout wants apparently wants more money, he's not that great, screw him.

We get the OC, for 4 yr/$5m, we take the Patriots scout away for 3 yr/$600k, and hire a 59 year old rookie head coach.

[JonInMiddleGA]

So, let's meet the staff ...

Head Coach -- Marco Botte / 59 years old / 2 excellent, 3 very good,
4 good, 4 avg, 1 fair

Off Coord -- Kyle Hutchins / 62 years old / Good - QB & RB, Very Good - WR, Excellent - OL, K/P & Young Talent

Def Coord -- Butch Blaylock / 65 years old / Avg - K/P, DL, LB - Excellent - Secondary, Fair-Young Talent

Scout -- Roman Duran / 53 years old / Very Good - RB , Good - QB, DB & Young Talent, Avg - everything else

-----

Loyalty & New Stadium Support are both at zero, so I drop ticket prices 10% across the board. Ah ... I see we have a new stadium scheduled for completion in 2006.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I guess this is the part where I cut the existing roster.

Whew, that felt ... strange.
Blew $18.52m of next year's cap, but I don't guess that really matters much this time around.

I guess I can also skip to the end of free agency too. No sense window shopping.
Biggest FA signing in the off-season -- League MVP Coleman Silk signs with New Orleans, 6 yrs/ $89.07 million. (I understand that his dad advised against it, but the kid wouldn't listen)

Draft time. I'm going to draft players and then just not sign them. Heck, I believe I'll just release them outright without signing them, just to keep them from cluttering up my roster.

And I believe I just decided my first additional house rule -- Since I'm letting the scout draft, I can't be held responsible if they draft a player from Arizona State. IF that ever happens, then I reserve the right to sign that player. I've got a feeling I'm going to need all the help I can get.

And it just so happens that in my very first draft ...

[JonInMiddleGA]

... there's not a Sun Devil in sight.
(I bet you thought there was going to be one, didn't you?)

Nope, it's just me & the castoffs of the NCAA.

But it's not as bad as I had feared, at least not if my scout is any sort of judge of
potential.

I'm going to sign everybody to 2 year min sal deals to get started. Looking to at least fill out my usual roster system (you'll see as we go along).

I make offers to a mixture of best current & best potential players at each position.

When the smoke clears, I've got 59 players under contract, all at 2 year min sal deals with no bonus money.

Before training camp, the best current estimates are:

P Glen Stuart = 36/42
RB Gene Sturm = 28/36
P Otis McWilliams = 25/48
RB Russell Lewis = 24/32

The best future estimates are:
QB Darrell Kelsay = 20/54
P McWilliams (above) = 25/48
QB Corey de Groh = 13/45
SILB Albert Guyon = 17/43

So now it's off to training camp, to see if there's anybody here who can play this game.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And training camp is completed, with the following standouts

P Glen Stuart = 40 current/49 future (was 36/42)
RB Gene Sturm = 29/37 (was 28/36)
P Otis McWilliams = 26/44 (was 25/48)
K Archie Covington = 26/39
QB Darrell Kelsay = 25/58 (was 20/54)
QB Russell Lewis = 25/32 (was 24/32
CB Byron Housley = 17/44
ILB Albert Guyon = 19/43 (was 17/43)
OT Otis Donaldson = 19/40
QB Corey de Groh = 15/40 (was 13/45)

No other player is higher than 40 future nor 25 current.

Some interesting things I notice after camp:
-- QB Kelsay is idolized. Maybe it's a proximity thing? He's from San Jose, CA and played college at Hawaii.
-- P Stuart is a Fan Favorite. No clue why a San Antonio native who played at Michigan State and has as average personality strength (53) is suddenly signing autographs. Maybe the fans figure he'll be our MVP most Sundays.
-- I've got some old rookies on this team. Every player is a 1st year guy, but the DOB's range from 1976 to 1982. The 22 year olds make sense (since its 2004) but 5 of my 59 players under contract are 25 or older.
-- We must have really had some great bonding experiences in camp. Remember, every player on the squad was signed just a few weeks ago, all rookies. Here are my cohesion ratings:
Passing = 65 (29th in the NFL)
O-Line = 82 (18th in the NFL)
D-Front = 80 (13th in the NFL)
2ndary = 65 (18th in the NFL)

Honestly, I expected things to look a lot worse at this stage. Granted, it's ugly, but I thought it'd be much worse.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Okay, before we head into the exhibition schedule, I probably ought to mention that I'm planning to play this the same way I've played 60-70 seasons under "normal" rules.

-- That means that I call a good percentage of my own play on offense during the regular season. Not all, but usually somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2.
-- I rarely call defensive plays. About the only exception is at the end of the game, when I've got a safe lead but the opponent is throwing anyway, I'll send more blitzes than the AI.
-- It means that I like to run the FB more than most people, at least when I've got a decent FB. And I like TE's I can throw to.
-- It means I'll let the scouts set the gameplan and then I may make a few tweaks here & there. And I mean darned few, usually set 'em & forget 'em unless there's a change in the depth chart that I'm pretty sure would cause the recommendations to change.

In short, I'm going to play this the same way I've been playing since buying 2k4. The motivation for taking on a Misfit Toys challenge was, well, I was getting a little tired of winning so doggoned much. The lather-rinse-repeat cycle was setting in pretty hard & I wanted to try something different.

If I manage to get anywhere near the same level of success with this setup, to be honest, I'm going to be a little concerned. Other than calling some plays, I don't do anything much out of the ordinary. What should happen, IMO, with a Misfit Toys is that I get my ass kicked for a very long time. And maybe that's exactly what will happen. But I'm going to try hard not to let losing be a habit we keep very long. Stay tuned ...

[Barkeep49]

Always liked this particular challenge. I read with interest.

[Peregrine]

Jon, is the idea here that you can never have anyone on the roster but undrafted players? Should be interesting, but I'll bet you can put together a nice squad over time if there aren't any other restrictions.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Jon, is the idea here that you can never have anyone on the roster but undrafted players?

That's basically the deal.

I should post up the first season tomorrow (Thursday) but I'll give you a hint -- it ain't pretty

And if the AI doesn't let some linemen slip through the draft, it may never get pretty either.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Four exhibition games to find out just how bad things really are.
Unlike my usual style, I'm going to play my projected starters throughout the pre-season, so long as they're healthy.

Exh. #1
Lost to Indianapolis 20-7
Returned an INT 33 yards for our only score with 8:27 to play.
QB Kelsay is 11/22 for 133 and 1 INT; Hsu catches 6/61
Starting LG Chris Franz is questionable for 5 weeks (torn thumb ligament)

Exh. #2
Lost to Cincinnati 29-21
Down 19-0 at the half, RB Ian Fogle scores on a 99 yd KOR & Hsu grabs a 15 yd TD pass from Kelsey to pull within 19-14. Bengals return an INT 64 yds for a TD, but we answer with a 3yd TD pass from #3 QB Whiting to reserve WR Alaniz to get within 26-21. Cincy drives for a FG with 1:08 left & we turn it over on downs with 0:10 left.
Good news - we had 3 INT's
Bad news - we threw 3 picks & allowed 6 sacks.

Exh. #3
Lost to Jacksonville 29-3
Possibly worse than the score indicates. We were never really in it after giving up 9 points in 4 minutes late in the first half.
WR Lowe (6/59) & Matsamura (6/60) were better than expected.

Exh. #4
Beat Baltimore 9-3.
We took our first lead of the pre-season, with a 21 yd Covington FG with 3:39 left in the 1st half. Ravens took advantage of a short field after stopping a fake punt inside our 35 early in the 3rd quarter, but the defense held them to a FG. Covington nails a 36 yarder late in the 3rd, and tacks on a 34 yarder early in the 4th to earn the game ball & the win.
Held the Ravens to 43 yards rushing & 147 total yards while we kept possession for 36:51, mostly thanks to a dink-and-dunk passing game.
Kelsey was 14/20 for 84 yards, de Groh was 10/17 for 68 yards.
Doherty caught 8/49, Matsamura caught 6/29

We finish the pre-season 1-3.

[JonInMiddleGA]

2004 Regular Season

Week 1
Lost at St.Louis 31-0
All 3 QB's played, none looked even remotely NFL caliber. 8 of 11 possessions lasted 4 plays or less. Our only drive, 15 plays/73 yards, ended with a fumble inside the Rams 10 yard line just before halftime.

Week 2
Lost to Buffalo 21-14
A case of "what might have been" as we blow a 14-7 lead in less than 6 mins. Kelsey throws three INT's in our last four possessions, giving Buffalo a pair of FG's late in the 3rd & early in the 4th and then watching in horror as a CB returns another pick 78 yards for what turns out to be the game-winner.
We ran the ball well, getting 134 yards spread among 5 ball carriers, but the turnovers killed us. Kelsey was 17/28 for 107, with 2 TD's & 3 Int's. Stuart avg 48 yards on 6 punts.

Week 3
Beat Detroit 6-3 in OT
Covington buries a 57 yard FG with 1:16 left in OT to earn our 1st win of the year.
The game was played between the 20s all afternoon, with each team reaching the red zone only once in nearly 74 minutes of play. We managed only 222 yards of offense on 74 snaps but didn't turn the ball over at all and allowed only one sack. Stuart punted 14 times for a 44.1 yd avg.
Reserve DT Bob Weaver is our first serious injury of the year, a severe hamstring pull that is expected to last 16 weeks. He was placed on IR on Monday.

Week 4
Lost at Tampa Bay 22-7
Bucs remain unbeaten by pounding Kelsey for six sacks & limiting us to 199 yards total offense. Matsamura, in his first start at flanker, was a rare highlight with 6 catches

After 4 games: 1-3

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 5
Lost at Seattle 24-6
An even worse offensive performance than last week, just 193 yards on 52 plays. No running game at all as Sturm fails badly (10 carries for 16 yards) in his first start of the year. de Groh was 7/10 in relief of Kelsey, including a late TD pass to Doherty to avoid the shutout. Adding injury to insult was the loss of starting SS Earl Price, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn lateral knee ligament.

Week 6
Lost to Atlanta 17-13
We finally get a little offense and our defense can't get it done, allowing 213 rushing yards to the Falcons. A 52 yd Kelsey-to-Lowe TD pass narrowed the gap to 14-10 just before halftime and Covington hit a 42 yarder to cut the lead to one with 7:57 left in the 3rd quarter but after that, 4 drives ended with an Int, a 3-and-out and two failed 4th down conversion tries. The bright spot was RB Leroy Miller, with 77 yards on 13 carries, easily earning at least a 2nd start

Week 7
OFF

Week 8
Lost to St.Louis 35-16
Six turnovers doomed us in this one. Kelsey was 17/38 for 209 but threw 3 Int's.

Week 9
Lost at Carolina 23-16
Kelsey started 16-of-20 but finished 7 for his last 15 as the Panthers rally with 13 2nd half points. 4 out of 5 2nd half possessions were 3-and-out for the Cardinals as Carolina just wore us down & beat us.

After 8 games: 1-7

[corbes]

Jon-

Glad to see you start this. I'll be reading with interest.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by corbes

Jon-

Glad to see you start this. I'll be reading with interest.

Thanks for the encouragement. Although I don't play everyday neccessarily, when I do play, it's usually at least one full season at a time, so this might move along pretty well.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 10
Lost to New Orleans 45-13
As ugly as the score. We allow 435 yards to QB Silk and the 7-2 Saints, while 396 yards of total offense were wasted by 3 turnovers. Kelsey & de Groh combined for 350 yards passing but the running disappeared again. WR Hsu caught 8 passes for 149 yards & a score.

Week 11
Lost at San Francisco 23-17
Perhaps our best chance at a second win of the year slips away as the 49ers outscore us 13-0 in the 2nd half.

Week 12
Lost to Miami 17-12
We put up a good fight against the now 7-4 Dolphins, we just don't have the horses right now. And this is getting painful.

Week 13
Lost at Washington 31-15
A late TD makes this one look closer than it was. Somebody make it stop.

After 12 games: 1-11

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 14
Lost at New England 16-3
de Groh gets his first start but the result is the same as usual.

Week 15
Lost to San Francisco 27-10
A close game for a while but then it got away.

Week 16
Lost at New Jersey 27-13
I've run out of ways to describe losing.

Week 17
Lost to Seattle 34-24
Another blown opportunity, as a 17-0 lead disintegrates under 34 unanswered points by the Seahawks. Miller rushed for a season high 91 yards in the loss.

After 16 games: 1-15

[JonInMiddleGA]

We finish 1-15, worst record in the league by 3 games.

Houston (12-4), Kansas City (10-6), Miami (10-6) & Cincinnati (10-6) win AFC divisions; Pittsburgh & New Jersey (both 9-7) earn wildcards
Green Bay (14-2), St.Louis (13-3), New Orleans(13-3) and New York (12-4) win NFC divisions; Atlanta & Dallas (both 10-6) earn wildcards

Miami wins the Solecismic Bowl 24-21 over Green Bay
St.Louis QB Wilbur Gospe is the PotY (4406 yds passing, 32 TDs, 107.3 rtg)

Our 2004 Evaluation
Performance = 0
Value = 30
Profit/Loss = 62
Roster = 87 (?)
Year-end score = 41

[JonInMiddleGA]

2004 Review
We lost $15.69m on revenues of $58.66m
Stadium value = 33
Roster = 44
Support = 38
Economy = 48
Total value = $378.2m (worst in the league)

The players
QB Kelsay (50.6% 1964 yards, 6 TD/15 INT) & backup de Groh (53.7%, 788 yards, 5TD /7 INT) were really among the few highlights. They didn't have nearly enough help in 2004.

RB Leroy Miller (521 yds, 3.7 ypc, 3 TD) finally won the starting job after it rotated around the group for the first half of the season. RB Gene Sturm played more like a FB with 231 yds and a 3.6 ypc but only 1 TD. Starting FB Morris Spatz missed the last two games with a knee injury & doesn't look to be up to his pre-injury ability.

WR Seth Matsumura (51/621, 3 TD) & WR Earl Hsu (44/599, 2 TD) looked like NFL caliber receivers at times, especially on deep routes. 3rd rcvr Gerald Lowe (40/512, 2 TD) wasn't really bad either. TE Cory Alainz caught 26 passes & didn't allow a sack in 13 starts.

The O-Line pass-protected better than expected but didn't do much for the running game. Injuries exposed the lack of depth.

P Glen Stuart should have been an All-Pro after kicking 101 times for a 44.0 avg.
K Archie Covington proved reliable, hitting 20/23 FGA & all 15 PAT's.

The D-Line never really managed to stop the run and actually appeared to go downhill in the second half of the season. DT Darrell Griffith was pretty solid (53 tkl, 21 assists) but could end up as the only returning starter in the front four.

The linebackers certainly didn't lack for chances. Most played reasonably well but no one stood out much either. ILB Dana Blades led the team with 97 total tackles.

In the secondary, nine players started at least two games. Overall, the group was fair but failed time and again in key situations. Losing our starting SS early didn't help either.

Next, we hope to reload. Maybe this year we won't fire quite so many blanks.

[fantastic flying froggies]

Great season Jon !

Hey, at least, you won one game... Could have been worse...

[JonInMiddleGA]

2005 off-season

Although we signed everybody on the initial roster to 2 yr deals, I believe I should at least take a look at contracts & such. Of the final roster, 5 players have expired contracts, all were signed after training camp last season.

All were reserves, although C Buddy Zimmerman and CB Clifton Howard both started 4 games during the season. I like both of them, as well as DT Alonzo Dallesandro (22 total tackles and a blocked punt for a TD) but I'm not sure about tying up money with them either. I'll keep an eye on them during the FA period, probably would match an offer from another team (assuming its reasonable) but if there are no takers, I'm not interested in overpaying either.

Still, I'm roughly $50m under the salary cap, so it's not like I don't have some financial leeway. Figuring that they aren't going to get any cheaper, we sign new deals with two key players:

QB Darrell Kelsay -- 5 yrs/$35.34m -- $10 million in bonus money to lock up a guy who is Idolized and promises better things to come (36 current/61 future).

P Glen Stuart -- 5 yrs/$6.14m -- $500k in bonus money and a big jump in salary at year 3. Still, this Fan Favorite more than earned his money and still has room to improve (50/53) particularly in his kicking power.

Everybody else wants more bonus money than I believe they've earned right now, so we'll consider negotiations later in the year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

2005 Free Agency

-- This year, we'll be allowed to make offers to any undrafted player who has also never played for another team. We make a 2 yr min sal offer to C Heath Giel from Florida, his run & pass blocking potentials are attractive (54 & 53), overall he's an 11/46. Same offer to OG Bruce Whitfield from Liberty Univ. Just a 12/32 but potential a decent pass blocker (8/44) with average volatility. Our run defense was non-existent last year, so DE Moe Flaschen of La-Lafayette gets the same offer. A one-dimensional player (run defense 8/61) at most but we need all the help we can get.

And look what I found -- DT Anthony Dawson - 3 yr pro but undrafted & never played in the NFL. A 34/48, with 23/64 for run defense. A little more expensive but looks worth an unguaranteed 2 yr/$1.01m offer.

Several other players are considered, with offers extended to FB Ian Zajac (13/26) & RB Howie VanderLey (20/29).

All were signed by week 7 of free agency, including the DT Dawson who seemed motivated by the fact that we reduced his offer to 2yr/$950k during week 6.

At the moment, both Dawson and OG Whitfield project as starters, but there's still a long way to go before then.

Last week of free agency, we check with the agents of our five FA's. TE Seth Samuels (our receivers group leader) dropped his demand for a bonus and was re-signed. The others, well, if they think I'm going to be a pushover just because we suck, they're sadly mistaken. We'll talk to them after the draft (yeah, like that's going to be any help).

We've got 56 players under contract already, they may not be great but at least their ours.

Around the league, the biggest FA contract signed in the off-season belonged to WR Sheldon Tapp. The former Bengal signed with the Colts, a 5 yr deal that will pay the Oregon State alum $59.33m. He'll likely be catching passes from former Jet QB Stephen Brinsfield, who signed a 6 yr / $55.72m dollar deal of his own. Not bad for a kid who earned his degree from little ol' Marshall.

[JonInMiddleGA]

2005 Draft

Okay, this is the part of the year I hate. Watching all that talent slip through my house-rule restricted fingers. And it's especially painful when you've got the number one overall pick. But rules are rules, I'll turn things over to the scout & watch the future stars roll by. As with last year, I'll release the draft picks into the FA pool unsigned (no sense making them suffer) but I'm going to keep the first-rounder & let him go back in the pool next year. Who knows, maybe I'll even remember to check on his fate in 2006.

Okay, you aren't going to believe this. I still don't believe it and I just saw it happen.

Our three most pressing needs, according to the AI, are starting ILB, starting RB, and starting WR. The top adjusted prospects are a 55/87 OT, a 61/87 DT, and a 34/79 WLB.

So who does my scout take #1 overall.

Julio Kerr, from the University of Kansas. A 67 current / 80 future prospect with High volatility but a Bureau rating of 8.3.

Oh, did I mention that he's a Punter?

Yep, we drafted a Punter #1 overall. And followed his selection with a K in the 2nd round. A 31/56 kicker at that. And for the 7 rounds, we took a punter, a kicker, 3 QB's and 2 RB's.

Note to self (any maybe to anyone else reading this) -- NEVER let your scout make your draft picks. This may have been the most absurd thing I've ever seen in FOF at any time. It's as though it were making selections in some sort of bizarre roster sort order, starting with the kickers & then working its way down. In case you've forgotten, my scout isn't bad either, 3 avg/4 good/1 very good. But apparently he's also a complete frickin' idiot.

Just for the heck of it, I'm going to stick to my original plan and release all the draft picks except for the #1. He'll be cluttering my roster screen for the next few months, a constant reminder of what I've just witnessed.

[Barkeep49]

Now now Jon aren't you forgetting about that 86 yarder he had against Nebraska last year? Julio is clear #1 talent and it's a shame that you play by the rules that you do and can't keep him around.

[Peregrine]

Wow, that is some strange draft picking. Normally the only time I let my scout do the picking is when its the last couple rounds and I've already picked anyone who remotely interests me. I've gotten some really good players from those last guys. You can't keep them anyway so I guess it doesn't matter.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Late Free Agency 2005
Okay, now it's time to get serious about improving this team. I usually ignore roster size restrictions until after training camp, so I'll continue to ignore them here. If I want somebody, I'll make an offer and then deal with cuts after camp. There's not really any position (other than punter) that I couldn't use some help at, so I'll scour the possible position by position looking for help.

Here are my offers, all to undrafted rookies
QB - Randal Brewer/Alabama State - 5 current / 44 potential - 63 volatility
RB - Mickey Carter/Auburn - 21/34 - 69 volatility
FB - Percy Zolak/Army - 26/44 - 76 volatility
TE - Tim Wells/UTEP - 19/41 - 92 volatility
TE - Clay Freeman/Tennessee - 19/35 - 13 volatility (maxed out future long snapper)
WR - J.R. Nachman/UConn - 18/31 - 93 volatility
WR - Adam Davison/Az State - 17/36 - 33 volatility (great blue bars for catch/downfield/big play)
C - Jose Williamson/Wash.State - 23/46 - 88 volatility
G - Vinny Etheridge/Valdosta State - 15/31 - 89 volatility (might be able to pass block)
T - Roy Rees/North Carolina - 9/35 - 26 volatility (all pass block & endurance)
T - R.J. Rivera/FSU - 9/30 - 80 volatility (all pass block & endurance)
K - Fred O'Donnell/Oregon - 20/35 - 76 volatility (good k/o distance)
DE - Thomas Lampkin/UCLA - 20/24 - 7 volatility (not much but better than what I have)
MLB- Richard Cooper/WVU - 17/35 - 81 volatility (up to 70 blue for run & up to 95 for pass rush)
MLB - Kendall O'Malley/WVU - 14/35 - 49 volatitlity (blue 50+ for run D & pass rush)
WLB - Myron Roy/Army - 21/45 - 92 volatility (blue 50+ for run D,pass rush & man2man D)
CB - Roosevelt Large/Indiana - 14/36 - 96 volatility (blue 55+ for man & bump&run)
FS - Marco Zapata/Bowling Green - 16/34 - 86 volatility
SS - Tommy Lustyk/Nevada - 6/33 - 37 volatility (good pot.all types pass D & play diagnosis)

All of these players agreed to terms & are expect to attend training camp.

Highest current estimates prior to camp:
P Glen Stuart - 49 current / 53 future
QB Darrell Kelsay - 36/62
RB Gene Sturm - 31/38
K Archie Covington - 30/35
FB Percy Zolak - 26/44
FS Wally Barton - 26/36

Highest future estimates prior to camp:
QB Kelsay - 36/62
P Stuart - 49/53
CB Byron Housley - 25/48
C Jose Williamson - 23/47
C Heath Geil - 11/46

[JonInMiddleGA]

At the end of training camp, we learn that we've sold 36,400 of 73,200 season tickets.

We also receive 2 trade offers:
Baltimore - 6th round pick for QB Terry Whiting
Cleveland - 5th round pick for CB Byron Housley
I can't really use the draft picks and both still appear to have roles on the team, so I decline both offers.

The Green Page lists Darrell Kelsay as the 5th best prospect in the NFL.

Team cohesion ratings are:
Passing = 60 (31st of 32)
O-Line = 64 (32nd of 32)
D-Front = 61 (32nd of 32)
2ndary = 51 (32nd of 32)
Avg Player Age = 24.0 years (32nd of 32)

Highest current estimates after training camp
P Glen Stuart - 50/53 (+1/+0)
QB Darrell Kelsay - 39/62 (+3/+0)
K Archie Covington - 33/35 (+3/+0)
RB Gene Sturm - 32/38 (+1/+0)
TE Ricky Bennit - 28/36
CB Byron Housley - 28/48 (+3/+0)
FS Wally Barton - 28/36 (+2/+0)

Highest future estimates after training camp
QB Kelsay
P Stuart
CB Housley
C Jose Williamson - 26/47 (+3/+0)
C Heath Geil - 13/46 (+2/+0)

[JonInMiddleGA]

We come out of camp with 75 players, well over the limit, so cuts were needed.

Players given their unconditional release were:

SS Earl Price - 2 yr pro - 5 starts/5 games with Arizona
RG Ricardo Dooling - 2 yrs - 2 starts/16 games
LG Charlie Hammond - 2 yrs - 0 starts/11 games
DE Tito Hutchins - 2 yrs - 0 starts/10 games
SS Tommy Lustyk - 1 yr - 0 starts/0 games
K Fred O'Donnell - 1 yr - 0 starts/0 games
RB Leroy Miller - 2 yrs - 9 starts/16 games

Miller had fallen to 6th on the RB depth chart after camp, in spite of being our leading rusher last season.

One FA was signed to compete for a roster spot in the pre-season
RB Horace Stanton/Columbia - (R) 23 current/27 future (was switched to FB)

That leaves the roster at 69 players, so 13 players will have to go before the start of the regular season.

Oops. Correction, we can only have 60 on the roster for the exhibition games, not the 70 that can go to training camp under contract. So ...

Also given their unconditional release were:

FB Ian Zajac - 3 yr pro - 0 starts/0 games with Arizona
FL Charles Luraas - 2 yrs - 0 starts/3 games
DT Otis Flynn - 2 yrs - 0 starts / 13 games
LB Blaine Williamson - 2 yrs - 0 starts / 16 games
DE Moe Flaschen - 1 yr - 0 starts/0 games
TE Clay Freeman - 1 yr - 0 starts/0 games
SE J.R. Nachman - 1 yr - 0 starts/0 games
FB Horace Stanton - 1 yr - 0 starts/0 games
LT R.J.Rivera - 1 yr - 0 starts/0 games

[Peregrine]

Miller had fallen to 6th on the RB depth chart after camp, in spite of being our leading rusher last season.

I think this nicely summarizes the challenges of your dynasty!

[JonInMiddleGA]

2005 Pre-season

Exh. Game 1
Lost to San Diego 15-8

RB VanderLey went 9/36, QB Kelsay was 7/12 for 127, S Barton had 9 tkls/1 Int
Our only scores were 2 FG's and a safety from a blocked punt
G Blakley (Knee tendonitis), C Horton (sprained knee) & DT Duncan (broken hand) all suffered minor injuries.

Exh. Game 2
Lost to New England 24-3
In 106 degree heat, our offense drove for a FG on the first possession and then wilted.
QB de Groh was just 7/16 for 46 yards & 1 Int; Vander Ley had 25 yds on 6 carries
Starting TE Ricky Bennit (hyperextended knee) is expected out for 4 weeks

Exh. Game 3
Lost to Denver 28-7
109 degrees at gametime, but the offense stayed cold as ice.
Kelsay was 1/7 for 7 yds; Sturm had a 28 yd TD run on an 11 carry/72 yd day; Barton had 10 tackles & half a sack.

After the game, C Arnie Horton was placed on injured reserve, in anticipation of trimming the roster next week. The move likely secures a roster spot for rookie C Heath Giel.

Exh. Game 4
Lost to New Jersey 13-12
Kelsay was 16/27 for 162, Covington kicked 4 FG's, but the running game struggled (less than 2.0 ypc from RB); Lowe had 5 catches for 70 yards
OT J.C. Amador (sprained knee) is questionable for the next 3 weeks

[JonInMiddleGA]

Time to get down to the roster limits and the process begins with a surprise move:
QB Terry Whiting (2 yr/0 starts/2 games) was traded to Washington for WLB B.J. Young (Young was an undrafted rookie FA who never appeared in a regular season game for the Redskins, IMO he's fair game since Washington expressed an interest in Whiting).

Unconditionally released were:
SLB Ernest Kocher - 2 yrs pro - 16 games/11 starts for Arizona
RB Mickey Carter - 1 yr - 0 games/0 starts
CB Carl Carlisle - 2 yrs - 14 games/2 starts
G Phil Blakely - 2 yrs - 16 games/16 starts
FB Tim Wells - 1 yr - 0 games/0 starts
FS Marco Zapata - 1 yr - 0 games/0 starts
CB Roosevelt Large - 1 yr - 0 games/0 starts
TE Ricky Bennit placed on IR

ILB Dana Blades was switched to SLB
T Roy Rees was switched to G
CB Clifton Howard was signed as a free agent (was here last season)
Signed FA QB Trent Foreman/Tulane - undrafted rookie - 9 current / 44 future

[JonInMiddleGA]

2005 Regular Season

Week 1
Lost at San Francisco 30-7
A 7-0 halftime lead disintegrates in the 3rd quarter.
Kelsay finishes 8/22 for 90 yards & 1 TD after starting 5 for 7

Week 2
Lost at Indianapolis 36-14
A 13-0 halftime defecit becomes 27-0 in the 3rd.
Kelsay was just 4/17 for 51 yards on the day, and was replaced by de Groh late in the 3rd qtr. The backup responds by going 6 of 8 for 151 yards & a TD before suffering a strained abductor muscle that will sideline him for up to 7 weeks; After the offense opened up in desperation late in the game, Lowe caught 4/97 and 1 TD; On a positive note, the final two possessions resulted in a pair of 80 yard TD drives.

Week 3
Lost at Carolina 37-23
Down 34-7 at the half, we rally to at least make things interesting.
Kelsay goes 12/26 for 186 and 2 TD's; Lewis has 66 yards on 11 carries in his first start at RB; Matsumura caught only 2 passes but both were for TD's; Lowe had a 96 yd KOR for TD; We allowed 5 sacks which is not something that Kelsay can endure every week

Week 4
Lost to New York 13-10
Unlike previous losses, this one was painful in a different way -- so close yet so far away. Leading 10-0 at the half, the offense sputtered down the stretch & the defense couldn't quite hold the Giants, who got a TD in the 3rd & a pair of FG's in the 4th, including the 26 yard game-winner with just 0:38 to play; An opened up offense suited Kelsay who went 17/34 for 193 and a TD. He also added 53 yards on 7 rushes;

The loss was also painful in another way, as we lost starting RG Vinny Etheridge (severe hamstring pull) likely for the year, reserve MLB Richard Cooper(broken tibia) for two months, and leading pass rusher DE Ty Borders is questionable (strained triceps) for the next 4 weeks.

Record after 4 games: 0-4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 5
Lost at Dallas 27-24 in OT
Closer and closer, but still not enough; FS Wally Barton tied the game with a 56 yd Int return with 10:30 to play and neither team could break through again in regulation. Dallas wins the toss & then wins the field position punt exchange to set up the game winning 42 yd FG with 8:34 left in extra time.
Kelsay 17/33 for 249 and 2 TD; Lowe catches 10 for 164 and a score; Matsumura is questionable next week with a viral infection.

Week 6
Lost to Philadelphia 20-10
Sigh. The Eagles rushed for 205 yards and threw for 296 as we were outgained 501-188 in a game that never felt as close as the final score. Kelsay was just 12 of 35 and we lost the time of possession battle by a ridiculous 39:19 to 20:41 margin.

Week 7
Lost to Seattle 24-14
Two turnovers in our first three possessions dug a 10-0 hole that we never managed to get out of. We actually outgained the Seahawks 308-294 but four turnovers wiped out that slim edge.

Week 8
Beat Washington 22-19
Kelsay's 1 yd sneak with 1:04 left gives us our first win of the year in a see-saw affair.
Down 10-0 in the 1st quarter, it looked like more of the same but Kelsay found TE Cory Alaniz for a 3 yd TD pass early in the 2nd quarter. The Redskins got a FG just before the half to make it 13-7. RB Ian Fogle, making his 2nd straight start, capped a 14-play, 64 yard drive with a 4 yd run and Kelsay-to-Matsumura for a 2-point conversion made it 15-13 with 7:37 left in the 3rd. We appeared doomed to another close loss when the Redskins drove 66 yards in just 5 plays to take a 19-15 lead with 6:40 to play. But we finally got some clutch plays when they counted, with Kelsay capping an 8 play 76 yard drive with the game-winner.

For the day, Kelsay was 20-of-27 for 265 yards and 1 TD. Fogle had 54 yards on 21 carries and a score; Lowe caught 8 for 145 to lead the receivers.

Week 9
BYE week

Record after 8 games: 1-7

[JonInMiddleGA]

In the afterglow of the victory, DT Darrell Griffin, WR Gerald Lowe, WR Seth Matsumura and K Archie Covington were signed to 2 year contract extensions.

Reserve SS Alan Luraas (2 yr pro - 19 games/7 starts with Arizona) was released
Undrafted rookie Christian Kinney/Nebraksa 16 current/30 future was signed as a FA.

Week 10
Lost to St.Louis 31-10
The euphoria of a win was followed by a Kelsay-to-Matsumura 50 yd TD strike on our first possession. And that was about the last thing that went right all day. The Rams rallied to take a 14-10 halftime lead and then dominated the 2nd half for an easy win. Giving up six sacks pretty much killed any offense we had through the last 3 quarters; Lowe finishes with 7 catches for 132 yards while Matsumura's first catch of the day was also his last.

Week 11
Lost to San Francisco 31-27
A good game that we managed to end up on the wrong end of.
Kelsay to Lowe 1 yd, it's 7-0. Kelsay to Hsu 30 yds and it's 14-7. Covington 30 yd FG and it's 17-14 at the half. Kelsay to Hsu 17 yds late in the 3rd and it's 24-17. Covington 35 yd FG with 6:59 to play and it's 27-24. But the 49ers answered with a 77 yard drive, ending with a 26 yd TD pass with 4:40 left and two final drives in the last 4:40 stalled short us of answering.
Kelsay was 15/25 for 182 and 3 scores, with another 70 yards rushing on 8 carries.
RB Ian Fogle left the game early & will miss a couple of weeks with a strained elbow tendon. QB Corey de Groh is expected to be activated for next week's game.

Week 12
Lost to Jacksonville 29-22
A furious rally comes up short as we trailed 26-0 before erupting for 22 points in the final 15 minutes. Kelsay was 21/31 for 282 and 2 TD's.

Week 13
Lost to Minnesota 30-10
As good as previous weeks had been at times, this one was bad. Trailing 24-0, we finally pulled the struggling Kelsay (9/27 for 98 yds & 1 Int) in favor of de Groh who managed 231 yards on just 9 of 17 passing; Another big week for Lowe, 5 catches for 173; we rushed for just 32 yards on 17 carries

Record after 12 games: 1-11

[dixieflatline]

Jon,

Thanks for putting the Volatility beside each of the rookie F.A. scores. I would guess that you are looking for a lot of high volatility guys. Some will bust but they can easily be replaced by more rookie F.A. next year. One quick question. Can you also post what the computer rates your roster as at the beginning of each season?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by dixieflatline

Can you also post what the computer rates your roster as at the beginning of each season?

I'll try my best to remember to include that for future seasons (I'm currently in the middle of 2006, so it may be another year before that starts appearing)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 14
Lost to Tennessee 17-10
We went back to a more ground oriented attack and that kept things close, just not close enough. Down just 7-3 at the half but the Titans scored the next 10 points, meaning a late TD pass from Kelsay to Lewis from 9 yards out with 2:24 to play didn't leave enough time to finish the rally. Again, no sacks allowed but 2 turnovers hurt our chances.

Week 15
Lost to Seattle 34-9
We ran the ball well enough (30 rushes for 160) but never really got the offense in synch. It appears that the end of season doldrums have set in.

Week 16
Lost to Houston 31-16
We gave up 21 unanswered points after tying the game at 7 near the end of the 1st quarter. Allowing 7 sacks (4 by Markowitz) pretty much killed us. Hsu had a nice day with 6 catches for 122 yards and Kelsay was great on the ground, rushing for 92 yards on 10 carries.

Week 17
Lost to St.Louis 29-24
Again, close but no cigar. Byron Housley's 37 yd interception return for a TD put us in front 17-16 with 0:51 left in the 3rd but the Rams scored 13 unanswered to move in front too far for us to recover.

2005 Record after 16 games: 1-15

[JonInMiddleGA]

2005 Post-season
Houston (14-2), Denver(11-5), Miami (9-7) & Baltimore (8-8) win AFC divisions, Jacksonville (10-6) and Tennessee (9-7) earn wildcards
New York (12-4), New Orleans (11-5), Green Bay (11-5) & St.Louis (9-7) win NFC divisions, Washington (10-6) and Seattle (9-7) earn wildcards

Jacksonville wins Solecismic Bowl 31-28 over New York

QB George Hurstwood of Tennessee is PotY (4393 yds, 30 TD's, 110.3 rtg)
Arizona Punter Glen Stuart is 2nd String All-League (97 punts, 44.1 avg)
Our (released) 5th round draft pick, QB Dixon Kaplan of Wake Forest, signed with Buffalo as a free agent & earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

2005 Evaluation
Performance = 0
Franchise Value = 27
Profit/Loss = 56
Roster = 87
Year-End Score = 38

[JonInMiddleGA]

2005 Off-Season

Our new stadium is completed, 63,000 capacity with 88 luxury boxes.
The balance sheet shows a loss of $37.43m on revenue of $59.04m
Attendance was down 11% from 2004, to an average of just 42,700/game.

Season ending franchise values were
Stadium - 11 (31st of 32)
Roster - 18 (30th of 32)
Support - 45 (32nd of 32)
Economy - 50 (11th of 32)
Total Value = $345.34m (32nd of 32)

Looking over the staff, we believe we can get a better scout for the same money, so we make an offer to 56 year old newcomer Leroy Chapman, 3 yrs for $500k.

Defensive coordinator Butch Blaylock retired, just couldn't take it anymore I guess.
We decide to offer 54 y/o Jermaine Feingold the head coaches job, which would be his first in the NFL. 3 yrs at $3.71m
46 yr old Harvey Cecil, Tampa's DC, gets a 4 yr/$5m offer to come suffer with us.

Cecil considering 2 offers, we up our to 3yrs/$5.5m
Chapman considering 7 offers, we up ours to 4 yrs/$650k
Feingold considering only ours, remains the same

Chapman signs
Cecil signs as DC, 5 yrs/$5.5m
Feingold signs as Head Coach, 4 yrs/$3.71m

Staff Review

Scout Leroy Chapman has 1 excellent(DL), 4 very good(QB,RB,LB,DB), 3 average (OL,K,Young) and 1 fair (WR)

Head Coach Jermaine Feingold has 2 excellent (motivation & Off play), 1 good (discipline), and 2 average (Def play & avoid injury)

Def Coordinator Harvey Cecil has 2 very good (K/P & DL), 2 good(LB & DB) and 1 average (Young)

Holdover Off Coordinator Kyle Hutchins has 2 excellent (OL & Young), 2 VG (K/P & WR), and 2 good (QB & RB)

[JonInMiddleGA]

2006 Free Agency
Between the end of last season & now, we have 41 players under contract and 14 who are currently RFA's.

C Arnie Horton, who missed last season with an injury, signs a 1 yr/$520k min sal deal
FL Grady Doherty signs a 2 yr/min sal deal
CB Clifton Howard signs a 2 yr/min sal deal
S Christian Kinney signs a 1 yr/min sal deal
QB Corey de Groh signs a 2 yr/min sal deal

That brings our roster to 46 players, with 9 RFA's.
We also renegotiate contracts with MLB Richard Cooper, SE Adam Davison, G Bruce Whitfield, and RB Howie VanderLey.

Our current roster needs are listed as OLB, ILB, and OG.

Looking for veteran FA's who were both undrafted & have never played for any other team, we make offers to:
RB Mickey Carter - 2 yrs pro - 21 current/30 future (invited last year but cut) - vol 69
QB Mack Ramsey - 3 yrs pro - 10/35 - volatility 27
WR Charlie Luraas - 3 yrs pro - 21/35 (played 3 games for us in 2004)
OT Darnell Jeffrey - 2 yrs - 13/28 - volatility 63
TE Dwight Givens - 2 yrs - 12/34 - volatility 15
QB Jamal Abdul-Malik - 2 yrs - 8/33 - volatility 57
DE Joe Sherman - 2 yrs - 5/27 - volatility 8
DT R.J. Davison - 3 yrs - 18/31 - volatility 81
DT Irving Harmon - 3 yrs - 12/29 - volatility 478
LB Britt Barton - 2 yrs - 12/26 - volatility 21
LB Kerry Rouse - 2 yrs - 13/31 - volatility 92
LB Grady Stokes - 3 yrs - 11/35 - volatility 30
S Gary Farmer - 3 yrs - 14/26 - volatility 55
RB Hardy Matheny - 2 yrs - 19/27 - volatility 76

All were signed to min sal deals.

We also decided to re-sign OG Chris Franz, who has started 26 games for us in 2 years.

The largest FA contract signed belongs to QB Bethel Merriday, who goes from Dallas to Jacksonville for 7 yrs/$85.33m dollars. I guess losing to Florida while playing for UGA in college didn't sour him on the city. Incidentally, former Arizona #1 draft pick punter Julio Kerr was signed as a FA by San Diego (apparently I released him at the wrong point & he became a UFA instead of going back into the draft pool).

[JonInMiddleGA]

2006 Rookie Draft
Another round of watching the talent fly by. Maybe we'll get lucky and the scout will draft someone of any ability from Arizona State (which, by house rule, I get to sign).

No such luck on that score though.

The number one overall pick (which will be left unsigned but not released) was
DE Patrick Bercich of Miami, FL -- 32 current/74 future
The rest of the draft crop included an OT, followed by a P/K/QB/QB/RB

We move on to late free agency ... and I get an email from WR Gerald Lowe, indicating his plans to hold out. Great ... I have a 26/33 guy holding out on me. Screw him (at least for now).

Let's see what the other teams left under my Christmas tree ...

[JonInMiddleGA]

We make 2 yr min sal offers to

QB Jackie Price/NC State - 10 current/39 future - volatility 39
QB Spencer Schader/Washington - 6/51 - volatility 92
RB Alonzo Steinbeck/Colorado - 32/43 - volatility 16
RB Ernest Kellogg/Rutgers - 26/29 (maxed out breakaway speed & 81 vol.)
RB Lincoln Givens/UTC - 24/32 - volatilty 43
FB Leroy Aceves/Syracuse - 23/34 - volatility 6
TE Jim Long/Va Tech - 20/40 - volatility 92
WR Louis Fleming/Syracuse - 20/33 - volatility 65
WR Albert Packard/Cincinnati - 17/31 - volatility 20
OG Bart Sanford/Virginia - 12/36 - volatility 2
OG Isaac Newson/Ga Tech - 7/34 - volatility 27
OT Mitch Harvey/Purdue - 15/38 - volatility 86
OT Artie Boone/Ga Tech - 11/42 - volatility 18
OT Roderick Howard/Washington - 5/41 - volatility 71
DE Dennis Moe/Nebraska-Omaha - 18/36 - volatility 90
DE Carlos Gotchy/Vanderbilt - 16/31 - volatility 70
DE Freddie Burks/Hawaii - 14/36 - volatility 90
DE Victor Baxter/Syracuse - 13/35 - volatilty 99
LB Corey Garner/MS Valley State - 15/38 volatility 29
CB Todd Ferrett/Stanford - 10/38 - volatility 33
CB Ty Clarke/Arizona - 12/37 - volatility 88
CB Dana Finster/Morgan State - 10/37 - volatility 89
S Joe Carter/Penn State - 19/34 volatility 20
S Darryl Abolofia/Memphis - 6/39 - volatility 90
S Blaine Manning/Humboldt State - 18/36 - volatility 19

Eventually, these guys sign and we turn our attention to the remaining free agents from last year's team.

Of the group, OT's J.C.Amador & Otis Donaldson are better than what we have. But I'll be doggoned if I'm giving them bonus money after the way they've played. QB Trent Foreman has some potential but wants bonus money & I'm not giving that to someone who is #3 at best. I really don't think DE Duane Schokora is worth it, but I'll give him 2 yrs/$1.32m with a $330k signing bonus because he's at least managed to start 32 straight games for me. The other DE, Deon Nobile has backed off his earlier demands by quite a bit, so we'll agree to 3 yrs/$1.8m ($240k bonus) since he's started more than half the last two seasons. RB Ian Fogle isn't asking for a lot and has started 9 games in two years, but 2.7 ypc and the inability to find a hole with both hands, a bloodhound, and a map makes it pretty easy to just say no. I'll also take a pass on DE Ty Borders, at least for now.

It's not like we're shorthanded, there are currently 88 players under contract.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Highest current estimates prior to training camp
P Glen Stuart - 56/57
QB Darrell Kelsay - 53/65
K Archie Covington - 38/38
CB Byron Housley - 37/53
RB Gene Sturm - 36/39

Highest future estimates prior to training camp
QB Kelsay
P Stuart
CB Housley
QB Spencer Schader 6/49
C Jose Williamson 32/47

Now, it's off to training camp

2006 Pre-season
We sold 39,400 of 63,000 season tickets
We also receive two trade offers
Houston 7th round pick for C Jose Williamson
Carolina 7th round pick for FB Percy Zolak

Both are currently projected starters, so we'll pass on those offers.

Highest current estimates after training camp
QB Darrell Kelsay - 56/65 (+3/+0)
P Glen Stuart - 56/57 (0/0)
K Archie Covington - 40/40 (+2/+2)
CB Byron Housley - 40/53 (+3/+0)
RB Gene Sturm - 37/39 (+1/+0)

Highest future estimates after training camp
QB Kelsay
P Stuart
CB Housley
C Jose Williamson 35/47 (+3/+0)
C Heath Giel 17/47
QB Spencer Schader 9/45 (+3/-4)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Now a ton of cuts to get down to 60 players

4th year players
RB Howie VanderLey - 10 games/0 starts
C Arnie Horton - 16 games/16 starts

3rd year players
CB Hunter Quesnel - 18 games/1 start
FB Morris Spatz - 29g / 12st
LB Dana Blades - 32g/14 st
DT R.J. Davison - 0g/0st
TE/FB Seth Samuels - 16g/1st
WR Charles Luraas - 3g/0st
DT Irving Harmon - 0g/0st

2nd year players
S Gary Farmer - 0 games/0 starts
QB Jamal Abdul-Malik - 0g/0st
DE Joe Sherman - 0g/0st
RB Hardy Matheny - 0g/0st
OT Darnell Jeffrey - 0g/0st
DE Thomas Lampkin - 16g/0st
LB Britt Barton - 0g/0st
LB Kerry Rouse - 0g/0st
LB B.J. Young - 0g/0st

Rookies
QB Jackie Price
SS Darryl Abolofia
OG Bart Sanford
RB Lincoln Givens
CB Dana Finster
WR Albert Packard
OG Isaac Newson
RB Ernest Kellogg

We also traded:
QB Randall Brewer & a 2009 7th round pick to KC for their 2009 7th round pick
TE Ricky Bennitt & a 2009 6th round pick to New Jersey for their 2009 6th round pick

S Blaine Manning was switched to CB
WLB Myron Roy was switched to SILB

[JonInMiddleGA]

2006 Exhibition Games

Exh. 1
Lost to Oakland 15-13 in OT
I don't believe I've seen too many games end like this one, not with a sack in the end zone for a safety in overtime. But that's how we lost it, as de Groh was dumped when a DT beat C Williamson. DT Griffin had 13 stops, we put up 6 sacks of our own, and the running game with Sturm & Lewis looked pretty okay.

Exh. 2
Lost to New England 31-6
We had a punt blocked & gave 'em a TD early, allowed 5 sacks, and only Sturm ran the ball effectively. Mostly blech but we did manage 5 sacks of our own & Kelsay looked just about ready for the season to start.

Exh. 3
Lost to Kansas City 24-20
We blow a 20-10 lead in the final 5:44. de Groh went all the way at QB and finished 25 of 456 for 297 yards with a TD and a Int. Lowe returns from his holdout to catch 7 passes for 124 and a score.

Exh. 4
Lost to Buffalo 28-14
Steinbeck had a 45 yd TD run to provide a highlight at least. de Groh goes all the way at QB again & finishes 9 of 31 for 95 yards with a TD & a pick. OT Roderick Howard will miss at least a month with a stress fracture in his foot.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Now it's time to get the roster down to 53 for the 2006 regular season.

The first moves were somewhat surprising, as WR Earl Hsu & rookie OT Roderick Howard were both placed on IR with relatively minor injuries.

Released were
Rookie CB Blaine Manning
3 yr vet S Julio Jamison (28 games/4 starts in 2 seasons)
Rookie WR Louis Fleming
Rookie DE Victor Baxter
Rookie CB Todd Feret

Switched S Joe Carter to CB
Switched CB Ty Clarke to S

[JonInMiddleGA]

2006 Regular Season
Week 1
Lost to Seattle 17-14
Kelsay and Lowe hooked up for a pair of TD's but that was about the only offense we could muster. Giving up 195 yards rushing didn't help either nor did allowing 7 sacks (most in three years). One bright point, we were 2-for-2 on TD's in the red zone, something that we haven't done well at all in the past.

After the game, Kelsay was diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff & is listed as probable for three weeks.

Week 2
Lost to Denver 24-0
Schader gets the surprise start, didn't do much (4/13 9 yds). But neither did de Groh (6/11 for 40 yds). The lack of offense allowed Denver to control things pretty much all day.

Week 3
Lost to Tampa Bay 38-10
If we can't find a way to stop the run, it's going to be an even longer year than usual. Bucs rush for 189 yds en route to an easy win. Schader's 2nd start found him 14/31 for 195 and 1 pick. Lewis gained 70 yards on 13 carries for an above average performance for one of our RB's.

Week 4
Lost to Green Bay 34-24
We used 3 QB's trying to find a spark. de Groh started & stunk (1/8 40yds), Schader got hot for a while (20/30 308 & 2 TD's) and Kelsay finished (2/3 30 yds 1TD). So we finish with 378 yards passing ... and still lose.

Record after 4 games: 0-4

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 5
Lost to Chicago 27-10
Kelsay returns but looks rusty at times, finishes 16 of 33 for 177 and a TD.

Week 6
Lost to Minnesota 26-20 in OT
Another one of those "what might have been" losses. Kelsay gets picked off & the Vikes return it 19 yards for a sudden death win. We lead 20-10 with 4 mins left in the 3rd after Kelsay found Aceves for a 2 yd TD pass. Minnesota gets a FG on the next possession and ties the game with a 9 yd TD pass with just 1:04 to play. Kelsay finished 17/28 for 298 and 2 TD's, Lewis had 57 yards rushing, and Lowe caught 4 passes for 113 yards.

Lots of pain after this one, including LG Chris Franz (sprained knee-doubtful), OT Adam Markowitz (severe wrist sprain, out), DT Bob Weaver (hyperextended knee-out) and SS Andrew Mueller (pulled groin-doubtful).

Week 7
Beat Seattle 7-6
Trying to run out the clock, Kelsay fumbled at the Seattle 35 and it looked like another close but not quite. Instead, the secondary held, forcing the division leaders to throw 4 straight incompletions. Our only score came late in the 3rd quarter, on a Kelsay-to- Matsumura 16 yd TD pass. The defense really stepped up in this one, with four sacks & a pair of interceptions. It was a costly win though, as LB Louis Cattell (5 tkls, 2 sakcs) hyperextended his knee late in the game & is expected to be out for at least three weeks.

Week 8
Lost to St.Louis 30-6
Rams just drove it down our throats all day long, scoring TD's on drives of 64, 80.77, and 63 yards. Lots of big plays that we simply couldn't stop with a makeshift defense. Lewis ran the ball well again (11 carries for 70 yards) and Kelsay wasn't horrible or anything (13 for 23 for 133) but the defense needs to get healed up & quick. Instead, both starting CB's are dinged up, with RCB Billy Comia (sprained knee) now questionable and LCB Byron Housely (broken hand) currently listed as probable. The offense also suffered another loss, this time it's starting OG Vinny Ethridge, who'll miss roughly a month with a strained elbow tendon.

Record after 8 games: 1-7

Week 9
Bye Week

Thank goodness for the off week coming when it did. OL Cris Franz & Adam Markowitz are back to 100%, as are DT Bob Weaver and SS Andrew Mueller.

The return of Mueller meant we could waive S Christian Kinney (2 yrs, 10 games/1 start) and fill his roster spot with rookie CB Bob Salomon from Minnesota. He's only a 13/29 but his presence means we can de-activate Billy Comia until his knee is better and yet still have a proper roster.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 10
Lost to Detroit 30-6
Another week, another big loss. We could run (18 for 138) but couldn't throw (9 for 33, 115 yards). That, plus another ineffective week for the defense gave the Lions a 37:32 to 22:28 TOP advantage and made for an ugly afternoon all the way round.

Week 11
Beat San Francisco 17-13
FINALLY !!! Our first multi-win season and it comes with an impressive performance by an inspired defense. Trailing 10-0 early in the 2nd quarter, Wally Barton's 50 yrd interception return not only cut the gap to 3 points but it seemed to light a fire under the much-maligned defense. 7 sacks, including 2 each by DE's Schokora & Nobile, kept the 49ers in check pretty much for the rest of the day. Our offense didn't manage much, scoring a TD only after a turnover gave them a short field (33 yds), but they delivered in two clutch situations. After San Fran cut our lead to 14-13 with a 27 yd FG with 0:26 left in the first half, Kelsay hit Alaniz with a 50 yd bomb to set up a 52 yd FG by Covington as time expired. The other critical situation came with 4:46 to play, as we tried to hold on to a 4 point lead. With Schader at QB (after Kelsay was dinged up) we racked up our longest drive of the 2nd half, 10 plays for 36 yards to ran out the clock & avoid another last-second defeat. Bruised ribs have Kelsay listed as probable for next week, WR Grady Doherty is out for 4 weeks with a pulled calf muscle but CB Comia & Housley are expected to return at 100% by week 12. The game marked the Cardinal's first on the road since week 13 of 2003 (before we assumed control)

Week 12
Lost to Kansas City 23-21
Ouch. Down 17-0 in the middle of the 3rd quarter, the defense once again sparked a rally, starting with Bob Salomon's 73 yd fumble return for a score. KC managed a FG to make it 20-7 but Darrell Kelsay came off the bench to find Cory Alaniz for a 2 yd TD and after an interception by Carter, it was Kelsay to Lowe to make it 21-20 Cardinals with 3:57 to play. But KC drove from their own 27 and hit the eventual game-winning FG from 46 yds out with 1:06 left. Kelsay was picked off near midfield with just seconds left & we come up a little short.

Week 13
Beat Philadelphia 14-10
A thriller for sure. The Eagles took the opening kickoff & drove it 71 yards in just 3 minutes to take a 7-0 lead. That's the way it stayed until Wally Burton intercepted a pass and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown with 8:58 to play. We forced the Eagles to punt after a 7 play drive and took over at our own 13 yd line. Kelsay relieved de Groh (who had relieved Schader to start the 2nd half), but he threw an interception on the 2nd play of the drive, setting up the Eagles at our 3 yard line. An offensive holding call wiped out a TD run on the first play, and the defense forced a short FG with 1:56. Down 10-7, Byron Housley took the ensuing kickoff back 88 yards for his first ever career TD return. The Eagles went 4-and-out and went ran out the clock for an unexpected 3rd win of the season and our second in three weeks.

Record after 12 games: 3-9

[JonInMiddleGA]

Week 14
Lost to Oakland 27-17
The usual pattern, we fall behind 17-0 before an exchange of FG's late in the first half made it 20-3. We swap TD's in the 2nd half but could never get closer than 10. de Groh goes 20-of-34 for 269 yards and 2 TD's. Lowe doesn't get into the end zone but does catch 7 passes for 141 yards.

Week 15
Lost to St.Louis 33-6
Eek. We got to within 6-3 late in the first quarter but 17 unanswered points by the Rams pretty much sealed this one. Schader & de Groh both threw two interceptions, and the QB trio combined for just 14-of-38 and 205 yards.

Week 16
Lost to San Diego 30-13
We gave up 7 sacks and that pretty much killed at least two potential scoring drives. Kelsay was 16 of 36 for 250 yards and 2 TD's, so he was somewhat effective when he wasn't lying on his back. A pair of missed FG's also hurt our chances quite a bit. CB Billy Comia suffered a torn wrist tendon and will miss the final week of the season. We signed rookie FA Leland Sheldon from the Univ. of Washington to fill the roster spot.

Week 17
Lost to San Francisco 22-14
An early 14-3 lead gets away as our running game bogs down in the 2nd half and the 49ers first overtook us and then pulled into the lead. Taking advantage of a SF turnover inside their 20, Kelsay snuck in for our 2nd TD with 11:18 left in the half. After that, our 6 possessions resulted in 5 punts & a time expired at the end of the half.

Record after 16 games: 3-13

2006 Post-season
Jacksonville (12-4), Kansas City (12-4), Buffalo (11-5), and Cleveland (7-9) win AFC divisions, Indianapolis(11-5) and San Diego (10-5) earn wildcards.
Carolina (13-3), Green Bay (11-5), Seattle (10-6) and Philadelphia (7-9) win NFC divisions, New Orelans (11-5) and St.Louis (10-6) earn wildcards.

Jacksonville wins their 2nd consecutive Solecismic Bowl 32-17 over Green Bay.

QB Wilbur Gospe of St.Louis wins his 2nd MVP award (4614 yds, 33 TD's, 100.0 rtg).

2006 Evaluation
Performance = 5
Value = 25
Profit/Loss = 63
Roster = 86
Year-end Score = 42