10-21-2000, 08:56 PM | #1 | ||
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
Seven Year Itch, revisited
Seven Year Itch, revisited
I've long marveled at the little "quirk" in FOF, which allows undrafted rookies to sign with your for seven-year minimum salary deals (making them more valuable than late-round draftees). I've employed them, along with second year FA castoffs (who will accept similar deals) in many of my heavily-restricted challenges. I've wondered if they could actually be the coundation of a winning team-- or are they strictly role-players? I've tried two previous challenge careers playing along those lines-- both of which concluded with my firing. This is my third attempt, with a bit more relaxed rules. This challenge career will follow one principal rule: Every player on my team will be signed, by me, to a 7-year contract. I will, when affordable, try to extend the contracts of rookies or free agents on beyond their requested duration, to offer 7-year deals—doing so will, I am fairly certain, increase the per-year costs of such deals. I will almost certainly end up with a team populated with an overwhelming number of undrafted rookies and second year castoffs (who will somewhat naturally accept 7yr deals in FOF). I’m leaving the “GM firing” option on, as an ultimate barometer of my success. As secondary rules, I will not engage in contract abuse (backloading, etc.) and I will keep my tickets from being the league’s highest. As I come across other issues that may require rules, I may mention them and add them here. I’ll play with the “primer,” using Cleveland, but I’ll release all my players after the 1999 season. In essence, 1999 will be a throwaway, and I’ll start the challenge in earnest in the year 2000. |
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10-21-2000, 08:57 PM | #2 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
1999 season
My neutrally-drafted Browns team is actually pretty good: they took a quality young QB with their first pick. They manage an 8-8 season, guided wholly by my pre-ordained coach and scout. At the end of the season, I release everyone. Well, everyone who is not injured. This pushes a lot of bonus money into next season, but I don’t expect that I’ll be very near the cap next year anyway, so I don’t see this as a major problem. Philadelphia wins the first league title, over San Diego. Jacksonville, Baltimore, and Cincinnati all were playoff teams from my AFC central—boding trouble for the near future. |
10-21-2000, 08:57 PM | #3 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2000 preseason
I start off the season by releasing my remaining players, and the two who are still injured go onto IR. I now have zero active players—starting from scratch, as I want. I pick up a new coach, who has top ratings with QBs, young talent, and playcalling. The FA period is dreadful – I pick up a couple of linemen, but that’s all. The only excellent player available for me is the QB I released last season. Amateur Draft Report: Rnd 1 - T.J. Stewart, DE, Greensboro Okay, so my drafting strategy will simply be to “prioritize.” I moved up to #5 overall, took the best pass-rusher in the draft, and then traded out completely. I now hold two firsts for next year, which I hope will both be high picks (which I expect to be easier to sign for seven years). DE Stewart initially asks for a 5yr, $10m deal. In order to get this guy to lock up for seven years, I had to increase this deal to $47 million, including $28 million in signing bonus. Ouch. I do the usual drill – filling in after the draft. I find a series of decent players, but overall a pretty disappointing lot. Usually, I find 3-4 players who look to be pretty solid contributors, btu in this lot I really don’t see any of those. The roster as we head into the season is pretty thin: Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd QB Kelly Romano 2 7 1 2006 QB Bernard Hazelwood 3 7 1 2006 QB Mo Blanchard 3 3 1 2006 RB Morris Bloomgarden 4 6 1 2006 RB Albert Carver 5 5 1 2006 RB Jessie Cochrane 5 4 1 2006 RB Zack Sellers 4 3 1 2006 FB Herb Stargell 4 8 1 2006 FB Ken Mathews 3 6 1 2006 TE Brent Deskins 5 8 1 2006 TE Christian Austin 6 7 1 2006 WR Ted Drury 7 8 2 2006 WR Dexter Whitfield 5 7 1 2006 WR Omar Adams 6 7 1 2006 WR Jesse Blair 6 6 1 2006 WR Marcus Emmons 6 6 1 2006 WR Jerome Nogas 5 4 1 2006 C Melvin Norton 5 6 1 2006 C Clifton Warren 4 6 2 2006 C Tim Gunn 4 1 15 2002 G Tyrus Hewitt 1 4 1 2006 G Toby McCarthy 1 3 1 2006 G Winston Boyer 2 2 1 2006 T Charlie Albright 3 7 1 2006 T Richie Westbrook 2 4 1 2006 T Ty Lang 1 0 1 2006 P Erik Borders 8 11 1 2006 K Bernard Temmer 11 16 1 2006 DE T.J. Stewart 10 20 1 2006 DE Kenny Van Cleave 2 8 1 2006 DE Riddick Nixon 2 5 1 2006 DT Tito Wampus 3 5 1 2006 DT Todd Ballard 2 4 2 2006 DT Frank Sanderson 1 3 1 2006 DT Jackie Horn 2 2 1 2006 LB Charlie Mikeska 3 10 1 2006 LB Dwight Foster 5 9 1 2006 LB William McKnight 3 8 1 2006 LB Deion Mitchell 2 4 1 2006 LB Deron Chapman 2 3 1 2006 LB Dean Martin 2 2 1 2006 CB Rick Green 4 7 1 2006 CB Dwayne Pearsall 3 4 1 2006 CB Rob Harvey 4 4 7 2001 CB Leonard Riley 2 4 1 2006 CB Darrin Brocklebank 2 3 1 2006 S Kenyon Vance 3 6 1 2006 S Courtney Gordon 2 5 1 2006 S Barry Brown 2 3 1 2006 Well, we will probably have a VERY early draft pick next season, and hopefully we’ll be able to fill in with another top-grade player or two. |
10-21-2000, 08:58 PM | #4 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2000 season
After starting off with a shocking 3-2 effort, we revert to form post a 5-11 record on the year. I’m not going to post any comprehensive stats, as this team is still totally formative. DE T.J. Stewart had a great rookie year, with 34 tackles and 17.5 sacks. My only rep on the awards team, however, is my punter – who gets first team. He, uh, got a lot of work. |
10-21-2000, 09:01 PM | #5 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2001 preseason
This year’s free agent market finally yields some quality. I put in offers for about eight player immediately, including a pair of QBs, a very solid G, and three DL. I consider a “real money” offer for a decent 2nd year safety—he will only listen to about $3m a year. I decide to wait, and see if he comes down after a few weeks. I make a massive FA offer to the best WR I can find, 7th year Jermaine Lichtenberg, for $68m over 7 years (mostly in bonus money). That pile of cash gets him to sign with us almost immediately, not surprisingly. It’s a successful FA period – we manage to gain in several critical areas, making marginal improvements which are the name of the game in this kind of challenge. In particular, my d-line has gotten substantially better. I pay “real money” to a handful of players (ones with some experience) but mostly sign minsal players. I hold picks #4 and #25 in the draft, and my priority is pretty simple: assuming that there is a stud QB in the draft, that’s where I go. I’m not sure about the second pick—I may look to trade up. Amateur Draft Report: Rnd 1 - Leland Idomir, QB, Virginia Rnd 1 - Alvin Johnson, RB, Pittsburgh I do move up to pick #9, and take two offensive “foundation” players in this draft. I’ll pay whatever it takes—these guys ought to cement my offense for years to come. (They had better) The roster is obviously top-heavy at this point—when I sort by salary, I see a few big salaries, followed by lots of very tiny ones—it’s like a family of ducks. Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd QB Leland Idomir 8 20 1 2007 QB Roman Gustin 4 9 2 2007 QB Bert Cipa 4 7 2 2007 RB Alvin Johnson 12 15 1 2007 RB Albert Carver 7 9 2 2006 RB Jessie Cochrane 6 7 2 2006 FB Herb Stargell 7 8 2 2006 FB Ken Mathews 4 5 2 2006 TE Christian Austin 8 10 2 2006 TE Brent Deskins 7 9 2 2006 WR Jermaine Lichtenberg 12 13 7 2007 WR Marcus Emmons 7 6 2 2006 WR Dexter Whitfield 6 6 2 2006 WR Omar Adams 6 6 2 2006 WR Jesse Blair 6 5 2 2006 WR Ted Drury 5 4 3 2006 C Clifton Warren 6 7 3 2006 C Ed Daniels 6 6 2 2007 G David Diaz 9 11 2 2007 G Winston Boyer 5 7 2 2006 G Andrew Farrow 4 6 2 2007 G Tyrus Hewitt 3 6 2 2006 G Toby McCarthy 2 1 2 2006 T Charlie Albright 7 9 2 2006 T Richie Westbrook 6 8 2 2006 T George Barker 5 7 2 2007 P Erik Borders 11 13 2 2006 K Bernard Temmer 17 17 2 2006 DE T.J. Stewart 14 20 2 2006 DE Mitchell Holliday 6 8 2 2007 DE Kenny Van Cleave 4 6 2 2006 DE Riddick Nixon 3 3 2 2006 DT Larry Ogden 6 10 2 2007 DT Monty Green 5 9 2 2007 DT Vinny Brock 5 8 2 2007 DT Tito Wampus 4 5 2 2006 DT Frank Sanderson 2 4 2 2006 LB Nolan Mayes 7 10 2 2007 LB Dwight Foster 6 10 2 2006 LB William McKnight 5 8 2 2006 LB Deion Mitchell 4 7 2 2006 LB Charlie Mikeska 5 7 2 2006 LB Dean Martin 3 6 2 2006 LB Deron Chapman 2 4 2 2006 CB Jesse Money 5 8 2 2007 CB Dwayne Pearsall 5 7 2 2006 CB Darrin Brocklebank 3 6 2 2006 CB Rick Green 3 3 2 2006 CB Leonard Riley 3 2 2 2006 S J.C. Murphy 6 9 2 2007 S Greg Barlow 6 8 2 2007 S Kenyon Vance 4 5 2 2006 With this group, we’ll work on getting everyone on the field, and playing together—and we’ll hope that we start to show modest signs of development. No ambition for lots of wins quite yet. |
10-29-2000, 01:05 PM | #6 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2001 season
Another surprisingly strong start, as we jump out to 4-0, and confound the critics. We slump from there, but still manage to win our last game, and finish at 9-7… missing out on the playoffs only on a tiebreaker with Buffalo. Our QB situation was a 3-way shuffle with injuries to all three guys. A successful season, and cause for some optimism at last. Stat leaders: QB Leland Idomir: 1,845 yards, 55.8%, 7.15ypa, 9/6, 80.3 (about 45% of the attempts) RB Alvin Johnson: 311-1,401 yds, 10TD (4.5 ypc), 37-228 yds rec, 3 TD WR Jermaine Lichtenberg: 92-1,268yds, 4 TD LB Nolan Mayes: 98 tackles, 2 sacks DE T.J. Stewart: 19 sacks Overall stats (Off/def/avg): Rushing: 4.2/3.7/3.9 Passing: 6.4/6.5/6.5 And suddenly we have the look of a dangerous team. We have a clear set of “triplets” on offense, and if our QB situation holds together, we should be solid there. On defense, we’re not giving up the big stuff, and this squad only forced 10 ints—we can and will improve on that, which wil make other things get better, too. I feel good about our future. WR Lichtenberg gets first team honors, and RB Johnson and DE Stewart both make second team. I suspect with the nature of this team that those guys will have nicely peppered honor lists by the end of their stints with us. The RB taken #10 overall led Denver to the title, and swept the top awards including OPOY and OROY behind a 1,825 yards season. Might be a long-term rivalry in the works… |
10-29-2000, 04:36 PM | #7 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2002 preseason
This career will lead to strange off-seasons like this. I have all 52 players from last year already signed for this year- so I have nobody preparing to defect. I have a little bit of dead weight salary-wise (a couple lousy –players who are overpaid) but generally speaking I have some flexibility. I’ll go after one veteran, plus a rookie impact player—and I’ll hope to make some more improvements. I feel that LB and CB are two serious need areas. I check out the FA market, and am deeply disappointed to see how expensive it would be to sign the top LB available—about $9m a year (to get him to accept a 7 year offer). I instead grab a couple fill-in types from the second year group, and resolve to content myself with them. After a few weeks, I see that the LB I covet is still available. I decide to take the plunge, and I offer him a $10m/year bonus-free offer. He takes it immediately—I figure this is a good move, which retains flexibility to cut him if needed. Amateur Draft Report: Rnd 1 - Deron Kirk, LB, Portland State Rnd 2 - Wally Bruce, CB, Western State I hit the target areas with my draft picks, getting two very solid guys (I considered CB Bruce with my first pick). They are very expensive to sign—I’m not sure that my 2nd round pick will sign (for 7yr) more cheaply than my 1st rounder—making me question the wisdom of using the 2nd round pick at all. As it turns out, this was a draft totally loaded with LB and CB talent, and I end up grabbing four more rookie CBs after the draft, completely replacing my entire group at that position. I move way up in quality, though obviously give up a lot in cohesion. I also find a decent second year QB sitting in the FA pile after the draft, and I sign him up for a seven year gig for about 2x minsal per year. I then pick up a DE who had 9 sacks his rookie season, but remains unclaimed—he is only seeking minsal, so he’s on board for a seven year stint, too. Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd QB Leland Idomir 11 17 2 2007 QB C.J. Jeffries 6 10 2 2008 QB Bert Cipa 4 5 3 2007 RB Alvin Johnson 15 16 2 2007 RB Albert Carver 8 9 3 2006 RB Jessie Cochrane 5 4 3 2006 FB Herb Stargell 7 8 3 2006 FB Ken Mathews 6 6 3 2006 TE Wesley McGregor 7 11 1 2008 TE Christian Austin 9 10 3 2006 WR Jermaine Lichtenberg 13 14 8 2007 WR Marcus Emmons 8 8 3 2006 WR Eddie Shapiro 6 8 2 2008 WR Ted Drury 6 8 4 2006 WR Omar Adams 6 6 3 2006 WR Dexter Whitfield 7 6 3 2006 C Ed Daniels 6 9 3 2007 C Clifton Warren 6 7 4 2006 G David Diaz 9 12 3 2007 G Andrew Farrow 7 9 3 2007 G Tyrus Hewitt 5 4 3 2006 G Winston Boyer 4 3 3 2006 T Lenny Webster 7 9 2 2008 T George Barker 7 8 3 2007 T Charlie Albright 4 4 3 2006 P Erik Borders 10 10 3 2006 K Bernard Temmer 16 16 3 2006 DE T.J. Stewart 20 20 3 2006 DE Mitchell Holliday 6 8 3 2007 DE Marcus Breckterfield 4 7 2 2008 DE Kenny Van Cleave 4 6 3 2006 DT Larry Ogden 8 9 3 2007 DT Monty Green 8 9 3 2007 DT Vinny Brock 4 7 3 2007 LB Adrian Rose 19 20 6 2008 LB Deron Kirk 11 17 1 2008 LB Nolan Mayes 9 10 3 2007 LB Glen McQuitty 6 9 1 2008 LB Dwight Foster 5 7 3 2006 LB Deion Mitchell 3 4 3 2006 CB Wally Bruce 10 15 1 2008 CB Lenny Herndon 8 15 1 2008 CB Matt Derlange 7 13 1 2008 CB Carlos Lindblad 5 11 1 2008 CB Ross Caldwell 8 9 1 2008 S Greg Barlow 7 8 3 2007 S Kenyon Vance 5 7 3 2006 S J.C. Murphy 7 7 3 2007 With this group, I have some of the needed talent to make my secondary more legitimate. The offense should be back in form, and hopefully we can withstand a QB injury better with Jefferies as the reserve. Our cohesion, in this post-primered environment, is at 77-76-73-67, which places me in the bottom third in each category, and close to the very bottom in passing and secondary (of course). This year, I’ll hope to replicate the 9 wins from last season (which I think was a bit of a fluke), and we’ll hope for a postseason bid… and a breakout year from QB Idomir. |
10-30-2000, 08:47 AM | #8 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2002 season
We manage to pull together a solid season once again, despite needing to patch for an unholy number of injuries. Our Browns lose RB Johnson for about half the season, and we have ten starters out with injuries by midseason. Fortunately, we get a bit healthier late in the year, as we win our last three to go 10-6, and get a home game in the wild card round. Stat leaders: QB Leland Idomir: 2,945 yds, 58.3%, 6.92 ypa, 19/11, 83.6 RB Albert Carver: 142-689, 8 TD (4.8 ypc) RB Alvin Johnson: 167-648, 2 TD (3.8 ypc) – played hurt part of the year WR Jermaine Lichtenberg: 71-848, 5 TD LB Adrian Rose: 99 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 int LB Deron Kirk: 98 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 int DE T.J. Stewart: 22 sacks CB Wally Bruce: 46 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 7 int, 2 TD Overall stats (off/def/avg) Rushing: 4.0/3.7/3.8 Passing: 6.7/6.1/6.6 Every stat is on the right side of average, which is what I want to see in my teams. I think we’re a solid club—though I wonder about our postseason chances this year. QB Idomir is questionable with a bum knee, my top RB Johnson is only up to probable, and my already thin defense is even more so with their injuries at every position. We’ll hope for a win over Pitt, but I don’t see us stretching out multiple wins this year. |
10-30-2000, 08:47 AM | #9 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2002 postseason
Hosting Pittsburgh, I have serious fears about our offense. The Steelers are tough defensively, and we look very wounded on offense—I fear we won’t be able to score a lot. We may need big plays to get this one. My fears are realized, as we are unable to mount an offensive threat until the early second quarter, and a missed FG leaves us blank. Fortunately, our defense is also holding them completely in check, and it’s an unusual scoreless tie at the half. In the early third, Pittsburgh storms down for a chipshot FG and takes the lead 3-0. At this rate, that could hold up the whole game—but I think they’ll be able to score again. On their next drive they do, and they lead after three quarters by 10-0. I don’t like my chances at all here. My QB Idomir was forced out of the game with an aggravated knee injury, and my running game cannot carry the day it is clear. Pitt puts up one more insurance FG, and takes home the win with a 13-0 final tally. My offense failed me—RB Johnson carried 18 times for only 36 yards, and each QB had two picks. Overall, we need to step it up on attack if we’re going to make the next level. Being healthier at the end of the year will help, too. Pittsburgh actually makes it to the Bowl, only to lose to Atlanta. My DE T.J. Stewart is named to the first team, along with rookie CB Wally Bruce (who misses out on DROY to a second-round LB). Denver’s RB Bryce Weikel has another huge year—1,573 yards—to claim 1st team RB and OPOY again. My guy will need to stay healthy and step up to compete with Weikel down the road. |
10-30-2000, 10:32 AM | #10 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2003 preseason
I once again have no turnover on my roster—48 signed players all back for another turn. I have $6.8m in room under the $91.2m salary cap. With a few rookie coming in to replace older players, I ought to have room for one expensive addition this year. I also have two expensive players signed to bonus-free contracts, giving me some flexibility that I (regrettably) don’t have with everyone. I decide to make a switch at head coach, bringing in a younger man with better on-field ratings. Jimmy Foley’s downsides are in LB, young talent, and avoiding injury—but he’s strong elsewhere, and he’s fairly cheap. I lose a FB and a C in the expansion draft—both should be replaceable. In free agency, I have no cash to go after any expensive players, so I focus on cheapies. I find fill-in players at C, G, T, and safety, all for minsal. When I put up a real contract offer for an aging safety, I’m told that I’m too close to my salary cap, and cannot afford the deal. I end up cutting a couple middle-value players (at S and LB) to free up cap room, and I also prune away a few 3rd and 4th year players to make room for new rookies. No major signings, but I do make a few moves to keep things optimized. Looking at the draft, I have the good fortune to hold the #3 pick from my trade with Carolina last year, which will ensure my grabbing a top player here. I also have my own at #26, which I figure to be worthless to me. I decide to trade it away, along with the rest of my picks, and just get one player from this draft. (As an experiment, I take one pick in the late third round, to see how pricey he would be to sign for 7 years) Amateur Draft Report: Rnd 1 - Stanley Stuber, WR, Indiana Rnd 3 - Adam Shannon, C, Southern Mississippi The receiver is just what I needed. The center will not sign a 7yr deal for less than $6m a year—which is well beyond what I can afford. So, he’ll just be let go. Following camp, I pick up a nice rookie WR who was let free… he takes a deal slightly over minsal, and should slot nicely as my #3 wideout. Here is the roster in money terms—you can se how all the money goes to a handful of stars, while everyone else gets table scraps… Name # Pos OnTm Ctrc Exp Stat Cap Cost Idomir, Leland 6 QB 2001 2007 3 ----- $6,260,000 Jeffries, C.J. 13 QB 2002 2008 3 ----- $1,100,000 Madison, Max 1 QB 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Johnson, Alvin 24 RB 2001 2007 3 ----- $6,360,000 Carver, Albert 46 RB 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 Ackerman, Brandon 47 RB 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Stargell, Herb 45 FB 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 Austin, Christian 88 TE 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 McGregor, Wesley + 89 TE 2002 2008 2 ----- $420,000 Lichtenberg, Jermaine 81 WR 2001 2007 9 ----- $10,000,000 Stuber, Stanley 87 WR 2003 2009 R ----- $8,000,000 Gougeon, Jimmie 84 WR 2003 2009 R ----- $730,000 Emmons, Marcus 85 WR 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 Adams, Omar 83 WR 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 Shapiro, Eddie + 80 WR 2002 2008 3 ----- $650,000 Daniels, Ed 50 C 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Doolittle, Shawn 68 C 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Diaz, David 61 G 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Farrow, Andrew 64 G 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Bonnell, Devin 69 G 2003 2009 2 ----- $480,000 Francis, Mickey 60 G 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Barker, George 66 T 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Webster, Lenny 65 T 2002 2008 3 ----- $550,000 Duncan, John 67 T 2003 2009 2 ----- $480,000 Coghill, Roderick 70 T 2003 2009 2 ----- $420,000 Borders, Erik 17 P 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 Temmer, Bernard 16 K 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 Stewart, T.J. 97 DE 2000 2006 4 ----- $6,500,000 Holliday, Mitchell 93 DE 2001 2007 4 ----- $1,650,000 Breckterfield, Marcus 99 DE 2002 2008 3 ----- $540,000 Chatas, C.J. 94 DE 2003 2009 2 ----- $480,000 Ogden, Larry 90 DT 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Brock, Vinny 79 DT 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Green, Monty 91 DT 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Rose, Adrian 59 LB 2002 2008 7 ----- $10,000,000 Kirk, Deron 95 LB 2002 2008 2 ----- $7,000,000 McQuitty, Glen + 92 LB 2002 2008 2 ----- $420,000 Bissel, Roy 55 LB 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Sims, Barry 53 LB 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 McDaniel, Warren 98 LB 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Heemskerk, Joe 52 LB 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Ackerman, Dale 51 LB 2003 2009 1 ----- $290,000 Bruce, Wally 49 CB 2002 2008 2 ----- $7,000,000 Herndon, Lenny 34 CB 2002 2008 2 ----- $450,000 Caldwell, Ross 35 CB 2002 2008 2 ----- $420,000 Lindblad, Carlos 37 CB 2002 2008 2 ----- $420,000 Derlange, Matt 33 CB 2002 2008 2 ----- $420,000 Vance, Kenyon 48 S 2000 2006 4 ----- $680,000 Murphy, J.C. 32 S 2001 2007 4 ----- $680,000 Liakos, Ronnie 21 S 2003 2009 2 ----- $430,000 And here is the roster in the scout’s eyes—judging their talent: Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd QB Leland Idomir 17 20 3 2007 QB C.J. Jeffries 8 13 3 2008 QB Max Madison 2 7 1 2009 RB Alvin Johnson 16 18 3 2007 RB Albert Carver 8 8 4 2006 RB Brandon Ackerman 7 6 1 2009 FB Herb Stargell 7 6 4 2006 TE Wesley McGregor 9 13 2 2008 TE Christian Austin 9 9 4 2006 WR Stanley Stuber 12 14 1 2009 WR Jimmie Gougeon 8 12 1 2009 WR Jermaine Lichtenberg 12 11 9 2007 WR Omar Adams 6 8 4 2006 WR Marcus Emmons 7 7 4 2006 WR Eddie Shapiro 6 6 3 2008 C Shawn Doolittle 6 12 1 2009 C Ed Daniels 6 8 4 2007 G Mickey Francis 6 11 1 2009 G David Diaz 9 10 4 2007 G Devin Bonnell 6 7 2 2009 G Andrew Farrow 6 4 4 2007 T John Duncan 7 9 2 2009 T George Barker 7 8 4 2007 T Roderick Coghill 6 7 2 2009 T Lenny Webster 7 6 3 2008 P Erik Borders 9 9 4 2006 K Bernard Temmer 16 17 4 2006 DE T.J. Stewart 19 20 4 2006 DE C.J. Chatas 5 9 2 2009 DE Mitchell Holliday 8 8 4 2007 DE Marcus Breckterfield 6 7 3 2008 DT Monty Green 9 8 4 2007 DT Larry Ogden 7 8 4 2007 DT Vinny Brock 5 7 4 2007 LB Deron Kirk 13 20 2 2008 LB Adrian Rose 20 19 7 2008 LB Roy Bissel 6 12 1 2009 LB Joe Heemskerk 5 11 1 2009 LB Glen McQuitty 6 10 2 2008 LB Warren McDaniel 6 10 1 2009 LB Barry Sims 5 8 1 2009 LB Dale Ackerman 5 7 1 2009 CB Wally Bruce 15 18 2 2008 CB Lenny Herndon 11 16 2 2008 CB Matt Derlange 9 13 2 2008 CB Ross Caldwell 7 11 2 2008 CB Carlos Lindblad 6 8 2 2008 S Ronnie Liakos 5 8 2 2009 S Kenyon Vance 5 7 4 2006 S J.C. Murphy 7 7 4 2007 I’ve got some quality players now, and have all but filled in the salary cap. Some of my rookies will have some salary escalation, which will occupy the remaining $5.8m in room expected for next year. After this year, I suspect my strategy will be to tread water with my roster, and hope to build up my depth with “finds.” My one move may be to let go of LB Adrian Rose, after this year’s bumper crop of solid rookies will probably make my okay there even without his superior skills. If I can recycle that money into getting a star safety, I’ll be the better for it, I suspect. This season, we’re hoping to get back into the playoffs, hopefully in better shape than last year. I think we have the pieces in place for a step forward on offense, and hopefully the defense will continue to gel. We want 10 wins and a spot in the AFC title game. [This message has been edited by QuikSand (edited 10-30-2000).] |
10-30-2000, 10:32 AM | #11 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
|
2003 season
The season was a strange one—we run the table in the preseason, then come out of the gate completely flat, dropping to 0-3 before we know it. There’s no obvious “fix” to be made, and we continue our early-season floundering to go to 2-5 before getting back on track. Our late season was solid, but we end up only 8-8, missing the playoffs by one game. Stat leaders: QB Leland Idomir: 2,879 yds, 54.6%, 6.75 ypa, 12/14, 71.4 RB Alvin Johnson: 302-1,216 yds, 10 TD; 31 rec-276 yds, 1 TD WR Jermaine Lichtenberg: 72-787, 0 TD (!) WR Stanley Stuber: 38-562, 4 TD LB Adrian Rose: 125 tackles LB Deron Kirk: 103 tackles DE T.J. Stewart: 13 sacks S Ronnie Liakos: 5 int, 1 TD Overall stats (off/def/avg): Rushing: 3.9/4.0/4.0 Passing: 6.6/6.6/6.8 We simply regressed overall, tough to say exactly why. Idomir’s TD/Int ratio didn’t help, though the offense simply wan’t too productive overall. We regressed to being a nearly flawlessly average team in every statistic. 8-8 is what we earned on balance—though we ended up stronger than that down the stretch. Tough season—especially when I have such a short time with these players. Pittsburgh, our division winners, get their ring this year, winning the bowl over Philly. My all-star reps are first team for my kicker (38-for-42 FGs) and second team for LB Rose. Denver’s RB Weikel has a 1,310 yard season—a step down from his lofty totals his first two years, but still better than my guy. Denver also tumbles to 7-9. |
10-30-2000, 12:14 PM | #12 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2004 preseason
I start off the new season in familiar territory—all my players return, and I’m already close to the salary cap. I have 50 players signed, and only about $5m in cap room. I have a dilemma here—I lack the cap room necessary to sign any free agents—since the CPU is telling me that I need $7m in room for my rookies. I address this by moving up in the draft to the #1 overall pick, and dealing away all my other picks in this year’s draft. Amateur Draft Report: Rnd 1 - Pat Oskolkoff, S, Texas Tech I trade down to #10, and still get my top overall player, a stud safety. I may have also found something out—the player drafted at #10 still demands a 6-year salary. This seems to make bumping him up to 7 years not too difficult. I end up signing my guy for a contract that goes from only $2m to $5m over its duration—a steal for this challenge. It may be the draft location, or the fact that he’s a safety—but either way, I’ve gotten him more cheaply than I might have imagined. I try in vain to secure a really good WR available after camp, but he won’t come for less than about $7m a year—and I eventually piss him so much off so he refuses to even talk (first time that’s happened to me). I settle for what I have—and $3.5m in cap room. Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd QB Leland Idomir 17 18 4 2007 QB C.J. Jeffries 7 12 4 2008 QB Max Madison 5 8 2 2009 RB Alvin Johnson 16 15 4 2007 RB Brandon Ackerman 7 9 2 2009 RB Albert Carver 7 6 5 2006 FB Herb Stargell 7 8 5 2006 FB Brenden McKeehan 6 8 1 2010 TE Christian Austin 9 9 5 2006 TE Wesley McGregor 7 9 3 2008 WR Stanley Stuber 13 15 2 2009 WR Jermaine Lichtenberg 12 11 10 2007 WR Jimmie Gougeon 9 10 2 2009 WR Marcus Emmons 7 7 5 2006 WR Eddie Shapiro 6 7 4 2008 WR Omar Adams 6 6 5 2006 C Shawn Doolittle 9 11 2 2009 C Ed Daniels 4 4 5 2007 G David Diaz 11 12 5 2007 G Mickey Francis 7 9 2 2009 G Bart DiCaprio 6 8 2 2010 G Jackie Blackwell 6 7 2 2010 T George Barker 5 7 5 2007 T Roderick Coghill 7 7 3 2009 T John Duncan 6 7 3 2009 T Lenny Webster 7 7 4 2008 P Erik Borders 9 10 5 2006 K Bernard Temmer 16 16 5 2006 DE T.J. Stewart 19 19 5 2006 DE C.J. Chatas 6 10 3 2009 DE Marcus Breckterfield 6 7 4 2008 DE Mitchell Holliday 7 6 5 2007 DT Percy Michi 6 13 2 2010 DT Monty Green 8 8 5 2007 DT Larry Ogden 7 7 5 2007 LB Adrian Rose 18 19 8 2008 LB Deron Kirk 14 17 3 2008 LB Billy Fuller 7 15 1 2010 LB Glen McQuitty 7 14 3 2008 LB Barry Sims 6 12 2 2009 LB Joe Heemskerk 6 12 2 2009 LB Roy Bissel 6 11 2 2009 LB Warren McDaniel 6 9 2 2009 CB Wally Bruce 17 17 3 2008 CB Lenny Herndon 13 13 3 2008 CB Matt Derlange 9 13 3 2008 CB Ross Caldwell 8 9 3 2008 CB Carlos Lindblad 6 8 3 2008 S Pat Oskolkoff 11 16 1 2010 S Ronnie Liakos 5 8 3 2009 S J.C. Murphy 8 6 5 2007 S Omar Heimburger 4 6 2 2010 This year, we’ll hope to rebound like last year never happened. I want to beat out Pittsburgh for the division title, and I want to win in the playoffs. I doubt we’re title-ready, but I think we ought to be in the bigger hunt—among the top 5-8 teams or so. Goal: 11 wins and a playoff victory. [This message has been edited by QuikSand (edited 10-30-2000).] |
10-30-2000, 01:27 PM | #13 |
lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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2004 season
When my team was “bad” they seemed to jump out to a good start. Now that the team looks “good” to me, they can’t win early to save their lives. We drop all our exhibition games, and then proceed to lose five straight to open the season. Once we were practically out of any contention, we then started to play better—finishing at 7-9, but obviously missing the playoffs. A disappointing season, needless to say. Stat leaders: QB Leland Idomir: 3,638 yards, 55.7%, 7.80 ypa, 24/16, 83.9 – he wasn’t really the problem RB Alvin Johnson: 335-1,312 yards, 20 TD (3.8 ypc) – great TD total, markedly better offense WR Stanley Stuber: 70-1,026, 8 TD – blossomed into solid starting split end WR Jimmy Gougeon: 45-815, 8 TD – great production from free agent castoff KR Omar Adams: 38-1,078 (28.3 avg), 2 TD LB Deron Kirk: 123 tackles, 1 sack, 1 int DE T.J. Stewart: 18 sacks CB Matt Derlange: 5 int Overall stats (off/def/avg): Rushing: 3.8/3.3/3.9 Passing: 7.8/8.1/6.9 The big move was obvious—our pass defense dropped off quite a lot this year. My star CB Wally Bruce went down in the first game with a season-ending injury, which certainly contributed to the problems. New additions at safety disrupted cohesion, and we gave up big stuff through the air—our defense was first vs. the run, and last vs. the pass. Everyone knew what to do against us. RB Alvin Johnson and LB Deron Kirk both make second team honors. Johnson finally outgained Denver’s Weikel, who came up lame with an injury and tallied only 889 yards this season. Not exactly an even matchup. Cincinnati ascended to take the AFC Central, but Detroit wins it all, beating New England in the bowl game. |
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