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01-21-2001, 06:45 PM
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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Arrest Trent Dilfer Bucs, 2008-2012
I'll continue the story of these Buccaneers in this here thread. The basic idea of this challenge is to see how well an FOF team can do without an estabished quality QB. The basic rules are:
Quarterbacks: No drafting of QBs in the first two rounds, ever. Any QB on my roster who makes the Pro Bowl, has a QB rating of at least 90 in a full season (at least 12 games started), or finishes with a QB rating in the top 5 in the final year of his contract will not be re-signed. Free Agents: I may pursue any of my free agents. I may pursue one free agent at a time from other teams, as long as they didn't appear in a Pro Bowl. The QB exception above applies in all cases. Contracts: For UFAs, no back-loading, max increase of 25% per year. Length of contract must be within one year of that requested. If offered, bonus must be at least the median salary. No haggling with my RFAs. No renegotiating contracts at any time. Franchise Tag: Won't be used. Local schools: When feasible, will emphasize signing local talent. I know I've been a bad boy in recent years with this, I'll try to do better. Head coach, scout: May only make a change when a contract expires. Length of contract must be within one year of that requested. Ticket Prices: May only increase after a playoff appearance. Based on local economic growth and playoff success. Notre Dame: No players from Notre Dame allowed, ever. This team started with an allocation draft, minimizing QB, maximizing K. Those players are long gone, and no real-life player will ever appear on my roster. We finally made the playoffs in 2006, and won a playoff game in 2007, though we're not profitable and not very valuable at this point. Just for laughs, here's my GM preformance:
Onward ho!
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-21-2001, 07:27 PM
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2008 Pre-Draft
Our franchise value jumped to 20th, helped by the roster rating of 100. We lost about $15m last season, which is about half as much as I lost in 2006. Not being very active in free agency caused me to save about $18m of bonus money. Our coach's contract has expired. Johnny Strickland is 45, has taken us to the playoffs in the last two seasons, and is asking for $2.27m per for the next 3 seasons. I suspect he'll attract some attention, and I offer him $2.7m per for 4 years. If he takes it, fine, If not, I'll have to spend nearly as much to get a decent coach, anyway. I'm the only one who's made an offer to him in stage 1, but I'm fearful to lower my offer, as there are a couple of teams who have had their coach hired away. Strickland re-signs in stage 2, meaning I've probably pissed away about $3m per year in coaching salaries. Even so, Strickland is the third lowest paid coach in the league. Since we made the playoffs, but not the Super Bowl, we can raise ticket prices for luxury boxes and club seats by 2%, and other prices by 1%. Normally the increases would be a function of the rate of local economic growth, but since the Tampa economy is contracting, I use a minimum of 1%. Anyway, luxury boxes go up $2000, and club seats go up $100. Our fan loyalty is still a big fat zero. Here's our roster going into stage 1 of free agency:
Not much room to work with. I absolutely must re-sign Roderick Delgado. No price is too high for him; he's my offense, and he's the most popular player on the roster. I'll make an effort to sign Clifton Jamison, although I'll probably be spending more than he's worth to keep the Gator alum playing with us. I can't see paying Dustin Gooden what he'll be demanding; he doesn't seem to be the same after his Achilles injury. TE Clifton Prewitt will also probably be too expensive, and the other UFAs won't be missed. I also don't have any RFAs of note to worry about. The cap situation isn't quite as dire as portrayed above. Tyrus Hodges and Wes Wolf are in the final year of their doubling contracts. Hodges will be cut, Wolf might, but he's also a Gator. In addition, Freddie Wickham is demanding a trade, so his wish will be granted. Oops, missed a house rule. I can't initiate a trade, unless a player is demanding one. CPU offered trades must pass the QuikSand Reality Test before being accepted. I can also cut C Vernon Howard, as he's no longer the starter. However, he was a Pro Bowler in 2006, and I'll hope for a trade offer. I do get a trade offer for a C, but it's a fourth round pick for Bruce Darnell. No thanks. Freddie Wickham gets sent to the Eagles for a fourth round pick, and Tyrus Hodges is cut immediately, freeing up about $6m of cap room. I start out by offering Delgado a 4 year deal woth $40m. I hold off making an offer to Jamison, as there are some other guards that I hope will attract attention. Delgado received a slew of offers, with the Saints $41.93m being the highest. I increase my bid to $42.4m in stage 2. No one has gone higher, though Delgado's still mulling things over. In the meantime, Dustin Gooden jumps at a $5.4m offer to spend a year in Denver, and he departs in stage 3. Clifton Jamison is still forlornly waiting by his mailbox. Delgado re-signs with us in stage 4, a huge relief. In stage 5 I offer Jamison $15.6m for 3 years, probably too much, but I don't have enough Floridians on the roster as it is. In stage 8, Jamison signs with us, and Clifton Prewitt gets a $13.3m/3 yr offer from the Rams. What are you thinking about? Take it, before they run out of cap room! Too late; the Rams bust in stage 9. At this point, I only have $2.3m to play with, after budgeting for signing my draft picks. I consider waiting until the late stages to sign a decent LB, but I have a couple of promising young ones on my roster, so I don't go that route. Instead, I sign a second-year DT from Florida A & M to $3.3m for 2 years. Once again, I pay a premium for a local product. Going into the draft, I have 41 players signed, and am $6.1m under the cap. I'll have to do some post-draft cutting to get to 53 players, as the only trade offer I get is Victor Green and a 7th round pick for 5-time All Pro FB Reuben Bryant. That's the first trade that actually motivated me to hit the delete button. [This message has been edited by Vaj (edited 01-21-2001).]
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-22-2001, 08:29 PM
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#3 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2008 Draft and Training Camp
We'll be looking particularly for DEs, WRs, CBs, and TEs in this draft. With pick #28, we don't expect to get an impact player, but one can always hope. When our first pick arrives, I have a quandry. Most of the prime DEs are gone, and, beyond the top two or three, there's a pretty severe drop. There's also an extremely good-looking WR who's fairly far down on the consensus board. Since there are other acceptable alternatives at WR, I take the DE, and hope the WR will still be around for me in round 2.
What an ugly draft! The Dolphins took WR Johnny Burke at #26 of round 2, and my scout didn't find much of value after that. I took the opportunity to fill up on local products. I cut C Howard, and can't agree to terms with TE Prewitt. As long as I have Reuben Bryant, TE doesn't seem to be a critical position in my offense. I also cut unhappy backup FB Tom Velez, and bring on two rookies to duke it out for that spot on the roster.
We'll be keeping an eye on WR Bobby Kerr, eagerly awaiting a breakout from him. Actually, I'll take a breakout from anybody; I can't recall having one.
Well, the good news is that Parker maintained his future ratings. The bad news is just about everywhere else. Kerr's ratings didn't budge, which makes him a bonafide camp success compared to local selections Lane and Tate. This is the final straw -- I'll be bringing a new scout on board next year.
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-22-2001, 10:29 PM
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#4 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2008 Season
Once again, we start with a 100 roster rating, although Minnesota appears to be a threat with an 83. In what must be a first for me, we don't have a single injury during the pre-season. We start the regular season with a last second loss in San Fran, 23-20, as we lose S Norton to elbow surgery, and CB Phillips to a bruised ribcage. SF QB Chad Pennington takes advantage to get OPOW. Detroit comes into our place and wins 19-3, as our former RB Kirk Carter embarrasses us by running for 117. Bob Kozhin was knocked out by a concussion, and backup Rodney Bronson was ineffective. Kozhin starts our next game against the Chargers, but gets his bell rung again. The Chargers returned 2 INTs for TDs, beating us 35-24 -- our second straight home loss. Kozhin is now questionable, but at 0-3 he'll start in Kansas City ... and get clobbered again. We lose 7-3, are 0-4, and have to go with our backup for a stretch. We now travel to Chicago, tie it up late at 17, then, with :32 left in OT, for some reason we try a 71 yard FG, which is predictably missed. The Bears take advantage, and kick a 42 yarder as time expires. We mercifully have our bye, but lost to the Giants 14-10 as another of Bronson's picks is returned for a TD. We finally get a win, 23-7 over hapless Green Bay. Rodney Bronson sustains a hip pointer, so we're down to third string QB Walt Ackerman. We get pummelled 48-7 in Detroit, but win our next two behind Ackerman. Bronson is fully recovered from his hip pointer, and throws 6 interceptions in a 27-21 loss to Chicago. Kozhin is now cleared for duty, and Bronson is declared inactive. We go 2-3 in our last 5 to finish the year a horrific 5-11.
New England beat New Orleans 24-14 in the Bowl, as Frankie Sawyer threw for 300 yards, and Super Bowl MVP Riddick Parker had 3 sacks. Team stats: QB Bob Kozhin: 77.6 rating (7 TDs, 7 INTs, 14 sacks, 58.7% complete, 7.02 ypa) "QB" Rodney Bronson: 39.5 rating (4 TDs, 14 INTs, 12 sacks, 46.7%, 5.51 ypa) QB Walt Ackerman: 52.3 QB rating (4 TDs, 9 INTs, 7 sacks, 54.6%, 7.11 ypa) RB Roderick Delgado: 217 rushes, 1162 yards (5.3 ypc), 8 TDs; 37 catches for 384 yards WR Luther Falls: 59-895-7 (10 drops) WR Keith Addison: 62-847-4 (10 drops) WR Bobby Kerr: 43-579-4 (3 drops) CB Winfred Phillips: 39.5 PDQ, 5 INTs, 2 TDs, 7 passes defended CB Van Benson: 37.8 PDQ, 5 INTs, 5 passes defended S Andrew Stokes: 42.3 PDQ, 7 INTs, 2 TDs, 6 passes defended, 14 GS Team stats (Off/Def/NFL): Yards/rush: 4.0/3.6/3.6 Yards/pass: 6.4/5.8/6.7 Delgado, G Clifton Jamison(?), and Winfred Phillips all made second team Pro Bowl. Reuben Bryant missed 4 games with a hip pointer, and, for the first time since 2002, did not play in the Pro Bowl. I really feel I had the pieces in place to make a run this year. However, the one limitation of my team became painfully apparent this year: lack of depth at QB. Interceptions killed us. While there may be some hope yet for Walt Ackerman, we now know that Rodney Bronson won't be allowed to hold a clipboard for us ever again. [This message has been edited by Vaj (edited 01-23-2001).]
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-24-2001, 08:34 PM
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#5 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2009 Pre-Draft
Our franchise value has dipped to 33rd out of 34, and we lost a cool $41 mil last year, as our revenue dropped $10m. An ugly year all around. Our first order of business is finding a new scout. Bo Bradley's contract is mercifully up, and, although he's not asking for a raise, there are several decent enough replacements available. I sit out stage one, then I offer a prospective replacement $240k per year, while he was asking for $260k. As he received no other offers, he grudgingly signs on for 3 years. Daniel Ferris, also 53, has ratings of G/G?F/EX/G/VG/G/F/G, and is the second lowest paid scout in the league. If there's any time to have a lousy draft, it's just before an expansion year. I'll have no difficulty finding five stiffs to expose to the Fresno Forty-Ones and the Raleigh Hog Lagoons. Fresno takes T Kenyon Cady off of my hands; no other Bucs are taken in the expansion draft. Here's my dire situation going into free agency:
Although I have plenty of cap room at first glance, I only have 29 players under contract, and some major players in free agency. I decide to aggreesively pursue Jimmy Fitzgerald and Winfred Phillips, and attempt to sign one of my UFA WRs. I won't be able to afford G Moore or LB Hollier. As far as my RFAs, I'll try to sign C Bruce Darnell and one of my starting DTs, Wes MacLeod or Tommie Abreu. I immediately cut QB imposter Bronson and S Hook, clearing $4.3m of cap space. I start free agency by offering Fitzgerald a flat $14.4m for 3 years, and Phillips a flat $28.8m for 3 years. I don't bid on WR Falls or Addison -- I'll focus on whoever is cheaper. Or available. Luther Falls immediately signs with Cleveland for $39m over 4 years; I now have to outbid Green Bay for Keith Addison ($25.6m/3yrs). I slightly bump up my offer to Phillips to $29.4m. In stage 3 I see myself being outbid for J-Fitz and Addison; I bump their offers up to $16.05m and $27m, respectively. Now I'm the high bidder for these 3, and they re-sign one by one, leaving me with a mere $23.5m in cap room. My anticipated draft cost is $9.1m, and I figure I'll need at least as much to secure my C and one DT, leaving me with precious little room to manuever. In stage 12 I pursue LB D.J. Ford, who sat out the 2008 season. He signs with us for $6.6m for 3 years, and will replace Russell Hollier, who signed an $8.8m deal with Denver for two years. I pick up a second-year G, LB, DT, and S in the latter stages of FA, cutting unhappy G Solik and the modestly talented LB Cockfield to make room. I'm beginning to sense that I overspent to retain the three free agents I managed to keep in the fold. I suspect it will be difficult to fit 53 players under the cap for training camp.
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-24-2001, 10:10 PM
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#6 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2009 Draft and Training Camp
We have the #3 pick, and needs at WR, TE, G, T, DE, DT, and S (as last year's starter Norton's abilities are uncertain after elbow surgery). Our scout is drooling over a S and a DT. Both would be great additions, but I suspect that one, if not both, will be around later in the round. I took the liberty of trading down to San Fran's #11 pick, netting a fifth rounder in the deal. Both these guys are still around at #11. Since I have RFAs at DT, and since there appears to be more talent available at DT, I opt for the safety, hopefully solidifying my secondary for a while.
As bad as last year's draft was, this year's seems to be as good. My scout had no trouble identifying talented rookies. Although I missed out on some talent at DT (a couple of 100 potential run stoppers) and WR (thought some would be around later than they actually were). I re-sign DT Tommie Abreu for $11.27m for the next two years, P Albert Horst, and backup FB Lonnie Guthrie. We cut some of Bo Bradley's bums we signed last year and actually go into training camp with these 55:
A breakout would always be appreciated, but I'd settle for my draftees to maintain their high ratings after camp ends.
S Will Bishop practically maintained his lofty ratings, and DT Seth Willis has upgraded future ratings of 100/72/54. The Godfrey twins didn't fare as well as I would have hoped, but if these were my biggest dropoffs, I'll take it, especcially with fifth round picks. We need a quick recovery from last year's debacle to restore the minimal fan support we've gotten the past couple of years. My hope is that the defense will be as solid as last year, and that my weakness at G and WR will be more than offset by having a healthy Bob Kozhin.
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-26-2001, 10:30 PM
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#7 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2009 Season
We don't have many pre-season injuries, but those we do have are of significance. G Clifton Jamison pulled a groin, and will miss the first 4-5 games of the year. QB Bob Kozhin has a sprained knee, and will start the year at slightly diminished strength. We begin the year with 5 straight divisional games. A good start is critical for us. We start be running all over Green Bay, 34-17. Roderick Delgado is OPOW with 214 yards on 19 carries, and we rush for 362 as a team. Kozhin aggravated his knee injury late in the fourth , and is listed as questionable for next week. No matter; we roll the Lions at home 27-6, getting 5 turnovers. We complete our homestand by beating Minnesota 23-3. Playing in Green Bay, we get 7 FGs in a 28-3 rout, and Kozhin has now fully recovered from his sprained knee. We complete our improbable divisional run by taking a 20-3 lead into the final minute before winning 20-16 in Chicago to go 5-0. The Colts hand us our first loss 17-14, as Chris Clairborne had 12 tackles, 4 assists, 2 sacks, and an interception. After the bye, we're 5-1, the Pack is 5-2, and the Bears are 4-3. We go into 5-1 St. Louis, and pull out a 16-14 win after a last minute FG. Next we march into Fresno, and suffer an embarrassing 24-20 loss. Our D gave up big TD plays of 51, 29, and 54 yards. The 6-3 Reskins scalp us in their house, 27-13, and we've fallen behind Green Bay in the division. We now host the 5-4 Bears in a big games for us. Bears 27, Bucs 12. Ouch. The Giants then come to town and keep us reeling, 24-6. Our DEs and DBs are now beset by nagging injuries after being remarkably healthy early in the year. We now go to 3-8 Minnesota and 3-8 Philadelphia before hosting 5-6 Raleigh. We need at least two of these, preferably all three. Bucs 12, Vikings 20, as we rush for 39 yards. Bucs 14, Eagles 24, as we rush for 61. At 6-7, we need to run out to have a shot at a wild card -- a far cry from when we were 6-1. We then fall behind the Hog Lagoons 27-0 in the third, trail 34-14 after 3, but explode in the fourth to actually lose a last minute lead at head into OT tied at 50. We win the crucial coin toss, an d Roderick Delgado breaks a 70 yard run for the wild 56-50 win. Next up is Detroit. Our offense folds up in the fourth, and the Lions tie to up at 10 with 1:22 left. In OT the Lions missed a FG, but we couldn't take advantage, and the Lions kicked a 55 yarder as overtime expired, ending our playoff hopes. Naturally, we beat the 11-4 Jets 28-24 to end our year a disappointing 8-8. Washington beat Baltimore 38-16 in the Bowl.
QB Bob Kozhin: 70.0 rating (16 TDs, 21 INTs, 39 sacks, 53.9% complete, 7.22 ypa) RB Roderick Delgado: 154-905 (5.8 ypc), 6 TDs; 27 catches for 339 yards, 1 TD FB Reuben Bryant: 134-654 (4.8 ypc), 7 TDs; 19 catches for 154 yards; 1st team All Pro WR Keith Addison: 59 catches, 1076 yards, 6 TDs, 10 drops WR Bobby Kerr: 60 catches, 845 yards, 4 TDs, 6 drops DE Alfred Nichols: 11 sacks, 5 hurries, 4 blocks DT Seth Willis: 56 tackles, 20 assists, 2.5 sacks LB Jamal Zhang: 102 tackles, 34 assists, 2 sacks S Will Bishop: 39.9 PDQ (3 Int, 12 passes defended, 13 GS) S Jimmy Fitzgerald: 41.3 PDQ (5 Int, 10 passes defended, 14 GS) Team stats (Off/Def/NFL): Yards/rush: 4.5/3.9/3.9 Yards/pass: 7.2/6.2/6.5 We were -3 in turnovers, adding to my suspicion that QB was the main problem. With Kozhin and Ackerman just having completed their contract years, I suspect I'll have new problem QBs next year.
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-27-2001, 08:16 AM
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#8 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2010 Pre-Draft
The financial outlook of the team is getting bleaker. We lost $52m last year, as we doubled our bonus payments over 2008. Our fast start apparently generated some interest, but we fizzled. Our franchise value is 31/34, equally dire, it would seem. Can't wait for those grumpy e-mails from the owner. Here's our roster, sorted by salary, headed into free agency:
Considering our starting QB is a free agent, we don't have that much cap room. I feel I must re-sign Reuben Bryant and Jamal Zhang. I would like to keep J.J. Hampton, but I'm not sure I'll be able to given that I'll need to sign a QB (Clarence McGregor hasn't thrown a regular season NFL pass yet). I expect Kozhin will be too expensive to have around. DE Allen Chambliss will be going on his way. He had a great 2007 for us, but was oft-injured the last two seasons. I'll just have to re-sign RFA DE Alfred Nichols. I'll probably make a run at a TE in FA; my two RFA aren't worth the inflated salaries they'll surely be seeking. Given the low increases in the salary cap (about 3.4%), I'm offering flat contracts to most free agents. In stage 1 I throw out $15m/3yrs to Zhang, $9.5m/3yrs to Bryant, and $10.8m/3 yrs to Green Bay TE Brad Wilt, an FSU alum. No movement in stage 2, though Wilt takes the Packers' lower offer to remain with them in stage 3. I am consoled by Reuben Bryant re-signing with us, though. I'm still the high bidder on Zhang, make that the only bidder on Zhang. I reduce my offer to $14.4m. J.J. Hampton's attracted some offers, though. Seeing the dearth of talent remaining at T, I offer $24m for 3 yrs, not the highest offer (the Saints are at $25.3m), but he is loyal, and I'm hoping that counts for something. Things are getting frantic in the front office, as I make an offer to Jets' backup QB J.T. Whitmire for $28.8m/3yrs. The Jets have offered $20.5m/2, but he is demanding a trade. My scout likes him, and I like his 95+ QB rating on 197 pass attempts. Turns out loyalty does count for something, as Hampton re-signs with us (yea!) and Whitmire re-signs with the Jets (boo!), whonm he will continue to demand a trade from (huh?). Bob Kozhin takes the hint in stage 6, and signs his first offer, a $26.2m, 2 year deal with the Titans. Zhang re-signs with us in stage 7. Though there are some quality free agents remaining, I can't afford any at this point. I'm keeping my eye on 2 guards, a QB, a LB, and a TE. The TE goes in stage 9, the LB in 11, though both Gs and the QB both dallied too long, and are now SOL. I wait until stage 19 before offering QB former Ram starter Blaine Blackburn a bargain basement $22.8m/3 year deal. He signs immediately. He should be a good fit for us, as he doesn't make many mistakes (34 picks in 48 GS), at the expense of not trying to do too much (35 TD passes). I conclude free agency by picking up a second-year TE who may be pressed into starting duty. Once again, I spend more than I anticipate. With 100 roster ratings the past 2 seasons, I can't help but feel like we're capable of getting a home playoff game every year, but, as long as we don't, the fans stay away, and we blow through money. I honestly don't know how long this can continue.
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-27-2001, 03:11 PM
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#9 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2010 Draft and Training Camp
We have the #20 pick , and immediate needs for an impact player at TE, G, T, and LB. We'll also be looking for quality players at DE, WR, and CB, positions where we're lacking in depth. Predictably, this is an absolutely horrid TE class -- my second year stage 20 acquisition will probably have to start by default. Ugh. There are some quality LBs and WRs, and a decent DE from Florida, but with apparent skills of a second-rounder, not worth a first round pick. I decide to go after a LB, as Zhang may be past his prime, and I have no heir apparent. Until now, hopefully.
We get no takers for our accident, so Brandon Walters gets cut. Sorry, kid. By re-signing Alfred Nichols, we'll have to make some cuts to make room for our trainees. The most significant cut is DT Tommie Abreu, as he plays a deep position for me, and two young players with room to grow. We offer a couple of doubling contracts this year, and head into camp with this assortment of talent:
Not having invested in red-liners, we'll be looking for our rookies not to be exposed as stiffs during camp. Any breakouts would be a bonus.
Our remaining draftees get survive camp without incident. URFA DE Tanner, who was inked to a four-year doubling deal, was a mild bust, and was cut. Again, our roster rating is 100 heading into the season. Of course, we were 13-19 over the last two years with that roster rating ... [This message has been edited by Vaj (edited 01-27-2001).]
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-28-2001, 02:20 PM
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#10 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2010 Season
Sam Norton is forced to undergo shoulder surgery before the season starts, and will miss the regular season. Other than that, we're reasonably healthy going into the real games. We start impressively, winning in Chi-Town 27-17, behind 160 yards rushing and 2 TDs from Roderick Delgado. We get late fourth quarter scoring drives of 65 and 54 yards to win 23-20 at Lambeau, with a 33 yard Keith Addison catch for the deciding score. We host the Vikings, and stomp them 34-18, helped considerably by Addison's 156 yards receiving. We lose to in-state rival Jacksonville before beating AFC champion Baltimore 16-7, holding them to 6 yards rushing. We suffer an embarrassing 17-9 in 1-4 Atlanta, before crushing the Bad News Bears 31-7. We're now 5-2, and no other team in the division has a winning record. We continue our win one, lose one string with a 16-10 defeat in Cleveland, as we only get 3 points out of 2 red zone visits. The offense is better in Philadelphia, but our D takes the week off, and we lose 31-24. Another mid-season stumble. After our week 10 bye we're 5-4, one game ahead of Minnesota and Green Bay. We need to step it up now. Our defenese returns to form against the Rams with a 12-0 whitewash, holding them to 5 rushing yards. Our D keeps up the good work in a home 20-17 win over the Lions, who got their only meaningful TD on a punt return. We falter in Minny, losing 30-17, and Reuben Bryant to a hip pointer. We now host the 6-6 Packers, and a loss here would leave us tied for first. We score on our four of our first five possessions, and roll to a huge 30-3 victory, leaving us one win away from the division title. It doesn't come in Detroit, as the Lions score the last 16 points in a 26-17 game. We decide to clinch in front of the home fans, beating the Bengals 20-6. Surprisingly, a win would give us the #2 seed, as the Forty-Ones are doing owner Tom Seaver proud, leading the West with a 9-6 record. I rest a couple of starters with minor injuries, and defending champion Washington beats us 13-10. However, Fresno also loses, and we back into the #2 seed, despite having the 4th best conference record.
QB Blaine Blackburn: 79.0 rating (17 TDs, 14 INTs, 37 sacks, 57.4% comp, 7.09 ypa). RB Roderick Delgado: 227-1316*, 5.7*ypc, 8 TDs; 31 catches for 423 yards and 2 TDs FB Reuben Bryant: 102 rushes for 360 yards, 2 TDs (12 G) WR Keith Addison: 57 catches, 803 yds, 7 TDs, 8 drops (15 G) WR Darrell Godfrey: 50-656, 3 TDs, 5 drops LB Jamal Zhang: 107 tackles, 35 assists, 1.5 sacks CB Van Benson: 38.1 PDQ (6 INTs, 6 passes defended) S Jimmy Fitzgerald: 49.6 PDQ (6 INTs, 13 passes defended, 15 G) S Will Bishop: 40.1 PDQ (4 INTs, 8 passes defended, 14 G) Team stats (Off/Def/NFL) Yards/rush: 4.5/3.6/3.8 Yards/pass: 7.0/5.9/6.7
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-28-2001, 03:31 PM
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#11 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2010 Playoffs
The Redskins beat the Cowboys, and get to make a return trip to Tampa Bay. Ian Horton, their QB, was player of the game against us, throwing for a clean 256 yards and a TD. We'll have to better against their passing attack this time. However, we'll be without T J.J. Hampton, who is out with a broken hand. We win the opening coin toss, and elect to receive. After returning the kickoff, we apparently changed our minds, and kicked off from the line of scrimmage. The crowd is baffled. Their first play is a pass good for 18 yards. Not a good sign. Their drive continues until we force a fumble, which we're unable to recover. That proves costly, as that Washington drive ended in our end zone, and we're down quickly 7-0. Our "first" drive ends in a quick punt, and things look bleak after they bust a 25 yard run up our gut to get to our 32. The next play was critical, as we knocked their QB Horton out of the game, and J-Fitz wrestled the wounded duck away from the receiver at our 16. We get a quick completion to Addison, then hit WR Bobby Kerr on a bomb down the sideline for 45 yards. Delgado then converted a key third down with a 4 yard run, and his 11 yard run two plays later tied us up. However, Reuben Bryant was injured on the extra point attempt that ended the first quarter. We hope to control their offense, now led by backup QB Warren Irwin, an 11 year vet who's a capable backup, but would make a marginal starter. Not surprisingly, they start with a run. Surprisingly, after converting a thord and 12, they passed on the remaining 5 plays of the drive, getting the TD on a swing pass to the RB on a 3rd down from our 1. After an exchange of punts, we get into enemy territory, before a wayward Blackburn pass gets intercepted at their 20 at the two-minute warning. We force them to punt, and Blackburn completes a 30 yard pass to their 37 with :05 left. Unfortunately, that was his last pass of the game, as he was injured. Our long FG was blocked, and we go to the locker room stunned, and down 7. We'll have to go the rest of the way with backup QB Chester McGregor, and suddenly they have the advantage at QB. We start the second half with an exchange of punts, but then they get another huge run up the middle, this time for 41 yards. Our defense stiffens after that, but they connect on the 42 yard FG, and we're down 10. We're able to run the ball more effectively this drive, and McGregor is able to complete two 3rd and 1 passes to move the chains. We get inside the Washington 30 before an INT kills the drive. On their second play from scrimmage, their RB runs left, finds nothing, and, trying to make a big play, backtracks. Our DE Parker kept containment, and separated the RB from the ball, which we recover on their 16. With the aid of a third down defensive holding penalty, we run the ball in, with Delgado getting the final three yards to cut our deficit to 3 with :40 left in the third. They covert on a thrid and 12 to keep their next drive going. They continue to throw, and J-Fitz reads the pattern perfectly, intercepting the pass at our 41, and returning it to their 34. We lose 8 yards on our 3 plays, and we punt it to their 13. They continue to call pass plays, and, on first down, Irwin gets sacked at his 3, and fumbles. LB Alfred Jacke scoops it up and runs it in for the go-ahead TD! We quickly force a punt. A sustained drive would be ideal here, but we go three and out instead, and a good return sets them up at our 46. Our defense gices up nothing again, and the punt sails into our end zone. On second and 10, McGregor completes a pass to their free safety, who runs it to our 11. 5:29 left to go. First down, sack. Second down, incomplete. Third down, sack. They kick a FG on 4th and 24, cutting our lead to 21-20 with 4:00 left. From our 15, Delgado breaks off a quick 13 yard run, then barely gets enough on a third and one to keep possession. 2:45 to go. Delgado gets another 18 on the next play, and Washington is now out of timeouts. At the two-minute warning, we have a second and 9 from their 43. We try a pass, good for 6 yards. Our replacement FB gets stuffed on third and 3, and we punt it to their 14 with :59 left. After an incompletion, they get a 15 yard completion, but are tackled inbounds. A good trade for me. The ball is next snapped with :30 left, and they get another pass over the middle, this time for 42 yards. Not a good trade. From our 29, they desperately line up for a FG, which they get off with 3 seconds left. From 46 yards, it's good. Washington 23, Tampa Bay 21. Our coaches are screaming -- their right end wasn't set for a full second! The game films back up our claim, but the call stands. The league sends us a letter, but instead of apologizing for the bad call, they mock us for kicking off from our own 14 instead of running a play. The defending champs lose in Arizona, but neither stood a chance against the juggernaught Steelers, who crush the Cards 34-14 to finish the year 18-1. Roderick Delgado and C Bruce Darnell were named to the All-Pro first-team, and Reuben Bryant and Van Benson made the second team.
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-29-2001, 11:39 AM
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#12 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2011 Pre-Draft
We still have the usual dire post-season financial news. Our franchise value is 27th, and that's with a roster rating of 100. We lost $43 mil last year, despite hoaving a hom e playoff game. We're going to have to stay a playoff caliber team to attract fans, and hope that our profitability will improve. As you can see, I'm going to have some difficult choices to make:
We have 37 players under contract, and we have to budget $5.74m for signing our draft choices. Somebody's got to go. I would like to re-sign Clifton Jamison, being one of the few locals I have. I'd like to re-sign K A.J. Jameson as well. Otherwise, I suspect I won't miss my other free agents that much. We hope for a good trade offer, but only get offered a 6th rounder for Reuben Bryant. No thanks. Looking over the free agent guards, there seem to be three or four who are more desirable financially as well as talent-wise. I start my game of chicken. One of the G's signs in stage 4, and I blink in stage 6: a flat $23m for 4 years blink. The highest offer for a G is $26.4m for 4 yrs, and I decide to move now. I needn't have worried: Jamison immediately re-signs. I then offer Charger P Freddie Rosenstiel $2.2m for 2 years, with no bonus. He jumps at my offer: Alfred Horst can get someone else to give him a bonus. I skip ahead to stage 19, and am shocked, SHOCKED, at some of the demands of my RFAs. Backup S Bo Baicy wants over $8m for 2 years. The noirve of him! At least K Hammond isn't demanding a bonus, but my second-year DT is. I decide to cut G Chuck Hartmann to clear cap space to sign a second-year DT for three years. I go through the in-box, and find I'm offered the Steeler's third round pick for DT Seth Willis. While Willis' contract expires after next season (along with 18 others -- bad planning), the 102nd pick doesn't seem like a fair trade to me. We proceed to the draft, mindful that an expensive salary or two will have to be cut afterwards.
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-29-2001, 02:18 PM
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#13 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2011 Draft and Training Camp
We'll pick 30th in each round. Not likely to get a stud here, but on can always hope. I absolutely need a starting TE, and otherwise could use depth at S (only have 2) and WR, DT, and CB (expiring contracts and possible post-draft cuts). For once, there's a deep crop at TE; I won't have to use my first-round pick on that position. I'm tempted to forego the above by the availability of three or four very good looking DEs. However, I have too many other holes to contend with, and go with a WR instead.
Now for the fun part. I'm very tempted to cut WR Keith Addison, as he's dropped 28 balls in the last three seasons, but this would leave me very young at WR. CB Winfred Phillips was also fitted for the guillotine, but, despite my scout's doubts about his man-to-man defense, he still had fewer passes caught against him than CB Van Benson. Instead, I opt to cut a number of lesser talented and paid folk instead: G Tracy Stephens, TE Rich Stacey, FB Lonnie Guthrie, CB Myron Godfrey, and DT Mitchell Little, the second year player I signed in free agency. We manage to bring 54 into camp:
We cross our fingers, and here's what my scout thinks about the squad emerging from camp:
We have no outright busts, although CB Carabello, RB Davis, and WR Fletcher don't appear to be as promising after camp. My other draftees, including WR Bednarik, pulled through fine. Oddly, this isn't readily apparent from the scout overview. We have a ton of contracts expiring after this season. I fear this may be our last chance to make some noise for a while.
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-31-2001, 07:30 PM
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#14 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2011 Season
Once again, we have a roster rating of 100. This year, I feel it's more deserved. Minnesota has the second-highest divisional rating of 47. The only serious pre-season injury is a broken arm suffered by our scrub CB and KR. No biggie. We start the year in Chicago, and backup FB Leroy Horton busts a 40 yarder for a TD on his first pro carry. We give up a 28 consecutive points, blowing a 24-3 lead. However, Addison ties it up was :46 left, and we recovered the ensuing muffed kickoff to set up our winning FG, and we escape with a 34-31 win. We next host Washington, and we won 13-6, as we out-gained them 2-1. Doesn't erase the hurt of last year's playoff loss, but it helps. Keith Addison's newly broken foot doesn't help, though. We come out flat in Denver, and lose 20-17. We're more alert for our next game, a 31-19 home win over the previously unbeaten Vikings. We're now tied with the Vikes and Bears at the top of the division. We destroy winless Green Bay 30-3, as Roderick Delgado rushed for 185 yards and 3 TDs. However, starting DT Seth Willis broke his wrist, and is out for a few. We then travel to Detroit, and get a late 47 yard TD pass to rookie Dustin Fletcher and convert the two-pointer to tie the game at 17. Unfortunately, our D gives up 43 yards on the next 3 plays, and they kick a FG at the gun to take it 20-17. The Lions pulled into a three-way tie with the Bears and us at 4-2, with the Vikes at 3-2. In a less dramatic rematch, we beat the Bears at home 24-21. We make up for it the following week, squandering a 28-13 lead in Seattle before going 80 yards in 60 seconds to pull out the 36-33 win (Blackburn to Kerr for the winning score). We're not dominating by any means, but we're 6-2 after our bye, tied with the Lions. The Vikes are 5-3, and the Bears are 5-4. The bye doesn't stop our momentum, as we take the Cards 20-14. We then have the dreaded road game against a winless team, and don't beat the spread. We needed a fourth quarter TD to eke out a 17-14 win, which put us 2 games clear of the division. In a wild game featuring 463 combined rushing yards, a last minute Bakersfield drive is stopped at midfield, and the home fans enjoy us running out the clock on a 28-27 win. We force 3 turnovers and committed none ourselves. We don't commit any TOs in Dallas either, but only get 4 first downs in a pitiful 16-3 loss. CB Winfred Phillips suffered a 3-5 deep thigh bruise, and Van Benson now has a mild concussion as we head into Minnesota. The Vikes, at 8-4, would tie us with a win. And win they do, 37-6. Our secondary got shredded for 426 passing yards. Desparately needing a home win against the 8-5 Lions, we rebound with a solid 20-9 win, with Joe Bednarik icing the game with a 4th quarter TD on a punt return. Our next game is another close road game against an inferior team. We trail 4-10 Fresno 17-14 after they score with 3:12 left. We get one quick first down, then lose the ball on downs at our 43 with 1:26 left. Our D holds, but the punt pins us at our 2 with :49 left and no timeouts. A 67 yard connection from Blackburn to Shane Fisk goes the distance, and with :09 left, we win it 21-17. Oddly, whether we take the division or not depends entirely on the Vikings week 17 game in Detroit. A win gives them the divisional title, based on a superior divisional record. A Viking loss gives us the divsion, based on a better conference record. Just for fun, we maul the Chargers 30-3 at home to conclude the year 12-4. We now await the result of the Viking/Lion game. The Lions won 24-17, and we get our second bye in a row, getting the top NFC seed.
QB Blaine Blackburn: 87.2 rating (19 TDs, 8 INTs, 30 sacks, 59.4% complete, 7.07 ypa) RB Roderick Delgado: 245-923-12 (3.7 ypc); 35-404-1 (11.5 ypr) WR Joe Bednarik: 50 catches for 662 yards, 0 TDs, 5 drops CB Van Benson: 42.8 PDW (6 INTs, 7 passes defended) S Will Bishop: 40.2 PDQ (8 INTs, 6 p's d'd) S Jimmy Fitzgerald: 39.0 PDQ (5 INTs, 9 pd) Team stats (Off/Def/NFL): Yards/rush: 3.9/4.3/3.8 Yards/pass: 7.0/6.9/6.8 Nothing special here at all. True, we did have a +17 turnover margin, but we were fortunate to pull a couple of games out very late. We were probably closer to a 10 win team than a 12, but we'll take the #1 seed and hope our run of good fortune continues in the playoffs.
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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01-31-2001, 09:19 PM
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#15 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2011 Playoffs
We wind up hosting Detroit in the divisional round. They primarily move the ball via the pass, which suits our secondary fine. We're both relatively healthy for this time of year; in fact, the Lions only have four injured players. We get a big break on the opening kickoff, recovering a fumble on the Lion 24. On our first play, we hand off to Reuben Bryant, who uncharacteristically fumbles it right back. Ouch. After an exchange of punts, the Lions put together three first downs, stall, and kick a 44 yard FG for a 3-0 lead. Our offense does nothing again, but the Lions fumble away the punt, and we take over at midfield. Four futile plays later, we punt again, downing the ball on their 5. They get two first downs to get out of the hole, but then stall. Late in the first, we finally move the ball, and a 20 yard completion to Addison get us to the Lion 11. We fizzle out on their 6, and settle for the chip shot FG to tie the game early in the second. We were then fighting a losing battle of field position before a Winfred Phillips pick bailed us out, and the half ended 3-3. We start the second half by moving the ball well, mixing it up effectively. We had a 2nd and 3 from the Detroit 16, but couldn't convert, and settled for another short FG and a 6-3 lead. We then exchanged punts, before Detroit completed a key 27 pass. We shiut them down on the following three plays, but they were already in FG range, and the 41 yard kick tied the score 6-6. We responded with a seven minute drive of our own, getting the game's first TD on a Blackburn to Kerr 8 yard strike. We're now up by 7 with 10:24 left. Detroit takes the short kickoff and returns it to their 45. They went three and out, but we were stuck on our 7. Backup RB Adrian Clinton fumbled a second down handoff, and Detroit recovered on our 4. They ran it in on the next play to tie the game at 13. We get a good return of our own, and start from our 42 with 7:24 left. Blackburn completes passes of 17, 12, and 12 yards to get us to the Lion 17. A Delgado run gets us to the 11, but Addison drops the second down pass. And the third down pass. In frustration, he kicked the ball out of bounds, getting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That pushed our chip shot FG back to a 43 yard attempt, which was short? WTF? Detroit takes over on their 33 with 3:05 left. At the 2 minute warning, they complete a pass to their 43. We give up a 9 yard run, but then get a second down sack. An encroachment penalty undoes that good work, and they convert the 3rd and 1, getting to our 42. A 15 yard completion gets them into FG range. Two runs lose 4 yards. With :20 left, they had a 3rd and 14 from our 31. Another running play, but this one got 13 yards. Their 35 yarder wasn't short, but good with :07 left, and we suffer another bitter playoff defeat, 16-13. This one really hurt, as this was probably the last year much of this group could be kept together. Our lone Pro Bowlers were Clifton Jamison and Will Bishop.
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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02-03-2001, 04:51 PM
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#16 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2012 Pre-Draft
Once again, we have another year of dire financial news. We have the 5th least valuable franchise in the league, and, despite being very quiet in last year's free agent market, we lost $23 mil. The profitability for this year will be undoubtedly worse. Our first bit of business is to sign a scout and coach. Our scout Ferris is asking for more than double his current salary; he'll be our former scout. Coach Jimmy Strickland, 49, has been coaching for us since the 2000 season. He's asking for an annual salary of $3.15m, which would be less than a 20% raise. He's rated at least good at every "game day" skill, although he does have some player development issues at QB, OL, and LB. We offer him $3.2m per for 4 seasons, which he accepts immediately. There are several acceptable cheap scouting options available. I make a 4 year offer of $250k per to Jeremy Dawson, 51. It's less than what he wants, but he reluctantly signs. Dawson has solid ratings of G/VG/VG/G/VG/F/VG/VG/G, especially considering he's the cheapest scout in the league. With Strickland being the fourth cheapest coach, I'm certainly not spending excessively on my front office staff. Here's our roster going into a critical free agency period:
We have a load of cap room to sign two loads of free agents. Among the UFAs, Roderick Delgado is clearly going to be the most expensive, and also the most essential player to keep, both for his on-the-field performance as well as his popularity. Three-fourths of my starting secondary also have expired contracts. Of those, S Jimmy Fitzgerald would be the least expensive to sign. I'll do what I can to keep his solid popularity and 63 career picks (the most from 2000-2011). I'll only be able to afford one starting CB. Van Benson seems to be the one, although if Winfred Phillips is significantly cheaper, I'll probably go after him. We also have 2 WRs testing the free agent waters. I'd prefer to keep Keith Addison, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford either Bobby Kerr or him. I have a couple of other marginal starters (C Darnell, LB Ford) and decent reserves who'll be asking for far more than I can justify paying. It gets better. Three-fourths of my starting DL and a starting G are RFAs. I'll have to re-sign DT Seth Willis -- he's been an effective starter for three years. DE Mario Williams is primarily a pass-rusher at a position where I have two alternatives in contract years; Williams is a borderline case. I doubt DT Patrick Carty and G Junior Croel will be back. In stage one I throw money around: $36m/3 yrs to Roderick Delgado, $31.2m/3 yrs to Van Benson, $15m/3 yrs to Jimmy Fitzgerald, and, just for kicks, $24m/4 yrs to Atlanta LB Preston Marshall, who racked up 303 tackles in his 64 starts (17.0 TkPct). Delgado and Benson sign immediately, much to my relief. J-Fitz has received a number of four year offers, but I have the highest offer per annum. I have the second-highest offer for LB Marshall, though I'm nowhere near Indy's $27.7m proposal. Not surprisgly, Marshall goes to the Colts in stage 3, as J-Fitz is mulling his options. Meanwhile, Winfred Phillips has received a Washington offer of $44.5m/4 yrs. I ignore Phillips and join the bidding on TE Aaron Durham ($11.4m/3 yrs), who my new scout feels is an outstanding receiver, and senses that the Rams have under-utilized him in their passing attack. By stage 5 Mr. Phillips goes to Washington, I bump up my offer to Durham to $12.1m (Indy's not going to outbid me again), and J-Fitz is still thinking. I try giving him $20m/4 yrs, but his agent wants more for a fourth season. I stick with my original bid, which J-Fitz accepts in stage 6. By stage 8 TE Durham is still thinking. I would like to have him as a primary receiving target, but he has a slew of offers. I decide to offer Keith Addison $19.8m/3 yrs. Addison signs with us in stage 9, and so does Durham. I missed C Bruce Darnell moving on, and WR Bobby Kerr and LB D.J. Ford find new homes as well. I stand pat until stage 17, and then I sign a second-year T, DT, LB, and another LB in the final four stages, having to give bonuses to the LBs. Before the draft, I re-sign DT Seth Willis for $21.08m/3 yrs. This late flurry leaves me with $16.8m of cap room and 36 players under contract. This free agency period could have been disasterous for me, but I seem to have avoided that fate. Hopefully I didn't get myself in cap trouble by signing both Addison and Durham.
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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02-03-2001, 06:15 PM
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#17 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2012 Draft and Training Camp
We're saddled with the 31st pick in each round; not much chance at finding an impact player. Immediate need positions include C, G, DT, LB, and CB, not to mention backup QB and RB. This is a particularly deep draft at C, some with the apparent skills to start now. I'll probably take one of these at #31 (perhaps a Gator). Harris Singleton, the Gator, goes at 19, and the best C in the eyes of my scout goes to Philly at #27. I'm faced with taking the last remaining C who projects to start now, or take a LB with a bright future, but who won't contribute much immediately. I opt to fill the immediate need.
There are certainly some iffy picks here. My cause wasn't helped by seeing about the worst QB crop in memory: the first QB wasn't taken until pick 33. I'm afraid the success of this draft will be determined by the progress of my first three picks; I don't harbor much hope for the latter round selections. We have enough room to re-sign DE Mario Williams for $20.4m/3 yrs, although we have to go with a rookie punter as a consequence. We go to camp, keeping a special eye on the progress of RB Roderick Clegg.
The moment of truth ...
No big rookie surprises, for good or ill. Stone's skills seem stable, Bettencourt is slightly off, and we think a little more of Clegg. This is QB Blaine Blackburn's last year with us. Although we don't appear to be as solid as last year's squad, we're still shooting for a home playoff game (or two). [This message has been edited by Vaj (edited 02-03-2001).]
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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02-03-2001, 09:22 PM
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#18 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2012 Season
For the first time in a while, we don't have the top roster rating -- the Eagles have that distinction. Our 75 is the next highest, and, apart from Green Bay(56), no one on our division is above 31. I was happy with our 1-3 pre-season, as the most severe injury was the pulled groin of rookie LB Salisbury. We start the year off right, with a 34-24 win over Detroit, as Van Benson got DPOW with 2 INTs and a very late INT return of a bomb that capped our 27 point 4th quarter. We escape from Arizona with a 21-17 win, although we were down to our third string QB. Blaine Blackburn appears fine, but backup Bo Hancock broke a leg, and is done for the year. We gice up 11 points in the last 2:36 against Raleigh to lose 27-24. As bad as that was, our loss was Minnesota was worse, as they started an undrafted rookie QB who threw for 274 yards and 2 TDs. Reuben Bryant also dislocated his elbow and is out indefinitely. We go to Green Bay and lose to another backup QB, 27-17, before winning a home game over the Bears to get back to .500. Damn, Neko Case has a sweet voice. Next up is a trip to 3-3 Detroit, and a devastating 26-20 OT loss, as RB Kirk Carter, who we didn't re-sign after his rookie season for us, scored the winning TD. We missed 3 FGs in this one, including a 49 yard attempt in OT. We rebound with a 23-6 thrashing of the Jets, as Will Bishop's 2 picks earned him DPOW, and helped our confidence going into our bye week. After week 9, Minnesota and Green Bay are 6-2, Detroit is 5-4, we're 4-4, and Chicago is 3-5. We go into Philadelphia and get drubbed 36-0, as Blaine Blackburn left the game after one pass. Jay Bradley, who we signed to replace Bo Bradley, would up being the sacrificial lamb. Bradley avoids turnivers against Green Bay, and our 4 turnovers fuel a 28-0 whitewash of the Pack, with Will Bishop getting DPOW. We get humbled in Miami 25-0, as the whole state watched. We managed to rebound with a 20-14 home win over the suddenly woeful Redskins, as Fitzgerald gets the gamne ball with 2 INTs. At 6-6 we have faint playoff hopes, but we must beat the Vikes. Our 21-0 lead at halftime becomes 21-17 as the Vikes mount a drive late in the fourth. Our D puts up a goal line stand, they settle for a 21 yard FG with 3:02 left, and we managed to run out the clock to hold on 21-20. Pitifully, we would be in the playoffs at 7-6 if the season ended now. On a high, we go into Chicago and dominate the Bears 23-8, as we get 4 more picks, including a TD for J-Fitz. Unfortunately, Keith Addison pulled his groin, and will likely miss the rest of the year. We're now one game behind Minnesota and Green Bay. Fitzgerald outdoes himself against San Fran, as his pick at our 17 with 1:42 left preserved a 19-14 win and got him DPOW. I'm sure his three other picks had nothing to do with it. At 9-6 a win would get us into the playoffs, with a remote chance at winning the division. A loss could knock us out. Buffalo gores us 41-16, but we still get the #5 seed and travel to Green Bay.
QB Blaine Blackburn: 73.7 rating (13 TDs, 14 INTs, 21 sacks, 58.4%, 6.51 ypa) RB Roderick Delgado: 201 carries for 912 yards, 6 TDs WR Joe Bednarik: 61-680, 3 TDs (picked up the slack for the oft-injured Keith Addison) TE Aaron Durham: 39-528, 2 TDs DE Mario Williams: 9.5 sacks, 7 hurries, 5 blocks LB Alfred Jacke: 113 tackles, 37 assists CB Van Benson: 44.6 PDQ (4 INTs, 2 TDs, 10 passes defended) S Will Bishop: 38.6 PDQ (6 INTs, 1 TD, 4 passes defended) S Jimmy Fitzgerald: 53.9 PDQ (11 INTs, 1 TD, 9 passes defended) Once again, we were very opportunistic on defense, which carried us through the rough patch when QB Blackburn was recovering from his sprained neck. Our bottom line could have used the additional home game, but we'll gladly take our chances in Greren Bay with a healthy Blackburn.
__________________
"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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02-04-2001, 03:56 PM
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#19 |
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H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lawn Gisland, NY
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2012 Playoffs
We split our season series with the Packers. The key for us will be containing RB Eugene Ottis, who led the league in rushing attempts (391) and yard (1515), and caught 51 passes as well. With our defensive strength being in the secondary, I'm very concerned about this matchup, although we did hold him to 51 rushing yards in our 28-0 win. Amazingly, the game time temperature is 68 degrees. The Pack won the toss, got one first down run from Ottis, but then had to punt. We went three and out, and our rookie punter only got off a 25 yard net punt, setting up the Pack at our 49. They were able to connect on two first down completions, but could only get as far as our 10. Their FG was good, and the Packers took a 3-0 lead. We went the rest of the quarter without a first down, but a Will Bishop pick of a first-and-10 pass thwarted a Packer drive, and the quarter ended 3-0. We finally get a first down on our first possession of the second quarter, fittingly on a third down Blackburn scramble. A completion to Bednarik was good for another first down, and a 3rd and 8 trap run by Roderick Delgado for 42 yards set us up on the Packer 1. Two runs later, and we were now on the 4. We have to pass, and Bednarik pulls down the high pass on the endline for the score and a 7-3 lead. Eugene Ottis then gets it in gear, with runs of 10, 6, 10, and 15 yards to put the Pack on our 9 with 2:00 left. A first down pass resulted in a TD, and Green Bay reclaimed a 3 point lead. We run the two-minute offense to the Packer 43, before an interception ended our threat, and we trail at the half 10-7. We start the second half by running the ball down their throats, progressing from our 39 to their 32. We then unsuccessfully mix in the pass, and settle for a 43 FG attempt, which is good, to tie the score at 10. Our defense was solid, and theirs rebounded. The hitting is getting fierce; Seth Willis, our best run defender, gets knocked out late in the third. More critically, Blackburn got knocked silly after throwing a pass, and we'll have to go with rookie Jay Bradley the rest of the way. We pin them back on their 11, but they get two first downs before unleashing a 58 yard punt that went out of bounds at our 8. With 7 minutes left, we ran for two first downs, then dropped a third down pass and had to punt. A 57 yard boomer knock the Packers back to their 15 with 3:36 left in regulation. On 3rd and 2 from the 23, we jump offsides. Nice. A third and 13 from their 20 resulted in a 28 yard conpletion at the two minute warning. We blew a coverage on the next play, allowing a 31 yard completion down the sideline before knocking the receiver out of bounds. From our 17, they give the ball to Ottis, who gains 10 yards on a 3rd and 7, getting to our 4. Critically, we're not likely to get the ball back in regulation. We consider letting them score intentionally, but our defense is too proud. Ottis loses 3 yards on two carries, but not the ball. With :03 left, they line up for a 25 yard FG. It's good, and our post-season woes continue with the 13-10 defeat. The Vikings defeated the Packers 37-25 on their way to the Super Bowl, where they were demolished 43-0 by the Steelers. Cole Dawson got his second Super Bowl MVP in three years by throwing for 388 yards. On a brighter note, Jimmy Fitzgerald was a first team All Pro safety, and the defensive player of the year.
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"To all of those here who work in marketing or advertising: kill yourselves." -- Bill Hicks "Christianity's such an odd religion. The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love" -- Bill Hicks |
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