SkyDog's House Arrest Austin Plainsmen

[Ben E Lou]

SKYDOG’S VERSION OF THE HOUSE ARREST CHALLENGE

I like Quik’s idea of a “House Arrest” challenge. I want to give it a shot. Austin is the expansion team for 2002 after a couple of years' quicksimmed. Here are Quik’s rules, then my changes/addenda, in italics:

FOF 2001, Wall Street, empty cupboard start with the 2002 expansion team. same

Ticket prices no higher than those of my nearest geographic competitor (Denver)--Dallas

Several contract restrictions, including:

-no signing non-rookie new players, other than the second half of the 20-stage FA process—same

-no unrealistic contract durations for first and second year players (generally 3-4 years only)—I will play max 3 year contracts for second year signees. First year guys explained below.

-no backloading of contracts - annual salary increases up to 25% only—same

-any free agent seeking a bonus gets one at least as big as the second year's salary—same, including my own FA's and RFA's who I'm trying to re-sign

-URFAs get one year deals, or else the deal outlined below

-URFAs may get a 7yr deal: x = rookie min, 2x, 3x, 3x, 3x, 3x, 3x; plus x bonus—I will play that only ONE player per year can get a 7-year deal. Other URFA's can get a max 3yr deal. If they sign a 3-year deal, they must get a bonus as big as the year one contract.

No contract renegotiations, and no franchise tag - everyone re-signed through the free market—same

Full roster of 53 each season (no going cheap by leaving roster holes)—same

Player from home state college at each position group (RB/FB, WR/TE, OL, DL, LB, DB, QB/P/K)—same. I'll be absolutely strict on this since its Texas.

Severely restricted trading.--No inititating trades. On AI offers, I must throw in a 7th-round pick (and the AI must accept).

I think this should be a lot of fun.


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-05-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2002 PRELIMINARIES

HEAD COACH

Nate Driggers

Age: 39

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: G

RB: F         YOUNG TALENT: F

WR: VG        MOTIVATION: G

OL: VG        DISCIPLINE: VG

DL: F         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

LB: F         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

DB: G         AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

Louis Collins

Age: 47

REPUTATION

QB: F       DL: G

RB: VG      LB: F

WR: P       DB: VG

OL: VG      YOUNG TALENT: VG

K:  G

Stadium
Capacity: 66,700
Type: Outdoor/Natural Grass
Upper Deck: 19,300 seats
End Zone: 14,000
Mezzanine: 8,100
Sidelines: 12,400
Club Seats: 9,500
Luxury Boxes: 140

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 35
Support For New Stadium: 0

Our default ticket prices were very near the Cowboys'. I set 'em exactly equal.

Upper Deck: 46
End Zone: 54
Mezzanine: 65
Sidelines: 111
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500(Dallas has no club seats so I use the Austin default value here.)
Luxury Boxes: 110,000

[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-03-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2002 AMATEUR DRAFT

I believe in man-to-man defense, so I’d love a cover corner. The best current-value player is a man-to-man cover corner with 100 INT rating and mostly red lines. Gotta grab him. Here’s the whole draft:

1(1): CB Johnny Mayberry: 57/60,70,42/44,100 with 86 endurance.
2(1): WR Dennis Wayner: 18/78 in catching, 34/100 in catch frequency
3(1): LB Tracy Preston: 17/78,14/61,6/31,16/71,66
4(1): C Spencer Hardy: 12/77,11/49,40
5(1): DE Archie Halbert: redliner, 32,27,33
6(1): LB Jake Hesse: near-redliner, 30/32,32,18,32,50
7(1): WR Nolan Chrysler: redliner, 20,64,25,40,41,24,64,50.

Seven Year Signee: TE Arnold McDowell—redliner—14,14,50,15,86,70,24—plus he’s from Rice so he helps with the Texas requirement.

I then sign a bunch and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2002 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: Around the 3rd dot.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
I’m going to run I, Split and Single back with cohesion low this year. All three are maxed. Goal line is set a little below the middle. Others minimized.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are nearly maxed.

Post Training Camp
Significant Breakouts:7th-round draft choice WR Nolan Chrysler breaks out to 31/51,91,36/59,78,61,37,100,85.
Significant Busts: None.
Season Ticket Sales: 41,200 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2002 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,30,35,30
2nd Down: 25,35,30,25
3rd Down: 50,20,10,20
4th Down: 50,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 15,55,15,10,5
Running: I-50, Pro-30, Single-20,
Very Likely Running: I-60,Pro-30, Single-10
Passing: I-15,Pro-30, Single-55
Very Likely Passing: I-5,Pro-35,Single-60
FB As Runner: 50

0WR: 20
1WR: 30
2WR: 50
3WR: 50
4WR: 30
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 99
Blitz Multiple: 70
M2M: 90
Bump/Run: 10

[Ben E Lou]

2002 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 1-15
Standing: Last.
QB Stats: Cave, 200 for 404 (49.5%), 2001 yards, 9TD’s, 19INT’s, 51.7 Rating
Williamson, 133 for 266 (50.0%), 1460 yards, 7TD’s, 10INT’s, 59.7 Rating
Leading Rusher: Buckingham, 110 for 331 yards, 3.0avg, 3TD’s.
Leading Receiver: Dennis Wayne—88 catches
Leading Reception Yards: Wayne—1005 yards
Leading Receiving TD’s: Buddy Weber--7
Leading Tackler: LB Jake Hesse—77 tackles
Leading Pass Rusher: DT Philip Lindsay, 6.0 sacks, 1 blocks, 4 hurries
Leading PDQ DB: CB Emmanuel Chacon—18 catches, 4 INT, 4 defensed, 43.8PDQ

Points Scored: 240
Points Against: 472

Rushing Yards: 801 (32nd)
Rushing Average: 3.1(League Average 3.8)
Passing Yards: 3461 (17th)
Passing Average: 5.1 (League Average 6.6)
Rushing Defense: 2462 (32nd)
Rushing Average Allowed: 4.4 (League Avg 3.8)
Passing Defense: 3719 (27th)
Passing Average Allowed: 7.3 (League Avg. 6.6)

*-denotes NFL leader

Well, we pretty much stunk. Lot of work to do.

[Ben E Lou]

2002 POSTSEASON REPORT

Buffalo defeated Green Bay 20-17 to win the Super Bowl.

Awards
LB Jake Hesse—Defensive Rookie of the Year—77 tackles, 27 assists, 3.5 sacks, 2 INT’s
WR Dennis Wayne—Offensive Rookie of the Year—88 catches, 1005 yards, 5 TD’s

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 0
Frnc. Value: 69
Profit/Loss: 75
Difficulty: 75
YrEnd Score: 55

2002 Profit: $17.20M

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2003 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
My coach’s contract expires. I sign a new one who is better at developing young talent. There’s also a scout available who is a lot better than my current one. Here’s the update.

HEAD COACH

Eddie Ganus

Age: 46

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: VG

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: VG

WR: E         MOTIVATION: F

OL: G         DISCIPLINE: VG

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: G

LB: P        DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: VG        AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

 Winston Tucker

Age: 61

REPUTATION

QB: G       DL: G

RB: E       LB: F

WR: G       DB: G

OL: VG      YOUNG TALENT: VG

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 33
Support For New Stadium: 0

I leave prices where they were last year.

Upper Deck: 46
End Zone: 54
Mezzanine: 65
Sidelines: 111
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500
Luxury Boxes: 110,000


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-03-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2003 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $33.74M
Amount Needed For Draft: $5.76M

Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or replace as starters)
*G Freddie Gerhart—started all 16 games last year and wants around $1M per year. I’ll keep him around.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
T Byron Davis—16/52,16/40,47—could start
QB Steven Groves—Pretty good potential ratings and a 90 in 3rd-down passing. 2nd year guy. I ink him to a 3-year deal.
LB Richie Duffie—36/63,20/47,16/30,36/68,62—Looks pretty solid. Will start.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
G Gerhart

FA Analysis
Looks like I grabbed 3 decent starters.



[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-03-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2003 AMATEUR DRAFT

1(1): T Brandon Child: 34/78,46/90,78—build that offensive line!
2(1): DT Rodney Bjorlin: 44/85,35/71,80—wow! I almost took him 1(1). Can’t believe he fell this far.
3(1): S Andre Oskolkoff: 49/92,47/93,35/58,41 with an 85 in endurance. Very good for this late.
4(1): DT Dana Franz: 31/82,26/66,40—looks like a starter.
5(1): QB Ike Croft: He and Steven Groves will battle it out in the preseason. I need to pick one to develop.
6(1): FB Seth Bridges: 10/83 in run blocking, 63 endurance. Should develop into a solid starter.
7(1): LB Bubba Baker: 15/57,10/41,11/35,16/52,62—could develop into a starter-caliber player.

Seven Year Signee: RB Robert Bonner—near redliner

I then sign a bunch and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 ROSTER

  Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                     6          12       1   2005   

  QB  Steven Groves                 5          11       2   2005   

  QB  Perry Cave                    4           6       3   2004   

  RB  Earl Mattingly                7          10       2   2004   

  RB  Shannon Buckingham            6           7       2   2004   

  RB  Vinny Jennings                5           5       2   2004   

  RB  Robert Bonner                 4           5       1   2009   

  FB  Brant Wyman                   8           9       2   2004   

  FB  Seth Bridges                  4           7       1   2004   

  TE  Sean Mueller                  9           9       3   2003   

  TE  Buddy Farr                    6          11       1   2005   

  TE  Arnold McDowall               6           7       2   2008   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               15          16       2   2004   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 12          13       2   2004   

  WR  Jerald Loshbaugh              7           9       1   2003   

  WR  Buddy Weber                   6           6       3   2004   

  WR  Kelly Lincoln                 5           5       3   2005   

   C  Spencer Hardy                 8           8       2   2004   

   C  Jerry Godfrey                 6           9       2   2005   

   C  Barry Ricketts                5           9       1   2003   

   G  Freddie Gerhardt              8           8       2   2005   

   G  Darrin Grier                  6           6       2   2004   

   G  Kevin Jobe                    3           6       2   2004   

   G  Jon Carden                    3           9       1   2005   

   T  Brandon Child                 8          15       1   2007   

   T  Byron Davis                   7           8       2   2005   

   T  Dusty Mueller                 6           7       3   2004   

   T  Kim Nichols                   6           7       3   2004   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          12       3   2003   

   K  Jamie Haines                 12          14       3   2004   

  DE  Archie Halbert                6          10       2   2004   

  DE  Kenny Blair                   5           6       3   2004   

  DE  Britt Padgett                 5           5       3   2004   

  DE  Eric Nicholson                4           4       3   2004   

  DT  Rodney Bjorlin                9          14       1   2005   

  DT  Dana Franz                    7          13       1   2004   

  DT  Phillip Lindsay               4           8       2   2004   

  DT  Jesse Richard                 3           7       2   2004   

  LB  Tracy Preston                 7           8       2   2004   

  LB  Richie Duffy                  6          10       2   2005   

  LB  Jake Hesse                    5          10       2   2003   

  LB  Thomas Glover                 4           7       3   2006   

  LB  Bubba Baker                   3           8       1   2005   

  LB  Jimmy Elliott                 2           4       2   2004   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              12          16       2   2007   

  CB  Emmanuel Chacon               6           8       2   2004   

  CB  Wesley Barber                 5          10       1   2005   

  CB  Neil Sampson                  4           5       3   2004   

  CB  Richie Cox                    4           4       3   2004   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff               9          13       1   2006   

   S  Dustin Knight                 7           8       2   2004   

   S  Luke Stokes                   4           8       2   2004   

   S  Raymond Money                 3           6       3   2004

Stadium: 51
Roster Strength: 2
Support: 39
Economy: 55
Cohesion: 51,56,49,49

Outlook: Call me crazy, but I think we might have a decent offense this year. The line is improved. The receivers look great, and 5th-round QB Ike Croft looks like he could be the guy for us. The defense also has a chance to be decent. I’m thinking we can win 5 games this year.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,40,40,30
2nd Down: 25,40,40,30
3rd Down: 65,20,10,20
4th Down: 50,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 15,45,25,10,5
Running: I-50, Pro-30, Single-20,
Very Likely Running: I-60,Pro-30, Single-10
Passing: I-15,Pro-50, Single-35
Very Likely Passing: I-5,Pro-50,Single-45
FB As Runner: 20

0WR: 20
1WR: 30
2WR: 50
3WR: 50
4WR: 30
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2003 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 5-11
Standing: 4th Place
QB Stats: Croft, 195 for 375 (52.0%), 2282 yards, 15TD’s, 23INT’s, 58.5 Rating
Groves, 118 for 198 (59.5%), 1220 yards, 6TD’s, 11INT’s, 64.3 Rating
Leading Rusher: Mattingly, 159 for 597 yards, 3.7avg, 7TD’s.
Leading Receiver: Dennis Wayne—82 catches
Leading Reception Yards: Wayne—1126 yards
Leading Receiving TD’s: Wayne--10
Leading Tackler: LB Tracy Preston—110 tackles
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Archie Halbert—7.5 sacks, 2 blocks, 4 hurries
Leading PDQ DB: CB Johnny Mayberry—27 catches, 3 INT, 9 defensed, 36.1PDQ

Points Scored: 280
Points Against: 406

Rushing Yards: 1109 (32nd)
Rushing Average: 3.2(League Average 3.8)
Passing Yards: 3505 (18th)
Passing Average: 6.1 (League Average 6.7)
Rushing Defense: 1939 (31st)
Rushing Average Allowed: 3.7 (League Avg 3.8)
Passing Defense: 3636 (21st)
Passing Average Allowed: 7.4 (League Avg. 6.7)

*-denotes NFL leader

We were much more competitive. Played both Croft and Groves at QB. Eventually I’m going to have to pick one.

[Ben E Lou]

2003 POSTSEASON REPORT

New England defeated Atlanta 40-0 to win the Super Bowl.

Awards
LB Tracy Preston—1st—112 tackles, 51 assists, 6.5 sacks, 3 INT’s

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 10
Frnc. Value: 67
Profit/Loss: 63
Difficulty: 74
YrEnd Score: 53

2003 Profit: ($20.37M)

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2004 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
I keep the same coach. There’s a great scout available who is new to the league. I sign him. Here’s the update.:

HEAD COACH

Eddie Ganus

Age: 47

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: E

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: VG

WR: E         MOTIVATION: F

OL: G         DISCIPLINE: VG

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: G

LB: P        DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: VG        AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

 Dwight Pritchett

Age: 53

REPUTATION

QB: E       DL: G

RB: G       LB: E

WR: E       DB: E

OL: G      YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 28
Support For New Stadium: 0

I leave prices where they were last year.

Upper Deck: 46
End Zone: 54
Mezzanine: 65
Sidelines: 111
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500
Luxury Boxes: 110,000


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-04-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2004 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $25.97
Amount Needed For Draft: $5.00M
Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or replace as starters)
*TE Sean Mueller—RFA—Has had 2 solid seasons as a starter. I’d like to re-sign him.
*P Nathan Spencer—RFA—If no one better is around come Week 11, I’ll re-sign.
*LB Jake Hesse—RFA—I can probably do better via free agency.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
No one available who is a 4th-year-or-less man (no real NFL players) is any good at all, so I totally abstain.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
All three from above are re-signed to 3-year deals. Still lots of cap room. That will surely change soon. All these equal-to-second-year-of-contract bonuses are interesting too.

FA Analysis
Well, there’s still lots of pieces needed to make this team a contender.

[Ben E Lou]

2004 AMATEUR DRAFT

1(5): S Victor Whipple: 42/90,38/84,46/97,84…72 endurance—always good to have a big-time safety.
2(5): T Nathan Cohen: 35/67,22/43,62. A solid-looking guy to start at RT.
3(5): G Deron Hoffman: 11/44,18/70,49. Could be a nice starting RG.
4(5): DT Roman Reiswig: 27/58,15/35,74. Can always use help at DT.
5(5): RB Zach Newsome: Pretty solid ratings and he’s from TCU to boot.
6(5): TE Dusty Preston: 31/72 in run blocking. Mediocre elsewhere. A solid backup at worst.
7(5): LB Harry Barlow: near redliner—20/21,20,41,30/32,52.

Seven Year Signee: LB Wes Burhart—8/18,17/35,12/24,17/33,65. Not great, but he’s from the University of Texas

I then sign a bunch and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2004 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: Around the 4th dot.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
With a decent back and an improving offensive line, I’m going to run a 75-type offense, keeping the fullback and TE on the field all the time. I max out I, Pro and Strong I and zero out Weak I, Single Back and Shotgun. Goal Line is set around the middle.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are nearly maxed.

Post Training Camp
Significant Breakouts: 4th-round DT Reiswig improves to 31/84, 18/54, 92. NICE!!! 7th round LB Barlow modestly improves to 25/37,27/54/77,43/60,66

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 33,500 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2004 ROSTER

   Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                     8           8       2   2005   

  QB  Steven Groves                 7           9       3   2005   

  QB  Perry Cave                    4           7       4   2004   

  RB  Zach Newsome                  8           8       1   2006   

  RB  Earl Mattingly                8           8       3   2004   

  RB  Shannon Buckingham            7           7       3   2004   

  RB  Robert Bonner                 5           7       2   2009   

  FB  Brant Wyman                  10          10       3   2004   

  FB  Seth Bridges                  6           6       2   2004   

  TE  Sean Mueller                  8           8       4   2006   

  TE  Dusty Preston                 6          10       1   2006   

  TE  Arnold McDowall               5           5       3   2008   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               16          16       3   2004   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 15          17       3   2004   

  WR  Buddy Weber                   6           9       4   2004   

  WR  Mario Harmon                  6           6       1   2004   

  WR  Nolan Jeffries                5           5       1   2006   

   C  Spencer Hardy                 9          10       3   2004   

   C  Jerry Godfrey                 6           6       3   2005   

   C  Will Allen                    5          10       1   2006   

   G  Freddie Gerhardt              8           8       3   2005   

   G  Darrin Grier                  7           8       3   2004   

   G  Jon Carden                    5           6       2   2005   

   G  Deron Hoffman                 3          11       1   2007   

   T  Brandon Child                14          14       2   2007   

   T  Nathan Cohen                  7          11       1   2006   

   T  Kim Nichols                   7          10       4   2004   

   T  Dusty Mueller                 6           9       4   2004   

   P  Nathan Spencer               10          10       4   2006   

   K  Jamie Haines                 13          13       4   2004   

  DE  Archie Halbert                7           7       3   2004   

  DE  Kenny Blair                   5           9       4   2004   

  DE  Britt Padgett                 5           7       4   2004   

  DE  Eric Nicholson                4           9       4   2004   

  DT  Rodney Bjorlin               11          11       2   2005   

  DT  Dana Franz                    9          11       2   2004   

  DT  Roman Reiswig                 6          17       1   2006   

  DT  Phillip Lindsay               5           5       3   2004   

  LB  Tracy Preston                 9          12       3   2004   

  LB  Harry Barlow                  8           9       1   2006   

  LB  Richie Duffy                  7           8       3   2005   

  LB  Jake Hesse                    5           5       3   2006   

  LB  Wes Burhart                   4           5       1   2010   

  LB  Bubba Baker                   4           6       2   2005   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              15          15       3   2007   

  CB  Emmanuel Chacon               6           6       3   2004   

  CB  Neil Sampson                  5           7       4   2004   

  CB  Wesley Barber                 4           4       2   2005   

  CB  Richie Cox                    4           6       4   2004   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff               9          12       2   2006   

   S  Victor Whipple                7          19       1   2009   

   S  Dustin Knight                 6           6       3   2004   

   S  Luke Stokes                   4           4       3   2004  

Stadium: 52
Roster Strength: 41
Support: 35
Economy: 56
Cohesion: 56,49,50,54

Outlook: Offensive line is better and we have a decent-looking RB. We might just be able to hold the ball some this year. We might just approach 7-win mediocrity this season.

[Ben E Lou]

2004 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,75,40
2nd Down: 50,75,40,35
3rd Down: 65,20,10,20
4th Down: 65,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 14,41,36,6,3
Running: I-40, Pro-30, Strong--30
Very Likely Running: I-55, Pro-20, Strong--25
Passing: I-20, Pro-55, Strong--20
Very Likely Passing: I-10, Pro-70, Strong--20
FB As Runner: 15

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 65
4WR: 20
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2004 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 9-7
Standing: 2nd Place—1 game behind division champion Oakland. We missed the playoffs.
QB Stats: Croft, 252 for 455 (55.3%), 3065 yards, 17TD’s, 14INT’s, 75.9 Rating
Leading Rusher: Zach Newsome—220 carries for 811 yards, 3.6ypc, 4TD’s. Earl Mattingly--145 for 674 yards, 4.6avg, 9TD’s. (Mattingly broke his jaw in game 12 and missed the rest of the season.)
Leading Receiver: Dennis Wayne—83 catches. Nolan Chrysler had 77.
Leading Reception Yards: Wayne—1182 yards. Chrysler had 1046.
Leading Receiving TD’s: Chrysler and WR3 Buddy Weber had 5 each.
Leading Tackler: S Oskolkoff--74
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Archie Halbert—9.5 sacks, 2 blocks, 8 hurries. (DE Pagett had 10.5 sacks.)
Leading PDQ DB: CB Johnny Mayberry—17 catches, 6 INT, 6 defensed, 59.9PDQ

Points Scored: 358
Points Against: 319

Rushing Yards: 1877 (11th)
Rushing Average: 3.6 (League Average 3.8)
Passing Yards: 3158 (27th)
Passing Average: 6.7 (League Average 6.6)
Rushing Defense: 1692 (16th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 4.2 (League Avg 3.8)
Passing Defense: 3583 (22nd)
Passing Average Allowed: 6.4 (League Avg. 6.6)

*-denotes NFL leader

CB Mayberry was just brilliant. He was injured for a while and only played in 10 games. QB Ike Croft looks like he can lead the team. The offensive line got us some rushing yards. We achieve mediocrity in only our 3rd season. Next goal: the playoffs!

[Ben E Lou]

2004 POSTSEASON REPORT

Indianapolis defeated Green Bay 34-10 to win the Super Bowl.

Awards
K Jamie Haines—1st Team—31 for 37 FG’s, 33 for 34 PAT.

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 52
Frnc. Value: 72
Profit/Loss: 65
Difficulty: 74
YrEnd Score: 65

2004 Profit: ($19.53M)

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2005 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
I keep the same scout. There’s a great coach available whose contract just ran out. I sign him. Here’s the update.:

HEAD COACH

Roger LaCroix

Age: 58

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: E

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: E

WR: E         MOTIVATION: G

OL: VG        DISCIPLINE: VG

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: E

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: E         AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

 Dwight Pritchett

Age: 54

REPUTATION

QB: VG      DL: G

RB: G       LB: E

WR: E       DB: E

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 33
Support For New Stadium: 2

With a winning season last year and fan loyalty rising, I bump ticket prices up a bit to match Dallas prices.

Upper Deck: 50
End Zone: 56
Mezzanine: 67
Sidelines: 115
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500
Luxury Boxes: 122,000

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2005 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $50.57
Amount Needed For Draft: $3.90M

Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or replace as starters)

Now the challenge gets interesting. Some decisions are going to be made, plus 5th-year FA’s will be available week 11.

RB Earl Mattingly—RFA--Unless I have a superstar here, I’ll not be re-signing RB’s. If I keep my OL strong, anyone can run behind it.
*FB Brant Wyman—RFA--Had a 43.7 KRBPct last year.
*WR Nolan Chrysler—RFA—I’ll do all I can to keep him.
*WR Dennis Wayne—RFA—Ditto Chrysler.
WR Buddy Weber—I’ll let him fly and try to draft/sign a WR3-type guy.
*C Spencer Hardy—RFA—Not great. If I find a better option, I’ll pursue.
G Darrin Grier—RFA—2nd year man Deron Hoffman is ready for a shot.
*K Jamie Haines—1st-Team All Pro last year. I’ll try to re-sign him.
*DE Archie Halbert—RFA—has been solid despite below-average ratings. I’ll try to re-sign.
*DE Kenny Blair—don’t know if I’ll be able to afford
DT Dana Franz—RFA—last year’s 4th-round breakout, Roman Reiswig, is ready to step in.
*LB Tracy Preston—RFA—was all-pro 2 years ago. Scout says he’s my best LB. I’d like to keep him around.
*CB Emmanuel Chacon—RFA—I’d rather look elsewhere for a starter if one’s around.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
DE Otis Mobley—4yrs,$14.5M—52/53,49/52,49. Very solid 5th-year man. Played the first years of his career in Buffalo. Had 16 sacks last year, and 14 the year before. Nice help for the DL.
LB Jim Roberston—3yrs, $4.5M—20/46,21/52,17/42,25/58,62—2nd-year man. Played all 16 games as a backup for Dallas last year, recording 41 tackles and a 15.2 TkPct. Solid all around. Could start for me soon. Good price.
CB Fernando Rogers—4yrs,$17.55M—39/52,49/73,47/71,60…32 endurance. 5th-year man. Never a full-time starter before. Played 60 games in four years with St. Louis. Looks like a solid 2nd cover corner in my M2M scheme.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
DE Blair—3yrs,$19.48M
K Haines—3yrs,$4.98M
FB Wyman—3yrs,$5.00M
WR Wayne—4yrs,$17.25M
WR Chrysler—4yrs,$16.5M
C Hardy—3yrs,$8.6M
LB Preston—3yrs,$8.6M

The above were the key guys. After getting them, I still have some money to play with, so I re-sign the following backups to one-year deals (unless otherwise noted) to help depth and cohesion:

WR Weber--$3.75M
CB Chacon—$2.4M
S Knight—3yrs,$3.34M (Hey, he was cheap!)
G Grier--$3.2M
DT Franz--$4.84M

FA Analysis
I kept the everyone I wanted from last year’s young 9-7 team AND picked up some key defensive help. The playoffs still seem to be a possibility.


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-05-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2005 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: RB
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: TE, G, P, LB
Depth Needed: T, DE
1(19): LB Alonzo Stokes: 47/66,54/76,36/50,70. If he doesn’t bust, he starts from Day 1.
2(19): T Heath Hammers: 23/85,12/48,56. Good backup. Future starter.
3(19): DE Deion Crockett: 25/78,13/40,65. Another good backup/future starter at a position where I needed depth!
4(19): G Brett McIntyre: 24/57,21/50,80. Should become a solid starter.
5(19): RB Harold Angelo: All currents 20’s-40’s. Potentials 30’s-50’s. Decent.
6(19): FB Bert Westbrook: 14/51 in run blocking, 18/77 in catching, 21/89 in catch frequency. He could fit well into my system if he lives up to his potentials.
7(19): WR Gene Hanson: near redliner from SMU—32/39,60,20/26,18,61….33 endurance

Draft Thoughts: If no one busts, I seriously met my needs. Yes!

Seven Year Signee: CB Melvin Joseph—pure redliner 10,5,14,28,2,2,31

I then sign a handful of URFA’s and head to training camp.


[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-05-2001).]

[Ben E Lou]

2005 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: Around the 4th dot.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
I’m going to stick with last year’s offense, keeping the FB and TE on the field all the time. I max out I, Pro and Strong I and zero out Weak I, Single Back and Shotgun. Goal Line is set around the middle.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are nearly maxed.

Post Training Camp
Significant Breakouts: None.
Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 34,500 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2005 ROSTER

   Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                    10          11       3   2005   

  QB  Steven Groves                 8           9       4   2005   

  QB  Nicky Reynolds                3           9       1   2007   

  RB  Zach Newsome                  9           9       2   2006   

  RB  Harold Angelo                 7          12       1   2006   

  RB  Cary Rioux                    5           8       1   2007   

  RB  Robert Bonner                 5           7       3   2009   

  FB  Brant Wyman                   9           9       4   2007   

  FB  Bert Westbrook                4          10       1   2006   

  TE  Sean Mueller                  9           9       5   2006   

  TE  Dusty Preston                 9           9       2   2006   

  TE  Arnold McDowall               5           5       4   2008   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               16          16       4   2008   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 15          16       4   2008   

  WR  Buddy Weber                   6           9       5   2005   

  WR  Gene Hanson                   6           6       1   2007   

  WR  Nolan Jeffries                5           5       2   2006   

   C  Spencer Hardy                 8          10       4   2007   

   C  Will Allen                    7           9       2   2006   

   C  Jerry Godfrey                 6           6       4   2005   

   G  Freddie Gerhardt              9           9       4   2005   

   G  Brett McIntyre                8           8       1   2007   

   G  Deron Hoffman                 7          13       2   2007   

   G  Darrin Grier                  7           7       4   2005   

   T  Brandon Child                15          15       3   2007   

   T  Nathan Cohen                 12          12       2   2006   

   T  Heath Hammers                 3          13       1   2008   

   T  Lorenzo Turner                2           5       1   2007   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          11       5   2006   

   K  Jamie Haines                 12          12       5   2007   

  DE  Otis Mobley                   9          11       5   2008   

  DE  Kenny Blair                   6          10       5   2007   

  DE  Deion Crockett                3          10       1   2008   

  DE  Billy Woolsey                 1           2       1   2005   

  DT  Dana Franz                   14          14       3   2005   

  DT  Rodney Bjorlin               11          11       3   2005   

  DT  Roman Reiswig                 9          16       2   2006   

  DT  Brett Buckner                 2          10       1   2007   

  LB  Tracy Preston                11          12       4   2007   

  LB  Alonzo Stokes                 9          11       1   2009   

  LB  Harry Barlow                  8           9       2   2006   

  LB  Richie Duffy                  8           8       4   2005   

  LB  Jim Robertson                 7           8       2   2007    

  LB  Wes Burhart                   4           6       2   2010   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              14          14       4   2007   

  CB  Fernando Rogers               9          12       5   2008   

  CB  Wesley Barber                 5           5       3   2005   

  CB  Emmanuel Chacon               4           4       4   2005   

  CB  Melvin Joseph                 3           3       1   2011   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              12          12       3   2006   

   S  Victor Whipple               12          18       2   2009   

   S  Dustin Knight                 6           6       4   2007   

   S  T.J. Coffey                   3           7       1   2007  

Stadium: 54
Roster Strength: 79 (3rd-best in the NFL!)
Support: 39
Economy: 56
Cohesion: 43,62,46,46

Outlook: Every aspect of the team looks to be improved from last year. Anything short of a playoff birth will be at least somewhat a disappointment.

[Ben E Lou]

2005 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,75,40
2nd Down: 50,75,40,35
3rd Down: 65,20,10,20
4th Down: 65,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 15,43,33,6,3
Running: I-40, Pro-30, Strong--30
Very Likely Running: I-55, Pro-20, Strong--25
Passing: I-20, Pro-55, Strong--25
Very Likely Passing: I-10, Pro-70, Strong--20
FB As Runner: 15

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 65
4WR: 20
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2005 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 7-1!
Standing: First place. Denver is 4-3. Seattle is 4-4.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 93 for 151 (61.5%), 1047 yards, 7TD’s, 2INT’s, 92.2 Rating
Leading Rusher: Zach Newsome, 125 for 623 yards, 4.9ypc, 4 TD’s
Leading Receiver: WR Dennis Wayne, 38 catches for 525 yards, 9TD’s
Leading Tackler:S Oskolkoff—47 tackles

*-denotes NFL leader

Just a note: WR Chrysler went down in Game 6 with a broken hand. He’s still listed as out as of after Game 8.

[Ben E Lou]

2005 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 13-3
Standing: Won division by 4 games! Nice.
QB Stats: Croft, 245 for 393 (62.3%), 2938 yards, 22TD’s, 10INT’s, 93.2 Rating
Leading Rusher: Zach Newsome—261 carries for 1172 yards, 4.4ypc, 4TD’s.
Leading Receiver: Dennis Wayne—66 catches. Buddy Weber had 64.
Leading Reception Yards: Wayne—932 yards. Weber had 729.
Leading Receiving TD’s: Wayne had 9.
Leading Tackler: S Oskolkoff--82
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Otis Mobley—11.5 sacks, 3 blocks, 6 hurries
Leading PDQ DB: S Victor Whipple—38 catches,11 INT*, 8 defensed, 56.1PDQ

Points Scored: 404
Points Against: 251

Rushing Yards: 2241* (1st)
Rushing Average: 4.0 (League Average 3.7)
Passing Yards: 3412 (21st)
Passing Average: 7.3 (League Average 6.7)
Rushing Defense: 1424 (5th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 3.6 (League Avg 3.7)
Passing Defense: 3840 (25th)
Passing Average Allowed: 6.9 (League Avg. 6.7)

*-denotes NFL leader

It all came together this year. Croft was one of the best QB’s in the league. The running game was bruising, and the defense was solid.

[Ben E Lou]

2005 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 13-3
Standing: Won division by 4 games! Nice.
QB Stats: Croft, 245 for 393 (62.3%), 2938 yards, 22TD’s, 10INT’s, 93.2 Rating
Leading Rusher: Zach Newsome—261 carries for 1172 yards, 4.4ypc, 4TD’s.
Leading Receiver: Dennis Wayne—66 catches. Buddy Weber had 64.
Leading Reception Yards: Wayne—932 yards. Weber had 729.
Leading Receiving TD’s: Wayne had 9.
Leading Tackler: S Oskolkoff--82
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Otis Mobley—11.5 sacks, 3 blocks, 6 hurries
Leading PDQ DB: S Victor Whipple—38 catches,11 INT*, 8 defensed, 56.1PDQ

Points Scored: 404
Points Against: 251

Rushing Yards: 2241* (1st)
Rushing Average: 4.0 (League Average 3.7)
Passing Yards: 3412 (21st)
Passing Average: 7.3 (League Average 6.7)
Rushing Defense: 1424 (5th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 3.6 (League Avg 3.7)
Passing Defense: 3840 (25th)
Passing Average Allowed: 6.9 (League Avg. 6.7)

*-denotes NFL leader

It all came together this year. Croft was one of the best QB’s in the league. The running game was bruising, and the defense was solid.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2005 POSTSEASON REPORT

Division Playoffs vs. Miami
The Dolphins come to town, and the Plainsman offense goes nuts in our first-ever playoff appearance. Croft is 18 for 28 for 281 yards, 4TD’ s and 1INT. Newsome rushes for 109 yards and 2 TD’s, and Wayned catches 8 passes for 165 yards and 3TD’s. Good guys win 45-28.

AFC Championship vs. Cincinnati
The Bengals shut us down most of the day, and when they kick a FG with 2:59 to play to give them a 24-13 lead, this one looks to be all over. However we strike back with a quick FG, then an onsides kick, then Croft hits Buddy Weber from 20 yards out with 4 seconds to play in regulation to make it 24-22. FB Wyman takes it over for the conversion and we go to OT. Alas, the Bengals regroup and score first to win 30-24 in a hard-fought game.

San Francisco defeated Cincinnati 17-7 to win the Super Bowl.

Awards
[bT Nathan Cohen[/b]—1st Team—39 for 108 KRB, 5 sacks, 20.9 OPCT.
[bT Brandon Child[/b]—1st Team—27 for 70 KRB, 2 sacks, 15.5 OPCT.
DT Dana Franz—2nd Team—46 tackles, 11 assists, 6.5 sacks, 2 blocks, 4 hurries, 7.7 TkPct.

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 90
Frnc. Value: 79
Profit/Loss: 49
Difficulty: 73
YrEnd Score: 71

2005 Profit: ($36.26M)

I'd be very pleased to play in the NFC Championship game in the 4th season of ANY Empty Cupboard career. Even more pleased to be doing using the House Arrest rules! With not many guys up for Free Agency next year, 2006 should be our year to make a run at winning it all.

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2006 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
I’m quite happy with my coach and scout, both in reputation and in recent performance. I keep ‘em both.

HEAD COACH

Roger LaCroix

Age: 59

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: E

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: E

WR: E         MOTIVATION: G

OL: G         DISCIPLINE: E

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: E

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: E         AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

 Dwight Pritchett

Age: 55

REPUTATION

QB: VG      DL: G

RB: G       LB: E

WR: E       DB: E

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 44
Support For New Stadium: 12

Dallas’ prices don’t rise, so mine stay the same:

Upper Deck: 50
End Zone: 56
Mezzanine: 67
Sidelines: 115
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500
Luxury Boxes: 122,000

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2006 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $21.22
Amount Needed For Draft: $3.92M


Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or replace as starters)

*QB Ike Croft—RFA—Gotta re-sign him.
WR Buddy Weber—I can probably get a younger WR3 cheaper.
G Freddie Gerhart—Hmmm. Younger Deron Hoffman looks ready, but Gerhart has going for him the fact that he’s from Rice and has started all 64 games the Plainsmen have played in their history. Cohesion helper. Whether or not I keep him will come down to can I afford him.
*DT’s Dana Franz and Rodney Bjorlin—Both are 4th-year RFA’s. Franz has higher ratings and just slightly better performance. Bjorlin looks like he’ll come a little cheaper. 3rd-year man Roman Reiswig is ready to step in and start at one DT position, so I’d like to sign one of these guys.

Now the challenge gets even more interesting. Some decisions are going to be made, plus 6th-year FA’s will be available week 11.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
None.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
G Gerhardt—2yrs, $7M
QB Croft—5yrs,$29.5M—Might as well lock him up.
DT Franz—4yrs,$14.5M
DT Bjorlin—1yr, $4M—Since I could afford him after all was said and done, I’ll keep him one more year.

FA Analysis
Got almost everyone of significance coming back from last year’s 13-3 squad. Can’t complain.

[Ben E Lou]

2006 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: None.
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: TE
Depth Needed: CB

1(30): LB Alonzo Ramey:2nd-best future potential guy available, AND he’s from Texas Southern. 31/83, 19/55,18/48,24/69, 74. Could start in a year or two.
2(30): CB Marco Prescott:He’ll help with CB depth. 15/63,18/73,9/40,46…61 endurance
3(30): G Paul Blackburn: Very solid. 26/68,21/50,58.
4(30): TE Peter Prescott: Should develop into a starter in a couple of years or so. 26/64,27/73,58,22/53,60,77,45.
5(30): C Howard Goad:Good depth at center. 13/62,9/42,46.
6(30): WR Mario Barron:near redliner—14,60,20/22,35,45…37 endurance
7(30): QB Melvin Schneider:needed a 3rd QB. Roster Filler.

Seven Year Signee: WR Bernard Joyner—from Texas A&M. 97 in punt returns, 67 in kick returns. Satisifies the Texas requirement and will run back kicks for me well.

I then sign a handful of URFA’s and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2006 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: Around the 4th dot.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
I’m going to stick with the same offense from the last two seasons, keeping the FB and TE on the field all the time. I max out I, Pro and Strong I and zero out Weak I, Single Back and Shotgun. Goal Line is set around the middle.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are nearly maxed.

Post Training Camp
Significant Breakouts: 6th-round WR Mario Barron breaks out from 14,60,20/22,35,45…37 endurance to 19/41,89,29/56,50,67…..53 endurance. He’ll be my 3rd WR. Sweet!

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 37,600 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2006 ROSTER

   Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                    12          12       4   2010   

  QB  Nicky Reynolds                5           9       2   2007   

  QB  Melvin Schneider              5           5       1   2008   

  RB  Zach Newsome                 10          10       3   2006   

  RB  Cary Rioux                    7          10       2   2007   

  RB  Harold Angelo                 5           9       2   2006   

  RB  Robert Bonner                 5           8       4   2009   

  FB  Brant Wyman                   9           9       5   2007   

  FB  Bert Westbrook                7           9       2   2006   

  TE  Dusty Preston                10          10       3   2006   

  TE  Sean Mueller                  9           9       6   2006   

  TE  Peter Prescott                7          13       1   2009   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               16          16       5   2008   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 15          16       5   2008   

  WR  Mario Barron                  9          11       1   2008   

  WR  Bernard Joyner                7           7       1   2012   

  WR  Gene Hanson                   6           6       2   2007   

   C  Spencer Hardy                 9          10       5   2007   

   C  Will Allen                    7          10       3   2006   

   C  Howard Goad                   2          10       1   2008   

   G  Brett McIntyre               13          13       2   2007   

   G  Freddie Gerhardt              9           9       5   2007   

   G  Deron Hoffman                 8          11       3   2007   

   G  Paul Blackburn                5          11       1   2008   

   T  Brandon Child                15          15       4   2007   

   T  Nathan Cohen                 12          12       3   2006   

   T  Heath Hammers                 7          13       2   2008   

   T  Lorenzo Turner                3           6       2   2007   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          11       6   2006   

   K  Jamie Haines                 13          13       6   2007   

  DE  Otis Mobley                  11          11       6   2008   

  DE  Kenny Blair                   6           8       6   2007   

  DE  Deion Crockett                5          13       2   2008   

  DE  Billy Joe Flynn               3           3       1   2006   

  DT  Dana Franz                   15          15       4   2009   

  DT  Rodney Bjorlin               12          12       4   2006   

  DT  Roman Reiswig                 9          14       3   2006   

  DT  Brett Buckner                 3           8       2   2007   

  LB  Tracy Preston                12          13       5   2007   

  LB  Harry Barlow                 11          11       3   2006   

  LB  Alonzo Stokes                11          13       2   2009   

  LB  Jim Robertson                 9          10       3   2007   

  LB  Alonzo Ramey                  6          15       1   2010   

  LB  Wes Burhart                   5           6       3   2010   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              13          13       5   2007   

  CB  Fernando Rogers               9          12       6   2008   

  CB  Marco Prescott                4          13       1   2010   

  CB  Melvin Joseph                 4           4       2   2011   

  CB  Burt Banerjee                 4           4       1   2008   

   S  Victor Whipple               15          18       3   2009   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              13          13       4   2006   

   S  Dustin Knight                 4           4       5   2007   

   S  T.J. Coffey                   3           6       2   2007  

Stadium: 54
Roster Strength: 93 (2nd-best in the NFL to Tampa Bay)
Support: 45
Economy: 55
Cohesion: 51,65,66,55

Outlook: Expectations are high in Austin. Whispers of a Super Bowl are being heard.

[Ben E Lou]

2006 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,75,40
2nd Down: 50,75,40,35
3rd Down: 65,20,10,20
4th Down: 65,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 13,45,32,6,4
Running: I-40, Pro-30, Strong--30
Very Likely Running: I-55, Pro-20, Strong--25
Passing: I-20, Pro-55, Strong--25
Very Likely Passing: I-10, Pro-70, Strong--20
FB As Runner: 15

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 65
4WR: 20
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2006 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 7-0-1
Standing: First place. Oakland is 6-2, SD is 5-3.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 38 for 68 (55.8%), 535 yards, 1TD, 1INT, 80.1 Rating. He missed all of 4 games and part of another with a broken hand. Filling in was QB Nicky Reynolds, 96 for 158 (60.7%), 1198 yards, 8TD’s, 6 INT’s, 85.3 QB rtg.
Leading Rushers: Cary Rioux, 118 for 581, 4.9ypc, 5 TD’s. Zach Newsome, 93 for 409 yards, 4.3ypc, 4 TD’s. Rioux has only started twice. Most of that work has been off the bench.
Leading Receivers: WR Dennis Wayne, 44 catches for 702 yards, 6TD’s*. WR Nolan Chrysler, 43 catches fo 643 yards, 1 TD.
Leading Tackler:LB Preston—45 tackles

*-denotes NFL leader

Injuries of Note: QB Croft broke his hand as mentioned above. K Jamie Haines suffered a broken jaw in Game 3 and was listed as Out. I cut T Lorenzo Turner and signed rookie K Levon Kalu to replace him. Kalu is now probable and should return soon. LB Alonzo Stokes broke his jaw in game 6, and is still listed as Out. CB Fernando Rogers had shoulder surgery and is listed as Out (Long Term). All of the rookie FA CB’s stink, so I hold to the hope of him returning deep in the playoffs, and I don’t put him on the IR.

[Ben E Lou]

2006 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 11-4-1
Standing: Won division. SD and Oakland were 10-6. We were 10-4-1 and SD 10-5 going into the last game of the season at SD. We took a 34-17 win in their back yard for the Division Title.
QB Stats: Croft, 126 for 236 (53.3%), 1749 yards, 9TD’s, 12INT’s, 68.9 Rating. He caught a SERIOUS interception bug when he came back from the injury. Threw four in each of the first two games back. I benched him for two more games after that. Improved at the end of the season, including leading us to the big win over SD. He’s my starter going into the playoffs. QB Nicky Reynolds, 152 for 264 (57.5%), 1833 yards, 13 TD’s, 11 INT’s, 78.0 Rating. Gave the job back to Croft with weak performances in key games down the stretch.
Leading Rushers: Zach Newsome, 235 for 981 yards, 4.1ypc, 5 TD’s. Cary Rioux, 173 for 702, 4.0ypc, 5 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 81 catches for 1187 yards, 4 TD’s. WR Dennis Wayne, 70 catches for 1102 yards, 11TD’s.
Leading Tackler: LB Tracy Preston—90 tackles
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Otis Mobley—13.5 sacks, 5 blocks, 10 hurries
Leading PDQ DB: S Andre Oskolokoff—27 catches,1 INT, 6 defensed, 28.1PDQ

Points Scored: 345
Points Against: 293

(Morgado, if you’re reading, the defense gave up a LOT more points after CB Rogers went down. As I said, TWO good CB’s are important in this defense.)

Rushing Yards: 1883 (8th)
Rushing Average: 3.7 (League Average 3.7)
Passing Yards: 3623 (13th)
Passing Average: 7.1 (League Average 6.8)
Rushing Defense: 1711 (18th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 4.1 (League Avg 3.7)
Passing Defense: 3055 (3rd)
Passing Average Allowed: 5.8 (League Avg. 6.8)

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2006 POSTSEASON REPORT

Wild Card Round vs. San Diego
Pre-Game Injury Report: WR Chrysler is questionable with a broken nose but will start. WR Wayne is doubtful and made inactive with a broken hand. T Nathan Cohen is out with a broken wrist. LB Alonzo Stokes is questionable, still healing from a broken jaw. I keep him inactive. CB Mayberry is questionable with shoulder tendonitis. He must start. CB Rogers is still out from the shoulder surgery. S Oskolkoff is probable with a dislocated shoulder and will start.

The Chargers come to town for a rematch of last week’s Division Title struggle. This time the stakes are higher. Embattle QB Ike Croft says, “QB controversy?? What QB controversy??” as he turns in a 14 for 22, 2TD and 0 INT performance. Newsome rushes for 60 yards on 19 carries and Oskolkoff picks off 2 passes as we spank San Diego 41-6.

Division Playoffs at Baltimore
Pre-Game Injury Report: WR Chrysler is still questionable with a broken nose but will start. WR Wayne is upgraded to questionable and will start. T Nathan Cohen is still out with a broken wrist. LB Alonzo Stokes is probable, still healing from a broken jaw. I activate him and let him start. CB Mayberry is still questionable with shoulder tendonitis. He still starts. CB Rogers is still out from the shoulder surgery. S Oskolkoff is now doubtful with a dislocated shoulder, but I let him start anyway.

We head up to Baltimore and the Ravens are just absolutely the rudest hosts. They put us over their collective knees and spank us 42-0. We could do nothing right in this one.

Miami beat St. Louis 27-20 to win the Super Bowl

Awards
No Plainsmen win awards.

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 83
Frnc. Value: 82
Profit/Loss: 57
Difficulty: 72
YrEnd Score: 73

2006 Profit: ($15.59M)

Well, with the key injuries I had, things were bound to catch up with me in the playoffs, and they did. I really can't complain much, especially considering how young my team is. On to the next season. (I'm off today, and my wife won't be home until 8pm tonight, so I might do another two or three seasons before the day is done.)

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2007 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
I’m quite happy with my coach and scout, both in reputation and in recent performance. I keep ‘em both.

HEAD COACH

Roger LaCroix

Age: 60

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: E

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: E

WR: E         MOTIVATION: G

OL: VG        DISCIPLINE: E

DL: VG        OFFENSE PLAYCALL: E

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: E         AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

 Dwight Pritchett

Age: 56

REPUTATION

QB: VG      DL: G

RB: F       LB: E

WR: E       DB: E

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 52
Support For New Stadium: 30

Dallas makes some slight changes in ticket prices, and I do too.

Upper Deck: 51
End Zone: 56
Mezzanine: 67
Sidelines: 114
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500
Luxury Boxes: 124,000

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2007 20-STEP PROCESS

Initial Cap Room: $9.68M
Amount Needed For Draft: $4.06M


Nor’easters’ UFA’s and key RFA’s (*--represents players I feel the need to re-sign or acquire someone to replace as starters)

*RB Zach Newsome—RFA--He was good, rushing for 2,964 yards in 3 seasons, but I can’t afford to pay him big bucks when I can get someone else to do just as well.
TE’s Dusty Preston and Sean Mueller. Preston is an RFA, Mueller a UFA. Last year’s fourth round pick, Peter Prescott, looks like he’ll be better than either of them. I’ll let ‘em fly.
T Nathan Cohen—RFA—He’s solid, but 3rd-year man Heath Hammers is nearly as good, with more upside and of course is cheaper than re-signing Cohen. See ya Nathan.
*P Nathan Spencer—He is good, and is from Baylor, satisifying the Texas requirement for QB/P/K. I’ll try to re-sign him.
*DT’s Rodney Bjorlin and Roman Reiswig—Bjorlin is a UFA, and Reiswig an RFA. Franz is set at the other DT. I’ll go after Reiswig, who has bigger upside and will come a little more cheaply.
LB Harry Barlow—RFA--He’s been a decent starter, but I am pretty deep at LB.
*S Andre Oskolkoff—I want to find a way to re-sign him.

Cuts to Save Cap Room
For the first time in this career, I have to resort to roster cutting in order to re-sign the guys I want. Here’s who gets cut:

DE Kenny Blair—saves $5.5M—Deion Crockett is ready to start and a lot cheaper.

That one cut gives me the room I need. I’m sure there will be many more in future seasons.

New Signees During Last 10 Weeks
G Bennie Coleman: 20/71,8/31,44. 2nd-year guy. 3 yrs for $2.66M. Nice depth. Could start before the end of his contract.
DT Mario Robinson: 8/52,4/25,52. 2nd-year guy. 3yrs,$4.15M. Adds depth at DT since I’m losing Bjorlin to free agency.

My Own RFA’s and UFA’s Re-signed
P Spencer—3yrs,$4.8M
S Oskolkoff—4yrs,$18.2M
DT Reiswig—4yrs, $17.75M

FA Analysis
Was able to again hang on to all the key pieces, and to grab a little more depth on the offensive and defensive lines. Certainly no complaints here

[Ben E Lou]

2007 AMATEUR DRAFT

Starters Needed: RB
Improvement/Better Started Wanted: None
Depth Needed: TE,T,DE,S

1(29): FB David Bonk:An all-around stud. 40/100 in run blocking, 42/100 in ypc, 39/100 in catching, 38/100 in catch frequency, 68 endurance. I’m a little concerned about the symmetrical nature of his numbers, but I think he’s worth the risk, even though my scout is only Fair at backs.
2(29): S Cary Howard:28/59,24/65,20/51,100….100 endurance. Will provide depth and should be a solid starter one day soon.
3(29): TE Trent Shafer:Pretty solid all-around. Will help with depth.
4(29): DE Seth Monroe:14/44,4/16,43. A little depth at DE.
5(29): RB Lincoln Sims: near redliner—70,22/26,25,32/38,31,7/9,57,30,38.
6(29): T Luke Jospeh: 9/40,6/26,52. Could develop into a decent backup.
7(29): RB Mark Duran: another near redliner—66,4,57,12/14,28,6/7,16,24,57.

Seven Year Signee: RB Danny Thomas—from TCU—yet another near redliner RB (hopefully just ONE of these guys will break out)—44,5/8,33,14/21,65,14/18,66,52,37.

I make a couple of cuts of weak backups to have money to get my needed players from Texas.

I then sign a handful of URFA’s and head to training camp.

[Ben E Lou]

2007 TRAINING CAMP

Training Camp Settings

Special Skills
Overall Time: Around the 4th dot.
I zero out hail mary and FG/PAT block.
Top three settings are punt return, punt cover/block and red zone offense.

Offense
I’m going to stick with the same offense from the last three seasons, keeping the FB and TE on the field all the time. I max out I, Pro and Strong I and zero out Weak I, Single Back and Shotgun. Goal Line is set around the middle.

Defense
I maximize 4-3 and Man To Man. I minimize 3-4 and zone. Others are a bit above the middle.

Post Training Camp

Significant Breakouts: None. Dang!

Significant Busts: None.

Season Ticket Sales: 42,100 out of 66,700

[Ben E Lou]

2007 ROSTER

   

Position/Player         Current Est  Future Est     Exp   Sgnd

  QB  Ike Croft                    12          12       5   2010   

  QB  Nicky Reynolds                7          10       3   2007   

  QB  Melvin Schneider              6           9       2   2008   

  RB  Mark Duran                    8           8       1   2008   

  RB  Cary Rioux                    6           9       3   2007   

  RB  Nathan Feugill                6           6       1   2007   

  RB  Danny Thomas                  6           6       1   2013   

  FB  Brant Wyman                   9           9       6   2007   

  FB  David Bonk                    6          18       1   2011   

  TE  Peter Prescott               13          13       2   2009   

  TE  Trent Shafer                  8          12       1   2010   

  WR  Nolan Chrysler               16          16       6   2008   

  WR  Dennis Wayne                 16          16       6   2008   

  WR  Mario Barron                 11          11       2   2008   

  WR  Gene Hanson                   7           7       3   2007   

  WR  Bernard Joyner                6           6       2   2012   

   C  Spencer Hardy                10          12       6   2007   

   C  Gilbert Isaacson              7           8       1   2009   

   C  Howard Goad                   6          10       2   2008   

   G  Brett McIntyre               13          13       3   2007   

   G  Paul Blackburn               11          11       2   2008   

   G  Freddie Gerhardt              9           9       6   2007   

   G  Deron Hoffman                 7          10       4   2007   

   G  Bennie Coleman                6          10       2   2009   

   T  Brandon Child                15          15       5   2007   

   T  Heath Hammers                 8          13       3   2008   

   T  Howie Helfenstein             2           3       1   2007   

   T  Luke Joseph                   2          11       1   2008   

   P  Nathan Spencer               11          11       7   2009   

   K  Jamie Haines                 11          11       7   2007   

  DE  Otis Mobley                  10          10       7   2008   

  DE  Deion Crockett                9          13       3   2008   

  DE  Seth Monroe                   2           7       1   2008   

  DE  Bill Teeter                   0           5       1   2007   

  DT  Dana Franz                   15          15       5   2009   

  DT  Roman Reiswig                10          14       4   2010   

  DT  Brett Buckner                 5           7       3   2007   

  DT  Mario Robertson               4          10       2   2009   

  LB  Tracy Preston                11          12       6   2007   

  LB  Alonzo Stokes                11          12       3   2009   

  LB  Jim Robertson                 8          11       4   2007   

  LB  Alonzo Ramey                  8          14       2   2010   

  LB  Wes Burhart                   5           5       4   2010   

  LB  Matt Buckner                  4           4       1   2009   

  CB  Johnny Mayberry              13          13       6   2007   

  CB  Fernando Rogers               8          10       7   2008   

  CB  Marco Prescott                7          10       2   2010   

  CB  Melvin Joseph                 4           4       3   2011   

  CB  Burt Banerjee                 3           3       2   2008   

   S  Victor Whipple               16          18       4   2009   

   S  Andre Oskolkoff              13          13       5   2010   

   S  Cary Howard                  10          12       1   2009   

   S  Dustin Knight                 4           4       6   2007   

Stadium: 63
Roster Strength: 100
Support: 52
Economy: 56
Cohesion: 64,73,56,69

Outlook: Well, everything looks great, except I’m concerned about the running game. Can these backs carry us? I’ve got very good receivers and Croft is improving. If the offense doesn’t get rolling early in the season, I’ll be willing to put it up a lot more this year. Regardless, we consider ourselves Super Bowl contenders this year.

[Ben E Lou]

2007 GAME PLANS

Offensive Game Plan
1st Down: 25,50,65,40
2nd Down: 50,65,40,35
3rd Down: 65,20,10,20
4th Down: 65,10,0,0
Pass Distance: 16,43,32,6,3
Running: I-40, Pro-30, Strong--30
Very Likely Running: I-55, Pro-20, Strong--25
Passing: I-20, Pro-55, Strong--25
Very Likely Passing: I-10, Pro-70, Strong--20
FB As Runner: 15

0WR: 20
1WR: 50
2WR: 85
3WR: 65
4WR: 20
5WR: 20

Defensive Game Plan
I leave the down tendencies alone always.
4-3:100 3-4: 0
Nickel: 50
Dime: 50
Prevent: 0
Blitz Tendency: 65
Blitz Multiple: 60
M2M: 85
Bump/Run: 15

[Ben E Lou]

2007 MID-SEASON REPORT

Record: 6-2
Standing: First place. SD and Denver are both 4-4 and tied for 2nd.
QB Stats: Ike Croft, 101 for 171 (59.4%), 1202 yards, 3TD’s, 5INT, 74.6 Rating.
Leading Rushers: Mark Duran, 114 for 550 yards, 4.8ypc, 2 TD’s. Cary Rioux, 84 for 340, 4.0ypc, 5 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Mario Barron, 47 catches for 631 yards, 4TD’s. WR Nolan Chrysler, 44 catches for 629 yards, 1 TD.
Leading Tackler:S Oskolkoff—29 tackles

*-denotes NFL leader

The running game is getting along just fine behind that solid offensive line. Starting RB Duran's playing time is set to 1, ensuring that I always keep a fresh back in the game. Despite not having anything resembling a feature back, we're still among the league leaders in rushing yards.

Injuries of Note: WR Wayne broke his jaw in the next-to-last preseason game, and hasn’t played yet. He is listed as questionable and should return in a couple of weeks or so. LB Alonzo Stokes had arthroscopic knee surgery after Game 4, and is now lised as questionable. DE Deion Crockett sprained his back in Game 5, and is still listed as out. QB Reynolds started twice for Croft while he was recovering from a bruised shoulder, but Croft is fully healed and back at the helm now.

[Ben E Lou]

2007 END OF REGULAR SEASON REPORT

Season Recap

Record: 12-4
Standing: Won division for the 3rd consecutive season. SD was 10-6.
QB Stats: Croft, 260 for 432 (60.1%), 3320 yards, 21TD’s, 18INT’s, 83.1 Rating.
Leading Rushers: Cary Rioux, 162 for 709, 4.3ypc, 9 TD’s. Mark Duran, 174 for791 yards, 4.5ypc, 5 TD’s.
Leading Receivers: WR Nolan Chrysler, 76 catches for 1160 yards, 2 TD’s. TE Peter Prescott, 57 catches, 644 yards, 6TD’s.
Leading Tackler: S Oskolkoff—50 tackles.
Leading Pass Rusher: DE Otis Mobley—5.5 sacks, 6 blocks, 7 hurries
Leading PDQ DB: S Victor Whipple—22 catches,6 INT, 6 defensed, 48.8PDQ

Points Scored: 450
Points Against: 248

KEY SECOND HALF INJURIES
LB Preston sprained his back in Game 12 and after Game 16 is still listed as out. T Brandon Child broke his arm in Game 13 and after Game 16 is listed as out . RB Duran dislocated his knee in Game 14 and is out, probably for the rest of the playoffs.

Rushing Yards: 2130 (2nd)
Rushing Average: 4.1 (League Average 3.8)
Passing Yards: 4143* (1st)
Passing Average: 7.6 (League Average 6.6)
Rushing Defense: 1617 (14th)
Rushing Average Allowed: 4.3 (League Avg 3.8)
Passing Defense: 2855* (1st)
Passing Average Allowed: 5.7* (League Avg. 6.6)

*-denotes NFL leader

[Ben E Lou]

2007 POSTSEASON REPORT

Division Playoffs vs. New York Jets


The Jets score first, late in the first quarter, but only see Austin territory twice more all day. The defense holds ‘em to 10 first downs and 162 total yards, while Croft goes 15 for 26 for 239 yards and 2 TD’s. Wayne, fully healed after his bout with injuries in the season, catches 9 passes for 155 yards and both TD’s. We roll 33-7.

AFC Championship vs. Indianapolis
Pre-Game Injury Report: RB Duran is questionable/inactive. T Child is doubtful, but activated because T Hammers aggravated his injury and is out. LB Preston is doubtful/inactive.

The defense is once again fearsome, allowing only 8 first downs and 137 total yards, forcing the Colts to punt 12 times. Croft throws for 374 yards, hitting Croft and Chrysler for TD passes, both of whom had over 160 yards receiving. We take a 20-7 win and head to our first Super Bowl!

Super Bowl vs. Tampa Bay
Pre-Game Injury Report: No changes in who is active or inactive from last week.

The two teams with the highest preseason roster records, the highest power ratings, and the best regular season records meet for the big prize. Tampa Bay features a balanced offense. Jamal Lewis ran for 1143 yards and 13 TD’s on the year, and QB Rico Everett threw for 3814 yards and 21 TD’s. His favorite target was WR Keyshawn Johnson, who caught 71 passes for 874 yards. 2nd-favorite target Kevin Johnson is hobbled with a sprained ankle and won’t start.

Today belongs to QB Ike Croft. He threw for 3 TD passes in the first half, and the Bucs never had a chance. On the day, Croft is 29 for 35 for 403 yards, 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s—the best game of his 5-year career in his first Super Bowl appearance! Nolan Chrysler catches 10 passes for a Super Bowl-record 212 yards, and has 2TD’s on the day. Jamal Lewis is a non-factor for Tampa Bay with 4 carries for 7 yards. We roll to our first Super Bowl win 34-10! Go Plainsmen! Croft wins the Super Bowl MVP award.

Awards
TE Peter Prescott—1st Team All Pro—stats above
T Heath Hammers—1st Team All Pro—28 for 75 KRB, 4 sacks allowed, 16.7 Opct
DT Dana Franz—1st Team All Pro—49 tackles, 16 assists, 7.5 sacks, 2 blocked, 4 hurries.
G Paul Blackburn—2nd Team All Pro—30 for 88 KRB, 5 sacks allowed, 18.8 OPct

Herb's Ratings
Performance: 100
Frnc. Value: 88
Profit/Loss: 58
Difficulty: 71
YrEnd Score: 80

2007 Profit: ($15.77M)

[Ben E Lou]

AUSTIN PLAINSMEN 2008 PRELIMINARIES

HALL OF FAME
None.

RETIREES
None.

STAFF HIRING PERIOD
I’m quite happy with coach and scout, both in reputation and in recent performance. My coach’s contract ran out this year, and I attempt to re-sign him.

HEAD COACH

Roger LaCroix

Age: 61

REPUTATION

QB: G         KICKER: VG

RB: G         YOUNG TALENT: E

WR: E         MOTIVATION: G

OL: VG        DISCIPLINE: E

DL: G         OFFENSE PLAYCALL: VG

LB: E         DEFENSE PLAYCALL: G

DB: E         AVOID INJURY: VG

SCOUT

Dwight Pritchett

Age: 57

REPUTATION

QB: VG      DL: G

RB: F       LB: E

WR: E       DB: VG

OL: G       YOUNG TALENT: G

K:  G

Ticket Price/Stadium Information
Fan Loyalty: 63
Support For New Stadium: 85

Dallas’ ticket prices remain the same, and mine do too.

Upper Deck: 51
End Zone: 56
Mezzanine: 67
Sidelines: 114
License: 0
Club Seats: 2,500
Luxury Boxes: 124,000

The Cowboys have a new stadium under construction that will be completed in 2010. Cool.

[This message has been edited by SkyDog (edited 04-07-2001).]