Carolina On My Mind - Panther Dynasty - Madden '04

[BigDPW]

This is a Madden '04 dynasty of the Carolina Panthers. I plan to play some of the games each season (not all of them) and play 14 min QTRs with an accelerated clock when I am playing.

I will be using owner mode where I will be setting tickets prices and all the rest. I will keep you updated on the financial side of the game as I see fit. At the end of each season I will be using NCAA '04 Draft Files for the Draft.

At this point I do not plan on changing any sliders but I will change them if the game results that I play become unrealistic and need to be tweaked. I will be playing on All-Pro level.

I plan on making realistic personel moves (i.e. not signing anyone just to trade them, making realistic trades, etc...) I hope to build around the young core that is established in Carolina.

UP NEXT - Training Camp Results

[BigDPW]

Training Camp

Pocket Presence - Chris Weinke (+3 Accuracy)
Chase & Tackle - Will Witherspoon (+1 Awr, +1 Tkl, +1 Agi)
Swat Ball - Ricky Manning Jr. (+0) I tried to go for the second difficulty after getting 2 points in the first and blew it!
Trench Fight - Jordan Gross (+0) Again a victim of risking points to try the 2nd level?!?
Clutch Kicking - John Kasay (+2 Kicking Power)
Corner Punt - Todd Sauerbrun (+3 Kicking Power)
Precision Passing - Jake Delhomme (+2 Accuracy)
Ground Attack - DeShaun Foster (+3 Carrying)
Catch Ball - Steve Smith (+1 Catching)

UP NEXT - Preseason Roster Moves

[BigDPW]

Preseason Moves

- I have 4 HBs on the roster in Stephen Davis, Skip Hicks, DeShaun Foster, and Dee Brown. I want Foster to be my #2 Back and my 3rd down back which leaves me the option to see what I can get for Skip Hicks(71 OVR) (who is rated slightly better than Foster overall b/c he is less injury prone). With Melvin Tuten (RT) and Kevin Dyson (WR) on the IR and out for the season I shop Hicks to see what I can get for him. The Bengals are willing to part with RT Victor Leyva (60 OVR) who is a decent backup and a 5th Round pick in the upcoming draft for Hicks b/c they need a better backup to Corey Dillon. I accept this deal to make me 2 deep at RT. Leyva will backup rookie RT Jordan Gross.

- I also am unhappy with my KR and PR situation. Steve Smith is too fumble happy to be my main returner so I decide to sign WR Terrance Wilkins and RB Michael Bates in order to shore up those returner postions (the Panthers have these 2 in camp in real life). Wilkins will return punts and also be my 4th receiver behind Muhammad, Smith, and Proehl. Bates will likely never touch the ball as a RB but should make an impact on special teams including returning kicks beside Wilkins.

- In order to make room for the two signings above I was forced to release some guys. Being three deep at center with a rookie at the #2 slot made the vastly underrated Louis Williams (C #3) expendable so he was released. The signing of Wilkins also left me with 6 WRs and Karl Hankton was due 1.13 mil this year with no bonus to pay out so as the expensive #6 WR he was released also.

- Being only 3 deep at DT was also a concern going into the preseason so I went looking for a free agent DT and found a rookie James Lee (drafted by the Packers in the 5th round but now released after a recent roster update). He is rated pretty poorly overall but should see the field very little this year and his low price tag for a one year deal made him appealing. I signed him and released TE Jermaine Wiggins in order to make room (he was my #4 TE and was also likely to get little playing time behind Kris Mangum, Keith Heinrich (2nd year), and Mike Seidman (rookie).

So there you have it...

UP NEXT - Preseason Game #1 vs. Washington

[BigDPW]

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers (Preseason)

I manually played this game in order to get the right people the amount of playing time I desire for them - to get the most improvement out of my young guys.

Game Recap
The game was all Redskins. They led from the first drive until the end and never looked back. Both Ramsey and Rob Johnson had over 200 yds passing in the game.

Final Score - WASH 51 CAR 14

Stats - Washington

Rush Yds - 87
Pass Yds - 473
Turnovers - 3

Passing Leaders
Ramsey with over 200 yds

Rushing Leaders
Watson (86 yds)

Receiving Leaders
D. McCants (8-174 yds - 2 TDs)

Defensive Performances


Stats - Carolina

Rush Yds - 82
Pass Yds - 205
Turnovers - 4

Passing Leaders
Weinke (8-18 - 142 yds - 1 TD - 2 INTs)
Delhomme (2-9 - 32 yds)
Peete (3-9 - 50 yds - 1 INT)

Rushing Leaders
Foster (57 yds - 1 TD - 3.0avg)
Davis (25 yds - 2.5avg)

Receiving Leaders
Young (3-54 yds - 1 TD)
Wilkins (3-70 yds)

Defensive Performances
Minter (1 INT)
Manning (1 INT)
Cooper (1 INT)

[BigDPW]

I plan to put more info in the regular season game recaps when they actually mean something... We survived the blowout against Washington without any injuries to report!!!

Let me know if you think my format needs anything different...

I plan to play the next preseason game tomorrow... I may play 1 or 2 more of the preseason games and sim the rest so stay tuned!!!

BTW I love the new boxscores on Madden '04 they make a dynasty much more fun and easy to follow.

If you have any suggestions or questions please ask.

[BigDPW]

I will post the roster breakdown tomorrow or after the preseason games. I am working on a template for it right now!

[BigDPW]

Carolina Panthers (0-1) at NY Giants(0-1)

Game Notes – I moved the qtr length down to 13 for this game as I had too many total plays in the last game. I started Delhomme last game and Peete will get the nod this time in order to see what he can do with the 1st team.

Game Recap
This game was all Giants from the word go. Peete and Davis helped us to a whopping 10 yards in the first half. Luckily Terrence Wilkins returned a punt for a TD and Ricky Manning returned a pick for a TD in the first half. We went to half time tied at 14. The second half the offense was led by Delhomme while the defense became the weak link. We could not stop Dorsey Levens or Jesse Palmer to save our lives.

Final Score - CAR 43 NYG 73

Stats - Carolina

Rush Yds - 128
Pass Yds – 172

Turnovers – 9 (3 Fumbles – 6 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Delhomme (9-20 - 175 yds - 1 TD - 1 INTs)
Peete (4-14 - 28 yds - 4 INTs)
Weinke (0-1 - 0 yds - 1 INT)

Rushing Leaders
Foster (10 rushes - 122 yds - 2 TD)
Davis (8 rushes - 4 yds)
Brown (1 rushes - 2 yds - 1 TD)

Receiving Leaders
Smith (4-91 yds)
Muhammad (3-24 yds)
Heinrich (4-37 yds - 1 TD)
Proehl (1-46 yds)

Defensive Performances
Manning (6 Tck - 1 INT - 1 TD)
Jenkins (2 Sacks)
Peppers (1 Sack)

Special Teams Performances
Wilkins (1 PR – 71 yds - 1 TD/ 163 KR yds)
Smith (1 PR - 0yds - 1 Fumble)
Kasay (0 fga – 0 fgm – long 0 yds)


Stats - NYG

Rush Yds - 242
Pass Yds – 418

Turnovers – 3 (0 Fumbles – 3 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Palmer (16-26 - 315 yds - 1 TD - 2 INTs)
Collins (12-18 - 114 yds - 1 TD - 1 INTs)

Rushing Leaders
Levens (13 rushes - 214 yds - 5 TD)
Barber (16 rushes - 14 yds - 1 TD)

Receiving Leaders
Hilliard (5-69 yds)
Dixon (4-125 yds - 1 TD)
Rivers (4-60 yds)
Toomer (4-63 yds - 1 TD)
Shockey (3-23 yds)

Defensive Performances
Strahan (5 Sacks – 1 FF)
Hamilton (3 Sacks – 1 FF)
Stoutmire (1 INT)
Barrow (1 INT)

Special Teams Performances
Bates (0 PR – 0 yds / 0 KR – 0 yds)
Hollis (1 fga – 1 fgm – long 32 yds)


Major Injuries
NYG- Shockey out for 3 wks (will miss the season opener)
CAR- Peete was banged up but expected to be ok for next game


Notes - I have played around with the sliders in order to- #1 Help my pass rush which has been nonexistent, #2 slow the CPUs pass rush a little, #3 cut down on INTs for CPU and ME

I also saw 130 play in the last game so I will try 12 min QTRs in the next game...

[BigDPW]

I decided I will recap the rosters after the preseason... I will probably continue to play the preseason games until I feel I have the right feel with the game (sliders, time, etc...)

Again let me know if you think I need to work on my format!

[BigDPW]

Carolina Panthers (0-2) at Green Bay Packers (1-1)

Game Notes – We start Delhomme in this game hoping to finally get some production out of one of our QBs. Peete will play the second half.

Game Recap
I the 1st Delhomme connected with Moose Muhammad on a 70 yd TD to tie the game at 7. Later that quarter Delhomme connected with Hannibal Navies (now a Packer) for an INT which Navies returned for 7. We answered with a 2nd Qtr TD run by Stephen Davis from 2 yds out to make it 14-14 at the half.

The Packers quickly took the lead in the second half driven by a solid passing attack by Doug Pederson. He was able to connect a ton with another former Panther - Wesley Walls. In the 2nd half we were able to pull within 3 on two occasions. The last time was with a little under 3 minutes left. On the ensuing kickoff Green Bays Rookie KR - Rubin returned the kick 95 yards for a score to go up by 10.


Final Score - CAR 28 GB 38

Stats - Carolina

Rush Yds - 125
Pass Yds – 135
Turnovers – 3 (1 Fumble – 2 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Delhomme (6-18 - 105 yds - 1 TD - 2 INTs)
Peete (2-8 - 40 yds)

Rushing Leaders
Davis (16 Rushes - 36 yds - 2 TD)
Foster (16 Rushes - 78 yds - 1 TD)

Receiving Leaders
Muhammad (4-114 yds - 1 TD)

Defensive Performances
Fields (5 Tck – 1 Sacks)
Buckner (1 Sack – 1 FF)
Cousins (4 Tck - 1 INT)
Grant (1 INT)
Jenkins (1 Sack)

Special Teams Performances
none standout

Stats - GB

Rush Yds - 43
Pass Yds – 274
Turnovers – 4 (2 Fumbles – 2 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Favre (8-12 - 117 yds - 1 TD - 2 INTs)
Pederson (12-16 - 168 yds - 2 TD)

Rushing Leaders
Green (10 Rushes - 12 yds)
Davenport (10 Rushes - 32 yds)

Receiving Leaders
Green (4-37 yds)
Walls (5-73 yds - 1 TD)
Franks (3-28 yds)

Defensive Performances
Unertl (5 Tck – 1 Sack)
Navies (1 Sacks – 1 INTs - 1 TD)

Special Teams Performances
Rubin (3 KR – 140 yds - 1 TD)


Major Injuries
None


Post Game Notes - The play seems much more balanced so I will be leaving the sliders like they are for now. I will also leave the time at 12 min qtrs with acc clock as the number of plays seems about right as well. I am still unsure who my starting QB will be in the reg season but Delhomme certainly looks to be the lesser of the two evils here. He is slightly more accurate per his ratings and has performed better than Peete (though not well in comparison to anyone else in the league). So we continue to get super sub-par QB play and Stephen Davis has yet to show up in the preseason. I think he will fare better when getting carries late into the 2nd half as opposed to just 1st half carries like he is in the preseason. NEXT WEEK - Pittsburgh visits Ericsson Stadium for our final preseason game.

Any suggestions on who to start at QB in the Pittsburgh game would be appreciated. I may play it tonight!

[BigDPW]

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) at Carolina Panthers (0-3)

Game Notes – The crowd is sparse for my final preseason home game. I can't blame them after the performance they saw against the Redskins the last time I was at home. I hope that decline in attendance doesn't carry over to the regular season. I decided I would start Delhomme and then bring in Peete in the 2nd qtr to also play with the offensive starters for a qtr. Weinke will play the entire 2nd half.

Game Recap
We start the game with a clock eating drive that we have been looking for the entire preseason on offense. We are able to take 8:30 off of the clock and drive it down to the Pittsburgh 10 yard line. Then Delhomme threw an INT to Joey Porter who promptly returned it 94 yds for a TD. It was nice to see a solid drive from the team regardless of the outcome. Delhomme continued to run the offense well and did not make any more mistakes for the remainder of the 1st and Stephen Davis finally looked like the real deal in the backfield consitently gaining just enough for first downs.
Peete came in in the 2nd qtr and went 1-6 for 6 yds. We went to the half with a four point deficit 10-14. In the second half a very interesting thing happened - I BLOCKED A PUNT!!! I couldn't believe it I lined up to go after their punter and controlled the guy on the right end. Unfortunately my guy was blocked but a CPU controlled player came up the gut to block the punt. It was awesome. I don't ever remember blocking any type of kick against the CPU (only against human opponents in Madden). They also were lined up in a punt protection formation which made it even more exciting.
The 2nd string Defense inmpressed in the 3rd Qtr by not giving up any points to the Steelers but they followed that with a 4th Qtr giving up 21 pts! Our first stringers on both sides of the ball looked relatively impressive while our 2nd stringers continue to get outshined by the opponents bench.


Final Score - PIT 38 CAR 17

Stats - Pittsburgh

Rush Yds - 129
Pass Yds – 149
Turnovers – 0

Passing Leaders
Batch (18-26 - 166 yds) *played the entire game with Maddox questionable for the game

Rushing Leaders
Zereoue (20 Rushes - 82 yds - 2 TD)
Bettis (1 Rush - 68 yds - 1 TD)

Receiving Leaders
Zereoue (4-23 yds)
Mays (4-46 yds)
Ward (3-34 yds)
Doerhing (3-32 yds)

Defensive Performances
Farrior (9 Tck - 1 TFL)
Bell (8 Tck – 2 TFL - 1 Sacks – 1 INTs)
Scott (7 Tck – 1 Sacks)
Porter (4 Tck – 3 TFL – 1 INT - 1 TD)

Special Teams Performances
None


Stats - Carolina

Rush Yds - 110
Pass Yds – 172
Turnovers – 3 (0 Fumbles – 3 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Delhomme (5-6 - 88 yds - 1 INT)
Peete (1-5 - 6 yds)
Weinke (9-15 - 107 yds - 1 TD)
RB Foster and P Sauerbrun both threw 1 INT (on halfback pass and fake punt respectively)

Rushing Leaders
Davis (19 Rushes - 57 yds)
Foster (11 Rushes - 55 yds - 1 TD)

Receiving Leaders
Smith (3-68 yds)
Muhammad (3-58 yds)
Proehl (2-27 yds)

Defensive Performances
Pittman (2 Sacks)
Peppers (1 Sack)
Manning (4 Tck - 2 TFL)

Special Teams Performances
Wilkins (2 KR – 48 yds)
Kasay (2 fga – 1 fgm – long 47 yds - missed a 52 yarder wide left)


Major Injuries
None


Post-game Notes - Looks like Delhomme can run the offense as long as he is not forced to throw it alot. Finally found some good running plays for Davis out of the OneBack-2 TE set. With TE Seidman being such a great blocker I may put him in the backfield to block for Davis on I-Form and Pro-Form sets. My FB play leaves alot to be desired and I hope to address that in the offseason. I hope going (0-4) doesn't effect my progressions for the young guys during the preseason phase. Seems like everyone got the right amount of PT except maybe RB Dee Brown who could have used some more carries.

UP NEXT - ROSTER BREAKDOWN

[BigDPW]

Quarterback – Rating = C+

J. Delhomme - # 17 – 4 yrs
77 Ovr, 70 Awr, 84 ThP, 84 ThA, 66 Spd
Notes – He is a guy who can be accurate and move around in the pocket. I don't think he is the long term answer at QB for us but he will start this year.

R. Peete - # 9 – 13 yrs
75 Ovr, 78 Awr, 84 ThP, 83 ThA, 54 Spd
Notes – Proved last year he could not make mistakes but we are skeptical about his ability after his poor preseason performance. He will backup Delhomme but if he continues to play like he did in the preseason he will likely be demoted to 3rd on the depth chart.

C. Weinke - # 16 – 2 yrs
69 Ovr, 63 Awr, 87 ThP, 80 ThA, 52 Spd
Notes – He has a strong arm but needs to show he can run the offense as opposed to slinging the ball downfield every play. He will be out #3 QB and may get some PT is Peete falters in relief.


Halfback – Rating = B

S. Davis - # 48 – 7 yrs
87 Ovr, 87 Spd, 85 Car, 93 Btk, 63 Cth, 82 Agi, 91 Acc
Notes – On paper Davis can carry the load for us. He is a big strong back with sprinter type speed. This guys season will rest on the shoulders of the offensive line. If things go as planned he will gain bigtime yardage in our ball control - clock eating offense.

D. Foster - # 20 – 1 yrs
70 Ovr, 86 Spd, 68 Car, 75 Btk, 65 Cth, 85 Agi, 88 Acc
Notes – Foster will be our 3rd Down RB and will come in to spell Davis when he is tired (and he will be if our offense runs as much as we want to). He is injury prone but hopefully he will withstand the rigors of the NFL regular season an prove he is 100%.

D. Brown - # 22 – 2 yrs
66 Ovr, 85 Spd, 64 Car, 69 Btk, 64 Cth, 83 Agi, 85 Acc
Notes – Brown is much like Foster with less risk of injury and not quite the same burst. He will see a few carries this year and we think he will fill in quite nicely if either one of the top 2 backs goes down for an extended period.

M. Bates - # 24 – 10 yrs
53 Ovr, 89 Spd, 62 Car, 50 Btk, 64 Cth, 81 Agi, 68 Acc
Notes – He will simply be returning kicks for us this year. I doubt he will ever see the field as a RB.


Fullback – Rating = D

B. Hoover - # 45 – 3 yrs
71 Ovr, 65 Spd, 75 Car, 53 RBk, 50 PBk, 65 Cth
Notes – Hoover is a local guy from Western Carolina but that is about the only thing he has going for him. He can't block to save his life but he can catch on occasion if the stars align correctly. He will share time at FB with TE Mike Seidman.

N. Goings - # 37 – 2 yrs
61 Ovr, 81 Spd, 68 Car, 44 RBk, 46 PBk, 53 Cth
Notes – Goings is more of a RB than a FB. If you thought Hoover couldn't block take a look at Goings. He couldn't block the wind for someone to light a cigarrette behind!!! He may see action as a #4 RB if we need him there.


Wide Receiver – Rating = B-

M. Muhammad - # 87 – 7 yrs
85 Ovr, 86 Spd, 86 Acc, 86 Agi, 90 Cth, 85 Awr, 88 Jmp
Notes – He needs to return to form as a clutch reciever and we think this year he will do just that. We plan to use him to catch alot of curls and drags. He will be our possesion guy when we need the 5-10 yards to get a 1st down.

S. Smith - # 89 – 2 yrs
81 Ovr, 93 Spd, 94 Acc, 93 Agi, 83 Cth, 79 Awr, 76 Jmp
Notes – Smith is a burner and he will allow us to stretch the field and go deep on play action. He has improved his hands also so look for him to catch more balls across the middle this year.

R. Proehl - # 81 – 13 yrs
76 Ovr, 80 Spd, 82 Acc, 81 Agi, 87 Cth, 85 Awr, 76 Jmp
Notes - He gives us another receiver we can count on for the clutch catch on 3rd down. He is not very fast but he should provide us a good - sure handed target over the middle.

T. Wilkins - # 83 – 4 yrs
70 Ovr, 88 Spd, 89 Acc, 88 Agi, 75 Cth, 72 Awr, 70 Jmp
Notes – He is another speed guy. He was brought in to be more of a returner but when we go 4 and 5 wide he will be another deep threat teams have to respect.

W. Young - # 19 – 0 yrs
64 Ovr, 83 Spd, 80 Acc, 78 Agi, 71 Cth, 52 Awr, 88 Jmp
Notes – This rookie will be our #5 WR. He is a big target but he needs to work on his route running and catching ability.

K. Dyson - # 85 – 5 yrs *Currently on IR
79 Ovr, 87 Spd, 88 Acc, 88 Agi, 84 Cth, 75 Awr, 85 Jmp
Notes – Dyson was going to be our #3 guy this year but he was injured during mini-camp just after being signed to a 1 year deal. He is on the IR for this season and will be a FA after the year. We will have to see how our current WR crop fares to determine if we should resign Kevin in the offseason.


Tight End – Rating = D

K. Mangum - # 86 – 5 yrs
68 Ovr, 61 Spd, 68 Cth, 62 Car, 61 Btk, 61 RBk, 61 PBk
Notes – He is the reason the prior front office personell thought Wesley Walls was expendable. Well he doesn't look that good to me! He is a fair receiver with decent blocking ability. He will share time with the rookie Mike Seidman who has already surpassed him in ability on many fronts.

M. Seidman - # 82 – 0 yrs
69 Ovr, 63 Spd, 66 Cth, 68 Car, 59 Btk, 67 RBk, 62 PBk
Notes – This rookie has really impoved this preseason. He is the best blocker on our team barring lineman. His only knock is his speed and the fact that he drops some catchable balls. He will see time as a blocking back for Davis and at TE in our 2 TE sets.

K. Heinrich - # 80 – 1 yrs
64 Ovr, 62 Spd, 62 Cth, 62 Car, 63 Btk, 60 RBk, 56 PBk
Notes – He makes a good 3rd TE but that is about it. He can do everything OK but is not very goog at anything. He has youth on his side however so we will have to wait and see what the future holds.


Offensive Line – Rating = C+

T. Steussie (LT) - # 75 – 9 yrs
83 Ovr, 92 Str, 87 Awr, 89 RBk, 82 PBk
Notes – A strong run blocking left tackle. He will anchor our Leftside. His is not as dependable as we would like to protect our QBs blind-side.

J. James (LT) - # 78 – 4 yrs
66 Ovr, 83 Str, 65 Awr, 78 RBk, 78 PBk
Notes – A decent backup... Not much else to say

D. Brezeznski (LG) - # 79 – 4 yrs
79 Ovr, 91 Str, 71 Awr, 86 RBk, 85 PBk
Notes – Not the long term answer at LG but he is solid enough to get us through this year.

T. Reyes (LG) - # 76 – 3 yrs
51 Ovr, 85 Str, 45 Awr, 75 RBk, 72 PBk
Notes – A mediocre backup...

J. Mitchell (C) - # 60 – 6 yrs
85 Ovr, 86 Str, 85 Awr, 87 RBk, 88 PBk
Notes –The anchor of our entire O-Line. He has the skills to be with us for a long time. He will be pushed by the rookie - but that is a good thing!

B. Nelson (C) - # 72 – 0 yrs
69 Ovr, 84 Str, 56 Awr, 81 RBk, 1 PBk
Notes – A solid backup C as a rookie who is stuck behind one of the more solid centers in the league. He will see action as the longsnapper.

K. Donnalley (RG) - # 65 – 12 yrs
75 Ovr, 88 Str, 80 Awr, 81 RBk, 82 PBk
Notes – A decent RG. He is getting old and we plan to upgrade at this position in the offseason. We will have to see if he can get the job done this year.

D. Fletcher (RG) - # 74 – 3 yrs
61 Ovr, 93 Str, 58 Awr, 74 RBk, 70 PBk
Notes – Career backup who is good in the wieght room.

J. Gross (RT) - # 69 – 0 yrs
78 Ovr, 88 Str, 65 Awr, 88 RBk, 86 PBk
Notes – He is our young stud and we hope to groom him into one of the best RTs in the game. He played well for a rookie in the preseason and proved he deserves the RT job all to himself.

V. Leyva (RT) - # 61 – 2 yrs
61 Ovr, 74 Str, 68 Awr, 75 RBk, 76 PBk
Notes – A player we picked up to backup Gross. Will hopefully never see any action this year!

M. Tuten (RT) - # 73 – 6 yrs *Currently on IR
70 Ovr, 86 Str, 70 Awr, 82 RBk, 80 PBk
Notes – A solid backup tackle who is out for the year and on the IR. We hope he can return to form as we need a solid backup tackle.

[Radii]

It looks like you've already decided, but I think starting Delhomme is the way to go. He's as good as Peete in terms of ratings and with signifigant playing time perhaps he could turn into a solid QB for you for the next few years.

Good luck!

[BigDPW]

Defensive Tackle – Rating = A-

K. Jenkins - # 77 – 2 yrs
93 Ovr, 92 Str, 74 Awr, 89 Tck, 64 Spd, 84 Acc, 69 Agi
Notes – He is young and he is a stud!!! He will be our top DT for a long time. He can stop the run and go after the QB with equal intensity.

B. Buckner - # 99 – 9 yrs
82 Ovr, 90 Str, 77 Awr, 85 Tck, 55 Spd, 62 Acc, 52 Agi
Notes – He is a good #2 DT he is more of a run stuffer and fits in nicely to balance our D-Line.

S. Burton - # 98 – 7 yrs
73 Ovr, 87 Str, 67 Awr, 80 Tck, 54 Spd, 57 Acc, 51 Agi
Notes – He will see some action and is more of a run stuffer than anything else.

J. Lee - # 92 – 0 yrs
56 Ovr, 83 Str, 45 Awr, 73 Tck, 44 Spd, 55 Acc, 49 Agi
Notes – He is young but not very talented. He was picked up to make us 4 deep at DT. He will likely not see any time this year barring injury.


Defensive End – Rating = A

J. Peppers - # 90 – 1 yrs
93 Ovr, 71 Str, 78 Awr, 79 Tck, 83 Spd, 91 Acc, 82 Agi
Notes – He is our sparkplug on defense. He will be getting after the QB on every passing down. He is itching to play an entire season for the first time!

K. Pittman - # 64 – 7 yrs
74 Ovr, 76 Str, 67 Awr, 78 Tck, 75 Spd, 78 Acc, 72 Agi
Notes – He will backup Peppers and is a pretty solid pass rusher in his own right. He may also see time at DT if someone goes down.

M. Rucker - # 93 – 4 yrs
88 Ovr, 85 Str, 83 Awr, 80 Tck, 72 Spd, 78 Acc, 72 Agi
Notes – He is the "Yin" to Peppers "Yang" - He will be asked to hold down the other side of the line and stop the run as well. He is less of a pass rusher than Peppers (but then again who isn't).

A. Wallace - # 96 – 3 yrs
62 Ovr, 72 Str, 55 Awr, 66 Tck, 64 Spd, 65 Acc, 66 Agi
Notes – A decent backup DE who will see little action this year behind Rucker.


Middle Linebacker – Rating = B

D. Morgan - # 55 – 2 yrs
85 Ovr, 80 Spd, 78 Awr, 88 Tck, 82 Agi, 76 Str
Notes – If Peppers is the spark plug he is the motor. He will be the leader of our defense. He will be expected to plug any holes up the middle. He is prone to injury but hopes to contribute the entire season.

L. Towns - # 57 – 3 yrs
62 Ovr, 66 Spd, 60 Awr, 76 Tck, 66 Agi, 76 Str
Notes – A decent backup MLB who is vastly underrated by the game. He can spell Morgan if need be.


Right Outside Linebacker – Rating = C+

W. Witherspoon - # 54 – 1 yrs
77 Ovr, 81 Spd, 66 Awr, 80 Tck, 78 Agi, 70 Str
Notes – A young OLB who can tackle well. He will hold down the Rigth side. We hope he can improve his awareness and football smarts this year to become a complete package.

B. Allen - # 52 – 2 yrs
65 Ovr, 76 Spd, 56 Awr, 76 Tck, 67 Agi, 69 Str
Notes – A good backup to Witherspoon. He again has poor football smarts but the physical skills to play his position.


Left Outside Linebacker – Rating = B+

M. Fields - # 58 – 8 yrs
86 Ovr, 86 Spd, 82 Awr, 84 Tck, 75 Agi, 71 Str
Notes – Fields can FLY for a linebacker! He is like another DB on the field who can hit people with power! He will be a pass rushing force in our 4-3 Strong Set and will be a great man to defend any TEs the league has to offer.

G. Favors - # 53 – 5 yrs
66 Ovr, 70 Spd, 69 Awr, 73 Tck, 67 Agi, 70 Str
Notes – He can contribute when needed but hopefully he won't be needed to often.


Cornerback – Rating = C

T. Cousins - # 21 – 6 yrs
77 Ovr, 88 Spd, 90 Acc, 85 Agi, 73 Awr, 60 Cth, 65 Tck
Notes – He is pretty fast but could use some more understanding of his position. He anchors what is likely the weakest link on our team. Some honor huh!!!

R. Howard - # 23 – 3 yrs
74 Ovr, 88 Spd, 84 Acc, 86 Agi, 68 Awr, 62 Cth, 67 Tck
Notes – Another fast back with little understanding for what his job is on the field. He and Manning will share time at #2 CB and Nickel.

R. Manning - # 34 – 0 yrs
69 Ovr, 87 Spd, 91 Acc, 92 Agi, 57 Awr, 65 Cth, 45 Tck
Notes – He is a good coverage CB but lacks awareness and tackling ability. He will likely see some time @ #2 this year but will spend most of his time on the slot reciever in our nickel package.

B. Franklin - # 36 – 1 yrs
66 Ovr, 87 Spd, 82 Acc, 82 Agi, 60 Awr, 50 Cth, 58 Tck
Notes – A decent #4 guy he is not but he is the #4 CB we have so that is where he will play.

D. Wesley - # 29 – 1 yrs
65 Ovr, 87 Spd, 89 Acc, 86 Agi, 56 Awr, 52 Cth, 54 Tck
Notes – May share time with Franklin as a #4 CB in our Dime set.

E. McDaniel - # 25 – 5 yrs
64 Ovr, 80 Spd, 77 Acc, 80 Agi, 66 Awr, 59 Cth, 61 Tck
Notes – Not the fastest guy around but he will probably be called into action as our Dime back during the season if the two above him struggle (which is likely).


Free Safety – Rating = B-

D. Grant - # 27 – 3 yrs
80 Ovr, 87 Spd, 88 Acc, 84 Agi, 66 Awr, 65 Cth, 69 Tck
Notes – He is young, fast, and can tackle. His only problem is little understanding for the game and he gets fooled often on playaction. He will start for us and could develop into a great FS for us.

D. Richardson - # 39 – 5 yrs
59 Ovr, 75 Spd, 75 Acc, 76 Agi, 57 Awr, 53 Cth, 65 Tck
Notes – He stinks. We sure hope Grant doesn't go down this year!


Strong Safety – Rating = B

M. Minter - # 30 – 6 yrs
85 Ovr, 87 Spd, 88 Acc, 83 Agi, 85 Awr, 54 Cth, 80 Tck
Notes – He is a great SS who can come up and stop the run with little effort. What he lacks in coverage ability he makes up for with brute force. He is our version of John Lynch!

J. Cooper - # 40 – 2 yrs
66 Ovr, 79 Spd, 81 Acc, 82 Agi, 52 Awr, 54 Cth, 74 Tck
Notes – A good backup to Minter. Also a power - run stuffing guy with little coverage ability. He will also play on special teams.


Kickers & Punters – Rating = B+

J. Kasay (K) - # 4 – 12 yrs
80 Ovr, 89 KPw, 86 KAc, 77 Awr
Notes – He has the tools to be a good Kicker for us but showed little in the preseason where he only made one FG. He is also injury prone like much of our team but that shouldn't be a problem at kicker (knock on wood).

T. Sauerbrun (P) - # 10 – 7 yrs
99 Ovr, 96 KPw, 92 KAc, 88 Awr
Notes – He is one of the best punters in the game. His contract will expire this year but we plan to resign him as our ball control style is complemented well by his skills.


Special Teams – Rating = A-

M. Bates (KR) - # 24 – 10 yrs
76 Ovr (@KR), 80 KR, 89 Spd, 68 Acc, 81 Agi, 62 Car
Notes – He was signed as a free agent to be a 2nd kick returner with Wilkins. He is a speed guy but it takes him awhile to get up to speed on KRs. We may see him split time with S. Smith.

T. Wilkins (KR & PR) - # 83 – 4 yrs
88 Ovr (@KR), 88 KR, 88 Spd, 89 Acc, 88 Agi, 48 Car
Notes – He can return punts and kicks for us. He will be a force but we worry about him fumbling on occasion.

S. Smith (???) - # 89 – 2 yrs
99 Ovr (@KR), 93 KR, 93 Spd, 94 Acc, 93 Agi, 49 Car
Notes – He is the best returner we have - Unfortunately he is the most fumble prone player we have. We may play with fire this year on occasion and let him return a few kickoffs or punts. If he can prove his fumbilitis days are over with that limited action he could return to returning on a full-time basis.

[BigDPW]

Originally posted by Radii
It looks like you've already decided, but I think starting Delhomme is the way to go. He's as good as Peete in terms of ratings and with signifigant playing time perhaps he could turn into a solid QB for you for the next few years.

Good luck!

Yeah Peete's dismal performance in the preseason made the decision easy for me!

In fact I see a scenario now where Weinke becomes my #2 QB behind Delhomme. But I will give Peete a shot if Delhomme goes down to see if he can produce in the regular season...

Any thoughts on whether I should let Smith return punts or kicks???

I think there is a hidden fumble rating somewhere in madden - b/c Smith is forever fumbling on punt returns and kickoffs for me. I think some of the punts were my fault for not fair catching but kickoffs were his fault. I also remember Biakabatuka fumbling alot in madden as well.

[Radii]

Originally posted by BigDPW
Any thoughts on whether I should let Smith return punts or kicks???

I think there is a hidden fumble rating somewhere in madden - b/c Smith is forever fumbling on punt returns and kickoffs for me. I think some of the punts were my fault for not fair catching but kickoffs were his fault. I also remember Biakabatuka fumbling alot in madden as well.

Since you signed two guys essentially to be return specialists and nothing else, I'd proablby leave Smith as a WR, IRL, I'm thinking Steve Smith can become a very good Wide Receiver and I understand the Panthers are going to have Smith returning less...

and, Timmay (biakabatuka) fumbling in madden just means that the game is realistic I'm so glad he's gone, not like he was ever healthy anyway.

[BigDPW]

I agree Biakabatuka fumbling in the game was a perfect recreation of reality. I often wonder if the fumbling is related to the carrying rating or to some hidden fumble rating though. It often doesn't seem to correlate to the carrying rating though I used to think it was related to it.

[BigDPW]

I may play game 1 of the dynasty tonight. Depends on how easy it is to watch the real Panthers play NY on TV...

[BigDPW]

I am four games into the season but I have not had time to translate all of the stats and recaps onto the board yet...

Don't worry I will be updating sometime soon... Right now I am in the midst of a 3 week long study-fest for my Medical Licensing Exam (Step 2 of the USMLE)...

[Wolfpack]

Are you going to account for Mark Fields's season-long absence to fight Hodgkin's Disease or are you going to let him play?

[BigDPW]

I am going to let him play... The backup linebackers for us are vastly underrated... IF I ever play another Panthers dyansty I will probably take it into account...

[BigDPW]

I am currently 9 games into the year.... I will be posting a recap of those games this week... I am taking my licensing exam on Wednesday... I will probably update on Thursday and through the weekend...

Sorry for the long layoff if anyone was following this thread!

[BigDPW]

OK guys I will be posting the update from the first 10 games in just a bit... I ran into a little problem... It seems the game only saves boxscores for the previous week (not all of the weeks of the season like I thought). I was relying heavily on the boxscores for the updates I typically write and I can no longer access the first 9 games boxscores...

So I will post a summary of the season so far and then pick it up from there... I will also post pertinent stats to this point in the year also...

[BigDPW]

Games 1-10 Summary

vs. JAX (38-48) Loss
@ TB (17-52) Loss <---------- I altered the sliders to make the game play more realistically here...
vs. ATL (24-27) Loss
vs. NO (28-21) Win
@ IND (27-18) Win
vs. TEN (10-34) Loss
@ NO (13-17) Loss
@ HOU (30-0) Win
vs. WSH (17-41) Loss

Current NFC South Standings

ATL 6-4
NO 5-5
TB 5-5
CAR 3-7

Current NFC Leaders

STL 9-1
SF 7-3
*** The NFC is really even with all of the teams beating one another up... the 3rd place teams in the conference over all are at 6-4... I still could make a run and get in the playoffs but it will be difficult!

Current AFC Leaders

OAK 9-1
MIA 8-2


Current Team Leaders

Delhomme - 47% completion, 1,671 yds, 9 TDs, 24 INTs
Davis - 903 yds, 7 TDs, 3.8 ypc
Muhammad - 33 rec, 576 yds, 2 TDs
Smith - 30 rec, 602 yds, 4 TDs
Peppers - 13 sacks, 1 INT
Jenkins - 7 sacks
Howard - 5 INTs, 2 TDs
Cousin - 4 INTs
Minter - 44 Tckls, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks, 2 INTs, 1 TD
Kasay - 14-15 fgs, 45 yard longest
Sauerbrun - 39.1 yards per punt, 17 inside the 20
Wilkins - 11.1 yards per punt return, 2 TDs


Current Team Rankings in the League

Total Offense - 25th
Passing Off - 26th
Rushing Off - 18th
Off PPG - 7th
Sacks Allowed - 32nd
3rd Down % (Off) - 29th

Total Yds (Def) - 21st
Def vs. Pass - 26th
Def vs. Rush - 15th
Def PPG - 31st
Sacks - 9th
INTs - 1st

Turnover Differential - 32nd (-10)



Well there you have it... UP NEXT --------- CAROLINA @ DALLAS (Week 12)

[BigDPW]

I seem to have finally found some sliders that play realistically. They allow me to lose to any team on any day. The sliders are still very difficult but I no longer see the high scoring games I was seeing in the preseason and the first 2 weeks...

I have to admit that the Redskins snuck up on me this past game... I couldn't stop their offense to save my life...

Also the defense is playing better than our record or stats indicate. We would be much higher rated on defense had it not been for the outrageous amount of yards that were put up in that first 2 weeks. Admittedly our Defensive backfield could use some help - especially at CB... Those two top guys (Howard & Cousin) have gotten a few INTs but are conistently giving up alot of big plays to solid WRs on the other side...

In fact I have begun to rush only 4 players on most downs hoping to slow down the other teams passing attacks. This worked the last few games (until Washington came along) and I began to see less big plays... I think I may have gone to far away from blitzing now though... We will have to see how this plays out... I will definetly be trying to upgrade at CB in the offseason as these 2 are underrated by Madden and aren't getting it done for me this year...

I wonder if I had a lock down corner and a solid #2 if things would be alot different or if it is just my play style...

Needless to say my trend of rushing 4 guys has drastically decreased my # of sacks the last few games and Peppers has slowed his pace quite a bit. Jenkins seems to still be consitently getting to the QB even now that I am rushing 4 on most downs though...

I may play Dallas tonight... If so I will update on that game tonight or tomorrow morning...

I would love some feedback - advice - etc...

[Abe Sargent]

I'm here and reading.....

-Anxiety

[General Mike]

Bench Howard, Start Manning

I had good success developing Manning in a franchise I was simming with the Panthers.

[BigDPW]

Originally posted by General Mike
Bench Howard, Start Manning

I had good success developing Manning in a franchise I was simming with the Panthers.

Howard has come up big with some INTs though... But Manning has better hands - he just doesn't have the same knowledge as Howard (YET)...

I will start Manning against the Eagles in Week 13... They are light on receivers so that should give him some good chances to make plays... I am still not sure he is the answer long term for me though but we will have to wait and see...

How well did he develop for you??? Was he a solid #1 or #2 CB at his peak???

[BigDPW]

Originally posted by Anxiety
I'm here and reading.....

-Anxiety

Thanks..... I was beginning to wonder if I was doing this for myself!!! Since I dont' have a laptop to carry to my PS2 to make updates with I have to put pen to paper to transfer stats...

I am willing to do it if people are reading but I can see the stats myself without all of that work if no one is paying attention...

I am gonna post the Dallas game next... I went with a full writeup for this game... I may switch up my reporting based on how much time I have to transfer stats... So some updates may be lighter than others...

Glad some people are watching...

[BigDPW]

Carolina Panthers (3-7) at Dallas Cowboys(4-6)

Game Notes – No injuries going into the game except the season long ones that we had with the original rosters (Dyson & Tuten). After the embarassing loss to the Deadskins we are ready to take our game to Dallas. We decide to wear the blue alternate unis to Dallas since they wear home whites. We are 1-1 with those unis so far this year...

Game Recap
1st Half - We received and Delhomme promptly threw an INT on our third play giving Dallas the ball on our 30. Dallas was able to drive 15 yards before Chad Hutchinson tried to hit a post route to Galloway that was picked off by Mike Minter!!! Our offense did not let the D down after having their mistakes erased... They drove down the field eating up alot of clock and finishing it with a 9yd TD pass to Kris Mangum. We then played the field position game and eventually traded FGs with Dallas making the game 10-3. Our offense found a way to put together a 2 minute drill drive led by Stephen Davis - it was again capped off with another play action pass to Kris Mangum in the corner of the endzone from 13 yds out with 8 secs left in the half.

2nd Half - Our offense was not as productive in the second half but our defense played equally as well as they did in the first half. We were able to add 3 FGs in the 2nd half and Dallas added 7 on a 33 yd TD pass to Antonio Bryant late in the 3rd period.

Final Score - CAR 26 DAL 10

Stats - Carolina

Rush Yds - 150
Pass Yds – 149
Turnovers – 3 (1 Fumbles – 2 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Delhomme (14-20 - 176 yds - 2 TD - 2 INTs)

Rushing Leaders
Davis (36 Rushes - 140 yds)

Receiving Leaders
Mangum (4-50 yds - 2 TD)
Smith (3-82 yds)
Muhammad (3-21 yds)

Defensive Performances
Peppers (6 Tck – 2 Sacks)
Witherspoon (3 Tck – 1 TFL – 1 INTs)
Minter (1 INTs)

Special Teams Performances
Kasay (4 fga – 4 fgm – long 49 yds)


Stats - Dallas

Rush Yds - 73
Pass Yds – 153
Turnovers – 2 (2 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Hutchinson (8-17 - 158 yds - 1 TD - 2 INTs)

Rushing Leaders
Hambrick (19 Rushes - 64 yds)

Receiving Leaders
Bryant (5-102 yds - 1 TD)
Campbell (4-64 yds)

Defensive Performances
Nguyen (9 Tck – 2 TFL)
Jones (9 Tck – 2 Sacks)
R. Williams (9 Tck – 2 INTs)


Special Teams Performances
none


Major Injuries
Deon Grant was out for most of this game but he will be healthy next week.


Around the League
- Raiders fell to 9-2 after an OT loss to the Chiefs
- Rams fell to 9-2 after an amazing 20-9 loss to Arizona!!! (Warner was hurt late in this game and will be out for the season)


NFC South
ATL 7-4
TB 6-5
NO 5-6
CAR 4-7


UP NEXT: Donovan McNabb and the Eagles visit Ericsson Stadium

[BigDPW]

It will be very difficult but my goal at this point in the season is to win 4 of my next five games. This will get me back to .500 and *may* get me into the playoffs.

I will be starting Manning at the #2 CB slot and move Howard into the nickel role for the Eagles game... I plan on playing it today...

Any more advice/suggestions for the rest of the year...

My next five games are as follows:
vs. PHI
@ ATL
@ ARI
vs. DET
@ NYG

With 3 of the 5 on the road it will be tough but I think all of these teams are beatable!!!

[BigDPW]

Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) at Carolina Panthers (4-7)

Game Notes – I decided to start Manning @ the #2 CB slot in order to get him some playing time so that he will develop more during the offseason.

Game Recap
1st Half - I got out to an early 14-0 lead. Philly then respnded with a TD and a FG. On our final drive of the half Kasay converted a 51 yarder to make the score 17-10 at the half

2nd Half - Midway through the 3rd qtr Staley broke a 58 yd TD run up the middle to make the game 17-17. After that the Eagles defense stiffened like you wouldn't believe and Delhomme threw a couple INTs. The Eagles did not score any more TDs the rest of the game thanks to my defense but they were able to convert 4 FGs in the 4th quarter.

Final Score - PHI 29 CAR 17

Stats - Philadelphia

Rush Yds - 148
Pass Yds – 91
Turnovers – 0

Passing Leaders
McNabb (11-16 - 103 yds - 1 TD)

Rushing Leaders
Staley (21 Rushes - 98 yds - 1 TD)
McNabb (6 Rushes - 52 yds)

Receiving Leaders
McMullen (2-42 yds - 1 TD)

Defensive Performances
Lewis (9 Tck – 1 Sacks – 1 INTs)
Reese (7 Tck – 1 Sacks)
Simoneau (6 Tck – 1 Sacks)
Kalu (4 Tck – 2 Sacks)
Taylor (2 INTs)

Special Teams Performances
Akers (5-5)

Stats - Carolina

Rush Yds - 138
Pass Yds – 124
Turnovers – 4 (4 INTs)

Passing Leaders
Delhomme (9-26 - 162 yds - 2 TD - 4 INTs)

Rushing Leaders
Davis (27 Rushes - 108 yds)
Foster (6 Rushes - 30 yds)

Receiving Leaders
Muhammad (4-108 yds - 1 TD)

Defensive Performances
Grant (7 Tck – 1 Sack)
Morgan (6 Tck)
Buckner, Rucker, Peppers (1 Sack each)

Special Teams Performances
none


Around the NFL
- Rams, Dolphins, and Raiders all won and they all stay at (10-2)

NFC South
ATL 7-5
TB 7-5
NO 6-6
CAR 4-8

UP NEXT: We travel to Atlanta to try and beat a division rival and avange our 27-24 loss earlier in the year!!!

[BigDPW]

Well the loss to PHI will make my goal of finishing 8-8 that much more difficult... The toughest opponent from here on out is ATL next week... A loss there would clinch a losing season...

I will probably go back to Howard at the #2 CB slot for the next game... After that I will probably start Manning the rest of the year... Going the whole game against PHI without forcing a turnover hurt us badly... I hope putting Howard back in will help in that regard!!!

I will probably play the game this afternoon before I go out of town for 2 days... I will try to post before we leave...

[General Mike]

Manning was definitely a solid starting CB for me. I think he was an 87 OV. The fact that I had traded Howard to Detroit to get Mike McMahon was part of the reason he got a ton of playing time tho.

[BigDPW]

I just got through playing Atlanta... My wife and I are going out of town in a few minutes... I will post the results of that game when I return... Needless to say I will not be reaching my goal of 8-8 on the year!!!

[BigDPW]

I will be updating this thread as soon as I get time... seems I keep finding time to play the game but not to update the thread... I am currently beginning the 2004 preseason and I plan to update you on everything that has gone on including my last few games of the 2003 season when I get a little time... Hopefully it will be in the next few days but it may not be until this coming weekend... Sorry for the delay!