The Ohio Players, 2025-

[QuikSand]

This thread continues the saga of the Ohio Players, nee Cleveland Browns, nee the "Empty Cupboard" Browns.

It's my first FOF 2001 career, and I'm doing my best to detail the ups and downs of the game, as well as tell the story of a rather interesting team.

The last installment of this tale, from 2021-2024, is chronicled here: http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000061.html

There are at least 3 or 4 previous threads, which are availble by a search. Reading from start to finish would be a chore, but might be entertaining at some point. (I should print this whole thing out some time)

By way of background, I started the franchise "empty cupboard" style-- start with nothing, and accept no NFL players. We were dreadful for a few years, but eventually rose to power, winning the 2009-10 championships. After another decade of success, I decided to impose some more rigid house rules, essentially:

-No FA signings outside the 20-stage process, except 1yr deals with rookies
-No extending contracts past the player's demands (esp 7yr deals to 2nd year players)
-No renegotiating before the last year of a contract
-I will initiate only one trade per season (but can respond to CPU trade offers)
-All contract offers are realistic (no backloading, must have 25% bonus if one is sought)
-Ticket prices not league highest

We moved from Cleveland to Columbus coincident with the imposition of these new rules in 2021. Since then, we have managed two additional league titles (in 2022 and last year, 2024).

We have two young QBs battling for playing time, and one (the apparently less-talented one) just had an absolutely phenomenal season to lead us to a Superbowl victory.

That catches you up in a nutshell... now back to the career thread.

[QuikSand]

2025 preseason

Following our magnificent title run last season, we'll keep the front office staff in place thankyouverymuch. The balance sheet looks healthy-we generated a huge $250m profit last year, despite a big increase in scouting costs.

As I had semi-predicted, we have two major retirements. DE Cedric Corsarie and S Lionel McGraw were long-timers who made up a big part of the backbone of our defense for years and years. They each played in the shadow of another great player-Corsarie alongside DE Marcus VandenBelt, and McGraw alongside S Billy Joe Franklin. However, each of these guys earned their place on the top shelf of team history.

Because I've been fairly conservative in managing my roster (signing players from within rather than spending a lot in the open market) I'll have fairly little to do this off season. I have 41 players signed to contracts already, and we only have $21.1m in cap room (this is before the free agency bump). Nearly all the cap room we have comes from the expiration of the two retirees' contracts.

Among our players whose contracts are up, we will certainly bid farewell to DE Kenny Zonnefeld, G Lonnie Fletcher, and C Jorge McKenzie. DT Mitchell Dunn has emerged as a solid player, but it's a deep position for me, and I'm unlikely to be able to afford his services. I will likely use the franchise tag on Dunn, and see how far his demands drop.

We have rather few young players who might be interesting as keepers. DT Benjamin Watson was a solid reserve for us last year, and is developing nicely. Were I flush with cash, he might make a nice target. As it is, I'll probably either sign Dunn or else draft early there with an eye on a quality 3rd guy. I have two young guys in Mike Huntley and Victor Eschtruth who can step in and start this year at DT without embarassing me.

I get a trade offer - a 5th round pick for TE Jermaine Mason. Done. He's a very modest talent to begin with, and getting anything for him is gravy. The other trade requires some serious thinking. The #12 pick in this year's draft for… Horace Forbes.

Wow. A real conundrum. I don't feel like I have a choice but to go with Garner this year, so Forbes will sit. In all likelihood, he'll get increasingly angry about playing time, and may well refuse to sign a long term deal when the time comes-even if that's what I wanted to do. This is a tough call, but I think it's the right thing to do-I'll accept the trade offer, send Forbes to Jacksonville (a division rival-ouch), and make my decision here and now. Garner is my guy, and Forbes just has to go. The fact that I'm getting pretty close to top dollar for him (an earlier draft pick than the one I used to acquire him) just makes the decision that much easier. In the trade I also get an overpaid veteran safety, who I will likely dump.

Following the "bump" in cap room plus the trade of Forbes, I end up with $38.1m in cap room-enough to become something of a player in the open market here. If/when I unload S Dan Corbett (from the Forbes trade) I'll clear out an additional $4.75 million. I could use a quality TE, as my incumbent guy Jared McDonald isn't getting it done. I also could stand to improve at LB-where I am really only three deep right now. Neither position should cost a fortune to fill, and usually are rather plentiful.

In the free agent pool, the guy who really jumps out at me is cornerback Trent Cohens. With him across from Preston Gladney, we'd be all set. Before I get too deep in spending all my money on free agents, I decide to survey my expiring contracts-what I plan to do, and how much it will save/cost this season:

T Vince Bell - will be extended, save $2m
G Jimmie Dowell - will be extended, will cost $1m
CB Malcolm Hoover - tough call, making $6m now, wants $10m or so
CB Preston Gladney - making $4.2m now, wants $10m or so - probably will extend
WR Donovan Maxwell - will not extend
RB Stan Connors - will not extend
CB Edward Rayburn - will not extend
S Johnny Lee - makes $2.7, wants over $5m - tough call
LB Bernie Fagan - will not extend
S Orlando Buzzanca - will be extended, about the same level
DT Mike Huntley - will not extend, RFA next year
T Herb Edmond - will not extend
QB Desmond Garner - will not extend, RFA next year
S Harry Smolka - will not extend, will be RFA next year

On balance, it looks like I'll save money this year by extending contracts-unless I decide that re-signing both Gladney and Hoover is a top priority. Otherwise, I'll probably re-sign one and use the franchise tag on the other one.

With that in mind, and particularly recognizing the situation with my current corners, I decide that a major bid for CB Cohens is probably just what we need. Even with the extra first round pick, I should be able to afford it just fine. I put in a 2yr, $22m offer-and I'm willing to go higher if needed.

After week one, it looks like it's going to take more to land CB Cohens. I go to $24m over two years. Atlanta is in an interesting situation-they're the top bidder for Cohens right now. However, they are also locked in a nasty bidding war for their excellent QB Melvin Moody. I'm hoping they relent here and focus on keeping their franchise player. In week three, however, I am beaten-the Falcons sign Cohens to a 3 year deal for a tiny fraction more than my offer, on average. I check, and see that they are in serious danger of losing Moody, though.

The standout CB depleted, I decide that I'm not paying top dollar for any of the also-rans available at that position. I put in a bid for a great run-stopping LB Marc Glenn, offering him a 2-year offer as well. He has no other offers through the first three weeks. I then decide that DE is the impact position where I could most use some serious help, and I find that Bernie Mears-one season removed from us-is in the pool. I out bid the Saints' effort to retain him, and hope for the best-I'm offering over $11m a season.

In week 6, I'm still pending on Mears, but I have been outbid for LB Glenn. Several new offers have come in, and mine is in the middle. I bump to $16m over two years, hoping that will seal the deal. Boom- my cap room collapses, as both Mears and Glenn sign in week 7.

In the late FA stages, I sign deals with two linemen-C Nolan Newman and G Ian Tate, both of whom ought to be solid depth-providers.

As we wrap the FA process, Pittsburgh decides to drop a trade offer over-a second round pick for QB Desmond Garner. Huh? Pass.

In the draft, I'm mostly looking for players who can fill needs over time, or else step up and contribute now. I didn't fill my hole at TE, so I remain shallow there and will need a starter from this draft. I also could use help at FB, though not necessarily starting quality. With an expected defection at CB coming soon, I'll probably look closely at the early picks available there. DT is another position where I could stand to add a quality guy. I have several needs, but most of them are for depth, and not urgent for this year. A good place to be.

On first look, I see four players who would make great picks at #12-three different DTs and one great-looking corner. I'm really hoping that CB Jeremy Doyle drops to me-he's a standout at a position I really will need. Any of the three DTs would be fine as well-they all look very, very good.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Jeremy Doyle, CB, Michigan
Rnd 2 - Christian Payton, DT, Oklahoma State
Rnd 3 - Dwayne St. John, TE, Oregon State
Rnd 4 - Billy Joe Carter, QB, Colorado
Rnd 5 - Matt Fields, RB, Livingstone
Rnd 5 - Anthony O'Neal, LB, Missouri
Rnd 6 - J.J. Garrison, WR, Syracuse
Rnd 7 - Zach Bush, QB, Maryland

When my pick at the end of round one comes up, I simply cannot find anything I like. So, I trade it to Jacksonville in order to switch first rounders with them next year. They selected #12 this season-I'm hoping they don't improve too much behind young Mr. Forbes, if he becomes their starter.

I'm pretty disappointed when the draft falls to my late round pick-as I had hoped that at least a few of the guys I was considering at #36 might fall to #72. No such luck. DT Payton has a huge upside, but no current ability-we'll see how he comes through camp.

I lack the cap room necessary to sign my rookies, and need to make some room. Then I realize that the issue is DT Mitchell Dunn, my franchise player. He's unlikely to stay at the $9.4m salary he currently commands. I make a deal sending Dunn, RB Stan Connors (about to become a free agent after this year) and QB Charles Dixon to Washington for their #1 pick next season. Hopefully, I can make something out of the double picks next year. Trading Dixon leaves the QB job pretty firmly in the hands of Garner-I drafted two rookies, but would rather not have them carry too much load this year.

We bring in a cadre of rookie free agents, even though we only have three open roster spots. It doesn't hurt-and occasionally we'll get a breakout player. We gear everyone up, and head into training camp.

The top of the draft looks good-CB Jeremy Doyle looks like he's going to be the real deal. My later-round RB pick Matt Fields is pretty weak, he dropped off a bit. Other than him, no surprises for good or ill.

One important note here-it looks like there is good news on the QB front as well. Here is the scout rundown on QB Desmond Garner from last year and this year:

<pre>
Desmond Garner - 2024
Shorter passes - 39/47, 25/38
Longer passes - 28/37, 34/56, 42/59
Third down passing - 99
Accuracy - 47/52
Throwing power - 49/68
Scrambling - 58, 62

Desmond Garner - 2025
Shorter passes - 43/64, 29/41
Longer passes - 41/53, 48/58, 62/87
Third down passing - 98
Accuracy - 53/67
Throwing power - 55/64
Scrambling - 68, 72
</pre>

I've read about this before, but I admittedly have been such a slave to player ratings that I've never really played a guy who looked lousy and watched him develop into a much better player. It certainly is happening here with Garner. Hit potential ratings edged forward everywhere, and made fairly real moves in screen passes (+17), medium passes (+16), deep passes (+28), passing accuracy (+15), and mobility (+10 each). He now is starting to look on paper like a QB I could rely on-he already looks that way in the stat section.

Pared down to 53 players, I'm now $9.9m under the salary cap. Had I played my hand more aggressively, I might have been able to weasel in another player or two, but I'm fairly content. We had a good draft, and we'll be primed for next year. Next season should be tough financially, as QB Desmond Garner will need an increase from the chicken feed ($1.2m) he makes now to real starter money-so we'll need to come up with at least $15m to keep him aboard. Tack on another big raise for CB Preston Gladney, and heads are going to have to roll to make this work. Working all that out will be a challenge.

Here's the roster for the coming season, according to my scout:

<pre>
Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Desmond Garner 11 13 3 2025
QB Zach Bush 3 12 1 2027
QB Billy Joe Carter 3 11 1 2027
RB Corey Harper 12 12 9 2026
RB Spencer McKinnon 9 11 3 2026
RB Matt Fields 3 7 1 2026
FB Bernie Pearson 13 13 11 2026
FB Bubba Hutton 3 10 1 2025
FB Vinny Worrell 5 7 2 2026
TE Dwayne St. John 12 12 1 2027
TE Jared McDonald 11 11 2 2026
WR Frank Willis 15 15 8 2027
WR Max Wiggins 15 15 5 2027
WR Wesley Ingram 9 11 3 2027
WR Donovan Maxwell 8 10 4 2025
WR J.J. Garrison 5 10 1 2026
WR Claude Gomez 7 7 2 2026
C Cole Unsbee 18 18 8 2026
C Wade Borders 6 9 3 2025
C Nolan Newman 5 8 5 2027
G Jimmie Dowell 13 13 7 2027
G Brock McWilliams 8 11 3 2026
G Deion Henson 10 11 2 2026
G Ian Tate 8 9 2 2027
T Vince Bell 11 13 8 2027
T Winston Diaz 9 13 2 2028
T Herb Edmond 7 7 8 2025
T Ed Troutman 5 7 3 2026
P Jumbo Self 6 11 1 2025
K Bucky Woods 11 11 2 2027
DE Bernie Mears 9 14 6 2027
DE Jim Lee 11 12 6 2026
DE Troy Karl 6 11 2 2027
DT Victor Eschtruth 7 13 3 2027
DT Mike Huntley 12 12 3 2025
DT Christian Payton 2 11 1 2027
DT Neal Wheeler 6 6 1 2025
LB Damon Peters 13 16 6 2027
LB Cornelius Buxo 6 14 2 2026
LB Matt Giles 14 14 11 2026
LB Billy Joe Philips 12 13 9 2026
LB Marc Glenn 11 13 5 2026
LB Quentin Labbe 3 11 1 2025
LB Bernie Fagan 7 9 5 2025
LB Anthony O'Neal 2 9 1 2027
CB Jeremy Doyle 6 17 1 2029
CB Preston Gladney 15 16 5 2025
CB Malcolm Hoover 8 12 4 2025
CB Edward Rayburn 6 9 3 2025
CB Harold Monroe 5 5 2 2025
S Harry Smolka 7 11 3 2025
S Johnny Lee 8 11 4 2025
S Orlando Buzzanca 5 10 3 2027
</pre>

This year, I hope that we can recapture some of the lightning in a bottle that we had last season. Garner is a year older and wiser, and no longer has to look over his shoulder at all. We'll put a solid team on the field, and we'll hope to make it come together nicely again.

[QuikSand]

QB History

I thought this would be interesting. Here are the top 15 seasons in league history for QBs, sorted by their final QB rating. I'm noting the guys who accomplished the feat on my team.

<pre>
__Category____________Player__________________Record__Year__
Quarterback Rating____Desmond Garner__________112.8__ 2024 (Ohio)
Quarterback Rating____Jesse Morse____________ 106.0__ 2013 (Cleveland)
Quarterback Rating____Jesse Morse____________ 105.8__ 2019 (Cleveland)
Quarterback Rating____Rodney Harden__________ 104.4__ 2008
Quarterback Rating____Rodney Harden__________ 102.0__ 2007
Quarterback Rating____Brett Favre____________ 101.8__ 2001
Quarterback Rating____Steve Whiting__________ 101.0__ 2005
Quarterback Rating____Korey Valdez____________100.5__ 2023
Quarterback Rating____Jesse Morse____________ 100.1__ 2022 (Ohio)
Quarterback Rating____Rondell Gant____________99.9____2013
Quarterback Rating____Korey Valdez____________99.9____2021
Quarterback Rating____Norm Kaplan____________ 99.8____2010
Quarterback Rating____Jesse Morse____________ 99.7____2014 (Cleveland)
Quarterback Rating____Eddie Spencer__________ 99.7____2017
Quarterback Rating____Peyton Manning__________97.9____2001
</pre>


[This message has been edited by QuikSand (edited 11-29-2000).]

[Marmel]

Quik, very interesting. Your situation, I think, was much like the St. Louis Rams had at the end of last year.

Garner is your Kurt Warner. Low rating, no expectations, and then takes over and has a season like no other QB has ever had.

The you have Forbes, who is your Trent Green. You got him to be your franchise QB and he ended up on the bench (for different reasons than Green, but still).

Now, there was some talk of trading Green after last season, but they decided to keep him on the roster. You, on the otherhand traded Forbes away, and at this point it seems like a good move.

Just thought this was an interesting comparison, and it's also interesting that you went in the opposite direction than the real life NFL team.

How great is it that Forbes, who was to be groomed into your franchise QB spot, will now be the QB for a division rival. You get to play him twice a year. I see a Forbes/Garner rivalry that will be heating up this year, and hopefully continue for years to come. I wonder if there is any bad blood between them after having to split time last season. I am really looking forward to your dynasty now. I think it is at its most intriguing stage in years.

Thanks for all the entertainment these posts provide, and good luck once again.

[QuikSand]

2025 season

We have an unusually good preseason, gong 4-0 and flattening a couple of opponents. We incur one major (and costly) injury-DE Bernie Mears is out, probably until the playoffs at the earliest. My DL merry-go-round begins again, but this time I have no depth to lean on. DT Mike Huntley will also miss time, but he should be fine in a month or so. We grab a DE off the junkpile, and cut a FB to bring him on. We make several other injury adjustments, and move ahead.

We always seem to tart with a tough NFC team-this year we host Tampa Bay. We edge them 17-16, with Garner throwing the winning TD with 47 seconds left. We win close, low-scoring games against Green Bay and Cinti to get to 3-0, but we really haven't gotten rolling yet. It's more of the same as we edge Jacksonville, but we then open up and beat Tennessee 35-10. However, despite the big score, we only had 320 yards of total offense.

Through five weeks, it's hard to say, but I don't feel like our offense is very explosive. We're in the middle of the pack in rushing offense, and a little lower in passing offense. Garner has played well-but he has thrown 5 interceptions to only 8 TDs. Regardless, we're 5-0, and that's tough to argue with.

We continue our improved play with wide margins over Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, to essentially wrap up the division even before the season midpoint (we have a 3-game lead). Garner plays brilliantly in beating Jacksonville (20/26, 264 yds, 2 TDs, 0 int) and he shows up the Jags' starting QB Horace Forbes (11/21, 135 yds, 0 TD, 1 int). Forbes had no run support, and also faced a tougher secondary-but Garner seemed to play especially well against his former rival. Forbes has reason to feel good, though-Jacksonville is at 4-3 so far behind him, after being among the bottom third of the league last year.

We get a close 28-25 win over Tennessee to stay unbeaten. Kudos again to Garner again on a 296-yard, 4 TD afternoon. In week 10, we travel to Seattle… and we lose our unbeaten season 12-10. The Seahawks are a solid team now 7-2, and we just couldn't get rolling. After the game, we do get back our backup RB McKinnon, who had been out with a knee injury. His return should help a bit.

We crush Pittsburgh, but then get nipped again, at home and by Cincinnati! Garner got hurt after throwing two TDs, and my rookie backup Billy Joe Carter threw an interception that they were able to return for a TD, which made the difference in a 17-14 game. Fortunately, Garner is okay-it seems like my fortunes really depend on him. We have more defensive injuries, and do more shuffling, particularly on the d-line.

We get a close win over Chicago, but then fall into a major shootout with Baltimore, losing 43-31. Baltimore led 30-13 early in the fourth quarter, but Garner led us for two TD to lead 31-30. We then allowed a 91-yard pass, then another TD drive, that put them up for good.

We get another win, but then lose in Miami to a solid Dolphin team. Again, we gave up a huge pass play-a 93 yard TD in the fourth quarter, which again sealed the deal. Garner is listed as questionable with turf toe, and I decide to sit him for the final game. We get pounded by Baltimore, and it's a very costly loss-it forces us to play a game in the opening round, against Seattle (who already beat us this season).

We finish 11-5 on the year, and are part of a five-way tie atop the AFC. Cincinnati actually ends up as our division winner (I spoke too soon at 7-0), and we actually have to go on the road to the wild card Seahawks. Playing Billy Joe Carter at QB was a big mistake, as getting that win would have given Garner a week off to heal. Alas.

Stat leaders:
QB Desmond Garner: 3,169 yds, 62.4%, 7.49 ypa, 28/9, 98.4 - another excellent season for overproducer
RB Corey Harper: 295-1,233 yds, 6 TD (4.1 ypc) - a step backward after career year last season
WR Frank Willis: 63-1,026 yds, 6 TD (55.7%, 9 drops) - solid effort from flanker, Wiggins hurt a lot
WR Max Wiggins: 68-909 yds, 8 TD (64.1%, 6 drops) - great effort playing through minor injuries
LB Matt Giles: 97 tackles, 4 sacks - big producer in the middle this year, healthy until end of season
LB Damon Peters: 68 tackles, 5 sacks - more pressure generated with him playing outside
DE Troy Karl: 10 sacks, 3 blocks, 7 hurries - best pass rusher after pushed into starting role
DE Jim Lee: 9.5 sacks, 6 blocks, 5 hurries - played well in starter's role on right side
CB Preston Gladney: 38 tackles, 4 int - led team with only 4 picks, signs of problems

Overall stats (off/def/avg):
Rushing: 3.8/3.7/3.9
Passing: 7.3/6.2/6.5

Our running game sagged a good deal-in substantial part to the dropoff in play from our left tackle. Vince Bell played through minor injuries almost the entire season, and it showed in his performance. He allowed 11 sacks, and wasn't the dominating run blocker he usually has been. Our defense failed to make big plays at their usual pace, and the team made a pretty big backslide as a result.

I hope we have enough playmakers to make a move in the postseason, but we look like a shadow of the team we fielded last year.

[Fritz]

Earlier I was going to post a warning about QBs name Billy Joe. It appears my tardiness may have cost you.

[QuikSand]

2025 postseason

Seattle is our first opponent. A run-based team, they look fairly formidable, and they have already beaten us this season-basically by bottling up our running game.

They get the ball first, and move quickly to score a TD. This bodes poorly-I don't think we can engage in a shootout with Garner hobbling around out there. S/KR Orlando Buzzanca just earned his whole year's salary with a kick return of 93 yards down to the Seattle 12. Garner hits the tight end McDonald (Mr. Playoffs) to even things up. Seattle fumbles the kickoff, and we take over at their 24. With 8:41 left in the first quarter, we have 8 yards of offense and a 10-7 lead.

At the end of the first quarter, Seattle finishes off another drive with a TD pass, and they lead 14-10. I don't like this-they're earning theirs, we are getting gifts. One will likely continue, the other will likely stop at some point- we need to get moving. They add a FG, and we respond by finally running the ball successfully. We get a FG of our own, and it's 17-13, but I feel much better. We mix the run and pass in the last drive of the half, but miss a FG-we looked pretty good on offense, though, which gives some hope.

On our first drive of the second half, Harper breaks a 63-yard run to set up a short TD pass to the FB Pearson, and we take the lead 20-17. Seattle ties it up with a FG, and we're even at 20. Seattle gets good field position after a short punt, and they march it in to go back ahead 27-20. My defense is slipping badly-we can't seem to stop these guys.

Two possessions later, we're into the fourth at 27-20. Harper breaks a 22-yard run down to their 46, giving us our first penetration since our opening drive. Garner hits TE McDonald twice to get into FG range, and we close the gap to 27-23 with 9:09 left. We stop them, and take over again at our 19 with 6:41 left. We sputter, and Seattle then blocks our punt and scores on the turnover. At 34-23, things now look very bleak.

Garner takes the lead, hits Willis, Ingram, and Maxwell on three completions to take us in for the TD. With 4:04 remaining, we are back within 3 points at 34-31, after Garner hits Ingram for the two-pointer.

Now- should we attempt an onside kick? I hope that we do not. We don't, and they return it to the 33. They convert a 3rd and 8, then get two more first downs, and then get a first down at our 12 yard line. There's 1;19 left, and smart play calling wins it here for Seattle. They get it done-and take this one home 34-31.

We were hurt by injuries down the stretch, but we fielded a team for this year's playoffs that was pretty similar to last year's playoff edition. Nevertheless, we sit and watch as the real contenders slug it out. Oakland edges out Boise City for the big win, 24-23. Oakland's RB Derrick Scott had 1,898 yards on the season-a pretty nice year.

There is nary a red letter on the entire awards board-the first time that's happened for as long as I can recall. I see a couple of my old players on there-FB Barry Jacobson and T Jessie Sanford.

A tough season, with high expectations. Next year, I fear that we'll have trouble assembling a roster that even looks anywhere near this good, as we'll have big money committed to try to tread water with players like QB Garner, DT Huntley and CB Gladney.

[QuikSand]

2026 preseason

We once again profited tons of money last year, even without a long home playoff run. We stand pat with our coaches and scouts-I don't see a reason to budge there.

We have no retirements, which will contribute to a very tight financial offseason. We start off with 37 players on contract, and $31.67m in cap room, before free agency starts. I franchise CB Preston Gladney (as was planned) and I prepare to bid farewell to several free agents-T Herb Edmond, LB Bernie Fagan, WR Donovan Maxwell, CB Malcolm Hoover, and S Johnny Lee. All things equal, I would have liked to retain Hoover and Lee, but it just doesn't seem to be in the cards. I may bid on Lee, but if he's looking for $5-6m, it simply won't happen.

With my now $35m in cap room, I'm trying to see how far I can stretch those dollars. QB Garner will cost at least $15m, and CB Gladney at least $10. My RFA DT Mike Huntley would be a good keeper if I could afford him, but at $10m, it looks unlikely. I have two first round picks this season-- #15 and #18-which will be fairly costly as well, probably about $5m a piece. Filling in the roster with other draft picks and rookie will probably be another $5m… meaning that I can probably not even afford to put out a full roster at this point. I'll need to unload some salary to do so… so I'm off to scour the trade offer wire.

Pittsburgh is offering an early second rounder and an insanely high-priced QB for WR Willis. I'd rather not deal Willis if I can help it-he's got good chemistry with Garner, I believe. However, at $9.5m salary, trading him would clear the way for a good young player and a lot of other things. Probably not…

Green Bay is offering their second rounder for C Cole Unsbee. Unsbee isprobably my most gifted player, and while centers are easy to find, superstars really aren't. He's staying put. No.

Atlanta is offering a second rounder for WR Max Wiggins, my other starter. I really fancy the idea of leaving my starting WR combo in place for my young QB, and their deal is only interesting at all because it includes a good CB with a backloaded deal- I could afford him this year. I decide to decline, and none of the offers end up clicking for me.

I pore through my possible renegotiations. RB Harper wants a big increase, or else he'll try free agency. Same for DE Jim Lee. This is going to be tough. As it turns out, I don't have a single player who is willing to renegotiate for less money this year among my contracts set to expire.

I decide to bundle up a bunch of salaries into one trade offer, to try to clear some room. I put G Deion Henson, LB Marc Glenn, and reluctantly DE Jim Lee into my offer. As it turns out, Lee and Glenn make too much to be of value, and I'm stuck sending Henson away for two picks from Anaheim. It's not what I was hoping for in a trade. I hope to receive more offers later this preseason.

I sit back and watch the early FA stages, with no ability to really join in. I see two 7th year QBs who are going to make some team very happy-Archie Thomas looks like he may sick with Miami, and Colin Johnston may be staying with New England. Both of these guys were one-year free agents with those teams last season, after being released by their original teams. They both will be very strong for years, I expect.

Washington has ponied up $11m a year to hold on to RB Stan Connors, who ably backed up Harper here for three seasons. He had 1,125 yards for the Redskins last year, and they decided he was worth holding on to.

After seven weeks, my S Johnny Lee finally gets a bid-- $15m over two years. Way past my budget. Jacksonville is now bidding on my WR Donovan Maxwell, presumably at the insistence of QB Horace Forbes-who played with Maxwell in practice and on the field here. S lee waits too long on his offer, and Green Bay busts their cap elsewhere. He signs for a bit less in week 14 with Milwaukee.

I sign CB Preston Gladney to a 4 year deal for $41m. He costs me only $7.5m this season, as I push the limits of my general belief in fairly level contracts. I decide that LB Matt Glenn has to go, and his release saves me $7m this year-which I'm sure I'm going to need.

I finally give in to QB Garner's demands, and he'll make over $51m for the next three years. It's a little less than I had expected-the privilege of having him as a restricted free agent. After that signing, I am down to $24.1m in cap room-which should be enough to fill in the roster.

I put in a couple of offers to young players not seeking bonus money. I get both T Kenny Light foot and G Otis Mathews, and they're basically risk-free. If I need to, I can cut them, if they look okay, I can use them to enable myself to cut someone else. In the final week, I grab LB Dave Turner, who should be a pretty cheap and adequate guy to step in as my 4th backer.

I get out of the FA period with 40 players aboard, and $22.3m in cap room-plus my franchise player is already signed. Bakersfield offers me a 4th round pick for G Ian Tate, and I am suddenly glad I picked up a decent G in free agency-I gladly take the deal. Other offers for C Cole Unsbee and FB Bernie Pearson don't help me.

I have 11 draft picks this year, so I'll only have 3 holes to fill with undrafted rookies. That's good news-I ought to have fairly few gaping holes this season. I need serious and immediate help in my secondary, as my only safety on board is Buzzanca, a former free agent who is mostly a return man. If he's my #1 starter at safety (which looks pretty likely) I'll be a bit worried. I also need to think ahead at WR, where all three of my major contributors are up for new contracts next season.

In the draft, I see about six quality prospects at safety, including one I sniff out to be a bust waiting to happen. The very first pick to San Diego is a QB who is guaranteed to bust (in my judgment)-hmm, wonder if San Diego has ever had a big QB bust before?

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Mercury Germaine, CB, Chadron State
Rnd 1 - Jamal Powell, S, Louisiana-Lafayette
Rnd 2 - Bryce Jurgensen, DT, Eastern Washington
Rnd 3 - Wes Branham, QB, Georgia
Rnd 4 - Rondell Johnston, FB, Illinois
Rnd 4 - Billy Joe Gillespie, FB, St. Mary's, Cal.
Rnd 4 - Mack Boatright, LB, Washington State
Rnd 5 - Rusty Singleton, TE, Hawaii
Rnd 6 - Monty Ellis, RB, West Virginia
Rnd 6 - Jared Shea, G, Mississippi State
Rnd 7 - Ian Linegar, S, Oklahoma

I fought off the urge in rounds one and two to select QB Wes Branham, who I like a lot. By round three, I simply couldn't say no. In the first round, I pick up two very good-looking cover men, and I already have plans for them. Germaine is a great-looking cover corner, and he'll be a great addition. Powell is a surprisingly good man-to-man cover guy for a safety, but should be a good all-around contributor. No big surprises in the later picks, mostly filling need areas. LB Boatright has very solid current ratings-better than most rookies, bu8t he only has very modest room to grow. For a 3yr deal, he'll be just fine.

I get a trade offer from the Rams-a 3rd round pick for DE Jim Lee. While I could have used this offer before the FA period, right now it's not too useful-I believe I have enough cap room to sign my rookies. I assess that taking this deal would mean I could sign DT Huntley long term-the trade-off seems decent, but I won't do it-especially after I just drafted another solid run-stuffer in DT Bryce Jurgensen.

After I sign all my rookies, I have a whopping $10,000 in cap room. I only have 50 players, so I'll need to clear out some salary to sign a few fill-ins. My first cut will help me assess a possible salcap bug: I release Jared McDonald, who is making $1,200,000 in salary but $1,130,000 in bonus money. If I'm right about the bug, cutting him will give me the full $2.33m in cap room, despite the warning that his bonus will continue to hit me this year. I'm right-my cap room bumps up by the full amount, giving me $2.34m. I also release QB Zach Bush, a second year man made superfluous by my rookie signee, and similarly situated FB Vinny Worrell. These guys bump my cap room to $4.48m for 6 slots-just enough to bring in six rookies at about $720k apiece and have a little left over.

I bring in a half dozen project players, and we head from there into camp. After camp- we make the obvious review. S Jamal Powell is a mini-bust, dropping my about 10-20 points in each of his potential ratings. His current numbers are still okay, but he dropped. Everyone else is okay-CB Germaine will be very, very good in time. LB Boatright did develop some more potential beyond his current ratings-further reinforcing the theory that there is something going on with the abnormally red rookies.

St. Louis ups their offer for DE Jim Lee to a second rounder next year. At this point, it would be a good trade for me but for the house rules I follow, which would keep me from replacing him with anyone but a rookie free agent. I also get an insulting offer for S Jamal Powell-a 4th round pick. He busted a bit, but he's still going to play this year, and quite possibly start.

Incidentally, I was dead-on about the #1 overall pick at QB. San Diego now has a huge contract with Ralph Bundren, whose best potential ratings are in the 30 range, and whose currents are all in single digits. Way to go, Bolts!

Here is our 53-man lineup heading into the season.

<pre>
Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Wes Branham 5 18 1 2028
QB Desmond Garner 13 15 4 2028
QB Billy Joe Carter 6 12 2 2027
RB Monty Ellis 7 12 1 2028
RB Corey Harper 12 12 10 2026
RB Spencer McKinnon 9 11 4 2026
RB Scott Whipple 5 11 1 2026
FB Bernie Pearson 13 13 12 2026
FB Billy Joe Gillespie 10 10 1 2028
FB Rondell Johnston 5 10 1 2028
TE Dwayne St. John 11 11 2 2027
TE Rusty Singleton 7 9 1 2027
WR Frank Willis 15 15 9 2027
WR Max Wiggins 15 15 6 2027
WR Wesley Ingram 9 11 4 2027
WR J.J. Garrison 7 10 2 2026
WR Claude Gomez 8 8 3 2026
WR Sammie Hickman 4 5 1 2026
C Cole Unsbee 18 18 9 2026
C Nolan Newman 6 9 6 2027
G Jimmie Dowell 13 13 8 2027
G Brock McWilliams 7 11 4 2026
G Roosevelt Knapp 4 10 1 2026
G Jared Shea 3 10 1 2028
G Otis Matthews 5 8 2 2028
T Vince Bell 12 13 9 2027
T Winston Diaz 10 12 3 2028
T Ed Troutman 5 7 4 2026
T Kenny Lightfoot 4 7 2 2029
K Bucky Woods 11 11 3 2027
DE Troy Karl 9 12 3 2027
DE Jim Lee 10 11 7 2026
DE Bernie Mears 7 11 7 2027
DT Bryce Jurgensen 2 15 1 2029
DT Victor Eschtruth 9 13 4 2027
DT Christian Payton 9 12 2 2027
DT Bryce Wayne 5 7 1 2026
LB Damon Peters 14 16 7 2027
LB Billy Joe Philips 12 12 10 2026
LB Matt Giles 12 12 12 2026
LB Cornelius Buxo 4 9 3 2026
LB Anthony O'Neal 4 9 2 2027
LB Mack Boatright 8 8 1 2028
LB Dave Turner 7 7 7 2028
CB Preston Gladney 15 16 6 2029
CB Jeremy Doyle 11 15 2 2029
CB Mercury Germaine 7 14 1 2029
CB Deon Wentworth 3 9 1 2026
CB Vernon McAfee 4 4 1 2026
S Jamal Powell 8 13 1 2030
S Harris Barokas 3 10 1 2026
S Orlando Buzzanca 6 9 4 2027
S Ian Linegar 5 7 1 2027
</pre>

As you can see, my scout is pretty fond of QB Wes Branham and his long-term future. We'll see how he fits in.

This team is not quite what we had last year, but I didn't fall as far off the trail as I had feared I might. I still have a great rotation of DEs-three deep with quality players there. My WR corps is solid, and has stayed in place for young Garner's tenure here. RB Corey Harper continues to produce, though he may no longer be able to generate the consistency he once had. In our secondary, I expect that I'll go with Buzzanca and Powell as my starters, though using rookie CB Germaine as a starting safety is a temptation.

I expect that we'll be about the same place as last season-a solid team, and if we get lucky and/or rolling, we could be dangerous. We'll again be susceptible to injury, but hopefully the annual hurt on our DL can subside for a year.

[Fritz]

You seem to be shy a punter. Can you use a K in place of a P in the new game?

------------------
I look at spelling as a creative art

[QuikSand]

QB Update

I thought I'd continue the updates on the development of QB Desmond Garner' ratings. I'll re-paste the ratings I observed in past years, to help track the development. I see a lot more red on this guy now than was ever indicated by my initial scouting report (which was still good enough to get me to draft him).

<pre>
Desmond Garner - 2024
Shorter passes - 39/47, 25/38
Longer passes - 28/37, 34/56, 42/59
Third down passing - 99
Accuracy - 47/52
Throwing power - 49/68
Scrambling - 58, 62
.
Desmond Garner - 2025
Shorter passes - 43/64, 29/41
Longer passes - 41/53, 48/58, 62/87
Third down passing - 98
Accuracy - 53/67
Throwing power - 55/64
Scrambling - 68, 72
.
Desmond Garner - 2026
Shorter passes - 57/65, 39/43
Longer passes - 50/54, 58/60, 72/72
Third down passing - 96
Accuracy - 69/77
Throwing power - 67/74
Scrambling - 66, 76
</pre>

I most areas, he basically fulfilled the potential he shoed last season in his green bars. He did make a few more potential advances - notably in accuracy and throwing power, both pretty important ratings.

Here, for what it's worth, is my rookie QB draftee after his first camp:

<pre>
Wes Branham - 2026
Shorter passes - 32/100, 19/77
Longer passes - 19/58, 29/100, 27/87
Third down passing - 88
Accuracy - 32/100
Throwing power - 19/67
Scrambling - 78, 80
</pre>

This guy has a serious future. I can't be certain if it's here, but this guy looks like a monumental steal in the draft's third round. He's inked to a 3 year (cheap) deal- so I'll get a reasonable shot to re-sign him if need be.

[Fritz]

Garner is looking pretty strong to me. I think you are going to have small contoversy as Branham develops

------------------
I look at spelling as a creative art

[Chas in Cinti]

QS-

This is my favorite of your dynasty reports... and I've read every one of them for a long time. I guess the team is sort of interesting and I enjoy following its progress, but it seems at your worst, your a wildcard team any given season. I would suspect, with my careers in 2K1 as an example, the "dynasty" effect would be no more than 3-6 years based on rookie development/contract length. However, you just seem to consistently 'outclass' rival GMs.

I would be interested to know, looking across the league, what kind of roster quality other teams have with 3rd - 5th round draft picks. Although this is probably a small portion of a roster, I would guess its the difference maker.

Just some thoughts, expound on them if you fancy!

Good Luck next season,
Chas
"President of Desmond Garner Fan Club"
Currently disgruntled at GM's lack of faith with yet another early round choice at QB!

http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb/smile.gif

[petrochile]

How was Forbes stats with Jacksonville, I am interested in seeing them. Like always QS, your threads are outstanding!

[QuikSand]

2026 season

An early order of business, as Fritz noted, is to bring on a punter. It costs my 5th CB his job, but it had to be done. Nice catch, Fritz!

Setting the lineup is pretty straight forward, but I add a few wrinkles. I decide that my rookie FB Gillespie is probably better than even my starter at TE, but I put him in as the #2-he should see time in both roles. I think Gillespie will be very good. My scout says that Troy Karl beats out Bernie Mears for the DE slot alongside Jim Lee. Mears starts off as the top backup for both DT and DE. I always have injuries there, so they will all be needed, I'm sure.

I hold Garner out of the exhibition season. We get through with fairly few injuries, and nothing too serious. Our cohesion stands at 82-68-89-60. The secondary is clearly the weak link on this team right now, and it's my fault for not bringing in a veteran. As it is, we have young safeties looking like a great target for opposing QBs, I'd think.

In our first game, Garner is laid out with an injury after only 9 passes. So, we fold up like a tent, right? Not exactly. We win it 55-31 over Tennessee, led by Wes Branham's unexpected debut-he throws 9-of-15 for 83 yards and 4 TDs. We had 224 yards rushing, which certainly made things easier. Garner is questionable with a sprained ankle, and I decide to let the rookie stay in there and get Garner healthy.

Branham has a shaky day in his first start, but we beat San Fran 23-13. Branham leads us to a come-from-behind win over Baltimore, getting a TD pass with 34 seconds left to win it 20-17. At this point, Garner is fine-but Branham has a pretty spunky 98.1 passer rating. It's Garner's job, but oh, the tangled webs we weave…

We get a win over Bakersfield, but com out with a number of injuries-the biggest is that LB Matt Giles is out for some time. We get two more wins, but suffer more casualties. We now have 14 players listed as either P or Q on the injury list-and they're still racking up. Two wins over St. Louis and Cinti get us to 8-0 and I always like to reflect at the midpoint.

QB Desmond Garner is back at it-he up to 10/2 in ratio and has a rating of 110.3 over 152 atempts. The guy is simply amazing. RB Corey Harper looks a little tired (132-551), and I decide to start using McKinnon more down the stretch. I set Harper's PT to 2. WR Max Wiggins may be on his way to a career year. Young DT Christian Payton is playing well with 5 sacks, and young CB Jeremy Doyle has a 60.5 PDQ. All good news-what you'd expect as an 8-0 team.

We get a win over Jacksonville, and then have to go to Seattle. They are only 5-4, but they beat us last year to end our winning streak and then beat us again in the playoffs. This time, we take them 19-14, behind the running of… no, not Corey Harper, No, not even Spencer McKinnon. No - it's super-sub RB Monty Ellis who gets it done, with 31-187 and 2 TDs. The Mike Anderson act is due because my top two guys both got banged up in the first quarter-now McKinnon is probable despite an elbow thing, and Harper is questionable with a broken foot. This will give Harper the rest he seems to need, at least.

Also, we have casualties on the QB side-Garner is questionable with a bruised sternum, and Branham is doubtful with a knee. I decide to start Garner, but I'll keep an eye on it. Once we clinch, everyone get benched, I think.

Our next game is in Jacksonville, and the streak ends. No need to try to find the one big play that did it-we got creamed 30-0, it was every play that did it. Garner was 5-for-20 hobbling around, and we didn't do anything right.

Garner is up to probable, and I leave him in for Tennesee-we romp. Garner si pronounced 100% after that game, and we're getting back to normal. RB Monty Ellis is playing great-he's got 70-412 and 5 TDs, and has been our most productive back this season. He gets the century mark again as we beat Baltimore.

I re-insert Harper in as our starter. The depth chart is a mishmash of cripples-we have been beset by injuries of all types. My WR corps, which has been great the last couple of years, is in disarray with broken arms and feet. My defensive line is again beset by trouble everywhere. My line is breaking down with leg injuries, and QB Garner continues to play through injuries.

We edge New England somehow, but then lose at home against Miami, who is tough. We wrap up with a 21-20 win over the Steelers, and we limp into the postseason. Man, and I glad the playoff healing bug has been fixed-we'll need everything we can get.

As I survey the damage, it's clear-we need a miracle to do much in these playoffs. Desmond Garner's broken arm is about ready to fall off, and he is listed as out. RB McKinnon is doubtful, and Monty Ellis is out. WR Max Wiggins was tearing it up early this year, but a broken arm just can't heal fast enough, and he's listed as questionable. WR Wesley Ingram, my third man, is out, and C Cole Unsbee is seriously hurt-maybe a goner. My LG Dowell is questionable, as is my LT Bell. My fabled left line looks like a charity case. T Diaz, on the other side, is doubtful as well. Let's see here… DT Eschtruth and DE Mears are both doubtful. LBs Philips and Peters are both questionable. But our secondary-those young and vigorous heroes, are spotless-all healthy. I never thought that my defensive backfield would be this team's strength-but here we are.

At 14-2, we look tough on paper. If we get a magic healing wand in here, we might actually be tough on the field as well.

Stat leaders:

QB Desmond Garner: 2,109 yds, 62.1%, 7.79 ypa, 13/6, 93.4 - played through injuries as much as he could
RB Corey Harper: 205-843, 3 TD (4.0 ypc) - will need to carry all the load in the postseason
RB Monty Ellis: 86-590, 5 TD (6.8 ypc) - fabulous performer as a surprise fill-in
RB Spencer McKinnon: 103-563, 3 TD (5.4 ypc) - solid reserve contributor, will cash out after this year
WR Frank Willis: 74-1,120, 7 TD (64.3, 5 drops) - had to step up amidst injuries
S Jamal Powell: 69 tackles, 6 int, 41.9 PDQ - rookie "bust" stepped up and got the job done on field
DE Jim Lee: 12 sacks, 2 blocks, 7 hurries - provided justification for not trading him away
CB Preston Gladney: 43 tackles, 5 int, 2 TD, 39.1 PDQ - got the job done against top receivers all year

Overall stats (off/def/avg):
Rushing: 4.6/3.4/4.0
Passing: 7.5/6.2/6.7

The team bounced back with another excellent statistical season. Contrary to my worries, the young secondary played rather well, and wasn't a liability at all. Clearly the bugbear of this team is injuries-we'll try to get by with what we have, but it obviously isn't gong to be a lot. The guys I have at "questionable" aren't even being asked if they can play-they're the healthiest we've got.

Rookie Wes Branham gets the call for the postseason, with some-or-another Billy Joe waiting in the wings...

[Marmel]

Nice regular season Quik. I can't believe all of the injuries. It seems like maybe a division rival set off a bomb in your lockerroom during a halftime!

[QuikSand]

2026 postseason

Baltimore earns the right to come play us in our opener, with a nice win over Pittsburgh. It's all in the AFC Central family. They seem to be a short-passing team, but their two top CBs are both seriously injured. Maybe my wideouts with their casts and wheelchairs can actually get open against their corners in their walkers. Who knows?

On Baltimore' opening possession, our defense sets the tope with three big stops. I love starting with a three-and-out. Branham gets us going, but penalties force us to try a FG-we miss from 50 yards. RB Corey Harper is injured on the damned FG play! I am now without any credible running game nor my franchise quarterback. This looks bad. I don't even know who might get the carries now.

Our demoralized team gives up a TD drive, and we're in a tough spot now. My feature back is a guy named "Mr. Whipple" who was inactive until the last couple weeks of the season. The next Baltiore drive takes us into the second quarter, and takes the score to 14-0.

We get things rolling, get first downs from a penalty, then from runs by Whipple and Pearson, and we set up a TD pass from Branham to Garrison. (It's not exactly Montana to Rice yet) We are energized, but our defense then gives up a 65-yard TD run, and we're back to 21-7. However, we've shown we can move the ball. The Ravens hang another TD on us, and it's 28-7 at the half.

The second half, painfully, is jut more of the same. We cannot get engaged on offense, and they flatten us 38-7. In a valiant effort, Whipple carried 16 for 76 yards, and Branham threw 8-of-19 for 132 and a TD, but they weren't budging.

I work things out with DE Jim Lee and FB Bernie Pearson, who will both be back. Meanwhile, we watch Baltimore pave Miami to get their bid in the big one. Tampa Bay is their opponent, still led by venerable QB Mel McCorkle. The Ravens take it 15-12, at least keeping the title in the divisional family.

We get sparse notice on the awards board for a 14-2 club. WR Frank Willis and CB Preston Gladney are named to the second team. S Jamal Powell earned the DROY award, a nice surprise after his unfortunate training camp.

Next year will be hell, with everyone and his brother sticking their toes into the free agency pool. I'll be prepared to lose a few good guys…and I sense a Valentino-like controversy ahead as I see a $15m contract looming in the mind of one Corey Harper, my aging thoroughbred.

[QuikSand]

QB update

For those who are curious, an update. Here is the stat sheet for QB Horace Forbes through his first two seasons with Jacksonville:

2025: 1,894 yds, 55.5%, 6.37 ypa, 7/14, 63.1 - rookie-like numbers for time-splitting starter
2026: only 51 passes, placed onto IR with broken ribs after 4 games

I suppose he gets an "I" so far-incomplete. His apparent ratings are pretty strong, though the dimple for short passes does really stand out (34/30 there). He ought to be a free agent next season, and we'll see what he commands-I suspect someone will bite, and maybe the Jags will commit to him after all.

[QuikSand]

Another note of modest importance: after the requisite three years, we had two new inductees into the Browns/Players Hall of Fame this season--

QB Jesse Morse
S Billy Joe Franklin

Both are locks for Canton in 2028.

In a curious twist, WR Horace Warren i inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, but apparently is inducted as a San Diego Charger (I presume that was his last team).

Even though he doesn't officially appear on the computer-generated list, we've retired his jersey along with that of DE Marcus VandenBelt, another should-have-been inductee.

[TheRoyalOne]

For what it's worth, not much I know, I think Harper has long outlasted his welcome in the eyes of at least this fan http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb/smile.gif Though he turned out as an interesting project and had some monstrous years, I attribute that to the bruising Cleveland/Ohio O-line more than his nimble running ability, but thats just from this negative minded fan http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb/smile.gif

It has been nice to see you have a runner though as opposed to the Chiefs committee style you did awhile back.

Go Players http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/ubb/smile.gif

A Quick question though as I'm too lazy to look it up and want to develop the question anyway, what has been your record in each of the post-Morse years? It seems that your avg-record has improved instead of declined which I find odd. Maybe a stud-QB, though Garner has played like one, isn't required afterall?

[QuikSand]

RB update

Here's the current situation with RB Corey Harper (at the conclusion of 2026):

<pre>
Scout's ratings:
Breakaway: 92
Short yardage: 70
3rd Down running: 43
Yards per carry: 74
Catching: 30
Catch freq: 54
3rd Down catching: 89
Carrying: 27
Endurance: 76
</pre>
Okay, if you saw those ratings (admittedly a mixed bag) in a free agent who was asking for big bucks, you probably wouldn't go anywhere near him. However, here is his stat summary:

<pre>
10 seasons, 149 starts
2,780 carries for 12,730 yards (4.5 ypc) - 6th leading rusher in league history
102 TDs - 7th in league history
233 receptions for 1,796 yards, 13 TD
NFL MVP and OPOY: 2021
1st team RB: 2019, 2020, 2021
2nd team RB: 2022, 2024
Superbowl MVP: 2019
Offensive ROY: 2017
</pre>

It will be tough to let him go, but if he asks for a pay increase (which I expect) then there is a sizable likelihood that I'll have to do so. I thought it wise to capsule his career stats at this point, to mark his great service to this franchise.

[ShagVT]

Hey Quik - just wondering with that very low "Carrying" attribute, has Harper been "butterfingers"? With all the carries he gets, I would expect to see a pretty large number of fumbles....

[QuikSand]

Ohio Players, 2027 preseason

(by the way, nobody has commented on my team name - does anybody get it?)

The team was quite profitable yet again, $164m in the black. Ownership is quite happy. The fans in Columbus are coming around and building loyalty-what's not to like?

Coach Donnell Vance's contract is up, and though he's been good, I am really worried about our injury situation. His rating there is "poor," which goes a long way to explaining what's going on. I decide to look elsewhere, as unjust as that sounds. I find a guy who is practically perfect, with one exception-he has a "poor" for RBs, which looks like a position I'll be grooming in the next few years. It's a tough tradeoff, but I decide to take him-he's very solid practically everywhere else, and he's only 43. I'll work around the RB issue.

On the roster, we have one fairly minor issue. Despite a good season last year and a contract extension, FB Bernie Pearson decided to retire. Fortunately, I have him backed up well with two decent young fullbacks, who will step in nicely.

Elsewhere around the league, longtime Tampa Bay QB Mel McCorkle retired, after narrowly losing the Superbowl. An old FB/TE of mine Al Dodge retired after a long career, as did Philadelphia QB Melvin Moody (a bit early for him).

On our roster, we show 35 players signed to contracts, and $33m in cap room out of $202.8 total. The cap number will jump up a bit-I hope it's more than a couple million, because I have free agents galore. Re-signing DE Jim Lee last season was a plus, but I still have a lot of guys to watch out for.

My UFAs this year are: LB Matt Giles (want to keep), RB Corey Harper (will be tough), LB Billy Joe Philips (probably cannot keep), C Cole Unsbee (really want to re-sign), RB Spencer McKinnon (probably no way), and G Brock McWilliams (doubtful). I have a formidable group of RFAs as well, but I doubt any will return.

Rather than playing the dollars game, I decide to use my franchise tag on the player who is most important-C Cole Unsbee. I realize that centers don't have the same demands as other positions, but he's the most critical player on the list. Fortunately, he has fully recovered from his bad injuries last year, and he looks ready to step right back in. I'll make sure he does.

Looking over the list again, I am not as bowled over as I was expecting. (I think I had in my mind that all my WRs were due this year-I just checked and it's next year instead) I'll try to sign LB Giles-he was a big draft-day breakout for me, and I like the Idea of keeping him here. I think that LB Philips can go-he's another original, but really isn't all that good. If I sign Giles for about $7m and Unsbee for about the same, that will leave about $20m or so for the rest for the team. I figure that's about right-my draft will probably cost $10-12m, and I'll need room to fill in with free agent rookies. If I have a little more room that I figured, I might be able to make a play for either one of the RBs, or more likely a free agent at a more affordable position, like LB. I'd like to try to grab a playable LB at the end of the FA period, where there are usually some decent ones to be had fairly cheaply.

As we start off the FA period, my phone rings with trade offers. A 2nd rounder for FB Billy Joe Gillspie. Interesting… A 2nd rounder for WR Frank Willis, which is a bit less interesting. A 2nd rounder for CB Preston Gladney-even less interesting. I give some thought to the deal for FB Gillespie, who projects as my starter this season. He was a 4th round pick last season, and did pretty well as a backup FB and TE. Tough call, as I figure I might be able to replace Gillespie fairly easily in this draft or in free agency. I'm also concerned that under my new coach, my FB might not develop much this year-making him a bit weak as a starter. This pushes me over the edge, and I take the deal (and resolve to pursue a quality FB in free agency).

I start the FA bidding with a 2yr, $9.5m offer to FB Phil Morey from Buffalo. He's the best FB available, and I'll shoot for the stars here. I also make a bid on a great LB Patrick Walker, who has been a star for the 49ers. He would be a fabulous pickup for us-a nearly topped-out star.

LB Matt Giles, whose ratings are all around 50, is now demanding $8.5m a season. I just don't see it, and though I want him to return, I'm not going to go overboard in pursuing him. I decide to wait, and see if he comes down a bit. RB Corey Harper wants about $17m a year, which simply won't happen here. LB Billy Joe Philips wants over $8m a year, and he's in the same boat as Giles (though his abilities aren't declining as rapidly). All these guys will be tough-I resolve to wait them out.

After week 1, I'm outbid on both guys I am pursuing-by longer-term offers of the same annual value as mine. I decide to sit tight, except that I bump my offer for LB Walker up to $10m a year. None of my own free agents has received a bid yet.

In week 2, LB Walker takes a 4yr deal with Green Bay. FB Morey is listening to Atlanta, and RB Harper has gotten a big offer from New England-4 years, $66m. On FB Morey, I still have the best 2yr offer, so I sit tight there. I make a bid on LB Antonio Sykes-a 12th year veteran with a bit left in the tank, I think. I also make a bid on 5th year LB Greg Adam-my 3yr, $21m bid is his only offer so far.

At this point, it doesn't look like Jacksonville is going to keep Horace Forbes as their QB. They are bidding, but they are being out bid by a couple of the teams who lost their starters-notably Tampa Bay (who is in the $20m plus level).

In week 3, LB Greg Adam signs with us-to my surprise. This knocks down my cap room to $30.5m-still enough to stay active here. LB Antonio Sikes decides to stay in Seattle, and my focus is no solely on FB Morey, who is still listening to numerous offers. In week 5, FB Morey signs-with Ohio! That's a good grab for us, and probably finishes off our involvement in the free agent market this year.

In week 7, New England signs RB Corey Harper for a $66m deal. I'll try to keep an eye on him. QB Horace Forbes makes a surprise decision, and signs with Chicago, spurning the higher offer from Tampa Bay. That will be interesting to watch as well. In week 9, RB Spencer McKinnon cashes in with Seattle, getting about $15m a season.

Just as I'm starting to wonder how long I can wait on LBs Giles and Philips, I see them both receive offers in week 9. Each are being offered $7m a season, and it's a tough call to decide what to do here. I'm pretty sure I can sign a guy with talent comparable to Giles at the end of the FA period for around $5m or so… is it worth an extra $2-3m to return the same guy who's been with us for 12 years? I decide that it is, and I put in an offer to Giles after all-it's not quite as good as the Miami offer, but I'm hoping he prefers to stick around with us. He does-done deal.

LB Philips, meanwhile, takes a deal from Boise City and will start for them. I sit back until the final stages, where I hope to go after a cheap guy or two. I look around, and I haggle with one LB, but nothing comes of it.

As we approach the draft, I have numerous needs, and also a feeling that I have overspent. Once C Unsbee gets his deal, I almost certainly won't have room to afford my rookies. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, or when I get a trade offer that helps me get there.

I get a couple offers which are interesting. A 3rd round pick for each of FB Morey and G Jimmi Dowell. The offer for Dowell is complete with a backloaded LB who I could use this year for a cost of less then $2m. Interesting. Even though Dowell's salary of $8m is pretty significant, I decide against the deal-I'm too wedded to the left side of my line staying together.

The guy who would be ideal to trade would be DE Bernie Mears, whose ratings have slid since my deal. I'll probably try to trade him, or else I'll release him outright. I decide for now that I need to make some room by restructuring deals. This works well-I extend with both starting WRs, and both T Bell and G Dowell. The tough one is WR Wesly Ingram, who has been a fabulous 3rd WR, but is disgruntled and wants a big raise to re-sign. I suspect he'll probably go elsewhere after this season.

In the draft, I have an extra pick in the late second round, and that's it. I'll look for WR help (my #4, #5, and #6 guys from last year are all leaving) for now and later (as Ingram will probably go next year). I also need to make thing work at the RB position-I only have one RB signed now, and I'll probably need contributing rookies. (I also need to keep in mind that their development will be pretty slow, due to my new coach) I could use a good safety as well, if one were to magically appear-especially in round two.

Amateur Draft Report:

Rnd 1 - Dustin Marts, WR, California - Davis
Rnd 2 - Dave Morton, DE, Fresno State
Rnd 2 - Rob Tribble, S, Texas - El Paso
Rnd 3 - Seth Miller, TE, Maryland
Rnd 4 - Seth Staggs, G, Louisiana State
Rnd 5 - Billy Joe Springer, FB, McNeese State
Rnd 6 - Jamal Delgado, S, Indiana
Rnd 7 - Mel Reid, DT, Oklahoma State

Okay, it was a good draft. WR Marts was among the best in long term potential, and he's very ready to play now. S Tribble looks a lot like the safety I took in the first round last year, and DE Morton will give us some needed flexibility at that position. The rest were BPA picks, but all looked like good values-particularly G Staggs in round four, who might be the real deal.

I know, I know-where is the running back? I have trouble explaining, but there simply weren't any good RBs in this draft-at least not good enough to take in round 2… or 3… or 4… you get the idea. At every stage there were seven nearly identical guys, and I could never say "I have to take this guy now." So, I never did. I'll look around in the FA market, where I suspect I can pick up a few of the guys I had looked over in rounds 3 and 4…

I also have not yet initiated a trade this season, and I might be able to swing a deal to get a RB who I can use for a while.

I sign my rookies, and then fill up to 52 players by signing rookies-but I'm out of cap room. I have a second rounder offered for DE Jim Lee, but I would much rather trade DE Bernie Mears. Unfortunately, nobody wants Mears, so my best option there is to cut him-freeing up $13m in cap room which I could use to re-sign a veteran or two, I suppose. I let him go, and then decide to bring in a ton of rookies for training camp… after that, I'll cut most of them and perhaps extend a contract or two.

After camp, I make the obligatory "bust check." WR Dustin Marts lost a little bit of his luster, but only a bit-he should be fine. All th other rookies held up just fine-no ups or downs. I had a breakout from among my undrafted rookies-C Jay Jefferson went from modest redliner to serious prospect in one camp. Regrettably, no such luck with any of the several RBs I auditioned.

I make cuts-mostly rookies, but also veteran C Nolan Newman (made replaceable by the development of rookie Jefferson) and TE Rusty Singleton.

I use my cap room remaining to lock up WR Wesley Ingram for the next four years. I'm not entirely certain that he's worth $10m a year, but these three receivers have been together for Desmond Garner's great period-and I don't want to monkey with things if I can help it. I can afford this deal with Ingram now, and this will prevent me from losing him next season.

C Cole Unsbee is being a pain. He wants a huge deal to go beyond this year, or else he'll sit on his one-year tender and become a free agent again next season. The only deal I can get him to accept is $9-15-17m, with $15m up front. After all that haggling, I finally decide against it-I'll let him head to free agency next year, and I'll have to decide then whether he's worth open market dollars. My other open market FAs for next year will be DE Troy Karl and DT Victor Eschtruth-I should get by if I lose one or two of those three.

Here is the contract view of the roster, for what that's worth:

<pre>
Name # Pos OnTm Ctrc Exp Stat Cap Cost
Garner, Desmond 6 QB 2023 2028 5 ----- $17,070,000
Branham, Wes 5 QB 2026 2028 2 ----- $1,530,000
Carter, Billy Joe 18 QB 2025 2027 3 ----- $1,220,000
Ellis, Monty 36 RB 2026 2028 2 ----- $960,000
Howze, Clyde 24 RB 2027 2027 1 ----- $720,000
Vaughn, Tommy 30 RB 2027 2027 1 ----- $720,000
Lichtenberger, Bart 31 RB 2027 2027 1 ----- $720,000
Morey, Phil 49 FB 2027 2028 5 ----- $4,500,000
Johnston, Rondell + 35 FB 2026 2028 2 ----- $960,000
Springer, Billy Joe 25 FB 2027 2029 R ----- $720,000
St. John, Dwayne 86 TE 2025 2027 3 ----- $2,370,000
Miller, Seth 83 TE 2027 2030 R ----- $1,590,000
Ingram, Wesley + 81 WR 2023 2030 5 ----- $10,070,000
Wiggins, Max 87 WR 2021 2029 7 ----- $10,000,000
Willis, Frank 12 WR 2018 2029 10 ----- $8,000,000
Marts, Dustin 82 WR 2027 2030 R ----- $4,230,000
Haggans, Alfred 84 WR 2027 2027 1 ----- $720,000
Rubble, Wesley 13 WR 2027 2027 1 ----- $700,000
Unsbee, Cole 52 C 2018 2027 10 ----- $6,160,000
Jefferson, Jay 53 C 2027 2027 1 ----- $720,000
Shields, Ernest 58 C 2027 2027 1 ----- $700,000
Dowell, Jimmie + 61 G 2019 2029 9 ----- $7,300,000
Matthews, Otis + 65 G 2026 2028 3 ----- $1,700,000
Shea, Jared 70 G 2026 2028 2 ----- $960,000
Staggs, Seth 64 G 2027 2029 R ----- $720,000
Bell, Vince 60 T 2023 2029 10 ----- $8,400,000
Diaz, Winston 72 T 2024 2028 4 ----- $6,100,000
Lightfoot, Kenny + 67 T 2026 2029 3 ----- $1,790,000
Warren, Kyle 10 P 2027 2027 1 ----- $650,000
Woods, Bucky 17 K 2024 2027 4 ----- $1,530,000
Lee, Jim 93 DE 2024 2028 8 ----- $9,000,000
Karl, Troy 95 DE 2024 2027 4 ----- $3,880,000
Morton, Dave 91 DE 2027 2030 R ----- $2,620,000
Palmer, Mike 76 DE 2027 2027 1 ----- $700,000
Payton, Christian 98 DT 2025 2027 3 ----- $3,160,000
Eschtruth, Victor 96 DT 2024 2027 5 ----- $2,900,000
Jurgensen, Bryce 94 DT 2026 2029 2 ----- $2,360,000
Reid, Mel 92 DT 2027 2028 R ----- $720,000
Peters, Damon 90 LB 2020 2029 8 ----- $7,200,000
Giles, Matt 50 LB 2015 2028 13 ----- $6,690,000
Adam, Greg 57 LB 2027 2029 5 ----- $6,000,000
Turner, Dave 51 LB 2026 2028 8 ----- $2,600,000
O'Neal, Anthony 56 LB 2025 2027 3 ----- $1,220,000
Boatright, Mack 54 LB 2026 2028 2 ----- $960,000
Bearden, Robert 2 LB 2027 2027 1 ----- $720,000
Gladney, Preston 33 CB 2022 2029 7 ----- $9,500,000
Doyle, Jeremy 44 CB 2025 2029 3 ----- $7,040,000
Germaine, Mercury 28 CB 2026 2029 2 ----- $6,320,000
Morrison, Desmond 34 CB 2027 2027 1 ----- $720,000
Howard, Brett 32 CB 2027 2027 1 ----- $650,000
Powell, Jamal 27 S 2026 2030 2 ----- $6,560,000
Buzzanca, Orlando + 29 S 2023 2027 5 ----- $2,790,000
Tribble, Rob 23 S 2027 2030 R ----- $2,770,000
Delgado, Jamal 26 S 2027 2028 R ----- $720,000

Salary Cap: $202.8 million
Room Under Cap: $9,300,000
</pre>

And here is the scout's view (I've sorted by current rating this time, instead of future rating):

<pre>
Position/Player Current Est Future Est Exp Sgnd
QB Desmond Garner 15 15 5 2028
QB Wes Branham 8 16 2 2028
QB Billy Joe Carter 7 11 3 2027
RB Monty Ellis 9 10 2 2028
RB Tommy Vaughn 8 8 1 2027
RB Bart Lichtenberger 7 7 1 2027
RB Clyde Howze 7 7 1 2027
FB Phil Morey 12 13 5 2028
FB Rondell Johnston 8 11 2 2028
FB Billy Joe Springer 5 10 1 2029
TE Dwayne St. John 12 12 3 2027
TE Seth Miller 8 16 1 2030
WR Frank Willis 15 15 10 2029
WR Max Wiggins 14 14 7 2029
WR Wesley Ingram 9 11 5 2030
WR Dustin Marts 6 12 1 2030
WR Alfred Haggans 5 5 1 2027
WR Wesley Rubble 3 11 1 2027
C Cole Unsbee 17 18 10 2027
C Jay Jefferson 8 9 1 2027
C Ernest Shields 4 13 1 2027
G Jimmie Dowell 13 13 9 2029
G Jared Shea 6 10 2 2028
G Otis Matthews 5 8 3 2028
G Seth Staggs 5 13 1 2029
T Vince Bell 13 13 10 2029
T Winston Diaz 11 13 4 2028
T Kenny Lightfoot 5 6 3 2029
P Kyle Warren 6 9 1 2027
K Bucky Woods 11 11 4 2027
DE Jim Lee 11 11 8 2028
DE Troy Karl 7 11 4 2027
DE Mike Palmer 4 4 1 2027
DE Dave Morton 3 11 1 2030
DT Christian Payton 9 14 3 2027
DT Victor Eschtruth 9 12 5 2027
DT Bryce Jurgensen 7 13 2 2029
DT Mel Reid 5 15 1 2028
LB Damon Peters 15 16 8 2029
LB Greg Adam 10 13 5 2029
LB Matt Giles 10 10 13 2028
LB Mack Boatright 8 10 2 2028
LB Dave Turner 6 7 8 2028
LB Anthony O'Neal 5 9 3 2027
LB Robert Bearden 3 9 1 2027
CB Preston Gladney 15 15 7 2029
CB Jeremy Doyle 12 15 3 2029
CB Mercury Germaine 9 15 2 2029
CB Brett Howard 5 5 1 2027
CB Desmond Morrison 3 10 1 2027
S Jamal Powell 11 13 2 2030
S Rob Tribble 7 15 1 2030
S Orlando Buzzanca 7 9 5 2027
S Jamal Delgado 3 13 1 2028
</pre>

For this season, I suppose everything will come down to our running game. I'm pretty happy with our defense, as the secondary is really coming together now. The passing attack should again work well, and the line is back in full strength (only change is at RG). My main issue will be carrying the ball, but I expect pretty good things behind this line-I'll probably use RB Ellis and FB Morey to do the main share of the load, with a few chances to the rookies to see if they can do anything.

This should yet again be a playoff team-how good, remains to be seen.

[QuikSand]

2027 HOF Inductees

Though it is merely a formality at this point, Canton welcomes Jesse Morse and Billy Joe Franklin into its realm. Franklin receives a unanimous induction, the first among game-generated players in this career, and the first of any sort since 2011 (Brett Favre). There are details about their careers on the preceding thread.

[QuikSand]

Shag, Harper has been known to fumble a fair bit. He's always been a hot-and-cold player... taking a bunch of -1 yard carries, fumbling once or twice, but then breaking out a 68-yard TD run. Now, if he would just wander off to Europe somewhere and have his father start speaking for him...

[Critch]

Ohio Players = old funk band?

I remember one of my friend's brothers having a few of their LPs. Don't remember anything about the music (if we even listened to it) but I do remember the LP covers. Very, hmmm, "artistic" photos of young ladies?

[QuikSand]

Right on, bother Critch! The Ohio Players are now best known as the producers of the immortal classic "Love Roller Coaster," an essential staple of every "Best of Funk" collection sold on late night TV. They did it all, though-- funk, jazzy stuff, a little brass, yo name it. Great cover "art" too.

[QuikSand]

2027 season

We get through preseason with only one injury of consequence-DE Troy Karl is banged up.

I our opener, Desmond Garner again gets a minor injury-seems to be a hallmark of his. Branham steps in and plays brilliantly again, and Morey runs 14 times for 94 yards and a TD. Ellis had 5 for 22 on the day-my setting was 75 for using the FB as the ball carrier, but Morey certainly seemed to be the workhorse this game. We get two defensive TDs to help roll the Eagles, 44-12.

Garner is okay to go in week 2 (not even on the injury report) so he's back in. Garner throws 4 TDs as we romp over Dallas 38-7. In this game, backup HB Vaughn actually gets the most carries with 8, but he only gains 14 yards. Our running game was nonexistent-nobody had over 19 yards on the day. Ouch. I go to the gameplan, and bump up Ellis's workload to 5-he should get most of our HB carries. I also demote Vaughn in favor of Clyde Howze.

In week 3, we edge the 0-2 Jaguars 15-14. Ellis carries 13 times for -2 yards. This is looking bleak, as we win with 5 FGs. We beat Pittsburgh 31-21, and we keep winning, as we search for a good running game combo. This is my last chance to pull off a trade, and I decide to give it a try-I'd like to add a usable RB, if possible.

I haggle with Bakersfield over third year back Kelvin Glover (who is their current backup) but they aren't budging. I finally get a deal that they will agree to (DT Eschtruth, plus 2nd and 4th round picks) but I won't go that far. I resolve to get by with what I have on hand, and more specifically on the arm of Desmond Morris.

We go ahead and shred Baltimore, the defending champions. Garners' 4 TD lead the way, though Ellis does gain 85 yards on the ground. We shut out Tennessee 38-0, but still don't run in a TD (3 passes, two picks). We beat the Steelers again and the Baltimore again to get to the halfway point at 8-0 again.

Desmond Garner has a 108 passer rating at this point. Interestingly, as I look at the leader board, it seems that Horace Forbes may be having his breakout year with the Bears-1,499 yards in 7 games, 12/5 and a 85 rating. Not too bad.

Week 10 in Denver, we lose our run. They beat us 24-10. My running game was awful, and Garner got hurt again. Branham played okay in relief, but threw one critical interception. Our defense allowed two TDs int eh fourth quarter in what had been a low-scoring game. I have to de-activate FB Morey, to get him healthy again.

We romp over Tennessee, with RB Vaughn scoring for the second game in a row. I'm working him into the rotation, to see how things will fare-Ellis just doesn't have the stuff to put anyone away. He has 104 carries for 405 yards-which isn't terrible, but he never takes over a game, and he hasn't scored a TD in four weeks.

Jacksonvile beats us at home 24-17. They threw on us effectively, and our running game yielded 21-41. In a tough game in Boise City, we massacre the Beefaloes 47-10. Desmond Garner throws 5 TDs and runs in another-fantasy geeks everywhere are wetting themselves. Our vaunted running game-even in a blowout like this-nets us 49 yards on 20 carries.

We get close wins over Cinti and Oakland to stretch to 12-2. LB Dave Turner is out. Who the hell is Dave Turner? (A: some cheap fill-in guy who's my 5th or 6th LB)

We go to Miami, in a game that may decide the AFC top seed, and we beat then in their house. It's only 20-13, but we get an interesting surprise. RB Vaughn gains 70 yards on 21 carries-really taking the load in the second half to help protect the lead. Of course, it was Max Wiggins and his 235 yards, 2 TD day that makes the headlines-but we already knew what he could do. I decide to elevate Vaughn to the starter's role, and see what he can do with it.

We edge Cinti in our last game, with the running game back to its usual self. Garner throws two TDs, but pulls up lame with a twisted ankle. He'll be okay for the playoffs, though, as we get to 14-2 and hold the AFC top seed.

DT Christian Payton tore up his knee, and he may be done period. Too bad- he had developed nicely this year. WR Wesley Ingram will piss the playoffs. Our other injuries look manageable.

We struggled all season to run the ball, but on balance it didn't seem to matter much-this team was able to get on Desmond Garner's shoulders and ride him to a very formidable position. It didn't seem possible, but Garner actually stepped up and extended his great efficiency (which he had done before) into tremendous production as well. An MVP if I ever saw one.

Stat leaders:

QB Desmond Garner: 4,038 yds, 58.8%, 8.93 ypa, 35/6, 108.6 - a tremendous season for our key player
RB Monty Ellis: 135-518 yds, 3 TD (3.8 ypc) - not acceptable numbers for a leading rusher
RB Tommy Vaughn: 123-392 yds, 2 T D (3.1 ypc) - nothing too impressive here, either
FB Phil Morey: 67-275 yds, 1 TD (4.1 ypc), 27 rec-226 yds, 1 TD - solid player, but limited role
WR Frank Willis: 70-1,473 yds, 11 TD (53.8%, 11 drops) - very productive, picked up with Garner
WR Max Wiggins: 69-1,221 yds,8 TD (54.3%, 9 drops) - big year, more attempts downfield than usual
TE Dwayne St. John: 52-653, 7 TD (57.7%, 7 drops) - one of my best seasons from a TE
S Jamal Powell: 77 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 int, 37.3 PDQ - aggressive run-stopper from safety spot
LB Matt Giles: 72 tackles, 8 sacks - best pass-rushing season ever for OLB
DE Jim Lee: 8.5 sacks, 2 blocks, 4 hurries - top sacker on line which shared duties broadly

Overall stats (Off/def/avg):
Rushing: 3.5/3.5/3.8
Passing: 8.9/6.4/6.5

Some great teams have balance. Some other great teams have a focus. Our team is a focused one, but it remains to be seen whether they are truly great. Desmond Garner is the key to everything at this point-we need to pass our way into and through the playoffs, it's as simple as that.

[petrochile]

Wow, I'm really impressed with Willis, over 20yds/reception. Very nice, good luck in the playoffs!

[QuikSand]

2027 postseason

As I size things up, we are clearly a flawed team, and might have trouble with someone with a tough pass defense. Miami is the AFC playoff team who definitely matches up best with us, as they held opponents to 6.2 ypa. They are 11-5, and the #3 seed-they'll likely have to beat Anaheim to get to us (assuming we win our opener). San Francisco at 13-3 and Chicago at 14-2 (Horace Forbes with a great year: 3,695 yds, 27/9, 89.3) are the top players in the NFC. How I relish the prospect of a SB matchup against Forbes and Chicago.

Our opener is against the Colts. They will probably we willing to get into a shoot out with us, behind their QB Clarence McGregor. We relish the chance. Their defense is anchored around a fantastic DT who has 16 sacks this year-but I doubt we were planning to run much his way anyhow.

We get the ball, and they hold us to three and out. They miss a FG, and we get it back. We get it going with a dumpoff to the FB Morey, and then we roll into the red zone and into the end zone-with a run by Ellis for the score. McGregor gets them out of three 3rd down jambs, but CB Doyle picks him off in our end zone. We go down and come away with a FG to lead 10-0 early in the second quarter. We exchange punts through the half, but no more scoring. It's not exactly a shootout, but the 10-0 score hides the fact that there has already been 350 yards of offense in the game.

We start off the third quarter with a FG drive. We get it back, and drive again, mostly on the ground, to get Ellis in again for another TD. So far, Garner hasn't thrown a TD pass, but we're rolling. Wouldn't have seen that coming. In the late third quarter we remedy that, as garner hits Willis for a score. We yield two late FGs, but have the game well in hand with a 34-6 final.

Morey (9-44), Ellis (8-54, 2 TD) and Vaughn (7-54) all contributed to an effective running game. My coach confides in me that he felt that establishing the run in the playoffs was a goal-as that should help open things up against (as it turns out) Miami. The downside is that Garner got dinged in the second half, and has a bruised shoulder. He'll go against the Dolphins, but he will not be 100%. We have two serious injuries at CB, including Doyle, meaning that young Germaine will get his first start in a huge playoff game.

It's Arizona who awaits the winner of the AFC title game-both SF and CHI went down at home in divisional playoff games. Miami is a good, balanced team with great cover corners-they pose a serious threat to our style of play, as they are tough on defense and balanced everywhere.

We get the ball first, and jump up early 7-0 on a huge play from Garner to Wiggins, setting up a TD pass to FB Morey. Miami runs well early, and gets a drive going for a short TD pass. At the start of the second quarter, we waste good field position with three runs netting one yard. Fortunately, we stuff them, and get it back near midfield again. We continue to run the ball, and have to punt from the Miami 41. Miami's QB drops back to pass, and the throw is picked off by a gambling Mercury Germaine, who takes it 52 yards for the score!

On our next possession, we mix the run and pass, and FB Morey catches a TD pass to put us ahead 21-7. We get it back on a turnover, and convert that with another TD pass to Willis. It's suddenly 28-7, and halftime can't come quickly enough for Miami. It finally does, but they're seriously rattled-they need to come out strong in the second half.

On the first play of the second half, Miami QB Thomas throws downfield, but my safety Powell watched it the whole way, steps in front, and follow his blocks 33 yards for the TD. After it's 35-7, Miami rallied for a blocked punt and a short drive to make it 35-14. We're not worried yet. We're less worried when we respond by putting Willis in the end zone with the football again. We put it away at 49-14, with everybody getting into the act.

We square up for Arizona in the Superbowl. QB Garner will play, though he is still sore. We have a few injuries, but nothing like the last few years-the coaching change has made a serious difference there. (maybe enough to offset the horrid running game?)

Arizona is a passing team, and we expect to see an aerial circus in this game. My Players insisted on running against Miami (36-155) and so we have that card to play as well, at least it would seem that way.

Arizona takes it first, gets a couple first downs on the ground, but punts it over. Our first play is a 26 yard run by Vaughn. Our next is a 45-yard throw to Wiggins. Wiggins gets the (eventual) TD pass to put us ahead 7-0. Arizona breaks a big run to set up a field goal. Early in the second quarter, Arizona launches a great drive-9 plays, 69 yards, and the go-ahead TD on a short sweep. On their next possession, I have them pushed back to 3rd and 17 from their 34, but their split end get behind CB Germaine, and they hit for a 66 yard TD.

Garner connects with Willis on the next play, but then throws an interception. Arizona is charging, but my safety Powell reads one throw too well-he steps in front and once again streaks down the sidelines for a 64 yard TD. We're right back in this game at 17-14. Our next possession Garner connects with Willis three times. including the score-it's 21-17 good guys. Arizona QB Jermaine Grbac responds with two long passes, the second for a TD, but the Cards miss the PAT-it's 23-21. We muster a drive down to their 23, but time runs out in the half. The fans are definitely getting their money's worth in this shootout.

We punt to pin the Cards at their 10 after our first possession. We stuff them and take over at our 41. Garner continues to dump off to FB Morey, but the defense seems to be reading that play and they are sitting on it. Morey is the key to the next possession, running 3 times and catching one pass, as we get to midfield. However, Garner is picked off again to stop the drive. The Cards cannot get anywhere, so we get it back after the punt.

Garner throws to complete two third-and-long situations, and we drive into Arizona territory. Three lousy plays and a punt later, and they have it at their 11. That wraps up the third quarter-a trade of punts. We stop them cold, and take over again in good position. So far, this second half has been all ours, we just haven't cashed in.

Ellis gets a 12-yard gain for a first down. Morey gets 10 for another, at their 34 yard line. We cannot afford to blow this chance. Garner throws to Morey for 13 and another first down. On second down, third-stringer RB Howze gets the carry-and he takes it 10 yards up the gut behind a great block from C Unsbee. Ellis carries next, and takes it 11 yards for the score! What a powerful drive inside the red zone-all running, and all powerful.

We lead 28-23, as Arizona takes over at their own 20 with 10:37 remaining. A big pass play gets them into our territory, but they sputter. Facing fourth-and-8, they go for it, and throw underneath. The pass is complete, but LB Peters makes the stop to force the ball over on downs. We go back to the ground game, but FB Morey fumbles and they get it at our 43. Their QB Grbac scrambles out of the pocket on second down, and LB Adam grabs him from behind, jarring the ball loose. Mercury Germaine falls on it, and we have the ball back with 5:55 remaining.

On our first play, Garner hits a quick hitch to TE St. John, and be splits the defense rumbling 32 yards. Garner throws to Willis for 21, and the Arizona defense is clearly not ready for this. Garner throws to rookie wideout Wesley Rubble, and we extend our lead to 35-23.

The Cards try to get things going, but we're too charged up. In time, we are lined up in the victory position, and we march off the field with the franchise's 7th championship! Continuing a long-standing tradition, safety Jamal Powell is awarded the game MVP award for his fabulous interception TD. That play certainly put us right back into a game that was slipping away, and turned momentum right back to our side.

We again put up impressive numbers on the ground (despite no change in the game plan) for another playoff game. FB Morey led the way with 12-for-80, but the line blocked so well everyone got the job done-as a team we gained 173 yards on 31 carries-that will get the job done, especially when it's not padded with one long gain (longest run was Vaughn's for 26). The defense played well, giving up a few big plays but generally playing very tough in the red zone especially.

In the season awards, QB Desmond Garner and WR Frank Willis pair up for the first team al-pro squad, and my CB pair of Jeremy Doyle and Preston Gladney both make it as well (they each had 5 interceptions). The second team has four Ohio Players-TE Dwayne St. John, WR Max Wiggins, G Jimmie Dowell, and S Jamal Powell.

A very nice accomplishment, redeeming what could have been a seriously troubled season. We get a win, and we have to point to our secondary which quite rapidly turned from a concern to a foundation. Garner proved he could do it all on offense-we'll try to put a few bodies back with him next season to keep him from having to do so. We should be in decent shape to shoot for our first repeat since 2009-2010 in Cleveland.

[QuikSand]

I'm starting to wonder if I need to employ some tougher house rules here... I think that were it not for some of the personality of this team (Garner's emergence, the rebuilt secondary, the RB black hole) I would haev lost interest in this as being to easy.

I really don't want to win all the time-- I'd much rather have to fight to make it into theplayoffs with any regularity. I'm not sure what else to put in place, but right now this isn't challenging enough for my tastes.

Maybe I should convert this into a "straitjacket" team? (No trades, no renegotiations) That would certainly increase the challenge of the game...

Or perhaps I'd be better off just dumping this career and starting over with a straitjacket empty cupboard team...

[Kevin]

Don't give up on this one! Great reading. It's more fun for your fans to keep following this team with some tougher rules. The no renegotiating should be a good start.

[petrochile]

Here is a house rule I play with QS, maybe you will find it of interest. I only renegotiate with my star player. I must be having a legitimate title shot to do this.

The reason why I have this rule is because I really do not see to many renegotiated contacts in real life, the only ones I saw was when Elway did it a few years back. I also believe Young and Aikmon did similar things. They did it so their teams could sign the player(s) that they thought would take them to the promise land. Maybe this sounds good to you QS?

[Ryche]

One suggestion I might make would be to cut back on the trades somewhat. Even with the computer suggested trades, they can be rather unrealistic. Getting a second round pick for a FB for instance, I'm not even sure teams would offer a second rounder for Mike Alstott. It's difficult to balance out though because trades are a lot of the fun.
Perhaps only trading starters?

[ShagVT]

Hey Quik - since you're in Ohio, how about trying a bit of the Buckeye State challenge?

As a start, how about requiring that every position have at least one Ohio player? That should be a relatively easy transition.

Another approach could be to limit yourself to only drafting Ohio players..

What do you think?

[QuikSand]

Interesting idea, Shag - but i'm not sure it's my cup of tea. I tried an FOF2 caree along those lines (only Ohio players) and while it was fairly entertaining and quite a challenge, I found it to be rather unrealistic in the kind of decision-making it required.

I really prefer the general feel of making the big picture decisions about my team-- deciding what's important, who has to stay, who can go, etc. The artificial limits like that leave me wanting.

I think I may suspend renegotiations on all players,and not mane any self-initiated trades at all. I suspect that would provide me with some more challenge, while still allowing me to feel like I've got my hand on the wheel.

I'm planning to start a new thread with the next season-- I'm unsure whether it will be before Monday.

[ShagVT]

How about this rule? Any player who lasts six seasons with you becomes a "franchise" player.

For example, imagine the outrage if the Cowboys decided to let Emmitt Smith walk like you did Corey Harper.