Running to the Hall [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

stkelly52

10-01-2004, 01:45 AM

So I get to work building my team. I start with the staff. My defensive coordinator and scout were no longer under contract, while my Head Coach and OC each had two years left. My first task is to find a defensive coordinator for the team. Because so much of our offence will be based upon the performance of such and unproven player, we will need a solid defense to keep the game close. Last year’s DC was Jeremy Kramer, and he frankly is a solid coach. His only weakness is with kickers. I am determined to keep Kramer on staff, I offer Kramer the $3.9 million that he was asking for. It is a generous offer but well worth it in my opinion. If he accepts the deal it would make him the third highest paid DC in the league.

I then take a look at OC. Britt Wayne is a decent, though not great coach. His biggest weakness however is RBs. As that is going to need to be my strength, I feel I have no choice but to let him go. I set my sights instead on the best offensive coordinator that I have ever seen in my time playing this game, Clarence Givens. He is listed as “Excellent” with QBs, RBs, WRs, OL, and K/P. For young talent he is listed as “Very Good”. Givens is asking for 4.1 million, but I expect others to offer even more. Because I feel that Givens is critical to Nixon’s success, I put out an offer that I think will not be refused. $5.8 million

My current head coach should be a solid coach, but he has two things going against him. One, he has just never proven himself to be a winner. I am not sure what it is about him that just doesn’t bring his teams victory. In 19 seasons in the league he has only been to the post season twice. Secondly he is the second highest paid coach in the league. I am sorry but I am now willing to spend $9 million on a coach that loses nearly twice as often as he wins. I just think that we can find someone who can do just as good of a job for a couple million less. I find a young coach, Brett Rhodes who I believe will be able to do a phenomenal job. Has just 3 year experience, coaching the Monroe Jets. His record of 18-32 isn’t good, but he did have to some post season success, reaching the AFC title game. And his price is much more reasonable.

In looking for a scout there are two things that are crucial. One is young talent. To succeed one must have a good idea who to draft and who to skip. Secondly I need a scout that can evaluate OL. If Nixon is going to have any chance at making it to the hall of fame he is going to need a superb line blocking for him. I think that I have my man in Lincoln Perkins. His weakness is RBs, but that is OK because I already know who my RB is going to be. I also should have a leg up on bringing Perkins to town because he was my scout last season in LA. I offer a fat $700,000 contract; a deal that would make him the 4th highest paid scout in the league

While it was expensive, I was able to get all the staff that I wanted. A bidding war erupted for Givens and I wound up paying him almost $7 million for 5 years. It’s a good thing that Mr. Carter has money to spend, because it is going to cost him a lot to get his brother-in-law into the Hall of Fame.

stkelly52

10-03-2004, 12:01 PM

I don’t have any players that I feel should be franchised, and the ticket prices are about were I like them, just a bit below the median price. This team hasn’t had a profit since 2010, and attendance has dropped 20,000 since then. I don’t want to do anything that would drive any more fans away.

As I head into free agency, I know that there are going to have to be many cuts made. We are 1.7 million over the cap, and that doesn’t even count our draft signings. The tough choices are made as we trim our rosters down to just 22 players, with 15.5 million free in cap room.

As I head into the free agent signing period, I have one main focus…run blockers. If Nixon is going to have a hall of fame career he will need to have a solid group of linemen, TEs and a great FB to make his holes. Our starting RG, C, and LT look solid. We will be looking for another guard and tackle as well as a stud FB and TE.

I find a solid LG in Kyle Conklin, an 8 year vet who spent last season with the Cardinals. My only concern is that he missed a significant portion of last season with an injury. It is the first major injury of his career, so hopefully he hasn’t become prone to injury. I offer him $13.86 million for 4 years.

At RT I am not particularly thrilled with any of my available options. I do offer a $4.9 million, three year contract, for a fading former all-pro, 13 year vet, Scottie Fisher who should still have a couple of decent years left in him.

I find a stud TE in Brad McKenzie who is one of the best run blocking TEs in the game, as well as being a solid receiver as well. It will be a nice bonus to have a TE who can be effective in the passing game.

Myron Barns is just a 53 rated FB, but as run blocker he is rated at 92, just the kind of FB that I want. I am certain that I can sign him cheaply as well.

I am able to go through and pick up each of these guys during the main free agency period, but after signing them up I find myself in a bit of a quandary. With nearly 20% of my teams salary lost to dead space from cuts made last year, my hands are tied in trying to fill the rest of the holes. I decide to wait until after the draft to fill them, hopefully I can find some cheaply. The draft is pretty uneventful, as there are few decent run supporters for me to draft. I do find a center in the 6th round who looks like he might be a steal if he can develop quickly enough.

stkelly52

10-03-2004, 12:03 PM

Following the draft, I am able to actually sign Leland Nixon. He agrees to a two year deal for the league minimum. I then fill out my team with scrubs, and I am only able to afford 46 players. To be perfectly honest this is going to be a difficult season. There are a lot of holes on the team. I think that if we win 6 games then we will have had a successful season. However, with our solid group of blockers up front I am confident that Nixon will reach 1000 yards

Before I go any farther lets take a closer look at just what to expect from the star of this dynasty.

Leland was born on March 6th of 2001. He was raised in Indianapolis and went on to star at Grambling. His current rating is 25 and his future rating is 31. He has decent breakaway speed and power inside with 53 and 58 respectively. He looks like he will be hard to tackle as well with an elusiveness rating of 70. The bad news is that he is terrible as a third down back (0), hole recognition (4), and avoiding fumbles (5/15). His speed to the outside is unimpressive (24). On the bright side, he looks like he could be a solid receiver in the future, though he will need some time to develop. Leland also has decent endurance, which is good because he should be getting a lot of carries.

With all of my positions filled I take a look at the team’s game plan. I go very run heavy in normal situations and with the lead, and I let my coaches set the rest of the game plan. Leland Nixon may set a record for most carries in a season.

stkelly52

10-03-2004, 10:36 PM

PRESEASON

Week 1

My first preseason game pits me against the Bills, and it is not a great start for Nixon, but not bad either. He averages 3.0 yards per carry, picking up 46 yard on 15 carries, as well as 1 catch for 3 yards. One of my biggest fears was realized when Nixon fumbled inside the red zone early in the fourth quarter, just when it looked like we might get back into the game. We lose the game 23-10 but no matter, it gives us a good chance to evaluate some of our new talent.

One major concern is that Sammy Delgado sprained his knee in the game. Sammy is simply the best guard in the game, perhaps the best player in the game. He spent 6 weeks on the sidelines with an injury last year, and I am hoping that this is not a sign that injuries are going to be a future problem for him. Fortunately we have an extra week for him to rest.

Week 3

Our second game of the preseason was a great display of our defense as we held the Chiefs to just 6 points. Unfortunately we only managed 3. Nixon could only pick up 28 yards on 15 carries. That kind of performance will not lead to the Hall of Fame. Of course it didn’t help that by the end of the first quarter three of our starting linemen were on the sidelines with injuries. Fortunately they were all minor, but this team cannot afford to lose their offensive linemen.

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Week 4

In week 4 we face off against the Monroe Jets. With our offensive line in shambles with injury, I am not sure what to expect. It turns out that I am pleasantly surprised. Nixon busts a 32 yard TD run in the second and finishes the game with 120 yards on 20 carries and MVP honors as we top the Jets 20-10, and no new injuries in the game either.

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Week 5

Week 5 is another decent performance by Leland. On 18 carries he had 118 yards and no TDs at we slip past ffice:smarttags" /><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com /><st1:City w:st=<ST1:place w:st="on">Oakland</ST1:place></st1:City> 6-0. It was good to see such a great defensive performance, because I know that we are going to avoid giving up more than 14 points in most games if we are to win them. All in all it has been a solid preseason. I think that Leland showed that should be able to do a fair job at RB and

I think that our defense showed that they can keep it close. I should also point out that Nixon had just the one fumble in the preseason, which is my biggest fear about having him make so many carries.

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stkelly52

10-04-2004, 11:14 PM

WEEK 1
Atlanta vs. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers come into town favored by 8. They have a solid running game and a great pass defense. Fortunately, they have some big weaknesses against the run. This could be a good team for Nixon to start with.

This was a great start for our undrafted RB. Nixon took the ball on Atlanta's first play and picked up 8 yards. On the second play he carried for 14 more. Nixon continued to have the bulk of the action and capped off the opening drive with a 2 yard TD. On the second Falcon drive Nixon had carries of 6, 27, 4, and 1, the 1 being a 1 yard TD run, his second of the game. Atlanta played a solid game on both sides of the ball for three quarters, taking a 31-3 lead 14 seconds into the fourth. Then the team just seamed to run out of steam as the Panthers racked up 21 unanswered points. But it was too little too late for the Panthers and a late field goal by us put the game out of reach, 34-24.

Leland had 27 carries for 130 yards and 2 TDs in his first performance. He had no receptions and importantly, he had no fumbles. Leland and his two guards are listed as some of the key players of the weak.

WEEK 2
Atlanta @ L.A. Chargers (1-0)
It is strange coming into this stadium as a visitor. L.A. enters this game as a perennial playoff contender. The Chargers are a team that I built, and I built them well. It will be tough to run the ball against these guys. The only real weakness that they have is at QB, as the star QB, Moe Swift, left via free agency. Hopefully this will be a big enough weakness.

This game was never even close. The Chargers scored on their 3rd play and never looked back. When the dust settled we were on the wrong end of a 27-3 thrashing, thanks in part to 3 interceptions.

On the positive side of things, Nixon again eclipsed the century mark with 122 yards on 31 carries, and again he had no fumbles. Nixon was the only member of the Falcons to make the league’s list of key players in week 2.

WEEK 3
Seattle Seahawks (1-1) @ Atlanta
Seattle was once one of the most dominant teams in the NFC, but in the past 10s they have by in large been one of the league’s patsies. Last season they were a league worst 2-14. Only two teams in the history of the league have had worse years. However, this year, the ‘hawks have already won one game this year (against New England). Seattle has a weak rushing defense, so I would expect to see Nixon do well this week. We are favored by four in this game.

We are favored by four, and we win by four, 26-21. I am a little disappointed by our defense’s performance. We gave up two TDs in the fourth quarter to erase our 19-7 lead and go down by three. Fortunately, Nixon was able to cap off a 4 minute, 67 yard drive with a 2 yard TD plunge to put the good guys ahead for good with under a minute left in the game. Leland Nixon was the star of this game, earning his first MVP award. Nixon was a work horse, carrying the ball 40 times for 161 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught his first passes of the season, 2 for 10 yards.

Unfortunately, the game was costly on the injury front. 7 players, 5 of them starters, were injured in the game. Among the injured are starting C Bob Geis (10 weeks) and starting LT Casey Shea (3 weeks). Losing the two of them really hurts Nixon because they are both excellent blockers. And with no cap room, we are unable till fill their spots on the roster.

WEEK 4
Atlanta @ Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
We head into week four as 2 point underdogs. The good news for us is that two of the Eagles key run stoppers are out with injuries. If our O line had just managed to stay healthy, I think the odds would be much more in our favor.

Without 2/5ths of his line Nixon was unable to have as much success, being held under 100 yards for the first time in his career. But thanks to solid defensive work it was enough to eek out a 16-12 victory.

Nixon ran 27 times for 96 yards and the game’s lone TD. Another lineman, LG Kyle Conklin, was injured in the game, but he should be able to play through his injury, hopefully without it getting any worse.

QUARTER SEASON REPORT
Well after 4 games this team has done better than I had hoped they would. At 3-1 they are already half way to the 6 wins that I predicted for this team. We are tied for first in the division, and fans are starting to get excited about this team. Playoff dreams are floating in the air. However the realists in the national media are pointing out that so far we have had a cupcake schedule. The only team that we have played with more than one win so far is LA, and they walked all over us. Our power rating is just a paltry 68

As for Nixon, the fans here are starting to love this guy. He is second in the league with 509 yards, and tied for first with 5 TDs. He is also second in the league with 125 carries, and he has a very respectable 4.0 yard average. Another stat that is important to note is that he has no fumbles. As you may recall that was one of my scout’s biggest concerns about Nixon, and so far he has shown those concerns to be baseless. Now I know that it is a little early to be thinking this way, but if he is able to keep up this pace he can break 2000 yards and 20 TDs. Of course we have yet to face a good run stopping team.

stkelly52

10-06-2004, 03:40 AM

WEEK 5
Washington Redskins (2-2) @ Atlanta
So far we have only beaten bad teams. Washington has some of the best run-stoppers that we have faced this season, so this will be quite a challenge for Mr. Nixon. Washington is favored by 3

Our defense did a great job, not allowing a drive longer than 20 yards. However thanks to interceptions Washington scored on drives of 4 and 6 to win this game 14-3. The Redskins were able to completely shut down Nixon, holding him to just 41 yards on 20 carries, his worst showing of the season. To add injury to insult, Sammy Delgado, our superstar RG broke his finger during the game. While the injury is minor, it means that 4 of our five starting linemen are hurt, with two of them still not playing at all.

WEEK 6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-2 @ Atlanta
The Bucs com into this game tied with us for the lead in the NFC South. Tampa is quite beat up, with six starters injured. However Tampa’s run stoppers are all in good health. Tampa has the 7th best rushing defense in the league. I consider changing my game plan to put the ball in the air more, but that would defeat the whole purpose of this dynasty. Tampa is favored by two.

You could look at this as a clash between two great defenses, or you could look at this as a game between two really bad offences. Regardless it ends with a W for us, 9-6 in OT. Nixon gave up is first fumble of the year, and it was costly as Tampa was able to capitalize on the mistake and put up their second field goal midway through the fourth quarter. This put the Buccaneers up 6-0. We were able to put together decent drives on our last two positions of regulation though, finishing each with a field goal. The second of those field goals came with just 12 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. In OT, we won the toss and thanks to a bad kickoff and a good return we only needed to move the ball 21 yards to be in range for the game winning 42 yard field goal. We are now in sole possession of first place in the AFC South.

Nixon did fair, topping the 100 yard mark again, but he needed 31 carries to do it, which is only a 3.5 yard average.

Injuries continue to bite us hard. Both of our starting safeties go out with injuries, and our backup center, who had been forced into a starting role, is out for the year with a torn ankle ligament. I now find my self in a quandary as all of my centers are out and I have no money to sign any one else.

In this situation I am desperate and I start looking at people that I can cut or renegotiate with to make just a bit more room. My backup CB agrees to a three year deal with a $300,000 bonus that shaves almost $400,000 off my cap space, giving me room to sign a three year vet. With that I bring back Daryl Duffy, who was our backup last season. Daryl is a passable backup, and far better than any other option that we had.

stkelly52

10-07-2004, 01:03 AM

WEEK 7
Atlanta 4-2 @ Carolina 1-5
In week 1 we got off to a good start against Carolina and were able to hold on for the win. Since then Carolina has been abysmal, finally winning their first game last week against the equally abysmal Eagles. The Panthers have the 3rd worst rushing D in the league, and the worst in points per game. Surely we can put up goon numbers against these guys. Atlanta is favored by 5

Sometimes even when you win you can come away from a game disheartened. LT Casey Shea was just on the verge of becoming 100% and he was reinjured and is listed as out. Plus this game was an offensive nightmare. Nixon was completely neutralized for the majority of the game. It took him 29 carries to gain just 60 yards, Nixon also fumbled the ball again, fortunately he was able to recover the ball, and even picked up 14 more yards. He also scored the game’s only TD, but those two plays were his only highlights.

With a bye week coming up we are hoping to rest and heal up in our week off.

WEEK 8
BYE

WEEK 9
Atlanta 5-2 @ Dallas 5-3
We head into Dallas feeling quite a bit better with many of our hurt players ready to come back. But our offensive line is still hurting.

Dallas has five starters injured including all-pro DE Percy Lehman, one of the NFL’s best linemen at stopping the run. However, Dallas still has a solid defensive line at stopping the run, and one of the leagues bet run defenses. The Cowboys are a solid team and we are going to have a hard time beating them. Dallas is favored by 7.

We jumped out to a quick 3 point lead, but it was all Dallas after that. Dallas scored two TDs to take the game 14-3. Dallas’s key was stopping Nixon throughout the game. Nixon was only able to average 2.4 yards, picking up a total of 48 yards in 20 carries. Also, for the third game ion a row, Nixon put the ball on the ground, which we were fortunate to recover.

At least there were no further injuries in the loss.

MID SEASON REVIEW
Halfway through the season the team is still doing better than expected. We have a one game lead in the NFC North. We are actually in a good situation for making the playoffs this season, in spite of the fact that none of the teams that we have beaten this season have a winning record. Our schedule for the rest of the season has us only playing one more team that currently has a winning record. I figure that based on the conference that we are in we only need 4 more wins to make the playoffs.

The key to our making the postseason will be our defense, as we have the league’s second worst scoring offence. One thing that our offence does well is not give up the ball; we are 5th in the league in turnovers. Unfortunately the turnover margin is -2 thanks to the worst defense in the league in causing turnovers.

It is hard to complain about our defense based on the performance that they have shown. We have the second best rushing D in the country, and the 9th best passing defense. In the key defensive stat, our defense only allows 15.1 points, tops in the NFC

Nixon’s stats have declined greatly in the past four games, but he is still well on his way to 1000 yards rushing. Nixon has 225 carries for 767 yards and 6 TDs. He is 5th in the league in yards, and 3rd in TDs. His 3.4 yard average is worst among the league’s starting backs.

stkelly52

10-07-2004, 11:57 PM

WEEK 10
New York Giants 6-2 @ Atlanta 5-3
The Giants are a great offence, but they are beat up and their run defense is subject. The Giants have gotten six wins by being able to put enough points on the board to offset their lax defense. Nevertheless, the Giants are favored by 5. If only we had a healthy offensive line we could expect a big day out of Nixon.

Well Nixon and our offence had fine performances, but as NY has done all season, they just couldn’t be contained. We fall 41-25.

Nixon ran for 121 yards and a TD on 29 carries. A solid game for Nixon, back over 4 yards per carry. However, Nixon again fumbled the ball, but once again Nixon is saved by his teammates as they recover the ball. While we again didn’t lose possession, this is the fourth consecutive game in which Nixon has dropped the ball.

WEEK 11
Atlanta (5-4) @ Jonesboro Saints (4-5)
The Saints have been having a poor season, but they are just one game out of the division lead. If they can win today they would bring themselves into a tie with us for the division lead. The success that the Saints have had has come from the team’s solid defensive effort. The Saints offence is mediocre at best. That is a combination that should lead to a low scoring game. If we should come out ahead, it means we would have beaten each of our division rivals this year, and put us in a great position for winning the division. Our players are continuing to heal nicely. Our line is healthy except for our center, who is questionable with 3 weeks until full strength. Jonesboro is favored by 3.

Nixon has 26 carries for 108 yards, but the star of this game is our defense. We hold the Saints to under 200 yards of offense and pick off three passes. End result is a 16-7 victory. Nixon again put the ball on the ground, and again he was able to get the ball back. I am growing concerned about this run of fumbles lately. But this victory feels good because my preseason goal was to win 6 games.

Injuries continue to get better. Bob Geis, our starting center, is healthy enough to get back into the starting line up, even though he is not yet 100%. This puts all of my starting line back together again.

stkelly52

11-06-2004, 12:39 AM

Well I can finally get back on the board, so I will now update you on what has been happening in this dynasty during our absence

stkelly52

11-06-2004, 12:40 AM

WEEK 12
Atlanta (6-4) @ Oakland (2-8)

Oakland is a bad team with very little offence. They are led by a rookie QB with the worst QB rating in the league. They have a decent run defense, but that is the whole basis of their team. We are favored by 6. Their run defense should keep the score close, but we should be able to take the game.
Atlanta took control of this game in the first quarter, and never looked back. Once again it was a spectacular defensive display. Oakland had just 2 drives of longer than 20 yards, and just 6 first downs in the game. The defense set up the offence, as 3 of the offences TDs were set up by turnovers. Our offence was mostly unable to sustain many lengthy drives, but they really didn’t need to. Atlanta crushed Oakland 31-0.

Nixon ran a lot, but for the most part he was ineffective. Sure he finished with 90 yards and a TD, but it took him 33 carries to do so. Nixon also had five carries (on three separate drives) from the one yard line, and he could only score the one time. He did however break his streak of consecutive games with a fumble. I also should note that on a 7 yard end around early in the first quarter Nixon broke 1000 yards rushing for the season.

On another negative note, just as our offensive line was getting completely healthy, starting RT Scottie Fisher fractures his foot. He may very well be out the rest of the regular season.

WEEK 13
Atlanta 7-4 @ Detroit 5-6
Detroit is a very balanced team. They have no stars, just a smattering of decent players here and there, just enough to bring them a win or two here and their but not enough to really be competitive. Frankly, I think that they are just about the same skill level as us, except that we have had a much easier schedule. We are favored by one.

I am not even sure what happened this week. This was an ugly game that all of us whish we could forget. Detroit wins 35-10.

We were killed in time of possession, which limited Nixon to just 21 carries for 84 yards. Nixon once again dropped the ball.

The team’s running game was hurt again by the injury to our fullback. He should be out for the remainder of the regular season.

3/4 SEASON REVIEW

With 12 games behind us we are in a great place as far as making the playoffs goes. 3 of our final 4 games are against teams with losing records (the other is just 6-6), so there is no reason why we shouldn’t win at least two of our final games. Two wins would guarantee us the division title, though even one win very well may be enough

Our offence is the second worst in the league, now averaging 14.2 points. But we are still one of the best teams in the league at not allowing turnovers. In spite of all of Leland Nixon’s fumbles, he has only ever lost one. All told we have just 10 turnovers this year. But as you know, it is our incredible defense that has kept us going this year. We give up just 15 points on average, 3rd best in the league. The team’s rushing defense is the best in league history.

For Leland Nixon, he is second in the league with 1170 rushing yards, 5th in TDs with 7, 1st in attempts with 334 and his 3.5 yard average is better than just two starting RBs.

stkelly52

11-11-2004, 01:15 AM

WEEK 14
KC Chiefs (5-7) @ Atlanta (7-5)
We are favored by five in this game, but I am not quite so convinced. The chiefs are clearly the inferior team but the one thing the Chiefs are really good at is stopping the run. That hurts us and our game plan.

To think, my fear was that we wouldn't be able to run against this defense. Leland runs for the third most yards in team history, 177. It is clearly his best game of the season. With 32 carries his average was a season best 5.5 yards. Nixon walked away with MVP honors as we defeat the Chiefs 20-10. With this win and the Saints' loss to LA we have clinched the NFC South for the first time in 12 years, and just the second time in history.

However the win came at a price. LT Shea was injured again, and I don't expect him back for the regular season. This hurts in that both of our starting tackles are now out.

WEEK 15
Atlanta (8-5) @ Tampa Bay (4-9)
Tampa started the season with 3 straight wins. Since then they have been 1-9. We have no intention of reversing the Bucs' fortunes. We are favored by just one.

Nixon followed up his career day with his third MVP, though this one was by default. There were few standout players in our 17-7 victory. Frankly the award should have gone to the defense as Tampa was held to just 30 yards rushing and 167 yards passing. This made up for our own miserable offensive display, in which our QB threw for just 90 yards and had 2 picks. Nixon picked up quite a few yards (96), but it took him 36 carries to do so. But Nixon did find the end zone, and he didn’t fumble.

WEEK 16
Denver 7-7 @ Atlanta 9-5
Denver is fighting to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. They are strong defending the run on the left side of their line, but on the right are some of the worst linemen in the league. If we can just keep running to our left we should be able to do well.

Nixon is simply phenomenal in this game. Thanks to some great blocking up front, Nixon has the second best performance by a RB in Atlanta's history. His stats are 38 carries for 194 yards, 2 TDs. And no fumbles. He leads his team to a 31-25 victory.

WEEK 17
Jonesboro 7-8 @ Atlanta 10-5
If we win this game we stand a chance of earning a 1st round bye in the playoffs, depending on how Arizona does and on tie breakers. Jonesboro has been an interesting team this year. They were one of just two teams to beat Minnesota, but they were also one of three teams that lost to Chicago. The Saints rushing defense is middle of the road, but their scoring defense is the 8th best in the league. Their offence is among the bottom in the league, so if we can just beat their defense, we should be able to win this one

In a season in which we have overly relied on our defense, today it was our defense that let us down. Nixon had a solid game, running for 147 yards on 33 carries. Even our passing game was clicking, with over 200 yards passing in the game for us. But we gave up 31 points, and there was just no way that we could keep up with that. Final score 24-21.

stkelly52

11-11-2004, 03:39 PM

WILD CARD ROUND

Well the regular season has come to an end, and we have finished 4 games batter than I had hoped we would. Granted we may have had the easiest schedule in the league, and none of the teams that we beat had a winning record at the end of the year. Our final power rating is just 46, the lowest of any team in the postseason. Not many people are giving us much hope in the playoffs because they don't allow teams with losing records.

Green Bay 12-6 @ Atlanta 10-6
We draw a very good Green Bay team who is heavily favored against us.
Green Bay has a high powered offence, the #2 scoring team in the league. Their defense is decent, though not great.

In Nixon's first postseason appearance he was able to crack the 100 yard barrier, but he and the rest of the Falcons were kept out of the end zone. Green Bay ends our season 17-6.

stkelly52

11-11-2004, 03:41 PM

SEASON REVIEW
While this year had its frustrating and difficult moments, we far exceeded our goals for the year.

We were 5th in the league in rushing yards, though 31st in yards per carry. With a 16.4 point average we are 25th in scoring. We were 7th in both turnovers (17) and turnover margin (+5). But it was our defense who were the stars this year. This team breaks the record as the #1 rushing defense of all time, allowing just 72.5 yards per game. In points allowed we were third best with 15.8.

As for our running back, Nixon had a solid rookie year. He finishes with a league best 1784 yards, which is the 11th most yards in the history of the league, and the most yards in the team's history. Nixon was second in the league in rushing TDs with 11, which is the second most in Atlanta's history. Leland finished with an average of 3.7 yards per carry, which isn't great but it just a bit below the league median average. Nixon is also named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. The biggest negative stat, Nixon had more fumbles than all but two players in the league, with 9.

stkelly52

11-12-2004, 12:10 AM

2025
As we head into the 2025 season there are a few areas that we will really need to shore up. First, we have a lot of money tied up in our QB. He is a Pro Bowl quality QB, and I think he is very much worth his $10 million price tag, but, for a team that is so focused on running, I just can't have more than 10% of our cap room tied up in a QB. I plan to trade him away for either a high draft pick or a great tackle.

Second, our offensive line still needs some more help. Our center's contract has expired, and I need to decide whether to resign him, or if I should go after another FA. Also after the injury problems that I had last season, I want to make sure that I have great run blocking backups on the line.

Third, while my team's run defense was great, our passing D was just average. We have a great crop of safeties, but, our CBs are just average. I would like to get a great CB to solidify our pass D.

Fourthly, I would also like to upgrade my LBs, particularly MLB.

I now have to decide if I should franchise my center Bob Geis. Geis has done a good job as our center, but there is a great center that is on the market that I am really coveting. I decide that I need to make sure that I get a center of at least Geis's ability. If I can sign the other guy I will do so and then trade or release Geis. Geis is franchised.

stkelly52

11-13-2004, 12:44 AM

As I look at the draft preview I see one of the best players that I have ever seen available. A tackle named Jerry Blanchard. One of my strategies in FOF is never draft a lineman in the first round. They generally take too long to develop. By the time they are the kind of players that you drafted them to be, they are free agents. But this guy is already developed to the point where his score is 60. We project that he could be a starter that makes and immediate impact. But if I am going to be able to draft Jerry, I will need the first pick. There is no way that he would last to pick #2. I hold the 21st pick. It would take a lot to make that kid of a jump.
Fortunately, the team with the #1 pick is Chicago. Chicago's biggest need is a QB, and when I put feelers out to see who was interested in my QB, Chicago was the team that seamed most interested. It took some wheeling and dealing, but the deal was made. My star QB, this years #21 pick and 2nd round picks from the next two years are traded for this years #1 pick, which I will use on Jerry Blanchard. I wanted a great tackle and that is exactly what I hope I got. I go ahead and select him before the end of the first week of free agency. I quickly sign him to a 6 year deal.

I am not able to sign the center that I wanted. So I make myself content with Geis. During free agency, I am able to sign several decent OL backups for reasonable prices. This should shore our line through any injuries that we face.

Choices at LB and CB were very slim, so I was not able to make the kind of improvements that I would have liked. I did find some passable bodies to fill the holes, but I am not optimistic about an improvement in our pass coverage.

I fill out the rest of my roster with solid backups. At most of my positions if a player goes down with injury, I have a replacement for him that is only a minimal decline in ability. I feel very confident about my team. My biggest hole is at QB, but I am hoping that with the improvements on my offensive line my running game will negate the effects. The media however is not so convinced. We are given a power rating of just 35, ten points lower than any other team in the NFL.

My goals for this season are for Leland Nixon to run for 1500 yards and to win 9 games and make the playoffs. While that may seem like a step backwards from last year, there is no question that we were not a playoff quality team last season. We benefited from a cushy schedule and I don't think we will be that lucky again. If we make the playoffs this year we will have to earn it.

As for Leland's off season progress, there was little to speak of. He improved only minimally, going from a 25 overall to a 27. His future potential actually declined a few points to 29. It looks like Nixon is just about as good as he is ever going to get. His ability as a receiver was where his increases came, along with a small improvement in avoiding fumbles (but it is still only 8). I was a little surprised last season that Nixon wasn't more involved in the passing game. Perhaps this year he will catch a few more passes out of the backfield.

stkelly52

11-21-2004, 01:23 AM

PRESEASON

In the preseason we had a good chance to evaluate our players and I really think that our line showed what they were capable of. Thanks to great blocking up front Nixon averaged well over 4 yards per carry in each of our games. The final scores were not on our side much, but I am encouraged in spite of our 1-3 preseason record. Also we come out of the preseason without any injuries.

stkelly52

11-21-2004, 01:23 AM

WEEK 1
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
Tampa is believed to be greatly improved this year. They have a well balanced defense and a strong passing game. Tampa currently has a lot of injuries, but none of their players are out. The Buccaneers are favored by 7.

During the off season I traded away a star QB, but, in spite of making a few offers, I failed to get a passable replacement. Today I paid for that. Four interceptions led to our downfall, 21-13.

Nixon ran for 96 yards and a TD in the game with no fumbles.

WEEK 2
Monroe Jets 0-1 @ Atlanta 0-1
The Jets have a mediocre offence and a sub par defense. But they do have two of the best run stoppers on their line, so I expect Leland may have some problems making head way on the ground. However we are favored by two.

They may have held Nixon to just 3.1 yards per carry, and they may have only let him pick up 88 yards. But they couldn't keep Leland out of the end zone. Nixon is just the second player in team history to score three TDs in a game. This combined with an interception in the end zone lead us to a 24-17 victory.

WEEK 3
Atlanta 1-1 @ New York Giants 1-1
New York comes into this game with both their starting QB and starting RB unlikely to play. They are strong against the run though and that could spell trouble for us. We are still favored by one coming into this game.

Nixon ran for another TD, but that is the only positive thing that I can take from this game. We fall behind early, and we cannot rely on our QB to get us back into a game. Final 27-6. Nixon only ran for 30 yards, and he had two fumbles.

WEEK 4
Seattle 3-0 @ Atlanta 1-2
Seattle has a poor defense, particularly against the run, but they have a solid offence, both running and passing. But we need to win this game to keep our hopes up for this season. Seattle is favored by 4.

Nixon has a solid day, leading the team to a 24-18 victory. While he was kept out of the end zone for the first time this year, Nixon picked up 156 yards on 27 carries. The bad news was that Nixon fumbled twice. Our defense also came up big with several key stops, as we come away with a crucial victory.

The bad news is that we lost our starting LT for up to 7 weeks. This is disappointing, but we should be able to push through it.

Quarter season review
After 4 games we are not too surprised by our 2-2 record, though I wish it were better. We still have a solid run d, but instead of improving our passing defense, it has actually gotten worse. Our scoring defense is not very good as well. If we are going to have any hope this season, then we are going to need our defense to step it up. As a team we are in a three way tie for the division lead.

As for Leland Nixon, in 96 carries Nixon has averaged 3.8 yards per carry, picking up 370 yards, which is 6th in the league. Nixon leads the league in rushing TDs with 5. Not a terrible start, but it hasn't been great either.

stkelly52

11-23-2004, 01:59 AM

WEEK 5
BYE

WEEK 6
Atlanta 2-2 @ Arizona 3-2
We go into Arizona who is riding a two game winning streak and an offence that uses a good combination between rushing and passing. However they have the worst running defense in the league, allowing 5.12 yards per carry, and 147.6 yards per game. They are also bruised and beat up with nine players currently injured. I think that we stand a decent chance in this game, in spite of the fact that the odds makers place us at 8 point underdogs.

Nixon struggled much of the game. He was able to pick up just 89 yards on 24 carries. For those bad at math that is a paltry 2.6 yard average. His one shining moment was a 17 yard TD run late in the 2nd quarter that put us up for good. We were able to hold on to the lead with good defensive play solid punting, and ball control. The final score was 28-18. But our victory came at a price. Three more players will be out for the next couple of weeks, and a couple more will be questionable for next Sunday's game.

Week 7
Carolina 2-4 @ Atlanta 3-2
We come into this game as heavy favorites. Carolina has a poor offence, a terrible running defense and a good pass defense. That pass defense won't help much this week though as we don't pass much. Carolina needs to win this week if they want any hope of getting back in the hunt for the division title. Before this game we need to sign a new DT to replace our starter Norbert Wells who is out for the year with a high ankle sprain.

Leland Nixon was a work horse today, running 40 times for 152 yards and 1 TD. The key drive of the game though was one that didn't score. Three times Nixon had third down conversions on the last drive of the game. This allowed us to run off the final 4:34 off of the clock and stymie the Panthers' late comeback attempt. Final 20-17.

Week 8
Atlanta 4-2 @ San Francisco 4-3
We come into Frisco favored by one point hoping to hold onto our 1 game lead in the division. The 49ers have a good group of linemen, but terrible LBs. Overall the 49ers have the 4th worst defense in the league. They win their games by having the highest scoring offence in the NFL. This offence is led by the best QB in league history, Moe Swift. This game is significant for me because Swift was my star QB for nine years with the Chargers. We both left the Chargers at the same time and this is the first time that he has been my opponent. Swift comes into this game having the best season of his career, with a QB rating of 118.8, and having only tossed 2 picks compared to 17 TDs.

This was an offensive showcase. We racked up 534 yards of total offence, second most in team history. But San Francisco played a great offensive game as well, coming up with 490 yards of total offence. With three minutes left in the game, we were trailing by 14, but we were knocking on the door, just 4 yards away from the end zone. On the next play a four yard pass brought us within 8. The PAT would cut that to 7... or it would have had we made the PAT, but instead our rookie kicker missed the kick. With just under three minutes left though our chances of winning the game were slim. We had just one time out, so our only real hope was to try for the onside kick, and miracles of miracles we recovered the kick. With 2:52 left we needed to go 56 yards to win try to tie the game. Thanks to three 49er penalties we were able to move the ball quickly, capping the drive with a 26 yard TD pass. The 2 point conversion was successful and the game was now tied. The only bad thing was that we may have moved the ball too quickly, using less than one minute. Fortunately, three incomplete passes sent this game into OT.

We won the toss and elected to receive. We then began a final 6:25 minute, 80 yard drive, capped by a 4 yard TD pass. Thanks to a phenomenal last few minutes we were able to pull out an incredible 37-31 victory. Nixon runs for ran for 242 yards, the second largest rushing total in NFL history. His average was an excellent 6.2 yards per carry. Even though he was held out of the end zone, this was a solid all around performance for our hero. The only negative today was Leland's one fumble, which was covered by our center.

Week 9
St. Louis 7-1 @ Atlanta 5-2
There is no team in the NFL with as many wins this season as St. Louis. St. Louis has gotten to this point in spite of having a sub par QB and a mediocre RB. So how can they be the 4th highest scoring team in the league? Well first, they cause the most turnovers in the NFL. This does not bode well for Leland Nixon and the fumble problems that he has. Second, their league best defense gives their offence a short field more often than not. This stingy defense could make it hard for us to pick up the yards on the ground that we want. Finally, the Rams have a spectacular kicker who could be on his way to a new single season record. He just seems to be able to make every drive come up with at least three points.

Even though the Rams look to be such a great team, the odds makers are not convinced by their QB/RB combo. They have listed this game as even. If I were a betting man though, I would put my money with the Rams.

This great Rams defense had a lot of trouble slowing Nixon down. With 32 carries Nixon was able to run for 125 yards, and when he scored a TD to go up 17-0 late in the third it looked like this game was well in hand. Then our team just fell apart. We gave up 3 TDs (with two missed conversions, and one successful) on three consecutive drives to fall behind 20-17. During this time our offence struggled with a 56 yard drive that ended with a INT in the end zone, a 3 and out, and a 42 yard drive that ended with a missed 35 yard field goal. Finally, with under 2:00 left in the game our offence took the field and mounted a last gasp drive to set up a 52 yard kick to send the game into OT, and the kicked sailed true. For the second week we were in OT. Last week we won when we won the toss and were able to sore on the opening drive of OT, this week we lost the toss and thanks to a 50 yard TD pass by the Rams, we were left without a victory. Final 26-20. I don't feel bad losing to a team like the Rams, but the way that we lost was just demoralizing. At least there were no new injuries this week.

Mid Season Review
Half way through the year and in spite of last week's heart breaker, this team is in a good position to reach all of our goals. At 5-3 we are currently tied with Tampa for the lead in the NFC South, and we have a 1 game lead in the wild card race. Nine wins and a playoff birth seem to be very doable tasks.

Our pass defense looks very weak this year, as evidenced by the way St. Louis was able to move the ball at will at the end of last week's game. We have the 3rd worst passing defense in the NFL. In our scoring defense is the 6th worst in the league. One big stat that hurts us is that we are 2nd worst in turnover margin. We don't give up the ball an inordinate amount of the time, (in spite of all of Leland's fumbles, it seems we are usually able to fall on the ball) but we are worst in the league at causing turnovers with just 6 (the average is over 12). Next season we are going to have to come up with help for our poor secondary.

As for Nixon he is having a solid sophomore season. He has 241 carries for a league best 978 yards and a league leading 8 TDs. Baring an injury he should have no problem reaching my goal of 1500 yards rushing, and in fact if he can just improve slightly he stands an outside shot of reaching 2000s this year. I should also note that Nixon has improved his average to 4.0 yards per carry. This is by no means a world beater average, but it is a solid showing.

As far as negative things about Nixon, Nixon has the third most fumbles in the league, with 6.

stkelly52

12-02-2004, 01:26 AM

Week 10
Atlanta 5-3 @ Tampa 5-3
There is no team in our history that we has lost more to than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and this has developed into a bitter rivalry. This year it is even more important as the winner of this game will have the inside track on the division title. Tampa Bay is going to be a difficult team to run against, and their solid passing offence may well be able to pick apart my porous secondary. The Bucs are favored by 5.

Well the good news is that Nixon was able to score two more TDs without fumbling the ball. The other good news is that no one was injured so severely that they won't be able to return this year. Other than that there is not much to say about today's terrible performance. Nixon ran for just 39 yards in 21 carries...and he accounted for almost half of our yards. There is nothing more that I wish to say about this game, 30-13.

Week 11
Atlanta 5-4 @ Jonesboro Saints 2-7
The Saints come into this game with 1/4 of their players injured, many of them starters. Most of these injuries have been minor, but it has still taken its toll on this team. Jonesboro has attained their lackluster record with a combination of a bad offence and even worse defense. This is a team that we should be able to move the ball against.

In a game that we should have been able to win handily, we struggled all game long. In the first period we fell behind 10-0. That deficit was eventually expanded to 16-0. Finally, late in the fourth quarter we were able to put things together and move the ball 84 yards to score a TD with 2:26 Left. If we could complete the 2 point conversion we would be with in 8. The WR reverse failed though, so we now would need two scores in less than 3 minutes. We had no choice but to go for the onside kick, and we were able to recover the ball. I will say on thing for these guys, they refused to give up. It took us just over a minute to move the ball 60 yards (mostly through the air)to put the game within a field goal. With now, with just 1:11 left we would need to recover another onside kick, an almost unheard of feat. And it would not happen today.

However, all hope was not lost. We still had all three time outs. If we could keep the Saints from picking up a first down we could still get the ball back for one last effort. In three plays we held them to -3 yards, forcing them to punt the ball for a touchback.

We needed about 50 yards to get into reasonable field goal range, and we had 35 seconds and no timeouts to do it. But alas, we were only able to pick up 28 of those yards because our receivers were unable to get out of bounds. Final score 16-13. This loss really hurts. This is a team that I think we should have been able to beat, but several dumb mistakes (4 Ints by our QB), put us in a hole that we just couldn't climb out of. Nixon did fair, but saw limited action because we were behind so much of the day. 91 yards on 28 carries.

Week 12
New England 3-7 @ Atlanta 5-5
The Patriots come into town in the midst of a losing streak. NE started the years strong, but when their All-Pro QB went out for the year with a torn rotator cuff. Now they are just trying to salvage some pride out of this season. Without their QB, this offence is just a shell of what it could be. This game is crucial to our season, as I figure that we need to win 4 of our final 6 games if we want to reach the playoffs. As I look at our schedule, there are three weak teams and three strong teams. We need to take care of business with the weak teams like New England, and come away with one upset to reach this year's goals.

We made this game closer than it had to be, thanks to 4 turnovers (3 more Ints and 1 fumble by Nixon), but Late in the game we were able to get move the ball from the 20 all the way to the Patriots 20 with three minutes left. If we could score a TD we would go up 21-20. Then our QB tossed one of his interceptions and we saw the game, and basically the season slipped out of our grasp. However, my defense refused to give up, and on the ensuing drive, on 3rd and 16 we picked off the pass at the 20 yard line. Given another shot at redemption our offence came through and scored the go ahead TD. Our defense then held on four plays and gave us the ball at the NE 22. Three Nixon runs basically ran out the clock, and for good measure we kicked a field goal as time expired. Nixon tallied a respectable 122 yards on 32 carries and 1 TD.

Week 13
Minnesota 8-3 @ Atlanta 6-5
Minnesota is currently considered to be the best team in the NFC. They are one of the league's best passing teams, and they like to score a lot of points. It will be difficult for us to keep up with them on the score board. Their defense is susceptible to the run in places, but they are overall a decent defensive team.

This was a hard-fought, back and fourth game through the first half. But two big plays broke this game open for us. Nixon scored on a 15 yard run, and then just 45 seconds later we returned a Int 47 yards for a TD. This put us up 31-21, and just seemed to invigorate our defense while deflating their offence. In the closing seconds of the game the Vikings were able to return a punt for a TD but we hold on to win this one 31-28. Nixon again goes over 100 yards on 33 carries and this week he scores two TDs. The bad news: we lost three more starters for the year on defense, two of which were our best defensive backs. Our corps of DBs are too weak to be losing them and this is going to hurt our already miserable pass defense.

3/4 season review:
With 12 games finished we are well on our way to my goal of 9 wins. We just need to win 2 of our final four games and we will reach that goal. As far as the hunt for the post season goes, we are currently one game behind Tampa Bay for the division title. Catching Tampa will be tough though because they have a much softer schedule remaining, and should probably win 3 of their final 4 games. In the Wild Card race we are presently holding the final wild card spot (Green Bay has the first spot with a 8-4 record), though Carolina, Arizona and Seattle are all tied with me at 7-5. Fortunately I have beaten all of those teams, so I get the nod in the tie breaker. Unfortunately, I have the hardest remaining schedule.

We have a couple of tough games coming up against 9-3 Miami and Buffalo, with a 4-8 Jonesboro in between them. After those we will face 7-5 Carolina in a game that could determine which of us is going to the playoffs. Right now we have one of the top rushing games in the NFL, averaging 147 yards rushing per game. The most important offensive stat though is points, and in points per game, we are right at the middle of the pack, averaging 21. Another key stat that we are doing well with is 3rd down conversions, where we are the second best team in the league. What has been hurting us though is turnovers, and we are still among the worst in the league at giving up the ball, with 21 turnovers, and a margin of -9.

Defensively we have been solid against the run, and terrible against the pass. I expect that to get even worse with the loss of 2 key players in our secondary last week. In points per game, we average 21.8, which is 21st worst in the league.

Leland Nixon is second in the league in rushing, with 1338 yards, and he should have no problems reaching the 1500 yard mark that I envisioned for him. However, his average has dropped back down to 3.7 yards per carry. In TDs, Leland leads the league with 13. Since our last report, Nixon had just one fumble, bringing his total up to 7, 7th most in the league.

stkelly52

12-03-2004, 01:36 AM

Week 14
Atlanta 7-5 @ Miami (9-3)
Miami is another team that really focuses on the run, and they have used one of the best running backs in the NFL to put themselves in a strong position in the AFC. Along with that stellar running game, they have put together a phenomenal defense, that gives up just 13.7 points per game, while allowing just 89 yards rushing per game. Miami is favored by 3 at their home stadium.

On our second drive of the game, down 0-7 Leland ran a draw up the middle, broke one tackle and flew down the field 70 yards to the 4 yard line. 2 plays later he scored from 4 yards out. In those two runs he picked up 74 yards and a TD. He finished the game with 36 carries for 108 yards, 1 TD and 1 fumble. What that means is that for the rest of the game, Nixon had 34 carries for 34 yards. Ugh!

Fortunately our defense kept us close, and two missed field goals helped us out as well. Going into the 4th quarter we trailed by just 6, 7-13. Early in the period my backup WLB (who because of injuries was thrust into his first career start) came up with his first career interception, and then proceeded to return the pick for a TD. Late in the fourth we intercepted a pass at the Miami 7 yard line. We were able to score two plays later giving us a more comfortable cushion. We upset Miami 21-13.

The bad news was our all-pro guard tore his thumb ligament, and may be done for the year. He is listed as doubtful for the next 10 weeks.

Week 15
Jonesboro 4-9 @ Atlanta 8-5
This is a game that should be easy for us. We should be able to take care of the Saints without any problem. However, that is what I said earlier this season, and we couldn't get it done. I don't mean to duplicate that mistake.

It took a fourth quarter field goal, but we were able to escape with a win, 17-16. Nixon did well as far as yardage goes, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, totaling 104 yards and 1 TD on the day, but he had 3 fumbles, two of them that were recovered by the Saints. Both of those fumbles were inside our own 25 yard line, but fortunately our defense came out strong and held them to just 2 field goals. Our offence also wasn't helped by a QB that could only complete 1/3 of his passes. But all bad play aside, we won the game, and reached our first goal of winning 9 games. Now we just need to hold on to our wild card spot (which by the way we have a one game lead over Seattle, Carolina and the free falling Packers).

stkelly52

12-04-2004, 03:30 PM

stkelly52

12-08-2004, 01:47 AM

Week 17
Atlanta 9-6 @ Carolina 9-6
Both of us (along with Green Bay) are fighting for that last elusive Wild Card spot. A win this week is no guarantee that we would get the nod, but a loss means that we go home for the winter.

Something happened to the Panther team after we last beat them. At the time this team fell to 2-5, but since then they have gone 7-1, and have frankly been playing like one of the best teams in the league. There are a lot of teams around the league that are hoping we win this one because they do not want to have to face Carolina in the postseason.

We absolutely dominated this game. Our defense just manhandled the Panther rushing attack, and even though our secondary was torched for 406 yards, we just always seemed to come up with the big stop or interception. Late in the game, when we let the backups finish the garbage time, Carolina was able to add on two more TDs, but it was far too little too late. Final score 33-21. With that win we slip into the playoffs.

stkelly52

12-10-2004, 02:37 AM

Wild Card Round
Atlanta 10-6 @ Washington 10-6
We both come into this game with some rather significant injuries on our teams. Washington has made it to the playoffs in spite of some rather interesting stats. They have one of the NFL's worst rushing defenses, and they have one of the NFL's worst passing defenses. One would think this means they have one of the NFL's worst scoring defenses, right? Wrong. They are actually 8th in points allowed. A big reason why is because they are second best in the league at causing turnovers. But if we just make sure that we hold onto the ball we should be able to win this game. We are favored by 4.

Our QB had a forgettable day. 3 ints and 2 fumbles spelled our doom, 13-6. For the second season in a row, we are out in the first round of the playoffs. Nixon picked up just 65 yards in the loss.

Post Season review

Well we accomplished all three of my goals, to win 9 games, make the playoffs, and to pick up 1500 yards rushing for Nixon. Leland actually finished the season with 1709 yards (1st) and 16 TD (1st) on 473 (1st) carries. His average of 3.6 yards per carry was a bit disappointing, but not unexpected. He fumbled the ball a league high 13 times.

St. Louis went on with defeat Cleveland in the Super Bowl by a score of 21-20.

Atlanta had just one player make the All-pro team, Guard Sammy Delgado.

While it may look like this team made no improvement over last year, I know that that is not accurate. This team has come quite a long way, and I think that we will be able to build upon this year's success to make next season's team even better.

stkelly52

12-19-2004, 01:22 AM

YEAR 3
I come into this season with a lot of excitement. We greatly improved the team last season, and we are all expecting to build upon the success from last year. My goals this year:
Equal last season's 10-6 record
Have Leland Nixon run for 1600 yards and 15 TDs
Win a playoff game

I decide that my staff has done a fine job and none of them need to be replaced. None of my players are worthy of franchising, so I move on the free agency.

One of the problems that we have is the salary cap. We will need to make several cuts to make this team fit under the cap while also being able to pick up help in our secondary. The first choice was to release oft injured safety Isaac Whalen. Whalen is a great player and I hate to lose help in my weak secondary, but Isaac spends more time out injured than he does playing. We just can't afford to spend $4,000,000 on a spectator.

Next I go ahead and resign restricted free agent Leland Nixon to a 3 year deal that will pay him 3.2 million over the next 3 years. With this I have 6.3 million to sign new free agents. I want to shore up my CB situation, so I focus on a couple of solid man to man CBs. I am hoping that I can save a little money by tweaking my game plan to mostly use man coverage so that I don't have to pay the premium for a well rounded CB. After that I just look around the league and try to fill in various backups, particularly in the LB corps. I am not able to sign any big name free agents, but there just wasn't anyone available that really filled a need. I am all for getting fans excited by bringing in that big name to get the job done, but I will not do so at the expense of the overall team. Instead I sign most of my moderate backups and I get my two new starters at CB.

I have a slightly disappointing draft as both my first and second round picks bust in camp, but that is offset by having two breakout DTs that I took in the fourth and fifth rounds. They both look like they could be starters in a year or two.

After the draft I make one more free agent acquisition. QB Clay Gearhart joins the team and he should be our starting QB. He knows how to win ball games, accumulating a 10-5 record last season (his first as a starter). However, many other coaches were unimpressed with his overall performance, saying the Bengals were able to win in spite of Clay and not because of him. He will have to greatly improve on his 67.5 QB rating if he wishes to prove his doubters wrong.

We head into the preseason with one basic goal: minimize injuries. To this end, I deactivate several of my starters and allow my potential backups to use these games as practice.

stkelly52

12-23-2004, 01:28 AM

We finish the preseason 2-2. While we did accumulate several injuries, few of them are key players, and most of the injuries are very minor. However, we did have one setback in our secondary. Our starting FS was injured and will be out for at least the first 6 weeks of the season. Safety is just not a position that I feel confident turning over to a young, unproven rookie, and there are no decent veterans in the free agent pool. So instead I turn to a trade, where I pick up Tyrus Noland, and 8 year veteran that was originally drafted by me back when I was with L. A. Noland is a three time all-pro, and I think that he will be a great addition to this team... at least he better be because I had to give up two 1st round picks and a second round pick to get him from the Vikings.

WEEK 1
Jonesboro Saints @ Atlanta
Going into Week 1, many people think that we are the team to beat in the NFC this season. But of course we have to actually play these games before anyone will give us and trophies. We start off the season with our division rivals, the Saints. Historically we have done very well against Jonesboro, and I expect that to continue today.

Nixon had a solid day, running for 111 yards and a TD on 27 carries as we start of the season with a big 31-21 victory. The key plays in this game happened with 3:44 left in the 3rd quarter, with us ahead 17-14:

1-10-JON49 (03:44) JON 5 Hutchins pass was intercepted by ATL 28 Raymond at the ATL04.
The interception was returned 96 yards for a touchdown!
Extra point by ATL 7 Diaz was good.

Score: Atlanta 24, Jonesboro (AR) 14.
ATL 17 Gerhardt kicked off 58 yards from the ATL30.
JON 88 Schneider returned the ball 2 yards to the JON14. Tackled by ATL 88 McNeil.

Possession to Jonesboro (AR).

1-10-JON14 (03:05) JON 5 Hutchins pass was intercepted by ATL 44 Noland at the JON28.
The interception was returned 28 yards for a touchdown!
Extra point by ATL 7 Diaz was good.

Score: Atlanta 31, Jonesboro (AR) 14.

On back to back plays we ran back interceptions for touchdowns! The second was by our newly acquired FS. It is great to see him paying dividends already. These basically were the deciding plays that turned the momentum completely in our favor.

There are no significant new injuries to report.

NIXON CAREER MILESTONE: In this game, Nixon scored his 28th career rushing TD, breaking Randal Whitfield's team record for most career rushing TDs. Whitfield was a former 2nd round draft pick by the Falcons back in 2013. He played four solid seasons with Atlanta (starting 3) and looked like he might be becoming one of the better RBs in the league. He left the team to join the Bears, and he just fell off the map. The Bears, unimpressed with his performance, let him go to the Browns. He played the 2018 season with Cleveland. The Browns let him go at the end of the season, and no one else ever game him another shot. He is now working as a new car salesman, selling Saturns in Tempe, Arizona.

stkelly52

12-24-2004, 12:23 AM

WEEK 2
Atlanta 1-0 @ Cleveland 1-0
Cleveland comes limping into this game with 6 starters injured (three are listed as out). The Browns' starting front is in shambles, and hopefully that will add up to big yards for Leland.

Even with their terrible line, Nixon was no match for this Brown defense. It seamed like every time he touched the ball he was being stuffed just past the line of scrimmage. He finished the day with 53 yards on 26 carries.

A couple of quick interceptions were quickly turned into TDs for the Browns early in the second quarter as the Browns held on to win this one 24-14. At least no one else was injured.

WEEK 3
Atlanta 1-1 @ Arizona 0-2
While there is no doubt that the Cardinals have a poor team, they do have some excellent run defenders on their roster. This may be another long day for us. Arizona is favored by 1.

Once again, our running game is completely taken out of the game. Nixon couldn't run more than 7 yards on any of his 23 carries, and was held to just 56 overall. Without our running game working we were hopeless all through the first half falling behind 17-0 at half time.

In the second half we had no choice but to turn to our new QB Gearhart, and he lit up the Cardinal's secondary. He finally punched in the tying TD on a QB sneak from one yard out with 3:42 left in the game. We would get the ball again with 1:45 left and we were able to move the ball just into our kicker's range. Diaz kicked his NFL record 468th career FG to win the game, 27-24.

Again no major injuries occurred in the game.

stkelly52

12-26-2004, 02:00 AM

WEEK 4
Atlanta 2-1 @ Tampa 1-2
We are on the road for the third consecutive week, and this is a key game for both of us. A loss here means we are right in the middle of the pack, just an average team, but with a win we are a .750 team. Tampa on the other hand needs this win to keep themselves in the hunt. If they fall to 1-3 most people will write off their playoff hopes. Tampa is favored by 1.

Tampa has some awesome DTs who expect to wreak havoc on our rushing assault. Nixon will have to try to run away from them to pick up his yards.

For the third game in a row, Nixon averages just over 2 yards per carry. Nixon's hope of reaching 1600 is looking faint at the moment. Nixon also fumbled the ball on back to back plays. Fortunately, we recovered the ball both times. Once again it took some fourth quarter heroics to erase a 10 point fourth quarter deficit. Nixon was able to salvage some satisfaction out of this game by scoring the game winning TD with under 1 minute left in the game. Final 27-20.

A couple of our starters were injured in this game, including our stud LT. He will attempt to play through this injury.

Quarter review.
Well we have mixed feelings about this teams' performance at the quarter point of the season. Nixon's average of 2.7 yards is lowest among all RBs. He is only on pace to barely break the 1000 yard mark.

For a team so completely focused on running the ball, our 107.2 yards per game average is just pathetic. Our passing game is just below average. Our running defense has gone from one of the best in the NFL to being just average. The only place where we really stand out is our third down defense, which is tops in the league. And yet, in spite of all this, our new QB has been finding a way for us to win. Even with our poor offensive stats, we are 5th in scoring. Go figure.

stkelly52

12-30-2004, 01:03 AM

WEEK 5
Carolina 1-3 @ Atlanta 3-1

We return home as heavy favorites against the Panthers. Carolina has a RB that is worse than Nixon. Their QB is excellent at deep passes, but terrible at everything else. The only two starting defenders that have a decent run defense rating are the SS and their LCB. This would be a great game for Nixon to change his fortunes this season.

Nixon was able to have that breakout game that we were hoping he would have. He earned MVP honors by running for 167 yards and one TD in 33 attempts. He also had 3 receptions for 37 more yards and his first career receiving TD. Our defense was able to shut down the paltry Panther offence as we won this game 21-3.

On the down side, five starters were injured in the victory. Our LT reinjured himself and he will now have to sit for the next few weeks.

WEEK 6
Minnesota 3-2 @ Atlanta 4-1

We are 1 TD favorites against the Vikings. History is on our side in this game as we have a better winning % against Minnesota than we do against any other team. The Vikings RB looks like he should be a star, but he has frankly just done terribly this season. They also have a bad running defense that gives up 4.2 yards per carry, and the worst passing defense in the league.

Minnesota jumped out to a quick lead thanks to an interception that was returned for a TD. But that was about the only good play that they made for the rest of the day. Nixon ran roughshod over the Vikings earning himself another MVP with 150 yards rushing and 2 TDs.

WEEK 7
Atlanta 5-1 @ Green Bay 4-2
We come to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, and it is frozen today. With temperatures dipping into the 20s this could be a difficult game for us today. Green Bay is favored by 4

Nixon just couldn't handle the cold, only picking up 67 yards on 24 carries. The real hurt though came from the poor play of our QB. On this cold windy day, he just couldn't get anything going and ended up with 4 interceptions on the day. We fall 24-10.

WEEK 8
Detroit 1-5 @ Atlanta 5-2
Detroit is a young and up and coming team. There are a lot of green bars on this roster and I expect that they will be a force to recon with in coming seasons... but right now they are just another bug to be squashed.

We were able to jump out to a quick lead and cruise from there, 33-10. Nixon had a fair day with 124 yards and a TD on 34 carries. I should also point out that for the first time since week one, we were able to intercept a pass (actually two). I have worked really hard to try shore up my secondary and it is frustrating that it has not been paying off for us.

Mid Season review
We are half way through the year and by and large I am pleased with our progress on the field. Our 6-2 record gives us a 1.5 game lead in the division over Tampa, and we are tied for the best record in the NFL. The question though is that we have so far only played 3 teams with winning records this year, and we lost to 2 of them. The question is: can we win against the good teams?

Our rushing is 6th in the NFL, while passing is 27th. In scoring we are 7th in the league with 23.2.
Our defense has done excellent against the run, but is quite porous against the pass (25th in the league). But they step up big on third downs (2nd), and they don't give up many points (4th best in the NFL). Our turnover margin is a respectable +3.

Nixon is the League's 2nd leading rusher with 788 yards and he is 2nd in TDs with 6. His yards-per-carry though is just 3.5, less than it has been during either of the previous two seasons.

illinifan999

12-30-2004, 01:58 AM

Just wanted to let ya know I'm reading and enjoying. :)

stkelly52

12-30-2004, 02:13 AM

Just wanted to let ya know I'm reading and enjoying. :)
Thank you. It is good to know that someone is enjoying this.

Godzilla Blitz

12-30-2004, 02:41 AM

I just read through this as well. Interesting idea. Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out.

nfg22

12-30-2004, 11:02 AM

I have been following along all the time great story...I love when dynasties focus on one player.

stkelly52

01-02-2005, 10:24 AM

WEEK 9
Atlanta 6-2 @ Chicago 4-2-1

We travel to Chicago, and this is a game that we should be able to win. This was going to be a huge game for Perry Bernardino, Chicago's star QB. Bernardino is the QB that I traded away at the start of my second season with the Falcons, and this was to be his first game against his old team. Bernardino added instant credibility to the Bears and turned them from the worst team in the league into an 8-8 team last year. He got the Bears off to 3-0-1 start this season, but he then suffered a season ending MCL injury. Without their star QB the Bear have been in freefall. They now have one of the worst starting QBs in the league. Other than a solid LB corps, this team really has no strengths.

Well this game was no contest. We capitalized on a fumble and an interception to jump out to a quick 14 point first quarter lead. From there we basically just put the game in cruise control rolled to a 30-0 victory. This was a huge game for our defense as they not only forced the shutout, but they forced 6 turnovers and 4 sacks. The MVP mysteriously went to Leland Nixon. He did score with two 3 yard TD runs, but he finished the game with just 59 yards rushing in 28 attempts.

WEEK 10
Atlanta 7-2 @ Jonesboro Saints 2-7
The Saints have been looking like the ain'ts lately. There is little positive that I can find to say about Joneboro, so I will leave it at we are heavy favorites as we come into this one.

This game was much closer than it should have been. Going into the fourth quarter we were down 6-3. Fortunately we were able to turn it on in the final period and put up 2 TDs to win 17-9.

Nixon Scored 1 TD and had 86 yards on 29 carries.

WEEK 11
BYE
We take this opportunity to rest a few minor injuries. After the off week we have only one player that is currently injured, and he is Questionable and should still play next week.

WEEK 12
Atlanta 8-2 @ Pittsburgh 4-7
The Stealers are not a team that strikes fear in anyone's heart. While they do have a great RB, he is underutilized, leaving them to rely on the pass, and Pittsburgh has one of the worst passing games in the NFL. On defense they have an average rushing defense and are in the bottom 10 in scoring defense. Even though this game will be on the road, there is no reason why we shouldn't take this one.

Pittsburgh was simply outclassed in this game. We excelled in our passing game, our running game and on defense. Nixon was able to run for 130 yards and 3 TDs in the game as we humiliate the Stealers 35-3.

We suffered on more injury, as our starting CB Ellison was injured again. He has been hurt a lot lately and this off season we will have to evaluate if he is worth keeping around.

WEEK 13
NY 4-6-1 @ Atlanta 9-2

The Giants are just playing for pride at this point. No one really believes that this team has what it takes to make it anywhere this year. They have not won a game in the past four weeks, and no one sees that trend changing soon. The Giant's have had an average running game and a poor passing offence. If we can keep their RBs in check we should be able to do well. NY has one of the five worst run defenses in the NFL, so we are hopeful that Nixon will be able to add to his stats.

This was one of those games that just makes you sick. Nixon was being a true work horse, running for 184 yards and 3 TDs on 48 carries (48 carries was a new single game record by the way). We were rolling, leading 29-10 with under 4 minutes to play. And then it happened. One of the worst collapse in the history of the league. It sickens me to think about, so let me just say that 4:00 later the Giants had managed to score a TD, recover the onside kick, quickly score another TD, recover another onside kick, and then score the game winner with 5 seconds remaining. Final score 32-29 Giants. In addition, my all pro DE is now out for the year with a torn Patellar Tendon, while my new starting CB is also injured and may have to miss some time. This was a game to forget.

3/4 SEASON REVIEW

As you may recall, my preseason goals were:
Equal last season's 10-6 record
Have Leland Nixon run for 1600 yards and 15 TDs
Win a playoff game

Well we need just one more win to reach 10 wins, I am very hopeful that we will far surpass that goal. Nixon already had 15 TDs, and he currently has 1247 yards rushing, so he is well on his way to reaching the 1600 yard mark.

The team is sitting comfortably at 9-3 with a 2 game lead over Tampa. If we win out, then we will have a first round by, and possibly home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Looking at the power ratings, we are currently the #2 team in the NFC (if we had just found a way to win that game against NY I know that we would be #1, you can tell that loss is still bugging me.)

One more stat that I feel is important to point out. Leland has had just 2 fumbles all season. One of Nixon's biggest knocks is that he can't hang onto the ball, but this year he is putting that belief in doubt.

stkelly52

01-04-2005, 02:09 AM

WEEK 14
Cincinnati 3-9 @ Atlanta 9-3
In spite of having a few injuries slowing us down, this is a team that we should beat. (Isn't that what I said last time?) The Bengals are far more beat up than we are. The one thing that will hurt us is that they have a very good rushing defense. It has been the only positive thing about Cincy this year. So they are hoping to hold Nixon in check and sneak away with another victory. This is a huge game for our QB Clay Gearhart as it is his first game against his former team. He felt like he was slighted the way the he was cast aside from the Bengals and he wants to prove to them that it was a mistake

The Bengals' plan worked to perfection. They limited Nixon to just 55 yards on 19 carries. And of course, since I was talking about what a good job Nixon was doing holding onto the ball, Nixon commits his 3rd fumble of the season. In the past when Nixon has had a bad game, we have been able to get through it thanks to the help of our QB. This week Gearhart was sacked hard early in the second quarter knocking him out for the game. We then lost our best WR. We had no one to turn to and lost the game 27-19. Our QB and WR will miss at least the next couple of games. This could really hurt.

WEEK 15
Atlanta 9-4 @ Carolina 4-9
We come into week 15 with a one game lead over Tampa Bay. A win will basically sew up a play off birth for us. Carolina is a great passing game, and they will test my secondary. However the panthers have some real problems on defense. They have been hit hard by injuries. They have only two defensive starters that are listed as good or better, and both of them are in the secondary. If our defense can do its job, Nixon and company should be alright.

This game was very exciting if you didn't have a vested interest in who won. Carolina jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half, but we refused to give up. Nixon ran very well through the third and fourth quarter. He wasn't able to put the ball in the end zone, but his teammates were, once late in the second quarter, and once with just over 2:00 left in the game to tie the score at 20 each. Thanks to a great kick off return and some solid running by Nixon, Atlanta was able to move the ball to the 25 yard line. With two seconds left on the clock we called a time out and sent out the NFL's all time leading kicker to win the game. The kick sailed true and we won the game 23-20. Nixon was named MVP based on his 25 carries for 127 yards. What an exciting comeback victory! With this win we reach my preseason goal of 10 wins.

stkelly52

01-06-2005, 12:57 AM

WEEK 16
Baltimore 10-4 @ Atlanta 10-4
This game is of huge importance to us. This is a chance for us to see how well we do against one of the better teams in the NFL. Baltimore is trying to hold onto their lead AFC North. They are currently tied with Cleveland, but the Ravens have the edge based on tie breakers. A loss would give the lead to the Browns.

The Ravens have quite a few injuries, but we don't expect many of them to greatly affect the amount of playing time they see. One big exception is Baltimore's all pro QB is out for the season with a damaged ACL. However the Ravens have managed to rally around a QB who's rated at just 20 and find a way to win 6 of his 8 starts this year. It may not be pretty, but they have been winning.

On paper the Ravens really look like an average team. They are right in the middle of the pack in rushing, passing, passing D, points, and turnovers. Their rushing defense is solid, though not spectacular. They may be able to make things difficult for Leland. Baltimore is favored by 5.

Nixon had another solid outing: he ran 33 times for 126 yards and a TD. This game stayed close until early in the fourth when Nixon made his way into the end zone for the 16th time this year giving us a 17-7 lead. A late insurance field goal made it a 20-7. This win, combined with losses by both Tampa and Green Bay gives us the NFC South title, and puts us in the driver's seat for at least a first round bye.

NIXON CAREER MILESTONE. In this game Nixon surpassed the 5000 yard mark for his career AND he surpassed Hall of Famer Reggie Suszkowski as the Falcon's all time leading rusher. Reggie was the first RB ever inducted into the Hall of Fame. Drafted in the third round by the Raiders, he stunned everyone when he became a breakout player in his first training camp. He spent the first two years of his career coming off of the bench, though he was still used a lot. Starting in his third season he became one of the 3 best RBs in the NFL. His numbers were incredible as he led Oakland from nobodies to one of the best teams in the NFL. In the last season of his contract he was traded to the Colts for one year. Finally he made his way to the Falcons. With the Falcons he was still one of the best RBs in the game for his first season. Then, late in the year, Reggie was injured. From that point on he was never the same kind of RB that he had been before. He stayed with the team for 4 more seasons, but it was clear that his skills had greatly eroded and he was no more than a fair RB. He retired after 11 years in the league. Reggie was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 with 80% of the votes. Reggie is now the RB coach at his Alma Mater USC.

WEEK 17
Tampa Bay 9-6 @ Atlanta 11-4
Tampa is clinging to the 6th and final playoff spot. It is possible for them to lose and still make it in, but it is unlikely. They had been in the division hunt until last week when they suffered a heartbreaking 27-30 loss that knocked them out of contention in the NFC South. Tampa Bay's only division loss this year came at the hands of my Falcons. In that game they were for the most part able to shut down Nixon, though he did score the winning TD late in the game.

We want this game badly because if we win, we will have some valuable time off to rest during the bye week of the playoffs. We could even take home field advantage through the playoffs (depending on tiebreakers).

Nixon needs just 45 yards to reach our goal of 1600 yards for the year. It should be easy, but Tampa has shown that they have a tough running defense and they have a knack for stopping Nixon. We are favored by 3.

Well we had some real positive moments in this game. Nixon ran for 87 yards, insuring that he would eclipse the 1600 yard mark. Our kicker, 42 year old Brent Diaz hit 3 field goals, giving him a career best (and team record) 33. Not bad for a guy that I picked up during the preseason when I just didn't feel like I could count on my kicker.

But all in all, this game was about a team that was desperate to get into the playoffs playing against a team that was content knowing that they were already there. We feel behind early, and with our starting QB still out, we turned to the feeble arms of Fisk who failed to complete 25% of his passes. We are crushed 38-23.

stkelly52

01-11-2005, 12:51 AM

Wild Card Round

We wind up tied with Washington for the first round bye, but based on some tiebreaker beyond conference record, Washington gets the week off. I would have loved to have had the time to give my QB one week to get healed up, but this is what I am stuck with.

Our first round match up should be familiar. It is a rematch of last week's game, Tampa Bay (10-6) @ Atlanta (11-5).

Hopefully we will have learned from our mistakes and been able to correct them. This game means far more than last weeks.

We come out this week knowing that everything is on the line and that we have to win this game. In the first quarter we score a TD to take a early lead. We give up a field goal, but from then on our defense stuffs them all the way. From the time they score on that kick until the final 2 minutes of the game, we allow just 1 first down! In the mean time, our offence is able to put up 2 more TDs and a field goal, giving us a 24-3 lead. The key player in putting those points on the board was our own Leland Nixon. He was able to run for 124 yards and 2 TDs. In the final 2 minutes the Bucs are finally able to get a drive going, and they are even able to put the ball in the end zone... but they are left with just 15 seconds to try to do any thing else. We win this game 24-10. This is the first playoff victory during my tenure, and it feels sweet.

stkelly52

01-13-2005, 08:32 PM

CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL
Atlanta 12-5 @ Washington 11-5
The team is excited following the team's second ever postseason victory. We look to continue that trend against a very good Washington. Washington has among the highest power ratings in the NFC. The Redskins have one of the best RBs in the NFL. They are second in the league in rushing, and they have a decent passing game to go along with it. They also have one of the top 5 defenses in the league. Nixon will likely have some difficulties because Washington has the best running defense in the NFL.

Washington came into this game with everyone thinking that they would be easily able to stop Nixon and therefore stop us. Apparently they forgot to tell Leland Nixon this. Leland was determined to show the world that he can be one of the better RBs in the league, and he made a statement today. On our first drive of the day, Nixon picked up all but 16 of our 57 yards that led to a 29 yard field goal. Midway through the second we were trailing 6-3 when we decided to let Leland carry the ball on 7 consecutive plays. The shortest of those runs was for 3 yards, as he moved the ball all 50 yards for the TD to give us a 10-6 lead. Washington would cut that lead to one with another field goal. Nixon continued the next drive like as he had left off on the previous. Six more runs, 45 more yards. Then the team decided that they needed to mix things up with a few passes. 2 big penalties and a sack later and we were looking at 4th and goal from the 40 yard line. We had to punt. Two drives later, we again turned to Nixon to pick up the majority of our yards. He brought us down to the 6 yard line. But another big 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty knocked us back. Two incomplete passes later we settled for another field goal, 13-9 we lead.

We then traded a few punts, with our punter doing a much better job. We were able to shorten our field a lot. With just over 10 minutes left in the game we started our drive at the Redskins' 42. six of the next seven plays were to Nixon and he was able to pick up 30 yards in those plays. It was clear though that Leland was just exhausted at this point. He needed to take a couple plays off as his back up came in to bring the ball down to the 2 yard line. Leland was then able to punch the ball into the end zone with a two yard run around the left tackle for his second TD of the day. This gave us the a 20-9 lead with just over 4 minutes left to play.

Washington's next drive ended in a desperate but futile attempt to convert a 4th and 3 from near the mid field stripe. A sack gave us the ball with 3:01 left. We turned once again to Nixon, who gave us just enough for the first down each time as we were able to run out the clock and secure another post-season victory!

The MVP award for this game went to Leland Nixon who averaged 4.6 yards per carry, picking up a total of 177 yards and 2 TDs. Nixon had the 8th best rushing total in postseason history, and the best in Falcon history (of course that has only been 8 games).

Grid Iron

01-14-2005, 12:51 AM

Dude, you write the best dynasties.

Make sure you back up you universe directory--I don't hink I can handle another "Five Great Men" fiasco. ;)

Jamee999

01-15-2005, 03:37 PM

Simply amazing.

For the Grand Stand Finish let Nixon score the TD with 2 seconds left in the SuperBowl.

stkelly52

01-16-2005, 01:43 AM

Thanks guys, I really appreaciate the support that you give me. I will say that the end of the 5 great men was rough on me. I spent a long time trying to restore my data to finish that dynasty. :(

stkelly52

01-16-2005, 01:45 AM

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Atlanta 13-5 @ Green Bay 13-4
Green bay has had a particularly productive season running the ball. They use a unique RB by committee approach that sees them with 3 RBs with 500 or more yards this season, all of them having at least a 4.4 yard average. To compliment this running game, the Packers have a solid QB who has done quite respectably this year.

A quick glance shows that Green Bay has allowed less rushing yards than all but four teams in the NFL. However, a closer look reveals that this is because teams don't run the ball against them very often. The more telling stat is that they allow 4.32 yards per carry, which is worse than all but four teams. They have a great passing defense, particularly getting interceptions. The key to their victory is jumping out to quick leads and forcing teams to turn to the pass, where their spectacular DBs can with the game for the Pack. If we are going to win this week we need to keep up early and not be forced into a passing game.

In the first quarter we again relied heavily on Leland, and he did well. If only the team around him would stop with the silly penalties and turnovers we might have been able to get out to a big early lead. Leland did manage to get us into field goal range, letting us strike first. When then proceeded to trade several punts before the best kicker in league history was able to add another field goal. We did some more trading of punts all of the way into half time. Late in the second quarter Green Bay was able to threaten, but a huge 14 yard sack on third down knocked Green Bay out of field goal range.

The second half kicked of the way that the first ended with some more 3 or 4 and outs. Then Green Bay's RB finally found the hole that he had been waiting for and was able to break loose for 58 yards. We were able to stop him short of the end zone, but he got in on the next play to put the Packers up 7-6.

But we did not despair. We went on a long 18 play drive where we moved the ball 80 yards for our first TD of the day. Nixon was the work horse again on this drive, carrying the ball 15 times on the drive, including the final 2 yards as he plunged into the end zone. Four times we were able to convert on third down.

Green Bay could not answer on the ensuing drive and we received the ball at the 38 yard line with just over 12 minutes left to play. Our last drive had taken over 9 minutes off of the clock and we were hoping for something similar. This time it didn't take as much time or as many plays, but the result was the same. Nixon carried the ball about half of the plays, including the final 3 yards to score his second TD of the game and give us a comfortable 19-7 lead. The players were jumping up and down with visions of the Super Bowl dancing in their head. The KNEW that this game was all but sealed up, and we on our way to the Big Game. When we intercepted a pass 4 plays later, we all believed that this one was over. Sure we didn't pick up many yards on the next drive, but hey we were able to burn some more time off of the clock. We punted the ball away with a 19-7 lead. Two plays and 72 yards later, Green Bay was doing the Lambeau Leap, having cut the lead to 19-14.

If Green Bay could recover the onside kick, they might be able to win the game! We needed to make sure that we recovered the kick...and we were able to do just that. Nixon had a few more carries to eat up the Packers time outs, which he was able to do perfectly. Time expires and:
WE ARE HEADING TO THE SUPER BOWL!

Nixon was again named the game's MVP with 161 yards and 2 TDs on 44 carries. It should be noted that Leland's 44 carries was a postseason record.

stkelly52

01-19-2005, 03:18 AM

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Atlanta 14-5 @ Jacksonville 15-3

Salinas California is home to the 2026 Super Bowl. 64,000 fans are here at sold out Salinas Stadium. The buzz all week back in Atlanta has been on how well Leland has run over the past two weeks. If he can have another game like this one, we should be able to take home this city's first championship. However, our task will not be an easy one. We are taking on the team with the best record in the NFL. They are the third highest scoring team in the league, and they have the 4th best scoring defense in the league. One of their biggest assets this season has been their secondary, who has a league high 24 interceptions. All told the team is +19 in takeaways, and that has spelled big victories for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville has actually been one of the poorer teams in the league over the last 20 years. But four years ago they drafted a new QB who has led this team to greatness. I expect that they will be a team to contend with for years to come. But we are counting on them having to wait another year before taking home their first championship, because today is our day...

or at least so I hope.

stkelly52

01-20-2005, 01:08 AM

OK, maybe today was not our day. Not even close. Normally for big games like this I would like to give a more in depth analysis of what happened, but I think that all you really need it to see the scoring summary.

1Q: 09:23 JAX - Carlos Kinney 45 field goal.
1Q: 01:25 JAX - Rufus Hopkinson 8 pass from Howie Davidson.
1Q: 01:25 JAX - Carlos Kinney extra point.
2Q: 09:23 JAX - Carlos Kinney 50 field goal.
2Q: 07:03 JAX - Moe Whiting 32 pass from Howie Davidson.
2Q: 07:03 JAX - Carlos Kinney extra point.
3Q: 05:12 ATL - Brent Diaz 27 field goal.
4Q: 13:07 JAX - Richard Houston 1 run.
4Q: 13:07 JAX - Carlos Kinney extra point.

Fans today were able to see what a great team should look like, and it didn't look like us. Jacksonville did everything perfectly. They shut us down both running and passing, while they were able to move the ball at will. Nixon only averaged 2.5 yards per carry, just 36 yards on 14 carries. We were completely outclassed by Rich Houston and his Jaguars. Needless to say, it was a heartbreaking way for the season to end.

stkelly52

01-21-2005, 01:49 AM

End of Season review
Two of our players made the Pro Bowl, RG Sammy Delgado, who was responsible for much of Leland Nixon's success, and K Brent Diaz, the 20 year veteran who was picked up after training camp because no one else wanted him.

Unfortunately, I made a mistake and already advanced to the next season, so all of this year's team stats were lost before I could share them with you. However, I do know that we had the second highest scoring season in team history at 23.2, while having the fourth best season in points allowed in team history (16.8). Our rushing yards dipped a bit from last year as we ran for 135.9 yards per game (3rd most in team history).

Leland Nixon had a pretty successful season. He matched last year's average of 3.61 per carry, as well as last season's 16 TDs. His total yards rushing fell just under 70 yards to 1642 on 454 carries. His fumbles drastically dropped, from 13 last season to 7 this year.

stkelly52

01-22-2005, 07:50 PM

2027
This year there are some hard choices that I feel we need to make if we are going to improve this team. One of the areas that we need a lot of help is on our defensive line. We have some of the worst starting DEs in the game. Right now we have a 15 year vet who is quite a bit past his prime trying to play on the left side and, while he stepped up and played above how he should have last season, I don't think we can count on him continuing to do so. However help is available in the draft. The four top players in the draft are all defensive ends. If we can find a way to trade up to anywhere in the top 4 spots we will be guaranteed to get at least one of them.

It was not an easy trade to pull off, and it cost us greatly, but we did manage to convince the Saints to give up their #4 overall pick. Doing so cost us three players. One was our 3rd year backup TE. This guy is a spectacular receiver, and could be a starter for most any team in the league. But his run blocking skills are non-existent. He just didn't fit into my system and it is just not right to keep him tied to our organization. The second player is a All-Pro quality flanker entering the 4th and final year of his first contract in the NFL. There is no question that he can be one of the better players in the league, but again, he just does not fit my system (or my budget next year). The third player (and this was the most difficult decision that I have made since I took over this team) was our starting QB, Clay Gearhart.

Gearhart had a spectacular season last year, and was a big reason for the success that we had. I don't know that we would have reached the Super Bowl without him. Also, he is still under contract for dirt cheap for the next two years. These made the choice very hard. But there were two key reasons why I went a head and pulled the trigger on the deal. We have a young QB who looks like he could be ready to take over the helm this year (admittedly, he struggled greatly when he was called upon to perform last season, never the less he won two of three starts) and because Gearhart has spent time sitting out injured each of the last two seasons. I am worried that this could become a chronic problem for him. There has been much complaining about the deal on all of the local talk radio programs, saying that instead of taking steps forward to improve this team I am instead gutting it. But I know that in the long run, we will be better off. After all, all three of these players were used in the passing game. We will win with the run.

I make a few moves, but nothing to really write home about. In the draft I pick up the guy who I feel is the second best DE in the draft, he does not bust, and looks like he will be ready to start this year. The key free agent acquisition was QB Toby Glenn. Glenn is an 11 year journeyman that will be starting for his 5th team. Over the past four season he has played better than he looks in practice, not having had a season with a QB rating under 95.0. There is no question that he is a step behind Gearhart, but he looks solid.

stkelly52

01-26-2005, 01:28 AM

Preseason
As we come into the preseason, we are projected to be the fourth worst team in the league by the Power Ratings, but I have far more confidence in this team than those people do though. My goals are to again win the division, to have Nixon exceed his rushing yards from last season (1642), and for him to score 12 more TD. I think that these are very attainable goals for us this year, however, I should point out that so far, Nixon has yet to have a season in which he has run for more yards than the previous.

The preseason gives us reason to hope. We win three of the four games, and we were able to run the ball very effectively. We also suffer no injuries during these games. Of course we sit many of our key starters to make sure that they are all fully rested and ready to go for our opener against the Panthers. We should look even better this coming week.

After watching our Preseason performance the media realizes that there is something special about this team. People are jumping on our band wagon left and right. We have climbed from near the bottom of the Power Ratings to the top spot in the NFC. With many people picking us to return to the Super Bowl, I am working hard keeping my players focused on the season opener.

stkelly52

01-26-2005, 01:30 AM

Note:

I will be taking about a week off so that I can take a trip to DC. Check back next month for more updates.

stkelly52

01-31-2005, 11:02 PM

OK, I am back from the Nation's capital. Back to Leland Nixon's story

Week 1
Atlanta @ Carolina
The Panthers are coming off of a lousy season, but they are looking to change that trend. They are finally turning to there #1 draft choice from three years ago, who was expected to be the QB of the future. So far he has not developed the way that they hoped he would. He still looks like he might turn into a star, but he is far from there yet. As for the rest of Carolina's team, they look very beatable. They don't have much of a RB to speak of, and their defense is completely designed to defend the pass. They are very undermanned in run stoppers. Nixon should be able to pick up quite a few yards.
Early in the game things got of poorly for Nixon. One play after running for 41 yards, Leland Nixon fumbled the ball and it was returned 76 yards for a TD, and we were down 7-0 in the first. But thanks to some solid runs by Nixon we were able to answer right back an tie the score. Nixon continued to atone for his early game mistake and ran very well the rest of the game. While he was not able to get into the end zone, his runs set up several scoring opportunities for us, particularly in the fourth quarter. We go on to win the game 23-17. Nixon had 123 yards on 28 carries in the win.

Week 2
Houston 1-0 @ Atlanta 1-0
We are four point favorites in this game. Houston looks like they have a mix of very good run defenders, and very poor run defenders. We need to focus on those weak defenders if we are going to have the success that I desire.
This was a fantastic, exciting game. We fell behind by two TDs early, but we refused to give up. In the closing moments of the first quarter we cut the lead down to just 7. Following a Houston field goal, Nixon scored his first TD of the year on a 2 yard dive to cut our deficit to just 3. To open the second half we went on an unbelievable 19 play 80 yard drive that Nixon capped with another 2 yard TD dive. There is no way to track these kinds of stats, but I know that I have never heard of any other 19 play drive.
In the fourth quarter, Houston added a 23 yard field goal to cut our lead to just one. We responded with another TD drive with 2:37 left in the game. We were up by eight, needing to just hold on for a couple more minutes. But we couldn't do it. Houston needed just 47 seconds to go 80 yards and tie the score (with the 2 point conversion).
But there was still 1:50 left. We had the ball 8 yards from the goal line. Our we knew that our kicker needed to get within about 45 yards to make the kick to win the game. With all of our time outs remaining we had no problem getting him 43 yards from the cross bar. The kick went up and just crossed the bar as time expired. We win 31-28.
Nixon had another solid day. He ran for 99 yards on 24 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per carry. And he had those two TDs as well.
The bad news is that we lost our starting LG, Kyle Conklin, for basically the rest of the regular season. The doctors tell me that he might be ready to play for the last game or two, but not to count on it.

stkelly52

02-02-2005, 02:02 AM

I just want to thank all of you for nominating this dynasty for a Golden Scribe. It is a great honor to be nominated by you guys, and it is good to know that you have enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

stkelly52

02-02-2005, 02:03 AM

Week 3
Atlanta 2-0 vs. Green Bay 2-0
The Packers are led by one of the top QBs in the league, Michael Jordan. The Pack have a poor group of wide outs to help Jordan though, so it remains to be seen how well he will really be able to perform this year. On the defensive side of the ball, they have some very good LBs, but their offensive line looks poor. This should help keep Leland's average up above 4.

Leland was able to do well when given the opportunity. He was only given 20 carries, which is very low for him. In those 20 carries he picked up 89 yards, which is a 4.4 yard average. The reason that Leland didn't get many carries is because our defense had a very hard time keeping Michael Jordan in check. Jordan threw for 300 yards, and used the clock very well, keeping our offence off of the field. There was nearly a 2:1 difference in time of possession and total plays run.

Nevertheless, we kept the score close. With 4:36 left we scored a TD to pull within three 27-24. But our defense was not able to get the ball back for us. They even gave up a 25 yard run on 3rd and 15 from Green Bay's 38. Had we been able to stop them there we would have had one more chance. But it was not to be. Green Bay ran out the clock and we take our first loss of the year, 27-24.

Week 4
Atlanta 2-1 @ Philadelphia 2-1
We are coming to Philly at just the right time. The Eagles have been beaten to a pulp. Seven starters are injured (eight if you count the kicker), and only one of them looks healthy enough to make an appearance. Among the injured is there all-pro QB. With so many players hurt, few people give the Eagles any hope against us.

We fall behind early, and we are only able to put together a last minute field goal as we go into the half down 14-3. But on the second play of the third quarter the Eagles' second string QB (who was having a career day by the way) suffered a serious shoulder injury. He had completed 18 of 19 passes for 177 yards in the game, and was single handedly pulling out a surprise win for the Eagles. But with him out of the picture, the Eagle's offence stalled for the rest of the game. We felt rejuvenated and took over the game. We put up 24 unanswered points to win the game 27-14.

Nixon had a poor game, only running for 66 yards on 23 carries, though he did score 2 TDs on runs of 2 and 3 yards.

1/4 Season Review
With the season 1/4 of the way finished, things are looking very promising for us. At 3-1, we are leading the NFC South, and we're playing far better than any one else in our division. Nixon is right on pace to score 16 TDs this year, with four so far. He is fifth in rushing yards with 377. That puts his total rushing yards below where I would like to see it in order to reach 1642 yards this year. Last week's game greatly hurt his average, which has dropped just below 4 yards per carry. I am hoping that he will have some solid games over the next few weeks to push the average over the 4 yard mark.

I must also point out that since Leland's first quarter fumble in the first game of the season, he has yet to fumble the ball again.

Neon_Chaos

02-02-2005, 02:47 AM

Great read. I finally caught up today. :)

stkelly52

02-03-2005, 12:24 AM

Week 5
Washington 3-1 @ Atlanta 3-1
Washington has been playing rather well this season, but many people think that they are not as good as their record indicates. For this reason we are favored to win by 8 points. Washington has a very average run defense, and I am hopeful that we will be able to move the ball against them. If we do fall behind, their pass D is paltry and that means we should be able to stay in the game no matter what. As for Washington's offence, they have some great players, but they do not have the QB or RB to back them up. I think the odds makers were giving us too much credit, making us 8 point favorites, but we should still win this game.

Leland had one of the better game of his career. Nixon carried the ball 38 times for 200 yards (the second 200 yard game of his career), but he was held out of the end zone today, and he fumbled the ball one time.

While our offence did their job today, our defense was not able to pull of their end of the bargain. With 41 seconds left in the game Washington scored a TD to take a 28-27 lead. We were not able to answer in the closing seconds and in spite of Leland's great day, we go home empty handed.

Week 6
Atlanta 3-2 @ Tampa 3-2
Tampa comes in today hoping to take control of the division. We know that we are a better team than they are, but we will need to prove that. We are favored by 6 today.

Nixon did not play as well as I would have liked to have seen him play, and it cost us. We jumped out to a 14 point lead, but by the start of the fourth quarter that had evaporated. We then fell behind by seven thanks to a fumble by Nixon inside the 30 yard line that the Bucs were able to capitalize on with a TD three plays later. But we failed to quit and tied it with 44 seconds left to play. After trading punts a few times in the extra period, Tampa Bay completed a 47 yard pass that set them up for a game winning 30 yard field goal. We fall to 3-3.

Nixon had 94 yards on 29 carries, and the one costly fumble.

stkelly52

02-04-2005, 12:47 AM

Week 7
Carolina 1-5 @ Atlanta 3-3
We are still wincing from last week's loss. We know that we should have done a better job holding onto our lead, and holding onto the fumble. At least this week we are playing one of the league's doormats, and we should be able to take care of them and get back into a winning frame of mind.
Not only are the Panther's on of the NFL's worst teams, but they are now missing some of their best players due to injury. There is no reason why we shouldn't be able to cover the 12 point spread.

Well we didn't cover the spread, but that is only because the Panthers were able to complete a 42 yard TD pass as the final gun sounded. It is still a 21-11 win for us, however I am going to have to see if any of my DB's might have been on the take.

As for Leland Nixon, he was able to pick up 126 yards and 1 TD on 26 carries. It would have been a solid day for him, were it not for his two fumbles. At least we were able to recover one of those fumbles.

Week 8
BYE
We have a few injuries that can use this week off, but not too many. Let's hope that it stays that way.

Week 9
Atlanta 4-3 @ Dallas 3-5
Dallas has not been playing very well at all this year. They have the worst running game in the league, and among the worst passing offences. They are the second lowest scoring team. Their one strength has been their ability to stop the run. That could spell trouble for us, but we are still favored by 9.

Leland really came through in the clutch for us. Against a team that was supposed to be able to shut him down, Nixon averaged 7.3 yards per carry. He ran for 168 yards on 23 carries. He was held out of the end zone, but we were able to score other ways to win it 20-12. The down side was that Nixon had another fumble. This is his fourth game in a row with a turnover and it is not helping our cause.

Mid Season review

We are half way through the season and we are right on pace to hit most of our goals. We are currently tied with the Buccaneers for first place in the division. Tampa did win our first meeting, but we will have a chance to avenge that loss at home in week 15. Leland is on pace to easily eclipse his rushing total from last year, and may even top his career best of 1784. He has 965 yards on 211 carries this season. That is an average for 4.57 yards per carry, which is almost a yard per carry better than last year. He has only scored 6 TDs this year, which will make reaching 12 for the season difficult, but very doable. His 6 fumbles so far is just one shy of his total fumbles all last season. He really will need to work on holding that ball if we are going to keep winning this year.

Another area of struggle is our defense. We are allowing 22.3 points per game, which is 23rd in the league. We have been especially weak against the pass which is frustrating because I feel like I have put together a solid group of DBs, but they just keep getting burned. I am not sure what more I can do about it.

stkelly52

02-05-2005, 12:21 AM

Week 10
New York Giants 3-5 @ Atlanta 5-3
We come into this game again heavily favored. Most people around the league do not think that the Giants have the defense to slow down our effective running attack, and while we have a poor defense, the Giants are tied for last in scoring in the league.

Leland was held to just 79 yards on 25 carries and he did not score, but he also broke his string of consecutive games with a fumble. As a team we did what needed to be done and pulled off a win in a rather boring game, 17-7. Once again, we gave up a late 39 yard TD pass that caused us to not beat the spread. There are rumors about flying around about gambling, but so far my investigations have failed to uncover any evidence of wrong doing. (Of course I am not looking too hard, after all, I don't know if I would like what I find).

Now for the really bad news. While we did win this game, we were struck a serious blow. Four players were seriously injured in the game, and I don't expect to get any of them back for the rest of the regular season. Among the injured are my two leading tacklers. This will be a serious blow to an already struggling defense.

Week 11
Jonesboro 3-6 @ Carolina 6-3
It seems like every week we are the favorites. Today we are given 12 points, but I am not convinced that we should be favored by that much. This will be our first meeting with last year's QB, Clay Gearhart. He has struggled somewhat this year, but I think that he would like the opportunity to prove to everyone that we made a big mistake in trading him away.

The Saints should be a much better team than they are. They have all the pieces to have a great passing game, but for some reason they like to try to stick to the ground, and it has not served them well. Hopefully we will be able to continue that trend.

Leland Nixon earned his paycheck today. He had a league record 50 carries for 207 yards and scored a touchdown both rushing and receiving.

The game went all our way for almost the whole time. We had a comfortable 24-10 lead with 2:00 left in the game when, once again, we gave up a long TD pass to cut our lead to less than the 12 points that the odds makers had given us. However, this time the Saints recovered the onside kick. They marched down the field and tied the game with 10 seconds left. But even after losing our comfortable lead, we refused to give up. In the extra quarter the Saints got the ball at the 19 and quickly moved it into field goal range. Rather than kick the 40 yard field goal on first down the Saints elected to try to get the ball even closer, but my second string DT knocked the ball loose while making a tackle. We recovered it and had new life.

With the exception of one 12 yard pass, Nixon did all of the work moving the ball down to the two yard line in 10 plays. Everyone expected Nixon would get the 3rd down carry to finish the drive, so with everyone keying on him we gave it to our FB for the winning TD.

For his effort, Leland was named the game's MVP.

Another starter on defense was hurt, and may miss the rest of the year. Our QB also suffered a sprained knee and is questionable. The injuries are piling up. Nine starters are injured, most of them seriously. It may be difficult to keep winning if the situation gets any worse.

stkelly52

02-07-2005, 11:57 PM

Week 12
Tennessee 5-5 @ Atlanta 7-3
Coming into this game we are 9 point favorites. But this week we will be starting a new QB. While our offence does mostly rely on the legs of Leland Nixon, it has been very helpful having a solid QB to turn to in times of need. Fisk was supposed to be the QB of the future, but he has not been developing as well as I would have hoped. Today we will give him the chance as our starter is just in too much pain to get the nod today.

The Titans are a pretty average team. They depend on the pass far more than they do the run, but they aren’t very good at it. They are fifth in pass attempts, but only 25th in passing yards. The one area where they are excellent is their running defense. They have the fourth best defense against the run…but I am not sure why. Their line is mediocre at best, and only one of their linebackers has any real skill against the run. Somehow they have just managed to play above their ability. I am counting on my awesome offensive front being able to bully them around today.

Our defense came up strong in this one. The QB that I put in the game played about as poorly as I have ever seen someone play. But thanks to our defense we held strong. Nixon ran pretty well for most of the game, except when he got inside the 20. He had nine carries in the red zone, and only one of them was for more than 2 yards (5 were for losses). His one successful red zone carry was a 9 yard TD run that put us up 10-7. We controlled the rest of the game, even though we weren't able to get the ball in the end zone.

Late in the fourth we were leading 16-7 when Nixon fumbled the ball on our 42 yard line. With under 2 minutes to play, it was frustrating because we were on the verge of being able to run out the clock. The Titans moved the ball the 42 yards to pull within 2 with just 41 seconds left. Naturally they tried and onside kick, and we recovered. That would have been the end of it had Nixon not fumbled AGAIN on the next play when we were just trying to run out the clock. We now had to count on our secondary coming up strong to keep Tennessee from picking up 13 yards and putting themselves in field goal range. The defense held strong forcing three incomplete passes to give us the 16-14 victory.

Leland had 26 carries for 93 yards and one TD. It would have been considered a solid day for him were it not for the two fumbles that were nearly so costly.

More injuries strike this week, knocking out two reserves that were thrust into starting roles. We will now have to go with third sting players at CB and FB.

Week 13
Atlanta 8-3 @ Arizona 5-6
Arizona has been struggling this season. They are using an undrafted rookie QB as their starter (and not because of injury), and he has not been cutting it for them. They have a decent RB who was having a good season, but he is hurt now so they are having to go to a poor backup.

They do have some decent defenders on the left side of their line, but our strength is running the other direction. We should be able to run all over them and stroll to an easy victory. We are again going to be counting on backup QB Fisk leading us, in spite of his horrid performance last week. We also signed 11 year veteran John Lester to be our new starting FB. We are the 10th team that Lester has played for in those 11 seasons.

Leland Nixon had another solid game, even though he did fumble the ball again. He ran for 142 yards on 33 carries. We still struggled though, as once again our QB just couldn't do anything for us. He threw 3 INT (two of them were in the red zone and one of these was returned for the Cards only TD of the game). Fisk is done for the year. An injured Toby Glenn has got to be better than what Tom Fisk has been giving us. It took a late field goal for us to take a 16-13 lead, and that would be the final score.

We suffer more injuries. We lose our best DT, his backup and our superstar FS.

3/4 Review
We are riding high on a 6 game winning streak. Sitting at 9-3 it is highly unlikely that we will not be able to make the playoffs this year. We currently have the top running team in the league, and we are in the top 10 in yards per carry. Our offence is the 9th highest scoring team in the league. As you may recall, my preseason goals were to win the division, have Nixon exceed 1642 yards and to have him score 12 TDs. Baring injury Leland will easily eclipse the rushing yard goal. He is second in rushing yards with 1486. His 4.3 yard average is a bit lower than it was at the midpoint of the season, but it is still a solid number. Nixon has scored 9 TDs (8 rushing, 1 receiving) this year, meaning that he needs three more in the next 4 games. Were it not for his 10 fumbles I would say that he is a lock for a Pro Bowl spot this year. As for my final goal of winning the division we are right there. We are still tied with Tampa Bay for the NFC South title. The bad news is that Tampa does not play another team with a winning record other than our showdown with them in two weeks. We cannot afford to lose another game all season, and our schedule is much more difficult.

Our defense has really stepped up in the last four games. Whereas we were the #23 team in scoring defense, we are now the #12 team in the league. But the injuries that we have been seeing lately does not bode well for us. We have one healthy DT on our roster. Both of our starting safeties are out with injuries. Our QB is still hurt, but will have to play anyway. Basically 20% of the team is hurt. We could really use a break.

stkelly52

02-09-2005, 02:32 AM

Week 14
Atlanta 9-3 @ Jacksonville 9-3
Jacksonville has used a high powered offence to overcome their mediocre defense this year. They score more points than any team in the league, largely by throwing the ball long and often. Their QB is considered by many to be the best in the game today. As you may also recall, he was the MVP of last years Super Bowl where we were crushed 27-3. We are longing to avenge our humiliation from last year.

Our offence really played a good game today. Nixon had a 4.8 yard average, picking up 97 yards on 20 carries. With 30 points it was our second highest showing of the year. But it was not enough. Our battered defense was not able to hold the high powered Jaguars in check. We go home defeated 30-39.

Week 15
Tampa Bay 10-3 @ Atlanta 9-4
If we are going to have any chance of winning the division, we need to win this game. We are currently tied in both division record and conference record, so should we win today, we will have the tiebreaker (assuming we win out). Of course the first part of that is finding a way to win. Tampa is having a great season to this point. They are on a 6 game winning streak, and many people think that they can continue to win this way right up until the Super Bowl. However, Tampa just faced a serious blow to their division title hopes last week. Their QB (who has been having a career year) hyperextended his elbow and will have to sit out this game. We will also be helped by the return of three starters to the lineup. Because of these two things we should be able to win this game.

Early in the fourth quarter Leland scored his third TD of the game to put us up 34-7. The game was well in hand and we started putting in our backups to give them playing time. That is when everything fell apart. Atlanta returned a kickoff for a TD, they shut down our offence on our next driven and quickly scored again. We responded with a quick TD drive of our own, but the Bucs scored two TDs in the next 62 seconds to make the score 34-41. They then set up to try to recover their second onside kick of the quarter with 1:11 left. But we came away with the ball. We ran out the clock to hold onto the victory.

Leland Nixon was named MVP with 131 yards and 3 TDs on 25 carries. This was just a great showing by Leland, and our whole offence. It was also a great day for our defense up until the last 13 minutes. But we did get the win and we are now in control of the division. I need to point out that Leland reached his preseason goal of surpassing last year's rushing total. He just needs one more TD to reach his goal of 12 for the year.

stkelly52

02-10-2005, 12:55 AM

Week 16
Atlanta (10-4) @ Indianapolis (4-10)
No one has given up more points this year than has the Colts. They are equally bad at covering both the run and the pass. There should be no reason why we don't run all over them and win this game by at least two TDs. Anything less than 150 yards rushing for Leland will be a disappointment.

As I predicted we were able to keep our heads in the game and finish strong against a poor substitute for an NFL team. The Colts scored on their first drive of the game, but they couldn't do anything after that. Our defense shut down everything that they attempted to do. Meanwhile, we were basically able to move the ball at will. Nixon finished the game with 167 yards and two TDs in the game as we coast to victory.

Now for the bad news, QB Glenn is out, and will likely miss the rest of the season. There is some hope that he will be able to return for the Super Bowl. We also lose our starting center. His backup is quite good though, so we should be able to weather his loss, but while I have had high hopes for QB Fisk, they have not panned out to this point. I don't trust him to be the starting QB as we head into the playoffs.

Week 17
Atlanta 11-4 vs. Jonesboro Saints 5-10
As we come into the final week of the season, we know that this final week is crucial to our hopes of returning to the Super Bowl. We know that we are going to be in the playoffs, but we have not yet locked up the division title. Is we don't win this game, and if Tampa wins theirs it will come down to a tiebreaker as to who gets the division title. Also, if we win then we are guaranteed to have the first round bye thanks to our earlier victory against Philly.

As you may recall, in our earlier showdown with the Saints, we barely escaped from Arizona with a win in OT. This time we have the home field advantage, so things should go better for us. Leland is looking to have another monster game against Jonesboro, as last time he exceeded 200 yards. He needs just 119 yards to become just the second player in history to eclipse 2000 yards rushing in a single season.

Perhaps I spoke too soon about Fisk. He played a solid game, completing 16 of 23 passes for 171 yards 3 TDs and no Ints. But the star of today's show was none other than our own Leland Nixon. He had 34 carries for 204 yards and a TD earning himself MVP honors. Our defense really struggled again. We gave up 30 points by the end of the third quarter. Early in the fourth Nixon scored his TD from 5 yards out to give us a 31-30 lead. From there, our defense suddenly awakened and we held them scoreless the rest of the way. We take the win, the division and a first round bye.

stkelly52

02-11-2005, 01:34 AM

Regular Season review
Again I exceed all of my preseason goals, most of them easily. Leland Nixon was the league's leading rusher with 2085 yards. This is the third most in league history. He had 463 carries during the season, giving him a solid average of 4.5 yards per carry. He also led the league in rushing TDs with 14. This gives him 59 TDs in his career. He may have been the fastest player to reach 50. He just seams to have a knack for finding the end zone.
Fumbles have always been Nixon's greatest flaw, and this year was no exception. He put the ball on the ground 10 times, but in the last four games of the year he didn't fumble once. There is a strong push from fans here in Atlanta for Nixon to make his first Pro Bowl, but I really don't see it happening. The top RBs in the league are also great receivers. Leland had just 8 catches for 34 yards and 1 TD.

stkelly52

02-13-2005, 01:50 AM

NFC Semifinals
Philadelphia (13-4) @ Atlanta (12-4)
We used our bye week to rest up and heal some of our key players. We are looking far healthier than we did just two weeks ago. We now must face a very solid Eagle team that last week crushed the Bears in Philly. Earlier in the year we crushed the Eagles by scoring 24 points in the final 15:02 of the game to win 27-17. But it should be remembered that when we played them, the Eagles were forced to use their second sting QB until he was hurt. Then they needed to go to their #3 QB. This week it will be us without our starting QB and it may hurt us significantly.

Nixon played very well today, picking up another 127 yards a TD on 27 carries, but our lack of any kind of decent play from our QB really hurt our chances. We were killed by the big play as the Eagles scored on a 68 yard run, a 52 yard pass and a 96 yard kickoff return. Once we were trailing in the second half we tried to go to the passing game without any success. We end our seasons with a 27-13 loss.

The Jacksonville Jaguars would go on to win the Super Bowl with in a 23-21 thriller. It is their second year in a row that they celebrate a championship, and they are just the third team in history to win back to back championships. This looks like it may be a new dynasty developing.

stkelly52

02-13-2005, 02:02 AM

Awards
As suspected, Leland Nixon was not selected to be an All-Pro. The honors when to players who could also be a threat as a receiver. However people were able to notice the incredible job that our O line was able to do. Two of my guys were named to the first team.

I am very satisfied with how this team did this year. We overcame a lot of pain and adversity to have the second best record in the league, and we had a much tougher schedule than we have had in the past. Naturally I am highly disappointed with how the year ended. I really think that had our QB been able to start it would have made the difference in the game. Well there is always next year.

stkelly52

02-14-2005, 01:24 AM

2028
We start another season with a lot of confidence. We have been a solid team for the past two years and I don't see any reason why that should change. With the success that we have been having, we see no reason why we should change our staff. They seem to be doing a great job.

As we head into free agency, we take a look at some of the players who will be free agents at the end of this season. I need to decide if I want to resign any of them or trade/release them. I make a few new contracts, including resigning the best OT in the game today to a 6 year deal. I will need him if Nixon is going to have any success. I also give Leland a new contract to keep him under contract for 4 more years.

Our roster does not have many holes in it as most of last year's team is still under contract. The one big area of weakness is at LG, Kyle Conklin suffered a serious injury last season. We tried to bring him back too soon, and he suffered an even more serious injury. Basically, Conklin's career is over. So we now need to fill that hole with a quality guard, and this may be the perfect year to do it. Vinny Goodwin is an old friend of mine from back in my days with the Chargers. I convinced him to join us in LA, and now, I have convinced him to return to me in Atlanta. Vinny is probably the 4th best guard playing the game today, so we are thrilled to have him join our team. The last two seasons he spent some time out with injuries so this gave us cause for concern, but when it came down to it, there is no one who was even close to Vinny in ability. Even if he only gives us 12 games he would still be better than any other options available. The other down side to Vinny is that he is a 13 year veteran. I don't figure that he has more than 3 good years left, so I will still need to keep my options open for the long term future. But for now he should help Leland Nixon become an even better RB than he already has been.

While I didn't see any areas that really needed improvement, I saw someone that I just could not pass up. I found another player from my days with the Chargers, center Courtney Falk. Even after 12 years in the league, Falk is still the best run blocking center in the game today. He has taken some flack around the league for giving up a lot of sacks, but he is a perfect fit for the Falcons. Naturally, my current center took the news hard, but the simple fact is that Courtney will make Leland a better RB and make us a better team.

We sign a few other FAs to fill in as backups, but no one really worth mentioning. In the draft we don't see any one really worth our pick in the first round, so we trade down into the second round were we pick up a guard who may some day develop into the successor to Vinny Goodwin, if he pans out.

Following training camp we have a couple of surprises. Our 6th and 7th round picks brake out and look like they may develop into solid starters for us in about two or three more years.

Leland makes no real improvement, or decline during the off season. His fumble rating climbed one more notch, Any help that we can get there would be greatly appreciated.

Each season I make a prediction on how well I think we are going to do. This year I am going to have to agree with the sports writers that we are one of the best teams in the NFC. My team goal this year is to at least reach the NFC title game.

My goals for Leland are lofty indeed. Our offensive line is much better than it was last season. We have, without question, the best line in the history of the game. Because of this I am looking to see Leland again eclipse 2000 yards rushing for the year. Secondly, I would like to see Leland score 16 TDs, equaling his career best. And thirdly, I would like to see Nixon average 4 yards per carry. If he can do all of these things, then I think he will be well on his way to making the Hall of Fame.

We make it through the preseason relatively healthy. We lose our starting FL for just a few weeks, but other than that we are good.

stkelly52

02-15-2005, 01:50 AM

Week 1
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
We start off the year with our biggest rival. Since I have taken over the Falcons, we are 4-4 against the Buccaneers. Over the years Tampa has been our division's best team, but this looks like it might be a bit of a down year for them. They are already suffering more injuries than any other team in the league. But rivals always come to play so we can't take this game lightly.

Our improved offensive line did everything that I wanted it to do. They ripped holes in the defensive line that my grand mother could have gone through, walker and all. Leland Nixon finished the day with 29 carries for 176 yards and a TD.

However, our secondary could not stop Tampa's passing game. A late TD gave the Bucs a one point lead that we were unable to surmount. We lose the opener 21-20.

Week 2
Atlanta 0-1 @ LA Chargers 1-0
This will be just the second time that we have faced my old team since I abandoned them. They killed us back in the second game of 2024. But this is a very different team from back then. They were a dynasty that I had created. Now they are a team that consistently has just missed the playoffs, with just five of my former players on the roster. It has been kind of sad to see them decline in my absence over the years.

This week Leland wasn't able to have the same kind of success. But he still did fairly well, finishing with 101 yards rushing and another TD in 26 carries.

We were hurt by mistakes in this game. Three fumbles hurt us, as did a missed PAT. But we came through in the end thanks to our secondary making up for last week's game with 3 interceptions. We hold on to win it 12-9.

stkelly52

02-16-2005, 02:57 AM

Week 3
Philadelphia (1-1) @ Atlanta (1-1)
For our home opener we will have a again face the team that ended our season last year. But this is far from the same team that beat us last season. They have completely fallen apart in the off season. Faced with a difficult cap situation they were forced to make tough cuts and were unable to do anything in the free agent market. Only 23 of the current players were part of the team that beat us last year, and 25 of the Eagles are rookies. The reality is that Philadelphia has, in one season, become one of the worst teams in the league. We should win this one easily.

Our defense really seems to struggle in the fourth quarter. We gave up 18 points in the final frame. It wasn't enough to out do what Nixon and our offence was able to accomplish though. Nixon had 182 of the team's 256 yards rushing in the game, and he also had 2 TDs. We took control of the game right from the start and, even with the fourth quarter swoon, it was never in doubt. We win the game 33-25. I should also point out that with his two TDs, Leland surpassed 10 year veteran Keith Poole the #2 spot in career rushing TDs among active players. In his fifth season, he has now scored 62 career TDs.

Week 4
Seattle (0-3) @ Atlanta (2-1)
It has been 10 years since Seattle had a winning season. It looks like that is not about to change anytime soon. The Seahawks have a fair defense, perhaps slightly below average. But they also have the worst starting QB in the NFL, as well as one of the worst RBs in the league. They should not be much of a challenge for us.

Well it counts as a win, but it was not as easy as it should have been. Seattle was able to slow down Leland and that was able to keep them in the game. He was able to run for 125 yards, but it took 38 carries to do so. Leland was also held out of the end zone, including once when he fumbled at the two yard line on first and goal.

It took a 28 yard pass in the final minute for us to tie the score and send the game into OT. We won the toss and won the game on an 11 play 77 yard drive to kick the winning field goal.

1/4 season review
We are now a fourth of the way through the year and, while things got off to a slow start for us we are playing solid ball now. There is no question that I am still struggling with my defensive backs, but by and large I am happy with the way we have been playing.

Leland Nixon is well on pace for all of his goals, with a league high in both rushing yards (584) and TDs (4). He has also been averaging a solid 4.45 yards per carry. In fumbles it is looking like it will shape up to be another standard 10+ year for Nixon. He already has 3.

The team is in solid shape, though our division is shaping up to be one of the best in the league. We are in second place to Tampa at the moment, and tied with Carolina.

stkelly52

02-17-2005, 12:37 AM

Week 5
BYE

We have a few minor injuries that could use the week off. We take this opportunity to rest and recuperate. After the week off only one player on our team is too hurt to suit up next week.

Week 6
Atlanta (3-1) @ Arizona (2-3)
Arizona is on of the weaker offensive teams in the league. They do a good job of moving the ball, but they struggle actually scoring. They particularly struggle in the red zone, averaging just 3 points per visit. On defense they are slightly above average, but they have a very good running defense, so that could spell trouble for us. They are also good a causing fumbles, which is not good for Nixon.

This was the game of the kicker. Seven field goals were attempted by the two teams and they accounted for all of the scoring in the game.

With 1:03 left in the game the Cardinals were able to tie the score with a 31 yard field goal. This was a short drive thanks to another Leland Nixon fumble. But the defense held them to just three, preventing us from going down by 4 with a minute left. We were then able to orchestrate a 36 yard drive in the final minute that set up our game winning 47 yard field goal. We win 12-9.

In spite of his costly fumble, Leland played a solid game. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry, and finished the game with 150 yards in 36 attempts.

Week 7
Carolina 4-2 @ Atlanta 4-1
Carolina is playing very well so far this year, and I am not sure why. According to my scout, their RB is below average and they don't have a strong O-line. But nevertheless, they run the ball very well. Their QB should be about average, but his play this year has been pathetic. They only have fair defensive players. They don't do very well scoring, but they have found a way to win this year. At 4-2 they are right in the hunt for the division title, something that they have not done in 11 years.

The Panther's defense showed up and completely shut us down. Leland was held to a career low 32 yards rushing. Once we fell behind, we were forced to go to the air and we did little better there. Leland did add on a TD late in the third that made us think that we might get back into the game, but Carolina just had an answer for everything that we attempted. We fall 21-10.

stkelly52

02-17-2005, 09:45 PM

Week 8
Atlanta 4-2 @ San Francisco 3-4
The 49ers are a rather average team. They have a rather average running game and an average passing game. They do pretty well against the pass, not great mind you, but I would rather not have to depend on throwing the ball. Against the run though, they are terrible. Few teams have given up more rushing yards and the 4.8 yard average is among the worst in the league. There is no reason why Leland should not bounce back from last week's awful game with another huge showing.

As I suspected, Leland was able to run right through the weak 49er front. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry, scoring 2 TDs. He ended the day with 137 yards rushing on 23 carries. As for the game itself, we really took control from the beginning. On the final play of the game we did give up a 38 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 24-17, but that just made the game look closer than it really was.

Week 9
Atlanta 5-2 vs. St. Louise 5-3
The Rams are a solid team, but they are hurt by a QB with is injured and out for the next 6 weeks. But they also have the RB with the highest rushing average in the league. This will not be an easy game for us to win.

OK, I was wrong it was an easy game for us to win. Our defense humiliated one of the best RBs in the game today. Our offence played excellent and we coasted to a 40-7 victory.

Leland was a little disappointed in his personal performance, as he was held to a 3.5 yard average. Again, he exceeded 100 yards rushing, but Leland is never satisfied if he doesn't average 4 yards. He was also about the only offensive player to not score in the game. But it is no matter. Personal stats are irrelevant, winning is all that counts.

Now for the bad news. Both of our starting safeties are out, and will likely miss the rest of the regular season. But we are assured that they will be back for the playoffs.

Mid Season Review
Well Leland is having another year like last season. He leads all RBs with 1008 yards, and is 3rd with 7 TDs. His 4.27 yard average is not spectacular by league standards, but for him is it a solid performance. In the last four games, Leland has only put the ball on the ground one time, giving him just 4 on the year.

Within our division, things are not looking good for us. At 6-2 we are in a solid spot in the wild card hunt, but Tampa (who beat us by just one point earlier in the year) is sitting pretty at 8-0. Because both of our losses were to conference foes, we will likely need three losses by Tampa and perfection by us if we want to see another division title.

stkelly52

02-20-2005, 01:09 AM

Week 10
Tampa Bay (8-0) @ Atlanta (6-2)
Tampa is playing far better than I, or any of the sportswriters, thought they would be. They are the only unbeaten team left in the league. There is little standing in the way of an unbeaten season for the Buccaneers, if we don't beat them, then no one may.

The key to this game was our stellar defense. We forced two fumbles and had 5 sacks and held the top scoring team in the league to just 13 points. Meanwhile, we our QB had a phenomenal game, completing 17 of 18 passes. Nixon added in 103 more yards to his rushing total as well as another TD. The Atlanta fans were thrilled as we embarrassed Tampa Bay 35-13.

Week 11
Atlanta (7-2) @ Jonesboro Saints(1-8)
The Saints' record speaks for itself. They are a bad team, without much hope of getting better.

In the second quarter our defense fell apart against this terrible team, giving up 2 TDs. In the second half Nixon picked up the pace, scoring the game winning TD with just under 6:30 left in the game. The final score was 17-14. Nixon was named the game MVP for his 29 carry, 146 yard 1 TD performance.

stkelly52

02-21-2005, 01:10 AM

Week 12
Atlanta (8-2) @ Oakland (8-2)
Who ever wins this game will have the second best record in the league. Oakland has a great team. They have a young QB who looks like he may become a Hall of Famer. In his 5 year career he already has 2 MVP seasons. His passer rating this year is an insane 120.8. Not only do they have a great QB, but they have two of the best wideouts in the game today. While Oakland is just 14th in the league in pass attempts, they are 2nd in completions and 1st in yards. But they are not a team that depends solely on the pass. They also have the league's all time leading RB. While he may have lost a step from his 1900 yard season last year, he is still one of the best. This is the highest scoring team in the NFL, in fact they are on pace to top my old team, the 2019 Chargers, as the highest scoring team of all time. The one ray of hope for us is that they have a poor defense. One thing that I know, this should be a high scoring game.

Well I was right about the high scoring part. There were only three punts all game, and all of them were by us. Nevertheless we were able to stay right with the Raiders right to the end, thanks to a couple of key interceptions. We were trailing 31-38 with 1:15 left in the game and 66 yards away from sending the game into OT. Leland had run the ball well for us most of the game, but in this situation, we had to go down the field via the pass. Our first three passes fell incomplete leaving us with 4th and 10. We had no choice but to go for it. A 13 yard completion let us live for another set of downs, but we had just 28 seconds and we were at our own 47 yard line. The next pass was blocked at the line. Then Glenn loosed a perfect 46 yard pass to put us at the 7 yard line with 7 seconds left to play. We had no more timeouts so that gave us basically one shot to pick up the 7 yards. Glenn went back to pass, dodged and incoming LB, and then saw his starting flanker break free. He unleashed a perfect pass as the clock hit double zeros. We score the TD to send the game into OT.

Of course we know that this game could easily hinge on the flip of the coin. Punts had been few and far between. Whoever won the toss would stand an excellent chance of winning. We won the toss and elected to receive. On second and 5 Leland broke free for a 47 yard run that put us in field goal range, but it was called back for holding. Two consecutive incomplete passes later we were forced to punt. And that was it. Oakland got the ball and, just as they had done all day, they made short work of our defense, converting three 3rd down conversions on the way to an 18 yard TD run by the league's all time leading rusher. We lose 38-44.

Nixon finished with 117 yards and a TD in 25 carries.

At least Tampa was upset today, keeping us just one game behind them.

Week 13
Atlanta (8-3) @ Green Bay (7-4)
Green Bay is desperately clinging on to the final Wild Card spot. So they have every reason to bring everything to the table. We on the other hand are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Raiders. The feeling that I got from our team all week was one of disappointment and frustration. I am hoping that we will be able to overcome this.

The Packers have few central players suffering from any injuries, so we can not count on much help from their inability to suit up. They are not a particularly good team against the run, so I am hopeful that we will be able to exploit this weakness.

Usually, when a RB runs for 125 yards, you would say that he had a good game. However, that is not always the case. In the last few games, Leland's average has been rather low, and he continued with that today. While he was able to run for 125 yards, it took him 36 carries to do so. He did put up another TD, which is was important, but the thing that made this an absolutely miserable game was his ability to hold onto the ball 4 times he put the ball on the ground. Four times he gave the ball up to Green Bay. Fortunately, our defense really played a spectacular game, even forcing a punt on fourth and goal after one of Leland's ill-timed fumbles. Three sacks pushed the Packers out of field goal range.

In the end we held our ground and won the game 13-10, but the four fumble kind of negates the last 6 games in which he only had one.

3/4 Season Review
We have just 4 games left in the year, and we are in excellent shape as far as making the playoffs. Even if we were to lose the final 4 games, we would still stand an excellent chance of reaching the post season, and looking at our coming games, there is no reason why we should lose those games. But our hopes of winning the division look faint. Tampa is still one game up on us. They would likely have to lose two of those games to lose hold of the NFC South. They might have a tough time in three weeks against Oakland, but that is the only game left that I really think is much of a challenge for them. Perhaps in two weeks at Carolina.

I was going to say what a great year Leland has been having, but his last game where he fumble 4 times really hurts his stats. He is now up to 9 on the year. But he is still the leading rusher in the league with 1499 (just a yard off pace of reaching 2000), and he leads the league in rushing TDs with 11 (just one off of pace to reach 16). Nixon's average has slightly dropped again, but it is still comfortably above 4 (actually it is 4.22). I am still hopeful that we can attain all of our preseason goals.

stkelly52

02-22-2005, 12:53 AM

Week 14
Kansas City (7-5) @ Atlanta (9-3)
We are big favorites coming into this game. KC is down to their 3rd string QB and things are not looking good for this team. They have lost the last two games as injuries besiege them at every turn. They still stand a decent chance of healing up in time for the postseason, but at this rate they may not be eligible to play.
No problems for us this week. Leland picked up 126 yards and a TD, as well as a huge 36 yard reception on 3rd and 9. That play set up our other TD. For his play, Leland was named the MVP. We cruised to an easy 17-0 shutout.
In other news, Tampa Bay was stunned by 3-9 Denver to put us in a tie for first place in the NFC South.

stkelly52

02-24-2005, 01:00 AM

Week 15
Jonesboro (2-10-1) @ Atlanta (10-3)
The Saints have the worst record in the league, but they are on a 2 week non-losing streak. Now that we have a very real chance of winning the division, we can not afford to take any team lightly.

As the final gun sounded, Jonesboro attempted a 49 yard field goal, and the kick was good. Of course it didn't matter because we were winning the game 33-0 at the time, but it was a bummer not being able to post two shutouts in consecutive weeks. Leland won another MVP award, but this was a much more impressive showing than last week's. He finished the game with 221 yard and 2 TDs in 33 carries. This was a great game by every member of this team, both on offence and defense.

I should point out that Tampa lost again this week. This puts us in the diver's seat of the NFC south with a 1 game lead.

Week 16
Denver (4-10) @ Atlanta (11-3)
Denver is not a good team, but they did just beat Tampa two weeks ago, so we can not afford to take them lightly. Denver's starting QB is hurt, so they have had to turn to the services of free agent Jason Bownes, who is starting for his third team…this year. I don't know that I have ever seen a QB start for three different teams in a single season, but he has done it. Bowens is a 15 year player that may work for a temp agency as often as he has changed teams. Oddly enough, he really has had a fairly decent career. He is never going to be in the Hall of Fame, but he has done quite well for himself.

Leland had another great game. In 40 carries Leland had 176 yards and 2 TDs. Those totals mean that he has now reached his preseason goals as he now has 2022 yards and 16 TDs for the season. In all the excitement of Leland's personal achievement, the Falcons seemed to forget that there was a game to finish. In the fourth quarter we gave up three TDs, but Denver was not able to recover their final onside kick, and we ran out the clock from there. We win the game 28-21.

In other league news, for the third week in a row, Tampa has lost (though this was no upset as they were facing Oakland). Tampa's collapse means that we have now clinched the division title, as well as home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

stkelly52

02-25-2005, 12:03 AM

Week 17
Atlanta 12-3 @ Carolina 9-6
In the final week of the season, we know that this game really means nothing. We could use this as an opportunity to give some playing time to some other players who could use the experience. But we are not going to do this. Carolina desperately wants to win this game. If they win today, then their season continues. If they lose then they open the door for Arizona to take the final Wild Card slot.

We have just a couple of players who are injured. We are going to let those guys rest and heal completely for the playoffs, but everyone else who is healthy will play. We have a few things that we want to accomplish. For one, Leland Nixon needs only 125 yards rushing to set a new single season rushing record. He also needs just one more TD to set a new record for rushing TDs in a season (This is the 4th time a player has equaled 16 in a season; Nixon has 3 of those years). Leland would love to have those records all to himself.

But more important than personal records, we want to win this game because Carolina came into Atlanta earlier this year and embarrassed us. Now we want to return the favor.

This game really looked like we were trying to get Leland the record more than we were trying to actually win the game. In the end, Leland did get his 17th TD of the year, but he fell 18 yards shy of the record, in spite of being given 37 attempts to break the record. The Panthers knew what we were trying and they were able to stop it. What the Panthers were not able to do was move the ball well. They had a big 86 yard TD pass in the first quarter, but after that their offence could do nothing. Leland's 4th quarter TD run from 12 yards out was enough to win the game for us 12-7.

Regular Season Review
Leland also set a new record for rushing attempts this year with 502. His 2128 yards rushing is the third highest total in the history of the league, and he became the first player to ever have two 2000 yard seasons. His end of season average of 4.23 yards per carry was comfortably above the 4.0 goal that we set for him. And of course he had the record 17 TDs. For fumbles, no one in the league had more fumble than did Nixon, with 12. Even so, this has been a very successful year for Leland. I really think that this could be the year that Nixon is finally named to be an All-Pro. Of course we will have to wait until the end of the playoff to see.

Grid Iron

02-25-2005, 01:07 AM

Go Leland!

nfg22

02-25-2005, 01:35 AM

Seriously one of the best dynasties ever I have been following the whole time.

stkelly52

02-26-2005, 12:35 AM

I would like to point out to everyone that as of sometime this afternoon we reached 1000 viewers. What an incredible honor it has been to have all of you loyal readers.

Conference Semifinals
Carolina (10-7) @ Atlanta (13-3)
This is the last team that we faced in the regular season. Last week they were able to crush the Cardinals in Arizona. They are hoping to do the same against us. But we beat them two weeks ago without hardly even trying. Surely we can win if we put some effort behind ourselves.
Carolina won the toss and chose to receive. On their first drive, they picked up a first down by going for it on 4th and 2. They were showing right from the start of the game that they were willing to take chances. On the next play we blitzed and sacked the QB. The Panthers would not be able to make up for that loss of 7 yards and were forced to punt 3 plays later.

Our first drive was unimpressive, ending with a three and out. Carolina was able to pick up one more first down, this time on third and long, but they got nowhere on their second set of downs. Their punt was not able to be downed, instead rolling into the end zone giving us the ball at the 20. We then set off on a 17 play drive that took 8:52 off of the clock. During the drive we converted 5 of 5 third down conversions, the last of which was a three yard scramble for a TD. We used an excellent mix of running and passing to move the ball.

Our defense shut down the Panthers on their next drive, forcing a net gain of -1 yard. The Panthers were again forced to punt. Four our ensuing drive, the bulk of the 1st and 2nd down plays were carries by Leland Nixon. He consistently picked up 4-5 yards per carry as we marched down the field again. We capped off the drive with a 9 yard TD pass to put us up 14-0 with 5 and a half minutes left in the 2nd period.

Our defense again stifled Carolina. While they did pick up one first down, they could get no further and were once again forced to punt just after the 2 minute warning.

With 1:52 left, if we could march down and score again, then we knew that the game would be well in hand.
The drive that followed left me scratching my head. Nixon got the bulk of the carries at a time when you would expect to pass the ball. He did very well in the situation and was able to get the ball inside the 30, but it was just to far for our kicker to put it through as the half ended. So we went into the half leading 14-0

In the second half we got the ball first and we came out rolling. We went to the air for 6 of the drive's 8 plays. Five of those six passes were completions and we easily moved the ball down to the 8 yard line. Nixon finished off the drive with an 8 yard run around the left tackle.

From there things really got ugly for the Panthers. The Panthers only had 2 first downs for the rest of the game, while we added on a few field goals and another TD. The final score would be 34-8 in our favor. In the second half Leland picked up his workload trying to burn time off the clock. He did excellently, finishing the game with 184 yards in 45 carries. This is the kind of game that he was hoping for two weeks ago.

Next week we go to the NFC title game.

In other news around the League, 9-8 Miami stunned 14-2 Oakland. Oakland's stud QB was hurt early in the game, and it killed the Raiders. It was a shame for the year to end like this for Oakland. Their QB had set a new record for TD passes (48) and QB rating (124.9), and the team had set a new scoring record (31.7).

All of the road teams (except in our game) won their games this week. This makes our path to a championship much easier for us.

stkelly52

02-27-2005, 02:25 AM

Conference Final
Tampa Bay (13-5) @ Atlanta (14-3)
Our biggest rivals come into town again to do battle for the right to go to the Super Bowl. As you may recall, up until our week 10 game against the Buccaneers, they looked to be, far and away, the best team in the NFL. But once we were able to give them their first defeat, this team fell apart. They would go on to lose 5 of 7 games and enter the playoffs looking like a very beatable team. Nevertheless, they still had the second best record in the NFC, so they were not a team that should have been taken lightly. They were fortunate to face the 7-9 Washington Redskins in the Wild Card Round. They just barely beat one of the worst playoff teams of all time 24-27. They then took on the NFC North Champs Detroit. Again it was a close game with Tampa coming out on top 25-20. It is now up to us to show the world that we are the better team. Last time that we played Tampa it was our defense that came up big. We are looking for another similar performance.

Tampa is a relatively healthy team. They have several small injuries, but only one player is expected to sit this game out. Tampa has a fairly average offence, right about in the middle in both rushing and passing. Their strength has been the defense, which is great against both the pass and the run.

We are 5 point favorites.

Tampa Bay won the toss and elected to receive.

It looked like we were going to hold them to three and out on the Bucs' first drive, but on 3rd and 15 we were called for defensive holding, keeping the drive alive. That would come back to bite us. Tampa would pick up a couple more first downs before launching a 54 yard bomb to Darkins for the first TD of the game. Tampa was up 7-0.

We got a great return on the ensuing kickoff, but Nixon could accomplish little on our first set of downs and we were forced to punt without picking up a first down.

Tampa then went on a 10 play drive consisting mostly of little dump passes and 5-7 yard runs. The drive culminated in a 29 yard strike to take a 14-0 lead. Things were quickly beginning to look bad for us.

We had to do something or things would get out of hand. Another good kick return gave us the ball at our 37 yard line. Nixon was given several carries during the drive, and he ran very well. 14 plays later Nixon capped it off with a 4 yard plunge into the end zone to bring us within 7. The drive took the game well into the second quarter.

Tampa could sense that we were gaining our confidence back, and they wanted to strike hard and quick. On the first play following a touchback, their QB threw the ball 30 yards down field. But our CB came up with the huge play the completely swung the momentum our way. He got his right hand in front of the ball and made a phenomenal one handed interception. It was out ball, 52 yards from the end zone. In the six plays that followed we picked up 22 yards on a pass, 15 yards on a personal foul, and 19 yards on 4 runs be Leland Nixon. The final of them was a 2 yard dive that gave him his second TD of the day, and tied the score at 14 each.

Our kick, along with a penalty, pinned Tampa deep in their own territory. They went three and out and punted. We got great field position, with the ball on the 50 yard line. In four plays we moved the ball to the 28 yard line and we were facing a 3rd and 8. We tried to give Nixon the ball, but he was only able to pick up 6 yards. We lined up for the field goal and took a 3 point lead when it cleared the uprights.

On Tampa's next drive they were able to get one first down, but that is all they could muster. They had to punt from their own 34 yard line. With just a minute and 35 seconds left, we worked to move the ball while taking time off of the clock. We were able to get the ball to the 9 yard line with 7 seconds left, but we chose to kick the field goal rather than attempt to get the ball in the end zone again. So as the game went to the half we were up 20-14.

The second quarter had been all us, and the momentum was completely in our favor. Tampa was doing nothing with the ball and we were scoring on each drive. But we only had a 6 point lead, and one play could change everything.

We got the ball to start the second half. We were wanting to eat up a lot of time off of the clock, so we mostly stuck to the ground, with Nixon running excellently. He did have one run of just 2 yards, but everything else was 5 yards or more. We closed out the drive with a 17 yard TD pass to go up 27-14. The drive ate up half of the 3rd quarter.

Again Tampa picked up one first down before needing to punt again.

We followed that up with a drive that ate all but just a few seconds of the third quarter. We capped this drive with a 23 yard field goal. While we were disappointed to not score a TD, we now lead 30-14. Tampa would need two TDs and two 2 point conversions to tie the game. With the way things were going, that seamed highly unlikely.

Tampa was not about to roll over though. They quickly marched themselves down the field and scored a TD of their own. With 11:41 left, there was still time to get back in the game. However, Tampa decided to not go for two, making the score 21-30. Tampa would still need two more scores.

A 12 play drive followed, with 3 third down conversions. This really took the wind out of the Buccaneers as they just kept thinking that they were on the verge of getting the ball back, when we would get that first down. We didn't score a TD, but a 35 yard field goal made it a 33-21 game. Tampa now needed 2 TDs

They would not score on their next drive, and we were then able to run out the clock. Final score 33-21.

MVP: Leland Nixon

Nixon finished the game with 152 yards rushing and 2 TDs in 42 attempts.

We are heading back to the Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the AFC 13-6 Jacksonville slipped past 10-9 Miami to return to the championship game for the third time in three years.

stkelly52

02-28-2005, 12:32 AM

SUPER BOWL WEEK
Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Tucson for one reason, to be part of the Super Bowl experience. The hype is all around us. Two years ago we were here and we were not able to hold up under the pressure. Two years ago Jacksonville was here and they showed that they could handle the pressure of the big game. Should the Jags win this week they will have firmly established their dynasty. No team has ever won three consecutive championships. The Chicago Bears of 2011-2013 are the only team that played in three consecutive Super Bowls, but they only won one of those games. Jacksonville has the best QB in the league leading them. In his six years in the league he has established himself as arguably the best QB in the history of the NFL. He already has 2 league MVPs, and is one of the favorites to win this year again.

However, Jacksonville is not the same team as was here the last two years. In each of their previous championship seasons, they had the best record in the NFL. This year there were 8 teams with equal or better records as the Jags. We are one of those teams. But of course the regular season means nothing now. It all comes down to one game. Coming into this game we are actually favored by 4 points.

Much of the talk this week by the sportswriters centers around Atlanta's blockers vs. Jacksonville's front seven. Everyone seems to think that our offensive line is vastly superior to the Jacksonville defense. They really think that Leland Nixon will be able to take advantage of this weakness and have a great game. The Jaguars give up an average of 137 yards rushing a game, and 4.49 yards per carry, which are each fourth worst in the league. Their defense has also struggled with giving up points. They are tied for worst in the league with 26.0 points per game. This should help keep us in the game.

Of course when you are playing against one of the best QBs in the league you need a defense that is ready to step up to the challenge. This will be a struggle for us as our starting safeties will both be out of the game with injuries. We do have some good backups, but it is still going to be a struggle for us. Jacksonville's QB threw for 4196 yards and 31 TDs while only tossing 8 picks. His 97.8 QB rating is second in the league. What makes this even more amazing is that Jacksonville didn't have any great receivers for most of the year. They really only have one stud WR, and he spent most of the year out with injuries. He was able to come back for the playoffs, so he will be 100% today. Jacksonville was the league's second highest scoring team with 26.3 points per game.

Back in Atlanta, everything is abuzz. We can feel the confidence of the city behind us as we head into the biggest game in franchise history.

stkelly52

03-01-2005, 12:19 AM

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
After a week of hype and hoopla, it is finally time to settle things on the field. It is 40 degrees and sunny in the Arizona desert. The coin toss gave us the ball first. A curious event happened on the kickoff. After a touchback, the game got off to an ominous start for us as on our first three plays we had Nixon run for -1 yards, Glenn tossed an incomplete pass, and then Glenn was sacked for a 1 yard loss. We then got off a poor punt that barely crossed the midfield stripe.

On Jacksonville's first offensive play they picked up 4 yards rushing, and 15 more yards courtesy of a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty. This was followed by a 13 yard run and a 6 yard pass, bringing the ball to the 17 yard line. On second down we finally were able to get penetration and made the tackle 2 yards shy of the line of scrimmage. Jacksonville was facing 3rd and 6. They went to the air, but the first two options were well covered. Davidson dumped it off to his slot receiver, but they were only able to pick up 4 yards. Our defense had held the Jaguars to a field goal attempt. Then a curious thing happened. It was not a windy day, but Jacksonville's kicker missed the 32 yard attempt wide right. So far we had not played well, but the score was still knotted at 0.

Our offence suddenly seemed awakened. Nixon ran for 8 yards, then 3 more, followed by a 6 yard run. A 10 yard penalty was immediately wiped out by a 13 yard pass, and a 5 yard run by Nixon. A couple of plays later we were facing 3rd and 4 when Leland pulled off a 12 yard run. There was nothing stopping us…well except for that interception that Glenn would toss on third down. With the runback, the Jags took over at the 39 yard line. That just makes me sick

Jacksonville ran once for 13 yards, and then they went to the air. Our banged and bruised secondary looked dazed and confused trying to stop Davidson's passes. He threw 3 passes, all of them big completions to lead them to the first TD of the game.

A poor kickoff and a solid return gave us the ball at the 41 yard line to start our next drive. The first quarter was drawing to a close, and we did not want to fall any further behind. Everyone knows that Jacksonville is an explosive team, and we would have trouble catching up if we fall very far behind.

Nixon started the drive off right with an 8 yard run, followed by a 3 yarder to pick up the first down. He was then stuffed for a one yard loss, but that play was negated by a penalty. On first and 5 Nixon only picked up one yard. We then tried an end around, but that went nowhere. We tried to throw on 3rd down, but there was no body open. Glenn avoided the sack, tucked the ball under and picked up 2 yards. We would face 4th and 2 to start the second quarter.

We had plenty of time to discuss our options during the break, so we decided to go for it. We needed to score to stay in this game. We were just out of field goal range, so the choice was clear. The fullback dive picked up 4 yards and the first down. We continued to move the ball well. Nixon had several big carries for us as we marched ever closer to scoring. But we struggled with our discipline. Three false starts and a hold (that wiped out a 22 yard Nixon run) made our task much harder. In the end we could get no closer than the 13 yard line. We kicked the field goal to cut the lead to 4, 7-3.

Our defense came out well rested and determined to not let Jacksonville do anything with the ball. They were right. Three plays and then a punt. However our offence could do no better and we punted the ball right back to them.

Jacksonville stared with the ball at their own 35. They did little on first and second down, but a 17 yard pass on third gave them a new set of downs to work with. Then he competed an 8 yard pass to get the ball to the 36 yard line. They were coming far too close to field goal range to make me comfortable. On second and 2 they tried a HB dive, but fumbled the ball in the process. We were unable to recover, but we kept them from picking up the first down. On 3rd and 1 the Jags went to a play action pass and we totally bit. We left their receiver completely uncovered. No one was within 10 yards of him… and he dropped the ball. Jacksonville would again have to settle for a field goal attempt. This would be a much more difficult attempt than he missed earlier, but earlier this year he had hit from 58 so this 52 yarder was in range. The kick was up, and it came down just shy of the goal posts. Yes it was a long kick, but everyone would remember that Kinney had attempted and missed two field goals in the Super Bowl.

We took over still trailing 3-7 with 3:30 left in the game, and in excellent field position. A couple of reverses and a couple of solid runs be Nixon gave us 24 more yards. We were down to 1:19. At this point I began to question the clock management. We should have been able to get off more plays than that, but we just weren't kicking it into two minute mode. An incomplete pass followed by a 6 yard scramble gave us 3rd and 4 with 46 seconds left and the ball on the 28. Nixon picked up the first with a 12 yard run. We finally called our first timeout. On first down, we give it to Nixon again, and he picks up 6 more yards. We use our second timeout. There is still 29 seconds left and it is 2nd an 4 from the 10. We again give the ball to Leland, but he is only able to pick up 2 yards. We use our final timeout. There are 17 seconds left in the half, and it is 3rd down. Plenty of time for one shot to the end zone. But no, we send out the kicking unit. The kick is good, and we now trail 7-6. That is the score as we go into the half.

While I know that things could be a lot worse for us at this point, I am still upset. I know that we could have taken the lead had we just used better clock management. But alas it was not to be.

To start off the second half, Jacksonville quickly advanced the ball from their 20 to our 28 yard line. They had little problem doing so as the shortest gain in their 5 plays was a 7 yard run. Facing 2nd and 3 from the 28, our defense finally got their act together. We stuffed an end around, and then my LCB broke up a pass play to force fourth down. Jacksonville sent our their kicker for the third time today. This time the kick went up and sailed wide right again. For the third time today Kinney missed his kick.

This gave us the ball at the 35 yard line. On first and second down, we picked up short yardage, but on third we picked up enough yards for the first down. Just repeat that last sentence 3 times and you will have the story of this drive. Four times we faced 3rd and 5+ yards. Four times we converted and kept the drive alive. The final play of the drive was a 3rd and 6 pass into the end zone to give us a 13-7 lead. It was our first lead of the game. The question was would we be able to hold onto that lead.

Clearly the Jags were not happy about falling behind, especially considering that many of them felt that they should have had nine more points were it not for their kicker.

The Jags next drive started at their own 37. A 13 yard run on first down pushed them to midfield. It looked like our defense might put a stop to the drive, forcing a 3rd and 16. But The Jaguars were able to complete an 18 yard pass for a first down. A 25 yard pass a couple of plays later gave them first and goal from the 8 yard line. I could tell that the Jacksonville players did not want to leave the drive in the foot of their kicker again. On second and goal they tossed a 7 yard TD pass to retake the lead, that is if Kinney could make the PAT. After missing three field goals, many wondered if he could even make a short kick like this one. But his PAT attempt was good giving the Jags a 14-13 lead.

Our next drive started at the 20. On second down we completed a 35 yard pass to move to the Jacksonville 43. It was a good way to end the 3rd quarter. We continued the drive with an 18 yard pass to move the ball into field goal range. Nixon picked up 9 yards rushing, but that play was negated by a holding penalty. This pushed us out of field goal range. We would regret that three plays later when we attempted a long field goal and missed short of the cross bar.

Jacksonville was able to move just 4 yards in their next 3 plays, and were forced to punt the ball away.
We reciprocated by punting the ball right back to them, but at least we pinned them deep in their own territory thanks to a 66 yard punt that was not returned.

Jacksonville shook off the long field before them though and put together a spectacular 12 play 90 yard drive. They only faced a third down one time during the game. That third down was 3rd and goal from the 6. Their QB went back for the pass, looked to his WRs, but they were covered. He then tossed the ball over to his RB at the 2 yard line. From there he jaunted into the end zone to expand the Jags' lead to 8. With just 3:17 left in the game time was running out for us.

The ensuing kickoff was short, and another solid return put the ball at our 41 yard line. We needed to score a TD on this drive if we were going to have any hope of coming back. We now had just under 3:00 left in the game. The real question is time management. Should we score a TD and 2 point conversion, we don't want to allow enough time for Jacksonville to mount another drive. But at the same time, should we not be successful with the 2 point conversion, we will need enough time to recover an onside kick and then try for another long field goal.

On first down we go for the whole ball of wax. Glenn let loose a beautiful pass right on the money for a big 43 yard gain, that put the ball on the Jacksonville 21 yard line. This dropped the time down to 2:37. My thought at this point, was that we needed to run off about at least another minute or minute and a half. Instead though, we go to the air on two consecutive plays. One was a 10 yard pass, the second was a perfect strike into the end zone. The score was now 19-21. This was a no brainer, we had go for two. For the conversion we handed the ball off to Leland Nixon. Nixon dove strait up the middle, following right behind our stud center and left guard. The two linemen cleared the path and Leland waltzed in to tie the game. However, more questionable time management decisions give Jacksonville plenty of time to mount one last drive.

We kicked off the ball, and it sailed all the way through the end zone. Jacksonville had 2:11 and 3 timeouts left to try to win the game. On first down, our hearts sank as Davidson completed a 36 yard pass. This moved the ball down to our 44 yard line. We went to the two minute warning knowing that we could not afford to give up 15 more yards or all would likely be lost. Jacksonville tried to run the ball, but they were stuffed for no gain. A false start gave us more hope as they lost 5 yards. On third and 15 Davidson threw the ball for 16 yards and another first down at the 33 yard line. They were in field goal range, but it would be a long kick. Following a incomplete pass, Davidson completed a 9 yard pass to the 24 yard line. But they were not able to run for the first down on 3rd and 1. With under 30 seconds left Jacksonville lined up for the game winning field goal. Kinney had tried and missed 3 field goals today. But all that would be forgotten if he could just connect on this 41 yard attempt. For the season he was an 81% kicker, one of the better kickers in the league. Every kickers dream is to kick the game winning kick in the Super Bowl. This would a nightmare of a game into the ultimate dream for him. Of course if he fails to make this kick, I don't know if he would be welcome back in the state of Florida again.

The snap. It was a perfect hold. Our attempt the block the kick is thwarted as we make no penetration. The kick is up.

To be continued...

Grid Iron

03-01-2005, 01:06 AM

Wide right! Wide right!!!

Crim

03-01-2005, 07:48 PM

I'm wearing out my F5 key refreshing this page...

stkelly52

03-02-2005, 12:24 AM

OK OK, I have kept you in suspence long enough.

Grid Iron, you must be psychic

stkelly52

03-02-2005, 12:24 AM

WIDE RIGHT, WIDE RIGHT, WIDE RIGHT!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are heading to overtime!

The coin toss, and Jacksonville wins and naturally elects to receive.

The kick was caught at the 3 yard line and returned an incredible 57 yards down to our 40 yard line. Fortunately our speedy backup CB was able to catch up with the kick returner from behind and take him down. This was not the way that we were hoping overtime would go. But we still had a chance. The two sacks on first an third down made up for the errors by our return team and force Jacksonville to punt the ball. The punt went into the end zone giving us the ball at the 20.

We take over with our first possession of the extra period starting at the 20 yard line. Nixon handles our first three plays and picked up 28 yards in doing so. We were facing a third and 2 from the Jacksonville 46. Nixon ran around the left tackle for 6 more yards and another first down. We were rapidly approaching field goal range. Then, on second and 10, Nixon ran for 4 yards, setting up a 3rd and 6. We completed a pass for 12 more yards and another first down. This put the ball on the 24, and easily in field goal range. Another 4 yard run for Leland was followed by a 5 yard run by him. We tried a fullback dive on third down, but that was stuffed for no yards, setting up a fourth and 1 from the 15. From this place on the field we knew that we could make the field goal from here.

We lined up for the 32 yard kick. The hold was good the kick goes up…

It goes right down the middle.

WE WIN, WE WIN, WE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Introducing the 2028 Super Bowl Champions, the Atlanta Falcons.
The cannons go off. Atlanta goes into a frenzy. Jubilation rules throughout the streets.

Oddly enough, the MVP award was giving to Howie Davidson. No doubt, he had a very good game, but HE LOST! Frankly, I think Leland was robbed. He finished with 36 carries for 165 yards. He didn't score a TD, but he did come up with that critical 2 point conversion late in the game. Or I suppose that you could say that our most valuable player we Jacksonville's kicker, Kinney. His 0 of 4 day was huge in our winning this game. I almost feel sorry for Kinney, he really was considered on of the top 5 kickers in the league, but he will forever be remembered for today's performance.

calvin

03-02-2005, 12:40 AM

Talk about cliff hangers! For the first time I read this thread, I get to a to be continued... I'm kind of hoping for a Jax victory, so you have to keep writing.

c.

stkelly52

03-02-2005, 01:28 AM

Sorry about the cliff hanger, but the game turned out to be such an exciting game, I felt like this was the only way to truely make people have the right level of excitment

stkelly52

03-03-2005, 12:47 AM

Season Awards

Our Center and Right Tackle are both named to the 1st team All-Pro. Our Right Guard is second team All-Pro (it is his fourth consecutive year as an All-Pro). We also have a DT who make the All-Pro team as well. And, for the first time in his career, Leland Nixon is named an All-Pro, as the second team RB.

stkelly52

03-05-2005, 12:51 AM

2029
We took a couple of weeks to bask in the exhilarating of our championship, but that is all the time that we can afford to take. We need to get back to work getting the team ready for next season, and there is much that needs to be done. There are major shake ups going on in Atlanta. Last season everything came together perfectly for one magical year; but things are going to be more difficult for us this year. Our entire staff is at the conclusion of their contracts, and it is unlikely that we will be able to reacquire their services. The Falcons have been loosing money hand over fist. We have not had a profitable season since 2010. Since I have taken over the team we have lost over $230 million. That is a lot of money and our owner just is not able to keep putting that kind of money into the team. My owner has contacted me to let me know that we will no longer be allowed to spend this way. We are going to have many limits on what we are allowed to spend our money on. We are not likely going to be able to pay any large signing bonuses this year.

While I really want to keep my entire staff, there is just no way to pull off the deal. I do manage to resign my DC for a very low price. My offensive coordinator may well be the best OC in the game today. He agreed to a pay cut, but he is still the highest paid OC in the league. My coach received several other bids that I was just not able to compete with. I had no choice but to wish him the best and look in another direction. I pick up a new young coach with no professional experience. He is the lowest paid head coach in the game. For my scout, there is just no way to keep my old scout. He is eventually signed to a deal that makes him the highest paid scout. Instead I find a bargain, picking up an above average scout for a below average price.

I was paying 17 million a year in salary to my coaches, but that figure is down to about 10 million
I was paying 740,000 for my lead scout, but I will now pay just 250,000.
All told this should save us about 21 million a year. This is not quite enough to get us back in the black again, but it will greatly help.

Now I take a look at my roster to see if there are any players that I want to franchise. I have three starters from last year that are available for free agency, a WR, a TE and a LT. There is no way that I will franchise an average WR or TE. The LT is a bit on the older side, and he is starting to begin his decline. I am not sure that I want to pay 8 million in this time of financial hardship for a player like this. But at the same time, I don't have anyone ready to jump in and take his place. I decide that I will franchise him, and if I can't make a reasonable renegotiated deal with him, then I will have to trade him away.

I go through free agency attempting to be as frugal as possible. I don't pick up any major new players for my roster. However, I do lose several players that I just can't afford to pay. This will particularly hurt on defense.

During the draft, I don't have a first round pick, and my second round pick is late in the draft. By the time that I get around to my pick, there really isn't much to choose from. I pick the best players that I can find, but only one looks like he will become a future starter. In the 6th round I picked up a FB that looked like he might develop into a decent backup. After training camp, he really broke out and now looks like he could be our starter as soon as next year. Right now I have a great FB on my roster, but in his 4 years in the league, he has missed 21 games, and 16 games in the last two seasons. I don't have a lot of patience for players who are injury prone, so I don't expect to resign him.

stkelly52

03-08-2005, 01:00 AM

Preseason
In the preseason, we go 2-2, but as usual, most of my regular starters sit our most of these games. These are not a very good test of how well my team will do. While I did lose about 4 starters to free agency, I really don't think that this will hurt my team too badly. I had a couple of good breakout players who really look like they are ready to step in and make an impact. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be right near the top of the pack again this year. So my goals for this season are:
To win 13 games and the division
To reach the NFC title game
To have Leland Nixon set a new single season rushing record (2146 yards)
To have Leland Nixon score 17 TDs
To have Leland Nixon average 4.3 yards per carry

So far, I have reached every goal that I have ever set for this team and for Nixon. This year I really think that I am stretching myself, particularly regarding Leland. Reaching 2147 yards will not be an easy task. 17 TDs has only ever been accomplished once in league history (granted he was the guy that did it), and Leland has only had one season in which he has run for over 4.3 yards per carry.

Injuries
After the preseason ends I take a look at my injuries and I am not happy with what I see. Two starters will not be available for our opening game, and one of them is 5 time All-Pro RG Sammy Delgado. Sammy is the best offensive lineman in the game, bar none. One of the biggest reasons why this dynasty has gone so well is that we have Sammy on our team. We cannot afford to have him out for long.

stkelly52

03-09-2005, 01:26 AM

Week 1
Atlanta @ Jonesboro Saints
We kick off the season with what should be an easy game. Jonesboro is starting their #2 overall pick at QB, and he just doesn't seem to be ready for the challenge of a real game. They are also already beat up badly. Eight players (5 of them starters) are listed as out, and several more are questionable. Ever since the Saints packed up and left New Orleans, they have been a terrible team. Now they just don't have the fan base to really support the team. They currently have a stadium that holds 76,300 people. The city's population is 80,000. I suppose that one should be impressed that 25% of the population came to each game last year, but a team can not be effectively run like this.

Leland capped off the first drive of the game with a 38 yard TD run. He finished the game with a game winning 6 yard TD run. In between he had 37 carries for 115 more yards. It was a solid performance for him, even though he did not average 4.3 yards. We struggled defensively, allowing the game to go into OT, but in the end we walk away with the victory, 28-22.

We suffer two more injuries on our offensive line. Now our LT and RT and RG will all miss next week's game.

Week 2
Monroe Jets 0-1 @ Atlanta 1-0
If there is a team in worse financial conditions than Jonesboro, it is the Jets. Ever since they made the inexplicable decision to move to Louisiana, the team has been pathetic. We are heavily favored in this game, but the injuries to our line could spell disaster for us.

Nixon has 31 carries for 163 yards, but he was held out of the end zone, and he coughed up his first fumble of the year.

This game ended in a flurry of field goals. In four of our final s possessions during regulation we ended the drive with field goals. The Jets kicked field goals on both of their first possessions of the fourth quarter. Our last drive of the fourth quarter tied the score with just 56 seconds left in the game. Monroe put together an amazing drive in those final 56 seconds, but they missed the 43 yard field goal as time expired in regulation, which put the game into OT.

We won the toss, and went on a 14 play, 8 minute drive that ended with a 31 yard field goal to win the game, 19-16.

stkelly52

03-10-2005, 08:21 PM

Week 3
Atlanta 2-0 @ Washington 0-2
Our offensive line is back together again, and looking like they should be in good shape from now on. Leland has been running quite well considering we have been missing the cornerstone of our offence, so I am looking for him to do even better this week.

We are again heavily favored, as there are few positions on our teams where the 'Skins match up with us. We should be able to win this game.

I thought that Leland would be able to have a good game, but this was just insane. Leland averaged 5.2 yards per carry as he ran for 196 yards and 2 TDs. This was easily enough to name him the game's MVP as we crushed Washington 29-10.

Week 4 Tampa Bay 2-1 @ Atlanta 3-0
Our biggest rival comes into town, and there is no team that we would rather beat than the Bucs. Tampa has won two games so far this year, but they really don't look like a particularly good team. I doubt that they will win more than 7 this season, which is a shame because this has been such an exciting and heated rivalry since I took over the team. We are favored to win by 9 points.

No problem here as we roll all over the Buccaneers 35- 6. Our defense was the key, forcing three turnovers which we were able to convert into 17 points. Leland finished with a solid 4.1 yard average. He had 26 carries for 108 yards and one TD, as well as 2 catches for 22 yards and another TD.

1/4 Season Report.
We are a quarter of the way through the year, and right now we are playing great. Of course that needs to be tempered with the fact that the teams that we have played have a combined record of 5-11. Certainly we have benefited from having an easy start to the year.

We are right on track to reach all of our goals for the year. Leland has 139 carries for 602 yards and 5 TDs. If he is able to keep up this pace he would finish the year with over 2400 yards and 20 TDs. Granted that is not likely, but now is the time to dream. He is also just above my goal average of 4.3 yards per carry. Leland also has just one fumble for the year.

Our offence is doing very well to this point of the season. We are fifth in the league in scoring with 27.7 ppg. We are right in the middle of the pack in average yards per carry, but when we do throw, we do so better than all but 2 teams. On third downs we convert over 60% of the time, which is 3rd in the league.

As well as our offence is doing, our defense is looking even better. We have the #2 rushing defense in the NFL, and the #2 passing defense in the NFL. On 3rd down teams only convert 34% of the time. We only give up 8.7 ppg, which, if it holds up, would make us the best defense in the history of the league.

We have a lot of season left to play, but after four games, the fans in Atlanta are getting excited.

At the moment, we have just one player on our squad that is injured, and he is listed as probable with just one more week before being 100%.

stkelly52

03-12-2005, 01:53 AM

Week 5
Atlanta 4-0 @ Carolina 0-4
So far this season, we have only played one game in which the opponent had any wins at the time we played them. That is not going to change today as we face the collapsing Panthers. We shouldn't have any trouble topping this team and covering the 14 point spread.

Leland had nothing less than a terrible day. Fortunately it came against such a bad team that the rest of my guys were able to pick up the slack to ensure that we would win the game 23-14. Nixon finished with 81 yards rushing 1 TD and 1 fumble. It took him 29 carries to do so, giving him an average of 2.7 yards per carry for the game. That will not help him reach his goal for the year.

One significant note: Late in the third quarter, on a 2 yard dive, Leland Nixon surpassed 10,000 yards rushing for his career. Early in the fourth quarter he was tackled for a 3 yard loss, dropping him below 10,000 yards. Then on the next drive he crossed over 10,000 yards again. How many players get to surpass 10,000 yards rushing twice?

Another significant note: With this win today, the team's all time record is now 209-209-3. The team no longer has a losing record!

Week 6
Minnesota 3-2 @ Atlanta 5-0
So far, we have yet to play a team with a winning record this season. Each team that we have faced looks to be competing for who will be last in their division at this point. This week that changes as we face a decent team for the first time this year.

We are still heavily favored in this one, but I don't think that it will be so easy for us. Minnesota has some great players on their roster, starting with their QB. He looks to be a star in the making with the ability to single-handedly will his team to victory.

Leland ran the ball well between the 20s, but re really struggled trying to score from the red zone. Instead we were forced to settle for field goals, which nearly cost us the game. But in the end we did what had to be done to overcome our adversity. We kicked a late field goal to take a 16-14 lead, and our defense did the rest to assure us of another victory.

Nixon finished the game with 143 yards rushing, but no TDs and 1 fumble in 34 carries.

stkelly52

03-14-2005, 01:42 AM

stkelly52

03-15-2005, 01:06 AM

Week 7
Atlanta 6-0 @ Green Bay 6-0
This is our first big challenge of the year. The Packers are a great team and this should be a great game to watch. The Packers have a great QB, and a solid group of receivers. This has served them well, but the real strength of the team is their defense. They only allow 10.1 points per game, which is second in the league, and they force more turnovers than any team in the league, which does not bode well for my fumble prone RB.

Everyone thought that this would be an exciting game, and we did not disappoint. Going into the fourth quarter we were trailing 14-21. But we had just intercepted the ball and we were only 32 yards from the end zone. A holding call pushed us back, but Leland picked up the entire 42 yards, including a career long 37 yard reception. He finished the drive with a 1 yard plunge for his third TD of the day. The PAT tied the score at 21.

The Packers responded with a 7 play drive that quickly gave them another 7 point lead 28-21.

We were held to a three and out and had to punt. Green Bay took over, and on 3rd and 1 they tried a dive that was foiled when our MLB knocked the ball loose. We recovered and took over at the 42 yard line. We couldn't do anything with our drive (thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty), but the play was exciting.

After trading 3 and outs several times we took over with just 2:06 left at our 28. With time running out we had to go exclusively to the air, and our plan worked. Glen completed 4 of 4 passes during the drive, and scrambled for another 10 yards. His 12 yard pass tied it up with 1:10 left.

Green Bay tried to mount one last drive, starting from their 16. They completed a pass to get the ball to the 30 and called a timeout. An incomplete pass meant that there was just 19 seconds left before OT. The Packers would try to throw long and move the ball into field goal range, but our defense came up with the play of the game. My DE came up and put a monster hit on the QB before he could release the ball. The ball popped out and was recovered by us. It was our ball at the 21 with 14 seconds left.

We ran Nixon one time to better position the ball and then kicked the game winning field goal as time expired.

Leland's stats for the game were 37 carries for 174 yards and 3 TDs and the 37 yard reception. For this he was named the games MVP.

Week 8
Detroit 4-2 @ Atlanta 7-0
We are set to face off against another solid competitor. Detroit has a terrible running game, but they make up for it with a great passing attack. We will need our defense backs to really step up today to win this. One thing that really looks good for us is the fact that Detroit does very poorly against the run. There should be no reason why Leland doesn't pick up huge yardage, so long as he can hold onto the ball. No one has forced more fumbles than have the Lions, so that could be a potential problem.

Early in the season our defense was playing like one of the best D's in history. But it turns out that those results were just the product of playing against weak teams. Today Detroit had an easy time moving the ball, particularly on 3rd down. We wound up giving up a season high 31 points. Fortunately, our offence was even better. By the end of the first half Leland Nixon already had 137 yards rushing and 2 TDs. By the end of the game he had and NFL record 250 yards, and 3 TDs. He also set another record with 51 carries. Leland did fumble twice, but we fell on the ball both times, so no harm was done.

Now for the bad news. We lost 5 starters, including our LG (who is lost for the season) to injuries.

Mid season review

This year is going far better than I could have ever imagined. With an 8-0 record we currently have a 5 game lead in the division. There is just about no way that we are going to lose the NFC South. We are one of three teams in the league that are still undefeated. Our offence averages 29 points per game, which is second in the league. We also have done a great job avoiding turnovers. We are fifth in the league in both turnovers and turn over margin.

Our defense statistically looks good, but they have struggled in the last two weeks. We have the best rushing defense in the league, but our pass defenders leave room for improvement.

Leland has been having the best year of his career. There is no question that he has been phenomenal. He has 1249 yards rushing and 12 TDs. His average of 4.3 yards per carry is exactly what our preseason goal for Leland was. It is by no means a given that he will reach his preseason goals though. We lost our starting guard, Vinny Goodwin for the year, and our center is a little banged up as well. Leland will have some trouble running as well as he has been with the line banged up like it is.

stkelly52

03-16-2005, 01:17 AM

Week 9
Atlanta 8-0 @ Chicago 3-4
We are heavily favored against the Bears. We will have to see how much of a difference having our starting LG out will make.
We should still be able to run the ball though as the Bears run defense is just mediocre.

I guess I spoke too soon. Chicago came out and did something that no one has been able to do all season, shut down Leland Nixon. They forced a couple of fumbles, but even beyond that, they just would not let Leland pick up more than a couple of yards here and there. He finished the game with just 58 yards in 23 carries and one TD. This time the rest of our team was not able to step in and fill in the gaps left my our lax running game. We lose our first game of the year, 24-16.

Week 10
Jonesboro 2-7 @ Atlanta 8-1
We have won 8 consecutive games against the Saints, and I don't see any signs of that changing today. The Saints are a bad team and they show few signs of having any desire to win a game.

Leland bounced back from his poor game last week with a 169 yard game that included one rushing TD and a second receiving TD. It was a solid game for our offence, but our defense were the true heroes as they just found ways to make huge play a crucial moments. A 79 yard TD pass as the final gun sounds makes this final score look close but it never really was. We win 23-17.

stkelly52

03-19-2005, 12:35 AM

Week 11
BYE

We have a few starters that are out, so we are looking forward to the week of rest and recuperation. The rest does us well and we now have just two starters whose injuries are significant enough for them to miss next week's game.

Week 12
New England 10-0 @ Atlanta 9-1
Today we square off against the league's all time greatest QB. Before I came over to Atlanta, this is the guy who led my LA dynasty. He is the all time leader in passing yards, and he has 99 more TD passes than anyone else ever has. Most people thought that his years of greatness were behind him when he signed on to start for the Patriots this year, but he is looking as good as he ever has. Just one INT compared to 17 TD passes (along with a 65.5 completion %) has given him a 105.9 QB rating, second best in the league.

New England is a well rounded team that will not be easy to top. They have a great RB, solid WRs, very good linemen, and a spectacular defense. Put all of this together and what do you get. The best record in the NFL. Due to injuries, they do have some weaknesses on their offensive line, so I am hopeful that Nixon will be able to take advantage of their weakness.

Nixon didn't just take advantage of the weakness of the line, he exposed them for the frauds that they were. Leland went wild with 38 carries for 203 yards and a TD earning himself another MVP award. Our defense also really stepped up today holding one of the top scoring teams in the league to just 3 points, and picking off a pass, which has only been done by one other Patriot opponent this season. We triumph, 24-3. With that win, we are the first team to win our division

The bad news is that another starter on our line goes out. He should not be out long, but no length of time is good for us in this most critical of positions. Because of this we are forced to go out and sign a new LT. ED Gunn was just released from the Rams, and the biggest knock on him is that he gives up way too many sacks. That is OK with me, I just need a run blocker.

Week 13
Arizona 4-7 @ Atlanta 10-1
We are heavy favorites as the Cardinals come into town. But we need to be careful to not allow ourselves to get down after such an emotional win last week.

Our offence came out today and they just looked dead. I am not sure what hit them, but we just didn't seem ready to play this week. Leland did not gain 100 yards and he only averaged 3.2 yards per carry. He also had just his 3rd game this season without a TD. Our RBs were fumbling the ball left and right It was a good thing for us that our defense showed up today pumped and ready to shut down Arizona's offence. We held the cardinals out of the end zone, and of the 4 field goals that they did kick, only one was on a drive of longer than 20 yards. The crowning moment was when, midway through the fourth we shut them down after a fumble on our own 3 yard line. We gave up 3, but it could have been much worse. We escaped with a 17-12 win.

We lose another starter on the line for the next 3 weeks. This guy started the season as the #2 LG, but was pressed into the starting role when injuries struck. We now will have to go with our #3 guy, and that does not bode well for us and Leland.

3/4 season review
With 12 games under our belt, I am stunned at how well we are doing. I see little likelihood that we will not attain most of our preseason goals. As a reminder, those goals were:

To win 13 games and the division
To reach the NFC title game
To have Leland Nixon set a new single season rushing record (2146 yards)
To have Leland Nixon score 17 TDs
To have Leland Nixon average 4.3 yards per carry

With 11 wins already, we need just two more to reach 13. The NFC title game will not be easy as there are 3 NFC teams at 11-1 now. Only two will make it. Nixon should be able to break the single season rushing record. He just needs 370 yards, and the way that he has been running he might be able to break it in two games. He also just needs two more TDs to reach 17 for the year. If he gets three in the final 3 games then he will break his own NFL record.

The only goal that I think we may not reach is to have Leland average 4.3 yards per carry. He is at 4.19 at the moment, and it would take quite a showing over the next four weeks to bump that figure .11 yards. I don't know that he is up to it.

stkelly52

03-21-2005, 01:15 AM

Atlanta 11-1 @ Miami 9-3
This should be one of the best games this week. Miami has a great passing attack that is led by a QB playing far better than anyone ever expected him to, as well as a tandem of running backs who have been running phenomenally well. They also have a solid running defense that may greatly limit our ability to move the ball this week. Miami is favored by 1.

Miami did find a way to shut down Leland for most of the game, but our QB really stepped up and made things happen, completing 15 of 19 passes for 255 yards and 2 TDs to lead us to a 21-17 victory. Nixon scored one TD, but he only averaged 2.8 yards per carry for 76 yards.

Injuries: Last week I signed a new guard to start for us. In his first game he was injured and will miss the rest of the year.

Week 15
Carolina 3-10 @ Atlanta 12-1
I have only lost one game to the Panthers in the time that I have been managing the Falcons. I don't want to see that change this week. However in spite of Carolina's poor performance this year this will not be an easy game for us. Carolina actually has a decent running defense and our line is battered and patched together. I am just hoping for them to hold their ground for the rest of the regular season.

Our strategy was to give the ball to Nixon a lot, and by and count on our defense to shut down the Panther's defense. The plan worked well, even if Leland didn't pick up many yards each carry. It seemed to always be just enough. He finished the game with 133 yards on 36 carries. It was not a great game, and with just two games left it is almost impossible for him to reach his 4.3 yard average that we had hoped for. By my rough calculations, Leland would need to average 5.8 yards per carry over the next two games to get close to his 4.3 yard goal. He was held out of the end zone as well. We easily won the game 24-10.

stkelly52

03-23-2005, 11:55 PM

Week 16
Atlanta 13-1 @ Buffalo 7-7
Buffalo is desperately struggling to hold onto the slim hopes that they have of reaching the postseason. They have dropped their last two games, and another loss will make their playoff dreams go away. The Bills are led by a great QB, having the best season of his career. But they are hampered by a defense that has given up a lot of games. They are particularly poor against running, so Leland should boost his stats today.

On the fifth play of the game, Leland Nixon ran inside the left tackle for 7 yards to break the 2000 yard mark for the third consecutive year. But Leland did not have the kind of game that I hoped he would have. He was again held under 4 yards a carry. In 31 carries he only ran for 119 yards. Our defense struggled as well giving up 20 points. Late in the game we were trailing 12-20 when Nixon was able plunge into the end zone for his 17th TD of the season. But his 2 point attempt to tie the game came up shy of the end zone, and we lost our second game of the year. This really hurts because it may cost us a first round bye in the playoffs.

Week 17
Atlanta 13-2 @ Tampa Bay 6-9
It is the last week of the regular season, but this game is doubly critical to us. For one, Tampa Bay is our most heated rival. Secondly we are tied with the Eagles and Packers for the best record in the NFC. There are only two teams that get a first round bye in the playoffs and I am not sure which of us holds the tiebreakers. But if we lose, then it will not be us.

Leland easily reached a new single season high in rushing yards, and he added another TD to set a new single season record for TDs. But our defense decided to skip today's game. We lose 30-20. Now we can only hope that the Packers or the Eagles also lose. We have a good number of players who were injured in the game, and we could really use the week off. Should the Packers lose, we would have the bye.

Nixon finished the game with 33 carries, 146 yards, 1 TD and 1 fumble.

stkelly52

03-28-2005, 01:59 AM

Regular season review
At the end of week 17 we are third in the NFC, meaning we will have to play this week in the wild card round. While it is frustrating because we really had a great season it is also disturbing considering that we closed out the season so poorly. As I have said before, most of my goals for this season were reached. We won 13 games, we won our division, Leland set a new record for rushing yards with 2250 and rushing TDs with 18. The big area that Leland let us down was in rushing average, were he only managed 4.09. I should also point out that Leland broke the record for rushing attempts with 550 (48 more than the previous record and 155 more than anyone else this year). Leland also had 9 fumbles this year, which isn't great, but not bad for him.

Wild Card Round
Minnesota 9-7 @ Atlanta 13-3
We are favored by four as we square off against the Vikings. The Vikes are in a tough situation as their starting QB was injured in the final game of the season and will not be available for today's game. This is good for us, but we will still have to contend with a RB who averaged 5.26 yards per carry this year. That will not be an easy feat for us. They are a little below average in run defense as well as scoring defense. Considering that they will be starting an undrafted rookie free agent at QB, I think that our chances are better than good.

The game got off to an ominous start for us. After we both missed field goals on our first possessions, Minnesota had a great drive that quickly moved the ball down to our 8 yard line for first and goal. Without a solid QB, the Vikings were largely relying on the run, and it was serving them well. From the 8 yard line, they ran one time and easily ran around the RT to put the ball in the end zone.

Trailing 7-0 we started our next drive with a first and 10 from our 15. Leland tried to run a counterplay, but the ball was knocked out of his hands. The SS scooped it up and sprinted 15 yards to the end zone. It was only the first quarter and we were down 14-0. This was not good, especially considering how we ended the year.

When we couldn't do anything with our next drive I began to grow very worried. But our defense stepped up and forced a 3 and out. In response we went to the air. We really do have a good passing game, even though we don't often use it. On this drive that paid off as all but 18 yards of the drive came on passes. We capped the drive off with a reverse that scored from 3 yards out. We now just trailed by 7.

Minnesota had some success moving the ball on their next drive, but the drive stalled just inside our 40. It was to far to kick the field goal, and facing 4th and 10 it was too far to go for it. They instead punted, and the corner kick failed. We took over at the 20

On our next drive Leland ran very well, but a penalty killed it. We were forced to punt the ball back. But that was OK as the Vikings gave us the ball back on the very next play courtesy of an interception by our SS. We took over at their 29 yard line. We tired to go back to the air again, but we failed miserable, and settled for the long field goal to cut our deficit to 4.

Time was closing in the half, so the Vikings just ran out the clock. We went into half time trailing 10-14.

To start off the second half we gave the ball to Leland and let him and our offensive line do its things. During the course of the drive we had one play that was not a first down play. Leland had carries of 11, 13, and 41, yards before he capped it all off with a 4 yard TD run. The one play were we didn't get a first down was the play when we tried to give the ball to someone else. We took the lead 17-14, and we could feel that momentum was truly swinging in our favor.

We traded punts for the rest of the third quarter. We were usually picking up on or two first downs, mostly thanks to Nixon, but we just never seemed to get anything sustained. This carried well into the fourth quarter as well. We had the lead, but it was just 3 points and we knew that another TD would just about seal the game. That is exactly what we got. We used a good number of short passes to move the ball in the drive, but the bulk of the yardage in today's game came from Leland Nixon. He scored his second TD of the game with a 4 yard dive, which gave us a 24-14 lead with 2:56 left to play. Two plays later the game was iced when our safety picked off his second pass of the day. We let Leland carry the ball several times to eat all of Minnesota's timeouts, and most of the clock before tacking on an additional field goal. And thus the final score of 27-14.

Leland had a spectacular day, picking up 205 yards, 2 TDs and the MVP award. Two big interceptions by my FS helped out in a big way as well. This was exactly the kind of game that we like to see in our first round of the playoffs. No new injuries and just a great team effort led us to a 27-10 win.

stkelly52

03-30-2005, 12:22 AM

Conference Semifinal
Atlanta 14-3 @ Philadelphia 14-2
From here on it will be a rough road to the Super Bowl. There is only one team left in the playoffs with a worse record than we have. The Eagles are in good health, so we will not get any help that way. We will just have to out play them. Philly is led by a solid QB who has been having another good season. They also have a great WR, who has helped their QB look better. We will have to double team him throughout the game to try to slow down their pass attack. But we cannot forget about one of the league's top running back this year. He is averaging 5.53 yards per carry.

Our defense will have to play very well, because we cannot count on our offence scoring a lot of points. The Eagles only give up 16 points per game. That is second best in the league. The only team that has allowed fewer points is us. This could be a very close, low scoring game.

We got the ball to start the game.
We used a fairly even mix of passes and Nixon runs to move the ball form the 17 yard line to move the ball all the way down to the Philadelphia 2 yard line. On second and goal from the one Leland ran around the left end and waltzed into the end zone. But the celebration was short lived. A holding penalty on the play erased the points off of the board. Two false starts on the next snaps moved us 10 yards further back. Then a huge sack sent us all the way back to the 34 yard line. It was 3rd and goal from the 34. We managed to pick up 11 yards which allowed us to at least put 3 points on the board, but it was still disappointing after having been so close.

Philly went 3 and out and gave us the ball at our 45 yard line. We handed the ball to Leland four times and he picked up good yardage on each play. This got us to their 25 yard line as the first quarter came to a close. On the first play of the second quarter, QB Glenn threw a perfect strike into the end zone to give us a 10-0 lead.

We had great coverage on the kickoff, forcing the eagles to start from the 14 yard line. They tried to go to the air, but my safety (the same one who had 2 interceptions last week) picked off the pass at the 22. Two Nixon carries brought the ball to the 9 yard line for first and goal. On first down Leland ran inside the right guard and picked up 3 yards, but as he was hit the ball popped out. A pile of Philadelphia defenders piled on the ball. But somehow my rookie FB was able to come up with the ball. I don't know if he had the ball when he went into the pile, but he had it when the pile was cleared. On second down we again gave the ball to Nixon, and he was able to get the ball to the 2 yard line. We tried one more time from the 2 yard line, but Leland was stuffed right at the line. We had to settle for a field goal. It was a good way into the second quarter and we were leading 13-0.

Philly knew that they had to get some points on the board or they would be in trouble. They went to the air three times for gains of 35, 19 and 14 yards. The last one was into the end zone to cut our lead to just 6, 13-7.

We did nothing on our next drive, and punted away to them. Philly had a chance and they were able to move the ball very well until they got into the red zone. Once they were inside the 20 our defense was finally able to stop them, but Philly was able to add 3 more points to their score. It was now 13-10. Our lead was fading and we had lost our momentum. The half was in it's closing minutes. We worked the 2 minute drill fairly well, moving the ball to the 8 yard line in 7 plays. It was a good drive, but we were out of timeouts and time was closing quickly. We had to make sure that we at least got some points, so we kicked the field goal with under 10 seconds left in the half. The score was now 16-10.

We had a lead, but three times in the game we had had a first and goal and had to settle for a field goal. Had we been able to put the ball in the end zone one or two of those times, we would have been in a much better situation.

Philadelphia started out the second half by moving the ball very well, particularly when they were facing 3rd down. Three times they faced third and long and were able to pick up the required yards. It looked like nothing would be able to stop the Eagles' drive, but a big hit on first down at the 16 yard line jarred the ball loose. We recovered the loose ball ending the Eagles' threat. Or at lease it ended it for a moment. Three plays later the Eagles picked one of our passes off and returned it to the 11 yard line. Three plays later they were doing a TD celebration. We had lost our lead, 17-16.

Our kick return was a convoluted play. We returned the ball to the 31 yard line, fumbled it, and then recovered the ball advancing it 15 more yards. The net result was that we were starting our drive at our 46. On first down, we gave the ball to Nixon who ran around the right end for 45 yards to give us first and goal from the 9. We gave it to Leland again on the next two plays, getting the ball down to the 2 yard line again, but our 3rd down pass was dropped. Again we had to settle for three points. But we had retaken the lead. 19-17

The Eagles responded with a long slow drive that put the ball inside our 30. But a sack on 3rd and 3 pushed them back to the 36 yard line. They tried for the 53 yard field goal, but they missed short of the cross bar.

The game went into the fourth quarter with us clinging to a slight lead.

Another penalty killed our drive and forced us to punt, but at least we pinned them inside the 5 yard line. That would have been really good had we just been able to force a stop. The Eagles drove 95 yards on 15 plays to take a 24-19 lead. This left us with just under 6 minutes to try to score a TD to win the game. A field goal would not help us out, we needed a TD. We mostly put the game in the arm of Glenn at this point, we didn't have time to be running the ball much. But Leland did have a couple of big runs during the drive. The drive was 15 plays long and took 5 minutes off of the clock. On third and goal we went to the air to try to retake our lead. The pass was caught in the back of the end zone. That tied the score and the PAT gave us a 25-24 lead with just 55 seconds left in the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, everything fell apart as the Eagles were able to return the ball 58 yards. But the flag gave new hope. Holding on the return wiped out the return and put the ball on the 19 yard line. The eagles now had 40 seconds to get into field goal range, but they still had all three timeouts. On first down they threw for 20 yards to get the ball to their 39 yard line. An 18 yard pass moved it to our 43 yard line. The crowd went wild and my heart sunk as a 16 yard pass was completed at the 27 yard line. Philly used their last time out before lining up for the 44 yard attempt. The snap, the hold looked good the kick was up….

Crim

03-30-2005, 08:14 PM

Surely you're not doing this again!!!

?

stkelly52

03-31-2005, 01:00 AM

Surely you're not doing this again!!!

?
When it comes down to a field goal in the closing seconds, how can I not?

stkelly52

03-31-2005, 01:00 AM

Right down the middle. We lose 27-25. Our season is over. What a frustrating way to lose the game especially considering how many first and goals went without TDs.

Leland finished the game with decent stats, 156 yards on 32 carries, but Leland's greatest strength is his ability to find the end zone in short yardage situations. Today he could not do that. Eight times he carried the ball inside the 5 yard line and he could not get the ball in the end zone once. When you lose a game by 2 you can't help but think that had be been able to punch it in once we would have come away with the victory. But alas it was not to be.

stkelly52

04-01-2005, 12:26 AM

Season Conclusion.

For the fourth consecutive year the Jacksonville Jaguars make it to the Super Bowl. Unlike last year where their kicker was missed all of his field goal attempts, this year the same kicker made all five of his attempts, including the game winner in late if the fourth quarter. Jacksonville has now won 3 of the last four Super Bowls.

Season Awards
Five players are named to the All-Pro team. Center Courtney Falk, OT Jerry Blanchard and DT Thurman Sharpton are all named to the first team. Guard Sammy Delgado is named to the second team, as is Leland Nixon. And, for the first time in his career, Leland Nixon is named League MVP.

It is hard to come away from this season thinking of it as a failure. In many ways it was the best season under my watch. But the reality is that we failed to reach our goals. Perhaps I just set the goals to high. Perhaps I just expected too much out of the Leland. In the end it does not matter. I still feel defeated. But the beauty of it is that I do not have to dwell on this season for long. I can click on the "end Season" button and get to work on another year.

One more note on our season, for the first time in 19 years, this team has earned a profit. We pull in just short of $3.5 million.

stkelly52

04-02-2005, 01:00 AM

2030

This will be a season of major upheaval. It was one thing to shake up our staff like we did last year, but this year we have 9 starters who all will be free agents. Cap wise we would be fine to bring most of them back, but my owner is still worried about returning to the days of consistently losing $50 million. We must be careful with how we spend the money, which means most of these guys will be gone. Perhaps the player that we will miss the most will be QB Toby Glenn. In his three seasons with us he has really had a knack of pulling us through when we couldn't count on Nixon. I would love to keep him around, but he will be a bit on the pricy side. I drafted a replacement for him last season, so I hope that he is ready to step in an get things done for us this year.

For my franchise tag, I decide to keep around my DT. Tito Marroso. I drafted this guy in the fourth round 5 seasons ago. Now he is one of the better DTs in the game. It will be a little pricy for me to keep him, but I do think that I can pull it off.

stkelly52

04-04-2005, 12:05 AM

Free agency
Among the FAs that I lose this season is my LT Casey Shea. This is the guy that I franchised last season. Because there was no suitable replacement for him in free agency or the draft I wound up just paying him franchise pay. This year I am allowing him to go look at other offers. I instead will look in other directions for my line. I have my eyes on Mo Newton. He is a bit on the older side, but I still think that he can be a very reliable starter and would be a step up from Shea. Of course, it would cost us, meaning he would likely be the only major FA that I would pursue this year.

We were thrilled when we Mo announced that he had selected Atlanta to be his new home. It will cost us nearly $34 million, but we do believe that he will be worth it. We also add a few other minor free agents here and there, mostly resigning our own players. None of them are big name players, and none of them command big paychecks. Just one, a TE, will likely be a starter this year.

We make our way through a rather uneventful draft and training camp. I head into the preseason not knowing what to think about this team. Overall, we are a rather solid lot. I have very good starters at most of my positions, and I think that I should be in decent shape. However, my starting QB has only thrown 13 passes in his 4 year career, and he has thrown none in the last 4 seasons. I am not sure how well he will fair now that he is our field general.

Goals
We had a great year last season, but we have taken a step backwards this year. This is a rebuilding season. Our QB has some potential, and I think that he can lead us to a Super Bowl, but I don't think that he is there yet. This year should be able to give him that experience under his belt that will guide us in the years to come. But that will hurt us for this year. Frankly, I would be happy with 9 wins and a trip to the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. I find it hard to bring myself to honestly believe that we can do much better.

For Leland I continue to expect great things from him. Our line is as strong as it has ever been. Not only did we get a step up at LT, but our 3rd year backup guard had a breakout camp and he is now ready to fill in should we need him to cover for any injuries. The only think that could hold Leland back is that I think that he will get less carries this year because we will trail more often and will need him less to run out the clock. Nevertheless, I want to see Nixon run for 2000 yards once again, and I would like to see him again top 15 TDs all while maintaining a 4.0 yard average.

stkelly52

04-06-2005, 01:31 AM

Preseason,
We are all set for our first preseason game. Mostly we want to see how well our team works together, and how well some of our backup linemen fair trying to block for Nixon. They don't do a good enough job, and less than 5 minutes into the game Leland is injured. His clavicle is broken and Leland will not be seeing any further action during the preseason. We are hopeful that he will be able to return for the regular season opener. We make it through the preseason with a 1-3 record.

Week 1
Carolina @ Atlanta
Leland is not 100%, but we are going to let him start. He will see rather limited action though as we do not want him to reaggravate that injury.
We let Nixon take about half of our carries and he does a serviceable job. In 24 carries he picks up 93 yards and 1 TD. Not a great day by any stretch of the imagination, but he didn't aggravate his injury any. But I digress. Our Defense stepped up big time today. We shut out the Panthers while scoring 20 points. If our defense is able to play this way then I think we will have a better season than I had hoped.

Week 2
Atlanta 1-0 @ Cleveland 0-1
Leland is still not 100%, but he is close and will return to full duty today.
We put up a valiant effort, refusing to give up no matter how hopeless the situation appeared. Late in the fourth quarter we overcame a 15 point deficit to tie the game with 2 minutes left to play. The Browns responded with a 1:59 drive that ended with a field goal. We lose 24-17. Leland had another subpar day, running for just 91 yards in 24 carries, and he was held out of the end zone. Leland's two fumbles really did not help out matters at all for us.

We are also not helped by a few injuries to our starters. Our LT and Center are both out, and our stud DT will also miss a few weeks.

Crim

04-11-2005, 12:00 AM

*ping*

Crim

stkelly52

04-12-2005, 09:48 AM

Sorry that it has been a while without a post. I have been sick. Tonight there will be an update.

Crim

04-12-2005, 04:54 PM

No problem, we understand, take all the time you need. Your health is paramount, of course.

grumble grumble slacker grumble grrr grumble

Crim the imPatient

stkelly52

04-12-2005, 10:59 PM

Week 3
Atlanta 1-1 @ Green Bay 1-1
Last year the Packers were one of the top teams in the league. They are certain to be another tough match for us this season. At least Leland is back to 100%, so I expect great things from him.

We started the game strong, but the Pack's QB, Michael Jordan, lit us up in the second half. We gave up 27 unanswered points and lost the game 15-30.
Nixon did well for himself, running for 136 yards and a TD in 30 carries. And this is with two starters out on the line. If he can keep this up we should be able to bounce back from this loss. Of course Nixon did have another fumble, and those never help our cause.

Week 4
Atlanta 1-2 @ Philadelphia 1-4
We have struggled the last two weeks, losing in heartbreaking fashion both times. We need to win this game or I fear that the dam will break and we will lose all confidence and hope.
Most of the first half was two solid defenses refusing to give up much ground to each other. Our longest drive was a 6 play 16 yard drive. The Eagles were able to move the ball easily enough, we just kept taking the ball away from then after long drives. Two turnovers and a missed field goal kept the score knotted up until the closing moments of the first half. That is when our offence finally got into gear. We used 8 plays to move the ball 59 yards for the first score of the game. The TD came on a Nixon 3 yard dive. The second half started of much the same way with another turnover, which we turned into another TD.

Our defense failed a bit in the final quarter, but we held on to win this game 17-12. Leland had another decent afternoon. He picked up 122 yards and a TD on 30 carries. His lack of fumbles was also crucial in this close game. Key to this win was our defense who forced 4 turnovers in the game.

We suffered a few more minor injuries to starters, but I am hoping that they can tough it out.

1/4 season review
We are a fourth of the way through the year and I am really not too surprised at where we are. I think that we are about a .500 club, and that is right where we are at. Injuries are taking their toll on my line, and that hurts Leland's ability to run with the ball. And yet, he has climbed to second in the League with 442 yards rushing. He has 3 TDs and is averaging 4.09 yards per carry.
While we do not throw the ball particularly often, when we do go to the air we have been surprisingly effective. We have also been one of the top teams in third down conversions.
Our defense is solid, though not outstanding. We are fifth in scoring D, and we do quite well against the run, and decently defending the pass.

stkelly52

04-13-2005, 11:55 PM

Week 5
Washington 3-1 @ Atlanta 2-2
Washington is doing surprisingly well this year. They really do not have a great team but so far they have been winning.
We took an early lead in the game and from then on our strategy was to have Leland run out the clock. We gave him the ball 39 times. He did not wind up with a good average, but he did pick up a lot of yards, 148 to be exact. While Nixon was held out of the end zone, he did what needed to be done for us to take the win, 23-21. Were it not for poor place kicking the lead would have been more secure, but a win is a win. I should note that Nixon had a fumble, but we recovered the ball.

Week 6
Tampa 0-5 @ Atlanta 3-2
We may be having an off season this year, but Tampa has fallen off the face of the earth. Tampa is our most hated rival, and for the last four years we have split the season series with them. I desire to see that change this year.
This was about as easy of a game as we could hope for. We jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half, and then just coasted to a 30-12 win. Leland had a solid game, in spite of the fact that he fumbled the ball yet again. He finished the game with 32 carries for 128 yards and 1 TD, as well as two catches for 23 yards and another TD.

Week 7
Atlanta 4-2 @ Carolina 1-5
This is another game that we should win. At the bottom of our division is a couple of the worst teams in organized sports, and this is good for our post season hopes.
How do you stop Atlanta? Stop Leland Nixon. It is as easy as that. It does not matter how bad your team is, if they can find a way to neutralize Nixon, the game is as good as won. The Panthers were able to do just that today. It was close though. With under three minutes left in the game Nixon scored from 2 yards out, making the score 12-14. We had to go for two, but Nixon was stopped short of the goal line. And that was the final score.
Leland averaged just 3 yards per carry, picking up a mere 88 yards in 29 carries, but at least he didn't fumble.
To make matters worse, another member of our O line is down with an injury. It will be 5 weeks before he is 100%.

stkelly52

04-17-2005, 12:53 AM

Week 8
BYE
We can use the break. With a few key players down, this gives us a chance to get healthy, or at least not get any worse.

Week 9
Atlanta 4-3 @ Dallas 4-4
Two weeks ago, Dallas gave the Jets their first win of the season. Last week they were the first team to beat the Saints. Which team will show up this week? Nobody knows. They are a very average team. If they have a weakness it is defending the pass, but we will not likely be able to exploit this.

We win this game relatively easily, largely thanks to great Defense. Nixon ran for 121 yards, but he only averaged 3 yards per carry and was held out of the end zone. To make matters worse, another lineman was hurt. Next week 4 of our 5 starting linemen will be playing through the pain of injuries. Final 17-3.

Mid Season review.
Sitting at 5-3 we are in solid contention for the wild card spot in the playoffs. We will have trouble winning the division this year as the Jonesboro Saints have gone from being one of the worst teams in the League to being one of the best. We are two games behind them, however we still have to play them twice. If we can sweep the season series then we are in the drivers seat. But then again, they just might sweep us.

Leland is clearly having a down year. Yes he is leading the league in rushing yards with 927, but his average of just 3.79 is the lowest he has had in years. Also, Leland is well known for his ability to find the end zone. While 5 TDs isn't bad for a RB at this point in the year it is well below his 15+ average. At this rate, Leland will not reach any of his preseason goals (2000 yards, 15 TD and a 4.0 average).

stkelly52

04-19-2005, 12:55 AM

Week 10
New York 4-4 @ Atlanta 5-3
The Giants have a very good QB and a solid RB, and that is it. This is a team that is in serious cap trouble and is paying for it by not being able to field a decent team. But their QB has been playing well enough to keep them in most of their games and has made this team a team that you must be wary of.\

Our QB had about as bad of a day as you can have without throwing an INT. 4 of 23 for 32 yards. Just 32 yards passing in the whole game! With our passing game shut down we turned to Leland and he was able to shoulder the load for us. He carried 45 times for 178 yards, but he was held out of the end zone. Nixon did fumble once, but we were able to recover, averting any damage. In the end our defense held strong again leading us to a close 13-7 victory.

Week 11
Atlanta 6-3 @ Jonesboro Saints 8-1
We are taking on the top team in the NFL, and not many people are giving us much hope. But we believe that, even though the Saints have a stellar QB and the best defense in the league, we can beat them. After all, we have won the last 9 meetings between our two teams.

For the first time in a long time, Leland Nixon was quite effective running the ball. He finished the game with a 4.3 yard average and 2 TDs (his first multi TD game in the last 17 games). Unfortunately we could not contain the Saints for four full quarters. We were looking like we were in complete control of the game until the final 6:39. Leading the game 21-10 we punted on fourth down and 5, that punt was returned 63 yards for a TD, making it 17-21. Then on our next drive, on first down, instead of going to a reliable and solid Leland Nixon, we threw the ball, and it was picked off and returned 38 yards for another TD to give them a 24-21 lead. In less than 30 seconds we went from having a good grasp on the game to trailing by 4. Three minutes later the Saints scored another TD. We responded with a TD with just 1:00 left on the clock, and the 2 point conversion made it a 3 point game. When we recovered the onside kick I thought we might just pull this one out, but we threw a pick on first down again, and the game was over, 32-29. At least there were no new injuries and next week our line with be 100%.

Career Milestone
Today, Leland surpassed Willie Vernon to become the 10th leading rusher in NFL history with 12092 yards.

stkelly52

04-20-2005, 12:40 AM

Week 12
Atlanta 6-4 @ Pittsburgh 5-4-1
For some reason the Stealers are 6 point favorites. Sure we are on the road, but we have trouble accepting that we can be 6 point underdogs. The Stealers are led by a QB who should be considered one of the best in the league, but his stats do not match his red bars. After 8 seasons, he has become a slightly better than average QB.
Leland has another solid showing, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, but for the second week in a row, we choose to give him the ball less. Instead we went more to the air than I would like and 3 picks really hurt us. Nevertheless, we were still in the game right up until we could not convert a 4th and 10 from the 45 yard line in the final minute of regulation. We fall 24-21.

Career Milestone
Leland is well known for finding that way to fight his way into the end zone from one yard out. So it was fitting today that it was on a 1 yard dive over the pile that Leland became just the 2nd player in NFL history to score 100 career TDs. It took Leland less than 7 years to reach this milestone; the other player who did this took 11 years to achieve the same results.

Week 13
San Francisco 4-7 @ Atlanta 6-5
After losing two weeks in a row we know that we need to change our fortune. At 6-5 we are tied for the final playoff spot, and we can't afford to let this slip away from us. The 49ers are a team that we should be able to beat. They are particularly week against the run, so I am hoping that Nixon can continue to pick up good yardage.

For the third week in a row, Leland Nixon is able to average over 4 yards per carry. Once again, Leland does the majority of the work for us, as he was given the ball 43 times. He finished the game with 188 yards, 1 TD and the MVP award. His great play helped spark us for two fourth quarter TDs. This gave us the 20-10 victory.

3/4 season review
With just four games left, there is basically no hope that we can win the NFC South. The Saints are sitting at 10-2 and it is highly unlikely that we will be able to catch them. With a 7-5 record we are in good shape for holding the final wild card spot. We have a one game lead on Seattle, Arizona, Dallas and Chicago, and with a 7-3 record in the NFC, we hold the tiebreaker over all of them. We are currently 20th in the league in scoring, but our defense has been doing a great job and has made us the #3 team in points allowed.

As for Leland Nixon, thanks to great games in the last three weeks, he is back on track to reach his preseason goals. He has 1524 yards rushing (which is 200 yards more than anyone in the league), and he has a 4.03 yard average. Nixon has scored 9 TDs, which means that reaching the preseason goal of 15 is going to be very difficult, but it is possible. Now on the down side, Leland has 9 fumbles this year. That is as many as he had all season. If he fumbles 4 more times then it will match his career high in fumbles.

stkelly52

04-23-2005, 12:10 AM

Week 14
Cincinnati 5-6-1 @ Atlanta 7-5
Cincinnati started out the year doing great. They were 5-1 until they lost their starting QB for the year. It was a devastating loss that the Bengals have just not been able to recover from.
Something happened to our offence today, maybe it was something in the food that we ate the day before, but it killed us today. Nixon fumbled the ball 2 times, and our QB threw 5 interceptions. For some reason we abandoned our typical offence and went to the air 45 times, only completing 10 passes. When Leland held onto the ball, he did well averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and he scored once from 6 yards out. But when you have 7 turnovers, there is no way to win. The final score was 24-13. To make matters worse, 5 starters are injured in the game. They will all play next week, but they will not be 100%.

Week 15
Atlanta 7-6 @ Tampa Bay 4-9
Things have not been going our way lately. We have lost 3 of our last 4 games, in spite of decent games by Nixon. The odds makers are not putting much faith in our ability to turn things around as we are underdogs to the lowly Bucs. We do have to take Tampa seriously. They have suddenly turned things around and have now won three of their last four games. There is not much hope that they can reach the playoffs, but they would find some measure of success if they were able to defeat their biggest rivals…us.

We had absolutely no run defense in today. We give up 242 yards rushing. We fell behind quickly and we could never recover. Nixon did average 4 yards a carry, but he didn't have many attempts, and finished the game with just 72 yards and no TDs. Of course another fumble didn't help our cause at all as we are embarrassed 31-10. With the loss we are now one game behind the Bears and the Seahawks for the final playoff spot. We are going to need to turn things around if we are going to have any hope of seeing the playoffs this year.

stkelly52

04-25-2005, 12:23 AM

Week 16
Baltimore 8-6 @ Atlanta 7-7
If Nixon is going to run for 2000 yards this year he is going to need to average 160 yards for the final two games of the year. That is not unheard of, but it will not be easy. But if there is a team that we should be able to run against, it is the Ravens. No other team in the league gives up more yards per carry than does Baltimore. Baltimore does not pick up many yards either running the ball or passing the ball. They are also in the bottom half in passing. And yet if the season were to end today they would be in the playoffs. Why have they been winning? Turnovers. They have been on the receiving end of 30 turnovers while only giving up 5 this year. That has been what has kept them in games and it is something that we need to concern ourselves with. Leland has been having trouble holding the ball lately, and our QB has a knack for throwing the ball to the wrong team.

We were facing a must win situation, and Leland Nixon came through in the pinch. 41 carries for 180 yards and 2 TD helped us secure a 24-13 victory. And facing the team that forces more fumbles than any other, Nixon made sure that he kept a firm grip on the ball. To top it all off, our defense recovered two fumbles, against the team that had yet to fumble the ball this year.

Now for the bad news. Our starting RG has a torn lateral knee ligament, and is done for the season. Sammy Delgado has been an All-Pro each of the last 5 seasons, and losing him is devastating to our hopes. In addition, we lose our starting TE for the rest of the year as well.

Week 17
Jonesboro Saints 12-3 @ Atlanta 8-7
We come into the final week of the regular season, and things do not look good for us. Leland needs 140 yards to reach 2000. Again, this will not be easy, but it is doable. It would take a very poor performance to have him drop below 4 yards per carry. And for his final goal of 15 TDs, well he would need 3. It is not unheard of, and in fact he did it twice last season, but I wouldn't count on it. As for my team goal, 9 wins and a wild card birth, it is possible, but I will need a lot of help. Both Chicago and Seattle would need to lose (though they are both playing tough opponents), and then I think that I have the tiebreaker, based on Conference record. But I would have to beat the team with the best record in the NFL, the Jonesboro Saints.

This was a spectacular game. Leland ran very well picking up 126 yards and a TD on 31 carries. When we weren't running, our QB was throwing perfect strikes. Meanwhile the Saints' offence was clicking on all cylinders as well. Throughout the game we continued to switch who had the lead. Early in the fourth quarter the Saints kicked a field goal to tie the game. We answered back with a very long drive that ended in a field goal of our own to take the lead. The Saints then could not get their 54 yard field goal attempt to pass through the uprights, and we took the victory. Leland was named MVP, it was not 160 yards or 3 TDs, but the win was more important. Now if only Chicago and Seattle can lose.

stkelly52

04-27-2005, 12:26 AM

We watch in disgust and disappointment as the Bears upset the Packers, and the Seahawks crush the Rams. Our season is officially over. It is interesting that going into the final week the Bears were leading in the Wildcard race, but with Seattle's win, they moved into first in the NFC West, while the Rams took over the Wild Card slot, leaving Chicago out of the playoffs in spite of a great closing to the season. There are many who wonder if anyone would have been able to beat this team. We will never know.

As for us, we do not make the post season for the first time since I took over the team, and it is the first time in 15 years that a team led by me has failed to make the playoffs. I knew that this would be a rebuilding year, but I still thought that we would reach the playoffs. Things will have to change between now and next season.

Leland finished the year with 487 attempts for 1986 yards and 13 TDs, all of which led the league. He also had 8 catches for 70 yards and a TD. He had the dubious distinction of being second in the league in fumbles with 12.

For those of you who are interested; Jacksonville, in spite of losing 8 games this season, stepped it up in the post season and reached the Super Bowl for the fifth consecutive year. Once there, they crushed the 15-3 Washington Redskins 30-13. This means that they have won 4 of the past 5 Super Bowls. I have never seen a computer run team come even close to this kind of dominance for so long. I am in awe.

Two of my linemen are named to the 2nd team all pro, Sammy Delgado (for the 6th consecutive year) and Jerry Blanchard (for the 4th consecutive year), as well as my DT Tito Marroso.

stkelly52

05-01-2005, 12:27 AM

2031
As we head into another season, I think that we are going to be in a better situation than we were last year. We lose two starters on defense to retirement, and four other starters are free agents. One of those free agents is my superstar RT Jerry Blanchard. He is widely considered to be the best tackle in the NFL. There is no way that we can afford to let him go, so we slap the franchise tag on Jerry. We are going to have to negotiate a long term deal with him before the year starts, but for the time being, we cannot afford to let any of our key linemen go. Other than Jerry, none of the players were stars, and I don't think that it will be a very big loss.

I make it through free agency with out any major news. I made an effort to pick up a few new starters, but I was not able to make any significant new signings. I wind up resigning two of my former starter who tried to test the free agent market.
The draft is one of my best ever. While I don't pick up anyone who looks to be a superstar, I do have some breakout players. Of the 7 players that I drafted, 5 look like they will develop into decent starters in the next couple of years. In the final free agency period I pick up a new QB to lead my team. I am reunited with the greatest QB in league history, Moe Swift. Swift is the QB who led my former team to the Super Bowl. He has thrown for over 60,000 yards and 441 TDs. He 95.7 career QB rating is the best in the game. While his ratings have declined over the years, his stats have not. Last year he threw for 4200 yards and 25 TD with a QB rating of 101.9. He is a big step up for us in the QB position and I think that this will be the final piece that will return us to the playoffs.

In the preseason I go 3-1, mostly using backups. As we prepare for our first game of the season, I trim down our roster to just 53 players. Mostly I let go of a few projects that I had hoped might blossom over the years. They don't work out and they are sent packing. Leland decided to end his holdout and has returned to camp.

As I head into the regular season I have much more confidence than I had last year. I have not made many changes, but I really don’t think that I needed a lot to make this team into one of the better teams in the league. The addition of Gearhart, as well as another year of maturing for some of my key players should be worth at least another win, if not two.

So my goals for the year:
Win 10 games and reach the post season
Have Leland Nixon run for 2000 yards and 15 TDs
Have Nixon average 4 yards per carry.

I think that all of these should be very attainable. The one big question to me is Nixon's rushing average. His average has declined each of the past 3 years, and only once in his career has he run for more yards than he did the previous season. Nevertheless, I believe.

stkelly52

05-04-2005, 01:09 AM

Week 1
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
We start off the season with our arch rivals coming into town. Had we beaten them late last year we would have been the in the playoffs. Now it is time for us to exact our revenge.

It was a rather poor start to the season for us. After jumping out to a 13-0 lead, our defense collapsed and gave up 3 unanswered TDs, two in the final 10 minutes. Leland started of the year on a down note, only averaging 3.6 yards per carry, picking up 95 yards and no TDs. One very disheartening stat: we forced 7 fumbles, but we were unable to recover any of them. You would think that we could get one of those, it might have made all the difference, but we start out the year with a 21-13 loss. Injuries mount a we are faced with losing a Safety, and TE for the year. We also have a few other minor injuries. If the season continues in this vain, we will be in trouble.

Week 2
Atlanta 0-1 @ Houston 1-0
Houston is quite healthy, with only one starter out for the game. They look to be susceptible against the run, so I am hopeful that Nixon will bounce back for his poor game last week. By all accounts our defense should be able to shut them down, as they do not look to have a strong offence.

When I check the box scores, the first thing that I look at is the total rushing yards. When I saw that we had 189 rushing yards I was thinking that Nixon must have come through for us. I was wrong. In spite of having 38 carries, Nixon had just 91 yards rushing. That is an average of just 2.3 yards per carry. Leland did score our only TD of the day, so it was not a total wasted day for him. Our two fullbacks came through where Nixon did not and they picked up the big yards that we needed to win the game. In addition our defense played stellar. We gave up just 152 yards, and only 5 first downs all game long. The only reason why the Texans got on the scoreboard at all was because they were able to return a kickoff. This was just a great day for our defense.

On the injury front, things look bleak. Mo Newton, our all pro LT is tore up his ACL. He will need surgery and is out for the season, and he may be done for his career.

stkelly52

05-05-2005, 12:02 AM

Week 3.
Green Bay 2-0 @ Atlanta 1-1
Green Bay looks to be a solid team. They have a great QB in Michael Jordan, who has consistently had a 90+ QB rating since he came to the Packers. He will truly test my defense that played so well last week. The Packers have a well balanced defense, playing well against both the run and the pass. This is a team that should be in the post season this year.

Leland finally had that game that he was looking for. Let's hope that this is just the beginning of many more yet to come this year. Leland ran for 167 yards and a TD in 38 carries as we crushed the Packers 27-3. This time both our offence and defense came through for us. We held the shut out until the closing minutes of the game when Atlanta was finally able to get a drive of longer than 5 plays. But the token field goal against our second team defense did little to dishearten us. We win this one 27-3. Nixon did fumble for the first time this year, but we recovered the ball. No harm done.

Week 4
Seattle 2-1 @ Atlanta 2-1
The Seahawks are led by a solid QB/RB tandem. If you try to focus on stopping the pass they will kill you with the run. If you try to stop the run the will burn you through the air. The one weakness they have is run defense, so I am trusting that Leland will be able to exploit this for us.

With the exception of one man, no one in league history has ever had more then 45 carries in a game. Today, Leland did just that for the fourth time in his career, with 51 carries. Once we got out to a decent lead we were content to let Nixon run the ball and kill the clock. He finished the game with his fourth highest rushing total of his career, 220 yards. The odd thing is that he was unable to score during the game. Each time that we got close to the end zone, we ran play action passes for the score. But the most important thing is the score. We hold off a late fourth quarter comeback attempt to win 27-17.

1/4 season review
With 25% of the season past, things are looking well for the team. We are tied with Atlanta for the division crown. We are 12th in scoring, 16th in rushing average, and 13th in passing average. We are incredible at third down conversions, leading the league with 56.6%. We have given up 5 turnovers, which is 16th. But the real strength of our team has been our defense. We have the top defense against the run, and we are in the top 5 against the pass. We lead the league on 3rd down, only allowing conversions 29.2% of the time. And we lead in points allowed, with 12.0. If our defense can keep this up, there may be no stopping us.

As for Leland, he is struggling with his average. He only has 3.74 yards per carry, and he only has two TDs. He will really need to pick up the pace to reach his preseason goals. He does lead the NFL in rushing yards with 573, well on pace to reach 2000 yards again.

stkelly52

05-07-2005, 01:27 AM

Week 5
BYE
I use the week off to rest up and heal a few of my injured players. This is a good time for us to have a break. We use it well and we are in a much better situation as far as injuries.

Week 6
Atlanta 3-1 @ Arizona 4-1
We head into a surprisingly cool Arizona, to take on a solid team. Arizona has been able to win their 3 of their four games by scores of three points or less. They just seem to know how pull out victories in the end.

Arizona's has a knack for winning close games, so we make sure that this isn't a close game. Our defense steps up and completely eliminates the Cardinals' offence. We record a shutout while our offence puts up a comfortable 23 points. Leland was again held under 4 yards per carry, and out of the end zone. He finished the game with 126 yards and 34 carries.

Week 7
Carolina 3-3 @ Atlanta 4-1
Carolina has an undrafted rookie as their starting QB. While he has led the team to three victories, those have been in spite of him, rather than because of him. With our great defense, there is no reason why we should not completely shut down this Panther offence. All we need is a little offence to just put a few points on the board. That should not be too hard either as they have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.

Facing a defense like the Panthers' we felt our best bet was to run the ball until the proved that they could stop Leland. They never did.
Nixon finished the game with 40 carries, 185 yards, 1 TD, and the MVP award. As I predicted our defense was able to completely neutralize Carolina. We gave up a late TD when the game was already decided, but otherwise we were flawless. Final score, 24-7.

Now for the bad news: three more players were hurt in the contest. While these are not long term injuries, they are not good. We now have 12 players who are hurt. Unfortunately, we don't get another week off this season. This will not affect any of my starters. I am not confident enough with any of their backups to turn to them, so I will take the risk and press on.

stkelly52

05-08-2005, 12:41 AM

Week 8
Atlanta 5-1 @ San Francisco 6-1
Last week we had to face off against a cupcake of a team. We will not have that luxury this week. No one has scored as many points as have the 49ers this year. One of the big keys is the fact that have more takeaways and less giveaways than any other team. Even though Leland has only had one fumble this year, this is still a concern. They also have a great passing attack that will surly test my secondary. On defense, San Francisco holds strong against the run, so it may be difficult for Leland to average 4 yards.

The 'Niners may be the highest scoring team in the League, but we have the stingiest defense, and they held strong again. We gave up just two field goals, while scoring three TDs on offence. Nixon was again the MVP with 134 yards and 2 TDs on 35 carries. The average is a bit low, but he came through in the clutch, particularly on 3rd down, with several big conversions. Also, Leland was able to avoid any fumbles again this year, which is a feat against a team that averages to recoveries per game.

Week 9
St. Louis 1-7 @ Atlanta 6-1
When you see a team with a record of 1-7, you assume that they are a really bad team. The thing is that as I look at the players, and even the stats that the Rams have put up, they don't look like they should be this bad. At the beginning of the season, I would have thought that they had the kind of players that made for a team that could be found in the first round of the playoffs. For this reason we are not taking this game lightly. We know that this is still a good team and we do not want to give them any opportunity to topple us.

Once again, we have to give big props to our defense, who holds the Rams under 200 yards of offence, and only allows 3 points. Meanwhile our injured QB has a great day and leads us to an easy victory, 24-3. Nixon again failed to average 4 yards per carry. He did put up another 155 yards though, as well as his 6th TD of the year. That TD was a major career milestone for Leland. With that run, Leland surpasses Nicky Dexter for the most Rushing TDs in a career with 111. It was great for him to be able to break the record at home in front of all of his fans.

Mid Season review.
We are half way through the season, and we are having a great season. Our defense is incredible. Right now we are giving up an average of 8 points per game. The league's all time record was the Cincinnati Bengals of 2013 who gave up 11.4. If we can keep up this pace we would best that by over 3 points per game! On offence, we are about average. We are 13th in scoring, fifth in 3rd down conversions, 3rd in giveaways, and first in turnover margin. With a 7-1 record we are comfortably in the lead in the NFC south. Tampa is 2 games back, but we do have a crucial game against them in Florida next week. If we win that it will all but seal up the division title. We also hold the best record in the league, as the only team with just one loss.

Leland is having a solid season, though not as good as I would have liked.
His 3.85 yards average is a good amount below the 4 yards that I had hoped he would be able to attain. My goal was for him to score 15 TDs this season, but with only 6 so far, that seems unlikely. And yet, it is not too late for him to obtain both of these marks. He is will on pace to eclipse 2000 yards for the fourth time in his career. He leads the league with 1173 yards and 304 carries. That is over 100 carries more than anyone else in the league. He sure seems to be getting the ball a lot lately. One great number for Leland has been his fumbles. He has dropped the ball just one time this year. That is a great number for any QB, much less one who is known for having the dropsy's.

Now that Leland holds the record for most career TDs, the next major record that he may break would be most attempts in a career. He needs 514 more carries to reach this. Assuming Leland stays healthy, he should break this record next season.

stkelly52

05-10-2005, 12:15 AM

OK, you may have noticed that my posts have slowed down in recent weeks. I am getting ready to move and I have been very busy with packing and stuff. I have decided that I am going to take a two week break from this dynasty until I have unpacked from my move and gotten things put away a bit. But do not fret this dynasty will continue.

stkelly52

05-21-2005, 01:43 AM

Thank you for your patience. I am back and ready to fill you all in on how things are going for our valient hero.

Week 10
Atlanta 7-1 @ Tampa Bay 5-3
We face off against our arch nemesis, the Buccaneers. Tampa is struggling to stay in the playoff race. If the season were to end today, they would be the second wild card team. However, if they lose today, it is unlikely that they will be in that position. In our earlier match up this season, we suffered our only loss to Tampa. We do not desire to see that again.
Tampa is very healthy. They have quite a few players with minor bumps and bruises, but nothing that will keep any of them out of the game for any significant period of time. Tampa is led by a QB who does not put up big numbers, but he certainly knows how to win. He has a winning percentage over 66 %, and he is one of the most popular players in the league. Tampa relies heavily on the pass so we will need to stop him if we want to win this game.

Leland had a phenomenal game. In 43 carries he ran for 196 yards and a TD. While Nixon did have his first fumble in a long time, it mattered little as the Bucs were not able to do anything with it. We were walking all over Tampa through the first three quarters. The Score was 24-10 as we went into the final quarter. That is when everything fell apart. Tampa put together a solid drive and cut the lead to just 7. Four plays latter, our WR fumbled the ball and gave it to Tampa at the 30 yard line. Our defense held, but Tampa was still able to kick a field goal. On our last drive of the game we managed to eat up all but 49 seconds off of the clock. We punted away and forced Tampa to start at the 20. Four plays, three completions, including a 39 yard strike as time expired, was what the Buccaneers were able to put together in those final seconds. That 39 yard pass put the ball in the end zone and gave Tampa a 27-24 victory. This just makes me sick.

To make matters worse, our All-pro center tore up his knee. This looks like it will end Courtney Falk's career. The thing that really makes me upset about this is that he was having the best season of his career, and it has been a great career. There is much speculation that Falk may see his named added to the Hall of Fame in a few years. But that will have to wait.

Week 11
Jonesboro 3-6 @ Atlanta 7-2
The Saints were awesome last season, but it looks like that was just a one year fluke. Now they are right back where they belong, in the bottom of the heap. They have a great QB, but that is about all that they have going for them. With many injuries things are looking even worse now than they were a few weeks ago.

As I suspected, this game was not difficult for us, or for Leland. In 49 carries Nixon had 194 yards rushing and another TD. Our defense eliminated all threats that the Saints tried to mount, and when the final gun sounded we had the 30-7 on our hands. This victory came with a price though. Sammy Delgado, our 7 time all-pro guard, hurt his knee and will be out for the next few weeks. He should be back to 100% by the start of the post season.

stkelly52

05-22-2005, 12:42 AM

Week 12
Atlanta 8-2 @ Tennessee 7-3
Tennessee is trying to become the first team in 9 years, other than Jacksonville, to win the AFC South. They currently have a 1 game lead over the Jags. Much as we have this year, Tennessee wins with defense. They don't give up many points, so this should be a low scoring affair.

There were many stars in this game. While we gave up more points than I would have liked, our defense came up big when it counted. We gave up 17 points, but we forced key turnovers, two inside their 20 that we were able to turn into TDs and two inside our 20 that prevented a Titan score. Nixon was named MVP thanks to his 181 yards and 1 TD in 42 carries. We win this one 27-17.

More bad news for my offensive line. Two more guards go down with injuries. This means that 4 of my opening day starters on the line are now out for the next few weeks. I suppose that I should mention that my TE is out as well. It will be tough to patch together an effective line over the next few weeks for Leland to run behind.

Week 13
Atlanta 9-2 @ Dallas 4-7
Dallas is having a very disappointing season. After having winning seasons each of the past three years, and having one of the better QBs in the league, they were expected to contend for a playoff spot this year. Instead they are cellar dwellers, largely thanks to one of the most porous defenses in the league. They have a terrible time stopping the run, though without my crew of linemen, I may be in trouble anyway.

Even without a line to support him, Leland was able to get the job done (in spite of a few fumbles). He picked up 177 yards on 45 carries as we crushed the Cowboys 24-7. And, there were no new injuries as well. All in all it was a great week for us.

3/4 season review.
With four games still left to play, we have already attained one of my preseason goals, to win 10 games. I had no idea that things would be going this well for me this year, particularly on the defensive side of things. I do not see any realistic scenario that would keep us out of the playoff. However there is one issue that we need to be aware of. We hold just a one game lead over Tampa, and as you may recall, Tampa swept us, giving us our only two losses of the year. If we lose one more game, and Tampa continues to win, then we would find ourselves in the wild card spot instead of having the home field throughout the playoffs.

My Goals for Leland included running for 2000 yards. Leland needs just 79 more yards to do just that. In fact, Nixon has more yards rushing than the team does passing. As for my other goals for Nixon, I don't think that they are going to happen. He currently has a 3.97 yard average. It is possible that he could increase that by .03, but with my offensive line in the condition that it is, I don't know how likely that is. I also sought for him to score 15 TDs. He currently has just 9. Again it is possible for him to score 6 more in 4 games, but it is not something that I would count on. Leland is now up to 5 fumbles this season. Still far below what people thought that he would cough up, but he has fumbled in several consecutive games. I am hoping that this is not a trend that he has restarted.

I must also spend a moment talking about my defense. We are still allowing the fewest points of any team in history (thought that figure is creeping upwards). We allow an average of just 61.7 yards rushing per game (which is far and away the best in history), and we have the 5th best pass defense in the league. In addition, we have more takeaways (29) than any other team while at the same time having the fewest giveaways (15). This has been the key to our success this year.

stkelly52

05-26-2005, 01:37 AM

Week 14
Jacksonville 8-4 @ Atlanta 10-2
After starting the season 2-4 everyone thought that Jacksonville's reign of dominance was finally over. But since then they have strung together 6 consecutive wins and are now in command of the AFC south. Jacksonville has build their whole offence around the arm of the incomparable Howie Davidson. They have the #5 passing offence in the country, while at the same time, having the 31st ranked running attack. Their one sided approach has worked beautifully for them this year and our defense has its work cut out for themselves if they want to win today. On the defensive side of things, we match up really well. Jacksonville gives up 4.63 yards per carry, which is among the worst in the league. But their style of play forces other teams to have to go to the air, and when they do, the Panthers eliminate them, with some of the best pass defenders playing today.

Well Jacksonville found a way to slow down Leland. He managed just 2.2 yards per carry, though he did make his way into the end zone twice. What Jacksonville was not able to do was find a solution for our defense. Were it not for a 75 yard TD pass as the final gun sounded, the Jags would have had just 3 points. Instead they finish with 10 compared to our 17. With this win, we have officially clinched a playoff spot

Week 15
Atlanta 11-2 @ Jonesboro 4-9
The Saints are a poor team. We crushed them 4 weeks ago, and we are favored by 11, but Jonesboro's wins have come against some impressive competition this year. We must be careful to not fall into the same pit as those other teams that lost to them. This is a team that can come from out of nowhere and bite you.

Nixon wasn't particularly effective running the ball, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, but he had 40 carries in the game. Our offence seemed content to do just good enough to get by as our defense completely manhandled the Saints at every turn. For the second time this year we shut out an opponent 10-0.

Several new minor injuries strike, but nothing that will miss any post season time. They will sit out for the rest of the regular season though.

stkelly52

05-27-2005, 12:24 AM

Week 16
Indianapolis 6-8 @ Atlanta 12-2
We are sitting a lot of starters for this game, trying to get everyone 100% for the post season. But at the same time, Tampa is still just one game back, and we do not want to give up any ground to them. We are wondering how well we can hold up against the Colts.

This was not a good game for Leland. This makes three weeks in a row that Leland is less than effective carrying the ball. Again he picked up a lot of yards, but only because he was given a lot of carries. He did sore the go ahead TD in the closing minutes of the game though, and so you can't complain too much. Nevertheless, I expect more then 2.6 yards per carry out of Nixon. We win the game 21-14.

In other news, Tampa wins again bringing them to 12-3. We need to win next week to assure ourselves of a first round bye. Also, my QB set a record for most yards passing in a career (This is actually the second time that he set the record as he was passed last year when he sat out most of the season with an injury) with 62930 yards passing. Congratulations Moe Swift.

In injury news one of my backup WRs was injured and is out for the year. This leaves me with three players on IR, the other two are starters on my offensive line. This week I will still be sitting a couple of other players

Week 17
Atlanta 13-2 @ Carolina 5-10
Last week Carolina broke a 6 game losing streak with a blowout victory over the Texans. They would like to repeat that feat against what is considered to be one of the better teams in the league this week. The Panthers are weak against the run, so I am hopeful that Leland will be able to exploit that to our gain. There is no real chance that Nixon will be able to reach 4 yards per carry, and it is highly unlikely that Leland will score 3 TDs to finish with 15 for the year. It is a shame that on a year when the team is playing so well, Leland will not reach 2 of his 3 goals.

Well I stand corrected. Leland can, and did score 3 TDs in a game, and that gave him 15 for the year. He finished the game with a very respectable 127 yards to go with those TDs That was enough to give Leland the game's MVP award. Our defense gave up a long TD run in the first quarter, but after that we held strong and allowed nothing else. Nixon's 3 TDs made the final score 21-7. We win the division, and home field advantage through the playoffs. We suffer a couple more minor injuries, but they should mostly be good by our next game.

In other news around the league, Tampa won their final game, and will be a wild card team, in spite of having the third best record in the league, and being the only team to beat us. Jacksonville won their final game to go 11-5, (winning 9 of their last 10 games) and they will have a first round bye as well. Baltimore was the other team to finish the year with a 14-2 record.

damnMikeBrown

05-28-2005, 11:53 PM

Keep it goin

stkelly52

05-31-2005, 01:20 AM

Sorry for the delay, holiday weekend and all. Here is the update.

Regular season review
The regular season has concluded, and we did better than I ever could have hoped. I had hoped that we would win 10 games this season, and that we would make the playoffs. We did far better than that. We had the best record in club history. The whole city is ecstatic. Everyone loves the team and there are dreams of Super Bowl Championships dancing in everyone's heads. With a Power Rating of 90, we are the highest rated team in the NFL. The one area of concern is Tampa Bay. They were the only team to beat us this season, and there is a lot of fear that we could lose to them a third time this season. We have, quite simply, the best defense to ever play the game. At 9.5 points per game we are nearly 2 points better than any other team in the history of the NFL, and that has been the secret to our success. We had the best rushing defense, as well as having the 3rd best passing defense in the league. On 3rd downs, no one was better than we were, and we forced more turnovers than anyone else in the league. Our offence did not do too poorly either. We were 5th in third down conversions and 11th in scoring. We didn't pass the ball much, but we did have some success when we did go to the air, ranking 10 in yards per attempt (though we were last in total yards)

Leland had a decent season. He again set new records for rushing attempts (636) and rushing yards in a season (2376), and he led the NFL with 15 rushing TDs. His 5 fumbles this year is an incredible improvement over his performances the last several years (actually, every year). But his 3.73 yard average was very disappointing. Late in the year it looked like he might be able to get that figure up over 4, but in the last several games he was not able to put up a high average, in spite of his gaudy rushing totals. I have to wonder if things would have been different had we had all of our offensive line in healthy all year.

As we head into the post season, we have very few injuries. As you may recall, two starters on the offensive line are on IR, but other than that, all key players are 100%.

stkelly52

05-31-2005, 01:20 AM

Wild Card Round
While I am not playing today, I do have an interest in this week. Tampa is playing against the 11-5 49ers. Tampa has the second best record in the NFC, and I am torn as to whether I want them to win or not. Part of me feels like we need to beat these guys, to prove that we are better than they are, but part of me just wants the easiest road to the championship.

The Bucs do win, but because the Redskins won as well, we will not face Tampa next week

stkelly52

06-01-2005, 12:45 AM

Conference Semifinals
Washington 12-5 @ Atlanta 14-2
We were the most dominant team during the regular season, but if we were to loose this game, everyone will forget what a great team we were. The only option is for us to reach the Super Bowl. The first step is to take care of the Redskins. Washington started the year off solid, but they fell apart in the final 4 weeks and lost 3 games. Last week's win was a bit of a surprise and it may be a sign that they have turned things back around for themselves.

Washington is a team that relies heavily on their Super Star QB. Letourneau is one of the best in the league. Last year he brought Washington to the Super Bowl, this year he wants to win it. We should be able to run against them as the finished the year with the worst rushing average in the league. Hopefully Leland will be able to take advantage of their week run stoppers.

We won the toss and elected to receive. After a good runback we took over at the 33. Our strategy was obvious from the first play of the game. We would run the ball until the proved that they could stop us. Nixon ran well in his first few carries. But we were not able to sustain the drive and we had to punt it away (it went into the end zone for a touch back). Our defense then came out and did exactly what they were supposed to do. It took just three plays, and we got the ball back as Washington netted just 3 yards on their drive. We would not fair much better though, as our drive would be shortened by an interception on the second play. Fortunately, it was a long pass and it amounted to about the same as a punt, pinning them down inside the 10.

Washington moved the ball quite well, and it looked like they might be able to break the game open, but 94 yards is a long way, and their drive fizzled at our 46 yard line. Their punt forced us to start at our own 2 yard line. We set off on a near perfect drive. We mostly relied on runs by Leland, though we threw in a few passes for good measure as well. We only faced 2 third downs, and both of them were converted as we moved the length of the field to set up a 7 yard TD pass on the first play of the second quarter.

To this point it had been a very close, defensive game we were hoping, though, that this TD would be the spark that we needed to pull away. Washington's next drive would again last just 3 plays before they had to punt. And again we turned to Leland to pick up the bulk of the ensuing drives yards, before concluding the drive with a 9 yard TD pass to put us up 14-0.

It was nearly the exact same scenario that was played out again on the next set of drives. Washington went 3 and out, and we moved the ball easily down the field inside the 10 yard line. On 3rd and one, instead of giving it to the most surefire 1 yard TD RB in the league we tried to trick them with a hand off to the FB. It failed and we were forced to kick the field goal instead. But we still had a 17-0 lead.

Washington finally got a first down on their next drive, but just one before they were again forced to punt. With time running out in the half were put together another solid drive that only ended because we were short on time. With time counting down we kicked the field goal and went into the half with a 20-0 lead. Our defense was playing about as well as you could hope.

As the second half opened, our defense finally stumbled. We gave up an 80 yard drive that cut our lead to 20-7. following a couple of punts that we traded, our offence was again able to extend the lead out to 20 by scoring on another TD pass. And again the key to this drive was the running of Leland Nixon. With the score at 27-7 and the 4th quarter rapidly approaching, we felt quite confident that the game was well in hand.. We went into slowdown mode and tried out best to eat up all of the rest of the clock. Meanwhile our defense remained as stingy as ever throughout the rest of the game. When the final gun sounded we had the 27-7 victory and we were moving on to the NFC Championship.

While he did not score, Leland was a huge star in this game. We gave him the ball 48 times, and he carried for 224 yards. It was nothing less than a thing of beauty. We also suffered no new injuries for next week's game.

In other news around the NFL. Tampa crushed the Eagles in Philadelphia, meaning that we will play them for the third time this year to see who will go to the Super Bowl. Also Jacksonville's incredible run continues. They slipped past the Chargers 17-14. Next week they will travel to Baltimore to take on the 15-2 Ravens to try to earn their 6th consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

stkelly52

06-02-2005, 01:24 AM

NFC Championship
Tampa 13-3 @ Atlanta 14-2
The teams with the two best records in the NFC face off to see who will go to the Super Bowl. There is no team in the NFL that we despise more than the Buccaneers. This will be the third time that the two of us meet this year, and as you know, they have beaten up both times. Now it is our turn to win.

Tampa is relatively healthy, with just two minor starters out of the game. Their well balanced offence and defense will challenge us, and we know that they feel confident that they can complete the 3 game season sweep. We must destroy that confidence.

Tampa won the toss and could accomplish nothing on their first drive. Our first drive mirrored theirs, as we both gained 3 yards before punting. Tampa's second drive was much more positive for them. They moved down the field slowly and steadily, converting on third down 3 times, before the drive stalled at our 29. The long field goal was good and Tampa took the lead.

On our next drive things started off really well. On first down Leland picked up 11 yards, then another carry netted 9 more. But two consecutive incompletions forced us to punt. Tampa fumbled the ball on the return, but somehow they recovered the ball and took it 84 yards for a TD, putting us down 10-0.

Our next drive ended after just three plays when my QB threw and INT, giving the Bucs the ball deep in our territory. Tampa slowly but surly marched on their way to the end zone, capping their drive with a 2 yard TD run on the third play of the second quarter. Clearly things were not going our way. In spite of the fact that Leland was running very well, our team was just not clicking on either offence or defense and we were now trailing 17-0.

Being so far down, we were forced to abandon the run game and go to the air. The plan worked as we completed passes of 5 and 14 yards before a controversial 50 yard pass interference penalty gave us the ball at the 1 yard line. On the next play we turned to Leland to cut the led to 10. He made it into the end zone and scored our first points of the game. 7-17

For Tampa's next drive, our defense completely smothered them and forced them to punt after 3 and out.

We kept to the air and again it worked for us. There was no pass interference this time, but a 43 yard TD pass quickly make it just a 3 point game. Suddenly we looked like we might be able to get back in this one.

Tampa responded by launching another slow methodical drive that made it all the way to our 28 before stalling out at the 28 yard line. They tried to kick a field goal, but the kick sailed wide and were took possession. Leland was again trusted to lead the way for us, and he would have done a fine job if not for the stupid penalties. Erased were runs of 28 and 41 yards. Instead on 3rd and long we threw another INT. This set up a chip shot field goal that was really worked out to be a boost for us as we kept them out of the end zone in spite of having first and goal at the 4.

This made the score 20-14 which is were it remained for the rest of the fist half.

To be continued

stkelly52

06-03-2005, 01:01 AM

NFC Championship...continuted
We started out the second half with two penalties that forced us to face a first and 25. In three plays we were able to move the ball 23 yards, but it was not enough and we were forced to punt. Tampa's next drive also puttered out quickly. On the first play of our second drive we tried to run Leland inside the right guard, however, he fumbled the ball, giving Tampa possession at our 28 yard line. Tampa would be sure to capitalize on that mistake and extended their lead, 27-14.

After trading a couple of punts, we were able to mound a rather successful drive. We moved the ball from our 32 to the Tampa 24. We were greatly helped by Tampa penalties, as twice they gave us first downs on third down plays. While we moved the ball well during this drive, that was in spite of and not because Leland, who had 5 carries for 3 yards in the drive. This helped eventually kill the drive, though we did pick up 3 points to make the score 27-17 Tampa Bay. We were in the closing minutes of the third quarter and we knew that we would have to step it up if we were going to come back and win this game.

We both again had short drives that ended in punts to close out the quarter. Tampa's first drive of the final frame was going well for us. Following two sacks, we had them in a 3rd and 22 situation. The 80 yard TD pass that came next was just devastating. At that moment, the wind went completely out of our sails. Trailing 34-17, our offence could get nothing going on our next three drives. We only two of our passes were caught, and one of those was caught by Tampa's CB. This set up an easy field goal to extend their lead to 37-17.

Trailing by 20 and with 3:40 left in the game it looked like all hope was gone. Then our QB was hurt on a 17 yard pass completion Our back up QB came in and completed 4 of 5 passes to get the ball in the end zone. But we had under 2 minutes left in the game. Our only hope was a onside kick. We could not recover the kick. Tampa was able to run the ball and eat up almost all of the rest of the clock. We got the ball back for two more plays, but there was no hope of accomplishing anything in 30 seconds. An interception officially ended the game, and sent us home for the year. We had suffered the humiliation of losing to Tampa three times in one season.

Leland finished the game with just 80 yards in 18 carries, and 1 TD. Not a bad average, but his fumble was extremely costly, and we did not have much of an opportunity to use him as we were behind for so much of the game. Well I guess there is always next year.

In other news, Jacksonville had yet again won the NFC championship over 15-2 Baltimore by the score of 37-34. For those keeping track, that is now six consecutive Super Bowl appearances by Jacksonville. I really don’t this. I have rarely seen an AI team remain competitive for 6 consecutive years, much less be the best team in the league for 6.