I'm really enjoying this dynasty. One thing I've noted -and correct me if I'm wrong- but it seems you've never had a 1,000 yard receiver on your team. Although I agree D and a solid run game wins championships, I feel like most Superbowl winners need that solid 1,000 yard receiver to help carry the load... Just my two cents though.

True enough, V13 - my Browns have yet to post a 1,000-yard receiving season for anyone.

In 2008, WR Randall Sanders had 983 yards - that is tops for my career. Current starter Zach Blair has now topped 700 yards five seasons in a row, but has never managed 900 in that span. (He has a "route running" rating of only 25, for what it's worth) TE Devin Norton got to 896 two seasons ago, and probably would have gotten about the same point if he could have played the final two games of last season.

But as of yet, no 1,000-yard receiver. That is a little odd, but not too surprising -- I think Blair is the only WR I have taken in round one of the draft, and I have so far refused to shell out big bucks to any true impact player at WR or nearly anywhere else.

I'm happy to see this dynasty continuing. I had a quick question...do you leave your injury setting on 100? Have you considered lowering it a bit? I can't believe how snake-bit you've been heading into the playoffs with your QBs.

Great dynasty Quik.

I agree with what Vikings seems to be hinting at, get a standout WR in the draft, FA or via a trade, then let loose that offense (preferably with Houston at the helm).

To respond to questions above:

-I have left the injury setting at 100... I have mused elsewhere about the injury issue, as I htink my problem is that I'm not really considering injury history enough when I sign players, and therefore tend to pick up injury-prone guys (and the injury-prone factr is very big in this game) That's probably a partial explanation, but it makes sense to me.

-Your suggestion to pick up a top WR rang true to me -- in fact, I had every intention of doing so for 2015. However, as you will read, I really didn't get an opportunity to do so. Your plea for Houston to take the reins, though, was not an unrealistic viewpoint, either.

more to come...

2015 preseason

How can a team coming off a 15-1 record feel like they are in trouble?


Transitions and League Observations

We have one retirement – RB Roderick Arsenault, mentor to our young RB Gus Stewart, simply can’t play any longer. Tough loss – he was a nice #2 and having a mentor there was a seemingly good addition for Stewart, but clearly the workload belongs to our young star.


Front Office Decisions

We have openings with both coordinator spots, and if I felt like they could meaningfully affect things with our team’s results, I might make a big change there. I put in bids to renew with each of our coordinators.

Houston moves quickly to sign OC Levon Moss as their own OC – paying him an absurd $5.14 million to take that role. I look at the overall league, though, and see that the top OCs are being paid about the same as the top coaches – that just seems odd to me. Alas, I have lost Moss, and need a replacement.

After losing out on a second OC, I have to settle for a caretaker:

Offensive Coordinator Willie Schiffer, 73
VG: OL
GD: RB
AV: PK, Young Talent
FR: QB,WR

We sign him to a one year deal, and will pursue another coordinator for next season, I reckon.


We remain very profitable – turning over $70 million in profit again this year. We’re having almost no trouble with this side of things. No challenge here – even though our ticket prices are below the league average.


Roster Review

As we begin the FA process, here is a rundown of our players on board now – with their current scout assessment of the players:


Clancy cost us $12 million last year, and for what? A 77.7 QB rating. I can’t see how he’s worth the huge money he still demands, especially with his proclivity to get injured. I expect to let him go elsewhere, and to go with Houston and Brock for this season, trying to get our offense more error-free. (Houston’s debacle in last season’s playoffs doesn’t help this decision, I recognize)


Gus Stewart was everything we had hoped for last season. Danny Aguilera has assumed the RB leadership role, and things are settled in fine here. Ideally, we might want to land one more qualify straight-ahead runner, since both Newman and Aguilera are somewhat better suited as receiving scatback type duty.


Eric Pritchett is a do-everything fullback, but last year I think he had a classic “negative impact” season for us. The 84 passes throws to him netted only 390 yards – less than 5 yards per attempt. E rushed 45 times – but for only 3.0 yards per carry. Certainly those touches would have been more productive had they gone to Gus Stewart, or even another RB. I long for the days of my block-and-disappear FB.

Devin Norton has posted two great seasons for us – we hope he can stay healthy, and perhaps hit the 1,000-yard mark this year. FB Ian Goodwin filed in pretty well at TE last year when needed – he might stick around too.


We have huge turnover coming ahead at WR, but right now we return a pretty decent bunch. Blair was hobbled a bit last year, but still posted nearly 800 yards receiving. Cornelius Tilton continues to be solid off the bench for us. Marvin Causey was steady, but is just not a real playmaker at split end for us. While I like the group we have here, it would be very nice to add a true playmakers – probably would help both our QB and our RB on the offense.


We suffered serious injuries last year, and had to patch up a lot. I’ll try to get some more depth this season. T Bennie Heinlein is listed as out for 12 more weeks, so getting a starter at LT is a top priority. I think getting one more quality OL (maybe at guard?) would be wise, too. We ended up with some scrubs in there last season.


I’m very happy with both of these guys. Mo Crain wasn’t perfect last year, but I expect his numbers to continue to improve.


Defensive line injuries – just every year we get roughed up here quite badly. We’re actually okay with our three returning DT, but need another body or two at DE. Re-signing either Garner or Limon would be okay, but we just need to add playable guys along here one way or another.


Ed Lake is gone as a player – after his serious injury last year, he is practically worthless. LB Curtis Davis has been unbelievable for us at the strong side spot that I can hardly imagine going on without him. He’s looking for $5 million a year – so this will be a big decision for us.

Perez has settled in as our MLB starter, and Frederick and Regalado are quality pass rushers – but not really great linebackers. Blake Stuff seems like a decent reserve backer, but not a real starter, I don’t think.

Work to be done here – re-signing Davis would be a huge step.


We did okay with Douglas and Callens starting at CB last year – both are man-up specialists, and fit our system well. Eskridge and Weed are solid at safety, and I’m fine with them too.

Ellery is the position leader, and we have two conflicts back here – he may have to go, just to try to maintain esprit de corps.

Free Agency

Initially, I have $22 million in usable cap room this year, with 38 players signed. With no first round draft pick this year, we’ll be looking to free agents for most meaningful changes in the roster.

I start with an offer to RG Lincoln Grurber, who has been very solid for us and is a position leader and mentor. Solid guy to keep around.

I also put in an offer for LB Curtis Davis - $4.8m per year, which will make him among our top-paid players. He deserves it – I just hope we can get him back, after three great seasons.

Three year modest deal to FB Goodwin, a solid reserve FB/TE for us. I decide not to put in an offer to FB Eric Pritchett, who wants nearly $2 million a year. Maybe later, but right now I’ll be looking for a replacement starter – a better blocker, less of a receiving target.

With needs at DE, I put in a new offer to Henry Garner – decent run-stopper, able to play DT if needed. He’s not asking for a huge sum – a good fit if he will return.

With no offer in to QB Marco Clancy, this means we have cap space to pursue another player or two from the outside. My first target is LT Claude Nieto, I start with a solid one-year offer.


Marco Clancy has a huge offer in from Chicago, and it looks like he will finally depart. I simply won’t put up $10 million a year for him. In week two, it’s official – he has signed with the Bears.

Week two brings us news about LB Curtis Davis, who is listening to a big offer from Pittsburgh. I still think our offer will prevail, and I stand pat.

With T Nieto signed, I target a receiver – Van Harmon is a great returner, and looks like a solid third down receiver. I don’t expect him to take the starting job, nor to become a major impact player, but he looks like a good fit.

DE Henry Garner decides to accept a one-year deal with New Orleans, leaving us a bit thinned on the DL. But we do sign LB Curtis Davis, and I think our defensive front will be okay.

In week 8, WR Harmon signs with us, and I can target another addition. I’m disturbed that Harmon doesn’t get along with Jimmy Ellard – but that makes two conflicts there, and I’m thinking Ellard will be gone. So, we will sort out the chemistry after training camp.

CB Monty Diaz is a 4th year player with solid man coverage skills, and is a big hitter to boot. Good fit for this secondary scheme – we pick him up cheaply. DT Nate Winters has been a nice run stopper for Philadephia, and we grab him next for a pretty affordable deal.


I am very interested in a top-grade center Monty Nunley, but his $5m+ demands are keeping me and other teams away for now. I’d love to lock him up after the draft – we have the money, but I just don’t want to commit multiple years at that kind of price. OLB Kurt Dodge is a similar case – but I’m not quite as fascinated there. If his demands come down, though, I will pursue him quickly, I’m certain.


2015 Rookie Draft

We’re at pick #30, but missing first and third rounders – but we’ll console ourselves with the reigning league MVP.


We get a potentially good fit for our secondary in CB Ty Enochs, and fill in mostly need areas otherwise. Glenn McINtyr played TE in college, but we will try him out at fullback – where I hope he can step into a starting role for us.

Late Free Agency

I make an offer to WR Alex Garcia – he’s a 12th year player, who doesn’t look like a starter for us. However, he brings a lot in intangibles. He is an established mentor to wide receivers, he will probably become the positional leader for us, and he is a solid special teamer – probably a gunner for our team. All told, a pretty valuable addition, even if he never catches any passes.

Safety Ricky Flannery looks like a decent pickup – especially if I want to cut Deron Ellery in the name of chemistry. He takes a very affordable deal, also.

C Monty Nunley is still out there, and his demands are gradually dropping. I certainly have the cash right now to sign him for this year – the question is do we try to lock him up long term? He is quite devastating. After week 5, we have our two target free agents signed, an I put in a 4yr, $15m offer to Nunley. He accepts the following week – and we have a new big hitter on our OL.

My next move is to go after LB Kurt Dodge, who I think is better than any of my current starting options at WLB. 4yrs, $11 million, and he is locked up. Not quite as cheaply as I might have liked, but he should start right away.

My last move is to lock up T Bennie Heinlein to a new multi-year deal. He is currently injured, and may well be worth nothing when he “recovers” but I think it’s fair to put up a few dollars to a guy who has given us so many seasons at a key position. If he returns in good form, then we’ll have great depth on the OL.


Training Camp

I put in a little extra time in the weight room, trying to avoid another injury-marred season, and hope for the best from here.


QB James Houston had a very good training camp, his first as our first option. I’m not really sold on anyone behind him – and we might need to worry there. Deion Brock looks like a decent enough “don’t lose the game” kind of guy, but I don’t know if he can successfully throw the ball 30 times and win.

Ian Goodwin will probably step in and become our FB starter – rookie Glenn McIntyre might develop into a starter, but he really isn’t ready right away. TE Dean Brandon, undrafted rookie, had a very good training camp – and now looks like he might wrest the #2 job away from Todd Chambliss, whom I also like a good deal. I eventually decide to switch Brandon to FB, where he might be a better option than McIntyre.

I had planned to consider releasing S Deron Ellery, due to two chemistry cocnflicts. Turns out we get a trade offer from Philadelphia for him. It’s only a 4th round pick and a washed-out OG, but it’s better than I had planned to see. (The guard gets cut immediately)


Season Analysis

We head into the season looking a little different. We will still be passing a lot, but we won’t be a QB-centered offense. RB Gus Stewart is clearly the lynchpin of our attack now – we’ll count on James Houston and our fleet of receivers to keep things opened up. But this should be a more effective ball-control offense than we have had in years past.

Defensively, I think we are stronger with our three LB starters than we have been in years, which will allow guys like Regalado and Frederick help with the DL pass rushing duties. If DT Cascadden and Bailey can stay healthy, then I think we will be okay up front. The secondary will again feature budget cornerbacks Douglas and Callens – every year Callens looks like the guy we should cut, but four straight seasons with a PDPct over 20 says something – he is productive in our system, period.


Our cohesion is very high – 100(96)/96/88/95. We have also regained the 100 roster rating, with the Jets at 90 and Arizona dropping all the way to last place. I look through the list of transactions the Cards made – it just looks like they ran into cap hell this year, and were unable to lock up their expiring contracts. They will presumably go through a rebuilding, and I can’t see them being contenders this year.


We get Deion Brock a lot of work in the preseason, as he will step into #2 role for us this year. He looks solid – very good, even. We run through an unbeaten preseason, and I feel like the team is looking very sharp. I expect better things from our defense this year, and I think the big question is whether the offensive changes will compromise our chances. I think we will be a little bit more like the teams that got us to the top – dominate on defense, play smart on offense, let the other team adjust to us, and capitalize on their mistakes.

We’ll be shooting for the top again – we ought to be top contenders.

2015 Regular Season

We hit the regular season with one troubling injury – newly signed LT Claude Nieto is out for several weeks with a broken clavicle. Our line is again reshuffled, but we are in slightly better situation to handle this than before.

QB Deion Brock is also hurt – he will miss the first half of the season. So, to fill in there, we need a replacement. Mo Treadwell, late of the Bengals, is looking for a chance, so we grab him on a one-year deal.

Week 1: Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Pittsburgh should be improved, after signing two-time Superbowl MVP QB Mercury Shoemaker from Arizona. They make a tough game for us, but we come up with a 20-16 win. Devin Norton is again the main target, getting 12 catches for 98 yards on the day. James Houston drops back for 50 passes – which is simply too many for this team.

Week 2: Cleveland (1-0) at San Francisco (0-1)

We need more late-game heroics to get a win here, but Houston finds Zach Blair for the game-winning TD with 1:15 left, and we get a 13-12 win. Our defense held the 49ers to 3.2 yards per play – a very solid effort.

Week 3: Cleveland (2-0) at Indianapolis (2-0)

On the road, we finally click – and run over the Colts with ease, 30-6. Gus Stewart tallies 135 and a TD, and leads the way of a team-oriented offensive attack, where ten skill players got touches all told.

Week 5: Cleveland (3-0) at Denver (3-0)

Again on the road at an unbeaten team. We secure another win, and another close one. Our ground game was simply more effective, and that amounted to a big difference – we win 23-17 with a 90-yard rushing advantage. LB Curtis Davis gets 11 tackles, a sack, and an interception en route to a game ball for his efforts.

Week 6: Oakland (1-4) at Cleveland (4-0)

We are made 23 point favorites here – how can that be? We have lost RB Newman for the season (and probably that wraps up his career, too) and will have rookie Joe Baker in for a carry or two this week. If we lose Stewart, forget it – we have nobody behind him to carry the load. We win 33-13 over Oakland, nearly covering that spread, forcing five interceptions to set up thee offense for an easy day.

Week 7: San Diego (3-2) at Cleveland (5-0)

WR Zach Blair has blown out his knee – he is listed as out for 63 weeks, which doesn’t sound too good. Our WR corps is fairly deep, though, as we will count on Cornelius Tilton and veteran Alex Garcia to carry the load. We have also lost DT Gary Cascadden to a second injury this year – and he looks like he is now on the “too brittle to play” list.

We suffer our first loss here at home – we play well, but come up short 10-6. The defense held the Chargers to only 215 total yards, but we couldn’t get going on offense, and never got into the end zone at all.

Week 8: Cleveland (5-1) at Kansas City (1-5)

We put up points this week, but keep letting KC back into the game. We withstand a late rally to hold on for a 34-27 win.

Week 9: Baltimore (5-3) at Cleveland (6-1)

A win here would put the division picture clearly into focus – on us. If we lose, we will have to keep an eye on Baltimore for a while.

Stewart has a down day (23-49) but we are able to throw pretty well, and get the 24-14 win at home to move three games ahead in the division.


Halfway through our regular season, here is a snapshot of our stats so far:


We are once again thriving on a positive turnover margin, and running the ball well. But this year, our defensive stats are back – we’re #1 against the run, #5 against the pass – that’s much more like what I want to see from this group.

James Houston sports an 82.3 passer rating – his biggest downside is only 6.2 yards per attempt – he’s just not as effective going downfield as Marco Clancy has been. Clancy himself has been pretty decent and has the Bears atop their division at 5-3.


Week 10: Cleveland (7-1) at Pittsburgh (4-4)

The Steelers are again competitive with us, but we again get the win, this time 34-24 behind an 18-point fourth quarter. Another good win, and we keep the march on for a top seed.

Week 11: Cleveland (8-1) at Cincinnati (3-6)

James Houston gets the big stats this week, with 4 TD passes en route to an easy 35-10 win. Gus Stewart’s 189 yards rushing are no trivial matter, either.

Week 12: St. Louis (6-4) at Cleveland (9-1)

Very tough game, as we have to overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit and get two second half TD passes to earn a 14-13 win. The defense really came through when we needed them, pitching a second half shutout.

We welcome back LT Bennie Heinlein to the active roster, and he will work back into the starting lineup for us. He’s been with us since the 2005 draft, and looks like he is fully recovered from his bad injury last year. His addition would be a nice boost.

Week 13: Miami (6-5) at Cleveland (10-1)

We are actually outgained by the Dolphins, but we toughen up in the red zone, and keep them nearly scoreless in a 16-3 win. Good effort for LT Heinlein, who leads the effort to keep our QB unscathed all game long.

Week 14: Cleveland (11-1) at Seattle (4-8)

Could be a “donut” game, but we come through with a nice 30-10 win. Gus Stewart looks very sharp, with 147 yards rushing and 7 catches for 57 more. He is developing into a true do-it-all back, and we’re riding this horse all the way. He has 1,263 yards rushing already, with three games yet to play.

Week 15: Cleveland (12-1) at Baltimore (7-6)

We have been softened up in the middle of our defense by injuries to both Cascadden and Bailey, but we will bundle everything together and try to ride out the regular season with a patchwork group on the line. It’s good enough in Baltimore for a 20-13 win, with S Kirk Week grabbing three picks including one score – enough to make the difference in the game.

Week 16: Arizona (10-4) at Cleveland (13-1)

Arizona practically gutted their roster this year, but here they are, 10-4, and looking like serious contenders once again. They are winning with an undrafted rookie at QB, even. We hand then a setback, 26-14, picking off their QB twice to thwart a couple of threats. Great seasons for them, though.

Week 17: Cincinnati (6-9) at Cleveland (14-1)

We have everything all locked up – time to rest a bit. I sit James Houston, hoping to get him back to 100% in time for our playoff debut. We play a decent enough game, but the Bengals rise up and get the win 31-27, with help from a blocked punt and a punt return, each for a TD. No matter, in any material way – we are locked in for the AFC’s top seed.


As predicted by the roster ratings, it’s the Jets who look like our toughest foes in the AFC. But we’ll need to be ready for anyone – as we showed last season after going 15-1.


A few comments here. It was, strangely, our pass defense that faltered late in the year. We certainly didn’t have the pass rush we have had in past seasons, but all told the defense still played well. A huge +16 in turnovers certainly covers a lot of wounds.

Gus Stewart just missed having a 2,000-yard season (counting both rushing and receiving), but was certainly the main cog in our offensive machine nonetheless. TE Devin Norton played hurt nearly all season, and was effective – but again missed the elusive 1,000-yard plateau.

Good season all around – actually better than last year, by my metrics. We look tough and a little bit healthier as we ready for the postseason.

2015 Postseason

AFC Divisional Playoff: San Diego (10-7) at Cleveland (14-2)

SD is led by QB Carlos Wynn, and they pound away with RB Bennie Bridges. S Louie Shipway leads a solid defense – actually I’m a little surprised that this team isn’t better than they seem to be. We’ll take them seriously.

We yield a 36-yard pass on their first play, but bottle them up after that and force a punt. They get it back near midfield, and drive for an opening FG to lead 3-0. late in the first quarter, we convert a turnover into a short TD drive, and the pass to Norton makes it 7-3. We add a FG early in the second quarter, but the Chargers roll down the field and tie it up with a TD pass, and it’s 10-10 midway. Mo Crain hits his second after the next drive, and we lead 13-10 at the half, despite being outgained by some 110 yards.

We start the second half with a nice drive, aided by two key penalties, and get in on a short TD pass from Houston to Causey – and lead 20-10. Eskridge gets an interception, but they return the favor, and nearly score on the return. They finish it off in one play, and it’s 20-17, and this game is not wrapped up at all. Crain misses a 51-yard kick, but San Diego’s Maumau hits a 52-yarder, and it’s tied up as we start the fourth quarter.

We get a great drive midway through the quarter, and penetrate to the 12 yard line. Penalties mar the possession from there, but we do kick a 21-yard FG to take the lead again. We trade punts, and San Diego gets probably their last chance, taking over at their 12 with 2:28 left. Facing a fourth down on their 32, they commit a hold, and it becomes fourth and 16. We stop the pass play, and take over on downs. Workhorse Gus Stewart is awarded the game ball, with 116 yards rushing and 57 receiving.


AFC Championship: Jacksonville (9-9) at Cleveland (15-2)

Jacksonville is led by the “Big QQ” – QB Quentin Quinn. Their top player, though, is rookie RB Winfred Mandzuk, who topped 1,000 yardds and is their bright light for the future. I like a lot about their defense – this looks like an intriguing up-and-coming team to me. Getting to the conference championship a little ahead of schedule is fine, of course. We aim to end the story here.

The Jags come our fired up, stuff us on our first possession, and then go down the field and score right away to lead 7-0. We do everything wrong – bobble the kickoff, then commit holding on a big run play, and have to punt again. It’s late in the first quarter when we finally get going, and get a long FG from Mo Crain to get within 7-3.

At the JAX 20, Kirk Weed strips the ball and CB Douglas jumps on it, and we get our first big break. A TD pass to Causey on the second play gets us ahead 10—7. LB Davis gets a pick at the JAX 22, and we convert again on a pass to Tilton to lead 17-7. But Jax gets it right back – the first play of their next possession is an 81-yard bomb, getting them to 17-14. Later in the quarter, Gus Stewart breaks off a 36-yard run, getting us into scoring position once again. But we miss a 46-yard FG, and stay only 3 points ahead. JAX drives for a tying FG, and it’s 17 all as we approach the half.

We mount a late drive, though, and get into position for a big play. We make one last run to set up the FG, but Stewart breaks loose with a block from T Heinlein, and rolls all 26 yards home to the go-ahead TD. Huge play to end the half, up 24-17.

In the third quarter, up a TD, Houston throws into the flat, but is picked off – and the JAX defender takes it 60 yards for the score. Bad snap from center was part of the problem there. Tie game, again.

I have QB Deion Brock in the game now – Houston suffered an injury along the way. We drive for a go-ahead FG, and lead 27-24. Early in the fourth quarter, though, JAX capitalizes on a field position edge, and kicks the tying FG to even up at 27. Neither side can do much, and we trade punts until the clock reads 5:36. Our ball near midfield.

Brock hits Causey and Norton for first downs, and we have our first offensive momentum in a while. We connect on a 42-yard FG to go ahead 30-27, with 3:10 left.

Our defense holds up well, but then yields a 17-yardd completion on 4th and 16 – you just can’t do that. It’s then 4th and 15, and this time we do hold, as LB Frederick gets his mitt on the ball and bats it down at the line. We rumble for the key first down, and wrap up our win – punching our tickets to our second Superbowl.


Superbowl: Cleveland (16-2) vs. Atlanta (15-3)

Every team has its traditions, which build up over time. Our team is no exception. Our deepest tradition is having our starting QB sitting on the sidelines while we play critical playoff games. No exception here – James Houston is out for the big game, and we will go with the oh-so-green Deion Brock in the biggest of them all. Deion Brock was a college standout at Akron (harrumph) but has fairly little experience in big games. Last week, he led our edging out Jacksonville with pretty smart play (7 of 13, no turnovers) – we’ll call on him to do more of the same this week against the mighty Falcons.

QB Brett Shimada is a top pick who leads the Falcons, and is the reigning first team all-pro, with good enough stats to repeat there. They have an excellent OL, and can air the ball out with the best of them. Defensively, they pressure the passer a lot, and are centered by veteran MLB Cedric Goodwin – a longtime anchor for our Cleveland defenses. Goodwin has suffered injuries, but he is healthy for this one.

Cleveland is favored by 5 points in the official line – but without our starting QB available, we will need a few tricks to get this one done, I think. RB Stewart will be called upon again to do heavy lifting.

Our first possession yields nothing, but we stop the Falcons after only one first down. A big pass from Brock to old-timer Alex Garcia gets us past midfield, and we are in position to score. But, TE Norton fumbles after making a catch, and the Falcons take over. We rough the kicker to keep an ATL drive alive, but then CB Callens picks off Shimada to save the threat again. Scoreless after the first quarter.

We continue the field position battle, and set up a long FG midway through the second quarter. Mo Crain nails it from 43, and we lead 3-0. We run a two-minute drive, all passing, to get another kick up, and take the 6-0 edge into the locker room. We have an embarrassing tally of only 15 yards rushing for the entire first half – Atlanta has been crushing the box and daring Deion Brock to beat them. So far, it’s been working pretty well, without a few big plays from our defense, we’d be in real trouble.

On Atlanta’s opening drive, we get another big defensive play – they bobble the kickoff, and gunner Harmon jumps on it at their 32. Again, it’s just a FG, but now we are ahead by two scores, 9-0. Atlanta drives quickly to get into position, tries a FG, but they botch the snap and hold, and we watch it sail wide left. We take advantage of the good fortune, and mount our best drive of the day – and Stewart tops it off with a 20-yard scamper. At 16-0 late in the third quarter, we are starting to take control of this one.

Shimada connects on a long pass, and we are lucky to push the receiver out at our 2. He gets the TD pass two plays later, though, and then Atlanta connects on another short pass for the 2-point conversion. It’s now an 8-point lead, as we start the fourth quarter. Not so much under control any longer.

Deion Brock goes to the air to push us downfield, and we end up topping off the drive on a short pass to Stewart. The 23-8 margin is much better, and we ate nearly 7 minutes in the process. After swapping punts, Atlanta gets it back – 4:07 remaining. They need to score twice, and do it quickly. Our defense holds, and they actually punt – now, it looks all but academic. Our offense eats most of the clock from there, and then they cannot score with their fleeting last few plays… and the final score holds up: Cleveland 23, Atlanta 8. That’s it, folks, Cleveland is finally a champion!


Season Wrap-up

What an ending to a great season – we have to edge out all three playoff games, but we get them all, and get the ring we sought.


Heh, QB Deion Brock beats out RB Gus Stewart for Superbowl MVP, and in the process denies him the superfecta of four awards in the same year. C Monty Nunley (nice FA pickup) and LB Curtis Davis (good re-signing) also earn their laurels in this championship season. TE Devin Norton is honored again – but he will be looking for big money next season, I’m certain. We’ll have our challenges ahead, I know.

Congrats on the championship. :)

I'd let Norton go if he asks for alot of cash, then replace him with the previously suggested playmaker WR. Then all those targets will shift from dinky 6-8 yard hitches to 15 yard outs and 35 yard posts.

2016 preseason

Reigning champions, finally! Head Coach K.C. Hanson rests on the laurels of his second straight Coach of the Year award, and we are finally on top of the football world.

Here is the path we took from rags to riches:


Seven straight double-digit win seasons, and now a league title to cap it off. It’s been fun reaching the top, but now we are clearly there.


Transitions and League Observations

As I expected, RB Daniel Newman has retired. It’s nice to see him get a championship ring with us )he already had one from San Francisco, when the beat us in the SB), even though he missed the latter part of the season. He goes out at 15th on the all-time rushers list with 7,401 yards on the ground. He also is 3rd on the Cleveland career list – though the fact that Gus Stewart has already passed him speaks volumes, really.


Front Office Decisions

Offensive Coordinator Willie Schiffer gave us a good season, and bowed out. That’s fine, we’ll bring aboard a new face to run the offense this season. (or more correctly, to oversee offensive player development – I still don’t get that)

We bring aboard Earnest Carlisle… and before the loyal followers balk at that name, I can assure you that this is a different guy than our former head coach Ernest Carlyle. Names sound the same, but no relation.

OC: Earnest Carlisle, 61
EX: RB,OL,PK,Young Talent
VG: WR
GD: QB


Our bottom line was down last year – and I don’t know why. Ticket and Suite revenues dropped over 30% each – I must have dropped ticket prices again, though I don’t recall doing so. Regardless, our margin is a bit tighter than before.


Roster Review

We start off the FA period, and again have a walk through the roster.


James Houston served us pretty well last year, and Deion Brock was solid when it counted under pressure. I’ll try to re-sign Brock to be our #2 again – he can remain a sentimental player for us. His initial demands are about $2m per season – so I may need to wait him out a bit, as that’s a bit more than I want to pay for my backup here.


Gus Stewart is the real deal, the main concern here is having complementary players around him. Baker got 4.5 yards per carry in reserve last year – that’s not too bad, but I might look for a more well-rounded #2, just in case.


The big issue here is Devin Norton who is listed as questionable basically every week, but has been very, very productive for us. About 2,300 yards and three trips to Hawai’I in three seasons – it’s incredible. He’s asking for $6m per year – and that’s pretty incredible, too.

At FB, I like Brandon, who didn’t play at all last season – he might be ready to come in and start at FB for us this year. I like Goodwin, okay, but he’s not a great blocker – Brandon might end up being a better fit in time.


We have trouble here. Garcis and Harmon were new faces last season – both are fine, but neither is really a star player. Zach Blair will miss this whole season with an injury—and his future is very much in doubt after that. Causey and Tilton have both been fine – if we could re-sign them, I’d be okay with that foursome for starters. I think we need to make an addition here, though – maybe an early draft pick, maybe just a free agent. We will be looking carefully.


C Monty Nunley is expensive, but excellent. Getting T Heinlein back and healthy is a real boon to us, and we look solid with three starters already returning. G Mickey Thornton has been good for us, and for less than $2m per year, I expect to re-up with him. RT Donnie Thornton is the problem – asking for $5-6m per year, and I cannot afford that at all. Might need to either slide over LT Nieto, or else fish for a free agent.


I’m happy with both guys here. Crain is only 64 of 88 with FGs, but I think he can improve -- plus, we try longer kicks with him, since he has a cannon for a leg.


We need to have eight playable guys at DL, and right now we return five. DT is the main concern, as Bailey wants huge money, and Oliveira is the key to our chemistry picture here (and a decent enough third DT as is). Ideally, we’d re-sign both guys, and be done with it. Bailey’s $7m demands, though, might be too much to take. Particularly with so much tied up in Gary Cascadden (the ever-injured one) it’s tough to justify another huge paycheck going to the same position. Much to be decided here.


Davis and Dodge return as quality starters, and Perez is next to be signed. I think Perez is solid, but is replaceable if need be. Frederick and Regalado both help with the pass rush, and the rest are basically fillers. Signing Perez, or replacing him, is the top priority here. With Perez asking for $4 million a year, I expect we’ll be looking elsewhere.


Decision time on CB Darrell Douglas, who has been a three year starter for us, and as been pretty solid. Monty Diaz is a pretty similar player, and is already signed cheaply. We’ve been getting by on cheap, decent talent here – Diaz fits the bill. Ty Enochs looks like he won’t amount to much. Zack Callens just continues to outperform his apparent skills.

S Kirk Weed has become our positional leader, and a sentimental favorite. Plug him in for 70 tackles and a number of big plays every season. He seeks over $3m a year- but I really would like to work it out with him to come back.



We really don’t have all that much cap space in total – for 12 players. We’re going to lose some quality, for certain – we’ll just hope to replace efficiently the holes that we do have.

Free Agency

Initially, I only have offers in to two of my own players – DT Willie Oliveira and LG Mickey Thornton. Ideally, I will lock up at least a couple more players from our own group, but right now we have to see what the market is going to do (and who will be swept away with huge offers elsewhere).

I find a partial answer to my pursuits, as MLB C.J. Blackwell is open to an offer from us. I see in him a starter at MLB, and he’s only asking for about $1m/yr – very affordable. That would really help us out, financially. He’s a bit unproven, but a good match for what I want there.

WR Joey Newsome has been pretty decent for Pittsburgh, but has had trouble staying healthy. For very modest money, I’ll take a chance on him, as a potential starter for us, and cheaper than either of my own FA receivers.

Safety Jason Arnold is my backup plan for losing S Kirk Weed, which I judge to be fairly likely. He’d probably become our starter at strong safety – he’s not the big hitter that Weed is, but he’s a solid cover man, and is pretty willing to play for cheap.

With that, we have five cheap FA bids in to start things off, and we will go from here. I should have sufficient cash to then sign one or two more of my own strong players – ideally, that might end up being DT Bailey and S Weed, but I’ll have to be flexible.

I give one last look, and I can’t bring myself to leave all this to chance. In particular, with my uncertainty at WR, I really feel that we have to re-sign TE Devin Norton. $6 million is an awful lot of money to spend at that position, though. Even as I write this, I am completely torn. Would that kind of money be better spent on DT Zach Bailey, for example?

(I come back to this after “sleeping on it” – tough decision)

I decide to start off with a considerable offer to DT Zach Bailey – 4 yrs, $26 million. Having two solid, dependable defensive tackles is a luxury, and I’m hopeful that this investment will be sound. I waver on TE Devon Norton, but his injury history makes my mind up for me.

I submit a token bid of 1yr, $3 million, for S Kirk Weed, in an effort to bring back the secondary cohesion that has helped us so far. Next year will be a contract year for Eskridge, and he’ll take top priority there – but for now I’d like to return both guys. I hope this works out.


A very busy first week. Several of my players are pending to other teams, including DT Zach Bailey and TE Devin Norton. Bailey has a huge offer o the table from Carolina – I don’t see any way I can match that, my initial offer pales in comparison (they are up over $8m per season). T Donnie Thornton, CB Darrell Douglas and WR Marvin Causey are also looking at good offers that I’m unlikely to match. Such is the life as defending champion, eh?

The good news is that the first of my outside FA targets, WR Joey Newsome, has signed. And the rest of my internal re-signees all look secure. We’ll make our offer to S Jason Arnold next, hoping to bring aboard another contributor at safety, even though Kirk Weed looks likely to return.

I decide to take a different approach, and offer DT Bailey a one-year deal worth $8 million. I think that’s my best shot to bring him back, without putting up a monstrous long-term deal that will cripple me (like my deal with Gary Cascadden is right now).


In week two, it’s all different. DT Zach Bailey accepts our offer for one year, and we also sign S Jason Arnold. We’re down to $9 million to spend, but the direction is better. TE Devin Norton is still pending to Washington, who looks like they are willing to spend some $7.5 million a year for his services.

We put in an offer for LB C.J. Blackwell, hoping to land our next starting middle linebacker. In week 7, both LB Blackwell and S Weed sign with us, which settles down our defensive needs a good deal. I have competition for G Mickey Thornton, but still am outbidding Tennessee – and we expect top retain him. TE Devin Norton has signed with Dallas – for a little less than Washington had offered. About $6m per season – still a steep price.

I submit a modest multi year offer for RT Nathan Glaspie – a decent-enough fill-in for our right side spot, which is now open. He’s no star, but at $800,000 a season, he’s a pretty good value, I think. After week 10, both Mickey Thornton and RT Glaspie has signed, and our starting OL is complete. We’ll have a little cap room to work with after the rookie draft, but for now – we have retained two of our key defensive players, but now have real question marks on offense.


2016 Rookie Draft

Atop our priority list is landing a playmaker for our passing game. I’d be happy with a solid wideout, or a star-caliber tight end, but I’m almost certainly pointing our first draft pick that way – we need someone who can come right in and deliver, as our offense has lost a lot this season. Picking #32 won’t give us a lot of power at the table, though.

My initial look reveals three WRs who seem good enough to serve our needs, and one tight end. I cross my fingers, hoping that we can get one of that foursome with our pick at #32.

WR Sherman McGregor goes at #9 – he was my top choice, also. At #16 is the next WR Jamal Feusse – going right in order, so far. Looks 50/50 on anyone landing in our lap here, though. At #25, WR Darrin Prentice goes – he was the last of the guys I was hoping to get here. That leaves TE Karl Sellers, who my scout grades a 38/77 – not bad, but not really all that well-developed right away. Tough call on him as a first round pick, in my view.

Well – TE Sellers is there at my pick at #32, which fulfills my original hopes. I really wanted a more flashy wideout, but he seems to be the obvious replacement selection for the departed Devin Norton.


I decide to go with the big tight end as our top pick, and I forage for RB-to-WR conversions in the late rounds, hoping to find someone who can contribute at split end for us. Actually, I really pushed the position coversion issue a lot in this draft – both DBs I drafted were initially safeties, whom we promptly switched to corner, and DE Prescott and OLB Howard both started out as pass-rushing ILBs. Only two out of eight draft picks come to us to play their original position.

We get a B for this draft (lower than my nearly annual B+) – we’ll see how this goes.


Late Free Agency

I have a little more than $2 million to spend for this year (setting aside money for my holdout rookie TE). Even counting him, we only have 49 players signed – so we simply won’t be as deep as we usually are. Deion Brock is still awaiting a new contract, too – so we need to lock up our #2 QB with a good chunk of that available money. He’s still thinking something like $1.5 million per season.

I’m pleased to lock up WR Cornelius Tilton and TE Todd Chambliss to multi-year deals, both have been solid reserve players for us. But we have to make a cut or two to afford filling out this roster. CB Ty Enochs goes, leaving us with only two returning CBs and two rookies as backups. Ouch. I renegotiate (cap out) C Monty Nunley, and that clears up a little cap space (but puts added pressure on next season, of course).

A little worried about CB, we pick up Adam Caston, a 10th year vet who has pretty solid man coverage skills. He doesn’t have a great track record, but might do pretty well in our man system. He’s cheap, also – just what we needed. Plus, CB Zack Callens just looks like a feeble old man out there – despite his continued good results, I am always worried about putting him on the field.

And finally, we work out a three year deal with QB Deion Brock, locking him up as our #2 for this year – and as our insurance policy against James Houston’s potentially big demands for after this season. We cannot, however, work out a deal with WR Zach Blair. He will miss this season with an injury, and we cannot afford a new addition – especially one with that much risk. I hope he can recover, and we’ll talk for next year – but we cannot pay him to watch this season, I’m afraid.

Otherwise, it’s a simple picking up of undrafted rookies for a look at need areas.


Training Camp


Once again, I am having a lot more “luck” with my undrafted rookie free agents than I am with my actual draft picks. (Not so much luck, as a function of more information there to work with) Regardless, we have a lot of negative numbers among our rookie players – and some whom we can work with.

Something happened to DE Neal Lynn between last season and this season – I didn’t catch exactly when it happened, but he is now a shell of his former self. We’re going to be downright thin on the DL already – and his loss makes it even worse.

All in all, this looks like a fairly disappointing rookie crop. We sign TE Sellers, and he’ll be good – but his potentials are also all at the bottom of his previously indicated ranges. We are shut out from the Green Page this year.

Season Analysis

We’re trying to field a team as good as last year’s, but I don’t see any place where we actually improved. We’re going to be thin on the DL, thinner in the secondary, and thinner in the receiving corps. Tough to see us coming back quite as dominant as last season – but we can certainly try to remain contenders.

Our roster rating has dropped to 76 – fourth behind Jacksonville, Minnesota, and Denver. Our cohesion remains excellent: 84/100(88)/100(92)/100(91). Our roster includes only one personality conflict – newly-signed MLB C.J. Blackwell doesn’t get along with DT Willie Oliveira. This one won’t be resolved with a release – there’s too much invested in both guys for us.

2016 Regular Season

We get out of the preseason with a few dings, but nothing all that serious. We got a very nice performance in the exhibition games from rookie RB Renaldo Frederickson, and I’m fairly optimistic that he can be a nice asset for us. Clearly, Gus Stewart will be the all-purpose back, but Frederickson will battle Joe Baker for reserve time.

If we are going to have an offensive playmaker in the passing game, it might be WR Joey Newsome. He will start at the flanker spot, and looks like the most refined target we have. My fear is that he will be injury-prone, and that will curtail his productivity. Hopefully, rookie TE Karl Sellers will grow into this role quickly.

Week 1: Baltimore at Cleveland

We’re already dealing with DL injuries, but we cobble together a lineup there to get through the opener, and we win 24-17 on a big fourth quarter effort. Nice Browns debut for WR Joey Newsome, with 7-76 and a TD.

Week 2: Washington (1-0) at Cleveland (1-0)

We get a defensive effort here that saves the day, as we win 9-6. DE Jimmy Fox (a long time Brown, by the way) gets the game ball with two sacks – right now, he is by far our best pure defensive end.

Week 3: Cleveland (2-0) at Denver (0-2)

QB Kim Roux, longtime Houston Texan, now leads the Broncos – and they shake off their bad start with a 27-24 win over us at their place. James Houston’s 4 interceptions probably spell the difference – we were otherwise very effective on offense. Houston is diagnosed with a broken hand, and I’ll sit him for a couple of weeks – we’ll call on Deion Brock.

Week 4: Cleveland (2-1) at Buffalo (1-2)

Buffalo bottles up Gus Stewart pretty well (20-42) but we manage to eke out a 16-10 win behind 313 yards passing from Deion Brock.

Week 5: Pittsburgh (2-2) at Cleveland (3-1)

At home against division rival Pittsburgh we unleash the f-ing fury, and whup on then 52-7. Deion Brock throws for 4 TD passes, and we get James Houston back into action, and he adds two more. Right now, I have to wonder whether Deion Brock is the more effective QB—he has a 5/0 TD/Int ratio right now, which is awfully good. However, with Houston healthy and Brock nursing a bum knee, we reinstate Houston as the starter.

Week 6: Miami (2-3) at Cleveland (4-1)

We survive a late scare here, and come away with a nice 23-21 win. Gus Stewart has 153 yards rushing as we lead most of the way, and take measures to cover up a bit.

Week 7: New York Jets (3-3) at Cleveland (5-1)

The jets have an exciting rookie QB in Randall Kay, but we outgun them here 48-21. James Houston makes a big statement with a huge effort – 271 yards, 4 TDs, no picks. Solid effort, and we are looking pretty sharp – even on defense, where I am very worried about our depth.

Week 8: Cleveland (6-1) at New England (1-6)

Another 100 yards from Stewart, and another QB injury – Houston goes down with a knee, and will miss a few weeks. Brock looks great in his stead, and we take a 28-6 win. DT Gary Cascadden, in his return since his latest injury, has 7 tackles – and he means a lot to our defensive front.

Through 8 games, here are our team’s vital stats:


We once again are thriving off the turnover – S Kenneth Eskridge has 4 picks, and is on pace once again to be among the league leaders in interceptions. We have also caused the most fumbles in the league – I don’t know how that happens (punishing hitter ratings, maybe). Our run defense has been solid again, even with DT Cascadden missing most of the season so far. DE Jimmy Fox, with 7.5 sacks, may be on his way to a career year, and has snapped out of a long time depression. We’re looking pretty solid – an RB Gus Stewart has nearly 1,000 total yards, and will again pursue the 2,000 yard park for the season.


Week 9: Cleveland (7-1) at Baltimore (3-4)

We effectively drub the Ravens 24-7, topping it off with an interception TD from reserve safety Jason Arnold. DT Zack Bailey has 6+2 tackles and 2 sacks to get the game ball – the defense played very well here.

As I had feared, we have lost WR Jimmy Newsome to an injury – he has broken his leg, and will miss 9 weeks. We may have him back for the playoffs, but not before then, it seems. There goes our chance at a 1,000-yard receiver – Newsome had 569 yards through 9 games. We’ll use Cornelius Tilton (the touchdown maker) in his place.

Also as feared, we have lost DT Gary Cascadden to a serious injury- and he will be out for the full year, and maybe beyond. He’s just gotten brittle, and this is what he amounts to now – a few good games, and a lot of missed time.

Week 11: Cleveland (8-1) at Cincinnati (7-2)

Huge division game – our chance to put it away, probably. We’ll go with Deion Brock at QB, ahead of Houston, who has been upgraded to probable, but is still not 100%.

We get a great start, forcing a three and out and then getting Van Harmon to take the punt all the way for an opening TD. The Cinti defense is tough, but we prevail 27-11 to get the two-game lead in the division.

Week 12: Philadelphia (10-0) ay Cleveland (9-1)

What a matchup in the regular season! Regrettably, legendary QB Jacques Cheatham has been injured the last couple of weeks, and they are going with Kenny Capstick (a former Bengal QB) to lead them. But their offensive line is jus unbelievably good, and we expect trouble regardless. This is a great team that they have in Philly (Earnest Carlyle, my former coach, has left for Pittsburgh – so he’s no longer at the helm there).

In a supposed clash of titans, here is the main stat line you need to see:


Our defense just dominated the game, and we win it 23-3. Gus Stewart was solid, Deion Brock was very solid, and we put together a great win to hand them their first loss.


Week 13: Jacksonville (7-4) at Cleveland (10-1)

I pegged JAX as an up-and-coming team last season, and they seem to be right on track. 3rd year QB Quentin Quinn and 2nd yr RB Winfred Mandzuk make a formidable pair for the emerging offense. The two of them, as it turns out, put together a great game, and the Jags upset us at our place, 27-20. Brock throws two picks, but it was their offense that really made the difference.

We remain comfortably ahead for the division and a very likely bye week, though.


Week 14: Cleveland (10-2) at New York Giants (4-8)

Deion Brock rebounds, still in as our starter, with 287 yards and 4 TD passes, leading us to a 32-18 win. Tyrone Gover, a former Brown himself, leads the Giants passing attack to 354 yards – but we wrap up the win.

Week 15: Cincinnati (7-6) at Cleveland 11-2)

The Bengals, behind QB Edwin Sanderson, put up a great effort, and upset us at our place 31-24. They got help from a kickoff return TD and a fumble return TD, but ended up with a very nice effort to hold on to win.

Week 16: Cleveland (11-3) at Dallas (8-6)

We need to bounce back here, after losing two of three at home. We have James Houston back in as the starter, but the offense is just flat. We lose 13-6, and our tumble continues – not the right time of year to have a team crisis. We are still a lock for the bye week, but now Jacksonville is an edge ahead for the #1 seed.

Week 17: Cleveland (11-4) at Pittsburgh (7-8)

We get the game we wanted, with Deion Brock back in the saddle, a 31-21 win. Not exactly a titanic win, but we needed a good offensive effort to recharge the batteries for our bye week. We get six sacks from the DL, including two from old man Willie Oliveira – a starter in the absence of Cascadden.



Philadelphia suffered a terrible season collapse without QB Jacques Cheatham, and barely hold on for their bye week. But he ought to be back for the playoffs, and they’ll be tough again.

We have both AFC wild cards come from our division – tough place to play, it seems. As the #2 seed, we would have to play at Jacksonville, if it comes to that.


Deion Brock really played well, and we finally settle on him as our starter with the big win in the final game. So, in Cleveland tradition, he strains his calf in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh, and is listed as out for three weeks. James Houston will have to lead us – not too bad, really, but what a weird twist of fate we seem to get every year. (I could look back, but I know we have had starting QB injuries in the playoffs more seasons than not)

2016 Postseason

AFC Divisional Playoff: New York Jets (9-8) at Cleveland (12-4)

The jets get a win their opener, and come to visit Brownsville for our first game. Second year QB Randall Kay has had a nice year – he’s an exciting player for them. They got 1,400 yards from their RB Winston Martinez, and have a tough run defense (with S Thurman Jacobs one of their veteran leaders – seven years there since he left our Browns).

Kay drives them for a FG on their opening possession. We match them, and draw even at 3-3. The jets return our kickoff for an 89-yard TD. Looks like the scoreboard operator is going to be busy. Things calm down but we add a FG early in the second quarter to get within four points.

With about five minutes left in the half, we have fourth a six from our 40. We punt- but the Jets were offside, and we get another chance. Our coach says to go for it, and Houston zips a quick hitter to Cornelius Tilton to give us six yards and a first down. Gutsy call. It seems to pay off, though – we march down the field after that, and cap off the drive with a 17-yard pass to Gus Stewart. Browns up 13-10 now, and we take tht into the half.

We force the Jets to punt in the third quarter, and we get a return play of our own, as Van Harmon returns the punt for a 67-yard TD. We keep the ball on their side of the field with good field position play, and then Kirk Weed makes a big play to pick off a pass at their 20. We add a FG, and take a 23-10 lead. On their next possession, DT Zach Bailey gets a sack, causes a fumble, and Kirk Weed is there again to jump on the ball. We line up for a short FG, but it is blocked – and the Jets stave off that final nail.

A good, time-consuming drove in the fourth quarter gets us another FG, and runs the clock to 1:52. That is the final mark, as the Jets get a little garbage late to just barely get 200 yards total offense on the day. Strong effort by the Cleveland D.


AFC Championship: Cleveland (13-4) at Jacksonville (13-4)

We know they are good, and they know they can beat us. Their win over us sent us into our late-season tailspin, which eventually resulted in this game being played here in Jacksonville rather than in Cleveland. Big QQ taking the snaps, and Winfred Mandzuk taking the carries – they are also a QB/RB-powered attack, much like the Jets.

Deion Brock is upgraded to probable, and I decide that he ought to play. He has brought the best out of our offense this season, and we’ll give him the nod down the stretch, if he can handle it.

Our first possession goes nowhere, and the jags go the short field to score the opening TD. Another offside call on our punt gives us life, and we go on to score a FG on that possession. On a freak play, Brock hits Harmon for a quick curl, he fumbles, and WR Newsome grabs the ball in stride – and takes it 18 yards for the score. We edge down more and more yards via a punting battle, and add another FG before the half to lead 13-7. Ever since their opening drive, our defense has held them in check. James Houston has come in for Deion Brock, as Brock is injured once again.

In the third, we open with a good drive, get a short pass to TE Sellers for a TD, and convert on a short pass to our other TE Chambliss to go up 21-7. Jacksonville responds with a long FG, showing some signs of life, at least. As the quarter runs down, the Jags get a long drive on basically two long passes – and get a TD to pull within 21-17. Down, but not out at all.

Our offense is losing its zing, but we keep punting them deep to thwart their momentum. We take over at their 45 after a punt (field position, again) and drive to add a FG – and extend our lead to 24-17. We trade punts, and the Jags get it back at their 42, with 2:46 left – plenty of time. But on third down, we get a pick by LB Curtis Davis, and probably end their threat. Gus Stewart pounds inside a few times, and breaks free for a 15-yard TD which puts it away.

Deion Brock has strained his calf – and he is out for the Superbowl. James Houston has bruised ribs, but he’ll be in there (remember last season, as our starter he had to miss the big game).


Superbowl: Tampa bay (13-6) vs. Cleveland (14-4)

Tampa upset Philadelphia in the NFC Championship to go on to the Superbowl (familiar?). We don’t know the Bucs well, but they have a veteran QB in Tracy Vaughn who is fairly stable, and a nice young RB in Ty Christy who posted 1,400 yards this year. They have WR Ed Mcdonald, a veteran speedster on the attack, and boosted their OL this year by signing OT Donnie Thornton, a longtime Cleveland starter.

One of the stars of their solid defensive unit is LB Howie Lynch, who is in his twilight, but is still solid. CB Scott Barton was a great addition for them this year – solid starter, big hitter, and their secondary leader. This looks like a solid team – they run the ball well, and are just above average at everything overall.


We get the ball first, after winning the toss. Our first play is sending Gus Stewart off left tackle, which he breaks for a 30-yard gain. Stewart catches an 11-yard pas, and two plays later runs it in from 12 yards out – a statement by our offense and especially by “Gus the Bus.” Get on board.

The statement is quickly returned – for the second time we yield a kickoff return TD in the first quarter. 98 yards and the Bucs are right back in this one. (Must be a bug – the Buccaneers returning a kick for a TD?) Fleet-footed Ed McDonald (a guy I coveted in the draft when I ended up with Zach Blair, I believe) just flies by our defenders for the home run.

But we get right back, with Stewart tearing off another 33-yard run to post 88 on the day already – and Jimmy Newsome catches the go-ahead TD pass. Our next drive is only 46 yards, but that’s the whole way – FB Brandon catches the TD pass and we go ahead 21-7. We get a pick from MLB C.J. Blackwell to thwart a Tampa possession, and are driving as the first quarter wraps up. A pass to Sellers makes is 28-7 early in the second quarter. The Bucs are not out, though – they drive in the late second quarter, and get a TD pass to Ed McDonald to get within 28-14. A two-minute drill by the Bucs gets them another TD, and we go to the half at 28-21, not a blowout at all.

Kirk Weed makes the first big play of the second half, with an interception near midfield. We’re having trouble slowing down the Bucs’ offense right now, so that was a real help. That seems to take the air out of the ball a bit, as we are back and forth most of the rest of the third quarter. But with about 3 minutes left, Houston finds Cornelius Tilton (ever the playmaker) for a big bomb, and the 60—yard ass makes it a 35-21 game. We like that a lot better.

But the genie is out again, it seems – Tampa drives easily, and scores a FG. Fortunately, on their next possession, they can’t get anywhere, and the clock is now our major ally. We eat clock and kick a FG – each equally important to make our lead 14, and leave only 2:31 left. We take over on downs, and then salt it away with a short TD pass to Newsome. James Houston, with his five TD passes, gets the MVP honors as we successfully defend our title with a 45-21 victory.


Season Wrap-up


Once again, RB Gus Stewart is denied the awards superfecta by his teammate QB. James Houston will get to put “Superbowl MVP” on his free agent resume, as he hits the open market this year.

DT Zach Bailey was a god re-signing – he stayed healthy, and on his one-year contract earned all-pro honors again. I don’t know if we’ll be able to afford him for another season, but he was very instrumental in our play this season, especially with Gary Cascadden breaking down on us.

Great year – I didn’t think we’d be back on top with the holes left in the roster, but we got big plays at good times, and actually had an easier road through the playoffs this season than last (which by nearly all accounts was a better team). Hooray!

…Okay, I’m bored.

Start up a new dynasty with the Bills, Seahawks or Bengals... I'd like to see one of those...

Congrats on your franchise's success.

You've taken the Lake Erie challenge . . .

What about the Dan Snyder/Al Davis/Jerry Jones challenge?

Give your owner some personality.

Have the FOF community come up with a list of things that a meddling owner who knows just enough football to be dangerous may say:

"I like our starting RB--keep him on the team until he retires"

"I don't like what our starting QB just said about us in the media; cut him."

"We need more fun 'n gun. Pass the ball at least 75% of the time this year."

"Pass rushes win games. Get the best DE available in FA this year."

"We need a Super Bowl win within the next 3 years."

"I expect this team to make money. I need at least $100,000,000 profit within 2 seasons."

etc.

When you have a decent list complied, put them in a hat and pull one out every year. You will have to comply with the owner demand for that year (and for however long it lasts) or be fired.

This challenge would keep things fresh by forcing you to deal with choices that you would not have made.

It strikes me as a bit too contrived for your tastes, but it is a challenge that I have toyed with taking myself a few times, so I thought I would throw it out there for your interest.

Congrats on winning it all. :) What's next? Are you going to try to rebuild another team or stick with Cleveland?

I didn't reload the thread before reading it and you've gone on since winning it all the first time...so just ignore me. :)

I haven't comletely decided yet what i want to do here long term... so for the short term, I'm running another season with Cleveland, and trying to win it all again under basically the same rules and structure.

2017 preseason

After two seasons atop the league, Cleveland will make a run for an unprecedented three-peat. We’ll have some challenges – our top-paid player is going to miss the season with an injury, and we have some critical players up for new contracts, and expect to suffer more attrition. We’ll see if we can hold enough of this ship together for another title run.

Transitions and League Observations

We don’t have any retirements, which is good news. I had half-feared/half-hoped that DT Gary Cascadden would retire, but he is still around – preparing to suck $7 million of our salary cap so he can sit in his recovery bed all season.


Front Office Decisions

My head coach, K.C. Hansen, is the three-time defending Coach of the Year. Now he’s up for a contract. Right. I have offers inn to retain both Hansen and my scout Kim Donaldson.

Donaldson is pretty easy:

Scout: Kim Donaldson, 43
VG: WR,PK
GD: QB,DL,LB,DB,Young Talent
AV: RB,OL

Hansen takes a pretty big contract – as well he should. He has four bidders in the first week, and I have to up my $4m offer pretty substantially, eventually landing him with an offer of $6,600,000. He’s now the highest-paid coach in the league – but makes a shade less than the highest-paid OC in the league. (Dumb)


We keep our ticket prices in place. We remain profitable, in part due to getting an extra playoff game or two every year.


Roster Review

We have 32 signed players, and $25 million available to spend on free agents. We’ll walk through the roster, and see where we might focus this money. This will certainly be yet another challenging off-season.


The scouts say Houston is the better QB, but the numbers say that Deion Brock has earned the top spot. Brock had a 103.8 rating last year, and was clearly the better leader for our offense. I doubt we will re-up with Houston, who wants $7 million a year. We’ll probably look for a cheap journeymen to fill in behind Brock, and perhaps draft a promising youngster again. (I don’t see Jeff Hayes as a viable option, either)


Joe Baker and Renaldo Frederickson are passable reserves, but nothing more than that. Danny Aguilera is a receiving back who really can’t run the ball well. I’d like to get a solid #2 back – may go fishing in the draft there again.


I like Dean Brandon at FB better than Goodwin – more of my style of “get out o the way” fullback. Karl Sellers needs to get more involved in the passing game to justify his #1 selection. TE Chambliss is actually developing into a pretty solid player himself, but he will never be a star receiver.


Mixed results from this group. Newsome is the most productive guy when he is healthy, and it’s hard to deny Tilton’s effectiveness when he is used. Van Harmon has been a nice complementary player and returner for us, and may well be worth the $1.5 million he seeks. I won’t put in an initial offer, but might go after him if it pans out.


Most everyone returns, except our super-sub Ellis Pond. Pond got 14 starts last year, filling in for injured players across the line. But, he now seeks big money, and won’t be practical to keep around. We’ll look for a free agent or two to give us some seasoned depth – preferably at T or G.


I’ll try to retain both guys – but Mo Crain might want a truckload of money. Creighton is solid, but replaceable – he’s not that great with angling punts to the corner.


DT Gary Cascadden is out for the year already, and will then be out of contract. He might be a dead man walking – who knows how he will look after resolving his injury issues. But look around at this group – we just don’t have much talent here, and that’s being kind. Zach Bailey is very solid, but would cost a fortune to sign again (he’s thinking about $8m a year), and who else is worth a damn? Jimmy Fox is fine – he’d make a nice #3 DE, but last year he was leaps and bounds our best true DE. Willie Oliveira is okay, but really a reserve-quality guy as well. I had to patch through by using linebackers as reserves and pass-rushing specialists last season, and may have to do so again. High priority to pull a bit more together here – maybe our top draft pick.


Speaking of linebackers, we have three starters already signed – and absolutely nothing else. Frederick and Regalado have been effective as situational pass rushers, and I’ll probably be looking for more guys of that type. The rest can be replaced with cheap free agents or youngsters. I don’t expect we’ll have the depth that we had last season.


Zack Callens is in his 14th season, and has practically no skills left. He also comes off his sixth straight season with a PDPct rating over 20—and if you follow that rating like I do, you’re impressed (that’s a pretty unusual feat for a top-tier player, not to mention an apparent scrub like Callens). Zack is rated 60 in man coverage and 58 in interceptions, and has nothing else above 30. Perfect for our defense—I love him. We’ll get by with our CB group.

At safety, it’s decision time. Kirk Weed has been a long time starter and anchor player, and Kenneth Eskridge is just a star. Weed wants about $3m a year, and Eskridge wants over $5m a year – so it will be very tough to land both of them. Arnold is a passable starter if we need him, which I think is fairly likely.

Free Agency

My initial plan of action is to pursue DE Jimmy Fox and both starting safeties, and then to look for cheap free agents elsewhere. I balk, though, at DE Fox’s demands, and will wait him out to see if he gets more reasonable. He had a career year last season (suddenly becoming our premiers pass rusher by attrition) and now is trying to cash in on those stats. He is a DE mentor, though, and I’d rather not lose that.

I do decide that LB Clarence Frederick, who isn’t seeking big bucks, merits a new deal. On paper, he ought to be a solid pass rusher, but his 6 sacks last year was a career high. The problem with him is that he has eclipsed DT Willie Oliveira as our defensive front leader for the moment, and we had lost of good things clicking around Willie O. If we bring back Frederick, we have a neutral chemistry up front, which I don’t know if we can afford with such a talent drought. We might actually be better off with a lesser player in there.

I like a number of value free agents, and will queue them up for my offers:
MLB Jonathan Upshaw – underused run stuffer from Cinti, quality reserve/possible starter
S Bennie Luker – good backup plan at safety if we need a starter, solid ballhawker
DE Skip Bromley – pure pass rusher, has played well since he left us two seasons ago
DE Jerome Jaramillo – has been very effective as pass rusher for CHI, good value

My first offer will be to LB Upshaw, but I will probably target DE Jaramillo next. One at a time, we’ll try to pick up all these guys, and go from there.

There are a plethora of quarterbacks in the FA market – I’m highly confident we will find a suitable #2 for this season, but I still plan to look for a project QB in the draft, probably in the middle rounds.


Kirk Weed quickly accepts his contract offer, as Eskridge is sitting on his.

We have a few players with pending offers from other teams: WR Van Harmon (I put up a comparable offer to try to keep him), DT Nate Winters (big money, no way), and DT Zach Bailey (huge money, no way). That’s not so bad – nothing unexpected there.

In week two, S Kenneth Eskridge accepts my offer – which is really the first time I have put forth a truly backloaded deal. He’ll be pretty cap-friendly for about three years, and then he will be an anchor. It’s a done deal – he gets $8m in cash up front to tide him over, which isn’t too bad.

After week three, DT Bailey signs with Pittsburgh, and DT Winters signs with Cincinnati – so both of them will remain in the division. How lovely. LB Upshaw signs with us, and I get to target a new free agent. I go after DE Jerome Jaramillo, whom I see starting for us at the right side pass-rusher slot.

WR Van Harmon accepts the offer from Philadelphia over ours – they offered him a voidable year. So, now I need someone to start at split end, return punts, play as our gunner, and be an all-around solid guy. I should have pressed a bit harder to get Harmon back, it seems.

After week six, DE Jaramillo has signed with us – but we’ve lost LB Regalado and P Creighton to other offers. No huge losses, but I am a shade worried about our pass-rushing contingent. LB Curtis Sinclair, not used much last year, might have to step into a somewhat important role this season, as I’m now seeing him as a very viable option for the pass-rushing reserve roles.

I think I have found my replacement for WR Van Harmon – Stanley Burroughs would become our primary kick and punt returner, he’s a natural split end, and might even be a starter for us. We have to outbid Cincinnati, but they aren’t too serious – I like our chances. It takes three weeks, but we land him. I expect he might be jus fine for our offense, and he looks like he’ll be pretty sturdy, which we can appreciate.

We target C Jeff Rowell – ideally, I’d prefer a guard or tackle, but he is very solid and very cheap. And, as it turns out, very willing to sign. He comes aboard quickly.

LB Allen Upshaw has played for five teams over five seasons, and has yet to register a single QB sack. So, what do we have in mind for him? How about a job as a situational pass rusher? What’s he going to do, say no?


I get almost through the 20 stages still feeling very thin on the defensive line, but we don’t have great options right now. I decide to pick up an insurance policy for the DT position, and take DT Grady Ashford, a journeyman run stopper, who might just have to be a starter for us this season. DE Jimmy Fox is still out there – I’m just waiting for his demands to settle down a bit more, but we expect to bring him back.


2017 Rookie Draft

As we head into the draft, my ideal situation would be to land two potential contributors on the defensive line with our top two picks – but I’m also open to seeing and grabbing a playmaking wide receiver if one falls to our pick at #32 (or near enough to be worth a trade up).

WR Lorenzo Zimmerman looks very nice – a great fit for us, I suspect. But I don’t see how we can afford to deal up from #32 to #14, where we are as I write. If he falls to about #18 or 20, I think I’ll make an effort to advance and grab him. I push the envelope just a bit too far, and Baltimore takes WR Zimmerman at #20 – just after I click to stop the draft action. Drat!

Defensive tackles go with three of the five picks leading up to us – that really hurt. We end up taking DT Bryce Kaufman from Auburn, and hope that we’re getting a guy who will rise to the same level as Zach Bailey – he’s the same style of player, with good potential as a pass rusher as well as an inside run presence. He may, however, end up being moved outside – as he has the ideal size to play defensive end for us, and we may need him there even more.

I can’t decide from among several decent receivers available at our round two pick, so I stick with the original plan, and grab another defensive lineman. DT Omar Farquhar should develop into a solid inside presence, and will probably let us slide Kaufman to the outside.

Only two of the four receivers I was coveting are taken in round three, so we land a guy who might help us. WR Ted Pendleton is the fastest player left in the draft, and my goal is to groom him for the split end job, if he pans out.


QB Cary Wright is the fastest and smartest guy in the QB crop – both things that help separate him from a crop of mediocre signal callers. Project, nonetheless. T John Cole is a very powerful player, strongest lineman available, and he gets along with our OL leader – pretty decent match for a reserve player.


Late Free Agency

Okay, we hit the late staged with all but our first round rookie signed – and that means we have 49 players under contract with one pending, and a full $15 million to spend under our salary cap. In retrospect, I was to stingy with the money this year – I shouldn’t have backloaded the deal with S Kenneth Eskridge, and probably could have afforded to re-sign one more quality player, like maybe DT Zach Bailey. Alas.

DE Jimmy Fox is still thinking big money – and I’m still thinking otherwise. I’m sure we will work it out, but I don’t know for how long a deal – if his sticks to his guns, the best he’ll get from us is one year at about $2.5 million.

In addition to a number of fill-in rookies, I pursue DE Seth Hartman, who is injured badly for this year, but if he can pull through will be a huge steal for next season. Worth the modest risk, I think – he has dropped his demands to just a bit over minsal.

We then pursue an old friend – LB Ricky DiGiacomo. He has been felled by injuries, but looks like he can still play a bit. He’ll be cheap, and might add some veteran leadership to our defensive front – I’m glad to invite him back into the fold for us.

I had planned to wait out QB James Houston and snag him in this process, but New England beats me to the punch, and inks a three-year deal with him.

As expected, we work out a new deal with CB Zach Callens, and I have every intention of starting him again this season. Tough to defend on paper, but his performance year in and year out does the job.

I end up signing DE Jimmy Fox to a one year deal for $2.4 million – about what I had expected it would be. He was stubborn, and missed out on what could have been a multi-year offer. I doubt he will ever have the stats-based bargaining power he did this year, and still nobody met his demands.

And, to my surprise, C Ellis Pond is talking about a new, affordable deal. I’m glad to re-sign him for only $1 million a year, as he has been very effective for us providing needed depth all over the line.

My final decision in the late free agency process, then, is to sign a backup quarterback. There are several guys available, and I have some money to spend, so it won’t be too tough. Mostly a matter of finding the right match. And, you know my inclinations – I like to go with guys I know already. So, since James Houston bolted (ruling out plan A) I go to my second idea – and we sign QB Tyrone Glover to a one year deal. He has spent 4 of his 13 years with us already, and has earned a Superbowl MVP honor playing against us for San Francisco. We’ll bring him back as our insurance policy for starter Deion Brock – and we know that in past years, these “insurance policies” all came into effect, it seems.


Training Camp

With a number of young players being counted on for significant contributions this year (especially our two young DL) this is a critical training camp.


Well, our defensive linemen both look pretty underwhelming, but we have little choice but to use them right away.

WR Ted Pendleton looks okay, but the big news is undrafted rookie free agent receiver Austin Haass. He had a great camp, leaping forward in the eyes of our scouts, and he gets along great with WR mentor Alex Garcia. Good things might be in store for this young man – he’ll get a pretty serious look. Gaining 6 points of potential in his first camp makes quite an impression.

I’ve got a few trade offers to consider – two of which are real head-scratchers. Seattle (8-8 last year) is offering their 1st round pick next year for MLB C.J. Blackwell. I probably wouldn’t even consider this deal, but Blackwell has a conflict with my defensive front leader, and it’s the worst conflict on the whole team. I also just signed MLB Jonathan Upshaw, who would be a solid starter at MLB for us. Tough decision. I decide that this season is just too important, and I decline the solid offer.

We are also offered a 2nd rounder for WR Joey Newsome – but I decide that he’s still our most polished weapon in the passing game, and despite his injury tendency, we’ll keep him around.

Finally, we get a modest offer – a 5th round pick for WR Matt Badalyan. We can do this one – he might not have made the team anyway.


Season Analysis

Tumult along our defensive line, and we come into this season even weaker there than last year (where this was my top worry). We have an excellent LB corps behind them, and we may need them.

I’m pretty comfortable with the offense – the line is very stable, I am fine with our WR group (though we still lack a true star, I know, I know), and I’m fine with our RB group (would have liked a better #2, but we’ll be okay).

This season, we’d like to see TE Karl Sellers step forward, and put up some numbers. He certainly seems to have the talent. I’m thinking about 600 yards for the season, and 6 TDs – that would please me. On defense, I want to see one of my corners have a good year – Monty Diaz is slated to start again, but I need some better play than he delivered last season.

But overall, I believe it comes down to the defensive front. If we can again stop the run, then we should be in good shape. If we are vulnerable there, I really feel like this team could be a house of cards.


Cohesion remains very high: 83/100(80)/100(75)/100(94) – in the top four in each area. Our roster rating, though, has dropped to a 78 – seventh best, far behind Tennessee and the Jets.

The twice-defending champions have no choice but to be aiming for the top again. We’ll head into the season with a bullseye on our backs, and a tough road ahead, I think.

2017 Regular Season

No massive injuries during the preseason, so we are primed and ready for the real thing. Indeed, QB Tyron Glover had a monstrous preseason, and looked sharp in all four games. Good sign for us. Turns out we will need him right away – Deion Brock has a groin pull, and Glover will have to start the season as the #1 option. Great.

Our other injury adjustment is moving LB Kurt Dodge into the reserve ranks at DE, so he will see time at both LB and at DE. (An injury to Jimmy Fox necessitated this) He’s a much better pass rusher than any of our true defensive ends, so we will get him time there when the situation warrants. This probably drops his overall playing time, but might make him more valuable to us overall. We’ll see how it works out.

Week 1: Cincinnati at Cleveland

We are outrushed, outgained, and outplayed at home in our opener, and drop a 20-13 one to division rival Cinti. Tough way to start out – we looked lost out there. Tyrone Glover dumping off the the outlet receivers, and we never get anything going at all. Ouch.

Week 2: Cleveland (0-1) at Minnesota (0-1)

An absolutely crazy game here – five total TDs scored by the defense or special teams, as we light up the scoreboard but lose 51-45 in overtime. Deion Brock’s four interceptions (not like him) are very costly – three are returned for scores, including one in the fourth quarter, and another in overtime.

Week 3: Cleveland (0-2) at Denver (1-1)

The “house of cards” concept is taking shape, I fear – and we are looking desperate. Venerable star QB Kim Roux leads the Broncos to a nice 31-23 win, and we are suddenly staring at 0-3. It’s been a long, long time since we were here.

Key stat so far: 4.53 yards per carry we are allowing. Wow.

Week 4: Tennessee (2-1) at Cleveland (0-3)

We finally come through with a good game – holding the Titans to 65 yards rushing and taking a 17-10 win at home. Very much needed. No turnovers, no sacks allowed, good game.

Week 5: Cleveland (1-3) at Jacksonville (2-2)

We dominate the rematch of our AFC championship game from last season, 22-6. Another nearly error-free game, and our run defense is getting its act together, it would seem.

Week 6: Cleveland (2-3) at Houston (1-3)

Just when we think we have momentum back on our side, we drop a stinker in Houston, losing 24-10. Deion Brock reinjures his groin, and we are ineffective without him. RB Gus Stewart I having all kinds of trouble this season – here he ends up with a measly 41 yards.

Week 7: Cleveland (2-4) at Baltimore (4-2)

We’re used to looking at these mid-season division games as a way to open up the gap – here we want to close it a little. Howie Gordon (long time ago Browns QB) leads the Ravens to a win here, 13-10, and our misery continues. The wheels have truly fallen of the wagon now.

Week 8: Indianapolis (5-2) at Cleveland (2-5)

We show signs of our former selves here, with a nice 34-17 win. Deion Brock is subbed in for an injured Tyrone Glover, and Brock is effective despite his nagging injury. Stewart goes over 100 yards, and things look pretty sharp. What gives?

This is our halfway point – where we usually share the major team stats. Not quite as peppy this time around, though:


Too early to write off the season, but two or three more losses might get us there, unbelievably enough. We need to get Deion Brock healthy, and get this offense clicking again.


Week 9: Pittsburgh (4-4) at Cleveland (3-5)

Glover and Brock have to tag team at QB again, but it works, and we win a 34-11 morale booster. We’re seeing the old Gus Stewart again – 172 yards rushing, plus a TD catch. Good showing, overall.

Tyrone Glover has hurt his knee, and now we have t sign Melvin Irwin – the journeyman who filled in for us last season, to be our #2 for at least a few weeks.


Week 10 is our much-needed bye, but we have some good and interesting news. DE Seth Hartman is coming along pretty well with his injury, and could be ready to play this season – maybe even within a couple of weeks. We don’t want to rush him, but boy would that help us out.


Week 11: Cleveland (4-5) at Cincinnati (4-5)

The offense looks sharp again, Deion Brock finishes the game on his feet, and we wallop the Bengals 31-10.


Week 12: Chicago (5-5) at Cleveland (5-5)

Even with a totally patchwork DL, we manage to throttle the Bears, and at 6-5 we are suddenly back in the postseason picture. We’re three full games behind Baltimore, so we are probably only in the WC hunt – but right now, 6-5 is good enough to get in. There are five teams within a game of us- so we need to keep up the solid play.

Week 13: New York Jets (9-2) at Cleveland (6-5)

Huge game – we really need this win, against a very tough team. Tyrone Glover is out again, but we’ll be hoping to see Deion Brock stay in the whole way this week. We activate Jimmy Fox and even Seth Hartman for the game, and hope to have a newly energized defensive line ready to play.

Deion Brock throws three TD passes, and leads the offense along the way to a 24-12 win over the Jets. Our running game is basically stopped, but our defense plays very well. DE Jimmy Fox is felled again with another injury, but DE Hartman makes it through okay – only 2 tackles, but he’s another usable body out there, and that means an awful lot for us right now.


Week 14: Detroit (4-8) at Cleveland (7-5)

We’re mostly back in shape, back to good solid football, few mistakes, and another 20-13 win. DE Hartman has 6 tackles and a sack – and his arrival into the lineup couldn’t be more welcome.

Meanwhile, in the NFC, Dallas is at 13-0, and threatening to put up a perfect season.


Week 15: Cleveland (8-5) at Pittsburgh (7-6)

This is a huge game – Pittsburgh is the only team remaining a game within us for the last wild cards spot – we stand at #6, they stand at #7, but if they win here, we lose control of our own destiny.

Gus Stewart shows them a real “bus” and he rolls for 197 yards to lead us to a 34-28 win, and a virtual lock for the wild card spot. Brock made one big mistake (interception for TD) but overcame that and steered us clear the rest of the way to a big win.

The good luck for DE Seth Hartman could only last for so long. He has been reinjured, and now will definitely miss the rest of this year – and maybe next year as well. We reach out to old friend Lincoln Limon, who comes back aboard for a short-term deal.


Week 16: Cleveland (9-5) at Green Bay (3-11)

It’s closer than we would have liked, but we escape with a win, 33-31. Now, even poor Lincoln Limon is out with an injury, and we are basically suiting up beer vendors to come play defensive tackle for us. It’s a comedy of errors. The thing is – our last game isn’t exactly meaningless…


Week 17: Baltimore (11-4) at Cleveland (10-5)

Believe it or not, we could still win the division. With a win here, at home, we would pull even with the Ravens, and split the season series. We would have the better division record, and I believe that means we’d be division champs. It’s fairly likely that we’ll end up facing the Ravens again in the opening week of the playoffs – but we’d rather play at our place than theirs.

It’s a tough battle, as expected, but we end up pulling it out, 19-16, and cap off an improbable late-season run to end up the 11-5 division winners. Our defense, bless their tired little souls, played a great game – the only TD Baltimore scored was on a fumble recovery. Unbelievable.


Dallas, obviously, slipped along the way to their perfect season – but still will be a major player in the title fight. Tough to say how much of a player we will be – we’ll be playing in the wild card round for the first time in years – and we won’t get that nice week of rest that we really, really could use this season.


Okay – let’s wrap up. QB Deion Brock had an unbelievable season. He had 4 interceptions in his debut against Minnesota, then only threw one more all year long. A 98.8 passer rating seems to show that last year’s numbers were no fluke. If he could have stayed healthy to play all 16 games, he could be in the MVP running. He actually saw his skills develop this year, too – we may not have seen his best yet.

Gus Stewart, despite a slow start, finished in his usual spot – a stone’s throw short of 2,000 total yards. He was again our top receiver for the season. As we started the year, I asked for 600 yards and 6 TDs from TE Sellers – and he delivered within 2% of that total, positively uncanny. (No sleight of editing there, either, I assure you)

Defensively, this was awful – we fielded so many combinations of guys on the DL it made my head spin (except Jerome Jaramillo, who stayed healthy all season long). But at the end of the line, we get the #3 defense in yards per carry allowed. Unbelievable. We were a little bit soft against the pass, and we saw CB Zach Callens finally lose his touch (an 18.4 rating this year) but overall, it’s hard to complain with the results.

We’ll shuffle ahead, and put together the best group we can for the playoff opener – at home.

2017 Postseason

AFC Wild Card Game: Indianapolis (11-5) at Cleveland (11-5)

Indy is a team that seems to have been franknsteined together with a variety of parts off the free agent heap. QB Bubba Avila is pretty solid, signed to a cheap two year deal. RB Damon McNeil might be the league MVP, though, an he is home grown. Solid team, and they got a huge boost with a star DT in the draft this year in monster DT Gabe Dawson.


Indy cashes in their first possession for a FG, and draw first blood. It’s back and forth for a while, but in the early second quarter we get a nice TD run from Gus Stewart – with this notation:
Midway through the second quarter, Indy kicks another FG, and it’s 7-6. They put constant pressure on us with their offense, and it’s only our red zone toughness that keeps their next possession to three pints as well. It’s 9-7 Indy at the half, but could be lots worse.

Indy drives again, and again we force a kick – they take the 12-7 lead. This is okay so far, it’s not out of hand, but they have outgained us by more then 150 yards so far – we need to do something with the ball for once. We again kill ourselves with penalties, and punt it right back to them. They again convert their third downs, and get to our side – but we stop them just outside FG range. I guess that’s progress.

We get the ball back, give it to Gus for four consecutive plays, and get two first downs. Great. Then we commit another false start penalty, dig a hole, and punt it back. Awful. We’re not out of this game, but it sure feels like we are.

We give the Colts a first down with a pass interference penalty, but then stop them and get the ball back near midfield, following a good return by Caston. Nothing doing – our offense is in reverse half the time.

We’re down to 7:21 left when we get the ball again – we have to make something happen, and soon. Three and out, and a punt back to the Colts. Maybe our defense has to make the play. The D comes up big again, and stops the Colts – we get another chance with our offense. 3:7 left, from our 25 – this might be our last shot.

Stewart gets loose on the first play, and takes it 29 yards to the Indy 46. Our best play since the TD run – he’s over 100 for the game, though it doesn’t feel like it. We get the next first down, but are called for a chop block, and get first and 10 from the 44 instead of the 29. (Bug?) 2:07 remaining – we need to score a TD here, or its’ all over.

Stewart for 3. Brock scrambles for 2. Brock overthrows Newsome. Fourth and 5.

Brock looks for Burroughs, but underthrows the pass. Indianapolis takes over on downs, and we’ll try to hold and use our three timeouts.

On third and 6, Indianapolis’s RB McNeil breaks a 33-yard run, and that ought to do it. Knee. Knee. Ballgame. Colts 12-7.


Here are the stat lines that absolutely killed us:


So, we fail in our attempt to make the unprecedented three-peat, and fall out in the wild card round.


Season Wrap-up

It’s Minnesota and Tennessee in the Superbowl this year (again – remember that little list of “roster ratings?” from the season start). Tennessee wins it for the AFC, keeping the title on our side for the third straight season.


We end up with a pretty decent showing – Gus Stewart has to settle for second team this season, but we do get three other Browns onto the all-pro team. LB Curtis Davis has been sensational, playing out of position as our strong-side backer, he has put up extremely good numbers year in and year out. He might be a HOF player at the end of the line – he has something like 67 sacks in 6 seasons for us, which is awfully consistent.

Speaking of the HOF – Jacques Cheatham is a mortal lock, with his fifth Solecismic MVP award, and his eights all-pro recognition. He and QB Kim Roux are the battling titans of this league’s history.

Damn, you posted the results and had all this written up. :(

I'll post it anyway, in a flashback kind of style.

Previously, Just After The Week 17 Victory

Monday mornging and QuikSand arrives at the stadium to prepare with coach Hansen for the playoffs. But first he gets a call to come into the owners office...

"Have a seat, Quik."

"Thanks Al."

"So, how do you feel about our chances in the playoffs? Think we can make it three in a row?"

"Well sir, it's gonna be tough, as always, but moreso this year. Our Defense just hasn't been stepping up and I'll be damned if I can remember whichever waiver guy we're starting at DT this week. Our run D has been pretty poor. However, on the otherside of the ball Deion has played fantastic and Gus, well, he's just Gus."

"Confident, Quik?"

"Yeah, I think we can do it again this year. No week off is a bummer, but we can deal with it."

"Good. I'm glad to see that confidence because you're gonna need it."

"Come again?"

"The directors and I reached a decision late last night that unless you win the championship, you're out of a job here. Sorry, Quik. I fought them as long as I could, you know that I would, I've always supported you here, but they have made up their minds and of course without the support of the directors I wouldn't survive here very long."

"What the hell! This is a joke right?"

Well, I was talking to Jen Hawkings, you know him, and K.C., well he's always wanted the GM role as well and.."

"Hansen's in on this!? That f*****! This is outrageous! I built this f****** franchise and you'd have nothing without me. You b******, you backstabbing..."

"Yes, I anticipated this reaction unfortunatley. *bzzzzz* Bob, Frank, come in here and escort Mr. Sand to his office."

"YOU *******!!! I'm GONNA ******* TEAR YOUR ************* BRAINS OUT....."

...and so the gaunlet was layed down. Will the Browns win it all three in a row and save QuikSands job? Will evil Coach Hansen, the backstabbing p****, sabotage his own teams efforts in order to obtain his coveted GM position? Or will the players ignore him in an effort to save their beloved GM's job? Find out soon, in, err, the previous post. :D

After The Game

QuikSand confronts the evil Hansen in the lockeroom after the game...

"Ha, I foiled your evil plan at NFL domination QuickSand. Now I am the sole ruler of the Browns!"

"What the f*** are you talking about Hansen? You f****** threw away the game to get the GM post! You're not some evil mastermind villan! D*******."

"That may be so, but nonetheless you have been removed from your position of evil and I alone now reign over these hallowed grounds. Begone! For I have no use for your skills now."

"You're such a f******* d*******. I'm gonna go to a new team and f****** cream your ass all over the f******* league! And to prove it, I'll do it with a clean house and... and I'll beat whatever team you coach in every single measurable category possible and, I'll, umm, I'll do it all with scrub coaches! Yeah. You'll see Hansen, I'll get you!"

And so it began....

I spent an hour or two with this dynasty the other day, and basically went in the direction suggested by pskov above (take over a new team). But, I'm having second thoughts... I feel some degree of attachment to the team that I have built in Cleveland (especially all the work we've done with team chemistry) and I'm reluctant to just trash it. (Especially once I witnessed what the computer AI did to that team as soon as I departed)

So, I'm a little on the fence... still planning to continue (though my next few days are busy) but uncertain what direction to take.

Continue a bit more in Cleveland until you get bored again.

The main reason I'm leaning that way right now is that I'm not sure that I'll have the time in the days/weeks ahead to get deep into this career again... and since I already have some affinity for my players at Cleveland, it's easier to pick that back up from time to time and play, rather than start over somewhere else and try to rebuild all my feelings for that team and its new players.

I think staying in Cleveland would be fine...whatever it takes to keep you interested in the dynasty. :)

I agree with gkb - do whatever makes you happiest.

2018 preseason

After a little time away, we’re back in Cleveland, after losing our streak of titles, we will try to regroup and get back into the hunt.

Here is the team history to this point, for a refresher:


Transitions and League Observations

We have three retirements – the first time I’ve really had to deal with such things. WR Alex Garcia was brought in as a veteran leader, it’s no shock he’s gone. DT Gary Cascadden had been a dominant player, but injuries made him an afterthought – he quits after two years off, basically.

But the big shock is LB Curtis Davis. He played 12 seasons, and was in great form in his last season – but now he has decided to walk away, after his career year. Very tough loss for us, and our defense.


Elsewhere, Philadelphia QB Jacques Cheatham has also retired – but we’ll see him before long, as he is a HOF mortal lock, a seven-time MVP. Whoa.


Front Office Decisions

Our staff is in place, and I don’t see any reason to upend things. We Stand pat with our front office, and with our ticket prices. Our margin was slimmer yet last season, but we’re not in a financial panic quite yet.


Roster Review

Here is our financial status, to begin with:


I feel like we ought to be able to do some things, though we might not be able to fill all our holes with veterans.


Deion Brock has the job, but also an injury suspicion around him. I’ll need to get a secure backup – preferably better than Glover, though he’s not out of the running completely.


Same as usual – Stewart is the man, heaven help us if he goes down. Baker seems to be unable to actually reach his potential, despite getting meaningful playing time every season. I’ll continue my search for an improvement at #2. Aguilera may stay, just for harmony’s sake, if he remains cheap.


I’m satisfied with Brandon, and am pleased with Sellers’s development. He posted his 600/6 last year – now he can only get better from there, I hope. Good position group, I have guys I like a lot.


I’m generally fairly pleased with this group – though we don’t really have a true gamebreaker or go-to guy in this lot. Yes, it would be nice to have one guy break through, even if only to post our first 1,000-yard season. But we have a solid, complementary bunch here, and that’s okay.


Nunley continues to excel and anchor the line for us, while our two long-time veterans are up for new deals. We could have a big loss of cohesion if both of them go – I will make a real effort to return both Heinlein and Thornton to the team. Heinlein is seriously injured, and may not play again – but I think he’d help us retain our astronomical cohesion ratings, which certainly must be helping us. Tackle is a target spot for us, however, no matter how you slice it.


I’d like to re-sign Mo Crain, but expect that his demands will again be ridiculous. I’ll try to pick up a cheap kicker, perhaps to help offset the cost.


Lots of bodies here, not a lot of answers. DE Jimmy Fox played on a one year deal – maybe he will be more reasonable this offseason. DE Seth Hartman is listed as out for 8 weeks – this time, we won’t bring him back until he is totally 100% recovered. Even then, we expect to get something like one game out of him before he’s out again for the year –he’s just done, I think. I think we will need to add a player or two here, just to build depth. Seems we need it every year.


We’ll have to adjust for the loss of Curtis Davis, which leaves the coveted “blitzbacker” spot open. Kurt Dodge is the logical candidate for that spot – he will get the first crack at it. We’ll use Blackwell at MLB, and Upshaw at the weak side spot.

I think adding one veteran here would be wise – I’m not completely sold on our reserve corps, but it’s not desperate yet.


I’d like to re-sign either Diaz of Caston to start for this year, but we’ll need to be sensitive about price at this position – I just don’t budget money for cornerbacks with this team, and cannot afford to be laying out more than $2m for anyone here. We’ll look around for a value pickup here, as well. I don’t think we can coax another good year out of Zach Callens, who is running on fumes.


Free Agency

My main objectives for the free agency period are:
Re-sign G Lincoln Gruber
Sign starting LT
Sign #2 quarterback
Sign starters at CB (Caston or Diaz possibles)
Re-sign DE Jimmy Fox
Add one more decent player on the DL
Add one more decent player at LB
Look for #2 RB

I don’t expect to solve everything here – I’ll leave what’s left for the draft.


I start out with a number of offers to my own players who are being reasonable: DE Fox, CB Caston, and CB Diaz. Unfortunately, G Gruber and T Heinlein are asking for pretty big money, which could prove troublesome.

I put in a two year offer for LT Morris Schwartz, but I don’t have much hope that he is “the answer” for us at LT – just a decent-enough placeholder. I also intend to pursue G Arnold Banks, who could end up being a starter for us in short order, especially if Gruber continues to be difficult. T Conrad Craig looks like an even better deal than G Schwartz, and I decide to start with him as my first FA offer.


After week one – good news. T Conrad Craig signs immediately. I put in my offer to Arnold Banks, who doesn’t have any other teams interested at this point.

My other re-signing pursuits look good (we are atop every list) and only QB Tyrone Glover looks likely to be lured away.


In week 4, G Arnold Banks signs, and so does CB Adam Caston. So, we are on our way to preserving much of what worked last season. We get to week 7, sign G Lincoln Gruber (for more than he is worth) but watch Arizona outbid for CB Monty Diaz. I bump up a bit, only to see Buffalo get into the bidding. In week ten, though, Diaz comes back to Cleveland, as does DE Jimmy Fox.


We still have $14m in usable cap space left – and need a backup QB and perhaps another DL. We sign a cheap DT in Tommy Allen, who could develop nicely for us at a very affordable price. FB Joseph McConnell is a one-year deal, a solid veteran fullback of the mold that I prefer.

I’m now looking at QB, where there are plenty of adequate guys, but nobody who really makes my heart sing with glee. I settle on Mo Treadwell, a 6th year vet who actually did a short stint with us in 2015, just a few years ago. I’m hoping he will fit the “don’t lose game” profile that works for this offense.


2018 Rookie Draft

In the rookie draft, I see the guy I really want. WR Don Pritchett is a total burner, and I’m certain he would quickly become the breakaway threat at WR that we have longed for. I think I’ll try the same thing I did with RB Gus Stewart – if he falls a few spots from the very top of the draft, I will try to make a move to deal up to #3 or #4 to get him, almost no matter the cost. Pritchett looks like a can’t miss pick to me.

He’s still there when Arizona is on the clock – and I decide to make my move now. It takes a lot – our picks in rounds 1, 2 and 3 this year plus next year’s #1 – but we move up to spot #3 overall to select our future WR star, Don Pritchett.


The trade, of course, basically wiped out our draft this year – but it should be worth it. I think Pritchett will be a major difference-maker for us, probably right away. I got a few role-players in the later picks, but nobody I’m too optimistic about.


Late Free Agency

We have the cap space remaining to still make a pretty big splash, but there simply isn’t anyone out there who would really make a big difference for us.

I put in a modest offer for a decent third-down back Terrance Barker, and expect to see him get some of our utility carries this year, ahead of Danny Aguilera, whom we will not re-sign. DE Adam Pearson will be a cheap fill-in for our defensive line, but strictly a second-teamer, I think.

My final actions are to re-sign T Bennie Heinlein, who finally came to earth, and K Mo Crain, who did not. Crain gets a one year deal – but we won’t be able to afford to pay him $1.6m a year forever. Finally, I ink a deal with DE Dexter Clements, who goes right onto the IR for this year, but might pan out for next season (doubtful, he looks very injury prone as well).

Heh, how dominant has Cleveland's division been?

In the past 6 years, there have been two seasons of worse than 7-9 records for teams in the division out of twenty-four possible.

To contrast that, this year alone there were three divisions with three teams that finished worse than 7-9.

I hope Pritchett works out...you gave up quite a bit.

Reminds me of the Knicks trade with the Suns... :)

I'm surprised you gave up so much to get a WR... Glad to see this dynasty continuing.

It felt right to push hard after the WR - especially since we really haven't had a serious pass weapon on the team, other than our titanit tight ends. Assuming he works out (he'd better) he'll really change the team, I think - which is good.

I'm glad to see this continuing as well. I very interested to see how the WR you moved up to get turns out.

Next year C Nunley, RB Stewart, and MLB Blackwell contracts expire...can you try to resign them this year or is that against the house rules?

Bring back Bobby Silvers! :)

LOL... that'd be like the Titans bringing back Neil O'Donnell!

Oh, wait....

:)

Stewart in FA next year is gonna HURT.

Be prepared to fork out $40m+

Thanks for the comments, guys. Sorry I've been away - but have been felled by some mysterious illness lately, and only today have had strength to get back to my computer much. Am hoping to pass time with FOF today a bit, hopefully get through this season.

But no, I won't be renegotiating any contracts - if I want to keep those players, Ill just outbid other suitors next year.

If I haven't said it already, this has been good so far QS, up there with your Squirrels.

I hope you feel better soon QS.

Thanks - I've been bedbound for days, but haven't felt focused enough to get back to playing FOF at all. Maybe tomorrow... ugh.

2018 Regular Season



We got a B for our draft, and WR Don Pritchett is listed fourth on the green page – not bad. We lost some of our cohesion in the passing game, since we are starting a rookie wideout, and we lost our receivers leader in the offseason. Overall, our cohesion ratings are 75-95-91-100(81). We have the fourth-rated roster at 75, behind Baltimore, Green Bay, and the Jets.



In the preseason, S Jason Arnold blows out his knee, and is lost for the season. Tough loss- he was going to get a lot more time this year, I figured. We head into the season a little banged up, but ready to go.





Week 1: Cleveland at Pittsburgh



A 40-35 shootout isn’t exactly what we had in mind, but we’ll take the win. We play pretty well, and get WR Don Pritchett his first TD, but we yield nearly 400 yards and 5 TD to QB Mercury Shoemaker – so our pass defense might need some tightening.



[b]Week 2: Atlanta (1-0) at Cleveland (1-0)



We tighten up the defense, but the offense stays in overdrive, as we roll the Falcons 45-15 behind 5 TD from Deion Brock and 166 yards from Gus Stewart.



Week 3: Tennessee (1-1) at Cleveland (2-0)



We put a big hurt on the Titans, and get a nice 23-0 shutout win. We’re in great shape leading up to our early bye – and look to keep this engine running smoothly.





Week 5: Denver (1-2) at Cleveland (3-0)



We have activated fragile DE Seth Hartman, who us supposedly fully recovered from his last injury. If we can get him back and healthy, he would be a huge gain for our defensive front – becoming our most talented player there by far.



We need an 11-point fourth quarter comeback and an overtime FG to sneak out this win, 27-24. DE Seth Hartman had 2.5 sacks in his debut, and stays healthy at least through one game.



We have lost LB Kurt Dodge for a while, and have to reshuffle our LB group. We pick up an old friend, LB Darrin Regalado, from the free agent scrap heap, after he was cut by the Jets, and we’ll get him into the rotation.





Week 6: Oakland (1-4) at Cleveland (4-0)



Another big day for Brock and Stewart push us to a 45-21 win over the Raiders. Our newest injury crisis, though, is at WR – where Joey Newsome has just been lost for the year, and we don’t have enough players to field a team. We’ll have even more pressure on young starters Don Pritchett and Austin Haass.



Week 7: Cleveland (5-0) at San Diego (3-2)



Another offensive explosion, as we beat the Chargers 42-20, behind four more TD Passes from Deion Brock, who is having a whale of a season so far (21 TD to 2 Int). Despite our injury losses, we keep on rolling. Brock is dinged up a bit now, but can keep playing.



Week 8: Cleveland (6-0) at Kansas City (2-4)



Our win streak finally ends, once again in KC (this has happened before). They get a late TD to prevail, 28-25. They helps Gus Stewart to 43 yards, which seems to be a key to stopping our attack, despite the lofty passing numbers.



Week 9: Cleveland (6-1) at Baltimore (3-5)



With Deion Brock still ailing, we get nipped again, 27-22. They pound the line again, and hold Stewart to 63 yards – and the formula for beating us is looking pretty clear.





We’ve played half our season – here are the main stats:

Code:

---

---

Our pass defense is awfully weak, and that might end up being the downfall of this team, if I had to guess. We need to generate some pass rush, which we really are not doing with our current configuration of players.



On the good side, Deion Brock has a remarkable 107 passer rating, which is totally impossible to maintain, but interesting nonetheless.

wtf?

Well I see why you had trouble with the image limit...

2018 Regular Season

We got a B for our draft, and WR Don Pritchett is listed fourth on the green page – not bad. We lost some of our cohesion in the passing game, since we are starting a rookie wideout, and we lost our receivers leader in the offseason. Overall, our cohesion ratings are 75-95-91-100(81). We have the fourth-rated roster at 75, behind Baltimore, Green Bay, and the Jets.

In the preseason, S Jason Arnold blows out his knee, and is lost for the season. Tough loss- he was going to get a lot more time this year, I figured. We head into the season a little banged up, but ready to go.


Week 1: Cleveland at Pittsburgh

A 40-35 shootout isn’t exactly what we had in mind, but we’ll take the win. We play pretty well, and get WR Don Pritchett his first TD, but we yield nearly 400 yards and 5 TD to QB Mercury Shoemaker – so our pass defense might need some tightening.

[b]Week 2: Atlanta (1-0) at Cleveland (1-0)

We tighten up the defense, but the offense stays in overdrive, as we roll the Falcons 45-15 behind 5 TD from Deion Brock and 166 yards from Gus Stewart.

Week 3: Tennessee (1-1) at Cleveland (2-0)

We put a big hurt on the Titans, and get a nice 23-0 shutout win. We’re in great shape leading up to our early bye – and look to keep this engine running smoothly.


Week 5: Denver (1-2) at Cleveland (3-0)

We have activated fragile DE Seth Hartman, who us supposedly fully recovered from his last injury. If we can get him back and healthy, he would be a huge gain for our defensive front – becoming our most talented player there by far.

We need an 11-point fourth quarter comeback and an overtime FG to sneak out this win, 27-24. DE Seth Hartman had 2.5 sacks in his debut, and stays healthy at least through one game.

We have lost LB Kurt Dodge for a while, and have to reshuffle our LB group. We pick up an old friend, LB Darrin Regalado, from the free agent scrap heap, after he was cut by the Jets, and we’ll get him into the rotation.


Week 6: Oakland (1-4) at Cleveland (4-0)

Another big day for Brock and Stewart push us to a 45-21 win over the Raiders. Our newest injury crisis, though, is at WR – where Joey Newsome has just been lost for the year, and we don’t have enough players to field a team. We’ll have even more pressure on young starters Don Pritchett and Austin Haass.

Week 7: Cleveland (5-0) at San Diego (3-2)

Another offensive explosion, as we beat the Chargers 42-20, behind four more TD Passes from Deion Brock, who is having a whale of a season so far (21 TD to 2 Int). Despite our injury losses, we keep on rolling. Brock is dinged up a bit now, but can keep playing.

Week 8: Cleveland (6-0) at Kansas City (2-4)

Our win streak finally ends, once again in KC (this has happened before). They get a late TD to prevail, 28-25. They helps Gus Stewart to 43 yards, which seems to be a key to stopping our attack, despite the lofty passing numbers.

Week 9: Cleveland (6-1) at Baltimore (3-5)

With Deion Brock still ailing, we get nipped again, 27-22. They pound the line again, and hold Stewart to 63 yards – and the formula for beating us is looking pretty clear.


We’ve played half our season – here are the main stats:


Our pass defense is awfully weak, and that might end up being the downfall of this team, if I had to guess. We need to generate some pass rush, which we really are not doing with our current configuration of players.

On the good side, Deion Brock has a remarkable 107 passer rating, which is totally impossible to maintain, but interesting nonetheless.

fucking WYSIWYG.

Week 11: Cincinnati (5-4) at Cleveland (7-2)

A big divisional game – a win here would give us a three game lead. We pound the Bengals 34-7, and all but wrap up another division title, even this early. Gus Stewart with 113 yards seems to be back to top form, too.

Week 12: Cleveland (8-2) at New Orleans (4-6)

The take in the reins a bit, and get a 17-12 win over the Saints. The defense plays well, and we get the winning drive down the stretch to take the victory. Solid.

Week 13: Cleveland (9-2) at New York Jets (9-2)

Pretty big game in terms of AFC seeding – both teams look playoff-bound. Deion Brock has another good game, and outshines Randall Kay in the 24-14 win. With the win, we have assumed the “top dog” role in the AFC.


Week 14: Carolina (7-5) at Cleveland (10-2)

A good win over a solid team, and we wrap up the division title. Gus Stewart gets 124 yards to power a 23-9 win.

Week 15: Baltimore (6-7) at Cleveland (11-2)

We eke out an overtime win here, and take it 19-16. Not a great offensive show, and with two games yet to play, some of the landmarks we had been eyeing are in doubt. We probably won’t have a 1,000 yard receiver (again) and Deion Brock is looking likely to fall short of the league’s TD pass record (he has 33 with two games to play, the record is 38.

Week 16: Cleveland (12-2) at Tampa Bay (5-9)

Another tight, low-scoring affair, and we win 16-13 in overtime. Lofty offensive records are now washed away, and we’re just winding down a great season and settling into place.

Week 17: Cleveland (13-2) at Cincinnati (6-9)

Our final game, and it means nothing – we have the #1 seed already locked up. I decide to sit down Deion Brock, who is nursing a minor injury. Mo Treadwell might need to take the hot seat in the postseason, so we give him a shot. The Bengals get the win, 24-19, but we should be in fine shape for a postseason run.



445 is the highest point total that we have ever posted in Cleveland, and makes the top page of the all-time record book.


Another excellent season for RB Gus Stewart, as we might have predicted, but Deion Brock’s magnificent season was well beyond anyone’s expectations. A 103.3 rating for the year makes this an elite season of all time, and makes him a candidate for major honors (along with Stewart, perhaps).

TE Sellers and WRs Pritchett and Haass all put together solid seasons – I’ve got more and more reason to think that Austin Haass has potential to develop into a very solid player for us – he played beyond his ratings for us this year. Pritchett shows big play potential, and had a very solid rookie campaign. Very good showing here.

Defensively, we ended up as a dominating team against the run once again, and our pass defense improved. I still think we are a little suspect there, but overall not so bad. DE Hartman was a nice addition (though he’s hurt for the playoffs) and we did okay with our LB group, even after losing our real star there. We were good, but not great, at causing turnovers – which had been a key in some recent seasons.

2018 Postseason

We’re glad to see Baltimore win their opener, and se we will host our division rival in our playoff debut. Baltimore is led by QB Howie Gordon, who spent is formative years on our bench behind James Houston. He is their #2, but has been doing fine sine taking over the starting role. WR Jeff Quinn is their real threat on offense. Another former Brown, LB Greg Daveria, is probably their best defensive player, and leads a tough group.


AFC Divisional Playoff: Baltimore (9-8) at Cleveland (13-3)

Baltimore gets the ball first, but we force a fumble and cash in for a FG to lead early. Pritchett gets a TD pass late in the first quarter, and we look strong. Midway through the second quarter we lead 16-0, but Greg Daveria returns an interception for a TD to get the Ravens back into the game.

In the middle of the third, the Ravens drive to get within 19-14, and the game is truly still in play. Their next possession, they get another TD, and take a 20-19 edge. After dominating early, our settling for FGs has caught up with us. We get going midway through the fourth, and drive into FG position – but a mind-boggling three straight false starts on FG attempts turn our 36 yard kick into a 51-yarder, and the kick falls short (of course) after a bad snap.

We get a clutch interception, and have one more shot, though. At the 2 minute warning, we are back in FG territory, but I’d much prefer a TD. Stewart takes the ball for 13 and then 9, and that does it – our two-pointer fails, though, and we only lead 25-20.

Baltimore connects on third down, and get a first down at our 39 with 45 seconds left. But S Eskridge comes through with a huge interception, and seals it up for us.



AFC Championship: New York Jets (13-4) at Cleveland (14-3)

We beat the Jets earlier this season, and earned the home field for this rematch.

The Jets’ turnaround started a few seasons ago, behind RB Winston Martinez and QB Randall Kay. Their defense is heavily focused on stopping the run, allowing only 7 more yards than our top-ranked unit. They will be a tough foe.


QB Deion Brock is dinged up, but will start. Mo Treadwell is in the bullpen, but I’d much rather go with our star there down the stretch, especially after such a great year.


We get the ball first, and move downfield to lead with an initial FG. Settling for kicks got us in trouble last week, but we’ll take the points. Our next possession yields another FG, and we lead 6-0. A TD pass to Haass in the second puts us ahead 13-0, and we seem very much in control.

The Jets won’t go without a fight, and Kay drives them for a TD, scrambling in for the score itself. But in the third quarter, we re-extend with a TD pass to Sellers, and take a 19-7 lead. And down the stretch, it’s our air game that buries the Jets, and we power to an impressive 36-7 win to claim our spot in the Superbowl.



Superbowl: New York Giants (15-3) vs. Cleveland Browns (15-3)

The Giants handled the NFC pretty effectively this season, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. They have a solid cast of role players, and a few youngsters added into the mix. QB Max Campbell and DE Duane Sheen were the 1-2 picks in the 2016 draft two seasons ago, and both have developed into key contributors for them. Safety Thurman Jacobs is a veteran leader for them, after a long career starting with our Browns and playing for the Jets for about ten seasons.


Deion Brock’s knee still has him listed as questionable, but he will start once again. DE Seth Hartman is supposedly 100%, and he will start at LDE since Jimmy Fox is injured and unavailable. Most of our other key contributors are ready to go.


On the game’s opening play, Seth Hartman sacks Max Campbell for a 7 yard loss, and we get off on a great foot defensively. The first quarter is mostly a field position battle, until Gus Stewart fumbles after a swing pass, and the Giants get great position. However, our defense holds, and force a punt from our 36. Penalties hurt both sides, as the game stays scoreless into the second quarter.

The Giants break through with a quick-paced, all-passing drive, and they lead 7-0. We respond by discovering our offense, and pull even after a nice long drive. It’s 7-7 at the half.


We open the third quarter with a good drive, but Brock gets picked off in the end zone to squelch the threat. The Giants drive down field for the TD, and it looks like the gloves are off. At 7 minutes, the Giants drive for another TD pass, and we look to be in real trouble. We have 6:10 left, and need to get two scores. We get into the end zone, but with only 1:32 on the clock – down seven, that forces an onside kick. (Glad it’s in the game)

We instead decide to kick off, and depend on our defense. But on third and seven, they run outside and get eight yards, and that ought to seal it. We fall just short this season, as the Giants take the big one, 21-14.


Season Wrap-up


We are well represented in the all-pro team, but RB Roger Ramirez dashes the hopes of both my stars for the MVP award.

Don Pritchett will be keeping his eyes on WR Rickey Bray, who edged him out for Offensive Rookie of the Year.


I wasn’t certain that we would be top contenders for this season, so the result is a pleasant surprise. Of course, it’s tough to lose as the favorite in the Superbowl, but regardless, this was a good season for the Browns’ faithful.

Welcome back and thanks for the update... I like the balance you got in the passing game... VERY nice.

-Chas

2019 preseason

The 2018 season was a pleasant surprise, where we were top contenders. I had felt that perhaps a major overhaul was in store for this team – perhaps I was mistaken. We’ll endeavor to try to keep things on track for the coming season, though I sense cap pressures might make this a much tougher season. The players we have on the “seeking new contract” list this year is pretty staggering.


Transitions and League Observations

We have one retirement – long-time LT starter Bennie Heinlein, to nobody’s surprise. 13 seasons as a starter, over 30% success on key running blocks, and a career sacks allowed rating of only 0.8% of pass plays. Excellent and stable performer for us – he’ll be missed.

QB Kim Roux has also retired – he was the “other half” of the league’s most prolific QB tandem, along with Jacques Cheatham. He’ll be headed for the HOF, for certain.


Front Office Decisions

We re-hire our veteran defensive coordinator, for a fairly affordable deal:

Defensive Coordinator Ted Keith, 64
16 years, 181-97-1, 2 championshsips
EX: DL
VG: LB,DB
AV: PK, Young Talent


Roster Review

We decide to use the franchise tag on RB Gus Stewart, to no major surprise. I will hope to work out a long term deal with him, but for now the objective is just to keep him around.


It won’t be a picnic.


Deion Brock is looking for s deal around $20 million for three years – I might be able to do that, though I’d much prefer to keep that an affordable spot on the roster. We’ll see – I may try my usual approach of riding out my players until they eventually relent.


Stewart is the key, of course – he’s thinking $10 million a year, and rightly so. I will make a real effort to re-up with him, and work out a long term deal. I was also pleased with Barker’s work as our reserve last year, and we’ll try to bring him back as well.


Sellers is established, and I’d actually like to return this whole group. Chambliss is looking for real money – he is versatile, as a long snapper and gunner for us on special teams.


Pritchett is clearly the centerpiece going forward, but who should play this year? I loved what we got from Austin Haass, and assuming he can be re-signed, I like him to start at the flanker spot this season. (Haass is looking for big money, though, and miht not work out) We may re-up with Tilton, another favorite, and a possible starter at flanker if Haass departs. Burroughs is depleted following his big injury last year, and may not make the team at that price.


Doubtful we can re-sign Nunley, who has been excellent for us. G Thornton will moss this year – we may try to lock him up on a long cheap deal and hope for his recovery, but the OL crew of old is long gone, it seems. I’m comfortable with Banks starting there, a good pickup last season. I would prefer to re-sign RT Nathan Glaspie, but we need him to drop his demands just a bit.


Mo Crain annually demands a huge deal – we won’t be able to afford it this season, I’m certain. We may have to go cheaper there, too bad.


Need lots of bodies up front, and we have quantity. If we can get something from Dexter Clements this season, that will be another gamble paying off nicely. Seth Hartman might be ready for another spotty season with us, after trying to get in as much as he could last year (about nine games all told). Re-signing DT Grady Ashford would be good, but looks tough – we’ll try to wait for his demands to come down.


Real pressure here. Jonathan Upshaw is a legit starter, but none of the other guys we have signed rally is. Re-signing Dodge and Blackwell would be priorities in an easier year – this season, I don’t know what we will be able to do.


I wasn’t thrilled with Monty Diaz’s season last year, and he might not be back, if we can find a cheap alternative. I was not pleased with our secondary from last year, so we may look for a cheap infusion for this season. I have a trade offer in for Diaz (giving us a third round draft pick) and am inclined to accept it.


My top priorities:

Starting QB – hopefully settle with Deion Brock
Sort out starting LB situation, hopefully including Blackwell
Work out long term deal with RB Stewart
New starter at CB to replace Diaz
Starting WR situation, perhaps Haass?
Re-sign DT Grady Ashford
Re-sign RT Nathan Glaspie
Resolve FB and TE depth charts
Re-sign RB Terrance Barker to backup role