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From 1960 On: Miami Dolphins (Yet Again!)
Here I go again. I'm determined to make it all the way to 2007 at least. Wish me luck!
A Look at the 1960 Dolphins by Position: Code:
Yearby, Dave 11 QB 1 23 23 1 yr.It's a given that we're going to suck and suck bad. That being said, Murphy looks like the best current QB of the bunch, raw scouted rating aside. Baker has intriguing upside and we're going to be terrible anyway, so I'll probably throw Bryant to the wolves and see how he does. Code:
Roaches, Zach 47 RB 1 49 49 1 yr.Roaches isn't as good a back as his rating suggests. He can find the hole and that's about it. Still, he's the best of a very sorry lot so he'll get be our starter. Code:
Pozderac, Brian 26 FB 2 27 27 1 yr.While I'd love to have an actual running fullback, neither of these guys is good enough, so Powers will start as he's the better blocker. Code:
Foley, Jim 84 TE 1 33 33 1 yr.Ingram is an extremely intriguing rookie from the standpoint of blocking. However, he'll never be a receiving threat, so I'm likely to give Foley, the best receiver of the bunch, the starting nod. Code:
Fink, Mondriel 88 FL 1 36 36 1 yr.Fink is the closest thing we have to an offensive playmaker on the entire team. I love Griggs' hands but that's about the only skill he has. Everyone else is more or less trash. Thank goodness for 2K7's dynamic gameplanning, which should focus heavily on the run game. Code:
Dorsch, Lenny 58 C 5 40 40 1 yr.We're in surprisingly good shape here. Bland looks like a very nice guy to have in the middle of the line. Unfortunately, because of a bug in the salary computation where it lists the salary as being multiple years when I try to renegotiate, I can't get him to a long-term deal yet. Griffin's more of a run-blocker in terms of upside. Code:
James, Rick 76 LG 1 39 39 1 yr.James has 0 Endurance and Breunig has 0 Blocking Strength, so they don't look as good as they appear to be. Anderson has some well-rounded potential and I may try and hang on to him. Code:
Reeberg, Duke 70 LT 2 12 12 1 yr.Kramer's got middling potential, but a conflict with Hagood. By and large, this is a case of crap in a box. Code:
Van Horn, Craig 5 P 2 12 12 1 yr.69 Kicking Accuracy 0 Power and Hang Time for Cottrell. We won't mention just how bad Van Horn sucks. I think it's safe to say we're replacing these two jokers off the free agent pile next year. Code:
Hazeltine, Scott 91 LDE 4 41 41 1 yr.Schau is usually pretty good in this file and that's the case here as well. Hazeltine's an intriguing case for DT, but he's significantly below the recommended weight for the position and as a result would only turn in 95% of his ratings. So I'll see if I can give him a extension and then bulk his ass up. Martin's serviceable for this level. Code:
Breeden, Cliff 99 LDT 2 36 36 1 yr.Breeden's pretty decent and Campbell has cruddy endurance to ruin an otherwise talented DT. Since I'm not impressed with McKnight's bars at all, I switch Breeden over to the right side and lo and behold he increases to 34/48!. I may have to sign him to a long-term deal. Code:
Pruitt, Ken 51 MLB 3 12 12 1 yr.This is largely garbage, though Spiva is worth a look, even though he knows jack about the zone. Jackson has decent upside, but nothing remarkable. Code:
Taylor, John 44 LCB 3 21 21 1 yr.I like ballhawks and none of these guys can intercept a pass except maybe Stryzinski (24/44). Taylor will survive the cuts solely because he can actually return kicks. A poor, poor group. Code:
Brown, Coleman 24 SS 3 24 24 1 yr.Gorin goes to 7/42 when I switch him to RCB, but I like his upside enough that he'll get the nod on the right side. Nothing really to see here either. It's going to be the typical ugly year, but mitigated by the fact that there's lots of other expansion teams. We'll probably end up with a Top 10 pick and get a major piece of the building puzzle. |
Preseason
Jacksonville 17 Miami 20 RDT Cliff Breeden shines in his new role, recording 1.5 sacks and earning Game MVP honors. Volney Murphy was exceptionally accurate (8-10) against our expansion brethren and Eric Cottrell was a surprising 3/3 on field goals. Miami 10 Tampa Bay 20 Volney Murphy continues his laser accuracy and gets another TD as he keeps outshining Bryant Baker in their preseason duel for the starting QB job. Our running game continues to be uninspired, but the receivers are looking pretty decent. Miami 13 Carolina 10 Another win in an expansions battle. Zach Roaches rushes 12 times for 88 yards and a TD, our first rushing TD of the preseason and first sign of running game life. Bryant Baker plays pretty well in getting most of the game, despite getting sacked 6 times. I think I'll go with him, just because of his upside. Los Angeles 29 Miami 0 This is more what I expect our games to be like, as the Rams just hammer us. Bryant Baker gets intercepted 3 times and just looks way off his game. Maybe I will start Volney Murphy after all. Regular Season Miami 7 Pittsburgh 30 We get shelled by a Super Bowl contender as expected. Both offense and defense were horrible. The lone bright spot was Gabe Jackson's 22 yard interception return. Buffalo 20 Miami 27 And here it starts, the march towards a mediocre record and draft pick with a close win over our AFC East archrivals. Zach Roaches rushes 17 times for 79 yards, but the real story of the day was Volney Murphy 27-38 for 352 yards, 3 TDs and an interception on his way to Game MVP. Armon Martin had a sensational day with 2.5 sacks, 3 hurries and 3 knockdowns. Starting FB Geoffrey Powers dislocates his shoulder and is out 10 weeks. Don Mcllhenny, a Week 1 Dallas release, is signed to take his place. and RT Jason Jackson is released to make room for him. Houston 13 Miami 3 George Blanda of the Houston Oilers kills us and negates Zach Roaches running for 86 yards. We just couldn't get anything going on offense today despite Zach's efforts. We lose backup SLB Kyle Carpenter for the rest of the year. Luther Randall takes his spot as the backup and former Bengal WLB Terry Carter fills in the roster spot. Miami 7 Tucson 33 Okay I screwed up here. The Titans are now in Tucson. Why? Oh I don't know, I was messing around with the league setup beforehand. Anyway, this is this universe's Arizona franchise and they slay us dead. Volney Murphy is intercepted thrice and that's really all you need to know. First Quarter Statistics Code:
Record 1-3 At least our run defense is looking pretty good. Taninecz is proving a very pleasant surprise in the first quarter. Fink's drops are ticking me off. Not sure how I feel about the rest of the team yet. Since they're all on 1-year deals, I essentially have to reconstruct things from scratch, which is always the real hassle in taking an expansion team. |
Miami 18 New England 31
Volney Murphy passes for 283 yards and 2 TDs, but it's nowhere near close enough to get us the win. I think I'm going to switch over to Bryant Baker now and see if he can improve as the season wears on. Miami 13 New Jersey 41 The Jets' QB eats us alive for 341 passing yards, which is pretty much all you need to know about how this game went. Bryant Baker was mediocre in his first start, but I expected that. Zach Roaches continues to show glimmers of being a respectable running back, though he's more of a good insurance backup than a legitimate starter. Green Bay 41 Miami 14 And the slaughterfests continue, with nothing good to report about this one. One thing I do like about this team, though. John Taylor, our red-flag player is averaging 23.7 yards on his kickoff returns. Who says red flags can't be good? He sucks otherwise, though, as does the rest of the team. Miami 0 Chicago 15 This was a game nobody wanted to win. Bryant Baker was particularly odious at 15-41 for 145 yards and an interception. With that stinker of a performance, we're at the halfway point. Code:
Record 1-7 I'm definitely getting a feel for some guys that I'll make every effort to re-sign. Roaches, Taninecz, Foley (even though he has turf toe problems), Martin, Schau (who I always end up re-signing in these gos). Most of the team is still wait and see how they look at the end of the year, though. I feel like going through the rest of the season, so I will. Kansas City 20 Miami 24 The Chiefs really suck bad in this universe and it shows as we get our second win of the year. Zach Roaches and Chuck Campbell both rush for 110 yards to become our first backs to break the century mark. With this emphasis on the running game, Bryant Baker doesn't have to do so much and goes for a nice 19-22 for 225 yards and a TD, his best showing as a starter, as evidenced by his Game MVP award. Mondriel Fink was the biggest benefactor of Baker's accuracy, with 7 catches for 153 yards and the TD, making him our first century mark receiver. Too bad his drops are so high, meaning he won't be coming back. Craig Van Horn broke the 40 yard mark with 42.5 punt average, the first time he's reached that milestone. Minnesota 3 Miami 34 Ugh. Here we go. Here's the late-season winning streak to deny me a top of the line pick. Zach Roaches rushes for 117 yards and a TD and Chuck Campbell gets 110 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Armon Martin gets 2.5 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown and Cliff Breeden picks up 2 sacks and a sack of his own. Miami 7 Detroit 26 What's noteworthy about this game is that the Lions improve to 11-0 on the year. The 1972 that hasn't happened yet is feeling very threatened right about now. No offense to speak of here and as for defense? Earl Morrall throws for 327 yards against us. Fascinating stuff, considering he played for Miami in real life later on down the road. Anyway, with this loss, the best we can finish is .500. FS Adrien Duda pulls a hamstring and will miss at least the next game. Not a big deal considering he's just the backup. Jacksonville 17 Miami 24 Poor Jaguars. They're 1-11 and right now are on track to have either the #1 or #2 overall pick (San Diego's also 1-11). Meanwhile, with this win, we're slated to pick somewhere between 9-12. Yeah, not an exciting prospect considering the help this team needs. In any event, Bryant Baker lights up the Jaguars: 26-36 for 293 yards, 2 TDs and an INT, Tony Profit his main target with 7 catches for 112 yards. Our starting C, Oronde Bland is out for our next game. Not that big a deal since center is one of the few, if the only, depth positions on this team. New England 20 Miami 13 Not much to say concerning this loss, save that losing the turnover battle 3:1 killed us and we really missed Bland opening up holes and buying our quarterback some time. Adrien Duda and Geoffrey Powers are healed up this week, but Powers has long since lost his position on the team. Duda, however, steps back into the spot he left off at. Miami 3 Buffalo 23 We're now at 10 losses on the season. Chief culprit here was our running game stalled and Bryant Baker just can't carry the team by himself yet, if ever. Our run defense also surprisingly disappeared, allowing a 100+ yard rusher from the Bills. Oronde Bland comes back a week later than scheduled, but starting RB Zach Roaches breaks his foot and is lost for our last two games. Chuck Campbell takes over as the starter and Conrad Meyer slides in as the backup. New Jersey 10 Miami 13 Sigh. 5-10. So much for the hopes of a top 5 pick, however remote they were to begin with. Had the Jets won, they would've assured themselves of a winning record and clinched the AFC East. But instead, Chuck Campbell rushes for 127 yards and a TD as he stakes his claim to, if not being a starter next year, at least being signed back. Our pass rush was also everpresent, with Cliff Breeden leading the way with his sack and 3 hurries. Don Mcllhenny, our starting FB, herniates his disc and starting RG Bob Breunig breaks his fibula, giving us a nicely banged up lineup to end the season. Miami 16 Indianapolis 35 And the Colts trample us to finish 15-1 in the regular season, dropping us to 5-11. Johnny Unitas is pin-point perfect in 21-26 for 252 yards and 3 TDs. Indy's balanced running game killed us too. Bryant Baker actually has a respectable game: 20-29 for 197 yards and 2 TDs. But our own running game was nonexistant, along with our pass rush. And so the year ends.  As you can see, about par for the course for the opening year of a historical dynasty. By my reckoning we'll have somewhere between the #8-10 pick in the draft. Sufficient to pick up an impact player at least. Code:
Record 5-11 I'm definitely seeing players here I'll want to bring back and maybe our cohesion won't be as bad as it should be next season. Baker showed considerable progress as the year went on after he was handed the starting job and he'll definitely come back. Of course, I'll also draft a challenger, because he'll need it. Super Bowl I Green Bay 27 Cleveland 19 No Dolphins awards. Jim Brown fell short of the 2,000 yard rushing mark, but he still won MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. Bart Starr was the Super Bowl MVP, DE Gino Marchetti the DPOY (Indy). Top rookies were RB Willie Fredrick (ATL - Offense) and SS Jim Norton (HOU - Offense). Let's see. Just after 11:30. I think that'll be enough time to get into at least free agency before I go to work at 3:00. It helps that I don't do interviews because I haven't installed 6.0e patch yet. But I'll do that a bit later. |
We've actually got a semi-respectable staff, but I didn't hire them, so off with their heads!
I'm looking at guys who haven't worked for anybody else. Less competition for one and for two, that way I can track their careers from the very beginning. Now, I've heard about coaches improving their abilities over time, but I've never played long enough to be able to see that. Hopefully I'll be able to this go-round. The new staff: Head Coach: Corey Hammond (43) Motivation: Good Discipline: Good Off. Playcalling: Good Def. Playcalling: Fair Inj. Avoidance: Good A solid all-around young coach who I can hopefully see develop. Offensive Coordinator: Randal Fuller (51) QB: Good RB: Excellent WR: Good OL: Good K/P: Fair YT: Good A real coup as far as offensive coordinators go. He'll go a long way to energizing our offense with any luck. Defensive Coordinator: Clifton Winters (43) K/P: Good DL: Average LB: Good DB: Fair YT: Very Good I'm not sure how I feel about this guy. It was a terrible selection as far as defensive guys. Winters was the best option. Thankfully he's still young so he can get better, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for an upgrade. Scouting Director: Bill Jessup (65) QB: Average RB: Average WR: Good OL: Average K/P: Fair DL: Average LB: Very Good DB: Average YT: Very Good It was a really poor crop of scouts this year, so I went with Old Bill here as a stopgap measure. Dolphins Re-Signings: QB Bryant Baker (2 years, $110k) RB Zach Roaches (2 years, $110k) RB Chuck Campbell (1 year, $50k) FB Geoffery Powers (1 year, $50k) TE Jim Foley (2 years, $110k) TE Riddick Ingram (2 years, $110k) SE Pete Taninecz (2 years, $110k) C Oronde Bland (4 years, $1.34 mill.) LT Chad Kramer (2 years, $110k) LDE Mark Schau (5 years, $1.77 mill.) RDT Cliff Breeden (3 years, $210k) MLB Gabe Jackson (2 years, $110k) SLB Luther Randall (2 years, $110k) WLB Aaron Spiva (5 years, $1.4 mill.) LCB Brent Stryzinski (2 years, $110k) LCB John Taylor (1 year, $50k) RCB Antonio Gorin (2 years, $110k) FS Eugene Janik (1 year, $50k) Total Re-signs: 18 Notable non re-signs: RG Bob Breunig -Wanted too much money for a guy with no blocking strength RDE Armon Martin -Was asking for even more than Schau and his ratings didn't back that up. Free Agency My big goal is going to be to get a mentor in every position group except kickers. That'll bring in... what, 14 guys? Which would mean we'd have... 32 players right there and that's without the 7 draft picks or any other guys we sign in either of the free agent periods. Unfortunately I wasn't entirely successful in my mentor by position quest even in the initial offers. C, T, DT and ILB either had no one or the people they had were prohibitive in cost or clashed with some of my already signed players. Still, it's a start. Week 3 Signings SLB Kendrell Barton (1 year, $100k - Baltimore) -Crap in a box signed only for his mentor ability. Week 3 Losses LG Art Spinney - Minnesota (Indianapolis) -This one really hurt. I was counting on being able to land this guy to not only mentor the youngins, but be a force in my line for a few years. Not cool. Week 4 Signings FS Fred Bruney (3 years, $690k - New England) -He or Janik will move to SS to give us a major upgrade in the secondary. At least we've got one genuine improvement on the team. Week 4 Losses FL Jimmy Orr - Pittsburgh (Re-sign) -Wanted a 5 year deal and got it, but turned down more money from other teams, including us to stay with the Steelers. Smart move, since he's a fan favorite there and a damn fine player. He's in his 5th year, so he'd have solidified our receiving corps in a big way. Week 5 Signings QB Ed Brown (3 years, $800k - Chicago) -A little steep to pay for a guy who doesn't look that good, but he'd be able to step in as a starter, is a mentor, and in fact started and played quite well for the Bears last year. A solid pickup. TE Johnny Carson (3 years, $890k - Houston) -An exceptional route runner with a very high motor and a fan favorite. Good all-around receiver who started for the Oilers last year. He may not be a mentor, but he's a huge upgrade in the passing game and he'll give Brown or whoever is our QB next year a major weapon that we don't have right now. LG Duane Putnam (2 years, $310k - Dallas) -Underachieved with the Cowboys as a starter last year (27.6% KRB), but he's actually a pretty solid guy it looks like and he's a mentor. Essentially the consolation prize for losing out on Spinney, he's still an upgraded linemate for Bland. RT Sherman Plunkett (5 years, $4.05 mill. - Indianapolis) -I broke the bank somewhat to get him, but he's strong as hell, a good all-around blocker and didn't give up a sack last season. Also, he's only a 6th year player, so he'll anchor the RT spot for half a decade. I'm liking the way the o-line is shaping up, as Bland, Putnam, and Plunkett will play together for at least two years, Bland and Plunkett for at least four. That's a way to help build cohesion. Week 6 Signings TE Bob Schnelker (2 years, $440k - New York) -I'd have been happy just to land this vet, but with Carson on board as well, Schnelker becomes a great backup to have in case of injury. He's also a blocking beast and a mentor, which could mean that Foley gets cut if there's an odd man out situation. Started for the Giants last year, but was largely a nonfactor in the passing game. LCB Doyle Nix (1 year, $50k - San Diego) -Mentor corner who, because of our deplorable cornerback situation, is a prime candidate to be a starter, our fifth or six one gotten in this free agency period and we're only halfway through it. Week 6 Losses RT Bob Hagood (1 year, $90k - Detroit) -Hagood was our starter last year and did okay for us, but he's no Plunkett. The Lions can have him. LDE Bob O'Neil (Pittsburgh - Re-sign) -Much like Orr, he opted to re-sign with the Steelers rather than join us. I'm not too fussed about it. He wasn't that good anyway and I only wanted him for his mentor status. RDT Gene Lipscomb (Cleveland - Indianapolis) -Everybody and I mean everybody was throwing money at the top free agent in the class. He turned down $5 million+ deals from us, St. Louis, and Philadelphia among others to sign a relative bargain basement 4 year, $3.78 million dollar deal with the AFC Champion Cleveland Browns. He was a 2nd Team All-Pro DT last season and he wanted to go to a winner. Can't fault him for it all. Week 7 Signings FL Jim Dooley (1 year, $100k - Chicago) -Veteran mentor who, as it stands right now, would start on our team, so pathetic is our receiving situation. The one thing I like about him is that he doesn't drop passes. He'll be a good one for Taninecz to learn from. RDT Penguin Culpepper (6 years, $2.37 mill. - St. Louis) -I admit it, I probably overpaid a wee bit for him, but he's a fan favorite and I love the dude's name. Penguin is an awesome name and Culpepper, well... I still love Daunte for when he kicked ass for me in fantasy football the one year after everyone laughed at me for drafting him in the first round. That C-Pep took me to the playoffs that year, in fact. All that aside though, Penguin is actually a big boost for our line and either he or Breeden will shift to the left side. Incidentally, he'll be old as hell by the time his contract runs out, as in 13th year vet. Week 7 Losses RB Ollie Matson (Houston - Los Angeles) -Opted for the Oilers, which is a shame, as the mentor stood a good chance of knocking Roaches off the starting spot. Oh well. SE Fred Dugan (Dallas - Re-sign) -He sickeningly took a dirt cheap contract to stay with the Cowboys, which depressed the hell out of me. This dude would've stayed firmly planted as the starting split end and would have shifted Taninecz to a slot receiver role. LDE Scott Hazeltine (1 year, $70k - Carolina) -A backup last year and an unremarkable one at that. No big loss here. Week 8 Signings RB Lew Carpenter (1 year, $50k) -Veteran mentor who's absolutely useless as a runner, but shows terrific pass reception skills that will earn him a role on passing downs. Not bad for a one year rental. SE Billy Howton (1 year, $50k - Dallas) -Ideally suited to be a slot receiver, but may start anyway. Ironically enough, he's also a veteran mentor. At least we're not going to be hurting for receiver mentors! Week 9 Signings FB Nelson Simmons (1 year, $50k - Tampa Bay) -A nondescript veteran mentor who could play a small role in the passing game. Week 10 Signings RDE Jim Temp (1 year, $50k - Green Bay) -Just that, a temporary veteran who will be a backup because our DE situation is pretty bad. Hell, he might even start. Week 10 Losses C Lenny Dorsch (1 year, $70k - Kansas City) -I'm sorry to see Lenny go and I probably should have tried to retain him, but them's the breaks as they say. RG Walter Williams (1 year, $70k - St. Louis) -Heh. I let him go and he turns into a guards mentor on me. Lovely. Week 11 Signings C Ken Engram (1 year, $50k - Carolina) -Strictly a backup center who was brought on board to A) give us a backup and B) serve as a chemistry guy and offensive line leader. In fact, he has an exceptional affinity with Bland and a mild affinity with our next signee. RG Frank D'Agostino (3 years, $390k - New Jersey) -I overpaid for him, but he was a starter on the Jets' line last year and he has an affinity with Engram. I also needed a RG who could be a somewhat serviceable starter. He's not even close to Breunig, last year's man at the spot, but he'll provide some continuity. RT Milt Graham (1 year, $100k - New Jersey) -We're sure raiding the Jets here. I'm going to bulk Milt up in the offseason in hopes that he'll be able to switch to LT and start there if I don't get someone in the draft. He's essentially a stopgap measure is all. MLB Dan Lynch (1 year, $50k - Cincinnati) -Pretty mediocre MLB, but we need a body there and he's a mentor in his 6th year. Will probably back up while we continue to try and develop Jackson, but who knows? Maybe he can start. WLB Clancy Osborne (1 year, $50k - San Francisco) -I vaguely recall signing him in a previous Dolphins dynasty, but if I did, here he is again. Obviously he's not going to start ahead of Spiva, but he provides a band-aid backup. And that's all she wrote! Players signed: 37 Holes by the #'s: QB, WR, P, K, DL (2) I'll do the draft sometime tomorrow. I'm a little depressed right now and I want to be in a better frame of mind when I draft. |
All right, here we go. My favorite time of the NFL year, both in real and in FOF. Time for the draft.
Despite not installing 6.0e yet, I went ahead and did the 60 interviews for the first time ever, anyway. I think it's given me enough information (while ignoring the Under/Overrated designation) to make some sound decisions. I got hosed on the pick and wound up with the lowest I figured we'd get, which is #10. Not that it's too terrible a concern--I think out of the guys I interviewed, there'll be somebody there I like. DT Bob Lilly is the best player in the draft, but with franchise QBs Fran Tarkenton and Billy Kilmer available, he may well end up dropping. My hunch says Tarkenton and Kilmer go 1-2. First Round 1961 Draft 1. QB Fran Tarkenton - San Diego 2. RB Amos Marsh - Jacksonville That roar you just heard was the draft site up in arms. Marsh is an okay back, but nowhere near worthy of the #2 overall pick. Congratulations, Jags. We'll see you up here next year too. 3. QB Billy Kilmer - Minnesota And the Vikings are the reciepient of Jacksonville's gift. 4. DT Bob Lilly - New England 5. CB Herb Adderley - Cincinnati 6. QB Norm Snead - Seattle Snead was on a lower tier than Tarkenton and Kilmer, I thought, a first rounder, sure. Top 10? Not a chance in hell. 7. T Errol Linden - Kansas City 8. CB Dave Grayson (Baltimore through Buffalo) Grayson was one of the three shutdown corners available and to move up to take him, the Ravens gave the Bills their 1963 1st round pick, their 2nd round pick in this draft and a 6th round pick in the next draft. How this deal pans out for our rivals all depends on how Baltimore does in 1962. Incidentally, I love 2K7 for its more normal draft trades. 9. T Stew Barber - Penn State Our turn. There's a handful of guys I really like here, including DE Deacon Jones, DTs Ernie Ladd and Houston Antwine, LT Charlie Cowan and RCB Irv Cross. There's other players I'd be interested in later on DE and DT, though, and besides, I took Jones in my last historical replay. Sure he worked out great and won DROY for me, but since there's others on the D-line I'd like later on, it comes down to Cowan, who could be our franchise LT for the next ten years or Cross, the last shutdown corner available. Cross has a great combine whereas Cowan was only middling and our defensive backfield needs a lot more help than our offensive line, so Cross is the pick. Irv, incidentally, also projects as a return animal, in addition to his other studly attributes. 10. CB Irv Cross - Miami 11. T Charlie Cowan - Carolina 12. DT Houston Antwine - Los Angeles 13. DT Ernie Ladd - Baltimore (The Ravens are really amping up their D this draft) 14. DE Deacon Jones - Tampa Bay (Surprising he fell this far) 15. CB Jimmy Johnson - Jacksonville through New Orleans Wow, the Jaguars continue to screw themselves. They not only trade up to get a CB I wasn't enamored with because his interceptions looked low, but they gave up their 1962 1st rounder and 1963 1st and 3rd rounders. :eek: The Saints just guaranteed themselves two top 10 picks in the next two years. That's going to be one scary team if they draft right. 16. DE Ron McDole - Dallas 17. CB Pat Fischer - Atlanta 18. ILB Chuck Allen - Tucson 19. T Ernie McMillan - St. Louis 20. T John Brown - Washington 21. OLB Steve Stonebreaker - New Jersey 22. RB Tom Matte - Denver 23. QB Steve Etcheverry - Chicago 24. T Roger Shoals - Philadelphia 25. C Jerry Sturm - Houston 26. DE Ben Davidson - San Francisco 27. WR Aaron Thomas - New York 28. OLB E.J. Holub - Detroit 29. ILB Myron Pottios - Pittsburgh 30. G Billy Shaw - Indianapolis 31. DE Clark Miller - Cleveland 32. TE Mike Ditka - Green Bay (Irony alert! Irony alert! :D) Every single DE and DT I was looking at got taken off the board between our pick in the 1st and the 9th pick in the second round, much to my annoyance. Luckily, there's still a WR I really like, so I grab SE Bob Coolbaugh to help out our deplorable receiving corps. By the third round, my draft board is looking pretty tattered, but RDT Bob Voight is a run-stopping machine I've had my eye on since I interviewed him, so he's the selection in the third round. Not sure if he'll be able to push out Breeden or not, but at the very least, he'll be a good backup. I draft RB Bill Cooper in the 4th to push our other guys there. It's probably a mistake, given that we have more pressing needs, but I like the looks of him enough to give him a look. The 5th round is when we start scraping the barrel, but there's two guys I have my eye on still and I take one of them here: RG Ken Petersen. We need a backup guard and he's a prime candidate for a creeper I think. The guy I was hoping to drop to me in the 6th did and so I take extremely raw (15% developed) but mildly intriguing prospect RDE Joe Novsek in the 6th. We still need a QB, P, and K, but I'll probably save that for the second round of free agency. Unless there's a leg worth taking in the 7th. I decide to take a flyer on K Allen Green in the 7th. Not the most accurate, but he's got a boomer of a leg, which will be good enough for our sucky team right now. Only Cross and Petersen refuse to sign at the start of late free agency. I stupidly missed out on the rookie free agent signings because I thought they'd be there in late free agency. That's not to say we're quiet in the second round of player hunting of course. Week 2 Signings QB Les Freeman (1 year, $50k - Minnesota) -A body at QB who has a mild affinity with our backfield leader. RCB Johnny Sample (5 years, $2.73 mill. - Indianapolis) -Suddenly our DB situation has gone from woeful to very nice. Sample originally started on the left side so that's where he'll switch back to. Between him and 1st round pick Cross, we've now got a very nice tandem of starting CBs. His only weak spot is run defense. SS Larry Miller (1 year, $50k - New Orleans) -Could see time as a dime back or just a general backup. Might even start, depending on what I want to do with Janik. Week 2 Losses RCB Christian Machado (1 year, $40k - New England) -Largely a non-factor in our defense last year. We won't miss him. Week 3 Losses K Eric Cottrell (1 year, $60k - Carolina) -He was accurate, but it's telling that he only attempted one field goal beyond 40 yards. Naturally he missed it. Week 4 Signings LG Mark Mathias (1 year, $40k - Pittsburgh) -Second year player with some damn exciting upside who looked good in limited duty last season. May well become the top backup or a starter depending on how he does in training camp. SS W.K. Brown (1 year, $40k - Minnesota) -I actually like him better than Miller and he was a starter last year for the Vikings, so he might well take on the same role with us. Week 4 Losses FL Mondriel Fink (1 year, $50k - Minnesota) -Enjoy those 10 drops a year, Vikings fans! I'm not sorry to see him go. RG Bob Breunig (5 years, $1.50 mill. - Philadelphia) -I'm becoming a big believer in blocking strength. Bob had 0 and he gave up 10 sacks last season. So yeah, it would have been nice to have brought up back, but he'll be happier in an Eagles uniform. P Winston Carr (1 year, $50k - Carolina) -Ugh! This is the punter I really wanted and he goes and signs with the Panthers. Oh well, time to scrounge for another leg. RDE Armon Martin (5 years, $1.19 mill. - Pittsburgh) -The more and more I think about it, the more I believe his 8.5 sack season last year was a fluke, so I'm fine with him going to the Steelers. The only problem is that we have a giant hole where he was now. LDT Frank Campbell (5 years, $1.01 mill. - Pittsburgh) -The Steelers are turning their D-line into Miami North. If Frank had better endurance, I would've tried to re-sign him, but since he doesn't, he can go wear black and gold with Martin. P Mike Hollingsworth (1 year, $50k - Cincinnati) -A stopgap and the best of what was left. Our last two rookies sign before training camp and we take 50 players in. Not bad considering I had to rebuild the entire team from scratch. Post Training Camp Rookie Report Code:
RCB Irv Cross 1.10 38/77 41/69 +3/-8Cross may not be the complete shutdown corner we expected, but he's still damn good and will start from Week 1. Coolbaugh will also start, though he's still raw relative to his potential. Voight looks like a bust and Petersen and Novsek look to be scrubs, but improving slightly scrubs. Green's tick up is exciting to see, but what really blows my mind is Cooper's explosion. With that jump, he goes from afterthought to potential starter. At bare minimum, he'll be the top backup. |
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Brown, Ed 3 QB 10 33 33 3 yrsI'm no longer as enthused about Baker as I once was, which means that Brown is the likely starter with Bryant the backup, unless Double B shows something spectacular in preseason. Freeman's a body. Code:
Carpenter, Lew 39 RB 9 20 20 1 yr.Roaches and Cooper will fight it out in preseason for the starting RB spot. Even if Cooper loses the starter battle, he'll still be the top backup and third down back. Carpenter will serve as the passing down tailback. Simmons and Powers will hold their own starter battle in preseason. Code:
Carson, Johnny 82 TE 9 48 48 3 yrsIt's a three-way battle between Carson, Schnelker and Ingram for the starting job. Carson's the best route runner, but Schnelker has sure hands and is a better blocker. Ingram has a good balance of skills and considerable upside. Foley's a body and our longsnapper. Code:
Dooley, Jim 8 FL 10 33 33 1 yr.Finally a position group where everyone's roles are defined. Dooley and Coolbaugh will start, Howton's the slot receiver, Taninecz will back up Coolbaugh and whichever TE finishes last in that competition will serve as the fifth receiver. Code:
Engram, Ken 51 C 5 34 34 1 yr.We're set here and I may sign Engram to a longer deal so he can keep up his good affinity work. Code:
Putnam, Duane 72 LG 10 40 40 2 yrsPutnam will start on the left side, D'Agostino on the right. Mathias will be their backup and audition for a longer contract. Petersen gets put on the inactive list. Code:
Kramer, Chad 61 LT 2 18 46 2 yrsWe really need a genuine LT. Since we don't have one, it'll be Kramer and Plunkett as the bookends. If Kramer can develop, no problem, but I have a feeling we'll be searching in the next offseason. Code:
Hollingsworth, Mike 9 P 4 32 32 1 yr.I'd like a better punter, but I'm intrigued enough by Green that he'll probably stay through his rookie contract. Code:
Schau, Mark 98 LDE 3 43 43 5 yrsYeah, it's ugly here. Schau starts obviously and well, probably Novsek because of his upside, if we can actually call it that. This is probably the #1 concern for next year. Code:
Culpepper, Penguin 77 LDT 7 52 52 6 yrsPenguin switched over to the left side without any difficulty, so it'll be him and Breeden manning the middle while the rookie Voight learns in sub time. Code:
Lynch, Dan 52 MLB 6 36 36 1 yr.Randall and Spiva have the outside spots locked up. Jackson and Lynch will go at it for the middle linebacker starting spot, though the tenative edge is to Jackson winning again because of his upside. Code:
Nix, Doyle 30 LCB 7 31 31 1 yr.Sample took a small hit after switching to the left side, but between him and Cross, we've got a strong 1-2 punch. Nix, Stryzinski and Gorin will fight for nickel and dime package duty. Taylor is here strictly as a kick return man, but he's been surpassed by Cross and Sample in that department. Cross, in fact, has a kick return ability of 100!. Code:
Miller, Larry 20 SS 2 39 39 1 yr.Brown and Bruney are the starters, with Janik and Miller their substitutes. It's going to be one ugly battle for the dime back slot, as Miller joins the three CBs in the contest. |
Preseason
Miami 17 Green Bay 20 We play the Packers surprisingly tough here. Ed Brown is 15-21 for 176 yards and a TD, easily surpassing Bryant Baker who frankly sucked the big one. None of the running backs established themselves, but MLB Dan Lynch put himself firmly ahead of Gabe Jackson for the starting job in the early going. St. Louis 27 Miami 9 Not so good in this one. Bryant Baker shoots himself in the foot with a 3 interception performance and the RBs continue to be unremarkable to terrible. Dan Lynch and Gabe Jackson draw even and TE Johnny Carson is gradually emerging as the leader in the TE starter fight. Starting SS W.K. Brown gets injured and is out for the rest of the preason, but should be back in time for the season opener. Second-year SS Frank Garrett is signed to fill in as the backup strong safety, but he'll park his butt on the inactive list once Brown's back. Minnesota 26 Miami 21 Close game, but still a loss. Thankfully it's only preseason. Bryant Baker has a great game in 15-24 for 180 yards and 3 TDs, but with two bad performances and Ed Brown showing accuracy, Baker's got no chance. Riddick Ingram has a solid day receiving, throwing the TE battle into a bigger muddle. Gabe Jackson does better tacklewise than Dan Lynch but Lynch forces a fumble and has pretty much sewn up the starting MLB slot. That's not to say Jackson will lack for opportunities however, for he's still the man in on nickel and dime packages. QB Ed Brown separates his shoulder and is out 5 weeks, making it likely that Bryant Baker will be our opening day starter. Too bad, as I've gotten to really like Brown. Miami 10 Seattle 20 We close out preseason with another loss. Honestly there isn't much to choose from at the RB position, but Zach Roaches has been more consistent, so he retains his starting job for another year. QB and MLB we've already covered. FB doesn't matter. TE is going to be a week to week decision, but I'll start off with Riddick Ingram as the first man, since he's got the most upside. SS Larry Miller, when the starting strong safety comes back, has won the dimeback job, with Brent Strynczki the nickelback. W.K. Brown is probable for the opener, but I'll let him sit, as he and Larry Miller are close enough in ability that I'm fine with Miller picking up a start or two. |
Regular Season
Buffalo 7 Miami 23 Excellent start to the year, beating our archrivals, though this was less a case of any stellar offense as it was Allen Green booting 3/3 field goals, including a great 47 yarder. Mark Schau was a terror in the backfield with a sack, 5 hurries and 2 knockdowns and Penguin Culpepper got in 3 blocks and a hurry of his own as our defensive line wreaked havoc on the Bills. Tampa Bay 6 Miami 7 Two home games, two victories, this one a hard-fought defensive nailbiter. Billy Howton earned his paycheck as the slot receiver today with 3 catches for 70 yards and Mike Hollingsworth landed 3 punts inside the Bucs 20 yard line as we overcome 3 fumbles by Bryant Baker. Our defensive line once again shone, Mark Schau the big-time player for the second straight game with 2.5 sacks, 2 blocks and a hurry. We sacked Tampa's QB 6 times altogether on the day, critical to preserving the win despite Baker's turnover troubles. QB Ed Brown is probable for next week's game, so he'll get the start, because we're 2-0 in spite of Bryant Baker rather than because of him in my opinion. Miami 7 Pittsburgh 26 So we finally lose, but it's against the Steelers, so no big deal. Bryant Baker proves my decision to start Ed Brown correct by losing 2 fumbles and an interception in mopup duty. Mike Hollingsworth has a good day with a 41.8 punt average and 2 inside the 20. Dan Lynch gets out first 10+ tackle game of the year with 13 tackles and 2 assists, and Mark Schau gets a sack for the third straight game. New England 14 Miami 21 Big, big win over our previously unbeaten division foes. Bill Cooper and Zach Roaches each run for 70+ yards and Cooper scores his first two professional TDs, both rushing. Ed Brown isn't too shabby either at 22-34 for 182 yards, a TD, and an INT. Mark Schau's sack streak comes to an end, but he does get a hurry. Speaking of which, Mark Schau is doubtful for the next game, backup DE Jim Temp is questionable and backup G Mark Mathias is out 4 weeks. Probably the most banged up I've been in a while. Note: I never report niggling injuries, only ones that look like they'll have someone out. Rookie RG Ken Petersen comes off the inactive list to take Mathias's spot. Chemistry happy third year LDE Howard Pane, who led the Carolina Panthers in sacks last year despite being a part-time pass rush specialist and fifth year RDE Rod Perry who started for the Saints last season and led them in sacks. As you might expect, both Perry and Pane are upgrades over rookie Joe Novsek, so they'll start on their respective sides and audition for the starting RDE role when Schau comes back. Novsek could well be cut in a week or two, as Temp is a mentor. Miami 27 Jacksonville 10 I'd be psyched about a road win, except it's over the Jaguars, whose draft day trades I'm still shaking my head over. We rely on our two-headed balanced running game, which leads me to believe that maybe I forgot to reset the recommended playing time, and Ed Brown who's 22-32 for 273 yards, 2 TDs and an INT, our first 200+ yard passing game on the year. Billy Howton is our first 100+ yard receiver this season, with 7 catches for 111 yards and our old friend Pete Taninecz isn't far behind with 7 catches for 80 yards and a TD. Rod Perry gets a tackle, a sack, a block and a hurry, bettering Howard Pane, who got an assist and 2 hurries. Mark Schau's probable, which means I'll go with Rod Perry as the starter at RDE, both for his better performance and the fact that he's a natural at that side. Howard Pane gets bumped to dual backup duty. Lo and behold, it turns out I -did- forget to turn on the adjustment of playing time, but that's done now. I also turn on coaches adjusting gameplan automatically, as it was orginally static Houston 44 Miami 19 Bad decisions? Not really. This Oilers team is a damn good one, and we were a 4-1 paper tiger. Bill Cooper rushes 23 times for 111 yards and earns himself the right, along with his showings when we ran a balanced offense, to be the starter. Allen Green has been a delight to watch kick this year, especially over the scrub we had last season. He's 4/4 here, including a 48 yarder. Jim Temp is now probable, but I just leave him and Joe Novsek on the inactive list. Why I thought I had to cut somebody, I don't know. Miami 15 Buffalo 10 We sweep our archrivals with a come from behind win led by Ed Brown's engineering the perfect 2 minute drill that culminated in throwing a 19 yard TD pass to Jim Dooley with a minute left. Altogether, Brown's 27-42 for 259 yard and a TD. Allen Green wasn't so automatic today as he missed 2 kicks, a 40+ yarder and a 50+ yarder, but considering he was 2/3 on 40+ yard kicks, I'm not complaining. Mark Mathias is probable, so I'll bring him back in the mix. Miami 10 Indianapolis 37 Team, meet Johnny Unitas. Johnny U, shred the Dolphins. Biggest Miami highlight of this game was great to watch though: Larry Miller intercepted a pass and returned it 79 yards for a TD. Mike Hollingsworth averaged 42.4 yards and had 4 punts inside the 20. I very, very belatedly realize I never took W.K. Brown off the inactive list after he came back from injury. Fortunately, he's not pissed about not having gotten PT. That said, Larry Miller's been doing a terrific job this season, so he'll stay the starter at SS, with Brown the backup and our dimeback. We're at the halfway mark of the year and I think that's a good stopping point. At 5-3, we're half a game up on the Jets, who are 4-3. The Patriots and Bills are both 3-4. The division title is definitely a possibility, as is the playoffs. Code:
Year 1961 When you consider that Ed Brown isn't Mr. Butterfingers like Bryant Baker, you really start to see the difference between the two beyond their completion percentage. Improved QB play is a big reason why we're in the hunt for the division, incidentally. Zach Roaches might still be a better back than Bill Cooper, but Bill, quite frankly, has a nose for the endzone that Zach didn't show all that much of last season and I still love Cooper's training camp bustout. Bill Howton may be our leading receiver, but he'll be gone after this year, if not sooner. 1 don't even like 10 drops a season, let alone 10 drops a year, especially not when he's proving to be Brown's favorite target. Our run defense needs work, but our pass defense as you can see by the rankings and by the individual player numbers, has been off the hook. The offseason investments I made in upgrading the secondary have really paid off bigtime and Irv Cross, my first ever draft pick, looks like a blossoming star with his team leading 7 passes defensed and 86.4 pass defense %. WLB Aaron Spiva may not get the press of a Schau or a Cross, but he quietly continues to be an extremely effective performer on defense. I think we've got a real good shot at the playoffs. I really do. Now it just remains to be seen if we can pick up the pace and do it. |
1961 Regular Season: Second Half
Tucson 3 Miami 30 The most complete beatdown we've given to anybody in the year and a half of the franchise. The Titans wither under our rushing attack, Bill Cooper and Zach Roaches getting 79 and 70 yards respectively. Ed Brown is laseresque in his 19-22 for 143 yards and 2 TDs accuracy. Johnny Sample returns an interception for 42 yards, one of two we get on the day. Allen Green is 3/4 on FGs, his lone miss a 40+ yard, though he did hit one from 49 yards out. Penguin Culpepper has his first multisackish game as a Dolphin with 1.5 and throws in a hurry for the fun of it. New Jersey 7 Miami 22 Huge, huge win over the Jets here, keyed by Bill Cooper's 24 rushes for 104 yards and a TD. Johnny Sample picks off a pass for the second consecutive game. Allen Green goes 3/3, including a 49 yarder. Our pass rush records 5 sacks on the day. Just another solid all-around performance by our guys. Backup G Mark Mathias again gets hurt and he's out for four weeks. K Allen Green gives us a scare when he strains his neck looking at the hot cheerleaders on the visitors' bench, but fortunately he's probable. It's not a stretch at all to say that Green's been the most valuable 7th round pick I've ever made in a FOF career. So on comes rookie Ken Petersen to get his undeserved minutes. Miami 27 Carolina 9 We keep right on rolling and assure ourselves no worse than a .500 record on the year as we pick up our 8th win, this time over the hapless Panthers. Mark Schau roars to dominance in this one, with a 6 tackle, 2.5 sack, 2 block, 4 hurry, and a knockdown performance, but the most fun highlight of the game was watching rookie Bob Voight, a DT, picking up a fumble and rumbling down the field 76 yards all the way for a TD. Although Schau won Game MVP honors, it was Voight who got the game ball for that fantastic (and funny) play. Oakland 32 Miami 10 The Raiders pull off a major upset as they run roughshod over us on a day when our offense couldn't get on track and our pass defense took a bigtime nose dive. Larry Miller did record 10 tackles and 4 assists however, to highlight the day. G Mark Mathias is upgraded to probable, so back he comes to active duty. Despite the loss, we're still in the driver's seat for the division at 8-4, with the 6-6 Jets and Bills two games back. Miami 14 Atlanta 6 Our offense stalled for three quarters, but our defense played brilliantly against the Falcons to keep us within a TD at 6-0 at the start of the 4th. Then just before the 2 minute warning Ed Brown throws a long bomb of 44 yards to slot receiver Billy Howton for a TD and Zach Roaches rips off a 30 yard TD run with under a minute to go to seal the deal. Credit this one to an inspired performance from our defense, led by Dan Lynch with 9 tackles, 4 assists, and a sack and game MVP Rod Perry, who rewarded my selection of him for the starting RDE job with 7 tackles and 2 sacks. The Jets lost, so now only Buffalo, at 7-6, is a threat to our hopes of division glory. Win another game, and the division is ours. We've got 3 games to do it in. Miami 27 New England 31 The Patriots started off horribly, but they've been on a tear lately and take on the spoiler role in this heartbreaking loss. If you'd told me Bill Cooper would run for 2 TDs, Ed Brown would be player of the game with a 246 yard, 1 TD performance and that we'd get two interceptions on the day and still lose, I wouldn't have believed you, but that's exactly what happened. Making matters worse, the Bills beat the Jets, so we're now 9-5 and Buffalo's right behind at 8-6. We need to win one of the next two games. That's all there is to it. New Orleans 14 Miami 24 Remember how I said the Saints are going to be scary with two top 10 draft picks in the next two years? Well, the time for the Gold and Black to be frightening isn't now, as we win! That being said, we were down 14-3 at half and it took Ed Brown's second half magic to get us the win as it has so many times this season. 23-29 for 280 yards and a TD. That's some beautiful numbers right there, folks. In fact, in many ways you could say that Brown was the key free agent acquisiton for us. He's accurate and cool under pressure. Billy Howton is doing his damndest to make it difficult for me to get rid of him at the end of the year as the slot receiver comes through with yet another clutch TD catch. The victory coincides with a Bills loss and it's official!!!! The Miami Dolphins are your 1961 AFC East Champions!!!!!!! I can't express just how awesome this makes me feel. I've never won a division championship in a historical dynasty before! :) Yay!!!! Playoffs here we come!!! Miami 24 New Jersey 14 We close out the year with a comfortable road win over the Jets. Ed Brown has only the second 300+ yard passing game in Dolphins history at 27-31 for 310 yards and 3 TDs. It's the best performance we've had by a QB yet in Miami. There's a cost to the win, however. Backup DE Howard Pane goes down for at least the first game in the playoffs and SS Larry Miller, who's been dazzling since winning the starting job when W.K. Brown got hurt, is lost for the rest of the season. I have faith that Brown can step up. Backup DE is another matter, which means rookie Joe Novsek will get the call again. Still, no matter how the playoffs go, even if it's the one and out that I anticipate it'll be, this has been a fantastic season. Let's look at the numbers. Code:
Year 1961 I'd say our terrific showing is a combination of playing in a crappy division, cagy 10th year veteran Ed Brown, who's become a QB mentor and has earned the right to stay a Dolphin until he retires, and a whole slew of other newcomers, both free agents and rookies. I'm particularly excited about Bill Cooper, who even though who has a poor YPC, showed he can find the end zone and pick up the yardage even as a rookie, and of course, Irv Cross, who was everything we expected him to be and more. Between him and free agent Johnny Sample, opposing QBs had a real nightmare situation on their hands. Allen Green really cooled off down the stretch and ended up 26/34 (76.5%), 9/13 from 40+ range (69.2%) and 0/2 from 50+ yards. I'm going to attribute the decline to his being a rookie and not used to the 16 game grind of the NFL season. He did well enough that I'll keep him through at least his rookie contract most likely. In terms of the offensive line, C Oronde Bland posted almost identical numbers to last year, including an exact replica of the 36.9% KRB. He also gave up one less sack, despite playing two more games. LG Duane Putnam was 29.2%, an improvement over last season in Dallas, allowing 3 sacks. RG Frank D'Agostino had a more solid year than I expected, with a 32.8% in KRB and a pancake, and he also gave up just 3 sacks, compared to 9 last year with the Jets. LT Chad Kramer showed the biggest improvement of anyone on the line, going up to 37.8% in KRB and, in the most eye-popping number, went from 18 sacks allowed in 1960 to 4 sacks surrendered in 1961. He really made strides this year. RT Sherman Plunkett was something of a disappointment as his numbers dropped. 32.1% in KRB and 4 sacks surrendered, compared to 34.6% and 0 sacks last year with the Colts. A closer look reveals the drop in KRB was a result of one less KRB and one more opportunity, so it's not too bad. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out what makes a good OL. On the bright side, Sherman had 2 pancake blocks this season. Backup G Mark Mathias, despite being injury-prone, was 50% in KRB, gave up 2 sacks and showed some tantalizing progress. I think it's safe to say that even though he's an injury concern, the forthcoming RFA has shown enough to deserve a longer contract. All in all, a great bunch of guys and I think we've got a real solid team core here. There's always room for improvement, of course, but we have to be happy with what we've accomplished in this sensational single season turn-around. The final regular season standings:  |
I'd much rather see you do TCY one instead...
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Update on TCY one done ;) I do like both dynasties an awful lot, though. :) And I've been thinking about what I'm going to do with the Dolphins this upcoming offseason since yesterday at work, before I even came home and simmed the second half to discover I made the playoffs, which -really- made my day. |
I've been enjoying this one and I enjoyed the aborted one. I hope you make it to 2007, although I am torn on if I should root for you or not, you seem like good people and i enjoy your dynasties, but I can't stand that 72 dolphin team and it just sours me on the fish in general. It's going to be a tough decision.
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Thanks :) And I'm fine with it either way, whether you cheer or boo. ;) |
We're rewarded for our fantastic season with a home game against the Houston Oilers in the wildcard round. The Oilers are led by the great fan favorite QB George Blanda, who was phenomenal this year, his 13th pro season. To wit: 67.5%, 3512 yards, 25 TDs, 9 INTs. In both years of this universe, he's completed at least 65% of his passes, thrown for at least 3,400 yards and 20+ TDs with single digit interception totals.
They've a trio of young, promising second-year players as Blanda's targets in TE Billy Cannon, FL Charley Hennigan and SE Bill Groman and a scary good young line to protect Blanda in rookie C Jerry Sturm, second year players LG Bob Talamani, LT Al Jamieson, and RT Rich Michael. Fourth year RG Hogan Wharton is the weak link. That o-line is so young and so good, in fact, that the Oilers could easily be contenders for the next decade based on the strength of that unit alone. I wish I had a line that great. Houston's real offensive weakness is in the running game. RB Ollie Matson, a one year rental from Los Angeles, is nothing special and FB Charley Tolar is grossly underutilized, which is a shame as he has Cszonka-esque type ability. Fifth year DE Dalva Allen erupted this year with 19 sacks and second year opposite side DE Dan Floyd is an emerging talent. They're solid at the DT spots too, but defensive line depth is a major problem. Wahoo McDaniel, one of the original Dolphins in reality, is criminally the backup MLB when he should be starting. The Oilers 'backers starters are all terrific run stoppers, but suspect in pass defense and outside of Wahoo, depth is an issue. Hopefully the gaps in their pass defense can be opened up. Houston's secondary is very good, highlighted by last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year and 1st Team All-Pro S Jim Norton, who already is one of the top safeties in the league. Second year CB Tony Banfield is just the kind of ballhawk I love to have on my team. So, how are we going to beat the Oilers? Chances are, we probably aren't. The only way we win is if Blanda goes down and we put together long drives to wear their defense down and force them to use their really bad backups. But I can't gameplan worth crap, so I have the AI do it and I'm a simmer anyway, let's get this show on the road. We get the ball first and nothing doing on our opening drive, thanks to a fierce Houston pass rush and two very stupid holding penalties on our part. The Oilers are then only too happy to use a mixture of George Blanda's passing magic and two more dumb holding penalties on the Dolphins to score first, an 11 yard zip from Blanda to Bill Groman. Sack, false start, false start. How's that for a bad way to start? Means on second down, we're on our own 5 yard line. It doesn't take a genius to figure out we dont' get anywhere, especially not with another sack on third down. Blanda goes 6 for 7 on the drive, the lone incompletion due to a dropped pass and they score again with 3 minutes left to go in the 1st quarter. 14-0 Oilers. Despite two more false starts on the following drive, we finally get on track as Ed Brown throws a couple of long bombs, including a 23 yarder to Jim Dooley for a TD! 14-7 and we're back in this one! That's all she wrote for the first quarter scoring. Most of the second involves punt trading, but then Blanda gets hot again, leading the Oilers to another TD with 2:12 left in the half. The 21-7 scoreline doesn't hold up for long though, as Brown gets sacked, loses the football, and Houston recovers in time for a field goal right before half. 24-7 halftime score and it's looking grim. Punt trading again until midway through the 3rd quarter when our man Brown puts together some nice passes in a short field for the TD and at 24-14, we're back in it. But that's all we can manage as the Oilers' defensive line wakes up and starts hurrying Brown and just to add insult to injury, Houston tacks on a field goal in the fourth quarter to give us a final line of 27-14. Our running game was invisible the whole game. Irv Cross played well in special teams, averaging 10.5 yards a punt return and 33 yards on kick returns, but that was about it for the real highlights. Ed Brown is a good quarterback, but he's not a franchise guy, especially not in the face of so nasty a defensive front. George Blanda as you might expected was named game MVP: 25-34 for 218 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. Now that's vintage performance as he wins the battle of the veteran QBs. I wish the Oilers good luck the rest of the way. The Dolphins still need to improve before they can become a legitimate playoff team, rather than just the best of a bad division, but we're on our way. |
Super Bowl II
Indianapolis Colts 34 San Francisco 49ers 31 Johnny Unitas takes home MVP honors sets a Super Bowl passing yardage record that may never be broken, with 401! :eek: Steve Myhra chips in a 20 yard FG with 4 seconds left in the game to give the Colts the win and ruin what had been a brilliant 49ers rally. Once again no Dolphins awards winners. QB Bart Starr (GBY) follows up last year's Super Bowl MVP award with this year's League MVP and Offensive Player of the Year award. LDE Gino Marchetti (IND) repeats as Defensive Player of the Year and announces his retirement right after the Super Bowl celebration. Although he was only in his 10th year, he went out on top with those two Defensive Player of the Year awards and a Super Bowl ring. Smart move. RB Tom Matte, taken in the 1st round at #22 by the Denver Broncos, was the Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushing 1091 yards and 8 TDs. LDT Ernie Ladd, also taken in the 1st, at #13 by the Baltimore Ravens, was Defensive Rookie of the Year and 1st Team DT with 69 tackles, 36 assists, 8.5 sacks, 7 blocks, 12 hurries and 5 QB knockdowns. It's staff hiring time now. Hard to mess with the kind of success we've had, but let's take a look and see how our staff improved or regressed over last year's miracle season. DC Clifton Winters, who had a lot of doubt surrounding him when he was hired not only revived the team's defense, but he improved from Good to Very Good in LB. That's awesome to see! Scout Bill Jessup declines to Fair and Fair in QB and RB, so he's going to be replaced. My top choice for a scout goes off to San Diego, my second choice rejects me flat out and so I have to settle for my third option. Lead Scout: Daryl Crane (52) QB: Good RB: Fair WR: Good OL: Good K/P: Excellent DL: Excellent LB: Very Good DB: Average YT: Average Nobody's getting franchised and I'm not messing with tickets just yet, so it's on to free agency. We have 22 free agents of our own, only 5 of which are restricted. Rather than go through all 22 free agents, I'll mention the 5 restricted and then indicate which of the UFA guys I intend to keep. Restricted Free Agents: SS Frank Garrett Signed as a stopgap measure after W.K. Brown's injury, he played decently for us, but guys like him are everywhere, so there's no real desire to re-sign him. LDE Howard Pane Another stopgap, he lost out to Rod Perry in the RDE starter battle and showed glimmers of pass-rush skills. He has an affinity with Jim Temp, but Temp won't be back next year, meaning Pane's expendable too. SS Larry Miller Absolutely blossomed as a starter after W.K. Brown's injury, but he was only mediocre in New Orleans. So which is the real Larry Miller? That question's an uncertain one and hence, it's going to depend on what type of contract demands he makes whether or not we bring him back. SS W.K. Brown Did well when he came back from injury, but his endurance is now 0, meaning he probably won't come back. This improves Miller's chances of returning to the Dolphins. LG Mark Mathias Yes, he's injury-prone, but he developed nicely this year and played terrifically. Injury bug be damned, I'm going to try and lock him into a long-term deal as I see a future starter in him. As for the unrestricted guys, it depends on who else is out there and what kind of money people are wanting. The lone guy I -have- to bring back is C Ken Engram. He's the affinity glue that holds my entire offensive line together and he's a good backup to boot. Speaking of chemistry, TE Johnny Carson, who was made a backup last year after being a 2nd Team All-Pro TE in 1960, is angrily demanding a trade, so we'll shop around and see what we can get for him. Unfortunately no one's interested in him and when I try to work a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, who have need for a TE and they have a MLB who's equally angry and wanting a trade and who could start in the middle for me, they say no because of Carson's contract. Oh well. Dolphins Re-signings SS Larry Miller (1 year, $50k) LG Mark Mathias (3 years, $210k) Dolphins Needs By the numbers: QB, FB, WR x 2, P, DE, LB x 2 By talent: We need at bare minimum a young QB that can be groomed to replace Ed Brown, but if we can get a higher level starter, I'm tempted to do that, as Brown's skills look like they're regressing fast. Zach Roaches is upset about losing his starting job to Bill Cooper and has a cap-friendly contract, hopefully making him a prime trade possibility. At any rate, we may see a new backup to Cooper or even a whole new back if one is out there that's exciting enough. We not only need receivers in body, we need them in talent. Bob Coolbaugh isn't looking as good as his 2nd round status suggests and Pete Taninecz dropped more passes than he should've last year. The offensive line is set, except for a glaring hole at LT that's right up there with WR among our big needs. We need a RDE who can be Mark Schau's partner, a new starter-quality MLB and an upgrade at SLB. I'm pleased with our secondary, though I'd like to see some new blood in at the safety positions, especially FS. Mentors, we need RB, FB, TE, WR, C, T, DE, DT MLB, OLB, CB, and SS if we're to have mentors at all position groups. Week 2 Signings SE Fred Dugan (4 years, $1.49 mill. - Dallas) -Talented 6th year WR who broke the 1,000 yard receiving mark with the Cowboys last year. Gives us a major upgrade at SE and will allow us to move Bob Coolbaugh to the slot receiver. Week 3 Signings LT Bob Skoronoski (4 years $2.12 mill. - Green Bay) -I overpaid for this 7th year veteran, as he's a high risk-high reward guy on the field if his years with the Packers are any indication, but he brings Super Bowl championship experience to the table and he was the only decent LT on the market, which was our hugest need. Considering the draft looked bereft of great tackles, especially where we're picking, it made getting Bob a necessity. He's also a tackles mentor. SLB Ronnie Loudo (1 year, $50k - Chicago) -7th year veteran mentor who wanted the chance to start again after being made a backup with the Bears. He'll get that opportunity here in Miami, even if only as a one year rental. In fact, I'd say he'd be the starter right now, if the season were to begin today. FS Brett Woodard (1 year, $50k - Carolina) -5th year player was a two year starter with the Panthers and he's good enough to push Fred Bruney for the starting spot and maybe even win it. It'll be one of the more interesting training camp battles of the year. Week 4 Signings QB Milt Plum (1 year, $50k - Detroit) -Will challenge Ed Brown for the starting job. If nothing else, the 6th year vet will give us a safety blank in case something happens to Brown. The days of Bryant Baker mucking things up are over. RB Tommy Sharpe (1 year, $50k - Kansas City) -Mentor RB who can not only teach Bill Cooper more about the game, but be satisfied with taking the backup role. You know what this means.. bye-bye Roaches. FL Ray Mathews (1 year, $50k - New York) -Ancient receiver (12th year), who appeared in one game last year for the Giants. That said, he's a mentor and good enough that he could be our starting flanker. Will we ever resolve our revolving door at the receiver spots? RDE Nate Borden (1 year, $120k - Chicag) -Smart as hell mentor who has absolutely no run defense skills. Numbers weren't phenomenal as a starter in Dallas two years ago, but he can start if necessary, though I'd like to find a rookie if possible. MLB Dan Lynch (1 year, $50k - Re-sign) -We bring back our MLB mentor and last season's leading tackler, though I have my eye on a certain someone in the draft who would be the starter if I can get him. Week 5 Losses WLB Clancy Osborne (1 year, $50k - Atlanta) -Not a big loss here. Sure, he was a good backup, but he was pissed beyond all belief at having to start behind Aaron Spiva, so I have no problems letting him walk. Week 6 Signings FB Alan Ameche (3 years, $520k - Pittsburgh) -Mentor who's good enough that I don't have to worry about the FB position for the next few seasons. I love his 100 Special Teams ability. C Ken Engram (3 years, $270k - Re-sign) -Yes! My chemistry is intact! There's actually an amusing story that goes with this. I'm taking the dirty clothes to the laundry room when I suddenly freak out, shout, "Oh my god! Shit!" and go tearing to the dining room, which led to the following exchange between me and my mom: Mom: What?! What is it?! Me: Hold on! ..I can't believe I forgot to do that! Shit, shit, shit! Mom: What?! Me: *checks screen and sees Ken Engram still unsigned* Whew! *makes 3 year offer* Mom: What is it?! Me: Oh, I forgot to make an offer to this center in my football game who's the whole key to my offensive line's chemistry. I built my whole line around him. Mom: .....You were panicking over a dumb football game? I thought it was something serious! Me: It was! That would've wrecked my whole line! Mom: *rolls eyes* But Engram's back in town and the kumbaya fest can continue :D Those are the only offers I had out, so I didn't lose anyone. It honestly wasn't much of a free agent crop this year, at least not one worth blowing huge money on except two of the guys I grabbed, so I'm just going to throw in all the defectors in one blob. Lost Free Agents FB Geoffrey Powers (1 year, $50k - Philadelphia) -Yawn. Ameche's better. 42 players under contract when the first free agency period ends. ...I forgot to send someone to summer league. Oh well. I'll do the draft tomorrow, probably. |
Draft time!
I'll be perfectly honest, there's maybe five guys in this entire draft who'd really excite me if I had a high pick, starting with QBs John Hadl and Roman Gabriel, one of whom will definitely go to Denver at #2 overall. As for the other one, Seattle has the #1 overall pick, but they also have extremely raw, promising Norm Snead at QB, whom the Seahawks took with the #6 overall pick last year. On the other hand, Snead's disgruntled, having been made the second-stringer last season. The Saints, to follow last year's stunning draft, have two top 10 picks as I predicted, at #6 and #8. Unfortunately, this is a really bad year to have a pick not in the top 5 if you're up that high, so New Orleans gets screwed. But maybe they can negotiate something out of it and possibly trade up to get Hadl or Gabriel. The Black and Gold certainly need a QB. We're picking at #24 and to be honest, I don't see anyone I consider worthwhile at that spot right now, but we'll see how the picks pan out. I may end up trading out of the first. 1962 Draft First Round 1. QB John Hadl (Seattle Seahawks) That's going to piss off an already disgruntled Snead. Hmm.. that gives me a possible idea... 2. QB Roman Gabriel (Denver Broncos) 3. DE Gary Cutsinger (Carolina Panthers) 4. S Tommy Morrow (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) 5. OLB Frank Buncom (Minnesota Vikings) 6. QB Manch Wheeler (New Orleans Saints) 7. G Jim Cadile (Cincinnati Bengals) 8. CB Bob Suci (New Orleans Saints) 9. WR Lance Alworth (Tucson Titans) 10. CB Booker Edgerson (Oakland Raiders) 11. DT Danny Birdwell (New Jersey Jets) 12. DE George Andrie (Baltimore Ravens) 13. G Sonny Bishop (Atlanta Falcons) 14. DT Tom Sestak (Washington Redskins) 15. WR Jack Elwell (New England Patriots) 16. G Bob McCollough (Buffalo Bills) 17. DT Fred Miller (Chicago Bears) 18. S Mike Gaechter (Kansas City Chiefs) 19. DE Ike Lassiter (St. Louis Cardinals) 20. G Billy Neighbors (Dallas Cowboys) 21. ILB Nick Buoniconti (Detroit Lions) UGH! Three god damned picks away!!!!! I've been trying to make a deal to move up since the St. Louis pick, but everyone was demanding a lot more than I wanted to give them. :mad: 22. OLB Cornell Green (San Diego Chargers) 23. DT George Gross (Houston Oilers) I'm still smarting over the loss of Nicky B when our pick comes up. The guys that are left are a bunch of meh players not really worth a first rounder, but that's how weak this draft is. So I decide instead to have a little conversation with the Seahawks. Will they take our 1st rounder for Norm Snead after drafting Hadl? Why, no! They don't want to lost the cap space! That's only fair I suppose, though it's stupid to tie up that much cap money into two quarterbacks. Will anyone else play make a deal with me? Not for any players I'd be interested in.... Ugh. I knew I should've paid whatever exorbiant sum the Lions would've extracted. Finally after scrounging around, I decide that WR is our biggest need that has the best chance of being filled. I get down to two guys: Bake Turner and Charlie Frazier. Turner has high Vol. score and great combine numbers except for one glaring thing: 10 reps. While that's still decent for a WR, it makes me nervous. Besides I've been burned by Turner before. Frazier, on the other hand, has extremely low Vol, but he's easily the strongest WR at 21 reps and is a little more developed, so he seems the safer bet. Safety is a good thing. 24. WR Charlie Frazier (Miami Dolphins) 25. G Irv Goode (Philadelphia Eagles) 26. G George Flint (New York Giants) 27. DE Ed O'Bradovich (Cleveland Browns) 28. WR Bill Miller (Los Angeles Rams) 29. OLB Tom Erlandson (Carolina Panthers through Pittsburgh Steelers) The Steelers got the two 2nd rounders the Panthers have in next year's draft and Carolina's 4th rounder in this draft. Considering Erlandson is a guy I would've considered if he hadn't conflicted with my team leader, Carolina made out well here. 30. S Claude Crabb (Green Bay Packers) 31. DT Ray Jacobs (San Francisco 49ers) 32. G Larry Bowie (Indianapolis Colts) It's a pretty easy selection in the 2nd round as there's only guy I feel might even be remotely close to being worthy of the pick, particularly given our needs, so DE Dick Stafford joins the team to fight for the right to start opposite Mark Schau. There's a player I've got my eye on for the 4th round, but in the 3rd round, it's intriguing WR Gary Ballman, who I think could pull a Bill Cooper style breakout possibly. My guy goes off the board shortly after my 3rd round pick, but OLB Albert Gursky not only fills a gap, but he could be an improver as well. By the 5th round, I'm grasping at straws, but there's two safeties that interest me as projects. SS Larry Vargo had the far better prospect score and is the biggest safety still on the board, so he's the pick. Project QBs start flying off the shelves in the 6th and there's one that interests me, but FB Bob Ferguson looks like a special teams ace and since he'd be a backup anyway, allowing me to protect my starters' bodies, I take him. In a rare of moment of this draft going right for me, my project QB I had my eye on is available in the 7th and so I take QB Glynn Griffing of the cool name and nice prospect score of 60. This time I scrounge around in the UDRFA pool, only there's not much there, in fact only one player who looks even remotely a possibility. In late free agency, I look for a P and if there's any great players who I think'd improve the team noticeably. There's one guy who I think has a shot at doing something, so I make my offers. Week 2 Losses P B.J. Nixon (1 year, $50k - Green Bay) -Turned down a 3 year, $210k contract from us to sign with the Packers. Bleh. Week 4 Signings FB Willie Simpson (UDRFA) -The lone intriguing rookie free agent, will push our draftee FB for time and place on the team. P Ricardo May (1 year, $50k) -Not a bad secondary option after losing Nixon. Has the benefit of being a fantastic kickholder. Week 4 Losses SE Billy Howton (1 year, $110k - Chicago) -Heh. The Bears are quite welcome to the drop-heavy mentor whose skills are going one direction... downhill off the cliff. NT Jim Prestel (1 year, $60k - Green Bay) -Our second loss to the Packers this free agent season, he turned down a starting opportunity and more money with us to play for a surefire Super Bowl contender in Green Bay. On to training camp. Code:
FL Charlie Frazier 1.24 23/50 26/51 +3/+1Very nice uptick from our rookie WRs! I now feel a lot more comfortable about our situation there obviously. Looks like Frazier was the right move to make over Turner, who I haven't checked on. Stafford is a considerable disappointment, especially for being a 2nd rounder. Gursky looks eh as does Vargo. Griffing interests me and while he's nowhere near ready to be a starting QB or even a backup, I like him enough that he'll get playing time in preseason and become a possible future project. |
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Brown, Ed 3 QB 11 34 34 2 yrsPlum's bars don't look anywhere nearly as good as his current/future split suggests. He's also never been more than a backup. His accuracy and timing's likewise suspect, meaning the quarterback controversy expected to materialize probably won't. Baker's potential is still there, but he won't be the backup this year. Griffing is what he is at this point, 7th round pick and practice squad material. Code:
Sharpe, Tommy 48 RB 6 38 38 1 yr.Roaches, despite having the highest ratings, has the shakiest bars and will be third-string, making him so angry he'll want to be traded. Sharpe will duel it out with Cooper in preseason for the starting job. Ameche's the obvious starter at FB, though Ferguson and Simpson are backup coinflips. Ferguson's good at special teams, with the potential to get better, but Simpson's the better third down option. Code:
Carson, Johnny 82 TE 10 40 40 2 yrsCarson's -still- angry about last season, but he's clearly the top backup this year, so maybe that'll satisfy him. Ingram will start again, as he's got the best skill balance. Code:
Mathews, Ray 87 FL 12 31 31 1 yr.Dugan was a huge, huge free agent signing for us and I figured he was a major upgrade, but I didn't realize just how big until now. He's far and away the best receiver on the team. He'll start along with Frazier. Ballman and Mathews will fight for the slot job, with the loser the fifth receiver behind Coolbaugh, who's turned into a special teams monster. Code:
Engram, Ken 51 C 6 35 35 3 yrsBland and Engram are about as perfect a combo as you can get at C. Mathias has now reached a point where he'll supplant Putnam as the starter at LG. Not real thrilled with Petersen, but eh what can you do? Skoronski is a major improvement over Kramer at LT and hopefully Plunkett can start playing up to his ratings. Code:
May, Ricardo 5 P 3 47 49 1 yr.May might actually stick around as our P for a while. Green needs to show he can last a full season, though. Code:
Schau, Mark 98 LDE 4 45 45 4 yrsSchau and Borden will start while Stafford, having the higher upside, will backup both positions and be the RDE in goal-line situations. Really disappointing to see out of a second round pick, but what can you do? Code:
Culpepper, Penguin 77 LDT 8 38 38 5 yrsThey'll all reprise their roles of last season. I'd like to get a chance to upgrade here eventually. Code:
Lynch, Dan 52 MLB 7 36 36 1 yr.Lynch and Jackson will once again stage their starters' battle. Loudo takes over on the strong side, with steady Spiva penciled in again on the weak side. Nice to finally be able to put Randall in a backup role. Code:
Sample, Johnny 43 LCB 5 61 61 4 yrsSample and Cross form one of the top two starting CB duos in the league according to current ratings. Only the Washington Redskins, who have two guys at 58, can be argued to be better a set. Stryzinski is starting to come into his own as a nickel back, though he'll never be more than that due to his endurance. Gorin won't be re-signed. Code:
Miller, Larry 20 SS 3 36 36 1 yr.Woodard replaces Bruney as the starter at FS, while Miller's back as the starter. Vargo I don't ever see being anything more than a dime back, if he even reaches that. Contract Extensions TE Riddick Ingram: Signed through 1964 ($210k) LCB Brent Strynzski: Signed through 1963 ($130k) These are the two guys I know for sure I want to keep on the team for a couple more seasons at least, though I'm less sure of Stryznski, which is why he only gets an extra year tacked on instead of two, like with Ingram. A bunch of other players will be playing to deserve their extension this year. I feel good about our chances to get back to the playoffs this season, but we'll just have to see what happens. |
It looks like you've got a good chance at reaching the playoffs, but unfortunately it's going to be tough to do much when you get there. Not alot of skill at the skill positions on the roster, except receiver. How's that positions strength compared to the rest of the league?
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In every position group we're middle of the pack or lower, except for a couple Top 10 places that are #9 or #10, with the exception of CB, where it turns out we're #2, behind the Redskins as I figured. Our WR strength is actually in the lower third of the league right now. |
Preaseason
Miami 13 St. Louis 19 In the battle for starting spots, Tommy Sharpe does a little better in limited duty than Bill Cooper, but Sharpe's also got really low endurance, so he's best off as a backup, settling that decision. Milt Plum and Ed Brown draw even in their contest and will probably be fighting all preseason for the starter's gig. Ray Mathews has a fantastic game with 7 catches for 97 yards and pretty much has the backup flanker job locked up, particularly since I like his bars better. Ricardo May has a weak opening session as punter and Allen Green is showing alarming power troubles. A bright spot on defense: Free agent signee Nate Borden picks up 2 sacks in his first action in a Dolphins uniform. Rookie Albert Gursky has a fine game with 6 tackles and 5 assists, earning himself the right to backup at WLB, rather than have Luther Randall cover both outside spots. Dan Lynch edges Gabe Jackson in their MLB battle Round 1. Chicago 3 Miami 24 A thoroughly satisfying Dolphins looking good in preseason victory. Tommy Sharpe dramatically outperforms Bill Cooper and will get the starting spot in our next preseason game. Ed Brown is a perfect 11-11, but Milt Plum is 13-19 for 147 yards and 2 TDs and shows some running skills too. Ricardo May is continuing to piss me off. Allen Green finds his power stroke but loses his accuracy. Dan Lynch and Gabe Jackson call it a draw on tackles, but Jackson gets a 19 yard interception return. Right now I have Lynch as the starter and the goal-line MLB and Jackson the backup and nickel and dime MLB. Maybe I should keep going with that as they seem to have success that way. Green Bay 17 Miami 27 Another NFC North giant, another great exhibition win. I forgot to give Tommy Sharpe the start, but he does better than Bill Cooper anyway, particularly with Cooper's 3 fumbles. Milt Plum kicks the stuffing out of Ed Brown with a 15-17 for 110 yard and 2 TD performance and will probably be the starter on Week 1. We finally get a good game out of Ricardo May's punting, though Allen Green continues to be erratic. Nate Borden continues his freakish preseason with 2.5 sacks, a block, 3 hurries and a knockdown. Knowing my luck, he'll probably fizzle out in the regular season. Gabe Jackson slightly betters Dan Lynch, but I think I'll go with my current setup. It's working. Our first injury of the year and it's a huge one. LG Mark Mathias, Mr. Injury Prone himself, wrecks the hell out of his knee and has to have surgery, meaning he's out for the entire season. I don't want to have to rely on Ken Petersen as a backup, and luckily there's a 3rd year RG, Howard Glenn on the market who's raw in ratings, but had a sickly 64.9 KRB % as a starter two years ago with the Falcons while giving up 7 sacks. 64.9%! How the hell did he not make the All-Pro team? Needless to say, I sign him as a backup to Duane Putnam, the ressurected starter, quickly. Miami 17 San Francisco 38 So I forgot to make Tommy Sharpe the starter again and ditto Milt Plum, but they both have horrible showings, so it's weakening my resolve again. I think I'll give Bill Cooper the start at halfback and Milt Plum the top QB and monitor the situation as the season goes on. Regular Season Miami 31 New England 23 The Milt Plum era begins with a bang, as our new starting QB is 20-27 for 204 yards, 4 TDs and an INT. 1st round draft pick Charlie Frazier catches 4 of those passes for 90 yards and a breathtaking 43 yard TD reception. Riddick Ingram showed why he's the starting TE over Johnny Carson with 2 short yardage TD receptions of his own. Our defense did just well enough to win, with no standouts. Miami 13 Chicago 16 A gutkicker of a loss that came down to a missed Allen Green field goal that would've tied it and sent it to OT. Penguin Culpepper has 7 tackles, an assist, and half a sack, while fellow DT Cliff Breeden records 2 sacks. This loss wasn't the fault of the defense or of Milt Plum, but rather of the running game. Neither Bill Cooper nor Tommy Sharpe are legitimate starting running backs, it appears. I belatedly realize I forgot to hit recommend. Oops. Bob Voight injures his elbow and will miss at least the next game. RDT Jack Jones, a former starter with the Packers, is signed to a one year veteran contract to fill in. I'm pleased to see that the playing time recommended is variable. Last season, for example, Ed Brown was a 2 and Bill Cooper was 85%. This season, Milt Plum's a 1 and Cooper's a 75%. Miami 9 Indianapolis 21 Bill Cooper finally starts getting a little untracked, but this is still the defending Super Bowl champs with Johnny Unitas. Milt Plum has his third straight game of 200+ passing yards and throws an interception, only his second on the year. Irv Cross averages an incredible 47 yards on two kick returns, but we can't get anything going with the field position. Miami 16 Cincinnati 13 A tough, but needed road win against the Bengals. Despite 2 costly interceptions, Milt Plum is still 20-34 for 208 yards, but the big heroes offensively are Bill Cooper, who breaks free for 26 rushes and 110 yards and Fred Dugan, who finally starts earning his paycheck with 10 catches for 107 yards. Allen Green hits a gorgeous 54 yard FG, but was 3/5 overall. Johnny Sample averaged 36.7 yards on 3 kickoff returns. Irv Cross gives us a scare when he separates his shoulder, but he'll only miss one game it looks like. Bob Voight is ready to come off the inactive list, but I'm liking Jackson's output better, so he'll stay. Our old friend Doyle Nix comes back for a game or two, taking the starting spot at RCB as Antonio Gorin has been terrible this season. Nix also takes over second kickoff return man duties, with Johnny Sample becoming the top returner in kicks and punts. Our situation for returners is so bad that outside of Sample and Cross, the only guys who have any kick return ability is Nix at 13 and we have nobody with an even a single point in current at punt returns. Next offseason, I'll have to look for somebody who can take Gorin's spot as a package defensive back and return kicks. Buffalo 35 Miami 30 We really, really miss Cross this game as we suffer a devastating loss to our archrivals. Our running game stalls and Milt Plum has trouble with his accuracy. Doyle Nix did get an interception in his first game back, but our pass defense hit the drink bigtime. A fumble a piece by Plum and Cooper didn't help matters. Miami 6 Cleveland 35 Irv Cross returns this game but it doesn't matter. We get killed on all sides and all facets of the game. The Browns are one of the top teams in the league and it shows here. Pittsburgh 28 Miami 33 Upset special of the week! The Steelers were 6-0 headed into this game and 10 point favorites, but Bill Cooper spoiled plans of 7-0 with 21 rushes for 116 yards and a TD. Milt Plum doesn't have his most accurate game, but 19-30 for 228 yards, 3 TDs and an INT is nothing to sneeze at. Irv Cross averages 34.3 yards on his kickoff returns. Just a nice, solid performance and one we needed to keep our season alive. New England 10 Miami 27 The Patriots are the worst team in the division and have been since the universe began. Bill Cooper flattens them 21 times for 93 yards and a TD and Milt Plum is a cool 20-27 for 257 yards and a TD. Johnny Sample shows why he's considered one of the top 5 CBs in the league today with 2 interceptions. Mark Schau racks up 2 sacks, a block, 2 hurries and a knockdown. Another important win. Important enough that it puts us at 4-4. Unfortunately, it's not without cost. Mark Schau strains his calf muscle and will miss a game. Riddick Ingram is questionable for our next contest as well and will probably be held out as a precaution. We're also well behind the Jets, who at 6-3 are clearly in front and there's two teams at 6-2 who are significantly ahead in the wild-card chase. The only way we get back to the playoffs is if we get hot and New Jersey starts stumbling. The halfway stats: Code:
Record 4-4 Biggest difference between this year and last? Our pass defense, which was stellar last year, is down this season, way down. We'll have to pick that up in the second half. Milt Plum is also fumble-prone, though not as bad as Bryant Baker. Still, I don't like turnover happy QBs and I'm tempted to give Ed Brown the ball in the second half, particularly as last season's hero is unhappy about having to sit as the main backup. In happy news, Charlie Frazier is proving a very pleasant surprise at WR, as is Riddick Ingram's sudden nose for the endzone. So I think I'll let Brown take over from here on out. If he starts sinking and stinking, I can always pull him and let Plum take the spot again. |
Baltimore 10 Miami 37
The Ravens suck this year, but it's still a blowout win and Ed Brown wins Game MVP honors with a 12-16, 119 yard, 2 TD performance. Irv Cross averaged 39 yards on his kickoff returns and it was just a nice, comfortable win. Nate Borden, the starting RDE, is out for at least next game and we're now missing both of our starting ends. This is not cool. I cut RG Ken Petersen, as my first-ever 5th round pick looks like a bust and we need the room for him. LDE Torrance Brooks, a 7th year player who started for Tampa Bay in 1960 and was a backup last season for the Redskins, gets pulled in off the street to start at LDE. Miami 20 New Jersey 14 *HUGE* win over the Jets, captained by an Ed Brown 4th quarter comeback. He's really proving his point about deserving to be the starter. Brown's the man again: 20-38 for 206 yards and a TD. He's not the greatest QB on the planet and he's getting old, but he's got a grittiness that makes him the man you want when the chips are down. 5 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, 2 of the latter by Cliff Breeden and you can tell our defensive line, banged up as it was, was keyed up for this game. Two interceptions by our secondary as well. Minnesota 20 Miami 12 I want to throw up. 22-38 for 265 yards from Ed Brown can't overcome a piss-poor run game. Dan Lynch's 10 tackles and 2 assists? Nice, but ultimately useless as the Vikings ground it out better than we did. San Diego 24 Miami 17 Two straight home games and two straight losses as the Chargers overcome 3 interceptions to steal a win late in the 4th quarter. We need a new running back next season. That's become the single-highest priority and one we'll be looking at intensely in the draft. The loss drops us to 6-6 and puts us a game behind the Jets. Miami 6 Detroit 13 It looks as though all the magic is gone out of Ed Brown's arm. He struggles for the second straight game, negating Rommie Loudo's 11 tackle, 3 assist showing, as well as a very faint pulse from the running game. Plum will start the rest of the year. New Jersey 20 Miami 7 Do or die game against the Jets and we die, despite 80 yards rushing from Bill Cooper and a respectable 25-41 for 252 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT from Milt Plum. Charlie Frazier has a fantastic game with 8 catches for 106 yards, but our special teams and defense both took major naps this game, ruining the offensive starbursts. Green Bay 31 Miami 26 An offensive fireworks game goes the way of the mighty Packers. Despite the closeness of the score, the game really wasn't that much of a competition as our offense was generated largely on Irv Cross and Johnny Sample doing their usual dual 30+ kickoff return yard average. Miami 10 Buffalo 16 And the losing streak finishes out the year. From 6-4 to 6-10. Gotta love six game losing streaks. We finish third in the division. Charlie Frazier is 6 for 6 on targets and catches, good for 85 yards, but that's about the only highlight. I'll do the end cap and all that stuff later. I'm too disgusted right now. |
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Year 1962 The difference between last year and this one? As I said at the halfway point, largely a case of our pass defense heading south. Irv Cross in particularl seems to have had a down year, likely attributable to a sophomore slump. Bill Cooper broke the 1,000 yard mark, but he's not a star back so that's a spot we'll look at upgrading. Charlie Frazier had a very nice rookie season and I expect big things out of him in the future. I think our receiving corps overall is pretty decent now, but we still need a good quarterback and a good running back. ...Actually, looking at the ratings of the top players by position in the recommend screen, we need help pretty much everywhere except cornerback and center. Ouch. No wonder we're a 6-10 team in a terrible division. Cliff Breeden had a great year and Dick Stafford was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, but the rest of our defensive line was blah and the linebackers, Rommie Loudo's tackles not withstanding, were a major disappointment. Oronde Bland had his best year in center, with 42.1% KRB and only 1 sack allowed and Chad Kramer was an incredible 70.6% KRB as a reserve LT, but overall, the offensive line underachieved, particularly Sherman Plunkett, the RT's numbers having continued to drop with each year of the fat deal we gave him. Unfortunately, we're stuck with him for the next three seasons still. Ricardo May did okay punting, but I'm not sure if I'll re-sign him or not. Allen Green is settling into a kicker we can expect to convert about 76% of his FG a year, somewhere in the 63-69% from 40+. Not the most fantastic numbers and he'll have to have a great year next season to earn another contract.  You have to love the NFC South in these historical dynasties, you really do. Now once those Saints boys grow into their potential, we could see some serious football in the league's weakest division. Super Bowl III Green Bay 38 Cleveland 20 The Packers soundly beat the Browns to go 2-0 against Cleveland in the Super Bowl in this rematch of Super Bowl I. This one was all Bart Starr, with his 27-35 for 383 yards and 3 TDs performance. If there's one thing the Colts and Packers illustrate, it's the critical importance of a franchise QB. Bart Starr wins MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. LDE Willie Davis completes the major Green Bay sweep with Defensive Player of the Year. RB Larry Ferguson, a 4th round pick of the Oilers, wins Offensive Rookie of the Year and WLB Frank Buncom, taken in the 1st round at #5 overall by the Vikings, wins Defensive Rookie of the Year. Buncom, by the way, looks like he's going to be a damn good player, surprising considering how weak the 1961 draft class is. Staff hiring time! Offensive coordinator Randy Fuller goes from Good to Average in QB and every effort will be made to replace him, as he's decreased at the most critical position. Defensive coordinator Clifton Winters improves for the second straight year, going from Fair to Average in DB. For a guy I was originally hesitant on, he's really coming a long way in his development and I'll do my darndest to re-sign him when his contract expires next year. I'm going to explore replacing Head Coach Corey Hammond this year, along with Lead Scout Daryl Crane. So basically, the entire staff except Winters may see a turnover. Crane stays, as I can't find anything better. This is a damn fine year for finding good, young head coaches to build a team around and I'm salivating over a young offensive coordinator prospect. I get into a bidding war with our archrivals over the OC prospect, but an extra $20,000 a year is good enough to land him! He's signed to a 4 year deal, unlike the standard 3 year contract. Offensive Coordinator Jared Thamilarasan (37) QB: Good RB: Good WR: Good OL: Very Good K/P: Good YT: Good Head Coach Tyrus Treftz (37) MT: Good DI: Good OC: Good DC: Very Good IA: Good I think I'll stop there on that happy, happy note and take on free agency tomorrow/later today :) |
First half of free agency, here we come.
This time I actually remember to check and see who I should send to the Summer League. Since Dick Stafford has the biggest gap between current and future, the difference being that of slub and serviceable, he's the easy selection. There's not much in the way of our restricted free agents that I'm all that gung-ho about re-signing, but there's a few that I'll return. Week 1 Re-signings SS Larry Miller (1 year, $50k) LT Chad Kramer (2 years, $160k) P Ricardo May (1 year, $50k) MLB Gabe Jackson (1 year, $50k) SLB Luther Randall (1 year, $50k) By the numbers we need a QB, RB, LB and 8 players overall. We'll be adding a lot more than the minimum 8 between free agency and the draft, I can tell you that much. Week 2 Losses RG Gene Hickerson (4 years, $2.28 mill. - Minnesota (Cleveland) ) -Ouch. I wanted this guy really badly and off he goes to the dumbassed Vikings. LDT Jim Colvin (4 years, $2.42 mill. - Indianapolis Re-Sign) -Another top-tier free agent goes away. Luckily there's another DT I really like, if he hasn't been snatched up already. SLB Rommie Loudo (3 years, $1.1 mill. - Denver) -Cashes in on his high tackle season for us and picks up a nice deal off the Broncos. SS Andy Nelson (4 years, $1.62 mill. - Jacksonville (Indianapolis) ) -Wow, we just keep getting hammered left and right in our efforts to bring in top notch free agents. Luckily, like with Colvin, there's someone else I'm eyeing up. Week 3 Signings SS Ross Fitchener (3 years, $790k - Cleveland) -Extraordinarily consistent strong safety who averaged exactly 81% pass defense his last three years with the Browns and had 4 interceptions his first two seasons. Great upgrade for our secondary and Larry Miller's immediate replacement. FS Don Fleming (4 years, $2.10 mill. - Cleveland) -Say hello to the other Browns' starting safety of the universe's first three years. Apparently these guys are best friends because we've just directly imported both of Cleveland's safety starters and -really- made our secondary a nightmare for opposing QBs. Both Fitchener and Fleming were fantastic in Cleveland, where the cornerbacks weren't as good as Johnny Sample and Irv Cross. Can you say Miami Dolphins #1 secondary in the NFL? I knew you could. Week 3 Losses DE Nate Borden (1 year, $100k - Dallas) -Played okay for us last year, but really, with Dick Stafford showing signs of becoming a pretty good DE, Borden's time was up. Week 4 Signings LG Fuzzy Thurston (6 years, $4.18 mill. - Green Bay) -Long contract and a steep price to pay for the mentor guard, but he's a former 1st Team All-Pro Guard (1961) who has two Super Bowl rings from his Packers days. He's a fantastic player and will allow us to move injury-prone Mark Mathias back to the dual backup role. SILB Dave Lloyd (4 years, $2.85 mill. - Cleveland) -Think we're done raiding the Browns' defense? Not a chance in hell as we snag Lloyd, who will be our starting MLB for the next four years. Kept getting better and better the last three years and is due for a real break-out season this year or next. Week 4 Losses WR Boyd Dowler (6 years, $5.68 mill. - Green Bay re-sign) -This guy is sick. You want to know how sick? Two consecutive seasons of 2,000+ receiving yards, including 2,442 yards last year!. That's the kind of record that may never be broken. Then again, it helps having a guy like Bart Starr throwing to you. The dude's incredible and there was some serious cash being floated his way but he took the lesser deal to stay with the Packers, where he's a fan favorite. Week 5 Signings DT Henry Jordan (5 years, $3.33 mill. - Green Bay) -I keep right on raiding the two teams with two Super Bowl appearances and gleefully so. Jordan's a great all-around DT and he'll start alongside Penguin Culpepper for sure. It's just a matter of what side each one will line up on. Week 5 Losses FS Brett Woodard (1 year, $60k - Baltimore) -Played decently for us last season, but the Ravens can have him after the upgrade we made. And I'll continue this later. Feel fatigued all of a sudden. |
Week 6 Losses
QB Milt Plum (2 years, $320k - San Francisco) -The 49ers are stacked at QB, so why they're signing Milt is beyond me. He does give them a good third-stringer, though. ...Heh. That's sad. Our main starter last year is a third-stringer for another team. SLB Bill Forrester (2 years, $990k - Washington - Green Bay) -11th year mentor vet still plays well and he took less money to play for the Redskins. My guess is he's planning a political career after he retires, since he already has two rings from the Packers. Week 7 Signings WLB Jim Houston (3 years, $300k - Cleveland) -The Browns' D raid continues, though Houston was only a part-timer. He drew considerable interest from a lot of teams, but I like what he did in backup work and his ratings, so I threw him a 3 year deal with a $30,000 bonus, which he happily took. Nice to see, as in a lot of cases, players will take the one year deal anyway. Correction to be made: RDT Cliff Breeden became the Miami Dolphins' first All-Pro player, as he was named to the All-Pro 2nd Team. Congrats, Cliff! That fact I discovered makes it easy for me to keep Penguin Culpepper and recent signee Henry Jordan both on the left side. Houston's signing allows me to switch Aaron Spiva over to the strong side, thus strengthening our overall LB corps. At this point, I think I'm more or less done with free agency. We've now 42 players, with a QB and RB needed. Obviously those two positions will be our focal point in the draft. Naturally there's other spots we're looking at, but we'll talk about that when the time comes. Week 9 Losses RB Tommy Sharpe (1 year, $80k - Baltimore) -Mentor RB fumbled way too much last season, so the Ravens can have him. DT Jack Jones (1 year, $80k - Minnesota) -A solid backup when we needed him last year; I almost considered bringing him back if he fell to late free agency, but he didn't. Draft up next. Going to take a couple Advil as I got a headache going through player cards to interview. When my headache clears, I'll do the draft. :) |
1963 Draft
The two big names on everyone's lips are CB Willie Brown and OLB Bobby Bell. DT Buck Buchanan and RG Dave Herman look like very quality guys too, but they play lesser positions. There's also a slow of top-quality tackle prospects, so I may find Sherman Plunkett's replacement who can turn into our future LT. Daryle Lamonica is looking like the best QB prospect, but #1, he probably won't last to where we are and #2, there's someone I like a lot better than him. I've researched the hell out of this draft and I've got a pretty good idea of how my board's going to go if things fall the way I plan. We once again get screwed on tiebreakers, so we're picking #12. A trade down is a very real possibility, depending on how things shake out. 1963 Draft Round 1 1. CB Willie Brown - Tucson Titans 2. QB Daryle Lamonica - Buffalo Bills Wow. Huge reach for Lamonica here by our archrivals. I don't see him as The Franchise at all, but evidently the Bills are desparate. 3. OLB Bobby Bell - Seattle Seahawks 4. QB Don Breaux - Cincinnati Bengals 5. T Steve Barnett - Atlanta Falcons 6. QB Don Trull - New Orleans Saints Damn it! I was hoping Trull would fall down to me, but there he goes off the board. There's one other QB who looks good, but he's only 5% developed, which is going to scare off a lot of teams. Maybe he'll fall to us? 7. DT Buck Buchanan - Jacksonville Jaguars through New England Patriots The Jaguars were paranoid that Buchanan wasn't going to drop any more, which they may have been right to believe, as he should've gone Top 5 in my opinion. So what does Jacksonville do? Give up their 1964 and 1965 1st rounders along with their 1965 2nd round pick to our division foes for this pick. Though I sharply disagree with Jacksonville's tendency to make these kinds of trades, it's hard to dispute the results. Remember that 1961 draft day trade at #15, when Jacksonsville moved in and give the Saints two 1st rounders? Well, Jimmy Johnson, the guy the Jaguars took, was just named 1st Team All-Pro CB last year and looks sensational. Meanwhile, the Saints have drafted Bob Soci, who re-defines bust with his now 12/24 rating and this next pick. 8. RG Dave Herman - New Orleans Saints One of my backup choices, but oh well. 9. DT Jim Kanicki - Washington Redskins 10. S Jerry Logan - Tucson Titans through Minnesota Vikings The Titans give up their 1965 1st and 7th rounders along with their 1964 3rd rounder to pick up the best safety in the draft. One more pick and the last good QB will be mine. But then I discover that the Denver Broncos are looking for a new QB themselves, so I contact them to ask about a deal. I offer them my 4th rounder to flip-flop picks, since that's just over the value difference according to the NFL Draft Value chart I use. They accept and we get our man. 11. QB Mickey Slaughter - Miami Dolphins I seriously like his skillset, his intelligence, and even his rawness. He'll be able to learn for a year behind Ed Brown before being shipped off to the Summer League and get ready to take over in his second year. 12. OLB Dave Robinson - Denver Broncos 13. TE John Mackey - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14. OLB Andy Russell - Oakland Raiders 15. OLB Larry Stallings - Kansas City Chiefs 16. WR Paul Flatley - Carolina Panthers 17. RB Tom Neumann - Buffalo Bills 18. T Frank Laskey - Philadelphia Eagles 19. TE Jackie Smith - Tucson Titans through New York Giants Okay, this is seriously getting a little silly. The Titans give up their 1964 1st rounder and their 1965 2nd and 4th rounder to grab a TE that I honestly don't think looks all that impressive. Furthermore, to my way of thinking, TE is not one of those spots where you give up that much to get, but we'll see how it goes. 20. T Walter Rock - New Jersey Jets 21. DT John Johnson - San Diego Chargers 22. DE Chuck Walker - St. Louis Cardinals 23. T Lane Howell - Los Angeles Rams 24. S Karl Kassulke - Chicago Bears 25. T Bob Vogel - Dallas Cowboys 26. G Walt Sweeney - Houston Oilers 27. S George Saimes - Detroit Lions 28. TE Marv Fleming - Pittsburgh Steelers 29. ILB Dennis Gaubatz - Indianapolis Colts 30. ILB Jim O'Mahoney - San Francisco 49ers 31. G Ed Budde - Cleveland Browns 32. G Jim Battle - Green Bay Packers Lot of teams got some seriously good value late in the 1st by my lights and there's some terrific deals still waiting in the 2nd, though it remains to be seen if any of them will drop to me. Unfortunately, the RBs I had my eye on all get scooped up before my pick comes in the 2nd and furthermore, the best value available is at cornerback, a position I'm already pretty damn well stacked at. But there's also a DE who'd be able to step in as an immediate starter on the right side for me and so DE Don Brumm is the selection. In the 3rd round, the greatest value is still at CB, though I do see a couple guards I have my eye on. On the other hand, the top CB left in my opinion can return kicks, do some punt return work, which we need, and be a special teams guy, so CB Marshall Starks comes aboard. By a fluke, or because his combine was shaky except for his Sol test (44), the 100 Vol guard who is one of the guys I was looking at in the 3rd is still there in the 5th. I consider a certain RB, but decide there's somebody I'd rather take in the 6th if they're still there, so G Jim Simon gets the call. The other RB I looked at is still there in the 6th, leading me to add RB Winfield Sidney, who I take solely on the fact that he appears like he has some small punt and kick return abilities. CB Charley Warner becomes our last pick in the draft because he looks like he could boom and because he appears to be a terrific punt returner. I also put ILB Byron Canale on my watch list, simply because he seems decent for a UDRFA pickup for one and for two, he's a UTEP grad, which will raise the Jeeber interest level in this dynasty, if only for a little bit. :D Although I didn't intend to, following the post-draft review, I find myself planning to be more active in late free agency than I originally intended. I make my offers and wait to see what happens. Week 2 Signings RB Chris McBath (1 year, $80k - Tucson) -Becomes the new backfield leader and has affinity with Alan Ameche. Coming off a very serious ankle injury that sidelined him for much of the year. Power back who will challenge Bill Cooper for the starting job. Week 2 Losses RB Zach Roaches (1 year, $80k - New York) -Was really angry after being shut out of the running game situation, although he probably was a better back than Cooper or Tommy Sharpe. I'm not sad to see him go, though. Hopefully he'll find happiness with the Giants. Week 3 Signings DE Paul Miller (2 years, $240k - Kansas City) -Very solid starter for the Chiefs the last 3 years and in fact leaves Kansas City as the team's leader in sacks. May or may not start for us, but a huge value in terms of what he brings to the table mentorwise. MLB Dan Lynch (1 year, $50k Re-sign) -Mentor's brought back for one last season, though he won't be anything more than a backup after we signed Don Lloyd. Returning primarily to educate the next signing. ILB Byron Canale (1 year, $30k UDRFA) -Let's be honest. I signed him because he's a UTEP guy for Jeebs and because he looks like he might turn into a backup someday. That's it. Most likely fodder, if you want to know the truth. CB Doyle Nix (1 year, $50k Re-sign) -Brought back solely to be a mentor to Marshall Starks and to occupy a spot in our goal line package. I've grown rather attached to him and Lynch to be honest, as the two guys who keep finding a way to just make it back. Week 2 Losses WR Pete Taninecz (1 year, $50k - Dallas) -Once thought to be an up and coming star for us, he just fell out of the rotation as we drafted guys we liked better and brought in improvements via free agency. MLB Marc Summers (1 year, $50k - Atlanta) -I would've pursued this guy even harder had I not checked and realized that I signed Lloyd. He's a player who looks like he's developing into a really solid middle linebacker and I'll keep tabs on his career if he keeps popping up in free agency. Week 3 Signings FL Ray Mathews (1 year, $50k) -13 year vet and mentor is being brought back for one more season to keep educating the young guys and serve as the fifth receiver. Code:
QB Mickey Slaughter 1.11 6/63 6/56 +0/-7Those are some ugly, ugly draft results. Slaughter may not be the answer at QB, but Brumm thankfully appears ready to be a good DE. Starks is looking like career nickel/dimeback material. Simon had a nice leap up and could well be the steal of the draft for us. Sidney is in danger of being cut. Warner's bump was nice and Canale's a busting curiosity. |
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I'll say. It's like you were playing Joe Montana every week. It actually looks like your corners did a decent job but your linebackers got burned alot, maybe your getting the base defense out there too often in passing situations? |
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I'm not certain. I have the AI in charge of re-setting the gameplan each week and calling the plays. Then again, Hammond, the head coach I just fired, was only Fair at Defensive Playcalling, so that could explain it. If that's the case, we should see major improvent this year with Teftz, who's Very Good in Defensive Playcalling. :) Honestly, after a real quick glance over our roster, I'm initially pretty excited about our '63 chances, but I'll be taking a closer look after work tonight and making the position breakdown post. :) |
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Brown, Ed 3 QB 12 34 34 1 yr.Brown has to be happy as he's once again the undisputed starter, which should take away his current disgruntled state. Slaughter will, of course, be the top backup and if the season goes downhill, he may find himself tossed in the fire. It'll be interesting seeing how he does in preseason. Code:
McBath, Chris 25 RB 5 34 34 1 yr.I wonder if Cooper's sick of having to fight for his starting job year after year yet. He'll have to do it this season as well. We have 54 players on the roster, meaning we'll actually have to cut somebody. Sidney's a prime candidate for that cut as he's all green in punt returns (0/26). Ameche was terrible as a blocker last year, but he remains invaluable on special teams. Ferguson is fodder. Code:
Carson, Johnny 82 TE 11 34 34 1 yr.Carson is still unhappy, but he's going to have to shut up and deal with it. Ingram is turning into a really nice all-around TE, one who showed a surprising gift in the red zone last year. In fact, I foresee Riddick being a careerlong Dolphins TE. Carson, on the other hand, is out at the end of this year faster than you can say Ed McMahon. Code:
Mathews, Ray 87 FL 13 27 27 1 yr.In my opinion, this is a pretty solid group of receivers. Frazier and Dugan will start, Mathews will back up Frazier, Ballman will back up Dugan, and Coolbaugh, a major disappointment for a 2nd rounder, will be the fifth receiver and one of our special teams aces. Code:
Engram, Ken 51 C 7 35 35 2 yrsSkoronski-Thurston-Bland-Simon-Plunkett will compose our starting five. Simon's boom portends great things and honestly, I've never really been a fan of D'Agostino's and after he tanked it last year, we really need to go with the higher upside guy. You might be wondering why I don't shift Mathias over to RG. #1, he's extremely injury-prone and #2, he has 70 xp at LG, 50 xp at RG. I'm not willing to take the hit at this point, though if he shows some durability and acquires more experience, I'll consider it. I'd love to replace Plunkett or dump his grossly underachieving ass, but there's the small matter of a $420,000 bonus hit I'd take, which is pretty steep when the total salary cap is $12 million. Code:
May, Ricardo 5 P 4 52 52 1 yr.Both these guys are playing for their chance to stay in a Dolphins uniform this year. If they don't cut the mustard, I have no problems with going in another direction. Code:
Miller, Paul 97 LDE 11 26 26 2 yrsSchau will anchor the left side as he has since this universe started. I'm quietly optimistic about Brumm. I really think he could become the first 2nd round pick I've had who doesn't bust. Stafford will probably be the primary backup for both DE spots, since he was our summer league selection. Code:
Culpepper, Penguin 77 LDT 9 38 38 4 yrsBreeden was our first All-Pro player last year when he made the 2nd Team, so he'll hold down the right side, while Jordan occupies the left. Culpepper probably isn't going to be happy with the backup role, but he'll just have to live with it. Voight is really little more than a goal line package guy who hasn't developed like I'd hope. Call him a busted 3rd rounder. Code:
Canale, Byron 50 MLB 1 2 24 1 yr.Lloyd fills a major hole for us. We've never had a truly great MLB until now. Jackson will probably be the backup. Spiva gets the strong side without question, as he's been our most consistent linebacker in this universe. Newcomer Houston takes over Spiva's old spot on the weak side. Backups are likely to be Jackson and Randall, but we'll see how the numbers game plays out as far as inactives go. Code:
Sample, Johnny 43 LCB 6 64 64 3 yrsSample and Cross will return as the starters. Warner has to stay active because he's far and away the best punt returner on the team and his presence will take a huge load off of Cross's back. In fact, Warner has the possibility of becoming one of the best punt returners in the league if he develops. I'll take that for a 7th rounder! Starks is a possible dime back and might even push Stryzinski for the nickel spot. Another consideration is to shift Starks over to the right side and have him back Cross up. Lot of possibilities here. Code:
Fichtner, Ross 32 SS 4 60 61 3 yrsThis one's straightforward. Fichtner and Fleming start, Miller and Bruney the backups. |
Ladies and gentlemen, it's a terrible thing when you've fallen for a girl for the first time in four years and you don't dare to tell her how you feel. Lot of sleepless nights, pacing the floorboards, so many cigarettes smoked and not even Dumas helping to take your mind off of her.
My Park High dynasty is too passive a thing for me to update in times like these, sorry to say MrBug and others. I need something active, something that engages me and so I update this one. My nerves are too jangled to work on my grad school samples right now, anyway. So on we go, boat swimming in the currents of the past. RB Winfield Sidney is, as expected, the lone player cut from the team. 1963 Preseason Miami 27 New York 21 A pleasant preseason opening win. Johnny Sample runs a kickoff 101 yards for a TD and Mickey Slaughter looks quite sharp in his Dolphins debut in going 8-12 for 86 yards and a TD. The running back situation looks worrisome, again, but Marshall Starks makes a claim for nickelback rights with an interception. Allen Green is 2/4. Not a good way to impress me for a new contract. Henry Jordan records 7 tackles, an assist, 4 hurries and 2 knockdowns. Don Brumm looks good with 1.5 sacks. All in all, some promising showings from our rookies and other newcomers. Fuzzy Thurston pulls his calf and is out 6 weeks, making him iffy for the regular season opener. I'm just glad it happened in preseason. Mark Mathias will take over as the starting LG, with Frank D'Agostino the primary guard backup. New Orleans 17 Miami 27 Dolphins looking good in preseason. Ed Brown has a nice game and Chris McBath gets a slight edge over Bill Cooper for the starting RB spot. Don Brumm continues his hot exhibition play with a sack, an interception, 2 hurries and a knockdown. Miami 14 Carolina 27 Surprising upset by the Panthers, caused largely by Ed Brown's 3 interceptions. Mickey Slaughter plays extremely well with 12-20 for 111 yards and a TD. Glynn Griffing even gets in on this one and he's awful: 1-9 for 9 yards and an INT. I'm liking Slaughter's showing in preseason. Gives me hope that he'll be our QB of the future. Charley Warner averages 15 yards a punt return but also has 2 fumbles. Something to keep an eye on in the regular season. Dallas 6 Miami 20 Another efficient performance by Mickey Slaughter in 10-14 for 95 yards, a TD and an INT. Bill Cooper has pretty much lost his starting job to Chris McBath by this point. Penguin Culpepper records 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a hurry in winning Game MVP. All in all, I'm really liking how this team is shaping up for this year. That's until I get the injury report. Fred Dugan is lost for the year with a high ankle sprain. Well, it's actually 17 weeks, meaning he'd be back in time for the playoffs if we made it, but he'd be too rusty to play, so I put him on the IR and go hunting for a SE. Bob Ferguson hyperextends his knee and is out 4 weeks. Not a big deal as he's a backup FB. Unfortunately, the free agent pool for WRs is bare, like completely bare. While I'm deciding what to do, I sign FB Ethan Granger, a terrific blocking fullback whose presence means Ferguson is going to find himself cut next year, if not this year. Ultimately, I choose to shift Gary Ballman, who I like the more and more I see of him, to SE to start there, with Bob Coolbaugh the backup and Johnny Carson the 5th receiver. This time I make certain to hit recommended playing time before the opening game. 1963 Regular Season New Jersey 31 Miami 6 The Jets lower the sonic boom on us to start the year. Our running game combines for a grand total of 35 yards and Mickey Slaughter throws 2 INTs on 4 attempts in mopup. Ricardo May has his best game as a Dolphin, 45.8 average with 4 inside the 20. Allen Green is 2/2, including a 51 yarder. Heh, it figures. Some solid performances from the D. Dave Lloyd has 7 tackles and 9 assists. Don Brumm gets 6 tackles, 2 assists, half a sack and a knockdown. Henry Jordan rings up 4 tackles, 3 assists, 1.5 sacks and a knockdown. Fuzzy Thurston comes back this next game to give us a big boost on the offensive line (or so I hope). Miami 24 Dallas 17 Important morale win against the Cowboys as we shut them out in the second half. Bill Cooper scores 2 rushing TDs as he takes over for an ineffective Chris McBath. Jim Houston has 9 tackles and 2 assists. Irv Cross posts a great game with 3 passes defensed and 32 yard kickoff return average. The injury train continues as starting SS Ross Fichtener separates his shoulder and is due out 6 weeks. Larry Miller takes over as the starting safety, the awful Larry Vargo becomes the backup and Brent Stryzinski takes over as the dime back. Jacksonville 3 Miami 30 Some home brew against the draft-gambling Jaguars is just what the doctor ordered and we paste them. Bill Cooper erupts for 30 rushes for 127 yards and a TD. I think it's safe to say he's earned his starting job back. Ed Brown is brutally accurate at 18-21 for 156 yards and a TD. His skills are declining fast and there's a chance he may not be back next season, since he seems to demand that he be the starter. 3 interceptions this game: Dave Lloyd (44 yard return), Johnny Sample, and, of all people, Larry Vargo (69 yard return for a TD!). That will probably be the highlight of Vargo's entire career. Henry Jordan got a tackle, 2 assists, a sack, a block, 3 hurries and 3 knockdowns as he was in the Jaguars backfield all day long, harrasing the QB. Johnny Sample showed why he's considered one of the top CBs in the league by defending 3 passes to go with his INT. Just a solid game all-around for our lads. ...And of course, Johnny Sample hyperextends his knee and will miss at least the next game, further banging up our already wobbly secondary. Brent Strynski becomes the starter, Doyle Nix backs up and slides in on goal-line packages, and Marshall Starks, who has a fair amount of kick return talent, becomes the 2nd return man. Buffalo 13 Miami 17 Big-time win over our archrivals keyed by Charlie Frazier's 5 receptions for 90 yards, some solid pass defense and Charley Warner's 15.5 yard punt return average. The margin of victory should have been more, if Allen Green hadn't decided to have an off day on the FGs. Irv Cross sprains his knee and is questionable, but I can't afford to weaken my secondary any more than it already is, so I'll have to gamble and start him. Miami 11 San Diego 21 I keep forgetting to start Bill Cooper. Need to do that. The game wasn't as close as it appeared. Ed Brown threw 2 interceptions and fumbled twice and Mickey Slaughter was a dismal 2-10 in mopup. Dick Stafford was the lone bright spot with 1.5 sacks. All three of my secondary starters who are hurt are now questionable. I want a shot at the playoffs, so I'm going to say screw it and start them all. Denver 14 Miami 34 Well, the gamble paid off in, at the very least, a convincing win. I again neglected to start Bill Cooper, but the AI's smart enough to give him the bulk of the carries anyway, so it's all good, though Chris McBath does get 2 rushing TDs. Honestly, this game wasn't about any superstar performances. It was just about our being good enough to find the endzone at the right times. Fuzzy Thurston hyperextends his elbow, meaning he'll miss the next game. Same subbing drill as before. I do finally remember to make Cooper the starter, though. Kansas City 7 Miami 22 Great performance by Gary Ballman, with 3 catches for 90 yards. He's been a fine replacement for Fred Dugan, in my opinion, though we'll find out after the next game when I do a half-season review. Allen Green is 5/6 on field goals, including a 51 yarder, but flubs a freebie. Charley Warner continues to earn his paycheck with a 19 yard punt return average. Dave Lloyd notches 8 tackles and 4 assists, but the real defensive star is Henry Jordan with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 hurries and 2 knockdowns. Gary Ballman separates his shoulder and will miss at least the next game, while I'm kicking myself for putting Fred Dugan on IR as he's now questionable and would've been a great help here. FL Eric Chaffin is signed as an emergency replacement, which means Bob Ferguson is, as long anticipated, cut from the team. Bob Coolbaugh finally gets to start at SE again, Johnny Carson backs him up and Chaffin becomes the 5th receiver. Miami 28 Oakland 24 What a great game to watch. We come back in the second half to pull off the win, secured when Riddick Ingram receives a 25 yard catch from Ed Brown, helping to alleviate Brown's 2 interceptions. Ray Mathews catches 7 balls for 80 yards in a key showing and for once, Allen Green is flawless in FGs. Irv Cross had an electrifying 86 yard kickoff return for a TD and Charley Warner averaged 14.3 yards on 4 punt returns. I don't think it's a stretch to say that having Warner back there is a significant part of our success this season, occasional fumbleitis aside. Johnny Sample continues his strong play on the year with 2 passes defensed and an interception and Mark Mathias has one of his best games as a Dolphin, 3/4 on key run blocks without a sack surrendered. All of this translates into our being an excellent 6-2, with a two game lead over the Jets and Patriots, who are both 4-4. As of right now, our playoff chances are looking terrific. Let's review the halfway tape. Code:
Record 6-2 Remember the last time we went to the playoffs? It was because of our stellar pass defense and we missed out on the postseason last year when our pass coverage went south. This year, it's back up to fantastic and that's why we're doing so well. We live and die by our pass defense. Johnny Sample is having a career year. Despite missing a game to injury, he has 2 interceptions, 9 passes defensed and a mind-boggling 90.1% PD! :eek: And he's not even in a contract year! Irv Cross is rebounding nicely after his sophomore slump as well and I suspect having Charley Warner take over punt return duties is a big part of it. Man, did we ever make out in free agency thus far. I splashed a ton of cash and so far it seems to be worth it, as our top 4 tacklers and our best pass rusher are all brand new Dolphins this year. David Lloyd in particular has been a tackling machine and I can't say enough about Henry Jordan, whose been an absolute beast in the middle of the line. I'm also very much encouraged by Don Brumm's rookie campaign so far. It's not lights out by any means, but he's showing signs of turning into a nice pick for us. Mark Schau, on the other hand, has seen his level of play drop off noticeably the last couple of years at least in terms of tackling and sacks. But then again, he's also posting respectable hurry and knockdown numbers and is playing alongside much better linemates who are eating a lot of the statistics that'd go to him. Schau's also signed through 1965, so while he won't be cut, I'll start keeping an eye out for possible replacements. I seriously can not say enough about Gary Ballman. He might turn out to be the steal of his draft class, possibly outperforming Charlie Frazier, who was taken in the 1st round. What an excellent 3rd round pick up I made with him. Bill Cooper is on pace to break the 1,000 yard mark again and maybe it's about time I just owned up that he's a decent back all in all and stop pushing to replace him. He doesn't fumble much and has a nose for the endzone. Ed Brown is definitely on his last legs and we're winning in spite of him rather than because of him as was the case two seasons ago when we made our first playoff trip. That being said, while Mickey Slaughter is showing a small amount of improvement (+2 current so far), he's still nowhere near ready to take over the starting reins, which means we'll probably be QB hunting in free agency. Still, I like this team. I really do. I love the mercanery-overhauled defense and I'm pleased with a lot of our young players. Now if we can just find a legitimate quarterback, I think we could be on our way to making waves in the playoffs, rather than being a likely one and done team. |
Miami 26 New England 3
The Patriots score a meaningless field goal in the 4th quarter to ruin the shutout in this laugher. Bill Cooper rushes 23 times for 95 yards and a TD. Ed Brown breaks the 200 yard passing mark for the first time this year at 203. Bob Coolbaugh becomes our first century receiver on the year with 5 catches for 115 yards and a TD, most of them coming on a beautiful 52 yard rainbow for the score. Mark Schau picks up 2 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 hurries to win Game MVP. I get worried when I see that Ricardo May is 2/4 on FG and sure enough, Allen Green misses at least the next game with a strained patella tendon. On the bright side, Gary Ballman is now ready to be activated and play again, as he's been upgraded to probable. Goodbye Eric Chaffin. Tom Clark, who has terrible bars, but who averaged 83% and better the last two years in kicking for Dallas and Minnesota, is signed to fill in for Green. Miami 14 New Jersey 7 A bitter defensive battle against the Jets that needed a 4th quarter comeback and a little magic from Ed Brown, who hit Riddick Ingram from 8 yards out with 1:58 left for the game-winning TD. That's Ingram's second clutch TD of the season and I'm beginning to think him a pretty clutch guy. Brown was just off the hook this game: 28-36 for 290 yards and 2 TDs in his best performance of the year. Charlie Frazier took advantage of every opportunity given to him, with 10 catches for 168 yards and a TD. Not only is that a Dolphins season and Frazier career high for yardage, it's why he was a first rounder. We had some terrific defensive performances, too. Dave Lloyd rattled the Jets for 12 tackles and 3 assists, Ross Fitchener added 8 tackles and 5 assists to his pass defense, Henry Jordan dominated the line with 6 tackles, 4 assists, 2 sacks and a knockdown and Don Brumm recorded 4 tackles and 2 assists to go along with his 1.5 sacks and two hurries. This victory is critical for two reasons: First, it guarantees that we finish no worse than .500. Second, since it was over the Jets, it gives us a very comfortable 3 game lead in the AFC East. Philadelphia 31 Miami 24 Tough loss as the Eagles come from behind in the 4th. Ed Brown was erratic today and threw 3 interceptions besides, negating Chris McBath's 93 yards rushing and another fantastic game by Ross Fitchner, who had 11 tackles, an assist, a pass defense, and an interception. Bill Cooper separates his shoulder and will miss at least the next game. Since Allen Green was going to be gone at the end of the year anyway, I decide to gamble on Tony Clark and cut Green. I sign the immortal John Henry Johnson, the once-great Steelers back whose now a mentor on his last legs to get another shot at glory. He'll step in as the starting RB and may stay there even after Cooper comes back. Miami 7 Cincinnati 20 We lose to the lowly Bengals as John Henry Johnson turns out to be not what he once was, at least in this game. 18 rushing yards by the former legend. Yeesh. Jim Houston had 12 tackles and 3 assists in the best showing by a Dolphin all game. That niggling injury bug won't go away and it hits Ross Fitchner again, prompting the same shuffle as the last time he went out. Miami 16 New York 19 Our old pal Zach Roaches knifes us in the back with a TD run and we go down in a game that was largely a battle of field goals. Ed Brown has lost it as a starting QB. Legendary 1961 heroics aside, he won't be back. The loss especially hurts since the Jets are now a game behind and we're floundering with a three-game losing streak and coming off a heartbreaking defeat. I switch the starting RB to Chris McBath because John Henry Johnson just isn't any good anymore. Miami 23 Buffalo 14 This game against our archrivals was as close to a must-win game as anything we've had all year and John Henry Johnson responds to his demotion by scoring 2 TD runs to key the victory. Gary Ballman catches all 8 balls thrown his way for 93 yards as Ed Brown goes 28-34 for 252 yards. Charley Warner averages 18 yards on 4 punt returns. Washington 10 Miami 19 I gambled by sitting Fitchner and Cooper another game, though they probably could have returned and it paid off against the lowly Redskins. Charlie Frazier catches 4 passes for 90 yards and a TD, helping to offset Ed Brown's 2 picks. Dave Lloyd picks up 10 tackles and 2 assists and Don Brumm disrupts things at the line with 2 tackles, 2 assists, and 1.5 sacks. Tom Clark shows that the scouts have no idea what they're talking about with a 4/4 FG showing, including a beaut of a 54 yarder. That win, coupled with the Jets 17-16 nailbiter loss against the Cowboys decides it! Your Miami Dolphins are the 1963 AFC East Division Champions!!! Since we've clinched the division and we've got no shot at anything but a wildcard, I sit Fitchner and Cooper again for our last game, who still haven't moved beyond Questionable. Fitchner should be ready for the playoffs, Cooper's a wild card. New England 10 Miami 24 We coast to an easy win against the Patriots thanks first and foremost to Ed Brown's 21-29 for 217 yards, 3 TD, and 1 INT performance. Charley Warner averages 13.8 yards on 6 punt returns and Dave Lloyd has an excellent all-around game with 8 tackles, 2 assists, half a sack, a hurry and a knockdown. Thankfully no new injuries crop up and we're in pretty good shape for the playoffs. :) |
A quick update before a 10 hour work shift that I'll be dead for because I did a small thing called get hit with a major manic cycle and so didn't sleep at all.
Good thing I'm only doing a robotic backroom project today and won't see the floor. Anyway, we're back in the playoffs! And our opponent is... let's see... ...You have -got- to be fucking kidding me. That's right... We're against the Houston Oilers, just like last time. They're still relying on George Blanda, who in his 15th season throws for 4,421 yards, 29 TDs and 12 INTs for a career best 96.3 season rating. I think I'm going to vomit. Here this old dude breaks the 4,000 mark for the first time as a 15th year vet and my guy who's four years younger is falling apart at the seams. Oy. Well, before the ritual slaughter, here's the final regular season standings:  Remember the scary offense from last time with the pedestrian running back? Guess what? Every single last one of them is back and the defense is still frightening. The only chink in the Oilers' armor, besides running back, is a vulnerable secondary, thanks to their top safety getting knocked out for the season in Week 14. Our only shot in this thing is to hope Good Ed shows up and turns this into a shootout, because after our free agent feeding frenzy this offseason, we've got the horses in the secondary to play aerial offense vs. aerial offense. Oh yeah, and if Blanda goes down soon enough? Forget it, it's ours, because George Porgie's backups all blow. ...I can't even pretend to do a game writeup here. All you need to know are the following lines: George Blanda: 24-27, 391 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 158.3 rating Charley Hennagan: 7 catches, 169 yards, 1 TD Miami Dolphins TDs: 0 Final Score: Houston 42 Miami 12 It's incredible. Old Man Blanda carves us like a pumpkin and we can't do a damned thing about it. We're just Swiss Cheese to his Army Knife and I'm running out of really bad cliches. Jim Houston had 9 tackles, 3 assists, and a sack to be the only Dolphin who didn't suck in this mindboggling defeat. A team summary: Code:
I'm not going to comment on the irony of one of the league's best pass defenses going south when it counted most. I'll only remark on the positives and a few negatives. Dave Lloyd becomes our first 100+ season tackler ever and provided a great stabilizing force in the middle, his 7 times caught in the playoff loss notwithstanding. He's considered the top MLB in the league by the scouts and it's not hard to agree with that. Mark Schau and Don Brumm both exploded in the second half as opponents did their best to try and contain monster in the middle Henry Jordan. Brumm is already close to being Schau's equal after just his rookie season and will probably end up surpassing him. What an absolute steal I made getting him in the second round! Unlike our DEs, Johnny Sample took a major nose-dive in the second half, but that's okay. He and Irv Cross were still quite respectable as our top two corners. Marshall Starks may rebound to be a respectable nickel back after all, something that's good to see. Ross Fitchner's injury troubles hampered what otherwise was a spectacular season from our new safety set imported from Cleveland. Don Fleming in particular was with every dollar spent. Turning to the offense, we're in desparate need of a good QB and a legitimate RB. Bill Cooper is serviceable, but he isn't going to give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares trying to plan against him and while Mickey Slaughter made some small gains this year, he's still extraordinarily raw. He'll go to the summer league of course, but he may need some more seasoning before I give him the reins. Charlie Frazier will probably never be considered one of the premiere receivers in the league, but I don't expect that out of him. He was a late 1st round pick in a supremely bad draft class. What's astonishing is that Gary Ballman taken in the 3rd round of that same crappy class, has become Frazier's equal on the field and, more importantly, a fan favorite. So not all that much will change in the upcoming offseason. Our top two priorities will still be a starting QB and a homerun hitting RB. Everything else is going to depend on how the free agent picture looks, both for us and for the league as a whole. More end season stuff after I go through work and get some sleep. |
Oh, a real quick addition:
Everyone on the offensive line sucked at run blocking this year. The only two to even break 30%: Bob Skoronski, who unfortunately also gave up 10 sacks from the LT spot and, of all ironies, Sherman Plunkett. Very good pass-protection all around outside of Skoronski, though, with more pancake blocks than I figured would come out of this unit, so all in all, it's not too bad. Fuzzy Thurston's injuries really prevented him getting in a rhythm and affected the cohesion of the line as a whole, I think. |
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Good freaking gawd. What did you guys do to him? Say they should ban his walker in a paper? Someone call him gramps at the coin toss? You're in a bad position to fix your needs at qb and rb. The good ones will be gone by the time you pick and your team is good enough defensively to insure that you won't pick early. Are you planning on pulling a big trade? |
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:D Incredible, isn't it? The dude's that old and he's kicking EVERYBODY's ass this year. I'll post his career card when he finally retires. It's got me tempted to maybe someday try a '60 Oilers dynasty and see if I can win Blanda a ring before he retires, as Houston usually runs into the buzzsaws of Cleveland or Indy. Quote:
I hadn't considered that, but it's something I'll look into. I was going to go the free agent route for our starting QB this year while I wait for Slaughter to develop a little bit more. But if something comes up that could net me a legit threat at either QB or RB, I'd definitely make the move. I'm certainly not going to wait until the '83 draft to get a good QB :D I'd go look now, but I've been up for 31 hours straight and I'd be seriously prone to making a dumb move. |
Super Bowl IV
Indianapolis 42 Los Angeles 38 Remember when Johnny Unitas threw for 401 yards in Super Bowl II? In this one, he throws for 412 yards, 5 TDs and an INT, but he was outdueled in the yardage department by Frank Ryan, who passed for 423 yards, 3 TDs, and an INT. Talk about a shootout! :eek: In fact, this may have been the most exciting Super Bowl ever, with the winning score coming after Unitas threw a 93 yard TD pass to Raymond Berry, who finished with 274! receiving yards and 2 TDs. :eek: On the Rams' side, Red Phillips and Bill Miller both broke the 100+ yard receiving mark. There was still time for the Rams to come back and tie it up after Johnny U threw the 93 yarder to break the tie and give the Colts the lead, but Los Angeles could only manage a field goal. Unitas, as you might expect, won his second Super Bowl MVP title and the Colts join the Packers as the only two teams to win the Super Bowl in this universe. Season Awards: Despite our fantastic defense's season, only DT Henry Jordan wins an award, that of 2nd Team All-Pro DT. Congratulations, Henry! Browns QB Len Dawson is the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. DE Jim Katcavage - New York wins Defensive Player of the Year. Offensive Rookie of the Year goes to WR Ray Poage - Oakland and SS Jerry Logan - Tucson is the very deserving Defensive Rookie of the Year. Staff Hiring: Lead Scout Daryl Crane goes from Fair to Average in RB and from Excellent to Very Good in K/P. The increase in RB scouting has saved his job. Offensive Coordinator Jared Thamilarasan increases from Good to Very Good in RB, a very good sign considering we're looking heavily at RB this offseason. DC Clifton Winters, he of the two increases over the last two years, didn't improve at all this season and his contract expired. There's actually some better defensive coordinator candidates out there, but they exceed the amount of money that the owner's looking to spend, which makes the dilemma of what to do a lot easier. As a result, Clifton Winters signs a 3 year deal to stay in Miami as the DC. And honestly, it's hard to argue with the results he's produced and the improvements he's shown. His staying on board also preserves the staff continuity. Two candidates for summer league emerge: Ultra-raw QB Mickey Slaughter and much more developed, but at less critical CB Marshall Starks. Let's see here. QB: Biggest need. CB: Johnny Sample and Irv Cross signed for two more seasons and good luck prying them away from their starting spots or this team. Yeah, Slaughter it is. So, going into free agency, I notice that we have the #22 pick in the draft and a really, really big name at QB... but said big name is only 8% developed, and after Mickey turned out to be 5% developed, big name or no, I'm not going to make a major play for the dude. Besides, there's a RB that I'm hoping can drop into the teens, so I can trade up to grab him, as I think he'd be great for us. His endurance is a little low in bars, though... Ah well, I'll think about it some more later. Free agency tomorrow. |
Free agency was going to be tomorrow, but I'm wide awake and don't feel like playing CK, so FOF2K7 it is.
19 free agents on our roster this year, only 3 of whom are restricted, only 1 of which I have any interest in bringing back. Week 1 Re-signing RB Bill Cooper: 3 years, $250k Needs by the numbers: QB, RB, TE, P, K, ILB, 10 players Ed Brown is the top FA QB, which is the bad news. The good news is that there's two legitimate top RBs available: Lenny Moore, who's been fabulous with the Colts, a mentor, and a fantastic chemistry fit and Paul Hornung, the Packers' great who seems to be running low on steam, but who would still be our starting RB and who was one of my dad's favorite players as a kid. Week 3 Signings RB Paul Hornung (6 years, $4.32 mill. - Green Bay) -We manage to grab Hornung after a fight for him. He's an 8th year player with a lot of mileage on him (3rd all-time rushing attempts in this universe), but he'll be our starting back for as long as his legs can hold out and I'll be able to tell my dad we signed him. :D He's also a fan favorite who can put butts in the seats and he gives Mickey Slaughter an affinity. Week 3 Losses RB Lenny Moore (3 years, $3.92 mill. - New Jersey (Indianapolis) -The bidding war on Moore was crazy. He's a 9th year vet with even more carries than Hornung, averaging over 400 carries the last few years. The shorter deal probably makes him a better contract overall, but we're getting kind of scary on our cap numbers, so I wanted Hornung's more modest yearly hit and lesser mileage. A shame Moore's going to the Jets, though. I'm not relishing having to face him twice a year. Week 4 Signings QB Ed Brown (3 years, $700k Re-signing) -I didn't really want to, but I brought Ed back for another few years. There were no other mentor QBs available who could be a reasonable starter if Mickey Slaughter isn't ready. MLB Brenden Schwartz (1 year, $90k - Buffalo) -A good backup to have at MLB. Still has a small amount of upside and was a starter for the 49ers from 60-62 and a top backup for our archrivals last year, the same role he'll fill for us. Week 5 Signings TE Rod Davis (1 year, $90k - Washington) -Had serious wrist injury problems last year, but in previous years, he's been a great starter for a couple of teams. Terrific blocker as well, who'll be a fine backup for Riddick Ingram. Week 5 Losses SLB Luther Randall (1 year, $80k - Dallas) -Average backup for us the last few seasons after starting for one year. Probably could've and should've retained him, but those are the breaks. Those are all the signings I planned on making in the first round of free agency. We're $1.4 million and change under the cap, with roughly $600,000 expected to go in the draft, which would leave us $900,000 in cap room. That's enough to sign a few depth people to 1 year deals, which is fine. I don't want to cut -too- close to the cap. Week 6 Losses MLB Gabe Jackson (1 year, $80k - Pittsburgh) -Never really succeeded in beating Dan Lynch out for the starting MLB job, though he did extremely well as a backup for us. Probably another one I should've tried to re-sign, although I think Schwartz is comparable to him. Week 7 Losses RDT Cliff Breeden (1 year, $80k - Baltimore) -Turned into a DT mentor, our first All-Pro player did, as he went off to the Ravens. A very solid starter that I'm kicking myself for not re-signing in a way, but on the other hand, Penguin Culpepper can start again and be happy. Week 9 Losses P Ricardo May (1 year, $80k - New Jersey) -Damn, I was going to re-sign him. Ah well, I'll pick someone else up in the draft or in late free agency. Not a big deal, really. Week 10 Losses K Tom Clark (1 year, $90k - Minnesota) -Tom kicked 80% of his FGs during the short stint with us, 67% from 40+ yards. Not bad at all, but not enough to make it urgent to re-sign him. The Vikings were only too happy to scoop him back up. Week 11 Losses MLB Dan Lynch (1 year, $90k - Seattle) -Solid starter for us for two seasons, then fell off the earth as a backup last season. It's nice to see him catch on with another team, as I always liked him when he'd constantly beat out Jackson year after year. Draft time! ....I think I'll keep going. We hold the #22 pick, as I said earlier. There's a certain WR I have my eye on in the 1st round, who, if he falls to me, he'll be taken. Should he not be available, there's a number of guys I'm looking at there who should improve our team. Roger Staubach, incidentially, is the extremely raw name QB I mentioned earlier and he's the hot buzz at the top of the draft. DT Tom Keating is the 2nd most hyped prospect and arguably the most NFL ready at a high ceiling and 50% development. Oh, I just told my dad about signing Hornung. He thought that was really nifty and asked about Jim Taylor, but I didn't see him anywhere when I glanced through. I don't care if Hornung doesn't turn out a homerun threat, now. That was just a neat moment with my dad that made it worth it. :) I do think Paul -will- be a homerun hitter at RB though, enough that I'm not looking at RB in the first round anymore like I'd originally planned. 1964 Draft 1st Round 1. WR Bob Hayes - New Orleans Saints Great move by the Saints. They've already got two young QBs on their roster and needed a big-time playmaker for them to throw to. Hayes is that dazzling receiver. 2. QB Roger Staubach - Jacksonville Jaguars through Seattle Seahawks Anyone else surprised that the Jaguars pulled the trigger? ...Me neither, though what the hell did they give up to get the #2 overall pick in the draft? Their 1966 1st, 3rd and 4th rounders. Wow, did the Seahawks ever get ripped off, because it looks like Staubach, even though he appears as raw as I thought, will be an instant starter for god-awful Jacksonville and will probably be pretty good, the Jaguars out of #2 range by '66. Man, I love the Jaguars for their bold trades every year. It makes draft day exciting and has created a real sense of tradition each draft so far. I can just see the articles written about the daredevil GM, who trades like this year in and year out. 3. ILB Bill Budness - Baltimore Ravens 4. QB Dick Shiner - Washington Redskins *laughs* I love that name. One of the best in sports history. 5. S Paul Krause - New England Patriots 6. QB Mike Taliaferro - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7. DT Tom Keating - San Diego Chargers through New York Giants I'm absolutely amazed that Keating managed to fall this far. The Chargers gave the Giants their 1966 1st rounder, their 1965 3rd rounder and this year's 4th round pick. Pretty fair trade on both sides and a shrewd move by San Diego to grab a player that should've been off the board by now. I could see the Chargers switching to a 4-3 D as a result of this deal. 8. RB Leroy Kelly - New England Patriots Kelly's the top-rated RB, but I honestly like Krause, the Patsies' pick courtesy of the Jaguars, a lot better. Kelly is overrated in my opinion. 9. CB Speedy Duncan - Denver Broncos 10. CB Marv Woodson - Buffalo Bills 11. OLB Ralph Baker - Kansas City Chiefs 12. S Hagood Clarke - Cincinnati Bengals 13. WR Clifton McNeil - Carolina Panthers 14. DE Carl Eller - New York Giants 15. DE Garry Philbin - Chicago Bears 16. DE Ben McGee - New Jersey Jets 17. WR Bucky Pope - Oakland Raiders 18. T Steve Wright - Philadelphia Eagles 19. S Paul Martha - Dallas Cowboys 20. WR Charley Taylor - San Francisco 49ers 21. S Kenny Graham - Atlanta Falcons Yes!!! He made it!!!! There's a lot bigger holes on the team that need to be filled, but I don't care. After I lost out on Nicky B, I'm drafting this guy. 22. WR Paul Warfield - Miami Dolphins I feel a sense of completeness now. :) 23. RB Dave Kopay - St. Louis Cardinals 24. CB Mel Renfro - San Diego Chargers 25. DE Larry Hand - Seattle Seahawks through Pittsburgh Steelers :eek: The Seahawks give up their 1965 1st rounder and both of their 1966 1st rounders! For a late first-round pick, that's absurd. Seattle had damn well better hope that Hand turns out to be the second coming of Jim Katcavage or something, because that's just stupid. Pittsburgh's 70s dominance may be forthcoming after all. Yeesh. 26. RB Mack Lee Hill - Houston Oilers Note: Had Warfield been gone and had I still needed a RB, Hill was my likely choice at #22, so the Oilers will finally have the good RB they've been hunting for. George Blanda, who's going to play for a 16th season, certainly appreciates the help. 27. ILB Ed Cummings - Green Bay Packers 28. T Bob Brown - Detroit Lions 29. G Joe O'Donnell - New York Giants 30. C John Schmitt - Cleveland Browns 31. CB Butch Byrd - Los Angeles Rams 32. CB Willie Mitchell - Indianapolis Colts I'll do rounds 2-7 tomorrow. Feeling sleepy now and I'd like to close out on that happy note of Warfield :) |
1964 Draft Continued
Before my pick in the 2nd round, Jacksonville gives up their 3rd and 4th rounders to Buffalo to get 2.12. Those crazy Jaguars! Round about 2.16, the outside linebacker that I really, really like is in danger of getting picked up, so I contact Tucson. Since there's still a very good chance of a player I want lasting to our original second rounder, I don't want to trade up, but have a second 2nd rounder, thus I offer the Titans this year's 3rd rounder and next year's 4th rounder. No go. I'm not willing to pay more than the Jaguars did, so I just let it go. Sure enough, they take Jim Purnell, who I wanted. :mad: Oh well, I was going to shift Purnell to the strong side where he had less experience anyway. My 2nd round pick comes up and there's two players I'm seriously considering: a QB and an OLB who refused to work out at the combine, but who has some seriously nice bars and an incredible Vol and Sol score set. Mickey Slaughter's ceiling continues to drop and Albert Gursky is an okay, but not great backup LB. On the other hand, Aaron Spiva's numbers have dropped every year and it's not certain that the QB would be able to beat out Ed Brown or have the kind of ceiling that would make him top Slaughter, even though he appears developed enough to at least be the #2 QB. Making things more difficult is the fact that the Oilers, situated behind me, will probably take whichever of the two I don't select. After hemming and hawing a bit, I offer Houston the same deal as I did Tucson: this year's 3rd round pick and next year's 4th round selection. They won't take the deal. I debate the offer of a 3rd and a 3rd, but after looking a little more closely at the two players concerned and my roster, the choice becomes clear and I take QB Bob Berry, reserving the right to go after the OLB, should he continue to drop. The Patriots sweep in and take the Oilers' 2nd rounder for New England's 1966 1st and 7th rounder and this year's 7th rounder. Wow. Yeah, there's no way I'd give up a 1st rounder for a no-combine guy. What'd the Patriots take with the 2nd rounder? A fullback. Yeah, dumb move in my opinion. I don't think Jacksonville has any picks left in the 1966 draft after they trade their 2nd rounder, 5th rounder and 6th rounder from that year to the Browns for Cleveland's 2nd round pick. The OLB I was looking at went with the second to last pick in the second round. Too bad. If he'd lasted until the top of the 3rd, I would've made another push to go up and get him. Jacksonville grabs another pick in the 3rd round by giving Tampa Bay their 1965 3rd rounder and 5th rounder and their 5th round selection in this draft. At the rate the Jaguars are going, they'll have absolutely zero trade assets left and honestly, this team's not very good to begin with. Most of the offensive linemen I was looking at for a 3rd round pick are gone by our turn, leaving me with a FB who'd make a good replacement for Alan Ameche when he retires, an intriguing breakout candidate at OLB, a breakout candidate G, who looks to be a great run-blocker with questionable endurance, and a S who'd be a great pickup to replace the departed Larry Miller as a backup. I narrow it down to the G and the S before deciding that backup safety is a bigger need, given that our only current backup is Larry Vargo and so S Tom Walters becomes the newest Dolphin. At the beginning of the 4th round, the guard is still there, so I see what it'd take to move up. I contact the Giants and propose we flip-flop 4.1 and 4.22, with New York getting our 5th rounder in addition. The G-men refuse and I'm wondering how in the hell the AI actually manages to get trades done. Finally at 4.7, the Vikings take the offer, as Minnesota had only a high 5th and a 7th rounder left and were quite happy to be able to pick up an extra pick, and so I finally take G Lloyd McCoy. As it turns out, moving up was the right thing to do. Not only would McCoy likely have been taken before my pick came up, but the FB prospect I was eyeing was off the board as well, which would've left me with the OLB prospect that I wasn't all that hot on anyway. In the 6th, I'm looking at the only decent T prospect left, the top P available, and a K who looks like a breakout. I choose the K and draft Dick Van Raaphorst because of his breakout potential, his Dutch name and because the P looks awfully raw. Both the T and the P are available with our last pick, so I take the P, who's better developed and put the T on possible UDRFA list. Say hello to P John Seedborg. Late Free Agency There's definitely some players I want to bring in, so let's get to it. Week 2 Signings T Glenn Cothran 1 year, $30k UDRFA -This is the tackle prospect I was looking at in the 6th and the 7th. As I expected, he has the highest potential of any non-kicker out of the rookie free agents, so I'm taking a flyer on him. Week 2 Losses DT Larry Jackson 1 year $80k - Los Angeles (Pittsburgh) -Great chemistry guy who would've been a perfect backup, but he chose the Rams over us. Week 3 Signings RB Tom Watkins 1 year, $80k - Atlanta -Signed strictly for his punt return abilities. Really tailed off his first year in Atlanta after being impressive in Cleveland at the return game, but then he was a starter with the Falcons. He won't have that problem in Miami. DT Bill Herchman 1 year, $90k - Chicago -Solid run-stuffer who's been a backup his entire pro career. Respectable and not flashy, he'll make a good backup to Henry Jordan and Penguin Culpepper. We have exactly 46 players, so nobody goes on the inactive list or gets cut. We're also $690,000 under the cap, which will give us enough wiggle room to be able to sign the inevitable injury cover guys that will come up. Time for a look at our rookies after training camp: Code:
FL Paul Warfield 1.22 27/54 30/61 +3/+7So this is what an A draft looks like! Warfield booms as beautifully as I thought he would. Berry's looking like career backup material and Waters should be a backup as I expected him. McCoy will provide insurance in case Mark Mathias gets hurt. Our Dutch kicker looks fantastic, our punter, not so much. Cothran is fodder. |
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Brown, Ed 3 QB 13 34 34 3 yrsCan anyone say QB controversy across the board? Brown's still the most developed QB, but Slaughter recovered a point of potential and looks like the most promising overall QB, but Berry's midpack development and midpack potential. I think what I'll do is have Slaughter start in preseason the first few games and Berry back up, then let Brown start the last two preseason games with the winner of the Slaughter-Berry fight as the backup.. and whoever wins that contest is our starting QB. Code:
Watkins, Tom 21 RB 5 23 33 1 yr.No trouble here. Hornung starts, Cooper's second-string and Watkins helps return punts. Ameche's old ass brings it for one more season. Code:
Davis, Rod 83 TE 6 36 36 1 yr.Wasn't so long ago that WR was the weakest position group on the team and now look at it. Ingram starts at TE naturally. Frazier may be more polished, but Warfield has elite receiver potential and was a real-life Dolphin, so will start. Dugan and Ballman will battle in preseason for the starting SE job, though I'm inclined to give it to Gary as he was a draftee of mine and he's a fan favorite. I give Ingram a two year contract extension for an extra $10,000 this year at the standard rates of minsal + $10k bonus to keep him on the team through 1966. Code:
Engram, Ken 51 C 8 36 36 1 yr.Skoronski-Thurston-Bland-Simon-Plunkett will be the line, same as it was last year. Mathias was terrible last season and I'm not liking McCoy's bars at all, so Simon continues to be my best 5th round pick ever by holding down the starting RG spot. We could see a major shakeup after this season with a lot of the guys on the line potential UFAs. Engram gets an extension of another year and I'll probably re-sign Bland, as he wants a multi-year deal and he's been, overall, the most consistent of my linemen. In fact, I do extend him, making his new contract 4 years, $960k. It's a much more cap friendly contract than what he was operating under, both now and in the future. It also gives us a little more cap room, to the tune of $900k. Code:
Seedborg, John 18 P 1 32 44 3 yrsWe'll give these guys a shake. Code:
Schau, Mark 98 LDE 6 44 44 2 yrsSchau and Brumm are the clear starters at DE. Jordan and Culpepper will hold down the fort in the middle, although Penguin's skills have rapidly declined. Not only that, we're still on the hook for three more years. Voight is finally turning into a useful player and I may end up keeping him. He'll get back up to Culpepper time this season to see. Stafford, like Coolbaugh, is a 2nd round bust. I have real bad luck with 2nd rounders, it seems. Brumm is the only guy I've taken thus far who hasn't busted. Code:
Schwartz, Brenden 92 MLB 5 43 48 1 yr.Spiva-Lloyd-Houston the starting set, with Schwartz Lloyd's backup and Gursky getting a chance to be the backup for both outside spots. Code:
Sample, Johnny 43 LCB 7 64 64 2 yrsCross's steady decline prolongs itself and I have to wonder just when he's going to level out. He and Sample will still start. Starks is the nickel and backup to both corners. Fitcher and Fleming start again at the safety spots, with Walters their primary backup. It's an awfully thin roster, and one or two bad injuries would kill us, but we'll roll the dice and see what happens. |
Preseason
Tampa Bay 7 Miami 17 Both Mickey Slaughter and Bob Berry have splendid games, but Slaughter's got the edge over Berry right now. I'm a little worried about Paul Hornung, as he looked quite rusty this game. John Seedborg and Dick Van Raaphorst were both horrible, but Mark Schau exploded for 4 tackles, 2 assists, 3.5 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. Johnny Sample defended 3 passes and looks poised to have another great year. Miami 6 Dallas 27 Ouch. Just ouch. Mickey Slaughter has a lot better game than Bob Berry and he's pretty much running away with this competition, so I think I'll switch to Brown vs. Slaughter the rest of the way. Tom Walters is quietly having a pretty nice rookie preseason. Atlanta 0 Miami 26 Ed Brown and Mickey Slaughter draw even here and it's making things a lot tougher to decide. Fred Dugan has been busting his butt, trying to win the starting SE job from Gary Ballman. I'm still undecided what to do there. Dick Van Raaphorst is 4/4 for on the day, including 2/2 from 40+ range and has been improving over the last couple games. Miami 6 New York 13 The running game is seriously starting to worry me as neither Paul Hornung nor Bill Cooper have shown much this exhibition season. Ed Brown has an extremely shaky game, putting me on the point of being convinced that Mickey Slaughter needs to start. Fred Dugan outduels Gary Ballman again and will start at SE. Of course, Fred Dugan then goes and strains his abdominal muscle, leading him to be Doubtful, so he won't start, though he'll stay play. Don Fleming sprains his knee and is listed as Questionable. I have enough interest in Tom Walters that I'll sit Fleming for the season opener. UDRFA Gleen Cothran is out for Week 1, but it's not like I use him anyway. Miami 17 Buffalo 6 Good win to start the year. Paul Hornung rushes 18 times for 82 yards and a TD, finally showing a hint of the big bucks I'm paying him for. Mickey Slaughter has an awful game at 17-30 for 118 yards and 3 INTs. Ed Brown will take over as the starter from here on out. Mark Schau leads a stiff defensive effort with 2 tackles, 2 sacks and a block. I belatedly remember to hit Recommend on playing time. ...On the other hand, Mickey Slaughter jumped up 2 points in current after the exhibition season and this first game, did just come off of the summer league, and we did win our first game.... I'll stick with him for as long as we're holding steady in the division. San Francisco 24 Miami 20 Mickey Slaughter showed some nice accuracy this game, but two late 4th quarter fumbles absolutely killed us. Ed Brown got in for some plays as well, which has me worries about Slaughter's health. Paul Warfield erupts with 5 catches for 114 yards and shows some real promise. Dave Lloyd records 8 tackles and 5 assists and Ross Fitchener isn't far behind with 7 tackles and 3 assists. If it wasn't for those costly fumbles at the end, we win this game. Mickey Slaughter does indeed have a pulled groin, leading him to be listed as Doubtful for 4 weeks. Tom Walters breaks his fibula and is estimated out 6 weeks, causing me to have to start Don Fleming, despite the fact that he's still questionable. Ed Brown will start while Mickey recovers, with Bob Berry the #2 man and Glynn Griffing the 3rd stringer. Miami 20 San Diego 23 Another heartbreaking loss as the Chargers shut down Paul Hornung and come up big on D in the 4th quarter. Ed Brown is 18-31 for 203 yards and 2 TDs and we spoil a great day by Charley Werner, who returns punts for an amazing 26.3 yard average. Dave Lloyd engineers 9 tackles and 2 assists, Ross Fitchener at 8 and 2 respectively, along with 2 pass defenses. The injuries mount up as Paul Hornung dislocates his elbow and is due out 5 weeks. What a bad investment that's turning out to be! Bill Cooper slots in as the starter, Tom Watkins the backup. Fred Dugan's Probable, but Gary Ballman is playing well enough to stay the starter. Miami 9 New England 20 This one hurts and hurts a lot. Ed Brown has his worst game as a Dolphin: 14-41 for 103 yards and 3 INTs for a 12.6 rating. On the bright side, Charley Warner averages 14 yards a punt return and Dave Lloyd at 9 and 2 continues his tackling machine efforts. Mickey Slaughter is ready to come back, but Johnny Sample breaks his toe and is questionable for next week, Bob Skoronski gets a stress fracture in his foot and is out for the next game and Don Brumm hyperextends his knee and will be unavailable for at least the next game. So that's our best CB and our starters at LT and RDE that get hurt, along with our starting RB and our top backup at S that are all out. You see now why I don't have injuries at 200? 100 is enough of a challenge as it is. I leave Sample in because I need wins. I sign 10th year vet RT Willie McClung, a exceptional affinity guy with Ken Engram to back up the tackle spots while Chad Kramer takes over at LT. 4th year RDE Jon Cash, a 1961 4th round selection of the Rams, comes in to back up at DE and play the right side in the goal line set, Dick Stafford the replacement starter. Miami 15 Jacksonville 3 In the midst of all the injury dealing, I forgot to start Mickey Slaughter but that's okay as he was probable anyway. Bill Cooper just misses the century mark at 99 yards on 21 rushes. Dick Van Raaphorst wins Game MVP by going 5/5 on field goals and accounting for the entireity of Dolphins scoring. We basically pull the Jaguars right when we needed them. Think injuries are done yet? Nope. Starting LG Fuzzy Thurston strains a ligament in his toe and will miss the next game. Mark Mathias steps in at LG and rookie Lloyd McCoy gets assigned double backup duty so I don't have to sign anyone else. Houston 26 Miami 14 You want to know the real kick in the crotch about this game? Game MVP was none other than Allen Green, my former drafted kicker, who was 4/4 and 2/2 from 40+ range. Making things even worse, after three years of 76% FG kicking, he's 88.2% this year. I think I'm going to throw up. :( If there's any good news in this game, it's that Mickey Slaughter draws even with George Blanda in going 21-38 for 170 yards, 2 TDs and an INt. Yes, *that* George Blanda, the one who's still a pretty damn good QB in his 16th season. Oh yeah, the Oilers are also 5-1. Henry Jordan is our first multi-sack Dolphin in the regular season with 3 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks and a hurry. There's a bunch of people listed as questionable, but at this point, I'm like screw it, let them all play, with the exception of Paul Hornung, Bob Skoronski and Don Brumm since I've already subbed out for them and our season's sinking fast anyway. Buffalo 10 Miami 31 Our most complete game of the season. Bill Cooper rushes 28 times for 100 yards to finally give us a century rusher and we get 3 interceptions, including a Ross Fitchner 27 yard return for a TD! Backup MLB Brendan Schwartz goes apeshit on our archrivals to the tune of 12 tackles and 4 assists. This of course means that Dave Lloyd the literal and figurative centre of our front seven, has an inguinal hernia that knocks him out for the rest of the season. Sigh. At least all our other injured guys are now probable, so I go back to as much of my starting lineup as I can. Fifth year journeyman affinity bonus MLB Terrance Doyle joins his fifth team in as many years to be a backup to Brendan Schwartz. Indianapolis 10 Miami 31 Sweet, sweet victory against one of the powerhouse teams that's caught in a down year. Paul Hornung tears about the Colts' D for 129 yards and 2 TDs on 26 attempts, but Mickey Slaughter wins Game MVP with his 14-17 for 169 yards and 2 TDs showing. He's really starting to come into his own as a QB after the summer league. This puts us at 4-4 through the halfway mark, which, oddly enough, is good enough to have us not only half a game behind the Jets and the Patriots for the division lead, but very much in the thick of the playoff race as there's been just 3 dominant teams in the AFC in the first half this year: Pittsburgh (6-1), Houston (7-1), and San Diego (6-1), with no 2-loss teams and New Jersey and New England the only 3-loss teams. Could this be George Blanda's year to get to the Super Bowl? The halfway tale of the tape: Code:
It's pretty clear what's keeping us alive this year despite all the injuries: our defense, in particular our pass defense, which has been notoriously brutal for our opponents, 1962 notwithstanding. Check out that 24.8% 3rd down conversion for our opponents! Mickey Slaughter is having a good season for how raw he is. Paul Hornung has been a major disappointment so far, but he also missed a lot of games to injury. I'm not crazy about Gary Ballman or Charlie Frazier's drop totals, but Ballman's a fan favorite and arguably our best receiver right now, though Paul Warfield is doing his best to take that claim away from him. Henry Jordan is performing his usual juggernaut role in the middle of the line (14 hurries at the halfway point!) and Johnny Sample and Irv Cross are having good years, but it seems like our pass rush is looking pretty anemic this season outside of Jordan. Then again Mark Schau has 8 hurries and he's generally a 2nd half kind of player anyway. I'm pleased with Larry Vargo's success this year. He played well enough in injury time that he's the backup SS rather than Tom Walters covering both spots and if he continues to improve, he just might steal the dime back slot. Marshall Starks seems to really be growing into his own as a nickel back and perhaps someday he could be a starter. Our first repeat trip to the playoffs is very much a possibility, especially if Slaughter can continue to develop and if Hornung can start paying more dividends on his cushy contract. One thing I've already noted for the offseason: I need to find a replacement for Penguin Culpepper at RDT, preferably in the draft. |
You really do feel like the post Marino Dolphins, lots of defense, very little offense. Hopefully you can put some pieces around Warfield so you can make a run before your D gets old like mine is in the save Barry dynasty.
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Yeah no kidding. The only difference is that I'd argue that we actually have some okay receivers all in all. If somebody big comes up in the next draft that I think could really turn this thing around, I may have to bite the bullet and make the huge trade to go up and get him, because the defense is just sick and I have a nice group of young receivers... and Hornung still has some gas left in the tank, though how much is unclear. It'll be fun watching though :) |
Miami 3 Tucson 23
How bad did we play in this game? So bad that Brendan Schwartz's 10 tackles and 4 assists was the only real highlight. Paul Hornung's 6 carries for 17 yards was particularly putrid. Miami 3 New Jersey 31 Suddenly our offense is completely vacant and our defense disappears. 37 total passing yards does not win football games. I'm at a loss here. Charley Warner does have a 14.8 punt return average and Henry Jordan plows the Jets for 11 tackles, 2 assists and hurries, but even those numbers and Ross Fitchner's 9 tackles, assist and sack can't compete when the offense is this bad. Mickey Slaughter is doubtful after hyperextending his knee and Marshall Starks is questionable after spraining the same body part. Since our season's going south anyway, I decide to throw Bob Berry in to see what he can do. Miami 3 St. Louis 10 3 points in 3 straight games. Ugly, ugly, ugly! At least this one our defense came fired up to play against a superior Cardinals opponent. Bob Berry is blah in his debut: 18-31 for 141 yards. Some noteworthy defensive players: Mark Schau with 2 tackles, 2 sacks, and a block; Brenden Schwartz with 10 tackles, an assist and an interception; and Ross Fitchner with 7 tackles, 2 assists and a sack. Mickey Slaughter is upgraded to questionable, but Bob Berry seems to be a quicker study and we're 4-7 right now anyway. Even though the Jets are still tenatively playoff bound at 5-6, I don't want to fight for a playoff spot only to bow out in the first round again and I still want to see Berry in extended action. Cleveland 10 Miami 19 Credit this win to the following: Jim Brown shut down by our D-line, our own running backs of Bill Cooper and Paul Hornung rush for 98 and 85 yards respectively and Bob Berry plays mistake-free football at 13-16 for 158 yards and a TD. Gary Ballman was the receiving star with 6 catches for 112 yards and a TD and Dick Van Raaphorst wins Game MVP thanks to his 4/4 kicking. John Seedborg has his best punting game at 48.3 yards and Mark Schau racked up 6 hurries and a knockdown. These also aren't your regular Browns, as they're stuck in a 3-9 quagmire. Of course with every good news this year has come bad news and in this case, it's starting C Oronde Bland breaking his ankle and tenatively out for the rest of the year, though he still could come back. Cue the signing of original Dolphin and chemistry bonus C Monty Griffin to back up new starter and offensive line captain Ken Engram. Mickey Slaughter is ready to come back, but we just won with Bob Berry and I'm interested in the things Mr. Berry has done with his two starts. Los Angeles 30 Miami 7 I think I've seen enough of Bob Berry. We get behind early and Berry's not the kind of QB that can carry a team as evidenced by his 17-43 for 240 yards, 1 TD and 3 interception performance, the last two interceptions coming late in the fourth as he was trying to hurry the offense. Gary Ballman did have 5 catches for 137 yards, though and both Aaron Spiva and Brenden Schwartz had 9 tackles and 2 assists. We're now 5-8, with .500 the best we can do. Mickey Slaughter will start the rest of the year, barring injury. New England 25 Miami 38 This is going to be one of those ugly years where we miss the playoffs but don't do poorly enough to have a high draft pick. Gary Ballman continues to be on fire with 4 catches for 97 yards and a TD, but the real heroes of the game are our starting CBs: Irv Cross, who ran a kickoff return 101 yards for a TD and ran back an interception for another TD! in addition to 4 tackles, an assist and a pass defense. And Johnny Sample, who had 2 tackles, 2 assists, 3 pass defenses and 2 interceptions. There's a reason why those two are among the most feared cornerback duos in the league. Mark Schau had a great game as well: 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 hurries and 2 knockdowns. Miami 30 Seattle 17 What a time for Mickey Slaughter to put on a passing clinic: 15-17 for 175 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was the highlight of the game, though Paul Hornung's 19 rushes for 80 yards helped to keep the defense honest. We're now the dreaded 7-8 and the Patriots and the Jets are ahead of us at 8-7. New England plays the Bills and will probably win, which gives them the division. We, on the other hand, play New Jersey and need to win to have any shot at the playoffs. And we're also going to miss Fuzzy Thurston for the game as he got hurt. Mark Mathias blah blah blah. The AFC playoff picture is more or less set for the division champs and the first wild card, with only the AFC East questionable, should our archrivals knock off the Patriots. The second wild-card spot, however, is a dogfight. To wit: New Jersey (8-7) Miami (7-8) Denver (7-8) Kansas City (7-8) are all in contention for the last spot. I don't even want to think about the nightmare that figuring out the tiebreaker is going to be. I'm sure there's several long articles being written in newspapers right about now, explaining the detailed scenarios of, if this then this if that then that, etc, etc. Mickey Slaughter, incidentally, is also questionable, but I'm making him play anyway. It might be our last game this year and he really has been our best QB this season. New Jersey 27 Miami 31 Holy cow! What a barnburner!!!! With 2 minutes left in the game, Mickey Slaughter throws a 20 yard pass to Paul Warfield to give us the come from behind win!!!!! Paul Hornung was really up for this game: 13 rushes for 83 yards and 2 TDs. Mickey Slaughter fought his injuries to be briskly efficient at 13-22 for 162 yards and that closing TD. Charley Warner provided a major momentum shift with his 57 yard punt return for his first career TD early in the 4th quarter that gave us the lead back after losing it late in the 3rd. But the game MVP and the biggest reason we've got a shot at the postseason: Mr. Second Half himself, Mark Schau, who had 5 tackles, 3 assists, 3 sacks, a block, 3 hurries and a knockdown. New England beat Buffalo as I thought so they win the division. We've done our part, so now we just have to wait and see if it was good enough. And it was! Denver and Kansas City won their games, but it turned out not to matter, as our 7-5 conference record bettered their 6-6 and 5-7 respectively! We're going to the playoffs for two consecutive seasons for the first time in Dolphins history!!!! |
And we face... Houston again!
Only kidding. :D This time we're up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are remarkably like us: weak at QB and RB, pretty good receivers, decent O-line and a fearsome defense, though theirs is a 3-4 and they have arguably the greatest DE in the game in Willie Davis. We can certainly win this game. It isn't like the Houston games where their firepower was just too much for us. In this one, both offenses are operating at the same pretty low level and the defenses are nightmarish. My prediction is that we're going to see a very low-scoring game completely dependant upon the right breaks at the right time. The oddsmakers favor Pittsburgh by 8 points. I'm pretty sure we can beat the spread. ...I'll let the following statline say it all: QB Mickey Slaughter: 11-27 for 87 yards and 2 interceptions Ed Brown was 5-9 for 71 yards and a TD, but who knows how well he'd have done in the long run. Brenden Schwartz was the lone force at 13 tackles and 4 assists. But it was Willie Davis who showed why he's one of the top DEs in the game. 3 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, a block, 4 hurries, and a knockdown, as he was Slaughter and Brown's faces all afternoon and rightfully won the Game MVP award. Pittsburgh 20 Miami 7 Was definitely a run-dominated day for the Steelers, as they rushed 49 times in a successful effort to control the time of possession and forestall any hope of an Ed Brown-led comeback. An extremely disappointing loss that only highlights more than ever what we've known a while now: This team needs a true QB. But for now, the end season statistics: Code:
Record 8-9 Take a look at those passing rankings. Think it's an even bigger sign that yes, we need a QB? Our defensive numbers were way down in the second half, which is also a little discouraging. Bill Cooper just misses the 1,000 yard mark, but it's his second-highest yardage total ever and his career-best YPC. Paul Hornung is looking like a huge waste of cap space. I'll have to see if he'll renegotiate to a kinder, more reasonable contract in the offseason. I forgive Gary Ballman's 8 drops for the following reasons: 1) He becomes the first 1,000 yard receiver in Dolphins history, 2) He's a fan favorite and 3) He had just 1 fumble this year, as opposed to 5 last season. Paul Warfield didn't have as explosive a rookie season as I'd hoped for, but he's still got 20 points worth of developing to do and so will be our summer league player this year. Henry Jordan, Johnny Sample and Ross Fitchner lead the defense, Jordan with even greater numbers than last year and Sample with the best all-around season he's ever had. Mark Schau just misses becoming the first Dolphin in history with a 10+ sack season and was as explosive in the second half as I thought he'd be. Don Brumm's sack total dropped sharply, but his QB hurries indicate improvement and on top of it, he missed 3 games because of injury. Irv Cross is looking more and more like a high 70s PD% guy with the occasional interception. Not bad, especially not with his kick return skills in the bargain, but we did hope for a little more from a top 10 pick. In loyalty issue news Ed Brown is angry as you might expect, but the surprising one is Bob Voight, who's disgruntled and feels that he should be starting. A quick comparison of his ratings to Penguin Culpepper's and a brief study of their statistics that this is in fact quite the valid issue. It's taken him a while, but Voight appears to have finally, in his 4th season, reached the point where he's a legitimate candidate for a starter, especially since he still has upside. This, despite the fact that he didn't play a single down last season and only appeared in 2 games in 1962. Nice recovery for a 3rd round pick I was just about to give up on. |
Super Bowl V
Detroit 13 Houston 16 (OT) Do you believe in miracles? I do now after the Oilers squeak out a stunning Super Bowl victory in overtime. On a day when George Blanda couldn't hit a throw to save his life (18-48 for 222 yards and an INT) and the Lions' offense was humming, Houston's defense stiffened up in the end zone at just the right times. Real-life eventual Dolphin Wahoo McDaniel had 14 tackles and 2 assists. Jim Norton was right behind with 12 tackles, an assist, and most crucially, the 8 yard fumble return for a TD that sparked the Oilers' rally. The real hero of the game was none other than Allen Green. Cut by us, he had the season of his life this year and entered Super Bowl history by hitting all 3 field goal attempts, including not only the 42 yarder that gave Blanda and the Oilers the win in OT, but a 53 yard boomer with 1:23 left in regulation to get the tie. It was an incredible storybook season for one of the game's greatest heroes and a former Dolphin, one that I personally drafted. Season Awards LDT Henry Jordan - 1st Team All-Pro DT After the monster season he had, he definitely deserves to be here. This marks the second straight year he's made an All-Pro team, the first Dolphin to ever do so. It's pretty special that both appearances have come in the aqua and orange. QB Earl Morrall - Detroit wins MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. DE Don Floyd - Houston wins Defensive Player of the Year. Offensive Rookie of the Year goes to RB Leroy Kelly - New England, who also made the All-Pro 1st Team after rushing for 1,698 yards and 13 TDs and serving as the main turnaround for the Patsies into a decent team. MLB Bill Budness - Baltimore is named Defensive Rookie of the Year. George Blanda, as I suspected, retired after winning a Super Bowl ring at long last. The Oilers will greatly miss him. He was a titan among titans.  Staff Hiring Lead Scout Daryl Crane's contract expires and we'll debate whether or not to bring him back, as he's been pretty solid the last few years. A closer look reveals that he dropped in two areas, so he won't be back. Defensive Coordinator Clifton Winters has shown no improvement in abilities the last couple seasons and the defense's second half collapse has me worried, especially with the level of talent we have here. There's a grand total of one truly good scout out there and a massive bidding war erupts over him. We win out in the end, signing him to a $60k per year/4 year deal. Lead Scout Leon Garibay (53) QB: Very Good RB: Very Good WR: Average OL: Good K/P: Excellent DL: Average LB: Good DB: Average YT: Very Good The owner really puts the screws to us in terms of how much we can pay out to a DC, but nonetheless we find a good, young upgrade for exactly the amount the owner will dole out. Defensive Coordinator Royce Womble (34) K/P: Good DL: Good LB: Average DB: Good YT: Good There's two choices for summer league players: QB Bob Berry, who with summer league help could surpass Mickey Slaughter as the starter, and Paul Warfield, who still has 21 points between his current and potential. Given that Warfield could become an All-Pro type of receiver, the choice is pretty easy. Paul goes to the summer league. |
We're seriously up against the cap this year. $1,000,000 under the cap, with only $380,000 for a new player. Worse yet, there's a young man named Gary Ballman who's a restricted free agent this year.
Fortunately there's players who are willing to renegotiate their contracts for the good of the team, including Paul Hornung and Fuzzy Thurston. We get some contract extensions going too. Extensions: CB Johnny Sample: 3 years, $1.59 mill. MLB Dave Lloyd: 4 years, $1.68 mill. FS Don Fleming: 5 years, $1.57 mill. DE Mark Schau: 4 years, $1.36 mill. By the time we do all of our renegotiations and extensions, we're a much freer $3.09 mill. under the cap, with $2.47 mill. earmarked as the max for a new player. Next year we'll have some serious money to play with, as a lot of guys, including our highest price option, RT Sherman Plunkett come off the books. Four restricted free agents this season. It doesn't take a genius to figure out one of them we'll re-sign. Week 1 Re-signings: WR Gary Ballman: 6 years, $1.92 mill. FS Larry Vargo: 1 year, $50k Not a bad contract for our first 1,000 yard receiver in team history. That 85 loyalty really helps, I imagine. Free Agent Needs By The Numbers: FB, TE, DT, MLB, 8 bodies total We're still $2.93 mill. under the cap after signing Ballman and Vargo, so we've got some room to play with here. A quick look at the draft class reveals some big name players, but all of the top QBs are looking pretty raw. On the other hand, Mickey Slaughter isn't developing worth a damn, Ed Brown is in his 14th season with way diminished skills and Bob Berry will never be a topflight QB. ...On the other hand, my eyes are going like this :eek: when I see what free agents are available. None other than the aging greats Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas as the Packers and Colts go into blowup mode. Week 2 Signings QB Johnny Unitas 3 years, $3.97 mill. - Indianapolis -The legendary and incomparable Johnny U will suit up for the Dolphins for the next three seasons. Who cares that he's an 11 year veteran? He gives us that franchise QB we've been looking for!!!! (Now if we could only find a franchise QB to draft.) He also has an Affinity with Mr. Chemistry himself, Ken Engram. TE Rod Davis 1 year, $90k - Re-signing -Solid backup last season, he returns to fill the same role. Week 2 Losses DT Jim Colvin 6 years, $6.65 mill. - San Francisco (Indianapolis) -I tried so damn hard to get this guy, who would've been perfect to pair alongside of Henry Jordan, but the 49ers offered him just enough more money that he went the Red and Gold. Week 3 Losses DT Joe Lewis 1 year, $100k - Indianapolis (Pittsburgh) -Takes less money to sign with a team that's on its way down, rather than rapidly improving like we are. Can't say that I understand it, but it's looking pretty clear that we're going to look at DT in the draft. I do have one other candidate I want to try and lock up, though. Bart Starr signed in this stage, for $5.21 mill and 3 years to the Baltimore Ravens. I think Unitas is a lot better deal, especially since Starr has an immediate conflict with a team leader. Week 4 Losses DT Dick Guesman 1 year, $90k - Baltimore (Re-Signing) -A combination of his being a fan favorite with the Ravens faithful and excitement over Starr's signing was enough for me to strike out here. We're definitely going to have to go DT in the draft. Week 5 Signings MLB Hubert Bobo 1 year, $110k - Tucson -Probably not as good a backup as Brenden Schwartz, but he has an affinity with Albert Gursky, who somehow became the Defensive Front leader when I wasn't looking. Not that it's a bad thing, because Gursky's got Mild Affinity with Bobo and Mark Schau. Week 6 Signings FB Charlie Scales 3 years, $310k - Baltimore -Great run-blocker with moderate receiving skills. A guy to plug in as a starter for the next 3 years and not have to worry about the fullback spot. Week 6 Losses DT Wesley Evans 1 year, $90k - Cleveland (Seattle) -Turned down more money and a longer contract from us to sign with the still powerful Browns. Had some upside too, so I'm sorry to see him go. Week 8 Signings G Mark Mathias 3 years, $290k Re-signing -Almost forgot to re-sign my favorite combo backup guard, but luckily I remembered in time to get him before anyone else snapped him up. DT Kelly Reichenberg 1 year, $80k (Philadelphia) -A marginal upgrade at DT, but he'll have to stay on left side, which means Henry Jordan would shift back over to the right, unless I find somebody in the draft. Another Mild Affinity with Albert Gursky. DT Austin Dunphy 1 year, $90k - Indianapolis (Tampa Bay) -I offer him more money on a year deal, but instead of taking that and a surefire starting job, he bolts to the Colts. Annoying. That's the end of my intended free agent dealings for the first stage, so let's see where everyone else goes. Week 9 Losses DT Bob Voight 1 year, $80k - Carolina -Sorry to see him go after he developed at the rate he did and maybe I should have tried to re-sign him. At least with the Panthers, he has Exceptional Affinity with their defensive front leader, gets to play with Brenden Schwartz and is pretty much guaranteed a starting job. Week 12 Losses DE John Cash 1 year, $80k Tucson -A filler for us last year, his loss doesn't impact us at all. On to the draft! ...In the next post. :) |
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:eek: Holy freaking crap! |
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Exactly my reaction at seeing those two were available in the first place. :) Think our QB problems are gone now? :D |
Good draft if you need a tackle. T Glen Ray Hines and T Maxie Williams are two of the top players availabe, the others being OLB Gus Otto and a certain RB by the name of Gale Sayers. Top QB is the raw, but talented Joe Namath.
I'm still looking at DT here, but I'd also like to go T, as both our starters expire their contract next season and it's not certain that I'll bring either of them back. We've the 20th pick in the draft. 1965 1st Round NFL Draft 1. QB Joe Namath - Green Bay Packers With a grand total of 5 players under contract and major cap issues, it's surprising that the Packers didn't trade down. On the other hand, they have 0 QBs on the roster and fans will be clamoring for someone who can go grow into the next Bart Starr. 2. OLB Gus Otto - New Orleans Saints 3. RB Cannonball Butler - Buffalo Bills Granted, Butler was only a shade behind Sayers, but I think this move is one our archrivals' fans will be talking about for years down the road. Dumb, dumb, dumb. 4. T Glen Ray Hines - Atlanta Falcons 5. CB Miller Farr - New England Patriots 6. DE Verlon Biggs - Cleveland Browns 7. RB Gale Sayers - Indianapolis Colts The Colts just got the steal of the draft. If Sayers would've fallen much more, I was seriously about to consider trading up to grab him as the eventual replacement to Paul Hornung. 8. ILB Dick Butkus - Cincinnati Bengals 9. ILB Mike Curtis - Carolina Panthers 10. T Maxie Williams - Baltimore Ravens I really like what the Ravens have done this offseason. They've picked up Starr along with some other quality guys and here they get a player who can protect Bart's backside at a real value spot. 11. OLB John Bramlett - Oakland Raiders 12. WR Roy Jefferson - San Francisco 49ers 13. ILB Al Atkinson - Minnesota Vikings 14. CB Willie Williams - Chicago Bears 15. G Glenn Resslet - Kansas City Chiefs 16. ILB Marty Schottenheimer - Denver Broncos 17. T Harry Schuh - Pittsburgh Steelers 18. CB Clancy Williams - New Jersey Jets 19. WR George Sauer - New York Giants There's too many players for us to choose from, so I'm going to trade down and see what I can get for it. I move down to 3 spots to 23, Dallas moves up to 20 and I net Atlanta's 1966 4th rounder for three spots, as nobody would give up even a 3rd rounder to move. 20. DE Chuck Hurston - Dallas Cowboys 21. DE Roy Hilton - Philadelphia Eagles 22. CB Mike Howell - New England Patriots I could very easily trade down again, but then I'd run the risk of missing out on a player I'd really like to get. There's two DTs I'm spending a lot of time debating between. One is much more NFL-ready and has the somewhat better combine, but his bars have me questioning just how good he is. The other is much more raw, with a slightly worse combine, but better looking bars. Then I remind myself that I'm looking for a starter and with Johnny Unitas under center and Paul Hornung also getting old, I need to try and win now, so I go with the more ready prospect. 23. DT Walter Johnson - Miami Dolphins 24. S Jim Kearney - Minnesota Vikings 25. CB Kent McCloughan - St. Louis Cardinals 26. ILB Dale Lindsey - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27. ILB Tom Good - Los Angeles Rams 28. OLB Chris Hanberger - Washington Redskins 29. WR Otis Taylor - San Diego Chargers 30. T Ralph Neely - Pittsburgh Steelers 31. C Bill Curry - Detroit Lions 32. DE Tim Powell - Houston Oilers There's one T prospect left that I really, really like when 2.19 comes up, so I snatch T Dick Koepfer off the board so fast, his head must've spun. I really like how the draft played out in the first two rounds. I was able to address my team's biggest needs according to my own personal opinion (the game disagrees with me on that) and get an extra pick next year to boot. The other DT I was looking at finally comes off the board at 2.30 to the Chargers, after a lot of other position prospects were picked. I think San Diego got themselves a real value pick there. By the 3rd round, I'm running out of guys I've interviewed, but luckily there's a good looking safety who can, at the very minimum, be Larry Vargo's replacement and so S Dave Plump becomes a Dolphin. All of my interviewees that I'd have any interest in are exhausted in the 4th, so for my own personal amusement and because he looks like he'd eventually develop into a good 3rd down runner, pass catcher, and special teams guy, I take RB Dan Reeves. What I love most about this guy? His 13 Sol score... way to go future coach. :D I told myself before the draft that I wasn't going to take a QB, but there's somebody in the 5th round that looks like a boomer, has some good development, and has affinities with 2 of our leaders. There's also a couple of ILBs I have interest in, but the QB is a 2nd-3rd round talent, still here in the 5th and so I give into temptation and draft QB Bob Schweikert. Both ILBs are off the board before my 6th round pick comes up, one of them two picks after me in the 5th, the other at 6.4. I have two 7th round picks in mind that I've interviewed, but neither one is worth a 6th rounder. After some digging around, I pick up raw, but intriguing C Mike Alford, who could break out (99 Vol). Even if he busts, he's definitely worth taking a 6th round flyer on. In the last round, I pick up WR Scottie Brown, who looks to have a tiny amount of receiving skills to go with his moderate amount of kick return skills. Late free agency is all about mentor hunting. Week 2 Signings SE Bob Coolbaugh 1 year, $80k - Re-signing -Yep, our 5th year receiver, my first 2nd round pick, has turned into a prodigal mentor. I probably should've signed him to a 3 year deal, but this way I don't have to pay bonuses for him to be a mentor and our fifth receiver. Week 3 Signings C Robert Yates 1 year, $80k (Indianapolis) -A mentor that I signed only in case Mike Alford booms. If Alford doesn't boom and I have to cut someone, Yates will be the first to go. DT Riley Gunnels 1 year, $80k (Cincinnati) -Nice thing about this guy is that if we get slapped by injury problems, he can be a worthwhile contributor, rather than just a warm body as a lot of mentors tend to be. That ends my free agent shopping for the year. 52 players into camp, the most we've had in a long time, and despite our initial cap fears, we're still $890,000 under the cap. Thank goodness for salary renegotiation! Code:
RDT Walter Johnson 1.23 37/46 41/47 +4/+1Despite the high draft grade, this is a seriously ouch class. The one saving grace is Johnson, who instantaneously fills a gaping hole in our defensive line and gives Henry Jordan one hell of a ferocious partner. Still, Koepfer should improve with playing time and after switching positions, Plump is already a brighter prospect than Larry Vargo. Alford could turn into a decent backup. Reeves could become a 3rd down back and already has established his supremacy as a passing down back and a possible special teams player. So maybe this class isn't as bad as I fear. Only time will tell. |
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Brown, Ed 3 QB 14 31 31 2 yrsI've officially given up on Slaughter. He'll go down as a big-time 1st round bust. Unitas is already starting to slip, but even with the slight drop, he's still one of the top QBs in the entire league. Berry keeps quietly improving and is making a push to establish himself as the top backup, perhaps an eventual successor to Johnny U. Schweickert is blah all around. He and Slaughter will hit the inactive list. Brown is still pissed about not being a starter, but he should get over it now that Unitas is here. Code:
Hornung, Paul 48 RB 9 42 42 5 yrsWell, it didn't take Hornung long to hit the wall. That 24 endurance really sucks, especially with the cap room he eats. Luckily Cooper's a capable backup and Reeves will take over the passing down duties, possibly even the 3rd down back spot so that Hornung's tank can be preserved as much as possible. Reeves could also be one of our special teams guys this year. I seem to be pretty good at finding value RBs in the 4th round so far *makes mental note to update Skydog thread when he gets further along*. Cooper and Reeves are both 4th round guys, after all. Scales is a great pickup at FB. Can run block like nobody's business and makes a terrific receiver out of the backfield. Code:
Davis, Rod 83 TE 7 37 37 1 yr.Ingram guarantees he'll stay on after acquiring mentor status. I'm looking for Warfield to absolutely explode this year after going to the summer league and continuing to make gains. Ballman continues his creep upwards and between him and Warfield, we have a pretty scary pair of receivers, I think. Frazier's a terrific 3rd receiver and could start for quite a few teams. Dugan will be a solid 4th man and Coolbaugh will occupy his usual 5th receiver role while mentoring Warfield. Brown is an inactive listing, because he's 0 current in punt returns. Code:
Yates, Robert 55 C 6 35 35 1 yr.Skoronski-Thurston-Bland-Simon-Plunkett for one more season. Skoronski won't be asked back and Plunkett's fate is still up in the air. Engram will back up and serve as Mr. Chemistry again. I'll probably extend him for one more season. Mathias will back up LG, McCoy RG, in hopes of keeping Mathias healthy and seeing what McCoy can bring to the table, though he sucks as a passblocker. Koepfer gets to back up both tackle spots and if he develops enough, I envision the possibility of making him the starting RT next year and re-signing Plunkett to shift over to the left side. That's far from a certainty, however. Code:
Seedborg, John 18 P 2 38 42 2 yrsNot enthused with either one of these guys and they could be replaced after this year. Then again, there is that memory of Allen Green.... Code:
Schau, Mark 98 LDE 7 41 41 4 yrsSchau-Jordan-Johnson-Brumm across the front four. We've gone from having a hole at DT, to being very strong there. Stafford will back both DE spots, but the 2nd round bust will be gone after this season. Reichenberg is Jordan's backup, with Culpepper barely edging out Gunnels to back our exciting rookie. Gunnels will be the extra goal-line DT. Code:
Bobo, Hubert 90 MLB 9 40 40 1 yr.Houston switches from the weak side to the strong side, as Spiva seems to have finally downgraded to where he's best as a backup, especially with his 0 Endurance. Gursky seriously intrigues me. He's grown into a great chemistry guy and though he hasn't been that spectacular on the field, he showed significant improvement last year after being inactive all of 1963. I may sign another outside linebacker in free agency to back up Gursky, what with Spiva's endurance issues. Lloyd is still a beast despite that horrible injury and Bobo will be good as a one year rental. We could see a lot of changes at this position group next season. Spiva won't be back and I'm still debating on Houston. Gursky will return, as he's proven a suprisingly effective leader. Code:
Sample, Johnny 43 LCB 8 65 65 3 yrsSample and Cross will start, Starks the nickel, Warner to return punts. I debated long and hard about whether or not to give Cross an extension, but it's pretty damn difficult to dismiss a 29.2 yard career average kick return that's topped the 30 yard average milestone in 2 seasons out of 4 and he's still a good cornerback. By the way, I think there's a bug. Cross should be #1 in Miami history for kick return yards and it's not showing up on his player card. Come to think of it, it's not showing up for Sample, either, who's the far and away #2. I'll have to mention that, even though it was probably fixed in 6.0e, which I haven't updated to yet. Code:
Fichtner, Ross 32 SS 6 58 58 1 yr.Fichtner and Fleming get the starting spots again. Walters backs up Fichtner and Plump backs up Fleming and becomes the new dime back. Vargo gets to park his ass on the inactive list. I have to think about it, because he's been a bit of a letdown in the pass defending game, although he was a tackle machine last year, but I finally decide to give Fitchner a 5 year, $1.35 mill. contract extension that will allow him and Fleming to stay together for another 5 seasons. There's just something that's really nifty about watching a pair of starters play their whole careers together like that, and the affinity Fichtner has with Fleming makes me think that these two guys have become best friends off the field. And that's just a really cool story. :) |
I decide to sit Johnny Unitas for the first couple preseason games so he can avoid overextending himself and ditto for Paul Hornung
Preseason Minnesota 7 Miami 27 Bill Cooper picks up 2 rushing TDs to make the difference by himself. Bob Berry outduels Ed Brown in Round 1 of the Backup Battle. Don Brumm picks up 3 tackles, 3 assists, and 2.5 sacks to win Game MVP honors. Don Fleming bruises his thigh bone and is questionable. He'll go on inactive as there ain't no way I'm letting an injured man start in preseason. Dave Plump starts, Larry Vargo backs up and Tom Walters is the new dime back. Miami 10 St. Louis 13 Uh oh. Johnny Unitas was 4 for 10 in this game. and Bob Berry threw two interceptions. I smell injury. I'm really getting sick of John Seedborg's sucky punting, but don't want to try and find someone new right now. Don Fleming is upgraded to probable, but he's the only injury we have. I guess my injury concern was a result of that scoreline from the last game, but we didn't score at all until the 4th quarter. Fleming'll sit this game out too, just to be on the safe side. Johnny Unitas officially starts this game, Bob Berry the backup despite the turnovers last game. Paul Hornung will also start, Bill Cooper his top backup. Miami 28 Green Bay 14 Not a blowout by any means, but Paul Hornung rushes for 77 yards and 2 TDs and Johnny Unitas has a much better game at 12-21 for 137 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT. Bob Berry is a perfect 13-13 in a reserve role. Jim Houston intercepts 2 passes. Don Fleming will start next game. He needs to get the rust off. San Francisco 0 Miami 16 Dolphins looking good in preseason! Johnny Unitas appears to have shaken the rust off with his 15-20 for 148 yards and a TD performance. Dick Van Raaphorst is 3/3, including a 48 yarder that gives me some small hope for him yet. Starting RG Jim Simon is probable the next two weeks after breaking his toe, but I'll stick with him. Regular Season Miami 13 New England 0 So much for last year's division champions. Johnny Unitas wins Game MVP by going 20-28 for 200 yards and a TD and also scrambles twice for 30 yards, scaring me and all the Dolphins faithful. Gary Ballman picks up right where he left off last year with 9 catches for 111 yards. Dave Lloyd shows no ill effects on last year's devastating injury, amassing 8 tackles and 2 assists to go with his hurry and 2 knockdowns. Miami 27 Tampa Bay 10 Isn't it great having a franchise QB? Johnny Unitas is the Game MVP for the second contest in a row: 27-36 for 310 yards and 2 TDs. I can't remember the last time we got a 300+ yard game out of our QBs. Gary Ballman breaks the century mark for the second game in a row with 7 catches for 111 yards and 2 TDs. Dave Lloyd also continues his hot streak with 10 tackles and an assist. Starting SLB Jim Houston separates his shoulder and will miss at least the next game. Ernie Clark, a former 2nd round pick of the Broncos, signs on and I like his all-around game enough that he gets the start ahead of Aaron Spiva. Miami 31 Denver 6 Can anyone stop the Johnny Unitas train? 20-32 for 190 yards and 2 TDs is an efficient outing that gives him his third straight Game MVP nod. Ernie Clark has a sensational Dolphins debut with a 16 yard interception return for a TD to go with his 4 tackles and pass defense. Don Brumm picks up 4 tackles, 3 assists, 2.5 sacks and a hurry and Henry Jordan isn't far behind at 3 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks and a hurry. Dick Koepfer is questionable with a strained knee, but he's a backup, so he'll play on. Miami 21 Cincinnati 14 Four straight road games, four straight victories. Johnny Unitas loses his Game MVP streak, though he is brutally accurate at 22-25 for 266 yards, a TD and an INT. Bill Cooper punches the game-winning TD across the line with 1:12 left in the 4th on a 5 yard scamper as the Bengals gave us all we could handle. Dave Lloyd exploded all over the Bengals with 12 tackles, 5 assists and a knockdown. A bunch of niggling injuries crop up, but everyone will play through them except Jim Houston, who's been slow to recover from his separated shoulder. Buffalo 17 Miami 34 Our archrivals are playing suprisingly well this year at 3-1, but we knock the stuffing out of them to put them down to 3-2 as we romp in our first home game of the year. Johnny Unitas is the hero of the game at 32-40 for 330 yards and 3 TDs in what may well be the finest game ever by a Dolphins QB. Gary Ballman takes advantage with 9 catches for 112 yards and a TD. Has there ever been a better 3rd round pick that I've made? I don't think so. Dick Van Raaphorst is 4/4 on field goals, including a 47 yarder. Irv Cross averages an amazing 35.3 yards on 4 kickoff returns. You know how, when things are going really well, something terrible happens to ruin it all? Irv Cross shreds his MCL. He'll be out 14 weeks. Since there's a chance he'll come back, rather than IR him, I cut Scottie Brown, who won't ever amount to anything anyway and sign Harry Bonner, a journeyman 7th year CB. Johnny Sample becomes the backup PR and main KR. Marshall Starks takes the starting RCB slot and second KR spot. Bonner is the new backup CB at both spots, goal-line RCB and nickel back. Jim Houston's upgraded to questionable, but I'm going to hold off a bit yet. Miami 13 Cleveland 24 We had to lose some time and at least it was to a damn good Browns team. Gary Ballman has 8 catches for an even 100 yards and a TD as Bob Berry saw extended action in this one and threw 2 INTs. Dave Lloyd tackles his way to 10 and 3 with a hurry to boot. ...I'm going to be sick. Johnny Unitas, our golden boy, our chosen one, breaks his fibula. Estimate time out: 6 weeks. :( So now who do I go with? The second year player who's looked horrible this year? (Berry) Our once upon a time phenom who looked good last season but still can't reach his potential and likely never will? (Slaughter) The greybeard who still longs to start but who bombed in relief last year? (Brown) Or the rookie with double affinity and awkward skills? (Schweikert) In the end, it's Bob Berry with Ed Brown second string and Mickey Slaughter third. Pittsburgh 0 Miami 20 Believe me, this game isn't as close as it looks. Bob Berry looked awful at 13-25 for 170 yards and 2 INTs and our running game wasn't spectacular either. Credit this victory to Ross Fitchner's 2 passes defensed and 61 yard fumble return for a TD. Ed Brown will start next game, Mickey Slaughter the backup. I'm sick of Bob Berry's interceptions. Jim Houston's ready to come back, too. FS Larry Vargo finally gets cut, after lasting longer with the team than anybody could've expected. New England 3 Miami 29 When the old man gets mad, watch out! Ed Brown took full advantage of his first start in a long time, 16/24 for 203 yards and a TD, but the real star of the game was Dick Van Raaphorst, as our Dutch kicker was 5/5 on field goals, including a 49 yarder. That makes us 7-1 at the halfway mark, comfortably ahead of the 6-3 Jets. 3 weeks until Johnny Unitas comes back. This is the single best halfway showing I've ever had. Code:
Check out that fantastic defense. Changing coordinators was a good thing. Johnny Sample is a true shutdown corner. 4 interceptions and 16 passes defensed in the first half and a 97.9 pass defense %! :eek: To put it in perspective, 4 interceptions is his season career high and 18 passes defensed is his season career high. I'm sure those numbers will come down in the second half, but god damn, is that ever sweet! Johnny Unitas shows there's no such thing as old age by having an insane 10:1 TD to INT ratio. When he comes back from injury, if he can maintain that pace, it'll be his best season since 1962! Of course, having our corps of receivers has a lot to do with it. Gary Ballman is on pace to become the first Dolphin to have 1,000 yards receiving in consecutive seasons and the first Dolphins receiver to reach double digit TD receptions in a season. Paul Warfield, though with too many drops for my liking, is a rising star and Charlie Frazier and Fred Dugan would be starters on quite a few teams. The running game hasn't been too impressive this year and we'll probably be looking for a replacement for Paul Hornung soon. Just as a point of comparison: Hornung has 1,413 career carries, Cooper 1,020. Lenny Moore, who's been in the league a year longer than Hornung and who went to the Jets, has 1,773 career carries and is still a powerful force with New Jersey, with higher attributes than Hornung. I suspect the difference is in part due to endurance: Hornung has 24 Endurance, Moore 58. Since Cooper has an endurace of 42 and has been a split-time back most of his career besides, I'm hoping he'll be in the Moore mold and able to stay our top backup for a long time. Marshall Starks has been suprisingly adequate in relief of Irv Cross and may turn out better than expected. Our pass rush is looking a little grim right now, but you can't deny the effectiveness of our defense and Don Brumm is on pace to have a career year. Our offensive line is looking rough on run-blocking, except for Oronde Bland, who continues to be our most consistent offensive lineman. Our pass blocking is terrific, except for Sherman Plunkett, who's having a serious down season in a contract year. Dick Koepfer is making rapid progress in his development and is a prime candidate to start at RT next season if his pace holds up. |
Sample's numbers are insane, I have never seen anyone with a percentage even close to that high. I just checked one of my long dynasties and Ken Riley had a 93.9 in 1975 (dynasty is in 2010) for the single season record. Man that is impressive. At least you lost Unitis in week 6 not 16. How's the rest of your conference looking? You going to rest Unitis the last couple of weeks if you manage a bye?
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Just a fun tidbit: Sample was the #5 cornerback in the league in current rating when I got him back in 1961. He's still the #10 cornerback in current rating and is a definite shutdown corner. He's tied for 2nd in all-time pass defenses too. Now, that being said, he broke the 90s in the first half at least one other season to and finished with 86.3% or something like that, so I predict that he'll take a drop here too. Whether it'll be enough to set the record is up in the air. 93.0% is the single-season pass defense record in my universe, set in 1963 by St. Louis's Freddy Glick, one of 4 players to break the 90% milestone in a season thus far in this universe. We hold the #1 record in the AFC right now, but there's a slew of 6-2 and 6-3 teams, including three 6-2 teams in the AFC West! Teams chasing us: Baltimore (6-2) - I told you I loved what they did this offseason and the Ravens are proving me right. Oakland (6-2) Denver (6-2) Kansas City (6-2) New Jersey (6-3) Cleveland (6-3) The Raiders currently own the tiebreaker in the AFC West, but obviously those teams are going to beat up on each other. Johnny Unitas presently leads in QB rating with 112.1, but Bart Starr is right behind him at 102.5 and has an amazing 13 touchdowns to 0 INTs ratio. That's even more incredible considering Starr has garbage for receivers relative to Unitas. Naturally I'm going to sit Unitas until he's fully and completely healthy. I probably won't sit him the last two weeks if we clinch a bye because I don't want him getting rusty, but if the playoff situation doesn't matter any which way, he'll definitely sit the last game. |
Baltimore 10 Miami 24
As fate would have it, we square off against the Starr-led Ravens, only they're starcrossed this game. Baltimore can't find a running game and when Bart Starr tries to do it by himself, this is the result: 17-42 for 169 yards and an INT. Those 5 sacks didn't help him out either. Meanwhile, Ed Brown is the one who looked like a franchise QB today: 31-38 for 300 yards and 3 TDs. Evidently he was justified at being mad about the whole Mickey Slaughter situation. Not to worry, Ed! You'll be our top backup when Johnny U comes back. Naturally Gary Ballman is the big receiver with 9 catches for 122 yards and a TD. Don Brumm continues his terrific year with 2 tackles, 2 sacks, a block, 4 hurries and a knockdown. Johnny Sample imitates Irving Cross with a 33 yard kick return average and Marshall Stark and Don Fleming both defend 3 passes, with Fleming tacking on an interception besides. Miami 17 New Jersey 30 We've been seriously lucky to keep winning without Johnny U and today's the day our luck runs out. Dave Lloyd goes bananas with 15 tackles, an assist and a knockdown and Ross Fitchner records 9 tackles, 4 assists, a sack and a pass defense to be our only stars of the game. Carolina 10 Miami 30 We draw a cupcake in our last game sans Unitas and we cream-puff them behind a balanced offense led by Ed Brown's laser 15-19 for 187 yards and a TD. Dave Lloyd heads up the defense with 9 tackles, an assist, a sack, a block and a pass defense. Tucson 9 Miami 27 The layoff shows, as Johnny Unitas is a mortal 15-24 for 225 yards and a TD in his debut, but it's more than enough to get us the win. Ross Fitchner wins Game MVP with 4 tackles, 3 assists, 2 interceptions and 3 pass defenses. Charlie Frazier strains his quad and is questionable for the next game. We're still not certain of grabbing home-field advantage however, as our 10-2 record is just a game ahead of the 9-3 Kansas City Chiefs. Besides, I really don't want to have to throw in a street free agent at wide receiver unless it's absolutely necessary. Atlanta 6 Miami 34 A creampuff dessert is just what Johnny Unitas needed to shake the cobwebs off as he pummels the pathetic Falcons: 26-35 for 316 yards and 3 TDs. Harry Bonner, speaking of street free agent pickups, grabs 2 interceptions this game to make up half of the 4 we get as a team. He's been a shockingly effective force in the nickel package. Charley Warner is done as a Dolphin after this year. I don't care that he's #1 all time in punt return yardage, he's averaging 6.7 yards this year and looks really lost out there. One more win should be enough to clinch home-field advantage throughout. New Jersey 0 Miami 26 Wow. Neither the offense nor the defense wanted the Jets to spoil our fun again and they lower the boom on the team that's arguably been the most consistently good franchise in our nascent division. Johnny Unitas is 22-40 for 320 yards and 2 TDs to notch his second straight 300+ yard passing game. Charlie Frazier comes out of nowhere to grab 7 balls for 134 yards. ...And of course, with that amazing effort, Charlie Frazier aggravates his quad muscle enough that he's out for the year. Damn it! Fred Dugan moves over to backup flanker, Bob Coolbaugh slides in as the backup split end and chemistry signing Jerry Richardson becomes the emergency 5th receiver. I'm not for certain if that win was enough to clinch home field advantage or not, so I decide to have Johnny Unitas play one more game to ensure the rust stays off and we get that all-important win. Miami 36 New Orleans 7 The Big Easy is an easy place to win, thanks to 4 different players getting an interception, Dick Van Raaphorst blasting 5/5 FGs and Game MVP Henry Jordan finally having a breakout game with 4 tackles, an assist, 3 sacks, 2 hurries and 3 knockdowns. With that win, we have home-field advantage locked up and repeat as AFC East Division Champions!!!!. Johnny Unitas sits the last game, as does Paul Hornung, who has some knee tendinitis bugging him. I'm curious to see what Dan Reeves can do with more carries anyway. He's had a seriously intriguing rookie season. Miami 27 Buffalo 31 The Bills win the booby prize of 9-7 and no playoffs, thereby guaranteeing themselves a crappy 1st round pick unless they got someone else's along the way. Dan Reeves continues to intrigue with his 4.00 average on carries today. Ed Brown was 24-39 for 275 yards, a TD, and an INT, so it's not like he played horribly or anything. Johnny Sample averages 30.2 yards on kick returns. So we've secured home-field advantage and didn't have any major new injuries. Paul Hornung will be 100% by our first playoff game, but that's not the best news. The best news is that Irv Cross is probable and will be able to play for us in the postseason. Our nightmare secondary is back. |
In AFC Wildcard action, the Cleveland Browns upset the Starr-led Ravens 29-23 and the Blanda-less Oilers beat our division foes, the Jets, 23-17.
I would've loved to have seen a Starr vs. Unitas matchup in the divisional round, but instead we draw the Cleveland Browns, who have consistently been one of the top teams in the league, but who just can't seem to win the Super Bowl. The Browns have a fearsome offense, led by great QB Len Dawson and a little RB they call Jim Brown, who has 6 straight seasons of 1,000+ yards rushing, including this year despite missing 3 games due to injury. Bobby Mitchell is a star WR, with 6 straight years of 1,000+ yards receiving, but the wide receivers outside of him really suck. Cleveland has an extremely solid offensive line that looks a lot like ours. Defense is where things start to break a little bit. DE Verlon Biggs, the #6 overall pick in the draft, had a very good rookie year and NT Wesley Evans is pretty good, as is SILB Lee Roy Jordan, a 3rd year player taken by the Browns is the second round, but the rest of the front seven is mediocre. The secondary is pretty bad, with SS Jimmy Patton the only truly good player. CB Nemiah Wilson, the Browns' 2nd round pick in the most recent draft, will be good some day, maybe even great, but he's not there yet. All in all, I'd count this game as very winnable. Johnny Unitas and our talented receiving corps have the ability to shred that weak secondary and give us enough power to win the shootout this could turn into. Mitchell could be difficult, but the rest of our secondary should eat their receivers alive, which could mean that Cleveland will try and turn this into a low-scoring game, backed by Brown. Incidentally, we're favored by 5. The game turns into a QB duel as Johnny Unitas and Len Dawson are both on the top of their games, but their FG kicker is better than our Dutchman and Paul Hornung fumbles at an inopportune time so we're down 20-14 going into the final quarter. Dick Van Raaphorst finally hits his first FG of the day midway through the 4th and we close the gap to 20-17, but then with just under 4 minutes to go, Dawson finds Bobby Mitchell for 6 yards and points, giving Mitchell 100 receiving yards on the day. 27-17. 30 seconds later, thanks to some brilliant passing by Unitas, Paul Warfield gets a TD reception and we're still very much in this thing at 27-24. We stop them on the ensuing drive and get the ball back at the 2 minute warning. The script is set for another miracle Unitas comeback. But then, 3 plays later, Johnny U throws his first interception of the game. And down we go, 27-24. The crowd is stunned and we're all heartbroken on the sidelines. Our miracle season is over. :( Johnny Unitas was great outside of that INT, though. 27-35 for 261 yards and 3 TDs to go with that pick. Len Dawson was his equal and the Game MVP at 25-33 for 274 yards and 2 TDs. Bobby Mitchell had 8 catches for 100 yards and that critical TD, countered on our side by Gary Ballman's 7 receptions for 111 yards and a TD himself. This game came down to turnovers, not only the Unitas interception, but two fumbles by our running backs. It also pointed to the Ks, where Dick Van Raaphorst was just 1-3, whereas Cleveland's K was 2/2. This loss is just absolutely crushing. But it was also a thrilling, beautiful game for fans to watch. Two very evenly matched teams going head to head, where things went just enough the Browns' way to win the game. We have nothing to be ashamed of. |
This is totally how I think my current Lions season is going to go. Look great during the regular season after years of mediocracy, reach new levels of hope, only to get smoked in the playoffs. Hopefully you can get a couple more good years outta Unitas. I figure kickers blow 2 games a season, unfortunately yours chose to decide this one. How'd he do during the season.
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38/43 (88.4%), 6/9 (66.7%) from 40+, 0/1 from 50+. This compares to 25/34 (73.5%), 3/9 (33.3%) from 40+, 0/2 from 50+ his rookie year. So he's definitely improving. Not quite in Allen Green territory, who finally broke out and kicked 85.7% of his FG, 72.7% from 40+ (16/22) and 4/6 from 50+ (66.7%), but he might get there. Incidentally, Green's year for the Dallas Cowboys was the only time he's even come close to hitting 80%. In fact, when he joined Houston in 1964, the year after we released him, he converted just 71.5% of his field goals. So right now, I'd say the Dutchman looks like one of those guys who'll be pretty accurate most of the time unless you try from anything beyond 50. I can handle that. |
Super Bowl VI
Los Angeles 30 Cleveland 27 What a thriller! In the last 3 minutes of the game, both kickers made a 50+ yard field goal, 53 for the Rams and 54 for the Browns before Lou Michaels of the Rams hit his 2nd field goal in three minutes with 4 seconds remaining in the game, a 23 yard chipshot to give Los Angeles the victory! The win puts the Rams at 1-1 in the Super Bowl (They lost to the Colts in Super Bowl IV), whereas the poor Browns are now 0-3 in the biggest game on earth. There've been a lot of incredible Super Bowls in the six we've seen so far and this is one of them. Extensions I made a few extensions to players about to head into free agency and there's a few others I wanted to extend, but they were playing hardball in negotiations. Nonetheless I did get some done: WLB Albert Gursky 3 years, $250k C Ken Engram 3 years, $340k LT Bob Skoronski 3 years, $810k SLB Jim Houston 4 years, $900k I overpaid somewhat for Houston and Skoronski, but Skoronski's been quite good for us and well, I'm still not sure what made me extend Houston, except maybe that he's still got a bit of upside and he did pretty well in his first year on the strong side. Gursky and Engram were chemistry signings as I like what they bring affinity-wise to the team. The final team stats: Code:
Record 13-4 Changing defensive coordinators really was a brilliant move. We didn't make much in the way of changes to our personnel and yet we turn in arguably the top defensive performance in the league. Johnny Sample didn't break any records, but he did tie Freddy Glick for most passes defensed in a season and his 92.1% pass defense is #2 all-time for a season, behind Glick. Dan Lloyd becomes the first player to have 100+ tackles a season for two years in a Dolphins uni and Mark Schau had his usual second-half breakout, but both he and Don Brumm fell short of the double-digit sack mark again. Gary Ballman misses out on double-digit TDs, but does become the first Dolphins receiver ever to post consecutive 1,000 yards receiving seasons and Paul Warfield nearly joins him. I'll take the 9 drops as a pill to swallow for Ballman's productivity and fan favorite status. Warfield did indeed have the kind of rapidly improved season I hoped for and they may both break 1,000 yards next year. Paul Hornung and Bill Cooper aren't the greatest 1-2 punch in the world, but at least they don't fumble much and can find the endzone. Dan Reeves will get a much closer look next training camp. We'll also be eyeing the RBs in the draft to see if we can find someone late in the 1st who can be our starter the next 10 years. Johnny Unitas and Ed Brown may be old, but they played brilliantly this year, especially Brown, who was absolutely fantastic in relief of Johnny U when our star signing got hurt. Our QB situation is -still- muddled for the future, however, so anything's possible. John Seedborg's punting averaged sucked, but he coffin-corners it about a 1/3 of the time, so he may stick around. The Dutchman kicker I discussed in the previous post. On the offensive line, Bob Skoronski and Oronde Bland had their usual steady seasons. Fuzzy Thurston and Sherman Plunkett were absolutely terrible and Jim Simon improved signifantly over last season. Mark Mathias was fantastic, Lloyd McCoy wretched. Dick Koepfer made major strides in development and actually did a little better than Plunkett. Overall, I'd count T and RB as our biggest priorities in the offseason and draft. DE depth will be a concern as well, since Dick Stafford isn't coming back. Season Awards K Dick Van Raaphorst - 2nd Team All-Pro K Heh. Want to know who was 1st Team All-Pro K? That's right, Allen Green. I'm not going to hear the end of that one, I think. Johnny Sample gets screwed hard. So what if he only had 5 interceptions? The guy defended passes left and right and had a terrific pass defense percentage. I can see maybe why he didn't make the 1st Team, cuz both those CBs had double digit interception totals, both the 2nd team guys had 6 and 5 INTs respectively. W.T.F! I'm pissed, I'm seriously pissed about Sample getting punked like that. Stupid, bitch-ass voters. Anyway, Bart Starr wins MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in his new purple and black uniform. DE Carl Eller - New York Giants wins Defensive Player of the Year. Offensive Rookie of the Year is RB Cannonball Butler - Buffalo Bills and Defensive Rookie of the Year goes to DE Roy Hilton - Philadelphia Eagles. Gale Sayers for those wondering, like me, slightly bettered Butler on yardage, YPC and 100+ rushing games, but had 3 fewer TDs and 4 more fumbles. Staff Hiring: Offensive Coordinator Jared Thamilarasan goes from Very Good to Excellent in OL. Defensive Coordinator Royce Womble rolls up a double improvement!, from [b]Average[/b to Good in LB and from Good to Very Good in Young Talent. Head Coach Tyrus Treftz also double improves, from Good to Very Good in Motivation and Discipline. Treftz is also out of contract, so I need to do my damndest to re-sign him, as I love this staff and want to keep it together as long as possible. He wants 3 years, $480k/yr, so I offer him 4 years, $550k. The owner approves that offer wholeheartedly because of the results he's produced and Tyrus signs the contract so fast it's unbelievable. Free agency later tonight or tomorrow after work. |
Very tough choice between Dick Koepfer and Dave Plump for the summer league. They both have about the same amount of gap between their current and potential, but on the other hand Koepfer could start at RT this year or in a couple years, whereas Plump will be sitting behind Ross Fitchner and Don Fleming for quite a while yet, so Koepfer it is.
Shit. Charlie Frazier is an unrestricted free agent. On the bright side, Jim Simon, who I wanted to bring back is a RFA. He's really the only RFA I have an interest in bringing back, too, as Charley Warner, leader in all-time punt return yardage aside, really tanked it last year. Week 1 Re-signings RG Jim Simon 3 years, $260k By the numbers TE, 2 WR, 2 DL, 2 LB - 7 new bodies It's a pretty weak free agent market this year unless you're looking for C, FB, or S, but we'll see what we can pull out of it. Charlie Frazier's the top WR available, much to my chagrin. Week 2 Signings DE Pat Holmes 4 years, $2.24 mill. (Tampa Bay) -A slight overpay for a guy who's only started two years, his rookie season and last year, but he did break 10 sacks last season and he'll take over on the right side for Don Brumm, who will shift to backup until he gets more experience on the left side and can replace Mark Schau. Week 3 Signings WR Gail Cogdill 3 years, $320k (Minnesota) -Mentor split end who turns into the new receivers leader and gives us a Paul Warfield affinity. Basically he's here to fulfill Fred Dugan's old playing and leadership role, while being Bob Coolbaugh's mentor replacement. WR Charlie Frazier 3 years, $300k Re-Signing -Although the money's low and although he's only a backup, retaining Frazier was damn high on my priority list. He's terrific insurance in case something bad happens to somebody and he's a fantastic slot receiver in the event that we all stay healthy. MLB Artie Kondovski 1 year, $90k (Atlanta) -Brilliant run-stopper mentor who will back up Dave Lloyd and take over in goal-line situations. A great depth signing. Week 4 Losses T Sherman Plunkett 2 years, $790k (Green Bay) -Sherman was much maligned during his tenure in Miami, but he did give us a solid tackle overall in his years here. Just like he did when he initially signed that long deal with us, he goes to a team that's in building mode. DT Kelly Reichenberg 1 year, $90k (Indianapolis) -Tried to re-sign him, but he was pissed about the rookie Walter Johnson starting ahead of him so he refused. Too bad for him, as Johnson put in a respectable rookie season and looks to be even better this year. Week 6 Signings TE Bob Crespino 1 year, $90k (New Orleans) -Good blocking tight end who will make a capable backup for Riddick Ingram this year. DT Walter Napier 1 year, $90k (Carolina) -Temporary new defensive front leader who has a couple affinities. Solid reserve guy who can back up both spots. Very much a Penguin Culpepper type. Week 7 Signings OLB Maxie Baughan 4 years, $2.86 mill. (Philadelphia) -The best talent available in free agency this year, he'll slide over to the weak side and allow Albert Gursky to drop back into his more suitable backup role. I can hardly wait to see what this pass-rushing maestro brings to the Dolphins. Week 7 Losses MLB Hubert Bobo 1 year, $90k (San Francisco) -Adequate reserve for us last season, but nothing spectacular. SLB Aaron Spiva 1 year, $80k (Kansas City) -5 year starter for us who was once upon a time the heart of the defense, but then we got a lot more talented in the linebacking corps and soon there just wasn't a place for him, as evidenced by his appearing in just 7 games last season. I'll miss this original Dolphin, but I wish him the best of luck with the Chiefs. Week 8 Signings CB Jim Shorter 1 year, $90k (New Orleans) -Not as brilliant a punt returner as Charley Warner, but a much more capable corner in terms of depth. It's a fair tradeoff, in my opinion. That ends my first stage free agency shopping. Since I filled all my numbers needs, I'll really be able to concentrate on a Best Player Available approach in the draft. We don't have any really glaring holes in my opinion, but we need T depth and an heir to Paul Hornung at RB. Oh yeah, an eventual successor to Johnny Unitas would be nice too. I notice we're just $560k under the cap after our free agent spree, so I do some contract renegotiating to give us breathing room. I get our margin up to $890k, which should be enough for us to sign our draftees, but not much more. Draft coming up next post! |
The 1966 draft class is oddly fitting, given that I'm running the draft the same night I ran my 1904 free agency and the 1st 2 rounds of the draft in my OOTP 6.5 league where I control all the teams (fictional, with modern era settings FWIW).
Really bland free agent class and even more boring draft class. Bland and boring are perfect words to describe the 1966 class in my opinion. Low on name star power at least from my limited knowledge of football history and only a few guys who look really good. G Gale Gillingham and CB Emmitt Thomas are the consensus top two players in the draft and the bottom really drops out after that in my mind. If I had the 1st pick, I'd grab Thomas. If I were picking anything other than #1, I'd trade down as far as I could. The best value in this draft is going to come late in the 1st, I'm thinking. In fact, there's a number of tackle prospects I'm considering at #30. Beyond that, this is seriously looking like a prime opportunity to trade off a bunch of picks and try to get an extra 1st rounder next year. 1966 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. QB George Wilson - Green Bay Packers :eek: This once proud franchise is really going to the dogs. Two straight years of the #1 pick, two straight years of picking a QB. Honestly, they drafted Joe Namath last year. What the fuck are the Packers doing taking a guy who's nowhere near worthy of the #1 pick? Stupid, stupid move. ...But maybe they'll be dumb enough to give me next year's 1st round pick. We'll wait and see. 2. WR Ben Hawkins - Atlanta Falcons 3. RB Emerson Boozer - Washington Redskins 4. QB Randy Johnson - Indianapolis Colts 5. CB Emmitt Thomas - Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers get the... steal, heh, of the opening picks here, though to be fair, all of the selections except Hawkins did make sense from a need standpoint. Pittsburgh just happened to get lucky with Thomas falling to them. 6. QB Rick Norton - New York Giants 7. QB Steve Sloan - Atlanta Falcons through New Orleans Saints Wow. I can't believe anybody would be aggressive in this particular draft. The Saints pick up the Falcons' 1968 1st and 3rd round picks, as well as Atlanta's 3rd rounder in this draft. 8. G Gale Gillingham - Carolina Panthers 9. G John Wilbur - Pittsburgh Steelers 10. DE Rich Jackson - Cincinnati Bengals 11. G Tom Mack - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12. ILB Fred Forsberg - Chicago Bears 13. RB Mike Garrett - Minnesota Vikings 14. WR Gary Garrison - Atlanta Falcons through Oakland Raiders The Falcons are the new Jaguars. The Raiders being who they are, they only get Atlanta's 2nd rounders in 1967 and 1968, as well as the Falcons' 4th rounder in '68. Way to screw the market, Oakland. :mad: 15. DT Don Davis - Tucson Titans 16. CB Ken Reaves - Atlanta Falcons through Houston Oilers Sheesh! The Dirty Birds give up their 1967 1st rounder and 4th rounder along with their 4th rounder in this draft. Hey, Atlanta? Just so you know, the Jaguars didn't turn into a top team either by going this route. 17. OLB Dan Buffone - Buffalo Bills 18. RB Johnny Roland - Pittsburgh Steelers 19. DE Pete Duranko - Kansas City Chiefs 20. G Pat Matson - New York Giants 21. DE Willie Townes - Detroit Lions 22. CB Goldie Sellers - Dallas Cowboys 23. RB Bobby Burnett - New Jersey Jets 24. RB Craig Baynham - Baltimore Ravens 25. CB Joe Beauchamp - St. Louis Cardinals 26. G Randy Beisler - Philadelphia Eagles 27. G Elmer Collett - Washington Redskins through Houston Oilers The Oilers get the Redskins' 2nd rounder and Washington's 5th rounders in 1967 and 1968. Washington's 2nd rounder is at 2.1, so it's only a 7 slot drop, hence why the relatively low additions. 28. ILB Dan Gulseth - San Francisco 49ers 29. RB Randy Minnear - Denver Broncos Well, here we are at pick #30 with not even a single tackle off the board. Then again, looking at the available tackles, there's just nobody who jumps out at me as a legitimate pick at this point. In fact, the two guys I like best have second round grades. So it's off to go trade shopping. I offer the Packers our 1st round pick this year for their first rounder next year as a starting point for trade negotiations... and they accept it straight up! :eek: I'm not complaining, considering what a hard ass the AI normally is in trades, but hot damn! We may get our franchise QB next year after all! 30. G Jim Vellone - Green Bay Packers 31. OLB Jeff Staggs - Cleveland Browns 32. G Jim Niland - Washington Redskins through Los Angeles Rams The Rams better me, getting the Redskins' 1967 1st round pick, their 7th round selection this draft, and their 1968 6th rounder. Not that I'm complaining. Green Bay will be worse than Washington this year, I suspect, and I don't hold a high value on late round picks at all. At 2.30, the T I most like is still available, though a few tackles have gone off the board already. A lot more of them, who had 1st round grades, are seriously dropping. They'll drop some more as I take T Jim Battle, as he's not likely to last much longer. There's a ton of allegedly 1st round graded talent still available in the 3rd, which leads to no less than 10 trades in the 3rd round before my pick at 3.30!. That's some serious jockeying for position. We were getting a trade just about every single pick during the mid-round. So what are we left with by the time the swap meet ends? An interesting RB, FB, TE, G and a punt-return guru S who all could go about this time. After a closer look at my roster, I go with the TE and pick TE Tom Mitchell, who looks like he could be good enough to be Riddick Ingram's eventual replacement. None of the players I'm looking at get taken before our next pick at 4.3 (gotten from our trade down in last year's draft). Oh, there's also a certain name K I've very tempted to take. After much hemming and hawing, I go with the S. The RB doesn't seem all that much better than Dan Reeves, the FB isn't a need area and should drop to us at 4.30 and we're already stacked with youth at G, though I'll consider him should he be there still at 4.30. We need a punt return beast and the S looks like a better contributor than Charlie Warner, so S Rodger Bird is the pick. The G goes at 4.7 (Giants) and the RB comes off at 4.19 (Seahawks), leaving me with the FB and the K at 4.30. I really like our Dutchman, to be totally honest, though I blame Dumas's The Black Tulip, as well as an authentic Dutch girl at the University of Minnesota who was my first date at 18 and who I might've ended up having a relationship with if I hadn't sunk into that deep depression I've mentioned before on these boards. So that means I take FB Hoyle Granger, even though it's way too early for him to go. In addition to the reasons for Dutch loyalty, H. Granger = Hermonie Granger. I think you all know the goodness of that. :D By 5.30, the K *still* hasn't gone. I suddenly notice that I don't have a 5th receiver, so I go looking for one to resist the temptation to pick ye olde footballe kicker. WR John Roderick, who looks to have some small breakout ability, extraordinarily high intelligence, and a skillset appropriate to a 5th man, becomes our 5th round pick. In the 6th, I notice a RB that I was hoping to be able to pick up late in the draft as he looks like a breakout candidate. Fortunately, he manages to last until 6.30, so I take RB Les Shy. If that K is still available in the 7th, I'm going to take it as a sign and draft his ass. It's official. It's fate. 7.30 K Garo Yepremian - Miami Dolphins ...Just lovely. We have two contract holdouts. First is WR Paul Warfield. His demands are quite reasonable and I want him to be a career-long Dolphin, so I sign him to 5 year, $2.70 mill. contract extension that'll put him on the team for another 3 years past his rookie contract. The other is DE Don Brumm, which I think is pretty ballsy considering he 's lost his starting job for the year. Granted, he's in the final year of his contract and he wants a multi-year deal to stay with the team, but I can't guarantee that he won't be pissed about not starting and Mark Schau is signed for 3 more years at any rate. So Brumm can sit on his ass until he decides to end his holdout. On to late free agency. Week 1 Losses DT Riley Gunnels 1 year, $100k (Buffalo) -Really didn't factor in to our defense last year. Strictly a goal-line player who might've gotten more playing time with us this season since Penguin Culpepper retired, which would explain why I suddenly lost $220k in cap room at the start of free agency, but so it goes. Week 3 Signings WR Fred Dugan 1 year, $100k Re-signing -The rookie we picked up to be our 5th receiver doesn't look so hot, so I've retained Dugan as insurance. Don Brumm is still holding out after training camp. Screw him. Code:
RT Jim Battle 2.30 23/58 24/52 +1/-6Battle's regression is disappointing, but I'm extremely pleased with Garo and Mitchell's results and cautiously optimistic about Bird and Granger. Roderick and Shy are meh, but that's all right. We've got a big problem at K now. It's more than just the Dutchman vs. the greatest Dolphins kicker of all-time not named Pete Stoyanovich (who will appear in some later draft class). It's that... well, you'll see when I review the team later today or tomorrow. :) |
Code:
Brown, Ed 3 QB 15 29 29 1 yr.Unitas will start, Brown the 2nd string and well, probably Slaughter as the 3rd man. The nice thing about having two 1st rounders next year is that I'll be able to find Johnny U's replacement and blow up this entire position once everyone's contract runs out. Berry and Schweickert will sit on inactive and one of them could be cut. Code:
Hornung, Paul 48 RB 10 36 36 4 yrsCooper and Hornung will fight it out for the starting job, whereas Reeves will be the passing guy. Shy is an inactive guy, one who probably won't ever contribute much and who actually may be cut, since he comes with no bonus ramifications. Scales starts, Granger his backup. Code:
Ingram, Riddick 86 TE 7 29 29 1 yr.I'm surprised at Ingram's drop in ratings, but he's still the better all-around TE than Crespino. Mitchell's a great long snapper and he'll get a couple starts in preseason as I have a good feeling about his ability to step in as the regular season starter next year. Warfield and Ballman start again, Frazier and Cogdill the backups, Dugan the 5th receiver. Roderick gets inactive ticketed with possibly shipped out of town. This is probably the single best wide receiver group I've ever had in this particular universe. Code:
Engram, Ken 51 C 10 37 37 2 yrsSkoronski-Thurston-Bland-Simon-Koepfer with Mathias, McCoy, and Battle the reserves. Switching Battle over to LT would mean a small drop in ratings and a slight experience reduction, neither of which I'm willing to take at this point. Next season could see one of the two of Battle and Koepfer moving over to the left, though, the small hit be damned, as Skoronski's skills are fading. Nice to see that Simon keeps creeping up, by the way. Code:
Seedborg, John 18 P 3 46 46 1 yr.See my dilemma at K? The Dutchman shot up considerably in current over last year and yet there's Garo, who looks a lot like Allen Green at the moment: good power, low accuracy. On the other hand, GY has the potential to become an even better version of the Dutchman. Code:
Schau, Mark 98 LDE 8 37 37 3 yrsHeh, it looks like Brumm's forced my hand. I sign him to a 4 year, $1.49 mill. contract extension and switch him over to the left side, whereupon he drops to 35/39. ...Shit. Now what? I don't know, but it's definitely not cool. Oh well, they can fight it out for the starting job I guess. Jordan and Johnson will team up in the middle again, Napier their backup. Once Jordan retires, I'll be tempted to switch to a 3-4. Code:
Lloyd, Dave 93 MLB 8 61 61 3 yrsPretty damn good linebacking corps here with Houston-Lloyd-Baughan the starters, Kondovski and Gursky the reserves. In fact, it's arguably the best set we've had since I've been here. Code:
Sample, Johnny 43 LCB 9 53 53 2 yrsSample-Cross-Fitchner-Fleming will be our starter secondary, Shorter the nickel and Plump the dime. Bird needs to be active since he looks like an even punt returner than Warner did. Starks and Walters go on the inactive list. All in all, I really like the makeup of the team this year. We should be able to repeat as division champions and maybe get deeper in the playoffs. |
Preseason
Miami 19 Minnesota 6 Not the most brilliant debut in the world, but Bill Cooper outduels Paul Hornung in Round 1 and Garo Yepremian is 4/5 in FG. Jim Houston wins Game MVP with 2 interceptions. St. Louis 3 Miami 34 Well, lookie here. Johnny Unitas 26-35 for 305 yards and 3 TDs in this preseason laugher, Paul Warfield with 10 catches for 149 yards and a TD. If he can turn in performances like that in the regular season, Warfield will be our new top WR. Garo Yepramin was 2/3, including a missed 50+ yarder. Time to switch to the Dutchman next game to see what he can do. Miami 27 Detroit 0 Our starters and our depth continue to roll to 3-0. Gail Cogdill is proving to be an absolutely great new addition to the receiving corps in preseason, both as a receiver and as a kick returner. Pat Holmes gets 2 tackles, 2 sacks, a block, a hurry and a knockdown in another fine display by a new Dolphin. Dick Van Raaphorst is 2/3 in this game and Bill Cooper has Paul Hornung beat for the starting job at RB. Ross Fitchner will miss the next preseason game and Dan Reeves should be back for the regular season opener. Los Angeles 21 Miami 38 Charlie Frazier grabs 10 receptions for 114 yards, Johnny Sample gets 2 interceptions, returning one back 24 yards for a TD, and Jim Houston and Henry Jordan get in the multi-sack action with 2 and 1.5 respectively. Garo Yepremian wins the kicker job as the Dutchman just doesn't have the leg we're looking for. Don Brumm gets the starting left DE job from Mark Schau. Regular Season Miami 34 New Jersey 17 We open the regular season with a bang over the Jets. Johnny Unitas is 22-29 for 199 yards and 3 TDs and our running game amasses a ton of yardage between the 3 backs, though I forgot to put recommended PT on. Just a solid effort all around. Jim Simon hyperextends his knee and is out for the next game. Mark Mathias will start in his place. Chicago 7 Miami 10 The score's not as close as it looks. The Bears' TD was a fourth quarter interception return that was Johnny Unitas's only miscue of the day: 25-35 for 259 yards, 1 TD and that INT. Pat Holmes led the defensive effort with 2 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks and a knockdown. Dan Reeves is ready to come back, punting Les Shy back to inactive status. Miami 30 Houston 14 The Oilers came in as 2 point favorites in this battle of unbeatens, but Irv Cross set the tone with an opening 82 yard kickoff return for a TD and we never looked back. Cross wound up with 2 kickoff returns for TDs on the day, in fact, the other one for 86 yards. In more craziness, Bill Cooper had a career day, rushing 15 times for 160 yards, our first century rusher in about two years. Garo Yepremian was 3/3 on FG, including a 51 yarder that the Dutchman never would have made. Dave Lloyd had 8 tackles, 4 assists and a hurry. Just a dominating performance by a few key players. Jim Simon's upgraded to Probable, so he'll come back. Miami 37 Buffalo 31 This one -was- as close as it looked, going into OT. We won after Johnny Unitas threw a 35 yarder to Gary Ballman for the clutch TD. Last week it was the special teams and running game that went crazy. This week it's the passing game. Johnny Unitas was 31 of 42 for 432 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. It set a franchise record for passing yardage that may never be broken. Paul Warfield was Unitas's main man, with 16 catches for 198 yards. Don Fleming had 8 tackles and 4 assists in this Classic between us and our archrivals. San Diego 14 Miami 17 Another very close game, this time won in regulation against the fellow undefeated Chargers. Johnny Unitas was Game MVP with a TD pass and, of all things, a TD run. Bill Cooper broke the century mark for the second time this year, 19 rushes for 108 yards. Johnny Unitas is doubtful for two weeks and Ed Brown is questionable. I'm damn sure not going to risk either of them getting hurt, so it's a swapout of Mickey Slaughter the starter, Bob Berry the backup, and Bob Schweickert as 3rd string. Denver 6 Miami 20 Mickey Slaughter surprises everyone by coming up big in this game: 22-32 for 251 yards and a TD en route to MVP honors. Our defense also had an exceptional collobrative effort to keep our undefeated season alive despite the absence of our top two QBs. Both Brown and Unitas are probable, but I'm not going to risk the season just for the sake of staying undefeated. Fuzzy Thurston is out for 8 weeks with a broken arm, though, so Mark Mathias gets called into starting duty again. Luckily we catch a bye week at just the right time and so Johnny Unitas is able to get to 100% and start our next game. Ed Brown's still probable, so Mickey Slaughter is #2, Bob Berry the 3rd stringer. Miami 35 Kansas City 14 Holy shit! :eek: Johnny Unitas shatters his own team record. 26-38 for 484 yards and 3 TDs! We have our first ever pair of 100 yard receivers too! Paul Warfield catches 8 passes for 193 yards and a TD and Gail Cogdill has 5 receptions for 124 yards. Dave Lloyd has a great all-round game: 7 tackles, 2 assists, a sack, and a knockdown, and Don Brumm records 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 hurries and a safety, the first I've ever seen for one of my players. What an awesome game! :) Dave Plump is out for at least the next game with a busted toe ligament. Tom Walters takes over his roles. Miami 31 Oakland 21 We polish off the Raiders and finish the first half with a perfect record behind Bill Cooper's 23 rushes for 104 yards and 2 TDs and Johnny Unitas's 32-42 for 367 yards, a TD and an INT. Gary Ballman and Paul Warfield at long last break the 100 yard barrier together: Ballman with 9 catches for 131 yards, Warfield with 9 catches for 118 yards and a TD. We had 4 interceptions on the day, each by a different player and our defense played just well enough for us to win against a Raiders team that played a lot tougher than their 2-5 record indicated. Incidentally, we're the only undefeated team at the halfway point. The Houston Oilers are 7-1, their lone blemish against us and the Dallas Cowboys are also 7-1. A look at a perfect team halfway through: Code:
Record 8-0 For the first time, it's not a sensational defense that's pulling us through. Oh sure, our D is still good, particularly given that we're 3rd in pass defense, but it's been the passing game, led by Unitas and our stellar wide receiving corps that's gotten us to this point. I said this was the best group of receivers I've ever assembled and the evidence is bearing that out, Warfield's 8 drops notwithstanding. Still, with 814 yards receiving at the halfway point, I can forgive Paul's drops. Unitas is on pace to break 4,000 yards passing, something he hasn't done since 1963 and Warfield is certain to shatter the Dolphins single season receiving yardage record. Holmes is right in line to become the first Miami pasrusher with 10+ sacks in a season. But as amazing as Unitas and Warfield have been, it's Bill Cooper who's been the real shock. After sitting behind Hornung for a couple seasons, he's taken his starting job back and literally run away with it, putting himself in position to break the 1,000 yard barrier for the second time in his career. Not bad for a 4th round pick, no? :) It would be really, really awesome if we went undefeated and won the Super Bowl in the year that the real-life Dolphins first played. I'm not saying it's going to happen, because anything can happen in the playoffs, but this is the best team I've ever assembled in any FOF game. And that makes me proud. :) |
It sure is one hell of a team. Maybe your only weakness is the lack of a dominant pass rush and possibly your running game is better than it should be through some combo of your insane air attack and luck. Good luck with the rest of the season.
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Thanks. :) I just realized I've been starting the roookie Tom Mitchell at TE when I didn't intend to. I've also accidentally been starting Ken Engram over Oronde Bland, both from the preseason. Oops. Fortunately, only Bland's upset and I'm able to rectify that right quick. Be interesting seeing how the rest of the year goes. |
New England 10 Miami 34
As a side note, I decided to keep Tom Mitchell as the TE starter, because he's got better potential. We cruise to an easy win here behind Johnny Unitas's 22-33 for 337 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. Gary Ballman and Charlie Frazier both top the century mark at 6 catches for 110 yards and a TD for Ballman and 5 catches for 100 yards and 2 TDs for Frazier. Pat Holmes tears into the Patriots for 5 tackles, 1 assist, 3 sacks, a block, 4 hurries, and 5 knockdowns. Guess he's been reading in the press about how we don't have a dominant pass rush. :D New Jersey 13 Miami 30 Think you can stop the Dolphins train? Not when Johnny Unitas throws 344 yards on 27-37 passing with 3 TDs and an INT and not when our top two receivers both break 100 yards: Gary Ballman with 9 catches for 110 yards and a TD and Paul Warfield with 7 catches for 152 yards. This passing game is so scary, it makes the real-life Marino-Clayton-Duper-Edmunds years look tame in comparison (though to be fair, Ferrell was overrated at TE). Miami 19 Minnesota 7 This game came down to Garo Yepremian nailing 4 of 5 FGs and Rodger Bird averaging 17.3 yards a punt return, along with a team effort on defense. Not a pretty win by any means, but enough to keep our undefeated season alive. Baltimore 20 Miami 41 This loss put a major hurt on Bart Starr's Ravens' playoff hopes, as it drops them to 5-7. This victory comes on Bill Cooper's 2 rushing TDs, Johnny Unitas's efficient 16-22 for 222 yards and 3 TDs passing on offense and Irv Cross's 2 interceptions and Pat Holmes's 3 tackles, 1 assist, 2.5 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown on defense. With those sacks, Holmes becomes the first player in franchise history to reach double digits in sacks! Congratulations, Pat! Charlie Frazier and Don Fleming are questionable for the next game and Tom Walters is out. Frazier and Fleming will play and Dave Plump, who I forgot to check and see that he was healthy, so he's disgruntled, will take his old roles back. Bob Crespino is pissed that Mitchell's starting, but he'll just have to deal. Detroit 7 Miami 33 23-32 for 271 yards, 3 TDs and an INT for our main man, Johnny Unitas, in this laugher. Garo Yepremian was 3/3, including a 50 yarder and we just plain and simple kept the Lions out of the end zone. Dave Lloyd is doubtful for our next game, but I'm confident enough in our backup that he'll play on. Fuzzy Thurston's ready to come back as well, since he's upgraded to probable. Buffalo 38 Miami 41 Another dramatic classic between the AFC East archrivals, with Garo Yepremian kicking the game-winner with just 4 seconds left in the game. Johnny Unitas was on a tear: 30-47 for 349 yards and a record 5 TDs. Gail Cogdill was the main beneficiary with 7 catches for 109 yards. 14-0 and we're guaranteed home-field advantage, even if we lose both games. Good time to sit my guys, right? Wrong! I want the undefeated record, damn it! Miami 28 Green Bay 31 If I told you that Johnny Unitas was going to throw for over 400 yards and Paul Warfield and Gary Ballman would have 192 yards and 176 yards and 2 TDs respectively, you'd say it's another blowout win, right? Not this time. Garo Yepremian shanks 2 field goals and instead of celebrating one step away from an undefeated season, we're left with the heartbreak of 14-1 in a damn close game, against a team whose 1st round pick next year we own, no less. Remember how I said the Packers were stupid for drafting another QB with the #1 overall pick? Well, they were, only Joe Namath is really turning it on this year and they're currently 10-5, sitting atop the NFC North. So much for my giddy dreams of a top 10 pick. I throw in as many scrubs as possible for the last game, since it doesn't matter anymore. Miami 7 New England 17 Ross Fitchner was the only highlight of this game with 10 tackles, a sack, and 2 defensed passes. The Packers won the division with an 11-5 record. Oh well, as long as it's higher than the 30th pick, I'm not going to mind too terribly much. Of course, it won't give me much of a package then, but I'll see who's there and what I can put together. For now, there's the postseason to think about and the playoff dreams that come with it. |
Wildcard Round
Denver 27 Pittsburgh 17 Detroit 16 Los Angeles 10 Indianapolis 13 San Diego 10 San Francisco 31 Atlanta 6 We draw, of all teams, the Colts in the divisional round. Johnny U's former team's offense starts and ends with Gale Sayers, who in just his second season is already #2 on the Colts' career rushing total, as well as 3rd on the Colts' career all-purpose yardage list. He ran for 1,539 yards and 10 TDs in the regular season, along with 2 punt return TDs and a kick return TD. Their QB is terrible, a journeyman who got his first starting time this year with Indianapolis and their receivers are the very definition of mediocre. Offensive line is solid both in starters and in depth, including original Dolphin Bob Breunig at LG. Indy's defensive line is essentially a mirror image of our own and their linebacking corps and defensive backfield are adequate without being spectacular. In short, this should be a runaway victory for us, even though we're only favored by a TD. We strike first with an early field goal by Garo Yepremian and they respond with a FG of their own towards the end of the first. Then Johnny Unitas hits Paul Hornung from 6 yards out for a TD and we never look back. Miami 20 Indianapolis 9 Indianapolis's offense was exactly how I predicted it would go. Gale Sayers rushed 19 times for 119 yards and Joe Kapp, the QB I mentioned, was 13/40 and was intercepted 3 times, twice by Johnny Sample, who won Game MVP honors for those brilliant interceptions and his 2 passes defensed. We countered with our 100 yard rusher as Bill Cooper ran 22 times for 101 yards, but he also fumbled four times as the Colts' D hit him hard time and time again. Johnny Unitas was efficient but not brilliant in his 17-25 for 193 yards and 2 TD performance. We've made it through to the AFC Championship!!! But Fuzzy Thurston wrecks his calf muscle and is lost for the rest of the year. Mark Mathias will have to start again. |
AFC Championship
The Denver Broncos will be a lot tougher test than the Colts were. It all starts with Roman Gabriel, who, talentwise, is close to the equal of Johnny U (68/74). That being said, the 5th year QB hasn't had Unitas's kind of success on the field, never breaking 3,000 passing yards a season, in part because the Broncos only have one good receiver, Lionel Taylor, a two-time All-Pro 2nd Team WR. The rest of his targets are crap. Tom Matte has been the Broncos' starting RB since he was a first round pick in 1961 and he's a solid, but not spectacular back, in spite of his winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in '61. He had his worst year ever this season, rushing for just 884 yards and 4 TDs, career lows. The real success of the offense comes down to their fantastic line, which has great players all along the starting five: LT Eldon Danehauer, LG Ken Adamson, C Jerry Sturm, RG Jim Skaggs and RT George Preas form a unit that makes our pretty good line look pretty weak in comparison. Defensive line is a real weak point for the Broncos, with DT Orville Trask, a 1st Team All-Pro in 1964, the lone standout. They've got a very good linebacking corps, the equal of ours in fact, and CB Ed Sharockman and S Goose Gonsoulin are All-Pros in a fantastic secondary that again, equals ours. This is going to be a seriously tough matchup. I think this game's going to come down to whoever gets the right breaks at the right time, as we're pretty even talentwise, unless our superior edge at wide receiver is enough to make the difference. We'll see. We're favored by 7, for what it's worth. ...And it turns out to not even be a contest. Garo Yepremian boots a 50 yarder on the first drive of the game and a 24 yard TD pass from Johnny Unitas to Paul Warfield puts us up 10-0 in the 2nd quarter. Our defense savages the Broncos' offense and they don't even come close as we blow them out 27-3. Johnny Unitas takes home AFC Championship MVP honors for his 17-22 for 248 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT performance, but it really should have gone to Paul Warfield, who snagged 7 passes for 119 yards and the 2 TDs that Unitas threw. John Seedborg helped out as well with his best game as a Dolphin: 5 punts for a 45.6 yard average and 3 touchbacks, killing Denver in the field position game. The 1966 Miami Dolphins are the AFC Champions!!! WE'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) |
Let me guess, you're playing the Packers so you can get the 31st and 32nd pick. Good luck in the big game, it's amazing how only a couple of moves can put you over the top. Alot of times you think you only need to make a couple of moves and it turns out that you were alot worse than you thought. Raiders anyone?
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Believe it or not, that very scenario passed through my mind. :D Fortunately, Green Bay got knocked out in the divisional round. And yeah, I knew we had a good team that was only lacking a franchise QB to do well. I guess picking up the starter upgrade at DE and the depth increase at WR really made this team. I can't really say for sure what impact Maxie's had on the team at OLB, but I know Pat Holmes and Gail Cogdill at starting RDE and backup WR respectively have been a big, big reason of why we've done so well this year. Thanks for the luck. :) |
Super Bowl VII Preview
Miami Dolphins vs. Dallas Cowboys Miami Out List WR Gary Ballman (Starter) LG Fuzzy Thurston (Starter) Dallas Out List NT Sam Silas (Reserve) SILB Gabe Jackson (Reserve) Position Breakdown Quarterback Miami has Johnny Unitas, the legendary QB who, even in his 12th season, is still one of the top 5 signalcallers in the league, coming off a regular season in which he threw for 4,146 yards and 33 TD vs 8 INT. Johnny U is also a two-time Super Bowl MVP with championship rings in 1961 and 1963 with the Indianapolis Colts. The Cowboys counter with Don Meredith, a 7th year veteran who's been Dallas's starting QB since the league began play in 1960. A good, but not great quarterback, he set a career high in TDs this year with 25 en route to passing for 3,353 yards and 15 INTs against those 25 TDs. Advantage: Dolphins Running Back A 4th round steal in the 1961 rookie draft, Bill Cooper has been an integral part of the Dolphins running game since his rookie year. A steady, but not flashy runner, he regained his starting job this season and rushed for a career high 1,104 yards, along with 7 TDs. Paul Hornung has been a faded star since coming to Miami via free agency in 1964, but he's still a solid backup and a good third-down back. 2nd year man Dan Reeves is the passing down back. Dallas signed speedy back Don Perkins to a lavish, multi-year deal in free agency this past offseason and thus far, the contract has paid off huge dividends. Last year's 1st Team All-Pro RB had an equally fantastic regular season his first year in Dallas, rushing for career highs in yardage and TDs with 1,583 and 11 respectively. He also had a mind-boggling 5.01 average yards a carry. Bill Triplett is a respectable reserve and 3rd down running back. Advantage: Cowboys Wide Receiver Even without Gary Ballman Miami still features a deadly pair of receivers in Paul Warfield, the third year pro who had a breakout season of 1,522 yards and 8 TDs this year, establishing him as of the top young rising stars in the league and Gail Cogdill, one of the best reserve receivers in the NFL, who will now have to step up as the starting split end in place of Ballman. Former 1st round pick Charlie Frazier is a dynamite force as the third receiver, a surehanded player who could start for many of the teams in the league. Once one of the most feared receivers in the league, age appears to have caught up to 11 year vet Fred Clarke, as he had his worst season ever this year, with just 568 receiving yards and only 3 TDs. Free agent pickup Bernie Casey, on the other hand, blossomed as a starter this year, with 1,193 yards and 8 TDs. Second year receiver Fred Biletnikoff is steadily improving and looks to have been a great find in the 4th round a year ago. Bo Roberson is a former starter with the Giants and Bills who appears to have struggled in his first year as a reserve. Advantage: Dolphins Tight End 3rd round selection Tom Mitchell has been adequate as a starter in his rookie year, but is still quite green and looks to be more of a blocker than a pass-catching tight end for the Dolphins. 9th year vet Willard Dewveal is one of the most underrated tight ends in the game, a terrific, do-everything player for the Cowboys who can both catch passes and block with authority. Advantage: Cowboys Center The Dolphins have one of their few original players in Oronde Bland at center, a steady and consistent player who runblocks well and very rarely gives up a sack. Backup Ken Engram is almost as good at pass protection and is a team captain, one of the squad's most influential players. Dallas has bad boy Mike Connolly in the middle, a fiery, strong player known just as much for his off the field drunken antics as he is his trademark Hammer Slam pancake blocks. He's averaged 13 pancake blocks a season and is widely regarded as one of the most feared centers in the league. Sidney Young is a smart reserve who overchieves relative to his talent. Advantage: Cowboys Guard Miami's offensive line suffered a huge blow when it lost Fuzzy Thurston for the season in the divisional round. Mark Mathias is best served as a reserve and despite the Dolphins' staff's infatuation with him, Jim Simon is only a borderline starter on the right side. Lloyd McCoy is a subpar backup. Billy Neighbors is a classic underachiever on the left side for the Cowboys, whereas Marv Terrell proved a great free agent find in his first year as a starter. Backup Tom Nomina is essentially a clone of Mathias. Advantage: Cowboys Tackle Greybeard Bob Skoronski is losing a step, but is still a solid left tackle. RT Dick Koepfer is a vastly improved run-blocker from his rookie season a year ago, but gives up too many sacks. Rookie Jim Battle had an adequate first year and shows signs of being a better all-around right tackle than Koepfer. Bob Vogel is a young, good left tackle, the kind half the teams in the league would kill for. Riley Mattson has greatly improved his pass protection since coming to Dallas, but still isn't exceptional by any means. Reserve Dan James is a one-dimensional player, strictly a passblocker. Advantage: Draw Kickers/Punters Miami found the replacement for Allen Green in rookie Garo Yepremian, who converted 80% of his FGs from 50+ yards (4/5) and will only get more accurate as he gains more experience. John Seedborg doesn't have the strongest leg in the game, but he has a knack for pinning kicks inside the opponents' 20 yard line. Dave Braziel has really gone downhill since he left the Packers, with only minimal accuracy and power. Pat Studstill has a cannon leg, but doesn't have the placement talent that Seedborg does. Advantage: Dolphins Defensive Ends Don Brumm struggled in his first year on the left side, but Pat Holmes was a force on the right after coming over in free agency, ringing up 13.5 sacks, 4 blocks, 23 hurries and 18 QB knockdowns. Original Dolphin Mark Schau reacted badly to demotion this year, but is still a high quality backup. Mel Branch had a career high 9 sacks in the regular season and second year RDE Chuck Hurston is on the verge of greatness. Backup Kelvin Duffy is simply awful. Advantage: Draw Defensive Tackles Age is starting to catch up to Henry Jordan, but the two-time All-Pro is still one of the most feared DTs in the AFC. Second year pro Walter Johnson has learned well from Jordan and is developing into an equally powerful force in the middle. Backup Walter Napier is a run-stuffing beast, but not much of a pass-rusher. Karl McKnight had major problems switching to a 3-4 D after having played his entire career in 4-3 defenses. Walt Barnes is a promising young rookie who's still too green to take over the starting spot yet. Advantage: Dolphins Linebackers Dave Lloyd is one of the best MLBs in the NFL. Jim Houston set a career high in sacks and hurries this season as he grew acclimated to the strong side. Maxie Baughan, the Dolphins' highest priced free agent addition, struggled after moving to the weak side, posting career lows in virtually every category. Artie Kondovski is the top backup MLB in the league, one who should've gotten a starting opportunity by now. Albert Gursky is an adequate reserve. Dallas is strong and deep all across the board at linebacker, both in starters and the reserves. The biggest star is 4th year SLB Johnny Baker who exploded this season with a sensational breakout of 82 tackles, 26 assists, and 12 sacks. There are no real weak links in this Cowboys 'backer corps. Advantage: Cowboys Cornerbacks Johnny Sample is easily one of the league's top 5 cornerbacks and Irv Cross had a career high 4 interceptions in the regular season. Jim Shorter also had a career high with 5 interceptions and an 82% PD, as he blossomed in the nickel role. Third year man Jimmy Warren is a rising star, a ferocious competitor known for his highlight hits and ability to knock passes away. Don Bishop crashed back down to earth after a sensational, career year last season. Kendall Reeves is a pedestrian free agent pickup, a nickel back best suited for goal-line packages. Advantage: Dolphins Safeties Miami has one of the top starting safety tandems in the league in Ross Fitchner and Don Fleming, career-long teammates. Only the St. Louis Cardinals better the Dolphins in safety starters. Tom Walters is JAG, but Dave Plump is Fleming's heir apparent, quietly learning from the masters ahead of him. Bill Butler and Paul Martha are highly praised by scouts around the league, but their performance on the field indicates they're the most overrated pair of safeties in the NFL. Jerry Stovall is a better player than Martha and should have his spot at free safety. Advantage: Dolphins Keys to the Game: Miami * Turn the game into a track meet and take advantage of superiority at QB and WR. * Stack up against the run and force the Cowboys to go to the air. * Protect Johnny Unitas and give him time to throw. Keys to the Game: Dallas * Slow the pace of the game as much as possible. Play smart, ball-control offense by going to the run and short passes. * Mix up the blitz packages and take advantage of Miami's weakness at guard and RT to get to Unitas. * Double team Paul Warfield on 2 WR sets. Avoid blitzing the DBs against Miami's 3 Wide sets or Charlie Frazier will burn you. |
I'm nervous, damn nervous.
I've never made it to a Super Bowl in any version of FOF where I actively controlled the team, much less won it. I know this probably isn't a big deal to those of you who win Super Bowls by the truckloads in SP mode, but this is a big, big deal for me. It'd be even sweeter if I won here because, as I said, 1966 is the real-life Dolphins' first year of existence. We're favored by 2. I close my eyes and click Sim Week. I don't look at the score as I click Log and scroll down to the actual start of action. The Cowboys win the toss and elect to receive. The ball's returned to the 28 yard line. A holding penalty ruins what would've been a a first down run by Don Perkins and Irv Cross intercepts the ball on 3rd and 13, returning it back to our 40 yard line! We exchange a pair of 3 and outs and then Johnny Unitas puts together a series of great passes, including a 52 yard bomb to Gail Cogdill that takes us down to the Cowboys 4 yard line. Two plays later, a 3 yard pass falls into Bill Cooper's hands for the TD and we strike first! Miami 7 Dallas 0 - 8:19 1st Quarter Dallas gets another 3 and out and then we put together a long drive, where Johnny Unitas's brilliant passes are ruined by no less than 5 penalties in the same bloody drive. Worse yet, Charlie Frazier gets hurt, but they don't know the extent of the injury right away. Our defense stifles Dallas to another 3 and out though, and we're driving again as the first quarter comes to a close. End 1st Quarter: Miami 7 Dallas 0 Bill Cooper fumbles on the first play of the second quarter and the Cowboys recover on their own 48. Some tough Don Perkins runs and a great pass from Don Meredith to Bo Roberson has Dallas on the verge of scoring, but Irv Cross gets his second interception of the game at our 3 yard line to snuff out the threat. We then churn out another long drive with a lot of highlight plays, including Johnny Unitas's 36 yard pass to Gail Cogdill to get us out of the danger zone, an 18 yard run by Bill Cooper to put us in field goal range thanks to a great run block by Jim Battle and a 13 yard scramble by Johnny Unitas himself to get us inside the 20. Unfortunately, there are also some real boneheaded plays. Paul Warfield drops 2 passes and gets an offensive pass interference call (one of 3 penalties on the drive) on him to boot, one that took us from 2nd and goal lon the 4 yard line all the way back to 2nd and goal from the 14 yard line. We weren't able to convert for the TD and had to settle for a 23 yard FG by Garo Yepremian. Miami 10 Dallas 0 - 4:13 2nd Quarter Don Meredith and Bernie Casey put on a Unitas and Warfield impersonator clinic during the next drive, connecting on two straight passes for a combined 44 yards. Fortunately, our defense stiffens up at the right time, limiting them to a 32 yard FG by Dave Braziel with just under a minute left in the half and that's the score as we head into the locker room. Miami 10 Dallas 3 - Halftime At this particular point in the game, I'd make Irv Cross the MVP. His two interceptions really saved our butts thus far, but there's still a whole half to go and there's only one possession's difference between us. Bill Cooper atones for his opening 2nd quarter fumble by bursting through for a 17 yard gain to start the second half. My heart jumps up into my throat when I see Miami's Johnny Unitas was hurt on the play during the next line, but fortunately it's a minor injury. We follow this scare up with another 2 straight penalties (Note to self: Post in Mythbusters about excess user team penalties for them to look into it.) and so have to punt. Dallas starts marching down the field with a small change grinding drive when Don Meredith forgets his name isn't Johnny Unitas and he throws a Hail Mary from the Cowboys' 29 to our 29. Jim Shorter jumps up and snags the ball for an interception of his own, giving Meredith his 3rd interception of the game so far. We counter with a time-chewing drive of our own, highlighted by a 9 yard run by Dan Reeves (all 3 of our RBs got at least one carry on the possession) and 2 key run blocks by Jim Simon, who was pissed at all the negative press around him in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. One of those blocks came on the 6 yard run by Bill Cooper for the TD! This may be Dallas's breaking point. Miami 17 Dallas 3 - 2:28 3rd Quarter The Cowboys finally get hit with two straight penalties to open their next possession, but manage to get enough yards to keep the drive alive and they're in Miami territory when Dave Lloyd lowers the boom and forces Bill Triplett to fumble, Lloyd scooping up the fumble himself on our 37. The third quarter ends midway through Dallas's drive, with the score still Miami 17 Dallas 3. We make just enough headway on the ensuing drive for Garo Yepremian to blast a 52 yarder through the uprights. You wouldn't see the Dutchman make that kind of awesome kick. Jim Simon continues his great play with another key run block on the drive, flattening Paul Martha for a pancake block. Miami 20 Dallas 3 - 9:07 4th Quarter This is exactly the situation the Cowboys didn't want to get into. Now they're forced to desperation mode where they have to rely on their passing game to have any hope of winning. Don Meredith already is having nightmares about Irv Cross. Let's see what happens when you have a deep, great secondary going up a panicked QB. From Dallas's next possession: 2nd and 3: Intended for Bo Roberson. Jim Shorter defended the pass. 3rd and 3: Intended for Bernie Casey. Jim Shorter defended the pass. 4th and 3: Intended for Frank Clarke. Tom Walters defended the pass (Defensive Pass Interference) 1st and 10: Intended for Frank Clarke. Tom Walters defended the pass. 3rd and 5: Intended for Fred Biletnikoff. Dave Plump defended the pass. Needless to say, Dallas turned it over on downs. 5:08 left in the game and Ed Brown's getting some playing time. It looks like this thread's finally played out, folks. After our 3 and out, Pat Holmes hurries Don Meredith into 3 straight bad throws on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th down. Did I mention that I love picking that guy up in free agency? He and Cogdill were definitely our biggest pickups of the offseason. This puts us on the Dallas 20 yard line with just over 2 minutes to play. We put on some runs and the Cowboys get frustrated, leading Bill Butler of Dallas to positively rip Bill Cooper's helmet off after a tackle, earning him an Unsportsmanlike Conduct call. We settle for a 25 yard field goal from Garo Yepremian and are happy to do so, because we've got this thing locked up. Miami 23 Dallas 3 - 2:10 4th Quarter And that's all she wrote, as Dallas turns the ball over on downs and Ed Brown takes a couple knees. WE DID IT!!! WE DID IT!!!! WE WON THE SUPER BOWL!!!! GO DOLPHINS!!! GO DOLPHINS!!!!! GOOOOO DOLPHINS!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) Bill Cooper rushed 19 times for 94 yards and had the 2 combined TDs and Gail Cogdill put on a brilliant performance in relief of Gary Ballman, posting a Ballman-esque 10 catches for 204 yards. Irv Cross had 2 interceptions, John Seedborg punted a 46.8 yard punt average, with one inside the 20 and Garo Yepremian was 3/3 on field goals. Pat Holmes was in Don Meredith's face all day, with 4 tackles, an assist, a sack, 5 hurries and a knockdown. But the real hero of the game was the man who's done it before, who lifted us up from a one and done playoff team to a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The man who even in these, the twilight years of his career, is still one of the greatest men to play the game. Your Super Bowl MVP is none other than Johnny Unitas. 26 of 34 for 310 yards and a TD, giving him his third Super Bowl ring and first with Miami. I found out after the game that he sprained his neck just after halftime in that scare and is listed as Questionable for the next 3 weeks. That makes his MVP award all the more special, because he played through the pain, at a time when the game was still just a touchdown's difference. Oh how sweet this is. But this all wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for me, the GM that put this team together. So let's see where the starters and key reserves of this Super Bowl championship team came from. 1966 Miami Dolphins Starting Lineup QB Johnny Unitas (FA - 1965) RB Bill Cooper (1961 Draft - 4th round, 7th pick) FB Charlie Scales (FA - 1965) TE Tom Mitchell (1966 Draft - 3rd round, 30th pick) FL Paul Warfield (1964 Draft - 1st round, 22nd pick) SE Gary Ballman (1962 Draft - 3rd round, 26th pick) LT Bill Skoronski (FA - 1962) LG Fuzzy Thurston (FA - 1963) C Oronde Bland (Original Dolphin) RG Jim Simon (1963 Draft - 5th round, 12th pick) RT Dick Koepfer (1965 Draft - 2nd round, 19th pick) LDE Don Brumm (1963 Draft - 2nd round, 11th pick) LDT Henry Jordan (FA - 1963) RDT Walter Johnson (1965 Draft - 1st round, 23rd pick) RDE Pat Holmes (FA - 1966) SLB Jim Houston (FA - 1963) MLB Dave Lloyd (FA - 1963) WLB Maxie Baughan (FA - 1966) LCB Johnny Sample (FA - 1961) RCB Irv Cross (1961 Draft - 1st round, 10th pick) SS Ross Fitchner (FA - 1963) FS Don Fleming (FA - 1963) P John Seedborg (1964 Draft - 7th round, 22nd pick) K Garo Yepremian (1966 Draft - 7th round, 30th pick) 1963 was a big year in terms of landing starters. That's the offseason when we really overhauled our defense and it paid off great, as you can see. 1966 Miami Dolphins Key Reserves RB Paul Hornung (FA - 1964) TE Riddick Ingram (Original Dolphin) FL Charlie Frazier (1962 Draft - 1st round, 22nd pick) SE Gail Cogdill (FA - 1966) C Ken Engram (Original Dolphin) LG Mark Mathias (FA - 1961) RT Jim Battle (1966 Draft - 2nd round, 30th pick) LDE Mark Schau (Original Dolphin) LDT Walter Napier (FA - 1966) MLB Artie Kondvoski (FA - 1966) WLB Albert Gursky (1962 Draft - 4th round, 25 pick) LCB Jim Shorter (FA - 1966) SS Tom Walters (1964 Draft - 3rd round, 23rd pick) FS Dave Plump (1965 Draft - 3rd round, 18th pick) SS Rodger Bird (1966 Draft - 4th round, 3rd pick) What a fantastic team and what a way to get our first Super Bowl championship. :) |
Wow, way to go. That was quite a game. Now can you do it again?
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Thanks! :) Repeating is going to be tough. I predict another salary cap crunch coming up this offseason and with two 1st round picks, I'll have to do some creative renegotiations again. I'm also not certain who all we're losing or potentially losing in free agency just yet other than Ed Brown who certainly won't be back. |
In the midst of my delerious glee at winning the Super Bowl, I forgot to post the Team Summary, so here it is.
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Johnny U got his 4,000+ yard season, Cooper his 1,000 yard+ one. Warfield and Ballman became the first pair of 1,000 yard+ receivers in team history, with Warfield setting a franchise record along with Johnny U in yardage. Come to think of it, Cooper may have set his own single season team record for rushing yardage. Ballman also becomes the first Dolphin to have double digit TD receptions. Unfortunately, Gary doesn't have a ring, even though he was active for the Super Bowl, because he was Out. :( Hopefully someone out there can get us a player card editor because that still really, really bothers me. Frazier was a real end zone target this year and we all know about Cogdill's Super Bowl exploits. We got a lot more sack production out of the secondary this year than we ever have and that's not counting the great job they did in pass defense. Sure we gave up a lot of passing yardage in the second half, but that was more a function of teams trying to play catchup with us than anything else. The 1st in pass defense percentage tells the real story. Cross finally had the kind of career year people have been expecting out of him for a long time and his 2 critical Super Bowl interceptions went a long way to silencing his critics who claim he wasn't worth a Top 10 pick. Incidentally, Cross had a 97.6% Pass Defense in the playoffs and Johnny Sample was literally perfect with a 100% Pass Defense in our Super Bowl run. What a great find Holmes turned out to be, the kind of impact player on the level of Jordan, who though fading, was still a powerful force in the middle along with Johnson. I wonder if we'll see any retirements. Ah well, time to head on and see how we did in the awards. As one might expect from the Super Bowl champions, we get quite a few season awards this year. Dolphins Season Awards QB Johnny Unitas NFL MVP Super Bowl MVP Offensive Player of the Year 1st Team All-Pro QB Head Coach Tyrus Treftz Coach of the Year WR Paul Warfield 1st Team All-Pro WR K Garo Yepremian 2nd Team All-Pro K SS Ross Fitchner 2nd Team All-Pro S I expected the Unitas and Treftz nods, but Warfield getting a 1st Team selection and Yepremian and Fitchner's selections were extremely pleasant surprises. :) Nobody retires after our Super Bowl championship. Staff Hiring Lead Scout Leon Garibay goes from Average to Fair in Defensive Linemen, so we'll be on the lookout to replace him. Offensive Coordinator Jared Thamilarasan goes from Good to Very Good in Kickers/Punters and he's out of contract. We'll fight like hell to retain him, though. Defensive Coordinator Royce Womble has the first ever 4 area increase I've seen! -Good to VG in Kickers/Punters -Good to VG in Defensive Line -Average to Good in Linebackers -Good to VG in Young Talent I'm happier than ever that I gambled by bringing him in. :) Head Coach Tyrus Treftz improves from Very Good to Excellent in Defensive Playcalling. Despite the fact that our owner only let us offer $580k a year compared to the $660 he wanted, we sign Thamilarasan to a new 4 year contract and land a new Lead Scout for $60k a year at 3 years. Lead Scout Edwin Turnbull - 43 QB: Good RB: Average WR: Good OL: Average KP: Good DL: Average LB: Good DB: Average YT: Good I briefly consider raising ticket prices, as we're ranked 21st out of 30 in terms of average cost for family of four and our fan loyalty is through the roof, but then I notice that our stadium's in pretty bad shape, so I decide to keep costs low in hopes of garnering support for a new stadium when the time is right. (Support's a shade under 50% right now) It's a toss-up between Garo Yepremian and Tom Mitchell as to who goes to the Summer League, but Garo has a wider gap between current and future and will make the biggest impact on the team, so he's the selection. Free agency I'll do later tonight or tomorrow. Feeling tired and a nap sounds good right about now. |
We've got salary cap hell.
$50,000 under the salary cap. We can't even afford our draft picks this year. Negotiations lead to extensions in a few cases, as we're sitting in excellent financial shape after this season and can afford to extend. Extensions LCB Johnny Sample: 2 years, $630k LDT Henry Jordan: 2 years, $960k Also, QB Bob Schweikert is released, putting us at $910k under the salary cap, with $230k the max for a new player. Position Needs: TE, P, DT, MLB, CB The good news is that we're shopping for depth in all these cases and not starters, except P. Week 1 Re-Signings P John Seedborg: 1 year, $70k It's actually a veteran minimum deal and he'll be an okay stopgap. I'm putting out a bunch of vet min sal contracts out there, one year stopgaps to tide us over until we can better restructure the team. Week 2 Signings TE Sammie Hicks: 1 year, $100k* (Baltimore) -* denotes that it's actually only $50k under cap because of non-bonus veteran rules etc. Dynamite run-blocker who'll fit in well as a backup to Tom Mitchell. Also a chemistry guy, with affinity with Gail Cogdill. DT John Baker: 1 year, $100k* (Los Angeles) -10 year veteran mentor who's a great backup DT. I'm really pleased to land him, especially since he won a ring with the Rams a couple years ago. Week 4 Signings CB Kendall Reeves: 1 year, $100k* (Dallas) -Not the most electrifying player in the world, but he's a big-time chemistry guy as our new secondary leader and is a mentor to boot. I find it highly amusing that he played against us in the Super Bowl. Talk about if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Week 8 Losses DT Walter Napier: 1 year, $100k* (Tucson) -Did pretty well as a defensive front leader and backup for us last season, but I liked Baker's skill set and production a lot better. Week 9 Signings MLB Artie Kondovski: 1 year, $100k* Re-Signing -Brought back the guy who's one of my favorite backups on the team as he turned down more money from the Vikings to stay with us. That's the end of free agent shopping for us. We're now $660k under the cap, and -$20k as far as adding new players, so we may have to do another contract negotiation to get under the cap for our rookies. We've got 46 players under contract. Wait, we have some more negotiation to do because I suddenly realized we forgot someone very important. Week 9 Extension QB Johnny Unitas: 3 years, $3.22 mill. Week 10 Signings RB Bill Cooper: 1 year, $80k* Re-signing -Can't believe I almost left behind our starting RB, the only one to ever reach 1,000 yards rushing in Dolphins history (twice). Not to mention he's a mentor! Week 10 Losses SE Fred Dugan: 1 year, $110k* (Cincinnati) -I hate to lose this guy. He was a great mentor and a solid backup receiver for us, but life goes on. Draft up next, which I may do tonight yet. |
You wouldn't think a Super Bowl champion that's returning all of its starters would have any holes to fill, but we do.
We need, among other things, a homerun RB, a LG to replace Fuzzy Thurston after this year, a LT to replace the ancient Bob Skoronski as well as heirs at QB, C, reserve DE, DT, all 3 LB slots, and LCB. A better 5th receiver would be nice as well. So basically we're looking to upgrade at RB, replace the entire left side of our OL, and start building for the future. This is an excellent draft for top flight cornerbacks, but the genuine blue-chip talent drops pretty quickly after the first 6 or so picks. If you're looking for skill position players in the draft, forget about it. It's by and large 2nd round or lower type talent here. There's a certain young man who's the top QB available, but he looks terrible and I've always considered him an extremely overrated QB, so we won't be taking him. The big names are ILB Willie Lanier and CB Zeke Moore as far as most hyped prospects go. We have the 29th and 32nd picks, but see absolutely no reason to move up. A trade certainly remains a possibility, but I'm going to see how the 1st round shakes out first. 1967 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. ILB Willie Lanier - Cincinnati Bengals 2. DT Alan Page - Minnesota Vikings 3. CB Zeke Moore - Jacksonville Jaguars 4. RB Mel Farr - Seattle Seahawks 5. CB Bobby Bryant - Cleveland Browns 6. CB Lem Barney - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7. CB Leroy Mitchell - Carolina Panthers 8. OLB Pete Barnes - Kansas City Chiefs 9. G Larry Little - Buffalo Bills 10. CB Larry Carwell - New York Giants 11. S Mike Weger - Oakland Raiders 12. OLB Paul Naumoff - New England Patriots 13. S Ken Houston - Philadelphia Eagles 14. RB Floyd Little - St. Louis Cardinals 15. T Rayfield Wright - Chicago Bears 16. RB Dickie Post - New Orleans Saints 17. OLB Ed Philpott - Baltimore Ravens 18. DE Bubba Smith - Tucson Titans 19. ILB Frank Nunley - New Jersey Jets 20. RB Clint Jones - Los Angeles Rams 21. T Bob Rowe - Houston Oilers 22. OLB Chip Myrtle - Pittsburgh Steelers 23. OLB Jim Lynch - Los Angeles Rams 24. T Tom Cichowski - Indianapolis Colts 25. RB Travis Williams - Detroit Lions 26. CB Charlie Stukes - San Francisco 49ers 27. RB Don McCall - Denver Broncos 28. G Dick Hart - San Francisco 49ers A very quiet 1st round with no major surprises and no trades to speak of. There's one guy I've been eyeing for this selection and he managed to fall down to this level. He'll be a mainstay for at least the next 10 years, so I snatch him up so fast his head spins round. 29. G Gene Upshaw - Miami Dolphins 30. DT Dave Rowe - Houston Oilers 31. CB Ben Davis - Dallas Cowboys Interesting side note: Oronde Bland has become the new offensive line captain, despite Ken Engram's still being there and Jim Simon has an Extreme Conflict with him, as does Lloyd McCoy. Just-drafted Upshaw, on the other hand, has an Exceptional Affinity. So it appears the changing of the guard may happen sooner than I thought, even though Upshaw is still quite raw. There's a tough call to make with this 32nd pick. Do we trade it away for a future 1st rounder, or do we gamble with one of the guys who look like they could break out? There's a player I feel who could break out to be the answer at LT, possibly as soon as this season. On the other hand, he's a second round talent, really and should drop some more. So I decide to go trading. My first few offers to teams get turned down as they want more value, but then the Minnesota Vikings are only too happy to accept the 32nd pick in exchange for their next year's 1st rounder. 32. S Jon Charles - Minnesota Vikings There's a flurry of trades in the second round as if to make up for the lack of first round action to the point where something like 10 straight picks are traded off. Round about the 23rd pick, I'm getting nervous that the guy I eyed is about to be picked up. This leads me to contact Indianapolis about a trade. I offer them my 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th rounders to move up, which is overpaying a little bit according to the NFL Draft Value chart I use, but there's nobody in the lower rounds I was really fond of and if this guy's the answer, then I need LT Dick Cunningham. The trading frenzy finally stops at 2.28, which leads me to go look and see what all teams gave up and see how we did comparatively. ...It turns out we overpaid by a fair bit, but on the other hand, we didn't surrender any 3rd rounders, which every other team did, so go figure. Indianapolis flips that 32nd pick of ours into a 1969 2nd rounder from Carolina and the Panthers select some DE. Nice haul by the Colts there. ...I can't help but die of laughter when the first QB finally goes in the 3rd round. 3.7 QB Bob Griese - Buffalo Bills That's right, Griese, the signal-caller during the Super Bowl years of '72 and '73, the overrated QB I was talking about, will don our archrivals' uniform. Talk about hilarious! :D The C I was hoping to land in the 3rd got taken before our pick comes up, so I go with a fellow I think could be our nickel back sooner or later and who could break out in CB Carl Ward. Late free agency here we come. Week 2 Losses WR Jim Colclough - 1 year, $100k* Detroit Lions (Green Bay Packers) -Would've been a great fifth receiver and mentor for us, but he wants to stay where it's cold. Week 3 Signings WR Eric Cedeno - 1 year, $100k* (Indianapolis Colts) -Mentor wide receiver who becomes our new receivers captain and a chemistry guy with Charlie Frazier and Mickey Slaughter. Respectable 5th receiver. Code:
RG Gene Upshaw 1.29 37/72 45/74 +8/+2It's a sign of just how weak the draft was that with only 3 players and 2 of them looking like busts, we were able to get a B+ grade and the #9 ranked draft class. Lot of C+, C and C- grades from this draft, the most I've ever seen. Upshaw is even better than I predicted he'd be. He instantly turns into our RG starter and he'll sit there for the next 10 years. Jim Simon moves to backup, but he's good enough to move to LG after Fuzzy Thurston leaves town. |
You'll have to keep us up to date on Griese's progress in Buffalo to see if you made the right decision.
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Will do. I forgot to grab his initial post-draft ratings, but after training camp, he's sitting at 13/38, well behind 5th year man Daryle Lamonica (56/56, #2 overall pick in the 1963 draft, who showed signs of breaking out last year in his 2nd season as a starter) and 9th year journeyman vet Joe Kapp (27/41), who embarassed as the Colts' starting QB last year. Things don't look good for Bob right now and I don't think they'll get any better unless he starts making major strides. No mentor QBs on the Bills' roster yet, though I think Lamonica stands an outside chance of becoming one. |
Congrats on that Super Bowl!
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Thank you! :) |
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Unitas, Johnny 2 QB 13 70 70 3 yrsUnitas continues his drop, but he's still a terrific QB. Berry likes to pretend he's a better quarterback than Slaughter, but such is not the case. Case in point: 12 points difference, but Berry has 70 experience vs 40 for Slaughter. Furthermore, Mickey's just flat-out outplayed Bob at every opportunity. Code:
Hornung, Paul 48 RB 11 30 30 3 yrsI'll be so glad when Hornung's contract comes off the books. Worst free agent signing I've ever made. Cooper will start again and I'm going to make Reeves the backup this year. He's shown enough in his first two seasons to seriously intrigue me. Hornung will be the 3rd down back only this season, maybe a special teams gunner too. Shy sits on the inactive list. Scales is still an adequate FB, but Granger doesn't look like he's going to pan out ever. Oh well, not a big deal. Code:
Hicks, Sammie 83 TE 8 39 39 1 yr.Hicks and Mitchell are going to fight it out in preseason for the starting TE job. No problems at WR though, with Warfield and Ballman starting, Frazier and Cogdill the backups and Cedeno the 5th receiver. Roderick gets to be on the practice squad. I really want Ballman to get a ring this year. I'm pissed that he got left out of the ceremony last season. Incidentally, Warfield is the 4th best receiver in the NFL by current. Code:
Engram, Ken 51 C 11 32 32 1 yr.Skoronski-Thurston-Bland-Upshaw-Battle will be the starting five, as Battle is a more balanced blocker than Koepfer and with better endurance besides. Who the active reserves are going to be is a real tossup right now. I think Cunningham's a lot better than what his numbers show, he just needs the playing time. I'll sit Alford for sure, McCoy too, as I'm not liking that Extreme Conflict. Mathias, Simon, and Cunningham will all be active backups; Koepfer is on the bubble. Code:
Seedborg, John 18 P 4 50 50 1 yr.I'm fine with both of these players. Seedborg's directional knack makes him more worthwhile than his raw numbers would suggest. Code:
Schau, Mark 98 LDE 9 27 27 2 yrsNo issues here. Brumm-Jordan-Johnson-Holmes, with Schau and Baker in reserve. Code:
Lloyd, Dave 93 MLB 9 57 57 2 yrsI really need to upgrade the strong side, but we'll go with the same Houston-Lloyd-Baughan starters as last year, with Kondvoski and Gursky the backups again. Code:
Sample, Johnny 43 LCB 10 45 45 2 yrsWe need a serious infusion of talented youth here. None of the young bodies really cut it, though Plump I suspect of being better than his current rating suggets. Bird is strictly backup material and punt return extraordinnare and I don't hold out hope for Ward. So for another year, we'll go with the Fantastic Four of Sample-Cross-Fichtner-Fleming. Only the fact that our nickel back keeps changing keeps us from a higher cohesion rating in the secondary than we have (89, 8th in the league). We've definitely got the stuff for another playoff run, but this team's getting older and didn't improve significantly in the offseason, save for Upshaw. A Super Bowl defense is possible, but I wouldn't bet the farm on us this year. |
Preseason
Miami 37 Atlanta 10 Bill Cooper runs for 2 TDs and Garo Yepremian is 3/3 for FG, including a 51 yarder. Sammie Hicks tops Tom Mitchell and the closer I look at them, the more Hicks stands out to be as the one who should start. Mitchell, ironically, injures his Achilles tendon and may miss the rest of preseason, ditto Mark Schau, who breaks his foot. Fortunately I have two open spots on the team, so no changes need to be made in order to sign TE mentor Marvin Baker and affinity rookie Andrew Weathersby. Want to know how bad the free agent market is? Baker and Weathersby were among the top free agents and their ratings are 14 and 5 respectively. Ouch, no? Dallas 7 Miami 16 No standout performances at all here, save for Dave Lloyd who wins Game MVP honors with 7 tackles, 3 assists, a sack and a knockdown. Tom Mitchell is now probable, but he'll sit another game. Johnny Unitas will start the last two preseason games. Gene Upshaw hyperextends his knee and will miss the rest of the preseason. Jim Simon will start in his place at RG, Lloyd McCoy his backup. Tampa Bay 27 Miami 31 Tough game against our in-state foes, but it's only preseason and we still won. Gary Ballman gets 5 catches for 93 yards, pretty good for preseason. Johnny Unitas is flawless at 12 for 16 for 177 yards and 2 TDs. Walter Johnson notched 4 tackles, 2 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. Tom Mitchell is ready to come back, so Baker goes on inactive. Miami 7 Philadelphia 31 A surprise upset by the Eagles and a sour ending note to the preseason. Johnny Unitas and Mickey Slaughter combined for 5 interceptions, ruining Dave Lloyd's 12 tackle, 3 assist showcase. Gene Upshaw is still questionable as we go into Week 1 so I decide to sit him. No sense is risking a great player's career for a couple regular season games that we can easily make up should we lose. I didn't think this was going to end up being the case, but Dick Cunningham improved 2 points just in preseason and I think he played well enough to deserve the starting spot, so in the biggest shock of the exhibition period, Cunningham becomes our starting LT. Mark Schau is ready to come back thankfully. Our backup situation at DE was looking really hairy with a 5 rated guy there. Regular Season Buffalo 16 Miami 30 We open the year with a very comfortable win over our archivals. Johnny Unitas is Game MVP at 22-31 for 249 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. Gary Ballman has 7 catches for 104 yards. Johnny Sample returns an interception 23 yards for a TD. But the real fireworks were in the kicking game. Garo Yepremian and former Dolphins K Allen Green were both 3/3, with Green nailing a 50 yarder and Yepremian bettering him. To wit: 1Q Garo Yepremian 54 yard field goal 1Q Garo Yepremian 50 yard field goal 4Q Garo Yepremian 50 yard field goal. That's right. 3/3 from 50+ range. Absolutely amazing. :) Gene Upshaw is upgraded to Probable, so he'll start. Ross Fitchner is questionable after getting tendinitis in the knee, so Tom Walters will start, Rodger Bird the backup. Miami 31 Dallas 28 In the Super Bowl rematch, we top the favored Cowboys pretty easily. The score only looks as close as it does because they got a late fumble return for a TD. Johnny Unitas was once again the hero: 25-33 for 332 yards and 3 TDs. Paul Warfield had 10 catches for 136 yards and a TD, and running mate Gary Ballman put on a deep threat clinic with 5 catches for 131 yards and a TD. Ross Fichtner is up to probable, so he's back in the game. San Diego 14 Miami 9 A great day for the passing game again as Johnny Unitas is 24-39 for 315 yards and a TD, Gary Ballman the deep man again with 5 catches for 129 yards, but the weakness in our running game was exposed today and it killed us. Dave Lloyd had 13 tackles and 5 assists in a rare individual standout for the defense thus far in the young year. Sammie Hicks is doubtful and Fuzzy Thurston is questionable. They'll both sit, Tom Mitchell and Mark Mathias their replacements. Miami 17 New England 20 ...I don't get this upset at all. The Patriots pick up their first win of the year against us on 2 FGs in the last 2 minutes of the game. I'm freaking pissed. Paul Warfield has 6 catches for 115 yards and Dave Lloyd picks up 10 tackles, an assist and 2 sacks, but that's all she wrote for good performances this game. Sammie Hicks is fully healed and Fuzzy Thurston is probable, so back on the field they come after that embarassing loss to New England. Miami 27 Jacksonville 20 We finally break the losing streak, but it was a come from behind victory only secured by Bill Cooper's 8 yard TD run with under a minute to play. Paul Warfield does his usual heroics with 7 catches for 100 yards and Irv Cross started the game with an electrifying 87 yard kickoff return for a TD, but I'm wondering what the hell is wrong with this team. Walter Johnson puts on a great game with 5 tackles, 2 assists, and 2 sacks. The revolving door at LG can't be helping as Fuzzy Thurston is questionable again. Sad thing is, he's signed on for another year after this one. Sigh. On comes Mark Mathias. Houston 17 Miami 10 This is freaking disgusting. Johnny Unitas has been looking seriously mortal and our running game isn't cutting it at all. Dave Lloyd amasses 11 tackles and 4 assists in our lone highlight. Fuzzy Thurston's probable and it couldn't come at a better time as Mark Mathias is now out. Irv Cross is questionable too, so he'll sit while Kendall Reeves takes his turn as a starter and Gail Cogdill assumes primary kick return duties. There's no way in hell we should be 3-3 right now. We're a lot better than that. Miami 21 Buffalo 38 God motherfucking asscrotchet DAMN IT!!! We couldn't afford to lose this game to our archrivals, who were 4-2 and on top of the division, so of course we blow it. Is there some fucking stupid ass Super Bowl hangover season code in this damn game?! Paul Warfield tags 7 balls for 115 yards and Rodger Bird returns a punt 77 yards for a TD. Jim Houston gets 10 tackles and an assist and this season is going downhill fast. Irv Cross goes to Probable and his ass is on the field so fast his head spins, but then, this season being what it is Dave Lloyd will miss the next game. :rolleyes: MLB Les Vahata, mentor and new defensive front captain for all of 1 or 2 games, :rolleyes:, is signed to back Artie Kondovski while Lloyd is out. At least I have the sadistic pleasure of cutting John Roderick to make room for Vahata. Indianapolis 17 Miami 31 This is the kind of morale-building win we needed. An efficient game from Johnny Unitas, 2 interceptions by our secondary and Walter Johnson having his finest day as a pro with 8 tackles, 4 assists, 1.5 sacks, a block, a hurry and a knockdown bring us to .500 at the halfway point. We've also got a bye week coming up that we very much need. Buffalo's still atop the division at 5-2 and Oakland is only a game up for the second wild-card spot at 5-3. This season is still very much salvageable, but we need to snap out of the funk we're in and get it done. On the bright side, Minnesota is one of three teams at the bottom of the league with a 1-6 record. KUTGW, Vikings! Let's look at the tape. Code:
Record 4-4 Some things jump out immediately: Our running game is putrid (rather like the Marino-era Dolphins in real life) and our defense has taken a turn for the worse, especially the pass defense, which those of you've been reading this all along know has traditionally been our money area. Another telling statistic: Pat Holmes, such a big part of our season last year, is still waiting on his first sack, although Walter Johnson is having an awesome season to partially atone for it. The one area that isn't troubling is our passing game. Unitas may be fading, but he still has it and Warfield is truly an elite receiver now. Ballman's on a mission to get that ring he was unjustly denied last year. I think I'll start Bob Skoronski at LT from here on out. Maybe having a veteran there will alleviate some of the pressure. Besides, he's pissed about not starting and I don't really blame him, to be honest. The season's still very salvageable. Playoffs and the division crown are both within reach, but our margin for error is pretty slim. |
Is Griese starting in Buffalo? It looks like you got to the big game in the right season, it's amazing how fast a team can look old, which your running game and pass rush sure look. Even between Johnson and Holmes you haven't gotten alot of heat with only 18.5 pressures, when you should be looking at closer to 30 combined for your top two guys.
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Nope, it's still Lamonica starting, though Griese is up to 15/38 as of right now. And yes, our running game does look ancient right now. I'm somewhat tempted to give Reeves the starting job, but I won't. Pass rushing has traditionally been a weakness for us, as I've never had a topflight DE to date. Schau was good for a few years, but never dominant and Brumm has been awful since switching over to the left side. So while the team is still good overall, I think, we've got a lot of holes to fill, more than we did last year. You're right about us catching lightning in a bottle last year, it seems. I'd just hate to think our Super Bowl victory was a fluke. On the other hand, we're primed to reload this next offseason with the cap room we'll get and the draft picks we'll have. :) |
In the attitude advisory report, Bob Skoronski is angry as I said before, but he'll start so his fury should go away. Dick Koepfer is disgruntled, which is fair, since he and Jim Battle are pretty equal, but the curious one is Dave Plump, who seems to think he should be starting over Don Fleming. Sorry Dave, it ain't happening.
Miami 24 Tucson 7 If there's one player who has reason more than any other to want to get back to the Super Bowl, it's Gary Ballman and he proved it today. All 9 passes thrown his way, he caught, for 182 yards and a TD on his way to Game MVP honors. Pat Holmes finally gets on the sack board with a tackle, an assist, 1.5 sacks, a block and 3 hurries. Miami 14 New Jersey 10 Extremely critical victory over the Jets, who had the tiebreaker advantage over us. The come from behind win came courtesy of Irv Cross, who raced up the field 97 yards with just under 5 minutes in the game for a KR TD. Johnny Unitas was 18-32 for 316 yards, a TD and an INT. Don Brumm gets in the multi-sack game with 4 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks, a block, and 2 hurries. Dave Lloyd comes back to give our D a much needed boost, but Maxie Baughan is questionable with a pulled hamstring and 5th receiver Eric Cedeno is out with a separated shoulder. Baughan will play on as we're in the thick of a playoff and division hunt. Oscar Lofton, an 8 year vet released by the Seahawks earlier this year, becomes the stopgap 5th receiver and C Mike Alford is cut. Philadelphia 9 Miami 23 A solid running game today as Bill Cooper and Dan Reeves run for 89 and 75 yards respectively, Tyrus Treftz going with a balanced rushing attack. Dave Lloyd gets an interception in his first game back and Don Brumm continues his hot streak with 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 hurries. We're now tied with Buffalo for the division lead at 7-4, but they hold the tiebreaker advantage. There's also a bunch of 7-4 teams all fighting for the last playoff spot. As of right now, we're out. Miami 0 Pittsburgh 20 Shut out by the Steelers. ARGH! Dave Lloyd with 13 tackles, 3 assists and a hurry. Johnny Unitas completed 25 of 50 passes, but it wasn't enough to even get us on the scoreboard. Albert Gursky is doubtful, but at this point, I'm throwing everyone into the fire unless they're definitely out. Miami 35 New York 34 Our running game continues to blow, but Johnny Unitas bails us out with a 28-45, 425 yard, 5 TD, 2 INT performance. Gary Ballman has 13 catches for 187 yards and 3 TDs, Paul Warfield 8 balls for 137 yards and a TD. We're guaranteed a .500 record after that nailbiter win that was again a come from behind effort. Of course, not even a win can come easy. Charlie Frazier misses the next game, though Eric Cedeno comes back. But the biggest blow is Bill Cooper who has a compound leg fracture and won't be back until Late 1968. His fine career with the Dolphins looks to sadly be over. Cooper goes on IR, Dan Reeves starts and RB mentor and Bills castoff Larry Garron is signed to be the top backup and split passing downs with Reeves. New England 9 Miami 26 We punish the Patriots for their temerity in upsetting us earlier in the year. Gary Ballman has 6 catches for 122 yards and Garo Yepremian hits 4/5 FGs, including a franchise record 57 yarder. Walter Johnson paces the pass rush with 4 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 knockdowns. Washington 7 Miami 27 With a ton of teams at 9-5, we really needed this win and we get it, lowering the boom on the Redskins. Johnny Unitas is 26-33 for 306 yards, 2 TDs and an INT, Gary Ballman again the end-zone man with 10 catches for 129 yards and both TDs. Paul Warfield catches 8 passes for 110 yards himself as our dynamite duo at WR does it again. Johnny Sample gets 2 interceptions, returning one back for a TD and Don Fleming has 10 tackles, 2 assists, a pass defense, and an interception. Don Brumm picks up 4 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown, continuing his second-half Mark Schau-esque surge. Unbelivably, we're still not in the playoffs at 10-5, as we're the odd man out in the 3 way tie of 10-5. We need to win and one of Houston or Oakland to lose. At least we get Charlie Frazier back. New Jersey 28 Miami 34 The Jets came in bound and determined to play the spoiler role, but they weren't quite able to pull it off as Larry Garron surprises everyone by rushing for 2 TDs. Paul Warfield catches 7 passes for 121 yards, but the Game MVP was none other than Pat Holmes. Chained all season long, he had a breakout game today with 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. Oakland loses so we're in the playoffs! Even better, Buffalo loses, so we repeat as the AFC East Champions!. Unfortunately, we lose the tiebreaker for a first round bye, so we're playing in the wild card round. But that's okay. The important thing is, the defending Super Bowl champions have made the playoffs after a rough first half. |
We draw a very familiar opponent in the Wild Card round, none other than the Houston Oilers, who we're 0-2 against in the playoffs.
Norman McNeil is no George Blanda and he's particularly notorious for being interception-prone, which will be huge against our secondary. I said in the 1964 draft that if Paul Warfield hadn't fallen to me, I would've taken Mack Lee Hill, who's rushed for over 1,200 yards in his first 3 seasons and over 1,000 yards this year, his 4th season. He's hit double digit TDs as well and is adequate in ball protection. Nice to know that I still have a nose for picking RBs in the draft. :) Billy Cannon, Charley Hennigan and Bill Groman are still around and still brilliant receivers, giving the Oilers the firepower to match up with ours at that position. Their offensive line is just sick, it's so good, though their kickers leave much to be desired. Don Floyd is the all-time sacks leader and had 15.5 this preseason. Fortunately, the rest of the defensive line features two rookies who are still developing at the DT spots and Tim Powell, a third year player who... well damn, he got 12.5 sacks in his first year as a starter. Wahoo McDaniel is a force at MLB, but the rest of the linebacking corps is nothing frightening. Houston's secondary is scary, however, with a trio of fairly talented cornerbacks and SS Jim Norton, the 1960 Defensive Rookie of the Year and 4-time 1st Team-All Pro. In short, this game isn't going to be easy. Either one of us could win as the Oilers really do have a talented ballclub. So talented, in fact, that Houston's favored by 4. But it turns out to not even be close. Dan Reeves runs for the first 2 TDs of the game en route to a 30 carry, 113 yard performance, his finest for Miami and at just the right time. Johnny Unitas is a laser at 23-28 for 240 yards and 2 TDs. Walter Johnson records 2 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 hurries and 2 knockdowns to pace the defense. Most telling defensive statistic: Houston's two QBs combined for less than 50% completion of their passes at 15/32. Final Score: Houston 7 Miami 34 We've excised the Oiler curse and are back to the divisional round! |
Although we had a remarkably easy time of it against the Houston Oilers, that won't be the case against our foes in the Divisional Round, the San Diego Chargers.
Fran Tarkenton, the #1 overall pick in the first ever rookie draft, 1961, has blossomed into a truly great QB (73/73), one who's really entered the prime of his career and has thrown for over 3,000 yards the last two seasons, with 20+ TDs and single digit interceptions in that same time span. Unfortunately for Tarkenton and the reason why he hasn't been an All-Pro yet, he has some real scrubby receivers. Marv Fleming is a blocking machine and not a pass catcher at TE, Don Norton is one of the worst starting flankers in the league and Otis Taylor just had his first year as a starter this season. For the running game, Paul Lowe has rushed for over 1,000 yards every year in this universe except 1960. I'd call him underrated, but he's notorious for his fumbleitis, breaking double digit cough-ups in two years. What Tarkenton does have is a pair of extremely gifted tackles in LT Ernie Wright, who's made the last 4 All-Pro teams and RT Ron Mix, an All-Pro 3 of the last 4 years. However San Diego's starting guards are even worse than ours and one of them, along with their first string C, are Red Flag players. You know a P is bad when he consistently averages in the mid to high 30s, but for some reason the bum still has his job. K George Blair is one of the most underrated in the league, however. The Chargers run a 3-4 and have absolutely horrible DEs, their starters so bad they'd be cut from our team. NT Tom Keating is a bright young star, however, and just made the All-Pro team last season (2nd Team) and looks to make the 1st Team this year after a 14 sack regular season. SILB Mike Lucci is the best of a mediocre to poor linebacking corps, but San Diego's secondary is impressive, spearheaded by 1965's Fastest Man Dick Harris at CB and 2-time All-Pro SS Charlie McNeil. A major injury blow for the Chargers occurred in Week 1 when CB Mel Renfro was lost for the year due to reconstructive knee surgery, but they played well even without him. Can we win this game? Of course, but it's not going to be easy. Tarkenton is the equal of Unitas in talent, their secondary equivalent to ours and their offensive line somewhat better. They're favored by 2. It's as tight a game as I and the oddmakers figured, with the score tied at halftime and at the end of the 3rd quarter at 10-10 and 17-17 respectively. And then... well I'll tell you at the end of the post. I'll mention the individual highlights first. Johnny Unitas was 26-37 for 332 yards and 2 TDs, Paul Warfield catching 9 passes for 129 yards. Early in the fourth quarter, Unitas found Gary Ballman from 9 yards out for the TD and we hold on for the victory! Unitas was Game MVP as you can imagine, but the real reason we won this game was absolute mastery in a total team effort on defense. Fran Tarkenton completed just 50% of his passes and we held the Chargers to 58 total yards rushing as a team, Walter Johnson and Henry Jordan doing a fantastic job of stuffing up the middle. Miami 24 San Diego 17 We're going back to the AFC Championship!!! |
Things are tough as we attempt to get back to the Super Bowl, as you might expect at this point in the playoffs. We're facing off against the Cleveland Browns, they of the 0-3 Super Bowl record, who are returning to the playoffs after missing out last season and losing Super Bowl VI to the Los Angeles Rams.
Len Dawson's numbers may have declined the last couple of years, but the 11 year vet is still one of the top QBs in the game and a worthy equal to Johnny Unitas. Unlike Tarkenton, he's actually delivered on his ability with two All-Pro appearances, the last in 1965, along with the 1963 MVP Award. The almighty Jim Brown is showing his age as well, as the 11th year runner posted his first sub-4.00 YPC in a season this year (3.93) and had his string of consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons broken last year with 954 rushing yards. That being said, he rebounded for 1,151 yards and 9 TDs in the regular season and had a career low in fumbles with 1. Not bad at all for a position that traditionally has the shortest shelf life in the NFL. TE Milt Morin is in just his 2nd season, but he's already emerged as one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the league and is an extremely valuable safety valve for Dawson. Bobby Mitchell is another greybeard at 10 years of experience, but he's never had below 1,000 yards receiving in a season. Unfortunately for the Browns, he and Morin are the only reliable receivers on Cleveland's roster, as everyone else is just filler. Dick Schafrath, Ed Budde and John Schmitt form a terrific left side of the line at LT, LG, and C respectively, but there's gaping holes on the right side that we should be able to take advantage of. Curley Johnson is the best punter in the game, as evidenced by his two consecutive 1st Team All-Pro P selections the last two years. The defensive front is Cleveland's biggest weakness. They run a 3-4, but have an awful defensive line and their best linebacker, SILB Bob Matheson, is a rookie who's still growing into his considerable potential and has an Extreme Conflict with the front seven leader besides. The Browns redeem themselves in the secondary, though. Rookie Bobby Bryant and second year man Tony King form an exceptional pair of young, talented cornerbacks who look like they could become the next great duo. Safety is a weak spot, however, especially since starting SS George Saimes, who broke out in the regular season, will miss this game. It'll be another rough ride, but this game is extremely winnable. The Browns have a pretty porous defense, which should translate into a high scoring affair, given their offensive weapons and ours. We're favored by 2, in a reversal of the last game. Cleveland goes up 17-14 at the half, thanks to some absolutely stellar passing by Len Dawson and some amazing runs by Jim Brown, but then our coaching staff makes some adjustments at the break and the second half, particularly the 3rd quarter is all Miami. In actuality, it's all Johnny Unitas, who throws for 3 TD passes in the second half on his way to winning Game MVP honors with a beautiful line of 27-34 for 327 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INTs, 146.3 rating, which may be a new franchise playoff record. Gary Ballman can smell the ring in front of him and like he has all season long, comes up huge with 10 catches for 162 yards and a TD. Johnny U's 3rd quarter firestorm took the Browns out of their gameplan. They'd intended to keep relying on Brown, but were forced to go to the air and that wasn't going to work with Cleveland's handicap at WR and our formidable secondary. Dawson threw 2 second half interceptions and misfired on a lot of passes, ending the Browns' hopes of ending the Super Bowl curse. Miami 35 Cleveland 24 We're going back to the Super Bowl!!!! We have a shot at our second straight championship!!!!! I really, really want this ring for Gary Ballman. |
Super Bowl VIII Preview
Miami Dolphins vs. San Francisco 49ers The Miami Dolphins become the first team in NFL History to make it to two consecutive Super Bowls and are the defending champs. San Francisco appears in its second bowl game in team history. They lost to Johnny Unitas's Indianapolis Colts 34-31 in Super Bowl II. Miami Dolphins Out List RB Bill Cooper (Starter) FS Don Fleming (Starter) San Francisco 49ers Out List WILB Greg Keshishyan (Starter) CB Bobby Boyd (Reserve) Position Comparison Quarterback You wouldn't guess that Johnny Unitas is in his 13th season. The Dolphins great still looks like a legend in his prime, with 4,234 passing yards, 23 TDs and 9 INTs during the regular season and an incredible 134.2 QB rating in this postseason run, with 9 TDs and 0 INTs. 3 Super Bowl games, 3 rings, 3 Super Bowl MVPs. Johnny U beat the 49ers in Super Bowl II. Can he repeat the magic one more time? John Brodie is no youngster himself, an 11 year veteran who has only been a starter for 3 years as he played behind a man they called Y.A. Tittle. Despite the short time leading the 49ers attack, he's been absolutely sensational, posting two straight 4,000+ yard seasons. Last year, he was the 2nd Team All-Pro QB behind Unitas and this year, Brodie threw for 4,406 yards, 34 TDs and 8 INTs. All that John lacks to be compared to Unitas's stature is postseason success and taking San Franciso to the Super Bowl goes a long way to that end. Advantage: Draw Running Back When Miami lost Bill Cooper for the year in Week 15, many people thought the Dolphins' playoff hopes were over, but third year RB Dan Reeves has been far more effective in the postseason than anyone could have hoped for, rushing for 255 yards in the run to the Super Bowl, including a masterful 113 yard, 2 TD performance in the Wild Card round against the Houston Oilers. Larry Garron, the late season replacement signed to back Reeves, has proven a fantastic find. The 8th year vet's blazing speed gave the Dolphins an excellent change of pace back and he's been an invaluable safety valve for Unitas in the playoffs. The 49ers also have a third year back starting in the big game, hard-running overachiever Gene Foster, who's run for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three pro seasons. He ran for a career high 1,203 yards and 14 TDs in the regular season and also caught 40 passes for 274 yards. Larry Ferguson is a pedestrian backup with the critical ability to hang on to the football. Advantage: 49ers Wide Receivers Miami hosts block maestro Sammie Hicks at TE, but he's only a minor part of the receiving game. The lion's share of passes go to 1st Team All-Pro Paul Warfield, who experienced a slight dropoff from last year, but still had 100 receptions for 1,428 yards and 5 TDs while majorly cutting his drops. The vastly underrated Gary Ballman mans the other side and he had a career year in the regular season, with 100 catches for 1,509 yards and 11 TDs, his 4th straight year of at least 1,000 yards receiving. He's hungry to win the Super Bowl ring he didn't get last season after being forced to miss the title game due to injury. Charlie Frazier continues to be one of the best backup wide receivers in the game. Gail Cogdill, such a hero last year in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, appears to have fallen off the map in the Dolphins' passing game. San Francisco's Gene Prebola is one of the most underrated tight ends in the league, able to both catch passes and block. Roy Jefferson is only in his third year, but the young star has over 1,100 yards in each of his 3 seasons and he's caught at least 8 TD passes a year. Charley Taylor, in his fourth season, has been even more spectacular since taking over the split end job for good two years ago. With at least 1,300 yards and 10 TDs in the last two seasons, he's dynamite and Taylor proved it beyond a doubt this year when he had career highs of 1,504 yards and 14 TDs in the regular season with just 4 drops. He reminds people a lot of a younger version of Warfield and Ballman. Unfortunately for the 49ers, there's only warm bodies in the way of backups. Should Jefferson or Taylor go down in the game, there's no one who can fill the void like Frazier can for the Dolphins. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line With 2 rookies and a second year player on the starting line when the Dolphins broke camp, cohesion problems were bound to occur and many blame the offensive line's poor play for Miam's struggles in the first half of the season. Then, the aging Bob Skoronski was handed his starting job back at LT and rookie RG Gene Upshaw continued his rapid progress in the second half. Instantly, the line gelled and played fantastically better in the second half and have done well as a unit in the playoffs thus far. Skoronski's physical skills may be eroded, but the 12th year vet is a brilliant strategist, relying on his experience and intelligence to be the most reliable player on the Dolphins' line. LG Fuzzy Thurston was finally healthy for most of a season, which did much to improve the performance of the offensive line. C Oronde Bland, however, had his worst performance ever in a Dolphins uniform, both in the regular season and the playoffs. His contract is up this season and he may well not be back next year. Upshaw struggled in pass protection in the first half of the regular season, but has been on fire since then and is averaging 40% on run blocks in the playoffs, with 0 sacks allowed and a pancake block. He'll be a great guard for the next 10 years. RT Jim Battle is arguably the weakest link in the line, a good run blocker, but a sieve in pass protection. The 49ers build their line on a group of physically strong blockers who are solid all-around players without being exceptionally great or weak in any area. The one exception is RT Joe Carallo, who is an even bigger hole in the passing game than Battle. Most telling statistic for San Francisco's line philosophy: LT Monte Clark, with 6 pancake blocks in the regular season, has more than all of Miami's offensive line together. Advantage: 49ers Defensive Line Miami's pass rush, anemic in the first half, bloomed in the second half. DE Don Brumm bounced back from a rough year and a half of adjustment to the left side to record 8 sacks. On the opposite Pat Holmes regressed from his 13.5 sack a year ago. Truthfully, the DEs are only adequate for the Dolphins, though reserve Mark Schau is a great backup option. The real strength of Miami's defensive line is in the tackles, with the ageless Henry Jordan still a force and third year pro Walter Johnson getting better and better with each passing season. In fact, in the regular season Johnson had 54 tackles, almost double his previous career high, and 8 sacks, another career high, tying him for the team lead. Ben Davidson is extraordinarily gifted at LDE for the 49ers, but he's notorious for his inconsistency and underachievement relative to his talent. RDE Dick Evey is just another body. Injury problems limited NT Jim Colvin to 11 starts in the regular season, but he's a vacuum in the middle of the line, a real tackle machine who hits runners hard. Advantage: Dolphins Linebackers Dave Lloyd is one of the most underappreciated MLBs in the league. The guy does nothing but perform fantastically year in and year out and he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. SLB Jim Houston overachieves relative to his mediocre talent, contrary to WLB Maxie Baugham, who has been a major disappointment since signing a lucrative free agent deal with the Dolphins in 1966 free agency. Artie Kondovski is a run-stopping force at backup MLB. Albert Gursky is adequate reserve on the outside, but nothing more. San Franciso has a bunch of stiffs at linebacker, the noteable exceptions being second year WLB Crawfish Guidry, who is a terrific player against both the run and the pass and SLB Roy Winston, who stunned everyone with a 9.5 sack season in his first year as a starter after signing with the 49ers in free agency. Advantage: Draw Secondary There's no question that Johnny Sample is he most underappreciated cornerbacks in all of football. The all-time passes defensed leader has never made the Pro Bowl and is considered on the decline by scouts. All he did was intercept a career high 6 passes in the regular season, returning 2 for TDs while putting up his usual consistent tackle numbers and phenomenal pass defense both in the regular season and the playoffs. Running mate Irv Cross never did live up to the lofty expectations that made him the #10 overall pick in the 1961 draft, but he's still a respectable corner and one of the greatest kick returners in the game. Nickelback Kendall Reeves is just another guy. The loss of FS Don Fleming for the Super Bowl is huge, although Dave Plump is one of the better reserve free safeties in the NFL. SS Ross Fichtner is a terrific tackler and good in the pass defense to boot. Rookie Charlie Stukes still has some growing to do, but the 1st rounder flashed some exciting ability during the regular season and looks like he could be a shutdown corner someday. Left corner Warren Livingston is extremely overrated. SS Dave Baker is one of the best strong safeties in the league, even better than Fichtner, but FS Jim Welch is nowhere near starter-level. Advantage: Dolphins Line: San Francisco favored by 6 |
If we win this game, it'll be because of our advantage on defense, I'm thinking.
Same setup as last time with regards to simming. San Francisco gets the ball first on their own 16. John Brodie scrambles for 9 yards and throws a 34 yard pass to Zack Kaplan, but then the 49ers get hit with a holding penalty that sets them back as they near the 50 yard line and a Walter Johnson sack ends the burgeoning threat. Unfortunately, Johnny Unitas gets intercepted on our very first play of the game by Dave Baker and it's returned to our 28 yard line. A few great passes by John Brodie and two short runs by Larry Ferguson later and San Fran draws first blood. San Francisco 7 Miami 0 8:21 1st Quarter Irv Cross returns the ensuing kickoff to the 50 yard line, but we go 3 and out and punt it away. John Brodie then goes 6 of 7 on the drive that follows and another short Larry Ferguson run results in a TD. We're floundering and floundering fast. San Francisco 14 Miami 0 14:24 2nd Quarter The teams exchange a pair of 3 and out series, when Dan Reeves rushes for 12 yards and our offense is suddenly showing signs of life as Johnny Unitas finally starts getting untracked, completing three straight passes, including a 20 yarder to Paul Warfield for the TD! We're back in the game now. San Francisco 14 Miami 7 5:59 2nd Quarter San Francisco threatens again as their offense is running extremely well, but then another timely Walter Johnson sack again snuffs out the danger and we get the ball back around the 2 minute warning. We drive down to the San Francisco 32, but aren't able to get the FG try off in time before the half expires. There's a lot of double coverage going on here, which I find interesting. Dave Baker gets hurt on the drive and it looks like a bad knee injury. He may not be back the rest of the game. San Francisco 14 Miami 7 Halftime Not the greatest of first halves, but we'll take it as we're still in this thing. ...And of course we get a holding penalty and Johnny Unitas gets sacked to make a 3 and out. Once more the 49ers push down the field and it's looking like they're going to score, but another key sack, this time by Pat Holmes, pushes them out of field goal range and we're still alive. Sadly, it's yet another 3 and out as San Francisco's defense is just playing with absolute fire and intensity right now. My heart's in my throat as John Brodie puts together another run of brilliantly executed passes, bringing them down to our 3 yard line, but then Albert Gursky bursts through the line to slam Gene Foster so hard he fumbles the ball. Dave Lloyd picks it up and in one of the most amazing plays in Super Bowl history, returns it 99 yards down the field for the TD!!!!!!!! The tie is in effect!!! The 3rd quarter ends with that scoreline. San Francisco 14 Miami 14 End 3rd But of course, Gene Foster then goes apeshit on the next drive, with 3 runs of 10 yards or more, including an 11 yard rumble for the TD. Way to make up for your fumble, Gene. San Francisco 21 Miami 14 9:05 4th Quarter We're starting to run out of time and we've honestly been lucky to score the points we have. Three incomplete passes later, we punt again. Johnny Unitas is having the worst game of his career at the worst possible time. Two penalties on the 49ers next drive kill them and we get the ball at midfield, an excellent opportunity before us to tie it up again. We put together a series of short run and pass plays and escape a 4th and 3 with a little Johnny Unitas to Paul Warfield magic just before the two minute warning. First play after we get back from the 2:00 mark, Johnny Unitas again finds Paul Warfield, for 13 yards and the TD!!! We're tied again!!!! San Francisco 21 Miami 21 2:00 left in the game Inspired by the miracle, Johnny Sample and Dave Plump defend two passes and Don Brumm hurries John Brodie into a bad throw on 3rd down to force a 3 and out. With 1:04 left in the game, Johnny Unitas gets the ball back on our 44. Can he do it? 1st and 10 - Miami 44: Johnny Unitas to Paul Warfield 33 yards. 1st and 10 - SF 23: Johnny Unitas to Gary Ballman 11 yards. A holding penalty puts us back to the 22, but then Johnny Unitas connects with Paul Warfield for 21 yards, a shoestring tackle by the S Oliver Mathis all that prevents us from the go-ahead TD! We're on the 1 yard line, 4 seconds left in the game. Out trots Garo Yepremian for the 18 yard FG attempt. If he makes it, we become the first repeat Super Bowl champions in NFL history and Gary Ballman gets his ring. If he misses, we go into OT, where anything can happen. Nothing but upright. Final Score: Miami 24 San Francisco 21 The stadium explodes and we're all screaming and jumping for joy. I'm screaming and jumping for joy. We've done it!!!! We've done it!!! We've won the Super Bowl for the second year in a row!!!! DT Walter Johnson is named Super Bowl MVP and rightly so. 5 tackles, an assist, a forced fumble, a hurry... but most importantly, those two crucial sacks that killed San Francisco drives. I think back to that 1965 draft and I can't help but smile. If you remember, I was debating between Johnson and another DT for the first round pick. The other guy looked to have more upside, but Walter was more NFL ready, so I took him. And now, three years later, I have a DT who's gotten better and better with each year and who was just named the Super Bowl MVP, an extremely rare occassion for a defensive lineman. I'm grinning all the more when I see Championship Ring: 1 by Gary Ballman's name. It's for him that I most wanted this Super Bowl and I'm ecstactic to see him get it. You have to feel sorry for John Brodie and the 49ers though. It's the second time they've had their hearts broken in the Super Bowl. Brodie was 26-35 for 307 yards and Roy Jefferson had 9 catches for 131 yards, Zach Kaplan 7 for 105. But we're the winners. We're the ones who have our banner flying. This is the single sweetest championship I've ever had in a sports sim. When we were 4-4, I thought we were done. We looked old, we looked mortal and our playoff prospects looked grimmer than I wanted to admit. But then we caught on fire and surprised everyone by marching to the Super Bowl and winning again. In fact, the Super Bowl was emblematic of our regular season. Johnny Unitas struggled, our running game was going nowhere and our defense was suddenly underachieving. But we turned it all around at just the right moment and Johnny U found his Super Bowl magic one more time precisely when we needed him to. Oh, how beautiful it is. |
That is possibly one of the finest games I've seen. If that actually happend in a superbowl it would be one of the best, maybe even the best ever rivaled by what the second 49ers Bengals one, Broncos-Packers? Really you were getting it handed to you the entire game and somehow, you pull it out of the fire. That fumble return was rediculous, unbelievable, if you were a Niners fan watching on tv you'd have thrown your shoe through a wall or something. Now can you pull off the big one, become the only team to win three in a row? It'll be quite the challange considering the team is getting pretty old and the lack of any real running game.
Good luck to you sir. |
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Thanks :) I really did jump up and down and scream in delight when I got to the end of the log and saw we won. I thought sure the way things were going we'd lose. I agree that Dave Lloyd fumble return is going to be one of those plays that gets mentioned and remembered a lot, probably even a youtube video today. :D The team's liable to undergo some major changes in the offseason. We've got a slew of free agents coming up and a significant portion of the offseason depends on what Johnny U does. In fact, I think it's fairly safe to say that we're at a pretty major crossroads right now. Luckily, I have not only our own #32 pick, but the Vikings' pick in the upcoming draft. :) So we'll see what kind of players are available (No, I don't want to know... that's part of the fun of this for me, finding out when exactly certain players become available) draftwise. I've already made a short list of top priorities for this offseason. In fact, they're three in number right now. #1. Find an heir to Johnny Unitas. #2. Upgrade at RB #3. Locate Bob Skoronski's replacement at LT. |
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Record 15-5 We did as well as we did because of our passing game and, in a rare change from the years that our pass defense led us, our run defense. Johnny Unitas and his band of merry receivers, Paul Warfield, Gary Ballman and Charlie Frazier were as fantastic as ever and Walter Johnson was sensational in the middle. Johnny Sample had his usual superb season and Pat Holmes bounced back in a big way in the second half, as did Don Brumm. Dave Lloyd also had his typical great season and Jim Houston was an unexpected surprise. John Seedborg had his usual consistent season, but Garo Yepremian connected on just 62.9% of his FG, 50% from 40+ range and 42.9% from 50+. It's something to keep an eye on... I've already mentioned my top priorities for the offseason, but I'd really like to inject some more starter quality youth on defense, particularly at CB and all 3 linebacker slots. We'll probably target a linebacker in the draft, potentially with our #32 pick, as my current intention is to spend our Vikings pick on QB, RB or LT if we don't address those needs in free agency. Miami Dolphins Awards DT Walter Johnson Super Bowl MVP WR Gary Ballman 1st Team All-Pro WR What a terrific year for Ballman. Gets his ring and on the All-Pro team all in the same season. I'm honestly surprised that we didn't get more nods, but c'est la vie. MVP QB John Brodie - San Francisco 49ers Offensive Player of the Year QB John Brodie - San Francisco 49ers Defensive Player of the Year SLB Chris Hanburger - Washington Redskins Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Dickie Post - New Orleans Saints Defensive Rookie of the Year SS Ken Houston - Philadelphia Eagles Staff Hiring Lead Scout Edwin Turnbull WR: Good to Average Offensive Coordinator Jared Thamilarasan QB: Good to VG Defensive Coordinator Royce Womble KP: VG to Good DB: Good to VG Womble is out of contract, so we'll be surfing the market to see what's there. Turnbull, who I wasn't impressed with in the first place, is gone. There's some great DC talent out there, but most are former coordinators of other teams, which violates my rule of home-grown staff and the top newbies are all clones of Womble, so it's better just to keep continuity and cohesion than change it up. Womble immediately inks a 3 year, $400k per year deal, but the Scout I'm trying to get has 6 offers on the table, including an offer that's so high my owner won't allow me to match it. There's no one else who matches my house rule that I feel comfortable with, so we get Turnbull for another year. LT Dick Cunningham is the easy choice for the Summer League, because if he improves enough, he'll get another shot at the starting tackle spot and hopefully play better this time if we don't get an improvement. Fan loyalty is maxed out and public support for a new stadium is pretty good, but it's a long way off to 1975, so I'm not going to mess with ticket prices. Going into free agency, we have 30 players under contract and we're $2.5 million under the cap, $1.5 which can be used to sign new players. Fortunately, most of the guys who have expired contracts are backups, with the exception of Bob Skoronski, Oronde Bland and most of the time he's been with us, Bill Cooper. Position Needs QB (x 2), TE, C, P, DT, MLB, OLB - 14 new bodies altogether Week 1 Re-signings FS Dave Plump: 1 year, $50k Week 2 Signings RB Bill Cooper - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -I couldn't stand to let him go to another team, especially not when there wasn't anybody really great ahead of him, so back he comes. TE Billy Cannon - 3 years, $800k (Houston) -Former 2nd Team All-Pro TE who can both block and receive. He becomes the immediate starter and provides yet another weapon for Unitas. The fact that he's a mentor is nice too, as Tom Mitchell still has some potential to be filled. C John Schmitt - 3 years, $320k (Cleveland) -I can't believe I got him this cheaply. While he's most noted for his exceptional pass blocking, he's not far off from Oronde Bland in terms of run-blocking. Just a solid, solid player who's a pretty big improvement over Bland if you want to know the truth. CB Billy Baird - 4 years, $1.37 mill. (Atlanta) -Say hello to our new starting RCB. A phenomenal player who only got to start one season in all the years he played for the Falcons, he makes our secondary scary again, for Irv Cross now slides down to the nickel slot. He's also a 6th year player whose original position is on the left side, making him the heir apparent to Johnny Sample. SS George Saimes - 3 years, $1.05 mill. (Cleveland) -Exploded last year with 81 tackles and has the talent to be able to supplant Ross Fitchner as a starter right now. Gives us the luxury of 3 great safeties, which means that somebody's likely to be unhappy, but we'll manage it somehow. Another 6th year player and insurance against aging. Week 3 Signings P Paul Maguire - 1 year, $100k* (Detroit) -Two All-Pro appearances says it all. A terrific punter and one I'm very excited to rent for a year. Week 4 Signings DT Gary Larson - 1 year, $80k* (Buffalo) -Very intriguing 5th year player scabbed from our rivals who might well be the heir to Henry Jordan on the left side. I like this pickup and I'm glad I took the time to look at him once the other player I tabbed got a higher offer. Week 5 Losses P John Seedborg - 1 year, $80k* (New Jersey) -Seedborg goes to our division foes. The Jets will be pretty happy with him, I think. Although I bitched about him a lot, he really was a pretty good punter all in all. Week 6 Signings C Winston Berosik - 1 year, $100k* (St. Louis) -9th year veteran mentor who's a terrific backup C to have. Reminds me a lot of Ken Engram before Engram started declining. MLB Garland Boyette - 3 years, $320k (Seattle) -Missed the 1964 season to a drug suspension, so he's a bit of a gamble, but he was a great starter in the middle for the Seahawks and he'll be an excellent backup and possible stop-gap for when Dave Lloyd is done. SLB Dave Meggyesy - 3 years, $310k (Indianapolis) -I'm absolutely thrilled to get this 6th year man. An extremely solid all-around player who steps in as our new starter at SLB, allowing us to push Jim Houston to a reserve role. Week 6 Contract Extensions DT Walter Johnson - 3 years, $950k -I wasn't going to let our Super Bowl MVP walk next year, so I quickly signed him to an extension. His asking price was quite reasonable in my opinion. RG Jim Simon - 2 years, $180k -Tacking on another year as he's a great backup to have. That's it for this first half of free agency as far as my signings and extensions go. There's a lot of other players who have one year left on their contracts, including some pretty major names, but I'm going to hold off on them until I see what they or those who have been brought in as possible replacements for them bring us next season. One guy who I probably won't be able to re-sign next year is Charlie Frazier, who when I inquired about an extension demanded starter money, but frankly, though he's good enough to be a starter, he won't ever be more than the third receiver while Paul Warfield and Gary Ballman are around. I'll finish reporting the rest of free agency in the next post, to tell you if we lost any other guys. I've got a lot of interviewing to do before the draft hits. But I leave you with this wonderful, wonderful bit of news. We have the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. :) |
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I think this is an exciting draft to have it and there should be 3 worthy players. |
Three players are exactly who we're having trouble deciding between in the draft, but more on that in a bit. :)
Week 9 Losses DT John Baker - 1 year, $100k* (Dallas) -Was a good backup DT for us last year, but we upgraded there, so not a big loss at all. Week 11 Losses RG Lloyd McCoy - 1 year, $80k* (Green Bay) -Never panned out like we hoped he would and with Gene Upshaw and Jim Simon on the roster, he became more than superfluous. On to the draft! I was going to wait to do this, but my sister's in town for a few days starting tomorrow, I can't sleep and I keep thinking about this #1 overall pick of ours and the 3 guys we're trying to decide between. Mock drafts are pretty evenly split between the three guys, so let's look at a draft that purports each one. Sports Illustrated QB Ken Stabler - Alabama The Dolphins signified a youth movement this offseason as they signed some key free agents who will eventually replace, if not start over right now, some veterans from their two Super Bowl contenders. Stabler fits this youth movement. Yes, he's extremely raw, but Johnny Unitas is signed for two more seasons and can mentor the heir apparent. Stabler's blessed an extraordinary amount of potential and has the accuracy that Miami's GM covets in his QBs. He also had the highest prospect score in the whole entire draft class. This is the Dolphins' chance to banish the mistakes of Mickey Slaughter and Bob Berry. They can't afford to miss it. Sporting News LT Russ Washington Miami's biggest hole is at LT and Washington has the talent to be the cornerstone there for the next 10 years. More importantly, he's polished enough to be a Week One starter, one who could greatly improve the Dolphins' chances of winning their third straight Super Bowl title. Playboy Magazine RT Art Shell The Dolphins' weakness on offensive line was exposed during the Super Bowl and though they signed John Schmitt in free agency, center wasn't the problem for Miami anyway. Russ Washington is a popular pick in other mock drafts, but he performed terribly on the Sol Test and the Dolphins GM is notorious for demanding a smart player at that critical position. Shell reminds scouts a lot of Gene Upshaw, Miami's 1st round pick last year, only in a tackle's body. Not only would Shell be a Week One starter, but between him and Upshaw, the Dolphins wouldn't have to worry about the right side of the line for the next decade. As you can see, there's compelling arguments for each pick. But then I remind myself that we only started winning and winning big when we got Johnny U and furthermore, the chance to get a possible franchise QB like Stabler only comes once in a decade, maybe even less. Bob Skoronski's proven that you don't need a top-shelf LT to win a Super Bowl, but Unitas has proven that you can't win it all without a great QB. And I would never spend the #1 overall pick on a right tackle unless it was unquestionably the biggest area of need on the team. So I make the choice. 1968 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. QB Ken Stabler - Miami Dolphins Incidentally, this draft is just sick with talent. There's a lot of players I like who could help us out right away, who I'm hoping to get in later rounds. There's two other big names besides the three I mentioned who should go soon: DE Elvin Bethea, the highest graded player in the draft (I hate his endurance though) and DT Manny Fernandez, who looks like a franchise DT. 2. DE Elvin Bethea - Indianapolis Colts 3. QB Bob Lee - Jacksonville Jaguars 4. QB Gary Beban - Cincinnati Bengals 5. T Russ Washington - Chicago Bears Great pickup for Chicago. Lee actually looks like a great QB, too... Beban, not so much. 6. QB Harry Theofiledes - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7. DE Larry Cole - Philadelphia Eagles 8. T Art Shell - Green Bay Packers If he'd dropped much lower, I was seriously considering putting together a package to move up and grab him. Very nice job by the two NFC North archrivals here. 9. DT Manny Fernandez - Kansas City Chiefs KC would like to thank all the teams who threw away their pick on QBs who aren't going to pan out. 10. DE Coy Bacon - New England Patriots 11. DE Tim Rossovich - Washington Redskins 12. RB Paul Robinson - New York Giants 13. T Ron Yary - New Jersey Jets 14. S Bob Atkins - Seattle Seahawks 15. OLB Terry Miller - Pittsburgh Steelers 16. DT Bill Staley - Los Angeles Rams 17. DE Claude Humphrey - Carolina Panthers 18. WR Marlin Briscoe - Baltimore Ravens 19. DE Marvin Upshaw - New Orleans Saints 20. S George Atkinson - New Orleans Saints 21. RB Rocky Bleier - Dallas Cowboys 22. WR Harold Jackson - Denver Broncos 23. ILB Jim Cheyunski - Oakland Raiders 24. OLB Al Beauchamp - St. Louis Cardinals 25. DT Curley Culp - Cleveland Browns 26. TE Bob Trumpy - Buffalo Bills 27. CB John Dockery - Houston Oilers 28. S Dick Anderson - Tucson Titans 29. ILB Edgar Chandler - San Diego Chargers 30. DE Tommy Hart - Detroit Lions 31. OLB Dwight Lewis - San Francisco 49ers A lot of players to choose from here, including 3 LT I was looking at. None of these guys are going to survive to my second round pick, but on the other hand I don't know if any of them is the answer. There's a replacement LG for Fuzzy Thurston who looks really good too. I also like a DE, though I'm less high on him. On the other hand, Dick Cunningham could turn out to be the real deal this year and if nothing else, I can always re-sign Bob Skoronski for one more season. That decides it. 32. G Mo Moorman - Miami Dolphins The two tackles I was looking most closely at come off the board at 2.2 and 2.8, with the third tackle going at 2.9. No worries as there's players I have my eye on for our pick in the second round, including one of my favorite RL Dolphins. That DE I was eying is still on the board when our second round pick comes up, along with that Dolphin and the RB I was most interested in drafting. There's also a MLB who attracted my attention. Some tough choices to make here to be sure. I throw the MLB out because we're established there thanks to our free agency moves. We desparately need a RB and I'd love to pick up that Dolphin. We could also use a lot better backup DE than Mark Schau, who's a shell of what he once was. Looking more closely at the roster, the DE has a skill set very similiar to Don Brumm's, though he has the potential to be a much better run defender with better pass rush technique. The RB looks like an immediate second string, but on the other hand, he's more likely to bust than boom with that worrisome 4.80 40. So it's down to the DE and the Dolphin. In that case, it's clear. I take the Dolphin, who is one of my favorites of all time, though Marino is still my favorite. I take FB Larry Csonka and immediately plot to move him to RB. Hell, his 40 time is 4.58, better than any of the RBs and with a 37 strength and 7.16 Agility, also crushing the RBs, he might well make the switch. The only reason I considered not taking him is because I don't know how he'll handle moving to RB. But it's damned sure worth a try. Good thing I took him. Two FBs go early in the third round and I'll be perfectly honest.. I'd have been pissed if I missed out on Csonka. Even if he won't switch over to RB well, he'll still be in my lineup as FB until he retires. Fuck! Just as I'm about to move up to grab the DE who's still sitting there at 3.24, the Chiefs snap him up. Guess I should've moved faster. :( Ah well. By the time we do pick, I'm down to a DT and a CB as my top choices, my craving for RB greatly diminished. That MLB I was considering back in the 2nd round is still on the board too, but there's someone I like equally as well who should be there in the 4th. I decide to gamble on the CB, who could break out and pick Jim Duncan, who could see time as a punt returner in his rookie year. The MLB I expected to drop to the 4th round is still there and so I pick Rudy Barber, who might possibly break out. He's also good insurance in case Garland Boyette gets suspended again. In the 5th round, I start getting nervous that the WR I was looking at is going to get taken and besides all the RBs I wanted are gone, but everyone wants my 6th round pick in addition to the 5th rounder and I'm not quite willing to do that. Fortunately, this time it pays to sit tight and I'm able to grab WR Jerry Daanen for our 5th round pick. He looks like a breakout candidate and he should be our 5th receiver. I'm about to take a flyer on a raw but intriguing DT in the 6th when I swerve and take DE Harry Gunner, who looks like a potential replacement for Mark Schau as a reserve. I normally don't take players who have that low a Sol score and the 59% development suggests he's got a limited ceiling, but hell, it's a 6th rounder. Mr. Irrelevant is OLB Dave Ogas, who I drafted only because he runs a 4.64 40, which I thought was pretty damn good for this point in the draft. He's also got a 90 Vol, so maybe he'll turn into something. Going into the second half of free agency, we still need a warm body at QB, plus there's some other areas I'd like to shore up if possible. Week 1 Signings DE Dick Evey - 1 year, $80k* (San Francisco) -Got a sack of Johnny Unitas in the Super Bowl and he's a pretty good backup DE, though not starter quality. I almost signed him to a longer deal, but I wanted to see how he and the rookie we got pan out first. Week 3 Signings QB Curtis Montgomery - 1 year, $100k* (Atlanta) -Strictly a mentor and third string body. LT Bob Skoronski - 1 year, $110k* (Re-signing) -He'll come back for one more season, likely his last. Week 3 Losses RB Abner Hayes - 2 years, $1.19 mill. - New York Giants (Kansas City Chiefs) -Great short-term solution RB and he turns us down for the Giants. Bah! Am I doomed never to have a franchise RB? Said he preferred the cold weather and didn't like the heat in Miami. Week 4 Signings RB Gene Foster - 1 year, $70k* (San Francisco) -Definitely worth taking a flyer on a guy who's run for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. He'll battle Bill Cooper for the starting job and we'll get a chance to see if it was him or the 49ers offensive line that made him so good. Pre-Training Camp Extension MLB Dave Lloyd - 3 years, $700k -The extension turned out to be a necessity because we needed to free up cap room to sign our rookies. #1 overall picks don't come cheap, you know. Speaking of which.... Code:
QB Ken Stabler 1.1 15/72 14/71 -1/-1Stabler's drop is slightly worrisome, but Moorman does indeed look like the heir to Fuzzy Thurston. Csonka would have 74% of his ratings if he switched to RB and I just can't bring myself to do it, especially not after signing Gene Foster. Hopefully our old head coach will find a way to use him. I'm cautiously optimistic about Duncan, who will take on kickoff return duties in the preseason to give him some experience. The rest of the guys are pretty much fodder. |
I think you should seriously consider leaving Csonka at FB then starting him at RB. The three I thought you'd be picking between were Shell, Stabler and Bethea. I would have thought passing on Bethea would be real tough because he could really anchor your defense for a long time, but the endurance is worrysome and QB is so very important and you may not get another chance like this.
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Dola: I say you should consider playing him at RB because he's looking at ~60 carries a season even if you set the FB run percentage to the max.
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I place such a premium on endurance for my starters that Bethea was honestly never really in the running. It was a tough choice to give up Shell, though, especially after looking at Stabler's raw numbers.
But then again, that's damned sexy potential, Unitas-like even. :) Your idea about starting Csonka at RB is a good one and I'll try it out. :) Code:
Stabler, Ken 10 QB 1 14 71 5 yrsI think it's safe to say that our season rests entirely on the arm of Unitas. He goes down, everything else goes down the tubes with him. Code:
Foster, Gene 20 RB 4 34 34 1 yr.This is an interesting dilemma here. Foster's got the statistical pedigree, Cooper has the ratings, but Csonka looks like a better RB than either of them, especially after slimming down to 226 from his original playing weight of 238. So it'll be Csonka starting with Foster the backup and Reeves the 3rd down and passing down back. We'll probably bring another FB as Granger simply isn't suited for our scheme, to be perfectly honest. Code:
Cannon, Billy 86 TE 9 54 54 3 yrsThis is the best shape we've been in at TE in years. Cannon will start, along with Warfield and Ballman, with Frazier and Cogdill their respective backups. Daanen, despite his low current, will be our 5th receiver, as I really like his potential to develop into a solid reserve WR. Code:
Schmitt, John 56 C 5 57 57 3 yrsCunningham is going to be given every chance possible in the preseason to win the starting LT job from Skoronski. Thurston-Schmitt-Upshaw-Battle will form the other four spots on the line. If Moorman can develop under Thurston's tutelage, he'll be a starter next year. We may be shopping for a new RT as well. Code:
Maguire, Paul 9 P 9 72 72 1 yr.It's make or break year for Garo, I think. Code:
Brumm, Don 75 LDE 6 29 29 2 yrsTalk about a worrisome situation. Holmes might get switched over to the left side, allowing him and Evey to be the starters, or I may stick with Brumm and Holmes as the starters and let Evey, who frankly has never been impressive as a starter with the 49ers, sit as a reserve. One thing's for sure, Schau won't be back next year. Code:
Larson, Gary 71 LDT 5 44 44 1 yr.A happy situation here. Jordan and Johnson will start again, though Larson could end up replacing Jordan in the starting lineup if need be. Code:
Lloyd, Dave 93 MLB 10 52 52 3 yrsMeggyesy-Lloyd-Baughan across the border, with Boyette and Houston the backups. I'm extremely intrigued by Barber's potential and I'll probably give him a couple starts in the preseason game. In fact, I'm planning on giving a lot of our raw rookies preseason starts the first two games... Stabler, Csonka, Deenan, Moorman, Meggyesy, probably Duncan too. Code:
Sample, Johnny 43 LCB 11 41 41 1 yr.Sample and Baird will start, with Cross the nickel. First time since 1961 that it won't be Sample and Cross as the starters. Duncan looks like a possible ballhawk who could grow into a nickel or dime role with time. Code:
Saimes, George 21 SS 6 54 54 3 yrsFor the first time since 1960, Fichtner and Fleming will not start together. Instead, it'll be Saimes and Fleming, with Fichtner and Plump the reserves. Bird is here strictly for his punt return talents. On paper, we're a significantly improved team from a year ago. We've upgraded at linebacker and secondary pretty majorly, have a stronger corps of runners and are tenatively improved on the offensive line. The pieces appear to be there for another Super Bowl run, but it may take time for everything to gel together. |
We sell out our season tickets, which is always nice.
6th round pick DE Harry Gunner is cut to make room for FB mentor Theron Sapp, who takes over as the starting FB. Preseason Carolina 24 Miami 30 We start off the preseason with a narrow win over the Panthers, as we have a slew of raw rookies in the starters spots. Gene Foster looks terrible in backup duty and so Bill Cooper will get a backup chance. Ken Stabler was 7 of 10 for 60 yards and a TD in his Dolphins debut, but Curtis Montgomery was the MVP at 12-23 for 220 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. Don Brumm put a stamp on keeping his job with 6 tackles, 4 assists, and 1.5 sacks, but Dick Evey kept it close with 5 tackles and 1.5 sacks of his own. Miami 26 Washington 21 You know we're a good team when we're winning in exhibition games with only half our regular startes in. Ken Stabler continues to play pretty well. Larry Csonka was awful, but he'll get one more shot. Jerry Daanen was absolutely amazing, with 8 catches for 144 yards, but Garo Yepremian got the Game MVP at 4/6 in FG, including 2/3 from 50+ range. Backup FS Dave Plump breaks his foot and will miss the next preseason game. All the regular starters go back in now. New Orleans 17 Miami 27 Larry Csonka has his second straight bad game, so the experiment of him at RB is over. Bill Cooper will start the final preseason game, with Dan Reeves backing. Csonka slides over to starting FB. [b]Ken Stabler[//b] had a pretty rough game at 16-29 for 187 yards, a TD and 2 INTs, but that's to be expected. Gary Ballman acquires a turf toe injury, making him doubtful, but he'll play through it because he's tough. Miami 9 Dallas 0 We go undefeated in the preseason in this ugly, ugly win. Dan Reeves outplays Bill Cooper and will be our starting RB to begin the year. Neither Ken Stabler nor Johnny Unitas looked particularly on this game, which is troubling. Theron Sapp is out after dislocating his shoulder, so Hoyle Granger will assume backup and passing down duties at FB. Dave Plump is back at reserve FS. Regular Season Miami 17 New England 14 Our struggles in the preseason continue on into the regular season as Johnny Unitas throws 2 interceptions and has to play come from behind in the fourth quarter, which he does, getting the win on an 8 yard TD pass to Jerry Daanen of all people. No individual stars this game. Injuries start piling up as Johnny Sample hyperextends his elbow and is estimate out 3 weeks. In a major blow to our receiving corps, Gail Cogdill tears his deltoid muscle and he's lost for the year. Cogdill gets put on IR and Mike Miller, a journeyman SE, gets signed to back up Gary Ballman. Billy Baird moves to the left corner spot, Irv Cross elevated back to the starting right corner side. Suddenly our corner situation looks pretty perilious, but I think we can fight through it. San Francisco 14 Miami 41 Surprisingly, we absolutely massacre the 49ers in a rematch of the Super Bowl, sending SF to an 0-2 record to open the year. Dan Reeves rushes 25 times for 104 yards and a TD. Johnny Unitas is a laser beam MVP at 20-23 for 187 yards and 3 TDs. Walter Johnson picks up 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown. Miami 27 Tucson 20 Despite our injury problems, we're still finding ways to win, mostly Johnny Unitas who is 31-41 for 374 yards and 2 TDs in his finest regular season performance on the year. Paul Warfield becomes our first century receiver this season with 9 catches for 148 yards and a TD. Don Brumm hits the Titans for 3 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Johnny Sample is up to Probable and so he'll be coming back this week. Miami 24 Cincinnati 7 The Bengals were also undefeated going into this game, but we trounce them behind Dan Reeves's 21 rushes for 95 yards and 2 TDs and Paul Warfield's 11 catches for 165 yards and a TD. Johnny Unitas's 22-29 for 246 yards and a TD vs INT doesn't hurt either. Ross Fichtner is Doubtful and Jim Battle is Questionable, but since neither one would be terribly critical if we lost them, they'll play through their injuries. Buffalo 0 Miami 24 He's waited a long time for his chance to be a starter and now that he's gotten it, Dan Reeves is making the most of it as he runs 25 times for 100 yards even and a TD this game. Johnny Unitas is Game MVP by throwing 235 yards and 2 TDs on 23-29 passing. Henry Jordan, who's been put in a reserve role, picks up 2 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown, while Pat Holmes does some pressuring of his own with a tackle, an assist, 1.5 sacks, 3 blocks, a hurry and a knockdown. Don Fleming misses at least the next game with a strained foot ligament. Dave Plump gets the start with Ross Fitchner backing him up. Miami 31 Cleveland 20 If you'd told me we'd have the injuries we've had and that we'd still go on a major tear to start the year, I'd have said you were crazy. Sure this team's improved a fair bit from last year, but I didn't think it was -that- good. Johnny Sample finally gets a little recognition with a Game MVP as he returned an interception 79 yards for a TD with just under 2 minutes left to seal the deal for us. He also defended a pass and wasn't burned a single time. No stars other than that. Don Fleming is now ready to come back. Pittsburgh 13 Miami 14 The Steelers throw a major scare into us, but we stay undefeated thanks to Paul Warfield catching 5 passes for 129 yards and a TD and Game MVP Billy Baird picking off 2 interceptions. Dave Lloyd had 10 tackles and 4 assists and Walter Johnson was right behind him with 10 tackles and an assist himself. Baird also defended 2 passes. We get a nice breather of a bye week that allows us to heal some nagging injuries and get over the near shock of losing our improbable undefeated season. New England 20 Miami 10 You knew we had to lose at some point and here it comes. Johnny Unitas was off all game long and threw 2 costly interceptions and that was all she wrote. There's absolutely nothing to stress out about, though. At 7-1, we'd get out of the wild card round. The Baltimore Ravens would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs right now at 8-0, as Bart Starr actually has wide receivers to throw to now. Even better, the next closest team to us in the AFC East are the Jets, who are 4-5, so we're so far in the driver's seat for yet another division title that it's not even funny. The halfway stats: Code:
Record 7-1 We're winning as much as we are because Dan Reeves is the new Bill Cooper and our total team defense, while not having any individual stars this year, is playing absolutely fantastically as a unit. Oh yeah, Paul Warfield is a beast at WR as usual. Gary Ballman has been so bothered by his turf toe that he hasn't caught a pass yet. If he ever gets back to good health, we'll be even scarier. Oh yeah, one other huge, huge reason we're winning: our offensive line play. Dick Cunningham and Jim Battle have both figured out how to do this thing called pass block, John Schmitt is a hell of a lot better than Oronde Bland ever was in center and Mo Moorman is on the fast track to being ready to replace Fuzzy Thurston as the starting LG next year. There's no more emblematic player of the offensive line play's improvement than Gene Upshaw, however. Last year, he had a 31.9% KRB with 0 pancake blocks and 9 sacks allowed. Through 8 starts this season: 46.0% KRB, 4 pancake blocks, which is more than our entire line has had in a year a lot of seasons, and 0 sacks allowed. His scouted ratings: Overall: 91/91 Run Blocking: 100 Pass Blocking: 87 Blocking Strength: 82 Endurance: 89 I've never drafted a player that terrific before. Makes me feel pretty damned proud. :) |
Upshaw is stellar, but what is up with your guys and fumbles? Butter instead of stickum?
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Fumbles Dan Reeves - 3 Billy Cannon - 2 Johnny Unitas - 2 Rodger Bird - 2 Paul Warfield - 1 Bill Cooper - 1 Jim Duncan - 1 Charlie Frazier - 1 |
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