The Otto Graham Challenge (FOF8) Now With the Chargers
 

I've been thinking recently about how amazingly different and crazy the career of QB Otto Graham was. I think he was the greatest QB of all time.


He played in the era before the pass was common.

When he retired he led all QBs in various passing stats, one of which (yards per pass) he still holds. He also has the highest winning percentage of all time. This guy was no mere safety net or hander off of the ball.

Here:


1). In real life, Otto Graham played running back, punt returner, and a bit of passing QB as well in college at Northwestern, and was converted to full time QB in the pros. (according to HOF bio)
2). In real life, Otto Graham had a 10 year career, and made it to the playoffs every year
3). In real life, Otto Graham made it to the championship 9 times in 9 years
4). In real life, Otto Graham won 7 championships
5). In real life, Otto Graham made All Pro 9 times
6). In real life, Otto Graham set career records in passing, one of which (career: yards/pass attempt) still stands today
7). In real life, Otto Graham was selected to the Hall of Fame
8) In real life, Otto Graham was no drafted by the Browns.
9). In real life, Otto Graham led the Browns, a new team, essentially an expansion team
10). In real life Otto Graham has the record for highest winning percentage.


So here's what you'd need to do: Sign an undrafted RB/QB/PR athlete from college, convert to full time QB, for an expansion - brand new team, make it to the playoffs 10/10 seasons, 9 championships, 7 victorys, set passing records and winning 5, make 9 all pros, and the HOF.

Good luck with that!

We can't simulate expansions in most places, but you do could an empty cupboard to be similar. It's just mind-boggling.



Now a lot of this stuff would be hard to facilitate in FOFC. So here is what I am aiming for:


1). Play as the Browns.
2). Sign an undrafted FA QB
3). Have that undrafted QB have a bunch of awards like Pro Bowls and such.
4). Win a bunch of Super Bowls
5). Set at least a few Top Ten of All Time records for passing
6). The Hall of Fame Awaits.


And that's it. We have longer careers now, but more teams in the league to compete against.

So given my basic needs, where would I start?

I think the best way to approach the OG Challenge is to build a very powerful offense, particularly with strong skill positions. Then I can plug and play a solid UFA QB that hits at 50 potential or so later. Each year I expect to grab two or three UFA Qbs for camp to see what they could bring, with the goal of finding that diamond in the rough.


Now I am willing to use any tool in my tool kit. Nothing is off limits. I'll sign FA, go for later stuff, use the franchise tag and trade away. I;m not as interested in defense this early. Again - my goal is simple. Build an offensive juggernaut, and then hopefully a decent QB will break out behind it. We've all seen solid QBs break out with the right support in FOF7.

Now I won't ignore defense, especially while trying to find and develop my guy. And it;s possible that well get a guy who looks good, and we spend a few years building him,only to find he busts to a 30/30 or never plays well despite the support structures in place.

I load up a dynasty and create a game:

Full Random

Wow, I have good corners, and DT Shelton. Everywhere else is in teh 40s on defense. (or even 30s with my LB Corps).

CB Joe Haden at 81, CB Gilbeert is 41/71, and rookie 6th rounder CB Charles Gaines is 33/63. NT Danny Shelton, my first rounder, is 51/70.

Offense stars are, as expected, my O Line. Joe Thomas is 84. OG John Greco 72, 2nd year man OG Joel Bitino, 50/71. Mack is the only disappointment at 47. My best RB is 33. TE Jim Dray is 33. WR Josh Gorden is 47/53 and Brian Hartline is 57. QB McCown is 41 and my best QB. Manziel has a potential of 44.

There are a bunch fo quality D Line UFAs out there that make my team suddenly interesting if I bring them in. My current D Line is:

DE Desmond Bryant 43
DE Randy Starks 47
NT Shelton, 51/70

Now the DEs are older, Starks is in his 13th year. And we have enough talent to move to a 4/3, which works, because here are my starting LBs:

SILB Karlos Dansby, 29/29
WILB Craig Robertson, 28/44
SLB Berkavious Mingo, 38/46
WLB Nate Orchard 3348

That is not a good LB Corps at all!

Here are some of the good UFAs out there right now, according to my scout

DT Marco Villars, 23/60
DT Vince Robbins, 33/54
DT Lamar West 26/53

There's some better LB prospects for later, and even a better K out there as well. 50/69 K Jimmy Cooley

Can I do this with FOF8 instead?

That would be cool to try.

Let's try it out, to see if I am interested long term.

I create a new game:

As the Browns, named Marquis le Satre (named after one of my favorite players from a previous Dynasty in FOF7 a Hall of fame OG who was the bet in his generation, and one of the best all time)

Full X Factor
Can be fired
Chemistry included
Track scouted ratings history



Let's create this thang!

Here is my initial roster to work with:



This roster is after the changes below

I am going to figure out the roster thing later, but first I want to take a look at where my surprises are on this thing. Where can I build the Browns?


Now remember this is pre-camp, so we don;t have full values on the rookies, but here is where my team shines. Here are my best players:

LT Joe Thomas, 85/85 - no surprise there
MLB Chris Kirksey, 70/70
RG Joel Bittonio, 64/64
DT Danny Shelton, 49.61
WR Andrew Hawkins 59/59
CB Joe Haden, 59/59
WLB Jamie Collins, 58/58
DE Xavier Cooper, 40/57
TE Gary Barndige, 54/54


And that's pretty much it for solid players.



For rookies, pre camp we have

DE Joey Horner, 40/62
SLB Emmanuel Ogbah, 45/62
WLB Joe Schobert, 37/54

As my three highest quality rookies

My critical spots are:

QB? Best is either RGIII with 32/32 or Cody Kessler with 19/43 as needed.

RB? Duke Johnson 45/45

WR? Terrelle Pryor 51/51 Josh Gordon is just 40/44

OG? John Greco is 50/50 too

K Parker is just 45/45, P Colquitt is 37/37

Bad players in spots I'm not mentioning (like an 11/13 FB)

Defense?

D Line - Carl Nassib is 33/47; Gabe Wright, 35/46

LB? Probably our best unit on the team - you already saw above why

D Backs - CB Tramon Williams, 35/35, CB Jaylor Taylor, 44/44; SS Derrick Kindred 39/51, FS Ed Reynolds, 36/46

etc

Not an inspiring roster...

Now let's look at quality UFA. I will bring in any UFA that can pass the "Steam up a mirror when you breathe on it" test.


Well...

Did I just find my Otto Graham already? That's sort of broken. But very Browns to find a UFA that's better than anyone on their roster.

QB Christopher Donner, UFA, 16/57

Probably one of those UFA misses you expect. I sign him

I offer and bring in three more UFA Qbs that appear to have really high ceilings.

I also make offers to:

P Rob Emerson, 66/77 rating

K Zach Raymond, 44/68

LT Raymond Daubuch, affinity with our leader, 36/67

I have a RB here who looks good. But he would be my RB leader, with some liking him, but one person. . Before I make him an offer I cut my current FB who is my leader to see who his replacement would be My new leader has an affinity.

I sign the next one down. Not as good, but with an affinity. RB Sean Yamata, 37/37, who will be my backfield leader.

Actually, never mind. With Yatamata on my team as the leader, the #1 gy out there actually likes Sean and gets along with him, and won;t be my leader anymore. I sign him too: RB Gabe Myers, 41/45

TE Shaquillie Helmic, affinity, 28/57

FS Bruce Davison, 30/59

I cut LG Alvin Bailey to make room on my roster for OG Andrew Graham, 35/64

I have 9 QBs on my roster heading into camp. I cut Kevin Hogan.

I sign LT Rodolfo Stine, affinity with leader Joe Thomas, 27/66

I cut the horrible looking WR Rashard Higgans (12/18) and sign UFA WR Artie Lyon, 29/54

Now, all of these UFas are likely to bust, and fade. But they are still better than many Browns players even if they mostly fad. Some changes were already made to the roster after they signed.



Hmmmmm



Right now I have a strong affinity conflict in my receiver core. TE Barnidge is the leader, and Pryor and him have a strong conflict. I do not want that.


The roster above is updated through this post

I cut my Long Snapper, with a holding if just 54 and sign UFA Bo Newsome to that role

Any other cuts I can make to bring in more UFAs?

Yes!

QB Josh McCown. See ya!



My defensive coordinator likes a 4-3 over. I feel like we are more of a 3-4, but I'm not making that conversion right now. Both my OC and Assist Coach like smashmouth football.

What about OG Bryson Hickman, 37/60, and affinity with Joe Thomas? I make him an offer

I cut K Patrick Murphy and sign

Well i can;t find someone who can replace my leader at TE/WR. Ah well

How am I doing with returning?

RB Duke Johnson is awesome with PR at 82 current rating

Pryor and Hawkins are good enough, but I don;t want to risk them

We need a good KR man

To my mind, the best is RB Noah Poole, with both a maxed potential in Kr and special teams. But he is a distraction. Sorry Poole


I make an offer to SE Ricardo Crafton, instead

I make some changes to the options::

Injury setting - 120
Accuracy at Combine - 60
Cap - 40 to 70 - I don;t like small or big stuff

Staff - set game plan, playbook

I don't game plan. I GM only.

I m not a coach

Alright - Training Camp Time!


This is the most important button I'll likely hit in this career....


We well 42800 season tickets, and I have a couple of trade offers I'm not considering


No obvious busts.

I cut:

P Colquit
QB Jimmy Lowe
K Parker
CB Caldwell
QB Joe Callahan
OG Cooper
CB Burley
TE Telfer
WR Payton
DE Paea
QB Oglesby
DE holmes



Successes thus far?

LS Newsome has a 90 long snapping. Big upgrade there. he has the 3rd best long snapping in the league.

I sign:

UFA DE Michael Dunn, 36/61 after he joins my club

UFA DT CJ Holland, good affinity, 29/52 post joining

Pre Season!

In the preseason we are crushed by Green Bay, beat Atlanta, lose to Tampa, and shut out Chicago 27-0 win week 5. We finish 2-2.

Time for roster management


Let's take a look at where we are pre-cuts - we have had surprises both nice and...not




What are my major post-camp themes:

OG Joel Bitonio is now 57/74 with a big upside

Rookie and 3rd round pick OT Shon Coleman boomed to 46/70

Last year's first rounder, C Cameron Erving, continues to drop, now at 26/39

At 69/75, P Rob Emerson is really good.

At 41/65, undrafted DE Joey Horner was likely my best pickup

At QB, Donner dropped to 15/38/ But UFA QB Brendan Arledge impressed. 20/48 rating. My coaches liked him, I I stayed with him .

Game 4 - Brendan Arledge 18 16 164 3/22 0 31 0 104.6
Game 3 - rendan Arledge 19 9 28 1/9 0 10 1 32.1
Game 2 - Brendan Arledge 20 10 75 1/7 1 33 0 76.0
Game 1 - endan Arledge 11 7 70 0/0 0 34 0 81.6

Not that bad, considering who he was going up against

So I am going ahead and giving the QB nod to Arledge for now.

Final cuts:

I move Andrew Graham to C


C Reiter
C Erving
RB Crowell
WR Crafton - busted on kick returns
FS Howard
CB Tramon Williams - lost a step in camp in his 10th year playing
QB Donner

Roster ready and confirmed!


Roster Strengths?

Worst QB
4th worst RB
12th best TE
17th best WR corps
4th best OT, 10th best OG, 9th worst C

5th best P, 15th best K

3rd worst DE, 9th worst DT
4th best MLB, 11th best OLB
14th worst CB, 5th worst S

We are the youngest team in the league by a lot - 24.0

Let's start the season!


week 1 at Eagles - We lose 7-20

Week 2 vs Ravens - We win 16-13 - Let's take a closer look at that one.

Here is your game MVP:

Brendan Arledge 40 25 224 1/6 1 35 0 85.8

RB Dave Johnson had 104 rushing yards,


DE Joey Horner 6 2 2.0 23 35

So there you are. Our stars were Johnson, Arledge, and Horner


Week 3? We beat Miami 17-3.

MVP - Brendan Arledge 32 21 186 2/20 0 34 0 81.0

RB Johnson had 103 yards on the ground and a score

Can;t argue with that.

Week 4? We beat Washington 31-27

Game MVP - Brendan Arledge 35 25 316 1/6 2 54 0 118.2

TE Gary Barnidge 8 9 105 13.13 5 22 0
WR Terrelle Pryor 7 10 135 19.29 85 54 1

RB Johnson had two rushes for scores and 79 yards on the ground



One fourth of the way through our season and we are a surprising 3-1.

Next quarter?

We lose to New England 21-32.

Brendan Arledge 35 23 203 1/6 2 35 2 76.2 - first picks by Arledge.

RB Johnson another 72 yards and score


Week 6 - 27-16 we defeat the Titans

Johnson had 87 yards on ground and 2 scores.

MVp - Brendan Arledge 25 17 283 1/9 1 34 0 119.3

We have two ish injuries of concern. Normally I don;t bother you with the minor stuff, we had people go out earlier that I replaced, they weren't major. CB Joe Haden is knocked to questionable, and WR Dawkins to doubtful. I bench Dawkins


Week 7 - We lose to Cincinnati 26-10. Arledge was exposed for the firsttime:

Brendan Arledge 37 21 225 4/17 0 39 3 41.0

Yuck

Starting TE Barnidge is out for 6 week with a broken clavicle



Week 8? We defeat the Jets 20-17 in OT.


MVP - ILB Chris Kirksey 6 1 1.0 32 50

RB Duke Johnson 17 124 7.29 79 2 1 - had a 79 yard breakout for a score

Pedestrian day for Arledge -

Brendan Arledge 34 17 132 1/6 1 18 1 57.5

And we are 5-3 at the halfway point

NT Gabe Wright out for a month, sub

Week 9? We host the 6-1 Cowboys. We edge them 17-16


MVP - Duke Johnson 24 138 5.75 50 3 1

rendan Arledge 29 18 140 0/0 1 21 1 71.0

Johnson out-dueled Zeke, one fewer carry, 13 more yards, and a score


Week 10 - Baltimore exposes our rookie in their place, and we lose in OT 20-23. Our defense did everything they could to win this. Two picks of Flacco, a FF by DE Horner we recovered, and more.

ILB Chris Kirksey 20 0 1.0

Brendan Arledge 32 18 135 2/20 1 24 2 50.8

RB Johnson was 58 yard and a score.

They kept our offense off the ground

Week 11 - WR Hawkins is back from injury this week. We host the 7-2 Steelers. We edge then 27-26

MVP - Brendan Arledge 35 21 183 2/10 1 33 1 71.5

SS Ed Reynolds 1 28 28.00 1 TIND return for a TD

Johnson hurt his heel and didn't play after the first drive

From injury - Haden;s is over.


Week 12 - We host the 6-4 Giants. We lose 28-20.


Brendan Arledge 39 21 195 4/25 1 35 0 76.3

Duke Johnson 19 115. 1 Rush TD


We played that quarter against four winning teams, and went 2-2, with two good wins, and two acceptable losses

Week 13 - Bye. TE Barnidge is back


Week 14 - At 7-5, we are 4th in the AFC North, that's how good the division is. We have teh Bengals, 8-4, this week. We cross Ohio to play them

We win 22-20


Brendan Arledge 29 17 192 2/6 1 39 0 90.0

They shut down the running game - Jhonson was 20 for 45.

We are now guaranteed our first non-losing season for a long time

In injury news, DT Joe Thomas is questionable for a month, as are some chumps and backups. Nothing stops thomas this side of doubtful



Week 15 - we travel to Buffalo to face fellow Great lakes team the Bills, who are just 4 wins. This is the easy spot on our schedule right now.

They are surprising feisty, but we win 31-26

MVp - Brendan Arledge 23 18 293 2/16 2 34 0 147.7

Coming out party?

RB Gabe Myers has ACL damage to his knee for along time. I toss hm on IR.

I sign UFA SEan Fleming, a Rb special teams and KR return guy


Week 16 We host the equally 9-5 Chargers. We hold serve 27-17.

Brendan Arledge 40 27 323 2/11 2 27 1 98.2

Game MVP RB - Duke Johnson 26 123, 1 Rush td

DE Joey Horner 2.5 sacks

Good game by us

OG Joel Bitonio is out for 3 weeks


As of now, we moved into 2nd place in the AFC North, If the season ended now, we'd be the #6 team

But there's another game. And it's not against some chump team, but ht 12-3 Steelers.


Week 17 - They eviscerate us 41-10

Brendan Arledge 33 20 239 4/17 0 39 2 57.5



but....

Cincinnati lost. We finish 10-6, and with the top wild card in the AFC

In fact, at 10-6, we have the 2nd best record in the AFC. Chargers are 10-6, Texans 9-7, and Pats 10-6. Bengals at 9-7 are in too




The 2016 NFL Playoffs!!!

Wild card weekend

Cleveland at Houston
Cincinnati at San Diego

Dallas at Arizona
Minnesota at New York


We are favored. For a playoff game. We are the battle tested AFC North, where every team was 9-7 or better, vs the 9-7 Texas in a division no one was at 500 or above other than them


This is where my Otto Graham, I mean Arledge, could start?

We win 31-26

Kirksey is Game MVP - ILB Chris Kirksey 11 4 2.0

We dropped Osweiler 7 times. Boom to the ground you go!

Brendan Arledge 28 19 271 1/8 3 72 2 104.9

Sure, two picks ain;t great, but 3/2 is fine.

They shut down Johnson



No major injuries either.

Thomas is healthy again

Cincinnati is up 24-16, Dallas loses 16-20 to the Cardinals, and Vikes over Giants 15--10

The 2016 NFL Playoffs:

Week 2

Arizona at Green Bay
Minnesota at Carolina

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Cleveland at New England


Now the teams this year that have done a good job exposing Arledge are the Steelers, Ravens, and Pats. I assume Belichick has this one in New England

But if you want to star your legacy, this is it.

As an undrafted rookie QB in your first year, go to New England and beat Tom Brady


They are favored by 6. Obviously


They cover the spread. By 1.

24-17

Brendan Arledge 35 17 102 2/11 2 16 0 74.1

No picks, 2 scores, but not what you need to win there, in those circumstances

They shut down Johnson hard. 51 yards on 18 carries



Pittsburgh wins 20-17
Arizona upends Green bay 20-17
Carolina over Minnesota 41-7


Championship Weekend:

New England wisn 37-17
Arizona 34-31 in OT


The 2016-17 Super Bowl!


Arizona wins 27-24 over the Pats.

We have a BUNCH of season awards. Get ready:

Off Rookie of the Year went to Zeke, natch

Defensive Rookie of the Year: DE Joey Horner

All Pro 1st Team:

MLB Chris Kirksay - Totally deserved


All Pro 2nd Team:

P Rob Emerson
DE Joey Horner
DT Danny Shelton

Stats?


That is not a bad rookie season at all. 3477 yards, 16/13 QB:Int ratio, 10-6 record, 1-1 in playoffs, 80.1 rating, 60+ % completion.

Rushing?

Johnson was 313 for 1283, 13 rush scores, 4.10 avg he also has a PR RET TD


Remember that Hawkins was out for a few games with that injury, as was TE Barnidge, who likely would have been AllPro otherwise. 600+ yards in 11 games?


K Raymond - 28 of 34 FG, 33 of 33 PAT.
P Emerson - 107 punts. 48.1 avg, long of 75,






Your eyes do not deceive you. Fifteen sacks for rookie DE Horner. Incredible! You can see the house of the year Kirksay has a well. 8 sacks for DT Shelton.


Kirksay continues with the most picks, a INT RET TD, and 2nd most pas def on my squad.




Note the lack of Thomas. He is fading.

Team Awards:

I like to give out a quintet of team awards each year to represent all of the different things we got from our peoples.

Offensive Player of the Year - 10-6. 1-1. That's why QB Brendan Aldridge has to be here. He was something acceptable, workable, and winnable.

Defensive Player of the Year - MLB Chris Kirksey. He led the team in multiple factors, and had a 20 solo tackle performance. He was the best player on our team from many angles, and made his impact felt. Good job Kirksey!


Special Teams Player of the Year - P Rob Emerson - He made All Pro. As an undrafted rookie. You have to love what Emerson has coming in his future!

Rookie of the Year - DE Joey Horner - We had a metric ton of rookies contribute and could get this award. But when you get Defensive Rookie of the Year and All Pro, my hands are tied. You deserved it Horner!

Heart Award - DT Danny Shelton - Is Danny a creeper? I guess we'll find out. He is a 56/56 DT, drafted in the first round last year. He was the best DT statistically this year in the league in pressurizing that QB. Actually, I'm a bit surprised that Sheldon got 2nd team. He led all Dts in sacks, and was 2nd best in hurries. But, beside that, the Heart Award goes to someone who over performed, did well in difficult circumstances, and more. Shelton defines that description.


Good job all!

End of Season

Team Performance 66
Franchise Value - 76
Profit Loss - 85
Roster Strength 34 -

Total Score - 74



We have no one retire.

Retirees of note -

Larry Fitz, A Boldin, V Jackson

Dwight Freeney, T Suggs, James Harrison, R Mathis, T Newman, Weddle

Tom Brady, Drew brees

Jamaal Charles, D e Williams, Sproles,

TE Antonio Gates


We have:

The Leagues 11th best stadium
13th worst roster
7th worst support
4th worst economy
12th worst franchise value

We made 112 mill last year, but just 74.% attendance, 5th lowest



Staff -

Two of our staff are out of deals:

Let;s head to the draft and see what I can tap. I was thinking about grabbing a 3-4 guy, but given the success we had at DE and DT in a 4-3, I'm no longer inclined to do that

I give raises to my HC and Assistant HC that were about to finish their year

We pick 21st in the staff draft

No pick in round one for us

Round 2 is the OC round. There are multiple coaches with the same level of quality.

Here's our ex OC - Smashmouth, O line specialist - Past the 50% line in Dev, talent, dis, and play calling, virtually no motivation at all, decent scouting and interviewing. 68 plays

Now he fits. I'll grab him, but the others all had something going for him

DC in round 3? No pick?

Assistant? There's a guy 5 better than ours, but likes the spread. I genuinely like my guy better and skip my pick

Strength C? I hire Andre Cobb from the Changers, 59 overall



Time for free agency

My only major FAs of note are WR Terrelle Pryor, OG John Greco (who is 10th year as a player), and SLB Jamie Collins, CB Jamar Taylor and Jordan Poyer

I would love to keep Pryor and Collins. Franchise Tag for Pryor is 10 mill, for Collins its 12.

On the bench I have 2nd year man 53/61 SLB Ogbah, 2nd round draft pick last year, so Collins, the better player at 59/59 is more optional.

There are not a lot of WR currently that would be better for Pryor. I would love to have him come back. But of the two, I don;t think they are worth the cash.

I make offers to my RFAs -

QB Arledge, 4 years
P Emerson, 5 years, big money
K Redmond, 4 years, cheap
DE Horner, 3 years, cheap

C Graham - Cheapish

LS Newsome, 1 year

LT Stine, 2 yeas
LG Hickman, 2 years, cheap
RT Daubach, 1 year
DT Holland, 2 years
RB Sean Yamada, 2 years
TE Helmic, 3 years
FS Reynolds, 3rd year vet, 3 years, 49/49
DE Michael Dunn, 2 years
WLB Cam Johnson, 48/48, two yeas, 1.8 and 2 mill each year

I keep the others open for now

My needs:

Stud RB

A lights out WR to go over my corps
starter WR

Great C. Starting LG

Starter DT

A bunch of corners -like 5.

A great SS and/or FS


I extend WR Dawkins by two years, Kirksey by 3, and I like RG Bitonio, but he wants a lot of cash to extend. I hold off on hm for now

I move to week 2:


On the Grey Sheet. many top players were franchised. Just OLB Collins is on the grey sheet from our roster of the best players in FA.


Let's take a look at top talents in my areas of need:

CB - Available are four players at 60+, and another 5 at 55-59, and a bunch more 50s. Given my cap space (55 mill), there should be nothing from letting me grab one. Many of these people are distractions, or too old. I decide to make an offer for Nolan Carroll, 64/64, even at 30, gets along with our leader, Joe Haden.


I also offer:

WR Jordan Norwood, best in the class


Before I make too many more, let's look at the rookies.

Anyone I think we can take at the 27th pick, like a good C,, OG, or CB or WR or DT or someone? There are a lot of high quality CBs out there. I interview E3 and get very underrated, and #4 and hard to read. #5 is very underrated and has amazing bars already and #1 and 2 look like studs based on their bars and combines. There is a ton of top talent here. I would love one to be there at 27. If I sign a top CB, draft another power, and give me three strong corners to refurbish my CB corps, that would be good

What else?

Top C on the board is very underrated. I interview the #4 and 5 guards, and 4 looks good. Two stud WRs out there. #4 is as scouted, three stud RBs in the draft too. I interview #3. Two great Safeties. Anyone I think could fall to 27? Teh #3 guy is very underrated

We are in a good place for this stuff. I'm comfortable we'll get WR, RB, CB, S,C, or OG for my team. Someone good.

No DTs though. So I look at FA'

I make an offer for DT Stacy McGeee to join us.

Anyone else I want to bring in? No to RB. Too expensive or old. Nah to C. There is a studly, franchise level OG Tim Leilito, 73/73. 5 years of experience. But he wants something like 5 years and 55 mill. Nope. I don;t need an OG that badly. What about 30 mill for 4 years to 65/65 Kevin Zeitler? He;s 2nd best. Or 7th year vet 62/62 John Jerry, 3 years and 14 mill? I do that and bump his bonus up a mill to 15 mill deal. That's reasonable


Anyone else? There is a lot of talent out there. We have one 80 player, 2 70s, 15 60s, and so forth. None of those are P/K either. DE Christ Long and WLB War eare the other houses. But we have 67/67 Kiko Alonso, 66/66 Jarvis Jones, DT Stacy McGee (who I made an offer to), 66/66 SS WIlcox, and and such.

Hmm, what about TE?

We have a 64, 61, and two 59 TEs out there. Ours is in his 10th year. Both in the 59 zone are cheap and strong options. I make an offer to TE Jordan Cameron

I make an offer to QB Chase Daniel. He's the replacement I have in line for RGIII, a mentor to QBs

Week 3? I sign both DT Stacy McGee and RG John Jerry!

Jerry is cheaper, 30 years, so he;s a bit of a placeholder if you will, but he;s 54/54. McGee was the best DT in FA, cheap, and 71/71 after signing, sop he looks better post signing!

OLB Jamie Collins wants 30 mill, 5 years. Way too much for me

Kevin Minter, WILB< is a good deal, but I don't need the competition. Man, we have such a good LB corps

WR Norwood is being chased by 11 teams. I up over offer to be 2 mill more then the next team

Week 4 - We sign SE Jordan Norwood for 3 years, 13.15 mill, comes in with a 63/63 rating


Week 5 - We sign CB Nolan Carroll, 3 years, 23.27 mill. Posting signing has 63/63 rating.

No one is chasing SS JJ Wilcox. So I do. He's 66/66, 5th year vet from Cowboys. Would be a huge upgrade at SS for us.


Week 6 - No news

Week 7 - We sign TE Jordan Cameron for 2 years, 3.86 mill

Week 8 - No news

Week 9 - We sign JJ Wilcox, 4 years,, 23.20 mill, comes in at a 64/64 rating

We signed the best WR, CB, S, and DT in free agency

Week 10 - No news

Week 11 - Chase Daniel signs to me my Mentor. I cut RG3

I have 35 mill in cap space for anyone I want to sign, and 49 players under contract heading into the draft.

The 2017 NFL Amateur Draft

The first player off the board is

QB Mickey Lannon, to the Redskins




Our pick arrives at 27. Who is there I scouted and liked?

C Harrison Tatum, very underrated

CB Trenton Flynn? (37/70)

There is a maxed bars guy still on the board - MLB Robert Banda. Not a position of need, but the BAP is Banda. His ideal is a SLB. He is the best LB in the draft, and looks to be a real force. I could draft him,and say screw it, and just move ot the 3-4 and move on.


OG AJ Doyle? OG Gaytan

TE Kris Nixon looks like a house, but again, not a position of need

OG Gaytan is available and looks extremely strong. We have some quality Des here as well that appear to have dropped.

My current OGs are 63/63 and 58/58. Gaytan appears to be the next level of quality. At LB I have 72/72 Kirksey, and then 53/61 Ogbah, and others.

Let's do it. Let;s take Banda

TE Nixon heads to teh Packers at teh next pick

The second round arrives and another BAP is about to happen. 2nd round DE Julio Stanton is a house, fell, and I'm not letting him fall further!
The 3rd pick is here and i need to start looking at need. I take the 2nd est CB on the board CB Cooper Schmidtke. He has good bars, and is pretty fast.

The 4th arrives. Two players attract me. C Harrison Tatum is still on the board. Very underrated, best C in the draft. Or FL Gabriel Lynch, with a great set of bars, and fast too. Both are good. Both are positions of need.

My current C is Andrew Graham, 46/52. My current WR are 58/58 and 63/63, and Norwood, the better on, is 30.

But very underrated? Man that entices!

I go with C Tatum

In the 5th, Lynch is there, so I snag Gabriel Lynch

6th round? Any more corners of quality? Sure, i grab tehj best CB on teh board Antoine Harrison

7th round i like to pick up depth or special teams. FL Shawn Gordon appears to be one of the best returners left, I grab him.

Here;s my first draft class:

1st Round - LB Robert Banda, Rice
2nd Round - DE Julio Stanton, Fresno State
3rd Round - CB Cooper Schmidtke, Mississippi
4th Round - C Harrison Tatum, Purdue
5th Round - WR Gabriel Lynch, Baylor
6th Round - CB Antoine Harrison, Ohio
7th Round - WR Shawn Gordon, Mississippi State

I feel like this could be one of those epic drafts, where I went BAP first two rounds and got serious talent there. We'll see. I emphasized bars and occasional combine scores over over stuff.

So let’s take a look and unpack the draft a bit more

We have one player on the green page – DE Julio Stanton is the 3rd best player on the page. We have a B+ draft grade

Here:

DE Stanton 45/82
LB Banda – 38/78
CB Schmidtke 38/70
FL Lynch 35/63
C Tatum 21/61
FL Gordon 25/50
CB Harrison 40/43

That is not a B+ draft!

Who else do I want to shoulder tap for this team?

I make these offers:

UFA RB Erik Hernandez, RB Tyrell Idler
UFA FB louis Bush
UFA QB Bill Bryant

I have some conflicts on my D Line, so I offer NT Corey Peters for 3 years to come in and help out as my new leader

WR Allen Hurns, 2 years

Week 1 – We sign Hurns, Peters,

Week 2 – We sign FB Bush

Week 3 – We sign Bryant, Hernandez, and Idley


I have space, I make offer to some random UFAs to give me bulk in camp – SE Pedro Block, CB Cornelius Oliver, LT Brenden Conti, FS Tyrone McSwain

Week 4 - We sign them all

Ready to go camping?

Before we do….

I need to figure out my defense.

I am going to run Banda at SLB, his area of strength, leave Kirksey at MLB, not his strength (WLB is his best position, but WLB is the worst positon on the 4-3 defense. I don’t want to waste him there) and then move Ogbah to WLB. Ogbah is 77 pass rush strength, 89 strength, 100 punishing hit, and I think he can do some damage from the WLB spot

Training CAMP!!!

CB Schmidtke just cracked the Green page in the final spot

Changes and updates –

Rookies – everyone is as expected

C Graham is 51/52 already. I’ll give Tatum starts in preseason, but Graham has earned the spot for now

I cut:

TE Connor Hamlett, SE Pedro Block, DE Carl Nassib, FS McSwain, QB Bryant, and RB Idler and Conti

In the preseason we go 20-10 vs the Saints, lose 24-17 to Cowboys, win 30-20 vs Bucs, and 21-14 over the Skins

Ready for the regular season?

RB Duke Johnson busted to 34/34
P Emerson busted to 61/61

I make these cuts:

RB Erik Hernandez
TE Shaqullle Helmic
FL Corey Coleman
SILB Dominique Alexander
DT CJ Holland
CB Boddy-Calhound


We have:

20th worst QB
28th worst RB
21st worst FB
17th best TE
12th best WR
THE best OT, 4th best OG, 17th best C

7th best P, 12th best K

17th best DE, 9th best DT
5th best ILB, 11th best OLB
8th best CB, 6th best S

Well there you are defense!

I spent this off season really shoring up my D. And I got those two top talent defenders. But I need to commit to a top flight RB soon.

There's muh roster!

Some additional news:

WR Norwood came out of preseaon out with a strained calf muscle for a few weeks. Hurns'l start for him until he returns

3rd round CB Cooper Schmidtke who looked initally good post-draft and camp dropped to 44/61. That's still really good for a 3rd rounder, even if he winds up 52/52 or something, that's fine. Meanwhile, 6th round CB Antonine Harrison frommmmm Farmington , WV boomed hard! The 6th rounder is 51/66 as a rookie

As I mentioned this was a corner heavy drafft...

There are CBs with these potentials running around - 85, 76, 73, 71, 69, 68, 67, 66, 61, 56, 56, 55, 54, 53, 53, 53, 51, 51, 51, 50, 50

That's a lot of players at 50+, and we have two of those at 66 and 61 in rounds 3 and 6.

I feel like my team deserves a really, really good Rb to put it over the top. Anyone looking to trade?

I feel like my defense is really tight right now. I have a ton of quality backups, like 55/60 SS Derrick Kindred, a UFA who boomed in camp and preseason, and I move him to FS and start him over FS Ed Reynolds, a solid 49/49 guy. I totally renovated my secondary in one year. Last year I had two All Pros on the D Line, and I added the best DT in FA and the best DE in the draft to go with them. I already had a stocked LB crops, and I traded a 59/59 SLb for the best LB in the draft a 45/74 guy, while having a ton of depth

We are good defense. We are going to Brown Out a lot of teams.

As you’ve seen, we have good, quality O line. My Wrs are okay, but not amazing. I have two solid Tes. Given that. I feel like one stud RB really pushes to that next level.

The Jags have the best RB in the league with Tod Coffeey, a rookie they took 1.6 with 66/81 stuff.

Chicago? You have the 2nd best current Rb in the league, 3rd best overall with 2nd year man Jordan Howard. You need a corner badly. Nope, doesn’t want Haden that much. I would trade Haden straight up for a young RB.

I get a call from a GM who will give me their stud RB, 25 years old, in the 5thyear in the league, for both my 1st next year and Joe Haden. Haden is one of my best players. But last year hee was just with 6 pasdef and 0 picks. He’s not this amazing, must-keep player, when I have the other three corners of value on my roster…

But my 1st rounder next year as well? That’s a rough price the Bengals want for Giovani Bernard. Last year he has 342 carries for 1502 yards. Dude can carry the rock. 72/72 overall score.

Alright, I make an offer the Bengals accept:

I send the Bengals:

1st rounder next year
4th rounder next year
RB Sean Yamada

For RB Giovani Bernard

I have to give you this game result NOW NOW NOW


Week 1 – We open with Cincinnati, ironically, and beat them 35-17, ironically. Holy crap!!!

Get ready for this stat line:

DE Joey Horner 9 tackles, 6 knockdowns and SEVEN AND A HALF SACKS. Holy crap that guy unloaded on Andy Dalton. 1 FF

Arledge was weak – 20 of 34, 202, 0:1, Bernard was 25 carries for 95 yards and FOUR TDs on the ground. Arledge rushed for a score.

Horner is obviously Defensive Player of the Week for the nFL.

We have OT Shon Coleman a little banged up from that game, and around 6 probables

Week 2 – We beat the Vikes 27-17. Game MVP Arledge 19 of 27, 302 yards, 1:0 rating. Bernard had 102 yards and a score, TE Barnidge was 130 yards and score with a 50 yard score TD. We have three picks, and S Ed Reynolds returned it 72 yards for a score. Antoine Harrison got a pick, and new SS Wilcox the other.

Injuries to RG Jerry Johns out for a month with a foot ligament injury

Week 3 – We beat the Bills 26-14. Game MVP is Arledge with 19 of 30, 295, 2:1, and WR Hawkins 136 yards and rookie Gabriel Lynch 100 and a score. Bernard adds 76 yards on the ground. Antoine Harrison with a pick returned 82 yards for a score. 1.5 sacks by Horner.


Week 4 – We defeat the Titans 34-24. Arledge is MVP wit 24 of 36, 310, and 2:0. Tes Barnidge and Cameron with scores. Bernard adds 114 yards and a score on the ground, as did Arledge. Interception by..DE Joey Horner.


SE Norwood is back from injury and starting in place of Hurns

Week 5 – We have the 0-4 Jags. So we crush them 41-13, no surprise. We have a major injury. DE Julio Station got a high ankle sprain and is out for the rest of the season. I place him on IR and sign DT Karl Klug to help.

For the game? Arledge is Game MVP with 19 of 26, 191 and 3:0. He hits Hawkins, Norwood, and RB Bernard for scores and Bernard adds 128 yard and another score on the ground. Picks by Kirksey and Wilcox. Sack by Horner.

Week 6 – We head to 3-1 Houston. We emerge victorious 23-13. Bernard has 91 yards on 33 attempts, they slowed him down and kept him from breaking out. Alredge was MVP with 21 of 29, 252 and 1:0. Hawkins with a score, DT Shelton recovered a fumble and rushed 19 yard for score. Lynch scored from an offensive fumble recovery. WLB Ogbah led the team in tackles, sacks, and more. Horne with another sack, DE Dunn, starting for Stanton got a sack too.

DT McGee is out for 9 weeks with a broken foot. OG Gerry John is back from injury

We are the NFLs last undefeated team!

Week 7 – Well that only lasted a week. We lose in Baltimore 17-14. Horner is game MVP with four more sacks. Dang. Arledge exposed 23 of 37, 219, 0:2. Bernard had 128 yards 24 carries and a score. But we lost. Horner is again D layer of the Week for the NFL

Sad face

CB Antoine Harrison is questionable with a trained hammy

Week 8 – We have the 5-1-1 Colts heading to Cleveland. We win 24-41 in OT. Game MVP Bernard 26 for 112, 1 TD, caught another sore. Arledge was 25 of 35, 271, and 2:1. 2 more sacks by Horner.

A bunch of injuries:

CB Cooper Schmidtke is out with a stress fracture in his good

CB Nolan Carroll is doubtful

RG Joel Bitonio for a 5 weeks with a damaged shoulder

At the halfway mark we are 7-1. How many sacks does Horner have? 17.5. Which is a lot of sacks, in case you are counting. Bernard leads the lead in rushing.

Week 9 – We barely manage to defeat the Steelers 23-17. Bernard, Game MVP, has 136 yards on the ground. Norwood had 106 yards and a score, and like always, the Steelers stymied Arledge a bit. He had 185 yards, 2:2, and 189 of 27. Safeties Wilcox and Campbell with picks. Sacks by DT Sheldon and WLB Ogbah.

Week 10 – BYE. CB Schmidtke healed

Week 11 – We head to Cincinnati. They get vengeance and knock us down, 37-27. CB Nolan Carroll is back from injury. Bernard held to jst 42 yards, but Arledge was 29 of 41, 279 and 3:0 and hit Norwood, Hawkins and Lynch for scores. 1.5 sacks by El Horner another by Ogbah

Week 12 – We host the 3-7 Bears. We win 41-16. OG Bintonio is back from injury. Bernard was 82 yards and a score, Arledge was 13 of 24 ,269, 2:1. Norwood and Dawkins with score. But Game MVP? That’s right, Joey Horner, 2 forced fumbles, and 3sacks Pick and return 81 yards for a score by Nolan Carroll, back in his starting gig.

Week 13 – We head to Denver! We lose in Denver! 23-16. Bernard 30 yards, Arledge was 29 of 45, 336 and 0:2, Norwood had 119 yards and Lynch 100. Pick and return 40 yards by Carroll for a score. O sacks.

We are 9-3 heading into the stretch

Week 13 – We head to Denver! We lose in Denver! 23-16. Bernard 30 yards, Arledge was 29 of 45, 336 and 0:2, Norwood had 119 yards and Lynch 100. Pick and return 40 yards by Carroll for a score. O sacks.

We are 9-3 heading into the stretch

Week 14 – We host the 7-5 Lions. We lose 38-28. Bernard was 109 yards and a score on the ground, Arledge was 25 of 40 for 221 and 3:2. He hit Cameron, Hurns, and FB Bush for scores. We forced 5 fumbles. Sack by Horner.


Week 15 – We head to Pittsburgh and…..with 42 -20. Wow. MVP was OG John Jerry with 5 KRB. Alright then, go Jerry! Sack by Horner. Arledge had 17 of 25 for 181 and 3:1 ration, hut Hawkins twice and Cameron once for scores. Bernard had 122 yards and a score.

DT mcgee is back from injury. And will start again for us

Week 16 – We play against the weak 5-9 Green Bay team. They are still Green bay though, and we fight them hard, and win 24-21. Arledge is game MVP with 27 of 30 for 395 and 2:0. He hits Hawkins and Norwood for scores, and Bernard had 20 rushes for 90 yards and a score. Quiet game by our defense.

Antoine Harrison is back from his strained hammy. Heading into the final week, we are 11-4 and in front of Houston and New England by a game. We face the 7-8 Ravens, who would love to get to 8-8 and prevent us from getting the #1 seed. Ravens are no joke

Week 17 – We crush them 42-9. Arledge, Game MVP, with 26 of 33 for 400 and 4:0 ratio. Bernard adds 24 rushes, 126 yards and s core. 165 received yards by Hawkins, TD catches by Norwood, Cameron, and FB Bush. Pick by Schmidtke, returned 59 yards for a score. Sacks by Horner, Wilcox, and CB joe Haden.


We win 12-4 and are the #1 seed in the AFC!

The 2017 NFL Playoffs!


Wild Card Weekend

Denver heads to Houston
Indianapolis heads to San Diego

Minnesota to Detroit
Tampa Bay to New York


I’d love to see Houston next week. Will that happen? Nope!

Denver wins 17-13, The Colts lose 28-31 in OT< Vikes crush the Lions 31-6, and Giants in a defensince, mistake riddled match 6-3 over teh Bucs.


Divisional Weekend:

We have:

9-7 Denver heading to Cleveland

11-5 New England hosting the 11-6 Chargers


Giants head to Seattle and Minnesota to Carolina

We are favored by 4. But don’t forget that one of our losses is to Denver, 23-16.

What can we do?

Can we win We score a TD on our opening drive, and never lose the lead. We finish 44-21.

Bernard took over – MVP, 28 carries, 192 yards, 3 TDs. Arledge was 18 of 24 for 273 and 2:0. Bernard caught a TD score, and Hurns another. Picks by SS Wilcox and CB Harrison. Even Joe Thomas wanted this – dude had 6 KRB.


Elsewhere –

Carolina over the Vikings, 27-19, Giants lose in Seattle 17-13 , and Pats over Charges 26-19

Conference Championships!



Can we make it to the Super Bowl over the Brady-less Pats?



Will Carolina or Seattle make it from the NFC side?


Let’s find out!!!!

Scoreless 1st quarter. We kick a FG< then they follow, then we score and its 10-3 at the half. We Score another FG, and then they reciprocate. Backand forth. Back and forth. They drive twice in the 4th to make it and win 33-23.

Bernard was 24 of 129 yards and a score. Arledge was 25 of 33 for 286, and 2:1. Hawkins 114 and a score, Hurns the other. We just couldn’t stop them in the 4th. We led from the early 2nd to the early 4th.

Carolina won


2016-2017 Super Bowl

Panthers 29, Pats 22

Good job Carolina!

Season awards:

DE Joey Horner, Defensive Player of the Year, All Pro 1st Team
WR Andrew Hawkins, All Pro 2nd Team
OT Joe Thomas, All Pro 2nd Team


Stats!




Arledge was 4th in yards, 2nd in TDs, 5th in QB Rating. That is a very respectable statline.


We were robbed for an ALl Pro for Bernard:

388 carries 1571 yards - led league in rush yards, 14 rush TDs, led the lead in rushing scores. He ha a better ypc than the next player down who did make All Pro, he had a better ypc, better yards, adn better rushing scores, and yet, that guy was an all pro, and Bernard wasn;t



Hawkins was 3rd in receiving yards, and tied forr 3rd in TDs


K Zach Raymond was 23 of 28, and 54 of 55 PAT.
P Rob Emerson - 79 pnts, 48.0 average, 39.2 net average. 4th highest average in league
Hawkins had 1 PR RET TD,
Hurns had 29 special teams tackles, 3 FF, 1 fumrec, and led all special team gunners in that role across the league

Blocking - Thomas was 29 KRB of 61 KRO, 5 sacks allowed; C Graham was 29 of 98 with 1 pancakes and 7 sacks allowed; OG Jerry, in 12 games, was 27 of 60 and 5 sacks and 2 pancakes; OG Bintonio, 12 starts, 24 of 81, 1 pancakes, 4 sacks, Ot Shon Colemon, 22 and 84, 1 pancake, 6 sacks allowed




In his 2nd year, Horner beat Strahan for most sacks in a season. Note that WLB Ogbah ahs a strong 5.5 sacks, and backups had a bunch more. Shelton was just 3.5. If you think Horner was a fluke - he was 3rd in hurries, had 4 FF, and the most QB kd by 5 over anyone else. And he blew up sacks.





Lots of players had picks. Wilcox was clearly worth the money signing him when he dropped in FA, and despite injuries, Carroll doesn;t disappoint either. We had 6 INT RET TDs, which is huge.

Team Awards:


Offensive MVP - RB Giovani Bernard. Gio led the league in two major rushing stats - rushing TDs and rushign yards. That's very, very good, and he wins my OMVP award for teh team

Defensive MVP - DE Joey Horner. Duh

Special Teams MVP - Allen Hurns - no one was more destructive as a gunner, with that many FF and tackles. Good job Hurns!

Rookie of the Year: WR Gabriel Lynch - Was 3rd best WR On a team with a lot of busy stuff going on. This 5th round pick from Box Elder, SD Lynch had 651 yards, and 2 scores and looked good. Good job Lynch!


Heart Award: Andrew Hawkins - All heart. This guy went undrafted after playing at Toledo, then was undrafted. No one signed him. So h e went to Mounteeal and played in Canada for two years. The Rams signed him, and then let him go before he played in the regular season in 2011. The Bengals brought him him,and he played for three years, with his best season 51 for 533 and 4 scores. The Browns signed him, and he had 63 for 824 and 2 in his best season for thm Now, at the age of 31, he's All Pro. Heart baby

End of Season –

90 Perform
81 Value
83 Profit
31 Roster

81 Total Score

We had a retirement – TE Gary Barnidge. Thanks for playing with us!

Other retirees of note.

QB Schaub
RB Bush
TE Jason Witten, Vernon Davis
DT Wilfork
LB Dansby, Ware, Hali, Dumervil,

CB Adam Jones

We made 60 mill, 81.8% attendance

Staff Draft!

We pick 20

There is a guy a little better than our guy 62 suitable vs 60. I keep my guy


Now there is an OC much, much better than outs 65 vs 56. He’s the former OC of the Saints. Now he’s 60 to 68 playbook, West Coast vs Smashmouth, and RB vs O Line for primary. The new guy, Voinovich, is younger, better at motivation, play calling, scouting, worse at young talent, discipline. It is worth going to west coast style? We have been successful in Smashmouth. We have the line and RB and stuff for it. I stay with my guy again

Ready for DC? There is a DC option that prefers 3-4. Worth it? I don’t know if McGee is coming back from his long term injury. He is more o a 4-3 DT. Shelton can be a 3-4 NT. Horner is ideal in a 4-3. Julio Stanton as well. Alrgiht, we stay.

I hire a new Assistant Coach – TE balanced, enthusiast Philip Clements. A 71 suitable strength coord falls and I grab him as well.

All down!

Any franchise tags needed? The only UFAs I have are QB Chase Daniel, DT Karl Kil, SILB David and RG Joel Bitonio. Um, yeah, I’ll franchise Bitonio. Getting a new OG is not that hard, but I Don’t have a lot of ammo

We have 38 mill under the cap, and don’t; forget we don’t have a 1st or 4th rounder draft pick this year

Free Agency Time!!!

Neat idea.

Free Agency Time!!!


I sign RFA LS BO Newsome for 2 years. RFA RT Ramon Daubauch for a year.

I sign OG Joel Bitonio for 4 years, 22 mill

Anyone I need to extend with one year left?

I extend Joe Thomas by a year
TE Jordan Cameron – 3 years total, 2 year extension
I add a year each to backups of LT Rodolfo Stine, RG Bryson Hickman, RB Duke Johnson,

I sign NT Danny Shelton to a 5 year, 26 mill deal

Changes on my rosier – C Andrew Graham grew to 58/58, P Emerson back to 70/70.

What do I need? I have 48 on my roster. I don’t have a bunch of picks, so I need to build my team in FA.



TE
Potential draft young replacement for Joe Thomas

Other than QB, I feel like I have a solid roster –

RB – 69/69
TE – 54/54
WR -63/63., 58/58,
C – 58/58, OG 73/73, 58/58; OT 76/76, 66/66

P – 70/70; K 55/55

DE 64/64, 62/76
DT 69/69, 54/54

MLB 71/71
SLB 60/74, 60/60, with 52/52, ad 47/57 backups

CB 72/72, 53/65, 54/54, 48/63
SS 63/63, FS 58/58 with 49/49 backup

That’s not a bad roster of starters we’ve assembled.

SO really, what do I need?

I would need a certifiable stud in FA in order to make a play

There are few. Some roster changing players.

Thanks thanks!!!

Week 2 – Do I want to fight in the DT Bennie Logan sweepstakes? Young, 80/80. He initially wants 64 mill, 4 years. TO sign him, you’d have to likely make it more like 67 or 68. Now, that would basically end the McGee experiment. But McGee is injured, and cheap if I wanted to move him. This guy would be a powerful addition o my defense. A homerun hitter. Can I take a cap hit of say, 15 mill a year each year for the next four years for him?

I make him an offer.

I make an offer for a backup to my main RB in case of injury. The 2nd best is Latavius Murry, and he’s not pricey. I make him an offer.

I also make an offer to Chase Daniel.

Week 2 – New News

Week 3 – We sign Bennie Logan.

I make a couple of offers to players on my roster on the rise nw, when I can lock them down.

C Andrew Graham, 5 years, 23.4 mill
DE Joey Horner, 4 years, 33 mill

Week 4 – Latavius Murray joins us.

I don’t chase anyone else. Qb Daniel signs week 10

Let’s do some interviews.

The 2018 NFL Amateur Draft

The first player taken is OLB Darryl Thomason at Northwestern by the Jags.

We pick 30th

2.30 arrives

OG Fulton? OG Vernon West?
TE Abel Waite very underrated?
WR Little Potato Tucker?
C Anthony Soule?
OT Conner Wilkins, underrated?
DE Grant Doman?
DE Frank Brzezinski?
OLB Ben McGee?
FL Gabe Delaney

BAP appears to be OG West from Auburn, so I take him


In the 3rd round, both WR Gabe Delaney and TE Hardy Downs intrigue me.

3rd Round – WR Gabe Delaney or TE Hardy Downs, and BGen MCGee is still up on the board as well. Hmm… None of those players will fall to 5. I take Downs. I don’t; need another WR or SLB like I need depth on my TE roster. The TE from Indiana

5th round – RB Carlton Medlock, Georgia Tech for depth has good bars

6th Round – LT Earnest Ellison, OT Southern Mississippi

7th round –CB Tre Doucette, Duke

We have a B- draft review.

Early results are:

37/62 for OG West
25/59 for TE Hardy Downs
20/57 for LT Ellison
27/49 for RB Medlock
22/49 for CB Doucette

If they develop, Downs and West could be starters down the road

I have 56 players post-draft.

I make a handful of UFA offers to CB Raymond McWilliams, SLB Terry West, RB Perry Ramsey, CB Jeffrey Turnbull, a QB like normal, DE Axel Meyer

I have a holdout from WR Jordan Norwood. I certainly can get where someone like Dawkins or Bernard might want it. But Norwood? That’s a joke. Having 744 yards and 6 catches does not invalidates your 4 mill cap hit this year


By week 3, I get all but the QB

CAMP TIME!!!

Norwood ends his holdout. So weird

Post camp I cut:

RB Duke Johnson



I have my eyes on RB Perry Ramsey, who went from 34/34 as a UFA to 40/40

Preseason –

We finished 2-2, with lasses to the Giants, and Panthers, and we beat Falcons and Eagles

Final Roster –

I cut WR Shawn Gordon, RB Carlton Medlock, CB McWilliams, RT Ramon Daubach, DE Meyer, WLB Cam Johnson


I place Stacy McGee on IR





So let’s take a look at the final roster, the good and bad.

The obvious place to start is with the secondary.

Joe Haden faded from 72 to 62. His time is dwindling. Meanwhile, Carroll drooped to 45 from the 50s. This was not unanticipated. Last year I had a denuded cornerback situation, with Haden the only one, so I signed Carroll, despite his age, knowing he’d be a stopgap, and then I got two great corners from the draft. I will be starting Schmidtke and Harrison from here on out.

Speaking of fading, Arledge is dangerous. Year 1 I brought in three 50+ potential Qbs from UFA. Only one, Arledge, did not begin to drop, so I thought he was the right choice. And I have done everything I can to create a roster than can win now with Arledge to make this dynasty work. I’m playing this very differently. But, I kept hoping Arldege would grow, especially after last year, when he was 2nd in TDs, but instead of growing and getting somewhere near 45 or 48 total, he has capped at 35/35,. Which is very sad, because it would be easier with a 45/45 guy

We’’ll see what we can do. You can see some fading with WR Hawkins as well.

I do like the boom of RB Ramsey, who’s continuing to rise a little bit here and there. I hope he’s a grower. Banda is 73/73 in one year. And UFA OLB Terry West has not busted at all, and at 32/57 already, looks strong.

But look at Gio who busted to 48/48. That sucks.

We have –

6th worst QB
18th best Rb
13th best TE
16th best WR
11th best OC; 9th best OG, the best OT
12th best P, 17th best K
7th best DE, The best DT
The best ILB, 9th best OLB
10th best CB, 4th best S

That’s just wrong in a lot of places.

Week 1 0 We head to Pittsburgh, and emerge victorious 28-21

DE Julio Stanton is game MVP with 2.5 sacks, while Horner added 1.5 – picks by FS Kindred and SLB Robert Banda. Bernard was 16 for 83, and a score, and Murray is cutting into his carries. Ardirge – 25 of 32 for 245 and 2:1 – RB Murray and RB Bernard with TD catches.


Week 2 – We host and barely beat the Falcons 20-17. Ardege outdueled Ryan and was MVP With 27 of 39, 359, and 2:0 – hitting Hawkins for a score and RB L Murray for 101 yards and a a1 . Meanwhile, CB Antione Harrison is NFL Defensive Player of the Week with two picks of Matt Ryan. 2 sacks by DE Stanton.
It is time for me to move to Murray?

I move to Murray in front on my depth chart.

Week 3 – We host the Texans and…we beat the Texans 45-7 – Ardige is MVP with 30 of 40, 369 and 4:0. He hits Hawkins for 104 and 1 score, Norwood for 145, TE Seth Devalve for a score, and RB Perry Ramsey for another. Murray has 17 for 61 and a score on the ground. Joe Haden gets his first pick in three years, but returns it for a score. Go Haden go!

Week 4 – BYE

Week 5 – We crunch the Bronoces 34-17. Murrary is Game MVP with 25 for 168, 1 score, and Hawkins has a Rushing TD spelling him. QB Arledge is 24 of 41 for 222 and 2:0. TE Cameron and WR Hrusn catch scores. Pick by Joe Haden. 1.5 sacks by Kriksey.

Week 6 – We crush the Raiders 23-35 and just rushed all over God’s green earth against them. Oh, a nd Arledge got his first Offensive Player of the Week for the league with 24 of 31, 247 and 4:0. DE Julio Stanton is NFL Defensive Player of the Week with 2 sacks and a FF. Picks by Haden once and S S Wilcox twice. Murrary had 31 carries and a score, but just 77 yards, and Arledge, Harkins and Ramsey adde cares as well. Murray caught two scores, and DeValve and Hawkins caught one each


Week 7 – We head to San Diego and barely win, despite our foe being a 1 win team 31-28. Arledge was injured partly through he game and left just 8 of 15 for 99 yard and 2:0. Kessley went 8 of 8 for 53 and 1:0 as well. WR Norwood, TE Cameron and DeValve with TD Catches. Murray had 78 yards on the ground. 2 sacks by Horner.


We finish with a bunch of injuries. Just one of those games, you know:

QB Brendan Arledge – pulled groin, questionable
DT Bennie Logan, out with an elbow for three weeks
FS Kindred, questionable with groin for 3 weeks
WLB Obgah, questionable

But here’s the bad one…

C Andrew Graham, severe hamstring pull. Out for 18 weeks. I toss him on IR. We’ll start OG West, who looks good from rookie camp and such, with C Harrison Tatum as backup for now.

Week 8 – We win 20-13 over the Chief.s Pick by Haden, sacks by Horner and Stanton, Murray is Game MVP with 74 yards off 12 catches and received scores, and 23 rushes for 70 yards on the ground, and Arledge is 32 of 49 for 336 and2:2. Norwood with 114 yards.

Week 9 – We head to Baltimore. They knock us off our undeffeeated perch 28-24. Murray held to 14 carries for 48 yards, Arledge was 39 for 53 for 395 and 2:3, and Cameron and Ramsey grabbed some catches of TDs. 3 sacks by DE Julio Stanton

We finish the first half of the season 7-1.

Week 10 – We host and lose to the Steelers – 17-23. Murrary was 23 for 29 yards, Arledge was 28 of 41 for 265 and 1:4, and it was not pretty. The Steelers and Ravens know how to play us.

We have more injuries:

DT Corey Peters, out for five weeks.
FS Ed Reynolds, starting in place of Kindred, out for 3 weks
OT Shon Coleman, out for three weeks

I put back in, one week early, FS Kindred, NT Logan.

Week 11 – We host and beat the Bengals 24-10 to drop them to 500. MVP is Arledge with 22 of 31, 219 and 2:0. He hits Norwood twice for scores, and Murray is 23 for 33 on the ground. Pick by SS Wilcox. 2 sacks each by Horner and Stanton.

I am done with the Murray experiments. I move GIo back

MLB Kirksey is out for a month with an damaged knee.

Week 12 – We face the 2 win Saints and….tie them 34-34. We have a bunch more injuries first. This has been an injury plagued season:

QB Arkedge questionable again
SS Wilcox, question
RG Jerry broke his finger
TE Cameron is out for a month with a strained elbow tendon
Hawkins questions for a month

DE Joey Horner is doubtful for a month

So many injuries…

It’s very realistic.

I have to sign a TE – I sign 6th round rookie, cut by the Ravens, Bennett Albertini

Ardigde was MOM with 443 yards, 36 on 54, 3:1 ratio, Hawkins caught 132 and 2 scores, TE DeValve 1 score and 90 yards, Bernard was 22 for 62 and a sore.

Week 13 – We head to new England and lose 18-24. Julio Stanton is MOM with 5 sacks. But again, they expose Ardege and he was 22 of 32, 271, and 2:4. Hawkins 109 yards and s core, and RB Murray the other TD catch.

Comeback from injury is RT Coleman and FS Reynolds

Week 14 – We host and decimate the 10-2 Panthers. 43-10. Arledge is MVP with 30 of 42, 302, and 3:0, hitting Murray, Lynch and Ramsey for scores, and Bernard was 19 for 78 yarsd and 1 score. Haden and CB Schmidtke with picks.

Sigh, yet another frekin injury. CB Antione Harrison is out for 6 weeks with concussion crap. Backup CB Doucette out too. Ardrige is done with his injury

Week 15 – We beat the 8-5 Ravens 16-13 in OT. Kirksey and Horner are back next week. Ardege is MOM with 33 of 39, 391 and 0:0, rushes for a yard 102 yards for TE Downs. 2 saks by DE Stantion.

Week 16 – We head to and defeat the 9-5 Bucs 22-14. With 5/5 FGs. Kikcier Raymond is MON. Ardiege is 24 of 33 for 241 yards, 0:1 and Norwood grabbed 113 yards, and Bernard was 17 for 71, and Murry rushes for a score.

The following players have finished their injuries – DE Cooper, TE DeValve, RG West, SS Campbell, FL Hawkins, and NT Peters.

Go into into week 17 we are not in the best spot in the conference. Tennessee and New England are 11-4, we are 11-3-1, and Denver is 10-5 as the winners Baltimore is 8-7, both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati 9-6 . Once again, no losing teams

We need to win this game to guarantee the top seed

Week 17 – We play the 9-6 Bengals. They win, they get a wild card, so they are up for this. We win 27-17. No major injuries, TE Cameron, RC Turnbull ready for the playoffs. MOM was SLB Robert Banda, with 1 sack, 1 FF. Arledge was 18 for 32 for 203 and 2:1, hitting RB Bernard and WR Hawkins for scores, and Bernard added 81 yards and score on the ground. Picks by Haden, Kindred, Banda, and Wilcox.

We have the top seed with a 12-3-1 record