Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Chesapeake Chili Dogs - a multi-player FOF dynasty

QuikSand · 04-19-2005, 09:15 AM

Without further ado, here is the snapshot history up to this season – detailing four years of Chili Dogs football in a nutshell:

The Initial Draft

In the FOFL, we actually went through the initial draft step by step, which allowed for a great deal of control over the players we drafted for our initial rosters. My strategy was to focus on talent along the defensive line first, secure a quarterback fairly early, and fill in from there. After a number of rounds, it became clear that I had fallen irretrievably behind in certain areas, notably offensive line. So, I decided to wait on the line picks, and didn’t make much of an investment there until very late in the draft, when I went after targeted players – securing an OL composed entirely of pass blockers who had affinities with my position leader.

In another unexpected twist, I picked up a second QB fairly early in the draft, after securing my franchise signal caller in Oscar Ozuna, we grabbed a seemingly strong reserve Hilton Boner (obligatory pause for snickering) in the 8th round of the dispersal draft. Intending to go with a pass-inclined offense, I felt that getting Boner either as an insurance policy or as potential trade bait made sense. An early decision with intriguing repercussions later on.

Another factor that casts a long shadow on this whole league is the original roster file. The league used a roster utility to generate its original player universe, and the result (intended or otherwise, I don’t really know) was a fairly low grade of players overall. There were a few stars, but by and large teams were populated with marginal players in many starting positions. It takes some adjustment to see a player rated 30/50 or so as a guy with value, but this league requires that adjustment, at least in its early years. That decision continues to have meaningful effects, even as the league has evolved.

2003 Season

In the league’s first season, our squad took the field, fairly well equipped for the game plans I had envisioned. We were prepared to pass the ball a lot, play very tough against the run, and hope for the best.

Through five games, we were 1-5 on the season, a dismal failure. Oscar Ozuna had posted one good game, but the offense seemed downright inept and the team was foundering. In a “shake up” move, we inserted QB Hilton Boner into the lineup for week six, and he delivered in a big road win with 3 TD passes. We rode the hot hand from there as Hilton Boner led us to 9 straight wins – and he put together a fantastic second half of the season, ending up with a 24/6 TD/int ratio, and an 89.2 QB rating for the season. With the late rally, Chesapeake finished 11-5 on the season, winning the NC East division by one game, and securing a #3 seed for the playoffs.

We hosted division rival Dodge City in the playoff opener, beating the Vigilantes 19-16 in our first playoff game. But in the divisional round, we traveled to Seal Beach, and were beaten by the eventual league champion Sting Rays to end our debut season.

2004 Season

We returned from the 2003 season looking to make improvements on the roster. We were among the most active teams in its initial season of free agency, and secured a number of new players. One thing done by necessity was a rebuilding of our offensive line, as our veteran position leader (around whom the whole system of affinities was constructed) retired, leaving me without a workable backup plan. I also sought to improve the secondary, which I felt was another area of weakness on the team. We traded our 2nd through 7th draft picks to secure an additional 1st rounder, so we looked to target our need areas at the top of the draft, and did so by acquiring CB Howard Kindred and LT Derek Gourdine with back-to-back selections in the late first round.

We once again started the season slowly, getting off to a 2-3 start, but put things together a bit, and finished the year at 10-6, good enough for another division crown, and another #3 seed for the playoffs. And, in keeping with the prior year, we went two and out – winning our home opener (against Davis) but then losing to Subby’s Washington Piledrivers in the divisional round. The league watches Seal Beach claim their second league championship.

2005 Season

In 2005, the league finally saw a few meaningful free agents shake loose, and Chesapeake was again a very aggressive player in the market. We signed LB James Dupree to a solid deal, getting a versatile starting-caliber player for our defensive front. We also picked up a couple of veteran contributors elsewhere as free agents, and strengthened the team overall. A major trade during free agency brought in DE Richard Buxton, who had been tagged by Fritz’s French Ticklers, but was seeking a huge contract extension. The one-year rent-a-stud tactic seemed worth a draft pick, and we had the cap room to take his big salary for the season.

In 2005, the Chili Dogs defense elevated its presence dramatically, with the additions of Dupree and Buxton to an already-solid defensive front, we became very tough against the run, and solid against the pass. The offense, using a vast army of decent skill position players, posted solid numbers – staying true to our pass-heavy commitment, and we were among the top scoring teams in the league. We started the year with a string of 11 wins, amidst whispers of an undefeated season. But after being stung by two-time champions Seal Beach in week 13, we coasted home to a 13-3 record and home field advantage for the playoffs.

In our divisional game, we hosted Seal Beach – the two-time defending champs had slumped this season, but certainly were a formidable foe. Hilton Boner shows up on fire, throws 4 TD passes, and leads our group to a 35-3 rout of the Sting Rays. We post a 30-3 win over Hell Creek in the conference championship, and in the Championship game, our defense is once again monstrous as we defeat Las Vegas 22-9 for the league championship. While Hilton Boner got the MVP award for the title game, it was clearly the Dogs’ defense, particularly the defensive line, which made the real difference, as we forced errors and made big stops throughout the game to secure our rings.

2006 Season

In 2006, we return to defend our title, and make moves to try to do just that. The biggest deal we execute is to arrange the sign-and-trade of DE Richard Buxton, who was asking for a fortune as a free agent. We work out a deal with Wigport (a team executing a major purge-and-rebuild program) to have them sign him and trade him to us. We lose a draft pick, but get a top-shelf player on a cheap deal, and a hope to keep the fearsome defensive front from 2005 essentially intact.

The season comes, and I am basically baffled. The Chili Dogs get out to a slow start once again, but this year we cannot really pull out of the nosedive. We limp to an 8-7 record with one game left, and as fortune would have it, we are once again head-to-head with division rivals Dodge City, in a winner-takes-the-division play-in game. The contest goes into overtime, and Dodge City gets a TD to secure a 12-6 win and send us to the sidelines, missing the playoffs for the first time.

What happened in 2006? I’m really not certain. The team was largely the same as in 2005, when we were truly a dominant force in the league. Superficially, QB Boner’s production dropped a bit, but it was on the defensive side where we noticed the major dropoff. Our titanic defensive front was no longer a brick wall against the run, we gave up big plays, and we allowed 269 points on the season. A disappointing drop-off for this team, falling right out of the league’s elite with no warning signs at all.

My best guess is that the 2005 team was truly overachieving, and that the 2006 team basically underachieved. I think we were better than 8-8 last year, but through luck or poor planning (or more likely both) we ended up failing to reach our potential. So, we approach the 2007 season with a wide-open palette. Is this still the towering title team of 2005? Or is this the meek squad of pretenders from 2006?

Into the 2007 season we go, as the pieces come together for another run. Rebuild? Reload? Oh, and in case that decision wasn’t tough enough, our franchise quarterback is asking for $10 million a year, after playing under the franchise tag last season. So that’s square one, whatever we decide to do.

04-19-2005, 09:15 AM	#2
QuikSand lolzcat Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Annapolis, Md	Without further ado, here is the snapshot history up to this season – detailing four years of Chili Dogs football in a nutshell: The Initial Draft In the FOFL, we actually went through the initial draft step by step, which allowed for a great deal of control over the players we drafted for our initial rosters. My strategy was to focus on talent along the defensive line first, secure a quarterback fairly early, and fill in from there. After a number of rounds, it became clear that I had fallen irretrievably behind in certain areas, notably offensive line. So, I decided to wait on the line picks, and didn’t make much of an investment there until very late in the draft, when I went after targeted players – securing an OL composed entirely of pass blockers who had affinities with my position leader. In another unexpected twist, I picked up a second QB fairly early in the draft, after securing my franchise signal caller in Oscar Ozuna, we grabbed a seemingly strong reserve Hilton Boner (obligatory pause for snickering) in the 8th round of the dispersal draft. Intending to go with a pass-inclined offense, I felt that getting Boner either as an insurance policy or as potential trade bait made sense. An early decision with intriguing repercussions later on. Another factor that casts a long shadow on this whole league is the original roster file. The league used a roster utility to generate its original player universe, and the result (intended or otherwise, I don’t really know) was a fairly low grade of players overall. There were a few stars, but by and large teams were populated with marginal players in many starting positions. It takes some adjustment to see a player rated 30/50 or so as a guy with value, but this league requires that adjustment, at least in its early years. That decision continues to have meaningful effects, even as the league has evolved. 2003 Season In the league’s first season, our squad took the field, fairly well equipped for the game plans I had envisioned. We were prepared to pass the ball a lot, play very tough against the run, and hope for the best. Through five games, we were 1-5 on the season, a dismal failure. Oscar Ozuna had posted one good game, but the offense seemed downright inept and the team was foundering. In a “shake up” move, we inserted QB Hilton Boner into the lineup for week six, and he delivered in a big road win with 3 TD passes. We rode the hot hand from there as Hilton Boner led us to 9 straight wins – and he put together a fantastic second half of the season, ending up with a 24/6 TD/int ratio, and an 89.2 QB rating for the season. With the late rally, Chesapeake finished 11-5 on the season, winning the NC East division by one game, and securing a #3 seed for the playoffs. We hosted division rival Dodge City in the playoff opener, beating the Vigilantes 19-16 in our first playoff game. But in the divisional round, we traveled to Seal Beach, and were beaten by the eventual league champion Sting Rays to end our debut season. 2004 Season We returned from the 2003 season looking to make improvements on the roster. We were among the most active teams in its initial season of free agency, and secured a number of new players. One thing done by necessity was a rebuilding of our offensive line, as our veteran position leader (around whom the whole system of affinities was constructed) retired, leaving me without a workable backup plan. I also sought to improve the secondary, which I felt was another area of weakness on the team. We traded our 2nd through 7th draft picks to secure an additional 1st rounder, so we looked to target our need areas at the top of the draft, and did so by acquiring CB Howard Kindred and LT Derek Gourdine with back-to-back selections in the late first round. We once again started the season slowly, getting off to a 2-3 start, but put things together a bit, and finished the year at 10-6, good enough for another division crown, and another #3 seed for the playoffs. And, in keeping with the prior year, we went two and out – winning our home opener (against Davis) but then losing to Subby’s Washington Piledrivers in the divisional round. The league watches Seal Beach claim their second league championship. 2005 Season In 2005, the league finally saw a few meaningful free agents shake loose, and Chesapeake was again a very aggressive player in the market. We signed LB James Dupree to a solid deal, getting a versatile starting-caliber player for our defensive front. We also picked up a couple of veteran contributors elsewhere as free agents, and strengthened the team overall. A major trade during free agency brought in DE Richard Buxton, who had been tagged by Fritz’s French Ticklers, but was seeking a huge contract extension. The one-year rent-a-stud tactic seemed worth a draft pick, and we had the cap room to take his big salary for the season. In 2005, the Chili Dogs defense elevated its presence dramatically, with the additions of Dupree and Buxton to an already-solid defensive front, we became very tough against the run, and solid against the pass. The offense, using a vast army of decent skill position players, posted solid numbers – staying true to our pass-heavy commitment, and we were among the top scoring teams in the league. We started the year with a string of 11 wins, amidst whispers of an undefeated season. But after being stung by two-time champions Seal Beach in week 13, we coasted home to a 13-3 record and home field advantage for the playoffs. In our divisional game, we hosted Seal Beach – the two-time defending champs had slumped this season, but certainly were a formidable foe. Hilton Boner shows up on fire, throws 4 TD passes, and leads our group to a 35-3 rout of the Sting Rays. We post a 30-3 win over Hell Creek in the conference championship, and in the Championship game, our defense is once again monstrous as we defeat Las Vegas 22-9 for the league championship. While Hilton Boner got the MVP award for the title game, it was clearly the Dogs’ defense, particularly the defensive line, which made the real difference, as we forced errors and made big stops throughout the game to secure our rings. 2006 Season In 2006, we return to defend our title, and make moves to try to do just that. The biggest deal we execute is to arrange the sign-and-trade of DE Richard Buxton, who was asking for a fortune as a free agent. We work out a deal with Wigport (a team executing a major purge-and-rebuild program) to have them sign him and trade him to us. We lose a draft pick, but get a top-shelf player on a cheap deal, and a hope to keep the fearsome defensive front from 2005 essentially intact. The season comes, and I am basically baffled. The Chili Dogs get out to a slow start once again, but this year we cannot really pull out of the nosedive. We limp to an 8-7 record with one game left, and as fortune would have it, we are once again head-to-head with division rivals Dodge City, in a winner-takes-the-division play-in game. The contest goes into overtime, and Dodge City gets a TD to secure a 12-6 win and send us to the sidelines, missing the playoffs for the first time. What happened in 2006? I’m really not certain. The team was largely the same as in 2005, when we were truly a dominant force in the league. Superficially, QB Boner’s production dropped a bit, but it was on the defensive side where we noticed the major dropoff. Our titanic defensive front was no longer a brick wall against the run, we gave up big plays, and we allowed 269 points on the season. A disappointing drop-off for this team, falling right out of the league’s elite with no warning signs at all. My best guess is that the 2005 team was truly overachieving, and that the 2006 team basically underachieved. I think we were better than 8-8 last year, but through luck or poor planning (or more likely both) we ended up failing to reach our potential. So, we approach the 2007 season with a wide-open palette. Is this still the towering title team of 2005? Or is this the meek squad of pretenders from 2006? Into the 2007 season we go, as the pieces come together for another run. Rebuild? Reload? Oh, and in case that decision wasn’t tough enough, our franchise quarterback is asking for $10 million a year, after playing under the franchise tag last season. So that’s square one, whatever we decide to do.