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Blade · 10-13-2005, 06:38 PM

Mackey and I sat down for a status meeting. The preseason seemed to be almost a blur, with it now completed and us looking ahead to Week 1 on the regular season. The team got into a rhythm during the preseason, but we had more than a few injuries.

“So, 3 and 1 for the preseason. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. How do you see it, Bear?”

I flipped through my notes. “Well, we started off against San Francisco, and of course won 27-21. We had a very good day running the ball, which is what I like to see, and Lamont Jordan had a good game with 95 yards on the ground for a 5 yard per carry average, and 3 TDs. Our passing game wasn’t too bad either, with Collins going 12 for 16 and no picks, and the youngster Walter going 6 for 6 with a TD pass. Moss was our top receiver, which I guess is to be expected, though I was hoping he wouldn’t be. The defense looked pretty good, but not outstanding. We had some gaps in our offensive line as well, which I did not like. Lastly, Charles Woodson wasn’t great, with only 2 tackles and 1 assist, with no knockdowns in pass coverage.”

“Our second game was against Dallas, and we won that one 31-14. Offensively, we were solid again, and our running game led the way as it did in the first game, even though Jordan was out with an injury. Crockett and Henry both looked great, with averages at 5.3 and 4.8 respectively. Collins looked good, throwing for two TD passes, and Tuiasosopo looked good during his first bit of action, though Walter struggled. Moss had a big game, unfortunately. However, Gabriel was quite good as well, with Porter out with an injury. Our defensive line provided good pressure, but our pass coverage wasn’t great, giving up 383 yards in the air. The offensive line looked better, though. Janikowski missed his only field goal try from 52 yards, though Christie missed a 43 yarder.”

“The third game was a 38-32 victory over Arizona, which we won in overtime thanks to Doug Gabriel running back a 96 yard punt for a TD. Fargas was the only running back who had even a decent game, with a 7.3 yards per carry average. Jordan was still out with an injury, though. Collins looked fine, though Walter got the most action. He wasn’t fantastic, going 20 for 32, for 255 yards, 2 TDs and 3 Ints. Moss was over 100 yards receiving again, though Gabriel had a good day receiving, and, of course, had the winning punt return. We also gave up a safety, which was pretty ugly. Our defense was quite bad, giving up 164 yards rushing and 344 yards passing. Really, this was not a pretty game from an execution standpoint.”

“Our last game was our only loss of the preseason, in a 42-35 game against St. Louis. Lamont Jordan was back and played absolutely lights out for us, running with a 5.8 yard average. Collins and Walter were also pretty good, though Tuiasosopo looked bad. Moss was our leading receiver again, and the o-line looked good. Defensively, we were not good at all. We gave up 341 yards in the air, and didn’t get much pressure on their QBs. Pass coverage was also pretty shoddy.”

“Now, the bad news out of all of this is the injuries we are faced with. CB Nnamdi Asomugha is done for the year with a torn ACL. We lost WR Jerry Porter for around 15 more weeks with a severe hamstring pull. CB Denard Walker is out for 10 weeks with a torn lateral knee ligament. We are also without RB Justin Fargas and CB Stanford Routt for 3 weeks. To fill our roster up for the injuries, I released G Corey Hulsey, who was a waste of oxygen anyway. I signed WR Dedric Ward to a 1 year $700,000 contract, and CB Bobby Taylor to a 1 year $800,000 contract. Both are good veteran leaders who should be good for our younger players.”

Mackey sat back and absorbed all of the information I gave him. “Ok, so what do you think going in to the regular season?”

“Well, I think we will compete, and probably put up some good numbers offensively. But I think our defense is going to let us down some games, and our offensive line may collapse in some areas. Also, if we suffer any more injuries, we could be in a lot of trouble. I think we will be lucky to have a .500 season.”

Mackey nodded. “Well, I don’t think we want to have a winner here this year anyway. Would hurt our plans overall. But, we do not want to out and out lose every game, as we may alienate the players we actually want to hold on to. Alright, well, let’s see what happens. Sounds like it might be a toss of the dice. And this will allow us to see if this coaching staff is any good.”

I nodded, scooped up my papers, and headed down to the practice facility to see the team prepare for the first game of the season.

10-13-2005, 06:38 PM	#17
Blade College Prospect Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Edmonton, Alberta	Mackey and I sat down for a status meeting. The preseason seemed to be almost a blur, with it now completed and us looking ahead to Week 1 on the regular season. The team got into a rhythm during the preseason, but we had more than a few injuries. “So, 3 and 1 for the preseason. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. How do you see it, Bear?” I flipped through my notes. “Well, we started off against San Francisco, and of course won 27-21. We had a very good day running the ball, which is what I like to see, and Lamont Jordan had a good game with 95 yards on the ground for a 5 yard per carry average, and 3 TDs. Our passing game wasn’t too bad either, with Collins going 12 for 16 and no picks, and the youngster Walter going 6 for 6 with a TD pass. Moss was our top receiver, which I guess is to be expected, though I was hoping he wouldn’t be. The defense looked pretty good, but not outstanding. We had some gaps in our offensive line as well, which I did not like. Lastly, Charles Woodson wasn’t great, with only 2 tackles and 1 assist, with no knockdowns in pass coverage.” “Our second game was against Dallas, and we won that one 31-14. Offensively, we were solid again, and our running game led the way as it did in the first game, even though Jordan was out with an injury. Crockett and Henry both looked great, with averages at 5.3 and 4.8 respectively. Collins looked good, throwing for two TD passes, and Tuiasosopo looked good during his first bit of action, though Walter struggled. Moss had a big game, unfortunately. However, Gabriel was quite good as well, with Porter out with an injury. Our defensive line provided good pressure, but our pass coverage wasn’t great, giving up 383 yards in the air. The offensive line looked better, though. Janikowski missed his only field goal try from 52 yards, though Christie missed a 43 yarder.” “The third game was a 38-32 victory over Arizona, which we won in overtime thanks to Doug Gabriel running back a 96 yard punt for a TD. Fargas was the only running back who had even a decent game, with a 7.3 yards per carry average. Jordan was still out with an injury, though. Collins looked fine, though Walter got the most action. He wasn’t fantastic, going 20 for 32, for 255 yards, 2 TDs and 3 Ints. Moss was over 100 yards receiving again, though Gabriel had a good day receiving, and, of course, had the winning punt return. We also gave up a safety, which was pretty ugly. Our defense was quite bad, giving up 164 yards rushing and 344 yards passing. Really, this was not a pretty game from an execution standpoint.” “Our last game was our only loss of the preseason, in a 42-35 game against St. Louis. Lamont Jordan was back and played absolutely lights out for us, running with a 5.8 yard average. Collins and Walter were also pretty good, though Tuiasosopo looked bad. Moss was our leading receiver again, and the o-line looked good. Defensively, we were not good at all. We gave up 341 yards in the air, and didn’t get much pressure on their QBs. Pass coverage was also pretty shoddy.” “Now, the bad news out of all of this is the injuries we are faced with. CB Nnamdi Asomugha is done for the year with a torn ACL. We lost WR Jerry Porter for around 15 more weeks with a severe hamstring pull. CB Denard Walker is out for 10 weeks with a torn lateral knee ligament. We are also without RB Justin Fargas and CB Stanford Routt for 3 weeks. To fill our roster up for the injuries, I released G Corey Hulsey, who was a waste of oxygen anyway. I signed WR Dedric Ward to a 1 year $700,000 contract, and CB Bobby Taylor to a 1 year $800,000 contract. Both are good veteran leaders who should be good for our younger players.” Mackey sat back and absorbed all of the information I gave him. “Ok, so what do you think going in to the regular season?” “Well, I think we will compete, and probably put up some good numbers offensively. But I think our defense is going to let us down some games, and our offensive line may collapse in some areas. Also, if we suffer any more injuries, we could be in a lot of trouble. I think we will be lucky to have a .500 season.” Mackey nodded. “Well, I don’t think we want to have a winner here this year anyway. Would hurt our plans overall. But, we do not want to out and out lose every game, as we may alienate the players we actually want to hold on to. Alright, well, let’s see what happens. Sounds like it might be a toss of the dice. And this will allow us to see if this coaching staff is any good.” I nodded, scooped up my papers, and headed down to the practice facility to see the team prepare for the first game of the season. __________________ Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles.