Cleveland Browns Dynasty

[SackAttack]

I figured I might as well break this section in.

Starting with the expansion draft, 3 basic house rules:

1) Computer signs all draft picks for me
2) No use of the franchise tag
3) Renegotiations in walk year only.

Preview to follow...

Josh

[SackAttack]

I decided to wait until today to kick off my thread in earnest, as the work Tony was doing on the forums last night prevented me from posting my initial team roster and such.

So...here goes.

*****

1999 Pre-Season

As usual, there isn't much talent in the coaching and scouting pool, so I may be stuck with at least one of the guys I've got.

Scout Dexter Blackewll is my current scout. He has three poor ratings, but is rated very good on the offensive/defensive line, the secondary, and young talent. He's by far the best judge of young talent available, so I'll be keeping him, at least for now.

Coach Stephen Couch also looks passable. He has no poor ratings, but at 52 years old, those fair ratings look a little suspect. However, he's evidently genius on the defensive side of the ball, and has a talent for motivation. Maybe he can squeeze 4 wins out of what's sure to be a hapless, hopeless squad.

Expansion Draft, 1999

As usual, the expansion draft pool is fairly shallow, so I allow my scout to earn his stripes by selecting the 25 sad-sacks who will be the first to wear what will hopefully someday become a well-respected uniform.

1. Cleveland - Early, Quinn, WR, BUF
2. Cleveland - Bennett, Donnell, FB, KCY
3. Cleveland - Smith, Ed, TE, ATL
4. Cleveland - Brisby, Vincent, WR, NE
5. Cleveland - Marshall, Anthony, S, PHI
6. Cleveland - Schwantz, Jim, LB, CHI
7. Cleveland - Walker, Bracey, S, KCY
8. Cleveland - Burns, Keith, LB, DEN
9. Cleveland - Hellestrae, Dale, T, DAL
10. Cleveland - Kreutz, Olin, C, CHI
11. Cleveland - Edwards, Antonio, DE, ATL
12. Cleveland - Philcox, Todd, QB, NE
13. Cleveland - Paul, Tito, CB, DEN
14. Cleveland - Clark, Rico, CB, IND
15. Cleveland - Staat, Jeremy, DT, PIT
16. Cleveland - Washington, Keith, DE, BAL
17. Cleveland - Trotter, Jeremiah, LB, PHI
18. Cleveland - Joyce, Matt, G, ARI
19. Cleveland - Fischer, Mark, G, WAS
20. Cleveland - Price, Marcus, T, SDO
21. Cleveland - Kuberski, Bob, DT, GBY
22. Cleveland - Heyward, Craig, FB, IND
23. Cleveland - Griffith, Rich, TE, JAX
24. Cleveland - Ismail, Qadry, WR, NOS
25. Cleveland - Thompson, Bennie, S, BAL

Humble beginnings. We'll see if they can be parlayed into larger stakes.

[SackAttack]

1999 Free Agency

Not much available here either. This is probably the result of my scout's poorrating where linebackers are concerned, as London Fletcher is among those available. Remind me to keep a careful eye on the running backs, as he may suffer similar lack of judgment there.

That said, I offer contracts to the following:

DE Mike Mamula - Best of a questionable bunch.

CB Jason Sehorn - If he signs, at least we'll have a reasonable pass defense threat, which is more than we can say at the moment.

LB London Fletcher- I suspect my scout is wrong here. I hope he is, because I'm not sure what to expect in the draft if he's that poor a judge of talent at the position.

*****

Week 5 brings Fletcher into the fold. Frankly, I'm not sure what took him so long, as I was the only team that expressed interest of any sort.

Week 6 brings Jason Sehorn into camp after a 4 year, $9.47 million offer. Nice to see that money still speaks a universal language.

Mike Mamula decides the grass is greener in Soldier Field, and takes $12.67 million of Chicago's money for the next four years.

Amateur draft to follow.

[SackAttack]

1999 Amateur Draft

This draft is kind of unique in that no position is really deep in players. Each position has one or two top players, while the rest are ordinary at best. There are a couple of defensive ends I like, as well as a solid looking running back, but I suspect I'm going to need a quarterback if I intend to win more than 2 games this season.

With that in mind, I select Cris Kneiling out of Michigan State. Not the most spectacular quarterback I've ever seen, but he's got a cannon for an arm and a knack for the third down conversions. I expect he'll see quite a few of those this season.

Both of the defensive ends I liked were gone by #10, and Green Bay took the running back I liked, a fella by the name of Conrad Saleh. I figure offensive line protection is going to be the biggest issue this season, so I use my 2nd pick to draft the last decent center, Nick Logan out of Thomas More. He's pretty solid, and should easily be the starter.

I had intended to sign a punter and a kicker after the draft, but by the start of the third round, the talent pool is rather depleted, save for an 8.0 rated kicker out of Wake Forest named Bob Baker. Needs to work some on his accuracy, but he'll give us a chance near midfield.

CB Orlando Cornett, out of Western Michigan, is our 4th selection. He won't ever do much against the run, but he'll be a decent pass rusher, and may even get 4-5 picks a year. Playing opposite Sehorn will help him, I think.

Punter Wendell Hollier out of Holy Cross is our 5th selection. Nothing spectacular here, but he's one of the best remaining in what has admittedly been a weak field.

I let Blackwell make our final two picks, and he responded by drafting safety Howie Underwood from Tennessee, and linebacker Mo Pathon out of Boston College.

Underwood isn't completely horrible, and Pathon is basically a warm body. For the time being, we need all of those we can get. Post-draft signings to fill out the roster, as well as training camp, will happen a little later on today.

[SackAttack]

Post-Draft, 1999

Its time to start fleshing out our roster a little bit. First post-draft signing is WR Brian Alford, who signs a 3 year deal worth around $4.23 million.

We also sign Kurt Warner to a one year deal at the league minimum. If he makes it into a game, we're in trouble.

Other signings:

G Jake Emmons
T C.J. Jennings
DE Kailee Wong
RB Calvin Becker
RB Junior Ishikawa
RB Will Crawford
WR Jeff Ogden
DT Jamal Williams
C Kevin Mawae (post-training camp)
QB Alex Van Pelt (ditto)

[SackAttack]

1999 Preseason Games

QB Cris Kneiling gets the nod as the starting QB. Not that he really has many offensive weapons, but hey. All he has to do is get the ball to the 30 or so and we're golden.

Our inaugural game comes in week 2 of the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As if our offense didn't have enough problems already, the Bucs D is sure to give us headaches.

Tampa Bay 26, CLEVELAND 20

Surprisingly, we make it respectable. Bob Baker was 2-for-3 kicking field goals, including a long of 33 yards. Kneiling was a little shaky in his debut, going 8-16 for 118 yards, including a TD pass and an INT. Donnell Bennett led the team with -- prepare yourself -- a whole 8 yards rushing. Smashmouth football at its finest.

CLEVELAND 9, Minnesota 8

Believe it or not, there were NO offensive TDs in this game. Baker hit a 41 yarder for the opening score of the game, and Minnesota registered 2 FGs and a safety in a 10 minute span in the 2nd half. Cleveland's final points came on a 72 yard fumble return from Keith Burns followed by a failed conversion. We got 85 yards on the ground this time around, but neither Kneiling nor Van Pelt did much, as the two combined to go 9-19 with 77 yards.

CLEVELAND 20, Chicago 14

Is this a winning streak I see before me? Some interesting tidbits: Junior Ishikawa scored a TD, amazingly. Baker hit the extra point, but wasn't heard from the rest of the game, as punter Wendell Hollier hit two field goals of 54 and 41 yards, respectively. Not really sure what happened there, as Baker's name isn't on the injury list. Too much pickle juice, perhaps?

Philadelphia 10, CLEVELAND 6

Baker with a pair of field goals from inside the 30 yard line, and that was the story of our offense. Still, I can't help but be pleased with a defense that has only given up a combined 3 points more than the offense has scored. If we can keep getting within field goal range, and the defense continues to play inspired, we might be able to salvage a respectable inaugural season. Opening day is next week against the always formidable Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah, right.

[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-21-2000).]

[SackAttack]

1999 Regular Season

We get some bad news on the eve of the 1999 campaign, learning that wideout Brian Alford will be out 2-3 months with a broken arm. At this point, anybody with two legs and two arms will be given a shot.

That somebody turns out to be Karl Williams. If the year goes poorly, a WR will be our draft priority in 2000.

Pittsburgh 36, CLEVELAND 10

Skunker of a home opening. Kneiling suffered from rookie nerves, going 10-22 for 185 yards, a TD and 2 picks.

Karl Williams made 5 catches for 136 yards and our only TD. Looks like he has the potential to be fairly explosive in this offense.

Tennesee 23, CLEVELAND 3

So much for that hard-ass defense. Nobody executed. 'Nuff said.

Baltimore 17, CLEVELAND 13

Rookie RB Calvin Becker scored his first career TD, and Baker kicked field goals of 56 and 36 yards. Still, I can't help but wonder if we maybe ought to focus on a running back in the 2000 draft as well.

New England 30, CLEVELAND 14

A 37 yard INT return from Orlando Cornett and a TD pass from the 3rd string QB. At least we're scoring.

Of course, the REASON the 3rd string was around to throw a TD is because, uh, Cris Kneiling threw 5 completions...to the other guys. 7 picks total for the New England defense. In other news, the quarterbacks coach was found dead with an empty bottle of aspirin in his hand.

[SackAttack]

CLEVELAND 24, Cincinnati 17

Hey, we WON a game! A home game, to boot!
RB Calvin Becker was the hero, taking the ball 18 times for 150 yards and a pair of TDs. Kneiling was 19-36 for 167 yards and a TD, but also threw his 6th INT in the last two games. Maybe Becker is worth holding onto after all.

Jacksonville 31, CLEVELAND 28

The line coming in was Jags by 13, so this is a bit of a moral victory. Baker had 2 FGs, and Kneiling threw a career high 3 TD passes. He was also, happily, INT-free. Also played start-to-finish for the first time in his career. A game to build on for him.

St. Louis 27, CLEVELAND 21

No real standout performances in this game. Becker rushed for another TD, Kneiling threw a pick and a TD, and Baker had a couple of long field goals. The problem was our defense spotting the Rams 24 points in the first half. That hurt us more than anything else.

New Orleans 30, CLEVELAND 10

Three more INTs for the opposition. Surprisingly, none of them were thrown by Kneiling. I'm a little disturbed that Van Pelt managed to throw 3 picks in 8 tries, but I guess the damage had been done by the time he got in the game.
Some bad news as we lose DE Antonio Edwards for likely the rest of the season due to a stretched knee ligament. He finishes the year with 15 tackles, 7 assists, and 3.5 sacks.

[SackAttack]

Baltimore 19, CLEVELAND 13

Calvin Becker and Bob Baker once again provide the offense, combining between them for a TD and two FGs. Brian Alford has been slow to heal. Halfway through the season, he's still listed as having 3-5 weeks remaining on a broken arm that was supposed to take 2-3 months to heal.

CLEVELAND 30, Pittsburgh 27

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. Yes, we won. However, the win catapulted us into a tie with Green Bay for the #1 pick. That's not good, methinks.

However, we had some standout days. Junior Ishikawa returned 6 kicks for 227 yards, including an 88 yard return for a TD. He even scored a rushing TD. Karl Williams had another 100 yard day, and caught a TD pass as well. Bob Baker hit all three PATs and all 3 of his FG attempts. He's going to be an integral part of the red-zone offense while Kneiling matures, I think.

Carolina 33, CLEVELAND 16

Green Bay won, so that's a plus. Baker was 3-of-4 from range and Kneiling was again INT-free, so that's another. It looks like the defense is going to need some work in the offseason. A stronger line, for starters.

Alford is healthy again, finally, so he comes off the Inactive list, and Brisby takes his place.

CLEVELAND 31, Tennessee 0

I'm still in shock. We put up a SHUTOUT? The defense finally stopped putting out? Wow...
The rushing game was phenomenal, as Ishikawa and Becker combined for 169 yards and 3 TDs. Kneiling was INT-free (starting to sound like a mantra. Interceptees Anonymous or something), and even had a TD pass. All around, a fine performance. And at the Dawg Pound, to boot!

[SackAttack]

Just a side note before we start the final quarter of the season - Mike Mamula is leading the league in sacks, and Chicago currently holds a playoff spot. What could have been.

CLEVELAND 19, San Diego 7

That win makes 4 for the season. Looks like I've pegged this team about right so far, but there's still three games left. Kneiling was clean for the 3rd or 4th straight week, and Becker added another TD to his rookie tally. Ryan Leaf, on the other hand, managed to throw three balls to rookie safety Howie Underwood He has 6 INTs so far this year. Not bad for a 6th round pick.

Cincinnati 24, CLEVELAND 19

Kneiling had a relapse, throwing 2 more INTs. Baker missed 1 of 3 FG attempts, and the 2 point conversion on our final score failed. Had Baker hit the missed attempt, we might have sent this game to OT. Oh, well. Kickers are rookies sometimes too.

Jacksonville 30, CLEVELAND 6

Funny how that works. The last time these two teams met, Jacksonville failed to cover a 13 point spread, but still won, 31-28. This time, the spread was 6, and the Jags put a 24 point hurtin' on the Browns. Must be a respect thing. Two more INTs for Kneiling.

CLEVELAND 24, Indianapolis 10

We came into this game at 4-11. Indy was 4-10. We just cost ourselves any chance we had at the #1, as Kansas City is guaranteed to finish with no more than 4 wins. On the other hand, 5 is more than I expected out of this team. I just wish we'd have a higher draft pick to show for our year.

[SackAttack]

We finish the regular season in a 3-way tie for the #4 overall pick, which means we'll probably wind up with the #6. The NFC West puts on an impressive display, with only New Orleans missing the playoffs, 2 games behind the Rams. Over in the AFC, New England used a season sweep of New Jersey to beat the Jets by a game for the division.

****

1999 Playoffs

Wild Card Round

Atlanta 27, Carolina24
St. Louis 38, Dallas 14
Jacksonville 24, Seattle 9
New Jersey 28, Oakland 23

Quarterfinal Round

Minnesota 38, Atlanta 8
New Jersey 27, Denver 24
Jacksonville 26, New England 7
St. Louis 10, San Francisco 6

Conference Finals

Jacksonville 38, New Jersey 14
Minnesota 33, St. Louis 13

FOF Bowl I

Minnesota 27, Jacksonville 24

Only in Cleveland. My 6th round pick this season, S Howie Underwood, made 82 tackles and intercepted 6 passes on the way to becoming Defensive ROY. This is probably the first true diamond in the rough I've seen, as my scout is highly rated in the secondary, and Underwood's ratings just aren't that impressive. His run/pass defense ratings are 18/43 and 26/51, respectively, and he has a 40 rating in INTs. I wonder if my scout was really that far off about his potential, or if the horrible defense inflated his numbers.

[SackAttack]

2000 Offseason

Herb gives us a score of 50. Could be worse, I guess.

The GOOD news is, my scout improved some. He's no longer poor at assessing linebackers. Frankly, I'd rather see him improve at assessing running backs, but he's 38...time a-plenty for that.

This promises to be an interesting offseason, as we only have 19 players under contract. Obviously, I can't use the franchise tag on anybody (not that I'd want to with this bunch), so I've got some work cut out for me. Ample room under the cap, however.

Upon further inspection, I find that there isn't ANYBODY on this roster, save WR Karl Williams that I'm really broken up about losing. I guess this means another season of signing post-draft FAs to fill out my roster.

[SackAttack]

2000 Free Agency

We get the FA ball rolling by attempting to lure Buffalo G Ruben Brown away with a 3 year deal worth $7.12 million. His blocking percentage of 41.2% makes him worth both of my current starters, sadly.

We also attempt to upgrade our defensive line by offering 3 years and $9 mil to DE Tony Brackens and $12.78 mil over 4 years to DE Mike Jones.

Finally, despite having the Defensive Rookie of the Year at safety, we make an offer of $6.39 mil over 3 years to Tampa Bay safety Charles Mincy, coming off a season in which he was named Defensive Player of the Year.

*****

Week 4 sees both of the DE's make a decision, as Brackens accepts our offer and Jones opts to stick with his hometown Rams. The Rams, interestingly enough, are also making a play for the return of Tony Banks. Gluttons for punishment, obviously.

I up my offer to Brown to 4 years and $12.87 mil, and offer Mincy $12.72 mil over 4 years. Both offers are substantially higher than what we had originally offered the players, but there's no denying the impact they could have on our offensive line and secondary.

Brown finally accepts our offer in Week 10, leaving Mincy as the lone undecided among our FA lusts. Week 11 erases all doubts, as he decides to follow the leads of Brown and Brackens. With $37 mil left under the cap, its time to turn our attention to resigning some of our native FAs.

*****

G Jake Emmons signs a 5 year deal worth $11.41 million, and we're underway. Kurt Warner signs another 1 year contract, but again, he's on the roster mainly as a cheap body in case we get in QB trouble.

We tender offers to Karl Williams and DE Anthony Cook for $3.42 mil/2 years and $3.87 mil/3 years, respectively. I'd like to resign our two RBs, but their salary demands aren't consistent with their ratings or season stats from last year, despite a few standout games. We'll see how they feel in a couple weeks.

Williams signs right away, but Cook decides to take an extra week to mull it over before signing in Week 13.

FB Craig Heyward signs a 2 year contract with Detroit in Week 14, leaving us without our starting FB, for all that matters.

The 20 week period comes to an end, and of our remaining FAs, the following sign contracts:

Rich Griffith, TE -- 1 year, $440,000
Alex Van Pelt, QB -- 3 years, $2.65 mil
Kevin Mawae, C -- 1 year, $900,000

Draft to follow.

[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-22-2000).]

[SackAttack]

We didn't get the #6 pick after all.
Nope, the boys from Cleveland were evidently just the 7th worst team in the league. The Colts and Titans draft ahead of us, surprisingly.

The draft itself proves to be surprisingly top heavy in safeties. And after I threw all that money at Mincy, too. Live and learn.

There's an excellent looking WR out of Tarleton State by the name of Jay Green. He may just be the best all around player in the draft, despite the fact that UCLA wideout Marc Barber has a higher current/future rating. I'd love to grab Green, but I doubt he'll drop out of the top 5.

As fate would have it, Barber and Green went 1-2, to the Chiefs and Titans. I now set my sights on RB Dixon Schrempf out of Ohio State. Again, he's not likely to last, despite the glut of talented safties available to tempt the CPU GMs.

Pittsburgh trades up to the #3 to select the 3rd of the three talented WRs that were available, and Buffalo selects DE Mitchell Glover out of Mizzou with the #4. The RB may fall after all.

As it turns out, he does. The top 6 selections have all been either WRs or DEs, meaning there's still quite a bit of talent on the offensive line and in the secondary. Certainly a much deeper draft this year.

I go ahead and select Schrempf with the #6 after much deliberation. With a scout rated poor in RB assessment, I hope it wasn't a mistake to use such a high pick on a back.

With my second pick, I select FB Lincoln Nixon. The chance to upgrade both of my backs in the same draft is just too good to pass up, though I have my eye on a couple of linemen for the next 2-3 rounds.

With my 3rd pick, I select the last remaining lineman on my 'want' list, Illinois DT Perry Petitgout. He should be a big upgrade for our run defense.

My 4th round pick is used to upgrade the LB corps, bringing in R.J. Warren from East Carolina. The knock on him is that he's a touch soft, but he'll give us some stability versus both the run and the pass.

I select Howard CB Terrell Walsh in the 5th round, giving me a Desmond Howard-type return threat. I have my eye on another safety in the 6th round who looks to be very similar to Howie Underwood. I wouldn't mind getting Underwood-type production from him.

He does in fact drop to the 6th round, allowing me to welcome Boston College safety John Stewart to the fold. I'm a little incredulous at my luck in getting two diamond-in-the-rough type safeties in consecutive years, but I suspect the absolute DEPTH in that position this year contributed.

My final pick is used to select Michigan TE Grant Parrish. For the first time since I can remember, all 7 picks have represented an upgrade to the players currently on the roster (not counting initial amateur drafts).

Post-draft signings to follow.

[SackAttack]

2000 Post-Draft Signings

I'll just jump right in with these, since these are basically filler signings. Some of the guys I'm signing are better than what I've currently got in the position, and may well start, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

CB Ryan McNeil, $3.07 mil/3 years
LB Marty Moore, $3.34 mil/3 years
DT Walt Emmons, $2.49 mil/3 years
DE Antonio Edwards*, $3.07 mil/3 years
T Darrin Gibson, $1.40 mil/3 years
T Anthony Brown, $1.42 mil/3 years
T Troy Drake, $1.48 mil/3 years
G Chris Gray, $1.33 mil/3 years
TE Bruce Borders, $530,000/2 years
RB Calvin Becker*, $6.52 mil/3 years
RB Will Crawford*, $3.90 mil/3 years

We also bid goodbye to G Mark Fischer, just to save a measly $350 grand.

* denotes a Cleveland FA

[primelord]

Thats funny in my Browns career The Rams picked up Banks again and signed Bono to be his back up. Ah those were the days

Rick

[SackAttack]

2000 Preseason Games

It was a tumultous inaugural year for the Browns. The start of the 2000 season holds promise, especially as my scout seems to think we have one of the better defenses in the league. The offense is another story, but I have to believe that Cris Kneiling can only improve on his rookie QB rating of 63.0. Hopefully our improved offensive line will keep the sack totals down and give him more time to throw the ball.

Preseason Week Two

CLEVELAND 27, Arizona 24

Not a bad way to get the ball rolling. Bob Baker had two FGs from beyond 50 yards, and rookie RB Dixon Schrempf had the game winning score on a 55 yard TD run. 90 yards on 10 carries too. Not a bad way of sayin' "Howdy, fellas."
The bad, horrible, awful news is, recent FA signing Ruben Brown, the G we hired to give Kneiling some protection, tore a calf muscle and will be out for 2-3 months. Not good. Fortunately we have some money to sign FAs with, but its tough to replace a guy who had a BPctof 41.2 and only allowed 2 sacks all of last season.

Preseason Week Three

If you gotta replace a guy like Brown, Dan Neil is as good as any. 33 KRbs in 70 chances, as opposed to 33/80 for Brown. Higher pct, yes, but allowed 4 sacks to Brown's 2. Still, he'll get a shot.

Buffalo 22, CLEVELAND 10

The first thing I notice is a 48 yard TD run by Schrempf. The second is 3 INTs. The third is that Van Pelt had two of them. Kneiling was 9-12 for 75 yards with the other INT. However, it appears his INT was the one run back for a score. Steve Christie had 3 early FGs, and Bob Baker missed 2 of 3. Must have been the rain.

Preseason Week Four

Washington 29, CLEVELAND 24

Two field goals from Rex Lake in the final 3:34 cost us this game. Rookie safety John Stewart had a 50 yard INT for a score. I'm starting to like these Sixth Round Safeties. In fact, that's their new nickname.

Preseason Week Five

New Jersey 31, CLEVELAND 31

A wild game, this. Stewart and Mincy combined for 3 picks, with Mincy running one of his two back for a 50 yard score. Schrempf continues to impress, with yet another TD run. This kid is lookin' REAL good.

Regular season, comin' right up.

[SackAttack]

2000 Regular Season

Week One

Our first game of the season comes against no less than Cincinnati, coming off a 3-1 preseason. This won't be an easy game, but as long as Kneiling throws to the brown helmets, we'll be competitive.

Cincinnati 32, CLEVELAND 3

This was closer than it looked. The six field goals from Bengals kicker David Wiggins provided much of the final margin. The Bengals only managed one offensive TD the entire game. We managed even less, unfortunately. The three INTs by Kneiling didn't help. I wonder if he knows what color brown is?

Week Two

CLEVELAND 16, Pittsburgh 14

Baker hit all three of his FG attempts, including one from beyond 50 yards out, and Lincoln Nixon had a 3 yard TD run to provide the Cleveland offense. Recent LB acquisition Marty Moore had 7 tackles and an INT on the day.

Week Three

We lost DT Walt Emmons for 2-3 months thanks to a badly sprained back last week. Time to hit the FA market again. Kendel Shello is available, so we sign him for the princely sum of $920,000 for the remainder of the season.

Arizona 27, CLEVELAND 20

Mike Vanderjagt kicked two late FGs to put this one on ice, but the truth is, it was over when Eric Metcalf ran a kickoff back 92 yards for 'Zona's final TD in the third quarter. That absolutely broke the back of our offense, as we didn't really get anything done the rest of the way.

If its possible, Kneiling's rating is even worse than it was last year, at a paltry 48.8. 1 TD, 5 INTs. I honestly wish I had a better alternative, but I guess trial by fire is the way to go. Baker, OTOH, is perfect in kicking opportunities so far this year.

Week Four

Tennesee 34, CLEVELAND 26

We gave up 10 unanswered points in the final 5 minutes to lose this one. We could easily be 3-1 if not for these last minute collapses.
The bright side is, Baker hit 4 more FGs and 2 more PATs to remain perfect in kick opportunities with 10 FGs and I don't know how many PATs. Has anybody ever gone a season without missing a kick?


[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-22-2000).]

[SackAttack]

Week Five

Jacksonville 13, CLEVELAND 10

Baker finally missed a field goal, and Jacksonville escaped with a win as a result. To be fair, we had a fumble and INT on our final two possessions, the fumble recovered by Jacksonville. We had it in our hands to win, and didn't. But we're close. I can feel it.

Week Six

Cincinnati 20, CLEVELAND 14

[b]Baker missed another one, though all it would have done is make it a 3 point game. The real issue is our lack of ability to move the ball past midfield. 7 punts for Hollier, slightly more than his season average. We need to work on execution. CB Orlando Cornett is done for the year after major back surgery. I don't know if he'll ever be the same again. Tim McTyer is signed to take his place.

Week Seven

CLEVELAND 35, Baltimore 20

Dixon Schrempf had 112 yards on 19 carries and 2 TDs, Karl Williams had 4 receptions for 77 yards and 2 TDs, and perhaps most tellingly, Hollier only punted 5 times while Baker didn't have a single FGA. Gee...15 more points than the opponent, 2 fewer punts than last game. Wonder if that helped.

Week Eight

CLEVELAND 33, New York 21

Dixon Schrempf had a 70 yard TD run, part of his 231 rushing yards on the day, and Bob Baker had 4 FGs of greater than 40 yards as we build on the momentum from last week. Most importantly - only 4 punts this week.

[SackAttack]

Week Nine

We had the bye this week, and we desperately needed it, with all the accumulated bumps and bruises. New Jersey finally lost a game, falling to 7-1, but the 49ers rolled to 8-0. For what its worth, the longest I've ever seen a CPU team go without losing is 10 games, so they're approaching critical mass.

Week Ten

Ruben Brown makes his return this week, and none too soon. Dan Neil was having an awful year, with a Bpct of 19.2. He was on pace to match last year's SkA totals.

Buffalo 31, CLEVELAND 14

Flutie did it with his arm, hitting Jonathan Fisher twice in the end zone, and with his legs, rushing in from 3 yards out. Not much you can do against a performance like that, especially when the rush attack can't get started. McTyer dislocated his elbow, and is now out for the remainder of the season. At the rate we're going, nobody's going to want to play corner for Cleveland. Corey Fuller is up to the challenge. We'll see how long he lasts.

Week Eleven

Jacksonville 27, CLEVELAND 19

A fumble return and an INT return (goddamn Van Pelt) were our undoing here. We played well enough to win, except for those two plays.

Week Twelve

Tennessee 24, CLEVELAND 21

Two Eddie George TDs in a 5 minute span in the first quarter doomed us. Between early lapses and late collapses, this team could give Bob Hope grey hairs.

Week Thirteen

Washington 21, CLEVELAND 16

Jim Harbaugh threw two TD passes of greater than 75 yards against us. Cringe. The irony is, Kneiling still outpassed him for distance. He's doing much better this season. Only 8 INTs through 12 games, and 7 TDs. Nearly 2200 yards, and a 73.6 rating, a little over 10 points better than last year. Slowly but surely.

[SackAttack]

Week Fourteen

Seattle 10, CLEVELAND 3

All of our losses have been by 8 or less, save for that 32-3 defeat at the hands of the Bengals. Imagine if we ever learned how to score. Brisby broke his jaw and is done for the year. James Thrash will take his place. Next trauma patient!

Week Fifteen

CLEVELAND 20, Kansas City 6

Baker and Stoyanovich traded long field goals, with Stoya hitting a 51 and 52 yarder, and Baker hitting a 45 and 52 yarder. Nice to see a friendly rivalry between the old guard and the kids.


Week Sixteen

Baltimore 40, CLEVELAND 7

What makes this one worse is that the Ravens were 4-10 too. At least this season is nearly over.

Week Seventeen

CLEVELAND 35, Pittsburgh 13

No .500 record for you! Pittsburgh finishes 7-9, thanks to 3 TD passes from Kneiling, and 132 yards rushing from Schrempf.

Schrempf finished with 1026 yards rushing as a rookie, and 8 TDs. This could be the start of something big, especially if Kneiling continues his improvement. 13 fewer sacks, 7 fewer INTs, and only 1 fewer TD pass from last season. We're on the rise after successive 5 win seasons...I can feel it.

[SackAttack]

2000 Playoffs

Wild Card Round

San Francisco stumbled into the playoffs at 10-6 after an 8-0 start. They could be vulnerable here.

San Francisco 24, Arizona 0
Cincinnati 28, Indianapolis 16
Dallas 29, Minnesota 23
Seattle 30, Miami 10

Not THAT vulnerable, obviously.

Conference Semifinals

The Jets and Jags are the favorites to win FOF Bowl II, but they are, unfortunately, conference rivals. Means the BIG game is going to happen the week before FOF Bowl II.

Atlanta 34, San Francisco 28
Cincinnati 25, Jacksonville 24
Dallas 28, Detroit 10
Seattle 24, New Jersey 16

That'll teach me to play favorites. The playoff picture is officially a mess. If I had to guess, I'd say Cowboys/Bengals in FOF Bowl II, but the four remaining teams are so evenly matched its not even funny.

Conference Finals

Dallas 17, Arizona 13
Cincinnati 28, Seattle 10

So there you have it. Cowboys and Bengals will face off in FOF Bowl II. Both teams are making their first Bowl appearances, and for Cincinnati, its their first playoff appearance as well.

FOF Bowl II

Dallas 31, Cincinnati 19

Dallas tried their best to give this one away. Three lost fumbles and an INT, and Cincy failed to capitalize on the free chances. In the end, it was Blake's inability to complete a pass that cost the Bengals their shot at glory.

Three awards this season. Dixon Schrempf was awarded the Offensive Rookie of the Year trophy, while C Nick Logan and DE Tony Brackens made the First Team at their respective positions.

We have quite a few contracts expiring in the offseason, though several were 1 year contracts signed due to injury. I'd like to get those guys back, but they may not want to return to a team that has gone 5-11 the last two years.

Herb gives us a year end score of 44. He obviously doesn't share my optimism.

[SackAttack]

2001 Offseason

How about that. Same W/L record as a year ago, and I move UP two spots in the draft.

Fortunately, two of my more key players, Howie Underwood and Wendel Hollier, are both RFA's, so I won't have to deal with a bid war for their services.

The other guys I'd like to keep were rent-a-players as a result of injury. Should be interesting to see if they want to stick around.

Since we made about $25 mil less this season than we did the previous year, I'm going to raise ticket prices slightly. No sense pissing off the owner on two fronts.

2001 Free Agency

We get an offer from the Ravens that looks tempting: LB Mitchell Ogden and the #6 pick in the draft for G Ruben Brown. When they also agree to throw in G Darryl Leavy, the deal is sealed. We downgrade slightly on the O-Line and improve our chances of snagging an impact player or two in the draft. Did I mention Leavy had a BPct of 45.3?

Before we hit the open market, there are a few RFAs to take care of.

S Howie Underwood -- 2 years/$1.73 mil
P Wendel Hollier -- 2 years/$1.31 mil

And now...time to attempt to resign the UFAs I wanna keep.

TE Rich Griffith -- $1.02 mil/2 years
C Kevin Mawae -- $1.02 mil/2 years
G Dan Neil -- $1.40 mil/2 years
DT Kendel Shello -- $24.30 mil/4 years
WR James Thrash -- $4.14 mil/2 years

I also submit an offer of $3.28 mil/3 years to FB Howard Griffith.

[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-24-2000).]

[SackAttack]

James Thrash signs right away, which is good. Neil and Shello are the subject of furious bidding, as expected.

Rich Griffith and Kevin Mawae sign in Week Two, leaving just Howard Griffith, Neil, and Shello.

Griffith signs with Denver in Week Six, and McTyer gets nearly $12 mil over 3 years from Pittsburgh. I would have loved to keep him, but we had a glut at corner.

I up my offer to Neil to $1.98 mil/3 years, just because I'd really like to keep him around. Great injury backup. I also up my offer to Shello to $26.64 mil/4 years. Hopefully the extra $900,000 he's being offered by Cincinnati won't sway him.

As it turns out, Neil liked Philly's (cheaper) offer better. They must be offering him a starting job. Shello, on the other hand, decided that less is more, and chose to stay in Cleveland. That does it for free agency for me, so I'll skip the rest of the period and head to the draft.

[SackAttack]

2001 Amateur Draft

With the #5 and #6 picks in the first round, this draft is probably the most critical we've faced yet. Two good picks here could send us well on our way to glory, while two poor picks could put us in the toilet for a long time to come.

The first thing I see is WR Ricardo Gleason. Boy has a current rating of 7.2 and future potential of 8.0. He's even got a little bit of skill when it comes to kick/punt returns. The one knock on him is that he's only 6'2". I'd like it if he had a little more height on him, but that's probably irrelevant as I don't expect him to fall to #5.

He doesn't even fall to #2, and the other WR I had looked at goes with the #4 pick. Unfortunate, perhaps, but this allows me to concentrate on my other need positions. According to my scouts, that means T and LB.

The top rated tackle on the board is Albert Huettner, a 6'5", 303 lb. behemoth of a man out of New Mexico. He's not much of a run blocker, but he has a reputation for keeping his QB safe. We'll give him a shot.

Having traded Ruben Brown in the offseason, I decide to use the #6 pick to further cement my front line, selecting Randal LeBlanc out of Iowa. Like Huettner, he's a big guy, 6'7" and 316 lbs of offensive line fury. Unlike Huettner, he's a pretty mobile guy. My gamble here is that WR Mike Bridgman and LB Richard Giles slip to the 2nd/3rd rounds, respectively.

Neither makes it out of the first round, as San Diego takes Bridgman at #10, and Arizona takes Giles at #22. They weren't the top-rated players at their positions at the times, which is why I had hoped they would fall.

With few options remaining at LB, and no viable starting options at WR, I select LB Alonzo Gartland out of Iona. He's not much of a pass rusher, but he'll help us limit the damage on the ground and in the air.

By the third round, there are a surprising number of >6.0 rated players, including QB Bubba Strong, a 6'6" fella out of Washington State. Looking at my roster, I see that I need a 3rd QB, and $500,000 seems a hefty price to pay for Warner, so I pull the trigger on Strong.

We could also use a third center, so my fourth round pick is used to select Kendrick Kramer out of Rutgers. Nothing spectacular, but he won't be horrible in the event that we have need of his services, either.

At this point, its down to corners and linebackers, so I select Cedric Pickens, a corner out of Tennesee. He could potentially compete for a starting job, but then, we've come to expect this from late round corners.

The Sixth Round Safeties won't be gaining a new member this year, as that particular position was as shallow as a southern gene pool. Instead, my scout drafts the final two rounds, selecting Drew Langford, a RB out of Mississippi State, and Leroy Lincoln, a DE out of Illinois.

[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-24-2000).]

[SackAttack]

2001 Preseason Games

We sold a whopping 63,300 season tickets this year. Only 10,000 below capacity.

RB Drew Langford, G Jake Emmons, and T Anthony Brown get deactivated, as does Orlando Cornett, the corner still recovering from back surgery.

WR Marvin Harrison is inked to a 1 year deal worth about $1.33 mil, bringing us to a full contingent of 5 WRs. We'll figure out what to do with the roster once Cornett is healed.

Game One

CLEVELAND 21, San Diego 14

Two TD passes from Alex Van Pelt, and two FGs from Bob Baker. Not a worldbeater offense, but then, our third string QB played the whole game. I'll take it.

Game Two

CLEVELAND 35, New Orleans 20

I'll be the first to admit that preseason games amount to exactly a hill of beans in the long run, but its still pleasing to start beating up on the runts of the litter. It means we may be taking a step towards shedding our own runthood.

Game Three

CLEVELAND 20, San Francisco 16

Cominag against a team with 22 wins, 2 playoff berths, and an NFC West championship in the last two seasons, this might actually BE a significant win, even if its only preseason. Especially considering that we overcame a 16-7 deficit with 13 4th quarter points, all but 3 of those inside the final 2 minutes. Say what you will, I'm encouraged about our ability to perform in crunch time.
The bad news is, Karl Williams, one of our most reliable wideouts the last two seasons, is out for 2-3 months with a torn thumb ligament.
His replacement will be a fella by the name of Oronde Gadsden, a former Miami wideout who's coming off a 960 yard season - a season in which he was a backup all year long.

Game Four

CLEVELAND 19, New York 16

Our first undefeated preseason in team history. Its a proud moment. Incidentally, we showed a bit of character in the process, as New York rallied to score all 16 points in a 2:32 span, forcing Bob Baker to kcik a field goal - one of four on the game - as time expired to hang on for the win. No major injuries this week, meaning we head into the regular season optimistic and hopeful that this may be a playoff year for us.

[SackAttack]

2001 Regular Season

Week One

CLEVELAND 20, Tampa Bay 9

And at home, to boot. Not a bad way to kick off our third season, as Calvin Becker and Lincoln Nixon combine for 21 yards rushing and 2 TDs, and Bob Baker knocks home a 41 yarder and a 49 yarder to complete the scoring. We trailed 9-0 early in the 2nd quarter, but the rest of the game was all us. Most helpful was the turnover ratio - 2 picks, 2 forced/recovered fumbles compared to no turnovers on our end. I'd like to see more of this.

Week Two

Pittsburgh 12, CLEVELAND 7

At least we didn't give up a touchdown. On the other hand, Hollier racked up nearly 300 yards' worth of punts. Stats like that aren't going to make it any easier for Baker to use that cannon of a foot.

Week Three

Cincinnati 27, CLEVELAND 3

We gave up 215 yards rushing on the ground, including 3 TDs. Our entire offense combined only managed 215 yards. Still, we're remaining turnover free, meaning that at least we're not beating ourselves. Yet.

Week Four

CLEVELAND 17, Baltimore 14

Once again, turnover free. More importantly, our passing game revived itself, as Kneiling went 29-36-276-1. He completed 11 straight passes to start the game and never looked back, throwing a TD pass to conclude the opening drive. Very, very efficient game, and an impressive performance from the 3rd year youngster - hopefully the first of many.

[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-24-2000).]

[SackAttack]

Week Five

Big game for us this week, as we head to Adelphia Stadium for a showdown with the 3-0 Titans. A win would give us a record over .500 for the first time ever after an opening day.
CB Ryan McNeil is out for 2-3 months with broken ribs, but fortunately, Cornett is once again healthy from his back surgery and ready to roll.

Tennessee 17, CLEVELAND 7

We jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, but couldn't do anything after that as Kneiling threw his first INT of the year. Crowd noise, indeed.

Week Six

One of the most reassuring things I've seen lately is an abundance of (E)s next to the games. No longer are we the 13 point patsies.

Jacksonville 17, CLEVELAND 16

The oddsmakers were spot on with this one. We took a 16-7 lead into the half, but gave up 10 points in the final 6:07, including a 21 yard TD pass with 1:12 left on the clock. Still, we've only given up 5 points more than the Central-leading (and undefeated) Bengals. That's definitely a breath of fresh air for an oft-maligned defensive unit.

Week Seven

A rematch with the Titans, this time on OUR turf. We score 29 points this time, but it still isn't enough.

Tennessee 39, CLEVELAND 29

Six field goals from Del Greco and a 68 yard punt return from Jay Green tell the story on this one. We kept them out of the end zone for the most part, but we're still allowing opponents to penetrate a little too deeply into our territory. Throwing three interceptions doesn't help matters, either. Two of those belonged to Van Pelt, as Kneiling suffered a bruised shoulder and will be out for 2 weeks or so.

Week Eight

CLEVELAND 17, Buffalo 10

Orlando Cornett ran an INT back for the winning score, and Schrempf added a TD of his own as we run our record to 3-5. Still not playoff caliber, but we're on pace for 6 wins, which represents an improvement over past seasons.

[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-24-2000).]

[SackAttack]

Week Nine

New England 23, CLEVELAND 17 (OT)

Dixon Schrempf had a marvelous game, rushing 16 times for 159 yards and a TD, as well as catching a 1 yard TD pass to send the game into overtime. In the end, the 73 yard INT return (TD) in the 2nd quarter by Anthony Singleton proved disastrous, as that score allowed the Patriots to gain the winning score in OT. Yes, we're now 3-6, but 3 of those losses have been by a combined 11 points, and the two against the Titans were 10 points each. The only game we've lost that we weren't capable of winning was the beating absorbed at the hands (or should I say, claws) of the Bengals.

Week Ten

Pittsburgh 37, CLEVELAND 6

229 yards rushing for the Steelers. Note that both of our spankings have come as a result of an inability to stop the run. Kneiling is beginning to struggle some, but when you play 14 straight games without a bye, that'll happen. Our bye, unfortunately, isn't until week 14.

Week Eleven

Green Bay 36, CLEVELAND 30 (OT)

Not quite a 23 point 4th quarter comeback, but coming back from a 30-17 deficit in the final 7:10 to force OT is still impressive. Both teams put on a rushing show, combining for 336 yards on the ground, but in the end, despite 2 INTs and a recovered fumble for our defense, it came down to Favre and his 262 yards passing, picking up the slack whenever the rushing game stumbled. Kneiling was 14-18 in the air, but just didn't pass the ball enough to establish any kind of a two-pronged attack.

Week Twelve

CLEVELAND 20, Baltimore 18

Dixon Schrempf rushed for 2 TDs, and Baker kicked a pair of FGs, including the game winner with 6 seconds remaining, as we finally win after losing two of our last three games in OT. I firmly believe that with a few more breaks, we could as easily be 8-4 as 4-8. .500 is still in sight, albeit barely, as we play a pair of 8 win teams in our next four games.

[SackAttack]

Week Thirteen

With the Steelers hanging on to a playoff berth at 6-5, .500 might BE enough to make the playoffs this year. To get there, however, we need a win against an 8-3 Bears team. At Soldier Field. Favored to LOSE by 12.

CLEVELAND 21, Chicago 20

Schrempf was, as usual, all over the place, rushing 25 times for 191 yards and a TD, including a 36 yard romp for the game winner just after the two minute warning. Our playoff hopes are still flickering, but we need a lot of help - we need to beat Jacksonville and hope they lose every remaining game except for their season closer against Pittsburgh, we need Pittsburgh to win no more than one of their remaining 4, and we need to hope the AFC West does exceptionally poorly - especially San Diego, whom we play in Week 17.

Week Fourteen

We face off against the division leading Bengals, who are favored by a scant 1 point. If we can control Norman Garcia, who, incidentally, trails our own Schrempf in rushing yardage, we have a shot.

Cincinnati 20, CLEVELAND 17

We led 17-10 with 5:23 left on the clock, but were unable to hang on, giving up a TD, and then, with time expiring, the game winning field goal. Heartbreaker of a loss, but we can still make the playoffs by running the table, and hoping that every team ahead of us in the playoff chase goes winless. Unlikely, I know.

Week Fifteen

CLEVELAND 21, Jacksonville 18

We led 21-3 after 3 quarters, and held on as Jacksonville scored 15 unanswered points to close out the game. However, Tennessee's victory over Pittsburgh gave them 8 wins, and ended any hopes we might have harbored of making the playoffs. Still, we have a shot at 7 wins, a marked improvement over the last two seasons, and more importantly, just a step away from .500 and beyond.

Week Sixteen

At long last, the bye. None too soon for us, either. We needed the healing opportunity.

Week Seventeen

A win over San Diego would deny them the AFC West crown. A loss, and various tiebreakers might just leave Seattle in second place.

San Diego 34, CLEVELAND 24

Ryan Leaf lit us up for 3 TDs, including a 68 yarder and a 70 yarder. The first game all season we've given up that many points and discovered that it wasn't due to a leaky rush defense.

[SackAttack]

2001 Playoffs

Wild Card Round

Atlanta 23, Philadelphia 17
Detroit 17, Chicago 13
New England 24, Tennessee 10
San Diego 24, Seattle 17

Seattle may have won the division, but San Diego proved who the better team was. Also of interest - Drew Bledsoe set a single-game playoff passing record with 342 yards, breaking Randall Cunningham's record of 335 yards.

Conference Semifinals

Green Bay 37, Atlanta 20
Cincinnati 27, San Diego 10
New Orleans 31, Detroit 24
New Jersey 20, New England 17

Norman Garcia continues to be a force for Cincinnati, and will likely finish on the first team and be OPY.

Conference Finals

Cincinnati 7, New Jersey 6
New Orleans 20, Green Bay 17

Garcia scored the winning - and only - touchdown to send his Bengals to their 2nd straight FOF Bowl.

Before FOF Bowl III, some contract extensions:

LB R.J. Warren signs a 3 year renegotiated contract to the tune of $6.30 million.
WR Karl Williams - 3 years/$6.96 mil.
CB Orlando Cornett - 3 years/$4.34 mil.
TE Bruce Borders - 3 years/$2.50 mil.
S John Stewart - 3 years/$4.34 mil.

*****

FOF Bowl III

Cincinnati 53, New Orleans 14

Sorry, Saints Fan. The Bengals roared out to a 29-0 lead before the seats were warm, and even AFTER Garcia took the rest of the afternoon off, continued to pile up the yardage, tacking on an additional 100 yards rushing.
Jeff Blake was, in a word, sensational, putting up the following numbers:


Jeff Blake, CIN, QB - 20 for 31, 268 yards, 5 TDs. That's right. He set a playoff record for TD passes in the Biggest Dance of Them All. More importantly, he erased the bad taste left in the mouths of Bengals' fans following last year's 31-19 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys. A dynasty in the making.

[SackAttack]

2002 Offseason

Herb gives us a year end score of 41. Is it just me, or is this score getting worse every year?

We really only have 2 FAs worth keeping. Marvin Harrison and Oronde Gadsden, both WRs. Both are coming off of sub-par years, but are still capable of playing.

We have the #7 pick in the draft, so we should be able to get another impact-type player.

[SackAttack]

2002 Free Agency

Oronde Gadsden signs a 2 year deal worth $7.64 mil over two years in Week One.

Marvin Harrison does the same on a 3 year/$12.75 mil contract, but waits until Week Seven to ink it.

In other news, Pittsburgh must really want to keep Kordell, because they're throwing nearly $10 mil per year at him despite fairly crappy performances. Must be his ratings they like.

Oh, and, uh, Philly is after Charlie Batch. Doesn't matter, though, as he goes to the Chiefs in Week Twelve. Kordell went to the Dolphins. Sorry, Miami.

[This message has been edited by SackAttack (edited 10-25-2000).]

[SackAttack]

2002 Amateur Draft

I should have known he wouldn't fall to #7. St. Louis grabbed Notre Dame wideout Malcolm Burnett with the #1 overall. I had hoped he'd slip, but they evidently needed an impact wideout as badly as I do.
Steve Ramirez out of N.C. State looks like a more-than-adequate replacement, however. I'll take a chance on him.

In the 2nd round, there's both a FB and a RB that I like, so I send LB Marty Moore and my 3rd/5th round picks to Arizona for the #8 pick in the 2nd round.

With those two picks, I select the following players.

RB Harvey Burnett - Temple

He won't threaten Schrempf, but he'll allow me to dump one of my worthless backup RBs.

FB Nathan Barnes - LaSalle

Gives me a solid 2nd option at FB. I'm set at that position for a while.

LB Isaac Porter out of Georgia is my 4th round selection. I could use one more LB out of this draft, as well.

LB Andrew Sinclair is my sixth round choice, out of Georgetown. I should be ready to go to camp now, but will make a 7th round choice anyway.

Crap. I thought I had drafted Burnett, but I guess not. Fortunately, he's still around in the 7th round, so I take him there. I evidently took a lesser back earlier on, so I can now dump TWO crappy backs. Still, I dodged a major bullet there.