FOF04/TCY: Fictional Frenzy

[USFLTecmo]

Gotta love messing with history. That's exactly what I'm doing here, with a dual FOF2004/TCY dynasty, where my initial team and conference setup will not be the NFL teams, but a mixture of USFL teams from 1984 for one conference, and a combination of teams from two fictional Action PC! leagues I've been a part of. It looks something like this.


American Conference

North:
Minnesota Mustangs
Milwaukee Knights (<<<< That's us)
Cincinnati Colts
Cleveland Crusaders

South:
Miami Missiles
Dallas Texans
Carolina Spartans
Atlanta Rebels

East:
Buffalo Bisons
Baltimore Battalion
Boston Attack
New York Syndicate

West:
Albuquerque Conquistadors
Seattle Monsoon
California Eagles
San Diego Smoke


National Conference

North (Central):
Chicago Blitz
Michigan Panthers
Houston Gamblers
New Orleans Breakers

South:
Birmingham Stallions
Memphis Showboats
Tampa Bay Bandits
Jacksonville Bulls

East:
Pittsburgh Maulers
New Jersey Generals
Philadelphia Stars
Washington Federals

West:
Arizona Wranglers
Los Angeles Express
Oakland Invaders
Denver Gold


I'll also be doing a complete draft with random new players. I'll play on 5th Avenue for FOF 2004 and second string in TCY, the middle of the road levels. I ran with this setup in a 12 season run before starting this one, and no teams really cratered, so the markets are going to work all right. There will be no hiring and firing of GM's, I want to let this roll as long as I can just to see what happens at the end of the rainbow, so to speak.

As for the TCY portion of the dynasty, I'll be controlling Wisconsin, and the Solecismic Eight is now the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, along with the eight member schools. The cities have been adjusted to the correct latitude and longitude and renamed accordingly (and without the UW-tag in front of it in-game).


UW-Eau Claire Blugolds
UW-La Crosse Eagles
UW-Oshkosh Titans
UW-Platteville Pioneers
UW-River Falls Falcons
UW-Stevens Point Pointers
UW-Stout Blue Devils (Menomonie, Wisconsin)
UW-Whitewater Warhawks


I will probably finish the initial allocation draft tonight, but I may not get it posted. Expect more action on this tomorrow.

[Izulde]

Go Eagles! And may we whip the hell out of the Warhawks as often as possible!

[USFLTecmo]

My dad's an Eagle, but I'm a Blugold alumnus.

[USFLTecmo]

A look at the 2004 Milwaukee Knights

Team Schedule

Preseason:
@ Michigan (61)
Atlanta (40)
@ Philadelphia (64)
Memphis (54)


Regular Season:
California (58)
@ Minnesota (59)
@ Baltimore (62)
Cincinnati (60)
Cleveland (63)
@ Pittsburgh (52)
Bye
Boston (64)
Philadelphia (64)
@ Cleveland (63)
@ Cincinnati (60)
Washington (49)
@ Dallas (53)
New York (69)
@ New Jersey (52)
Minnesota (59)
@ Buffalo (51)


We rank 3rd in the conference with a 67 power rating, and 8th overall. Numbers next to the teams indicate their power rating. We get only one team with a higher power rating than we do during the sason, and the end of the season seems to give us a touch of a boost, if these number all bear themselves out.

We have no players on The Green Page, for best prospect ratings.

Our scout is fairly good, with no ratings below average. The head coach is young at 44, and averages out to a Good rating. Our offensive coordinator is good with young talent, but is only fair to average in most other areas. My defensive coordinator is very good at his job, but not so much with the young talent, rating only fair there.

Our WR Perry Rasmussen is the 4th fastest man in the league. We have no players on the strongest man list.

Our stadium holds 64,500 people, and we will nearly fill it this next season. Our parking lot needs work, but both the stadium and the turf grade out as very good. We'll be looking to see how fast we can upgrade this, though.

[USFLTecmo]

The 2004 Milwaukee Knights

Quarterbacks
Arnie Newsome 49/55
Buddy Williamson 9/51
Damon Schonberger 12/48
Thomas Kinney 12/49

God help us if Newsome goes down. Not a lot of depth was available in the draft, and quarterbacks went early and often. Newsome is a 7 year vet, so we may look at getting a QB early in the next draft if one of the three youngsters (all rookies) don't pan out.


Running Backs
Mark McGee 71/72
Reggie Beal 34/50
Buddy Lester 23/43
Mo Carlisle 20/36

McGee will obviously be the workhorse, and as a 4 year vet, he should have 3 or 4 solid years left for sure. He's 100 for breakaway speed, but can also work the middle decently, although not at an elite level, obviously. He should be our main source of offense this year. The other three are rookies, but I'd like to see Beal get the ball on a semi-regular basis, to see if he turns into anything, even as just a trading commodity.


Fullbacks
Norbert Gallagher 55/82
Geoff Holder 48/52
Maurice Faherty 40/68

We're well-stocked here, as the other teams left this position well enough alone in the draft. Gallagher is a 2nd year man, and Faherty's a rookie. Holder should provide a bit of a veteran touch in the backfield.


Tight Ends
Terrance Jackson 87/87
Tyrone Wolfe 36/69
Zach Kuiper 15/48
David Gordon 16/50

Jackson is an elite tight end in his prime, and Wolfe is the young rookie who looks to take his place soon. Kuiper and Gordon provide backup in case Wolfe craters on me, but they won't be much help this year.


Wide Receivers
Perry Rasmussen 50/71
Andrew Chatas 29/56
Michael Peterson 57/76
Marcus Spellman 24/45
Doug Caldwell 16/43

Rasmussen is a 3 year vet, and Peterson is a 6 year vet, otherwise, another batch of rookies. I'm going to be toast if my rookie class has an issue, and I probably want to invest in coaches that are good with young talent.


Offensive Linemen
Dale Emmons 59/70
Albert Abolofia 29/63
Lionel Copeland 39/46
Duane Myhre 40/50
Stan Fannin 23/42
Aaron Evans 20/53
Trent Snyder 29/33
Otis Banks 9/43
Donovan Vaughn 28/29

This is the place that needs the most immediate help. Emmons is good, Copleand and Myhre are decent starters, but Snyder and Vaughn at the tackles may just end up killing me. My starters are in a minimum of their 5th year in the game, and the non-starters are all rookies again, save Stan Fannin, who probably will never hit 30, never mind 42.


Defensive Ends
Jake Page 42/45
John Carraway 22/52
Kenyon Rasmussen 31/60
Marlon Gaines 22/46

Page is a placeholder, as he's a 6 year vet. The rest of this team is, again, rookies, as later on, I went for potential when the actuals weren't looking so hot. Rasmussen will start on the right side.


Defensive Tackles
Walt Brewer 43/60
Paul Castillo 24/50
Ethan Green 13/39

Rookies all, save Brewer, who's a 2nd year vet. I'm most likely going 3-4, what with the talent I was able to get at inside linebacker.


Inside Linebackers
Kelvin Haneke 75/84
Dennis Austin 66/74
Kevin Lee 23/57

Haneke and Austin are 6 year vets, and will provide the heart of my defense, for sure. Lee is a rookie with potential, but you've heard that before, haven't you?


Outside Linebackers
Sammie Stein 73/73
Russell Carlisle 14/48
Mark Wheeler 43/76
John Pierce 25/53

I think I should have drafted more vets. Stein is a 5th year player, the rest are rookies, and Wheeler should be a good one. I'm going to be hurting badly, though, in about four years if most of these players pan out, and hurting badly the opposite way if they don't.


Cornerbacks
Brandon Haynes 39/50
Adrian Hampton 17/56
Eugene Dielman 37/49
Tito Garcia 18/52

4 and 5 year vets for starters and rookies for backups. No kidding. I probably hit this a bit too late for my own good, much like the linemen.


Safeties
Kenny Turner 59/72
Sammy Giang 13/53
Wally Bailey 49/68
Mercury Ellard 18/51

This team has the potential to be great or terrible. Once again, 5 year and 3 year vets starting, and rookies backing them up. I think I have one vet backup on the entire team.


Specialists
Shannon Flannery 83/94
JJ Gault 75/83

Flannery to kick as a 4 year vet, Gault to punt as a .... yeah, rookie. I probably picked these guys way too early, but I prefer to think of it as "late game insurance." If I get there, with my rookie-filled team.

[USFLTecmo]

2004 Milwaukee Knights Preseason

First, a technical note. I tend to like to focus on one game at a time, so I'll finish the Milwaukee Knights season before starting the Wisconsin Badgers college season. They run concurrently in the timeline, however.

Second, I benched my best players for the preseason, something I don't normally do, but I don't have nearly the depth I'm used to either. It seemed to have worked, as I go into the season with no injuries, not even a hangnail.

Preseason:
@ Michigan L 14-19
Atlanta W 12-10
@ Philadelphia T 20-20
Memphis L 7-16

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by USFLTecmo

My dad's an Eagle, but I'm a Blugold alumnus.

Was your dad a Delta Sig at UW-L by any chance?

Funny thing about that is, my mom's a Blugold alum, so we're inverse of each other.

[USFLTecmo]

I've never heard him claim a fraternity, or seen any evidence of it, so I'm going to say no to that.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 1

California Eagles 17, Milwaukee Knights 14

Things started out well, with 14 points in the first 5 minutes, thanks to a turnover, but then the offense got stuck in neutral for the rest of the day. The defense forced three turnovers, but none could be converted, especially a blocked punt in the 4th quarter, as the offense let the time run out in field goal range. McGee ran 25 times for 90 yards, and Newsome completed 17 of 36 passes, for just 139 yards. Brewer and Page had 1.5 sacks each, and Stein and Hayes intercepted passes as well.

We have no significant injuries going into what should be the start of a beautiful rivalry, as we visit Minnesota, who lost 34-3 to Cleveland. Cincinnati lost to New York, so we're only behind Cleveland in the division so far at 0-1.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 2

Minnesota Mustangs 13, Milwaukee Knights 10

You can thank the defense for the 10, as two turnovers in Minnesota territory led to the points. The offense barely garnered 200 yards total offense, and the defense finally broke late in the 4th quarter, allowing their only touchdown with just 1:50 to play. Harvey Meadows had 3 sacks for Minnesota, and I have got to start looking for some answers on the offensive front. Cincinnati beat Baltimore 27-19, and Pittsburgh dropped Cleveland 27-13, so we remain one game out, but not looking too hot at 0-2. Our power rating has fallen to 55, in a big muddle in the middle.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 3

Milwaukee 16, Baltimore 10 (OT)

In the rain in Baltimore, we struggled as usual, but we didn't make any killer mistakes, like missing multiple field goals in the Minnesota game or letting the clock run out on a scoring opportunity like the California game. Our passing was a bit more efficient, with Newsome completing half his passes for 205 yards, and Mark McGee finally doing what I drafted him for, break a huge run, with a 52 yard run to win the game in overtime, putting him over 100 yards for the first time. The defense continued to dominate, only allowing a deep ball touchdown and a field goal that was donated by the offense.

Minnesota beat Cincinnati 26-17 to take sole possession of first place in the North, as Cleveland lost 21-13 to New Jersey.

We're accumulating nicks and bruises, but nothing that's going to keep any players out for Cincinnati next week. Our power rating is back at 60, and Cincinnati sits at 54, so being at home should give us the edge in week 4.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 4

Milwaukee 17, Cincinnati 14

This is the inverse of the first two games, where we raced out to an early lead and choked it away. This time, the Colts do it for us. They get 14 in the first half, but in the second half, they sputter twice in the red zone, with Sammie Stein getting an interception in the end zone and a fumble recovery. The offense didn't have a big player in this game, but it worked efficiently, for the most part, with Beals getting a lot of touches in the ground game, sharing the load a bit with McGee.

TE Terrence Jackson has Turf Toe, hopefully it won't nag him all year. He can still play, though.

Seattle smoked Minnesota 34-9 to put us into a tie for first place, as Cleveland hit the skids against Washington, losing 22-10. California, Houston, and Pittsburgh are the only undefeated teams, with Pittsburgh being 3-0, having already had their bye. We get Cleveland next week, as we finish the first tour of the division. A win here helps immensely, and the experts have us as 4 point favorites at home. Minnesota gets a 2-2 Washington team on the road, and Cincinnati has a bye.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 5

Milwaukee 24, Cleveland 21

This is more like it. McGee broke two 50+ runs and ended with 181 yards, Newsome looked like a star QB, although the Cleveland secondary helped that, and we get a last-second win on a field goal drive right after Cleveland drove the length of the field to tie it with a minute to go. Only their superstar quarterback kept them in this, as our offense put up over 500 yards total offense.

Minnesota defeated Washington to stay on top in a tiebreaker with us at 3-2, Cincinnati sits at 1-3, and Cleveland is now 1-4. We also have very few injury concerns at all, and none that will require a player to miss a game as yet.

We get 4-0 Pittsburgh on the road next week, with Cincinnati and Cleveland dueling in division. Minnesota has a bye.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 6

Milwaukee 20, Pittsburgh 17

Y'know, just once I'd like to blow out some team, but I'm guessing the draft made the teams too equal. On that note, though, my scouts hated their team, but their quarterback singlehandedly kept them in the game and nearly kept them undefeated. We traded touchdowns in both of the first two quarters, committed our offensive blunders in the 3rd, and neither team could quite punch it in during the 4th quarter, but we traded field goals leading up to a final drive with 1:06 to play that got us the winning 50 yard field goal. For all the field goals my kicker has missed this year (6/12), he tends to come up big when it's necessary. McGee had his second 100 yard game, this one on more of an even keel, with his biggest run being 22 yards. Newsome continues to be efficient, and we've now won 4 in a row behind him.

Cleveland beat Cincinnati 21-17 in the other divisional game. We're 1st at 4-2, Minnesota's 2nd at 3-2, Cleveland sits at 2-4, and Cincinnati has fallen to 1-4.

A bye week is next, and it comes at a decent time, as our LT, Trent Snyder, is nursing a pulled groin. He should be 100% in two weeks, and meanwhile, he is questionable.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 7

Bye Week (4-2 record, 2-1 divisional record)

Minnesota lost 24-17 to Buffalo, Cincinnati beat Albuquerque 34-17, to send the Conquistadors to 1-6, and Cleveland stomped Philadelphia 38-14. We stay ahead, now a game ahead of Minnesota and a game and a half ahead of 3-4 Cleveland, and Cincinnati sits at 2-4.

We have done all right up to this point, about what could be expected. I'd prefer a QB with a bit better touch on the medium passes (Newsome's strength is the short ball), but I can work with what I have. We average 4.91 yards a carry, first in the league, and our defense shuts down the run, with the opponent only having a 3.11 yards per carry average, again, first in the league. Our passing yards and yards per attempt sit at 27 and 28th, though.

McGee is averaging 5.51 yards a carry, and has 636 yards over 6 games, and 6 touchdowns. This is why we went after him. On the defensive side, Stein has 3 sacks and two interceptions, as well as leading the team in solo tackles at 41.

We get a 2-3-1 Boston team next week, a team that's better than their record indicates, while Minnesota gets Philadelphia in a matchup of 3-3 teams, and Cincinnati faces Carolina in a matchup of 4 loss teams.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 8

Milwaukee 16, Boston 7

I think this officially makes us hot. 5 in a row. This one was slogged out in the rain, and besides the first drives for both teams, the game was ruled by the defense. Milwaukee's caused 3 turnovers, and had the benefit of Mark McGee breaking loose in the 4th quarter to put an insurance touchdown on the board, as we completely shut down the Attack after the first drive. For the second game in a row, we had a bad snap cause a missed field goal, but our holder's a 97 and our long-snapper is a 96. I'm not too worried that we're wrong on that quite yet.

It's all good news, as the other divisional games have Minnesota losing badly to Philadelphia, and Cincinnati dropping a 19-7 decision to Carolina.

We get Philadelphia next week, and we're the third North team in a row to face the 4-3 Stars.

[USFLTecmo]

Week 9

Milwaukee 41, Philadelphia 17

Now that's what I'm talking about!

24 points on the board in the first 20 minutes make a mini-rally late in the first half by the Stars (10 points, 7 turnover-aided) nothing to worry about. 14 more points in the 3rd seal the game, for all intents and purposes. 422 total yards by the offense is one of our best outputs, with 183 of those coming on the ground. McGee had 23 carries for 133 yards, with the long being 23 yards, and 2 touchdowns, providing consistent production all day. Brewer had 2 sacks and a fumble forced to take home defensive MVP honors.

We sit at 6-2, two games better than Cleveland, who beat Minnesota 24-8, and 3 games ahead of Minnesota. Cincinnati continues to fall short, losing to Pittsburgh 24-23. We are a half-game behind California for the #1 overall ranking in the conference. Houston and Pittsburgh in the other conference have 7-1 records to lead the league.

We can either bury Cleveland next week, or give them new life, as we head to the shores of Lake Erie. Minnesota gets 5-3 New York, and Cincinnati gets a fellow 2-6 team in Washington.