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12-20-2013, 12:51 PM
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#1 | ||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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The Brown Stain (FOF7)
My second go round with the Browns. The turnaround in my first game was a bit too quick, going 3-13 the first year but winning a Super Bowl the next season and coming close the following two years after that. I've incorporated some very light house rules this time to hopefully make for a slower build. I don't mind being competitive every year, because in real life many teams are, but I want it to take sometime before I get there.
Settings Cap Range: 28 to 80 Injuries: 225 Combine Accuracy: 50 Personality/Chemistry: On Depth Charts/Game Plans: AI House Rules 1. In free agency, may only sign one unrestricted free agent with a current/future combined rating of over 100 and may only sign one player with a current/future rating between 81-100 - Down the road, I may lift this but for now, it should ensure that the team is built slowly. 2. If I lose a player in free agency with a current/future rating of more than 100, I may sign a player of equal or lesser value that does not count against the limit set out in #1. This does not apply to players who retire or who are released. - This essentially allows me to replace UFA's that I lose. 3. May carry no more than 60 active players to training camp - this seems to put me more in line and on a level playing field with the AI. 4. Throughout season one, may not sign any undrafted rookie free agents - I just find the UDFA pool too deep early on and this means that any pickups are usually no talent scrubs. Like I said, very light and I may lift them down the line. I want it to take 4-5 years at least before my team is considered much of a contender and I'd like to see small improvements year to year instead of a big turnaround. |
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12-20-2013, 01:01 PM
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#2 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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OFFENSE
Code:
Weeden barely beats out Jason Campbell (27/27) for the starting job. I'm not sure that Weeden is the long term answer but he had a nice boost in training camp (25 -> 44) so we will see. The O-Line is an obvious strength and something to build around. Greg Little (40/55) provides a nice third option behind Gordon and Bess. DEFENSE Code:
Some really nice pieces to build around here, with a pair of stud bookends at linebacker in Sheard and Mingo along with nose tackle Taylor. Joe Haden (58/60) is our best corner but is expected to miss the first three weeks with a knee injury. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-20-2013 at 07:34 PM. |
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12-20-2013, 01:51 PM
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#3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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FIRST TERM REPORT
At 3-5, we are probably where we expect to be. With that said, Cincinnati stands at 4-4 and the Steelers at 4-3 so we are still in the division race. The offense is sitting 17th in yards and 21st in points. Weeden is completing 66% of his passes but only has 7 TD's to go with 8 INT's. Both Bess and Gordon are on pace for 80 catches and over 800 yards but beyond that, our receivers and RB's have given us very little. The defense meanwhile has been stellar and stand at 2nd in yards against. That comes with three of our best players missing significant action, as Phil Taylor and Jabal Sheard have each missed 5 games while Haden missed the first four of the season. However, thanks to our 4 defensive TD's allowed and our -4 turnover ratio, our D is sitting at 25th in points allowed. If we can stay healthy and our offensive can limit the turnovers, we still have a shot at 8-8 and a playoff spot in the weak NFC North. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-20-2013 at 02:24 PM. |
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12-20-2013, 02:07 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2nd TERM REPORT
After a poor performance against the 2-5 Ravens, we have turned things around with three strong performances in a row, including victories over the Bengals and Steelers. The three wins improve our record to 6-6 on the year, only a game back of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati at 7-5 with a game on the road at Heinz Field in Week 17. However, Josh Gordon, who put up over 30 catches and 350 yards in the past four games has been lost for likely the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-20-2013 at 02:24 PM. |
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12-20-2013, 02:24 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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FINAL TERM
The wheels finally come off for the Browns as we go 1-3 in our final four games to finish at 7-9, not quite good enough to make the playoffs but too good to land a top 10 draft pick. Cincinnati (9-6-1) wins the AFC North while the Steelers (9-7) also get in as a wildcard but both fall in the first round. The Giants and Patriots meet in the Super Bowl for the third time in seven years and for the third time, the Giants emerge as champions. |
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12-20-2013, 02:44 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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SEASON SUMMARY
On offense, we finished 16th in rush yards, 11th in pass yards, 14th in total yards and 19th in scoring. Brandon Weeden had a very good completion percentage but also finished third in the league with 18 picks. If he can't get a better handle on the ball, he won't be lasting long as our quarterback. Our run game just wasn't very good but I thought the receivers played well. Josh Gordon is always going to struggle with drops but before a knee injury late in the season, he was really coming into his own. For their efforts, LT Joe Thomas was named a first team all pro while LG Shawn Lauvao was named to the second team. On defense, we finished 11th in rushing, 8th in passing, 5th in total yards but 23rd in points. A large part of that discrepancy was because of turnovers on offense. Our pass rush was very good and that was with our best pass rusher, Jabaal Sheard, missing half the season due to injury. Safety TJ Ward put up some fine numbers and was named to the second all-pro team. |
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12-20-2013, 04:28 PM
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#7 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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STAFF STAGE
Despite the strong performance, Rob Chudzinski is handed his walking papers after only one season as I want to go with my own guy. Little known Glenn Ogden takes the head reigns and installs his own guys everywhere, including Darrin Sheaffer (OC), Tom McMahon (DC), Gabriel Peabody (AC) and Otis Conti (SC). FREE AGENCY Defensive End Greg Hardy (62/62) and RB La Rod Stephens-Howling (46/46) were our biggest acquisitions. We were hoping to game our own house rules a bit and let kicker Shayne Graham go. He was a 52/52 during the season but dropped to a 49/49 in the off-season, meaning that we just missed out on being able to pick up another player over 100. We did have some other signings that are expected to earn starting spots, including G Chris Williams (39/41), DE Corey Wootton (38/38) and S Major Wright (37/37). Depth signings LB A.J. Hawk (39/39) and CB Cary Williams (40/40) should also see valuable minutes. K Dustin Hopkins (28/28) and P Sam Koch (38/38) are the likely special teamers. DRAFT 1.14 - Wes Bailey, DE (16/58) 2.13 - Liam Gray, FS (29/56) 3.12 - Edgar Kruger, G (19/31) 4.16 - Eric Blackburn, RB (15/16) 5.15 - Jonathan Bernius, QB (14/40) 6.14 - Scott Matthews, TE (13/22) 7.13 - Chris Bucher, FB (12/44) |
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12-20-2013, 05:23 PM
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#8 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2014 OUTLOOK
OFFENSE Code:
Surprisingly, Weeden continues to project to be a solid starter. He was just 19/25 at the start of the game and has come along nicely. The big question will be if he can reduce the turnovers. LSH should be an upgrade at RB. I had high hopes for our 3rd WR, Greg Little but he dropped to a 38/38. Our O-Line ends the preseason very beaten up with Mack, Lauvao and Schwartz all expected to each miss 2-4 weeks. DEFENSE Code:
Greg Hardy provides a big upgrade up front. Leon McFadden is developing into an excellent complementary CB to Haden. TJ Ward suffered the VSOD falling from a 59/61 out of camp to a 34/34 at the exhibition stage. Really glad that we picked up rookie Liam Gray, who appears to have a big upside and projects like the starter from day one. If this unit stays healthy, they may be able to improve on last years performance. ROOKIE REPORT 1.14 - Wes Bailey, DE 16/58 --> 21/55 2.13 - Liam Gray, FS 29/56 --> 34/63 3.12 - Edgar Kruger, G 19/31 --> 19/25 4.16 - Eric Blackburn, RB 15/16 --> 19/19 5.15 - Jonathan Bernius, QB 14/40 --> 17/40 6.14 - Scott Matthews, TE 13/22 --> 15/26 7.13 - Chris Bucher, FB 12/44 --> 15/24 UDFA - Liam Jeffers, K 26/46 --> 26/47 Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-20-2013 at 05:32 PM. |
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12-20-2013, 05:58 PM
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#9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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MIDTERM REPORT
After opening the season a disappointing 0-2, the upstart Browns have won their last six thanks to their powerhouse offense. The Browns rank 4th in rush yards and 1st in total yards per game. LaRod Stephens-Howling is on pace for 1000 yard season but it's a very balanced rushing attack. Even with prolific wide receiver Josh Gordon missing 4 games, Brandon Weeden is still on pace for over 4000 yards while Davone Bess leads all receivers and is on pace for 1300 yards receiving for this group that is 8th in scoring offense.. Not to be outdone, the defense ranks 6th in points and 5th in total yards. Jabaal Sheard is healthy and is chasing the NFL sack lead with 7 sacks while Joe Haden with 5 picks and Leon McFadden with 4 are amongst the leagues best cornerback pairings. The Browns currently hold the league in the AFC North but Pittsburgh and Baltimore are only a game back at 5-3 while the Bengals are at 4-3-1. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-20-2013 at 05:58 PM. |
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12-20-2013, 06:24 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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The Browns continue to roll and improve to 9-3 on the season at the 3/4 pole including victories over the Bengals and Steelers. Despite that, the remain only a game up on the 8-4 Steelers while the Bengals (7-4-1) and Ravens (7-5) are still in contention. Right now it is looking very likely that both wildcard spots could go to the AFC North. The interception problems that plagued Weeden last season and early this year seem to be a thing of the past, as he has now thrown 12 TD's and 0 interceptions in his last five games. Meanwhile the defense continues to shut opponents down. With four games left, the Browns are looking poised to make the playoffs. |
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12-20-2013, 06:41 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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Even with the loss to Pittsburgh, our Week 17 win at Baltimore pushes us to 12-4 and coupled with the Steelers losing to the Bengals, gives us the AFC North title and the best record in the AFC while the 11-5 Steelers and 9-7 Ravens settle for wildcards. Playing to win in Week 17 came at a cost though, as Josh Gordon suffered a knee injury and could miss time in the playoffs. Brandon Weeden has run his streak of games without a pick to 9 as the interceptions seem to be a thing of the past. Apart from the injury to Gordon, with the bye week, the team should be relatively healthy heading into the playoffs except for a nagging groin injury to CB Leon McFadden. Both McFadden and Gordon are expected to dress. |
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12-20-2013, 07:00 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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DIVISIONAL ROUND
The Browns keep up their strong play in a defensive struggle and knock off the defending AFC champions in a nail biter. Our inability to convert on 3rd down (1/12) almost cost us but Weeden played well enough to guide the Browns to victory for their first playoff win since the 1994 Wild Card game. AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Our season would finally come to an end at the hands of rookie QB Bryson Krauchick. Weeden's interception streak also came to an end as he threw 2 picks to go along with his 2 TD passes. This one wasn't even close as we got dominated like no other team before us this year. Denver started the season slow but won 8 of their last 10 to finish 10-6 as this game could be a preview of a new rivalry for years to come. In a rematch of Super Bowl XXIV, the leagues best team all year, the San Francisco 49ers who finished 14-2 would romp the Broncos 45-16. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-20-2013 at 07:00 PM. |
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12-20-2013, 07:13 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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SEASON RECAP
A few small upgrades and we were able to turn things around in a hurry. Brandon Weeden is a legit starting quarterback and after finishing with over 4000 yards and a 22-6 TD to interception ratio, he is going to be looking for a lot more money as he only has one year left on his contract. I think I'm going to have to pay him. The offense as a whole 4th in rushing, 15th in passing, 3rd in yards and 6th in scoring. While LSH almost hit 1000 yards, it was Brian Leonard that was arguably our best back, with a 5.5 ypc average. He's a free agent after the season and we will definitely be looking to bring him back. Davone Bess was amongst the leagues best wide receivers while Josh Gordon was limited again to 12 games and needs to find a way to stay healthy. The defense finished 16th in rush yards, 2nd in pass yards, 2nd in total yards and 2nd in points. Phil Taylor was a man beast on the interior line and for his efforts, including 11.5 sacks as a nose tackle, Taylor was named a first team all-pro. Jabaal Sheard, who missed 4 games due to injury, finished with 11 sacks and would have likely merited consideration had he been healthy the full season. |
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12-20-2013, 10:41 PM
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#14 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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STAFF STAGE
No changes here as our staff returns intact. FREE AGENCY We shored up our spot at tight end by signing Jermaine Gresham (65/65) away from our division rival Bengals. He should give Weeden an extra option. We made a play for Baltimore's Michael Oher at tackle but got beat out so had to settle for fullback Anthony Sherman (51/51) who was 50/50 when we signed him but got a bump upon joining our roster. Sherman is a serious run blocker and should improve an already solid run game. DRAFT 1.30 - Javier Ellard, CB 15/45 2.30 - Clifton Reeves, T 23/45 3.30 - Kyle Rayburn, LB 17/33 4.13 - Rod Franz, WR 15/32 4.30 - Blake Reid, DT 16/39 5.30 - Kenyon Rowlette, S 16/37 7.30 - Isaiah Dunalp, LB 10/30 PRE-CAMP Josh Gordon (66/66) and Davone Bess (51/51) are both veteran holdouts. I need to make a decision on Gordon. He is asking for $37 million over 5 years and I will likely give it to him. Bess still has two years left and is entering his 8th season. He's not getting reworked despite his productiveness. |
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12-20-2013, 11:14 PM
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#15 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2015 OUTLOOK
Code:
Code:
ROOKIE REPORT 1.30 - Javier Ellard, CB 15/45 --> 19/42 2.30 - Clifton Reeves, T 23/45 --> 26/48 3.30 - Kyle Rayburn, LB 17/33 --> 22/34 4.13 - Rod Franz, WR 15/32 --> 21/39 4.30 - Blake Reid, DT 16/39 --> 17/34 5.30 - Kenyon Rowlette, S 16/37 --> 23/38 7.30 - Isaiah Dunalp, LB 10/30 --> 14/29 UDFA - Carl Lies, QB 2/20 --> 6/25 UDFA - Richie Garrison, RB 23/23 --> 27/41 UDFA - Cedric Reilly, LB 12/29 --> 16/29 |
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12-20-2013, 11:35 PM
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#16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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FIRST HALF REPORT
Wow, 4-4 the hard way. To be fair, it was a rough opening to the schedule, facing four playoff teams, including both Super Bowl finalists on the road. Brandon Weeden is playing just okay and clearly misses his favorite target Davone Bess, who is still sitting out as part of a contract dispute. LaRod Stephens-Howling missed six games with a shoulder injury and that has impacted the run game as Brian Leonard is good in relief but can't carry the load himself. As a result, the offense ranks 19th in yards and 23rd in points. The defense has also struggled with injuries, as NT Phillip Taylor and ILB D'Qwell Jackson, who normally team up to shutdown the interior have each missed four games. The corners have also struggled, with Joe Haden missing two games and Leon McFadden missing 5 as the team is ranked 20th in yards and 11th in points. Despite the 0-4 start, we are tied with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North standings while Baltimore at 4-5 and Cincinnati at 3-5 are close behind. |
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12-20-2013, 11:47 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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We followed up two huge road divisional wins with losses to the Rams, who moved to 9-2 with their win over us and the Pats, who moved to 11-1 with their victory. Weeden went down in the Bengals game and had to miss the game versus the Rams as a result. At 6-6, we are one game back of the division leading Ravens and just ahead of the Steelers and Bengals, who are both 5-7. We travel to Baltimore and host Cincinnati yet and like every year, the division will likely come down to the wire. |
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12-21-2013, 08:57 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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We go 2-2 in the home stretch to finish at 8-8 and miss the playoffs. Baltimore went 12-4 and was the only AFC North team to make the playoffs, so we would have needed help even if we swept our last. Two 9-7 teams did make the playoffs so it must have felt good for the Bengals to crush our playoff hopes in Week 17 on our home turf. In the playoffs, the Ravens would go to the AFC Championship game only to lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Patriots and 38 year old Tom Brady, who finally captured his elusive 4th championship and became the second oldest QB to win a Super Bowl with a victory over the Packers. And much like Elway before him, this would be Brady's final game as he would go out on top. |
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12-21-2013, 09:25 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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SEASON RECAP
I can't really complain about the job that Weeden is doing. He finished 7th in passer rating, his completion percentage held in the 63-64% range for the third straight year and while the interceptions were up slightly, they weren't terrible. He missed almost two full games and coupled with the loss of his favorite target Davone Bess, his overall numbers took a slight hit. I have confidence though that he is good enough to win a championship. Josh Gordon got paid and stepped up in Bess' absence and finally played a full 16 games. While his numbers were good, I think his ceiling is even higher. Also very happy with the job that LSH did at RB. He missed six games but otherwise would have easily topped 1000 yards. He finished third in the NFL amongst qualifiers with his 5.13 ypc. When he went down, Leonard proved that while he can be a nice compliment, he can't carry the load. The offense as a whole finished 11th in rushing, 10th in passing, 9th in total yards and 9th in scoring. Newly signed FB Anthony Sherman joined C Alex Mack and T Joe Thomas as second team All-Pros. While the offense was consistent in both the pass and run games, the same can't be said for the defense. While the Run D was smothering, finishing 2nd in the league, the pass D ranked dead last. As a result, we finished 30th in total yards and 20th in points allowed. Quite the contrast with a year ago when the pass D was amongst the best in the league. Teams did attempt 100 more passes on us this year but that's not the only issue and I'm not quite sure what the problem was. Our pass rush dropped a bit and I think this impacted things as well. With that said, 2nd year safety Liam Gray was spectacular and was named a 1st team All-Pro. Linebacker Jabaal Sheard finally played a full 16 games and for his efforts was named a 2nd team All-Pro. |
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12-21-2013, 10:56 PM
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#20 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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RETIREMENTS
AJ Hawk hangs them up but he was a bit player at this point anyway, only recording one tackle for us this past season. STAFF STAGE No changes. FREE AGENCY I try to shop Davone Bess around the league and no team is interested in taking him on. Maybe he returns for the final year of his contract. TJ Ward (32/32) is given his walking papers. A 2nd team All-Pro in 2013, he suffered a leg injury at the end of that season and is a shell of his former self. Also, while I hated doing it, 11th year LB D'Qwell Jackson (50/50) was also cut loose because of his $9.2 million cap hit. As a cut, I don't get the bonus player signing that I would if his contract had expired. Joe Haden (52/52) does hit free agency. As does guard Mitchell Schwartz (49/49). Starting DE Billy Winn (45/45) also signs elsewhere but we are hoping that Wes Bailey will finally be ready in his third year to take his place. We just miss out on another player for Schwartz but can sign one guy rated 104 combined current/future if Haden signs elsewhere. After re-signing both of our stud linebackers in Barkevious Mingo and Jabaal Sheard, we are left with very little cap space. But with the loss of Jackson, we needed to plug a hole at MLB and target the Patriots 4th year man Jamie Collins (55/55) who signed on for three years at $6.75 million. He's an outside guy but we hope we can move him inside. We also bring Haden back (52/52) after he tested the free agent waters and saw that he wasn't worth what he was asking for in negotiations previously. Our final significant signing is safety Matt Elam (45/45), who should make a good pairing with Gray and also hurts our division rival Ravens. Arian Foster (39/39) is brought in as a pass catching back but he may not have much more to give. DRAFT 1.20 - RB Jeffrey Lyons (36/48) - we tried to trade up a few spots to get him and failed but he fell to us anyway. Three reds, including dash and sole and two blues. Bars don't quite match and he gets the overrated tag but I can't pass on those combine numbers. 2.19 - WR Alexander Dionne (21/34) - we need to replace Bess and Little. Dionne had four blues and hopefully can be that guy. 3.18 - G Ken Owens (20/42) - four blues and he appears to be a solid pass blocking guard. Hopefully he can become the 3rd round pick that Edgar Kruger never did. 4.17 - C Timothy Quinn (15/28) - the possible heir apparent to Alex Mack, he had two reds and two blues and while he's probably a few years away, hopefully he can start one day. 5.16 - T Irving Harrigan (9/54) - we use our third straight pick on the O-Line. Blues in both agility and dash but was a green in strength. Should be a good swing tackle who can play off the bench. 6.15 - CB Herman Bennett (7/37) - blue dash, red solecismic. Hoping he can be a decent nickelback. 7.14 - DE Marlon Montgomery (29/49) - two blues, including dash. |
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12-22-2013, 12:33 AM
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#21 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Airdrie
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Really good read so far. Finally had time to dive into the game this weekend and started with the Bengals
 Are you getting an insane amount of injuries at 225? Many long term injuries? Just curious as im playing on the default settings, and im seeing a realistic amount with a few IR injuries per season. |
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12-22-2013, 12:57 PM
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#22 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2016 OUTLOOK
OFFENSE Code:
DEFENSE Code:
Overall, while we have good starters all around, we lack depth and any sort of injuries could really hurt us. We should be in the playoff hunt again but could have trouble making noise if we get there. ROOKIE REPORT 1.20 - RB Jeffrey Lyons (36/48 --> 39/43) 2.19 - WR Alexander Dionne (21/34 --> 20/25) 3.18 - G Ken Owens (20/42 --> 21/31) 4.17 - C Timothy Quinn (15/28 --> 17/32) 5.16 - T Irving Harrigan (9/54 --> 13/34) 6.15 - CB Herman Bennett (7/37 --> 10/30)7.14 - DE Marlon Montgomery (29/49 --> 32/48) UDFA - QB Wade Solano (12/15 --> 17/29) UDFA - RB Bernice Castillo (17/24 --> 22/35) UDFA - DT Edward Koski (21/28 --> 29/35) UDFA - TE Ralph McNeill (19/30 --> 22/30) UDFA - WR Bryce Buckley (12/18 --> 16/26) Needless to say, not a good camp for our draft picks. Five undrafted free agents all performed well in camp and the pre-season and make the 53 man roster. |
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12-22-2013, 01:20 PM
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#23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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Great start to the season sees us go 7-1 and open up a a 4 game lead in the AFC North behind the second place Baltimore Ravens, who sit at 3-4. Our lone loss was in the game in which Weeden was knocked out early, although Bernius played well in relief. Our offense is sitting 9th in yards and 3rd in scoring, thanks to the solid RBBC of LSH and Lyons. The defense sits 6th in yards and 5th in scoring. The run D is again dominant this season while the pass D is much improved. Leon McFadden, our top rated corner and a free agent after the season, played only the Miami game, in which he was lit up for 9 passes. He's injured for a few more games but may be a healthy scratch even when he is ready to go. |
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12-22-2013, 01:49 PM
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#24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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Four more wins including on the road at Baltimore and Cincinnati improves our record to 11-1 and we have already locked up the division, sitting 7 games ahead of the 5-7 Ravens in a down year for the rest of the AFC North. Weeden is remarkably consistent and outside of a 4 interception game against Washington in week 2, has done a great job of controlling the ball. Thinks could get tougher for him though as his favorite target, Greg Little, is battling a strained hamstring and the timetable for his return is unknown. Thankfully, with a two game lead in the AFC, we may have a chance to rest some guys for the final few games of the regular season. |
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12-22-2013, 02:02 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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Just a brutal way to end an otherwise good season, as we fall to 12-4 and our confidence takes a major blow heading into the playoffs. Thankfully, we still managed to lock up the AFC North as well as home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Weeden had another four pick game, this time against the Giants as the NFC East teams seem to have his number. Eight of his picks have come in two games while he has 5 in the other 13 that he started. Hopefully we get good Weeden in the playoffs. Thankfully, Little had time to rest up and his receiver core returns intact. |
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12-22-2013, 02:21 PM
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#26 | ||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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DIVISIONAL ROUND
The Colts went 10-6 and earned a wild card before knocking off the 7-9 AFC West champion Chargers. We opened up the game with a 24-6 lead through three quarters of play, only to give up 18 unanswered points, including a 72 yard scoring drive culminating in the Colts tying the game with 56 seconds left in regulation. But instead of settling for overtime, Weeden marched us down 51 yards to set up the game winning Liam Jeffers 46 yard field goal with three seconds to play to advance us to the AFC Championship. AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Things were looking good for the first ever Cleveland Browns trip to the Super Bowl as we held a 23-10 lead just over halfway through the 4th quarter. But after our defense had kept their offense in check all day, Greg McElroy would lead the Jets to scoring drives of 56 and 73 yards on their final two possessions of the game as we fell in the AFC Championship game for the second time in three seasons. The Jets would use the momentum to go on to capture the Super Bowl with a 20-13 victory over the Chicago Bears. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-22-2013 at 02:22 PM. |
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12-22-2013, 02:54 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2016 SEASON RECAP
It was a slight decline for our offense this year in yardage, as they finished 13th in total yards (7th rush, 13th pass) but still managed to finish as the 5th highest scoring team. Weeden had only two bad games of the bunch and I still have confidence that he can win a championship for us. Both LSH and rookie Lyons gave us solid running performances but with LSH in the final year of his contract, he likely won't return. Greg Little was a beast through 10 games before missing the final 6 with an injury. He came back in the playoffs though and was once again dominant. Tenth year left tackle Joe Thomas was named to the 1st All-Pro team, the third time he's been awarded All-Pro honors in the past four seasons.
The defense bounced back somewhat from an awful year in 2015 as they finished 13th in yards (4th rush, 26th passing) and 8th in scoring. Jamie Collins did a nice job replacing D'Qwell Jackson. Our pass coverage struggled once again but the pass rush bounced back as we tied for the league lead in sacks with 55. Linebacker Jabaal Sheard led the way, finishing second in the NFL with 14 sacks and was named a 1st team All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year for his play. DT Phillip Taylor had a bounce back year and was also named a 1st team All-Pro. CB Leon McFadden (56/56) is scheduled to hit free agency and despite his high ratings, he's missed 20 games the past three seasons and I don't see him returning. |
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12-22-2013, 09:53 PM
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#28 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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RETIREMENTS
None. STAFF STAGE No change. FREE AGENCY Leon McFadden (56/56) hits the free market and quickly signs a big money deal with the Saints. That gives us one extra signing of a big name player this off-season. We take another hit at CB with the loss of Carey Williams (39/39). He played solid for us last year and I felt he was asking too much. I was hoping he would slide to FA2 and his demands would drop but he got snagged in the final stage of FA1 by the Bears. We go middle linebacker again this year to give us some extra depth and sign 4th year former Falcon Blaine Babka (52/52). We use the extra space from McFadden to upgrade at kicker and sign Austin Signor (45/45) who was rated a lot higher in the free agent pool and his ratings took a hit once he joined our roster. The final big signing was guard JB Thompson (43/43) whose ratings also looked a lot higher before joining our roster. RB Mark Ingram (40/40) and WR LaRon Byrd (39/39) should add some nice depth and make up for the departures of LaRod Stephens-Howling and Davone Bess respectively. DRAFT 2.20 - OLB Anthony Ahn (19/43) - not much I like in this draft and we end up trading down twice, picking up a future 3rd and future 4th in the process. We finally settle on Ahn who has three blues in dash, sole and agility and also solid ST. 2.29 - DE Tracy Aghajafari (17/36) - red dash and sole, blue in agility. Bars don't really match up like they should. This guy really slid as he was graded a 5.8. 3.29 - S Tyrus Krueger (21/53)- three blue bars and a red in position drill. Should be a solid player. 4.29 - TE Jared Hickman (25/39) - red in sole and agility, green in broad jump, looks to be a solid pass blocker as well. 5.29 - WR Harvey Harper (18/30) - blues in dash, sole and agility, green in bench. Don't have a lot of hope for him. 6.29 - DT Billy Ifill (11/27) - three blues in dash, agility and sole, greens in jump and bench. Could be a decent backup. 7.29 - CB Micah Turner (19/32) - blue in bench, green in dash. Looks to be a decent special teamer, right now we are sitting at only 3 corners on our roster and needed another guy. |
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12-22-2013, 09:58 PM
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#29 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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Quote:
No, I don't find it too bad at 225. Lots of game to game changes but the long term injuries aren't overdone. Obviously because of the number of injuries, I do end up IRing a lot of marginal guys if they are going to be out for say, 6 weeks or so. Usually I have about 7-10 guys banged up per game and sometimes it can mean that I need to cut guys or run with minimums at some positions, etc. I really enjoy the roster management of it and some of the decisions it forces (ie. who to cut, to place guys on IR if they are going to be out awhile, etc.) while others may not. |
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12-24-2013, 10:19 PM
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#30 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2017 OUTLOOK
A more in depth look at the roster heading into our fifth year. In the power rankings/roster strength, we are 12th but still first in the AFC North. QUARTERBACKS Code:
BACKFIELD Code:
RECEIVERS Code:
O-LINE Code:
D-LINE Code:
LINEBACKERS Code:
DEFENSIVE BACKS Code:
SPECIALISTS Code:
ROOKIE REPORT 2.20 - OLB Anthony Ahn (19/43 --> 22/36) 2.29 - DE Tracy Aghajafari (17/36 --> 20/38) 3.29 - S Tyrus Krueger (21/53 -->27/51) 4.29 - TE Jared Hickman (25/39 --> 25/35) 5.29 - WR Harvey Harper (18/30 -->18/30) 6.29 - DT Billy Ifill (11/27 --> 16/29) 7.29 - CB Micah Turner (19/32 --> 23/31) UDFA - QB Luther Starks (7/38 --> 11/25)*Injured Reserve UDFA - WR Brant Johnson (13/20 --> 18/36) UDFA - T JT McGregor (12/48 --> 15/48) UDFA - S Jason Boswell (12/26 --> 16/31) As an aside, I'm still trying to sort out what these progressions mean. A guy like Wes Bailey went like this YEAR TC EX 2014 57 43 2015 41 42 2016 33 63 2017 63 63 As a result, I find that I am trying to give my draft picks at least that third exhibition season to find out what they are like. Often times, that leaves me cutting UDFA guys that I would keep in FOF2K7 like Johnson and Boswell above. Tough decisions. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-24-2013 at 10:20 PM. |
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12-24-2013, 10:43 PM
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#31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
Awful start to the season. I was too eager to sign the praises of Weeden and Berius, who have a combined 11:12 TD to INT ratio (though to be fair Weeden is 10:8). We do lead the NFL though in passing yards and total yards while are points are at 11th. Turnovers though are killing us as we are the second worst team in that category. It's cost us, as our D is 9th in yards but 26th in points. CB Javier Ellard has actually player very well with an 86% pass defense percentage and 5 picks. Joe Haden is killing me though with 69.6%. Sheard is also killing me as the defending DPOY only has 0.5 sacks. Right now we share the basement with Cincy and Pittsburgh at 3-5 while Baltimore is already three games out in front at 6-2. We need a big turnaround to have a shot at the division or a wild card. |
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12-24-2013, 10:51 PM
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#32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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NOVEMBER
Much better as we run the table in November and move our record to 7-5, which right now is good enough for a Wild Card spot and a half game behind the 7-4-1 Ravens with a big Week 17 matchup looming on the horizon. Weeden was better these last 4 games with 9 TD's and 3 picks. But he went down with a concussion and Bernius will need to step up for the next three weeks. Right now our defense is #2 in yards and we'll have to rely on the heavily the next few weeks to get to the matchup with the Ravens with a shot at a playoff spot and hopefully the division on the line. |
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12-26-2013, 01:53 PM
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#33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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DECEMBER
Bernius goes 1-2 in his three starts in place of Weeden but to be fair we were underdogs against both the Lions, who finished the season 12-4, and the Packers who were close behind them at 11-5. Thankfully for us, a pair of losses by the Ravens in weeks 15 and 16 leaves them only a half game ahead of us heading into the final week 17 matchup. Needing a win, Weeden makes his triumphant return and goes 22 of 31 for 352 yards to lead us to the 22-16 victory, a 9-7 finish, and the AFC North championship while the loss knocks the 8-7-1 Ravens from the playoff picture. |
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12-26-2013, 02:09 PM
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#34 | ||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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WILD CARD ROUND
This game was a lot closer than the final score would reflect. After a Justin Blackmon touchdown cut the lead to 13-10 midway through the 4th quarter, the Jags got the ball back at their 20 with just under 4 minutes to play and a chance to take the lead. However, a Phil Taylor strip sack would be returned to the Jags 1 yard line by Matt Elam and pounded in from there three plays later by Mark Ingram as we took a 20-10 lead en route to sealing the victory and a trip to Denver. DIVISIONAL ROUND
For the second time in four years, our season would end at the hands of the Broncos, but unlike three years ago, we came to play in this one. Unfortunately, 10 points off a pair of fumbles proved costly and despite Weeden's strong day, we were unable to secure the victory. The 11-5 Broncos would fall in the AFC Championship to the eventual Super Bowl Champion 13-3 Miami Dolphins who would knock off the San Francisco 49ers in the big game. |
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12-26-2013, 02:28 PM
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#35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2017 SEASON RECAP
Despite Weeden missing four full games, our passing attack was amongst the most prolific in the league. Overall, our offense finished 3rd in passing yards and total yards while finishing 19th in rush yards. Overall, we were the 5th highest scoring offense. What killed us though was our 33 turnovers and our -10 turnover ratio, both amongst the worst in the league. Bernius might not be the solid backup that we hoped he would be. Jeffrey Lyons fought injuries in his second season and big things will be expected of him in year 3. Josh Gordon finally lived up to his potential and finished 3rd in the NFL in receiving yards and was named a 2nd team All-Pro in the process. Joe Thomas seems to be a mainstay on the All-Pro list and was once again named to the first team.
The defense once again played fairly well, finishing 4th in total yardage thanks to the always strong run defense, which finished 3rd while we were 14th in passing D. Unfortunately, we were 18th in scoring D but I think a big part of that was the turnovers and field position. Phillip Taylor continues to cement his solid career and was again named a 2nd team All-Pro. While the D ranked 3rd in pass rush, we did not finish with the sack numbers that we would have hoped, recording only 43 as a team. Cornerback Javier Ellard played well in his first year as a starter but veteran Joe Haden was a liability. We are right up against the cap this coming season so there may be some tough cuts coming up. |
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12-27-2013, 03:23 PM
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#36 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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HALL OF FAME
Peyton Manning and Tony Gonzalez were unanimous selections and were joined by Champ Bailey. RETIREMENTS Arian Foster who had a solid 4.51 ypc on 89 carries for us last year hangs up the cleats. STAFF STAGE After not extending him last season, we were taking a chance that Glen Ogden would sign back with us. Unfortunately, there were still some sour grapes at the lack of an extension last season and Ogden spurned us in favor of taking the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears. Vic Fangio signs on in his place to be the new coach of the Browns. With a new head man at the helm, despite the success of the offense the past season, Fangio brings his own man in as offensive coordinator in former Chiefs coordinator and Brett Favre backup, Doug Pederson. FREE AGENCY We lose guard Shawn Lauvao (59/59) as he signs with the Pats. The 9th year guard was asking for $28 million over 4 years and that was too much for us. DE Greg Hardy (45/45), who was one of our big signings when we took the reigns of the team also signs elsewhere. Hardy had 18.5 sacks in four seasons but his play dropped off badly last year. Fullback Anthony Sherman (51/51) also appears to be in decline and is not re-signed. With TE Jermaine Gresham showing signs off age, we land 6th year man Dwayne Allen (49/49). We continue to go after former Colts as we sign backup RB Trent Richardson (40/40), despite his ugly 2.88 ypc over the past 5 seasons. We also look to upgrade our special teams with the signing of punter Ty Goodrich (51/51). In late free agency, we sign promising 3rd year CB Blaine Murphy (35/45) to bolster our secondary depth as well as tackle Lenny Provance (45/45) to prepare for Joe Thomas retiring one day. DRAFT 1.25 - WR Jerald Tresca (27/57) - we go against our staff's overrated impression to select Tresca. He has reds in strength and agility and blues in dash, sole and position drill. He could take a few years to develop though. 2.10 - C Ray Bolock (35/62) - we trade up with our division and state rival Bengals to take hopefully the man that will replace aging Alex Mack at center. Bolock had red combines in strength and agility and blues in dash and broad jump. 3.14 - CB Randy Schreiner (21/43) - there has been a real dearth of good prospects at DB the past two years. We settle on Schreiner who has blues in dash and sole but just misses out on agility and position drill. 3.25 - G Isaiah Baumert (18/44) - a red in dash and blues in sole, agility and broad jump. With the new staff, our guard grades took a hit and we are not sure what we have here now. 6.26 - RB Archie Diaz (21/38) - blues in dash, sole and PD. Green in strength. Bars match up and could be a decent 6th round find. 7.25 - QB Marvin High (5/21) - a four blue QB in the 7th round, dash, strength, agility and PD. He's only 1% developed and 97 volatility. I probably could have got him as an UDFA but I think I'm more likely to keep him around if I draft him. |
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12-27-2013, 05:21 PM
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#37 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2018 OUTLOOK
OFFENSE Code:
DEFENSE Code:
Overall, a few significant losses on offense and an inability to upgrade at the corner position likely means we drop down a few pegs this year. The power rankings have us at 25th and last in the AFC North. ROOKIE REPORT 1.25 - WR Jerald Tresca (27/57 --> 31/50) 2.10 - C Ray Bolock (35/62 --> 39/57) 3.14 - CB Randy Schreiner (21/43 --> 28/41) 3.25 - G Isaiah Baumert (18/44 --> 23/45) 6.26 - RB Archie Diaz (21/38 --> 22/32) 7.25 - QB Marvin High (5/21 --> 7/24) *UDFA - T Courtney Woodson (19/42) *UDFA - P Aiden Hammond (37/60) *UDFA - OLB Collin Blair (16/34) *UDFA - OLB Marco Robbins (18/27) *Forgot to record my scout grades for the UDFA's pre-training camp. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-27-2013 at 05:21 PM. |
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12-27-2013, 05:35 PM
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#38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
We managed to prove the prognosticators wrong thus far, storming out to an impressive 7-1 start, including seven straight victories after a narrow loss on the road in our opener. Brandon Weeden has been playing at an MVP like level, leading all passers in quarterback rating and sitting 4th in yards and 2nd in TD's. The offense as a whole sits 8th in yards and 1st in scoring. Not to be outdone, the defense is sitting 2nd in points allowed and 13th in total yards. The passing D still appears to be the achilles as we sit 28th in pass yards and 3rd in rush yards. To be fair though, part of that is that teams are playing from behind and our throwing on us plenty. The rest of the AFC North has been a disappointment as we sit four games ahead of the Steelers and Ravens and look poised for another division crown. |
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12-27-2013, 05:53 PM
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#39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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NOVEMBER
After moving to 8-1, we are reeling on our worst losing streak since going 0-4 to start the season in 2015. Our offense has dropped off the map and fallen to 21st in yardage. We still sit 3rd in points but that's more a testament to our early performances as opposed to the past few weeks. The defense has fallen to 23rd in yardage but still sits at 3rd in points allowed. Prior to week 13, we had been quite beat up but the injuries weren't necessarily costing us games. Unfortunately, in the game against Miami, we lost one of our top players to a potential career ending injury as Jabaal Sheard suffered a compound leg fracture that's expected to keep him out at least this year and next. The 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was once again leading our team in sacks this year with 9.5. Former 3rd round pick Kyle Rayburn will be expected to step up in his absence. It's a crushing blow and could hurt our chances at repeating as division champs with the 6-6 Steelers closing in on us. |
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12-27-2013, 06:39 PM
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#40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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DECEMBER
We shore things up and get back on track through the home stretch to finish the year 12-4 and capture the AFC North in the process. Our record also leaves us tied with Jacksonville with the best record in the AFC but our better conference record guarantees us home field throughout the playoffs. We did however lose Joe Haden for the season, who had been playing well this year despite his decline in skills. |
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12-27-2013, 06:58 PM
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#41 | |||||||||||||||||
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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DIVISIONAL ROUND
The special teams got us on the board early in this one, blocking a punt that we recovered in the end zone to take a lead we would never look back on. The offense did not play particularly well but the defense absolutely shut them down, led by safety Liam Gray and his two picks. The victory earns us the Jaguars at home for the AFC Championship. AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Our third trip to the AFC Championship in five seasons and our third loss. We opened the scoring with a Jeffrey Lyons 15 yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter following the first of two Liam Gray interceptions (that's 4 picks in two playoff games for those counting). The offense would struggle from there, including giving up a strip sack fumble recovery touchdown that opened up a 17-7 lead for the Jags at halftime. We would fight back and draw the score to 20-17 after 3 quarters. We had a chance to go ahead with less than four minutes to play but the normally sure handed Trent Richardson's second fumble in two possessions, this one at the Jags 6 yard line, quickly dashed those hopes. Even with those costly turnovesr, we still had a chance to tie the game late but rookie kicker Eli Brock, playing in place of the injured Austin Signor, missed a 44 yard field goal as time expired, his second miss of the day, to seal the victory for the Jags. The Jags would then go on to best the Detroit Lions 34-10 to capture the first Super Bowl in their team history. |
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12-27-2013, 07:23 PM
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Canada
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2018 SEASON RECAP
A bounce back year of sorts for Weeden after he struggled through injuries in much of 2017. His 65.2% completion rate was a personal best and he finished 3rd in the NFL in passer rating. It will be interesting to keep an eye on Weeden's ratings over the next few years. While he will only be entering his 8th season in 2018, he will turn 35 during the season. Jeffrey Lyons suffered a torn MCL in the playoff game against the Jags and will likely miss next season. We may buy out his contract and just move on. The rush game took a hit and I think a big part of that was the loss of guard Shawn Lauvao. Despite suffering through a nagging hamstring injury the latter half of the season, Josh Gordon again finished amongst the top 10 wide receivers in receiving yards and TD's, although his 14 drops was also second worst in the NFL. Joe Thomas was named an All-Pro for the fifth time in six years, this time being named to the second team. Moving forward, look for us to audition replacements for Lyons at RB, especially with his injury. C Alex Mack has also played his final game as a Brown as rookie Ray Bolock looks primed to take over next year. Overall, the offense finished 3rd in scoring, 16th in yards, 15th in rush yards and 17th in pass yards.
This unit took a big blow when Jabaal Sheard was lost for the season after only 12 games. Phillip Taylor continues to play like the best defensive tackle in the NFL and was again named a first team All-Pro. While Taylor may be the MVP of this unit, safety Liam Gray, who only played 12 games due to injury is not far behind. If Gray had been healthy the whole season, he would have had a shot at All-Pro consideration. Four starters are free agents, including linebacker Jamie Collins, corner backs Joe Haden and Javier Ellard and safety Matt Elam. Collins and Elam are likely gone but the team will have a tough decision to keep the two corners around. Overall, the defense finished 1st in scoring, 20th in yards, 8th in rush yards and 31st in pass yards. |
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