LA Stars in 2010

[Marmel]

Post-Season Reports:

We rehire our coach and scout in the offseason. Our scout seems to be losing some of his skills, but there is no way that I can let him go.

We only made $2.5 million this year, down 92%. We need Oakland to up their prices, so we can do the same, but for this year, they stay the same.

We only have 32 players signed and only $20 million uder that cap. Our biggest need is still at LB, and we also need a DT, although we have a couple who can start, but they are not really starter material. Marlon Yount, the LB I passed up in the very first draft is sitting in the FA list, in fact, my scout says he is the best player available. I will nibble at him, but I doubt he will sign with us. I also put in a bid for LB Darrell Singleton and DT Kenny Stephens. I doubt I will sign anybody until late in the period. I need to resign some of my own FA's first and foremost. Cincinnati signed my breakout G Oscar Washburn from me, and it hurts even more because I flat out cut Edwin Mulitalo to make room for him last year. On a good note, I immediatly sign LB Darrell Singleton. And I actually still have the highest bid on the other 2 FA's in week three. to be honest, they were not great deals, and if I sign them, they will come dirt cheap and be instant starters. In week 4, yount goes to Indy. Chicago signs the DT in week 7. That's OK with me, I guess. My backup RB Dale Weiner is getting big offers, nearly $40 million from Philly. I say goodbye and don't even make a token bid, but Philly busts their cap, and he stays on my roster, but unsigned as we get to draft day.

Draft:

there are a lot of great looking players that fall to the 32nd pick, and I suspect some will stil be there in the next few rounds, so I go with the best available players in this draft:

1-DT Edwin Humphries, potentials of 63/96/93 mean he will be a excellent pass rusher.
2-RB Bert Wiggins, speedy guy out of UCLA, who is especially good at catching passes out of the backfield. A nice local talent to backup Hammond.
3-WR Leon Schwantz, decent player in a position we need to get deeper in.
4-S Kenny Walsh, a great backup, future starter. He got the nod over a Center I wanted because he comes from San Diego.
5-DT Devin White, the Center went mid 5th round. I don't really need another DT, but he was too good to pass up.
6-CB Kyle Copeland, from Stanford and we need a CB
7-QB Eric Tolley

We had a great draft, if everybody holds during camp. We also got a bunch of very good CA players.

We come out of camp and take a look at the roster. Everybody seems to be fine, and we now we set our starting lineups (with NFL experience in paranthesis):

QB Troy Pinson (8)
RB Arnold Hammond (8)
FB Jeff Sanders (7)
TE Freddie Jones (14)
WR Robert Colby (4)
WR Lincoln Shapiro (6)
C Thomas Conway (4)
G Luther Abrams (5)
G Brady Freed (4)
T Jon Jensen (12)
T Kyle Murphy (7)

P Jay Rupp (10)
K Wade Richey (13)

DE Nick Lucido (9)
DE Lewis Ferderer (4)
DT Brady Kolozdik (7)
DT Edwin Humphries (R)
LB Malcolm Ramsey (9)
LB Darrell Singleton (7)
LB Claude Brooks (8)
CB Cris Newcombe (5)
CB Archie Strong (8)
S Kyle Bryant (9)
S Raymond Bryant (4)

I am happy with this lineup, and if you notice, I have been able to keep a constant influx of young starts so that even though we kick off our 9th season, we have many players with much less NFL experience. I think we could get a few more good years out of this core of players.

[Marmel]

Pre-Season:
We go 1-2-1 and lose starters:
DE Lewis Ferderer
LB Malcolm Ramsey
...both for 2-3 months. This is a very omnious sign for the 4 time defending champs.

2010 Regular Season:
Week 1:
LA (0-0) at Dallas (0-0). We need to shake off the disappointing preseason and get this team's confidence back. FB Sanders gets 100 yards, and backup QB Jimmy Asimov comes into the game to get us the 19-14 win. Troy Pinson will sit out most of this season with stretched knee ligaments. Frankly, I don't know if we will even make the playoffs without Troy.

Week 2:
LA (1-0) at Philly (1-0). This will be the very first LA Stars game since 2002, in which Troy Pinson will not be the starting QB. 3 Interceptions by Jimmy Asimov does us in 24-17. The entire team is dejected and just not the same without Troy.

Week 3:
LA (1-1) at KC (1-1). This week Asimov throws for 3 TDs and we win 38-21. What a difference a week makes. The team believes they can stay in the race and wait out Troy's injury. They are developing confidence in Jimmy Asimov.

Week 4:
Oakland (1-2) at LA (2-1). Not good timing to have to face Oakland, but if we can beat them without Troy, they will really have to hang their heads in shame. Unfortunatly, we get humiliated in our home stadium and fall 37-17. Asimov throws 3 INTs. All 3 of my injured players are questionable, including Troy. Coach Olin thinks long and hard about bringing them back this week.

Week 5:
Seattle (4-0) at LA (2-2). In a move that may be questioned for years to come if it does not work out, Coach Olin brings back and starts all three players. Troy Pinson will be under center for this game. He was scheduled to miss 2-3 months, but he will return after a 3 game absence. The move pays immediate dividends as we win a close one 20-17.

Week 6:
San Diego (2-3) at LA (3-2). Troy keeps us going, as we win 13-9. Hammond is actually carrying the load, but Troy is playing OK.

Week 7:
LA (4-2) at Buffalo (3-3). We win 24-6. Hammond gets 100 and Pinson throws 2TDs, although he throws 2 INTs as well.

Week 8:
LA (5-2) at Oakland (3-4). Oakland looks to sweep us for the 1st time in many many years. I think since 2003. We return the favor and humiliate them in their home stadium. We recover a fumble for a TD and return an INT for a TD.

We get to the halfway point at 6-2. We have no serious injuries, and Coach Olin's decisions have paid big dividends. It could have gone bad for him, but we lead the division over Seattle by 1.5 games.

some mid-way stats:

QB Troy Pinson (5 games) 55/91 (60.4%) for 704 yards, 3TDs/3INTs, 81.8 rating.

QB Jimmy Asimov (3 starts) 76/146 (52%) for 890 yards 6TDs/9INTs 58.8 rating.

RB Hammond 97 runs for 512 yards and 5TDs.

WR Lincoln Shapiro, 3rd in yards with 676, 4 TDs.

[Marmel]

Week 9:
LA (6-2) at Seattle (4-3). Seattle can still think of taking the division from me with this win.

Week 10:
New England (2-6) at LA (6-3). Hammond get 128 yards and we win by the odd score of 32-22. We lose seldom used backup CB Johnnie McMillen for the season.

Week 11:
bye. Strangly, we lose Troy Pinson until the playoffs during the bye week. Did he get hurt in practice? WTF?!??!?!

Week 12:
KC (5-5) at LA (7-3). We again go with Jimmy Asimov at QB after the freak injury to Troy. Asimov has a good game, throwing for 250 yards, 2TDs and no INTs. We win 37-14 and keep a 1 game lead over Seattle. We lose LB Malcolm Ramsey for the season, another serious blow to our team.

Week 13:
Arizona (5-6) at LA (8-3). FB Sanders runs for 3 TDs and we hold off a late Cardinal rally to take this one 27-21.

Week 14:
Denver (5-7) at LA (9-3). Here is the box score:
1Q: 03:35 LAS - Wade Richey 40 field goal.
2Q: 07:41 LAS - Jay Rupp 51 field goal.
3Q: 00:38 LAS - Jay Rupp 31 field goal.
4Q: 10:36 LAS - Jay Rupp 28 field goal.
4Q: 08:56 LAS - Jay Rupp 48 field goal.

Jay Rupp is our punter! We win 15-0. Amazing.

Week 15:
LA (10-3) at San Diego (5-8). Troy probably can play this week, but we will hold him for another week or 2, just to be careful. Asimov throws for 2 and runs for 1 TD as we win easily 37-14. Asimov is starting to come into his own, and we will hold Troy out again.

Week 16:
Cincinnati (5-9) at LA (11-3). Hammond and FB Sanders run for 2 TDs each as we take this one 38-24. We will bring back Troy for the season finale, just so he can shake off the rust.

Week 17:
LA (12-3) at Denver (6-9). We have already wrapped up the division and the #1 seed, so this is a meaningless game. Nevertheless, we win 31-10. We finish at 13-3, and it exceeds my expectations, especially after Troy went down in week 1.

Season stats:
QB Pinson (8 games) 107/186 (57.5%) 1,294 yards 8TDs and 5INTs. 82.1%

QB Asimov (8 games) 169/291 (58.0%) 2,029 yards 11TDs and 11 INTs. 76.3%

RB Hammond 1258 yards and 10 TDs.
FB Sanders 440 yards and 7 TDs.

WR Lincoln Shapiro, 1278 yards and 9 TDs.
WR Robert Colby 802 yards and 2 TDs.

LB Darrell singleton leads team with 106 tackles.

DE Nick Lucido 5th in the league with 15.5 sacks.

S Kyle Bryant 3rd in league with 7 INTs.

[Marmel]

2010 Post-Season:

In our playoff opener, we will face the 11-6 Baltimore Ravens.

Balitmore wins the toss and receives the kickoff, they return it to the 41. McNown hits Allen for 47 yards and suddenly they are at our 10 yard line. They score a TD on a 10 yard pass on the next play. 7-0 Ravens. We go three and out. Dempsey gets a huge sack and jars the ball lose. He also recovers the fumble at the 26 yard line. The Stars are in business. The fisrt play sees Pinson hit Colby for the 26 yard TD. 7-7. Ravens get the ball, but punt after 1 first down. We eat up a lot of clock and kick a FG to make it 10-7 Stars.

We have the ball back as the 2nd quarter begins. It only takes us 4 minutes to score. Pinson to Shapiro on the TD pass. 17-7 Stars. The Ravens again go nowhere and punt. We run the clock down to 3:30 and kick another FG. 20-7 Stars. The half ends with that score. We have outgained them 266-107, and they have -6 yards rushing.

The 2nd half opens and we have the ball to start. We get another good drive going, but Hammond fumbles in the redzone and the Ravens recover. However, LA's Wagner intercepts a pass, and LA takes over at the Ravens 27. Colby catches another TD pass to make it 27-7 Stars. Three and out again for the Ravens, and now they have -10 yards rushing. We score again and the rest of the game is academic. The final score is 44-14.

The Trent Green-led Jets come to town for the AFC title game. Coach Olin has nothing to say in the locker room before the game. The team has a chance to go to their 5th straight superbowl, eclipsing the Buffalo Bills of the early 1990's who did it 4 times, and nothing needs to be said by the coach.

LA wins the toss and receives. 3 and out. Jets go 3 and out. Stars go 4 and out. Jets go 3 and out, but they recover our fumbled punt return and run it in for the TD. 7-0 Jets. We drive down to the 33 yard line, but Richey misses the 50 yard FG. Kacyvenski recovers a fumble on the Jets very first play, and we are in business.

Our drive runs into the 2nd quarter. Pinson gets blindsided by Duffy and fumbles the ball. Schwantz for LA, picks it up and rumbles into the endzone for the score. Richey misses the extra point, and it is 7-6 Jets. Jets go 3 and out, we go 5 and out. Jets go 3 and out. We get the ball and Pinson hits colby for 50 yards! but on the next play Sanders fumbles and the Jets recover. We stop the Jets and their punter shanksone and we get good field position. After a bunch of Hammond runs, he takes on in for the score. The 2 point conversion fails and its 12-7 Stars. Richey sneaks in a 55 yard FG before halftime and we go into the lockerroom up 15-7.

The Jets return the kickoff acreoss midfield. We push them back and force the punt. On our next possession we move into scoring position, but Richey misses his second FG of the afternoon. The Jets get the ball and for some reason go for it on 4th and 3. We bat the pass down and take over on their 41. That play could turn the whole game around for us, and their coach will surely be questioned in the offseason if they lose. We get down to the 19, but Pinson throw the INT. Kyle Bryant intercepts Green's first pass and we take over at the Jets 42. Another golden opportunity that we need to cash in. We get down to the 5 yard line but have to settle for a FG as the 4th and final quarter begins. 18-7 Stars.

On the Jets second play, Green hits Story for 74 yards and a TD. They convert the 2 point attempt and close to 18-15. We burn some time but eventually have to punt. The Jets get a great return and have the ball at our 42. They kick a 52 yard FG and tie the game at 18. 7:20 to play.

It's a steady dose of Hammond and Pinson, and Richey connects on a 56 yard FG to take the 21-18 lead with 2:23 to play. Time is running out on the Jets. They hit a few pass plays and get out of bounds. Green decides to take a shot deep, but our man Kyle Bryant wins the jump ball, and has an amazing 82 yard TD return where he dodged at least 9 different Jets on the way to the end zone! 28-18 Stars! Time runs out on the Jets and the Stars are going to the Superbowl again! Kyle Bryant, the Stars first ever draft pick is the games MVP thanks to his 2 INTs and 1 TD!

We will once again face the Carolina Panthers in the Superbowl.

[Marmel]

Teams of the Decade Announced:

The following teams were voted "Team of the Decade" in their respective sports by the AP voters:

Basketball: Toronto Raptors. 4 Championships, Vince carter named MVP 6 straight years.
Hockey: St. Louis Blues. 3 Championships.
Baseball: Minnesota Twins. 7 consecutiev championships from 2002-2008.
Football: LA Stars. 4 Straight championships. The Stars win team of the decade despite not even being in existence at the start of the decade.

[FishFan]

Damn, blew 50K of the wife's cash on last year's Super Bowl. Hell, I'll throw a quarter million on the Stars this year against the spread. Better make it five in a row!

[Marmel]

2010 Superbowl. Carolina Panthers vs. LA Stars. As I sit in the GM's personal luxury box for the Superbowl, I think back on the past 5 seasons, and how great they were. If have this funny feeling that once we finally lose a playoff game, we are not going to see the Superbowl for a long time. I don't ever want this run to end, but I know it eventually will, and it may happen here in Pasadena, tonight. Carolina wants a little revenge for when we beat them in the Superbowl. While my team is young, Pinson and Hammond will both start their 10th season next year, and, well, there is nobody to follow them........on to the GAME!!!!!

LA wins the toss and will receive. Pinson takes the field with a quiet confidence. He has been here before and he is ready. Hammond begins the action with a 30 yard run. Pinson does the rest of the work and hits Shapiro for the opening drive TD. 7-0 Stars. After 3 straight sacks by our defense, the panthers face a 4th and 34 at the 8 yard line. Of course, they punt. We start at their 44. 4 minutes later, Shapiro brings in his 2nd TD of the game. 14-0 Stars. They are playing perfect football so far.

Carolina has worked too hard to give up, and they march down field. On the first play of the 2nd quarter they kick a FG. 14-3 Stars. Midway through the quarter, Carolina gets another drive going and kick a FG to make it 14-6. In an otherwise uneventful 2nd quarter, that score holds and we go to halktime.

Carolina gets the ball to begin the 2nd half. We hold them to 3 and out, but they recover the fumpled punt and take over at our 41. They get down to the 3 yard line, but settle for their 3rd field goal of the evening. 14-9 Stars. Our offense finally gets going again, and we cross mid-field. The drive stalls, but we get a FG to up our lead to 8, at 17-9. They go three and out, and we hold onto the punt this time. The third quarter ends just as we cross their 40 yard line.

4th quarter:
We eat up some clock and Pinson takes it in on the keeper to make it 24-9. A strong lead with about 11:00 to go. Carolina only needs 2 plays and a 67 yard TD pass to tighten the game up at 24-16. We go 4 and out and punt. 7:43 to play. A sack by Dempsey contributes to them having to punt pretty quickly, and we can try to run some clock. We eat up about 4 minutes and tack on a FG to make it a 2 possession game with only 2:15 to play. It is almost a certainty that we will win our 5th straight title. The final score stays 24-16, and LA is celebrating again. Troy Pinson was the game's MVP.

Post Season Awards:

T Jon Jensen makes 1st team.
S Kyle Bryant makes 1st team.

FB Jeff Sanders makes 2nd team.
WR Lincoln Shapiro makes 2nd team.
P Jay Rupp makes 2nd team.
K Wade Richey makes 2nd team.

[Marmel]

Off-Season:

We have no retirements this year. We made a little over $20,000,000 this year, and increase of 739%, not too bad

We are up to 88.3% attendance, closer to the top than the bottom. Ticket prices remain level for next season.

The coach and scout stay on board, obviously.

We go into the free agency period with enough money to sign a couple of our key guys, and nothing else. OK, to sum up this horrible FA period, we lose Freddie Jones, Cris Newcombe and basically all of our decent backups. We sign NOBODY in the FA period. And we still have no money under the cap. I had not anticipated it to be thi sbad, but it seems our dynasty is being dismantles in front of my eyes. I have never won more than 2 titles back-to-back in all my 2 years of playing FOF, so to see this team broken up like this really sucks.

Draft:
1-C Perry Farrow, current 50's and potential of high 80's. Will start immediatly.
2-LB JJ Hodges. A great player from Notre Dame, who should start within a couple of years.
3-CB Brett Hughes, with Cris Newcombe's departure, we are really hurting here.
4-TE Zach Sanford, great player at a position we need depth in.
5-RB Mitch Hartman, a depth chart filler, but could be 2nd string
6-WR Ian Balogh, a great deep threat, his signing will mean a cutting of a high priced backup to clear cap room.
7-DE Drew Gibson, filler.

We come out of training camp, and review the roster. Everybody looks fine. C Perry Farrow is an absolute monster and will start for us this year.

[Marmel]

2011

Starting lineup (* designates new to the starting lineup this year):

QB Troy Pinson
RB Arnold Hammond
FB Jeff Sanders
TE Xavier Rigot*
WR Robert Colby
WR Lincoln Shapiro
C Perry Farrow*
G Luther Abrams
G Brady Freed*
T Kyle Murphy
T Jon Jensen

DE Nick Lucido
DE Lewis Ferderer
DT Brady Kolozdik
DT Edwin Humphries
LB JJ Hodges*
LB Malcolm Ramsey
LB Darrell Singleton
CB Archie Strong
CB Brett Hughes*
S Kyle Bryant
S Raymond Bryant

The lineup contains some new faces, only one is a change for the better. Our 2 CB's are an embarrassment. Honestly, a playoff spot would be good this year. However, as long as Troy and Hammond are in the backfield, we have a chance to win it all.

Pre-Season:
3-1, no injuries at all.

Regular Season:
Oakland (0-0) at LA (0-0). What a nice way to open the season. At home against the Raiders. They look much improved this year, but we still have all the confidence in the world. We love kicking them around in their old stadium, now renamed BioClone Stadium. Well, we didn't really kick them around, but we got the win 17-14.

Week 2:
San Diego (1-0) at LA (1-0). San Diego promises to challenge for the division this year. Xavier Rigot, our new TE catches 2 TD's and we put the chargers in an early hole for the division. We win 24-7.

Week 3:
Denver (2-0) at LA (2-0). 3rd straight division game. This one is for sole possession of 1st place. We win easily 19-3.

Week 4:
LA (3-0) at Jacksonville (0-3). Jags off to a surprisingly bad start...this is NOT an 0-3 team we play. Our first road game of the season continues the Jags losing streak, 20-7.

Week 5:
Detroit (4-0) at LA (4-0). This is the battle of highest scoring offense (Detroit, 116 points) vs. best defense (Stars, 30 points allowed). Their offense proves better, and we take our first defeat, 18-34.

Week 6:
bye week

Week 7:
LA (4-1) at Seattle (3-3). we cannot afford a 2nd defeat in a row, Denver is at 4-2 coming into this week. We get crushed for the 2nd consecutive week, 29-3. Kyle Bryant is lost for the rest of the regular season, and Denver takes a 1/2 game lead. Our terrible secondary just got even worse.

Week 8:
Chicago (4-3) at LA (4-2), just like that LA is in a state of "football emergency." Things feel better after we whoop the Bears 41-0. Backup RB Wiggings scores 2 TDs and runs for 111 yards.

Week 9:
KC (2-5) at LA (5-2). Pinson throws 4 TDs and no INTs as we win two in a row to take back 1st place in the division by 1/2 a game over Denver.

MidSeason review:
LA 6-2
Denver 6-3
Seattle 5-4
Miami has the inside track for top seed with a 7-1 record.

Stat leaders:
Troy Pinson's 89.3 QB rating is 5th best in the league. Longtime Philly QB Donovan McNabb is 2nd at 95.8. 5th year QB Brock Fox from Detroit is having a breakout year and has a 118 rating through 9 games.

Hammond has only 316 yards rushing with 4 TDs

Week 10:
LA (6-2) at Tampa Bay (6-2). The two most successful teams over the last 5 or 6 years battle it out on a Monday night in the Big Sombrero. We get the better of them 34-24, and that was the biggest win of the season for us. It instilled the confidence this team seemed to be losing after those consecutive defeats.

Week 11:
Seattle (5-4) at LA (7-2). Last chance for Seattle to make a run. We all but end their hopes when we bury them 31-3.

Week 12:
LA (8-2) at Oakland (2-8). A very dangerous game. We lost in Oakland to a 2 win Raiders game before. the whole city of LA still remembers it, and Coach Olin will never forget it. He puts a few twists in the game plan this week in the hopes of catching Oakland off guard and running away with this one early. We win 20-0. coach Olin's plans worked and Oakland got booed off the field by their home fans!

Week 13:
LA (9-2) at Denver (7-4). A win here will pretty much wrap up the division. Denver is rocking and ready to go on the blistery cold afternoon. Gazing up into the stands I am shock to see Quiksand dressed in the Blue and Orange of Denver....he seems to be wearing a disguise.....strange......
We dominate 38-3. Hammond has his 2nd consecutive 100 yard rushing game.

Week 14:
LA (10-2) at KC (4-8). I notice that we may well have the best Defense of all time. So far we have let up 136 points over 12 games. that is less than 12 points per contest. Hammond led the way with 135 yards and 2 TDs. They scored some late garbage points to make it close, but we win 21-18.

Week 15:
LA (11-2) at Miami (10-3). This is probably for home field throughout the playoffs. I really don't want to play again in Miami this year, so Coach Olin adds a few new wrinkles to the game plan, and we hope to steal this one on the road. Well, our gameplan backfires and Miami wins 26-7. We can still get home field, but Miami has to lose and we need to win out.

Week 16:
Jets (7-6-1) at LA (11-3). We win 21-13, but Miami also wins to match our 12-3 record. Pinson, out of character threw 0 TDs and 3 INTs. Hammond ran for 98.

Week 17:
LA (12-3) at San Diego (9-6). San Diego is not in the playoffs yet, and we would love to keep them out today. We don't want to let them have the chance of seeing us for a 3rd time. Miami plays a 3 win Buffalo team, at home nonetheless. They win by 7 to wrap up home field advantage. Before this game, the others play out and due to the Titans loss, the Chargers are in the playoffs and this game could be a playoff preview. The Chargers make a statement in case we should meet them down the road. They win 27-20.

We finish the season 12-4. A good record, and we will take the #2 seed in the AFC. Our defense gave up 220 points, less than 14 per game.

Stats:
QB Pinson, had an un-Pinson like year. His age may be showing. 277/457 (60.6%) for 3,251 yards, 18/14 82.5 rating

RB Hammond had a strong second half and ran for 931. He scored 13 TDs to lead the league. Backup Bert Wiggins had 582 yards and 4 TDs.

WR Colby was our leader with 970 yards and 6 TDs.

[Marmel]

2011 Playoffs.
We lost starting CB Archie Strong in our final game this season.

Cleveland beats San Diego in the WildCard round, so they travel out to LA. We are 12-4 on the year, and they were 11-5. Tim Couch leads their offense, and they have a very stingy defense. It should be a low scoring field position battle.

Cleveland wins the toss and receives. They get 9 yards, but 2 first downs thanks to penalties, but we finally force the punt. We drive deep into their territory, but they hold us to 3. 3-0 Stars. They get to our 47 and go for it on 4th and 3. We stop them and take over on the 50 yard line. We net -1 on our series of downs, and then net 6 yards on the punt.

The 2nd quarters begins with them in the midst of a drive that gets down to our 5 yard line. 2 plays later Couch connects for the TD and they go up 7-3. On our next possession, Pinson completes some key 3rd down passes, but once we get in scoring position, Ellsworth intercepts Pinson in the endzone. We hold them to 3 and out and regain possession. We get inside their 40, but have to punt again. this punt nets us 14 yards. I think we need to work on special teams. It appears they are going to run the clock out, but Couch attempts a pass, Sanford intercepts it and returns it down to the 14. With :48 left, we actually have a chance to take the lead. It could be a huge momentum turner. Alasm we settle for 3 and go into the locker room down 7-6.

We get the ball to start the 2nd half. Hammond runs it 4 straight times, and we punt. Browns go 3 and out. Pinson starts clicking and he rattles off 7 straight completions. We set up at the 1 yard line with 1st and goal. Hartman loses 1, Hammond gets nowhere, then Hammond losses two. The crows is screaming GO GO GO GO....but Coach takes the 3 and takes the lead 9-7.

The beginning of the 4th quarter sees them move into the redzone, then set up inside the 5 with a 1st down. It takes them 1 play to get the lead back at 14-9. We go three and out and the clock is down to 9:25. We hold them and get the ball back with 7:41 to go. we need at least a FG on this drive. We get moving but have to punt again. Time is running short as we net only 19 yards on that punt. They try a 52 yard field goal, but miss. We get the ball on the 42 with 3:09 to play. We need a TD, a FG won't do. On 3rd and 1, Hammond loses 3 yards and the Coach has a decision to make. We get an illegal block to the waist (WTF is that???!?) and now face 4th and 19. The denfense puts on an all out blitz and Pinson keeps his cool and hits Schwantz for 31 yards and the 1st down! 1:30 to go. We have life when just a second ago we were left for dead. On 3rd and 5 Pinson hits Lincoln Shapiro on the post pattern for 31 yards and the go ahead TD!!!!! 1:08 to play, 17-14 Stars (after the 2 point conversion). The Browns sideline looks defeated already, but Couch looks like he is just getting ready.....but Sanford picks him off on their second play, and this one is over. LA makes the amazing 4th quarter comeback and wins 17-14.

In other news, Tampa Bay finally breaks their string of playoff losses to Carolina and beats them 37-9.

[Marmel]

2011 AFC Conference Finals:
LA Stars at Miami Dolphins. We make our second trip to Miami this year. We hope we enjoy this trip more than the last. This could very well be the end of our miraculous run. This Miami team is the real deal. This teams loves to throw the short pass and let their great WR's make things happen. they have a wildly blitzing defensive scheme that we must handle.

LA wins the toss and receives. Hammond and Sanders get things going to start the game, but a holding penalty kills the drive and we punt. They come out throwing, but a holding penalty kills their drive as well and they punt. We go 3 and out. Their drive crosses midfield, but they again punt. We are pinned at the 5 yard line. In our huddle, the crazy dolphin fans are throwing cans of tuna at our players. With the crowd being such a distraction we are forced to punt, and they get the ball back at their 40. They attempt a 49 yard FG, but miss. The game remains scoreless at the end of the 1st quarter.

We punt back and forth through the entire 2nd quarter. They finally get a FG late in the quarter and go up 3-0 as the half ends.

They start out with the ball in the third quarter, but go three and out. That seems to be the theme of the day. We punt back and forth again, and then Miami finally gets the ball moving. They go on a 60 yard TD drive to take the 10-0 lead. 5:35 in the 3rd quarter. The Miami fans are starting to get anxious. Our next possession results in a punt of 19 net yards and they are set up at the 33 yard line. They take it in for the TD with :13 left in the 3rd quarter, and the outlook is very bad for the Stars.

We strike quick to open the 4th quarter. Shapiro hauls in a 49 yard pass and Pinson runs one in for the TD. It's 17-7 and the Stars finally show signs of life. Miami is too much to handle though, and they go on a ridiculously lond drive and kick a FG to make it 20-7 Dolphins, with only 2:32 to play. Pinson and co. give it one last try. He hits Shapiro again for 49 yards, this time for the TD and suddenly its 20-14, with 1:46 to play. Coach thinks about what to do on the kickoff, we only have 2 timeouts left. Coach decides to kick it off deep and put the season on the shoulders of the defense. Miami gets called for holding on the first play. They run for 3, timeout. They run for 1, timeout. They run for 9 and now they have to punt. We have to go 85 yards in :15 seconds....there is little hope. 1st down, incomplete. 2nd down, incomplete. 0:02 left...this is it. Offensive holding called and THE DYNASTY IS OVER. Miami wins 20-14. the fans rush the field, tear the goalposts down, and the last we see is the Miami fans carrying the goalposts out of the stadium and into the parking lot. It is a joyous day in Miami.

Philly goes on to beat Miami in the Superbowl 36-33 and Donovan McNabb fianlly gets the well-deserved championship ring, and the Superbowl MVP. Good for him.

Awards:
Daunte Culpepper is the MVP.
G Luther Abrams is 1st team.
Rookie C Perry Farrow is 2nd team.
DT Brady Kolozdik is 2nd team.

EA.com Front Office Football 2001





Super Bowl Winners

   

Year    Team  

2000    Atlanta Falcons                 

2001    New England Patriots            

2002    Oakland Raiders                 

2003    Tennessee Titans                

2004    Cincinnati Bengals              

2005    Pittsburgh Steelers             

**2006  Los Angeles Stars               

**2007  Los Angeles Stars               

**2008  Los Angeles Stars               

**2009  Los Angeles Stars               

**2010  Los Angeles Stars               

2011    Philadelphia Eagles             

[Marmel]

Off-Season:

We only made 2.3 million dollars this year. Down 88%. Our attendance is up to 92.6%. Our coach and scout are still under contract, and they will stay at least until the end of their contracts. Then we will review them.

Oakland still has not changed their prices, so we will not either. Frankly, they should be regulating their ticket prices based on me, since they need to attract fans to THEIR stadium.

We have 2 retirees:
LB Darrell Singleton
LB Isiah Kacyvenski
We will miss both players very much.

[Marmel]

Before we head into free agency, we get a couple of trade offers. The first one we accept. We get a 4th round pick for C Thomas Conway. Perry Farrow has stepped up as the starter in only his rookie season, so we can dump Conway and his $4+ million contract. We head into free agency with enough money to pick up just a couple of players. We need LB help badly, and that is where I hope ot put my resources.

I put in 3 offers in week 1:
LB Victor Boswell
LB Randy Griffin
CB Morris Nickson

Griffing signs immediatly with St. Louis, and I am in a bidding war to retain my DE Nick Lucido. CB Nixon signs on with us in week 3, and that helps our week secondary. We will need to pick up a rookie in the draft that can start along side of Nixon. In week 4 Boswell signs with us. This is turning out to be a successful FA period, not at all like the last couple of years.

We are able to retain the services of Nick Lucido on our defensive line. Backup QB Jimmy Asimov, who I would love to keep, but just cannot afford, is getting offers in the $13 mil per year catagory.

We are able to sign a great LB Nathan Lavery in week 19. As the FA period concludes, I have to say that it has been an extremely good one for the LA Stars. We might have been able to patch just enough of the holes we had to bring us back to the top. If Hammond can stay productive for another year, we have a shot.

Draft:
1-CB Grady Maxwell, has great potential and will get a chance right away to develope, as he becomes my likely starter.
2-QB Grady Maxwell, not it is not a typo, and no there is no relation. We only have Pinson on the roster, and Maxwell is an excellent QB.
3-FB Cornellius Broussard, backup to Sanders. He is so good he could probably start on any team as a rookie, except ours.
4-G Willie Grim, or the Reaper as they called him at UNC.
4-T Curtis Hall, we need an extra T, and he looks decent enough.
5-WR Casey Jordan, will mainly play special teams.
6-TE Rondell Benson, from UCLA. He will be our thrid option at TE.
7-LB Brandon Van Pelt, from Southern Cal.

We leave training camp and review the roster. CB Maxwell lost a little potential in man to man, but gained some in run and zone defense. Has anybody ever had a bust and breakout in the same player. While neither change was by more than 10 points, it is still an odd occrurance. C Perry Farrow is now at 86/76/83, in only his second year. He was a 1st round pick, but all the way down at number 34. What a steal! As a final note, all the teams that were bidding on my backup QB Asimov busted their cap, and I just picked him up in the FA pool for only 1.9 million for 1 year.

[Marmel]

Our starting roster (with number of years on team):

QB Troy Pinson, 10
RB Arnold Hammond, 10
FB Jeff Sanders, 9
TE Xavier Rigot, 7
WR Lincoln Shapiro, 8
WR Robert Colby, 6
C Perry Farrow, 2
G Luther Abrams, 7
G Brady Freed, 6
T Jon Jensen, 8
T Kyle Murphy, 9

P Jay Rupp, 11
K Wade Richey, 4

DE Nick Lucido, 5
DE Lewis Federer, 6
DT Brady Kolozdik, 9
DT Edwin Humphries, 3
LB Malcolm Ramsey, 6
LB Nathan Lavery, 1
LB Victor Boswell, 1
CB Morris Nixon, 1
CB Grady Maxwell, 1
S Kyle Bryant, 11
S Raymond Bryant, 6

Pre-Season:
We go 2-2 and have no injuries at all.

On to the 2012 Regular Season. The Eagles are the defending chaps, and Donovan McNabb stuck around for another year to try and capture a second title.

[Marmel]

2012 Regular Season:

Week 1:
LA (0-0) at San Diego (0-0). We get a hard fought victory in week 1. Hammond runs for 82 and a TD, FB Sanders runs for 121 and a TD and Pinson throws for 2, with no INTs. We lose backup CB Archie Strong for 2-3 months.

Week 2:
Oakland (0-1) at LA (1-0). rivalry week comes early this year. The fans are out in full force at BioClome Stadium this week for our annual "beat up on the Raiders" festivities. Hammond scores again as does Wiggins off the bench. We roll over our neighbors 34-7.

Week 3:
KC (2-0) at LA (2-0). an early season matchup for sole possession of 1st place. We get 2 FG's and 2INTs returned for TDs to score 20 points. KC gets 20 more conventionally and we go into OT, where Wade Richey kicks the game winning FG. Stars win 23-20.

Week 4:
LA (3-0) at Miami (3-0). The Dolphins look as good as last year, and we have revenge on our mind as we head down to Miami this weekend. Pinson throws 3TDs and Hammond and Sanders each run one in. We pound Miami 47-27.

Week 5:
LA (4-0) at KC (2-2). Hammond runs for 2 TDs and Pinson throws for 2 more as avoid the letdown that sometimes follows a big win. We keep on rolling 38-10.

Week 6:
Seattle (3-2) at LA (5-0). Pinson again throws 2 TDs and we win again 34-0. this team feels invincible at this point. Both offense and defense is playing as good as they ever have.

Week 7:
Cleveland (2-4) at LA (6-0). Pinson is putting up record breaking numbers this year. He throws for another 4 TDs and we win 44-24.

Week 8:
Indy (3-4) at LA (7-0). We win 41-20 and it is just more of Troy Pinson. We will lose starting TE Xavier Rigot for a couple of weeks, but we have very adequate backups, so it will not hurt too bad.

Mid-Season Stats:
QB Troy Pinson: 169/248 (68.1%) for 2,040 yards, with 16 TDs and only 2 INTs. A 111.2 rating is tops in the league by 14 points.
He has also rushed for 279 yards and 1 TD.

Hammond has rushed for 486 yards and 6 TDs.

FB Sanders has rushed for 302 and 2 TDs.

WR Robert Colby has 592 yards and 7TDs.
TE Xavier Rigot has 6 TDs.
WR Shapiro has 484 yards and 2 TDs.

[Marmel]

Week 9:
LA (8-0) at Carolina (3-4). Pinson got knocked out of the game after 1 pass, but Hammond carried the load as backup QB Jimmy Asimove struggled. We squeak it out 22-19. DT Brady Kolozdik is out for 2-4 months and Pinson has shoulder tendonitis. He is listed as 3-5 weeks, but Coach Olin says he may play next week.

Week 10:
LA (9-0) at Oakland (2-6). Coach Olin has decided to start Troy Pinson for this game. Pinson told the coach there was no way he could miss the Raiders game, and Coach agreed. Pinson gets knocked out again early in the game and the Raiders snap our hopes of an undefeated season 10-7. Pinson is ok and will start again next week.

Week 11:
bye

Week 12:
San Diego (4-6) at LA (9-1). Hammond runs for 2 and Pinson throws for 2 as we get back to what we do best: winning. We move to 10-1 with a 31-10 victory.

Week 13:
LA (10-1) at Seattle (5-6). A dangerous road game against a team struggling to get back to .500. This week Pinson runs for 2 TDs and we win another tight one, 27-24.

Week 14:
St. Louis (8-4) at LA (11-1). St. Louis is tied for best record in the NFC, so this is a nice test for our team. Kurt Warner gets the job done and the NFC beats the AFC to make a statement going into the playoffs. Rams 20-17. We lose LB Nathan Lavery for the rest of the season.

Week 15:
Denver (7-6) at LA (11-2). Each of our starting corners returned an INT for a TD and we get back in the win column with a 38-14 beating of Denver.

Week 16:
LA (12-2) at New Orleans (5-9). We almost get caught sleeping here, but Pinson takes one in on the sneak with time running out to win it 26-21.

Week 17:
La (13-2) at Denver (7-9). Miami finished the season 13-3, but since we beat them, the Stars have already wrapped up home field before the kickoff. This team's mentality is play to win, so we rest nobody and go out to Denver full throttle. We make a 26-0 statement to the rest of the league as the playoffs are about to begin.

Season ending Stats:

QB Troy Pinson. 270/425 (63.5%) for 3,485 yards, 24TDs and 11INTs. Qb rating of 97.2 is best in the league.

RB Hammond rushes for 932 yards and 11 TDs.

FB Sanders rushes for 563 and 4 TDs.

WR Colby caught for 1075 yards and 8 TDs.
WR Shapiro caught for 1060 yards and 6 TDs.
S Kyle Bryant had 5 TDs.

[Marmel]

2012 Post Season:

The Steelers bring their team to LA for the Divisional Playoff game. Their QB Jamie Lake is questionable, but is slated to start. They are a passing team. Devensively they sit back in a 4 man zone coverage.

Pittsburgh wins teh toss and elects to receive. We hold them to a 3 and out. On our first play from scrimmage Hammond runs for 51 yards. Inside the 15 yard line and we have to settle for a disappointing FG. 3-0 Stars. They drive across midfield, but then punt, and pin us at the 8. Pinson hits 4 different receivers in this drive to get into the redzone, but their D holds again. 6-0 Stars.

The 2nd quarter begins with us having the ball again, pinned at the 6 yard line this time. We eat up almost 7 minutes and come away empty. They drive into the redzone, but our defense can't hold them. They get the TD and lead 7-6, even though we have been dominating.

The second half opens with the Stars having the ball. Hammond loses 16 yards and 3rd and 1???? what happened there I wonder. We punt and they have it near midfield. They go 3 and out and pin us on the 2 yard line this time. they are winning the field position battle, that is for sure. They tackles Hammond for a loss and score 2 on the safty. 9-6 Steelers. They have to punt and we get the ball on the 33, this is a very short field for us compared to what we are used to in this game. Pinson hits backup WR Schwantz for 3 big plays, including the TD. 13-9 Stars. They go three and out, we return the punt to their 43 and now we threaten to break this one open. Rigot catches the TD pass and we lead 20-9. We push them all the way back to the 2 on their next possession. After the punt we have it on their 31 yard line.

The 4th quarter begins with us putting up a FG to take a 23-9 lead. It only takes the Steelers 3 minutes to answer with a TD and tighten the game up to 23-16. We put up 2 more FGs to make it final 29-16.

Miami comes to town for the AFC championship game. We will be without C Perry Farrow for the rest of the year. They bring a passing offense and a blitzing defense to try and knock us out of the playoffs again.

Miami wins teh toss, but they fumble the kickoff and we recover. We take advantage and Hammond scores the TD. 7-0 Stars. They are able to answer right back and score a TD. 7-7, this will be a dogfight all day long. We come back down field and put up 3 points to take teh 10-7 lead.

The second quarter starts with them in the middle of a drive. They cross midfield and get down to our 7 yard line where they have a 1st down. They face a 4th and 5 after our defense earns their money. They fake the FG, but score the TD against our unprepared defense. Dolphins 14-10. We return teh kickoff to the 49 yard line and the offense goes right back to work. We get down to the 13, but have to kick. 14-13 Dolphins. They add on a long field goal to end the half and lead us, in Los Angeles, 17-13.

We get the ball to start the second half. Pinson hits Colby for 48 on the second play and we are in striking distance. Again, wehave to settle for 3. 17-16 Dolphins. After a sack and a holding call, they face 3rd and 23 from teh 7 yard line. Unfortunatly, they complete a 24 yard pass play for the 1st down. They cross midfield again, but we force the punt. We cross midfield, and then get down inside the 20. We face a 1st down at the 19 yard line. Troy tells the coach he has had enough of the FGs and wants the TD. Pinson then trhows for the endzone, but is picked off. A terrible decision, as the FG would have given us the lead.

The final quarter begins, and they have just crossed midfield again. We force the punt and get a touchback. Pinson starts clicking with his recievers, but a sack forces the punt. We do pin them at the 3 yard line. The defense gets pumped up on the sidelines and go out there looking for a safty. Its not to be, but we do hold them to a 3 and out for the first time today. We take over in their territory, 8:46 to play. Three plays later we are in the redzone again. This time Pinson connects with Shapiro for the TD. The 2 point conv. fails and we lead 22-17. They start their next drive with a 22 yard completion. Tehn they cross midfield, and then they cross our 40 yard line. 4:25 on the clock. They connect for 14 to move down to the 25 yard line. 2 plays later they score the TD and regain the lead, 25-22. 3:01 to play. We get a huge return, all the way to their 47. We need at least a FG to tie. Pinson hits Schwantz for 7 to start the drive. Hammond runs for 3 to get the first down. Hammond runs for 6 more as the 2 minute warns comes and the team huddles on the sidelines with the Coach. Play resumes and FB Sanders busts outa 17 yard run, down to the 14 yard line. backup RB Wiggins (why he is in at this time of the game, I have no idea) loses 3 yards on 2 consecutive plays, and now it is 3rd and 16 from the 20. Exactly 1:00 on the clock. They run a draw and hand of to Hammond, who makes everybody miss as he runs into the endzone, untouched. 29-25 Stars with only :51 left! We intercept a last ditch attempt by Miami and we win the game! 29-25 Stars! We are going back to the Superbowl!
Our opponents will be a team we are familiar with, the St. Louis Rams, who beat us during the regular season.

[Marmel]

Excerpts from the January 2013 LA Times:

The Superbowl is just days away, and rumors are flying around LA about the Stars' "first fan" Fishfan. Rumor has it that he has left the aging Julia Roberts. He has been sighting in New Orleans (site of the 2013 Superbowl) galavanting with the 24 year old Olsen twins, formerly of Full House fame. FishFan nor Mrs. Roberts could be reached for comment.

Also, in sports news, Coach Olin contemplates retiring after the Superbowl. Coach has told reporters that while unlikely, he may retire following this Sunday's Superbowl contest against the St. Louis Rams.

Finally, there have been more signtings in Denver. Nobody has been able to get any photographic evidence, but there have been numerous reports from Denver Bronco fans that Quiksand has been seen in the stands of all home Denver games. It is said he wears a clever disguise, paints his face Orange and Blue, and cheers for the Broncos. further, this same person has been seen handing out logic puzzles in Mile High Stadium's parking lots during the pre-game tailgate parties. Is this the one and only Quiksand, or an imposter?

[QuikSand]

Clearly an impostor. One of many, worldwide.

The wig is a dead giveaway.

- - -

By the way, how does one pronouce "Marmel" exactly? Is it like "marble" switching m for b, or is it like "barbell" making the same switch twice?

[This message has been edited by QuikSand (edited 01-29-2001).]

[Marmel]

Superbowl, but first a message for Quiksand. Quik, it is basically a made up word, but when I pronounce it is pronounced like barbell, but feel free to say it however you like. The screen name is derived from a specific combination of letters, no pronunciation was ever thought of when I thought of the screen name.

On to the game:

Kurt Warner and Torry Holt will attempt to win a 2nd superbowl ring before they ride off into the sunset. they both had fabulous careers, and would like to finish with a bang.

The Rams win the toss and elect to receive. On their 4th play from scrimmage, Kyle Bryant intercepts Warner and returns it to the 15 yard line. It takes Hammond 1 play to run it in for the TD. 7-0 Stars. On the Rams next possession, they go 3 and out. We do the same and give them the ball back. They once again return the favor. On our next possession, we drive across midfield. A sack takes us out of FG position, but a 3rd down QB sneak sets up 4th down and 1 at the 28. Richey misses the kick, short. The Rams take, over, lose 15 yards, and punt back to us. We gain 0 yards and punt back to them. The quarter ends as they convert a 3rd down play out to their own 30.

6 minutes into the 2nd quarter they complete their drive with a TD to tie the game at 7. On our next possession we go on a long 7+ minute drive, capped off by a TD run by FB Sanders. 14-7 Stars. That is how the half ends.

The 3rd quarter begins, and we start with the football. Pinson comes out firing, and in 2 plays we are on their 33 yard line. London Fletcher intercepts Pinson's next pass and runs 90 yards untouched for the game tying TD. 14-14. We get called for holding on the kickoff and our next drive starts at the 1 yard line. We can't dig out of the hole and after we punt, they start off in our territory. Warner is able to throw the TD pass, and now they lead us, 21-14. I didn't see what happened, but Pinson is out of the game and backup QB Asimov is in. It is going to be tough to come back now. Our first possession with Asimov results in a punt which again gives them the ball in our territory. Warner goes for the kill, but he is picked off, and we start out near midfield. Of course, we end up punting after 3 plays ,but we pin them inside their 5 yard line. The clock runs out on the 3rd quarter just as we get the ball back.

Asimov gets us moving to start the 4th quarter. We face a 3rd and 4 from the 30 yard line. Asimov completes it to Shapiro for 10 and now we are in the redzone, looking to tie this one up. FB Sanders goes up the gut for a 19 yard gain, and we face 1st and goal from the 1 yard line. We HAVE to punch it in. Hammond loses 4 yards on the first play. On the second play Asimov hits Shapiro and the game is tied. Right now, I am thankful nobody picked Asimov up in the FA period, and that I had just enough cash to sign him to a 1 year deal. Our D holds Warner to only 1 first down and we take over with the clock showing 5:25. 4 plays later, behind Asimov's arm and a nice run by FB Sanders, we have a 1st down at their 17 yard line, 3:41 to play. We only gain 7 yards, but Richey gives us the lead with a 27 yard FG. Now it is up to our Defense to preserve this lead.

The Rams get the ball and immediatly we hold them to a 3rd and 5 play. Federer, doubtful for this game, but not inactivated due to limited cap room, comes off the bench and sacks Warner on this 3rd down play. He needs help getting back to the bench, but he may have won the game for us right there. But on 4th and 14, Warner hooks up with Holt for 30 yards, and their title quest is still alive with only :53 to play. Warner completes 2 more quick passes, and now they have a first down at the 42 yard line, :35 to play. It's still too far for a field goal, and they only have 1 timeout remaining. 1st and 2nd downs are incomplete passes. :24 to play. The third down pass is also imcomplete, and now there is only 0:15 to play, 4th down. On 4th down, Warner drops back and fires quickly upfield to Borders, who makes the acrobatic, one-handed grab for 18 yards. He gets tackled immediatly, and the Rams use their final timeout. they are on the 24 yard line and they will line up for the game-tying FG. Delcorio makes the kick and we will go to OT!!!!!

We win the toss, and of course, elect to receive. Asimov is sacked on the first play, not a good start. We punt. They get called for holding on their drive, but are still able to get a first down, and now they have crossed midfield. Their RB Castro breaks around left end and heads up field, he gains 20 yards when backup Walsh, lowers his helmet and puts it right into Castro's ribs. The ball is knocked loose and Van Pelt recovers at the 30 yard line. St. Louis would have been in FG range if not for the fumble. Surely Walsh will be fined for the helmet hit, but he will pay any fine to win this superbowl. We get to mid-field, but have to punt. they start inside the 20. They start moving the ball, but an intentional grounding call backs them up and they have to punt. We go 3 and out, and they start out on their 10 yard line. We are playing field position football and just waiting for our defense to win this one for us. On 2nd and 15, Warner pump fakes then throws deep. A diving WR Broders gets his hands under the ball for the 52 yard reception. They are on our 41 yard line, 1st down. They get down inside the 20 yard line, and things look grim. The first OT period runs out and we head for double OT.

On the first play of 2OT, Warner throws for the endzone, and Stinnett makes the catch to give St. Louis the 2012 season Superbowl. LA is shocked and stunned, and stare at the scoreboard in disbelief.

[Kevin]

Sheesh. now you're telling me that Wignasty is a Broncos fan?

[FishFan]

Those damn Olsen twins kept me so busy I missed the opening kickoff of the 2012 Super Bowl. Man, I am not as young as I used to be. At least I got a full OT plus some to make up for it. Hopefully, Olin will be back next year. The once hated coach has done an outstanding job, especially considering the talent of the GM.

I did always have a crush on those girls from Full House, though.