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09-05-2005, 10:30 AM
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#1 | ||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Fargo Boxcars - Next Stop: Asskickin', N.D. All Aboard!
 The Fargo Boxcars organization was recently left without a GM after long-time general manager MC stepped down following a 3-13 season in 2007. The Boxcars of the Continential Football League have suffered through many terrible seasons like last years debacle, posting a record of (34-45-1) in five seasons and no playoff apperances. Fargo didn't waste anytime in finding a suitable replacement in Justin Shipman. Shipman comes to Boxcars with a career record of 94-89-2, spanning nine different multi-player leagues. "Our goal right now is to get this team heading in the right direction. We have a lot of guys on this team with 10+ years of experience, so we are by far one of the oldest teams in the league. I hope to take the young core of players we do have and start to build around them. I've got a gameplan that I build each of my teams around and this one will not be any different. Denver and El Paso's days in the sun are over...they will either get off the tracks or get the f*** ran over! Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-05-2005 at 11:19 AM. |
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09-05-2005, 11:18 AM
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#2 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Initial Evalution
As we begin the 2008 season the first thing we learn is that three players have decided to retire. SS Kendall Johnsen was a four year starter for the Boxcars and put up some decent numbers while he was here. Johnsen had six career interceptions and 363 career tackles. Johnsen's 104 tackles in 2005 is still good enough for 6th on Fargo's single-season records list. ILB Colby Stoner came to us after the 2004 season, a season that saw him record 148 tackles, 43 assists and 4 sacks for the Cleveland Flats. Stoner never again came close to that but did record 79 tackles last season. The last and final retiree is FS Quinn Myers. Myers only played one season with us and was just a backup. Had a pretty good career early on with the Charleston Moniotrs. Looking at the staff that was in place when I got here, I must say that I am impressed with what we've got. Head coach Korey Tyworth is a great all-around coach with ratings of very good and good in offensive/defensive playcalling. All of their contracts run through the 2008 season with the exception of our scout. I decide to let our scout walk because he just isn't what we are looking for and decide to pursue Keith Lessem. Lessem accepts a 3yr. / $380,000 contract. He is average with every position group except linebackers and secondary. Linebackers he is good and secondary poor. Lessem is a very good evaluator of young talent, which is the primary reason we brought him in. In starting to evaluate our roster situation, the first thing that jumps out at me is the age of this team. Even with the retirees gone, this is a very old football team. Most guys on the roster are above 10+ years experience and that just isn't going to cut it. Guys with that much experience can start to decline with the drop of a hat and usually want big contracts with huge bonus money, so they can retire and screw you and your salary cap. The next thing that jumps out is young QB Dwayne Bridges. The kid is rated an 81/81 and has only been in the league for 4 years. He has thrown for 15,226 yards, 107 TDs and has a completion percentage of 53.9%. Never in any of my stops have I had as talented a QB to work with as this guy. We will work to get that % up by not throwing the ball fifty times a game like the guy before me. I have made it priority #1 to find a RB to shoulder some of the load. Well, not real in depth yet but as I start to lay out the ground work for trades, free agency and the draft, I will got into more depth at certain positions and players. Comments always welcomed! Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-05-2005 at 11:35 AM. |
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09-05-2005, 08:15 PM
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#3 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Renegotiations:
First order of business as free agency is set to begin, is to renegotiate a few contracts: FB Harvey Bourne: Isn't the typical fullback that I look at for my offense but he is awesome third down receiver and pretty good run blocker. Although he is in his 11th year, he is willing to add a year to his contract with no bonus money and it cheapens his deal for this year and next. WR James Doney: The CFL has very few good receivers and Doney is a guy we don't want to let get away. In his 9th year, he has more than proven himself, catching 104 passes for 1453 yards and 12 TDs two seasons ago. The new deal would add two years to his contract with cheap bonus money. SS Rex Murch: Murch is a young kid that was drafted back in 2005. A free agent after this season, we see it as crucial that we get him signed to a longer deal. Murch is guy that could start but is better suited for the nickel or dime role. Still a lot of potential and we could still see a possible boom. A new deal would add another year to his contract for very little bonus money. CB Ismael Edwards: Edwards is a 8 year veteran who will be our top CB. A five year starter between Anchorage and Fargo, he is a good coverage guy and great ability at intercepting passes. A new deal adds a year to an existing three year deal and significally lowers this years salary and adds little bonus money. SLB Jeffrey Weinstein: An all-around great linebacker, who is entering his 11th season. Has spent his entire career in Fargo and looks to retire there. Has recorded over 100+ tackles in three out of his five CFL seasons. A new deal lowers the one year that is left on his contract and adds a year at $1,000,000 with $290,000 bonus. A cheap deal that pretty much guarantees Weinstein will retire a Boxcar. WLB James Paredes: Paredes is in the top three oldest players on the team but his ability as a decent backup linebacker and cheap contract keeps him around for his 14th season. We plan to add a deal at $930,000 and no bonus, so even if we see a decline in abilities after training camp, we can cut him loose without any cap hit. Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-05-2005 at 08:15 PM. |
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09-05-2005, 08:33 PM
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#4 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Breaking News: Fargo Acquires Starting FB And Backup FS
As my first season continues to progress, just want to update everyone on a trade that happened during the first few weeks I've been on the job. Anchorage sends: FB Rufus Eklund S Harvey Ramsey Fargo sends: 3rd round pick in 2009 This is a trade that we view as beneficial to both parties. Anchorage is in a desperate cap situation and needed to unload salary. We receive two guys that we feel will really fit in well with our gameplan. Eklund is a nightmare for defenses when used as a receiver. He caught a career high 59 passes for 487 yards and 7 TDs last season. Has excellent ratings in every category but his receiving abilites make him extra special to our offense. Downside is that he is entering his 12th season and will probably retire after the season. Ramsey is a guy that we see competing for a job as the nickel or dime back. Under utilitized while with the Wolf Pack, could actually compete for a starting job on most teams but will probably serve us better as a role player. Great intercepting ability and good at playing the run. Could be moved to a strong safety next season because of his run stopping ability. Last year of his contract but will reup really cheap. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-05-2005 at 08:34 PM. |
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09-05-2005, 11:41 PM
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#6 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Free Agency:
Here is a quick rundown of the players we targeted and signed during the regular free agency stage. I will provide a brief history of each player, key ratings and the reasons we think the can help our club. FS Noble McLane: One of the most coveted free agents this off-season. He ended up agreeing to a 5yr. / $27.42 million dollar contract with the Boxcars. McLane is a 6-year veteran and one of the brightest young players in the CFL. Comes to Fargo after a five year stint will the New Orleans Raging Horde. Has 349 tackles and 16 interceptions during his career. A excellent coverage guy, only true weakness is his run defending but still above average at that. SLB Norris Soper: Soper was one of our own unrestricted free agents. Got a few offers from other teams during free agency but opted to return to the Boxcars, agreeing to a 4yr. / $13.60 million dollar deal. Entering his 8th season, Soper was a two year starter for Anchorage before coming to Fargo before the 2005 season. Has been used strickly as a backup during his time in North Dakota but we will give him his opportunity to start. Not a guy that excels at the pass rush but can stop the run with the best of them and is an excellent cover linebacker. A punishing hitter...will lay out anyone that tries to catch a ball in his territory. WR Armando Villanueva: Villanueva is our receivers leader and a mentor to the younger guys. He was an unrestricted free agent from our team that we needed to bring back because of one young guy already on the team and another that we are looking at in the draft. Resigned for two years and that should be enough time to teach the young guys the ropes. Not a bad receiver either, has caught over 50 passes in three out of his five seasons and has scored 22 TDs, including 9 in 2006. CB George Gregory: Another one of our own that we decided to bring back. Gregory resigned a two year deal and should compete for a starting job. With only one standout corner [Ismael Edwards] we will look for less talented guys to step up and make some plays. Gregory was a starter from 2003-2005 before becoming mainly a backup. Has skills good enough to make a good nickel or dime back but with lack of depth might be a starter. RB Elias Alvey: By far and away my biggest acquisition of the off-season to this point is Alvey. Alvey rushed for 5,154 yards and 25 TDs with the Tampa Bay Torpedos before GM Wademoore decided to let him walk. Not the receiver that I look for out of a runningback but after eclipsing 1000 yards in three out of his five seasons, we will take what we can get. Alvey is entering his 8th season and got a huge contract of 6yrs. / $20.14 million dollars. Elias gives us the feature back that Fargo's offense has been lacking. TE Mark Jackson: Jackson has all the intangibles I look for in a good tightend. He will be our 3rd TE and will probably see a lot of time on special teams. A starter last season for Shreveport, he caught 24 passes for 256 yards. We signed him to just a one-year deal but given his experience (6th year) and his abilities in the key areas we look for, we will try to lock him up longer. DT Darron Gadson: Gadson was signed to a cheap 3yr. / $6.14 million dollar deal. Gadson will not play his natural DT position this season but will instead slide over to the RDE position because of his ability to rush the passer. Gadson isn't much of a run stopper, thus the reason for the move. Gadson has been primarly a backup in the CFL but his first and only season as a starter yielded five sacks and ten hurries in 12 games started back in 2003. Gadson is a project player and hope he pans out. DE Korey McCreadie: McCreadie was one of our own unrestricted free agents. A young player that is only in his 6th season, it looks like he will become a good backup. Started 16 games for New Orleans back in 2003, he recorded 46 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Will probably see time at both DE and DT as a backup but will be given an opportunity to earn a starting spot. P Larry Gandy: Gandy made Doug's 2007 All-Pro 2nd Team after averaging 43.6 yards per punt and putting 32 inside the opponent's 20. Gandy resigned after spending his entire career with Fargo and his deal includes no bonus money. The draft is stacked with good punters and Gandy, entering his 12th season, might not make the cut if we decide to go after a younger guy. T Raymond Trice: Trice was resigned mainly because of his run blocking ability. Trice signed a new three year deal and will probably be the starting RT. Trice might share time because of his poor pass blocking. Has a career 30.8 run blocking % and has given up 20 career sacks. CB Gavin Davis: Davis was signed because of his special teams and punt returning abilities. Not a bad corner, will make a decent backup but will see most of his playing time on special teams. Has a career 9.1 punt return average and has returned 2 for TDs. WR Juan Batchelor: Another guy we brought in to give a tryout to on special teams. Nothing special about his receiving because it is almost non-existent. Has good kick returning ability and has averaged 22.3 yards per return over his career. T Tyrone McDonald: With our tackles in chaos, we decide that we can't have enough guys trying out for this team. McDonald is young guy with average run blocking ability and good pass blocking. Had given up 23 sacks over three seasons but only gave up four last season. Could possibly platoon with Trice. T Freddy Kaczmarek: Kaczmarek was resigned mainly because of his mentoring ability. Horrible at stopping the run and passable at pass blocking, Freddy will be kept around in hopes of adding some young guys in the draft or next off-season. That is all for tonight. Tomorrow evening I will try to get through the rest of our trades (quite a few to discuss), the draft and late free agency, which ends tomorrow. Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-08-2005 at 08:48 AM. |
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09-08-2005, 09:14 AM
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#8 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Breaking News: GM Shipman Continues To Improve Defense
Few more trades to discuss that have went down. El Paso sends: DE Scott McCune Fargo sends: 5th round pick in 2009 1st round pick in 2010 With no true presence in the middle, I knew that I had to find a good defensive tackle. When El Paso GM JeeberD put McCune on the trading block, I knew I had to have him. Scott is good at stopping the run and can also apply pressure to the QB in passing situations. He has 189 career tackles and 21.5 sacks. We didn't waste any time inking out a new deal of 3yrs. / $11.46 million. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cleveland sends: DE Tracy Hall LB James Silver Fargo sends: 6th round pick in 2008 2nd round pick in 2010 This was another really good trade for us, considering we are still toying with the idea of going to a 3-4 defense. Hall's overall rating is a little biased because he is great at putting pressure on the passer. We project Hall to be the starting LE and should excel there. My defense doesn't require that DE's be able to stop the run, which is why we targeted Hall. He has recorded 32.0 sacks during his career and 9.5 of those came last season. Silver adds yet another linebacker to an already growing position group and steps into the leadership role. Silver will play the WLB spot unless we go to the 3-4. He broke the 100+ tackle mark twice while with the Flats, so ability is no question. Decent at pass coverage and an excellent special teamer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boise sends: DT Brenden Martinez Fargo sends: 4th round pick in 2009 CB Grant Adams Obviously, our main area of concern is the defensive line. So we added another body by grabbing Martinez. He is a young guy with room to grow. If we stay with the 4-3 then Brenden will be starting but if we end up going to the 3-4, then he we backup McCune. We envision Martinez to be another project type player. His stats from his three seasons in Boise don't truly represent the player that we feel he can be. We would really love to add a mentor to help him along but probably will be unable to do so. With the double teams that McCune will be facing, Martinez could prove to be of some value. Adams had just signed a new contract and was going to fit into the nickel or dime role for us but after acquiring Ramsey and Gregory, he became expendable. |
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09-08-2005, 10:09 AM
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#9 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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2008 CFL Draft - Fargo Analysis
We started off the 2008 CFL Draft with the #2 pick in each round. So we had plenty of money and seven picks to work with. The night before the draft I had what seemed like a great idea. We decided to put QB Dwayne "The Franchise" Bridges on the trading block. The reason you ask? Because sitting at the top of the draft class like a cherry on a banana split was stud QB Johnnie Titone. My reasoning was that Bridges was in the final year of his contract and was demanding a 6-year / $95,690,000 million dollar extension. Atlantic City had the #1 and everyone knew that after drafting QB Colin Sawyer last season, they didn't need Titone. So, I put Bridges on the block and got some good bites. The problem I didn't forsee was the fact that everyone then knew who I was going after. Atlantic City ended up starting a bidding war for the #1. They ended up trading it to Boise for a 1st, 2nd and 3rd (greatly undervalued) and then Boise sit on the pick for awhile before Detroit offered the farm for it and Boise accepted. DETROIT SELECTS QB JOHNNIE TITONE!  Detroit was in the same situation as me. A superstar QB with two years left on his contract and a young, cheap QB ripe for the picking. I got played bad and showed my hand to soon, this will forever be known as the "Fargo Screwjob". Finally, I was up. Looking over the draft class, I thought that a few guys I wanted would fall a little furthur, so I decided to try trading the 2nd overall. In the meantime, Anchorage offered 1.25 and 3.25 for my 1st in 2009, so I accepted. Finally, Chicago Hitmen GM Dberner30 offered up a trade that I accepted: Chicago sends: 1.4 1st in 2009 WR Gene Wold Fargo sends: 1.2 2.2 3.25 3rd in 2010 4th in 2010 Looking back on this trade...I got schooled. Not a good way to start out my first draft in league I just joined. So now the guys think I'm easy. Wold is a great looking player in a league that has very few good (little lone great) WR's. He has two cheap years left on his contract and never drops the ball. Wold didn't put up any numbers in Chicago because they are a running team. In Fargo, he could become an All-League selection. Back to the draft. So the trade moves us down two spots. Chicago and I had been trying to work out a three-team deal that would have netted me the #4 and #6 picks. I was eyeballing S Ricardo Campo and CB Clyde Alston with those picks. The trade fell through and after attempted to trade the 1.4 for some redemption picks, I selected S Ricardo Campo. The crazy Round 1 Draft Odessey didn't stop there. I then turned around and traded the 1.25 (from Anchorage), 1st in '09 (from Chicago) and a 2nd in 2009 for the 1.10 pick. Again I tried trading 1.10 for some redemption picks and actually got a few good offers but ultimately WR Ernie Cooley was just too much to pass up. That pretty much concluded the first round and what a crazy first round it was. I just had to hope that I got some booms out of the players I selected to make up for the poor draft day trades. Draft Review: SS Ricardo Campo: Selected with the 1.4 pick from Chicago. I caught a lot of crap over taking him this high. Most thought he would fall to somewhere in the 10-15 range. Campo didn't bust but did drop a few points after the draft, still going to be a star in the league though. A punishing hitter, who can play both the run and the pass. Doesn't have a good read on intercepting passes but will stick like glue to almost any receiver. Low volatility should make him a fixture of this team for a long time to come. WR Ernie Cooley: Selected with the 1.10 pick from Albany. Just about everyone had their eye on Cooley. The CFL is almost void of standout WR's and Cooley will be just that. Got a nice boom out of him after the draft, all the way up to (43/71) after being in the future 66 range before the draft. Cooley is great overall but his courage and avoiding drops scares me. The avoiding drops rating will probably go up but the courage is laging. Still will get every opportunity to beat out WR Wold for the starting job. K Ricky Griffith: Selected with the 3.2 pick. Griffith is an outstanding pick, even if he is a kicker. Had a huge boom after being drafted went from a future 71 (I think) to (65/93). The guy is instantly the best kicker in the league. A great draft choice that really makes up for a bad draft thus far. Only rating that might not max out is Kickoff Hang Time and at 59/61 that is still good. P Randal Fredrickson: Selected with the 4.2 pick. What can I say...the kicker panned out, why can't the punter. Actually, Fredrickson looks to be a good punter but did drop about six points after the draft. Will compete with longtime veteran Larry Gandy for the starting job. If Gandy beats him out, Fredrickson will ride the pine and see how he develops after the season. DT Kevin Ranek: Selected with the 5.2 pick. We took a gamble on Ranek in the 5th round because we needed another run stopping DT. Ranek looks decent and has a rating of 20/79 for stopping the run. Should make a decent backup in running situations. QB Cedric Starks: Selected with the 7.2 pick. Another gamble as we liked the way Starks ratings looked for avoiding interceptions, accuracy and reading defenses. Not very developed. If he sticks with the team, it will be awhile for he sees any action. That pretty much concludes the crazy draft that I had with the Boxcars. The draft graded out as a B but after seeing how most of the guys got at least a little boom after the draft, I would probably grade it as a B+/A-. More to come. Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-08-2005 at 10:10 AM. |
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09-08-2005, 10:18 AM
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#10 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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CFL News:
Hold outs Quarterback Dwayne Bridges of the Fargo Boxcars has said he will not report to training camp unless the team gives him a new, long term contract. Bridges is in the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie, and is scheduled to make $2.34 million in salary in 2008, which gives him a cap cost just under $4 million. In comparison, most of the other top quarterbacks in the CFL have cap costs in the $9-$11 million range. ).  Two other players are also holding out: CB Nathan Unknown of the Huntington Beach Capitalists is one of them, and he isn't happy with his franchise tag and $4.5 million salary. The other hold out is Durham Bulldogs' SS Tony Cook, who is asking for a 4-year deal worth $8.5 million. Looking at the rookies, only seven 1st round draft picks have signed contracts: #3 - T Craig VanEck, Atlantic City Phantoms #12 - G Kelvin Battle, Charleston Monitors #14 - CB Riddick Slatus, Durham Bulldogs #15 - CB Lamont Gott, Boise Stampede #16 - G Ross Poplawski, Tucson Toros #21 - QB Nolan Shannon, Tampa Bay Torpedoes #32 - T Casey Huxtable, Denver Dynomite Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-08-2005 at 10:20 AM. |
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09-08-2005, 10:42 AM
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#11 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Late Free Agency:
A few areas to discuss here as we are getting closer to the start of preseason. As late free agency began, we had a few holes / issues that needed cleared up. Still not satisfied with the backup QB jobs, we went out and signed undrafted rookie FA Marc Hogan. Hogan is a lot better than Cedric Starks and barring some unforseen jump in Starks ratings before the end of camp, Hogan will get the 3rd QB spot. That doesn't mean that Starks is gone, as we might allocate him to the practice squad. That will just come down to other positions and whether or not I feel that I can justify carrying 4 QB's. We also added DT Merrill Tollefson. Still wasn't convinced that DT Kevin Ranek would be a factor this season, Tollefson was signed for his 62 rating at stopping the run. Merrill was a starter last season for Charleston Monitors and recorded 33 tackles, 11 assists and 2 sacks. So we feel that Tollefson could help us out. One resigning of note, is that of C Mark Willette. Willette was an UFA that we had decided not to bring back because of his salary demands. But he went untouched through free agency and no bids through the first four stages of late free agency, so we offered him a cheap contract for two years and he accepted. C Chad Lofton had pretty much already been guaranteed a job but Willette will be given an opportunity in preseason to earn his job back. All the rookies have signed their contracts and we head into preseason tonight with all the young guys on board and as an added bonus, QB Dwayne Bridges ended his holdout (without a new contract  ). One other tid bit of information, we have made one more trade. We sent a 6th round pick in 2009 to Detroit for S Houston Ellender. Ellender is in his 14th season and is a mentor to safeties. We acquired him to help furthur the development of 1st round pick, Ricardo Campo. Next up: Positional breakdown and thoughts & the start of preseason.Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-08-2005 at 10:43 AM. |
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09-08-2005, 02:33 PM
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#12 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Front Office Football 2004
Fargo (ND) Boxcars Roster, Scout Overview Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate CntrctBridges returns from his self-imposed holdout and finds himself still very much the starter of this team. We will try to get a contract hammered out for Bridges but it is still a possiblitity that he might be shipped to Cleveland. Either way he has a lot to prove this season. The guys behind him a still up in the air. We don't like Walter Mattes as our backup and we are eyeing one more guy to add to the mix. Recently signed Marc Hogan looks to have a firm grasp on the 3rd QB job, which leaves us to ponder the future of Cedric Starks. Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate CntrctElias Alvey joins the team after spending five successful years in Tampa Bay. We will expect him to put up at least 1200 yards rushing this season, which he should easily be able to do. Marty Mena, last years starter, looks to have the job as Alvey's backup. Mena has great ratings at elusiveness and decent hole recognition which is what we look for in a backup RB. Adam Mendez brings great third down running to the table, which is probably enough for him to make the team. That leaves Thurman Barlow with something to prove in preseason. Rufus Eklund came to us via a trade with Anchorage and possesses everything I look for in a quality FB. Harley Bourne is Eklund's backup and a great third down receiving threat. Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate CntrctThe receiving corps really took a hard hit when we let WR Jamison Reynolds get away and sign with the Durham Bulldogs. We made up for it by adding Gene Wold, via a draft day trade, and drafting Ernie Cooley. Cooley and Wold will battle for the starting role but right now it is Cooley's to lose. Les Disney, our 1st round selection from a year ago, will be the backup to starting SE James Doney. Armando Villanueva was brought back to be a mentor to the youngsters Disney and Cooley. Juan Batchelor will battle for a kick returning job. With the talent we have at tightend, expect to see a lot of two TE sets from the Boxcars. Delbert Lonergan will be the primary starter but Leon Witt is coming on strong and will eventually be the replacement to Lonergan. Mark Jackson was brought in during the offseason and has the abilities to be a starter on most teams. Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate CntrctThe battles on the offensive line will be some of the closest watched off preseason. No one person as emerged as the true starter at any position yet and every position is still up for grabs. Chad Lofton thought he had the starting center job won but at the last minute we agreed to a new 2-year deal with Mark Willette. Willette has the experience but Lofton is hungry and will be looking to keep what is his. Chris McComas was brought back to be a mentor to young Dexter Hickman and any other young G's that come along. Darron Honea and Walker Brown look to have the starting roles locked up but Hickman will get his chance to win a spot. We have four good tackles on the roster and both spots up for grabs. Freddy Kaczmarek was brought back to be a mentor to Tyrone McDonald, whom we signed away from Atlantic City. There should be a good battle here all preseason, only time will tell who comes out on top. Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate CntrctRicky Griffith was a steal in the 3rd round after he boomed to his future potential of 93. With a current 65 rating, Griffith should be among the finalists for All-Pro 1st Team Kicker this season. The punter position battle will be a close watched one. Randal Fredrickson was drafted after we thought we had lost 12-yr. veteran Larry Gandy during free agency. But after drafting Fredrickson, I realized that Gandy had indead returned to the Boxcars. Now, we have a contest to decide who wins the job. Gandy is a veteran and doesn't want to find himself on the unemployment line but if Fredrickson has a good preseason, that is exactly where he will find himself. Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate CntrctCurrently we head into our first preseason game with 12 defensive linemen on the roster. A few, Duane Norton, Stephan Bussard and Willard Meyer, know that it is only a matter of time before they are cut or traded. Right now we know this, we have two guys that are already penciled in as starters: DT Scott McCune and DE Quinn Elway. The other defensive end spot will probably come down to DT Darron Gatson and DE Tracy Hall. Right now I would give the advantage to Gatson because he has some ability to stop the run, while Hall is just a pass rush guy. If Hall loses the battle, he will get a backup job along with either Korey McCreadie or Chris Zak. The other DT job will probably go to Brenden Martinez. It is his to lose and Merrill Tollefson was just signed to give him an extra push. Don't think though, that if Tollefson has a good preseason that Martinez job is still safe. Whomever loses out, will join Kevin Ranek as the backups. Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate CntrctThe linebacker jobs are pretty much set in stone unless something unexpected comes up. Gerald Witten will man the strong side, Jeffrey Weinstein will clog the middle and James Silver will cleanup any messes on the weakside. Marc Smeenge and Chris Black will be joining a few other guys on the unemployment line, unless some injuries occur. That leaves Miquel Haith, Norris Soper and James Paredes as the backups. Soper's ability still raises questions as to whether or not to go to the 3-4 defense. Soper would be a great starter for most teams but the depth here puts him as our top backup. Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct.Perhaps the most intriguing and frustrating part of this team is the secondary. We have six safeties under contract and just four cornerbacks. Rookie Ricardo Campo and Noble McLane will be the starters at safety, while Ismael Edwards holds the top CB spot. The other corner is up for grabs. Gavin Davis was signed just to try to earn a job as a punt returner or as a special teamer. That leaves Joseph Dyer and George Gregory to decide the other CB slot. Unless we got with a safety there. Dyer could be an okay starter but is probably best suited as a backup. Gregory is good enough to start but would really excel as a nickel or dime back. S Eric Page knows he is on his way out because he is the odd man out at safety. He has no talent that sticks out as a reason to keep him. That leaves three safeties plus the two starters. Houston Ellender has to make the team because he is the mentor to Campo. I really like Rex Murch and Harvey Ramsey, so they both must stay. Both Murch and Ramsey might see time at corner during the preseason and we will just hope that one steps into the 2nd CB role. If one of them does, then loser and probably Gregory will be the nickel and dime backs. That pretty much concludes the offseason and the outlook for the upcoming 2008 CFL season. I feel this team is in a lot better shape than they were a few weeks ago when I took over. We will make a play to land a backup quarterback and look into trading some guys we know will not make this team. The plan for preseason is to keep the guys we know will be starting playing time to a minimum. Positions is which there is still a battle, we will let each player start two preseason games and compare the performances of both. Should be interesting! Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-08-2005 at 02:34 PM. |
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09-08-2005, 05:24 PM
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#13 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Allen Park, MI
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Very nice so far.... It will be much better when I read the headline that Dwayne Bridges has been traded to the Flats.
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09-08-2005, 06:31 PM
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#14 |
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High School JV
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New Zealand
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So both of Motormouth's main enemies (RB Elias Alvey and DE Quinn Elway) have ended up on the same team.... too bad we don't play this year or else you'd be 0-3 lifetime against Durham...
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09-08-2005, 06:35 PM
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#15 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Glad to see I've got some followers already.
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09-09-2005, 09:57 AM
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#16 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Medieval No More!Boxcars Outlast Knights, 16-13Preseason - Week 1, 2008
Notes: Well it is always nice to get a win, just wish we could have done a little more on offense. Still don't know exactly where this team is at because I got the wrong gameplan loaded for the game. It will be interesting to see what the do with the gameplan they are suppose to use . QB Dwayne Bridges didn't miss a beat, completing 11-of-13 for 147 yards and 1 TD. New RB Elias Alvey was impressive, rushing for 84 yards on 19 carries. That is a good sign, because if we are to be successful this season, we must be able to run the football. He played a little longer than what we wanted but at least he didn't get hurt. The offensive line was pushing the Knights around like little kids all day long. The line allowed only one sack in the game and had a run block percentage of 50.0%  . The top WR battle, between Cooley and Wold is still pretty even after one game. Both receivers caught two passes each and no drops. Probably the most impressive thing to come out of this game is the way the defense played. I've got to be happy with the fact that we allowed only 237 yards total offense to New York. They averaged only 2.2 yards on the ground and 5.9 through the air. No one guy really shined on defense, overall it was a group effort. DT Brenden Martinez got the start over DT Merrill Tollefson and got off to a great start recording two tackles and one sack. Tollefson gets the start in the next game. Should heat up to pretty good showdown. K Ricky Griffith was the star of the game as his leg won it for us. The kid nailed 3-of-3 FG attempts and one PA. He is already shaping up to be everything we thought he would. Before the game we released veterans: LB Marc Smeenge, LB Chris Brown and rookie QB Cedric Starks. One signing of note: we offered QB Charles Vergara a one-year deal worth $1.34 million. He accepted, which means he will now be competing with Marc Hogan for the backup QB job. Vergara will be a nice fit to our offense and should step in a do a good job if anything happens to Bridges. He has played in 45 career games, getting 8 starts. Brings a career 50.4 completion percentage for 2,050 yards. Has only 7 TDs to 17 INTs. The Boxcars now get a week off to continue to work out the kinks before meeting up with the Baltimore Bombers in Week 3.Attendance: 59,200 (66,000). |
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09-14-2005, 07:56 AM
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#17 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Rough LandingBombers Crash, 38-5Preseason - Week 3, 2008
Notes: The signing of backup QB Charles Vergara looks pretty good after just one game with the team. Vergara completed 14-of-17 for 258 yards and 3 TDs in his Boxcar debut against the Baltimore Bombers. With that performance, it will take a excellent final two games from QB Marc Hogan to have a chance at the #2 job. Elias Alvey continues to have trouble holding onto the football. In 34 preseason attempts, Alvey has put the ball on the ground THREE times. Just too many for a guy slated to be our starting RB. The offensive line continued to play well, having allowed only two sacks in two preseason games. The defense held the Bombers to just 222 total yards and has allowed only 459 yards in two games. Just when several key position battles were heating up, we went out and added a guy to the DE mix. We signed DE Leon Bronson to a cheap $800,000, one-year deal. Bronson brings skills in the areas we expect from a DE and has 27 hurries in three seasons. Bronson will step in and compete for a backup job with DE Tracy Hall and DT Chris Zak. Next up: Atlantic City.
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09-16-2005, 11:52 PM
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#18 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Disappearing ActFargo Floats Past Phantoms, 27-17Preseason - Week 4, 2008
Notes: Well we suffered our first semi-major injury of the preseason as DE Quinn Elways was lost for the next 3 weeks with a hyperextended elbow. Quinn will likely not be rushed back with the depth at defensive end. Charles Vergara played another good game and has now won the backup job to starter QB Dwayne Bridges. Marc Hogan played well against Atlantic City but not good enough to earn the backup job. Fumbles continue to be a big concern as we enter our final tuneup game before the regular season begins. The team has fumbled eleven times this preseason and have lost eight of those. They have continued to overcome these shortcomings and are 3-0 but it continues to be a big problem. We cannot have turnovers and expect to win games in this league. FL Ernie Cooley all but secured the starting flanker job, thanks in part to a 7 catch, 124-yd and 1 TD day against the Phantoms. The offensive line continued to play well and has now given up just four sacks during the preseason. The defense isn't getting a lot of sacks but interceptions have been pretty plentiful and the D has yet to allow a team to break 300 total yards against them in the preseason. Still a lot to do and analyse before the start of the season and hopefully our last preseason game against Tampa Bay will help us to sort through some of the position battles that have yet to be decided.
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09-17-2005, 02:46 PM
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#19 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Back in Norway
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Nice
I will like to follow this. |
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09-18-2005, 11:06 PM
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#20 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Sunk!Fargo Sinks Tampa Bay's Battleship, 26-6Preseason - Week 5, 2008
Notes: We conclude the preseason with an easy 26-6 win over the Tampa Bay Torpedoes. The defense was stellar again, allowing just two FG's and a meager 120 total yards. Again we were hit with an injury, as we lose DE Tracy Hall for four weeks with a strained deltoid muscle. The defense finished the preseason allowing just 205 yards per game and just 11.0 points/game. After the game was over, it was time to make some decisions on who would be staying and who would be going. Only one surprise really, as we decided after much agony to release WR Juan Batchelor. Batchelor was signed during the off-season to compete for the job of kickoff returner. After playing in just one preseason game and losing returns to rookie WR Ernie Cooley, it was decided that Batchelor was expendable. Still a lot of work to be done as we head into tomorrow night's game against division rival El Paso. The Boxcars are 7-3 all-time against the Rockets but are only three point favorites. I don't feel that the preseason was a fluke and that we will surprise a few GM's around the league with our play this season. As kickoff draws near, many decisions still to be made on who starts, sits and who is inactive for the first game. Releases: QB Walter Mattes RB Thurman Barlow WR Juan Batchelor P Larry Gandy DT Stephan Bussard DT Willard Meyer S Eric Paige
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09-18-2005, 11:09 PM
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#21 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Louisiana
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Week 8 & Week 17- Rivalry games...2-0 last season against Fargo!
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09-19-2005, 08:34 PM
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#22 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Season Preview
Last Season's Record: 3-13 Key Free Agent Signings: S Noble McLane (NOS), CB Gavin Davis (ACI), DT Darron Gadson (MEM), DT Merrill Tollefson (CHT), DE Leon Bronson (NOS), T Tyrone McDonald (ACI), TE Mark Jackson (NYK), RB Elias Alvey (TBY), QB Charles Vergara (ALB), QB Mark Hogan (Undrafted FA) Aquired via Trade: FB Rufus Eklund (ANC), S Harvey Ramsey (ANC), DE Scott McCune (ELP), DE Tracy Hall (CLE), LB James Silver (CLE), DT Brenden Martinez (BOI), WR Gene Wold (CHI), Houston Ellender (DET) Draft: 1st Rd: S Ricardo Campo 1st Rd: WR Ernie Cooley 3rd Rd: K Ricky Griffith 4th Rd: P Randal Fredrickson 5th Rd: DT Kevin Ranek Key Players Released: RB Sedrick Prior (FA), T Jeremy Gramentine (FA), LB Marc Smeenge (HBE), LB Chris Black (FA), Cedric Starks (HAR), DE Duane Norton (FA), QB Walter Mattes (FA), RB Thurman Barlow (FA), P Larry Gandy (FA), DT Stephan Bussard (FA), DT Willard Meyer (FA), S Eric Paige (FA), WR Juan Batchelor (FA) Outlook: This team will go as far as QB Dwayne Bridges can possibly take them. We are an improved team with a solid gameplan, we should vastly improve on the 3-13 team of a year ago. Free agent RB Elias Alvey should have a huge season and the passing game will be solid with WR's Cooley, Doney and Wold. The defense should be a solid unit, with the only weakness being on the defensive line. Prediction: 10-6 Last edited by jshipman2 : 09-19-2005 at 11:32 PM. |
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09-22-2005, 01:51 PM
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#23 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Grounded!El Paso Takeoff Delayed, 43-23Regular Season - Week 1, 2008
El Paso, TX (AP) - No ignition problem for the Fargo Boxcars! The Boxcars opened their 2008 season in impressive fashion as QB Dwayne Bridges began his quest to prove that he is worth every penny that he is asking for from the Boxcars management. Bridges put up a strong showing, throwing for 420 yards and 3 TDs on 29-of-43 passing. "I felt good out there today. I didn't get many reps in preseason but when you are the best in the league, you don't really need preparation. They [El Paso] did a horrible job of covering our guys out there today and my arm made them pay, said Bridges in his post-game interview.  El Paso keep it close early, scoring a TD to tie the game on a 2-yd run from RB Rod Metzelaars towards the end of the 1st quarter. Fargo responded as TE Delbert Lonergan recovered a RB Elias Alvey fumble on the first play of the 2nd quarter that he returned for a 26-yd TD. Lonergan wasn't finished, as he scored on a 1-yd TD pass from Bridges with just under two minutes left to play in the half. "Dwayne was on fire out there today", said Lonergan, who had 8 receptions for 105 yards and 2 TDs, "Every time I turned to look for the ball...it was already in my chest." The Rockets would add a 35-yd FG from K B.J. Sutton with :10 seconds remaining before halftime to go to the locker room down 20-10. It wouldn't take long for the Boxcars to extend their lead, as Bridges would lead the team on a four play, 58-yd drive that would be capped off with a 13-yd pass to Lonergan, his 3rd of the day. Another fumble from Alvey early in the 3rd lead to a 11-yd TD pass from QB J.B. Terrell to WR Tom Sonkin, as the Rockets stayed on Fargo's heals, 27-17. The Boxcars would own the 4th quarter. Rookie K Ricky Griffith hit three FGs (33,35,26) in the quarter and Alvey, who rushed for 146 yards on 33 carries, plunged in from 1-yd out for a TD. Terrell threw a late TD to TE Wade Fields but it wasn't enough, as the Rockets fall 43-23. "Alot of GM's around the league are not giving this team a chance in hell this season," said GM Justin Shipman, "But we are going to go out there each and every day and play our hardest and we will succeed." Up Next: Fargo (1-0) @ Shreveport (0-1)(-5) Injuries: RB Adam Mendez - Strained Rotator Cuff (Probable - 2 Weeks) FB Rufus Eklund - Broken Thumb (Probable - 1 Week) LT Garret Bennett - Severe Depression (Probable - Unknown) DE Quinn Elway - Hyperextended Elbow (Probable - 1 Week) LB James Silver - Sprained Knee (Questionable - 2 Weeks) DE Tracy Hall - Strainked Deltoid Muscle (Out - 3 Weeks)
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09-23-2005, 04:30 AM
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#25 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
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nice dynasty KUTGW!
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09-26-2005, 03:35 PM
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#26 | |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Sunny South of France
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Quote:
Just for the record, I did not go for the #1 pick because you put Bridges on the block. I went after the #1 pick because I wanted Titone bad, and I just knew a #1 was what was needed to get him.
__________________
Detroit Vampires (CFL) : Ve 're coming for your blood! Camargue Flamingos (WOOF): pretty in Pink |
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09-26-2005, 11:34 PM
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#27 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Pride TamedFargo Uses Last Second FG To Edge Shreveport, 20-17Regular Season - Week 2, 2008
Shreveport, LA (AP) - What a difference a week makes. Or in the Boxcars case, a short week. But here they were, four days after embarrassing the El Paso Rockets, and the Boxcars had to find away to scratch and claw with their opponents for sixty minutes before finally walking away with a victory that seemed rather implausible nearly all day long, defeating the Shreveport Pride 20-17.  It didn't take long for the Boxcars to pick up where they left off last week, as CB Ismael Edwards intercepted a QB Douglas Hartman pass on just the second play of the game. Fargo was unable to punch it in the endzone and instead settled for a 43-yd FG from K Ricky Griffith. The Pride didn't seemed phased though, as on Fargo's third possession of the game, Shreveport returned the favor by intercepting QB Dwayne Bridges. That setup a 6-yd TD pass from Hartman to WR Bert Ford, giving the Pride a 7-3 advantage after one. After the TD by Shreveport, Bridges seemed to put the team on his shoulders and carried them on a twelve play drive of 76-yds and would find WR James Doney in the back of the endzone on a 3rd and 9 for a 13-yd score, putting the Boxcars back on top 10-7. The Fargo defense again looked susceptible to the pass as Shreveport drove 50-yds and settled for a 28-yd FG with 2:12 remaining in the half, knotting the game at 10-10 heading into halftime. "Coach told us at halftime that the winner of this game was going to be determined by who could control the clock and the team that won the field position battle," said RB Elias Alvey after the game. Fargo wasted no time getting the engine started in the second half, as Alvey broke off a quick 12-yd run to jump start the offense. Bridges then found WR Ernie Cooley for 40-yds and the Boxcars had a 1st & 10 at the SHR33. A few more big gainers of 8-yds to WR Gene Wold and 13-yds to TE Delbert Lonergan and FB Rufus Eklund would put Fargo up 17-10 with a 4-yd TD reception from Bridges. Again, Shreveport would rip and claw at the Boxcars defense, tearing them up on a 77-yd drive that would be capped off by a 1-yd TD run from RB Weldon Rayburn. With the game tied at 17-17, the Fargo defense finally stepped up in the final quarter of play. The Boxcars held the Pride to three possessions in the final quarter but it netted on 45-yds. The Shreveport defense played almost as well, holding Fargo to 35-yds on two possessions but couldn't find a way to stop them on the final one. Remembering what was said at halftime, Alvey controlled Fargo's final drive, accounting for almost every yard gained. With :29 seconds remaining in the game and facing a 4th & 6 from the SHR06, the Boxcars called on Griffith to win the game. The kid was true, hitting from 23-yds out to seal the victory and move the Boxcars to 2-0 on the season. Up Next: Huntington Beach (0-2) @ Fargo (2-0)(-6) Injuries: DE Tracy Hall - Strainked Deltoid Muscle (Probable - 1 Week) LT Garret Bennett - Severe Depression (Probable - Unknown) RB Adam Mendez - Strained Rotator Cuff (Probable - 2 Weeks) WR James Doney - Pulled Groin (Questionable - 2 Weeks) LB James Silver - Sprained Knee (Questionable - 2 Weeks) TE Leon Witt - Hyperextended Elbow (Doubtful - 2 Weeks)
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10-04-2005, 08:29 AM
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#28 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Capitalism At Its BestFumble In Final Seconds Dooms Boxcars, 27-24Regular Season - Week 3, 2008
News & Notes: Fumbles, fumbles, fumbles. We continue to turn the ball over way to much and it cost us in this game, as Elias Alvey's 3 fumbles really played a deciding factor in the game, as Huntington Beach was able to sneak out of Fargo with a 27-24 victory. The Capitalists scored a go ahead TD with 1:27 left in the game to take a 27-24 lead. After a good kick return from WR Les Wold, we took over possession at our own FAR47. QB Dwayne Bridges would complete an 18-yd pass to Wold to give us a new set of downs at the HBE35 with :54 seconds to play. But on the next play, Alvey would gain 4-yds but put the ball on the turf for 7th time this season and HB would recover and seal their victory. Two out of the three fumbles by Alvey were lost in this game. The 1st one lead to an early TD by the Capitalists and set the tone for the day. The last one cost us the game, when we clearly had a good shot at tying or winning the game. Oh well, can't dwell on the losses. It's time to move on, get healthy and prepare for Las Vegas in two weeks. Up Next: Bye
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10-04-2005, 09:02 AM
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#29 |
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Breaking News: Fargo Lands RB To Fix Turnover Problems
Albany sends: RB Toby Radke Fargo sends: 1st round pick in 2011 3rd round pick in 2011 RB Marty Mena In an effort to solidify our RB position, a deal was reached that brings RB Toby Radke to Fargo in exchange for our 1st and 3rd picks in 2011, along with RB Marty Mena. After RB Elias Alvey cost us the game against in inferior Huntington Beach team with his fumbling, it became clear that if we were to make a run at the playoffs, we had to find someone who could holdon to the football. Radke is the guy. Radke was originally put on Cleveland's trading block last week. After GM TLK received several offers, he opted to take the one offered up by GM Thater of the Albany Crows. Still not willing to give up on trying to acquire Radke, I proposed a trade to the Crows and was countered with this trade. I accepted, knowing I was giving up too much but we got a really good RB in return and should help solve our turnover problems. |
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10-04-2005, 08:17 PM
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#30 |
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High School JV
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New Zealand
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I have to say that I was surprised to see you give up so much for a running back who had averaged 1.52 yards per carry in his first three games. But maybe it will work out for you. Good luck with that!
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10-06-2005, 11:13 PM
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#31 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Vegas Hits JackpotOlsen's 4 TD Passes Bust Boxcars, 31-23Regular Season - Week 5, 2008
News & Notes: Well the good news is that we didn't fumble in our game against the Rounders. However, QB Dwayne Bridges did throw 2 INTs, one of which setup a Las Vegas TD. QB Lenny "Jackpot" Olsen didn't really tear us apart with his passing, as he only threw for 206 yards. But the running game is where Las Vegas caused the most damage and Olsen made us pay with four touchdown passes. Gotta give my guys props for not quiting. Down 28-6 at halftime, the defense stepped up and held the Rounders to just a FG from K Felix Savoy. Meanwhile, the offense found their groove and Bridges would hookup with rookie WR Ernie Cooley for 23 & 26-yd TDs in the second half. The addition of RB Toby Radke didn't have any impact in this game, as the rout in the first half all but took Radke out of the game. He finished with 13 carries for 48-yds. Cooley continues to develop into the receiver we thought he would be when we drafted him. Thanks to the mentoring of WR Armando Villanueva, Cooley has caught 16 passes for 352 yards and 3 TDs in just three games. One big injury of note is the HUGE loss of CB Ismael Edwards. Already thin at the CB spot, Edwards will miss the next 6 weeks with a strained elbow tendon. The injury really hurts us because we are already without CB Gavis Davis, who is recovering at home from an emergency appendectomy. We made a move after the game to sign journeyman CB Angel Rone, who last played for Denver last season. Injuries: DT Scott McCune - Influenza (Probable - 1 Week) DT Merrill Tollefson - Influenza (Probable - 1 Week) LT Garrett Bennett - Influenza (Probable - 1 Week) SS Rex Murch - Strained Patellar Tendon (Probable - 1 Week) TE Delbert Lonergan - Influenza (Questionable - 2 Weeks) RT Freddy Kaczmarek - Influenza (Questionable - 1 Week) RB Elias Alvey - Sprained Knee (Questionable - 2 Weeks) LB James Silver - Dislocated Shoulder (Out - 4 Weeks) CB Ismael Edwards - Strained Elbow Tendon (Out - 6 Weeks) CB Gavin Davis - Appendectomy (Out - 4 Weeks) Up Next: Arizona
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10-11-2005, 09:18 PM
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#32 | ||||||
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Banned
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Pittsburg, KS
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Robbery FoiledRicky Griffith's 3 FGs Hold Up OutlawsRegular Season - Week 6, 2008
News & Notes: Anytime a team as down on their luck as the 1-4 Arizona Outlaws come knocking on your doorstep, you know that your in for quite a game. We preached to our guys all week long that the Outlaws would be looking for an upset and boy did they almost deliver. After being shutout by our defense in the first half and going into the locker room down 10-0, Arizona made a great attempt to rob us of a victory in the 2nd half. QB Dwayne Bridges started the 3rd quarter by throwing an interception to Outlaws CB Michael Chandler. Chandler would return the pick 15-yds, down to the Fargo 18. A couple of plays later, Arizona faced a 4th&1 from the FAR01. FB Blaine Stovall got the call and went barrelling through the D-Line to cut our lead to 10-7. Arizona would cut the lead to 13-10 after a K Paul Stephan 35-yd FG opened the scoring in the 4th quarter. But K Ricky Griffith had an answer, connecting on his 3rd FG of the day to seal a 16-10 victory. For the 2nd straight start RB Toby Radke has been unimpressive. Radke rushed 17 times for 53-yds and a score. With that lack of production, I've already decided that RB Elias Alvey will get the start against Denver next week. We need our best players on the field in order to beat the Dynomite and right now Radke isn't showing he was worth what we gave up to get him [INSERT I TOLD YOU SO'S HERE!]. The defense played a solid game, despite the fact that we are still missing two starters on defense. Right now we have two safeties playing corner and we are sure going to miss the presense of CB Ismael Edwards against Denver. The game against the Dynomite should be a shootout and it is for the division lead. Up Next: Denver
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