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01-24-2007, 02:37 PM
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#51 | ||
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Rookies before and after camp
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A bit of a mixed bag, but it always is with a class of rookies. Some of the draftees look pretty good (particularly 1st-rounder Jordan, who looks like a shutdown corner waiting to happen), but there were some disappointments, particularly C Giedhill and SS Harper. I picked up C Burgess with the intention of switching him to G, but forgot to make the switch before camp - his ratings go from 19/61 to 21/61. He's not going to live up to his potential, but I can see him ending up in the 40-45 range given time. Post-camp roster and cuts One trade offer after camp - Indianapolis want 2nd year OLB Shannon Long in exchange for their first-rounder next year. Given that Long figures to be an integral part of our defence for the forseeable future, it's an easy decision to turn this trade down. With 59 players signed, 6 cuts need to be made to get us down to the 53 we'll take into the season. Code:
One more renegotiation before starting the season - CB Lorenzo Marsh is still a starting-calibre corner in his 9th year, and will be a good mentor to our top rookie Jordan. He's looking for a 3-year deal, which is perfectly acceptable to me (as he'll be a very solid nickel back at the worst for the duration of this deal) - we agree to a 3-year deal worth $17.1m (with $7.5m in bonus). |
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01-25-2007, 06:08 AM
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#52 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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The annual look at the QB position
A slightly different look to the starting QB battle this year with the addition of a promising veteran (if that's not a contradiction in terms!).  While J.T. played fairly well last year (106/187-1,315-7-9 - 71.0 qbr), he just doesn't look like a long-term solution to our starting QB problem - nice guy to keep around as a backup, but not a guy you really want to be the starter. He's going to start the year as the third QB, and is unlikely to see much playing time unless there's an injury to one of the other guys.  While he didn't put up particularly impressive numbers last year (101/192-1242-5-12 - 55.5qbr), he showed a better ability to get the ball downfield than Watkins, and was able to avoid pressure and hang on to the ball better (sacked 11 times, only 1 fumble, compared to 15 sacks/5 fumbles for Watkins). He has shown signs of improvement since last year, and will be given the chance to win the starting QB position in preseason.  This year's new candidate for the QB position is a veteran with very few miles on the clock - my feeling was that bringing him in on a 2-year veteran minimum contract was a no-risk proposition. Hutchins was drafted first overall in 2008 to be Cleveland's QB of the future, but that future never arrived, with the Browns deciding to stick with a mediocre veteran over the promising youngster for the last 5 years. Hutchins has started 10 games as an injury replacement without distinguishing himself (career QB rating of 64.8), but hasn't been given the chance to make a team his own. While he is still raw, he appears to have top-end starter potential - the issue here is whether he will be able to play enough in what is left of his career to fulfil that potential.  One other option is to resign a previous candidate for the position, Edwin Dunmore. I can't see me doing this, though, unless we have a rash of injuries at the QB position, as he doesn't appear to be more than a mediocre veteran at this stage of his career. The other previous candidate for our starting QB position was Jeremy Wason, who we traded to Detroit after training camp last year. After a year playing backup for the Lions, he's now surfaced in Houston, where he appears to be the primary backup behind a 75-rated starter. Wason is currently rated at 37/60, but is unlikely to see much playing time this year. |
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01-25-2007, 06:09 AM
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#53 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 preseason
A few changes to the gameplan going into this season - while these are very minor on the defensive side of the ball, the offensive gameplan has been changed a fair bit (more balanced, more emphasis given to the short passes) in order to better fit what our QBs do well. The intention for preseason is to give Drummond and Hutchins roughly equal time on the field, then to make a decision on who the starter is going to be. We start the season with a roster rating of 100, which we share with Denver, Houston and New England. Week 2: Philadelphia 9-30 Houston A nice easy starter, I don't think! Neither quarterback distinguished himself, with the best performance by an Eagle coming from WLB Shannon Long, who had 6 tackles and 2 interceptions. Week 3: Cincinnati 19-7 Philadelphia Not a good day for the offence, with our only points coming on a punt return for a TD. QB Hutchins was solid without making any big plays, while Drummond was put into a catch-up situation. Week 4: Tennessee 13-34 Philadelphia A very efficient performance from QB Hutchins (14/16-101-2-0) has probably won him the starting job. This game was more about the defence, though, with the Titans backup QB being victimised for 3 interceptions in a 9/28 performance. Week 5: Philadelphia 15-13 Baltimore Solid performance on both sides of the ball here. Both QBs were decent in this game, but Hutchins made sure of getting the nod for week 1 with another good showing (12/15-94-1-0). Only minor injuries going into the regular season, with four players struggling to be fit for week 1. |
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01-25-2007, 06:09 AM
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#54 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 season
Week 1: Philadelphia 21-14 New York Two teams at opposite ends of the preseason power ratings, so (somehow!) Philadelphia go into the game as 20 point favourites! As usually happens when the spread is that wide, the game was much closer, with the Eagles offence not really clicking for most of the game. QB Hutchins capped an efficient performance (15/20-122-1-0) by throwing for the winning score, hitting SE Rosano from 18 yards out. Week 2: Denver (1-0) 31-10 Philadelphia (1-0) Denver got ahead early with two first-quarter TDs in this game, and just kept pulling away. RB Twisp led the offence with 19 carries for 106 yards and a TD, but the Eagles running game was taken away by the situation. Starting RG Willie Jordan was lost for the season with a muscle tear during this game (and was put on IR immediately afterwards), so a bit of shuffling on the offensive line will be required. Week 3: Philadelphia (1-1) 27-3 Seattle (1-1) RB Twisp (28-129-1) led the offence on three TD drives, and the defence shut down Seattle's offence in a comfortable win. DT Andrews led the defensive effort with 4 tackles and 2.0 sacks, while OLB Long had 6 tackles and an interception. Week 4: Minnesota (0-3) 14-17 Philadelphia (2-1) A 20-play, 99-yard drive taking up over 8 minutes of the fourth quarter was the back-breaker for Minnesota here. The Eagles pounded it out on the ground, with RB Twisp (32-160) having his best game as a pro, which allowed QB Hutchins (20/29-131-1-1) time and space to operate. The highlight of a solid display by the Philly offensive line was LG Martin, who was 7/13 on key run blocks, with 3 pancake blocks. FL Antoine Samanta picked up an injury during this game, and will miss the next two weeks. This leaves us short of a kick returner, so 2nd-year FL Richard Dinstel (17/34) was signed to help out on special teams and returns. Week 5: Detroit (2-2) 17-37 Philadelphia (3-1) A solid display on both sides of the ball for the Eagles, who moved the ball at will on the Lions defence, and held highly-rated Detroit QB Bo Fiebelkorn to 18/43-265-1-2. RB Bo Twisp (32-174-2) continued his great form, with good support from QB Hutchins (19/34-134-1-1), while CB Jordan recorded his first interception as a pro. The Eagles defence produced only one sack, but managed to rack up 9 hurries, 5 knockdowns and 7 passes defenced. Week 6: Philadelphia (4-1) 20-10 Green Bay (2-3) Another 100-yard day for Bo Twisp (26-110-1) was the key for the Eagles in a solid road victory. QB Hutchins (23/34-192-1-1) provided solid support in the passing game, and the Philadelphia defence shut down the Packers passing attack, forcing three Green Bay turnovers. CB Phillip Crane was lost for the season after seriously damaging his ACL during this game - he's been placed on IR. We have reasonable cover in the defensive backfield, so no replacement has been signed for the moment. Week 7: Philadelphia (5-1) 27-20 Washington (2-3) A slightly shaky offensive performance, with QB Hutchins (21/31-215-1-2) throwing a couple of picks, but the defence was able to pick up the slack, sacking the Redskins QB 6 times - DE Turner led the way with 2 sacks, 2 hurries and 2 knockdowns. Week 8: Bye Week 9: Philadelphia (6-1) 10-7 Chicago (5-2) A defensive struggle was won by the Philadelphia defence, which held the Bears to 194 total yards and no offensive points. Bo Twisp (29-84-1) scored the Eagles TD with a 1-yard run, and K Oden booted the winning points, a 19-yard field goal with less than 2 minutes to play. |
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01-25-2007, 06:11 AM
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#55 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Mid-season summary
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So this is what a decent offence looks like...  The addition of QB Hutchins, combined with a move to a slightly more balanced offence, has definitely paid dividends. While Hutchins' strong point isn't getting the ball down the field, he's accurate enough on the short passes to force opposing defences to respect the pass, which has given Twisp and the O-line a lot more freedom to work. On defence, we're stopping the run, getting pressure on the opposing QB and making it tough for the other team to move the ball - pretty much what we've been doing for the last few years, but a bit more support from the offence makes the defence look a whole lot better. |
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01-25-2007, 09:59 AM
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#56 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Week 10: New York (5-3) 14-15 Philadelphia (7-1)
This one did not look good for a long time, with the Giants leading most of the way, but the Eagles scored 9 points in the last 3 minutes to sneak the victory. The defence played a great game, forcing four turnovers, but the Philly passing game struggled, with Hutchins (16/32-107-1-1) not quite firing today. Week 11: Philadelphia (8-1) 34-7 Dallas (4-5) A very solid road win against a divisional rival, and it didn't look like going any other way after the Eagles scored the first 24 points of the game. RB Twisp (25-95-2) scored two of the three Eagles rushing TDs, and FL Samanta returned a punt 91 yards for a TD. Week 12: Kansas City (6-4) 3-23 Philadelphia (9-1) A very good team performance here, with the defence holding strong (the only KC score came after an Eagles fumble) and the offence moving the ball methodically behind QB Hutchins (16/24-188-1-0) and Twisp (27-101-1). The defensive standouts were DE Rivers (2 sacks) and CB Jordan (2 pass defences, 3 forced fumbles). Week 13: Tampa Bay (7-4) 0-20 Philadelphia (10-1) This one was all about the defence, as Tampa Bay could only muster 154 total yards and turned it over 3 times. Rookie S Harper had 2 picks, but the defensive star was MLB McClurken, who had 7 tackles and 2 sacks. At 11-1, the Eagles have already clinched the division title, with New York and Dallas next best in the NFC East at 6-6. The next best record in the NFC belongs to Carolina (9-3), so the goal now is to try and clinch a first round bye and homefield advantage for the playoffs. Week 14: Philadelphia (11-1) 20-10 Oakland (7-5) A hard-fought road win in a defensive struggle. DE Connell Turner was the leader of the Eagles defence with 5 tackles and 2.5 sacks, while QB Hutchins (18/25-134-1-1) and FL Sims (5-74) helped provide enough offence to take the victory. Week 15: Dallas (6-7) 17-21 Philadelphia (12-1) Another game where our opponent must be saying 'how the **** did we lose that one?' Dallas led 17-7 when the Eagles got the ball at their own 20 with less than 4 minutes to play, but an 80-yard TD drive, followed by a Cowboys fumble and Twisp TD run turned the game on its head. RB Twisp (27-126-2) was the leader on offence, with G Martin (5/9 KRB, 2 pancake) and C Place (5/8 KRB, 1 pancake) clearing the way. Week 16: Philadelphia (13-1) 6-13 San Diego (4-10) The winning run had to end at some point, and better for us to lose a game now than a playoff game in a few weeks time. The Chargers played solid ball-control football and were able to keep the Eagles offence out of the endzone, despite the efforts of Bo Twisp (23-125). With a few injuries in the secondary (CB Jordan and S Tierney will miss at least the next couple of weeks), veteran FS Ray Walsh (13th year, 32/32) was signed at this point to provide a bit of extra depth. Week 17: Washington (4-11) 0-38 Philadelphia (13-2) A good comeback after the poor performance in week 16, with the Eagles dominant on both sides of the ball. The offence was close to unstoppable, led by RB Twisp (29-128 rush, 5-37-2 rec) and QB Hutchins (21/24-237-4-1), while the defence held the Redskins to 173 total yards. Our final 14-2 record is best in the league (Pittsburgh are next best at 13-2-1), and 3 games ahead of the next best in the NFC (Carolina, at 11-5). |
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01-25-2007, 09:59 AM
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#57 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 regular season summary
Code:
This is still a run-first offence, but the addition of Hutchins (and the slight changes to our offensive scheme) meant that opposing defences had to respect our passing game as well. RB Twisp had the sort of season that you want to see out of a back taken first overall in the draft, while Hutchins was very solid and very accurate - his performance this season makes it hard to believe that he didn't get a chance to play in Cleveland. While not shown in the summary above, the offensive line also had a very good year, hitting on 34.1% of key run blocks and allowing only 12 sacks - LG Zack Martin led the way with 55/142 on KRBs, plus 17 pancake blocks, while not allowing a sack. Despite the improvement on offence, the defence is the strength of this team - very difficult to run against, and passing isn't much easier. DE Turner had a career year, but pretty much everyone on the defence made a contribution. The team now has a week to rest up before our divisional playoff game, which is very handy with a few minor injuries to starters. |
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01-25-2007, 10:00 AM
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#58 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 playoffs
Divisional playoff Sixth-seeded wild card Tampa Bay managed to upset Chicago on the road, and are rewarded with a trip to Philadelphia to play the #1-seeded Eagles. The Bucs are a solid team, led by veteran QB Ted Medlock and rookie WR Jerry Raymond on offence and a solid young defensive line. They have already played the Eagles this season, with Philadelphia posting a 20-0 home victory. While the bye week has allowed most of our injured players to recover, rookie CB Jordan will play this game despite a niggling hand injury. QB Drummond picked up a knock when he came on in relief of Hutchins in week 17, so J.T. Watkins will be the backup QB for this one. On a cold but sunny day in Philadelphia, the Bucs won the toss and sent their offence out first. This decision proved to be wise, as they drove the ball down the field, RB Wilkens scoring on a 21-yard run to put Tampa up 7-0. A solid return by Samanta put the Eagles in good position to reply, though, and RB Twisp scored from 20 yards out to tie the score at 7. A Rivers sack ended Tampa's next drive, but left Philadelphia deep in their own end - Twisp and Hutchins moved the ball methodically down the field, though, putting together a 13-play drive capped by Twisp's second TD run of the day, this time a 7-yarder. The Bucs weren't put off by this setback, though, with QB Medlock throwing a 31-yard TD strike to WR Raymond to tie the score at 14 five minutes into the second quarter. While both offences were able to put drives together, the only scoring chance in the remainder of the first half was a long FG try by Philadelphia, which was blocked by the Bucs. The game remained in the balance at half-time, with the teams level at 14-14. Parity on the scoreboard didn't last long when the teams came out for the second half, though - a short Tampa kickoff to open the third quarter was returned for 83 yards and a TD by Samanta to put the Eagles ahead by a TD once more at 21-14. After the defences forced three and outs on the next three possessions, Philadelphia put together a solid drive on the back of Bo Twisp, with the RB ending the drive with his third TD of the day from 21 yards out - Eagles lead 28-14. The 14-point lead didn't last long, however, as Tampa KR Alstatt returned the resulting kickoff 86 yards for a TD, bringing the Bucs back within a TD with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. After forcing the Eagles into a three-and-out, the Bucs were moving the ball downfield when SLB Adamski picked off Medlock near midfield. The Philadelphia offence was unable to muster a first down, punting as the third quarter ended, but the Bucs were also unable to move the ball. The Eagles couldn't get into scoring range on their next possession, but were able to pin Tampa back in their own end - the Bucs put together a decent drive to change field position, but had to punt before they got to midfield. A 27-yard Twisp run got the Eagles past midfield with 6 minutes remaining, but Hutchins was picked off as he tried to find his RB with a short pass on the next play. The Medlock to Raymond combination moved the Bucs into Eagles territory, but the Philly defence kept them out of the red zone - Tampa were forced to kick a field goal to make it 28-24 with 3:39 left in the game. As you would expect, the Eagles turned to RB Bo Twisp to try to run out the clock - the star back was able to pick up one first down, forcing Tampa to use all of their timeouts, but a false start penalty forced the Eagles to punt, leaving Tampa 1:50 to drive 72 yards for the go-ahead score. The Eagles held the Bucs offence to only 1 yard on 3 plays, but were called for holding on the third down play, giving Tampa a fresh set of downs with 1:15 remaining. Medlock found WR Vlasak for 31 yards to move the Bucs into Eagle territory, but that was as far as the Buccaneers managed to go. Medlock threw a desperation pass on 4th and 20 with 29 seconds left, but S Walsh came up with the pick to seal the Eagles victory. The game MVP was Philadelphia RB Bo Twisp, who ran for 203 yards on 28 carries with 3 TDs, and caught 4 passes for 28 yards. Other noteworthy performances came from FL Antoine Samanta (5 catches for 68 yards, 5 punt returns for 59 yards, 3 kick returns for 146 yards and a TD), LT Sammy Tanner (5/6 key run blocks) and DT Blaine Andrews (3 tackles, 1 pass block, 4 hurries, 1 pass knocked down). #2 seed Carolina were comfortable winners over #4 St. Louis, so will travel to Philadelphia for the NFC Championship game. |
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01-25-2007, 10:01 AM
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#59 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Championship Game
The divisional round win over Tampa was not without cost, as several players picked up injuries that will force them to miss the Championship game against the Panthers: TE Craig Dawkins, SS Wally Ross and SS Vincent Harper. FS Charlie Tierney is not sufficiently recovered, and will miss his second straight playoff game. QB Zack Drummond, LDE Spencer McKenzie and LCB Jerome Jordan will suit up despite minor injuries. With a shortage of healthy bodies in the defensive secondary, SS Harper was put on IR, and 9th-year veteran FS Korey O'Sullivan (38/38) signed to help out. O'Sullivan was released by Denver in week 17, so should be able to help out immediately. Carolina are a strong passing team with a good defensive front seven - however, they have significant injury problems in the defensive secondary, with 5 players listed as 'out' for this game. 8th-year veteran QB Tyrell Cook leads their offence, with FL Maurellio and SE Sandstrom his main targets. After winning the toss and receiving, the Eagles drove deep into Carolina territory before FL Sims was stripped of the ball after making a reception inside the Panthers 10. The Eagles defence returned the favour, though, with MLB McClurken picking off a Cook pass and returning it inside the 20. The offence was unable to move the ball, and Oden kicked the field goal to put the Eagles up 3-0. Carolina's next drive stalled near midfield, and a good punt pinned the Eagles back inside their 10. The offence was able to create a bit of breathing room, but Carolina were able to force the punt, giving their offence good field position. QB Cook misfired again, though, as CB Allison picked off his deep pass. The first quarter ended with the Eagles on the march, and Hutchins found FL Hadley in the end zone with the first play of the second quarter to put the Eagles up 10-0. After the Philadelphia defence forced a three-and-out, the offence went back on the march, mixing Twisp runs with accurate passing from Hutchins. The drive ended with Hutchins dumping a short pass to Twisp and the RB taking it in from 2 yards out to extend the Eagles' lead to 17-0 midway through the second quarter. Carolina aren't the NFC South division champions for no reason, though, and they responded in the best way possible, a Cook-to-Wolfe 37-yard TD pass capping a quick, efficient drive and cutting the deficit to 10. The Carolina defence forced the Eagles to punt on their next drive, and the Panthers offence went back to work - 6 plays, 65 yards, with RB Gonzalez running in the TD from 2 yards out. That wasn't the end of the scoring for the first half, though - FL Samanta fumbled the kickoff, giving Carolina the ball at the Eagles 22. The Philly defence stiffened up, though, and the Panthers settled for a field goal to tie the score at 17 going into the half-time interval. Carolina got the ball first in the third quarter, but Cook threw his third pick of the day on the first offensive play of the second half, McClurken coming up with his second interception of the game. Both defences came out of halftime fired up, though, with the Panthers forcing a punt despite the good field position for the Eagles. After a Carolina punt, the Eagles went back to their bread-and-butter on offence, putting together a 75-yard drive with pounding Twisp runs and the occasional Hutchins pass, with Twisp ending the drive with his second TD catch of the day, a 14-yard screen pass from Hutchins. An intentional grounding call stopped a promising Carolina drive in its tracks as the third quarter ended, but the Panthers defence got the ball back, forcing Twisp to fumble the ball deep in Eagles territory. The Philadelphia defence showed its strength, though, forcing Carolina to settle for a field goal after the Panthers had first and goal at the 5 - the game was still up for grabs, though, with the Eagles lead cut to 24-20 with 11 minutes left to play. This Philadelphia team is designed for this sort of situation, though - a pounding running game and strong defence meant that Carolina were unable to advance the ball past their own 30 for the rest of the game, leaving the final score as Carolina 20, Philadelphia 24. Philadelphia QB Keith Hutchins was the game MVP, completing 17 of 23 passes for 187 yards and 3 TDs - RB Bo Twisp provided solid support, rushing 30 times for 148 yards and catching 6 passes for 47 yards and 2 TDs. MLB Kenneth McClurken was the defensive standout, finishing with 5 tackles and 2 interceptions, as the Eagles defence held a strong Carolina passing offence to 190 yards through the air. The Eagles will play Pittsburgh in the 2013 Front Office Bowl after the top-seeded Steelers beat Houston 27-17. |
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01-26-2007, 07:07 AM
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#60 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 Front Office Bowl
It doesn't always happen this way, but this year's Bowl pits the two strongest teams in the league against each other. Philadelphia have reached the bowl behind the strong running of RB Bo Twisp (1727 yards, 12TDs) and a smothering defence (best in the league for yards allowed (253.9/game), points allowed (11.3/game) and turnovers forced (36)), while the Steelers are here on the strength of QB R.J. Montenegro's passing arm (3598 yards passing, 95.2 QB rating) and FL Ian Ruskowski's receiving ability (95 catches for 1680 yards with 11 TDs). Pittsburgh go into the game relatively healthy, with only two defensive backs missing the game. Philadelphia, on the other hand, are struggling a bit with injuries, with starting RT Norman Huffman and starting SS Wally Ross missing the game due to injuries suffered during the playoffs, and RG Willie Jordan, CB Phillip Crane and FS Vincent Harper already on IR. A number of Eagles will play despite minor injuries, notably starting CB Lorenzo Marsh (knee) and starting DT Christian Campbell (shoulder). The Steelers are 1-point favourites heading into the game, so it looks like it's going to be a close one between two evenly-matched teams. Pittsburgh won the toss, and went on offence first. A solid drive, mixing Montenegro passing and Sample running got them into Philadelphia territory, but the Eagles held them to a field goal try, which K Snowden drilled through the uprights to put the Steelers up 3-0 early on. The Eagles responded in kind, with Twisp and Hutchins keying a solid drive - Pittsburgh's defence came up big on 3rd and 1 at the Steeler 24, though, throwing backup RB Lynch for a 5-yard loss, and Oden kicked a 46-yarder to tie the game at 3. After the Eagles defence forced the Steelers into a three-and-out, the Philly offence went to work - Hutchins made several big throws, including a 34-yard completion to SE Rosano on 2nd and 24 to set up 1st and goal at the 4, and Twisp pounded it in from there to put Philadelphia up 10-3 early in the second quarter. The Steelers came back with a long drive of their own, but a false start penalty and a Rivers sack took them out of field goal range and forced them to punt the ball back to the Eagles. Strong defence by Pittsburgh forced Philadelphia to go three-and-out, though, and the Steeler offence took advantage of the good field position - Montenegro hit Ruskowski for 37 yards to set up 1st and goal, and RB Sample took it in to tie the game at 10 with 5 minutes of the first half to play. Eagles QB Hutchins wasn't about to be upstaged, though - he moved his team down the field, with backup TE Sudnik a favourite target, but the Steelers defence produced a goalline stand to hold the Eagles to a field goal and a 13-10 lead going into halftime. A promising Philadelphia drive to open the second half was derailed by two penalties in three plays, forcing a punt. This set the tone for much of the third quarter, with the defences very much on top. Solid special teams play gave the Eagles good field position from this defensive struggle, and Hutchins and Twisp were able to break the defensive stranglehold, driving the ball 50 yards for a TD, with Hutchins finding backup FL Hadley from 15 yards out for the score - Eagles lead 20-10 late in the third quarter. After an exchange of punts, the Steelers got the ball back in their offence's hands with just over 11 minutes to play and a score a necessity. Montenegro worked the short passing game expertly, with the occasional change-up of a long pass or hand-off to Sample, but misfired on 3rd and goal from the Eagles 10, finding Philly MLB McClurken instead of intended target Zuniga. This let-off spurred the Eagles on, and Pittsburgh were unable to get out of their own half the rest of the way - Philadelphia were able to add an insurance field goal just before the two-minute warning, and the Steelers' last glimmers of hope were extinguished when Eagles DE Turner took Montenegro down on consecutive plays, allowing QB Hutchins to take a couple of snaps from the victory formation and the celebrations to begin. Final score: Philadelphia 23, Pittsburgh 10. Philadelphia's Keith Hutchins completed his season of redemption with a standout performance in the Bowl game, and was named the Most Valuable Player - 20 completions from 27 attempts for 262 yards and a TD. The Steelers were able to hold RB Twisp in check, but the Eagles passing game was able to pick up the slack, with TE Sudnik (5 catches for 51 yards) and FL Sims (3 catches for 79 yards) the top receivers. On defence, DE Connell Turner had yet another great game, finishing with 2.5 sacks, while MLB Kenneth McClurken had 5 tackles, 0.5 sacks and the vital interception. On the Pittsburgh side, FL Ian Ruskowski caught 8 balls for 130 yards, with Walton contributing 4 catches for 73 yards. QB R.J. Montenegro had a tough day against a strong Philadelphia pass rush, but still managed to complete 22 of 42 for 275 yards, with 2 interceptions. |
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01-26-2007, 07:09 AM
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#61 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2013 Summary
I think it's safe to say that this season exceeded my wildest expectations - my feeling that a good season for this team was to win 10 games and maybe win one playoff game, so to go 14-2 then add three more wins in the playoffs to be Bowl winners is far beyond what we had any right to expect. While the offence was much improved this year, this team is built around a strong defence - the three playoff games are a good example of that, with the defence being relied upon to hold on to narrow leads at the end of each game of our postseason run. RDE Connell Turner was our defensive MVP, with 17 regular season and 2.5 postseason sacks and consistent pressure on opposing QBs. The rest of the front seven was very solid, with WLB Shannon Long looking like a steal with the 25th pick of last year's draft - he's now a force in run defence and a good coverage defender. The defensive backfield continues to be very strong, despite the injuries we had this year - CB Lorenzo Marsh continued his high level of play in his 9th year, and rookie CB Jerome Jordan was a solid contributor all year. A solid offence starts with a strong offensive line, and our line just flat out produced this year. LG Zack Martin proved that he was worth being picked 5th overall with an exceptional season, and the rest of the line followed his example. RB Bo Twisp benefitted from the high quality of blocking and improved passing game to have his best year so far, while QB Keith Hutchins showed that Cleveland were wrong not to give him a chance with a solid first season as a starter. Season awards After a season like that, it doesn't come as much of a surprise to find that the team have received a few awards this year: QB Keith Hutchins: Front Office Bowl MVP RB Bo Twisp: Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, First Team RB LG Zack Martin: First Team OG DE Connell Turner: First Team DE C David Place: Second Team C Head Coach Wesley Bandle: Coach of the Year Looking forward to 2014... It's going to be tough to follow a season like that... Even without winning the Bowl in 2013, the next couple of years were going to be difficult - our high draft picks from a few years ago are coming to the end of their rookie contracts, and will require significant pay rises to stay with the team. Several solid veteran players appear to be starting to slip just a little bit, so will need to be replaced over the next couple of years, but we now don't have the high future draft picks that we used to build the team. We appear to have found a QB we can win with, but he's only signed for one more year, and is going to want a lot of money to stay, and our franchise RB has only one year left on his contract. This is still going to be a strong team, but it's going to be tough to keep our key players and maintain reasonable depth yet stay within the salary cap. Whatever happens, it's going to be a challenge...  |
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01-28-2007, 05:46 PM
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#62 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2014 season
Herb's evaluation for 2013: 90/55/72/86, for an overall score of 75 Someone's being a harsh marker here - we can't really do much more than go 14-2 and win the Bowl! The team showed a profit of $32.7m on revenues of $176.0m last year - the extra home games from a playoff run are always welcome from the financial point of view, and costs were relatively flat. A couple of our veteran players retired at the end of last season - QB mentor Bubba Tanaka and late-season addition FS Ray Walsh. Staff hiring Our coaching staff are under contract for the next three years, and I have no intention of looking for replacements at this point. Scout Andrew Baicy's contract has expired - he's a decent young scout, particularly with QBs and DBs, but does have his shortcomings (VG/F/G/A/G/F/G/VG/A), so I'll see if there are any potential upgrades available on the market this year. Good scouting talent is thin on the ground at the moment, however - the only guy I could see that is a clear improvement on Baicy is 55-year-old Butch Missouri (A/VG/G/E/VG/VG/A/F/A) - not as good with young players as I would like, but definitely very solid at many positions. I offer Missouri a 5-year deal at $590,000 per year, but he decides to take a slightly higher offer from Atlanta instead. With no other guys I'd be interested in bringing in, I make an offer to Baicy ($500k per year for 5 years), which he accepts in week 3. Pre-free agency Last year's hike in ticket prices didn't go down too well with the paying punters, as our attendances dropped by 10% in a season where we only lost 2 games. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that I'm leaving ticket prices well alone this year! We have a few good players eligible for free agency this year - the two most worthy of the franchise tag are LDT Christian Campbell (6th year, 79/79) and MLB Kenneth McClurken (9th year, 61/61). As I have a decent backup MLB in Vincent Tayoun (who is a restricted free agent, but shouldn't be too expensive to resign), the tag this year goes on Campbell. Using the tag on a DT means a cap hit of $8.19m, significantly reducing our available cap space - we now have $14.76m of a $134.4m salary cap free, with 45 players signed. Our draft picks are expected to use up $5.75m of cap space, leaving us a bit tight to the cap this year. Next on the agenda is which of our second-year players to send to Europe. Top pick CB Jerome Jordan is already significantly developed (75/89), so I feel that it would probably be a waste to send him over. After that, we have a few guys with potential in the 50s and 60s, but no-one that stands out as being the ideal candidate. The only guy who's pretty much guaranteed playing time is FB Troyer (32/55), who looks as good a guy as any to send (the other guy I was considering was G Ty Burgess, but he's going to be a backup this year with the return of starter Willie Jordan after his season-ending injury). |
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01-28-2007, 05:49 PM
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#63 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2014 Free Agency
We receive a derisory offer from Baltimore for LDE Spencer McKenzie - he hasn't developed into the player we had hoped for when we picked him 11th overall in 2010, but he's a solid starter on our defensive line. First item on the agenda for free agency is to work out a contract with franchise player Christian Campbell. He's looking for a 4-year deal paying an average of $8.5m-$9m per year (which is a lot of money, but not unreasonable for a high-level starter). We agree on a 4-year, $34m deal with almost $11m of bonus. We have a few restricted free agents this year, notably our projected starter at MLB, Vincent Tayoun (4th year, 50/50) - he was looking for a 1-year minsal deal to get him through to free agency, but was willing to accept a slightly more lucrative contract to tie him to the team for a bit longer (3 years, $3.30m). Other restricted free agents resigned at this point: FL Winston Hadley: 1 year, $780k FL Richard Dinstel: 1 year, $640k With our starting QB only signed for 1 year (and RB Twisp in the last year of his contract), I would like to sign QB Keith Hutchins up to a long-term extension now rather than have 2 guys looking for silly money at the same time next year. Hutchins is looking for a 5-year deal (which is reasonable for a 7th-year QB), and accepts $25.50m over those 5 years, which is an amount I'm more than happy to pay to a starting QB. Looking around the guys who are entering the last year of their current deals, the guy that stands out as a 'must-resign' (other than RB Twisp, who'll be franchised next year) is FL Antoine Samanta. With Ray Sims starting to slow down a bit, Samanta will be our starting flanker for the forseeable future, so would be a good guy to tie up for the next few years. He's looking for a 5-year deal, and accepts our $22.50m offer over 5 years. DE Spencer McKenzie is also in the last year of his rookie deal - as he's only really a two-down DE, his contract demands are fairly reasonable. We agree a 5-year, $18.00m deal that will see him through what are hopefully the best years of his career. These renegotiations pretty much exhaust our available cap room (48 players signed, with 7 draftees to come, and we have $5.80m cap room free, requiring $5.75m to sign our rookies this year). My feeling is that tying up some of our more important starters on reasonable contracts for the long term is more important than going out and signing free agents on veteran minimum contracts (which is about all we would have been doing this year). 2014 draft With our lack of cap room limiting our options in free agency, we turn our attention to the draft. We have the 32nd pick in every round this year, so won't be able to go after any of the top prospects. We do have a few needs to be filled, though, mostly regarding depth: QB: Bring in a young guy to groom as a potential backup, as Watkins and Drummond are in the last year of their current deals RB: A solid backup is needed to take some of the load off Twisp, who's currently the only RB we have signed WR: A few guys in the last year of their current deal, so depth would be useful - a guy who can return kicks would be a good pickup too OL: A potential starter at C would be useful, with Place in his 11th year, and some quality depth would also be handy DL: We have our starters under contract, but additional quality depth would be useful LB: SLB Adamski could be replacable, and we need a new backup at MLB It's a long wait in the first round as 31 picks are made before the Eagles are on the clock. WR appears to be a reasonably deep position this year, with a couple of guys I'm interested in still available at the bottom of the first round - FL Bryce Franklin (5.3/5.5) is a bit raw and doesn't have great hands, but looks to be a decent fit for the scheme I'm running and would contribute on special teams, while SE Blaine Seale (4.9/5.1) looks to be a solid prospect. The other guy I'm considering here is Rickey Rayburn (5.2/5.0), a big OLB who could potentially be an immediate starter at SLB, but would be a solid backup at all three LB positions at worst. I go with Rayburn (36/62), but will see how things go with the receivers, as I feel that Franklin in particular may be worth trading up for. Franklin (35/62) is taken off the board with the first pick of the second round. Seale drops to the bottom end of the second round, but is taken at 2.22 (initial rating 28/55). When our pick comes up, a few guys catch my eye as potential selections: FL Josh Musial (4.7/4.9) - good combine, solid special teamer, decent kick returner - would need a bit of time to develop before contributing in the passing game C Spencer Randolph (5.1/4.4) - very raw, but has the potential to be a solid starter in the middle DT Aaron Workmon (4.9/5.3) - big run-stuffer who would be a solid backup at worst SS Wade Bernard (4.8/4.5) - decent-looking safety, useful returner and special teams guy Given our receiving corps (starters are getting old, and the backups don't look like guys I'd really be wanting to start) and the need to bring in a guy who will be able to return kicks, the pick here is Musial (initally rated at 25/52). Two of the guys I was looking at for 2.32 go early in the third - Workmon (17/54) at 3.7, Bernard (22/51) at 3.10. Randolph (22/70) is picked just ahead of our third-rounder. The most likely places to fill a need while getting decent value appear to be RB, DL and OL: RB Blake Von Hagel (4.5/4.8) - decent runner with some receiving skills C Devin Jefferson (4.7/4.0) - not the strongest, but solid technique G Herman Stone (4.5/4.3) - decent pass-blocker, versatile guy who could play any of the interior line positions DE Butch Reid (4.8/5.3) - run-stopper with a bit of pass-rush ability DT Deron Holdgate (4.6/5.0) - pass-rushing interior lineman who could contribute straight away ILB Larry Knoblett (4.5/4.4) - raw, but projects as a starting-quality outside linebacker - good special-teamer too While LB isn't the biggest need on the team, Knoblett looks like a guy who's going to be picked very soon, so he's our pick at 3.32 - initially rated at 24/64, this looks to be a decent pick. With a few decent-looking QB prospects available, this looks like a decent draft for finding a backup QB - I want to pick up a decent backup RB too, though, so I'm definitely considering a trade up into the fourth round at this point. A familiar name appears early in the fourth round - TE Tony Barnes, who we picked but didn't sign last year, is taken by Green Bay at 4.4 - a bit high for a guy with his apparent talent level, IMHO. Reid (20/48) goes fairly early in the fourth, Jefferson (17/60) is taken in the middle of the round, with Holdgate (23/31 - good thing I didn't take him!) taken a few picks later. QBs start to come off the board from the middle of the fourth round, with a couple of guys I had been thinking of taking among the players selected. Backup RB is a bigger need than interior O-line right now, so our pick at 4.32 is RB Blake Von Hagel (27/52). I was half-hoping that Stone would fall to the bottom of the fifth round, but he's taken at 4.14 (initially rated at 26/47). After passing up on QB in the fourth round, this is probably a good place to look for a decent QB - possible candidates are: QB Ben Webb (4.5/5.1) - will need a lot of development work, but looks to be a decent prospect - decent fit for our offensive scheme QB Kennedy Guo (4.2/4.8) - not a particularly good fit for our scheme, but should be a decent QB in time QB Ed Sims (4.2/4.8) - decent fit, reasonable potential, will need time to develop QB Alex Duffy (4.1/4.7) - most developed of the guys on this list, nice fit, but not the greatest intangibles Of the guys above, I like Sims best as a potential #2 QB - he should be able to run our system pretty well, and will be able to help out as a kick holder in the meantime. Our pick at 5.32 is QB Ed Sims (15/51). Webb (9/48) goes early in the sixth round, but neither of the other guys are taken before our next pick at 6.32. The last pick of the sixth round goes on a center that I'd been keeping an eye on for a couple of rounds - Thomas Dawson looks to be a reasonable prospect, and may develop into a starting-calibre centre with time. He's initially rated at 24/57, so will need a bit of time to develop. As we pick 32nd in each round, we get the chance to pick this year's Mr. Irrelevant. A decent pass-rushing defensive end that I interviewed is still available - Howard Hoedemaker is a bit on the small side to play DE, and he'll need some development time, but will fill a need. Hoedemaker (18/33) is the last pick of this year's draft. A good year for rookie signings, as only first-rounder Rayburn refuses his initial offer. A few minor positional switches - the most important is Knoblett being changed to SLB (as he was too small to play inside) - this moves his ratings to 23/63. A few rookie free agent signings: QB Kirk Lyons (7/51) - $910k over 2 years - signed week 1 QB Alex Duffy (17/50) - $910k over 2 years - signed week 1 (a guy I was looking at drafting...) RB Rickey Pond (28/45) - $910k over 2 years - signed week 3 RB Curtis Tatum (26/32) - $910k over 2 years - signed week 3 FB Oliver Dunlap (29/55) - $910k over 2 years - signed week 3 DE Leslie Erdich (17/46) - $910k over 2 years - signed week 3 LB Darrin Sanders (12/56) - $910k over 2 years - signed week 4 We get LB Rayburn signed at the end of free agency (then switch him to play on the strong side - ratings now 38/64), and head to camp. |
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01-28-2007, 05:54 PM
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#64 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Rookies before and after camp
Code:
My first rounders seem to be either great players or absolute busts at the moment - unfortunately, LB Rayburn falls in the latter category. Some decent camps among the rookies this year, but not many of them - not one of the best training camps I've had. 2014 Roster With 62 players on the roster coming out of camp, there are quite a few cuts to be made this year. We do have a lot of players at a couple of positions, though, so it's probably not going to be as hard a job as it would seem on first impression. Code:
The cuts above leave us with 54 players on the roster, so one more player needs to be released. This comes down to one of three players - QB Sims, TE Sudnik or LB Rayburn. Rayburn is the worst of the three, but cutting him would mean losing $3m of next year's salary cap. Sims won't see any playing time this season, but would be expected to move up the depth chart next year, while Sudnik is really only a special-teamer at this point. I feel that I should be able to find a reasonable backup QB next year if needed, so Sims is the final player cut, and we'll go into the season with only 3 QBs. (This decision can partly be explained by my wish for our special teams unit to be as strong as possible - this was a minor but important part of our success last year.) With the cap room created by these cuts, I extend LT Sammy Tanner's contract - $17.1m over 6 years (the thinking being to get him signed up for the long term before he starts asking for more money - I could have waited until next offseason and still have had exclusive negotiating rights (as he's only in his 3rd year), but I have a sneaking suspicion that a decent season starting most of our games would have been rather expensive...) |
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01-28-2007, 06:13 PM
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#65 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Connecticut
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WOW! Rayburn dropped 41 after camp. What's his vol. rating? How were his combine ratings? Just looking for a clue to avoid this huge bust in my dynasty.
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GM of the Milwaukee Muscle Men of the ZFL. The 1st team in ZFL history to have a perfect losing season. I am on a quest to show that the Dolphins can win the Super Bowl. Or should I say Front Office Bowl, with FOF2K7. The revival of an old favorite, FOFC Wrestling Dynasty |
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01-30-2007, 06:53 AM
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#66 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Quote:
Rayburn has 78 volatility - don't remember his combine ratings (as I'm now playing the 2015 season), but there was nothing to suggest that he wasn't going to be a solid player. I've had a couple of first-rounders go south on me in their rookie training camp - not much you can do about it except deal with it and move on. Volatility isn't everything here - WLB Shannon Long has volatility 96, and he's one of the best few linebackers in the league now (rated 80/80) despite only having 60-ish potential after his rookie training camp. Volatility can work both ways... Martin |
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01-30-2007, 06:54 AM
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#67 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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[b]2014 preseason[b]
The gameplans I put in place last year seemed to work reasonably well, so no changes at this point - still a run-based offence with the passing game biased slightly towards the short passing game. I rest some of our starters for the first few postseason games, but put our expected season-opening starting lineup on the field in the last game. Week 2: Indianapolis 10-16 Philadelphia 90 yards for RB Blake Von Hagel with a TD in this game, and J.T. Watkins is the better of the QBs in the battle for the backup slot. Week 3: Philadelphia 14-27 Baltimore A late TD puts a gloss on the score - the Ravens dominated this game. RB Rickey Pond had a nice game, with 51 yards and a TD on only 6 carries. Week 4: Houston 7-32 Philadelphia RB Pond got a bit more work this week, and he rewarded us with 20 carries for 110 yards and a TD. J.T. Watkins (10/15-91-0-0) was solid again, and will be the #2 QB for the regular season opener. The defence was also solid, despite us playing quite a few backups in starting roles. Week 5: Philadelphia 17-24 Pittsburgh Not really worried about the result here - this game is more about giving our starters a few reps to get them in mood for the regular season. The Steelers scored inside the last minute to take the win. The team is in reasonable shape going into the regular season, but backup RT Otis Patton was placed on IR after suffering a serious leg break - 4th year RT Claude Rogers (33/33) was signed to be our backup tackle. J.T. Watkins suffered a back injury in the last preseason game, and will miss the first month of the season - Zack Drummond will be the #2 QB behind Keith Hutchins. |
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01-30-2007, 06:55 AM
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#68 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2014 regular season
Week 1: Dallas 34-6 Philadelphia Not the start we wanted... QB Keith Hutchins went down handing off on a running play, of all things, and is out for the year. Zack Drummond (16/24-130-1-2) played decently, and Bo Twisp (16-127 rush, 6-39-1 rec) put up good numbers, but we kept turning it over to end promising drives. Hutchins was put on IR after the game - his injury should have healed in time for him to take part in our offseason activities next year. With two QBs out, we need to sign someone else as our backup for the next few games, but we have precious little cap room - a bit of roster shuffling is required here. Rookies P Brian Peyrouse and LG Lionel Bolognese are signed, with P Jerome Chubick and LG Trent Champion released - this frees up enough room to sign 5th-year QB Dwayne Joseph (22/50). Week 2: Philadelphia (0-1) 19-7 Jacksonville (1-0) Nice yardage numbers in this game, but not a lot of penetration where it matters, as K Oden's four field goals were the margin of victory. QB Zack Drummond was quietly efficient (25/29-171-1-1), but the defence was the strongest part of the team here, with the D-line finishing with 4 sacks and 8 hurries. Week 3: Philadelphia (1-1) 10-23 Carolina (1-1) A nice start saw the Eagles lead 10-0 early in the second quarter, but the Panthers took over the game from there. QB Drummond was reasonably efficient, but his two interceptions took away any chance of a late comeback by Philadelphia. Week 4: Bye Week 5: Philadelphia (1-2) 20-27 Seattle (1-3) Two picks from Zack Drummond saw him get the hook at halftime, and backup Dwayne Joseph (13/16-127-0-0) played solidly in relief. Solid wasn't enough, though, as the Seahawks made enough big plays to hold on for the win. With J.T. Watkins now recovered from injury, there's a bit of shuffling on the QB depth chart - Watkins will start, Joseph will be his backup, and Drummond is relegated to 3rd string and kick holder. Week 6: Arizona (2-3) 17-7 Philadelphia (1-3) A tight defensive game, but Arizona just managed to get the better of us here. Watkins (24/39-164-0-2) was reasonably accurate for most of the day, but threw a couple of costly interceptions. Week 7: Washington (1-5) 19-17 Philadelphia (1-4) We just seem to be coming out on the wrong end of these games this year - can't really complain, though, as we came out on the right end of plenty of these last year... While the offence isn't as explosive as I'd like, it's the defence which is the worry - while the yardage numbers are still decent, we've only forced 5 turnovers through 6 games. Week 8: Philadelphia (1-5) 7-16 New York (5-1) Not a great game for us - the offence didn't click, and the Giants were able to move the ball fairly easily on our defence. J.T. Watkins was unceremoniously yanked from the game after a very slow start (missed his first 3 passes, sacked twice, picked once) - backup QB Joseph was better, but not great. Week 9: Philadelphia (1-6) 25-0 St. Louis (3-4) OK - so where did a performance like this come from? The defence was back to dominating form, allowing only 8 first downs and 149 total yards while forcing 5 turnovers, while the offence was quietly efficient, with RB Twisp (21-106 rush, 7-62-1 rec) and QB Joseph (25/31-175-1-1) having solid games. |
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01-30-2007, 06:56 AM
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#69 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2014 mid-season summary
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The statistics of a relatively poor team, which is a fairly good summary of the performance up to this point. Hutchins going down in the first game has really hurt this team, as we currently have a street free agent outplaying the two guys we've had on the roster for a few years. That partly explains the offensive problems, but the defence has really regressed from last year - it's basically the same guys playing, so it looks like one more year has had a big effect on some of our veteran guys. |
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01-30-2007, 06:57 AM
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#70 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Week 10: San Francisco (3-5) 10-13 Philadelphia (2-6)
QB Dwayne Joseph (20/24-142-0-0) has brought a bit of stability to the offence, and the defence appears to be picking up a bit - 5 players recorded sacks as the 49ers were limited to 195 total yards. Week 11: Philadelphia (3-6) 10-7 Dallas (4-5) This is more familiar - our defence and special teams put in a solid effort as we come out on top in a low-scoring struggle. The Eagles forced three turnovers, and RB Twisp scored the vital TD as the Philadelphia defence pitched a second-half shutout. Week 12: Tennessee (9-1) 34-18 Philadelphia (4-6) The Titans were always in charge of this game, but the Eagles made a decent fight of it - QB Dwayne Joseph had a decent game (21/32-219-2-3), with a couple of late interceptions when we were forced to take chances. The problem here was the pass defence - the Tennessee passing game was able to move the ball without too much bother all day long. Week 13: Chicago (6-5) 13-7 Philadelphia (4-7) It's tough to score when the other team is playing 'keep-ball' - the Bears held the ball for over 40 minutes in this game, leaving the Eagles unable to produce enough offence to be competitive. At this point, we're mathematically alive in the playoff race, but I'm resigned to having January off this year. At this point, I fiddled the depth charts to give our younger players a bit of playing time. Week 14: Houston (7-5) 16-29 Philadelphia (4-8) A bit of a 'butterfingers' game, with five fumbles between the two teams. Apart from that, the Eagles offence was very efficient, with QB Joseph (19/21-151-2-0) and RB Twisp (23-127) leading the way. DE Connell Turner came alive after a quiet season, finishing with 3 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 pass defence, 2 blocks, 3 hurries and 4 knock-downs. Week 15: Philadephia (5-8) 20-24 Washington (5-8) Decent yardage in this one - Twisp (28-131 rush, 6-52 rec) leading the way - but too many turnovers in bad spots on the field gave the Redskins good field position too many times. Week 16: Philadelphia (5-9) 24-10 Indianapolis (9-5) A tied game at the two-minute warning was blown wide open by a Bo Twisp 9-yard TD run and a Wally Ross interception, returned 35 yards for a TD. Twisp (24-128-1) had a solid game, with LG Martin (7/15 KRB, 2 pancake) leading the way, while the defence contributed 3 sacks and 3 interceptions. Week 17: New York (10-5) 27-23 Philadelphia (6-9) A Twisp TD run midway through the fourth quarter put the Eagles ahead by 10, but the Giants scored the last 14 points of the game to take the win. 2014 Summary Code:
Losing Hutchins early in our week 1 game basically knocked our season off course before it had really gotten started. Our backup QBs, Watkins and Drummond, showed that they couldn't run the offence effectively, with both throwing too many interceptions - street free agent QB Dwayne Joseph came in and did a decent job in relief. I don't think it's a coincidence that we started winning a few more games when Joseph was given the starting QB position for our week 9 game against St. Louis... Twisp had a solid season once again, but none of the receivers stood out. Part of this appears to be that Twisp is such a good receiver that our QBs look to him on the short pass on a very regular basis. I can see next year being a time of change in the receiving corps, with Sims and Rosano coming to the end of their careers. The defence was decent without being brilliant - the yardage numbers are respectable, but the lack of turnovers (particularly combined with the number of turnovers given up by the offence!) was a problem. DE Turner had a very quiet 14.5 sack season, but didn't have a lot of support - I'm having serious thoughts about moving DE McKenzie inside, as he struggles to provide a consistent pass rush threat. The secondary was unsettled all season with niggling injuries, but I thought we had enough depth there for that to not be a problem - seems I may have been wrong... Special teams were a highlight - the Eagles averaged 11.3 yards per punt return and 26.4 per kick return, but our opponents only managed 2.4 and 14.3 yards per return. Rookie LB Rickey Rayburn may not have contributed on defence, but he was a special teams demon with 22 tackles and a TD on a fumbled punt return. K Matt Oden was solid once again (29/36 on field goals, including 8/13 from 40 yards or more), while rookie P Brian Payrouse was solid, finishing with a 37.3 yard net average - he doesn't have a strong leg, but he didn't give returners much chance to gain yardage. |
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01-30-2007, 06:58 AM
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#71 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2014 Awards
A few mentions this year: LG Zack Martin: First Team All-Pro RB Bo Twisp: Second Team All-Pro DE Connell Turner: Second Team All-Pro Looking ahead to 2015 There is definitely work to be done in the upcoming offseason - RB Bo Twisp is a free agent, as are a couple of other starters, and we need to look at freshening up the team in a number of areas. Our cap situation looks to be significantly better, though, so we should be able to pick up some useful players through free agency. We will also have a relatively high draft pick (likely to be at the low end of the top 10), so should be able to acquire at least one good player through the draft. While last year's team maybe wasn't quite as good as the 14-2 record would suggest, I have a feeling that this year's team was better than the 6-10 record would make you think. I think we should be in playoff contention next year if we can have a good offseason... |
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01-31-2007, 01:41 PM
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#72 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 season
Herb's evaluation for 2014: 14/68/62/81, for an overall score of 50 The team showed a profit of $9.48m on revenues of $174.8m last year - revenues held up fairly well (as attendances went up after the Super Bowl season in 2013), but salary and bonus costs also rose, mainly due to us locking up a number of players on long-term deals last offseason. One retirement this year - OLB Max Guerra decided to call it a day. He signed for the Eagles in 2010, when we were in desperate need of a solid starter at LB, and was a consistent contributor as a starter in 2010 and 2011. The drafting of Shannon Long meant that Guerra became a backup, but he was still a very handy guy to have on the bench for the last three years. Staff Hiring No changes here - all staff members are under contract through at least next year, and I'm happy with their performance. |
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01-31-2007, 01:43 PM
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#73 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 Free agency
No changes to ticket prices this year - we're in the bottom few in the league in terms of the cost of going to the game, but our financial position appears to be reasonable at the moment. Quite a few free agents this year - the most notable are listed below: QB J.T. Watkins - won't be getting offered a contract RB Bo Twisp - this year's franchise player FL Ray Sims - still a decent receiver - need to see how much money he's looking for FL Ike Browning - am happy to let him test free agency FL Winston Hadley - decent player, but not essential to resign C Darrin Watkins - would like to resign him - decent backup, and offensive line leader DE Moe Rivers - would like to resign - good pass-rusher SLB Ricky Adamski - has been a starter, but now in his 10th year CB Conrad Allison - has been a good player, but starting to slow down CB Alonzo Blake - will look at resigning him FS Leon Valentino - starting safety, so will look at resigning him FS Charlie Tierney - solid backup - will try to bring him back at the right price With Twisp given the franchise tag, we have 31 players signed, and $38.52m of a $137.6m salary cap free. The expected cost of signing our draft picks is $7.74m - we have one pick in each round, ranging from 5th to 9th (our first-rounder this year is 1.8). Looking at our second-year players, there are a few decent candidates for a trip abroad this year - RB Blake Von Hagel, SE Josh Musial and SLB Larry Knoblett are the three that stand out most. (C Thomas Dawson is actually our most-developed rookie (now rated 44/54), but has seen enough playing time to develop without additional help. Knoblett is the guy who's most likely to see significant playing time this year (he's currently slated as our starting SLB), so he gets the trip to Europe. I have a big decision to make regarding RB Bo Twisp - if we try to sign him to a long-term contract, he's looking for around $50m over 5 years (including $15m of bonus). This is a lot of money for a 6th year running back, as he's likely in the prime of his career right now, and is going to start to decline before this deal expires. While he's been our best offensive player for the last couple of years, there are signs that he is actually interfering with what we're trying to do on offence - in particular, he's a sufficiently talented receiver that he's had a lot of balls thrown his way. While this is very good for inflating the completion percentage of our QBs, I don't think it's helping our offence much at all - we've struggled to get the ball into the hands of our wide receivers. Given these problems, I feel it's worth looking at potential trades - it appears, however, that the market for a 6th-year RB isn't all that good. Despite this, I don't want to commit significant amounts of money to a player I think is causing problems for our offence - Twisp is traded to Cincinnati in return for their fourth-round pick this year (4.2). We have a few restricted free agents this year, including a couple of guys who have been starting: TE Craig Dawkins - $1.55m over 2 years (solid backup TE) RG Willie Jordan - $13.20m over 4 years (decent starter on the interior O-line) RG Ty Burgess - $1.08m over 1 year (good backup guard) P Brian Peyrouse - $530k over 1 year (doesn't kick it a long way, but doesn't allow big returns) RDT Sedrick Saylor - $1.79m over 2 years (third DT in the rotation - not a great player, but a good guy to have on the roster) These signings (and the Twisp trade) leave us with 35 players signed and $40.44m cap room free, so we have a bit of room for manoeuvre in free agency this year. We do have a few areas that need to be addressed, however: QB: Need a decent backup behind Hutchins (as this really hurt us last year) - Dwayne Joseph would be a decent guy to resign RB: Von Hagel and Pond are startable, but would be nice to find a better RB as our starter if possible WR: Samanta and Rosano are solid starters, but we only have Musial signed behind them OL: Need some quality depth, particularly at tackle DL: This group is getting a bit old, so at least one good young player is needed here LB: Would be nice to find a better starter than Knoblett at SLB, and quality depth also needed DB: This group is also getting up there in years - we have one solid young starter (CB Jordan), but need to bring in more young talent Looking at the draft, it doesn't look like a particularly strong batch of rookies, but I should be able to pick up at least one starter and some decent quality depth through draft picks. I'll definitely be going shopping in free agency, though... Looking at what our free agents are looking for, I need to change plans almost immediately - QB Dwayne Joseph, the guy we were hoping would be our backup, is looking for almost $5m over 2 years (which I should have expected - he did start 9 games for us last year...), which is a bit more than I'm looking to pay a backup QB... S Leon valentino receives an offer of $20.38m over 4 years from St. Louis - he's in his 8th year, and I'm unwilling to pay that much money to someone approaching the end of his career, so I don't try to compete - he signs for the Rams in week 5. I sit out the first few stages of free agency to let prices come down a little on the guys I'm looking at, and start making offers in week 6: QB Sammie Lake (7th year, 33/47) - $2.06m over 2 years (signed week 6 - looks to be a solid backup, doesn't have a history of interceptions, and is a decent fit for the offence) TE Xavier Sudnik (7th year, 27/27) - $2.06m over 2 years (signed week 7 - purely for his abilities on special teams) FL Ray Sims (11th year, 49/49) - $3.75m over 2 years (signed week 9 - slowing down now, but still a good receiver, particularly in the system we're going to run) C Darrin Watkins (6th year, 38/38) - $1.86m over 2 years (signed week 6 - decent backup, good long snapper, position group leader) RT Thurman Isaac (4th year, 39/39) - $3.00m over 2 years (signed week 7 - can play both LT and RT, decent pass blocker) LDE Will Hasan (6th year, 40/42) - $1.88m over 2 years (signed week 8 - decent against the run and can rush the passer) RDE Moe Rivers (7th year, 39/39) - $2.06m over 2 years (signed week 6 - important part of our D-line) RCB Glenn Denney (4th year, 45/45) - $1.93m over 2 years (signed week 6 - good cover corner, and will help out on special teams/returns) FS Dale Lester (6th year, 48/48) - $4.00m over 3 years (signed week 6 - solid player who looks to be a capable starter) These signings leave us with 44 players signed and $31.70m cap room free (before allowing for the expected cost of rookie contracts). This is a lot of cap room when the top-end free agents are gone, but there are a few key players who need new contracts, most notably LG Zack Martin and WLB Shannon Long. Renegotiated contracts: LG Zack Martin: $58.8m over 6 years (including $18m bonus) WLB Shannon Long: $50.00m over 5 years (including $15m bonus) LCB Lorenzo Marsh: $7.24m over 2 years (still a solid player, and gives him a slightly lower cap number this year) |
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01-31-2007, 01:43 PM
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#74 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 draft
We have 8 picks this year - our own picks in rounds 1 through 7 (picking between 5 and 9 in each round, with the first-rounder being the 8th overall pick), plus 4.2, obtained from trading RB Bo Twisp. While we've filled a few holes through free agency, there are still some areas that need to be addressed: - QB depth - starter at RB (we can get by with the guys we have, but may be able to find a rookie who does a better job) - depth at receiver - offensive line depth - a quality starter at LDE (my current thoughts are to move McKenzie inside to DT, where he will replace Blaine Andrews (10th year, last year of his current contract), and find someone who'll provide a bit more pass rush from LDE - depth at LB - a starting safety, plus some solid younger players at backup CB Looking at the draft board, there are two very highly-rated DEs (Jesse Reeves (7.3/8.1) and Rod Salerno (7.0/7.7)) who would be able to step in and start immediately - both have had outstanding combines, and look to be the real deal. Unfortunately, I would be very surprised if these guys don't go off the board very quickly - my feel is that I'd probably have to trade up to at least 1.4 or 1.5 to have a chance at getting one of them (and that is likely to cost me either my second-rounder this year or first-rounder next year, neither of which I want to give up if I can avoid it). The next guy down (Gino McConnell (5.8/6.4)) isn't quite as good a prospect, but still looks to be a guy who would develop into a high-end starter - 1.8 may be a bit high for him in terms of value for the pick, but taking him certainly appears to fill a need. Another option is to use the first-rounder on a quality replacement for Bo Twisp - there are two backs who I'd expect to be taken in the top 10 (Wendell Brown (6.9/7.3) and Dan Snodgrass (6.3/6.7)), who both look like franchise-quality RBs (Brown in particular, who looks to be everything you'd want out of a running back - fast, agile, good blocker, good hands). There are some decent options further down, though, who project as capable starters, so it may be a better use of draft picks to get the back I'm looking for in the second or third round. The third option that comes to mind is to take a quality receiver at 1.8 - this draft isn't that deep at wide receiver, but there are a couple of guys there who would be useful additions. Pat Sheldon (5.8/6.0) is the top prospect at this position, and would be a decent fit in the short passing system I intend to use. DE Jesse Reeves is taken at 1.2, which is about where he should be going - the initial rating of 60/79 is about right too. Salerno slides a bit, as 3 QBs are taken in the top 5 (Keith May, taken 1st overall, looks to be worth the high pick (rated 40/80), while Marcus Reynolds (1.3) is raw but talented (17/69) - the Rams definitely reached in taking Marcus Jeffries at 1.5, though, as he's initially rated at 20/41). At this point, I feel it's worth looking at trading up - the Redskins are willing to take a second-round pick next year to drop down two spots, and we take DE Rod Salerno at 1.6. He's initially rated at 46/72, but I would hope that he turns out a bit better than that. Of the other guys I was looking at, RB Brown was taken 4th overall (rated 60/72), RB Snodgrass at 1.8 (49/76), WR Sheldon was taken at 1.12 (35/61) and DE McConnell at 1.18 (35/73). I would like to go after one of RB, WR and DB with our second round pick - there appears to be reasonable depth at RB and WR, so the pick here is FS Jumbo Hopkins, who will need time to develop, but is projected as a solid starter - initial rating is 21/66, but he should be able to help out on special teams while he learns the nuances of playing safety in the pros. With the depth at WR still looking pretty good, the third round pick is used to add another back to the race to replace Bo Twisp - Roosevelt Walsh is definitely not going to run away from defenders, but he looks to be pretty good at everything else a running back needs. He also had one of the better combines among the RBs (19 strength reps, 7.17 agility, over 10 feet on broad jump, good position drill). He's initially rated at 39/51 - if that rating holds up and he has a solid training camp, he's favourite to open the season as our starting RB. With two picks early in the fourth round, we have a chance to find a decent WR and also deal with one of the other areas of need. While there are a few WRs I like remaining on the board at this point, SE Adam Barker looks to be the best fit for our offence - our scouts rate him as 21/45 initially, but this pick was intended to deal with WR depth, as it's a big ask to get a starting-calibre player this far down the draft. The second fourth-rounder goes on LCB Nicky Strong, a pure cover corner who will hopefully contribute in nickel and dime packages as well as on special teams - he's initially rated at 27/52. With only 2 QBs signed at this point, I was always looking to take a QB at some point in the draft - the fifth round is usually a good place for this, as this means you get in before the AI starts going after QBs again (after reaching for QBs through most of the first round). The two players I'm most interested in are Archie Westbrook (not a running threat, doesn't have great passing skills, but very solid intangibles - would be able to run the offence we plan to use) and Ray Perroni (good runner, reasonable passer, good intangibles, decent combine) - both have similar development and knowledge of formations. Perroni is the pick here, as he looks to have a slightly better upside from what I can see at the moment - our scouting team's initial impression is 17/54. (Archie Westbrook was picked at 6.20, with initial rating of 17/44.) Depth at linebacker is a real issue at the moment, as we really don't have anyone that I would be happy to fill in should one of our starters go down. It's asking a lot to find that level of player this deep in the draft, but MLB Julio Glover looks like an improvement on our current backups at least - his initial rating of 14/50 is a bit of a surprise, as his profile suggested that he would be a bit more developed. Our last pick of the draft goes on a guy who doesn't look like much of a player, but had a very decent combine - FL Rex Murray is fast (4.44 40), agile (under 7 seconds) and strong by WR standards (22 reps), and is worth taking a flyer on with a 7th-rounder. He's only rated at 22/34 right now, but I would hope that he'll have a decent camp after that solid combine. If not, it's not like this pick is going to ruin the team! One roster move before we head into the late free agency period - veteran C David Place is a bit miffed that he was relegated to the bench behind rookie Thomas Dawson last year. Place is in his 12th year, and is unlikely to see much playing time this year either, so I make the call to release him from the last year of his contract. He's been a solid starter for us for a long time, but would be struggling to make the team this year. Five of our rookies accept their initial contract offers - inevitably, two of the guys who decide to wait for another offer are DE Salerno and S Hopkins, our first two picks (the other is 4th-round pick Strong). Offers made in late free agency (rookie free agents unless otherwise stated): QB James Ritchey (15/54) - $930k over 2 years (best of the rookie free agent QBs - signed week 3) RG Carl Bennett (11/48) - $930k over 2 years (not going to be brilliant, but has potential to be a decent blocker - signed week 3) RT Tyrell Scott (20/35) - $930k over 2 years (a guy I had thought about drafting - solid combine - signed week 1) P Rex Koumentakos (39/61) - $930k over 2 years (looks to be an upgrade over Peyrouse - still good hang time, but a stronger leg - signed week 2) SLB Burt McGlockton (17/48) - $930k over 2 years (my type of backup - decent potential, and good special teamer - signed week 3) SLB Ricky Adamski (10th year, 52/52) - $6.31m over 2 years (solid player, and we have plenty of cap room to bring him back - signed week 5) The three unsigned rookies accept the contracts we offer before training camp, meaning we go to camp with 57 players signed and $8.10m cap room free. |
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01-31-2007, 01:48 PM
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#75 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Rookies before and after camp
Code:
The usual drop in potential for many of our rookies, but the one exception is the guy I was most hoping to buck the trend, first-rounder DE Rod Salerno. He's a bit undersized, but looks to be an immediate starter on our defensive line. 2015 roster We currently have 57 players on the roster, so 4 cuts to be made. Code:
With the above cuts (and signings) leaving us with 54 on the roster, DE Will Hasan is the last guy to be cut - he was going to be the 5th defensive end on the depth chart, so was unlikely to see much playing time. While this leaves us with only 7 defensive linemen on the roster (and only 3 DTs), LDE Spencer McKenzie is capable of playing inside if needed, so we should have enough solid players to get by on the D-line, unless we get a couple of big injuries. |
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02-02-2007, 05:45 AM
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#76 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 Preseason
A slight change in gameplan on the offensive side this year - as we no longer have a franchise back, I'm moving the balance of the offence a bit more towards the pass (although the intention is still to have a relatively balanced offence). No changes have been made to the defensive gameplan. Week 2: Denver 7-30 Philadelphia A good performance from our backups, with both rookie QBs looking decent. Rookie RB Walsh (23/87) also had a decent game, while the defence did a good job of keeping the Broncos in check, and added a late TD on a Wally Ross interception. Week 3: Philadelphia 23-0 New Jersey Running game and defence were the keys here, with backup RB Von Hagel (16-104) leading the offence, and the defence forcing the Jets to turn it over 4 times. Week 4: Philadelphia 14-24 Kansas City Our young QBs were due a down game, and so it arrived - both threw an interception as the Chiefs controlled this one from start to finish. RB Von Hagel continued his good preseason form with 82 yards on only 9 carries. Week 5: Buffalo 21-22 Philadelphia Everyone came safely through the last preseason game, with all of our starters seeing significant playing time to get them ready for the regular season. The Eagles won the game, which is nice, but not really all that big a deal. The only casualty of the preseason was backup LT Tyrell Scott, who will miss most of the regular season with plantar fasciitis. |
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02-02-2007, 05:46 AM
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#77 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 Regular Season
Week 1: Philadelphia 13-10 washington The blueprint to many of the wins in our Bowl-winning season was that the offence put up enough points, then the defence closed it out - that's exactly what happened here. The offence, led by QB Hutchins (21/25-159-0-0) and RB Walsh (17-92-1) put the points on the board, and the defence forced the Redskins to punt on every possession in the second half until they turned it over on downs with 44 seconds remaining. Week 2: Philadelphia (1-0) 20-23 Buffalo (1-0) Spotting an opponent a 17-point start isn't usually very good for your chances of winning a game... QB Hutchins (22/38-175-1-3) struggled with the need to come from behind, as the Eagles called 38 passes to 18 runs. SS Wally Ross will miss the next couple of months with a back injury suffered during this game. Week 3: Philadelphia (1-1) 20-17 Green Bay (2-0) Our season-opening three game road trip ended with a win, despite another slow start - the Packers led 10-0 midway through the second quarter. SLB Ricky Adamski led the defence with 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 pass blocks and an interception, while QB Hutchins (20/30-219-1-1) and WR Samanta (7-109-1) were the backbone of the offence. Our injury problems at safety continue, with FS Dale Lester out for at least a month with a broken collar bone. Rookie FS Jumbo Hopkins will get the start in week 4. Week 4: Atlanta (3-0) 27-28 Philadelphia (2-1) The defence gave up over 400 yards of total offence, but came up big in the clutch - defending a 1-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Falcons started at ATL 40, ATL 29 and PHI 45, but couldn't put any points on the board. QB Hutchins (16/21-177-2-0) was solid and efficient, and WR Samanta had a 47-yard TD catch and a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD. Week 5: New Orleans (0-4) 0-37 Philadelphia (3-1) There are good reasons for New Orleans being winless so far, and the Eagles highlighted most of them in this game. QB Hutchins (25/29-220-2-0) and WR Samanta (8-120-1, plus an 81-yard punt return TD) led the offence for the second consecutive week, while the defence hassled the Saints QB all game, with 6 sacks, 4 hurries, 4 knockdowns and 2 picks. Week 6: Philadelphia (4-1) 10-16 Carolina (1-4) 13 points in the fourth quarter brought the Panthers from behind to claim the victory. The Eagles defence had little response to the efficient passing of Carolina QB Tyrell Cook (20/22-203-1-0), and the offence struggled to mount consistent drives. Week 7: Philadelphia (4-2) 17-6 Tampa Bay (3-3) A solid team performance led to another road win for the Eagles. Hutchins (20/26-132-0-0) and Walsh (28-99-2) led the offence on several long drives, while the defence made it hard for the Tampa passing game to get in gear with 4 sacks of the Bucs QB and CB Jordan's 4 passes defenced. Week 8: Philadelphia (5-2) 27-13 New York (3-3) RB Roosevelt Walsh (26-149), with solid support from his offensive line, was the key to this victory as the Eagles pounded it out on the ground for a change. The defence also played its part, holding the Giants out of the end zone after an early TD. This victory was not without a price, however, as veteran CBs Lorenzo Marsh and Phillip Crane both picked up serious injuries - Crane may be able to play again this season if the Eagles go deep into the playoffs, but Marsh is done for the year, and has been placed on IR. 4th-year CB Isaac Rasmussen (36/36 was signed as a replacement. Midway through the season, the Eagles are one game out of the division lead, held by Dallas at 7-1, but have 6 home games to look forward to in the second half of the regular season. Mid-season summary Code:
A solid start to the year, with things working well on both sides of the ball. Rookie RB Walsh has proved to be a good choice to be our featured back, and WR Samanta is now definitely our leading receiver - would be nice to find someone to act as a solid foil for him on the other side, though. On defence, there are no real standouts, but pretty much everyone who's seen playing time has played well - yardage numbers aren't all that good, but I can live with giving up only 14 points a game. |
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02-02-2007, 05:47 AM
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#78 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 Regular Season
Week 1: Philadelphia 13-10 washington The blueprint to many of the wins in our Bowl-winning season was that the offence put up enough points, then the defence closed it out - that's exactly what happened here. The offence, led by QB Hutchins (21/25-159-0-0) and RB Walsh (17-92-1) put the points on the board, and the defence forced the Redskins to punt on every possession in the second half until they turned it over on downs with 44 seconds remaining. Week 2: Philadelphia (1-0) 20-23 Buffalo (1-0) Spotting an opponent a 17-point start isn't usually very good for your chances of winning a game... QB Hutchins (22/38-175-1-3) struggled with the need to come from behind, as the Eagles called 38 passes to 18 runs. SS Wally Ross will miss the next couple of months with a back injury suffered during this game. Week 3: Philadelphia (1-1) 20-17 Green Bay (2-0) Our season-opening three game road trip ended with a win, despite another slow start - the Packers led 10-0 midway through the second quarter. SLB Ricky Adamski led the defence with 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 pass blocks and an interception, while QB Hutchins (20/30-219-1-1) and WR Samanta (7-109-1) were the backbone of the offence. Our injury problems at safety continue, with FS Dale Lester out for at least a month with a broken collar bone. Rookie FS Jumbo Hopkins will get the start in week 4. Week 4: Atlanta (3-0) 27-28 Philadelphia (2-1) The defence gave up over 400 yards of total offence, but came up big in the clutch - defending a 1-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Falcons started at ATL 40, ATL 29 and PHI 45, but couldn't put any points on the board. QB Hutchins (16/21-177-2-0) was solid and efficient, and WR Samanta had a 47-yard TD catch and a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD. Week 5: New Orleans (0-4) 0-37 Philadelphia (3-1) There are good reasons for New Orleans being winless so far, and the Eagles highlighted most of them in this game. QB Hutchins (25/29-220-2-0) and WR Samanta (8-120-1, plus an 81-yard punt return TD) led the offence for the second consecutive week, while the defence hassled the Saints QB all game, with 6 sacks, 4 hurries, 4 knockdowns and 2 picks. Week 6: Philadelphia (4-1) 10-16 Carolina (1-4) 13 points in the fourth quarter brought the Panthers from behind to claim the victory. The Eagles defence had little response to the efficient passing of Carolina QB Tyrell Cook (20/22-203-1-0), and the offence struggled to mount consistent drives. Week 7: Philadelphia (4-2) 17-6 Tampa Bay (3-3) A solid team performance led to another road win for the Eagles. Hutchins (20/26-132-0-0) and Walsh (28-99-2) led the offence on several long drives, while the defence made it hard for the Tampa passing game to get in gear with 4 sacks of the Bucs QB and CB Jordan's 4 passes defenced. Week 8: Philadelphia (5-2) 27-13 New York (3-3) RB Roosevelt Walsh (26-149), with solid support from his offensive line, was the key to this victory as the Eagles pounded it out on the ground for a change. The defence also played its part, holding the Giants out of the end zone after an early TD. This victory was not without a price, however, as veteran CBs Lorenzo Marsh and Phillip Crane both picked up serious injuries - Crane may be able to play again this season if the Eagles go deep into the playoffs, but Marsh is done for the year, and has been placed on IR. 4th-year CB Isaac Rasmussen (36/36 was signed as a replacement. Midway through the season, the Eagles are one game out of the division lead, held by Dallas at 7-1, but have 6 home games to look forward to in the second half of the regular season. Mid-season summary Code:
A solid start to the year, with things working well on both sides of the ball. Rookie RB Walsh has proved to be a good choice to be our featured back, and WR Samanta is now definitely our leading receiver - would be nice to find someone to act as a solid foil for him on the other side, though. On defence, there are no real standouts, but pretty much everyone who's seen playing time has played well - yardage numbers aren't all that good, but I can live with giving up only 14 points a game. |
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02-02-2007, 05:55 AM
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#79 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 Regular Season
Week 1: Philadelphia 13-10 washington The blueprint to many of the wins in our Bowl-winning season was that the offence put up enough points, then the defence closed it out - that's exactly what happened here. The offence, led by QB Hutchins (21/25-159-0-0) and RB Walsh (17-92-1) put the points on the board, and the defence forced the Redskins to punt on every possession in the second half until they turned it over on downs with 44 seconds remaining. Week 2: Philadelphia (1-0) 20-23 Buffalo (1-0) Spotting an opponent a 17-point start isn't usually very good for your chances of winning a game... QB Hutchins (22/38-175-1-3) struggled with the need to come from behind, as the Eagles called 38 passes to 18 runs. SS Wally Ross will miss the next couple of months with a back injury suffered during this game. Week 3: Philadelphia (1-1) 20-17 Green Bay (2-0) Our season-opening three game road trip ended with a win, despite another slow start - the Packers led 10-0 midway through the second quarter. SLB Ricky Adamski led the defence with 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2 pass blocks and an interception, while QB Hutchins (20/30-219-1-1) and WR Samanta (7-109-1) were the backbone of the offence. Our injury problems at safety continue, with FS Dale Lester out for at least a month with a broken collar bone. Rookie FS Jumbo Hopkins will get the start in week 4. Week 4: Atlanta (3-0) 27-28 Philadelphia (2-1) The defence gave up over 400 yards of total offence, but came up big in the clutch - defending a 1-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Falcons started at ATL 40, ATL 29 and PHI 45, but couldn't put any points on the board. QB Hutchins (16/21-177-2-0) was solid and efficient, and WR Samanta had a 47-yard TD catch and a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD. Week 5: New Orleans (0-4) 0-37 Philadelphia (3-1) There are good reasons for New Orleans being winless so far, and the Eagles highlighted most of them in this game. QB Hutchins (25/29-220-2-0) and WR Samanta (8-120-1, plus an 81-yard punt return TD) led the offence for the second consecutive week, while the defence hassled the Saints QB all game, with 6 sacks, 4 hurries, 4 knockdowns and 2 picks. Week 6: Philadelphia (4-1) 10-16 Carolina (1-4) 13 points in the fourth quarter brought the Panthers from behind to claim the victory. The Eagles defence had little response to the efficient passing of Carolina QB Tyrell Cook (20/22-203-1-0), and the offence struggled to mount consistent drives. Week 7: Philadelphia (4-2) 17-6 Tampa Bay (3-3) A solid team performance led to another road win for the Eagles. Hutchins (20/26-132-0-0) and Walsh (28-99-2) led the offence on several long drives, while the defence made it hard for the Tampa passing game to get in gear with 4 sacks of the Bucs QB and CB Jordan's 4 passes defenced. Week 8: Philadelphia (5-2) 27-13 New York (3-3) RB Roosevelt Walsh (26-149), with solid support from his offensive line, was the key to this victory as the Eagles pounded it out on the ground for a change. The defence also played its part, holding the Giants out of the end zone after an early TD. This victory was not without a price, however, as veteran CBs Lorenzo Marsh and Phillip Crane both picked up serious injuries - Crane may be able to play again this season if the Eagles go deep into the playoffs, but Marsh is done for the year, and has been placed on IR. 4th-year CB Isaac Rasmussen (36/36 was signed as a replacement. Midway through the season, the Eagles are one game out of the division lead, held by Dallas at 7-1, but have 6 home games to look forward to in the second half of the regular season. Mid-season summary Code:
A solid start to the year, with things working well on both sides of the ball. Rookie RB Walsh has proved to be a good choice to be our featured back, and WR Samanta is now definitely our leading receiver - would be nice to find someone to act as a solid foil for him on the other side, though. On defence, there are no real standouts, but pretty much everyone who's seen playing time has played well - yardage numbers aren't all that good, but I can live with giving up only 14 points a game. |
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02-04-2007, 04:34 PM
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#80 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Week 9: Washington (2-6) 14-26 Philadelphia (6-2)
I had bad feelings about this being a 'trap' game (against a weaker team as we finally get another home game), but the team came through with a solid performance. Hutchins (18/26-163-2-1) and Walsh (30-111) led the offence, with RT Huffman (6/8 KRB, 1 pancake) leading the way, and four of our defensive linemen recorded sacks. Week 10: Dallas (7-2) 28-21 Philadelphia (7-2) Big plays were our downfall in this game - after pulling back within a point at 14-13, the Cowboys hit a 71-yard TD pass to go 8 ahead. After a Hutchins to Samanta TD pass tied it with just over 2 minutes to play, Dallas hit an 80-yard TD pass the other way for the final points of the game. Apart from that, the game went well - Hutchins (24/37-204-2-0), Walsh (18-107) and Samanta (5-71-1) were solid, the offensive line played well and the defence (apart from the big plays) held the Cowboys in check. Rookie RB Roosevelt Walsh broke a collar bone in this game, and will miss the next month - Singleton and Von Hagel will fill in while he's out. Week 11: Bye - much needed to help the guys get over some niggling injuries. At this point, I decided to tweak my defensive gameplan - our second cornerback isn't a shut-down guy now, so we're going to give him some safety help a bit of the time. Week 12: Philadelphia (7-3) 24-3 Miami (5-5) It's not often you get a QB with figures like these - Hutchins 24/31-163-3-0 (with all three TD passes to FL Samanta) and he doesn't get game MVP, but it happened here. CB Jerome Jordan had 5 tackles, 2 passes defenced, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery as part of a solid defensive performance to earn the MVP. Week 13: Arizona (7-4) 10-20 Philadelphia (8-3) The first game of four in a row at home, so it was important to get the win here. A solid team performance got the job done - the offence put the points on the board (with Hutchins (18/23-177-1-0) putting in another good shift), the defence kept the Cardinals in check, and the special teams did their usual efficient job. Week 14: New Jersey (5-7) 7-26 Philadelphia (9-3) QB Hutchins (32/38-263-2-0) had the best game of his career so far, and the defence limited the Jets to 207 total yards and 10 first downs in a comfortable win. CB Jordan and SLB Knoblett picked off the Jets' QB in the fourth to snuff out any hope of a comeback. TE Lewis Cox broke his leg in this game, and will be out for the rest of the season - he was put on IR after the game, with 11th-year TE Deron Jacomy being signed to take his spot. With two games to go in the regular season, the Eagles are currently the 1st wild card team - Dallas (11-2) are ahead of us in the NFC East (and we go to Dallas in week 17), with Atlanta also at 11-2. Week 15: New York (5-8) 10-20 Philadelphia (10-3) This one didn't look good midway through the second quarter, with the Giants 10-0 ahead, but the Eagles took control of the game from then on. The Giants didn't make it into Eagle territory the rest of the way, and the Philadelphia offence clicked into gear behind QB Hutchins (26/36-269-1-0). CB Jerome Jordan had another good game, with 4 passes defenced and a pick. Week 16: New England (6-8) 22-21 Philadelphia (11-3) A frustrating game, as both Dallas and Atlanta (the two teams ahead of us in the conference) both lost as well. The Patriots deserved the win, though, as they were able to run up 477 yards of offence in this game - the Eagles can thank solid red zone defence (Pats had 5 field goals) and special teams (90-yard kick return for TD from Samanta) for keeping it this close. Going into the last game of the regular season, the Eagles are guaranteed a playoff spot, and will be the #5 seed if we don't beat Dallas in week 17. Things get interesting if Philadelphia beat the Cowboys, though - the team that wins the division will be no worse than the #2 seed (i.e. week off!), and I think we would come out on top in the tiebreaker... Week 17: Philadelphia (11-4) 15-29 Dallas (12-3) Looks like we'll have to do things the hard way... No complaints again - beaten by the better team on the day. After driving for a field goal to lead 15-14 on the first possession of the second half, the Cowboys shut the Eagles offence down, and were able to put up 15 more points of their own. QB Hutchins (21/32-215-1-2) had a decent game, but was picked off twice by Dallas CB Artie Parnell. The loss means that Philadelphia are the first wild card team (seeded #5 in the NFC playoffs), and will travel to Seattle for a wild card playoff matchup. |
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02-04-2007, 04:35 PM
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#81 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 Playoffs
Wild Card Round The #5-seeded Eagles travel to Seattle to face the NFC West Division Champion Seahawks, seeded #4. Seattle are a relatively balanced team, with QB Killian a solid manager rather than a guy who can win games on his own, and RBs Nelson and Woods operating in a RB-by-committee setup. The defence is decent rather than brilliant in terms of yardage, but forces a lot of turnovers, a big reason for the Seahawks being +11 on turnovers during the season. Seattle started the game strongly, moving purposefully down the field on their opening possession - 12 plays, 78 yards, 3-yard Woods TD run, Seahawks lead 7-0. Both offences stalled for the remainder of the first quarter, but Philadelphia's renowned special teams unit provided a spark for the Eagles as Sudnik forced the punt returner to fumble - Dawkins recovered at the Seahawks 15. Hutchins found TE Jacomy with two short passes, including the touchdown pass from 3 yards out to tie it up at 7. After a Seattle drive petered out near midfield, the Eagles drove downfield - Seattle's defence forced a field goal try, though, and Oden missed wide right from 44 yards out. The Seahawks took advantage of the resulting good field position to drive into range for a field goal try of their own, and K Patel hit the 47-yarder to put Seattle up 10-7. Hutchins was intercepted on Philadelphia's next drive, and the Seahawks again took advantage - Killian finding WR Enzi with a 16-yard TD pass just inside the 2-minute warning. Eagles QB Hutchins regrouped, and led a smooth 2-minute drill down the field, with Oden's field goal making the score 17-10 Seahawks at the half. The Eagles got the ball first in the third quarter, and kept the momentum of their last drive going by marching down the field - the drive ended when C Dawson sprung RB Walsh for a 20-yard TD run, making it 17-all early in the third quarter. After a Seattle three and out, the Philadelphia offence just kept on marching, but stalled in long field goal range. Oden made up for his earlier miscue by drilling his 45-yard kick right down the middle to give the Eagles their first lead of the game at 20-17. Seattle came back with a nice drive of their own, reaching the Philadelphia 26 before CB Jordan picked off Killian and snuffed out the scoring threat. The turnover led to another 3 points, with Oden hitting a 50-yarder this time. As was the case in their Bowl-winning run two years ago, the Eagles defence took over the game from this point on - Seattle didn't get into scoring range the rest of the way until it was too late. Another Oden field goal at the two-minute warning rounded off the scoring, and Jordan made his second interception of the day to snuff out Seattle's final drive. After winning this game 26-17, the Eagles advance to play #1-seeded Atlanta in the divisional round. Divisional Round Another road trip, this time to face the 13-3 Falcons, the #1 seed in the NFC. Even after a bye week, Atlanta are banged up - their injury report has about 15 players on it, with 7 listed as 'out'. This is a classic playoff team - an offence based around running the ball but with the threat of a big-play passing game, and a solid defence that makes opponents work for every yard and comes up with plenty of turnovers. This is not a team of stars, though - definitely a group of guys who play well as a team, with the whole being better than the sum of the parts. A promising opening drive from the Eagles was derailed by a couple of procedure penalties, forcing a punt, which pinned the Falcons back deep in their own end. Atlanta made light of the good field position, though, driving down the field with relative ease - the 91-yard drive was finished off by RB Lorch, who scored from 5 yards out to put the Falcons up 7-0. The Philadelphia offence responded in the best way possible, though, putting together an impressive drive of their own - short yardage back Singleton pounding it in on a 1-yard TD run to tie it at 7 on the first play of the second quarter. The rest of the second quarter was all about the defences, with neither offence able to get into scoring position until the Falcons were able to set up a 56-yard field goal try just before time expired - K Gionfriddo hit the long kick to give the Falcons a 10-7 lead at the half. Philadelphia kicked off the second half, and the Falcons stretched their lead without their offence needing to take the field - KR Canada took the kickoff all the way back, 94 yards for the TD that put Atlanta up by 10. Undeterred, the Eagles offence took the field - 17 plays later, RB Von Hagel took the ball in for a 2-yard TD to cap an 80-yard drive that had taken nine and a half minutes, making it 17-14 to the home team. After forcing a three and out, the Eagles drove into Falcons territory, but stalled just outside of Oden's range, and had to punt the ball away. Atlanta were in possession at the start of the fourth quarter, but both defences played it tough on the next few drives. Philadelphia finally broke the shackles midway through the quarter, putting together a 43-yard drive into field goal range - Oden booted it through from 45 yards to tie the game at 17 with just over 4 minutes left. This was plenty of time for the Falcons to put a scoring drive together, though, and that's what they did, mixing run and pass on an impressive 67-yard drive, ended when RB Lorch scored his second TD of the day, giving the Falcons a 7-point lead with less than two minutes to play. A good kick put the ball in the endzone, meaning Philadelphia needed to drive it 80 yards for the tying score. With one last chance to save the game, the Eagles went with the arm of Keith Hutchins to move the ball down the field - the defence was too strong, though, and the Eagles were unable to muster a first down, turning the ball over on downs deep inside their own territory. Game over? Not quite - a thumping tackle by Lester and Long jarred the ball loose on the Falcons' next play, and DT Andrews dropped on the ball to give Philadelphia another one last chance, starting at their own 27 with 61 seconds left. That used up the miracles for this game, though, as the Atlanta defence forced another turnover on downs. A hard-fought game, but the Falcons advance to the Championship Game, beating the Eagles 24-17. A tough way to end the season, but it's a big ask to go to play the #1 seed in their own stadium and come away with the victory - we definitely had chances to win this game, but it wasn't to be. Dallas upset Atlanta on the road to win the NFC Championship, then comfortably beat Oakland 34-17 in the Bowl game. |
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02-04-2007, 04:36 PM
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#82 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2015 Season Summary
Code:
A good season for the team, but not quite good enough - we finished a couple of games away from the division title (an inability to beat Dallas really hurt us there...), and couldn't overcome our low seeding in the playoffs. On offence, Keith Hutchins continued to show that Cleveland made a big mistake in not giving him a chance to play with his best season so far. Rookie RB Walsh had a few problems holding onto the ball, but was productive as our main runner. Antoine Samanta finally started to establish himself as a true #1 reciever (and was a constant threat on kick and punt returns all year). The key to the solid offensive production was a good performance from the offensive line - of our starters, only LT Tanner hit less than 30% of his key run block opportunities, and Hutchins was sacked only 20 times all year. LG Martin was our best lineman, which came as no surprise to anyone, but 2nd year C Dawson also had a very good year (always nice when a low-round pick turns out to be a quality player!). On defence, the yardage numbers weren't as good as in previous years, but this was a bit of a transition year, with quite a few of the starters in our Bowl-winning year now reaching the end of their careers. The standout as our defensive MVP was CB Jerome Jordan, who came into the league with high expectations, and has exceeded pretty much every expectation that was made of him - he is now a true shut-down corner, a guy you can use to take one side of the field out of play. The linebackers were solid all year, with Knoblett now looking like a solid starter to go alongside Long and Tayoun. The defensive line was probably the weak point, with the pass rush struggling a bit this year - rookie DE Salerno was solid, but didn't produce big numbers, while Rivers and Turner were less effective than in previous years - this is still an area that needs attention. Special teams were again solid, with Sudnik and Rayburn more than justifying their roster spots on their special teams work alone. Samanta scored on both kick and punt returns, finishing with very solid averages for both, while K Oden hit on 30 of 35 field goals attempted. Rookie punter Koumentakos had an indifferent year, but was generally effective. 2015 Awards A few Eagles got a mention in the awards this year: LG Zack Martin: First Team All-Pro CB Jerome Jordan: First Team All-Pro C Thomas Dawson: First Team All-Pro Looking ahead to next year... The Eagles should remain in playoff contention, but there are definitely holes to be filled - the defensive line and secondary are aging, so younger players need to be brought in, and the offence would benefit from having one or two more playmakers to catch Hutchins' passes. It's going to be tough, though, with this year's Bowl winner in our division... |
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02-04-2007, 04:37 PM
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#83 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2016 season
Herb's evaluation for 2015: 66/66/51/82, for an overall score of 59 The team showed a loss of $9.48m on revenues of $183.2m last year - while slightly higher attendances raised revenues, the team paid out a lot of money in signing bonuses last year (a high draft pick, plus large renegotiated contracts with two of our best players will do that...) Two retirements this year - TE Lewis Cox, and his mid-season replacement TE Deron Jacomy. Lewis Cox was a 6th-round pick of the Eagles in the 2006 draft, and never played for another team. He ended up being a solid starter for most of his career, catching almost 300 passes for over 3000 yards, retiring as the Eagles leader in receptions. He was also a solid blocker and good special teams player. After enduring through the lean years, the Eagles won the Front Office Bowl in his 9th year. A broken leg late in the 2015 season caused him to hang up his cleats to end a solid, workmanlike career. Staff hiring No changes here, as all staff are under contract through this year. 2016 Free Agency The team starts the year with 43 players signed, and $30.70m of a $140.8m salary cap free. $4.87m of that salary cap space is expected to be used to sign this year's rookie draft picks - we pick between 24th and 26th in each round, and have a pick in each round except the 2nd (traded to Washington last year in order to move up and draft DE Rod Salerno). We have a few free agents this year, most notably SE Clifton Rosano, RDE Cornell Turner and RDT Blaine Andrews, but I don't anticipate trying to bring these guys back, as all of them are in their 11th year. The only free agent worth using the franchise tag on is K Matt Oden, who's in his 10th year, but has been consistently accurate through the time I've been GM. The franchise salary for kickers this year is $2.74m, which is certainly not a problem at this point - Oden is this year's franchise player. We have a few potential candidates for sending to the summer league - DE Rod Salerno is certainly an option, but he's developing pretty well as it is, and will see plenty of playing time in the coming season to continue that development. CB Nicky Strong and S Jumbo Hopkins would definitely benefit from some time in Europe, as would one of our 2nd-year QBs, Ray Perroni and James Ritchey. I decide to send S Hopkins, as he's likely to be required to start at safety sooner rather than later, and he will get plenty of playing time this year in nickel and dime packages in any case. We're still among the cheapest tickets in the league, so a small bump in ticket prices this year - from 40/50/65/75/175/75,000 to 45/55/70/85/200/85,000. At the start of the free agency period, Buffalo offer a trade for QB Keith Hutchins - they would give us a 3rd round pick and a good young RB in exchange. While the RB would be a useful addition, there's no way that I want to trade Hutchins at this point - while he's now in his 9th year (and will turn 30 before the season starts), he's still a very solid starting QB, and I've seen at first hand how hard it can be to find one of those! The trade offer is rejected. We have a few restricted free agents this year - the only two I'm looking to bring back are starting FB D.J. Troyer and backup guard Ty Burgess. Contracts renegotiated before the start of free agency proper: FB D.J. Troyer - 2 years, $1.81m RG Ty Burgess - 2 years, $1.81m K Matt Oden - 3 years, $9.81m (a lot of money for a kicker, but a solid kicker is a big weapon for a team like this) We have quite a few needs to be met in free agency and the draft this year - probably won't be able to meet them all, but will just have to see how it goes: TE: Find a starter to replace Lewis Cox WR: Need a guy to start opposite Samanta - Sims is our second best receiver, and he's really only suited to slot duty at this point in his career DE: LDE McKenzie is being moved inside to play tackle, so we need a guy to start opposite Salerno LB: The starters are decent, but depth is an issue DB: Need to find some younger guys to replace aging veterans, particularly at corner Our needs at WR and on the defensive line are partly caused by a decision to not offer contracts to free agents SE Clifton Rosano, RDE Cornell Turner and RDT Blaine Andrews - while all of these guys can still play, they're all in their 11th year, so resigning them would be a very short-term move. It's difficult to say which of these needs our first draft pick is most likely to fill, as we pick near the end of the round this year. The WR class looks fairly weak at the top end, with only 3 players looking worthy of a first-round grade. Defensive end is definitely a possibility, but the defensive backs available don't look to be all that promising. There are a few decent tight ends available, but using a late first-rounder on one may not be getting full value for the pick. Into free agency, then, and I decide to go after one of the higher-valued players for a change - WR Drew Adamov (6th year, 58/58) would be a solid starter opposite Samanta were we to sign him. I put in an offer of $21.20m over 4 years in week 4, which Adamov accepts in week 5. CB Isaac Rasmussen, a mid-season pick-up last year, is now a free agent, and a reasonable backup defensive back (5th year, 38/38) - he's also a CB mentor, so is a useful guy to have around. I was hanging back to let his price drop a little, but Tennessee come in with an offer in week 6 - we counter with a 2-year, $2.20m offer in week 7, which Rasmussen accepts. Not a signing which moves us a long way towards a younger secondary, but a good guy to have around if we do bring in a rookie corner. That's all we do in early free agency, leaving us with 48 players signed and $19.31m cap room free. |
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02-04-2007, 04:40 PM
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#84 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2016 Draft
Inevitably, most of the highly-rated rookie talent is off the board by the time pick 1.26 rolls round, including the three best receivers and most of the top defensive linemen. There are a few players worth taking here, though: QB Gabe Bush (4.7/5.4) - pocket passer with a strong arm, looks to be a solid prospect (if not in a need area) FB Barry Manard (6.3/5.1) - high for a fullback, but this guy looks to be a 10-year starter TE Donovan Schwantes (5.6/4.9) - raw but talented TE - definitely starter-quality in time FL Harvey Strickland (4.9/5.1) - not the best hands, but runs good routes and is elusive after the catch LG Vinny Kahle (5.8/5.5) - not a need position, but a definite value pick from a potential point of view - is raw, however RDE Perry Sampson (5.5/6.1) - best DE available, but more an all-round type than a big pass-rush threat LDE Grant Galloway (5.3/5.8) - another solid DE, but will need a lot of development time LDE Corwin Twisp (4.9/5.4) - undersized and not a big hitter, but the best pass-rusher available LDT Shane Grembowski (5.5/5.9) - projects as a DE, and would be a respectable pass-rusher who could play on first and second downs too SLB Mo Stephens (5.7/5.5) - best linebacker available - has the potential to be a top-end starter (and may be able to play DE too - currently 257lbs) RCB Leon Royse (4.8/4.9) - raw but talented corner - projects as a potential starter if given the right opportunities to develop Having to provide this big a list should be a good clue that none of the potential prospects stands out as a 'must-pick' at this point. LG Vinny Kahle would be an obvious pick if I needed help at any of the interior offensive line positions, but the guys we currently have on the roster are pretty solid (and relatively young!). TE Schwantes would be expected to start immediately at TE, but I'm not certain that he's going to develop as well as the current projections suggest. LDE Corwin Twisp is the obvious pick if I want to go after a pass-rushing defensive lineman, while RCB Royse would be a useful addition to our secondary this year, and should step up to start beside Jordan in the near future. While DE is a bigger need right now, I feel that I should be able to pick up someone who can help out later in the draft (or patch up this position through free agency this year and find a more permanent solution later), while a starting-calibre corner (which I feel Royse could potentially be) is a hard thing to find. The pick here is RCB Leon Royse, who is initially rated at 18/69. Having traded our second-round pick during last year's draft (in order to trade up and select DE Rod Salerno), we have another long wait before our next pick at 3.24. In passing, the players I was considering go off the board one by one: SLB Mo Stephens - 1.27 (35/64) LG Vinny Kahle - 1.28 (35/79) RDE Perry Sampson - 1.30 (27/51) FL Harvey Strickland - 1.32 (29/55) TE Donovan Schwantes - 2.1 (42/71) LDE Grant Galloway - 2.2 (26/66) FB Barry Manard - 2.4 (60/77) RDT Shane Grembowski - 2.5 (35/52) LDE Corwin Twisp - 2.14 (23/60) While QB Bush has not yet been picked when 3.24 finally comes around, I feel that there are picks that will do more for the team straight away. TE is still an obvious need, with Sammy Delmonico (4.6/4.0) looking to be the best still on the board - should be able to step in and play straight away, but is more of a receiving threat than a pounding blocker. Two pure pass-rushers are still available - LDE Juan Hansen (4.7/5.2) and LDE Jack Wade (4.8/5.3) don't offer much else, but would be useful additions on the defensive line. I feel, however, that there isn't much depth at TE, and that I'm better off going after a solid player while there is still a solid player on the board - our third round pick is TE Sammy Delmonico (initially rated at 27/51). The two defensive ends drop most of the way through to our next pick, but Wade (22/43) is taken by Miami five picks before the Eagles are on the clock again. I consider trading up to make sure of getting Hansen, but decide to take the risk - it pays off, as Hansen survives to 4.26. He's rated at 26/44 initially, but is likely to contribute in our nickel and dime sets straight away. The usual run on QBs late in the draft kicks in midway through the fifth round, and QB Gabe Bush is finally taken at 5.16 - he's initially rated at 20/58, so is probably a better prospect than some of the QBs taken in the first round! As always, depth is the main concern with our late-round picks. We're still a bit light on the defensive line, so the pick at 5.25 is NT Brenden Monroe, a guy who looks to be a solid two-way backup lineman - not sure if he'll end up at DT or DE yet, but we'll see how he pans out before camp. He's initially rated at a slightly disappointing 18/42. At 6.24, the pick is SE Fred Britton - while depth at WR isn't really much of an issue, Britton looks to be a 4th or 5th receiver and special teamer. 27/39 is Britton's initial rating, which is decent for a WR picked this late. Our last pick on the draft is a bit of a 'this guy looks interesting - why not?' pick - QB Jermaine Guevara doesn't fill a need or provide depth where needed, he's just a player I found too interesting to pass up. He had a decent combine, highlighted by a 4.55 40, has reasonable development for a late-round pick, and looks to be a decent fit for the short-passing offence we run. He's initially rated at 18/62, which is promising, but we'll wait to see how he goes in camp before anointing him as the successor to Keith Hutchins. Rookie contract negotiations went reasonably well, with only first-rounder Royse declining our initial offer. Into late free agency, and we have a few positions to look at here: RB - backup needed, with only Walsh and Von Hagel on the roster at the moment TE - we need a third servicable TE, as Sudnik is strictly special teams only now OL - worth raking around for a decent young backup DL - a decent backup interior lineman would be useful LB - while the starters are fine, the depth is poor (to the point where we could improve it by adding rookie free agents!) Offers made in late free agency (rookies unless otherwise stated): RB Ted Raaen (28/46) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 3) RB Chad Burnett (25/27) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 3) RB Ernie Greene (25/33) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 2) RB Dana Tiller (22/31) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 3) FB Juan Waldrop (22/54) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 2) TE Jerald Nestor (18/43) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 1) LT Glenn Bridgeman (12/45) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 3) RDT Reggie Necaise (25/36) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 2) RDT Ellis Hall (4th year, 37/37) - $2.14m over 2 years (signed week 3) WLB Marshall Robertson (16/41) - $960k over 2 years (signed week 1) A bit more action than normal, but I thought I'd try to bring in a few players (particularly at RB) to try them out. First-round pick RCB Royse signs a contract at the end of free agency, and the team heads to camp. |
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02-04-2007, 04:45 PM
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#85 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Rookies before and after camp
Code:
Definitely a bit of swings and roundabouts here - RCB Royse now looks to be a nickel back at best, but LDE Hansen may well be an every-down starter (and a serious bargain for a 4th-round pick - his breakout was sufficient to earn him a spot on the Green Page!)). RDT Necaise was a useful pickup, and has likely earned himself a roster spot (over free agent Hall) as our 4th defensive tackle. 2016 Roster With 64 players currently on the roster, there are quite a few cuts to make to get down to the 53 we'll take into the season. There are a few positions where we have a lot of players, though (notably RB, where I signed four rookie free agents hoping that two would be good enough to keep on the roster), so most of the cuts should be fairly straightforward. Code:
The cuts detailed above leave us with 54 players on the roster, so one more cut is required - the obvious candidates (to my mind) are one of the RBs (probably Von Hagel, who hasn't shown much in his two years with the team) or DE Brenden Monroe, who isn't likely to see a lot of playing time this year (as LDT Spencer McKenzie is perfectly capable of going back out to play defensive end if required). Monroe is the last cut, leaving us with our roster of 53 to start the season with. With plenty of cap room available, I offer starting MLB Vincent Tayoun an extension to his current contract - $7.80m over 3 years. |
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02-06-2007, 04:43 AM
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#86 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2016 preseason
No changes to gameplans this season - the offence seems to work fairly well, and the slight change in coverages on defence in the middle of last season seemed to get the D back where I want it to be. Week 2: Philadelphia 3-14 Kansas City With backups playing all over the place, the offence doesn't click at all - neither Perroni or Guevara are able to move the ball. Defensively, things look much better, with our backups at least keeping the Chiefs' offence in check. Week 3: New Jersey 20-9 Philadelphia A closer game than it looked, with the Eagles kicking three relatively short field goals, and one of the Jets' TDs coming on a kickoff return for a TD. QB Ray Perroni (19/22-129-0-1) put himself in good position to win the backup QB position, while RB Burnett (9-65 rush, 5-30 rec) was also solid. Week 4: Philadelphia 7-14 San Diego Nice first drive, not much thereafter on offence, decent without being spectacular on defence. Week 5: Buffalo 20-21 Philadelphia The starters are put in to give them a tune-up for the regular season opener, and (almost) normal service is resumed. The offence is much more consistent with Hutchins at the controls, and the defence gets a bit of pass rush and is solid against the run. A few minor injuries at this point, but nothing that's not going to heal within a few weeks, and nothing that affects any of our key players. |
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02-06-2007, 04:45 AM
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#87 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2016 Regular Season
Week 1: Philadelphia 3-34 New York A slow start to the season, with nothing really working in the season opener. The offence was off-key, and the defence struggled to contain the Giants, who had several long scoring drives. Week 2: Cincinnati (0-1) 7-24 Philadelphia (0-1) The first of four straight home games, and a much-needed win to start the run off. The Bengals racked up a lot of rushing yards, but struggled to pass the ball, which made it difficult to put points on the board. The Eagles offence was much more efficient, with Hutchins (28/34-199-1-1) spreading the ball around in his usual way. Starting C Thomas Dawson broke his leg in this game, and will be out of action for a couple of months. G Willie Jordan will slide over to fill in a C, with backup G Ty Burgess taking Jordan's place in the lineup. Week 3: Arizona (2-0) 10-16 Philadelphia (1-1) Not a vintage performance, but the team managed to grind out a win here. QB Hutchins (28/36-215-0-0) kept the offence ticking over, while the defence made it tough on the Arizona passing game - DE Salerno had 1.5 sacks, 3 hurries and a pass knockdown to lead the pass rush, while veterans Ross, Crane and Marsh combined for 7 pass defences and a pick. Week 4: Minnesota (3-0) 13-24 Philadelphia (2-1) Good solid performance to knock of an unbeaten team here - Hutchins (21/27-154-2-0) ran the offence efficiently, while the defence gave up some rushing yards, but managed to keep the Vikings passing game well under control. Backup LB McGlockton returned an interception for a TD, and CB Jordan had 4 pass defences to go with his interception. Week 5: Detroit (2-2) 14-17 Philadelphia (3-1) With the Lions keeping the Eagles passing game under control, RB Roosevelt Walsh took the game into his own hands, with 27 carries for 137 yards and both Philadelphia TDs. The Eagles defence did a great job of keeping one of the best passing offences in the league in check here. Week 6: Philadelphia (4-1) 20-27 Green Bay (3-2) Back on the road again after our month-long homestand. The Packers took advantage of the Eagles' recent weakness against the run, rolling up 186 yards on the ground. QB Hutchins (19/36-151-0-1) was uncharacteristically inaccurate as the Philly offence struggled for most of the day. Week 7: Philadelphia (4-2) 13-17 Washington (4-1) The Redskins completed a comeback from 13-0 down by scoring the go-ahead TD with less than 90 seconds left. While RB Walsh (22-118) had a good day, QB Hutchins (17/28-107-0-2) continued to struggle on the road. QB Keith Hutchins picked up a minor hand injury in this game - while he would be able to play, it will affect his performance, and playing him may risk serious injury. It's likely to be a game-time decision on whether or not he plays our next game. Week 8: Bye Week 9: Philadelphia (4-3) 17-20 Chicago (1-6) With Hutchins still banged up, Ray Perroni gets the start at QB in this game. He doesn't get off to a good start, throwing an interception on his first pass, leading to a Chicago TD, but plays a decent game after this (26/40-196-2-1), with good support from RB Walsh (21-101). The Bears managed to keep it close all the way, though, and sneaked the win with a late field goal. |
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02-06-2007, 04:46 AM
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#88 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Mid-season summary
Code:
4-0 at home, 0-4 on the road - this isn't a bad team, or we wouldn't be unbeaten at home, but it's obvious that not everything is right, and not just from the road record. On offence, the running game is decent, but we're not getting the ball down the field enough in the passing game - Walsh and Burnett are getting too many passes thrown their way. On the other side of the ball, our run defence is getting burned on a regular basis - the pass rush isn't as good as it might be, either. Definitely a few things to be fixed as we go into the second half of the regular season... |
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02-06-2007, 04:47 AM
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#89 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Week 10: New York (6-2) 13-17 Philadelphia (4-4)
With Hutchins still banged up, Ray Perroni got the start again this week - he didn't have a great game (15/21-85-0-1), but RB Walsh (29-129-1) was there to pick up the slack. The defence, led by CB Jordan (2 defences, 1 pick), DT Campbell (1.5 sacks, 2 knockdowns) and DE Hansen (1.5 sacks, 1 hurry) put in a solid showing, while special teams also contributed - FL Samanta took a kickoff back 90 yards for a TD. Big divisional win, as we hadn't won a divisional game up to this point - it also dropped the Giants back to 6-3, with Washington also losing this week to go back to 6-3. Week 11: Dallas (2-7) 10-13 Philadelphia (5-4) With the lowly Cowboys coming to town, Perroni got his third straight start with Hutchins not quite fully healthy. This decision looked like backfiring on me as Dallas dominated the game early on, leading 10-0 going into the fourth quarter. The team turned it up a notch in the last 15 minutes, though, putting together three long scoring drives, including 83 yards in the final 1:13 for the go-ahead field goal. Perroni (28/36-296-1-0) was the game MVP, with SE Adamov (10-117-1) and FL Sims (6-93) also having big games. With many of our niggling injuries finally clearing this week, we go into week 12 with only a couple of minor injuries outstanding - most notable is a clean bill of health for QB Keith Hutchins, who will start against Cleveland (a game he was really wanting to play, given how the Browns treated him after they drafted him first overall!) Week 12: Philadelphia (6-4) 20-3 Cleveland (3-7) A solid, clinical demonstration of how to dominate a lesser team on the road - the offence put in a good showing, with Hutchins (20/23-127-0-0) getting back into his usual accurate groove and the RB duo of Walsh (28-136-1) and Burnett (11-68) keeping the chains ticking over. The game MVP was a defensive player, however - DE Rod Salerno had 2.5 sacks, including a sack/fumble, which he returned 20 yards for a TD. Week 13: Philadelphia (7-4) 14-19 Tampa Bay (5-6) It's a testament to our defence that this game was as close as this given how ineffective the offence was outside of the opening (11 plays, 77 yards, TD) and closing (15 plays, 80 yards, TD) drives. A frustrating loss, but I know that the team can play better. Week 14: Baltimore (11-1) 22-7 Philadelphia (7-5) Not really a surprise here, as the Ravens are one of the best teams in the league. Baltimore's offence moved the ball at will, while the Philadelphia offence (and Keith Hutchins in particular) struggled. Injuries jumped up and bit us in this game - SE Adamov (knee) and RT Huffman (knee) are out for the year, while TE Dawkins (foot) will miss the rest of the season unless we have a good run in the playoffs. DT McKenzie is struggling with impaired vision, and is out indefinitely. No changes to the roster are made right now (although Adamov and Huffman are put on IR, with SE Britton and RT Isaac taking the starting spots), as we should be able to cover for these injuries using the other guys on the roster. Week 15: Philadelphia (7-6) 13-10 Dallas (4-9) (OT) K Matt Oden's 45-yard field goal with 3:35 left in OT won this game for the Eagles after again having to come from behind to beat the Cowboys. The offence did just enough, with QB Hutchins (26/37-238-1-0) having a decent day, but the star was DT Christian Campbell, who had 3 of the Eagles 6 sacks. With two games left in the regular season, the Eagles are somehow still in playoff contention despite a relatively poor season up to now - our 8-6 record is third in the NFC East, but Washington and New York are only one game ahead at 9-5, and we play the Redskins in Philadelphia in week 17. We're quite a long way back in the wild card race, though - both are currently in the hands of 9-5 teams, with one other 9-5 team on the outside looking in - looks like we'll need to win our last two games, and hope for a few results to go our way... Week 16: Philadelphia (8-6) 17-10 Pittsburgh (6-8) A must-win game, and the team came through with a good performance and the victory. While the offence was solid (with Hutchins (14/19-164-0-0) and Walsh (19-73-2) leading the way), the defence won this game for us, with 7 sacks, 4 hurries, 8 knockdowns, 5 pass defences and 2 interceptions - DE Juan Hansen was the game MVP with 2 sacks. The win draws us level with Washington, who lost to Baltimore to fall to 9-6. New York lead the division at 10-5, with the two wild cards also at 10-5 at the moment. It's one of those strange years, where 9-6 would be enough to pretty much guarantee a playoff spot in the AFC, but it's on the outside looking in when you're in the other conference. A win against the Redskins may not be enough, but all we can do is go out and play our game - if we win and don't make the playoffs, there isn't a lot more we could have done. Week 17: Washington (9-6) 14-10 Philadelphia (9-6) One of those games where a team dominates the game but doesn't put it away, and the opponent nicks the go-ahead score late on - just at the worst time... The defence did its job for most of the game, holding the Redskins to 137 total yards, but Washington put together an 8-play, 62 yard TD drive for the go-ahead score, leaving the Eagles only 84 seconds to reply. The loss ends our season - one consolation (although it is minor) is that a win probably wouldn't have been enough either, as the Redskins are also on the outside looking in for the playoffs with a 10-6 record. (For what it's worth, two 9-7 teams got the wild cards in the AFC, and one will play the 8-8 Raiders next week in the wild card round...) |
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02-06-2007, 04:49 AM
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#90 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2016 Season Summary
Code:
The second half of the season was definitely better than the first - the offence was slightly more productive, while the defence tightened up considerably against the run without losing too much on the pass defence. (This was probably partly due to playing a slightly easier schedule in the second half of the season, though - two games against Dallas (who finished 5-11, and we played some of the weaker out-of-division teams on our schedule later on - and Baltimore, of course, but that's a different story!) QB Keith Hutchins was accurate, but struggled to get the ball downfield consistently - we may need a bit of tweaking to our offensive scheme to counter this next year. Ray Perroni was decent when called upon in relief of Hutchins, winning two of his three starts in midseason. RB Roosevelt Walsh solidified his position as a solid starting RB with a good season, while rookie free agent Chad Burnett was a pleasant surprise as his backup. The receiving corps were part of the reason for the struggling passing game, as FL Samanta and rookie TE Delmonico both made little impact downfield. Adamov was a solid starter, and the veteran Sims reliable as always. Late-round rookie SE Fred Britton was a definite bright spot, earning a few starts at the end of the year after Adamov's injury purely through his play up to that point. The offensive line did a good job of providing a platform for the offence to run from - all of the guys who started put up KRB percentages well into the 30s (with C Dawson top of the list with 21/47 - 44.7%). The line also pass-protected well, allowing only 17 sacks all year. On defence, the rejigged defensive line was decent, with Campbell having his best year so far. Salerno and Hansen were consistent pass-rush threats, which bodes well for the future. At linebacker, no-one really stood out as having an outstanding season, but all three starters were solid. Jordan had a good season out on his man-coverage island, while Crane did a good job at the other corner. Special teams were a bit disappointing this year, with K Oden (21/31 FG, 6/13 40+) having the worst year of his 8-year career with the Eagles. P Koumentakos again struggled to pin opponents back, averaging less than 36 yards net for the second consecutive year. Samanta had a decent year on returns (8.4 average punt return, 27.6 average kick return, 1 TD), but not up to his previous standards. 2016 Awards In a slightly down year for the franchise, two players still managed to get mentions in the awards list: RDT Christian Campbell - First Team All-Pro LCB Jerome Jordan - First Team All-Pro Looking ahead to 2017... The core of a good team is in place - it's just a case of finding the best way to get the pieces to work together as well as possible. The big problem that needs to be addressed in the offseason is the passing game - we have a good-quality starting QB, one of the better offensive lines in the league and a solid running game, but struggle to get consistent production from our passing game. FL Samanta has been a disappointment as a starting receiver, and may be better suited to working from the slot. We also need a good receiving TE to replace Lewis Cox (in hindsight, this would have been addressed in the first round of the draft this year - not much use to see that now, though Another worry, although this isn't quite as urgent, is the defensive backfield, where we have one top-notch starter (CB Jordan) and are filling in around him with solid veterans and mid-level starters - this is definitely a need area for next offseason, as another top coverage guy would make a big difference to how we play defence. Definitely work to be done to avoid next season being a disappointment like this year, but there are certainly reasons for optimism here... |
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02-07-2007, 06:43 AM
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#91 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 season
Herb's evaluation for 2016: 52/58/76/83, for an overall score of 67. The team showed a loss of $48.69m on revenues of $191.18m last year - revenues were only slightly higher (+4%), but player bonuses were down significantly - we were relatively quiet in free agency, had a fairly low-cost draft (low picks in each round, no second-rounder), and didn't have any major contract extensions to make. One retirement this year - LCB Lorenzo Marsh. Lorenzo Marsh was the Eagles' 3rd round pick in the league's original allocation draft in 2006, and played all 11 years of his career in Philadelphia. He was a shut-down corner for much of his career, moving to nickel back in his last year as age started to catch up with him. While he didn't make many interceptions (19 in his career), he was tough to throw against (246 completions against in his career, with 94 passes defenced - PD% of 82.3%). While he was a standout on a poor Eagles team for many years, he was an integral part of the defence of the Bowl-winning Philadelphia team in 2013. Staff Hiring Scout Andrew Baicy is entering the 4th year of his current 5-year deal, and will be retained for 2017. The coaching staff is a different matter - head coach Wesley Bandle, offensive co-ordinator Kent Ford and defensive co-ordinator J.C. Clemons are all out of contract. All three guys are good at their job, so I'm going to try to retain all three if possible. Initial offers are 5 years at $6m per to Bandle, 5 years at $3m per to Ford and 5 years at $2m per to Clemons. Bandle and Ford accept immediately, while Clemons takes a little time to think about it, but accepts in stage 2. With our coaching staff sorted out, I turn my attention to the playing side of the team. We start the year with 37 players signed, and $39.82m of a $148.6m salary cap free - our draft picks (the standard 7, ranging from 18 to 21 in the round, with the first-rounder being 1.19) are expected to use $6.92m of cap room. Free agents this year: TE Craig Dawkins (5th year, 38/38) - decent backup, but no more than that FL Ray Sims (13th year, 45/45) - has been a good player for us, but will struggle for playing time this year if we resign him C Darrin Watkins (8th year, 37/37) - long snapper and decent backup - will resign at the right price RT Thurman Isaac (6th year, 39/39) - decent backup, would like to resign at veteran minimum (if not, should be able to find an equivalent backup T who'll play for vetmin) RDE Moe Rivers (9th year, 37/37) - has been a good pass-rusher for us - a guy I'd like to resign (for mentoring purposes if nothing else) RDT Sedrick Saylor (6th year, 43/43) - solid backup tackle - would like to resign at or near veteran minimum SLB Ricky Adamski (12th year, 39/39) - unlikely to be approached with a contract offer RCB Phillip Crane (10th year, 57/57) - likely starter if we resign him - will depend on how much he's looking for SS Vincent Harper (5th year, 38/38) - useful backup, but not essential if he's looking for too much money I don't see anyone on this list who's worth using the franchise tag on, so the tag goes unused this year. Restricted free agents: C Thomas Dawson (4th year, 46/46) - has been our starter for the last 3 years (and has played well) - will resign unless he's looking for silly money RG Carl Bennett (3rd year, 17/43) - won't be offered a contract LT Tyrell Scott (3rd year, 20/33) - won't be offered a contract P Rex Koumentakos (3rd year, 51/51) - hasn't met the standards I'm looking for from a punter, so we'll try someone else this season MLB Broderick Delaney (3rd year, 25/40) - decent backup, contributes on special teams, so will look to resign WLB Burt McGlockton (3rd year, 28/42) - similar to Delaney - decent backup, plays special teams, want to resign Needs to be addressed heading into free agency: - need to find a starting-quality receiving TE - want to upgrade our starting receivers if possible - depth on the offensive line - depth on the defensive line (and add a top-notch starting DT if possible) - depth at linebacker - younger starters at corner and safety We raised ticket prices last year, so will leave them unchanged (at 45/55/70/85/200/85,000) for this year. While last year's rookie class wasn't as good as I could have hoped (having to cut your first-round pick after camp is never a good thing), we still have a few guys who would benefit from a summer in Europe. The most obvious candidate (in my eyes) is LDE Juan Hansen, who looks to be a solid starter at the moment, but may end up being better than that with the right treatment - the defence will really benefit if we have two solid starting defensive ends, so Hansen is this year's summer league player. |
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02-07-2007, 06:45 AM
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#92 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 free agency
Two trade offers at the start of free agency: - Chicago offer a raw young DT (2nd year, 20/43) and the third overall pick in this year's draft for CB Jerome Jordan (5th year, 96/96). This might sound a bit screwy, but I think Jordan is better than that! While he's in the last year of his current contract, he's a guy who is a top priority to get signed to a long term deal in the near future (although this might involve the franchise tag next year). I decline this trade offer. - Kansas City offer pick 4.3 in this year's draft for 2nd-year QB Jermaine Guevara (20/48) - a very good offer for a guy who was a bit of a throwaway pick in the 7th round of last year's draft. I investigate a variation on this trade, inquiring about 6th-year veteran QB Irving Sweeney (29/47), a guy I had thought about drafting a few years back (and a guy who would be a very solid backup), but the Chiefs are looking for more than I'm willing to give up (they wouldn't accept Guevara plus a 4th-round pick). I accept the trade as initially proposed, as I see a fourth-round pick as a very good return for our third-string QB. Before starting free agency proper, I offer contracts to some of our restricted free agents: C Thomas Dawson - $4.80m over 3 years (was only looking for a 1-year deal, but I feel that $1.6m per year is reasonable for a decent starting center) MLB Broderick Delaney - $720k over 1 year WLB Burt McGlockton - $720k over 1 year Looking at this year's draft class, I feel that the most likely use of our first-round pick is a defensive back (most likely a safety), although offensive lineman is a definite possibility too (while we're pretty much set for this year on the O-line, RT Norman Huffman is in the last year of his current contract, and I'm not sure if I want to offer him a big extension given that he's now in his 9th year - if there's a good tackle available for our first-round pick, it wouldn't be the worst decision in the world to go after his replacement). The TE class is relatively weak, so that's a position that may well be a good idea to target in free agency. This may well end up to be a turning point year in this dynasty, as quite a few important players are in the last year of their current contract: RT Norman Huffman (9th year, 57/57) RDT Christian Campbell (9th year, 73/73) SLB Larry Knoblett (4th year, 50/50) LCB Jerome Jordan (5th year, 96/96) SS Wally Ross (12th year, 51/51) A number of role players are also playing out the last year of their current deal. Jordan is as good a player as we're likely to see, even if I run this dynasty for another hundred seasons, so will be franchised next year (and hopefully signed to a long-term contract). Knoblett is a solid starter, but is looking for around $4.5m per year (i.e. 3% of the cap), which seems a little expensive for a mid-level starter. We are a bit short of depth at LB, though - think I'll hang back on extending Knoblett's contract until after free agency to see if we can find any reasonably-priced replacements. Huffman and Campbell have been very solid players for us for a number of years, but giving older players long-term extensions is not a good way to run a team. Looking at their initial requirements, Huffman is looking for about $4m per year, which is fairly reasonable for a solid sarting tackle. Campbell, however, wants a good bit more money - around $9m-$10m per year. He's important enough to our defence, though, to make this seem reasonable value for money. Campbell accepts an offer of $30.6m over 3 years (on a flat contract - we have plenty of cap room this year, so don't need to backload). I take a little risk with Huffman, and offer him a 4-year deal (which is likely to be his last with the team) - $18.4m over the term is reasonably affordable. These signings leave us with 39 players under contract and $32.44m cap room free (not allowing for the $7.57m that we're now expecting to need for our draft picks) - a bit of room for manoeuvre in free agency if I feel there are players out there worth using it on. Into free agency, and our initial target is a decent CB who would be expected to be a nickel back at worst, and may be able to start if needed - LCB Leon Zachary (6th year, 48/48) is a solid all-round defensive back who's played well when given the chance. Our initial offer is $4.35m over 3 years in week 2. Another player made an offer in week 2 is RDT Irv Warren (6th year, 46/46), who offers us something we don't have at the moment - an interior lineman who can rush the passer. He is also offered a $4.35m contract over 3 years in week 2. Our final offer in week 2 goes to TE Larry Morrison (7th year, 48/48) - the best all-round TE available in free agency. Our offer to Morrison is $4.11m over 3 years. LCB Zachery signs in week 3 - our own free agent Crane has been targeted by the 49ers at this point, but signing Zachery means that we can afford to let Crane go (particularly as I'd need to offer at least $5m per year to compete with San Francisco's offer!) TE Morrison signs in week 4, but we lose RDT Sedrick Saylor in this week - was hanging back a little to let his price go down a bit, as I didn't think that there would be too much of a market for a 40ish-rated DT.Having traded QB Guevara before the start of free agency, we're a bit light at that position, so I see what's out there in the way of reasonably-priced veterans to come in and compete for the backup spot. QB Cedric Anthony (5th year, 30/49) is a guy who hasn't played much, but is a decent fit for what we want to do on offence - our offer to him is $3.27m over 3 years. I also offer a contract to RT Daryl Schultz (5th year, 36/42), who is looking for a lot less money than current backup RT Thurman Isaac - the offer is for $2.02m over 2 years. MLB Les Schwartz (6th year, 46/46) is also offered a contract at this point, also for $2.02m over 2 years (veteran minimum plus small bonus) - a decent backup linebacker who's also a great special teams player. RDT Warren eventually signs in week 7, but WR Ray Sims accepts an offer from and leaves the Eagles after years in this week. We go after FL K.C. Oskolkoff (3rd year, 35/44) in order to bring in a fresh face at receiver, offering him $3.12m over 3 years. At this point, I start to look at bringing back some of our own free agents: RDE Moe Rivers - $2.46m over 2 years (veteran minimum) C Darrin Watkins - $2.46m over 2 years All of our targeted players sign by week 10, leaving us in a good position heading into the draft. We end the free agency period with 47 players signed and $23.88m cap room free ($16.13 after allowing for the expected cost of signing draft picks). |
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02-07-2007, 06:47 AM
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#93 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 Draft
While we've managed to fill quite a few needs in free agency, there are still areas that need to be dealt with through the draft: - would be nice to find a starting-quality receiver to allow Samanta to play his more natural slot receiver position - depth on the offensive line - depth on the defensive line (but I wouldn't complain about finding a starter) - a starting-quality corner - depth at safety - a decent punter (because field position is very important for this team) Our first pick this year is 1.19, so a bit of time to wait before we go on the clock. When our turn to pick comes, there are a few guys who I think would be good choices at this point: SE Patrick Ohanian (5.6/5.8) - very raw, but projects as a top-end starter - good combine, too LT Darian Hartman (5.9/6.5) - not the strongest, but a good technician LT Todd O'Neill (5.6/6.2) - the archetypical left tackle - good pass-blocker LT Lewis McKenzie (5.4/5.9) - very raw, but projects as a solid all-round blocker (although may be better suited to play RT) RDE Edwin Nolan (5.7/6.3) - will need time to develop, but looks to be a pass-rushing end who can play the run if needed LDT Toby Clayton (5.7/6.2) - starter-quality DT who would be able to contribute straight away FS Kendrick Fernyhough (5.7/5.4) - solid all-round safety who would only need a little while to develop into a starter While the three tackles all look to be good prospects, I feel that I may be able to get one of them further down (maybe trading into the bottom of the first round). Fernyhough looks like a starter right now, but on a second glance, he has those small return skills that often forecast a bust. The best value here appears to be LDT Clayton - a guy who would be a solid starter in time, something we'll need in the near future, with our current starters being McKenzie (8th year) and Campbell (9th year). Clayton is initially rated at 38/63. The guys I was considering with our first pick start to come off the board fairly quickly: RDE Edwin Nolan (25/65) - 1.20 LT Darian Hartman (29/70) - 1.22 LT Todd O'Neill (33/59) - 1.24 LT Lewis McKenzie (20/69) - 1.31 FS Kendrick Fernyhough (32/71) - 1.32 SE Patrick Ohanian (30/64) - 2.5 After dealing with the defensive line in the first round, I'd like to go after a receiver or defensive back with our second-round pick. In my eyes, the best receiver available is SE Thomas Quigley (4.8/5.0), who will need time to develop, but had a good combine and looks to be a third receiver at worst. Of the cornerbacks available, I would go with LCB Jeff Lawton (4.7/4.6), but Lawton looks to be a nickel back at best. The safeties remaining appear to be more talented, with FS Carlos Hamilton (5.5/5.2) the raw, risk/reward pick and FS Lamar Hicks (5.3/5.0) the safer choice, as he's significantly more developed - FS Grady Linville (5.0/4.7) also looks to be worth this level of pick, and may be able to play CB as well as safety. With more defensive backs available, I go with SE Quigley, who's initially rated at 21/49. Hamilton (2.20 - 25/56) and Hicks (2.23 - 35/50) go soon after the Eagles pick. As the draft moves into the third round, I decide to move up to make sure of getting one of the defensive backs I want - the Eagles get Chicago's third-rounder (3.3) in exchange for 3.21 and 4.3. The pick at 3.3 is FS Grady Linville, who gets an initial rating of 27/63, with a very good potential to cornerback - I make the switch, and his ratings go to 26/58. LCB Lawton (26/49) goes with pick 3.15. Our next pick is at 4.20 - while there are other good players still on the board, I decide to address the need for depth on the offensive line with this pick. LT Roger Lindsay (4.4/4.8) is a raw but promising blocker who looks well-suited to playing at the blind-side tackle position. He's initially rated at 19/58, which suggests that this is a decent value pick at this point (although we'll need to wait to see how that potential holds up...) At 5.19, there still appears to be a lot of value on the board (as in guys I would have considered taking a couple of rounds earlier...) One of these guys is MLB Bubba Sylvester, who projects as a solid backup/borderline starter at linebacker. He's initially rated at 22/58, but may struggle to stick if he stays in the middle, so may be moved outside before training camp. With our sixth-round pick (6.18), we take a backup center who may take over from Darrin Watkins as our long snapper - C Willie Barber (26/52) will be a solid backup for the interior line positions, and may challenge Dawson for the starting job at some point down the line. Our last pick (7.21) goes on the backup safety that we've been looking for - FS Wade Qaderi isn't likely to become a starter, but should be a decent backup defensive back who can help out in the return game (initial rating of 18/35). Before the draft ends, I have a look through for a few guys I'd be interested in picking up as rookie free agents: RB Cornelius Neumeyer (3.7/3.9) - decent bars (in the right places) and a good combine FB J.J. Bedell (4.5/3.6) - good special teamer, and may be worth looking at as a TE or RB TE Kevin Cochrane (4.5/3.9) - raw, but has a lot of potential - looks to be a good special teams guy too - taken 7.25 (20/59) LT Moe Chechetts (4.3/4.7) - decent combine, and looks to be a decent pass-blocker - taken 7.31 (16/42) RDE Howie Browning (4.2/4.6) - looks to be a decent backup DE - taken 7.24 (19/42) LDT Bernard Sanderson (4.1/4.4) - projects as a DE, reasonable combine, could be a useful pass-rusher |
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02-07-2007, 06:48 AM
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#94 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 Late free agency
Our draftees are given initial contract offers - only first-rounder Clayton decides not to sign. I move fifth-round pick Sylvester from MLB to SLB - his ratings drop from 22/58 to 21/58, which is harmless enough. We bring in a few rookie free agents to see if we can find a diamond in the rough... QB O.J. Hume (18/44) - $1.01m over 2 years (signed week 3) RB Cornelius Neumeyer (22/32) - $1.01m over 2 years (signed week 3) RB Al Briggs (25/42) - $1.01m over 2 years (with the intention to move him to receiver - signed week 2 - moved to FL, new ratings 12/35) FB Marc Vaughn (26/50) - $1.01m over 2 years (liked this guy over Bedell on a second look) TE Randall Anstaett (21/49) - $1.01m over 2 years (signed week 2) RT Harvey Gerhart (16/38) - $1.01m over 2 years (signed week 4) P Levon Howard (47/56) - $1.01m over 2 years (signed week 3) LDT Bernard Sanderson (23/47) - $1.01m over 2 years (signed week 1, and switched to LDE (new rating of 24/51)) RCB Ellis Polomalu (20/53) - $1.01m over 2 years (surprised he didn't get drafted! - signed week 1) FS Xavier Burlsworth (23/52) - $1.01m over 2 years (have a feeling that this guy is a bust waiting to happen, but no harm in bringing him in to see - signed week 1) FS Donovan Barton (17/48) - $1.01m over 2 years (a guy I had thought about drafting) DT Clayton signs his contract at the end of the free agency period, and we head to camp - 65 players on the roster, and $17.13m cap room free. Rookies before and after camp Code:
Quite a few of the draft picks have worked out pretty well - DT Clayton looks to be a guy who's going to be a solid starter sooner rather than later, CB Linville should be a solid nickel back at the absolute worst, and I've managed to pick up some useful role players further down the draft. The rookie free agents we signed also look decent, and a few of these guys are likely to make the regular-season roster. |
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02-07-2007, 02:37 PM
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#95 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 Roster
With 65 players currently on the roster, there's a fair bit of cutting to do before we get into the preseason... Code:
These cuts leave us with 54 players signed - the guys on the bubble here are QBs Hume and Perroni, RB Raaen, FL Murray and C Watkins. I like Hume and Perroni as prospects enough that I don't want to cut either of them, and Murray is a decent backup receiver. Raaen is our 4th RB, while Watkins has basically been replaced by our 6th-round pick Barber. Looking around the roster, it appears that we are a bit short of return guys, so both Raaen and Watkins are cut, with 2nd-year RB Norman Reese (24/30) signed to fill the roster spot. The AI must really like our roster, as we have the maximum 100 roster rating going into the season - next best is Cincinnati (86), with the next best NFC team being Detroit at 72. |
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02-07-2007, 02:38 PM
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#96 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 preseason
A few tweaks to the gameplans going into this season - a bit less emphasis on the short pass on offence (as we struggled to get downfield last year), and some tweaking of our blitzing on defence. Week 1: Philadelphia 16-26 Houston Not much expectation for this one, with mostly backups starting, and the team lived up (or down) to those expectations. Rookie RB Neumayer went over 100 yards, and two of our off-season acquisitions at CB (Linville and Zachary) had interceptions. Week 3: Cincinnati 28-7 Philadelphia A day of offensive futility, with only 5 first downs and 103 total yards - our only points came on a blocked punt! The defence was a bit better, but wasn't able to handle the load on its own. Week 4: Jacksonville 31-0 Philadelphia Not quite as futile in terms of yardage, but the offence still can't put points on the board - we'll just have to see how much difference putting our starters back in makes. Week 5: Philadelphia 23-24 Baltimore Welcome back offence! We may have lost this game, but the offence returned with a vengance, racking up over 450 total yards. Turnovers were a bit of a problem, though, as the Ravens started in good field position on a regular basis. Only minor injuries going into the season, so we should be able to field a full-strength team in week 1. |
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02-07-2007, 02:39 PM
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#97 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 Regular Season
Week 1: Dallas 11-31 Philadelphia As good an offensive performance as some of the preseason games were bad - QB Hutchins (27/29-228-2-0) was close to perfect, with good support from his receivers and running game. The defence put the Cowboys' QBs under pressure all game, forcing the starter to leave the game after a 2/15 day. Week 2: Denver (1-0) 6-12 Philadelphia (1-0) A game of field goals - both teams were able to move the ball, but unable to get into the endzone. While the passing game wasn't as sharp as in week 1, the running game picked up the slack, with both Walsh (20-87) and Burnett (9-80) rushing for 80 yards. On defence, DE Salerno didn't get credited for any sacks, but was a constant force with 4 tackles, 1 block, 6 hurries and 3 knockdowns. Week 3: New Orleans (1-1) 3-19 Philadelphia (2-0) About as dominant a game as you're likely to get - the defence held the Saints to 10 first downs and 104 total yards, while the offence, despite QB Hutchins having to leave the game early on, was consistently productive, with backup QB Anthony (17/27-196-0-0) playing well in relief. The injury to Hutchins was minor, and he's healthy and ready to go for our next game. Week 4: Bye (not ideal timing, but not much we can do about it Week 5: Philadelphia (3-0) 23-6 Seattle (4-0) We've beaten up on some weak opposition at home, now for a bit more of a challenge on the road. The Eagles rose to the challenge, though, with a very solid team performance - QB Hutchins (20/22-237-2-0) was back to his accurate best, with FL Samanta (6-127-2) catching the two TD passes. DE Rod Salerno was the standout in a good defensive performance, finishing with a sack and 5 hurries. Week 6: Arizona (2-3) 14-36 Philadelphia (4-0) The Cardinals are not a great team, but all you can do is beat the team that's up against you, and that's exactly what the Eagles did here - Arizona's offence managed only 8 first downs and 68 total yards, with their QBs combining for 10/32 passing. The offence rolled up the yardage against a weak defence, with QB Hutchins (29/38-285-1-0) finding his receivers with ease, particularly SE Adamov (8-104). On defence, veteran S Ross had 2 interceptions, and DE Salerno 2 sacks. Week 7: Philadelphia (5-0) 24-28 Washington (3-3) The unbeaten start was going to end sometime, but it would have been nice if it wasn't down to our mistakes - while the offence put up good yardage numbers, two fumbles from RB Walsh stopped a good-looking Eagles drive, then gave the Redskins a short field to work with. QB Hutchins (27/42-292-1-0) and SE Adamov (12-149) led the offence, but couldn't produce a comeback at the end. Week 8: New York (3-3) 0-23 Philadelphia (5-1) A good response after a disappointing loss, particularly early on, as our first two offensive drives ended with touchdowns. RBs Burnett (19-79-1) and Walsh (18-99) had solid days, while the defence shut down the Giants' offence, forcing four interceptions, two by LB Long. DE Salerno continued his impressive season - he only had half a sack, but had 2 blocked passes, 5 hurries and 5 knockdowns. Week 9: Philadelphia (6-1) 10-13 St. Louis (4-3) A good start, but very little after that as the Rams overcame an early 10-0 deficit to win with a late TD. QB Hutchins was again forced to leave the game early through injury, and backup QB Anthony struggled, throwing two important interceptions. Defensively, the Eagles played a solid game, but the lack of offensive production told in the end. QB Hutchins will be out for a couple of months after suffering a serious leg injury - at this point, it looks like he may be back for the end of the regular season. 2017 mid-season summary Code:
A very solid first half of the year, with the defence as good as any I've seen - DE Rod Salerno is a very big reason for this, as he's been an absolute terror to opposing defences all year. The offence is also much improved, with the passing game getting the ball downfield much better than in past years - the injury to QB Hutchins will be tough to overcome, though. RB Walsh has been productive, but he's also put the ball on the ground far too often - the problem here is that we don't really have a guy who's capable of stepping in and starting behind him, as our backups are more suited to being role-players. At the mid-point of the season, our 6-2 record leads the NFC East by 2 games, with the other three teams in the division all at 4-4. In terms of playoff position, the Lions are 7-1, with Seattle also 6-2 - there are a lot of teams at .500 or better, though, so we'll need to keep playing well to get into the playoffs. With Hutchins out for a significant period, we need to find another QB to keep things going. The options are QB Anthony, who has been inconsistent so far, or QB Perroni, who isn't as strong a player, but was solid in relief of Hutchins last year. My feeling is that Perroni is the safe option, as Anthony may be more prone to turning the ball over than I'd like. Perroni gets the start for week 10, but I'll be keeping a close eye on how he does. |
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02-07-2007, 02:40 PM
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#98 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Week 10: San Francisco (3-5) 13-10 Philadelphia (6-2)
A 44-yard field goal as time expired snatched the win for the 49ers. The offence wasn't at its best, as you would expect when we are without our starting QB, but Perroni (20/35-129-1-2) struggled towards the end of the game, throwing two fourth-quarter interceptions. Week 11: Philadelphia (6-3) 10-27 Dallas (4-5) A tough divisional loss, but the Cowboys were the better team in this game. The offence was able to move the ball, but not able to put points on the board consistently, and the defence was unable to pick up the slack. Week 12: Kansas City (5-5) 10-20 Philadelphia (6-4) It wasn't pretty, but you'll take any win when you've lost three straight! This one goes down to the defence, which did a great job at keeping the Chiefs' offence under control, with the pass rush sacking the KC QB 5 times. RBs Burnett (16-77) and Walsh (10-67-1) kept things moving on offence. Third receiver K.C. Oskolkoff was lost for the season with a serious shoulder injury in this game - he was put on IR, but no replacement signed at this point. Fred Britton will move up to play the slot receiver, with Murray and Musial as backups. Week 13: Philadelphia (7-4) 17-31 Green Bay (6-5) A closer game than it looked, with the Packers scoring a garbage time TD to extend their margin of victory, but Green Bay were the better team. QB Perroni (16/34-142-0-3) struggled, particularly later in the game when the Eagles were forced to pass in an effort to come from behind. With Perroni struggling, QB Anthony will be given the chance to start in week 14. Week 14: Philadelphia (7-5) 17-20 Oakland (5-7) Starting QB Anthony (26/37-237-2-1) certainly gave the offence a lift, but a slow start cost us in this game - Oakland were 17-0 ahead at the half, and the deficit proved to be too much to make up. Week 15: Washington (7-6) 17-23 Philadelphia (7-6) (OT) RB Burnett scored the winning TD on a 38-yard run on the first possession of overtime to give the Eagles a vital win. QB Cedric Anthony (26/35-269-1-2) was able to move the ball, but made a couple of vital mistakes, including a pick-six early in the fourth quarter to draw Washington level. This win puts us top of the NFC East at 8-6, but only on tiebreakers with New York and Dallas - Washington are at 7-7 in a very tight division. The wild cards are both at 9-5 at the moment, so there's definitely pressure on us to win our two remaining games. Unfortunately, we lost one of the cornerstones of our defence in this win - LCB Jerome Jordan is likely to miss all of next year after tearing his ACL during the game. This causes a big problem, as Jordan is a free agent after the season - we were intending to use the franchise tag on him next offseason. Rookie CB Grady Linville will start in Jordan's place. Week 16: Philadelphia (8-6) 17-24 San Diego (8-6) A decent performance, but not good enough, as the Chargers took advantage of our weakened secondary. Anthony (16/25-131-2-0) and Walsh (16-104) put in good performances, but the pass defence was vulnerable, giving up 273 yards. The loss drops us one game behind New York, but we play the Giants in week 17, so our playoff position is still in our own hands. Week 17: Philadelphia (8-7) 44-10 New York (9-6) With the season on the line, the team needed to respond - did they ever! QB Anthony (19/26-186-2-0) threw two first-quarter TD passes, while RB Walsh (31/118-2) ran for two more TDs in the third quarter. The defence really stepped up, though, forcing the Giants' starting QB to the bench after picking him off four times, two each by S Ross and CB Linville, then S Qaderi intercepted the backup, and took it back for the final TD of the game. The win, coupled with Dallas's victory over Washington, meant that three teams in the NFC West finished at 9-7. A superior record in games between the teams saw the Eagles win the division, though - we swept New York and split with Washington, while the Giants and Redskins split their season series. The wild cards went to Atlanta (10-6) and Detroit (9-7), so we are the only team from the NFC East to make the playoffs - the Eagles will host Atlanta in the wild card round of the playoffs. |
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02-07-2007, 02:40 PM
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#99 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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2017 playoffs
Wild Card round OK, so it wasn't pretty, but the aim during the regular season is to get into the playoffs, and that's what we've done - you can't win the Bowl if you don't make it into the postseason. The Falcons are a good all-round team, but are probably slightly stronger on the offensive side of the ball, where a strong ground game sets up a good big-play passing game. They don't have any real stand-out players on offence, with the running game split between RBs Browning (1065 yards) and Wiltshire (960 yards). They have three solid receivers - none had over 1000 yards, but all managed at least 39 catches and 500 yards. Defensively, they don't look quite as strong, but aren't easy to run against and don't give up too much through the air. The good news going into this game is that starting QB Keith Hutchins is fully recovered from his injury, and will start this game (he was dressed as the #3 QB for the final regular season game in case things didn't go well, but was not needed. We do have a few injury worries, though - in addition to the long-term injured (Oskolkoff and Jordan) starting S Hopkins and backups RB Burnett and DE Sanderson will miss this game. Rookie S Burlsworth will get the start in the defensive backfield, while RB Neumayer will be the reliever for starter Walsh. DT McKenzie will be the backup at DE, with DTs Warren and Necaise behind the starters at tackle. A promising opening drive for the Eagles was stopped just outside of field goal range when Hutchins was sacked. The Falcons took the ball down the field in a hurry, scoring the first points of the game with QB Charron's 6-yard TD pass to Shaw - 7-0 Atlanta. After an exchange of punts, the Eagles' offence got things going with a solid drive, finished off by RB Walsh going in behind Martin's block for a 2-yard TD run to tie the score at 7 midway through the second quarter. Atlanta responded with a long field goal, but Philadelphia put together a nice two-minute drill, going 51 yards in 6 plays and 68 seconds to set up Oden's field goal, making it 10-10 at the half. Defences were on top to start the third quarter, with both teams going three and out on their first possession. Atlanta picked up the initial first down of the second half on their next possession, but Charron was intercepted by LB Schwartz on the next play, giving the Eagles the ball deep in Atlanta territory. A penalty and a sack pushed the Philadelphia offence back, but Walsh took advantage of great blocking on a sweep play to take the ball in for a 25-yard TD run, putting the Eagles up 17-10 midway through the third quarter. After the Eagles defence forced a punt, the offence drove down the field again, but stalled in the red zone - Oden's 31-yard field goal extended the lead to 10 points. The 10-point lead didn't last long, though, as the Falcons put together a solid drive of their own, riding Charron's arm down the field on a smooth TD drive, Nichols ending it with a 13-yard TD reception - 20-17 Eagles as the third quarter ended. Atlanta had momentum on their side going into the fourth quarter, and kept it going by forcing the Eagles to go three and out, then driving down the field once more, Charron finding his FB Perroni with a short TD pass to put the Falcons up by 4 with 12 minutes to play. The Philadelphia offence responded to losing the lead by putting together a big drive of their own, with Hutchins finding Musial on a deep pass for 43 yards, and G Martin clearing huge holes for Walsh to exploit. The drive ended with Hutchins finding Samanta in the endzone with a 10-yard pass to put the Eagles back in front, 27-24, with a little under 8 minutes left. With the momentum back in their favour and a lead to defend, the Philadelphia defence stepped up, picking off Charron on consecutive passes - the first pick led to another Oden field goal, putting the Eagles 6 points ahead, but the offence was unable to take advantage of the second pick, giving the Falcons the ball back at their own 37 with 2:40 left. A 7-yard pass on 4th and 6 kept Atlanta in the game, but a Salerno sack and three incompletions ended the Falcons' hopes of a comeback. A couple of knees from Hutchins ran out the clock, with the Eagles winning 30-24 to advance to the divisional round. This was an all-round solid performance from the Eagles, led by QB Keith Hutchins (26/35-269-1-0) and RB Roosevelt Walsh (17-77-2) on offence, and DE Juan Hansen (4 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 hurries, 2 knockdowns) and DE Rod Salerno (1 sack, 2 hurries, 5 knockdowns) on defence. Four different Eagles defenders had interceptions. The Eagles came through this game relatively unscathed - one big injury, however, with RDE Rod Salerno picking up an abdominal injury during the game. He will try to play in our divisional round game, though. |
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02-07-2007, 02:41 PM
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#100 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: East Lothian, Scotland
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Divisional round
With NFC North champions Green Bay also winning their wild card game, the Falcons travel to play the #1-seeded New Orleans Saints in the divisional round. The Saints, who finished 12-4 in the regular season after a 1-4 start, are an up-and-coming team led by 3rd-year QB Keith May (3081 yards passing, 90.2 QB rating) and 2nd-year RB Alvin Rhodes (1258 yards rushing, 62 catches). Their defence is led by the defensive line, with DE Schottlander (12 sacks, 14 hurries) and DT Bateman (12.5 sacks, 19 hurries) providing the bulk of a solid pass rush. The defences were on top early on, with both teams forced to punt without gaining a first down on their opening possession. The Eagles were first to put together a couple of first downs, but a holding penalty pushed them back, forcing a punt from near midfield. After another couple of three and outs, a first quarter dominated by defence ended with the Saints starting to get things going on offence. New Orleans kept their drive ticking over nicely to start the second quarter, and drew first blood when QB May found WR Marrero with a 1-yard TD pass to put the Saints up 7-0. The Eagles offence couldn't match their counterparts in black and gold, going three and out once again, but the Philadelphia defence bailed them out by stopping another promising Saints drive just outside field goal range. The Eagles finally got something going on offence on the ensuing possession, driving 80 yards in 13 plays for the tying TD, scored on a 6-yard run by backup RB Neumayer at the two-minute warning. New Orleans put together a decent two-minute drill, but ran out of time before they could get into field goal range - the teams went in at the half tied at 7. Philadelphia got the ball first in the second half, and maintained their offensive momentum with a 10-play drive using up almost 6 minutes - the New Orleans defence came up with a sack at the right time, though, forcing the Eagles to settle for a field goal and their first lead of the game at 10-7. The Eagles defence also came out firing after half-time, forcing the Saints to punt - backup TE Anstaett blew through the line to block the kick, giving Philadelphia the ball at the Saints 17 - two Roosevelt Walsh runs later, the Eagles led 17-7 on an 8-yard TD run. The defences were on top for the remainder of the third quarter, so the Eagles took a 10-point lead into the final 15 minutes. 10 points became 3 in a hurry, though, as the Saints took advantage of good field position earned by their defence and special teams late in the third quarter - QB May found WR Patterson in the endzone for a 12-yard TD pass to get New Orleans back to 17-14. The Eagles defence has been in this position before, though, and held strong the rest of the way - New Orleans were unable to get the ball into Philadelphia territory on any of their last three drives, and the Eagles pulled off the upset on the road, beating the #1-seeded Saints 17-14. In a defensive game, the Eagles did just enough on offence to get the job done - RB Walsh (24-102-1) was the game MVP, with solid support from QB Hutchins (19/23-159-0-0) and FL Samanta (9-94). The defence didn't make many big plays, but managed to hold a potent New Orleans offence in check, LBs Long and Schwartz leading the way with 8 tackles each. Special teams also came up big for the Eagles, as the blocked punt led to a vital touchdown. Philadelphia came through the game in good shape, with no new injuries to report heading into the NFC Championship game. On a week of upsets where only one home team won, the Eagles will travel to #3-seeded Green Bay, with the winner representing the NFC in this year's Front Office Bowl. |
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