Madden '04 Empty Cupboard

[Abe Sargent]

While waiting for the Copperheads Pick


Mel Kiper: ...so you're right, the Copperheads proved that their draft two years ago was amazing. In just the second year of their careers, four of the rookies selected in that draft made it to the Pro Bowl. We may have seen Shawn Johnson and Doug Bronson, their first round selections, in the Pro Bowl. But nobody saw Dedric Arrington, for example.

Their entire war room team needs to get significant credit. Abe Sargent makes the decisions, but Coach Kiffin, Director of Scouting Mike Ackerly, and VP of Public Relations Vic Ketchman are an amazing team. Last year's draft produced a solid strong safety and defense end, and really good receiver. There may very well be another Pro Bowler in there.

Chris Berman: So what are the Copperheads looking for?

Mel: A tackle to replace Richmond Webb, a cornerback, a receiver, and a free safety. Of the four, I'd say need is Tackle, receiver, corner and safety, in that order.

Jimmy: They also let Bryan Cox go to start an undrafted rookie from two years ago while another undrafted rookie just signed a long term contract at Kicker.

Chris: You can say a lot of things about Abe Sargent. And his recent decision to move to Las Vegas has proved quite controversial. But he knows the right way to build a franchise is though youth. Tackle Jon Johnson may have had the best performance of any offensive lineman last year in the league.

Jimmy: If I had to build a team from scratch, I'd want him as one of my two anchors.

Mel: No doubt that the Copperheads had the best offensive line in football last year. But they have to find a passing game in order to advance in the playoffs. A mammoth running game and good defense will not get you too much farther. Most teams need to find defense and running to get to the playoffs, but the Copperheads are the opposite.

Chris: So, where do you see the Copperheads going with this draft?

Mel: If they pick up a quarterback or offensive guard it won't surprise me. Also, depth at linebacker or defensive tackle may come. Defensive Coordinator Pepper Johnson has been pretty good at developing his players' talents. Even players like Bryan Cox and John Thierry are getting better under Pepper's watch.

Jimmy: It's good that they resigned Pepper Johnson as the defensive coordinator. Who's the new offensive coordinator?

Chris: Marc Trestman. And Gunther Cunningham as the special teams coordinator.

Jimmy: Ah yes, that's it.

Chris: So, comparing who is still on the board with need, where do the Copperheads look for the 15th pick?

Mel: There are a lot of players hanging around with definite first round grades, we have tackle, corner...

Chris: Hold on, here come Paul Taglibue.

Paul Tags: With the 15th overall selection of the 2006 Rookie Draft, the Arizona Copperheads select the Left Tackle from Notre Dame Kwame George.

Mel: I love this pick. No offensive tackles had been selected yet, so the Cops had their pick of any player. You need someone to step in and take the place of Richmond Webb, which is no easy feat. This shows a continued commitment to developing one of the best offensive lines in football.

Jimmy: I love Kwame's motor. He brings it again and again.

Mel: Let's take a look at some tape from his college days...

[Abe Sargent]

Round 2

Chris: We continue to have receivers fall. This year, 10 first round selections were made. The Copperheads are on the clock, Mel, who's fallen on your board?

Mel: Three players with first round grades are still left on the board. Corner Aaron Mosling, Tackle Brad Strauser, and Linebackler Orlando Greer. Of these three, Arizona scouted both Mosling and Strauser at the combine. But they already picked a left tackle, so I think they have to go for Mosling. It's where need meets quality. And at this position, Aaron Mosling represents quality.

Chris: We'll see if you're right in just a second...

Tags: With the 47th overall selection in the 2006 Draft, the Copperheads select the defensive back from Michigan State, Aaron Mosling.

Chris: Easy prediction.

Mel: But I was right....

[Abe Sargent]

ProFootball Weekly's Draft Evaluation

How did they do?

Arizona Copperheads - The Cops made good selections in the first two rounds, although left tackle Brad Strauser fell deep into the second round and the Cops could have had a starting caliber tackle there as well. It worked out because Corner Aaron Mosling also fell. Although Aaron does have some issues, like alingering back injury, he was first round material.

The Copperheads believe they found starters at corner and left tacke in their first two rounds. In the third round, they picked up running back Shaun Lewis. Maybe they saw something we didn't because we are not that thrilled with Lewis here at PFW. Free Safety Richard Harper in the fourth was a good pickup. But the remaining three selections were ratehr poor. CB Marvin Bates from California, RG Jamie Shaw from LSU and FB Bernie Norton from WIlliam and Mary. None of them should prove to be anything other than backups, and not even good backups at that.

Overall draft grade - C

[Abe Sargent]

ARIZONA COPPERHEADS PRESS RELEASE

New Rookies All Signed

Earlier today, in what has become tradition, all seven rookies signed their contracts simultaneously in a ceremony at Sun Devil Stadium.

Coaches Monte Kiffin, Pepper Johnson, Marc Trestman, and Gunther Cunningham were on hand to welcome the new rookies at the ceremony. Owner Abe Sargent presided, introducing each one to the press.

The following players were drafted, along with their college and their contract information. They are in order of round drafted:

1. Left Tackle Kwame George, Notre Dame, 5 years 8.2 million with 1.2 mill bonus

2. Cornerback Aarom Mosling, Michigan State, 4 years, 4.75 million, 800k bonus

3. Halfback Shaun Davis, Illinois, 4 years, 2 million, 280k bonus

4. Free Safety Richard Harper, Miami (FL), years, 1.5 mill, 210k

5. Cornerback Marvin Bates, California, 4 years, 1.45 mill, 200k

6. Right Guard Jamie Shaw, Louisiana State, 3 years, 800k, 120k bonus

7. Fullback Bernie Norton, William and Mary, 3 years, 790k, 60k bonus

[Abe Sargent]

Free Agency Report


As you know, we went into the free agency auction with one goal - Receiver Deion Branch. With our cap room, and his ability, nothing was going to stop us.

On day one, we offered Deion a contract. On day two, his alma mater New England upped the contract. We beat it. On day three, he signed with us. Excellent.

We waited until after the bidding had died down and signed the following players:

QB Tim Levcik, 1 year, 700k, 80k bonus
HB Quentin Griffin, 1 year, 750k, 100k bonus
WR Branden Lloyd, 3 years, 3 million, 510k bonus
WR Terrence Wilkins, 1 year, 800k, 50k bonus
LG Joseph Bell, 1 year, 530k, 60k bonus
RT Dave Smith, 3 years, 1.8 mill, 240k bonus *
MLB Donny Jones, 3 yrs, 2.75 mill, 510k bonus*

Note that Dave and Donny were rookies on the free agency market. Both had been drafted and subsequently cut by their teams.

We needed to cut two of our own players to make the final cut. We cut:

CB Vernon Marsh
CB Chuck Carter

We had 39.01 Million in Cap Space after these moves. A few of our players are in a contract year and might want to renegiotiate. I recommend that we do so for up and comers this year.

-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

From FootballRatings.com


Your 2006 Arizona Copperheads:

QB Marc Bulger, 78
Jason Gesser, 62
Tim Levcik, 54

HB Shawn Johnson, 91
Shaun Davis, 65 *
Quentin Griffin, 64
Derrick Blaylock, 53

FB James Hodgins, 81
Bernie Norton, 62 *

TE Anthony Becht, 75
Herman Miller, 64
Cam Cleeland, 63

WR Deion Branch, 86
Craig Campbell, 82
Brandon Lloyd, 70
Troy Edwards, 63
Terrence Wilkins, 56

LT Kwame George, 74 *
Brady Allen, 59

LG Martin Bibla, 77
Joseph Bell, 49

C Dedric Arrington, 80
Cris Forrest, 56

RG Leon Searcy, 80
Brad Green, 65
James Shaw, 58 *

RT Jon Johnson, 84
Dave Smith, 57 *

LE Chidi Ahanotu, 78
Joey Williams, 54

RE Michael Roberts, 81
Dre Fisk, 66

DT Monsanto Pope, 82
Steve Martin, 82
Reggie Fryar, 68
Sean Nelson, 62

LOLB Canute Curtis, 80
Eddie Shakur, 64

MLB Colby Solomon, 77
Donny Jones, 67

ROLB John Thierry, 81
Darnay Hill, 71
Kendall Ortiz, 66

CB Doug Bronson, 87
Aaron Mosling, 74 *
Ike Charlton, 73
Tyrone Carter, 68
Marvin Bates, 65 *
Terry Fair, 58

FS Drew Copeland, 74
Richard Harper, 69 *

SS Carl Sanders, 79
William Kinney, 72

K Dexter Krause, 84

P Matt Turk, 94

* - Rookies

[Abe Sargent]

Training Camp Memo

We worked with the following players:

Pocket Presence - QB Jason Gesser, +1 Throwing Accuracy
Precision Passing - QB Marc Bulger, +4 Throwing Accuracy
Clutch Kicking - K Dexter Krause, +4 Kick Accuracy
Coffin Punting - P Matt Turk - No Improvement
Ground Attack - HB Shawn Johnson, +3 Break Tackle, +2 Agility
Catching - WR Craig Campbell, +2 Catching
Swat Ball - CB Aaron Mosling - No Improvement
Trench Fighting - DE Michael Roberts - No Imporovement
Chase and Tackle - FS Drew Copeland, +3 Awareness


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Scouting Memo


Below you will find our evaluations of those players who got better during the preseason.


WR Craig Campbell, +2

TE Herman Miller, +1

LT Brady Allen, +1

C Dedric Arrington, +1
Cris Forrest, +2

RG Brad Green, +1

RT Dave Smith, +2

RE Michael Roberts, +1
Dre Fisk, +2

MLB Colby Solomon, +1
Donny Jones, +1

ROLB Darnay Hill, +1

CB Doug Bronson, +1
Aaron Mosling, +1
Marvin Bates, +1

FS Drew Copeland, +2
Richard Harper, +1

SS Carl Sanders, +1
William Kinney, +2

K Dexter Krause, +1


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

After some negiotiation, we resign the following two players:

C Dedric Arrington, 4 years, 7.5 million, 1.24 bonus

RT Jon Johnson, 4 years, 16 mill, 2.6 bonus


These two players were in the last year of their rookie contract and play at a higher level then their initial salary would indicate. Additionally, locking up each player for an additional three years is a nice feat.

[tucker342]

like always, great stuff

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by tucker342
like always, great stuff

Thanks a bunch!!!

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Countdown to Vegas Begins

James Boyd, Editorialist
Arizona Times


As the Copperheads season gets nearer, the amount of time Arizona has to enjoy a professional football team decreases.

Some fans have been calling for a boycott of the team and preseason attendance was down despite a 2-2 reord by the Cops.

But really, where does the blame lie? Are those same people who call for a boycott the same ones who voted against building a new stadium? Vegas voted to pay for 60% of the costs of a stadium, we wouldn't even pay half.

The Copperheads didn't even have their own stadium here, instead sharing it with the university. Sun Devil stadium approaches a half a century of age, and instead of building a new site for the Copperheads, we reject stadium proposal after proposal.

I love the Copperheads. I love what they've done with the team,. I love the winning attitude they've made, and you can tell that this team is headed for greatness. But I'm not sure that Arizona deserves the Copperheads.

Last year, when money was tight, the Copperheads received offers from Boston, Mexico CIty and Los Angelos to move there. Instead, owner Abe Sargent rededicated himself to keeping hte Cops here. And then, after another year of failure, he finally decided to move to Vegas. He could have made a lot more money taking the LA relocation bid last year, but he didn't.

The bottom line is that the only people we have to blame are Arizonans. We didn't go to the ball games, we didn't vote for a new stadium and we haven't shown signs of progress. And we are the ones upset by the Copperheads migration?

We have no right to expect a business to remain in a place that no longer is suitable for business. The only person to blame here, is ourselves.

[damnMikeBrown]

Will you draft a QB in the 1st or 2nd round already!?

[Desnudo]

Agreed. If this was real life, you'd be facing 11 men in the box by now. Maybe you should switch Shawn Johnson to QB and run the wishbone

[tucker342]

No kidding!!!

Why in the hell is Marc Bulger still starting?

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation at a local hot dog stand

"So, at least the Cops won yesterday. Their opening game, vicorious over at Kansas City. What was the score?"

"28-9 but who cares? They're leaving us anyway."

"Not like we gave them a chance. We voted down their stadium proposal."

"Shawn Jay ran for 194 yards under Monte Kiffin's direction. That's unusal. Kiffin usually throws more."

"Yeah, but did you see Jason Gesser at quarterback? Bulger was injured and Gesser had to be put in the game. Kid threw two TDs and 184 yards, no picks. Bulger always throws a ton of picks."

"He didn't yesterday. We had tossed one TD and no interceptions when he was injured."

"That's because he was injured."

"Hmpf."

"I say Gesser should start next week."

"Does anybody even know who the hell Jason Gesser is? One good day substituting in for an injured QB and you call his name?"

"Couldn't be worse than Bulger."

"Sure he could. He could be Jamie Martin."

*Shudders*

[Abe Sargent]

Bulger, Johnson Help to Win Against 49ers


Shalonda Harless
Sports Illustrated


Is Bulger a bad quarterback? Is his play on the field a product of an arrogant owner who trues to do too much? Does it matter?

After all, with Shawn Johnson in the backfield, does any of it matter? Teams put an extra man in the box, Shawn bowls them over, dances around them. Occasionally, Bulger tosses a ball around coverage.

But does it matter? As long as Super Jay is in the backfield, what could any fan want? What could any fan need?

Earlier this week, in their home opener to a frightfully empty stadium, the Copperheads dismantled the 49ers under the owner's playcalling. Bulger threw for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns - one each to Craig Campbell and Deion Branch. He also threw two interceptions, and that proclivity to picks may never end.

And yet, despite that dominating presence by their quarterback, Shawn Jay notched 134 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. The final score was 34-31, and both players were needed to score.

A lot of publicity was made of the game last year where Shawn had over 200 yards rushing and Bulger had 28 yards passing. That's 28 yards passing net, not gross. See, sacks were removed from that total. Bulger lost 71 yards that day to sacks as the defense pounded hard trying to stop Shawn Johnson. He actually passed for 99 yards gross, but no one remembers that stat.

A lot of people also neglect to remember that Arizona won that day. And you can't fault a team for winning.

Do you know how many fans wish that their team would pound it like Arizona does? Fans of teams with great backs but who never seem to use them? The Copperheads admittedly have a running back as their best player and a quarterback nowhere his talent. They have the best offensive line in football. So they play to their strengths.

And they are faulted for it. Yet they have improved every year of the Shawn Watch. 5-11. 8-8. This year they are 2-0 starting out.

Indeed, the Shawn Watch is just getting started. And Bulger couldn't be happier.

[Abe Sargent]

Posts from a fan forum


"Bye Weeks shouldn't come in the 3rd week of the season."

"Gave Richard. that safety from Miami, a chance to get healthy."

"And gave us time to prepare for the mightly 0-3 Cowboys here in Arizona."

"Is Pepper Johnson still calling the defensive plays?"

"Yeah, Abe Sargent said he wanted to groom Pepper for a future head coach position so he'd let Pepper call the defensive plays until the team loses."

"Hmmm."

"Shawn Jay with a big carry."

"Took it to the one"

"Let me predict the next play - Shawn up the gut."

"You were right."

"TD for Super Jay!!!"

"Kickoff, game, boring...."

"Pick! Mosling just picked off Hutchinson."

"Go rookie!"

"Stymied our drive. Three and out"

"Not out, Krause kicked a FG. So Mosling's INT accounted for points."

"Heh, Dallas missed their field goal. Condiff, you suck!!!!"

"It's Cundiff you illiterate bastard."

"Canute with the sack. Oh yeah."

"Too many possession changes. Not enough action"

"Cundiff with a FG. 10-3"

"Damn Krause. You cannot miss a FG from 23 yards!"

"F'in Krause"

"How hard is it to be a kicker. I mean seriously!"

"Could Bulger get through just ONE FREAKING GAME without tossing a gift to the defense?"

"In the red zone too."

"Well, at least nothing came of it."

"Drive, drive, Shawn Jay."

"Krause with another FG. 13-3."

"That's it, force them three and out. Yeah baby!"

"Krause from 57 yards?!? What is Abe smoking?"

"It's going, it's there!"

"DAMN!!! Hit the low crossbar and bounced back. That sucked. 57 yard FG would have been cool."

"Copeland is down."

"They're helping Drew Copeland off the field."

"Geez, Cundiff, could you miss more field goals?"

"Score?"

"13-3"

"Us"

"Bulger!"

"What's the over-under on Bulger throwing two picks a game? I got to get in on this action."

"Heh, Cundiff is lining up for a kick. Should be 54 yards."

"How crazy do you have to be to let a kicker who is a grand 1-4 on the day kick a 54 yarder?"

"Ah, why not? Only down by 10."

"Down by 7 rather."

"Cundiff sucks."

"So, if Cundiff makes it, he sucks, and if he misses, he sucks."

"Yeah, but in different ways "

"Ike Charlton with the interception. Way to go D."

"I grow tired of the FG game. Krause lines up.....it's good. 16 to 6"

"Oh yeah, Campbell caught the BOOM!"

"Play Action has become very effective for us recently."

"Yeah, it has. I can remember Bulger and Martin getting sacked everytime they tried PA."

"1:53 left, Dallas is marching."

"Dallas isn't just marching, they're scoring 23-13."

"Recover the Onside kick, recover the onside kick, recover the onside kick, recove...."

"We recovered it, not stop flooding. Damn!"

"3-0 Baby!"

[Abe Sargent]

Note in the Phoenix First Baptist Church Bulletin


"And we want to thank our Father for blessing fellow congregation member Dexter Krause and his foot as he kicked the game winning field goal against Seattle in Sunday's overtime victory up north."

[Abe Sargent]

Commericals and Announcements on the FOX NFL Coverage


"Watch as the 4-0 Arizona Copperheads slither into town as Marc Bulger takes on his old team, the 2-3 St. Louis Rams. It's a battle of division rivarlies renewed, today, on FOX."


"Here you can see Shawn Johnson, good ol' Super Jay, carrying the ball. This is his 20th of the day and it brought his total on the ground to 147 yards."

"The Rams are really taking it to the Copperheads, and are now up by 24!"

"With that TD pass, Bulger takes his Copperheads into the fourth quarter down 17 points."

"WR Campbell caught another bomb down in the endzone. That puts him at 200 yards receiving for the day! Arizona scores."

"And with that pass, Bulger cuts the lead to just 3 with 4 minutes still on the clock."

"But Terry Fair fumbles and the ball is lost! The Copperheads lose on special teams after forcing the Rams three and out with 1:38 left on the clock!!!"

"So the final score is Rams 37, Copperheads 34. That was a close one! But the Rams hit .500 while the Copperheads suffer their first loss of the season."

[tucker342]

ouch! tough loss

[Abe Sargent]

From NFL.com

NFL Players of the Week


Shawn Johnson:

Against the 4-1 Packers, Monte Kiffin coached a massive performance out of NFL Offensive Player of the Week Shawn Johnson. Shawn rushed for 171 yards, two touchdowns and received another 51 yards. No player had as many yards from scrimmage during Week 7 as Shawn. Shawn, known by some as Shawn Jay or "Super Jay," led his 4-1 Copperheads to victory over the Packers and continued to establish dominance in the NFC.

[Abe Sargent]

The next two weeks:

at San Diego. Win, 34-24
Hosting Rams. Win, 30-26


Week 10 brings a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Copperheads. The new Bidwell team versus the old Bidwell team.

[Abe Sargent]

7-1 Arizona leads the NFC, 8-0 Miami Leads AFC

Mark Tipman
Football.com


After a surprisingly strong start, the Arizona Copperheads have continued their momentum, winning seven of their first eight games to be the top team in the NFC.

In the AFC, the Miami Dolphins were predicted to be one of a few Super Bowls contenders. They lead the league with the only undefeated record.

In the NFC, Arizona has to watch out for 6-2 Seattle and Green Bay. However, two of Arizona's wins came at the expense of Seattle and Green Bay, so they have proven themselves worthy.

The Dolphins have no team breathing down their neck, as the second place AFC team is the Cincinnati Bengals with a 6-2 record. There are six other teams with 5-3 records. So the Dolphins are three games ahead of losing a bye week in the playoffs.

Circle the following game on your calanders for Week 16. The Seattle Seahawks will travel to the Arizona Copperheads. This game could likely decide the division crown, and probably a bye week for the winner.

[Abe Sargent]

Abe Sargent to a Microrecorder

It's week 10 and we have traveled to Minnesota to take on the Vikings, Bidwell's new team. Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Purple, Vikings. We both share the interesting experience of having recently been Cardinals, and both of us are trying toi put that experience behind us.

We win the toss, and I want to play aggressively today, so I told the captains to take the ball if we won. So, we'll start with the ball against the Vikings.

My playcalling for the first quarter is simple. Pound Shawn Jay enough to open up the passing game. Shawn Jay for 9 up the middle on our first play from scrimmage. Shawn Up the middle for 3. Shawn up the middle for 6. Shawn Off Tackle for 5. Shawn Counter Right for 6.

2nd and 4. I call a Play Action pass out of the Strong formation, which is my favorite running formation. The safety bites and I have man on man deep with Craig Campbell. 33 yards and a TD!

7-0

Minnesota goes three and out. Our drive, led mainly by Shawn Jay and small West Coast style passes, is stymied and Krause kicks a 31 yard field goal. 10-0.

Culpepper moves the ball, throwing for two first downs, before we stop them. Richard Harper has a nice punt return which helps us set up a 51 yard attempt by Krause. And he nails it!. It would have been good from at least 55 or 57 yards or so.

13-0 and we are starting to pull away.

Culpepper is hit and fumbles. Monsanto Pope recovers. Shawn Johnson rushes for a TD on that possession. 20-0.

Colby Solomon, our new middle linebacker for this year, picks off Culpepper and runs it into the redzone. TTHe Vikings defense stiffens, and we don't get a single yard. But Krause still knocks a FG through the uprights. 23-0.

And the rout is on. After halftime, Minnesota puts together a decent looking drive that ends in a missed FG.

On third and 11 on the ensuing possession, I call a Singleback passing formation. The TE and 3rd Recevier Streak down field while both X and Z Receivers run straight for around 10 yards, cut in for five yards, then fade out to the sideline. I use the pattern to give my two main receivers two chances each to cut and lose a defender, and that should give Bulger a target. However, it's 3rd and 11 and the defense is in quarters defense. Bulger hikes the ball, but sees double coverage on both of the X and Z receivers. Becht is covered, so Bulger takes his shot at Branden Lloyd, our third receiver. Branden cathes teh ball in single coverage, then breaks three tackles. 43 yards later he is dancing the endzone dance.

30-0.

We exchange some possessions. Then Minnesota puts together its best looking drive of the day. They take the ball to the 22 before stalling. Minnesota lines up for a FG on 4th and 7. Then they spike the ball and its a fake! Fortunately, we sack their QB and its a turnover on downs.

On the ensuing drive, Marc Bulger snaps the ball on 2nd and 8 with a Singleback 3 WR formation where both backs flare out to their respective sides. The pass rush is on heavy, three big guys tear through the middle immediately. Bulger, tosses to his left to his Johnson but Johnson isn't looking for the ball! It hits him square in the middle of his back and the referees rule that it was a lateral!!! The Vikings recover.

I call a challenge. However, on review, it does appear as if Super Jay is a bit behind Bulger. But he just isn't looking for the ball. Did he even sense the rush was on? Shawn, you've got to have better awareness out there than that.

The Vikings recover, but we stop them just outside of FG range at the 42. They punt but its a touchback and we drive the length of the field. Shawn catches a Bulger pass for a TD.

37-0.

We kickoff and wouldn't you know it? Minnesota returns the kickoff for a TD.

37-7. It's later in the fourth quarter, and we are able to run the clock out with Shawn Jay in the backfield.

And we are now 8-1.

[Abe Sargent]

Tipsy Man at a Bar

".....so the Copperheads Lost? Lost?!?! To Chicago, here at home. Man that's sad. What was the score? 24-21? They lost by a FG? Sad. Sad. Wasn't Monte on the schedule to coach today? You'd think that the actual coach would have a better record than the pretend coach-owner...."

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Week 12 at Carolina

We head into Week 12 8-2. Also at 8-2 are the Saints. The Seahawks are still hugging our ass at 7-3.

This week, Bulger burnt all of our timeouts early, and I couldn't use any during the game.

We complete our first drive like I always caoch it. Pound Johnson, pound Johnson some more, and pound Johnson even more - then Play Action pass or Halfback Toss or something. We move down to the 28, but are stalled, so Krause hits a FG. 3-0.

We keep the Panthers toa single first down before getting the ball back. A coordinated and slow 15 play drive ensues that eats up much of the first quarter and is capped with a Craig Campbell TD. 10-0.

The Panthers fail to panic, putting together their own 12 play drive that ends in an aerial TD. 10-7.

We take the ball and slowly inch our way back. Pass here, run there, run here, pass here. Pass to Becht. pass to Lloyd. Pass to Hodgins. Run by Hodgins. Run by Johnson, Run by Johnson Run by Hodgins, Play Action pass to Branch. Pass to Herman Miller. TD pass to Branch. 17-7 with 58 seconds left in the half.

The Panthers try to get on the board by halftime. Pass #1 incomplete. Pass #2 complete for two yards. Pass #3 is PICKED OFF BY AARON MOSLING!!!!!

With 42 seconds left, we have the ball in excellent position, so I decide to crush the Panthers right then and there. 24 seconds later, Bulger hits Becht over the middle for a TD.

Halftime score 24-7.

Bulger tosses a pick on our first drive of the half. The Intercaption is returned all the way for a TD. 24-14.

On the following drive, Marc Bulger injures his head and Jason Gesser comes in. I call a bunch of runs and the occasional short throw. We are forced to punt. We then stop the Panthers cold - three and out.

Terry Fair steps back to receive the punt. He heads left up the sideline, 5 yards, 10 yards, 12 yards, Oh, he's hit by the Panthers hard and the ball pops up! The Panthers recover and drive to the red zone only to be met with fierce resistance and forced to kick a FG. 24-17.

And suddenly, just like that, it's starts to feel a little hot here in Carolina. I summon my offense starters and I tell them, straight up, that the way to end this mini-comeback from the Panthers is to do so, now. Calmy answer their score, and put them down by 14 again.

One play, two plays, three plays. Pass to Johnson, run by Johnson, pass to Campbell. Gesser QB Sneak, run by Johnson, run by Hodgins.

15 plays - 79 yards. FB Blast out of the Strong Formation by Hodgins. TD.

31-17.

And that would be the end of Carolina's momentum.

Bulger came back in for the fourth quarter, but you could tell that we had burst the balloon. I could have started myself at quarterback and we would have finished out the game in victory.

Doug Bronson is injured for the rest of the game and Ike Charlton fills in.

Mosling again picks off Carolina's rookie QB Rich. Mosling returns the ball to the 7. Super Jay cathes a TD from Bulger. 38-17.

The Panthers manage a superfluous TD with 1:24 remianing to make the score a more respectable 38-24.

Some final numbers on the day:

Bulger tossed 4 TDs, 1 Int, 176 yards.
S. Jay ran for 126 yards and a receiving TD

[Abe Sargent]

Excerpt from ESPN.com

NFC rankings:


Saints (10-2) - The Saints just continue to roll after continued wins against division foes the Falcons and Buccaneers. They have the Panthers this week, who were sent into a tailspin after their loss to Arizona two weeks ago. They kept every game close so far, but after that one, they dropped a game to Detroit last week and lost by 31 points. The Saints are in the driver's seat for the NFC.

Copperheads (9-3) - After their shocking loss at home last week in front of the first crowded Sun Devil Stadium in years to the Raiders, the Copperheads must be reeling. They only scored 9 points.

Seahawks (9-3) - The Seahawks have continued to put pressure on the Copperheads, who have lost two of their last three games. Although the Coppreheads are in the lead now due to them defeating the Seahawks earlier in the season, Seattle has one last chance to make a move in Week 16. I am sure they have circled their calanders.

......

[damnMikeBrown]

Finish the season & get to FA & the draft already! Enough of these games! Bring on the fresh meat!

[Abe Sargent]

Against the 7-5 Lions in Detroit the Cops have no recourse. S. Jay gets a little over 100 yards, the Cops give up the ball three times, twice on fumbles, and Detroit lambastes Arizona 38-21.

Then the Copperheads take their show to San Francisco to play the 8-5 49ers. Coached by Monte, the team emerges victorious 27-16.

That brings up the highly anticipated matchup this week between the Seahawks and the Copperheads. 10-4 Arizona hosts 9-5 Seattle in a battle for NFC West Supremacy.

[Abe Sargent]

To: [email protected]
From: Abe Sargent
Re: Week 16 Game versus the Seahawks.

We hosted Seattle this week. It's our last home game of the regular season, so I decided to declare it Fan Appreciation Day. We handed out free Tee Shirts to everybody. Therefore, we had a full house.

Playing in front of our very first sold out game in my tenure! It was nice.

Seattle wins the toss and chose to kickoff. We start with the ball. I call a pass to Branden Lloyd for 9 yards to start the game. After a few more first downs, Shawn Johnson scampers in for a TD.

Seattle goes three and out and is forced to punt. Things are looking our way from the get go.

Until the most controversial call, or "non-call" is made. Seattle punts, and Terry Fair gets back to field the punt. He does not call for a fair catch because he has two blockers and just one Seahawk in front of him. However, that Seahawks jukes past the defender and grabs and pulls Terry Fair before the ball lands. The ball hits Fair, who can't catch it because the Seahawk has a hold of Terry's right hand and is pulling him around. Another Seahawk lands on the ball.

And there is NO PENALTY ON THE PLAY. None. No personal foul, nothing. Seattle has the ball with great field position and the crowd in the stands is livid.

Our defense stops the Seahawks and they have to settle for a Field Goal.

Seattle stops us, then creates their first long drive of the day for a TD. 10-7 Seattle.

I feel momentum slipping from us. As such, I call a FG attempt on 3rd and 7 for a 57 yard attempt. Krause has the distance, but not the angle, and it's wide left.

Seattle puts together a mini-drive and tries their own FG from 50 yards but its wide right barely missing the goalpost.

We start running, pounding the ball behind Shawn Jay. Then I call a Play Action pass, but Bulger is picked off by Seattle.

Seattle drives, and drives, getting to the 19 before Copeland picks off Hasselbeck. Whew! We begin our own drive, and Bulger finds Campbell in the endzone after 12 plays and 71 yards.

14-10 at the half.

We stop Seattle after I call every defensive play from the Dime formation in order to get the speed on the field to stop Shaun Alexander.

We have a few plays, then on Seattle's 33, I call another Play Action pass. Bulger hits Deion Branch in the endzone for a 21-10 score.

Seattle answers with another long drive after my Dime strategy fails. 21-17.

I call a run by S. Jay from the Strong formation, my favorite for running. Six yards. On 2nd and 4, I call the third Play Action pass of the day. One was a pick, the other a TD. This one is a 51 yard completion to Campbell as he beats coverage down the left side but is run down by a safety. I call a Singleback play where the Slot Receiver (Branden Lloyd) heads straight for the sideline. He runs for the sideline, miles away from the linebacker assigned to cover him. Bulger hits him, and he runs the 9 yards into the endzone.

28-17 Cops.

Seattle starts another drive. On 2nd and 8, I call a Dime defensive formation again. Hasselbeck tosses an interception to our Dimeback, CB Bates.

We drive, but are stalled on the 3 yard line and kick a FG. 31-17.

With 7:03 on the game, Seattle creates a huge play down the left sideline, Doug Bronson runs down their WR Simms at the 14. They score three plays later. 31-24.

We then start our own drive, running and occasionally passing. We run off a lot of time, but are forced to punt at the Two Minute Warning.

Seattle drives quickly, completing every pass despite our defense and scores the tying TD with 1:07 left!

They kickoff and we get the ball.

I call an ACE Streaks from the Singleback Big Formation. Bulger hits Herman Miller who breaks three tackles and rumbles for 28 yards. Timeout.

11 yard pass to Branch on an out pattern, but he is tackled in bounds. Tick Tock, Tick Tock. No timeouts called.

I run Shawn Jay twice, being in FG range. After our second run, with 29 seconds left, Seattle is flagged for a flagrant facemask. 15 yards.

FB Hodgins run, HB Shawn Jay run to place the ball, and from the 10 yard line, with 0:08 on the clock, and 3rd down. We have a Timeout and a down in case something goes awry.

Krause's kick is good! 34-31 with 5 seconds left.

Seattle is tackled in three seconds, and sacked on their last play.

And we win!!!

We are now 11-4. We have not secured a Bye Week. We are currently in 2nd, but Green Bay is third with 10-5. If we lose next week and Green Bay wins, we'll not have a Bye Week.

A few important stats from the game:

HB Shawn Johnson, 102 yards, 1 TD
QB Marc Bulger, 291 yards, 3 TDs, 1 Int

[Abe Sargent]

NFL 2 Night, Playoff Edition

Suzy: So tell me about the Copperheads.

Mike: These guys have finally hit their stride in the passing game. Their first year, with Jamie Martin, it was all passing. Antonio Freeman and Qadry Ismail both had 1000 yard receiving seasons and Jamie Martin almost threw for 3000 yards despite never starting a season in his long career.

Then the Copperheads found their ground game with Shawn Johnson, who could be the best player in the NFL right now. He might be the best halfback ever. But their passing game was anemic for two years.

But this year, they found their passing game while keeping their running game the best in the league. And the result has been a playoff season with a division win and a Bye week.

Marc Bulger threw for over 3000 yards and for the first time in his Arizona career, he had more TD passes than interceptions.

Shawn Johnson had a second consecutive season with over 2000 yards rushing, with a total of 2097 yards.

Sophomore receiver Craig Campbell notched 1004 yards and 8 TDs in his second season. New receiver Deion Branch had 11 TDs and 892 yards.

All five Offensive Linemen are in the running for the Pro Bowl.

And that gives you a powerful offensive force.

Sean Salisbury: In fact, the Copperheads have proven themselves against tough opponents. Here are the teams they played with a record above .500

San Francisco twice, record of 9-7.
In Detroit with a record of 9-7.
In Denver with a record of 11-5
Seattle twice, record of 10-6.
At Lambeau Field when the Packers are 10-6.

They came from a tough division and they beat a lot of quality opponents on the road. You don't normally see teams get Bye weeks with a schedule like this out of a division like the NFC West.

Suzy: And that's certainly true. So, where do the Copperheads go from here?

Mike: You mean besides Las Vegas?

Sean: Hehehe. I think the Copperheads will be the NFC representative this year in the Super Bowl. The only thing that will stop them is if Bulger's proclivity towards tossing picks catches up with them. Or if their defense allows too many points. One or the other.

Mike: I see them in the NFC Championship, sure. But I think that the Saints have what it takes to hold onto their number one seed and make the Super Bowl.

Suzy: Well, we'll see how it all breaks down, in the playoffs.

[Abe Sargent]

Playoffs, Wild Card Weekend:

Colts at Titans

Lions at Packers

Browns at Bengals

Seahawks at Redskins



Titans over Colts, 31-12
Packers over Lions, 47-3
Bengals over Browns, 35-10
Seahawks over Redskins, 19-16



Divisional Matchups:

Bengals at Dolphins

Seahawks at Saints

Titans at Broncos

Packers at Cardinals

[Abe Sargent]

Statline of Copperheads Victory over Green Bay, 59-28 (coached by owner Abe Sargent)

Horse Trailer Player of the Game - WR Craig Campbell, 5 catches, 161 yards, 3 TDs

QB Marc Bulger, 248 yards, 4 TDs, 1 Int

HB Shawn Johnson, 181 Yards rushing, 2 TDs

CB Ike Charlton, Int and Int TD


Other games:

Miami over Cincinnati 20-10

Saints over Seahawks 31-13

Broncos over Titans 26-17

[Abe Sargent]

AP Wire 4:21 pm

Running Back Shawn Johnson has suffered a broken ankle and is out for the playoffs for the Arizona Copperheads. This injury occured during the first minutes of the NFC Championship Game against the Saints. Coach Monte Kiffin is calling the plays.


AP Wire 7:13 pm

The New Orleans Saints have advanced to the Super Bowl after defeating the Arizona Copperheads 21-15 after star running back for Arizona was injured early, turning Arizona into a one-dimenstional offense.

[Abe Sargent]

Your Super Bowl:


The Miami Dolphins, AFC Conference Champions

vs

The New Orleans Saints, NFC Conference Champions


...
...
...
...


Miami 13

New Orleans 0


Miami pitches a Shut Out Super Bowl!!

[Abe Sargent]

Season Stats:


QB Marc Bulger, 3081 yards, 28 TDs, 24 Ints

HB Shawn Johnson, 2097 yards rushing, 19 rush TDs, 57 catches for 458 yards and 5 TDs

WR Craig Campbell, 53 catches for 1004 yards, 9 TDs
WR Deion Branch, 63 grabs for 892 yards and 11 TDs

RT Jon Johnson, 90 Pancakes, 13 SkA
RG Leon Searcy, 84 Pans, 7 SkA
C Dedric Arrington, 73 Pans, 6 SkA
LT Kwame George, 67 Pans, 6 SkA
LG Mike Bibla, 61 Pans, 2 SkA

SS Carl Sanders, 88 Tacks, 4 TFL, 3 Sacks, 2 Int, 3 FF, 1 FumRec
LOLB Canute Curtis, 79 Tacks, 4 TFL, 5 Sacks, 2 FF, 1 FumRec
ROLB John Thierry, 76 Tacks, 13 TFL, 5 Sacks, 1 Int, 4 FF, 2 FumRec
RE Michael Roberts, 20 Tacks, 7 TFL, 8 Sacks, 1 FF, 3 FumRec
LE Chidi Ahanotu, 40 Tacks, 11 TFL, 7 Sacks, 1 FF, 2 FumRec
CB Aaron Mosling, 47 Tacks, 1 TFL, 6 Ints, 2 FF
FS Drew Copeland, 56 Tacks, 3 TFL, 4 Ints, 2 FF

K Dexter Krause, 26 of 36 FGs, 49 of 49 XPs

[Abe Sargent]

Awards:

QB Marc Bulger:

NFC Best QB (#5)


HB Shawn Johnson:

NFL MVP
NFL Offensive Player of the Year
NFL Best RB


RT Jon Johnson:

NFL Best O-Lineman


RG Leon Searcy:

NFL Best O-Lineman (Runner Up)


C Dedric Arrington:

NFC Best O-Lineman (4th)


CB Aaron Mosling:

NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year (Runner Up)


K Dexter Krause:

NFC Best Kicker (#3)


Monte Kiffin:

NFL Coach of the Year


Pro-Bowl:

HB Shawn Johnson won, but lost his spot due to injury

FB James Hodgins
LT Kwame George
LG Martin Bibla
C Dedric Arrington
RG Leon Searcy (Second Most Votes of any NFC Player)
RT Jon Johnson (Most Votes of any NFC Player)

CB Aaron Mosling
SS Carl Sanders

[Abe Sargent]

Copperheads Have All Five Offensive Linemen in Pro Bowl


Bernard Stevensworth
Football.com

It is a well known phoenomenon that the voting for players to the NFL Pro Bowl is biased. Many fans don't appreciate the subtelty of blocking, Fullbacks, punting, and so forth. Oh, it's easy enough to tell who the good receiver or running back is, but the blocker?

We know that some stats, like sacks and interceptions, are more important than fumbles forced, tackles, and less flashy statistics. We know that voters often vote on reputation. We know that some voters wait a year before voting for a player. Otherwise Shawn Johnson would have been voted in his first year.

It is also a well known and well documented phoenomenon that successful running backs often have their lineman voted to the Pro Bowl. One back will travel to Hawaii with his favorite tackle, another back his reliable guard, and so forth.

But has a running back ever taken his entire starting offensive line? Has an entire offensive line ever been voted to the Pro Bowl?

Oh sure, the Copperheads are the best offensive line this year. Sure, Shawn Johnson had his second consecutive 2000 yard season, a feat never before accomplished. Sure, the Copperheads had four players voted in last year.

But Richmond Webb retired, Martin Bibla has never been a Pro Bowl caliber guard and Kwame George is a rookie.

Speaking of which, if a rookie doesn't go to the Pro Bowl, then what business does he have winning Offensive Rookie of the Year over a rookie who does?

Kwame George is an offensive player who made the Pro Bowl. And he wasn't in the top five vote getters for NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year? No other offensive rookie made it to the Pro Bowl. What do we need to do to recognize the guys in teh trenches?

Admit it, no linemen will ever be so much as nominated for an offensive award. What a crazy bias we have.

So I guess it makes sense that our system is as biased as we are.

I guess.

[Abe Sargent]

Las Vegas Copperheads Balance Sheet:

The move to Vegas is complete! Here is the Balance Sheet. It would have been much worse if we hadn't had the great season that we did.


Income:

Ticket Sales - 41.65
Concessions - 4.65
Parking - 2.85
Merchandise - 4.15
NFL Shared Revenue - 75.1
Relocation Income - 150k

Total Income - 131.95 million

Expenses:

Player Salaries - 62.25
Staff Salaries - 6.55
Stadium Payment - 134.20
Fan Appreciation Day - 200k

Total Expenses - 203.20 million

Year 2006 Net Income - (71.25 million)

Total Assets - (54.25 million)


From here on out, it should be relatively smooth sailing. We hope.


-Frankinnoble
VP of Administration

[Abe Sargent]

Progression Memo


The Internal Scouts have assessed the following players as having changed during the course of the year. The number that follows is their change in overall grade, out of 100.

QB Marc Bulger, +3
Jason Gesser, +1
Tim Levcik, -6

HB Shawn Johnson, +1
Quentin Griffin, -8
Derrick Blaylock, -6

WR Craig Campbell, +3
Deion Branch, +1
Brandon Lloyd, +1
Troy Edwards, -5
Terrence Wilkins, -2

TE Anthony Becht, +2
Herman Miller, +3

LT Kwame George, +6

LG Martin Bibla, +2

C Dedric Arrington, +2

RG Leon Searcy, +2

RT Jon Johnson, +3

LE Chidi Ahanotu, +2
Joey Williams, +2

RE Michael Roberts, +3
Dre Fisk, +1

DT Sean Nelson, -1

LOLB Canute Curtis, +2
Eddie Shakur, -1

MLB Colby Solomon, +5
Donny Jones, +2

ROLB Darnay Hill, +1
Kendall Ortiz, +2

CB Doug Bronson, +2
Aaron Mosling, +5
Ike Charlton, +2
Marvin Bates, +3
Tyrone Carter, -9

FS Drew Copeland, +5
Richard Harper, +4

SS Carl Sanders, +4
William Kinney, +3

K Dexter Krause, +2


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Coach Notes:


ESPN.com INsider

Las Vegas Copperheads - Owner Abe Sargent announced that Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman was promoted to head coach. Pepper Johnson and Gunther Cunningham will remainat their positions. Mike McCarthy was hired as the new offensive coordinator after serving for years in that capacity with the New Orleans Saints.

Seattle Seahawks - In talks with Monte Kiffin, Seattle......

[Abe Sargent]

The Following Copperheads Retired:

ROLB John Thierry
TE Cam Cleeland
CB Terry Fair

[Abe Sargent]

Roster Assessment:


Internal Scouting's assessment on the current roster status. THis analysis is by position.


QB - Only Marc Bulger is under contract, and only for one more year. Marc had his best year with us last year, and we see no reason for him to continue. However, we need to protect ourselves against possible future problems with Marc. We need a young quarterback to develop cheaply to replace Marc in the event of emergency or bad play. Recommendation - Resign Marc to a modest, short-term contract now in order to avoid a more expensive contract next year if Marc continues to play as well as he has, which we feel he will. Find two quarterbacks, one young, one bench warmer.

RB - Shawn Johnson is entering his last season under his rookie contract. I don't need to tell you that he had to remain a Copperhead in order for our team to function. Resign him now to avoid a messy contract later. Shaun Davis is under contract, but at least one more back is needed for depth. Fullback James Hodgins is in his last year, but resigning him is not imperative. Backup Bernie Norton is nothing special, and could be released if necessary without causing roster issues. Recommendation - Resign Shawn Jay, find a backup halfback.

Receiver - Craig Campbell, Deion Branch, and Brandon Lloyd are all under contract for 2 or 3 years each. We believe that these three receivers represent the best receiver corps this team has ever had. Special teams players and the like should fill out the last two roster spots, and there's no need to find other wideouts. Recommendation - Do not disturb the top three positions, but find two special teams contributors.

Tight End - Anthony Becht is under contract for two more years. He is never a good TE, but he is serviceable. A better TE would be handy. If cheap, resigning Herman Miller might be beneficial, as he was our best recieving TE during his years with us. Recommendation - Look into resigning Herman Mille,r find another TE.

Offensive Tackle - Kwame George and Jon Johnson are both Pro Bowl starters under contract for the long term. Both backups are likewise under contract for two years each. Nothing needs to be down here.

Offensive Guard - Although RG Leon Searcy went to his third consecutive Pro Bowl he is not under contract, and he is older at age 37. Resigning him to a short one year contract while finding a long term answer at the position is wise. LG Martin Bibla is decent, but not spectacular. We have two backups at the RG spot under contract. Recommendation - Resign Searcy to a one year deal, and find a future starter or go blind into the draft and free agency without a proven starter at the position. Depending on how many RGs we end up with, we may want a backup LG.

Center - Dedric Arrington is under a long term contract but Cris Forrest is out. All we need here is a backup.

Defensive End - Only RE Michael Roberts is under contract, but we have him for three more years. Chidi Ahanotu is another aging player, who has performed well. There is no reason why Chidi cannot continue to play well. Also, we need backups. Recommendation - Resign Chidi for a one or two year contract. Draft or sign backups at both end spots, at least one of which shoul dbe halfway decent.

Defensive Tackles - All four of our defensive tackles are under contract. Martin, Fryar and Nelson are entering their last year. We may want a young backup, if space allows.

Outside Linebackers - Canute Curtis continues to develop. We have only backup Kendall Ortiz under contract on the right side. This is an area of serious need. Recommendation - Find a permanent starter on the right side, and a backup in the left.

Middle Linebacker - Colby Solomon proved that he is worthy to start in the NFL. He is no longer under contract, but he should be. Donny Jones is a good bacup, under contratc for two more years. Recommendation - Resign Donny Jones.

Cornerback - All five of our corners are under contract for this year, although Ike and Doug are in the last year of their contracts. Doug will need to be wrapped up beyond this year, but Ike is aquestion mark, Recommendation - Extend Doug Bronson's contract. Maybe Ike's, but probably not.

Safeties - Drew Copeland started for us last year and proved himself very well. He is out of his rookie contract, so signing him back would be highly beneficial. If he is too expensive, we recommend going with second year man Richard Harper, who has developed very well. Carl Sanders had a Pro Bowl year at strong safety and is entering his final year. The same rule applies. William Kinney, our backup at the position, has developed into a very good safety, and could start for some teams. He is out of a contract, but we wouldn't be upset if he was resigned for us for a cheap price. Recommendation - Sign Drew Copeland if he's cheap enough, if not, find a backup to Richard. Extend Carl's contract and find a backup at the strong spot.

Kickers - Dexter Krause continues to develop. We have him locked for 3 years. Matt Turk's contract expired, and we feel that he should be resigned.


HOLDOUTS -

The following players are holding out for a better contract:

LG Martin Bibla
LOLB Canute Curtis

Both players are under contract for two more years. We suggest extending contract or meeting demands only if they are small. Both players are deemed replaceable.


-Mike Ackerly

[Abe Sargent]

Administrative Memo


We signed a Stadium Name Deal with WuxCom for one year. If we win 14 games, then we receive 8.8 million. After this year, we may sign a longer term deal with a company for the naming rights of the Stadium. But, for this year, it's WuxCom Stadium.

I don't even know what WuxCom makes or sells.

Anyway, we resigned the following players:

MLB Colby Solomon, 3 years, 8 million total with 1.32 bonus

FS Drew Copeland, 3 years, 5 million, 780k bonus

LE Chidi Ahanotu, 1 year, 1.6 million, 480k bonus

RG Leon Searcy, 1 year, 1.75 million, 500k bonus

TE Herman Miller, 2 years, 1.35 million, 240k bonus


We also dealt with holdout Martin Bibla the LG position. We signed a new contract for 4 years, 6.2 million, with a 1.08 million bonus.


As per your request, we left Canute Curtis aloneand will let you address his holdout directly.

-Frankinnoble
VP of Administration

[Abe Sargent]

Conversation between Abe Sargent and Canute Curtis

Abe Sargent: Thank you for meeting with me Canute.

Canute Curtis: I just want to get this taken care of.

Abe: We all do. Frankly, I am hurt by your holdout. We just signed a market value contract for you last year, and yet you are holding out on me. Why?

Canute: I just want to get paid my fair share.

Roosevelt Barnes: Canute feels that his current contract....

Abe: Roosevelt, with all due respect, I like you as an agent. If I were to give up being an owner and get hired as a GM somewhere, you are one of the three or four agents I would consider hiring.

Roosevelt: Well thank you sir...

Abe: But, having said that, you are here strictly as a favor to Canute. He trusts your wisdom, so I am allowing you to observe, and that way have all of the information, but this is a man-to-man conversation between Canute and myself, and if you can't be a silent observer and respect that, then I will ask you to leave. Understood?

Roosevelt: Yes sir.

Abe: Canute, this is your tenth year as a pro, correct?

Canute: Yessir.

Abe: Why would you holdout now? I mean, I could understand if your market value had changed. If you had led our team in tackles, registered 8 or 10 sacks, made the Pro Bowl, then I could understand you holding out. But that wasn't the case.

Canute: I have gotten better.

Abe: What player doesn't? Of course you have. But if I were to negiotiate a new contract from your after holding out because you got a bit better as a player, what's to prevent half my starters next year from doing the same?

Canute: I don't know.

Abe: Who were the starters on our defense four years ago? The free agents that we picked up?

Canute: What?

Abe: Who were the starters with you?

Canute: Me, John Thierry and Bryan Cox at linebacker, Deion Sanders and Eric Davis at corner, Marcus Robertson and Blaine Bishop at safety, Chester McGlockton and Steve Martin inside and Chidi Ahanotu and Kendrick Office outside. Why?

Abe: When those 11 players were announced as our starters, how many do you think the avergae football fan recognized? Most of them know nine of those players. You and Kendrick were the two unknowns, the two career backups.

I started you. Before you came to us, you were a career backup and speicial teams player. Since your arrival, you have started for four seasons. You have developed a reputation around the league for being a solid player, the sort of player that every team wants in the positions where they don't have stars.

Canute: So?

Abe: You are not a star. Let me ask you another question, how many starts did you have before you came here? How many games did you start in five years with Cincinnati?

Canute: Four.

Abe: And since you've come here, you have started every regular season game. 64 starts plus two post season starts. 66 starts total. Compared to four.

Canute: I'm not saying I'm not grateful...

Abe: Aren't you? In five years with Cincinnati, you played for what? 3.5 million total? 3 million total? In four years with us you've made 8 million and you are signed for two more years for another 3 million. That's a fair market deal, and you are tryign to change it.

Canute: I'm a better player than my contract.

Abe: No, Shawn Johnson is a better player than his contract. Two consecutive 2000+ yard seasons and an 1800+ yard season. He is entering the last year of his rookie contract and he is not holding out. If anybody has the right to claim they are better than their contract, it's Shawn. But he's not the one I am sitting across from right now, having this conversation with, is he?

Canute: No...

Abe: There are four players left from our first year. Chidi Ahanotu and Leon Searcy were signed for one year contracts, and Steve Martin is in his last year of his contract. You are the only one of the original group to be under contract for longer than a year. Want to know how much Leon Searcy signed for?

Canute:.....

Abe: He's been to three consecutive Pro Bowls for us, and been a blocker for all three of Shawn Johnson's big seasons. He signed for 1.75 million. 1.75 Million! And here you are, holding out for an 8 million dollar contract?

Did you notice that you are the one most likely to remain from that initial group the longest? That out of a roster full of "has beens" and "never weres," you would become the shining pickup? The one that rose to the occasion and became a fixture at linebacker? That you would be remembered, not for greatness, because that is not your destiny, but for consistency?

Canute: ....

Abe: Take a few days to think about why you are holding out. But, I'll be honest with you. Up front and honest. I have been loyal and faithful to you. I haven't drafted or signed any competetion for your roster spot. And last year, we agreed to a fair market value contract for your services. Your value has not changed simply because we made it to the NFC Championship. Would a man back out of a contract like that? Because, I have no intention of tearing up a fair and equitable contract simply because you want more money or you think you are a bit better. That would apply to most of our starters and backups on the team. A fair contract is what we have.

Thank you both for meeting with me, I'll see you soon, I'm sure.

Canute: Thanks for giving this your personal attention.

Abe: Sure thing. Roosevelt, here's your coat.

Roosevelt: Thanks.

Abe: Bye.

[KevinNU7]

Wow

[Abe Sargent]

Originally posted by KevinNU7
Wow

I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks!!!


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Hardcore Football, Fox Sports Net, Combine Edition


Bill Maas: Next up is an interview with Copperheads owner Abe Sargent. He'll talk about the draft, and maybe we'll ask a few question about Vegas, the new digs for the Copperheads.


Bill Maas: Ok, we're back and Ron Pitts is in the studio with Abe Sargent, Ron?

Ron Pitts: Thanks Bill. I'm here with owner Abe Sargent, who recently relocated his Copperheads to Las Vegas. How's the new house?

Abe Sargent: Heh, it's big. And we love our new State of the Art stadium. It'll be a house of pain for our enemies but joy for our fans. We may continue to tinker with it and make it better after a few years once we've paid our debt.

Ron: Excellent. Now, let's talk draft. You had no talent, scouting, or GM experience prior to purchasing the Cardinals, correct?

Abe: That's right, I was an administrator for Eastern Michigan University. I put together a financial package from various elements and purchased the team.

Ron: Who calls the shots on draft day?

Abe: I do. However, Mike Ackerly, our coach, and Vic Ketchman all have significant input. Typically, Mike Ackerly, our director of scouting, does the most legwork and knows the most about the players.

Ron: What happens when there is conflict?

Abe: No conflict is bigger than the team. Everything is kept cordial. I'll listen to differing opinions and make a decision. For example, we chose not to resign punter Matt Turk, despite Mike Ackerly wanting us to keep him. But I felt that a 39 yard old punter would not be with us much longer and we needed to get younger at the position. On the other hand, Mike suggested that we resign our backup tight end Herman Miller. I wouldn't have done that before he recommended it, and his points and logic made sense, so we brought Herman back.

Ron: Interesting. Let's move towards the draft. In your fitst three drafts, you've uncovered 7 players who have already gone to the Pro Bowl. That's just amazing.

Abe: And it hasn't ended yet. Before their careers are up, both Craig Campbell and Michael Roberts will have been to Pro Bowls.

Ron: What about Richard Harper?

Abe: If we had started Richard last year, he would have been one of the worst safeties starting in the league. If we started him this year, he would be in the bottom third. But in two years? Who knows? However, we are set at the position with Drew Copeland.

Ron: Here is the Pro Bowl list: Strong Safety Carl Sanders, Left Tackle Kwame George, Right Tackle Jon Johnson, Center Dedric Arrington, Halfback Shawn Johnson, and Cornerbacks Doug Bronson and Aaron Mosling.

Abe: And we will continue to build.

Ron: How can you do this?

Abe: By drafting with a best available player approach. Each round, we look at the players who we have higher grades on. We draft from the list of players who have fallen almost exclusively. By doing that, we end up with a more talented draft class than many teams.

Ron: What aboput drafting for need?

Abe: Obviously we aren;t drafting another kicker, no matter how highly we may revere a kicker who has fallen. But, experience has shown that you can never have enough talent on your team. Although we will prioritize players who have fallen based on position, we will also draft good players left.

Ron: In your first three drafts, you only selected one receiver and no quarterbacks despite having large opening at both positions. Why?

Abe: The league has put this huge emphasis on receivers and quarterbacks in the draft. Quarterbacks with nothing better than a fourth round talent are going early in teh second round. Receivers with third round talent are falling off the board in the first, and so forth. The league, in my estimation, overvalues these positions, and I am not going to hurt the integrity of my roster by reaching for players.

Ron: So, you fill from free agency?

Abe: Exactly. Receiver is the most egregious offender. I can understand wanting to lock up a quarterback cheaply for several years in one system with one team, and the reaching isn't too bad, and the free agent market isn't that good. But the receivers? There are sacds of good, quality receivers on the free agent market annually. We picked up our number one and three receivers last year from free agency and both are doing very well with us. Our number three man, Brandon Lloyd, was a post free agent auction pickup off the ubiquitous scrap heap. I have no idea why GMs are reaching for receivers early, but it hurts their draft class.

Ron: And who can argue with your success?

Abe: Lots of people. GMs don't like me challenging the system because it's like an outsider attacking the establishment. And they don't like me having such a tremendous initial success because it hurts their position. After all, if I, a country bumpkin from rural West Virginia, can do it, can't anybody? Remember, I drafted and pulled the trigger on every draftee, and we ended up with a lot of talent.

Ron: Unpredecented talent. That so many Pro Bowlers would come so quickly.

Abe; Remember that they were pushed into starting jobs early. I purged the roster, scouring it clean. So these rookies have often started earlier than they might for other teams, thus accelerating their growth. Our fans may not have ever realised it, but we needed those few years of bad teams and bad memories, in order to create what we have now.

Ron: One last question. What is the right way to develop a team?

Abe: Through youth. Keep your good players, don't let young active starters leave your team. Keep your talent, and continue to draft more talent. A young team will age together, and get better together. The Copperheads are very young and getter younger. And because of that, they may stumble. But this is a team that just went to the NFC Championship and has no reason not to repeat next year in Vegas. It's all about have a team that's getting better, not getting older.

Ron: Alright, thanks a bunch for speaking candidly with us here on Hardcore Football.

Abe: Thanks for having me Ron.

[Abe Sargent]

I'd like to take a second to correct a few spelling errors I've made.

Firstly, it's Franklinnoble, not Frankinnoble. I know that, yet I've made the mistake several times. Sorry about that, buddy.

Secondly, it's Mike Ackerley, not Ackerly. Sorry about that Mr. Ackerley. I'm not going to go back and correct my errors, I'm just going to plow ahead and pretend that they were never made.


-Anxiety