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08-11-2007, 01:18 AM
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#101 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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As we gear up for the second half of the season, I notice that Ross Fichtner is only playing in the dime package as I accidentally left Rodger Bird as the backup SS. Since Fichtner has a 91.4% pass defense as opposed to Bird's 64.7%, I make the switch.
Dick Evey is unhappy and Winston Berosik, Dick Koepfer and Garland Boyette are all disgruntled, but sorry boys, none of you is getting any more PT than you already are, or, in the case of Koepfer, any period. Baltimore 17 Miami 21 Majorly critical showdown that was the NFL Game of the Week. We pull off the upset and seize the lead for homefield advantage in the playoffs while sending the Ravens to their first loss of the season. Bart Starr I think smashed some records by throwing 64 pass attempts. He completed 38 of them for 414 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. Opposite him was Johnny Unitas, who was Game MVP with at 18-27 for 170 yards and a TD. Johnny Sample surprised with 11 tackles. Miami 0 New Jersey 13 A win here would've pretty much secured us the AFC East, but the Jets are going to try and make us earn it as they shut us out. Although our defense certainly played well enough to win, our offense couldn't do a damned thing right all day long. Our already suffering WR corps gets hurt some more when Mike Miller strains a foot ligament and is estimated out 4 weeks. Rookie WLB Dave Olgas gets cut and SE Allen Doxzon is signed, as rookie Jerry Daanen, while making significant strides, still isn't ready to be a 4th receiver and Doxzon has starting experience in his 11 years. Miami 30 St. Louis 27 It takes OT to beat the 3-8 Cardinals. Johnny Unitas is 31-48 for 350 yards, a TD and an INT. Paul Warfield catches 8 passes for 148 yards. Allen Doxzon has a great Dolphins debut with 6 catches for 83 yards. Rodger Bird averages an amazing 19.3 yards on 4 punt returns and Dave Lloyd racks up 10 tackles and an assist. Game MVP honors went to Don Brumm, however, for his 4 tackle, 2 sack, 2 hurry and a knockdown performance. Garo Yepremian, incidentally, has been erratic this season and had he made one of two earlier field goals, this game doesn't go to OT. In fact, he's only completed 57.1% of his FGs and is an atrocious 1 of 7 from 50+ range. That's not what I drafted him for. He won't be re-signed unless he makes a major rebound. Ironically enough, Garo Yepremian has shin splits and is questionable for the next 2 games, but luckily for him, the free agent wire is so bad I prefer just to stick with the devil I know. San Diego 10 Miami 20 No OT needed here. Paul Warfield catches 11 balls for 125 yards, we intercept Fran Tarkenton 3 times, Rodger Bird averages 21.3 yards a punt return and Maxie Baughan finally starts earning a little of his rich free agent contract with 7 tackles, 2 assists, a sack, an interception and 2 pass defenses on his way to the Game MVP. Pat Holmes had 4 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 knockdowns. Tom Mitchell will miss a game with injury and Mike Miller is probable. Les Shy gets cut and Devin Reedster is signed as a one game fill-in for Mitchell. My salary cap is being wonked with, what with having to sign and cut all these guys, and we're only $50k under right now. Los Angeles 16 Miami 7 It's honestly amazing that the game was even as close as it was, considering Johnny Unitas threw 4 interceptions, a career worst. Running game went nowhere too. All in all, just a horrible offensive game against a very good Rams team. It sure would be nice to get Gary Ballman back. He hasn't appeared in a game yet this year, though I still have him listed as the SE starter. Fucking turf toe. Back comes Tom Mitchell, out goes Devin Reedster. As a result of having to cut Reedster, we're now $20k over the cap. I really, really hate these nagging injuries. ...Then I realize I didn't need to cut him. Damn it. This sucks. Anyway, in hopes of getting Gary Ballman back to full health by the playoffs, I put him on the inactive list, move Charlie Frazier over to SE and have him start, shift Mike Miller to FL and have him back Paul Warfield. Wow, what an ugly fall for our mighty receiving corps. New Jersey 20 Miami 16 Sigh. The Jets not only prevent us from clinching the division, they continue their amazing win streak and are now at 9-5, a game behind 10-4 us. No individual stars, but also no real reason we should've lost this game either. It was just one of those games where the breaks happened to go the Jets way. #@%@#%%!%!%!@!!!!!!!! Charlie Frazier: Out 4 weeks (Severe Wrist Sprain) Can we please find some way to get a healthy fucking WR?! This was the strongest and deepest damned position on the whole flipping team!!!! ...I have no salary cap money and any one I release will cost more money against the cap than I would save. Un-fucking-believable. Allen Doxzon starts at SE, Jerry Daanen moves up to 4th receiver and Tom Mitchell gets pressed into emergency 5th receiver status. Miami 13 Seattle 31 Irv Cross averages 30.3 yards on 5 kick returns and Garo Yepremian makes both FGs. We are seriously, seriously screwed for the playoffs. The good news is we've clinched a playoff spot. The bad news is that we're guaranteed to be playing in the wild-card round. The Jets lost at least, meaning a win by us or a loss by New Jersey keeps our AFC East championship streak alive. Miami 35 Buffalo 7 There's no way to overstate this solid, solid win. Not only did it clinch the AFC East, but it was a great victory that we needed to give us a major morale boost going into the playoffs. Johnny Unitas was 21-28 for 269 yards and 2 TDs as the Game MVP and Paul Warfield took 10 of those passes for 169 yards and a TD. We're seriously limping as we go into the playoffs, but fortunately, there's no one else who's listed as Out for the wildcard round. What a hell of a way to start the postseason trek for our third straight Super Bowl championship.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-11-2007, 09:01 AM
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#102 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
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Wow that was really a flip of last season where you were cold to start off then caught fire down the stretch. Maybe you're just like the colts last year? A little bored with the regular season?
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08-11-2007, 01:55 PM
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#103 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
I think it's more the fact that we got seriously snakebit with regards to the WR injury situation this year. With Warfield our only legitimate threat at the position, we're suddenly looking a lot like some of last year's teams we faced in the playoffs.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Last edited by Izulde : 08-11-2007 at 01:55 PM. |
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08-11-2007, 02:15 PM
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#104 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Wild Card Round
Our playoff opponent is none other than the New Jersey Jets, who swept us in the regular season. I'm not bothered about this for the following reasons: 1) It's damned hard to beat a team thrice in a season and 2) Al Dorow, the Jets' 17th year! QB, is out, leaving New Jersey forced to start Jim Hart, a third year pro with a 9/38 rating, who after being signed as an emergency QB in Week 16 to start for the injured Dorow, promptly threw for 1 TD and 4 INTs in the last two regular season games, putting up an 0-2 mark. In fact, I'm so confident that I'm going to sit Charlie Frazier, who's upgraded to Questionable. Is it risky? Certainly, especially since the Jets have 3 stars on defense: 5-time All-Pro SLB Larry Grantham, who's made the Pro Bowl all of the last four seasons, CB Clancy Williams and FS Joe Scarpati. Second year SILB Frank Nunley is a rising young star himself. On offense, the Jets have still dangerous FL Don Maynard and 3rd year RB Bobby Burnett broke the 1,000 yard mark this season, but outside of that, I think we're okay. We're favored by 4. And it turns out a rout. Dan Reeves finds his wild card mastery for the second straight year, running 32 times for 130 yards and a TD. Dave Meggyesy shows why I was excited to get him in free agency with 2 interceptions, including running one back 33 yards for a TD in the game's final scoring. He also had 7 tackles, 2 assists and 2 sacks in winning Game MVP honors. One cause for concern: Johnny Unitas was just 8-19, though he did get 2 TDs vs the 1 INT. Final Score: New Jersey 3 Miami 31 A couple more niggling injuries, but those'll be addressed in the Divisional Round post. The most important thing: Charlie Frazier is upgraded to Probable and he'll start next game. We need him.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-13-2007, 01:50 AM
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#105 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Divisional Round
No luck in the divisional draw as we go against Bart Starr, who, unlike Johnny Unitas isn't showing any effects of age at all and in fact just threw for another 4,000+ yards, 28 TDs and 7 INTs in the regular season. Scouts rate him as the top QB in the league still, even though he's in his 13th season. Of course, having impact rookie WR Marlin Briscoe, who's looking like an Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate after a fantastic first season and free-agent signee Johnny Morris late of the Chicago Bears to give Starr his first genuine pair of threats since donning the Purple and Black doesn't hurt either. Maxie Williams is a beast at LT and DT Ernie Ladd is a lot like Walter Johnson. Solid young corps of linebackers is mitigated by the fact that their top two CBs are out with injuries, including 3-time All-Pro Dave Grayson. All in all, a pretty solid team. Sure they've got a spare part at RB, Ladd is the only force on the D-line, their top 2 CBs are gone and their depth overall is pretty bad, but this is a lot better Ravens team than we've faced off against in recent years and it won't be easy, especially not with our own injuries. Baltimore's favored by 2. And this time, our magic finally runs out. Our running game gets absolutely hosed and not even Johnny Unitas throwing for 349 yards, 2 TDs and an INT on 30-54 with Charlie Frazier putting on a heroic 10 catch, 171 yard, 2 TD performance can win you the ball game when Craig Baynham displays Bill Cooper over-achievement in rushing for 111 yards and Bart Starr matches your star's passing performance at 22-30 for 328 yards and 3 TDs. Not when the opponents' D rises to the challenge and heroically defends 10 passes. Final: Miami 17 Baltimore 30 Honestly, we're lucky to have made it this far and so I don't feel anger or disappointment at not getting our third straight Super Bowl title. I feel pride that we overcame serious adversity when the strength of our team turned into an Achille's heel. Good luck to the Ravens. They've got the horses to win the Super Bowl this year and give Bart Starr what he doesn't have that Johnny Unitas does. A ring with his second team.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-16-2007, 02:58 AM
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#106 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl IX
Baltimore 24 Dallas 17 The poor Cowboys. Like the Browns, they've been to two Super Bowls and lost both. Funny thing was, this game wasn't about Bart Starr lighting it up. In fact, Don Meredith was Super Bowl MVP in the losing effort at 24-38 for 266 yards and 2 TDs. What really won this Super Bowl for the Ravens was great special teams play. A blocked punt in the endzone for a TD in the second quarter and the Cowboys' punter harassed so much that he averaged just 35 yards a punt... and that's not even net (which was 26.4). This was a game of field position. Starr's Ravens had it and Meredith's Cowboys didn't. So at long last, Bart Starr has a Super Bowl ring with his new team. I'm sure Johnny U called him to congratulate him and simultaneously remind him that he's got 2 with the new team.  Before we roll on to the awards, a final look at Miami's stats: Code:
Turnovers killed us. Johnny Unitas appears to be done as an elite QB. Admittedly, a large part of the problem was the absolutely devastating injuries at WR, but our offensive line was greatly improved this season and he simply should've been better. That fantastic offensive line played a big role in Dan Reeves becoming the second 1,000 rusher in team history. Imagine what would happen if we had a legitimate RB threat back there! It will be a huge priority in the offseason. What a great signing Billy Cannon was in the offseason. He really helped make up a lot of the deficiences we had at WR, where the injury situation got so bad, Paul Warfield got double-teamed a lot, which I'm sure led to a lot of those drops. We may have to look at new blood at WR. Garo Yepremian is out as our K. 61% is not acceptable and he didn't convert nearly enough from 40+ and 50+ to make up the difference. I love his power, but I can't take that kind of inaccuracy. Paul Maguire was terrific at P and I'll try to re-sign him. We'll be going DE shopping in the offseason. Don Brumm has just hit a wall and Pat Holmes, while good, isn't the kind of DE that can take over a game. I'm still happy with Walter Johnson and Henry Jordan was a great backup. Gary Larson played himself out of a contract. Maxie Baughan had his best season as a Dolphin, but Dave Meggyesy wasn't an improvement over Jim Houston on the strong side. Dave Lloyd continued his magnificient middle play. Johnny Sample is definitely on the way down and he'll only be re-signed if the price is low enough. Honestly, it's not even certain that he'll start for us next season. Billy Baird was something of a disappointment relative to his free agent deal, but we'll probably switch him back to his native position of the left side and see how he does. Irv Cross looked a lot more comfortable in the nickel slot and he continued his terrific return exploits. One guy who definitely earned his paycheck was George Saimes. What a fantastic year. He eases my concerns about the SS spot for the next few years for sure. Don Fleming put in another quality season and Ross Fichtner's pass defense flourished without the pressure of starting. So we definitely have some holes to fill as we go into the offseason, but the nice thing is, we're not going to be stuck with old guys all at once. We laid a lot of transition groundwork last year, but the biggest piece of the puzzle isn't going to be known for another year or two yet. 1968 Miami Dolphins Awards Paul Warfield - 1st Team All-Pro WR Paul's second 1st Team nod in 3 years. He's also on Gary Ballman's trail with 3 straight 1,000 yard receiving seasons. Ballman currently has 4 consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons, a streak that was broken this past season because of the turf toe. Paul's going to be called a steal of the draft when the 10 year review comes up, I'm sure. To find a legit #1 WR that late in the first round is awesome. Gene Upshaw - 2nd Team All-Pro G Another late first-round gem earns his first All-Pro nod. He's now up to 94/94, with 100 RB, 97 PB, 82 BS, 92 Endurance. 39.1% in KRB, 8 pancakes and just one sack allowed. Just a phenomenal, phenomenal player who gave instant credibility to the weakest link on our line. Other Awards MVP QB Bart Starr - Baltimore Ravens Offensive Player of the Year QB Bart Starr - Baltimore Ravens Defensive Player of the Year DE Chuck Hurston - Dallas Cowboys Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Cyril Pinder - San Diego Chargers Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Elvin Bethea - Indianapolis Colts Note: Elvin Bethea has a 66 Endurance Rating. Guess it wasn't so low. Whoops! Oh well. Franchise QB was more important. And now it's on to the offseason proper. OC Jared Thamilarasan RB: VG to Excellent YT: Good to VG DC Royce Womble KP: Good to VG I'd bet all the money I have that Thamilarasan is the best OC in the entire NFL. What an offensive whiz.. and he's only 43! He'll hopefully be with this team for a long, long time. He and Tyrus Treftz have been together on the staff for 6 years, Womble 4. Once again I will try to replace my Lead Scout, by the way. But then, after a quick look at what's available, I decide I'm better off sticking with Edwin Turnbull. No surprise on our Summer League choice. It's Ken Stabler, who made some really nice strides last year, but who's still quite raw and in need of some seasoning before he's ready to take over for Johnny Unitas. I normally don't report on player retirements, but in this case, I feel compelled to, as 3 pretty significant guys retired. 1968 Miami Dolphins Retirements SS Ross Fichtner Years Pro: 9 Years with Miami: 6 (1963-1968) Dolphins Awards: 1966 2nd Team All-Pro S 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions Came over with fellow Browns S Don Fleming, his best friend, in 1963 free agency. Started 5 years for the Dolphins and was known as a ferocious tackler and talented defender. Best season was 1966, his All-Pro year, when he had 84 tackles, 27 assists, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions and an 82.8% PD. Dolphins Records: T-2nd Interceptions 2nd Tackles 3rd Assists 4th Passes Defensed I'm not going to post his player card, as I'm going to reserve that honor for Dolphins draftees and those who have started 7 years or more with the team. LT Bob Skoronski Years Pro: 9 Years with Miami: 7 (1962-1968) Dolphins Awards: 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions Signed in 1962 free agency as he was the best LT available on the market and we had a huge hole to sign. Originally regarded as a fairly mediocre LT, he went on to become our most consistent lineman for the duration of his years here and a great mentor for Dick Cunningham, his eventual replacement. Really turned the offensive line around in 1967, when we were on the skids at the halfway point and he got his starting job back. One of the great unsung heroes of our Super Bowl teams of '66 and '67. Dolphins Records: 3rd Key Run Opportunities T-2nd Pancake Blocks LG Fuzzy Thurston Years Pro: 9 Years with Miami: 6 (1963-1968) Dolphins Awards: 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions Never regained the All-Pro form he had with the Green Bay Packers (1961 1st Team) and was roundly criticized as being a free agent bust relative to his massive contract. He in fact, did underperform compared to expectations and was notoriously injury-prone, but the simple fact of the matter was that the Dolphins played better when he started than when he was not. Did a fantastic job of tutoring Mo Moorman, his eventually replacement, so well that the line should have no problems adjusting to the loss of Fuzzy. Started all 6 seasons he was with Miami. Dolphins Records: 2nd Key Run Opportunities 1st Pancake Blocks Note: I won't do this will all retirees, obviously. Only the ones that were a significant part of the team for a sustained period of time.  On to free agency! We have a -ton- of free agents on the roster, 21 in fact. Most won't be coming back unless it's on a min-sal deal. Week 1 Re-signings RT Jim Battle: 2 years, $170k K Garo Yepremian: 1 year, $70k* Heh, I couldn't resist the min-sal with no bonus attached. That way, I don't -have- to find another kicker. Position Needs QB, RB x 2, WR x 2, C, T, P, DE, DT x 2, OLB (13 new players) RB is obviously our biggest need as we have zero RBs on our roster. I also would really like to find an elite DE as well as a starting DT and yet another upgrade at SLB if it can be found. And of course, our tackles could still use some serious improvements and backup WR is now a big concern. But overall, I'd say we're in pretty good shape. Week 2 Signings C Frank Marchlewski - 2 years, $200k (New York) -Great backup C to have. Not quite the chemistry genius as our backup Cs usually are, but oh well. He's young (5th year) and solid and that's important. DT Robert Brown - 3 years, $310k (Cincinnati) -6th year DT looked pretty good last year as a one year starter rental with the Bengals and he's still got upside left to accomplish. A bit of a gamble, given that he's only been a starter for one season, but I'd like to try him out anyway. Week 3 Signings P Paul Maguire - 2 years, $240k (Re-signing) -Couldn't pass up the opportunity to retain one of the top P in the game. Simple as that. DT Henry Jordan - 1 year, $110k* (Re-signing) -Comes back for what may be his last season to be a reserve DT and mentor for Brown. He's become one of my favorite free agent signings and I really hated the idea of letting him go. OLB Ralph Baker - 1 year, $90k (New Orleans) -Possible starter on the strong side, but more likely a backup to both OLB spots. FS Jerry Stoval - 1 year, $90k (Atlanta) -Hasn't lived up to his reputation as a ballhawk, so he'll probably be the backup FS and a tryout for Don Fleming's replacement Week 3 Losses CB Johnny Sample - 1 year, $110k* (Washington) -My heart just broke.  I'll see if I can get him back. I offer the Redskins either one of our young CBs, because they're concerned about losing a CB, but they won't take the salaries of either one, even though they're on short-term contracts. FUCK YOU WASHINGTON!!!!!! ...Okay, I feel a little better, but not much though. It's my own god damned fault. He'll be a nickel back with the Redskins, whereas he'd have a shot at keeping his starting job with us. All I can hope is that he decides to play for one more season after this next one, but I have a sickening feeling he's going to retire. Oh well, not much I can do about it now. Week 5 Losses DT Gary Larson - 1 year, $90k (Minnesota) -The Vikings are welcome to his bust ass. Bleh, I'll stop here and pick up the other part of first free agency tomorrow. I'm seriously pissed about losing Sample.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-16-2007, 04:35 PM
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#107 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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So after some very fitful sleep (Although I sleep during the day a lot, sunlight makes for a very inconvenient slumber), Dasani grape water, and a couple of Advil, the suckiness of losing Johnny Sample is diminished somewhat.
It's a testament to how great a game FOF is and how much I've become invested in this dynasty that I care that much about a player who hasn't even played his entire career with me and who was seriously on the downside. Week 6 Signings CB Willie Mitchell - 1 year, $90k (Minnesota) -Really good kick returner and the best free agent cover corner left. A 6th year mentor who could eventually replace Irv Cross as our main KR guy. Week 7 Signings RB Bill Cooper - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -I just couldn't stand to see Bill on another team. Not after the whole Johnny Sample situation. WR Charlie Frazier - 2 years, $220k (Re-signing) -Held out for a long, long time hoping to get a lucrative deal, but nobody was willing to pay him what he wanted, so he stays with us, where he'll have a very active role in the offense. DE Frank Mallick - 1 year, $80k* (Indianapolis) -Big upgrade at backup DE over Dick Evey who sucked for us last year. Okay, not so big-time according to ratings, but in performance in my opinion. In fact, may even start over Don Brumm on the left side. Week 9 Signings WR Odell Barry - 1 year, $80k* (Chicago) -Respectable backup WR who I think is a pretty good find, all in all. Week 10 Signings QB King Hill - 1 year, $110k* (Baltimore) -I love his name and his mentor status. The perfect 3rd stringer option. Week 10 Losses C Winston Berosik - 1 year, $100k* (Washington) -The Redskins continue their poaching of old Dolphins. Then again, considering they've only been to the playoffs once (1964) and got hammered (34-10 loss to St. Louis), they need all the help they can get. That's going to be it for the first half of free agency as far as signings go. We'll be more active in the second half. Time for the draft. Obviously priority #1 is RB, RB, RB, RB. Fortunately, this is a good draft year for RB and there's a real-life Dolphin that I'm hoping will do enough falling that I'll be tempted to trade up for him. Three big names at the top of the draft: T Roger Finnie, DT Joe Greene (who was a Dolphins DL coach for a while at least, in addition to being a great RL pro ), and RB O.J. Simpson (I would never draft him even if we had the #1 pick and the crying need at RB we do. Still too bothered by that whole debacle.)1969 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. RB O.J. Simpson - Indianapolis Colts Curious choice, considering they still have Gale Sayers on the roster, but this franchise hit the tank the last couple years. 2. OLB Ted Hendricks - Houston Oilers Not as WTF as you might expect. While I wouldn't have passed on Finnie if I were the Oilers, as they've no depth at LT and their starter is a 10 year player, Houston has exactly 0 OLBs that I would consider even remotely reputable. 3. T Roger Finnie - Kansas City Chiefs Should've been the first pick in the draft. KC benefits big-time. 4. RB Ron Johnson - Buffalo Bills 5. RB Mercury Morris - Atlanta Falcons There goes Mercury. No way either of these guys should be a Top 5 pick, though. I guess we're not the only team that's thirsty for a RB.6. WR Charlie Joiner - Chicago Bears 7. DT Joe Greene - Minnesota Vikings The Vikings get a gift and the Men in Purple suddenly look a lot better on D. 8. CB Nate Wright - St. Louis Cardinals 9. ILB Bill Bergey - San Diego Chargers 10. DE Bill Stanfill - New York Giants 11. WR Jerry LeVias - New England Patriots 12. CB Jim Maralis - New Orleans Saints through Cincinnati Bengals  To move up 5 spots, the Saints give the #17 pick, plus their 1970 and 1971 1st rounders. Cincy just made out like crazy in this deal. The Bengals are one of 3 teams not to have made the playoffs in this universe (Kansas City and Minnesota are the other two). A deal like this just put them a long way towards that goal.13. RB Larry Brown - San Francisco 49ers And the RBs continue to run off the board. There's maybe two guys left I'd consider worthy of drafting in the 1st round and even they aren't great. 14. G Bob Kuechenberg - Cleveland Browns 15. RB Warren Bankston - Denver Broncos 16. DE Richard Neal - Detroit Lions 17. S Clarence Scott - Cincinnati Bengals 18. WR Gene Washington - Pittsburgh Steelers 19. DE John Zook - Washington Redskins 20. DT Art Thoms - New Orleans Saints through Carolina Panthers One thing you can always count on the NFC West for is for a team to go crazy with trades in the draft every now and then. The Panthers get both of the Saints' 2nd round picks and their 5th round in this draft. Although it amounts to 2.8 and 2.16, I still say Carolina let themselves get ripped off here. 21. T Ron Yary - New Jersey Jets The Jets don't learn. Yary wouldn't sign with them last year and re-entered the draft, so what does New Jersey do? Why, draft him again! Pfft. Dumbasses. 22. CB Roger Wherli - Minnesota Vikings through Jacksonville Jaguars The Jaguars get the Vikings' 1971 1st and 7th rounders and their 1970 7th rounder. A fair deal, I'd say, as I don't anticipate Minnesota being a powerhouse in the next two years, even though they've majorly upgraded their defense this draft. 23. CB Ken Riley - Green Bay Packers 24. S Billy Thompson - Oakland Raiders 25. CB Walt Sumner - Seattle Seahawks Our turn. There's a number of really good players available and I'm almost tempted to stray from our primary area of need, but the more and more I look at the two RBs that I was hoping would drop to this spot, the more and more the one stands out and so the choice is clear. 26. RB Calvin Hill - Miami Dolphins 27. DT Earl Edwards - Philadelphia Eagles 28. RB Jimmy Thomas - Los Angeles Rams 29. CB Robert James - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30. T George Kunz - Tucson Titans 31. ILB Jim Sniadecki - Dallas Cowboys 32. DE Sweeny Williams - Baltimore Ravens The second round is proving a bitch to draft. There's a DE who looks great except A) he's raw and B) he's dumb. But on the other hand, he's a big-time name DE and frankly, you don't necessarily need to be smart to rush the QB. Other than his stupid score, his combines are just sick and I need a guy who could pan out to be a HR hitter at DE so I take DE L.C. Greenwood. There was also a DT I strongly looked at, but I'm set there and a RT who got a long look, but who has really bad combine scores relative to his high Vol. Both of them are gone in the 3rd round and I'm left being torn between a CB and a S, both of whom look like seriously good breakout candidates. I eventually go with the corner and take CB Al Lavan, with the willingness of moving up to get the S in the 4th. I start getting nervous midway through the 4th when a S goes off the board and the 49ers look like they're thinking about taking him, so I call San Francisco and offer them our 4th and 5th rounders for their 4.14 pick. They accept and I take S Richmond Flowers. As it turns out, the next safety doesn't get taken until early in the 6th round, so maybe I jumped the gun there, but that's okay. Better to pay a little bit more and grab a guy who could break out than to lose out. I grab WR Bob Campbell in the 6th, who was taken because he looks like he could break out, he ran a 4.49 40 and he has an affinity with a team leader. Plus, he was the only one who really interested me much at this point in the draft. 7th round, nobody interests me that much, so I try and get Johnny Sample off the Redskins. Sadly, they won't do it, so I take a flyer out of the blue on TE Ron Jones. (He's a UTEP guy, Jeebs. )I accidentally had Scouts sign Rookies automatically turned on from something or the other... I think I was toying with the idea of continuing my Park High dynasty. The upshot was, though I didn't get the players signed to the deals I'd preferred, all my rookies were signed at the start of late free agency. There's still a couple holes I'm looking to fill in late free agency and we have cap room to burn. No major moves are planned really, just some patchwork signings. Week 1 Losses CB Butch Byrd - 4 years, $1.82 mill. - Washington (Los Angeles) -Would've immediately become a starter for us, but the Redskins came through with a slightly more lucrative offer. I'm really starting to hate Washington, you know that? Wasn't stealing Johnny Sample enough? Week 3 Signings RB Dan Reeves - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -Returns to be our passing down back and provide continuity in the backfield along with Bill Coopers T John Mattox - 2 years, $340k (Washington) -Had to fight Green Bay to get him, but he's a mentor who'll be a good backup T to have. K Horst Muhlmann - 1 year, $30k (UDRFA) -Undrafted rookie who will compete with Garo Yepremian for the starting K job. Speaking of which, rookies after TC Code:
Pretty nice draft class all in all. Hill will start from Week 1, as will Greenwood. Lavan probably won't be anything more than a package back, but I'm quietly intrigued with Flowers and Campbell. Muhlmann may have just taken Garo Yepremian's job away. Some interesting choices to make this upcoming year. Oh yeah, the Redskins are more willing to talk about Johnny Sample now. Not for a 7th rounder they won't trade him, but possibly a 6th (I didn't try). Now the question remains, do I try and trade for him and do I let him stay a Redskin? At this point, I don't know. I -really- dislike having a mediocre scout, because some of his ratings are making me  , as I don't know if they're reliable or not. One player in particular has experience a drop I don't understand.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-17-2007, 12:43 AM
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#108 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
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I think it's worth sending a 6, maybe even a 5 to a guy who will help your cohesion, played well in the past (although not so much in the near past) and you seem to enjoy having him around. A late 5 or a 6 for a possible 2, probable 1 year guy at nickle back isn't too bad, especially considering how often the nickle package is played if you don't set your own gameplan.
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08-17-2007, 01:22 AM
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#109 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Thanks for the advice
Unfortunately, the Redskins won't budge even for 2 6th rounders and as much as I love Johnny Sample, I'm not going to part with 3 draft picks for him, no matter how low. He's also really hit a low point, too. So it's on to our own team, then. Code:
I have a feeling Unitas is going to retire after this season. He'll have one more year as a starter and from then on, it'll be the Stabler era in Miami, as by this time next year, Kenny should be developed enough to where he's ready to step in as a starter and not do too badly. Code:
How Reeves dropped 10 points, I'll never know. Hill will obviously be the starter, Cooper the backup and Reeves the passing down back. Interestingly enough, Reeves has a conflict with Cooper. Csonka the starting FB, Granger the backup who also conflicts with Cooper. Code:
Cannon, Warfield and Ballman will be the starters with Mitchell, Frazier and Barry the reserves. The 5th receiver spot is going to be a dogfight between Daanen and Campbell. Inside edge goes to Daanen, who did pretty well last year and who has an affinity with Frazier besides, even though there's conflicts elsewhere with him. Jones will be inactive. Code:
Cunningham-Moorman-Schmitt-Upshaw-Battle across the board, with Marchlewski, Simon and Mattox in reserve. I'm actually pretty comfortable with this unit, especially after last year's fantastic performance. I'd still like some better tackle options, but they'll do for now. Code:
Garo and Horst will each get 2 preseason games to prove themselves, Yepremian the first two, Muhlmann the second two. The loser either gets cut or put on inactive. Code:
Mallick is going to bitch and complain, but Greenwood wins the left side because of his upside and Holmes mans the right again, with Mallick the backup and Brumm sitting on inactive. Johnson's another WTF drop. Goes from 49 to 35? Unreal. He and Brown will start with Jordan the backup unless Henry complains or Walter stumbles. Code:
I still really like Barber for some reason, but he'll join the practice squad while Lloyd starts again and Boyette plays second string. Meggyesy withstands a challenge from Baker and will stay the starting SLB, with Baughan occupying the weak side again. Baker plays backup for both outside spots. Code:
The secondary is seriously a mess, but my initial hunch says to start Mitchell and Baird and Saimes and Fleming. Stovall is the backup FS obviously. Reserve SS is probably going to be Bird, who's quietly turned into a somewhat passable backup, though I'd still rather have someone better there. Toughest choice is what to do at nickel back. Cross's skills have declined more, even though he's 3rd in All-Time Pass Defense %, so I'll probably drop him from the nickel package. Ward is a bust through and through, so this really boils down to Duncan vs Lavan. The preseason will decide it, though I'm tenatively leaning towards Lavan, who looks like a better playmaker option. Hard to say just what I feel about the team this season. I don't think we're legitimate Super Bowl contenders, but we should be able to win our 5th straight AFC East division title. And from there, anything can happen in the playoffs.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-17-2007, 07:05 PM
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#110 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Preseason
Green Bay 31 Miami 17 Ugly performance by rookie RB Calvin Hill and Johnny Unitas looked dreadful as well. Willie Mitchell showed off some return game flare, returning a kickoff 92 yards for a TD in the 4th quarter. Jim Duncan was caught 3 times, but defended a pass, with a tackle and an assist and Al Lavan was caught twice, with 3 tackles and an assist. Garo Yepremian kicked his only FG, a 23 yarder. Jerry Daanen was targeted 10 times, but only caught 3 passes. On the other hand Bob Campbell, targeted 5 times, caught just one pass. A point in Daanen's favor: he's a pretty good special teams player. A few injuries hit. Bill Cooper and Jim Simon are out approximately 3 weeks and John Mattox will miss the next game. Fortunately I have a couple open spots left in order to sign some backups, but free agent G Will Banks is my only signee, as Mattox is only out a game and we don't need a third back. Miami 30 Los Angeles 13 Dan Reeves rushes 21 times for 109 yards and Jerry Daanen is pretty good with 4 catches (7 targets) for 71 yards and 2 TDs. Bob Campbell caught 2 of 3 passes. Garo Yepremian hit 3/4 field goals, all 40 or under, leaving the door open. Pat Holmes recorded 2 tackles, 3 assists, 2 sacks and 2 blocks. Al Lavan had 5 tackles and an assist, but was also caught 5 times. Conversely Jim Duncan had 3 tackles and 2 assists, versus being caught 3 times. Jerry Daanen will be the 5th receiver and Jim Duncan wins the nickel slot. Big-time injury as starting SS George Saimes rips up his knee and is gone for 9 weeks. I've been starting Rodger Bird at SS with rookie Richmond Flowers as the backup anyway for the first two preseason games, but it means we won't be able to switch over and it severely hurts what'd been a strong position for us. Miami 34 Minnesota 7 Terrific game by Ken Stabler who was 16 of 16 for 154 yards and 2 TDs. Willie Mitchell tagged 2 interceptions and Horst Muhlmann was 2/2 on field goals. I'm really liking how the first team unit is doing now that everyone's back in. Bill Cooper and Jim Simon are both probable, so they go back in their respective spots. San Francisco 23 Miami 7 Ugly end to the preseason as the 49ers wallop us. Horst Muhlmann was 0/1 from 40+ range, meaning we'll cut him and go with the devil we know at K rather than the one we don't. Willie Mitchell had another 2 interceptions, though, and he might turn out to be the surprise of the season. Horst Muhlmann is officially released, giving us a roster spot to play with that I'm not going to fill right now. I hit Recommend for Playing Time and we're off to the races! Regular Season Miami 21 New Jersey 24 You don't want to start the year with a 21-10 halftime lead evaporating as you get shut out in the second half, but that's exactly what happened here as we fall in OT. Paul Warfield had 8 catches for 126 yards and Garo Yepremian screwed us, with 0/2 on FGs, both from 40+ range, which I know the bastard can hit. Miami 10 Tampa Bay 27 When Johnny Unitas goes 17-42 and throws 2 INTs, you know you're in for a long day and in for a long day we were. If things get much worse, we may see Ken Stabler as soon as this year. Tucson 41 Miami 21 Johnny Unitas is 21-41 for 220 yards and 3 TDs, but that's offset by his 5 interceptions. We can't afford to have that kind of performance, especially not when it drops us to 0-3. Bye-bye, Johnny U. You hung on for one year too long. Buffalo 20 Miami 3 Our AFC East title run is over. That's the story after this game where everyone played horribly and we've gone from looking like a perenniel playoff team to an also-ran. Miami 30 San Diego 27 Don't get too excited. This was an OT win against the equally winless Chargers. But do get happy about Ken Stabler's 32-42 for 366 yards and 2 TDs, Paul Warfield his main man with 13 catches for 188 yards and 2 TDs. Garo Yepremian was 5/7, including the 44 yard game-winner in OT. Pat Holmes had 5 tackles, 2 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown, while L.C. Greenwood contributed 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks and a hurry. Denver 20 Miami 14 I don't feel too badly about this loss. The Broncos were 5-0 and 12 point favorites so we did well here. Paul Warfield had 8 catches for 108 yards and we're playing a lot better. George Saimes is ready to come back after our bye week, so our pass defense will get a shot in the arm at least. Kansas City 37 Miami 14 The Chiefs are playing for their first playoff spot. We're playing essentially for next season. Paul Warfield caught 6 passes for 104 yards and a TD to keep his streak of 100+ receiving yard games alive. Pat Holmes hyperextends his knee and is out 4 weeks and George Saimes is doubtful again. He'll play through the injury, though. Frank Mallick will take over for Holmes as the starter on the right side, Don Brumm ressurrected from inactive to be the main reserve. Miami 14 Oakland 7 We score a huge upset at the halfway mark that wasn't the result of any individual star, but rather a collobrative team effort where the breaks just happened to bounce our way. We're 2-6 at halfseason, putting us in the bottom 6 teams. Look for us to significantly improve the second half, though, enough to probably end up with a sucky mid-tier 1st rounder rather than a top 5 or top 10 selection. Halfway stats: Code:
Turnovers and a porous defense are the biggest issues here. My transistion efforts haven't gone so well there. On the other hand, Ken Stabler is rapidly improving and should be a pretty good starting QB within a year or two. I already love his TD to INT ratio. Calvin Hill isn't looking like a franchise back, but at least he's hanging on to the football. Paul Warfield and Gary Ballman are their usual stellar selves, but the rest of the receiving corps is seriously underwhelming. Our defense really has been putrid, withe the biggest culprit a lack of ballhawks in the secondary, which was originally my main focus in selecting DBs, and an absolute absence of pass rush. L.C. Greenwood will get to around Pat Holmes level, I think, and by that I mean prime Holmes level, but it's going to take another year or two of seasoning. The rest of the D needs a pretty major overhaul. Garo Yepremian is a big part of the problem, converting only 41.2% of his FGs this year. I -will- replace him after this season, there's no doubt about that. Another area of difficulty is the offensive line, which hasn't been anywhere near as lockdown as last year. The pieces are there to repair this team for next year and become contenders for the next several seasons again... It's just going to take some more addition and some more seasoning before we're ready to get back to the top.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-18-2007, 12:30 AM
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#111 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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FS Jerry Stoval, QB Johnny Unitas and RT John Mattox are all angry about not starting. Stoval can get stuffed, Johnny U I apologize to, but we're going nowhere...As for Mattox, he gets the start, as he's outplayed Jim Battle.
Miami 7 New England 19 The more and more I play this season, the more and more I regret keeping Garo Yepremian as he puts in another 0/2 day. Paul Maguire's been off the hook at punter, though. Calvin Hill is starting to show flashes of being a good RB. 16 carries for 82 yards, a 5.13 ypc average. New Jersey 23 Miami 24 A nice bit of payback for the Jets here. Ken Stabler is 21-31 for 298 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs, Gary Ballman his main man with 7 catches for 107 yards and a TD. Robert Brown is Game MVP and a rare burst of pass rush with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown. Being on a suddenly bad team severely depresses inactive MLB Rudy Barber and he gets a medical leave of absence. Pat Holmes is upgraded to Probable and returns to the starting lineup. Carolina 16 Miami 13 At least we're playing teams close now. Paul Warfield catches 7 passes for 116 yards. Ken Stabler is starting to struggle with interceptions the last few games, but it's all part of the learning curve. Incidentally, the loss drops us to 3-8, guaranteeing that we'll finish no better than .500. Miami 17 Baltimore 27 Last year's Super Bowl champions are struggling through a hangover season themselves. This victory puts them up to 5-7, putting a little boost in their much-faded playoff hopes. Paul Warfield goes bananas this game, with 15 catches for 209 receiving yards. He's been the lone bright spot in a dismal season. Atlanta 31 Miami 3 Ouch! It's that kind of a year when a 1-11 team spanks you. Ken Stabler's line says it all: 9-26 for 56 yards and an INT. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is a learning year for some of our young, hopeful stars and that a high draft pick would go a long way to solidifying this team. With the loss, we're officially eliminated from postseason play. We're also guaranteed of having our worst season since 1962 and are in danger of setting a franchise record for losses in a season (11 in 1960, our expansion year). [b]Don Fleming[/'b] is Questionable, but at this point, everybody plays. I'm not going to tank my remaining games, because I insist on playing fair. Miami 13 Buffalo 17 Although I believe our defense to be the problem, our offense is what's showing signs of futility. Again, I attribute that to the youth of our QB and RB, though admittedly, it's getting to the point where we should start seeing a little bit better results. Garo Yepremian is 2/2 on field goals, but at this point, it's too little, too late. Pat Holmes is done for the year with an Inguinal Hernia and George Saimes is out with a pulled calf muscle. Insert Frank Mallick and Rodger Bird in the starting spots. Miami 30 New Orleans 27 We destroy the Saints' playoff hopes with a win that wasn't as close as the scoreline says. Paul Warfield scooped up 6 catches for 136 yards and a TD and we got 3 interceptions on the day, the biggest from Dave Meggyesy, who was a rare Dolphins Game MVP with 4 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks and the INT. Starting CB Willie Mitchell breaks his foot and so rookie Al Lavan will get his first NFL start in the final game of the year. The AFC East is as tight as you might expect in a Miami down year. Our archival Bills are 9-6, with the Patriots and Jets right behind them at 8-7. New England holds the tiebreaker edge over New Jersey and the right to the second wildcard. And we play the Patriots in the final game, giving us a chance to play spoiler. New England 17 Miami 48 We play spoiler and we play it big. Buffalo thrashed the Jets to clinch the division, but we whomp the Patriots so bad, they're knocked off out of the playoffs and have to sit home. That makes me smile. Ken Stabler had his best game in a Dolphins uniform today: 14-19 for 271 yards and 4 TDs. Rodger Bird ran a punt back 90 yards for a TD and Jerry Stovall, who I realized too late is the best kick returner on our team now, took a kickoff back 94 yards for a TD of his own. Paul Warfield took in 6 of Stabler's passes for 171 yards and 2 TDs. I think it's pretty safe to say that he'll be an All-Pro again this year. Frank Mallick recorded 3 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks and 2 blocks. So for the first time since 1962, there won't be a playoff game for the Dolphins. 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968... that's 6 straight playoff trips, which I think is pretty damned good. I think future generations will look back on the Miami teams of the mid-late 60s as a seriously talented squad. But for now, let's look at the tale of the tape for the season. At least we didn't set a franchise record for losses in a season. Code:
Biggest thing that stands out: We need a playmaker on defense, someone who can electrify with a timely interception or hard-hitting sack. The guys we have just aren't cutting it anymore, although Dave Meggyesy had a career year. Ken Stabler is going to be pretty good, I think. He's got a ways to go yet, but in a year or two, my expectation is that he'll be among the elite QBs of the league for quite a number of years. Calvin Hill I'm a lot less sold on, but he should be improved next season. Gary Ballman bounced back pretty well from missing all of last year with a turf toe injury, but he's in his 8th season. I'm going to try and trade Charlie Frazier this offseason. His chemistry issues are pissing me off. The offensive line play improve noticeably with [b]John Mattox[/b in as the starting RT, but both tackle spots remain serious issues with this franchise and we need to protect Ken Stabler's backside. Garo Yepremian won't be back next year, but Paul Maguire had another great year. L.C. Greenwood just missed appearing on the team stats list, but he did finish with 4 sacks, 3 blocks, 19 hurries and 2 knockdowns in his rookie year. Not bad considering just how raw he was. Like Stabler, give him another year or two and I think he'll turn out to be really pretty good. I'm stunned at Walter Johnson's drop. I just don't understand how a 5th year player would hit a wall that early, especially a DT. As much as it saddens me to say it, Irv Cross probably won't be re-signed. My first ever draft pick just can't cut it as a pass defender anymore and he's been surpassed as a returner as well. Still, it's hard to argue with 8 very solid seasons and one bad one. There have been a lot worse #10 overall picks in the history of the draft, both IRL and in this universe I'm sure. My hunch is, even though kick return records aren't tracked on this version's player cards, that he'll rank at the top in those categories when he hangs them up. Al Lavan and Jim Duncan are showing flashes of being capable backup CBs, Lavan moreso than Duncan. I wouldn't want either of them starting any time soon though. Our safety situation isn't too bad. Jerry Stovall is pissed and won't be back, but George Saimes is good, if injury-prone and Don Fleming continues to defy age. Rodger Bird had a career year and is a decent backup, though I hate having to start him. So yeah, we'll see some overhauls in the offseason I think. 23 players come off the books and if no one retires who has money coming, we're looking at approximately $6 mill in cap room to play with, enough to make a serious run at some top-tier free agents. I'm really looking forward to this offseason. It's got that 1963 feeling about it, where we picked up a ton of the players that played major roles in our 1966 and 1967 Super Bowl championship seasons. But only time will tell.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-20-2007, 01:29 AM
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#112 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl X
San Francisco 34 Cleveland 24 The Browns get to their fourth Super Bowl in team history, but again fall short of the mark. Rookie RB Larry Brown carves Cleveland's D 23 times for 101 yards and a TD, but it's QB John Brodie who's the hero of the game and Super Bowl MVP with a great 26-32 for 343 yards, 3 TD performance. He's really proven himself worthy of inheriting Y.A. Tittle's mantle and finally has the Super Bowl ring needed to answer his critics. Incidentally, the win was a franchise first for the 49ers, who earned their first Super Bowl title in their third try, whereas the hard-luck Browns fall to 0-4 in the big game. Dolphins Season Awards Paul Warfield - 1st Team All-Pro WR Warfield gets his second straight 1st Team nomination and third overall. Not bad for a guy who fell to the #22 overall pick, eh? He's considered one of the top 3 WRs in the entire league by the scouts, which is a pretty fair assessment. He's also now tied Gary Ballman for the team record for most consecutive 1,000+ yard receiving seasons at four and has at least 1,4000 receiving yards in each of those seasons. This was the first year he broke double digits in receiving TDs, however, which is awesome to see. Other Awards MVP: QB John Brodie - San Francisco 49ers Offensive Player of the Year QB John Brodie - San Francisco 49ers Defensive Player of the Year SLB Dave Wilcox - Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Ron Johnson - Buffalo Bills Defensive Rookie of the Year WLB Ron Pritchard - Cleveland Browns Five retirements of note this season. 1970 Miami Dolphins Significant Retirements DT Henry Jordan Years Pro: 10 Years with Miami: 7 (1963-1969) Dolphins Awards: 1963 2nd Team All-Pro DT 1964 1st Team All-Pro DT 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions Part of the great 1963 free agent class, he was absolutely phenomenal his first two years in Miami and gave our D-line a legitimacy and power that it'd never had before. After that, his numbers started going downhill pretty quickly, but he'll always be remembered for those first two seasons of greatness. Dolphins Records: 2nd Sacks 3rd Hurries 4th Blocked Passes RB Bill Cooper Years Pro: 9 Years with Miami: All (1961-1969) Drafted: 4.7 - 1961 Draft (Miami Dolphins) Dolphins Awards: 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions First-ever Dolphins 1,000 yard rusher in a season and still the only back to it twice in a career. Never considered an elite player, he nonetheless produced far beyond expectations and repeatedly defied the scouts that de-valued him. Also the biggest breakout player I've had in this dynasty, with a +9/+9 post-draft breakout. Dolphins Records: 1st Rushing Attempts 1st Rushing Yards 5th Yards Per Carry 1st Rushing TDs 1st Rushing 100+ Games 4th Receptions 5th Targeted Passes 2nd Points Scored 1st Yards From Scrimmage 2nd All-Purpose Yards  CB Irv Cross Years Pro: 9 Years with Miami: All (1961-1969) Drafted: 1.10 - 1961 Draft (Miami Dolphins) Dolphin Awards: 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions The Dolphins' first-ever draft pick, never became the elite shutdown corner that everyone hoped for. Did, however, become a solid cover man in teaming with Johnny Sample in the secondary and, more importantly, became the greatest kick returner in the history of the league, with a 29.5 average on 292 returns and an incredible 7 returns for TDs. Had 5 straight year of 30+ return yard average. Not a likely candidate for the NFL Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible, but certainly a possibility for the Dolphins Hall of Fame when it opens up. Dolphins Records: 3rd-T Interceptions 2nd Passes Defensed 3rd Punt Return Yards 1st All-Purpose Yards 1st Kick Return Yards 1st Kick Return TDs 2nd Kick Return Average All-Time Records: 1st Kick Return Yards 1st Kick Return TDs 6th Kick Return Average   G Jim Simon Years Pro: 7 Years with Miami: All (1963-1969) Drafted: 5.12 - 1963 Draft (Miami Dolphins) Dolphins Awards: 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions Four-year starter at RG, constantly blasted by scouts, but played quite well for a 5th rounder. Made critical blocks in 1966 Super Bowl, his last season as a starter. Replaced by Gene Upshaw in the 1967 season and continued as a capable backup until his surprisingly early retirement. Dolphins Records: 4th Key Run Opportunities  CB Johnny Sample Years Pro: 10 Years with Miami: 8 (1961-1968) Dolphins Awards: 1966 Super Bowl Champions 1967 Super Bowl Champions The greatest CB to ever put on a Dolphins uniform, one criminally unrecognized throughout his career. Fantastic shutdown corner who was overlooked because of relatively low interception numbers. A true cornerstone of the Miami D all eight years he played here, a starter in every season and a brilliant mentor. Had 100% Pass Defense during the 1966 Super Bowl championship run. Career-high 92.1% Pass Defense season ranks 3rd all-time. Also played a small role in the return game for a few seasons. A first-ballot Dolphin Hall of Famer, who should draw consideration from the NFL as well to make up for the injustices while he played. Dolphins Records: 1st Interceptions 2nd Pass Defense % 4th Tackles 1st Passes Defensed 5th Punt Return Yards 2nd Kick Return Yards 1st Kick Return Average All-Time Records: 1st Passes Defensed  It's sure going to be a different team without any of those guys around, though to be fair Sample wasn't with us last season. Staff Hiring Lead Scout Edwin Turnbull RB: Average to Fair WR: Average to Good Offensive Coordinator Jared Thamilarasan WR: Good to VG Head Coach Tyrus Treftz IA: Good to VG Turnbull and Treftz are both out of contract. Turnbull I've been trying to replace for years, Treftz must be retained at all costs. Tyrus Treftz takes the money and runs, cashing in on an $810,000 a year, 4 year deal from the Dallas Cowboys.We do find an upgrade at Scout though, and the new head coach is better than I thought I'd get. Lead Scout Kenny Gordon (33) QB: Fair RB: VG WR: Average OL: Good KP: Good DL: VG LB: Good DB: Average YT: Average Okay so he's really just about Turnbull's level. But he's 33, so there's hope that this youngster will improve. $50,000 for 3 years. Head Coach Dave Hanner (40) MT: VG DI: Good OC: Good DC: Good IA: Good Looks a lot like Treftz when we first hired him, though granted Tyrus was younger. Still, not a bad downgrade at all, though $500,000 for 4 years is a little steep. There's really only one semi-legitimate option for the summer league and that's L.C. Greenwood, so off he goes. Richmond Flowers was a possibility for a few seconds, but his ceiling is too low. Free Agency 19 players out of contract and $5.1 mill. in cash to play with after taking expected draft expenses out. That's a serious load of money to burn. Position Needs QB x 2, RB, FB, G, T, K, DE x 2, DT, OLB x 2, CB, S x 2 (15 bodies) Lots of shopping to do. This is going to be fun! Week 2 Signings T Bob Vogel - 3 years, $1.13 mill. (Dallas) -Huge upgrade at LT that fulfills a major hole on our offensive line. Considerable Super Bowl experience with the Cowboys helps too, as we want to get back to that level. DT Jim Harris - 1 year, $100k (Indianapolis) -One year rental that can start if need be. New defensive front leader and great chemistry guy. S Don Fleming - 2 years, $480k (Re-signing) -Way, way overpaid for him I'll admit, but I had the Johnny Sample nightmare hanging over my head and unlike Sample last season, Fleming should still be the unchallenged starter this year. Week 2 Losses K Garo Yepremian - 1 year, $80k* (Chicago) -Yeah, you go and enjoy his cruddy accuracy, Bears. You do that. WLB Andy Russell - 5 years, $3.99 mill. - Philadelphia (Oakland) -While Russell would've been an amazing improvement on the weak side, I'm not too fussed about the Eagles getting him for a couple hundred thousand more. A 5 year contract on an 8th year player with a big bonus is kinda sketchy anyway. Week 3 Signings WR Roy Jefferson - 4 years, $4.75 mill. (San Francisco) -What am I doing signing a receiver to a megadeal like this? Simple. Jefferson's only in his 6th season and he'll team up with Paul Warfield to form the scariest pair of receivers in the league. How scary? #2 and #6 current WR in the entire NFL by the scouts scary. Jefferson's also coming off his first All-Pro appearance, a 2nd Team placement. CB W.B. Hicks - 1 year, $80k* (Carolina) -We're awfully thin at cornerback and Hicks gives us an average starter to play opposite Billy Baird. I'm going to be looking very heavily at CB in the draft, as I'm not happy with any of the guys we have there. No one even close to a shutdown, actually. Jefferson's signing reminds me that I was going to shop Charlie Frazier around, but nobody's strongly interested in him. Luckily, there's quite a few teams with a crying need for WR, so I see if I can get something for him. Unfortunately, nobody wants to take on his salary, even though he's only making $10k more than the veteran minimum, which is really stupid. Week 4 Signings WR Gail Cogdill - 1 year, $110k* (Tampa Bay) -We welcome back one of the heroes of the 1966 Super Bowl after he spent a year with the Buccaneers. Signed largely because he's a captain that generates nothing but affinities and gets rid of the conflicts we had. DE Aaron Brown - 2 years, $210k (Oakland) -Had 12.5 sacks two years ago, but it appears to have been a fluke. Signed largely because he's a mentor and a 5th year, so if need be, he can be the starter for a couple years. Ideally I'd like to target this position in the draft, however. Week 4 Losses CB Willie Mitchell - 1 year, $80k* (Los Angeles) -Completely unimpressive as a fill-in starter for us last year, so the Rams are more than welcome to him. S Jerry Stovall - 1 year, $100k* (Indianapolis) -Was pissed about playing time, so he wouldn't re-sign with me. A damn shame too, as he was a great backup and probably should've gotten a starting opportunity. Oh well, live and learn. Week 5 Signings RB Brian Piccolo - 1 year, $90k (New York) -Signed mostly for the name factor, to be perfectly honest. A decent backup, but you wouldn't want him to be your starter unless it was absolutely neccessary. Then again, I don't really know the state of the G-men line during those years either. Week 5 Losses TE Tom Mitchell - 1 year, $80k* (Minnesota) -Wanted the chance to be a starter again, so he signed with the Vikings, turning down our offer to retain him. Can't say as I blame him, to be perfectly honest, though losing this draft pick of mine not only costs us our future starter, but our top long snapper. Week 6 Signings FB Tom Woodeschick - 1 year, 100k* (Chicago) -Great blocking fullback who can catch passes out of the backfield as well. Really, really good backup to have. I'm pleased with this pickup. Week 6 Losses DE Pat Holmes - 3 years, $890k (San Diego) -Really declined the last few seasons in terms of his production, so I'm not sorry to see him go, especially at that salary, which I consider outrageous compared to his value. OLB Maxie Baughan - 2 years, $530k (Indianapolis) -Never really produced the kind of numbers that I expected when I signed him to that lucrative deal some years back. Like Holmes, I'm not really sorry to see him out of the picture. S Al Randolph - 1 year, $80k* - Indianapolis (Re-signing) -Chose to stay with the Colts rather than take our offer. Understandable, given that he's a starter there and he'd be just a backup with us. Week 7 Signings QB Jerry Nichols - 1 year, $110k* (Pittsburgh) -Signed strictly for his mentor and kick-holding talents. Guaranteed 3rd stringer. OLB Ralph Baker - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -I'm not real thrilled with him, especially in pass coverage where he's a sieve, but honestly, there weren't any other options to speak of. We'll be looking at this spot closely in the draft, too. S Jim Hudson - 1 year, $80k* (Buffalo) -Average quality backup safety from our archrivals. S Rodger Bird - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -I couldn't stand to lose our punt return maestro, so he's back in the fold. His presence could spell the end of Richmond Flowers on the team, but we'll just have to see. Week 7 Extensions FL Paul Warfield - 4 years, $3.38 mill. SE Gary Ballman - 4 years, $1.34 mill. C John Schmitt - 3 years, $670k RG Gene Upshaw - 4 years, $2.37 mill. All these guys were in the last year of their contract and by locking them, I secure stability in my offensive line and my receiving corps, the latter especially as Warfield, Ballman, and Jefferson are now all on 4 year contracts, which should send my cohesion through the roof. I think that's a good stopping point. I'll resume with the rest of free agency and the draft next time.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-21-2007, 01:45 AM
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#113 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Week 8 Signings
TE Kent Kramer - 3 years, $270k (Denver) -Great blocker and adequate receiver who will be our starter after Billy Cannon hangs it up. Dynamite long snapper, too, even better than Tom Mitchell ever was. Kramer's a guy I usually sign in my Dolphins dynasties anyway and does pretty well. Week 9 Signings G Howard Fest - 3 years, $230k (Cincinnati) -Terrific young bargain basement pickup from the Bengals who can be our backup guard for the next 3 years and maybe beyond that, since he's only in his third season. I really like how the offensive line is starting to shape up. Week 9 Losses QB Johnny Unitas - 2 years, $240k (Indianapolis) -With 13 offers on the table, Johnny U chooses to return to the Colts. He'll rescue an anemic Indy passing offense to some degree, but when his starters are inferior to our backups, you get the feeling it's going to be a long two years of homecoming for the great one. FB Hoyle Granger - 1 year, $80k* (Green Bay) -Never figured much in our plans after we drafted Csonka. DE Frank Mallick - 1 year, $90k (Los Angeles) -Substandard DE for us last year, the Rams are perfectly free to have him. That's it for the first half of free agency as far as my shopping goes. Time to interview people and prepare for the draft. Week 10 Losses WR Odell Barry - 1 year, $80k* (New England) -Didn't contribute much of anything, so he can go to the Patriots, no problem. Draft time! We hold the #6 overall pick and there's a very good chance we'll try and trade up to #2 if the player that I think is going to go #1 does. I'm not going to mention that player's name in case we get him, but I will say the consensus top picks are all on defense, with the exception of a WR that I anticipate will go first. 1970 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. G Doug Wilkerson - San Diego Chargers A guard as the #1 overall pick?! When WR was San Diego's biggest need and there's one sitting at the top of the board?! Un-fricking-believable! True, Wilkerson looks like the second coming of Gene Upshaw, but you think the Chargers would've traded down in that case. Wow, just wow. I'm tempted to trade up, but the Falcons look like they're going to go DE, so I'll sit on their pick. 2. DE Dennis Wirgowski - Atlanta Falcons The Rams look like they're ready to nab the player I'm ardently targeting, so I chat with them about a trade up, but they refuse to budge, even when I offer to overpay them somewhat for the move. So it's with considerable disappointment and regret that I let them go on and draft who I think they will. 3. CB Mel Blount - Los Angeles Rams ...Bastards. I -knew- they were going to take Blount... They probably knew I wanted him too, so there's no way in hell they were giving up that pick. 4. OLB Steve Zabel - Minnesota Vikings ...Okay, now I'm pissed. Both guys I had #1 and #2 on my board just went. Zabel was a guy I thought would drop to me if I couldn't pick up Blount. Damn it! 5. WR Ken Burrough - Cincinnati Bengals Cincy fans are no doubt beside themselves with delerious glee. Burrough should've gone #1 overall to the Chargers, so for him to drop this far is amazing. I'm sorely tempted to trade down a spot, but there's a tackle available that I really, really like. More importantly, he's a LT with breakout potential and some very fine development, which means he could be a Week 1 Starter on either side, with Bob Vogel taking the side that he doesn't. The guy would also solidify that tackle spot for the next 10 years and play a big role in my line along with John Schmitt, Mo Moorman and Gene Upshaw. That would be 4 of 5 positions. So the choice is made. 6. T Ed George - Miami Dolphins 7. DE Pat Toomay - Oakland Raiders 8. C Jim Langer - Cincinnati Bengals 9. ILB John Ebersole - St. Louis Cardinals 10. CB Lemar Parrish - Baltimore Ravens 11. TE Bob Tucker - Detroit Lions 12. S Hugo Hollas - Houston Oilers 13. QB Dennis Shaw - Indianapolis Colts through New Jersey Jets Indy and the Jets flip-flop picks #13 and #19 and all the Colts had to pay was their 1972 3rd round for the transaction fee. Indy got away really cheaply here, but by the same token, Shaw is nowhere close to a franchise QB IMO and the guy who should be the class of this draft imported as a terrible QB. 14. RB Duane Thomas - Kansas City Chiefs 15. RB Mack Herron - Carolina Panthers 16. G Andy Maurer - New England Patriots 17. DE Jim Mitchell - Jackonsville Jaguars 18. OLB Pat Hughes - Dallas Cowboys 19. CB Ken Ellis - Indianapolis Colts through New Jersey Jets This time the Jets get the Colts' 1972 1st round pick, which may not be a bad pick up for the Broadway squad, as I don't anticipate Indy being back on top by '72. 20. ILB Jack Reynolds - Pittsburgh Steelers 21. TE Raymond Chester - New York Giants 22. CB Ron Gardin - Seattle Seahawks 23. CB Pete Athas - Green Bay Packers 24. CB Jim Harris - Philadelphia Eagles 25. DE Ron Carpenter - Buffalo Bills 26. DT Jerry Sherk - Chicago Bears 27. DE Al Cowlings - Washington Redskins 28. RB Jeff Jordan - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29. DE Cedrick Hardeman - Tucson Titans 30. WR Linzy Cole - Indianapolis Colts through Denver Broncos The Broncos pick up the Colts' 1971 and 1972 2nd rounders in exchange for their 1.30. This may not be too good a deal for Denver, as Cole will give Johnny Unitas somebody to throw the ball to. 31. WR Glenn Alexander - Cleveland Browns 32. DT John Little - San Francisco 49ers I'm strongly tempted to trade down when my second round pick comes up, but that was before the OLB I was hoping to get got grabbed two picks before mine by the Bengals, who are having an absolute knockout draft so far. So I don't trade down and instead, after reviewing my roster pretty closely, nab the last DE who looks like he could turn into something, picking Wes Grant. The CB I wanted in the 3rd goes late in the 2nd, but luckily, there's still two CBs sitting there that I have strong interest in. I took a long, hard look at some other players, too, but in the end, my need at CB is just too great and so after more hemming and hawing, I select Billie Hayes, who I suspect of having considerable more upside. Terry Bradshaw, the famed Steelers QB and later pro announcer, who imported awfully, goes at 3.9 to the St. Louis Cardinals. A S tempts me in the 4th, but we've got a serious glut at the position, so I'd like to avoid it if possible. Fortunately, there's an OLB who intrigues me that I'm not sure would be around for the 5th, so Cleo Walker becomes the newest Dolphin. Just about everyone I was looking at for the 5th, including the S, a RB I was looking at, an ILB I had my eye on, and the other CB that I didn't take in the 3rd who I was pondering for the 5th who was taken by the Bengals just before me. I take RB Charlie Pittman, a real value pick who looks like he can play special teams, return kicks and be a passing down back. In my opinion, he's got late 2nd/early 3rd round type talent, so to see him here in the 5th is a small steal and I usually do pretty well with these late round RBs. The ILB I wanted to take a flyer on in the 6th was taken at 5.31 by Cleveland, so it's a little hard looking for someone when my pick comes up. After some hunting, it's down to a C and a S, both of whom look like breakout candidates, neither of whom look particularly exceptional to be honest. On the other hand, the C has no chance of getting any real playing time, whereas the S could fight with Rodger Bird and Richmond Flowers for PT, so S Ted Provost is the pick. OLB Jess Lewis is my last pick, because he's got a 99 Vol score and his 4.66 40 seriously intrigues me. I get the first trade offer I can remember getting after the draft. San Diego wants DT Robert Brown for a 5th rounder. Gee, let me think... one of my starting DTs for a 5th? Yeah, I'm thinking no. Still some shopping to do in late free agency, namely a K, a legit #2 QB and mentors at RB, CB, and OLB. Oh look, Seattle wants to give me a 5th rounder for John Schmitt. Had I drafted a C, this would actually be a mildly tempting offer. I didn't, so it's not. MLB Dave Lloyd, that ungrateful bastard, is holding out. Fine, let him hold out. Garland Boyette can replace him as the starter and I've always wanted to see what Rudy Barber can do with extended PT. Week 1 Signings K Wayne Walker - 1 year, $70k* (Cleveland) -A pretty accurate K with a modicum of power. Probably should've signed him to a longer deal, but I wanted to give him a rental first. Week 2 Signings CB Tony Banfield - 1 year, 110k* (Seattle) -He's old, but he's a former 3-time 1st Team All-Pro, a mentor and the NFL career leader in interceptions, with some pretty good pass defense numbers. Has a very good chance at starting and could result in W.K. Hicks being cut, which would make me happy. Week 3 Signings QB Don Breaux - 1 year, $150k (Atlanta) -Insisted on a bonus and I reluctantly gave it to him, as he's a mentor and really the only remotely solid backup QB left on the market. Thankfully he's a one year rental. RB Junior Coffey - 1 year, $80k* (Indianapolis) -Attractive passing down back option and mentor. New backfield leader and really good chemistry guy. OLB E.J. Holub - 1 year, $100k* (New York) -Mentor and defensive front guy who has some good affinities as captain. Likely a one year rental, one I'd rather not put on the field unless I absolutely had to. After training camp, the Browns try and trade me a scrub young QB and a 4th rounder for Larry Csonka. I laugh in their faces and tell them to go to hell. The rookies, Post-TC Code:
Ugh. Despite the high grade, these aren't looking like good results at all. The curse of 2nd round DEs continues, it looks like. Only Provost gives me a faint glimmer of hope and he's not going to get PT. George does, on the other hand, look like he'll be a good LT some day, drop notwithstanding, so I may start him on the left side from the get-go and shift Bob Vogel over to RT. Grant is raw, but he'll get PT as he's the 3rd DE on the roster. Hard telling what I'll do with the other rookies. My initial hunch says that we'll possibly compete for the playoffs this year, but we're a far cry from a Super Bowl contender. But we'll see when I do the team review sometime this week.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-21-2007, 12:39 PM
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#114 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
I'm expecting big things out of Stabler this year, especially with the corps of receivers he has. He's no Johnny U yet, but he's headed in the right direction. Code:
Piccolo and Hill are going to battle it out for the starting job. Coffey's the passing down back. I really like Pittman, but unless he develops quickly, he's not liable to see the field this year. Csonka starts and Woodeschick backs up, obviously. Code:
I dare you to find me a group of receivers this good. Cannon, Warfield and Jefferson are the starters, Frazier and Ballman the reserves, Cogdill the 5th receiver. Jones, Daanen and Campbell are all in danger of being cut, as we're at 56 players. Code:
George-Moorman-Schmitt-Upshaw-Vogel the starters, Marchlewski, Fest and Battle the backups. Mattox will be an inactive. I'm a little nervous about George's rawness, but we need to see if he can be the man there. Code:
Maguire's a great P and I look forward to seeing what Walker can do. Code:
Greenwood-Brown-Harris-Brown should be the best front 4 on the D-line that we've had here since the heyday of Jordan and Johnson in the middle... at least on paper anyway. Grant's a lot like Greenwood was last year, extremely raw, but with good talent. Johnson's decline still amazes me, but shit happens. Code:
What an ugly, ugly situation. Lloyd won't be given a contract extension. Boyette starts, Barber backs up. The strong side will have Meggyesy, the weak side Baker. Lewis is another one in danger of getting cut. Our backup OLB is likely to be Walker. Yeah, we're that thin at the LB spots this year. One injury to a starter could well destroy our season. Code:
We've got a huge numbers game here. Banfield and Hicks would normally fight over the starting spot, but I'm sorely tempted to either cut Hicks or shift him over to the right side to start over Baird. On the other hand, Banfield keeps declining. What is clear is that Duncan has at least the nickel spot wrapped up and could be a candidate for the starting right corner. Hayes makes the team as a special teamer. Lavan could get cut. Safety is much less muddled. Saimes and, well, probably Hudson to be honest, start, with Fleming and Bird the backups in all likelihood, though I may give Flowers an extended reserve spot to see what he can do. There's a lot of tough decisions to be made and I've got just 4 games to make them in.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-22-2007, 09:32 PM
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#115 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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SE Bob Campbell and FS Ted Provost get their pink slips before the first preseason game, giving us one more cut to make before the preseason's over. Much will depend on Rudy Barber's play and Dave Lloyd's holdout situation.
Preseason Miami 17 Green Bay 16 Ken Stabler looked pretty sharp: 12-21 for 195 yards and a TD on his way to Game MVP honors. Brian Piccolo and Calvin Hill is still too close to call. W.K. Hicks appears on his way to securing the left cornerback starting job, but a controversy has developed at right corner between Billy Baird and Jim Duncan. Seattle 21 Miami 13 Calvin Hill is starting to pull away in the starting RB race, but it's Brian Piccolo's two starts after this. Billy Baird is beating out Jim Duncan for the starting right corner spot. Incidentally, we're in trouble if Ken Stabler goes down. Don Breaux has looked lost in this offense. Miami 13 Minnesota 35 It's official: Calvin Hill will be our starting RB and Billy Baird will be our starting RCB. Don Breaux continues to look terrible, Ken Stabler pretty good. Los Angeles 9 Miami 17 Preseason closes out with a comfortable win absent any individual stars. I think we'll be all right this year, I really do. Dave Lloyd finally ended his holdout, but it's a little too late, as Rudy Barber looked good in preseason. Fortunately for Dave, he's a mentor, which is the only thing that saves him from being cut. Instead, it's TE Ron Jones we say goodbye to. Regular Season Miami 21 Buffalo 28 Heh. Ken Stabler is 21-32 for 221 yards and 3 TDs, but Bob Griese gets revenge for our passing on him by a 30-40 for 332 yard, 4 TD, 2 INT performance. It appears he's finally earned the starting job with our archrivals. I'm pretty disgusted by this loss. Larry Csonka is out for approximately 3 weeks. Chicago 24 Miami 6 Our offense evaporates as Ken Stabler throws 2 INTs and fumbles twice. 4 turnovers by the QB = asskicking that could've been made worse if Garo Yepremian hadn't been 1/3 for FGs. At least I was right in not re-signing him. Cincinnati 16 Miami 27 We finally get on the winning track thanks to an efficient 17-28 for 170 yards and 2 TD performance from Game MVP Ken Stabler. Rodger Bird averaged 16.5 yards a punt return, Jim Duncan 33.5 yards a kick return to let us control the field position battle. Our receivers haven't turned in the explosive performance I expected out of them so far and that leaves me puzzled. Larry Csonka is ready to come back but Garland Boyette hyperextends his knee and is due out 4 weeks. Good thing I didn't cut Dave Lloyd, who slides into the starting MLB spot. Miami 27 New England 6 Major, major win against the Patriots, who were 3-0 before this game and in danger of setting themselves up to run away with the division. No more after Roy Jefferson catches 6 passes for 100 yards and a TD and Jim Hudson wins Game MVP with 3 interceptions, validating my decision to make him the starting FS over Don Fleming. Hudson also had 5 tackles and an assist. Rookie starting LT Ed George will miss at least the next game with a strained calf muscle. Bob Vogel will start at LT, with Jim Battle the RT starter and John Mattox the main reserve. Miami 27 Jacksonville 24 Nailbiting OT win that only went to extra minutes when Roger Staubach connected with Gene Washington on a 21 yard pass with 30 seconds left in regulation. Staubach played out of his mind, incidentally: 34-52 for 385 yards and 3 TDs. Fortunately we had Paul Warfield finally breaking out with 7 catches for 125 yards and a TD, Rodger Bird with an electrifying 49 yard punt return for a TD and Dave Meggyesy exploding on defense with 7 tackles, 2 assists, and 2.5 sacks. L.C. Greenwood added to the ferocious pass rush with 3 tackles, 4 assists, 2.5 sacks and a knockdown. Charlie Frazier hyperextends his elbow and is out, necessitating Gary Ballman to shift to backup flanker, Gail Cogdill to backup split end and Jerry Daanen as the 5th receiver. Houston 7 Miami 38 Calvin Hill feasts on the Oilers for 129 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 17 attempts and Ken Stabler is crisp at 13-16 for 161 yards and 2 TDs. Both those TDs and 112 of those yards were courtesy of Paul Warfield, who's hungry to re-establish himself as one of the top WRs in the league. Credit also goes to Aaron Brown, who had 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, 3 hurries and 4 knockdowns. Ed George and Garland Boyette are ready to come back, but Mo Moorman goes down with a pulled calf muscle. George and Boyette resume their respective starting spots, but Dave Lloyd stays active to take over as a special teams gunner. I jury-rig a backup guard solution that has John Mattox situated at backup LG and Frank Marchlewski at backup RG. Buffalo 28 Miami 24 Sigh. Bob Griese continues to be a pain in my ass, ruining Ken Stabler's fantastic 24-42, 354 yard, 3 TD performance. Paul Warfield had 8 catches for 185 yards and a TD and Roy Jefferson took in 6 balls for 102 yards and a TD. Indianapolis 27 Miami 31 Calvin Hill just misses the century mark with 92 yards and a TD on 19 attempts, but it's our pass rush that won this game. Game MVP Aaron Brown had 4 tackles, a franchise record 3.5 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown and fellow DE L.C. Greenwood chimed in with 4 tackles, an assist, 2.5 sacks and a knockdown of his own. Charlie Frazier's cleared to return and none too soon as Roy Jefferson is out 5 weeks with a severe wrist sprain. Gary Ballman starts at SE, Charlie Frazier backs up Paul Warfield and Gail Cogdill and Jerry Daanen stay at their respective spots. Our 5-3 record at the halfway point currently gives us the second wildcard spot. The division title is still within our grasp since we're only a game behind the 6-2 New England Patriots. Let's take a look at the tape: Code:
Our pass defense is what's keeping us from being an elite team. Jim Duncan will be taking over for Billy Baird at the right CB spot in the second half of the season. If I had a legitimate replacement for Dave Baker on the weak side, I'd put him in there now. Dave Meggyesy is having a phenonemal season and L.C. Greenwood is also playing fantastically. Greenwood's rise to excellence coincides with Ken Stabler's brilliant first half. To be sure, a lot of that is the receivers he has to work with, including the ever sensational Paul Warfield, but the simple fact of the matter is, he's becoming the kind of starting QB you -want- to have on your team. Same with Calvin Hill, who's coming to look remarkably like a bona fide starting NFL RB, something we've never really had here, to be totally honest.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-24-2007, 01:21 AM
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#116 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Only one guy complaining about PT and that's Garland Boyette, who I forgot to put back in as the starting MLB after he got back from injury. I've corrected it though and made him the starter.
Miami 35 Tucson 10 Ken Stabler goes 15-16 for 165 yards and 3 TDs to win Game MVP, but L.C. Greenwood deserves a lot of the credit for his 4 tackle, 2 assist, 2 sack, 2 hurry and forced fumble game. Rookie DE Wes Grant also had a sack and 2 forced fumbles to set up some big plays. I really hope he'll turn out to be in the Greenwood mold. Garland Boyette is Doubtful with a Pulled Groin, but I'll see if he can play through it. Miami 17 New Jersey 16 The teams in the AFC East are all real close to each other this year and this comeback win over the Jets illustrates it. No real stars in this one; we were honestly lucky to escape with the victory. Miami 17 Minnesota 21 [b]Gary Ballman[b/] catches 5 passes for 104 yards and a TD and Calvin Hill just misses the century mark with 94 yards rushing. L.C. Greenwood continues his torrid play with 5 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks, a hurry and 2 knockdowns and Aaron Brown does decently himself with 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks and a hurry, but this is just one of those games where the opponents got the last big play in. We lose CB Billy Baird for the season with ACL damage to the knee and starting FB Larry Csonka will miss a game, but Roy Jefferson is ready to come back. Baird goes on the IR, Jim Duncan becomes the starting right CB, Al Lavan coming off the inactive list to be his backup and the dime back. Miami 6 San Diego 30 We fall behind early and Ken Stabler has a terrible day. Tough to win under those conditions, especially when you're playing Fran Tarkenton, who's turned out to be a really good QB overall. Detroit 24 Miami 27 This game was as close to a must-win as we've had all season. It was another comeback win, capped off by a gorgeous 32 yarder from Ken Stabler to Charlie Frazier with a minute left in the fourth quarter. Although Stabler was Game MVP at 27-37 for 345 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs, a lot of credit has to go to Paul Warfield who snagged 9 passes for 156 yards and a TD. The tightness of the win worries me, so I do some checking and find that Don Fleming is now unhappy about not starting. A quick look at him and Jim Hudson shows he's right to be and so Fleming gets his starting spot back. Dave Lloyd is also complaining about not being ahead of Rudy Barber in the depth chart, but he'll just have to shut up and deal. Fleming's promotion means he's off special teams as a gunner, replaced by rookie CB Billie Hayes. New England 7 Miami 38 Majorly important win that draws us to within one of the Patriots for the division lead and presumably gives us the tiebreaker edge, since we've now swept New England. Brian Piccolo surprises with a breakout performance of 21 attempts for 101 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Ken Stabler has one of his accurate games at 16-21 for 165 yards and 2 TDs. Rodger Bird averaged 12 yards a punt return, Roy Jefferson 15. Just some nice performances all-around, really. Oh yeah, Rudy Barber vindicated my decision to say screw you to Dave Lloyd by getting an interception. A win in either of the next two games should clinch us the second wildcard spot. We'd obviously need to win at least one to have any hope of winning the division and I'd like to see us win out. Larry Csonka is at long last ready to rejoin the lineup. Miami 20 Green Bay 14 Impressive win over a very good Packers team propelled by Paul Warfield's 9 catches for 131 yards and a TD. The victory, coupled with the Chiefs' loss, clinches us at least a playoff spot after a one year absence, and we're still within sight of the divison, but Buffalo must beat New England in order for us to have a shot at it. Backup TE Kent Kramer will miss at least the final game of the regular season and fortunately I have a spot on the roster opened up by Billy Baird's IR status, so I'm able to just freely sign greybeard Eddie Tyson (11th year vet) to be the backup TE and long snapper. New Jersey 7 Miami 23 Ken Stabler terrorizes the Jets with a 23-32 for 375 yards and 2 TD performance, Paul Warfield his main partner in crime with 9 catches for 197 yards and 2 TDs. Aaron Brown led the defensive effort with 2 tackles, an assist, 2.5 sacks and a hurry. We did our part and the Buffalo Bills do theirs, upsetting the New England Patriots with Daryle Lamonica under center! The 1970 Miami Dophins are your AFC East Champions!!!!! I'm thrilled. This -really- helps take the tooth pain away and I'm grinning up a storm. But there's bad news on the injury front. Don Fleming is lost for the year with a hyperxtended elbow and Frank Marchlewski will miss at least the opening game of the playoffs with a lesser version of the same injury. Worse yet, we're drawing the one team I didn't want to get for the opening round. But at least we made it this far.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-25-2007, 12:03 PM
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#117 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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We draw the New England Patriots for the wild-card round and we all know how tough it is to beat a team three times in the same year in football.
New England's QB, Bill Munson had a 22 TD to 10 INT ratio in the regular season, the first year he's had more TDs than INTs. It's not about him becoming a great QB though--it's about the rapid development of second year receivers Jerry LeVias and Ron Sellers, taken in the first and second round of last year's draft respectively. RB Leroy Kelly never has achieved the greatness of his 1,698 yard, 13 TD rookie season, but he has broken the 1,000 yard plateau 6 of his 7 years in the league and this year he rushed for 1,162 yards and 10 TDs, the first time since his rookie year in 1964 that he's broken double-digit rushing TDs. The offensive line is solid without being great. DE Coy Bacon is a rising star on the 3-4 line and NT Bob Lilly is still one of the best in the league. Paul Naumoff is deadly at SLB, though the rest of the linebacking corps is mediocre and the secondary, like the o-line is solid without being terrific, with the exception of CB Miller Farr, who resembles very much a shutdown corner even though, like Johnny Sample, he's never gotten the recognition he deserves. All in all, I'd consider this game to very winnable. It's our first postseason trip of the Ken Stabler era, one of many more, I hope. The Patriots are favored by 4. Oh yes, that reminds me. Our injury situation. Mo Moorman is ready to come back, which allows us to shift Howard Fest as a backup at LG and C, with John Mattox the reserve RG. Don Fleming is put on IR, allowing us to sign FS Rickie Harris as an emergency backup to Jim Hudson. New England erupts for 21 points in the second quarter and though we try our damndest, we can't make up the 28-10 halftime deficit and fall, 31-25. Leroy Kelly chewed us up for 122 yards and a TD on 30 carries, Bill Munson continued his miracle season with a 21-28 for 280 yards and 3 TDs performance and Coy Bacon had 6 tackles, an assist, 3 sacks and a block. Highlights for our side? Paul Maguire averaged 62.3 yards a punt. That's the first time I've seen a punter break 60. L.C. Greenwood was a paler version of Bacon with 5 tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks and a knockdown.The turning point of the game was early in the 2nd quarter when Coy Bacon rattled Ken Stabler for his first sack and forced a fumble on our own 20 yard line. The Patriots recovered and the ensuing TD put them up 21-7. What a disappointing loss. The Patriots aren't that good a team, but today they were. But games like this happen in football. Only thing we can do is say there's always next year.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-25-2007, 12:14 PM
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#118 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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Reading this has inspired me to start a historical dynasty. I took the Baltimore Ravens.. which means an "expansion" team so to speak, but it's been fun so far slowly building this team.
You're coming up to my inaugural year "1971" - I'm in 1972 now, but it will be neat to see where some of these players end up and how they play in your universe. Keep up the good work!! |
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08-25-2007, 01:24 PM
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#119 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Thank you! That's awesome to hear, by the way. Good luck with building up the Ravens. I honestly got lucky because Johnny Unitas hit free agency. Without that opportunity, I'd still be a one and done playoff team like what we're looking like right now. It's an interesting challenge in its own right going from a two-time Super Bowl champion team to trying to get back to that level. In many ways, I'd say it's harder than trying to build a team from expansion scratch.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-25-2007, 05:50 PM
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#120 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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Quote:
Most definitely. Taking over an expansion team isn't that bad really.. as I have a ton of cash to throw around, but cohesion is going to take a bit of time to develop. |
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08-26-2007, 09:00 PM
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#121 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Not only the cash to flash, but the high draft picks.
Moving on, my teeth are killing me still and I have a small headache after last night's annual Victoria's Secret Summer Bash, but it was an excellent time, to be sure. I'm spending the day packing, but before I do that, I want to get another update done. Super Bowl XI Baltimore 6 Green Bay 31 The Packers become the first team in this universe to win 3 Super Bowls as Joe Namath wins Super Bowl MVP, an incredible 24-26 for 258 yards and 2 TDs. Bart Starr was simply awful against his former team, throwing 4 interceptions as he failed to equal Johnny Unitas in the 4 Rings Quest. As for the Miami Dolphins statistically on the year: Code:
I really think we're going to be all right with Stabler. He gets better and better with each year and he's still got some upside according to my cruddy scout. Hill becomes our first 1,000 yard, 10+ TD RB since Dan Reeves, though he still has yet to break Reeves' 14 TD single-season record. Warfield was Warfield, but Jefferson was a huge disappointment relative to the megadeal he got in free agency. I expect to see a lot more out of him for that kind of money. The fact that Ballman out-performed him says an awful lot, I'd say. Far too many sacks given up by the right side of the line this year and Upshaw's 7 sacks allowed were particularly discouraging. George gave up 9 sacks from the LT slot, but showed significant gains in development as the season wore on, so there's hope for him yet. Maguire was good but not fantastic this year at P and I'm getting the feeling he's on the downside. Walker converted a disappointing 71.9% of his FG, but the good news is, he was 53% from 40+ range. Meggyesy went a long, long way to our attempts to re-sign him in upcoming free agency with that stellar season. The rest of the linebackers were fairly underwhelming, though to be fair we played musical chairs at MLB. Linebacker will be a big-time priority in the offseason, especially in the middle. Greenwood and Brown make the first pair of double-digit sack pass-rushers ever in Dolphins history, Greenwood smashing the franchise single season sacks record. Hicks and Duncan were suprisingly effective on pass defense and our numbers improved markedly in the second half, but the secondary is still primed for an upgrade in the offseason. In fact, the defense in general will be our top target. Can't think of any areas on offense that demand a drastic upgrade, especially not with the money we've sunk into them. Ah well, on to the awards. 1970 Miami Dolphins Awards Paul Warfield - 1st Team All-Pro WR Warfield not only wins his 3rd straight 1st Team All-Pro nod, he breaks Gary Ballman's franchise record of consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons with 5. I think it's fairly safe to say that he's on his way to being a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Other Awards MVP QB John Hadl (Seattle Seahawks) Offensive Player of the Year QB John Hadl (Seattle Seahawks) Defensive Player of the Year DE Garry Philbin (Chicago Bears) Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Duane Thomas (Kansas City Chiefs) Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Jim Mitchell (Jacksonville Jaguars) I think I'll take a break there. 4 Dolphins-related retirements, 3 significant, 1 not. I'll report on them and start doing stuff in the offseason tomorrow. Need to get a temporary put in tomorrow from when they pulled my molar, cuz the gap is seriously bugging me and I leave Tuesday morning.
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-26-2007, 09:03 PM
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#122 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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dola,
nilodor, is there a fast and easy way to find the drafted players from any draft? Like I want to do a 10 year review of the 1961 1st round picks, but don't know where there's a quick and easy way to find the order and the player cards.
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-30-2007, 04:03 PM
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#123 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
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Quote:
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, I've been on vacation. Unfortunately there isn't a fast way to do it that I have found. I just wound up going to the career stats page and working through there. Although thinking about it now I'm sure you could do it pretty fast through the html dump option. I'd imagine that all of the players will be hotlinked on the draft pages to their player cards and that should be pretty quick, except for the whole html creation process. But after the first dump they are typically pretty quick. |
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08-30-2007, 04:48 PM
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#124 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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how do I do HTML dump? And would I need to do it after each draft? So I'm screwed for doing that method for 1961-1970 drafts?
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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08-30-2007, 05:26 PM
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#125 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
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At the bottom of the almanac box the last option, below GM history is create html. Once it generates the html you can go into the folder and find the index.html. From there you should at least be able to find the draft history.
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09-01-2007, 10:00 AM
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#126 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Thanks
I'll experiment with it this evening.
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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09-14-2007, 02:00 PM
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#127 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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A Look Back: 1961 Draft - 1st Round
1. QB Fran Tarkenton - San Diego Chargers Earned his 1st All-Pro nod this season (1970) when he was named to the 2nd Team. Thrown for 3,000+ yards the last 5 seasons, but is considerably interception prone, with 103 career INTs in 10 seasons, including two straight 10+ interception years in 1968 and 1969. Still, when he's on, he's on and only a lack of quality WRs has prevented him from becoming one of the truly elite QBs of the league. Afterthoughts: A QB who's still going strong and who has suffered his entire career from a poor corps to throw to. A worthy #1 overall pick. 2. RB Amos Marsh - Jacksonville Jaguars Played from 1961-1969, all with the Jaguars, but only broke 1,000 yards rushing 3 times and never had double-digit TDs. Best season was 1964, when he rushed for 1,275 yards and 7 TDs, with 5 100+ yard games. Extremely valuable safety valve out of the backfield, averaging over 300 receiving yards a season. Also averaged over 20+ yards a kick return in his first three seasons. Afterthoughts: Major disappointment and were this draft to be recast, he certainly wouldn't go here. Never came close to being the franchise back Jacksonville hoped to build around, although he did have considerable versatility. 3. QB Billy Kilmer - Minnesota Vikings Struggled terribly his first two seasons, thrown into the fire for a woeful franchise. Light came on in his third season and 1963-1965 were productive years where he showed signs of becoming a good NFL QB. Inexplicably lost his starting job in 1966 after a new coach came in and in 1967, he was back to the early years upon getting his starting spot back. Benched thereafter and released by the Vikings in 1969, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and has revived his career there as the starter for the last two years, throwing for a career high 3,512 yards this past season along with 16 TDs to 11 INTs, his first positive ratio since 1965. Afterthoughts: The lost year of development appears to have really hurt him. A case of what might've been, had something not gone wrong with the new coach. 4. NT Bob Lilly - New England Patriots Two-time All-Pro 2nd Team NT and the Patriots' career leader in sacks. Uniformly acknowledged as one of the top DTs in the league and a perfect fit for New England's 3-4 defense. A starter from the moment he stepped on the field. Afterthoughts The perfect pick for the Patriots and the leader of their defense. Went exactly where he should and would go about the same spot in a re-draft. 5. LCB Herb Adderly - Cincinnati Bengals Blessed with an incredible amount of talent, but has thus far been a horrible 10 year underachiever for the Bengals. Just 4 seasons of 80+ pass defense % and career season high interceptions is 4. Averaged 25+ yards a kick return his first three years in the league. Afterthoughts The most frustrating pick in the top 5. All of that ability and none of the production. Greatest value now is most likely as a mentor. 6. QB Norm Snead - Seattle Seahawks Spot starter in his rookie season, with bad results. Lost his job the next year to John Hadl and has been permanently benched since. Started 4 games in 1968 after Hadl went down and went 2-2, throwing for 779 yards, 3 TDs and 4 INTs in that span. Still with the Seahawks as a 3rd stringer. [u]Afterthoughts[u] Another mentor, but unquestionably the biggest bust to date in this draft. 7. LT Errol Linden - Kansas City Chiefs Extraordinarily strong tackler who plays better as a run-blocker than a pass protector. Spent his first 6 seasons with the Chiefs before a disasterous ankle injury cost him most of 1966, leading Kansas City to release him in the offseason. He promptly signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he's started the last four seasons and shown not only little, if any decline in his runblocking talents, but actually shown improvement in his passblocking, using his powerful strength much more effectively and getting at least 1 pancake block a season. Free agent this offseason who figures to cash in big. Afterthoughts Not a franchise LT by any means, but certainly a serviceable one. Not sure if the top 10 pick would repeat itself. 8. LCB Dave Grayson - Baltimore Ravens 3-time 2nd Team All-Pro who's shown terrific ballhawk ability (4 seasons of 5+ interceptions) and coverage talents throughout his career with the Ravens. Also a hard tackler and respectable kick returner (25.2 career average). Free agent this season and rumors are that he may retire, causing the Ravens to lose their secondary leader and cornerback mentor. Afterthoughts Definitely worth the pick here and could conceivably go higher in a re-draft. 10 quality years out of a CB is a great thing. 9. LT Stew Barber - Oakland Raiders Took several years to really get comfortable with the NFL level, but was absolutely brilliant in 1968 and 1969, allowing just 3 sacks in each season while recording 4 and 2 pancake blocks respectively, earning him his lone All-Pro bid in 1968 (2nd Team). Reverted back to form last season, giving up 9 sacks. Mediocre run-blocker. Career-long Raider, signed on for 3 more seasons. Afterthoughts Too many sacks surrendered to be a franchise LT, although his peak is far better than that Linden's. 10. RCB Irv Cross - Miami Dolphins Played from 1961-1969. Never became an elite defensive back, with only 3 season of 80+ pass defense % and a career high of 4 interceptions, but he is unquestionably the greatest kick returner in the NFL, averaging almost 30 yards a kick return (29.5 - 1st all-time) for his entire career while serving as the Dolphins' top kick return every year he played. 7 career kick return TDs, which also ranks 1st all time. Afterthoughts His coverage underperformance says bust, his kick return talents say he went right about where he should've. Would probably go a little lower in a re-draft. ***************************************************** I'll do the rest of the first round tomorrow, guys. They're closing up shop here at the university and urging us all out.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-13-2007, 05:40 AM
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#128 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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I have about half the first round written up. Pondering if I should finish off the recap or just go ahead with the offseason.
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-13-2007, 11:17 AM
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#129 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
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Quote:
The recaps are cool and all, but I found them fairly consuming to do and I would rather see more season stuff than recap stuff. |
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10-13-2007, 12:15 PM
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#130 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Sounds good to me!
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-13-2007, 12:46 PM
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#131 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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3 Dolphins retired, including Dave Lloyd our long-time starting MLB and Walter Johnson our 1965 1st round pick who had a surprisingly short career and never won a Pro Bowl award despite being one of the best DTs in the league during his day. Johnson was, at least, the 1967 Super Bowl MVP, in a performance we'll never forget.
Johnny Unitas also retired after a pedestrian season with the Colts (2,787 yards, 11 TDs, 8 INTs in 14 starts). I don't see how he won't be selected to the Hall of Fame. Not with 4 Super Bowl rings, numerous awards and cult hero status in both Indianapolis and Miami. I don't have my staff notes on this comp, but we'll be looking for a new Lead Scout as always. Jared Thamilarasan, our superstar offensive coordinator, and Royce Womble, our good defensive coordinator, are both out of contract so we have to try and sign them. Unfortunately there's no good Lead Scouts available and our team owner handcuffs us on the contracts we can offer Thamilarasan and Womble, both way below what they're asking for. ...I don't believe it! Jared Thamilarasan takes a $610,000, 4 year deal from... the Dallas Cowboys, the same damn team that stole Tyrus Treftz last year!. Ugh. I frigging HATE the Cowboys. Royce Womble accepts the low offer we give him, thankfully preserving continuity for the defense that's going to need it, as we're expecting a lot of changes. Offensive Coordinator Edwin Buckley (43) QB: VG RG: Good WR: Good OL: Fair KP: Excellent YT: Average He was the best of a really poor crop of offensive coordinators this offseason. Hopefully he'll grow over time. As Ed George will be a starter again this year and doesn't have all that big a gap between his current and his potential, last year's 2nd round pick, DE Wes Grant, gets the summer league nod. And with that, I'm going to wait until I can fix the image things with reshacker back to what they were and possibly download the 6.1 patch before continuing. Or would it be better to just keep going on the version that I am?
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-14-2007, 12:57 AM
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#132 | |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
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Quote:
You and me both. And I don't see any reason to not upgrade to the new version. |
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10-14-2007, 06:33 AM
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#133 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Okay
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-14-2007, 01:19 PM
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#134 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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As stated before, our primary need this offseason is defense, defense, defense, particularly in the linebacking corps and the secondary.
I raise the prices slightly on tickets, because our fan loyalty is through the roof and we need to be able to retain our coaching staffs. On to free agency! Week 1 Re-Signings FB Larry Csonka – 5 years, $1.18 mil. CB Jim Duncan – 3 years, $260k Csonka is one of the best FBs in the game and Duncan is a serviceable nickel/dime back, as well as one of our best kick returners. By the numbers: QB x 2, TE, WR, OL, P, K, DT, DL x 2, LB x 2, 17 new bodies total Week 2 Signings RDT Scott Appleton – 1 year, $110k (Jackonsville) -Improving player should fill in nicely on our defensive line. Also a chemistry addition, though he may lose his leader status if the other DT we're targeting signs. FS Hagood Clarke – 4 years, $1.83 mil. (Cincinnati) -Huge, huge boost to our secondary and the top free agent safety available. He'll move over to his original position of SS and become an instant starter there. Week 2 Losses LCB W.K. Hicks – 1 year, 100k* (Detroit) -Probably should've tried to retain him, as he played well for us last year, but honestly something about him just told me not to pursue him. Probably because it was a career year for him and I was leery of that. SS George Saimes – 3 years, $960k (Green Bay) -Good riddance. A significant free agent bust for us, I'm frankly happy to see him go and will quite cheerfully let the Packers overpay him. Week 3 Signings FL Charlie Frazier – 1 year, $110k (Re-signing) -Frazier comes back for yet another year as our backup flanker, though I'm sure he would love an opportunity to start somewhere. Week 3 Losses TE Milt Morin – 4 years, $1.16 mil. (Los Angeles) (Re-signing) -Despite the offer of money on the table from us and a couple other teams, Morin, who's been on the All-Pro team the last 3 seasons, opts to stay with the Rams. Can't really fault him for that. K Wayne Walker – 1 year, $90k* (Buffalo) -Last year's kicker goes to our archrivals, which wouldn't be an issue, except... K Dennis Patera – 2 years, $180k (Cleveland) (Oakland) -The top kicker on the market spurns more money from us and the Giants to hook on with the Browns. Ugh. Guess I'll be drafting a kicker. RCB Mike Bass – 4 years, $1.36 mil. (New Jersey) (Re-signing) -Another case of losing out on one of the top players available because of a re-signing. The fact that it's a division foe makes it sting all the more. I'm going to have to be scrambling from here on out to try and find secondary targets (and yes, pun intentional )Week 4 Signings TE Billy Cannon – 2 years, $360k (Re-signing) -After Morin fell through, getting Cannon back was our best option. Thankfully, he accepted the offer despite being our second choice. RT Joe Taffoni – 3 years, $300k (Oakland) -Good pickup to be a reserve T, in my opinion. Not suited to be a starter as he showed with the Raiders last year, but a nice backup. LDT Houston Antwine – 1 year, $120k (Green Bay) -Reserve DT and mentor. Also our new defensive front leader, with less affinities than Appleton. Oh well. LCB Nemiah Wilson – 1 year, $100k (Houston) -Emergency backup option and one year rental. Had a career year with the Browns 2 seasons ago that showed absolutely brilliant play, but was merely pedestrian with the Oilers last season. For a rental, I'll take mediocre. He'll step in as the starter for now, simply because we have nothing better. Week 5 Signings SLB Dave Meggyesy – 1 year, $110k (Re-signing) -He comes back for another season, most likely as the starter unless something drastic happens in the draft. Week 5 Losses RB Brian Piccolo – 1 year, $80k* (Chicago) -This signing made me smile. Good to see him finally with Da Bears. Probably should've tried to retain him, as he was quite the serviceable backup for us, but oh well. Week 6 Signings P Paul Maguire – 1 year, $120k (Re-signing) -It just occurred to me that I should've been trying for min-sal deals on a lot of these guys to cut down on the cap costs, but oh well... they're mostly one year deals anyway. Maguire returns for another season after taking forever to choose us. Week 6 Losses RDT Jim Harris – 4 years, $1.21 mil. (Cleveland) -Major bust as a one year rental for us, so the Browns can have him at that inflated price. Week 7 Signings MLB Willie Lanier – 4 years, $3.36 mil. (Cincinnati) -HALLEJUAH!!!! HALLEJUAH!!!! The top free agent in the entire damn class chooses us over a whole host of suitors!!! Why am I so excited? This guy was a #1 overall pick and is just coming into his prime as one of the top MLBs in the NFL. One of our biggest holes has just been filled in a major, major way. It's certainly not as big as the Johnny Unitas signing of some years ago, but it isn't that far off the mark. He's a 5th year player and his addition changes our entire 1st round strategy in the draft. Week 7 Losses FS Jim Hudson – 1 year, $80k* (Washington) -Had a career year for us last season, but it honestly looked like a fluke, so the Redskins can have him. Week 9 Signings C Frank Marchlewski – 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -Quality backup C, chemistry bonus, and mentor. Week 10 Signings SS Rodger Bird – 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -Acceptable reserve safety and our best punt returner by far. Week 10 Losses RT Jim Battle – 1 year, $100k (Minnesota) -Never lived up to lofty 2nd round expectations and busted like most of my second round picks do. QB Ken Anderson and DE Jack Youngblood are the talk of this year's class, though some whisper that QB Archie Manning could be a worthwhile player as well. 1971 Draft 1st Round 1. OLB Phil Villapiano – Cincinnati Bengals A surprise #1 overall pick. Villapiano looks good, but nowhere near worthy of the first overall selection. 2. QB Ken Anderson - San Francisco 49ers The Bengals get a thank you card from San Fran. 3. QB Archie Manning - Houston Oilers 4. CB Clarence Scott - Cincinnati Bengals 5. QB Lynn Dickey - Detroit Lions 6. DE Jack Youngblood - St. Louis Cardinals Youngblood is going to make the others pay for passing on him. Nice drop to the Cardinals, who have to be ecstatic about landing one of the top 2 players in the draft. 7. CB Lemarr Parrish - Cleveland Browns 8. OLB Jack Ham - Carolina Panthers through Oakland Raiders Oakland gives away this pick cheaply, getting only this year's 3rd rounder, the Panthers' 1972 2nd rounder and their 1973 3rd rounder for a top 10 pick. Raiders looking bad in drafting. 9. WR J.D. Hill - New Jersey Jets 10. DT Mike Lewis - Atlanta Falcons 11. RB Josh Aston - Denver Broncos 12. DE Vern Den Herder - Jacksonville Jaguars 13. OLB Isiah Robertson - New York Giants 14. S Jack Tatum - Los Angeles Rams 15. WR Harold Carmichael - Washington Redskins 16. DE Lyle Alzado - Tucson Titans 17. CB Kerry Reardon - Carolina Panthers 18. DE Ron Yankowski - Buffalo Bills 19. S Phil Wise - Indianapolis Colts 20. DT Bill Dustan - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21. CB Tom Hayes - Kansas City Chiefs 22. WR Frank Lewis - Philadelphia Eagles 23. OLB Floyd Rice - Jacksonville Jaguars 24. T George Starke - Dallas Cowboys It's our pick now and it's down to a CB or a S. While cornerback is our primary need, the available safeties look a lot better than the CBs, and there's CBs in the later rounds I've got my eye on. Not so at safety, where there's 3 players grouped together right now and nothing below them. After a close inspection of all three players, one of them finally wins out and so I take... 25. S Glen Edwards - Miami Dolphins 26. CB Willie Alexander - Seattle Seahawks Had I taken a CB, Alexander would've been the one. 27. RB Bob Gresham - Chicago Bears 28. ILB Rick Kingrea - New England Patriots 29. S Bryant Salter - Pittsburgh Steelers 30. WR Ricky Jarvis - San Diego Chargers 31. DE Tony McGee - Baltimore Ravens 32. DE Dwight White - Green Bay Packers Almost every single CB I was eyeing gets taken before my 2nd round pick, so I'm forced to pick one of the remaining three out of desparation. I take Charlie Ford, who looks like the best prospect out of the trio. SILB Dennis Coleman, a player I had my eye on to shift to one of the LB spots, lasts until my 3rd round pick, but he's due to go any time soon, so I grab him before I miss out. A run on RBs in the 4th denies me the precise one I wanted, but Leon Burns, with an affinity and breakout potential, isn't a bad Plan B, as I need a backup RB. Not wanting to lose out on all the decent kickers, I take Tim Webster in the 5th. I really don't want to go the re-tread route there. QB Scott Hunter is my flyer pick in the 6th, both because he could break out and because I need two more QBs on my roster. I'm thinking I'll snag a mentor backup in the late free agent period. I'm all out of players I've interviewed in the 7th, except for a QB, so on a whim, I pick WR Elmo Wright, who I'm hoping can be a 5th receiver. Late Free Agency Week 1 Losses OLB Ralph Baker - 1 year, $100k* (San Francisco) -It doesn't hurt so much to lose Baker, as there's someone else who we like more. Week 2 Signings QB Billy Kilmer - 2 years, $350k (Kansas City) -Admittedly we overpaid, but he's a mentor who showed last year with the Chiefs that he still has something left in the tank. I think we can say goodbye to our Super Bowl aspirations if we have to turn to him, though. Week 2 Losses WR Gail Cogdill - 1 year, $120k (Tucson) -I really like Cogdill, but he showed last season his skills are declining fast. Still, I'm happy for him. He gets above a min-sal deal with the Titans and a chance to be a starter for the very first time in his career. He's got two Super Bowl rings courtesy of us, so a starting spot is the only thing lacking in his career resume. Week 3 Signings WR Otto Stowe - 1 year, $30k (UDRFA) -He's performed extremely well for me in previous universes, so I said what the hell, why not? OLB Dick Hermann - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas) -Had a lights out year with the Cowboys last season, so I thought I'd give him a chance to occupy Baker's spot. Week 4 Signings MLB Dave Harding - 1 year, 110k* (Atlanta) -Following Hermann's signing, I shifted Dennis Coleman to WLB, necessitating a void to be filled at backup MLB. Enter Harding. Training Camp Code:
Despite the glowing draft grade, I'm a bit wary of this unit. Edwards will be an immediate starter and looks destined to be very good. Ford will be the backup LCB, hence the switch. The rest of this batch looks quite questionable, though Stowe's primed to be our 5th receiver and Hunter could potentially quietly develop into a capable third stringer, if he ever gets enough PT.
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-24-2007, 09:46 AM
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#135 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
Stabler-Kilmer-Hunter right down the row, obviously, though if Ken goes down, our season is done. Code:
Hill and Csonka start, with Pittman the second string halfback. Burns could well be worth a move to FB. It says his ratings could improve if he makes the switch and it's the direction I'm leaning in, as I don't see anything that says he'll be able to get past Pittman. Code:
Cannon will begin the year as the starter, but he's going downhill fast and Kramer stands a good chance of taking over the TE spot by midseason. Warfield and Jefferson the flanker and split end respectively, with Frazier and Ballman the reserves. Stowe and Wright will fight it out in preseason for the 5th receiver spot, though my hunch has Stowe down. This is actually turning into an area of concern, strange as it sounds for the top receiving corps in the league. They're starting to get old and we need some new blood here that's actually talented. Code:
George-Moorman-Schmitt-Upshaw-Vogel as the starting five. George is starting to not look as good as he did originally in my opinion, so we may be looking to upgrade there next offseason. Code:
Maguire great, Webster raw. I think Webster does have the potential to become a pretty good all-around kicker, however. Code:
We're dangerously soft up the middle, though Greenwood and A. Brown will provide pressure. Grant has horrible endurance, so he's really suited for nothing more than a supersub role. R. Brown and Appleton are the likely DT starters, though Antwine will try to knock off Appleton. Greenwood's looking for a big contract after his sensational season last year. We'll see how he performs this season before spending the cash on him. In any case, this unit is going to undergo an overhaul next offseason. Code:
The only surefire starter is Lanier. Meggyesy has the inside track on keeping his starting SLB spot, but Walker will challenge him for it. Hermann had a great season in Dallas last year, but Coleman's potential intrigues. Without Lanier, this is one of the weakest position groups on the team. Thank God we got him. Code:
Wilson and Duncan will be the starters, though the nickel corner is really going to be anyone's guess. A lot of young players here, but none of them very good. Ford's potential just may be enough to win him the nickel slot over Lavan, who currently has the inside track. Code:
Clarke and Edwards are the clear-cut starters. Flowers will be the reserve SS, as Bird's numbers are inflated by his incredible PR ability. That'll also allow Rodger to focus exclusively on returning punts. Fleming, obviously, is the backup FS. Overall, the team's being hailed as a Super Bowl contender by a lot of preseason press, but that's because of the additions of Lanier, Edwards and Clarke. I keep getting the feeling that we're looking like a bit of a paper tiger, though. One injury would be enough to blow this team apart. While the papers are saying Super Bowl, I'm saying a division title and a playoff run to the divisional round or AFC Championship is much more likely. I'd love another Super Bowl title though, obviously.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-25-2007, 08:09 AM
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#136 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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I switched Leo Burns to FB. He dropped to 15/21. Oops. I also may have forgotten to mention that the Tucson Titans offered me a 2nd round pick for Calvin Hill. It was momentarily tempting, but since we should be pretty good this year, I turn it down.
Preseason Tampa Bay 23 Miami 7 An ugly game, caused by having rookie flyer QB Scott Hunter get some PT, along with some other bad players in the lineup. Paul Warfield was also held out as a precaution. Scott Appleton got 4 tackles, an assist, a sack and 2 hurries to put in a claim for the starting RDT job. Miami 7 Dallas 17 If nothing else, these first two preseason games have shown how weak we are without All-Pro genius WR Paul Warfield and just how quickly our season would go to hell if we had to turn to our backup QBs. While Scott Hunter made minimal improvements, Billy Kilmer was 0-3 with an INT. I think I'm going to stick Hunter in as the #2 QB to start the year. Oh yeah, Otto Stowe has the 5th WR spot locked up. Less certain is DT, where the 3 guys we're rotating in and out are failing to clearly establish leaders and determine just who should start there. We'll keep tinkering throughout the rest of the preseason. While we're trying to figure that out, though, we'll unleash the full starters for the last two exhibition contests. Miami 17 Atlanta 19 Our finest offensive output of the young year was marred by four turnovers, 2 by Ken Stabler (INT, fumble). Willie Lanier impressed, though, with 11 tackles and an assist. Robert Brown also nailed down the LDT spot, leaving only RDT a riddle, though I'm leaning towards Scott Appleton. Starting LT Ed George will miss the final preseason game and possibly Week 1 with a strained foot ligament. LT Steve Barnett, a former Top 5 pick and major bust, is signed as emergency cover. Washington 17 Miami 24 We finally get untracked and spoil the Redskins' bid for a perfect preseason in the process. Paul Warfield announced that he's ready to go for the regular season after a masterful 8 catch, 148 yard, 2 TD performance that earned him Player of the Game honors. KR maestro Jim Duncan showed why we're making him the starting RCB this year after snagging 2 interceptions and Willie Lanier looks primed to deliver on his huge contract after defending 2 passes and getting an INT of his own. Scott Appleton wins the starting RDT job just because. There's really that little difference between him and Houston Antwine. Ed George is Probable for Week 1, thankfully, though we lose starting SLB Dave Meggyesy for 3 weeks with a back injury. Cleo Walker steps in as the starting SLB in his absence after a pretty decent exhibition showing. New England 3 Miami 20 Preseason means nothing! Calvin Hill rushes 18 times for 81 yards and a TD, splitting carries evenly with Charlie Pittman because I forgot to hit Recommend Time and Jim Duncan averages 42 yards a kick return. But the real hero of the game was L.C. Greenwood, who ravaged the Patriots' O-line for 3 tackles, an assist, 3.5 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown. Dallas 27 Miami 14 Ouch. Despite our being 12 point favorites, the Cowboys pull off a huge upset, shutting down our running game and watching some guy named Jason LaFleur throw for 240 yards and 2 TDs. If a positive can be taken from this game, it's Willie Lanier's 11 tackles, assist and sack. Jim Duncan will miss our next game with a calf injury, possibly two more games. Rodger Bird takes over as the top KR, Billy Baird the temporary starting RCB. Jacksonville 13 Miami 31 We take out our anger on the hapless Jaguars, or rather, Roy Jefferson does, with 5 catches for 123 yards and 2 TDs. Rodger Bird contributes to the slaughter with an 82 yard punt return for a TD and L.C. Greenwood goes bananas, with 7 tackles, 3 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. Fellow DE Aaron Brown added 1.5 sacks and a hurry of his own. Dave Meggyesy returns for the next game. Miami 34 Cincinnati 7 The Bengals hoped to exorcise their 0-3 start with an upset, but we dashed their hopes in a thrashing, led by Ken Stabler's 3 TDs, 2 of them to Paul Warfield, 3 interceptions, and 7 coffin-corner punts by Paul Maguire. Bad news visits when Charlie Frazier goes out 4 weeks with a high ankle sprain, countering Jim Duncan's return. Ah well, it all balances out. Otto Stowe slips over to backup flanker, meaning we're looking a little weak at WR right now. Miami 27 Buffalo 23 Games like this give me heart attacks. We're down 23-7 with 6:51 left in the game and I'm thinking we're going to lose this critical early season contest with our archivals. Then the following happens: 05:08 MIA Calvin Hill 2 yard pass from Ken Stabler (TD) 01:54 MIA Calvin Hill 75 yard pass from Ken Stabler (TD) 00:07 MIA Paul Warfield 40 yard pass from Ken Stabler (TD) This is why we made him the #1 overall pick in the draft! Ken Stabler had one of his absolute finest days as a pro, with 21-37 for 397 yards, 3 TDs and an INT, but it was Calvin Hill who was Player of the Game, with 42 rushing yards and a rushing TD to go with 93 receiving yards and 2 receiving TDs. Jim Brown he isn't, but he's a good dual threat back. Paul Warfield finally broke the century mark for the first time this season, with 5 catches for 114 yards and the game-winning TD. Willie Lanier powered the defense with 11 tackles and an assist. Miami 14 Cleveland 27 The euphoria from the Buffalo game translated into exhaustion against the Browns, who school us behind Don Shy's 140 yards rushing and TD and Len Dawson's 27-35 for 312 yards and 2 TD performance. Willie Lanier had a franchise-record setting day in the defeat with 16 tackles, 8 assists, and a sack. Pittsburgh 14 Miami 28 A balanced offense game in terms of yardage, but Calvin Hill was the star on that side of the ball, with 2 rushing TDs and a receiving TD. I think I'll call him this universe's version of the RL Brian Westbrook. Aaron Brown provided the pass-rush on defense with 3 tackles, 2 sacks, and a hurry. The bye week allows us to get Charlie Frazier back to full health and restore our WR corps to full health as well. Miami 10 New England 34 The Patriots catch us napping and some QB named Marty Domres shreds us for 318 yards and 4 TDs. Can you say we'll be focusing on the secondary in the next offseason? I think you can! We're just getting eaten alive through the air this year and our own aerial firepower just isn't what it used to be. Ken Stabler's 2 interceptions and 3 fumbles didn't help either. With the loss, the AFC East has suddenly become a tighter race. We're leading the division at 5-3, but the Bills and the Patriots are within striking distance at 4-5 each. New England is particularly hot, having won 4 straight games after starting the year 0-5. Halfway stats: Code:
We're winning games because we're not turning the ball over that much? I'm not sure how they define that turnover stat, because we've had 13 fumbles and it seems a little peculiar that we wouldn't lose a single one. Also, Rex, or better said, Hanner and Buckley, have changed our offensive game plan to one that relies on vertical passing, which plays to Stabler's strengths. Warfield is off to a comparatively slow start, but hopefully he'll pick it up in the second half of the season. I'm considering giving Pittman a longer look at RB. Lanier is the glue that's holding our otherwise porous defense together. Without him, we'd probably be something like 2-6 right now. Greenwood is having a solid pass-rushing year and Edwards is playing even better than I'd anticipated. Maybe he'll get talked up as a possible Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. I still have that paper tiger feeling, but we do currently hold a game and a half lead in the AFC East and are presently in position to have a first round bye, so we'll see how things go in the second half.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-28-2007, 07:09 AM
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#137 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Don Fleming, Billy Kilmer, Billy Baird, and Joe Taffoni are all disgruntled and Dick Hermann is angry.
I see Kilmer's point and promote him to 2nd string. Hermann wins the starting WLB job after a closer review of both him and rookie Dennis Coleman, but Baird is staying where he is and Taffoni would lose too much by switching over to LT, so he stays as well. Baltimore 31 Miami 14 Craig Baynham and Jim Kiick both run for 120+ yards and Bart Starr throws 3 TDs to massacre us. Our 2 TDs came in the fourth quarter, when the game was already long decided. Willie Lanier provided the lone Dolphins highlight with 11 tackles and 2 assists. New Jersey 0 Miami 28 The thumping we got at the hands of the Ravens translates into a fury-laden shutout of the Jets. Calvin Hill runs for 94 yards and a TD to pace the offense and Rodger Bird averages 24 yards on 4 punt returns. The win was very much needed, as the Bills are just a game behind at 5-5. Haygood Clarke, our starting FS is out for the next game, meaning Don Fleming finally gets his wish to start again. Miami 17 Philadelphia 24 Another day where our defense let us down, as Charlie Smith rushes for 133 yards and Sonny Jurgeson throws 3 TDs against our toothless secondary. Dolphins highlights: Charlie Frazier with 81 receiving yards and a 43 yard fumble return for a TD and Willie Lanier with 10 tackles and an assist. A paper tiger, we definitely are. As if things weren't bad enough, Don Fleming herniates his disc and will be out 6 weeks, forcing us to start the questionable status Haygood Clarke. Miami 41 San Diego 14 The schizophrenic nature of this team is driving me crazy, but I'll definitely take this blowout win over the Chargers. Charlie Pittman had an absolutely electrifying 99 yard kickoff return for a TD that really changed the momentum of the game and Dave Meggyesy made an equally thrilling play, returning an interception 70 yards for a TD. L.C. Greenwood keyed the defense with 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 blocks, 2 hurries and a knockdown. New York 17 Miami 31 We guarantee at least a .500 finish against the Giants, courtesy of Calvin Hill's 153 rushing yards and TD. I'm really glad we didn't trade him to the Titans and I'm also glad I opted to leave him as the starting RB after his low numbers in the first half. Charlie Pittman also had 2 rushing TDs, in what was probably the most balanced offensive game we've had all year. Dennis Coleman separates his shoulder and is gone for 4 weeks. Cleo Walker will just get double backup duty for the time being. Miami 24 New Jersey 21 It wasn't anywhere near as close a game as the final score indicates. Ken Stabler finally had a good game for the first time in a long time, 19-31 for 248 yards and 3 TDs. I still can't work out why we can't seem to get consistent games out of him, but I'll take what we have for now, which is... The 1971 Miami Dolphins as the AFC East Champions! It's also an extraordinarily tight race for playoff positioning in the AFC. To wit: Cleveland leads the AFC North with a 9-5 record. Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and Tucson are all 9-5 in the AFC South. We're 9-5 in the AFC East. Denver and Kansas City are both 7-7 in the AFC West. In the NFC, there's 3 teams at 8-6 fighting for the second playoff spot, but the division and playoff position chases aren't quite as interesting to me. Billy Hayes strains a tendon and is out roughly 3 weeks, requiring us to put in the raw rookie Charlie Ford as the backup at left corner. Miami 36 Washington 9 Ken Stabler appears to be peaking at about the right time, as he wins Player of the Game on 19-24 for 280 yards and 3 TDs. Tim Webster also dazzled, going 5/5 on FGs, including 3/3 from 40+ range. Willie Lanier led the defense with 9 tackles, 2 assists, a sack and a hurry, while Jim Duncan defended an incredible 4 passes. And then disaster strikes. Paul Warfield has a strained hamstring and while he's questionable, it's not certain when he'll be back to full strength. Haygood Clarke is also out roughly 4 weeks with a back strain, meaning Don Fleming, still questionable, as the starter at FS. Unfortunately, I can't afford to sit Paul, as we're still fighting for, well, everything in playoff positioning. Buffalo 17 Miami 27 Our archrivals try to play spoilers, but Paul Warfield quickly ends that talk with 7 catches for 97 yards and a TD, showing no ill effects from his hamstring injury. Tim Webster also booted a pair of long field goals, including a rainbow of a 52 yarder. Don Fleming aggravates his injury and the longtime free safety is gone for the rest of the year, a problem since Hagood Clarke is still out himself. But there's one thing we can be thankful for... We've secured a first round bye.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-28-2007, 02:03 PM
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#138 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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We draw the most difficult matchup possible in the Cleveland Browns. Fortunately, Hagood Clarke and Don Fleming have both made miraculous recoveries in the bye week so they'll both be able to play. Fleming's story was particularly compelling, as we thought him shelved for the rest of the season.
The Browns destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-3 in the wild card round and are led by 15th year QB Len Dawson, who's revived his greatness from prior seasons, passing for just shy of 4,000 yards this season, with a 21 TD to 15 INT ratio. 5th year RB Don Shy broke the 1,000 yard barrier for the first time in his career, his second as a starter, and had 13 rushing TDs to go with it. What a key free agent pickup from our archrivals he turned out to be! Cleveland's WRs are terrible, which will be critical against our own weak secondary. Their offensive line also suffered a major blow when LT Dick Schafrath, their franchise player, suffered a concussion so severe in Week 15, that it'll be two years before he can even think about football again, and he's likely to retire. Curley Culp is a very good NT in the Browns' 3-4 scheme and rookie Lemarr Parrish forms a solid corner duo with 1970 1st Team All-Pro CB and fellow Top 10 pick Bobby Bryant. They also have some talented run-stopping LBs, notably tackle-master SILB Bob Matheson. If there's a silver lining, it's that their defense doesn't have any worthwhile passrushers outside of Culp, so if we can neutralize him, we'll be able to give Ken Stabler time to dissect the defense. This will be a tough battle and I mean tough as in last battle of Luminous Arc tough (I just got my ass handed to me there, actually). Bookies have Browns by 1. And the miracle happens!!! Ken Stabler continues his peak form, a pinpoint 21-26 for 289 yards and a TD, most of which went to Paul Warfield, who continues to shrug off his hamstring injury and subpar regular season by catching 8 passes for 125 yards and a TD. Tim Webster maintained his hot kicking, going 3/3 on FGs, including a 46 yarder. Nemiah Wilson, the unsung hero of our much-maligned secondary, defended 3 passes in a sensational performance. But the real hero of the game to me is none other than Don Fleming, who snuffed out a Browns drive with an interception that he returned 37 yards. Miami 22 Cleveland 17 It's on to the AFC Championship! Fleming's interception was all the more touching, because we received word after the game that he'll once again be out and it's not certain if he can come back at all, even if we make it to the Super Bowl.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-29-2007, 06:58 AM
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#139 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Our opponents in the AFC Championship game are the Tucson Titans, who've been to the playoffs five times in the history of the universe, but have never gotten past the divisional round. This is their first conference championship game ever.
Their offense lives and dies by FL Lance Alworth, a career-long Titan (10th season), who is a two-time Fastest Man Award winner, as well as a one-time First Team All-Pro selection. He's easily the equal of Paul Warfield. But then there's RB John Fuqua, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and 14 TDs in the regular season in his first season as a starter. Not to mention the fact that the Titans have a very solid, young offensive line. Rookie DE Lyle Alzado has energized Tucson's D-line, with 10.5 sacks in his first season. 6th year DT Don Davis had a career year with an astounding 14.5 sacks, giving the Titans a left side D-line that's going to cause our offensive line nightmares. Fortunately the right side is weak. MLB Chuck Allen has only missed 100 tackles twice in his long, illustrious career with the Titans and this season wasn't one of them. The rest of the linebacking corps is about like ours, though. LCB Willie Brown is one of the greatest corners in the league, with four straight 1st Team All-Pro selections to his credit ((1966-1969), but is also the only star of an otherwise anemic secondary. In short, the Titans are a team built around a few terrific players and a supporting cast that's just good enough to win them ballgames. They're certainly beatable, if we can contain Alworth and that scary left side of the D-line. We're favored by 1 in Vegas. We contain them in the first half and put up a 14-6 lead by halftime, but from there, it's all Titans. Roy Jefferson's 8 catches for 100 yards weren't enough and the Titans ate up the clock with long drives and Jim Turner kicking 5 of 5 field goals. Lyle Alzado sacked Ken Stabler twice, Don Davis reaching him for another 1.5 sacks. But the real heartbreaker was this: The difference in the game was Gail Cogdill, the former WR I loved so much as a mentor and a backup WR/occasional KR, racing down the field 92 yards for a TD on the very first kickoff of the second half. The momentum changed entirely Tucson's way after that, and all we're left with is heartbreak, in a game where we could have very easily won and made it back to the Super Bowl. Tucson 22 Miami 14
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-30-2007, 11:17 AM
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#140 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl XII
Seattle 17 Tucson 20 For the first time since Super Bowl V (1964), it's two new teams in the world's greatest championship. The Tucson Titans complete their miracle season, beating the Seattle Seahawks behind 12th year veteran QB Norman McNeil's TD pass and TD run, as well as some incredibly stingy defense that came up with turnovers at just the right times. A look at the Dolphins: Code:
We really can't ask much more about Ken Stabler than we've been getting, which is pretty damn good. Calvin Hill will never be an All-Pro RB, but his combination of running and receiving skills fits in well. Paul Warfield had a down season, but here's to hoping he'll bounce back. L.C. Greenwood and Aaron Brown make an effective pair of pass-rushers, but something needs to be done about the middle of the D-line. Willie Lanier proved he was worthy every single cent of his mega-deal and Dave Meggyesy continues to defy scouts' perceptions of him with solid play. Nemiah Wilson and Jim Duncan were better corners than I expected and of course rookie SS Glen Edwards was the most pleasant surprise of the secondary's season. Paul Maguire turned in his usual strong performance, but the real shocker was Tim Webster. The rookie kicker was 20/22 for FG, 10/11 from 40+ range and 1/1 from 50+ range. It's not often that a 5th rounder comes along who can surprise like that, but Tim did. The offensive line gave up too many sacks, but they also had a ton of pancake blocks, so it's hard telling what's what there. I do know that we're still on the hunt for a quality LT, as Ed George is clearly not the answer. Looking ahead to the offseason I'd rate DT, LT, OLB are as our 3 most pressing needs, with CB and, perhaps surprisingly, WR as our next biggest concerns. WR, long the strongest position group on this team, is getting somewhat old and the young guys we have there aren't exactly stellar. I'd like to inject some quality young blood in there to turn things around. 1971 Miami Dolphins Season Awards P Paul Maguire - 2nd Team All-Pro Punter Paul's first All-Pro award in a Dolphins uniform, his third overall. Nothing helps you out like winning the field position battle. MLB Willie Lanier - 2nd Team All-Pro ILB It took leaving the hapless Bengals to do it, but Lanier finally gets his first All-Pro nomination after a stellar season. With any luck, he'll have many more similiar performances in his time wearing the aqua and orange. Dave Hanner - Coach of the Year Say what? This one I don't get at all, but as one newspaper article wrote praising him: "Hanner came into an unenviable situation two years ago. He was replacing the enormously popular Tyrus Treftz, who led the Dolphins to two straight Super Bowl victories. All that he's done is take the Dolphins to the playoffs his first two years, with two straight AFC East division crowns, and had them just short of the Super Bowl this year. For a team that still finds itself in transition from the Johnny Unitas and Johnny Sample days, that is truly a miracle, one worthy of a Coach of the Year." Fittingly enough, it's staff hiring time. I don't have my notes from before, so I'll have to reconstruct them and start over next season. I will say though that Royce Womble has become the Jared Thamilrassen of defensive coordinators, which probably means we'll lose him to Dallas when his contract is up.  I do go shopping for a new Lead Scout though and get one, an improvement over our current one. Lead Scout Dexter Carmody (51) QB: Good RB: VG WR: Good OL: Good KP: Good DL: Good DL: Average DB: Average YT: Good I raise ticket prices a tiny amount across the board, but it's still enough to jump our family of four price up to $41, 3rd highest in the league. Oops. But at least they're seeing a quality game for their money. Not like the Carolina Panthers, #4 at $36 average, with a terrible product. We have a good number of candidates for the summer league, but as last year's 2nd rounder, CB Charlie Ford, stands the greatest chance of cracking the lineup this season, he's the one to go off to Europe. Four players retired this offseason, including Don Fleming as we all expected. It's going to be tough not seeing him out there on the field, because he's been a part of this organization for the past 9 seasons, and was a starter for 7 straight years. With his retirement, we've lost the last player from our once mighty secondary. By The Numbers QB, TE, C, DE, DT x 2, 5 DL, MLB, 15 new players total We're going to be pretty busy on the defensive side of the ball here, but I said we were going to be anyway. Week 1 Re-signings DE L.C. Greenwood - 4 years, $2.2 mill. FL Otto Stowe - 1 year, $40k Greenwood's contract was a stiff price to pay, but premium pass-rushers are so rare in this league that I had to pony up the cash. Stowe is just a cheap precautionary measure in case we don't find anyone else. Week 2 Signings FL Dick Gordon - 1 year, 100k* (Seattle) -Journeyman WR who looks like a perfect fit as our third receiver. I'm ironically actually doing this to try and get Charlie Frazier off the team, who has a conflict with Ken Stabler. P Paul Maguire - 1 year, $120k (Re-Signing) -This guy continues to defy age and earn his way onto our team. He's a great safety blanket to have. DE Aaron Brown - 4 years, $1.53 mil. (Re-signing) -Sure his ratings aren't necessarily that great, but the fact of the matter is, he and Greenwood play extremely well together and that's not a tandem I'm about to break up when they're producing that well. Week 2 Losses CB Nemiah Wilson - 1 year, $110k (Indianapolis) -Turns a solid year for us into a slight payraise from the Colts. I probably should've attempted to re-sign him, but really, we got burnt way too much last year not to want a change. Week 3 Signings TE Tom Mitchell - 3 years, $320k (Seattle) -Good receiving TE who will fill the void left by Billy Cannon's retirement. I was tempted to grab Mike Ditka instead, as he was available, but Mitchell has the surer hands, which I value highly in my TEs. WLB George Webster - 4 years, $1.46 mill. (Tampa Bay) -My efforts to improve our linebacking corps continue with this guy, who's shown some major tackling instincts in his years as a Buccaneer. He likes the girls and the weather of South Florida, so he'll stay in the region with us and become an immediate starter. Week 3 Losses CB Mel Renfro - 4 years, $4.26 mill. (Houston) (San Diego) -The top prize in free agency, he takes the longer deal from the Oilers despite having the chance to turn us into odds-on Super Bowl favorites. I'm honestly not all that upset about being outbid, because the guy's in his 9th year and I don't like shelling out that kind of cash and years on older players. Week 4 Signings G Mo Moorman - 3 years, $730k (Re-signing) -Big, big re-signing, as Moorman's been a key part of our offensive line and a solid player ever since his rookie year. The Patriots made a run for him, but in the end, he stayed faithful to us, a big relief. DT Garry Pettigrew - 1 year, $80k* (Seattle) -Not an exceptional player by any means, but he's a lot better than the offal we had here last season. He figures in as a starter, of course, and reduces our concern with the position from extreme emergency to major crisis. CB Goldie Sellers - 3 years, $310k (Indianapolis) -A Jim Duncan clone, only not quite as good a kick returner by the statistics and a major, major ballhawk. Since generating turnovers was a big problem for our defense last year, Sellers will instantly take over the right corner spot or possibly shift to the left side, if we can't find anyone else. Week 5 Signings C Frank Marchlewski - 1 year, $120k (Re-signing) -Paid more than the veteran minimum because he's the glue that holds our offensive line together chemistry speaking and because he's simply a damn solid backup center to have. MLB Mike Ciccolella - 1 year, $100k* (New York) -Strictly a backup MLB. More of a body than anything else, really. S Rodger Bird - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -He may not be happy about not seeing the field more, but damned if he isn't the greatest punt returner in this universe's history. He's worth the price of admission just for that alone. Week 6 Signings DT Ron East - 1 year, $80k* (Green Bay) -Heaven help us if we actually have to start this guy, though he's a decent backup, relatively speaking. LCB Ron Beverly - 1 year, $110k (Washington) -Beat out the Oilers and Browns by throwing in a little extra money. Overcheiver who really hustles to compensate for his meager talents. A good pickup to resolve the left corner crisis. Week 6 Losses WR Charlie Frazier - 2 years, $470k (Houston) -You knew it had to happen sooner or later. Eventually somebody was going to come along and offer Frazier something more than the min-sal to become a starter again, and it's finally happened. Not only does he get a very nice deal, but he goes to the Oilers, where he has an exceptional affinity with the WR leader and, more importantly, he gets some young guy named Archie Manning throwing him the pigskin. SLB Dave Meggyesy - 1 year, $100k* (Indianapolis) -Boy, do I feel stupid about this one. A really solid performer for us who would've come cheap and what do I do? Forget that he's there and let him escape off to the Colts. Oh well, can we say this makes up for the Johnny Unitas thing, Colts? Oops, time to head to class. I'll tackle the rest of free agency in the next post.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-31-2007, 07:45 AM
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#141 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Week 8 Signings
QB Warren Rabb - 1 year, 110k* (Green Bay) -Journeyman 13th year QB who started for 2 seasons in Tampa Bay way back when. QB mentor who has considerable talent and upside still, but just never got the opportunity to be a full-time player outside of the Buccaneers. A mentor and a very comfortable #2 option, though he took forever to accept. Week 9 Signings OLB Mike Stratton - 1 year, $110k* (Detroit) -Respectable SLB, roughly equivalent to Dave Meggyesy. He's been a starter in the league since he was drafted in the 1962 draft (2nd round) by the Jaguars. Jacksonville wanted him back, but Stratton chose us, as we're a much better team. Week 9 Losses DT Scott Appleton - 1 year, 100k* (Cleveland) -Yeah, you go and have fun with that guy, Browns. OLB Dick Hermann - 1 year, $100k* (Houston) -1970 was a fluke, I'm sure, after last year's meh performance for us. The Oilers can take him. Week 11 Losses DT Robert Brown - 1 year, 100k* (New Jersey) -Haha, way to guarantee you'll continue sucking, Jets! I'm so glad to be rid of those two starting DTs from last year. Draft up next, in its own post!
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-31-2007, 11:23 AM
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#142 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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This is a pretty poor draft to have a Top 10 pick in, in my opinion, as the bottom falls out fairly quickly after the first few players. That said S Thom Darden and OLB Stan White look like quality men. A horrible draft for a high pick on offense. The WR pool in particular is lacking in anything close to top-shelf talent. We're picking at #28 throughout the draft to start and I feel good about landing a player or two who can contribute right away.
1972 Draft 1st Round 1. OLB Stan White - Atlanta Falcons 2. QB Brian Sipe - Minnesota Vikings 3. S Thom Darden - New Jersey Jets 4. ILB Jim LeClair - Houston Oilers 5. CB Willie Buchanon - Cincinnati Bengals 6. RB Lawrence McCutcheon - Philadelphia Eagles 7. RB Lydell Mitchell - Cincinnati Bengals through Oakland Raiders And now you know why the Bengals are so bad a team, one of only two franchises never to make the playoffs in this universe (The Vikings the other one). They make stupid moves like this. The cost was ridiculous: Oakland gets the Bengals' 2nd rounder in this draft, along with Cincy's 1973 and 1974 1st round picks. Raiders looking good in draft trade. 8. TE Riley Odoms - St. Louis Cardinals 9. ILB Mark Arneson - New Orleans Saints 10. WR Glenn Doughty - Carolina Panthers 11. WR Cliff Branch - Buffalo Bills 12. DT Mike Kadish - San Diego Chargers 13. S Ralph McGill - Washington Redskins 14. ILB Ed Bradley - New York Giants 15. CB Nelson Munsey - Detroit Lions 16. QB John Reaves - New England Patriots 17. T Greg Sampson - Denver Broncos 18. ILB Jeff Siemon - San Francisco 49ers 19. S Tommy Casanova - Baltimore Ravens 20. OLB John Bunting - New Jersey Jets 21. ILB Tim Kearney - Dallas Cowboys 22. G Conrad Dobler - Kansas City Chiefs 23. RB Franco Harris - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24. DT Otis Sistrunk - Pittsburgh Steelers 25. WR Ahmad Rashad - Jacksonville Jaguars 26. DE Sherman White - New Jersey Jets through Cleveland Browns The Jets are really re-making themselves defensively here in this draft. 3 1st rounders and 3 defensive picks. The cost was a bizzare one, with New Jersey surrendering their 1974 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rounders. If they don't pick up some extra picks along the way, 1974 will be a quiet draft year for our division opponents. 27. C John Hill - Chicago Bears We're now in a tough spot, as there's a number of players we didn't think would fall down this far have. The smart money says to trade down, but the more and more I look at the players available, the more and more one guy stands out to me, a guy who can ressurect the glory days of Don Fleming and Ross Fitchner with Glen Edwards and so S Chuck Crist is our newest Dolphin. 28. S Chuck Crist - Miami Dolphins 29. DE Martin Imhof - Green Bay Packers 30. ILB Joe Caroll - Los Angeles Rams 31. DT Larry Brooks - Seattle Seahawks 32. RB Henry Matthews - Tucson Titans In round 2, I decide it's time to address our gaping hole at DT and take Don Croft, who I have a hunch can step in and start right away for our shoddy line, even though there's probably better players available on the board. The tackle I was hoping would drop to me in round 3 didn't, so I snag ILB Tom Graham, who not only looks like a breakout candidate, but should be able to contribute immediately on special teams. I got hosed again in the 4th, when the WRs I thought would drop that far both went off the board, as did the RB I was looking mostly heavily at. I grab RB Herb Mul-Key, who looks like a returner extraordinnare and a possible contributor on special teams. He actually could get a look on passing downs as well. P Bob Parsons, Paul Maguire's eventual replacement, gets snapped up in the 5th as the last truly useful player available to this team. I take DT Kelvin Korver in the 6th, just to throw another body into the mix at our weakest position and because hey, maybe he'll break out. Finally, TE Ethan Staat in the 7th, just on the offchance that he becomes a useful long-snapper. Late Free Agency Week 2 Signings RB Junior Coffey - 1 year, $100k* (Oakland) -Was a one year rental back in 1970 for us as well. Returns to serve as a mentor to our young guys and be an incredible chemistry captain. No less than 2 strong affinities and 1 exceptional affinity! Week 3 Signings MLB Robert Leake - 1 year, $110k* (Oakland) -Signed strictly as a mentor for Tom Graham. If the mentorship doesn't work out, Leake will be the first guy cut. S David Plump - 1 year, 100k* (New Jersey) -An original Dolphin returns home. Our 1965 3rd round pick could see himself in the mix at backup safety and will definitely help mentor Chuck Crist, our 1st round pick. Post Training Camp Code:
Staat actually has a fair shot of making the team, as his LS skill is 61. Crist's potential may have dropped, but it's hard to ignore that beautiful a number. We'll have problems though, as Hagood Clarke, our current FS starter, is 50/50. So I'm not sure whether to start Clarke or roll the dice on Crist. Parsons will be an adequate replacement for Maguire, but Paul has to retire first. Mul-Key is everything I hoped for in terms of return ability and more, but I'll discuss that when I post the roster analysis.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-03-2007, 09:49 AM
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#143 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
Stabler the starter with Raab and Hunter 2nd and 3rd string obviously. Ken's in the final year of his deal, which makes re-signing him a #1 priority, so much so that I'm going to try and get it done before the preseason's over with. Code:
We'll have all four RBs active, with each one taking a role. Hill starts, Pittman's the #2 back, Coffey's the passing down back and Mul-key will, with his 99 kick return rating and 90 special teams rating be our top KR and one of our gunners. With his 58/73 punt return rating, look for him to be in the mix there as well. Csonka starting FB, Burns backup. Hill's another one that's a priority to re-sign. Code:
Mitchell the starter, Kramer the backup and long snapper, which means Staat is going to get cut to try and free up more room to re-sign our starting QB, who, being one of the best in the game, is liable to command a considerable salary. Nothing changes here. Warfield and Jefferson the starters, Gordon the replacement for Frazier, Ballman the reserve SE and Stowe the 5th WR. We still need to get some more youth here, but that'll be next offseason's target. Code:
Moorman-Schmitt-Upshaw are the only three positions that are set. Vogel could switch over to the left side (90% ratings), with Taffoni then the new RT and George the backup T at both spots. That's probably what I'll do, as I'm less and less happy with George each year. Marchlewski and Fest reprise their reserve roles. Code:
Parsons hits the inactive list and waits for Maguire to retire. Wonderboy Webster stays obviously. Code:
Greenwood and Brown start, Grant the reserve. Korver inactive, Pettigrew the starter at LDT, with Croft going to be given every opportunity to win the starting RDT job from East. Code:
Stratton-Lanier-Webster our starting 3. Leake gets cut, Ciccolella backs up Lanier and then there's a whole mess of fighting to determine who goes where. Lewis is a candidate to get cut as well, as we keep trying to free up more room. Code:
Beverly and Sellers are our obvious starters at CB and Edwards has the starting SS spot nailed down. But what to do at FS, where Clarke is pretty good, but Crist has All-Pro type potential? I'm leaning towards Crist, but we'll see. Plump parks his butt on the inactive list, with Flowers and whoever loses the FS fight the reserves. Duncan will be the backup RCB, whereas Ford has the inside track on the reserve LCB slot. Actually change that around a bit. Coffey hits the inactive list, as Hill can be the passing down back again and we need the active roster spot. Re-signings RB Calvin Hill: 5 years, $1.24 mill. C John Schmitt: 3 years, $660k QB Ken Stabler: 5 years, $4.92 mill. A fair price for Stabler, considering the average Top 5 QB salary is $720,000, a number which would be higher if it weren't for the fact that a few of the top QBs recently renegotiated their deals to get a pittance this year and next in exchange for getting close to $2.6 million in third season. Just a shade under a mill a year for salary + bonus for one of the top QBs in the game = A-OK by me, though we won't have much cap room to spare next year, about $1.8 mill and that's if we're not hit by any bad retirements. Oh yeah, another part of the equation: Stabler's one of the top 5 QBs in the game and the rest of that group include a 9th year player (Roger Staubach), a 12th year QB (Fran Tarkenton) and two 11th year QBs (John Hadl and Roman Gabriel). The next two closest to Ken are Joe Namath (8th year 57/71) and Don Horn (6th year, 53/53), so we're in fantastic shape at QB for at least the next 5 years relative to everyone else in the league.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-03-2007, 01:31 PM
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#144 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Preseason
Miami 38 New Orleans 7 Warren Rabb looked extremely sharp today at 10-14 for 131 yards and 2 TDs, but Calvin Hill performed his usual two-sided act, with 73 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs alongside 3 catches for 48 yards and a TD. It was a dominating performance to start the exhibition season. But FS Hagood Clarke will miss at least the next game and, in the worst injury we've had in Dolphins franchise history C John Schmitt, recent receipient of a nice contract extension, will be out for an entire year with a compound leg fracture. Frank Marchlewski steps in as the new starting C and Donnie Bumgarner, a 13th year vet and chemistry addition who defines journeyman, having played for no less than 11 different teams including us, becomes the reserve. Dave Plump is the reserve FS and Richmond Flowers becomes the dime safety in Clarke's absence. Washington 20 Miami 13 Despite Jim Duncan's 46 yard kick return average, we just couldn't get anything going on either offense or defense today. I'm not worried about it, though. It's only preseason. Miami 6 Tampa Bay 30 Credit this blowout to [b]Warren Rabb[/g] getting intercepted 4 times and posting a 3.8 rating, the worst I've ever seen. Man, I sure hope Ken Stabler stays healthy. Hagood Clarke's ready to come back, upgraded to Probable. In starter news, although Don Croft didn't win the starting RDT spot, he did muscle his way into the nickel package, in addition to being the top backup DT. Dallas 7 Miami 34 With all our starters in for the final game, we hammer the hell out of the Cowboys. Warren Rabb was 5/5 for 68 yards and 2 TDs, but Ken Stabler was the Player of the Game, looking sharp in his final tuneup at 16 of 19 for 184 yards and a TD. With no new major injuries, we're good to go for the regular season! Except for one small thing. We have to cut 2 players. So it's goodbye to TE Ethan Staat and SLB Jess Lewis. Regular Season Miami 9 New Jersey 20 The Jets beat us as Ken Stabler can't connect with anybody, finishing a dismal 14 of 36. Those 5 sacks he received didn't help either, two of which translated into fumbles that New Jersey eagerly gobbled up for points. The only bright side of this game was Tim Webster's 3/3 FGs, including 2 from 40+ range. Miami 10 San Francisco 7 It's an ugly win, but we'll take ugly at this point. Gary Ballman reaches into what's left of his greatly aging body for 5 catches and 109 yards to save the day. Ken Stabler continues to take a pounding, getting reached 6 times this game. I'm not sure what's up with our offensive line protection, but it needs to step up and fast. Miami 31 Tucson 25 As I'm reading the box score for this game, it hits me. I never hit the Recommend Playing Time button. Oops! Despite my faux pas, Ken Stabler finally breaks out, with a 21 of 29 for 271 yards, 2 TDs and an INT on his way to Player of the Game Honors. Roy Jefferson makes 7 receptions for 123 yards and a TD. Ouch. Brutal, brutal game for injuries. Reserve FL Dick Gordon and FS Hagood Clarke are both lost for the year and Gary Ballman's questionable. Ballman will stay in, out of necessity. As before, the Dave Plump and Richmond Flowers combo to replace Clarke. WR Jack Clancy, a drop-prone former 1,000 yard receiver, is signed to take Gordon's place. This time I remember to hit the Recommend Time button. Buffalo 33 Miami 21 Ken Stabler is 31-51 for 313 yards and 2 TDs... but he also throws 3 interceptions, including one that was returned 80 yards for a TD. Paul Warfield gets 10 catches for 104 yards and a TD and Willie Lanier had 13 tackles and 3 assists, but on the whole, our defense took a nap today. Miami 31 San Diego 21 It's not overstating the case to say that every win is critical right now, especially since the rest of the division started off as hot as we did cold. Paul Warfield continues his torrid play with 5 catches for 106 yards and a TD and Jim Duncan averaged 42.5 yards a kick return, but the real master of the game was Aaron Brown with 4 tackles, 3 sacks and a knockdown. Paul Warfield strained his calf muscle and will miss our next game. On top of it, Jack Clancy has a hamstring injury which makes him iffy, so out of sheer desperation, I start Otto Stowe, in hopes that he'll find the magic he's had for me in other dynasties. Denver 3 Miami 17 Roy Jefferson does his best to remind people that he's a good receiver too, with 5 catches for 81 yards and 2 TDs, but it's L.C. Greenwood who takes over and follows Aaron Brown's suit from last game, with 6 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 hurries to really save our bacon. Thankfully a bye week intervenes, allowing Paul Warfield to get fully healed up. Miami 24 Kansas City 17 Ken Stabler finally takes over a game again, with 17-28 for 229 yards and 3 TDs in this fantastic come from behind victory. Maybe it's possible for us to right the ship after all. *knocks on wood* Oakland 6 Miami 33 It's Ken Stabler again, this time 20-30 for 246 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. Roy Jefferson continues his quest to be the best, with 8 catches for 139 yards and a TD. We also picked up 3 interceptions on the day as we destroy the Raiders, who are playing pretty well this year, this game aside. With the victory we've propelled ourselves to 6-2, a game behind the 7-1 Patriots, who are riding a solid all-around team to a tie with the defending Super Bowl champion Tucson Titans for the league's best record at 7-1. I'd like to point out the Titans' only loss is to us. Code:
The numbers are skewed by my stupid recommend error the first few games, but overall, I'd have to say I'm pretty happy with how the team's performing. Ken Stabler's INT #s are a bit high, but remember 3 of them came in one game. Our pass defense has improved tremendously and I'd like to credit our new corners and shiny new rookie FS for that one. I'm thinking I need to find a new RB, though. Hill's endurance sucks and is only going to get worse... and to think I gave him a fat extension too, doh! Still, we're sitting in good shape right now. Not only are the Patriots still in our sights, but we've got the #1 wildcard spot if the season ended today.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-04-2007, 05:29 AM
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#145 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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For the first time in years, nobody's complaining about PT at the halfway point. Yay!
Miami 3 New England 23 Another 2 interception, 2 fumble day by Ken Stabler, who's starting to get a reputation for streakiness, I think. He killed us today, as did our offensive line, who gave up 6 sacks. Willie Lanier picked up 12 tackles and 3 assists to lead the defense. New Jersey 7 Miami 37 Revenge for our opening week loss and a reminder that though we're now two games behind in the division, we still have the playoffs to fight for. Calvin Hill has his first century mark of the season: 24 rushes for 127 yards and a TD. Good Ken showed up today, 17-29 for 279 yards and 2 TDs, the bulk yardage going to Roy Jefferson, who had 5 catches for 104 yards and a TD. Willie Lanier notched 10 tackles and 2 assists. St. Louis 27 Miami 10 Stop me if you've heard this before. 2 fumbles, 2 interceptions by the 6-times sacked Ken Stabler to have us fall to a 1-9 team. Ugly, ugly stuff. Willie Lanier continues to be a tackle machine with 11 and 4, and L.C. Greenwood records 6 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. We must improve on the offensive line next offseason, that's all there is to it. Pittsburgh 22 Miami 21 Ouch! This loss HURTS! With 2:23 left in the game, the Steelers get a safety and a FG to put themselves in major playoff contention, sending us both to 7-5 records. Despite 22-30 for 296 yards, Ken Stabler again tosses 2 picks and fumbles twice, (3 sacks) and I'm beginning to think we're going to find a new coaching staff next year. Miami 24 Los Angeles 10 A critical win, keyed by Ken Stabler's 18-25 for 316 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT performance, Paul Warfield's 6 catches for 105 yards and a TD and a fine game from our defense, including Willie Lanier with 9 tackles, 2 assists and a sack, and Gary Pettigrew and Wes Grant each with 3 tackles and 2 sacks. Miami 32 Buffalo 24 We slam the door on the Bills behind, of all things, the following: Warren Rabb with 331 yards and 4 TDs after Ken Stabler's migraines kept him out of the game. Calvin Hill had a monster yardage game as well, with 93 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards, and a receiving TD to boot. L.C. Greenwood also had an incredible game, with 5 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 hurries, and 2 knockdowns. Talk about rising to the occasion! Seattle 10 Miami 34 Paul Warfield catches 7 passes for 114 yards and Calvin Hill runs for 92 yards and 2 TDs as we demolish the Seahawks. Our defense was headed up by Willie Lanier's 10 tackles, 2 assists and half sack and Aaron Brown's following L.C. Greenwood's play last game with 4 tackles, 3 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. You see now why I re-signed both Brown and Greenwood? They feed perfectly off of each other. We've appeared to guarantee ourselves a playoff spot with the victory, which puts us at 10-5, a good thing because we face the Patriots in our final game of the regular season. New England 16 Miami 27 And we send an emphatic message by roundly beating the Patriots! Goldie Sellers showed why I was so enthusiastic about his signing as he gets 3 interceptions by himself. Terrific second-year SS Glen Edwards gets 2 interceptions of his own, as we absolutely feast on Harold Stephens. We're back in the playoffs, but the road is tough as we have a lot of niggling little injuries and we don't get the advantage of a bye week this season. But who knows? Maybe miracles can happen.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-04-2007, 04:24 PM
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#146 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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We win a first-round playoff date with the Denver Broncos, who have an absolutely brilliant QB in 11th year man Roman Gabriel and a trio of good receivers in TE Charlie Sanders, FL Otis Taylor and SE Harold Jackson.
Their offensive line is thankfully low on chemistry, with two rookies and a second year player, and they gave up a lot of sacks this season. The Broncos also have no depth to speak of at WR. Terry Swanson is a terrific punter, but K Gene Mingo underachieves terribly. LDT Paul Smith anchors a solid, young defensive line, but the linebacking corps is merely adequate. LCB Ed Sharockman is a fine cornerback, but the rest of the secondary is suspect, particularly a pair of very atrocious safeties. This game, in my opinion, is going to come down to whose aerial assault is the best. I like our seconday a hell of a lot better than Denver's, and even with our injuries, I'll take our receiving corps over the Broncos'. Vegas has us favored by 3. Oh what a thriller! Down 22-13 with two minutes left in the game and it looks like goodbye, Miami, but then Ken Stabler connects with Paul Warfield for a 5 yard TD and our defense comes up with a big stop on the ensuing drive. Our offense then marches down the field and with 12 seconds left on the clock, Tim Webster hits the game-winning 43 yard FG! Ken Stabler was 28-52 for 383 yards and a TD, but he also threw 3 picks to put us in serious danger of losing the game. Paul Warfield won Player of the Game with 8 catches for 127 yards and that critical late TD. Tim Webster hit 3/3 of FGs, including that game-winner and a 49 yarder. What a great pick he turned out to be! Finally, Rodger Bird averaged 16.3 yards a punt return. FS Dave Plump hyperextends his elbow and is gone for the next round, necessitating the signing of S Doug Hart, a Week 17 cut by the Dallas Cowboys, to step in and play backup FS for the divisional game. We also have some other injuries still plaguing us, but the guys will just have to play through them as everything's do or die right now.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-05-2007, 06:28 AM
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#147 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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We get another tough draw for the divisional round, the Patriots in Foxboro. Yeah, the Dolphins winter curse looms large.
New England's offense honestly isn't that good and only has achieved the sort of production it has because of their fantastic line, spearheaded by C Jim Otto. This talented unit was a big reason for rookie RB Tom Sullivan having a great first year with 1,104 yards and 7 TDs rushing in the regular season. FB MacArthur Lane is also a critical component of the blocking needed to engineer Sullivan. DEs Coy Bacon, Dennis Byrd and ageless NT Bob Lilly form the scariest front 3 of a 3-4 in the entire NFL. Their linebacking corps is pretty pedestrian however, save for SLB Paul Naumoff, who gives opposing offenses nightmares. RCB Miller Farr and SS Charlie West head up a pretty good secondary, though FS Warren Powers is ancient and a weak link that can be exposed. Unlike the game against Denver, which looked like offense, the test here will be defense vs. defense and that matchup overwhemingly favors the Patriots. Vegas agrees, having New England favored by 3. And what a defensive matchup it was! The two units bottlenecked one another's offenses all day long, but in the end, the good guys prevailed, with a 21 yard pass from Ken Stabler to Paul Warfield the deciding score. We were so effective at blocking the Patriots that their only points came on a 16 yard interception return by LCB Mike Howell. Both of our own new starting CBs continue their fine play, each one picking off Harold Stephens to kill Patriots drives. Paul Maguire pinned 6 of his punts inside New England's 20 yard line to keep them backed up against the wall. To give you an example of how close this game was, the Player of the Game went to Patriots SLB Paul Naumoff, who had 5 tackles, 3 assists, 2.5 sacks and 2 hurries. But in the end, it's the scoreboard that counts and the scoreboard says... We're back in the AFC Championship game! Miami 10 New England 7
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-05-2007, 04:02 PM
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#148 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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As it turns out, we've got a rematch with the defending Super Bowl champion Tucson Titans in the AFC title game.
How does this year's unit stack up against last year's? Well, they've a new QB, Bill Munson, who's average, and horrible new starting WRs. But they also have a new FB, Cid Edwards, who's a brilliant blocker and they still boast RB John Fuqua, who ran for 1,620 yards and 13 TDs in the regular season. The Titans also have a nasty set of lines. Their offensive line is still really good and their defensive line is just sick, with DE Lyle Alzado, Cedrick Hardeman and DT Don Davis all exceptional pass-rushers. Remember, Alzado and Davis gave us fits last year in the AFC Championship game. Tucson's linebacking corps is definitely showing their age this season, but CB Willie Brown is as deadly as ever and his new partner, CB Earsell Mackbee, was a fantastic free agent acquistion. The safeties are fortunately still weak, with rookie SS Jack Mildren promising, but raw. Like the Patriots game, this is going to come down to a battle of defenses and I hate to say it, but the Titans look like they have the advantage on us again. The bookies are calling this game Even Odds, the first time that's happened in Dolphins postseason history. But then, along the way, Ken Stabler got mad. Mad at all the press calling him erratic, furious at some fans who are questioning if maybe we shouldn't trade him and start over again, sick of opponents calling him Interception Ken. And Ken Stabler plays well mad. To the tune of 17-26 for 290 yards, 2 TDs and an INT on his way to Player of the Game honors. He took full advantage of his receiving targets, distributing passes out quite evenly. On the defensive side, L.C. Greenwood harrassed Bill Munson all game long. Although Greenwood didn't get a sack, his 3 hurries and 4 knockdowns show just how often he was in that Titans backfield. In short, it was a blowout. Miami 31 Tucson 10 WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Last edited by Izulde : 11-05-2007 at 04:03 PM. Reason: Had wrong score in for Tucson |
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11-09-2007, 05:57 PM
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#149 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl XIII Preview
Miami Dolphins vs. Atlanta Falcons Quarterback The Dolphins feature Ken Stabler as their starting QB, who's thrown for over 3,000 yards and more than 20 TDs the last three seasons. Although he's been sharply criticized for his increased interceptions this season, particularly in the postseason, the fact remains that he's the one of the top QBs in the game in just his 5th season. This despite the pressures of being a #1 overall pick and having to replace the legendary Johnny Unitas, who's as revered in South Florida as he is in Indiana. This is Stabler's first Super Bowl and he's hungry to prove his critics wrong. Atlanta counters with 13th year vet Norman McNeil, who carried the Tucson Titans to their first ever Super Bowl title last season with some dazzling postseason heroics. McNeil has again displayed incredible grit and phenomenal leadership in helping guide this Falcons franchise to its first ever Super Bowl game and he's got the moxie and the experience to pull off the victory here, in spite of not having Stabler's talent. Advantage: Slight edge Dolphins Running Backs Miami has a two-back attack in Calvin Hill and Charlie Pittman. Hill is a two-threat back, able to both run the ball and be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield. He's rushed for over 1,000 yards each of his last three seasons and is a critical component of the Dolphins' passing game. Pittman is one of the best reserve RBs in the game, able to spell Hill effectively enough to run for around 700 yards each of the past two years. Larry Csonka is bar none, the best FB in the NFL today. There's no two back system for the Falcons, which relies solely on the incredible Mercury Morris, a 4th year back who's never run for less than 1,100 yards in a season. This year, he's been practically the whole offense for Atlanta, with 398 rushes, the 6th highest total in league history. In those attempts, he's amassed 1,746 yards and 19 TDs, good for 6th highest season total and 4th highest season total respectively in the history of the NFL. Those are MVP numbers! Joe Burgess is only a body at FB, making Morris's accomplishments all the more impressive. Advantage: Falcons Wide Receivers In Paul Warfield, a 4-time 1st Team All-Pro, and Roy Jefferson, the Dolphins have two of the most talented starting receivers in the league. Jefferson struggled his first few seasons in Miami, but had his best year in the aqua and orange during the regular season, finally breaking the 1,000 yard receiving mark with more TDs (8) than drops (3). Warfield is slowing down with age, but he's still a force to be reckoned with. TE Tom Mitchell, Miami's 1966 3rd round pick, returned to the Dolphins this year after stints in Minnesota and Seattle and is an adequate athlete. Reserve WR Gary Ballman, a careerlong Dolphin, continues to be a significant presence and Jack Clancy, an emergency pickup after Dick Gordon went down with a season-ending injury, surprised by far exceeding expectations. Ben Hawkins and Gary Garrison, in counterpoint, have talent, but neither one has ever been able to put it together, despite the high 1st round picks spent on them. TE Ted Kwalick is a superb blocker who should be used more in the passing game than he is. Bubba Thornton is the lone Falcons backup wideout who's more than a warm body. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line When starting C John Schmitt was lost for the year in preseason, Miami counted itself very fortunate to have re-signed Frank Marchlewski, the league's best backup center and the team's offensive line leader. With Marchlewski in, the Dolphins' line needed little time to gel together. Mo Moorman and Gene Upshaw are the best pair of starting guards in the NFL. Far less impressive are tackles Bob Vogel and Joe Taffoni, who combined to give up 24 sacks in the regular season. Undrafted rookie free agent C Eugene Kinard shocked everyone by not only making the team, but winning the starting job in preseason. He then stunned watchers further by putting together a surprisingly adequate season. Kinard was one of two rookie starters on the line, the other 4th round pick Ralph Miller at RG. Much of the success of the young line can be attributed to superlative LT Glen Ray Hines, who held mandatory meetings after practice to meet with his linemates and mentor them. RT Tony Liscio is a good run-blocker, but suffers in pass protection. Advantage: Dolphins Defensive Line L.C. Greenwood is a sack maestro, with at least 11 sacks in each of the past three seasons. He credits a lot of his results to fellow DE Aaron Brown, who also has double-digit sacks each of the last three years, all of them with the Dolphins. Between the two, Miami has arguably the most feared pair of ends in the league. DT is ugly in comparison, as Gary Pettigrew and Ron East are little more than filler. 3rd year DE Dennis Wirgowski is slowly putting it together, but he's not quite there yet. 2nd year DE Mike Walker is a body. Bill Nelson is an average DT and 2nd year DT Mike Lewis has the type of talent that should make him one of the best in the league at the position, but he hasn't achieved the mental ability yet, for he's worse than Nelson in terms of performance. Advantage: Dolphins Linebackers Miami's linebacking corps rests almost entirely on incredible MLB Willie Lanier, although WLB George Webster is a tackle machine. SLB Mike Stratton scares no one and neither do the Dolphins' reserve backers. The Falcons have a good MLB in Jimmy Carter and one of the league's brightest young linebackers in rookie SLB Stan White, who suffered a hamstring injury that limited him to 6 starts, but who played well in that time and who's been a major, major reason why Atlanta's in the Super Bowl, tackling people at will in the postseason. WLB Dick Blanchard is better-suited to the strong side and has looked extremely uncomfortable playing weakside. Advantage: Falcons Secondary The Dolphins made it a mission to overhaul their secondary last offseason and they did, bringing in Randy Beverly and Goldie Sellers as new starters at cornerback. Both played brilliantly in the preseason, but Beverly's looked lost in the playoffs. Sellers, on the other hand, not only set a franchise record with 7 interceptions in the regular season, but has continued his torrid play in the postseason, making him a free agency steal. Miami also completed its quest to find the next Ross Fichtner and Don Fleming by adding Chuck Crist in the 1st round of the draft to team up with already accomplished second year SS Glen Edwards. Crist and Edwards both had sterling regular seasons and look to have Miami set with the best pair of safeties in the league for years to come. Atlanta lost its best CB in Week 15 when Ken Reaves went down with a torn knee ligament, but Pat Fischer has played adequately in his stead. The other corner, 2nd year CB Rich Sowells, has turned this playoffs into his coming out party, with an incredible 90.4% pass defense after not even breaking 80% his first two regular seasons. SS Kenny Graham is a beast, a four-time All-Pro who's the leader of the secondary both on and off the field. FS Terry Brown is average. Advantage: Dolphins Special Teams Paul Maguire may be a 13th year vet, but he's a three-time All-Pro punter, including a 2nd Team nod last season and he's shown no signs of slowing down this year. K Tim Webster was brilliant as a rookie, but struggled this season with more opportunities. That said, he's quite dependable at the longer distances. The Falcons have two rookies at their kicking spots. P Dave Green is league average, while 3rd round pick K Toni Linhart has a boomer leg and an accurate one, as he was 8/12 from 50+ range. Advantage: Draw Synopsis Atlanta's only hope in this game is to force it into one of long drives that eat up a lot of time on the clock and allow the Falcons to continue ramming Mercury Morris down the weak middle of the Dolphins' defensive line. Unfortunately, the Falcons don't have the pass-rushers needed to get to Ken Stabler and throw him off-stride, even given Miami's problems at tackle and ultimately, the simple fact of the matter is that the Dolphins just have far too much talent for Atlanta to be able to cope with. Look for a banner day from Paul Warfield as he uses his vast talent advantage to abuse the overachieving Pat Fischer and Ken Stabler uses the time the Dolphins' line will give him to throw to Warfield. Miami's aerial firepower will be too fast and too furious for the Falcons to counter with the points they need. Prediction: Miami by 9
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-10-2007, 05:20 AM
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#150 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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We get the opening kickoff and after the touchback, Ken Stabler goes to work, going an incredible 6-6 on the first drive, most of them to Paul Warfield. Calvin Hill gets in a few decent runs as well, but it's a 2 yard pass from Ken Stabler to Gary Ballman that gives us the TD and first strike of the game!
Miami 7 Atlanta 0 - 9:41 1st Quarter On Atlanta's very first play, a 14 yard QB sweep by Norman McNeil, he's belted hard by Aaron Brown and George Webster, so hard that he fumbles the ball and Gary Pettigrew recovers, putting us on Atlanta's 41 yard line. We nearly have a heart attack when Jack Clancy fumbles the ball on a 9 yard reception following a 6 yard run by Charlie Pittman, but Ken Stabler recovers to keep us deep in Falcons' territory. It's then that Ken Stabler has his first incompletions of the game, three straight, with a blocked pass, a pass defended, and a drop by Jack Clancy, so we have to settle for the 43 yard FG by Tim Webster. Miami 10 Atlanta 0 - 7:03 1st Quarter An costly unsportsmanlike conduct nullifies a promising start to the Falcons' next drive and after the 3 and out, Rodger Bird returns the punt to our own 47 yard line. Despite a brilliant 39 yard reception by Calvin Hill that was all Hill after the screen pass at the line of scrimmage, we fail to turn it into points after Tim Webster shanks a 32 yarder, much to the whole stadium's disbelief. Our defense continues to dominate, a George Webster sack of Norman McNeil forcing another 3 and out, but Rodger Bird fumbles the punt return and Lewis Jolley gets the ball to give the Falcons some small hope as the first quarter draws to a close. End 1st Quarter: Miami 10 Atlanta 0 But Royce Womble has his boys trained up too well and so another 3 and out ensues, highlighted by a Dan Croft sack. We get hammered with ugly penalties on the next drive that force us to punt, despite some fantastic passes by Ken Stabler, some of which got called back. Norman McNeil starts putting together a small drive for the Falcons, but it turns into another 3 and out after Ben Hawkins drops an easy pass. From there, it's a trade of 3 and outs, until Ken Stabler throws a horrible interception to Falcons S Kenny Graham, who returns it all the way back to our 27 yard line. This time, we can't stop Atlanta and Mercury Morris celebrates after squirting in a 3 yard TD run. And that margin ends up as the halftime score. Halftime: Miami 10 Atlanta 7 The third quarter is a continous exchange of 3 and outs until Lewis Jolley rips off a 35 yard run around the left side that has the Falcons on the Dolphins 35 and I'm wanting to tear my hair out here. We should be dominating, but we just can't do it. Luckily, we stiffen up and Toni Linhart misses the 44 yarder, the rookie no doubt feeling the Super Bowl pressure. Another 3 and out follows, but Paul Maguire pins the Atlanta inside their own 20 and a Glen Edwards sack serves as a prelude to a 10 yard run by Lewis Jolley that's nullified by a brutal hit from George Webster and Willie Lanier that causes a fumble. Richmond Flowers comes up with it and races downfield, the TD only prevented by a shoestring tackle from Frank Johnson on the Falcons' 3 yard line. But a 3 yard pass from Ken Stabler to Charlie Pittman for the TD takes care of that and we finally have some breathing room! Miami 17 Atlanta 7 - 2:17 3rd quarter On the second play of the Falcons' next drive, Norman McNeil throws a beautiful 33 yard pass to Barry Pearson, but Glen Edwards lowers the boom to force the fumble and George Webster, a consistent presence in fumbles this Super Bowl, recovers on our 47 yard line. But Atlanta gets the ball right back after John Gordon and Bill Nelson ring Calvin Hill's bell, Nelson recovering the fumble and getting back down to just inside our territory before Larry Csonka takes him down. End 3rd Quarter: Miami 17 Atlanta 7 It's then that Norman McNeil starts showing his veteran savvy and how he managed to carry the Titans to the Super Bowl last season, with textbook passes that take advantage of the men left open against our double coverage scheme. Unfortunately, a holding penalty denies Atlanta the TD and so they have to settle for Toni Linhart's 33 yard FG. Miami 17 Atlanta 10 - 11:33 4th Quarter We're nowhere near safe yet, particularly not when the defense recognizes our pass play on 3rd down, forcing a 3 and out. Norman McNeil continues making throws into the holes left on our defense, but then L.C. Greenwood disrupts his rhythm by forcing him into a bad throw and Toni Linhart absolutely shanks the ensuing 46 yarder. But it turns out not to matter as a false start penalty and Ken Stabler's 2nd interception of the game has the Falcons back on our 42 yard line. Rookie Stan White came up with the critical pick. Then it's Norman McNeil passing for 10 yards to Mercury Morris, Norman McNeil scrambling for 13 yards and Mercury Morris finally breaking past the chains of our defense for 19 yards, the TD, and the tied game. Miami 17 Atlanta 17 - 5:27 4th Quarter Atlanta's fans are going crazy in the stands and the broadcasters are talking about what a thrilling finish this is turning out to be and it continues when Jim Duncan looks like a homerun threat as he returns the kickoff 33 yards, followed by Ken Stabler making two crisp passes to put us in field goal range. But then the Falcons' defense stiffens up and we get hit by two penalties, forcing Tim Webster into the most critical FG try of his young career, a 49 yarder, no less. But the Wonder nails it and we've regained the lead! Miami 20 Atlanta 17 - 3:04 4th Quarter There's still time left on the clock, though and Norman McNeil's been able to handle the pressure situations before. Can he do it again? Willie Lanier and L.C. Greenwood turn the answer to that question into a temporary no, sacking Norman McNeil on the opening play of the drive to cause the 3 and out. Glen Edwards contributed with a clutch pass defense on third down to deny the surefire first down. With the ball back on our own 46 yard line, we run off 3 runs that don't go anywhere and Paul Maguire booms a punt into the endzone for a touchback. 1:24 left in the game. Falcons ball on their own 20 yard line. One last chance for an Atlanta miracle. Norman McNeil throws a rainbow, a Hail Mary that looks destined to land in Bubba Thornton's hands. The field before Thornton is clear for the TD... But then Goldie Sellers races over and leaps up to pick off the pass!!!! Amazing!!! The new single-season Dolphins' record holder in interceptions has done it!!! He's won the game!!!! And indeed, he has, for we do a run and a knee, and that's all over. Final Score: Miami 20 Atlanta 17 The whole team douses Head Coach Dave Hanner in Gatorade and the celebration is beautiful to watch. I'm feeling gleeful too, because unlike our last two Super Bowl wins, when I got lucky with Johnny Unitas coming open in free agency, this team was a hell of a lot harder to put together. Ken Stabler is the Super Bowl MVP with his 21-39, 251 yard, 2 TD, 2 INT, 2 fumble recovery performance. I'd have chosen Willie Lanier who had 12 tackles, 4 assists, and a critical half-sack, but in a way, it's only fitting that Stabler wins the award. This represents not only finally bringing a Super Bowl championship to a non-Unitas Dolphins team, but it answers all the critics who said he's too turnover-prone to be an elite QB. While he did throw two interceptions, I don't blame it on Stabler. I put it up to OC Edwin Buckley, who may be looking for another job this offseason. But let's just enjoy this Super Bowl win for now. It's not only a vindication for Ken, but for Dave Hanner as well, who had to follow the ultra-popular Tyrus Treftz. He'll be a serious candidate for his second straight Coach of the Year award. Royce Womble gets some glory, too, because this victory wouldn't have happened without his becoming, through the years on our staff, the best DC in the game. And finally, it's a sweet victory for me as a GM. I had to rebuild this team after Johnny Unitas started declining and eventually left back to the Colts and sure, I got lucky when the Vikings' 1st round pick I traded one of my own 1st rounders for turned out to be the #1 pick that became Ken Stabler, but this Dolphins team not only featured a lot of great late 1st round picks I made, but was deep enough to overcome losses to Dick Gordon, our #3 WR, John Schmitt, our starting C and Hagood Clarke, a player good enough to be our starting FS at the beginning of the year. Here's a look at the starters and where I got them, just like I did the previous Super Bowl champions: Offensive Starters QB Ken Stabler - 1st round (1.1) 1968 Draft RB Calvin Hill - 1st round (1.26) 1969 Draft FB Larry Csonka - 2nd round (2.32) 1968 Draft TE Tom Mitchell - 3rd round (3.30) 1966 Draft - FA Signing 1972 FL Paul Warfield - 1st round (2.22) 1964 Draft SE Roy Jefferson - FA Signing 1970 LT Bob Vogel - FA Signing 1970 LG Mo Moorman - 1st round (1.32) 1968 Draft C Frank Marchlewski - FA Signing 1969 RG Gene Upshaw - 1st round (1.29) 1967 Draft RT Joe Taffoni - FA Signing 1971 K Tim Webster - 5th round (5.25) 1971 Draft Defensive Starters LDE L.C. Greenwood - 2nd round (2.25) 1969 Draft LDT Garry Pettigrew - FA Signing 1972 RDT Ron East - FA Signing 1972 RDE Aaron Brown - FA Signing 1970 SLB Mike Stratton - FA Signing 1972 MLB Willie Lanier - FA Signing 1971 WLB George Webster - FA Signing 1972 LCB Randy Beverly - FA Signing 1972 RCB Goldie Sellers - FA Signing 1972 SS Glen Edwards - 1st round (1.25) 1971 Draft FS Chuck Crist - 1st round (1.28) 1972 Draft P Paul Maguire - FA Signing 1968
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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