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01-05-2008, 11:37 PM
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#201 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl XVII Preview
Miami Dolphins Out QB Steve Ramsey DT Dave Roller SS Glen Edwards New York Giants Out CB Larry Carwell Quarterbacks What a hectic season it's been in Miami, where no less than four QBs have seen gametime snaps. Steve Ramsey, the former Giants' starting QB, was off to a sensational start before shattering his ankle in Week 7, thus ending his season. Rookie Scott Bull had 2 starts, but was pulled in favor of Manch Wheeler following a 4 interception performance against the Tucson Titans. Wheeler then went on to stun the league by showing something left in the tank, leading the Dolphins to the AFC East title and the AFC Championship game before a well-publicized mental breakdown in his hotel room following the Divisional Round victory over over the defending Super Bowl champion Houston Oilers. This meant second-year man Don Milan got the nod, who went on to win Player of the Game in the AFC Championship game and improve his career record to an amazing 3-0. Wheeler has recovered from his anxiety attack, however, and will get the start in the Super Bowl. He has a huge chip on his shoulder and the 15th year vet is determined to win a Super Bowl ring. No such drama existed in New York, where the Giants had 9th year veteran Greg Landry at the helm all season long. He compiled 3,109 yards and 19 TDs vs 6 INTs while completing over 60% of his passes. Surprisingly, this is only Landry's second season as a full-time starter, the other in 1973 with the New Jersey Jets. He won't ever be a yardage king, but he's accurate and manages the game well. Advantage: Giants Running Backs Once upon a time, the Miami Dolphins had a two-time defending MVP QB in Ken Stabler. That was before they shipped Stabler and 3 1st round picks to the New Orleans Saints for the #1 pick in the 1975 draft. That pick was Walter Payton, who has established himself as a dominant, franchise RB in his first two years in the league, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1975 with 1,562 yards and 9 TDs. Though his numbers were slightly down this season at 1,468 yards and 7 TDs, he cut his fumbles in half, from 8 to 4 and has been an absolute monster in the postseason. #2 back Otis Armstrong is good enough to be a starter on a lot of teams and the tandem give opposing defenses a headache. Herb Mul-key is a special teams ace. FB Larry Csonka is still among the league's best. Charlie Smith has only broken 1,000 yards once in his 9 years in the league and he fumbled 14 times in the regular season. He's fumbled twice this postseason as well and his inability to hang on to the football will be a worry for the Giants. Doug Dressler or rookie Bubba Bean would actually likely be better starters, but the Giants coaching staff swears by Smith for now. John Keyworth is the equal of Csonka. Advantage: Dolphins Wide Receivers A major reason why Miami has continued to play well despite the QB carousel is their wide receiving corps, the single-best group in the NFL. Dolphins GM Tim Moungey is known to prize WRs and it shows: 3rd year Lynn Swann and rookie Steve Largent are an exciting, talented pair of starters who should have the Dolphins set for years to come and 6th year man Frank Lewis is a fantastic 3rd receiver. Things don't get any easier for opposing defenses in four WR sets, as 13 year vet and career-long Dolphin Paul Warfield, a 5-time All-Pro is waiting for them. TE is much less stellar, where J.V. Cain is the starter over the much-more deserving Mack Alston. The Giants are young at starting WR as well in second year men Willie Miller and Alfred Jenkins. Much like with [b]Charlie Frazier[b] and Gary Ballman from the same Dolphins draft, however, the later-round player is the superior one, as the 3rd rounder Jenkins has over 1,000 yards receiving in his first two seasons, whereas 1st round Miller has just 500. 3rd WR John Gilliam is league average. TE Raymond Chester is sorely underutilized in the passing game and has absolutely no blocking talent. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line Miami boasts a strong interior line in C Tom Banks and long-time Dolphins starting guards Mo Moorman and Gene Upshaw. Tackle is an Achilles heel, however, with Levery Carr a notorious revolving door on the left side and Ron Mikolajcyzk finally reaching league average in his fourth season. Backup C Rich Coady is a top-shelf long-snapper, reserve long-time Dolphins guard Howard Fest is adequate, and Dick Cunningham plays above his greybeard years as the backup tackle. The Giants are the exact same as Miami, with a strong inside in C Tom De Leone and guards Pat Matson and Steve Lawson. The problem is that Lawson is no Upshaw. LT John Williams is almost as bad as Carr, but RT Doug France plays exceptionally well, particularly for a second year former late 3rd round pick. Bryce Darrow and Bill Ellenbogen are superior to their Dolphins counterparts. Advantage: Draw Defensive Line Losing Dave Roller for the season really hurts, as it required the Dolphins to sign DT Vern Vanoy, who hasn't played since being cut by the 49ers after the preseason, as an emergency backup. That said, this is still a respectable line, with L.C. Greenwood having a career season in tackles and sacks at 49 and 14.5, continuing a streak of 7 straight 10+ sack seasons. He's one of the best DEs in the game. The other end, Julius Adams, is a run-stopper and not much on the pass rush, though Bob Maddox, whom Miami GM Tim Moungey calls "Our best 3rd round pick since Gary Ballman" is coming off a banner regular season himself. Randy Crowder, who will start in place of Roller, has shown nothing. Aging Aaron Brown, Greenwood's best friend on the team and opposite end-mate got 3.5 sacks out of his old legs as the backup DE this season. Billy Stanfill is a DE who's even more superior than Greenwood and has the 3 All-Pro awards to prove it. Fellow DE Steve Baumgartner had 10.5 sacks in his first season as a full-time starter, after 3 seasons as a backup with the Packers. LDT Bob Heinz had 10 sacks himself and RDT Ernie Holmes is equally adept at the pass-rush and the run defense. The G-men's reserve players, both at end and tackle, are better than the Dolphins as well. Advantage: Giants Linebackers MLB Willie Lanier has lost a step or two, but the 10th year veteran is still the literal and figurative heart of the Dolphins defense, and has posted at least 111 tackles all 7 years he's worn the aqua and orange. While he isn't likely to add any of his 3 All-Pro awards, all earned in Miami, he's still a fearsome competitor. SLB Rod Shoate continued his steady improvement in his second year, but WLB Clyde Warner is replacement-level and the backup situation awful. MLB Ed Bradley is okay, but no Lanier and WLB Charlie Weaver is, like the other CW, essentially a waste of space. SLB Isiah Robertson broke 100 tackles this season though and is a steady, consistent threat in the pass-rush, the only 'backer on either team to be so in fact. The Giants boast a much stronger backup corps than the Dolphins, with some even going so far as to argue that reserve MLB Sam Hunt should be the starter over Bradley. Advantage: Giants Secondary Willie Alexander has not been the playmaker the Dolphins were hoping to get when they lavished him with a 5 year, $2.3 million dollar contract two seasons ago and his pass defense looked alarming during the regular season, the 0 INTs particularly troubling. He's re-discovered his pass defense skills in the playoffs however, and has an interception. Fellow CB Rolland Lawrence is just the opposite, a 1975 All-Pro CB who's played fantastically for the Dolphins each of his four seasons, but he's been repeatedly picked on this postseason. Nickelback Walt Sumner has also been a target during the playoffs. Losing starting SS Glen Edwards for the Super Bowl is really going to hurt Miami, for his replacement Tony Greene, was brilliant in the regular season, with 5 interceptions and an 82.5% pass defense in just 8 starts, but he's been terrible in the postseason, with a ghastly 73.5% pass defense and no interceptions. FS Chuck Crist is one of the most criminally underrated free safeties in the game. He gets his turnovers, plays terrific pass defense and shows occasional pass-rush skills, but he gets snubbed every year in All-Pro voting. Backup Gus Holloman is a zero, however. Charlie Ford has been sensational in the playoffs after replacing Larry Carwell on one corner spot. Alvin Wyatt's been effective as well, though not superlative. There's no talent to speak of in the nickel package, however. SS Ray Brown is a very, very good player and Ken Stone is a hard worker with a tremendous nasty streak that helps him overachieve relative to his talent. Backup S rookie Ernie Jones is still raw, though, and has been a weak point during the playoffs. Advantage: Giants Overall Opinion: This is going to be a very, very close game, one of the closest Super Bowls we've ever witnessed. It's going to come down to the following keys: Keys for the Dolphins: 1. Mix up the play-calling on offense. While it'd be natural to rely on gamebreaker Walter Payton, calling his number too many times against this Giants D will result in a long, long day. 2. Dare New York to beat you on the ground. The Giants have a gaping turnover-infested hole at RB, so by going heavy on the pass-coverage, Miami can force New York to go on long drives that lean too heavily on Charlie Smith. 3. Give Manch Wheeler time to throw. When Wheeler isn't rushed, he can be pretty effective if you give him time in the pocket. Apply pressure on him, though, and he'll hurry throws, leading to turnovers. Keys for the Giants 1. Get pressure on Wheeler Miami's weak on the tackle spots and New York can use their superiority on the defensive line to absolutely manhandle the Dolphins o-line and harass Wheeler all day long. 2. Take advantage of the weak spots in the Dolphins' secondary Glen Edwards is out and a lot of Miami's defensive backfield has been playing poorly this postseason. By going to the air often, with multiple receiver sets, holes can be found and exploited for the points the Giants need. 3. Keep a body on Walter Payton at all times He's proven to be just as dangerous a receiver as he has a runner, so penetration is going to be key to both pressuring Wheeler and stopping Payton. Even then, one or two hits may not be enough to bring him down, so someone is going to have focus solely on Payton ever single play. He's that much of a gamechanger. Final Opinion The Giants' defense is just too good for Miami's offense to beat. New York will be in Manch Wheeler's face all day and the resulting turnovers will put the G-men in position to win. Not even Walter Payton can save the Dolphins. Giants by 2
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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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01-06-2008, 02:58 PM
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#202 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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The Giants win the toss and elect to receive. It's a touchback and New York starts going on a long, time-consuming drive of dinky runs and passes, but it ends on the Giants 47 when Gus Holloman picks off a Greg Landry pass, setting us up in beautiful position.
Sadly, we do nothing and it's a 3 and out, but Neil Clabo rescues us somewhat by pinning New York at their own 5 yard line. Greg Landry starts making some longer passes and things are starting to look a little scary. Then, on a 1st and 10 from the Giants 29, Landry uncorks a long bomb to the Miami 34... where it's intercepted by Rolland Lawrence! That's two drives, two interceptions, as our pass defense has suddenly come alive in this Super Bowl. We keep going to Walter Payton, but he can't do all that much, and Manch Wheeler keeps throwing into double coverage. So it's another Neil Clabo punt that nails the Giants to their own 4 yard line. I start getting scared when Greg Landry heats up again and Charlie Smith picks up several decent runs to get a drive going, but then a clipping penalty is the drive-killer. Unfortunately, Walter Sumner fumbles on the punt return and the Giants recover on the Miami 42. Three runs later, the 1st quarter ends on an ominous 15-yard run by Charlie Smith that puts them on the Dolphins 25. End 1st Quarter - Miami 0 New York 0 11 seconds later, Charlie Smith follows a Jon Keyworth key run block for a 17 yard TD run. Suddenly things are looking precarious for us, even though we're only down by a TD and it's early in the 2nd. 14:49 2nd Quarter - New York 7 Miami 0 Special teams continues to be a nightmare as we get called for an illegal block on the kickoff return, but then Manch Wheeler completes a 44 yard pass to Lynn Swann and hits Swann for a 17 yard pass later in the drive. Walter Payton acquires some grinding yardage as well, but then we stall and we're forced to settle for a Tim Webster 24 yard FG. 9:39 2nd Quarter - Miami 7 Miami 3 A critical stop on 3rd and 1 prevents another Giants drive from going further and I'm surprised they didn't go for it on 4th and 1, since they were on the 50 yard line, but they punt for the touchback. Walter Payton finally starts getting untracked, but then Manch Wheeler throws an interception and I'm swearing and cursing. Things go from bad to worse as Charlie Smith continues to eat into our defense and the kiss of death arrives when Greg Landry connects with John Gilliam for 32 yards immediately after the two-minute warning. A brief glimmer of hope appears when Charlie Smith finally gets stopped for two negative yardage runs, but then Greg Landry finds Charlie Smith for 4 yards and the TD. 1:05 2nd Quarter New York 14 Miami 3 And that's how the half ends on the scoreboard. Halftime New York 14 Miami 3 Manch Wheeler opens up with a 23 yard pass to Frank Lewis, but on the very next play, he's sacked, fumbles the ball and the Giants recover on the Dolphins 45. Bad Manch is definitely in effect. Two straight sacks, by the combined efforts of Rod Shoate/L.C. Greenwood and Julius Adams, key the damage control and we get the ball back on the 20 yard line following the touchbacking punt. Sadly, it's a 3 and out and we can't stop the Giants from converting a critical 3rd down, the play an 18 yard pass from Greg Landry to Mel Gray. Landry very nearly makes another one 3 downs later, but is a yard short and Wayne Walker blows a 37 yard FG attempt. But of course it's another 3 and out to end the third. End 3rd Quarter - New York 14 Miami 3 The Giants return the favor with a 3 and out and suddenly Manch Wheeler comes alive, completing three straight passes and a few plays later, we're down on the New York 8. The crowd's going crazy and it looks like we're going to make this a game, but then Isiah Robertson sacks Manch Wheeler, who fumbles and New York recovers. Head, meet wall. We trade 3 and outs and it's looking like we've got no chance to come back on this game. The looks like becomes a reality on the next Dolphins drive when we fail to convert on a 4th and 10 on our own 12 yard line. There were a little over 3 minutes left and it was a two-possession game, so we had to go for it. With 2 and a half minutes left, the Giants slam that last nail in the coffin with a FG. 2:32 4th Quarter New York 17 Miami 3 Manch Wheeler completes two straight passes, one for 20 yards and one for 29 to Frank Lewis and Steve Largent respectively, but he gets sacked on the next play and throws three straight incompletions, two of which were blocked. That's the game, as a Giants run and knee end it all. Final - New York 17 Miami 3 DE Billy Stanfill is the deserving Super Bowl MVP with 3 tackles, 2 sacks, a block, 4 hurries, a knockdown and 2 very important fumble recoveries. RB Charlie Smith also slayed us, with 30 rushes for 118 yards and a TD and SLB Isiah Robertson recorded 9 tackles, 2 assists, a sack and a forced fumble. The Dolphins highlights? MLB Willie Lanier with 11 tackles and 7 assists. That's it. We were thoroughly schooled this game. But still, it's hard to feel too depressed about the loss, even though it's the first loss we've had in four Super Bowls. Not only are we the only first team since the Cleveland Browns to appear in four Super Bowls (who are, just as a reminder, 0-4 in the Big Game), but this is a team that I never expected would have a chance at making the Super Bowl once Steve Ramsey went down for the year. Although we don't have a 1st round draft pick this year, it'll be the last season that we're without a 1st rounder and I think we can still make the moves this offseason to come back and contend again. So maybe we'll be back here next year. And maybe then, we'll be hoisting the trophy.
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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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01-08-2008, 12:00 AM
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#203 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
Don't fooled by Manch Wheeler's numbers. They were a fluke. He's in a contract year and he most certainly won't be back in a Dolphins uniform. I guarantee you some ninny GM out there will look at those numbers and decided a 15th year vet QB is worth acquiring. Similiarily, it would be unwise to look at the WR numbers and say our team sucks. Frankly, we're so deep at the position that everyone's going to get their looks as the Targets shows. I'm not real happy about Sweetness getting so many looks, but that's how it goes. Speaking of which,Walter Payton was vastly improved this season and can now legitimately claim Top 3 RB status after cutting his fumbles way down. He's also got something to prove after getting shut down by the Giants in the Super Bowl. Otis Armstrong was a fine #2 RB. We're going to have to find a replacement MLB for Willie Lanier someday, but for now, he just keeps on earning his paycheck. I'm very pleased with Rod Shoate's development on the strong side and couldn't be happier with the aging L.C. Greenwood and the young Bob Maddox. Chuck Crist and Glen Edwards continue to be terrific, but Willie Alexander is one of the biggest free agent busts I've had. Looking ahead to the offseason, my immediate concerns are a mentor QB for Scott Bull, retaining Otis Armstrong as the #2 RB, continuing the quest for a quality T, which we've never had, and hunting for an improvement at WLB. We also need to search for an eventual heir to Willie Lanier and try to upgrade our CB situation. 1976 Dolphins Awards K Tim "Wonder" Webster - 1st Team All-Pro K 39/44 (88.6%) and 11/13 (84.6%) from 40+ range was enough to earn Webster First Team All-Pro honors, a very pleasant surprise for the guy who's held the kicking job longer than anyone else in franchise history. I'll keep re-signing him, because he's become one of my favorite players. RG Gene Upshaw - 2nd Team All-Pro G 34 run blocks, 6 pancake blocks, and 3 sacks earn Upshaw a 2nd Team place, just his second All-Pro showing in a career that's entering its 11th season. That said, any time you can find an All-Pro guy that late in the round, who's a rock on your team for over a decade, that's some high quality work. LDE L.C. Greenwood - 2nd Team All-Pro DE This award's been a long, long time in coming. Consistently one of the top DEs in the league, it's taken 8 years for Greenwood to be recognized with an All-Pro spot. It's going to be tough to lose him when he eventually retires, but for now, he'll stay on as our top DE. I still can't believe I managed to get him at 2.25! Harris Wilcox - Coach of the Year Wilcox becomes the third straight Dolphins head coach to have won a Coach of the Year award and frankly, nobody's more deserving of it than he is. He took a team that had question marks and rampaged them through the league and continued that superlative success even when we had to turn to Scott Bull, Manch Wheeler, and Don Milan. That we got to the Super Bowl is a testament to his brilliance as a coach. He's 62 years old, so he might retire at any time, but what a fun 3 years we've had with him at the helm. Staff Hiring OC Edwin Buckley WR: Good to VG Buckley's the only one whose contract is expired. I'd like to find a new Scout, but all the newbies available suck, so I'll stick with my current one, even though I'm not overly thrilled with him. I'm paranoid of losing a guy who's been improving, so I give him an ultrarich deal, maybe more than he's worth. In any case, Edwin Buckley re-signs for $600,000 a year for 3 years. It's hard to argue with a lot of the development success he's had. QB Scott Bull is the no-brainer pick for the summer league. Free Agency By the Numbers RB, FB, TE, WR, G, T x 3, K, DE, DT x 2, MLB, OLB x 2, CB, S x 2 - 18 new overall Week 1 Re-signings/Extensions SLB Rod Shoate - 5 years, $910k FL Lynn Swann - 3 years, $1.55 mill. SS Glen Edwards - 4 years, $1.29 mill. LDE L.C. Greenwood - 3 years, $1.4 mill. FB Larry Csonka - 2 years, $460k C Tom Banks - 3 years, $740k RG Gene Upshaw - 2 years, $820k MLB Willie Lanier - 2 years, $920k TE J.V. Cain - 1 year, $70k* This wasn't so much about locking down restricted free agents as it was securing the talent on our team both old and young, Shoate and Swann the most important signings. Edwards is getting a little too much money relative to his injury-proneness, but that's the fault of the patch I'm on. Tackle is the #1 priority heading into free agency proper. We have a grand total of 0 on the team. Week 2 Signings QB Greg Landry - 3 years, $770k (New York Giants) -If you can't beat them, join them. This makes the second straight Giants QB I've stolen. Even if Steve Ramsey goes down to injury, I can rely on this higher quality mentor to step into the void. Actually, Landry could possibly unseat Ramsey. It's going to be an interesting battle of ex-Giants starters for the top Dolphins QB job. RB Otis Armstrong - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -I wanted this guy back as my #2 RB and he wanted to come back as well. The perfect match. TE Mack Alston - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -Despite being disgruntled, he's re-signed because I promised him he'll start over J.V. Cain next year. A really clutch performer when we needed him to be and a fantastic run blocker. WR Mac Halik - 1 year, $100k (Kansas City) -Roy Jefferson was available and I was sorely tempted to sign him back as a 5th receiver, but typical for Jefferson, he wanted way too much money. Halik is a cheaper, better option, with a bonus Alston affinity. WLB Charlie Hall - 1 year, $90k (Detroit) -Might not be the answer at WLB, but he's a mentor, for what it's worth and he can't be worse than Clyde Werner was. The probable starter, unless I find someone really, really good in the draft. Week 3 Signings CB Lenny Dunlap - 4 years, $1.43 mill. (St. Louis) -Could replace Willie Alexander at the starting LCB spot, but he might best be served as a nickelback and punt returner. We've been a little short in that area since we stopped re-signing Rodger Bird after all. Either way, a quality signing. Week 4 Signings C Jim Arneson - 1 year, $110k (St. Louis) -Another Cardinal we steal, this one an overachiever who's the perfect fit for the backup C. I almost went for sentimental favorite Frank Marchlewski, but that would've meant mixed affinities and Marchlewski wanted too much anyway. T Dick Cunningham - 2 years, $280k (Re-signing) -Better than Levary Carr at any rate. I'm not thrilled about signing him as a starter, but if I can squeeze a couple more backup years out of him, I'll be fine with that. T Bob McKay - 3 years, $1.03 mill. (New Jersey) -One of our top 3 most important targets of free agency. I really, desperately, wanted to land this guy. Fantastic run-blocker and better pass-blocker than the scouts want to give him credit for. That we stole him from the Jets makes it even sweeter. He'll anchor the right tackle spot for the entire length of his contract. DT Bill Line - 5 years, $2.06 mill. (San Francisco) -Another one of our top 3 targets. Although his pass-rush numbers showed a startling drop last season, I think he'll fit in perfectly on our defensive line and really rebound. I mean he's only in his 6th season, so he should be able to bounce back... unless he takes a Walter Johnson style dive. But for now, he's the perfect complement to Bob Maddox. Week 4 Losses S Tony Greene - 1 year, $80k* (Tucson) -I should've tried harder to re-sign him, especially with Glen Edwards injury-prone state, but I didn't. Oh well. He'll be a starter with the Titans, so good for him. Week 5 Signings TE Bob Brown - 1 year, $100k (Dallas) -Superfluous with the Mack Alston signing, though he does have exceptional affinity with Alston. A probable cut. T Ron Mikolajcyzk - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -The Titans were going to try and steal him and I needed a backup T I could rely on, so Miko comes back for another year. Too bad he's not capable of switching to LT or I'd do it. S Mike Sensibaugh - 1 year, $80k* (St. Louis) -We sure are pilfering a lot of players from the Cardinals this offseason. Sensibaugh steps in as a backup SS and a damned sight better than Gus Holloman. Week 6 Signings G Fred Surt - 1 year, $120k (New Orleans) -Plays much, much, much better than his actual ratings. The only reason I didn't try and sign him to a longer deal was because I want to see how he works out with our line before trying to make this 5th year player the heir apparent to Gene Upshaw. K Tim Webster - 1 year, $90k (Re-signing) -He'll be our kicker until his leg falls off. DE Vern Den Herder - 3 years, $2.53 mill. (Jacksonville) -This is the kind of big-time, big-ticket free agent signing you dream about. This is Willie Lanier. This is Johnny Unitas. This is Vern Den Herder, 1971 Rookie of the Year, two-time Defensive Player of the Year with 5 straight All-Pro appearances in a Dolphins uniform. His numbers are just sick: 10, 15.5, 19, 18.5, 18, 17. 98 sacks in 6 seasons. Can you say we've found L.C. Greenwood's short-term heir and greatest teammate since Aaron Brown? I think so. Week 6 Losses CB Walt Sumner - 1 year, $100k (Pittsburgh) -Just how in the heck Sumner got more than a min-sal deal out of the Steelers, I'll never know. Is he a decent nickelback? Sure. Worth double the cap-hit of a min-sal? No. Expendable after Dunlap's signing. S Randy Logan - 1 year, $80k* (Houston) (Re-signing) -Our very first targeted player that we've whiffed on this offseason and it's not suprising. He's loved in Houston and is the starter, whereas in Miami, he'd be the backup. Week 7 Signings S Chuck Detwiller - 1 year, $100k* (Kansas City) -Good reserve FS to have and a respectable backup plan after Logan spurned us for the Texans. Week 9 Signings DT Dave Roller - 1 year, $90k (Re-signing) -He won't start after we managed to grab Bill Line, but he will be a very capable backup DT and hopefully avoid injury in this reduced role. MLB Ed Bradley - 1 year, $100k (New York) -Another day, another former Giant. While I doubt he'll be able to serve as Will Lanier's heir, he does give us a major, major upgrade at backup MLB and who knows? Maybe he'll eventually be able to replace Lanier if we keep signing him to one year deals, if he pans out. Week 9 Losses G Howard Fest - 1 year, $100k* (Minnesota) -7 years Howard toiled for us as one of the most underrated backup guards in the league, but it was time for him to move on. He'll be a backup with the Vikings as well. I hate to see him go, but the fact of the matter is that we needed to get younger on the offensive line, so he was a casualty of that. WLB Clyde Werner - 1 year, $100k* (Dallas) -Never became the solution on the weak-side that we hoped for when we signed him and it was only for lack of better options that we even brought him back in the first place. Now, with an improvement, it's goodbye and good riddance to Werner. Week 10 Signings RB Herb Mul-key - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -Special teams ace and kick return demon. Better options at punt return should mean he'll be able to conserve his energy for kick returns and special teams. One of many great mid-round finds I've discovered at RB, though to be honest, I think it'd be tough to beat Bill Cooper. That's all the free agent shopping I plan to do, so I'll stop here because I don't feel like doing my draft interviews right now. If I lose anyone else in free agency, which is doubtful, I'll note that before the draft 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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01-08-2008, 12:31 AM
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#204 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT!
I have requests. . . Tony Dorsett (RB) 2nd in my childhood only to Walter Bob Brudzinski (LB) OH...IO Nolan Cromwell (DB) He led an Island in revolt Wesley Walker (WR) He's tall Greg Koch (T) Did great work in politics Pete Johnson (RB) Welcome to the Jungle! Tony Hill (WR) Magic Rob Carpenter (RB) Great for the Giants in strat-o-matic Vince Ferragamo (QB) Just an amusing name as a child. Vince Evans!!! (QB) Wow, just a horrible Bears quarterback, but the first one I knew. Steve deBerg!!! (QB) There needs to be a play action fake stat for him. Rolf Berniske (K) He kicks the ball Wendel Tyler (RB) Fumble! Fumble! World champ! Wilber Montgomery (RB) He's a talking horse. Lester Hayes (CB) Sticky coming up with something here. Last edited by damnMikeBrown : 01-08-2008 at 12:41 AM. Reason: forgot the last 3 (thanks Wikipedia) |
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01-08-2008, 11:18 AM
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#205 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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I can't promise I'll draft any of these guys, particularly not the RBs as I'm quite happy at that position group, but if the opportunity comes up in the later rounds and there's no one else I'm looking at, or if they fit my needs, then I may draft them.  BTW, if you like, I can follow one of these players. I'm willing to do the same for anyone reading this, though I ask that it be limited to one player per reader.
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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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01-08-2008, 01:28 PM
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#206 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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This is one of the most talent-rich drafts in recent memory, particularly at T, where Wade Griffin and Marvin Powell are widely considered the most talent prospects in the draft, and at RB, featuring Tony Dorsett, Wilbert Montgomery, Bruce Harper, Ricky Bell and Wendell Tyler all blue-chip prospects. The one caveat is that Griffin and Powell are right tackles.
As I may have mentioned before, this is our last year without a 1st round pick thanks to the Ken Stabler/#1 pick trade with the Saints. Incidentally, Stabler's gotten worse each of the two years he's been in New Orleans. His numbers last season: 51.4% for 2,429 yards, 8 TDs and 6 INTs in 13 games, a 67.4 QB rating. So the Saints have a trio of late 1st round picks and a declining Stabler to show for what could've been Walter Payton. We got lambasted for the deal when it was made, but right now, it's looking pretty lopsided for us. I could possibly foresee us moving up 2.31 into the top of the second or even the bottom of the first, but that's only if the right player is available for the right price. 1977 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. CB Lester Hayes - Jacksonville Jaguars 2. RB Tony Dorsett - Washington Redskins 3. QB Cliff Stoudt - New England Patriots Shocking pick. There's a lot better QBs available in my opinion and while the Patriots' starter is gone for the year due to repetitive concussion syndrome, they've got a young QB who might be worth developing more in J.J. Jones. 4. QB Vince Evans - Kansas City Chiefs The guy the Pats should've drafted if they wanted to go QB. 5. RB Wilbert Montgomery - Buffalo Bills 6. WR Wesley Walker - New Orleans Saints 7. S Nolan Cromwell - Seattle Seahawks 8. OLB Dave Lewis - New England Patriots 9. CB Mario Clark - Philadelphia Eagles - Re-draft 10. CB Gary Green - San Francisco 49ers 11. G John Ayers - Pittsburgh Steelers 12. RB Wendell Tyler - Los Angeles Rams 13. T Marvin Powell - Denver Broncos 14. S Mark Murphy - Cleveland Browns 15. T Wade Griffin - Atlanta Falcons 16. CB Charles Romes - Chicago Bears 17. RB Bruce Harper - Dallas Cowboys 18. ILB A.J. Duhe - Oakland Raiders 19. TE Jimmie Giles - Indianapolis Colts 20. QB Tommy Kramer - Detroit Lions 21. TE Ron Egloff - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22. RB Ricky Bell - San Diego Chargers 23. DT Joe Klecko - St. Louis Cardinals 24. QB Steve DeBerg - New Orleans Saints 25. ILB Kurt Allerman - Green Bay Packers 26. CB Herman Edwards - Carolina Panthers 27. S Chris Golub - Minnesota Vikings 28. QB Randy Hedberg - Cincinnati Bengals 29. DE Horace Jones - Houston Oilers 30. T Steve August - Baltimore Ravens At this point I seriously considered moving up to grab the last remaining 1st round graded OT, but a closer look at him has me a little iffy, so I'll pass on him for now. There's a few other players I'm taking a very strong look at for the early part of the 2nd, where the cost will be cheaper. 31. G Derrel Gofourth - New Orleans Saints 32. CB Oliver Davis - New York Giants The T I was looking at goes with the first pick in the second round. I look through my shortlist after that selection and see there's two OLBs I really, really like. They're both natural to the weak side and both NFL-ready. One has slightly better combines than the other, hence his higher rating, but the other has better bars and a much higher intelligence. Whichever one goes first, I'll move up to take the other. It goes all the way to 2.9 before one is taken and naturally, it's a division rival that takes him (Patriots). I call up the Steelers to find out what'll it take to make a deal. It's a stiff price, but the Rams are looking to scoop up our guy the pick after, so it takes our 2nd and 5th round picks in this draft, along with our 1979 3rd rounder to secure the right to draft OLB Tim Black. There's a LT and a DT I'm eyeing for my 3rd round pick. The DT gets snatched up when a team trades up to grab him, but the LT falls down to our pick at 3.31. This should probably set off alarms in my head that he still isn't drafted, but I think he could surprise people so T Morris Towns is the pick. QBs start flying off the board early in the 4th and I start getting nervous that the guy I wanted to pick with my 4th rounder isn't going to be there when our turn comes up. Not nervous enough to trade up a second time though. After all, we -do- have 4 QBs on the roster already. UGH!!!! Not only does he get taken the pick before mine, but every single alternative player I was looking at got taken in the picks before that! Luckily, after combing through the remaining interviewees there's still one more guy who's of value to us and so CB Mike Nelms becomes the newest Dolphin. He's being drafted solely for his alleged return talents. There's only one player left I have even remote interest in by the late 6th round, so I end up trading my 6th and 7th rounders to Minnesota for the right to move up 6 spots in the 6th and take WR Luther Blue, who looks like the WR version of Herb Mul-Key. Late Free Agency Week 3 Signings FB Curtis Brown - 1 year, $30k (UDRFA) -We've got spaces open on the roster and I felt this kid was worth taking a flyer on as a possible eventual replacement for Larry Csonka. Week 3 Losses DT Randy Crowder - 1 year, $70k* (Tucson) -The Titans have been after my players all offseason long, particularly on defense. Some I've brought back, others I've let go. I don't get the Tucson fetish for Dolphins players, but they're more than welcome to Crowder. After training camp, I get an offer from the Dallas Cowboys: Steve Largent for DT Gary Dunn and the Cowboys' 1978 1st round pick. It's momentarily tempting, but a quick glance at Dallas's roster reveals that the deal would turn them into a playoff team. Thanks, but no thanks. Code:
Ugly drops all around and that's with mentors. Still, Black looks good enough to be the starting WLB from Day One. Dick Cunningham dropped to 21/21, so now I don't know what to do. Move someone over from RT and take the hit? Go ahead and start Towns? It's a rough choice. Nelms will make the team as a punt and kick returner, as he's good enough to qualify for both. Blue's much more of a long-shot. He could make the cut based on his special teams ability and his potential at returning, but it's going to be close. Actually, they'll all make it, since we have 53 players exactly on the roster, but Blue's going to be on the bubble if we have to make a cut due to an injury.
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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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01-10-2008, 03:40 PM
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#207 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
Ramsey may be coming off an injury, but he's got rapport with our receivers and better bars so will get the start. Milan keeps creeping, so he'll get some second-string time in preseason. Landry's the #2 man and we've given up on Bull. Code:
Payton and Csonka the starters, Armstrong and Otis the #2 men. Mul-key will do his special teams and kick return thing. I forgot to mention this, but Brown went up +2/+2 during training camp, so he'll be brought back next season to serve as Csonka's backup. I'm very happy to have found him, as he looks like he can be an heir apparent. Code:
TE is quite problematic after Alston took a nosedive and Brown both looks like a better receiver than Cain and has exceptional affinity with Alston. What I may do is have Alston start, since he's the superior blocker, and use Brown on passing downs. Cain will be pissed, but he'll have to deal. Osborne's just kinda there. Swann and Largent start again at the WR spots, with Lewis and Warfield the reserves for the second straight year. Haik is the 5th receiver and Blue will see time on special teams, possibly getting some preseason return work in as well. Code:
As you can see, I switched McKay over to LT to disasterous results, but we'll go with a line of McKay-Moorman-Banks-Upshaw-Mikolajcyzk. I don't know why we have two young centers here. Neither one will be re-signed I can tell you that much. Arneson, Sturt, and the rookie Towns are the respective position reserves. If Morris improves enough, he can make a case for himself as the starting LT next season. Code:
Adams will bitch, but I don't care about the one-point difference. Greenwood's been our best, most consistent DE for years and is coming off his first All-Pro season. There's no way in hell he's not starting. I'm really excited about this group. With a starting set of Greenwood-Line-Maddox-Den Herder, we've got our strongest defensive line in franchise history, at least on paper. Code:
We're thin on bodies, but I really like the look of this group. Shoate-Lanier-Black as the starters. Hall will complain, so Black will have to develop quickly. Lanier's on the last legs of an absolutely brilliant career in a Dolphins uniform and this will be Bradley's audition year. Code:
Alexander's been of my biggest free agent busts and he declines to the point where he's our nickel back. Dunlap and Lawrence will be the starters. I suddenly realize we have a major problem at CB. We'll have to free up another spot to activate Poltl and make him the back up RCB. Nelms is there strictly for return duties, but I may have him go on special teams coverage as well, so we can put Luther Blue on inactive and activate Poltl. Edwards and Crist start again, Sensibaugh and Detwiller very capable backups. I should probably install the latest patch now, so Crist and Edwards' high injury histories that are likely bug-related get reset. All in all, I feel really good about this team. We made some very nice strides in the offseason and should challenge for the Super Bowl. The press agrees, considering us the unliteral favorites to win it all.
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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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01-11-2008, 10:38 PM
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#208 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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God damn it!
I just lost the entire exhibition season and first-half post I had written up! 
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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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01-11-2008, 11:02 PM
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#209 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Okay, I'm really pissed of about losing everything, so here's a quick recap:
We go 4-0 in preseason behind a fantastic running game, mostly powered by Otis Armstrong's 4 straight games of 100+ rushing yards, as Walter Payton gave us a scare by spraining his knee and becoming Questionable. Vern Den Herder, our big-time free agent offseason signing gets hurt as well and misses the first two games of the regular season. Backup OLB, mentor, and special teams ace Charlie Hall was knocked out for at least 6 weeks in the final game of the preseason, leading us to sign 10th year vet Richard Stotter, who turned out to be a mentor and almost as good a ST guy as Hall. It works out okay though, as we eke out wins in those victories, thanks largely to the efforts of Walter "Sweetness" Payton, whose biggest season highlight thus far is a game in which he ran 27 times for 190 yards and 2 TDs in Week 2. After Vern Den Herder came back, we continued winning and by much more impressive margins. In one of those blowout victories, Richard Stotter provided what was the coolest play this season, running his old-ass legs into the endzone for a recovery of a blocked punt for the TD. That really made me smile and it's the small stories like that which make this game so great. We ran our record to 5-0 before falling 17-12 to the Cleveland Browns, due mostly to Steve Ramsey's 2 interceptions. Through five games this season, he has 7 interceptions, almost double what he did in 6 games last year. This increased inconsistency has led me to turn to the unhappy Greg Landry, to see what he can do. The next game is his first start. Pittsburgh 24 Miami 30 (OT) And what a hell of a game it was! In a titanic battle that matched two of the AFC's best teams (Pittsburgh was also 5-1 going into this contest), Greg Landry hit Steve Largent for a 38 yard TD pass at 7:39 in OT. It was a thrilling end to regulation, too, as both teams scored TDs after the 2:00 warning hit. Walter Payton won Player of the Game with 29 rushes for 115 yards and a TD, but Greg Landry was incredible at both ends of the spectrum as his final line of 24-41 for 390 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs, the highest yardage total since a man named Johnny Unitas was the signal-caller in Miami. Lynn Swann was the main beneficiary, with 7 catches for 145 yards. This was the kind of game that'll get talked about for a long, long time. Wow. What a show! New England 10 Miami 3 We've officially got a QB controversy on our hands, as Greg Landry's 2 interceptions cost us this showdown against the Patriots. No real highlights to report, unfortunately. Halfway tale of tape: Code:
Our ballhawks aren't getting it done this year, which is a cause for concern, as is the QB controversy. I'm going to go back to Steve Ramsey, though, as I feel better with him in there. Sure, he's a little inconsistent, but on his good days, he'll be the kind of game-manager you need him to be. Walter Payton is as good as ever and Steve Largent and Lynn Swann are on pace to possibly be our first pair of 1,000 yard receiving teammates since the Johnny Unitas-Paul Warfield-Gary Ballman days. Vern Den Herder's numbers may look underwhelming compared to the massive contract we gave him, but his presence draws double-teams and frees up L.C. Greenwood to wreak havoc on the other side. We're currently 6-2, a game and a half ahead of the 5-4 Patriots even with New England's win. The Steelers and Ravens are deadlocked atop the AFC North at 6-2, the Oilers are steamrolling the AFC South at 7-1 (the 2nd place Jaguars are 3-5) and the Raiders are sitting atop the AFC West at 7-1. So we'd be playing a wild-card game if the season ended today, but we've still got 8 games to win the divison and prove we're worthy of a bye into the divisional round. We can do it. I have faith.
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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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01-12-2008, 05:11 PM
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#210 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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QB Greg Landry and WLB Richard Stotter are disgruntled and TE Bob Brown is unhappy. Brown I decide to go ahead and make the starter just to shut him up. Landry's obviously going to be angry before the season over. I'm not sure what Stotter's deal is, but it doesn't matter because Charlie Hall's finally ready to come back after an extended injury so will take his spots back.
Baltimore 17 Miami 21 What a great come from behind win as with 5:00 left on the game clock, Steve Ramsey hooks up with Frank Lewis for an incredible 98 yard TD pass. Ramsey wins Player of the Game with an incredible performance that tops even Greg Landry's win against the Steelers: 22-31 for 382 passing yards and 2 TDs. Lewis has 3 catches for 128 yards and the TD. Vern Den Herder leads the defense with 6 tackles, an assist, 2.5 sacks, a block, 5 hurries and 4 knockdowns. Talk about an amazing player. Ed Bradley's signing becomes all the more important as Willie Lanier pulls his calf muscle and is out roughly 4 weeks. Bradley obviously takes over as the starting MLB. We cut DE Mike Crangle and sign MLB Tim Kearney to be the emergency backup. Miami 16 New Jersey 31 Ugh. I hate our archrivals in this universe. Herb Mul-key's 74 yard punt return for a TD goes absolutely wasted as does Walter Payton's 12 rushes for 101 yards. Steve Ramsey was 22-45 for 303 yards, a TD and 2 INT as our defense absolutely caved without Willie Lanier in the middle. Things go from bad to worse as LG Mo Moorman tears apart the MCL in his knee and is gone for the rest of the year. He goes on IR, Fred Sturt moves to LG and takes a small hit in doing so, and Mark Ellison is signed to be our backup G for the rest of the season. Carolina 34 Miami 37 This mass-critical victory is only secured when Tim Webster converts the 25 year FG with 4 seconds left in the game, one of 3 he made on the day in 3 tries.. Steve Ramsey was erratic all game long, finishing with a final line of 25-34 for 371 yards, 3 TDs and 4 INTs. Steve Largent gets Player of the Game with 6 catches for 117 yards and a TD. Miami 29 San Diego 17 I'm starting to go a little crazy as Steve Ramsey throws 3 picks against this 3-8 team, but Lynn Swann bails us out with 5 catches for 110 yards and a TD and Ron Mikolajczyk unexpectedly wins Player of the Game with 8 key run blocks (13 opp.). One of the coolest things yet in a fairly freaky season. Atlanta 23 Miami 13 Our chance to lock up the AFC East goes sailing by as Steve Ramsey throws 4 interceptions, leading the way for Greg Landry to step in as the starting QB for the rest of the year. Walter Payton had a ridiculous 6 catches for 108 yards, Julius Adams got 4 tackles, 2 assists and 2 sacks and Bob Maddox rang up a tackle, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. Injuries have just been brutal this year and they mount up again as L.C. Greenwood hyperextends his knee and will probably be out the rest of the regular season. Julius Adams takes over as the starter at LDE and Mike Crangle is re-signed. LT Dick Cunningham is cut, earning us a small cap hit of $10,000 for next year. New Jersey 22 Miami 13 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles by Greg Landry later, the Jets have swept us and are in the playoff and division race. They shut down Walter Payton and yeah, I'm feeling really damned disgusted right now. Steve Ramsey starts next week. Miami 24 New Orleans 31 Chuck Foreman punches it across the goal-line with 35 seconds left in the game to earn us this thoroughly obnoxious defeat against the Saints, despite Walter Payton's 23 rushes for 144 yards and Steve Ramsey's positive 3 TD-1 INT ratio. Ken Stabler's having a real rebound year this season and he's got New Olrleans to 10-5 after this win and the NFC South lead. Bad news. The Jets won, which gives them the tiebreaker edge. Plain and short of it is that we have to win our last game to have any hope of making the playoffs. Lose and the Raiders go to the playoffs ahead of us. At least we get Willie Lanier back for it, leading us to cut Tim Kearney. L.C. Greenwood is also Probable, allowing us to cut Mike Crangle a second time. Miami 7 Buffalo 13 ...I want to throw up. We go up 7-0 and blank out the rest of the way. Walter Payton rushes 22 times for 109 yards and Willie Lanier has 11 tackles and 2 assists in what might be the final game of his career, but it isn't enough. Daryle Lamonica throws for 258 yards and the game-winning TD and we're forced to look at an ugly 9-7, no playoff record. Hard reality for a team that had Super Bowl championship dreams. What hurts even worse is that the Jets lost to the Patriots by a single point, 21-20. Code:
The single biggest reason why we're sitting home: Turnovers. The defense wasn't as turnover-producing as they were last season, but more importantly, we turned the ball over way too much. QB will be a big priority in the offseason as Steve Ramsey won't be re-signed and Greg Landry isn't reliable. I'm strongly tempted to give Don Milan the starting job despite his 13/22 rating and see how he does. It's kind of fitting that Steve Largent and Lynn Swann just missed 1,000 yards receiving a piece and that L.C. Greenwood narrowly missed being a double-digit sack teammate with Vern Den Herder. It says a lot that they did so well despite each missing a couple games. But in the end, all this closeness equals the same thing. Sitting in front of the TV, watching some other team take the AFC Championship and 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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01-13-2008, 08:04 PM
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#211 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl XVIII
Some giddy fans in the Big Easy predicted 3 years ago that a blockbuster trade would bring them a Super Bowl championship. Ken Stabler declined in his first two seasons in New Orleans, but rebounded this season to carry the Saints to the NFC South title and, against all odds, the NFC Championship. They were countered by fellow Super Bowl rookies, the AFC Champion Denver Broncos, who rode Roman Gabriel to their first big-game appearance. It wasn't even close as RB Chuck Foreman ripped through the Broncos defense 27 times for 103 yards and Ken Stabler was 21-30 for 225 yards and 2 TDs. DT Art Thoms won Super Bowl MVP with his 5 tackle, 1 assist, 3 sack, 2 hurry performance. The unthinkable's happened. Ken Stabler has a Super Bowl Ring in the black and gold. Denver 10 New Orleans 20 It's really the crowning frustration to a season of frustrations, but there's nothing I can do about it except prepare for next year. 1977 Dolphins Season Awards RB Walter Payton - 2nd Team All-Pro RB Another senational season from Sweetness: 1,407 yards rushing and 10 TDs, along with 61 catches for 525 yards and another TD, earns him 2nd Team All-Pro honors. Guess who's the 1st Team All-Pro RB? That's right, New Orleans Saints RB Chuck Foreman, though to be honest Foreman deserved it. Major Awards MVP QB Dan Fouts - Chicago Bears Offensive Player of the Year QB Dan Fouts - Chicago Bears Defensive Player of the Year DE Too Tall Jones - Minnesota Vikings (24.5 sacks!) Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Tony Dorsett - Washington Redskins Defensive Rookie of the Year MLB A.J. Duhe - Oakland Raiders Legend of the Game QB Roman Gabriel - Denver Broncos An emotional season becomes an even more emotional offseason when one of the great players in Dolphins history finally hangs it up. WR Paul Warfield A real-life Dolphin, one I was thrilled fell to me at 1.22 in the 1964 draft. He went on to become our star WR for the next 12 seasons before being relegated to a backup role by the addition of Steve Largent in 1976. That may have hurt his Hall of Fame chances, but it's still an impressive resume no matter how you look at. A starter on all 3 of our Super Bowl championship teams, a five-time All-Pro and several Top 10 All-Time board appearances. His player card:  Awards and Milestones Super Bowl Rings 1966, 1967, 1972 All-Pro Teams 1st Team: 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970 2nd Team: 1974 Miami Dolphins Records 1st - Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDs, 100 Yards Receiving, Yards from Scrimmage, All-Purpose Yards, Games Started 2nd - Points Scored 8th - Yards Per Catch All-Time Records 4th - Receiving Yards 5th - Receiving TDs, Receptions 7th - Yards from Scrimmage 8th - 100 Yards Receiving I'm really going to miss having Paul around. What a phenomenal player and a guy who's all the more important to me in this universe because he's the last reminder of our hey-day in the mid-60s, with Johnny Unitas to Paul Warfield and Gary Ballman the main method of our attack. Staff Hiring Defensive Coordinator Royce Womble LB - Good to VG Royce Womble and Harris Wilcox both have expired contracts. I'm hoping to bring both of them back as well as find another Lead Scout. I'm not confident about re-signing Womble, as the owner once again forces me to lowball the greatest DC in the game. AAARGH! Can this get any more ugly? Sure Harris Wilcox signs a $450,000, 3 year contract, but I whiff on the one Lead Scout I wanted and Royce Womble breaks the hearts of Dolfans everywhere by signing a 5 year, $420,000 contract with.... the New Jersey Jets, our mortal enemies in this universe. God damn does that hurt. 13 years as our DC and he goes to our most hated enemies. Fuck you, owner, fuck you to hell and never come back! He's only 47, too! But we move on and find a guy who's not World-Class like Womble was, but he's pretty good and is quite happy to sign the 5 year, $380,000 contract we offer him. Defensive Coordinator Don Bruce (46) K/P: Good DL: Good LB: Good DB: VG YT: Good LT Morris Towns gets the Summer League invite, as I really want him to try and push for the starting LT job this season. Free Agency By the Numbers QB, RB, FB, TE x 2, WR, G, T, P, K, DT, MLB, OLB, FS, SS (16 new bodies total) Week 1 Re-signings/Extensions QB Don Milan - 3 years, $260k P Neil Clabo - 3 years, $260k FB Curtis Brown - 1 year, $40k DT Bob Maddox - 4 years, $890k MLB Willie Lanier - 2 years, $520k G Gene Upshaw - 2 years, $460k FB Larry Csonka - 2 years, $310k G Mo Moorman - 2 years, $420k FS Chuck Crist - 3 years, $1.22 mill. SE Steve Largent - 5 years, $2.92 mill. That's a lot more money than I wanted to give Largent, especially since it'll drive up Lynn Swann's asking price next season, but I like my offense to revolve around a strong passing attack. A strong passing attack that desperately needs a new QB. Week 2 Signings QB Danny White - 1 year, $190k (Washington) -Intriguing 5th year QB who's already a mentor and never really got the chance to start with the Redskins. Very promising upside and is the probable starter next season. I probably should've tried to sign him to a multi-year deal, but I'm already paying more for Greg Landry than I want to. RB Otis Armstrong - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -As long as he appears to have juice left in him, he'll keep getting re-signed to be our #2 RB. WR Reggie Garrett - 1 year, $100k (San Diego) -Good backup SE to have. He's no Paul Warfield, but he should get the job done. As a bonus, he's a special teams ace. G Fred Sturt - 1 year, $110k (Re-signing) -Showed enough last season to earn himself another one-year deal, though I no longer see him as a long-term solution to replace either Mo Moorman or Gene Upshaw. Week 3 Signings TE Charlie Young - 1 year, $140k (Kansas City) -Dual-purpose threat that I'd like to sign to a multi-year deal if he pans out as a possibility to end the revolving door we've had at the position for years. DT Mike McCoy - 1 year, $110k (New York) -Terrific reserve DT to have. Used to being a starter, so it'll be interesting seeing how he handles being a reserve. Huge bonus defensive front leader. Week 4 Signings MLB Ed Bradley - 1 year, $90k (Re-signing) -Like Sturt, showed enough to get another one-year rental, but I don't see him as an heir to Willie Lanier. SS Mike Wagner - 1 year, $110k (San Diego) -Should've tried signing him to a min-sal deal. Long time Chargers starter who's a punishing hitter and will make an adequate backup SS. Week 5 Signings FS Ray Oldham - 1 year, $90k (Oakland) -Like Wagner, a guy I should've tried to min-sal. Another punishing hitter and respectable backup. Could see time on special teams as well. Week 5 Losses OLB Charlie Hall - 1 year, $100k* (Carolina) -Contributed virtually nothing all season long and was ticked about losing his starting spot to Tim Black. Won't miss him. S Chuck Detwiller - 1 year, $100k* (Baltimore) -Really crashed in Miami and posted the worst season of his entire career. This is why I don't mind one-year rentals, because this guy was definitely a letdown. Week 6 Signings T Ron Mikolajcyzk - 1 year, $110k (Re-signing) -I'll admit it, I have a very odd likeness for Ron. Not the most fantastic starting RT on the planet, but a balanced one who does serviceably well. Week 6 Losses QB Steve Ramsey - 3 years, $540k (Denver) -The Broncos were eager to get a QB with Super Bowl and playoff experience to replace Roman Gabriel, so they snap up Ramsey. They're more than welcome to him. The last season of the deal is voidable if he reaches 3,000 passing yards. He'll be the probable starter next season. Ha! Week 7 Signings K Tim Webster - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -I finally get in a min-sal deal and it's to lock up my favorite Dolphins kicker in this universe. Sure his numbers took a slight dip last season, but he's still the most clutch leg in the business. Week 7 Losses FB Jim Otis - 1 year, $100k* (Denver) -Very disappointing run-blocking last year negates his minimal receiving contribution and besides, I really want to see if we can groom Curtis Brown to be Larry Csonka's eventual replacement. Week 8 Signings TE Rich McGeorge - 1 year, $100k* (Denver) -Fantastic run-blocking TE who'll serve as our short-yardage guy. Another great special teams guy. I'm having a really good feeling about our special teams next season. Oh yeah, also a great new receivers captain. OLB Larry Ball - 3 years, $1.01 mill. (Oakland) -Overpaid for him admittedly, but he grants a major boon to our linebacking corps in that he'll start at SLB and allow us to slide Rod Shoate over to the weak side, where he's probably better suited. Tim Black can then be the reserve. Probably our biggest free agent signing along with Danny White. Week 9 Losses DT Dave Roller - 1 year, $110k (Cleveland) -A non-entity last year, we wish him all the luck with the Browns. And that'll pretty much be a wrap for free agency. Time to get the interviews in and plot my draft strategy. QB and CB are our biggest concerns for new starters and we definitely need to look towards the future at C, G and MLB. I won't discount the possibility of a genuine top T, a TE who can stop the revolving door or some fresh blood at DE.
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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 : 01-13-2008 at 08:06 PM. |
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01-14-2008, 06:23 AM
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#212 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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Earl Campbell(mack truck)!!!
Wes Chandler (WR) James Lofton (WR/oldest man in the world) Clay Matthews (LB and 2nd oldest man in the world) Doug Williams (QB--maybe?) OZzie Newsome (GM) Todd Christensen (never shuts up) Mike Renfro (he has great hair) Jim Breech (K) |
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01-14-2008, 12:39 PM
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#213 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
I actually do have one of these guys on my radar. Whether I get the chance to draft him or not remains to be seen.
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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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01-14-2008, 02:41 PM
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#214 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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The one good thing about our tumble is that it occurred during the first year that we finally have a first round draft pick again. We're picking #19 at the moment and I definitely see some possibilities.
RB Earl Campbell, QB Doug Williams and QB Pat Ryan are the talk of the draft. DE Art Still is drawing a lot of attention as well. Interestingly enough, Williams is considered to have character issues after a drunk-driving incident (i.e. Red-Flag), but it shouldn't affect his draft status as one of a Top 3 pick. 1978 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. RB Earl Campbell - New England Patriots 2. QB Doug Williams - Baltimore Ravens through San Francisco 49ers Wow!  I've -never- seen the #2 pick in the draft traded away before. Let's see what the cost was:Baltimore Ravens receive: SFO 1978 1st round pick (#2 overall) San Francisco 49ers receive: BAL 1980 1st round pick BAL 1980 2nd round pick BAL 1978 4th round pick (4.27) The 49ers faithful should be screaming for a Front Office Purge, because San Francisco just let themselves get absolutely ripped off.3. QB Pat Ryan - Kansas City Chiefs 4. WR James Lofton - San Diego Chargers 5. QB Bill Kenney - Detroit Lions 6. ILB Gary Spani - Green Bay Packers 7. DE Art Still - Baltimore Ravens through Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Bucs get the Ravens' 1st rounder next year, so they're going from a Top 10 pick to a late 20s, maybe even the 32nd pick. Stupid move, but maybe there wasn't anyone Tampa Bay liked. Baltimore is just having an absolutely killer draft. 8. TE Ozzie Newsome - Indianapolis Colts Damn. I was hoping Newsome would fall to me. 9. OLB Tom Dinkel - Jacksonville Jaguars 10. CB Estus Hood - Atlanta Falcons 11. OLB Mike Douglass - Buffalo Bills 12. OLB Lucius Sanford - Cleveland Browns 13. G Homer Elias - St. Louis Cardinals 14. CB Ray Griffin - New York Giants 15. DE Bubba Baker - Philadelphia Eagles 16. G Leotis Harris - Washington Redskins 17. DE William Gay - New England Patriots 18. ILB Dan Bunz - Minnesota Vikings It's now our turn in the draft. I was really hoping to get Elias after Newsome went, but the Cardinals swiped him. Bunz was a possibility, but he went too. To be honest, there's nobody I'm really thrilled about taking at this spot in the draft. Either it's way too early for them or I just don't have a good feeling about it. There's a LT who's tempting, but I fear he's another Ed George. After some more thought, I decide to trade down and move to 1.26. To move up, the Oakland Raiders give up their 1st rounder and Buffalo's 1979 3rd round pick, giving us a complete 7 picks in next year's draft. 19. CB John Turner - Oakland Raiders 20. TE Paul Coffman - Cincinnati Bengals 21. WR John Jefferson - Seattle Seahawks 22. ILB Aaron Brown - Carolina Panthers 23. CB Kerry Justin - New Jersey Jets 24. S John Harris - Dallas Cowboys 25. OLB Clay Matthews - Los Angeles Rams Here we are again. To be honest, I was very close to taking Brown, but elected not to. I forget why exactly. Although I'm tempted to trade down again or even exit out of the 1st round completely, we do have holes that need filling. On the other hand, I have no 2nd round pick in this draft, which complicates things a bit, as there's a number of players I'd really like to get in the 2nd. Then again, there's a CB I like the more I look at him, despite the Very Overrated tag with this new patch. His Vol's low, though, so he may be worth grabbing. But I don't know if he'd be able to crack our lineup and we're not hurting -that- much for depth at CB. In the end, I trade down again. This time out of the first completely as I go to 2.1 and pick up an extra 3rd round pick in the 1980 draft courtesy of the Tucson Titans. 26. CB Bobby Jackson - Tucson Titans That's the CB I would've taken, had I kept the pick. He's 25/56 right now, so no, he probably wouldn't have made my rotation, but he's the perfect fit for the woeful Titans, as he looks like a Week 1 starter in Tucson. 27. G Brett Moritz - Chicago Bears 28. OLB Danny Johnson - Baltimore Ravens 29. CB Terry Jackson - Pittsburgh Steelers 30. T Eric Laasko - Houston Oilers 31. G Jim Hough - Miami Dolphins He was the last late 1st-early 2nd guy left that I really wanted and the Saints looked poised to grab him at 1.32, so I traded 2.1 and my 5th round pick in this draft to the Broncos to move up and get him. This is the most active I've been in draft trading ever in FOF and it's been kind of fun. 32. ILB Keith Butler - New Orleans Saints It's a very long wait to 3.23, when we finally get to pick again. There's still quite a bit of talent left on the board and I elect to take ILB Mike Hunt as a possible breakout candidate and Porky's nod, though something tells me I should've taken the C I wanted instead, especially since we don't pick again until the 6th round and there's no way he'll make it through to there. But we'll wait and see if he's still there at the top of the 5th. I start getting nervous that he'll be taken late in the 4th, so I trade my 1980 4th rounder since I have an extra pick in that draft to spare to the Falcons, allowing me to pick C Fred Quillan, who I like furthermore because his last name is close to Quillin's, my favorite grocery store in La Crosse. Stupid, I know, but there it is. In any event, Quillan will be our backup C and possible long snapper. Pfeh. By the time our 6th round pick comes up, all of the guys I was looking at, including the wonderfully named S Wonderful Monds (taken the Patriots), have been taken. Even more to the point, no other centers have been taken, leading me to believe I might have been too hasty. After a scan of what little's left, I pick DT Mikeli Ieremia, who might be able to wiggle his way into the goal-line package. WR Walter Tullis is our 7th round pick as a possibility for a 5th receiver who won't drop the ball much. Late Free Agency Week 2 Signings C Rich Coady - 1 year, $100k* (Seattle) -Former backup C and LS comes to mentor rookie Fred Quillan in training camp. It'll be an interesting battle between the two for the backup spot. Week 3 Signings DT Bobby Liggett - 1 year, $100k* (New Jersey) -Strictly a mentor signing and a candidate to get cut. Code:
It looks like I may have been right to jump up to take Hough, who will definitely get an opportunity to supplant Fred Sturt as the reserve G. I was nervous when I saw Hunt's raw numbers, but his boom suggests that he could, at the very least, become a capable backup MLB, though we're obviously nowhere near ready to declare him as Willie Lanier's heir. Quillan's now has the inside track on the backup C and LS duties, though Coady's a significantly better LS (96 vs. Quillan's 80). Ieremia is fodder. Tullis will get his chance to be our 5th WR.
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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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01-15-2008, 08:12 PM
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#215 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
I am very, very excited about White. With his potential and the corps of receivers we have, he should have a breakout year. The Redskins gave up on him after his rookie season, although he did pretty well in 12 games and he did extremely well in 2nd string duty last year. Milan just keeps improving and I seriously suspect some heavy masking going on there. If I had this dynasty to do over again, I'd play him a lot more. Bull's an absolute waste of space and will be gone after this year. Landry's here solely for mentor purposes and #2 duty. When his contract's up, I'll probably have White and Milan as #1 and #2, but for now it'll be White-Landry-Milan at 1-2-3, no matter how much Bull whines. If White pans out like I expect, I'll try my darndest to sign him to a multi-year deal next offseason, even if I have to get into a bidding war. I see a guy who can last until at least 1983 in him. Code:
I love our setup here. Payton and Armstrong are a terrific 1-2 punch, Csonka is the best FB ever and I think Brown has a real shot to eventually supplant him as our starting FB, meaning I don't have to spend a draft pick on a new FB. Code:
Young-Swann-Largent as our starters, McGeorge-Lewis-Garrett as the main backups, Tullis as the 5th WR and Blue as a ST game, maybe even a return man. RB Herb Mul-key is still sitting in free agency and could be signed, or we could look for another superstud returner/ST guy. Code:
McKay-Moorman-Banks-Upshaw-Mikolacyzk with Quillan and Towns for sure backups. Sturt vs Hough is a crapshoot, though, as Sturt's been extremely solid for us, but Hough has heir to Moorman writ large all over him. What I'llo probably do is sit Moorman for the first two preseason games and let Sturt and Hough fight it out, since this starting 5's played together before. Small glimmer of hope for Towns now. I'll keep Coady around for mentor purposes, but Hill's on his way out. Code:
I'm thinking of going another direction after a closer review of Clabo's numbers. He's just not a very good punter, although his kick-holding is fantastic. Wonder Webster will be our K until his foot falls off or until he starts showing serious signs of decline. At 7, now 8 seasons as our K, he's lasted longer than anyone else in our franchise history at the spot, thanks to his clutch ability. Code:
We've got a new starter at RDT after I make the switch, as it'll be Greenwood-Line-McCoy-Den Herder as our front four. Maddox and Adams are the backups, but Maddox will get some extra reps in our nickel and dime package, because he has more pass-rush talent than McCoy. Ieremia and Liggett are space eaters that will be the first out of town. I really need to get younger at DE, though. DT I can hold steady on for a few more years, though I'll have to think about that soon, too. Code:
For the first time in 7 years, we won't see Lanier as the main man in the middle. It makes me sad, because Willie has been one of the best FA signings outside of Johnny Unitas that I've ever had. Instead, it'll be a LB 3 of Ball-Bradley-Shoate, with Black getting time in our goal-line package. If there's a way I could justify keeping Lanier as the starting MLB, I'd do it, but the fact of the matter is, Bradley outperformed him last season and performance is also why Shoate holds off a stiff challenge from Black for the starting WLB spot. Lanier will sit the preseason's first two games out while we get extended looks at the rookie Hunt, who I'm quietly optimistic about after his training camp boom. Code:
Dunlap-Lawrence-Edwards-Crist compose our starting defensive backfield, with Alexander, Wagner and Oldham the backups. Oldham will also probably figure in at special teams. I need to sign another CB, because I don't feel comfortable with Nelms as a backup corner. Luckily, there's some guys in free agency worth taking a look at. In fact, expect me to make some more roster changes before the preseason hits. I'm not feeling comfortable with our backup CB situation or our return game, so I fully expect I'll be signing someone to be the backup RCB along with a return/ST demon, probably Herb Mul-key, but I'll see what else is out there first.
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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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01-16-2008, 05:59 PM
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#216 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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RB Herb Mul-key comes back on a one year deal to be our #1 KR option and #2 PR option. RCB Roscoe Word, late of the Steelers, signs on to be our backup RCB.
Preseason Miami 26 Detroit 17 This one was all Tim "Wonder" Webster with 4/4 FG, including 2/2 from 40+ and 1/1 from 50+, a 54-yarder. Too bad it's preseason. Vern Den Herder gets 3 tackles, 2 sacks, a hurry and 3 knockdowns to lead the defense. Neil Clabo is definitely on his way out as our punter after this year. Fred Sturt was 3/5 on KRB vs 1/6 for the rookie Jim Hough. The battle goes on for another exhibition game. #2 RB Otis Armstrong strains his calf muscle and is out 4 weeks, meaning we'll have the worthless running Herb Mul-key as the #2 back for the rest of preseason. San Francisco 14 Miami 24 Steve Largent wins Player of the Game thanks to his 6 catches for 149 yards and a TD. Don Milan gives me pause for thought by throwing 2 interceptions to go with his 2 TDs against the 49er second-string defense. Good thing Danny White's looked fantastic so far. Reggie Garrett forced 2 fumbles on special teams coverage, a sign of just how good our ST unit is this year, outside of punting. Vern Den Herder continued his hot, meaningless play with 2 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks, a hurry and 2 knockdowns. Fred Sturt and Jim Hough were both 0/3 in KRB, with nary a sack surrendered. Miami 10 Minnesota 17 I forgot to do the switchovers I had planned, which is probably why we lost here. Or maybe it's that we got just 200 yards of total offense. Jim Hough was 2/4 on KRB, while Fred Sturt was 1/2, but surrendered 2 sacks. Hough's improved play, plus his rapidfire development (he's already at 33/49), earn him the backup guard spot. He'll probably be ready to replace Mo Moorman as the starting LG next season. Seattle 6 Miami 30 Always good to see the preseason end on a high note. Don Milan is back to his usual good game-manager form and he'll be the #2 QB, no matter what Greg Landry whines about it. Tim Webster's 3/3 FGs, including a 52 yarder, were all we needed to win this one. Otis Armstrong is back up to probable for Week 1, yay! Luther Blue goes on the inactive list to replace him. Regular Season Miami 17 New Jersey 16 Wow, what a thriller of a game! We came from behind on a 51 yard pass from Danny White to Lynn Swann with 10:32 on the game clock and hung on to the slim 1-point lead the rest of the way. Remember how I said our special teams really looked special this year? [b]Glen Edwards returned a blocked field goal 68 yards for a TD[/b/]. I'd loved to have seen that one on television! [b]Lenny Dunlap/b] and Ed Bradley were tackle machines, with 10 tackles a piece, Dunlap with 2 assists, Bradley with 1. Bradley also had a hurry and a knockdown. Sweet, sweet win against our hated Royce Womble-stealing archrivals. Chicago 7 Miami 23 I was worried about a letdown after the Jets game, but Danny White took care of that with a fantastic game, the kind we haven't seen on a consistent basis in a long time in Dolphins history: 22-32 for 339 yards and 2 TDs. Frank Lewis was the main beneficiary with 6 catches for 118 yards and a TD. Baltimore 3 Miami 31 Ah how good it feels to have a legitimate QB again. I will do everything in my power to sign Danny White to a multi-year deal in the offseason after he puts up 24-31 for 266 yards and 3 TDs on his way to second straight Player of the Game honors. Vern Den Herder erupted for 4 tackles, an assist, 3 sacks, 3 hurries and 3 knockdowns as we open up with 3 straight victories. Miami 40 Buffalo 3 Walter Payton has public service announcement to make: Danny White's not the only offensive star on the Dolphins and Sweetness proves it by rushing 30 times for 171 yards and 2 TDs and catching 5 passes for 49 yards and another TD, winning Player of the Game in this blowout. Tim Webster was 4/4 on FG kicks and Vern Den Herder continues his hot pass-rush streak with 2 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 hurries and 4 knockdowns. San Diego 7 Miami 31 You think Cincinnati's kicking themselves for giving up on Danny White by now? All he does is go 19-27 for 283 yards and 3 TDs, earning Player of the Game in another trouncing. Walter Payton takes the ball 27 times for 131 yards and a TD and Reggie Garrett hauls in 3 passes for 125 yards and 2 TDs. Now that's one hell of a YPC! Vern Den Herder only gets 1 sack this time, but he also has 3 hurries and 7 QB knockdowns. Wow! We also force 4 fumbles on the day. Denver 24 Miami 30 The score's not as close as it looks. Steve Ramsey threw a 51 yard TD pass with 1:36 left to make it look like a game on the scoreboard, but Danny White out-dueled our former QB with a 21-35, 241 yard, 2 TD line. Steve Ramsey, on the other hand, threw 2 INTs. The player of the game was L.C. Greenwood, who spearheaded our D with 5 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 hurries and a knockdown and helped us keep our streak alive. Our receiving corps takes a big hit as Steve Largent, our starting SE, is Out 3 weeks with strained back. Reggie Garrett steps in as the starting SE and Luther Blue comes off the inactive list to be the 5th receiver, as Walter Tullis moves up to #2 SE. Miami 41 Kansas City 23 No Largent, no problem! But my heart stops as I see Don Milan's name all over the scoreboard. Milan was Player of the Game with a 10-12 for 94 yards and 3 TD performance and I'm hoping his appearance is just Danny White having his worst day in a Dolphins uniform: 12-19 for 183 yards, a TD and 2 INT. Lynn Swann catches 5 passes for 119 yards and a TD, stepping up in Largent's absence. Good news: Steve Largent is back to Probable. Bad news: Danny White, our hero, our savior, is Doubtful with Turf Toe. Shades of Steve Ramsey here, but Don Milan is a proven backup, so I'll leave the lineup as it is for now and see who gets the start. Miami 26 Oakland 20 (OT) A heart-pounding victory only secured in the extra period, with a 2 yard pass from Don Milan to Walter Payton for the TD. Don Milan was erratic: 20-36 for 252 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs, as Danny White could only complete 2-3 passes for 11 yards before having to come off. Lynn Swann had 6 catches for 119 yards and 2 TDs, as I forgot to put Steve Largent back in the starting lineup. Our passing game will improve with him back in. The miracle happens!!! Danny White somehow gets his Turf Toe cured after one game and he's back to 100%!!!!! Steve Largent is at 100% too!!! So is our winning percentage, as we're 8-0. We hold a commanding lead in the AFC East over the bastardly 4-4 New Jersey Jets, which is oh so damned sweet, and the other division leaders are 7-1, 6-2 and 6-2, putting us in beautiful position for, at the least, a wild card bye. The halfway stats: Code:
This has been a miracle season in a lot of ways: Danny White turning out to be a second Johnny Unitas in terms of a FA QB coming and completely electrifying the offense, Walter Payton continuing his strong play, our WR corps as strong as ever, even with Steve Largent missing 2 games. But the biggest shock may be Don Bruce taking over on defense and turning this unit into a top 5 team. Yes, Larry Ball was a huge addition and Ed Bradley uses his young legs to cover the ground that Willie Lanier no longer can, but who could've anticipated Vern Den Herder's resurgence or the ressurection of our secondary? It's incredible to see. Our offensive line is also playing the best it has in years, maybe even ever. Tim Webster's kicking 85% of his FGs, though his 40+ range accuracy is down considerably to date. All told, though, this is an exciting season and a team I'm finally starting to fall in love with again, something I wasn't sure would happen again after the Johnny Unitas, Paul Warfield, Gary Ballman, Willie Lanier days.
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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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01-17-2008, 05:43 PM
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#217 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Florida
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Grrrr...Take it from a life-long Cowboys fan...White will dazzle you during the season, but then break your heart in the playoffs.
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01-17-2008, 07:50 PM
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#218 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Hopefully that won't happen, but we'll see.
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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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01-17-2008, 10:08 PM
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#219 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Despite our perfect first half, not everyone is happy in Dolphins land. QB Greg Landry has been holding press conferences after virtually every game, complaining that he's been lied to and cheated and calling for us to trade him. Just because he's the #3 QB behind Don Milan he's ticked. Sorry Landry, you're not getting the #2 spot and you're not getting traded, with your bonus.
OLB Rod Shoate is disgruntled because he's only started 2 games, thanks to the oddities of the WLB spot, even though he's officially listed as the starter. To make it up to him, I'll nominate him the 2nd gunner, as his ST rating of 86 is one better than FS Ray Oldham. Oh yeah, unimportant SE Luther Blue is out 3 weeks with a sprained knee. Not that it matters because Steve Largent's back to health and Blue was going inactive anyway. On to the second half of the season! New England 7 Miami 38 It's not going to be the Patriots who spoil our undefeated season as Walter Payton rushes 26 times for 107 yards and a TD and Danny White continues his white-hot play with a 16-28 for 215 yard, 3 TD performance, good for Player of the Game. Our pass rush is beyond nasty: Bill Line has 4 tackles, 2 assists, 2.5 sacks, a block, a hurry, and 5 knockdowns, Vern Den Herder matches the 4 tackles, 2.5 sacks, block, and hurry, with 2 knockdowns and L.C. Greenwood notches 3 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks and a block. New Jersey 20 Miami 13 Our perfect season goes down the drain in a stormy home game, leading Danny White to throw 2 costly interceptions along with 2 fumbles. Walter Payton got shut down as well, as we just couldn't dig our way all the way out of a 14-0 hole. Steve Largent had 9 for 125 yards and Vern Den Herder had 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3 knockdowns for our only highlights. Miami 37 Minnesota 21 We shrug off the loss of 16-0 at the hands of those damned Jets behind Walter Payton's 29 carries for 162 yards and a TD and Player of the Game Danny White's 19-24 for 216 yards and 3 TDs. Vern Den Herder continues to be a pass-rush force with 4 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 hurries and 2 knockdowns. Thanks to the victory and the Jets' loss, we clinch the AFC East at 10-1, since the Jets are 5-6 and we hold tiebreaker. The rest of the AFC is fascinating. Every single team in the AFC North is 7-4, the Oilers hold a commanding 7-4 lead in the AFC South over the 4-7 Colts and Denver is coasting with a 9-2 mark over the 6-5 Chargers in the AFC West. Miami 41 Jacksonville 10 Danny White again keys the victory, this time with a 18-29 for 226 yards and 3 TD line. Credit also goes to the secondary with 4 interceptions, including 2 by Rolland Lawrence as we cruise to 11-1. If we go 15-1, I'll have even more reason to hate the damned Jets. Detroit 3 Miami 28 Again, it's the Danny White show: 26-41 for 310 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. I'm not worried about the turnovers since he threw the ball so much and he's been absolutely phenomenal all season long. Bet the Bengals are kicking themselves by now. Lynn Swann takes 7 balls in for 111 yards as White's main target this game. DT Bill Line hyperextends his knee and is out 3 weeks, so Bob Maddox will take over as the starting RDT and the pass-rushing DT duties while Mike McCoy shifts over to LDT. Rookie Mikeli Ieremia will be the new backup DT as at 12-1, we've clinched a bye and are a game up on the 11-2 Denver Broncos for homefield advantage. Buffalo 10 Miami 12 The Bills have dreams of upsetting us, but Tim Webster eliminates those hopes by going 4/4 on FGs. Vern Den Herder is Player of the Game with 2 tackles, 2 sacks, and a knockdown. We're starting to get dinged up, but we still have something to play for as the Steve Ramsey-QB'ed Denver Broncos are right on our heels at 12-2, so it's everyone still all in. Miami 37 Green Bay 10 Walter Payton single-handedly crushes the Packers for 172 yards and 2 TDs on 26 carries and Chuck Crist leads the defense with 11 tackles, 2 assists, and an interception in this laugher. Hooray! The Broncos lose, officially ceding us home-field advantage. With everything left to play for won, I give what I can of my substitutes a start to finish out the year. Miami 15 New England 21 We weren't terrible, but we weren't fantastic as the Patriots get the win to finish at .500. No highlights to report, though I did forget to give Fred Quillan the start at C like I'd intended. Oh well, no biggie. We finish at 14-2, our best record since 1966, our first Super Bowl championship year. Hopefully that's a good sign. For now... The Miami Dolphins are the 1978 AFC East Division Champions!
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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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01-18-2008, 07:30 PM
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#220 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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We draw the Houston Oilers in the divisional round and they're going to be quite the worthy opponent.
Archie Manning is an excellent QB and he'll test our secondary. RB Herb Lusk declined this regular season and showed much more fumble tendencies. Houston's WRs are incredibly drop-prone, another advantage for us. The Oilers have an offensive line that's designed to pass-protect A. Manning, but they're not all that fantastic at it and they're horrible at run-blocking, another reason for Lusk's drop in numbers. Jeff West is as forgettable a punter as Neil Clabo, but K Bill Bell is, like Tim Webster, an extraordinarily reliable leg. DE John Hutton and 2nd year DE Horace Jones are a formidable pair of bookends and DT Bill Nelson and DT Cody Jones are extremely dangerous as well. MLB Jim LeClair is another deadly pass-rusher, but we thankfully dodge a bullet as SLB Ted Hendricks is on the IR, leaving the much weaker Jim Merlo and former Dolphin WLB Mike Varty as the starting OLBs. Levi Johnson and Eddie McMillan form a terrific pair of CBs and career Oiler SS Hugo Hollas is talented as well. FS Randy Logan is out with an injury, earning us another break. The Oilers' lone hope for this game is to turn it into a defensive slugfest, because they simply don't have the offensive firepower to complete with us in a shootout, Archie Manning notwithstanding. Vegas says the two critical injuries on Houston's D will do them in and have us favored by 7. While the Oiler secondary does its job in getting 2 interceptions off of Danny White, it's not enough, as we ride a balanced offense and a nasty pass-rush to an easy victory. All told, we sack Archie Manning 8 times, forcing him to fumble the ball twice. We recover both times and L.C. Greenwood takes home Player of the Game honors with 4 tackles, an assist, 3 sacks, 2 hurries, 2 knockdowns, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Houston 3 Miami 38 We're going to the AFC Championship! But it's not without cost. LDT Bill Line, our most solid and consistent DT, strains his adductor muscle and is out for the rest of the season.
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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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01-19-2008, 12:11 AM
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#221 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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You
Should Not Leave Me ...........hanging like this |
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01-20-2008, 04:23 PM
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#222 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Sorry, was helping my grandmother move in to an assisted living facility over the weekend and the facility's net access was down last night. I'll be updating 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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01-20-2008, 04:48 PM
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#223 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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With DT Bill Line out, we move Mike McCoy to the left side and put RDT Bob Maddox back in as the starter, with Bob Liggett as the backup DT, though I really hate doing that.
Our opponents for the AFC Championship Game are none other than the Denver Broncos. That's right, the Steve Ramsey QB'ed Broncos. Ramsey was pretty awful in the regular season, completing a career-low 55.4% of his passes for 2,886 yards and 15 TDs vs 24 INTs, but he's managed to be a game manager in the postseason. It really should be Ron Jaworski as the starting QB, who, much like Danny White, is a talented QB who's been left to rot on various teams rather than develop. 2nd year RB Dave Preston is dramatically improved from his rookie season and broke the 1,000 yard rushing barrier this year. That said, he's much more of a two-threat back in the mold of Calvin Hill rather than a genuine #1 RB. WR Harold Jackson is an 11th year vet and 3-time Fastest Man of the Year award, but he's never been able to use his speed and talent to become a top-flight receiver. The Broncos have a terrific offensive line, highlighted by C Jim Clack, LG Tom Condon, last year's 1st Team All-Pro LT Lionel Antoine and 2nd year RT Marvin Powell, who's ungodly gifted, but hasn't yet figured out the mental part of the NFL game. P Terry Swanson and K John Smith are a dynamite pair of kickers. DT Dave Butz is the only good player on a pedestrian defensive front 4. MLB Ralph Ortega can rack up tackles, but overall the front seven is just unremarkable overall for the Broncos. CB Tom Hayes is dangerous, however, and CB Don Martin overacheives quite a bit relative to his talent. FS Artimus Parker is another ballhawk concern to worry about. Overall, this Broncos team doesn't look very tough on paper and Denver is definitely a case of the sum somehow managing to be better than its individal parts. Steve Ramsey will be hungry to beat us, the rest of the Denver Broncos eager to repeat as AFC Champions, but heart won't be enough to beat our talent. I really think we should win here and so do the bookies, who have us favored by 6 points. Things get a little worrysome when Broncos #2 RB John Ashton scores a couple short-yardage rushing TDs to put Denver up 14-0 by 1st quarter's end, but then Walter Payton and Steve Largent take over in the 3rd quarter, with Sweetness having some of his longest runs in that quarter and Largent catching 2 TD passes from Danny White. After we took that 20-14 lead (Tim Webster shockingly missed an XP), the Broncos' collective back was broken and we literally ran away with it from there as Walter Payton was Player of the Game with a magnificient 25 rushes for 208 yards and 2 rushing TDs. Glen Edwards had a fantastic all-around game with 8 tackles, an assist, a sack and a pass defense and Vern Den Herder continued his storybook season with 2 tackles, 2 assists, 2.5 sacks, 3 hurries and 4 knockdowns. Denver 24 Miami 37 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) |
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01-20-2008, 06:01 PM
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#224 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Georgia
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Congrats on the Superbowl trip!
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Top 10 Songs of the Year 1955-Present (1976 Added) Franchise Portfolio Draft Winner Fictional Character Draft Winner Television Family Draft Winner Build Your Own Hollywood Studio Draft Winner |
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01-21-2008, 11:42 AM
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#225 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Thanks It's my second time in three years and I've got a lot better feeling about htis one.
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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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01-21-2008, 07:16 PM
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#226 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl XIX Preview
Miami Dolphins Out DT Bill Line Dallas Cowboys Out SILB Steve Kiner Quarterback What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Dolphins' quest for a repeat Super Bowl appearance was derailed by a QB controversy between Steve Ramsey and Greg Landry. Then Miami signed Danny White in the offseason, an acquisition GM Tim Moungey called the most important move of free agency. White proved Moungey a genius, completing 64.6% of his passes for 3,248 yards and an astonishing 28 TD to 6 INT ratio. While White's looked more pedestrian in the playoffs (5 TDs to 3 INTs), he's been incredibly accurate, completing 71.7% of his passes. Don Milan is the controversial #2 QB as Greg Landry has vocally called for himself to be the main backup and wants a trade. Steve Tensi has been the Cowboys' starting QB for the last 3 seasons, but this is the first time he's had a positive TD to INT ratio (19/9) and he's never broken 3,000 yards passing in a season. That said, he's continued to play well in the postseason, with 67.9% completion and 4 TDs vs 2 picks. Joe Barnes is the unimpressive backup. Advantage: Dolphins Running Back Walter Payton has four straight seasons of 1,400+ rushing yards and he's rushed for double-digit TDs the last two seasons, with a career high 11 this regular season. He's also learned how to keep possession of the football and is a phenomenal threat as a receiver too: 3 straight seasons of 50+ catches and just a single drop. Payton had 416 receiving yards and 4 receiving TDs this regular season. He's been an absolute gem in the postseason as well, becoming the first RB in NFL postseason history to rush for over 200 yards, with 208 in the AFC Championship and crushing the league postseason YPC mark with a staggering 8.32. Otis Armstrong is the best #2 RB in the league and could be a starter for a good number of teams. Fred Willis proved a key free-agent signing for Dallas, rushing for 1,463 yards and 9 TDs in his first season as a starter since 1972 with the Oakland Raiders. That said, he's extremely fumble-prone and is nowhere near the receiver out of the backfield that Payton is. Bruce Harper is only a step below Armstrong as the #2 running option. Advantage: Dolphins Receivers The Dolphins pride themselves on a strong WR tradition and in Lynn Swann and Steve Largent, they have the best starting WR pair in the NFL. The only reason neither one has yet to break 1,000 yards receiving for a season is because of Payton and a plethora of other options in TE Charle Young and talented reserve receivers Frank Lewis and Reggie Garrett. This is a deep, ridiculously talented corps, one Miami's front office takes great pride in having put together. By contrast, the Cowboys have a collection of replacement parts at the receiving positions. Their best pass-catcher, Rick Upchurch, is a special teams and punt returns demon. One wonders just how the Cowboys got this far on so little talent here. It's so bad that the other names are barely worth mentioning: Haven Moses as the starting SE, Ken Burrow and Morris Owens as the reserves. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line The interior of this Dolphins unit has played together for 6 straight seasons: C Tom Banks, LG Mo Moorman and RG Gene Upshaw and what a phenomenal unit they've been. Banks is the most underrated C in the game, Moorman keeps getting criminally passed over for All-Pro considerations and Upshaw is a two-time 2nd Team All-Pro, who has started more games for the Dolphins than any player in franchise history at 190 regular season games and 23 postseason contests. LT Bob McKay has given Miami a decent player at the spot for the first time ever, though there was a slight adjustment period. RT Ron Mikolajcyzk is a front-office favorite and a fierce run-blocker, though his pass protection leaves something to be desired. The reserves are all young and fairly promising: C Fred Quillan and G Jim Hough are rookies, with Hough set to supplant Moorman as early as next season, Quillan a very capable backup. T Morris Townsend is a second-year player who showed enough improvement this season that the Dolphins hope he can replace McKay at LT when the time comes. The Cowboys' offensive line is known for its strong blockers in LT George Starke, RT Doug Dieken and the best player in the unit, RG Ken Huff, a 1st Team All-Pro G last year. Rookie C Will Grant was a terrific 3rd round find and reserves C Bob Hyland, G John Hicks and T Stan Walters are excellent technicians, who make up for the pass-blocking difficulties occassionally suffered by the starting five. Advantage: Draw Kickers P Neil Clabo is pedestrian, but K Tim Webster has built his reputation on accuracy, power, and clutch kicking. In fact, he was 91.9% on field goals this season, 70% from 40+ range. For the Cowboys, P Mike Patrick is equivalent to Clabo and K Mike Walker has a cannon leg, but is wild. Advantage: Dolphins Defensive Line LDE L.C. Greenwood is another one of the long-time Dolphins veteran starters and has been Miami's most consistent pass-rush threat over his 10 year career. Some around the league predicted he's starting to lose a step due to age, but that was before his 3 sack performance against the Oilers in the divisional round. Part of Greenwood's decline in regular season numbers can be attributed to RDE Vern Den Herder, who's shown no signs of slowing down since being the marquee signing for Miami two years ago. In fact, this season was one of Den Herder's finest, with 16.5 sacks, 5 blocks, and career highs in hurries (39) and knockdowns (51). Those are Defensive Player of the Year numbers, which he's won twice already in Jacksonville. DT Mike McCoy is primarily a space-eater who doesn't have great stats, but he draws the attention that frees up the others on the Dolphins line to do things. RDT Bob Maddox is loved by the front office and is a terrific pass-rusher. His presence ensures that the Dolphins won't miss Bill Line, the team's best D-lineman -too- much. DE Julius Adams is a run-stopper, but starter-level. DT Bobby Liggett is the weak link, pressed to emergency reserve status by Line's injury. DE George Martin broke out in a big way this year with 16.5 sacks, 5 blocks, 20 hurries and 15 QB knockdowns, as the 4th year player finally seems to have the production to match his talent. Fellow DE Ernie Price surprised with 10.5 sacks as well. NT John Woodcock has improved in each of his 3 seasons and now can be considered a legitimate force to be reckoned with. The reserves for both spots inspire no fear, however. Advantage: Dolphins Linebackers MLB Ed Bradley was an unknown quantity after taking over for long-time Dolphins starter Willie Lanier, but he proved extremely effective as a coverage linebacker, though his tackling was mediocre. SLB Larry Ball was a major upgrade over Rod Shoate, now the team's woefully underperforming WLB. Lanier is still a gamer, but reserve OLB Tim Black is a black hole on passing plays. The Cowboys suffered a major blow when they lost SILB Steve Kiner, their best 'backer, in the NFC Championship game. He's the heart and soul of the Dallas D. Jim Laslavic, his replacement, is average. WILB Steve Nelson is an underachiever, but the outside linebackers had dynamite seasons, with WLB Cal Peterson coming out of nowhere to record double-digit sacks and SLB Gerald Irons also recording double-digit sacks, adding on to an already long-established reputation as an impressive pass-rusher. The reserves are, quite frankly, horrible. Advantage: Cowboys Secondary LCB Lenny Dunlap has been disappointing since joining the Dolphins, but RCB Rolland Lawrence is a major ballhawk and terrific cover corner who's the team's best defensive back. The backups are unremarkable. SS Glen Edwards is one of those guys who puts up All-Pro worthy numbers every year, but keeps getting denied. FS Chuck Crist appears to be losing a step and is probably not the elite safety he once was, but he's still very good. There's no depth to speak of behind them, though, with only a pair of fillers. On the Cowboys, LCB Ken Ellis is one of those guys who's fantastic in the regular season, but gets exposed as being ordinary in the postseason against more elite receivers. RCB Tony Leonard is average, though Danny Colbert is a serviceable nickel back. SS Jackie Wallace has been absolutely dominant this postseason and is a very good safety overall and the same can be said for FS Dennis Bragonier. Backup Chuck Detwiller is capable. Advantage: Dolphins Keys for the Dolphins 1. Avoid turnovers The Cowboys really have no business being here, so to avoid giving Dallas an opening, Miami needs to avoid stupid mental mistakes. 2. Force the Cowboys to pass often. The only player on this Dallas offense who's even close to being a playmaker is RB Fred Willis, so by keying in on him, the Dolphins can force the Cowboys to take to the air, where Miami enjoys superiority on both sides of the ball. 3. Mix things up on offense. With the talent and depth the Dolphins have on offense, particularly at RB and WR, there's no reason for Head Coach Harris Wilcox and Offensive Coordinator Edwin Buckley not to throw as many possible looks and variations at the Dallas defense. Keys for the Cowboys 1. Keep a spy on Walter Payton at all times. The man they call Sweetness is the biggest gamechanger in the Dolphins offense. He can hurt you running and he can hurt you receiving. It's quite possible to stop Payton, as teams have demonstrated throughout his four years in the league, but only if you account for him every time he's in the game. 2. Blitz often. Dallas needs to use their pass-rushing talents and their advantage at linebacker to get pressure on Danny White and corral Walter Payton. The Cowboys can do that, especially since Ron Mikolajcyzk is a weak link at RT. 3. Keep a balanced gameplan on offense Yes, Dallas's passing game is pathetic, but going one-dimensional on the run will result in the Dolphins filling up the box. Conversely, going into panic mode and tilting heavy to the pass too early in the game will result in Miami's secondary absolutely abusing the Cowboys anemic air attack. Overall: The Cowboys really don't have a prayer here unless Miami gets sloppy. Final Line Dolphins by 6
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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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01-21-2008, 07:39 PM
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#227 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
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After this season could you give us a print screen of the team performances screen? I'd like to get an idea of who's (besides the Fish) developing into a dynasty.
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01-21-2008, 11:58 PM
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#228 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Certainly!
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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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01-22-2008, 10:45 AM
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#229 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Things open with a Dallas kickoff return to the Cowboys 15 yard line, followed by a 13 yard pass to FB David Sims. Fortunately, we prevent them from getting a second set of downs, despite a stupid offsides penalty.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys' pass coverage is brutal and Neil Clabo has a terrible 28 yard punt to put Dallas on their own 47 yard line. A 17 yard pass from Steve Tensi to Ryan Upchurch is all that's needed to set up a 50 yard FG try, which Mike Walker nails. Dallas 3 Miami 0 - 8:18 1st Quarter Danny White completes two straight passes on our next drive and Walter Payton runs for a 12 yard gain, but then we stall and punt, this time pinning the Cowboys at their own 2 yard line. I'm starting to pull my hair as Fred Willis begins chewing through our D-line, but a timely sack by L.C. Greenwood and Vern Den Herder stop the Cowboys after Dallas gets out to their 25. We start putting together an actual drive thanks to Danny White and we're within FG territory as the 1st quarter ends. Dallas 3 Miami 0 - End 1st Quarter But then of course we run off two straight negative yardage plays, forcing a punt that puts Dallas at their own 5 yard line. This has just been an absolute surreal Super Bowl with our inability to create a consistent drive. A much needed 3 and out has us at the Dallas 42 after a fair catch and on 2nd and 6, Danny White hits Reggie Garrett for 21 yards, getting us inside the red zone for the first time all game. We make our way to the 11 yard-line before the Cowboys' D makes a stand, setting up a chip-shot 28 yard attempt. It's blocked. This is unbelievable. We're not giving up yet, though, as we march right back down to the red zone following a 12 yard Walter Payton run and an incredible 46 yard pass from Danny White to Lynn Swann in which Swann absolutely tore through the field for 20 yards after the catch. Two plays later, Walter Payton plunges in for the TD! But wait! It's called back because somebody got called for holding. Argh! Then Danny White connects with Steve Largent from 14 yards out on the next play to give us the TD! And this time, it isn't called back! Nor is the extra point blocked. Miami 7 Dallas 3 - 8:36 2nd Quarter We come out fired up after that TD and hold Dallas to a 3 and out, but the drive we're putting together after the punt is snuffed out when Danny White throws an interception that gives the Cowboys the ball back on their 29. What follows is an absolutely absurd drive, where Steve Tensi keeps misfiring passes and then completing them on 3rd down. The Cowboys knock on the door at our 4 yard line inside the two minute warning and I'm swearing profusely, really wanting to hit something. Fortunately, we hold them to a FG, which is how the half ends. Miami 7 Dallas 6 - Halftime A damned frustrating first half. The Cowboys are doing just enough to hang in this game. I have a feeling we're going to break it open in the second, though. So what do we do? 3 and out and give up two long pass plays from Steve Tensi to Ryan Upchurch. A holding penalty saves our bacon on the second one though, nullifying a 20 yard reception and eventually culminating in a punt. Walter Payton runs for 15 yards to put us at midfield, but then we again get stalled in Dallas territory and again punt to situate Dallas inside their own 5 yard line. It's a 3 and out for the Cowboys, but we can't capitalize on the great field position when Walter Payton fumbles and Dallas recovers on their own 49 yard line. This is just unbelievable how this game is going. We're hanging on by a thread when we should be ripping them apart. But we hang on to the lead for the third quarter after trading 3 and outs. Miami 7 Dallas 6 - End 3rd Quarter Guess what happens shortly after the start of the fourth? Fred Willis takes the ball at midfield and runs 22 yards to our 28 and suddenly they're in great position for the FG and the lead. And that's only if we can stop them. Stop them we do, but not before they make things even easier for Mike Walker, who converts the 27 yarder with no problem. Dallas 9 Miami 7 - 11:34 4th Quarter Is this it? Are we doomed to go down in defeat? Not if Danny White has anything to say about, as he completes 6 straight passes, sandwiched with a couple short Walter Payton runs to send us to the Cowboys 3 yard line. And then it happens. Danny White gets absolutely crunched on his last completion and is knocked out of the game. It's a serious groin injury so there's no way he's returning. So it's all up to Don Milan, the hero of the 1976 AFC Championship Game. Can he continue to work his underrated magic? Two plays later: Don Milan to Rich McGeorge for 2 yards and a TD! Miami 14 Dallas 9 - 4:53 4th Quarter The stadium's erupting in pandemonium and everyone watching on television is on the edge of their seats for the following Dallas drive. Hell, -I'm- on the edge of my seat. The kickoff's a touchback. Fred Willis for 0 yards and then the hearts of Cowboys faithful everywhere break as Willie Alexander comes through with a clutch interception at the Dallas 20! 4:13 left in the game. A field goal should seal it. A TD -will- seal it. A 4 yard pass, followed by an 8 yard Walter Payton run buys a first down with 2:31 left in the game. Time's running out for the Cowboys. The sand runs out of the hourglass and the clock strikes midnight for Cinderella two plays later as Walter Payton pulls of a sweet 11 yard run for the game-winning TD!!!!! Miami 21 Dallas 9 - 2:22 4th Quarter Steve Tensi makes a valiant effort to try and score a late TD to make it look respectable, even completing a 22 yard pass, but two drops by Ryan Upchurch end that hope. Three Don Milan knees after the turnover on downs later and we have our fourth Super Bowl championship, the first team to 4 Super Bowl wins in universe history. Miami 21 Dallas 9 - Final Danny White is the Super Bowl MVP for his 22-31 for 242 yard, 1 TD, 1 INT performance, but Vern Den Herder deserves credit for his tackle, assist, sack, 3 hurries and 5 knockdowns and the real unsung hero of this Super Bowl game is SLB Larry Ball, who had 6 tackles and 4 pass defenses. This may well be the sweetest Super Bowl championship of all. I didn't engineer this win with a terrific Johnny Unitas signing that anybody could've made, nor did I get lucky with the #1 overall draft pick in Ken Stabler. I won this with more hard work and more effort than I've ever put in any Super Bowl-winning team. The Ken Stabler trade for Walter Payton doesn't look so bad for either team now, since we've both won a Super Bowl title as a direct result of the deal. Even better, the Dolphins have two Super Bowl appearances to show for it, which goes a long way to disproving the theory that we'd be hurting for surrendering a franchise QB and multiple 1st round picks. I've learned a lot from that deal and the teams that followed it. Never let a QB controversy develop, because I think that really hurt our team last year. It also allowed me to have real faith and trust in Don Milan, who is one of my favorite Dolphins players in this universe. A 6th round pick who I didn't think would live out past his rookie contract now has a 3-0 record and two postseason heroics under his belt. And ultimately, that's what these championship winners were built on: Gutsy moves, loyalty, and giving people chances. Here's a look at the starting lineup for the Super Bowl: Offense QB Danny White - FA 1978 RB Walter Payton - 1st round 1975 draft (1.1) FB Larry Csonka - 2nd round 1968 draft (2.32) TE Charle Young - FA 1978 FL Lynn Swann - 1st round 1974 draft (1.14) SE Steve Largent - 2nd round 1976 draft (2.3) LT Bob McKay - FA 1977 LG Mo Moorman - 1st round 1968 draft (1.32) C Tom Banks - FA 1974 RG Gene Upshaw - 1st round 1967 draft (1.29) RT Ron Mikolajcyzk - 2nd round 1973 draft (2.32) K Tim Webster - 5th round 1971 draft (5.25) Defense LDE L.C. Greenwood - 2nd round 1969 draft (2.25) LDT Mike McCoy - FA 1978 RDT Bob Maddox - 3rd round 1973 draft (3.23) RDE Vern Den Herder - FA 1977 SLB Larry Ball - FA 1978 MLB Ed Bradley - FA 1977 WLB Rod Shoate - 2nd round 1975 draft (2.28) LCB Lenny Dunlap - FA 1977 RCB Rolland Lawrence - 1st round 1973 draft (1.32) SS Glen Edwards - 1st round 1971 draft (1.25) FS Chuck Crist - 1st round 1972 draft (1.28) P Neil Clabo - 4th round 1975 draft (4.29) What an amazing feeling this one is. Even better, I think we have the horses in place to compete again next year, particularly if we can re-sign Danny White, who is Offseason Priority #1.
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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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01-22-2008, 10:57 AM
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#230 |
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Pro Rookie
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Macomb, MI
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Congrats!
I really like the way you've built this team, seems like you could survive an injury to anyone and not miss a beat. |
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01-22-2008, 05:00 PM
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#231 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
Thanks The team's pretty deep in a few areas, though in others I'd be hosed if we lost our main starter(s).My main emphasis over the next few offseasons is probably going to be on finding guys to be heirs to some of our old talent. Jim Hough was an absolutely brilliant find who'll be able to take over for Mo Moorman next year, making our G situation a heck of a lot less critical than it was. But we still don't have anyone to be Gene Upshaw's replacement and our DE situation is looking pretty long in the tooth right now as well. There's other aging concerns and other positions that need addressing too, of course, but overall, I'm quite happy with how things are shaping up, both for the present and for the long-term.
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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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01-22-2008, 11:36 PM
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#232 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Florida
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Congrats...
*grumble* damn fish beat my Cowboys *grumble* I did warn you about Danny White in the post season though...looks like Miami won despite him!  |
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01-23-2008, 12:24 AM
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#233 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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Draft! Draft! Draft! Draft! Draft!
In descending order of how they were actually picked. . . Dan Hampton (DT) One of my first NFL jerseys Otis Anderson (RB) Take the place of your 'other' anderson Kellen Winslow (TE) If a TE really mattered...plus, he's not his son Mark Gastineau (DE) Maybe he'll bring Brigette? Bob Golic (DT) Never hurts to have a Hollywood connection Donald Dykes (DB) Need I say more? Joe Montana (QB) I hear he does solid commercials now. Roy Green (WR) It's not easy being Green. Ron Springs (RB) Can summer be far behind? Dwayne Woodruff (S) He can bark like a dog. Steve Lindquist (G) If nothing else he'll use up that extra q the equipment guy has sitting around for jerseys. Matt Bahr (K) He kicks the ball. Max Montoya (T) Pushes houses over for fun. Kirk Gibson (WR) He's great in the clutch..ok, he may need a bat to play. . . Jim Browner (DB) Just call him Joe Drew Hill (WR) Match him with a guy named Mouse and watch the numbers grow! |
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01-23-2008, 09:13 PM
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#234 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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SFL Cat: Thanks
And honestly White wasn't that bad. He actually played well enough to win us the Super Bowl in my opinion, as he only had the one INT and was pretty accurate. Nowhere near his regular season numbers, though, which makes your commentary quite valid damnMikeBrown:  No guarantees of course, but we'll see what happens.
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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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01-23-2008, 10:02 PM
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#235 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
Interesting that Alexander led us in tackles, considering he was our nickel back, but a quick look at the numbers reveals that we used our nickel package quite heavily, which accounts for it. What more can you say about White than has been said already? Truly a savior to this franchise. Payton had another terrific year, but Armstrong may or may not be asked back as the #2 RB next season. I still really like his running, but his receiving skills don't fit Edwin Buckley's offense. Swann and Largent both miss out on 1,000 yards again, but you can't get over the feeling that they're going to break the barrier one of these days. Den Herder absolutely ate the league alive this season and Lawrence returned to the kind of Pro-Bowl esque form he had a couple years ago. All in all, just a fantastic year. Buckley showed he was worth the fat contract extension he got a while back and Don Bruce kept the defense running smoothly in his rookie year replacing the legendary Royce Womble as DC. 1978 Miami Dolphins Awards QB Danny White - Super Bowl MVP, 1st Team All-Pro QB From late 3rd round draft pick to Washington Redskins castoff to Dolphins starter and Super Bowl MVP. Yep, that's right, he was originally drafted by Washington. Why I thought it was Cincinnati, I don't know. In any case... What a storybook season for White who's set himself up for a major payday in free agency this year. I'm going to do everything in my power to bring him back to the team. He's that much a difference-maker. RB Walter Payton - Offensive Player of the Year, 1st Team All-Pro RB A just reward for a player who's not only the single greatest RB ever to don a Dolphins uniform, but also the best RB in the entire league at this moment. He hasn't been as dominant as Jim Brown was in the early years of this universe, but he's still been consistently very good, with occasional flashes of godliness. There's no doubt that Sweetness will wear the Aqua and Orange for his entire career, no matter the cost. K Tim "Wonder" Webster - 2nd Team All-Pro K It's hard to argue with 91.9% FG kicks, 70% from 40+ range (7/10) and 1/2 from 50+ range. He's the only Dolphins kicker that's lasted more than a few seasons and I have to admit, this clutch, awesome kicker will probably stay in Miami, even if I find another guy when he gets too old to kick any more. He's that much a favorite of mine. DE Vern Den Herder - 2nd Team All-Pro DE So he's not as dominant as he was in Jacksonville. So what? He's still a great DE, still good enough to earn All-Pro honors, his first in a Dolphins uniform. I really like having him and L.C. Greenwood as partners. It's an even better version of the old Greenwood-Aaron Brown tandem. Harris Wilcox - Coach of the Year Wilcox's second Coach of the Year award, but the most satisfying. He not only becomes the third straight Dolphins head coach to win a Super Bowl (Tyrus Treftz and Dave Hamner won before him, remember), but his story's a sweet one. An extremely successful college coach and 59 years old when we signed him, everyone was shocked that we hired such an old man, as it ran counter to the usual Dolphins' head coach hiring strategy. 5 years later, he's delivered two Super Bowl appearances and our fourth Super Bowl title. Score one for the grey eminences. G Gene Upshaw - Legend of the Game It's hard to say if Upshaw deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Although he has two All-Pro nods to his credit, both were to the 2nd Team and throughout his career, he was mostly very good rather than truly brilliant and somewhat underwhelming overall in my opinion. He also fails to rank on any all-time records lists other than the Dolphins. That said, it's hard to argue with 12 seasons of solid play from a 1.29 pick. Here's his card:  Super Bowl Championships 1967, 1972, 1978 All-Pro Teams 2nd Team - 1968, 1976 Miami Dolphins All-Time Records 1st - Key Run Blocks 1st - Key Run Block Opportunities 1st - Pancake Blocks 1st - Games Started Other Major Award Winners MVP QB Don Horn - Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Player of the Year DE Lawrence Pillers - Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Earl Campbell - New England Patriots (despite only playing 8 games with 786 yards rushing and 4 TDs before getting knocked out with a season-ending injury. It must have been a -very- weak offensive player class). Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Art Still - Baltimore Ravens Here's the requested Team Performance screenshot:  The Steelers absolutely fascinate me. They're one of the powerhouses in this universe, yet they can't seem to get it done in the playoffs. Houston's always got a good squad and one of my biggest postseason rivals for dominance in the AFC year in and year out. I feel sorry for the Browns. 5 times to the Super Bowl and 5 times shut out of a ring. The Cowboys are somewhat less cursed with an 0-3 mark. I'm very tempted to take Cleveland the next time I do a historical dynasty and see if I can break that hex, though I'd originally planned to do an NFC team for something different. The Super Bowls:  The dominant teams of this decade have been us in the AFC and the Giants in the NFC. If New York can keep that trend going, it won't be long before they're considered one of the dynastic powerhouses in league history, a place I would say currently belongs to the Dolphins and the Oilers. The Colts have pretty much fallen off the face of the earth and though Green Bay won a Super Bowl in 1970, they're nowhere near the franchise they were in the '60s. I planned to do some more actual gameplay, but I've got a lot of stuff to get done as I'm going back to school tomorrow. Expect another update sometime late tomorrow night.
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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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01-25-2008, 09:23 PM
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#236 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Staff Hiring
Our Lead Scout, who I never liked all that much anyway, has retired, leaving us with a gap to fill. Attribute Changes: Head Coach Harris Wilcox Discipline: Good to Average Despite the downgrade, there's no way in hell I'm replacing this guy, not after he just won us the Super Bowl. Maybe after his contract runs out, we'll look elsewhere. It's a terrible crop for rookie Lead Scouts this year, but I grab the one who looks like he has the most potential for growth at $40,000 a year for 3 years. Lead Scout Grady Coffey (39) QB: Fair RB: Average WR: VG OL: Average KP: Good DL: Good LB: Fair DB: VG YT: Good Tyrus Treftz re-signed with the Cowboys on an $820,000 a year/5 year deal by the way and Dave Hanner switched teams again, going from Kansas City to Tampa Bay for $750,000 a year/4 years. Just think, if Treftz had stayed in Miami, he probably could've won a slew more Super Bowls by now instead of failing to win the big one in the Big D. Hanner I can't really blame, though. He wanted the opportunity to rebuild the Chiefs, which he did, and he'll have the same chance with the Buccaneers, who haven't been to the playoffs in a few years (1976 was their last postseason appearance). C Fred Quillan is our summer league nod, as he'll keep filling at backup until Tom Banks either retires or takes a nosedive. By The Numbers QB, RB, FB, TE x 2, WR, G, T, K, FS, SS (12 new bodies total) Danny White, as I've said ad nauseam, is our #1 priority without question. We're also going to be looking heavily for new possibilities at RG, RT, and the secondary, along with a long-term solution at TE. RG isn't critical yet, because even if I can't find a starter I like, I can always shift Mo Moorman to the right side and plug in a backup. Week 1 Extensions/Re-signings FB Curtis Brown - 1 year, $50k RB Walter Payton - 5 years, $4.53 mill. RDE Vern Den Herder - 3 years, $1.52 mill. FL Lynn Swann - 5 years, $2.99 mill. C Tom Banks - 3 years, $640k LG Mo Moorman - 2 years, $400k LDE L.C. Greenwood - 2 years, $600k Major money to a couple of key players and some shorter deals to some old vets that I want to make sure spend the rest of their days with us. Banks' deal isn't that bad, because he was willing to take a $30k total bonus since he knows of my reputation for keeping guys that have meant a lot to us around to the end. Week 2 Signings TE Charle Young - 3 years, $740k (Re-signing) -Solid TE for us last year who solves the revolving door for a few years at least. WR Reggie Garrett - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -Thought I signed him to a min-sal deal, but apparently I didn't. That's going to hurt us as we're real tight up against the cap this year. But in any case, he's a good performer to have back. RG Noah Jackson - 3 years, $810k (Atlanta) -Very, very good all-around guard who's already a mentor in just his 6th season. Fills the gaping hole left by Gene Upshaw's retirement and ensures we won't be hurting too terribly on the line the next few years. RDT Mike McCoy - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Played quite well not in terms of raw numbers, but in terms of the space he ate up. Good min-sal return. Danny White Sweepstakes Miami Tucson Figures the Titans would be gunning for him.  Week 3 Signings WR Frank Lewis - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -The man simply doesn't drop passes and that's enough to bring him back, especially with the low, low ticket price. I'm sure glad I traded for him back in the day. Danny White Sweepstakes Miami Tucson Detroit Washington Haha! The Redskins realize the screwup they made and are trying to woo him back to the nation's capital. Week 4 Signings TE Rich McGeorge - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Probably shouldn't have re-signed him, because I'm looking to find a hot young rookie in the draft, but oh well. I can always cut him if need be. MLB Merv Krakau - 4 years, $1.87 mil. (Atlanta) -I got into a huge, huge bidding war for this guy, an extremely talented middle linebacker who's a fan favorite and a mentor in his 7th season. Did I pay too much? Probably, but he's better than Ed Bradley, who I've let go to the wind. Sure, he's not Willie Lanier, but who knows? Maybe he could be in our defense. Danny White Sweepstakes Carolina Cleveland Cincinnati Denver Detroit Indianapolis Miami Tampa Bay Tucson Washington We're up to 1/3rd of the league vying for White. What a fun battle this is. Week 5 Signings RT Ron Mikolajczyk - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -I was *this* close to going another direction, but Ron's cheaper price, passable play, and my odd liking for him meant that I decided to bring him back for another year as our starting RT. K Tim Webster - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -The K who needs no introduction on his way back into a Dolphins uniform. Danny White Sweepstakes No change Week 6 Signings RB Delvin Williams - 1 year, $80k* (New England) -A one-time Offensive Rookie of the Year (1974), Williams is younger and a better receiver than Otis Armstrong for the exact same price. Although Armstrong's a sentimental favorite of mine, Williams is a much better fit for [b]Edwin Buckley[/b['s offensive scheme. Week 6 Losses G Fred Sturt - 1 year, $100k (Buffalo) -Poor Fred. Originally signed as a possible heir to Mo Moorman, he lost his spot when Jim Hough burst onto the scene as a rookie last year. That said, he was a fantastic player, one I briefly considered signing to again be the backup while I moved Moorman over to the right side, but in the end, I wanted a longer-term solution there. Hopefully he'll get a starting spot with the Bills, because he was sensational as a backup. S Ray Oldham - 1 year, $80k* -Crap! I forgot to look for reserve safeties! I'm not upset about losing Oldham, though. While a brilliant special teams player, he was awful in coverage and really got picked on during our Super Bowl championship run. Danny White Sweepstakes Carolina Cleveland Cincinnati Denver Detroit Indianapolis Miami New Orleans (eh?) Philadelphia Tampa Bay Tucson Washington A quick look at the Saints roster reveals that oh, okay, they're looking to grab White as an heir apparent to Ken Stabler, who completed just 47.6% of his passes last year, with 13 TDs to 17 INTs, the first negative ratio of his career. So we're up to 12 teams out of 32 coming calling now. Week 7 Signings QB Danny White - 3 years, $2.25 mill. (Re-signing) -That giant sucking sound you just heard was almost all of our available cap money going down the drain. Now, that said, White is the Savior of the franchise. With him, we've got a shot at dynasty. Without him, we're a borderline playoff team. S Jackie Wallace - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas) -After losing the Super Bowl to us, Wallace wants to hop on the winning train, so he agrees to give up being a starter for a shot at a Super Bowl ring. What an absolutely terrific backup safety. This one makes me grin. Double bonus: He's an amazing punt returner. Week 8 Signings S Dennis Bragonier - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas) -I want you guys to all think back to 1963 in this universe. Remember when we signed a couple of guys named Ross Fichtner and Don Fleming, best friends and teammates with the Cleveland Browns, the respective starting SS and FS, who went on to spend the rest of their careers in Miami? (They had quite terrific ones, in fact). Well, Wallace and Bragonier are mini-versions of those guys, teammates and best friends who have decided to chase the Super Bowl together, both voluntarily leaving the Cowboys to take backup roles with the Dolphins. It's an awesome story. Unfortunately, as a result of all this free agent work, we're now so low on cash, we can't afford to sign our draft picks. Luckily, DE Julius Adams, FS Chuck Crist and LCB Lenny Dunlap come through in a big way, all agreeing to take major paycuts to give us breathing room to not only sign our picks, but have financial flexibility to make some fairly significant moves. Only Crist and Dunlap wanted an extra year; Adams was happy to oblige with a much-reduced contract. Week 8 Losses RB Otis Armstrong - 1 year, $80* (Indianapolis) -He'll stay in the #2 role with the Colts, where O.J. Simpson, who I will never, ever draft in a historical league, no matter how badly I need a RB, is still going strong in his 11th season. Here's to hoping Juice gets a nasty injury and Armstrong gets to start again. Just a quality guy all-around my favorite #2 RB is. If only he didn't drop so many passes, he could've come back. It's on to the draft, which I'll do next post because I like the draft to be the first part of the post. Makes it easier to see.
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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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01-25-2008, 11:46 PM
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#237 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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There's some drafts where there's a lot of mystery and speculation surrounding the #1 pick.
Then there's this draft, where the New Orleans Saints are picking #1 overall and a guy named Joe Montana is sitting on the board. New Orleans has been looking for Ken Stabler's heir, as previously noted, and Montana would be the perfect fit. Other high-interest rookies include RB Ottis Anderson, DE Mark Gastineaul, DE Dan Hampton, QB Phil Simms and.... QB Doug Williams, the QB with character issues who was famously traded up for in last year's draft after the 49ers let themselves get ripped off by the Ravens. He refused to sign with the Ravens after a parking lot argument with the team owner. Suddenly it's Baltimore who's looking like fools for giving up so much. As for us, we're looking primarily for a new starting CB, young blood at DE, a new starting RT, and possible a MLB in case Mike Hunt proves an unworthy backup. None of these are what I would call screamingly urgent needs, however, so we're really in a position where we can take BPA or maybe do some trading down or up. 1979 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. QB Joe Montana - New Orleans Saints 2. QB Doug Williams - Green Bay Packers (no drop for Dougie) 3. RB Ottis Anderson - Oakland Raiders 4. QB Steve Dils - Tucson Titans Wow, Dils picked before Simms. The crowd in New York can't believe it and boos are heard everywhere in Arizona. 5. ILB Frank Manumalega - Jacksonville Jaguars 6. DE Mark Gastineau - Los Angeles Rams 7. DE Dan Hampton - Kansas City Chiefs 8. TE Kellen Winslow - Baltimore Ravens 9. QB Phil Simms - New York Giants Now this makes me smile. Simms drops, but he falls right into the Giants' laps. I love it when the alternate universes match up with real life and in this case, Simms gets a chance to lead the recent NFC juggernaut New York squad to even greater heights of power and one of this universe's true dynasties. 10. CB Jerome King - St. Louis Cardinals 11. CB Dwayne Woodruff - San Diego Chargers 12. T Cody Risien - Indianapolis Colts 13. G Kent Hill - Atlanta Falcons 14. ILB Tom Cousineau - Washington Redskins through New England Patriots The Patsies pick up the Redskins' 1st round pick next year and Washington's 2nd and 4th round picks in 1981. Fair deal for both teams, as New England gets extra picks and Washington gets the best MLB on the board. 15. DT Marty Lyons - New Jersey Jets 16. ILB Barry Krauss - Chicago Bears 17. WR Jeff Groth - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18. S Vernon Perry - Minnesota Vikings 19. ILB Jim Haslett - Seattle Seahawks 20. QB Jeff Komlo - Cincinnati Bengals 21. WR Jerry Butler - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22. S Brenard Wilson - Carolina Panthers 23. DT Fred Smerlas - New England Patriots through Houston Oilers The Patriots give up their 1981 1st round pick and their 7th round picks next year and the 81 draft. I notice the Jets took a DT too, as our division foes are seeking to beef up their D-lines against Walter Payton. 24. ILB Jerry Robinson - Philadelphia Eagles 25. DT Bruce Radford - Pittsburgh Steelers 26. ILB Lee Kunz - Detroit Lions 27. RB Jerry Eckwood - Dallas Cowboys through San Francisco 49ers In their quest for a Super Bowl repeat visit, the Cowboys upgrade their running game, but surrender their 1981 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. Talk about a desparation move! The 49ers just got filthy rich for the '81 draft as a result of this transactions. 28. RB Eddie Lee Ivery - Washington Redskins 29. RB Tony Nathan - Baltimore Ravens through Cleveland Browns The Browns pick up Baltimore's 1981 1st rounder and their 3rd and 4th round picks in next year's draft. Nice gain for Cleveland, in my opinion and it seems like nobody wants their 1981 1st round pick. I might have to see about getting one for myself then. 30. CB Lawrence Johnson - Denver Broncos Damn. That was the CB I was hoping would drop to me. 31. DE Dwaine Board - Tucson Titans through Dallas Cowboys Tucson was scared I'd take this guy, so they give up their 2nd round picks for next year and 1981 to move up and take him. Not something they really had to do, since Board wasn't on our board at all anyway. So I'm looking at the board and there's some good players available, but at the same time, none of these guys is really grabbing me. The tackles all have really low development, none of the MLBs say instant starter after the money we spent in free agency.. besides, I want to see what Mike Hunt can do and it's too early to be taking one of the CBs I really like. There's some very sexy options still left at WR, but that'd be overkill, especially since Lynn Swann and Steve Largent are only in their 6th and 4th years respectively. I think I'll just trade out of the first completely and see what I can get from other teams. It doesn't take me all that long to make a deal, trading away the pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for their 1st rounder next year and their 1981 6th round selection. 32. DE Bruce Thornton - Jacksonville Jaguars When the guy before the CB I most covet goes off the board early in the 2nd, I do some calling around before deciding to try and move up to grab him. It takes considerable doing and a fairly high price, but finally the Indianapolis Colts take our 2.32 in this draft, our 1980 3rd rounder, and our 1981 5th rounder, allowing us to jump up 21 spots and take CB Wade Manning at 2.11. Even if he doesn't pan out as a starting CB, he'll be a versatile all-around nickel/dime back able to return both kicks and punts, something we've been lacking in for a while. There's a number of interesting options availabe when we pick quite early in the 3rd round, but it's a no-brainer selection to take TE John Spagnola. Although he skipped the combines and my scout's of the opinion he's very overrated, he looks like a terrific receiver and a special teams ace, with acceptable pass-blocking skills. I also think he looks like a breakout candidate in spite of what my scout thinks and an affinity with our receivers leader seals the deal. Our luck isn't so bright in the 4th, when the WR I really wanted to drop to me went early in the round and the T I wanted to get to challenge Ron Mikolajcyzk for the RT spot went to the Cowboys *right* before me. In fact, there's nobody left on the whole board I'm really excited about, but I take a flyer on WR Steve Watson anyway, just to see if he'll be an upgrade to Walter Tullis as the 5th receiver. For what it's worth, Watson was graded by the board as having 2nd or 3rd round type-talent, so it's quite a fall he's taken. P Eddie Hare is our 5th round pick, as we search for a challenger to Neil Clabo. Yeah, it didn't long for this draft to reach the dregs. I'm not looking forward to the 6th or 7th rounds, which'll really be flyer time. His KR potential gets S Kim Anderson a Dolphins uniform in the 6th, though my guess is he won't even make it to the preseason. Very one-dimensional player and we have other options who offer more talent, it seems. And finally, Mr. Irrelevant, the 7.32 pick, who is CB Mark Tubbs, a 6'3", 188 lbs. CB out of Alcorn State, who looks like he has some surprising potential to be a nickel or dime back in this league. Late Free Agency Week 1 Signings MLB Ed Bradley - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -You know, I just don't know that I trust Mike Hunt to be a breakout. I'd feel much more comfortable having Bradley as the backup. He's been pretty good for us, you know. Code:
Manning's drop was a disappointment, but he may well have turned out to be a vital pickup anyway, as you'll see when we look at the team preview. I couldn't be happier with Spagnola. He'll be the #2 TE, a special teamer and possibly get the reps on passing downs this year. I'd say he's a pretty safe bet to take over as the starting TE at some point too. Watson was an unexpected boomer and he could possibly be the back up FL or SE this season, but more on that later. Hare will challenge Clabo. Anderson and Tubbs are cast-offs.
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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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01-26-2008, 03:44 PM
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#238 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
White-Milan-Landry same as last year, no matter how much Greg continues to complain to the press. Code:
Stability here, too, with Payton, Csonka, and Brown all reprising their same roles, Williams an exchange for Otis Armstrong as the #2 back. Code:
Young hangs on to the starting TE spot, but Spagnola is the #2 TE and probable heir apparent. While Swann and Largent are the starters, Garrett the backup SE, backup FL is a dogfight between Lewis and Watson. My hunch says Lewis as winner, Watson as the 5th receiver. Blue and Tullis get to play the inactive game and probably McGeorge too. Code:
Towns showed vast improvement last season, so that, coupled with McKay's hit, gives him the edge. We'll have a line of Towns-Hough-Banks-Jackson-Mikolajczyk, with Quillan, Moorman, and McKay the reserves. I'm very comfortable with how this position group is looking for future seasons, though we'll be on the hunt for an elite young T as we always are every year. Code:
Hare and Clabo will fight it out in preseason, though Clabo has the edge because of his kickholding talents. Webster's still one of the best. Code:
Greenwood-Line-McCoy-Den Herder, with Adams the reserve DE, Maddox getting in on passing downs, and Ieremia the greenline. L.C.'s on his last legs and he probably won't have enough left in the tank to start next season. Youth is a big, big concern for the entire defensive line now. Code:
Ball's decline means Shoate shifts back to the strong side to start and we're looking at a backer 3 of Shoate-Krakau-Black, with Ball and Bradley the reserves. Hunt will get extended preseason time, while Lanier sadly joins the inactives. What a stellar career he's had with the Dolphins after joining us in 1971 and it's not going to feel the same without him there. Code:
Dunlap and Lawrence are our starting corners. Alexander and Manning will be the respective CB backups, with Manning the nickel choice. Nelms is a return guy, as is Manning. Tubbs hits the inactive list. Code:
Edwards and Crist will once again be the starting safeties. Wallace and Bragonier are the backups, with Wallace our #1 PR option. Anderson goes on the inactive list as well. We're favorites to repeat, with the Washington Redskins the runaway NFC favorites. I think we've definitely got the ability to do it, but our depth is shakier this year than last. It'll be close.
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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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01-27-2008, 02:42 AM
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#239 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Preseason
Miami 31 Carolina 6 A rare Week 1 Preseason game results in this laugher, highlighted by Delvin Williams pulling an Otis Armstrong with 16 carries for 103 yards and Steve Largent taking in 7 catches for 104 yards. Jackie Wallace starts off his unofficial Dolphins career with a bang, returning an interception 38 yards for a TD. Starting LDT Bill Line injures his knee and he'll be out the rest of the preseason. Mike McCoy will slot over to take his place, elevating Bob Maddox to starting RDT again, with Mikeli Ieremia getting backup reps. Dallas 13 Miami 38 A Super Bowl re-match results in another Cowboys pasting. Wade Manning had 10 tackles and an assist to go with his pass defense and both our QBs looked sharp this game. Atlanta 6 Miami 13 Toughest matchup we've had in a long time. Our offense struggled all game and Delvin Williams is starting to look like a bad signing: 1.86 ypc last game, 0.88 this game.. One bright spot: Vern Den Herder with 5 tackles, an assist, 4.5 sacks, a hurry and 4 knockdowns. Rookie backup FL Steve Watson separates his shoulder and will be out 6 weeks. Frank Lewis slides in to his old spot, Walter Tullis reprising his 5th WR role. Miami 0 Philadelphia 27 OUCH! I hate ending the preseason with a loss, especially a goose egg like this one. To be honest, I can't remember the last time we were shut out, in preseason *or* regular season play and I don't particularly feel like researching it. Don Milan was terrible today and Tim Webster couldn't hit any FGs. I think opposing teams are starting to figure Milan out. I don't care, though. He's still a Front Office Favorite. We welcome LDT Bill Line back to the lineup, hit recommend and roar into the regular season. Regular Season Buffalo 0 Miami 13 Always nice to see the goose egg reversed. Noah Jackson performs a rare feat for a guard: He returns a fumble 5 yards for a TD, the game's only such score. Our run game went nowhere today and Danny White looked extremely mortal. We were only saved by 2 interceptions and could've very easily lost this game. Injuries start hitting hard now. T Bob McKay is out 9 weeks with a broken foot and starting TE Charle Young tears a tendon in his wrist, out approximately 10 weeks. We cut P Eddie Hare and sign T Mike Richey, an 11 year vet cut by the Cincinnati Bengals after preseason to be the backup tackle. Backup C Fred Quillan becomes the LS, with rookie TE John Spagnola taking over the starting spot a season early. Miami 31 Dallas 27 Re-match #2 and this time it counts. Accordingly, the Cowboys turn this one into a shootout, with 7 combined passing TDs. We win the split 4-3, and that's what decides the game. Danny White is Player of the Game with a 22-41 for 277 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT, but Lynn Swann was more deserving with 8 catches for 143 yards and 3 TDs. Chuck Crist led the defense with a tackle, 2 assists, a half-sack and 2 interceptions. Another game, another downed starter and this time it's WLB Tim Black, who'll miss next week with a strained deltoid muscle. We say goodbye to rookie CB Mark Tubbs and hello to 4th year WLB Ken Bordelon, late of the Tucson Titans, primarily noted for his special teams work. OLB Larry Ball switches over to the weak side and takes over as the starter there. Denver 14 Miami 30 It's not a bye week, but we'll take this lighthearted win over Steve Ramsey and the Broncos. Walter Payton shreds Denver's D 37 times for 148 yards and a TD, Danny White eats them for 304 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT on 24/36 passing and Lynn Swann finally gets Player of the Game with 8 catches for 166 yards and 2 TDs. Bill Line highlights the defense with 2 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown. Strange, our pass rush has been surprisingly quiet so far this season. WLB Tim Black is probable, but we'll let him sit a full week to try and make Larry Ball more happy. Miami 34 New England 13 Meet the worst team in the NFL, the Patriots. Walter Payton shows why he outclasses Earl Campbell by rushing 28 times for 139 yards and 3 TDs and adds 5 catches for 36 yards and another TD on his way to Player of the Game. And yeah, that's pretty much the story right there. WLB Tim Black is officially back and FL Steve Watson fights back through rehab to be Probable 2 weeks early. We rush to insert him back in the #3 slot and Black in his starting spot. Miami 37 Jacksonville 7 Home, road, it doesn't seem to matter this season, knock on wood. Walter Payton rushes 28 times for 108 yards and a TD and Danny White wins Player of the Game thanks to his 3 TD/0 INT ratio. Bill Line and Bob Maddox both get 2 sacks, with Maddox getting 2 tackles and an assist and Line recording 4 tackles, 2 assists, a hurry and a knockdown in addition. Houston 28 Miami 41 Backup FB Curtis Brown had the niftiest play of the game, a 1-yard plunge for his first ever NFL TD. Not bad for a guy who was undrafted, no? Walter Payton chomps on the Oilers for 124 rushing yards and a TD on 27 carries with 4 catches for 32 yards and another TD. Lenny Dunlap was just sick out there, with 3 tackles, a pass defense, and 2 interceptions, including one he took back 74 yards for the score. Our defensive ends discovered how to pass rush again as well, with L.C. Greenwood and Vern Den Herder both amassing 2 tackles and 2 sacks. Greenwood got an assist in there as well, while Den Herder roughed Houston's QB up for a block, a hurry and 4 knockdowns. Miami 29 Buffalo 16 Mike Nelms opened up the Miami scoring with an 82 yard kickoff return right after Buffalo scored the first TD. It broke the Bills' backs along with Walter Payton, who continued his torrid play with 23 rushes for 167 yards and a TD, his 5th straight 100+ rushing yard game. Bill Line was an absolute monster with 8 tackles, 2 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown in headlining the defense. Starting MLB Merv Krakau hyperextends his elbow and will miss the next game bare minimum. This means Ed Bradley steps in as the starter, along with Willie Lanier as the backup. Logic would say Mike Hunt, who's finally showing signs of being a good reserve MLB, should be the backup, but to hell with logic. One of my favorite Dolphins in this universe is getting one last shot at regular season play. Indianapolis 6 Miami 30 Walter Payton wins his umpteenth Player of the Game award and runs his 100+ rushing yardage streak to 6 with this 24 carry for 129 yards and 2 TD performance. He also added 4 catches for 30 yards and another TD. Honestly, this half-season has just been incredible to watch in terms of Sweetness. Vern Den Herder paces the defense with 3 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, 2 hurries and 3 knockdowns. So for the second straight season, we go into the halfway point 8-0. We're absolutely dominating a parity-ridden AFC, as the next closest team is 5-2 Pittsburgh. Things are so bad, 4-4 will get you a tie of the division lead in the AFC South, where Houston and Tucson both sit at .500. Let's take a look at the team stats, shall we? Code:
Walter Payton is on pace to do something that hasn't been done since Lenny Moore in 1962: challenge for the sacred mark of 2,000 rushing yards. Jim Brown just missed it in the first year of this universe, with 1,988 yards in 1960 and Moore's 62 season also fell short at 1,968. Moore also has the #3 all-time mark with 1,856 yards in 1960. It'll be something very exciting to follow for the rest of the season. Lynn Swann is again on pace for 1,000 yard receiving yards. Let's hope he hits it this year. It's been a very odd season defensively in that it's the DTs who are providing most of the pass-rush punch. Not that I'm complaining, it's just weird given how this team's traditionally been. Chuck Crist is having a lights out season and I really, really hope he gets an All-Pro award at the end of the year. Steve Largent dropping so many passes may well explain why Philadelphia made the moronic suggestion of a 7th rounder for him in the preseason. It was the first decline I've ever hit. So the second half of the year is going to be about pursuits: Payton pursing 2,000, Swann chasing 1,000 and us questing for 16-0. I sure hope we get it.
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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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01-27-2008, 09:57 AM
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#240 | |
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College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Florida
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Quote:
Better look out! I hear Tom Brady is sending assassins from the future back to 1979 to take care of White, Payton, Swann and anyone else who might give the Fins a shot at a 16-0 regular season record. "Is your name Danny White? Tom Brady sends his regards. Hasta, la vista." Last edited by SFL Cat : 01-27-2008 at 10:20 AM. |
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01-28-2008, 08:37 AM
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#241 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Quote:
We've gone 8-0 a few times before in this universe, including last year, but something always happens to screw it up.This year might be the charm... and I'm up early enough to find 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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01-28-2008, 09:44 AM
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#242 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Our perfect run thus far is riddled with unhappiness. QB Greg Landry is shilling for a trade as usual, DT Mike McCoy is unhappy because he's not in the nickel package, DE Julius Adams wants to start over L.C. Greenwood after agreeing to restructure his contract for us and is unhappy and both OLB Larry Ball and WLB Tim Black are disgruntled. To every single last one of them, I say deal.
T Bob McKay is back up to Probable, but Mike Richey's been playing so well as the backup T, I don't see a need to switch until McKay's fully healthy. MLB Merv Krakau is also Probable after the bye week, so he gets put back in the starting lineup. Miami 24 Tucson 21 The Titans, long-time admirers of the Dolphins and their players, nearly ruin our perfect season. It takes a late 4th quarter 16 yard TD pass from Danny White to Walter Payton to give us the comeback win. Walter Payton runs his 100+ game streak to 7 in a row, with 28 carries for 147 yards and a TD and 2 catches for 21 yards and the game-winning TD as Player of the Game. Mike Nelms averaged 30.3 yards a kickoff return. Miami 33 New Jersey 13 No scare from the Jets as Walter Payton keeps right on going, with 28 rushes for 128 yards and 2 TDs, taking him to 8 in a row. It's really been something incredible to see. We're also now 10-0 on the year. TE John Spagnola strains his elbow tendon and is out for possibly the rest of the regular season. Charle Young is questionable, but we'll insert him in the lineup anyway. T Bob McKay is now fully rested up, so he'll be back in as the reserve T. Philadelphia 0 Miami 30 We avenge the Eagles' 28-0 shutout of us in preseason with an even more emphatic shutout to put us at 11-0. The Walter Payton streak runs to 9, with 26 rushes for 149 yards and a TD and 6 catches for 47 yards and another TD, though it took a 54 yard TD run midway through the 4th to get him over 100 yards. Miami 10 Cleveland 14 And just like that, our perfect season's gone, thanks to Danny White's 2 INTs. Walter Payton also loses his 100+ run streak at 9, as he picks up just 76 yards rushing this game. What a disappointing loss in all ways. We've still got things to play for, though. Although we're 11-1, we haven't secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs yet, as Pittsburgh is 9-3. Walter Payton still has a very outside chance at 2,000 yards. Granted, it's very outside, but it's still there. Miami 35 New York 7 We console ourselves with a thrashing of the Giants, running back 2 interceptions for TDs as the final scores (Lenny Dunlap - 32 yards, Larry Ball - 28 yards). Walter Payton rushes 21 times for 118 yards to put him over the 1,500 yard mark. He's got 3 games in which to get 500 yards. Is it doable? Yes, but it's going to take an amazing effort to get it. TE John Spagnola is back to Probable, so he'll get slotted in as the starter again. New England 10 Miami 16 Another comeback win, another Danny White to Walter Payton TD pass to get it. Walter Payton wins Player of the Game, but runs just 16 times for 129 yards. 2,000 is looking further and further away. TE John Spagnola ruptures his elbow tendon and is lost for the rest of the season, maybe even longer. If his career gets wrecked, I'll never forgive myself for rushing him back. He's looked fantastic in his rookie season. DE L.C. Greenwood, a Dolphins institution, is out 6 weeks with a separated shoulder. There's a small chance he could come back for the Super Bowl, if we get that far. Spagnola goes on the IR, Charle Young takes over as the starting TE, Julius Adams finally gets the starting DE spot, and DE Walt Patulski signs on to be the reserve DE after the top free agent DE wanted bonus money. Washington 36 Miami 25 Remember how I said the Redskins were the NFC favorites in preseason? Well, they just proved it here by absolutely blindsiding us. We got a garbage score with under a minute left to play to make it look respectable, but this Redskins team is sick. Tony Dorsett stomps all over us for 182 rushing yards and a TD and Steve Bartowski game-managed perfectly. It's like looking at our own mirror image. Danny White was 21-41 for 318 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs and rookie WR Steve Watson had 4 catches for 115 yards and 2 TDs. Chuck Crist provided a rare defensive highlight with 10 tackles, an assist, and a hurry. Perfect season gone? Check. Shot at 2,000 gone? Check. Swann's 1,000 quest done? Check. Home-field advantage clinched? Check. And yet, I'm not going to rest my starters for the final game. Walter Payton still has a shot at 1,800, which would be the first since Lenny Moore in 1962. I won't deny him that chance. New Jersey 0 Miami 40 Our final game is our most complete game as we knock the hell out of our hated archrivals, the Jets. Walter Payton gets that 1,800 mark with 33 carries for 125 yards and Danny White was a blistering 24-28 for 293 yards, 4 TDs and an INT. Lynn Swann caught 5 passes for 103 yards and a TD and Julius Adams had 3 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks, 2 hurries and 2 knockdowns. But the real story of the game was Player of the Game Vern Den Herder, who went on a tear with 5 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6 hurries and 9 knockdowns.. It was a statement game, a message to the rest of the league that we're not to be taken lightly in the postseason. By the by, Walter Payton's final rushing yardage total: 1,892 8 yards short of 1,900. But still good enough to have the 3rd highest rushing season total in league history behind Jim Brown and Lenny Moore. Now we're hungry, hungry to defend our 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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01-28-2008, 11:43 PM
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#243 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. We had our first sub-.500 division champion since 1965, and for the first time ever, the offending division wasn't the NFC South. It was the AFC South, won by the Houston Oilers at 7-9.
We draw the Cleveland Browns for our divisional round game and are definitely looking to avenge our 14-10 regular season loss. They've got 11th year vet and overachiever QB Marty Domres behind center. Although he's not considered that good, he's had a positive TD/INT ratio ever year he's been a starter (since 1971, originally drafted in the 6th round in 1969 by the Panthers). RB Joe Washington is the cornerstone of this offense, rushing for 1300-1400 yards in each of his 4 seasons, though he's got a small touch of fumbleitis. In FL Wally Francis, SE Ike Harris and WR Danny Buggs, they've got a pretty solid WR corps. C Dave Dalby is out with an injury, which is a major boon for us, as he's a two-time All-Pro, although C Wayne Mulligan isn't that far a drop-off. The inside of the line is weak in pass protection, which matches up well with our dominant DTs. LT Joe Devlin is solid, RT Dave Taylor respectable. P Pat McInally and K Dennis Patera are both quality guys. The Browns' D-line in the 3-4 lives and dies by unnaturally talented NT Randy White. The ends aren't anything worth speaking of. SLB Jim Merlo and WLB Larry Keller are pass-rush threats in an otherwise anemic linebacking corps. SS Mark Murphy is quite good, but the rest of the Cleveland secondary is ghastly, making them ripe for the picking against our passing game. Cleveland's got the offensive firepower to compete, but they're going to have to get some major success in the pass-rush, because their linebacking and secondary are both liable to get torn apart by Danny White and our fantastic receivers. This should be a fairly winnable game for us and Vegas has us by 5. Things are looking scary at halftime, as the Browns score 14 unanswered points in the second quarter to put them up 24-10 at halftime, but we roar back in the second half, shutting them out the rest of the way and doing just enough to secure the victory and move forward. Although Walter Payton was largely shut down in the run game, with just 14 carries for 65 yards, he had 2 rushing TDs and caught 3 passes for 73 yards, including a big-time 58 yard TD pass reception that tied the game at 24 in the 3rd quarter. For those 3 scores, he won Player of the Game. Danny White was the real reason we came out on top: 19/28 for 301 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. It's a remarkable reversal from his usual pedestrian playoff games. Vern Den Herder had 3 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks and 2 knockdowns, but it was Lenny Dunlap who starred for the defense with 2 assists, 3 passes defensed and an interception. Close game, but we'll definitely take the win against this tough-playing Browns team. On to the AFC Championship! Cleveland 24 Miami 31
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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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01-29-2008, 04:52 PM
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#244 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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L.C. Greenwood is back up to Probable, so he'll take backup DE duties, as well as be in our goal-line, nickel and dime packages.
Our AFC Championship opponent is the Cincinnati Bengals, who have young, 3rd year overachiever QB Randy Hedberg leading up the offense. Like Marty Domres, he's never had a negative TD/INT ratio, only Hedberg was a late 1st round pick, as opposed to 6th round selection Domres. Fan favorite RB Lydell Mitchell has had a long, successful career with the Bengals, but he's definitely on the downswing. A one-time Offensive Player of the Year (1976) and Offensive Rookie of the Year (1972), he's actually gotten to be a smarter runner as he's gotten older and more secure with the ball. That said, he's lost all speed and relies on his tough, power running. This season makes the first time in his 8 year career that he's failed to crack the 1,000 yard barrier and his 4 rushing TDs are likewise a career low. TE Paul Coffman is a terrific 2nd year player and FL Ken Burrough is still a first-tier type WR, even in his 10th season. The rest of the receivers are ugly, though. The Bengals have the absolute worst offensive line I've ever seen for an AFC Championship team. C Jim Langer is the only one who'd even make our roster and while he's terrific, he can't block everyone by himself. DE Mark Mullaney was a 5th round steal and has been productive in his five years in the league and DT Mike Dawson is a phenomenal talent, though he disappointed after his All-Pro season last year. DT Bob Baumhower is a 3rd year DT, who's just starting to come into his ability. MLB Randy McClanahan is one of the best, young MLBs in the league, a necessity given how ugly the rest of the linebackers are. CB Willie Buchanon rebounded after a down season last year, showing he's still a DB to be feared. SS Ray Easterling and FS Donnie Gibbs are an excellent safety duo, particularly Gibbs. All told, we definitely have the edge here. While the Bengals have a pretty good defense and an okay offense, their o-line is going to absolutely sink them. Vegas has us by 4, a somewhat surprising margin, given that this looks easier than the Browns matchup. This game really wasn't as close as the final scoreline says in my opinion. Walter Payton creamed the Bengals D for 182 yards on 31 carries on his way to Player of the Game. Tim Webster showed his clutch ability again and really carried us to victory with his 4/4 FGs, 3/3 from 40+ range, along with a 50 yard conversion. Randy Hedberg is definitely a QB to watch. He played quite well despite not having that many passing options and despite Lydell Mitchell being handcuffed all day. He was 19-35 for 275 yards and 2 TDs. Not bad for a young kid starting in his team's first ever AFC Championship appearance. But it wasn't enough and the Miami Dolphins earn the right to defend their Super Bowl title!!!! Cincinnati 27 Miami 33
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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 : 01-29-2008 at 04:53 PM. Reason: Forgot to add final score |
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01-30-2008, 04:46 PM
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#245 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Super Bowl XX Preview
Miami Dolphins Out TE John Spagnola Detroit Lions Out None Quarterback Danny White has turned the Dolphins' fortunes around with two straight seasons of 3,000+ yards and almost 30 TDs. He's accurate, plays well with the Dolphins receiving corps, and was a terrific free agent find last season, resulting in a fierce bidding war this past offseason that led to him returning to Miami, as they were the team that gave him the chance to be a full-time starter. Backup Don Milan is a folk hero for his regular season and playoff successes, including throwing the game-winning TD pass in last year's Super Bowl. Tommy Kramer may be a 3rd year player, but he's played like a high-level veteran after a rough going his rookie year. He threw for 3,833 yards and 28 TDs vs just 10 INTs in the regular season and has thrown for 611 yards and a 5 TD/1 INT ratio in this coming out playoff party. #2 QB Bill Kenney is a raw, but extremely promising second year player. Advantage: Draw Running Backs Sweetness is indeed sweet. Walter Payton, last year's Offensive Player of the Year, had the 3rd highest single-season rushing total in NFL history this year, with 1,892 rushing yards and 14 TDs, both career highs. He also has 464 yards and 8 TDs receiving as the league's best two-pointed threat, a domination he's continued in the postseason. #2 back Delvin Williams is surehanded and one of the best reserve RBs in the NFL. Mike Franckowiak has broken the 1,000 yard barrier in each of the last two seasons as a starter, but is a little fumble-prone. Reserve Robert Miller is adequate, though many think rookie Kenny King should be the #2 option. Advantage: Dolphins Wide Receivers Miami's offense makes very little use of their TEs, so losing John Spagnola for the year didn't hurt, especially with quality vets Charle Young and Rich McGeorge to pick up the slack. FL Lynn Swann and SE Steve Largent are the most talented young starters in the league, though Largent has looked drop-prone this season and wasn't utilized much in the passing attack. 4th round pick Steve Watson has proven an unexpected steal in his rookie season, the perfect fit for the #3 WR role. Reggie Garrett is also a solid contributor and a big reason why Largent's role has declined. TE John Strada is a fantastic safety valve and run-blocker for the Lions and FL Billy Johnson has been terrific since joining Detroit in free agency two seasons ago. SE Nat Moore drops far too many passes to be effective, though Leonard Thompson is sufficient as a third receiver. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line Although many questioned the decision, inserting LT Morris Towns as the starter paid off, as he proved a phenomenal run-blocker and adequate pass protector. LGJim Hough and RG Noah Jackson played even better than their famed predecessors, Mo Moorman and Gene Upshaw did at their heights, RT Ron Mikolajcyzk greatly improved his pass protection and C Tom Banks did his usual solid all-around work. C Fred Quillan and G Mo Moorman are great backups, though T Bob McKay's best days a distant memory. 15th year veteran C Bill Curry is no longer the run-blocker he once was, but he makes up for it with technical brilliance in pass protection. LG Ernie Janet and RG Glenn Bujnoch are both poor run blockers, but good pass-blockers. The tackles are the best part of the line, with LT Tom Drougas and RT Ken Jones both great all-around players. A big reason for the Lions' postseason run has been the stepped up play of the reserves: C Kyle Davis, G Burton Lawless and T J.T. Taylor. Advantage: Dolphins Kickers P Neil Clabo is league average and K Tim Webster is one of the most clutch kickers around. P Mike Connell is slightly above average and while [b]K Jim O'Brien[b/] doesn't have Webster's legendary clutch status, he's still a very solid K and career-long Lion. Advantage: Draw Defensive Line LDE Julius Adams is a better run-stopper than pass-rusher and while RDE Vern Den Herder's skills may be starting to fade, he's still one of the most feared DEs in the league. LDT Bill Line had an All-Pro type year with 63 tackles, 19 assists, 8.5 sacks, 2 blocks, 22 huries and 14 knockdowns and will be looking for redemption after missing last year's Super Bowl with an injury. RDT Mike McCoy is a space-eater and goes out of passing packages for pass-rushing specialist DT Bob Maddox, who set a career high with 7.5 sacks in the regular season. DE L.C. Greenwood is a shadow of what he once was. LDE Al Cowlings is a major overchiever. Despite having limited physical ability, he's got a motor that's generated 13 sacks this year and last, with the Lions and Panthers respectively. The same can't be said for RDE Lyle Alzado, an average starter. LDT Charlie Johnson is still adjusting to the NFL game in his 3rd season and RDT Carl Baririsch is league-average. The reserves are both little-used and unremarkable. Advantage: Dolphins Linebackers Dolphins fans have been disappointed with MLB Merv Krakau, who wasn't the impact player they were expecting when the team signed him to a lavish contract in the offseason. SLB Rod Shoate never lived up to his high expectations, but is brilliant in coverage. WLB Tim Black has been another bust. MLB Ed Bradley's skills have declined, as have OLB Larry Ball's. MLB Willie Lanier has almost nothing left, but he's been activated in hopes of getting him in for one more Super Bowl. Many within the Dolphins organization feel 2nd year MLB Mike Hunt should be getting a longer look and more PT. MLB Steve Towle can rack up the tackles, rush the passer a bit and provide good coverage, a skillset shared by SLB Brad Dusek. WLB Dan Dickel is the weak link in the starters, though he's still a decent run-stopper. OLB Larry Polowski is a raw rookie, but worth keeping an eye on. Advantage: Lions Secondary LCB Lenny Dunlap finally had the kind of season the Dolphins expected out of him, with 5 interceptions and an 82.6 PD % in the regular season. He's been white-hot in the postseason, with a pick and a 90.8% PD in Miami's two games. RCB Rolland Lawrence looks great in the regular season, a real ballhawk and terrific cover corner, but he's really tailed off in the playoffs the last two years. SS Glen Edwards and FS Chuck Crist are both sensational, with Crist as fiery as Dunlap this playoffs: an interception and 90.1% PD. CB Willie Alexander, in counterpoint, has been abused this postseason. Rookie CB Wade Manning is still learning the ropes. SS Jackie Wallace is a good reserve and FS Dennis Bragonier is woefully underused, despite his talent. For the Lions, LCB Nelson Muncey is respectable, RCB Rick Byas very good. SS Cliff Harris is one of those guys who gets better with age and FS Gary Fencik is the greatest young FS we've ever seen: His regular season PD was 89%, he had a 2 INTs and 100% PD in last year's playoffs, and he's at a respectable 83.8% for this playoffs. In his four years in the league, he's amassed 14 INTs, improving every season, and a career average of 85.3% PD. All this from a late 1st round selection. (1.23) CB Earlie Thomas is a perfect fit as a nickel back, though the backup safeties aren't used much and aren't very good. Advantage: Draw Keys for the Dolphins 1. Keep the offense balanced Although it's going to be tempting to just run with Walter Payton, especially given Detroit's good secondary, a balanced offensive scheme will prevent the Lions from stacking up against the run and forcing White to beat them through the air. 2. Blitz only sparingly The Lions have an offensive line designed to protect QB Tommy Kramer and give him time to throw. Miami doesn't have the weapons needed to be successful in bringing extra blitzers on a regular basis. Instead, concentrate on everyone executing their assignments and staying in their zones. 3. Dare Detroit to beat you with the run By focusing heavily on pass defense and having everyone stay at home, Detroit will be forced to go with the run and Mike Franckowiak isn't the type of RB to be able to win games. Keys for the Lions 1. Always keep a man on Walter Payton It's been said for all three of the Super Bowls that Sweetness has been appeared in, but it's true. Payton's that much of a gamechanger running and receiving that at least one person needs to be spying on him at all times. 2. Go with passing routes that attack the Dolphins linebackers Miami's weak point on defense is the linebacking corps, so if the Lions go with short and intermediate routes that strike at the vulnerable area, effective scoring drives can be run. More importantly, the shorter advances will lead to longer drives. The last thing a team wants to get into is a track meet with the Dolphins, with the kind of offensive firepower Miami has. 3. Pick the brains of Scott Bull and Rich Coady Both these Lions were most recently with the Dolphins organization, so they're a good source to look to for more inside information on how best to stop the Miami offensive juggernaut and hit the holes in the Dolphins' defensive scheme. Final Thoughts Detroit presents a much stiffer challenge than the Cowboys did last year and it should be a very exciting Super Bowl to watch. That said, Miami is just too talented and too strong overall for the Lions to beat, especially on offense. If this goes to a high-scoring affair, forget it. It's all the Dolphins. Line: Miami by 3
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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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01-31-2008, 05:05 PM
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#246 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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We get the ball to open things up and start on our 29. Danny White is looking good with two crisp pass completions, but then Lynn Swann stupidly fumbles the ball, surrendering it to the Lions at the 50 yard line.
Two short runs mixed in with 3 10+ yard passes by Tommy Kramer later, the last a 14 yard TD pass from Kramer to TE John Strada and we're in the hole early. Things are not looking good. Detroit 7 Miami 0 - 11:21 1st Quarter A stupid penalty on the ensuing kickoff return puts us on our 4 yard line, but Danny White goes into accurate mode, completing 5 straight passes, including a 23 yarder to Walter Payton, to put us into Detroit territory. But we stall there and end up trading 3 and outs. Another 3 and out comes, but fortune smiles on us during the punt as Reggie Garrett smacks Jeff Severson so hard he fumbles the ball and Ron Mikolajcyzk of all people recovers it at the Lions 31. Walter Payton catches a 4 yard pass and then has two short runs good enough to get a fresh set of downs at the end of the first. Detroit 7 Miami 0 - End 1st Quarter We get off to a great start in the 2nd quarter when Walter Payton has 2 runs for 18 yards total to get us on the 2 yard line. Two straight runs follow in which Sweetness is stuffed, but then Danny White finds rookie Steve Watson in the endzone for the tying TD! Miami 7 Detroit 7 - 13:10 2nd Quarter A critical 3rd and 1 play comes early on the next drive, but we can't stop them and Tommy Kramer just keeps lighting us up, picking up another TD pass this one for 29 yards to Ollie Smith. Detroit 14 Miami 7 - 8:42 2nd Quarter Another trade of 3 and outs ensues before Danny White pulls off two long pass plays, 15 yards to Steve Watson and 20 yards to Reggie Garrett to get us into Detroit territory just inside the 2:00 warning. But the hope is snuffed out when superstar safety Gary Fencik intercepts a pass and the Lions run out the clock to halftime. Detroit 14 Miami 7 - Halftime They get the ball back to start the second half, but we 3 and out them, only to have the same damn thing happen to us when Dave Kraayeveld slams Danny White for a 15 yard sack and Steve Largent drops the pass that would've converted the 3rd and 23. I'm really getting sick of Largent's drops and am tempted to get rid of him. We hold them to another 3 and out, but that doesn't matter because on the very first play of our next drive Rick Byas intercepts the pass and returns it 40 yards to our 8 yard line. Tommy Kramer to John Strada for the TD and we're officially drowning. Detroit 21 Miami 7 - 9:01 3rd Quarter I tell myself we're not out yet and we aren't as the following drive ensues: Walter Payton - 11 yards Walter Payton - 12 yards White to Swann - 31 yards White to Largent - 14 yards Payton - 0 yards Payton - 0 yards White to Garrett - TD! Now that's what I call a quick answer strike! (Relatively speaking, anyway) Detroit 21 Miami 14 - 4:22 3rd Quarter Oh yeah, Rick Byas was also hurt on the play. Sweet bit of poetic justice there. Unfortunately, what follows is yet another exchange of 3 and outs to end the 3rd quarter. Detroit 21 Miami 14 - End 3rd Quarter We can't effing stop Tommy Kramer, who feeds it to his backs and TEs, especially Kenny King and the crowning insult comes when Mike Franckowiak punches in a little 1 yard run for the score. Detroit 28 Miami 14 - 11:08 4th Quarter Naturally we 3 and out and then the Lions keep junkballing runs by switching off between Mike Franckowiak and Kenny King. Evidently the bastard Lions listened to the Super Bowl preview about King. We finally stop them and get the ball back just before the two minute warning. We start putting together a drive, but it's too little, too late, even if Earlie Thomas hadn't intercepted Danny White in the endzone to conclude the game. Detroit 28 Miami 14 - Final Score Not much to say about this one except that we got our asses handed to us. Tommy Kramer was MVP, naturally, thanks to his 21-29 for 226 yards and 3 TD performance. Our only highlight was Lynn Swann who had a valiant performance in 7 catches for 106 yards. Danny White's 3 interceptions killed us, his 26/44 for 279 yards and 2 TDs not withstanding. The secondary played like absolute shit. Lenny Dunlap in particular reverted back to his old form, getting burned 6 times. We really need to upgrade our linebacking and CB situation in the offseason. Tommy Kramer took full advantage of our weakness on short routes. I'm really disgusted right now, but 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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02-01-2008, 12:31 AM
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#247 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
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Draft! Draft! Draft!
Whoooooaaaa Nelly there are some fine players in this one! In order of their draft. . . RB Billy Sims (his afro gained an estimated .5yds/carry) OT Anthony Munoz (Furniture Fair!) TE Junior Miller (Sr is making flour) CB Mark Haynes (more stickem please) C Jim Richter (he's about a 4.5 on the Richter scale) WR Art Monk (he invented beer!) LB Otis Wilson (wears a massive horse shoe around his neck) RB Charles White (the cocaine trojan) QB Mark Malone (a real live horror movie at QB) RB Joe Cribbs (never cought cheating on a test) C Ray Donaldson (I got nothin) LB Keena Turner (Back to Thunderdome!) DE Rulon Jones (Rule on your offensive line) LB Matt Millen (Please let Det draft him!) DT Steve McMichael (I have his jersey too) QB Eric Hipple (Hippy type nipple QB) RB I.M. Hipp (I am cool) RB Tim Newsome (a wholesome new something) K Eddie Murray (He kicks the ball!) QB Turk Schonert (The Turk) DB Woodrow Wilson (just hope he lives through the rookie contract) |
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02-01-2008, 04:51 PM
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#248 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
Danny White wasn't light-outs like he was last year, but still had a good season. We don't need to go into Walter Payton's greatness. Steve Watson was a real find as a rookie, to such degree that I'm sorely tempted to shop Steve Largent. Bill Line was amazing after he finally got a full season in and Vern Den Herder is still going strong. Wade Manning was a dissapointment in his first season, Merv Krakau an ugly addition. Tim Black finally started showing a pulse of pass defense, but it's nowhere near enough. We're going to be looking very strongly at all 3 LB spots, plus DE and CB this offseason. One of the problems we had this year was a lack of playmakers in the secondary outside of our starters and our linebacking corps has been consistently weak since Willie Lanier went into decline. Our defense relies heavily on a powerhouse MLB. 1979 Dolphins Season Awards RB Walter Payton - MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, 1st Team All-Pro RB None of these are surprises as Sweetness rides the #3 all-time single-season rushing yardage to the Trifecta. It wouldn't surprise me to see him win the Superfecta one of these days (Super Bowl MVP in addition to these 3 awards). It's the second year in a row he's won Offensive Player of the Year. Trade's looking pretty smart now, no? LT Morris Towns - 1st Team All-Pro T Wow! This one was a stunner, but I suppose it's hard to argue with Morris's 35 KRBs (43.8%) with a pancake and just 5 sacks allowed at the LT spot. Here's his draft write-up from four drafts ago. Quote:
Surprise he certainly has, especially after he took a -0/-5 header after training camp. What a nifty story for Towns and for us. RT Ron Mikolajcyzk - 2nd Team All-Pro T 31 KRBs (42.5%) with 2 pancakes and 5 sacks allowed. A lot of people question why I keep bringing him back on one year deals, but the fact of the matter is, he's just a really solid player, a terrific run-blocker who doesn't do too badly as a pass-blocker. I just have a really odd liking for him. RDE Vern Den Herder - 2nd Team All-Pro DE Vern earns his second straight 2nd Team All-Pro appearance. Sure we've gotten him for his twilight years and he'll go in the Hall of Fame with a Jaguars uniform on, but we've been happy to have him in the Aqua and Orange for the last phase of his career. LDT Bill Line - 2nd Team All-Pro DT This is Bill's first ever All-Pro award and does he ever deserve it, especially after finishing 2nd on the team in sacks, 3rd in hurries and 4th in tackles for this year. A major boon to our D-line for certain. Harris Wilcox - Coach of the Year Wilcox wins his second straight Coach of the Year award, the first coach in franchise history to win it twice in a row, though I think Tyrus Treftz may have won the award two times. Pretty fitting, considering he was a questioned hire, like so many other guys honored this season for us have been in some way, shape, or form. Other Major Awards Defensive Player of the Year DE Too Tall Jones - Minnesota Vikings Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Ottis Anderson - Oakland Raiders (16 rushing TDs vs. 2 fumbles!) Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Mark Gastineau - Los Angeles Rams We had no less than 7 retirements this year, including FB Larry Csonka and two unexpected retirements in DE Julius Adams (9th season) and RB Delvin Williams (6th season). But there's two guys I want to spend more time talking about. MLB Willie Lanier (1967-1979) (1971-1979 with Miami) Drafted with the #1 overall pick in the 1967 draft by Cincinnati, he played out his rookie contract with the Bengals before hitting the free agent market and becoming the big story of the 1971 offseason in signing with us. What followed was a 9 year Dolphins career, in which he was the heart and soul of our defense for 7 seasons before giving way to Ed Bradley and Merv Krakau the last two years. Unlike the superlative Vern Den Herder, Willie earned all of his hardware with the Dolphins, as he was the single most dominant MLB of the early 70s. It was tough when I couldn't put him as the starter in good faith anymore, and it hurt even more to scratch him completely from the active lineup. Easily one of my favorite Dolphins players in this universe and that's rare for a guy I didn't personally draft. His card:  Super Bowl Rings 1972, 1978 All-Pro Teams 1971 - 2nd Team All-Pro 1973 - 1st Team All-Pro 1974 - 1st Team All-Pro Miami Dolphins All-Time Records 1st - Tackles 1st - Assists 10th - Sacks 7th - Passes Defensed NFL All-Time Records 7th - Tackles 9th - Assists Borderline Hall of Famer, but if he goes in, he'll be the first Dolphins inductee in all likelihood. LG Mo Moorman (1968-1979) One of the great unsung heroes in franchise history. Taken at 1.32 in the 1968 draft, he served a year's apprenticeship before taking over the starting LG spot and holding it there for the next 10 seasons before yielding graciously to Jim Hough in his final year. Just a terrific guard who never got the All-Pro recognition he so richly deserved. In many ways, he was better than the much more heralded Gene Upshaw, his fellow long-time Dolphins guard. His card:  Super Bowl Rings 1972, 1978 Miami Dolphins All-Time Records 2nd - Key Run Blocks 2nd - Pancake Blocks 4th - Games Started Staff Hiring Lead Scout Grady Coffey LB: Fair to Average Head Coach Harris Wilcox Offensive Playcalling: Excellent to VG Defensive Coordinator Don Bruce LB: Good to VG OC Edwin Buckley is out of contract and we need to do everything possible to bring him back. His demands are only $10k more than the max the owner's willing to offer, so hopefully he'll stay with us. Harris Wilcox presents a real problem. At 65 and with two straight talent drops, the game's clearly passing him by, but he's also won Coach of the Year the last two years. In the end, though, he's too great a story and I'm too big on loyalty in this universe to let him go. Besides, the fanbase would eat me alive. He's only got one year left on his contract, anyway, so he'll play out the year, and if he doesn't retire, well maybe then he can find a job elsewhere. Coffey's improvement and his general ability to scout the defensive side of the ball and young talent saves his job. Edwin Buckley waits a week before finally taking our 5 year, $550,000 a year offer to stay with the Dolphins. By the end of it, he'll have 14 consecutive seasons as our OC, a stretch a full year better than Royce Womble's 13 straight years as our DC. CB Wade Manning wins a free trip to Europe for the summer league, as he tries to become something worthwhile in our secondary. Two trade offers at the start of free agency. The one for Steve Largent I have no trouble ignoring. But then the Tucson Titans, the eternal Dolphins-wannabes, offer me the #9 overall pick in the draft for QB Danny White. It's tempting, it's damned tempting, especially since we already have the #5 and #31 picks in the draft and can get some real ammunition. But then I take a look at this draft and there's nobody that says make the deal and then try to get me. The guys I feel could make the biggest impact for us, I can probably get at #5 and don't have to move for... and frankly, I love Danny White, his 3 INTs in the last Super Bowl aside. We were the ones to give him a chance and he's paid us well for it. On top of it, who would we get to replace him? The only way I even think about making this deal is if there's someone comparable in free agency and there won't be. Week 1 Extensions/Re-signings WLB Tim Black - 1 year, $70k* FB Curtis Brown - 3 years, $260k CB Mike Nelms - 1 year, $70k* LT Morris Towns - 3 years, $290k SS Glen Edwards - 3 years, $590k I forgot to balance Edwards' contract so the bonus wasn't so fat, but oh well. I didn't realize until too late that he's in his 10th season. By the Numbers QB, RB, FB, WR, G, T x 2, K, DE, CB, S (11 new bodies total) Week 2 Signings T Ron Mikolajcyzk - 1 year, $130k (Re-signing) -Way overpaid, but he deserves it after winning the 2nd Team All-Pro award last year. I probably should've tried signing him to a multi-year deal, but this works out fine. T Ron Hunt - 1 year, $80k* (Carolina) -I'm honestly not too sure about this signing. The kid's got potential but hasn't had a chance to play much. We'll roll the dice and see how it goes. Week 3 Signings WR Reggie Garrett - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -For the amount of work he brings to the team as a receiver and special teams player, I have no problem paying him more than the min-sal deal. DT John Medenhall - 1 year, $100k* (Seattle) -I wanted an excuse to put Bob Maddox back in as a full-time starter and Medenhall seemed a good guy to pick up to be a reserve DT. FS Dennis Bragonier - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -Doesn't play much,but when he does play, he's golden. Week 3 Losses G Bill Ellenbogen - 1 year, $80k* (Cleveland - Re-signing) -Chose to stay with the Browns rather than be our reserve G. A little disappointing, but there's plenty more where he came from. DE Jeff Merrow - 4 years, $4.3 mill. (Dallas - Pittsburgh) -Ouch! Merrow was our #1 target this free agency period and the Cowboys won him over by giving him a ridiculously easy voidable for his last year (10 sacks) and a hefty, hefty bonus. This one hurts, big-time, as I'd counted on him to fill the monstrous hole we have there. DT Mike McCoy - 1 year, $130k (Pittsburgh) -Good space-eater for us, but I wasn't giving him more than a min-sal deal. Not when we have Bob Maddox, who's a better pass-rusher besides. Week 4 Losses WLB Woodrow Lowe - 4 years, $2.5 mill. (Tucson - Oakland) -Once again, we get bit in the ass by a really fat bonus and a cupcake voidable. For once, it's the Titans who have a player we'd really like to have. Things look awfully thin after Lowe's gone. Ugh. Week 5 Signings QB Ron Jaworski - 3 years, $330k (Cleveland) -Like Danny White, a QB who never really got the chance he deserved. I'm sorely tempted to trade White off now to the Titans and see what Jaws can do. Or maybe not.... he looks like he's awfully sack-prone. Nevermind. Good insurance option to have, though. RB Doug Kotar - 1 year, $120k (Denver) -Absurd overpay, but the guy's a serviceable #2, with incredible kick return and special teams ability, and given how rough this free agency has been, I'll take a small overpay for this upgrade. K Tim Webster - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Wonder will kick his 10th season for us. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm going to do when he finally hangs up his laces. He's so clutch and such a great security blanket, a big piece of our team identity will be gone. WLB Mike McDonald - 1 year, $120k (Cleveland) -Not sure about this signing, but we had to do something. Untested, but a mentor, which is always nice. Week 7 Signings G Bob Van Duyne - 1 year, $80k* (Cleveland) -The train of ex-Browns continues to roll into Dolphins Station, with this pickup, a solid backup plan for the backup G spot. Week 7 Losses DE Mike Hartenstine - 1 year, $100k (Cleveland - Re-signing) -Our second loss to the Browns where the guy decided to stay in Ohio. Why he'd want to do that rather than join the two-time defending AFC Champion Miami Dolphins, where he could be a starter is beyond me. Things are getting really ugly at DE now, though. Week 8 Signings SS Johnnie Gray - 4 years, $1.6 mill. (San Diego) -*Finally*, a big-ticket free agent we don't strike out on. Gray had an absolutely amazing season last year for the Chargers, his first as a full-time starter. I'm not sure whether it was a fluke or not, but in any case, he gives us an heir apparent to Glen Edwards. Cool thing about Gray: He was a 7.21 pick by the Colts. Nice to see a late 7th rounder turn out a blossomer. Week 8 Losses OLB Ken Bordelon - 1 year, $80k* (Cleveland) -Our emergency signing early last year played sparingly, but well enough to pick up another contract offer from somebody. Good for Kenny B! Week 9 Signings DE Dave Linstrom - 1 year, $90k (New Orleans) -Had a breakout 11 sacks last year for the Saints and he's only in his 4th year, so I figure it's worth taking a flyer on him. Should've signed him to a two year deal with the bonus he wanted, but oh well. Week 9 Losses T Bob McKay - 2 years, $290k (Tucson) -Does it surprise anyone that the Titans take our cast-off, old backup T and gives him a nice salary? No? I didn't think so, either. I wish they'd quit wanting to be like us. I don't think I'll lose anyone else, so I'll stop for now and do 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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02-02-2008, 02:23 PM
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#249 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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It's not a sexy draft by any means, with the consensus top players being DT Steve McMichael, raw LT Tunch Ilkin, DE Rulon Jones and character bad-boy SLB Al Richardson. What it *is*, is a very interesting draft, with incredible difficulty to get a handle on who's going to go where. It's just that kind of situation.
1980 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. T Tunch Ilkin - New Jersey Jets 2. RB Frank Pollard - Atlanta Falcons The Dirty Birds have no RBs signed to their roster, so they grabbed Pollard, the highest rated RB on most boards. 3. QB Mark Malone - New England Patriots While some raised eyebrows at Pollard, Malone sent the audience both in New York and at home into pandemonium. They've got QB Cliff Stroudt, a 4th year guy who looks worth developing, but apparently the Patsies want to give him some competition. Crazy draft so far. 4. DT Steve McMichael - San Francisco 49ers San Fran thanks everyone above them for their craziness. Which brings us to, well, us, with the 5th pick. I'd have taken McMichael if he would've fallen there, but now I've got a dilemma on my hands. There's a number of players that look really good here, but either they're the wrong spot to go this early: a RT I'm looking at, for one, or they're looking overrated, a number of players, or they're a character issue, as in the case of Mr. Al Richardson. So I trade down a spot and pick up the Colts' 4th round pick, to give me a 4th rounder in this draft and some more ammunition to play with, should I decide I need it. 5. QB Paul McDonald - Indianapolis Colts Now that's a pick I never expected!Colts faithful are absolutely livid about the selection. Sure, Indy needed a QB, but they needed a RB just as much, and Billy Sims was much more worth trading up a spot for. I almost feel bad for the Colts... almost. We're right back in the same situation we were before, now. In the end, I decide that Overrated or not, his scouted bars and his combines are just too damn good to let go, especially with the crying need for youth we have at the postion and so we select... 6. DE Rulon Jones - Miami Dolphins I'll admit, I did it in part to screw the Saints, who were positively salivating at the idea that Jones might fall into their laps. 7. ILB Larry McGrew - New Orleans Saints I originally had McGrew high on my board and a lot of mock drafts had us taking him, but then after we interviewed him, something just didn't sit quite right with me about him, so we passed on him. 8. OLB Al Richardson - Kansas City Chiefs 9. ILB Matt Millen - Tucson Titans 10. CB Mark Lee - San Diego Chargers 11. RB Jimmy Rogers - New York Giants 12. S Roland James - Oakland Raiders 13. CB Kenny Johnson - Seattle Seahawks 14. S Darrol Ray - Houston Oilers 15. RB Gerry Ellis - Buffalo Bills 16. DE Jacob Green - Chicago Bears 17. T Anthony Munoz - Cleveland Browns through St. Louis Cardinals The Browns paid big-time for this, giving up 2 1st round picks they'd acquired for next year's draft and their 1982 1st rounder. That being said, Munoz is a hell of a pickup and one I strongly considered at #5 before deciding that was too high to go for a RT. The Cardinals just got incredibly rich as a result of this trade. 18. RB Billy Sims - Green Bay Packers That's quite a fall Sims took and he's going to make people pay for that. He may be just what the Packers need to start reviving their old glory days. 19. WR Malcom Barnwell - Philadelphia Eagles 20. T Karl Swanke - San Francisco 49ers I pull the trigger on another trade to leap up into this spot, sending 1.31, our 1981 6th round pick and our 1982 3rd rounder to the Dallas Cowboys to allow us to move up and select.... 21. ILB Cliff Odom - Miami Dolphins I'm thrilled to get this guy. I remember when I was a kid, watching him play for the Dolphins. I didn't know it at the time, but he wasn't a career-long Dolphin. He only spent his last 4 years in Miami. Well, in this universe, he's probably going to be a career-long Dolphin. At any rate, he's a fantastic find for us, as he'll step in as the starting MLB. Hopefully I can find someone to dump Merv Krakau on to, but it's not likely, as Krakau commands an absurd salary. Oh well, it's not a total loss, since Merv's a mentor. Oh yeah, another reason I jumped up here. The Rams, who are picking after us, looked like sure bets to draft him. 22. CB James Marshall - Los Angeles Rams 23. CB Mark Haynes - Cleveland Browns 24. CB Zac Henderson - New England Patriots 25. ILB Buddy Curry - Denver Broncos 26. G Jim Richter - Cincinnati Bengals 27. C Dwight Stephenson - Minnesota Vikings 28. ILB Bill Cowher - Carolina Panthers 29. OLB Keena Turner - Pittsburgh Steelers 30. TE Earl Cooper - New Jersey Jets through Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Jets give up their 3rd rounder in this draft and their 1982 1st rounder to move up and grab this TE. Interesting, as I wouldn't move up to snag a TE in the 1st or probably in any round. TEs just don't play much of a role in my offense. 31. G Craig Wolfley - Dallas Cowboys Good player the Cowboys get for their moving down. 32. CB Lucious Smith - Detroit Lions There's a ridiculous run on CBs these first two rounds, so that by the time our pick comes around in the 2nd, things are looking pretty spartan there. Oh yeah, cool thing about the Packers' draft: not only did they get Billy Sims in the first, they snagged Art Monk mid-way through the 2nd. That's one hell of a first day and 16 year vet QB Joe Namath has to be absolutely thrilled with the new blood he's getting for one last Super Bowl push. But back to the Dolphins. Things are so ugly on CBs, ever single CB I had interviewed is gone and what remains is simply awful. In fact, even most of my interviewees are gone, so I decide it's time to start taking flyers and take one on SLB Terry Rennaker. I go back to the D-line in the 3rd and select DE Curtis Greer, a raw project who looks like he has some potential to turn into something, possibly even break out. Like Steve Watson last year, Greer has the type of talent that grades out as 2nd round. 4th round comes up and I'm glad we have a pick, as there's still some guys I want to take a look at. P Jim Miller is the selection, as I think he might be the one to knock Neil Clabo off his perch. The one T prospect I wanted in the 5th went before I could get to him, so I get the other one I had as a backup and select T Ron Essink. I actually move up in the 6th round, trading my 6.31, my 7th round pick in this draft and my 7th rounder in next year's draft to take CB Kirk Collins, who I think could possibly break out. In any case, we needed to do something to address the fact that we have two 10th year vets at CB who are liable to break down any time soon. Late Free Agency Another day, another Danny White trade offer, this time for a scrub, young DT and the Bengals' 2nd round pick next year. Thanks, but no thanks. There's just some absolutely sick talent available in late-free agency, including DE Too Tall Jones, he of the 24.5 sack season and two Defensive Player of the Year Awards. If we hadn't drafted two rookie DEs, I'd be sorely tempted to splash the cash on him, especially since he'd be a great chemistry fit for our team. I'm going to resist the urge to go crazy about going after some guys who would be significant improvements, though, because I want to stay loyal to who we have for one and keep some cap sanity for two. Week 1 Signings WR Jim Lash - 1 year, $100k* (Philadelphia) -Mentor and ST demon who's a perfect fit as our 5th WR, as Walter Tullis doesn't impress much and Steve Watson won the backup FL job last year. Week 2 Losses MLB Ed Bradley - 1 year, $100k* (Chicago) -We have a glut of MLBs now, so Bradley's free to go. He's not a bad guy to have, by any means, and was serviceable in his time here. The Denver Broncos won the Too Tall Jones sweepstakes with a 4 year, $3.61 mill. contract. Things in the AFC West suddenly got a lot more interesting. Week 3 Signings FB Russell Davis - 1 year, $40k (Minnesota) -5th round pick last year played well as a backup FB for the Vikings. The 2nd year player will reprise that role behind Curtis Brown, who's my favorite undrafted pickup in this universe. CB Carl Allen - 1 year, $70k* (Houston) -Hit and miss CB who was the best of what was left. Gives us an okay fallback option, one who has an affinity with Chuck Crist. Code:
I'm ecstatic with this draft. Jones's drop wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it'd be and he had a rapidfire development in training camp. He instantly turns into our best DE and will be an immediate starter. I'd have liked to have seen Odom's potential go up more, but as it is, he'll be given the starting MLB spot over Merv Krakau, simply because I hate Krakau and love Odom. Merv will bitch, but who cares? Rennaker looks like a bust, but then, I always have problems drafting high quality OLBs. Greer looks like a small steal and Miller will challenge Neil Clabo for punting duties. Essink and Collins are what they are, late round picks who won't amount to much. Collins in particular looks likely to get cut, because of his conflict with Chuck Crist.
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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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02-03-2008, 12:46 PM
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#250 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Code:
This is the best QB situation we've had in years. If White goes down, Jaws can step in and get some development time and of course, Milan's always been a lot more dependable than the scouting reports indicate. Code:
I'm going to have to start thinking about a replacement for Payton within the next 2-3 years, but for now, we're perfectly fine here at all levels of the position group. Payton-Brown start, Kotar-Davis the backups. Kotar's likely to get kick return and special teams duties too. Code:
Spagnola thankfully shows no ill effects from his injury and he'll start, along with Swann and Largent. Watson's looking better than ever and I have hopes that he's the heir to Swann. Garrett will reprise his backup SE role and Lash will be the 5th receiver, leaving Tullis to sit on the inactive list. I really like how this group is looking. Oh yeah, Spagnola will sit out the first two preseason games, while we wait for him to fully heal from his injury. That means we'll have to sign another TE most likely. Code:
Towns-Hough-Banks-Jackson-Mikolajczyk the starting five, with Hunt, Quillan and Van Duyne the reserves and Essink earning an inactive list spot. Banks just absolutely amazes me with his longevity. He's been a fixture in the middle of our line the last 6 seasons after signing with us from the Patriots. Code:
I hate to say it, but Clabo's probably going to keep his job. He's just too damned useful a kick holder not to keep it and we don't have anyone else comparable. Miller will sit on the inactive list. Webster is of course staying. Code:
Jones-Line-Mendenhall-Den Herder will be our front 4, with Greer and Maddox the reserves. Greenwood, who I'm sorry to bench, especially since it means he won't be able to pad his all-time stats, Lindstrom, and Ieremia all go the inactive side, though if I have to cut somebody, it's going to be either Lindstrom or Ieremia. No way am I letting Greenwood sign with another team. Code:
Shoate-Odom-McDonald with Krakau the reserve MLB and, if I can find a way to do it, Rennaker and Black as the respective backups. I want to get a chance to see what Rennaker can bring to bear. Ball's inactive, as is Hunt. Code:
This is going to be our next area of a youth makeover, now that we've taken care of G, DE and MLB. But for now, it'll be Dunlap-Lawrence-Gray-Crist as the starters. It'll mark the first time in 10 years we haven't had Edwards as the starting SS. Edwards and Bragonier are the obvious backup safeties, but CB is considerably more problematic. While I try and sort it out, Collins and Anderson both get their pink slips, as does OLB Larry Ball. With those cuts, I'm able to sign 4th year TE Mike Cobb to fill in as the backup TE until John Spagnola heals up completely. Oh yeah, we also have a brand new stadium to play in this year. It's an outdoor, grass stadium with excellent field and parking lot conditions and very good stadium quality overall, a damned sight better than our last rat trap. Let's hope we christen it with a championship. Preseason mags are picking a Dolphins-Redskins Super Bowl, just like last year, with the Bills, Ravens and Raiders as AFC darkhorses and the Panthers and Packers as NFC contenders. We've got a chance to become in universe history to make it to three straight Super Bowls, but the secondary is definitely our Achilles heel.
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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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