 |
02-24-2008, 02:17 PM
|
#301 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Preseason
Miami 7 Atlanta 23 Scott Stankavage throws 5 interceptions and he won't be our #2 QB any longer. Cliff Odom had 11 tackles, 3 assists and an INT, Lloyd Burrus picked up 10 tackles and 5 assists, and Mike Pitts surprised with 5 tackles and 2 sacks. Despite our defense playing decently, this was a game to forget. Our offense blew it hardcore. Washington 7 Miami 16 Tim Webster was 3/3 on FGs, all from 40+ range and Curtis Greer won Player of the Game with 4 tackles, an assist, 3 sacks, 5 hurries, 5 knockdowns and a forced fumble. Mike Pitts continued his strong preseason play with 4 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Miami 19 New Orleans 20 We get nipped at the wire in this Super Bowl matchup as Steve DeBerg hits Marcus Allen for the game-winning TD late in the 4th quarter, spoiling Tim Webster's 4/4 FG day. New York 7 Miami 34 Gerald Small poured salt in the wound with a 56 yard interception return for a TD in the closing seconds of the blowout. It was Small's 3rd interception of the day and he had 3 pass defenses as well to single-handedly win the game for us and provide a fantastic final exhibition tuneup. C John Hill and C Mark Cannon get their pink slips and we roll on into games that count. Regular Season Miami 3 New Jersey 14 All you need to know about this damned embarrassing loss is that Dan Marino threw 3 interceptions and we got schooled all over the field. Ugh! Not a good start to the year at all. Miami 38 San Francisco 28 Say hello to Good Dan Marino, who threw 3 TD passes in the 1st quarter to stake us out to a 21-0 lead and we hang on the rest of the way for the win. Steve Watson had 5 catches for 115 yards and there's reason to hope that he can become our first 1,000 yard receiver in uh, forever. Cliff Odom was the man on defense today, with 5 tackles, 5 assists, 1.5 sacks and a pass defense. Miami 38 Indianapolis 10 Mel Gray ignited us with a 78 yard punt return for a TD and the second half was all Dan Marino as 3 of his 4 TD passes came in the second half, which were the only scores as we shut down the Colts offense. Marino was a blisteringly accurate 16/21 for 239 yards to go with those TDs. Joe Klecko paced the defense with 4 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks, 3 hurries and a knockdown. RDT Don Latimer hyperextends his elbow and will miss next week's game. DT Jim Burt takes over as the starter and DT Gary Dunn comes off inactive to be the backup. Buffalo 10 Miami 29 Divisional games are important and we put away the Bills behind Tim Webster's 5/5 FGs, 2/2 from 40+ range, 4 of which were in the second half. We also held Buffalo scoreless in the second half, a trademark that I'm really liking about our defense. Miami 31 San Diego 28 The Chargers were up 28-17 at halftime, but for the third straight game, our defense pitches a second half shutout and Dan Marino throws 2 4th quarter TDs to give us the comeback win. Dan Marino had the first 300+ game of his career and finished with a line of 24/35 for 334 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs. Eric Dickerson also finally broke out with 21 rushes for 117 yards. Denver 7 Miami 24 Our defense keeps the scoreless streak going for 3 more quarters to extend it to 5 before the Broncos break through with a 4th quarter TD. What an amazing run for our defense, though. Joe Klecko had 4 tackles, 2 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown, while Gerald Small highlighted the secondary with 2 tackles and 3 pass defenses. Don Latimer is now fully healed and ready to come back in. Miami 35 Kansas City 10 Dan Marino knifed through the Chiefs with a sizzling 21/29 for 284 yards and 3 TDs line en route to Player of the Game, while Eric Dickerson rushed 22 times for 151 yards and 2 TDs. Steve Watson led the receivers with 6 catches for 108 yards. Our pass rush exploded, as Curtis Greer had 6 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks, 3 hurries and 2 knockdowns, while Joe Klecko recorded 4 tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks, a hurry and 2 knockdowns. Oakland 3 Miami 33 The Raiders knew it was going to be a long day when Dan Marino connected with Steve Watson for 89 yards to open the scoring and they were right. Eric Dickerson had the other highlight reel play, a 66 yard TD run midway through the 2nd quarter. Eric Dickerson was PotG with 147 yards and a TD on 18 carries, while Steve Watson had 2 catches for exactly 100 yards and that TD. Curtis Greer led the defense with 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a hurry, a knockdown and 2 forced fumbles, Don Latimer matching Greer's 1.5 sacks and knockdown. The victory puts us at 7-1 at the halfway point, two games up on the 5-3 Jets and Bills, who currently both hold the wildcard spots. We're also the #1 seed in the AFC as of this moment, the 6-1-1 Houston Oilers the only real challengers to our conference supremacy. Halfway stats: Code:
Danny White who? Our offense has been clicking on all cylinders ever since the Week 1 Jets hiccup, with Eric Dickerson in particular coming on strong as of late. Our pass rush is vastly improved from the halfway point a year ago and our pass defense has just been off the hook. What an awesome team this is turning out to be! 
__________________
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 : 02-24-2008 at 02:18 PM. |
|
|
|
02-25-2008, 09:10 AM
|
#302 |
|
Mascot
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Meeechigan
|
Do the AI teams have any trouble with the 0-1 cap increase?
|
|
|
|
|
02-25-2008, 09:12 AM
|
#303 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
For the first time in maybe forever, nobody's hacked about playing time. It's all sugar plums and lollipops here in South Florida, if you don't count the Gary Dunn/Don Latimer tiff.
Miami 18 New England 30 Frankly, it wasn't even close. We fell behind incredibly early and only two late TDs made it look respectable. Dan Marino threw for 303 yards and 2 TDs, but it came at the expense of a 21/50 rate and 3 interceptions. Steve Watson caught 5 balls for 108 yards and Lloyd Burrus spearheaded the defense with 14 tackles, 7 assists, a hurry and a forced fumble. LDT Joe Klecko hyperextends his elbow and will miss at least a game, so it's DT Don Latimer shifting to the left side, Jim Burt starting on the right side and Gary Dunn coming back on as the reserve DT. New Jersey 21 Miami 16 And just like that, our comfortable division and #1 seed lead have gone up in flames, coming on the heels of two disasterous losses to division rivals. Can't really blame this on Dan Marino, who was 20/33 for 357 yards, a TD and an INT. Mark Duper had 5 catches for 137 yards and a TD, the bulk of it coming on a beautiful 90 yard pass for the TD midway through the 1st quarter. Things go from bad to worse as star LCB Gill Byrd pulls a calf muscle and is out approximately 4 weeks. Ugh. J.C. Wilson starts at the left corner spot, Gary Green the reserve, Johnny Smith the nickel back. St. Louis 21 Miami 27 Our shutout second half defense shows up again at one of the most crucial times, as does Eric Dickerson's running ability. He wins Player of the Game with 104 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Steve Watson brings in 4 balls for 106 yards. Joe Klecko is back to Probable, so he's inserted anew in the lineup. We need him there, honestly, as this second half is a serious 180 from our first 8 games. Cleveland 31 Miami 37 The Browns made one hell of an effort in the 4th quarter, blanking us 21-0 to make it close on the scoreboard, but we hang on for the win on the strength of 4 interceptions of the Browns QBs, and Lloyd Burrus had one of those INTs, along 11 tackles and an assist. RT Nick Bebout strains a foot ligament and is out for the next game at least. We cut CB Wade Manning and dip into the FA pool to sign RT Bob Lingenfelter as an emergency starter, as T Irv Eatman isn't ready to switch to the right side yet. Miami 34 Los Angeles 41 A high-octane shootout ends in disappointment as the Rams score the game-winning TD at the 2:00 warning. Dan Marino played well at 22/38 for 302 yards, 3 TDs and an INT, but it just wasn't enough. Our defense really missed Gill Byrd this game. Lo and behold, Gill Byrd returns to full health. We definitely need him, as we're 9-4 right now and the Jets and Patriots are both nipping our heels with 8-5 records. We're current owners of the #2 seed, as Baltimore is 10-3. Backup rookie FS John Sullivan hyperextends his knee and is out 3 weeks. FS Pete Shaw steps in as the reserve FS, while CB Johnny Smith takes over dime duties. Miami 35 Buffalo 3 We beat up on the worst team in the division at just the right time. Dan Marino torches the Bills on 30/38 for 343 yards, 4 TDs and an INT passing to be PotG. Gerald Small keys the defense with 5 tackles, 2 assists, 3 pass defenses and an INT. RT Nick Bebout is ready to return and we happily welcome him. Seattle 13 Miami 17 Our 17-10 halftime lead holds up as we limit the Seahawks to a second half FG. Steve Watson just absolutely abused Seattle's secondary with 8 catches for 161 yards in the game's difference-maker performance. With the victory, we're 11-4, but the Patriots are right behind at 10-5. We play New England in the season finale and whoever wins not only gets the division title, but at least the #2 seed, possibly the #1, if Baltimore loses in the final week. Come on, come on.... give us the win here... I don't want to play in the Wild Card round. New England 3 Miami 33 Don Bruce really fired his boys up for this game, telling them if they lost, they'd have the same of losing the AFC East title for us. The defense went out and lowered the boom on the Patriots, but it was Dan Marino who was the talk of the nation afterwards with his dazzling 27/37 for 404 yards and 2 TDs line. Steve Watson, Marino's favorite target, caught 7 passes for 151 yards, Tim Webster was 4/4 on FGs and Mike Pitts was the unlikely defensive hero, with 3 tackles, 2 sacks, a block and a hurry. We've done it! We're the AFC East Champions again! Sweeter still... the Baltimore Ravens lost, so we have the #1 seed and homefield advantage.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
02-25-2008, 09:54 AM
|
#304 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
Sorry I didn't answer this sooner... didn't catch it till just now. Every once in a while you'll see a team blow itself up like the St. Louis Cardinals did when they had all those 1st round picks and occassionally there'll be a top-flight FA available, but by and large, the AI does a pretty solid job of locking their good players up and keeping their teams together.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
02-26-2008, 08:25 AM
|
#305 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
We're up against the familiar foe New England in the divisional round, who have become worthy rivals of late.
QB Cliff Stoudt is what he is, an average QB. Not great, not horrible, he gets the job done. RB Earl Campbell is the offense's real superstar, his generation's Walter Payton, but even Campbell is in his 7th season now. TE Eric Sievers is great and rookie FL Gary Clark is still developing, but looks to have phenomenal talent. C Blair Bush is accomplished, RG George Yarno solid. RT Ted Albrecht is the Pats version of Ron Mikolajcyzk. Rookie P Matt Saxon had a decent season and K Matt Bahr is a pretty good kicker. Not All-Pro level by any means, but better than a lot of guys in the league. LDE Tyrone Keys is lazy, a major underachiever, but that's mitigated somewhat by NT Fred Smerlas, who's proven the perfect fit as a 3-4 DT. The linebackers are completely forgettable, save for 2nd year WLB Billy Ray Smith, who's still growing into his talent, but has shown flashes of greatness. 2nd year RCB Ronnie Lippett is the lone legitimate playmaker in a truly garish secondary. To be honest, I'm having trouble seeing how we lost the first game in the season series to these guys. They're a pretty weak team overall and I fully expect us to blow them out of the water like we did in the season finale. The bookies don't quite agree with my assessment, setting the line as Dolphins by 2. We stake out a 10-3 halftime lead and the Patriots never really mount all that serious a challenge, even though the score looked fairly close in the end. Eric Dickerson ran 22 times for 103 yards and a TD and Dan Marino took home Player of the Game with a sensational 24/31 for 351 yards and 2 TDs line. Steve Watson finished just shy of the century mark with 6 catches for 95 yards and 2 TDs. Curtis Greer was the defensive maestro with 3 tackles, 3 assists, 2 sacks, 3 hurries and 2 knockdowns. New England 17 Miami 27 It's on to the AFC Championship as we seek to return to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
02-26-2008, 10:27 PM
|
#306 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
The AFC Championship pits us against the Baltimore Ravens.
The same Ravens we traded Ron Jaworski to for J.C. Wilson in the 1982 offseason. QB Ron Jaworski put up impressive passing yardage his first two seasons in Baltimore, but with pretty bad TD to INT ratios. This year, he finally appears to have turned the corner in his 12th season, with 4,594 yards (his second straight 4,000+ yard season), 32 TDs and just 9 picks. He threw for 249 yards and 3 TDs in Baltimore's divisional game. A worthy match for Marino. RB Tony Nathan is on par with Eric Dickerson. A good, but not great back. FL Henry Ellard exploded in his sophomore season, with 1,241 receiving yards and 6 TDs and of course there's TE Kellen Winslow, who's still the best TE in the league. The one saving grace is that the Ravens' other WRs are all bad. Baltimore's offensive line is extremely young, with a 2nd year C, and rookies at LG, RG, and RT. As a result, this group gave up a a ton of sacks in the regular season and their run-blocking isn't very good either, as this is a raw, raw unit. LT Jim Cooper is the elder statesman with 8 seasons, but he's native to the right side. We should be able to get a lot of pressure on Jaws as a result. There's a rookie P and K too in John Kidd and Obed Ariri. Both seriously suck. LDE Art Still has been going through a years-long drought, but he snapped back this season with 15.5 sacks and had 3.5 sacks in the Ravens' divisional contest. RDE Matt Mendenhall is like Curtis Greer, a 3rd round pick that just keeps improving each year. He broke out with 14.5 sacks this season. 2nd year LDT Mike Duda is solid and RDT Edgar Fields was much better than expected, as he's a natural 3-4 NT. SLB Reggie Williams is still a force even in his 9th season, MLB Harry Carson one of the better all-around MLBs in the NFL. Rookie WLB Ron Rivera has talent, but didn't show much in his first season. LCB Mike McCoy is terrific, but the rest of Baltimore's corners are weak. SS Carlton Williamson and FS Fred Marion are arguably the best pair of young safeties in the league. This is one brutal, brutal matchup for us. Our only hope in this thing is that we disrupt Ron Jaworski into making some big-time mistakes and avoid blunders of our own. Vegas still sides with us, though, by 2 points. I say there's a very good chance we lose and lose badly. And then Dan Marino came alive and our defense got nasty. Dan Marino won Player of the Game with a magnificent line of 22/31 for 290 yards and 3 TDs. Don Latimer had 4 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a knockdown. Mike Pitts put on one of his surprise performances with a tackle, 3 assists, 2 sacks and a hurry. But it was our secondary that was the real key to the defense. Gerald Small put up 4 tackles, 3 pass defenses, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, while Gill Byrd was the single best defensive player on the field, putting in a dazzling 5 tackles, 4 pass defenses and an interception. We're going back to the Super Bowl!!! Baltimore 10 Miami 27 But the victory comes a terrible price. One that may well cost us our dreams of a 6th championship.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
02-27-2008, 01:31 AM
|
#307 | |
|
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
|
Quote:
Why do you gotta be like this? I'm expecting nice, wrapped up post, then bam, cliffhanger. Jerk. |
|
|
|
|
|
02-27-2008, 01:39 AM
|
#308 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
 Sorry. It's been so long since I've written a cliffhanger post, I couldn't resist the opportunity to write this one.You'll find out in the first few lines of the Super Bowl preview anyway, because you know I always write who's out for each team at the top.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
02-27-2008, 09:51 PM
|
#309 |
|
College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Florida
|
Marino was handing off to Dickerson, they collided, and both blew out their knees.
 |
|
|
|
|
02-27-2008, 10:11 PM
|
#310 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
That wouldn't be all -that- catastrophic, at least not as much as it sounds. I mean, Dickerson's only good so far in this universe and the backup is decent enough. And as far as QB goes, we've got Don Milan, who's so ungodly clutch, his picture is right next to the word in the dictionary. Well, yeah, actually that -would- be catastrophic, who am I kidding? Marino is on fire this year and Dickerson's still the best back we've had not named Walter Payton.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
03-02-2008, 12:47 AM
|
#311 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Super Bowl XXV Preview
Miami Dolphins Out LT Gary Zimmerman Washington Redskins Out None Quarterbacks Some folks expressed concern that second year QB Dan Marino wasn't ready for the big-time yet, especially after getting rattled in last year's Super Bowl. These same doubters also greatly criticized the Dolphins for letting Danny White go in free agency. Marino's quickly put those uncertainties to rest, with a team-record 4,404 yards in the regular season, along with 38 TDs and 17 INTs. He's been even more sensational in the postseason, with a 74.2% completion rate, 641 yards, 5 TDs and no picks in 2 games. Backup Don Milan is a legendary figure in Miami, but his best days are long since behind him. (Ed. Note - White just missed taking the Bengals to the playoffs, who were 8-7-1 this season. He threw for 3,209 yards and a 23 TD/23 INT ratio.) Steve Bartowski is almost an exact match for Marino, save that the Redskins great is in his 10th season, rather than just beginning his career. Bartkowski threw for 4,334 yards, 35 TDs and 13 INTs in the regular season and turned a 75.5% postseason completion rate into 461 yards, 4 TDs and an INT. He got his Super Bowl ring two years ago, as the Redskins repeated as NFC Champions following the last Dolphins-Redskins Super Bowl and went on to thrash the Chargers 42-16. Backup Steve Fuller is unremarkable. Advantage: Draw Running Backs Second-year RB Eric Dickerson is a perfect fit for this offense. A steady, dependable runner who can score (11 TDs in both seasons), convert the crucial 3rd down runs, and not fumble the football (Just one fumble this season). He's also a pretty good passcatcher out of the backfield. Walter Payton he may not be, but it's hard to argue with that ball security and 1,000+ yards in his first two season. #2 RB Dave Preston is mediocre and has looked awful this postseason, with a 1.92 ypc average Mel Gray is the team's return ace. Keith Griffin was a real surprise as a rookie. A 3rd round draft pick (3.2), he won the starting job out of training camp and went on to rush for 1,210 yards Fumbleitis is a concern however, with 8 fumbles in the regular season and another fumble in the playoffs. Second string Rick Berns is a change of pace power back, a real bulldozer and ST bulldog who also has fumble problems. Advantage: Dolphins Wide Receivers TE John Spagnola is one of the better TEs in the league. FL Lynn Swann is definitely in his twilight years and turned in his worst performance since his rookie season. Dolphins GM Tim Moungey has been telling everyone for years that SE Steve Watson was one of the most underrated receivers in the league and a terrific player. Watson finally got the chance to prove it this season and was named the starting SE. He proved it in a big way, with 1,407 yards and 6 TDs, the Dolphins' first 1,000 yard receiver since the Paul Warfield days. Mark Duper could become the next Watson. He's improved each of his 3 seasons in the league and had 704 catches for 11 TDs as #3 WR this year and is the heir apparent to Swann. Steve Largent, the 4th WR and former starting SE, has long been in the front office's doghouse, but he's too popular with the fans to let go. 5th WR Jeff Chadwick was greatly improved over a year ago and could still figure in the team's future plans. Second-year TE Jamie Williams is a fantastic blocker. Another 2nd year, FL Anthony Allen, started for most of the year, overachieving with his meagre talents to have 1,027 receiving yards. SE Jim Kimbrough, the late-season replacement, is a body. 10th year WR Jim Robinson is drop-prone. In fact, the lone real passing threat is FL Irving Fryar, who was equal parts brilliant and frustrating his rookie year, with 91 catches, 1,338 yards, 9 TDs and 12 drops. Getting him in the 1st round of the draft really galvanized the Redskins offense. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line Losing rookie LT Gary Zimmerman for the Super Bowl really hurts. Although he got off to a rough start, Zimmerman finished strong, only allowing 1 sack over the second half of the regular season and was an absolute monster as a run-blocker. LT Irv Eatman, a 2nd year former 5th round pick, has looked good in limited duty, but is largely untested. LG Jim Hough has been, like his predecessor Mo Moorman, an underrated, unsung hero at his position. C Will Grant is a bit weak in pass protection, but makes up for it with superior run-blocking skills. RG Mickey Marvin is steady, but looks to have lost a step and RT Nick Bebout is a run-blocking demon, but a revolving door in pass-protection. Backup C Fred Quillan is no longer as highly thought of as he used to be, backup G Petey Perot is mediocre and backup T Bob Lingenfelter is a body. LT Luis Sharpe has never lived up to his 1st round expectations, LG Leotis Harris is one of the laziest and most underachieving players in the league, but C Joe Fields is top-quality and the literal anchor of the line. RG J.T. Turner gives up too many sacks, but is a powerful, strong blocker, brilliant in run-protection. RT Ed Muransky was a Week 15 free agent signing and has played brilliantly with his new team after being released by the Jets. 4th round pick C Randy Rasmussen is the C of the future, already a gifted, hard-working player. Backup G Sean Farrell is young, a decent pass-blocker, but awful in run-blocking. Advantage: Draw Kickers P Mike Connell has given the Dolphins their first legitimate punter in years. K Tim Webster is no longer clutch, nor does he have the leg he once had. That said, he converted 82.9% of his FGs and was 7/11 (63.6%) from 40+ range, so the 14th year vet isn't terrible. P Zenon Andrusyshyn is a fantastic punter, but K Paul McFadden has struggled as a rookie, despite his brilliance in college. Advantage: Dolphins Defensive Line LDE Curtis Greer's numbers were down a bit after his All-Pro season last year, but that's the result of drawing double-teams, as RDE Mike Pitts scares no one. LDT Joe Klecko is solid, RDT Don Latimer respectable. DT Jim Burt is one of the best reserve DTs in the league, but backup DE Jim Young has really fallen apart. Although with little talent, LDE Glen Collins stunned everyone with a majorly overachieving 13.5 sack season. RDE Doug Reed had 8 sacks in his first season as a full-time starter and looks to be a serviceable player. LDT Sugar Bear Hamilton is still one of the best DTs in the NFL, even in his 11th season and RDT Reggie Kinlaw is a sensational DT. Rookie DE Alphonso Carreker should have started over Collins, who looks like a flash in the pan and rookie DT Mitch Willis has no business even being in the league. Advantage: Redskins Linebackers MLB Cliff Odom is one of those guys who isn't genius in any area, but very good in virtually every area of linebacking. SLB Andre Tippett gets the lion's share of tackles at LB and continues to try and improve his pass-rush game. WLB Gary Cobb isn't used nearly as much as he should be. MLB Tom Cousineau is an exact replica of Odom, save for the fact that Cousineau's a better tackler, Odom a better coverage linebacker. SLB Kim Bokamper is a slightly better version of Tippett and a vastly superior coverage and turnover generating LB. Rookie WLB Joe Azelby is precisely that, a joke. Advantage: Draw Secondary LCB Gill Byrd is the best young CB in the entire league. He's already one of the best cover corners in the NFL in just his second season, a ballhawk and a shutdown type player, with 5 INTs in both of his first two seasons, despite missing 3 games this year with an injury. RCB Gerald Small was an inspired signing, following up his All-Pro season from last year with another great year in his first season in a Dolphins uniform. In fact, the tandem is so good that they're arguably the best in franchise history, even more so than Johnny Sample and Irv Cross in the '60s. Less stellar are the safeties, where SS Lloyd Burrus has really struggled in the postseason and FS Tim Fox is steady, but not sensational. Nickel back J.C. Wilson is good for his role. LCB Mike Haynes is a 5-time All-Pro, 4 time 1st-Teamer and he's still a terrific CB. RCB LeCharls McDaniel is young, but already in his 4th season he's established himself as a dependable corner. SS Darrol Ray has been a colossal disappointment relative to his talent and FS Mike Burns is terrible. CB Van Jakes is comparable to Wilson in the nickel slot. Advantage: Draw Keys for the Miami Dolphins 1. Mix things up on offense The temptation is going to be to rely on Marino's arm and the wealth of WRs to attack the LBs and the safeties, but the Redskins need to be kept honest on defense and outside runs could work well against Washington's DEs. 2. Blitz and blitz often. Part of the Dolphins' front office's strategy the last few years has been to find pass-rushing LBs and in Odom and Tippett, Miami finally has that. The Redskins' offensive line gives up a lot of sacks and by pressuring Bartkowski and clogging the gaps against Washington's running game, a lot of turnovers and pressure can be generated. 3. Maximum protection of Marino The Redskins have a strong defensive line, so absolute care has to be taken to give Marino time to throw the ball. Losing Zimmerman really, really hurts, but it's going to be the key to this game, especially with Bartkowski and Fryar homerun hitters on the other side of the ball. Keys for the Washington Redskins 1. Utilize short passing routes The Dolphins are likely to blitz a lot, so by finding the open receivers on short routes, long drives can be created and a variety of players can get involved in the passing game as they get open, rather than relying on Fryar to do all the work. These long drives will keep that explosive Miami offense off the field. 2. Mix up the defensive schemes In prior Super Bowls, the offensive line was good enough that the emphasis for Dolphins' opponents was on blanketing the myriad of receivers. However, this year, Miami's far too deep at WR and the offensive line too weak not to take advantage and throw in some blitz packages to rattle Marino, who though brilliant thus far, is just in his second year. 3. Don't give up on the run Yes, Dickerson is far superior to Griffin and Griffin and Berns are both fumble-prone, but they're a great Thunder and Lightning combination and the Miami defense is likely to be thinking pass defense, pass defense, pass defense. By using a more balanced attack, the Dolphins can be taken by surprise. Final Thoughts The Dolphins' 27-25 victory over the Redskins in Super Bowl XXII was one of the most thrilling we've ever seen and this game promises to be another great game, with two of the best QBs in the league squaring off against each other in Dan Marino and Steve Bartkowski. Last time, Miami was heavily favored and just barely escaped with the win. That dynamic, Marino's youth compared to Bartkowski's experience and the fact that the Dolphins are missing Gary Zimmerman means we give the edge to Washington. Line: Redskins by 4
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-02-2008, 01:52 PM
|
#312 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Washington gets the ball first and they start doing exactly what all the analysts said they should do, mixing it up with short runs by Keith Griffin and Rick Berns and short passes to put together a long, grinding drive. They get down into the red zone, where Andre Tippett finally stops the madness with a 6 yard sack and the Redskins are forced to settle for a 36 yard FG try by Paul McFadden which goes in.
Washington 3 Miami 0 - 5:39 1st Quarter Eric Dickerson bursts off a 13 yard run and follows it up two plays later with a 14 yard gain to get us to midfield in very short order. Washington's pass defense stiffens up, though, and it's only a miracle 29 yard pass from Dan Marino to Steve Watson on 3rd down that keeps us alive and gets us down into the red zone. A one yard and 3 straight completions later, Dan Marino finds Dave Preston on a 3 yard screen pass for the TD and the lead!!! Miami 7 Washington 3 - 1:10 1st Quarter The Redskins go to work, but Andre Tippett gets his second sack of the game on the final play of the 1st quarter to secure the defensive stop and force a Washington punt. We're held to a 3 and out and Washington gets the ball back on their own 47 yard line, but then Curtis Greer and Mike Pitts tag-team Steve Bartkowski on the sack and force a fumble, which Curtis Greer divebombs on and recovers at the Redskin 40. Two false start penalties kill our hopes of insurance and we have to punt it away for the touchback. A cool note I've never seen before pops up on the next drive: "Griffin slipped a little on the wet field. The ball was fumbled and recovered by WAS Joe Fields at the WAS19. The weather has created a very slippery ball today." Keith Griffin makes up for that fumble with a 23 yarder after Rick Berns bails the Redskins out on 3rd and 10 with a 14 yard rumble, but then Cliff Odom shows off his versatility by getting an interception shortly after Washington crosses over into our territory. A gorgeous 31 yard pass from Dan Marino to Steve Largent gets wiped out by a holding call and we're stuck with a 3 and out, punt. Steve Bartkowski's long day continues, as first and third down are sandwich sacks, with Mike Pitts getting the first, Joe Klecko the other. Insult is added to injury as the Klecko sack forces a fumble, which Cliff Odom recovers and takes back to the Redskin 7 yard line. Eric Dickerson gets stuffed twice, but Dan Marino hooks up with Steve Largent for 11 yards and the insurance TD on 3rd down! Miami 14 Washington 3 - 3:19 2nd Quarter The Redskins find themselves in a real hole now and it only gets worse when J.C. Wilson picks off the pass on the very first play of the next drive. Dan Marino completes two straight passes for 11 yards and as of the two-minute warning, we've got a first and goal at the Redskins 9 yard line. Eric Dickerson takes it in for the TD from 6 yards out on 2nd down and suddenly this is looking like a major rout. Miami 21 Washington 3 - 1:43 2nd Quarter It's only then that the Redskins offense and more specifically Irving Fryar start to come alive. Three receptions by Fryar for long gains lead Washington to a 29 yard FG attempt by Paul McFadden with 7 seconds left, which goes through the uprights. The ensuing kickoff return does nothing at all, so we go into halftime with the score 21-6, Good Guys. Miami 21 Washington 6 - Halftime It's Miami ball to start the second half and Dennis Pearson returns the kickoff to our own 42. Eric Dickerson parlays two modest runs and a 16 yard pass reception into our transition into Redskins territory. He's there at the end of the drive, too, receiving the 6 yard TD pass to officially signal that yes, this game has turned into an out and out blowout. Miami 28 Washington 6 - 11:48 3rd quarter Washington gets a breath of hope when Keith Griffin takes the ball twice to start the following drive and turns into 27 yards, but then Lloyd Burrus joins in on the sackfest to put them at 3rd and 10. No problem, as Steve Bartkowski finds Irving Fryar for the 15 yard escape. That's the end of that miracle, though, and the Redskins have to punt. We 3 and out ourselves, but it's not like it matters at this point. Rick Berns gets an 11 yard gain on the first play and I'm noticing a lot of long runs by this Redskins running game. Something to take note of for the offseason, to find better run-stoppers. Washington looks like they might actually threaten, but then Don Latimer gets a 3rd down sack and the Redskins kick it away again. We follow it up with a 3 and out and I'm sure the people watching this game are getting a little bored right now, but that's what happens in a Super Bowl blowout. I'll tell you one thing, though, I'm really impressed by Irving Fryar, as he saves the Redskins again with a 19 yard catch on 3rd down, all 19 yards coming after the reception. The Redskins are truly threatening, as they get down to our 30 yard line, but then Don Latimer lowers the boom on Rick Berns and Joe Klecko recovers the ensuing fumble to kill the drive. We eat up the rest of the quarter with a yawner of a 3 and out. Miami 28 Washington 6 - End 3rd Quarter First play of the Washington drive: Gary Cobb intercepts the pass and returns it 13 yards to the Redskin 24. Steve Bartkowski just can't win today, it seems. We get stopped, of course, but Tim Webster converts the 32 yard FG to pad our lead some more. Miami 31 Washington 6 - 12:19 4th Quarter Keith Griffin and Rick Berns continue their hot, alternating big runs and Irving Fryar comes up with another clutch 3rd down catch, but then our pass rush gets in Steve Bartkowski's face three downs in a row and Washington has to settle for the 49 yard FG from Paul McFadden. Great game by the rookie K, for what it's worth. Miami 31 Washington 9 - 8:50 4th Quarter Dave Preston gets 3 straight runs and I have the sneaking suspicion we're starting to go with our reserves now. Jon Kimbrough gets the longest Redskins catch of the day on the next drive, for 32 yards, with a roughing the passer penalty tacked on and all of a sudden, Washington's on our 28 yard line in an eyeblink. A Steve Bartkowski scramble and two medium pass plays later, the last a 9 yard pass to Jon Kimbrough for the TD and Washington has their first TD of the game. It's, far, far, far too late, though. Miami 31 Washington 16 - 4:31 4th Quarter Andre Tippett recovers the onside kick, but Tim Webster shanks the 50 yard FG following the 3 and out. Not surprising, but it would've been nice to see Wonder get one last amazing FG in a Dolphins uniform. A crazy drive: Gill Byrd gets called for defensive pass interference on 3rd down, which takes the Redskins from their 40 to the Dolphins 10 yard line. [b]Steve Bartkowski[/b hits Irving Fryar for the 10 yard TD pass 2 plays later and suddenly, we've got a game! Miami 31 Washington 23 - 1:53 4th Quarter But then Andre Tippett continues his masterful Super Bowl play with a second onside recovery and the Redskins' last-gasp desperation drive following our 3 and out ends with a 45 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski to Anthony Allen, as Gill Byrd prevents all hopes of OT with a solid, fierce tackle. Miami 31 Washington 23 - Final The game was never really as close as the final score looked and indeed, most of this Super Bowl was a downright yawn if you like close games, although the 4th quarter was pretty thrilling. Dan Marino was accorded Super Bowl MVP for his 17/26 for 168 yards and 3 TDs line, but this could've just as easily gone to a couple guys on defense. Cliff Odom had 9 tackles, a hurry, a knockdown, an interception, a pass defense and a fumble recovery, Mike Pitts had 4 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, 2 blocks and 3 hurries and Andre Tippett recorded 3 tackles, 2 assists, 2 sacks and those 2 onside kick recoveries. Our offensive line deserves major props, too. Even without Gary Zimmerman, they bottlenecked the Redskins D-line and the only pressure Washington got on Marino all game long was a single hurry. That was arguably the biggest difference maker in the game, especially when you compare it to Steve Bartkowski getting sacked 7 times. Irving Fryar was absolutely brilliant for the Redskins: 10 catches for 130 yards and a TD. He's the kind of guy I'd love to have on my team, if I wasn't already satisfied with our crop of receivers. And finally, our Super Bowl starters: Super Bowl XXV Miami Dolphins Starters QB Dan Marino - 1st round 1983 Draft (1.1) RB Eric Dickerson - 1st round 1983 Draft (1.25) FB Russell Davis - 1980 FA TE John Spagnola - 3rd round 1979 Draft (3.6) FL Lynn Swann - 1st round 1974 Draft (1.14) SE Steve Watson - 4th round 1979 Draft (4.32) LT Irv Eatman - 5th round 1983 Draft (5.25) LG Jim Hough - 1st round 1978 Draft (1.31) C Will Grant - 1984 FA RG Mickey Marvin - 1982 FA RT Nick Bebout - 1984 FA K Tim Webster - 5th round 1971 Draft (5.25) P Mike Connell - 1983 FA LDE Curtis Greer - 3rd round 1980 Draft (3.13) LDT Joe Klecko - 1982 FA RDT Don Latimer - 1984 FA RDE Mike Pitts - 4th round 1983 Draft (4.19) SLB Andre Tippett - 2nd round 1982 Draft (2.15) MLB Cliff Odom - 1st Round 1980 Draft (1.21) WLB Gary Cobb - 1984 FA LCB Gill Byrd - 2nd round 1983 Draft (2.28) RCB Gerald Small - 1984 FA SS Lloyd Burrus - 2nd round 1981 Draft (2.28) FS Tim Fox - 1983 FA What a beautiful, beautiful team. The majority of our starters were draft picks of mine and a lot of them were mid to late round picks. 1983 was a critical offseason for us, especially in the draft, where 5 of our Super Bowl starters were all from our 1983 draft picks. That says tons about just how good and valuable that draft class is.I love this outfit. We've got the pieces to become the greatest dynasty this universe has ever seen and, perhaps most importantly.... Dan Marino has a Super Bowl Ring!!!!!!
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-04-2008, 10:49 PM
|
#313 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Code:
No Danny White, no problem, as Dan Marino beats White's single-season Dolphins passing yardage and TDs records and looks a shoo-in to obliterate White's other records s well by the time all is said and done. I love Eric Dickerson's ball security. You can't buy that kind of safeness and production in one back, yet here we have it. I'm really smug about Steve Watson breaking the 1,000 yard receiving drought; I just wish I'd started him earlier to take full advantage. Lloyd Burrus becomes our first 100 tackle man since Willie Lanier and provided great all-around play at the SS spot. He's really blossomed in a way I never really anticipated. Our pass rush was a little weak, but that's because we need somebody other than Mike Pitts at DE. And I've said it lots of times before, but I'll say it again... I love Gill Byrd. It's been 25 seasons since this universe started, so it's time to unveil the 25th Anniversary Dolphins team. Some of these may be debatable, and you're free to dispute them, but these are just my own personal selections. Miami Dolphins 25th Anniversary Team QB Danny White RB Walter Payton FB Larry Csonka TE John Spagnola FL Paul Warfield SE Gary Ballman LT Morris Towns LG Mo Moorman C Tom Banks RG Gene Upshaw RT Ron Mikolajcyzk K Tim Webster P Paul Maguire LDE L.C. Greenwood LDT Henry Jordan RDT Walter Johnson RDE Vern Den Herder SLB Andre Tippett MLB Willie Lanier WLB Aaron Spiva LCB Johnny Sample RCB Rolland Lawrence SS Glen Edwards FS Chuck Crist The toughest positions to fill were RDT, SLB and WLB, simply because we haven't had a lot of sustained success in those areas. The second CB spot was a dogfight between Lawrence and Byrd, but in the end, Lawrence was too proven and Byrd still too green yet to say for sure. A lot of these positions are likely to change by the time the 50th anniversary team rolls around (if I get that far). The only ones who are as close to sure-fire locks as you can get are Payton, Csonka and Warfield, maybe Sample, Greenwood, and Den Herder, too. 1984 Miami Dolphins Season Awards QB Dan Marino - Super Bowl MVP Surprised Dan the Man didn't win an All-Pro QB nod with those numbers? Well, Ron Jaworski had an even better season in Baltimore, as our former backup has found new life with the Ravens following the trade and Tommy Kramer of the Detroit Lions had a ridiculous 28 TDs to 3 INTs ratio. Alan Rosian - Coach of the Year Rosian becomes the second Dolphins head coach in a row to win the Super Bowl in his first season and something like the fifth straight Miami head man to win a ring. It's just ridiculous how good we are, really. WR Steve Watson - 1st Team All-Pro WR Nothing makes me grin more widely than this. I've been saying for years just how good he is and -bam-, here he proves it. Yeah, I know you guys are sick of me saying it, but he was a late 4th round pick! And he's a legitimate All-Pro! Other Major Awards MVP RB Earl Campbell - New England Patriots Offensive Player of the Year QB Ron Jaworski - Baltimore Ravens Defensive Player of the Year DE Leonard Marshall - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Earnest Byner - San Diego Chargers (Hah! I called it!) Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Chris Scott - Minnesota Vikings And that's all I feel like doing tonight... feeling sluggish for some reason.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-10-2008, 03:59 PM
|
#314 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Coach Hiring
Offensive Coordinator Edwin Buckley RB: VG to Excellent Head Coach Alan Rosian MT: Good to Average Well, looks like Rosian's motivation hit the can after winning Coach of the Year and a Super Bowl ring in his first season. No chance we're firing him, though. The fans would murder us. Heck, there's still a couple who thought we were too hasty in getting rid of the last guy. Guess who's out of contract? Yep, that's right, Edwin Buckley. Only this time, the owner's willing to open up his pocketbook, probably because the new stadium has been so successful, and we bring him back on a 5 year, $680,000 a year contract that guarantees he'll be the longest active Dolphins staff member in franchise history (currently at 14 seasons) and if he runs out his contract and gets another one with us, he'll break the 20 year barrier. Royce Womble re-signed with the Jets, the traitorous bastard. We pick up a new head scout, an old dude who we had to get into a bidding war for. Lead Scout Mike Heath (50) QB: Average RB: VG WR: Excellent OL: Good KP: Average DL: Good LB: Fair DB: VG YT: Good A fantastic pickup, especially since we're not all that concerned about QB or LB anymore and K's are literally a dime a dozen. LT Gary Zimmerman is the no-brainer to go to France for the summer, as I'm hoping to get an All-Pro type season out of him next year if he can stay healthy. Free Agency By the Numbers QB x 2, FB x 2, TE, C, G, K, DE, DT, MLB, OLB, CB, FS Week 1 Re-signings/Extensions TE John Spagnola: 4 years, $1.25 mill. SLB Andre Tippett: 4 years, $1.73 mill. MLB Cliff Odom: 3 years, $600k FL Mark Duper: 3 years, $590k I needed to lock up as much of this team's nucleus as I could, although it took quite a bit of creative work to get Odom and Duper to sign to multi-year deals. Kind of ironic that it's the IRL Dolphins who were most eager to test free agency, but so it goes. Week 2 Signings TE Reggie Haynes - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Brought back strictly for his leadership as the receivers captain. C Will Grant - 4 years, $1.12 mill. (Re-signing) -Okay it's an overpayment for a guy in his 8th season, but centers have a pretty long shelf life and he was decent for us last year. I'll be looking for an upgrade somewhere in the draft (if one will drop as low as we go...), but he'll do for now. G Chuck Commiskey - 2 years, $390k (Los Angeles) -Solid as a starter last year for the Rams at LG. He'll switch over to the right side and start there for us in place of Mickey Marvin, who really looked like he lost some of his edge last year. K David Trout - 1 year, $80k* (Houston) -What's not to like about Trout? Appropriately enough, he's a fan favorite. Sadly, this spells the end of Tim Webster in a Dolphins uniform and it's probably the end of Wonder's career overall, as he's rated 29/29.DE Doug McDonald - 1 year, $80k* (New York) -We had a big hole at RDE last year, as Mike Pitts isn't a legitimate NFL starter. McDonald has never been a full-time starter for all 16 games, though he did have 8 sacks in 12 starts in 1982. He's got intriguing potential and he's a huge upgrade over Pitts at any rate. OLB John Anderson - 1 year, $100k* (Denver) -Signed for the following reasons: 1) he's a mentor, 2) he's a good defensive front captain and 3) he's good against the run, something that we had a real problem with the last few years, especially in our goal-line package. A perfect multi-need fit signing. Week 3 Signings FB Curtis Brown - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -I don't believe in paying more than min-sal for a FB and besides, Brown is my favorite UDRFA I've signed in this universe. He's a solid back-up FB. TE Don Warren - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -Great blocker and the perfect complement to John Spagnola in that regard. Always good to have him back. Week 3 Losses T Justin Cross - 3 years, $510k (New Jersey - Re-signing) -Ouch. This one hurts. I really wanted to grab Cross and shift either him or Gary Zimmerman to RT, but he chose to stay loyal to the Jets. Even bigger kick in the teeth... he's a mentor. Week 4 Signings RB James Owens - 1 year, $80k* (Denver) -Quality KR with great receiving skills (except a tendency to drop the ball) and dynamite ST ability. All in all, another multi-need fit in one exclusive #2 RB body. Excellent! T Chuck Loewen - 1 year, $160k (San Diego) -Had to overpay somewhat to get him, but he was the last good RT available on the market by my lights. He'll anchor that spot for a year until we can find a replacement for him. S Tim Fox - 1 year, $150k (Re-signing) -Another bidding war and he's honestly not that great a safety and he's due to fall apart at any moment, but he's solid and can at the very least be a competent #2. S Nesby Glasglow - 1 year, $80k* (Carolina) -Some KR and ST ability, but primarily signed to provide insurance in case Fox implodes. Not a great player by any means. Week 5 Signings MLB Joe McLaughlin - 1 year, $80k* (Tucson) -Great chemistry signing and another run-stuffer to shore up our goal-line package. Should be a decent reserve for Cliff Odom. CB Johnny Smith - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -I wasn't going to bring him back, but then he had to go and turn into a mentor on me, so I re-signed him. Not sure where I'll stuff him in the defensive backfield, as he's really only league average. Week 6 Signings FB Russell Davis - 1 year, $80k* (Re-signing) -Our starting FB for the last few years, he and Curtis Brown complement each other very nicely. Week 6 Losses WR Dennis Pearson - 1 year, $100k* (Pittsburgh) -Our best returner last year hies it to the Steelers, which won't be a problem if we can get the guy we've pretty much pinned all our offseason hopes and dollars on to. Week 7 Signings DT Don Latimer - 1 year, $120k (Re-signing) -Lot of attention swarming around him, so I upped the price just enough to convince him to stay. Respectable DT. Week 7 Losses MLB Jim Laughliln - 1 year, $80k* (Chicago) -This is a big-time swerve, as everyone anticipated that he'd sign with the Raiders, but then he up and signs with the Bears. Good move if he wants to win, terrible if he wants to start as Chicago has MLB Mike Singletary and SLB Lawrence Taylor. Yeesh, that's one scary linebacking corps in Chi-town! Week 8 Signings S Pete Shaw - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Brought back for his ST work and his great captainship talents. Only one contract offer out there now and it's the biggest one, the player who can really make or break our offseason. Week 9 Signings WR Art Monk - 5 years, $4.05 mill. (Green Bay) -And we grabbed him! What getting Monk means is that he'll shift from SE, where he played with the Packers, over to FL and he and Steve Watson become our starting WRs for the next few years at least. It also means there's a very good chance that Lynn Swann and/or Steve Largent get sent off to another team.... if I can find someone willing to take on their absurd salaries, which I probably can't. But still, a new day of hope dawns for our continued aerial attack even after Swann and Largent are gone. Those monumental underachievers are finally cleared off from their starting spots, replaced by a proven warrior Monk who has already earned a 1st Team All-Pro award and by an elementarily great Watson, who also just won a 1st Team All-Pro nod. Draft interviews and the draft to come later tonight or this week. It's going to be a very boring draft for us, as we have neither a 1st nor a 2nd round pick. And it's really too bad, considering the WR that's available for the picking. A very raw WR, but one no doubt destined for sublime heights... if the AI doesn't screw him out of it, that is.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-10-2008, 11:56 PM
|
#315 |
|
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
|
Another nice class here.
DE Bruce Smith (BS for short) G Bill Fralic (don't call him your BF) DT Ray Childress (sign him up long term) DE Chris Doleman (long skinny sack machine) OLB Duane Bickett(neighbor had a lisp, loved when he said Bickett's name) WR Al Toon (one of those middling speed super tall guys that were new to the NFL) T Jim Lachey (real name was Leche Lachey) WR Eddie Brown (overshadowed by another WR in this class) WR Jerry Rice (the man looks like a poodle) DT William Perry (dinner is in the Fridge) WR Vance Johnson (a triplet) QB Randall Cunningham (good reason to sit a QB for a decade before starting them) LB Jack Delrio (keep him away from axes) WR Buster Rhymes (come on...now an international rap star!) WR Andre Reed(mr. steady) TE Mark Bavaro (blech) WR Ron Wolfley (more famous for Werewolf in London movie role) K Kevin Butler (Beavis, meet But head) WR Kevin Greene (sack machine) TE Jay Novacheck (TE, FB, Wing Back, Back from the dead) DT Mike Golic (he's a morning person) K Donald Igwebuike (Donald..classic) QB Doug Flutie (another reason to sit a quarterback for a decade) TE Ken Wisenhunt (too many coaches on this list) |
|
|
|
|
03-11-2008, 10:39 AM
|
#316 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
Sadly, I have no chance at most of these guys, with my earliest pick in the 3rd round. We'll see what shakes out, though.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
03-12-2008, 03:38 AM
|
#317 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Although DE Reggie White and DT Keith Millard are the consensus most talented players in the draft, this is one incredible class. T Lomas Brown and T Broderick Thompson look like left tackle anchors, DE Chris Doleman is great and RB Herschel Walker looks legendary. WR Andre Reed looks like a gamechanger.There's 3 QBs that look to be pretty good as well in Bernie Kosar, Frank Reich and Randall Cunningham. The depth of D-line prospects in this draft is absolutely staggering. Teams really have the opportunity to load up there.
All this talent... and we're not picking till the 3rd round. Oh well. 1985 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. QB Frank Reich - Indianapolis Colts Wait.... what? You have the opportunity to take any player #1 in this draft and the Colts take... Frank Reich?! Indy would've been much better off with White here, as he fills a bigger need and is a more surefire homerun.2. RB Herschel Walker - Kansas City Chiefs 3. WR Andre Reed - New York Giants 4. DT Keith Millard - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5. T Lomas Brown - Oakland Raiders 6. CB Duane Galloway - Philadelphia Eagles 7. DE Reggie White - New Orleans Saints The Minister of Defense is going to make the other 6 teams pay for not taking him. It's too bad, as it would've been awesome to see him get drafted by the Eagles and the opportunity was there. 8. DE Chris Doleman - Atlanta Falcons 9. WR Eric Martin - Indianapolis Colts through San Diego Chargers Well, looks like Indy's determined to go all offense here. They don't lose much at all in this deal, as the Bolts only charge the Colts their 1987 1st and 7th round picks and their 1986 7th round selection. Talk about a cheap deal. 10. T Broderick Thompson - Pittsburgh Steelers 11. QB Bernie Kosar - Cleveland Browns Yay! This makes me smile. 12. ILB Brian Noble - Green Bay Packers So does this. I like it when players in the alt-universes end up with the teams they were on in real life.13. OLB Kevin Greene - Jacksonville Jaguars through Dallas Cowboys The Cowboys pick up the Jags' 4th rounder in this draft, plus Jacksonville's 1987 1st and 3rd rounders. Lot better deal than the Chargers got for #9, that's for darn sure. 14. G Lance Smith - Seattle Seahawks 15. ILB Alvin Toles - Buffalo Bills 16. QB Randall Cunningham - Tucson Titans 17. CB Jerry Gray - Jacksonville Jaguars 18. S Eugene Robinson - St. Louis Cardinals 19. T Jim Lachey - Cincinnati Bengals 20. DE Bruce Smith - Houston Oilers 21. ILB Jack Del Rio - Detroit Lions 22. WR Eddie Brown - San Francisco 49ers So close... so close to another awesome matchup with the IRL universe. 23. DT Ray Childress - New Jersey Jets 24. DE Ron Holmes - Carolina Panthers 25. TE Mark Bavaro - Chicago Bears 26. DT William Perry - New England Patriots 27. S Raphel Cherry - Los Angeles Rams 28. CB Kenny Taylor - Denver Broncos 29. CB John Hendy - Baltimore Ravens 30. DT Greg Kragen - Minnesota Vikings 31. OLB Simon Fletcher - Washington Redskins 32. CB Barry Wilburn - Oakland Raiders I'm sure you're all dying to know where a certain WR went. WR Mike Young and WR Jessie Hester were taken before WR Jerry Rice finally went at 2.17 to the St. Louis Cardinals, but he rates at a ghastly 24/37. My scout is a frigging idiot. Ironically enough, the 49ers went WR again in the 2nd round, with Al Toon, the pick before the Jets. I try to move up into 3.4 to grab a C I want, as I figure the Buccaneers will take him at 3.5 based on their needs chart, but the Eagles want too much and the bastards go ahead and take the C I wanted, even though it wasn't considered a pressing need.  So I fume and sit around till our pick at 3.32, where I take G Larry Williams as our first selection in this draft, as we need to flush in some new blood there. The P and S I had targeted for the 4th round both go a few picks before ours, leading me to take C Jeff Dellenbach for the hell of it, being an IRL Dolphin and a graduate of Madison to boot. Besides, we need a young body there, too. Alas, my choice for the first 5th round pick falls through and so I wind up taking K Scott Norwood for my first 5th round selection, as I'd really like to give him a chance at redemption and he's listed as Very Underrated besides. I go VUR again and this time with a Wyoming grad for our second 5th rounder in TE Jay Novacek, as John Spagnola isn't going to last forever. After every single T I wanted goes off the board in the 6th, I trade my 6th and 7th rounders to Baltimore to move up and take RB Herman Fontenot, who looks like a perfect fit for our system as the #2 back. Late Free Agency Week 1 Signings QB Don Milan - 1 year, $120k* (Re-signing) -I couldn't resist keeping The Legend in a Dolphins uniform, especially we needed bodies still. Mentor fun. QB June Jones - 1 year, $100k* (San Diego) -I would've drafted Jones as a rookie if I could've, but I missed out on him. Now I can finally get one of Hawaii's most class acts on my team, as Marino's backup. Also mentor fun! G Steve Courson - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Mentor only. Week 3 Signings K Tim Webster - 1 year, $120k* (Re-signing) -Wonder's a mentor and frankly, I couldn't stand the thought of him in another uniform. Not when he ranks in the top 10 all-time in a couple categories. Week 4 Signings RB Dave Preston - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Another mentor return. We're just about to head into training camp when RB Eric Dickerson and WR Steve Watson inform me that hey, they'd like pay raises, please. Grah! After all I did for Watson, this is how he re-pays me?! Still, he does have a point, as does Dickerson. Hold-Out Extensions RB Eric Dickerson - 5 years, $1.5 mill (actually winds up being comparable to his rookie contract, which was 4 years, $1.09 mill.) SE Steve Watson - 3 years, $1.66 mill. Watson leveraged my manlove for him and his 1st Team All-Pro appearance last season into a sweet, sweet contract, a big payday that he's actually had coming for a while now, so I don't begrudge him it, really. Want to know how big a payday it was? Through his first 6 seasons, he's earned in total... $760k. He'll be earning over double that in half the time. Like I said, he deserves it and he's been my favorite WR on this team since Paul Warfield retired. I only wish I'd pushed him into the starting lineup sooner. Code:
Nice upticks from everybody except Fontenot, who I realized too late has an endurance of 10. Oops. At least he's a ST ace. Dellenbach made that jump despite my being stupid in my returning flu and forgetting to sign a C mentor. Novacek is obviously looking like a 5th round/6th round steal, as I figured. Williams should be serviceable, but I don't know about starter quality. Anyway, I'll have to figure out later in the week where these raw, raw guys fit in. I've not only got the flu coming back with a venegance, but I've two midterms this week. Pfeh. Oh well, at least Spring Break is next week.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-12-2008, 02:30 PM
|
#318 |
|
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
|
Keep track of Herschel...one of my favorite backs ever....
|
|
|
|
|
03-12-2008, 02:40 PM
|
#319 |
|
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
|
What did Rice creep to from 24/37? You should keep an eye on his development SkyDog style, could be interesting. Also would be interesting to know his combines if you still have them.
|
|
|
|
|
03-12-2008, 08:41 PM
|
#320 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
damnMikeBrown: I'll be happy to!
As of Preseason, Herschel Walker is 61/75 and far and away the best RB on the Chiefs roster, the immediate Week 1 starter. Him and John Elway on the same squad... now that's just scary!nilodor: Sadly, I don't have his combines. As I recall though, he had maybe two or three blues. No reds that I remember, which was a little suprising. In any event, Jerry Rice is 31/44 after TC, a +7/+7 jump. He's also listed as the starting FL going into preseason, though there's a lot of guys close behind him. No WR mentor, either.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-15-2008, 01:08 AM
|
#321 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
So we're carrying 59 guys after training camp, which is some kind of record for me. Tough choices ahead.
Code:
Marino-Jones-Milan, obviously. Dan the Man should have another off the hook season. Code:
Who's safe: Dickerson, Brown, Davis, Gray. Who's not: Everybody else. On second thought, Preston makes it as a mentor, Fontenot as a possible #2 RB, receiving back and ST guy despite his 10 endurance. Owens is going to have to do a lot of work to prove he's worth keeping. Code:
We're carrying way too many people here. Spagnola and Novacek stay, as do Monk, Duper and Watson. Warren's a mentor and a blocking specialist, so he stays. Haynes gets cut. This turns Watson into the WR leader, which is problematic, as it creates conflict with Spagnola and mild conflict with Largent, but there's no way in hell I cut Watson. Chadwick gets cut, even though he carries a $20k salary cap hit for next year. It's small enough that we can eat it. Swann's moved to SE, so that we can finally cut ties with Largent. This means we have our 5 WRs and can re-sign Reggie Haynes to be our WR captain again. So it boils down to this: Spagnola-Monk-Watson as starters, Warren, Duper, and Swann as reserves, Lipps as the 5th WR. Code:
Bebout automatically receives his pink slip, getting us down to 56 players. There's no other cuts i can convince myself to make right now, so our starting five will be Zimmerman-Hough-Grant-Commiskey-Loewen, with Eatman, Quillan, and Marvin the reserves. If I have to cut somebody, it'll probably be Quillan and Dellenbach will become the reserve C then. Code:
Well, now what? It's not all that hard, actually. Cut Trout and let Norwood and Webster fight it out in preseason for the starting K spot. Code:
No struggles here. Greer-Klecko-Burt-McDougald with Pitts and Latimer the reserves. Code:
Tippett-Odom-Cobb, with McLaughlin and Anderson the backups. Code:
We take another $80k cap hit next year to release Green and we also tell Glasglow his services won't be needed after all. Byrd-Small-Burrus-Fox the starters, Wilson and Smith the reserve CBs, Young and Sullivan the backup safeties. And we're at 53 even. We're also prohibitive favorites to win the whole thing again, due largely to our addition of Art Monk, who makes an already loaded WR corps that much more deadly. It'll be interesting seeing who Steve Largent signs with after we finally cut his lazy ass.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-15-2008, 02:05 AM
|
#322 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Preseason
Miami 26 Minnesota 14 James Owens goes a long way to securing the #2 RB spot with a 98 yard kickoff return for a TD and Scott Norwood stakes an early lead in the K race by going 2/2 on FGs, though neither were 40 yards or more. Curtis Greer paves the way on D with 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, 3 hurries and a forced fumble. Los Angeles 17 Miami 30 James Owens put in a solid backup RB performance while Herman Fontenot went nowhere with his 2 carries, so we can go ahead and annoint Owens the #2 RB now. Art Monk served noticed that he's arrived with 8 catches for 103 yards. Scott Norwood was 3/4 on FGs, again, none from 40+ range, so the door's opened up for Tim Webster. Joe Klecko had 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 hurries and 2 knockdowns to power the D. On second thought, Scott Norwood is improving in current and so is Larry Williams, so I'm going to leave the two rookies in. Jeff Dellenbach is replaced by Fred Quillan at backup C, though. Detroit 10 Miami 13 Close game, as June Jones has looked terribly interception prone in preseason, but we pull it out as Art Monk catches 6 passes for 105 yards and Scott Norwood makes 2/3 FGs, his first one from 40+ range at 43. Curtis Greer rampaged and won PotG with 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a block and a hurry. Miami 30 St. Louis 7 We close out preseason on a dominanting note, spanking the NFC favorite Cardinals behind Eric Dickerson's 14 rushes for 104 yards (James Owens was just behind at 12 rushes for 92 yards) and Steve Watson catches 3 TD passes. Curtis Greer and Doug McDougald both teed off on St. Louis's QBs for 3 sacks a piece, which is all you really need to know about how badly we skunked the Cardinals. And of course the final preseason game is when we're hit by injuries. Rookie reserve G Larry Williams hyperxtends his elbow and is out 3 weeks, while TE John Spagnola separates his shoulder and is out 6 weeks. G Mickey Marvin gets his reserve G spot back, while we split TE duties equally between Don Warren, Reggie Haynes and rookie Jay Novacek. Regular Season Buffalo 16 Miami 33 Eric Dickerson scorched the Bills' defense for 138 yards and a TD on 25 carries to win Player of the Game and Scott Norwood kicked 4/5 FGs to win this one handily. Nice way to start the year! Tampa Bay 10 Miami 24 The streak continues as Eric Dickerson rushes 28 times for 148 yards and catches one pass for a 35 yard TD, but it was Dan Marino who won Player of the Game with 318 yards and 3 TDs on 17/26 passing. Steve Watson led the receivers with 5 catches for 101 yards and a TD. and Curtis Greer paced the defense with 4 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, 3 hurries and 2 knockdowns. Denver 13 Miami 38 I think it's safe to say we're officially an offensive juggernaut as Eric Dickerson totes the ball 22 times for 170 yards and a TD, including a beaut of a 60 yard after-burner run and Dan Marino wins Player of the Game at 20-25 for 262 yards and 3 TDs. G Larry Williams is now healthy, but Mickey Marvin's playing well enough to keep his job. New England 13 Miami 44 Another week, another blowout keyed by PotG Eric Dickerson with 25 carries for 114 yards and 2 TDs, and despite Dan Marino throwing 2 INTs, he did all right at 22/38 for 347 yards and 3 TDs to go with those picks. Steve Watson had 5 catches for 107 yards. TE John Spagnola is Probable, but I'll let him fully heal before bringing him back. Miami 29 Jacksonville 3 Rookie K Scott Norwood rewards my faith in him by kicking 5/6 FGs, including a 49 yarder, to win Player of the Game honors. Gill Byrd had 5 tackles and 3 pass defenses to head up the defense in a game otherwise lacking in offensive stars or statistical stars period. Houston 19 Miami 51 51 points?! I think that's a franchise record! Holy cow! Dan Marino showed his mastery in this game: 24/31 for 377 yards and 4 TDs, the bulk of it going to my favorite, Steve Watson, with 5 catches for 124 yards and a TD. Coolest offensive play of the game: Herman Fontenot getting the last score on his only carry of the game, a 12 yard TD run.Miami 27 Buffalo 30 I want to throw up.  1:19 left in the game and Bert Jones hits Mark Clayton for a 33 yard TD and the comeback upset. EFF YOU MARK CLAYTON! What a way to ruin a 92 yard TD pass to Art Monk and Dan Marino's 344 yards and 3 TDs, though to be fair, Dan the Man struggled at 16/33 and 2 picks. but Art Monk was otherworldly: 6 catches for 231 yards and 3 TDs, a 38.5 YPC average. Ugh, I'm so pissed that our perfect season got hosed just like that.TE John Spagnola is now fully healthy, so we make him the starter again and make Jay Novacek the #2 TE, with Don Warren still the run-blocking TE. Miami 27 Indianapolis 0 We come out pissed and we rape the Colts, shutting their asses out. 6 interceptions is a sweet feeling, with Joe Klecko ravaging Indy for 4 tackles, an assist, 3 sacks, a hurry and 3 knockdowns, Doug McDougald adding 2 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 hurries. Gill Byrd went into angry ballhawk mode, picking off 2 of the 6 INTs. We're 7-1 at the halfway point and the rest of the AFC East is 5-3. The other division leaders all have 2 or 3 losses, so we're in the pole position for the second half of the season. Halfway stats: Code:
Marino's on pace for another 4,000+ yard season. God damn do I love Dickerson's ball security. Watson needs to step it up a notch if he wants that 1,000 yard mark for the second straight year. Burrus is just having an absolutely sick season. I mean, we're talking so sick he should be in Defensive Player of the Year discussions. I'm surprised to see Greer's sack numbers so high, but then again, he's been incredibly consistent this year, so much so that he's on pace to smash personal bests in sacks, hurries and knockdowns. It'll be a damned shame if we don't win the Super Bowl again. This is just one amazing team. Look at all the 1 rankings on offense!
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-16-2008, 08:08 PM
|
#323 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Our lone PT complaint comes from Unhappy SS Andre Young and if he thinks he's starting over Lloyd Burrus, he's on crack. Nor is he good enough to crack our dime package.
Tucson 6 Miami 33 Dan Marino continues his incredible yardage pace, with 30/40 for 388 yards and 2 TDs as Player of the Game and Art Monk puts up his second 200+ yard receiving game this year with 10 catches for 204 yards and 2 TDs. Scott Norwood kicked 4/5 FGs. New Jersey 10 Miami 41 This game was a lot of fun, as Johnny Smith returned an interception 61 yards for a TD and Gerald Small closed out scoring with a 26 yard interception return for a TD. It was such a blowout that even our backups got some reps. Joe Klecko had 4 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks and a knockdown, while Doug McDougald recorded 3 tackles, 2 assists and 2 sacks. And then a mini-disaster strikes. Dan Marino strains his Achilles tendon and is out 4 weeks! So we're forced to put our trust in June Jones for a few games. Luckily, the closest teams to us have 3 losses, so all Jones has to do is manage the games well enough not to go on a losing streak.Miami 27 Carolina 24 We needed to come from behind, with June Jones finding Art Monk for the game-winning 15 yard TD just inside the two-minute warning, but we pull out the win against a pretty good Panthers team. June Jones was Marino-like in his PotG effort: 27/43 for 343 yards and 3 TDs, with Art Monk the hero again, netting 7 catches for 140 yards and 2 TDs. Lloyd Burrus had an absolutely off the hook game as well: 13 tackles, 3 assists and 2 interceptions. Backup G Mickey Marvin took to smoking heavily early in the year when he tenatively lost his active spot to rookie G Larry Williams. Although he got it back following Williams' injury, the habit remained and after this tense, comeback victory over Carolina, Marvin had a mental breakdown when he realized he'd smoked his last cigarette shortly after getting off the team plane before the game. So he's Out, undergoing intensive therapy right now and Williams steps back in as the backup G for our next game. Miami 27 Baltimore 13 Lloyd Burrus has had a career year this season and he kept right on plugging along in this workmanlike win over the Ravens: 9 tackles, 3 assists, a sack and one of the three interceptions we got against former Dolphins QB Ron Jaworski. Curtis Greer put in a good game as well with 3 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, a hurry, 3 knockdowns and a forced fumble. Dan Marino's back to Probable, but we're 11-1 and have all but officially clinched the AFC East title and the closest team to us in the #1 seed race has 4 losses (Tucson, Denver and Kansas City). There's no way we're going to risk further damage to our best player when there's nothing to be gained by it. Miami 20 Atlanta 26 This loss doesn't bother me at all. I figured we'd lose at least one game while Marino's out. Art Monk did his damndest to make sure it didn't happen though, as he caught 10 passes for 176 yards and a TD. J.C. Wilson led the defense with 10 tackles. Injuries continue to accumulate as starting C Will Grant hyperextends his elbow and is out roughly 3 games, while starting FS Tim Fox tears the cartilage in his knee and is lost for the rest of the season. C Fred Quillan takes over as the starting C and LS, rookie Jeff Dellenbach the reserve. Second year FS John Sullivan will be our starter for the rest of the year as we put Fox on IR and 11th year vet Steve Luke, a Week 10 castoff of the New England Patriots, is signed to be the backup FS. Miami 34 New England 17 John Sullivan started off his official starting stint with a bang, returning an interception 32 yards for a TD. June Jones was a laser-beam: 21/25 for 243 yards and 2 TDs on his way to Player of the Game honors. The interception by Sullivan was one of four on the day as we just abused the Patriots QBs. With the victory we are officially clinched as AFC East Division Champs and we've all but mathematically won the #1 overall seed in the playoffs. Enter Dan Marino back to full health and we've still got something to play for. New Orleans 10 Miami 23 Our defense had a lot of fun in this game, as Doug McDougald had 4 tackles, 4 assists, 2 sacks, a hurry and a forced fumble, Jim Burt recorded 3 tackles, 2 assists, 2.5 sacks, a block, a hurry and 2 knockdowns, and Gill Byrd crushed the Saints' passing game with 4 tackles, an assist and 4 pass defenses. The #1 seed is ours as the Titans lost, but the injuries just don't stop. Backup FL Mark Duper gets a stress fracture in his leg and *he's* lost for the season as well. Louis Lipps takes over as the reserve flanker and WR Dennis Pearson, cut by the Steelers in Week 6, returns to the Aqua and Orange as our 5th WR. Although everything's clinched, I'm not going to rest any starters for the final game. Dan Marino still has some rust on him, I think and Eric Dickerson has virtually disappeared the second half of the year. Oh yes, C Will Grant is back up to Probable, but he can sit and get rested up fully. G Mickey Marvin, on the other hand, has finally recovered from his tobacco withdrawal and will slide back in his reserve G spot, taking over for the tired Larry Williams. Miami 37 New Jersey 7 Eric Dickerson finally roared back to life, rushing 29 times for 103 yards and 3 TDs en route to Player of the Game and our pass-rush feasted well on the Jets as Doug McDougald scarfed up 6 tackles and 2.5 sacks and Curtis Greer wolfed down 5 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks, a block, a hurry and a knockdown. An excellent final tuneup for the postseason. Herschel Walker Notes 256 rushes for 1,175 yards and 13 TDs. (5 fumbles) 69/75 Kansas City Chiefs: 9-7 and going to the playoffs. Jerry Rice Notes 87 catches for 1,111 yards and 4 TDs vs 5 drops and 2 fumbles 42/44 St. Louis Cardinals: 6-10.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-17-2008, 02:05 PM
|
#324 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Herschel Walker was good in his postseason debut with 16 carries for 102 yards and a TD, but that was the only scoring the Chiefs generated as Kansas City fell 17-7 to the Denver Broncos.
For our divisional round matchup, we face off against the Cincinnati Bengals. They're still led by Danny White at QB and though he's struggled some in stripes, he's still a high quality player, throwing for 3,855 yards and 26 TDs to 19 INTs in the regular season. 3rd year RB Gary Anderson isn't anything special as a runner, save for great ball security, but he's a terrific receiver out of the backfield. TE Paul Coffman is a drop-happy underachiever and White's WRs are simply awful. With the exceptions of RG John Tautolo and rookie LT Jim Lachey, the Bengals o-line can't run-block to save their lives and conversely, C Dennis Swilley and LG Jim Richter are the lone competent pass blockers. Richter's particularly deadly at bottling up the pass-rush, with 7 pancake blocks this year. Their punter is average, but K Norm Johnson really came on strong this year, a dizzying 11/12 (91.2%) from 40+ range and 3/3 from 50+ range in the regular season. He's also 2/2 in this playoffs, including a 50 yarder. Cincinnati's DEs are ghastly, but LDT Mike Dawson more than makes up for it, with four All-Pro awards and 3 double-digit sack seasons. RDT Bob Baumhower is pretty good too, with two All-Pro nods to his credit. MLB Anthony Griggs is a good all-around MLB and one hell of a special teams player, but the rest of the linebacking corps is merely average. LCB John Turner is a solid all-around player, especially deadly in run support and 3rd year RCB Tim Lewis is a dynamite cover corner and ballhawk. SS Monty Hunter is league average and FS Bo Eason is only his second year. He's got prodigal talent, but he still hasn't made the mental adaptation to match his abilities. All in all, this should be a fairly easy win for us. Danny White has no weapons worth relying on and Gary Anderson is better suited as a backup and passing down back. True, the Bengals have a strong secondary and their DTs are brutal, but the linebacking corps can be exploited and the DTs can be double-teamed because of how pathetic the DEs are. Vegas predicts a blowout as well, favoring us by 10 points. And a blowout it is. Dan Marino did throw 2 interceptions against that damned fine secondary, but he more than made up for by going 20/27 for 358 yards and 3 TDs outside of those 2 picks. Art Monk continued to show why he's worth his lavish contract with 6 catches for 150 yards, including a 48 yard TD catch. Joe Klecko slammed Cincy's line hard, with 5 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, a hurry and 4 knockdowns. Our secondary turned Danny White's day into a nightmare, with 4 interceptions before they turned to their backup. Gill Byrd was the main ballthief, with 2 picks to go along 3 tackles, an assist and 2 pass defenses. And so it's back to the AFC Championship we go!
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-18-2008, 02:47 PM
|
#325 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
And we go up against the Tucson Titans in the AFC Championship.
They've got a major QB controversy, with Steve Dils the inexplicable starter over Jim Kelly, who though still raw, has looked much better in his half-season than Dils has. The Titans also boast raw but promising rookie Randall Cunningham, who's on the inactive list. That's a wealth of young signal-caller talent that's just being out and out wasted. 10th year vet RB Bubba Bean is the starter and I'm wondering just how the hell the Titans put points on the board until I see FL Mike Quick of the 3 straight 1,000 yard plus receiving seasons. Still, this isn't a talented offensive skill position unit by any means. In fact, I'd say it's the worst of any AFC Championship appearing team in universe history. It gets even more puzzling when I look at their offensive line, which is a collection of bodies that can't run block and most of them can't pass block, either. How is Tucson even here? P Dave Jennings provides a glimmer of an answer, though K Mick Luckhurst is a major underachiever. Answers start coming when we look at the defense. Second year LDE Sean Jones had 22 sacks in the regular season and RDE Dwaine Board had double-digit sacks as well. The DTs are unremarkable, however. MLB Matt Millen is a phenomenal all-around player, as is SLB Bob Brudzinski. The secondary is weak, though, with age-defying 12th year vet SS Donnie Shell the lone strong player. Despite Tucson's gifted defensive ends and linebacking corps, I still fail to see just how the Titans got this far. I'm predicting an out and out blowout. The bookies only favor us by 8, curiously enough. And it turns out Vegas knows more than we do, as the Titans played us a close game, but 3 Steve Dils interceptions and 2 fumbles killed Tucson's hopes for an upset. We played a balanced game, with our lone statistical star Player of the Game Joe Klecko, who had 7 tackles, 2 sacks and a hurry. Tucson 21 Miami 31 WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-23-2008, 10:31 PM
|
#326 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Super Bowl XXVI Preview
Miami Dolphins Out WR Mark Duper FS Tim Fox Carolina Panthers Out FS Larry Anderson Quarterbacks Despite missing four games to injury this season, Dan Marino still finished with 3,428 yards and 28 TDs against just 7 interceptions. Although Marino's thrown 3 interceptions this postseason, versus a perfect 8 TDs and 0 picks in last year's Super Bowl championship run, Marino still looks dynamite. Reserve June Jones was brilliant in his 4 starts, with almost 70% completion rate and 7 TDs vs 0 picks en route to a 3-1 record. He also put up a very good 1034 yards. Pat Ryan's an interesting story. Drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 1978 draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, he was considered a huge bust and never came close to winning the starting job. Then, in 1982, he signed with the Panthers, where he's been Carolina's starter for the last 4 years, throwing for 3,000+ yards each season except his first (2,955 yards) and 20+ TDs each season except this one (17) and no more than 12 interceptions in any season. He's been Marino-like in the playoffs, with 6 TDs and no picks. 3rd year backup Ken O'Brien is untested. Advantage: Dolphins Running Back Eric Dickerson is one of those running backs who doesn't get the credit he deserves because of having to replace a legend in Walter Payton. That said, he's a terrific dual-threat back, with 1,000+ yards rushing and 10+ rushing TDs in each of his 3 seasons, with 40+ catches for 400+ yards in the same span (save for his first year, when he had 356 receiving yards). More importantly, he's never fumbled more than 4 times a season. Reserve James Owens is in the same mold as Dickerson and a perfect fit for the Dolphins offensive scheme. The Panthers have their own underrated back in George Rogers, who, like Dickerson is a brilliant two-way threat, with 5 straight seasons of 1,000+ yards rushing and a career high 1,758 yards rushing and 11 TDs in the regular season. He's also even more vital a part of Carolina's passing attack than Dickerson is for Miami. The one knock on Rogers: He's occasionally fumble-prone. Stanford Jennings is a mediocre reserve who puts the ball on the ground a lot. Advantage: Dolphins Wide Receiver Losing #3 WR Mark Duper doesn't hurt Miami nearly as much as it would other teams, because Dolphins GM Tim Moungey believes in a strong, deep receiving corps. FL Art Monk set career highs in yardage and TDs (1,402 and 11 respectively), to prove himself worthy of every penny of his lucrative free agent contract. SE Steve Watson failed to repeat his 1,000 yard receiving of a year ago, but he's still a dangerous target. 12th year vet SE Lynn Swann is still a capable receiver and backup FL Louis Lipps is turning into an emerging receiver. TE John Spagnola is the nominal starter, but it's actually a 3 TE situation, with Don Warren and rookie Jay Novacek having their roles as well. No such division exists at the TE spot in Carolina, where 2nd year pro Clarence Kay is a great all-around player. FL Earnest Gray and SE Rich Maulti are both bad, with #3 WR Terry LeCount drop-prone besides. The rest of the Panthers pass-catchers are mere filler. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line C Will Grant is a skilled pass-blocker, but not much of a run-blocker and the same can be said for LG Jim Hough. RG Chuck Commiskey was a brilliant free-agent find, a well-rounded starter. LT Gary Zimmerman had a brilliant sophomore campaign, with 38 KRBs at a 40.4% percentage, 6 pancake blocks and just 3 sacks allowed in the regular season. RT Chuck Loewen is the opposite of the Dolphins' left side. A great run-blocker and not much in pass protection. Backup T Irv Eatman is phenomenal on the run-block, a revolving door in the passing game, the inverse of reserve C Fred Quillan and G Mickey Marvin. Want to know how good Panthers LG Randy Cross is? So good that he's been named to 8 straight 1st Team All-Pro teams and ranks 2nd All-Time in Pancake Blocks in just his 10th season. C Don Macek is another great greybeard, with two 1st Team All-Pro awards to his credit, including last season. RG Ray Snell is solid and balanced, as is RT Roger Taylor, a former Dolphin. LT Ken Ruettgers played exceptionally as a rookie and backup G Terry Tausch and T Bill Story are good enough to start for a lot of teams. Second-string C Charlie Arne is, like his Dolphin counterpart, a good pass-blocker with feeble run-blocking talent. Advantage: Panthers Kickers P Mike Connell is league average, but K Scott Norwood had a solid rookie season, at 39/48 (81.3%), 13/18 (72.2%) from 40+ range and 2/3 from 50+ range. He's 4/4 in the playoffs, including a 43 yarder. P Luke Pestridge is bad and K Nick Lowery, a free agent signing from Green Bay, was respectable in the regular season, but has been horrible in the playoffs, blowing both 40+ yard attempts. Advantage: Dolphins Defensive Line The addition of an improved opposite in RDE Doug McDougald allowed a lot of pressure to be taken off of sensational pass-rusher LDE Curtis Greer who had a career high 15 sacks in the regular season. LDT Joe Klecko returned to double-digit sack form and set career marks in QB hurries (30) and knockdowns (25). RDT Jim Burt had a solid, if unspectacular year. LDE Ezra Johnson has gotten better with age, the 9th year vet posting his finest seasons the last two years. LDT Curtis Green had a breakout season with 9.5 sacks. RDT Charles De Jurnett is a shell of the player he once was and RDE Bryan Caldwell is league average. Advantage: Dolphins Linebackers SLB Andre Tippett really fell off in the tackle department this year, though much of it can be explained by his greatly improved coverage skills. MLB Cliff Odom continues to be one of the more underrated all-around middle-men in the league and WLB Gary Cobb gets the job done. MLB Johnny Rembert, in just his 3rd season, is already a better version of Odom. SLB Mel Owens is a better coverage backer than Tippett but without the pass-rush skills. WLB Chip Banks is mediocre. Advantage: Draw Secondary LCB Gill Byrd is one of the best young CBs in the game and rises to the occasion in the playoffs. During last year's Super Bowl run, he had a 90.6 pass defense percentage and an interception. This year, he has a 99.6 pass defense percentage and 3 interceptions in as many games. RCB Gerald Small has been extremely good since signing with the Dolphins in last year's offseason and he's been phenomenal this postseason as well, with a 91.1 pass defense percentage and 2 interceptions. CB Johnny Smith is an adequate nickelback for the regular season, but gets consistently burnt in crunch time. Second year FS John Sullivan has been surprisingly effective in relief of the injured FS Tim Fox and SS Lloyd Burrus had an absolute astounding season: 99 tackles, 27 assists, 4 sacks, a block, 8 interceptions, a new Dolphins single-season record (Goldie Sellers had 7 all the way back in 1972) and an 86.6 pass defense percentage. LCB Terry Taylor was brilliant in the regular season (6 ints, 84.4 pass defense %), but the second year player has been exposed for his greeness in the playoffs. RCB Lionel Washington is a very talented, solid young man in his third season, giving the Panthers a pair of terrific young corners. Nickel CB Tim Moresco is a tough, clutch player. SS Brenard Wilson is competent and has played well this postseason. FS Lenny Walterscheid has been the weak link, with a horrific 69.1 pass defense percentage in the playoffs. Advantage: Dolphins Keys for the Miami Dolphins 1. Give Dan Marino time to throw This is a gifted secondary and linebacking unit the Dolphins are facing. Miami has the offensive tools to counter this very good Panthers defense, but only if the offensive line gives Marino time to throw. The good news is, he's got the quickest release of any QB in the NFL. 2. Be aggressive on the blitz Miami has the playmakers on defense to bring on multiple blitz packages often and the secondary's good enough to run that risk. Pressure Pat Ryan and he just may make mistakes, particularly since his receivers aren't as good as Marino's. 3. Keep a balanced offense going Eric Dickerson hasn't been used nearly as much this playoffs as he was last year and his production in the second half of the season was much lower than the first half. There's a chance that Carolina could focus on shutting down the passing game, which opens up holes for Miami's ground game. Keys for the Carolina Panthers 1. Respect Eric Dickerson As noted above, it's going to be tempting to focus on Marino and his receiving arsenal. Do that and Carolina loses this game big-time, especially since Dickerson doesn't fumble the ball. 2. Stay back in coverage The Panthers have a secondary close to as good as Miami's and their linebackers are better at the coverage game than the Dolphins. Carolina needs to take advantage of that by blanketing Marino's receivers and frustrating him into a mental mistake. 3. Play a ball control game The only chance Carolina has in this one is to slow the pace of the game down to a crawl. Turning this into a shootout results in a Dolphins blowout. That's just how good this Miami offense is. In a scrappy, defensive contest, the Panthers have a shot. Final Thoughts On paper, this looks like an uneven contest, but Carolina has the ability on defense to turn this into a close game. Pat Ryan has been extremely vocal about a lack of respect for his Panthers squad, which has Carolina fired up. In the end, we'll probably see a much closer game than most people think, but the result is clear, whether large or small: the Dolphins to win it all. Final Line: Miami by 3
__________________
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 : 03-23-2008 at 10:31 PM. |
|
|
|
|
03-24-2008, 03:23 PM
|
#327 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
The Panthers get the ball first and they're easily held to a three and out, but then they do the same to us after Gary Zimmerman lets Mel Owens in for a 7 yard sack.
Then Carolina puts together an incredible time-eating drive, mostly on George Rogers runs and short passes to the backs, including Stanford Jennings. Stupid penalties on our part don't help either and the end result is George Rogers plunging in from a yard out for the TD and first blood. Carolina 7 Miami 0 - 5:22 1st Quarter We strike back quickly as Eric Dickerson runs the ball 3 straight times, including two consecutive 17 yard runs, followed by a 12 yard catch. This sets up the bomb, namely a 32 yard TD rainbow from Dan Marino to Steve Watson to tie it up! Now that's firepower! Miami 7 Carolina 7 - 2:46 1st Quarter Carolina's stunned by our rapid attack and they 3 and out to end the first quarter. Miami 7 Carolina 7 - End 1st Quarter Eric Dickerson rips off his 3rd 17 yard run of the game on the first play of the next drive, but we stall from there and have to punt, but Mike Connell does a brilliant job of pinning the Panthers at the 5 yard line. Pat Ryan begins mixing things up with Stanford Jennings catches and George Rogers runs again, but then Joe Klecko gets a critical sack on 3rd down to snuff out the threat before the Panthers even get to midfield. Our own rumbling drive gets cut off when Dan Marino's intercepted by Lionel Washington as we try to catch them napping on 3rd and 1 with a pass play. Washington returns it to our 36 yard line and things are looking a mite grim. It's the combined Stanford Jennings and George Rogers show again and Jennings takes it in for the go-ahead TD from 5 yards out. I am -not- happy. Where's the fumbles? Carolina 14 Miami 7 - 5:51 2nd Quarter Two plays later comes the pass of the ages. Dan Marino threads the ball right through the double coverage to find Lynn Swann 46 yards downfield and Swann puts on the afterburners, leaving the defense in his dust as he crosses the goal-line for the tie! 77 yard TD pass all told! The stadium's going crazy at our second lightning TD and so am I. Miami 14 Carolina 14 - 4:58 2nd Quarter It's a game of constrating styles as our big play offense is countered by Carolina's short yardage game that eats up field and clock chunk by chunk. The Panthers stall at midfield though and they're forced to punt it away. Worse still for Carolina fans, they get nailed with a fair catch interference penalty to put us at our own 42. There's a minute 17 left to go in the half and we go into the hurry-up offense. Bryan Caldwell sacks Dan Marino on second down and I'm thinking we're going into the locker room with a tie. Then Dan Marino -really- comes alive, and with under a minute to play, he throws a 31 yard pass to Steve Watson, followed by a 29 yard pass to Art Monk for the go-ahead TD! Unbelievable! Nobody can believe what they've just seen! Our 3rd straight speedy TD! Miami 21 Carolina 14 - 0:36 2nd Quarter That's the halftime score as well as the Panthers take no chances, electing to take a knee rather than risk a turnover and allowing our potent offense more points. Good call, I say. Miami 21 Carolina 14 - Halftime We get the ball back at half and are a little slow starting off following an electrifying 34 yard return by James Owen but then Dan Marino hits Eric Dickerson for 28 yards to put us on the Carolina 16 and on very next play, James Owen completely fakes out the defense on a counter run and rushes the full 16 yards for the TD! It's quickly turning into a blowout now. Miami 28 Carolina 14 - 11:25 3rd Quarter But the Panthers come right back at us with a little Dolphins style big-yardage offense of their own. Stanford Jennings 17 yard run preludes a George Rogers 14 yard run, which is in turn followed by a 23 yard pass from Pat Ryan to David Hill, a TE. Our defense stiffens up on 3rd and 1 and they have to settle for a Nick Lowery FG, but wait! We get called for roughing the kicker and there's new life in the Panthers offense. Three short runs later, George Rogers is in for the score and just like that, Carolina's back in it. Ugh. Miami 28 Carolina 21 - 5:34 3rd Quarter Things go from bad to worse as midway through the next drive Lionel Washington gets his second interception of the game against Dan Marino. Pat Ryan turns into good Marino by finding David Hill for 15 yards and 3 plays later connecting with Earnest Gray for 21 yards to bring the Panthers deep in Dolphin territory. Worse yet, our star safety, Lloyd Burrus has some kind of leg injury that knocks him out for the rest of the game. Miami 28 Carolina 21 - End 3rd Quarter Fortunately our defense tightens up and the Panthers settle for Nick Lowery's 28 yard FG to start the final period. This time there's no damned roughing the kicker. Miami 28 Carolina 24 - 15:00 4th Quarter My heart's in my throat when Mel Gray fumbles the kickoff return on our 41, but Lynn Swann saves the day and potentially the Super Bowl with a fast-thinking recovery. Eric Dickerson bookends an incomplete pass with runs of 10 and 15 yards respectively and Dan Marino shows his good side by arcing a 29 yard pass that finds Don Warren for a rare TD by our block-specialist TE. Insurance is ours! Miami 35 Carolina 24 - 12:18 4th Quarter But the Panther aren't going down without a fight. George Rogers continues to chew up the field with short yardage carries and Pat Ryan repeatedly finds Rich Mauti open for receptions. A few more short passes later, the final one a 5 yarder to Earnest Gray and Carolina scores again to make it a one possession game. Miami 35 Carolina 31 - 6:03 4th Quarter Carolina's defense comes out fired up and have us at 3rd and 6, but then Dan Marino exploits a mismatch to connect with Lynn Swann for 24 yards and perform the escape act, hitting Louis Lipps for 33 yards as an encore on the very next play. This brings us to the Panthers' red zone and Eric Dickerson and James Owens have their turn at imitating Rogers and Jennings with short runs and Eric Dickerson get the presumptive clinching TD with a 2 yard run shortly before the two minute warning. Miami 42 Carolina 31 - 2:10 4th Quarter That last score finally breaks Carolina's surprisingly game offense and Pat Ryan throws 4 straight incompletions. Two inconsequential runs and a Marino knee later and it's all over. Miami 42 Carolina 31 - Final We're repeat Super Bowl Champions!!!!! We're also the very first team since our own 1966 and 1967 teams to repeat as Super Bowl champions and we're the only franchise in league history to have ever won consecutive Super Bowls. Eric Dickerson was named Super Bowl MVP for his performance: 18 carries for 118 yards and a TD along with 2 catches for 40 yards. A fair decision, as his long runs really galvanized our offense and demoralized the Panthers defense. Dan Marino was 13/21 for 324 yards, an astounding set of completions to yardage, with 4 TDs and 2 INTs. Lynn Swann was the hero of the receiving corps with 2 big-time catches for 101 yards and a TD, as well as a game-saving fumble recovery. Will Grant played exceptionally well himself: 4 key run blocks and a pancake block in a rare shining offensive line performance. Although we didn't have any real statistical stars of defense, Curtis Greer was ever-present, with 7 tackles, 2 assists, 3 hurries and 3 knockdowns. Lionel Washington was Carolina's lone star by the numbers: 3 tackles, 2 assists and 2 interceptions that helped keep his Panthers in the game. All in all, it was a beautiful win and a really fun Super Bowl to watch, even though the final scoreline indicated a game not as close as what it really was. The starting lineups as always for our Super Bowl Champion Miami Dolphins Super Bowl XXVI Dolphins Starters QB Dan Marino - 1st round 1983 Draft (1.1) RB Eric Dickerson - 1st round 1983 Draft (1.25) FB Russell Davis - 1980 FA TE John Spagnola - 3rd round 1979 Draft (3.6) FL Art Monk - 1985 FA SE Steve Watson - 4th round 1979 Draft (4.32) LT Gary Zimmerman - 1st round 1984 Draft (1.31) LG Jim Hough - 1st round 1978 Draft (1.31) C Will Grant - 1984 FA RG Chuck Commiskey - 1985 FA RT Chuck Loewen - 1985 FA K Scott Norwood - 5th round 1985 Draft (5.30) P Mike Connell - 1983 FA LDE Curtis Greer - 3rd round 1980 Draft (3.13) LDT Joe Klecko - 1982 FA RDT Don Latimer - 1984 FA RDE Doug McDougald - 1985 FA SLB Andre Tippett - 2nd round 1982 Draft (2.15) MLB Cliff Odom - 1st Round 1980 Draft (1.21) WLB Gary Cobb - 1984 FA LCB Gill Byrd - 2nd round 1983 Draft (2.28) RCB Gerald Small - 1984 FA SS Lloyd Burrus - 2nd round 1981 Draft (2.28) FS John Sullivan - 5th round 1984 Draft (5.31)
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-26-2008, 05:48 PM
|
#328 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Code:
What a phenomenal year on both sides of the ball. Dan Marino was great, Eric Dickerson very good, June Jones a phenomenal backup. Art Monk really took over in the WR game and for the first time in years, we have a limited number of receivers listed, though to be honest, a lot of that was the three TE split we ran and John Spagnola missing half the year with injuries. For the first time in franchise history, we have 3 players in double-digit sacks on the year. Curtis Greer and Joe Klecko made amazing rebounds and who could've expected Doug McDougald to have the breakout season that he did? To say nothing of Lloyd Burrus's sheer brilliance, arguably the finest season ever by a player in a Dolphins uniform on defense. 1985 Miami Dolphins Season Awards RB Eric Dickerson - Super Bowl MVP A fitting reward for a guy that a lot of people have wanted to knock on, especially after he was very quiet in the second half of the regular season. Without a doubt, one of the biggest difference-makers in our repeat championship. Head Coach Alan Rosain - Coach of the Year The best start to a career in NFL history. Two years as a head coach, two Super Bowl rings. It's awe-inspiring what he manages to get out of this team, along with his two coordinators. LT Gary Zimmerman - 1st Team All-Pro T He's the Walter Payton of OTs for us. After never having a dominant LT, Morris Towns's fluke season notwithstanding, Zimmerman's the real deal... and to think we landed him with the second to last pick in the 1st round! I expect to see him break a lot of team records by the time he's done. 40.4% KRB, 6 pancake blocks and 3 sacks allowed. Just incredible. SS Lloyd Burrus - 1st Team All-Pro S 99 tackles and 8 interceptions. 86.6% pass defense and 4 sacks, too. That's just insane. He also had 101 tackles last year. A guy who's really come into his own since winning the starting job in his 3rd season. He got some votes for Defensive Player of the Year, but lost out. A 2nd round pick, too! QB Dan Marino - 2nd Team All-Pro QB This is how dominant a QB Dan the Man is. He misses 4 games due to injury and -still- wins 2nd Team All-Pro QB. The franchise, the star, the Brilliant One. I hope he has a hand full of rings by the time he retires. FL Art Monk - 2nd Team All-Pro WR Okay, so it wasn't a 1st Team nod, but it's still an All-Pro appearance in his first season wearing aqua and orange. I look for many more to come out of Mr. Monk. Easily our best WR since Paul Warfield and that's even with my Steve Watson fanboydom. K Scott Norwood - 2nd Team All-Pro K How's this for alternate universe redemption? In his rookie season, Norwood not only wins a Super Bowl ring, but he makes 2nd Team All-Pro honors as well. Beautiful story, though he's got a long way to go before he tops Tim "Wonder" Webster on the franchise charts. DT Joe Klecko - 2nd Team All-Pro DT There were some absolutely amazing performances at DT this year, and weird as it seems, Klecko's 2nd Team placement is just about right. That's how many individual DT stars we have in this league right now. Incidentally, this is a new franchise record. 8 individual Dolphins were acknowledged with awards. Not even in our heydey of the late '60s did we accomplish this feat, though the mid-80s are quickly turning into a new golden era for Miami football. Other Major Awards MVP RB Tony Nathan - Baltimore Ravens Offensive Player of the Year RB Tony Nathan - Baltimore Ravens Defensive Player of the Year DE Sean Jones - Tucson Titans Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Herschel Walker - Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Chris Doleman - Atlanta Falcons One noticeable retirement this year. K Tim "Wonder" Webster (1971-1985) Taken in the 5th round of the 1971 draft (5.25), Webster exploded on the scene as a rookie, converting 90% of his FGs from all distances and from 40+ range. He also quickly developed a reputation as a clutch kicker that had me holding on to him a lot longer than I might have otherwise. Our kicker for 14 seasons, he was named to 2 All-Pro teams and was a part of 4 Super Bowl championship teams and he stands as one of the greats in NFL history from a sheer numbers standpoint. His card:  Super Bowl Rings 1972, 1978, 1981, 1984 All-Pro Awards 1976 - All-Pro 1st Team 1978 - All-Pro 2nd Team Miami Dolphins Records 1st - Field Goals 1st - Points Scored All-Time Records 7th - Field Goals 4th - Points Scored I think I'll go eat supper now while the weather's still nice and just bask in how successful this 1985 team was.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
03-30-2008, 01:41 PM
|
#329 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Staff Hiring Phase
Lead Scout Mike Heath OL: Good to VG Head Coach Alan Rosian MT: Average to Good DI: VG to Excellent DC Don Bruce is the only one out of contract and our asshat owner makes us low-ball him, but he signs on for a 5 year, $470,000 per year deal anyway, thankfully. *Very* cool news. Ex-Dolphins OC Jared Thamilarasan, the wunderkind of years past, just got a 3 year, $830,000 per year deal from the Houston Oilers to be their Head Coach! At 60 years old, he finally gets his head man opportunity. Sure the previous 23 years worth of records are wiped out, but who cares? He's top banana now. Also, Michael Swift, a one-hit wonder with a Super Bowl in his first year in Miami, returns to the head coaching ranks after a DC stint. The Tucson Titans gift him a 4 year, $460,000 per year contract, meaning the Titans continue to try and be like the Miami Dolphins, as they have throughout this universe. G Larry Williams earns this summer's trip to France to play in the summer league, as he'll get his chances to be the reserve G this year. Free Agency By the Numbers QB x 2, FB x 2, WR, T x 2, P, DE, DT x 2, ILB, OLB, CB x 2, FS, SS (16 bodies total) Week 1 Re-signings/Extensions LT Irv Eatman - 3 years, $260k LCB Gill Byrd - 5 years, $3.04 mill. LG Jim Hough - 3 years, $490k RG Chuck Commiskey - 4 years, $840k Locking Byrd up was huge. Sure I could've got another freebie year out of him and then signed him to a massive deal as a RFA, but we more than have the cap room to burn and CBs have notoriously short shelf lives on me. Week 2 Signings MLB Joe McLaughlin - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Competent reserve ILB and solid defensive front captain. OLB Mike Woods - 1 year, $100k* (San Francisco) -Nice reserve OLB backup. Had 5.5 sacks last year out of the WLB spot. Affinity with McLaughlin. CB Alan Caldwell - 1 year, $100k* (St. Louis) -Significant upgrade at the nickelback spot over Johnny Smith in my opinion. Another nice backup. Affinity with Pete Shaw as well. Week 3 Signings P Mike Connell - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Gets the job done and is a first-rate kickholder. Will keep returning until I find some rookie somewhere that I love or until his skills fall apart. CB Bobby Butler - 1 year, $100k (New York) -Had to pay above minsal to get him, but he'll be a major boon to our goal-line package, as he's a terrific run defender and probably figures in as our dime back as well. Week 4 Signings DT Joe Klecko - 3 years, $1.6 mill. (Re-signing) -By the time his contract is up, he won't be worth anywhere close to the money, but for now, he's our top DT and a mentor to boot. Oh yeah, he's also a fan favorite, so he helps put butts in the seats. Simply put, we needed this guy back in the aqua and orange. Week 5 Signings C Fred Quillan - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -I wasn't going to bring him back because of how awful he was at run-blocking last year and with Jeff Dellenbach waiting in the wings as a backup C, but I just couldn't help myself. T Chuck Loewen - 1 year, $110k (Re-signing) -Had to throw in a little more to retain the mentor and last year's starting RT, but he'll be worth it for young guy development. S Tim Fox - 1 year, $140k (Re-signing) -Another one I got into a fight over, but the little extra money keeps him in a Dolphins uniform. Unlike prior seasons, his starting spot's not guaranteed as John Sullivan was surprisingly effective in relief last year. S Pete Shaw - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Brought back solely for the incredible job he does with chemistry in the secondary. Week 5 Losses WR Lynn Swann - 1 year, $120k* (Green Bay) -The Packers get a steal here, a PR guy, ST ace, mentor and accomplished WR. I was sick of having Swann on my team after years and years of underachieving and I didn't want him running the risk of passing Paul Warfield on the Dolphins leaderboard strictly through longevity as he enters his 13th season. Most miserable pick I ever made, with regards to what I expected to be getting. Week 6 Signings RB James Owens - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Special teams guru and solid #2 back. Probably won't be back next year, though. S Don Schwartz - 1 year, $100k* (San Francisco) -A reserve for Lloyd Burrus. Okay, but nothing spectacular. Week 6 Losses DE Doug McDougald - 4 years, $1.22 mill. (Pittsburgh) -Took his surprise double-digit sack season and cashed it in for a fat check from the Steelers. Good for him, but I wasn't bringing him back for that kind of money. He just screams fluke to me. Week 7 Signings FB Curtis Brown - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -He's had a longer career with the Dolphins as an UDRFA than a lot of high profile picks. Oh yeah, he's also a mentor by now, but not sure if I mentioned that. FB Curtis Dickey - 3 years, $320k (Los Angeles) -A brilliant, brilliant underrated FB who's the perfect fit for our offense. Seriously, we haven't had a FB this good since Larry Csonka. A terrific pickup and a fan favorite besides! TE Reggie Haynes - 1 year, $100k* (Re-signing) -Insurance against John Spagnola's injury-proneness and can play ST. DE Greg Smith - 1 year, $110k (New England) -Looks like he might just be this year's Doug McDougald. In any case, he'll be the starting RDE until further notice. Week 8 Signings QB Don Milan - 1 year, $120k* (Re-signing) -You don't need to wonder why we've re-signed The Legend if you've been following this dynasty at all and know my tendencies. TE Mike Barber - 1 year, $120k* (Chicago) -Mentor TE, check. ST ace, check. LS ability, check. Release Reggie Haynes, check. Week 8 Losses FB Russell Davis - 1 year, $110k (St. Louis) -Gets a little extra change from the Cardinals as a surprising bidding war erupted over him. Nice to see him go on to some success outside of Miami. TE Don Warren - 1 year, $100k* (Oakland) -Really pissed off about our 3 TE situation last year and hies it to the Raiders on a minsal deal. Good choice from a PT standpoint, as he looks to be the starting TE in Silver and Black. Week 9 Signings DT Ben Rudolph - 1 year, $80k* (Los Angeles) -Strictly a body signing to be the backup DT. Has a strong affinity with our front seven captain. Week 11 Losses OLB John Anderson - 1 year, $100k* (Denver) -Mentor and good run-stopper, but didn't really fit in with our plans at all anymore. S Andre Young - 1 year, $80k* (Tucson) -Never panned out at all and the Titans, the wannabe Dolphins, are welcome to him. Interviews and draft later tonight or sometime tomorrow.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-01-2008, 12:01 AM
|
#330 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
I've never, ever seen a draft class this position heavy.
The top players in the '86 draft class are dominated by DEs, RBs, ILBs, CBs, and a couple of offensive linemen and DTs. It's absolutely insane. There's 7 players with a 7.0 or higher rating this class DE Tim Green, DE Leslie O'Neal, RB Dalton Hilliard, RB Neal Anderson, ILB Sam Mills, ILB John Offerdahl and RB John L. Williams. In fact, it's so top and position-heavy in the skewing that the only guy not a DE, RB, ILB, CB, DT or offensive lineman on the blue-chip list is OLB Pat Swilling. Our primary needs: A young, eventual starter-worthy RT, a 5th WR, improved depth at DE and DT, which plays right into this class's strength and some young depth at CB and S. The nice part is, that sets us up in great position to either trade down or take the best player available when our turn comes up, since, while these needs are there, none of them are what I would call truly urgent. 1986 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. DE Tim Green - Green Bay Packers 2. RB Dalton Hilliard - New York Giants 3. ILB Sam Mills - Indianapolis Colts 4. ILB John Offerdahl - Oakland Raiders 5. OLB Pat Swilling - Philadelphia Eagles 6. DE Leslie O'Neal - New Orleans Saints 7. RB Neal Anderson - St. Louis Cardinals 8. ILB Dino Hackett - Cleveland Browns 9. RB John L. Williams - Seattle Seahawks 10. ILB Gary Plummer - Los Angeles Rams 11. QB Jack Trudeau - New Jersey Jets 12. DE Charles Haley - Pittsburgh Steelers 13. DE T.J. Turner - Jacksonville Jaguars 14. CB Tim McKyer - Baltimore Ravens 15. DE Jon Dumbauld - Minnesota Vikings 16. T Will Woolford - Atlanta Falcons 17. G Mike Schad - San Diego Chargers 18. DE Kevin Fagan - Houston Oilers 19. OLB Seth Joyner - New England Patriots 20. DT Alvin Wright - Chicago Bears 21. WR Tim McGee - Kansas City Chiefs 22. DT Tony Casillas - Cincinnati Bengals 23. S David Fulcher - Denver Broncos 24. G Ray Brown - Buffalo Bills 25. ILB Aaron Pearson - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26. CB J.C. Pearson - New Jersey Jets through Dallas Cowboys The Cowboys get the Jets' 1988 1st round pick and their 1987 and 1988 7th rounders. Kind of a raw deal for the Cowboys in my opinion, unless their draft board has guys that simply aren't worth a 1st round pick, which is quite possible in this skewed position draft. 27. CB Maurice Douglass - Tucson Titans 28. ILB Vaughan Johnson - Washington Redskins 29. T Steve Wallace - Detroit Lions 30. CB Lewis Billups - San Francisco 49ers 31. DE John Washington - Carolina Panthers Well, this draft has played out perfectly from our perspective. There were two DEs we were looking at strongly and even prepared to move up for. The only problem is that both of them survived to this point and we're not sure who to take. I could trade down, but the most I could drop down would be two spots as the two DEs are the top players on the board and they're sure to go very soon and at most, I'd get an extra 5th out of it. Of the two DE prospects, one's Underrated and has average all-around bars with a blue combine in intelligence and a red combine in agility. The other is Hard to Read, looks like a pretty good pure pass-rusher, has a blue 40 time (4.6), a blue agility and a red broad jump. Both are mid-30% developed. After a long debate with myself and memories of playing Tecmo Super Bowl for hours on end, I go with the better pass-rusher and the one I was more leaning towards all along. 32. DE Clyde Simmons - Miami Dolphins Good thing I didn't trade down, as DE Jon Hand, the other guy I was looking at, gets snapped up the very next pick by the Packers. That's one scary DE tandem Green Bay's going to have the next several years. This -has- to aggravate the Detroit Lions, who have a desparate need for a starter-quality DE and just saw the last two high quality options fly off the board right in front of them. They're so disgusted by the failure of their gambling that they take a safety instead. 9 picks out of the first 33 as DEs. Almost 1/3 were DEs. That's just insane and we'll probably see yet more DEs taken later this round. That's how ridiculously deep the pool is there this year, though the talent dropoff gets more considerable now, in my opinion. Things continue to roll beautifully for the Dolphins as we grab raw, but extremely promising T Paul Blair with the last pick in round 2, who looks like our RT of the future. Safety is our pick at the end of the 3rd as we welcome S Antonio Gibson to the Dolphins. I'm not sure how much he'll contribute because sure he picks off passes, but appears to have no other immediate skills. That said, he's very underrated, had an impressive combine and gives us depth at an area that needs it. I may even experiment with moving him to CB, with his interception skills. We have no 4th round pick and the WR I wanted to grab in the 5th gets stolen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4.26 I start panicking as WRs fly off the board left and right in the 5th, so I contact the Buffalo Bills and we swap 5th round picks and hand over our 1988 7th round pick to allow me to take WR Aubrey Matthews at 5.24, who, if nothing else, should be a special teams contributor. DT Joe Phillips is our 6th round flyer pick and for Mr. Irrelevant, we snag P Ray Criswell, since we have a P mentor and Criswell intrigues. Late Free Agency Week 1 Signings QB Mike Kerrigan - 2 years, $170k (New Orleans) -Young QB who's never gotten a shot, but his bars look intriguing and I think he'll be a capable 2nd stringer. Week 3 Signings WR Rick Upchurch - 1 year, $120k* (Houston) -Mentor and fantastic punt returner and special teams ace. A real bargain of a one year rental, even if the ceiling caves in as he's in his 12th season. DE Cleveland Crosby - 1 year, $80k* (Denver) -Strictly a mentor rental. Week 4 Signings FB Nu Faaola - 1 year, $30k (UDRFA) -His run-blocking skills intrigue me and he could be the next Curtis Brown. Week 5 Losses CB Johnny Smith - 1 year, $80k* (Buffalo) -The Bills steal Smith on the last day of free agency, which was a pretty smart move on their part in my opinion. They could do a lot worse than him for CB depth and in fact, the Bills' DB situation is such that he should at minimum be a nickel back, if not competing for a starting spot. Code:
I may just go ahead and give Simmons the starting RDE end job from the get-go. Blair doesn't necessarily look like a franchise RT after all, but he'll fight Irv Eatman for backup T duty. Switching Gibson to CB won't work, but there's a chance he could be a quiet creeper like John Sullivan, who was a 5th round pick, turned out to be. Matthews is a huge disappointment. Little to no uptick and a conflict with Steve Watson besides. Expect him to get cut if we have to cut people. Criswell is a bust, Phillips is just too low a ceiling. Faaola may be too raw. All in all, a very disappointing draft class from initial impressions, considering what I'd originally hoped for as I was picking.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-01-2008, 09:06 PM
|
#331 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Code:
Kerrigan looks like a very fine backup indeed. Good thing Milan's still around to school Marino and Kerrigan. Code:
Although Fontenot has low endurance, it's gradually creeping up, so I'm going to try him out as the #2 back. Faaola gets his pink slip posthaste, as we've got to make cuts and he just can't justify his roster spot. Owens is in danger of getting cut as well. Code:
Spagnola, Monk, Watson are the obvious 3 starters. This is the year Novacek really comes into his own as the #2 TE I bet. Duper moves to SE to take the backup spot and is the eventual heir apparent to Watson there. Lipps sits in as the #2 FL. Upchurch retains a spot just based on his ST and PR work. Matthews is really on the bubble here. He'll have to show something in preseason to keep his spot. Code:
Zimmerman-Marvin-Grant-Commiskey-Loewen for the starting 5, as Hough takes a major nosedive. Dellenbach, Williams, Blair are going to be the position reserves. Quillan could be cut and Eatman I'm going to try and deal, because he's disgrunteld and there's no way he's going to get past Blair. But nobody wants Eatman's salary, even though he could be a starter on their teams for a few years. Oh well. Code:
Criswell's cut. Code:
Greer-Klecko-Burt-Simmons, who I'm giving every chance to beat out Smith. Crosby's retained for his mentor status. Phillips gets cut right away, as does Pitts, who I'm thrilled to have off the team for reasons I can't explain. Code:
Self-explanatory. Tippett-Odom-Cobb, with Mclaughlin and Woods the reserves. Code:
A terribly tangled mess in the secondary, but it's solved by moving Butler to RCB, where he'll fight it out with Small for the starting spot, though I'm inclined to give it to Small just based on his past performances. As far as nickel and dime back spots go, they're going to be all CBs. Burrus and Fox will start again at the safety spots, but Fox will sit the first two preseason games so Sullivan and Gibson can get more reps. We're so much the run-away favorites to threepeat as Super Bowl Champions that the #2 team in the league has a 76 power rating (Houston Oilers). I admit, I really do like our chances.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-02-2008, 12:24 PM
|
#332 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Preseason
Miami 30 Los Angeles 3 The Rams shut down our running game, but that just makes Dan Marino throw for 240 yards and 2 TDs in half play, while Steve Watson catches 3 passes for 108 yards. 5 forced fumbles by our defense and ST, Clyde Simmons with 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a knockdown and a forced fumble and Curtis Greer with 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, a hurry and a fumble recover = Cooked Ram for supper. Backup G Larry Williams hyperextends his knee and will probably miss the rest of preseason. Jim Hough comes off the inactive list to slide in his spot. Minnesota 6 Miami 31 The thunderstorm continues as Clyde Simmons returns a fumble 42 yards for a TD and even Mel Gray gets a one yard TD run on a normal carry. Eric Dickerson ate the Vikings for 106 yards and a TD on 13 carries and Steve Watson caught 5 passes for 107 yards and a TD. One concern: Backup QB Mike Kerrigan threw 3 INTs. Detroit 14 Miami 23 Finally a preseason opponent breaks double digit scoring against us, but it's not enough as Joe Klecko returns a fumble 8 yards for a TD, Gill Byrd has 3 pass defenses[/b] and we just play a grind-it-out game to preserve our perfect preseason. G Larry Williams is back to full health in time for the final exhibition matchup, so in he comes. Miami 21 San Francisco 13 Close game, but we eke it out due mostly to Curtis Greer's 5 tackles, assist, 2.5 sacks, hurry, 2 knockdowns and forced fumble. So it's a flawless preseason concluded. On to the games that matter. Regular Season Miami 37 New England 12 A fun score-fest to start the season as Dan Marino overcomes early struggles to end up 20/32 for 288 yards and 4 TDs against 2 INTs. Scott Norwood kicks 3/3 FGs, including a 49 yarder and Curtis Greer wins Player of the Game with 4 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks, 2 hurries sand a forced fumble. Clyde Simmons got off to a great start, with 2 tackles, 2 sacks and a block in his Dolphins and pro debut. CB Bobby Butler sustains a concussion and is out a week and FB Curtis Dickey hyperextends his knee and is out 4 weeks. RB James Owens is cut and FB Mike Augustyniak, a Week 1 Chiefs castoff, is signed to start at FB in Dickey's absence. Gerald Small takes over as the starting RCB and CB Cedric Mack is signed as a stopgap reserve RCB. Miami 17 Chicago 10 The Bears make a heroic 4th quarter rally, but it falls just short of toppling us. Eric Dickerson rushed 17 times for 106 yards and had 5 catches for 36 yards and a TD to pace us on a day when both teams struggled to score. Miami 24 Tucson 26 AARGH! With 4 god damned seconds left on the clock, the Titans kick a FG to cost us our dreams of a perfect season. God, I hate the wanna-be Dolphins so damned much right now. Eric Dickerson ran the ball 14 times for 115 yards and Art Monk caught 6 passes for 105 yards. Dan Marino takes a lot of blame for this loss, with 3 interceptions, whereas Jim Kelly was 24/38 for 351 yards and 2 TDs. Cliff Odom even had 3 pass defenses! At least Bobby Butler's back to full health. Miami 17 Cincinnati 10 We face Danny White's boys in this one and escape with another close victory. I'm not sure why we're struggling to put points on the board with this high-octane offense. No real stars to report from our end, though Danny White was sensational: 31/49 for 359 yards and a TD. We're really struggling against good passers this year it seems. Buffalo 10 Miami 26 Eric Dickerson rushes 20 times for 109 yards and a TD, Scott Norwood boots 4/5 FGs, including 2/2 from 40+ range and we get 4 interceptions on the day, including one by Player of the Game Andre Tippett, who had 10 tackles, a sack, a knockdown, 2 pass defenses and the pick. Joe Klecko finished with 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks, a knockdown and a forced fumble. FB Curtis Dickey is back to Probable, so he'll return and send Mike Augustyniak, who was terrible as a starter, to the inactive list. Curtis Brown will stay a backup FB on this Dolphins team until he retires or until a hotshot rookie comes along that he can mentor. Miami 35 Cleveland 7 A cruise-control win, earned primarily on the strength of Eric Dickerson's 94 yards and 2 TD runs and Alan Caldwell's 3 pass defenses and INT, one of 3 picks on the day. Pittsburgh 17 Miami 45 Dan Marino finally has a breakout game at 24/35 for 339 yards and 4 TDs vs one INT on his way to Player of the Game. Art Monk catches 8 passes for 111 yards and a TD and Lloyd Burrus has a splendid all-around game of 9 tackles, 4 assists, a pass defense, an interception and a forced fumble. Starting LT Gary Zimmerman strains a ligament in his foot and is estimated Out 3 weeks, but we've got a bye week and hopefully that'll be enough to heal him to where he can play. It's not, so T Irv Eatman takes over as the starting LT, since Paul Blair isn't ready to assume starting duties just yet. New England 28 Miami 51 What a crazy, crazy game. Eric Dickerson shreds the Patriots for 140 yards and 2 TDs on 20 carries, Dan Marino is 21/31 for 323 yards and 3 TDs, earning him Player of the Game and Louis Lipps has 4 catches for 100 yards and a TD. With that win, we're sitting in gorgeous shape for the division at 7-1, as the Jets are the closest to us at 5-4. We also hold the number 1 seed in the AFC, though every other division leader is 6-2, so they're nipping our heels. The halfway tape: Code:
Marino's been struggling a bit with interceptions this first half, but Dickerson is looking sensational and is poised to smash his career high in single-season rushing. Fontenot's been better than I expected. Monk should keep his 1,000 yard consecutive streak going and Lipps is turning out to be a much better receiver than I'd anticipated. Not bad at all for a 4th round pick, though I believe I did trade up for him. Burrus is having another fantastic year and Tippett's having a terrific all-around season himself. The one note of concern is our pass-rush, which has been looking a little weak from our ends, but they should pick up the pace in the second half.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-03-2008, 03:15 AM
|
#333 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Oh look, DE Greg Smith is Unhappy. Watch me not care about our one-year rental DE. T Irv Eatman is Disgruntled, but that's fair, considering he rightfully should be our backup T, though he is getting a couple starts while LT Gary Zimmerman heals up.
Baltimore 21 Miami 24 We get outscored 21-7 in the first half and then our defense runs roughshod in the second half and our offense wakes up just enough to get us the win. Ron Jaworski and Dan Marino each threw for 300+ yards, but it was Marino who came out on top with a 21/36 for 331 yards and 3 TDs vs 1 INT line. Though to be honest, Jaws's 27/35 for 311 yards and a TD is nothing to sneeze at, either. Art Monk hauls in 6 catches for 146 yards and a TD to play a major role in a key victory against a 6-2, now 6-3 division leader. LT Gary Zimmerman is back to full health, yay! Miami 39 New Jersey 7 Eric Dickerson rushes 24 times for 122 yards and a TD and Dan Marino even gets a short TD run, but it's Scott Norwood who's Player of the Game with a franchise record 6/6 FGs, including 4/4 from 40+ range. We also slap the Jets back to 5-5, which is fun and are close to clinching the division already. RDT Jim Burt strains his calf muscle and is out 2 weeks. Rookie RDE Clyde Simmons separates his shoulder and will be gone roughly 5 weeks. Great. We cut CB Cedric Mack and sign DT Jerry Baker, a Week 9 cut from the Panthers to be the backup DT. DE Greg Smith takes over at RDE, with DT Ben Rudolph the starting RDT. Minnesota 16 Miami 30 Even with the demication of the right side of our D-line, we coast over the Vikings, due mostly to Scott Norwood's 3/3 FGs, including a 50 yarder and 3 rushing TDs, including a fantastic 51 yard scamper by Herman Fontenot. DT Jim Burt comes back a week early, which is awesome. Denver 7 Miami 20 Low-scoring game for us, but Gill Byrd is the man of the hour, with 2 tackles, an assist and 2 interceptions to snuff out any upset hopes the Broncos may have harbored. Starting FS Tim Fox strains a calf muscle and is estimated out 4 weeks, but that's fine. I wanted to give the young guys some playing time anyway, so FS John Sullivan takes over the starting spot and rookie Antonio Gibson slides in as the reserve. Miami 37 Detroit 10 Eric Dickerson wins Player of the Game with 21 carries for 111 yards and we get 5 interceptions on the day, Gill Byrd leading the way with his second consecutive 2 interception game, which I'm pretty sure is a franchise record. Curtis Greer shows some pass rush moves with 3 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2 knockdowns. So at 12-1, we've officially clinched everything. There's nothing left to play for these remaining 3 games, which I got to admit, kind of sucks. Well, no, there's a franchise record to play for, in that we could go 15-1, which I don't think we ever have before. DE Clyde Simmons is back up to Probable, so I'm hustling the rookie back in there. New Jersey 13 Miami 24 Art Monk catches 5 passes for 106 yards, Lloyd Burrus has 7 tackles, 4 assists, 3 pass defenses and an INT to lead the defense, Gill Byrd gets an interception for the third straight game and Andre Tippett records 4 tackles, an assist and 3 pass defenses of his own. Green Bay 3 Miami 35 Eric Dickerson ravages the Packers for 140 yards and 2 TDs on 32 carries and Andre Tippett has 3 tackles, 2 assists, 1.5 sacks and a knockdown. But Clyde Simmons is the one who really astonishes, with 2 tackles, a block, 7 hurries and 3 knockdowns. That's one way to make up for time lost! Starting LDE Curtis Greer strains his patellar tendon and he's out roughly 4 weeks. Should be back for the playoffs, though, I imagine. Miami 27 Buffalo 41 ...Well, there goes our franchise best 15-1. We've done 14-2 before, I'm pretty sure. Way to ruin Mel Gray's 93 yard kickoff return for a TD. Eric Dickerson ran 17 times for 105 yards, but Dan Marino threw 3 interceptions, which wasn't cool and our defense took a big-time nap. But then again, the Bills were playing for playoff dreams and we were just out there for the hell of it. Incidentally despite the great win, Buffalo lost out on the tiebreaker and have to sit home while we go on to purse third straight Super Bowl championship dreams.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-03-2008, 03:51 PM
|
#334 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
We draw the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round.
QB Ron Jaworski has become a fan favorite since joining the Ravens via trade with us and has 4 straight seasons of 4,000+ yards. He had his best season ever in this, his 14th year, with 4,715 yards and 38 TDs vs. 11 INTs. Talk about a late bloomer and benefitting from new scenery! RB Tony Nathan continues to defy age himself, running for another 1,200+ yards, but a career low 7 rushing TDs. In counter point, he had his 4th straight season of 600+ receiving yards and a career high 11 receiving TDs. TE Kellen Winslow is still the best TE in the league and FL Henry Ellard has really come into his own as a receiver, posting his 3rd consecutive 1,200 yard+ receiving season with a career high 1,461 yards. Of course, it must be noted that the rest of the receiving corps is either ancient (SE Roger Carr, 13th season) or a rookie practically. C Kirk Lowdermilk is looking like a major underachiever, but it's only his second season. 3rd year LG Guy McIntyre gives up too many sacks, but fellow 3rd year RG Doug Dawson made incredible leaps and bounds this season and stands as one of the most promising young guards in the league. The tackles are a couple of old, broken-down sieves in LT Jim Cooper and RT Stan Rogers. Too bad Curtis Greer is out of this game, because he'd have a field day. P Sean Landeta made significant gains in his second season, while K Mike Lansford has a powerful, but sporadic leg. LDE Art Still had a down year, but he's still a dangerous threat. RDE Eddie Edwards is league average. The DTs are simply terrible and not worthy of mention by name. MLB Pepper Johnson had a fine rookie season and looks a great combination tackle and coverage guy, with no real pass-rush potential. Good pickup for a 2nd rounder, to be sure. SLB Ron Rivera broke out in his 3rd season and WLB Norwood Vann is just kinda there. Rookie LCB Tim McKyer has a truckload of talent and potential, but it hasn't translated into results yet. 2nd year RCB Wendell Cason is a butt-busting overachiever and nickel CB John Hendy could start for any team in the league. SS Fred Marion is excellent and FS Dwight Drane plays a lot better than his limited physical gifts say he should. All in all, this is going to be one hell of a tough matchup. They have the offensive weapons to match us in a shootout and their defense is quite good. The one weak point is the middle of the D-line, which means we'll be going to Eric Dickerson a lot I imagine. Although I anticipate a hard battle, Vegas has us winning handily, with the line by 9. The bookies are smarter than I am. Dan Marino was 25/34 for 359 yards and 2 TDs, Louis Lipps his favorite target with 8 catches for 141 yards, Art Monk second-favorite with 6 catches for 119 yards and a TD. But the real offensive story was Herman Fontenot, who carried the ball 13 times for 84 yards and 3 rushing TDs, including a 28 yarder to open scoring in the first quarter. What a great, great accomplishment. Our pass rush was in full force as well, Greg Smith leading the way with 4 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks, a block, 2 hurries, a knockdown and a forced fumble, Joe Klecko close behind with 2 tackles, 3 assists, 2 sacks, a hurry and a knockdown and Clyde Simmons a touch behind that, with 2 tackles, an assist, 1.5 sacks and a hurry. It all added up to one thing. A blowout to take us back to the AFC Championship for the 3rd year in a row. Baltimore 13 Miami 38 But the win comes at a cost. We lose starting LG Mickey Marvin, who was having an inspired season of rejuvenation, for the rest of the season.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-04-2008, 01:54 PM
|
#335 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
It's an All-Florida AFC Championship, as we face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars. G Jim Hough returns to the starting LG spot, as Larry Williams is too inexperienced there.
QB David Whitehurst is a mediocre to bad 10th year veteran and the Jaguars really should be starting Mike Pagel, who's a better, promising QB. The running game isn't so hot either, with RB James Brooks "leading" a very mediocre cast. Rookie TE Brent Jones has serious potential, but isn't there yet. FL Mike Friede and SE Jessie Hester are both extraordinarily drop prone. C Dan Mosebar is the first authentically good player on this Jaguars offense and together with LG George Lilja and RG John Scully he forms a terrific interior offensive line that's in their prime. LT Mike Kenn was lost for the season in Week 16 and his absence really hurts, as rookie LT Greg Feasal is nowhere close to being ready. 3rd year RT Jim Boyle is a Ron Mikolajcyzk clone and that's a good thing for Jacksonville. P Mike Horan is one of the best in the league and K Dean Biasucci is pretty good himself. LDE Harry Stanback broke out with an 11 sack season this year, but all signs point to flukedom. RDE Sean McNanie is a rising star in his 3rd season, with 13.5 sacks of his own. LDT Rick Ackerman is an overachiever and RDT Randy White is no longer the player he was in his Browns days. MLB Frank Manumaleuga is a talented veteran, a real tackle machine with good all-around skills and 2nd year SLB Kevin Greene is arguably the best young OLB in the NFL. WLB Dave Frye is young and has potential, but hates Manumaleuga. LCB Lester Hayes is a crafty, brilliant graybeard and RCB Myron Dupree works hard to overcome his low ceiling. SS Beasley Reece may be in his 11th season, but he sure hasn't shown it, picking off 7 passes in the regular season and playing hardnosed defense. Second year FS Tiger Greene is a weak link. All told, I'm having a hard time figuring out how Jacksonville made it this far. Sure they have a very good offensive line, their DEs are having monster years at the same time, the linebacking corps is off the hook and the secondary's a damn good one despite its age, but... there's no talent at the skill positions whatsoever on offense. I'm predicting a cakewalk. The bookies and I are in agreement on this one, with the Dolphins favored by 12. Jacksonville's biggest accomplishments in this game were the following: 1) Scoring a field goal 2) Holding Eric Dickerson under 100 yards rushing (Just shy at 97) 3) Limiting Dan Marino to 223 passing yards. No real statistical stars for us unless you count Gary Zimmerman's 2 pancake blocks, which I think I will just to have something. Just a solid, workmanlike victory, one that sends us direct to the Super Bowl for the 3rd year in a row. Jacksonville 3 Miami 27
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-05-2008, 03:26 PM
|
#336 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Super Bowl XXVII Preview
Miami Dolphins Out LG Mickey Marvin LDT Joe Klecko Washington Redskins Out LG Leotis Harris RCB Audrey McMillian Quarterback Despite some relative regular season struggles, Dan Marino has really turned it on this postseason, with a 72.3% completion rate and 4 TDs with not a single interception. He's a proven Super Bowl champion and will attempt to lead the Miami Dolphins to a historic 3rd straight Super Bowl victory. Backup Mike Kerrigan has never thrown a pass in a regular season game. Three times Steve Bartkowski has faced off against Miami in the Super Bowl and three times he's lost very close matchups. Although the 12th year veteran is clearly on the downside of his career, he's still a fierce competitor with a burning desire to down the Dolphins once and for all. QB Turk Schonert is a league average backup. Advantage: Draw Running Back It's hard to say that a RB with 1,000+ yards rushing and 11+ TDs and no more than 4 fumbles in each of his four pro seasons is underrated, but that's precisely the case with Eric Dickerson. He's still living in the shadow of the man he replaced, Walter Payton and his dual threat as a secure runner and great receiver (3 consecutive seasons of 400+ yards) is largely glossed over by league commentators. 2nd year Herman Fontenot has gone from late 6th rounder to #2 RB and he's proven to have a surprising nose for the end zone, with 7 rushing TDs in the regular season and 3 TDs in the postseason. Keith Griffin works hard and is a major overachiever, but he's got a case of well-documented fumbleitis, particularly in the pressure cooker situation of the playoffs. Rookie Bobby Joe Edmonds is even more fumble-prone, negating his explosiveness on punt returns and his 784 rushing yards as the top backup. Advantage: Dolphins Wide Receiver TE John Spagnola has been the long-serving Dolphins starting TE, but there's many within the Miami camp, who have been pusing for 2nd year TE Jay Novacek to win the starting spot, Novacek included. FL Art Monk has been a godsend his first two years with the Dolphins, a dazzling receiver who's the passcatcher to don the aqua and orange since Paul Warfield. Front office favorite SE Steve Watson showed a worrying tendency to drop the ball and his numbers have gone down significantly since his 1984 All-Pro season, but he still can't be discounted. 3rd year WR Louis Lipps has developed into a dangerous third option in the passing attack and WR Mark Duper is so good a 4th receiver that he'd be the 3rd receiver or a starter on most teams. FL Irving Fryar is the Redskins' resounding answer to Monk and though Fryar didn't duplicate his 20 TD regular season from last year this season, he still had over 1,600 receiving yards and is unchallenged as the greatest young WR in the game today. TE David Lewis is an underrated, excellent all-around pass catcher and blocker. Unfortunately for Washington, the rest of the receiving corps is ghastly, with rookie SE John Taylor terribly raw and reserves Pete Mandley and Clarence Verdin afterthoughts in the aerial assault. Advantage: Dolphins Offensive Line C Will Grant has gotten better at pass-protection as he's gotten older, but it's at the cost of his run-blocking. Losing Marvin is going to hurt big time as LG Jim Hough isn't the player he once was. RG Chuck Commiskey is a nicely balanced player, but isn't superlative in any area. 3rd year LT Gary Zimmerman is the key to the line. Strong and talented in both areas of protection, he's their best player. Gave up a lot more sacks this season than last year's 1st Team All-Pro campaign, but he's had 2 pancake blocks and 0 sacks allowed this postseason. RT Chuck Loewen is a very good player who flies under the radar. Backup C Jeff Dellenbach showed signs of coming into his potential this season as did reserve G Larry Williams and rookie backup T Paul Blair, the heir apparent to Loewen. Losing Harris is an even bigger blow to the Redskins than the Dolphins' loss of Marvin. There's simply no backup guards on Washington's roster who are even remotely close to starter level. That said, 10th year RG J.T. Turner is an absolute beast, with 10 pancake blocks this regular season and C Joe Fields is the mirror image of Grant. LT Luis Sharpe is a grinder, an overachiever who excels at pass protection, but RT Dan McQuaid is unimpressive. Reserve C Randy Rasmussen is good enough to start for a number of teams and backup T Brian Holloway is one of the best subs in the game. If rookie G Michael Durrette gets the start at LG, the Redskins will be in for a long night. Advantage: Dolphins Kickers P Mike Connell had his best season since 1981, another Dolphins Super Bowl year, but he isn't a fantastic punter by any means. K Scott Norwood has never missed a FG in the playoffs in his two years and he was a perfect 13/13 from 40+ range in the regular season this year. P Zenon Andrusyshyn is a major underachiever, with phenomenal talent, but a performance akin to Connell's. K Paul McFadden has a powerful leg, but an erratic one. That said, he's never missed a FG in the postseason either in his three years in the league. Advantage: Draw Defensive Line It's with unbridled joy that the Dolphins welcome back LDE Curtis Greer, who's been out since Week 16 with a strained patellar tendon. Although his sack numbers were down somewhat, Greer's still the best player on this Dolphins defensive line and he'll be a key presence on the field in tonight's game. Rookie RDE Clyde Simmons is still learning the pro game, but the Dolphins front office is extremely high on him, so high they started him over DE Greg Smith, who could start for half the teams in the league. On the other hand, Miami's really going to miss LDT Joe Klecko, their single best interior d-lineman. LDT Ben Rudolph has a respectable pass-rush game and RDT Jim Burt is another one in a long line of successful 3rd round picks by Dolphins GM Tim Moungey, but a Klecko-less d-line is a much weaker line for Miami. LDE Alphonso Carreker has improved each of his three seasons in the league, but he's still no more than slightly above average. RDE Doug Reed has been a major disappointment. It's LDT Reggie Kinlaw that powers this defensive line, with ability and performance equal to that of Klecko's. 3rd year RDT Mitch Willis is a major overachiever who plays with a ton of heart. Advantage: Dolphins Linebackers Despite the front office's love, MLB Cliff Odom has really declined the last few seasons and is really no more than an average MLB. It's SLB Andre Tippett, one of the most underrated OLBs in the NFL, who's the real leader and force in this unit. WLB Gary Cobb has really improved this corps, though his contributions often go unacknowledged on the stats sheet. MLB Johnie Cooks is a tackle machine, but an embattled one, as many fans wanted to see rookie MLB Vaughan Johnson as the starter and frankly, there's reason to believe Redskins faithful are right on this one. SLB Kim Bokamper is a mere shadow of the solid player he once was. WLB Dale Carver had a surprising, breakout season with 4.5 sacks from the weak side. Advantage: Dolphins Secondary LCB Gill Byrd had a career high 6 interceptions in the regular season, but was burnt a lot more by the top-shelf WRs in the league. RCB Bobby Butler is subpar in coverage, but makes up for it with a ferocious run support game. Backup CB Alan Caldwell and CB Gerald Small are ballhawks, very good in coverage to boot. SS Lloyd Burrus didn't put up the insane numbers he did last season, but he's still one of the top strong safeties in the league. FS Tim Fox missed the end of the regular season and the first games of the playoffs, but the 11th year vet returns for the Super Bowl to give the Dolphins a secure, savvy graybeard. Rookie LCB Manny Hendrix had a respectable first season, but has looked green in the playoffs. RCB LeCharls McDaniel is an extremely talented corner and he'll need to continue his phenomenal play for the Redskins to have a shot. Losing McMillian kills Washington's depth as 3rd year CB Victor Scott is unproven and CB Michael Haynes will be a gametime decision. SS Darrol Ray is one of the best safeties in the league, with a longer proven track record than Burrus. FS Glenn Blackwood is a sieve and he'll be picked on often and early. Advantage: Dolphins Keys for the Miami Dolphins 1. Maintain a balanced offense. Washington has gaps on defense that can be exploited if the situation is right and the best way to do that is to keep things mixed up on offense so that the Redskins won't be able to adjust and compensate for their deficiencies. 2. Double and triple-team Irving Fryar. TE Dave Lewis isn't going to win this game for the Redskins by himself and there's no other reliable pass threats. There's also no real concern in the running game, so shut down Fryar and you shut down Washington's offense. 3. Bring lots of blitz packages. The Redskins' offensive line is in disarray with Harris out and the Dolphins have the horses in the pass rush to blitz from all different positions and angles and continue QB Steve Bartkowski's never-ending Super Bowl Dolphins-related nightmare. Keys for the Washington Redskins 1. Slow the game down. The Carolina Panthers learned the hard way last year that you don't get into a shootout with this Marino-led Dolphins if you want to win against them. Grind the pace to a halt and get a chance for victory. 2. Line Irving Fryar up at different positions on offense. They're going to try and shut down Fryar, so to confuse the Dolphins, disguise Fryar in different formations on offense and don't let Miami zero in on him on a consistent basis. 3. Run the ball up the middle as much as possible. Miami's defensive interior is soft with Klecko out and MLB Cliff Odom isn't that good against the run. By attacking the center of the defense, there's potential for some nice gains to keep drives alive and take pressure off of Fryar. Final Thoughts On paper, this looks like a blowout in favor of the Miami Dolphins, but you have to remember, in the 3 Super Bowls between Miami and Washington in this decade, the Redskins have played the Dolphins close every single time. We anticipate more of the same, especially with history on the line for Miami. The Dophins are already the first team to make it to 3 straight Super Bowls, now they want to secure their place in history by making it 3 straight championships. In the end, that desire will be just enough to overcome the upset-minded Redskins. Final Line: Miami by 3
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-05-2008, 07:23 PM
|
#337 |
|
College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Florida
|
Why do I get the sinking feeling the Deadskins finally get the Dolphin off their back?
|
|
|
|
|
04-05-2008, 08:39 PM
|
#338 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
I'll admit, I'm damned nervous about this game. I saw it was a Carolina-Washington NFC Championship and I swore out loud when I saw the Redskins win. This is a team that by rights doesn't even belong on the same field as us, yet every single time we play them in the Super Bowl, they make a game of it. It's going to be a tense matchup, that's for darned sure.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
04-06-2008, 01:24 AM
|
#339 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Washington gets the ball first but they're forced to a quick 3 and out thanks to a 6 yard sack by Clyde Simmons on 3rd down.
Things are looking like they'll be the same for us on our first possession, but then Dan Marino connects with Art Monk for 14 yards on 3rd and 11 and two more 10+ passes have us in Redskins territory. A dropped pass by Steve Watson preludes two incomplete passes and we're forced to settle for a 38 yard field goal attempt by Scott Norwood which splits the uprights and draws first blood. Miami 3 Washington 0 - 10:03 1st Quarter Keith Griffin comes to life with three respectable runs on the ensuing drive, as Washington starts going to the short yardage game. We've got them on the ropes with 3rd and 10, but Steve Bartkowski finds reserve TE Preston Gothard for 15 yards and the key conversion to put them deep in Dolphins territory. An offensive holding penalty doesn't even faze the Redskins as Steve Bartowski hits John Taylor for 21 yards and Keith Griffin runs it in from 9 out for the TD on the very next play. My stomach's already roiling. Washington 7 Miami 3 - 5:06 1st Quarter A 15 yard Eric Dickerson run and a series of short-yardage passes puts us just inside Washington territory and then our big-play offense strikes, with Dan Marino throwing a perfect pass to a wide open Art Monk in the end zone for a 37 yard TD! We're back on top! Miami 10 Washington 7 - 1:36 1st Quarter Gill Byrd gets nailed for a 20 yard defensive pass interference call on the next drive, so that by the start of the 2nd quarter, the Redskins are sitting just shy of midfield and facing a 3rd and 3. Miami 10 Washington 7 - End 1st Quarter Keith Griffin's thankfully stopped just short of the first down marker and they punt it away, where Mel Gray promptly takes the punt return back an electrifying 34 yards to have us at our own 44! We parlay a short-yardage drive of our own into an oh so sweet TD drive, made mostly of Eric Dickerson runs and capped off by Dan Marino to Curtis Dickey for the 5 yard score. Miami 17 Washington 7 - 11:44 2nd Quarter Irving Fryar's 20 yard catch after some grinding puts the Redskins right back in Miami territory, but then Lloyd Burrus defends a pass and Jim Burt and Curtis Greer combine for a 9 yard sack. Bobby Joe Edmonds gets 11 yards on the 3rd and 19, but it was a stupid call to make and Washington has to kick it away. On the third play after the touchback, Eric Dickerson breaks loose for a 42 yard run and the general feeling that things are falling apart quickly for the Redskins in this first half. But then the defense stiffens up, throwing Eric Dickerson for a 3 yard loss and sacking Dan Marino for 5 yards courtesy of MLB Johnie Cooks, so we're forced to punt. Washington gets to midfield two plays later as TE Dave Lewis tacks on 11 yards after the pass reception to make it a 29 yard gain in all and then Steve Bartkowski shows there's still some magic left in his arm as he throws a 48 yard rainbow to Pete Mandley for the TD. Just like that, the Redskins are back in this game. Miami 17 Washington 14 - 4:24 2nd Quarter We're held to a 3 and out and Washington gets great field position at their 49 yard line. I'm tempted to go hunting for my cloves, as I anticipate a very, very bad result here. Sure enough, second play, Steve Bartkowski to Irving Fryar for 49 yards and another two plays later, Keith Griffin redeems the stuff on the prior run by running the ball 4 yards for the TD and the lead. Son.of.a.bitch! Washington 21 Miami 17 - 2:22 2nd Quarter Then Dan Marino wakes up and starts completing passes left and right after the two minute warning, including a 21 yard pass to Louis Lipps to put us at the Washington 12 yard line with 45 seconds left on the clock. Eric Dickerson runs for 9 yards on the next play, but then Herman Fontenot, normally so reliable in these goal-line situations, gets hammered for a 1 yard loss on 2nd down. With just 15 seconds left on the play clock, the coaching staff opts to play it safe and take Scott Norwood's 21 yard field goal, which proves to be the final play of note for the half. Washington 21 Miami 20 - Halftime We get the ball back to start the second half and Dan Marino throws 3 straight incompletions as the Redskins' defensive line owns our offensive line and hurries him on all 3 plays. The Redskins gleefully go on a march, shrugging off two straight false start penalties after Steve Bartkowski locates Pete Mandley for 21 yards on 3rd and 8 before finding Irving Fryar two plays later for another 21 yards snd red zone positioning. I'd like to see we stiffened up, but Bobby Joe Edmonds gets a 12 yard TD reception on 3rd down to give Washington insurance. I very well may start to cry. Washington 28 Miami 20 - 9:21 3rd Quarter My heart's down around my feet as we face 3rd and 20 on the next drive following an intentional grounding call, but then Dan Marino makes the rainbow connection with Steve Watson for 42 yards, Watson tacking on 16 yards following the catch . Jay Novacek takes in the 10 yard pass reception on the very next play for the TD and we're back to a one possession game! God, I love our lightning offense! Washington 28 Miami 27 - 7:14 3rd Quarter ...And of course, our pass defense takes a nap on the first play of the next drive, resulting in a 29 yard pass to Irving Fryar and surrenders a 19 yard pass play to John Taylor on 3rd and 3 to get the Redskins in FG territory. That's not enough? How about Irving Fryar again for 22 yards to put Washington inside the 10 yard line! Three plays later, Keith Griffin leaps over the entire fricking defense for a one yard TD run and I'm pondering hacking into something with the old, rusty hatchet out in the hall. Washington 35 Miami 27 - 2:20 3rd Quarter And then comes the miracle play, the single coolest thing I've ever seen in this game. Mel Gray returns the kickoff 101 yards for the TD and Dan Marino finds Eric Dickerson for the 2 point conversion pass, giving us a tied ballgame! Miami 35 Washington 35 - 2:12 3rd Quarter Keith Griffin answers with a 17 yard run and I'm panicking, but then Ben Rudolph sacks Steve Bartkowski for 16 yards and forces a fumble. Bartkowski recovers it at the Redskin 21, but you can't help but feel he got shaken up by that play. Until Steve Bartkowski comes back and scrambles for 16 yards on 2nd and 26 to get back all the sack yardage he lost. 3rd and 10. Can we finally stop them on 3rd down?.... .....YES!!!! Tim Fox, that wily old FS veteran, blows past Luis Sharpe and sacks Steve Bartkowski for 6 yards!!!!!!!!! The stadium goes crazy!!!! That's the final play of the 3rd quarter!!!! Miami 35 Washington 35 - End 3rd Quarter Dan Marino hits Mark Duper for 20 yards on the first play to cross midfield as our offense comes out fired up. Art Monk gets a 9 yard reception and Herman Fontenot atones for his halftime stuff with a 6 yard run to keep us going. Remember Rick Upchurch? The mentor WR signed for his mentor skills and punt return talents? Well, he's been our 5th WR because the rookie we hoped to put there was a bust and Dan Marino finds him for an oh so clutch 14 yards on the next play to put us deeper in Washington territory. Just the latest in a series of amazing plays in that exciting Super Bowl. And that's when our offense bogs down, inside the Washington redzone, forcing us to settle for Scott Norwood's 28 yard FG and the slenderest of leads. Miami 38 Washington 35 - 10:52 4th Quarter Naturally, on the second play of the ensuing drive, Irving Fryar runs for 17 yards after the catch to complete a 30 yard pass play and we're seeing our dreams of history going up in smoke. Backup TE Preston Gothard makes his second big pass reception of the game, for 22 yards, 2 plays later and I'm getting that sinking feeling in my stomach again as the Redskins are back inside our 10 yard line. Two players later, Steve Bartkowski to Irving Fryar for a 4 yard TD and the lead wrested back. Washington 42 Miami 38 - 7:19 4th Quarter Can Dan Marino pull off the comeback? He hits John Spagnola for 19 yards to open the drive and converts an all-important 3rd down conversion, connecting with Art Monk for 14 to get over the midfield hump. Then on a 3rd and 4, a screen pass to Eric Dickerson goes horribly awry, resulting in a 4 yard loss. Is this the end? Scott Norwood attempts the 52 yard FG.... and gets his first post-season miss. We hold the Redskins to a 3 and out, but Zenon Andrusyshn picks precisely the wrong time to punt the ball 50 yards and coffin-corner us at the 4 yard line. 2:37 left on the clock. We have one timeout remaining. 1st and 10: Incomplete Pass. 2nd and 10: Darrol Ray intercepts the Dan Marino pass intended for Art Monk and returns it 24 yards. Bobby Joe Edmonds adds insult to injury with a 12 yard run immediately following and a few short runs and Steve Bartkowski knees, later, it's all over. The dream of 3 straight Super Bowl titles, dead. Washington 42 Miami 38 - Final QB Steve Bartkowski wins Super Bowl MVP and he deserves every single damn inch of that trophy: 25/30 for 412 yards and 3 TDs. Irving Fryar did the bulk of the work, catching 9 passes for 187 yards and a TD. S Darrol Ray deserves a lot of credit as well, for his 6 tackles, 2 pass defenses and the game-clinching INT and 24 yard return. We had our own statistical heroes, though. Dan Marino played well enough to win at 24/34 for 312 yards and 3 TDs, with that costly interception the lone real blemish. Art Monk had 7 catches for 109 yards and a TD and of course Mel Gray with that incredible 101 yard kickoff return for the TD. Lloyd Burrus did his best, with 10 tackles and a pass defense against just 3 burns, but it just wasn't enough. I can't even find the words to describe just how damned much this Super Bowl loss hurts. In real-life NFL history, no team has ever won 3 consecutive Super Bowls. This was the perfect chance to do what's never been done and we fall just short. Really puts a damper on a Saturday night that proved to be pretty damned nice outside of that. Got to spend a couple hours talking to, having supper with and hanging out with one of the guys who was one of the big reasons why I joined the fraternity here I did.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-06-2008, 05:12 AM
|
#340 |
|
Mascot
Join Date: Jun 2007
|
Bad luck on the loss, I thought you were going to three-peat like in Elways dreams. Cant wait to see the era of football that Im familiar with coming up (us poor English dont know nothing about this far back...)
Any chance of a quick view of the franchise history screen for the Patriots? they seem depressingly realistic |
|
|
|
|
04-06-2008, 01:56 PM
|
#341 |
|
College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Florida
|
Crud...I was hoping my gut feeling was wrong.
Bartowski was amazing in that game, though. |
|
|
|
|
04-06-2008, 02:01 PM
|
#342 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
Thanks The loss still kind of stings this morning, to be honest. I hoped we were going to three-peat myself. Had we gone against the Panthers, I think we would've won pretty easily.But those are the breaks of the game. As far as the Patriots... New England Patriots History Summary The Patriots honestly aren't that bad a team from the historical record. Their overall mark is below .500 (214-217-1), but they've been to the playoffs 8 times, which is what a lot of other franchises have accomplished in terms of postseason appearances. They're not even that bad in the playoffs at 6-8 (.428). Unfortunately, they've never made it to the Super Bowl and they're one of only two teams with 8 playoff appearances never to have done so (The Philadelphia Eagles being the other one.) They lost the 1982 AFC Championship 38-32 to the San Diego Chargers, which is the closest they've come and their only AFC Championship appearance. Now, that being said, they've been a lot better in recent years. They were god-awful in the 1960s and pretty bad in the 1970s except for a few seasons here and there, so they're in relative prosperity, I'd say. The problem is, they're in our division and we're the most successful franchise in league history by far. No Hall of Famers, as you might expect, although that might change soonish. QB Cliff Stoudt has been the Patriots' best QB in franchise history and he's currently in his 10th season, which explains the team's recent sort-of rise. The problem is, he's not that great a QB. His best season was the AFC Championship year of 1982, with 3,391 yards (Patriots record) and a 25 TD to 18 INT ratio. The real kicker? He was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 1977 draft and clearly hasn't lived up to that lofty status. The one great high draft pick success New England has had and the biggest reason they're doing fairly well in recent years is RB Earl Campbell, who, even in his 9th season just completed, rushed for 1,572 yards and a career-high 18 TDs, his 7th straight season of 1,000+ yards rushing 10+ rushing TDs. He was taken with the 1st overall pick in the 1978 draft and looks like a homerun for the Hall of Fame. There's only been 3 seasons in Patriots history where they've had a 1,000 yard receiver, 1982, 1971 and 1985. The good news is that the 1985 1,000 yard WR is FL Gary Clark, who just finished his 3rd year in the league and who looks like a pretty darn good young WR. FS Charlie West holds the Patriots interception single season record with 10, set back in 1977, but it was a fluke season and the very next year, he got relegated to backup duty and never intercepted another pass after that. Without question the best tackler New England's ever had is MLB Bruce Elia, who played for the Patriots from 1975-1982 (taken at 1.12 in the 1975 draft) and had 4 seasons of 100+ tackles, with his career high 123. SLB Paul Naumoff is the Patriots' best ever defensive player, however. New England's career leader in tackles and sacks, he played his entire career with the Patriots (1967-1978, a 1.12 pick in the 1967 draft) and made four All-Pro teams in the 1970s, 1st Team All-Pro in 1971, 1973 and 1976 and 2nd Team All-Pro in 1975. C Walt Cudzik was New England's best offensive lineman. One of the original Patriots, he played just 6 seasons with the team (1960-1966), but still ranks 3rd all-time in New England career pancake blocks and run blocks. Despite his dominating play, however, he was never named to the All-Pro team, a criminal omission in my opinion. I mean, he had 3 seasons of 10+ pancake blocks and two seasons of 40+ run blocks. Another reason for the Patriots' recent good form is LCB Ronnie Lippett, a 4th year player who is quickly turning into one of the best and brightest young corners in the game. In four short seasons, he's already leapt up to 5th on the career Patriots passes defensed list and has rapidly improved his ballhawking instincts the last couple years. A real steal at 1.24 in the admittedly loaded 1983 draft. No real standout special teams guys to point out that I can see, though K Roman Russell leads in Patriots FGs and points scored by virtue of longevity, serving as the team's kicker from 1960-1971 before signing with the Rams for his last hurrah in 1972.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
04-06-2008, 02:04 PM
|
#343 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
I was hoping so, too. And yeah, he was amazing. Hell, to be perfectly honest, it was an amazing game all around, one that lived up to its impressive hype and historic weight. In fact, if this alt-universe were the real-life NFL history, I have a hunch that even in 2008, we'd be talking about this Super Bowl as being on the shortlist of greatest Super Bowls of all time.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
04-06-2008, 03:14 PM
|
#344 | |
|
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: calgary, AB
|
Quote:
I was thinking the same thing when I was reading over that game. I can't even think of one that was that good through out the entire game. Some of the recent superbowls have been really entertaining at the end, but that's mainly because they were duds at the start. This game had action the entire time. And I don't feel too bad for you losing this game, considering how many Lombardi trophies you have sitting in the lobby. |
|
|
|
|
|
04-07-2008, 05:59 AM
|
#345 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
I agree with you on the Super Bowl assessment as far as best ever and action goes... But I disagree on the feeling bad for losing this game. I'll trade away all those trophies before the '84 and '85 ones to have the '86 one and complete the threepeat.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
04-09-2008, 05:16 PM
|
#346 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Code:
Not as fantastic as our previous two years, though Eric Dickerson had a brilliant season and Art Monk broke 1,000 yards receiving again. Louis Lipps could potentially force his way into the starting lineup as soon as next season, as Steve Watson looks like he's dropping. Clyde Simmons didn't have the kind of rookie season I was hoping for but maybe he'll get it sorted out over the next few years. A quick skim of the roster says we'll be looking most heavily at G, DT, MLB, CB and FS during the offseason, but we'll see what happens once retirements hit. 1986 Dolphins Season Awards Head Coach Alan Rosian - Coach of the Year Although he fell just short of taking us to the third straight Super Bowl championship in league history, Rosian still led us to the third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, which is the first time in this universe history that's happened. Well-deserving of his third straight Coach of the Year award, I'd say. LT Gary Zimmerman - 1st Team All-Pro T The greatest LT we've ever had and the first offensive lineman in Dolphins history to win two straight 1st Team All-Pro honors. An absolutely amazing player and a real steal at 1.31 in the 1984 draft. K Scott Norwood - 1st Team All-Pro K Like Tim "Wonder" Webster all those years, Norwood's consistently under-rated by the scouts, but in two seasons, he's won two All-Pro awards. Talk about redemption for the Giants/Bills Super Bowl in real life. SLB Andre Tippett - 1st Team All-Pro OLB Tippett's been underrated ever since he came into this league and now he finally earns his due with his first ever All-Pro award. Just a phenomenal all-around SLB and one of the real keys to our defense. RB Eric Dickerson - 2nd Team All-Pro RB Another unsung hero of the Dolphins, Dickerson finally gets an All-Pro trophy to put on his shelf along with his 1985 Super Bowl MVP. One of the best, most consistent backs in the game. Not all that flashy, but before you know it, he's got the stats at the end of the game. Other Major Awards MVP RB Earl Campbell - New England Patriots Offensive Player of the Year QB Ron Jaworski - Baltimore Ravens (I'd say that trade worked out for them) Defensive Player of the Year DE William Fuller - Minnesota Vikings Offensive Rookie of the Year RB Neal Anderson - St. Louis Rams Defensive Rookie of the Year DE Leslie O'Neal - New Orleans Saints Staff Hiring Lead Scout Mike Heath OL: VG to Good OC Edwin Buckley RB: Excellent to VG WR: Excellent to VG DC Don Bruce KP: Good to VG Everyone's still under contract and our lead scout maintains his job only because there's no rookie scouts better than him. RT Paul Blair gets the Summer League tag because he's raw and we really want to see him push for the starting RT spot. I'll do free agency later tonight or sometime tomorrow. Suddenly not in the mood for it.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-10-2008, 03:52 PM
|
#347 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Raining and cold here the past two days. Supposed to be more of the same tomorrow and snow on Saturday, so yeah good time to do updates.
Free Agency By the Numbers QB, FB, P, DE, DT, MLB, OLB, CB x 2, S x 2 (12 overall) Week 1 Extensions/Re-signings RB Mel Gray: 3 years, $260k FS John Sullivan: 1 year, $70k* QB Dan Marino: 6 years, $6.05 mill. SE Steve Watson: 3 years, $1 mill. LDE Curtis Greer: 3 years, $1.14 mill. WLB Gary Cobb: 3 years, $1.14 mill. SS Lloyd Burrus: 4 years, $1.32 mill. MLB Cliff Odom: 3 years, $550k Some of these guys are risks for their age and we might get bitten by salary cap hits in the next few years, but considering we've got over $3 million in cap room and only have $7.5 mill. so far in salaries for next year, I'm not too terribly concerned. The most important lockup was Marino into a very cap-friendly and controllable deal. Week 2 Signings DE Greg Smith - 1 year, $100k (Re-signing) -Capable backup and starter for us last year. A good guy to have back. Week 3 Signings FB Jessie Clark - 1 year, $80k* (Indianapolis) -A special teams demon and decent all-around FB. Takes over as the backup FB after Curtis Brown retired this offseason. ILB Dennis Johnson - 1 year, $100k* (Dallas) -Coming from a 3-4 to our 4-3, he'll fit in as the reserve MLB. Also our new defensive front leader with an affinity to Clyde Simmons. CB Carl Allen - 1 year, $120k* (Atlanta) -Spent one season in Miami (1980) and has been something of a journeyman. Returns to the Dolphins as a mentor and the DB captain in the wake of uber-captain Pete Shaw's retirement. CB LeCharls McDaniel - 2 years, $500k (Washington) -Okay, it was majorly overpaying, but I had to grab this bastard away from the Redskins and make him our new starting RCB. Has a mild conflict with new captain Carl Allen, though. Doh! Week 3 Losses DT Bill Pickel - 1 year, $80k* (Dallas - Re-signing) -Most unfortunate, as Joe Klecko really hit the tank this offseason and we desperately need somebody inside to take his place and Pickel was the best of a weak FA crop. Week 4 Signings G Sean Farrell - 3 years, $950k (Los Angeles) -Key signing, who'll be able to take over the LG spot after we let Mickey Marvin go in free agency. One of our biggest targets this free agency. Week 4 Losses T Chuck Loewen - 3 years, $490k (Buffalo) -The last year's voidable if he gets 10 key run blocks, which is ridiculously easy to meet. I probably should've tried to re-sign him, but oh well. I wanted to give Paul Blair the reins at RT anyway. Week 6 Signings P Dan Melville - 1 year $110k (Atlanta) -A damned sight better than our previous punter. S Monty Hunter - 1 year, $80k* (Cincinnati) -Horrible free agent crop for safeties and Hunter was the best available. Could switch over to FS and start there or could serve as Lloyd Burrus's backup. Week 6 Losses FB Mike Augustyniak - 1 year, $80k* (Buffalo) -The Bills continue pilfering our guys in hopes that it'll help them challenge us for AFC East supremacy. Yeah, good luck with that, Buffalo. G Mickey Marvin - 2 years, $320k (Tucson) -Who here is surprised by the Titans taking our discarded scrap? Yeah, me either. The Titans, forever the Dolphins wannabes. ILB Joe McLaughlin - 1 year, $100k* (Houston) -Off Joe goes in search of a starting spot with the Oilers, a common happenstance with the fellows who've had to back up Cliff Odom over the years. Week 7 Signings T Roger Taylor - 2 years, $310k (San Francisco) -Remember this guy? Our 4th round pick in 1981? Remember how I thought he was the future and he didn't pan out? Well, he's been a journeyman around the league since then and became a mentor along the way, so in he comes to help prepare Paul Blair and take over for him if he doesn't work out. Week 7 Losses CB Alan Caldwell - 1 year, $100k* (Detroit) -Gotten eaten alive in the playoffs last year, so I say screw 'em. CB Bobby Butler - 1 year, $80k* (Pittsburgh) -One of the worst cover corners we've ever had and to think I was stupid enough to start his ass. Yeah, I'm not sorry to see him go either. Week 8 Signings DT Bill Neill - 1 year, $90k* (Houston) -Am I thrilled to have him? No, but he's starter-material on our suddenly weak interior D-line. Week 8 Losses P Mike Connell - 1 year, $100k* (Tampa Bay) -Liked so Florida so much he opted to stay with one of the Sunshine State's teams. DT Ben Rudolph - 1 year, 80k* (Carolina) -Okay now this makes me laugh. -Why- would the Panthers sign this guy? Oh wait, he had 4 sacks in 2 starts last year, that's why. Week 9 Signings QB Don Milan - 1 year, $120k* (Re-signing) -He's had a 4/4 rating for a long time now, but I refuse to let him play for anyone else. OLB Greg Bracelin - 1 year, $100k* (Dallas) -Reserve OLB filler. Draft later today or, more likely, tomorrow night, as I'm going home for the weekend tomorrow.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-12-2008, 05:37 PM
|
#348 |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
CB Nate Odomes is far and away considered the best player in the draft, but there's a couple of great HB-initialed tackles in Howard Ballard and Harris Barton at the top as well. CB Rod Woodson, DT Jerry Ball and WR Cris Carter round out the bona fide blue-chippers.
As for us, we'll be looking at DT, CB, S for sure and possibly C, G, T and ILB as well in the first round. 1987 NFL Draft 1st Round 1. RB Bo Jackson - Cleveland Browns That's a shocker pick that sends roars of incredulity throughout the building and across the country. Jackson wasn't even rated the highest RB on the board (RB Bobby Morse held those honors). 2. QB Jim Harbaugh - Minnesota Vikings One of the most stunning pair of first two draft picks in universe history, although Harbaugh was certainly rated as the top QB. 3. CB Nate Odomes - Kansas City Chiefs The Chiefs give their heartfelt thanks to the Browns and Vikings for being really, really stupid. 4. CB Rod Woodson - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5. G Kevin Gogan - San Diego Chargers 6. DT Jerry Ball - Philadelphia Eagles 7. WR Cris Carter - Oakland Raiders 8. T Harris Barton - Atlanta Falcons 9. S Tim McDonald - Los Angeles Rams 10. CB Eric Thomas - St. Louis Cardinals 11. TE Keith McKellar - New Orleans Saints 12. OLB Greg Lloyd - Seattle Seahawks 13. T Howard Ballard - Detroit Lions through New England Patriots The Lions get an absolute steal here, giving up only their 3rd round pick in this draft and their 2nd round selection in next year's draft to grab a player that should've been gone in the first 5-10 picks. What a brilliant move by the Detroit front office. 14. RB Bobby Morse - Dallas Cowboys 15. WR Haywood Jeffries - Chicago Bears 16. QB Steve Beuerlein - Houston Oilers 17. ILB Al Smith - Cincinnati Bengals 18. RB John Settle - New Jersey Jets 19. CB Ricky Reynolds - Buffalo Bills 20. DT Jerome Brown - Tucson Titans 21. ILB Dave Wyman - Green Bay Packers 22. ILB Shane Conlan - Baltimore Ravens 23. RB Harry Sydney - Pittsburgh Steelers 24. WR Bruce Hill - Denver Broncos 25. DE Shawn Knight - Detroit Lions 26. QB Rich Gannon - San Diego Chargers 27. DT Henry Thomas - Dallas Cowboys 28. T Bruce Armstrong - New York Giants 29. CB Najee Mustafaa - San Francisco 49ers 30. WR Scott Schwedes - Carolina Panthers And thus, our turn rolls around. There's a DT and a couple safeties available that really draw my eye. One of the safeties is younger, very underrated and 51% developed, but he's also 5'9" and has a low endurance, whereas the other safety is very overrated and two years older, but also 6'1", with great bars even with the very overrated. In the end, I go with the better development, youth and underatedness of the shorter safety an hope he's a S version of Darrell Green, a 5'8" CB who's one of the better DBs in the league. 31. S Thomas Everett - Miami Dolphins 32. OLB Cornelius Bennett - Washington Redskins The other S I was looking at goes at 2.13 to the Atlanta Falcons and he slots in at 30/66 after immediate draft look, versus 29/42 for the bloke I drafted. Lovely. In the second round, I trade up to 2.14, giving the Bears 2.32 and my 1989 3rd round pick to snag DT Dan Saleaumula, who has mid-1st round type of talent. Sure, the price was steep, but we need young blood on the inside of our defensive line. We've tagged the 3rd round for an ILB and they start flying off the board early in the third, but I'm not worried... until my very last target gets stolen the pick before mine by those asshat 49ers. So instead we take CB Lou Brock, who I really like the looks of.ILB Chuck Faucette is our flyer pick in the 4th round after the P I wanted went sailing off the board. 4.46 40 time, blistering agility and great prospect workout earns WR Perry Kemp a 5th round selection from the Dolphins. For the fun of it, I draft FB Merril Hoge in the 6th, even though I could probably get him in the 7th or even as an undrafted player. Maybe I'll even experiment with moving him to RB. And finally, C Frank Winters in the 7th, just because. Late Free Agency Week 3 Signings C Mike Webster - 2 years, $290k (Detroit) -Four-time All-Pro who in his 14th season is on his way out. Had to pay through the nose for him because he was the only damned mentor C on the block. Code:
Everett looks like he was the right selection after all and he steps in as the Week 1 starter at FS. Similarly, Saleaumula will be the starting RDT after we move DT Jim Burt to the left side. Outside of those two, however, this is one ugly, ugly draft class. Still, we got two starters out of the deal, which is very important for the team's hopes for a fourth straight Super Bowl appearance.
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
04-13-2008, 12:59 AM
|
#349 |
|
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cincinnati, OH
|
Nice pick up with Atkins... a little painful to have the rookie FA pushing the first rounder?
|
|
|
|
|
04-13-2008, 01:11 AM
|
#350 | |
|
Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
|
Quote:
I didn't get Atkins. He was the other S I was debating between him and Everett at 1.31. Atkins was actually drafted 2.13 by the Atlanta Falcons
__________________
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) |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
| Thread Tools | |
|
|
