WLC Richmond Knights (Rounds 3 and 4)

[Morgado]

I screwed up my files and accidentally saved over my 2027 Preseason moves... frick. Two hours wasted. Anyways, suffice it to say I drafted a redline S Woodworth who turned out to be the steal of the century in round 6 of the draft. He is one bad mutha you don't want to mess with.

Richmond Knights 2027 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

   
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    Philadelphia Eagles             L, 24-34  88,100    0           
Week 2    GREEN BAY PACKERS               L, 10-15  77,600    3,100       
Week 3    Dallas Cowboys                  W, 20-3   47,300    5,700       
Week 4    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 31-21  77,600    6,900       
Week 5    New York Giants                 W, 17-10  64,500    5,600       
Week 6    Tampa Bay Buccaneers            L, 14-24  49,200    5,500       
Week 7    Pittsburgh Steelers             W, 13-10  64,700    1,900       
Week 8    NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 17-13  77,600    700         
Week 9    ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 33-22  77,600    0           
Week 10   OPEN                              
Week 11   ATLANTA FALCONS                 W, 35-25  77,600    3,100       
Week 12   Cincinnati Bengals              W, 31-0   58,200    6,000       
Week 13   JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS            W, 34-6   77,600    3,800       
Week 14   Arizona Cardinals               L, 7-27   41,400    1,800       
Week 15   PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 26-11  77,600    3,100       
Week 16   DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 38-6   77,600    3,800       
Week 17   Washington Redskins             W, 20-17  91,600    3,700      
Division  ST. LOUIS RAMS                  W, 32-14  77,600    0           
League    Green Bay Packers               L, 10-17  80,800    0

We got the most BS luck in the Conference Championship and lost to the Pack who went on to take the Super Bowl. S Woodworth made Defensive Rookie of the Year. The 3-4 Experiment was okay, 3rd in Ruhsing Defense and 7th in Passing Defense.

[Morgado]

2028 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

Wally Cady will be back for 5 more years.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 27-100-99-60 so everything is back in order. The franchise cut losses from 30 to 9 million last year.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

Since we've already tagged Kimball in 2021, we don't use the franchise tag this year. We are now in dire need of a big time DT and if we can't get em in 1-10 we will draft one. Tons of trade offers come in and we turn them all down. We don't see anything great and pass on the big money phase.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

We grab big 6'3" WR Andre Salpala on a 3 year deal, T Roy Windsor on a 3 year deal, and T Gus Orth to a 3 year deal. Our T problem is solved. Now to get some DTs in the draft.

Draft Needs:

With last draft's G prospects and this FA offseason's T acquisitions, we are totally set on offensive line. The big problems now are that we have no bid run stoppers in the front lines of our defense. Great LBs but nobody to plug the middle. Oakland may have solved out problem by offering a decent DT with 4(24) for S Elizondo. Since we drafted the S sleeper of the century last draft, this seems like a safe trade. S Skeen and S Woodworth will start and we can draft a backup.

S Skeen is signed to a 3 year deal.
LB Self is signed to a 3 year deal.

Draft Report:

1(34) DE Larry Murphy - If he doesn't bust, he'll be stellar.
2(34) DT Percy Lake - Hopefully our answer at DT, he has good potentials in pass rushing.
3(34) RB Will McDougle - Nobody worth taking so we take the RB steal early.
4(24) WB Jimmie Fredrickson - Redline madness.
4(34) CB Clarence Richardson - More redline madness.
5(34) P Daryl Ridenour - Decent numbers everywhere and we needed a punter.
6(34) DT Sherman Bynum - Good value at this point in the draft. Has some pass rush potential.
7(34) S Donnell King - A decent backup.

PreCamp:
Tons of trades turned down postcamp.

Neither redliner breaks out but nobody busts so we're happy.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2028 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

   
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    Oakland Raiders                 W, 26-15  52,400    5,900       
Week 2    ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 38-6   77,600    1,500       
Week 3    New York Giants                 W, 20-14  66,100    2,800       
Week 4    Philadelphia Eagles             W, 35-17  88,100    0           
Week 5    Colorado Springs Black SquirrelsL, 0-17   71,700    3,100       
Week 6    NEW YORK GIANTS                 L, 25-35  77,600    0           
Week 7    ST. LOUIS RAMS                  W, 37-3   77,600    0           
Week 8    OPEN                              
Week 9    Arizona Cardinals               W, 31-17  42,600    2,200       
Week 10   DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 48-7   77,600    0           
Week 11   KANSAS CITY CHIEFS              W, 32-17  77,600    0           
Week 12   PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 17-13  77,600    700         
Week 13   WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 17-7   77,600    700         
Week 14   Dallas Cowboys                  W, 27-3   59,700    3,300       
Week 15   GREEN BAY PACKERS               L, 21-31  77,600    700         
Week 16   New Orleans Saints              L, 20-24  74,800    5,500       
Week 17   Washington Redskins             L, 14-44  90,000    2,700  
W. Card   GREEN BAY PACKERS               W, 27-3   77,600    0           
Division  New Orleans Saints              L, 38-43  74,800    0 

Wow, what a shootout in the Divisional Round. We actually came back and kicked an onside kick and recovered but had no timeouts and ran out of clock at about their 25 yard line. Major downer for the year was the injury to S Woodworth in week 14 - note we lost the last three regular season games without him.

For a change, we had the 3rd ranked Pass defense but only the 19th rated run defense. QB Upshaw was the top rated passer in the league at 99.0 while RB Cerasani was third in rushing (and 2nd team). WR Salpala made first team all-pro and was second in receiving yards.

We haven't made the Super Bowl in a couple of years now... but not too bad I guess, since we've made the playoffs every year since 2019.

[Morgado]

2029 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

Scout Bernie Gillespie will be back for 5 more years.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 27-100-99-57 so everything is back in order. Woohoo back in the black with a 16 million dollar profit.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

We tag LB Long and go into FA expecting to lose WR Hanson and WR Knight. WR Hammond will now become "the man" and will be renegotiated to a big time contract before the season starts. Trade offers for T Orth and T Windsor are turned down. Wow, WR Hanson is snapped up instantly and so is WR Knight. Ogunleye gets an offer that goes over cap so we might actually be able to get him back later.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

We sign DT O.J. Shannon to a 3 year deal, CB Arnold Raney to a 4 year deal.

K Dion signs a 1 year deal.
S Woodworth signs a 4 year deal.
LB Long signs a 3 year deal.
FB Holliday signs a 3 year deal.
WR Hammond signs a 4 year deal.

Draft Needs:

We need depth in various places but nowhere more desperately than at WR. We currently have just 2 WR on the roster and can afford to have maybe 2 total scrubs - so at least picking up one decent backup is important. Other concerns are that we have no total shutdown orner. So CB is a 1st round priority. Wow two awesome prospects when we're up in round 1 so we take the guy with more endurance and INT rating.

Draft Report:

1(33) CB Rick Lake - Great hitter and has good zone skill potential.
2(33) DE Donald Dodge - Respectable across the board.
3(33) TE Alonzo Cobb - Could become a good pass catcher.
4(33) LB Robbie Sutton - If no bust, then he is a good across the board value.
5(33) RB Dusty Talley - Low endurance but everything else looks good.
6(33) WR Stanley Lane - Decent skills, should make a respectable #3.
7(33) CB Jackie James - Outstanding returner we'll have for two years.

PreCamp:
A trade offer for Orth is turned down. The 49ers offer a 3rd round pick for an unhappy C Chapman but we turn it down.

TE Banks signs a 3 year deal.
FB Rasmussen signs a 3 year deal.
QB Upshaw signs a 4 year deal.
QB Wagner signs a 3 year deal.

Trades for T Orth, G Wayne, and S Woodworth are turned down. P Ridenour explodes and looks like we'll have to sign him to a long term deal. Our prospects all do okay and nobody busts.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2029 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

 
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 36-7   77,600    3,100       
Week 2    San Francisco 49ers             W, 31-17  81,300    3,300       
Week 3    New York Giants                 L, 17-31  66,200    3,500       
Week 4    OPEN                              
Week 5    Philadelphia Eagles             W, 20-17  87,000    0           
Week 6    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 27-13  77,600    2,300       
Week 7    Dallas Cowboys                  W, 27-19  52,000    5,600       
Week 8    ARIZONA CARDINALS               L, 17-20  77,600    1,500       
Week 9    Indianapolis Colts              L, 19-38  78,300    0           
Week 10   PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 26-13  77,600    1,500       
Week 11   NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 30-13  77,600    3,800       
Week 12   MIAMI DOLPHINS                  W, 45-14  77,600    0           
Week 13   NEW ORLEANS SAINTS              L, 24-26  77,600    3,100       
Week 14   Arizona Cardinals               W, 20-17  35,400    4,200       
Week 15   Washington Redskins             W, 23-20  90,000    8,200       
Week 16   Greensboro Swamp Ducks          T, 29-29  64,900    1,300       
Week 17   NEW YORK JETS                   W, 36-6   77,600    0        
W. Card   ST. LOUIS RAMS                  W, 27-13  77,600    0           
Division  Green Bay Packers               L, 28-42  80,800    0 

What a crummy way to end the season - both our starting Safeties and our best CB are injured and gone for the season by like week 14. The secondary is so bad i'm amazed that we even won our Wild Card game and got those last couple of wins. RB Cerasani was also injured for part of the season.

[Morgado]

2030 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

No Changes.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 29-100-99-58 so everything is back in order. Back in the red with like a 40 million dollar loss.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

We tag LB Thomas and go into free agency hoping to retain LB Agbabian and LB Shields. We also need to sign P Ridenour, who is now a great punter. Trade offers for S Woodworth and RB Cerasani are turned down. We swipe CB Austin Fernando from TBY for a 3 year deal but have to pay him the stupid money he wants. Oh well, at least now our secondary will be awesome. LB Agbabian is signed by PIT, G Moschetti is signed by DAL.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

We sign LB Peter Hayes for 3 years to replace Agbabian.

LB Shields signs a 3 year deal.
LB Thomas signs a 3 year deal.
C Clark signs a 3 year deal.
WR Salpala signs a 4 year deal.
DE Foreman signs a 4 year deal.
T Orth signs a 3 year deal.
S Skeen signs a 3 year deal.
P Ridenour signs a 3 year deal.

Trade offers for TE Cobb, T Windsor, and FB Holliday are turned down.

Draft Needs:

We need one backup at each offensive line position and a kicker. A good backup at DT would be nice too.

Draft Report:

1(30) WR Peter Capon - Too good to pass on.
2(30) G A.J. Southard - Solid in all phases of the game.
3(30) DE Riddick Caldwell - Good potentials, can develop into a future starter.
4(30) RB Joel Weber - Redline madness.
5(30) C Harold Bennett - A steal with good ratings in current and potential.
6(30) LB Leroy Dunn - Wow, great potentials. One of those low everything red, but high green everywhere.
7(30) QB Bobby Haight - Nothing better to pick so we take a depth chart QB.

PreCamp:
A trade offer for T Windsor is turned down. Postcamp trdes for DE Murphy, DE Foreman and T Orth are all declined.

C Bennett busted and the redliner didn't breakout. Oh well. No big losses and no big gains so we're happy.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2030 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

   
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 40-27  77,600    3,100       
Week 2    Green Bay Packers               L, 24-30  80,800    0           
Week 3    ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 40-7   77,600    0           
Week 4    New York Giants                 W, 24-3   70,200    2,100       
Week 5    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 27-24  77,600    3,100       
Week 6    MINNESOTA VIKINGS               L, 10-15  77,600    0           
Week 7    CLEVELAND BROWNS                W, 19-13  77,600    2,300       
Week 8    Philadelphia Eagles             L, 24-31  87,000    1,700       
Week 9    Dallas Cowboys                  W, 52-0   45,000    3,300       
Week 10   OPEN                              
Week 11   St. Louis Rams                  W, 34-17  86,800    0           
Week 12   BALTIMORE RAVENS                W, 30-20  77,600    0           
Week 13   Cincinnati Bengals              W, 24-7   56,900    7,100       
Week 14   DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 30-13  77,600    3,100       
Week 15   Washington Redskins             L, 14-27  91,100    0           
Week 16   Arizona Cardinals               L, 10-24  39,400    2,400       
Week 17   NEW YORK GIANTS                 L, 17-24  77,600    1,500    
W. Card   Washington Redskins             W, 43-10  91,100    0           
Division  New Orleans Saints              L, 20-23  76,500    0

Once again, late season injuries cost us home field advantage as well as the Divisional playoff game. Our starting QB is injured in garbage time while we're up by 30 in the fourth quarter of the Wild Card (why he's playing is beyond me at that point) and he gets knocked out in the first quarter of the divisional. Our secondary comes up huge with tons of INTs in that game but our backup throws it right back to them too many times. RB Cerasani also goes down in the game against the Saints, so we are left with no offense.

We lead the league in rushing again and are 2nd in pass defense. The run defense and pass offense are both respectable, so it's the injuries that are killing us each season.

[Morgado]

2031 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

No Changes.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 29-100-99-59 so everything is back in order. Still in the red with a 33 million dollar loss.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

We tag T Windsor. This is a good year since we hardly have any FAs and can concentrate on re-signing contract year players to longer deals. UGH our starting QB retired and now we need a new one... okay I guess this won't be such a great offseason after all. An offer comes in for G Wayne - a scrub TE we can cut and 1(11) from the Black Squirrels. We take it because we have two great G on roster and can draft a midround backup. Another offer comes in for LB Hayes - 1(34) from New Orleans. The idea of three first round picks is drool inducing and we bite. If a marquee QB is available in FA, we are so on it. Unfortunately most QBs on the market are extremely old and kind of pissed off. That 1(11) pick will go for a QB.

RB Cerasani signs a 4 year deal. Hopefully he stays healthy from now on.
LB Long signs a 3 year deal.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

We sign LB Mo Burns for 3 years, Clay Neill for 5 years,

Trade offers for LB Long and QB Wagner are turned down.

Draft Needs:

We need one backup at each offensive line position and a kicker. A good backup at DT would be nice too.

Draft Report:

1(11) QB Alonzo Carter - Franchise QB. If he busts, I cry.
1(28) T Ike Jensen - Looks good in all three ratings and should be able to start next season.
1(34) S Michael Coats - Never again will we suffer from a depleted secondary. He will take over at SS when Skeen retires.
2(28) C Burce Brew - Awesome if not a bust. Full endurance and great run blocking potential.
3(28) G Mitchell Abernathy - More OL reloading.
4(28) DT Pete Donovan - Nice numbers for a midround DT.
5(28) WR Carlton Fleming - Redline Madness.
6(28) K Kyle Mendola - We need a kicker.
7(28) DE Matt Elliott - Not bad for a 7th round pick actually.

PreCamp:
FB Holliday signs a 3 year deal.

Redliner Fleming didn't boom, but our QB didn't bust! Woohoo!

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2031 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

   
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 41-10  77,600    3,100       
Week 2    Philadelphia Eagles             L, 0-28   87,000    0           
Week 3    ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 27-6   77,600    3,100       
Week 4    Washington Redskins             L, 10-24  90,900    1,800       
Week 5    NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 31-7   77,600    700         
Week 6    OPEN                              
Week 7    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 23-10  77,600    0           
Week 8    New York Giants                 W, 37-10  60,500    5,600       
Week 9    Arizona Cardinals               L, 14-20  39,100    3,400       
Week 10   GREEN BAY PACKERS               W, 6-3    77,600    700         
Week 11   Tampa Bay Buccaneers            W, 23-17  61,300    3,600       
Week 12   WASHINGTON REDSKINS             L, 7-23   77,600    0           
Week 13   Dallas Cowboys                  W, 17-6   34,700    3,600       
Week 14   Seattle Seahawks                L, 3-41   71,000    1,500       
Week 15   SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS             W, 23-10  77,600    0           
Week 16   DENVER BRONCOS                  W, 41-31  77,600    0           
Week 17   San Diego Chargers              L, 6-34   43,400    3,000 
W. Card   PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 23-17  77,600    0           
Division  Washington Redskins             L, 10-20  92,100    0

In week 2, we are shut out for the first time since I can remember. Our defense is dominant again and again injuries knock us out of the playoffs. Our new franchise QB is injured seriously in midseason and takes a small hit on his potentials. Oh well.

[Morgado]

2032 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

No Changes.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 29-100-99-53 so everything is okay. Just a 4 million dollar loss this time around.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

We tag T Ross. We turn down a trade for RB Cerasani. The Giants offer 3(1) for LB Thomas and we bite. We turn down a trade for CB Austin. Our 1-10 guy is FB Ron Witt, a maxed out superstud guy who should get Cerasani some insane numbers.

G Hallen signs a 3 year deal.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

QB Gonzalez signs a 5 year deal - what a steal. He must have gotten an over cap offer.
LB Lenny Koontz is a mean runstopper who takes a 3 year deal from us.
T Hunter Kemp takes a 3 year deal and joins the team.

T Ross signs a 4 year deal.
P Ridenour signs a 3 year deal.
CB Austin signs a 4 year deal.
WR Hammond signs a 4 year deal.
LB Shields signs a 3 year deal.
S Woodworth signs a 4 year deal.
TE Cobb signs a 3 year deal.

Draft Needs:

Trades for QB Gonzalez and G Hallen are turned down. We don't have serious needs, and will draft for depth.

Draft Report:

1(28) DT Wesley Dixon - Wow. Wow. Wow. Please don't bust.
2(28) WR Clarence Mauldin - Good current ratings. We'll plug him in at #3 and see if he's worth re-signing later.
3(1) C Austin McAleese - Another C prospect that should make us very deep here.
3(28) CB Rodney Washington - Has good skills all-around.
4(28) RB David Cailao - Amazing short yardage rating.
5(28) K Kenneth Watkins - An upgrade over K Mendola.
6(28) LB Oscar Seegert - Decent backup material.
7(28) G B.J. Malone - Sufficient current rating numbers to be an immediate backup.

PreCamp:
Trades for T Orth, LB Long, CB Austin are all turned down. Postcamp trades for DE Foreman, FB Witt, and DT Dixon are all rejected.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2032 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

  
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    MANCHESTER ICE WEASELS          W, 28-15  77,600    1,500       
Week 2    Arizona Cardinals               W, 27-10  35,000    2,300       
Week 3    OPEN                              
Week 4    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 23-13  77,600    3,100       
Week 5    NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 36-9   77,600    4,600       
Week 6    New Orleans Saints              W, 47-17  78,500    2,200       
Week 7    Tampa Bay Buccaneers            W, 10-7   58,100    1,800       
Week 8    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             L, 17-19  77,600    1,500       
Week 9    ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 16-3   77,600    2,300       
Week 10   Indianapolis Colts              T, 17-17  78,300    700         
Week 11   Philadelphia Eagles             W, 20-17  88,100    0           
Week 12   DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 20-10  77,600    3,800       
Week 13   BUFFALO BILLS                   W, 31-0   77,600    0           
Week 14   Washington Redskins             W, 20-14  92,600    3,700       
Week 15   CHICAGO BEARS                   W, 35-23  77,600    2,300       
Week 16   Dallas Cowboys                  W, 20-0   44,000    2,100       
Week 17   New York Giants                 W, 16-13  66,100    5,300       
Division  WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 41-15  77,600    0           
League    PORTLAND WHITE STURGEON         W, 24-12  77,600    0           
Champ.    MANCHESTER ICE WEASELS          W, 17-10  77,600    0

Get this, final power ratings: RIC 98, MAN 90. So the two best teams played the Super Bowl.

Big time FA acquisition QB Gonzalez was mediocre (a la Dilfer), but our rushing attack was dominant. RB Cerasani can't seem to stay healthy, but it doesn't seem to matter. A more important FA acquisition seems to be FB Witt, who was outstanding in the passing game. Both RB Cerasani and backup rookie RB Cailao had 800 yards rushing. Both WR Hammond and WR Salpala had 1000 yard receiving seasons.

On defense, we simply owned the line of scrimmage. Rookie DT 1(28) Dixon had 8.5 sacks in 15 starts. DE Murphy led the team with 11.5 sacks and the team had 50 total sacks (2nd in the league). More important was that the defense was #1 against the run (67.9 YPG) and #3 against the pass (182.6 YPG). Our +10 TO margin was great, but as usual we had ridiculous numbers of penalties - we're getting a dirty reputation under Wally Cady.

Yet again, the no-name defense lives. Our only two All-Pro selections were a 1st team T and a 2nd team G.

While our own offense was 5th on third down (.403), our defense was also 5th on third down (.293). Once again, rushing (1st in the NFL with 153.6 YPG) and defense won the championship. The Super Bowl had some of the most ballsy playcalling i've ever seen - we converted three fourth downs in the first half alone! I couldn't believe the CPU went for it on 4th and 6 from like our 43 yard line and made it.

[Subby]

Congrats Arnold

What is your low points allowed? I have managed 206 twice but was thinking you might have gotten lower.

In other news I have been tweaking the 75 in the past couple of years - never satisfied, I guess.

Anyway - I have settled on a three formation offense (I, Split, Single Back) with 0-30-85-55-30-0 tendency distribution. I dropped my run percentages from 75 to 65 and seem to be prospering offensively. My RB went for 2200 combined yards last year and my QB has been throwing for over 3500 yards since inception of the new offense.

Maybe I should write something up

Anyway - enough about me...

[Morgado]

Originally posted by Subby:
What is your low points allowed? I have managed 206 twice but was thinking you might have gotten lower.

Thanks Subby... heh, da Mayor's plan is in effect!

I don't think i've ever gotten anywhere near that kind of PA total due to strength of schedule. Year-in year-out the Knights play roughly the 3rd-5th toughest schedule in the league and although we shut out the cream puffs in the NFC East, we can get mangled by some AFC behemoth.

In the beginning I tried a 3 formation offense with exactly those formations - I, Split and Single. Lately i've been wondering how big of a deal it is to go from a 4 formation to a 3 formation offense. Personally if I went to a 3 formation offense, it would be I, Weak and Strong of course...

The ideal three play series for a first down:

1st Down: 49 Sweep
2nd Down: 50 Gut
3rd Down: 28 Sweep

Also known as: Lombardi Sweep Right, Power Isolation, Lombardi Sweep Left... 4 yards and a cloud, 4 yards and a cloud, 4 yards and a cloud... with the occasional injury inflicted on the defense.

[Morgado]

2033 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

Wally Cady is back for 3 more seasons.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 28-100-99-53 so everything is okay. Wow, 7.5 million dollar profit.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

We don't tag anyone. There are a bunch of players we have to renegotiate to longer deals or sign replacements for. Trade offers for LB Koontz, RB Cerasani, and T Ross are all declined. We end up not signing anyone.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

A trade offer for FB Witt is declined.
G Bryce Ashford signs a 3 year deal and will be a backup.

Draft Needs:

A stud TE would be great and we need a long term DE project since all three of our best guys are either gone or renegotiating this year.

Draft Report:

1(36) CB Pat Clements - Maxed Endurance and INT and has great Man potential.
2(36) DE Marshall Floyd - Great run stopping potential.
3(36) RB Albert Ingraham - The midround RB as usual.
4(36) DE Tommy Smallwood - One dimensional run stopper, but what a tackler!
5(36) S Cory Coles - Outstanding return man with actually decent skills.
6(36) T Dennis Flowers - Redline mania.
7(36) TE Moe Harpold - Decent numbers in run blocking and catching.

PreCamp:
We turn down all trades but one - LB Herb Ellis (A 2nd year guy with average potentials) and a 5 pick for DE Foreman. We will lose Foreman after this season so what the heck.

DE Murphy signs a 4 year deal. He will anchor the line.
WR Salpala signs a 3 year deal.
FB Holliday signs a 3 year deal.
C Brew signs a 4 year deal.
DT Donovan signs a 3 year deal.
LB Long signs a 3 year deal.

Oh wow, the Cardinals are moving to Eugene next season.
Postcamp trades for tons of players are turned down.
Hey our redliner T Flowers has a minor breakout heh. Nobody else moves much, which is just dandy with me.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2033 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

 
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    Cincinnati Bengals              L, 0-17   73,700    6,200       
Week 2    Philadelphia Eagles             W, 21-17  87,000    0           
Week 3    Dallas Cowboys                  L, 10-27  30,700    3,300       
Week 4    JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS            W, 30-12  77,600    2,300       
Week 5    NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 41-20  77,600    3,100       
Week 6    Arizona Cardinals               W, 10-7   40,400    1,700       
Week 7    OPEN                              
Week 8    New York Giants                 W, 21-13  74,700    5,100       
Week 9    Washington Redskins             W, 31-30  93,200    900         
Week 10   San Francisco 49ers             W, 24-20  82,500    4,200       
Week 11   PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 47-7   77,600    0           
Week 12   DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 34-13  77,600    700         
Week 13   Detroit Lions                   W, 26-14  42,700    3,900       
Week 14   WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 17-9   77,600    0           
Week 15   PORTLAND WHITE STURGEON         L, 9-24   77,600    0           
Week 16   TENNESSEE TITANS                W, 45-9   77,600    0           
Week 17   ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 34-19  77,600    2,300     
Division  NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 48-16  77,600    0           
League    Portland White Sturgeon         L, 17-20  77,400    0

The Sturgeon are unbelievably tough and go on to win the Super Bowl 19-0 over the Patriots. We actually had a chance in the Conference Championship when we recovered an onside kick with 2 minutes to go. But an INT later, it was over. Oh well. RB Cerasani made 1st team, MVP, and Offensive Player of the Year with a 1700 yard, 17 TD season. We were tops in the league in rushing and pass defense with a top 10 run defense and a middle of the pack pass offense.

[Morgado]

2034 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

The Jets swipe our scout so we get a new guy, Kenneth Herman. He's VG on QB, WR, OL, and DL so w may end up playing the pass more in the future.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 28-100-99-55 so everything is okay. Hmm 8.6 million dollar profit.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

We don't tag anyone. Trade offers for WR Salpala and DE murphy are turned down.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

We sign WR Tito Ellis for 4 years.
T Rod Gaynor joins the team for 4 years.

G Hallen signs a 3 year deal.
P Ridenour signs a 3 year deal.
FB Witt signs a 3 year deal.

Draft Needs:

A stud TE and a replacement for RB Cerasani are musts. We could use some new LBs and a new CB as well.

Draft Report:

1(34) LB Colin Davidson - Holy maxed stats, Batman!
2(34) TE Deion Lindsay - Our answer at TE finally?
3(34) RB Blake Palmer - Pray for breakout.
4(34) RB Andrew Flowers - Pray for breakout.
5(31) QB Bruce Glenn - Hmmm, suspicious skill levels.
5(34) CB Irving Meadows - Redline Special.
6(34) S Mel Prescott - Almost a redliner.
7(34) WR Cary Skelton - Big time return demon.

PreCamp:
Trades for CB Austin and DE Murphy are rejected.

Hmm, I proposed the maximum size stadium and offered to pay for none of it and the measure passed 53.1% in favor.

Postcamp trades for DE Murphy and T Ross are rejected.

LB Koontz signs a 3 year deal.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2034 Regular Season Schedule

Just for the heck of it, I decided to try out a Midwest 35 Offense this season.

77,600

Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    Seattle Seahawks                W, 20-19  68,400    2,800       
Week 2    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 27-13  77,600    3,800       
Week 3    Philadelphia Eagles             W, 24-22  88,100    0           
Week 4    New York Giants                 W, 22-14  72,900    2,900       
Week 5    Oakland Raiders                 W, 35-13  74,200    2,900       
Week 6    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             L, 24-29  77,600    0           
Week 7    ST. LOUIS RAMS                  W, 27-6   77,600    0           
Week 8    OPEN                              
Week 9    Washington Redskins             W, 21-18  93,200    1,800       
Week 10   DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 32-13  77,600    0           
Week 11   COLORADO SPRINGS BLACK SQUIRRELSW, 33-7   77,600    0           
Week 12   NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 24-18  77,600    3,800       
Week 13   ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 30-27  77,600    2,300       
Week 14   Dallas Cowboys                  W, 35-6   44,200    2,200       
Week 15   DETROIT LIONS                   W, 16-0   77,600    1,500       
Week 16   Portland White Sturgeon         W, 20-17  79,200    0           
Week 17   Arizona Cardinals               W, 38-31  52,500    2,100      
Division  PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 34-28  77,600    0           
League    NEW ORLEANS SAINTS              W, 37-10  77,600    0           
Champ.    DENVER BRONCOS                  W, 14-0   77,600    0

WTF!?!?!?!

   Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Att   Comp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg  TD    Int   Sack  Yards Rate
QB Carter, Alonzo        RIC 13  12  400   254   63.5  3340  8.35  81  23    11    32    198   97.4          
QB Gonzalez, Scott       RIC 8   4   186   110   59.1  1363  7.32  55  9     5     13    85    86.7  

   Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Ctch  Yards Avg   Targ  CtPct  Lg    TD    YAC   Drop  PsPly TgPct 
WR Salpala, Andre        RIC 16  16  88    1251  14.2  140   62.8   50    9     635   7     535   26.1 
WR Hammond, Billy Joe    RIC 16  15  82    1240  15.1  135   60.7   55    8     507   10    485   27.8   
WR Ellis, Tito           RIC 16  1   70    888   12.6  120   58.3   38    5     356   6     468   25.6  
WR Mauldin, Clarence     RIC 16  0   24    357   14.8  37    64.8   81    4     111   3     98    37.7  
WR Lindsay, Deion        RIC 15  9   37    357   9.6   70    52.8   21    1     98    1     321   21.8  
TE Cobb, Alonzo          RIC 12  7   27    247   9.1   38    71.0   20    2     113   3     234   16.2  
FB Witt, Ron             RIC 16  16  17    182   10.7  21    80.9   19    1     157   0     377   5.5  
RB Cerasani, Arnie       RIC 16  16  17    163   9.5   23    73.9   19    1     102   1     323   7.1 

   Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Att   Yards Avg   Lg    TD
RB Cerasani, Arnie       RIC 16  16  205   900   4.3   60    12      
QB Carter, Alonzo        RIC 13  12  60    302   5.0   16    2       
FB Witt, Ron             RIC 16  16  70    207   2.9   19    1       
QB Gonzalez, Scott       RIC 8   4   38    166   4.3   12    1  

   Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Ints  IRYd  TD    Cght  Dfns  PsPly PDQ
FS Woodworth, Norm       RIC 16  16  11    148   1     43    11    516   56.4

QB Carter, WR Salpala and WR Hammond were all 2nd Team All-Pro.
FS Woodworth was DEF Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Pro.

The Super Bowl Denver Broncos Drive Chart:

Denver Broncos Drive Chart

	Quar	Began	Poss	From		Plays	Yards	Result
	1	15:00	5:12	OWN 30		9	36	Punt
	1	4:50	1:09	OWN 40		3	-1	Punt
	1	0:35	0:45	OWN 8		3	-2	Punt
	2	14:43	2:31	OWN 34		4	20	Punt
	2	10:34	1:14	OPP 44		3	-2	Punt
	2	6:58	1:00	OWN 29		3	6	Punt
	2	4:36	1:37	OWN 23		3	-3	Punt
	2	1:20	1:20	OWN 30		3	-2	Punt
	3	13:25	1:46	OWN 31		3	9	Punt
	3	9:03	4:15	OWN 16		6	13	Punt
	3	1:46	3:05	OWN 46		6	22	Fumble
	4	10:49	1:07	OWN 18		3	-6	Punt
	4	6:51	0:44	OWN 20		3	8	Punt
	4	4:09	1:00	OWN 40		4	4	Downs
	4	2:08	0:29	OWN 5		4	0	Downs

Seriously, that's just ridiculous. They had 102 yards of total offense on 60 plays for 1.7 yards per play.
The weird part is that i'm not even Dixoning my secondary to get Woodworth the INTs... but yet again the no-name defense lives and nobody else on that side of the ball made the Pro Bowl despite the fact our run defense was tops in the league (well, pass defense was only 20th).

I think what's driving the unreal defensive performance is that when you play a Midwest 35, your offense is so fast striking that the opponent is playing catch-up from the start of the game. So you don't even need to stop the run to force them into one-dimensionality - they're throwing all the time just to keep up. So if you're playing mean defense, you get the offense in the mode you want them... throw every down. I think this is what's setting up all my interceptions and sacks (one DE had 16.5 sacks on my team).

One thing I thought odd was that the defense didn't seem to be familiar with my offensive plays even though Cady only has Good Offensive Playcalling. Plus the defenses were actually playing 4-3 against my Shotgun plays so that was odd. I think if you go 2WR a lot, your personnel on the field is FB, 2 TE and 2 WR so the defense has to honor your big offensive line. Not sure why they weren't getting more familiar with the play bonuses though.

[QuikSand]

Whoa. Good season!

Can you help some of the more occasional readers out with a tiny glossary? You've dropped a few terms that I haven't yet come across... Midwest 35, "Dixon" as a verb, etc.

Thanks, and congratulations.

[Morgado]

Originally posted by QuikSand:
[b]Can you help some of the more occasional readers out with a tiny glossary? You've dropped a few terms that I haven't yet come across... Midwest 35, "Dixon" as a verb, etc.
[b]

In the WLC Chuck and Duck thread, some of the guys talk about using the old 75 Offense except replacing the 75s with 35s to make it into a pass happy rather than a run crazed offense. Since most of the people who were running such Coryell-like bombs away offenses were from states in the center of the country, I just started calling it a Midwest 35.

As for the Dixon... It was John Dixon who was the LB that had the fifty-billion tackles while playing on a defense surrounded by scrubs right? So Dixoning your lineup would be getting a stud player and surrounding em with losers so the stud gets all the stats. Of course, Dixon was a little before my time so i'm not entirely positive on the story there.

[QuikSand]

Gotcha on the 35. Makes sense, I had thought it was along those lines.

On "Dixon" as verb... that particular character's lore had two components, one of which you captured accurately (one good player, surrounded by scrups to boost stats, particuarly tackles since he played MLB). The other element, even more insidious, is that his admittedly eye-popping career stats were in part the product of an orchestrated series of save-and-reloads to ensure that he played an extremenly long career (re-try season start every time he would have retired). No problem here using the word "Dixon" as a verb as you have... if the shoe fits, right?

Thanks for the help.

[Ctown-Fan]

Morgado,

Welcome to the dark side of football. Actually, I think what is interesting is that you need almost exactly the same players for the Run 75 and the Midwest 35 (I've been searching of a name and I sorta like that one). The 35 falls short if you don't have a good running back.

When "coach" moves to ball control in the second half to protect a lead, if you have a poor rb, it is just a big invitation back into the game for your opponent.

You still need a solid te and fb because the 35 is not a heave the ball 30 yards down the field every play. Instead, you are throwing short distances to the backs and recievers and then letting them make plays. If you look, almost every player is getting between 40-70% of their yards after the catch.

[Subby]

Heresy!

I am calling Archbishop Smashmouth and having you excommunicated!

[Morgado]

Originally posted by Ctown-Fan:
Midwest 35 (I've been searching of a name and I sorta like that one). The 35 falls short if you don't have a good running back.

Heh that's good because I needed to call it something and you (Ohio), sooner333 (Oklahoma) and Daimyo (Illinois) happened to be the guys talking about it on the Chuck and Duck thread... so I figured hey...

When "coach" moves to ball control in the second half to protect a lead, if you have a poor rb, it is just a big invitation back into the game for your opponent.

Okay this is something i'm not so sure about. Since we've had success with RB by committee, i've been debating this in my mind for a while. My thinking is this - the bae Midwest 35 runs out of the Split, Single and Gun. Now if you're running those formations, the FB is *always* in the game but the RB is not. By the cost/quality assumptions of how we're building the 75/35 offense, you have one all-universe FB and more likely two. So if you jacked up the FB as primary runner, you should have decent rushing performance even with loser RBs. At that point, one could draft a stable of 3rd Down backs and play flip to the flat with them. This would be ultra-cheep and *should* work. This is what i'm going to try for 2035 since I have the all-universe FB duo and am losing my Stoopid Money RB.

You still need a solid te and fb because the 35 is not a heave the ball 30 yards down the field every play. Instead, you are throwing short distances to the backs and recievers and then letting them make plays. If you look, almost every player is getting between 40-70% of their yards after the catch.

Actually, the other thing i'm suspecting about the TE and FB positions is that the end and back mix is what dictates the CPU personnel calls. So if you are TE/FB heavy (eg 2WR in Shotgun), the CPU must honor your big personnel group and go with a matching big personnel group (43 instead of Nickel perhaps). If this is the case, then you'd want to have quality mismatch players at TE so they aren't just decoys. For FB, see my above cockamamie scheme...

Regarding run after the catch, i'm sort of divided on this. On the one hand, i've seen the WCO style short slant then let the guy run after the catch in all my 75 tests with high short range passing. But over the past couple season, i've been seeing a *lot* of 20 yard in-the-air passes to wideouts. I'm not sure if this is because of the QB, the WR or both because i'm still using the 10-40-40-5-5 75 Offense pass distances. My guess at the moment is that because my dudes are all great on 3rd down, the QB is awesome at medium passes, and my WRs are good that the medium passes that are normally the incompletions are being completed at a higher rate. So i'm "seeing" more of the medium range routes that would otherwise be masked by "Ball was underthrown" or "Dropped the ball." So maybe you can do it without run after the catch if you have a bunch of Cris Carter clones running around.

[Morgado]

Originally posted by Subby:
Heresy!

I am calling Archbishop Smashmouth and having you excommunicated!

[Morgado]

2035 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

No changes.

Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 54-100-99-55 so the new stadium is kicking in. Finally 24 million in profit. We are now the second most valuable franchise.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

We tag G Southard. Trade offers for QB Carter and DE Murphy are declined. The Bills offer 1(24) and a crappy QB to be released for LB Koontz and we take it. Denver gives RB Cerasani an extremely big stupid money contract and he bites in week 1.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

WR Roger Brady joins us for a 4 year deal.
DE Marty Warren joins on for 3 seasons.
LB Irv Hernandez signs for 4 years.

K Watkins signs a 2 year deal.
G Southard signs a 3 year deal.
TE Cobb signs a 3 year deal.
WR Hammond signs a 3 year deal.
T Ross signs a 4 year deal.
S Woodworth signs a 3 year deal.

Draft Needs:

A new CB, an OG, an OT, and a new big time LB. We will draft best available from these positions with our two first round picks.

Draft Report:

1(24) CB John Coburn - Not the greatest, but he has skills and good INT ratings.
1(36) LB Earl Banks - Prototypical OLB who can pass rush and hit hard.
2(36) G Scottie Daigle - Good current as well as potentials.
3(36) RB Harold Sampson - Major steal.
4(36) LB Donnell Kennedy - Very good prospect who should develop into a starter.
5(36) FB Todd Wellins - Really good runner who can be our future guy.
6(36) S Joe Mosley - Return man with some INT.
7(36) T Darryl Folston - Has great pass protection potential.

PreCamp:
Trades for T Ross, G Southard, and C McAleese are rejected.

T Jensen signs a 4 year deal.
CB Clements signs a 4 year deal.
C McAleese signs a 4 year deal.

Postcamp trades for DE Murphy, C McAleese and T Ross are rejected. We do take Cleveland's 2nd rounder for RB Palmer.

G Daigle is a bust. Bleah. At least CB Coburn seems to have been a minor breakout so that's good.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2035 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

  
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 37-17  77,600    1,500       
Week 2    Carolina Panthers               W, 24-9   36,200    4,500       
Week 3    New York Giants                 W, 34-3   65,400    4,200       
Week 4    OPEN                              
Week 5    Arizona Cardinals               W, 35-6   42,500    3,600       
Week 6    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             L, 41-47  77,600    2,300       
Week 7    Dallas Cowboys                  L, 13-23  35,600    3,000       
Week 8    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             L, 17-18  77,600    0           
Week 9    New England Patriots            L, 19-22  79,100    1,500       
Week 10   ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 44-31  77,600    6,900       
Week 11   NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 13-7   77,600    1,500       
Week 12   NEW YORK JETS                   W, 34-20  77,600    4,600       
Week 13   NEW ORLEANS SAINTS              W, 34-10  77,600    700         
Week 14   Philadelphia Eagles             W, 13-10  88,100    2,600       
Week 15   Washington Redskins             W, 30-24  93,200    3,700       
Week 16   Greensboro Swamp Ducks          W, 27-20  63,200    3,300       
Week 17   BUFFALO BILLS                   L, 13-16  77,600    3,100 
Division  PORTLAND WHITE STURGEON         W, 51-17  77,600    0           
League    TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS            W, 41-6   77,600    0           
Champ.    Indianapolis Colts              W, 41-34  85,800    0

Okay, this one also gets the big WTF from me.

We've seen Quadfectas.

But on 14 starts?!?!?!?

                         Tm  GP  GS  Att   Comp  Pct   Yards Avg   Lg   TD    Int   Sack  Yards Rate
QB Carter, Alonzo        RIC 14  14  457   290   63.4  3649  7.98  80   22    10    32    205   95.1      

**NFL MVP                               Alonzo Carter           RIC     
**Offensive Player of the Year          Alonzo Carter           RIC     
**Super Bowl MVP                        Alonzo Carter           RIC     
**All-Pro 1st Team Quarterback          Alonzo Carter           RIC

   Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Ctch  Yards Avg   Targ  CtPct   Lg    TD    YAC   Drop  PsPly TgPct
WR Salpala, Andre        RIC 15  14  65    899   13.8  108   60.1    54    9     424   9     449   24.0
TE Cobb, Alonzo          RIC 16  16  72    819   11.3  102   70.5    64    3     449   10    420   24.2
WR Brady, Roger          RIC 16  12  68    794   11.6  105   64.7    49    3     262   5     421   24.9
WR Ellis, Tito           RIC 16  2   44    624   14.1  92    47.8    80    5     305   2     369   24.9
FB Witt, Ron             RIC 16  16  26    288   11.0  30    86.6    19    2     300   0     342   8.7
WR Hammond, Billy Joe    RIC 12  4   19    237   12.4  35    54.2    22    0     116   2     163   21.4        

**All-Pro 1st Team Fullback             Ron Witt                RIC     
**All-Pro 1st Team Tight End            Alonzo Cobb             RIC     

   Name                  Tm  GP  GS  Att   Yards Avg   Lg    TD
RB Sampson, Harold       RIC 16  15  139   682   4.9   35    5       
FB Witt, Ron             RIC 16  16  121   446   3.6   27    7       
QB Carter, Alonzo        RIC 14  14  71    388   5.4   11    1       
RB Ingraham, Albert      RIC 16  1   82    313   3.8   33    5       

Team Offense   GP    Rush  Yards  YPG   Avg   Att   Comp  Yards  YPG   Avg
Richmond       16    467   2015   125.9 4.3   551   341   4174   260.8 7.5   

Team Defense   GP    Rush  Yards  YPG   Avg   Att   Comp  Yards  YPG   Avg
Richmond       16    389   1405   87.8  3.6   549   293   3605   225.3 6.5     

That's 4th in Run Offense, 4th in Pass Offense, 4th in Run Defense, and 20th in Pass Defense. QB Carter is 10th in Yardage but 1st in Rating. Not surprisingly, he was second in YPA (we'll get to that in a minute). Our defense was good, but uninspiring. Our only All-Pro (1st Team) was 114/36 tackle man MLB Davidson.

To make this worse, take a look at our division. As defending Super Bowl Champions, we also had the toughest non-Division schedule in the league:

 NFC East               W   L   T   Pct   PF    PA    Div     Conf  
**Richmond              11  5   0   .688  428   283   7-3-0   10-3-0    
Washington              9   7   0   .563  424   378   5-5-0   7-6-0     
Arizona                 9   7   0   .563  347   372   5-5-0   7-6-0     
Dallas                  9   7   0   .563  364   298   5-5-0   6-7-0     
New York G              8   8   0   .500  278   302   5-5-0   7-6-0     
Philadelphia            8   8   0   .500  295   299   3-7-0   5-8-0

Are you kidding me? NOBODY below .500?!?!? Since all of our losses were close, i'm thinking they were all X-factor losses where either team could have won the game (fairly even matchups). In fact with WAS, DAL, and PHI we split and most of the 6 games were very close either way. BUF went 7-9 and NED was 8-8 so they weren't absolutely terrible teams. All right, what's going on here?

Run Percentages

50 50 35 xx
10 75 50 xx
35 25 xx xx
xx xx xx xx

Pass Distances

20 50 15 5 10

Formations (Split  Strong  Gun)

Run:  40  40  20
Pass: 30  30  40

Goal Line: 5
FB as Primary: 95
Receiver Sets: 0  50  85  50  0  0
Red Zone: 75
Go For It on 4th Down: 75

Defensive settings was Zone Adjusted MIB.

Okay, now i'm not sure what the hell to call this. It's like potpourri of all the funky things we've been doing in offensive gameplanning over the past few weeks. You can see the basic 75 Offense structure to the run percentages, but the percentages really obey more of a Midwest 35. And then there's also the Bombs Away adjustment on 2nd and short. The Pass distances are somewhat conformed to a WCO chart but the Mossball percentage is kicked up for the Bombs Away adjustment. The strange thing was that I watched a few of the games on scoreboard and guess who was catching a bunch of those deep passes? The TE... I was shocked to see my not-so-studly TE catching 64 and 80 yard bombs (no YAC so it was in the air). Another very strange thing is that even with these screwed up pass happy run percentages, we were 9th in the league in rushing attempts with 467.

My hunch is that the interaction of the 10 and the 75 sitting next to each other makes the offense confusing to the opposing coach. That big fat 2nd and medium yardage category encompasses such a wide range of yard situations that it allows you to get a goodly number of running attempts in - thus keeping balance to the offense. Who would have thought a gameplan that looks like this could be 4th in the league in rushing *without* a stud RB? Yes folks, remember RB Cerasani left for mad bank from Denver so we started our 3rd round rookie. Cerasani, incidentally, went on to lead the league in rushing for Denver.

[Morgado]

2036 Before Season

Staff Hiring:

Wally Cady will go out as one of the legends in professional football coaching. For 17 straight seasons, he never failed to lead the Richmond Knights to the playoffs and was 6-1 in Super Bowls during that time. The franchise bids farewell to Coach Cady and brings in a rising young star who looks to be much like Cady when he was just starting out. Irving Lane will take over and try to guide the team to continued success a la George Seifert after Bill Walsh.



Fiscal Report:

Franchise Value is 58-100-99-56. We took a 21 million dollar loss last season and may have to start to abandon our half price tickets.

20 Step Free Agency 1-10:

Apparently, we've never tagged CB Austin and do so now. Trade offers for WR Hammond, C McAleese, and TE Cobb are declined.

20 step Free Agency 11-20:

DT Rusty Everett signs a 7 year deal with us.

Draft Needs:

We need a backup QB, some depth at DT, and another good LB. S Woodworth is getting old so we need a successor to anchor the secondary.

Draft Report:

1(36) S Dusty Martin - Should make a great centerfielder.
2(30) DT Drew Cortez - Will probably start immediately.
2(36) RB Irving Harp - Looks like a bust, but I hope he's not.
3(36) G Hugh Tavares - Redline experiment.
4(36) QB Graham Bussey - Just hoping he doesn't bust.
5(36) DT Mel Bottoms - Quality potentials.
6(36) QB Quentin Farrow - Near Redline gamble.
7(36) LB Bert Webb - And another experiment.

PreCamp:
Trade for LB Davidson is rejected.

CB Austin signs a 3 year deal.
FB Witt signs a 3 year deal.
DE Murphy signs a 4 year deal.

Dammit even with 21 million in cap room we can't renegotiate QB Carter. Next season that greedy mofo is getting slapped so hard with the tag he'll feel it into preseason.

Postcamp trades for CB Austin, C McAleese, TE Cobb and T Ross are rejected.

Nobody breaks out and nobody busts.

[Morgado]

Richmond Knights 2036 Regular Season Schedule

77,600

   
Week      Opponent                        Result    Attend    No-Shows  
Week 1    BALTIMORE RAVENS                L, 16-24  77,600    0           
Week 2    DALLAS COWBOYS                  W, 17-9   77,600    1,500       
Week 3    ARIZONA CARDINALS               W, 26-7   77,600    0           
Week 4    Cleveland Browns                L, 13-24  89,100    0           
Week 5    Philadelphia Eagles             W, 12-3   87,000    0           
Week 6    NEW YORK GIANTS                 W, 27-6   77,600    3,100       
Week 7    OPEN                              
Week 8    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES             W, 23-20  77,600    1,500       
Week 9    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             L, 20-41  77,600    3,100       
Week 10   PORTLAND WHITE STURGEON         L, 24-34  77,600    3,100       
Week 11   Dallas Cowboys                  L, 6-17   40,300    4,200       
Week 12   Arizona Cardinals               L, 16-32  50,800    3,600       
Week 13   TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS            W, 17-7   77,600    3,100       
Week 14   Washington Redskins             W, 19-17  93,200    0           
Week 15   New Orleans Saints              W, 19-13  75,200    2,400       
Week 16   Pittsburgh Steelers             W, 23-6   64,700    5,100       
Week 17   New York Giants                 W, 50-21  72,700    4,100  
Division  ST. LOUIS RAMS                  W, 31-7   77,600    0           
League    WASHINGTON REDSKINS             W, 31-27  77,600    0           
Champ.    Cleveland Browns                L, 3-27   89,100    0

We get hit by the string of injuries from hell and are running on empty by the time Week 14 wheels around. In week 16, we're down to 99 Willing to Play injured players and all kinds of no-stat backups are playing. The offense is ridiculously shredded, with not only our QB Dbt, but also our #1 WR Out and miscellaneous injuries to backs and other receivers. In the Super Bowl, we just have no way to score with all the injuries. Even though defense willed us into the big show, they can't do it alone. The NFC East is brutal again and we actually end up winning the division crown with a 10-6 record. At the start of Week 17, there were like 3 teams at 9-6, 2 at 8-7 - it was madness. S Woodworth is Defensive Player of the Year with 8 INT and 84/25 tackles.