FOF: League of Ordinary Gentlemen

[Autumn]

1925 Performance Review



I'm not sure how they expect me to get 100. I won the championship, only lost one game in overtime all season, set league records in scoring. Geez.

Season Awards

Player of the Year goes to Albert Humphrey, the Birmingham QB who led the league in quarterback rating. I suppose it's nice that they awarded efficiently over Corey Money's TD totals or Ray Gist's inflated yardage, but it's also a bit boring.

Coach of the Year goes to Richmond's J.R. Jenkins. Jenkins won coach of the year when he was with the Tornadoes, leading them to the conference championship in 1921.

Defensive Player of the Year is John Hofmann. I have no idea who this is. A SLB for the Richmond Cavaliers, Hofmann had 97 tackles and 14 sacks. It's a rather odd choice, as he was not dominant in any category, and his popularity is only 60.

Offensive Rookie of the Year is Portland running back Reuben Parton, who certainly did have a great year, only stalling against us in the conference championship.

Defensive Rookie of the Year is Los Angeles defensive end Vincent Hiatt, the #19 pick who put up 14.5 sacks in his rookie season. A nice choice.

Legend of the Game is always a hoot in a six year league. We must be getting somewhere because Lee Banks, LT for the Los Angeles Stars at least actually played, which is something. The five year starter rode the bench this past year, but previously put together a total of 76 run blocks and way, way too many sacks. Still at the bottom of the barrel for this award.

All-Pros

Nichols gets bumped down to 2nd team, which I suppose is necessary with Humphrey winning the MVP, but still irks me. Well, he's got the ring. Bercich gets 2nd team nods as the kicker, which probably has more to do with his numbers than accuracy. I kind of thought maybe some of my linemen would get a nod, but no such luck.

My Personal Awards (stolen from Abe)

Team MVP - This has to go to Edwin Nichols. He's clearly great and now it's about building a team around him, but he is still the reason why we win.

Offensive Player - It would be easy to go Nichols or Bratton here, and both did their share of shining. But Benjamin Youssef is my choice. A third round pick who only started one game last year, he took the starting role and proved he could make defenses worry about who to cover. Having an 800 yard receiver across the field from Bratton made this offense click.

Defensive Player - Freddie Paschal did a fantastic job manning the left corner this year, way overplaying his ratings to shut receivers down. He was clearly the star of a defensive squad that is quickly becoming overmatched.

Special Teams Player - This is a hard one. Bratton was clearly the best return man in the game and that made a huge difference. But I'm going to go under the radar and give it to our coverage teams. Bratton's a superstar, but our special teams squad held opposing teams to obscenely low return yardage. That wasn't expected and it gave us a huge edge.

Heart Award - This season teetered on the edge when Buddy Martinez, the heart of our defense for 5 years, had a season ending injury. On a team that relies on cohesion, I was worried that things would fall apart. Corwin Standafer stepped in and didn't miss a beat, filling in with the clutch tackles and plays that we had relied on Martinez for.

[Autumn]

Thanks. I was really afraid we were going to pull a Patriots for the second time.

[Autumn]

1926 Omaha Tornadoes Preview

Much remains the same for the 1925 champion Omaha Tornadoes. With most major players locked up bfeore the season or resigned in free agency, the few moves the Tornadoes are making in the preseason is ushering some younger players up to starting slots. One major question mark for the team that shattered league scoring records last season is whether new offensive coordinator Michael Dole will be able to keep up the pace.

Alfred Lavan, the Tornadoes offensive coordinator for six years, and architect of the offensive system that swept the league for the past two season, putting up a 30-2 regular season record, could not be enticed to stay with the Tornadoes. Talk says that the owner, worried about dwindling profits, put down the boom on the Tornadoes GM, not allowing him to match the pricy contract that the Philadelphia Privateers offered. And so Lavan walked, Philadelphia perhaps enjoying a taste of revenge against the team that used their #1 pick to take Edwin Nichols and begin a dynasty.

Michael Dole, coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers for six years, will come to town and attempt to keep a near flawless offensive system working. Dole has had great success with underwhelming quarterbacks in Pittsburgh and here will get a chance to work wtih a legend in the making. The real question mark is if he can coax some performance out of the running back crew and keep up what is probably the best O-line in the business.

On the field, there will be few new faces on the field, but some shifting as youth moves forward. Second year defensive end Paul McCracken will see a starting nod opposite Harry Fleming, having impressed coaches with his backup work last season. At cornerback, the Tornadoes are excited to feature Richie Sigman, their first round pick, the man they hope to be the cornerstone of the secondary going forward. The Tornadoes have always struggled at cornerback to find a star and they are hopeful here. Sigman will likely start the season at nickel but the coaches won't hesitate to rotate him in.

Fans will be disappointed to see WR Benjamin Youssef riding the pine and slotting in at 5th receiver. Youssef was the surprise star of last season leaping up to a starting role and looking to be the Tornadoes second deadliest receiving weapon. An injury in preseason has him back in the lineup, but word is coaches were not impressed with the way Benjamin looked in training camp and are leery of sending him in. That will provide playing time for second year receiver Carl Austin who has shown promising development.

Another rookie hoping to claim a starting job is second round running back Drew Davidson. While the Tornadoes have leaned on the efforts of so-so talents like Artie Hiscock and Juan Vanaqs for years, the coaching staff clearly would like to have a star caliber player behind Nichols. Davidson is their latest try, and the rookie looked promising in the preseason. Despite his greenness, he is likely to get the starting nod and the bulk of the carries as the Tornadoes try to add a new spark.

Perhaps the only controversy on the field will be at MLB, where Buddy Martinez, the long time heart of this defense, returns early from a season ending injury that could have lasted through this year. Coaches are excited to see Martinez seeming as healthy as ever in his 7th year, but Corwin Standafer will not be pleased to be shuffle back to the bench. The fellow 7th year man and recipient of the franchise tag took advantage of last year's loss to secure the starting gig and clearly hoped Martinez's days were done. If Buddy falters in his return Corwin will be there.

[surlyc]

Honestly, can't wait for the HoF to kick in. That's aways good on reset leagues

Awesome read, and some great trades. Keep it up!

[Autumn]

Thanks for following. Yes, I imagine the Hall of Fame will be interesting, hopefully they'll pick better than their legends of the game.

Things should get interesting right about now with a handful of great QBs appearing in the game.

[Athleticsfan2k8]

Way to Go, But in order to make it much better, i will create a player to take part in a dynasty

Name: Ernie Baker
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
College: Ohio State
Born: March 11, 1906
Draft Year: 1927
Position: QB

And i will add the following Real Football Players to take part in this dynasty for 1927

Rex Thomas (WB)
Red Grange (BB)
Milt Romney (QB)
Adrian Ford (TB)
Ernie Nevers (FB)
Paddy Driscoll (RB)
Roddy Lamb (TB)
Jimmy Conzelman (BB)
Earl Britton (FB)
Curly Lambeau (FB)
Harlan Carr (WB)
Tiny Cahoon (LT)
Red Badgro (LE)
Gus Sonnenberg (LT)
Johnny McNally (TB)
Hinkey Haines (TB)
Cobb Rooney (BB)
Mule Wilson (WB)
Doug Wycoff (BB)
John Vesser (RE)
Jack McBride (FB)
Ed Lynch (LE)
Frank Racis (LG)
Barney Wentz (FB)

So Is That Okay?

[Autumn]

I'm not sure what you're asking. I'm not planning on adding any players to the files myself, if that's what you mean.

[Autumn]

A Look Back at the Draft Class of 1921

1. Los Angeles - Harvey, Travis, ILB, Texas

The number one pick made a splash, still the career leader in tackles and assists despite playing only 77 games. Not a pass rusher, he's never gotten much acclaim but was an All Star in '22 and '23. Still playing.

2. Indianapolis - Stanberry, Harris, QB, Arizona State

Stanberry went on to one amazing year in 1923, where he took offensive player of the year. Never won a ring, but is the all time leader in passing yards and TDs in his prolific career, despite an overall rating of 77.

3. New York - Hastings, Hardy, OLB, Western Michigan

A three time All Pro Hastings has put up 470 tackle and 30 sacks in 5 seasons and is still going strong for the Yankees.

4. Baltimore - Rasberry, Max, S, Miami, Florida

All-Pro in 1923, second team in '24, Raspberry has been a safety to fear and a monster tackler, but just that.

5. Philadelphia - Mason, Monty, S, Wisconsin

Mason made a bigger splash, taking Defensive Rookie of the Year wtih the Privateeers and turning All Pro in '21, '22 and '23. Sixth all time in tackles and assists, 4th in pass defense he's been a premium defender.

6. Cleveland - Phillip, Walt, DT, Louisiana State

Phillip dealt with injuries, missing all but one game in his rookie season and 4 more the next year. Second team All pro in '23, he finally blossomed just last season, getting his first first team nod while putting up 11.5 sacks. He hasn't been durable, but still leads the Hammers in sacks and blocked passes.

7. San Antonio - McDonald, Trevor, S, Southern Methodist

Continuing the early safety fetish, McDonald never made a splash, making 2nd team All Pro last season, he's not a good pass defender but has put up some big tackle numbers in recent years.

8. Birmingham - Strader, Al, TE, Clemson

The guy I coveted in the '21 draft that slipped away, Strader is a perfect physical specimen. All Pro in '21 and '24, second team in '22, 23 and '25. Unsurprisingly as a TE he's never torn the league apart, his best season being 46 catches for 658 yards and 6 TDs.
9. Washington - Pierce, Hugh, T, Georgia Tech

10. Houston - Wynn, Clifton, DE, Memphis

Wynn has never made an All Pro team but is certainly Houston's best defender, and 5th all time in sacks, 4th in hurries. He's good for a steady 13 to 14 sacks a year and still going strong.

Basically the first year's top 10 turned out a lot of solid players, many at positions without much impact. Some great defenders, but no fierce pass rushers, no HOF quarterbacks, no running backs or receivers. Still, all ten of these guys are still playing, and have put together a lot of All Pro nods. Interestingly, no players of the year there though.

Omaha Draft of 1921

1. Harvey Shepherd CB 39/69

Shepherd is a draft bust of legend. His career went so poorly it's not even recorded in the books. A pretty decent season in '21 for us, the next year he came into camp looking like a new man, and not in the way you want. Not cut out for the tough business of pro ball he was cut later on and disappeared. Complete bust.

2. Sam Jennings DE 22/30

Jennings was much loved by the Tornadoes coaching staff, always an overachiever. He started for three seasons and managed 26.5 sacks in that time. In the end though he simply wasn't as good as the talent the league developed and was released in '25 after two years of inactivity.

3. Timothy Atkins QB 9/31

Atkins was probably the first player to bring excitement to the Tornadoes franchise, and maybe the league. His appearance in the '21 playoffs was a surprise, his first appearance in a pro game ever, filling in for the injured starter. He proceeded to have a game for the ages, breaking the league passing records at the time against Denver to get us to the conference championships. That was enough to lead him to 9 more fitful starts for the franchise. While he could make exciting plays, he made exciting mistakes too, fumbling a memorable 12 times in 8 games. He was released and moved on to division rival Minneapolis where he has had some respectable seasons.

4. Steve Wicks CB 23/44

Wicks is another long time coach favorite, despite his underwhelming talents. A starter for most of three seasons he lingers on as an occasional starter or nickel back. '23 was his best year with a pass defense of 83.6, and he's always made just enough plays to make us keep him around.

5. Adrian Walsh SE 10/21

Walsh was essentially a bust, starting for us in '21 and then slowly sliding off the radar in '22 until he was released during the next season.

6. Grady Solwold T 13/51

Started one season and then was replaced the next year, he just couldn't keep up with the rising talent of the league. Has bounced around the league as a replacement ever since, currently released by Louisville he's waiting for a new contract.

7. Wendell Harmon TE 20/59

Harmon seems to have never played a snap for us.

[Autumn]

Week 1 at Denver

We start the season, as we do every year, with a divisional battle. Traveling to Denver I'm glad to get a road game and a division game out of the way right out of the gate, hoping to head back home with some notches in our belt. It's a complete sold out game in Denver, over 78,000 fans eager for blood.

We start the game off with some poor defensive calls, letting the Mountaineers drive right down the field to the cheers of their home fans. We nearly recover a fumble at the goal line, but they recover instead and Guzowski scores on us.

Nichols decides to open the new season with a 25 yard strike to The Earl, and he does, moving us across midfield immediately. Davidson takes his first real handoff of his career for a six yard gain, showing the defense they're going to have to be wary. Youssef and Fulton combine to give Nichols two incomplete passes though and it's Bercich going wide to end the drive.

Play continues like that with the Mountaineers going up 14-0 and Nichols pushing to get a long strike to Bratton but failing. Our coaches are chewing each other out on the sidelines as it seems our defense is in complete disarray. Finally in the second quarter our offense finds some rhythm, Davidson picking up a big three yards on 3rd and 2, Nichols completing some passes. Nichols is able to take advantage of their run success, hitting Hisoick for 5 on 3rd and 1 to get into the red zone. Its Nichols himself who rushes in the touchdown on a QB sneak.

We seem hardly able to slow Denver's QB England down, but we finally make a play, Martinez picking him off in the endzone in his first game in a year. That ends the scoring for the first half, 14-7, Mountaineers.

It's Hiscock and Davidson starting off the next half, with a 12 yard gain and a 23 yard catch respectively. Nichols keeps the action hot and the crowd quiet taking off on a bootleg for 15 yards. Fulton is the man who hauls in the touchdown pass, evening up the score.

Youssef gets called for a face mask on their kick return and I'm thinking it's about time to get this guy off the field if he doesn't make a play today. The defense too is due for some shuffling as we continue to look awful in the second half. Denver drives nearly at will, though the front seven makes a few nice plays. I think it's the secondary that isn't doing it, giving up another 3 points. Bercich evens it up on our next drive at the end of the third, Nichols unable to get any help from his wide receivers at all.

Sheldon makes a big play, intercepting England again when they seem on the verge of scoring. The offense can't do anything with it though, looking inept as Bratton even drops a pass. Denver unbelievably scores again on a long drive, going up by seven with three and a half minutes left. Time for Nichols to get to work.

He does just that, hitting Bratton for 7, Davidson picking up a quick first down. Nichols goes right back at Bratton, seeing something good, and picking up 33 on the play. Fulton picks up 15 on the opposite side of the field to make it first and goal and Mohammed quickly picks up the touchdown from the second tight end slot. It's all tied up, two and a half minutes to go.

England isn't to be denied, moving Denver up the field as well. At a minute left they cross the midfield, working toward field goal range. An untimely drop, a defensed pass from Paschal and then another and they have to punt to our 14. Nichols isn't afraid to try to win this, hitting Fulton and Mohammed but a face mask penalty backs us up and we run out of time.

It's OT in the first game of the year and Denver wins possession. Our defense needs to suddenly show up and prove they're champions. They do just that, holding Denver to three and out. Nichols comes on the field, looking determined. It's Hiscock that moves the chains though, before a holding penalty takes away a 21 yard strike. Backed right back up things look dire, 3rd and 10 and the crowd deafening. Nichols confidently hits Fulton in stride though and he breaks loose for not just the first down but a 30 yard gain. The Mountaineers are in trouble as we sit on their 24 yard line. They expect us to pound slowly to the goal and kick for the win. But they don't know Edwin Nichols. The man is fearless and goes right back to the air, right back to Fulton who streaks down the sideline and catches a 24 yard pass, dashing into the endzone for the win!

Our defense let the Mountaineers walk all over us, though in the end they picked off England twice and held Guzowski to 3.23 yards per carry (though his back up had 6.1). Our offense sputtered, but in the end you can't argue with Nichols going 17 of 26 for 268 yards and 3 TDs, enough for a 137.9 QB rating and a OPOW award. Fulton caught most of those, picking up 100 yards in his starting nod with 2 TDs. Davidson's numbers did not look good running the ball but he was fairly effective.

Steve Wicks looked horrible at the right corner, and I'm going to quickly reconsider my idea of giving him that spot. I hope that will be enough to fix this secondary, which did not look good. I need our line to get more pressure up front also.

Omaha Tornadoes 30, Denver Mountaineers 24

[Autumn]

Week 2 vs Birmingham

Things start off poorly against the Rebels. They drive easily for a touchdown on teh first drive of the game. Three and out from the Tornadoes and they do it again, going 7 of 7 for 98 yards in the first two drives, and a 14-0 score.

A defensive stop, a good punt return and some offense and soon Nichols is clicking. However, he then gets intercepted on the 1 yard line. Another great punt return by Bratton though sets up a 16 yard TD strike to Austin the next drive and cuts their lead.

Defense is horribly porous. We give oup a third TD drive. We hit a field goal on the next drive. We force a punt, and Nichols is driving, but he pushes it too hard again and throws a pick, which they return for a TD. That makes it 28-10 at the two minute warning in only the second half. Nichols moves the chains in the two minute drill getting in the red zone, but incredibly throwing a third red zone pick.

Things are sour in the locker room, you can imagine.

We finally get a break, recovering a fumble in the third. Sampson breaks one for 26 yards, and then Hiscock busts out a 10 yard TD run to make it 28-16. Thier RB Stephens busts out a 38 yard run of his own to get them across midfield. Two blocked passes prevent them from getting a TD but they make it 31-16.

We get a big kickoff return, and then a huge play from Hiscock. 3rd and 1 he picks up a dump pass behind the defense and scampers for a huge 51 yard TD. That brings us to 31-23. We force a three and out and Bratton has a monster 60 yard punt return but fumbles it right back.

Nichols works Hiscock again on our next possession, throwing a seam pass to the running back which he catches 40 yards down field then busts it for anohter 25. We're back in the red zone and this time Nichols plays it safe, scrambling for a first down on third. We almost fumble it away but get it back, throw a short TD pass and then make the 2 point conversion to tie it up with 7 minutes left.

Howevery they make a big 40+ yard pass play to get to our 1 and punch it in to go back ahead. Nichols takes control and methodically drives us down the field, getting to the 34 yard line by the two minute warning. Bratton catches a 18 yarder that gets us close, and then with about a minute left Nichols throws a TD pass to Wayne, the FB. We're all tied up.

Huie gets a sack to start us off right. Salpala makes a nice play to force a three and out and we have the ball at our 40 yard line with ten seconds. Bratton goes for 10 to get us to midfield, we get off one more play for 11 yards but run out of time and go to overtime.

Brimingham wins the toss. Fleming and Martinez and Paschal make big plays to force incompletions and get the ball back in our hands. Bratton has a 20 yard return and we're already at their 37. We simply drive down the field from there, and Nichols gets the winning points on a 3 yard scramble for a TD.

A horrible defensive game, we gave up 140 yards to Oliver Stephens on the ground, and 304 to Humphrey in the air. Meanwhile Nichols had a horrible start, throwing three picks but ended up throwing 4 TDs as well to go along with 397 yards, a personal and team record. Hiscock was our hero with 127 yards through the air. Though perhaps Bratton should be, with 4 punt returns for 123 yards, and 5 kickoff returns for 154.

Our pass defense was awful, the only bright spot being Richie Sigman only giving up 1 catch in 41 plays.

Omaha Tornadoes 44, Birmingham Rebels 38

[Autumn]

Week 3 at Dallas

We start off the game in Dallas playing as poor defense as we did last week, giving up big plays in the air and on the ground. What's more they're stifling our offense as well, and they take an early 9-0 lead. Nichols finally hits two big passes toward the end of the 2nd quarter, but Earl Bratton goes down on the play. Not good news.

We get three points out of the drive, but even bigger recover a fumble on the kickoff. Sampson takes it right into the redzone and Davidson plunges in from 8 yards out to make it 10-9 before the half. But our defense gives us another big break, intercepting a pass with 39 seconds left. The next play we're in 1st and goal. We only manage a field goal before time runs out but that gives us a 13-9 lead.

Hiscock continues to make plays in the passing game, keeping us moving down the field on a drive in the 3rd. We only manage a field goal on the drive though. They manage another field goal, and we just about do the same, but it's blocked. A waste of a very powerful drive. We come right back though with a nice punt return by Burton and a big pass play to Fulton. Machen catches a TD pass and we're up 23-12.

Rookie Sigman makes a big interception next drive, and Perrin does the same on the drive after that. That allows us to run out the clock on a 23-12 victory.

Bratton is out for five weeks. Not good, I need someone to step up there. Sigman is doing great manning the corner as a rookie, another good game. But our defense in general is just giving up big plays. It's hard to overestimate how big our special teams has been for us though, returns saving us game after game.

Omaha Tornadoes 23, Dallas Ranger2 12

[Autumn]

Week 4 vs St. Louis

We score first at home against the Trailblazers, from a fumble recovery. Minter then gets an interception to give us another chance but too many penalties foil the chance. Late in the second we finally strike again, hitting Fenderson for a 30 yard touchdown pass in his first action of the season, coming out due to Bratton's injury. Nichols has also had three key scrambles. With time running out in the second they get to our 1 yard line but we hold them to a field goal, 14-6.

Sheldon gets an interception in the third to kick off a drive. Fulton busts the next play open for a 65 yard touchdown catch and run, and a 21-6 lead. Fulton can't be stopped there, after a three and out he fields the Trailblazer punt and returns it 34 yards for another TD. Now that momentum's on our side our running game kicks into gear and we're able to drive down the field. We're held at the goal line but put up a kick. Next drive we do it again, running over the defense and notching another field goal, and a 34-6 score.

Hiscock has a fine day running, 15 for 80 yards in the end, mostly keyed off our lead though. Fulton had the biggest plays though he otherwise did poorly as a receiver. Another 3 interception game for the team.

Omaha Tornadoes 34, St. Louis Trailblazers 6

[Autumn]

Week 5 vs Cincinnati

Cincinnati has a seemingly tough D, but has only forced one turnover this season, worst in the league. They seem determined to change that, picking Nichols off on the very first play of the game.

Our defense is stiff though and we get the ball right back. Fulton makes a tough third down catch, double covered, to show us we don't have to worry about Bratton being on the bench. Sampson pulls in a 16 yarder and then Davidson busts a run for 11. Fenderson catches a TD two plays later and Nichols shows he's not going to be easily rattled.

Perrin picks off Blackburn himself. Nichols just makes a mockery of the Eagles pass D, throwing straight into double coverage time and time again and getting big gains, including the 16 yard score to Fenderson to make it 14-0.

Blackburn takes to the air then, determined to show his own stuff. He drives them down the field to the 20 before we sack him and back them up. Blackburn gets them back to a first down though, picking on rookie corner Sigman. It's first and goal and they score. 14-7.

We get a pass interference call on a long bomb to get us right back in scoring range. Nichols scrambles for a first down, then hits Fulton for a 19 yard TD pass, 21-7.

Their second RB, Floyd Booker somehow has our number, with three rushes for 39 yards so far. The Eagles just aren't a very coherent unit though, picking up a lot of flags and not converting third downs. When Nichols gets the ball back he drives us down the field, testing the D with long bombs as the second half winds down. Sampson hauls in a 22 yarder to get us first and goal at the two minute warning. Two plays later Davidson runs it in for a 28-7 lead. Artie in turn drives the Eagles into scoring range as time runs down, but Ingram picks him off to end the threat and the half.

Things look bad for the Eagles, who already feel compelled in the third quarter to start chucking it down the field, and our defense isn't having any of that. We start to lean on the run, but Nichols still throws enough to keep the ball moving. A holding call stalls us and I think we're settling for the field goal, but no, on third down Fulton hauls in a 33 yard TD pass, Nichols 4th of the day and it's 35-7. It's not even half way through the third, this could get ugly.

The Eagles run D turns porous, strangely, but they get a break coming up with a fumble in a big pileup and preventing us from what was likely to be another score. We settle for a field goal on our next drive to make it 38-10. The Eagles later manage to score a TD. I'm surprised Nichols is still in the game, I should ratchet that down a little. They later go for it on 4th down at their own 14, and get sacked by Huie and Fleming, giving us the ball at the 7. We don't try to run it up, I swear. Derek Forbes makes an appearance at QB, and three plays later we run it in for a 45-17 lead. At least we can say Nichols was on the bench. That's the final score.

Nichols gets player of the game going 18/28 for 255 yards, 4 TDs and 1 int. Fulton almost hits 100 yards, pulling in 5 for 95 with 2 TDs, Fenderson Mr. Money with 3 catches for 2 TDs. Rookie RB Davidson has a great game with 21 rushes for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns, Hiscock throwing in 46 yards rushing as well on 10 carries.

Omaha Tornadoes 45, Cincinnati Eagles 17

[Autumn]

Week 6 in Indianapolis

You couldn't ask for better than this. The Tornadoes and the Indianapolis Racers at 5-0 are the only undefeated teams left, and we are traveling to Indianapolis to face them. Harris Stanberry continues to shine, with a 105.1 QB rating so far this season, throwing to a bevy of receivers. Rookie K.C. Walker is doing a good job at the running.

We open the game up big, Fulton coming up with a 51 yard catch one play after miffing one. Austin hauls in a 20 yarder to make it first and goal at the 1, and Nichols throws a TD next play. Now it's up to Stanberry to see if he can keep up. Not so far. Three plays in, rookie CB Sigman picks Stanberry off and runs it back 29 yards to their 14. Sampson hauls in the pass in double coverage and it's 14-0, just like that.

They pin us at the 1 with a punt. Seems bad, doesn't it? Davidson gives us a little room with a 4 yard run. Then Nichols just airs it out hitting Fulton 32 yards downfield, and Fulton adds on some more for a 46 yard gain. He's already got 97 yards, more than last week's great game. Nichols scrambles with the ball for a first down to keep us moving, and Bercich manages a 47 yard field goal to make it 17-0.

Stanberry is 2 of 8 so far, and Walker has 3 yards rushing, our defense is just stifling them on their home turf. Meanwhile the offense doesn't slow down, next drive Nichols throws a TD pass to Sampson and it's 24-0. Fulton shows his stuff on special teams too with a 24 yard punt return. That keys our next drive which results in a 12 yard Hiscock run for a TD, 31-0.

It's not looking like there will be much contest for the title of last of the undefeated. Just when the Racers have something to crow about, a touchdown scored in the third quarter, Darrin Burton takes the subsequent kick off and returns it 93 yards for a TD. It's 38-10. They pin us on the 2 on a punt, stuff us twice for no gain, but then Nichols pulls his disappearing trick, hooking up with Fenderson for a 32 yard pass. That was their last chance, really, to get anything done. We tack on two more field goals before the end.

Our rushers look horrible, mostly working in garbage time. Nichols has a perfect QB rating though, going 17/21 for 275 yards and 3 TDs. He's the first QB in league history to post a perfect rating. Sampson has 6 catches for 65 yards and 3 TDs on 6 targets, can't ask for better than that. Rookie CB Sigman has a pick and a forced fumble to go with 2 defensed passes, a nice game against what was considered a top tier QB.

Omaha Tornadoes 44, Indianapolis Racers 10

[Autumn]

Week 7 at Minneapolis

Another week, another former Tornado quarterback. This time it's Timothy Atkins and the Lakers. They're behind us in the division at 3-2, and so this is a vital game for them if they want a chance to catch up.

The Lakers get the crowd right into it, hitting Ludwig for a 54 yard pass first play. They end up punching it in for a 7-0 lead. It's a reversal of last week, as Nichols falters in turn, throwing an interception on his second pass. We hold them to a field goal this time. Things look dire as our drive gets backed up due to a holding call. But instead Austin ends up hauling in a 35 yard touchdown pass to cut it to 10-7.

We pick Atkins off to set up another drive. Tyrus Goettl is just a monster defender in the middle though, we end up punting. Good playcalling gets them to the redzone And a big run by Springfield gets them to the goal line. We stuff them on 3rd and 1 and they settle for the three points. In turn Nichols marches us down the field in a two minute offense, crossing into the redzone at the two minute warning in the half. A Davidson run and unsportsmanlike conduct gets us to the four yard line, where Hiscock runs it in for a 14-13 lead. Our prevent D gives up a huge 40 yard run, which gives them a chance to score again. Great pass pressure forces them to kick and they make it 16-14 at the half.

Hiscock's 16 yard run keys our next drive, getting us to the 4 yard line again after another run and penalty. Fulton catches the short TD pass and it's 21-16. They come right back to score though, taking advantage of a roughing the kicker penalty which negates their punt. McCracken's sack holds it to a field goal, 21-19.

It's Fulton who yet again makes a play of the game, turning into the playmaker in Bratton's absence. He busts open a short pass to take it 43 yards for a TD, making the score 28-19 in the fourth. I actually think we may be playing better with Bratton on the bench somehow. The ball goes over on downs as they make a last attempt to score. We give them the ball back, pinned on the 1, with 1:46 left and no timeouts. It's almost cruel. We end up kneeling down at their 1 as time runs out.

Harry Fleming is a justified player of the game, his pass pressure the main thing keeping Atkins from stealing the game from us. 2 sacks, 1 blocked pass and 5 hurries is his stat line to go along with 8 tackles.

Edwin's rival in Chicago, Xavier Kirkaldie has the game of the week with a 457 yard, 2 TD performance, hitting Brant Murphy for 10 catches for 197 yards. That's a record for passing yardage and the first 400 yard game in league history. Edwin has a mundane 20/30, 250 yard, 3 TD game.

Omaha Tornadoes 28, Minneapolis Lakers 19

[Autumn]

Week 9 at Pittsburgh

The Steelers are 1-6, at the bottom of their division. Long time starter Richie Brady is struggling at QB, and it doesn't seem they've made many other improvements to the team. Perhaps being a four time visitor to the playoffs does that to you in this league of talented rookies.

Nichols marches us straight down the field first possession for a touchdown, caught by Fulton, set up by a big catch by Fenderson.It's 14-0 by the end of the first quarter. They bravely go for it on fourth but don't convert. That's what it takes to beat an unbeaten team, but we end up going up 17-0 as a result.

What does help though is big plays, and the Steelers get one, their tight end somehow getting behind the defense and turning a 30 yard throw into a 71 yard touchdown and their first score.

Nichols throws his third touchdown pass before the half ends, Davidson and Hiscock providing some good running as well. We go to the locker room up 24-7.

We are 10/12 on third down in the game so far, but they do finally stop us, preventing what seemed likely to be a score. We come up with a fumble-sack on their next drive however and their work is for vain, as Nichols passes for another, and a 31-7 score.

Pittsburgh converts their first third down in the third quarter, and shortly after that Brady gets pulled for his backup. The new QB can't complete a pass but he does scramble for three first downs, keeping the ball in their hands. They never do anything with it, and we do just enough with our ground game to keep grinding the clock out.

Davidson had the start at RB, but Hiscock outshines him, picking up 101 yards on 20 carries and earning himself a spot back in the starting lineup I think. Meanwhile, Nichols earns Offensive Player of the Week going 23/30 for 211 yards and 4 TDs. The offensive line earns a lot of credit, only allowing one sack, and busting a lot of nice runs all day. Bratton was well enough to play, but played second fiddle to Fulton who continued to perform well as the lead receiver.

Omaha Tornadoes 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 7

8-0

[Autumn]

Week 10 vs Denver

The Mountaineers at 4-3 are our closest division rival. We beat them in a close contest week one, and we look to keep the momentum here. We are on a course for our best season yet. With the last game Nichols became the fourth QB in the 50 win club, and clearly the youngest. With 17-2 and 18-1 seasons behind him, Edwin is clearly focused on doing one better this year.

Nichols does his bit, not only passing us down the field on the first drive, but breaking wild for a 30 yard scramble and a score, reminding the Mountaineers they have to watch both air and land. Next drive is almost killed wiht a holding call but Bratton grabs a 22 yarder and we eventually score again, combining a grinding ground game with Nichols's arm.

Denver gets behind 21-0 in the second quarter but don't give up, making some big plays on offense to get first and goal at the two. We stuff them twice but not thrice and it's 21-7. They follow up with a nice defensive series, sacking and stopping Nichols. They fail to score though, and give Nichols another chance with a minute left. HE moves us across the midfieldand then goes with the running game, getting in position for a field goal. The kick is good and we go in up 24-7.

Nichoils starts another drive in the 3rd wtih a 13 yard run and later another first down scramble. HE hits Fulton for 32 yards to put us in the red zone. DAvidson runs in the score adn we're up 31-7, keeping up our scoring habits this week as well.

Pascal gets an interception next play and we have another short field. Bratton busts upon a 21 yard passand two plays later it's another score, 38-7. We give up a score next drive easily, but pin them on their six for the next drive, giving us good field position. Their defense is playing much tighter now though and it's a battle of punts and penalties. We have gotten a lot of penalties the last towo games, big ones like roughing the kicker, giving the ball back to them. Denver takes advantage but they can't get it done at the goal line and turn the ball over on downs.

Derek Forbes comes in the game for Nichols, I've finally convinced the coaches not to play him in these blowouts. We manage a long field goal in the process of tryign to run the clock out and that gives us the final score, despite ending the game on our own 3 yard line. No one can say we're bad sports.

Nichols goes 20/27 for 240 yards and 3 TDs, not to mention running one in. I thought he'd get POTW, but his new rival, XAvier Kirkaldie gets it, busting the 400 yard mark again, the only player in league history to have done it, and he's done it twice. Former Tornado Timothy Atkins throws 4 TDs himself.

Omaha Tornadoes 41, Denver Mountaineers 15

9-0

[Autumn]

Well, due to a Vista problem I had to redo those last two games. The Pittsburgh one instead was a 38-13 win. Nichols went 20/23 and threw for 5 touchdowns, tying a team record. In addition Hiscock had a big 23 rushes for 117 yards.

We suffered a big injury, DT Greer going out for 8 weeks.

This time Denver plays us very, very tough, and we only squeak out a 10-9 win. Four turnovers and not a great passing or running day. We are really lucky to have pulled that one out.

[Autumn]

Week 11 at Kansas City

The Cowboys are at the bottom of our division, so hopefully we won't have a close one like last week. With Greer on the sidelines though I'm a bit worried about our D.

A fumble returned for a touchdown puts us immediately into the hole. I don't like that. They follow it by holding us on D, including stopping two long passes to Bratton, and then turn around and make a 47 yard play themselves. We stop them there. Then Nichols shows he's not about to get frustrated, with completed passes of 26 yards, 19, 22, 11 and then it's a 3 yard touchdown run.

He comes right back and does it next drive, putting us up 14-7. The next drive features a fair amount of running, but it has the same result, touchdown. They make a bad face mask to end up giving us good position as the half winds down, and we kick one for a 24-7 lead at the half.

Nichols starts out the second half on a mission, driving us down the field and then Hiscock tops it off with a 10yard touchdown run. It appears they won't be able to do much, so desperate to pass are they. However they do make a big play, intercepting Nichols in the endzone. They can't take advantage of it though, their drive stalling and now they're resorting to long passes every play while we just run it out.

We move to 10-0, their only points in this game coming from a fumble return. Nichols was 29/39 for 302 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Austin was the receiving star, stepping up for the injured Fulton, hauling in 8 passes for 112 yards. Hiscock only managed 88 yards but scored 3 TDs on the ground.

Omaha Tornadoes 34, Kansas City Cowboys 7

10-0

[Autumn]

Week 12 at New Orleans

We travel to the other conference to face the 5-4-1 Jazz. Led by second year QB Frank Todd, he is still struggling. However, they have a great running game behind Tomaszewski. Their defense stinks, and doesn't bode well for them.

We start the game ripping them up on offense, but Hiscock fumbles the ball and they recover. In a nice turn of events though, DT Covington, filling in for Greer, gets a sack and then next play causes a fumble himself which he recovers. Two plays later it's a touchdown pass by Nichols to Fenderson.

Their star running back rushes all over us, but some killer penalties back them up from a touchdown to out of the red zone. They gain it right back and score to tie things up. Next drive they intercept us and drive right back into the endzone to take the lead. Nichols is not going to like this. The coaches call three runs and it's three and out. However, next drive Nichols takes over and passes us to another touchdown and a tie game. Right now he is 10/11 with two touchdowns and one pick.

Nichols makes some huge plays in the two minute drill to get us to the 15 yard line with 33 seconds left. They play it safe and take the field goal and the 17-14 lead going into the locker room.

The Jazz stuff us on our first drive, and then they go for it on 4th down on their own. They have to settle for a field goal, but that ties it up again. Our next drive puts us up 20-17 to start the 4th. An interception by Perrin gives us another chance. Nichols stalls, but we get three out of it.

Two sacks end the danger on their next drive, one by Covington who has just shined filling in for Greer. The offense seems to be sputtering, but a penalty gives us a second chance, and then Hiscock makes up for his earlier fumble, jetting 60 yards on a touchdown run. That effectively ends the game, putting us up 30-17, they're not able to do anything against the pass rush. We pin them on their 1 where they barely avoid a safety. They give it back to us at the 1 with 1:35 left. We kindly take the knee instead of adding to their misery.

With that huge run Artie Hiscock has 110 yards on 15 carries. Nichols was 22/29 for 232 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. Bratton had 9 catches in his fully healed debut, but not for much yardage.

Substitute DT Tyrus Covington earned player of the game and Defensive Player of the Week while amassing 3 tackles, 2 assists and 2.5 sacks, as well as a forced and recovered fumble. Perhaps he's earning himself a starting spot.

Omaha Tornadoes 30, New Orleans Jazz 17

11-0

[Autumn]

Week 13 vs Portland

6-5 Portland Eruption come to town. They're in the very curious case of being in a 4 way tie in their division. Obviously every win counts for them. We are on the path for perfection. They have one of the better offenses in the league with a great running back in Reuben Parton, and an efficient veteran QB in Jared Eden. They have a stiff rush defense but a mediocre pass defense.

The Tornadoes are more than just metaphorical today as we have 18 mph winds here in Omaha. We come out rushing and passing well, settling for a field goal on our first drive. We trade punts for a while until Nichols and Bratton break things open, completing a 22 yarder and then a 26 yard TD pass to make it 10-0 in the second.

Two sacks, a defensed pass and a great punt return put us in prime position. We settle for the field goal to make it 13-0. Our next drive we pin them with a punt to the six, where Paul McCracken makes an amazing play, sacking the QB and causing a fumble, which he recovers on the four. Two plays later it's a TD run and a 20-0 lead. An interception leads to another field goal before the half ends. A second interception leads to another and it's 26-0 when we head into our locker room.

The second half begins with a third QB in for the Eruption. McWilliams gives them some spark and they score a TD to make it 26-7. Our offense sputters on a later drive and then fumbles, giving them possession at midfield. Even worse, the next play our best DE, Fleming goes down with a serious injury.

Derek Forbes comes in for Nichols as we start trading punts and running down the clock. Their run defense is too tight to do anything but they can't do anything to make up the difference in the score, not with our pass defense pinning it's ears back. We hit a field goal to keep up our scoring average.

Sigman racks up a crazy six passes defended, particularly at the end as they're trying to lob it every play. An ugly running game with only some Nichols scrambles to save it. Edwin is 19/26 for 221 and 1 TD. We have 3 INTS and 2 fumble recoveries. Bercich is player of the game, kicking six field goals.

We lost two more players this game, perhaps our chiefest danger being injury now. Harry Fleming is out for the season, possibly two. Our FB is out for five weeks.

Nichols has 30 TD passes, and a 115.8 rating. He's on course to break both of those records at this pace.

We have to go out and sign a FB to fill the roster, picking up Shannon Shepherd, a former Tornado. We'll try to get by with the defensive ends we have as I don't want to have to cut someone to fit another on the roster.

Omaha Tornadoes 32, Portland Eruption 7

12-0

[Autumn]

Week 14 at Memphis

Our last road game of the season, one way or the other. The Racers have stumbled after a hot start and at 9-3 are not going to catch us. Memphis is a dangerous opponent, 5-7 but with one of the best running backs in the game in Lee Lu.

The first drive ends in a score as Drew Davidson busts loose on a swing pass for a 20 yard TD. A 31 yard pass to Austin starts our next drive after three and out and we get a field goal out of it.

The Showboats show their stuff on the next drive, marching down the field, White throwing a TD pass to make it 10-7. However, Fulton nabs a 35 yard pass next drive, and then Nichols runs it in from seven yards out. The Showboats show they can keep up, marching right back down for a score themselves. We manage a field goal on the back of two nice Bratton catches, that makes it 20-14 at the end of the second.

They score again and clearly this is going to be a shootout today. We have a big break, Covington recovering a fumble on the 8 yard line. Somehow we go three and out and settle for the field goal. Where is our mojo?

Lee Lu has his, as he breaks open a run for a 43 yard TD and a 28-23 lead for Memphis. Another penalty gives us horrible starting position. A poor pass to Shepherd on third down kills the drive. We stop them on third down, but lose it on a penalty. We have to stop them here but we're not doing it. Finally we hold them to the field goal and a 31-23 lead.

Austin has a big 17 yard catch for us. Bratton converts a first down. But then Nichols is intercepted in the end zone on a long pass. Time is running out. We hit the two minute warning, finally getting the ball back, down by 8 with 1:35 left. Bratton makes a clutch 4th down catch, but these guys are really playing D. Three long bombs are dropped, and then a fourth. Nichols proves unable to move the ball, and we take our first loss of the year.

Our running game was awful, and Nichols was only 18/34 for 236 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. WE had a hard time containing Lu, as expected, and therefore struggled on O. We lose two more players this game, a backup guard and our punt returner. With the perfect season gone, it may be time to start resting some guys.

Corey Money becomes the second QB to join the 400 club, passing for 453 yards for the Cavaliers.

Memphis Showboats 32, Omaha Tornadoes 23

12-1

[Autumn]

Week 15 versus Kansas City Cowboys

The Cowboys come in 4-9 and I just can't find much good to say about them. We, however, are fairly banged up and with the perfect season lost to us don't have a ton to play for. Hopefully we can put this away early and not have any injuries.

They draw first blood, their drive keyed by a 49 yard pass, and an injury to Perrin, our starting safety. The very first play of our drive their start cornerback, McGinty, jumps in front of a pass to Bratton and returns it 48 yards for the TD. Suddenly we're down 14-0.

Bratton makes up for it with a 32 yard catch on our next drive. Hiscock punches it in next play and we're back in it. We trade punts for a while, Nichols just can't get anything going, he's actually 6/18 at this point. Bercich manages a long field goal to make it 14-10 in the second.

The next drive Nichols gets enough short completions to move the sticks, and a few good runs from the backs. Hiscock gets a TD on a 9 yard pass and we pull ahead, 17-14.

In the second half Nichols manages to hit a few more nice passes, but seems to be pushing it downfield too much. He ends up getting intercepted for the second time, ending a scoring chance. Finally things open up next drive, Nichols moving the sticks with some short passes and a scramble, and then finding Carl Austin open for a 22 yard TD strike.

Our next drive turns out to be just the same, short strikes followed this time by a 41 yard TD pass to Austin. Our rookie is looking good, making the game 31-14. Three and out, followed by a great Bratton punt return, and we're moving again. They stuff us at the 11 and we settle for the field goal. They turn it over on downs and we grab another before handing them back the ball with two minutes left. They can't do anything and that's the game.

We lose another player, WR Michael Fulton is out for the year. I've got good depth at WR but these injuries are mounting. I've got to do a lot of shuffling, signing a backup tackle, activating a third safety. I need some guys to get better soon.

Nichols had a bad day, bad enough to knock him out of the top spot at QB rating. Corey Money, his rival at the Richmond Cavaliers takes over.

Omaha Tornadoes 37, Kansas City Cowboys 14

13-1

[Autumn]

Week 16 vs Atlanta Bootleggers

Atlanta is 7-7 and brings a pretty decent passing game to Omaha, keyed by their superstar WR, Brock Clancy. He's got almost 1500 yards already and is clearly the main weapon in Atlanta. Oddly enough this is a key game for Atlanta, who is tied for their division lead at 7-7. They're not the only ones, the Lone Star division has one team at 7-7 and three at 6-8. Plenty of tight races to watch here.

We trade turnovers, and then manage a field goal on our next drive, despite being slowed by four penalties.

Nichols dazzles the crowd with a 46 yard scramble on our next drive. Unfortunately, despite another first down scramble on the drive we only manage a field goal and a 6-0 lead.

We get whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct on an amazing 10 yard catch by Bratton on 3rd and 10. Unfazed, Nichols returns to Bratton and this time The Earl busts the 10 yard play into a 21 yarder. The drive fizzles though, and their subsequent drive looks scary until back to back sacks end the threat. Under the two minute warning we manage to tack on a 49 yard field goal for a 9-0 lead going into the locker room. Given our 8 penalties, and their 0, it's lucky we've got that.

Bratton keeps our first 3rd quarter drive alive with an amazing 33 yard play on third and 14. Holding backs us up from first and goal at the five, and we end up settling for yet another field goal.

It's beginning to look like it's going to be field goals all day as we dink and dunk our way down the snowy field. But then Hiscock turns a 9 yard pass into an 18 yard touchdown and we finally have a sizable lead, 19-0 in the fourth quarter. Now with momentum on our side we turn unstoppable, back to back sacks getting us the ball back, and Nichols delivering with another touchdown pass to make it 26-0.

We recover a fumble, that snow is slippery. It seems fate always conspire to help us run up the score at the end. However, Bercich misses his first of the game, a 47 yarder. Atlanta tries a long field goal to avoid the shutout, but miss, and that's all she wrote.

Bratton is man of the hour with a 7 catch 103 yard game. However, Nichols shows his versatility hitting nine different receivers in the game. Paul McCracken has a 3 sack game. We held Brock Clancy to 3 catches for 39 yards, hooray.

In this game, Nichols tied the league record for touchdowns in a season, at 36. Next week, with any luck, he'll make it his own in the season finale at home. His young rival in Chicago is poised to break the yardage record himself, with over 4,300 himself going into the last game. He's right behind Nichols with 34 touchdowns himself, and could conceivably grab that record.

Dallas managed to clinch the Lone Star division, winning thier game, the rest of thier division losing. Atlanta's loss tied them with Birmingham, and of course these two conveniently meet in the last game. The loser will be likely done for the season, though the last wild card spot is really up in the air there.

In our conference, with five teams with either 8 or 9 wins, there's going to be a lot of fighting over the wild card spots. St. Louis controls their fate, but unfortunately they're up against the 12-3 Indianapolis Racers, their division winner. That gives Denver, at 8-6-1 and up against the 5-10 Cowboys, a real good chance of sneaking in.

Omaha Tornadoes 26, Atlanta Bootleggers 0

14-1

[Autumn]

Week 17 vs Minneapolis Lakers

Our old friend Timothy Atkins always does his best to beat us, and their season is on the line here. We hold them to 3 and out on their first drive, but Nichols tries to open the game with a 50 yard pass and instead throws a pick. That would be bad but okay since it pins them at the 7. Except that he of course runs it back 93 yards for a score. Down 7-0. Ouch.

Next drive we work the running backs and the short passes instead, until just the right moment when Nichols opens back up and hits Youssef for 19 and then 12 yards. Two plays later Davidson runs in the TD to tie it up.

Austin for 26 yards starts the next drive, and Bratton for 23 continues it. Nichols has a big scramble to give us first and goal, followed by a 8 yard Hiscock run. However he coughs it up and they get the ball at the 2. McCracken's third down rush though hurries Atkins into a bad throw, which is picked off by Paschal. We get the ball at their 15. Hiscock's 14 yard run gets us in position and Bratton grabs the jump ball TD. 14-7.

It's three and out for Minneapolis again, they don't have any first downs yet. We miss a long field goal, and then next drive Carl Austin sparks with a 26 yard catch. Davidson turns a short pass into a 23 yard gain. We get to the 4 yard line but no further, settling for the field goal and a 17-7 lead.

No one scores again until the top of the fourth quarter, when Hiscock does some great running on a drive and Nichols finds Hergett for a 9 yard TD pass. Next drive stalls but Bercich hits a 50 yard field goal to make it 27-7.

Atkins gets himself benched after going 7/20. His replacement makes a 29 yard strike on his first play, but that's the last thing he does and the ball goes over on downs. Nichols's back up finally makes a showing and the regular season is finished.

Artie Hiscock had a fantastic game, running 27 times for 127 yards even when running out the game. Our line accumulates 7 sacks against Atkins.

Marshall Hastings, out in Seattle, picks up player of the week for a 29/31 performance with 298 yards and 2 TDs. Xavier and Money both have great games too though. Earnest Van Pelt breaks the single game sack record, picking up 5.5 for San Antonio.

Omaha Tornadoes 27, Minneapolis Lakers 7

15-1

Denver beats Kansas City, and with St. Louis losing to the 13-3 Racers, that gives Denver the first wild card at 9-6-1. St. Louis will still be in the show, holding the second at 9-7, three 8-8 teams staying home.

Division winners are the Racers in the Rust Belt, Dallas squeaking it out at 8-8 in the Lone Star division, San Francisco dominating the West Coast and of course the Tornadoes winning our division.

In the other conference, Birmingham edged out the others to win the Deep South division at 8-8. Detroit held off Xavier's Chicago Gale to win their division at 9-7 and maintain a perfect 7 playoff visits for the Wheels. Richmond is the class of the conference, easily winning their division at 13-3, with division mate Louisville Chargers grabbing a wild card spot. The other wild card must be between 8-8 Chicago and Washington Generals. A look at the schedule shows that Washington has the tiebreaker there.

The surprise of that conference is the Philadelphia Privateers winning the Colonial division at 12-4. The Privateers have dwelt in mediocrity for years, with this being their first playoff visit. They are notable for being the team that dealt me the Edwin Nichols pick. Nice to see they won't suffer for that forever.

Corey Money's excellent Week 17 game earned him the top QB rating spot at 112.5, and a record. Nichols came in second with 108.3, but clearly the more dominant performance. Nichols posted the third highest yardage total ever with 4,176, one of only four quarterbacks to post a 4000 yard year. Xavier Kirkaldie smashed the record, passing for 4,638 this year. Nichols meanwhile broke his own TD record, throwing 38 this season. Detroit's Deon Crowder set a record for rushing TDs with 14.

I have to admit that Xavier had an impressive season, leading Nichols or equaling him in a lot of categories, passing for more yards than any quarterback has, including setting the single game record. His line was one of the worst in the league in opponent pass rush percentage, while we were the best. Given a decent team around him Xavier is going to give Nichols one hell of a run for his money.

How about a shoutout for my O line who only allowed 12 sacks all season for a 2.3 sack percent. We also had clearly the best special teams in the league, being #1 in punt returns, #2 in kick returns, as well as being #1 or #2 in defense. Bercich was the best kicker in the league, only our punter was average.

Artie Hiscock had the highest catch percentage in the league, while Michael Fulton was second in the league in Avg/catch and avg/target. He was also second in touchdowns, despite only starting in 8 games and playing in 14.

Paul McCracken was #7 in sacks in his second year, and Fleming was up there with 10.5 despite only playing 12 games. He was poised to have his best year yet.