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03-17-2001, 03:37 PM
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Diary of a FOF Newbie – Introduction
Introduction
I downloaded FOF less than a week ago, and experimented with a half of season to get familiar with the game. I have been reading the posts in the dynasty section, especially the Wildfire and the Black Squirrels. Great stuff you guys…..keep it coming. I thought I would you grizzled veteran dynasty readers a different perspective. I like football, but I am definitely not an expert. I know basic formations and such, but when you guys start chatting about the Morgado 75 defense, I haven’t a clue what that is. Anyway, I decided to do a dynasty journal in hopes of keeping you vets entertained, with not only my newbie game mistakes, but probably few basic football mistakes as well. Here goes nothing I will use Quiksand’s “House Arrest” house rules for the most part. I love a challenge. 1 – no unrealistic contracts 2 – no signing non-rookie players outside of the 20-step process 3 – no backloading, annual salary increases up to 25% only 4 – URFA contracts are 1 year deals at or near minimum salary or four-year deals 1x/2x/4x/8x including a modest bonus 5 – no renegotiated contracts 6 – no use of the franchise tag 7 – team will begin with full complement of 53 players 8 – roster will have at least 1 player from my home region at each of the following position groups (RB/FB, WR/TE, OL, DL, LB, CB/S & QB/P/K) I will play the Green Bay Packers for the first two seasons to get more familiar with the game before I make the switch to an expansion team Wish me luck! ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS! [This message has been edited by SplitPersonality (edited 03-18-2001).]
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-17-2001, 04:32 PM
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#2 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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The Green Bay Years
My career as GM begins with Green Bay - season 2000. After a 2-2 exhibition season, I fiddled with a few formation settings and the Packers opened the season 3-0, scoring 44 or more points each game. I, obviously am a genius. This GM stuff is easy. Then reality hit. The Pack dropped three straight on route to a very mediocre 8-8 record. It included losses like a 52-7 spanking by the Colts. The defense was sieve-like and Favre threw a ton of interceptions. The fans were not happy. I blamed it on a poor stadium and requested a new one. I stuck the Green Bay faithful with a $300 million project and promised them a better season in 2001. (to be honest, the only reason I went through the exercise of the stadium project was to learn how the system worked.) The 2001 season was interesting. After a 5-4 start, the Pack won 6 straight, dropped the last game and headed into playoffs with a bye. During that six game stretch, Green Bay rolled over some very good teams, winning by an average margin of 16 points. Our power rating was at the top of the NFC and all cylinders were running. Then came the playoffs. The hated Dallas Cowboys came into Lambeau Field and dispatched the Pack 21-14. The cheeseheads were calling for someone’s scalp, and I ended up the unfortunate victim. Lucky for me, the new expansion team was looking for a GM, so I bolted from the frozen tundra of Green Bay to the warmth of sunny Charlottesville, VA. Charlottesville, Virginia? Los Angeles still doesn’t have a NFL franchise, and the powers that be give one to Charlottesville? Hey, it’s a job and it’s in a warm climate. Where the heck is Charlottesville? Let me find that atlas………. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS! [This message has been edited by SplitPersonality (edited 03-18-2001).]
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-17-2001, 05:14 PM
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#3 |
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Checkraising Tourists
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cocoa Beach, FL
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Charlottesville is in Virginia, and it is the home of the Virginia Cavaliers. I have fond memories of winning an ACC Track and Field championship there as a member of N.C. State's team.
Good luck with your franchise. |
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03-17-2001, 11:42 PM
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#4 |
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n00b
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Londonderry, NH
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You are a braveman by playing with house rules so early. I'm going into my 14th season still without house rules because I still can't seem to manage my roster with injuries. Seems like I cycle through 60 players a year due to injuries.
Now I have been pretty decent with 4 super bowl victories, 11 playoff appearances, worse record has been 8-8. I'm considering leaving my beloved Patriots after this season and taking a job with a expansion team and then using House Rules. Good luck, now I have to post a question on house rules.
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Fantavet "I'd cut my grandmother if she didn't have at least a 40 in Breakaway Speed" |
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03-18-2001, 01:23 AM
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#5 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Thanks for the early fan support Vegas Vic & fantavet. It's nice to know that this dynasty thread is being read.
Wish me luck! ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-18-2001, 01:24 AM
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#6 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2002 Preseason
Please welcome the Charlottesville (VA) Lone Stars to the AFC …..West? Lone Stars!? I thought that was a Texas thing. Oh well, we will leave the name for now. My primary geographic rival will be the Washington Redskins, so I set my ticket prices equal to theirs. It figures I take over a team in a part of the country I am not that familiar with. I will try to get my regional players from the following schools: Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI & West Virginia. If I am missing a school, would someone please let me know. Staff: Coach: Brant Cole – age 59 – SAL: $2.29mil (11th) EX: QB, RB VG: SEC GD: REC, DL FR: OL, LB, K YT: FR MOT: VG DISP: VG OPC: GD DPC: GD INJ: GD Scout: Erik Jones – age 68 – SAL: $190k (21st) VG: RB, REC, OL GD: DL, YT FR: QB, K, SEC Coach Cole seems kind of high priced to me, but those are the breaks I guess. I am concerned about my kicking game as both head coach and scout are not strong in this area. Then again, as an expansion team, I am sure I will have much bigger areas of concern. I think I am going to go into this draft looking for the best potential talent at any position. Hopefully I get a few breakthrough players my first few drafts and then I can start using a more needs based approach.
These are all second year players so I am not violating the empty cupboard rule, as none of these guys are actual players in the NFL. The last guy I picked, Jumbo Harris, was drafted by me while I was in Green Bay. I hope he does well. *** After expansion draft and free agency, I have 55 players in camp. I still need a RB, 2G, a P and a DT. An extra WR would also be nice. *** Amateur Draft Report: Rnd 1 - Craig Rowland, QB, Mississippi State Rnd 2 - Leland Badgro, G, Vanderbilt Rnd 3 - Adam Schwartz, RB, Elon College Rnd 4 - Isaac Woodard, G, California Rnd 5 - Nick Bynaker, DT, Virginia Tech Rnd 6 - Tim Musial, P, West Virginia Rnd 7 - Nicky Conway, WR, Illinois Draft was so-so. The only bright spot will hopefully be Rowland. His numbers are phenomenal – almost all 90+. Let’s hope he produces. Bynacker and Musial were picked because they are regional players, I really don’t expect much from them. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS! [This message has been edited by SplitPersonality (edited 03-18-2001).]
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-18-2001, 02:02 AM
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#7 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Exhibition Season
The first exhibition game went fairly well. We lost to Buffalo 31-26. Rowland passed for 166 yards, 1INT, and England passed for 215y, 3TD and 1INT. There might actually be a QB controversy already. We shall see. *** After the game, this appeared in one of my messages. Starting Positions Assessment: Very concerned about starting tight end Fairly concerned about starting split end Extremely concerned about starting offensive left guard Fairly concerned about starting center Extremely concerned about starting offensive right guard Fairly concerned about starting offensive right tackle Very concerned about starting defensive left end Very concerned about starting defensive right end Extremely concerned about starting defensive left tackle Extremely concerned about starting defensive right tackle Extremely concerned about starting left linebacker Extremely concerned about starting middle linebacker Extremely concerned about starting right linebacker Fairly concerned about starting weak-side cornerback Fairly concerned about starting strong-side cornerback Very concerned about starting free safety Very concerned about starting strong safety Fairly concerned about starting kicker Very concerned about starting punter Yikes!! I hope this is normal with an expansion team. *** A very disappointing exhibition season ended with the Stars having a dismal 0-4 record. Most disheartening is the fact that they only scored 18 points in the last three games. This could be a very long and ugly year folks. We seem to have no offense at all. All of the QB’s go only so far down the field and then are shut down completely. On the upside, the defense has actually been playing fairly well. They improved every game in the preseason giving up 31,27,24 and 13 points. Let’s hope that they can keep us in some of these games. Only one injury though – Jumbo Harris is out for 2-3 months with tendonitis. Not much of a loss really as he was a backup. Here is my roster going into the regular season:
I figure due to my inexperience in FOF and my lack of football expertise, I will probably…..well…..hopefully win four games. Go Lone Stars! ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS! [This message has been edited by SplitPersonality (edited 03-18-2001).]
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-18-2001, 03:49 AM
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#8 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2002 Regular season
The first Lone Star game is history……..What can I say. We were defeated 45-7 by Cade McKnown and the Buffalo Bills. Total passing yards – 100, between my 2 QB’s. Rowland threw 1 TD, but 2 INT’s before he was replaced by a completely ineffective England. The running game was an embarrassment. Probably some kind of NFL, oops, FOFL record. Just 3 total rushing yards. 2 of the 3 players that ran the ball had negative yardage. The bright spot was Schwartz with a whopping 13 yards on 2 carries. *** Game 2 brings more of the same. A 41-0 defeat by Cincinnati. The Lone Stars had 4 first downs, 30 rushing yards and 61 passing yards. Rowland’s 5 interceptions will get his butt benched this week. England will get the next start. On to week 3…. *** England throws 282 yards, 1TD, 2 INT in a losing 16-22 effort for the Stars against division foe Seattle in OT. The Lone Stars actually led most of this game and the defense stiffened several times to hold the opponent to field goal attempts. Unfortunately, their defense did the exact same thing to us. *** Stars win their first game ever in against the hapless Kansas City Chiefs (0-4). KC outrushed us 138-38, outpassed us 162-150 and generally outplayed the home team the entire game. Frankly, I don’t care. I will take the win. DE Joey Wenzel broke his hand and will be out 3-5 weeks. Since everybody pretty much sucks anyway, this is no great loss. Albert Clayton takes his place and now I have the Clayton brothers on both sides of the line. ** The next two include losses to Detroit and Oakland. The Oakland game saw the return of Rowland as the starting QB. Many injuries occur forcing me to grab a few players from FA. *** The Stars finally get a solid game against 1-5 San Diego. Run by committee produces 101 yards. Rowland has a solid game with 327 yards, 3TD’s and most importantly 0 INT’s. Have we turned the corner???? *** ‘Fraid not. A 41-7 spanking by the Seattle Seahawks reminds us that our two wins came against awful teams (combined 3-12). The halfway point finds us at 2-6 and remarkably 4th in our division. The bad news is that our next 4 games are on the road, and we have yet to win away from Lone Star Stadium. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-18-2001, 05:18 AM
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#9 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Quote:
Good work SP! But what about the Midwest 35? My work goes quite unappreciated  Anyhow this is very interesting--good luck. A couple of things that you might find helpful . . . First, if you print on the scout overview screen you will get all the players overall ratings on a 20 point scale, which considering the bug with money requests will give us a better understanding of the quality of players on your roster. Second (and not really important at all). After you have printed to file, when you copy and paste the data into the post, if you use the following tags, (pre) before the info and (/pre) after the data--you will get nice preformatted text. Replacing the () with [].  ------------------ Kent Reed! Kent Rite!! Kent State!!! [This message has been edited by Ctown-Fan (edited 03-18-2001).]
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I used to be a grizzled veteran! |
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03-18-2001, 11:22 AM
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#10 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Thank you very much CTown!. I was wondering how you guys formatted these tables. I will start using those tags right away.
Send an e-mail over to my Defensive Coordinator and will will start working on your Midwest 35 for next season. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-18-2001, 11:30 AM
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#11 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Here is the scouting report:
2002 Second Half After thinking about it, I realize that the problem may not lie entirely with the QB’s. I decided to check the OL and my receivers. Going back the last few games, it seems like there has been a few hurries, blocked throws and dropped passes, but not enough to warrant Rowland’s miserable QB rating of 31.3. The guy has 4 TD’s & 13 INT’s. This is completely unacceptable. England will be starting the rest of the season. *** Another win against (2-6) KC, followed by a loss at (3-6) Tampa. The coach inexplicably started Rowland (a goof on my part, but I’ve got to blame somebody), so he is gone at the end of the year. I need someone who can handle young QB’s. *** A tough loss against a mediocre (4-6) Denver team followed, although we stayed in it until the fourth quarter. Another loss at San Diego followed that. I have decided to put Rowland in the last four games. His potential is so much better than England’s. Playing time will hopefully straighten him out. *** It worked!!! Charlottesville beat 6-6 Denver for another home win. It was ugly as we had a 27-3 lead in the middle of the 3rd quarter, but I’ll take the win. Rowland passed for 261y, 2TD’d and……0 INT’s!!!! We somehow managed to get the 4 wins I wanted. Schwartz was my leading rusher at 56 yards. He seems to be a fairly consistent runner. Not flashy by any stretch of the imagination, but solid. *** Last three games were a tough loss at 4-9 Chicago, a 24-14 win against AFC Central division leading Tennessee, and a heartbreaking 34-28 loss against division foe Oakland. We could have played spoiler and bounced them out the playoffs. Oh well. Pertinent stats QB – Rowland – 10GS, 13TD, 19INT, Rating of 57.5 QB – England – 6GS, 4TD, 7INT, Rating of 59.9 RB – Schwartz – 704 yards, 5 TD, 4.2avg WR – Vaughn – 828 yards, 3 TD, 16 drops….hmm WR – Billmaier – 666 yards, 5 TD, 9 drops….this guy never started a game! CB – Emmons – led team with 4 INT LB – Weaver – 89 tackles….leading tackler DE – Wenzel – 35 tackles, 7 sacks
Team finishes 5-11 for the season, 5th in the division. Not a great year, but we seemed to finish strong. Also, we did this when all 53 players have a current scouting rating of less than 10. ***
Green Bay beat Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. – Great…..the year I leave the team. No awards for my team, but Brett Favre won MVP for the fourth time in his career. (Let’s hope that happens in real life. I really hope Favre returns to form in the upcoming real NFL season) Year End GM Performance numbers: 8, 44, 92, 29: 49 ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS! [This message has been edited by SplitPersonality (edited 03-18-2001).]
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-18-2001, 11:34 AM
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#12 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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CTown-Fan. I must have done something wrong with those tags. Help!!!
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03-18-2001, 11:55 AM
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#13 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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I believe that the "pre" tag belongs inside the <> characters. Also, be sure that you use the /pre at the end of the text (a forward slash,not backward one).
Good luck with the franchise... |
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03-18-2001, 09:22 PM
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#14 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Richmond VA
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Quote:
You also should include James Madison and Richmond... If you're going to include West Virginia, you may as well throw in Marshall as well, as Marshall is in the same state... Good luck with your dynasty! I'm looking forward to watching your team grow... ------------------ Speaking as a Cubs fan, let me be the first to say... WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!
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GO HOKIES!!! Running the Richmond Confederates of the FOBL into the ground since 2001. |
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03-18-2001, 10:18 PM
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#15 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Wow, a post reply from the creator of the House Arrest rules himself...Quiksand.
It's kind of like getting help from Vince Lombardi or Don Shula. I can't help but think of that Wayne's World skit from SNL....."We're not worthy...we're not worthy" In all seriousness, thanks for the help. You too CubsFan. I will add the schools you mentioned to my regional list. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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03-18-2001, 10:20 PM
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#16 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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FOF Newsflash
March 18, 2003 The NFL received somewhat of a surprise this morning when the Charlottesville Lone Stars abruptly changed their name to the Virginia Stars. When asked why the sudden change, GM SplitPersonality said “Why the **** do you think we changed the name. You reporters ask the dumbest questions.” (to be honest, I changed the name because --- a) I already refer to my team as the Stars, and b) Charloteville….Charlotsville…..Charlottesville is too darn hard to type.  ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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03-18-2001, 10:51 PM
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#17 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Virginia Stars 2003 – new season - new name – new attitude I consider last season a modest success. Obviously the good people of the great state of Virginia do not. I start the season with a fan loyalty of 27. Average attendance last year was 40,100 out of 66,700 seats. What are these fans thinking! We were an expansion team for goodness sake. I guess the early successes that Carolina & Jacksonville had will take its toll on future expansion teams. Today’s fans want teams to win immediately. Bunch of ingrates. Anyway, the Redskins raised their ticket prices by a buck in most cases and dropped it $1 for the sideline seats. I will leave mine alone. Wouldn’t want to give the fans another reason to stay away from Lone Star….I mean Virginia Stadium……..hmmm, maybe I should sell naming rights for the stadium. I put in a bid for a guy named Sammie Lake to take over the head coaching position. His salary is lower and he rates VG with QB’s and G with young talent. I also put in a bid for Arizona’s head scout Dexter McMillan. This guy is awesome. Hopefully I can steal him away. *** Damn. Didn’t get him. Oh well. I still fired the geezer scout Erik Jones. New staff stats are listed below Coach: Sammie Lake – age 36 – SAL: $1.69mil (17th) VG: QB, OL, DL & LB GD: SEC & K FR: RB & REC YT: GD MOT: G DISP: F OPC: GD DPC: VG INJ: GD Scout: Brent Langdon – age 40 – SAL: $200k (22nd) VG: QB, RB, REC, DL & YT GD: OL, LB & SEC FR: K I think I did a good job. Saved money and probably have a better fit for this team. Below is my roster coming into free agency.
Salary Cap: $76.9mil Cap Room: $27.19mil Corwin Howe and Lawrence Kennedy are the only two free agents who have potential according to my new scout. I sign them right away. I will let the others go, and will try to get replacements in the draft. I trade C Christian Leatherman to the Pack for a 7th round draft pick. He is a marginal player at best (c5, f8). I can probably do better in the draft. I am going into the draft looking for a C and a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball. *** Amateur Draft Report: Rnd 1 - Van Dickerson, LB, Miami, Florida Rnd 2 - Lincoln Savoy, DE, South Carolina Rnd 3 - Ricardo Delisle, C, Kentucky Rnd 4 - Broderick Rush, WR, Baylor Rnd 5 - Nathan Hutchins, LB, Texas - El Paso Rnd 6 - Terry Fulcher, G, Kansas State Rnd 7 - Juan Dotson, TE, West Virginia State Rnd 7 - Joel Pettit, CB, Wyoming What a rotten draft. There was nothing really in it for me besides Dickerson. He seems like he will be a true stud. Let’s hope at least one of these other guys is a breakout player. Pre-Camp Scouting Report
Post Camp Scouting Report
Looks like LB Van Dickerson is the real deal. LB Nate Hutchins & DE Lincoln Savoy (what a cool name) will be good in time. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS! [This message has been edited by SplitPersonality (edited 03-18-2001).]
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-18-2001, 11:03 PM
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#18 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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Exhibition Season
Week 1 - bye Week 2 – 10-17 loss to Dallas Rowland – 13-21, 112y, 1TD Howe – 12-20, 89y, 1INT Schwartz – 11carries, 69y Unfortunately, RB Schwartz went down in the third quarter with a sprained back. He will out for 2-3 months. Since Kelly Pierce stinks at WR, and will probably get cut next season anyway. I converted him to RB, so I can make Schwartz inactive. His new ratings are (cur 0, fut 0) Week 3 – 6-13 loss to St Louis Rowland – 10-14, 103y Howe – 10-19, 91y, 3INT Team – 22 carries, 12y Rowland out with deep thigh bruise for 0 –2 weeks. He moves to 3 on the depth chart until fully healed. We have no running game! Let’s hope RB Schwartz is a fast healer. Week 4 – 13-24 loss to New England Howe – 10-17, 74y, 1 INT England – 16-24, 91y, 1TD, 1INT Team – 24 carries, 80y Better. The Stars led 14-10 at the start of the fourth before giving up 2 TD’s. Good news. Rowland can play next week. Week 5 – 9-17 loss to Baltimore Rowland – 6-7, 55y Howe – 8-13, 78y, 1INT Team – 22 carries, 12y No new injuries. Final analysis: Our defense didn’t get blown away, and seems to have improved significantly over last year. Rowland didn’t throw an interception and also seems to be doing much better. Our running game is the big question mark. Without Schwartz, they are inexperienced, untalented and inconsistent. Amazingly enough, Pierce, the old WR is gaining as many yards as RB Htchcock. Go figure. My goal for this year is to finish with at least 6 wins. Go Stars!!!!!! ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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03-19-2001, 03:51 PM
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#19 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2003 Regular Season
EA.com Front Office Football 2001 Starting Positions Assessment: Well, the trouble list is much shorter this year. My scout is only worried about fifteen positions down from 19 last year. That is somewhat of a good sign. I forgot to sign extra regional players in the FA period. I will penalize myself next year by requiring an extra 2 guys. Rowland will begin the seaon as the Star’s starting QB. Howe has good potential and will make a fine backup. With Schwartz out for a few months, my primary RB will be Hitchcock. He is not very good, but unfortunately, he is the best I have. My WR’s will be Fruth, Vaughn & Billmaier. I feel more comfortable altering the game plans from week-to-week, at least on the defensive side of the ball. If a team runs more, I will adjust my all-out run defense upward. If they pass more than most on 3rd and long, I will adjust the appropriate numbers. Basic moves, but it should help the Stars win a few games. *** The Stars lose the home opener 27-12 to the Broncos due to a weak offensive day. 48y rushing and 119y passing won’t beat very many teams. They follow that up performance with a 38-10 loss to the Seahawks. Rowland tosses a TD pass, but also his first two INT’s of the year. Rushing yards…a measly 50. We need Schwartz back in a hurry. Unfortunately, he is still 2-3 months away. Next stop, our old pals the Chiefs. Because we beat them twice last year as a first year team, there was a lot of trash-talking between the two teams. Our QB Rowland made the mistake of guaranteeing a victory and the Kansas City newspapers ran with the story. On the field, the Chiefs handed it to us 30-10 and it wasn’t even that close. Bigmouth Rowland…189yards, 1TD and 2 more INT’s. The Virginia defense gave up 206 rushing yards. Game 4 at New England is more of the same. Rowland passes for 203y, but throws 3 INT’s. Virginia’s core of RB’s run for 74 yards, highest total of the year. Team doctors say that Schwartz may be ready by the second half of the season. I will give Rowland one more shot to keep his job. We travel to Oakland and take on the Division leading 3-1 Raiders. It was a very odd game. In the fourth quarter with Oakland up 10-6, the Stars go 3 and out and punt away. Oakland’s Galvez returns it for 13 yards, fumbles the ball which is recovered by RB Hitchcock. He returns it for a 36 yard touchdown and Virginia takes the lead. The Stars add a late field goal to seal the first victory of the season 16-10. However, Rowland passes for only 92 yards and throws yet another INT. Through 5 games, he has 2TDs and 8 INTs. Red Zone Offense is pathetic…..5 visits, 1 TD and 4 field goals. Despite the win, I decide it is time for a change. Howe will start for the Stars until further notice. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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03-19-2001, 04:34 PM
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#20 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2003 Regular Season – continued
Our fourth game in this 5-game road trip brings us to (1-4) Jacksonville. Despite 338 yards and a TD pass from Howe, the Jaguars beat us easily 27-14. Two INT’s and 15 yards rushing are our undoing. A 20-10 loss to the Chargers rounds out the road trip and we head home to face hated Kansas City. More trash-talk ensues, but QB Howe keeps his mouth shut. It doesn’t matter as KC crushes the Stars 38-15. Howe passes for 240 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. The “Paper Curtain” defense gave up 469 total yards to a mediocre KC club. The halfway point finds the Stars floundering with a 1-7 record. The only good news is that Schwartz will be returning to the club after the much needed bye week. (game note – I just noticed on the game plan screen that my defense is set to 3-4 (99) and 4-3 (1). After checking my expertise button, I see that my rating for the 3-4 is 0. No wonder teams have been charging down the field on me. Does this happen a lot in FOF, or did I inadvertently change a setting. I don’t remember adjusting it, but I tend to play very late at night….Anything is possible) 2003 Regular Season – second half I feel that I have punished Rowland enough. I give him one more chance to set things right. If Virginia wins at Seattle, he is the starter, if not, he is permanently in my doghouse. *** Stars lose 33-22 to the (3-6) Seahawks and Rowland is out. Injury Report: Like we are going to the flipping playoffs. Adam Schwartz, RB - Broken Nose, full strength in 0-2 Weeks AAARGH! I lose Schwartz & Dickerson in the same game. Why can’t Rowland break his leg and end this QB controversy once and or all. Actually there is no more controversy. However, knowing my luck this season, QB Howe will be the next to go down. LB Kris Sanders is now DE Sanders, since I put DE Clayton on the injured reserved list. Oakland comes into Virginia stadium and avenges their earlier loss 34-3. Howe throws 2 INTs to help out the silver & black. At 1-9, the fans are getting restless. Attendance for the game was at an all-time low of 34,400. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a light at the end of this tunnel. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-19-2001, 06:04 PM
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#21 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2003 Regular Season – weeks 12-17
Week 12 at New Orleans The Saints score first with an early first quarter field goal, but Virginia answers back with Howe’s quick strike to Rush for a 60 yard TD. Virginia leads 7-3. Billy Jo Tolliver begins a long methodical drive down the field culminating in a 4 yard run by their RB Mason. Four plays later, Howe throws an interception that leadsto another New Orleans TD. New Orleans leads 17-7. The Stars answer back with a quick 7 play drive to pull to within 3. On the ensuing kickoff, Booker of the Saints fumbles and the ball is recovered by “Moving Van” Dickerson on the 6 yard line. Touchdown pass to Fruth and Virgina leads 21-17 with 5:48 to go in the half. New Orleans pushes the ball down to the 22 yard line and can’t put it in. They take a field goal and are now down by 1 with 42 seconds left. The fans feel a sense of déjà vu as the Stars fumble the kick off on their own 13 yard line. Mason runs in the TD, but Tolliver’s 2-point conversion attempt fails. At the half – Saints lead 26-21. With 10:57 to go in the game, the Saints fumble on their own 46 yard line. The Stars capitalize with a field goal to pull within 2. Two plays later, Tolliver throws an interception, and McElroy runs down to the Saints 7 yard line. A 1 yard run by Barlow into the endzone and Virginia leads 31-26 with 5:19 left. With 1:51 remaining Tolliver throws to Poole for 35 yards, get sacked and then tosses a 44 yard TD dagger into the hearts of the Stars fans. 2-point conversion successful. Howe tries to throw a long pass and is intercepted. After the obligatory timeouts, Tolliver takes a knee and Virginia loses a heartbreaker. *** Week 13 vs. Cleveland The game is a punt-fest through two and a half quarters until Virginia’s Hitchcock runs it in for a 1 yard TD. McElroy of Virginia snags an interception and the Stars score again when Howe connects to Conway for an 8 yard TD. Virginia leads 14-0 with 2:32 left in the third quarter. 8:42 to go in the game, Howe throws an interception which leads to a Cleveland TD. Stars 14 – Browns 7 with 6:58 remaining. Virginia quickly moves downfield to the Cleveland 28. Main;s kick misses wide right. The Browns go 3 and out. The Stars go 3 and out. 3:08 remaining. The Browns move the ball down the field, but fumble it at the Virginia 39. They recover the fumble and proceed to march down the field and score a TD with 49 seconds on the clock. Score is tied at 14. Overtime. Cleveland wins the toss and proceeds to march down the field. Stover’s 40 yard kick is up….and misses wide right. Virginia marches down the fireld and fumbles on the Cleveland 24. Two plays later, the Browns fumble and the Stars recover on the Browns 43. After gaining only nine yards, Main’s 51 yard kick is up…..and misses wide right. Cleveland takes over on their own 41. They get to the Virginia 36 yard line. Stover’s 53 yard kick is up………and splits the uprights. The Stars lose another close game 17-14. *** Week 14 vs. San Francisco Virginia leads 17-10 with 2:07 remaining in the third quarter. The Stars get down to the Frisco 32 yard line. And Main misses a 49 yard FG. The 49ers are revitalized by this, and promptly tie up the score in five plays. The next 12 plus minutes are uneventful and the game goes into overtime. Virginia wins the toss and elected to receive. They get to the Frisco 40 and Main attempts a 57 yard field goal…………It’s good!!!!!! Stars win 17-14 *** Week 15 vs. San Diego Attendance is a lowly 33,700 for the third consecutive game. Temp: 29 with snow. San Diego’s initial kick off is returned 100 yards by Emmons for the touchdown. Main missed the extra point. Virginia leads 6-0. Later in the qurter, Ryan Leaf’s pass is intercepted by Lyon, but Virginia cannot capitalize. Punter Musial’s kick is blocked and the Chargers recovers on the 1 yard line. Chancey runs it in and they lead 7-6 mid-quarter. Next possession: Virginia is helped out by an intentional face mask call, and gets a field goal out of it. Later still, Virginia begins a drive at their own 8 and gets down to the Charger 6. They can’t punch it in, and come away with a field goal late in the second. Halftime score: 12-7 Virginia. The Chargers fumble the kick off return and the Stars get a quick 3 yard TD from Schwartz. San Diego retaliates with a 10-play drive that ends in a 50 yard field goal by Carney. Virginia follows that up with a long 8 minute gem ending in a Hitchcock 9 yard run up the middle for a TD. Virginia leads 26-10. The Charger’s Potchynok returns the kick-off 73 yards before being brought down by Swift & Wenzel as the third quarter comes to a close. Emmons intercepts Ryan Leaf in the endzone on the first play of the fourth quarter. Three and out by Virginia, punt to the Charger 45. Ryan Leaf hits Timberlane for a 55 yard TD pass on the very next play and suddenly the Chargers are back in this one. Virginia leads 26-18. Two possessions later Howe fumbles and San Diego recovers on the Stars 44 yard line. Leaf goes 4 for 5, and hits Raymond for the TD. Chancey runs for the 2 point conversion. Tie game with 5:17 left. Back and forth twice until Leaf throws an interception with 2 clicks left on the clock. Virginia goes into overtime for the third consecutive week. San Diego ball. Drive end on the Virginia 27. Carney’s 44 yard kick….is……short…..no good! Virginia 3 and out. San Diego 3 and out. Virginia 3 and out. San Diego 3 and out. Virginia 3 and out. San Diego ball on their 34 with 3:58 remaining. Potchynok run for 1 yard. Leaf pass for 13 yards. Chancey run for 6 yards. Leaf pass for 9 yards. Leaf pass to Timberlane for 30 yards. Potchynok runs for 3 yards. Chancey for 1 yard, and a 3 yard TD run by McCrary ends the third straight home overtime game by the Stars. Final - 32-26 Chargers. *** The next game at Denver was anticlimactic. The Broncos beat us handily 27-9 as we had nothing left in the tank. Last game of the season was at home against the Rams. It was yet another nailbiter, but in the end, the Stars lost 18-14. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-19-2001, 06:52 PM
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#22 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2003 Postseason – 2004 Training Camp
Virginia Stars That was a wild finish for the Stars. We finish 2-14 on the year, but it was a lot of fun to watch 2003 Stats QB Howe – 10GS, 11TD, 13INT, Rating of 66.8 QB Rowland – 6GS, 4TD, 9INT, Rating of 50.6 RB Hitchcock – 459y on 155att, 2TD RB Schwartz – 5GS, 278y on 82att WR Vaughn – 667 yards, 2 TD and 21 drops WR Billmaier – 723 yards, 2 TD WR Fruth – 458 yards, 6TD CB Emmons – led team with 5 INT LB Dickerson – 128 tackles, 2 sacks DE Wenzel & LB Sauls – 5 sacks EA.com Front Office Football 2001 Bears over Oakland 17-14 in the Superbowl The Stars get their first award winner in Dickerson, DROY and All-Pro 2nd Team Linebacker. GM Performance: 0, 45, 69, 28 Total:40 Ouch! Hope they don’t fire me. As CubFan said in an earlier post…WAIT ‘TILL NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!! I will leave my staff intact for the upcoming season. I have a good feeling about this one. 2003 Attendance – 35,700 – 53.5% of capacity Fan Loyalty: 29 – wow, it actually went up from last year. I will leave my ticket prices alone, since we have no financial worries at all….yet. Bottom Line: profit of $15,230,000….a drop of 78% from last year. Tickets sales are way down. We need to get some butts in the stands. Here is the preseason roster EA.com Front Office Football 2001 It looks like lots and lots of untalented bodies will be leaving us this year. Free Agency I picked up RB Antonio Carpenter for 5.97mil for 2 years. My guy Schwartz is good, but could be injury prone. His current backups don’t impress me a whole lot. Draft I believe my primary concern this draft is defense. I will try to balanve future and current ratings. Amateur Draft Report: Pre Camp Scouting Report: I made a couple of huge GM errors and will probably pay the price for them. I did not sign my unrestricted free agents until after my draft. Little did I know that two guys that I counted on will not resign with me due to playing time. FB Jason Hill and T Wade Harper aren’t fantastic by any stretch, but their absense leaves me weak in their positions. Crap. Also, I forgot to draft for a DT. The current guys I have current ratings of 2-5 and future ratings of 3-6. Not HOF candidates that’s for sure. Oh well. We will see what happens. EA.com Front Office Football 2001
Some good news: C Ricardo Delisle, DE Lincoln Savoy, T Renaldo Bush improved this year and look ready to play. First rounder DE Bob Tindall looks promising as well. Big story of course is at QB. Rowland’s numbers improve and Howe’s seem to go down. Do I once again fall into the trap and have Rowland throw pick after pick after pick. Or do I play the hometown boy, who though often fell short of victory, was incredibly entertaining down the stretch. Decisions….Decisions. [This message has been edited by SplitPersonality (edited 03-19-2001).]
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-19-2001, 11:04 PM
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#23 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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This bites
I went through my entire exhibition season when my computer locked up. I had one my first exhibition game ever and was competitive in the other three. I had a lot of minor injuries, but was ready to start the season with Rowland at the helm. (Howe was out with a broken finger) Unfortunately, I have to start over ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-19-2001, 11:05 PM
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#24 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2004 Exhibition Season
The Stars went 0-4 in exhibition for the third consecutive year. Interceptions were the name of the game again. Howe threw 5 against the Jets in a 31-0 blowout. Rowland threw 1 against the Jaguars in a 21-14 loss. Another shutout, this time at Chicago 29-0. Howe tosses 2 more picks. And lastly, a 25-10 loss to Miami with Rowland throwing 1 INT. The running game is still non-existent, even with a healthy Schwartz. (there is a joke in there somewhere ) Maybe it’s a lingering injury. Injury Report: This is the only injury from the preseason. Not bad. I will just hide him until he is fully healed. Playing Time Status: I’m not sure what Kennedy’s problem is. He is the only FB I have and his playing time is set to 9. Unless the preseason doesn’t count…..Could somebody let me know the answer to that one. Also, what do I do when a player is demanding a trade? Starting Positions Assessment: Wow. The list is getting shorter. The scout is very or extremely concerned about 5 positions. I’ll take it. I nervously enter the 2004 season with …..drum roll please…..Rowland as my starting QB. Acording to the scout, he has improved dramatically over the offseason and his potential number have gone up. The opposite is true for Howe. If the scout is wrong, I will fire him at the end of the season. I want a .500 season, but I think we can realistically win six games. This team is much better than the crew that went 5-11 in the Stars inaugural season, but I think that they overachieved. Time will tell. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-20-2001, 12:47 AM
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#25 |
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n00b
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
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2004 Regular Season – first half
Season 3 opens up with an ugly 37-10 loss to the New York Jets. Rowland does OK. 18/36 for 236 yards, 1 TD & 1 INT. The problem is the running game. Even with a “healthly???” Schwartz, the team gains a net –4 yards. The next three games are brutal. Jacksonville (0-1) comes to town and beats us in the 4th quarter with a last second field goal 17-16. The Stars travel to winless Seattle to have the Seahawks tie it late in the fourth quarter with a 65 yard Kitna TD pass. Virginia loses the game to an overtime field goal. The Broncos (2-1) travel to Virginia Stadium and get a cushy 27-7 lead. The Stars get 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull ahead by two with less than 2 minutes remaining. The ghost of Elway comes calling in Brian Carlisle and he marches his team down the field. Denver kicks a field goal with 8 seconds left to seal the victory. This team is giving me ulcers. The Giants (4-0) enter Charlottesville with the best record in the NFC. The Stars play them tough, but eventually succumb 23-14. A late 4th quarter TD seals it for New York. A rivalry game against the 2-2 Chiefs is next and they slaughter Virginia 34-16. The Stars are now 0-3 in the middle of a 5-game home stand and minor injuries are starting to add up. QB Rowland is having a decent year. Through six games, his completion percentage in over 53.3 and he has 8TD and 6INT. He definitely is not the problem. It is the defense. In the last two games, they gave up 1001 yards. In just two games. This despite good numbers from LB Dickerson, and DE’s Tindall & Savoy. The next game in the home stand is a win. Rowland led a balanced attack going 15/29 for 241 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Schwartz complemented him with 85 yards rushing. Week 8 finds 4-3 Seattle town and the Stars are down early. The first kickoff of the day results in a return for TD before many fans had even arrived at the stadium. There were reports of people turning around in their cars and going home. Those that did missed Virginia’s second win of the season. Schwartz explodes for 142 yards and 2 TD’s. Rowland throws for 218. Virginia ends the first half of the season with their very first winning streak. They are 2-6, with a tough second half coming up. The next four games are on the road. ------------------ GO VIKINGS! GO PACKERS!
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GO RED SOX! GO BREWERS! |
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03-23-2001, 03:27 PM
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#26 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
I see you took Kennedy in the expansion draft - one of the annoying bugs in the game is that any player selected in the expansion draft retains his level of happiness he had with his former team, and it unfortunately doesn't seem to change. As for the guy demanding a trade, trade or release him. If he's a starter, use him until his contract expires - since he's unhappy he'll demand far more in a renegotiation than he's worth. Good luck with your career!
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"So shines a good deed in a weary world." --William Shakespeare, William Wonka |
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01-25-2003, 12:01 AM
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#27 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Grafton, WI
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Wow. My very first attempt at a dynasty.
What a rook! It was pretty obvious that I didn't have a clue what I was doing. |
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