Blast from the Past - FOF 2001 Dynasty!!! (With a New Team)

[Abe Sargent]

Hello folks and welcome to my newest dynasty. I found a member here who still had the old FOF 2k1 and I grabbed it. My old code still worked and so I am replaying one of my fav FOF titles, not because it is perfect (far from it) but because of one thing - Expansion!

I began a game as the St. Louis Rams GM and piloted them to a Super Bowl and NFC Championship appearances in the first two seasons. Now, the brand new San Antonio Lone Stars have been announced, and I have successfully applied to be their GM. It is 2002. I have a head coach and a head scout already hired by my owner. The expansion draft is about to begin.

[Abe Sargent]

A review of FOF 2001 - This is the EA/Solecismic combined game. It is infamous for having players where they were then, and not a realistic picture of where the would be today. A classic example is Charlie Batch, who is really good in this game, and fairly cheap.

There were several issues with FOF2k1, famously the bug where older players would demand significantly more money than was their due, especially for backups. Another issue was trades, where you could rape the computer AI with unrealistic trades.

FOF2k1 was claimed to be nothing more than an update of FOF2 with newer graphics, but it was harder and the AI was better. Not massively so, and it would continue in later games, but it was a better game in many of these aspects, making it an interesting selection for another dynasty.

Some think using the Franchise tag is cheesy, but I like it. It’s realistic and useful. However, I am not allowed to abuse the tag. Key uses are to keep disgruntled players on your team or force someone to stay on your team when you are having a contract issue. Other than that, don’t use it just to use it.

Another thing I like about FOF2k1 over FOF2 is that the perfect players are not here. You know, the TE that is absolute nuts at both received and blocking, or the RB that is a top pounder and dasher and receiver, the LB who is both a house in coverage and against the run while also nuts rushing the passer, etc. These are no realistic, and FOF2k1 significantly reduces them.

[Abe Sargent]

Our Dynasty Rules:

1. We begin on the hardest level of difficulty.

2. Only 1 year deals for most UFA of rookie status, but you can offer the occasional two or three year contract to players of a developmental nature or QBs, to represent reality.

3. I will only accept offered trades, and those I offer to the AI must be ones I would agree to if I were on the other side.

4. GM may be fired for poor performance.

5. Signing of Draft Picks is automatic.

6. I will never add more than one year to the initial demand of length made by an agent.

7. Franchise tag restrictions as listed above.

8. Post Training Camp cut players can only be signed to one year if they are expected to be a starter. (Backups can get paid over several years).

9. Backloading can never be more than 2x the previous salary

10. Do not reduce salary cap requested by an agent during negotiations.

11. I may not renegotiate a contract unless we are at a Backloaded year, they suffered a major injury that reduced their ability significantly, they are in the final year of a 3year or less contract, or they are in the final two years of a 4+ year contract. I will allow an exception to QBs. One of those must be true.

12. I will be moving to new teams when I see a need. As such, I will not be with the San Antonio Lone Stars for the long haul.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s take a look at my new franchise:

Head Coach - Oscar Frederick - Already hired when I came on board. Excellent at Discipline and Defensive Play Calling. Poor with Injuries. Very Good with Motivation and Good with Offensive Play Calling and Youth. In terms of talent, he is Excellent with D Linemen, Very Good with Kickers and Secondary, Good with QBs and Rbs, Fair with Wrs, O Line and Lbs. He is the 14th highest paid HC in the league and we have a contract with him for two years. I would have hired someone with better young players skill because we will likely have a lot of youth on our roster.

Head Scout - Stanley Glenn - We have the highest paid head scout in the league by a lot. What do we get four our money? Excellent at evaluating QBs, Rbs, Dline and Oline. Very Good at Wrs. Good at youth, Lbs, Secondary. Fair at kickers. Not bad.

Only four franchises, Buffalo, New Orleans, Cincinnati and Tampa Bay have a lower value than us.

San Antonio has 1.57 million people in the area. It is one of the most trend setting cities in the US. It also has one of the highest poverty rates in the US, so take that with a grain.

We are in the AFC West and play against the Chargers, Chiefs, Seahawks, Raiders and Broncos annually.

Our outdoor/natural grass stadium has: 19300 upper deck seats, 14,000 end zone seats, 8,100 Mezzanine seats, 12,400 sideline seats, 9,500 club seats and 140 luxury boxes.

Capacity 66,700.

[Abe Sargent]

The Jaguars made it to the AFC Championships in their 2nd year with youth and luck, but then began to dominate for several years. The Panthers made it to the NFC Champions in their second year with experience and veterans, and then didn’t see the deep playoffs again for years.

I want a symbiotic relationship. Both veterans and youth. That is how, I beleive I’ll be able to hit the playoffs early and keep hitting.

[Abe Sargent]

Ok, time to head into the 2002 Expansion Draft.


I want to keep my cap relatively light. So I will be wary of the adequate veteran with the high price tag. So, for example, I might want QB Elvis Grbac, best QB in the draft and not too shabby, but there is no way I want to spend 15 million on him this year, and 5 million each year for the next three years. Perhaps I will do so later in the expansion draft after seeing my cap.

I decide to start selecting with a few good players with adequate salaries:

1 - S Kenny Kennedy from the Broncos. With a cap cost of just 490k, has three years left, and is just in his 3rd year. He is adequate but doesn’t break the bank.
2 - TE Mike Lucky from the Cowboys. In the final year of his contract for just 610k. Best non kicker in the draft and just in his 4th year. He is disgruntled, however.
3 - P Jeff Feagles form the Seahawks. He’s old, but really good. We have him for two years with a good contract.
4 - LB Ryan Phillips from the Giants. He’s okay, but a bit expensive. We have him for two years at 2.1 million this year and 2.6 next. This is his 6th year in the league.
5 - OT Christian Jewell from the Packers. Very green and very young with a small price tag. We have him for just one year.
6 - DE Jared Tomich from the Saints. He isn’t that good, but I wanted a DE with some experience on my roster and he was the best of the bunch. 2.88 million hit this year but none next because he is in the last year of his contract, so he is not a major commitment.
7 - DT Seth Payne of the Jaguars. Just like Houston did in real life, we have taken Seth Payne. He is the best DT on the board, but acceptable at best. We have him for three years with 2.84 this year, 3.5 next, and 4.4 the following year.
8 - WR Kevin Lockett of the Chiefs. There are a lot of receivers open, but not many that are any good. Kevin could start for us easily. We have this 6 year man for two years at 3.3 this year and 4.1 next.
9 - QB Elvis Grbac of the Chiefs. I decide to bite the bullet. I don’t know what the rookie class holds but I don’t want to tie myself to having to force draft a rookie QB if there isn’t want available when we pick, and we lock up a starting caliber QB for four years, even if this year is a 15 million hit. I don’t know if the game will account for it, but bringing both a QB and a WR from a team should have some benefits for an expansion franchise.
10 - FB Rob Konrad of the Dolphins. There are a ton of Fbs in the pool ,but only 4 Rbs, which all suck. I take the one I like the best with a combination of skills, youth and cheapness. I’d rather not have to be forced to waste a draft pick on a FB if I don‘t have too. We have the 4 year man for two years at 610k.
11 - K Brett Conway from the Redskins. Using that logic, I grab the best K on the board but we have him for just one year at 60k, so I can cut him easily if a good K is a free agent or a great kicker falls in my lap during the draft.
12 - WR Tai Streets from the 49ers. We have this young developmental WR for three years at 610k each year.
13 - LB Phil Clarke from the Saints. 1.2 mill this year, 1.5 next. 4th year, still needs development but could be good.
14 - CB Kevin Smith from the Cowboys. There were a lot of corners in the expansion draft, but most were lousy. Kevin is an okay emergency starter and we have him for three years at 1.9 million each year. He’s older though - 11th year is beginning.
15 - S Scott Shields from the Steelers. He’s a solid young player who we have for two years.
16 - LB Brett Cox from Buffalo. Very green. We have this 2nd year player for two years at minsal, but probably just a backup.
17- TE Daniel Campbell from the Giants. Young, cheap and we have him for just one year. A very good backup. You draft where the strength is on the board.
18 - C Derek Engler from the Giants. The top rated C on the board. Not that good. This 6 year man has one year left on his contract for 2.1 million and then he is gone.
19 - G Jeremy Jacobs of the Falcons. The worst G in the group and very, very raw, but has some solid skills once this 2nd year man develops into them. We have this 3rd round pick from last year for two more years at minsal.
20 - RB Britt Weber from 49ers. Last year’s 5th overall pick from Boise State, Britt busted hard. Because his compensation is so bonus heavy, we get him for four years, with 690k this year, then 900, 1.1, 1.4 and 1.8 over the next years. Still, I needed a RB on my roster, and he was the cheapest of the 4.


The final five picks are all meant to be cheap, young players for backups. DT Adam Hill from the Titans, OT Bryan Booty from the Bengals, CB Howard Toler of the Jets, OG Frank Beede of the Seahawks and DE Steve White from the Bucs.

[Abe Sargent]

We have 39 million under the cap.

Free Agency:

I can definitely go shopping for a few quality FAs. I take a look over my roster before I do so. What sort of FAs do I want? I also take a quick look at the draft class. Is there an obvious top overall selection for me to grab? There is a stud DE, really good QB, and a pretty good RB. All could go near the top if I needed.

For Free Agency, I have a starting QB, TE and adequate WR, FB, C.

S I need O-Line, Defense, and perhaps a stud RB. What does free agency have for me?

A handful of good Rbs. Eddie George and Michael Pittman head the list.

I make an offer to Eddie George.

There are a ton of good OGs. I make two offers. One to Matt O’Dwyer and one to Everett McIver. Both are older. I decide to put a poker in the Willie Anderson sweepstakes.

I also make offers to DE Tony Brackens, LB Dwayne Rudd, and I enter the Samari Rolle sweepstakes. I also make a token offer to Lawyer Malloy.

At the end of week 1, we have signed Eddie George and Dwayne Rudd. We lost Lawyer Milloy which I expected. The Eagles are the top bidders to Brackens. 49ers for McIvers. Atlanta for Willie Anderson. We are tops for Samari Rolle and O’Dwyer. I increase our bids for Anderson, Brackens, but not McIvers. The bids have increased significantly. I submit an offer to OG Will Shields. I also make an offer to S Reggie Tongue.

The next week, G Matt O’Dwyer signs with us. We have the highest contracts for Rolle, Tongue, Shields and Brackens. I increase my bid for Anderson again, and increase mine for Rolle a bit.

DE Brackens signs with us. We are tops in the other candidates.

Will Shields signs with the Rams and Reggie Tongue with the Falcons. We are tops in the other two players - Anderson and Rolle.

No news for two weeks.

Week 8, Willie Anderson decides to sign with us.

Week 9 - Samari Rolle signs with us.

We have signed CB Samari Rolle, OT Willie Anderson, RB Eddie George, OG Matt O’Dwyer, DE Tony Brackens and LB Dwayne Rudd.

Week 19 - There are still some good players out there. Good WRs and CBs. I decide to make an offer for WR Az-Zahir Hakim for three years at a very flat and decent 2.6 million per year. He signs for it.

Time for drafting.

[Abe Sargent]

2002 Amateur Draft.

We have the first overall pick. Options:

DE Richard Kinney with very high stats is the top rated rookie in the draft. We have one hoss in Brackens and this would give us a second.

QB Jerome Allen with 7.8 future rating, very green and very good.

No contest. I take Jerome Allen.

In the next round I have several options, none of which are too inspiring. It’s down to a good Center and a good DT. I snag the very green but developable DT.

In the third, I hope to catch lightning in a bottle with a really good looking RB in Troy Santoro. In the 7th, I grab a great, great returner in Floyd Redman.


Draft Recap -

1st - QB Jerome Allen of Vanderbilt
2nd - DT Gerald Swayne of New Mexico
3rd - RB Troy Santoro of McNeese State
4th - OG Alvin Stokes of Bluffton
5th - DT Martin McGregor of Duke
6th - LB Malcolm Emmons of Kansas State
7th - S Floyd Redman from West Virginia



We now have 39 players under contract.

[Abe Sargent]

Areas of severe concern:

Safety and Safety
OT


Moderate concern:

CB
DE

I sign DE Duane Clemons to a one year deal.
I sign unsigned CB Sam Madison to a four year deal. Corners are now set for a long time.
I sign S Jerome Woods to a three year deal.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

7th - S Floyd Redman from West Virginia

More Mountaineers, please.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

More Mountaineers, please.

Hehe, this isn[t my WV dynasty Swaggs. Perhaps, someday I might relocate a team to WV...

[Abe Sargent]

The UFAs I Sign:

OT Blaine Buckner of Michigan State
QB Mo Andrews, Colorado State
RB Norman Knight of Oklahoma State
TE Norbert Rivers of Evansville
WR Brenden Davis of Concord State
C Carlton Spain from Bowling Green
WR Lincoln Nixon of Temple
CB Johnny Henry, UTEP
DE Riddick Sherman, Louisville
QB JJ Price, Air Force
QB KC Lucas, NC State
RB Chad Way, Culver-Stockton
LB Kirk Emmons, USC


I release DE Jared Tomich. Too much money for a backup.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s hit up camp.

We sold 37600 season tickets.

Post- Camp Roster Moves:

We sign LB Freddie Russ to a single year contract for 600k. He was cut off a team that drafted him and then cut him post camp. I like this rookie, so I am signing him.

I cut QB JJ Price, RB Britt Weber, LB Brett Cox. That puts us at 52 players. I then sign draft camp casualty OT Ryan Young to a one year deal and cut OT Bryan Booty.

We finish the pre-season with a 1-3 record.

[Abe Sargent]

Here is our starters:

QB Jerome Allard - You don‘t draft a QB with the top overall selection and then start an adequate older QB like Elvis Gerbc over him. He’s raw and will get a chance to grow under center this year.
RB Troy Santoro- He looks like the real deal and better than Eddie George. Eddie will be pissed.
FB Rob Conrad - I picked him up in the expansion draft and haven’t even touched the position since.
TE Mike Lucky - The same is true with Mike. I could have splashed the cash to upgrade this position, but Mike appears good enough and I need to fix other positions first.
WR Za-Zahir Hakim - Our best WR no question.
WR Kevin Lockett - From the expansion draft.
OT Willie Anderson - Because he is great and we now have a strong OT presence on our team.
OT Ryan Young - Not bad, but not that great either.
OG Matt O-Dwyer - He‘s pretty good and we could keep him under contract for a while.
OG Alvin Stokes - Our 4th rounder with some potential is starting.
C Derek Engler - Another starter from the expansion draft
K Brett Conway - Adequate
P Jeff Feagles - A bit better.
DE Chris Clemons - Good enough to start for a year and keep Brackens from being the sole attention getter on the Dline.
DE Tony Brackens - Obviously our best Dlinemen and a good all around player.
DT Martin McGregor - Others are better right now, but he will be better down the line.
DT Gerald Swayne - Same here. Let’s start my rookies from the 2nd and 5th rounds.
OLB Ryan Phillips - Best of the lot but not that good.
MLB Dwayne Rudd - The rock of my defense.
OLB Freddie Russ - He is hyper green but has great bars. I can see why this rookie got cut. He is the worst on my team right now, but starting him should get him some serious experience.
CB Samari Rolle - Just a great corner.
CB Sam Madison - Just a really good corner.
S Jerome Woods - Just an alright safety
S Scott Shields - Ick. A weakness this.

Some notes - Both of our starting corners are fan favorites. We are evaluated as have the best starting tandem in the league at the corners. 9th best starting DTs. We will be running a 4-3 defense. Our RB, taken in the third round, is rated as a 57/80 player by our scout.

[Abe Sargent]

Our rookie ratings:

QB Allard - 22/70
RB Santoro - 57/80
LB Malcolm Emmons - 16/56
DT Gerald Swayne - 15/56
DT Martin McGregor - 14/56
G Alvin Stokes - 29/52
S Floyd Redman - 12/38

Floyd is our best punt and kickoff return man.

[Abe Sargent]

The 2002 Schedule for the San Antonio Lone Stars

1. Miami
2. At Cleveland
3. San Diego
4. At Seattle
5. At Minnesota
6. At Kansas City
7. At Oakland
8. At San Diego
9. BYE
10. Seattle
11. Tampa Bay
12. Denver
13. Oakland
14. At Denver
15. Chicago
16. At Jacksonville
17. Kansas City

(No NFL schedule would ever give a team five consecutive away games. Especially not an expansion team in its first season).

Our goal - Hit the 7-9 mark set by the Panthers in their first season.

[Abe Sargent]

Week 1 - We win our debut game 20-17. Eddie George and Troy Santoro got two scores on the ground. Add two FGs by Conway. Player of the Game - DE Tony Brackens. We gave up no turnovers. They held us to under 100 yards rushing. Rookie Allard went 19 of 37 for 142 yards. No receiver has more than 50 yards. 9 receives caught a pass, so Allard really spread out his 19 completions. Dwayne Rudd had 11 solo tackles and 5 assists. Brackens notched a trio of sacks. Sam Madison grabbed a pick. It was a good, professional game with no mistakes. Az-Zahir broke his hand and will be out for a few weeks. Tai Streets will be starting in his place. C Derek Engler dislocated his should is and doubtful. I deactivate him for a game or two.

Week 2 - We defeat the Browns 21-20. Close. Santoro notched a pair of TDs on the ground and Eddie George added a 3rd. Allard threw a pick that was returned for a TD by the Browns defense. We had 170 yards on the ground. We gave up three turnovers, a fumble lost and two picks, all by Allard. Santoro had 30 rushes for 131 yards. Allard went 19 of 32 for 141 yards. Redman had a 58 yard kickoff return. Picks by Samari Rolle and LB Phillips. White had a pair of sacks. O’Dwyer had 5 KRB and Spain had 4. We won this game despite our QB.

I am moving Elvis Grbac to the starting position. Let’s see what the old man can do.

Week 3 - We defeat San Diego 10-7. Kevin Lockett caught a pass for our only TD. Player of the Game? Tony Brackens again. Santoro had 76 yards. Grbac was 14 of 31 for 110 yards, a TD and a pick. Not any better than Allard. Brackens notched two sacks, while Sherman also grabbed a pair. White, Swayne and Rudd all added a sack. Grbac is questionable. I’ll go back to Allard permanently.

Week 4 - We lose to Seattle 19-20. All of our games are close. LB Ryan Phillips go at pick and ran it back for 47 yards. Kevin Lockett caught a TD pass from 3rd string QB KC Lucas. That may be bad news. MVP is Ryan Phillips. Santoro had 99 yards on 18 carries. Lucas went 15 of 25 for 96 yards, a TD and a pick. Phillips grabbed two picks on the day. Samari Rolle got a sack. Allard looks banged but fine. I jack up our willingness to use injured players. Perhaps we could have ended up with a win today had the injured Grbac stepped up. Willie Anderson is questionable but will start. LB Dwayne Rudd is questionable and we will be strating him as well. Az is back.

[Abe Sargent]

Week 5 - We defeat Minnesota 24-8. Out first game that was not close at all. Kevin Lockett caught a 66 yard pass from Allard for a TD. Eddie George rushed for a score. Tai Streets caught an Elvis Grbac pass. Why are my QBs keep getting subbed? Eddie George rushed for 129 yards on 31 carries. No carries by our starter. Grbac went 18 of 30 for 136 and a TD. Allard went 3 of 4 for 77 and a TD. Redman had 48 yards punt returning on two returns. Rolle and Madison each grabbed picks, Brackens got a sack and a half. Game MVP was Eddie George. Jerome Woods has 3 passes defensed. QB Jerome Allard is probable wit ha bruised shoulder.

RB Troy Santoro is out, long term, with a severe hamstring pull, and his stats have dropped as a result. I place him on IR and move Eddie George to the starting position. I sign Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala to a one year deal to salve my roster. I had this bright, great RB and is sucks that he was injured this badly this soon.

Week 6 - We crush the Chiefs 23-3. Our defense is looking good. Sam Madison notched a 73 yard interception return and was the game MVP. 4th string WR Nixon caught a TD pass. The rest were Fgs. George has 107 yards on 11 carries. Allard went 12 of 24 for 120 yards, 1 TD and 1 pick. Brackens came away with another pair of sacks. DT McGregor recovered one of their fumbles. WR Tai Streets is out for a few weeks.

At the 6th week mark, we are 5-1 without any major offensive players. On defense, however, Brackens is second in the league with 8.5 sacks. Our defense is allowing the 2nd fewest rushing yards per game at 79/game. We allow the fewest yards per completion, 5.1, of any team. We are tied with the most sacks in the NFL at 20. We have a +3 turnover margin despite starting a rookie QB.

I approach a couple of my starters from the expansion draft with one year left to see if they want to sing for next year, but none have a decent contract expectation.

Week 7 - We lose to the 1-5 Raiders 3-10. An ugly game. George had 92 yards on 23 carries. Allard was 9 yards. 2 of 14? That is not a veteran presence. Brackens got another pair of sacks. LB Phillips and S Scott Shields grabbed picks. Az is questionable for next week (but will play). G Alvin Stokes is doubtful and I am pulling him. Willie Anderson has been knocked down to doubtful, and I am pulling him as well.


Week 8 - We defeat San Diego 17-7. We are now in first place in the AFC West and heading into our bye. Eddie George was the Player of the game with a 2 yard td run and a 74 yard catch and run for a score. He had 101 yards on 19 carries and 125 yards catching on 6 catches. Allard was 20 of 34 for 220 yards, 1 TD and 1 pick and lost a fumble. S Shields with another pick, Brackens with another sack. C Engler had 5 KRB. Our defense grabbed a fumbles by DE Clemons.

OT Ryan Young was knocked into doubtful from an injury. I hope this week will ge tus som erest. Our players need it.


Week 9 - Bye

Injuries we still have of significance:

G Alvin Stokes is doubtful with a hip pointer
T Willie Anderson is questionable with a bruised ribcage
T Ryan Young is questionable with a sprained neck
WR Tai Streets is doubtful with a hyper extended knee


My starting O-line is hemorrhaging players right now.

I decide to rest Stokes and Anderson and Streets but start Young.

[Abe Sargent]

Week 10 - We lose 17-28. Eddie George was MVP. He has a score on the ground and 4th string WR Brenden Davis caught a TD pass from Grbac. George had 126 yards on 28 carries. Grbac had his first good passing day where he is 21 of 35 for 297 yards, and a TD, but two picks. Eddie George caught 134 yards on 7 passes. Samari Rolle grabbed a pick. Eddie George was also the league’s Offensive Player of the Week.

Jerome Allard is questionable with a broken nose. I will be starting Grbac. Wrs Lincoln Nixon and Brenden Davis both got injuries at questionable, and Tai Streets is still doubtful and Az has a niggling injury at probable. Four of my 5 WRs have an injury right now.

Week 11 - We crush Tampa Bay 33-3. Our highest scoring game of the year by far. Eddie George player of the game with an 67 yard catch and run for a TD, 18 yard run for a score, 143 yards on 29 carries, 124 yards on 4 passes and a good day. Chris Fu also hammered it in from 4 yards away, and O-Lineman Blaine Buckner got a fumble recovery for a TD. Grbac was 20 of 28 for 243 yards and a TD - no turnovers. Tony Brackens notched an incredible 4 sacks on the day. C Engler had 4 KRB. Clemons and McGregor both recovered fumbles from the other side. Eddie George is again league Offensive Player of the Week.

G O’Dwyer is doubtful with a broken foot. Willie Anderson is healed and back in the saddle.

Week 12 - We lose to Denver 17-30. Ouch. Our scores came from a George run and a Lockett catch. They held us to 23 rushing yards on the day. Grbac went 16 of 42 for 238, a TD and 3 picks. Hakim had 105 yards on 4 catches. S Shields grabbed a pick. S Woods had three passes defensed.

Jerome Allard is healed and will be starting again next week. It is true that Grbac had two of our best performances, but last week was just a nightmare.

Week 13 - We lose 11-30 to the Raiders. Lincoln Nixon caught a 2 yard pass for our only TD. In his return, Allard went 15 of 29 for 169 yards, 1 TD and 1 pick. Pick by Shields, sack by Brackens.

If the playoffs were held today, our 7-5 record would lose to Buffalo’s and we would not make it in as a wild card. However, Denver is also 7-5 and has the tiebreaker, so we could leapfrog over them for the division victory. We play Denver this week.

S Jerome Woods is questionable with turf toe, but I’m starting him anyway.

[Abe Sargent]

Week 14 - We edge Denver 13-9. Kevin Lockett caught a 35 yard pass for the game’s lone TD. Dimeback Johnny Henry is the Game Mvp. George was kept to just 55 yards on the ground. Allard was 14-28, 147, 1 TD. Henry has two picks. Lincoln Nixon is doubtful so I activate probable Tai Streets to take his place.

We are now leading the AFC West again, 8-5.


Week 15 - We crucify the Bears 27-7. Both Sam Madison and Samari Rolle return picks for scores. Samari Rolle is the game MVP. Tai Streets got a two point conversion. FB Rob Konrad got a 24 yard catch and run for a score. George was knocked out and Chris Fu got us 82 yards on 27 carries. Allard went 21 of 31 for 216 yards, a td and no picks for his best passing day of the season. Rolle had two picks, Brackens got a sack and a half, Rolle had three passes defensed. Willie Anderson had 4 KRB. DT McGregor got us a fumble recovery. We were +4 in turnover differential. Samari Rolle was League Defensive Player of the Week.

Jerome Allard is questionable with a hyper extended elbow so Grbac is moved to starter. George is questionable with a hip pointer and will sit out this week.


Week 16 - We travel to and lose in Jacksonville 13-20. Carnell Lake go at 43 yard interception return off Grbac. Kevin Lockett caught a 47 yarder. Chris Fu had 4 yards on 17 carries. Without any ground game, our team lost it. Grbac went 19 of 32 for 226 yards, 1:2 ratio.

We are 9-6, as is Denver. We play KC this week. We need to win, so I am activating a few players that have injuries to get us this win.


Week 17 - We edge KC 16-10. But Denver wins the division so we are a wild card at 10-6. Backup RB Norman Knight rushed for our only score of the game. Dwayne Rudd was game MVP. Rudd had 1.5 sacks, Rolle had a pick, Brackens had a sack. Three of our D Line recovered fumbles.

[Abe Sargent]

Wild Card Round - San Antonio Lone Stars at the Denver Broncos. We split the regular season series. Jerome Allard will be starting, as will Eddie George.


We lose 17-21.

Eddie George and Chris Fu rushed for two tds. George had 157 yards on the ground on 19 carries.

Allard was 7 of 16 for 122 yards, no tds or picks.

S Redman, starting after a backup safety went down with a tie injury and the starting S Shield was out for a few quarters, led the team in tackles with 12 solos and 2 assists. Jerome Woods had a pick. Stokes and Konrad each had 3 KRB.



Denver lost in the AFC Championships 10-41 to Cincinnati. The Super Bowl was Cincinnati vs. Dallas, which the Cowboys won 38-25.

[Abe Sargent]

Awards:

All-Pro 1st Team DE Tony Brackens, CB Samari Rolle.
All Pro 2nd Team RB Eddie George, LB Dwayne Rudd


Four of my free agency signings.

[Autumn]

Seems like you've got a great looking defense already. A great running back and a developing QB. Put together some receivers and a solid O-line and you could be there quick.

Fun read.

[Abe Sargent]

Thanks!

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s look at stats:

Jerome Allard started 11 games and only passed for 1375 yards, 6:6 ratio. 69.3 rating.

Eddie George had 9 starts and played in 14 games for 994 yards on the ground, and 7 Tds, plus 479 yards in the air and 2 more Tds.

Kevin Lockett led the team with 771 yards and 6 Tds. Az-Zahir had 541 yards on 13 starts.

Redman had the 5th best punt return average in the league and 10th best KR.

Jeff Feagles had a very poor punting season, and I will be looking to replace him next year.

Tony Brackens led the league in sacks with 19.5. Second was Kevin Carter at 19.

Dwayne Rudd was 5th in the league in tackles. Add 4.5 sacks.

Rod Woodson, btw, had an unbelievable 19 picks in the season. Looks like a broken stat. Two other players had 10 each. Pretty unbelievable. Rolle had 6. He was also one of the best in passes defensed with 14 (4th best). DT Martin McGregor led the league in fumble recoveries with 4.

Not a bad year, all in all.

[Abe Sargent]

Team Awards:

My personal awards to my players. I give out annual awards for OPotY, DPotY, RotY, STPotY and Heart Award.


Offensive Player of the Year - RB Eddie George - After stepping up once Troy was injured and getting us yards after yards and scores after scores, George shows that we made the right choice when we signed him.
Defensive Player of the Year - DE Tony Brackens- Obviously, having the most sacks in a year is going to get you DPotY virtually every time. Good job!
Rookie of the Year - QB Jerome Allard - We started rookies at DT, DT, G, and QB plus RB for a few games, and QB was one of four weakest places, but as far as rookie starting level stats go, having just 6 picks is a good place to start. Allard shows himself to be a good caretaker of the ball. He may not light up the board with thousands of yards, but he gets the job done.
Special Teams Player of the Year - S Redmon - He had good PR and KR returns and gave great field position on a regular basis. Good job Redmon!
Heart Award - WR Kevin Lockett -I really didn’t expect much from what I thought was an overpriced receiver, but I was happy with Lockett’s contributions, all thing considering.

[Abe Sargent]

Next year we are going to have to make some decisions and put out some money.

I have a lot of players leaving my roster, (23) and this time, I may not have as much money for good free agents, since all of my free agents form last year now have higher cap numbers. The patches that I signed will be mostly gone. I have no expansion draft to help me build my roster. I kept 21 of my 25 expansion draftees last year and they really helped.

Score: Team Performance - 66, Franchise Value 61, Profit/Loss - 39, Difficulty - 79 - Total Score 56.

[Abe Sargent]

CB Kevin Smith retired.

I don’t touch ticket prices.

The salary cap rose 9 million.

I will not be franchising any players.

I keep my staff in place.

We are now the 14th rated franchise in the league. Our stadium is tied for 6th best, Support is 5th worst, roster is 14th worst, economy 12th best. We had the second lowest attendance in the league last year either by raw numbers or by percentage of butts in seats.

[Abe Sargent]

I get two trade offers when we enter free agency, but I don’t want to trade my good players. The only player I might shop is RB Troy Santoro. We draft 24th, which truly sucks for us, because we need good youth. As such, I may try to move Troy.

I trade Troy Santoro and our 6th rounder to the Bears for their 1/18 selection. Good. Now I have more 1st rounders.

I will not be resigning any of my UFAs, at least not right now. Time to see what is available. We are currently 26 million under the cap with 28 players under contract.

I make offers to K Mike Vanderjagt, P Josh Miller. Josh is alright, but better than Feagles. Vanderjagt is awesome and I’d love to sign him.

I make offers to:

C John Wade - Best C in free agency. I need to improve my O Line.
TE David LaFleur - I lose my starter, so let’s bring in a solid player
S Lethon Flowers - Older, but the best of poor crop.
LB Wali Rainer - Best of the group

I needs OT and DT, but the players don’t match the money right now. Same with OG.


Week 1 - David LeFleur signs with us. P Josh Miller does too. We are the highest offers to the others. I cut Jeff Feagles.

Week 4 - Mike Vanderjagt signs with us.

Week 6 - Still no movement on the final 3 guys.

Week 7 - Lethon Flowers signs with us

Week 8 - John Wade signs with us

Week 9 - Wali Rainer signs too.


We got all of our targets. K, P, LB, S, C and TE. Not really a bunch of name positions - no DT or DE, no OT or CB, no RB or WR or QB.

[Izulde]

I'm disappointed you traded Troy away. I was looking forward to watching his career.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

Week 4 - Mike Vanderjagt signs with us.

Now you are moving in the right direction.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Now you are moving in the right direction.

Heh. John Wade is from Marshall too.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I'm disappointed you traded Troy away. I was looking forward to watching his career.

Well, his injury knocked his skills down, and I was able to get a really good WR from the pick we traded, and I need WR more than I need RB with Eddie George coming off an All Pro season. That was my thinking there.

Troy was good, but not as good as he was.

[Abe Sargent]

As I alluded to earlier, here is our draft, including WR pick from the Troy trade:

The Draft:

The Dolphins take a DE with the top pick. There are several players I’d be happy with at 18. Let’s see what falls my way.

Suck. The best C in the draft is still on the board and I just signed John Wade. JJ Turman would be a great starting corner, but I already have two. S Roderick Hammonds would be a great starting S down the road, and Woods disappointed me last year. That might be doable.

However, none are as useful to me at Marvin Graham, WR. This guy looks to have a lot of potential, and I need more quality receivers.

I then take a need pick. Gary Conley is the best OT on the board, and I need a starter. I grab him. Same in the second, I need a DE starter and Bertsch is good enough. Grabbing Andre in the 3rd can allow me to drop Elvis.





Draft Recap:

1/18 - WR Marvin Graham, Nevada
1/24 - OT Gary Conley, Fairmont State
2 - DE Harvey Bertsch, Colorado
3 - QB Andre Geiger, Washington
4 - LB Leland Finkes, Sienna
5 - C CJ Luciano, Mississippi State
7 - QB Floyd Swayda, Vanderbilt

[Abe Sargent]

This draft was light on talent.

I now have 40 players under contract. I release Elvis to go to 39.

I make offers to some UFAs:

LB Albert Veland, Hampton
QB Dave Bidwell, Boston College
FB Neal Goulet, Furman
TE Daryl Goble, San Diego State
OG Ron Reeves, Texas A&M
OT Michael George, Virginia Tech
CB Vince Lacina, Northern Iowa
CB Lionel Sousa, Stanford (great return man)
DE Lance Wooden, Oregon State
DE Mo Matich, Akron
WR Brett McKnight, Robert Morris



I sign two year FA OT Melvin Gadsden to a four year deal.


I cut LB Phil Clarke

Let’s go to camp!

[Abe Sargent]

Post Camp, I make some signings: RB Gary Cattell for 1 year, 300k. RB Bert Davison, Georgia Tech, 1 year at 300k, TE Jay Tant, 1 year, 600k.


That finishes up patching my roster so it works. Let’s do some final massaging


OT Gary Conley busted badly. I release LB Ryan Phillips. I sign Ryan Young to another one year contract. I suck it up and cut Gary Conley. I cut CB Howard Toler. I need a true nickelback and I pay Paul Ford 1.3 million for a one year deal to be it.

I extend Matt O’Dwyer’s contract by two years.

I release Rob Konrad. I sign RB Rodney baroque to a one year 1.5 million deal to spell Eddie George.

There are a ton of great players in free agency. Great DEs, a starting caliber QB, and more. These are players that were drafted four years ago, and they demanded too much in RFA negotiations, so the computer held on to them until is was forced to drop them in the FA pool. I did the same, frankly. Best player in the FA pool - QB Joe Hamilton. If I had not drafted Allard and I was going with Grbac, I would have just gotten saved. Other examples include DE Renaldo Francis, OG Antonio Sederth, and DE Morris Lattimore.

I sign one of them right now. P Blaine Baldridge. I cut Josh for him, and I can only sign him to on year, but next year I can make him some nice offers to stick around permanently. Perhaps a good target for franchise tag. Would I franchise a Punter? Well, if its one with 81/81/74 stats and just 4 years experience I might.

[Abe Sargent]

My Starters:

QB Jerome Allard - He had a tendency to get injured last season so I had to take the 3rd round QB who was already partly developed as insurance in case that happens again. He developed well last year, but we have to do better than he did in order to do as well record wise as we did last year.
RB Eddie George - I tried Troy Santoro last year, injury, trade, Eddie did very well for us. He fits us.
FB Neal Goulet - Undrafted FA Neal is just a chump.
WR Az Hakim - His stats last year were unfortunate, but I hope this year, with a real offense, he steps it up.
WR Marvin Graham - The first round rookie steps into the starting role early.
TE David LeFleur - He is pretty solid
OT Willie Anderson - You know him, you love him.
OT Ryan Young - Reprising a second year on a 1 year contract.
OG Matt O’Dwyer - With a new contract in hand.
OG Alvin Stokes - 4th rounder last year, got a lot better and starting again for us this year.
C John Wade - The rock of our offensive line.
K Mike Vanderjagt - Say hello to a good kicker
P Blaine Baldridge - And a good Punter.
DE Tony Brackens - Proved his worth last year.
DE Harvey Bertsch - 2nd round pick rookie, very developed already so he’s a good start but will never be anything special.
DT Gerald Swayne - 2nd rnd pick form a year ago, started then, now developing nicely.
DT Martin McGregor - 5th rounder from last year starting again
LB Dwayne Rudd - Had an All-Pro season a year ago.
LB Wali Rainer - Ready to get a nice start for us.
LB Malcolm Emmons - The weak point in our defense, no question
CB Samari Rolle - He returns
CB Sam Madison - With his mate
S Jerome Woods - Adequate, not massive or anything
S Lethon Flowers - A sufficiently decent starter and hopefully a long term fixture.

CB Redmon and CB Sousa are our returners.

[Abe Sargent]

We sell 38,900 tickets

Draft Eval (remember we cut out busted OT)

WR Marvin Graham 58/72
DE Harvey Bertsch 41/41
C CJ Luciano 16/51
QB Andre Geiger 27/51
LB Leland Finkes 9/44
QB Floyd Swayda 14/55


We are ranked with the 6th worst starting QB in the league, worst starting FB, 7th best TE, 11th best WR tandem, 10th best C, 9th best starting G tandem, 11th OT, Best Punter, 2nd best kicker, 10th best DE tandem, 4th worst DTs, best corner tag team, 7th best safety crew. This means our starters have moved into some power. Obviously, the strength in our roster is our starting corners and we now have good special teams with two returners and a top K and P. Our O Line is strong but not top echelon. Our receivers are solid. Our only real weaknesses are QB and DT, and those will hopefully keep improving.

We have the lowest cohesion in every area except secondary, where we are second lowest.

Our major losses at the end of this upcoming season will be Kevin Lockett, P Blaine Baldridge and both of my returners.

[Abe Sargent]

Coming out of our 2-2 preseason, FB Neal Goulet has a massive injury and will be out for several months. I toss him on IR. I sign DJ Edmonson to be our starting FB from free agency.

I also have a doubtful backup DE and Lionel Sousa, one of my returners is out. LB Emmons is questionable and I deactivate him for a week or two.


The 2003 San Antonio Lone Star Schedule

1. At Denver
2. At San Diego
3. Indianapolis
4. At San Francisco
5. Seattle
6. Oakland
7. Kansas City
8. At New England
9. At St. Louis
10. BYE
11. At Seattle
12. San Diego
13. At Kansas City
14. New Orleans
15. Denver
16. At Oakland
17. Atlanta

[Abe Sargent]

Week 1 - We crush Denver 26-6. Vanderjagt got four FGs including a 57 yarder. Jerome Allard gets his first Game MVP. George gets a short run and new TE David LeFleur gets a TD catch in his first game as a Lone Star. P Baldridge had a punting average of 54.6 on three punts. S Shields gets a pick and a sack. Brackens was with a sack too. Anderson had a manly 6 KRB. Dwayne Rudd recovered a fumble.

Allard - 24 of 28, 294 yards, 1 TD, 1 pick. That’s a professionally done statline. 24 of 28? Awesome. His best passing day yet.

Week 2 - We edge out the Chargers 16-7. Deep dimeback CB Vince Lachina is the Game MVP with a sack and a pick. Kevin Lockett caught a 56 yard TD. 13 of 31 for 200 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int. That’s the Allard we all know and love. Brackens adds a sack. OT Ryan Young is questionable with a broken nose. I’ll pull him for a few weeks.

Week 3 - We get thumped by the Colts 35-6. Their defense scored two Tds, a pick and a fumble recovery, each for a score. Allard was 20 of 34 for 179 and a pick. Flowers gets a pick and Brackens get a pair of sacks. Brackens is knocked to questionable with a bruised shoulder but I will start him anyway. Jerome Woods is doubtful and I pull him. Samari Rolle is questionable and I pull him and start our nickel back.

Week 4 - We lose to the 49ers 14-20. Marvin Graham and Kevin Lockett caught TD passes. Allard was 26 of 49 for 211 2TDs and no picks. Sam Madison got a pick. Kevin Lockett is questionable with a sprained ankle. OG Matt O’Dwyer is doubtful with a hip pointer.

Time to make some executive decisions. I trade WR Az-Zahir Hakim to the 49ers for their 3rd rounder net round. I sign WR Todd Pinkston to a one year deal to patch the hole Az left. He never did anything and I want to try to get the right mix for my QB.

[Abe Sargent]

Week 5 - We defeat the Seahawks 27-13. MVP is Lethon Flowers with 2 picks. Eddie George rushed for one TD and FB Davison rushed for another. George also caught one in the air. Still hasn’t had a100 yard game though. Pinkston had 9 catches for 119 yards in his first game, and that’s good stuff. His stats aren’t that great when you look at him, but that is production on the pitch. Too bad I only have him for one year. He keeps breaking this open, and he may get himself a permanent job. S Shields nabbed a pick.

Allard 24 of 37, 277 yards, 1:0 ratio.

Knowing the team is in good hands with Pinkston, I deactivate Lockett for a few weeks to heal up. DT Martin McGregor is out for a few months with a dislocated knee. I put him on IR. Seth Payne will start in his place. I sign DT Emmitt Burton for a one year deal in his place.

Week 6 - We lose 23-20 in the Raiders. Eddie George gets a 46 yard run for a score. Kenny Kennedy is the Game MVP and returns a pick 76 yards for a TD and has another pick. S Shields also notched a pick. Nothing else of significance occurred.

Week 7 - We lose to the Chiefs 17-44. Ouch. Our two Tds are catches by Brett McKnight and Tai Streets. Shields grabbed a pick and Brackens grabbed a pair of sacks. John Wade got 4 KRB.

Kevin Lockett is back from injury as is Jerome Woods.

Week 8 - We lose to New England to go to 3-5. The final score was 20-28. Todd Pinkston caught an 83 yard TD. Unfortunately, the pick was returned for a score. Marvin Graham also catches a TD. George had his first 100 yard rushing day of the season with 128 yards on 15 carries. Allard was 23 of 41 for 338 yards, 2 TDs an a pick. Pinkston had 123 yards on 5 catches. Samari Rolle and Sam Madison each got a pick. Brackens got the only sack on the day.

We need something we didn’t have last year. We have a better team this year and now are 3-5. Let’s see what the second half brings.

[Abe Sargent]

Week 9 - We defaet the Rams 27-13 and get off the loser wagon. Rookie first rounder Marvin Graham gets his first Game MVP with two TD catches of 43 and 9 yards, 9 catches for 119 yards. Backup RB Marroquin rushes for a score. Allard went 21 of 31 for 237 yards, 2:0 ratio. Brackens got a sack. Both Wade and Anderson got 4 KRB.

Week 10 - BYE

Week 11 - We defeat the Seahawks 19-10. Our only TD was a TD rush by backup RB Marroquin. Brackens was Game MVP with 3 sacks on the day.

Bad news - Wali Rainer had torn knee cartilege and is out long term. I place him on IR. His stats dropped. I sign Roderick Corbin as a patch for the end of the season.

DT Seth Payne is out with a torn calf muscle. I place him on IR and sign DT Norbert McSwain as a patch.

Week 12 - We defeat San Diego 41-13. Our best performance yet. Samari Rolle is Game MVP with a pair of picks. Madison and Flowers also have a pick each. Allard went 25 of 42 for 255, 3:0. Pinkston, Marroquin and Graham all caught Tds. Anderson had 4 KRB.

Our FB is out, so I toss another on IR and sign FB Deon Dyer to get through the year. Madison and Rudd are both knocked to Questionable but I will start them next week. After all, we are 6-5 and one a three game winning streak, so while we still have realistic shot at the playoffs, I want ot take it.

Week 13 - 24-16 Us over KC> Eddie George is Game MVP with two rush TDs and 139 yards on 24 carries. Allard hit Pinkston for a score. C Wade had 5 KRB.

I am hemorrhaging players. I have a bunch that are questionable, doubtful and in problems. If the season were to end today, we would be the 6th WC so we need to keep pushing.

Week 14 37-28 over Saints. Allard hits McKnight, Graham and backup TE Tant for scores. Jerome Woods get an 84 yard INT return and is Game MVP. Marvin Graham had 183 yards on the day. Lethon Flowers had 3 picks and Sam Madison had 2. Lethon Flowers in the League Defensive Player of the Week.

Week 15 - 38-14 over the Broncos. Sam Madison with an 89 yard INT return. Redmon with a 97 yard KO return. George caught a 2 pt conversion and rushed for a score. Lethon Flowers with a 93 yard Int score. Flowers was Game MVP. Brackens had 2.5 sacks. Madison had 2 picks on the day. That is just a crazy box score.

Week 16 - We are blanked by Oakland 16-0. Brackens get a sack, Shields gets a pick. it’s our first loss since week 8. We are 9-6 and poised to get a wild card berth. If we win next week, we are in. If we lose, we could still be in.

Week 17 - We edge Atlanta 16-10 to go to a second consecutive 10-6 season and a second consecutive WC berth with the 4th seed. Eddie George caught our only TD> Lethon Flowers was Game MVP again with a pick. Brackens added 2 sacks. Graham had over 100 yards receiving.

[Autumn]

Wow, that's some off the charts defensive play. I'll be interested to see the defensive stats this season.

[Abe Sargent]

WC Week - We host WC team Indianapolis.

We win 28-7 Our scorers are Todd Pinkston, Eddie George, Marroquin and David LeFleur. Pinkston was Game MVP with 117 yards on 6 catches. Allard had 26 of 37 for 352, 1:2 ratio. George added 105 on the ground. Brackens had a sack and a half.

We travel to Oakland next week.



We lose to Oakland 21-3. Allard was injured and our rookie Geiger had to play most of the game. He went 12 of 27 for 179 and a0:1 ratio, not bad for a rookie backup QB in a playoff game, but not near enough for a victoire. Nickelback CB Ford nabbed a pick, Brackens had a sack and a half.

However, LB Leland Finkes will be out long term with massive shoulder injury, and his stat lowering may mean he’ll never play for us again.


Oakland defeats Green bay 25-22 in the Super Bowl.



Awards - Offensive Rookie of the Year - WR Marvin Graham
All Pro 1st Team - OT Willie Anderson
All Pro 2nd Team - K Mike Vanderjagt, S Lethon Flowers

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Autumn

Wow, that's some off the charts defensive play. I'll be interested to see the defensive stats this season.

Yeah, we had some solid play. I've been building my defense around great FA and my offense partly through the draft. This may be th result of that.

[Abe Sargent]

Stats:

George had 976 yards on 276 carries for an anemic 3.5 ypc. That is one of the worst ypc in the league.

Allard had 3336 yards on 306 of 506. 19:8 ratio. 85.8 rating. Very respectable and definitely better. Among qualifiers, he was 9th in the league in percentage completions, 5th in QB rating, 15th in yards. Tied for second lowest # of picks tossed among those with 16 starts (Mark Brunell was the best).

Marvin Graham had 71 snags for 946 yards and 6 Tds. Todd Pinkston, with 12 starts, had 60 catches for 716 yards and 3 scores.

Floyd Redmon had the 6th best KR avg in the league plus a KR TD. No one kicked a longer ball thatn K MikeVanderjagt. P Blaine Bladridge led the league in punting average. Him not making All-Pro was a snub. The first all team put a blistering high # of balls in the 20, so I can get it, but our guy had a longer punting average than everyone, and more balls in the 20 than the #2 guy Hunter Smith, and a higher percentage of balls in the 20 than Smith, plus more than 2 yards more length. No way Smith shoul dhave gone over Bladridge.

Tony Brackens had 18 sacks, just 2 off the leader and 4th most in the league but was not rewarded with All -Pro honors this year. All three guys above him got it, and #6 got it too. 2nd rnd rookie Hervery Bertsch was second on our team with 6.5 sacks.

Lethon Flowres was second in the league with 9 picks. #1 had 11. Sam Madison was tied for 6th most with 7. You could have mad ea strong argument for Madison for All Pro honors. This is why we need Pro Bowls and not All Pros in the game. More awards means you often can reward those with excellence that lose out in numbers.

Anderson had 32 KRB on the season. John Wade had 26. Alvin Stokes had 9, and perhaps it is time we thought about replacing him.

We had the 5th stingiest passing defense in the league and 12th best against the run.

We led the league with a +15 TO margin. Amazing. We tied for 3rd best in fewest picks given, had the most picks defensively in the league (say thanks to my awesome secondary for that). You can see the difference that having Flowers + Madison + Rolle has on my team. Now if I can plus the S hole, I can turn into a lights out passing D.



Simply put, I need to improve my LB corps, perhaps find a safety to replace Jerome Woods, and a lights out DT. Especially the LB after Wali’s injury.

[Abe Sargent]

My Personal Awards:

Offensive Player of the Year - QB Jerome Allard. He took that next step and did so very well. As I predicted last year, he doesn’t put up a lot of numbers but the protects the ball and finds the receivers. He does what I need him too.
Defensive Player of the Year - S Lethon Flowers. Great picks with 9. All Pro honors. One of a group of great secondary and that will cause a lot of problems for any team that want so throw.
Rookie of the Year - WR Marvin Graham. To him who much is given, much is expected. Even an 18th overall WR is expected to contribute and he did. I got rid of his security blanket, Az Haki, and he responded with a good season.
Special Teams Player of the Year - P Blaine Bledridge - This could have gone to Venderjagt or Redmon, but I decided to go with the guy with the best punting average in the game. Guy has a leg.
Heart Award - WR Todd Pinkston - Seriously, if you saw his stats, you would not think he is anything special, and he didn’t do THAT much but he did a lot coming in mid-season, and he gets my Heart Award as a consequence.


Score - 60 (Team Performance), 78 (Franchise Value), 72 (Profit/Loss), 77 (Difficulty) = 71

[Abe Sargent]

The Offseason

K Mike Vanderjagt retired. Suck! I’m not sure why. I thought I’d be set there for years.


I want to hire a new Head Coach, with better injury avoidance. Who do I want to chase?

I make an offer to the former Bills head coach, Les Walters. We get into a bidding war but win after we drive up the salary to 7 million annually for 5 years.

Les Walters - Excellent - D Line, Young Talent, Def Play Calling. Very Good - Avoid Injury, WR, O Line, Secondary, Discipline. Good - LB, K. Fair - QB, Off Play Calling, RB, Motivation



We are valued at the 4th highest franchise in the league. That was a meteoric rise. We have the best roster, 9th best economy, 7th worst support, and tied for 6th best stadium. We were third lowest in attendance, 4th lowest by capacity.

I have 25 players under contract. Who is leaving that I care about?

P Beldridge, Wrs Todd Pinkston and Kevin Lockett, OT Ryan Young. I franchise my Punter. Not out of the question. Seahawks franchised K Josh Brown a few years ago in rl and the Broncos did it with Elam a few years before that.


I increase ticket prices a bit.

[Abe Sargent]

I am 23 million under the cap. Places where I can cut fat include Seth Payne. Starters in the final year of their contract include Jerome Woods, Samari Rolle, Dwayne Rudd, Eddie George, DT Gerald Swayne.

I extend Samari’s contract by two more years.

We pick 22nd in the draft. I suspect a good WR will fall because there are four goons ones on the board.

Positions of Need:

RB starter possibly, backup x3
FB
TE backup x2
WR x3
OG backup x2
OT starter, backup
K
DT Starter only, backup
DE Mega only, backupo x2
LB starter, backup
CB x3 (backups)
S better than Woods,


Trade Fodder - Perhaps OG Alvin Stokes, or LB Wali Rainer. Maybe even Eddie George. Let’s see what I can move.

I trade my 6th plus Alvin Stokes to the Colts for their 2/20 pick. No one wants Eddie’s salary. I trade my 6th next year and LB Wali Rainer to the Rams for their 2/13 pick this year.

[Hoya1]

damn I miss expansion.

Made single player......well, playable