LA Stars 2007 and beyond

[Marmel]

Off Season.

After that miracle year of 2206, things are goind to change in LA. Kobe is no longer the biggest star in LA. That distinction now goes to Troy Pinson. Pinson is on billboards everywhere in LA. He guest starred in numerous TV shows filmed out here in Hollywood during the off-season. He did the whole Jay Leno/David Letterman thing, and he appears in every magazine you pick up. The Stars hope he has not lost his focus come 2007.

The problem with last year is the intense pressure that will be put on this team in 2007. Cleary, duplicating what we did last year will be next to impossible. I still can't believe what we did last year. Not winning the Superbowl will be seen as a failure in LA, and frankly I don't know if that is fair. Pinson and Hammond are only beginning their 5th years in the NFL.....I will be more than happy with a division title, and a conference title appearance. anything more will be "frosting on the cake."

It's a no brainer: we extend our coach and scout's contracts. A quick recap of last year shows us with a 29 million dollar profit. Sweet. Attendance is up to 74.8%, and that looks to increase this year as well. Ticket prices remain the same. We are offered a very interesting pick. G luther Abrams, a starter and 2nd round draft choice last year for the 7th pick in this year's draft. After much thought, I decide to decline and stick with what worked last year. Plus Luther's contract is dirt cheap for what he is.

We have very little room during free agency, I will just look to improve the LB position. I will surely have to make some cuts if a intend to sign a couple guys. I think I could wiggle just enough, but it will make next year very tough. I owe it to this team to load up for a chance to repeat. I offer LB Malcolm Ramsey a 4 year offer. He would become our best LB. LB Bell Ross gets a 4 year offer, he could be teh new #2 behind Ramsey.

Terrific. Ramsey signs right away. However, I am in danger of losing 2 starters: Lance Johnson and John Wade. I must try to fit them in under the cap. I can cut a LB now that Ramsey is aboard, and the casualty is OJ Childress. Lance Johnstone takes a LOWER offer to play in Pittsburgh, and now I need a DE. He was clearly my best. DE Tyrus Collier looks pretty good and I make a 2 year offer to take him from powerful Tampa Bay.

In week 4, Tyrus sticks with the Bucs, but C John Wade resigns with us. The other LB we sought after resigned with the Jags...this is not shaping up to nicely for us. Week ten comes and we try to fill some holes, but get nobody too impressive.

Before the draft we are again offered the 7th pick for G Luther Abrams....previewing the draft, I should be able to pick up a starter at DE, or somebody just as good as Luther, then hope to pick up the other position with my other 1st round pick. this is a high risk/high reward move, but after losing Lance Johnson at the DE spot, I have to try something, so I take it.....we will see how this turns out.

Draft:
1-DE Lewis Federer, a future all star for sure.

I see an absolutly spectacular Safety that would complement Bryant even better than Bernstein does, and what asurprise this huy is if I take him.....I look to shop Bernstein....lo and behold the Bills will do anything to get him, and they have my man Luther Abrams. I work a trade out with them. I think they got the better of it since Ihad to lost 3 draft picks, including a first, but I get my man Luther back, and I can draft that safety.

1-S Raymond Bryant, surprise! it's Kyle's younger brother! I'm not sure who is better!
3-WR Robert Colby, a nice looking 3rd or 4th receiver from UCLA.
4-LB Donny Emerson, UCLA. we needed a LB and he has a lot of future potential.
5-QB-Shannon Hornbaker, from UCLA also, could breakout.....
6-G Brady Freedly, best player left
7-C Thomas Conway, see Brady Freedly.

We head to camp.

Wow. My first real breakout. 3rd round WR Robert Colby is a total stud now! He might even be our number 1 receiver in his rookie year. I am very excited about this. Then 6th round pick Brady Freely broke out and is now a 50/50/50 guy. The gods have blessed this franchise in the past 12 months.

Starting lineups:
QB Pinson
RB Hammond
FB Jeff Sanders
TE Freddie Jones
WR Urena and Shapiro with Dwight/Coles/Lucas
C John Wade
G Luther Abrams
G Edwin Mulitalo
T Jon Jensen
T Kyle Murphy

DE Grant Wistrom/(rookie)Lewis Federer
DT Kolozdik and Ioane
LB Rainer/Ramsey/Kacyvenski
CB Shawn Springs and Courtney Webber
S Brothers Bryant and Bryant

Our roster is 100, Tampa Bay 97.

[Marmel]

2007 Preseason.
We go 3-1 and nobody is hurt. Not too shabby.

2007 Regular Season:
We open at home against Oakland. They remember last year's playoff massacre and are dying to win at the Coliseum. They score first, tehn we rattle off 35 points. Final score 42-9, Stars.

Week 2:
LA (1-0) at San Diego (0-1)
They tie the game with :56 on the clock. Pinson hits Shapiro for 77 and TD with :32 on the clock to win.

Oh my, it is pretty late. I will continue the 2007 season tomorrow hopefully. Good night everyone.

[FishFan]

Dear Marmel-

I know communication has been limited lately, but I just wanted to let you know that I am still watching and listening. Everything your franchise has done for me is heartfelt. The night with Julia Roberts was magnificient and I am not just talking about the football game. To be able to host the first ceremonial coin toss in LA's playoff history in 2005 is a memory I will never forget. Finally, to cap off a great first five years with a Super Bowl Championship is unreal. I never would have though it would come so soon.

Unfortunately, something is bothering me. In ten games against the Raiders we stand just 5-5. To add salt to the wound, they have not fielded great teams the past few seasons. This type of mediocre record against our #1 rival is unaccetable. We need to do better against the Raiders. Heaven forbid we lose to them in the playoffs - I could not fathom that.

So, take pride in your championship. It truely was a magical season. But remember: the war is not over yet. The Raiders will make a comeback and we need to be ready.

Good luck in 2007!

Your #1 fan,

FishFan

[Marmel]

Week 3:
Washington (1-1) at LA (2-0). Grant Wistrom will miss some time with a knee problem. We win 34-27, but it was never even close. The running game is concerning me this year. In the 3 games, Hammond has not rushed for 100 yards in a game, and this week he was held to 16. Pinson had a good week going 20 for 26, 287 and 2 TDs. Harvey Urena hurt his foot and will come off the bench. Dwight will start in his place.

Week 4:
LA (3-0) at Dallas (3-0). I am not sure how this Dallas team is 3-0, but we need to take them seriously. We score an early TD, then pack it in for the day. Pinson throws 3 INTs and we get hammered 31-7.

Week 5:
bye week

Week 6:
NY Jets (3-1) at LA (3-1). This is arematch of last year's AFC title game. The Jets have revenge on their minds. We come out of the bye with out a single injury. Hammonds runs for 98 and a TD, Pinson throws for 300+ yards, and we take this one easily 31-3. WR Deron Lucas breaks his hand and will sit out a few weeks.

Week 7:
LA (4-1) at Denver (3-2). Denver is 2nd in the division and looks to take over 1st place if they beat us. We get revved up for this road game by stopping over in Colorado Springs and watching a minor-league football squad play there. Then we head to Denver. We flex our division muscle and take this one 14-10. Any win on the road in Denver is one that I will gladly take.

Week 8:
LA (5-1) at Seattle (3-3). I have a funny feeling about this Seattle squad, and so our coaching staff devotes extra time to studying the films. MY fears are realized as they jump out 10-0. The coaches remain calm, stick to the plan and the guys score 30 unanswered for the 30-10 win.

Week 9:
LA (6-1) at Indy (5-2). A tough road test. Indy is looking real strong this year, and the coach's hold 2 a days all week to fully prepare the Stars for this game. The practice pays off as we win 19-10 in an otherwise uneventful game.

Midseason report:
I do not feel we are as dominating as last year at this point, although we hold the same record. Our individual stats suggest we are getting it done as a team, instead of riding Hammond and Pinson's back.

QB Pinson is 126/193 (65.2%) for 1671, 10TDs, 8INTs, rating of 92.5 good for 4th in the league.

Hammond has only run for 442 and 6TDs, clearly a huge decrease in production.

As always we are receiving by committee.
The defensive front 7 have no stat leader in any catagory. Same goes for the secondary, as the Bryant brothers have 3 INTs among them.

Still 7-1 is 7-1.

Week 10:
San Diego (3-5) at LA (7-1). Hammond gets going for 114, and Pinson throws for 2 TDs as we take this one easily. 33-6.

Week 11:
Arizona (6-3) at LA (8-1). Another in a long line of tough out of division games for us this year. Pinson throws for over 300 yeards, but we need to take this one to OT. Once again, our OT hero Tim Dwight hauls in a TD catch for the win. 16-10

Week 12:
LA (9-1) at KC (4-6). Our annual trip to Arrowhead Stadium always has our coaches up late preparing....RB Sanders was particularly impressive, going for 102 and 2 TDs. Hammond still in neutral rushed for only 63. However, we win 25-13.

Week 13:
Denver (6-5) at LA (10-1). Denver is in 2nd place in our division, so we already have pretty much wrapped up the division. However the Jags and Steelers lurk at 9-2 for home field throughout the playoffs, so we need to bring it every week still. Dwight catches his only pass of the game for a TD in OT to bring it home for us. Can you believe Dwight's performace when it comes to OT??? He really thrives when it comes to sudden death.

Week 14:
KC (5-7) at LA (11-1)
In a very controversial clock decision, :01 is put back on the clock after it showed 0:00, and we kick the 18 yard FG to squeak this one out. Most disturbing is Hammonds 10 run, -4 yard performance.

Week 15:
LA (12-1) at Oakland (2-11). Oakland's home stadium sells out for this one. Thier first of the year. Unfortunatly for them, the stadium is half-filled with crazy Stars fans. They love making the trip up to Oakland and celebrating inthier stadium. Obviously, we did not head FishFans words of wisdom. we lose 43-29. Our most embarrassing loss in this franchise's history. At 12-2, the fans are calling for the coach's head after this one, and frankly, if he doesn't take us to the bowl victory this year, I will have to think about his future with this team. A loss to a 2 win team is unacceptable, but when that team is Oakland, something MUST be done.

Week 16:
LA (12-2) at Philly (9-5). Coach Olin worked the players to the bone this week after last weeks loss. He went on national TV and said the stars will not lose a game the rest of the way. I secretly question the wisdom in his actions. Coach Olin will be dissected come off season unless he holds true to his guarantee. Hammond finally gets something going with a 100 yard game, and we slide by out East in Philly, 27-24. We have clinched a bye week, but not yet home field.

Week 17:
Seattle (6-9) at LA (13-2). Pittsburgh won earlier, and finished the season 13-3. A win here means they will come visit US in 3 weeks. Stars 38-6. We finish 14-2 for the 2nd consecutive year. the Oakland lost is almost forgotten, as LA is buzzing about Coach Olin's guarantee, and how it is looking better and better every week. For the record, including playoffs, we are 7-6 against Oakland. This include our first two season when we went 0-4, and it includes the one time in the playoffs that we knock them out. In the last 4 years we are 7-2 against Oakland, so I may be giving Coach Olin the benefit of the doubt. The aftermath of that Oakland loss was tremendous, but a few wins have made that ancient history in LA.

End of season stats:
QB Pinson has another great 2nd half of the season to finish with 288 for 451 passes (63.8%) for 3,864 yards, with 28TDs and 15 INTs. His rating is 97.7, 1st in the NFL.

RB Hammond had a down year rushing for only 912 yards and 8TDs. FB Sanders had 574 yards with 5 TDs. Maybe Sanders developement took away from Hammonds touches this year.

Shapiro finished with over 1000 yards receiving, which I believe is a frnachise record for us.

The defense was statistically unimpressive. the Bryant brothers had 6 INTs between them.

[FishFan]

I am sickened. Thouroughly disgusted. I want that coach's head on a silver platter. Throw in the nickel back's head, as well.

Of course, you can spare them both if LA wins another bowl.

What pressure?

[Marmel]

2007 Post-Season:

We open the playoffs against Jacksonville. they finish 10-6. Their starting QB will not play due to injury. the backup has throw for 0 TDS and 3INTs this season. We will send our D after him all game long.

We win the toss and receive. We drive into their territory, but Pinson is picked off and the Jags take over. Their QB Erikson can;t do a thing and they punt. Our running game is MIA, but Pinson keeps us going through the air, until he finally hits Shapiro for the 22 yard TD. 7-0 Stars. We trade punts for a bit, then mid-way through the 2nd Hammond breaks off a few nice runs and Pinson gets it to Freddie Jones and it 14-0 Stars. On the Jags next possession they gets their first 2 first downs and kick a long FG to get on the scoreboard. The punts see the most action for the rest of the half and the score stays 14-3. Our D has them rattled. they have 71 yards of total offense, and 30 came on 1 pass play.

They open the 2nd half with a nice drive, but stall in the red zone and kick the FG, 14-6, Stars. After we punt, they punt again and pin us at the 6. Sanders runs for 2 yards, then we get what we have waited for all year long. Hammond breaks one off left tackle for 92 yards and the backbreaking TD. Its 21-6 Stars. That play takes all the wind out of Jacksonville. We go on to win 34-13. Hammond is MVP with 212 yards and 1 TD.

On a side note, preseason favorites Tampa Bay was knocked out of the playoffs for the second straight year by the Carolina Panthers.

As expected, Oittsburgh marches into town behind QB Jeff Blake, RB Orlandid Gary, and WR Marvin Harrison. Lance Johnstone also makes his return to the Coliseum. This time in black and yellow instead of our Silver and White. He is greatly by a hearty round of boos for abandoning the stars for Pittsburgh. The crowd is riled up for a return trip to the Superbowl on the line.

Again, we win the toss and elect to receive. We get 0 yards and punt. Nice start. Pittsburgh gets -1 yard and punts. It takes us five plays, and a Hammond 2 yard plunge to take the early lead, 7-0. They get the ball moving, but our D tightens up in the red zone and hold them to a FG. 7-3 Stars. We go three and out again, and Pittsburgh marches on a long time consuming drive. Our D holds in the red zone again, but on the FG try, we jump offsides and give them a fresh set of downs. they take advantage and Blake hits Cleeland for the TD, 10-7 Steelers. We both punt, and the Stars get it back with about 5 minutes in the half. We convert no fewer than 5 thrid down and get the TD to Freddie Jones to go up 14-10. That score holds until halftime.

They get a few 1st downs and move into our territory, but they eventually punt. We take over at the 8. We work our way into their territory, but have to punt them down inside the 20. Like deja vu, they pin us at our 8 again to end the 3rd quarter. We head to the 4th with us clinging to a 14-10 lead.

Early in the forth, their defense turns the big play and intercepts Pinson at the 34 yard line. In Pinson's defense, the ball bounced right off of Dwight's hands and into CB Ford's hands. Our defense looks like swiss cheese as Gary rumbles 30 yards for the TD. They take the 17-14 lead. Things are getting urgent. coach Olin looks deeper into his play book.......

Pinson starts airing it out and eats up yardage in 15-20 yard chunks. We get down inside their 10 and Hammond takes it in from the 7 to regain the lead. You have to hand it to Coach Olin when it looks bleak. 21-17 Stars. Just under 7:00 to play. They face 4th and 1 at the 30 with 2:20 to play....they decide to punt and hope thier D holds. Henry takes the punt but FUMBLES.....their is a huge pile-up and Federer comes out of the pile with the ball. the crowd erupts as we take over at our 47 yard line 2:03 to play. The running game is good enough to run the clock out and LA is going back to the Superbowl to defend its title!

Philly beats Carolina 27-20 and it will be a rematch of week 16, which we won 27-24.

Superbowl to be played tomorrow, hopefully.

[Marmel]

Sorry for the delay....on to the Superbowl.

LA (16-2) vs. Philly (12-7)

Philly wins the toss and elects to receive. McNabb and Duce Staley have been together for along time and lead the Eagles to an opening drive TD. They used a nice combo of passes and runs. 7-0 Eagles. We take over, gain -1 yard and punt. Our defense finally takes the field and stops them, 3 and out. We take over at our 40, gain +1 yard and punt. But then we get the break we need. Duce fumbles on the first play and Kyle Bryant falls onit. We take over at their 24. Their D holds us on three straight plays from the 1 and we settle for 3. 7-3 Eagles.

Philly opens the 2nd quarter by driving into our territory. Our defense makes the big play again. Newcombe steps in front of a McNabb pass and he's off to the races. Moulds finally pulls him down at the 15, saving the TD. It was a wasted tackle because Hammond takes it in on 3 straight carries. 10-7 Stars. McNabb completes some big third down passes. Couple that with 3 penalties on our part, and they get a FG with under 2 minutes in the half. 10-10.

The second half opens and we take the kickoff. More penalties for the Stars and we have to punt yet again. Our defense again steps up to the plate and picks off another McNabb pass. Weber gets dragged down by Moulds at the 30. That's 2 TD's Moulds has saved. A holding call hurts us and we settle for 3. 13-10 Stars. McNabb completes to Moulds on their first play for 42, and now they threaten from the 25 yard line. How much more can I ask of my D? They let me down this time and give up the go-ahead TD. 17-13 Eagles. We get a nice runback to the 40, then drive deep into their territory, but again have to settle for the FG. 17-16 Eagles. The coreners knock down McNabbs 1st 2 passes, then we get a sack to force the punt. Baldridge gets a nice return and we take over at their 41, trailing by a single point. A 22 yard, 3rd down catch by Dwight ends the 3rd quarter.

We open the 4th with a 1st and 10 from their 22. We need to cash in with a TD. On the first play of the 4th, Urena hauls in a pass for 22 yards and a TD! FB Sanders runs in the conversion and its 24-17 Stars. Three and out for the Eagles gives us a chance to shut the door on them. A steady dose of Pinson and Hammond, capped off by a 19 yard Hammond TD run opens this one up. 31-17 Stars. The LA fans are celebrating in the stands. Coach Olin makes sure his guys are all business, and no celebrating until the end. There is still over 8 minutes to play. McNabb rallies the troops. They complete a huge 4th down to our 5 yard line. We stop them and bring up another 4th down. McNabb on the keeper, and he is stopped short of the goalline by Newcombe. 4:30 to play. Hammond is a bulldozer and gets us out to the 26. Then we run Hammond's favorite play, off left tackle and he goes untouched for 74 yards and the back breaking TD! 38-17 Stars. Coach Olin gets another Gatoraid bath and the Stars go on to win by that same score. The Stars win their 2nd consecutive Superbowl!!!!! Hammond was the game's MVP.

Post Season awards:
MVP: QB Troy Pinson
1st team QB: Troy Pinson
DROY: S Ray Bryant. Each of the brothers won this award.
Sanders is 1st team fullback.
Jensen is 1st team T.
Rupp is 1st team punter.

[Marmel]

Off-Season. We turned a 14 million dollar profit this year. Down 52%. Attendance was up to 82.4%. Obviously the staff stays in place. Ticket prices remain level.

Free Agency:
We have a little bit of cash to work with, but probably only enough for 1 or 2 players. We are going to lose a lot of our longtime backup players for sure. They just want too much money. Kyle Bryant is on the FA market. He WILL be resigned. No matter what.

We put an offer in for DE Nick Lucido. Philly is going after Kyle Bryant. I up my offer. ....and in week 3 we sign Kyle and Nick. Nice! We are now out of room and watch the rest of free agency go by.

Draft:
We draft last. Duh!

1-DT Quinn Dempsey. I would rather drafted a CB, but this was my second need.
2-QB Jimmy Asimov. I hate to waste this pick on a position I have filled, but this guy could have gone top 15.
4-RB Earnest Sawyer. I still need that CB, but I have a hard time giving up offense players that could turn into stars. Should take a little pressure off Hammond.
5-CB Jeffrey Pritchett. Not great, but from Cal. - Sacremento.
6-FB Carlos Roney. An absolute steal in the 6th round.
7-T Shawn Nagurski. Filling a need.

I fill out the roster and head to camp.

Coming out of camp I am disappointed to learn Asimov's rating went a down a little. Everyone else stayed the same thankfully.

[Marmel]

2008 Season:

We head into the 2008 season as 2-time defending Superbowl Champs. I feel incredibly lucky to achieve this goal. I credit this to 2 things. First, the draft has been very, very kind to us. Second, I think knowing that I am posting this career makes me really think through every decision more than I normally do. I think this had lead to better decision making. I have never won a bowl, nevermind 2 in a row this early in a career. I firmly believe this team can make it 3, which is something I have never done, EVER, even when playing without house rules, in FOF2 or FOF2001.

We will go with this lineup to start the season:

QB, Troy Pinson. 2 time defending league MVP
RB, Arnold Hammond. The real workhorse of this team.
FB, Sanders. One of the best FB's I've ever seen.
TE Freddie Jones. Looks for 1 more ring before his career winds down.
WR Shapiro and Colby will start. Urena and Dwight, former starters are #3 and #4 respectively.
C John Wade. He has started every game for the Stars.
G Abrams and Mulitalo. A great combo.
T Murphy and Jensen. See above.

DE Ferderer and Lucido. Quality ends.
DT Kolozdik and Ioane. Not as strong as our DE's, but capable of starting.
LB Kacyvenski, Rainer, Ramsey. This is still the weakest part of our D.
CB Springs and Newcombe. Our secondary has come a long way, and is now one of the most feared.
S The Bryant Brothers. Kyle and Raymond.

Pre-Season:
3-1. Our only injury is to backup Safety Rod Corbett, who will be out 3-5 weeks.

Regular Season:
Week 1:
LA(0-0) at Denver (0-0)
Complete domination. we win 54-14. Pinson throws for 4 TDs against 0INTs and runs for another. Hammond and Kyle Bryant are questionable, but Coach Olin decides they will play as normal next week. I hope he knows what he is doing.

Week 2:
San Diego (0-1) at LA (1-0)
They get a 32 yard Brian Greise TD pass with :02 to tie it up, but Shapiro hauls in a Pinson pass in OT to take this one 26-20. Hammond is now doubtful for next week. Coach olin says he will suit up but play in limited duty. Freddie Jones and Kyle Bryant are questionable, but Coach insists they play.

Week 3:
LA (2-0) at Detroit (2-0). They come out strong and lead by 10 going into the 4th, but we score 13 to take it 20-17. Jon Jensen is doubtful, but will suit up says the Coach. He is making many questionable decisions, and so far nothing too major has happened. Hammond is upgraded but will still see limited duty, as will Freddie Jones and Kyle Bryant.

Week 4:
Green Bay (3-0) at LA (3-0). We win 41-13, not much to say except that we have been very dominant against good teams this year, so far.

Week 5:
bye. We use the week off to heal up our guys.

Week 6:
LA (4-0) at NY Jets (3-1). Our 3rd straight game against a top quality team. A very tough road test for us. Our guys finally taste defeat, 19-7, and they don't like it. I feel bad for next week's opponent.

Week 7:
Seattle (1-4) at LA (4-1). An easy win, 20-6, as they didn't score to late in the 4th. Nobody has really played outstanding yet this year. Our top guys always seems to take the 1st half of the season off, then put up their numbers in the second half.

Week 8:
Kansas City (1-5) at LA (5-1). Pinson broke open a tight game in the first half, and led us to the win 26-10. DT Junior Ioane is hurt, but Coach Olin insists he will play, as has been his pattern this year.

Week 9:
Buffalo (2-5) at LA (6-1). The third "cupcake" team in a row, at home for us. The results are the same, we win 44-20. Hammond gets going for 117 and 2TDs. Pinson also gets it going for 2TDs and 0INTs with almost 300 yards passing. Freddie Jones, being questionable, will start next week.

MidSeason report:
QB Pinson is the top rated QB in the league again, at 94.6.
Hammond, hampered by early season injuries, and I think still being nagged by them is not even the leading rusher on the team this year. Rookie backup Ernest Sawyer leads our team with 329 yards.
As usual, WR by committee, as well as our Defensive front 7. The Bryant boys have 6 picks and CB Newcombe has 4.

[Marmel]

Week 10:
LA (7-1) at San Diego (5-3). Coach olin has a bad feeling and lets a couple younger guys get a start in place of Ioane and Freddie Jones this week. Even with a tough road game on the schedule he feels more comfortable this way. We lead the division by 2 games over San Diego, so a loss will not kill us, but a lost player might. Well, unfortunatly, we take the 31-20 loss, and we lose a few players to injury too! C John Wade is questionable, and our best LB Malcolm Ramsey is doubtful for next week. Raymond Bryant is also questionable.

Week 11:
LA (7-2) at Chicago (4-5). We juggle the lineup a little. Youngster Xavier Rigot will still start at TE. This is OK because realistically he will be our starter for many years to come, probably starting next year. We put youngster Conway in for Wade at Center. Dempsey and Dellsandro fill in for Ioane and Ramsey on the defensive side, and Corbett steps in for the younger Bryant brother. We pull out a 32-24 win with this make shift lineup. We do lose CB Shawn Springs for a while, maybe until next year.

Week 12:
Oakland (1-9) at LA (8-2). C Wade and LB Demsey come back for this one. Oakland is down this year, but this team will never forget the backlash from last year's loss to the 2 win Raiders. Focus is the word of the week in LA, and we expect to humiliate the Raiders. It takes us only 5 minutes to score, then Hammond piles on 3 TDs as we win easily 34-13. The coach is pissed that we let them score 13 points.

Week 13:
LA (9-2) at Seattle (4-7). These division road games against inferior opponents have burned us in recent years. Again, the coach emphasizes focus during the week. Focus we do. Pinson throws for 4 TDs in the first 25 minutes of play, and we don't look back. 41-20 Stars. Freddie Jones and Ioane come back next week. Ray Bryant is the only "starter" who is not starting this week. Oh, Shawn Springs still on the inactive list too.

Week 14:
LA (10-2) at Oakland (1-11). This is the site of last year's disaster (from LA's point of view). Coach Olin changes the theme of the week to: REVENGE. He remind the guy's how we were humiliated in Oakland last year, and how that one game tarnished a great season, even though we won the Superbowl. coach wants to run up the score and have a few Raiders carried off the field Sunday. this game was ugly all afternoon. the Raiders took the lead with 8 minutes to play, but the Stars bounced back and got a final TD for the 27-24 win! LA sweeps Oakland!!!!!

Week 15:
Denver (5-8) at LA (11-2). An easy win, 35-14. Hammond had a nice day, 130 yards and 2TDs.

Week 16:
Tampa Bay (9-5) at LA (12-2). Tampa has been the NFC's best team the past few years, but they haven't advanced to the SB for the past 2 years. We make it look easy, 37-23.

Week 17:
LA (13-2) at KC (5-10). Improbable as it seemed just 3 years ago, we have the chance to go 14-2 for the 3rd straight season. Arrowhead stadium is tough place to have to do it though, no matter what the Chiefs record is. LA WINS 35-17. We go 14-2 and a stunning regular season record over the last 3 years of 42-6!

[Marmel]

Season recap:

QB Pinson throws 289/455 (63.5%) for 3,616 yards, 31 TDs and 10 INTs. A rating of 101.6 puts him first, with McNabb second at 98.1. We may see McNabb in the Superbowl again this year.

Hammond ran for 968, despite missing 2 starts. He also rushed for 13 TDs which tied him for 1st.

Our wide receivers split the yardage, but Lincoln Shapiro caught 11 TDs, which ties him for 1st.

Kyle Bryant had 7 picks, tied for 4th.

[Marmel]

We will face division foes San Diego in the playoff opener.

Our scout reports that the Chargers have a rash of injuries and will be using a cut and paste lineup. There is no film on some of these guys, so we are not sure what to expect. We are confident our superior team will outclass them though. We get Shawn Springs back for the playoffs. Our original starting lineup is intact, except for Dempsey subbing for DT Ioane.

LA wins the toss and receives the kickoff. Pinson, Hammond, and FB Sanders get all the yardage on an 80 yard TD drive to open it up. 7-0 Stars. The Chargers are backed up after a holding call, but Hamilton connects with Marx for an 82 yard TD, stunning the LA secondary. 7-7. On our next possession we expose their weak D, and again drive down the field with ease and Pinson caps it off with a keeper. 14-7 Stars. The Chargers again stun our defense as Clancy runs in a 65 yarder to make it 14-14. Nobody has done this to the Stars in the playoffs before, and the crowd is stunned. Olin throws out his game plan and he is seen reaming out his D-coordinator on the sidelines.

Hammond fumbles on our first play and the Chargers have 1st down at our 34. Our defense finally makes it to the game and holds them to a missed FG attempt. Lucky for us they have no D, and we drive and score with relative ease. 21-14. On their next drive they slice up our defense, but Kyle Bryant covers up a fumble and we take over. On the next play, FB Sanders gets 44 yards and "takes it to the house." 28-14 Stars, and it's not even halftime yet.

Near the end of the half we get a holding call in our endzone. chargers get 2 points and the ball. 28-16 Stars. Halftime arrives, finally, and that was a wild first half of football.

We had a scare in the first half, but in the second we add 14 more and finish them off 42-16. Troy Pinson was player of the game. He ran for 2 and passed for 1 TD.

Miami comes to town for the the AFC championship game. We will be without our best LB Demsey. Miami is very healthy. They love to throw the ball and play good D, with a lot of bump and run.

Miami receives the ball after winning the toss. Both Defenses play great, in fact we have only gained 8 yards in the first quarter, when they score a TD and take the 7-0 lead with 3:18 left in the 1st. That woke us up. We go out and execute a ridiculously lond drive that ends with a TD 4 minutes into the 2nd quarter. 7-7. Kyle Bryant comes up with the INT as they were mounting a nice drive. We have a chance to swing the momentum going into the half. We gain 40 yards quickly, but then have to punt. The 7-7 score holds until the half. We have been outgained 200-130 yards, but the score is tied.

The second half begins with us taking the ball. We need to get it going right off the bat. We get a nice drive. Pinson completes 3 thrid down passes, and an unsportmanlike penalty on Miami give us the ball inside the 10. Pinson hits Hammond for the TD. Is there a sweeter QB/RB combo in the NFL? I think not. 14-7 Stars. We hold tehm to one first down, and get the ball back. Pinson connects for 19, then 15 and we cross mid-field. 14 to Dwight and a short run by Hammond take us to the 29. The drive ends when Matthews picks off Pinson in the endzone. they drive into our territory, but we hold them on 3rd and 1. We take over at the 8. The last play of the 3rd quarter is a 3rd down, 20 yard completion from Pinson to Freddie Jones for the big first down.

The fourth quarter begins. we were able to dig out of the hole, but we have to punt. they get a 42 yard punt return, and are set up nicely at our 42. three plays later the score is tied, 14-14. 11:45 to go. This is clearly the most we have been pushed in the playoffs in quite some time. I question whether Coach Olin is up to the challenge. We are forced to punt on our next possession, but get them backed up to the 12. Our D HAS TO STOP THEM HERE.

They dig out of their hole, but eventually punt, and we take over at our own 23. 6:16 to play. Pinson takes us all the way down field. He hits 4 different receivers, and we face 4th and 2 at the 10. Booker comes out for the easy 27 yard go ahead FG with only 1:52 to play. He lines up, the ball is snapped, and.....holy shit! Booker slipped on the wet field and the ball goes wide right. I can't believe it, and if this costs us, Booker will get his walking papers right after the game. They go 3 and out real fast, plus a holding call, and we have the ball at midfield with still 1:22 to play. On the first play, Pinson hits Colby for 49 yards and we line up 1st and goal at the 3 yard line! Hammond up the middle on the next play....TOUCHDOWN STARS! 21-14, with :56 left on the clock. Kyle Bryant gets another INT and this one is over. The STARS are going to the Superbowl (again.)

Bryant is the game's MVP with 2 big INTs. We will face the St. Louis Rams in the Superbowl. Kurt Warner, Trung Candidate and Torry Holt lead this dangerous offense. the Rams have turned into a mostly running team. Thier defense useds the bump and run almost exclusively.

Superbowl to be posted tomorrow. Thanks.

[Marmel]

The Superbowl:

We win the toss, and receive. Pinson is sacked on the second play, Tatum recovers for the Rams, and they take over at the 19 yard line. Thankfully, our D holds and they settle for a FG. 3-0 Rams. Our offense should shake that off and get to work. We drive into their territory, but are forced to punt. Their offense gets takes the field. Candidate runs through our defense and they are set up, first and goal. Kudos to our D fr holding them to 3 once again. 6-0 Rams. However, our offense goes three and out and they get it again. Again they drive into our territory, but we intercept them in the endzone. Our D is looking good when it counts, now the offense has to do their part. We get to midfield, but again we punt. Pritchett makes another INT, and we have our chance now. We take over at the 20 yard line and need to push it in for the TD. A QB sneak and a Hammond run makes it 7-6 Stars! Warner and Candidate are mixing it up nicely, but eventually we force the punt. We get the ball at our own 15 yard line. Pinson finally hits Shapiro, this time streaking down field. It's a 53 yard pickup. We run 4 times from there and FB Sanders get the TD. 14-6 Stars. 2 minutes left in the half. Their next possession results in an incompletion, and two sack. They punt and Tim Dwight returns it 37 yards to the 5 yard line! Timmerman makes the saving tackle, but we have :32 to get the TD which could put us in the catbird's seat. It only takes Hammond two plays to get in their, and it's 21-6 going into the lockerroom.

they open up the 2nd half with a nice looking drive, but an intentional face mask forces them to punt. Pinson and Hammond are on track, as we get into the red zone. we have to settle for a FG, but Booker misses. He will be heavily examined during the offseaon. I doubt he will be back. Keyed by a 32 yard reception by Torry Holt, the Rams kick another FG. It's 21-9 Stars. The 3rd quarter ends with 3 straight passes of 13 yards from Pinson to Colby. We get down to the 1 yard line but settle for 3. We could have ended the game riht there. 24-9 Stars. 12:28 to play.

Holt hauls in a 34 yard pass and they are in business. But on the next play Corbett gets the pick in the endzone and we take over. Time is clearly on our side now. Pinson and Hammond are unstoppable as we drive to the 1 yard line again. but again we settle for 3. 27-9. that drove ate up a whole lot of time. They have 3:07 to score 18 points. Coach Olin is even cracking a smile on the sidelines. Holt catches a pass for 49, then 23 and they get the late TD. 27-17 Stars. There simply is not enough time left though. Final score is 30-17. the STARS are the three time World Champions!

Troy Pinson is MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and 1st team QB.

Hammond is the Superbowl MVP.

C John Wade is 1st team.
G Luther Abrams is 1st team.
S Kyle Bryant is 1st team.
G Edwin Mulitalo is 2nd team.


Congrats to the LA STARS!

[Marmel]

Off-Season:

Our coaching staff stays in place, no surprise I am sure. Tim Dwight, Harvey Urena and Grant Wistrom retire this year. This is actually good news because it clears a ton of cap romm, and a have a lot of FA's to resign.

2009 is expansion year. We welcome the Albany Capital to the NFC West and the Austin Rattlesnakes to the AFC East. Tell me that makes sense.

Oh, before we go to the expansion draft, we made $34.5 million last year, up 149%. Ownership is quite pleased. Attendance was 86.5%. Tickets prices stay the same.

We expose the following players:
Fb Carlos Roney
T Shawn Nagurski
LB Wali Rainer
LB Donny Emerson
CB Jeff Pritchett

We lose Emerson, Rainer and Roney. At least we have that much more money to spend.

As free agency begins we make offers to the following players:
DE Leslie Sampson
LB Shawn Chance
LB Gary Norton
...along with a bunch of our free agents.

Gary Norton signed with KC. We lose our starting center John Wade to Cincinnati. I feel betrayed as he was with us from day 1. We put our final 2 offers in on LB Keith Mitchell and K Wade Richey (since we cut Booker). Keith Mitchell signs right away, but Shawn Chance decides to go elsewhere. Wade Richey signs with us the next week as well. Detroit somehow steals Shawn Springs from us, that hurts our secondary very bad. DE Sampson signs with Cincinnati. We end the free agency period with a few fill in signings.

This was by far the worst FA period I ever experienced. I expect it coming in though. My cap space was very tight, I lost a few starters, and it will hurt our chances.

Draft:
We have no first round pick this year.

2-WR Rico Riley. He was the best WR available, and we need this position badly.
3-LB Richie O'Neil. Best LB chosen to help our dilapidated unit.
4-DE Edwin Erwin. Not too impressive, but we just have to fill in spots for the rest of this draft.
5-C Jimmie Braun, from Cal.-Sacremento
6-WR Darren Linton.
7-WR Alfred Straight.

Not a very good draft. Overall this offseason gets a grade of D-.

We go to camp and hope for a breakout. DE Edwin Erwin is a minor breakout, and that changes our offseason grade to a D.

2009 Season:
Here is the starting lineup we will use:

QB Troy Pinson
RB Arnold Hammond
FB Jeff Sanders
TE Freddie Jones
WR Robert Colby
WR Lincoln Shapiro
C Thomas Conway
G Luther Abrams
G Oscar Washburn
T Jon Jensen
T Kyle Murphy

Our starting offense is as good as ever. We are a little weakened by our new center, Thomas Conway, but he is still respectable and deserves a starting spot in this league. G Oscar Washburn, which I forgot to mention, was a HUGE breakout. I picked him up as an URFA, and his CURRENT ratings are now: 86/76/62.

DE Nick Lucido
DE Lewis Ferderer
DT Brady Kolozdik
DT Junior Ioane
LB Keith Mitchell
LB Malcolm Ramsey
LB Isiah Kacyvenski
CB Chris Newcombe
CB Archie Strong
S Raymond Bryant
S Kyle Bryant

Our defense is not as good as in past years. Particularly at the CB position. We may have made a little progress at the LB position, but Kacyvenski's rating are dropping like flies.


Preseaon:
We go 3-1 and have no injuries going into opening weekend.

[Marmel]

Week 1:
San Diego (0-0) at LA (0-0). I was afraid this team has lost some of its desire, but Troy Pinson throws 4 TDs and 0 INTs to prove me wrong. Stars 42-16.

Week 2:
LA (1-0) at Seattle (0-1) Seattle made the playoffs last year and should be my toughest opponent for the division crown this year. We make an early season statement by beating them on their home field 26-16.

Week 3:
LA (2-0) at Oakland (0-2). This team seems to tighten up every time we travel to Oakland, especially since the disater that occured in 2007. They are still talking about that loss in LA despite all the Championships we have won. It comes down to the final play of the game, but the Wade Richey signing pays off as we win 23-20 on a FD with 0:00 on the clock.

Week 4:
Miami (3-0) at LA (3-0). Our first true test of the season. The Dolphins jump out to an early 17-0 lead, and we just can't come back. We fall 41-31.

Week 5:
Oakland (1-3) at LA (3-1). The Stars are chomping at the bit to get back on the field after last weeks loss, and what better a team to take our aggressions out on. We go down in a ball of flames on a field that Oakland has not won in in over 5 years. We lose 26-16. After 2 straight losses the LA fans are calling for Coach Olin's head. I have a closed door meeting with the Coach, and he is not seen leaving our practice facilities until the following Saturday afternoon when we leave for Kansas City. In addition, Jensen, Mulitalo and Abrams are all questionable for next week. That is 3 OL's.

Week 6:
LA (3-2) at KC (1-4). Like I always say, any win at Arrowhead is a good win. We bounce back with a 34-10 win, but Coach Olin still looks like somebody killed his dog after the game.

Week 7:
LA (4-2) at Cincinnati (6-0). We can garner some revenge on the team that stole many of our FA's and our prospects in this past FA period. Plus, we can be the first to knock them off. Troy Pinson throws for nearly 400 yards as we dash their hopes of a perfect season 33-16.

Week 8:
LA (5-2) at NY Jets (4-3). Another perrenial powerhouse. We lose, 22-10, thanks to in part by Hammonds -14 yards rushing.

Mid-Season Report:
We are 5-3. Oakland is also 5-3, while Seattle is 4-4. We hold the tiebreaker over Oakland so far. Buffalo, Cincy, and Jacksonville all have 6 wins in the AFC.

Troy Pinson has thrown 180/285 2,376 yards, 19TDs/10INTs, 97.0 QB rating, 3rd in the league.

Hammond 104/326, 2TDs, not very Hammond like.

WR Lincoln Shapiro has 779 yards, which is second, and 9 TDs, which is first.

The Bryants have 2 INTs, both by Raymond.

It is clear that our record relates to our individual performances. Everybody is off except for Pinson. We haven't lost 3 games in a year for 3 years ow, but this year we have 3 at the mid-way point. This does not come as a surprise, but it is still a let down after 3 years of dominance.

[Marmel]

News report from the LA Times, October 2009:

Since the retirement of Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson from the LA Lakers in 2007, the Lakers have showed a steady decline in attendance. While Kobe Bryant has led the Lakers to the playoffs the past 6 years, they have not won championship since 2004, their 5th in a row. The Lakers decline in popularity is partially attributed to the unprecidented success of LA's relatively new football franchise, the LA stars.

The latest news in LA is that the Lakers have bought out the LA Clippers. The Clippers have not been to the playoffs since the 20th century. The Lakers plan to absorb the players from the Clippers and disolve that team.

Kobe Bryant is clearly unhappy at being the #2 man in LA, behind QB Troy Pinson in the popularity polls.

Also in the news, October 2009. Julia Roberts has reportedly married an unidentified man this past week in a secret ceremony at her LA mansion. Unidentified sources say the mystery man is known in LA's inner circle simply as FishFan.

This report comes out of LA: The LA Kings, in a stunning move to bring fans to their games, and to compete with the Stars have lured Wayne Gretzky out of retirement. The Kings have reportly offered The Great One a 3 year contract worth more than $200,000,000. Gretzky, approaching 50 years old said if Gordie Howe is still playing minor league hockey, then I can play in the NHL.

Finally, in the news, the recently formed sports conglomerate of Fox/Espn/SI/CNN has reported that the odds of LA winning a 4th straight superbowl this season are 4-1. Favorites are Philadelphia at 5-2. Tampa Bay is third at 6-1. Cincinnati is fourth at 9-1. Jacksonville is 5th at 12-1 and the rest of the "field" is a 7-1 bet.

[Marmel]

Reuters News Report, 2009:

With the recent Supreme Court ruling which made cloning legal in all 53 states of the Union (Puerto Rico was admitted in 2008), the huge cloning company, BioClone Inc, has obtained exclusive advertising rights to the LA Coliseum. The stadium has been renamed, effective immediatly, as BioClone Stadium. Advertising will be in place for the Stars next home game. It is rumored that BioClone Inc. would like to renovate the stadium in the coming years. They would like to add many more seats, more advertising space, and a dome on the roof. This reporter can't help but suggest a future name for the stadium: The BioDome.

[FishFan]

Dear Marmel-

After that embarassing 43-29 loss ac couple of years ago, I asked for Coach Olin's head on a silver platter. Please realize that I was in a fit of rage when I made that statement. I am perfectly happy what Olin has done since that loss. Just keep beating those Raiders and winning ball games. That's all I ask.

Also, before you hear the rumors, I wanted to be honest with you. Playing with some of my new wife's money, I placed a $50,000 bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I know we have won three straight, but I don't envision a 4th consecutive Super Bowl. Don't get me wrong - I will still be rooting for the Stars from my usual Club Seats. Come to think of it, how much are your suites now? I think Julia and I can purchase one of those this year.

Keep up the good work!

Your number 1 fan,

FishFan

[Marmel]

Week 9:
Carolina (4-3) at LA (5-3). A rematch of our first Superbowl. Carolina waits 3 long years, but get thier revenge 13-10.

Week 10:
Seattle (4-4) at LA (5-4). We face a must win game for the first time in years. How will the guys react? Hammond gets over 100 yards and Pinson completes 22-25 passes. We win 27-10.

Week 11:
bye

Week 12:
LA (6-4) at San Diego (3-7). We can't let down on the road against an inferior team. We fall 25-15 as the desire is just not there this year. We loose LB Malcolm Ramsey for the rest of the season. Pinson has a broken pinky, but it is not on his throwing hand. He WILL play.

Week 13:
KC (2-9) at LA (6-5). We need to right the ship right here, right now! Coach Olin is feeling the pressure. Pisnson, broken finger and all, throws for 392 yards, and we win when we need it. Stars 32-20.

Week 14:
LA (7-5) at St. Louis (5-7). We are fighting for our playoff lives in St. Louis. Along with Seattle and Oakland, there is a three way tie at 7-5 for the division. It appears I have the 3 way tiebreaker. Kurt Warner is still leading the St. Louis offense, and that is always dangerous. Despite a great performance by Hammond, they win in OT 17-14. Oakland wins and they take a 1 game lead.

Week 15:
LA (7-6) at Denver (7-6). If we lose here, we might as well call it a season. Coach Olin's head could be on the line in Denver this week. The Stars respond to the pressure and win big, 31-3. Oakland lost this week, so there is a 3 way tie again, and we still hold the tiebreaker.

Week 16:
Atlanta (10-4) at LA (8-6). In a battle of 8-6 teams, Seattle beat Oakland, so we have to win to keep pace. this is a tough out of conference game. We show how important the Wade Richey signing was as he wins this one for us 13-10.

Week 17:
Denver (7-8) at LA (9-6). Oakland loses earlier in the day, so they are out. However, Seattle wins and ups thier record to 10-6. We need to win to win the division. We turn to our "Old Faithfuls" in this crucial season finale. Hammond racks up 179 yards and Pinson throws 3 TDs as we sneak out the 27-24 win. Most suprisingly, we take the #2 seed and earn ourselves a bye week with a 10-6 record!

Final Season Stats:
QB Troy Pinson 301/488 4,003 yards 31 TDs, 17INTs and a QB rating of 94.3, 3rd in the league.

RB Hammond runs for 947, but only 4 TDs.

WR Shapiro is 2nd in yards and TDs with 1,451 yards and 13 TDs.

Bryant brothers only get 6 INTs.

[Marmel]

2009 Post-Season:

We open the playoffs against division foes, Seattle Seahawks. Their starting QB is out of the game,so they will start longtime backup John Kitna. They have a 1,000 yard runner and receiver, and they like the bump and run/4-3 defensive setup.

We win the toss, and receive. We go 3 and out, and they return our punt 61 yards, down to the 8 yard line. On the second play from the 1, Newcombe comes up with the HUGE INT to stomp out their momentum. We take over at the 20 yard line and dodge a bullet. Hammond gets stuffed on 3rd and 1 and we punt after 3 plays again. 2 unneccesary conduct penalties shorten the field, and they take advantage. Jefferson runs it in for the games first points. 7-0 Seahawks. A balanced passing/running attack sets up FB Sanders for the game tying TD. 7-7. The 1st quarter ends at 7-7.

The 2nd quarter begins with us coughing up the ball deep in our territory. They take over with a 1st and goal from the 8 yard line. Kitna throws the TD pass and it's 14-7 Seahawks. Midway through the quarter, Ray Bryant gets a bog INT and we get the ball in their territory. Pinson connect with Shapiro for the TD, 14-14. We get the ball with about 6 minutes to go. We eat up a lot of clock and Pinson hits Shapiro again for a 43 yard TD strike. It looks like we will hit half time with a lead. 21-14 Stars.

The third quarter is non-eventful. There are 4 punts and we recover a fumble at the 30 yard line to halt their best drive of the 2nd half.

Pinson comes out firing to start the 2nd half. With 10 minutes to play, he hits Freddie Jones for the TD, 28-14 Stars. The Stars are feeling pretty good about themselves now, but Coach Olin is still as intense as he was before kickoff. The Seahawks refuse to die. On their very first play from scrimmage on their next possession, Jon Kitna hits WR King for a 79 yard TD. 28-21 Stars. It looks like Coach Olin just punched the Defensive co-ordinator in the stomach after that play. They get another nice driving going but are forced to punt. We have the ball at the 12 yard line with 2:20 to play. They have all 3 timeouts, and we just need 1 or 2 first downs. Incredibly, Coach Olin calls 2 pass plays in the 3 downs. One is incomplete and the other is a sack. We will be punting from the shadow of our goalpost with 1:48 to play. Rupp gets off a 49 yarder, but Seattle takes over at OUR 48, 1:40 to play, they have 1 timeout. 1st down is a 15 yard gain to Sprague. Kitna's next 2 passes are imcomplete. It is 3rd and 10 from the 34. Incomplete. 4th down. Kitna runs a draw play????? for 0 yards and the Defense holds! Stars win 28-21.

[Marmel]

In the AFC championship game, we travel to Cincinnati, where Akili Smith leads the high scoring Bengals offense, and where their Defense loves to blitz. this is our first championship game on the enemy's turf, so it will be interesting to see how they respond.

Cincy wins the toss and receives. They don;t get much going, but their punt puts us down at the 13 yard line. We go three and out. They punt, and we are pinned at the 9. They are winning the battle of field position so far. We get into their territory, but backup RB Sawyer fumbles and they get the ball back. They punt again and we get the ball at the 16 this time. Our average starting field position has been inside the 13 yard line.

The 2nd quarter opens with us facing 4th and 20 from the 6 yard line. Needless to say we will punt and give them good field position. Say the 34 yard line?? Our D gets the job done and they miss the 45 yard FG. The game is still scoreless. We cross mid-field but punt, and they get a taste of their own medicine. they will start their drive at the 13. They are able to drive the length of the field and strike first. 7-0 Bengals, 4:48 left in the half. We cross midfield again, but when Pinson goes for the endzone, he is picked off by Mueller. Halftime arrives and it is still 7-0 Bengals.

Coach Olin tears the team up in the lockroom at halftime. Cynergy field officials say their was $25,000 worth of damage done to the locker room, and you can be sure the Stars will be getting the bill in the mail. Will the tirade be enough to wake the Stars offense up and propell them to a 4th straight Superbowl?

The Stars receive the 2ns half kickoff. They prmptly go 3 and out. Akili Smith comes out firing, but their drive stalls when Ferderer recovers a fumble for us. We drive into the redzone, but have to settle for 3. 7-3 Bengals. We hold them to three and out and get surprisingly good field position at the 49 yard line. We get a first and goal, and finally Pinson hits WR Colby for the go-ahead TD. 10-7 Stars.

The 4th quarter begin with them in the midst of a drive. We force the punt though, and take over inside our own 20. We sure have had long fields to work with today. We have to punt, but pin them at the 14. Our D again holds them to 3 plays, and then what could be the turning point of the game. Their kicker shanks the punt and we take over at the 40 yard line. A time consuming TD drive could put this one out of reach. We eat up over three minutes and Freddie Jones hauls in the 10 yard TD catch. We lead 17-7 with 7:28 to play. they go three and out again and we could put the nail in the coffin here. Instead we punt it right back to them, but only 4:23 remains. They move down field quickly, and with the help of a 49 yard completion, they get the TD. 17-14 Stars. 2:23 left. They kick the onside, but we recover and have 39 yards to go for a TD. We kick a FG to make it 20-14. A FG is no good for them, but a TD wins it. They return the ball to the 34 yard line. They have 66 yards to go, 1:33 on the clcok and 1 timeout. Coach Olin takes the headphones off, throws the clipboard down, points to Kyle bryant, the defensive captain and winks. And Kyle's brother intercepts the first pplay of the drive to seal the win! The Stars are going back to the Superbowl, as they win in Cincinnati 20-14!!

[Marmel]

2009 Superbowl:
Atlanta Falcons 13-5 vs. LA Stars 12-6. they have the better record, but we beat them 13-10 in week 16. As has been cutomary, I run out of the tunnel with the rest of the team during the introductions. I gaze around the stadium in awe, and for the first time, I realize we can win 4 superbowls in a row today. If somebody told me in 2002, when this franchise began that we would have won 1 SB by 2009, I would have been estactic, but to be on the doorstep of doing something no other team has ever done, well, it is awe-inspiring to say the least.

They really mix up the pass and run and have a potent offense. the Defense loves to blitz. Pinson will have to make some quick decisions today.

We win the toss and receive the kickoff. three and out has been teh norm for us lately, and we hold true to form. We are lucky, they clip on the return and start all the way back at the 28 yard line, after we had to punt from nside our 10. They complete a few thrid down plays and quickly move into the redzone. We force the FG. 3-0 Falcons. We get to midfield, but have to punt again. We hold them to only 1 first down. They punt.

The 2nd quarter opens with an LA penalty for unneccesary roughness, and offensive holding. Needless to say, we punt again. But our D holds them to 3 and out, and we get the ball again. We cross mid-field, get down to their 30, then kick te FG. The game is tied at 3. They move into the redzone again, but our Defense has been great all day and we hold them to 3. It is 6-3 Falcons, and that score should hold until halftime.

They get things moving to start the 2nd half, but after they cross the 50, our D steps up. We get the ball back at the 3. We barely move, but Rupp gets offa 63 yard punt, and it nets 60 yards after the return. They get down into the rezone yet again, but have to settle for the FG, which they miss. It is 6-3 Falcons still. On our next possession, Pinson finally hits a WR. This time it is Colby for 37 yards and we set up at thier 35. then he hits Shapiro for 9. Then Hammond breaks out around right end for a 29 yard TD run. Stars lead 10-6!!
We then hold them to a three and out, and get the ball back at the 50. Hammond gets one up the middle for 34, and we are in good position. Then after a few more Hammond runs, Pinson hits backup TE Xavier Rogot for the TD. 17-6 Stars!

The final quarter begins with them having a 1st down at their own 11. They don't get too far before they have to punt. We go three and out, and punt, but Conway jumps on the fumpled punt and LA recovers at the Atlanta 8 yard line. This could spell game for the Falcons. We settle for 3, but the score is 20-6 Stars. there is only 8:46 to play, and they need 2 TDs.

On the Falcons very next play, Newcombe intercepts the ball, and gets tackled at the Atlanta 37. The Falcons are starting to crumble under the pressure, and the LA fans are starting to get louder and louder. We gain settle for to make it 23-6, but that means it is a 17 point, 3 possession lead, with only 4:01 on the clock. Coach Olin has a confident look on his face, and it looks like his eyes are getting watery. It only takes Atlanta 1:20 to get a TD, andnow it is 23-13. We recover the onside kick. The Falcons get the ball back with exactly 2:00 to play. They can't make it happen and turn the ball over on downs. Pinson takes 2 knees and Coach Olin gets yet another gatoraid bath. The Stars win 23-13, and are now the 4-time World champions!!!!!

Troy Pinson is NFL MVP and 1st team QB.
CB Cris Newcombe is Superbowl MVP.

Lincoln Shapiro is 1st team WR.
Brady Kolozdik is 1st team DT.


Troy Pinson and the LA Stars have an amazing 13-1 (.928) post-season record.