The Bradford Twins (FOF 2007 dynasty)

[51ichiro51]

Well I tried to go the "underdog" route with my first two dynasties, but neither of them really worked out. The first time my player just wasn't good enough, and my second time I had a real good kicker, but he didn't really pan out and also went undrafted.

So this time I started with the NFL draft, instead of college recruitment, just to make sure my player actually had a future in the NFL. I simmed 4 quick years in TCY (starting in 2004), then started FOF in 2007. I simmed through the 2007 season and imported the draft class from TCY.

While browsing through the draft pool, I noticed that there were two players with the same last name that were incredibly similar and went to the same school. According to TCY, they didn't go to the same high school, but I'll just ignore that. (Their birthdates are are 6/2/86 and 6/22/86, so I'll just split the difference and say they were born on 6/12/86). Eugene Bradford is a wide receiver and Neil Bradford is a safety. I thought that was pretty cool...one brother making sure passes are caught and one brother making sure passes aren't caught.

Now this is where it gets weird (and I swear I didn't plan this). Neil was drafted in the 2nd round by the Washington Redskins, and Eugene was drafted in the 7th round by the...Washington Redskins. That means they're the first set of twins to ever play for the same NFL team since Gene and Tom Golsen in 1926. So already we've got some NFL history.


It's now the beginning of training camp 2008, here's some info about them:

#80 EUGENE BRADFORD, Wide Receiver
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 200 lbs
School: Tennessee
Major: Kinesiology
GPA: 2.68

Overall: 15/48
Solecismic Test: 24 (average)
40-yard: 4.58
Bench Press: 8 reps
Agility: 7.13
Broad Jump: 8ft, 11in
Position Drill: 42
Developed: 32%
Volatility: 20

Leadership: 42
Intelligence: 76
Loyalty: 81
Play to Win: 52
Personality: 80
Fan Popularity: 37

Contract: 1.74 Mil, 3 Years

College Stats:


Ratings:


Eugene is the lower-rated, and less-paid of the two, but is a lot smarter, has a better personality, and is more popular with the fans (maybe he gives entertaining interviews?). He's more of a "people" person, and is much more loyal.


#32 NEIL BRADFORD, Safety
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 187 lbs
School: Tennessee
Major: Business
GPA: 2.81

Overall: 30/52
Solecismic Test: 23 (average)
40-yard: 4.55
Bench Press: 14 reps
Agility: 7.24
Broad Jump: 9ft, 6in
Position Drill: 35
Developed: 54%
Volatility: 92

Leadership: 28
Intelligence: 29
Loyalty: 9
Play to Win: 30
Personality: 24
Fan Popularity: 9

Contract: 4.14 Mil, 3 Years

College Stats:


Ratings:


Neil is more athletic, was drafted higher, and seems to be a better player overall. But he's not as smart, less of a leader, WAY less loyal, and doesn't care about winning quite as much. He seems to be more introverted, and his incredibly low fan popularity shows that he doesn't really ever draw much attention to himself. He's the yin to Eugene's yang.


Notes about ratings:

-For each category, the number on the left is their rating at the beginning of training camp, and the one on the right is their potential.

-At the end of every season, I'll update the ratings and there'll be a big bold number in the middle. That number will be what their rating is at the end of the season. That way you can see how they improved over the course of a season.

-I tried to get the positional experience colors as close as possible. Here's what they'll look like (worst to best)

[51ichiro51]

Training camp is over and the season is ready to begin. The Redskins were 8-8 last year and missed the playoffs. Not only were they 8-8, but they scored exactly as many points as they allowed (349). So it was pretty much the definition of mediocre.

But that's all in the past now, here's a look at their 2008 schedule:




NOTES:
-Eugene will start the season as the 5th string WR, while Neil is not active for Week 1.

-The Redskins lost Clinton Portis for the year with a very serious back injury. This is a major blow, and now they'll have to rely on backup Anthony Rasmussen to take his place.

Washington 30 @ New York Giants 17

Good way to start the season, and Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington even got named defensive player of the week! He had 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception. QB Jason Campbell, WR Santana Moss, WR Antwaan Randle El, and LB H.B. Blades also got mentions. Eugene appeared in only 9 passing plays, but caught the only ball thrown to him for 10 yards late in the 2nd quarter.

Here's Eugene's game log so far. Not much to look at, but here it is anyway...



I honestly didn't think that Eugene would make his debut before Neil, but Washington was a bit leaner depth-wise at WR than at Safety.

[51ichiro51]

Cleveland 10 @ Washington 13



This was mostly a defense-dominated game. CB Carlos Rogers returned a punt for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, and that turned out to be the difference in the game. Eugene was the target of two throws, but both were successfully defended. Other than that, he didn't see much action.







Green Bay 3 @ Washington 24



The Redskins easily beat the Packers for their third straight win. Great start to the season so far, they're outscoring opponents 67-30. Eugene saw even less action in this one, appearing in only 2 passing plays and was never a target. He's been on special teams for the most part so far.

[51ichiro51]

Seattle 17, Washington 19



The Redskins are definitely on a hot streak, though this game was their closest one of the season so far. 12 of the Redskins points came from field goals, and an amazing 58-yard run from backup RB Dwight Ingram certainly helped the cause.

Speaking of helping the cause, Eugene was targeted only once but made sure it was worth it:

WAS 3, SEA 7 3-16-SEA29 (2Q: 00:37) Jason Campbell pass completed to WR Eugene Bradford for 12 yards. Tackled by CB Brady Greer, assisted by CB Kelly Jennings. The receiver ran his route right over the middle of the field. The quarterback threw away from the double coverage.

Eugene's 12 yard reception allowed kicker Shaun Suisham to attempt a 34-yard field goal instead of a 46-yard FG. Suisham made it, and considering the Redskins only won by two points, this was pretty clutch. That was Eugene's only noteworthy play of the game, but he made it count! Here's his gamelog:



And we have an exciting development! SS LaRon Landry had to leave the game late in the 4th quarter with a dislocated elbow. He'll have to miss 4 weeks. FS Adam Archuleta will start in his place next week, so the Redskins have activated Neil Bradford and given him the job of starting Free Safety.

So finally the two brothers will get to play in an NFL game together. The historic moment will take place on the road, in San Francisco.

[51ichiro51]

Washington 19 @ San Francisco 14



Yet another win! The Redskins and Chargers are the only two undefeated teams left, but San Diego had a bye week, so that means the Redskins have the best record in the NFL. In his NFL debut, Neil had 5 solo tackles, 2 assists. He also successfully defended 2 out of 6 catches, and added a special teams tackle. Good way to start out his career. Eugene wasn't as productive...he was targeted twice, didn't catch the first one and dropped the second.

Eugene:



Neil:



Next week they'll try to extend the streak to 6 at home vs. the St. Louis Rams.